Tidbits of the River Region

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June 26, 2012 The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read

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The Neatest Little Paper Ever Read

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This Tidbits examines grasses around the world. There are many varieties of grasses found from the freezing North and South Poles to many deserts and the lands along the sultry hot equator. •Grasses belong in the plant family botanistscallPoaceae.Grasses are consideredfloweringplants,buttheflowersarenotshowyastheyareon,forexample,rosesandsunflowers.Thislackof showiness is due to the fact that grasses are wind pollinated and not pollinated by insects.Thecolorfulbloomsofmostfloweringplantsareneededtoattractpollinatinginsects.•The grass family is very large, containing anestimated10,000speciesworldwide.Over1,000speciesoccurinNorthAmerica.•Grassesrangewidelyinshapeandsize,rangingfromgolfcourse turfand lawngrass towheat,corn,rice,sugarcaneandbamboo.• Grassescanbeasshortasthegreensonagolf course and as tall as bamboo that can reach heightsof120 feet (40m).Golfers around theworldarethankfulforthemanicuredgreensthatallowputtstorollpreciselyasintended.Pandasare thankful for the large bamboo forests theydependonfortheirsustenance.Talkaboutpickyeaters: Bamboo is all they will eat! turnthepageformore!

Vol 1 Issue 24of the River Region

TIDBITS® LEARNS THAT GRASS IS NOT JUST FOR MOWING

by Kathy Wolfe

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Page 2 Tidbits® of the River Region

NOTJUSTFORMOWING(continued):•All of our cereal grains belong to the grassfamily, includingwheat, rice,wild rice, corn,oats,barley,milletandrye.•Somegrassescansurviveinveryinhospitableplaces,fromthetundraintheextremenorthtothe shifting sands in the harshest deserts and even wheresaltwaterispresent.•GrasseswereprevalentacrosstheGreatPlainsofNorthAmerica and proved instrumentalinmaking the region a great cattle-grazingarea. Since about 1880,much of the nativegrasslands have been dissected by agriculture. Oneofthelastremnantsofthisvastgrasslandareauntaintedbyagricultureis theFlintHillsregion in eastern Kansas. Ecologists refer to this ecosystemastallgrassprairie,andpreservationofapieceofitisassuredintheTallgrassPrairieNationalPreservenearStrongCity,Kansas.•Grainsareoneofthefourprimaryfoodgroupsidentified in the nutritional guidelines postedby theU. S.Department ofAgriculture.Therecommended daily grain intake for adults is5-8ounces(141.7-226.8g)withatleasthalfofthis intakebeingwholeandnot refinedgrain.TheUSDAwebsite,www.choosemyplate.gov,has good information on this subject. •Theconnectionbetweengrains,carbohydratesandobesityisahottopicofdiscussionamongnutritionexpertsintheUnitedStates.TheGrainsFoodFoundation(GFF)notesthatwholegrainsareimportantsourcesofiron,anutrientcriticaltoproductionandreleaseofenergyinthebody.TheGFFfurthernotesthat thethreenutrientsselenium,potassiumandmagnesiumfoundinwholegrainfoodscollectivelymayhelpboostimmunity, lower blood pressure and preventheart disease and some forms of cancer.• Exotic grasses introduced into an areawhere they are not native can sometimes set the stage for an ecological disaster. Cheatgrass that is native to theMediterranean region ofEuropewasfirstobservedinNorthAmericanearDenver,Colorado,inthelate1800s.Allegedly,it entered as a contaminant of agricultural seed. This grass is now a troublesome pest acrossmuchofaridwesternNorthAmericaandratedbytheUSDAasahighlyinvasivespecies.• Not only is bamboo food for pandas, itis a versatile constructionmaterial. Its usesinclude flooring, fencing, decking, supportpoles, paneling, edging and conduits (piping)totransportwater.•Bamboo is also becoming known in thebicycle world as a raw material for bicycle frames.Bamboosero is a companydedicatedto using bamboo to construct bicycle frames in

