Tidbits of Berkshire County Issue #2

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FAMOUS DUOSby Kathy Wolfe

You’ve heard it said, “Two heads are better than one.” Apparently, all of these featured folks believed it. This week, Tidbits looks at some famous couples who made their way through life paired together.

•DavidStarskyandKennethHutchinsonwerefictionalBayCity,California,copswhoracedthrough the streets in Starsky’s red Gran Torino for 92 episodes on ABC television.Actors Michael Glaser and David Soul portrayed the police pair under the radio call sign “Zebra three” from April of 1975 until May of 1979.

•In 1939, Batman was introduced in “TheCaseoftheChemicalSyndicate”inDetectiveComicsasacrime-fighterwhomasqueradedas playboy Bruce Wayne. The faithful sidekick Robin (akaDickGrayson) joined theCapedCrusaderin1940,andtogether,theDynamicDuo waged war against Gotham city crime. The pair moved to television in 1966 for 120episodesofalive-actionseries.Onthebig screen, Batman has been portrayed by boxofficestarsMichaelKeaton,ValKilmer,GeorgeClooneyandChristianBale.

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Libyans: Now not right timeto extradite Lockerbie bomberFinding Gadhafi, restoring stability priority overWest’s request that he be turned over. 6A.uGadhafi’swife, 3 children flee to Algeria. 6A.

Majority of U.S. Muslimssatisfied with state of nationThey’re farmore optimistic about USA thanAmericans as awhole. But nearly half faultMus-lim leaders for not challenging extremists. 3A.

Recession has turnedmanyinto debt-averse saversSince 2008, overall U.S. household debt drops by$1trillion. Payments processing company seesdifference in howpeople use credit cards.1B.

Clubs, leagues face difficultyin tackling fan violenceTeams need to take action or perception ofmoreviolencewill give Americans reason to avoidattending games, experts say.1C.

Expectations already soar forNotre Dame, ranked No. 18Teamended 2010 season unranked, but strongfinish, including Sun Bowl rout, gives the Irish“a lotmore confidence,” coach says. 8C.

Crossword, Sudoku 7DEditorial/Forum 8-9AMarket scoreboard 6BMarketplace Today 7DState-by-state 7ATV listings 8D

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QIJFAF-02005y(N)kAtlantic beach destinations from

the Outer Banks to Cape Cod took abeating over the weekend, but Irene hasn’t keptsome tourist draws from putting down wind-blownwelcomemats for vacationers looking for afinal summer fling as Labor Day weekend ap-proaches. An update, from south to north:uIn North Carolina’s hard-hit Outer Banks, the

200-mile-long string of barrier islands whereIrene made landfall Saturday as a Category 1hurricane, multiple washouts along Route 12north of Rodanthehave cut access toHatteras andOcracoke islands. With the area’s major arterysevered indefinitely, “our season is over,” Hatter-as motel owner Carol Dawson told Raleigh’s TheNews&Observer.But in Dare County, which includes the popular

Outer Banks resort towns of Nags Head, KittyHawk and Duck, visitor access resumed at noonMonday for most areas. Beachgoers will be al-lowed back in Duck — where the storm hadstrewn boulders and debris and cut highwayaccess to one lane — at 10 a.m. today. Visitoraccess also resumes today in Currituck County.uOcean City,Md., reopened to visitors Sunday,

and boardwalk and beaches fared better thanofficials had feared. “Lifeguards are on duty, andjust about everybody is back in business,” saidDonna Abbott of the Ocean City visitors bureau.

