Tidbits of the Rogue Valley Vol 2 Issue 4

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Volume 2 Issue 4

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TIDBITS® DRINKS FROM

BOTTLES

by Janet Spencer

In honor of the fact that William Painter patented the first bottle cap on February 2, 1892, Tidbits will be drinking from bottles this week!

A NEW INVENTION

• One of Napoleon’s biggest problems during war was food. No matter how much food his soldiers took with them, it spoiled. Finally, Napoleon offered a prize to anyone who could invent a way to preserve food.

• Nicholas Appert had grown up working in his father’s wine cellars. He was intrigued with the idea that wine would never go bad if it was bottled correctly.

He wondered what would happen to other foods if they were bottled. He tried soups and stews, then fruits and vegetables and milk. When the bottles were sterilized, filled, corked, and heated, the results were excellent.

• He took his discovery to Napoleon, and was awarded 12,000 francs. Appert had invented canning, although it was years before cans were used instead of bottles. It was years after that before the can opener was invented. Before that, it took a hammer and chisel to open a can. In fact, some people believe that the bayonet (invented in the French town of Bayonne) was developed not to spear people, but merely to open cans!

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MORE BOTTLE FACTS • Before bottle caps were invented, bottles were sealed with corks. Often bottles would blow their tops if the substance inside was fizzy such as wine or beer. William Painter – a prolific inventor – solved the problem by inventing the ‘crown’ bottle cap, the design still used today. It is called the crown cap because it looks like a tiny crown. A year later, Painter also invented the bottle opener.

• Milk was originally sold by the dipperful from open cans. Henry Thatcher was standing in line one day in 1883 to buy some milk. The little girl ahead of him accidentally dropped her filthy rag doll into the open can of milk. The milk man fished the doll out, then turned to Mr. Thatcher to serve him. Thatcher decided he didn’t need any milk that day after all. The following year he patented the first milk bottle with a sanitary seal.

Soon all milk was sold in bottles.

• An official in the Coca-Cola company wanted the design of the bottles to be so distinctive that a bottle could be recognized in the dark, or if it was broken. In 1913 the prototype of the shapely bottle we still use was introduced. It was patterned after a cola nut: bulging at the sides with ridges.

• Early soda pop bottlers had trouble finding bottles that wouldn’t explode. They had to wait for heavy mass produced bottles to be invented.

• A man named Colonel Taylor wanted to raise the popularity of his bourbon, named Old Taylor. He hired men to collect empty bottles of Old Taylor, and shipped three freight car loads to New York City. Another crew set up the empty bottles on mantels and shelves in bars, restaurants, and clubs all across town. Having rows of empties gave the impression the Old Taylor was the most popular drink in the town, and New Yorkers began to order.

Toy Poodle Barks Almost Nonstop DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My 6-month-old toy poodle, “Jenks,” is incredibly cute, but he has a sharp, loud bark for such a little guy -- and he barks almost nonstop when we’re home. I know anxiety is an issue with many small breeds, and I’m wondering how I can best address this? -- John, via email DEAR JOHN: It’s worth looking into. Contact Jenks’ veterinarian to discuss the issue, as I’m sure you’ll get a number of different suggestions ranging from behavior training to anti-anxiety medication.

Jenks is still pretty young. How much time does he spend alone at home? If you have to be out for eight hours or more, you may want to have someone -- a friend or a pet sitter -- come in to check on him, take him out to pee and play a little bit.

You also should establish a routine that he can count on, one that includes plenty of time spent with him either playing or training. Both of these are times when he’s getting your full attention and positive reinforcement, as well as a way to work off

some of that puppy energy that’s also behind the barking.

As your puppy matures into an adult, he may mellow out somewhat. But in the meantime, it’s up to you to provide structure and training to reinforce the behavior you want in Jenks. If these efforts don’t seem to improve the constant barking, talk with your vet about addressing his anxiety with medication.

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ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Guess what, Lamb? You’re about to experience a new perspective on a situation you long regarded quite differently. What you learn could open more opportunities later.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) The Bold Bovine is tempted to charge into a new venture.

But it might be best to take things one step at a time so that you know just where you are at any given point.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) It’s a good time to go on that fun getaway you’ve been planning. You’ll return refreshed, ready and, yes, even eager to tackle the new challenge that awaits you.

CANCER ( June 21 to July 22) The Moon Child loves to fantasize about magical happenings in the early part of the week. But the sensible Crab gets down to serious business by week’s end.

