Tommy Contest Page 5
of the River Region
July 3, 2018 Published by PTK Corp.
The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read® To place an Ad, call: (334) 202-7285 TIDBITS® EATS OUT AT
McDONALD’S by Janet Spencer In 1940, Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California. In 1955, a salesman for industrial milkshake-making machines named Ray Kroc started franchising McDonalds, resulting in the world’s most profitable fast food chain. Come along as we eat at McDonald’s! UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED • McDonald’s is the most-visited fast food restaurant in the U.S. About 96% of Americans have visited McDonald’s at least once. They serve about 27 million Americans every day. McDonald’s is visited by 90% of American children on a monthly basis. • In 1968, McDonald’s operated about 1,000 restaurants. Today it has about 37,000 locations worldwide which is more locations than Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Arby’s combined. They open almost 2,000 new outlets each year. Of the 194 countries in the world, McDonald’s restaurants are found in 120 of them. They serve 68 million customers worldwide each day. That’s about 1% of the world’s population. • The most northerly McDonald’s restaurant is on the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland. • The most southerly McDonald’s franchise is in Invercargill, New Zealand. • McDonald’s largest market outside the U.S is Japan, with over 3,000 restaurants. • The world’s largest McDonald’s restaurant is over 28,000 square feet and is in Beijing. • The smallest is 492 square feet in Tokyo. • The top 10 busiest McDonald’s are all in Hong Kong. • The McDonald’s in India are the only ones in the world where a person cannot buy beef. Instead, they sell lamb versions of the Big Mac, called the “Maharaja Mac.” • In a survey of 7,000 people from six foreign countries, 88% could identify a McDonald’s golden arches logo while only 54% could identify the Christian cross. (Continued next page)
Vol 7 Issue 27 paul@riverregiontidbits.com
Page 2
Tidbits® of the River Region (Front page continued)
1. Is the book of Galatians in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. From Mosaic law, what would happen to the person who cursed his father or mother? Imprisonment, Outcast, 10 lashings, Death 3. In Genesis 14:3, what lake is called the Salt Sea? Galilee, Lake Pison, Dead Sea, Euphrates 4. From Daniel 2, who had a dream about a statue composed of different materials? Jezebel, Daniel, Rezin, Nebuchadnezzar 5. In Acts 7, who said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”? Philip, Stephen, Luke, David 6. Whose biblical name means “salvation”? Jude, Ahaz, Hosea, Ruth Visit Wilson Casey’s new Trivia Fan Site at www. patreon.com/triviaguy. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
By Chris Richcreek 1. In 2017, Dallas Keuchel became the second Houston Astros pitcher to win five games in April. Who was the first to do it? 2. Who was the last player before Washington’s Anthony Rendon in 2017 to drive in 10 runs in a game? 3. In 2016, Le’Veon Bell set a Pittsburgh Steelers record for most rushing yards in a game (236). Who had held the record? 4. Who was the last No. 1 overall NBA draft pick before Markelle Fultz in 2017 to have his last season in college end with a losing record? 5. Name the last time before the 2017-18 NHL season that the Pittsburgh Penguins swept in-state rival Philadelphia during the regular season? 6. In 2017, Stanford became the second men’s collegiate soccer team to win three consecutive national championships. Which school was the first to do it? 7. When was the last time a horse won the Kentucky Derby in less than 2 minutes? (c) 2018 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
• A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96% could identify Ronald McDonald. The only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition was Santa Claus. • Ronald McDonald is #2 on the list of top ten advertising icons of the twentieth century. The Marlboro Man is number one. • There are only two places in the contiguous U.S. where you can be over 100 miles away from the nearest McDonald’s: a spot in the desert of northwestern Nevada, and a place in the middle of the plains of South Dakota. • McDonald’s is the world’s second largest private employer with 1.5 million employees. Only Wal-Mart employs more people, with 1.9 million. One out of eight American workers has worked for McDonald’s at some point. The median age of its workers is 28. • McDonald’s spends more on advertising and marketing than any other company, replacing Coke as the world’s most famous brand. • McDonald’s is the world’s largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes, and the second largest purchaser of chicken (after Kentucky Fried Chicken). They buy 2 billion eggs each year. • McDonald’s sells about 550 million Big Macs each year in the U.S. Americans eat over 1 billion lbs. of beef at McDonald’s in a year, which is 5½ million cows. 400 quarter pounders can be made out of one cow. • McDonald’s sells an average of 75 hamburgers per second. One hamburger contains meat from up to 100 different