Vol. 1 Issue 10

JBurke Publishing For Ad Rates call: (206) 902-7557 www.tidbitsofsno-king.com

November 1, 2012

A team of seven people went to Cali-fornia in order to set the world record for the most roller coasters ridden in 24 hours. The group rode on 40 different roller coasters at eight different amusement parks in California, starting at 5:00 p.m. on October 14, 2000 and ending at 5:00 p.m. the next day. Come along with Tidbits as we ride the world’s tallest coaster!

• From the days of the first roller coaster ride to today, a competition to build the tallest, longest, scariest roller coaster on earth has pushed the industry forward into new realms. In 2004, this competition spurred Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in New Jersey to announce that they were building the highest and fastest roller coaster on earth. They named it Kingda Ka, after the 535-pound Bengal tiger who resides at the park, although some people joke that “Kingda Ka” is actually Swahili for “OhMyGawd what a ride!”

• In 2005, Kingda Ka opened for busi-ness, claiming the title of both the fastest and the tallest roller coaster on the planet. The coaster cars rocket to the top of a 456-foot tower, accelerating from 0 to 128 mph within 3.5 seconds, before a stomach-clenching cork-screw drop back down to earth. A second 13-story hill gives riders a few moments of weightlessness before the ride is over, less than 60 seconds after it began.

• The secret to Kingda Ka’s thrill is all in the launch sequence. Whereas standard older roller coasters employ a cable system which slowly and laboriously winches

turn the page for more!

Vol. 1 Issue 10

Your Local Roofing Expert

Roofing, New Construction, Remodel, Commerical,

Residential...we do it all!

www.summitconstructionandroofing.com

Call us today for a quote!

(253) 839-2400

We are a family-owned business with 30 years of experience ready to help you with any construction project, big or

small.

OF SNO-KING COUNTIES

The Designer’s Rackan Exclusive Resale Boutique

16300 Aurora Ave. NorthVon’s Square - Suite CShoreline, WA 98133

(206) 542-9600

(206) 522-5152

For more than 30 years Queen Anne Painting has earned its exceptional rep-utation by delivering exactly what you

expect in a painting contractor.

Monday – Thursday 12-9Friday – Saturday 12-11Sunday 12-7

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

Console and Game RepairBuy & Sell Used Games

at 2 Great Locationswww.seattlegamegurus.com

Terrace VillageBarber Shop

(425) 672-445022003 66th Avenue WestMountlake Terrace, WA 98043

Mia Roma

7620 NE Bothell Way, Kenmore, WA 98028For reservation or take-out call: (425) 486-6200

Lunch: Tues. - Sun. 11:30 am - 2 pmDinner: Monday - Sunday 4 pm - 10 pm

YOUR SOURCE FOR VERY FINE CHOCOLATE

WWW.CHOCOLATEMAN.COM - 206.365.2025

Visit us and try a sample! Over

70 varieties of chocolate!

1717 BOTHELL WAY NE

SUITE A016B

LAKE FOREST PARK, WA 98155

We’re ushering in a whole new era of chocolate...

Gourmet TrufflesSugar-Free Chocolates

Chocolate-Making Classes and Supplies

Special Event Chocolates

The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read

OVER 4 MILLION

Readers WeeklyNationwide! ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©2007

FREE

The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read

OVER 4 MILLION

Readers WeeklyNationwide!

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©2007FREE

TIDBITS® RIDES AROLLER COASTER

by Janet Spencer

Leading Manufacturer of Single-Ply Roofing Membranes Since 1978.

Summit Construction and Roofing is a certified installer of IB Roof Systems.Call (253) 839-2400 for an estimate!

We are so confident with our systems that every residential roof comes with a 100% lifetime material warranty.

