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For Ad Rates Call: 208-704-9972 sandy@tidbitsinc.comDistributed by TBNIMarch 4, 2010 ISSUE #3

Of North Idaho

TIDBITS® LOOKS AT THE HUGE

LOUISIANA PURCHASEby Patricia L. Cook

The Louisiana Purchase has been described as the “greatest deal in real estate history.” Real estate agents today would cringe at the thought of how small the commission would have been considering the acreage!• In1682FrenchexplorerRené-RobertCavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed all of the territorydrainedbytheMississippiRiverfromtheGulfofMexicotoCanadaforFrance.Henamed it Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV. • ThomasJeffersonwasPresidentwhentheUnitedStatespurchasedtheLouisianaTerritoryfromFranceoveracenturylateronMay2,1803.Didyouknowthatitwasonlytwentydaysbeforethepurchasethattheter-ritorywastransferredfromSpaintoFrance?Pretty quick changes!• WhentheFrenchandIndianWarsendedin1763atreatywassignedestablish-ing control over the Louisiana Territory west oftheMississippiRivertoSpain.• TheofficialceremoniesforthetransferofLouisianafromSpaintoFranceonNo-vember30,1803andthenfromFrancetotheU.S.onDecember20,1803wereheldinTheCabildoSalaCapitular(CapitolRoom)inNewOrleans.TheCabildonowhousestheLouisiana State Museum.

turn the page for more Louisiana Purchase!

FIRST ISSUE

PAGE 2 March 4, 2010To Advertise Call: 208-704-9972

PICKS OF THE WEEK“The Princess and the Frog” (Rated G) -- From the directors of “The Little Mer-maid” and “Aladdin,” with music by Ran-dy Newman, Disney returns to the clas-sic 2-D animation that made the studio famous. “The Princess and the Frog” is noteworthy because it is the first Disney cartoon to feature an African-American girl as its hero.

The story takes place in New Orleans, and the film’s heroine, Tiana, has dreams of opening a restaurant. Her dream is put on hold when a Prince, turned into a frog by a voodoo spell, mistakes the girl for a princess. He gets her to kiss him, hoping the curse will be lifted. Instead, Tiana is also turned into a frog and the two must go on a journey to find a way to restore themselves to their human forms.While not up to the standards of, say, “The Lion King” or “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Princess and the Frog” is still better than the CGI animated fare we’ve been getting from Disney these

past few years, and a notch or two above the studio’s wretched straight-to-DVD offerings.

“Mr. Bean’s Most Memorable Mo-ments” (Unrated) -- In the tradition of Charlie Chaplin and Jacques “Mr. Hu-lot” Tati, Rowan Atkinson’s Mr. Bean is pure comedic genius. With virtually zero dialogue, Atkinson has created an internationally beloved character whose battles with life’s little challeng-es escalate to epic slapstick situations. Only in the world of Mr. Bean could the simple act of preparing a Christmas dinner degenerate into a chaotic mess wherein our hero finds himself with his head embedded in an enormous turkey. If you’ve never seen the award-win-ning TV series, this inexpensive com-pilation of a few of the show’s funniest moments is the perfect introduction.

“South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season” (TV-MA) -- Colorado’s vulgar moppets return for another solid season of satirically skewering current events and pop culture. From the Jonas Broth-ers and their purity rings, to Somali pi-rates, Kanye West, “Whale Wars” and professional wrestling, no one is safe from ridicule -- not even the ghost of Michael Jackson. My favorite episode of the season, though, is “The Coon,” which spoofs the “dark” comic-book films like “The Watchmen,” “Dark Knight” and just about everything Frank Miller has ever written.

