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WARNING: THIS TIDBITSMAY CONTAIN NUTS

by Audrey Cunningham

Are they healthy snacks or cholesterol-boosting no-no’s? Regardless of the medical community’s current opinion (and it seems to change daily), nuts are still a favorite of many Americans. • Georgia produces more peanuts than anyother state, with Texas close behind. Pea-nuts are Georgia’s official state crop, and half of the peanuts grown in the Peach State are used to make peanut butter. And that’s a lot of nuts: It takes about 850 indi-vidual peanuts to make one 18 ounce jar of peanut butter.• Have you ever purchased a package of

raw cashews, still in their shells? Prob-ably not. The shell contains urushiol, which causes a skin rash similar to poison ivy when it comes in con-

tact with human skin. It can also be toxic if ingested. Even if you do find cashews labeled as “unroasted,” they’re not just raw. They’ve been steamed in order to remove all traces of urushiol.• Walnuts grow on trees and are harvested using three distinct machines. The first shakes the walnuts to the ground. The sec-ond blows them into neat rows away from the tree trunks, and the third one “vacu-ums” them up.

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2nd Quarter 2006Week 22

May 28 - Jun 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Reality TV pages 1-4

Next Stop: China pages 5-6

Bicycles pages 7-8

Front Page“Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish?

I know it’s tuna, but it says Chicken by the Sea.”– Jessica Simpson, on TV’s Newlyweds

TIDBITS LOOKS AT “LIFE”

REALITY TVby Victoria Westlane

On the evening of May 31, 2000, viewers tuned into CBS to watch the exploits of 16 random people on an island near Borneo. The show was called Survivor, and it kicked off the trend that we now call “reality television.”• The first winner of Survivor, Richard Hatch,

didn’t present himself as a likeable person, but he still managed to parlay his victory into a lucrative career. He wrote a book, made an appearance at the Super Bowl, and hosted his own radio show. One thing he didn’t do, how-ever, was give Uncle Sam a cut of his Survivor winnings. In January 2006, he was convicted on several counts of income tax evasion.

• Survivor is filmed months before it actually airs, so how do producers manage to keep the name of the winner a secret? The threat of legal action is a big deterrent – contestants (and crew members) sign a confidentiality agreement that stipulates they’ll be liable for damages if they reveal any show secrets. For added insurance, contestants that are voted off the island aren’t sent home immediately; they’re taken to an undisclosed location until the contest ends.

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On Oct. 19, 1784, an essay appears in the Gazette of the United States in which a writer named “Phocion” attacks presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson and ac-cuses Jefferson of carrying on an affair with one of his slaves. Phocion turned out to be former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.

On Oct. 18, 1867, the U.S. takes possession of Alaska after purchasing the territo-ry from Russia for less than 2 cents an acre. The American public believed the land to be worthless and dubbed the purchase “Seward’s Folly” and “Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden.”

On Oct. 14, 1912, before a presidential campaign speech in Milwaukee, Theodore Roosevelt is shot at close range. The .32-caliber bullet failed to mortally wound the former president because its force was slowed by a glasses case and a manuscript in the breast pocket of Roosevelt’s heavy coat.

On Oct. 17, 1931, gangster Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion and fined $80,000. Although wanted for bootlegging, tax evasion was the only charge the authorities could make stick, as Capone was known for intimidating and bribing witnesses.

On Oct. 13, 1941, singer-songwriter Paul Simon is born on this day in Newark, N.J. Simon grew up in Forest Hills, N.Y., where he befriended Art Garfunkel in the sixth grade. The two began singing together, and by the time they were 16 they had released a single, “Hey, Schoolgirl,” recording as Tom and Jerry.

On Oct. 16, 1951, Hudson first entered stock-car racing with its Monobuilt design Hornet with a lower center of gravity. Hudson coined this innovation “step-down design” because, for the first time, passengers had to step down in order to get into a car.

On Oct. 15, 1966, in McKinney, Texas, it was reported that a 75-year-old male driver received 10 traffic tickets, drove on the wrong side of the road four times, committed four hit-and-run offenses and caused six accidents, all within 20 minutes.

