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November 12 2013 Published by PTK Corp.
of the River Region
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POKER by Janet Spencer The word poker comes from the German word “pochen” meaning “to brag.” Come along with Tidbits as we deal the cards! CARD FACTS • On a deck of cards, the king of spades represents David, King of Israel; Clubs represents Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia; Hearts is Charlemagne, King of France; and Diamonds is Caesar Augustus, Emperor of Rome. • The symbols on a deck of cards were invented to represent the four classes of men: hearts represented the clergy; spades for warriors; clubs were originally leaves and represented the peasants; and merchants were represented by diamonds. This design was invented around 1392. • The word spades comes from the Spanish word for sword, “espada.” • Clover comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “cloefer” meaning club. Hercules had a club which had three heads, and the clover plant has bracts of three leaves. The club on decks of cards come from the clover plant. • In card games, sometimes a marker or buck is placed in front of the person who is to deal the next game. Every time the deal passes, players also “pass the buck.” FAMOUS GAMES • In 1921, millionaire Howard Hunt won his first oil well in a game of 5-card stud in Arkansas. • A banker in Denver arrived at work one morning to find four men waiting for him on the steps. They had been playing poker all night, and one man insisted on taking the banker aside and showing him the contents of a sealed envelope. Inside were five cards— four kings and an ace. It was his poker hand. The pot, he explained to the banker, was worth $4,000 and the other players had given him 30 minutes to raise $5,000 to call the last bet. He wanted to borrow the money from the bank with his poker hand as security. The banker refused— but just then the bank president arrived. After the situation was explained to him, he agreed to the loan and accompanied the poker players back to the game. He returned within a few minutes with the amount of the loan, along with an additional $500 in interest. “If you were a poker player,” he told the other banker, “you’d know good (Continued next page)
Vol 2 Issue 46 paul@riverregiontidbits.com
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Tidbits® of the River Region Poker cont: collateral when you see it.” • Black Bart was a notorious highwayman in California who became famous during gold rush days for politely holding up stage coaches and leaving bits of poetry behind. One day he robbed a stage coach north of Sacramento. In the stagecoach were seven men and one pretty little schoolmarm. He robbed each of them in turn, but the lady challenged him to a hand of poker. If she won, she would keep her valuables. If he won, he would keep her things and also collect a kiss from her. He was so surprised at her gumption and grit that he agreed to the terms. A deck of cards was produced and the game progressed. She won— and he kept his word. Local citizens were so impressed with her pluck that they presented her with a gold watch, and the stage company gave her a check for $1,000. • The story goes that a poker game started up on a steamboat. However, the players discovered they had no chips on board. They found some ears of dried corn and shelled them, using the kernels to bet with. In the middle of the game, one player found an opportunity to sneak back into the storeroom where the corn was kept, and in the dark he shelled another ear’s worth of kernels, figuring on sneaking these ‘chips’ into the game. It was unfortunate for him that the ear he chose in the dark was red. No word on what happened to him when he laid these counterfeit chips on the table, but one report states that his comrades tossed him overboard. • King Kalakaua ruled Hawaii, and he was very fond of poker. During one game a messenger arrived with the urgent news that the natives were restless and beginning to riot. The king declared that as soon as the hand was finished they would all go home. There was quite a large pot, and just after the king put his final bet on the table, gunfire was heard. “Run!” cried King Kalakaua. They all rushed outside and commenced running down the road. When they figured they were a safe distance from the guns, they stopped and finished playing the hand while sitting in the middle of the road. The king won the hand— but only because he mistook a joker for a king in the dark. No one corrected him because he was, after all, the king, and also because he had been losing all summer long. • Songwriter Ira Gershwin was not good at poker. After one disastrous game, he turned to his friends and announced, “I take an oath. I’ll never pick up a card again!” He paused, then added, “Unless, of course, I have guests who want to play...Or unless I am a guest in another man’s house...” He thought for a moment and said, “Or whatever circumstances arise.” • Writer and prankster Wilson Mizner was playing poker when an opponent