tidbits of the tri-cities --- issue 32
DESCRIPTION
The Neatest Little Paper Ever ReadTRANSCRIPT
Issue 32March 15-21, 2009
Stop searching for talent. Start finding it.Manpower can find it for you faster. With unmatched know-how, perfected processes and access to qualified candidates,we can find the talented people you need. For temporary, temporary-to-permanent or permanent placements. We’ll deliver what you’re searching for.
241 Charles H Dimmock Pkwy., Ste. 4Colonial Heights 804.520.8442 us.manpower.com
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.
Can’t Get Enough Tidbits?
Limited EditionBook Set
Limited Edition
T R I L O G Y
Send $24.95 (plus $5.00 S&H) by Check or Money Order to:
Tidbits Media, Inc.1430 I-85 Parkway, Suite 301
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?
If You Can Provide: Sales Experience · A Computer · Desktop Publishing Software · A Reasonable Financial In vest ment
We provide the opportunity for success!
Call 1.800.523.3096www.tidbitsweekly.com
Publish a Pa per in Your Area$2500TAX
PREPARATION
Call 1-804-520-8535 or visit www.JacksonHewitt.com
Off
“IT HELPS TO BE ON A WINNING TEAM.” - Earvin “Magic” Johnson
9 OUT OF 10JACKSON HEWITT CUSTOMERS GET A TAX REFUND*
That’s because our team works hard for you. We dig deep,asking you all the right questions so
you’ll get every credit and deduction you deserve.
707 Southpark Blvd Ste 5, Col. Heights 804-520-85352130 S. Crater Rd Ste D, Petersburg 804-733-605512710 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Chester 804-768-1040
*Based on 2007 & 2008 customers receiving a federal tax refund. Current year customer experience may be different. A taxpayer’s refund eligibility is determined by his/her individual tax situation.
Most offices are independently owned & operated.
Offer valid on tax preparation fees only. Does not apply to financial products or other services. Present coupon at time of tax preparation. Valid at participating locations only and may not be combined with other offers. Expires 4/15/09 COUPON CODE W9PHH
Turn the page for more!
...get gorgeous.
Custom salon services with a personal touch.
by appointment only Tammy Eads:
Owner
804.526.2641located in the Harrowgate Corridor area of Chester
New Client Specialget 25% off a Chemical
Service or $2 off a Haircut
r
r
tangles08b.pdf 12/10/08 3:50:58 PM Barrett Media Solutions, LLC. For Ad Rates call: 1.804.731.7504 [email protected]
4605 County Drive Petersburg (Rt 460)
Ph 732-3278
Buy 1 Dinner, Get 2nd Dinner1/2 PRICE
Good after 4 p.m. Mon-Thurs OnlyHalf price meal must be of equal or lesser value.
Not valid with other offers.Tidbits offer exp. 4/4/09 • PGF BBQ
ServingLunch & Dinner7 Days A Week!10 AM - 9PM
Catering Available for 25-100 people
Fx 732-3277
Take Out
$5.95ALL DAY,
EVERYDAY
Come join the fun and taste our authentic Mexican cuisine at Don Jose!
Open 7 Days a Week!Sun.-Thurs. 11-10
Fri.-Sat. 11-113609 Boulevard • Col. Heights
(804) 520-8422
1/2 PRICEBuy 1 Lunch or Dinner, Get 2nd
Half price meal must be of equal or lesser value.Valid only at Col. Heights location. Exp. 4/4/09
NewExtended
Menu!
Don Jose Coupon
$2.50 Kid’s Meals on Mon. & Wed.(Includes Drink - Dine in only)
of the Tri-Cities
306 North 2nd Avenue, Hopewell, VA
Current clientsreceive a
50% discounton 2008 tax return
804-452-4442 Office • 804-452-0043 Faxwww.belzerbusiness.com Where Quality is Guaranteed!
ACCOUNTING • PAYROLL • TAX
turn the page for more Tidbits!
AT LAST, IT’S HERE! SPRING FORWARD
by Marcy Stephens Spring is finally in the air… or at least it’s com-ing up on the calendar. Join us as we shake off those winter cobwebs and present some tips, trivia and Tidbits for the blooming season! • In many areas of the U.S., spring weather
means homeowners returning outdoors to tend to their lawns and gardens. If you ha-ven’t used your lawn mower since last fall, make sure you clean the spark plugs before firing it up. While you’re at it, check all the nuts and bolts and make sure they’re tight. The vibration of the mower tends to loosen them just a bit with each use. And as you can imagine, you don’t want a mower to come flying apart during use.
