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Issue 399
SNIPPETZ TURNS UP THE VOLUME
ON OLD-TIME RADIO
"Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-Arthur C. Clarke
No more rabbit ears, as America transitioned from analogue to digital television signals in June. To a younger generation, “rabbit ears” means, well, rabbit ears. But to most of the baby boomers and their parents, rabbit ears – or antennas – were at one time the only means to a clear picture on the television. And some of those baby boomers and almost all of the Great Depression era generation remember when television was either a concept or a luxury and radio was the only electronic medium for mass communication.
Old-Time Radio Not Forgotten
The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed in 1919. But formal broadcasting – according to www.old-time.com – began Nov. 2, 1920, when “Westinghouse's KDKA-Pittsburgh broadcast the Harding-Cox election returns and inaugurated a daily schedule of programs.” The programming was referred to as amateur radio, and 1 million American households were equipped with radios.
Commercial radio was established between 1923 and 1926.
• In September 1923, about 2 million or 8 percent of American households had radios.
• Three years later in 1926, the number increased to a little over 5 million – 20 percent of all households had radios.
• From 1926 to 1930, 40 percent of the population owned radios.
In the 1930s, despite the Great Depression, the radio industry boomed and broadcast radio revenues soared.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, U.S. electronic interests were focused on supplies at the onset of World War II. Broadcasting equipment was in short supply during the war years, and many radio employees had gone off to war.
Regardless, radio revenues in 1942 were 70 percent above the level of revenues in 1940 and 1941. American radio enjoyed its greatest success between 1941 and 1945. In 1945, about 34,000 U.S. households had radios. Then, “technology” changed. Between 1945 and 1952, television was making its way into living rooms across America.
In 1952, the television became the sought-after medium for electronic communication. Fifty percent of Americans owned television sets in 1952. A year later, the color television was introduced. And then cable came into play – for both radio and television – and the rest, one might say “is history.”
Putting The Years In Perspective
A few “snippetz” about how the country looked during the radio years:
1930s
• U.S. Population – 123,188,000 in 48 states
• Life expectancy – male, 58.1; female, 61.6
• Average salary - $1,368
• Milk was 14 cents a quart; round steak: 42 cents a pound.
1940s
• U.S. population – 132,122,000
• National debt - $43 billion
• Average salary - $1,299 (teacher’s salary - $1,441)
• Just 55 percent of homes had indoor plumbing
• Life expectancy – 68.2 for females and 60.8 for males
• The Supreme Court gave African-Americans the right to vote.
• The U.S. and Russia became super powers.
• The Cold War began.
1950s
• U.S. population – 151,684,000
• Life expectancy – women 71.1, men 65.6
• Average salary - $2,992
• Labor force male to female – 5 to 2
• A loaf of bread cost 14 cents.
• Bomb shelter plans were widely available.
The old time radio shows
Imagine the world today if radio was the only household source for news, entertainment and sports. That’s the way it was in the 1940s. And the variety of shows was not quite as eclectic as today, but radio offered everything from soap operas to sports.
Arthur Godfrey began his radio career in 1930. He was known for pushing products on his radio show that he had actually tried and regularly used. Godfrey often set aside prepared scripts from advertisers in favor of his own. From the Museum of Broadcast Communications, this is one of his original radio promos: "Aw, who wrote this stuff? Everybody knows Lipton is the best tea you can buy. So why get fancy about it? Getcha some Lipton's, heat the pot with plain hot water for a few minutes, then put fresh hot water on the tea and let it just sit there." As many others, Godfrey transitioned to television in 1948, with “Arthur Godfrey and the Talent Scouts.”
Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Abbot and Costello and Jack Benny joined Godfrey as some of television’s top entertainers who began their careers in radio.
Some famous radio celebrities came from the sports arena. Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio were just two American icons who kept baseball fans glued to their radios – long, long before ESPN!
Mysteries A Radio Hit
The Web site, www.OTRcat.com, provides summaries and downloads of old-time radio shows. Modern-day mysteries or cop shows like “CSI” probably wouldn’t be as effective on radio, given all of the visuals needed to create the drama. But radio mysteries captivated audiences nationwide in the golden years of radio.
• “The Shadow” debuted in August 1930 and became one of the most popular radio shows in history. “Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.” That line opened every show. Fighting crimes, the Shadow could “defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code and become invisible,” according to www.mysterynet.com. The Red Menace was one of his major foes.
• Another favorite radio mystery show, “The Whistler,” ran from 1942 to 1955. Bill Forman hosted the show for most of its run, and Dorothy Roberts whistled the theme; thus, the whistler. The crime drama was known for its macabre stories.
Comedy – Like Today – Controversial At Times
Comedy aired on old-time radio and was long running as well. Some old time radio experts call “Amos and Andy” one of the most popular shows in the 20th century. The show existed from 1928 to 1959.
Amos and Andy were black characters played by white “characters” Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. The two men wrote the shows and it was reported that they finished them right before they aired. They never looked at each other during the show and never rehearsed. The show, born out of Chicago, grew record audiences nationally. Eventually, “Amos and Andy” lost its punch, for obvious reasons. Although popular among all races and nationalities, things began changing in the 1950s, after WWII, and the characters became obsolete.
World War II’s Tokyo Rose
During World War II, many Americans kept their spirits (or their guard) up through radio shows like “Winston Churchill” and “Tokyo Rose.”
• It was often thought that Winston Churchill did not actually deliver his speeches on the radio, as promoted. Norman Shelley, who played Watson on the “Sherlock Holmes” radio program, was rumored to have been one of the Churchill radio imposters. He allegedly took out his false teeth to imitate Churchill’s voice. However, regardless of the messenger, Churchill’s message supposedly boosted the morale of Americans.
• American soldiers coined the name Tokyo Rose for a group of Japanese women broadcasting on Japanese radio. The Japanese-sponsored shows were supposed to weaken the American spirit, but the soldiers enjoyed listening to “Tokyo Rose.” Iva Togure D’Aquino, an American-born Tokyo Rose (aka Orphan Ann), had been visiting her aunt in Japan at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. She sought out the radio gig to earn money when she couldn’t return to the U.S. Some veterans might remember this: “Hello boys. This is the voice you love to hate.” Orphan Ann actually believed she was doing the boys a favor; however, the U.S. government didn’t see it that way. After she confessed to her Tokyo Rose stint, D’Aquino was sentenced to 10 years in prison for treason. She was released after six years, and President Gerald Ford pardoned her in the 1970s.
The Good Ole’ West
Some of the most popular television characters in the 1950s and 1960s were cowboys and cowgirls: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Gene Autry and Wyatt Earp – all started in radio. Many other future television heroes of the West also blasted off with radio – like Matt Dillon.
OTR.com refers to “Gunsmoke” as “perhaps the greatest radio drama of all,” definitely the best western radio drama. Matt Dillon, U.S. marshal, was the “first man they look for, and the last they want to meet.” Matt and his sidekicks Chester, Doc and Kitty came together on radio and screen as a big, happy family, and Americans embraced them as if they were their own family.
William Conrad, who some might remember from the TV series “Cannon,” portrayed Matt Dillon on radio and became a symbolic voice for the man who ruled Dodge City. When “Gunsmoke” transitioned to television, producers didn’t even consider Conrad for the part – he was too short and heavy set.
And now
Today, radio has entered the digital world. Internet radio programs are growing. Web site podcasts, iPods, MP3 players have created a new niche for radio. According to an April report by Arbitron and Edison Research, 42 million Americans listen to radio through digital platforms every week. Seventeen percent of Americans age 12 and older listen to online radio stations.
William Conrad, Red Skelton and Arthur Godfrey are probably rolling over in their graves at the very idea of Internet radio. Only the Shadow knows!
The Cost of Radio
• The average radio set cost about $125 in 1926; loud speakers were extra, from $50 to $100.
• During the Great Depression, the cost of radio sets started dropping. In 1929, the radio cost $120; in 1930, $80 and in 1934 and 1935, $40.
• In 1954, the first mass market transistor "pocket" radio was introduced, selling at $49.95.
• In 1957, FM radio accounted for just 2 percent of radio sales; the percentage increased to 15 to 20 percent by 1965.
SNIPPETZ TURNS UP THE VOLUME
ON OLD-TIME RADIO
"Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
-Arthur C. Clarke
No more rabbit ears, as America transitioned from analogue to digital television signals in June. To a younger generation, “rabbit ears” means, well, rabbit ears. But to most of the baby boomers and their parents, rabbit ears – or antennas – were at one time the only means to a clear picture on the television. And some of those baby boomers and almost all of the Great Depression era generation remember when television was either a concept or a luxury and radio was the only electronic medium for mass communication.
Old-Time Radio Not Forgotten
The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was formed in 1919. But formal broadcasting – according to www.old-time.com – began Nov. 2, 1920, when “Westinghouse's KDKA-Pittsburgh broadcast the Harding-Cox election returns and inaugurated a daily schedule of programs.” The programming was referred to as amateur radio, and 1 million American households were equipped with radios.
Commercial radio was established between 1923 and 1926.
• In September 1923, about 2 million or 8 percent of American households had radios.
• Three years later in 1926, the number increased to a little over 5 million – 20 percent of all households had radios.
• From 1926 to 1930, 40 percent of the population owned radios.
In the 1930s, despite the Great Depression, the radio industry boomed and broadcast radio revenues soared.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, U.S. electronic interests were focused on supplies at the onset of World War II. Broadcasting equipment was in short supply during the war years, and many radio employees had gone off to war.
Regardless, radio revenues in 1942 were 70 percent above the level of revenues in 1940 and 1941. American radio enjoyed its greatest success between 1941 and 1945. In 1945, about 34,000 U.S. households had radios. Then, “technology” changed. Between 1945 and 1952, television was making its way into living rooms across America.
In 1952, the television became the sought-after medium for electronic communication. Fifty percent of Americans owned television sets in 1952. A year later, the color television was introduced. And then cable came into play – for both radio and television – and the rest, one might say “is history.”
Putting The Years In Perspective
A few “snippetz” about how the country looked during the radio years:
1930s
• U.S. Population – 123,188,000 in 48 states
• Life expectancy – male, 58.1; female, 61.6
• Average salary - $1,368
• Milk was 14 cents a quart; round steak: 42 cents a pound.
1940s
• U.S. population – 132,122,000
• National debt - $43 billion
• Average salary - $1,299 (teacher’s salary - $1,441)
• Just 55 percent of homes had indoor plumbing
• Life expectancy – 68.2 for females and 60.8 for males
• The Supreme Court gave African-Americans the right to vote.
• The U.S. and Russia became super powers.
• The Cold War began.
1950s
• U.S. population – 151,684,000
• Life expectancy – women 71.1, men 65.6
• Average salary - $2,992
• Labor force male to female – 5 to 2
• A loaf of bread cost 14 cents.
• Bomb shelter plans were widely available.
The old time radio shows
Imagine the world today if radio was the only household source for news, entertainment and sports. That’s the way it was in the 1940s. And the variety of shows was not quite as eclectic as today, but radio offered everything from soap operas to sports.
Arthur Godfrey began his radio career in 1930. He was known for pushing products on his radio show that he had actually tried and regularly used. Godfrey often set aside prepared scripts from advertisers in favor of his own. From the Museum of Broadcast Communications, this is one of his original radio promos: "Aw, who wrote this stuff? Everybody knows Lipton is the best tea you can buy. So why get fancy about it? Getcha some Lipton's, heat the pot with plain hot water for a few minutes, then put fresh hot water on the tea and let it just sit there." As many others, Godfrey transitioned to television in 1948, with “Arthur Godfrey and the Talent Scouts.”
Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Abbot and Costello and Jack Benny joined Godfrey as some of television’s top entertainers who began their careers in radio.
Some famous radio celebrities came from the sports arena. Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio were just two American icons who kept baseball fans glued to their radios – long, long before ESPN!
Mysteries A Radio Hit
The Web site, www.OTRcat.com, provides summaries and downloads of old-time radio shows. Modern-day mysteries or cop shows like “CSI” probably wouldn’t be as effective on radio, given all of the visuals needed to create the drama. But radio mysteries captivated audiences nationwide in the golden years of radio.
• “The Shadow” debuted in August 1930 and became one of the most popular radio shows in history. “Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.” That line opened every show. Fighting crimes, the Shadow could “defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code and become invisible,” according to www.mysterynet.com. The Red Menace was one of his major foes.
• Another favorite radio mystery show, “The Whistler,” ran from 1942 to 1955. Bill Forman hosted the show for most of its run, and Dorothy Roberts whistled the theme; thus, the whistler. The crime drama was known for its macabre stories.
Comedy – Like Today – Controversial At Times
Comedy aired on old-time radio and was long running as well. Some old time radio experts call “Amos and Andy” one of the most popular shows in the 20th century. The show existed from 1928 to 1959.
Amos and Andy were black characters played by white “characters” Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. The two men wrote the shows and it was reported that they finished them right before they aired. They never looked at each other during the show and never rehearsed. The show, born out of Chicago, grew record audiences nationally. Eventually, “Amos and Andy” lost its punch, for obvious reasons. Although popular among all races and nationalities, things began changing in the 1950s, after WWII, and the characters became obsolete.
World War II’s Tokyo Rose
During World War II, many Americans kept their spirits (or their guard) up through radio shows like “Winston Churchill” and “Tokyo Rose.”
• It was often thought that Winston Churchill did not actually deliver his speeches on the radio, as promoted. Norman Shelley, who played Watson on the “Sherlock Holmes” radio program, was rumored to have been one of the Churchill radio imposters. He allegedly took out his false teeth to imitate Churchill’s voice. However, regardless of the messenger, Churchill’s message supposedly boosted the morale of Americans.
• American soldiers coined the name Tokyo Rose for a group of Japanese women broadcasting on Japanese radio. The Japanese-sponsored shows were supposed to weaken the American spirit, but the soldiers enjoyed listening to “Tokyo Rose.” Iva Togure D’Aquino, an American-born Tokyo Rose (aka Orphan Ann), had been visiting her aunt in Japan at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. She sought out the radio gig to earn money when she couldn’t return to the U.S. Some veterans might remember this: “Hello boys. This is the voice you love to hate.” Orphan Ann actually believed she was doing the boys a favor; however, the U.S. government didn’t see it that way. After she confessed to her Tokyo Rose stint, D’Aquino was sentenced to 10 years in prison for treason. She was released after six years, and President Gerald Ford pardoned her in the 1970s.
The Good Ole’ West
Some of the most popular television characters in the 1950s and 1960s were cowboys and cowgirls: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Gene Autry and Wyatt Earp – all started in radio. Many other future television heroes of the West also blasted off with radio – like Matt Dillon.
OTR.com refers to “Gunsmoke” as “perhaps the greatest radio drama of all,” definitely the best western radio drama. Matt Dillon, U.S. marshal, was the “first man they look for, and the last they want to meet.” Matt and his sidekicks Chester, Doc and Kitty came together on radio and screen as a big, happy family, and Americans embraced them as if they were their own family.
William Conrad, who some might remember from the TV series “Cannon,” portrayed Matt Dillon on radio and became a symbolic voice for the man who ruled Dodge City. When “Gunsmoke” transitioned to television, producers didn’t even consider Conrad for the part – he was too short and heavy set.
And now
Today, radio has entered the digital world. Internet radio programs are growing. Web site podcasts, iPods, MP3 players have created a new niche for radio. According to an April report by Arbitron and Edison Research, 42 million Americans listen to radio through digital platforms every week. Seventeen percent of Americans age 12 and older listen to online radio stations.
William Conrad, Red Skelton and Arthur Godfrey are probably rolling over in their graves at the very idea of Internet radio. Only the Shadow knows!
The Cost of Radio
• The average radio set cost about $125 in 1926; loud speakers were extra, from $50 to $100.
• During the Great Depression, the cost of radio sets started dropping. In 1929, the radio cost $120; in 1930, $80 and in 1934 and 1935, $40.
• In 1954, the first mass market transistor "pocket" radio was introduced, selling at $49.95.
• In 1957, FM radio accounted for just 2 percent of radio sales; the percentage increased to 15 to 20 percent by 1965.
Issue 398
SNIPPETZ SALUTES DADS
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.”
–Mark Twain
Father’s Day is just around the corner and the time is ripe to explore the topic further. Just what IS a father? How has the role of being a father morphed over the years? And when did we start celebrating Father’s Day, anyway? Why are fathers called “fathers”? There are many different types of fathers – or people and events we call father - founding fathers, forefathers, father time, stepfather, grandfather, father of our country and Father Christmas, to name a few.
According to Webster
The word father comes from before the 12th century and is extrapolated from Old English “fader,” as well as German “Fater” and Latin “Pater.” It literally means a man who has begotten a child or sired a child; God or the first person of the Trinity, and can be used as a term of respect, often indicating reverence for another man’s experiences and knowledge. Paradoxically, “my old man” is used irreverently but only in English.
Caveman to Present Day
It would be hard to dispute that over time the role of fathers, like that of mothers, has become more complicated. Gone are the days of the hunters and gatherers whose major fathering activity involved teaching their coming of age sons how to provide for the family. Now fathers ‘bring home the bacon,’ and work alongside mothers ‘frying it up in the pan,’ as the song goes. Many dads can now be seen changing diapers, feeding and bathing the kids, attending games or school functions, reading bedtime stories and providing more daily care overall.
A Day for Good Ol’ Dad
Father’s Day was not created, as frequently thought, by Hallmark. It began in the early 1900’s when it was introduced by Sonora Smart Dodd who wanted to honor her father with an official day of celebration. William Jackson Smart was a Civil War hero and raised his children after his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Sonora, being the eldest of the six, helped her father raise her siblings and thought very highly of her father and his accomplishments. She felt that fathers needed to be recognized as well as mothers.
The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Wash. It took many years to make Father’s Day an official holiday. Mother’s Day was supported by most of the populace, whereas Father’s Day was seen by many to be an attempt to clutter up the calendar with holidays, along with such ideas as Secretaries Day, Grandparent’s Day and Groundhog Day.
It was not until 1966 that Father’s Day became a federal holiday when President Lyndon Johnson issued a presidential proclamation. It was first supported by Calvin Coolidge in 1924, but was subjected to so much ridicule that it was considered an unpopular idea and was not pursued.
International Men’s Day is celebrated on November 19th in many countries as an alternative to Father’s Day.
Dads Setting A Good Example
Many child development experts believe the influence of a father on his children is most critical from the ages of six to 14. Former President George W. Bush agrees. He wrote, “By providing their sons and daughters with a positive example, fathers help give their children the necessary foundation they need to make wise decisions throughout their lives."
• Author A.A. Milne wrote the Pooh stories for his son and, as it turns out, all the world to share.
• JRR Tolkein wrote long letters to his children.
• Martin Luther King left a powerful legacy for his children as well as the world.
• Michael Jordan, basketball player, taught his children and has been a role model for others on the value of perseverance and self-discipline.
• Actor Brad Pitt has fathered several children, adopted others and has helped fight poverty.
TV Dads – As Role Models?
• Fathers such as Mike Brady from the “Brady Bunch,” Charles Ingalls of “Little House on the Prairie” and Cliff Huxtable of “The Bill Cosby Show” were such positive role models that some would say they likely skewed our perceptions and made us wish for parents as perfect as they were. Even George Jetson of “The Jetsons” ferried his children to their various activities while trying to impress his boss with his commitment to his job. He was an early example of what we have come to expect from the modern father - a multitasker!
• Then there are the not so positive role models, e.g., Homer Simpson of “The Simpsons,” whose clueless bumbling mocks the father role; and Archie Bunker of “All in the Family” who could make the audience laugh and cringe at the same time at his outrageous opinions about people and ‘family values.’
Father Time
Father time is a common image used to depict the passing of time. His image is usually depicted as an older man similar to the Grim Reaper or Cronos, the Greek god of time, holding an hourglass and a scythe. A scythe is an old agricultural tool that was used to cut grasses but is sometimes depicted as a weapon as in when it is held by the Grim Reaper.
Founding Fathers
The founding fathers of the United States are considered to be the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence, or participated in some way in the American Revolution, or drafted the U.S. Constitution. Nonetheless, George Washington was a significant figure thought of as a founding father, as well as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Adams, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin.
• Senator Warren G. Harding is credited with coining the phrase “Founding Fathers” when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in 1916.
• John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and did it with such drama and flourish that the saying “Put your John Hancock here” was widely used to mean “here, sign this.”
If Necessity is the Mother of Invention, What or Whom is the Father?
Some say the true father of invention was Ben Franklin who invented a little thing called electricity, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, the odometer, a flexible urinary catheter and another famous contribution called the U.S. Constitution.
In many cases, credit for fathering goes to more than one person; that is, credit for fathering a principle, field of study or an invention.
Celebrate with a Dad Movie
There are numerous “dad” movies out there to enjoy watching with or without dad:
• “Three Men and a Baby” – a 1987 oldie but goodie with famous dads Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg
• The 2008 Indiana Jones adventure, “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” features Indy (played by Harrison Ford) discovering he’s the father of a young man named Mutt Williams who initiates the latest adventure. Or there’s the 1989 feature “The Last Crusade” where Indiana has to search for his missing father who is searching for the missing Holy Grail. His father is played by Sean Connery.
• Big Fish – Ewan McGregor plays son of Albert Finney’s character Ed Bloom who attempts to reconcile his father’s life by reenacting his stories.
• Ghost Dad starring Bill Cosby
• Kramer vs Kramer – a 1979 oldie starring Dustin Hoffman as a divorced dad fighting for custody of his son
Dad’s Words of Wisdom
Heard any of these?
• “As long as you live in my house, you’ll live by my rules.”
• “Life is not fair.”
• “Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
• “Don’t make me stop this car.” (Also the title of Al Roker’s of NBC’s “Today Show” memoirs)
• “What did your mother say? If it’s okay with her, then it’s okay with me.”
• “You’ll eat what’s put in front of you.”
And a little something for moms:
• “Just wait until your father gets home.”
SNIPPETZ SALUTES DADS
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.”
–Mark Twain
Father’s Day is just around the corner and the time is ripe to explore the topic further. Just what IS a father? How has the role of being a father morphed over the years? And when did we start celebrating Father’s Day, anyway? Why are fathers called “fathers”? There are many different types of fathers – or people and events we call father - founding fathers, forefathers, father time, stepfather, grandfather, father of our country and Father Christmas, to name a few.
According to Webster
The word father comes from before the 12th century and is extrapolated from Old English “fader,” as well as German “Fater” and Latin “Pater.” It literally means a man who has begotten a child or sired a child; God or the first person of the Trinity, and can be used as a term of respect, often indicating reverence for another man’s experiences and knowledge. Paradoxically, “my old man” is used irreverently but only in English.
Caveman to Present Day
It would be hard to dispute that over time the role of fathers, like that of mothers, has become more complicated. Gone are the days of the hunters and gatherers whose major fathering activity involved teaching their coming of age sons how to provide for the family. Now fathers ‘bring home the bacon,’ and work alongside mothers ‘frying it up in the pan,’ as the song goes. Many dads can now be seen changing diapers, feeding and bathing the kids, attending games or school functions, reading bedtime stories and providing more daily care overall.
A Day for Good Ol’ Dad
Father’s Day was not created, as frequently thought, by Hallmark. It began in the early 1900’s when it was introduced by Sonora Smart Dodd who wanted to honor her father with an official day of celebration. William Jackson Smart was a Civil War hero and raised his children after his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Sonora, being the eldest of the six, helped her father raise her siblings and thought very highly of her father and his accomplishments. She felt that fathers needed to be recognized as well as mothers.
The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Wash. It took many years to make Father’s Day an official holiday. Mother’s Day was supported by most of the populace, whereas Father’s Day was seen by many to be an attempt to clutter up the calendar with holidays, along with such ideas as Secretaries Day, Grandparent’s Day and Groundhog Day.
It was not until 1966 that Father’s Day became a federal holiday when President Lyndon Johnson issued a presidential proclamation. It was first supported by Calvin Coolidge in 1924, but was subjected to so much ridicule that it was considered an unpopular idea and was not pursued.
International Men’s Day is celebrated on November 19th in many countries as an alternative to Father’s Day.
Dads Setting A Good Example
Many child development experts believe the influence of a father on his children is most critical from the ages of six to 14. Former President George W. Bush agrees. He wrote, “By providing their sons and daughters with a positive example, fathers help give their children the necessary foundation they need to make wise decisions throughout their lives."
• Author A.A. Milne wrote the Pooh stories for his son and, as it turns out, all the world to share.
• JRR Tolkein wrote long letters to his children.
• Martin Luther King left a powerful legacy for his children as well as the world.
• Michael Jordan, basketball player, taught his children and has been a role model for others on the value of perseverance and self-discipline.
• Actor Brad Pitt has fathered several children, adopted others and has helped fight poverty.
TV Dads – As Role Models?
• Fathers such as Mike Brady from the “Brady Bunch,” Charles Ingalls of “Little House on the Prairie” and Cliff Huxtable of “The Bill Cosby Show” were such positive role models that some would say they likely skewed our perceptions and made us wish for parents as perfect as they were. Even George Jetson of “The Jetsons” ferried his children to their various activities while trying to impress his boss with his commitment to his job. He was an early example of what we have come to expect from the modern father - a multitasker!
• Then there are the not so positive role models, e.g., Homer Simpson of “The Simpsons,” whose clueless bumbling mocks the father role; and Archie Bunker of “All in the Family” who could make the audience laugh and cringe at the same time at his outrageous opinions about people and ‘family values.’
Father Time
Father time is a common image used to depict the passing of time. His image is usually depicted as an older man similar to the Grim Reaper or Cronos, the Greek god of time, holding an hourglass and a scythe. A scythe is an old agricultural tool that was used to cut grasses but is sometimes depicted as a weapon as in when it is held by the Grim Reaper.
Founding Fathers
The founding fathers of the United States are considered to be the political leaders who signed the Declaration of Independence, or participated in some way in the American Revolution, or drafted the U.S. Constitution. Nonetheless, George Washington was a significant figure thought of as a founding father, as well as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Adams, John Jay and Benjamin Franklin.
• Senator Warren G. Harding is credited with coining the phrase “Founding Fathers” when he spoke at the Republican National Convention in 1916.
• John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and did it with such drama and flourish that the saying “Put your John Hancock here” was widely used to mean “here, sign this.”
If Necessity is the Mother of Invention, What or Whom is the Father?
Some say the true father of invention was Ben Franklin who invented a little thing called electricity, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, the odometer, a flexible urinary catheter and another famous contribution called the U.S. Constitution.
In many cases, credit for fathering goes to more than one person; that is, credit for fathering a principle, field of study or an invention.
- Television – Philo T. Farnsworth (image dissector) and Vladimir Zworykin (iconoscope)
- Modern computer – Alan Turing
- Wilhelm Schickard – invented the first calculator and although a nonprogrammable device, is sometimes thought of as being a forerunner to the computer
- Albert Einstein and Galileo Galilei – both credited with being the father of modern science
- Nelson Mandela – father of freedom in South Africa
- Alexander Graham Bell – father of the telephone
- Monster trucks – Bob Chandler (invented Big Foot, the first monster truck)
- Jet engine – Frank Whittle
- Air conditioning – Willis Carrier
- Mixed martial arts – Bruce Lee
- Baseball – Alexander Cartwright for possibly inventing the modern game and Henry Chadwick, an English writer, for having a hand in the game due to his extensive writings about such
- Father of DNA – James Watson and Francis Crick who received the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine
- Emergency medicine – During the French Revolution, Dominique Jean Larrey came up with the idea of utilizing air and ground transport to bring wounded soldiers to field hospitals, the forerunners of MASH units.
- William Christopher Handy – father of blues music
Celebrate with a Dad Movie
There are numerous “dad” movies out there to enjoy watching with or without dad:
• “Three Men and a Baby” – a 1987 oldie but goodie with famous dads Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg
• The 2008 Indiana Jones adventure, “The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” features Indy (played by Harrison Ford) discovering he’s the father of a young man named Mutt Williams who initiates the latest adventure. Or there’s the 1989 feature “The Last Crusade” where Indiana has to search for his missing father who is searching for the missing Holy Grail. His father is played by Sean Connery.
• Big Fish – Ewan McGregor plays son of Albert Finney’s character Ed Bloom who attempts to reconcile his father’s life by reenacting his stories.
• Ghost Dad starring Bill Cosby
• Kramer vs Kramer – a 1979 oldie starring Dustin Hoffman as a divorced dad fighting for custody of his son
Dad’s Words of Wisdom
Heard any of these?
• “As long as you live in my house, you’ll live by my rules.”
• “Life is not fair.”
• “Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
• “Don’t make me stop this car.” (Also the title of Al Roker’s of NBC’s “Today Show” memoirs)
• “What did your mother say? If it’s okay with her, then it’s okay with me.”
• “You’ll eat what’s put in front of you.”
And a little something for moms:
• “Just wait until your father gets home.”
Issue 397
SNIPPETZ JOINS SUPERMAN AND OTHER HEROES
TO RID THE WORLD OF EVIL FORCES!
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look up in the sky; it’s a bird; it’s a plane, it’s SUPERMAN.
Dedicated fans worldwide will gather this week in Metropolis, Ill., to celebrate their super hero, Superman, aka Clark Kent. The 31st annual Superman Celebration will take place June 11 through June 14 in the city that lays claims to being the official home of Superman. Super festivities will take place amidst a permanent bronze statue of Superman and a Super Museum located on the town’s Superman Square. Visitors can take in other Superman attractions throughout the city, such as a giant rock of Kryptonite. Man of Steel exhibitions, an “artists’ alley,” contests, comic book writing sessions, live music and a $1,000 Superhero costume contest are just a few of the events on the super agenda.
A Red Carpet Celebration
A variety of actors who portray comic book characters, including actors from “Smallsville,” are scheduled for appearances. One of the guests, Noel Neill, first played Lois Lane in the 1948 movie, “Superman.” But she’s best known for playing Lois Lane, from 1953 to 1957, alongside Superman George Reeves in the television series “The Adventures of Superman.” Neill will host a tribute to Reeves the evening of June 12, and she will soon join her character husband as a permanent fixture on the streets of Metropolis when the Chamber of Commerce adds the finishing touches to a sculpture in Neill’s likeness.
In 2008, the celebration broke the Guinness Book of World Records with the most number of people dressed as Superman.
Top 10 Super Duper Heroes
Super frenzy, super cool or super freaky, Snippetz joins in the celebration with a list of the top-10 superheroes of all time. According to About.com – the online subsidiary of the New York Times – Superman leads the pack at No. 1.
The Original Flying Hero
The Superman legend began in 1938, when the baby Superman – Kal-El – traveled to Earth to escape the doomed planet Krypton. His Kryptonite father sent him to Earth in a rocket ship, which just happened to land in Kansas, where a young couple found the ship and adopted little Kal-El.
His mortal being was known as Clark Kent from Smallsville, Kan. Kent attended Metropolis University and became a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet in the city of Metropolis. Clark Kent could change into his red cape and tights and take on the role of Superman in a matter of seconds, but no one at the Planet knew about his extraterrestrial abilities or his identity as Superman. Until Lois Lane. Lane worked as a reporter at the Daily Planet as well, and she and Jimmy Olson, a photographer and “gopher” at the Daily Planet, became friends with Clark Kent. Eventually, Kent married Lane, and she soon learned about his duo identities.
Throughout the years, the adventures of the “Man of Steele” evolved, as did his super powers. As a young adult, Superman could lift cars and run and jump beyond any mortal. In the next few years, Superman’s abilities took flight. With telescopic vision that allowed him to shoot laser-like beams and the capacity to fly over tall buildings, he became a renowned hero, battling the forces of evil.
Over decades, Superman has been reincarnated – his immortal presence forever set in history, modern times and the future. And it can safely be said that Superman paved the way for the other top-10 comic-book heroes and heroines.
Eeeew – It’s Sticky!
As a young lad, Peter Parker took on spider-like qualities after he was bitten by one. From an insecure, shy teenager to a super hero, Spider Man has captured teenage audiences because many fans can relate to Peter. He’s also captured the No. 2 favorite spot. The spider-like super human came on the scene in 1962. With his uncanny senses, agility and ability to cling to surfaces, Spider Man has become a worthy foe of the bad guys. Adding to his might are web-slingers – streams of sticky webbing that allow Spider Man to swing from building to building. He also has stingers that shoot major energy blasts to his opponents, causing them to stop dead in their tracks.
Peter or Spider Man grew up with his aunt and uncle. Naïve to his nephew’s real powers, his uncle once told Peter: “With great power comes great responsibility. All it took was one spider bite to create this hero. Marvel Comics considers Spider Man its No. 1 comic book hero.
Not Just Brawn, But Brains Too
Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, is a millionaire with a penchant to avenge his parents’ death. Coming in as the No. 3 favorite, he may not have the super-strength powers of Superman and Spider Man, but he has a super brain and a super computer and has been touted as a brilliant detective. Inspired by a bat, he designed a costume to emulate the creature and wore it in disguise as he set out to rid Gotham City of crime.
Howling With The Wolves
Nature’s most daunting insects and animals are patterned as heroes in the imaginary world. The comic book hero Wolverine is rated the No. 4 hero. He ended up living with wolves – as James Logan – years after his father was killed and his mother committed suicide. He’s been mentored by such heroes as The Incredible Hulk and Charles Xavier, former leader of the X-Men. Wolverine now leads the X-Men, mentoring and leading another generation. Wolverine has done wonders for Hugh Jack’s career.
Incredibly Green
Speaking of the Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner (mortal name) takes the No. 5 spot. The green he-man has brawn, brain and speed. He’s resilient and unstoppable. His powers were unleashed when he was exposed to a “bomb” as a military scientist. The Hulk has various personas, from the intellect of Bruce Banner to the rage of a savage beast. The Hulk has had to work hard to conquer his “bad” sides in favor of focusing on fighting corruption.
Power To The Women
The first comic book heroine may have been one of the first feminists. Wonder Woman first debuted in 1941, long before Gloria Steinem took on the case for female equality. Wonder Woman is a member of the female tribe of Amazons – her mission: “Bring the Amazon tribe’s ideals of love, peace and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men.” Enough said. Wonder Woman is No. 6 in the comic book line up.
The Final Four
The last four “heroes” are not as formidable in circles other than comic-book-hero junkies, but their feats are notable.
The Green Lantern, coming in at No. 7, is the name of several super heroes, and each one possesses a “power ring” that gives him control over the physical world.
America needs a Captain America – one who is strong and hard working, ethical and honest. Captain America is No. 8 on the list, but the trustworthy hero should be the No. 1 character on Wall Street.
Spawn the fictional character was actually spawned from hell. At No. 9, he and the Punisher, at No. 10, are known to have much darker sides – sort of the anti-heroes.
SNIPPETZ JOINS SUPERMAN AND OTHER HEROES
TO RID THE WORLD OF EVIL FORCES!
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look up in the sky; it’s a bird; it’s a plane, it’s SUPERMAN.
Dedicated fans worldwide will gather this week in Metropolis, Ill., to celebrate their super hero, Superman, aka Clark Kent. The 31st annual Superman Celebration will take place June 11 through June 14 in the city that lays claims to being the official home of Superman. Super festivities will take place amidst a permanent bronze statue of Superman and a Super Museum located on the town’s Superman Square. Visitors can take in other Superman attractions throughout the city, such as a giant rock of Kryptonite. Man of Steel exhibitions, an “artists’ alley,” contests, comic book writing sessions, live music and a $1,000 Superhero costume contest are just a few of the events on the super agenda.
A Red Carpet Celebration
A variety of actors who portray comic book characters, including actors from “Smallsville,” are scheduled for appearances. One of the guests, Noel Neill, first played Lois Lane in the 1948 movie, “Superman.” But she’s best known for playing Lois Lane, from 1953 to 1957, alongside Superman George Reeves in the television series “The Adventures of Superman.” Neill will host a tribute to Reeves the evening of June 12, and she will soon join her character husband as a permanent fixture on the streets of Metropolis when the Chamber of Commerce adds the finishing touches to a sculpture in Neill’s likeness.
In 2008, the celebration broke the Guinness Book of World Records with the most number of people dressed as Superman.
Top 10 Super Duper Heroes
Super frenzy, super cool or super freaky, Snippetz joins in the celebration with a list of the top-10 superheroes of all time. According to About.com – the online subsidiary of the New York Times – Superman leads the pack at No. 1.
The Original Flying Hero
The Superman legend began in 1938, when the baby Superman – Kal-El – traveled to Earth to escape the doomed planet Krypton. His Kryptonite father sent him to Earth in a rocket ship, which just happened to land in Kansas, where a young couple found the ship and adopted little Kal-El.
His mortal being was known as Clark Kent from Smallsville, Kan. Kent attended Metropolis University and became a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet in the city of Metropolis. Clark Kent could change into his red cape and tights and take on the role of Superman in a matter of seconds, but no one at the Planet knew about his extraterrestrial abilities or his identity as Superman. Until Lois Lane. Lane worked as a reporter at the Daily Planet as well, and she and Jimmy Olson, a photographer and “gopher” at the Daily Planet, became friends with Clark Kent. Eventually, Kent married Lane, and she soon learned about his duo identities.
Throughout the years, the adventures of the “Man of Steele” evolved, as did his super powers. As a young adult, Superman could lift cars and run and jump beyond any mortal. In the next few years, Superman’s abilities took flight. With telescopic vision that allowed him to shoot laser-like beams and the capacity to fly over tall buildings, he became a renowned hero, battling the forces of evil.
Over decades, Superman has been reincarnated – his immortal presence forever set in history, modern times and the future. And it can safely be said that Superman paved the way for the other top-10 comic-book heroes and heroines.
Eeeew – It’s Sticky!
As a young lad, Peter Parker took on spider-like qualities after he was bitten by one. From an insecure, shy teenager to a super hero, Spider Man has captured teenage audiences because many fans can relate to Peter. He’s also captured the No. 2 favorite spot. The spider-like super human came on the scene in 1962. With his uncanny senses, agility and ability to cling to surfaces, Spider Man has become a worthy foe of the bad guys. Adding to his might are web-slingers – streams of sticky webbing that allow Spider Man to swing from building to building. He also has stingers that shoot major energy blasts to his opponents, causing them to stop dead in their tracks.
Peter or Spider Man grew up with his aunt and uncle. Naïve to his nephew’s real powers, his uncle once told Peter: “With great power comes great responsibility. All it took was one spider bite to create this hero. Marvel Comics considers Spider Man its No. 1 comic book hero.
Not Just Brawn, But Brains Too
Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, is a millionaire with a penchant to avenge his parents’ death. Coming in as the No. 3 favorite, he may not have the super-strength powers of Superman and Spider Man, but he has a super brain and a super computer and has been touted as a brilliant detective. Inspired by a bat, he designed a costume to emulate the creature and wore it in disguise as he set out to rid Gotham City of crime.
Howling With The Wolves
Nature’s most daunting insects and animals are patterned as heroes in the imaginary world. The comic book hero Wolverine is rated the No. 4 hero. He ended up living with wolves – as James Logan – years after his father was killed and his mother committed suicide. He’s been mentored by such heroes as The Incredible Hulk and Charles Xavier, former leader of the X-Men. Wolverine now leads the X-Men, mentoring and leading another generation. Wolverine has done wonders for Hugh Jack’s career.
Incredibly Green
Speaking of the Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner (mortal name) takes the No. 5 spot. The green he-man has brawn, brain and speed. He’s resilient and unstoppable. His powers were unleashed when he was exposed to a “bomb” as a military scientist. The Hulk has various personas, from the intellect of Bruce Banner to the rage of a savage beast. The Hulk has had to work hard to conquer his “bad” sides in favor of focusing on fighting corruption.
Power To The Women
The first comic book heroine may have been one of the first feminists. Wonder Woman first debuted in 1941, long before Gloria Steinem took on the case for female equality. Wonder Woman is a member of the female tribe of Amazons – her mission: “Bring the Amazon tribe’s ideals of love, peace and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men.” Enough said. Wonder Woman is No. 6 in the comic book line up.
The Final Four
The last four “heroes” are not as formidable in circles other than comic-book-hero junkies, but their feats are notable.
The Green Lantern, coming in at No. 7, is the name of several super heroes, and each one possesses a “power ring” that gives him control over the physical world.
America needs a Captain America – one who is strong and hard working, ethical and honest. Captain America is No. 8 on the list, but the trustworthy hero should be the No. 1 character on Wall Street.
Spawn the fictional character was actually spawned from hell. At No. 9, he and the Punisher, at No. 10, are known to have much darker sides – sort of the anti-heroes.
Issue 396
SNIPPETZ IS TALKING SOME TRASH
"Listen up, you couch potatoes: each recycled beer can saves enough electricity to run a television for three hours."
-Dennis Hayes
Being green, living green, building green and even dressing green – folks everywhere are jumping on the green bandwagon. And why not? Most of us can admit to that feeling of disgust when we drive down the streets and highways and view trash lying alongside the road; or while vacationing on the beach catching not waves, but trash that lines the coastal shores. The nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful estimates that Americans alone produce 251.3 million tons of garbage each year, making us the No. 1 trash producer in the world. Each individual produces about nearly 4.5 pounds of waste per day. It’s got to go somewhere!
Consider The Savings
Rumor has it that recycling costs more than it’s worth. In reality, it costs about $30 per ton to recycle trash versus $50 per ton to get it to the landfill and $65 to $75 to incinerate it.
• Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough energy to power the average American home for five months.
• Recycling paper instead of making it from new material generates 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water and requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.
• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100-watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for three hours and a TV for two hours, according to the EPA.
• Recycling aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy used to make the material from scratch. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material. Energy savings in 1993 alone were enough to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years.
• Energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. Compared to producing a new bottle from raw materials, recycling produces 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution. The mining and transportation involved in producing glass from raw materials produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass produced. That waste is reduced by more than 80 percent when using recycled glass.
Everybody Is Doing It
• More than half of Duracell’s international headquarters was built using its own waste materials from the manufacture of batteries. It included ceiling tiles from newspapers, roofing from aluminum and flooring from broken light bulbs and other crushed glass.
• Cereal manufacturers such as Kellogg’s uses 100 percent recycled paper for their boxes. Some even sell cereal in bags for a cost savings of between 35 and 40 percent over the price of the same cereal purchased in boxes.
• Disney parks stepped up their recycling efforts beginning in the 1990’s that has included recycling bins strategically placed throughout their facilities.
• The folks in Bristol, England host a Waste Not Festival each year to raise recycling awareness. Neighborhoods work together for recycling with some slogans such as “Before you bin it, think what’s in it.” Some have made mosaic walkways out of broken tiles and crockery, as well as installed picnic tables and benches at local parks made from recycled plastics.
• Ben & Jerry’s ice cream boasts the use of ice cream containers made out of unbleached paper in order to help reduce the production of the toxic chemical dioxin that comes from bleaching paper products.