uAlong the Jersey Shore, Irene’s biggestimpact occurred south of Asbury Park, where thestorm toreupmost of the2-mile-long Spring Lakeboardwalk. Other area boardwalks fared muchbetter, including the famouswalk in Atlantic City.The city’s 11 casinos reopened at noon Mondayafter reporting only minor cosmetic damage.Big names Harrahs, Bally’s and Caesars are of-fering “Goodnight Irene” specials at $59 a nighttonight and $79 Wednesday to boost business.The Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authoritysaid the boardwalk and beach were open Mon-day. To the south, Cape May beaches were openMonday, and the Cape May-Lewes (Del.) ferryresumes service today.uOn Long Island, N.Y., “we dodged a bullet,”

said visitors bureau CEOMokeMcGowan. Hamp-tons beaches sustained far less erosion than ex-pected and are open, he said. Long Beach isexpected to host a big surfing competition start-ing Thursday. Jones Beach is being assessed; FireIsland National Seashore beaches are expected toreopen byWednesday.uOn Cape Cod, Mass., gusts of more than 70

mph sparked power outages. But key bridgesstayed open, ferry service resumed Monday andmost businesses and beaches have reopened.

East Coastbeachesare ‘backin business’After Irene,many spotsarewelcoming visitors

By Laura Bly and Kitty Bean YanceyUSA TODAY ByWayne Parry, AP

Long Beach Island, N.J.: Lloyd Vosseller, a public-worksemployee inHarvey Cedars, shores up eroded dunes.

Newsline

WASHINGTON — New government statisticsshow federal health care fraud prosecutions inthe first eight months of fiscal 2011 are on paceto rise 85% over last year largely because oframped-up enforcement efforts under the Oba-ma administration.The statistics, released by the non-partisan

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse,show 903 prosecutions so far this year. That’s a24% increase over the total for all of fiscal year2010, when 731 people were prosecuted forhealth fraud through federal agencies across thecountry. Prosecutionshave gone up 71% fromfive years ago, accord-ing to TRAC.“Thiswas a fairly dra-

matic number of prose-cutions,” said DavidBurnham, co-directorof TRAC. TRAC is a re-search organization atSyracuse Universitythat submits Freedomof Information Act re-quests for governmentdata and then reportsthe results.Justice Department

officials said the in-crease runs parallelwith what they’re see-ing when looking at health care fraud broadly, inpart because of a couple of big busts this year, aswell as several cases involving fraud in the pri-vate sector.“The trend certainly looks accurate and on

track with our data,” said Justice spokeswomanAlisa Finelli, though she said she could not con-firm the exact numbers. She cited a Februarycase that brought in 111 people — the largesttake-down to date for the Medicare Fraud TaskForce — as a factor. In that case, doctors, nursesand executives were accused of falsely billingMedicaremore than $225million.Task force convictions have also risen, accord-

ing to Justice’s criminal division Assistant At-torney General Lanny Breuer. In 2010, the taskforce saw 23 trial convictions forMedicare fraud.In the first eight months of this year, it has had24.“That’s just a stunningnumberwhenyou see itin the first eight months,” Breuer said. “We’rejust going tobuild on thismodel, andwe’re goingto hold those responsible who are stealing fromthe government.”The government beefed up its staffing this

year, adding two health care fraud teams inFebruary.In 2010, the government recovered a record

$4 billion fromhealth fraud cases after the feder-al health care law created one agency and ex-panded another. The actuary for Medicare pre-dictedprovisions of the lawwouldultimately net$4.9 billion in fraud and abuse savings over thenext 10 years, which will be rolled back intoMedicare.Over the past couple of years, the task force

has used data from the Centers for Medicare andMedicaid Services to find people stealing mil-lions of dollars.

Feds goafterhealthfraudProsecutions onpace to rise 85%ByKelly KennedyUSA TODAY

1 – For the first eightmonths of the fiscal year,which runs from Oct. 1 toSept. 30.

Source: Justice Department

By Julie Snider, USA TODAY

Fraud casesHealth care fraudprosecutions:

1991

2001

2006

2010

2011

147

631

528

731

9031

SHELLEY, Idaho — The high school footballcoach known here as “Mr. November” — it wason his license plate even before he won his fifthstate championship — was having a tough Au-gust.He said he felt irritable, impatient, inade-

quate. Sometimes he was depressed. He hadtrouble remembering players’names and deciding when to de-fer to his assistants. “I’m lost,”Dwight Richins said. “I feel like a

new coach at a new school.”In a way, he was. Coach Richins was also Lt.