developingcountries.Bamboo is an excellentchoice for frames due to its strength and flexibility.Also, bamboo is plentiful inmanydeveloping countries, and building bicyclesprovidesneededemploymenttoproduceausefulproduct.Visitwww.bamboosero.com to learnmore.•NativepeoplesinNorthAmericaandAfricausedgrassesandotherplantsasthefibrousmaterialforweavingbaskets.InthelowcountryofSouthCarolina, descendants ofWestAfrican slavescontinuethetraditionsofbasketweavingusingsweet grass that is common to coastal South Carolina.NativeAmericans inCalifornia arebelieved to have managed vegetation using periodic landfires to remove unwanted plantlitter,treesandshrubsfromstandsofdeergrass,agrassprizedinbasketweaving.• If you own or spend time around dogsyouhaveprobablyobservedthemeatinggrass.Whydodogseatgrass?It’saquestionthathasplaguedveterinariansforyears,andthereisnouniversally accepted answer. Some possibleanswersare thatdogs simply like the tasteofgrass or that grass serves as a laxative by adding fibertothedog’sdiet.Veterinariansaregenerallyunified in the belief that grass, untainted bypesticides,isnotharmfultodogs.• Two of the most important servicesrendered by grasses are those of a soil builder and asoilconservationagent.Oats,ryeandryegrassareoftenusedasgreenmanureandcovercrops.Agreenmanurecropisonethatisgrownandsubsequentlyplowedundertobuildthesoil.Acovercropisgrownandleftinplacetoflourishandpreventorreducesoilerosion.• Grasses have been researched and usedas agents to clean up former industrial siteswith contaminated soil. Specialistsworkingwithandrefiningthistechnologyrefertoitasphytoremediation.Generally,soilpollutantsareeithertakenupbyplantsandtheplantsharvestedandtreatedtorender thepollutant-ladenplantmaterialharmless,orthepollutantsaredegradedtosomethingharmlessintheplants’rootzone.TheU. S. Environmental ProtectionAgencyrecognizes this technology as viable in some environmentalcleanupsituations.•CitronellaisafragrantgrassfoundinsoutheasternAsia. It is the sourceof citronellaoil used insoaps,medicinesandperfumes.•Nowthatyouknowmoreaboutgrassesandtheimportantrolestheyplayinourlives,maybeyouwon’tgrumblesomuchwhenitcomestimetomow the lawn!

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Tidbits® of the River Region Page 4

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

DEARDR.DONOHUE:FromtheminuteIgetoutof bed, I have attacks of dizziness. I don’t knowwhat brings them on. I’m afraid these spells aregoing tomakeme fall and break something. Doyouhaveanythoughtsthatcouldhelp?I’m82.--R.M.

ANSWER:The causes of dizziness (vertigo) aremany.I’llmentionacouple,butyouneedadoctor’sexamtodeterminewhattheexactproblemis.Meniere’s (main-YAIRS) disease is a triad ofdizziness, hearing loss and ear noises (tinnitus).Itcomesinbriefattacks,withrecoveryinashorttime. As time passes, attacks last longer, withbrieferperiodsof relief.Abuildupoffluid in theinnerearisresponsible.Waterpillsandastrictlow-sodiumdiethelp.Surgicaldrainageofthefluidisanother treatment.A viral infection of the inner ear is a commondizzinesscause.Timeeventuallytakescareofthevirus.During the period of infection, amedicinelikemeclizineimprovessymptoms.A third common problem is benign positionalvertigo -- dizziness attackswith headmovement.Gettingoutofbed,rollingoverinbed,lookingupat a high shelf and just about any change in head positiontriggeranattack,whichisshort-lived.Tinycalcium crystals in the inner ear have migrated to

Programming the Ear to End Dizziness

placeswheretheyengenderadischargeofconfusingsignals to thebrain.Repositioningthecrystalsputsanendtotheattacks.Sitinthemiddleofabed,farenoughtotheoppositesideofthebedthatyourheadwillprojectoverthatsidewhenyouliedown.Ifaheadturn to therightprovokes an attack, quickly turn your head to theright,andkeepitturneduntildizzinessgoes.Thenliedownquicklywithyourheadoffthesideofthebedandstillturnedtotheright.Then,fromthatposition,turnyourhead to the left.Roll overontoyour leftside,withyournosepointeddowntothefloor,for30seconds.Thengobacktothestartingsittingpositionwithheadbent.Ifdizzinesspersists,repeat.Ifthisistoocomplicated,letyourdoctorleadyouthroughit.Thebookletondizzinessdiscussesingreaterdepthitsvariouscausesandtreatments.Toobtainacopy,write: Dr. Donohue -- No. 801W, Box 536475,Orlando,FL32853-6475.Encloseacheckormoneyorder(nocash)for$4.75U.S./$6Canada.with therecipient’s printed name and address. Please allowfourweeksfordelivery.***DEARDR.DONOHUE: I try tokeepupwith thelatest nutritional recommendations. I have had noformaltraining,soIamoftenconfusedbythetermsused. For example, what are simple carbohydratesandcomplexcarbohydrates?What’sthedifference?--L.A.

