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Featured VendorsMiller Vintage Spoon JewelrySomething Special JewelryPerception Photography by HopeStain Glass By Glass Gone WildPearl Wood Crafts & CarvingsSay-u-Stuffed BearsKim Westcott Bath & Beauty

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A TEMPTING TIDBITS THANKSGIVING TREAT:TENDER TURKEY TRIVIAby Robyn DawsonThe bird is the word in this week’s edition of Tidbits. Take a break from your raking and shopping and baking and cleaning (oh no, the in-laws are coming!) while we “talk turkey.”• YoumayhaveheardthatBenjaminFranklinwantedthetur-key to be our national bird, but that’s not entirely true. Rather, he thought that any bird – and then mentioned the turkey as an exam-ple – was a better choice than the eagle. In a letter to his daughter, he made reference to the eagle’s “bad moral character. It perches inatree,”hecontinued,“thenstealsthepreycaughtbyafishinghawk, because the eagle is too lazy to hunt for itself.”• Theslanguseoftheword“turkey”toindicatesomethingasbeing inferior or a failure dates back to late 1920s show business. Invaudeville,anactthatfailedtoselltickets(oronethatwaslame enough to be booed off stage) was labeled a “turkey,” pre-sumably due to the bird’s reputation for stupidity.• The“TurkeyTrot”wasalltherageatdancehallsduringtheveryearly1900s.Performedtoragtimemusic,thedancewasdone with four sideways hopping steps on one foot, then four hops back on the other foot.turn the page for more!

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pg. 2TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):• TheNavajowerelikelythefirstNativeAmericanstodomesticatethe turkey. They worked to keep wild turkeys away from their crops, but were losing that battle. So they turned the tables and fenced the birds in. Byfeedingandfatteningthem,theywereeasiertohandle(andyieldedmoremeat).Besidesdinner,turkeysalsoprovideddecorativeornamentalfeathersfortheNavajo.

• ButterballturkeyshavebeenaholidaytraditionintheUnitedStatesfor the past 50 years. Many home cooks are under the impression that thenamemeansthatthebirdhadbeeninjectedwithbutter,butthisisnotthecase.Butterballisactuallyaspecificbreedofturkey.Theyhaveall-whitefeathersandhaveextra-broadbreasts.AfewweeksaftersalespeakinAmerica,Butterballbecomesthebest-sellingbrandinGreatBritainatChristmas.(Remember,ourU.K.friendsdon’tcelebrateAmerica’sThanksgiving!)

• RoastedturkeydrumsticksarestaplesnacksatRenaissanceFestivalsacrossAmerica.TheturkeyisnativetoNorthAmerica,however,anditdidn’t make its way across the Atlantic until the mid-16th century. The bottomlineisthatturkeyisnotauthenticmedievalfood.Backinthosedays,kingsandknavesandknightsfeastedonpeacockandswan,neitherofwhichisreadilyavailableinmostAmericanrestaurantsupplystores.

• Caruncle,Wattle&Snood…no,thisisn’tthenameofalawfirm.Thosearethepropertermsforthebitsoffleshyskinthatgrowonatur-key’s head. The snoodistheflapthatflopsoveritsbeak.Thecaruncles are the colorful growths on the throat, and the wattle is the skin that hangs under its throat. When all three turn bright red, the turkey is either sexuallyexcitedorveryangry.Ineithercase,you’llwanttostayoutofits way!

TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):• Onlymaleturkeys–knownastoms – make the “gobble, gobble” noiseweassociatewiththebirds.Females(hens) make a clicking noise. Like chickens, domestic turkeys are bred for meat, so their weight and shapepreventthemfromhavingtheabilitytoflymorethanafewfeet.Eventhoughtheycan’tfly,however,turkeyby-productsarevery well-traveled.WhenNeilArmstrongandBuzzAldrintoreintotheirfirstmealon the surface of the Moon in July 1969, those foil packets offered roast turkey with all the trimmings.

• Unlikechickenandduckfeathers,turkeyfeathersaretoostiffforuseasstuffingforpillowsandduvets.Somelarger,morecolorfulturkeyfeathersmaybesavedandsoldfordecorativepurposesorcraftprojects,but most are ground up into compost.

• Theclassic“TurkeysAway”episodeofthe1970ssitcomWKRP in Cincinnatiwasreportedlybasedonarealevent.WKRP creator Hugh Wilson had a “friend” that worked for an Atlanta radio station. The sta-tiondecidedtotossliveturkeysoutofahelicopterforaThanksgivingpromotion.JustliketheTVepisoderevealed,noneofthoseinvolvedwiththestuntwereawarethatdomesticturkeyscouldn’tfly.Alocalshopping center was bombarded with turkeys hitting the ground “like bagsofwetcement.”(“AsGodismywitness,Ithoughtturkeyscouldfly!”)