Plastic – Good News, Bad News
The bad news:
• Ninety percent of all debris floating in the ocean is plastic.
• Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour and most of them are thrown away.
• Every year, we make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap Texas!
• Every year, Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups – enough to circle the earth 436 times every year, and Styrofoam is NOT recyclable.
The good news:
• Plastic can be recycled into many great products such as “lumber” for park benches, public trash receptacles, picnic tables, parking bumpers, plastic grocery bags and more.
• 26 recycled PET (a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family used in synthetic fibers) bottles equals a polyester suit; 5 recycled PET bottles make enough fiberfill to stuff a ski jacket.
• If every American household recycled just one out of every 10 HDPE bottles they used, we’d keep 200 million pounds of the plastic out of landfills every year.
Shuffling Paper
Even with computers and efforts made toward becoming a paperless society, we still use about 85 million tons of paper per year or some 680 pounds per person. The good news is that more than 56 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. in 2007 was taken in for recycling.
• Recycled paper can be made into paper towels, notebook paper, envelopes, copy paper and other paper products, as well as boxes, hydro-mulch, molded packaging, compost and even kitty litter.
• We would save about 250 million trees each year if all of our newspapers were recycled.
• We could heat 50 million homes for 20 years with the wood and paper that is thrown away each year.
• It costs 50 to 80 percent less to build a paper mill that uses waste paper than a mill that uses new pulp.
Glass
Glass never wears out. It can be recycled forever. We save over a ton of resources for every ton of glass recycled: 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone and 151 pounds of feldspar.
• Americans throw away enough glass bottles and jars every two weeks to fill the 1,350-foot towers of the former World Trade Center.
• Most bottles and jars contain at least 25 percent recycled glass.
• Recycled glass can also be used to make products such as counter tops and flooring.
Popping the Top…And…Don’t Throw That Old Lawn Furniture Away!
Americans use 100 million tin and steel cans every day and throw away enough aluminum every month to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet. One tossed aluminum can wastes as much energy as filling the same can half full of gasoline and pouring it into the ground.
• In as little as 60 days a used aluminum can is able to go through the recycling process and land back on the grocery shelf. One can conceivably purchase the same can filled with various different beverages multiple times per year.
• If that aluminum can is thrown away, it will still be a can in a landfill for the next 500 or more years, but there is no limit to the number of times it can be recycled.
• Tin cans used for food items such as soup and canned tomatoes are made of 99 percent steel. Every year, Americans throw away enough steel to build all the new cars that are made in this country.
• Although aluminum cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., gutters, car parts, storm window frames, lawn furniture and building siding can also be recycled.
• Even aluminum shavings can be recycled, although it’s a bit more difficult and takes some creativity. Some counter tops are now made from these shavings that are good looking, interesting and you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood with these as a conversation piece.
More Out There
• During World War II, two war ships were built out of recycled metal straps from corsets.
• Old tires are some of the most difficult things to recycle, but some are reworking these rubber rounds into chair seats.
• Slats from old whiskey barrels are also used to create furniture. However, we wonder if one smells like a bottle of Jim Beam after sitting in one of these.
• Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped in aluminum – about 80 million each day – enough to cover about 40 football fields. These little wrappers are recyclable, which is another good reason to eat more chocolate. Well, somebody’s got to do it.
• Motor oil can be recycled and refined since it never wears out. A quart of the substance can contaminate about two million gallons of fresh water if it is not recycled or disposed of properly.
For more information about recycling in our area, contact El Paso County on their web-site at www.elpasoco.com or at 719-520-7878. On the EPC web-site you can obtain a comprehensive “El Paso County Recycling Directory” for information on where to recycle everything from appliances and asbestos to tires, TV’s and yard waste.
SNIPPETZ IS TALKING SOME TRASH
"Listen up, you couch potatoes: each recycled beer can saves enough electricity to run a television for three hours."
-Dennis Hayes
Being green, living green, building green and even dressing green – folks everywhere are jumping on the green bandwagon. And why not? Most of us can admit to that feeling of disgust when we drive down the streets and highways and view trash lying alongside the road; or while vacationing on the beach catching not waves, but trash that lines the coastal shores. The nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful estimates that Americans alone produce 251.3 million tons of garbage each year, making us the No. 1 trash producer in the world. Each individual produces about nearly 4.5 pounds of waste per day. It’s got to go somewhere!
Consider The Savings
Rumor has it that recycling costs more than it’s worth. In reality, it costs about $30 per ton to recycle trash versus $50 per ton to get it to the landfill and $65 to $75 to incinerate it.
• Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough energy to power the average American home for five months.
• Recycling paper instead of making it from new material generates 74 percent less air pollution and uses 50 percent less water and requires about 60 percent of the energy used to make paper from virgin wood pulp.
• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100-watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for three hours and a TV for two hours, according to the EPA.
• Recycling aluminum saves 95 percent of the energy used to make the material from scratch. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material. Energy savings in 1993 alone were enough to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years.
• Energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. Compared to producing a new bottle from raw materials, recycling produces 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution. The mining and transportation involved in producing glass from raw materials produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass produced. That waste is reduced by more than 80 percent when using recycled glass.
Everybody Is Doing It
• More than half of Duracell’s international headquarters was built using its own waste materials from the manufacture of batteries. It included ceiling tiles from newspapers, roofing from aluminum and flooring from broken light bulbs and other crushed glass.
• Cereal manufacturers such as Kellogg’s uses 100 percent recycled paper for their boxes. Some even sell cereal in bags for a cost savings of between 35 and 40 percent over the price of the same cereal purchased in boxes.
• Disney parks stepped up their recycling efforts beginning in the 1990’s that has included recycling bins strategically placed throughout their facilities.
• The folks in Bristol, England host a Waste Not Festival each year to raise recycling awareness. Neighborhoods work together for recycling with some slogans such as “Before you bin it, think what’s in it.” Some have made mosaic walkways out of broken tiles and crockery, as well as installed picnic tables and benches at local parks made from recycled plastics.
• Ben & Jerry’s ice cream boasts the use of ice cream containers made out of unbleached paper in order to help reduce the production of the toxic chemical dioxin that comes from bleaching paper products.
Plastic – Good News, Bad News
The bad news:
• Ninety percent of all debris floating in the ocean is plastic.
• Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour and most of them are thrown away.
• Every year, we make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap Texas!
• Every year, Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups – enough to circle the earth 436 times every year, and Styrofoam is NOT recyclable.
The good news:
• Plastic can be recycled into many great products such as “lumber” for park benches, public trash receptacles, picnic tables, parking bumpers, plastic grocery bags and more.
• 26 recycled PET (a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family used in synthetic fibers) bottles equals a polyester suit; 5 recycled PET bottles make enough fiberfill to stuff a ski jacket.
• If every American household recycled just one out of every 10 HDPE bottles they used, we’d keep 200 million pounds of the plastic out of landfills every year.
Shuffling Paper
Even with computers and efforts made toward becoming a paperless society, we still use about 85 million tons of paper per year or some 680 pounds per person. The good news is that more than 56 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. in 2007 was taken in for recycling.
• Recycled paper can be made into paper towels, notebook paper, envelopes, copy paper and other paper products, as well as boxes, hydro-mulch, molded packaging, compost and even kitty litter.
• We would save about 250 million trees each year if all of our newspapers were recycled.
• We could heat 50 million homes for 20 years with the wood and paper that is thrown away each year.
• It costs 50 to 80 percent less to build a paper mill that uses waste paper than a mill that uses new pulp.
Glass
Glass never wears out. It can be recycled forever. We save over a ton of resources for every ton of glass recycled: 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone and 151 pounds of feldspar.
• Americans throw away enough glass bottles and jars every two weeks to fill the 1,350-foot towers of the former World Trade Center.
• Most bottles and jars contain at least 25 percent recycled glass.
• Recycled glass can also be used to make products such as counter tops and flooring.
Popping the Top…And…Don’t Throw That Old Lawn Furniture Away!
Americans use 100 million tin and steel cans every day and throw away enough aluminum every month to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet. One tossed aluminum can wastes as much energy as filling the same can half full of gasoline and pouring it into the ground.
• In as little as 60 days a used aluminum can is able to go through the recycling process and land back on the grocery shelf. One can conceivably purchase the same can filled with various different beverages multiple times per year.
• If that aluminum can is thrown away, it will still be a can in a landfill for the next 500 or more years, but there is no limit to the number of times it can be recycled.
• Tin cans used for food items such as soup and canned tomatoes are made of 99 percent steel. Every year, Americans throw away enough steel to build all the new cars that are made in this country.
• Although aluminum cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., gutters, car parts, storm window frames, lawn furniture and building siding can also be recycled.
• Even aluminum shavings can be recycled, although it’s a bit more difficult and takes some creativity. Some counter tops are now made from these shavings that are good looking, interesting and you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood with these as a conversation piece.
More Out There
• During World War II, two war ships were built out of recycled metal straps from corsets.
• Old tires are some of the most difficult things to recycle, but some are reworking these rubber rounds into chair seats.
• Slats from old whiskey barrels are also used to create furniture. However, we wonder if one smells like a bottle of Jim Beam after sitting in one of these.
• Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped in aluminum – about 80 million each day – enough to cover about 40 football fields. These little wrappers are recyclable, which is another good reason to eat more chocolate. Well, somebody’s got to do it.
• Motor oil can be recycled and refined since it never wears out. A quart of the substance can contaminate about two million gallons of fresh water if it is not recycled or disposed of properly.
For more information about recycling in our area, contact El Paso County on their web-site at www.elpasoco.com or at 719-520-7878. On the EPC web-site you can obtain a comprehensive “El Paso County Recycling Directory” for information on where to recycle everything from appliances and asbestos to tires, TV’s and yard waste.
Issue 395
SNIPPETZ THINKS EVEN NERDS
SHOULD TAKE PRIDE
"Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one."
- Bill Gates
Nerds stand up and be counted! May 25 is Nerd and Geek Pride Day. Once upon a time being referred to as a geek or nerd was considered an insult. But now things have changed. Not only do we respect nerds and geeks, but we have a day to celebrate them! Nerd Pride Day was developed very recently in 2006 in Spain and has quickly crossed the ocean to the United States where we are finally recognizing what the nerds of the world have given us. Ever heard of Bill Gates?
What’s in a Word?
There may be subtle differences in the original definitions of the terms nerd and geek, but nowadays they tend to be used interchangeably. Nerd is defined as a person who pursues interests of an intellectual nature rather than social or more popular pastimes. The word ‘nerd’ is considered a derogatory term even though it is usually used to describe a person with above average IQ.
The word ‘geek’ is actually an English word meaning freak or fool and was also used in Low German and Middle Low German; the Dutch “gek” is a current term meaning crazy. Someone called a geek is thought of as being odd and obsessed with intellectual pursuits similar to that of the nerd.
Nerds and Geeks Have a History, Too
The word ‘nerd’ appeared initially in a 1950 Dr. Seuss book, “If I Ran the Zoo,” wherein he writes, “And then, just to show them, I’ll sail to Ka-Troo and Bring Back an It-Kutch a Preep and a Proo A Nerkle a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!” In this case, the nerd was a small human-like creature who looked angry.
Geek is more thought of as originally showing up in the circus or carnival. Geek shows often included performers who would bite heads off of critters and animals such as snakes, bugs, chickens, etc. However, the definition of geek has changed a great deal over the years and has now become much more synonymous with nerd as in someone who is not part of the mainstream. Other common terms might be dweeb or dork.
Stereotypical Qualities
Nerds and geeks have certain qualities in common and those who try to become or imitate one are merely imposters. One cannot be a nerd or geek just by proclaiming it is so.
Nerds have distinct qualities…
• Deficient in social skills
• Accelerated proficiency in intellectual pursuits such as electronics, computers, engineering, mathematics, science, etc.
• Usually above average IQ, but little physical strength
And stereotypical fashion sense…
• Thick-framed glasses (with or without masking tape holding the frame together)
• High-water jeans
• Preppy patterned shirts (with or without pocket protectors)
Nerds We Couldn’t Do as Well Without
Nerds have given us a wealth of new technology. In some instances, it’s almost a love-hate relationship. Admit it – don’t you want to throw your computer out the window sometimes?
• Albert Einstein gave us the theory of relativity, the quantum theory of atomic motion, theory of gravitation and became a Nobel Prize winner, to name a few of his accomplishments and contributions.
• Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft Corporation, attended but never graduated from Harvard College where he worked as a congressional page. Gates and his business partner Paul Allen revolutionized the computer industry by making computers accessible to every person in their home and business. Gates is a self-proclaimed nerd who may be laughing all the way to the bank considering he is worth billions of dollars. Microsoft cofounder Allen is worth about half as much as Gates, at over $20 billion. To his credit, Gates and wife Melinda started the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, giving away about 30 billion dollars in the last 10 or so years to global causes in the area of education and health.
• Also major contributors to the computer biz were Apple Computers cofounders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It was the late 1970’s when the Apple computer came onto the scene as a rival to the PC and the Gates-Allen Microsoft software package. Jobs went on to acquire the computer graphics division of Lucasfilms, which later became Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar was eventually purchased by Disney and Jobs continues to be a major shareholder and member of the board. Wozniak crashed his own airplane in 1981 and when he eventually returned to Apple after attending UC Berkeley, he worked as an engineer in the product development division. Wozniak also wrote his autobiography and the millionaire had time to compete on the 2009 season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
• Tom Anderson is the cofounder of MySpace. Ask any teenager if they think life would be worthwhile with it.
Musical Nerds
• Art Garfunkel of the famous duo Simon and Garfunkel has a master’s degree in math as well as a B.A. in art history from Columbia University.
• Huey Lewis of the group Huey Lewis and the News was an engineering major at Cornell University before he dropped out in his junior year to pursue his music career.
• Neil Diamond dropped out of the pre-med program at NYU, eventually receiving an honorary doctorate from the university in 2003.
• Rock singer Elvis Costello was a computer geek prior to his musical career.
• Jim Morrison of The Doors attended Florida State and UCLA to study film.
• Mick Jagger studied accounting and finance at the London School of Economics before he dropped out to start his little garage band…hmmm, what was that? Oh yes, the Rolling Stones!
• Alicia Keys was a Valedictorian from the Professional Performing Arts School. She was offered a scholarship to Columbia, but turned it down to seek a career in music.
It’s not just nerds becoming musicians, but now there is the music genre called Nerdcore hip hop that is becoming more popular with musicians such as MC Plus+, MC Chris and McFrontalot. There seems to be a McTrend here.
Famous Movie and TV Nerds
• Jerry Lewis was famous for his bit as Julius Kelp in the 1963 “The Nutty Professor.”
• Jaleel White played nerd Steve Urkel, pocket protector and all, on “Family Matters,” the nine-year running sitcom which is still in syndication.
• Many nerds were portrayed in the 1984 film “Revenge of the Nerds,” including Anthony Edwards and Robert Carradine.
• Ron Howard, Hollywood producer and director, made nerd history on the hit sitcom set in the 1950’s, “Happy Days” with his character Richie Cunningham. He continues to look the part to this day.
• The character Kramer on the sitcom “Seinfeld” was the personification of nerd with his thick glasses, wild hairdo and mismatched clothing.
Honorable Nerdy Mention
• Wonka’s Sour Nerds candy is proclaimed to be Nerd's for nerds.
• The reality TV show “Beauty and the Geek” ran for five seasons ending in 2008 in which the ‘storyline’ involved geeks who attempt to impart some academic knowledge upon the beautiful people while the beauties try to teach the geeks fashion sense and social skills.
• Website BoardGameGeek offers an outlet for self-proclaimed geeky board game lovers.
• David Cook, winner of the “American Idol” contest, admitted to being a “word nerd” to the world.
• The term “nerdcore” is now being used to refer to webcomics as well as music.
• We can’t forget all those computer and technical support businesses called Geek Squad, Dial-a-Geek and Geeks on Call who are capitalizing on the technically superior reputation of the geeks and nerds.
SNIPPETZ THINKS EVEN NERDS
SHOULD TAKE PRIDE
"Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one."
- Bill Gates
Nerds stand up and be counted! May 25 is Nerd and Geek Pride Day. Once upon a time being referred to as a geek or nerd was considered an insult. But now things have changed. Not only do we respect nerds and geeks, but we have a day to celebrate them! Nerd Pride Day was developed very recently in 2006 in Spain and has quickly crossed the ocean to the United States where we are finally recognizing what the nerds of the world have given us. Ever heard of Bill Gates?
What’s in a Word?
There may be subtle differences in the original definitions of the terms nerd and geek, but nowadays they tend to be used interchangeably. Nerd is defined as a person who pursues interests of an intellectual nature rather than social or more popular pastimes. The word ‘nerd’ is considered a derogatory term even though it is usually used to describe a person with above average IQ.
The word ‘geek’ is actually an English word meaning freak or fool and was also used in Low German and Middle Low German; the Dutch “gek” is a current term meaning crazy. Someone called a geek is thought of as being odd and obsessed with intellectual pursuits similar to that of the nerd.
Nerds and Geeks Have a History, Too
The word ‘nerd’ appeared initially in a 1950 Dr. Seuss book, “If I Ran the Zoo,” wherein he writes, “And then, just to show them, I’ll sail to Ka-Troo and Bring Back an It-Kutch a Preep and a Proo A Nerkle a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!” In this case, the nerd was a small human-like creature who looked angry.
Geek is more thought of as originally showing up in the circus or carnival. Geek shows often included performers who would bite heads off of critters and animals such as snakes, bugs, chickens, etc. However, the definition of geek has changed a great deal over the years and has now become much more synonymous with nerd as in someone who is not part of the mainstream. Other common terms might be dweeb or dork.
Stereotypical Qualities
Nerds and geeks have certain qualities in common and those who try to become or imitate one are merely imposters. One cannot be a nerd or geek just by proclaiming it is so.
Nerds have distinct qualities…
• Deficient in social skills
• Accelerated proficiency in intellectual pursuits such as electronics, computers, engineering, mathematics, science, etc.
• Usually above average IQ, but little physical strength
And stereotypical fashion sense…
• Thick-framed glasses (with or without masking tape holding the frame together)
• High-water jeans
• Preppy patterned shirts (with or without pocket protectors)
Nerds We Couldn’t Do as Well Without
Nerds have given us a wealth of new technology. In some instances, it’s almost a love-hate relationship. Admit it – don’t you want to throw your computer out the window sometimes?
• Albert Einstein gave us the theory of relativity, the quantum theory of atomic motion, theory of gravitation and became a Nobel Prize winner, to name a few of his accomplishments and contributions.
• Bill Gates, cofounder of Microsoft Corporation, attended but never graduated from Harvard College where he worked as a congressional page. Gates and his business partner Paul Allen revolutionized the computer industry by making computers accessible to every person in their home and business. Gates is a self-proclaimed nerd who may be laughing all the way to the bank considering he is worth billions of dollars. Microsoft cofounder Allen is worth about half as much as Gates, at over $20 billion. To his credit, Gates and wife Melinda started the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, giving away about 30 billion dollars in the last 10 or so years to global causes in the area of education and health.
• Also major contributors to the computer biz were Apple Computers cofounders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It was the late 1970’s when the Apple computer came onto the scene as a rival to the PC and the Gates-Allen Microsoft software package. Jobs went on to acquire the computer graphics division of Lucasfilms, which later became Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar was eventually purchased by Disney and Jobs continues to be a major shareholder and member of the board. Wozniak crashed his own airplane in 1981 and when he eventually returned to Apple after attending UC Berkeley, he worked as an engineer in the product development division. Wozniak also wrote his autobiography and the millionaire had time to compete on the 2009 season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
• Tom Anderson is the cofounder of MySpace. Ask any teenager if they think life would be worthwhile with it.
Musical Nerds
• Art Garfunkel of the famous duo Simon and Garfunkel has a master’s degree in math as well as a B.A. in art history from Columbia University.
• Huey Lewis of the group Huey Lewis and the News was an engineering major at Cornell University before he dropped out in his junior year to pursue his music career.
• Neil Diamond dropped out of the pre-med program at NYU, eventually receiving an honorary doctorate from the university in 2003.
• Rock singer Elvis Costello was a computer geek prior to his musical career.
• Jim Morrison of The Doors attended Florida State and UCLA to study film.
• Mick Jagger studied accounting and finance at the London School of Economics before he dropped out to start his little garage band…hmmm, what was that? Oh yes, the Rolling Stones!
• Alicia Keys was a Valedictorian from the Professional Performing Arts School. She was offered a scholarship to Columbia, but turned it down to seek a career in music.
It’s not just nerds becoming musicians, but now there is the music genre called Nerdcore hip hop that is becoming more popular with musicians such as MC Plus+, MC Chris and McFrontalot. There seems to be a McTrend here.
Famous Movie and TV Nerds
• Jerry Lewis was famous for his bit as Julius Kelp in the 1963 “The Nutty Professor.”
• Jaleel White played nerd Steve Urkel, pocket protector and all, on “Family Matters,” the nine-year running sitcom which is still in syndication.
• Many nerds were portrayed in the 1984 film “Revenge of the Nerds,” including Anthony Edwards and Robert Carradine.
• Ron Howard, Hollywood producer and director, made nerd history on the hit sitcom set in the 1950’s, “Happy Days” with his character Richie Cunningham. He continues to look the part to this day.
• The character Kramer on the sitcom “Seinfeld” was the personification of nerd with his thick glasses, wild hairdo and mismatched clothing.
Honorable Nerdy Mention
• Wonka’s Sour Nerds candy is proclaimed to be Nerd's for nerds.
• The reality TV show “Beauty and the Geek” ran for five seasons ending in 2008 in which the ‘storyline’ involved geeks who attempt to impart some academic knowledge upon the beautiful people while the beauties try to teach the geeks fashion sense and social skills.
• Website BoardGameGeek offers an outlet for self-proclaimed geeky board game lovers.
• David Cook, winner of the “American Idol” contest, admitted to being a “word nerd” to the world.
• The term “nerdcore” is now being used to refer to webcomics as well as music.
• We can’t forget all those computer and technical support businesses called Geek Squad, Dial-a-Geek and Geeks on Call who are capitalizing on the technically superior reputation of the geeks and nerds.
Issue 394
SNIPPETZ GEARS UP DURING
NATIONAL BIKE MONTH
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
-Albert Einstein
Among 50 states, Colorado is No. 13 in the League of American Bicyclists 2009 “Bicycle Friendly America” rankings. Washington is No. 1, and Alabama is trailing the pack at No. 50. Boulder is platinum among the LAB’s Colorado community listings. Fort Collins gets the gold and Colorado Springs came in with silver. Other Colorado communities on the list: Denver – bronze; Durango – silver; Lakewood – bronze; Arvada – bronze; Steamboat Springs – silver.
The communities are judged on bike education, city planning, police enforcement of bicyclist rights and bike promotion.
Speaking of promotion, May is National Bike Month.
Bike to Work Week took place May 11 to May 15, with the 15th designated as Bike to Work Day. If you missed the ride last week; there’s still opportune time to get in gear, dust off the grid and “go til ya’ blow” on one of Colorado’s bike-friendly trails. Roadie slang aside, bicycling is a great way to get in shape, stay in shape and reach peak shape. Whether you’re noodling (riding easy) or cavemanning (riding hard), you’re burning calories and building strength. Depending on body weight, bicyclists burn between 400 and 500 calories in one hour. Riding at a moderate speed burns about 235 calories per half hour.
The majority of Americans ride for recreation and health purposes. Only a small percent – about 5 percent (2003 poll) – commute to work via their bikes. Although bicycling is today a favorite pastime, the bicycle came about as a tool for transportation.
A bit of bicycle history
According to About.com (online subsidiary of the New York Times), Leonardo DaVinci sketched a “facsimile of the modern bicycle” in 1490, but it never went anywhere. Centuries later, a Frenchman crafted what he called a “celerifere,” which had two in-line wheels connected by a beam. The rider straddled the beam and pushed the celerifere with his feet.
A German added steering to the “scooter” in 1817, which prompted various versions of the bicycle during the early 1800s in France and England. The “bicycle” replaced the horse in popularity but the roads at the time were not conducive to riding wheeled transport. Only a horse could get through those deep ruts of the roads.
In 1839, the Scottish came up with a treadle and rod for the rear-drive. In 1845, R.W. Thompson patented a pneumatic tube to replace the metal wheels.
Later, two French brothers – Ernest and Pierre Michaux – added cranks and pedals, and called their new “wheels” the velocipede.
British engineers picked up the design and added ball bearings, Dunlop tires, wire-spoked wheels, a chain drive, gears and cable controls. Over the next 20 years, the Brits evolved their engineering to come up with the present-day bicycle form.
Taking the bicycle to higher places – the marathon
The “cavemen (and women)” of bicycling have brought the sport way beyond simple recreation or transportation. Bicycling is one leg of a triathlon but it’s also a race in and of itself. Inarguably, the most well known of all bicycle marathons is the Tour de France. The ride across France is made up of 21 stages and covers 3,500 kilometers or 2,235 miles. The ride begins July 4 and ends July 29, with only two rest days for the riders. In the U.S., the biggest hammerhead (the bicyclist who refuses to ride easy) is Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France. Armstrong is a cancer survivor as well and runs a foundation promoting cancer awareness and healthy lifestyles. A bit of Lance trivia: He was born Sept. 18, 1971, as Lance Edward Gunderson.
Bicycle marathons are held coast to coast. From May 7 to May 10, Fort Collins hosted almost 500 student athletes from more than 60 universities for the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships. Eighteen national titles and three individual titles in three cycling categories were at stake.
Mountain biking has its own marathons. For those who like to charge through the hills, Colorado has its share of mountain bike marathons from Fruita, Colo., to Vail.
Bicycling and beer, anyone?
Existing with Colorado’s bicycle-friendly communities are its bicycle-friendly businesses. The League of American Bicyclists came out with its 2009 Bicycle Friendly Business list in March. For the first time ever, two companies received a platinum award: the Bike Gallery of Portland, Ore., and the New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins. There’s nothing like a cold beer when you’re knackered (tired) after a “hammerfest” (a hard ride, of course). Considering that the New Belgium Brewing Co. was founded during a bike ride through Belgium, the platinum award seems to be a no-brainer. In a press release from the LAB, Bryan Simpson, spokesman for the Fort Collins brew company, said, “Bicycling is part of our DNA.”
Other bicycle friendly businesses in Colorado: electronics manufacturer CatEye North American, Boulder – gold; retailer ProCycling, Colorado Springs – honorable mention. The winners provide bicycle friendly amenities like bike parking, shower facilities, incentives to commute on bikes, company bike rides and bike clubs and Bike to Work Week promotions. The benefit to the businesses: productive and healthy employees and reduced health care costs.
More “snippetz” of roadie slang
http://kba.tripod.com/slang.htm
Still, it’s the best ride
Besides health, one’s financial picture and the environment benefit from those who choose the bicycle as their No. 1 mode of transportation. Think of the gas savings!
Lance Armstrong summed it up when he said, “This is not Disneyland, or Hollywood. I'll give you an example: I've read that I flew up the hills and mountains of France. But you don't fly up a hill. You struggle slowly and painfully up a hill, and maybe, if you work very hard, you get to the top ahead of everybody else.”
Not unlike life. Gear up and ride!
Bicycles and Helmets...or Let’s Be Safe Out There
What’s not to appreciate when someone says, “When I was a kid, we didn’t have bicycle helmets; we took our cuts and scrapes as just part of the play.” Except that today, there are more cars, more people riding and many more hammerheads or Xtreme sports enthusiasts. The brain bucket – bicycle lingo for the helmet – is touted by many groups such as the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute and the National Highway Traffic Administration. They offer plenty of statistics to promote their pro-helmet stance.
From the BHSI
• There are 73 to 85 million bicycle riders in the U.S.
• Close to 700 bicyclists died on U.S. roads in 2007 and more than 90 percent collided with motor vehicles. Two-thirds of the deaths were caused by traumatic brain injury.
• The "typical" bicyclist killed on the roads is a sober male over age 16 who is not wearing a helmet. He’s riding on a major road between intersections in an urban area on a summer evening when he’s hit by a car.
• About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries and 27,000 are hospitalized.
• Bicycle crashes and injuries are under-reported, since the majority is not serious enough for emergency room visits; 43,000 cyclists were reported injured in traffic crashes in 2007.
• One in eight of the cyclists with reported injuries had a brain injury.
• A high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet, estimated at anywhere from 45 to 88 percent.
• Direct costs of cyclists' injuries related to not using a helmet are estimated at $81 million each year, rising with health care costs.
• Indirect costs of cyclists' injuries because of no helmet are estimated at $2.3 billion each year.
SNIPPETZ GEARS UP DURING
NATIONAL BIKE MONTH
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
-Albert Einstein
Among 50 states, Colorado is No. 13 in the League of American Bicyclists 2009 “Bicycle Friendly America” rankings. Washington is No. 1, and Alabama is trailing the pack at No. 50. Boulder is platinum among the LAB’s Colorado community listings. Fort Collins gets the gold and Colorado Springs came in with silver. Other Colorado communities on the list: Denver – bronze; Durango – silver; Lakewood – bronze; Arvada – bronze; Steamboat Springs – silver.
The communities are judged on bike education, city planning, police enforcement of bicyclist rights and bike promotion.
Speaking of promotion, May is National Bike Month.
Bike to Work Week took place May 11 to May 15, with the 15th designated as Bike to Work Day. If you missed the ride last week; there’s still opportune time to get in gear, dust off the grid and “go til ya’ blow” on one of Colorado’s bike-friendly trails. Roadie slang aside, bicycling is a great way to get in shape, stay in shape and reach peak shape. Whether you’re noodling (riding easy) or cavemanning (riding hard), you’re burning calories and building strength. Depending on body weight, bicyclists burn between 400 and 500 calories in one hour. Riding at a moderate speed burns about 235 calories per half hour.
The majority of Americans ride for recreation and health purposes. Only a small percent – about 5 percent (2003 poll) – commute to work via their bikes. Although bicycling is today a favorite pastime, the bicycle came about as a tool for transportation.
A bit of bicycle history
According to About.com (online subsidiary of the New York Times), Leonardo DaVinci sketched a “facsimile of the modern bicycle” in 1490, but it never went anywhere. Centuries later, a Frenchman crafted what he called a “celerifere,” which had two in-line wheels connected by a beam. The rider straddled the beam and pushed the celerifere with his feet.
A German added steering to the “scooter” in 1817, which prompted various versions of the bicycle during the early 1800s in France and England. The “bicycle” replaced the horse in popularity but the roads at the time were not conducive to riding wheeled transport. Only a horse could get through those deep ruts of the roads.
In 1839, the Scottish came up with a treadle and rod for the rear-drive. In 1845, R.W. Thompson patented a pneumatic tube to replace the metal wheels.
Later, two French brothers – Ernest and Pierre Michaux – added cranks and pedals, and called their new “wheels” the velocipede.
British engineers picked up the design and added ball bearings, Dunlop tires, wire-spoked wheels, a chain drive, gears and cable controls. Over the next 20 years, the Brits evolved their engineering to come up with the present-day bicycle form.
Taking the bicycle to higher places – the marathon
The “cavemen (and women)” of bicycling have brought the sport way beyond simple recreation or transportation. Bicycling is one leg of a triathlon but it’s also a race in and of itself. Inarguably, the most well known of all bicycle marathons is the Tour de France. The ride across France is made up of 21 stages and covers 3,500 kilometers or 2,235 miles. The ride begins July 4 and ends July 29, with only two rest days for the riders. In the U.S., the biggest hammerhead (the bicyclist who refuses to ride easy) is Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France. Armstrong is a cancer survivor as well and runs a foundation promoting cancer awareness and healthy lifestyles. A bit of Lance trivia: He was born Sept. 18, 1971, as Lance Edward Gunderson.
Bicycle marathons are held coast to coast. From May 7 to May 10, Fort Collins hosted almost 500 student athletes from more than 60 universities for the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships. Eighteen national titles and three individual titles in three cycling categories were at stake.
Mountain biking has its own marathons. For those who like to charge through the hills, Colorado has its share of mountain bike marathons from Fruita, Colo., to Vail.
Bicycling and beer, anyone?
Existing with Colorado’s bicycle-friendly communities are its bicycle-friendly businesses. The League of American Bicyclists came out with its 2009 Bicycle Friendly Business list in March. For the first time ever, two companies received a platinum award: the Bike Gallery of Portland, Ore., and the New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins. There’s nothing like a cold beer when you’re knackered (tired) after a “hammerfest” (a hard ride, of course). Considering that the New Belgium Brewing Co. was founded during a bike ride through Belgium, the platinum award seems to be a no-brainer. In a press release from the LAB, Bryan Simpson, spokesman for the Fort Collins brew company, said, “Bicycling is part of our DNA.”
Other bicycle friendly businesses in Colorado: electronics manufacturer CatEye North American, Boulder – gold; retailer ProCycling, Colorado Springs – honorable mention. The winners provide bicycle friendly amenities like bike parking, shower facilities, incentives to commute on bikes, company bike rides and bike clubs and Bike to Work Week promotions. The benefit to the businesses: productive and healthy employees and reduced health care costs.
More “snippetz” of roadie slang
- Bubba: rude automobile driver
- Bust a gut: ride hard when trying to keep up
- Crayon: a crash that results in major road rash
- Death ride: training so hard that everyone is incoherent afterwards (what?!!)
- Fat boy: a rider with more muscle
- Horse: bicycle
- Mobile: bicycle
- Organ donor: a helmetless rider
- Piano: going very slow in a road race
- Rig: bicycle
- Road pizza: road kill
- Whack your bean: hit your head (as in falling)
- Yammering: Chatting on the bike
http://kba.tripod.com/slang.htm
Still, it’s the best ride
Besides health, one’s financial picture and the environment benefit from those who choose the bicycle as their No. 1 mode of transportation. Think of the gas savings!
Lance Armstrong summed it up when he said, “This is not Disneyland, or Hollywood. I'll give you an example: I've read that I flew up the hills and mountains of France. But you don't fly up a hill. You struggle slowly and painfully up a hill, and maybe, if you work very hard, you get to the top ahead of everybody else.”
Not unlike life. Gear up and ride!
Bicycles and Helmets...or Let’s Be Safe Out There
What’s not to appreciate when someone says, “When I was a kid, we didn’t have bicycle helmets; we took our cuts and scrapes as just part of the play.” Except that today, there are more cars, more people riding and many more hammerheads or Xtreme sports enthusiasts. The brain bucket – bicycle lingo for the helmet – is touted by many groups such as the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute and the National Highway Traffic Administration. They offer plenty of statistics to promote their pro-helmet stance.
From the BHSI
• There are 73 to 85 million bicycle riders in the U.S.
• Close to 700 bicyclists died on U.S. roads in 2007 and more than 90 percent collided with motor vehicles. Two-thirds of the deaths were caused by traumatic brain injury.
• The "typical" bicyclist killed on the roads is a sober male over age 16 who is not wearing a helmet. He’s riding on a major road between intersections in an urban area on a summer evening when he’s hit by a car.
• About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries and 27,000 are hospitalized.
• Bicycle crashes and injuries are under-reported, since the majority is not serious enough for emergency room visits; 43,000 cyclists were reported injured in traffic crashes in 2007.
• One in eight of the cyclists with reported injuries had a brain injury.
• A high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet, estimated at anywhere from 45 to 88 percent.
• Direct costs of cyclists' injuries related to not using a helmet are estimated at $81 million each year, rising with health care costs.
• Indirect costs of cyclists' injuries because of no helmet are estimated at $2.3 billion each year.
Issue 393
SNIPPETZ CROSSES OVER INTO THE TWILIGHT ZONE
"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."
-Rod Sterling
May 11 of every year marks Twilight Zone Day, a day with no relation to the show’s anniversary, but then, after all, we are talking about the twilight zone. Ready to exercise your imagination? How about a little time travel? Maybe explore another dimension? Then it’s time to enter into the Twilight Zone…
In the Beginning
Nearly 50 years ago on October 2, 1959, the above words were heard for the first time by narrator, writer and producer Rod Sterling on network television. It was an historical moment in television when the audience, generally accustomed to having the protagonist, antagonist and the storyline of a TV show laid out for them, were drawn into something new - an on-the-edge-of-your-seat, engaging thinking show. What will happen next?
The first “Twilight Zone” episode, “Where is Everybody?” starred Earl Holliman. Holliman’s character found himself wandering in an abandoned town while struggling to find the answers about his identity and where he was. The episode was met with rave reviews by critics and although there was immediate acceptance by influential TV critics, Sterling had a rocky road ahead. All was not as easy as traveling through time and space; it was the search for a receptive audience of television viewers.
After the first three episodes aired, CBS was hoping that the infant “Twilight Zone” would garner at least a rating of 20 or 21, but ranked only a dismal 16.3. As the first season chugged along, the show was able to attract enough audience to survive a brief hiatus in November, finally surpassing the competition on ABC and NBC. Now armed with an audience and truly unique story ideas, sponsors like General Foods and Kimberly-Clark stayed with the show until the end of the season.
Let’s all jump on the Band Wagon
When the current day show, “South Park,” became a sensation, many of the Hollywood ‘A Listers’ were and still are clamoring for a guest appearance either in voice, or as an animated character. Movie star Mel Gibson was excited to provide the voice of a barking dog in one such episode. This is not something new in TV land; in fact, throughout the “Twilight Zone” history there were many notable actors and actresses who gladly stepped in front of the camera to interpret Rod Sterling’s unusual twist on life and the human condition. Many were accomplished big screen celebrities, and a few had already won a prestigious Oscar, some of which are:
And then there were the up-and-comers, the newbies trying to spread their acting wings, so to speak, and gain valuable experience. Sterling gave many of the new kids on the block a chance, and he certainly had an eye for talent. Take a look at some of today’s stars who graced the small screen with starring or supporting roles in the “Twilight Zone.”
William Shatner, yes the infamous Captain Kirk himself; also of late starring in the successful “Boston Legal” series, portrayed an airline passenger in the 1963-1964 season episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Recovering from a nervous breakdown, Shatner’s character sees a creature on the wing of the airplane he's on staring at him through the window while in flight. Although he tried to alert the crew and passengers of the situation, the creature was never seen by anyone else, causing him to doubt his own sanity. Shatner takes matters into his own hands by grabbing a .44 from an air marshal and shooting the creature. The 1983 “Twilight Zone” movie remade the episode. This time the disturbed passenger on the brink of insanity was played by John Lithgow of the TV series “3rd Rock from the Sun.”
Special Effects
As TV and movie special effects that we’ve become accustomed to were not yet developed in the late 50’s and early 60’s, Sterling often relied on themes based partly on reality with just enough fantasy to make them, as one of the show’s writers put it, “almost believable.” Time travel was a “Twilight Zone” staple, and Sterling used it frequently but always with a twist to keep each episode fresh and lacking sameness. In one such episode, the famed silent film era comedian, Buster Keyton, played a science lab janitor in the 1890’s and used a “special” helmet to travel to the future.
Sterling Makes His Point
The story lines were not just about the unusual, bizarre or unbelievable fantasy, they also dealt with many of society’s problems in a subtle way. During the show’s run, network executives refused to air shows that dealt with themes such as racism, hate, and in one case Sterling wrote a script about human euthanasia where a small town would send the elderly off for extermination. As a result, Sterling substituted, or shifted the story line slightly and integrated his unique style of science fiction to get his point across to the viewing public.
In one of the most popular episodes, “The World of Darkness,” Maxine Stewart played a hideously ugly woman who is hidden by bandages throughout most of the episode. She undergoes numerous surgeries to transform her into a beautiful woman played by Donna Douglas, future actor in “Beverly Hillbillies.” The surprising result was that the ugly woman was really a beautiful woman surrounded by a society of hideously ugly people. Sterling previews this episode the week before by calling it “The eye of the beholder.”
Rod Sterling’s widow, Carolyn Sterling, said in an interview, “If it was a Republican or Democrat [politician] they couldn't say it. I mean, he wanted to deal with the issues of the day. We're looking at bigotry, racism, prejudice, nuclear war, ethics, witch-hunts, loneliness. All of these things were verboten. He had said, ‘you know, you can put these words into the mouth of a Martian and get away with it,’” And, get away with it he did for five successful seasons.
Still Out There
Although the popular series originally only ran for five years from 1959 through 1964, it’s had a few revivals since:
• 1983: “Twilight Zone: The Movie”
• 1985-1989: first revival of the television series
• 1994: “Rod Sterling’s Lost Classics”
• 2002-2003: second revival of the television series
The second revival of the series only lasted one season, but diehard fans are still out there in the ‘zone’ viewing and re-viewing seasons available through television and many internet sites. Some youth of today have an appreciation for the “Twilight Zone” series, black and white film notwithstanding. References to the series are found on You Tube and all over the internet.
That’s a Wrap
"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas; you've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone."
-Rod Sterling’s opening during the final two seasons
SNIPPETZ CROSSES OVER INTO THE TWILIGHT ZONE
"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."
-Rod Sterling
May 11 of every year marks Twilight Zone Day, a day with no relation to the show’s anniversary, but then, after all, we are talking about the twilight zone. Ready to exercise your imagination? How about a little time travel? Maybe explore another dimension? Then it’s time to enter into the Twilight Zone…
In the Beginning
Nearly 50 years ago on October 2, 1959, the above words were heard for the first time by narrator, writer and producer Rod Sterling on network television. It was an historical moment in television when the audience, generally accustomed to having the protagonist, antagonist and the storyline of a TV show laid out for them, were drawn into something new - an on-the-edge-of-your-seat, engaging thinking show. What will happen next?
The first “Twilight Zone” episode, “Where is Everybody?” starred Earl Holliman. Holliman’s character found himself wandering in an abandoned town while struggling to find the answers about his identity and where he was. The episode was met with rave reviews by critics and although there was immediate acceptance by influential TV critics, Sterling had a rocky road ahead. All was not as easy as traveling through time and space; it was the search for a receptive audience of television viewers.
After the first three episodes aired, CBS was hoping that the infant “Twilight Zone” would garner at least a rating of 20 or 21, but ranked only a dismal 16.3. As the first season chugged along, the show was able to attract enough audience to survive a brief hiatus in November, finally surpassing the competition on ABC and NBC. Now armed with an audience and truly unique story ideas, sponsors like General Foods and Kimberly-Clark stayed with the show until the end of the season.
