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January 16 - 22, 2015 Issue #00205

TIDBITS® DOESN’T LIKE

SPIDERS AND SNAKESby Kathy Wolfe

Back in 1974, singer Jim Stafford told us in his Billboard hit that he didn’t like spiders and snakes, a record that sold over two million copies. Tidbits is sure that this sentiment is shared by thousands of others, so we’re bringing

some creepy facts about these creatures.

• Spiders are the largest order of arachnids and are found on every continent except Antarctica. The arachnid family also includes scorpions, mites, ticks, and harvestmen. There are believed to be close to 44,000 species of spiders. Some geographic locations have an estimated spider count of as many as 265,000 per acre.

• Spiders are arthropods, meaning they are invertebrates (they have no backbone), have an external skeleton, a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Their bodies have two parts, the cephalothorax, which contains the eyes, fangs, and legs, and the abdomen, where the spider’s silk-spinning organs, the spinnerets, are located.

• Every spider produces silk, but not all spiders spin webs. There are many other purposes of silk – capturing prey, protecting offspring, for shelter, and in reproduction. Wolf spiders, which do not spin webs, seize their prey without a web as do jumping spiders, who just spring on their prey.

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• The jumping spider can jump up to 50 times its own length, due to the high blood pressure in its back legs.

• Certain spiders’ silk is so strong that fishermen in the South Pacific make their nets from it. Silk from the orb weaver spider is nearly the tensile strength of steel.

• Spiders have the reputation of being deadly, but in actuality, only about 25 species are dangerous to humans. Most spiders, even the dreaded brown recluse and black widow, bite humans only in self-defense or when they feel threatened. The purpose of a spider’s venom is to kill or subdue its prey. As it bites, muscles around the venom glands contract and push venom through the spider’s fangs and into its prey.

• The venom of the funnel web spider has caused at least 13 human deaths. Found in Australia, they are near the top of the heap for the most deadly spider in the world. Guinness has named the Brazilian wandering spider as the most venomous sider. Although native mostly to South America, they have branched out internationally by hiding in shipments of bananas, earning the nickname “banana spider.”

• During the 20th century there were about 100 reported deaths from a spider bite. Compare this to death by the sting of a jellyfish at about 1,500.

• There is one spider family, the Uloboridae, or hackled orb weaver, that does not have venom glands. These arachnids kill their prey by crushing it with over 450 feet (140 m) of thread.

• The smallest species of spiders is Colombia’s Patu digna, with a body length of less than 0.015 inch (0.37 mm). The largest spiders are varieties of tarantulas, with a body length of about 3.5 in. (90 mm) and leg span up to 9.8 inches (250 mm).

• There are about 700 species of tarantulas, who hunt at night and pounce on their prey of insects and grasshoppers. The largest, the Goliath Bird-Eating tarantula goes after lizards, snakes, frogs, bats, and small birds.

• Each of a spider’s eight legs has seven distinct parts. When it’s moving along the ground, four legs are always on the surface and four are above.

• There are more than 3,000 species of snakes worldwide, but the good news is that only about 375 are venomous. Of those, about 250 can kill their prey with one bite. When they strike, they have nearly a 100% success rate. However, most species of snakes are actually helpful since they keep the rodent population under control.

• It’s a popular misconception that snakes kill their prey by biting it and injecting venom. Cobras and vipers are the only ones who use their poisonous venom to hunt. The remainder swallow their dinner whole, and are capable of ingesting animals up to 100% their own size by unhinging their jaws. After the prey is inside, the snake releases enzymes that break the food down into energy. Because of their very slow rate of metabolism, snakes don’t need to eat as frequently as other animals, with some species able to survive for months without food.

• The rarest snake is the St. Lucia Racer, an endangered snake that lives only on the tiny uninhabited Caribbean island of Maria Major. Once declared extinct, 11 of the small non-venomous reptiles were discovered in 2012. Anywhere from 18 to 100 are believed to be in existence today.

• In a process known as molting, snakes shed their entire skin three times a year.

• The most common snake bites in North America are from rattlesnakes, with every one of their 30 species venomous. Rattlers have heat-sensing pits on the sides of their head between the nostril and eye. These enable them to detect warm-blooded prey, (their favorites are rodents and lizards), and they can detect differences in temperature to a fraction of a degree. When the rattlesnake shakes its rattles, it’s trying to warn or scare away predators. Every time the snake sheds its skin, another ring is added to its rattles. Beware, because even though young rattlesnakes don’t yet have rattles, they are just as dangerous as the adults.