• BigBirdofSesame Street fame is clad in a costume made of real turkey feathers – those plucked from the hind end of the birds, to be more specific.AcompanycalledAmericanPlumeandFancyFeatherselectsthefeathersforthisuse.TheChildren’sTelevisionWorkshopthenin-spectsthefeathers(nineoutof10ofthemarerejected),andthechosenwhitefeathersaredyedyellowandattachedtoBigBird’soutfit.

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TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):• Eventhemostcasualbowlerknowsthatit’scalleda“turkey”whenaplayerbowlsthreestrikesinarow.Backintheearly1900s,bowlingal-leyproprietorsofferedliveturkeysasanawardtoanyplayerthatscoredthreeconsecutivestrikes.ThesecontestsweretypicallyheldaroundThanksgivingandChristmas,butevenduringthetimeswhenabirdwasn’t presented as a trophy, the term was still used to congratulate a bowlerforajobwelldone.

• It’snowaThanksgivingtraditionforaliveturkeytobepresentedbytheNationalTurkeyFederationtotheU.S.president(whograntsitanofficialpardon).InsteadofbeingearmarkedforThanksgivingdinner,theturkeyisthenrelegatedtoafarmorpettingzootoliveoutitslife.ManyreportsstatethatHarryTrumanwasthefirstpresidenttograntthebirdapardon,butthatisnottrue.JohnF.Kennedywasthefirstpresidenttodeclare that the gift gobbler would not appear on the White House dinner table.

• Theclassicfolkmelodycalled“TurkeyintheStraw”firstgainedpopularityviaminstrelshowsinthemid-1800s.Thereisnocopyrightinformationavailableregardingthesong,sotheauthorofthetunere-mainsamystery.However,thesonghasearnedatleastoneunusualplaceinpophistory:intheUnitedStates,itisthetunemostusedbyicecreamtrucks to attract customers.

• SourcesrevealthatnoneofthehotoilturkeyfryersavailableonthemarkethavebeenapprovedbyUnderwritersLaboratories,forthesimplereasonthatthegadgetsarejusttoodangerous.Evenwhentheconsumerfollows the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter, the units are un-steady and unpredictable. If you plan to deep fry your turkey, do not do it indoors and neverleavethefryerunattended.

ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ TIDBITS:MILLARD FILLMOREMillardFillmorewasthe13thpresidentoftheUnitedStates,andinhiscase,thenumberwastrulyunlucky.There’sareasonthatyouneverhearverymuchaboutFillmore’spresidency:hewasdislikedinamajorwayby most of the people he worked with, including members of Congress, membersofhisCabinet,andevenmembersofhisownParty.Sowhywasheelected?Hewasn’t…butwe’llgettothat.

• MillardFillmorewasborninalogcabinnearupstateNewYork’sFingerLakesonJanuary7,1800.(Hewasthelastpresidentborninthe18thcentury,sincethe19thcenturydidn’tbeginuntil1801.)Insteadofattending school, Millard worked on his father’s farm. He apprenticed withatailor,butdislikedthejob.At18,hedecidedtocatchupontheeducation that he’d missed. His teacher, Abigail Powers, was only two yearshiselder.Thetwogotalongfamously,andFillmoreprovedafastlearnerinmorewaysthanone.(PowerslaterbecameMrs.MillardFill-more.)

• Despitehislatestart,in1819,Millardmadethestudyoflawhischo-senfield.Onlyfouryearslater,hewasadmittedtothebarandopenedaprivatepracticeinEastAurora,NY.Atthispointinhislife,Fillmorewasactuallyawell-likedindividual.Hewasconsideredattractiveanddressedsharply.Healsoprovedhisskillsasanattorney,andmovedhispracticetoBuffalo.

• Withthesupportofcolleagues,MillardFillmorewonaseatinthestatelegislaturein1828.Afterfouryears,hesteppeduptothenationalranksbybecomingaU.S.representative.Fillmorejoinedthethen-newWhigParty,whichopposedtheDemocratsinthemid-1800s.(TheWhigswereeventuallyabsorbedintotheRepublicanParty).

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pg. 4MILLARD FILLMORE (continued):• InCongress,FillmorejoinedHenryClayinpushingforasolutiontothegrowingdividebetweentheNorthandSouth.MillardlosttheNewYorkgubernatorialracein1844,butthentookajobasstatecomptroller,placinghishandsfirmlyonNewYork’s“pursestrings.”ManyexpectedHenryClaytowintheWhigpresidentialnominationin1848,butitwentto a man who opposed “backing down” to the South: Zachary Taylor. To maintainpeaceinpartyranks,Clay’sfriendFillmorebecameTaylor’srunning mate.

