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WORLD WAR II When Roosevelt and Churchill were scheduled to meet in 1943, they knew the Germans were desperate to find out where the meeting would be. News was leaked that it would be at the place identified in code as Casablanca. The Germans figured that since “casablanca” was Spanish for white house, the meeting would take place at the White House. They sent all their spies to monitor the White House while Roosevelt and Churchill had an uneventful meeting in Casablanca, Morocco.

• On December 6, 1941, President Roos-evelt sent a message to Emperor Hirohito in Japan pleading for peace. He sent the message by telegraph in a simple code used for every-day transmissions. In Japan, the telegram sat for ten hours unread due to a backlog of messages. Had he sent the mes-sage in a top security code, it would have reached the Emperor immediately. But it did not— and the next day, Pearl Harbor was attacked.

• Actress Lucille Ball reported that every time she walked near a certain area, she heard Japanese radio broadcasts coming across some lead fillings in her teeth. An investigation revealed a Japanese radio sta-tion hidden underground.turn the page for more!

• On December 6, 1941, Japan was prepar-ing to mount an attack on Pearl Harbor. A Japanese spy in Pearl Harbor walked right up to the telegraph office in town and sent a dispatch to his confederates describing

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where the warships were located. The tele-gram cost $6.82 and apparently nobody in the telegraph office thought it was suspi-cious.

• On Dec. 6, 1941, a new employee at the Office of Naval Intelligence, Mrs. Dorothy Edgers (who had been employed there only a month), decoded an intercepted Japanese message that indicated Honolulu was to be the target of a Japanese attack. She showed it to her superior officer, who said it need-ed more work and could wait until Monday.

• In May of 1942, the Japanese were pre-paring to mount a major attack somewhere in the Central Pacific. The U.S. had broken the Japanese code and were aware of the impending attack. However, they didn’t know what the target would be. The Japa-nese called the target “AF” and the Ameri-cans could not figure out what place that denoted. Then they came up with a scheme: they had Midway send an uncoded message saying their water distillation plant had broken down and they were short on drink-ing water. Then they monitored the Japa-nese transmissions. Two days later, they intercepted a coded message from Japan reporting that “AF” was short of drinking water. When the Japanese descended on Midway, the American forces were ready and waiting.

• When agents stormed the Japanese em-bassy in Portugal, they seized a Japanese code book, thinking it would be helpful to the Allies. What they didn’t know was that the Allies had already broken the code. Now that Japan knew the code book had been stolen, they changed the code. It took a year before the U.S. could break the new code.

WORLD WAR I• When American decoding experts in-tercepted and deciphered a message from Germany to Mexico, they found that Ger-many was offering Mexico a large chunk of the United States if only Mexico would join with them in the war. This message was pivotal in pushing the U.S. into World War I.

• Zeppelin L-49 was returning to Germany during World War I after having bombed London. It was over France when it ran out of fuel. There was no way the aircraft was going to make it back to Germany. The captain, knowing they were doomed to be captured, knew it was essential to get rid of the code books. But he couldn’t burn the books because the zeppelin was filled with f lammable gas. So he ordered his men to shred the books and toss the pieces of paper over the side. When they were captured, Colonel Richard Williams of the U.S. Army Intelligence was frus-trated when he found that the code books had been destroyed. So he sent the troops out to search the ground following the path the airship had taken. By nightfall they had collected 22 sacks full of tiny scraps of paper. Williams set his men to the task of reconstructing the book. By midnight they had put together a complete map of the North Sea showing the call sign positions for a U-boat rendezvous.

• William and Elizabeth Friedman were a married team of cryptanalysts who were

turn the page for more!

Once again, Happy Thursday to all of our Tidbits readers out there! We hope you’ve had a wonderful winter week and you’re staying warm in this cold weather.

We have some fun things in this weeks issue including all of your favorites: Super Crossword, Sudoku, Snowflakes, Hocus Focus and more! There’s also a special Dollars and Sense column on the back page with some great money saving tips!

Be sure to pick up next weeks edition as we will be featuring a special Valentine’s Day 101: Date Night Guide! You’ll find information about local restaurants specials, great gift ideas, and fun ideas for your valentine.

Can’t wait to see you next week!

Harrison and Jennifer BurkeOwners/PublishersJBurke Publishing

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A Note from the EditorsSECRET CODES

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Sweet green pepper and corn added to sea-soned chunks of sirloin beef up this Super Bowl stew from Country Living magazine.

