Mid-Mensan The Newsletter of Mid-Hudson Mensa

March 1997

Here's the easy one:

SEDXNESQ JXGIUE'F RV DX RQU, SW

XEIL LXG USUE'F ISV QJQMV JXCCLSEY

QRXGF SF.

Hard one, no punctuation, letters in groups of 5:

HWYRG XQYPG XGENY ZYITW MLGPN

HHNYP MTQTN HTXHN YJVBM RYNTN

Answers near the end of this newsletter.

It seems like it's more and more often that scientists are finding out that some product we take for granted just isn't as good as we've assumed. One of the latest products to fall into this category is mineral oil. Organic chemists are discovering not only that mineral oil isn't as good for your skin as once assumed, but it may actually be doing some harm.

Mineral oil is a petroleum product. As such it is purely oily in components. Human cells have both an oily layer (inside) and a watery layer (outside). Oils produced by animals and plants have both oil-based and water-based components, and are thus compatible with both parts of human cells. But mineral oil, having only the oily components, cannot moisten a cell properly and is actually an irritant to the watery layers of the cell.

Mineral oil is also bad in that fat-soluble vitamins are highly attracted to it. This includes vitamins A, D, E and K. After being applied, mineral oil can actually deplete these vitamins from the body.

What are some of the products which use mineral oil? The most common ones include makeup bases, less expensive skin and hand lotions, moisturizers and suntan lotion. Baby oil is almost entirely composed of fragrance-enhanced mineral oil. You may be wondering whether petroleum jelly also falls into this category. I don't know whether the same concerns apply. If you are planning to buy lotions, moisturizers, etc., consider buying ones derived from natural, plant-based ingredients such as aloe or cocoa butter. Your skin will thank you.

Have you got a tip you'd like to share? Send it to: Living Smarter c/o Bill Zigo

This one comes from Tom Rankin:

A doctor made it his regular habit to stop off at a bar for a hazelnut daiquiri on his way home. The bartender knew of his habit, and would always have the drink waiting at precisely 5:03 p.m. One afternoon, as the end of the work day approached, the bartender was dismayed to find that he was out of hazelnut extract. Thinking quickly, he threw together a daiquiri made with hickory nuts and set it on the bar. The doctor came in at his regular time, took one sip of the drink and exclaimed, "This isn't a hazelnut daiquiri!" "No, I'm sorry," replied the bartender, "it's a hickory daiquiri, doc."

Send your groaners to PUN c/o Jim Jelacic.

Greetings, Fellow Trivians! Here we are again. Time to announce the winner of the Trivia 97 contest. But first, here are the answers to the questions from December and January/February.

Q75:  What is the importance of ALH84001?
A75:  It is the meteor that shows evidence of life on Mars.

Q76:  Which singer's trademark song is "Que Sera, Sera?"
A76:  Doris Day.

Q77:  Who was the most famous Green Mountain boy?
A77:  Ethan Allen led the Green Mountain Boys during the Revolutionary War.

Q78:  "The better part of valor is discretion." says Falstaff. In which Shakespeare play did he say that?
A78:  "Henry IV Part I", Act V scene iv.

Q79:  In what field of study would you find a trill, mordent and appoggiatura?
A79:  Music - these are ornaments of notes on a scale.

Q80:  Who knows if you've been bad or good? (So be good for goodness sake!)
A80:  Santa Claus.

Q81:  What is Timothy Mouse's (of "Dumbo" fame) middle initial?
A81:  L.

Q82:  What are the most Friday the 13th's that can occur in a calendar year, and what is the next year we have that many?
A82:  3. The next unlucky year will be 1998.

Q83:  Who was the first President to get married in the White house - and who led the band at the wedding?
A83:  Grover Cleveland listened to John Philip Sousa.

Q84:  What is the price of Minnie Pearl's hat?
A84:  $1.98.

Q85:  What was the capital of Russian America?
A85:  Sitka, Alaska held the center of the Russian government before it was sold to the United States.

Q86:  In which field of study would you find a spreader, a canopy and a handle?
A86:  These are parts of an umbrella.

Q87:  What was the treaty under which Mexico gave Texas to the United States?
A87:  The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848.

Q88:  "He hath eaten me out of house and home" writes Shakespeare. Who is the Hostess lamenting about?
A88:  Sir John Falstaff in "King Henry IV Part II" Act II Scene I.

Q89:  Who played the suave spy Matt Helm in the movies?
A89:  Dean Martin.

Q90:  Who, with Tenzing Norkay, became the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest?
A90:  Sir Edmund Percival Hillary.

Q91:  ¾ of all the extinct plants and birds in the USA formerly flourished in which State?
A91:  Hawaii.

Q92:  What breed of dog was Toto of "Wizard of Oz" fame?
A92:  Cairn Terrier.

Q93:  Within 25, according to the 1990 census, where does Poughkeepsie rank as a city in the USA according to its population?
A93:  1104th, sandwiched in there between Westfield, NJ and Deer Park, NY.

Q94:  In what US state can you legally drop out of school at the earliest age?
A94:  Mississippi, the only state which legally allows you to drop out of school at age 14 (it's 16 or older for every other state).