Lifetime Warranty

Tidbits® of Dallas CountyTidbits® of Sno-King Counties

a car to the top of a hill, the Kingda Ka uses space-age hydraulic engineering to launch a car in exactly the same sort of way an aircraft is launched from an aircraft carrier, with similar thrust and G-forces involved. The system is basically a high tech catapult, with a giant hydraulic launch system delivering 12,500 horsepower in a single colossal blast – twelve times the horse power of a Formula One race car. Eight military grade 500-horsepower hydraulic motors – which took a year to construct – charge up the accumulators, forcing hydraulic f luid into the chambers under great pressure. When a trigger is pulled, the pressure is released and the car is launched at rocket speed. It’s similar in many ways to blowing up a balloon and then letting it go. Kingda Ka is one of only two roller coasters in the world that uses this technology. The experience has been compared to being in a jet fighter, or being a drag racer.

QUICK BITS• It takes only ten seconds to go from launch to being 456 feet in the air on top of the tower.

• The highest point of the ride is 45 stories tall, which is about 4/5ths the height of the Washington Monument. It’s tall enough that the entire Statue of Liberty would fit under the main arch with 100 feet to spare.

• On foggy days, you can’t see the top of the tower from the bottom.

• The ride cost $25 million to construct.

• The entire track is just over 1,000 yards long.

• Fittingly enough, the very first passen-gers were the engineers who built it. • The braking system, done with magnetic fields generated by 473 magnets, means there’s no friction to wear parts out. It’s silent, efficient, and fail-safe.

• The roller coaster has four cars, and each car seats 18 passengers. About 1,400 people per hour take the ride.

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE So where should you sit to get the best ride? Depends on what you’re looking for. Sitting in the very back of a coaster train yields the wildest ride since the last car is being pulled by the weight of the front cars, making for some nice whipping ac-tion, especially if they are long trains on steep hills. However, sitting in the front has benefits too. The very first car will hang over the first drop waiting for the

Happy first Thursday of November!

We have officially entered the countdown to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years’ with only a few weeks to go! Can you believe how quickly the time is flying by?

With the holiday season just around the corner, we wanted to take a minute to remind you that Tidbits is here for you to help spread the word about the amazing things you, your company, your schools and churches are doing in the area. Having a food drive? Let us know! Hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless? Give us a heads up! We want to let people know about the amazing things our community is up to and help give you some free press about it. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Did you know that Tidbits of Sno-King Counties is on Facebook and Twitter? We would love to connect with you! Follow us for tips and tricks from our esteemed writers, puzzles that will puzzle your mind, and news about our community!

Harrison and Jennifer BurkeOwners/PublishersJBurke Publishing

[email protected]

(206) 902-7557

A Note from the Editors rest of the cars to crest the hill before the big plunge. Front cars also have better low-G moments when the train is going over the top of low hill, leading to better stomach-lifting airtime. The ride is usu-ally smoothest in the middle of the train, a good spot for beginners.

SAFETY CONCERNS• Two weeks after the grand opening, a bolt unexpectedly sheered off, damag-ing the brake system. Custom-made bolts were ordered and installed to fix the prob-lem and prevent it from happening again.

• In 2009, the roller coaster was struck by lighting in the middle of the night when the park was closed. It suffered serious damage and was closed for repairs.

• Because it is so close to the Jersey Shore, the coaster is capable of withstand-ing hurricane force winds. Nevertheless, damage occurred during Hurricane Irene in 2011, and the ride was closed for re-pairs once again.

No one has ever been killed while rid-ing the Kingda Ka. The odds of being injured on an amusement park ride are 1 in 23 million. According to the U.S. Con-sumer Products Safety Commission, in 1999 over 600,000 people were injured on bikes, just under 100,000 on trampolines, nearly 50,000 while using golf equipment, while 7,260 were injured on amusement park rides, and only 138 of those people needed to be hospitalized. Most injuries are due to people failing to follow rules rather than equipment failure.

OUCH! Kingda Ka does not operate when it’s raining, because being hit by raindrops at 128 mph is not fun.

G-FORCE FACTS Normal earth gravity has a g force of 1. Astronauts in orbit f loat around in zero g’s. Jet pilots black out at 10 g’s. On a roller coaster, g forces decrease on the way down a hill (making you feel lighter) and increase on the way up (making you feel heavier). At 3 g’s a 100-lb person feels like they weigh 300 lbs. On the way down a hill riders may feel 0 g’s, although most coasters only go down to about .2 g’s, making a 100-lb. person weigh 20 lbs. A typical roller coaster offers a maximum of 3.5 g’s. More than that makes the ride too much. That’s about the same g forces as astronauts feel during a space shuttle launch. Three coasters outside the U.S. generate over 6.5 g’s.