2 1/2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak2 tablespoons vegetable oil2 medium onions, chopped3 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 can (28-ounce) tomato sauce1 tablespoon chili powder1 tablespoon ground cumin2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves1 teaspoon salt2 medium sweet green peppers, cut into 1-inch squares1 package (10-ounce) frozen whole-kernel cornCorn tortilla chips (optional)

1. Trim off any fat from sirloin and discard. Cut sirloin into 1-inch cubes.2. In heavy 6-quart saucepot, heat 1 table-spoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half of sirloin cubes. Saute until pieces are browned on all sides -- about 5 minutes. Remove sirloin to a bowl; repeat to brown remaining sirloin cubes.3. Add remaining tablespoon oil to sauce-pot; add onions and saute until soft and translucent -- 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Return browned sirloin and any juices to saucepot.4. Stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt. Heat chili to boiling over high heat; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.5. Stir green peppers and corn into chili mixture. Cook 30 to 45 minutes longer or until meat and vegetables are tender, stir-ring occasionally.6. To serve, stir chili and ladle into soup plates. Garnish with tortilla chips, if de-sired, or keep chili warm up to 2 hours over very low heat for guests to help themselves as desired. Serves 8.

Each serving: About 400 calories, 17g total fat (0g saturated), 108mg cholesterol, 974mg sodium, 19g total carbs, 4g dietary fiber, 44g protein.

(c) 2013 Hearst Communications, Inc.All rights reserved

Texas-Style Chili

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instrumental in cracking many codes. Once the British sent them some sample messag-es from a new encoding device they were considering using throughout the British Army. Within three hours of receiving the five messages, the Friedmans had deci-phered them. The first message, ironically enough, said, “This cipher is absolutely indecipherable.”

EARLIER WARS• A captured slave was brought to Gen-eral Lysander, leader of the Spartan forces around 400 B.C. A message the slave was carrying was handed to the General. There were many hostilities going on, so Ly-sander suspected the message would bear important information. However, it did not. Then he noticed the slave’s belt was decorated with a series of letters that made no sense. He took the belt and wrapped it around a thin rod. There, down the side of the rod, was a perfectly legible message. It said that the Persians— who were sup-posed to be allies of the Spartans— were planning to take over. Thus forewarned, Lysander rushed his forces back to Sparta and ruined the plot.

• Around 300 B.C. Histiaeos was the gov-ernor of the ancient Greek city Miletus. He was being held under guard and couldn’t get any messages out— but it was impera-tive that he inform his people behind en-emy lines that he planned to overthrow Darius, the king of Persia. He shaved the head of his servant and tattooed the mes-sage on his scalp. After the hair grew back, he sent the servant out on an errand. The message was delivered.

• During the Revolutionary War, messages were sent via Anna Strong’s clothesline. She signaled an American spy whenever a boatman was ready to carry secret mes-sages across Long Island Sound. A black petticoat hung out to dry meant that the boatman was waiting. The number of han-kies next to it indicated which cove he was hiding in.

• Paul Bernard was a French spy in World War I who sent his secret messages home by writing the essential information in the top right-hand corner of postcards, and then putting postage stamps over the writ-ing.

• Thomas Jefferson invented a coding instrument called the wheel cipher that is still used by the U.S. Navy today.

SECRET CODES(continued): SECRET CODES

(continued):

• I t was German-born theoretical physi-cist (and sometime philosopher) Albert Einstein who made the following sage observation: “An empty stomach is not a good polit ical adviser.”

• According to research conducted at Rutgers University, graduate students who are studying business are more l ikely to cheat than students in any other field of study.

• You’ve almost certainly heard of Su-preme Court Associate Justice Thur-good Marshall , the first black American to serve as such. You might not know, though, that he was known to call a court recess at 1 p.m. so he could watch the soap opera “Days of Our Lives.”

• Cheese has been around for a long t ime, and i t can last longer than you may think. In Ireland 25 years ago, a hunk of cheese was discovered that dated back 1,700 years -- and i t was st i l l edible.

• If you’re l ike the average person, the hair on your head takes two to three months to grow 1 inch.

• At the 1904 World’s Fair in Saint Lou-is , i t was particularly hot. An ice-cream vendor was doing so much business that he ran out of the cups in which he was serving the ice cream. He looked to the other foodsellers to see if they had any spare containers that would be useful, but he had no luck. Finally, des-perate not to lose any more business, he bought some waffles from a nearby vendor and wrapped one around each scoop of ice cream as he sold i t . The result was even more popular than ice-cream in a cup, and thus the ice cream cone was born.

• The most common surname in Ger-many is Schultz.

***

Thought for the Day: “Life is hard. Af-ter all , i t kil ls you.” -- Katharine Hep-burn

© 2013 King Features Synd., Inc.

by Samantha Weaver

1. Who was the last Milwaukee Brewers pitcher before Zack Greinke in 2011 to finish with a record at least 10 games above .500?