LEO ( July 23 to August 22) What goes around comes around for those lucky Leos and Leonas whose acts of generosity could be repaid with opportunities to expand into new and exciting areas of interest.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your concern about your job responsibilities is commendable. But you need to take some quiet time to share with someone who has really missed being with you.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Aspects favor getting out and meeting new people. And as a bonus, you could find that some of your newly made friends could offer important business contacts.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) You might take pride in wanting to do everything yourself. But now’s a good time to ask family members to help with a demanding personal situation.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Pay more attention to the possibilities in that workplace change. It could show the way to make that long-sought turn on your career path.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your need to succeed might overwhelm obligations to your loved ones. Ease up on that workload and into some well-deserved time with family and friends.

AQUARIUS ( January 20 to February 18) Love rules for amorous Aquarians who can make good use of their ability to communicate feelings. Don’t be surprised if they’re reciprocated in kind.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Fishing for compliments? No doubt, you probably earned them. But it’s best to let others believe they were the ones who uncovered the treasure you really are.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your good works flow from an open, generous heart. Nothing makes you happier than to see others happy as well.

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1. GEOGRAPHY: Where is the country of Belize located?

2. HISTORY: In what country did the 1960 Sharpeville massacre occur?

3. LITERATURE: In what state did poet Emily Dickinson live her entire life?

4. MOVIES: What was the name of the spaceship in “Alien”?

5. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: A strong, cool wind called the mistral is associated with which country?

6. MYTHOLOGY: What kind of creature is a griffin?

7. TELEVISION: Which character on “The Addams Family” spoke the catchphrase “you rang?”?

8. THEATER: Which play’s title character was nicknamed “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”?

9. MUSIC: Who wrote the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”?

10. ANCIENT WORLD: What figure is depicted by the Colossus of Rhodes?

1. In 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. became the youngest major-league player to hit 400 career home runs (30 years, 141 days). Who had been the youngest?

2. Who was the last pitcher before the Dodgers’ Zack Greinke in 2015 to have a major-league-leading ERA of 1.66 or lower?

3. Name the first quarterback in NFL history to have two 500-yard passing games.

4. How many losing seasons did Dean Smith have during his 36 years of coaching the North Carolina men’s basketball team?

5. In 2015, Max Pacioretty became the third American to be named captain of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Name either of the first two.

6. Name the all-time leading goal scorer in soccer’s Women’s World Cup. 7. When was the last time before 2015 that former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko lost a bout, and to whom?

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Wake Up to Baked Oatmeal Breakfast

PLASTIC

• In the mid-1970s, Portugal over-cut their cork oak forests and failed to replant. The result was a worldwide cork shortage, leading to the development of plastic stoppers for wine bottles.

• Plastic bottles were first used commercially in 1947 but did not become widespread in the industry until polyethylene (PET) was invented in the 1960s.

Manufacturers flocked to plastic not only because it weighs less than glass thereby saving on shipping costs, but also because it doesn’t shatter during shipping.

• In 1976, the average American consumed 1.5 gallons (2.6 l) of bottled water each year. By 2008, the number had grown to about 30 gallons (113 l) of bottled water per person in the U.S. It takes about 2 quarts (1.9 l) of water to produce a single plastic bottle.

• In the U.S., 24% of bottled water sold is either Pepsi’s Aquafina or Coke’s Dasani. Both brands are bottled, purified municipal tap water.

LEAD CRYSTAL

• Lead crystal is valued because of its brilliancy and clarity. However, when beverages are stored in lead crystal bottles, glasses, or decanters, the lead passes into the liquid and then into the bloodstream of the consumer. Many people assume that if you store your beverage in the leaded container only for the duration of the dinner, no harm will be done. Studies have shown that some room-temperature liquids can increase from 1 microgram of lead per liter to 166 micrograms per liter in just 15 minutes. (The EPA guidelines for water are 50 micrograms per liter, with recent recommendations for lowering it to 20.)

Wine will double its lead content in only an hour.

Why did it take me so long to put “Baked Oatmeal” on our family’s wake-up menu? I was completely enthralled with the tasty porridge-based dish at a bed and breakfast in Chicago last year. Prepared to Goldilocks’ “just right” standard, I recall how the serving’s perfect, cinnamony smooth middle complemented the crispy edges. Doused with warm milk and topped with my choice of dried apricots, it was satisfying -- and, it kept me going through a vigorous morning of sightseeing.

I left the memory on the back burner -- until now.

