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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2017)
COFFEE BREAK Saturday, August 5, 2017 OUT OF THE VAULT Soaring temps spur classic sidewalk experiment A ugust in Eastern Oregon invariably means high temperatures. With thermometers topping 100 degrees, most folks seek a way to escape to cooler climes. For an East Oregonian photographer in August of 1967, the intense heat of the concrete canyon of downtown Pendleton created the perfect scenario to attempt to prove or disprove a classic “just how hot is it” experiment. EO photographer Virgil Rupp wanted to know if it was indeed hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk on August 14, 1967. Rupp fi rst enlisted an assistant, Elaine Alkio, a 1967 graduate of Pendleton High School. She donned a bikini, armed herself with a couple of eggs and a box-opening knife (having no kitchen implements at hand), and began scouting for a promising “frying pan.” Almost immediately a crowd — consisting mostly of men — formed, and a dispute broke out over whether concrete or asphalt would better serve the experiment. Alkio gamely cracked her fi rst egg amidst helpful advice. “Higher!” someone EO fi le photo called. The egg splattered upon hitting the pavement. “I’ll just scramble it,” Alkio said. Another egg was cracked as the crowd grew larger. It East Oregonian Weekend TV Schedule an d crossword hav e moved to th e comics sectio n Page 5C splattered too. But, wielding her improvised spatula, Alkio showed onlookers that, with patience, you can indeed cook an egg on a sun-scorched patch of concrete. Rupp’s article, however, did not say how long it actually took for the eggs to cook, or what the eggs looked like when they were done. The average air temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit during that week translates (according to internet research) to concrete temperatures north of 140 degrees. But in a 2013 NBC News article by Rob Lovitt, even at air temperatures of 128 degrees in Death Valley, despite monumental efforts by visitors to the state park there, eggs would not cook on pavement. Concrete and asphalt are poor conductors of heat, and cracking an egg onto either surface will cool it below a temperature suffi cient to cook the egg. And it makes a huge mess, park rangers lamented. ■ Renee Struthers is the Community Records Editor for the East Oregonian. See the complete collection of Out of the Vault columns at eovault.blogspot.com DEAR ABBY Abusive adoptive mother has no right to daughter’s money Dear Abby: I need your I do? — Strained Relationship advice. I am 41 years old and In California was adopted at birth. I was raised Dear Strained Relation- by an unloving woman who ship: Here’s what to do. Realize was emotionally, verbally and that when good parents adopt a physically abusive. I persevered, baby, they do it NOT because of worked hard, and now have a what that baby will do for them, loving husband and a beautiful but for what they can give to son. We live a comfortable and that child. Then tell your abuser Jeanne peaceful life. Phillips the gravy train has stopped, she My adoptive mother, on the won’t be getting another penny Advice other hand, expects me to hand and cut off all communication. her fi nancial support every You do not “owe” her month and pay for her extravagant anything, so do not allow yourself to be lifestyle. She did not save for herself, as bullied or guilted into being her ATM I was her “investment.” She doesn’t ask, machine. If you feel the urge to waver, Abby; she demands. She believes that if take my advice and spend the money not for her “taking me away from the on a licensed psychotherapist who will slums as a child,” I wouldn’t be where I help you understand that your adoptive am in life now. mother does not have the ethical or The fi nancial burden she has guilted moral right to anything more from you me into is putting a strain on my than you have already given. marriage and our plans to save for a Dear Abby: I have a 6-year-old stable future. I am depressed beyond daughter and a 3-year-old son who words. It doesn’t help that I still carry have no modesty at all. I don’t make resentment for having been severely a big deal about private parts. They mistreated as a child. sometimes bathe together and will jump Her words are vile whenever she in the shower with me or my husband. doesn’t get “her” money, and she Because of this, they’ll get into our pool couldn’t care less about me or my son. I or hot tub naked if there isn’t a swimsuit have no love for her. But I do feel for her around. Our backyard is completely in her old age. Please help. What should private. No one can see in, so I have no problem with it. However, when my in-laws are in town, they are appalled and turn it into a big deal. Then my husband freaks out, scolds the kids and makes them put their clothes on. First of all, they are OUR children and WE are raising