ANSWER: Simple carbohydrates are sugars liketable sugar (sucrose). The sugar in intravenous feedings in hospitals is glucose, and fruit sugar isfructose.Botharesimplecarbohydrates.Complex carbohydrates are very long chains ofthe basic carbohydrate unit. Starches are complexcarbohydrates.Potatoes,pastasandriceareexamplesof complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydratesdon’traisebloodsugarasquicklyassimpleonesdo.

DEARPAW’SCORNER:IwantedtopassontoyourreaderssomethingIfoundthatworksverywellforremovingticks:Icy-Hot.Mylittledoggotatickrightinourownyard.Itriedusingamatch,butIwassonervousthatImightburnher.MysistertoldmetouseIcy-Hot.I’msorelieveditdidthetrick!--DianeO.,Palmyra,N.Y.

DEARDIANE:Interestingtip!OnewaythatweusedtoremoveticksfromourdogsmanyyearsagowasbysmearingadollopofVaselineovertheem-beddedtick,coveringitcompletely.Eventually,thetickwouldsuffocateortrytoescape.Inrecentyears,however,veterinariansanddisease-controlexpertshaverecommendedagainstusingVaselinebecauseitcantakeupto48hoursfortheticktosuffocate.Ticksneedtoberemovedquickly--within24hoursorless.Why?Becauseafteradayoffeeding,thetickiscompletelyengorgedwithblood.Tokeepfeeding,itregurgitatesthatbloodrightback

intoyourpet--andifthetickiscarryingadiseaselikeLyme,yourpetislikelytobeinfected.Dittowiththeold-fashionedmatchtrick.Whenalightedmatchisheldtothetick,thetickoftenpullsoutquickly--butittendstoregurgitateasitdoesso.Sowhat’sthebestwaytoremoveticks?Expertsrecommendtweezers,grabbingasclosetothetick’sheadaspossible.Slowlypulltheheadoutwithouttwistingorjerking--beingcarefulnottosquishthetickforthereasonslistedabove.Ifthetick’sheadorpartofitsheadbreaksoffintheskin,monitoryourpetforafewdays.Itshouldbeworkedoutbyyourpet’sownbody,butifsignsofinfectionappear,con-tact your veterinarian.

[email protected],orwritetoPaw’sCorner,c/oKingFeaturesWeeklyService,P.O.Box536475,Orlando,FL32853-6475.Formorepetcare-relatedadviceandinformation,visitwww.pawscorner.com.

(c)2012KingFeaturesSynd.,Inc.

The Right Way to Remove TicksbySamanthaMazzotta

Page 5For Advertising Call (334) 202-7285

Registertowinatwww.riverregiontidbits.comandclickon“TommyTidbits”.FillouttheregistrationinformationandtellushowmanytimesTommyap-pearsinadsinthepaperforthisweek.Fromthecor-rectentries,awinnerwillbeselected.Youmustbe18yearsofagetoqualify.Thegiftcertificateswillrangeinvaluefrom$25to$50eachweek.Entriesmustbe received at the website by midnight each Saturday eveningoratPTKCorp,POBox264,Wetumpka,AL36092.

Thisweek’swinnerreceives$25 Gift Certificate from Nuevo Ranchito,5311Hwy.231,Wetumpkaor62ClaudRoad,Eclectic,Phone(334)567-6618

Last Week’s Ads where Tommy was hiding:

1.ThomasMitchell,p.32.AlabamaPaint&Body,p.33.GBN,p.8

Blue-collarworkersamonguscouldbehurtiftheretirementageisraisedagain.WhiletheoverallstateofSocialSecuritywouldn’tbeaffectedthatmuch,itwouldbeaburdenforthosewho’vedonethehardworkalltheirlives.SosaysareportbytheAmericanInstituteforEconomicResearch.Thinkaboutit:Thoseofuswho’vedonephysicalworkallourliveswanttoretireear-lier.We’retiredandneedabreak.Aresearcherexaminedrecordsforaperiodof21yearsandfound that:--Lessthan5percentofworkersinwhite-collarprofessionsretireatage65.Thisgroupincludeslawyers,scientists,managersandadministrators.--Thosewhodomanuallabor,theblue-collarworkersamongus,retireatage65atthefol-lowing rates:32percent--foremen,machineoperators

