Tidbits of the Rogue Valley - Vol 1 Issue 35 by Tidbits of the Rogue Valley

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Volume 1 Issue 35

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TIDBITS® SURVIVES

HURRICANES by Janet Spencer

Because September is National Disaster Preparedness month, come along with Tidbits as we weather a hurricane!

Your comfort and health are our primary concerns.

Michelle Johnson DDS University of Texas, 1999

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SMALL FACTS, BIG STORMS • Hurricanes are born where the ocean is warmest, when it is warmest. The Caribbean Sea gets warmer as the sun passes over it on its way north in June and July; it warms up again when the sun travels south in September and October. Therefore the hurricane season lasts from June through October. Not surprisingly, Florida gets hit by more hurricanes than any other state. • The practice of naming hurricanes seems to have begun in a fictional book called “Storm” published in 1941. In this book, a meteorologist amuses himself by naming tropical storms after girls. The idea caught on. It became standard practice in 1950 when there were three different hurricanes going on at the same time in the Caribbean. Meteorologists began choosing names in alphabetical order. In 1978 they started naming hurricanes after men. • The word ‘hurricane’ may have originated from the Carib god Huracan, a malicious spirit who ruled over fire, wind, and stormy weather and craved human life, haunting the coastlines and delivering destruction, chaos, and death indiscriminately. (continued next page)

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BLOW THE MAN DOWN • There are many perils attendant with hurricanes: strong winds, high waves, heavy rains causing flooding and landslides, and storm surges. A storm surge is a gigantic dome of water that swells under the low barometric pressure of the hurricane, flooding the coastline. The sea rises a foot for every inch drop in barometric pressure. In the eye of a hurricane where the barometric pressure reaches record lows, this can cause a devastating storm surge. • Three-quarters of all hurricane deaths occur due to drownings in the storm surge. Surges 40 feet tall (12 m) are not uncommon. • The farther the wind blows across the top of the sea unobstructed, the higher it pushes the waves. The taller the waves get, the more they absorb the energy of the wind. The rule of thumb is that the maximum height of the waves equals half the speed of the wind. So a hurricane wind of 150 mph (241 km/hr) can produce waves up to 75 feet (23 m) tall. • Hurricanes usually track forward at between 5 and 15 mph (8 to 18 km/hr). At 15 mph, a hurricane can cover 3,600 miles (5,800 km) in 10 days. They can be up to 600 miles (965 km) wide. Most hurricanes last between 7 and 14 days from the time they form until the time they dissipate when they encounter land. • It is said that in 1938, a resident of Westhampton Beach, NY received in the mail a barometer he had ordered. Opening the package, he was disappointed to find that it registered “hurricane”. He tapped it and smacked it, but still nothing could dislodge the indicator from the hurricane setting. Obviously the barometer was faulty. He wrote a letter of protest to the manufacturer and went to the post office to mail it back. He was never able to return home from the post office, because the hurricane struck just then and swept his house into the sea. (continued next page)

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Despite Microchip, Dog Never Found DEAR PAW’S CORNER: Last year, our beloved Sheltie “Charlene” disappeared. We’ll never know if she ran off, got lost in the woods and injured, or if someone took her. I let her out in the backyard and that was the last we saw of her. Charlene had a microchip installed by her veterinarian, but we had never followed up with registering the chip. So we’ll never know if she was found and her chip scanned. Please let your readers know that they need to register their pet’s microchip with the manufacturer, and provide a copy of the registration to their vet. And they need to update the information each year or if they move to a new address. Otherwise they lose a vital tool in locating a lost pet. -- Carol in Wisconsin DEAR CAROL: You told them, and I hope they’ll heed your advice! If you know your pet is chipped but have lost the information, you can still check to see if the chip is registered. The American Animal Hospital Association maintains a database

online at www.petmicrochiplookup.org with registrations for most, but not all, microchip manufacturers listed. If you haven’t yet registered your pet’s microchips, now is a great time to do so. Find the microchip registration information that was provided to you by the vet at the time your dog or cat received its chip. If you lost it, contact the vet’s office to see if they have the manufacturer and date of chipping on file, as well as the microchip number.