cows. • McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets come in four shapes and they all have names: the boot, the ball, the bone, and the bell. • There are 40 ingredients in Chicken McNuggets. The McRib has 70. A strawberry milkshake contains about 50 chemicals used to imitate the flavor of strawberries. • The McRib, which debuted in 1981, was invented in part because chicken farmers couldn’t keep up with the demand for McNuggets. There’s no actual rib meat in the McRib. Instead, pork shoulder is pressed into the rib-like shape using a mold. • The Filet-o-Fish was originally developed for Catholic customers, since they generally abstain from eating meat on Fridays. Today, 23% of Filet-o-Fish sales occur during Lent. • McDonalds sells over 1 billion cups of coffee each year around the world. It sells 500 million cups a day in the U.S. alone. • McDonald’s doesn’t sell hot dogs because, according to Ray Kroc, “there’s no telling what’s inside a hot dog’s skin.” • In 1982, two men were arrested after stealing a statue of Ronald McDonald in Pennsylvania and holding it hostage. They demanded a ransom of 150 burgers, 150 shakes, and one diet soda to go. They threatened to melt Ronald down and make him into ashtrays for a competing fast food restaurant if their demands were not met. • The largest McDonald’s in the U.S., with 25,000 square feet of space, is located in Orlando, Florida. The store includes a bowling alley, 100 arcade games, a 500-gallon aquarium, a waterfall, and slides for children. The location frequently hosts concerts and gator shows. • In Japan, Ronald McDonald is called “Donald McDonald” due to a lack of a clear “R” sound in Japanese. • It takes the average McDonald’s employee 7 months to earn what a McDonald’s CEO earns in a single hour. • McDonald’s was supposed to revamp the Golden Arches in 1960 but a psychologist argued to keep them in the form of the “M” because it resembled breasts. • There’s a McDonald’s with turquoise arches in Sedona, Arizona. Paris is the only place in the world where the McDonald’s arches are white instead of golden. • Iceland is currently one of only a handful of countries around the world with no McDonald’s due to the high expense of importing everything. Other countries with no McDonald’s include Algeria, Albania, Ghana, Bolivia, Zimbabwe, and North Korea. • McDonald’s first drive-thru opened in 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The restaurant was located near a military base, and soldiers were not allowed to leave their cars while wearing fatigues. • The average McDonald’s drive-thru transaction takes roughly three minutes. • Since 1996, skiers have been able to schuss into the world’s only ski-thru McDonald’s in the Lindvallen resort area in Sweden. The only floating McDonald’s, called the McBarge, was located in Vancouver, Canada. It was built for the 1986 World’s Fair, but it is now abandoned.
“Be known before you’re needed” Advertise with Tidbits (334) 202-7285
by Samantha Weaver * It was noted 20th-century American novelist, short story writer and journalist Ernest Hemingway who made the following sage observation: “When you stop doing things for fun you might as well be dead.” * You might be surprised to learn that the largest irrigated crop in the United States isn’t soybeans, wheat or even corn; it’s grass -- mostly in lawns, parks and golf courses. * The next time you see a shampoo commercial and note how creamy and frothy the lather seems to be, keep this in mind: The model in the advertisement probably has either laundry detergent or frothed egg whites on her hair. * You may be among those people who think good deeds and selfless acts are on the decline. If so, consider this story: In 2010, an employee at a recycling company came across 23 U.S. savings bonds while sorting through a bin of discarded papers. Instead of trying to cash the $22,000 worth of bonds himself, Mike Rodgers decided to track down the owner. It turned out that the woman who had bought the bonds, Martha Dobbins, had been dead for almost two decades. Rodgers didn’t give up, though; he began a search for Robert Roberts, who was also named on the bonds. Though the name is common and Rodgers hit many dead ends, he eventually located the correct Robert Roberts, the son of Martha Dobbins. Roberts hadn’t even been aware of the bonds’ existence. Rodgers, his good deed finally being done, refused a reward. * Ever wonder what the opposite of reverse is? It’s obverse -- the front or principal part of an object. On a coin, for instance, the obverse is “heads” and the reverse is “tails.” *** Thought for the Day: “The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly, terribly deceived.” -- Oscar Wilde (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
Page 3
Page 4
Tidbits® of the River Region
Puig, David Anthony White/Male 5’11” 160 lbs 40 yrs old Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown * On July 7, 1797, for the first time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives votes to impeach a federal officer. Sen. William Blount of Tennessee was charged with “a high misdemeanor” for entering into a conspiracy with British officers to enlist frontiersmen and Cherokee Indians to aid the British.
