26 Joker's Wild
Watch out for practical jokers. They'll do almost anything for a laugh. One such prankster was Moe Drabowsky. He was abaseball relief pitcher. Relief pitchers are standby players who replace the starting pitcher in a game if he is pitching badly. Ifthe starting pitcher is throwing well, relief pitchers have nothing to do. They just sit around in the bullpen and hope themanager calls them to play.
Waiting around in the bullpen gave Moe lots of time to think up jokes. But his best joke was played after he retired frombaseball. Moe was sitting at home watching his team play on television. It would have been a boring game for him had he stillbeen on the team. The starting pitcher was doing great. He hadn't given up a single run. The relief pitchers wouldn't be likelyto play in this game. The last thing they'd expect would be a call from the manager. The thought gave Moe a mischievousidea. He still remembered the bullpen phone number. Moe dialed it from his living room. A startled relief pitcher answered. Using a voice that sounded like the manager's, Moe growled, “Warm up and get ready to play.” The star pitcher gaped at theman in the bullpen who was getting ready to pitch. Everyone stared at the manager in disbelief. The poor manager could onlyscratch his head. A thousand miles away, Moe Drabowsky sat in his living room watching the event on TV and laughing.
27 The Mysterious Iceman
Put yourself in these tourists’ position. You are walking an icy mountain path in the Alps in Europe. Suddenly you spot a bodyon the ground, face downward and stuck to the ice. You think someone may have been murdered or in a fatal accident. Soyou rush back and call the police. The police, however, quickly realize that this body is different from others they've found onthe mountain. For one thing, it is mostly undamaged. For another, its skin is dried out, like a mummy's. And with it is a knifewith a small stone blade.
The body turned out to be much older than the tourists could have guessed. When specialists had a chance to examine it, they discovered it had been there for about five thousand years!
How could a body stay preserved for all this time? Two things probably helped. First, the place where the man died wassomewhat sheltered, so animals couldn't get at it. Then he was quickly covered by falling snow. Wind blowing through thesnow probably “freeze-dried” his body, removing all moisture from it.
Objects found with the body told something about the Iceman's life. He wore a well-made fur jacket and pants. He clearly hadbeen hunting, for he carried arrows, and animal bones were nearby. He also had a braided grass mat for sitting or sleepingon. Perhaps he was exhausted when he lay down for the last time.
The body was found in 1991, when some of the ice on the mountain melted. Searching for the cause of the Iceman's death, scientists put the body back into cold conditions—and hoped.
28 They'll Eat Anything
You know that pearls grow inside oysters, but would you ever think to look for diamonds inside an ostrich? Well, a hunter onceshot an ostrich and discovered, to his great surprise, that the big bird had swallowed a bunch of diamonds. How could such astrange thing happen?
Like many other birds, the ostrich swallows small stones that stay inside its “gizzard.” The gizzard is a bird's second stomach. It is where the food is ground up. The small stones help to grind up the food so it can be digested. The small stones do thechewing, because birds don't have teeth. In the case of the ostrich with the diamonds, the bird simply had expensive taste inrocks. He used the diamonds to help digest his dinner.
Diamonds and stones aren't all that an ostrich will swallow. If there are no stones around, it will eat just about anything. Sadly for ostriches in zoos, this can be a fatal habit. The tendency to swallow anything it sees has caused the death of manyan ostrich. Cruel or careless people often throw things into the bird's living space. They throw keys, coins, and even largeobjects such as horseshoes. The ostrich swallows them without hesitation. Coins can be the worst. Inside the ostrich theywear down to a razor-sharp edge. They will cut open the bird's gizzard from the inside. When one young zoo ostrich died, 484 coins weighing more than eight pounds were found in its gizzard.
29 No Laughing Matter
Never laugh at a snow-covered mountain! Laughter and yelling during the avalanche season can trigger a deadly pile of snow. Huge snow slides are most common in mountains where there are steep slopes that are well buried in snow and ice. The snowbuilds up slowly and lands very softly. This can create a very touchy, unstable situation. Tons of snow may be held up by onlythe friction between snowflakes. The deep snow is like a house of cards. The slightest movement can cause it to tumble. Assoon as something slips, a great mass of snow will come crashing down the mountainside.
