Tidbits of Pike, Floyd Johnson Issue 5 Vol1

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December 11, 2015

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of Pike, Floyd & Johnson Counties Volume 1 Issue 5 TheThe Neatest Little Paper Neatest Little PaperEver EverRead Read

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TIDBITS® PLAYS WITH

TOYS

by Janet Spencer

December is National Safe Gifts & Toys Month, so come along with Tidbits as we play with toys!

Assisted Living Veterans may be eligible for assistance with monthly rent.

TACKY TOYS

• A toy company trying to compete with the Barbie doll came out with the Tressy doll who had a hank of hair in the center of her head which could be hauled out and screwed back in.

• In 1975 Mattel introduced a new doll called Growing Up Skipper. When the arm was twisted, the doll grew taller, developed an hourglass waist line, and sprouted breasts. Twist the arm again and the doll once again reverted to an adolescent figure.

• In the late 1970s Ideal came out with a line of cherubic angel dolls. They were called Angel Babies and didn’t sell well because consumers thought of dead babies in heaven when they saw the name 787Hambley Blvd Angel Babies.

Pikeville, KY 606-253-3035 • In 1958 Ideal came out with a Christ Child doll which came complete with Soups, Salads, Sandwiches kneeling Mary and Joseph dolls and a & Sweets manger. Parents didn’t buy them because they couldn’t picture Christ attending tea parties with Raggedy Ann. • The anatomically correct Baby Brother Tenderlove doll caused such controversy that stickers were placed over the sensitive area on the package. (Cont’d next page)

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FAMOUS TOYS

• Lego blocks are one of the world’s most popular toys and are sold in 125 countries. They were invented in 1949 by a Danish carpenter and toymaker named Ole Kirk Christiansen, who named them ‘Legos’ because it’s a contraction of the word ‘legodt’ which is Danish for ‘play well.’

Lego also means ‘to gather together’ in Latin.

• In Denmark 84% of households own Legos.

Denmark’s LegoLand is the 2nd most popular tourist attraction in the country, behind Copenhagen. Built with over 32 million Lego bricks, LegoLand has models of Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty (made from 1.4 million Legos), the Columbia space shuttle, the Parthenon, and Copenhagen Airport (which took eight people two years to build). The scale model of the Danish royal family’s palace is one of only three places where the royal flag is allowed to fly.

• Currently there are more than 1,200 different styles of Lego pieces that come in 12 colors. Two 8-studded pieces of Lego can be put together in 24 ways, and 6 pieces can be connected in over a million ways.

• In Bridgeport, CT, William Frisbie owned the Frisbie Pie Company. The pies came in all flavors, but all of them had a returnable tin pie plate with “Frisbie’s Pies” stamped on the bottom. In 1900, William’s son Joseph took over the business and expanded the route to include Yale University.

Suddenly, he noticed that many pie tins were not being returned. Someone on campus had discovered that with a flick of the wrist, frisbie pie tins would fly.

• Instead of demanding the return of the pie tins, Frisbie began spreading the word that they made a great toy. Pie sales soared and the frisbie was born.

Wham-O began mass-producing them and in 1959 changed the spelling to Frisbee.

Retirement Myths

Why do we retire when we do? The answer isn’t as simple as “I’ll be 65 on a certain date” or “That’s when I’ll have enough savings.”

The answer to why we pick a time to retire is fairly complicated.

The Stanford Center on Longevity teamed up with Fidelity Investments to debunk some of the myths about how we decide when to stop working. They based their research on responses from 12,000 participants age 55 and older, so it was no small study. Here are some of the results: Myth 1 -- We don’t retire until we have enough money. That makes sense, but half the participants said their retirement is tied to a specific date, not to the amount of money they’d saved. If necessary they would adjust their lifestyle to what money they did have.

Myth 2 -- We want to spend time with our spouse. This might be true for men wanting to spend time with wives, but women would rather spend time with grandchildren.

Myth 3 -- We’re struggling financially and regret having to be frugal. Again, not necessarily so. A whopping 82 percent are happy they retired when they did, and 85 percent consider it rewarding. Almost as many said that adapting to having less money is easier than they thought. One-third wished they’d started saving earlier.

Myth 4 -- We have to keep working to survive. Over half of the participants said they liked working and felt valued.