ONE-UPPED Kingda Ka was the world’s fastest roller coaster until Formula Rossa opened in Abu Dhabi in November 2010, which reaches a speed of 150 mph, reaching that speed in 4.9 seconds following launch. The hydraulic launch system is identical to the one used on the Kingda Ka. How-ever, Kingda Ka still retains the title of the world’s tallest roller coaster.

ROLLER COASTERS (continued):

Want to see your ad here?

Call us! (206) 902-7557Harrison & Jennifer Burke

Owner/PublisherJBurke Publishing

[email protected]

For Advertising Call (206) 902-7557

Nearly a half-million people will take temporary jobs during the holidays to earn extra income. The cash that comes in from those jobs can go a long way toward easing financial strains -- if the windfall goes to critical items first.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling of-fers some timely advice about where to put that extra money to make sure it does the most good. Here are its recommendations, listed in order of what to do first:

--Bring current all living expenses, such as housing, utilities and insurance payments. If you need to put gas in the car or food on the table, those basics will help restore stability.

--Catch up on secured debts, such as a car pay-ment or any loan that involves collateral. If you don’t get caught up on secured debt, you can lose whatever the loan covers. Additional fees can be added to a car repossession, so you could end up owing additional money despite having lost your vehicle.

--Catch up on past-due debt, such as credit cards.

While there is no collateral such as a vehicle, be-ing behind on other debts can result in lower credit scores, which can impact your future ability to borrow at good interest rates. You also will be subject to late fees, and if the creditor is awarded a judgment against you, your wages could be garnished. Additionally, if you’re left without a credit card, you’ll be forced to pay cash everywhere you go.

--Take care of any repairs to your home or ve-hicle before the problems get worse. If there are extra funds, weatherize your home. The benefits of weath-erization will result in lower utility bills not only this winter, but in future years.

--Put 10 percent of your holiday pay into a savings account, if possible, after paying critical items. If you have cash left after paying off more crucial items, in-crease the amount for savings.

To learn more about what the National Foundation for Credit Counseling has to say, go to its website at www.nfcc.org. Check the financial self-assessment and the budget sheets in the consumer tools section. The alerts link has information on debt settlements and what to guard against.

David Uffington regrets that he cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into his column whenever possible. Write to him in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send email to [email protected].

© 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.

FINALLY, COLLEGE COSTS CANNOW BE COMPARED

OVERCOMING THE ODDS:

PHINEAS T. BARNUM• Phineas Taylor Barnum is remembered today for the circus that still carries his name: Barnum & Bailey. Barnum got rich because, as he stated, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

• Barnum got his start in show biz after meeting a man who owned an old black slave named Joice Heth. Joice claimed to have been George Washington’s nanny. She said she was 167 years old and had the papers to prove it. She really looked the part: blind, half paralyzed, wrinkled and toothless. Yet her mind was sharp and clear. Joice’s owner had been exhibiting her and had turned a tidy profit. Yet he was tired of the road, so he sold the act to Barnum for $1,000. Barnum and Joice went on tour, and Barnum learned the principles that guided his career from then on: that adver-tising and publicity are all-important, and that controversy brings the skeptics flock-ing in. When attendance fell off, Barnum wrote an anonymous letter to the editor claiming that Joice Heth was not a human

at all, but merely a clever robot. The debate brought crowds to Barnum’s door. When Joice finally died, an autopsy concluded she was probably not more than 80 years old.

• Barnum’s success started not with the circus but with the Barnum Museum in New York City. He bought an old, dusty run-down museum and set out to transform it into a flashy attention-getting show that would keep people coming back for more. One of his tactics was to give away plenty of free picture postcards to tourists, who would show them to all their friends back home. Those friends, when they visited New York, would then be sure to stop in at the Museum.