Let’s all jump on the Band Wagon
When the current day show, “South Park,” became a sensation, many of the Hollywood ‘A Listers’ were and still are clamoring for a guest appearance either in voice, or as an animated character. Movie star Mel Gibson was excited to provide the voice of a barking dog in one such episode. This is not something new in TV land; in fact, throughout the “Twilight Zone” history there were many notable actors and actresses who gladly stepped in front of the camera to interpret Rod Sterling’s unusual twist on life and the human condition. Many were accomplished big screen celebrities, and a few had already won a prestigious Oscar, some of which are:
- Ed Wynn
- Ida Lupino
- Burgess Meredith
- Cliff Robertson
- Dennis Weaver
- Comedian Shelly Berman
- Roddy McDowall of the “Planet of the Apes” film series
- Inger Stevens, who later starred in her own TV series, “The Farmers Daughter”
- Jack Klugman of the “Odd Couple” TV series
- Anne Francis
- Jack Warden
- Art Carney of the 50’s TV series “The Honeymooner’s”
- Agnes Moorehead from TV’s “Bewitched”
- Mickey Rooney, movie actor and current stage performer
And then there were the up-and-comers, the newbies trying to spread their acting wings, so to speak, and gain valuable experience. Sterling gave many of the new kids on the block a chance, and he certainly had an eye for talent. Take a look at some of today’s stars who graced the small screen with starring or supporting roles in the “Twilight Zone.”
- Elizabeth Montgomery, “Bewitched”
- Dick York, “Bewitched “
- Peter Falk, “Detective Colombo”
- Dennis Hopper, actor
- Robert Duvall, actor
- Martin Landau, “Mission Impossible “
- Richard Beacon, “Dick Van Dyke Show” and “Leave it to Beaver”
- John McGiver, “Midnight Cowboy”
- Leonard Nimoy, “Star Trek”
- George Takei, “Star Trek”
- Robert Redford, actor
- Carol Burnett, comedian and actress
William Shatner, yes the infamous Captain Kirk himself; also of late starring in the successful “Boston Legal” series, portrayed an airline passenger in the 1963-1964 season episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Recovering from a nervous breakdown, Shatner’s character sees a creature on the wing of the airplane he's on staring at him through the window while in flight. Although he tried to alert the crew and passengers of the situation, the creature was never seen by anyone else, causing him to doubt his own sanity. Shatner takes matters into his own hands by grabbing a .44 from an air marshal and shooting the creature. The 1983 “Twilight Zone” movie remade the episode. This time the disturbed passenger on the brink of insanity was played by John Lithgow of the TV series “3rd Rock from the Sun.”
Special Effects
As TV and movie special effects that we’ve become accustomed to were not yet developed in the late 50’s and early 60’s, Sterling often relied on themes based partly on reality with just enough fantasy to make them, as one of the show’s writers put it, “almost believable.” Time travel was a “Twilight Zone” staple, and Sterling used it frequently but always with a twist to keep each episode fresh and lacking sameness. In one such episode, the famed silent film era comedian, Buster Keyton, played a science lab janitor in the 1890’s and used a “special” helmet to travel to the future.
Sterling Makes His Point
The story lines were not just about the unusual, bizarre or unbelievable fantasy, they also dealt with many of society’s problems in a subtle way. During the show’s run, network executives refused to air shows that dealt with themes such as racism, hate, and in one case Sterling wrote a script about human euthanasia where a small town would send the elderly off for extermination. As a result, Sterling substituted, or shifted the story line slightly and integrated his unique style of science fiction to get his point across to the viewing public.
In one of the most popular episodes, “The World of Darkness,” Maxine Stewart played a hideously ugly woman who is hidden by bandages throughout most of the episode. She undergoes numerous surgeries to transform her into a beautiful woman played by Donna Douglas, future actor in “Beverly Hillbillies.” The surprising result was that the ugly woman was really a beautiful woman surrounded by a society of hideously ugly people. Sterling previews this episode the week before by calling it “The eye of the beholder.”
Rod Sterling’s widow, Carolyn Sterling, said in an interview, “If it was a Republican or Democrat [politician] they couldn't say it. I mean, he wanted to deal with the issues of the day. We're looking at bigotry, racism, prejudice, nuclear war, ethics, witch-hunts, loneliness. All of these things were verboten. He had said, ‘you know, you can put these words into the mouth of a Martian and get away with it,’” And, get away with it he did for five successful seasons.
Still Out There
Although the popular series originally only ran for five years from 1959 through 1964, it’s had a few revivals since:
• 1983: “Twilight Zone: The Movie”
• 1985-1989: first revival of the television series
• 1994: “Rod Sterling’s Lost Classics”
• 2002-2003: second revival of the television series
The second revival of the series only lasted one season, but diehard fans are still out there in the ‘zone’ viewing and re-viewing seasons available through television and many internet sites. Some youth of today have an appreciation for the “Twilight Zone” series, black and white film notwithstanding. References to the series are found on You Tube and all over the internet.
That’s a Wrap
"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas; you've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone."
-Rod Sterling’s opening during the final two seasons
Issue 392
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES NURSES WHO ARE BUILDING A HEALTHY AMERICA
"After two days in the hospital, I took a turn for the nurse."
-W.C. Fields
There have been various days and weeks designated as Nurses Day and Nurses Week since 1955, but it was in 1993 that National Nurses Week found a permanent home May 6 through May 12 of each year. The American Nurses Association determines an annual theme in honor of nurses and for this year it is Building a Healthy America. Within the celebration week, May 8 is designated as National Student Nurses Day and National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday during National Nurses Week.
We’ve always known that nurses have a tough job that combines science with nurturing. They work in schools, homeless shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, doctors’ offices and more. They are sometimes thought of as the common denominator in the healthcare system and the demand for nurses is growing each and every year. Nurses have been consistently ranked by Americans as first over other professions in their honesty and integrity.
Doctor, Doctor…Uh, I Mean Nurse, Nurse
A study completed in early 2000 reported that patient outcomes were equally as good when treated by a nurse practitioner as a physician. There are different levels of nursing with educational and licensing requirements that go along with them.
• LPN (Licensed Practice Nurse) - completes a 12-14 month post high school course on basic nursing care and passes the NCLEX-PN licensing exam. (NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination.)
• RN (Registered Nurse) – graduate of a state-approved school of nursing with either a four-year degree, a two-year degree or a three-year diploma program and passes the state NCLEX-RN state licensing exam.
• APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse) – a designation given to a registered nurse who has completed advanced educational requirements at a minimum of a master’s degree. With this level of education, these nurses can go into fields such as Nurse Practitioners who are able to diagnose and treat minor illnesses and injuries as well as prescribe medications; Certified Nurse Midwives who provide obstetrical and gynecological care to low-risk pregnant women; Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) who administer anesthesia; and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) who work in many clinical settings in both mental and physical health settings as well as research and education.
Early Influences in the Profession
National Nurses Week ends on May 12 of each year, the birthday of Florence Nightingale who was probably the most famous nurse in modern history. Born in Italy in 1820, Nightingale may have been best known for her travel to Turkey during the 1853 Crimean War when Russia invaded the country. She brought over 30 nurses with her to care for the wounded British soldiers. Nightingale also had quite a penchant for data and collected much detail regarding infections and diseases during this war. She also worked as an activist for increasing doctor and nurse training. The Army Medical College and the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses were opened due to her persistence in advancing education in the medical field.
Another nurse who bloomed during war time was Clarrisa (Clara) Barton who worked tirelessly in helping the soldiers of the American Civil War. She was nicknamed the “Angel of the Battlefield” after she worked to bring supplies to surgeons and carried water and food to men while wounded and still on the battlefield. After the war she visited Europe for a much needed rest; however, while there she began working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Upon returning to American soil, she worked to found the American Red Cross in 1881 and became its first president.
Despite the fact that she was 60 years old when the American Civil War began, Dorothea Dix was hired to head up the nursing effort for the northern medical facilities. Some of her life’s work prior to the war was in reforming insane asylums. Dix was known for her rigidity and expected hard work from her nurses. Her call to the nurse volunteers: "No woman under 30 need apply to serve in government hospitals. All nurses required to be plain-looking women. Their dresses must be brown or black, with no bows, no curls, no jewelry and no hoop skirts." Hotlips Houlihan need not apply.
The 20th century brought Margaret Sanger to the forefront. As a women’s liberation activist she fought for birth control and founded the American Birth Control League, later becoming Planned Parenthood. Her work for women stretched worldwide.
Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, was also a hardworking nurse during the Civil War. She worked for the north even though she was a southerner. The story is often told of her trip to a hospital to visit amputee soldiers who were in horrible pain and surrounded by intolerable odor. Other volunteers came and went, but the First Lady hung in to hold hands and wipe the brows of the suffering men.
Walt Witman, American writer and poet, was also a volunteer nurse during the Civil War. He was influenced by his brother’s injury and other wounded soldiers to join the nursing ranks, working in more than 40 hospitals. His experiences during the war played a large part in his future writings, one of his most famous being the poem “Memoranda During the War.”
A Few Strong Characters
• Who could forget Major Margaret J. Houlihan, aka “Hotlips” Houlihan on the long running TV series M*A*S*H* set in the Korean War. Being the family publication that we are, we can’t go into details of her exploits, but suffice it to say that her nickname didn’t come from using botox.
• Rachel Ames played nurse Audrey Hardy for 43 years in the soap operate ”General Hospital.” The Hardy character was a strong presence in the show, always caring and many times a victim herself.
• Another strong nurse is Carla Espinoza of the hit TV series “Scrubs.” She’s known for her gossiping ways and doesn’t step away from confrontation, even with the doctors in charge.
• Nurse Samantha Taggert plays a quiet, but strong single mother on the TV series “ER,” which ended its 15 years on the air this year. She’s had several boyfriends and a violent ex-husband who she conveniently killed in self-defense.
Nursing Firsts
• In 1879, Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African-American registered nurse.
• In 1955, Second Lieutenant Edward Lynn became the first male commissioned in the U.S. Army Nurse Corp. The USANC began in 1901.
• The first school nurse was Lina Rogers Struthers who went to work serving four different schools in the Lower Manhattan area in 1902.
• The first nursing diploma earned in the U.S. was in 1873 by Linda Richards.
• The first school of nursing was established in 1862 as The New England Hospital for Women and Children.
• The American Nurses Association was founded in 1898.
• The first nurse in the New World is thought to be Juan de Mena, an early 17th century shipwreck survivor.
• Florence Blanchfield became the first female regular commissioned officer in the U.S. Army in 1947. She became the superintendent of the Army Nurse Corp.
A Little Nursing Humor
• Why did the nurse keep the bedpan in the refrigerator? Because when she kept it in the freezer it took too much skin off.
• What is the difference between a puppy and a surgeon? The puppy will grow up and stop whining.
• Doctor: “Nurse, how is the little boy who swallowed those quarters doing?” Nurse: “No change yet.”
Florence Nightingale Pledge
"I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care."
-Lystra E. Grettner, 1893
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES NURSES WHO ARE BUILDING A HEALTHY AMERICA
"After two days in the hospital, I took a turn for the nurse."
-W.C. Fields
There have been various days and weeks designated as Nurses Day and Nurses Week since 1955, but it was in 1993 that National Nurses Week found a permanent home May 6 through May 12 of each year. The American Nurses Association determines an annual theme in honor of nurses and for this year it is Building a Healthy America. Within the celebration week, May 8 is designated as National Student Nurses Day and National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday during National Nurses Week.
We’ve always known that nurses have a tough job that combines science with nurturing. They work in schools, homeless shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, doctors’ offices and more. They are sometimes thought of as the common denominator in the healthcare system and the demand for nurses is growing each and every year. Nurses have been consistently ranked by Americans as first over other professions in their honesty and integrity.
Doctor, Doctor…Uh, I Mean Nurse, Nurse
A study completed in early 2000 reported that patient outcomes were equally as good when treated by a nurse practitioner as a physician. There are different levels of nursing with educational and licensing requirements that go along with them.
• LPN (Licensed Practice Nurse) - completes a 12-14 month post high school course on basic nursing care and passes the NCLEX-PN licensing exam. (NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination.)
• RN (Registered Nurse) – graduate of a state-approved school of nursing with either a four-year degree, a two-year degree or a three-year diploma program and passes the state NCLEX-RN state licensing exam.
• APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse) – a designation given to a registered nurse who has completed advanced educational requirements at a minimum of a master’s degree. With this level of education, these nurses can go into fields such as Nurse Practitioners who are able to diagnose and treat minor illnesses and injuries as well as prescribe medications; Certified Nurse Midwives who provide obstetrical and gynecological care to low-risk pregnant women; Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) who administer anesthesia; and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) who work in many clinical settings in both mental and physical health settings as well as research and education.
Early Influences in the Profession
National Nurses Week ends on May 12 of each year, the birthday of Florence Nightingale who was probably the most famous nurse in modern history. Born in Italy in 1820, Nightingale may have been best known for her travel to Turkey during the 1853 Crimean War when Russia invaded the country. She brought over 30 nurses with her to care for the wounded British soldiers. Nightingale also had quite a penchant for data and collected much detail regarding infections and diseases during this war. She also worked as an activist for increasing doctor and nurse training. The Army Medical College and the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses were opened due to her persistence in advancing education in the medical field.
Another nurse who bloomed during war time was Clarrisa (Clara) Barton who worked tirelessly in helping the soldiers of the American Civil War. She was nicknamed the “Angel of the Battlefield” after she worked to bring supplies to surgeons and carried water and food to men while wounded and still on the battlefield. After the war she visited Europe for a much needed rest; however, while there she began working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Upon returning to American soil, she worked to found the American Red Cross in 1881 and became its first president.
Despite the fact that she was 60 years old when the American Civil War began, Dorothea Dix was hired to head up the nursing effort for the northern medical facilities. Some of her life’s work prior to the war was in reforming insane asylums. Dix was known for her rigidity and expected hard work from her nurses. Her call to the nurse volunteers: "No woman under 30 need apply to serve in government hospitals. All nurses required to be plain-looking women. Their dresses must be brown or black, with no bows, no curls, no jewelry and no hoop skirts." Hotlips Houlihan need not apply.
The 20th century brought Margaret Sanger to the forefront. As a women’s liberation activist she fought for birth control and founded the American Birth Control League, later becoming Planned Parenthood. Her work for women stretched worldwide.
Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, was also a hardworking nurse during the Civil War. She worked for the north even though she was a southerner. The story is often told of her trip to a hospital to visit amputee soldiers who were in horrible pain and surrounded by intolerable odor. Other volunteers came and went, but the First Lady hung in to hold hands and wipe the brows of the suffering men.
Walt Witman, American writer and poet, was also a volunteer nurse during the Civil War. He was influenced by his brother’s injury and other wounded soldiers to join the nursing ranks, working in more than 40 hospitals. His experiences during the war played a large part in his future writings, one of his most famous being the poem “Memoranda During the War.”
A Few Strong Characters
• Who could forget Major Margaret J. Houlihan, aka “Hotlips” Houlihan on the long running TV series M*A*S*H* set in the Korean War. Being the family publication that we are, we can’t go into details of her exploits, but suffice it to say that her nickname didn’t come from using botox.
• Rachel Ames played nurse Audrey Hardy for 43 years in the soap operate ”General Hospital.” The Hardy character was a strong presence in the show, always caring and many times a victim herself.
• Another strong nurse is Carla Espinoza of the hit TV series “Scrubs.” She’s known for her gossiping ways and doesn’t step away from confrontation, even with the doctors in charge.
• Nurse Samantha Taggert plays a quiet, but strong single mother on the TV series “ER,” which ended its 15 years on the air this year. She’s had several boyfriends and a violent ex-husband who she conveniently killed in self-defense.
Nursing Firsts
• In 1879, Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African-American registered nurse.
• In 1955, Second Lieutenant Edward Lynn became the first male commissioned in the U.S. Army Nurse Corp. The USANC began in 1901.
• The first school nurse was Lina Rogers Struthers who went to work serving four different schools in the Lower Manhattan area in 1902.
• The first nursing diploma earned in the U.S. was in 1873 by Linda Richards.
• The first school of nursing was established in 1862 as The New England Hospital for Women and Children.
• The American Nurses Association was founded in 1898.
• The first nurse in the New World is thought to be Juan de Mena, an early 17th century shipwreck survivor.
• Florence Blanchfield became the first female regular commissioned officer in the U.S. Army in 1947. She became the superintendent of the Army Nurse Corp.
A Little Nursing Humor
• Why did the nurse keep the bedpan in the refrigerator? Because when she kept it in the freezer it took too much skin off.
• What is the difference between a puppy and a surgeon? The puppy will grow up and stop whining.
• Doctor: “Nurse, how is the little boy who swallowed those quarters doing?” Nurse: “No change yet.”
Florence Nightingale Pledge
"I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care."
-Lystra E. Grettner, 1893
Issue 391
SNIPPETZ TAKES YOU OUT TO THE BALLGAME
"Don't tell me about the world. Not today. It's springtime and they're knocking baseballs around fields where the grass is damp and green in the morning and the kids are trying to hit the curve ball."
- Pete Hamill
What could be more American than mom, apple pie and baseball? Baseball has long been considered a national pastime if not a national treasure. Part of the fascination may be that it can be played by anyone of just about any size and age, unlike basketball and football.
There is some controversy surrounding the origins of baseball, but it is commonly thought to be a descendent of the British game called rounders as well as the game of cricket. However, there is some evidence that baseball began in America without the influences of those games. Records were discovered that indicated there was a bylaw written in 1791 in Pittsfield, Mass. which banned playing the game within 80 yards of the town meeting hall.
The first formal team to play ball was the New York Knickerbockers in 1845.
Alexander Cartwright wrote the first book of rules and is sometimes referred to as the father of modern baseball, although many writings about the game have been found that predate Cartwright’s rule book.
Once Babe Ruth landed on the scene in the 1920’s, he and baseball hit a home run with the country. By the 1950’s, baseball had expanded beyond east coast teams to a nationwide presence.
It’s all in a Name
The trend for naming sports fields after corporate sponsors began in the 1970’s and has accelerated over the years due to the cost of building and maintaining ballparks. Unfortunately, sponsorship agreements expire, forcing the ballparks to secure new sponsors and, hence, new names.
• There was San Francisco’s Candlestick Park which changed to 3Com Park, which changed to Monster Park and now back to Candlestick. The San Francisco Giants moved from there in 2000 to then named Pacific Bell Park, now AT&T Park.
• The home of the Houston Astros opened in 2000 as The Ballpark at Union Station before becoming Enron Field. With the fall of Enron, the park quickly changed its name to Astros Field before Minute Maid purchased the naming rights in 2002.
If You Build It, They Will Come
Even in poor economic times, baseball thrives. Two teams in New York boast new fields in 2009.
New York Yankees - At a cost of about $1.5 billion, the team opened the 2009 season with a new park built next door to the current Yankee Stadium.
New York Mets – The Mets’ plans to convert a 2012 Olympic stadium into a new park fell through when London was awarded the Olympic Committee’s nod for the 2012 summer games. Citigroup stepped up to the plate with a promise to invest $20 million per year for a total of 20 years for the rights to name the stadium Citi Field.
Stepping up to the (Dinner) Plate
It’s not just peanuts, Cracker Jack and hotdogs at the park anymore. Gourmet is in!
• San Francisco Candlestick Park proudly serves such fare as crab salad sandwiches, clam chowder and jerk chicken and rice.
• Our own Coors Field in Denver serves up Rocky Mountain oysters and frozen margaritas.
• Safeco Field in Seattle offers chicken teriyaki, Thai specialties, strawberries, Pacific salmon and Japanese delicacies such as tuna rolls.
• Not surprisingly, Miller Park in Milwaukee serves bratwurst and a variety of beers from small brewers as well as Miller beers.
• Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, delights with what else but Philly steak sandwiches, crab fries and a pork and provolone sandwich.
Not the Only Song in Town
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is likely one of the most familiar tunes associated with baseball. However, there are many more baseball songs. Heard of any of these?
• “Glory Days,” Bruce Springsteen
• “Catfish,” Bob Dylan’s tune about Jim “Catfish” Hunter
• “Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio,” Les Brown and His Orchestra
• “Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song),” The Treniers, conducted by Quincy Jones with Willie Mays as a backup singer.
• “Baseball Boogie,” Mabel Scott
• “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” sung by Natalie Cole
• :Move Over Babe (Here Comes Henry),” Bill Slayback
• “A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request,” Steve Goodman
Home Run Movies
If you don’t want to fight the crowds to get your national pastime fix, try one of the more popular movies produced about the game:
• Little Sunset (1915) the first known movie made about baseball
• The Rookie (2002)
• For Love of the Game (1999)
• A League of Their Own (1993)
• The Sandlot (1993)
• Field of Dreams (1989)
• Major League (1989)
• Bull Durham (1988)
• Eight Men Out (1988)
• The Natural (1984)
• The Bad News Bears (1976)
Major League and Sandlot both had multiple sequels.
The Best of the Best
St. Louis will host the 2009 All Star Game, Anaheim will host the 2010 game and Chase Field in Phoenix will host the 2011 game.
Strike…You’re Out
There have been eight total major league baseball “strikes” or work stoppages in the history of the game, five of which were player strikes and three were owner lockouts. The eighth strike was the longest in history that took place during the 1994-1995 season. It lasted for 232 days with over 930 games cancelled as well as the postseason and World Series. There were millions of sad and angry fans that year.
The 1904 World Series was the only other time a World Series was never played in major league baseball other than in the 1994 season. This was due to a business rivalry between the two leagues, particularly involving the New York Giants’ refusing to meet the Boston Americans for the national championship as they felt the Boston team and the American League to be inferior. In 1905, the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Athletics in the second World Series.
Scoring the Big Leagues
What’s baseball if not for its stats, impressive records and interesting ‘snippetz’ of information?
• The highest selling baseball card was a 1909 Honus Wagner sold on eBay for $1.265 million in 2000. Wagner Played for the Louisville Colonels, the Pittsburgh Pirates and managed the Pirates in 1917.
• The Cy Young Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in the major league. The first award was given in 1956 to Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers; the youngest player to win was Dwight Gooden in 1984; Mike Marshall was the first reliever to win in 1974.
• Johnny Bench was the first catcher to receive the Rookie of the Year Award in 1968.
• The longest home run recorded was 643 feet in 1960 by Mickey Mantle in Detroit Brigg’s Stadium.
• Cy Young holds the record for most games won (511) and most games lost (316) in his career, as well as most innings pitched at 7,356.
• The first father/son team to play together was Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr. on the Seattle Mariners team.
• Baseball’s first “Babe” was Babe Adams, a pitcher from 1906 to 1926.
• Hank Aaron’s salary his first year in the major league was $5,000. He also hit the most home runs of any major leaguer at 755 for his career.
• Hall of Famer Ted Williams was a Marine flight instructor during World War II and flew 39 combat missions in the Korean War.
• A marriage proposal is conducted at Boston’s Fenway Park during every home game of each season.
• Nolan Ryan played for four different teams and had the longest baseball career in history of 27 years from 1966 to 1993.
• Doc Medich, Ranger’s pitcher attended medical school during the off seasons. He once saved the life of a fan having a heart attack.
• The longest baseball game every played was 33 innings in 1981 between the Pawtucket Red Socks and the Rochester Red Wings. After 32 innings, the game was suspended at 4:09 a.m. and was resumed several weeks later. There were 19 people remaining in the stadium at the end of the 32 innings who each were given lifetime passes to McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI for their loyalty.
• The longest 9-inning game was 4 hours and 45 minutes between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Fenway Park in 2006. The Yankees won.
SNIPPETZ TAKES YOU OUT TO THE BALLGAME
"Don't tell me about the world. Not today. It's springtime and they're knocking baseballs around fields where the grass is damp and green in the morning and the kids are trying to hit the curve ball."
- Pete Hamill
What could be more American than mom, apple pie and baseball? Baseball has long been considered a national pastime if not a national treasure. Part of the fascination may be that it can be played by anyone of just about any size and age, unlike basketball and football.
There is some controversy surrounding the origins of baseball, but it is commonly thought to be a descendent of the British game called rounders as well as the game of cricket. However, there is some evidence that baseball began in America without the influences of those games. Records were discovered that indicated there was a bylaw written in 1791 in Pittsfield, Mass. which banned playing the game within 80 yards of the town meeting hall.
The first formal team to play ball was the New York Knickerbockers in 1845.
Alexander Cartwright wrote the first book of rules and is sometimes referred to as the father of modern baseball, although many writings about the game have been found that predate Cartwright’s rule book.
Once Babe Ruth landed on the scene in the 1920’s, he and baseball hit a home run with the country. By the 1950’s, baseball had expanded beyond east coast teams to a nationwide presence.
It’s all in a Name
The trend for naming sports fields after corporate sponsors began in the 1970’s and has accelerated over the years due to the cost of building and maintaining ballparks. Unfortunately, sponsorship agreements expire, forcing the ballparks to secure new sponsors and, hence, new names.
• There was San Francisco’s Candlestick Park which changed to 3Com Park, which changed to Monster Park and now back to Candlestick. The San Francisco Giants moved from there in 2000 to then named Pacific Bell Park, now AT&T Park.
• The home of the Houston Astros opened in 2000 as The Ballpark at Union Station before becoming Enron Field. With the fall of Enron, the park quickly changed its name to Astros Field before Minute Maid purchased the naming rights in 2002.
If You Build It, They Will Come
Even in poor economic times, baseball thrives. Two teams in New York boast new fields in 2009.
New York Yankees - At a cost of about $1.5 billion, the team opened the 2009 season with a new park built next door to the current Yankee Stadium.
New York Mets – The Mets’ plans to convert a 2012 Olympic stadium into a new park fell through when London was awarded the Olympic Committee’s nod for the 2012 summer games. Citigroup stepped up to the plate with a promise to invest $20 million per year for a total of 20 years for the rights to name the stadium Citi Field.
Stepping up to the (Dinner) Plate
It’s not just peanuts, Cracker Jack and hotdogs at the park anymore. Gourmet is in!
• San Francisco Candlestick Park proudly serves such fare as crab salad sandwiches, clam chowder and jerk chicken and rice.
• Our own Coors Field in Denver serves up Rocky Mountain oysters and frozen margaritas.
• Safeco Field in Seattle offers chicken teriyaki, Thai specialties, strawberries, Pacific salmon and Japanese delicacies such as tuna rolls.
• Not surprisingly, Miller Park in Milwaukee serves bratwurst and a variety of beers from small brewers as well as Miller beers.
• Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, delights with what else but Philly steak sandwiches, crab fries and a pork and provolone sandwich.
Not the Only Song in Town
“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is likely one of the most familiar tunes associated with baseball. However, there are many more baseball songs. Heard of any of these?
• “Glory Days,” Bruce Springsteen
• “Catfish,” Bob Dylan’s tune about Jim “Catfish” Hunter
• “Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio,” Les Brown and His Orchestra
• “Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song),” The Treniers, conducted by Quincy Jones with Willie Mays as a backup singer.
• “Baseball Boogie,” Mabel Scott
• “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” sung by Natalie Cole
• :Move Over Babe (Here Comes Henry),” Bill Slayback
• “A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request,” Steve Goodman
Home Run Movies
If you don’t want to fight the crowds to get your national pastime fix, try one of the more popular movies produced about the game:
• Little Sunset (1915) the first known movie made about baseball
• The Rookie (2002)
• For Love of the Game (1999)
• A League of Their Own (1993)
• The Sandlot (1993)
• Field of Dreams (1989)
• Major League (1989)
• Bull Durham (1988)
• Eight Men Out (1988)
• The Natural (1984)
• The Bad News Bears (1976)
Major League and Sandlot both had multiple sequels.
The Best of the Best
St. Louis will host the 2009 All Star Game, Anaheim will host the 2010 game and Chase Field in Phoenix will host the 2011 game.
Strike…You’re Out
There have been eight total major league baseball “strikes” or work stoppages in the history of the game, five of which were player strikes and three were owner lockouts. The eighth strike was the longest in history that took place during the 1994-1995 season. It lasted for 232 days with over 930 games cancelled as well as the postseason and World Series. There were millions of sad and angry fans that year.
The 1904 World Series was the only other time a World Series was never played in major league baseball other than in the 1994 season. This was due to a business rivalry between the two leagues, particularly involving the New York Giants’ refusing to meet the Boston Americans for the national championship as they felt the Boston team and the American League to be inferior. In 1905, the New York Giants beat the Philadelphia Athletics in the second World Series.
Scoring the Big Leagues
What’s baseball if not for its stats, impressive records and interesting ‘snippetz’ of information?
• The highest selling baseball card was a 1909 Honus Wagner sold on eBay for $1.265 million in 2000. Wagner Played for the Louisville Colonels, the Pittsburgh Pirates and managed the Pirates in 1917.
• The Cy Young Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in the major league. The first award was given in 1956 to Don Newcombe of the Brooklyn Dodgers; the youngest player to win was Dwight Gooden in 1984; Mike Marshall was the first reliever to win in 1974.
• Johnny Bench was the first catcher to receive the Rookie of the Year Award in 1968.
• The longest home run recorded was 643 feet in 1960 by Mickey Mantle in Detroit Brigg’s Stadium.
• Cy Young holds the record for most games won (511) and most games lost (316) in his career, as well as most innings pitched at 7,356.
• The first father/son team to play together was Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr. on the Seattle Mariners team.
• Baseball’s first “Babe” was Babe Adams, a pitcher from 1906 to 1926.
• Hank Aaron’s salary his first year in the major league was $5,000. He also hit the most home runs of any major leaguer at 755 for his career.
• Hall of Famer Ted Williams was a Marine flight instructor during World War II and flew 39 combat missions in the Korean War.
• A marriage proposal is conducted at Boston’s Fenway Park during every home game of each season.
• Nolan Ryan played for four different teams and had the longest baseball career in history of 27 years from 1966 to 1993.
• Doc Medich, Ranger’s pitcher attended medical school during the off seasons. He once saved the life of a fan having a heart attack.
• The longest baseball game every played was 33 innings in 1981 between the Pawtucket Red Socks and the Rochester Red Wings. After 32 innings, the game was suspended at 4:09 a.m. and was resumed several weeks later. There were 19 people remaining in the stadium at the end of the 32 innings who each were given lifetime passes to McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI for their loyalty.
• The longest 9-inning game was 4 hours and 45 minutes between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Fenway Park in 2006. The Yankees won.
Issue 390
SNIPPETZ GETS DOWN TO EARTH
"A true forest is not merely a storehouse full of wood, but, as it were, a factor of wood, and at the same time a reservoir of water. When you help to preserve our forests or, to plant new ones, you are acting the part of good citizens."
- President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
April is the time for Earth Day and Arbor Day when our hearts turn to spring planting and hopes of a bountiful summer season. Besides giving us oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, plants and trees give us many useful products and a beautiful environment to live in. So, why not plant a few trees and flowers, and maybe try a few vegetables, too!
Earth Day
Earth Day is the largest civil event in the world, boasting over one billion people participating in activities in 174 countries. Earth Day is always celebrated on April 22 of each year. The event was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin in 1970 after a visit to Santa Barbara in 1969 to witness the effects of the oil spill that took place off the California coast. He and his assistant, Denis Hayes then introduced a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. Earth day was not formally celebrated again until 1990 when the Community Environmental Council, an organization also founded in 1970, organized an event. Earth Day has been an annual celebration ever since.
Arbor Day
The first Arbor Day began in Nebraska, started by Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a journalist and politician. While on the Nebraska state board of agriculture, Morton proposed that a day each year be dedicated to the importance of trees and tree planting. Nebraska declared April 22, chosen to honor Morton’s birthday, as a legal Arbor Day holiday beginning in 1885. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt wrote in a proclamation to school children that a day every year and mainly in April, would be given to recognizing the importance of trees to the nation, as well as actually planting trees. It wasn’t until 1970 that President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day. The holiday is celebrated in all 50 states with the official date set by the individual state depending on their climate. Arbor Day is celebrated on the third Friday in April in Colorado; this year it is April 17. Sterling is considered the Father of Arbor Day.
Arbor Day Around the World
Arbor Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, but not always called Arbor day:
• Israel – The New Year’s Days of Trees
• India – The National Festival of Tree Planting
• Japan – Greening Week
• Iceland – Student’s Afforestation Day
• Korea – Tree-Loving Week
• Yugoslavia – The Reforestation Week
Trees are not just for paper …
Everywhere we look there are visible signs of products made from trees – paper, furniture, tool handles, flooring, kitchen utensils, piano keys, golf tees, and more…
• Bowling alley lanes and pins
• Veneer
• Spices, i.e., bay leaves, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon
• Products that come from wood-derived chemicals include cosmetics, hairspray, fungicides, chewing gum, suntan lotion, liquid nail polish, linoleum, sausage casings and cleaning compounds
Cellulose is not the same as cellulite
Trees also give us cellulose from the walls of tree cells which is used as a food thickener in syrup, frosting, ice cream, and yes, Twinkies. Cellulose is also an ingredient in steering wheels, photographic film and cellophane.
Green, Green, Green
The Green General Campaign, a two-year project is launching at the time of this year’s Earth Day. Its focus is on a carbon-free future based on renewable energy, creation of a green economy and individual commitment to responsible and sustainable consumption.
The Original Tree Hugger
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), poet, writer and activist, is well known for his final writing, “Walden” in which he writes about living simply and respecting the earth. A play titled “Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau” is set during Thoreau’s final two days spent in his cabin at Walden Pond. It is a two act, four character play reflecting his conversation with Ralph Waldo Emerson. Producing the play is now a popular activity of school children around the U.S. and is televised on public TV, public radio and in theatres on Earth Day each year. Thoreau is thought to be the father of the environmental movement, but is also well known for marketing the invention of the pencil.
Colorado Gardening Challenges
Contrary to popular belief, the reason plant growth is so difficult in Colorado is not due to cooler temperatures, but rather more to a variety of factors such as fluctuating temperatures, heavy soils, low humidity and wind, wind, wind.
A green thumb for Coloradoans is not all a lost cause. There are many plants and vegetables that do well in this climate. Some cool season vegetables include cauliflower broccoli, cabbage, potatoes and lettuce.
If you are thinking that it’s too early right now in Colorado to be considering planting trees and plants, you may be right. But, there is some earth friendly planting that can be done in April if you can dig through the snow to do so:
• The Colorado State tree – the Blue Spruce
• Garden Spice Coral (Dianthus) – a hardy cousin to the carnation that has a very long growing period.
• Darla Appleblossom (Diascia) – in the same family as the snapdragon and does well in cooler temperatures and the occasional light frost.
• For a vegetable garden, some of the hardier seeds that can be planted directly in the garden area about two to four weeks before the last frost include spinach, lettuce, peas, broccoli, onions, carrots, radishes and cabbage.
Experts suggest for a successful Colorado garden to start the seeding indoors, especially for those plants requiring a longer season such as tomatoes, celery and peppers.
But wait…to plant cucumbers, summer squash, beans and corn until late May.
A Little Green Trivia
• Paper was once made from cotton and linen rags.
• Railroad cars, phonographs, plates and bowls, iceboxes/refrigerators and house gutters used to be made from wood.
• Bottle caps and life preservers used to be made from cork.
• In the U.S. each person uses approximately 675 pounds of paper per year, or the equivalent of a 100-foot tall, 18-inch diameter tree.
• Monument, Colorado Springs and Denver have a similar number of days in the growing season (frost-free days) at 150, 152 and 155 respectively. In contrast, Fraser has only nine frost-free days and Dillon has about 25. Grand Junction has the highest number at 183 with Pueblo coming in the next highest at 158 days.
• Paper can be recycled approximately five to seven times.
SNIPPETZ GETS DOWN TO EARTH
"A true forest is not merely a storehouse full of wood, but, as it were, a factor of wood, and at the same time a reservoir of water. When you help to preserve our forests or, to plant new ones, you are acting the part of good citizens."
- President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
April is the time for Earth Day and Arbor Day when our hearts turn to spring planting and hopes of a bountiful summer season. Besides giving us oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, plants and trees give us many useful products and a beautiful environment to live in. So, why not plant a few trees and flowers, and maybe try a few vegetables, too!
Earth Day
Earth Day is the largest civil event in the world, boasting over one billion people participating in activities in 174 countries. Earth Day is always celebrated on April 22 of each year. The event was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin in 1970 after a visit to Santa Barbara in 1969 to witness the effects of the oil spill that took place off the California coast. He and his assistant, Denis Hayes then introduced a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. Earth day was not formally celebrated again until 1990 when the Community Environmental Council, an organization also founded in 1970, organized an event. Earth Day has been an annual celebration ever since.
Arbor Day
The first Arbor Day began in Nebraska, started by Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a journalist and politician. While on the Nebraska state board of agriculture, Morton proposed that a day each year be dedicated to the importance of trees and tree planting. Nebraska declared April 22, chosen to honor Morton’s birthday, as a legal Arbor Day holiday beginning in 1885. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt wrote in a proclamation to school children that a day every year and mainly in April, would be given to recognizing the importance of trees to the nation, as well as actually planting trees. It wasn’t until 1970 that President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day. The holiday is celebrated in all 50 states with the official date set by the individual state depending on their climate. Arbor Day is celebrated on the third Friday in April in Colorado; this year it is April 17. Sterling is considered the Father of Arbor Day.
Arbor Day Around the World
Arbor Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, but not always called Arbor day:
• Israel – The New Year’s Days of Trees
• India – The National Festival of Tree Planting
• Japan – Greening Week
• Iceland – Student’s Afforestation Day
• Korea – Tree-Loving Week
• Yugoslavia – The Reforestation Week
Trees are not just for paper …
Everywhere we look there are visible signs of products made from trees – paper, furniture, tool handles, flooring, kitchen utensils, piano keys, golf tees, and more…
• Bowling alley lanes and pins
• Veneer
• Spices, i.e., bay leaves, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon
• Products that come from wood-derived chemicals include cosmetics, hairspray, fungicides, chewing gum, suntan lotion, liquid nail polish, linoleum, sausage casings and cleaning compounds
Cellulose is not the same as cellulite
Trees also give us cellulose from the walls of tree cells which is used as a food thickener in syrup, frosting, ice cream, and yes, Twinkies. Cellulose is also an ingredient in steering wheels, photographic film and cellophane.
Green, Green, Green
The Green General Campaign, a two-year project is launching at the time of this year’s Earth Day. Its focus is on a carbon-free future based on renewable energy, creation of a green economy and individual commitment to responsible and sustainable consumption.
The Original Tree Hugger
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), poet, writer and activist, is well known for his final writing, “Walden” in which he writes about living simply and respecting the earth. A play titled “Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau” is set during Thoreau’s final two days spent in his cabin at Walden Pond. It is a two act, four character play reflecting his conversation with Ralph Waldo Emerson. Producing the play is now a popular activity of school children around the U.S. and is televised on public TV, public radio and in theatres on Earth Day each year. Thoreau is thought to be the father of the environmental movement, but is also well known for marketing the invention of the pencil.
Colorado Gardening Challenges
Contrary to popular belief, the reason plant growth is so difficult in Colorado is not due to cooler temperatures, but rather more to a variety of factors such as fluctuating temperatures, heavy soils, low humidity and wind, wind, wind.
A green thumb for Coloradoans is not all a lost cause. There are many plants and vegetables that do well in this climate. Some cool season vegetables include cauliflower broccoli, cabbage, potatoes and lettuce.
If you are thinking that it’s too early right now in Colorado to be considering planting trees and plants, you may be right. But, there is some earth friendly planting that can be done in April if you can dig through the snow to do so:
• The Colorado State tree – the Blue Spruce
• Garden Spice Coral (Dianthus) – a hardy cousin to the carnation that has a very long growing period.
• Darla Appleblossom (Diascia) – in the same family as the snapdragon and does well in cooler temperatures and the occasional light frost.
• For a vegetable garden, some of the hardier seeds that can be planted directly in the garden area about two to four weeks before the last frost include spinach, lettuce, peas, broccoli, onions, carrots, radishes and cabbage.
Experts suggest for a successful Colorado garden to start the seeding indoors, especially for those plants requiring a longer season such as tomatoes, celery and peppers.
But wait…to plant cucumbers, summer squash, beans and corn until late May.
A Little Green Trivia
• Paper was once made from cotton and linen rags.
• Railroad cars, phonographs, plates and bowls, iceboxes/refrigerators and house gutters used to be made from wood.
• Bottle caps and life preservers used to be made from cork.
• In the U.S. each person uses approximately 675 pounds of paper per year, or the equivalent of a 100-foot tall, 18-inch diameter tree.
• Monument, Colorado Springs and Denver have a similar number of days in the growing season (frost-free days) at 150, 152 and 155 respectively. In contrast, Fraser has only nine frost-free days and Dillon has about 25. Grand Junction has the highest number at 183 with Pueblo coming in the next highest at 158 days.
• Paper can be recycled approximately five to seven times.
Issue 389
SNIPPETZ OPENS THE BOOK ON NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
"The richest person in the world - in fact all the riches in the world - couldn't provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library."
-Malcolm Forbes
National Library Week is April 13-18, a good time to celebrate all that libraries do for our communities! Remember when libraries were rather ominous structures full of musty-smelling books and shushing librarians? Well, if you’ve been to one lately, you know that the neighborhood library is a bustling center of activity. It’s not just for borrowing a book and researching a term paper or thesis. It’s more than that. Now you can check out a movie on DVD, an Xbox 360 or PS3 game; or borrow a book that you can listen to on the MP3 player that comes with it. And if you don’t want to travel to the library, hop online and download a book to play on your MP3. In fact, the online library offers many services. On any given day, you can walk in the library and find something different going on - something for everyone.
History of History Keepers
Archeological findings have dug up rooms full of clay tablets from ancient cities. Topics of writings were usually commercial transactions and only rarely theological writings or legends. The same types of writings were found in Ancient Egypt, except on papyrus. It wasn’t until some time around the fifth century that fiction and non-fiction writings appeared in Greece on parchment scrolls followed by papyrus scrolls. Except for the Alexandria Library in Egypt, most libraries were private collections.
It is thought that the Chinese were the first to establish a classification system during the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – 220 A.D.) with the library catalog written on scrolls of silk.
The first public libraries in the West were built under the Roman Empire and each emperor would strive to build the biggest and best over their predecessor. In these libraries, visitors would have direct access to the scrolls, although they were only to be read inside of the library.
Medieval libraries were designed for the labor-intensive books that were literally handwritten. These books were so expensive to produce that they had to be chained to lecterns and shelves so as not to be stolen. The stack system came about in the early 19th century when books became less expensive to produce, and libraries were built with translucent floors to let the light in. Fortunately, electricity came along ending the need for designing libraries that maximized use of natural light.
Famous Libraries
• The Alexandria Library in Egypt was founded in the early third century B.C. under the reign of Ptolemy II, intended as a research center. The library came to hold the first collection of documentation on literature, mathematics, astrology, medicine and other disciplines and included the writings of other civilizations such as the Greeks. The library saw a revival in the late 1990’s and still strives to be a collection site of writings of different cultures around the world.
• New York Public Library was opened in 1911 and now boasts 83 branches and 10 million books. It houses rare books and manuscripts from the 15th to the 20th centuries, including George Washington’s handwritten farewell address.