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your dinner, and certainly well enough to give your charcoal a great start.

* Need to bring along a bow while you’re transporting a present? Place it inside a zip-lock sandwich bag, close partway, fill with air and seal. The bow will make it to your destination uncrushed, and you can stick it on at the last minute. * “The combination of one part warm water and three parts baking soda makes a great paste for removing rust spots. Simply use an old toothbrush in a circular motion to smear in the paste and wipe away rust.” -- C.B. in Alaska * Having trouble starting that backyard charcoal grill? Maybe you just need to head for the snack table. Potato chips and nacho tortilla chips (like Doritos) will burn bright and hot enough to cook

* Make a floating cooler for your pool with this easy trick using a pool noodle. You’ll need a plastic container, a bungee cord or length of rope that will wrap around the container and a pool noodle cut into four pieces no longer than the sides of the container. Run the cord or rope through the noodle pieces, line noodle pieces along sides of container, and secure rope or cord tightly an inch or so lower than the container’s lip. Toss in pool, fill with drinks and ice, and enjoy. * Recycling one glass bottle saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours. * “Small lids from plastic margarine containers can be used as a burger-patty size guide. And if you have more than a few around, you can use them to separate patties for the freezer. They make it easy to grab one or two patties for the grill right from the freezer. Otherwise, I find that I must defrost several that are stuck together.” -- P.W. in Indiana

HURRICANE FACTS • On September 3, 1821, a hurricane hit New York City and moved north up into New England. A man named William Redfield rode on horseback through the area shortly after the storm passed and noticed as he moved through the area that in the southernmost areas hit by the storm, the trees had all fallen down in the exact opposite direction as the trees that had toppled in the northernmost area damaged by the storm. Upon returning home, Redfield collected information about the storm from newspapers, letters, and ships’ logs and afterwards was the first human to come to a great conclusion concerning the nature of hurricanes: “This storm was exhibited in the form of a great whirlwind.” • In some places, hurricanes are called cyclones, which is Greek for “wheel” or “coils.” • When hurricanes strike places like New England, thousands of elms, birches, spruces, and hemlocks fall, but oaks, hickories, and walnuts do not. That’s because they have taproots that sink like a shaft straight into the earth, whereas other trees have shallow root systems that spread out flat. • In 1954 Hurricane Edna became twins when it reached the New England coast: it split apart and became two storms with two eyes. • In 1963 the weathermen in Taiwan predicted than oncoming hurricane Gloria would bypass the island. However, the storm struck the island head-on the following day, killing some 250 people and causing over $17 million in damage. The weathermen were arrested and charged with criminally negligent forecasting, a crime which carried a penalty of up to ten years in prison. The weathermen brought in experts who testified to the unpredictability of hurricanes. The judge decided that the prosecution had failed to prove criminal intent. The weathermen were freed. (continued next page)

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Rogue Valley Real Estate You’ve noticed the historically low interest rates. You’ve seen home prices come back down to a manageable level. Now you are thinking about buying a home. Moving from the world of renting into the world of homeownership is an integral part of the American dream for most people. Knowing how to buy a house is one thing, but knowing when to buy can make the difference between a successful, long-term purchase and a flash in the pan that will have you back to renting within a couple of years. Follow a few tips and do your research before making this major commitment. The housing market has changed drastically in the last 10 years. If you are buying, you have to be willing to stay put, probably for at least three years, and preferably for much longer. The boom times—where you could buy a home and flip it in six months or a year for more money—are gone for the foreseeable future. Right now, rents are increasing in most parts of the United States – and here in the Rogue Valley, the vacancy rate has continued to be less than 2%. It might make more sense once you do the math to spend as much on your mortgage (if not a little more) as you do on rent. Owning a home can be a solid way to build wealth. Instead of paying someone else every month with no tangible benefit, you begin to invest and purchase your home.

