Tidbits of the River Region, News, Funnies, Puzzles, Quizzes by Ray Dutton

Tommy Contest Page 5

of the River Region

October 16, 2018 Published by PTK Corp.

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PIGS by Kathy Wolfe October is National Pork Month, the perfect time to focus on pigs! Follow along as Tidbits rounds up the facts on these little oinkers. • There are about 55,000 pig farms in the U.S., supporting more than 800,000 jobs. About 115 million hogs are marketed each year in the U.S., producing 22 billion pounds (9,979,032,140 kg) of pork. • The most common breed of swine in North America are Yorkshire pigs, a breed that is white with erect ears. Although Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio have the most Yorkshires, they can be found in nearly every state. • A female pig is called a sow or gilt, depending on whether she has ever given birth. A sow has had piglets, while a gilt is a young female who has never given birth. The sow gives birth twice a year after a gestation period of 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. Her litter will be about 12 piglets, with each weighing approximately 2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg). Within a week, that weight will double. The sow will nurse the babies for three to five weeks, and after being weaned, the piglets are referred to as shoats. • At as young as two weeks, newborn piglets can recognize their mother’s voice and will run to her when called. • A female wild pig’s litter can be up to 14 piglets, which will remain in the nest for their first ten days. Wild pigs can live up to 20 years. • Once a pig reaches 120 lbs. (54 kg), it becomes known as a hog. The boar is an uncastrated male domestic pig that is used for breeding. If a male pig is neutered, it’s called a barrow. The term boar can also refer to a wild pig of any gender. • During its growth phase, a pig will consume 6 to 10 lbs. (2.72 to 4.54 kg) of corn and soybean meal feed daily. A fully grown pig can weigh between 300 and 700 lbs. (140 – 300 kg). But pigs typically go to (Continued next page)

Vol 7 Issue 42 paul@riverregiontidbits.com

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Tidbits® of the River Region (Front page continued)

1. Is the book of Simon in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. From 1 Samuel 3, whose voice did Samuel think it was when he first heard God calling him? Jonathan, Saul, Ahiah, Eli 3. How many chosen men of Israel did Saul take with him to the wilderness of Ziph to search for David? 12, 100, 200, 3,000 4. The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any ...? Tongue, Knife, Two-edged sword, Wit 5. From Genesis 26, where did Isaac stay when there was a famine in the land? Gerar, Endor, Sychar, Lydda 6. What insect was a plague on the Egyptians? Wasp, Locust, Flea, Cockroach Sharpen your understanding of scripture with Wilson’s Casey’s latest book, “Test Your Bible Knowledge,” now available in bookstores and online. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.

By Chris Richcreek 1. Entering 2018, when was the last time a pitcher started 36 or more games in a major-league season? 2. Which major-league team did Lou Piniella manage first, and which one did he manage the longest? 3. When was the last time before 2017 that the University of Miami, Fla., won a bowl game by more than one point? 4. In the 2016-17 NBA season, Elfrid Payton became the fifth player in Orlando Magic history to have at least 1,000 points and 500 assists in a season. Name two of the other four to do it. 5. Who were the last players before Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel in 2018 to reach 20 points in 10 or fewer NHL playoff games? 6. Name the last time before 2018 that Russia’s men’s soccer team advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup. 7. When was the last time before 2018 that the U.S. won wrestling’s World Cup? (c) 2018 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