• The Boston Public Library was founded in the mid-19th century as a working class library. Today, it is a research library and also holds a significant collection of rare books, manuscripts and musical scores.
• The Library of Congress, located in Washington, D.C. was founded in 1800 as a congressional library. However, over the years, the collections have become larger and the institution has become known as the national library of the United States. It has influenced libraries around the country by taking an active role in preservation, new methods of information storage and classification systems.
• The Bodleian Library is the main research library of the University of Oxford in England and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, dating back to the early 1600’s.
Presidential Libraries
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who is credited with starting the presidential library system. Until his presidency, important government papers and documents were lost, destroyed or even sold. Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955 and there are now 13 presidential libraries, much like museums in a sense. They house collections of artifacts and documents of each of the president’s administrations open for the public to see.
An Historical Snapshot of the Pikes Peak Library District
• In 1903, Colorado Springs first established the Free Public Library.
• Bookmobile service started in 1954.
• The Penrose Public Library opened in 1968 and was funded by the El Pomar Foundation.
• In 1975 the Monument Hill Branch library opened.
• 1981 saw the beginning of computer access to the library system for patrons.
• The Rockrimmon Branch opened in 1989.
• The Penrose Public Library in downtown Colorado Springs completes a new renovation in 1999, as well as the Monument Branch relocation.
• The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds 11 computer stations at the Penrose Public Library.
• The Monument Branch was named the 2008 Colorado Library of the Year by the Colorado Association of Libraries.
A Library for Everyone
• For businesses both old and newly forming, the main Penrose Library has more resources than could ever be imagined including Colorado, national and international directories; investment periodicals; small business resources; demographics, financing and advertising information; franchise information; tax and legal resources; grant writing information, and every periodical imaginable.
• If you like staying at home, then the Pikes Peak Library District’s eBranch might be for you. Online eBooks and eAudios can be downloaded onto a computer or MP3 player. PPLD also has an online book club that will send you chapters of popular books each day to your email address.
• The library is looking for volunteers and participants for the Adult Literacy Program where adults can learn to improve their reading, writing and English skills, as well as prepare for a GED.
• Your computer down? Stop into the library and use one of theirs. All the basic Microsoft programs are there as well as internet access.
• There are reading programs for children of all ages; a Tween Chess Club at the Briargate Branch; book clubs, knitting clubs, fiction writing clubs and Wii bowling; craft projects, senior driving courses, senior networking; music performances, guest speakers, art exhibits and displays.
• The Pikes Peak Library District website at www.ppld.org is also loaded with information including links to other resources for information. Links to each library branch and their monthly newsletters and calendars are easily accessed. You can also chat live with a librarian through the website, as well as telephone and email.
Library Facts
• Colorado has 248 public libraries, not counting school or academic libraries, as compared to 186 movie theaters. Colorado public libraries employ about 2,800 people.
• Coloradoans borrow 78.8 million items from libraries every year.
• About 55 million people visit Colorado libraries each year.
• Over half of Finland’s population are registered book borrowers, the highest number per capita in the world.
• Most Roman bath houses started as a library and a cultural center.
• The Family History Library, located in Salt Lake City, houses over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records for over 110 countries, as well as microfiche, books, periodicals and electronic resources. Patrons can receive assistance to trace their family history in about 30 languages.
SNIPPETZ OPENS THE BOOK ON NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
"The richest person in the world - in fact all the riches in the world - couldn't provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot available at your local library."
-Malcolm Forbes
National Library Week is April 13-18, a good time to celebrate all that libraries do for our communities! Remember when libraries were rather ominous structures full of musty-smelling books and shushing librarians? Well, if you’ve been to one lately, you know that the neighborhood library is a bustling center of activity. It’s not just for borrowing a book and researching a term paper or thesis. It’s more than that. Now you can check out a movie on DVD, an Xbox 360 or PS3 game; or borrow a book that you can listen to on the MP3 player that comes with it. And if you don’t want to travel to the library, hop online and download a book to play on your MP3. In fact, the online library offers many services. On any given day, you can walk in the library and find something different going on - something for everyone.
History of History Keepers
Archeological findings have dug up rooms full of clay tablets from ancient cities. Topics of writings were usually commercial transactions and only rarely theological writings or legends. The same types of writings were found in Ancient Egypt, except on papyrus. It wasn’t until some time around the fifth century that fiction and non-fiction writings appeared in Greece on parchment scrolls followed by papyrus scrolls. Except for the Alexandria Library in Egypt, most libraries were private collections.
It is thought that the Chinese were the first to establish a classification system during the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – 220 A.D.) with the library catalog written on scrolls of silk.
The first public libraries in the West were built under the Roman Empire and each emperor would strive to build the biggest and best over their predecessor. In these libraries, visitors would have direct access to the scrolls, although they were only to be read inside of the library.
Medieval libraries were designed for the labor-intensive books that were literally handwritten. These books were so expensive to produce that they had to be chained to lecterns and shelves so as not to be stolen. The stack system came about in the early 19th century when books became less expensive to produce, and libraries were built with translucent floors to let the light in. Fortunately, electricity came along ending the need for designing libraries that maximized use of natural light.
Famous Libraries
• The Alexandria Library in Egypt was founded in the early third century B.C. under the reign of Ptolemy II, intended as a research center. The library came to hold the first collection of documentation on literature, mathematics, astrology, medicine and other disciplines and included the writings of other civilizations such as the Greeks. The library saw a revival in the late 1990’s and still strives to be a collection site of writings of different cultures around the world.
• New York Public Library was opened in 1911 and now boasts 83 branches and 10 million books. It houses rare books and manuscripts from the 15th to the 20th centuries, including George Washington’s handwritten farewell address.
• The Boston Public Library was founded in the mid-19th century as a working class library. Today, it is a research library and also holds a significant collection of rare books, manuscripts and musical scores.
• The Library of Congress, located in Washington, D.C. was founded in 1800 as a congressional library. However, over the years, the collections have become larger and the institution has become known as the national library of the United States. It has influenced libraries around the country by taking an active role in preservation, new methods of information storage and classification systems.
• The Bodleian Library is the main research library of the University of Oxford in England and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, dating back to the early 1600’s.
Presidential Libraries
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who is credited with starting the presidential library system. Until his presidency, important government papers and documents were lost, destroyed or even sold. Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955 and there are now 13 presidential libraries, much like museums in a sense. They house collections of artifacts and documents of each of the president’s administrations open for the public to see.
An Historical Snapshot of the Pikes Peak Library District
• In 1903, Colorado Springs first established the Free Public Library.
• Bookmobile service started in 1954.
• The Penrose Public Library opened in 1968 and was funded by the El Pomar Foundation.
• In 1975 the Monument Hill Branch library opened.
• 1981 saw the beginning of computer access to the library system for patrons.
• The Rockrimmon Branch opened in 1989.
• The Penrose Public Library in downtown Colorado Springs completes a new renovation in 1999, as well as the Monument Branch relocation.
• The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds 11 computer stations at the Penrose Public Library.
• The Monument Branch was named the 2008 Colorado Library of the Year by the Colorado Association of Libraries.
A Library for Everyone
• For businesses both old and newly forming, the main Penrose Library has more resources than could ever be imagined including Colorado, national and international directories; investment periodicals; small business resources; demographics, financing and advertising information; franchise information; tax and legal resources; grant writing information, and every periodical imaginable.
• If you like staying at home, then the Pikes Peak Library District’s eBranch might be for you. Online eBooks and eAudios can be downloaded onto a computer or MP3 player. PPLD also has an online book club that will send you chapters of popular books each day to your email address.
• The library is looking for volunteers and participants for the Adult Literacy Program where adults can learn to improve their reading, writing and English skills, as well as prepare for a GED.
• Your computer down? Stop into the library and use one of theirs. All the basic Microsoft programs are there as well as internet access.
• There are reading programs for children of all ages; a Tween Chess Club at the Briargate Branch; book clubs, knitting clubs, fiction writing clubs and Wii bowling; craft projects, senior driving courses, senior networking; music performances, guest speakers, art exhibits and displays.
• The Pikes Peak Library District website at www.ppld.org is also loaded with information including links to other resources for information. Links to each library branch and their monthly newsletters and calendars are easily accessed. You can also chat live with a librarian through the website, as well as telephone and email.
Library Facts
• Colorado has 248 public libraries, not counting school or academic libraries, as compared to 186 movie theaters. Colorado public libraries employ about 2,800 people.
• Coloradoans borrow 78.8 million items from libraries every year.
• About 55 million people visit Colorado libraries each year.
• Over half of Finland’s population are registered book borrowers, the highest number per capita in the world.
• Most Roman bath houses started as a library and a cultural center.
• The Family History Library, located in Salt Lake City, houses over 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records for over 110 countries, as well as microfiche, books, periodicals and electronic resources. Patrons can receive assistance to trace their family history in about 30 languages.
Issue 388
SNIPPETZ IS ALL JAZZED UP FOR JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.” Louis Armstrong
We’re dusting off our dancing shoes at Snippetz because it’s Jazz Appreciation Month! Jazz has been evolving since the 1600’s, has spawned more than a couple dozen distinct styles and continues to be a prominent force in American music. The Joint Houses of Congress declared jazz to be an “American National Treasure” in 1987, recognizing the music’s cultural significance to the country.
Jazz Roots
With a rich history too extensive to give it justice in this writing, there is no arguing the fact that American jazz is rooted in black slavery. Slaves sang work songs, spirituals and sorrowful songs, most of which were improvised. The blues combined the West African black folk music that was developed in America and combined with late 18th and early 19th century European classical and folk music.
New Orleans is considered the birth place of jazz which then spread to Chicago, Kansas City, New York and on to the west coast. The original blues inspired ragtime, Dixieland jazz, swing, bop/bebop, progressive jazz, neo-bob/hard-bop, Latin-jazz, jazz-rock, free jazz and many more variations. But it all began with improvisation with the occasional foray into less freeform performances and more structured and rehearsed performances in venues such as Swing or Big Band music.
Light on Our Feet
Jazz music received a lot of bad press in its earlier days. Many thought the music immoral and pathological with its rhythms that could incite physical passion. Clearly a danger to the moral character of young girls! We’ve come a long way, baby. Some popular dances that came from jazz were The Shimmy, which showed up on Broadway and in Mae West’s “Sometimes.” The Black Bottom was so named because of the dragging and sluggish foot movement, suggesting a drag through the mud. The Charleston became hugely popular and was performed in 1923 on Broadway in “Liza.”
Influential Jazz Artists
Scott Joplin (1867 or 1868-1917) was known as the “The King of Ragtime.” Joplin was born in Texas of a former slave and a free-born woman of color. He was mostly self-taught while a youth, but eventually received some formal classical music training. In 1898, he produced “Original Rags,” followed by the “Maple Leaf Rag,” in 1899, which became a national and international hit. He also wrote “The Entertainer.” He spent much of his life in St. Louis with some time spent in both Chicago and New York. Although he was best known for jazz compositions, he also wrote opera. Gone, but never forgotten, Joplin’s music was revitalized in the 1940’s as well as the 1970’s on Broadway. His music was used in the hit movie, “The Sting.”
Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), well known for such songs as “What a Wonderful World,” started playing the cornet at the age of seven. He was an elementary school dropout, wandering the streets playing music, eventually being placed in a home for troubled boys. He played a bugle and cornet in the band while at the home. When he was released at the age of 13 he began selling newspapers and unloading bananas from boats to earn money. Another important cornet player, Joe “King” Oliver, mentored Armstrong before he left to play in Chicago. Armstrong eventually followed Oliver to Chicago in 1922 to play in his band. In 1924 he went to New York for a year to play with Fletcher Henderson’s band before returning to Chicago to start his own band, the Hot Five. Armstrong began playing the trumpet at this time. His record producer encouraged him to sing and started “scat” music, using improvisation and nonsensical sounds. Back to New York in 1929, Armstrong became one of the most well-known jazz artists in America and abroad. He was a recording artist, played in movies and on Broadway.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was considered the First Lady of Song. Fitzgerald was raised in a New York orphanage and her musical prowess was discovered during a talent contest when she was 16 years old. In 1935 she then joined Chick Webb’s band and recorded “A-Tisket A-Tasket” shortly thereafter. She never looked back, touring with both nationally and internationally with Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Louie Armstrong. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, she recorded numerous albums of songs written by some of the best – Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. She appeared all over the world in concerts and in movies. She earned 12 Grammy Awards and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Miles Davis (1926-1991) began his musical career as a teen in St. Louis and moved to New York after high school with the intention of attending Julliard School of Music. He skipped out on the Julliard experience, instead playing trumpet with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker’s group. He started his own band in 1949, the beginning of many different groups. Davis was a gifted musician whose style evolved over time into cool jazz, fusion (rock music and jazz) and even played Flamenco. He was well known for bringing new and talented artists into his group who would then go off on their own, such as John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and many others. He appeared on the TV show “Miami Vice”, the movie “Dingo in 1990 and made commercials for a radio station. Davis died in 1991 after winning several Grammy Awards in the 1980’s.
Jazz in a Word
There are folks out there who spend lifetimes studying words and many who have tried to determine exactly when the term ‘jazz’ was used to describe music or anything else for that matter. The earliest seen in writing was in the Los Angeles Times in 1912 which referred to the Portland Beavers pitcher Ben Henderson’s “jazz ball.” Henderson said his jazz ball “wobbles and you simply can’t do anything with it.”
The term jazz was used again in conjunction with baseball in 1913 and meant something spirited, energetic, peppy, joyous.
Jazz, the word, entrenched itself in academia during 1915-1918 at both the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. President Benjamin Ide Wheeler at Berkeley used the term so much that many thought he invented the word.
The word jazz itself wasn’t used to describe music until 1915 in Chicago. A musician and bandleader, Bert Kelly reportedly was familiar with the term from his time in California and claimed to use the word to name his 1915 band in Chicago called Bert Kelly’s Jazz Band.
The word jazz found its way to New Orleans in 1918, spelled ‘jass.’
Recruiting for the Army
Even though slavery was long gone by the time World War I began in 1917, the country was deep into segregation. And that included the military. A white military officer, Colonel William Hayward, was so impressed with black soldiers in the Spanish American War that he persuaded the army to recruit African-Americans for WWI duty. His recruiting strategy was a bit unusual. Hayward used the jazz music craze to his advantage by recruiting James Reese Europe, a well-known orchestra leader from Harlem, to become an officer and a bandleader in the service. Europe recruited 60 African-American and Caribbean musicians to form a jazz band which toured Harlem in New York as well as other cities in order to recruit African-American men for the army. His recruits formed the 359th regiment and were sent to the country of Europe to become the first American soldiers to go to France. They were known as the Harlem Hell Fighters and saw 200 days of continuous warfare. Two of the fighters earned France’s highest military medal for bravery.
More importantly for jazz music, these soldiers played in their band as much as possible across Europe – the first jazz music heard by the Europeans – and they loved it. The band played in numerous victory parades after the war including one in New York. When James Europe died, he received full military honors with a funeral procession down Fifth Avenue in New York. This is the first time an African-American received such an honor.
The Big Apple and Jazz
The term “Big Apple” was coined by a sportswriter named John Fitzgerald in the 1920’s who named his column “Around the Big Apple” after hearing some New Orleans stable hands call New York City’s racetracks “The Big Apple.” A decade or so later, jazz musicians began referring to Harlem in particular and New York City in general as the big apple: “There are many apples on the trees of success, but when you pick New York City, you pick the big apple.”
Local Jazz Scene
Think Colorado Springs is devoid of jazz? Well, you might be wrong about that! Although there is only one jazz radio station, 105.5 Smooth Jazz, there are several locations around town that offer regular jazz venues:
• Antlers Hilton Lobby Bar features Brad Bietry, solo jazz artist on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m.
• The Broadmoor Penrose Room Trio with vocalist Lila Mora performs Wednesdays through Saturdays from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
• The Broadmoor Tavern Orchestra performs with Lewis Mock Wednesdays through Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
• Sunbird Lounge features Casablanca with Jay McGuffin & Friends on Friday evenings starting at 5:00.
• The Springs Contemporary Jazz Big Band performs at the Thirsty Parrot in downtown Colorado Springs Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.
• The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is hosting jazz performances on Fridays during April from 6 to 9 p.m.
For you jazz lovers, there is the Pikes Peak Jazz and Swing Society for all things pertaining to jazz in Colorado Springs. Their website is www.ppjass.org.
SNIPPETZ IS ALL JAZZED UP FOR JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.” Louis Armstrong
We’re dusting off our dancing shoes at Snippetz because it’s Jazz Appreciation Month! Jazz has been evolving since the 1600’s, has spawned more than a couple dozen distinct styles and continues to be a prominent force in American music. The Joint Houses of Congress declared jazz to be an “American National Treasure” in 1987, recognizing the music’s cultural significance to the country.
Jazz Roots
With a rich history too extensive to give it justice in this writing, there is no arguing the fact that American jazz is rooted in black slavery. Slaves sang work songs, spirituals and sorrowful songs, most of which were improvised. The blues combined the West African black folk music that was developed in America and combined with late 18th and early 19th century European classical and folk music.
New Orleans is considered the birth place of jazz which then spread to Chicago, Kansas City, New York and on to the west coast. The original blues inspired ragtime, Dixieland jazz, swing, bop/bebop, progressive jazz, neo-bob/hard-bop, Latin-jazz, jazz-rock, free jazz and many more variations. But it all began with improvisation with the occasional foray into less freeform performances and more structured and rehearsed performances in venues such as Swing or Big Band music.
Light on Our Feet
Jazz music received a lot of bad press in its earlier days. Many thought the music immoral and pathological with its rhythms that could incite physical passion. Clearly a danger to the moral character of young girls! We’ve come a long way, baby. Some popular dances that came from jazz were The Shimmy, which showed up on Broadway and in Mae West’s “Sometimes.” The Black Bottom was so named because of the dragging and sluggish foot movement, suggesting a drag through the mud. The Charleston became hugely popular and was performed in 1923 on Broadway in “Liza.”
Influential Jazz Artists
Scott Joplin (1867 or 1868-1917) was known as the “The King of Ragtime.” Joplin was born in Texas of a former slave and a free-born woman of color. He was mostly self-taught while a youth, but eventually received some formal classical music training. In 1898, he produced “Original Rags,” followed by the “Maple Leaf Rag,” in 1899, which became a national and international hit. He also wrote “The Entertainer.” He spent much of his life in St. Louis with some time spent in both Chicago and New York. Although he was best known for jazz compositions, he also wrote opera. Gone, but never forgotten, Joplin’s music was revitalized in the 1940’s as well as the 1970’s on Broadway. His music was used in the hit movie, “The Sting.”
Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), well known for such songs as “What a Wonderful World,” started playing the cornet at the age of seven. He was an elementary school dropout, wandering the streets playing music, eventually being placed in a home for troubled boys. He played a bugle and cornet in the band while at the home. When he was released at the age of 13 he began selling newspapers and unloading bananas from boats to earn money. Another important cornet player, Joe “King” Oliver, mentored Armstrong before he left to play in Chicago. Armstrong eventually followed Oliver to Chicago in 1922 to play in his band. In 1924 he went to New York for a year to play with Fletcher Henderson’s band before returning to Chicago to start his own band, the Hot Five. Armstrong began playing the trumpet at this time. His record producer encouraged him to sing and started “scat” music, using improvisation and nonsensical sounds. Back to New York in 1929, Armstrong became one of the most well-known jazz artists in America and abroad. He was a recording artist, played in movies and on Broadway.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was considered the First Lady of Song. Fitzgerald was raised in a New York orphanage and her musical prowess was discovered during a talent contest when she was 16 years old. In 1935 she then joined Chick Webb’s band and recorded “A-Tisket A-Tasket” shortly thereafter. She never looked back, touring with both nationally and internationally with Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Louie Armstrong. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, she recorded numerous albums of songs written by some of the best – Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter. She appeared all over the world in concerts and in movies. She earned 12 Grammy Awards and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Miles Davis (1926-1991) began his musical career as a teen in St. Louis and moved to New York after high school with the intention of attending Julliard School of Music. He skipped out on the Julliard experience, instead playing trumpet with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker’s group. He started his own band in 1949, the beginning of many different groups. Davis was a gifted musician whose style evolved over time into cool jazz, fusion (rock music and jazz) and even played Flamenco. He was well known for bringing new and talented artists into his group who would then go off on their own, such as John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and many others. He appeared on the TV show “Miami Vice”, the movie “Dingo in 1990 and made commercials for a radio station. Davis died in 1991 after winning several Grammy Awards in the 1980’s.
Jazz in a Word
There are folks out there who spend lifetimes studying words and many who have tried to determine exactly when the term ‘jazz’ was used to describe music or anything else for that matter. The earliest seen in writing was in the Los Angeles Times in 1912 which referred to the Portland Beavers pitcher Ben Henderson’s “jazz ball.” Henderson said his jazz ball “wobbles and you simply can’t do anything with it.”
The term jazz was used again in conjunction with baseball in 1913 and meant something spirited, energetic, peppy, joyous.
Jazz, the word, entrenched itself in academia during 1915-1918 at both the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. President Benjamin Ide Wheeler at Berkeley used the term so much that many thought he invented the word.
The word jazz itself wasn’t used to describe music until 1915 in Chicago. A musician and bandleader, Bert Kelly reportedly was familiar with the term from his time in California and claimed to use the word to name his 1915 band in Chicago called Bert Kelly’s Jazz Band.
The word jazz found its way to New Orleans in 1918, spelled ‘jass.’
Recruiting for the Army
Even though slavery was long gone by the time World War I began in 1917, the country was deep into segregation. And that included the military. A white military officer, Colonel William Hayward, was so impressed with black soldiers in the Spanish American War that he persuaded the army to recruit African-Americans for WWI duty. His recruiting strategy was a bit unusual. Hayward used the jazz music craze to his advantage by recruiting James Reese Europe, a well-known orchestra leader from Harlem, to become an officer and a bandleader in the service. Europe recruited 60 African-American and Caribbean musicians to form a jazz band which toured Harlem in New York as well as other cities in order to recruit African-American men for the army. His recruits formed the 359th regiment and were sent to the country of Europe to become the first American soldiers to go to France. They were known as the Harlem Hell Fighters and saw 200 days of continuous warfare. Two of the fighters earned France’s highest military medal for bravery.
More importantly for jazz music, these soldiers played in their band as much as possible across Europe – the first jazz music heard by the Europeans – and they loved it. The band played in numerous victory parades after the war including one in New York. When James Europe died, he received full military honors with a funeral procession down Fifth Avenue in New York. This is the first time an African-American received such an honor.
The Big Apple and Jazz
The term “Big Apple” was coined by a sportswriter named John Fitzgerald in the 1920’s who named his column “Around the Big Apple” after hearing some New Orleans stable hands call New York City’s racetracks “The Big Apple.” A decade or so later, jazz musicians began referring to Harlem in particular and New York City in general as the big apple: “There are many apples on the trees of success, but when you pick New York City, you pick the big apple.”
Local Jazz Scene
Think Colorado Springs is devoid of jazz? Well, you might be wrong about that! Although there is only one jazz radio station, 105.5 Smooth Jazz, there are several locations around town that offer regular jazz venues:
• Antlers Hilton Lobby Bar features Brad Bietry, solo jazz artist on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m.
• The Broadmoor Penrose Room Trio with vocalist Lila Mora performs Wednesdays through Saturdays from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
• The Broadmoor Tavern Orchestra performs with Lewis Mock Wednesdays through Sundays at 8:30 p.m.
• Sunbird Lounge features Casablanca with Jay McGuffin & Friends on Friday evenings starting at 5:00.
• The Springs Contemporary Jazz Big Band performs at the Thirsty Parrot in downtown Colorado Springs Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.
• The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is hosting jazz performances on Fridays during April from 6 to 9 p.m.
For you jazz lovers, there is the Pikes Peak Jazz and Swing Society for all things pertaining to jazz in Colorado Springs. Their website is www.ppjass.org.
Issue 387
SNIPPETZ IS HAPPY TO HAVE MOM AND POP GIVE US THE BUSINESS
"Working for someone else is nothing like being an entrepreneur and the boss of your own business. To become an entrepreneur requires a different plan or map. You’ll be taking a different road, to a different destination."
-Noel Peebles, Author
March 29th of every year is marked as National Mom-and-Pop Business Owners Day. At Snippetz, we think the celebration should last the entire week! It’s the small business owners who work tirelessly day in and day out to provide products and services needed by our communities.
The National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day was started by the son of Ruth’s Hat Shop owners who started their store in 1939 in Everett, Mass. This mom and pop eventually grew to a 10,000 sq. ft. location with a revenue stream of $2 million, selling not only hats but women’s specialty clothing. The store closed in 1997.
Who is Mom and Pop?
The term “Mom-and-Pop Business” refers to a business operated by a single family with 10 or less employees or most likely no employees. These businesses have historically been called “Mom-and-Pop” because they were started by husband and wife teams who would continue to operate the business together, possibly employing other family members to help. Nowadays, Mom-and-Pop can mean mom, pop, father-son, mother-daughter, close friends and significant others. Nonetheless, the business is small and operated by few people.
Mom-and-Pop shops were once the mainstay of the American economy and the cornerstone of neighborhoods. Typically, mom and pop owned the corner drug store which not only housed the pharmacy, but also sold over-the-counter medications, gifts and other notions. Many times the drugstore also offered a soda fountain making it a hub for social activity. Oftentimes the pharmacist was the owner.
Across the street from the drugstore might be the mom-and-pop general store which carried just about everything the drugstore didn’t have – household cleaning products, canned and dry goods, fabrics and books. Similar to the local drugstore, everyone went to the general store, making it a center for social activity for townspeople.
Still Going Strong
Contrary to popular belief, the big box stores have NOT closed up every mom-and-pop entity it builds next door to. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Colorado alone there are over 385,000 “non-employee entities” representing over $17 million in receipts. Non-employee entities are those which are individuals or sole proprietorships that do not pay employment taxes. Many of these businesses are considered “microbusinesses” which are the very smallest and may operate out of private homes.
For small businesses with employees:
In general, family businesses are still the backbone of American business. Consider this:
Why We Still Love the Mom-and-Pop Store
The small business has stayed alive because it doesn’t compete head-on with the big box stores. The Mom-and-Pop’s can offer:
• Unique products rather than the typical item offered at every large chain store
• Personal service – a telephone answered by a real person, an owner who greets you by name when you enter their place of business, an employee who knows what “your usual” order is!
• Knowledgeable employees – either the owner or their few employees know their products and know what their customers want.
• Special orders don’t upset us – need help finding a special gift that no one else has, or need your food cooked to your dietary restrictions? The mom-and-pop is the answer.
Why Mom and Pops Love Being Mom and Pops
Independence, independence, independence. Surveys have shown that moms and pops choose to leave their company jobs for the sake of being their own bosses. They want to be independent – making their own choices, making their own decisions and taking risks in an effort to reap the rewards. And sometimes those rewards can be simply the independence itself along with being able to support their families comfortably without any intent to become millionaires. However, the sacrifices can be numerous – long hours, financial ups and downs and sometimes missing out on important family activities.
Look Around…
Mom-and-pop businesses are everywhere you look, and eager to have you as a customer. Here are a few close by:
And a few locals who have experienced successful growth by expanding to two locations:
Want to Start a Small Business?
You’re in luck because there are resources aplenty, starting with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), an independent agency of the federal government which is there to assist small businesses in starting up, building and growing.
The SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a nonprofit organization offering free counseling to small businesses throughout the country through volunteer retired business people.
Both of these organizations can help lead a business with a successful startup through all possible phases by providing a roadmap. Their websites provide valuable information and links to a vast array of services.
Some Unique Small Business Names
Heard of any of these?
Some of the best have come from television and movies:
SNIPPETZ IS HAPPY TO HAVE MOM AND POP GIVE US THE BUSINESS
"Working for someone else is nothing like being an entrepreneur and the boss of your own business. To become an entrepreneur requires a different plan or map. You’ll be taking a different road, to a different destination."
-Noel Peebles, Author
March 29th of every year is marked as National Mom-and-Pop Business Owners Day. At Snippetz, we think the celebration should last the entire week! It’s the small business owners who work tirelessly day in and day out to provide products and services needed by our communities.
The National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day was started by the son of Ruth’s Hat Shop owners who started their store in 1939 in Everett, Mass. This mom and pop eventually grew to a 10,000 sq. ft. location with a revenue stream of $2 million, selling not only hats but women’s specialty clothing. The store closed in 1997.
Who is Mom and Pop?
The term “Mom-and-Pop Business” refers to a business operated by a single family with 10 or less employees or most likely no employees. These businesses have historically been called “Mom-and-Pop” because they were started by husband and wife teams who would continue to operate the business together, possibly employing other family members to help. Nowadays, Mom-and-Pop can mean mom, pop, father-son, mother-daughter, close friends and significant others. Nonetheless, the business is small and operated by few people.
Mom-and-Pop shops were once the mainstay of the American economy and the cornerstone of neighborhoods. Typically, mom and pop owned the corner drug store which not only housed the pharmacy, but also sold over-the-counter medications, gifts and other notions. Many times the drugstore also offered a soda fountain making it a hub for social activity. Oftentimes the pharmacist was the owner.
Across the street from the drugstore might be the mom-and-pop general store which carried just about everything the drugstore didn’t have – household cleaning products, canned and dry goods, fabrics and books. Similar to the local drugstore, everyone went to the general store, making it a center for social activity for townspeople.
Still Going Strong
Contrary to popular belief, the big box stores have NOT closed up every mom-and-pop entity it builds next door to. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in Colorado alone there are over 385,000 “non-employee entities” representing over $17 million in receipts. Non-employee entities are those which are individuals or sole proprietorships that do not pay employment taxes. Many of these businesses are considered “microbusinesses” which are the very smallest and may operate out of private homes.
For small businesses with employees:
- Those with less than 10 employees are the top job providers in the country with those with between 10 and 20 employees being the second top job providers.
- About 80 percent of companies in the U.S. have fewer than 10 employees.
In general, family businesses are still the backbone of American business. Consider this:
- In the U.S., businesses with less than 500 employees represent about half of the Gross Domestic Product.
- About 37 percent of Fortune 500 companies are family-owned businesses. Think Wal-Mart, Ford, Firestone, Levi Strauss and DuPont.
Why We Still Love the Mom-and-Pop Store
The small business has stayed alive because it doesn’t compete head-on with the big box stores. The Mom-and-Pop’s can offer:
• Unique products rather than the typical item offered at every large chain store
• Personal service – a telephone answered by a real person, an owner who greets you by name when you enter their place of business, an employee who knows what “your usual” order is!
• Knowledgeable employees – either the owner or their few employees know their products and know what their customers want.
• Special orders don’t upset us – need help finding a special gift that no one else has, or need your food cooked to your dietary restrictions? The mom-and-pop is the answer.
Why Mom and Pops Love Being Mom and Pops
Independence, independence, independence. Surveys have shown that moms and pops choose to leave their company jobs for the sake of being their own bosses. They want to be independent – making their own choices, making their own decisions and taking risks in an effort to reap the rewards. And sometimes those rewards can be simply the independence itself along with being able to support their families comfortably without any intent to become millionaires. However, the sacrifices can be numerous – long hours, financial ups and downs and sometimes missing out on important family activities.
Look Around…
Mom-and-pop businesses are everywhere you look, and eager to have you as a customer. Here are a few close by:
- The Rock House (ice cream) owned by Jeanine
- Nationwide Floor and Window Coverings owned by Kim and Richard
- Rosie’s Diner owned by AB and Ken
- Tri-Lakes Diet Center owned by Tom and Lynne
- Furniture Connections owned by Stacey and Dale
- Bodhicitta Bakery owned by Gretchen and Jason
- Second Street Art Market and Wine Bar owned by Heather and Doug
- The Depot Restaurant owned by Alicia
And a few locals who have experienced successful growth by expanding to two locations:
- The Coffee Cup and The Second Cup owned by Jeremy
- Bella Panini and Bayou Barbeque owned by KT and Pat
- Serrano’s Coffee owned by Carl and Alaine
Want to Start a Small Business?
You’re in luck because there are resources aplenty, starting with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), an independent agency of the federal government which is there to assist small businesses in starting up, building and growing.
The SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a nonprofit organization offering free counseling to small businesses throughout the country through volunteer retired business people.
Both of these organizations can help lead a business with a successful startup through all possible phases by providing a roadmap. Their websites provide valuable information and links to a vast array of services.
Some Unique Small Business Names
Heard of any of these?
- Doody Calls (pet waste management)
- Pizza My Heart
- Mama Zuma’s Revenge (chips)
- Booked Solid (used bookstore)
- A Den of Antiquity
Some of the best have come from television and movies:
- “Shrek 2” – Burger Prince, Farbucks, Saxxon Fifth Avenue
- “Futurama” – Stinky Stork Diaper Service, Hip Joint (night club), Rook Takes Pawnshop
- “The Simpsons” – Dudley Do Drugs (pharmacy), Java the Hut (coffee shop), Turn Your Head and Coif (hair salon), Eye Caramba (eye clinic)
Issue 386
SNIPPETZ TAKES A DIP IN THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
"After thirty, a body has a mind of its own."
-Bette Midler
Good news! Our life expectancy is now at an average of 78.6 years – a little more for women and a little less for men. The bad news is that our bodies still age and show the signs of aging and we don’t like it! Whether it be medical advancements or healthier living, as a species we are doing something right. Becoming and staying healthy can take some real commitment in terms of time and in some cases in shelling out much in the way of dollars to maintain that good health and young looks.
Still the Bad Guys
The top three leading causes of death have been and continue to be heart disease, cancer and stroke, all three of which can either be prevented or minimized through lifestyle.
A Simple Process…
According to the experts, staying healthy and youthful is simple and not costly:
…A Little More Complicated
Every day we pick up the paper or turn on the news to learn of some new discovery that makes the ‘simple’ measures more complicated.
Feeding the Soul
Researchers have discovered that the spiritual and social side of humans plays an enormously important role in longevity. It has long been known that feeding our minds and souls is good for the ill, but it is now good for everyone and may help stave off illness and increase lifespan. Positive thinking is tops on the list and may be the most challenging. Being connected to others is also a significant factor for a long life.
There are many ways that have been found to increase lifespan:
Fountain of Youth For Sale
There are 75 million baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) in the U.S., many of whom are more concerned about maintaining health and looking/feeling younger than they are about financial security and retirement.
The anti-aging market is the fastest growing in the U.S. currently at about $200 billion and expected to increase to $1 trillion, yes trillion, by 2010. The numbers are staggering. Where’s the money going? Well, to diet supplements, skin care and medical procedures to name a few.
Sixty percent of Americans take dietary supplements regularly in an effort to reduce cholesterol, manage weight, get well and prevent disease and illness. Another 23 percent purchase supplements and at least take them periodically. The cost of these supplements is at least $6 billion per year. And, generally speaking, there is little firm evidence that these supplements are the panacea for good health.
Skin care accounts for a large chunk of the anti-aging dollar spent and is expected to continue to increase. Sun damage is the number one reason for skin damage, but If staying out of the sun isn’t an option, cosmetics may be the answer. Many are packed with collagen (maintains the skin’s elasticity) or products that stimulate the production of collagen. Over-the-counter skin peels can be purchased as well as scrubs, concealers and toners.
Over $13 billion is spent annually on cosmetic procedures. Interestingly enough, 47 percent of all procedures are performed on men and women between the ages of 35 and 50; and 25 percent between the ages of 51 and 64. Only six percent over the age of 65 will spend their retirement money on cosmetic procedures. Maybe by then we just don’t care anymore.
If All Else Fails…Go Under the Knife…or Laser
If you look at the numbers – nearly 12 million cosmetic surgical as well as nonsurgical procedures performed annually – you might say that we are a nation obsessed with our looks. Women represent 91 percent of the consumers.
Some of the top surgical procedures for women:
• Breast augmentation
• Lipoplasty/liposuction
• Eyelid surgery
• Abdominoplasty
• Breast reduction
And for men:
• Liposuction
• Eyelid surgery
• Rhinoplasty
• Male breast reduction
• Hair transplantation
Top nonsurgical procedures both men and women purchase:
• Botox – Despite its toxicity (a Botulinum toxin), the substance is used in cosmetic procedures to erase wrinkles when it is injected into facial muscles, causing them to relax and soften facial lines.
• Hyaluronic Acid (A substance found naturally in the body used to fill wrinkles. Treatment lasts about six months.)
• Laser hair removal
• Microdermabrasion (A chemical peel, so to speak, that removes blemishes, wrinkles, age spots, scars, etc. from the skin.)
• IPL Laser treatment (Intense Pulse Light Treatment done in several treatments to reduce discoloration of the skin)
More About Anti-Aging
• Life expectancy for ancient Romans was about 23 years.
• It is expected that there will be more than one million centenarians in the U.S. in another 25 years.
• Singer Michael Jackson admits to two plastic surgeries; however, some professionals estimate he has possibly had between 30 and 40 different procedures.
• More than 34 percent of Americans are obese and 32.7 percent are simply overweight according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
• There are 11,000 of the 75 million baby boomers who turn 50 each day.
• The over 50 generation controls 70 percent of the financial assets in the U.S.
• Fifteen percent of cosmetic purchases are made by men; 85 percent by women.
• One of the latest and greatest ‘treatments’ for aging is Human Growth Hormone (HGH). At about $300 for monthly injections, and still a very controversial option, the treatment shows promise for elevating mood, firming up skin, reducing body fat and increasing muscle tone.
SNIPPETZ TAKES A DIP IN THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
"After thirty, a body has a mind of its own."
-Bette Midler
Good news! Our life expectancy is now at an average of 78.6 years – a little more for women and a little less for men. The bad news is that our bodies still age and show the signs of aging and we don’t like it! Whether it be medical advancements or healthier living, as a species we are doing something right. Becoming and staying healthy can take some real commitment in terms of time and in some cases in shelling out much in the way of dollars to maintain that good health and young looks.
Still the Bad Guys
The top three leading causes of death have been and continue to be heart disease, cancer and stroke, all three of which can either be prevented or minimized through lifestyle.
A Simple Process…
According to the experts, staying healthy and youthful is simple and not costly:
- Diet - eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, moderate amounts of protein and low in fat and refined sugars.
- Exercise – both aerobic and weight bearing
- Stress reduction
- Not smoking
…A Little More Complicated
Every day we pick up the paper or turn on the news to learn of some new discovery that makes the ‘simple’ measures more complicated.
- Daily Diet - The food pyramid suggests five servings of fruits and vegetables daily along with three servings of whole grains. We should drink about 64 oz. (8 8-oz. glasses) of water daily. We should have no more than 30-35 percent of our daily calories from fat and about 20 percent of that fat intake should be of the unsaturated variety (olive oil, canola oil). About 15 percent of daily calories should come from protein sources and the remaining 30-35 percent should come from carbohydrates. And those carbs should be complex such as whole grain breads, wild rice, oatmeal. White bread doesn’t count.
- Antioxidants – We’ve known for some time that foods rich in antioxidants are good for us. They fight the free radicals that contribute to illness and aging. This is where the veggies come in and plenty of dark ones like spinach, carrots, tomatoes and squash. Blueberries are also an excellent source of antioxidants.
- Suggestions for reducing stress levels range from meditating, exercising, yoga or just saying no when feeling overwhelmed with the to-do list.
Feeding the Soul
Researchers have discovered that the spiritual and social side of humans plays an enormously important role in longevity. It has long been known that feeding our minds and souls is good for the ill, but it is now good for everyone and may help stave off illness and increase lifespan. Positive thinking is tops on the list and may be the most challenging. Being connected to others is also a significant factor for a long life.
There are many ways that have been found to increase lifespan:
- Volunteering for a cause, big or small
- Staying connected with friends and family; maintaining close relationships
- Joining a church group or support group
Fountain of Youth For Sale
There are 75 million baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) in the U.S., many of whom are more concerned about maintaining health and looking/feeling younger than they are about financial security and retirement.
The anti-aging market is the fastest growing in the U.S. currently at about $200 billion and expected to increase to $1 trillion, yes trillion, by 2010. The numbers are staggering. Where’s the money going? Well, to diet supplements, skin care and medical procedures to name a few.
Sixty percent of Americans take dietary supplements regularly in an effort to reduce cholesterol, manage weight, get well and prevent disease and illness. Another 23 percent purchase supplements and at least take them periodically. The cost of these supplements is at least $6 billion per year. And, generally speaking, there is little firm evidence that these supplements are the panacea for good health.
Skin care accounts for a large chunk of the anti-aging dollar spent and is expected to continue to increase. Sun damage is the number one reason for skin damage, but If staying out of the sun isn’t an option, cosmetics may be the answer. Many are packed with collagen (maintains the skin’s elasticity) or products that stimulate the production of collagen. Over-the-counter skin peels can be purchased as well as scrubs, concealers and toners.
Over $13 billion is spent annually on cosmetic procedures. Interestingly enough, 47 percent of all procedures are performed on men and women between the ages of 35 and 50; and 25 percent between the ages of 51 and 64. Only six percent over the age of 65 will spend their retirement money on cosmetic procedures. Maybe by then we just don’t care anymore.
If All Else Fails…Go Under the Knife…or Laser
If you look at the numbers – nearly 12 million cosmetic surgical as well as nonsurgical procedures performed annually – you might say that we are a nation obsessed with our looks. Women represent 91 percent of the consumers.
Some of the top surgical procedures for women:
• Breast augmentation
• Lipoplasty/liposuction
• Eyelid surgery
• Abdominoplasty
• Breast reduction
And for men:
• Liposuction
• Eyelid surgery
• Rhinoplasty
• Male breast reduction
• Hair transplantation
Top nonsurgical procedures both men and women purchase:
• Botox – Despite its toxicity (a Botulinum toxin), the substance is used in cosmetic procedures to erase wrinkles when it is injected into facial muscles, causing them to relax and soften facial lines.
• Hyaluronic Acid (A substance found naturally in the body used to fill wrinkles. Treatment lasts about six months.)
• Laser hair removal
• Microdermabrasion (A chemical peel, so to speak, that removes blemishes, wrinkles, age spots, scars, etc. from the skin.)
• IPL Laser treatment (Intense Pulse Light Treatment done in several treatments to reduce discoloration of the skin)
More About Anti-Aging
• Life expectancy for ancient Romans was about 23 years.
• It is expected that there will be more than one million centenarians in the U.S. in another 25 years.
• Singer Michael Jackson admits to two plastic surgeries; however, some professionals estimate he has possibly had between 30 and 40 different procedures.
• More than 34 percent of Americans are obese and 32.7 percent are simply overweight according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
• There are 11,000 of the 75 million baby boomers who turn 50 each day.
• The over 50 generation controls 70 percent of the financial assets in the U.S.
• Fifteen percent of cosmetic purchases are made by men; 85 percent by women.