• Barnum discovered that the world loves to ogle human freaks. He made a tradition out of exhibiting the bearded lady, the fat boy, giants, midgets, Siamese twins, al-binos, and the Wild Men of Borneo (who were really Hiram and Barney Davis from Long Island).

• It was an elephant that led to his teaming up with Bailey. Bailey owned a circus, and one of the elephants became the mother of the first baby elephant ever born in captiv-

ity. Barnum couldn’t stand to see someone else get more publicity than himself, so he offered to buy the two elephants. Bailey used Barnum’s offer to get more publicity for himself. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, thought Barnum, and the two teamed up to form the Barnum & Bailey Circus. When their first combined show was scheduled to open in Madison Square Gardens, Barnum paid all expenses for 100 top newspaper reporters from all over the country to come and review the circus. The free publicity he got all over the country ensured success.

• By the mid 1880s, the Barnum and Bailey Circus was earning a million dollars a year. Barnum invented the concept of the three ring circus, and coined the phrase, “The Greatest Show On Earth.” Shopkeepers in towns they visited complained about the cir-cus because for weeks after they were gone, the townfolk were too broke to buy anything in their stores.

• P. T. Barnum died in 1891 at the age of 82. Several years later, the Ringling Broth-ers bought the Barnum & Bailey circus. The combined circus became the largest travel-ling show on the planet, truly the “Greatest Show on Earth.”

FOR ADVERTISING CALL:(206) 902-7557

Tidbits® of Dallas County Tidbits® of Sno-King Counties

Seattle Seahawks Schedule

Nov. 4 Seahawks vs. VikingsNov. 11 Seahawks vs. JetsNov. 25 Seahawks vs. DolphinsDec. 2 Seahawks vs. Bears

1. Who hit the most major-league home runs during the decade of the 1940s?

2. Two Minnesota Twins pitchers had 20-win seasons during the 1990s. Name them.

3. Who holds the NFL mark for most field goals in a season, and how many?

4. When was the last time before 2011-12 that the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team started a season 10-0?

5. Name the only NHL team other than Edmonton (2010-12) to have the No. 1 overall draft pick three consecutive seasons.

6. Which was the first country to win back-to-back Euro titles in men’s soccer along with a World Cup in between.

7. Who were the world heavyweight boxing champions before and after Rocky Marciano’s 1952-56 reign?


22803 44th Ave West | Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 | (425) 582-2412

Easy month to month memberships

We’re ALWAYS affordable.

The Tidbits® Paper is a Division of Tidbits Media, Inc. • Montgomery, AL 36106(800) 523-3096 • E-mail: [email protected] • All Rights Reserved ©2008

Information in the Tidbits® Paper is gathered from sources considered to bereliable but the ac cu ra cy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

Can’t Get Enough Tidbits?

Limited EditionBook Set

Limited Edition

T R I L O G Y

Send $24.95 (plus $5.00 S&H) by Check or Money Order to:

Tidbits Media, Inc.1430 I-85 Parkway, Suite 301

Montgomery, AL 36106(800) 523-3096

(Alabama residents add appropriate sales tax.)Reprints of Books I, II, & III.

RESERVE NOW!

WANT TO RUN YOUR OWN BUSI NESS?

If You Can Provide: Sales Experience · A Computer · Desktop Publishing Software · A Reasonable Financial In vest ment

We provide the opportunity for success!

Call 1.800.523.3096www.tidbitsweekly.com

Publish a Pa per in Your Area

recently announced his intent to develop a “Top Gun” sequel, and was with Tom Cruise just days prior to his death scouting locations for the mov-ie. There is no word yet on whether the movie will be made without Tony.***Q: “Assassin’s Creed” is one of my favorite video games, and my roommate heard that it ’s going to be made into a movie. Is that true? -- Douglas W., via e-mailA: Development of a big-screen version of the popular video game is moving forward, with Michael Fassbender set to star as Desmond Miles, a man who comes from a long line of assassins but tries to lie low and maintain a more common lifestyle as a bartender. Since it ’s still early in the development process, there’s no word on co-stars or a release date. However, I can tell you that it will be shot in 3-D. ***Q: My husband and I are curious as to what happened to Lisa, who was one of the “Ice Road Truckers” on the History Channel last year. We’re hoping she didn’t crash. -- Bonnie and George H., via e-mailA: Lisa Kelly is alive and well, and taking a year off. Producer Thom Beers told a group of report-ers: “We offered her a contract to return, and she chose not to. (We’d) love to have her, (but) she’s taking a year off. The thing we liked about her more than anyone else -- she’s the one person of them all who showed real fear. I wish her luck, and I wish she was back.”

