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Solve Puzzles and Win!TIDBITS® SAYS HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

MARCH BABIESby Kathy Wolfe

You’ll recognize most of these folks, but what do they all have in common? They were all born during the month of March!

• In his younger years, we knew him as Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham, but today he’s a famous film director and producer, having brought us such memorable films as “Splash,” “Cocoon,” “Apollo 13,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code.” Ron Howard appeared in his first movie at the age of 18 months, the 1956 film “Frontier Woman.” He portrayed Opie Taylor living in Mayberry from 1960 to 1968, and starred in “Happy Days” from 1974 to 1980. Howard was actually a sixth cousin to his “Andy Griffith” co-star Don “Barney Fife” Knotts. How-ard has been married to his high school sweet-heart since 1975.

• March 2 seems to be a popular day for the birth of musicians. In 1950, mellow crooner and drummer Karen Carpenter of the popular 1970s duo The Carpenters was born in Con-necticut. On the same day five years later, Jay Osmond of Osmond Brothers fame was born, and the next year, John Cowsill of the 1960s pop group The Cowsills made his appearance. Jon Bon Jovi and English musician Chris Mar-tin of Coldplay share that March 2 birth date as well. turn the page for more!

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MARCH BABIES (continued):

• The 7-foot, 1-inch (2.16-m) tall, 325-pound (147-kg) basketball star Shaquille O’Neal turns 39 this month. O’Neal traverses the court wear-ing a size 23 shoe. He was drafted out of Loui-siana State University as the first overall pick in NBA’s 1992 draft by the Orlando Magic. His 18-year career has moved him from the Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers, on to the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2010, to the Boston Celtics. He’s racked up three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP’s, and was selected for the All-NBA team 14 times. During his hot 2000 season, he was the NBA MVP, All-Star Game MBP and Finals MVP, one of only three players to accomplish this feat in the same year. O’Neal is fifth in all-time points scored. Off the court, he has released four rap albums and starred in two of his own reality shows.

• The first British royal baby to have a public christening was Princess Eugenie of York, the younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, former Duchess. Eugenie, born in March of 1990, is sixth in the line of succession to the throne.

• The Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon has been hosted every year since 1966 by co-median Jerry Lewis. Born Jerome Levitch, Lewis got his start in 1946 when he paired up with Dean Martin, and the two began a series of comedy films. In the late 1960s, Lewis taught a film directing class at the University of South-ern California, teaching students that included a young Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The first MD fundraiser brought in $1,002,114, while 2010’s reached $58,919,838. Since its in-ception, it has raised over $2.5 billion.

Page 2 Tidbits® of The Woodlands/West Spring

¥ On March 13, 1781, the German-born English as-tronomer William Hershel discovers Uranus, the sev-enth planet from the sun. Herschel’s discovery of a new planet was the first to be made in modern times, and the first to be made by use of a telescope.

¥ On March 11, 1918, a historic influenza epidemic breaks out at the U.S. Army hospital at Fort Riley, Kan. The disease soon traveled to Europe with the Ameri-can soldiers heading to the battlefields of France. The flu would eventually kill 675,000 Americans and more than 20 million people around the world.

¥ On March 12, 1922, author Jack Kerouac is born in Lowell, Mass. In World War II, he served in the Navy but was expelled for severe personality problems that may have been symptoms of mental illness. It was not until 1957 when he published “On the Road” that he became famous as a seminal figure of the Beat Genera-tion.

¥ On March 7, 1938, Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 rac-es, is born in Iowa City, Iowa. Guthrie drove in her final Indy 500 in 1979 and her last Daytona 500 in 1980. Her helmet and driver’s suit are in the Smithsonian Institu-tion in Washington, D.C.

¥ On March 10, 1945, 300 American bombers drop al-most 2,000 tons of incendiaries on Tokyo. The attack destroyed large portions of the Japanese capital and killed 100,000 civilians. Ten square miles of eastern To-kyo were entirely obliterated, and an estimated 250,000 buildings were destroyed.

¥ On March 8, 1951, the Lonely Hearts Killers -- Mar-tha Beck and Raymond Martinez Fernandez -- are ex-ecuted in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in New York. The odd couple had schemed to seduce, rob and murder women who placed personal ads in newspa-pers. Their story has been the subject of several movies, most recently “Lonely Hearts” (2006).

¥ On March 9, 1985, the first-ever Adopt-a-Highway sign is erected on Highway 69 in Texas. The highway was adopted by the Tyler Civitan Club, which com-mitted to picking up trash along a designated 2-mile stretch of the road.