Col. Richins, a reservist home after a year’sdeployment as an Army logistics officer in Af-ghanistan. He was struggling with the disori-entation experienced by almost all such return-ing vets.More than 830,000 reservists and National

Guardmembers have come back fromwar dur-

ing thepast decade. Theywill be followedby the91,000 currently deployed and by many othersas the United States draws down forces in Af-ghanistan and Iraq.Members of the regular military mostly re-

turn tomilitary jobs and locales. Reservists,whogo back to places where the wars often are afaint echo, face particular rigors in what the

Please see COVER STORY next pageu

COVERSTORY

For coach back fromwar,it’s like starting over

After Afghanistan tour, ‘adifferent look in his eye’By RickHampsonUSA TODAY

By Bill Schaefer for USA TODAY

Change of battlefield:Dwight Richins jumps backinto football practiceWednesday in Shelley, Idaho.

To see Dwight Richins discussinghis military service and return tocoaching, go to usatoday.com.

VenusWilliams,Maria Sharapova,Mardy Fish all advance,1, 8C

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Irene destroys homes, roads, 3AuMillions still without power, 3AuFlight canceled?What to do, 3BuSomebeaches ready for visitors, 1A

Vermont drowninginmud and debris

By Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist, Burlington (Vt.) Free Press

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Family photo

In Afghanistan:Richins patrols in Qalat in 2010.

FromMutts toHi and Lois, cartooniststomark 10th anniversary of 9/11, 3D

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A salute in Sunday comics

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USA TODAYtrillion. Payments processing company seestrillion. Payments processing company sees

Libyans: Now not right timeto extradite Lockerbie bomberLibyans: Now not right timeto extradite Lockerbie bomberLibyans: Now not right time

Finding Gadhafi, restoring stability priority overWest’s request that he be turned over. 6A.uGadhafi’swife,Gadhafi’swife, 3 children flee to Algeria. 6A.hildren flee to Algeria. 6A.


Recession has turnedmanyinto debt-averse saversSince 2008, overall U.S. household debt drops by$1trillion. Payments processing company seesdifference in howpeople use credit cards.$1difference in howpeople use credit cards.$1trillion. Payments processing company seesdifference in howpeople use credit cards.trillion. Payments processing company sees

difference in howpeople use credit cards.trillion. Payments processing company sees

1B.trillion. Payments processing company sees

1B.

WASHINGTON — New government statisticsshow federal health care fraud prosecutions inthe first eight months of fiscal 2011 are on paceto rise 85% over last year largely because oframped-up enforcement efforts under the Oba-ma administration.The statistics, released by the non-partisanThe statistics, released by the non-partisanTransactional Records Access Clearinghouse,show 903 prosecutions so far this year. That’s a24% increase over the total for all of fiscal year2010, when 731 people were prosecuted forhealth fraud through federal agencies across thecountry. Prosecutionshave gone up 71% fromfive years ago, accord-five years ago, accord-ing to TRAC.ing to TRAC.“ThiswasThiswas a fairly dra-a fairly dra-a fmatic number of prose-matic number of prose-cutions,” said Davidcutions,” said DavidBurnham, co-directorBurnham, co-directorof TRAC. TRAC isof TRAC. TRAC is a re-search organization atsearch organization atsearch organization atsearch organization atsearch organization atsearch organization atsearch organization at

By Kelly KennedyUSA TODAY

Fraud casesHealth care fraudprosecutions:

1991

2001

200620062006

147

631

528528528528

For coach back fromwar,For coach back fromwar,it’s like starting over

After Afghanistan tour, ‘adifferent look in his eye’By RickHampsonUSA TODAY

By Bill Schaefer for USA TODAY

Change of battlefield:Dwight Richins jumps backinto football practiceWednesday in Shelley, Idaho.


uFlight canceled?What to do, 3BuSomebeaches ready for visitors, 1A

$1trillion. Payments processing company seesof TRAC. TRAC isof TRAC. TRAC is a re-USA TODAY

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hildren flee to Algeria. 6A.


