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A TEMPTING TIDBITS THANKSGIVING TREAT:

TENDER TURKEY TRIVIAby Robyn Dawson

The 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.”

• You may have heard that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird, but that’s not entirely true. Rather, he thought that any bird – and then mentioned the turkey as an example – 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 in a tree,” he continued, “then steals the prey caught by a fishing hawk, because the eagle is too lazy to hunt for itself.”

• The slang use of the word “turkey” to indicate something as being inferior or a failure dates back to late 1920s show business. In vaudeville, an act that failed to sell tickets (or one that was lame enough to be booed off stage) was labeled a “turkey,” presumably due to the bird’s reputation for stupidity.

• The “Turkey Trot” was all the rage at dance halls during the very early 1900s. Performed to ragtime music, the dance was done with four sideways hopping steps on one foot, then four hops back on the other foot.

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TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):• The Navajo were likely the first Native Americans

to domesticate the 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. By feeding and fattening them, they were easier to handle (and yielded more meat). Besides dinner, turkeys also provided decorative ornamental feathers for the Navajo.

• Butterball turkeys have been a holiday tradition in the United States for the past 50 years. Many home cooks are under the impression that the name means that the bird had been injected with butter, but this is not the case. Butterball is actually a specific breed of turkey. They have all-white feathers and have extra-broad breasts. A few weeks after sales peak in America, Butterball becomes the best-selling brand in Great Britain at Christmas. (Remember, our U.K. friends don’t celebrate America’s Thanksgiving!)

• Roasted turkey drumsticks are staple snacks at Renaissance Festivals across America. The turkey is native to North America, however, and it didn’t make its way across the Atlantic until the mid-16th century. The bottom line is that turkey is not authentic medieval food. Back in those days, kings and knaves and knights feasted on peacock and swan, neither of which is readily available in most American restaurant supply stores.

• Caruncle, Wattle & Snood… no, this isn’t the name of a law firm. Those are the proper terms for the bits of fleshy skin that grow on a turkey’s head. The snood is the flap that flops over its beak. The caruncles 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 sexually excited or very angry. In either case, you’ll want to stay out of its way!

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1. Is the book of Acts in the Old or New Testament or neither?2. What companion of Paul was

commended for his holy-scripture knowledge since childhood? Timothy, Linus, Trophimus, Jude

3. From 1 John 4, “He that loveth not, knowest not God; for God is ...”? Honor, Love, Everlasting, Comfort

4. What king unwittingly signed a decree causing Daniel to be thrown into the lions’ den? Elah, Jabin, Darius, Agag

5. Because he was standing on holy ground, what did God tell Moses to remove? Cloak, Hat, Shoes, Armor

6. In Judges 16 who said, “Let me die with the Philistines”? Samson, Micah, Delilah, Manoah

ANSWERS: 1) New; 2) Timothy; 3) Love; 4) Darius; 5) Shoes; 6) Samson

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

Just like the TV episode revealed, none of those involved with the stunt were aware that

domestic turkeys couldn’t fly. A local shopping center was bombarded

with turkeys hitting the ground “like bags of wet cement.” (“As

God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!”)• Big Bird of Sesame 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. A company called

American Plume and Fancy Feather selects the feathers

for this use. The Children’s Television Workshop then

inspects the feathers (nine out of 10 of them are rejected), and the

chosen white feathers are dyed yellow and attached to Big Bird’s outfit.

• Even the most casual bowler knows that it’s called a “turkey” when a player bowls three strikes in a row. Back in the early 1900s, bowling alley proprietors offered live turkeys as an award to any player that scored three consecutive strikes. These contests were typically held around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but even during the times when a bird wasn’t presented as a trophy, the term was still used to congratulate a bowler for a job well done.