Write to Cindy at King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475; or e-mail her at [email protected].

(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.

Q: I love MTV’s original comedy “Awkward.” I missed some episodes of season two. Is it on DVD yet? Also, where there be a third season? -- Amy T., via e-mailA: You’re in luck on both counts. Aside from be-ing able to watch full episodes on hulu.com and mtv.com, seasons one and two are available on DVD. The show has been granted a super-size season three, which will consist of 20 episodes instead of the previous 12 episodes each of the previous two seasons. Look for season three to premiere in summer 2013.***Q: I just heard about the death of one of my favorite directors, Tony Scott. I couldn’t find any information on the definite cause or reason for his death. Do you know what happened? -- Felix S., Vancouver, British ColumbiaA: The results of Tony’s autopsy were recently released, with the cause of death being multiple blunt-force injuries, which were sustained when he jumped off a Los Angeles bridge on Aug. 19. The official ruling is suicide, as no foul play was suspected or discovered. There was also no evidence of an inoperable brain tumor -- as some sources were citing as the reason he killed himself -- putting to rest those rumors that his family vehemently denied from the get-go.Tony, who was 68 at the time of his death, had

Small Full Color Ad3.2” x 3”

Inside Pages

Only $65 per week!$260 per month

6 months (26 weeks)

Want to see your ad here?

Contact us today and let us put together an advertising campaign that will fit your

budget and grow your business!206-902-7557

www.tidbitsofsno-king.com

For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674(206) 902-7557

1. LANGUAGE: What is the meaning of the Latin prefix “demi”?

2. HISTORY: Who wrote the political book “The Prince” during the Renaissance?

3. ASTRONOMY: What phase of the moon is op-posite of crescent?

4. LITERATURE: What was the real name of the author who assumed the pen name of George Orwell?

5. ART: What are the three primary colors?

6. MUSIC: What is indicated by the musical no-tation “estinto”?

7. GEOGRAPHY: What state lies directly east of Utah?

8. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the traditional birthstone for June?

9. MEASUREMENTS: The watt, a unit of electri-cal power, was named for what famous inven-tor?

10. ETIQUETTE: Properly speaking, who should host a wedding shower for a bride?

To Your Good Health By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Will you please tell me if there is something I can take to get rid of hot flashes? I am 74 and have them all the time. I sweat terribly. I have tried Estrace (female hormone), Estroblend (a dietary supplement) and black cohosh (an herbal remedy). -- M.B.

ANSWER: It’s said that 8 percent of women still have hot flashes into their 70s. Most women get over them in six months to five years after menopause. The drop in estrogen production that occurs with menopause affects a part of the brain that regulates body temperature. The brain’s thermostat is thrown out of whack, and the result is spells of sudden, uncomfortable warming with sweating.

Let me give you the usual recommendations made for control of hot flashes. I’m pretty sure you must have tried them after more than 20 years of putting up with flashes. Dress in layers so that outer garments can be shed at the first inkling of a hot flash. That can keep it from becoming a full-blown one. Keep ice water on hand and drink it at the start of a flash. Cut back on caffeine. Slow, deep breathing at the onset of a flash is said to minimize it.

Estrogen, which you have tried, is the most effective treatment for flashes. It should be taken in as low a dose as possible for the shortest time possible. Maybe a different estrogen preparation would work for you.

Effexor and Lexapro, two antidepressants, have met with success in suppressing hot flashes for some women. Here they are not used for their antidepressant action. It’s an example of medicines that have more than one function. Neurontin (gabapentin) is a seizure-control medicine that is also used for control of hot flashes.