Myth 5 -- We’re taking advantage of retirement to travel and enjoy hobbies. For one-quarter of respondents, that’s true. The rest replied that they enjoy the free time to do whatever they want -- even if it was nothing.

There’s something to be said for doing absolutely nothing, even if it’s on a retirement budget.

Mediterranean Pizza This is for all you feta cheese lovers. It’s also for all you zucchini lovers. And it’s for all you pizza lovers, too!

1 (11-ounce) can purchased refrigerated crusty French loaf bread 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1 3/4 cups (one 15-ounce can) tomato sauce 2 1/2 cups chopped unpeeled zucchini 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese 1. Heat oven to 425 F. Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with olive oil-flavored cooking spray. Unroll French loaf and pat into prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes.

2. Stir Italian seasoning into tomato sauce.

Evenly spread sauce mixture over partially baked crust. Arrange zucchini evenly over sauce.

Sprinkle feta and mozzarella cheeses evenly over top. Continue baking for 12 to 14 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

3. Place baking sheet on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes. Cut into 8 large pieces. Serves 8. * Each serving equals: 173 calories, 5g fat, 9g protein, 23g carb., 758mg sodium, 2g fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Meat, 1 Vegetable.

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FAMOUS TOYS (cont’d)

1. Is the Book of Numbers in the Old or New Testament or neither?

2. What book of the Bible mentions the word “holiness” the most times, at 152? Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 3. From John 13, who said to Jesus, “No, you shall never wash my feet”? Paul, Simon Peter, Andrew, Thomas 4. How many different foods are mentioned in the Bible (KJV)? 26, 49, 61, 80 5. Who was Jonah’s father? Eli, Joppa, Tirzah, Amittai 6. How many children did Hannah have? 0, 5, 11, 20

• Josh Cowen was always fascinated with toy trains.

As a kid he fashioned an electric train that ran on a track around his bedroom, carrying his toys in its cars. Years later, he took his electric train to a man who owned several toy stores in New York, saying that if he placed the train in his front window during the Christmas season and loaded the cars with toys, this animated advertisement would increase sales of the toys. The shopkeeper agreed, bought the train from Josh, and set it up in his window. The next day Josh went down to the toy store to see his train in action and was shocked to see it was gone.

The shopkeeper explained that people wanted to buy the train rather than the toys. He asked Josh if he could supply more toy trains, and Josh went to work on it. They sold as fast as he could make them.

• In 1906 Josh started a company, which he named after his middle name. Soon his factory was turning out toy cattle cars, coal cars, passenger cars, train stations, tunnels, bridges, and more. When business dropped during the Great Depression, he invented a $1 wind-up handcar pumped by Mickey and Minnie Mouse. For a time in the 1950s, his company was the largest toy manufacturer in America. Josh’s middle name, carried on millions of toy trains, was Lionel.

• The original Mr. Potato Head was a sack of plastic parts, and kids had to supply their own potato.

Mothers, however, got tired of finding moldy potatoes under the bed and behind the couch, so a plastic potato was added to the kit. Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on American television, appearing on the tube in 1952. Sales soared after Mr. Potato Head appeared in the 1995 film “Toy Story.” In 1997 Mr. Potato Head starred as the spokespotato for Burger King’s French fries.

The Global Learning Organization (GLO) of Big Sandy Community and Technical College announces its study abroad trips for the summer of 2016.

Italy: The Grand Tour Led by Professor Greta Heintzelman Slone May 30-June 10, 2016 From Venice’s endless canals to each Roman piazza, Italy has no shortage of awe-inspiring sights. You’ll see Doge’s Palace pale façade change color at sunset, stroll over the Bridge of Sighs and explore the ruins of the ancient Roman Forum on this show stopping tour of Italian culture. We will explore Venice, Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Pompeii, Sorrento, Rome, and Capri during our 12 day stay. Highlights include Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, and world renowned art museum, The Accademia Gallery, where the Statue of David resides.

Two General Education courses to be offered in conjunction with this trip during the spring term 2016! Earn credit and experience the art of Italy for yourself!

Estimated Cost: $4,000.

For more information, contact: Greta Slone at GSlone0020@KCTCS.EDU Cuba Led by Professor Fallon Watson June 6-14, 2016 Our trip focuses on Havana as a people-to-people tour of this island culture that has been previously unknown to us. We will get to know local people, work with them in-depth in a variety of settings such as health clinics, farms, and even a circus school. This is an amazing once in a lifetime opportunity to see and experience authentic Cuban Culture.