2. In 2012, Jordan Schafer tied a Houston Astros record for longest streak of getting on base to start a season (25 games). Who else holds the mark?

3. Entering the 2012 postseason, who held the NFL career playoff record for grabbing the most interceptions (nine)?

4. Patrick Ewing is Georgetown men’s basketball’s all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. Who is the school’s all-time leader in points scored?

5. How many times have the Los Angeles Kings swept an opponent in a seven-game NHL playoff series?

6. In 2012, San Jose striker Chris Wondolowski tied an MLS record for most goals in a season (27). Who else holds the record?

7. Who was the first boxer to win titles from major and minor sanctioning bodies in seven divisions?

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SILLY PUTTY During World War II, Japanese invasions of rubber-producing countries in the Far East vastly reduced availability of rubber in the U.S. In the 1940s, the U.S. War Production Board asked General Electric for help in de-veloping a cheap substitute for rubber so that production of things such as boots and tires could continue. G.E. hired James Wright, who created a compound after accidentally drop-ping some boric acid into silicone oil in 1943. • It stretched further than rubber; rebounded higher than rubber; was impervious to mold and decay; and could withstand all tempera-tures. The only problem was that scientists could find no real use for the stuff. In 1945, G.E. mailed samples to scientists all over the world, asking them to find a purpose for it. • Paul Hodgson happened to attend a party where some of the stuff was brought out. It entertained the party-goers for hours. He teamed up with the owner of a toy store and Silly Putty outsold everything else in the com-pany catalog with the exception of a 50 cent box of crayons. Still, the store owner wasn’t interested in pursuing Silly Putty, so Hodgson split off on his own. In 1950 Hodgson bought a huge glob of the stuff for $147 and hired a Yale student to separate it into one ounce balls and put it into plastic eggs, perhaps because Easter was coming up. Several months later when Silly Putty was mentioned in the “Talk of the Town” section of the New Yorker maga-zine, Hodgson’s phone rang off the hook and he collected a quarter million orders in only four days. A few years later, he was racking up sales of over six million dollars annually. Hodgson was soon a millionaire. • Today, Binney & Smith, owners of Cray-

ola, own the rights to Silly Putty. It comes in 16 different colors including glow-in-the-dark, glitter, metallic gold, and hot flourescent col-ors. There’s also Silly Putty that changes color depending on the temperature of your hands. You can even buy a five-pound block of Silly Putty for only $79. • In 2001 Silly Putty was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame located in Salem, Oregon. In addition, one of the original Silly Putty eggs is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. • Binny & Smith sponsored a contest ask-ing people to submit their silliest uses for Silly Putty. The winner suggested using it to replace your stockbroker by throwing a ball of it at the stock page in the newspaper and investing in whatever stock it lifts from the newsprint. Sec-ond place went to the woman who said it could be used to form a fake swollen gland to get out of an unwanted date. • What exactly is Silly Putty made of? Mostly it’s dimethyl siloxane, hydroxy-termi-nated plymers with boric acid. Add in a little thixotrol ST, a dash of polydimethylsiloxane, a pinch of decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane, and top it off with titanium dioxide, and that’s about all there is to it. • You can make your own sort-of silly putty at home by mixing two tablespoons of Borax and adding it to one cup of water, mixing well. Seperately add half a cup of water to half a cup of white glue. Next add half a cup of your Borax solution to the glue and water mixture. Mix well and store in a plastic bag. • It’s flammable and burns slowly with a bright white light. Microwaved for a few min-utes, it becomes excessively sticky but reverts to its original form when it cools. It smells horrible when baked.

To Your Good Health By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: This year I retired, at age 66. Since retirement I’ve been tormented with drenching sweats nightly. I mention the retirement because it’s the only thing in my life that has changed. Could there be a connection? I have to change my pajamas every night, and sometimes the bed linens. I feel well otherwise. I will appreciate anything you can tell me. -- D.D.

ANSWER: You and your doctor have to look for the rare but serious causes of night sweats. In the past, infections were the major cause, and tuberculosis headed the list of infectious causes. That’s no longer true. Diabetes, an overactive thyroid gland and cancers -- especially lymphomas (lymph node cancers) -- are other possible causes. It’s most unusual for night sweats to be the only sign of such illnesses. I can’t link your retirement to the problem.Have you taken your temperature at night? A normal temperature points to causes that are less indicative of something that has health consequences.Medicines might provoke sweating. Antidepressants, some of the diabetes medicines and thyroid hormone are examples. Aspirin resets the body’s thermostat. When its effect begins to wear off, profuse sweating can result.The following tips for controlling sweating are banalities, but they’re always mentioned. The heat and humidity of the bedroom have to be on the low side. Humidity of less than 40 percent is optimum.If sweating is confined to a particular body area, like the palms and soles, the face or the underarms, you have more treatment options. For generalized sweating, the choices are not as plentiful. Fans and air conditioners are another banal solution, but they often work. Some have found that Robinul (glycopyrrolate) or ProBanthine, each taken 45 minutes before going to bed, stop the production of excessive sweats.