TV SERIES“Breaking Bad” The Complete Second Season“Monk” Season Eight“Deadliest Catch” Seasons One to Five“Caillou: Caillou Pretends to Be”“Hawaii Five-O” Eighth Season

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IT TAKES TWO by Bonnie St. ClairLaurel without Hardy? Bert without Ernie? Hall without Oates? They just wouldn’t have been the same. Join Tidbits as we share stories behind some famous “people pairs”

and how they managed to discover one another.• In the original story, Batman met the boy who would become Robin in 1940. Dick Grayson was an eight-year-old circus acrobat, the son of trapeze artists. When a gangster who’d been extorting money from the circus sabotaged the riggings, Dick’s parents fell to their deaths. Batman investi-gated the crime, and he became fond enough of the boy to become his legal guardian (as his alter ego, Bruce Wayne). He instructed the youngster in the ways of fighting crime

and dubbed him Robin, the Boy Wonder.• Cherilyn Sarkisian dropped out of school and moved to Hollywood with dreams of becoming an actress. At 17, she met Sonny Bono at Aldo’s Coffee Shop. Bono worked for music producer Phil Spector and was able to get Cher, as he called her, work as a background vocalist. A songwriter at heart, Sonny had peddled his tunes without much success. But when he and Cher became romantically involved, the pair recorded his tune “I Got You, Babe,” which hit number one on the pop chart and made stars of Sonny and Cher.

• One day in 1881, Dr. John Watson happened to rent a room at a lodging house at 221B Baker Street in London, England. His roommate was a mysterious chap named Sherlock Holmes. Holmes was quite secretive about what he did for a living, but eventually confessed that he was a private detective, which (at the time) was a rather rare profession. Fascinated by Holmes’ tales and the way he employed logical deduction to

solve cases, the two became not only friends but also coworkers and confidantes. • That levelheaded, sturdy housewife Blondie wasn’t so very domestic when she first appeared in the newspaper comics section some 70 years ago. Blondie Boopadoop was a carefree flapper back in 1930, when she met Dagwood Bumstead, the young play-boy son of a railroad tycoon. In fact, Dagwood’s millionaire father opposed his son’s re-lationship with Blondie, and threatened to cut off his financial support if they continued seeing one another. The elder Bumstead grudgingly gave his blessing to the marriage, but he still nixed his son’s inheritance, forcing Dagwood to become one of the working

class.• Clyde Barrow was born into extreme poverty in rural Texas. As he came of age, the Great Depression ravaged the nation, and the angry young man turned to burglary and robbery as a means of survival. One December evening in 1929, he was visiting a friend when he heard a clatter in the kitchen. “That’s Bonnie Parker,” the pal told him. “She’s making hot chocolate. Go say hello.” It was love at first sight; the pair chatted into the wee hours of the morning. The next day, Bonnie hit the road with Clyde and the pair

machine-gunned their way to infamy.• Daniel Wesson was born to a family in Worcester, Massachusetts. At 18, he was apprenticed to his brother’s shoe manufacturing company, but grew dissatisfied and joined up with another brother, Edwin, as a journeyman gunsmith. In 1852, Daniel met Horace Smith, a fellow gun enthusiast who’d learned about firearms while working at the

National Armory in nearby Springfield. They formed a partnership with the goal of marketing a lever action repeating pistol, and the

two became well known as Smith & Wesson.

SENIOR NEWS LINE by Matilda Charles

Don’t Fall for This Free LunchHave you seen the ads? They offer us a free lunch at a posh loca-tion while we attend a seminar on financial investing, with experts to advise us. Don’t be taken in by it. It could be the most expen-sive lunch you’ll ever have. The Securities and Exchange Commis-

sion and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority just released a report detailing the investment scams that are becoming rampant against seniors. While the study concentrated on Southern states, there’s no doubt this is happening

across the country.The scam works like this: When you think you’re going to an in-vestment education seminar that includes a free lunch at a nice place, you end up facing high-pressure sales tactics and misleading claims. You might be pushed to open new accounts, sign complicated docu-ments (without being given the opportunity to read them or take them to your attorney for review) or buy investment products that aren’t suitable for you (or that

might not even exist).Because we’re seniors and the top-ic is important to us, we’re prom-ised high returns on our life sav-ings with safe investments and excellent liquidity for a financially

secure retirement.Here are two ways to educate your-

self against investment fraud:¥ Go to AARP (www.aarp.org) and look at its online videos. Search for investment fraud and “The Lure of Money.” While you’re there, take the Investment Fraud IQ test

to see how you score.¥ Go to www.sec.gov and search for “free lunch report” for the whole 46-page study. It includes examples of the ads that are used in these scam free-lunch invest-ment seminars. If you have ques-

tions, call the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy at 800-SEC-0330.

