MULLET OVER BY JAMES K. WHITE  |  April 27, 2016

A 28 pound rainbow trout



james k white

Many agree 1939 was the greatest year ever for the Hollywood movie industry. Released in 1939 were Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Wuthering Heights, Of Mice and Men, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and other great movies. Gone with the Wind won the Academy Award for Best Picture with The Wizard of Oz reportedly (and unofficially) finishing second. An oddity here is both of those movies shared the same director, Victor Fleming. Some interesting trivia concerning the Wizard of Oz is that the daughter (Liza Minelli) of the actress who played Dorothy (Judy Garland) married (1974) the son (Jack Haley, Jr.) of the actor who played the Tin Man (Jack Haley).

According to a 2015 health study, 33.6 percent of American adult males are obese. Only 3.7 percent of Japanese adult males are obese. If you don’t count the Sumo wrestlers, the rate is about 1 percent. Diets, lifestyles and heredity are factors in obesity. I entirely blame heredity in my particular case.

Macaws are magnificent creatures. They are the largest (39 inches in length) of all parrots and many (both male and female) have brilliant plumage. Macaws typically mate for life and can live upwards of sixty years.

In January of this year, a man in Northern Idaho hooked and landed a 28 pound rainbow trout which would have easily set a new record (old record = 20 lbs.), but … according to Idaho fishing rules, the huge fish had to be released back into the Clearwater River. There was no opportunity or adequate time to weigh the trout on state certified scales prior to release. The fish was unofficially weighed and numerous photos were taken, but no record was sanctioned by the state game commission.

Commodities markets can be famously volatile, tempting adventures. In January of 1932, one could purchase all the silver he/she could afford at $4.32 per ounce. In December of 1979, the price hit $99.53 per ounce. November of 2001 found the price to be $5.54 per ounce. Having a reliable crystal ball would be very handy. Fortunes have been both made and lost attempting to guess futures values in commodities. The consistent winners might seem to be those who sell antacid to “players.” One note of interest: silver, gold, etc. is not traded using the same weight measurements as would a chef, notably 16 ounces per pound. Precious metals are vended using troy ounces (12 ounces per pound). Well, I suppose that huge rainbow trout is still swimming in the Clearwater River, should you fancy an angling challenge. Whatever you decide, have a great week.

James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].