• It’s now a Thanksgiving tradition for a live turkey to be presented by the National Turkey Federation to the U.S. president (who grants it an official pardon). Instead of being earmarked for Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey is then relegated to a farm or petting zoo to live out its life. Many reports state that Harry Truman was the first president to grant the bird a pardon, but that is not true. John F. Kennedy was the first president to declare that the gift gobbler would not appear on the White House dinner table.

• The classic folk melody called “Turkey in the Straw” first gained popularity via minstrel shows in the mid-1800s. There is no copyright information available regarding the song, so the author of the tune remains a mystery. However, the song has earned at least one unusual place in pop history: in the United States, it is the tune most used by ice cream trucks to attract customers.

• Sources reveal that none of the hot oil turkey fryers available on the market have been approved by Underwriters Laboratories, for the simple reason that the gadgets are just too dangerous. Even when the consumer follows the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter, the units are unsteady and unpredictable. If you plan to deep fry your turkey, do not do it indoors and never leave the fryer unattended.

TENDER TURKEY TRIVIA (continued):• Only male turkeys – known as toms

– make the “gobble, gobble” noise we associate with the birds. Females (hens) make a clicking noise. Like chickens, domestic turkeys are bred for meat, so their weight and shape prevent them from having the ability to fly more than a few feet. Even though they can’t fly, however, turkey by-products are very well-traveled. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin tore into their first meal on the surface of the Moon in July 1969, those foil packets offered roast turkey with all the trimmings.

• Unlike chicken and duck feathers, turkey feathers are too stiff for use as stuffing for pillows and duvets. Some larger, more colorful turkey feathers may be saved and sold for decorative purposes or craft projects, but most are ground up into compost.

• The classic “Turkeys Away” episode of the 1970s sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati was reportedly based on a real event. WKRP creator Hugh Wilson had a “friend” that worked for an Atlanta radio station. The station decided to toss live turkeys out of a helicopter for a Thanksgiving promotion.


I have to admit that I do not like those Coors Light commercials that run during

NFL games. Presented as a spoof of a press conference, a couple of wiseacres’ pretend to ask famous NFL coaches about their favorite beer and the coaches -- usually those in the throes of a meltdown -- respond. Even though they allow us to relive Dennis Green’s patented “They are who we thought they were!” rant over and over again, the spots aren’t nearly as clever or funny as the ad men seem to think they are.

Still, they say an effective ad is one that stays with you, and after watching Mike Singletary’s first few press conferences as interim head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, that commercial keeps coming to mind.

Singletary was long on stares, short on specifics at his first presser.

“I’m going to be very, very diligent in terms of whatever it is, finding whatever it is ... I will find it,” Singletary said, clutching the podium so hard it looked like it was about to combust. “Somehow, some way, it will show itself.”

Erm ... hey Coach, I heard you lost your Coors Light. Do you have any idea where it could be?

“I just know this: Whatever it is, we will find it together. Whatever it is, we will find it.”

Following his debut defeat, 34-14, at the hands of the Seahawks, a game that saw Singletary bench his quarterback and send his underachieving tight end Vernon Davis, literally, to the showers, Singletary didn’t disappoint at the post-game press conference. San Jose Mercury News reporter Tim Kawakami recounted the tension in the room.

“He shouted at times. For a split-second, he looked close to tears,” Kawakami said. “His emotion was raw. Most of us there felt like we were either at a revival or a rock concert.”

After apologizing for the team’s performance, Singletary finally offered up his formula for righting the ship.

“Our formula is this: We go out, we hit people in the mouth.”

Communication is not part of the plan. Did you talk to Davis after the game, Coach?

“He wanted to talk to me. I told him he did not want to talk to me. I said, ‘I assure you, you do not want to talk to me right now.’”

What about offensive coordinator Mike Martz? Did he disagree with you on the benching of J.T. O’Sullivan?

“Well, I think Mike knows me enough right now going through this week that we did not talk about it.”