Here’s a scary thought: Research shows that 78 percent of us have received one of these free-lunch invitations.

P.S. Need a Flight Go To www.Flytidbits.com, And don’t forget to tell your friends and family. Thanks for reading Tidbits ;-)

`Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader ques-tions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Or-

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PAGE 3March 4, 2010 To Advertise Call: 208-704-9972

LOUSIANA PURCHASE (continued):• The huge purchase started as a nego-tiation for New Orleans and Western Flori-da, which actually stretched across the Gulf Coast to New Orleans and Baton Rouge at the time. Access to the port of New Or-leans and the Mississippi River for trade and sustainability of the new United States depended on this. • The purchase of the Louisiana territo-ry was for 827,987 square miles (2,144,476 sq km) for only $15,000,000! Even in those days it was a super deal! This acquisition doubled the size of the ‘new” country and greatly increased its status and economic power. • President Jefferson had appointed Robert R. Livingston, U.S. Minister to France and authorized him to purchase the City of New Orleans, portions of the east bank of the Mississippi River and free navi-gation of the river to allow for U.S. com-merce. He was only authorized to spend up to $2,000,000. Now, he didn’t have email, a cell phone (or any phone for that matter!) so when news started leaking about possible revocation of the use of the port of New Orleans, decisions had to be made. • President Jefferson actually sent a special envoy, James Monroe, to assist Liv-ingston and boosted the authorized spend-ing to $10,000,000. When negotiations started, quick decisions were necessary.• Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader of France, decided he wanted to “unload” the entire Louisiana Territory! His ministers were ordered to find out what the U.S. was willing to pay for the entire area. Livings-ton and Monroe were confused and not sure what to do since this was beyond their authority. With quick thinking, knowing it could take months to get approval from the president, they decided to open immediate negotiations. Smart move, boys!• One more thing about Natchitoches – did you see the movie, Steel Magnolias? It was based on a true story and filmed entire-ly in Natchitoches in 1989.

• The reason Napoleon wanted to make such a fast sale was that he wanted to boost his powerful army in Europe. He added the money from the sale of the Louisiana Territory to his war chest. Be-tween 1805 and 1807 he became master over most of Europe.• Political posturing occurred then just as it does now. The Federalist Party, Jefferson’s opponent, was totally against the huge purchase. It helped the U.S. relations with France but definitely hurt standing with Britain. There were even plans for some of the northern states to secede from the United States. They considered the western real estate to be worthless desert and were not for west-ward expansion. Hmmm…wonder what they would say today?! • The Louisiana Purchase lands contained all or parts of present-day Ar-kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota west of the Mississippi River, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, nearly all of Kansas, the parts of Mon-tana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains, the portions of south-ern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta that drain into the Missouri River, and Louisiana on both sides of the Mississippi River, including the most important city of New Orleans.• New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718 and its location as the southernmost major city on the Missis-sippi River made it extremely valuable. It was made the capital of New France in 1722. Spain gained control in 1763 but French influence still, to this day, remains strong. A lot of the French influence came from Acadians, who were Canadi-ans who refused to pledge allegiance to the King of England and came south. Cajuns are the descendents of the Acadians.