market at around 250 to 280 lbs. (113.4 to 127 kg). • A pig’s hoof has four toes, and they use just two toes per foot to walk. • A farm-raised pig’s diet is mostly corn, but a wild pig has a wider menu, including leaves, roots, fruit, rodents, and small reptiles. • Even with their size, adult pigs are able to run at speeds of up to 11 mph (17.7 km/hr), the equivalent of a seven-minute mile. • Pigs are noted for their intelligence, are smarter than dogs, and smarter than three-year-old children! They can be trained to do tricks and can be taught to use a litter box. They continually communicate with other through more than 20 different methods, from oinks to grunts to squeals, all of which have specific meanings – everything from mating calls to expressing hunger. • Pigs are also very social, forming bonds with other swine, and enjoying curling up next to each other. Even wild pigs live in cohesive groups called sounders, some with as many as 300 members. • Pigs were one of the first animals to be domesticated. Descended from the wild boar, China began domesticating them about 6,000 years ago. Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto brought pigs to the North American continent in 1539. • Have you ever heard the expression “sweating like a pig”? Well, that’s nearly impossible, since pigs have hardly any sweat glands. Their favorite way to cool off is to roll in the mud, which leads to another common misconception – that they’re dirty animals. They’re actually one of the cleanest animals in the barnyard, and won’t defecate anywhere near where they sleep or eat. Covering themselves in mud not only cools them, it protects the pig from sunburn and bug bites. • A pig’s eyesight is among the worst of all farmyard animals. However, their sense of smell is very powerful, and the nostrils on its leathery snout are very sensitive to touch, enhancing their search for food. They have even been used to sniff out buried land mines during wars. • A hog named Reggie set the record for the heaviest pig at the Iowa State Fair in 2012. This swine weighed in at 1,335 lbs. (605.5 kg), compared to the usual weight range of 300 and 700 lbs. (140 and 300 kg). • In the wild, the largest boar is the giant forest hog that reaches a length of 6.9 feet (2.1 meters). The heaviest is the Eurasian wild pig, which grows to 710 lbs. (320 kg.). In contrast, the pygmy hog weighs just 21 lbs. (6.6 kg). While domestic pigs have curly tails, wild pigs have straight ones. • In the 1920s, Nobel Prize-winning Canadian researchers developed the use of pig insulin for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. In 1922, the first shot of animal insulin was given to a 14-year-old boy. Soon animal insulin was being widely used for diabetes’ treatment. At that time, pigs’ pancreas glands were a waste product of the meatpacking industry. Unfortunately, it required more than two tons of pig parts to extract eight ounces of purified insulin. In addition to insulin, about 40 other medicines are made from pigs. • For over 40 years, doctors have been using pig heart valves to repair humans’ defective heart valves. It takes about four weeks to prepare a pig valve for transplantation into a human. The pig valve lasts for about 15 years. • In 12th-century England, the church offered a side of bacon to any man who could honestly swear before the church that he had not had a fight with his wife for a full year, giving rise to the phrase “bringing home the bacon.” These individuals were among the most highly respected in their community. • The word “gammon,” commonly used in Britain, and refers to the hind leg of pork after it has been cured in a salty brine. A gammon knuckle is the foot end of the joint. It’s a popular dish at Christmas time, and on Boxing Day, December 26. • The Chinese have included the pig in its zodiac as the last of the 12 animals. It represents fortune, honesty, happiness, virility, and fertility. In fact, statues of pigs are prominently displayed in bedrooms of Chinese couples trying to conceive.

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by Samantha Weaver * It was noted American science fiction author Philip K. Dick who made the following sage observation: “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” * You might be surprised to learn that when Hernan Cortes reached the New World in the 1600s, he found the Aztecs drinking hot chocolate at their banquets. * The World Health Organization does not include cockroaches on its list of insects hazardous to human health. * Are you afraid of rattlesnakes? Those are certainly dangerous creatures, but keep in mind that the venom of a black widow spider is 15 times deadlier than that of the rattler -- and the spider doesn’t provide an early-warning alarm like the rattler does. * The name for that lovely lavender stone, amethyst, is derived from the Greek term for “not drunk.” * You probably knew that cats were revered in ancient Egypt, but did you know that when a domestic cat died, the family went into mourning? Yep. People would shave their eyebrows to demonstrate their grief over the passing of their beloved pet. * If you’re like the average American, you eat roughly 17 pounds of potato chips every year. * Way back in 1879, the Cincinnati Gazette predicted that the game of baseball had “run its course.” * Singer and songwriter Roger Miller, best known for his hit song “King of the Road,” had a passion for music early, even though his family was poor. When he was in grade school, he spent his weekends picking cotton so he could save up enough money to buy a guitar. After eighth grade he quit school and went to work herding cattle and riding in rodeos. *** Thought for the Day: “It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.” -- Baltasar Gracian (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Tidbits® of the River Region

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* On Oct. 20, 1803, the U.S. Senate approves a treaty with France providing for the purchase of the territory of Louisiana, which would double the size of the United States. President Thomas Jefferson believed it was essential for the U.S. to maintain control of the mouth of the Mississippi River. * On Oct. 15, 1863, the C.S.S. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, sinks during a test run, killing its inventor and seven crewmembers. The Hunley was operated by a crew of eight -- one person steered while the other seven turned a crank that drove the ship’s propeller. * On Oct. 21, 1918, a German U-boat submarine fires the last torpedo of World War I, as Germany ceases unrestricted submarine warfare. The torpedo sank a small British merchant ship in the Irish Sea. * On Oct. 18, 1931, Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history, dies at the age of 84. Edison received little formal schooling, but he employed assistants who provided the mathematical and technical expertise he lacked. * On Oct. 19, 1957, Maurice “Rocket” Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first NHL hockey player to score 500 goals in his career when he slaps a 20-foot shot past Chicago Blackhawks goalie Glenn Hall. * On Oct. 17, 1968, Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos are forced to return their awards because they raised their fists in a black-power salute during the medal ceremony, which repudiated “the basic principles of the Olympic games.” * On Oct. 16, 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure is rescued after being trapped for 58 hours in an abandoned well in Texas. Rescue workers labored for two days to drill a parallel shaft, then tunneled horizontally to connect the two shafts. (c) 2018 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Fray, George Jason White/Male 6’2” 145 lbs 52 yrs old Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Outstanding Warrants: Charge: Theft of Property 2nd/ Criminal Trespass 2nd