took out his wallet and tossed it into the pot saying, “I call you.” Mizner replied by removing his shoe and placing it on the table as well. He announced, “If we’re playing for leather, I raise.” • A famous poker player nicknamed Herrmann the Great played games all over the world in the 1890s. One day he decided to pull the wool over the eyes of a naive player. Herrmann was a great sleightof-hand master and was assured of winning using shady techniques. When the other player insisted on playing with real money instead of chips, Herrmann agreed assuming he just liked flashing his money around. Herrmann let the man win just often enough to keep suspicion down, then socked it to him, taking him for $300. There he ended the game, explaining to the ‘sucker’ that he’d been cheating, and offering the man his $300 back. The man got huffy, refused the money, and walked out. Herrmann had a good laugh, and took the wad of money to a restaurant for a meal. When he offered a $20 bill to pay, he was informed that the bill was counterfeit. The entire $300 was counterfeit— and the man who was supposed to have been ‘suckered’ made off with Herrmann’s real money. • John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, was a compulsive gambler in the 1700s. He was so reluctant to leave a card game even for a meal that he had a servant bring him a piece of meat between two slices of bread so he could eat with one hand and play cards with the other. The new invention was dubbed a sandwich. • The Marx brothers were playing poker one night with a talent agent who suggested that Julius, Adolph, Herbert, Leonard, and Milton Marx change their names to Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo, Chico, and Gummo.
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by Samantha Weaver * It was noted wit Oscar Wilde who made the following sage observation: “Every saint has a past and every sinner a future.” * It seems that having blond hair was popular in ancient Rome, too. Those not naturally blessed with golden hair, though, had to go through a bit of an ordeal to change their natural color. The treatment of choice was pigeon droppings. Messy, perhaps, but effective. * Those who study such things say that dung beetles use the Milky Way as a navigational aid. * In June 2009, the town of Cave Creek, Ariz., was faced with an electoral tie in the race for a city council seat: Each candidate received exactly 660 votes. According to the state constitution, such ties can be broken by a game of chance. After some discussion, the candidates agreed that they would each pull a card at random out of a deck, and the one with the highest card would be declared the winner of the election. Thomas McGuire drew the six of hearts, then waited while his opponent, Adam Trenk, took his turn. Trenk pulled the king of hearts, securing his city council victory. * You may be surprised to learn that clams can live to be 200 years old. * If you’re of a morbid inclination and have some time to kill in Chicago, head to that city’s Graceland Cemetery. Find the monument known as “Eternal Silence” -- a tall figure in robes -- and look into the statue’s eyes. It’s said that if you do that, you’ll have a vision of your own death. *** Thought for the Day: “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” -- E.B. White (c) 2013 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Tidbits® of the River Region
* On Nov. 30, 1886, the Folies Bergere in Paris introduces an elaborate revue featuring women in sensational costumes. The highly popular “Place aux Jeunes” established the Folies as the premier nightspot in Paris. The Folies followed the Parisian taste for striptease and quickly gained a reputation for its spectacular nude shows. * On Dec. 1, 1913, Henry Ford installs the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile. His innovation reduced the time it took to build a car from more than 12 hours to 2 1/2 hours. * On Nov. 28, 1925, the “Grand Ole Opry,” one of the longest-lived and most popular showcases for country music, begins broadcasting live from Nashville, Tenn. The showcase was originally named the “Barn Dance.” * On Nov. 26, 1931, the first cloverleaf interchange to be built in the United States, at the junction of NJ Rt. 25 (now U.S. Rt. 1) and NJ Rt. 4 (now NJ Rt. 35) in Woodbridge, N.J., is featured on the cover of the Engineering NewsRecord. (By contrast, a piece on the underconstruction Hoover Dam was relegated to the journal’s back pages.) * On Nov. 25, 1952, “The Mousetrap,” a murder-mystery written by novelist and playwright Agatha Christie, opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. The crowd-pleasing whodunit would go on to become the longest continuously running play in history, with attendance by more than 10 million people to date. * On Nov. 27, 1965, the Pentagon informs President Lyndon Johnson that if Gen. William Westmoreland is to conduct the major sweep operations necessary to destroy enemy forces during the coming year, U.S. troop strength in Vietnam should be increased from 120,000 to 400,000 men.