Here’s a basic, fail-proof recipe you and your kids can tinker with seasonally. That means a mix and match of add-ins and add-ons to satisfy one’s own tastes.

Ground flax? Toss it in. Chia seeds, sprinkle them on top. Raspberries in season? Top off the bowl with luscious freshness, color and vitamins.

BAKED OATMEAL 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large egg, beaten 1 1/2 cups milk 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup loosely chopped walnuts To prepare oven, pan: Heat oven to 350 F. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish or coat with cooking spray.

To make oatmeal: In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the beaten egg, milk, butter and vanilla. Add liquid mixture to oat mixture and stir well. Stir in raisins and walnuts.

To bake oatmeal: Pour mixture into baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and the oat mixture has set.

Serve warm with choice of toppings, if desired: dried cranberries, apricots or cherries, coconut, berries, diced fresh fruit such as apples, bananas and peaches.

Serves 6.

TIP: Heat leftover portions in the microwave for additional easy breakfasts.

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For Advertising Call (541) 203-0233 ANCIENT BOTTLES

• In 1954, 18 liquor bottles were salvaged from a ship that had gone down 250 years earlier off the English coast. The bottles were good as new, but the corks had deteriorated and there was no longer any liquor in the bottles.

OOPS…

• In 1982 a Coca-Cola bottler in Tennessee began a new contest, whereby consumers had to spell out “home run” with letters in the bottle tops to win $100,000. The odds were supposed to be a million to one because very few bottle caps with the letter R were supposed to be produced. However, due to an error at the bottling plant, 18,000 extra Rs went out and people started popping up all over wanting their money. The bottler backed out of the contest.

• In 1945, First Lady Bess Truman was asked to christen a new plane, but someone forgot to score the champagne bottle so it would shatter. When she hit the plane with the bottle, it dented the plane but the bottle remained intact. Again and again she swung the bottle, but succeeded only in enlarging the dent.

Finally a workman grabbed the bottle, held it against the plane, and smashed it with his wrench, drenching Bess.

• The Heublein food company once came out with an upscale TV dinner that came with a small bottle of wine which was supposed to be poured on the food before cooking. People drank the wine instead of cooking with it and the product flopped.

• Minor league umpire Steamboat Johnson once noted, “I have rendered about one million decisions since I began umpiring. Something like four thousand bottles have been thrown at me in my day but only about 20 ever hit me. That does not speak very well for the accuracy of the fans’ throwing.”

To Your Good Health

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 heartlung machine for the bypass, I’m not complaining -- just curious. You said that studies have been done on almost everything. Is this one? -- W.S.B.

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: I suffered a long time with GERD. I was diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous disease. My doctor recommended a procedure called a Nissen fundoplication. Since the procedure, I have not had heartburn again. I would do it again, after what I went through. I get an endoscopy every two years to keep an eye on my disease. -- G.D.B. ANSWER: Barrett’s esophagus is a complication of longstanding reflux. It is diagnosed when the lining of the esophagus starts to look like the lining of the stomach. Barrett’s esophagus can progress to cancer of the esophagus. About 0.2 percent of those with Barrett’s per year will develop cancer, which sounds low, but if you live with the condition for 25 years, that’s about a 5 percent risk.

Surgery for reflux disease is done only rarely. However, it is very effective (85 percent to 90 percent).

The most common reason to consider surgery is inadequate relief from medications and lifestyle changes. However, severe erosions from acid in the esophagus, inability to take medications, a stricture (partial closure) of the esophagus and Barrett’s esophagus are all reasons to consider surgery. Surgery appears to reduce the risk of cancer more than other treatments.

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* Some ancient Greeks believed that baldness could be cured by applying to the hairless area a mixture of horseradish and pigeon droppings. * It was beloved American astrophysicist and science communicator Carl Sagan who made the following sage observation: “If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.”

Amazing Animals

GROUNDHOGS

• Groundhogs are among the few animals that are true hibernators. They fatten up during spring, summer, and fall, then retreat to their dens for the coldest months of the year. During hibernation, their normal body temperature falls to just above freezing. The heart rate drops from 80 beats per minute to five. Breathing slows from 16 breaths per minute to about two. During the 150 days or so that they go without eating, a groundhog will lose about 25% of its body weight.

• In early February the male groundhogs will emerge from their dens in order to find a mate.

After mating, the two will go their separate ways, because groundhogs are not social animals aside from the mother raising the young.