Soaking Night Sweats are Daily TormentDEAR DR. DONOHUE: Can you give us some information on adult drooling? My husband, 87, is normal in all other ways, but cannot control his drooling. He won’t leave the house because of it. -- E.K.

ANSWER: With aging, we have less-effective swallowing mechanisms. In our younger years, saliva is constantly, automatically and imperceptibly swallowed throughout the day. At older ages, it stays in the mouth, and its only exit is through the lips.A second cause of drooling is the sagging of tissues around the mouth, another consequence of aging. The lips and mouth tissues cannot hold saliva in the mouth like they used to.Readers have made good suggestions on how to combat this problem. R.M. suggests applying a dab of Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream to the corners of the lips to create a dam that blocks saliva overflow. Vaseline works too.Robinul (glycopyrrolate) and scopolamine, the patch used for prevention of seasickness, slow the production of saliva. But they can have other unpleasant side effects that make them less useful for this purpose.Botox injections diminish saliva volume. Doctors can tie off some of the salivary ducts to achieve the same end. Start with the dam-building technique. It has no side effects and is inexpensive.

***

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

(c) 2013 North America Synd., Inc.All Rights Reserved

Page 5For Advertising Call (334) 505-0674(206) 902-7557

WOMEN IN HISTORY:SACAJAWEA

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson hired Lewis and Clark to explore the area. Lewis and Clark and their men left St. Louis on their journey in 1804, and stopped to spend their first winter with an Indian tribe in what is now North Dakota. There, they met a trapper from Quebec named Charbonneau, and his young Indian wife, Sacajawea. • Sacajawea was born in what is now Idaho around 1790. When she was 12, she was kidnapped and carried hundreds of miles away, to where Lewis and Clark met her. It is thought that Charbonneau won her hand in marriage in a card game. When Lewis and Clark met her, she was pregnant, and soon gave birth to a baby boy named Jean Baptist. • Lewis and Clark needed someone who was familiar with the territory to help guide them to the Pacific coast, and Charbonneau was a good match. Having his wife along was very advantageous for several reasons. First, she spoke Shoshone and served as an interpreter. Second, she was familiar with the country and helped make crucial deci-sions regarding which route they should take. Finally, having a woman and a baby along on the expedition convinced other tribes that the group of men was a peaceful party, and not a war party. • There was one other reason why her presence was important. Lewis and Clark knew that they would need to abandon their

boats in order to cross the mountain range that separates what is now Montana and Idaho. In order to do that, they would need to procure horses from the Indians. They hoped Sacajawea could help them negotiate a trade when the time came. • After months of grueling travel, the ex-plorers reached the head of the Missouri river in August of 1805, and began looking for Indians who could provide them with horses. Sacajawea recognized the area they were in, as it was very close to the place where she had been born. In an incredible stroke of luck, the first Indian scouting party they met was led by none other than Sacajawea’s own brother, who had not seen her since she had been kidnapped years before. It was an emo-tional reunion, which was made much harder when her brother was forced to tell her that their parents had died while she was away. Of course, Lewis and Clark and all their men were treated like family, loaded with provi-sions, and sold all the horses they needed to

make the difficult crossing. • Sacajawea, Charbonneau, and Jean Bap-tist remained with Lewis and Clark for the duration of their two-year journey, and even-tually even moved to St. Louis at the request of Clark. Clark even adopted Jean Baptist as his own son, making sure the boy received the best possible education and ensuring he was given many opportunities to travel the world. Jean Baptist died at the age of 61. • What became of Sacajawea is uncer-tain. It’s known that she gave birth to a baby daughter while she lived in St. Louis, who died as a child. Some claim Sacajawea died of a fever at the age of 25; others say she died an old woman in 1884. • It is sad to reflect that if Sacajawea died in 1884, she would have lived long enough to see the genocide and subjugation of the Indian nation by the very nation of people she had assisted by leading them across the wilderness as a young woman.

Tidbits® of Dallas County Page 6 Tidbits® of Sno-King Counties

1. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What does it mean to be polydactyl?

2. TELEVISION: What TV series produced a spin-off series called “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C”?