• Adult rattlers only eat about once every two weeks. It’s not unusual for a rattlesnake to live 30 years.

• The Eastern Diamondback is the largest rattlesnake, growing to a length of 8 feet (2.4 m). Found in the southeast United States

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the Institute, children were taught a method of reading developed by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy, which used a technique of embossing heavy paper with raised imprints of Latin letters.

• When Braille was 12 years old, a French Army captain, Charles Barbier, visited the Institute. Barbier had devised a writing system of dots and dashes impressed into thick paper for use by soldiers on the battlefield for a code they could read without needing light and without speaking. Braille was inspired by the cryptography and

NOTEWORTHY INVENTORS:LOUIS BRAILLE

Since January is Braille Literacy Month, it seems like a good time for Tidbits to focus on Louis Braille, the inventor of the system of reading and writing for the blind.

• Growing up in France in the early 1800s, Louis Braille was the son of a leather tanner and maker of horse tack. The young Louis loved playing in his father’s workshop and watching his father work. When he was three, Louis was playing with some of the tools, imitating his father making holes in a piece of leather with an awl. As the boy pressed down to drive the point in, the sharp awl bounced back and struck his eye. Louis’ parents rushed him to a local doctor, who bathed the inflamed eye in lily water and patched it. The next day he was taken to a renowned surgeon in Paris, who was unable to save the damaged eye. Severe infection spread into the wound, which then spread into Louis’ good eye, and the child became completely blind.

• Due to the undying devotion of his parents, Louis was raised in a normal fashion, learning to read and write by feeling nails hammered into boards in the shapes of letters. He found his way around his French community without assistance aided by a wooden cane carved by his father.

• In 1819, at age 10, Louis was enrolled in one of the world’s first schools for blind children, Paris’ Institute for Blind Youth. At

• The first Winter Carnival was held on Long Lake (Kalamalka Lake) February 23, 1893. Several of those taking part stated that this was the first affair of its kind to be held on ice in the Province of British Columbia. According to the newspaper article at this time it proved to be successful and a very enjoyable event.

• In 1944 the Vernon Rotary Club proposed that they host a Winter Carnival in 1944-45. Suggestions were put forth at this time that the event be held during Christmas Week. It appears that the Carnival was focused around the Vernon Skating Club.

• In March 1960 over 50 organizations and businesses held a meeting which was one of the largest and most

comprehensive in the city’s history. The topic of this meeting was the possibility of hosting a winter carnival and those attending gave their full support. The result was our first annual Winter Carnival held January 27 to February 5th, 1961 (Carnival as we know it now).

• Now, 55 years later, the Vernon Winter Carnival is still a community celebration for entire families and friends to get together and take part in the more than 100 events offered during the 10 day celebration. The Vernon Winter Carnival is the largest Winter Festival in all of Western Canada and the third largest in Canada.

• You can expect to experience lots of Elvis sightings from February 6 - 15th with this year’s theme: Carnival of Rock & Roll.

• Vernon’s Ambassadors Queen and Princess Silver Star the 55th will be announced on Thursday February 5th. These ladies can be found year round promoting our beautiful city and surrounding areas during their travels around the province.

• Each year we start off Carnival with a weekend jam packed with something for all ages with very popular staple

events such as the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, BC Championship Snow Sculpture Competition and the Parade.

• Many organizations and businesses host events during the Carnival week. From dances, to kids karnivals, sporting events, dinner theatres, knowledge opportunities and luncheons. Tickets can be purchased from the Carnival office or on our website

• Show your Carnival spirit by purchasing Carnival merchandise, a commemorative button, decorate your place of business in the theme of Rock & Roll or have the kids involved in the school poster contest.

• There are lots of fun free/low cost family events from Family Day in the Park, ice skating, dance lessons, watching movies and judging a chili contest.

• There is something for everyone at the Vernon Winter Carnival - Carnival of Rock & Roll. So Rock on Man and get involved. Brochures are available from businesses around the community or check out our website at www.vernonwintercarnival.com or stop by the office at 3401 -35th Ave (behind the Rec Center)

from North Carolina to Louisiana, they can be recognized by their prominent yellow-bordered black diamond pattern.