• One of the latest and greatest ‘treatments’ for aging is Human Growth Hormone (HGH). At about $300 for monthly injections, and still a very controversial option, the treatment shows promise for elevating mood, firming up skin, reducing body fat and increasing muscle tone.
Issue 385
SNIPPETZ IS CAPTIVATED BY LITTLE GREEN MEN
"Hello, I'm Leonard Nimoy. The following tale of alien encounters is true. By true I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies and in the end, isn't that the truth?
The answer is no."
- Leonard Nimoy
Actor famous for the role of Spock on “Star Trek: The Original Series”
Looking to travel to another planet…for free? March 20 may be your opportunity as it is Extraterrestrial Abductions Day. If you have an interest in being abducted, you may want to keep your eyes to the skies and travel deserted highways searching for UFO’s that may be looking to pick up an earth human or two.
Early Beliefs in Extraterrestrial Life
There has always been a belief in the possibility of life on other planets. And why not?
• The Greeks thought that since there were other visible planets that there must be life on those planets. However, Aristotle posited the idea that the earth was the only planet with life, termed the geocentric theory.
• The Jewish Talmud mentions 18,000 or more other worlds, although it gives no indication of the nature of these worlds or life upon them.
• Hindu’s believed that since lifecycles were repeated, there could be multiple universes created by God for the purpose of bringing lost souls back to teach them the meaning and purpose of life.
• In Christianity, it was not the norm to espouse the belief of multiple universes, although in 1277, The Bishop of Paris said that it was indeed possible since God was omnipotent and able to create more than one universe. However, the Catholic Church has never held a formal position on the matter.
• Once the invention of the telescope took place, it became more common to believe that there could be life on other planets simply by virtue of the fact that scientists could see other planets. Even the sun and the moon were part of the widespread speculation of the time.
• With increased scientific study and travel to other planets, the scientific basis of life on other planets is still up for considerable speculation. Certain that there is no earth-like life on planets such as the sun, moon, Mars and Venus, scientists have not discounted completely that there is no such earth-like life anywhere, and believe (and have proof in some cases) that there is at the very least microbial life on other planets.
Drake Equation
Dr. Frank Drake, a University of California, Santa Cruz astrophysicist and astronomer developed the Drake equation which he used in 1961 to estimate that there are 10,000 planets with intelligent life. His equation uses figures that involve rate of formation of stars, fraction of those stars that contain planets, number of earth-like worlds, and so on. By plugging in figures obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope, there could be the following:
• More than 125 billion galaxies in the university
• Ten percent of sun-like stars have a system of planets
• If one billionth of these stars have life-supporting planets, that would mean there are over six billion solar systems in the universe that are life-supporting.
Not Always Little Green Men
There have been a variety of types of aliens reported from those who have been abducted. The most common are:
• The Grays, who look like humans but with gray skin, large dark eyes and pear-shaped heads.
• The Nordics, who also have a humanoid look, but very tall with long blond hair and blue eyes on angular faces.
• Reptilians are humanoid, but look like, well, reptiles.
Anatomy of an Abduction
According to the Roper Poll conducted of 6,000 Americans in 1991, scientists estimated about four million Americans have been abducted by aliens – no small figure. But are these real abductions? No one knows for sure, but those who study extraterrestrial phenomena believe that many of the reports are due to mental illness, dreaming, hallucinations or manifestations of psychosis. However, this has never explained all reports and experts in the field continue to keep an open mind.
• Abductions are reported by all types of race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.
• Abductions can take place during the day or nighttime and usually take place while driving down the road or lying in bed. There is a common report of driving down a highway and being nearly hit by a large truck with bright lights prior to the abduction.
• An abduction is usually followed by examination and study of the abductee’s body that can include probes and implants.
• The different types of aliens (Greys, Nordics, etc.) are said to have specific motivations and goals. Many report receiving messages from their abductors that the earth is going to be destroyed, the abductee is ‘chosen’ to save the species, the abductor’s planet is dying or that they need human eggs and sperm in order to propagate their own race.
• Many abduction reports are found to be closely connected to UFO sightings.
Famous Abductions
Some bizarre stories of abductions have made the headlines and even shown up in the movies. Most reports tell of negative experiences including torture, scientific study and mating rituals. But some have positive feelings about their experience and captors.
• The case of Barney and Betty Hill, reportedly abducted in 1961, became known several years later in a made for TV movie starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons in 1975. The Hills were reportedly abducted near the town of Lancaster after they continued to watch a light moving in the sky. Eventually, Barney stopped the car, got out and tried to look at the UFO through binoculars. Once he got back in the car and tried to speed away out of fear of capture, they heard a high-pitched sound above their car. The Hills reported that they woke up in their car two hours later at a point 35 miles south of where this event took place. They reported the incident to the officials at Pease Air Force Base and their story was documented by the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. Within a few weeks, Betty Hill began to have nightmares that led to treatment for both her and Barney for anxiety surrounding their abduction. During hypnotherapy they revealed information about an examination they endured as well as details about the extraterrestrials’ planet. Some years later researchers found a match between Betty’s star map and a cluster of stars near two other stars called Zeta Reticuli, which were previously unknown.
• It was 1975 when Travis Walton, a logger in Arizona was traveling home with five other crew members when they stopped to watch a disc-shaped UFO ahead of them above the road. Travis was the only man to leave the car to investigate and the others witnessed him being swallowed up by a blue-green light and pulled into the spaceship. Travis was missing for five days. During hypnosis, Travis reports Gray men, some humans and a mask being put over his face after which he passed out. He next remembers hovering over the highway and being dropped off. A book was written and movie “Fire in the Sky” was produced chronicling his experience. He and his fellow loggers all passed polygraph exams.
Our Fascination with Aliens
It is not hard to see that we earth humans are fascinated with aliens. Just look at the proliferation of science fiction novels, movies and TV shows, as well as sitcoms and cartoons.
Na-nu, Na-nu…Remember Mork from Ork? From 1978 to 1982, Mork entertained us in sitcom land with his zany antics while living with Mindy in Boulder, Colo. The Mork character made famous by actor Robin Williams first appeared on an episode of “Happy Days” where he attempted to abduct Richie Cunningham and take him back to Ork for a study of humdrum human specimens. It was Fonzie who saved the day and kept Richie in Mr. and Mrs. C’s home.
E.T. Phone Home…In the movie about the endearing alien botanist E.T., he comes to earth in 1982 with other botanists from his planet and gets left behind. He meets and befriends Elliott (Henry Thomas) along with sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) and brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton). So enchanted by E.T., we never bothered to find out just where he came from. We only know that the planet had a different biochemistry which is why E.T. could not survive on Reese’s Pieces here on earth.
Who is Exigious 12½? With only a three-year run from 1963 to 1966, the TV sitcom “My Favorite Martian” still managed to generate an animated series and a movie. When the anthropology alien from Mars crash lands in California, Tim O’Hara (Bill Bixby) sees the spaceship crash, rescues him and takes him home to live with him while ‘Uncle Martin’ (Ray Walston) works at rebuilding his spaceship for a return trip home. Uncle Martin had many entertaining skills such as the ability to telepathically communicate, read minds, communicate with animals and levitate. He was also a great inventor, coming up with such devices as a time travel machine and a molecular separator which could turn certain objects or living things into other things. Walston played Uncle Martin in an AT&T commercial in 2000 and was reunited with Bill Bixby on an episode of The Incredible Hulk entitled “My Favorite Magician.” In the early 1990’s, planning was taking place for a reunion; however, Bill Bixby’s health was declining at the time, rendering the reunion not feasible.
Yoda and Commander Spock…Article upon article could be written around Star Wars and Star Trek, both extremely popular over multiple decades, stories heavily involving alien beings, both friendly and not so friendly.
Abduction Trivia
• For an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Gene Roddenberry used what he thought was the Drake Equation. However, he did not have the actual equation. Drake kindly pointed out that the reference was mathematically incorrect.
• An extensive subculture exists around abductions that includes support groups and researchers.
• There is still common belief that the government is covering up research about, as well as proof of extraterrestrial existence.
SNIPPETZ IS CAPTIVATED BY LITTLE GREEN MEN
"Hello, I'm Leonard Nimoy. The following tale of alien encounters is true. By true I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies and in the end, isn't that the truth?
The answer is no."
- Leonard Nimoy
Actor famous for the role of Spock on “Star Trek: The Original Series”
Looking to travel to another planet…for free? March 20 may be your opportunity as it is Extraterrestrial Abductions Day. If you have an interest in being abducted, you may want to keep your eyes to the skies and travel deserted highways searching for UFO’s that may be looking to pick up an earth human or two.
Early Beliefs in Extraterrestrial Life
There has always been a belief in the possibility of life on other planets. And why not?
• The Greeks thought that since there were other visible planets that there must be life on those planets. However, Aristotle posited the idea that the earth was the only planet with life, termed the geocentric theory.
• The Jewish Talmud mentions 18,000 or more other worlds, although it gives no indication of the nature of these worlds or life upon them.
• Hindu’s believed that since lifecycles were repeated, there could be multiple universes created by God for the purpose of bringing lost souls back to teach them the meaning and purpose of life.
• In Christianity, it was not the norm to espouse the belief of multiple universes, although in 1277, The Bishop of Paris said that it was indeed possible since God was omnipotent and able to create more than one universe. However, the Catholic Church has never held a formal position on the matter.
• Once the invention of the telescope took place, it became more common to believe that there could be life on other planets simply by virtue of the fact that scientists could see other planets. Even the sun and the moon were part of the widespread speculation of the time.
• With increased scientific study and travel to other planets, the scientific basis of life on other planets is still up for considerable speculation. Certain that there is no earth-like life on planets such as the sun, moon, Mars and Venus, scientists have not discounted completely that there is no such earth-like life anywhere, and believe (and have proof in some cases) that there is at the very least microbial life on other planets.
Drake Equation
Dr. Frank Drake, a University of California, Santa Cruz astrophysicist and astronomer developed the Drake equation which he used in 1961 to estimate that there are 10,000 planets with intelligent life. His equation uses figures that involve rate of formation of stars, fraction of those stars that contain planets, number of earth-like worlds, and so on. By plugging in figures obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope, there could be the following:
• More than 125 billion galaxies in the university
• Ten percent of sun-like stars have a system of planets
• If one billionth of these stars have life-supporting planets, that would mean there are over six billion solar systems in the universe that are life-supporting.
Not Always Little Green Men
There have been a variety of types of aliens reported from those who have been abducted. The most common are:
• The Grays, who look like humans but with gray skin, large dark eyes and pear-shaped heads.
• The Nordics, who also have a humanoid look, but very tall with long blond hair and blue eyes on angular faces.
• Reptilians are humanoid, but look like, well, reptiles.
Anatomy of an Abduction
According to the Roper Poll conducted of 6,000 Americans in 1991, scientists estimated about four million Americans have been abducted by aliens – no small figure. But are these real abductions? No one knows for sure, but those who study extraterrestrial phenomena believe that many of the reports are due to mental illness, dreaming, hallucinations or manifestations of psychosis. However, this has never explained all reports and experts in the field continue to keep an open mind.
• Abductions are reported by all types of race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.
• Abductions can take place during the day or nighttime and usually take place while driving down the road or lying in bed. There is a common report of driving down a highway and being nearly hit by a large truck with bright lights prior to the abduction.
• An abduction is usually followed by examination and study of the abductee’s body that can include probes and implants.
• The different types of aliens (Greys, Nordics, etc.) are said to have specific motivations and goals. Many report receiving messages from their abductors that the earth is going to be destroyed, the abductee is ‘chosen’ to save the species, the abductor’s planet is dying or that they need human eggs and sperm in order to propagate their own race.
• Many abduction reports are found to be closely connected to UFO sightings.
Famous Abductions
Some bizarre stories of abductions have made the headlines and even shown up in the movies. Most reports tell of negative experiences including torture, scientific study and mating rituals. But some have positive feelings about their experience and captors.
• The case of Barney and Betty Hill, reportedly abducted in 1961, became known several years later in a made for TV movie starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons in 1975. The Hills were reportedly abducted near the town of Lancaster after they continued to watch a light moving in the sky. Eventually, Barney stopped the car, got out and tried to look at the UFO through binoculars. Once he got back in the car and tried to speed away out of fear of capture, they heard a high-pitched sound above their car. The Hills reported that they woke up in their car two hours later at a point 35 miles south of where this event took place. They reported the incident to the officials at Pease Air Force Base and their story was documented by the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. Within a few weeks, Betty Hill began to have nightmares that led to treatment for both her and Barney for anxiety surrounding their abduction. During hypnotherapy they revealed information about an examination they endured as well as details about the extraterrestrials’ planet. Some years later researchers found a match between Betty’s star map and a cluster of stars near two other stars called Zeta Reticuli, which were previously unknown.
• It was 1975 when Travis Walton, a logger in Arizona was traveling home with five other crew members when they stopped to watch a disc-shaped UFO ahead of them above the road. Travis was the only man to leave the car to investigate and the others witnessed him being swallowed up by a blue-green light and pulled into the spaceship. Travis was missing for five days. During hypnosis, Travis reports Gray men, some humans and a mask being put over his face after which he passed out. He next remembers hovering over the highway and being dropped off. A book was written and movie “Fire in the Sky” was produced chronicling his experience. He and his fellow loggers all passed polygraph exams.
Our Fascination with Aliens
It is not hard to see that we earth humans are fascinated with aliens. Just look at the proliferation of science fiction novels, movies and TV shows, as well as sitcoms and cartoons.
Na-nu, Na-nu…Remember Mork from Ork? From 1978 to 1982, Mork entertained us in sitcom land with his zany antics while living with Mindy in Boulder, Colo. The Mork character made famous by actor Robin Williams first appeared on an episode of “Happy Days” where he attempted to abduct Richie Cunningham and take him back to Ork for a study of humdrum human specimens. It was Fonzie who saved the day and kept Richie in Mr. and Mrs. C’s home.
E.T. Phone Home…In the movie about the endearing alien botanist E.T., he comes to earth in 1982 with other botanists from his planet and gets left behind. He meets and befriends Elliott (Henry Thomas) along with sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) and brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton). So enchanted by E.T., we never bothered to find out just where he came from. We only know that the planet had a different biochemistry which is why E.T. could not survive on Reese’s Pieces here on earth.
Who is Exigious 12½? With only a three-year run from 1963 to 1966, the TV sitcom “My Favorite Martian” still managed to generate an animated series and a movie. When the anthropology alien from Mars crash lands in California, Tim O’Hara (Bill Bixby) sees the spaceship crash, rescues him and takes him home to live with him while ‘Uncle Martin’ (Ray Walston) works at rebuilding his spaceship for a return trip home. Uncle Martin had many entertaining skills such as the ability to telepathically communicate, read minds, communicate with animals and levitate. He was also a great inventor, coming up with such devices as a time travel machine and a molecular separator which could turn certain objects or living things into other things. Walston played Uncle Martin in an AT&T commercial in 2000 and was reunited with Bill Bixby on an episode of The Incredible Hulk entitled “My Favorite Magician.” In the early 1990’s, planning was taking place for a reunion; however, Bill Bixby’s health was declining at the time, rendering the reunion not feasible.
Yoda and Commander Spock…Article upon article could be written around Star Wars and Star Trek, both extremely popular over multiple decades, stories heavily involving alien beings, both friendly and not so friendly.
Abduction Trivia
• For an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Gene Roddenberry used what he thought was the Drake Equation. However, he did not have the actual equation. Drake kindly pointed out that the reference was mathematically incorrect.
• An extensive subculture exists around abductions that includes support groups and researchers.
• There is still common belief that the government is covering up research about, as well as proof of extraterrestrial existence.
Issue 384
SNIPPETZ NEVER SLEEPS... WE JUST DREAM
"Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives."
-William Dement, Sleep Researcher
Everyone dreams (most mammals and even some bird species!), but not everyone agrees on what dreams really are or what they mean. Dreams have been a topic of speculation, study and theory for centuries. It is fairly agreed upon by the experts that dreams occur only during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep when brain activity is similar to wakefulness. Nonetheless, dreams have been and probably will continue to be a topic of fascination for most of us.
Dreams Throughout the Ages
During the Greek and Roman ages, dreams were a very significant part of life. People looked to their dreams to predict the future or to provide solutions to problems. Dreams were mostly thought of in a religious context as messages from ancestors or the gods.
Between about 100 and 300 B.C., it was believed that dreams had the power to heal the sick and were often part of medical diagnosis and cure. Temples were built for the sick to sleep in so that they could be healed by using their dreams.
Egyptians who had very vivid dreams were thought to be blessed and those who could interpret dreams, usually priests, were thought to have had the gift of interpretation bestowed upon them by God.
The Chinese believed that the soul left the body during a dream and that one should never be awakened lest the soul would not be able to return to the body.
By the Middle Ages, people saw dreams as temptations from the devil.
By the early 19th century, not much attention was paid to dreams as it was thought that they came from some type of anxiety with no meaning behind them.
Along Came Sigmund Freud
The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud began to study dreams as a way to understand personality. He believed that every thought and action was motivated by our unconscious minds. Fred described the mind as containing three parts: 1) the id, which is the childlike part of us that acts only on urges and desires; 2) the ego, which is the holder of our moral conscience; and 3) the superego, which is the great enforcer and keeps the id in check. Freud believed that dreams were the id’s opportunity to be free and express itself, and the job of the superego was to keep the id from remembering the more disturbing parts of dreams.
There have been many theories beyond Freud’s, but according to a study recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people tend to agree with Freud in that their dreams reveal hidden truths. The study also found that many people will make decisions based on information from dreams because they feel that their dreams give them insight.
Other Thoughts About Dreaming
There are many theories surrounding the function of dreams:
A clean up like a computer “defrag” that removes junk from the brain.
The fantasy involved in dreams satisfies the repressed parts of the mind.
Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist, believed that dreaming is an interaction between the conscious and the subconscious mind and may balance or compensate for our attitudes while awake.
Richard Coutts uses the term ‘emotional selection’ to describe the process by which we test mental schemas during the sleep process, and retain only those that are adaptable while discarding those that are maladaptive.
Ernest L. Hartmann, M.D. believes dreaming is likened to a psychotherapeutic experience in that it allows the dreamer to make connections about stressful and traumatic experiences in a “safe place.”
Through dreams we create new ideas that come from random thought mutations, although some are discarded by the mind as useless.
Dreams may lower stress levels and regulate mood.
Common Dream Themes
There are many people who make a living out of analyzing dreams. If interested in dream analysis, the first step is to write down as much of your dream content as possible and as quickly as possible. We forget 50 percent of our dreams within five minutes of waking and 90 percent within 10 minutes.
Interested in analyzing your own dreams? Here are some common dream themes and possible meanings. In most cases there are multiple potential meanings.
If you find yourself falling in your dreams, it might be a sign of anxiety, insecurity or feeling overwhelmed with either personal or work situations in your life. If you can’t hang on to something, then maybe you aren’t keeping up with things you think need to be done. Falling dreams may also signify insecurity and a fear of failing.
Flying dreams can be both positive and negative. On the positive side, if you dream about flying you may really feel in control, on top of the world and that you are unbeatable. It’s simply empowering. However, if you have difficulties with obstacles while flying, then you may have someone or something in your real life that is inhibiting your success. If you feel fearful of the flying experience, then you may lack self-confidence.
Taking an exam suggests that you are not prepared for some challenge or are feeling anxious about meeting the expectations of others. Test-taking dreams can be about breaking your pencil during an exam, forgetting to study or not being able to finish.
Are you being chased? This is another common anxiety dream when you are trying to hide or run from something or someone that wants to hurt you. Rather than confront the situation, you are running. If you want to delve deeper, depending on how much distance is between you and your ‘attacker,’ this could signify how close you are to this issue or whether it is becoming part of the distant past.
Yikes – where are my clothes? If you find yourself naked and feeling horrified about it in your dreams, it might mean that you are feeling vulnerable and defenseless…or you are afraid of making a fool of yourself. Now, if you love feeling naked in your dreams, then you’ve got nothing to hide and are a free spirit.
Dreaming that your teeth fall out could mean that you feel powerless and that you are not being heard by others. It can also mean that you feel your appearance is not up to snuff or you fear getting old.
Dream Trivia
SNIPPETZ NEVER SLEEPS... WE JUST DREAM
"Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives."
-William Dement, Sleep Researcher
Everyone dreams (most mammals and even some bird species!), but not everyone agrees on what dreams really are or what they mean. Dreams have been a topic of speculation, study and theory for centuries. It is fairly agreed upon by the experts that dreams occur only during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep when brain activity is similar to wakefulness. Nonetheless, dreams have been and probably will continue to be a topic of fascination for most of us.
Dreams Throughout the Ages
During the Greek and Roman ages, dreams were a very significant part of life. People looked to their dreams to predict the future or to provide solutions to problems. Dreams were mostly thought of in a religious context as messages from ancestors or the gods.
Between about 100 and 300 B.C., it was believed that dreams had the power to heal the sick and were often part of medical diagnosis and cure. Temples were built for the sick to sleep in so that they could be healed by using their dreams.
Egyptians who had very vivid dreams were thought to be blessed and those who could interpret dreams, usually priests, were thought to have had the gift of interpretation bestowed upon them by God.
The Chinese believed that the soul left the body during a dream and that one should never be awakened lest the soul would not be able to return to the body.
By the Middle Ages, people saw dreams as temptations from the devil.
By the early 19th century, not much attention was paid to dreams as it was thought that they came from some type of anxiety with no meaning behind them.
Along Came Sigmund Freud
The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud began to study dreams as a way to understand personality. He believed that every thought and action was motivated by our unconscious minds. Fred described the mind as containing three parts: 1) the id, which is the childlike part of us that acts only on urges and desires; 2) the ego, which is the holder of our moral conscience; and 3) the superego, which is the great enforcer and keeps the id in check. Freud believed that dreams were the id’s opportunity to be free and express itself, and the job of the superego was to keep the id from remembering the more disturbing parts of dreams.
There have been many theories beyond Freud’s, but according to a study recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people tend to agree with Freud in that their dreams reveal hidden truths. The study also found that many people will make decisions based on information from dreams because they feel that their dreams give them insight.
Other Thoughts About Dreaming
There are many theories surrounding the function of dreams:
A clean up like a computer “defrag” that removes junk from the brain.
The fantasy involved in dreams satisfies the repressed parts of the mind.
Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist, believed that dreaming is an interaction between the conscious and the subconscious mind and may balance or compensate for our attitudes while awake.
Richard Coutts uses the term ‘emotional selection’ to describe the process by which we test mental schemas during the sleep process, and retain only those that are adaptable while discarding those that are maladaptive.
Ernest L. Hartmann, M.D. believes dreaming is likened to a psychotherapeutic experience in that it allows the dreamer to make connections about stressful and traumatic experiences in a “safe place.”
Through dreams we create new ideas that come from random thought mutations, although some are discarded by the mind as useless.
Dreams may lower stress levels and regulate mood.
Common Dream Themes
There are many people who make a living out of analyzing dreams. If interested in dream analysis, the first step is to write down as much of your dream content as possible and as quickly as possible. We forget 50 percent of our dreams within five minutes of waking and 90 percent within 10 minutes.
Interested in analyzing your own dreams? Here are some common dream themes and possible meanings. In most cases there are multiple potential meanings.
If you find yourself falling in your dreams, it might be a sign of anxiety, insecurity or feeling overwhelmed with either personal or work situations in your life. If you can’t hang on to something, then maybe you aren’t keeping up with things you think need to be done. Falling dreams may also signify insecurity and a fear of failing.
Flying dreams can be both positive and negative. On the positive side, if you dream about flying you may really feel in control, on top of the world and that you are unbeatable. It’s simply empowering. However, if you have difficulties with obstacles while flying, then you may have someone or something in your real life that is inhibiting your success. If you feel fearful of the flying experience, then you may lack self-confidence.
Taking an exam suggests that you are not prepared for some challenge or are feeling anxious about meeting the expectations of others. Test-taking dreams can be about breaking your pencil during an exam, forgetting to study or not being able to finish.
Are you being chased? This is another common anxiety dream when you are trying to hide or run from something or someone that wants to hurt you. Rather than confront the situation, you are running. If you want to delve deeper, depending on how much distance is between you and your ‘attacker,’ this could signify how close you are to this issue or whether it is becoming part of the distant past.
Yikes – where are my clothes? If you find yourself naked and feeling horrified about it in your dreams, it might mean that you are feeling vulnerable and defenseless…or you are afraid of making a fool of yourself. Now, if you love feeling naked in your dreams, then you’ve got nothing to hide and are a free spirit.
Dreaming that your teeth fall out could mean that you feel powerless and that you are not being heard by others. It can also mean that you feel your appearance is not up to snuff or you fear getting old.
Dream Trivia
- During a lifetime, a person spends about six years dreaming or only two hours per night.
- The majority of dreams last as short as five minutes and as long as 20 minutes.
- It is thought that the body is paralyzed during REM sleep due to suppression of neurotransmitters responsible for stimulating motor neurons. This condition is called REM atonia.
- About 65 percent of males and 70 percent of females experience recurring dreams.
- Most of us dream in color but about 12 percent dream in black and white, a number that has decreased since the 1960’s. Another example of the power of television and movies?
- A Déjà vu experience is viewed by some as the product of a previous dream experience that has been forgotten by the dreamer.
- Blind people dream and can see images in their dreams if they became blind after birth. Those that were born blind also dream, but their dreams involve the other senses, such as smell, touch, sound and emotions.
- People who quit after many years of smoking report more vivid dreams. They also find that quitters will dream about smoking, causing guilt and other negative emotions.
- There is no dreaming during snoring activity.
Issue 383
SNIPPETZ IS HAUNTED BY GHOSTWRITERS OF THE PAST
By Deborah Stumpf…Or Is It?
"When it comes to ghostwriting, instead of doing the haunting, the ghost becomes the haunted."
-Barbara Feinman Todd
Author and Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is someone who writes material such as books, articles and speeches for another individual who authorizes the writing. It is a common occurrence nowadays for ghostwriters to be hired to pen speeches and autobiographies for politicians, Hollywood stars and business executives, as well as ebooks and internet blogs. But ghostwriting has been around for a long time and is now a fruitful and somewhat respectable business, although some may argue that point. No one keeps statistics on how many books are written by ghostwriters, but some experts believe that nearly 50 percent of nonfiction books may be ghostwritten and up to 40 percent of fiction.
A Ghostly Past
It may have started as far back as the third millennium BC in Mesopotamia where characters were written in moist clay. Kings and other elite would dictate important issues of the time to scribes who would make imprints into the clay as well as make additional copies as necessary. No computers for this job. Later it was parchment in Egypt and wax tablets in Rome, only a slight improvement over clay.
The very first novel may very well have been “Tale of the Genji” written by a Japanese noblewoman, Murasaki Shikibu in early 11th century. At over 4,000 pages and 50 chapters, the masterpiece is rumored to have had a ghostwriter for part of the book. Apparently, beyond chapter 33, the book seems to be written in a different style. Some believe that it was Shikibu’s daughter, Daini no Sanmi who completed the book for her. Although the writing style was different, the work was true to Shikibu’s ideas.
Who Wrote It?
Ghostwriters tend to be one of those best kept secrets, which is part of the benefits for hiring a ghostwriter. However, many ghostwriters are given credit or a byline, as in being noted as a co-author or “as told by.” For the most part, the writing is the spirit and story of the author. The job of the ghostwriter is to spend considerable time interviewing and working with the author in order to put their story into words. There have been some notable books, however, where the ‘author’ has clearly not read all of the book they have written. Take “Ronald Reagan: An American Life,” ghosted by Robert Lindsey. The former president once said, "I hear it's a terrific book! One of these days I'm going to read it myself." Basketball star Charles Barkley accused his ghostwriter of misquoting him. Apparently Barkley didn’t read his autobiography either.
Some Famous Autobiographies and Nonfiction Works
• Robert Lindsey, Ronald Reagan’s ghostwriter, also wrote “Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me,” actor Marlon Brando’s autobiography.
• A.E. Hotchner wrote the autobiographies of Sophia Loren and Doris Day.
• “The Lonely Life: an autobiography,” Bette Davis’ autobiography, was ghostwritten by Sanford Dody in 1962.
• Errol Flynn’s autobiography, “My Wicked, Wicked Ways,” was ghosted by Earl Conrad. Conrad was a well-known author on his own as well as in collaboration with others. He wrote “Jim Crow America” along with nearly 20 other books.
• Rush Lumbaugh’s book, “The Way Things Ought to Be” was written in collaboration with John Fund.
• Fay Faurote ghosted Henry Ford’s “My Philosophy of Industry” in 1929.
• Supermodel Naomi Campbell hired ghostwriter Caroline Upcher for her 1994 autobiography “Swan.” Campbell was reportedly somewhat unfamiliar with some of the text in her autobiography.
• Ivana Trump reportedly paid big money ($350,000) to Camille Marchetta for writing “For Love Alone.”
• American Idol star Clay Aiken has already jumped on the bandwagon with an autobiography penned by Allison Glock titled “Learning to Sing.”
• Barbara Feinman Todd, the associate dean of journalism at Georgetown University, ghosted Hillary Clinton’s “It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us.” Feinman’s contribution was never credited within the book, causing quite a bit of controversy. Barbara Feinman Todd assisted in other notable works such as Bob Woodward’s “VEIL,” former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky’s “A Woman’s Place,” and Palestinian Hanan Ashrawi’s “This Side of Peace,” to name a few.
Notable Fiction
It might be less known that ghostwriters engage in fiction writing for creative ‘authors’ who have little time or insufficient writing skills or in the case of a series, the need for multiple writers. Author Edward Stratemeyer started a group of ghostwriters under the umbrella of Stratemeyer Syndicate in order to continue pumping out series such as Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, the Rover Boys and the Bobbsey Twins. The Animal Ark series authored by Lucy Daniels has obtained help from ghostwriters to publish more than 100 in that series. Ghostwriters are supplied with in-depth information regarding story lines, characters and goals in order to accomplish their task.
H.P. Lovecraft was an early 20th century author of horror and fantasy. He is most famous for “Cthulu Mythos,” which is considered the benchmark from which much modern horror and science fiction has come from. However, to make a living in the early days, he was a ghostwriter for others including Harry Houdini’s “Under the Pyramids,” “The Mound” by Zelia Bishop and “The Diary of Alonzo Typer” by William Lumley.
William Shatner also used a ghostwriter for his science fiction novels.
Alexandre Dumas was said to use as many as 70 ghostwriters, called ‘assistantes’ to write for “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”
Some of author Tom Clancy’s espionage and military thrillers have been written by ghostwriters. Clive Cussler, a techno-thriller author, also works closely with ghostwriters to produce his popular novels. Both authors give credit to their collaborators.
George Lucas’ “Star Wars” was written by Alan Dean Foster.
Writing for the Ghost
Some authors are so popular that ghostwriters continue to write under their name after death. For example, Andrew Neiderman wrote for Virginia Andrews, author of the “Flowers in the Attic” series. Andrews died in 1986, but the story lived on. Robert Ludlum wrote 25 thriller novels up until his death in 2001. Well-hidden ghostwriters continue to write faithful to his style.
To Write or Not to Write
There are probably as many theories about the actual authorship of William Shakespeare’s work as there are works by Shakespeare. Conspiracy theories have been abound since the 1700’s. Many arguments attest to the idea that Shakespeare could not have written his plays; arguments such as he was not educated enough and he was of such low social standing that it would be nearly impossible for him to know as much about faraway places as he wrote about. Others have been strongly suggested as the correct authors of Shakespeare’s work such as Queen Elizabeth I, Walter Raleigh and William Stanley, Earl of Derby. Three of the most notables are:
• Christopher Marlowe was a playwright who was reportedly stabbed to death in 1593 during a bar brawl. One theory purports that his death was faked so that he could be a spy for the crown and the author of poetry and plays under Shakespeare’s name. PBS “Frontline” produced a story about Marlowe in 2003.
• Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford and nobleman of Queen Elizabeth I’s court, was a well traveled and highly educated man. It is rumored that he may be the real author of Shakespeare’s work because there are similarities and parallels between the writing and de Vere’s life experiences. PBS also aired a story about Edward de Vere on “Frontline” in 1996.
• One of the more popular theories is that Francis Bacon, writer and philosopher has the most potential to author Shakespeare’s plays. The theory suggests that Bacon not only had the educational background, but he also wrote extensively about hidden ciphers and codes in written works. Some ‘Baconians’ have spent decades attempting to crack the code in Shakespeare’s work to prove the theory, but none have ever been proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community. Some also say that Bacon was a prolific writer on his own and would not have the time to ghostwrite. The debate continues.
More Ghostly Facts
• If ghostwriting sounds like an interesting career, U.S. News and World Report named it as one of the best career options for 2009.
• There are those who suggest that a large portion of articles submitted to medical journals are in fact ghostwritten by pharmaceutical companies who list noted academicians as their authors.
• Columnist Walter Winchell used ghostwriter Herman Klurfeld for more than 29 years to write several columns each week.
• “Profiles in Courage,” by John F. Kennedy is rumored to have been ghostwritten by Theodore Sorenson, Kennedy’s speechwriter. Both deny that the Pulitzer Prize winner was authored by anyone but Kennedy.
• Truman Capote may have been the ghostwriter of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
• Well, yes there are ghost singers. Remember the pop group Milli Vanilli? Not only did the group lip synch during live performances, but their recordings were also dubbed by anonymous singers.
SNIPPETZ IS HAUNTED BY GHOSTWRITERS OF THE PAST
By Deborah Stumpf…Or Is It?
"When it comes to ghostwriting, instead of doing the haunting, the ghost becomes the haunted."
-Barbara Feinman Todd
Author and Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is someone who writes material such as books, articles and speeches for another individual who authorizes the writing. It is a common occurrence nowadays for ghostwriters to be hired to pen speeches and autobiographies for politicians, Hollywood stars and business executives, as well as ebooks and internet blogs. But ghostwriting has been around for a long time and is now a fruitful and somewhat respectable business, although some may argue that point. No one keeps statistics on how many books are written by ghostwriters, but some experts believe that nearly 50 percent of nonfiction books may be ghostwritten and up to 40 percent of fiction.
A Ghostly Past
It may have started as far back as the third millennium BC in Mesopotamia where characters were written in moist clay. Kings and other elite would dictate important issues of the time to scribes who would make imprints into the clay as well as make additional copies as necessary. No computers for this job. Later it was parchment in Egypt and wax tablets in Rome, only a slight improvement over clay.
The very first novel may very well have been “Tale of the Genji” written by a Japanese noblewoman, Murasaki Shikibu in early 11th century. At over 4,000 pages and 50 chapters, the masterpiece is rumored to have had a ghostwriter for part of the book. Apparently, beyond chapter 33, the book seems to be written in a different style. Some believe that it was Shikibu’s daughter, Daini no Sanmi who completed the book for her. Although the writing style was different, the work was true to Shikibu’s ideas.
Who Wrote It?
Ghostwriters tend to be one of those best kept secrets, which is part of the benefits for hiring a ghostwriter. However, many ghostwriters are given credit or a byline, as in being noted as a co-author or “as told by.” For the most part, the writing is the spirit and story of the author. The job of the ghostwriter is to spend considerable time interviewing and working with the author in order to put their story into words. There have been some notable books, however, where the ‘author’ has clearly not read all of the book they have written. Take “Ronald Reagan: An American Life,” ghosted by Robert Lindsey. The former president once said, "I hear it's a terrific book! One of these days I'm going to read it myself." Basketball star Charles Barkley accused his ghostwriter of misquoting him. Apparently Barkley didn’t read his autobiography either.
Some Famous Autobiographies and Nonfiction Works
• Robert Lindsey, Ronald Reagan’s ghostwriter, also wrote “Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me,” actor Marlon Brando’s autobiography.
• A.E. Hotchner wrote the autobiographies of Sophia Loren and Doris Day.
• “The Lonely Life: an autobiography,” Bette Davis’ autobiography, was ghostwritten by Sanford Dody in 1962.
• Errol Flynn’s autobiography, “My Wicked, Wicked Ways,” was ghosted by Earl Conrad. Conrad was a well-known author on his own as well as in collaboration with others. He wrote “Jim Crow America” along with nearly 20 other books.
• Rush Lumbaugh’s book, “The Way Things Ought to Be” was written in collaboration with John Fund.
• Fay Faurote ghosted Henry Ford’s “My Philosophy of Industry” in 1929.
• Supermodel Naomi Campbell hired ghostwriter Caroline Upcher for her 1994 autobiography “Swan.” Campbell was reportedly somewhat unfamiliar with some of the text in her autobiography.
• Ivana Trump reportedly paid big money ($350,000) to Camille Marchetta for writing “For Love Alone.”
• American Idol star Clay Aiken has already jumped on the bandwagon with an autobiography penned by Allison Glock titled “Learning to Sing.”
• Barbara Feinman Todd, the associate dean of journalism at Georgetown University, ghosted Hillary Clinton’s “It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us.” Feinman’s contribution was never credited within the book, causing quite a bit of controversy. Barbara Feinman Todd assisted in other notable works such as Bob Woodward’s “VEIL,” former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky’s “A Woman’s Place,” and Palestinian Hanan Ashrawi’s “This Side of Peace,” to name a few.
Notable Fiction
It might be less known that ghostwriters engage in fiction writing for creative ‘authors’ who have little time or insufficient writing skills or in the case of a series, the need for multiple writers. Author Edward Stratemeyer started a group of ghostwriters under the umbrella of Stratemeyer Syndicate in order to continue pumping out series such as Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, the Rover Boys and the Bobbsey Twins. The Animal Ark series authored by Lucy Daniels has obtained help from ghostwriters to publish more than 100 in that series. Ghostwriters are supplied with in-depth information regarding story lines, characters and goals in order to accomplish their task.
H.P. Lovecraft was an early 20th century author of horror and fantasy. He is most famous for “Cthulu Mythos,” which is considered the benchmark from which much modern horror and science fiction has come from. However, to make a living in the early days, he was a ghostwriter for others including Harry Houdini’s “Under the Pyramids,” “The Mound” by Zelia Bishop and “The Diary of Alonzo Typer” by William Lumley.
William Shatner also used a ghostwriter for his science fiction novels.
Alexandre Dumas was said to use as many as 70 ghostwriters, called ‘assistantes’ to write for “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”
Some of author Tom Clancy’s espionage and military thrillers have been written by ghostwriters. Clive Cussler, a techno-thriller author, also works closely with ghostwriters to produce his popular novels. Both authors give credit to their collaborators.
George Lucas’ “Star Wars” was written by Alan Dean Foster.
Writing for the Ghost
Some authors are so popular that ghostwriters continue to write under their name after death. For example, Andrew Neiderman wrote for Virginia Andrews, author of the “Flowers in the Attic” series. Andrews died in 1986, but the story lived on. Robert Ludlum wrote 25 thriller novels up until his death in 2001. Well-hidden ghostwriters continue to write faithful to his style.
To Write or Not to Write
There are probably as many theories about the actual authorship of William Shakespeare’s work as there are works by Shakespeare. Conspiracy theories have been abound since the 1700’s. Many arguments attest to the idea that Shakespeare could not have written his plays; arguments such as he was not educated enough and he was of such low social standing that it would be nearly impossible for him to know as much about faraway places as he wrote about. Others have been strongly suggested as the correct authors of Shakespeare’s work such as Queen Elizabeth I, Walter Raleigh and William Stanley, Earl of Derby. Three of the most notables are:
• Christopher Marlowe was a playwright who was reportedly stabbed to death in 1593 during a bar brawl. One theory purports that his death was faked so that he could be a spy for the crown and the author of poetry and plays under Shakespeare’s name. PBS “Frontline” produced a story about Marlowe in 2003.
• Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford and nobleman of Queen Elizabeth I’s court, was a well traveled and highly educated man. It is rumored that he may be the real author of Shakespeare’s work because there are similarities and parallels between the writing and de Vere’s life experiences. PBS also aired a story about Edward de Vere on “Frontline” in 1996.
• One of the more popular theories is that Francis Bacon, writer and philosopher has the most potential to author Shakespeare’s plays. The theory suggests that Bacon not only had the educational background, but he also wrote extensively about hidden ciphers and codes in written works. Some ‘Baconians’ have spent decades attempting to crack the code in Shakespeare’s work to prove the theory, but none have ever been proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community. Some also say that Bacon was a prolific writer on his own and would not have the time to ghostwrite. The debate continues.
More Ghostly Facts
• If ghostwriting sounds like an interesting career, U.S. News and World Report named it as one of the best career options for 2009.
• There are those who suggest that a large portion of articles submitted to medical journals are in fact ghostwritten by pharmaceutical companies who list noted academicians as their authors.
• Columnist Walter Winchell used ghostwriter Herman Klurfeld for more than 29 years to write several columns each week.
• “Profiles in Courage,” by John F. Kennedy is rumored to have been ghostwritten by Theodore Sorenson, Kennedy’s speechwriter. Both deny that the Pulitzer Prize winner was authored by anyone but Kennedy.
• Truman Capote may have been the ghostwriter of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
• Well, yes there are ghost singers. Remember the pop group Milli Vanilli? Not only did the group lip synch during live performances, but their recordings were also dubbed by anonymous singers.
Issue 382
SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THE REAL MEANING OF NURSERY RHYMES
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon!
Jack and Jill went up the hill and Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater and many other nursery rhymes were part of our childhood and our kids’ childhood and grandparents, great grandparents and so on. So, who came up with nursery rhymes and why? No one knows for sure, but there are many guesses and theories. Most agree that many nursery rhymes were probably rooted in historical events, politics and gossip.
Why Rhyme It
We do know that most nursery rhymes originated in Great Britain beginning in the 17th century. There are some even older, such as “Sing a Song of Sixpence,” which was documented as coming from the Middle Ages. Some say nursery rhymes were written to provide children a way to learn concepts in language as well as math, or to soothe a fussy baby. Other say that most nursery rhymes were not written for the purpose of entertaining children, but would be made up to memorialize an important event, express feelings, spread gossip about royalty or as a way to express political views in an oppressive environment. Some hold gruesome contents, but seem like child’s play when sung or chanted in verse.
Hidden Meanings
The different rumors and theories surrounding the meaning of some well-known nursery rhymes are aplenty. Have you heard any of these?
Ring Around the Rosey for the Plague – Refers to the Great Plague of 1665. A “pocket full of posies” may refer to the herbs and spices that would go into the pocket of an ill person to freshen the air. “Ashes, Ashes” is the American version; “A-tishoo, A-tishoo” is the English version, mimicking the sound of a sneeze. “Well all fall down” refers to death. With that said, some say that this rhyme was around even before the Great Plague, so could not be connected.
Old Mother Hubbard Gets an Annulment – May refer to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who tried to get King Henry VIII’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon annulled. The symbols are the dog as Henry VIII, the cupboard as the Catholic Church and Old Mother Hubbard as the Cardinal. The bone, of course, is the sought after annulment.