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Tidbits® of The Woodlands/West Spring Page 4MARCH BABIES (continued):

• It was a wonderful day in the neighborhood from 1968 to 2001 when March baby Fred Rogers hosted the children’s program “Mister Rogers’ Neighbor-hood.” A typical episode might include a field trip to a local business, a visit with the television audi-ence, a live guest, and a time to feed his fish Fen-nel and Frieda. The gentle, soft-spoken Fred had a music composition degree, and in fact, composed most of the music used on the Emmy-winning pro-gram. Rogers was also an ordained Presbyterian minister. Many of his trademark cardigan sweaters were made by his mother. You can view a red cardi-gan worn by Rogers at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. Interestingly, Rogers never saw his sweater as red, since he was red-green col-or blind. • Born in March of 1956, Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark has won more races than any other skier in history. The gold medal winner in slalom and gi-ant slalom at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics began skiing at age five, winning his first national compe-tition at age eight.

• The winner of “American Idol’s” fourth season, Carrie Underwood, is an “Okie from Muskogee.” Born there in March of 1983 to a sawmill work-er and elementary school teacher, Underwood graduated as salutatorian of her high school class. She went on to graduate magna cum laude from Oklahoma’s Northeastern State University with a degree in mass communications. Prior to her 2004 audition for “Idol,” Underwood had never been on an airplane. She has been on People magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People” list four years in a row.

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1. Who is the only player in major-league history to have at least 500 doubles, 100 triples, 600 home runs and 300 stolen bases?2. How many consecutive seasons did Joe Torre manage a team to the major-league playoffs?3. Which NFL team has

appeared in the most conference championship games?4. In 2010, Eric Bledsoe hit eight 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game to set a University of Kentucky record. Who had held the mark?5. Jarome Iginla entered the 2010-11 NHL campaign with the longest current streak of at least 20 goals in consecutive seasons, with 11. Name three of the five players tied for second with 10 seasons?6. In 2010, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest driver (23 years, 133 days) in Formula One history to win the season championship. Who had been the youngest?7. Name the last left-handed men’s tennis player before Rafael Nadal in 2010 to win the U.S. Open.

¥ To keep sugar from lumping, keep a few crackers in the sugar canister. They ward off moisture, and they don’t affect the taste of the sugar.

¥ “Whenever my child has a scrape, cut or even a bruise, she likes to have an adhesive bandage put on it. But when it’s time for the bandage to come off, she’s shy about it. I use a cotton ball to apply baby oil to the bandage, and it slips right off. This works for the waterproof kind, too.” -- L.K. in Missouri

¥ “When polishing my wing-tips, I realized that I had run out of shoe polish. My wife suggested furniture pol-ish, and it worked very well. I just might use it from now on.” -- T.Y. in Delaware

¥ Got wrinkled ribbon? Use a curling iron to straighten it out. Slip it over the ribbon and pull through slowly.

¥ “Old sheets can be recycled into pillowcases. I change my pillowcase more often than my sheets in order to keep my face clean, and I have a steady supply of cases because I made some when my last sheet set wore out.” -- N.L. in California

¥ Make your own furniture polish. This mix is ecological and thrifty, smells wonderful and is a cinch to mix. Add 1/3 cup lemon juice to 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake well and use in a spray bottle.

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 heresatip@yahoo.com.

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

MARCH BABIES (continued):

• Two of the actors who have portrayed James Bond were March babies. Welsh actor Timothy Dalton was the secret agent in 1987’s “The Living Daylights” and 1989’s “License to Kill.” When Dalton was just 22 years old, he was approached by Albert Broccoli to replace Sean Connery for the role. Dal-ton turned him down, feeling he was too young to play Bond. He was actually considered four sepa-rate times before finally taking it at age 46. British actor and March baby Daniel Craig is the current Bond, the sixth actor have the part. We’ve seen him in 2006’s “Casino Royale” and 2008’s “Quantum of Solace.”

• In the midst of the JFK assassination controversy was the figure Jack Ruby, the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald. As deputies prepared to transfer Oswald from police headquarters to the county jail, Ruby stepped from the crowd and shot the 24 year old in the abdomen during a live television broadcast. A Dallas nightclub owner, Ruby had connections with gangsters, leading to the theory that Ruby was part of a large-scale conspiracy. He denied it, stating that his only motive was to spare Jackie Kennedy the trauma of having to appear at Os-wald’s trial. Less than four months after the murder, Ruby was convicted and received the death penal-ty. His lawyers appealed, arguing that he could not have received a fair trial in the city of Dallas. The appellate court agreed and granted a new trial in a different venue, overturning his conviction and sentence. Two months before the new trial was to begin, Ruby entered Dallas’ Parkland Hospital (the same hospital where both Kennedy and Oswald had been declared dead), suffering from pneu-monia. One day later, he was diagnosed with liver, lung and brain cancer, and three weeks later, Ruby was dead. To the very end he maintained that he alone was responsible for Oswald’s death, saying, “There is nothing to hide. There was no one else.”