• The highly aggressive Black Mamba snake is native to southern and eastern Africa. One of the world’s deadliest snakes, it takes only two drops of its venom to kill a human, who can die in just 20 minutes. Nearly 20,000 Africans die each year from the bite of the Black Mamba. The venom shuts down the nervous system and paralyzes its victims. This 14-ft-long (4.25 m) snake is also the fastest snake in the world, able to slither along at speeds up to 12 mph (19 km/hr), all the while with one-third of its body 4 feet (1.2 m) off the ground. Although called the Black Mamba, the snake is actually a brown color. It takes its name from the color inside its mouth, which it displays when threatened.

Celebrate the 55th Vernon Winter Carnival

Page 4 TidbitsVernon.com Cosita Publishing For Advertising Call (250) 832-3361

¥ One of the best ways to eat less at a holiday party is to eat something small that is healthy and slightly filling before you head out. You’ll make better decisions when you aren’t starving -- and save yourself a ton of calories. Here are more ways to keep holiday parties from blowing your calorie budget. -- JoAnn

¥ “Going potluck? Bring your own healthy appetizer to the party. This way, you’ll be certain to have at least one dish you can pig out on. Go with cut vegetables and dip rather than bringing chips or bread. You can use the veggies to pair with other dips to save more calories.” -- A.R. in Texas

¥ Drinks are full of empty calories, whether they are cocktails or sugary sodas, so slow down and have water every other drink. At the bar, ask for low-calorie mixers like soda water, not sugary juices, to whip up your cocktail.

¥ “How much wine is in your pour? Extra-large cups and free-flowing bottles can mean super-sized servings. A serving of wine is 5 ounces. Here’s a tip: Set your wine glass on the table. It will be easier to see how much is in it.” -- Y.O. in New York

¥ You might be packing it on, but you also can burn it off. Commit to dancing every other song. Get your workout out of the way early so you feel great in the evening.

¥ “Walk away from the food table so you don’t graze. Never sit at a table with bowls of anything parked in front of you. Work the room instead.” -- A.A. in Florida(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

began working on his own technique, a simpler version of the military’s complex system. Braille used a six-dot cell rather than the 12 dots and series of dashes used by Barbier. Braille had perfected his embossed dot system by the time he was just 15 years old. He published it five years later.

• Braille had an ear for music as well and created a system of musical notations entitled Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them. Braille himself was an accomplished cellist and organist, and throughout his later years, he played the organ in churches across France, as well as holding the position of organist at a Paris cathedral.

• At age 24, Braille was hired by the Paris Institute for Blind Youth as a full-time professor. Here he spent most of the remainder of his life teaching history, geometry, and algebra. He was determined to improve communication between the blind and the sighted, and devised a system called Decapoint which used a set of 100 dots with a grid on a board with heavy paper and a stylus. He then progressed to the invention of a machine that could type out the dot formations, called a raphigraphe, which translates “needle-writer.”

• Braille had been a sickly child and his weaknesses followed him into adulthood. At age 40, he was so ill with tuberculosis, he was forced to resign his professorship, and at age 43, he passed away from the illness.

SNOWBOARDS

Did you know that January is National Snowboarding Month? Let’s look into the history of this rapidly-growing sport!

• Muskegon, Michigan’s Sherman Poppen is credited with the invention of the snowboard in 1965 and is hailed as the “Father of Snowboarding.” On Christmas Day of that year, after watching his daughters standing on their sled going down a hill, he raced to his garage and tied two skis together, then tied a rope to the front of the board for steering. Poppen called it the Snurfer, combining the word “snow” with “surf.” When his daughters’ friends saw the contraption, they all wanted one, and Poppen seized the idea of patenting and marketing his invention. He licensed his product to Brunswick who began manufacturing the Snurfer.

• For a few years, the Snurfer was considered a kid’s toy, but in the 1970s, Poppen started scheduling snurfing competitions across the nation. It was at one of these contests that a young Jake Burton Carpenter became interested in the sport. In 1977, Jake moved to Vermont where he experimented with laminated, hardwood

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boards, adding bindings that the original Snurfer did not have. Avid snowboarders will easily recognize the name Burton as the leading snowboard equipment company in the industry today.

• As popularity continued to grow, the first national snowboard race was held in 1982, followed by the first World Championship half pipe competition the following year. In 1983, Vermont’s Stratton Mountain Resort

became the first major ski resort to open its slopes to snowboarders, and in 1991, Vail, Colorado, became the first to establish a snowboard park. Many other major resorts refused to allow snowboarders because of the “bad boy” image many snowboarders had received.