• Last year, more than 15,000 children were treated for lawn-mower-related injuries in emergency rooms. Never let a child accom-pany you on a riding mower; it’s built for one adult occupant. It’s safest to keep kids completely out of the area when you’re mowing. Items hidden in the grass can be as devastating as bullets when flung by a mow-er’s powerful blades. Finally, wear enclosed shoes when operating a mower. Flip-flops and sandals leave your feet vulnerable, and tend to slip and slide on freshly-mown grass.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Issue 2009.12
Spring Forward pages 1-4
The Cutting Edge pages 5-6
Online, Old School pages 7-8
1st Quarter 2009 Week 12
Mar 15 – Mar 22 Page 1
Tidbits® of the Tri-Cities Page 2
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: It never seems to amaze me. I’m talking about the people who do not get their critters fixed. I know some very educated people whose pets have litter after litter. What are they thinking? Where and when will it end?It is never right or a good thing to allow your critters to have a litter. Never! Take a look at our overcrowded animal shelters. It just breaks my heart at the number of animals they have to put down. These “educated” people tell me, “Oh, I find homes for all my babies.” That’s beside the point! If you don’t have babies to give away for free, then people will have to adopt a critter from the shelter that is fixed and won’t reproduce any more unwanted and unloved animals. Get all your pets fixed!If you can’t afford to get them fixed, find a program that will help you pay for it or take them to your local shelter. Please! -- Dee in Palmyra, N.Y.
DEAR DEE: Thank you for making an important point so forcefully. Litters of puppies and kittens
are very cute, but they add to an already huge population of dogs and cats, most of which are never adopted and end up in shelters, where they’re often euthanized. Unless you are an AKC-certified, professional breeder, you have no business allowing your pets to procreate. I have heard many excuses from pet owners as to why they don’t spay or neuter. “Oh, it would be cruel.” “Oh, my Maximilian would lose his confident personality if he were neutered.” And of course, “My pet is well-behaved and indoors most of the time, so she’ll never get pregnant.”Don’t let yourself be swayed by these fantasies. Learn the facts about spaying and neutering.
Send your tips, questions and comments to Paw’s Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or e-mail them to [email protected].
Don’t Allow House Pets to BreedBy Sam Mazzotta
of the Tri- Cities
Published weekly by Barrett Media Solutions, LLC
(804) [email protected] us on the web at
www.tricitiestidbits.com
(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.
Help Wanted:
ADVERTISINGSALES REP
Motivated person needed for outside advertising sales.
Part-time,commission only.
OF THE TRI-CITIES
Call us at...
(804) 731-7504
Come see our great selection!
• Small Puppies & Birds• Fresh & Saltwater Fish• Aquariums & Aquarium Water• Pet Supplies & Accessories
804-520-81212225 Boulevard • Col. Heights
MCS Financing Available
1Q2009 :: Wk 12 :: Mar 15 – Mar 21 :: Pg. 2
SPRING FORWARD (continued): • In many states, spring is also known as flood
season. Floods are vicious, unpredictable events, and your only defense is to be pre-pared. Experts recommend that anyone living in a flood plain have some form of flood in-surance. And don’t wait too long; such poli-cies take an average of 30 days to go into ef-fect. Most standard homeowner policies do not cover flood damage. Since your home holds much of your personal and financial security, it’s vital to protect the investment.
• If you use winter-specific tires on your ve-hicle during the colder months, now is a good time to switch back to all-season tires. Snow tires are crafted from a softer rubber compound than normal tires, so they’re ill-suited for warmer weather. They’ll become noisy, they’ll wear out more quickly, and they’ll reduce your automobile’s fuel effi-ciency. It’s best to store snow tires in a cool, dark, dry place, such as the basement.
• In most areas of the U.S., the underbody of an automobile driven over the winter tends to accumulate some combination of dirt, grime, dead vegetation, and road salt. Now that the weather has gotten a bit warmer, it’s time to give your car or truck a thorough bath. If you don’t have the time or energy to do it your-self, ask a car wash professional to give it a good bumper-to-bumper and top-to-bottom scrubbing. Washing away the winter irritants will help not only to preserve your car’s paint job, but its overall resale value.
• This is the season when felines begin to shed their winter coats. Use a comb to brush your cat daily, both to prevent hairballs and to re-duce the amount of stray fur that ends up on floors and furniture. If you’re into “natural recycling,” take the fur that you remove from your pet comb and set it outside for wild birds to pick up and use as nesting material.