Owning a home does incur additional costs. While you will have additional costs, the federal government and many state governments try to encourage homeownership through liberal tax breaks. That’s not something you are going to see on the front end of your transaction, but it is something that you will see every year that you own the home, an obvious benefit that no renter gets. There are a lot of complicated factors that should go into your choice to buy a home or continue to rent. You’ll have to assess your finances, your future plans and the long-term future of the neighborhood where you are looking. But home ownership can still be a great way to build wealth and achieve part of the American dream. So whether you are looking to buy your primary home or your next investment property, having a knowledgeable team to help you through the process is always beneficial. So give us a call at Hokanson Realty, our experience benefits you – we guarantee it.

ANSWER: When you can see the imprint of the socks, it means that there is some swelling (edema) in the loose tissues of the legs. Although leg edema can result from serious problems with the heart, kidneys or liver, or even from blood clots, it is far more likely that it is not any of these serious conditions. After a major vascular By Paul G. Donohue, M.D. surgery, it is common to have a bit of swelling in the legs. In fact, most people nearing their 80s have some degree of swelling, usually from imperfect valves in the veins or lymphatic vessels that don’t work as well as they did 50 years earlier. Amlodipine (Norvasc) and medicines like it often DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband had his aorta cause a degree of swelling that is not dangerous. replaced in 2012 and has trouble with sink-in marks A careful physical exam and a few blood and on his legs at the bottom. It doesn’t matter how much urine tests are all that’s necessary to be sure that I pay for a pair of his socks, or how loose they fit, the leg swelling isn’t being caused by a potenhis legs still get the marks. He is 79 and has no other tially dangerous condition. health problems. *** Would you have any idea what could be causing this? DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 77-year-old male His heart doctor thought it was his blood who, in mid-February, was diagnosed with latepressure medicine, and at that time, he was taking stage liver cancer. I started chemo in early March. 10 mg of amlodipine in the morning. He now takes The doctors advised limiting sugar, so I started lisinopril for his blood pressure and levothyroxine reading labels. Sugar is in everything! It is almost for his thyroid. -- R.M.M. impossible to avoid it. It’s even in the

To Your Good Health

Leg Swelling Linked to Vascular Surgery

HURRICANES IN HISTORY • Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, was getting ready to invade Japan in 1274 when a hurricane blew in. Hundreds of his ships were sunk in the storm and thousands of his troops drowned. Japan was saved. Seven years later he tried to invade Japan again. This time he managed to get to the shores of Japan with some 200,000 men and a thousand ships. Then another hurricane blew in, wrecking the ships and sweeping the beaches clean of soldiers. Kublai Khan no doubt thought of hurricanes as work of the devil, but the Japanese referred to their savior storms as “kamikaze” meaning “divine wind.” • In 1854 during the Crimean War, 500 British soldiers died in the Battle of the Light Brigade at Balaklava. A few weeks later, a hurricane wrecked 13 supply ships that were destined for the British army still stationed in Balaklava. With no supplies, over 8,000 soldiers died during the winter. • In December 1944 a hurricane struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet that was preparing to invade the Philippines. Three destroyers sank, nine ships sustained serious damage, and 19 ships suffered some damage. The storm wrecked 146 planes, and 790 soldiers drowned. The invasion was postponed. Some experts feel that if the invasion had not been drowned out and the Philippines had been re-taken, the war with Japan would have ended without any atomic bombs being dropped. • On November 13, 1970, a hurricane roared up the Bay of Bengal in Pakistan and swamped the area. Half a million people died. Survivors turned to the government for help. But the government of Pakistan was located 2,000 miles away, out of the path of the storm. They sent no aid. Thousands died while waiting for help. The governmental indifference caused such resentment that revolution broke out which hastened the split of Bangladesh, which became a nation independent of Pakistan.