Slides may be started by sound vibrations. They may also be started by the weight of wet, melting snow. Once an avalanche has been triggered, the cause no longer matters. Moving down a steep slope, it picks up great speed and added snow. Some avalanches travel as fast as 200 miles per hour. The force of an avalanche will mow down anything in its path. Whole houseshave been swallowed up by these fast-paced piles of snow.
The wind that is caused by an avalanche is almost as destructive as the snow itself. Winds from an avalanche have beenknown to travel as fast as those of a tornado. So, when approaching a thickly snow-covered mountain, speak softly!
30 Abe's Favorite Story
If he hadn't turned to politics, Abe Lincoln might have done well as a comic. It has been said that he was always ready join ina laugh at his own expense. There is one particular story that he always told with great glee.
In his early days as a lawyer, Lincoln was on the “circuit.” This meant going from town to town to hear and judge legal cases. During one of these many trips, he was sitting in a train when a strange man came up to him. The stranger looked at the tall, gawky lawyer quite sternly and explained that he had something he believed belonged to Lincoln. Lincoln was a bit confused. He had never seen the man before. He didn't see how a total stranger could have something of his. Lincoln asked him howthis could be. The stranger pulled out a gleaming penknife and began to explain. Many years before, he had been given the pocketknife. He had been told to keep it until he was able to find a man uglier than himself.
Lincoln's eyes always sparkled when he reached this part of the story. He was never considered a handsome man. Thestranger had decided that Lincoln was ugly enough to deserve the knife. The story always brought smiles to the faces of theaudience that heard it. The tale itself was funny. But even more delightful was the fact that a man as great as Lincoln couldstill laugh at himself.
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26 Joker's Wild
Watch out for practical jokers. They'll do almost anything for a laugh. One such prankster was Moe Drabowsky. He was abaseball relief pitcher. Relief pitchers are standby players who replace the starting pitcher in a game if he is pitching badly. Ifthe starting pitcher is throwing well, relief pitchers have nothing to do. They just sit around in the bullpen and hope themanager calls them to play.
Waiting around in the bullpen gave Moe lots of time to think up jokes. But his best joke was played after he retired frombaseball. Moe was sitting at home watching his team play on television. It would have been a boring game for him had he stillbeen on the team. The starting pitcher was doing great. He hadn't given up a single run. The relief pitchers wouldn't be likelyto play in this game. The last thing they'd expect would be a call from the manager. The thought gave Moe a mischievousidea. He still remembered the bullpen phone number. Moe dialed it from his living room. A startled relief pitcher answered. Using a voice that sounded like the manager's, Moe growled, “Warm up and get ready to play.” The star pitcher gaped at theman in the bullpen who was getting ready to pitch. Everyone stared at the manager in disbelief. The poor manager could onlyscratch his head. A thousand miles away, Moe Drabowsky sat in his living room watching the event on TV and laughing.
27 The Mysterious Iceman
Put yourself in these tourists’ position. You are walking an icy mountain path in the Alps in Europe. Suddenly you spot a bodyon the ground, face downward and stuck to the ice. You think someone may have been murdered or in a fatal accident. Soyou rush back and call the police. The police, however, quickly realize that this body is different from others they've found onthe mountain. For one thing, it is mostly undamaged. For another, its skin is dried out, like a mummy's. And with it is a knifewith a small stone blade.
The body turned out to be much older than the tourists could have guessed. When specialists had a chance to examine it, they discovered it had been there for about five thousand years!
How could a body stay preserved for all this time? Two things probably helped. First, the place where the man died wassomewhat sheltered, so animals couldn't get at it. Then he was quickly covered by falling snow. Wind blowing through thesnow probably “freeze-dried” his body, removing all moisture from it.
Objects found with the body told something about the Iceman's life. He wore a well-made fur jacket and pants. He clearly hadbeen hunting, for he carried arrows, and animal bones were nearby. He also had a braided grass mat for sitting or sleepingon. Perhaps he was exhausted when he lay down for the last time.
The body was found in 1991, when some of the ice on the mountain melted. Searching for the cause of the Iceman's death, scientists put the body back into cold conditions—and hoped.
28 They'll Eat Anything
You know that pearls grow inside oysters, but would you ever think to look for diamonds inside an ostrich? Well, a hunter onceshot an ostrich and discovered, to his great surprise, that the big bird had swallowed a bunch of diamonds. How could such astrange thing happen?