Jack Be Nimble and Married – During wedding festivities people took turns jumping over a lit candle. If the candle stayed lit, the jumper would experience a year of good luck. If the candle was extinguished from the jumper’s breeze, then a year of bad luck would follow.
Humpty Dumpty the Canon – Humpty Dumpty was the nickname of the very large canon that was placed on the wall next to St. Mary’s Church in Colchester, England during the English Civil War of the mid 17th century. The Parliamentarians attacked the Royalists, damaging the wall where the Humpty Dumpty canon was placed (…came tumbling down). The canon was so heavy that the Royalists (the king’s men) couldn’t put it back on the wall. Eventually, the Royalists had to surrender to the Parliamentarians.
Goosey Goosey Gander Hides From Religious Persecution – One rumor purports that in the 16th century Catholic priests were said to hide from Protestants who would execute them for their beliefs. (“There I met an old man who wouldn’t say his prayers, so I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.”)
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and Bloody Mary Indeed – Mary refers to King Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary Tudor, a Catholic who persecuted the Protestants. The garden of silver bells and cockle shells are the nicknames of Mary’s favorite instruments of torture. The maids all in a row refer to the guillotines used for beheading the Protestant believers, referred to as maidens.
Three Blind Mice Go After Bloody Mary – Not too sharp, the three blind mice may refer to three Protestant noblemen who dared go up against Mary Tudor who had them burnt at the stake and dismembered rather than beheaded.
Rain, Rain Go to Spain; Never Show Your Face Again are the last two lines of the famous children’s poem “Rain, Rain go away.” It might be a stretch, but some say that the poem refers to the early 16th century when Spain and England were at each other’s throats on a regular basis. In 1588 when the Spanish Armada headed toward England, they were met by small but mighty English ships aided by a great rain storm. The attack failed and the Spaniards return to their homeland in fewer numbers than when they departed.
Little Jack Horner Bribes the King – Little Jack Horner is said to portray Thomas Horner, who was the steward of the Benedictine Monastery. Around 1540 after King Henry VIII (him again) denounced the Catholic Church, he began seizing all of the Catholic monasteries to rob them of any valuables. The Benedictine Monastery was the largest in the land and attempted to bribe the king by offering the deeds to other properties it held. It was Thomas Horner who was sent off to see the king with the deeds of 12 properties buried in a pie. (Hiding valuables in food was a common occurrence in those days.) Somewhere along the way, the story goes that Jack stuck his finger in the pie and pulled out one of the deeds. The story continues to include treachery and treason mixed in with the usual convictions and hangings. Nonetheless, Horner moved into one of those properties and generations of the Horner family lived there until the 20th century. The family denies any allegations that he may have stole the property.
Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater Stoops to Drastic Measures – Some say this has something to do with Halloween and must have originated in the U.S. since pumpkins were not grown in Great Britain where most nursery rhymes were originated. There are others who conjecture that Peter’s wife cheated on him (had a wife and couldn’t keep her) and the pumpkin (put her in a pumpkin shell) symbolized a chastity belt. Once locked up, she was not to wander again (and there he kept her, very well). Enough said about that one.
Who is Mother Goose?
Theories abound about where Mother Goose came from. Was it France, America or England? Whatever the case may be, the first known book of nursery rhymes was published in England in 1765. However, there is evidence that books called “chapbooks” were published in England as early as 1570 that contained various writings including rhymes for children.
A total of three Americans from the 19th century declared that a woman named Eliza Goose told stories to her grandchildren that were eventually published. There is no evidence of the publication they spoke of.
There are two theories that Mother Goose came from France. One is that Queen Goosefoot might have been Mother Goose even though she was nicknamed Goosefoot because one of her feet was bigger than the other. Another belief is that Bertha de Laon, Mother of Charlemagne was Mother Goose because it was believed that she was the model for a statue of a woman telling stories to children surrounding her. The most proof available is that the name Mother Goose has been found in French writing.
Finally, England, the home of many nursery rhymes is the focus of the third theory. A nursemaid named Martha Gooch from the 1700’s was said to sing rhymes to the children she cared for. She was teased for that and people starting calling her Mother Goose after the Queen of France.
London Bridge
There were various versions of the London Bridge, but in the rhyme, it’s always falling down no matter what it’s built from. The London bridge that was built in 1831 was sold to Lake Havasu City, Arizona in 1962. It was dismantled piece by piece and reconstructed to cross a channel connecting with Thompson Bay. The bridge still stands today at that location.
SNIPPETZ INVESTIGATES THE REAL MEANING OF NURSERY RHYMES
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon!
Jack and Jill went up the hill and Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater and many other nursery rhymes were part of our childhood and our kids’ childhood and grandparents, great grandparents and so on. So, who came up with nursery rhymes and why? No one knows for sure, but there are many guesses and theories. Most agree that many nursery rhymes were probably rooted in historical events, politics and gossip.
Why Rhyme It
We do know that most nursery rhymes originated in Great Britain beginning in the 17th century. There are some even older, such as “Sing a Song of Sixpence,” which was documented as coming from the Middle Ages. Some say nursery rhymes were written to provide children a way to learn concepts in language as well as math, or to soothe a fussy baby. Other say that most nursery rhymes were not written for the purpose of entertaining children, but would be made up to memorialize an important event, express feelings, spread gossip about royalty or as a way to express political views in an oppressive environment. Some hold gruesome contents, but seem like child’s play when sung or chanted in verse.
Hidden Meanings
The different rumors and theories surrounding the meaning of some well-known nursery rhymes are aplenty. Have you heard any of these?
Ring Around the Rosey for the Plague – Refers to the Great Plague of 1665. A “pocket full of posies” may refer to the herbs and spices that would go into the pocket of an ill person to freshen the air. “Ashes, Ashes” is the American version; “A-tishoo, A-tishoo” is the English version, mimicking the sound of a sneeze. “Well all fall down” refers to death. With that said, some say that this rhyme was around even before the Great Plague, so could not be connected.
Old Mother Hubbard Gets an Annulment – May refer to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who tried to get King Henry VIII’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon annulled. The symbols are the dog as Henry VIII, the cupboard as the Catholic Church and Old Mother Hubbard as the Cardinal. The bone, of course, is the sought after annulment.
Jack Be Nimble and Married – During wedding festivities people took turns jumping over a lit candle. If the candle stayed lit, the jumper would experience a year of good luck. If the candle was extinguished from the jumper’s breeze, then a year of bad luck would follow.
Humpty Dumpty the Canon – Humpty Dumpty was the nickname of the very large canon that was placed on the wall next to St. Mary’s Church in Colchester, England during the English Civil War of the mid 17th century. The Parliamentarians attacked the Royalists, damaging the wall where the Humpty Dumpty canon was placed (…came tumbling down). The canon was so heavy that the Royalists (the king’s men) couldn’t put it back on the wall. Eventually, the Royalists had to surrender to the Parliamentarians.
Goosey Goosey Gander Hides From Religious Persecution – One rumor purports that in the 16th century Catholic priests were said to hide from Protestants who would execute them for their beliefs. (“There I met an old man who wouldn’t say his prayers, so I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.”)
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and Bloody Mary Indeed – Mary refers to King Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary Tudor, a Catholic who persecuted the Protestants. The garden of silver bells and cockle shells are the nicknames of Mary’s favorite instruments of torture. The maids all in a row refer to the guillotines used for beheading the Protestant believers, referred to as maidens.
Three Blind Mice Go After Bloody Mary – Not too sharp, the three blind mice may refer to three Protestant noblemen who dared go up against Mary Tudor who had them burnt at the stake and dismembered rather than beheaded.
Rain, Rain Go to Spain; Never Show Your Face Again are the last two lines of the famous children’s poem “Rain, Rain go away.” It might be a stretch, but some say that the poem refers to the early 16th century when Spain and England were at each other’s throats on a regular basis. In 1588 when the Spanish Armada headed toward England, they were met by small but mighty English ships aided by a great rain storm. The attack failed and the Spaniards return to their homeland in fewer numbers than when they departed.
Little Jack Horner Bribes the King – Little Jack Horner is said to portray Thomas Horner, who was the steward of the Benedictine Monastery. Around 1540 after King Henry VIII (him again) denounced the Catholic Church, he began seizing all of the Catholic monasteries to rob them of any valuables. The Benedictine Monastery was the largest in the land and attempted to bribe the king by offering the deeds to other properties it held. It was Thomas Horner who was sent off to see the king with the deeds of 12 properties buried in a pie. (Hiding valuables in food was a common occurrence in those days.) Somewhere along the way, the story goes that Jack stuck his finger in the pie and pulled out one of the deeds. The story continues to include treachery and treason mixed in with the usual convictions and hangings. Nonetheless, Horner moved into one of those properties and generations of the Horner family lived there until the 20th century. The family denies any allegations that he may have stole the property.
Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater Stoops to Drastic Measures – Some say this has something to do with Halloween and must have originated in the U.S. since pumpkins were not grown in Great Britain where most nursery rhymes were originated. There are others who conjecture that Peter’s wife cheated on him (had a wife and couldn’t keep her) and the pumpkin (put her in a pumpkin shell) symbolized a chastity belt. Once locked up, she was not to wander again (and there he kept her, very well). Enough said about that one.
Who is Mother Goose?
Theories abound about where Mother Goose came from. Was it France, America or England? Whatever the case may be, the first known book of nursery rhymes was published in England in 1765. However, there is evidence that books called “chapbooks” were published in England as early as 1570 that contained various writings including rhymes for children.
A total of three Americans from the 19th century declared that a woman named Eliza Goose told stories to her grandchildren that were eventually published. There is no evidence of the publication they spoke of.
There are two theories that Mother Goose came from France. One is that Queen Goosefoot might have been Mother Goose even though she was nicknamed Goosefoot because one of her feet was bigger than the other. Another belief is that Bertha de Laon, Mother of Charlemagne was Mother Goose because it was believed that she was the model for a statue of a woman telling stories to children surrounding her. The most proof available is that the name Mother Goose has been found in French writing.
Finally, England, the home of many nursery rhymes is the focus of the third theory. A nursemaid named Martha Gooch from the 1700’s was said to sing rhymes to the children she cared for. She was teased for that and people starting calling her Mother Goose after the Queen of France.
London Bridge
There were various versions of the London Bridge, but in the rhyme, it’s always falling down no matter what it’s built from. The London bridge that was built in 1831 was sold to Lake Havasu City, Arizona in 1962. It was dismantled piece by piece and reconstructed to cross a channel connecting with Thompson Bay. The bridge still stands today at that location.
Issue 381
SNIPPETZ FORECASTS THE WEATHER... OR NOT
Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.
¬-Author unknown
On Feb. 2, 2009, the infamous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow which we all know translates into the dire prediction that there are six more weeks of winter. Okay, that’s an easy one – when was the last time spring started at the beginning of February? Some might say that the groundhog’s predictions are about as good as the weather forecasters we see on television – sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Some might say all one has to do is go outside and see what is happening and get a better prediction than the weatherman. Oh, but it’s not so. Predicting the weather is a complicated science, but far from perfect.
Early Predictions
Folks have been trying to predict the weather since the beginning of time. Records go as far back as 650 B.C. when the Babylonians used astronomy and cloud patterns to make predictions. In 340 B.C., Aristotle wrote “Meterologica” where he discussed his theories on earth science to include earthquakes, weather and the evaporation of water. Many would watch the behavior of animals and plants to get clues about the upcoming weather. For example, if cows lay down or ants went uphill, it meant rain was coming.
Weather Lore
Before modern day technological advances, people used all kinds of observations and folklore to predict the weather. The western sky was always a clue since trade winds carry weather systems from west to east. Much lore has some truth to it, but most of it is dependent on where you are in the world as to whether it might apply.
“Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning."
A red sky at sunset can signal fair weather. With high pressure, air sinks and holds onto contaminants in the air making the sky appear redder at sunset. High pressure usually means pleasant weather. And the opposite, a red sky in the east in the morning can mean that the high pressure has already passed and that low pressure with its accompanying clouds and storms can be close on the way.
"Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning."
Because weather generally moves from the west to east, a rainbow in the west means that rain is on its way.
"Clear moon, frost soon."
We’ve heard this one before. When cloud cover moves away, the earth’s heat radiates away and the earth cools more quickly, which can cause a frost if there is enough moisture available.
"When the stars begin to huddle, the earth will soon become a puddle."
When cloud cover increases at night, the visible stars may appear closer or “huddled” together. Stars don’t have anything to do with the possible increase in rain, but the clouds certainly do.
Meteorology 101
It’s all about the sun and the air surrounding the earth. The sun heats the air and either causes water evaporation or rising air. As the air rises, the temperature drops, moisture cools and causes small droplets that form clouds. When there are too many droplets of water and the clouds become too heavy, the moisture falls in the form of rain. Factor in mountains, oceans and other geographical differences, and therein lies the challenge in prediction.
Many instruments are involved in weather prediction including barometers that measure air pressure, thermometers that measure temperature, anemometers that measure wind speed, hygrometers that measure humidity, barometers that measure air pressure, weather vanes for wind direction, as well as radar and satellites.
Once data from these various instruments located all over the country gets to the weather service in Maryland, they are then input into computers which then make weather maps. The maps will show isobars, which are lines separating high and low pressure areas, weather fronts, air masses, cloud cover and areas of precipitation. From these, forecasts can be made.
A Career in Meteorology
Where else can you get a job where you can get paid for being right 50 percent of the time? A career in meteorology begins with high school coursework – physics, chemistry, earth science, mathematics (lots of it), computer science, writing and any and all foreign languages. In college, an undergraduate program in atmospheric science or meteorology may be sufficient unless you want to be a researcher. Then you need a master’s and most likely a doctorate. Coursework is loaded with physics, engineering, mathematics and chemistry. There is no basket-weaving for this field of study. Specialties are available in many areas such as agricultural meteorology and global change research, requiring additional coursework in oceanography, biology, ecology and geophysics.
Weather Records
• Alaska and Hawaii are the only two states that have record highs that have never gone above 100 degrees.
• Vostok, Antarctica has some of the most notable temperatures at -129 degrees as the coldest in the world in 1983 and a high of 59 degrees in 1974.
• The highest temperature in the world was 136 degrees in El Azizia, Libya in 1922.
• In North America, the highest was 134 degrees in Death Valley, Calif. In 1913.
• Umiat, Alaska has the coldest average temperature in the U.S. of 10.1 degrees.
• The highest temperature ever reported in Colorado was in Bennett in 1888 of 118 degrees.
• The lowest reported Colorado temperature was -61 degrees in Maybell in 1985. Maybell is located in the northwest corner of the state about 60 miles from Craig.
• There has never been a recorded drop of rainfall in Atacama Desert, Chile.
Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful
Let’s talk snow.
What a difference 15-20 miles can make. The average annual snowfall for Colorado Springs is about 42 inches; and for Monument, it’s just over 100 inches.
About 70 percent of the snowfall in the U.S. happens during Dec., Jan. and Feb, except for those of us on the eastern slopes of the Rockies who experience our snowiest months in March and April.
• Silver Lake, Colo. holds the record for the most snow in 24 hours in 1921 of 76 inches.
• Mount Baker, Wash. holds the record for the most snow in one season at 189 inches, also in 1921.
• Surprisingly, areas of California hold some impressive records. In a one-month period of time, Tamarack, Calif. received 390 inches in 1911; Mt. Shasta Ski Bowl received 189 inches in a single snowstorm in 1959.
Can’t Get Enough Weather?
• Groundhog Day was started by the Germans who thought that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, then there would be another six months of winter. Feb. 2 is the Christian holiday, Candlemas. Candlemas marks the middle of winter – halfway between the first day of winter and the spring equinox. The day was called Candlemas because it was the day that all of the candles that were to be used in the church were brought in and blessed for the year.
• Except for nine years of no records since 1887, the groundhog has seen his shadow a total of 97 times and has not seen it a total of 15 times.
• Las Vegas, Nev. is the least humid city in the U.S.
• If you count the number of chirps a cricket makes in 15 seconds and then add 37, you will get a close approximation of the temperature outside. It’s a free thermometer.
• Lightening can indeed strike twice in the same place and strike repeatedly. The most on record is 22 strikes in a multiple flash.
• One Mississippi, two Mississippi – if you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightening and the sound of thunder and divide that by two, you will get the number of miles you are from the lightening strike.
• Let’s not forget that lightening isn’t all bad. In 1752, it was Benjamin Franklin who experienced a lightening strike while flying a kite with a key attached to it that demonstrated electricity.
• National Weatherman’s Day is celebrated on February 5 each year in honor of John Jeffries, an American scientist and physician who was the first to use balloons to measure winds and the atmosphere at different altitudes.
SNIPPETZ FORECASTS THE WEATHER... OR NOT
Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.
¬-Author unknown
On Feb. 2, 2009, the infamous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow which we all know translates into the dire prediction that there are six more weeks of winter. Okay, that’s an easy one – when was the last time spring started at the beginning of February? Some might say that the groundhog’s predictions are about as good as the weather forecasters we see on television – sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Some might say all one has to do is go outside and see what is happening and get a better prediction than the weatherman. Oh, but it’s not so. Predicting the weather is a complicated science, but far from perfect.
Early Predictions
Folks have been trying to predict the weather since the beginning of time. Records go as far back as 650 B.C. when the Babylonians used astronomy and cloud patterns to make predictions. In 340 B.C., Aristotle wrote “Meterologica” where he discussed his theories on earth science to include earthquakes, weather and the evaporation of water. Many would watch the behavior of animals and plants to get clues about the upcoming weather. For example, if cows lay down or ants went uphill, it meant rain was coming.
Weather Lore
Before modern day technological advances, people used all kinds of observations and folklore to predict the weather. The western sky was always a clue since trade winds carry weather systems from west to east. Much lore has some truth to it, but most of it is dependent on where you are in the world as to whether it might apply.
“Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning."
A red sky at sunset can signal fair weather. With high pressure, air sinks and holds onto contaminants in the air making the sky appear redder at sunset. High pressure usually means pleasant weather. And the opposite, a red sky in the east in the morning can mean that the high pressure has already passed and that low pressure with its accompanying clouds and storms can be close on the way.
"Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning."
Because weather generally moves from the west to east, a rainbow in the west means that rain is on its way.
"Clear moon, frost soon."
We’ve heard this one before. When cloud cover moves away, the earth’s heat radiates away and the earth cools more quickly, which can cause a frost if there is enough moisture available.
"When the stars begin to huddle, the earth will soon become a puddle."
When cloud cover increases at night, the visible stars may appear closer or “huddled” together. Stars don’t have anything to do with the possible increase in rain, but the clouds certainly do.
Meteorology 101
It’s all about the sun and the air surrounding the earth. The sun heats the air and either causes water evaporation or rising air. As the air rises, the temperature drops, moisture cools and causes small droplets that form clouds. When there are too many droplets of water and the clouds become too heavy, the moisture falls in the form of rain. Factor in mountains, oceans and other geographical differences, and therein lies the challenge in prediction.
Many instruments are involved in weather prediction including barometers that measure air pressure, thermometers that measure temperature, anemometers that measure wind speed, hygrometers that measure humidity, barometers that measure air pressure, weather vanes for wind direction, as well as radar and satellites.
Once data from these various instruments located all over the country gets to the weather service in Maryland, they are then input into computers which then make weather maps. The maps will show isobars, which are lines separating high and low pressure areas, weather fronts, air masses, cloud cover and areas of precipitation. From these, forecasts can be made.
A Career in Meteorology
Where else can you get a job where you can get paid for being right 50 percent of the time? A career in meteorology begins with high school coursework – physics, chemistry, earth science, mathematics (lots of it), computer science, writing and any and all foreign languages. In college, an undergraduate program in atmospheric science or meteorology may be sufficient unless you want to be a researcher. Then you need a master’s and most likely a doctorate. Coursework is loaded with physics, engineering, mathematics and chemistry. There is no basket-weaving for this field of study. Specialties are available in many areas such as agricultural meteorology and global change research, requiring additional coursework in oceanography, biology, ecology and geophysics.
Weather Records
• Alaska and Hawaii are the only two states that have record highs that have never gone above 100 degrees.
• Vostok, Antarctica has some of the most notable temperatures at -129 degrees as the coldest in the world in 1983 and a high of 59 degrees in 1974.
• The highest temperature in the world was 136 degrees in El Azizia, Libya in 1922.
• In North America, the highest was 134 degrees in Death Valley, Calif. In 1913.
• Umiat, Alaska has the coldest average temperature in the U.S. of 10.1 degrees.
• The highest temperature ever reported in Colorado was in Bennett in 1888 of 118 degrees.
• The lowest reported Colorado temperature was -61 degrees in Maybell in 1985. Maybell is located in the northwest corner of the state about 60 miles from Craig.
• There has never been a recorded drop of rainfall in Atacama Desert, Chile.
Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful
Let’s talk snow.
What a difference 15-20 miles can make. The average annual snowfall for Colorado Springs is about 42 inches; and for Monument, it’s just over 100 inches.
About 70 percent of the snowfall in the U.S. happens during Dec., Jan. and Feb, except for those of us on the eastern slopes of the Rockies who experience our snowiest months in March and April.
• Silver Lake, Colo. holds the record for the most snow in 24 hours in 1921 of 76 inches.
• Mount Baker, Wash. holds the record for the most snow in one season at 189 inches, also in 1921.
• Surprisingly, areas of California hold some impressive records. In a one-month period of time, Tamarack, Calif. received 390 inches in 1911; Mt. Shasta Ski Bowl received 189 inches in a single snowstorm in 1959.
Can’t Get Enough Weather?
• Groundhog Day was started by the Germans who thought that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, then there would be another six months of winter. Feb. 2 is the Christian holiday, Candlemas. Candlemas marks the middle of winter – halfway between the first day of winter and the spring equinox. The day was called Candlemas because it was the day that all of the candles that were to be used in the church were brought in and blessed for the year.
• Except for nine years of no records since 1887, the groundhog has seen his shadow a total of 97 times and has not seen it a total of 15 times.
• Las Vegas, Nev. is the least humid city in the U.S.
• If you count the number of chirps a cricket makes in 15 seconds and then add 37, you will get a close approximation of the temperature outside. It’s a free thermometer.
• Lightening can indeed strike twice in the same place and strike repeatedly. The most on record is 22 strikes in a multiple flash.
• One Mississippi, two Mississippi – if you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightening and the sound of thunder and divide that by two, you will get the number of miles you are from the lightening strike.
• Let’s not forget that lightening isn’t all bad. In 1752, it was Benjamin Franklin who experienced a lightening strike while flying a kite with a key attached to it that demonstrated electricity.
• National Weatherman’s Day is celebrated on February 5 each year in honor of John Jeffries, an American scientist and physician who was the first to use balloons to measure winds and the atmosphere at different altitudes.
Issue 380
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES ROMANCE
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
-William Shakespeare
as spoken by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet
Let’s face it – Valentine’s Day, the day of romance is big business. The average American spends about $120 on the holiday with men spending about twice as much as women do. Over one billion cards are exchanged each year, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular card giving occasion next to Christmas. Enough to make a Hallmark store giddy. Roses are the most popular gift item, which can cost upwards of $75 per dozen of the long-stemmed variety for Valentine’s Day purchase. Valentine’s Day has a long history and is surrounded by some interesting legends.
Not Always a Hallmark Holiday
There are many legends surrounding St. Valentine, who he was and how Valentine’s Day got started. One of the legends purports that Valentine was a Roman priest in the third century. At that time, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage because he felt that single men made better soldiers. It was said that Valentine secretly performed marriages anyway, and once found out by the Emperor, he was put to death. Another legend contends that Valentine was put to death for helping Christians escape prison. The legend further states that Valentine actually wrote the very first Valentine to his jailer’s daughter who visited him before his death. He allegedly signed the letter “From Your Valentine.”
Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in mid February because the Christian church wanted to ‘Christianize’ the celebration of a pagan festival called Lupercalia, which was essentially a fertility festival. In ancient Roman times, spring was thought to begin in February and was celebrated with acts symbolizing purification. Homes were cleaned and then sprinkled with salt and wheat spelt said to bring fertility. Some animals were sacrificed, of course, and young boys would take strips of goat hide, dip them in sacrificial blood and slap both women and fields of crops with the strips. This was not offensive to the women as they believed that this would make them more fertile for the upcoming year.
And that’s not all. That same day, the young women in town would write their names on a piece of paper and place it in a big urn in the middle of the city. Bachelor’s would pick a name out of the urn and would be paired with the woman chosen for the remainder of the year. Although many of these matches would result in marriage, the practice was eventually outlawed by the church.
The First Valentines
Other than St. Valentine’s rumored handwritten valentine, the first known valentine was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife in 1415. Charles was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.
A few years later, King Henry V was said to have hired a writer to compose a valentine poem for Catherine of Valois.
By the mid 18th century, it became popular to exchange handwritten notes for Valentine’s Day. Manufactured or ready-made cards were available by the end of the 18th century and soon replaced the handwritten love note.
It wasn’t until around the early 1700’s that valentines were commonly exchanged in the U.S. Esther A. Howland was the first to sell valentines in this country. She is known as the Mother of the Valentine with her fancy lace and ribbons designs. She sold her valentines to mainly the wealthy and charged about $5 each.
Famous Romantics
Giacomo Casanova was born in Venice in the early 18th century and was well-known for his romantic exploits throughout Europe. He was expelled from a seminary for scandalous conduct and then pursued careers as a magician and violinist. It was his posthumously published autobiography that gave him more than the usual 15 minutes of fame.
Shah Jahan, once emperor at Agra of India knew how to show his love for a woman. He had the Taj Mahal built in honor of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal who died while giving birth to their 14th child. At the center of the building lies the coffin of Mumtaz. Built in 1631 after 22 years of work by more than 20,000 laborers, the monument to his love remains an icon of India.
Elizabeth Taylor, American actress and beauty is so fond of love that she married eight times, twice to the same man, actor Richard Burton. Taylor referred to Burton as one of the two great loves of her life, the other being Mike Todd, a film producer who died in a plane crash in 1958.
Geographically Romantic
A trip to one of these places could be a romantic adventure:
Loveland, CO
Loveland, OH
Loveland, OK
Lovejoy, GA
Loving, NM
Loves Park, IL
Romeo, CO
Romeo, MI
Romeoville, IL
Big Screen Romance
Want to see a romantic movie with your sweetie? Here are a few oldies but goodies:
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Casablanca (1942)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Roman Holiday (1953)
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Out of Africa (1985)
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Famous Valentine’s Day Weddings
Many couples choose to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day. Here are a few of the more famous holiday weddings. (Those living couples that are still married are questionable. No one said it was a lucky day to be married!)
Elton John and Renate Blauel, 1984
Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, 1991
Amelia Earhart and Geot Putnam, 1931
The Captain and Tennille, 1974
Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and Melinda Ledbetter, 1994
Paul Anka and Marie Ann DeZogheb, 1963
U.S. President Martin Van Buren and Hannah Hoes, 1807
Roseanne (actress) and Ben Thomas, 1994
Prince (singer) and Mayte Garcia, 1996
Sharon Stone and Phil Bronstein, 1998
Diane Ladd and Robert Charles Hunter, 1999
Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) and Deborah Koons, 1994
Getting High on Love
The Empire State Building and Brides.com are hosting a wedding for 14 couples on Valentine’s Day at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City. Each couple will enjoy a private ceremony with up to 20 guests, the first ceremony scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. The Empire State Building has played host to more than 220 Valentine’s Day weddings over the past 15 years.
The Colors of Love
Red – warmth and feeling (as in the heart)
Pink – innocence
White – purity
More Love Stuff
• More than nine million pet owners will purchase Valentine’s gifts for their pets.
• More than 50 percent of the one billion Valentine’s cards exchanged are purchased in the six days prior to the actual holiday.
• Fifteen percent of women send themselves flowers.
• Not everyone likes Valentine’s Day. There are amoraphobics who have a fear of love), gamophobics who fear the institution of marriage, androphobics who fear men and gynophobics who have a fear of women. What do you suppose they do on Valentine’s Day?
• The majority of the 110 million long-stemmed roses purchased for Valentine’s Day giving come from South America.
• Valentine’s Day is celebrated only in the U.S., Australia, Canada, the U.K., France and Mexico.
• Verona, Italy, home of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet receives about 1,000 love letters addressed to the fictional Juliet each year for Valentine’s Day.
• Hallmark came along in 1913 to produce its first valentine.
• In Japan, it’s women who give men chocolate on Valentine’s Day and men give the gifts on March 14, called White Day. This tradition was started by a Japanese chocolate company.
• Wearing your heart on your sleeve? During the Middle Ages, men and women would draw names of their valentines from a bowl and wear the names pinned to their sleeves for the week.
On This Day
• The first ever photograph of a U.S. president was taken on Valentine’s Day in 1849 of President James Polk by Matthew Brady.
• First Lady Jackie Kennedy hosted the first tour of the White House which aired on national television on Feb. 14, 1962.
• A scientist, Sir Alexander Fleming introduced penicillin as a cure for bacterial infections on Feb. 14, 1929.
• The ancient Egyptians believed that the vein of love ran from the fourth finger directly to the heart, which is why the wedding ring is worn on this finger.
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES ROMANCE
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
-William Shakespeare
as spoken by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet
Let’s face it – Valentine’s Day, the day of romance is big business. The average American spends about $120 on the holiday with men spending about twice as much as women do. Over one billion cards are exchanged each year, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular card giving occasion next to Christmas. Enough to make a Hallmark store giddy. Roses are the most popular gift item, which can cost upwards of $75 per dozen of the long-stemmed variety for Valentine’s Day purchase. Valentine’s Day has a long history and is surrounded by some interesting legends.
Not Always a Hallmark Holiday
There are many legends surrounding St. Valentine, who he was and how Valentine’s Day got started. One of the legends purports that Valentine was a Roman priest in the third century. At that time, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage because he felt that single men made better soldiers. It was said that Valentine secretly performed marriages anyway, and once found out by the Emperor, he was put to death. Another legend contends that Valentine was put to death for helping Christians escape prison. The legend further states that Valentine actually wrote the very first Valentine to his jailer’s daughter who visited him before his death. He allegedly signed the letter “From Your Valentine.”
Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in mid February because the Christian church wanted to ‘Christianize’ the celebration of a pagan festival called Lupercalia, which was essentially a fertility festival. In ancient Roman times, spring was thought to begin in February and was celebrated with acts symbolizing purification. Homes were cleaned and then sprinkled with salt and wheat spelt said to bring fertility. Some animals were sacrificed, of course, and young boys would take strips of goat hide, dip them in sacrificial blood and slap both women and fields of crops with the strips. This was not offensive to the women as they believed that this would make them more fertile for the upcoming year.
And that’s not all. That same day, the young women in town would write their names on a piece of paper and place it in a big urn in the middle of the city. Bachelor’s would pick a name out of the urn and would be paired with the woman chosen for the remainder of the year. Although many of these matches would result in marriage, the practice was eventually outlawed by the church.
The First Valentines
Other than St. Valentine’s rumored handwritten valentine, the first known valentine was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife in 1415. Charles was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.
A few years later, King Henry V was said to have hired a writer to compose a valentine poem for Catherine of Valois.
By the mid 18th century, it became popular to exchange handwritten notes for Valentine’s Day. Manufactured or ready-made cards were available by the end of the 18th century and soon replaced the handwritten love note.
It wasn’t until around the early 1700’s that valentines were commonly exchanged in the U.S. Esther A. Howland was the first to sell valentines in this country. She is known as the Mother of the Valentine with her fancy lace and ribbons designs. She sold her valentines to mainly the wealthy and charged about $5 each.
Famous Romantics
Giacomo Casanova was born in Venice in the early 18th century and was well-known for his romantic exploits throughout Europe. He was expelled from a seminary for scandalous conduct and then pursued careers as a magician and violinist. It was his posthumously published autobiography that gave him more than the usual 15 minutes of fame.
Shah Jahan, once emperor at Agra of India knew how to show his love for a woman. He had the Taj Mahal built in honor of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal who died while giving birth to their 14th child. At the center of the building lies the coffin of Mumtaz. Built in 1631 after 22 years of work by more than 20,000 laborers, the monument to his love remains an icon of India.
Elizabeth Taylor, American actress and beauty is so fond of love that she married eight times, twice to the same man, actor Richard Burton. Taylor referred to Burton as one of the two great loves of her life, the other being Mike Todd, a film producer who died in a plane crash in 1958.
Geographically Romantic
A trip to one of these places could be a romantic adventure:
Loveland, CO
Loveland, OH
Loveland, OK
Lovejoy, GA
Loving, NM
Loves Park, IL
Romeo, CO
Romeo, MI
Romeoville, IL
Big Screen Romance
Want to see a romantic movie with your sweetie? Here are a few oldies but goodies:
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Casablanca (1942)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Roman Holiday (1953)
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Out of Africa (1985)
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Famous Valentine’s Day Weddings
Many couples choose to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day. Here are a few of the more famous holiday weddings. (Those living couples that are still married are questionable. No one said it was a lucky day to be married!)
Elton John and Renate Blauel, 1984
Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, 1991
Amelia Earhart and Geot Putnam, 1931
The Captain and Tennille, 1974
Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and Melinda Ledbetter, 1994
Paul Anka and Marie Ann DeZogheb, 1963
U.S. President Martin Van Buren and Hannah Hoes, 1807
Roseanne (actress) and Ben Thomas, 1994
Prince (singer) and Mayte Garcia, 1996
Sharon Stone and Phil Bronstein, 1998
Diane Ladd and Robert Charles Hunter, 1999
Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) and Deborah Koons, 1994
Getting High on Love
The Empire State Building and Brides.com are hosting a wedding for 14 couples on Valentine’s Day at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City. Each couple will enjoy a private ceremony with up to 20 guests, the first ceremony scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. The Empire State Building has played host to more than 220 Valentine’s Day weddings over the past 15 years.
The Colors of Love
Red – warmth and feeling (as in the heart)
Pink – innocence
White – purity
More Love Stuff
• More than nine million pet owners will purchase Valentine’s gifts for their pets.
• More than 50 percent of the one billion Valentine’s cards exchanged are purchased in the six days prior to the actual holiday.
• Fifteen percent of women send themselves flowers.
• Not everyone likes Valentine’s Day. There are amoraphobics who have a fear of love), gamophobics who fear the institution of marriage, androphobics who fear men and gynophobics who have a fear of women. What do you suppose they do on Valentine’s Day?
• The majority of the 110 million long-stemmed roses purchased for Valentine’s Day giving come from South America.
• Valentine’s Day is celebrated only in the U.S., Australia, Canada, the U.K., France and Mexico.
• Verona, Italy, home of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet receives about 1,000 love letters addressed to the fictional Juliet each year for Valentine’s Day.
• Hallmark came along in 1913 to produce its first valentine.
• In Japan, it’s women who give men chocolate on Valentine’s Day and men give the gifts on March 14, called White Day. This tradition was started by a Japanese chocolate company.
• Wearing your heart on your sleeve? During the Middle Ages, men and women would draw names of their valentines from a bowl and wear the names pinned to their sleeves for the week.
On This Day
• The first ever photograph of a U.S. president was taken on Valentine’s Day in 1849 of President James Polk by Matthew Brady.
• First Lady Jackie Kennedy hosted the first tour of the White House which aired on national television on Feb. 14, 1962.
• A scientist, Sir Alexander Fleming introduced penicillin as a cure for bacterial infections on Feb. 14, 1929.
• The ancient Egyptians believed that the vein of love ran from the fourth finger directly to the heart, which is why the wedding ring is worn on this finger.
Issue 379
SNIPPETZ HONORS SCOUTING - HAPPY 99th BIRTHDAY, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA!
"Following the Scout Law sounds like a game plan that would give us all a better chance for success in life – and I mean every area of life."
-Zig Ziglar, author and motivational speaker
On Feb. 8, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) marks its 99th anniversary. The growing organization boasts a membership of over five million with more than 110 million members since its 1910 inception. The BSA provides opportunities for young boys to learn responsibility, character development, good citizenship and practice core values such as honesty while participating in activities such as camping, hiking and aquatics.
Time Flies…
The first known scouting program began in 1907 in England by Lord Baden-Powell, a military hero who wrote a manual on survival in the wild. Once he discovered that young boys were reading his manual and practicing the skills he described, he rewrote it in a nonmilitary style and named it “Scouting for Boys.” He tested his book out on a group of boys that he took on a camping trip and scouting was born.
William D. Boyce, an American visitor to England in 1909 found himself somewhat lost on a street in London. A boy stopped and asked if he could help Boyce. After he took Boyce to his destination, he was offered a tip and refused. He told Boyce that he was a Scout and wanted to help. After his meeting, Boyce asked the Scout to take him to the scouting office where he met Baden-Powell and learned all about scouting in England. When Boyce returned to the U.S., he started the Boy Scouts of America with Ernest Thompson Seton, a naturalist who had started an organization called Woodcraft Indians, and Daniel Carter Beard, also a naturalist who had started an organization called Sons of Daniel Boone. James E. West, a successful attorney who was an orphan and was disabled, became the first chief executive in 1911, eventually retiring in 1943.
No one ever found out who the young Scout was who did a good turn in helping William Boyce get to his meeting destination. Chances are he had no idea what his good deed turned into.
Organization
The Boy Scout program consists of six groups depending on age and interest areas. The Tiger Cubs are for 7-year-olds, Cub Scouts for 8 to 10-year-olds, Webelos Scouts are for 10-year-olds, Boy Scouting for 11 to 17-year-olds, Varsity Scouting from 14 to 17-year-olds and Venturing for those 14 to 20 years old. The Venturing program is open to both young men and women. Cub Scouts are organized into packs containing groups of dens. Boy Scouts are in troops made up of patrols. Varsity Scouting has teams and Venturing are crews. Within Venturing is a group called Sea Scouts that focuses on maritime and boating activities. Their units are called ships. All of the groups are called units and a group of units in a geographic area is called a District. One or more districts are organized in a local group called a Council. The more than 300 councils in the U.S. are managed by paid staff whereas all groups/units are run by volunteers and are sometimes sponsored by a community organization such as a school, church or other group who provides a meeting place and adult leadership.
Badge Work is Never Done
Each level of Scouts has different types of activities and earning programs. Cub Scouts earn badges and Boy Scouts earn merit badges which allow them to advance through ranks. The Venturing program offers the highest award honors that include Bronze, Ranger, Gold, Silver and Quest. The highest ranking in scouting is the Eagle Scout and requires fulfillment of specific requirements in outdoor skills, leadership and community service.
Good Turns
Scouts take their slogan of “Do a Good Turn Daily” seriously. Since their inception, Scouts have provided service within their communities, their country and the world.
• In 1912, Scouts promote a safe Fourth of July as a national civic project.
• Worked in connection with floods in San Antonio, Texas and Pueblo, Colo., as well as collecting food and clothing and providing other help after Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina.
• Scouts collected two million pounds of clothing in 1951 for both domestic and foreign relief efforts.
• In both 1952 and 1956, Scouts distributed millions of posters and Liberty Bell doorknob hangers for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote campaigns.
• In 1952, Scouts worked on a national campaign to collect clothing for the poor, distribute seeds for Asia and obtain blood donor pledges. They conducted a National Conservation Good Turn two years later, distributing 3.6 million posters and arranging displays, planting 6.2 million trees and building 55,000 bird-nesting boxes.
• Scouts delivered 40 million emergency preparedness handbooks as well as placing 50,000 posters in post offices for the Office of Civil Defense Mobilization in 1958.
• Since 1972, both boy and Girl Scouts have participated in Keep America Beautiful Day in June, collecting millions of tons of litter.
• In 1986, Scouts start a nationwide Donor Awareness Good Turn to raise awareness of the need for human organ donations by distributing 14 million brochures.
• After the terrorist attack on 9/11, Scouts collected items such as gloves, socks, bottled water, toothbrushes and other items needed for rescue workers victims.
• In 2004, Scouts joined with the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross to raise awareness of homelessness, hunger and health issues.
Always Prepared
During World War I, Scouts contributed to the war effort in many ways:
• The slogan “Every Scout to Feed a Soldier” prompted Scouts to establish 12,000 vegetable gardens.
• Provided aid to the American Red Cross and organized Scout coastal patrols to watch for the enemy for the U.S. Navy
• Along with Girl Scouts, sold war savings stamps valued at over $53 million; as well as selling Liberty Loan Bonds for over $2 million
World War II brought about more opportunities for service:
• Distributed stamp, defense bonds and air raid posters
• Collected aluminum cans, paper and 30 million pounds of rubber
• Planted gardens
• Worked with the American Red Cross and the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization to assist emergency medical units and act as messengers
Famous Scouts
Becoming an Eagle Scout is the highest honor in scouting. Less than 1.5 million boys have achieved that status or less than one percent of the total membership. There are many Eagle Scouts throughout history who grew up to make contributions to society in many forms such as politics, sports and corporate life.
• Gerald Ford, U.S. President (first Eagle to become a President)
• Robert M. Gates, Director of Central Intelligence (CIA) and Secretary of Defense
• Henry Aaron, baseball player
• Lamar Alexander, lawyer, Governor of Tennessee, Secretary of Education, presidential candidate
• Thomas Foley, Speaker of the House and U.S. Representative from Washington
• Richard A. Gephardt, U.S. Representative from Missouri, Minority Leader
• William Bennett, Secretary of Education
• Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr., Treasury Secretary and U.S. Representative from Texas
• J. Willard Marriott, Jr., President, Marriott Corp.
• Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg News and Mayor of New York City
• Bill Bradley, pro basketball star and U.S. Senator from NJ
• James Brady, Press Secretary to President Reagan
• Barber B. Conable, President of World Bank
• John W. Creighton, Jr., President & CEO of Weyerhaeuser Company
• Stephen Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
• William Devries, M.D., transplanted first artificial heart
• Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate
• LTC Aquilla James Dyess, WWII Marine & Medal of Honor recipient
• Gary Locke, Governor of the State of Washington, the first Chinese-American Governor in the mainland U.S.
• Francis J. Parater, nominated for Sainthood by Diocese of Richmond, VA. He died at the age 22 in 1920 in Rome while at seminary.
