tidbits of the northwest valley issue #12

JANUARY 2, 2009 ISSUE #12SYNERGY PUBLISHING, LLC 800-264-3047 WWW.TIDBITSARIZONA.COM

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A ROSY NEW YEARby Lynne Patrice

The hubbub around the Rose Bowl on January first reminds us of how much we miss flowers in the winter. Hopefully, our many rose puns won’t be too much of a thorn in your side…

Millions of TV viewers around the world • officially kick off the New Year by watching the Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena, California. The colorful floral pageant has been held on January 1st every year since 1890 – except when that date happens to fall on a Sunday, in which case the event is moved up to the 2nd. The “never on Sunday” rule dates back to the time when worshipers utilized horses to get them to church. Officials feared that the noise and excitement of the parade would frighten the many horses tethered outside the city’s houses of worship.

Even though the Tournament of Roses • is a huge corporate organization, it’s no different than your high school homecoming parade in some ways. During the last 48 to 72 hours of preparation, organizers are still scrambling to finish the various floats. Most groups welcome volunteers willing to lend a hand. Show up at a “float barn” during that time and you’ll likely be handed a box of flowers and given some quick instructions.

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A ROSY NEW YEAR - Continued from page 1

Most weekend gardeners and casual flower • fans refer to those sharp spiny things on the stems of rose bushes as “thorns.” Botanists call them “prickles,” however, and there is a distinct difference between the two. A thorn is similar to a leaf in function, and it contains a “vascular bundle” of tissue that helps to sustain the plant. A prickle, on the other hand, is a hard, pointy appendage that does not supply any nutrients to the plant. It is in place strictly to protect the plant from predators, and can be (carefully!) snapped off without traumatizing the plant.

Have you seen bottles of “rose hips” on • the vitamin shelf at your local drugstore and wondered what they were? Rose hips are seed pods that form on rose bushes at the end of the growing season. Average backyard gardeners never see these “seed balls” on their plants, since they prune the fading rose blossoms away in order to encourage new growth. Rose hips are high in Vitamin C and essential fatty acids.

It takes up to five years and as much as • $10,000 to create a new hybrid rose. It’s not unusual for the growers of such specialty flowers to name their plants after celebrities in order to help spur sales. Your local garden center may offer a Dolly Parton rose bush, or a Princess Diana rose, or even a Barbra Streisand rose. In each case, the grower must secure permission from either the celebrity or his/her estate to attach his name to the bloom. And some celebrities (Streisand was one) insist on being involved in the flower selection process before agreeing to a floral namesake.

True Argentine tango dancers never clench • a rose in their teeth while executing their moves on the dance floor. The roots of

this visual cliché can be traced to 1921, when silent film star Rudolph Valentino performed a sexy tango in the film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Valentino, dressed as a gaucho with a whip dangling from his hip, rakishly clenched a single rose in his teeth and cut in on a couple on the dance floor. The tango he danced with the lovely señorita was decidedly risqué, even by today’s standards.

After winning the Revolutionary War, • America officially abolished the use of British aristocratic titles as “duke” and “prince.” However, Rose Kennedy – the very American matriarch of the Kennedy dynasty – was a “countess.” Pope Pius XII bestowed upon her the honorific title of “Papal Countess” in 1951, in recognition of her “exemplary motherhood” and her exhaustive résumé of charitable works. Only a handful of other American women have been granted this honor.

Were you aware that many maps are • decorated with a rose? You’ve probably seen a compass rose without knowing that it had a name – it’s the decorative North-South-East-West directional indicator. Sometimes, the design is very basic, depicting only the four main points of direction. On older maps, compass roses provided 32 directional reference points, giving them shapes more like real-life “roses.”

Tokyo Rose was a generic name given to • several English-speaking Japanese women who served as announcers on radio stations spouting war propaganda during World War II and the Korean War. They taunted American soldiers with stories of infidelities of their women back home and fictitious reports of Japanese victories in various battles.