Outstanding Warrants: Child Support x 3 FTA-Speeding
* On July 3, 1863, on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end. The tally: 23,000 killed, wounded or missing Union soldiers. The Confederates suffered some 25,000 casualties. * On July 4, 1919, challenger Jack Dempsey defeats heavyweight champion Jess Willard in searing 110-degree heat in Toledo, Ohio, to win the heavyweight championship of the world. “The Manassa Mauler” bested Willard in 10 minutes. * On July 6, 1933, Major League Baseball’s first All-Star Game takes place at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. The event was designed to bolster the sport and improve its reputation during the darkest days of the Great Depression. * On July 8, 1950, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the hero of the war against Japan, is appointed head of the United Nations Command by President Harry Truman. Truman fired MacArthur nine months later after he defied the president and threatened to escalate hostilities with China. * On July 5, 1975, although seemingly past his prime, Arthur Ashe defeats a heavily favored Jimmy Connors to become the first black man ever to win Wimbledon, the most coveted championship in tennis. * On July 2, 1992, the 1 millionth Corvette, a white LT1 roadster with a red interior and a black roof -- the same colors as the original 1953 model -- rolls off the assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. (c) 2018 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Outstanding Warrants:
Taylor, Keavin DOB: 06/15/1980 Black/Male 6’1” 230 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Brown
Wanted for: Possession of Marijuana 1st/ Reckless Endangerment/Attempt to Elude
Page 5
“Be known before you’re needed” Advertise with Tidbits (334) 202-7285 ANTOINE AND POTATOES
1. Who wrote and released “I Saw Linda Yesterday”? 2. Who released “Try a Little Tenderness” in 1966? 3. What group released “The Way You Do the Things You Do”? 4. Who released “Pieces of April”? 5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “He couldn’t swim the raging river, ‘Cause the river was too wide, He couldn’t reach Little White Dove, Waiting on the other side.” Answers 1. Dickey Lee, in 1963. Most of Lee’s fame came in later years when he moved over to the country charts. 2. Otis Redding. The song was written in 1932 and was first released by one of the Big Bands as a peppier dance tune. 3. The Temptations, in 1964. It was their first charting single, going to No. 1 on the CashBox R&B chart. The song was written by Smokey Robinson. 4. Three Dog Night, in 1972. It was written by Dave Loggins, cousin of Kenny Loggins. 5. “Running Bear,” by Johnny Preston in 1959. The song tells of two Indian lovers who couldn’t be together because their tribes were at war. They’re determined to be together, and drown when they meet in the middle of the raging river that separates them. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
• Potatoes originated in the Peruvian Andes. The Incas called them “batatas.” They were eating potatoes 2,000 years before Columbus set sail. When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, they had never seen anything like it. They were forced to eat potatoes when their food supplies ran low. The potatoes they introduced to Europe were more valuable than the gold they sought. However, it was hard to convince the European populace to try them. • Because the potato is a member of the deadly nightshade family, Europeans were suspicious of it, and rumors spread that eating them would cause death. Laws were passed forbidding their cultivation for fear they would spread leprosy. That changed due to French pharmacist Antoine Parmentier. • Parmentier was serving the French army