supplemental nutrition products that I am encouraged to drink. My question is whether there is a recommended daily allowance of sugar for cancer patients. -- L.V. ANSWER: I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It is next to impossible to avoid all sugar, but you don’t need to avoid all sugar. In fact, eating a little sugar may be more important in people with liver disease, since it is the normally functioning liver that’s necessary to make sugar when we need it. I would recommend sticking around the World Health Organization and American Heart Association guidelines of 25-40 grams of sugar daily. That’s much less than most people take in. *** DEAR DR. ROACH: I am in my early 80s and have some chronic kidney disease. I usually have one or two beers a day and one or two glasses of wine every two weeks or so. Is this safe with my kidney disease? -- K.D. ANSWER: I would recommend one rather than two beers on a daily basis, and again no more than one glass of wine. Moderation is the key. Too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure, may interfere with medication and, in excess doses, damage your kidneys.

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Noteworthy Inventions

FRANCOIS SPOTURNO

• Francois Spoturno was born on the island of Corsica in 1874, but when he moved to Paris as a young man he took on his mother’s maiden name because it sounded more French. • One day he wanted to play cards with a friend, but the friend said he was busy because he had to mix up a batch of his own cologne. Francois asked if he could watch, and as a result he became interested in perfumes. He studied the art for two years, learning how to grow and harvest flowers, and then extract their scent. • Around that time, the Industrial Revolution was yielding all sorts of synthetic essences as well. Francois combined natural scents with synthetic fragrances and began to peddle his own perfume to barbers. • At that time perfumes and colognes were packaged in unattractive pharmaceutical bottles. Francois was inspired to package his product in elegant bottles instead. He asked designers to craft bottles for him from crystal, feeling he should sell perfume as “something in a lovely bottle,” rather than “something lovely in a bottle.” He wanted to appeal to the eye as well as the nose. He also thought the label should be beautiful as well, such as raised gold lettering on a black background. • Sales were slow when he tried to make the jump to department stores, but then fate intervened: in a store in Paris, he dropped a bottle of his perfume and it shattered, its scent permeating the store, creating immediate demand, resulting in a large order, and launching his career. • Now his line of perfumes, named after his French mother’s maiden name which he adopted as his own name, is well-known worldwide. What’s it called? (Answer at top of next page)

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Men once dominated many sports, including auto racing. Today, that is no longer the case as more and more women are getting behind the wheel. Here’s a look at how it all started for women in the sport of auto racing and where the road has taken them. In 1953, a group of women in Los Angeles formed the Women’s Sports Car Club. Their goal was to participate in auto racing at a significant level. And although the club focused on non-driving tasks including registration, lap scoring and general administration, in 1956, Denise McCluggage broke the gender barrier and raced with the guys. However, more importantly, she used another skill to further the advancement of women in auto racing…she wrote about it. As a journalist McCluggage used her skills to bring the unique perspective of women racers to the forefront. And again, in the 1960’s another journalist, Donna Mae Mims, took to the track and won an SCCA national championship.

Beware of Winter Before It Comes

It’s probably still hot where you live, but this is a perfect time to get ready for winter. The colder it gets where you live, the more important it is to be ready for it. Look on websites or in stores for personal-size quilts or fleecy throws on sale. Buy a few, if you can. These small blankets can be lifesavers when cold weather arrives. Use one as an additional layer on the bed, or wrap up in one when you watch TV at night. In the grocery aisles, keep an eye out for items to stock up on to save trips to the store in cold weather. Canned fruit, vegetables, soups and stews, packaged pasta, jar spaghetti sauce and more are

Service-Related Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities for military personnel. It can come from all types of experiences and sources: aircraft engines, firearms, trucks, artillery and helicopters. Once the fragile nerve cells in the ear are damaged, you have hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears). If you ever served in a combat zone, hearing loss can be even greater. If you’ve had hearing loss that you’ve tried to ignore, don’t. It’s not going to get better on its own. If you’ve missed out on some of the words in conversations, or if you keep asking people to repeat what they’ve said, or even if the music you used to listen to doesn’t sound the same anymore, you likely have hearing loss.