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

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BOOKS -- Recommended Reading“Windows of the Soul: My Journeys in the Muslim World”by Alexandra Avakian(National Geographic, $40)Reviewed by Ealish Waddell

Throughout her career, photographer Alexandra Avakian has found herself drawn to dangerous areas, caught up in the drama of revolution and the human compul-sion to fight for freedom. In “Windows of the Soul,” she has collected stories and pictures documenting such struggles across the Islamic world, from the Middle East to America. Avakian aims to tell stories, both in words that evoke atmosphere and in images that show us details without resorting to the rose-tinted lens of exoticism. She goes beyond the familiar to show us not only what daily life is like in many Islamic towns, but also what society means in

places where traditions and customs go back thousands of years, and what survival means in places of endless war and desperate poverty. While far from homogenous, the regions Ava-kian chronicles are sadly linked by the specter of death and violence. Explosive Gaza, famine-ripped Somalia and battle-weary Central Asia are all backdrops for scenes of heartbreak. But the image of a gun-toting child’s hard-eyed sneer is juxtaposed with that of smiling boys playing in a wide, sunny river, and that of solemn figures toiling at a huge loom with chat-ting women enjoying sodas after a shopping trip. The Muslim world is certainly not all con-flict and pain, and Avakian highlights aspects of it that might surprise readers -- an all-female clothing-optional beach in Iran, desert cave homes wired with electricity and running water, a thriving community founded by African-Ameri-can Sunni Muslims in the middle of rural Mis-sissippi.(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

Tidbits® of The Black Hills 605-490-7757 Page 3Oct. 15 - 28, 2008

TIDBITS GOES NUTS (continued):

• Almonds are usually considered to be nuts, but they’re more closely related to peach pits. Almonds may be bitter or sweet. Sweet almonds are the ones you’ll find in dessert recipes and in cans of mixed nuts. Bitter almonds contain prussic acid, which is used to make cyanide. But if properly processed, bitter almonds lose their toxicity and can be used in the kitchen. They’re a key ingredient in amaretto liqueur.• Many jewelers still use finely ground wal-nut shells to polish pearls and other gem-stones. Similarly, some cosmetic compa-nies (including Aveda) use walnut shells in their body and facial wash products as an exfoliant.• Despite their name, Brazil nuts are more likely to come from Bolivia than from Brazil.Brazil nut trees can live more than 1,000years. Of course, they develop an exten-sive root system in the process. Because of this, the trees leech a lot of natural barium from the soil, making Brazil nuts (ever so slightly) radioactive. A single Brazil nut can make a Geiger counter click, but scientists have deemed them safe. Consumption of the nuts has no noticeable impact on your typical daily exposure to radiation.• Peanut brittle was invented in America during the early 19th century. And the nov-elty fake peanut brittle can with a spring-loaded “snake” inside? No, it wasn’t too far behind. That particular gag was invented in 1915.• The pecan is the only tree-borne variety ofnut native to the United States. A single pecan tree can produce 1,000 pounds of nuts. Luckily, pecans can be frozen up to two years without losing flavor or texture. They’re handy to keep for making those sinfully delicious pecan pies, which origi-nated in New Orleans. And for the record, the average pecan pie has 78 pecans.• Until the mid-1970s, most of the pista-chios that were consumed in the U.S. were imported from the Middle East. There, the method used to harvest the nuts commonlydamaged the outer shells, leaving them dis-colored and bruised. That’s why, for manyyears, in-the-shell pistachios were dyed red. Today, virtually all U.S. pistachios are grown in California. And modern harvesting equipment allows the nuts to be harvested blemish-free, so “white” pistachios are be-coming more common. Still, a few consum-ers insist that the red ones are better.• Before they cut out free snacks altogether,many airlines switched from nuts to pret-zels. That’s to accommodate travelers with peanut allergies. Some individuals have nut allergies so strong that just sitting in the same aircraft as someone scarfing nuts in the back row will affect them adversely.• In North America, hazelnuts are only grown in the Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. They are used primarily for confections, such as pralines and chocolate truffles. Hazelnuts are known as filberts in certain parts of the world. Extract from the nut can be used as flavoring.• The term “peanut gallery” dates back to the 1880s, when vaudeville acts were common. Typical theatres were divided into three sections: orchestra (“floor seats”),

balcony (“second tier”), and gallery (“nose-bleed section”).The spectators in the gallery were invari-ably the most critical. They were also quite

vocal in their disapproval of any act that they didn’t find sufficiently entertaining. Roasted peanuts were the most com-mon snack offered at these venues, so of course, displeased folks in the gallery often pelted onstage performers with peanut shells to emphasize their level of dissatis-faction.• Other than humans (and maybe angry elephants), the only creatures capable of cracking open the tough outer shell of the Macadamia nut are Hyacinth macaw parrots. Good thing, since this nut is a staple part of their diet. Macadamia nuts are very toxic to dogs, however, so if you have both a parrot and a pooch, keep their food dishes separate.• Mr. Peanut has been the Planters mas-cot since 1916. For much of the1990s, however, the venerable little peanut man