Tidbits® of The Woodlands/West Spring Page 6

Is the economy recovering? Let’s see what the experts say:--We’ve seen a small increase in the number of hours worked per week.--Champagne sales are up.--Companies are spending a bit more on assets such as computers. --There are more job listings, and fewer people are tak-ing a second job.--There’s more traffic on the road as more people are go-ing to work and shopping.On a personal level, you can do your own test of the economy in your area in the grocery store by looking in the shopping carts of other people. Do you see only the basics, all store brands? Are there any snacks? Any beer or wine? Is there a good beef roast, steak or chicken parts instead of whole chickens?Check the heels of the shoes of those in front of you in lines. Are the heels run down? Are the shoes new?How many cars are in the parking lots of local restau-rants on weekends?

When the economy is better, people feel safer about spending a bit more.Not that this should change your own money-handling methods. While you might see more new cars on the road or your neighbors having their house painted or bottles of expensive wine in shopping carts, keep on track with your own spending plan. While we see signs of recovery, it’s uneven, and it’s not all across the board. It’s not completely over. We’re heading in the right direc-tion, though, as seen with large and small indications, but we’re not there yet.For one more year: Keep saving, and keep your credit balances low or paid off. Keep shopping at thrift stores, especially for kids clothes and toys. Change your own oil, if you haven’t been. Stick to your budget and have pizza and movie night at home. Don’t open new lines of credit. Conserve on heating and cooling. Keep up with yard and house maintenance so repairs don’t cost you more later.Aim for having one year of expenses in the bank. Yes, that’s a lot, but many people have been out of work for longer than that. Given our recent experiences, perhaps you’ll even de-cide to stick long term with some of the lifestyle changes you’ve made.

David Uffington regrets that he cannot personally an-swer 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, Or-lando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com.

Is the Economy Getting Better?

1. MOVIES: Who played the role of “Pardner” in the Western musical “Paint Your Wagon”?2. GEOGRAPHY: Minsk is the capital of what for-mer Soviet republic?3. LITERATURE: In “Gone With the Wind,” what were the first names of the Tarleton twins?4. HISTORY: When did the Suez Canal open?5. MYTHOLOGY: Who was the Norse trickster god?6. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What sport did Scot-land ban in 1457 for fear that it was interfering with the practice of archery, a vital part of the national defense?7. MUSIC: Frank Sinatra first gained major fame by singing for which Big Band leader?8. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who served as FDR’s secre-tary of war 1940-1945?9. U.S. STATES: Which state’s nickname is the Pine Tree State?10. FOOD & DRINK: What type of fruit is known as a honeydew?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You might feel more encouraged about changes in your personal and/or professional life. However, it might be best not to rush things but rather work with them as they evolve.TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) The Bovine’s business sense is especially keen this week. But remember that it’s always best to investigate before investing. Make sure there are no hidden factors that can rise up later on.GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Working on a fam-ily project could create tension between and among those concerned. Your good sense and your patience can help reduce bad attitudes and raise positive feel-ings.CANCER (June 21 to July 22) You should be seeing more progress in the development of your plans and more supporters joining in. News from the past could help change someone’s long-held position.LEO (July 23 to August 22) With personal aspects strong this week, Leos and Leonas might want to spend more time with family and others who are es-pecially close to them. Also expect news of a possible career change.VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Taking a strong stand can be helpful this week. But be careful you don’t cross the line into obstinacy. Best to take a posi-tion on facts as they are, not as you want them to be.LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You have a strong sense of the needs of others. This week, turn some of that sensitivity into an honest self-appraisal, and let it find places where you can help yourself.SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Creating an emotional comfort zone to handle a personal prob-lem helps at first. But by midweek, you’ll realize you need to deal with it directly or it could linger for too long.SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Turning the page on a mistake to start fresh might not be the thing to do. Better to go over each step that led up to the decision you made and see which one misled you.CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Goats enjoy a varied diet, but eating crow isn’t on the menu -- at least not this week. An embarrassing situation might have gone wrong before you got into it. Check it out.AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Your sense of honesty might impel you to speak up about a situ-ation you disapprove of. That’s fine. But do so without sounding accusatory. You might not know all the facts behind it.PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Being asked to create a reassuring attitude in the middle of chaos isn’t easy, but you can do it. Support for your efforts comes slowly, but it does come. Enjoy an arts-filled weekend.BORN THIS WEEK: Your honesty about people and issues is expressed in a positive, not painful, way.