them. Second, if my husband didn’t want them swimming or running around the house naked, then the kids should have been told before their grandparents arrived. I would understand that if the kids were older, it might be inappropriate, but they are still so young. Am I too laid-back, or are my in-laws too uptight and we should just let the kids be kids and have fun? — Unashamed In Florida Dear Unashamed: You are not too laid-back, and your in-laws may not be too uptight. The difference in your attitudes regarding nudity may be a result of the generation gap. I do think it’s hypocritical of your husband to reprimand the children for doing something that’s usually acceptable, because it sends a confusing message. He should explain to the kids that when “company” comes, they will need to cover up so they don’t make the guests uncomfortable. DAYS GONE BY 100 Years Ago From the East Oregonian Aug. 5-6, 1917 Private “Rattlesnake Pete” Inman, who fi gured in the encounter last week between members of Troop D and an alleged I.W.W., demonstrated his fi ghting proclivities again Saturday evening when he administered a “blackeye punch” to the face of a Greek waiter at the French restaurant. The waiter is said to have addressed a profane remark to one of the girls waiting on the troopers’ table. Inman resented the remark and proceeded to give the waiter a trouncing. In fact he hit the offending Greek so hard that his own hand was damaged and he is now wearing it in a sling. 50 Years Ago From the East Oregonian Aug. 5-6, 1967 The U.S. Army is ready to use atomic warfare, but not in Vietnam. Instead it will use it here at home on Helix fl our. Irradiating fl our, the atomic-age process of bombarding fl our with radiation to help preserve it longer, will be tried by the U.S. Army using fl our made from Umatilla County wheat purchased from the Helix Milling Company. Irradiation for preserving food has been tried on other types of food, including bacon, and has been used to induce sprouting in potatoes and onions. The irradiation process has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in disinfestation of fl our. 25 Years Ago From the East Oregonian Aug. 5-6, 1992 Benjamin Clark, 17, traces his interest in India to young childhood. He was immersed in the culture about 200 miles west of Calcutta for the past school year. Clark’s family lived in Kenya and Tanzania, East Africa, where they made friends from India. “I liked their accent when I was a little kid,” said Clark. His parents, Andrew and Barbara Clark, moved back to Pendleton when he entered third grade. As he fi nished 10th grade at Pendleton High School, Clark picked India for his Rotary Club student exchange. THIS DAY IN HISTORY Today is the 217th day of 2017. There are 148 days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History: On August 5, 1957, the teenage dance show “Amer- ican Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its network debut on ABC-TV. The British cartoon character Andy Capp, created by Regi- nald Smythe, fi rst appeared in the Daily Mirror. On this date: In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fl eet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama. In 1884, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal was laid on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. In 1924, the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” by Harold Gray made its debut. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt estab- lished the National Labor Board, which was later replaced with the National Labor Relations Board. In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals. In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom. In 1962, actress Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.” South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment. In 1967, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” the fi rst Pink Floyd album, was released in the United Kingdom on the Columbia label. In 1969, the U.S. space probe Mariner 7 fl ew by Mars, sending back photo- graphs and scientifi c data. In 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI’s Watergate investiga- tion; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon’s resignation. Today’s Birthdays: Actor John Saxon is 81. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Roman Gabriel is 77. Country song- writer Bobby Braddock is 77. Actress Loni Anderson is 72. Actress Erika Slezak is 71. Rock singer Rick Derringer is 70. Actress Holly Palance is 67. Singer Samantha Sang is 64. Rock musician Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister) is 62. Actress-singer Maureen McCormick is 61. Rock musician Pat Smear is 58. Author David Baldacci is 57. Actress Tawney Kitaen is 56. Country musician Mark O’Connor is 56. Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is 55. Director-screenwriter James Gunn is 51. 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