General Education courses will be offered in conjunction with this trip during the spring term 2016! Earn credit and experience authentic Cuban culture!

For more information, contact Fallon.Watson@KCTCS.EDU

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1. In 2014, Raul Ibanez became the oldest player in Royals history to hit a triple (age 42). Who had been the oldest?

2. Between 2006-2015, how many major-league teams won at least 100 games in a season?

3. When was the last time the Dallas Cowboys were in an NFC Championship Game?

4. Name three of the five freshmen to win the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award in men’s basketball.

5. When was the last time before 2015 that the first five games of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals were each decided by one goal?

6. Who is the only athlete to win a medal in six consecutive Winter Olympics?

7. When was the last time before 2015 that LSU won the NCAA Division I men’s golf championship?

Q: One of my favorite actors is Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Can you tell me what he has in the works? -- Linda F., via email A: Word has it that Jeffrey has just been cast to appear in the season-six finale of “The Walking Dead” as (slight spoiler alert!) Negan. His role will continue into the seventh season, which AMC has already greenlighted. If you keep up with “TWD” graphic-novel/comic series, then you know that the character of Negan appears in No. 100, and he’s a frightening, foul-mouthed, barbwire-laced-bat-wielding murderer. There is no word yet on how he’ll be portrayed in the TV series, but I’m thinking that Jeffrey has the goods to scare us plenty, even if he can’t be quite as potty-mouthed as his literary counterpart. Check back here for more details as they develop. *** Q: I need more “American Horror Story,” and I know Bryan Fuller has plenty of ideas for the series, so please tell me that it has been renewed!

-- Paul T., Annapolis, Maryland A: “American Horror Story” -- which rounds out its fifth season, “Hotel,” on Jan. 20 -- has been renewed for a sixth season, to the surprise of no one since it’s such a huge hit for FX. And as I’ve said before, A-list talent is lining up around the block to be a part of the show. Bryan has not yet announced a theme for the next installment, but he has hinted that he’d like to air two seasons of the show for the 2016-17 season. If he goes forward with this plan, season six would air in October 2016, with season seven airing the following spring. As of now, however, only the October 2016 season is definite. *** Q: What has Jill Hennessy been up to? She’s such a lovely actress. -- Kenny R., via email A: The multitalented performer appeared in three episodes of “Madam Secretary” this fall playing Jane Fellows, the new Defense Intelligence Agency handler of Tim Daly’s character, Henry McCord. She also wrote and recorded an album called “I Do,” and in January she has concerts in New Jersey and Connecticut, where she’ll be performing songs from and promoting the album.

In fact, Jill got her start busking in the streets of Toronto when she was only 17 years old. So you lucky folks in the Northeast have the chance to see Jill with her first love: music. *** Q: I am going through some serious “Outlander” withdrawal, and I need any bit of news you can give me. -- Nina H., via email A: I’ve got a little something to tide you over: Oscar Kennedy has been cast to play young William Grey, who if you’ve read the books (SPOILER ALERT), you know grows up to be Lord John Grey, lifelong friend and confidante of Jamie and Claire. The 16-year-old Nottingham, England, native was featured in Starz’s “The White Queen” and a BBC series called “Hunted.”

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* On Dec. 11, 1918, author Alexander Solzhenitsyn is born in the Caucasus Mountains in Russia. The publication of parts of “The Gulag Archipelago” in Paris in 1973 led to Solzhenitsyn’s arrest and exile in 1974. * On Dec. 10, 1901, the first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, as Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, had directed in his will. It is believed that he did so out of moral regret over the increasingly lethal uses of his inventions in war. * On Dec. 9, 1921, General Motors engineers discover that leaded gas reduces “knock” in auto engines, eliminating the pinging sounds. Ethyl alcohol also worked, and it was cheap -- however, anyone with an ordinary still could make it, which meant that GM could not patent it or profit from it. * On Dec. 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese warplanes attack the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing more than 2,400 naval and military personnel. The U.S. declared war against Japan the following day. * On Dec. 12, 1980, American oil tycoon Armand Hammer pays $5 million at auction for a notebook containing writings by Leonardo da Vinci. In 1994, the book was sold to Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, for $30.8 million. Gates has since loaned the manuscript to a number of museums for public display. * On Dec. 8, 1993, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is signed into law by President Bill Clinton. NAFTA eliminated all tariffs and trade restrictions between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. * On Dec. 13, 2003, in Seattle, the iconic Hat ‘n’ Boots Tex Gas Station is hauled away for restoration. The 44foot–wide Stetson hat had perched atop the filling station’s office, while the 22-foot–tall cowboy boots had housed the men’s and women’s restrooms since 1955.