PAGE 4 March 4, 2010To Advertise Call: 208-704-9972

¥ It was longtime U.S. Congressman from Minnesota Eugene J. McCarthy who made the following sage observa-tion: “It is dangerous for a national can-didate to say things that people might remember.” ¥ You may not be surprised to learn that the portions offered in fast-food restau-rants have increased in size during the past few decades, but you may find the amount of the increase to be shocking: Portions are now anywhere from two to [SET ITAL]five[END ITAL] times as large as they were in 1980. ¥ Because fortunetelling is considered to be a form of witchcraft in Austra-lia, psychic readings are illegal Down Under. ¥ Talk about a serious typo: In 2008, the Chilean mint issued thousands of copies of a coin with the coun-try’s name spelled “Chiie” instead of “Chile.” ¥ Tibet is the only country in the world whose national flag is not in the shape of a rectangle. ¥ In December of 1811, parts of the Mississippi River flowed backward due to an earthquake in the region. ¥ A survey of elementary-school kids reveals that 66 percent of youngsters think that glasses make a person look smarter, while 57 percent think people who wear glasses look more honest. ¥ The world’s longest-lasting light bulb, which can be found in a fire station in Livermore, Calif., has been in use for 107 years. Experts say that the bulb’s extremely low wattage and the fact that it is rarely turned on and off have con-tributed to its longevity. ¥ The world’s most filmed story is “Cinderella,” followed by “Hamlet.”

***

PAGE 5March 4, 2010

Born in New Orleans, Louis Armstrong made an incredible impact on the world as one of the founders of the uniquely American music style called jazz.

• Louis was born on August 4, 1901 in an area of New Orleans known as “the Battlefield” because of its extreme poverty.

• For many years a fabricated story about Louis Armstrong’s birth was that he was born on the Fourth of July, 1900. It made for great publicity and Louis went along with it – even though he really didn’t need such a stunt. His influence was safely set in the fact that he was a fantastic jazz musician.

• Louis did have a very poor childhood and learned early that singing on the streets of New Orleans for pennies and nickels could be rewarding. He also saw how popular the musicians were when they played music in funeral and celebratory parades.

• When Louis was only 12 years old on New Year’s Eve, 1913, he was caught firing a gun in the air. He was sentenced to a home for boys. This incident turned into a positive one in that Peter Davis, the home’s musical director, saw that Louis had great musical potential. Peter was the first real mentor for Louis and taught him to play the cornet. When Louis was 14 he was released from the home and started seeking out the good music in New Orleans.

• Joe “King” Oliver with the Kid Ory Band was a favorite band for Louis. Oliver became the next mentor to influence him. He was 17 at the time. Louis played with several bands in nightclubs and bars in New Orleans

• After several years Louis moved to St. Louis and played on paddlewheel boats on the Mississippi River with Fate Marable’s band, where

the wealthy riverboat crowd appreciated his great talent.

• Staying in touch with King Oliver through the years, Louis returned to New Orleans for a few years and took King’s place in the Kid Ory Band. Then after three years he joined King’s Creole Jazz Band in Chicago where his popularity increased.

• By the mid 1920s Louis had really gained fame. Many fans recognized the music of Satchmo, which was his nickname - from “satchelmouth” because of his large wide grin. He married and went out on his own with his music. He spent time in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and more cities playing his tunes.

• Also in the mid 1920s, Satchmo formed two bands, the Hot Five and the Hot Seven for recording purposes – they never performed any live events. Three years of recordings helped to spread his fame worldwide. He continued entertaining for many years and became known for his vocals and unmistakable throaty voice in “Mack the Knife,” “Hello Dolly,” and “What a Wonderful World.”

• Louis Armstrong loved New York and settled in a modest house in Corona, Queens in 1943. He lived there for the rest of his life. The house today is home to the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

• His hometown of New Orleans recognized this legend by naming their airport for him in honor of his 100th birthday in 2001.

LOUIS ARMSTRONGTo Advertise Call: 208-704-9972

PAGE6 March 4, 2010

ANSWERS

After years of hardship and suffering in Ireland, Alexandre Millardet, a French botanist, discovered an effective fungicide to combat the potato blight in 1883. Today, potatoes are the world’s fourth-largest food crop, following rice, wheat and maize.

Irish potatoes are perfect for any meal. An old prayer celebrates the tubers as follows:

“Potatoes served at breakfast, at dinner served again; potatoes served at supper, forever and Amen!”