• During summer months, a groundhog may eat more than a pound of vegetation per day, which would be equivalent to a typical man eating a 15-pound (7 kg) steak. Because so much of the groundhog’s diet involves crunching vegetation, its teeth grow at the rate of nearly an inch every four months. When aligned correctly, the teeth grind each other down. If the alignment is off, they keep on growing like tusks, making it difficult for the woodchuck to eat. In extreme cases, the upper incisors can even pierce the lower jaw.

• Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family which includes chipmunks, prairie dogs, and marmots. There are 14 separate species of groundhogs, which are also called woodchucks.

• Groundhogs like to live at the margins of the forest, so they are one of the few species that benefited from the spread of civilization in the U.S. As settlers cleared more fields and cut more forests, their population grew. (cont’d)

* You probably are well aware of the fact that caffeine enhances memory and learning in humans -- if you’re not a coffee addict yourself, you almost certainly know someone who is. But you probably didn’t know that the substance has the same effect on bees. More than half of all flowering plants produce caffeinated nectar, and tests recently conducted by researchers at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom demonstrate that bees strongly prefer nectar with caffeine to the decaf version.

Brain Games Scam Sometimes we find scams where we least expect them. Lumos, the company that makes brain games for the computer and phone apps, has been cited by the Federal Trade Commission for telling us lies.

Lumos advertised that its games would help increase cognitive behavior and put off brain decline, including mild cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Lumos even claimed to help with traumatic brain injury, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and stroke. It also has children’s products and cited “improved performance” in school and athletics. The big problem: The company didn’t have any research to back up its claims about what the products would do.

The FTC alleged unfair or deceptive acts and false advertising, and ordered Lumos to stop making claims unless it has clinical testing of the

VA Paperless Claims Processing Hits Snag

An anonymous call to the hotline of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General claimed that mail wasn’t being properly handled by the regional office in St. Petersburg, Florida. Little did they know ...

A photo at the contractor scanner facility taken by the VAOIG shows 1,600 boxes haphazardly stored. It was discovered that veterans’ claims were comingled with the contractor’s documentation, as well as office furniture and boxes of trash. Those claims to be scanned had come from five different regional offices.

It turned out that it was taking 30 days to scan materials, even though the contract calls for a five-day turnaround. Part of the problem was the condition of the material within the boxes when they arrived: scattered, jumbled documents, loose and sometimes blank. A

* Parents of younger children probably will not be surprised by the following factoid: Six eightstud Lego bricks can be put together in a whopping 915,103,765 different ways -- and at least one of those bricks will end up being stepped on by a barefoot adult. * If you’re planning a trip to Nevada, you might want to keep in mind that in that state, it is technically illegal to kiss if you have a mustache. * For reasons that are not entirely clear at present, in the spring of 2010 a 28-year-old man in South Korea married a large pillow printed with the image of an anime character. At the wedding, the pillow wore a white dress. The man has been seen taking his “wife” to an amusement park and out to dinner -- he even orders “her” a meal.

products to prove what they do. Additionally, Lumos was ordered to disclose its relationship with any person who gives it an endorsement.

In one batch of testimonials, consumers were entering a contest to potentially be rewarded with an iPad or a trip to San Francisco for saying nice things about the product.

If you are currently a customer or have been a customer in the past, you will be hearing from Lumos. The company was ordered to provide a list of all customers who’ve purchased monthly or lifetime subscriptions to products between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2014, and to send all those customers an email or app message notifying them of all of the above and providing a way to instantly end their subscription.

The FTC fined Lumos $50 million but it will have to pay only $2 million to the FTC. The consumers who got scammed, however, apparently won’t get any of that money in the form of refunds.

report photo shows what might be a box of junk for recycling. Forms with personally identifiable information weren’t secured within the piles of material.

However, scanning-facility management claimed to be unaware of improper storage of the files until OIG inspectors found the storage room.

Additionally the OIG “observed malfunctioning video surveillance of the rear storage area, employees freely roaming in this area, and adjacent unlocked and unarmed exit doors.”

In rebuttal, the VA claimed that of the 1,600 boxes, approximately 40 percent had already been scanned and were awaiting shipment. Further, the VA claimed that documents were “date stamped, rubber banded with the original envelope, and carefully placed in boxes for shipment” to the scanning facility.

Welcome to paperless claims processing. From the photos, here’s what it looks like to me: Those opening the mail just threw material in boxes without regard for security or organization of those documents, and those receiving the boxes for scanning just threw them into a storage room with unused office furniture.

Thank you to our friends at Logan Design for sponsoring this ad.

Did you know...