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As more Americans enjoyed the sport in their living rooms thanks to TV in the 1970s, a new female competitor emerged. Janet Guthrie made history in 1977 by becoming the first woman to qualify for and compete in the Indy 500. A year later, she finished ninth in the race and cemented her place in auto racing history. Today, women race alongside men and, and for the most part, are accepted. Danica Patrick has garnered a lot of attention from mainstream America. Like McCluggage and Mims, Patrick used publicity and major endorsements to get noticed and backed it up with her skill behind the wheel. Danica Patrick was the first woman ever to lead in the Indy 500, was named the 2005 IRL Championship Rookie of the Year, and she was the first woman to win the pole position at the Daytona 500. Through the years, regardless of the gender bias, women have honed their skills as drivers, mechanics and tacticians and have proven they have the strength of character to be taken seriously behind the wheel. ~~~ So whether you are a highly skilled highspeed racer or entrusted with driving your child’s soccer team to practice – everyone needs a trained and reliable pit crew—So feel free to pull on into Kelly’s Automotive Service-- where we service your vehicle, but take care of you. ~ Safe Travels, Dave Kelly

handy to keep on the shelf. Put flashlight batteries on your list. Add unscented kitty litter for icy walks. If you drink bottled water or need distilled water for indoor humidifiers, bring home a few each time you shop. If you have a vehicle, make an appointment to get the battery checked, as well as your tires, antifreeze level and windshield wipers. Try on last year’s coat and boots, plus gloves and hat. Will they see you through another winter? If not, keep an eye out for sales. If you’re in snow country, decide if this is the year that you won’t shovel anymore and make calls to arrange for someone else to be on call this winter. Middleand high-school kids are great for this; if it really snows, they likely won’t be in school. By the time the temperatures drop to

In most cases, it can be fixed with hearing aids or implants. Depending on your rate of loss, getting your hearing back could open up a whole world. The Department of Veterans Affairs even has a Progressive Tinnitus Management program. The first step is to call the VA audiology clinic to schedule a full audiology workup for service-related hearing loss or tinnitus. Even if you think you don’t have hearing loss, go anyway and get a baseline workup for future comparison. Another option, if you can’t get a fast appointment at a VA facility, is to check your community. Often audiologists and hearing-aid providers will offer free hearing tests. Tell them you need both the “speech discrimination” and “puretone” tests. If you show any hearing loss, that’s your first document in submitting a claim to the VA. If your hearing loss is determined to be service-related, a hearing aid will provided free of charge, and batteries under certain circumstances.

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For Advertising Call (541) 203-0233 Benefits Sales and Service marla-kasdorf@leavitt.com www.redwoodsleavitt.com

Yeah, I was in band….. Something you’ve said to friends or family? Wish you could get “back into” playing that trumpet, clarinet, or…? The Rogue Valley has so many opportunities for all levels--RCC Concert Band, Southern Oregon Concert Band, Rogue Valley Symphonic Band, Ashland City Band and groups like Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra (www.sojazzorchestra.com). SOJO combines seasoned professionals and high school players that have “brushed up” and want to play for the fun of it ( my husband is one of those!). The band was started by a retired teacher in 2008 and has played at several venues, including The Avalon, Rosso’s, Medford Jazz Jubilee, Seven Feathers Casino & Resort and Schmidt Family Vineyard. Currently, SOJO plays in Medford at Howiee’s On Front and the Medford Eagles Club. The age range of our players is 21-78 yrs. With an emphasis on dance music, our 16 member band plays music from the 1930s to contemporary. What a blessing to bring 3 generations together, keeping our fingers and minds working hard-- playing America’s unique musical gift to the world—JAZZ! Science has consistently proven musical endeavor increases coordination, brain function, mental capacity, the ability to reason and collaborate. Ultimately, the band just enjoys getting out of the house, meeting new people and learning new music! We hope you take action on your “dreams” and enjoy life to its fullest-- And, if in doing so, you have questions about your choices in Healthcare; please feel free to call me anytime. – Marla Kasdorf, Leavitt Group Ins.