Page 3For Advertising Call 1.804.731.7504
Special equipment:Parchment Paper
Drop scones are a boon for busy holiday bakers, since they’re a snap to make and almost foolproof. These bake up light and fluffy. A touch of maple syrup and pieces of fig make them just sweet enough—deal for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
CotcampCuts Trees
FirewoodAvailable733-0324
Irish Chicken & Dumplings
of the Tri-Cities
Moxey’s Tree ServiceFREE
Estimates!Licensed& Insured
AFFORDABLE RATES • REFERENCES AVAILABLE
NO JOB TOO SMALL!
Specializing In:
• Tree Removal• Stump Grinding
• Underbrush• Chipping
Tight Place?We Can Do It!
Call Day or Night!265-5142
931-5700voicemail
If no answer please leave message!
O UR LOCA LOUR LOCALTidbits presents:
Kimberley Trapulionis has been a Chef for over 10 years. She offers catering and can be reached with any questions, sug-gestions or comments at:[email protected].
Ingredients:
2 10 3/4 oz. cans condensed cream of chicken soup 3 C. water 1 C. chopped celery 2 onions, quartered 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 4 boneless chicken breasthalves 5 carrots, sliced 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen green peas 4 potatoes, quartered 3 C. baking mix 1 1/3 C. milk
Directions:
In large, heavy pot, combine soup, water, chicken, celery, onion, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat about 1 1/2 hours. Add potatoes and carrots; cover and cook another 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot, shred it, and return to pot. Add peas and cook only 5 minutes longer. Add dumplings.
To make dumplings: Mix baking mix and milk until a soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto boiling stew. Simmer covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer an additional 10 minutes.
New Section Coming Soon
Tidbits® of the Tri-Cities Page 4
Would you walk for money? Some of us would, it appears -- but only if we can do it by our own criteria.
A study of adults over 50 sought to determine just what it would take to get people to walk for exercise. Participants were given a choice: Would they walk in a group or by themselves? And how long would they walk, and how often? The choices picked most often were walking alone three times a week for 20 minutes each.
Then researchers threw in an incentive: Would they walk for money? A third of the participants suddenly decided they would walk, when $9 a week was offered. But three days a week at 20 minutes each isn’t enough to meet exercise guidelines. Participants were then asked how much it would “cost” to get them to exercise five days a week for 30 minutes each.
The amount requested averaged $36.30 a week, IF they could go alone. If forced to participate in a group, the amount doubled.
Since my walking program doesn’t pay cash for attendance, and since once again I’ve fallen off going to class, I thought about getting a treadmill. Yet another study suggests, however, that while those of us who pay for expensive equipment actually do start to use it, we’re more likely to quit than people who don’t have their own machines. There’s something about the ideal (“I’m going to buy a treadmill and walk five times a week”) and the reality (“I’ll really only get on the machine twice a week”) that don’t mesh.
What will keep us exercising? The study had some answers: A belief that we can reach our goals, and actually meeting those goals.
Maybe the key is to set more realistic goals for ourselves.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband had blood work for a cholesterol study. It included something called lipoprotein (a), something we never heard of. It was over the normal value. I called my doctor, but he was on vacation, so I left word for the covering doctor. A phone call came from his secretary, who said: “He didn’t say anything, so I guess it’s OK.” I want answers. Will you explain this to me? -- F.
ANSWER: Lipoprotein (a), spoken as “lipoprotein little a,” is another cholesterol fraction that is an independent risk for artery clogging and heart attacks. It’s different from LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). Frankly, at the present, doctors find it hard to counsel patients about lipoprotein (a), so most don’t order it.Now emphasis is placed on lowering LDL cholesterol (your husband’s value is very good) and raising HDL cholesterol (again your husband’s was very good). I will trade places with him if he wishes, and I’ll take his lipoprotein (a) reading to boot. I can tell you what lowers lipoprotein (a). Niacin does. There is no proof, however, that lowering it lowers the risk of a heart attack. Daily exercise of 30 minutes also brings it down, if the doctor approves of exercise for a person. As does losing weight if that applies. A low-fat diet high in vegetables, fruits and grains is another way of reducing lipoprotein (a). From his other cholesterol values, I’d say he must be doing some of this anyway. All of this, except for niacin, is the much-preached recipe for heart health regardless of lipoprotein (a).Until told otherwise, put lipoprotein (a) on a back burner.