Stephanie Pryor Black/Female 5’2” 200 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Brown
* On Nov. 29, 1975, Silver Convention earns a No. 1 pop hit with “Fly, Robin, Fly.” Suddenly, the world wanted to see the “artists” behind it. The problem: Silver Convention didn’t exist. The two unknown singers who’d cut the record couldn’t be hired again, so two others were pressed into service to appear in their place. (c) 2013 King Features Synd., Inc.
Outstanding Warrants: Possession of Forged Instrument 2nd (7 counts) Theft of Property 1st
Curtis Alan Atkins White/Male 5’10” Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue Outstanding Warrants: Failure to Appear on Possession of Marihuana 2nd
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Jamie Horn
Tommy Count ______ This week’s winner receives 1 tree up to $55 from
Wadsworth Christmas Tree Farm Register to win at www.riverregiontidbits.com and click on “Tommy Tidbits” or click the QRCode above. Fill out the registration information and tell us how many times Tommy appears in ads in the paper for this week. From the correct entries, a winner will be selected. You must be 18 years of age to qualify. The gift certificates will range in value from $25 to $50 each week. Entries must be received at the website by midnight each Saturday evening or at PTK Corp, PO Box 264, Wetumpka, AL 36092.
Last Week’s Ads where Tommy was hiding: 1. Dr. Johnny Griffin, p. 6 2. Nuevo Ranchito, p. 6 3. My Place, p. 8
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Tidbits® of the River Region
1. When was the last time before 2013 (Elvis Andrus) that a Texas Ranger hit two triples in a game? 2. Who has the most home runs in a season by a majorleague player who wasn’t yet 20 years old? 3. Which NFL team has the longest current streak of not making the NFL playoffs? 4. When was the last time before 2012-13 that the University of Michigan basketball team started a season 16-0? 5. What team set the NHL record for most losses in a season? 6. When was the last time before the upcoming 2014 event that Belgium’s men’s soccer team qualified for the World Cup? 7. Jockey Bill Shoemaker was the oldest winner (54 years old) of the Kentucky Derby. What year did he do it, and which horse did he ride?
1. Is the book of Judah in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. From Revelation 4, what stone resembles the rainbow circling God’s throne in Heaven? Emerald, Ruby, Pearl, Gold 3. Of these books, which comes before the others in the Bible (KJV)? Titus, Jude, Colossians, Galatians 4. From Genesis 34, who boasted to his two wives that he had killed a young man? Baanah, Herod, Lamech, Jehu 5. To whom did Luke address the books of Luke and Acts? Ishmael, Theophilus, John the Baptist, Stephen 6. Who was the father of Isaac? Aaron, Noah, Abraham, Peter
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When a Child’s Parent Has Cancer Two days before Becca Herring’s 35th birthday last December, she learned that she and her family would be embarking on a new journey together. But it wasn’t the kind of journey a family typically takes during the winter holidays. In Becca’s case, it began as a short trip to the local hospital in Modesto, Calif., where she would be diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. “When we heard Becca had breast cancer, being honest with our two school-age kids from the get-go was important to the process of keeping us strong and together,” said her husband Jason, a paramedic, and by nature not one to gloss over a serious situation. When questions in the past few months from 9-yearold James and 8-year-old Gabby came up -- such as “Will Mom’s hair grow back?” and “Will she get better?” -- the parents accessed community resources and found an innovative local program called Monkey Business to help with the answers and the kids’ needs. Sponsored by Emanuel Cancer Center in Turlock, Calif., the year-round support group is designed for children and teens 5-17 whose loved one has cancer. Free and open to the community, hands-on sensory activities open up opportunities to ask questions and feel supported. A Monkey Business facilitator, Nancy Daley, says cancer’s impact on young families is on the rise, and when it comes through the door unexpectedly and a parent becomes ill, it isn’t uncommon for children to struggle in school and act out in the home. Along with seeking family support in your community, Nancy gives several tips that are important for helping children. 