during the Seven Years War in the mid-1700s when he was captured by the Prussians and thrown into jail. At the time, potatoes were considered to be livestock feed only, not fit for human consumption. Jailers fed Parmentier only potatoes, expecting him to die. Instead, he thrived. By the time he was released from prison, he was convinced that potatoes were the food of the future. Now he needed to convince the rest of France. • He entered a contest that offered a prize to the person who could come up with the best recipe that offered the most nourishment for patients suffering from dysentery. He won with a recipe for potato soup. • Next there was a contest to come up with the best substitute for wheat flour when making bread – and potato flour won. No one paid much attention at the time, but when the wheat crop later failed, it was potatoes that kept the populace of northern France from starving. • Parmentier began his fight for the potato in earnest. He invited all the royalty, the famous, and the wealthy to a well-publicized banquet in which every single dish, from soup to dessert, was made from potatoes. The queen even wore a garland of potato flowers in her hair. He knew that the common folk tended to copy whatever the elite were doing. • Next he planted potatoes in a plot and posted armed guards around it, while spreading the rumor that he was growing something valuable and rare. The guards were instructed to accept any and all bribes they were offered in order to let the local peasants steal potatoes. At night, the guards were removed, encouraging even more thievery. • Then he published a pamphlet that gave instructions on how to grow potatoes along with many recipes on how to cook them, and he made sure that the treatise carried the words “Published by order of the King” on the front page. Copies were distributed to every administrator in France with the instructions that the cultivation and consumption of potatoes was to be encouraged among the population. • During the siege of the first Paris Commune in 1795, it was potatoes that kept the people from dying of starvation, and finally potatoes became accepted as a nourishing food. • Antoine Parmentier went on to make a great many other advances as he studied things such as how to bake a better bread, make cheese, store grain, grow mushrooms, and make wine, as well as how to use corn flour, how to make sugar from beets, and how to make sea biscuits that would not spoil on long ocean voyages. • When Parmentier died in 1813, he was buried in in Paris, in a plot ringed by potato plants.
Nancy Phillips Please call 334-202-7285 within 7 days of this issue to claim your prize!
Tommy Count ______ This week’s winner receives
2 tickets to the
Wetumpka Depot Players Register to win by sending an email to entertommycontest@gmail.com or USPS to PTK Corp., PO Box 264, Wetumpka, AL 36092 with the following information: 1) Your name (first and last), and, 2) the number of times you find Tommy in the ads in the paper. 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 $100 each week. Entries must be received by midnight each Friday evening.
Last Week’s Ads where
Tommy was hiding:
1. Cousins Insurance Agency, p.1 2. T K & S Trim, p.6 3. Farmers Feed Service Inc., p.8
Page 6
TidbitsÂŽ of the River Region
“Be known before you’re needed” Advertise with Tidbits (334) 202-7285 Fabulous Food:
FRENCH FRIES
BIBLE TRIVIA ANSWERS:
1) New; 2) Death; 3) Dead Sea; 4) Nebuchadnezzar; 5) Stephen; 6) Hosea
1. Roger Clemens, in 2004. 2. The Angels’ Garret Anderson, in 2007. 3. Willie Parker ran for 223 yards in a game in 2006. 4. LaRue Martin of Loyola (Ill.), in 1972. 5. It was the 2006-07 season. 6. Virginia won four straight, 1991-94. 7. It was Monarchos in 2001, at 1:59.97.