Outstanding Warrants:

Powe, Johnathan DOB: 10/27/1982 Black/Male 5’11” 190 lbs Hair: Black Eyes: Brown

Wanted for: Unemployment Compensation Violation

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1. Name the female artist who in 1969 was the first to release “Easy Come, Easy Go.” 2. What blues singer released an album titled “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”? 3. Which artist was the first to release “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You”? 4. Name the group that released “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You,” and when? 5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “I left Tennessee in a hurry, dear, The same way that I’m leavin’ you, Because love is mainly just memories And everyone’s got them a few.” Answers 1. Cass Elliot, in 1969, on her second album, “Bubblegum, Lemonade & ... Something for Mama.” Bobby Sherman covered the song the next year. 2. Robert Cray, in 1988. Cray already had won five Grammys, including one for his “Strong Persuader” album in 1986. 3. George Benson, in 1985. He never released the single (only videos) in the U.S., and the song received little notice until Glenn Medeiros released his version two years later. 4. The Beatles, in 1964. 5. “The Brand New Tennessee Waltz,” by singersongwriter Jesse Winchester, in 1970. This was the first song Winchester ever wrote, in Canada, where he’d moved to avoid the draft. (c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.

Since October 7 – 13 is National 4-H Week, Tidbits is focusing on the history of this youth organization, whose mission is to “engage youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development.” • As improved agricultural methods were being discovered in the late 1800s, older farmers were resistant to the changes. Researchers determined that young people accepted new innovations more readily and were willing to experiment. Rural youth programs began to form to teach them new hands-on techniques. In 1882, a Delaware university sponsored a contest for youths, with each participant required to plant a quarter of an acre of corn, following instructions from the college that outlined new approaches to growing. • In 1902, an Ohio school superintendent, A.B. Graham, met with 30 boys and girls for the purpose of learning about harvesting corn, planting vegetable gardens, soil testing, knottying, and wildlife identification. The group was first dubbed the Corn Growing Club, but transitioned into the Boys’ and Girls’ Agricultural Club. This group was the beginning of 4-H clubs as we know them. • Around the same time, another school superintendent, Jessie Field Shambaugh from Iowa, was also organizing “Boys Corn Clubs” and “Girls Home Clubs,” establishing afterschool clubs in 130 country schools to improve farming and homemaking practices in rural areas. Jessie’s monthly salary was $33.50. In 1910, she designed a green three-leaf clover pin as an award medal for club members’ work. . The letter “H” was on each leaf, designating “Head,” “Hands,” and “Heart.” A fourth leaf was added later to signify “home,” which was later changed to “Health.” The stem always points to the right. The emblem’s green color symbolizes life, springtime, and youth, while the white represents purity. • In 1912, the groups were first called 4-H clubs, with the club motto “To make our best better.” The clubs were a national organization by 1914. • The 4-H pledge was written in 1918: “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.” The club’s slogan is “Learn to do by doing.” • Randolph County, West Virginia, was home to the first 4-H camp, where campers slept in tents in corn fields, rising with the sun and working in the field all day. • In the 1960s, 4-H expanded its programs to include life experiences outside of agriculture, such as developing citizenship and leadership qualities, responsibility, and life skills. The organization has expanded into science, engineering, photography, healthy living, robotics, environmental protection, computer science, and technology programs, even rocket building! Members are addressing climate change, food safety, and childhood obesity. Members no longer live exclusively in rural farming areas, and clubs now exist in suburbs and inner cities across the nation. Of course, some members are still learning how to raise sheep! • There are upwards of 3,000 4-H county offices across the nation, and close to 6 million active 4-H members. Membership is open to those between the ages of 5 and 19.

Julie Savoy Please call 334-202-7285 within 7 days of this issue to claim your prize!