appeared mostly in the background ofPlanter’s ads. The company thought he might be a bit “old-fashioned.” Earlyin the new millennium, however, the com-pany decided to reintroduce Mr. Peanut as a hip, yet dignified, party-anima type of guy. He appeared in a series of animated com-mercialsdancing away like a legumehalf his age. Sales of Planters’ products increased more than 15% the first year. • If you’re going to feed peanuts to yourfriendly neighborhood squirrels, please givethem the roasted (not raw) variety. Raw peanuts contain a chemical that can make the little critters ill by preventing the absorp-tion of protein into their systems.• Despite its name, there are no legumes inChock Full O’Nuts brand coffee. The com-pany’s founder, William Black, got his startin the business world by running a small nut stand in New York City. He later added a lunch counter, where he served sand-wiches and coffee. Over time, there was such a demand for his special blend of cof-fee that he sold it commercially to grocery stores. He gave his brew the same name as his luncheonette:

Page 4 Tidbits® of The Black Hills Oct. 15 - 28, 2008

RACINGBy Greg Zyla

Mickey Thompson Book Well Worth the Read We’re dedicating this week’s col-umn to one of the all-time greats in auto racing, namely the late Mickey Thompson. A book on his life will soon be available at bookstores nationwide. “Mickey Thompson: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legend” is skillfully written by noted racing author Erik Arneson, a former motorsports reporter for USA Today and vice president of media relations at Speed TV. Thompson was, and always will be, one of my all-time heroes. He competed in every form of racing imaginable, al-though he’s perhaps best remembered for his 406.60 mph land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1960 in his famed Challenger I. Even today, Thompson’s line of racing and street-performance tires are popular aftermarket offerings. However, Mickey Thompson was much more.

He was an innovator at everything he did, especially at India-napolis. I held him in the same esteem as Smokey Yunick, par-ticularly when it came to pioneering designs that appeared at the Brickyard. Sadly, it was one of Thomp-son’s cars that started Indy’s double fatal crash in 1964 that took the life of Thompson’s

driver, road-racing legend Dave MacDon-ald, and the ultra popular Eddie Sachs. It was indeed a grim day in racing. Always a drag racer, Thompson fielded numerous top drag cars, including a twin-engine rail and a Pontiac Hemi dragster for legendary Jack Chrisman. Thompson’s Funny Cars soon made the scene, the top two being the dominating 1969 Ford Mus-tangs driven by the late Pat Foster and soon to-be Indy Car star Danny Ongais. Thompson later turned to off-road rac-ing, where he built a huge business. In the midst of his off-road-racing series’ popular-ity, Thompson and his wife, Trudy, were shot to death -- execution style -- in their

driveway in the pre-dawn hours of March 16, 1988. Arneson draws on some of the most ex-tensive information available on Thompson in his book, including both the famous and infamous details of his life and death. He skillfully calls on all who could help tell the story in this, the first, true account of what really happened before and after unknown hooded gunmen rode into a gated South-ern California community on bicycles and ambushed Thompson and his wife, brutally ending their lives while neighbors read the morning paper. Arneson points to the fact that the killers left behind more than $70,000 in jewelry, thus the obvious “hit” intentions. Those close to Mickey and Trudy, includ-ing the couple’s immediate family, quickly pointed to Mickey’s hotheaded former business partner Michael Goodwin as the mastermind behind the murders. Nearly 20 years later, a jury found Goodwin guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. The actual gunmen were never identified or ap-prehended. John Walsh and “America’s Most Want-ed,” and Robert Stack of “Unsolved Mys-teries” featured the murders on their TV shows, as did the CBS “48 Hours Mys-tery.”The scandalous details of the crime, which Arneson explains in detail, and the years of legal wrangling that followed made for hundreds of splashy headlines and televi-sion clips. I am fortunate to be one of those who got to read the book prior to publication. The day the book arrived, I had just re-turned from a business trip and it was midnight on a Friday night. I picked it up for a quick browse, and ended up putting on a pot of coffee and staying up through Saturday morning.Yes, it’s that engrossing.