The booklet on cholesterol explains this topic that is talked about to excess. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 201W, 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: None of my 21 grandchildren has had their tonsils out. All of my seven children did. Is this no longer done? I wish doctors would make up their minds about these things. -- B.B.ANSWER: When your children were young, it was almost standard practice to remove tonsils as a way to protect against strep throat. We now know this isn’t necessary, and we now have antibiotics to treat strep throat. Children who have repeated strep throat infections still have their tonsils removed, but the operation is no longer done for prevention.***DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I work out at home on an exercise bike and a treadmill. On days my knees are bothering me, I don’t do either. One doctor suggests that I cease the exercise bike but use the treadmill. The other says just the opposite. They both can’t be right. Who is? -- R.G.ANSWER: You can answer this one for yourself. Which hurts your knees? I find that bike pedaling is harder on my knees. Others find running a bigger source of pain.
To Your Good Health
By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.
Cholesterol Tests Keep Multiplying
What If You Were Paidto Exercise?
518 S. Sycamore St., Petersburg
733-5888
A different kindof pharmacy
Kirkpatrick’sPharmacy
www.kirkpatrickspharmacy.com
Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm, Sun Closed
• Custom Prescription Compunding• Pick-Up and Delivery Available• Specializing in Medical Supplies• Certified Fitters on Staff• Prompt, Friendly Service
(c) 2009 North America Synd., Inc. All Rights Reserved
Page 5For Advertising Call 1.804.731.7504
1. Name the skipper of the Chicago Cubs the last time they won a World Series?
2. What manager posted the most career wins for the Boston Red Sox?
3. In 2008, Missouri’s Chase Coffman set a career mark for receptions by a Division I tight end. Whose record did he break?
4. Name the last two NBA teams that won 60-plus games in consecutive seasons without winning a championship.
5. Who played in the first outdoor regulation NHL game in 2003?
6. Name the last couple before Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker to win consecutive golds in pairs figure skating at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
7. Two men have won the Senior British Open golf tournament three times each. Name them.
It’s still early, of course, but Elliott Sadler is 11th in the Sprint Cup point standings.
Not bad for a driver who was supposedly out of a job.
During the off-season, when George Gillett absorbed Petty Enterprises and renamed his operation Richard Petty Motorsports, Sadler was apparently replaced in the team’s No. 19 Dodge by A.J. Allmendinger. The 33-year-old Sadler, who has three career victories and made the Chase in 2004, initiated legal action and kept his job.
Allmendinger is now driving the team’s No. 44 Dodge, though the team will have to secure additional sponsorship in order for it to continue beyond the early races.
Sadler, a native of Emporia, Va., said he has no hard feelings. The incident certainly didn’t hinder his performance in the Daytona 500, where he finished fifth and led until shortly before rain brought the season opener to a premature ending.
“We got off to a great start,” said Sadler. “Anytime you go to Daytona and finish in the top five, you feel like you’re ahead of the game and have some momentum going into the second race.
“It’s definitely good for your mentality. It’s definitely good for your race team.”
Sadler finished 25th in the season’s second race at
Auto Club Speedway.“We still have a lot of work to do,” he said. “We need
to get stronger as a race team. The manufacturer (Dodge) needs to get stronger. We all need to be stronger.
“Have we closed that gap? I don’t know. It’s still too early to tell. ... We feel like we’ve closed the gap a little bit.”
In California, Sadler drew some attention when asked about Auto Club Speedway’s attendance problems.
“We just have to do a better job of getting fans to this particular race track,” he said. “If I had anything to do with this track, I would go to every single middle school within 50 miles of this place and give away free tickets. What’s the difference in an empty seat and a free ticket? You might sell a Coca-Cola to them in the stands.”
***Monte Dutton has covered motorsports for The Gaston
(N.C.) Gazette since 1993. He was named writer of the year by the National Motorsports Press Association in 2008. His blog NASCAR This Week (http://nascar.rbma.com) features all of his reporting on racing, roots music and life on the road. You can e-mail Monte at [email protected].
Early, but Sadler Looking Good
To Your Good Health
By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.
(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.
1Q2009 :: Wk 12 :: Mar 15 – Mar 21 :: Pg. 3
SPRING FORWARD (continued): • Designate the beginning of spring as the one
time each year that you pull your refrigerator away from the wall. Don’t do it just for the exercise, of course. Take advantage of the situation by vacuuming the coils and sweep-ing out from under the fridge. This is crucial if you own a dog or cat, as the fur they shed tends to accumulate there. It can force your refrigerator to work overtime, which reduces the appliance’s life while increasing its use of electricity (and, hence, your power bill).
• Gutters tend to collect debris over the au-tumn and winter. Before those April showers arrive, it’s a good idea to clear them out. Plant a good, steady ladder on level ground, and use a long-handled rake if necessary to clear the obstructions. You can also place a tarp on the ground to catch all the leaves, twigs, and birds’ nests that you scoop out.