Like many other birds, the ostrich swallows small stones that stay inside its “gizzard.” The gizzard is a bird's second stomach. It is where the food is ground up. The small stones help to grind up the food so it can be digested. The small stones do thechewing, because birds don't have teeth. In the case of the ostrich with the diamonds, the bird simply had expensive taste inrocks. He used the diamonds to help digest his dinner.
Diamonds and stones aren't all that an ostrich will swallow. If there are no stones around, it will eat just about anything. Sadly for ostriches in zoos, this can be a fatal habit. The tendency to swallow anything it sees has caused the death of manyan ostrich. Cruel or careless people often throw things into the bird's living space. They throw keys, coins, and even largeobjects such as horseshoes. The ostrich swallows them without hesitation. Coins can be the worst. Inside the ostrich theywear down to a razor-sharp edge. They will cut open the bird's gizzard from the inside. When one young zoo ostrich died, 484 coins weighing more than eight pounds were found in its gizzard.
29 No Laughing Matter
Never laugh at a snow-covered mountain! Laughter and yelling during the avalanche season can trigger a deadly pile of snow. Huge snow slides are most common in mountains where there are steep slopes that are well buried in snow and ice. The snowbuilds up slowly and lands very softly. This can create a very touchy, unstable situation. Tons of snow may be held up by onlythe friction between snowflakes. The deep snow is like a house of cards. The slightest movement can cause it to tumble. Assoon as something slips, a great mass of snow will come crashing down the mountainside.
Slides may be started by sound vibrations. They may also be started by the weight of wet, melting snow. Once an avalanche has been triggered, the cause no longer matters. Moving down a steep slope, it picks up great speed and added snow. Someavalanches travel as fast as 200 miles per hour. The force of an avalanche will mow down anything in its path. Whole houseshave been swallowed up by these fast-paced piles of snow.
The wind that is caused by an avalanche is almost as destructive as the snow itself. Winds from an avalanche have beenknown to travel as fast as those of a tornado. So, when approaching a thickly snow-covered mountain, speak softly!
30 Abe's Favorite Story
If he hadn't turned to politics, Abe Lincoln might have done well as a comic. It has been said that he was always ready join ina laugh at his own expense. There is one particular story that he always told with great glee.
In his early days as a lawyer, Lincoln was on the “circuit.” This meant going from town to town to hear and judge legal cases. During one of these many trips, he was sitting in a train when a strange man came up to him. The stranger looked at the tall, gawky lawyer quite sternly and explained that he had something he believed belonged to Lincoln. Lincoln was a bit confused. He had never seen the man before. He didn't see how a total stranger could have something of his. Lincoln asked him howthis could be. The stranger pulled out a gleaming penknife and began to explain. Many years before, he had been given thepocketknife. He had been told to keep it until he was able to find a man uglier than himself.
Lincoln's eyes always sparkled when he reached this part of the story. He was never considered a handsome man. Thestranger had decided that Lincoln was ugly enough to deserve the knife. The story always brought smiles to the faces of theaudience that heard it. The tale itself was funny. But even more delightful was the fact that a man as great as Lincoln couldstill laugh at himself.
26 Joker's Wild
Watch out for practical jokers. They'll do almost anything for a laugh. One such prankster was Moe Drabowsky. He was a baseball relief pitcher. Relief pitchers are standby players who replace the starting pitcher in a game if he is pitching badly. If the starting pitcher is throwing well, relief pitchers have nothing to do. They just sit around in the bullpen and hope the manager calls them to play.
Waiting around in the bullpen gave Moe lots of time to think up jokes. But his best joke was played after he retired from baseball. Moe was sitting at home watching his team play on television. It would have been a boring game for him had he still been on the team. The starting pitcher was doing great. He hadn't given up a single run. The relief pitchers wouldn't be likely to play in this game. The last thing they'd expect would be a call from the manager. The thought gave Moe a mischievous idea. He still remembered the bullpen phone number. Moe dialed it from his living room. A startled relief pitcher answered. Using a voice that sounded like the manager's, Moe growled, “Warm up and get ready to play.” The star pitcher gaped at the man in the bullpen who was getting ready to pitch. Everyone stared at the manager in disbelief. The poor manager could only scratch his head. A thousand miles away, Moe Drabowsky sat in his living room watching the event on TV and laughing.
