09 January 10, 2009 - ObserverXtra
09 January 10, 2009 - ObserverXtra
09 January 10, 2009 - ObserverXtra
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28 | CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM<br />
»STRANGE BUT TRUE | BILL & RICH SONES<br />
Catchers have tried a few odd, and painful, stunts<br />
Q. From how<br />
high up might<br />
a dropped baseball<br />
be caught<br />
by someone<br />
down below?<br />
A. In 1908, a<br />
couple of major<br />
league catchers nabbed baseballs<br />
tossed from atop the 555-foot Washington<br />
Monument, says Jearl Walker in<br />
The Flying Circus of Physics.<br />
Thirty years later, Cleveland Indians<br />
catchers Frankie Pytlak and Hank<br />
Helf waited beneath Cleveland’s<br />
Terminal Tower as balls were dropped<br />
from 700 feet up (213 meters). They<br />
wore steel helmets for protection as<br />
the balls reached an estimated 140<br />
mph (225 km/h). Helf caught the first<br />
ball, claiming there was nothing to<br />
it, but the next five for Pytlak went<br />
astray. One bounded up to the 13th<br />
floor and was fielded by a police sergeant<br />
after its third bounce. “On the<br />
sixth try, Pytlak made his catch and<br />
shared the record.”<br />
In 1939 Joe Sprinz of the San Francisco<br />
Baseball Club tried to catch a ball<br />
AUTOMOTIVE<br />
Body Maintenance<br />
at<br />
RUDOW’S CARSTAR<br />
COLLISION CENTRE<br />
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519-669-3373<br />
33 First Street, East<br />
Elmira, ON<br />
AUTOMOTIVE<br />
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WHERE TIRES<br />
ARE A<br />
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35 Howard Ave., Elmira<br />
519-669-3232<br />
THE OBSERVER | Saturday, <strong>January</strong> <strong>10</strong>, 20<strong>09</strong><br />
SERVICE PROS »<br />
EXPERT ADVICE | QUALITY SERVICES<br />
LOOK UP A PROFESSIONAL.<br />
SERVICE<br />
THIS SPACE<br />
FOR RENT<br />
Call Donna at ext <strong>10</strong>4<br />
519.669.5790 | 1.888.966.5942<br />
www.<strong>ObserverXtra</strong>.com<br />
SIGNAGE | VINYL & DIGITAL<br />
Signs & Banners<br />
Vehicle Lettering<br />
Logos & Graphics<br />
Large format printing<br />
Decals & Safety Stickers<br />
graphx ltd.<br />
www.remingtongraphfix.com<br />
BILL SCHENKEL<br />
519-664-18<strong>09</strong><br />
1600 King St. N.,<br />
Unit #18<br />
ST.JACOBS<br />
FAST, FRIENDLY SERVICE AT COMPETITIVE PRICES!<br />
dropped from a blimp 800 feet or more<br />
up; on the fifth try, he gloved one, but<br />
the impact drove hand, mitt and ball<br />
into his face, fracturing his jaw in 12<br />
places, breaking five teeth and knocking<br />
him unconscious -- and he dropped<br />
the ball.<br />
More ludicrous was a 1916 toss from<br />
an airplane at 400 feet by Brooklyn<br />
Dodgers trainer Frank Kelly. He<br />
pretended to launch one toward manager<br />
Wilbert Robinson below, though<br />
in reality he had substituted a red<br />
grapefruit. “When the fruit exploded<br />
on impact, its red contents drenched<br />
Robinson, who cried, “It broke me<br />
open! I’m covered with blood.”<br />
Q. What bizarre sight might a<br />
climber see from atop a high mountain?<br />
A. Serious mountain climbers have<br />
long known that thin air and reduced<br />
oxygen to the brain can bring on acute<br />
mountain sickness at altitudes above<br />
2,500 metres (8,000 feet), say Sandra<br />
Aamodt, PhD, and Sam Wang, PhD, in<br />
Welcome to Your Brain. At these<br />
heights, “mountaineers report perceiving<br />
unseen companions, seeing<br />
HOCKEY<br />
ELMIRA’S HOCKEY HEADQUARTERS<br />
48 Arthur St. S., Elmira | 519-669-8799<br />
Mon-Wed. 9-6, Thurs, Fri. 9-8, Sat. 9-5, Sun. Closed<br />
SELF STORAGE<br />
Various<br />
sizes & rates<br />
CLEAN • DRY • SECURE<br />
Call 519-669-4964<br />
<strong>10</strong>0 SOUTH FIELD DRIVE, ELMIRA<br />
TOwING<br />
TOWING AND<br />
RECOVERY<br />
CASH PAID<br />
FOR YOUR UNWANTED<br />
SCRAP VEHICLES<br />
CARS, TRUCKS OR VANS<br />
WE PAY CASH WITH<br />
FREE TOWING<br />
PLEASE CALL<br />
519-568-8666<br />
<br />