Recession has turnedmanyinto debt-averse savers

For coach back fromwar,it’s like starting over

After Afghanistan tour, ‘adifferent look in his eye’


Libyans: Now not right timeto extradite Lockerbie bomberLibyans: Now not right timeto extradite Lockerbie bomberLibyans: Now not right time

Finding Gadhafi, restoring stability priority overWest’s request that he be turned over. 6A.uGadhafi’swife, 3 children flee to Algeria. 6A.

Majority of U.S. Muslimssatisfied with state of nationThey’re farmore optimistic about USA than

Irene destroys homes, roads, 3AuMillions still without power, 3AuFlight canceled?What to do, 3BuSomebeaches ready for visitors, 1A

Vermont drowninginmud and debris

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Tidbits of Berkshire County www.berkshiretidbits.com

1.Who is the San Diego Padres’ all-time leader in career home runs? 2. How many times has a Texas Ranger been named the A.L. Most Valuable Player?3. When was the last time before the 2010 season that Green Bay and Chicago faced off in an NFL playoff game?

4. How many NCAA men’s basketball championships have the UConn Huskies won?5. Name the first Eastern bloc player to skate in the NHL. 6. Which was the last team before the L.A. Galaxy in 2011 to win the MLS Cup after being the No. 1 seed entering the playoffs?7. In 2011, thoroughbred Rapid Redux won his 20th consecutive race, topping the North American record held by two horses. Name either horse.

On Jan. 28, 1855, the Panama Railway, which carried thousands of unruly miners to Califor-nia via the dense jungles of Central America, dispatches its first train across the Isthmus of Panama. The track went through Panamanian jungle roughly along the route followed by the present-day canal.

On Jan. 24, 1908, the Boy Scouts movement begins in England with the publication of the first installment of Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys. In September 1909, 10,000 Scouts showed up at the first national Boy Scout meeting in London.

On Jan. 27, 1926, John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, gives the first public demonstration of a true television system in London. The “televisor” used mechanical rotating disks to scan moving images into electronic impulses, which were transmitted by cable to a screen.

On Jan. 29, 1936, the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., elects its first members: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wag-ner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson. The Hall of Fame has elected 296 individuals in all.

On Jan. 23, 1968, the U.S. intelligence-gather-ing ship Pueblo is seized by the North Korean navy and charged with spying and violating territorial waters. Negotiations to free the 83-man crew of the U.S. ship took nearly a year. The crewmen reported horrific treatment at the hands of the North Koreans.

(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc

Tidbits of Berkshire County is published weekly by Thundering Media LLC. Tidbits is distributed throughout Berkshire County, MA and assumes no financial responsibility for failure to publish advertisement,incorrect placement or typographical errors published. Advertisers are solely re-sponsible for the content of their advertising and claims and offers contained within their ad-vertising. Tidbits of Berkshire County reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason. All contents copyright ©2011 Tidbits of Berkshire County. No portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

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Answers on page 7

FAMOUS DUOS (continued):• Althoughmostfamousfortheir“Who’son

First?” baseball sketch, the comedy team ofBudAbbottandLouCostelloappearedin38filmstogether.Theygottheirstartinburlesquein1935,movingontoradio,filmandtelevision.Theywereboxofficestarsby1941andbegantheirownTVseriesin1952. However, fame didn’t come without itsdifficulties.Bothcomicswerehabitualgamblers, and Abbott managed the pain fromhisepilepsywithalcohol.Costello

battled regular bouts with rheumatic fever, which forced him to take a year off from

work. On the day he returned to work, his infant son drowned in the family swimming pool. Both men were charged for back taxes by the IRS in 1956, and both were forced to selltheirhomesandfilmrightstocoverthe

debt.• BonnieParkerwasjust19yearsoldand

already married to an imprisoned murderer whenshemet21-year-oldClydeBarrowinTexas. During the Great Depression, the

outlaw couple reportedly was responsible for at least 12 bank robberies, countless smallerburglariesand13murders,

includingthoseofninepoliceofficers.Onthe day their lives of crime came to an end in1934,BonnieandClydeweredrivingagrayV-8Ford,whichwasambushedbythelawinLouisiana.Officersfiredatotalof167bullets,killingthepairandhaltingathree-

year spree. Over the next several years, carnival and fair goers viewed the Ford for 25 cents. The car was later purchased by Nevada’sPrimmValleyResortandCasinofor$250,000andcannowbeseenatthe

facilityjustoutsideLasVegas.