• If your dog is not on a year-round heartworm preventative medication, take him to the vet this spring for a quick blood test. If he’s healthy, your veterinarian will prescribe a monthly dose of heartworm pills to keep him that way. Also, if your dog has not been spayed or neutered, now is the time to keep him on a leash anytime he’s outdoors. Hu-mans aren’t the only ones seeking romance in the spring, and we all want to do our part to control the pet population.
• Don’t wait until the first day the thermome-ter hits 90 degrees to clean your air condi-tioners. Disconnect the power to the outdoor condenser of your unit, and clear away any leaves or other debris with a power blower or vacuum cleaner. Believe it or not, one of the most common mistakes folks make with their window air conditioners is forgetting to re-move the protective winter cover before turn-ing it on. This can completely burn out an AC unit, resulting in expensive repairs.
WHEN A NURSING HOME ISN’T THE ANSWER
Wouldn’t it be great to have assisted living in theprivacy and comfort of your own home?
That’s why so many seniors and their families choose certified in-home carefrom Discover Home Care.
As the exclusive local provider of Certified Companion Aides (CCAs)®, Discover Home Care helps you live life on your own terms, in your own style and without
burdening family. Affordable rates available from 4 hour to 24-hour care.
Call today for a free assessment and list of services
804-524-0296
Tidbits® of the Tri-Cities Page 6
HIGH VISIBILITY • RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY! • CALL 1.804.731.7504
Q: I share a laundry room with the upstairs tenants, and the washer and dryer get heavy use. The only annoy-ing thing is that the upstairs folks never clean out the lint screen, so after they are done drying several loads I end up removing half-inch-thick (or more) collections of lint. Lately, I have noticed that my clothes don’t seem to dry as well and that they sometimes have little lint balls stuck to them. Does the dryer need cleaning? -- Nate in New Hampshire
A: I’d definitely say yes. The parts of the dryer that re-move lint need to be inspected and cleaned.Are you both tenants? If so, and the landlord supplies the washer and dryer, inform him or her right away that there is a lint (and drying) problem and that the dryer needs cleaning. Excess lint is a fire hazard, so prompt attention should be paid.If you’re the owner or you offer to fix the problem in re-turn for a break on the rent (some landlords are grateful
for the extra help), here’s how to clean collected and trapped lint from the dryer and vents.1) Unplug the dryer and detach the vent hose from the back.2) With a helper, maneuver the dryer out from the wall.3) Check the lint trap inside the dryer first: use a flex-ible brush (like a soft bottle brush) to catch larger lint clusters and remove them. Vacuum out the space using the extension attachment on your vacuum cleaner. 4) Wipe or scrub away any buildup of gunk around or inside the lint trap, using water and a little detergent.5) Wipe the interior drum clean.6) Get behind the dryer and inspect the exit chute to which the dryer vent was attached. Use your hand or the brush to sweep out big clumps of lint; vacuum out the chute.7) Inspect the dryer vent and clean the same way. Also inspect and clean the outside exhaust vent. If you want to clean the entire vent run, a duct cleaning tool is available at home-improvement stores in 10- and 20-foot lengths.This is about the most you can do to reduce lint buildup in the dryer. Lint also might be building up behind the drum, but it’s generally not recommended that you disassemble the dryer -- have an appliance repair person come and do that. Still, just this little maintenance effort, done twice a year, will significant-ly improve the efficiency of your dryer and reduce the risk of a lint fire.
Give Your Dryer aGood CleaningBy Samantha Mazzotta
¥ Another way to keep pets from sleeping on the sofa while you are out is to use a carpet runner made of plastic. Put the gripping side up, and both dogs and cats will stay away.
¥ “This is for the gardener who doesn’t like to wear gloves: Dig your fingernails into a bar of soap before gardening in dirt, leaving a col-lection of soap residue under the nails. Wash-ing your hands after gardening will be much easier.” -- Lynn in North Carolina ¥“I save the plastic containers from baby wipes. They make terrific organizers for all
sorts of small things. Best of all, they can be stacked.” -- B.H. in Colorado
¥ A great garden tip from P. Allen Smith (get more at pallensmith.com): When trimming an evergreen hedge, prune the sides on a slight bevel, so the bottom branches stick out a lit-tle further than the top. This prevents the top from shading the lower branches and making them sparse and leggy.
¥ “My recipe cards were a mess, so I entered the recipes into my computer to get organized. However, I do love my recipe cards, and some are passed down and very special. I saved the special ones and framed them to hang in my kitchen. I also made a collage out of the holi-day side-dish recipe cards and some photos of dinners through the years. It’s very artistic, and I love it.” -- M.L.P. in Minnesota
(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.