1. Talk to your children regularly in natural situations, like driving to piano lessons or while preparing a meal. Find time for honest conversation, and attempt to answer all of their questions. 2. Explain the diagnosis as clearly as possible. Outside resources in your community may be available to help. 3. Give your children tools for talking to their friends at school about their parent’s cancer. Help them decide who needs to know, and who does not need to know. 4. Try your best to maintain rules and routines at home. They provide security for children. 5. Keep a family calendar with treatment schedules so that children know when a parent may be extra tired. Always include some fun time for the family. *** Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link to the NEW Donna’s Day Facebook fan page. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.” (c) 2013 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.
BIBLE TRIVIA ANSWERS:
1) Neither; 2) Emerald; 3) Galatians; 4) Lamech; 5) Theophilus; 6) Abraham
1. Michael Young, in 2002. 2. Tony Conigliaro hit 24 in 1964 for Boston at age 19. 3. The Buffalo Bills -- 13 seasons through 2012. 4. It was the 1985-86 season. 5. The San Jose Sharks lost 71 games during the 1992-93 season. 6. It was 2002. 7. Ferdinand, in 1986.
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Tidbits® of the River Region
16 Travel Tips
by Keyesta Sherman, State Farm® Agent
Traveling can be quite an adventure and fun for the whole family, but it can also present challenges. Being prepared is a good way to ensure a safe trip. Before you set off on your next weekend trip to the country or excursion around the world, here are a few tips to help keep you out of harm’s way. Prepare Before You Leave: • • •
• • • •
• •
Protect your home. Take steps to make your home safe while you’re away. Carry the minimum number of valuables. Expensivelooking jewelry and accessories can bring the wrong kind of attention. If possible, travel with only one or two credit cards. Talk to your doctor or health provider. If traveling abroad, vaccinations may be recommended. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has extensive information on its website. Copy important documents. Make and keep copies of your passport, driver’s license, and credit cards. Travel light. You will be able to move quicker and less likely to set your luggage down and leave it unattended. Consider travel insurance. If planning a trip far in advance or one that is expensive, you may want to be covered in case of an emergency cancelation. Bring a basic first aid kit. Include bandages, iodine, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, alcohol packets, and motion sickness and diarrhea medicines. Make sure that your prescription medicines are filled properly and labeled accurately. Pack a small flashlight. You may suddenly end up in the dark and find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings. Check with your cellular carrier. Cellular providers offer supplemental services and plans so customers can use their cell phones outside the United States.
Stay Out of Harm’s Way: •
• • • • • •
Avoid being pickpocketed. Keep your wallet in your front pocket. If carrying a purse or bag, wear the shoulder strap across your chest and walk with the bag away from the curb to avoid drive-by purse snatchers. Remain calm if mugged. It is best to and give up your valuables. Bring along updated photos of your children. You made need them in case you become separated. Be discreet about personal information. Do not discuss travel plans, your room number, or any other personal information in public within earshot of strangers. Do not flash your money or passport in public. You don’t want to make yourself a target. Stay away from stray cats and dogs. While they may seem friendly, they can carry diseases. Steer clear of unmarked taxicabs. They are not licensed and can be dangerous.
Even though travel can have many challenges, don’t be overwhelmed when planning your next trip. A little common sense and good preparation goes a long way towards a safe, enjoyable journey.