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STEERABLE SLED • In 1866 Samuel Allen established a farm implement company that manufactured machines which he designed. It was a seasonal operation and workers were laid off when orders slowed. Samuel felt sorry that he couldn’t provide year-round work for his employees. He needed a winter product.

• One day his eye fell on an advertisement for a child’s sled. Samuel had done much sledding in his youth, but the problem with sleds of the day was that it was nearly impossible to steer them. The only way to change direction was to drag a foot and lean, which was awkward and slowed the sled. Samuel set about designing a sled that could be steered.

• By creating a weak spot in the metal runners, a crossbar on the front of the sled could flex the runners, causing the sled to slide in the desired direction. He called it the Fire Fly and set out to market it. It didn’t sell well, however, and his employees were upset that their annual vacation time was being cut short. He was advised to scrap the idea and stick to farm implements.

• Instead, Samuel changed the name and hit the road again. An advertising campaign touted the sled’s steering ability, safety, speed, and the fact that it was easier on shoes than dragging a foot. Finally the sled caught on, especially after Macy’s Department Store in New York City agreed to sell them. Within a few years, Samuel’s company was selling 120,000 annually and the company, now employing workers year-round, was earning more from sleds than from farm equipment. The name of the sled is the Flexible Flyer.

• A California developer introduced a motorized pogo-stick. It reportedly got 30,000 hops to the gallon. In 1968 a Japanese toy company introduced a toy atomic bomb that flashed, banged, and emitted a cloud of real smoke.

1. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: When did Thanksgiving become a national holiday in the United States?

2. TELEVISION: What TV show featured neighbors named Lenny and Squiggy?

3. GEOGRAPHY: Which of the Great Lakes is located entirely within the United States?

4. MOVIES: What 19th-century novel was the movie “Clueless” loosely based upon?

5. MEASUREMENTS: What measurement is used to determine the height of a horse?

6. SCIENCE: What instrument is used to measure atmospheric pressure?

7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a baby turkey called?

8. FAMOUS QUOTATIONS: What sci-fi character once said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try”?

9. MUSIC: Which Christmas carol begins with the lyric “City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style”?

10. MEDICAL TERMS: What is the common name for aphthous ulcers?

By Keith Roach, M.D.

Can Heart Surgery Cause Hot Flashes?

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have had hot flashes, similar to those experienced by post-menopausal women, ever since my coronary bypass in 1990.

I can be sitting quietly in a chair reading or at my computer, and suddenly I find myself dripping with perspiration. I also have had panic attacks, with increased heart rate and other physical symptoms. A few years ago, a 24-hour EKG showed heart-rhythm irregularities and that my heart stopped briefly while asleep.

If these idiosyncrasies of my autonomic nervous system are a consequence of my time on the heart-lung machine for the bypass, I’m not complaining -- just curious. You said that stud-

Nothing says comfort, security and home like an oldfashioned meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Try this tasty supper with your family, or better yet, invite another family over to enjoy this generous-size recipe of Outside-Inside Meatloaf.

We call it the all-in-one vegetable/potato/meatloaf, because when you slice the main dish, the kids discover that everything is hidden inside -- everything, that is, except the salad and bread, which your guests could bring to complete this fabulous “let’s get together” meal.

It’s also the perfect solution for using Thanksgiving meal leftovers. Extra portions of mashed potatoes, peas and corn are the perfect ingredients to complete this recipe. Even the day-old dinner rolls are useful.

They’re all part of the mix.

OUTSIDE-INSIDE MEATLOAF MASH-UP 2 pounds lean ground beef 2 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups fresh or packaged breadcrumbs 2 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes 1 cup cooked peas or corn 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese Ketchup or mustard for drizzling on top 1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. In a large bowl, with very clean hands, let your child thoroughly mix together the meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.

3. Place on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper and form a 9-inch-by-12-inch rectangle. Use a rolling pin to make it even and smooth.

4. Spread the potatoes over the meat with a spatula, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with vegetable and cheese.