Here’s a great recipe for Irish Potato Casserole that’s perfect for breakfast, dinner or supper, forever and Amen!!

IRISH POTATO CASSEROLE

1 1/2 pounds (4 to 5 medium) Irish potatoes, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons salt1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper1/2 teaspoon nutmeg4 tablespoons butter, plus 1 teaspoon for

greasing casserole dish1/4 cup dried bread crumbs2 tablespoons flour2 cups milk2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced1/2 small onion, finely diced1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place potatoes in

a large saucepan and cover them with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring potatoes to a boil. Reduce heat

to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when a fork is inserted in the center.

Irish Potatoes Are Perfect for Any Meal

The people of Ireland embraced the potato around 1780. The crop rapidly became the primary source of food for most of the population. Potatoes are nourishing and filling, and contain most of the vitamins needed for our daily diet. The crop also is a popular food source around the world because it requires only an acre of land and will grow under almost any conditions.An Irish potato is waxy, which makes it hold its shape when boiled, a common cooking technique in Ireland. The potatoes also are delicious when fried, roasted or broiled. The waxy texture of the potato makes it gluey and dense when mashed, so select another variety like a Russet potato for this purpose. An Irish potato is covered with an off-white or cream-colored skin. The flesh of an Irish potato is a creamy white. Black flecks or marks often mottle the flesh of the potato, but have no impact on the flavor.In the 1840s, a disease caused by a fungus infested potato crops throughout Europe, causing a devastating famine in Ireland. This time period is called the Great Famine or Gorta M—r meaning “the great hunger.” Mass emigration coupled with widespread deaths from starvation caused the Irish population to drop by 20 percent to 25 percent. By 1850, the Irish made up a quarter of the population in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Carefully drain off water and set potatoes aside.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Place breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of the melted butter to the breadcrumbs; mix well and set aside. Reserve the rest of the butter in the saucepan.

3. Stir in flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg into the butter in the saucepan. Cook until mixture starts to bubble around the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add milk, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Use the remaining teaspoon of butter to grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Combine potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, onion and remaining salt and pepper in the casserole dish. Add sauce and gently mix the ingredients together until well-combined.

5. Sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and the breadcrumbs are brown. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

***Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning

children’s author, culinary historian and the author of six cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The New African-American Kitchen.” She is known as The Kitchen Diva and is the executive producer and host of “The Kitchen Diva!” cooking show on Hulu.com. Visit her Web site at www.divapro.com.

To Advertise Call: 208-704-9972

PAGE 7March 4, 2010

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Treating a Cut Paw

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My dog “Bart” came inside from being in the backyard today and was limp-ing a bit. I checked his paw, and it looks like he has a small cut on one of the pads. I’m not sure from where, but there is still a bit of ice and snow around the edges of the yard. I disinfected the cut, but I’m not sure what to do next -- a Band-Aid, perhaps? -- Worried in Burl-ington, Vt.

DEAR WORRIED: A light gauze bandage, wrapped around the paw and taped in place, will protect Bart’s paw while the cut heals. Don’t wrap or tape so tightly that the circulation to the paw is affected -- you just want to cover the cut.Check the bandage daily and re-place when it becomes damp or dirty (which, if Bart likes going outside, may be daily). If your dog licks or tries to chew away the bandage, pick up a cone-style or Elizabethan-style protective collar at the pet store, or from Bart’s veterinarian.If Bart’s limp does not improve within about three days or the cut does not appear to be healing, take him to the vet to have the injury evaluated. Like-wise if his paw becomes swollen.Meantime, head outside and try to get rid of sharp-looking ice patches, if possible. Remove any debris from Bart’s run area and pick up any dog feces to reduce the chance of infection in his injured paw (or if he injures his footpads again for whatever reason).

Send your pet questions to Sam Mazzotta at ask@pawscorner.com, or write to Paw’s Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. And find more pet resources at PawsCorner.com.

PAGE8 March 4, 2010To Advertise Call: 208-704-9972