Hot flashes that have lasted as long as yours call for a consideration of conditions other than estrogen deprivation. An overactive thyroid gland, a hidden infection and two unusual tumors -- carcinoid and pheochromocytoma -- are examples of illnesses that produce symptoms similar to a hot flash.

***DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 84 years old. Recently I had a CT scan of my abdomen.

It revealed multiple diverticula in the sigmoid colon. Will you please explain diverticulitis to me, and what I can expect from it? -- H.T.

ANSWER: You don’t have diverticulitis. You have diverticulosis -- small, pea-size protrusions of the colon lining on the outer surface of the colon. Between 50 percent and 80 percent of people your age have the same condition. Diverticulosis almost never causes pain. It hasn’t caused any trouble in your past. It’s most unlikely to cause you any trouble in the future.

Fiber stops diverticula from forming. Make sure you’re getting 25-30 grams of it every day.

Diverticulitis is inflammation of diverticula. It happens to only a few people with diverticulosis. Fiber also will prevent inflammation from developing.

The booklet on diverticulosis explains this common malady in detail. To order a copy, write: Dr. Donohue -- No. 502W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. 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.

***Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate

them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.


Hot Flashes Can Last Into the 70sCod, bacon and potatoes make this creamy chowder rich and satisfying.

4 slices center-cut bacon1 large carrot, chopped1 medium (13-ounce) celery root, peeled and chopped1 large (12-ounce) all-purpose potato, peeled and chopped2 small (4 to 6 ounces each) onions, chopped2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 cup clam juice, bottled1/2 cup water1 pound skinless cod fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks1/2 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milkSaltPepperFresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, for garnish

1. In 6- to 7-quart saucepot, cook bacon on medium 5-7 minutes or until browned and crisp, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels; set aside. Discard all but 1 table-spoon bacon fat.2. While bacon cooks, in large microwave-safe bowl, com-bine carrot, celery root, potato and 2 tablespoons water. Cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on High 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.3. Keep saucepot with rendered bacon fat on medium. Add onion and cook 6-8 minutes or until tender, stirring occa-sionally. Add carrot mixture and cook 2 minutes, stirring.4. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add clam juice and water, and whisk until smooth. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Add cod chunks, cover and cook 4-5 minutes or until fish just turns opaque throughout.5. Stir in milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until hot but not boiling. Crumble reserved bacon. Spoon chowder into shallow bowls; garnish with parsley and bacon. Serves 4.

• Each serving: About 310 calories, 7g total fat (3g satu-rated), 64mg cholesterol, 595mg sodium, 35g total carbs, 5g dietary fiber, 27g protein.

For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our website at www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/.

(c) 2012 Hearst Communications, Inc.All rights reserved

Hearty Fish Chowder

Call us now at 425-877-1729 for a free consult.

Commercial Residential Automotivewww.wiselocks.com

24-hour Emergency Service for King and Snohomish Counties

Tidbits® of Dallas County

Tidbits® of Sno-King Counties

HARVEY’S AUTO SERVICE, INC.We’re Your Factory-Authorized Dealer Alternative

Mention you saw our ad in Tidbits and get 10% off

labor cost.

Shoreline: (206) 368-0980Redmond: (425) 881-1658

For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674(206) 902-7557

• Primates are profoundly intelligent, and one of the ways they display this is in the many creative ways they find to escape from their enclosures. Consider the following stories:

• In a Texas zoo, an orangutan foiled the elec-tric fence and managed to escape by grabbing clumps of grass in order to create an insulat-ing mitten, then climbing over the electrified wires without being shocked.

• When a worker at the Washington National Zoo mistakenly left several large barrels in the enclosure housing several orangutans, one of the ingenious animals, named Bonnie, sim-ply stacked the barrels up and climbed over the fence, followed by her companions, and then liberated a picnic basket from a shocked tourist. When zookeepers found her, she was calmly munching on some fried chicken and drinking orange juice.