Write to Greg Zyla in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Or-lando, FL 32853-6475, or send an e-mail to gzyla@ptd.net.(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

Tidbits® of The Black Hills 605-490-7757 Page 5Oct. 15 - 28, 2008

(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

Setting a realistic fitness schedule is one of the most important elements in developing a successful fitness and nutrition routine. It is equally important to remember that each day may not work out exactly as we had planned. Emergencies, family priorities and last-minute appointments all can put a wrench in the most carefully planned fitness regimen. Establishing a fitness back-up plan can eliminate the stress or guilt that can occur from the inability to follow your fitness routine com-pletely. The key is to remain active and look for opportunities to squeeze alternative activities into your day. Here are some tips:- Stretch. Take several minutes out of your day to stretch your whole body. Stretching your shoulders, neck, back, arms and legs can help you relax and promote blood flow to areas of the body that may otherwise remain sedentary and tense all day.- Take the stairs! Walk the stairs instead of us-ing the elevator. Climbing a few flights of stairs several times a day will increase your heart rate slightly and help burn extra calories. - Park the car and walk. Don’t keep driving around the parking lot looking for a close-in space to become available. The extra few feet

you may have to walk to reach your destina-tion is a great way to stimulate your muscles.- Eat breakfast. Starting your day with a well-balanced meal is extremely important to kick-start your metabolism and prepare your body for the day’s activities.- Take a walk. You may have missed your favorite aerobic class at the gym, but you can still complete your aerobic workout. Taking a walk or cycling are great alternatives that can be done almost anywhere.- Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated is always important. Water helps the functions of your muscles and tissues, and can act as an appetite suppressant. While these fitness back-up tips cannot replace the benefits of a dedicated fitness routine, they are a healthy alternative to doing nothing when your fitness program gets side-tracked.

FROM START TO FITNESS By Andrea Renee Wyatt, M.S.S., C.S.C.S.

Fitness Back-Up Plan

Always consult a physician before beginning an exercise pro-gram. Andrea Renee Wyatt, M.S.S., C.S.C.S., is a certified per-sonal trainer with an extensive background in strength and con-ditioning as well as therapeutic recreation. If you have a fitness or training question, e-mail Andrea at letters.kfws@hearstsc.com or write her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. (c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

1. HISTORY: What was the name of the treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War?2. TELEVISION: What was the name of the prison encampment in the series “Hogan’s Heroes”?3. THEATER: Which U.S. president was featured in the musical “Annie”?4. AD SLOGANS: Which company is part of the following advertising slogan --”Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and ...”?5. ENTERTAINMENT: In which year did the Miss America pageant begin?6. GEOGRAPHY: What was the former name of the African nation Burkina Faso?7. LITERATURE: What was the name of the monster in “Beowulf”?8. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What are the names of the stone lions at the entrance of the New York Public Library?9. INVENTIONS: Who invented the pop-top can?10. MATH: In geometry, what is the shape of a torus?

Answers1. Treaty of Paris2. Stalag 133. Franklin D. Roosevelt4. Chevrolet5. 19216. Upper Volta7. Grendel8. Patience and Fortitude9. Ermal Fraze10. A doughnut or an inner tube

Page 6 Tidbits® of The Black Hills Oct. 15 - 28, 2008

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In almost every case, the president of the Unit-ed States has been a man either elected to the office or who succeeded to the position after be-ing elected vice president. The sole exception?

A man who would become known as Gerald Ford. • Leslie Lynch King. Jr. was born on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents divorced when the tot was only two, and his mother married a gent named Gerald Ford two years later. The president-to-be’s new father legally adopted the child, and the family began to refer to him as Gerald Junior. (He’d later change his name legally.)

• By the time he reached his twenties, Ford was certainly a “well-rounded” individual. Physical skill? He was a star football player at the Uni-versity of Michigan and was invited to try out for the NFL. Intelligence? That’s why he didn’t decide to play professional football – he chose to study law at Yale instead. Good looks? He appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan maga-zine in 1942. Dedication? He was wearing his Navy officer uniform in that cover photo, and served in the South Pacific during World War II.

• Having developed an affinity for Michigan, Ford returned there after the War. He joined the Republican Party and ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1948. After winning the elec-tion, Gerald married Betty Warren, and the two settled in for the long haul. He served as a U.S. Representative for a full quarter-century until 1973, when President Richard Nixon chose him to replace the recently-resigned Spiro Agnew as vice president

Republicans hoped that Ford’s popularity would help ease the public’s concerns over stories cir-culating about Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal.

