What Makes Flamingos Pink?

by Bill McLain

  FACTOIDS

  When it comes to recognition, Ronald McDonald is second only to Santa Claus.

  When he was 52 years old, Ray Kroc mortgaged his home and spent his entire life savings to become the exclusive distributor of a five-spindled milkshake mixer. He had heard of a place in California that was using eight of these mixers at a time, so he headed west to see this hamburger stand. When he arrived he was amazed to see so many people served so quickly. He convinced the owners, Dick and Mac McDonald, to open up more restaurants. His plan was to sell eight of his mixers to each of the new restaurants. At the time he didn’t realize he had started what was to become one of the largest restaurant chains in the world.

  The oldest McDonald’s is in Downey, California. It opened in 1953, the year before Ray Kroc was given exclusive franchising rights by the McDonald brothers. A year later, he opened his first store in Des Plaines, Illinois. Today this store is now a museum, which is a replica of the first McDonald’s restaurant opened by the founder of McDonald’s.

  A professional football player with the Philadelphia Eagles, Fred Hill, was responsible for the first Ronald McDonald house. In 1974, his daughter was being treated for leukemia. He and his wife grew tired of trying to sleep on hospital chairs and benches and eating out of vending machines. They saw other parents who could not afford the cost of staying in hotels suffering the same fate. He enlisted the aid of his teammates, the club manager, a doctor from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the local McDonald’s restaurants. Together, they created the first Ronald McDonald house. Today, there are now almost 200 such houses in 16 countries.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  King Moody did more than play Ronald McDonald on television. He was an accomplished actor who appeared in many films, numerous television shows, and over 1,000 television commercials.

  One such show was Get Smart which ran from 1965 to 1970. It was a comedy spoof of spy shows whose hero, Maxwell Smart, was a bumbling spy who worked for an agency so top secret that even the CIA didn’t know it existed.

  Smart worked for CONTROL (the good guys) and was always fighting the evil KAOS (the bad guys). These names are not acronyms. The writers felt that evil represented chaos, so they named the evil team KAOS. The opposite of chaos is control, so that’s the name they gave to the good team.

  King Moody played the henchman to the main KAOS agent, Ziegfried. He also played a bad guy on Police Woman with Angie Dickinson.

  King Moody has not done any acting since 1992. The last news about him was that he was writing a book about his experiences playing Ronald McDonald.

  Hopefully, King Moody will finish his book. It would be a wonderful story to share with all of his Ronald McDonald fans.

  Have scientists actually been able to teleport an object from one location to another location? (Beam me up, Scotty.)

  In the Star Trek films and television series, a person in one location was dematerialized, sent elsewhere on some type of electronic beam, and rematerialized in another location. In effect, the person was “teleported,” or moved, from one location to another in just a few seconds. Teleportation is the process of transporting an object from one place to another without touching it or using any mechanical device. In true teleportation, the object disappears from where it is and later reappears in some other spot. Is this possible, or is it just science fiction?

  In 1997 scientists in Austria managed to achieve what they called teleportation. Later, scientists in Rome and California also achieved teleportation. The California researchers claimed they had achieved the first true teleportation. Instead of a physical object, they moved light. In a tabletop experiment, the scientists encoded a light beam and used it to generate an electrical current. The current was then sent to the other end of the table where it was decoded to produce a replica of the original light beam. They did not physically transport the beam itself but sent its properties to another beam, thereby creating the replica.

  Although scientists believe that teleportation techniques can be used in the next few decades for transmitting information, they think that the ability to teleport people is virtually impossible in our lifetime because of the vast amount of information that would have to be assembled and transmitted.

  If it were possible to copy the atoms in a human being, the amount of information that would have to be transmitted from one place to another is mind boggling. With the best fiber optics we have today, it would take over 100 million centuries to transmit the information.

  Perhaps walking isn’t the worst way to get from one place to another. In fact, it just might be faster.

  FACTOIDS

  The term teleportation was coined in 1931 in Charles Fort’s book Lo!

  Some scientists believe that within 10 years they will be able to transport a virus. But why a virus? Do people need to have the flu teleported from one place to another?

  Teleportation techniques are already being applied to quantum cryptography, which is a virtually impenetrable method of communicating information. If anyone attempts to intercept an encrypted message, the message will immediately self-destruct. There is already a quantum computer in a laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

  When experimenting with teleportation, whether it is a beam of light or a particle, for some unknown reason the researchers always call the sender “Alice” and the recipient “Bob.”

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Another way of moving objects from one place to another without touching them or using any mechanical device is called psychokinesis, or mind over matter.

  Instances of mind over matter have been recorded since ancient times. Usually the phenomenon has been attributed to mystics, holy men, magicians, and even devils. Even in more modern times, the idea of mind over matter has been associated with the occult or with fraud. For that reason, few scientists took it seriously.

  In recent years, scientists have been taking psychokinesis very seriously. In 1991 researchers at Princeton University used elaborate electronic devices to determine if subjects could control the rolling of dice with their minds. The laboratory used a device that provided an electronic roll of the dice.