• Jonathan, an orangutan at the Los Angeles Zoo, was an escape artist. Keepers designed a new outdoor area for him, then invited media and dignitaries to watch while Jonathan was released into the area to explore it. Jonathan, on entering the new play area, took one look around, uprooted a nice tree that had been planted for his pleasure, leaned it against the wall, and climbed over the wall as keepers, dignitaries, and visitors watched. Later, while being held in an escape-proof exhibit, he entertained himself by taking burlap bags he’d been given to play with and whipping them through the bars of his cage, snagging steam pipes along the wall and pulling them loose. When keepers removed the bags and gave him a cardboard box instead, he ripped the box up, made spikes out of the cardboard, and used them to break the ceiling lights.

• Fu Manchu was an orangutan in the Omaha

Zoo. One day in 1968, a zoo worker ran to the head curator to report that Fu Manchu and all the other orangutans had escaped from their outdoor enclosure and were hanging out in the trees nearby. After coaxing the animals back into their cage, the curator investigated, and found an access door had evidently been left unlocked. He chewed out the staff and locked the door. Several days later, the orangutans escaped again, and again the curator found the access door unlocked. “I was getting ready to fire someone,” he reported. Several days later, a breathless keeper came running up to the curator insisting he had to come quick and witness what Fu Manchu was doing. The curator watched as Fu Manchu produced a piece of stiff wire, slid it between the access door and the casing, slipped the latch, and popped the door open. He escaped, followed by the rest of the orangutan clan. Now that they knew how the escapes were happening, the question was where the wire was coming from. Investigation revealed something shiny in Fu Manchu’s mouth. The wire, bent into the shape of his jaw, was hidden between his lip and gum. After this story got considerable publicity in the papers, the American Asso-ciation of Locksmiths made Fu Manchu an honorary member.

IT’S A FACT• Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates and routinely use tools.

• Orangutans have a natural ability to tie knots.

• Orang-utan’ is Indonesian for ‘person of the forest’.

• Because of human activity and poaching, oranutans are now critically endangered in the wild.

“Brave” (PG) -- Pixar’s latest release goes into a myth-ical Scottish setting to tell the story of a headstrong, red-haired lass. Merida (voiced by Kelly MacDonald), is a princess who doesn’t want to do the whole prin-cess thing. Merida tries to thwart her own arranged marriage. When that doesn’t work, she tries to use dangerous magic to change her fate.While “Brave” has its strong points, it falls short of Pixar’s greatest hits. The pacing can get on your nerves, for example. The tone can get a little dark. It’s not enough to scare the kiddos or keep them from enjoying the tale. It’s a pleasant departure from the typical princess story with a good helping of slap-stick comedy and amazing visuals.

“Savages” (R) -- Oliver Stone directs this summertime crime epic about a trio of pretty, young marijuana moguls who go to war with the big bad Baja Cartel. Chon (Taylor Kitsch, short-haired handsome dude) and Ben (Aaron Johnson, long-haired handsome dude) are living large in Laguna Beach with their shared squeeze, Ophelia (Blake Lively, vacant-looking blonde). Brutal drug lord, Elena (Selma Hayek) wants a piece of their pot profits, so she sends in her min-ion, Lado (Benicio Del Toro.) Stone knows how to keep you watching. Hayek’s evil narco-empress is chilling and also very hot. However, Lively was given voice-over duty, and her voice and the things she says soon become tiresome. You may wish you didn’t want to keep watching.

“The Watch” (PG-13) -- Four suburban guys (Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade) looking for an excuse to hang out form a neighbor-hood watch and wind up in a showdown with alien invaders. It’s a simply silly concept that could pass or fail based on the comedic riffing of the stars. It’s a fail. The jokes are lazy, the script is tedious. Whether it was the acting or the direction, the funny men just aren’t at their best. There’s no room for wit or origi-nality to blossom when the script is overflowing with anatomy jokes.

“Pixar Short Films Collection 2” -- As much as Pixar has a great record with feature films, it also knows how to put a lot of heart and art into a featurette. This collection of animated shorts includes “La Luna,” “Day and Night” and “Presto.” Each one is about five minutes of high-quality animation. The shorts were released with major Pixar films, but this collection puts them on one disc and adds value. The collection also includes older shorts from Pixar’s animators and creative directors, as well as information about how they got their start.