Partners in Business and Education
COLONIAL HEIGHTSChamber of Commerce
Join today and let us help YOUR BUSINESS
prosper & grow!
201 Temple Ave., Suite E
804-526-5872www.colonial-heights.com/chamberofcommerce.htm
Do You Have A Plan B?
If you lost your job tomorrow, what would you do?MakeMore
MoneyNOW
Call 641-715-3900 x78483#Receive a 3 Day mini-vacation just for visiting www.vacationsperks.com and leaving us your contact information.
Flowers& More
804-861-9500www.flowersandmoreva.com
4336 Westgate Dr • Petersburg
We deliver anywhere!
Let us be your first choice for flowers!
Custom Carpentry
• Roofing & Siding• Replacement Windows
• New Construction• Additions
• Remodeling
541-8273
We specialize in:
General ContractorClass A
Licensed &Insured
Put Your Refund toWork For You!
Defensive Driving, Inc.
27 Seyler Dr,
Petersburg, VA
(804) 920-4987$55 cash
**Court, DMV-directed, volunteers**
(phone reservation is required)
Powell’s Lawn CareFor all your lawn care needs!
Mowing • Weed EatingYard Work
804-721-7038Reasonable
Rates!
(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.
Cosmetic Studio
804-526-1097
Visit us for your
ComplimentaryMakeover
Southpark Crossing1056 Temple Ave
Colonial Heights, VA
TRIVIA NEWSFRONT™
PRESENTS
NEWSFRONT ANSWERSTRIVIA
NUMBER PUZZLEFill in the grid so that every column, every row,
and every 3 x 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
NUMBERPUZZLE ANSWER
. . . . . GOES LONG
by Kara Kovalchik & Sandy Wood
ALWAYS FUN
ALWAYS FREE
1. What star of the TV show was given thename Alphonso d’Abruzzo at birth?
M*A*S*H
2. Scary film legend William Henry Pratt was betterknown by what stage name?
3. What is the full first name of actress Demi Moore?
4. Since people had difficulty pronouncing his name,rock star John Bongiovi uses what phonetic versionas stage name?
5. What is the real first name of golf superstar TigerWoods?
1. Alan Alda
2. Boris Karloff
3. Demitria
4. Jon Bon Jovi
5. Eldrick
FILLER PAGE 2
1Q09 - WEEK 09FEB 22 - FEB 28
Many parents experience “baby name remorse” after choosing a name to put on the birth certificate.Once the baby gets a little older, they decide the original name doesn’t suit it. Luckily, as long as
both parents give their legal consent, U.S. laws make it reasonably easy to change the name of a minor.
2 3 4 5
4 9 8
8 6 5 1 4
5 1 8 7
4
7 2 6
1 4 5
9 5 1 2
2 8 1 7 9 3 4 5 6
3 4 9 2 6 5 8 7 1
6 5 7 8 4 1 3 9 2
8 3 6 5 1 7 9 2 4
5 1 2 9 8 4 6 3 7
9 7 4 6 3 2 5 1 8
7 2 8 3 5 6 1 4 9
1 6 3 4 2 9 7 8 5
4 9 5 1 7 8 2 6 3
1Q2009 :: Wk 12 :: Mar 15 – Mar 21 :: Pg. 4
SPRING FORWARD (continued): • The ritual of “spring cleaning” dates back to
the days when homes were lit with candles and kerosene lamps, and heated with burning wood or oil. By the time spring arrived, the smoke and ash accumulated during the win-ter necessitated a complete scrubbing of the house, as well as its draperies and linens. Once most homes were updated with modern heating systems, spring cleaning continued on as a seasonal ritual. The chore list grew to include packing away one’s winter wardrobe.
• While you’re hanging up your warm weather wardrobe, you might find a few garments that no longer fit. You may also see an item or two and wonder, “What was I thinking when I bought this?” Both the Salvation Ar-my and Goodwill Industries are always on the lookout for items of clothing – notably school wear for youngsters, professional-style business clothes that adults can wear to job interviews, and shoes (particularly in children’s sizes). Please consider making a tax-deductible clothing donation while you’re purging items from your closet!
• Daylight Saving Time began on March 9. Have you already moved all your clocks forward an hour? And replaced the batteries in your home’s smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms? And turned and/or rotated the mattresses on your home’s beds? These are three tasks that many choose to tackle on the day DST begins, so if you “missed the boat,” it’s not too late to get on board.
• April 15th is looming, so if you’ve yet to file your taxes, why not beat the rush by assem-bling your receipts and necessary papers now? If you’re throwing away old financial records, ensure your privacy by shredding these papers. The IRS recommends keeping at least three years of documentation handy, should any questions arise down the line.