3. U.S. STATES: Which state has only one syllable in its name?

4. MUSIC: What did singer Art Gar-funkel do for a living earlier in his career?

5. GEOGRAPHY: What U.S. city is nicknamed “Beantown”?

6. LITERATURE: In Greek tragedy, what does the tragic hero need to possess in order for the story to unfold properly?

7. GEOLOGY: What kind of rock can float?

8. ENGINEERING: What is a girder?

9. MEASUREMENTS: How long is a fortnight?

10. RELIGION: Who founded the Church of England?

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1. To be born with extra toes or fingers2. “The Andy Griffith Show”3. Maine4. He was a math teacher.5. Boston6. Hamartia, or a fatal flaw7. Pumice8. A beam, usually made of steel9. Two weeks10. King Henry VIII

Page 8 Tidbits® of Dallas CountyTidbits® of Sno-King Counties

1. Chris Bosio was 16-6 in 1992.2. Denis Menke, in 1969.3. Ronnie Lott, Bill Simpson and Charlie Waters.4. Eric “Sleepy” Floyd, with 2,304 points.5. Once -- they swept St. Louis in 2012.6. Roy Lassiter had 27 goals for Tampa Bay in 1996.7. Hector “Macho” Camacho won his seventh in 2001.

© 2013 King Features Synd., Inc.

• “If you lose a contact lens, try turning off the lights and using a flashlight held perpendicular to the floor. They sort of reflect the light, and as you move the beam of light across the floor, it will flash. This has helped me many times. I am a lit-tle clumsy when I put my contacts in.” -- R.E. in South Carolina

• Here’s a great diet control tip: When serving dinner, portion out the meal, then pack up the left-overs right away. You won’t be as tempted to go back and have sec-onds, nor stuff a few more mouth-fuls in when cleaning up later.

• “I have a medicine that I take with every meal. Surprisingly, it’s difficult to remember whether I took it al-ready when I’m eating on the go or out with friends. I keep small con-tainers in my purse labeled ‘lunch’ and ‘dinner,’ each with one pill in-side. Before I eat, I look in the con-tainer. If a pill is there, it means I forgot to take it. I refill the contain-er when I get home and it’s ready for next time.” -- E.L in Texas

• “Last year, I had a large wall cal-endar at the office. It was a wet-erase calendar with the year on one side and a ‘planning space’ on the back. When the year was over, I needed a new calendar, but the blank side was stil l useable. I took it home and cut it to fit inside my kitchen cabinets. Now I have a handy space to jot notes and such.” -- R.W. in Colorado

• “Here’s a fun game for kids to play with cookies: Stamp alphabet letters into the top of mini cook-ies, or use a kebab skewer to write words. Then let the kids spell out their name or make sentences or silly phrases.” -- B.D. in Mississippi

Remember how great it felt to get 2 percent more in your paycheck two years ago when the Social Secu-rity tax was reduced? For 2011 and 2012, the rate for employees went from 6.2 percent down to 4.2 percent. Now that 2 percent tax is back, and your paycheck will be 2 percent smaller. Even if you were lucky enough to receive a raise in the meanwhile, the price of groceries alone has followed suit. With 2 percent taken from your current paycheck, you’ll likely feel the pinch.There are places, however, where you can find money to make up that 2 percent, and maybe more. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling has offered up a list of 10 suggestions for adding dollars back into your budget.--Adjust your withholding. If you receive a tax refund every year, you’re essentially giving the government an interest-free loan. Adjust your deductions so you get more of that money in your paycheck. Use the

worksheet at www.irs.gov.--Pay with cash. You’ll save the interest and fees you would be charged using a credit card.--Refinance. If you own a home, investigate whether refi-nancing will get you a lower monthly payment.--Find $10 in each of 10 categories per month. Shave $10 off the grocery bill. Rent a movie instead of going to a the-ater. Use the library instead of buying books. Turn down the thermostat one degree F. Take your morning coffee from home instead of stopping on the way to work.--Do it yourself. Don’t pay for things you can do yourself, such as lawn mowing, house cleaning and easy interior projects such as painting.--Change your habits. Don’t automatically buy weekly lot-tery tickets. Read newspapers online.--Declutter, especially if you have a rented storage space. You’ll save the monthly fee, and if you sell the extra items, you can pocket that money, too.--Get comparisons on all your insurance policies -- auto, home, life. Ask about discounts for combining policies or good driving.--Check your bank statement for avoidable fees. Get enough cash so you don’t have to use non-network ATMS. If fees are not negotiable for other bank services, consider changing banks. --Turn your skills into cash. Not everyone knows what you do, and others might pay for your abilities.

10 Ways to Save

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