27 The Mysterious Iceman
Put yourself in these tourists' position. You are walking an icy mountain path in the Alps in Europe. Suddenly you spot a body on the ground, face downward and stuck to the ice. You think someone may have been murdered or in a fatal accident . So you rush back and call the police. The police, however, quickly realize that this body is different from others they've found on the mountain. For one thing, it is mostly undamaged. For another, its skin is dried out, like a mummy's. And with it is a knife with a small stone blade.
The body turned out to be much older than the tourists could have guessed. When specialists had a chance to examine it, they discovered it had been there for about five thousand years!
How could a body stay preserved for all this time? Two things probably helped. First, the place where the man died was somewhat sheltered, so animals couldn't get at it. Then he was quickly covered by falling snow. Wind blowing through the snow probably “freeze-dried” his body, removing all moisture from it.
Objects found with the body told something about the Iceman's life. He wore a well-made fur jacket and pants. He clearly had been hunting, for he carried arrows, and animal bones were nearby. He also had a braided grass mat for sitting or sleeping on. Perhaps he was exhausted when he lay down for the last time.
The body was found in 1991, when some of the ice on the mountain melted. Searching for the cause of the Iceman's death, scientists put the body back into cold conditions—and hoped.
28 They'll Eat Anything
You know that pearls grow inside oysters, but would you ever think to look for diamonds inside an ostrich? Well, a hunter once shot an ostrich and discovered, to his great surprise, that the big bird had swallowed a bunch of diamonds. How could such a strange thing happen?
Like many other birds, the ostrich swallows small stones that stay inside its “gizzard.” The gizzard is a bird's second stomach. It is where the food is ground up. The small stones help to grind up the food so it can be digested. The small stones do the chewing, because birds don't have teeth. In the case of the ostrich with the diamonds, the bird simply had expensive taste in rocks. He used the diamonds to help digest his dinner.
Diamonds and stones aren't all that an ostrich will swallow. If there are no stones around, it will eat just about anything. Sadly for ostriches in zoos, this can be a fatal habit. The tendency to swallow anything it sees has caused the death of many an ostrich. Cruel or careless people often throw things into the bird's living space. They throw keys, coins, and even large objects such as horseshoes. The ostrich swallows them without hesitation. Coins can be the worst. Inside the ostrich they wear down to a razor-sharp edge. They will cut open the bird's gizzard from the inside. When one young zoo ostrich died, 484 coins weighing more than eight pounds were found in its gizzard.
29 No Laughing Matter
Never laugh at a snow-covered mountain! Laughter and yelling during the avalanche season can trigger a deadly pile of snow. Huge snow slides are most common in mountains where there are steep slopes that are well buried in snow and ice. The snow builds up slowly and lands very softly. This can create a very touchy, unstable situation. Tons of snow may be held up by only the friction between snowflakes. The deep snow is like a house of cards. The slightest movement can cause it to tumble. As soon as something slips, a great mass of snow will come crashing down the mountainside.
Slides may be started by sound vibrations. They may also be started by the weight of wet, melting snow. Once an avalanche has been triggered, the cause no longer matters. Moving down a steep slope, it picks up great speed and added snow. Some avalanches travel as fast as 200 miles per hour. The force of an avalanche will mow down anything in its path. Whole houses have been swallowed up by these fast-paced piles of snow.
The wind that is caused by an avalanche is almost as destructive as the snow itself. Winds from an avalanche have been known to travel as fast as those of a tornado. So, when approaching a thickly snow-covered mountain, speak softly!
30 Abe's Favorite Story
If he hadn't turned to politics, Abe Lincoln might have done well as a comic. It has been said that he was always ready join in a laugh at his own expense . There is one particular story that he always told with great glee.
In his early days as a lawyer, Lincoln was on the “circuit.” This meant going from town to town to hear and judge legal cases. During one of these many trips, he was sitting in a train when a strange man came up to him. The stranger looked at the tall, gawky lawyer quite sternly and explained that he had something he believed belonged to Lincoln. Lincoln was a bit confused. He had never seen the man before. He didn't see how a total stranger could have something of his. Lincoln asked him how this could be. The stranger pulled out a gleaming penknife and began to explain. Many years before, he had been given the pocketknife. He had been told to keep it until he was able to find a man uglier than himself.
Lincoln's eyes always sparkled when he reached this part of the story. He was never considered a handsome man. The stranger had decided that Lincoln was ugly enough to deserve the knife. The story always brought smiles to the faces of the audience that heard it. The tale itself was funny. But even more delightful was the fact that a man as great as Lincoln could still laugh at himself.
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