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TRUCKS<br />
JOHNS<br />
TRANSIT!<br />
IT!<br />
VEHICLES<br />
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PHONE<br />
519.503.0888<br />
light emanating from themselves or<br />
others, seeing a second body like their<br />
own, and suddenly feeling emotions<br />
like fear.”<br />
Neural structures in and near the<br />
temporal and parietal lobes of the<br />
cortex can be affected, triggering<br />
seizures that elicit intense religious<br />
experiences, such as feeling that one<br />
is in heaven or in the presence of a Supreme<br />
Being. Generally, such visions<br />
are associated not only with<br />
mountains -- Moses encountering a<br />
voice from a burning bush on Mount<br />
Sinai -- but with other remote areas<br />
such as deserts where environmental<br />
conditions and stresses are extreme.<br />
Q. There are 56 known species,<br />
including browns and blacks of<br />
various shades, their teeth growing<br />
4-6 inches per year -- at least they<br />
would if not constantly worn down<br />
from gnawing on pipes, cement,<br />
brick, wood, bones for dinner.<br />
A female can mate 500 times in<br />
a six-hour period, and a pair of<br />
browns could produce 2,000 descendants<br />
in a year if unchecked. Flush<br />
PAINTING<br />
SEPTIC<br />
20 years<br />
experience<br />
free<br />
estimates<br />
interior/exterior painting<br />
wallpapering & Plaster|Drywall repairs<br />
519-669-2251<br />
36 Hampton St., Elmira<br />
Septic Tank Cleaning<br />
Inspections for Real Estate<br />
Septic System Repairs & Restoration<br />
Catch Basin Cleaning<br />
Waterloo Region • Wellington County<br />
519-648-3004 or 519-896-7700<br />
www.biobobs.com<br />
TRUCK REPAIR<br />
Qualified Licensed Mechanics Ready to Serve Your Needs.<br />
OPEN<br />
Monday-Fridays<br />
6am-6pm<br />
Saturday<br />
6am-2pm<br />
270 Arthur St. N.,<br />
Elmira, ON<br />
TRUCK & TRAILER REPAIR & MAINTENANCE<br />
Mobile Services | CAT and Cummins Diagnostics<br />
Government Emissions Testing | Air Conditioning<br />
Aluminum and Steel Welding | Hydraulics<br />
Government Safety Inspections<br />
CALL KIRBY, Service Manager | 519.669.8420<br />
After Hours Cell: 519.577.1459<br />
one down the toilet and it can tread<br />
water for three days and survive, or<br />
it could fall 50 feet and land uninjured.<br />
Its favorite city eats are scrambled<br />
eggs, macaroni and cheese, cooked<br />
corn. Absent these, its own feces<br />
will do in a pinch for nutritional<br />
value. Killing one or many was<br />
popular sport for man and dog<br />
in 19th-century London, with one<br />
13-pound bull terrier doing in <strong>10</strong>0<br />
in 5 1/2 minutes. “Drats” has nothing<br />
to do with them, being a short<br />
form of “od rat,” a euphemism for<br />
“God rot,” a sort of profanity. Owing<br />
to their skill at stowing away on<br />
ships, they enjoy a nearly worldwide<br />
distribution. Haven’t you already<br />
guessed this anagram and palindrome<br />
for “star”?<br />
A. Oh, rats! (Liza Lentini and David<br />
Mouzon of Discover magazine.)<br />
(Send STRANGE questions to<br />
brothers Bill and Rich at<br />
strangetrue@compuserve.com)<br />
PLUMBING<br />
YOUR<br />
PLUMBING<br />
& HEATING<br />
SPECIALISTS!<br />
C.J.<br />
BRUBACHER LTD.<br />
19 First St. E., Elmira<br />
519-669-3362<br />
SHARPENING<br />
ELMIRA’S SHARPENING<br />
HEADQUARTERS<br />
Have your skates<br />
sharpened with us<br />
four times, and the<br />
fifth one’s FREE!<br />
Knife and Scissor Sharpening<br />
See store for details.<br />
wINDOw COVERINGS<br />
PLUMBING<br />
Steve<br />
Co.<br />
Steve Plumbing<br />
Co.<br />
and<br />
Maintenance<br />
Inc.<br />
RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL<br />
For all your<br />
Plumbing Needs.<br />
24 HOUR SERVICE<br />
Steve Jacobi ELMIRA<br />
519-669-3652<br />
22 Church St. W., Elmira<br />
Tel: 519-669-5537<br />
STORE HOURS: M-F: 8-8, SAT 8-6, SUN 12-5<br />
Custom Draperies & Blinds • Curtain Hardware<br />
40 Memorial Ave, Elmira<br />
519-669-83<strong>09</strong>
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