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BUGS BUNNY
by by Kathy Wolfe “Eh, what’s up, doc?” asks the long-eared animated bunny. Tidbits invites you to discover “what’s up” with this famous cartoon character on April 30, which has been declared Bugs Bunny Day. • Bugs Bunny is an anthropomorphic rabbit, meaning he was created with human traits and personality. In other words, he walks upright on two legs and talks. Introduced in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions, (which would go on to become Warner Brothers Cartoons), Bugs underwent several changes in appearance, first appearing as a short white rabbit known as Happy Rabbit. • Even though Happy Rabbit’s appearance was quite different from Bugs as we know him today, Happy’s personality was quite similar. Happy’s first appearance was in the cartoon short “Porky’s Hare Hunt,” which debuted in April of 1938. Porky Pig was the hunter tracking the rabbit who always managed to elude him. Happy’s favorite expression was “Jiggers, fellers,” and the voice actor Mel Blanc gave him a silly laugh, similar to what Blanc would later use for Woody Woodpecker. • A March, 1940 Merrie Melodies cartoon short, “Elmer’s Candid Camera,” introduced Elmer Fudd opposite Happy Rabbit. (turn the page for more!)
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Vol 2 Issue 14
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BUGS BUNNY (continued) • By July of 1940, the rabbit had a new look and a new name. The first official Bugs Bunny cartoon, “A Wild Hare,” was the first film in which Mel Blanc used a new voice for Bugs, one described as “a mixture of Brooklyn and Bronx accents.” It was also the first time that Bugs used his famous catchphrase, “What’s up, Doc?” The film’s writer/director Tex Avery said it was a common saying in his Texas hometown, and he thought nothing of adding it to the script. When it became popular, it was added to Bugs’ films from there on out. “A Wild Hare” was such a success that it received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film. • Another Academy Award nomination came along in 1941 for “Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt,” in which Mel Blanc voiced all the characters. • Bugs starred in Merrie Melodies cartoons under the direction of Leon Schlesinger until 1944, when Schlesinger retired and sold his studio to Warner Brothers. The cartoons then became known as “Looney Tunes,” with “Buckaroo Bugs” marking the studio’s debut. • Bugs Bunny was extremely popular during World War II. Bugs, Porky Pig, and Elmer appeared in a 1942 U.S. two-minute film entitled “Any Bonds Today,” selling war bonds. At the end of 1943’s “Super-Rabbit,” Bugs Bunny appeared in a U.S. Marine dress blue uniform, singing “The Marines’ Hymn,” which resulted in the Marines making the character an honorary Marine Master Sergeant. Bugs was also the official mascot of Kingman, Arizona’s Army Airfield from 1943 to 1946, as well as the mascot for the U.S. Air Force’s 380th Bombardment Group. All of these accolades contributed to Warner Brothers becoming the most profitable cartoon studio in the nation. (continued next page)
Mini Corn Dogs
It was some 80 years ago at the Texas State Fair that Neil Fletcher invented the "corny dog," a sausage on a stick, dipped in cornbread batter and fried. This oven-baked version is a treat for kids of all ages. 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cold margarine or butter, cut up 1 tablespoon shortening 3/4 cup whole milk 1 package (16 ounces, about 48) miniature frankfurters, drained and patted dry Ketchup and prepared mustard (optional) 1. In large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives used scissors-fashion, cut in margarine and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With spoon, stir in milk until mixture forms soft dough that leaves side of bowl. 2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead gently 4 to 5 times just until smooth. With floured rolling pin, roll dough into 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). 3. Heat oven to 450 F. With floured 2 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Press trimmings together; wrap with plastic wrap and set aside. 4. Place 1 frankfurter on each dough round. Bring sides of dough up around frankfurter; pinch in center to seal. Place wrapped frankfurters, seam sides up, 1 1/2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake corn dogs 12 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden. 5. Reroll trimmings 1/8 inch thick, and cut out additional rounds. Repeat step 4 with remaining frankfurters and dough rounds. 6. Serve warm with ketchup and mustard if you like. * Each serving: About 60 calories, 4g total fat (1g saturated), 6mg cholesterol, 180mg sodium, 5g total carbohydrate, 2g protein. For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our Web site at www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipes/. (c) 2019 Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
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BUGS BUNNY (continued) • Dell Comics featured Bugs in their “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies” comic books beginning in 1941, and continued using him for 153 issues until 1954. From 1952 to 1983, Bugs was published in 245 issues of his own comic book, and another 81 issues of “Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny” from 1970 to 1983. • The Newspaper Enterprise Association syndicated the Bugs Bunny comic strip in 1942, and the strip ran for 51 years. • Bugs appeared in Warner Brothers Cartoon shorts until his last, “False Hare,” in 1964. He had starred in more than 167 shorts. • In 1960, “The Bugs Bunny Show” made its debut on ABC prime-time television. Many of the Looney Tunes cartoons were used for the program, which moved from evenings to Saturday mornings, where it remained for 40 years. • There was no new Bugs Bunny material until 1976, when “Bugs’ and Daffy’s Carnival of the Animals” was released. • In 1988, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” hit the theaters, a film that combined live action with animated characters. It was the only film in which both Disney and Warner Brothers cartoon characters appeared together. Although the film was produced by Disney, Warner Brothers demanded screen time for Bugs and Daffy Duck equal to that of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Because of that, both sets of characters always appeared in the same frame. The movie was the most expensive film of the 1980s, with a production budget of $70 million. More than 82,000 frames of animation were drawn by the 326 animators who worked full-time on the project. Nominated for six Academy Awards, the film took home three Oscars. • Mel Blanc, known as “The Man of a Thousand Voices,” began voicing Bugs Bunny in 1938, and continued until his death in 1989. (continued next page)