I’d offer some calming advice to Coach Singletary, but, on second thought, I probably wouldn’t say it to his face. It appears the sideshow will be more interesting than the main tent in the City by the Bay this season, and all we fans can do is kick back with a beer and watch it unfold.

Mark Vasto is a veteran sportswriter and publisher of The Parkville (Mo.) Luminary.

He Is Who We Thought He Was

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

Barriers to Opening a Small Business

The General Accountability Office recently reported to the House and Senate Committees on Small Business on the status of The Military Reservist and Veterans Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act of 2008. The Act, in a nutshell, was an update and expansion of a similar one in 1999. Its original purpose was to bring federal agencies together under one umbrella to aid service-disabled veterans who wish to open small businesses.

Years ago, all the pertinent agencies entered into Memos of Understanding (MOUs), which outlined exactly how each agency would coordinate with the others to bring about the desired end results. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Small Business Administration (SBA) and Association for Small Business Development Centers signed an MOU to establish a clearinghouse for information on assistance programs on the federal, state and local levels.

The GAO report concluded that:

• Federally mandated objectives were not being met, and that lack of coordination adds to the problems veterans face in wading through the federal programs.

• There have been delays in setting up an interagency task force to bring all the programs together. For example, it was required that the task force be set up within 90 days of Feb. 14, 2008, with the SBA in charge. As of October, it had not, and the SBA didn’t know when it would be.

• Established MOUs were gutted. The SBA said they “institutionalized” their MOUs, whatever that means. The VA’s subsequent MOUs were signed, but not by the SBA.

• The information clearinghouse, which was to have information for service-disabled veterans all in one place, was never established.

At this point, service-disabled veterans wanting to start a business are still being sent to multiple programs and agencies, and no one agency has all the information available from all the programs.

Write to Freddy Groves in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].

Amazing deals on all items!


We already know this, but now it’s official because a study was done: We seniors want meaningful work as we get older. We’re not ready to completely retire, and we want our work hours and days to matter.

The MetLife Foundation, in collaboration with Civic Ventures, did a survey to determine just how many of us want to work, and what nonprofit workplaces think of having older workers. They contacted groups in all fields, such as community agencies, environmental, social services, health care, youth and crisis intervention. The results are good: We’re wanted. Our experiences are valuable. We’re reliable and committed. In trade, employers offer flexible hours, including part-time schedules.

They even have a name for us now: Encore Workers. There’s a Web site for those of us who need ideas on starting our own encore career: www.encore.org.

There’s a section on how to get started finding our next career, including knowing our goals, revamping our resume, acing the interview -- and figuring out how to pay for it if we still need a healthy income.

Don’t miss the career-finder feature. Put in your ZIP code and your area of interest, and it lists positions. Just clicking through my ZIP code turned up some interesting jobs: history buff to put together a local history, nonprofit fundraiser and seasonal retail help in a toy store. All are paid jobs.

If you find that you need a job again (or still) and doubt 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 into jobs. Learn about it at www.experienceworks.org or call 1-866-397-9757.

Seniors Want Meaningful Work

Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].


• You’re probably aware of the much-publicized fact that the Great Wall of China is one of the only human constructions that is visible from outer space. You might not know, however, that the extensive network of dikes that keeps the ocean out of the Netherlands is another such construction.

• In the United States, about $8 billion is spent every year on dry cleaning.

• The electronics store Best Buy was originally called “Sound of Music.”

• There are more than 1,000 different species of bats in the world.

• In 1841, eyewitnesses in Derby, England, reported seeing frogs and fish fall from the sky. Some of the animals were even alive.

• Native Americans once used the herb Echinacea to treat snake bites.


• If you’re like most people, the length of your footprint is approximately 15 percent of your height.

• Those who study such matters claim that Queen Elizabeth I was rather fond of playing practical jokes on her courtiers.

• It was American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Ellen Goodman who made the following sage observation: “Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for -- in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”

• Hens don’t actually sit on their eggs; they squat on them, keeping their weight on their feet.