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OVERCOMING THE ODDS: ALBERT EINSTEIN

The name of Albert Einstein is synonymous with the word “genius,” but it nearly didn’t turn out that way. Follow along as Tidbits examines the life of this fa-mous physicist, philosopher and author, born in March of 1879.

• Experiencing difficulties with language, Albert Ein-stein didn’t begin to speak until he was nearly four years old. He didn’t read until age nine and was con-sidered slow and even borderline mentally retarded by some of his teachers. The headmaster of his school advised Einstein’s parents to send him to a trade school. There was nothing wrong with his intelligence — the real problem was dyslexia, and when he trans-ferred to a school that stressed “creative thinking and hands-on learning,” Einstein’s academic performance took a giant leap forward.

• In 1896, at the age of 17, he renounced his citi-zenship in the German Kingdom of Wurttemberg to avoid conscription in the military. He enrolled in Switzerland’s Federal Institute of Technology, where he received his diploma in 1901 and acquired Swiss citizenship the same year. When Einstein couldn’t find a teaching position after months of searching, he took a job as an examiner in the Swiss Patent Office evaluating patent applications for electromagnetic devices, a position he held for seven years.

• During his employ at the Patent Office, Einstein earned his doctorate from the University of Zurich and began publishing papers on the photoelectric effect, relativity, and matter and energy. His earlier papers attempted to prove that atoms exist and were written at a time when physicists did not accept this view.

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I have an 8-year-old Schnauzer, “Fixer,” who has recently started getting into things during the night, after I’m in bed. He has torn open bags, taken things from my purse and gotten into my grandkids’ arts and crafts box. Now I have to be careful not to leave anything around. We have not changed the way we are doing things. Could this be his age? -- Phyllis H., Rochester, N.Y.

DEAR PHYLLIS: I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend you take him to the veterinarian first thing, just to make sure there is no underlying health issue causing his sudden behavioral change.If everything checks out, tackle the problem from two angles. First, even though you haven’t changed his daily schedule, something subtle may have changed in the house or yard. Pay attention to nighttime happenings. Is there some new noise outside? Did something happen while you were asleep, perhaps, that may have caused Fixer to become anxious?Next, make some changes in his day and night

routine that will help him feel more secure when you’re asleep. Extend his evening walk a bit and add some basic obedience training and play time to the evening schedule. When it’s your bedtime, lead Fixer over to his bedding and have him lie down and stay. Check back in five minutes, then in 30; if he’s still in his bed, praise him and give him a little treat. If he’s not in his bed, lead him back and repeat. Place a favorite chew toy next to him.At first, Fixer will hop right back out once he thinks you’re asleep and proceed with his nightly rummaging. Be patient. It will take some time for him to associate this routine with the idea that you want him to stay there at night. Meantime, keep placing people things out of reach. Put doggie toys in their place.

Midnight RamblerBy Sam Mazzotta

Looking for more pet advice and information? Check out pawscorner.com online! Send your pet questions and tips to ask@pawscorner.com, or write to Paw’s Cor-ner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

EINSTEIN (continued):

• The 20th century’s best-known equation was Einstein’s E = mc2, which suggests that small amounts of mass could be converted into large amounts of energy. He was finally being recog-nized by the academic world and by 1908, at age 29, was considered a leading scientist. A teach-ing position was finally his at the University of Zurich.

• By 1914, Einstein was once again a German citi-zen and director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. In 1921, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

• In 1933, as the Nazis rose to power in Germany under Adolf Hitler, Jews were barred from teach-ing at universities. The Nazis began book burn-ings, and Einstein’s works were some of the first to go. His name was on a list of assassination targets. He renounced his German citizenship, emigrated to the United States and became the Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton Uni-versity.

• In 1939, as World War II was brewing, Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt warning him of the possibility that the Nazis might be working on an atomic bomb. It was Ein-stein’s recommendation that the United States should begin research into the use of uranium, and the top secret “Manhattan Project” was put in place to develop the first nuclear weapons. Although Einstein himself did not work on the bomb project, he later expressed sadness that the bomb was used against civilian populations, saying, “I made one great mistake in my life — when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt, but there was some justification — the danger that the Germans would make them.”

• Einstein made one last citizenship change in his life in 1940, becoming an American citizen. Four months after his death in 1955, chemical element 99 was named Einsteinium. In 1999, he was named “Person of the Century” by Time magazine.

1. Willie Mays.2. Fourteen seasons with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers (1996-2009).3. Pittsburgh has appeared in 15, beginning in the 1972 season.4. Tony Delk hit seven in the championship game in 1996.5. Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Hejduk, Marian Hossa, Vincent Lecavalier and Joe Thornton.6. Lewis Hamilton was 23 years, 301 days old when he won the world title in 2008.7. John McEnroe, in 1984.

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