  The results of the study were positive. They showed that a person could mentally control the roll of the dice, and distance did not matter. Even if the subject were 1,000 miles away, the dice could still be controlled by the mind.

  Today, scientists think they can no longer ignore psychokinesis as fraudulent but must study it if they are to learn more about it.

  Teleporting an object to some distant location is not yet possible. Controlling the throw of the dice with the mind can still be accomplished by only a select few.

  It may not be teleportation, but if you really must move an object from one location to another, you can always pick it up, carry it to the new location, and set it down. It’s guaranteed to work.

  Is it true that fleas have been trained to perform circus acts? (You’re probably itching to hear the answer.)

  People have been training fleas for hundreds of years and have used them to perform various acts in what is known as a “flea circus.” The flea circus originated in England in the 1600s. Flea circuses reached their height of popularity in the 1830s largely because of the efforts of Signo Bertolotto, who toured Europe with his performing fleas. His fleas danced, pulled coaches, and even wore costumes. However, the fleas were not at all happy about being in a circus. They were permanently glued to each other, or to the props, or to the miniature chains that let them pull wagons.

  Around 100 years ago, flea circuses were a favorite parlor entertainment throughout Europe and were an attraction at numerous county fairs in the United States.

  There are still many flea circuses today. However, fleas are no longer cruelly glued to props. One method of training them is to use tuning forks with different frequencies. The sound of one fork might be pleasing to a flea, while the sound of a higher-pitched fork might be irritating. Various pitches are used to condition the flee to perform dif
ferent actions.

  In San Francisco, California, the Cardosa Flea Circus uses cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) rather than the human fleas (Pulex irritans) common in flea circuses years ago but rarely found today. The Acme Miniature Circus of Providence, Rhode Island, uses human fleas. Its stars, Midge and Madge, are shot out of a miniature cannon through a flaming hoop. The Alberti Flea Circus out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has performers named “Daring Diving Dardnell,” “Captain Spaulding,” and “Merlin.” Some flea circuses have high wire acts and parades. Dogs are not welcome at the performances because the flea circus owners don’t want to lose any of their performers. The next time you get bitten by a flea, be careful about swatting it. It just might be a star performer from a local flea circus.

  FACTOIDS

  A flea can pull 160,000 times its own weight, which is the equivalent of an average-size human pulling 12,000 tons.

  Fleas can jump as high as 12 inches, which is 150 times their own length. If you could jump 150 times your height, you could jump about 1,000 feet in the air.

  When a flea jumps into the air, it accelerates 50 times faster than the space shuttle after liftoff. It can also jump 30,000 times without stopping. A flea reverses its direction every time it jumps.

  Swiss watchmakers used to make tiny circus vehicles for flea circuses.

  The microscope used to be called the “flea glass,” because the Dutch scientist Leuwenhoek, who helped develop it, used it to study fleas.

  Only a few species of fleas bother humans, but over 250 species of fleas exist in North America.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Many flea circuses lacked the one ingredient symbolic of the circus: clowns, or if you want to use circus lingo, “Joeys” or “Zanies.”

  Virtually all clowns fit into one of four categories: whiteface, auguste, hobo, or character.

  A whiteface clown’s basic white makeup covers his face but the other makeup, such as eyebrows, mouth, and cheeks, can be of any color or design. His costume tends to be more formal than that of the other clowns. Formal for a clown, that is. The costume colors are not as garish and clashing as those of the other clowns. This very serious whiteface clown is always the straight man in the circus. He takes charge of the action and sets up the routine. He is the one dishing out the jokes, such as throwing a pie or giving another clown a kick.

  While the classic whiteface clown uses minimal makeup around his facial features, the grotesque whiteface clown might have huge false eyelashes, a bulbous red clown nose, and makeup that makes his mouth look larger than normal. Ronald McDonald is in this category.

  The auguste clown’s base makeup is flesh colored, but the rest of the makeup is bright and exaggerates the nose, mouth, and cheeks. The clown’s costume is garish, mismatched, bright, and usually oversized. Auguste was the personal name of the original auguste clown. He is the silly one who seems to never know what is going on. He is clumsy, awkward, impish, loves slapstick, and is usually the brunt of the jokes. He often works with a whiteface.

  The hobo clown is a caricature of someone who has nothing and never will. He is a forlorn character who doesn’t expect much out of life. The hobo clown is the one that gets the pie in the face or the kick in the pants. His costume consists of tattered and torn clothes, and his makeup exaggerates an unshaven face and large nose. Emmett Kelly and Red Skelton were both famous hobo clowns.

  A character clown portrays some person or profession that the audience can relate to. Such characters might be policemen, firemen, doctors, cowboys, or sailors. Whatever the character is, the clown turns it into a caricature.

  It doesn’t matter if a clown is a whiteface, auguste, hobo, or character, his primary goal in life can be summed up in three simple words, “make ’em laugh.”

  More questions? Try these Web sites.