• French fries are the most popular type of fast food in America. In 1970, the sale of French fries surpassed the sale of regular potato for the first time in the United States. • French fries actually originated in Belgium, and a manuscript dated to the year 1680 is the first known mention of fries. During World War 1 when American soldiers arrived in Belgium, they found the locals enjoying fried potatoes and called them “French fried potatoes” because French was the official language of the Belgian army at the time. • People in Belgium consume more fried potatoes per capita than any other country—some 165 pounds (75 kg) a person annually. By contrast, the average American eats 48 pounds (22 kg) of all varieties of potato over the course of a year, and 30 pounds (14 kg) of that will be in the form of French fries. • Although Belgians eat more fries per capita than any other country, the U.S. eats more fries overall than any other country due to the increased population. • The Fries Museum, or Frietmuseum, in Bruges, Belgium is the first and only museum in the world dedicated to fries. • In France, French fries are called either “frites” (meaning “fried”) or “patates frites” or “pommes frites.” In many parts of the world, French fries are known as American fries. In England they’re called chips, so “fish and chips” is really fish and fries. • The first occurrence of French fries in America may have been at a diplomatic dinner hosted by Thomas Jefferson. • McDonald’s uses 9 million pounds of potatoes every single day and is the largest purchaser of potatoes in the world. • About 7% of all the potatoes grown in the U.S. are turned into McDonald’s fries. They sell more than 1/3 of all the French fries sold in restaurants in the U.S. each year. • McDonald’s fries contain 19 ingredients. • Americans dunk fries in ketchup, Brits eat their “chips” with salt and malt vinegar, mayonnaise is a popular accompaniment in Belgium, and in Vietnam they serve their fries with soft butter and a sprinkling of sugar. Poutine, consisting of fries, cheese curds, and gravy, is considered one of Canada’s unofficial national dishes. • In a 2014 study, Greek researchers tested how gravity affects deep frying. Using a centrifuge, they found that as gravity gets stronger, fries get crispier. The perfect fry would be made at three times Earth’s gravity. Fries in microgravity would be soggy. • The slang term for potato, “spud,” comes from the spade-like tool that is used to harvest the potatoes. • Tater Tots were created to use potato shreds left over from production of French fries. • Steak fries tend to have lower fat content than normal French fries, due to the lower surface-tovolume ratio when submerged in oil. • To burn off the calories in a medium order of McDonald’s French fries, you would need to do 58 minutes of cycling, 90 minutes of bowling, or 47 minutes of high impact aerobics. • The largest helping of fries was served in Eagle, Idaho on Sep. 20, 2014. It weighed 1,003 lbs. (454 kg) and used 1,256 lbs. (570 kg) of raw potatoes along with 110 gallons (416 l) of oil to fry them up. The longest fry in the world was made by Arby’s and was 38 inches (96 cm) long. It was a curly fry.
Page 7
Page 8
Spotter’s Guide Helps Kids ID Faces, Places What’s on your summer calendar? Fourth of July celebrations, picnics at the park or a family reunion far from home? For your preschoolers, the friendly faces at these summertime gatherings of cousins, aunts, uncles and friends might seem puzzling at first. Who are all these people? Here’s a playful way to prepare your child (and maybe even you!) for these special events before you go. Make fun and easy recycled cereal box puzzles featuring photos of the faces they will be seeing and places they’ll be visiting in coming weeks. Instead of asking, “Who’s that?” as Uncle Pete scoops ice cream at the reunion dessert bar, you might hear: “Hey, mommy -- he’s the guy in my puzzle!” Before you begin, scroll through your photo library and look for a group photo of people you’ll be seeing, and photos of homes or landmarks of places on your itinerary. You’ll be enlarging the images and cutting them into rectangular puzzle pieces to adapt to the size of the boxes. Here’s the stuff you’ll need for one puzzle set of two images (one on the front and one on the back of the boxes): --9 small, empty rectangular single-portion cereal boxes --2 photocopied photographs of extended family members, and/or a place where you will be traveling (about 8 inches by 12 inches) --paint, or wide colored tape --scissors --household glue or spray craft glue --Empty grapefruit or orange net bag for storage (optional) Here’s the fun: 1. Lay one photo or piece of art face down on a table. Line the boxes side by side on the backside of the photocopy in three vertical rows. Draw around each box with a pencil, and then cut out the pieces. 2. Cover the printing on the sides of the food boxes with paint or colored packing tape, then glue the paper photo pieces on the front of each box. 3. Turn the boxes over, and add another photo following the same instructions. 4. To play, mix up the boxes and start puzzling them on one side, then the other. Say the names of the people or places as you go. Tell your child how they are related and share a story or two about individual people. When done, I like to keep these puzzle pieces in empty net bags. If you weave a string through the tops, you can hang them on a hook for easy storage between play. Extra idea: For a mini puzzle, use a set of same-size boxes in smaller sizes, such as single-portion raisin boxes. Adjust the dimensions of the enlarged photos to fit accordingly. *** 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) 2018 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.
Tidbits® of the River Region