• TheWhigswonthepresidency,andTaylortookofficein1849.WhileheentertainedClay’sideaofmakingslaverylegalinselectednewU.S.states,heultimatelyrejectedtheidea,andmostofWashingtonsupportedhim.Butlessthanayearandahalfintohisterm,Taylorpassedaway,andMillardFillmorebecamepresident.UnlikeTaylor,FillmorefeltthathecouldavoidCivilWarandmakeeveryonehappybystrengtheningslaverylawsinexistingstateswhiledisallowingthepracticeinanynewstates.

• TheCompromiseof1850servedtoalienate,ratherthansatisfy,allinvolved.Fillmore’sentirecabinetresignedinprotest.ManyWhigswereangry with him for betraying the work that Taylor had performed in of-fice.TheDemocratsdidn’tlikeMillard’ssuddenshiftintheory,sinceitcauseddivisionsintheirownpartyaswellaswithintheWhigs.North-ernerswereupsetthattheCompromiseincludedincreasedslavefugitivemeasures. Southerners were miffed that California would be admitted as a free state.

• Needlesstosay,MillardFillmorewasnotreelectedtoasecondterminoffice.Anill-advisedcampaignforthe“KnowNothing”Partyin1856did, well, nothing.Fillmorepassedawayin1874.TV: BEYOND THE STARSby Ryan ToepferTidbits takes a sneak peek behind the celebrities (and the sound stage) to revealsomethemoretechnicalaspectsoftheworldoftelevision.

• ThatideabehindtheEmergencyAlertSystemstartedintheearlydays of the Cold War. In 1951, President Truman launched an emergency notificationsystemcalledCONELRAD(ControlofElectromagneticRadiation).ThefearwasthattheUSSRmightbeabletohoneinonU.S.radiosignalsandusethemasbeaconsfortheiratomicmissiles.UnderCONELRAD,allradiostationswouldceasebroadcastingafteranalertfromtheWhiteHouse.By1963,theSovietUnionhadswitchedtobal-listicmissiles,sothesystemwasreplacedbytheEmergencyBroadcastSystem (now the Emergency Alert System).

• Beforeovernighthoursweresoldforinfomercials,TVstationssigned off at night (usually around one or two o’clock in the morning). EventhoughFCCregulationsonlyrequiredthatstationsidentifythem-selvespriortosignoffbycallsign,cityoflicense,andchannelnumber,most stations produced custom farewell messages that included patriotic filmfootageandsongs.

• PublicServiceAnnouncementsvaryfromwarmfuzzymessagestodire warnings of some sort. The Ad Council, the organization behind thosePSAs,wasformedin1942.AgroupofMadisonAvenuetypeswantedtocontributetotheWareffortwithoutactuallyleavingtheircushyjobs.TheresultwasaseriesofadsencouragingAmericanstobuywarbonds.TheyweresosuccessfulthatPresidentRooseveltencouragedtheorganizationtocontinuetheirworkevenaftertheWarhadended.PeoplethatappearinPSAspots,whethercelebritiesorcivilians,getnopay and no residuals for their work.

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TOYOURGOODHEALTHByPaulG.Donohue,M.D.ArteriesMakeBetterGraftsThanVeinsDEARDR.DONOHUE:I had a triple coronary artery bypass in April 1998.Thevesselusedforthe grafts was taken from my leg.A cardiologist tells me thatthelegvesselgraftneeds replacement in eight years. It is not as good as grafts taken from arter-ies in the arm or the chest wall.Ifeelfine.Ithasbeen 10 years since my operation.AmIlivingonborrowed time? Why isn’t thelegvesselasgoodasthe others? -- W.P.ANSWER: Hold on a minute. Predictions about thelongevityofgraftsforclogged arteries are haz-ardous. The source of the graft is not the sole factor in its life span. The gen-eral health of the person getting the graft is most important. Diabetes, for example,hasanegativeeffectonallbloodvessels,including grafts. If graft recipientsmakemajorchangesinhowtheylive-- watch their weight, keep their cholesterol low, get exercise, pay atten-

tion to blood pressure and don’t smoke -- then their grafts are bound to stay healthy for a long time.Thelegvesselyouspeakof is a long and large leg vein.Veinsarenotthesame as arteries. Arteries havetostanduptopres-sure that is much higher thanitisinveins,soarteries are tougher. At fiveyears,75percentofveingraftsarefunctioningwell, and at 15 years, 50 percent are still in good shape. Some last much longer.The “chest wall” graft isn’t from the chest wall. These grafts come from arteries within in the chest. They are directly hooked up to heart arter-ies,sotheyhavelonglives--aslongasarterieshave.Mostofthesegraftsstay open for 20 or more years. Many heart surgeons use an arm artery as the source of their grafts. The armdoesquitewellwithonlyonemajorartery.These grafts are better thanveingrafts.They’rearteries.Theyhavealifespan between that of a veingraftandthatoftheinner chest artery graft.The booklet on coronary artery disease discusses this common problem in depth. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 101W, Box536475,Orlando,FL32853-6475.Encloseacheck or money order (no cash)for$4.75U.S./$6