Taking a Veteran's Name in Vain
Why is it some people have such a sense of entitlement that they think it's OK to steal from veterans? Worse, why is it that the crooks think they're not going to get caught? A handful of government departments -- notably the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's OIG and the FBI -- banded together to nail yet another person who claimed that his small business was owned by a disabled veteran. In this case, the suspect took in nearly $12 million in construction contracts from 2007 to 2015 while working on a few VA medical centers. The person he claimed was the disabled veteran didn't actually work for the company. Per the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses program, at least 51 percent of a company claiming disabled veteran status has to be owned by the veteran. Part of that program is to give at least 3 percent of all contracts to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. More specifically, per the program requirements, the small business must "have one or more service-disabled veterans manage dayto-day operations and also make long-term decisions." In other words, you can't just lend your name to a business. Inquiring minds want to know, however, how something like this can go on for so long. The fast track to discovery of a scam like this seems so simple: Once a year send a form to the disabled veteran owner and ask that it be signed in front of a notary to verify that he/she is indeed still involved in the day-to-day operations of "X" business. Lying would put their benefits at risk. At this point the guy has only been indicted. But he did plead guilty to one of the accessory charges
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Acupuncture has far fewer side effects than many medications and helps people with a variety of conditions. Whether its effect is "real" or placebo is almost not an issue.
To Your Good Health By Keith Roach, M.D.
Is Acupuncture for Real? DEAR DR. ROACH: You have mentioned acupuncture as a treatment for several conditions. I have read otherwise. How strong is the evidence for its use? -- R.L. ANSWER: The effectiveness of acupuncture for over 50 different medical conditions was reviewed by the Cochrane Collaboration, an evidence-based medicine group. Some of these show significant benefit; for example, acupuncture improves pain and function in people with fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, when compared with placebo pills. Acupuncture also was better than doing nothing and better than some other treatments. On the other hand, the Cochrane group could not find enough evidence to say whether acupuncture is effective for many other conditions, such as depression or shoulder pain. More importantly, some authors have argued that the benefit from acupuncture is a placebo response, and that the apparent benefit of acupuncture compared with a placebo pill is merely that acupuncture is a more effective placebo than just a pill. There certainly is evidence that even surgery has a potential for a placebo response, and one interesting recent study showed that people with Parkinson's disease got more improvement in motor skills from a placebo pill they were told cost $1,500 than they did with the identical placebo if they were told it cost only $100. This shows me that our minds have a tremendous ability to improve our bodies if we really believe we can. I think that to a very large extent, and perhaps entirely, the real benefits seen by people who undergo acupuncture are a manifestation of the placebo response.
DEAR DR. ROACH: Last year, I started getting Raynaud's. I can remember from my youth that my father had it, so it didn't seem too terrible. It's not just the fingertips that turn white, but also some of my toes are affected. I asked people who know of it or have it how one gets this. What is the cause? No one knows. So I asked my doctor. Even he said he did not know. How do I get these episodes, and what can I do to prevent them? -- R.S. ANSWER: Raynaud phenomenon is an exaggerated response to cold or stress, causing color changes in the skin of the fingers and toes. There is a long list of causes of Raynaud phenomenon. Often, no cause is ever found (in which case it is called primary Raynaud, which just means we don't know what's causing it). The most common known causes are the autoimmune rheumatic diseases, especially scleroderma, lupus and Sjogren's syndrome. Hypothyroidism is an unusual cause, and some drugs can cause it as well. The current thinking is that primary RP is caused by abnormalities in the alpha receptors in blood vessels (alpha receptors respond to adrenaline and similar molecules). Keeping the whole body -- and especially the hands -- warm is the first step. Sudden temperature changes can trigger the effect. Warming the hands in warm water at the onset of an attack can stop it. Anxiety makes it worse, so a positive attitude can really affect this condition. Medications, such as amlodipine, may be necessary for prevention in more severe cases. Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu. (c) 2019 North America Synd., Inc. All Rights Reserved
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What Have Studies Learned About Us?