• In Texas, there’s a house that’s made entirely of Formica. It was designated a National Landmark in 1998.

• It’s not just for cats anymore: Purina also makes dog litter.

“What this country needs is more free speech worth listening to.”

-- Hansell B. Duckett

ALL THE PRESIDENTS’ TIDBITS:

MILLARD FILLMOREMillard Fillmore was the 13th president of the United States, and in his case, the number was truly unlucky. There’s a reason that you never hear very much about Fillmore’s presidency: he was disliked in a major way by most of the people he worked with, including members of Congress, members of his Cabinet, and even members of his own Party. So why was he elected? He wasn’t… but we’ll get to that.• Millard Fillmore was born in a log cabin near

upstate New York’s Finger Lakes on January 7, 1800. (He was the last president born in the 18th century, since the 19th century didn’t begin until 1801.) Instead of attending school, Millard worked on his father’s farm. He apprenticed with a tailor, but disliked the job. At 18, he decided to catch up on the education that he’d missed. His teacher, Abigail Powers, was only two years his elder. The two got along famously, and Fillmore proved a fast learner in more ways than one. (Powers later became Mrs. Millard Fillmore.)

• Despite his late start, in 1819, Millard made the study of law his chosen field. Only four years later, he was admitted to the bar and opened a private practice in East Aurora, NY. At this point in his life, Fillmore was actually a well-liked individual. He was considered attractive and dressed sharply. He also proved his skills as an attorney, and moved his practice to Buffalo.

Tidbits® of Branson Area Page 7For Advertising Call 1.417.230.7055MILLARD FILLMORE (continued):

• With the support of colleagues, Millard Fillmore won a seat in the state legislature in 1828. After four years, he stepped up to the national ranks by becoming a U.S. representative. Fillmore joined the then-new Whig Party, which opposed the Democrats in the mid-1800s. (The Whigs were eventually absorbed into the Republican Party).

• In Congress, Fillmore joined Henry Clay in pushing for a solution to the growing divide between the North and South. Millard lost the New York gubernatorial race in 1844, but then took a job as state comptroller, placing his hands firmly on New York’s “purse strings.” Many expected Henry Clay to win the Whig presidential nomination in 1848, but it went to a man who opposed “backing down” to the South: Zachary Taylor. To maintain peace in party ranks, Clay’s friend Fillmore became Taylor’s running mate.

• The Whigs won the presidency, and Taylor took office in 1849. While he entertained Clay’s idea of making slavery legal in selected new U.S. states, he ultimately rejected the idea, and most of Washington supported him. But less than a year and a half into his term, Taylor passed away, and Millard Fillmore became president. Unlike Taylor, Fillmore felt that he could avoid Civil War and make everyone happy by strengthening slavery laws in existing states while disallowing the practice in any new states.

Bluegrass music is a form of American folk music and a sub-genre of country music. It has its roots in Irish, Scottish and English traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland - particularly the Scots-Irish immigrants in Appalachia as well as jazz and blues. In bluegrass music each instrument takes a turn playing the melody and improvising around it while the other instruments accompany. This is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others accompany. Traditional bluegrass is typically based around acoustic stringed instru-ments like mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, and upright bass. Bluegrass music can also be performed with or without vocals. Bluegrass musicians, fans, and scholars have long debated what instrumentation constitutes a bluegrass band. The term bluegrass came from Bill Monroe’s band - The Blue Grass Boys - and many consider the instruments used in his band the traditional bluegrass instruments consisting of mandolin played by Monroe, fiddle, guitar, banjo and upright bass. Bluegrass bands have included instruments as diverse as the accordion, harmonica, piano, auto-harp, drums, Drum kit, electric guitar, and electric versions of all other common bluegrass instruments. Bluegrass as a style developed during the mid-1940s and because of war rationing recording was limited during that time. Bluegrass was likely played some time after World War II, but probably not any earlier. As with any musical genre, no one person can claim to have “invented” it. Rather, bluegrass is an amalgam of old-time music, country, ragtime and jazz. Bluegrass was generally used for dancing in the rural areas, but eventually spread to more urban areas and became more popular. Bluegrass is not and never was folk music under a strict definition; however, the topical and narrative themes of many bluegrass songs are highly reminiscent of “folk music”. In fact, many songs widely considered bluegrass are older works legitimately classified as folk or “old-time” performed in a bluegrass style.