5. With adult assistance, your child can roll up the large meatloaf lengthwise, lifting up the paper to get it started.

Remove paper and place the meatloaf seam-side down on a foil-lined baking pan. Pat it together firmly, pinch ends closed and drizzle ketchup or mustard on top.

6. Bake uncovered for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until completely done. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a large serving platter for slicing. Serves 8.

TOMMY TIDBITS CONTEST COMING SOON! Details coming in the next few weeks!

ies have been done on almost everything. Is this one? -- W.S.B.

To Your Good Health

Meatloaf Mash-Up Combines Leftovers

ANSWER: I found that a lot of people complain of similar symptoms. I also found that, indeed, the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that regulates temperature, sweat, blood pressure and many other critical aspects of body function without our being consciously aware of it) can be adversely affected by cardiac surgery. Some authors have suggested that the autonomic nervous system changes are one mechanism by which people are more likely to have depression after cardiac surgery. I found several possible explanations why the ANS changes with bypass surgery, but no clear consensus.

I would want to be sure that there are no other causes of these symptoms. It sounds like you have had an extensive evaluation, but I certainly would be concerned about a sudden fast heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation.

The booklet on abnormal heart rhythms explains atrial fibrillation and the more common heart rhythm disturbances in greater detail. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Roach -- No. 107W, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.

Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6. Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for

delivery. *** DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you explain the condition known as “stone shoulder”? I am a man, 67 years old, and I believe I have it. I spent 45 years as a TV news photographer, handling heavy cameras, tripods, etc. -- B.J. ANSWER: “Stone shoulder” is a new one for me.

Maybe you mean frozen shoulder, a condition also called “adhesive capsulitis.” It’s not a strictly accurate term, since the loss of movement the name implies is gradual. It starts with shoulder pain, often worse at night, lasting for months. Stiffness develops, and then the loss of shoulder movement can be severe. A careful physical exam by a regular doctor, a rheumatologist or sports medicine doctor, or an orthopedic surgeon can make the diagnosis. Often, the doctor will inject a steroid and anesthetic into the shoulder: The pain relief and improved movement within a minute make the diagnosis. I refer patients to physical therapy for a gradually increasing exercise regimen. Sometimes, additional injections are necessary.

In your case, I would worry about a rotator cuff tear or inflammation, which you also might have acquired while doing your job. A careful exam usually can distinguish these. Occasionally, an MRI is required.

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“Leftover” Mashed-Potato Pancakes A great way to use leftover potatoes. In fact, make extra so you can enjoy this easy dish a second time.

1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes 2 tablespoons plain dried breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 1. With hands, shape potatoes into eight 2-inch patties. On waxed paper, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Coat patties with breadcrumb mixture, patting crumbs to cover.

2. Heat nonstick 10-inch skillet over medium heat; melt butter. Add patties and cook until golden and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Makes 4 servings. * Each serving: About 129 calories, 3g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 7g total fat (3g saturated), 11mg cholesterol, 319mg sodium.

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Oven-Baked Pepper Bacon 1 1/2 pounds sliced lean bacon 2 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper 1. Heat oven to 400 F. Arrange bacon slices in 2 jellyroll or shallow roasting pans, overlapping the lean edge of each slice with the fat edge of the next.

2. Evenly sprinkle pepper over bacon slices. Place pans on 2 oven racks and bake 25 minutes, switching pans between upper and lower racks halfway through baking, or until bacon is golden-brown and crisp.

3. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain; keep warm. Makes 12 servings. * Each serving: About 90 calories, 5g protein, 0g carbohydrate, 8g total fat (3g saturated), 13mg cholesterol, 255mg sodium. skinny jeans can cause varicose veins.

* It was Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky who made the following sage observation: “Silence will save me from being wrong (and foolish), but it will also deprive me of the possibility of being right.” * If you live in New Jersey, you pay eight times as much in real estate taxes as residents of Hawaii do. * Given the popularity of both Legos and Star Wars, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the first licensed, themed Lego set was an X-Wing fighter, released in 1999. * Those who study such things say that wearing

* In the 1930s, during the Bolshevik Revolution, a Communist patrol in Siberia came across an isolated fundamentalist Russian Orthodox settlement.