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Buying vs. Renting

Somewhere in the middle of the falling costs of homes and the rising costs of rentals is the tipping point where it becomes more cost effective to buy. Those calculations will vary depending on your location and situation. Buying a home can be a positive step if 1) you are financially stable, 2) you plan to stay in your home for at least five years, and 3) you do your homework first.

Look online at www.bankrate.com and search for the “rent versus buy” calculator. Go through the dozen questions as a place to start to see if you’re a good candidate for buying. Do a “rent ratio” calculation. Take the price of a home similar to one you’d like to buy, and divide that by how much the rent would be for one year. A ratio of 15 or under indicates that buying would be better. High than 20 indicates that renting would be better. For example, if the home you’d like to buy is selling for $100,000 but would rent for $850 a month, the calculation becomes $100,00 divided by $10,200, which comes to under 10, well within the range where it’s smarter to buy. Be sure to add the cost of renter’s insurance.

To get a broad-brush picture of whether it’s better to rent or buy in your area, check Trulia, the real-estate site that analyzes homes from the na-tional level down to the neighborhood. Go online to Google and put this in the search box: Trulia Insights rent versus buy. The top four links in the list are the ones that will be most helpful. For example, Trulia’s research indicates that in 72 percent of buying areas, it’s better to buy than rent.

If you buy, remember the standard caveats: Only accept a fixed loan. Don’t be lulled by initial lower rates into taking on a mortgage that can increase to an unknown amount in the future. Know in advance how much the taxes will cost. Give yourself more of a monthly cushion than the lenders do. If the lender says you can afford a payment of $1,000 per month, give yourself some breathing room and cap it at $850. You might need to take on an additional expense down the road, perhaps a vehicle payment.

David Uffington 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].

(c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.


FAMOUS DUOS (continued):•MeriwetherLewiswas29yearsoldandco-commanderWilliamClarkwas33whentheywerecommissionedbyPresidentThomasJeffersonin1803toexploretheLouisianaPurchaseallthewaytothePacificcoast.LewisandClarkwerebothVirginia-bornveteransofOhioValleyIndianwars.Theirexpeditionincludedmorethan40other

men and their Shoshone guide Sacagawea as they wound their way up the Missouri River. Over a period of two years and four

months,thegrouptraveledover8,000miles(12,875km),usinga55-foot-long(17-m)

keelboat and two smaller boats, all the while making maps and studying the rocks, soil, plants and wildlife they encountered. After the expedition, Jefferson appointed Lewis Governor of the Louisiana Territory. At age 35,onajourneytodeliverhisjournalstoaWashington,D.C.,publisher,Lewisdiedfrom multiple gunshot wounds, generally

accepted as a suicide, although some believe he was the victim of an assassin. ClarkservedasGovernoroftheMissouriTerritoryandfinallyasSuperintendentof

Indian Affairs.• BarbieandKenwerethecreationsofRuthHandler,wifeoftheMatteltoycompanyco-founder. Ruth named the couple after her own children, introducing Barbie in 1959

and Ken in 1961. Barbie (full name Barbie Roberts) has had more than 125 careers, including architect, astronaut, doctor and racecardriver.KenCarson,whohashadatleast40occupations,firstappearedwitha molded plastic haircut with felt hair. In 2004,Mattelannouncedabreakupofourfavorite couple, implying Ken’s reluctance to get married, but rekindled the romance in2006inconjunctionwithamakeoverfor Ken. Barbara Handler Segal is now a

70-year-oldLosAngelesmotheroftwo.HerbrotherKenpassedawayatage50in1994

of a brain tumor.