• More than 3 out of 10 youth are considered obese or overweight • Experts say youth should participate in at least 60 minutes per day of physical fitness • Our Clubs served 112,933 nutritious, healthy meals in 2015

76% of our Club Members reported they engage in physical fitness at least five times per week!

Our Clubs provide healthy food to those who need it most, while educating local youth about nutrition and creating positive, lifelong habits.

Boys & Girls Club Members are Well On Their Way to Healthy Lifestyles! www.begreat4kids.com Grants Pass Club 541-479-1923

Illinois Valley Club 541-479-5258

Talent Club 541-292-4851

When school’s out, the Clubs are in.

G.I. Joe Doll Q: My dad was a salesman at Hasbro, and he managed to get one of the very first G.I. Joe dolls produced. I still have it and wonder about its value. -- Charles, Conway, Arkansas A: The first G.I. Joe was introduced in 1964, and it had 23 movable parts and realistic hair.

It was an instant success. There reportedly are more than 500 G.I. Joe figures, vehicles and auxiliary items. The G.I. Joes issued

during the first series are valued in the $700 to $1,100 range depending on type, according to “200 Years of Dolls: Identification and Price Guide” by Dawn Herlocher. *** Q: While cleaning out a storage area, I discovered a large wooden crate of magic lantern slides. They appear to be from the 1920s and promote both businesses and movies from that era. I would like to contact someone to see how much they might be worth. -- Susan, Naperville, Illinois A: Magic lanterns were early slide projectors and extremely popular in the days before motion pictures. I suggest you contact the Magic Lantern Society of the United States and Canada. You can find contact information on

its website: www.magiclanternsociety.org.

By the way, the society will hold its annual convention in New Orleans this October. *** Q: I have a small crock that belonged to my great-grandfather. It was used for turpentine, and I am curious about how much it is worth.

-- J.H., Monterey, Tennessee A: It depends who made it and when. Does the crock have any markings? What is the color? Is it a crock or a jug? You might find many of the answers to these questions and more in a highly recommended book, the Antique Trader Stoneware and Blue and White Pottery Price Guide, edited by Kyle Husfloean (Krause Publications).

Chicken Parmigiano Mini Meatloaves 1 pound ground chicken 1 large egg 1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup marinara sauce 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1. Heat broiler. Line broiling pan (without rack) with foil. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In bowl, mix chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt and 1/4 cup marinara sauce just until blended. In foil-lined pan, shape meat mixture into four 4-by-2-inch oval loaves.

3. Place pan in broiler 5 to 6 inches from source of heat and broil meatloaves 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Spoon remaining 1/4 cup sauce over loaves; sprinkle with mozzarella. Broil 1 to 2 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

Makes 4 main-dish servings. * Each serving: About 310 calories, 27g protein, 9g carbohydrate, 18g total fat (4g saturated), 1g fiber, 65mg cholesterol, 615mg sodium.

Steamed Broccoli With Buttery Herb Crumbs Bags of broccoli flowerets make prep time a snap for this tasty side dish.

1 lemon 3 tablespoons margarine or butter 4 slices bread, torn into 3/8-inch pieces 1 garlic clove, crushed with garlic press 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped 2 bags (12 ounces each) fresh broccoli flowerets 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1. From lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel, and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice.

2. In 12-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons margarine over medium heat. Add bread and cook until golden, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Stir in garlic, parsley and lemon peel; cook 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat.

3. Meanwhile, add about 3/4-inch water to widebottomed 5- to 6-quart saucepot. Place collapsible steamer basket (about 11 inches in diameter) in saucepot; heat water to boiling over high heat. Add broccoli to steamer basket; cover and steam 5 to 6 minutes or until tender-crisp.

4. Transfer broccoli to serving bowl; toss with salt, pepper, lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon margarine. Sprinkle crumbs on top. Makes 8 servings. * Each serving: About 95 calories, 4g protein, 11g carbohydrate, 5g total fat (1g saturated), 3g fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium.

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GROUNDHOGS (cont’d) • Though they are noted for the prodigious underground tunnels they build, they are also adept at swimming and climbing trees, which helps them escape predators. A groundhog can move as much as 700 pounds (317 kg) of dirt to create its burrow which usually has several entrances. Groundhog burrows are beneficial because they offer shelter to other grounddwelling animals while also keeping the earth from becoming compacted.

• Although they are also called woodchucks, they do not usually eat wood, so we’ll never know how much wood a woodchuck can chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

• It was a habit for Europeans to look for signs of spring, and animals such as badgers, bears, and hedgehogs emerging from dens was always noted. When Germans immigrated to Pennsylvania, they continued the practice, watching for the emergence of groundhogs to indicate the coming of spring.