• In 1985, the first magazine devoted entirely to snowboarding hit the newsstands with resounding success.

• Snowboarding was added to the Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan, in 1998. Canadian Ross Regaliati nabbed the gold medal, but was later stripped of the medal when accusations of drug use emerged. He was cleared of any charges and his medal was restored, giving him the honor of the first gold medalist in snowboarding.

• By the year 2000, snowboarding was the fastest-growing sport in America, with about 7.2 million participants. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, a 20-year-

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Dog Balks at Wheelchair

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My 9-year-old Shih Tzu “Mitzi” developed a hip problem due to an injury she suffered when much younger (she was a rescue). It’s become almost impossible for her to walk, and her veterinarian recommended she start using a “wheelie” harness to get around. The problem: Mitzi will not use the harness. It’s a struggle to get her into it, and then she just kind of lays there and whimpers once she’s in it. How can I get her to adjust to the harness? -- Claude C., AtlantaDEAR CLAUDE: You’ll need to try a couple of things: check the fit of the harness, and use some gentle encouragement (ahem, treats) to help Mitzi.According to Eddie’s Wheels (http://eddieswheels.com/training-a-dog-to-use-a-wheelchair/), which designs wheelchairs and support devices for pets, dogs that still have feeling or some mobility in their hind legs sometimes have more trouble adjusting to wheelchairs than dogs whose hind legs are paralyzed. Also, a poorly fitted wheelchair can cause a dog to feel uncomfortable in the harness.So, check the fit of the wheelchair based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. If Mitzi’s wheelie allows her back legs to touch the ground, make sure that her legs can do so. This may alleviate her anxiety. If Mitzi’s back seems hunched (“roached”), make sure the straps are at the correct length so she’s comfortable. If her back sags in the harness, she may need more support. And make sure her backside isn’t lifted into the air; this can cause strain on her front legs.Once the fit is OK, give Mitzi lots of encouragement as you help her into the harness each day. Then, as she progresses, give her a reward at each step: when she first stands up in the harness, when she takes her first step, and so on. Always make it a positive experience, until she gets the hang of her new wheels.

Send your questions or comments to ask@pawscorner.com.

(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

old, wild-haired Shaun White captured the attention of the world as he triumphed in the half pipe event. Nicknamed “The Flying Tomato” because of his flaming red hair, White went on to win gold in 2010 in Vancouver. White also holds the record for the most gold medals and overall medal count at the X-Games.

• Who snowboards? About 17% of the enthusiasts are aged 7 to 11. One out of four is aged 25 to 44. Twenty-three percent of snowboarders are women.

• Today there are a total of 10 Olympic events in snowboarding, five for men and five for women, including giant slalom, half pipe, cross, slopestyle, and parallel slalom. Snowboarders account for about 30% of all business at major ski resorts. Yet there are still some resorts that are skiers-only, prohibiting snowboarding, including Vermont’s Mad River Glen and Utah’s Glen Valley and Alta.

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¥ It was novelist Mary Ann Evans -- better known by her pen name, George Eliot -- who made the following sage observation: “Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.”

¥ In the five-year span between 1946 and 1951, television ownership in the United States jumped from 10,000 to 12 million.

¥ You probably don’t know the name Clara Peller, but if you were watching TV in the 1980s, you would almost certainly recognize her as the “Where’s the beef?” lady from fast-food chain Wendy’s incredibly successful ad campaign. You might be surprised to learn that Peller wasn’t an actress; she was a manicurist. A commercial producer named Joe Sedelmaier was shooting a different ad when he realized they needed a manicurist on site, so an assistant ran to a local beauty shop and returned with Peller. As soon as she greeted Sedelmaier with a gruff “How ya doin’?”, the producer realized that she had potential. He convinced Wendy’s to create an entire campaign around the octogenarian. The gamble paid off; the restaurant’s sales jumped by 15 percent almost as soon as the ads began to run.

¥ TV’s Gilligan’s island was created in the middle of an artificial lake at CBS Studios in Hollywood. The cost of construction was $75,000.

¥ The next time you’re at a hockey game, be sure to watch out for stray pucks; they travel through the air at speeds of up to 100 mph.

¥ There is a species of ant found in Australia and Tasmania that, in some cases, can kill a human with a single sting.

Thought for the Day: “I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.” -- Ian L. Fleming

(c) 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

Page 8 TidbitsVernon.com Cosita Publishing For Advertising Call (250) 832-3361

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