About the author: David Lomascola is an adjunct professor of piano at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He currently resides in Branson, Missouri where he performs his David Lomascola Show featuring his million dollar piano at the Branson Star Theatre. You can learn more about Lomascola on line at www.Lomascola.com.


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1. In 2007, Magglio Ordonez became the second Detroit Tiger to homer twice in the same inning. Who was the first to do it?2. Who was the only player in Cincinnati Reds history to have 40 homers in four consecutive seasons?

3. Entering 2008, how many consecutive seasons of 11 or more wins has the Southern Cal football team had?

4. When was the last time the Portland Trail Blazers made the NBA playoffs?

5. Who held the NHL record for most goals by a left wing before Alexander Ovechkin broke it with 65 goals in 2007-08?

6. In the 26 races in 2008 before NASCAR’s 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, how many were won by drivers who did not make the Chase field?

7. Who was the last male tennis player before Rafael Nadal in 2008 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year?


MILLARD FILLMORE (continued):• The Compromise of 1850 served to alienate,

rather than satisfy, all involved. Fillmore’s entire cabinet resigned in protest. Many Whigs were angry with him for betraying the work that Taylor had performed in office. The Democrats didn’t like Millard’s sudden shift in theory, since it caused divisions in their own party as well as within the Whigs. Northerners were upset that the Compromise included increased slave fugitive measures. Southerners were miffed that California would be admitted as a free state.

• Needless to say, Millard Fillmore was not reelected to a second term in office. An ill-advised campaign for the “Know Nothing” Party in 1856 did, well, nothing. Fillmore passed away in 1874.

If you’re a pumpkin lover, then a batch of these will please your palate whether you are having one for breakfast or an afternoon coffee break.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 cups Splenda Granular1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon table salt1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice1 (15-ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin1 egg or equivalent in egg substitute1/4 cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light Margarine1/2 cup water6 tablespoons chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 12 wells of a muffin pan with butter-flavored cooking spray or line with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, margarine and water. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture. Mix just to combine. Fold in pecans.

Evenly spoon batter into prepared muffin wells. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until muffins test done in center. Place muffin pans on a wire rack and let set for 5 minutes. Remove muffins and continue cooling on wire racks. Serves 12.

HINT: Fill unused muffin wells with water. It protects the muffin tin and ensures even baking.

• Each serving equals: 157 calories, 5g fat, 4g protein, 24g carbs, 305mg sodium, 46mg calcium, 3g fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch, 1 Fat; Carb Choices: 1 1/2.

Pumpkin Pecan Muffins



• “Everyone has had the experience of putting a pair of socks in the laundry, never to see them as a pair again. This is a winner. I join my socks together with a safety pin, and they always return to me as a pair.” -- J.P. in Maryland

• A great way to clean the shower naturally? Vinegar! Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray directly on shower walls after bathing. It’s great at beating bacteria and mold. And it’s a great natural alternative to chemical cleaners.

• How old is your fire extinguisher? If you don’t know, find out. If you can’t tell, replace it. Fire extinguishers lose pressure over time -- even if they’ve never been used -- so they need to be replaced or serviced every five to 10 years. Yours might be marked with an expiration date. So be safe this holiday, and check it out.