There’s a reason most refrigerators have more than one crisper drawer. Some items need to be stored separately. For example, keep apples and carrots in different compartments. The apples give off a gas that can give the carrots a bitter taste.

Here’s a great tip from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. They can be hurt or even killed by the starting of the motor. Before you start your car in the morning (or any time of day, really) give your hood a nice, loud rap to give the cat a chance to escape.

“To keep melting snow, mud and leaves out of your house and off of your floors, line a wide, shal-low box bottom with plastic wrap or a kitchen-size garbage bag. Place the lined box near the front door to hold dirty shoes.” -- R.I. in Ohio

Apply lemon juice to the cut surface of an apple to prevent browning.

“Mix some salt with a little bit of water and rub the mixture over your hands for a few minutes to get rid of the smell of garlic or onions from cooking. Rinse under cold water.” -- J.J. in Nevada

“I usually keep a small blanket in the car for spontaneous picnics with the kids in the spring and summer. Last week, when my son and I got into the car to run errands in the morning, the car was really cold, which is kind of unusual for where we live. So, I grabbed the blanket and my son snuggled in it until the heater was able to warm the car. I am glad I had it in the car already.” -- R.T. in Florida

(c) 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.


FAMOUS DUOS (continued):•Mostbabyboomerswillrecalllearningfrom

the popular “Dick and Jane” readers during theirprimaryschoolyears—about60millionchildren in all used the books. The brother andsisterpairfirstappearedin1930,andbythe1950s,about80percentoffirst-graderswere reading the series. Written by William Gray and Zerna Sharp, the books also featuredsisterSally,Spot thedogandPuffthecat.Ifyouhappentohaveafirsteditionof one of the books, it’s worth as much as $200.

•DarylHallandJohnOatesmetin1967whileattending Philadelphia’s Temple University.It wasn’t until seven years later that they achieved their first hit “She’s Gone.” TheirfirstofsixBillboardNo.1songscamealongin 1977, “Rich Girl,” followed up with “Kiss on MyList.”Thepairhasrackedup34singleson theHot100 charts and sevenplatinumalbums,withsalesofmore than60millionrecords.

•The German Grimm Brothers introducedHansel and Gretel in an 1812 publication.The brother and sister were the children of a poor woodcutter who surrendered to his second wife’s plot to abandon the young pair in the woods. Wandering in the forest, the children happened upon a cottage made of gingerbread cakes, home to a cannibalistic witch.

•Mickey and Minnie Mouse became anitem in 1929 in the cartoon “PlaneCrazy,”just four months after Mickey’s debut in “Steamboat Willie.” They went on to appear in73cartoonstogether.TheirfriendDonaldDuckwassingle from the timeofhis1934premiere in “The Wise Little Hen” until Daisy Duck’s appearance in 1940’s “Mr. DuckSteps Out.” The sailor-suited Donald is theuncle of triplets Huey, Dewey and Louie, while Daisy is the aunt of their counterparts April, May and June Duck.

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CHRYSLER BUILDINGTowering over downtown Manhattan is the renowned Chrysler Building, at one time thetallest building in the world. Let’s learn more about this beautiful Art Deco masterpiece, voted by many New Yorkers as their favorite structure.

•In 1928, Walter Chrysler had built hiscompany into the second largest producer of automobiles in the world, and he felt it was time for a company headquarters thatreflected that status. Rather than buildingin Detroit like other automakers, he opted tomovetoNewYorkCity,whereheobtainedthe property at 42nd Street and LexingtonAvenue. Because Chrysler wanted hischildrento inherit thebuilding, theChryslerCorporationpaidfornoneoftheconstruction,withtheentirebillfootedbyWalterChryslerhimself.

•Groundwasbroken inSeptemberof1928inthemidstofafiercecompetitiontobuildthe world’s tallest skyscraper. Three shifts worked around the clock seven days a week, setting a pace of completion of four floorsper week. Not one worker died during the building’s construction.