Page 7For Advertising Call 1.804.731.7504A
NSW
ERS
1. Frank Chance, in 1908.2. Joe Cronin won 1,071 games between 1935 and 1947.3. Louisville’s Ibn Green had 217 receptions (1996-99).4. Utah in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and Dallas in 2005-06 and 2006-07. 5. The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens.6. Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman in 2001-02.7. Gary Player (‘88, ‘90, ‘97) and Tom Watson (‘03, ‘05, ‘07).
There’s economic doom and gloom in the newspaper over breakfast, and more bad news on the TV with dinner: It can take a toll on your frame of mind and load you down with stress. But you don’t have to succumb to the negativity and fears over the current economy. You can control your response to it.Step one is to look at your financial reality.
Write down the amounts of all your monthly bills. Write down the balances you owe for credit cards and loans, down to the penny. Write down all your income. At that point you’ll know the true state of your finances, and knowing the truth is always better.One of the most important things you can do in
times of stress is guard your health. Stress can take a toll on your body and make you susceptible to illnesses -- which are expensive.Look for ways to reduce the amount of stress in
your life. Here are some ideas:¥ Get some exercise and release stress-busting
endorphins. It doesn’t require an expensive gym
membership. Build a snowman with the kids, go for a run or walk around the block. Even 15 minutes a day outside has health benefits, especially if the sun is out.¥ Find things to laugh about. Like exercise,
laughter releases endorphins.¥ Bring out the old-fashioned board games. Dig
out your old music and play it loud.¥ Scour the entertainment section of the
newspaper for free activities, and make a list.¥ Go through the library’s magazine archive
and pick out a few with topics that are new to you. Thumb through the magazines at breakfast instead of the daily paper.¥ Get started on a vegetable garden. No matter
what space you have, you can grow something. If you end up with surplus, donate it to the local food bank. ¥ Do something for others whenever you can.
No matter your situation, there’s someone whose situation is worse. ¥ Build rewards into your week for both you and
your family, whether it’s splurging on a cake mix or going to an event from your list of free and low-cost activities.Look closely at what you can and cannot control
in your life. While you can’t control the whole economy, you can control your little part of it and how you react to it.
Economic Stress-Busters
(804) 526-1333192 Southgate Square, Col. Heights
Mon-Sat: 10-7, Sun: 12-5
“Kids Stuff With Previous Experience”®
50% OFF select
Fall/Winter Clearance ItemsWe buy and sell gently used and new clothes, furniture, equipment
and more!
Big Savings For Your Child...
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.
Can’t Get Enough Tidbits?
Limited EditionBook Set
Limited Edition
T R I L O G Y
Send $24.95 (plus $5.00 S&H) by Check or Money Order to:
Tidbits Media, Inc.1430 I-85 Parkway, Suite 301
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?
If You Can Provide: Sales Experience · A Computer · Desktop Publishing Software · A Reasonable Financial In vest ment
We provide the opportunity for success!
Call 1.800.523.3096www.tidbitsweekly.com
Publish a Pa per in Your Area
(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.
Britt’s Tree Service
Removal • Trimming • Firewood • LoggingLicensed & Insured
Call for your FREE ESTIMATE! (804) 919-3817
1Q2009 :: Wk 12 :: Mar 15 – Mar 21 :: Pg. 7
ONLINE, OLD SCHOOL Today, many of us manage our online commu-nications with the same ease that we once used to handle the telephone. As the online-service and Internet world has grown, it’s become easi-er to forget how daunting, complicated, and just plain time-consuming the whole process was just a few years ago. • The earliest incarnation of what we now call
the Internet was called the Advanced Re-search Projects Agency Network, or ARPA-Net. The project was launched in 1969 to fa-cilitate the sharing of data between research computers in different parts of the United States. At that time, only a few large research computers were scattered around the country. Engineers believed that these “brains” could solve problems more efficiently and effec-tively by maintaining a constant line of communication with one another.
• The very first email was shot through cyber-space in the autumn of 1971. Ray Tomlin-son, a computer programmer, tested a new application called “electronic mail” by send-ing a simple message from one computer terminal to another identical unit elsewhere in the same room. These devices hardly re-sembled the personal computers we use to-day; they had much more in common with the old Teletype machines once common-place in newspaper offices.
• Email abuse wasn’t far behind. The earliest documented “spam” email was sent in May 1978 by a marketing rep for Digital Equip-ment Corporation. DEC had introduced a new computer model, so a marketer prepared an email inviting a select list of potential cus-tomers to an open house event. The salesman wasn’t familiar with the technology, howev-er, and he managed to send his message to just about everyone in the U.S. who had an email address at the time.