• “My husband has a large family that lives quite a distance away. We are visiting them for

the first time with our two young children. To keep the kids from feeling overwhelmed (and to brush up myself), I created a photo look book of the family members we are likely to be around. The kids will be familiar with their faces, and they won’t seem as much like strangers.” -- U.L. in Washington

• “I have a tip about putting out candles. You can put a little water in the bottom of a glass votive cup before you put in a votive candle. Then, when the candle burns and the wax goes down, it won’t stick to the cup. Thanks for the good tips.” -- A.D. in Georgia

• Have a leaky fridge door? Try this first. Clean the seal gasket with a mild soap and water. Then apply a very thin layer of petroleum jelly to all sides. If you can shut a dollar in the door and it slips right out, you might need to replace the gasket.


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 [email protected].


Performing Arts Academy

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The Tidbits® Paper is a Division of Tidbits Media, Inc. • Montgomery, AL 36106(800) 523-3096 • E-mail: [email protected] • All Rights Reserved ©2008

Information in the Tidbits® Paper is gathered from sources considered to bereliable but the ac cu ra cy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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T R I L O G Y

Send $24.95 (plus $5.00 S&H) by Check or Money Order to:

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Montgomery, AL 36106(800) 523-3096

(Alabama residents add appropriate sales tax.)Reprints of Books I, II, & III.

RESERVE NOW!

WANT TO RUN YOUR OWN BUSI NESS?

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We provide the opportunity for success!

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Q: My son and his girlfriend have two Pomeranians. One is an 8-year-old female, “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 disciplines him by flipping him over on his back and scolding him. Now the dog growls and bares his teeth at my son if he comes near him. The dog was very loving at first. What do you think about this, and how can it be fixed? -- Rod S., via e-mail

A: It’s clear that you don’t approve of the way your 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, a breed that can be quite temperamental. Pomeranians also can become very neurotic in the wrong kind of environment. Certainly, not all Pomeranians are ill-tempered and neurotic, but they are small dogs -- energetic and excitable -- that often don’t tolerate lots of people or loud noises.

I don’t have a lot of advice for you, unfortunately. Junior has some issues, but there are no clear signs of neglect or abuse. And your son probably will not listen to advice you have to give -- he might even be insulted that you think he’s treating Junior wrong.

The best that you can do is lead by example. When visiting, be very calm and soothing around Junior. If the dog’s behavior interferes with your visit, kindly ask your son to place Junior in another room until the visit is over. If you have a dog, treat him or her as you normally would whenever your son visits, but don’t preach. I guarantee he is watching how you treat your dog.

How to Correct a Pet Owner

Send your tips, questions and comments to Paws Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or e-mail them to [email protected].

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By Samantha Mazzotta


1. Al Kaline in 1955. 2. Adam Dunn (2004-’07). 3. Six consecutive seasons. 4. It was the 2002-03 season. 5. Los Angeles’ Luc Robitaille had 63 goals in 1992-93. 6. Three. Ryan Newman (Daytona 500) and Kasey Kahne (Coca-Cola 600, Pocono 500). 7. Bjorn Borg in 1980.


DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I had a triple coronary artery bypass in April 1998. The vessel used for the grafts was taken from my leg.

A cardiologist tells me that the leg vessel graft needs replacement in eight years. It is not as good as grafts taken from arteries in the arm or the chest wall. I feel fine. It has been 10 years since my operation. Am I living on borrowed time? Why isn’t the leg vessel as good as the others? -- W.P.

ANSWER: Hold on a minute. Predictions about the longevity of grafts for clogged arteries are hazardous. The source of the graft is not the sole factor in its life span. The general health of the person getting the graft is most important. Diabetes, for example, has a negative effect on all blood vessels, including grafts. If graft recipients make major changes in how they live -- watch their weight, keep their cholesterol low, get exercise, pay attention to blood pressure and don’t smoke -- then their grafts are bound to stay healthy for a long time.