•There are 3,862 windows in the ChryslerBuilding, and 32 elevators service its1,195,000squarefeet.About21,000tonsofsteeland400,000rivetswererequired,and3,826,000brickscovertheexteriorofits77floors. Automobile-themed ornaments werechosen to highlight the exterior. The corners of the 61st floor feature stainless steeleagles, replicas of a 1929 Chrysler hoodornament. The ornamentation on the 31stfloor’s corners copied the radiator caps ofthat year’s model fashioned into gargoyles.

•Thetopsevenfloorsweredesignedprimarilyfor appearance with tapering terraced arches of stainless steel. These floors serve aslandings for the stairway to the spire. They are very narrow with low, sloping ceilings, and alsohouseradiobroadcastingequipment.

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Comedy for a CauseThursday, February 2nd

6-8:30—Itam LodgeDinner & Prizes!

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Benefits The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Berkshire County

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1. ENTERTAINERS: Which actor?s birth name was Ramon Estevez?2. MUSIC: What was the name of Smokey Robinson?s group? 3. INVENTIONS: Who is credited with inventing bifocal lenses?4. PSYCHOLOGY: What irrational fear is manifested in peniaphobia?5. LITERATURE: In which of Shakespeare’s plays does the character Shylock appear?6. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: During which war did Harry Truman fire Gen. Douglas MacArthur? 7. HISTORY: When did Australia become a commonwealth nation, largely gaining independence from Britain?8. ANATOMY: About how long are the intestines in an adult male?9. FAMOUS QUOTES: What American psychologist/philosopher once once said: ?Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.??10. MEASUREMENTS: Which month is named for the Roman festival of ritual purification?

New Trivia Every Week!Answers on page 7


CHRYSLER BUILDING (continued):• ThewallsoftheelegantlobbyareredMoroccanmarble,whilethefloorsareyellow

marble. The elevator doors are inlaid with Japanese ash and American walnut, and

the lobby is decorated with various Egyptian motifs.A110-foot(33.5-m)ceilingmuralfeatures a likeness of the building with planesflyingaroundit,aswellaspaintedscenesfromtheChryslerplantassembly

line.• Thebuildingwasofficiallycompletedon

May27,1930,atacostof$20million.Soaringtoaheightof1,047feet(319m),

it was the world’s tallest building at its completion,aswellasthefirstman-madestructuretoexceedaheightof1,000feet(305m).ItsurpassedtheEiffelTower,whichhadbeentheworld’stalleststructurefor40years,by48feet(14.6m).Just11monthsaftertheChryslerBuilding’scompletion,it

was outdone by the Empire State Building by morethan200feet(61m).

• TheChryslerfamilysoldthebuildingin1947.Theskyscraperremainedtheautocompany’scorporateheadquartersfromitsopeninguntilthemid-1950s.Thebuildinghas changed ownership numerous times

since then. The Abu Dhabi Investment council is now the principal owner of the

property. •TheChryslerBuildingnowranksasthethird

tallestbuildinginNewYorkCityandthe48thtallestintheworld.Itstillholdsthehonor of the world’s tallest brick building. It has been a National Historic Landmark

since 1976.

1. Nate Colbert, with 163.2. Six -- Jeff Burroughs (1974), Juan Gonzalez (‘96, ‘98), Ivan Rodriguez (‘99), Alex Rodriguez (2003) and Josh Hamilton (‘10). 3. It was 1941.4. Three -- 1999, 2004 and 2011.5. Jaroslav Jirik, with St. Louis in the 1969-70 season.6. The Columbus Crew, in 2008.7. Zenyatta and Peppers Pride.

1. Martin Sheen2. The Miracles3. Ben Franklin4. A fear of poverty5. ?The Merchant of Venice?6. Korean 7. 19018. About 28 feet9. William James10. February (Februa)

YOUR BUSINESS HEREfor more information call (413) 717-2570

Animal Advocates

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I recently read on your website about a North Carolina county board that wanted to disallow adoptions of certain dog breeds from its shelter. The proposal was defeated thanks to a huge public outcry, but what about other rulings that don’t get as much publicity? How do we find out about them, and how can we get enough public support to stop unfair pet laws? -- Jane in Missouri

DEAR JANE: It’s great that you’re concerned and want to be more active in the area of pet legislation. The North Carolina case was a classic example of legislators (or in this case, a county board) proposing pet laws based upon popular but often inaccurate information, particularly about “bully breeds” (pit bulls, Doberman pinschers, etc). The county board shelved its proposal after receiving tens of thousands of emails and facing a packed house of dog owners, rescuers and other advocates at its board meeting.