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LBJ Autograph Q: I have a signed photo of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Can you help me establish a value for it? -- Conrad, McAllen, Texas A: Authentic signatures of Lyndon Johnson are illusive, since many of his letters and photos were signed by auto-pen when he occupied the White House. Prices vary depending on desirability and historic value. A check of the Internet revealed dozens of specimens for sale, including a letter from 1969, $199; signed color photo, $195; signed index card, $500;

and even an auto-pen signed 1964 Election Day postcard for $55. Other signatures were offered for as little as $20. You need the services of an established autograph dealer who can both authenticate and appraise your photo. *** Q: What do you know about California Dresden dishes. -- Suzi, Minneapolis A: Each time I get a question about older china, I grab two books from my collection: Kovel’s New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery & Porcelain 1850 to the Present, by Ralph and Terry Kovel. It is published by Crown and offers hundreds of company marks, making it fairly easy to identify various pieces. For more detailed information, there’s nothing quite like Lehner’s Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain & Clay by Louis Lehner. With more than 8,000 marks, logos and symbols, this hefty book is invaluable.

*** Q: I have just inherited a set of sterling flatware in the Pendant of Fruit pattern. I have been told the silverware is more than a century old and quite scarce. -- Polly, Boston A: According to “Warman’s Sterling Silver Flatware: Value & Identification” by Phil Dries, your sterling set was manufactured by Lunt in 1939. Lunt silversmiths was established in 1901 in Greenfield, Mass., as Roger, Lunt & Bowlen Company. *** Q: I have a Singer sewing machine that is the Model 15-30. It is in an oak cabinet that has been damaged by dampness. A neighbor has offered me $600 for it. Should I sell? -- Bill, Indianapolis, Ind. A: Take the money and run. According to several dealers I consulted, your machine is probably worth about $300, and perhaps even less with the cabinet damage you described.

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the triple digits Fahrenheit, but that’s no impediment to winter sports in Dubai, the UAE’s most populous city. Residents and visitors can take a break from the heat at Ski Dubia, an indoor ski resort featuring a 290-foot mountain, sled and toboggan runs, climbing towers, an ice cave and even face-to-beak encounters with penguins. As the new school year kicks off in the United It was beloved Russian author Leo Tolstoy States, it might be interesting to renew a who made the following sage observation: familiarity with a now-disused word: a “Nothing can make our life, or the lives of “belter-werrits” is an annoying child. other people, more beautiful than perpetual Many people know American counterculture kindness.” figure Ken Kesey as the author of the 1962 If you see a group of flamingoes together in novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” one place, it will be handy to know that the which presents a disturbing portrait of life in a appropriate collective noun is a “flamboyance.” mental institution. It’s less well known, though, that Kesey got an inside view of the system You might be surprised to learn that feta when he worked as a janitor in a mental hospital before he became famous. cheese has been around for 6,000 years. If you’re planning a sporting visit to It may be the hottest part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and temperatures in Pennsylvania, be sure to note that the United Arab Emirates may be reaching dynamite-assisted fishing is illegal in that state.

String Art Shaped Like Your State 1. HISTORY: What country once was known by the Latin name of Caledonia? 2. ANIMAL ADJECTIVES: What is a group of dragons called? 3. ANATOMY: Where is the retina located? 4. TELEVISION: Who played the character Latka Gravas on “Taxi”? 5. U.S. PRESIDENTS: How old was Bill Clinton when he was inaugurated as president? 6. MYTHOLOGY: The Greek god Aeolus commanded domain over what area? 7. GEOGRAPHY: The Catskill Mountains are located largely in which U.S. state? 8. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of plant does saffron come from? 9. MOVIES: Who directed the movie “The Lost Weekend”? 10. U.S. STATES: What is the only letter of the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any U.S. state?