Tommy Count ______

This week’s winner receives

Zoo Boo 4-Pack Tickets from

Montgomery Zoo 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. Fat Boy’s Bar-B-Que Ranch, p.6

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FOOD OF THE WEEK:

PORK

Time to cook up some pork facts during National Pork Month! • Pork is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, accounting for about 38% of meat production. China accounts for more than half of the world’s pork consumption. The average person will eat 28 pigs over the course of a lifetime. • In 1959, eight pigs were required to produce 1,000 lbs. (453.6 kg) of pork. Today, it takes only five pigs to reach that weight. • Bacon is taken from the sides, belly, or back of the pig, followed up by curing or smoking the meat. If you hear the term “rasher” of bacon, it’s the British term for an individual slice of bacon, while a “flitch” is a side of unsliced bacon. It’s one of the oldest processed meats in history, with records of the Chinese salting pork belly clear back in 1500 B.C. Bacon accounts for one-third of all pork consumed, with over 2 billion pounds (907,184,740 kg) produced annually in the United States. • There are some pretty unusual pork dishes served around the world. In Ireland, cooks serve up Crubeens, a dish of boiled pigs’ feet that are battered and fried. The Germans like Eisbein, consisting of boiled pickled ham hocks. In the Philippines, Hamanodo is prepared by cooking pork in pineapple juice. America’s Pennsylvania Dutch have been making scrapple for centuries. Scrapple is a mush of pork scraps and trimmings mixed with cornmeal or wheat flour and a variety of spices. It’s formed into a loaf and sliced, then pan-fried. Every little scrap of meat left over from butchering was added into scrapple, thus avoiding any waste. • Pork blood soup may not sound too appetizing to some folks. As the name implies, it uses coagulated pork blood as its main ingredient, along with pig intestines, livers, and hearts, barley, and herbs. Another equally appetizing food known as livermush is served in the southern United States, a mixture of pig’s head parts, liver, and cornmeal. • Fans of Chinese food might know that moo shu pork is made of sliced pork tenderloin, cucumber, scrambled eggs, and mushrooms, stir fried in a sesame or peanut oil, and seasoned with ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, and rice cooking wine. • Since its introduction by the Hormel Corporation in 1937, more than 8 billion cans of SPAM have been sold. It’s available in 44 countries worldwide. SPAM is a mixture of chopped pork shoulder and ham, with some added sugar and potato starch. • Around 1835, Cincinnati, Ohio became known as “Porkopolis,” when it opened that state’s first slaughterhouse, and exported huge quantities of salt pork to every area of the country. By 1840, there were 48 hog packing plants there, employing 1,200 men. • Jewish and Muslim dietary law forbids the consumption of pork for religious reasons. In fact, its sale is illegal in certain Muslim countries. • Humans can be infected with Trichinella roundworms when they ingest inadequately cooked pork that contains the worms’ larvae. But it’s not just pork than contains the nematodes – wild game and even walruses can contain the larvae. Within days of eating the larvae, gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting occur. Without treatment, trichinosis can lead to heart failure. Although most have a complete recovery, muscle pain and weakness can persist. Pork on the grocer’s shelf stamped “USDA Certified” means the meat has been treated for Trichinella.

BIBLE TRIVIA ANSWERS:

1) Neither; 2) Eli; 3) 3,000; 4) Two-edged sword; 5) Gerar; 6) Locust

1. In 2003, Atlanta’s Greg Maddux and Toronto’s Roy Halladay each started 36 games. 2. The New York Yankees (1986); the Seattle Mariners (1993-2002). 3. It was 2004 (the Hurricanes beat Florida, 27-10, in the Peach Bowl). 4. Penny Hardaway (three times), Scott Skiles (three), Darrell Armstrong (twice) and Steve Francis (once). 5. Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky, in 1988. 6. It was 1986, when the team represented the Soviet Union. 7. It was 2003.

TidbitsÂŽ of the River Region

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Last Week Total

11-4 77-28

10-5 75-30

8-7 73-32

9-6 73-32

8-7 72-33

9-6 71-34

9-6 69-36

8-7 68-37

6-9 65-40

National Champ

Alabama

Georgia

Alabama

Auburn

Clemson

Stanford Arizona St

Arizona St

Stanford

Alabama Tennessee

Alabama

Tennessee

Alabama

Auburn Ole Miss

Auburn

Ole Miss

Auburn

Miss St LSU

LSU

Vandy Kentucky

Kentucky

Tulsa Arkansas

Arkansas

N Texas UAB

N Texas

UAB

N Texas

N texas

UAB

N Texas

UAB

UCF E Carolina

UCF

Houston Navy

Houston

Navy

Houston

Colorado Washington

Washington

Colorado

Washington

Oregon Washington St

Washington St

Oregon

Michigan Michigan St

Michigan

Michigan St

Michigan St.

Michigan

Maryland Iowa

Iowa

Maryland

Iowa

Maryland

Iowa

NC St Clemson

Clemson

NC St

Clemson

Oklahoma TCU

Oklahoma

TCU