• In 1887, a newspaper editor in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, heard about a group of local hunters who went out every February in search of groundhogs. They held a picnic every year at Gobbler’s Knob. The editor wrote about the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, and Groundhog’s Day was born.

• The folklore holds that if a groundhog sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter will follow.

There is a kernel of truth here, for if it’s a clear cloudless day, it’s bound to be cold because there is no insulating cloud cover. However, most of the groundhog’s territory covers colder regions that usually have six more weeks of winter regardless of whether there’s a shadow or not. And statisticians estimate that the groundhog’s predictions are correct only 39% of the time. Flipping a coin would be more accurate.

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MESSAGES IN BOTTLES

• Around 300 B.C. Greek philosopher Theophrastus used floating bottles to prove that the Mediterranean receives most of its water from the Atlantic.

• Albert, Prince of Monaco, asked ship captains to drop bottles into the sea at certain spots to research currents. Over 1,700 bottles were dropped between 1885 and 1888, and 227 of them were returned in the next 10 years.

• An ocean survey ship called the Pioneer dropped 22,000 bottles into the ocean in 1964, each containing information on where and when it was tossed overboard. Forms enclosed explained the purpose of the bottle and asked the finder— in English, French, Spanish, and Japanese— to return the form and information about where it was found to the project’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The survey reported an average return rate of 8% and most were found between nine months and two years after they were released.

• Miami’s sewage treatment facilities consisted of a plant that piped the raw sewage into the ocean about 2 miles from shore. Officials felt that winds and tides would disperse the mess harmlessly. Environmental activists thought differently and set out to prove it.

They took a boat to the end of the pipe, and released 700 watertight bottles. Inside each bottle was a note and a mail-in card. The note said, “This card was placed in a drift bottle released directly over the end of the Miami Beach sewer outfall which dumps raw, untreated sewage into the ocean. This drift bottle was found by (name, address). It was found (location). This drift bottle was moved by the same wind and currents that move the raw sewage. This is where Miami’s sewage goes.” 12 days later, 70 of the cards had been received from points along the coast of Florida.

• In 1875, the crew of the Canadian ship Lennie staged a mutiny, murdering all officers on board except for a steward who was needed to navigate the ship to Spain. He headed the ship to France, telling them it was Spain, while periodically dropping bottles overboard that told the whole story. The French authorities

1. In 1938, Jimmie Foxx hit his 400th home run at 30 years, 248 days old.

2. Atlanta’s Greg Maddux had a 1.63 ERA in the 1995 season.

3. Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, with one 500-yard game in 2009 and another in 2014.

4. Once -- he was 8-9 during his first season (1961-62).

5. Chris Chelios (1989-90) and Brian Gionta (2010-14).

6. Brazil’s Marta, with 15 goals.

7. He lost to Lamon Brewster in 2004.

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were waiting when they arrived in France.

• Daisy Alexander inherited the Singer sewing machine fortune. She couldn’t decide what to do with her money when she died, so she wrote out her will, sealed it in a bottle, and tossed it in the River Thames in London.

The will gave 50% of her fortune to whoever found the bottle. She died 2 years later.

Ten years after her death, an unemployed restaurant worker named Jack Wurm found the bottle on the beach at San Francisco. He received over $6 million. Daisy’s lawyer got the other half of the fortune.

• A British sailor in the 1800s tossed a marriage proposal overboard into waters off of Britain as his ship got underway for India. On the return journey he was walking along the beach in Egypt when he found and retrieved his own bottled proposal of marriage.

• Swedish sailor Åke Viking dropped a bottle overboard in 1958, asking any pretty girl who found it to write to him. Two years later, a Sicilian fisherman found it and gave it to his daughter, Paolina, as a joke. She wrote to Åke. They were married in Sicily.

• The longest it has ever taken a message in a bottle to be discovered is 108 years. In 1906, the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom dropped more than 1,000 bottles into the North Sea with instructions to return any bottles found to the institute with information about where they had been picked up. In 2015 a tourist found one of the bottles and dutifully returned it to the address listed.

Answers 1. Central America 2. South Africa 3.

Massachussetts 4. Nostromo 5. France 6. A lion’s body with an eagle’s head, wings and claws 7. Lurch 8. “Sweeney Todd” 9. John Lennon and Paul McCartney 10. The Greek sun god Helios