How many times did the New York Yankees fail to make the playoffs during shortstop Derek Jeter’s 20year career with the team? In 2014, Denard Span set a Washington Nationals record for most hits in a season (184). Who had held the mark? Who is the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to also hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat? When was the last time before 2014 (Kentucky and UConn) that the two teams in the NCAA Tournament men’s basketball title game did not make the tourney the year before? Who holds the goaltender record for most shutouts in a season for the Washington Capitals? Of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who has recorded more NASCAR Cup wins at Martinsville? In 2015, Andy Murray, became the second Open Era male tennis player to lose four finals at a Grand Slam event and never win it. Who was the first?

Answer: Coty.

DAVID MULLANY • In 1952, 13-year-old David Mullany loved playing baseball, but his backyard in Connecticut was too small and the danger of broken windows too great. He and his friends played with a perforated plastic golf ball and a broomstick, but David couldn’t throw a curveball with it. • His dad, David Mullany, Sr., thought all it needed was extra weight on one side of the ball. A friend of his worked at a cosmetic factory and said that the round plastic moldings that covered Coty perfume bottles for shipping were the size of a baseball. David started experimenting with them. • He cut one in half, added weight, and taped it back together, but it didn’t curve. Next he cut some holes in it to create drag but it still didn’t curve. Over the next few weeks he and his son experimented, discovering that the trick was to perforate one half of the ball, and leave the other half intact. • Finally they had a ball that was guaranteed to curve at least two feet (.6m). David Mullany, Jr. named it after a slang baseball term meaning ‘to strike out swinging.’ They set up a factory, selling the ball for 49 cents, and a year later added a plastic bat. • David Mullany, Sr. sold the buyer for Woolworth’s on the new toy when he threw the ball against the man’s office window, which didn’t shatter. TV ads featured Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford hurling the ball against plate glass, which also didn’t break. In alleys and backyards children across the country started playing with the new ball. • When the New York state legislature declared that the sport was risky enough to require government oversight, they received such ridicule that the law was rescinded. Today there are national tournaments. What’s the name of the ball? (Answer at top of next page)

Remember making lanyard friendship bracelets or tie-dying T-shirts at camp as a kid? Think retro, and get inspired to create a “summer camp”-style craft in your own backyard with your family. I was reminded of a childhood favorite, string art, when I connected with 9-year-old Anna Anderson at a family camp in the Santa Cruz mountains. Having just moved from Washington to California, she jumped right into a group of kids and adults sitting under a tree tying and looping colorful string around nails that had been pounded in the shape of the Golden State into pieces of scrap lumber. To personalize her design, Anna added an extra nail to mark her new town south of Los Angeles. It became the focal point for string designs wrapped around nails that formed the California borders. String-art kits are available online and at hobby and toy stores for this craft that’s all the rage, but you can gather your own supplies. To get started, here are basic materials and directions for doing string art in the shape of your state. Use these instructions as a taking-off point for any design you choose. Here’s what you’ll need: --3/4-inch-thick wooden board approximately 10 inches by 12 inches (available at hardware or lumber stores. Check for inexpensive pieces in their scrap bin.) --sandpaper (optional) --standard letter-size paper printout of your state (download from an online map or trace from an atlas) --1 1/2-inch framing nails --hammer --crochet thread, embroidery floss or thin string in your favorite colors and shades Here’s the fun: 1. Sand rough edges on the board, then center and tape the map on the best side. Hammer nails about halfway into the board following the outline of the state, making sure they are equal in height and about 1/2 inch apart. Remove paper. 2. Tie the end of colored string around one nail. Begin the design by wrapping it around another nail. Weave it back and forth from nail to nail in any direction you choose. If you aren’t pleased with how a section looks, unwind and do it again. Knot your final string around a nail, and cut. 3. Display the eye-catching art on a shelf, or add a hook to the back and hang on the wall. Alternate ideas: --Paint the board before you hammer nails. --Use foam core or cork and push pins instead of a wooden board and nails.

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Published by Velocity Ventures Trust

Answer: Wiffle ball.