The actress know n as Rose Marie (famousfor • The Dick Van Dyke Show and Hollywood Squares) did have a last name – Mazetta. She got her show business start at the age of three as a part of her parents’ vaudeville act, where she was billed as “Baby Rose Marie.” Shockingly, she revealed in her autobiography that the support of several organized crime figures (including Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel) was instrumental in helping her make the career transition from child star to nightclub performer.

Axl Rose, lead singer of heavy metal band • Guns n’ Roses, was named William Bruce Rose upon birth. His divorced mother then married a man named Stephen Bailey. Due to taunts related to the popular early-1900s song “Bill Bailey,” the youngster detested the thought of using that name. As a teenager, he reverted to using his biological father’s surname (Rose). When he joined up with musicians Jeff Isbell and Saul Hudson, they decided they needed edgier, rock-and-roll names. So they became known as Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Slash, respectively.

In the original Brothers Grimm story, Snow • White had a sister by the name of Rose Red. Unlike the elegant Snow White, Rose was the rambunctious, “tomboy” of the family. When Snow White wed Prince Charming, Rose Red exchanged vows with his younger brother in a double-wedding ceremony.

The traditional romantic rhyme that states • “Roses are red / Violets are blue / Sugar is sweet / And so are you” is believed to have been adapted from an epic poem written by Edmund Spenser. Known as “The Fairie Queene,” the late 16th-century work includes the following verse: “She bathed with roses red and violets blue / And all the sweetest flowers that in the forest grew.”

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Ongoing Ear Infection Frustrates Dog Owner

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My little dog “Sandy,” a 3-year-old Shih Tzu, has had an ongoing ear infection for the past four months. The vet said it was a yeast infection and gave me some drops for it. It cleared quickly, but within two weeks it was back again. This time the vet suggested I change his dog food, along with giving him the drops again, so now he is on a grain-free dog food. It cleared up for a while, but it is back again. Any suggestions on what to do now? -- Donna, via e-mail

DEAR DONNA: Keep trying! Continue working with your vet to find a solution to Sandy’s recurring ear infections. It may take a combination of treatments to stop them from happening, including a change in diet (such as the prescribed grain-free diet), drops or oral medication.

Signs of an ear infection in a dog typically include head shaking, yellow or brown “gunk” in the ears, a yeast-like smell, redness and swelling. Causes include debris or water in the ears, allergies, or unexplained factors.

Shih Tzus are prone to ear infections because of the shape of their ears, and because of the long hair growing over the ears -- fluids don’t drain from their ears as easily. Owners must clear the hair from their dogs’ ears frequently and must be sure to dry their dogs’ ears after swimming or bathing.

Dogs like Sandy who have repeat infections may benefit from having the hair clipped away from around their ears (let the veterinarian do this). Sandy may be given a long-term course of treatment, too -- usually oral medication. In severe cases, vets may recommend surgery to reconstruct the ear canal to improve drainage, but this should be considered only when other avenues have been exhausted.

Send your tips, questions and comments to Paw’s Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or e-mail them to [email protected].

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.


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My name is Galaga. Won’t you come down to the shelter and meet me?

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Galaga, 4 years old, female, Rottweiler Mix. Beautiful girl wants a home to call her very own, especially with a big couch.


ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ TIDBITS:

BENJAMIN HARRISONLong before the Bush family made its impact on American politics, there were the Harrisons. William Henry Harrison only spent a month as president, but his grandson, Benjamin, had a bit longer stay in the White House.

Benjamin Harrison was born in North • Bend, Ohio, on August 20, 1833. His father, John Scott Harrison, holds the unique distinction of being the only man who was both the son of a U.S. president and the father of one.

The youngster experienced a typical • if uneventful Midwestern childhood, insomuch as his grandfather became president when Benjamin was seven years old. Raised in a strong Presbyterian household, Harrison learned that his ancestors had a long history of service to America. (Benjamin’s namesake great-grandfather had signed the Declaration of Independence.) He developed a keen interest in history and became an adept writer and speaker on the subject.