• Frederick Reines, Nobel Prize winner in Physics
• Gary Rogers, Chairman and CEO of Dreyer's Ice Cream
• Harrison Salisbury, Pulitzer Prize winning author
• James Sanderson, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret), Deputy Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet
• Dr. Benjamin Lewis Salomon, WWII Army surgeon and recipient of the Medal of Honor
• Steven Spielberg, Movie producer
• Togo West, Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Jay Zeamer, Jr., WWII Army Air Force pilot and recipient of the Medal of Honor recipient
• Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations
• Willie Banks, Olympic track star
Famous Scouts who were not Eagle Scouts:
• John F Kennedy, first U.S. President who was a Scout
• Bill Clinton, U.S. President
• George W. Bush, U.S. President
• Walter Cronkite, newsman
• Harrison Ford, taught Reptile Study, actor "Indiana Jones," movie director
• Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corporation
• Dan Jansen, Olympic Gold Medalist in Speed Skating
• Bruce Jenner, Olympic Gold Medalist in Decathlon
• Jim Morrison, rock singer
• Howard K. Smith, newsman
• Mark Spitz, Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming
• James Stewart, U.S.AF Brig. General, B-17 pilot in WWII and actor
• Joe Theisman, quarterback for the Washington Redskins
• Peter Uberroth, Commissioner of Baseball
Soaring Like Eagles
Over two-thirds of the nation’s astronauts have been in scouting. Eleven of the 12 men to walk on the moon were Scouts, including Eagle Scouts Neil Armstrong and Charlie Duke. The other Scout moonwalkers were Alan Shepard, Jr., Eugene Cernan, John W. Young, Buzz Aldrin, Harrison Schmitt, Charles Conrad, Jr., Alan Bean, David Scott and Edgar Mitchell.
Some Scout Trivia
• In 1998, young women were allowed to join the young men in the Venturing program and it soon became the fastest growing scouting program.
• The U.S. postal service issued the first scouting stamp in 1950. The organization, Scouts on Stamps Society International (SOSSI) specializes in collecting scouting stamps.
• Movie director and producer Steven Spielberg once made a movie of his scout troop and eventually helped design the requirements for the Cinematography Merit Badge.
• U.S. President Jimmy Carter was a Scoutmaster while his sons were Scouts.
• Norman Rockwell was the official illustrator for the cover of BSA’s “Boys’ Life” magazine and annual calendar.
• Scouting For Food began in 1986 whereby Scouts collect food for local food banks as a nationwide service project.
• The National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas holds more than 500,000 Scout artifacts and has the largest collection of Norman Rockwell scouting paintings in the world.
• Pope John Paul II was presented with BSA’s Distinguished Citizen of the World Commendation in 1990.
• In 1991, the BSA assisted the former Soviet Union in implementing their scouting program.
ABOUT THE SCOUTS
Foundation of Scouting
The mission statement of the BSA is "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.”
Scout Motto
Be Prepared
Scout Slogan
Do a Good Turn Daily
Scout Oath (or Promise)
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
Scout Law
Trustworthy
A Scout tells the truth. He keeps his promises. Honesty is part of his code of conduct. People can depend on him.
Loyal
A Scout is true to his family, Scout leaders, friends, school, and nation.
Helpful
A Scout is concerned about other people. He does things willingly for others without pay or reward.
Friendly
A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He seeks to understand others. He respects those with ideas and customs other than his own.
Courteous
A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows good manners make it easier for people to get along together.
Kind
A Scout understands there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. He does not hurt or kill harmless things without reason.
Obedient
A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobey them.
Cheerful
A Scout looks for the bright side of things. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy.
Thrifty
A Scout works to pay his way and to help others. He saves for unforeseen needs. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.
Brave
A Scout can face danger even if he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at or threaten him.
Clean
A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He goes around with those who believe in living by these same ideals. He helps keep his home and community clean.
Reverent
A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.
SNIPPETZ HONORS SCOUTING - HAPPY 99th BIRTHDAY, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA!
"Following the Scout Law sounds like a game plan that would give us all a better chance for success in life – and I mean every area of life."
-Zig Ziglar, author and motivational speaker
On Feb. 8, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) marks its 99th anniversary. The growing organization boasts a membership of over five million with more than 110 million members since its 1910 inception. The BSA provides opportunities for young boys to learn responsibility, character development, good citizenship and practice core values such as honesty while participating in activities such as camping, hiking and aquatics.
Time Flies…
The first known scouting program began in 1907 in England by Lord Baden-Powell, a military hero who wrote a manual on survival in the wild. Once he discovered that young boys were reading his manual and practicing the skills he described, he rewrote it in a nonmilitary style and named it “Scouting for Boys.” He tested his book out on a group of boys that he took on a camping trip and scouting was born.
William D. Boyce, an American visitor to England in 1909 found himself somewhat lost on a street in London. A boy stopped and asked if he could help Boyce. After he took Boyce to his destination, he was offered a tip and refused. He told Boyce that he was a Scout and wanted to help. After his meeting, Boyce asked the Scout to take him to the scouting office where he met Baden-Powell and learned all about scouting in England. When Boyce returned to the U.S., he started the Boy Scouts of America with Ernest Thompson Seton, a naturalist who had started an organization called Woodcraft Indians, and Daniel Carter Beard, also a naturalist who had started an organization called Sons of Daniel Boone. James E. West, a successful attorney who was an orphan and was disabled, became the first chief executive in 1911, eventually retiring in 1943.
No one ever found out who the young Scout was who did a good turn in helping William Boyce get to his meeting destination. Chances are he had no idea what his good deed turned into.
Organization
The Boy Scout program consists of six groups depending on age and interest areas. The Tiger Cubs are for 7-year-olds, Cub Scouts for 8 to 10-year-olds, Webelos Scouts are for 10-year-olds, Boy Scouting for 11 to 17-year-olds, Varsity Scouting from 14 to 17-year-olds and Venturing for those 14 to 20 years old. The Venturing program is open to both young men and women. Cub Scouts are organized into packs containing groups of dens. Boy Scouts are in troops made up of patrols. Varsity Scouting has teams and Venturing are crews. Within Venturing is a group called Sea Scouts that focuses on maritime and boating activities. Their units are called ships. All of the groups are called units and a group of units in a geographic area is called a District. One or more districts are organized in a local group called a Council. The more than 300 councils in the U.S. are managed by paid staff whereas all groups/units are run by volunteers and are sometimes sponsored by a community organization such as a school, church or other group who provides a meeting place and adult leadership.
Badge Work is Never Done
Each level of Scouts has different types of activities and earning programs. Cub Scouts earn badges and Boy Scouts earn merit badges which allow them to advance through ranks. The Venturing program offers the highest award honors that include Bronze, Ranger, Gold, Silver and Quest. The highest ranking in scouting is the Eagle Scout and requires fulfillment of specific requirements in outdoor skills, leadership and community service.
Good Turns
Scouts take their slogan of “Do a Good Turn Daily” seriously. Since their inception, Scouts have provided service within their communities, their country and the world.
• In 1912, Scouts promote a safe Fourth of July as a national civic project.
• Worked in connection with floods in San Antonio, Texas and Pueblo, Colo., as well as collecting food and clothing and providing other help after Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina.
• Scouts collected two million pounds of clothing in 1951 for both domestic and foreign relief efforts.
• In both 1952 and 1956, Scouts distributed millions of posters and Liberty Bell doorknob hangers for nonpartisan get-out-the-vote campaigns.
• In 1952, Scouts worked on a national campaign to collect clothing for the poor, distribute seeds for Asia and obtain blood donor pledges. They conducted a National Conservation Good Turn two years later, distributing 3.6 million posters and arranging displays, planting 6.2 million trees and building 55,000 bird-nesting boxes.
• Scouts delivered 40 million emergency preparedness handbooks as well as placing 50,000 posters in post offices for the Office of Civil Defense Mobilization in 1958.
• Since 1972, both boy and Girl Scouts have participated in Keep America Beautiful Day in June, collecting millions of tons of litter.
• In 1986, Scouts start a nationwide Donor Awareness Good Turn to raise awareness of the need for human organ donations by distributing 14 million brochures.
• After the terrorist attack on 9/11, Scouts collected items such as gloves, socks, bottled water, toothbrushes and other items needed for rescue workers victims.
• In 2004, Scouts joined with the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross to raise awareness of homelessness, hunger and health issues.
Always Prepared
During World War I, Scouts contributed to the war effort in many ways:
• The slogan “Every Scout to Feed a Soldier” prompted Scouts to establish 12,000 vegetable gardens.
• Provided aid to the American Red Cross and organized Scout coastal patrols to watch for the enemy for the U.S. Navy
• Along with Girl Scouts, sold war savings stamps valued at over $53 million; as well as selling Liberty Loan Bonds for over $2 million
World War II brought about more opportunities for service:
• Distributed stamp, defense bonds and air raid posters
• Collected aluminum cans, paper and 30 million pounds of rubber
• Planted gardens
• Worked with the American Red Cross and the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization to assist emergency medical units and act as messengers
Famous Scouts
Becoming an Eagle Scout is the highest honor in scouting. Less than 1.5 million boys have achieved that status or less than one percent of the total membership. There are many Eagle Scouts throughout history who grew up to make contributions to society in many forms such as politics, sports and corporate life.
• Gerald Ford, U.S. President (first Eagle to become a President)
• Robert M. Gates, Director of Central Intelligence (CIA) and Secretary of Defense
• Henry Aaron, baseball player
• Lamar Alexander, lawyer, Governor of Tennessee, Secretary of Education, presidential candidate
• Thomas Foley, Speaker of the House and U.S. Representative from Washington
• Richard A. Gephardt, U.S. Representative from Missouri, Minority Leader
• William Bennett, Secretary of Education
• Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr., Treasury Secretary and U.S. Representative from Texas
• J. Willard Marriott, Jr., President, Marriott Corp.
• Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg News and Mayor of New York City
• Bill Bradley, pro basketball star and U.S. Senator from NJ
• James Brady, Press Secretary to President Reagan
• Barber B. Conable, President of World Bank
• John W. Creighton, Jr., President & CEO of Weyerhaeuser Company
• Stephen Breyer, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
• William Devries, M.D., transplanted first artificial heart
• Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate
• LTC Aquilla James Dyess, WWII Marine & Medal of Honor recipient
• Gary Locke, Governor of the State of Washington, the first Chinese-American Governor in the mainland U.S.
• Francis J. Parater, nominated for Sainthood by Diocese of Richmond, VA. He died at the age 22 in 1920 in Rome while at seminary.
• Frederick Reines, Nobel Prize winner in Physics
• Gary Rogers, Chairman and CEO of Dreyer's Ice Cream
• Harrison Salisbury, Pulitzer Prize winning author
• James Sanderson, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret), Deputy Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet
• Dr. Benjamin Lewis Salomon, WWII Army surgeon and recipient of the Medal of Honor
• Steven Spielberg, Movie producer
• Togo West, Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Jay Zeamer, Jr., WWII Army Air Force pilot and recipient of the Medal of Honor recipient
• Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations
• Willie Banks, Olympic track star
Famous Scouts who were not Eagle Scouts:
• John F Kennedy, first U.S. President who was a Scout
• Bill Clinton, U.S. President
• George W. Bush, U.S. President
• Walter Cronkite, newsman
• Harrison Ford, taught Reptile Study, actor "Indiana Jones," movie director
• Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corporation
• Dan Jansen, Olympic Gold Medalist in Speed Skating
• Bruce Jenner, Olympic Gold Medalist in Decathlon
• Jim Morrison, rock singer
• Howard K. Smith, newsman
• Mark Spitz, Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming
• James Stewart, U.S.AF Brig. General, B-17 pilot in WWII and actor
• Joe Theisman, quarterback for the Washington Redskins
• Peter Uberroth, Commissioner of Baseball
Soaring Like Eagles
Over two-thirds of the nation’s astronauts have been in scouting. Eleven of the 12 men to walk on the moon were Scouts, including Eagle Scouts Neil Armstrong and Charlie Duke. The other Scout moonwalkers were Alan Shepard, Jr., Eugene Cernan, John W. Young, Buzz Aldrin, Harrison Schmitt, Charles Conrad, Jr., Alan Bean, David Scott and Edgar Mitchell.
Some Scout Trivia
• In 1998, young women were allowed to join the young men in the Venturing program and it soon became the fastest growing scouting program.
• The U.S. postal service issued the first scouting stamp in 1950. The organization, Scouts on Stamps Society International (SOSSI) specializes in collecting scouting stamps.
• Movie director and producer Steven Spielberg once made a movie of his scout troop and eventually helped design the requirements for the Cinematography Merit Badge.
• U.S. President Jimmy Carter was a Scoutmaster while his sons were Scouts.
• Norman Rockwell was the official illustrator for the cover of BSA’s “Boys’ Life” magazine and annual calendar.
• Scouting For Food began in 1986 whereby Scouts collect food for local food banks as a nationwide service project.
• The National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas holds more than 500,000 Scout artifacts and has the largest collection of Norman Rockwell scouting paintings in the world.
• Pope John Paul II was presented with BSA’s Distinguished Citizen of the World Commendation in 1990.
• In 1991, the BSA assisted the former Soviet Union in implementing their scouting program.
ABOUT THE SCOUTS
Foundation of Scouting
The mission statement of the BSA is "to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.”
Scout Motto
Be Prepared
Scout Slogan
Do a Good Turn Daily
Scout Oath (or Promise)
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
Scout Law
Trustworthy
A Scout tells the truth. He keeps his promises. Honesty is part of his code of conduct. People can depend on him.
Loyal
A Scout is true to his family, Scout leaders, friends, school, and nation.
Helpful
A Scout is concerned about other people. He does things willingly for others without pay or reward.
Friendly
A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He seeks to understand others. He respects those with ideas and customs other than his own.
Courteous
A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows good manners make it easier for people to get along together.
Kind
A Scout understands there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. He does not hurt or kill harmless things without reason.
Obedient
A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobey them.
Cheerful
A Scout looks for the bright side of things. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy.
Thrifty
A Scout works to pay his way and to help others. He saves for unforeseen needs. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.
Brave
A Scout can face danger even if he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at or threaten him.
Clean
A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He goes around with those who believe in living by these same ideals. He helps keep his home and community clean.
Reverent
A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.
Issue 378
SNIPPETZ LOOKS AT THOSE WHO RISE ABOVE DISABILITIES
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."
-Helen Keller
Disability, or a lack of ability relative to the normal population is not always thought of as a disability by those that are considered as such. There are many well-known disabled persons throughout history that have not only risen above their disabilities, but have gone on to use their disabilities to enhance their lives and the lives of others.
Helen Keller
One of the most well-known disabled persons was Helen Keller (1880-1968) who contracted a disease when just over 18 months old that may have been meningitis or scarlet fever. The disease rendered her blind and deaf. After a visit to Alexander Graham Bell, who referred her to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Keller’s parents hired Anne Sullivan to work with Keller. Sullivan was a 20-year-old former student of the Institute and sight impaired. She taught Keller how to communicate through sign language used in the palms of her hands. She eventually became Keller’s governess and companion for the remainder of Sullivan’s life. Some highlights of Keller’s life:
• The first blind person to ever earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She graduated from Radcliffe College magna cum laude.
• Activist for disabled persons
• Radical socialist and supporter of the working class
• A suffragist
• Co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920
• Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin and Alexander Graham Bell were her friends
• Met every U.S. President from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson
• Authored 12 books
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964
Helen Keller will not soon be forgotten as her life has been chronicled in written form, on stage and in the movies. She was also placed on the Alabama state quarter in 2003, has a hospital dedicated to her (Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama) and has a street named after her in Spain.
Other Hearing Impaired
• Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph and the light bulb, was hearing impaired due to scarlet fever and untreated childhood middle ear infections. Edison was a poor student and had difficulty with mathematics, speech and focus. He only made it through three months of formal education.
• Ludwig Van Beethoven composed and performed music even when completely deaf.
• Marlee Matlin, a deaf woman, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in “Children of a Lesser God.”
• Johnnie Ray (1927-1990), singer, pianist and songwriter, was partially deaf starting at the age of 13 due to an injury. He eventually became completely deaf after a surgery when he was about 30 years old. He continued to perform music with the help of hearing aids.
Lou Gehrig’s Diease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
This neurodegenerative disease that is progressive and typically fatal is named after the famous American baseball player who was diagnosed in 1938. Gehrig only lived thee years past his diagnosis, but others have lived longer and have made great contributions in spite of this paralyzing disease.
• Stephen Hawking has lived more than 40 years with the terminal diagnosis given him while pursuing his college education. He went on to become a world renowned physicist working on notable projects such as Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. He married, became a father and continued his life’s work while being confined to a wheelchair. Hawking eventually lost use of his hands and uses a speech synthesizer to dictate his work into his computer where it is transcribed.
• Charles Mingus (1922-1979) was diagnosed with the disease in his mid 50’s. He had to give up bass and piano, but continued to compose jazz music until his death.
• A teacher, Chris Pendergast raised awareness of the disease by riding in his electric wheelchair from Yankee Stadium (Lou Gehrig’s team) to Washington, D.C., a 350-mile trek taking 15 days. He called the trip a “Ride for Life,” which continues annually in order to raise money for ALS research.
Amazing Amputees
• Peter Gray (1915-2002) dreamed of being a major league baseball player even after he lost his right arm in an accident at the age of six. In 1945, he played for a short time with the Browns where he was taunted and abused because of his disability. He went back to the minors and continued to play until his retirement in 1949. Gray was an active mentor of children in his community after his retirement. His custom-made baseball glove can be seen in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Aimee Mullins competed in track and field while in college and set records in the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics in the 100-meter dash and long jump. These accomplishments, along with an acting and modeling career, came after losing both of her legs at the age of one.
• Glenn Malmskog, a below knee amputee, was a stuntman in Hollywood for over 20 years before becoming a firefighter, the first amputee firefighter in the state of California.
• Tom Whittaker founded the Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group in Pocatello Idaho in 1981. He was the first disabled person to make it to the summit of Mount Everest. He continues to climb without his right foot.
In or Out of Reality?
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that causes impairment in a person’s perception of reality. It is characterized by hallucinations, delusions and paranoid thinking. Many schizophrenics have made substantial contributions to society in spite of their disabilities.
• John Nash, the subject of the movie “A Beautiful Mind,” is a brilliant mathematician who published 23 scientific studies between 1945 and 1996. He was awarded the John von Neumann Theory Prize for inventing non-cooperative equilibria, now referred to as Nash equilibria.
• Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882), wife of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, suffered from schizophrenia.
• Lionel Aldridge (1941-1998), a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960’s and sports analyst suffered from paranoid schizophrenia beginning in the 1970’s. He went untreated and became homeless. Eventually, friends helped him find treatment options.
More Success Stories
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), U.S. President serving four terms while wheelchair bound, worked hard to walk very short distances using a cane in order to keep his paralysis hidden from the public. His paralysis was thought to be from polio at the time, but a study done in 2003 concludes that it was Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease affecting the peripheral nervous system and causing paralysis.
• Jack Nicklaus contracted polio at a young age, but later became a great golfer, writer and golf course designer.
• Itzhak Perlman, an Israeli-American violinist and conductor was stricken with polio at the age of four. Today he uses crutches or a wheelchair and sits while playing the violin.
• Joni Mitchell, Canadian musician and songwriter contracted polio at the age of nine. She became a famous folk rock singer and played several instruments.
• David Sanborn, a jazz saxophonist, took up the saxophone at a young age on his doctor’s advice that playing would improve his breathing ability and strengthen his chest muscles after a bout with polio.
• Rene Kirby, actor in movies such as “Shallow Hal” and “Stuck on You” suffered from spina bifida, a birth defect involving the incomplete closure of the neural tube causing nerve damage from birth.
• Jean Driscol, also inflicted with spina bifida, became an athlete and professional speaker. She has won the wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon eight times.
• Dinah Shore (1916-1994) was a successful actress and singer with a slightly deformed foot and limp after having polio as a toddler.
• Alan Alda, best known as the character Hawkeye Pierce on the long-running television series M.A.S.H. contracted polio at the age of seven and went on to win five Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe awards and become an Academy Award nominee.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
There are those who use their disability to educate others and have likely made the world a better place for those with and without disabilities:
• Joni Eraekson became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in 1967 and went on to become an author. She founded the disability ministry “Joni and Friends,” which delivered her message through radio and a magazine column. She was the first to receive an honorary doctorate from Columbia University.
• Laurent Clerc (1785-1869) was a deaf man who, along with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, co-founded the American School for the Deaf, the first school of its kind in the U.S.
• Judi Chamberlin became an activist for psychiatric patients after being hospitalized for depression. She published “On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System,” and received the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States from the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.
• Judy Heumann became the Assistant Secretary of Education responsible for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation. This was not an easy task considering at one time the New York City Board of Education refused to let her teach because of her disability. Heumann was confined to a wheelchair due to a bout with polio at the age of 18 months. She co-founded the World Institute on Disability and became the World Bank Advisor on Disability & Development.
• Mia Farrow, an actress appearing in over 40 films, overcame childhood polio and has dedicated much of her time as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador as well as to other organizations in order to fight polio and bring awareness to the world.
• Christopher Reeve (1952-2004), actor, producer and director, became paralyzed from an equestrian accident in 1995. While being confined to a wheelchair, Reeve spent the rest of his life raising awareness of and funds for spinal cord injury research. He left behind the Christopher Reeve Foundation as well as the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.
SNIPPETZ LOOKS AT THOSE WHO RISE ABOVE DISABILITIES
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."
-Helen Keller
Disability, or a lack of ability relative to the normal population is not always thought of as a disability by those that are considered as such. There are many well-known disabled persons throughout history that have not only risen above their disabilities, but have gone on to use their disabilities to enhance their lives and the lives of others.
Helen Keller
One of the most well-known disabled persons was Helen Keller (1880-1968) who contracted a disease when just over 18 months old that may have been meningitis or scarlet fever. The disease rendered her blind and deaf. After a visit to Alexander Graham Bell, who referred her to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Keller’s parents hired Anne Sullivan to work with Keller. Sullivan was a 20-year-old former student of the Institute and sight impaired. She taught Keller how to communicate through sign language used in the palms of her hands. She eventually became Keller’s governess and companion for the remainder of Sullivan’s life. Some highlights of Keller’s life:
• The first blind person to ever earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She graduated from Radcliffe College magna cum laude.
• Activist for disabled persons
• Radical socialist and supporter of the working class
• A suffragist
• Co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920
• Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin and Alexander Graham Bell were her friends
• Met every U.S. President from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson
• Authored 12 books
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964
Helen Keller will not soon be forgotten as her life has been chronicled in written form, on stage and in the movies. She was also placed on the Alabama state quarter in 2003, has a hospital dedicated to her (Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama) and has a street named after her in Spain.
Other Hearing Impaired
• Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph and the light bulb, was hearing impaired due to scarlet fever and untreated childhood middle ear infections. Edison was a poor student and had difficulty with mathematics, speech and focus. He only made it through three months of formal education.
• Ludwig Van Beethoven composed and performed music even when completely deaf.
• Marlee Matlin, a deaf woman, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in “Children of a Lesser God.”
• Johnnie Ray (1927-1990), singer, pianist and songwriter, was partially deaf starting at the age of 13 due to an injury. He eventually became completely deaf after a surgery when he was about 30 years old. He continued to perform music with the help of hearing aids.
Lou Gehrig’s Diease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
This neurodegenerative disease that is progressive and typically fatal is named after the famous American baseball player who was diagnosed in 1938. Gehrig only lived thee years past his diagnosis, but others have lived longer and have made great contributions in spite of this paralyzing disease.
• Stephen Hawking has lived more than 40 years with the terminal diagnosis given him while pursuing his college education. He went on to become a world renowned physicist working on notable projects such as Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. He married, became a father and continued his life’s work while being confined to a wheelchair. Hawking eventually lost use of his hands and uses a speech synthesizer to dictate his work into his computer where it is transcribed.
• Charles Mingus (1922-1979) was diagnosed with the disease in his mid 50’s. He had to give up bass and piano, but continued to compose jazz music until his death.
• A teacher, Chris Pendergast raised awareness of the disease by riding in his electric wheelchair from Yankee Stadium (Lou Gehrig’s team) to Washington, D.C., a 350-mile trek taking 15 days. He called the trip a “Ride for Life,” which continues annually in order to raise money for ALS research.
Amazing Amputees
• Peter Gray (1915-2002) dreamed of being a major league baseball player even after he lost his right arm in an accident at the age of six. In 1945, he played for a short time with the Browns where he was taunted and abused because of his disability. He went back to the minors and continued to play until his retirement in 1949. Gray was an active mentor of children in his community after his retirement. His custom-made baseball glove can be seen in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Aimee Mullins competed in track and field while in college and set records in the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics in the 100-meter dash and long jump. These accomplishments, along with an acting and modeling career, came after losing both of her legs at the age of one.
• Glenn Malmskog, a below knee amputee, was a stuntman in Hollywood for over 20 years before becoming a firefighter, the first amputee firefighter in the state of California.
• Tom Whittaker founded the Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group in Pocatello Idaho in 1981. He was the first disabled person to make it to the summit of Mount Everest. He continues to climb without his right foot.
In or Out of Reality?
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that causes impairment in a person’s perception of reality. It is characterized by hallucinations, delusions and paranoid thinking. Many schizophrenics have made substantial contributions to society in spite of their disabilities.
• John Nash, the subject of the movie “A Beautiful Mind,” is a brilliant mathematician who published 23 scientific studies between 1945 and 1996. He was awarded the John von Neumann Theory Prize for inventing non-cooperative equilibria, now referred to as Nash equilibria.
• Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882), wife of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, suffered from schizophrenia.
• Lionel Aldridge (1941-1998), a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960’s and sports analyst suffered from paranoid schizophrenia beginning in the 1970’s. He went untreated and became homeless. Eventually, friends helped him find treatment options.
More Success Stories
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945), U.S. President serving four terms while wheelchair bound, worked hard to walk very short distances using a cane in order to keep his paralysis hidden from the public. His paralysis was thought to be from polio at the time, but a study done in 2003 concludes that it was Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease affecting the peripheral nervous system and causing paralysis.
• Jack Nicklaus contracted polio at a young age, but later became a great golfer, writer and golf course designer.
• Itzhak Perlman, an Israeli-American violinist and conductor was stricken with polio at the age of four. Today he uses crutches or a wheelchair and sits while playing the violin.
• Joni Mitchell, Canadian musician and songwriter contracted polio at the age of nine. She became a famous folk rock singer and played several instruments.
• David Sanborn, a jazz saxophonist, took up the saxophone at a young age on his doctor’s advice that playing would improve his breathing ability and strengthen his chest muscles after a bout with polio.
• Rene Kirby, actor in movies such as “Shallow Hal” and “Stuck on You” suffered from spina bifida, a birth defect involving the incomplete closure of the neural tube causing nerve damage from birth.
• Jean Driscol, also inflicted with spina bifida, became an athlete and professional speaker. She has won the wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon eight times.
• Dinah Shore (1916-1994) was a successful actress and singer with a slightly deformed foot and limp after having polio as a toddler.
• Alan Alda, best known as the character Hawkeye Pierce on the long-running television series M.A.S.H. contracted polio at the age of seven and went on to win five Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe awards and become an Academy Award nominee.
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
There are those who use their disability to educate others and have likely made the world a better place for those with and without disabilities:
• Joni Eraekson became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in 1967 and went on to become an author. She founded the disability ministry “Joni and Friends,” which delivered her message through radio and a magazine column. She was the first to receive an honorary doctorate from Columbia University.
• Laurent Clerc (1785-1869) was a deaf man who, along with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, co-founded the American School for the Deaf, the first school of its kind in the U.S.
• Judi Chamberlin became an activist for psychiatric patients after being hospitalized for depression. She published “On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System,” and received the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States from the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.
• Judy Heumann became the Assistant Secretary of Education responsible for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation. This was not an easy task considering at one time the New York City Board of Education refused to let her teach because of her disability. Heumann was confined to a wheelchair due to a bout with polio at the age of 18 months. She co-founded the World Institute on Disability and became the World Bank Advisor on Disability & Development.
• Mia Farrow, an actress appearing in over 40 films, overcame childhood polio and has dedicated much of her time as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador as well as to other organizations in order to fight polio and bring awareness to the world.
• Christopher Reeve (1952-2004), actor, producer and director, became paralyzed from an equestrian accident in 1995. While being confined to a wheelchair, Reeve spent the rest of his life raising awareness of and funds for spinal cord injury research. He left behind the Christopher Reeve Foundation as well as the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.
Issue 377
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES THE BIZARRE AND UNUSUAL HOLIDAYS
"Reality, however utopian, is something from which people feel the need of taking pretty frequent holidays."
-Aldous Huxley in “Brave New World”
New Years and Martin Luther King Day are the only January holidays, right? Wrong!! Did you remember to celebrate National Hot Tea Month and Oatmeal Month in January? How about Someday We’ll Laugh About This Week, National Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice Week or National No Tillage Week? That’s only a small sampling of the “holidays” to celebrate in January. There’s always Dimpled Chad Day, World Hypnotism Day, I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore Day, National Joy Germ Day, Do Dah Parade Day and Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day. Really, these are holidays and we hope you didn’t miss them!
There is still an opportunity to celebrate in January with:
How Do These Holidays Happen…Or Who Thought Up This Stuff?
In order to designate a true “national” holiday, it literally takes an Act of Congress. First of all, anyone who wants to create a national day has to contact their local congressional leader and then create an actual proposal to get onto the congressional agenda, an amazing feat in itself.
If your idea for a holiday doesn’t have to be national, then all you need to do is declare it is so. Most of these holidays are made up for one occasion, but some actually live a long life year after year. These are created mainly by card companies, special interest groups and other companies in order to promote their interests. And some have created holidays meant to be humorous, copyrighted them and wrote a book about them, mostly in the name of money, but at least entertaining.
February is not only the home of President’s Day, Groundhog Day and Mardi Gras, but also National Bake for Family Fun Month, National Laugh-Friendly Month, National Mend a Broken Heart Month and Spunky Old Broads Month. Daily observances include:
March is International Ideas Month, International Mirth Month and National Craft Month along with:
April kicks off with April Fools Day and goes on to celebrate National Knuckles Down Month, Straw Hat Month, Fresh Florida Tomatoes Month and Egg Salad Week.
May is not just for moms and Memorial Day. It’s also National Salad Month, National Vinegar Month (goes with the salad, of course), and is the home of Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange Week, Work at Home Moms Week and National Hug Holiday Week. And you won’t want to miss:
June is the month of graduations and also National Accordion Month and National Steakhouse Month. June is also the proud owner of International Clothesline Week and National Old-time Fiddler’s Week.
July - Independence Day doesn’t get all the glory. There’s also:
August is National Panini Month and is the home of Hobo Week and Waffle Week, as well as:
September is the proud home of Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month…and Labor Day, of course. There are a few other important days as well:
October is Month of Free Thought and National Sarcastic Awareness Month (commenting here is just too easy).
November is not only the month for veterans and Thanksgiving Day, but also National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, not to mention:
December is not just for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. It’s also Bingo’s Birthday Month and National Tie Month. There is also:
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES THE BIZARRE AND UNUSUAL HOLIDAYS
"Reality, however utopian, is something from which people feel the need of taking pretty frequent holidays."
-Aldous Huxley in “Brave New World”
New Years and Martin Luther King Day are the only January holidays, right? Wrong!! Did you remember to celebrate National Hot Tea Month and Oatmeal Month in January? How about Someday We’ll Laugh About This Week, National Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice Week or National No Tillage Week? That’s only a small sampling of the “holidays” to celebrate in January. There’s always Dimpled Chad Day, World Hypnotism Day, I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore Day, National Joy Germ Day, Do Dah Parade Day and Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day. Really, these are holidays and we hope you didn’t miss them!
There is still an opportunity to celebrate in January with:
- Jan. 23 – Measure Your Feet Day (there’s a day for this?)
- Jan. 24 – Beer Can Appreciation Day - Beer can collectors unite! This is your day to celebrate the day beer was first sold in cans in 1935.
- Jan. 27 – Chocolate Cake Day - No explanation needed – just head for the nearest bakery or make one yourself!
- Jan. 30 – Inane Answering Message Day
- A holiday designed to change or delete those awful answering machine recordings that everyone does not enjoy.
How Do These Holidays Happen…Or Who Thought Up This Stuff?
In order to designate a true “national” holiday, it literally takes an Act of Congress. First of all, anyone who wants to create a national day has to contact their local congressional leader and then create an actual proposal to get onto the congressional agenda, an amazing feat in itself.
If your idea for a holiday doesn’t have to be national, then all you need to do is declare it is so. Most of these holidays are made up for one occasion, but some actually live a long life year after year. These are created mainly by card companies, special interest groups and other companies in order to promote their interests. And some have created holidays meant to be humorous, copyrighted them and wrote a book about them, mostly in the name of money, but at least entertaining.
February is not only the home of President’s Day, Groundhog Day and Mardi Gras, but also National Bake for Family Fun Month, National Laugh-Friendly Month, National Mend a Broken Heart Month and Spunky Old Broads Month. Daily observances include:
- Feb. 1 – Hula in the Coola Day - This is a day for everyone who is sick of winter. It’s time to behave as if you live in Hawaii. Shed the thermal underwear, sweaters and parkas and host a luau complete with Mai Tai’s, grass skirts, leis. Why not roast a pig?
- Feb. 11 – Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day - A day for all those pessimists who need a specific day to be optimistic.
- Feb. 16 – Do A Grouch a Favor Day - This is the day to find someone who is grouchy and do them a favor in hopes of putting a smile on their face.
- Feb. 20 – Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day - Folks in the northern hemisphere go outside at noon, wave their hands in the air and chant “hoodie hoo” in an effort to chase away winter and bring in spring.
March is International Ideas Month, International Mirth Month and National Craft Month along with:
- Mar. 3 – What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day - A holiday for people who have too much time on their hands (pun intended).
- Mar. 6 – Middle Name Pride Day - A holiday designed to simply flaunt our middle names. After all, our parents put a great deal of thought into it. Some people like their middle names more than their first. Think Dorothy F. Dunaway (Faye), Robert T. Turner (Ted) and John E. Hoover (J. Edgar).
- Mar. 14 – Pi Day - Mathematicians the world over celebrate this day and Pi, the symbol for the ratio of a circumference of a circle to its diameter. Remember, Pi=3.14159265…to infinity.
- Mar. 22 – International Goof-off Day - No explanation necessary. The Snippetz staff is really looking forward to this one.
April kicks off with April Fools Day and goes on to celebrate National Knuckles Down Month, Straw Hat Month, Fresh Florida Tomatoes Month and Egg Salad Week.
- April 7 – No Housework Day (a personal favorite)
- April 11 – International “Louie Louie” day - A day to honor the party song “Louie Louie” and Richard Barry, its composer. The holiday was designated by the Louie Louie Advocacy and Music Appreciation Society. Washington State and Seattle have also named its own Louie Louie Day on April 12 and April 14 respectively. Although Washington refused to declare “Louie Louie” its state song, it agreed to designate a day to honor the famous tune.
- April 17 – Blah-Blah-Blah Day - This is a day set aside to do all the boring tasks on your to-do list.
- April 26 – Hug an Australian Day - And why not? It’s all in the name of fostering friendly international relations.
May is not just for moms and Memorial Day. It’s also National Salad Month, National Vinegar Month (goes with the salad, of course), and is the home of Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange Week, Work at Home Moms Week and National Hug Holiday Week. And you won’t want to miss:
- May 3 – Lumpy Rug Day - A day set aside to get rid of an old lumpy rug and replace it with a nice, smooth rug.
- May 8 – No Socks Day (don’t forget to wash your feet)
- May 13 – Root Canal Appreciation Day - Proclaimed Dr. Chris Kammer, a dentist from Madison, Wisc., anyone who has suffered from an abscessed tooth can truly appreciate this holiday. Dr. Kammer kicked off the holiday by performing the procedure outdoors at the local baseball stadium.
- May 25 – Nerd/Geek Pride Day - Originating in Spain, this day was selected because it is the anniversary of the premier of the first “Star Wars” movie in 1977. The holiday first appeared in the U.S. in 2008.
June is the month of graduations and also National Accordion Month and National Steakhouse Month. June is also the proud owner of International Clothesline Week and National Old-time Fiddler’s Week.
- June 2 – Leave the Office Early Day (another Snippetz staff favorite)
- June 18 –Splurge Day - This is a day that anyone on a diet or a budget can look forward to. It’s the official day to eat that banana split or buy a sports car.
- June 20 – National Hollerin’ Contest Day - Since 1969 folks have flocked by the thousands to Spivey’s Corner in North Carolina, population about 49, for this event. It is what it is – a lot of yelling.
- June 22 – Stupid Guy Thing Day - A day to celebrate stupid things that guys do. For some reason, we could not find any evidence of a Stupid Gal Thing Day.
July - Independence Day doesn’t get all the glory. There’s also:
- July 15 – Saint Swithins Day - If it rains on July 15, then the day will be followed by 40 days and nights of rain; if it is dry on July 15, the next 40 will also be dry. Swithins was a bishop from England who died in 862 and was buried outdoors in humble surroundings, as he wished, where he could be rained upon. On July 15, 971, his remains were moved to an indoor cathedral. Severe and violent storms pounded the town that day and for the remaining 40 days. Legend has it that Swithins sent the storms in protest of his being moved.
- July 20 – National Get Out of the Doghouse Day
- July 23 – Hot Enough For Ya’ Day
- July 27 – Take Your Pants for a Walk Day - This means take a walk, but do not wear a skirt, dress or kilt. Why? We don’t know.
August is National Panini Month and is the home of Hobo Week and Waffle Week, as well as:
- Aug. 7 – Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day - A day to take note of all the packaging that you need to find a child to open for you.
- Aug. 22 – Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day - Just like the northern folks who celebrate Feb. 20.
- Aug. 28 – Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day (makes you wonder, doesn’t it?)
September is the proud home of Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month…and Labor Day, of course. There are a few other important days as well:
- Sept. 5 – Be Late For Something Day - This is a special holiday for those perpetual late arrivers. Now there is a good excuse!
- Sept 11 – No News Is Good News Day
- Sept. 19 – International Talk Like a Pirate Day and Big Whopper Liar Day - It’s best to combine this by telling likes while you talk like a pirate - aarrgh matey!
- Sept. 28 – Ask a Stupid Question Day (remember – ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer)
October is Month of Free Thought and National Sarcastic Awareness Month (commenting here is just too easy).
- Oct. 9 – Moldy Cheese Day - This is for all you cheese lovers who cut the mold from around the edges of the cheese and eat the middle.
- Oct. 14 – Be Bald and Be Free Day (beware – you may be arrested for telling bald jokes today.)
- Oct .17 – Wear Something Gaudy Day
- Oct. 30 – Haunted Refrigerator Night - Time to look deep into the corners of the refrigerator and clean out the really frightening things you find.
November is not only the month for veterans and Thanksgiving Day, but also National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, not to mention:
- Nov. 4 – National Chicken Lady Day - It’s not what you think. This day has nothing to do with chicken. Rather, it is a day to honor Dr. Marthenia “Tina” Dupree who trains people all over the world for public speaking. She once worked as a Director of Community Relations/Spokesperson and Training for a major chicken franchise where she earned her nickname, “The Chicken Lady.”
- Nov. 19 – World Toilet Day - This is one deserving holiday - where would we be without the toilet?
- Nov. 27 – Sinkie Day - A special day for eating Thanksgiving Day leftovers over the sink.
December is not just for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. It’s also Bingo’s Birthday Month and National Tie Month. There is also:
- Dec. 1 – Bifocals at the Monitor (computer) Liberation Day - Take off your bifocals and move your monitor 6 feet from your face.
- Dec. 16 – National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day (who needs a day for this?)
- Dec. 26 – National Whiner’s Day - Although no one likes a whiner, this is the day that all whiners are free to whine…within reason. How about a whine and cheese party?
Issue 376
SNIPPETZ IS GETTING FIT
Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for the ground. If makes it feel needed.
-Charles M. Schultz
Has your treadmill become an indoor clothesline? Does your idea of the six food groups consist of chocolate, pasta, hamburgers, potato chips, pizza and beer? Is your most strenuous exercise lifting more than one remote control at a time? Well, you are not alone. Even though the benefits of a healthy diet and physical activity are no secret – strengthens the heart and lungs, improves sleep, improves mood, fights diseases – many of us have at least some difficulty eating right and following the recommendations for exercise.
Who’s Doing What?
• More than 50 percent of people who start an exercise program give it up within the first year.
• About 16 percent of people participate in sports or exercise activities on a daily basis. In Colorado, the number is about 18 percent. In the far western states of Washington, Oregon and California, about 20 percent exercise daily.
• In the 25 and older age group, those with a college education are more than twice as likely to exercise on most days than those with a high school education or less.
• Walking continues to be the most popular form of exercise for 30 percent of daily exercisers. For those who participate in team sports, basketball is the most popular sport for fitness.
• Men prefer football, golf, basketball and soccer and women prefer aerobics and yoga. Both genders like swimming, water skiing, surfing and bowling.
• Most Americans consume about 33 percent of their daily calories in fats.
• About 142 million American adults are considered overweight and 67.3 of those are obese.
• More than half of Americans with chronic diseases do NOT follow their physician’s advice on lifestyle changes and medication compliance.
• About equal amounts of both genders who exercise on a daily basis are likely to exercise alone as with someone.
Who Should be Doing What?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued its “2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.” The good news is that some activity is better than none and small bursts of activity of both aerobic and muscle strengthening are also beneficial. The HHS notes optimum physical activity for all ages and physical conditions. Some are:
Children and Adolescents
Sixty minutes or more of activity each day, most of which should be of moderate or vigorous intensity level at least three days per week, as well as muscle and bone strengthening exercise at least three days per week.
Adults
Two hours and 30 minutes each week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or one hour and 15 minutes each week of vigorous intensity aerobics or a combination of both. Aerobics can be in 10-minute spurts and still be beneficial. Two or more days per week should be devoted to some muscle strengthening activities.
Specific recommendations for older adults, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and those with chronic medical conditions are provided by the HHS at www.health.gov/PAGuidelines. It is also very important to check with your physician before beginning any exercise or fitness program.
Easy Ways to Add Activity to the Day
The most common exercise duration in a day for those who exercise regularly is between 30 and 59 minutes. The amount of time spent on an activity varies greatly depending on the activity. Those who use equipment, jog, lift weights, walk, do yoga or aerobics tend to spend less time exercising; whereas those who play a sport such as baseball, softball, football or golf as well as participate in dancing spend the most time exercising.
• Use stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk the dog every day.
• Park farther away from the building you intend to enter and walk the rest of the way.
• Add some weights to arms or legs while cleaning the house.
• Take a ballroom dancing class.
• Walk while you talk on the phone.
• Last but not least, move the candy dish farther away from the TV so you have to get up and walk to it.
Pyramids Are Not Just for Egypt
The latest food pyramid suggests six basic food groups and how much of these food groups should be eaten each day. For a personalized pyramid or a printout of the pyramid as well as serving size equivalents, go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website or www.mypramid.gov.
Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta
Six to 11 servings per day
Vegetables
Three to five servings per day
Fruits
Two to four servings per day
Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt)
Two to three servings per day
Protein (meat, poultry, eggs, fish, nuts, beans and tofu)
Two to three servings per day
Fats, Oils, Sweets
Use sparingly – 55-75 grams of fat and 6-12 teaspoons of sugar daily.