Christians were persecuted in the Soviet Union, and one of the soldiers shot and killed a man working in the village. This prompted the man’s brother, Karp Lykov, to flee into the forest with his wife and two young children. A sad story, perhaps, but nothing unusual -- until you find out that the Lykov family remained in complete isolation for 42 years. It wasn’t until 1978 that surveyors in a helicopter saw in a remote area a clearing that was obviously not of natural origin.

Investigation revealed that Karp and his four children (his wife had died in 1961) were living in a crude log dwelling. They’d had no contact with the outside world since fleeing their village in 1936, and two of the children had never seen a human not related to them.

Helping Pets in Need DEAR PAW’S CORNER: As the holiday season swings into full gear, many people may be looking to do something more enriching than just shopping for gifts and getting things we don’t really need. Please encourage your readers to consider donating to their local shelter or offering some of their time as volunteers to help pets during the holidays and year-round. -- Avid Volunteer in Virginia DEAR AVID: You told them, and I thank you!

The holidays can be a very hectic time for many people. But finding time to volunteer at your local shelter, or helping to host a fundraising or pet-supplies drive, can be an enriching experience and a break from shopping and planning for holiday events.

While some local shelters don’t have a formal volunteer program, many do. The first step is to contact the shelter or visit its website to find out if it accept volunteers, what jobs

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they’re expected to do, and how to apply.

If you have children who are interested in volunteering, find out the minimum age and what kids can do if they’re too young to volunteer.

For example, the adoption center at Boston’s MSPCA Angell center requires a six-month commitment of two hours per week from volunteers, who handle a variety of tasks from cleaning habitats to feeding the animals, walking dogs, socializing with smaller animals, or interacting with visitors. That’s quite a commitment, but the volunteer program often is completely filled each year.

Single-day or weekend volunteer activities also may be available, often as group events. These are a great way to get familiar with being a shelter volunteer.

Noteworthy Inventions

SLINKY

• Richard James, born in Delaware in 1914, grew up to become a mechanical engineer. During World War II, he worked in a shipyard building tools for subs and ships.

• One day in 1943, while working on a system to stabilize instruments on ships, he accidentally knocked a box of spare parts off an overhead shelf. In the resulting mess, he was amused to see a long spring wobble and then fall, walking its way down a stack of books, across his desk, and down to the floor. Richard played around with the spring for the rest of the day, highly entertained. That evening he told his wife Betty that he thought he could get it to walk down a ramp or a flight of stairs if he could only get the tension right.

• Over the course of the next year, he experimented with different types of wire before finding that high carbon steel wire half an inch in diameter and curled in a coil would “walk” effortlessly down a flight of stairs. His wife Betty named it, dubbing it the Slinky not only because that’s what it did, but also because that’s what it sounded like.

• Richard formed a company, had 400 of them made, and distributed them to toy stores. It was a major flop. No one bought them. When Richard scored a major deal with Gimbels department store in Philadelphia just before Christmas, he was sure his fortune was made, but even Gimbels couldn’t sell them.

• Finally, he took matters into his own hands. He showed up at Gimbels one afternoon and put on a show right there in the middle of the store, demonstrating all the neat things the Slinky could do. Ninety minutes later, he had sold all 400 of them, and there was a line out the door demanding more. By Christmas, over 20,000 had sold. (Cont’d next page)

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IT WORKS!

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Shades of Ali-Frazier

the minds of the 20,455 in attendance who witnessed the spectacle that night: The great Ali lost. There was no doubt. Frazier floored him in the final round. “The Greatest” of all times was, after all, beatable.

In the world of mixed martial arts and in a world starved of the kind of stardom that Ali, Frazier and their contemporaries supplied, Ronda Rousey was the most popular fighter in the world when she stepped into the ring in Australia on Nov. 14. She was to face another unbeaten woman, Holly Holm.

Like Frazier, Holm was overlooked. She had never lost a fight, but had been a boxing champion. She was attractive but not a “Hollywood” starlet -- something Rousey was able to be in her spare time. Rousey, from Venice Beach, California, could be seen knocking out Turtle from “Entourage,” tossing Michael Strahan to the ground in front of a giggling Kelly Ripa and sitting in on “The View.” Holm, meanwhile, kept her mouth shut and trained for the fight of her life.

Holm, an 800-point underdog according to the odds makers in Vegas, stunned the world when she floored Rousey in 59 seconds into the second round at UFC 193.

Like Frazier, Holm was a striker, and she managed to hit Rousey in the head with full power 29 times, many sustained by Rousey as she lay flat on her back, the clock ticking on her reign as champion.