1Q2009 :: Wk 12 :: Mar 15 – Mar 21 :: Pg. 8
ONLINE, OLD SCHOOL • Who (or what company) took the very first
dot.com Internet address? The first registered domain name was symbolics.com, registered on March 15, 1985. The company, which produced computer systems that utilized the Lisp programming language, went bankrupt a decade later. Shortly after Symbolics made WWW history, several universities jumped on the Internet bandwagon. On April 25, 1985, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Purdue, Rice, Rutgers, and UCLA each registered domain names for their respective schools.
• What was the very first retail sale made on-line via World Wide Web technology? A printer? A mouse? A hard disk drive? No… a pizza. In August 1994, Pizza Hut began tak-ing online orders at pizzahut.com to residents of the Santa Cruz, California area.
• One of the earliest consumer online services was Quantum Link, or Q-Link. It began in 1985 as a way to connect users of the best-selling home computer of the era, the Com-modore 64. Those who “hooked in” using a telephone modem could chat, play games, and post messages for a monthly rate of $9.95 (plus a six cents per minute usage fee). In 1991, Q-Link was absorbed by a fledgling company whose name might sound more fa-miliar: America Online, or AOL.
• By the late 1990s, Compuserve (owned by H&R Block) and Prodigy (owned by Sears) had become AOL’s main competitors, and each service charged users an hourly rate. When all three switched to monthly flat-rate pricing, newcomers (like Kmart’s BlueLight service) countered them by offering free In-ternet access. These companies learned soon enough that the advertising income wasn’t enough to cover the expenses. While most went under, NetZero – named because it was once free – is one of the few still operating.
III?
TRILOGYSend $24.95 (plus $5 S&H)
by Check or Money Order to:Tidbits Media, Inc.
1430 I-85 Parkway, Suite 301Montgomery AL 36106
(Alabama residentsplease add $1 sales tax.)LIMITED EDITION BOOK SET
Reprints of Books I, II & III
Information in the is gathered from sources consideredto be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.
Tidbits® Paper
The is a division of Tidbits Media, Inc. · Montgomery, AL 36106Tidbits® Paper
All Rights Reserved · Copyright © 2009 Tidbits Media, Inc.
Can’t Get Enough
WHILE THEY LAST!
To Advertise Call (804) 731-7504
Presenting
By
Now OpenSimply Casual by Day
Divinely Elegant by Night
Lunch ~ Dinner ~ Sunday BrunchBANQUET ROOM
CATERINGGOURMET DESSERTS
120 E. City Point Rd.Hopewell, VA
804-541-8000
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10-10Sunday 10 - 3
Mim’s
Mim s Simply Diviney
u
Restaurant
Ad on P
age
Coupon O
ffer
DescriptionM
eals Served
Meal P
rice R
ange
Credit C
ards
Menu
Children's
All-Y
ou-Can-
Eat
Outside
Seating
Sen. C
itiz./Military
Discount (S
C/M
)
Carryout, D
elivery, C
atering (C
O/D
/CT
)
Reservations A
ccepted
Don Jose Mexican Restaurant 3609 BoulevardColonial Heights, VA(804) 520-8422
1
Come join the fun anauthentic Mexican foseafood dishes and extensive dessert msure to please.
d tastod! Nanenu ar
e ourew
eL/D
$4.50$12.95
AllMajor
CO
Luna Restaurant208 E. Cawson St. Hopewell, VA(804) 452-5136
8
Sports Bar Now Opeselections include aucuisine from MexicoSpain and Peru.
n! Outhent
, Cuba
ric, L/D
$.99$18.95
AllMajor
M CO
Mim's by Simply Divineby 120 E. Cit Point Rd Hopewell, VA(804) 541-8000
8Simply Casual by DaElegant by Night. SoGourmet at its finest
y - Diuther
.
vinelyn L/D
$6.50$24.99
AllMajor
SC/MCO/DCT
Prince George Family Barbecue4605 Co nty Drive (Rt. 460)Petersburg, VA(804) 732-3278
1
Delicious barbecue, bone" pork ribs, sousandwiches, and appCatering available.
"fall-ops, saetize
ff-thelads,
rs.
-
L/D$3.49$19.99
V/M SC/M CO/CT
Chester: Colonial Crafts & Games at Henricus His-torical ParkWatch demonstrators make a variety of colonial crafts, and learn to play colonial games. Children will be able to make crafts to take home for an additional fee. Event will be held on Saturday, March 21. Admission is $7 for adults, and $5 for children ages 3-12.