Harrison entered the University of Miami • in Oxford, Ohio, with designs on becoming a minister. By the time he graduated in 1852, however, Harrison had changed his attention to the study of law. He spent two years at a Cincinnati legal firm, but never completely forgot his religious roots: In 1853, he wed long-time girlfriend Caroline Scott, the daughter of a Presbyterian preacher.

The couple settled in Indianapolis, where • Benjamin entered into a law partnership and joined the Republican Party. Harrison began a slow but steady ascent through local and state politics, which was interrupted by the Civil War. While he did not aspire to become a military hero, it quickly became clear that Benjamin was an able leader. He left the U.S. Army in 1865 as a brigadier general.

Returning to Indianapolis to continue • his road to success, Harrison’s continued support of the dominant Republicans led to two unsuccessful attempts to win the Indiana gubernatorial election. In 1880, he parlayed his support of James Garfield for president into a U.S. senate seat. Party members were well aware that Harrison’s pedigree would make him a popular choice as their nominee for president, but Benjamin rejected their overtures until he was defeated for senate reelection. In early 1888, he announced his candidacy for the White House.

By this time, Harrison’s party had lost its • steam, and incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland would be difficult to displace from the presidency. In fact, Cleveland won the popular vote by about 100,000 votes. But where it counts – in the Electoral College – Harrison emerged victorious by carrying the more populous states.

Once in office, Benjamin Harrison worked • to fulfill the promises he’d made during his campaign: notably, to do what was necessary to protect free trade. He succeeded by raising tariffs and signing the Sherman Antitrust Act. When the high tariffs were passed on to American consumers in the form of higher prices, Harrison fell out of favor. An ugly strike at a Pennsylvania steel plant further damaged his reputation. When wife Caroline passed away just two weeks before the 1892 election, all seemed lost, and it was.

Grover Cleveland defeated Harrison, • becoming the first (and only) president to serve non-consecutive terms. Benjamin Harrison returned to Indianapolis, where he remarried. He also resumed his private law practice, taking absences to lecture and write on the subject widely. The former president died from pneumonia in 1901 at the age of 67.



All Retirements Are Not Created Equal

Not all of us are retired. Many seniors are just now wrapping up long careers or are going back to work for economic reasons. Some of us are looking for a different way to spend our retirement years.

“What’s Next In Your Life? How to Find Meaning Beyond the Money” is about how to retire in a new way -- without the stress that often comes with such a drastic change of life. We face new daily routines, plans that don’t pan out, the loss of identity if it was tied with our profession, and disappointments in the choices we thought we’d be happy with. Then there’s the simple fact of money: If we don’t have enough to retire, we have to keep working.

Many of us want to keep working, though, apart from financial reasons. The authors quote a study that revealed that 71 percent of us plan to keep working after we retire, and of those, a whopping 66 percent want to have a new profession. The question this book helps answer is: How do we know what to do next?

Whether you’re retired or just thinking about it, take a look at this book. Written by Joan Strewler-Carter and Stephen T. Carter, “What’s Next” (Rockhill Books) comes with a manual and a Web site. The manual guides you step by step through forming a new life plan by looking at the non-financial aspects of retirement.

The Web site [www.whatsnextinyourlife.com] has a host of additional tools, resources and ideas. Don’t miss “Road Trip” and “Time Calculator” under the planning tools. The results can be very revealing.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].


Pennies CountWith belts tightening everywhere, it’s more important than ever to look for ways to save money. Pennies count, and you can hold on to many of them if you surround yourself with a network of money-saving opportunities and make it a way of life.

Get involved in a food-supply group. Angel • Food Ministries [www.angelfoodministries.com], for example, makes bulk purchases of food and has distribution points in 38 states. The cost of the food is very low. Often the program is run by local churches, but there are no qualification requirements. Once a month, orders are taken and the food delivered to a central location. If there is no distribution group near you, look into starting one.