The parallels between the two fights and the four fighters are striking. There must be a rematch. The world did not so much lose or gain a new champion that night in Australia ... it merely punched its ticket for a possible Thrilla in Manilla, the kind of epic that hasn’t been seen in a very, very long time.

When Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title in 1967 for dodging the Vietnam War draft, he was, without question, the greatest fighter in the world. He had just dismantled Cleveland Williams, Ernie Terrell and Zora Folley -- three fights that stand as clinics, all of them must-sees for any fight fan.

But time has a way of wearing a man down. When Ali was cleared to fight again he had lost nearly four years of legs. His return to the ring saw him dismantle a bloodied Jerry Quarry, stopping him with a vicious cut in just the third round. Waiting in the wings for Ali was the much-overlooked standing champion: Joe Frazier.

Ali was not yet the people’s champ. His draft dodging, combined with a brash, outspoken demeanor and views that many found unpatriotic, saw him vilified by press and fans alike. Still, he had never lost his belt in the ring and held a record of 31-0 by the spring of 1971.

Frazier, on the other hand, had none of the charisma or charm that Ali possessed, but he did have a hell of a left hook and was unbeaten at 26-0.

Mark Vasto is a veteran sportswriter who lives in New The two met in Madison Square Garden in March Jersey. of that same year. The fight lasted 15 rounds and it went to the scorecards, but there was little doubt in

Published by Events in Print, LLC SLINKY, cont’d • Richard opened his own factory in Albany, New York, where he could turn out a Slinky in five seconds flat. Each was 2.5 inches tall, contained 80 feet of high-grade blue-black Swedish steel wire wrapped into 98 coils, and came packaged in simple box. The following year, the debut of the Slinky at the American Toy Fair in New York City ensured the success of the toy. By the end of 1947, the fad had swept the nation.

• He sold over a billion of them at $1 each, raking in the revenue. Later he introduced other Slinky toys, such as the Slinky dog, the Slinky caterpillar, and the Slinky train.

• But it was his wife Betty who carried the business when Richard abandoned the project, gave his entire fortune to charity, fled to Bolivia, and left her saddled in debt just as the fad was fading and sales were declining.

• It was Betty James who commissioned a TV ad with a jingle that became the longest running jingle in the history of TV: “Everyone wants a Slinky; You want to get a Slinky.” She championed the plastic tangle-free version of the toy. She paid off the debt, reinvigorated sales, and negotiated a spot in the movie “Toy Story” which boosted sales once again.

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products had attempted to branch out into selling toy metal trucks. The trucks didn’t sell as well as expected, but their lumber sales kept growing. The owner of the lumber company offered the rights to the toy truck to the Mound Metalcraft Company, and Baker thought the idea would make a good sideline. Garden tools sell well in the summer, but toys sell well in the winter, and soon they were manufacturing a toy steam shovel and a toy crane.

• Baker attended the New York Toy Show in 1946 where he discovered there was a market for sturdy toys in the post-World War II baby boom. Soon demand for the toys outstripped the demand for the garden tools, so they designed more models such as dump trucks, fork lifts, and fire engines, eventually adding 125 different models to their inventory. Children loved them because they were realistic, and parents loved them because they were indestructible. Soon they were turning out 400,000 toys a week.

• In 1955 the company’s name was changed.

The Minnesota factory overlooked a lake, and part of the lake’s name came from the Sioux word meaning ‘great.’ Because the trucks were indeed a ‘great toy’ the name was appropriate, and that’s how Tonka Trucks were named after Lake Minnetonka.

• All in all, she sold enough Slinkys to circle the Earth 121 times, earning herself a spot in the Toy Industry Association’s Hall of Fame.

“The simplicity of the Slinky,” she told an AP reporter in 1995, “is what made it so successful.” In 1945, the Slinky sold for $1.00; by the late 90s, the same model sold for just 89 cents more.

• Over a quarter million Tonka trucks have been sold since 1947. If you lined them all up, they would stretch from Rhode Island to Los Angeles and back again eight times.

TINY TRUCKS

• In 1950 the company was just about to release a toy wedding coach when disaster struck: the Korean War began. Zinc, essential in the die casting process, was no longer available because it was needed for the war. The wedding coach was moth-balled and the company struggled, turning out tin toys instead.