We seniors must be fascinating to researchers because it seems they're always studying us. Here are a few things they've learned through Pew Research Center studies: • With all the drama nowadays about "fake news," and with our age-enhanced ability to sniff out lies, it would seem that we'd be excellent at discerning what's real and what isn't. Not so, according to a study. Five thousand participants of all ages were presented with five factual statements and five opinion statements. Turns out the younger age groups were much better at identifying both the factual and opinion news items than we were. • Seniors are more likely to be religious, which researchers identified as meaning being part of a religious group, attending weekly services and praying daily. It's not just in here in America -- they got the same results for most of the rest of the world.
Vol. 2 Issue 14
BUGS BUNNY (continued) • Blanc was also the voice of Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil, and several other Looney Tunes characters. The only major Warner character he did not voice was Elmer Fudd. Blanc went on to work for Hanna-Barbera, and was the voice behind The Flintstones’ Barney Rubble and The Jetsons’ Mr. Spacely, and the original voice of Universal Pictures’ Woody Woodpecker. • Mel Blanc died on the 29th birthday of a young man named Jeff Bergman, who was a voice actor at Warner Brothers who had been mentored by Blanc. Bergman became the voice of Bugs Bunny after Blanc’s death. By then, Bergman had been the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy for four years, a role he continued until 2013. • Warner Brothers used other voice actors for Bugs, including Billy West who voiced Bugs and Elmer Fudd in the 1996 live-action/ animated movie “Space Jam.” Starring basketball great Michael Jordan, the film centered around a basketball match between Jordan’s team of Looney Tunes characters and a group of aliens who wanted to force the cartoon characters to perform in an alien amusement park. Bugs and the gang practiced in a gymnasium known as Leon Schlesinger Gym, a tribute to the man who had produced the first Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons. “Space Jam” introduced a brandnew Looney Tunes character, Bugs’ love interest Lola Bunny. • Bugs Bunny has been in more films than any other cartoon character, and is the 9th mostportrayed film personality in the world. Bugs received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7007 Hollywood Blvd. in 1985, joining several other fictional characters including Tinkerbell, Kermit the Frog, Mickey Mouse, Big Bird, and Winnie the Pooh.
• When it comes to politics -- do we even want to go there? -- both the baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964) and the Silent Generation (late 1920s to 1945) are more conservative, with the Silents more staunchly conservative than the boomers. • Although more of us are becoming technologically savvy, seniors are still 42 percent behind other age groups in the percentage of us who have cellphones or roam the Internet. Half of us say we need help setting up new devices, which is where more training classes at senior centers would come in handy. • Those of us over the age of 50 are divorcing at a rate that has doubled during the past 30 years. For those over age 65, the rate has tripled. If you want to read through more research results like these, go online to Pew Research Center (www.pewresearch.org) and search for seniors or elderly. (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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1 In 2017, Houston's George Springer became the third person to hit five home runs in a World 1. Series. Name either of the first two to do it. 2. Which of the following four players hit the most home runs while in a Cincinnati Reds uniform: Adam Dunn, George Foster, Ken Griffey Jr. or Tony Perez? • On May 10, 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes has the White House's first telephone installed, although he rarely received phone calls. In fact, the Treasury Department possessed the only other direct phone line to the White House at that time. The White House phone number was "1." • On May 9, 1926, according to their claims, American polar explorer Richard E. Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett fly over the North Pole in a triple-engine Fokker monoplane. However, the discovery in 1996 of Byrd's diary suggests they may have turned back short of the pole because of an oil leak. • On May 12, 1949, an early crisis of the Cold War comes to an end when the Soviet Union lifts its 11-month blockade of West Berlin. The blockade had been broken by a massive U.S.-British airlift of supplies to West Berlin's 2 million citizens.
3. Who was the last rookie running back before Jordan Howard in 2017 to represent the Chicago Bears in a Pro Bowl? 4. Which men's basketball team was the last before Villanova in 2018 to win all six of its NCAA Tournament games by double digits?
5 In 2019, Washington's Braden Holtby became the second-fastest goaltender to reach 250 victories (409 games). 5. Who was faster? 6. 6 Through 2019, how many consecutive years has a Hendrick Motorsports driver won the pole for the Daytona 500?