Getting started can be as simple as an Internet search. Major organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States, the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and growing organizations like the No-Kill Advocacy Center are good websites to start with. You often can find local chapters or local advocacy organizations through larger nonprofits’ websites.

Facing down local legislators is just one facet of animal advocacy. If you want to learn more about protecting pets, pick up “Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets,” by Allie Phillips (Rowman and Littlefield). Phillips is an attorney and animal-rights advocate, and her book is packed with infor-mation on ways you can become more active.

Send your questions or tips to [email protected], or write to Paw’s Corner, c/o King Features Weekly Ser-vice, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. For more pet care-related advice and information, visit www.pawscorner.com.


TRUTHS ABOUT TWINSGreat things come in pairs, so they say. This week, Tidbits shares some truths about twins.• Aboutone-thirdofalltwinsareidentical,ormonozygotic.Thismeanstheywereformedfromasinglefertilizedeggthatsplitsintotwo. When it splits, there are either two males or two females. It’s a very small

window of time for the split to occur — It musthappenduringthefirst14daysafterconception, or it won’t happen! Fraternal twins are formed from two separate eggs, fertilizedseparately.Thecombinationcanbe two males, two females or one of each.

• IntheUnitedStates,thebirthratefortwinsisabout3percent.Approximately70

percent of twins are the result of fertility treatments.InAmerica,onein50peopleisadizygotic(fraternal)twin,andonein150isamonozygotic(identical)twin.Ifawoman

is a fraternal twin, she has about a one in 17 chance of giving birth to twins. Each year, about140,000babiesbornintheUnitedStatesarepartofasetoftwins.Over50percent of those are born prematurely.

• Severalcelebritieshaveatwinsibling,including Scarlett Johansson, who has atwinbrotherHunter,andVinDiesel,

whosetwinbrotherisafilmeditor.KieferSutherland’s twin sister is also in the movie business,asapost-productionsupervisorand casting assistant. Ashton Kutcher’s fraternaltwinbrotherisafflictedwith

cerebral palsy and had a heart transplant as a youth.

•Othercelebritiesareparentsoftwins,suchassingersMariahCarey,CelineDionandJenniferLopez,andfilmstarsJuliaRoberts,MichaelJ.Fox,DenzelWashingtonandMel

Gibson.


TRUTHS ABOUT TWINS (continued):•The correct term for Siamese twins is

“conjoined” twins. These occur when the babies do not fully separate from each other because thedivisionof the fertilizedegg isincomplete. They are connected at certain pointsofthebody,frequentlysharingorgansor limbs. This condition occurs about once every 85,000 births. Because they aremonozygotic, they are always either bothboys or both girls, never one of each. The term “Siamese twins” came from a pair of famousbrothersChangandEngBunkerwhowere the first conjoined twins to have theirmedical history documented. Born in Siam in theearly1880s, theywere joinedat thesternum. Settling in the United States, the

Next Issue Jan 31

men married sisters and fathered 21 children between the two of them. They died at age 62 on the same day. One of their descendants was a candidate for governor in Florida in the 2010election.

•The town of Igbo-Ora, Nigeria, has beenproclaimed “The Land of Twins.” For some reason, about 5 percent of births there result in twins, compared to an overall world averagerateofabout0.5percent.Igbo-Ora’scommunityleadercamefromafamilyof10sets of twins, and he himself has three sets. Some experts believe the high occurrence is the result of the residents’ heavy consumption of yams, a food that contains the hormone phytoestrogen, which may stimulate production of eggs in a woman’s ovaries.

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Tidbits of Berkshire County Issue #2

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Transcript of Tidbits of Berkshire County Issue #2