The leg vessel you speak of is a long and large leg vein. Veins are not the same as arteries. Arteries have to stand up to pressure that is much higher than it is in veins, so arteries are tougher. At five years, 75 percent of vein grafts are functioning well, 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 arteries, so they have long lives -- as long as arteries have. Most of these grafts stay open for 20 or more years.

Many heart surgeons use an arm artery as the source of their grafts. The arm does quite well with only one major artery. These grafts are better than vein grafts. They’re arteries. They have a life span between that of a vein graft and that of the inner 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, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

***DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My question is brief. Has

anyone ever had a heart attack or dropped dead while taking a stress test on a treadmill? -- R.W.

ANSWER: Somewhere around 1 in 2,500 have had a heart attack while undergoing a stress test. Deaths have been reported to be 1 in 10,000.

Those numbers make it sound like stress tests are dangerous. They aren’t. The heart-attack problem is actually not as great a problem as it sounds. The people who experienced a heart attack would have had one shortly and, most likely, in circumstances that might not have been favorable for treatment and recovery. A heart attack during a stress test occurs in a place where emergency treatment is readily available.

The deaths are tragic and inexplicable.

Arteries Make Better Grafts Than VeinsTO YOUR GOOD HEALTH By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

(c) 2008 North America Synd., Inc.All Rights Reserved

Mark your calendar to join us!

Tickets may be purchased at:Kimberling City’s

Harter House, SummerFresh, Metropolitan National Bank,

Peoples Bank, and the Kimberling Area Library

Branson West’s Country Mart

Five beautiful homes, on Table Rock Lake, are decorated in their holiday finest. All are welcome, including children 12

years and older. Stop in and visit the Hospitality Room at the Kimberling Area Library (45 Kimberling Blvd.) featuring:

Holiday Boutique, Silent Auction and Prize Drawings (for a flat screen TV and an 8 piece patio furniture set),

along with complimentary refreshments.

All proceeds are donated to Stone and Taney County charities.

For more tour information please call : (417) 779-2030 or (417) 766-0030

Stretching every dollar in the family budget isn’t enough now. Finding spare change, a few cents at a time, among the household expenses has become a necessity for many folks.

Here are some ways to fi nd that spare change in the kitchen:

• Look for recipes that allow you to add less-costly ingredients to stretch meals further. Oatmeal fl akes, for example, can be added to hamburger to make a meatloaf. Use leftovers or rice to stretch soups into an additional serving or two.

• If the menus at home have become a bit slim, reverse the day -- give the kids grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast and eggs for dinner.

• Check grocery-store sales fl yers, and use coupons when planning your weekly menus. Don’t let the coupons lead to impulse buying, however.

• When you fi nd a good food bargain, make meals ahead and freeze them. Having a freezer full of meals will help avoid the temptation to eat out or buy convenience food when you’re short on time or energy. Be sure to package the meals well and label with the contents and date prepared.

• Use up leftovers. Search for Internet food sites that let you list the ingredients you have on hand and then provide you with a recipe using those ingredients. Learn how to freeze vegetables or fruit before they go bad, or make casseroles, or bake bread.

• Learn new ways to stretch common ingredients or make substitutions to use what you do have.

Not all of your savings are to be found in the kitchen.Check the Internet for ways to create products you need

out of inexpensive ingredients. Drain cleaner, laundry soap, oven cleaner, hand soap, window cleaner, bath and shower products, fabric softener and bath and tile cleaners can all be made with a few simple ingredients. Many of them consist of varying amounts of vinegar, baking powder and an inexpensive dishwashing detergent.

Give up as many paper products as you can. Paper towels, diapers and dinner napkins all have cloth alternatives.

Before you buy at all, sign up on sites such as Free Cycle [freecycle.net] to give away what you no longer need and ask for what you do. Check the Free section on Craig’s List for your area [craigslist.org] for items being given away.

David Uffi ngton regrets that he cannot personally answer 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, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to [email protected].

Squeeze Every Dollar Out of Home Budget


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