• Unfortunately, Ford took office during a pe-riod of difficulty for America. The energy crisis was at its peak; consumer prices, inflation, and unemployment had risen; and public faith in government had deteriorated. One of Ford’s first actions in 1974 was to issue an uncondi-tional pardon for Richard Nixon, an action that seemed to many Americans like politicians “taking care of their own.” It was a critical move, and many of those close to the president weren’t pleased. (In fact, White House press secretary and close personal friend Jerald F. ter-Horst resigned in protest.) • The new president felt that the action was warranted, but it made it all too easy for citizens criticize Ford. After all, they hadn’t voted him into office. A few months later, when several states held elections for new members of Congress, the public voted in enough Democrats to give them control of Capitol Hill. As a Republican, this further erod-ed Ford’s ability to accomplish very much as commander-in-chief.

• And that wasn’t all. Ford was also forced to deal with the aftermath of Vietnam, the continu-ation of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and OPEC’s refusal to deal fairly with nations that had supported Israel during the Yom Kip-pur War. He also survived two assassination attempts within days of one another in 1975. The public was critical of Ford’s decision to sell wheat to the Soviet Union and to negotiate for Panama to take control of the Panama Canal.

• Few were surprised when Ford failed to win the 1976 election. Two years later, wife Betty successfully began to battle a long-term addic-tion to alcohol and pain killers brought on by stress. When Gerald passed away in 2006, he was the oldest ex-president in history: 93 years and five months of age.

ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ TIDBITS:

GERALD R. FORD

Tidbits® of The Black Hills 605-490-7757 Page 7Oct. 15 - 28, 2008

Dog-Proof Your Home Q: I have a new puppy, and “Jake” keeps getting into everything -- garbage, pantry, laundry, you name it. He’s a big chewer, too. How do I get him to stop? -- Frank S., via e-mail

A: Regular obedience training, along with increased attention, will help Jake stop exploring so much. However, healthy dogs never lose that urge to explore anything that smells so darn interesting (garbage, laundry, the pantry, you name it). So you’ve got to limit his ac-cess to those areas.

Remove garbage from the living areas of the house every day -- place it in the big containers outside (or in your ga-rage) and seal the lid against intrusion. Seal the pantry -- if it has no door latch, attach a short bungee cord from the cabinet knob to a screw-in hook you place in the frame, so you can latch and unlatch easily. Put your shoes away in a closet or close your bedroom door.

It’s especially important, no matter how well your dog is trained, to not leave anything lying around that you don’t want him to get at. Food, alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate, sharp objects or medication are big no-nos.

Do place chew toys around the areas that Jake is allowed to inhabit. This gives him a healthy focus for his natural chewing tendencies.

Now back to the increased attention. Take time every day -- an hour at least -- to train and play with Jake, outdoors or indoors. Puppies have lots of restless energy, which will fuel their curiosity, so help him work it off. In return, you’ll get a much better bond with Jake, and a well-trained dog.

Send your tips, questions and comments to Paws Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlan-do, FL 32853-6475, or e-mail them to pawscorner@hotmail.com. (c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

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Page 8 Tidbits® of The Black Hills Oct. 15 - 28, 2008

Try something new this year, and deco-rate and “dress” some of your pumpkins and gourds instead of carving them. They will last longer, and all ages can take an active part in creating them. Wash the pumpkins and gourds, and dry them thoroughly. Let the children search the house for “found” items they

can use for decorating: buttons, string, ribbon and bows, hats, sunglasses, con-struction paper, shiny paper, stickers, cot-ton balls, candy, doll accessories, dried weeds and flowers, pins, medals, ear-rings, cardboard tubes or fabric scraps.

Place all collected items on a newspa-per-covered work surface. Give each child a pumpkin to decorate. Draw fea-tures with markers or paint. Once dry, add hair, beards and accessories by gluing on items or attaching them with straight pins. Carefully poke medals and pierced ear-rings directly into the pumpkins. Show off the new members of your family (or decorate a pumpkin to look like you!) by displaying them at your door, on your porch, along a walkway or perched on a tree branch to catch the attention of October guests.

Extra ideas

--For quick, make-ahead Halloween-themed snacks, scoop orange sherbet in muffin tins. Decorate each large scoop with small candies and trimmed licorice

to resemble a jack-o-lantern. Set in the freezer until ready to serve.

--For lollipop ghosts, loosely drape the center of an opened white paper napkin over a lollipop. Tie with a ribbon where the stick meets the candy. Draw eyes and a mouth with a black marker.

Donna Erickson’s award-winning televi-sion series “Donna’s Day” airs on public television nationwide. Visit www.don-nasday.com to find out when it airs on your local PBS station and to sign up for Donna’s e-newsletter.(c) 2008 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Synd.

DONNA’S DAY: CREATIVE FAMILY FUNA New Way to Decorate Halloween Pumpkins

By Donna Erickson

Decorated Halloween Pumpkins