  FAMOUS BURIALS

  http://interment.net/misc/famous.htm

  If you want to know where famous people are buried, check out this site. It has a cemetery database of politicians, a “Find-a-grave” site for locating graves of famous people, burial places of the stars, and interment sites of the famous and infamous.

  WHAT DOES YOUR PHONE NUMBER SPELL?

  http://www.phonespell.org/

  This far-out fun site automatically tells you what word, or words, your telephone number spells. For example, the number 843-234-4663 spells “the beginner.”

  PARANORMAL

  http://paranormal.about.com/culture/paranormal/?once=true&

  This site is only for those who are interested in the paranormal, including such topics as the missing link, elves, antigravity, mysterious creatures, lost worlds, and ghosts.

  The right side of the page (“In the spotlight”) covers recent or popular events. You can click on any one of the 31 topics on the left side of the page to find a number of links with information about that topic.

  FLEA CIRCUS

  http://www.pe.net/~magical/flea/index.html

  This is the Web site of Walt Noon, who not only has a performing flea circus but is also a professional magician. Click on the picture of Walt in a top hat to see a review of his circus. You can also hire Walt if you want a true flea circus at your next event. If you surf around his site, you’ll also find some fascinating magic tricks.

  6

  Food

  Why is salt a good food preservative? (Old salts are often well preserved.)

  The purpose of “salting” meat is to preserve it so it can be eaten long after the animal has been slaughtered. In the presence of salt, water leaves animal tissues by osmosis, which dehydrates the meat so that no bacteria can grow and decompose it. There are a number of different salt preservation methods such as soaking in brine (a salt and water solution) or laying the meat in a bed of salt crystals.

  In ancient times, salt was more highly prized than gold and was the foundation of ancient economies throughout history. Aside from its materialistic value, salt also played an important part in religions of the world.

  In the Christian religion, in both the Old and New Testaments, covenants were quite often sealed with salt. Jesus said that the meek, the poor in spirit, the merciful, those persecuted for the sake of righteousness, the peacemakers, and the pure of heart were “the salt of the earth,” which was a marvelous compliment.

  On the Sabbath, offerings in the Jewish temple included salt. Today Jews still dip bread in salt to commemorate those ancient sacrifices.

  Many Buddhists believe that salt wards off evil spirits. When Buddhists enter their homes after attending a funeral, they throw salt over their shoulders to scare off any evil spirits that might be clinging to their backs. When the Dalai Lama died in 1933, he was buried sitting up in a bed of salt.

  The Hopi Native Americans worship the Salt Mother and have a legend that the angry Warrior Twins put valuable salt deposits far from civilization to punish the human race. Only those who were brave and willing to work hard would be able to get the salt.

  FACTOIDS

  Salt was used as a form of money. Even today bars of salt are sometimes used in Ethiopia to pay for goods. Not too long ago cakes of salt with their value stamped on them were used in Tibet and Borneo. In ancient Rome a soldier’s pay was salt, and our word “salary” for pay is derived from the Latin word salarium, whose root is sal, or “salt.”

  The word for salt is derived from the town Es-Salt, which is close to the Dead Sea.

  The expression “not worth his salt” comes from ancient Greece, where salt was often traded for slaves. If a slave proved unworthy for some reason, it was said that he was not worth his salt. In short, he wasn’t worth the price paid for him.

  Many people throw salt over their left shoulder for luck if they have spilled some salt. This custom originated in ancient times when salt was so precious that spilling it was considered bad luck. To prevent misfortune, people would throw salt over their left shoulder into the eyes of the devil who was always dancing behind their left shoulder, hoping they would sin and he coul
d have their souls. The salt would burn the devil’s eyes and blind him until good luck returned.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  A salt mine in Wieliczka, Poland, is one of the top 12 tourist attractions in the world. It is the oldest salt mine in Europe and has been operating continuously for over 700 years. More than 200 miles of passages on nine levels extend 1,027 feet below the surface.

  Through the centuries, miners have carved sculptures from the rock salt, and today there are underground churches with altars and life-size statues, all carved from salt. The ornate chandeliers are made from salt crystals. The Chapel of the Blessed Kinga, located 330 feet below the surface, is the largest church. It is over 164 feet long, 49 feet wide, and 39 feet high. Some of the large excavation chambers are used today as sports arenas or theaters. One chamber once served as an opera hall. Another fascinating attraction of the mine are the three underground salt lakes, one over 20 feet deep.

  Today, around 1,500 miners are employed to work the mine. The miners are divided into gangs, and each gang works six hours before being relieved by another gang. Although people often use the expression “working in the salt mines” to mean working like a slave, the miners in the Wieliczka mine are quite healthy. They do not suffer from lung disease as hard rock and coal miners do. The temperature in the mine is about 54° F year-round. Each gang mines over 50 tons of salt a day, and the mine’s annual production is around 75,000 tons of salt a year.

  Although a great deal of salt is taken out of the mine every year, no one is worried about running out of salt. At the current rate of mining, it is estimated that it will take another 300 years to extract all of the salt in the mine.