Blue-Collar Blues

23percent--carpenters21.6--farmworkers19percent--kitchenworkers18.5percent--gardeners,automechanicsIftheretirementageisraised,blue-collarworkerswon’tstayonthejob.They’llstillretire,buttheirSocialSecurityeachmonthwill be less than it would be at full retirement age.The current debate is whether raising the retirementagewouldhaveanybenefittotheSocialSecurityprogramitself.Onestudythatshowed raising the earliest retirement age from62to65wouldhaveonly“modestef-fects”onthehealthofSocialSecurity.Ontheotherhand,tokeepworkingrequiresthatonehaveajob.It’sshownthattheunem-ploymentrateforthoseage55andolderisthehighestit’sbeenin60years.Ifyouobjecttothegovernmenttryingtobal-ancethebudgetbytinkeringwithourretire-ment,letyoursenatorsknow.

MatildaCharlesregretsthatshecannotpersonallyanswerreaderquestions,butwillincorporatethemintohercolumnwhen-everpossible.WritetoherincareofKingFeaturesWeeklyService,P.O.Box536475,Orlando,FL32853-6475.

Tidbits® of the River Region Page 6

1. Is the book of Ishbosheth in the Old or New Testament or neither?2. From Genesis 8, what was the mountain upon which Noah’s Ark rested? Sinai, Zion, Ararat, Ebal3. Laban, who tried to swindle Jacob, had what relationship with him? Brother, Father-in-law, Friend, Father4. From Matthew 10, Jesus instructed the apos-tles to go among the whom? Heathen, Gentiles, Blind, Israelites5. In Acts 22, where does it say that Paul was brought up? Jerusalem, Shiloh, Samaria, He-bron6. From Job 20, what sort of men suck the poi-son of snakes? Wicked, Aged, Tribal, Leper

1.NamethereliefpitcherwhowasnamedMVPofthe1959WorldSeries.2.Whowastheoldestmajor-leagueplayertohitthreehomerunsinagame?3.NametheplayerwhoholdstheNFLrookierecordforbothpassesat-temptedandcompletedinaseason.4.WhoistheonlyplayertoleadDivisionImen’scol-legebasketballinscoringandwintheNCAAchampi-onshipinthesameyear?5.NamethelastplayerbeforeEdmonton’sSamGagnerin2012togeteightpointsinoneNHLregular-season game.6.WhenwasthelasttimeColombiaqualifiedfortheWorldCupinmen’ssoc-cer?7.NamethelasthorsebeforeI’llHaveAnotherin2012towintheKentuckyDerbyfromthe19thpost.

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1. Larry Sherry of the Los Angeles Dodgers.2. St. Louis’ Stan Musial was 41 when he did it in 1962.3. Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams in 2010 (354 completions in 590 attempts).4. Kansas’ Clyde Lovellette, in 1952.5. Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux, in 1988.6. It was 1998.7. No horse had ever before won the Kentucky Derby from the 19th post

BIBLE TRIVIA ANSWERS: 1) Neither; 2) Ararat; 3) Father-in-law; 4) Israelites; 5) Jerusalem; 6) Wicked

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Tidbits® of the River Region Page 8

* “The kids are all home for the summer, which means more TV squabbles. We limit their television viewing with cou-pons, which they can use to “reserve” the TV. They write the time they’d like to use the television, in 30-minute in-crements, on the coupon, and it gets taped to the inside cabinet of the enter-tainment center. This has worked well, since it’s first-come, first-served”. -- R.E. in Tennessee

* If you are counting calories, check out the website of fast-food restaurants you frequent, and you can decide ahead of time what items fit best in your diet.

* “To clean my glass lighting fixtures, I

take them down, dust them off and use a toothbrush on any intricate dirt areas, then I stack them in the dishwasher’s top rack. I run it without cleaner, and it does a terrific job.” -- a Reader in Oregon

* If your stomach gets irritated when you take aspirin, make sure you’re taking it with a full glass of water. Too little water will result in an upset tummy.

* “I keep a tea towel on the end of my dresser so that I can set my purse there. The bottoms of purses see so many dirty areas, and I can just toss the towel in the wash weekly.” -- M.M. in Louisiana

* If you want to keep your peeled pota-toes white, add a little bit of white vine-gar to the cooking water. It will not flavor the potatoes.

Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475 or e-mail JoAnn at [email protected].