7 How many times have Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal combined to finish in the top three in the 7. year-end ATP tennis rankings? 1. Reggie Jackson (1977) and Chase Utley (2009). 2. Perez, with 287 homers, tops Dunn (270), Foster (244) and Griffey Jr. (210). 3. Gale Sayers, in 1965. 4. North Carolina, in 2009. 5. Ken Dryden did it in 381 games. 6. Five consecutive years. 7. Seven times.
• On May 6, 1954, in Oxford, England, 25-year-old medical student Roger Bannister cracks track and field's most notorious barrier: the four-minute mile. Bannister won the mile race with a time of 3:59.4.
by Jo Ann Derson
• On May 8, 1973, in South Dakota, armed members of the American Indian Movement surrender to federal authorities, ending their 71-day siege of Wounded Knee, site of the infamous massacre of 300 Sioux by the U.S. 7th Cavalry in 1890.
• Do your kids love to have fruit cups in their lunchbox? They are a great snack, especially packed in juice, but I don't like the waste of materials or the cost. Instead, I use reusable screw-top containers that I fill each week from a large can. The price per serving is way less, and I'm not adding more little plastic cups to the mass already out there.
• On May 11, 1988, Kim Philby, a former British intelligence officer and double agent for the Soviet Union, dies in Moscow. Philby was perhaps the most famous of a group of British government officials who spied for Russia from the 1930s to the 1950s. • On May 7, 1994, Norway's most famous painting, "The Scream" by Edvard Munch, is recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo. It was recovered undamaged from a hotel about 40 miles away. (c) 2019 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• J.F. writes: "If you're old like me, put a list of your medications on the fridge to aid the paramedics. Important phone numbers, too." Too true, J.F. I would add that if you are on a number of medications, keep a list in your wallet or handbag as well. It could come in handy when you are at a medical appointment, or just want to review with your pharmacist. • Keep a washrag sprayed with cleaner handy when cooking spaghetti sauce. It's easier to clean up spills as they happen than to try to get dried sauce off the backsplash. • "I have a bright spot lamp in my laundry room so that I can look over shirts to make sure I have treated all the stains. I don't have great lighting in the laundry room, and the LED light really makes spots stand out." -- R.Y. in Arkansas • "Use flat, wide rubber bands around your mason jars as a bumper to avoid glass-on-glass clanging. You can even write on the band to use them for labels. I bought a pack of very fat rubber bands for cheap at the office supply store, and they are perfect." -- E.M.W. in Oregon
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• Cold water wash all your clothes that can stand it -- especially jeans and dark clothing. It preserves the color, and that's in addition to being better on your pocketbook since it takes less energy. Send your tips to Now Here's a Tip, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803 (c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Vol. 2 Issue 14
1. Is the book of Galatians in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. From Joshua 6, on the seventh day, how many times did the men of war march around Jericho? 1, 3, 5, 7 3. In His first recorded miracle, what did Jesus turn into wine? Goat's milk, Grape juice, Fig cider, Water 4. From 1 Chronicles, what king was buried with his sons under an oak tree? Neco, Jehoash, Saul, Rezin 5. What "vow" that appears in Numbers 6:1-21 has five features? Roman, Nazarite, Corban, Anathema 6. In the story of creation, what did God call the darkness? Blackness, Night, Fourscore, Trinity 1) New; 2) 7; 3) Water; 4) Saul; 5) Nazarite; 6) Night Visit Wilson Casey’s Trivia Fan Siteat www.patreon.com/triviaguy. Š 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Make Your Town More Dog-Friendly DEAR PAW'S CORNER: I live in a town with no dog parks and very few sidewalks, other than in the town center and a few subdivisions. When I take my dog "Greta" outside in the morning I get dirty looks from the neighbors, even though I pick up after her. I live in an apartment with no yard, so I have to drive into the city to find an off-leash dog park so Greta can run. I love my town and don't want to move, but I'm getting tired of this. Is there anything I can do? -- Leeanne G., via email DEAR LEEANNE: It can be frustrating to have to go so far to give Greta some recreation time. Here are a few ideas to try: -- Find like-minded dog owners by searching for or creating a Meetup.com group in your town, and get together to talk about concerns they have with walking their dogs. -- Contact city hall to find out if they have considered a dog park, or designating a park as dog-friendly. If so, ask how you can be a part of the process. If not, look into starting a community dog park. The AKC has some helpful tips on how to do this. -- Talk to your neighbors and ask if they have concerns about dogs. -- Commit to other solutions that may help make your town more dog-friendly: remind other dog owners to pick up droppings, post flyers that explain how to approach a strange dog, and of course, keep Greta on a leash where required. Unfortunately, these tips put much of the onus on the dog owners. But that may be the best place to start. Good luck. Send your questions or pet care tips to ask@pawscorner.com.
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Next week read about Transfusions!
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