TV RELEASES“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Classic

Series Collection”“Doctor Who: Series Seven -- Part One”

“Lost Girl: Season Two”“Duck Dynasty: Season 1”

“Friends: The Complete Series” [Blu-ray]“Dance Moms: Season 2, Volume 1”

(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.

APE INTELLIGENCE

1. Half2. Niccolo Machiavelli3. Gibbous4. Eric Arthur Blair5. Red, yellow and blue6. So soft that it can hardly be heard7. Colorado8. Pearl9. James Watt10. A friend of the bride

Tidbits® of Dallas CountyTidbits® of Sno-King Counties

1. Ted Williams, with 234. Johnny Mize was second, with 217.2. Scott Erickson (1991) and Brad Radke (1997). 3. San Francisco’s David Akers had 44 in 2011.4. It was 1989-90.5. The Quebec Nordiques (1989-91).6. Spain (2008-12).7. Jersey Joe Walcott before, Floyd Patterson after.

• It was Scotsman Bertie Charles Forbes, journalist and founder of Forbes maga-zine, who made the following sage obser-vation: “There is more credit and satis-faction in being a first-rate truck driver than in being a tenth-rate executive.”

• The prospectors of 1849 might not have realized it, but you’re more likely to find a 5-carat diamond than a 1-ounce nugget of gold.

• You might be surprised -- and, depend-ing on your temperament, terrified -- to learn that bats can fly at speeds up to 60 mph. Some can even reach altitudes of 10,000 feet.

• Coffee beans are actually seeds. The fruit of the coffee tree is called a cherry and are said to be delicious. They spoil too quickly to be marketed effectively, though, so only the seeds are used.

• Beverly Hills, Calif., is one of the most affluent areas of the country. It was not always such a posh locale, however; in 1920 the population was 674, and most of the land was given over to bean fields.

• All joking aside, those who study such things say that natural blondes tend to have more difficulty driving than those whose hair is of a darker hue -- at night, anyway. The reason? Most natural blondes also have blue eyes, which aren’t as good as brown eyes at shielding out light. This means that blondes tend to be more eas-ily blinded by the headlights of oncoming cars.

• When a professional football player re-tires, there’s a 50-50 chance he’ll get di-vorced within a year.

• Everybody dreams. Those who claim that they never have dreams just don’t re-member them.

***

Thought for the Day: “Any frontal attack on ignorance is bound to fail, because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession -- their igno-rance.” -- Hendrik Willem van Loon


by Samantha Weaver

• Medication labels can fade, so when you get yours, put a piece of clear tape over the in-structions. This way, you’l l always be able to read the instructions.

• “During the holidays (the height of baking season for me), I keep a large plastic saltshaker f i l led with f lour and a bit of dry r ice. The r ice helps the f lour to shake out without gett ing clumped up, and I use it to dust cake pans, rol l ing pins, kneading boards, etc.” -- W.F. in Canada

• “One of the household clean-ers I prefer comes in a spray bott le, and it ’s on the expensive side. I make sure to get al l of the l iquid out by adding some regu-lar glass marbles to the bott le. The marbles displace the l iquid, ensuring it f inds the bottom of the sprayer’s suction tube.” -- T.H. in Mississippi

• “Stack hockey pucks in the holes of a cardboard soda six-pack carr ier. Tel l your coach. And to keep them bouncy, store them in your freezer (as long as your mom says it ’s OK).” -- Er ic, via e-mail

• Keep the fog off your glass-es by cleaning them with shav-ing cream. It wi l l prevent mist-ups when you come in from the cold.

• Save your citrus peels and dry them to use for kindl ing in your f i re. They contain f lammable oi ls, and they smell pretty good, too.

Send your t ips to Now Here’s a Tip, c/o King Features Weekly Ser-vice, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475 or e-mail JoAnn at [email protected].


Vol. 1 Issue 10

Documents

Transcript of Vol. 1 Issue 10