Look for other low-cost food distribution • groups in your area. Do an Internet search for “low cost food” and put in your town and state.

On FreeCycle [www.freecycle.org], you can • ask for what you need and give away what you don’t need. Areas are broken down by ZIP code across the country. The generosity of many people in this group is unsurpassed. Don’t be afraid to ask for things.

Check the craigslist [www.craigslist.org] • Free section for your area before spending money. Lots of useful items are being given away all the time.

Do it yourself, for everything possible. • Need clothing altered, a roof repaired, oil in the car changed? Read up on it. There are manuals and how-to books for everything under the sun. If you can learn how to do a task, not only will you save yourself money, but you’ll then have a skill that’s valuable to others. Assess your skills and see what you might barter for things you need.

Consider adopting a philosophy of • voluntary simplicity where less is more. Voluntary simplicity can put a whole new face on a tight budget. Instead of feeling pressure about what you can’t buy, in a simpler lifestyle you won’t want extras cluttering your life. The less stuff you buy, the less you have to take care of and the more money you keep in your pocket.

Bottom line: Become extremely proprietary about your cash. Take a hard look at each and every situation in which you might spend money. Make every penny count.

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 e-mail to [email protected].



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NECESSARY SKILLSby Christopher Garrick

In this unusual self-help column, Tidbits will reveal some hints about what you should know, but won’t tell you how to do it. (Space limitations and all, you know.) But whether via searching the Internet, attending a class, orsimply reading a poster at a workplace cafeteria, each of these skills is worth learning.

The Heimlich Maneuver.• You never know when or where someone might accidentally choke. It could be a stranger at a restaurant who has a piece of steak lodged in his throat, or a loved one’s toddler who accidentally swallowed a whole cough drop. If the victim is unable to speak, that means that he or she is choking and immediate action is necessary. Know what to do.

How to Jump Start a Car.• No one ever expects to return to the parking lot to find that their vehicle has a dead battery, but it happens. If you aren’t aware of the proper sequence for jump-starting a car, look it up. It’s better than having to bother a friend of relative to bail you out (or paying a tow truck fee when it’s not necessary.) But even if you’re unfamiliar with the process, it’s always a good idea to keep a set of jumper cables in your trunk so that any potential Good Samaritan rescuer has something to work with.

How to Treat Hypothermia.• If you have loved ones over the age of 65, keep in mind that they are more susceptible to hypothermia (low body temperature) than the rest of the population. Certain afflictions of the elderly – and the medications they take – may delay their body’s response to the cold. Some seniors have succumbed to hypothermia not while hiking in the snow, but in their own homes, just because they failed to adjust the heat when the outside weather grew cold.

Sewing a Button.• Whether you’re male or female, buttons tend to pop off at the most inopportune times. It is definitely handy to keep a small sewing kit nearby (in your desk, jacket, purse, or car) so that you can quickly repair the problem. Even amateur sewers can accomplish enough of a “fix” to keep from having to walk into that important meeting with a safety pin holding your collar shut.

What to do when Lightning Strikes.• There are many myths about the actions to take when you’re stuck outdoors during an electrical storm. The number of deaths and injuries have risen as a result. Be smart. Read up on what not to do and where not to be during an electrical storm.

How to Read an Electric Meter.• The ability to read the dials on your electric meter adds a level of protection between you and your local utility company. Once you read the meter, you can estimate your electric bill based on the kilowatt/hour rates from your utility bill. (Yes, meter readers make mistakes!) This knowledge can also serve to alert you to any sudden increase in usage, which might signal a faulty electrical appliance or unauthorized use of your service by a neighbor.

Basic Bathroom Repair.• Of all the plumbing fixtures in our homes, none is more essential than a functioning toilet. And when one overflows after 5 p.m., you’ll probably pay overtime rates to get the problem repaired. But there are a few “do-it-yourself” fixes that novices can employ to keep their facilities operational, such as flapper valve, fill valve and seal ring replacement.