Q95:  What woman has won the US National Figure Skating championship the most times?
A95:  Gretchen Merrill, 1943-48 (6 titles).

Q96:  In golf, what is the maximum number of clubs permitted?
A96:  14.

Q97:  The largest Greek-speaking city in the world is Athens, Greece; the second is New York City. What is the third?
A97:  Melbourne, Australia.

Q98:  What is "frass"?
A98:  Insect excrement or, in plain English, bug guano.

Q99:  On "Taxi", what was the name of the cab company?
A99:  The Sunshine Cab Company.

Q100:  Who was the last pitcher to legally throw a spitball?
A100:  Burleigh Grimes.

The winner for December is the Kosowski family with 8 correct answers. Ed Quinn had 7 and Les Herring had 5 correct answers. The winner for January/February is the Kosowski family again with 13 correct answers. Ed Quinn had 11, Tom & Barb Rankin had 10, David Nuss of Washingtonville and Les Herring had 9 and Vehig Tavitian had 3 correct answers.

And the winner of the Trivia 1996 contest is: the Kosowski family with 87 out of 100 correctly answered questions! Well done! The closest runner-ups are Ed Quinn with 70, Tom & Barb Rankin with 68 and Les Herring with 63 correct answers. A total of 14 Trivians participated. My thanks and gratitude to all who submitted questions and answers. You make this contest possible. The Kosowski Crew wins a $15 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble Booksellers. Staying with tradition, the Crew can submit answers for this year's questions but they will not be eligible for the prize.

Here's the start of the new Trivia 1997 contest. It's a clean slate. Go to your corner and come out fighting. Good luck to all!

Q1:  What river does the Grand Coulee Dam control?

Q2:  What was unusual about Mary Tyler Moore's role of answering service operator, Sam, in a late 50's detective TV series?

Q3:  What is the distinction John C. Calhoun and Spiro Agnew have?

Q4:  Which cartoonist drew "Calvin and Hobbes"?

Q5:  In which field of study would you find a midrib, petiole and a stipule?

Q6:  Which US mint uses the mint mark of "W"?

Q7:  Within a few million (+/- 5), how much was spent for network TV advertising for Super Bowl XXXI? (Submitted by the Kosowski family)

Q8:  According to Olympic Badminton rules, how many feathers must the birdie have? (Submitted by Helen Schimpf)

Q9:  Why are Blue Laws called "Blue Laws"? (Submitted by David Nuss)

Q10:  It is 1958, who is Laika? (Submitted by Dave Cardall)

Send your answers and questions (with answers) to Trivia Contest c/o Jim Jelacic by March 31.

In January, I mentioned Saturn, Venus, Mercury and the Quadrantid Meteor Shower as observing projects. Did anyone try these? I forgot to mention it, but the moon was incredibly small in the morning sky on January 8th. I glimpsed it for a few minutes that morning, and broke the club record for sighting the smallest moon by several hours.

The Planets: In March, Saturn is very low in the South West sky in early evening. Jupiter will be low in the East during the month. Mars rises around sundown in the East. It will be at its biggest and brightest on the 17th. The motion of Mars is the most elliptical of the inner planets by far, and this occasionally brings it much closer to us at opposition. But right now, we're on the 'far side' of the ellipse, so even though Mars is as close as it will get for the next 27 months, it's still not very impressive. You can still make out a fair amount of detail in a good scope.

I lied about Comet Hale-Bopp in January, stating that it was too low to see! I was able to make several observations of the Comet in the morning sky during January and February. Most of the time it was easy to see with the naked eye, and it continues to brighten and move away from the sun. In March it will be visible both in the evening and morning skies. If you want to know where to look, just call the Hotline (see the end of the article for the number). The end of the month will be a great time to see it!

Other March events: On the 10th, the Moon will be very close to Saturn. On the 14th it will be very close to the bright star Aldebaran. By the 30th, we'll lose it behind the Sun for a few months.

Astro News: Several announcements were made by NASA, and the HST recently. Gamma rays were 'confirmed' to come from well beyond our Galaxy. More evidence was announced for the existence of Black Holes, and stars were discovered floating in inter-galactic space. I've got the full text of these and many more recent articles on my computer if you're interested.

There's no meteor shower this month. Stay tuned!

Upcoming MHAA Events:

3/07/97 - 7:30 PM	Outdoor meeting at Wilcox Park (make up next night)
3/18/97 - 7:30 PM	Indoor meeting at SUNY New Paltz in LC 112.  Topic: [Call the Hotline - not known at this writing]

Call 473-7602 for the Club Hotline: Information, Astronomy News, and 'Astronomy Trivia'! Would you like to borrow a telescope from the Club for a month? Let me know! We've got several 'loaner' scopes that are very easy to use. We have lots of other Astro stuff to lend as well!

Next Month: April is Hale-Bopp's Prime Time! And another Meteor Shower.

Clear skies!  Tom Rankin

Cryptogram Answers:

Easy:

Insomnia wouldn't be so bad, if only you didn't lie awake worrying about it.

Hard:

Slogan for an automobile parts store: if it's in stock, we got it.