ADVERTISING

• The word “new” on a product is regulated in the U.S. Usually it can only appear on a package for six months. It can be used in some cases up to two years. A product can be called “new” or “improved” if it changes anything, including color, scent, or packaging. MEMORABLE CAMPAIGNS • In 1970, the Dr Pepper company decided it wanted to make itself better known in New York City. It spent $1.3 million in advertising, including 13,200 bus posters, 6,600 subway ads, 150 TV spots, and almost 2,000 radio ads. The next year sales in New York increased by 1.5 million cases. At 35¢ per can, the company gained $9.1 million gross from this promotion— seven times the amount spent on the advertising. • William Wrigley once said, “Anybody can make gum. The problem is selling it.” He decided the solution was advertising, and he turned into not only the world’s largest gum manufacturer, but also the world’s largest advertiser. He spent $100,000 on an advertising campaign in New York City that flopped. So he tried spending another $100,000 just on Broadway, and it also flopped. Then he spent $100,000 advertising in small New York towns, buying every billboard, all the streetcar space, and huge newspaper spreads. Orders poured in. • An ad for a dental clinic in Topeka, Kansas in the 1920s featured a grinning boy with red hair, freckles and a missing front tooth. The boy was not worried a bit, because his dentist was Painless Romine. The picture of the grinning boy appeared also in ads for shoes and soft drinks. In the 1950s the boy was adopted by Mad Magazine, and named Alfred E. Neuman. In 1956 he was even featured as a write-in candidate for president, but lost. • A study done of U.S. television ads showed the following words to be the most frequently used: new, improved, better, extra, fresh, clean, beautiful, free, good, great, and light. ENDORSEMENTS • Tennis player Rod Laver was paid to endorse a certain type of tennis racket. However, he really disliked the brand and preferred his original racket. He solved the problem by using his old racket, which was painted to look like the kind he was endorsing. • In 1972 Lou Brock, baseball’s biggest base stealer, was shown in an ad in which he tore around the bases, then credited a certain type of candy for his speed. In a landmark decision stemming from this, the Federal Trade Commission ruled candy can’t be credited as the source of a person’s speed. They also ruled that Domino Sugar could not advertise

1. Three times - 2008, 2013-14. 2. Cristian Guzman, with 183 hits in 2008. 3. Clarence “Ace” Parker, for the Philadelphia A’s in 1937. 4. It was 1966 (Texas Western and Kentucky). 5. Jim Carey (1995-96) and Braden Holtby (2014-15), with nine each. 6. They are tied with eight victories apiece. 7. Bjorn Borg, who lost four U.S. Open finals.

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themselves as the “official sugar” of the National Football League because all brands of sugar are identical. Later the FTC ruled that any athlete endorsing a product would have to be a bona fide user of that product. QUICK QUIP • The sports writer was interviewing the coach. “What’s the line-up for this season?” “Well,” replied the coach, “It looks like this: Jones and Jackson will do the razor blade commercials; Smith and Brown will go to deodorants; Taylor and Fitzpatrick will appear for shaving cream; and McGregor is slated for breakfast cereals.” IT’S A FACT • An Indianapolis mortician advertised that his coffins came with a “lifetime guarantee.” • Jim Backus, who did the voice of Mr. Magoo and played Mr. Howell on “Gilligan’s Island,” recorded 15,000 commercials for La-Z-Boy recliners and got listed in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for the effort.

www.NorthwestTallTale.com

The favorite Storyteller (Most Votes) will be awarded “People’s Choice Award!” Come hear storytellers from around the Northwest as they compete LIVE on Saturday, August 29th for a chance to attend the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Contestant videos are currently on-line at www.northwesttalltale.com, where you can vote for your favorites. This is a family-friendly event. We hope to see “kids” of all ages! Share the Northwest Tall Tale Challenge with all your friends! All proceeds benefit Medford Senior Center.

Answers 1. Scotland 2. A weyr or flight 3. The eye 4. Andy Kaufman 5. 46 6. Ruler of the winds 7. New York 8. Crocus flower 9. Billy Wilder 10. The letter “Q”