Read • Tidbits Each Week. It provides you with a much-needed dose of info-tainment!


by Samantha Weaver

Those who paint their fingernails these • days tend to choose the color on a whim. In ancient China, though, it was a much more serious matter: The color of your fingernails was an indication of your social rank.

It was newsman Dan Rather who made the • following sage observation: “Americans will put up with anything, provided it doesn’t block traffic.”

Here’s something to consider the next • time your allergies start acting up: It’s been reported that the force of the air movement generated by a sneeze can reach more than 100 miles per hour.

In 19th-century England, one Dr. William • Palmer was suspected of going on a killing spree, poisoning his mother-in-law, his wife, his brother, five of his children and at least two people to whom he owed money. He was finally brought to trial for the murder of his friend John Parsons Cook, who had become violently ill and then died after having dinner at Palmer’s home. Palmer was convicted and sentenced to be hanged. As he was mounting the gallows, witnesses claim that Palmer looked at the trapdoor and exclaimed, “Are you sure it’s safe?”

If you’re ever lost in the wilderness of the • eastern central part of North America, it might help to look for Silphium laciniatum, better known as the compass flower or compass plant. This perennial herb resembles the sunflower and can grow from 3 to 12 feet tall. The plant’s usefulness is based on the fact that its leaves tend to orient themselves so that they point north and south.

Thought for the Day: “I like them to talk nonsense. That’s man’s one privilege over all creation. Through error you come to the truth! I am a man because I err! You never reach any truth without making fourteen mistakes, and very likely a hundred and fourteen.” -- Fyodor Dostoevsky

by Chris Richcreek

1. Who was the first pitcher to win a Cy Young Award?

2. Four major-league players played in all four decades from the 1970s to the 2000s. Name two.

3. Rice’s Chase Clement and Jarrett Dillard set an NCAA record in 2008 for touchdowns by a quarterback-receiver tandem. Who had held the mark at 39?

4. When was the last time a Boston Celtic grabbed 900-plus rebounds in a season?

5. Name the first NHL team to win the Stanley Cup one season, then miss the playoffs the next two seasons.

6. When was the last time the winner of the World Series of Poker’s no-limit Texas Hold ‘em Main Event was a repeat winner?

7. After Evander Holyfield won the undisputed heavyweight boxing title in 1990, name the three men he beat before losing to Riddick Bowe in 1992.

See below for answers


Answers to Sports Quiz

1. Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe in 1956 (only one award was given that year).

2. Rickey Henderson, Mike Morgan, Jesse Orosco and Tim Raines.

3. Tim Rattay and Troy Edwards of Louisiana Tech, and Colt Brennan and Davone Bess of Hawaii.

4. Robert Parish had 996 in 1988-89.

5. The Carolina Hurricanes (who won the Cup in 2006).

6. It was 1997, when Stu Ungar won his third title.

7. George Foreman, Bert Cooper and Larry Holmes. Looking for some extra

CASH?We’re looking for a few extra

salespeople!Motivated, professional people

needed to help expand Tidbits of the Northwest Valley.

Set your own hours, full or part time. Commission only.

Send your resumé to [email protected] or call 800-264-3047 x 704

OIL SPECIAL & TIREROTATION

SAVE✔ Change Oil✔ Change Oil Filter✔ SAE 10W30✔ Check All Fluids✔ Inspect Vehicle✔ Rotate Tires✔ Check Air Pressure

$15.88plus EPA charge

Call forappointment

10%Get up to $50

off on your nextvehicle repairsNot valid with otherdiscounts. Couponmust be presented

upon write-up.

623-882-899018808 N. Reems Rd.

Open Mon-Fri7am-5pm

Closed Sat & Sun

“Full Service Repair Facility Since 1977”FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE

Expires 1/15/09

tidbits of the northwest valley issue #12

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