• Richard James died in Bolivia at the age of 56, but Betty James lived to the age of 90. She died in 1998, having revolutionized the business her husband started and abandoned.

• In 1946 in the town of Mound, Minnesota, Lynn Baker and two of his friends started a business called the Mound Metalcraft Company.

They owned metal-stamping equipment and produced garden tools such as rakes, shovels, and hoes. A neighboring firm that sold lumber

1. Bob Boone was 41 when he hit a triple in 1989.

2. Four -- the Angels (100 in 2008), Yankees (103 in ‘09), Phillies (102 in ‘11) and Cardinals (100 in ‘15).

3. It was after the 1995 season.

4. Arnie Ferrin (Utah, 1944); Pervis Ellison (Louisville, ‘86); Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse, 2003); Anthony Davis (Kentucky, ‘12); and Tyus Jones (Duke, ‘15).

5. The 1951 Stanley Cup Finals between Montreal and Toronto.

6. Armin Zoggeler of Italy in the luge event (1994-2014).

7. It was 1955.

• After World War II, Leslie and Rodney went into business together in England, combining their first names to form Lesney Products.

They bought surplus die-casting machines and began turning out industrial parts. Later they hired Jack Odell, who began designing die casts for toy vehicles, modeling them after a line of toy trucks called Dinky Toys.

• In 1952 the ban on zinc was lifted. Just then Britain’s King George VI died, and his daughter Elizabeth succeeded him as queen.

Autos

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Lesney decided to transform the wedding coach into a coronation coach, and the new toy was released just before Elizabeth ascended the throne.

• The first version of the coach was 15 inches (38 cm) long and they sold well. Odell’s daughter wanted to take one to school for show-and-tell, but the teacher would only allow children to bring items that were small enough to fit into a standard box of matches. Odell subsequently designed a coronation coach that was less than two inches (5 cm) long. The company sold over a million. They shrank all of their toy vehicles to this size, selling them for 40 cents.

They were wildly popular. And because of the teacher’s prohibition against toys bigger than a matchbox, the tiny vehicles were dubbed Matchbox toys.

• Over 12,000 different models have been released over the years. The company is now owned by Mattel.

Answers 1. 1863 2. “Laverne & Shirley” 3. Lake Michigan 4. “Emma,” by Jane Austen 5. Hands (one hand equals four inches) 6. Barometer 7. A poult 8. Yoda, in “The Empire Strikes Back” 9. “Silver Bells” 10. Canker sores

BIBLE ANSWERS: ANSWERS: 1) Old; 2) Leviticus; 3) Simon Peter; 4) 49; 5) Amittai; 6) 5

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* Candles will burn more evenly if you refrigerate them for a few hours before lighting. * “To make your drains fresh-smelling, shake a half-cup of baking soda into the drain. Then pour 2 cups of vinegar that you have warmed on the stove. It will froth and bubble. When it’s done, run the hot water and give it a little scrub.” -- R.C. in Idaho * Visit the dollar store for low-cost toys to use on car or airplane trips. You can get several busy toys and dole them out one at a time.

Most parents will attest to what a lifesaver this can be. * “When planning to visit my hometown for the holidays, I set aside a few hours to take

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the kids to the park or a nice playground.

Then I message all my old friends and classmates with kids (Facebook is great for this) a few weeks ahead of time and let them know when I will be there. It’s great to catch up while the kids play, and even if no one shows up, we still have a fun break.” -- F.L. in California * Cookie sheets make great temporary mud and moisture trays for dirty shoes. Stash one at the entry to your home, and you will have less dirt tracked across your floors. * “Keep knitting yarn in check with empty tissue boxes. Set your yarn ball inside the box, and let the string lead out of the top.

When not in use, tape the string to the side of the box. Boxes can be stacked and stored for future projects.” -- C.W. in Indiana

NOW OPEN AND ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS! Located at 180 Ford Mountain Road, across from John’s Creek Elementary School. Only 2 miles off Hwy 119!

Open Monday-Friday from 7 am to 6 pm Offering full time & part time rates & care for four age groups: Infant: 6 weeks to 1 year Toddler: 12 months to 2 years Preschool: 24 months to 4 years School age: 5 to 12 years For more information contact Jillian Reed (Director) at:

606-637-1212 or 859-351-3933 Or visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/earlylearningcenterky Email us at earlylearningcenterky@gmail.com