pg. 6

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Seniors Want Meaningful Work.We already know this, but nowit’sofficialbecausea study was done: We seniors want meaning-ful work as we get older. We’re not ready to com-pletely retire, and we want our work hours and days to matter.TheMetLifeFounda-tion, in collaboration with CivicVentures,didasur-veytodeterminejusthowmany of us want to work, andwhatnonprofitwork-placesthinkofhavingolder workers. They con-tactedgroupsinallfields,such as community agen-cies,environmental,socialservices,healthcare,youthandcrisisinterven-tion. The results are good: We’rewanted.Ourexperi-encesarevaluable.We’rereliable and committed. In trade, employers offer flexiblehours,includingpart-time schedules.Theyevenhaveanamefor us now: Encore Work-ers. There’s a Web site for those of us who need ideas on starting our own encore career: www.en-core.org.There’s a section on how togetstartedfindingour next career, includ-

ing knowing our goals, revampingourresume,acingtheinterview--andfiguringouthowtopayfor it if we still need a healthy income.Don’t miss the career-finderfeature.PutinyourZIP code and your area of interest, and it lists positions. Just clicking through my ZIP code turned up some interesting jobs:historybufftoputtogether a local history, nonprofitfundraiserandseasonal retail help in a toy store. All are paid jobs.Ifyoufindthatyouneedajobagain(orstill)anddoubt your skills, there’s a group that can help. Experience Works assists low-income seniors with training and links to local programs to get seniors intojobs.Learnaboutitatwww.experienceworks.org orcall1-866-397-9757.

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answerreaderquestions,but will incorporate them intohercolumnwheneverpossible. Write to her in careofKingFeaturesWeeklyService,P.O.Box536475,Orlando,FL32853-6475,orsende-mail to columnreply@gmail.com.

PAWSCORNERBySamMazzotta

How to Correct a Pet Owner.Q: My son and his girl-friendhavetwoPomerani-ans.Oneisan8-year-oldfemale, “Sassy,” which the girlfriend had before they got together. The other is a male, “Junior,” now about 21 months old. Junior is considered my son’s dog, and he disciplineshimbyflip-pinghimoveronhisbackand scolding him. Now the dog growls and bares his teeth at my son if he comes near him. The dogwasverylovingatfirst.Whatdoyouthinkabout this, and how can itbefixed?--RodS.,viae-mail

A: It’s clear that you don’tapproveofthewayyour son disciplines his dog, and I agree with you -- that’s a terrible way to correct a dog. There are ways to show dominance without threatening your pet.Part of the issue is that Junior is a Pomeranian, abreedthatcanbequitetemperamental. Pomerani-ansalsocanbecomeveryneurotic in the wrong kind ofenvironment.Certainly,

not all Pomeranians are ill-tempered and neurotic, but they are small dogs -- energetic and excitable -- that often don’t toler-ate lots of people or loud noises. Idon’thavealotofadviceforyou,unfortu-nately. Junior has some issues, but there are no clear signs of neglect or abuse. And your son probably will not listen to adviceyouhavetogive--hemightevenbeinsultedthat you think he’s treat-ing Junior wrong. The best that you can do is lead by example. When visiting,beverycalmandsoothing around Junior. Ifthedog’sbehaviorinterfereswithyourvisit,kindly ask your son to place Junior in another roomuntilthevisitisover.Ifyouhaveadog,treat him or her as you normallywouldwheneveryoursonvisits,butdon’tpreach. I guarantee he is watching how you treat your dog.

Sendyourtips,questionsand comments to Paws Corner,c/oKingFeaturesWeeklyService,P.O.Box536475,Orlando,FL32853-6475,ore-mailthem to pawscorner@hotmail.com.

pg.7

November29,2008Holiday Parade1stAnnualHolidayParade,DowntownLowville,Beginingatthefairgrounds11:00am,downstatest.andendingatthefirehall.Mr.andMrs.Clausatthefirehallaftertheparade.Call(315)376-2213formoreinfo.

November30,2008Watertown Christmas ParadeStarts at Watertown High School at 1:00pm. CallStanZarembaformoreinformation(315)416-1087.

November30,2008Annual Hospice Craft FairDullesStateOfficeBuilding,Watertown.

Remember to bring your Toy Donationsto the Watertown Legion Post 61

TOYS for TOTS Drive! andhelplocalchildrenhaveagreatChristmas!

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pg.8