Easy Ways to Add Healthy Foods Each Day
• Eat a variety of vegetables and choose fresh as much as possible. Chop up vegetables and add to a favorite pasta dish.
• Eat fresh fruit as much as possible and avoid fruit juices as they may contain added sugars. Avoid fruit “drinks,” which are not 100 percent juice.
• Instead of whole milk, try two percent and gradually decrease to skim over time. Try light versions of cheese, yogurt and ice cream.
• Remove skin from chicken and trim the fat from other meats; skip the butter in the frying pan and try broiling, roasting, braising or grilling.
• Switch from vegetable oil to olive oil when possible for cooking and making homemade salad dressings.
• Start with a small amount of salad dressing to start and only add more if absolutely necessary. Dressing is loaded with calories.
• Choose low fat options when available, e.g. English muffin instead of a donut or a baked potato instead of fries (but tone down on the butter and sour cream topping).
• Add more fiber – it moderates cholesterol and makes you feel full!
• Try a handful of almonds for a snack instead of a candy bar.
Some Famous Health Nuts
• John Basedow is a bodybuilder and fitness guru best known for exercise tapes as well as an internationally syndicated TV magazine show called “Images.” He’s the author of Fitness Made Simple: The Power to Change Your Body & Life” and the video “FMS Awesome Arms.” He is also an American Heart Association Spokesperson and has received the American Diabetes Association’s award for his work in educating people about leading a healthful lifestyle.
• Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880 from a gymnast father and naturopath mother. As a teenager he was physically fit enough to pose for anatomical charts and believed that lifestyle, bad posture and poor breathing was the root of poor health. Before he migrated to the U.S. in 1925, Pilates began to teach his exercise methods in England as a boxer and self-defense trainer. While interned during World War I on the Isle of Man, he trained other inmates in fitness. In the U.S., he and his wife refined his training methods, calling it “Contrology,” which used the mind to control the body. Because the Pilates Method focused on postural muscles, body balance, spinal support and awareness of breath, many student dancers were sent to the Pilates’ studio for training. Joseph Pilates wrote several books and died in 1967 at the age of 87. His teachings still remain popular.
• Susan Powter is a dietitian, personal trainer, motivational speaker and author of several books. Powter condemned fad diets with her catch phrase “Stop the Insanity.” She promoted eating organic and low-fat foods along with a regular cardiovascular and strength training exercise program in order to maintain optimum health.
• Jack LaLanne, a fitness and nutritional expert and motivational speaker is still alive at the age of 94. LaLanne admits to an addiction to sugar and junk food as a teen but after hearing a talk by Paul Bragg on health and nutrition, he was hooked on good diet and exercise habits, eventually leading to his concentration on bodybuilding and weightlifting. He continues to workout daily by spending 90 minutes in his weight room and 30 minutes walking or swimming. LaLanne was inducted in the California Hall of Fame just last year at the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in a ceremony presided over by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, another famous bodybuilder, and his wife Maria Shriver.
Life’s a Treadmill
You say you’re not getting enough exercise because you’re at work all day? Well, Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic developed a treadmill desk because he felt that people were too sedentary at the workplace. Salo Oberon Numberworks, a staffing firm out of Minneapolis was one of the first to try it on their employees with great success. Treadmill desks are not exactly mainstream…yet…but can be easily found on the Internet. The maximum speed is 2 MPH and the device is equipped with a place for a phone and computer.
New Yorker James Buster is using his treadmill desk to “walk across America,” a virtual trip that is being tracked by Google Earth. His goal starting in 2007 was to get to Chicago the first year and Boulder, Colorado the second year and Santa Monica beach in 2009. Buster has made it through Colorado and is well on his way to California on his employer-paid trip. Beats airport security.
SNIPPETZ IS GETTING FIT
Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for the ground. If makes it feel needed.
-Charles M. Schultz
Has your treadmill become an indoor clothesline? Does your idea of the six food groups consist of chocolate, pasta, hamburgers, potato chips, pizza and beer? Is your most strenuous exercise lifting more than one remote control at a time? Well, you are not alone. Even though the benefits of a healthy diet and physical activity are no secret – strengthens the heart and lungs, improves sleep, improves mood, fights diseases – many of us have at least some difficulty eating right and following the recommendations for exercise.
Who’s Doing What?
• More than 50 percent of people who start an exercise program give it up within the first year.
• About 16 percent of people participate in sports or exercise activities on a daily basis. In Colorado, the number is about 18 percent. In the far western states of Washington, Oregon and California, about 20 percent exercise daily.
• In the 25 and older age group, those with a college education are more than twice as likely to exercise on most days than those with a high school education or less.
• Walking continues to be the most popular form of exercise for 30 percent of daily exercisers. For those who participate in team sports, basketball is the most popular sport for fitness.
• Men prefer football, golf, basketball and soccer and women prefer aerobics and yoga. Both genders like swimming, water skiing, surfing and bowling.
• Most Americans consume about 33 percent of their daily calories in fats.
• About 142 million American adults are considered overweight and 67.3 of those are obese.
• More than half of Americans with chronic diseases do NOT follow their physician’s advice on lifestyle changes and medication compliance.
• About equal amounts of both genders who exercise on a daily basis are likely to exercise alone as with someone.
Who Should be Doing What?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued its “2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.” The good news is that some activity is better than none and small bursts of activity of both aerobic and muscle strengthening are also beneficial. The HHS notes optimum physical activity for all ages and physical conditions. Some are:
Children and Adolescents
Sixty minutes or more of activity each day, most of which should be of moderate or vigorous intensity level at least three days per week, as well as muscle and bone strengthening exercise at least three days per week.
Adults
Two hours and 30 minutes each week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise or one hour and 15 minutes each week of vigorous intensity aerobics or a combination of both. Aerobics can be in 10-minute spurts and still be beneficial. Two or more days per week should be devoted to some muscle strengthening activities.
Specific recommendations for older adults, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and those with chronic medical conditions are provided by the HHS at www.health.gov/PAGuidelines. It is also very important to check with your physician before beginning any exercise or fitness program.
Easy Ways to Add Activity to the Day
The most common exercise duration in a day for those who exercise regularly is between 30 and 59 minutes. The amount of time spent on an activity varies greatly depending on the activity. Those who use equipment, jog, lift weights, walk, do yoga or aerobics tend to spend less time exercising; whereas those who play a sport such as baseball, softball, football or golf as well as participate in dancing spend the most time exercising.
• Use stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk the dog every day.
• Park farther away from the building you intend to enter and walk the rest of the way.
• Add some weights to arms or legs while cleaning the house.
• Take a ballroom dancing class.
• Walk while you talk on the phone.
• Last but not least, move the candy dish farther away from the TV so you have to get up and walk to it.
Pyramids Are Not Just for Egypt
The latest food pyramid suggests six basic food groups and how much of these food groups should be eaten each day. For a personalized pyramid or a printout of the pyramid as well as serving size equivalents, go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website or www.mypramid.gov.
Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta
Six to 11 servings per day
Vegetables
Three to five servings per day
Fruits
Two to four servings per day
Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt)
Two to three servings per day
Protein (meat, poultry, eggs, fish, nuts, beans and tofu)
Two to three servings per day
Fats, Oils, Sweets
Use sparingly – 55-75 grams of fat and 6-12 teaspoons of sugar daily.
Easy Ways to Add Healthy Foods Each Day
• Eat a variety of vegetables and choose fresh as much as possible. Chop up vegetables and add to a favorite pasta dish.
• Eat fresh fruit as much as possible and avoid fruit juices as they may contain added sugars. Avoid fruit “drinks,” which are not 100 percent juice.
• Instead of whole milk, try two percent and gradually decrease to skim over time. Try light versions of cheese, yogurt and ice cream.
• Remove skin from chicken and trim the fat from other meats; skip the butter in the frying pan and try broiling, roasting, braising or grilling.
• Switch from vegetable oil to olive oil when possible for cooking and making homemade salad dressings.
• Start with a small amount of salad dressing to start and only add more if absolutely necessary. Dressing is loaded with calories.
• Choose low fat options when available, e.g. English muffin instead of a donut or a baked potato instead of fries (but tone down on the butter and sour cream topping).
• Add more fiber – it moderates cholesterol and makes you feel full!
• Try a handful of almonds for a snack instead of a candy bar.
Some Famous Health Nuts
• John Basedow is a bodybuilder and fitness guru best known for exercise tapes as well as an internationally syndicated TV magazine show called “Images.” He’s the author of Fitness Made Simple: The Power to Change Your Body & Life” and the video “FMS Awesome Arms.” He is also an American Heart Association Spokesperson and has received the American Diabetes Association’s award for his work in educating people about leading a healthful lifestyle.
• Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880 from a gymnast father and naturopath mother. As a teenager he was physically fit enough to pose for anatomical charts and believed that lifestyle, bad posture and poor breathing was the root of poor health. Before he migrated to the U.S. in 1925, Pilates began to teach his exercise methods in England as a boxer and self-defense trainer. While interned during World War I on the Isle of Man, he trained other inmates in fitness. In the U.S., he and his wife refined his training methods, calling it “Contrology,” which used the mind to control the body. Because the Pilates Method focused on postural muscles, body balance, spinal support and awareness of breath, many student dancers were sent to the Pilates’ studio for training. Joseph Pilates wrote several books and died in 1967 at the age of 87. His teachings still remain popular.
• Susan Powter is a dietitian, personal trainer, motivational speaker and author of several books. Powter condemned fad diets with her catch phrase “Stop the Insanity.” She promoted eating organic and low-fat foods along with a regular cardiovascular and strength training exercise program in order to maintain optimum health.
• Jack LaLanne, a fitness and nutritional expert and motivational speaker is still alive at the age of 94. LaLanne admits to an addiction to sugar and junk food as a teen but after hearing a talk by Paul Bragg on health and nutrition, he was hooked on good diet and exercise habits, eventually leading to his concentration on bodybuilding and weightlifting. He continues to workout daily by spending 90 minutes in his weight room and 30 minutes walking or swimming. LaLanne was inducted in the California Hall of Fame just last year at the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in a ceremony presided over by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, another famous bodybuilder, and his wife Maria Shriver.
Life’s a Treadmill
You say you’re not getting enough exercise because you’re at work all day? Well, Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic developed a treadmill desk because he felt that people were too sedentary at the workplace. Salo Oberon Numberworks, a staffing firm out of Minneapolis was one of the first to try it on their employees with great success. Treadmill desks are not exactly mainstream…yet…but can be easily found on the Internet. The maximum speed is 2 MPH and the device is equipped with a place for a phone and computer.
New Yorker James Buster is using his treadmill desk to “walk across America,” a virtual trip that is being tracked by Google Earth. His goal starting in 2007 was to get to Chicago the first year and Boulder, Colorado the second year and Santa Monica beach in 2009. Buster has made it through Colorado and is well on his way to California on his employer-paid trip. Beats airport security.
Issue 375
SNIPPETZ STICKS TO NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other."
-Author Unknown
It’s Jan. 5, 2009. Do you know what happened to your New Year’s resolutions? If you are like half the population, your resolutions have already gone by the wayside and another fourth of us will have completely forgotten those goals in another week. However, we at Snippetz think it’s never too late for a good old fashioned New Year’s resolution.
Evolution of the Resolutions
Making New Year’s resolutions goes back many centuries to as early as 2000 B.C. when the Babylonian New Year began with the first new moon after the first day of spring in March. The time of the year signaled the beginning of the planting season and a good time to start the new year. A typical resolution at the time was to return borrowed farm equipment from neighbors.
By 153 B.C., Jan. 1 was declared to be the official New Year by the Romans after years of changing the date on the whim of the emperor of the time. January was eventually selected because the month was named after Janus, the mythical god of beginnings and guardian of entrances. Janus was said to have two faces – one in the front and one in the back in order to see the past and look forward to the future. Even after 153 B.C. the calendar would change somewhat until Julius Caesar finally established the Julian Calendar and declared Jan. 1 to be the official start of the year beginning in 46 B.C. to be synchronized with the sun. Interestingly enough, in order to make this change, 47 B.C. had to be 445 days long.
Resolution Numbers
• About 45 percent of Americans make resolutions regularly and 38 percent never make resolutions.
• A mere 8 to 12 percent are successful in achieving their resolutions.
• One in four fail every resolution they set.
• Almost half experience some success with their resolutions…on occasion.
• The youth in their 20’s tend to achieve their resolutions about 39 percent of the time whereas only about 15 percent of the over 50 crowd sticks with goal setting.
• Men are most successful when they set goals in measurable and specific steps.
• Women are more successful when they tell their friends and enlist support from others.
Popular Resolutions
Most resolutions involve doing something positive to improve our lives. Others involve not doing something to make life better, e.g. not smoking. Those of us who indulge in resolutions usually make more than one:
• Over 45 percent of people make resolutions that relate to self-improvement, such as getting fit, quitting smoking, cutting down on stress and furthering their education.
• Thirty-eight percent want to lose weight.
• Almost equally, 34 percent make resolutions related to finances, i.e. paying off debts and/or saving money.
• And improving relationships has a fairly strong showing of 31 percent.
Other popular resolutions involve volunteering, getting organized and having a successful career.
Keeping it Simple
Statistics also show that only about a quarter of us actually stick with our resolutions for more than a week or two. Most people get caught up in the New Year's spirit, then lose their momentum after they return to the daily grind post-holidays.
Resolutions involving major changes may fall by the wayside if they are too difficult and too far reaching to accomplish with ease. Keeping the resolution simple and breaking goals into baby steps might be the key to making progress toward improvement.
Losing Weight and Getting Physically Healthier
• Vow to lose a pound or two a month rather than declaring “I’m going to lose 50 pounds!”
• Instead of drinking soda, drink water for one month.
• Cut down on fast food visits – if you typically indulge weekly, then cut those visits down to once a month. Same goes for replacing other unhealthy foods with healthy foods.
• Start walking the dog again.
• Get a physical exam.
• Make a list of healthy snacks and try to grab one of those everyday instead of the bag of chips.
Getting Financially Healthier
• Start a log or journal of expenditures to see where the money goes.
• Replace two of the weekly visits to your favorite coffee shop and make your own coffee at home.
• Replace one lunch out per week with bringing lunch from home.
• Pay cash - don’t put anything on a credit card.
• Start saving or paying down debt with what you would have spent on the little things.
• Request your credit report from all three agencies – this is free.
Self-Improvement
• Take a course for fun – photography, foreign language, pottery, cooking.
• Take a course to learn a new skill for career enhancement – computer skills, writing.
• Join a book club – good for establishing new relationships, too.
• Keep a journal.
Improving Relationships
• Schedule at least two meals per week with the whole family and without the TV or cell phones on.
• Visit an elderly neighbor or family friend who you haven’t seen in awhile.
• Take a friend out to lunch.
• Invite your neighbors over for Sunday breakfast.
• Call your mother.
• Start a monthly movie night and invite friends or neighbors.
• Write a letter to an old friend – not an e-mail but a real handwritten letter.
Helping Others
• Join a community group.
• Tutor a child.
• Clean out your closet and donate unused items.
• Start a recycling program in your own home.
• Volunteer for a fundraiser.
Getting Organized
• Make lists.
• Keep a work and family calendar and update it regularly.
• Tackle one pile, one drawer or one cabinet each week to clean up and organize for the end goals of eliminating clutter and being able to find everything you need when you need it.
Keeping a Resolution
Not keeping a resolution is a source of guilt and makes one feel like a failure, so if you stray from the goal of the resolution, just get back to it. People who stick to their resolutions for a two-year period are said to have up to 14 slip-ups or setbacks.
Neighboring Resolutions Bonus:
My resolution is to work smarter and be able to spend more time with my family. I would like to cook more meals instead of always eating on the run.
-Elizabeth Bryson
Mine always remain the same: Stop thinking, planning and worrying about what MIGHT be coming or COULD happen and be fully "in the moment." Along the same lines, I try to not let myself get consumed by things I cannot
control. Worrying about things gives me lots to do, but it doesn't really get me anywhere. Finally, yell less at my girls, lose 15 pounds, eat more veggies and exercise every day...just the normal!
-Diane Roscoe
To make a difference in my disabled brother's life. I want to find a better living situation for him that is productive and will give him a more positive outlook on life. I'd also like to be able to make a large donation towards the research for a cure for his disease. I would also like to help women who are struggling with difficult decisions and want a better life for themselves and their families.
-Claire Boynton
My New Year's resolution is to "listen more and speak less."
-Terry Holmes
A greener year - be more conscientious about recycling paper, plastic, glass, aluminum and electronics and bring our own bags on shopping trips. This is almost as hard to do as it was to start wearing seat belts years ago! Be a better neighbor - reunite and invite neighbors to house parties they can ‘walk’ to. Carpool with others and drive only when I need to. Combine errands and ask a neighbor if I can run an errand for them.
-Arleen Kinder
To drop five strokes from my "golf" game.
-Ray Kinder
To make all my deadlines in 2009 and reduce both my waste and waist!
-Deborah Stumpf
SNIPPETZ STICKS TO NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other."
-Author Unknown
It’s Jan. 5, 2009. Do you know what happened to your New Year’s resolutions? If you are like half the population, your resolutions have already gone by the wayside and another fourth of us will have completely forgotten those goals in another week. However, we at Snippetz think it’s never too late for a good old fashioned New Year’s resolution.
Evolution of the Resolutions
Making New Year’s resolutions goes back many centuries to as early as 2000 B.C. when the Babylonian New Year began with the first new moon after the first day of spring in March. The time of the year signaled the beginning of the planting season and a good time to start the new year. A typical resolution at the time was to return borrowed farm equipment from neighbors.
By 153 B.C., Jan. 1 was declared to be the official New Year by the Romans after years of changing the date on the whim of the emperor of the time. January was eventually selected because the month was named after Janus, the mythical god of beginnings and guardian of entrances. Janus was said to have two faces – one in the front and one in the back in order to see the past and look forward to the future. Even after 153 B.C. the calendar would change somewhat until Julius Caesar finally established the Julian Calendar and declared Jan. 1 to be the official start of the year beginning in 46 B.C. to be synchronized with the sun. Interestingly enough, in order to make this change, 47 B.C. had to be 445 days long.
Resolution Numbers
• About 45 percent of Americans make resolutions regularly and 38 percent never make resolutions.
• A mere 8 to 12 percent are successful in achieving their resolutions.
• One in four fail every resolution they set.
• Almost half experience some success with their resolutions…on occasion.
• The youth in their 20’s tend to achieve their resolutions about 39 percent of the time whereas only about 15 percent of the over 50 crowd sticks with goal setting.
• Men are most successful when they set goals in measurable and specific steps.
• Women are more successful when they tell their friends and enlist support from others.
Popular Resolutions
Most resolutions involve doing something positive to improve our lives. Others involve not doing something to make life better, e.g. not smoking. Those of us who indulge in resolutions usually make more than one:
• Over 45 percent of people make resolutions that relate to self-improvement, such as getting fit, quitting smoking, cutting down on stress and furthering their education.
• Thirty-eight percent want to lose weight.
• Almost equally, 34 percent make resolutions related to finances, i.e. paying off debts and/or saving money.
• And improving relationships has a fairly strong showing of 31 percent.
Other popular resolutions involve volunteering, getting organized and having a successful career.
Keeping it Simple
Statistics also show that only about a quarter of us actually stick with our resolutions for more than a week or two. Most people get caught up in the New Year's spirit, then lose their momentum after they return to the daily grind post-holidays.
Resolutions involving major changes may fall by the wayside if they are too difficult and too far reaching to accomplish with ease. Keeping the resolution simple and breaking goals into baby steps might be the key to making progress toward improvement.
Losing Weight and Getting Physically Healthier
• Vow to lose a pound or two a month rather than declaring “I’m going to lose 50 pounds!”
• Instead of drinking soda, drink water for one month.
• Cut down on fast food visits – if you typically indulge weekly, then cut those visits down to once a month. Same goes for replacing other unhealthy foods with healthy foods.
• Start walking the dog again.
• Get a physical exam.
• Make a list of healthy snacks and try to grab one of those everyday instead of the bag of chips.
Getting Financially Healthier
• Start a log or journal of expenditures to see where the money goes.
• Replace two of the weekly visits to your favorite coffee shop and make your own coffee at home.
• Replace one lunch out per week with bringing lunch from home.
• Pay cash - don’t put anything on a credit card.
• Start saving or paying down debt with what you would have spent on the little things.
• Request your credit report from all three agencies – this is free.
Self-Improvement
• Take a course for fun – photography, foreign language, pottery, cooking.
• Take a course to learn a new skill for career enhancement – computer skills, writing.
• Join a book club – good for establishing new relationships, too.
• Keep a journal.
Improving Relationships
• Schedule at least two meals per week with the whole family and without the TV or cell phones on.
• Visit an elderly neighbor or family friend who you haven’t seen in awhile.
• Take a friend out to lunch.
• Invite your neighbors over for Sunday breakfast.
• Call your mother.
• Start a monthly movie night and invite friends or neighbors.
• Write a letter to an old friend – not an e-mail but a real handwritten letter.
Helping Others
• Join a community group.
• Tutor a child.
• Clean out your closet and donate unused items.
• Start a recycling program in your own home.
• Volunteer for a fundraiser.
Getting Organized
• Make lists.
• Keep a work and family calendar and update it regularly.
• Tackle one pile, one drawer or one cabinet each week to clean up and organize for the end goals of eliminating clutter and being able to find everything you need when you need it.
Keeping a Resolution
Not keeping a resolution is a source of guilt and makes one feel like a failure, so if you stray from the goal of the resolution, just get back to it. People who stick to their resolutions for a two-year period are said to have up to 14 slip-ups or setbacks.
Neighboring Resolutions Bonus:
My resolution is to work smarter and be able to spend more time with my family. I would like to cook more meals instead of always eating on the run.
-Elizabeth Bryson
Mine always remain the same: Stop thinking, planning and worrying about what MIGHT be coming or COULD happen and be fully "in the moment." Along the same lines, I try to not let myself get consumed by things I cannot
control. Worrying about things gives me lots to do, but it doesn't really get me anywhere. Finally, yell less at my girls, lose 15 pounds, eat more veggies and exercise every day...just the normal!
-Diane Roscoe
To make a difference in my disabled brother's life. I want to find a better living situation for him that is productive and will give him a more positive outlook on life. I'd also like to be able to make a large donation towards the research for a cure for his disease. I would also like to help women who are struggling with difficult decisions and want a better life for themselves and their families.
-Claire Boynton
My New Year's resolution is to "listen more and speak less."
-Terry Holmes
A greener year - be more conscientious about recycling paper, plastic, glass, aluminum and electronics and bring our own bags on shopping trips. This is almost as hard to do as it was to start wearing seat belts years ago! Be a better neighbor - reunite and invite neighbors to house parties they can ‘walk’ to. Carpool with others and drive only when I need to. Combine errands and ask a neighbor if I can run an errand for them.
-Arleen Kinder
To drop five strokes from my "golf" game.
-Ray Kinder
To make all my deadlines in 2009 and reduce both my waste and waist!
-Deborah Stumpf
Issue 374
TO YOUR HEALTH!
A SHAVE AND A CURE
• Originally, barbers also performed as surgeons. Blood-letting, a remedy of the time believed to cure diseases, was one of their main tasks. The red-and-white striped barber pole originally symbolized a bleeding arm swathed in bandages. Fortunately, the practice of blood-letting has vanished, as well as the barber/doctor. A side note concerning blood-letting, is the fact that the average healthy person can lose as much as one-third of his or her blood without fatal results.
I HAVE A HEADACHE, OR DO I?
• Pain from any injury or illness is always registered by the brain. Yet, curiously, the brain tissue itself is immune to pain; it contains none of the specialized receptor cells that sense pain in other parts of the body. The pain associated with brain tumors does not arise from brain cells but from the pressure created by a growing tumor or tissues outside the brain.
EAT RIGHT AND LIVE LONGER
• Men who eat 10 or more weekly servings of tomato-based foods cut their prostate cancer risk by 45 percent in a Harvard study of 47,000 middle-age male health professionals. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant. Juice, salad, soup, even pizza, helped. In fact, Ketchup was once used as a medicine in the United States. In the 1830s it was sold as Dr. Miles’s Compound Extract of Tomato.
• Healthy eating, soups retain fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E, which are often lost in other foods when cooking.
• Caviar, or fish eggs, contain the same healthful omega-3 fatty acids as salmon.
NATURAL REMEDIES
• Twenty percent of China’s plants are used in medicine.
• Extracted from a flower, echinacea is the most widely used botanical in the creation of herbal medicines in the United States. Clinical studies have suggested that when it is taken at the onset of a cold, echinacea stimulates the immune system.
• Roughly 25 percent of all prescription medicines in the United States are derived from plants, including alkaloids from the rosy periwinkle of Madagascar. This plant has been successful in arresting childhood leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease.
• The mints, particularly peppermint, have a history of use in herbal medicine dating back to the ancient Egyptians. The Greeks and Romans also used mint varieties medicinally. British apothecary shops in the late 1600s kept dried mint, mint water, spirit of mints, and syrup of mints on the shelves. Peppermint tea or tincture can be taken for indigestion, intestinal gas build up, nausea, and fevers accompanied by colds.
• In France, chocolate was initially met with skepticism and was considered a barbarous, noxious drug. The French court accepted chocolate after the Paris faculty of medicine gave its approval.
• Carrots were first grown as a medicine, not a food. The ancient Greeks called carrots karoto.
• Pumpkin seeds were used as a traditional diuretic and as a cure for tapeworms and roundworms by American Indian medicine men.
• Some cultures call the papaya tree “the medicinal tree” because its seeds and leaves have been used to make medicine.
• Soup in Asia is used as an alternative medicine - tom yum in Thailand; bone marrow soup, soybean sprout soup, or seaweed soup in Korea. Sweet dessert soup in China is eaten to balance one’s yin and yang.
THE SCOURGE OF MANKIND
• It is estimated that during the height of the Plague years, between 1344 to 1353, as many as 20 million people in Europe died as a result of the disease.
• At the turn of the century, infectious diseases were the leading cause of death in the United States. Tuberculosis, diarrheal disease, and pneumonia accounted for 30 percent of all deaths.
• Tuberculosis is one of the world’s oldest diseases. Some ancient mummies found in Egypt and Peru had tuberculosis.
• One of the deadliest diseases in the world is Japanese River Fever, with a mortality rate of more than 50 percent. It is found only near rivers in certain areas of Japan, China, Korea, Burma, and India.
• In all of history, the most destructive disease is malaria. More than 1.5 million people die from malaria every year.
• The Spanish flu, misnamed since it likely originated in the United States, was unlike most flu viruses, as it hit the young and healthy hardest. The pandemic killed 20 million to 40 million people in 1918. Comparatively, about 13 million died in the battles of World War I.
SOMETIMES THE CURE CAN BE WORSE THAN THE DISEASE
• The swine flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 million courses of antibiotics are prescribed for the common cold in the United States per year. Research shows that colds are caused by viruses. Fifty million unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed for viral respiratory infections.
• Until recent years, people living in remote areas of Afghanistan and Ethiopia were immunized against smallpox by having dried powdered scabs from victims of the disease blown up their noses. This treatment was invented by a Chinese Buddhist nun in the eleventh century. It is the oldest known form of vaccination.
VITAMINS & MINERALS
• Everyone knows about vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. Few are aware that there are also vitamins K, T, H, and U. These vitamins are helpful in proper liver function, treating anemia, and the healing of ulcers.
• The body’s daily requirement of vitamins and minerals is less than a thimbleful.
• The shelf life of vitamins is six or more years if they’re protected from heat, moisture, and light.
• The most essential minerals to the human body are: salt for maintaining water levels, iron for red blood cells, and calcium for bones.
ANOTHER MYTH?
• Studies conducted at Vanderbilt University and the University of Iowa School of Medicine found no evidence that sugar causes hyperactivity in children.
HERE’S GOOD NEWS!
• The death rate from cardiovascular diseases - heart attack, hardening of the arteries, and so on - has decreased in the United States since 1950.
• Although the female hormone estrogen is generally prescribed to women to combat the symptoms of menopause, a study suggests that low doses of the hormone also may reduce the risk of heart disease in older men.
• Though we seriously advise against putting this to the test, most healthy adults can go without eating anything for a month or longer, but they must drink at least two quarts of water a day.
YOU SMELL FUNNY - MARRY ME!
• A Swiss study found that a majority of women unconsciously choose mates with a body odor that differs from their own natural scents, which, as a result, ensures better immune protection for their children. Longevity magazine reported that the genes that battle disease-provoking substances also influence body odor.
SPEAKING OF SMELL...
• Sigmund Freud considered repression of the sense of smell a major cause of mental illness.
• The human sense of smell is so keen that it can detect the odors of certain substances even when they are diluted to 1 part to 30 billion.
• Babies have the strongest sense of smell, enabling them to recognize their mothers by scent.
• By the age of 20, most humans have lost up to 20% of their sense of smell. By the age of 60, 60% is gone.
• Most of the chemicals humans can smell contain at least 3 atoms of carbon.
THE EYES HAVE IT
• Newborn babies are not blind, as previously believed. Studies have shown that newborns have approximately 20/50 vision and can easily discriminate between degrees of brightness.
• The daughters of a mother who is colorblind and a father who has normal vision will have normal vision. The sons will be colorblind, however.
• The average person’s field of vision encompasses a 200-degree wide angle.
• Some totally blind people can somehow sense light, says a New England Journal of Medicine study. This discovery may explain what keeps some blind people’s biological rhythms in sync with that of sighted people’s.
ALLERGY FACTS
• Approximately 40 percent of Americans believe they have food allergies, while in reality, fewer than 1 percent have true allergies. Most of the others involve symptoms caused by food intolerances or other disorders. Children often have more food allergies, which most will outgrow.
• Allergies cause students in the United States to miss 1.5 million school days a year. Allergy sufferers experience a significantly reduced ability to learn, researchers have found.
LET’S COME TO HEALTH TERMS
• “Soldiers disease” is a term for morphine addiction. The Civil War produced over 400,000 morphine addicts.
• Zoonoses are animal diseases communicable to man.
• The term “allopathy” is used by homeopaths, chiropractors, and other advocates of alternative health practices to refer to traditional medicine.
• The word “toast,” meaning a proposal of health, originated in Rome, where an actual bit of spiced, burned bread was dropped into wine to improve the drink’s flavor, absorb its sediment, and thus make it more healthful.
• “Wassail” comes from the Old Norse “ves heill”--to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.
• Someone who thinks constantly and anxiously about his or her health can be called a “valetudinarian.”
• Synesthesia is a rare condition in which the senses are combined. Synesthetes see words, taste colors and shapes, and feel flavors.
• When was the last time you used “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,” a 45-letter word connoting a lung disease. It’s the longest word in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.
FINAL HEALTH SNIPPETZ
• According to Chinese folklore, peaches not only kept lungs healthy, but those grown in a mythical garden were the fruit of eternal life.
• Germany was the first European country to establish a system for health insurance for its workers in 1888.
• According to Greek historian Herodotus, Egyptian men never became bald. The reason for this was that, as children, Egyptian males had their heads shaved, and their scalps were continually exposed to the health-giving rays of the sun.
• Milk is generally not healthy for adult Orientals or for adult people of black African origin, because they tend to lack enzymes needed to digest the natural sugar in milk.
• The most obese people in the world are in Russia, at 25.4 percent, followed by Mexico, at 25.1 percent. Obesity is defined as 30 pounds or more over a healthy weight.
• A study by researcher Frank Hu and the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who snore are at an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
• A healthy man who is good physical shape has about 12 to 15 percent body fat. A woman in good shape has between 15 to 18 percent. The models used in most of the advertising for abdominal machines, on the other hand, have less than 10 percent body fat.
• Permanent hearing loss can result from prolonged exposure to sounds at 85 decibels (0 decibels is the threshold for hearing). For comparison, a busy street corner is about 80 decibels, a subway train from 20 feet is 100 decibels, a jet plane from 500 feet is 110 decibels and loud thunder is 120 decibels. A rock band amplified at close range is 140 decibels, which is 100 trillion times the hearing threshold and more than 100,000 times as loud as the level necessary to produce permanent hearing loss.
• Babies have taste buds all over the insides of their mouths, not just on their tongues. Adults and children have no taste buds on the center of their tongues.
• Electrical impulses travel from the skin toward the spinal cord at a rate of up to 425 feet per second.
• About one-third of bone in the human body is living tissue. The rest consists of calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals.
• Sixty percent of Americans who call in sick at work apparently aren’t sick at all. Many take it off as a personal “mental health” day.
TO YOUR HEALTH!
A SHAVE AND A CURE
• Originally, barbers also performed as surgeons. Blood-letting, a remedy of the time believed to cure diseases, was one of their main tasks. The red-and-white striped barber pole originally symbolized a bleeding arm swathed in bandages. Fortunately, the practice of blood-letting has vanished, as well as the barber/doctor. A side note concerning blood-letting, is the fact that the average healthy person can lose as much as one-third of his or her blood without fatal results.
I HAVE A HEADACHE, OR DO I?
• Pain from any injury or illness is always registered by the brain. Yet, curiously, the brain tissue itself is immune to pain; it contains none of the specialized receptor cells that sense pain in other parts of the body. The pain associated with brain tumors does not arise from brain cells but from the pressure created by a growing tumor or tissues outside the brain.
EAT RIGHT AND LIVE LONGER
• Men who eat 10 or more weekly servings of tomato-based foods cut their prostate cancer risk by 45 percent in a Harvard study of 47,000 middle-age male health professionals. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant. Juice, salad, soup, even pizza, helped. In fact, Ketchup was once used as a medicine in the United States. In the 1830s it was sold as Dr. Miles’s Compound Extract of Tomato.
• Healthy eating, soups retain fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E, which are often lost in other foods when cooking.
• Caviar, or fish eggs, contain the same healthful omega-3 fatty acids as salmon.
NATURAL REMEDIES
• Twenty percent of China’s plants are used in medicine.
• Extracted from a flower, echinacea is the most widely used botanical in the creation of herbal medicines in the United States. Clinical studies have suggested that when it is taken at the onset of a cold, echinacea stimulates the immune system.
• Roughly 25 percent of all prescription medicines in the United States are derived from plants, including alkaloids from the rosy periwinkle of Madagascar. This plant has been successful in arresting childhood leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease.
• The mints, particularly peppermint, have a history of use in herbal medicine dating back to the ancient Egyptians. The Greeks and Romans also used mint varieties medicinally. British apothecary shops in the late 1600s kept dried mint, mint water, spirit of mints, and syrup of mints on the shelves. Peppermint tea or tincture can be taken for indigestion, intestinal gas build up, nausea, and fevers accompanied by colds.
• In France, chocolate was initially met with skepticism and was considered a barbarous, noxious drug. The French court accepted chocolate after the Paris faculty of medicine gave its approval.
• Carrots were first grown as a medicine, not a food. The ancient Greeks called carrots karoto.
• Pumpkin seeds were used as a traditional diuretic and as a cure for tapeworms and roundworms by American Indian medicine men.
• Some cultures call the papaya tree “the medicinal tree” because its seeds and leaves have been used to make medicine.
• Soup in Asia is used as an alternative medicine - tom yum in Thailand; bone marrow soup, soybean sprout soup, or seaweed soup in Korea. Sweet dessert soup in China is eaten to balance one’s yin and yang.
THE SCOURGE OF MANKIND
• It is estimated that during the height of the Plague years, between 1344 to 1353, as many as 20 million people in Europe died as a result of the disease.
• At the turn of the century, infectious diseases were the leading cause of death in the United States. Tuberculosis, diarrheal disease, and pneumonia accounted for 30 percent of all deaths.
• Tuberculosis is one of the world’s oldest diseases. Some ancient mummies found in Egypt and Peru had tuberculosis.
• One of the deadliest diseases in the world is Japanese River Fever, with a mortality rate of more than 50 percent. It is found only near rivers in certain areas of Japan, China, Korea, Burma, and India.
• In all of history, the most destructive disease is malaria. More than 1.5 million people die from malaria every year.
• The Spanish flu, misnamed since it likely originated in the United States, was unlike most flu viruses, as it hit the young and healthy hardest. The pandemic killed 20 million to 40 million people in 1918. Comparatively, about 13 million died in the battles of World War I.
SOMETIMES THE CURE CAN BE WORSE THAN THE DISEASE
• The swine flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 million courses of antibiotics are prescribed for the common cold in the United States per year. Research shows that colds are caused by viruses. Fifty million unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed for viral respiratory infections.
• Until recent years, people living in remote areas of Afghanistan and Ethiopia were immunized against smallpox by having dried powdered scabs from victims of the disease blown up their noses. This treatment was invented by a Chinese Buddhist nun in the eleventh century. It is the oldest known form of vaccination.
VITAMINS & MINERALS
• Everyone knows about vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. Few are aware that there are also vitamins K, T, H, and U. These vitamins are helpful in proper liver function, treating anemia, and the healing of ulcers.
• The body’s daily requirement of vitamins and minerals is less than a thimbleful.
• The shelf life of vitamins is six or more years if they’re protected from heat, moisture, and light.
• The most essential minerals to the human body are: salt for maintaining water levels, iron for red blood cells, and calcium for bones.
ANOTHER MYTH?
• Studies conducted at Vanderbilt University and the University of Iowa School of Medicine found no evidence that sugar causes hyperactivity in children.
HERE’S GOOD NEWS!
• The death rate from cardiovascular diseases - heart attack, hardening of the arteries, and so on - has decreased in the United States since 1950.
• Although the female hormone estrogen is generally prescribed to women to combat the symptoms of menopause, a study suggests that low doses of the hormone also may reduce the risk of heart disease in older men.
• Though we seriously advise against putting this to the test, most healthy adults can go without eating anything for a month or longer, but they must drink at least two quarts of water a day.
YOU SMELL FUNNY - MARRY ME!
• A Swiss study found that a majority of women unconsciously choose mates with a body odor that differs from their own natural scents, which, as a result, ensures better immune protection for their children. Longevity magazine reported that the genes that battle disease-provoking substances also influence body odor.
SPEAKING OF SMELL...
• Sigmund Freud considered repression of the sense of smell a major cause of mental illness.
• The human sense of smell is so keen that it can detect the odors of certain substances even when they are diluted to 1 part to 30 billion.
• Babies have the strongest sense of smell, enabling them to recognize their mothers by scent.
• By the age of 20, most humans have lost up to 20% of their sense of smell. By the age of 60, 60% is gone.
• Most of the chemicals humans can smell contain at least 3 atoms of carbon.
THE EYES HAVE IT
• Newborn babies are not blind, as previously believed. Studies have shown that newborns have approximately 20/50 vision and can easily discriminate between degrees of brightness.
• The daughters of a mother who is colorblind and a father who has normal vision will have normal vision. The sons will be colorblind, however.
• The average person’s field of vision encompasses a 200-degree wide angle.
• Some totally blind people can somehow sense light, says a New England Journal of Medicine study. This discovery may explain what keeps some blind people’s biological rhythms in sync with that of sighted people’s.
ALLERGY FACTS
• Approximately 40 percent of Americans believe they have food allergies, while in reality, fewer than 1 percent have true allergies. Most of the others involve symptoms caused by food intolerances or other disorders. Children often have more food allergies, which most will outgrow.
• Allergies cause students in the United States to miss 1.5 million school days a year. Allergy sufferers experience a significantly reduced ability to learn, researchers have found.
LET’S COME TO HEALTH TERMS
• “Soldiers disease” is a term for morphine addiction. The Civil War produced over 400,000 morphine addicts.
• Zoonoses are animal diseases communicable to man.
• The term “allopathy” is used by homeopaths, chiropractors, and other advocates of alternative health practices to refer to traditional medicine.
• The word “toast,” meaning a proposal of health, originated in Rome, where an actual bit of spiced, burned bread was dropped into wine to improve the drink’s flavor, absorb its sediment, and thus make it more healthful.
• “Wassail” comes from the Old Norse “ves heill”--to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.
• Someone who thinks constantly and anxiously about his or her health can be called a “valetudinarian.”
• Synesthesia is a rare condition in which the senses are combined. Synesthetes see words, taste colors and shapes, and feel flavors.
• When was the last time you used “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,” a 45-letter word connoting a lung disease. It’s the longest word in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.
FINAL HEALTH SNIPPETZ
• According to Chinese folklore, peaches not only kept lungs healthy, but those grown in a mythical garden were the fruit of eternal life.
• Germany was the first European country to establish a system for health insurance for its workers in 1888.
• According to Greek historian Herodotus, Egyptian men never became bald. The reason for this was that, as children, Egyptian males had their heads shaved, and their scalps were continually exposed to the health-giving rays of the sun.
• Milk is generally not healthy for adult Orientals or for adult people of black African origin, because they tend to lack enzymes needed to digest the natural sugar in milk.
• The most obese people in the world are in Russia, at 25.4 percent, followed by Mexico, at 25.1 percent. Obesity is defined as 30 pounds or more over a healthy weight.
• A study by researcher Frank Hu and the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who snore are at an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
• A healthy man who is good physical shape has about 12 to 15 percent body fat. A woman in good shape has between 15 to 18 percent. The models used in most of the advertising for abdominal machines, on the other hand, have less than 10 percent body fat.
• Permanent hearing loss can result from prolonged exposure to sounds at 85 decibels (0 decibels is the threshold for hearing). For comparison, a busy street corner is about 80 decibels, a subway train from 20 feet is 100 decibels, a jet plane from 500 feet is 110 decibels and loud thunder is 120 decibels. A rock band amplified at close range is 140 decibels, which is 100 trillion times the hearing threshold and more than 100,000 times as loud as the level necessary to produce permanent hearing loss.
• Babies have taste buds all over the insides of their mouths, not just on their tongues. Adults and children have no taste buds on the center of their tongues.
• Electrical impulses travel from the skin toward the spinal cord at a rate of up to 425 feet per second.
• About one-third of bone in the human body is living tissue. The rest consists of calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals.
• Sixty percent of Americans who call in sick at work apparently aren’t sick at all. Many take it off as a personal “mental health” day.
Issue 373
FROM SNIPPETZ TO ALL OUR READERS MERRY CHRISTMAS!
And so, Christmas is upon us once again, bringing memories of our childhood, filled with joy and anticipation. We have compiled a plethora of fun and interesting facts about this special holiday for you. Merry Christmas from Snippetz... Enjoy!
WHAT A CARD!
• As early as 1822, the postmaster in Washington, D.C. was worried by the amount of extra mail at Christmas time. His preferred solution to the problem was to limit by law the number of cards a person could send. Even though commercial cards were not available at that time, people were already sending so many home-made cards that sixteen extra postmen had to be hired in the city.
• Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called “robins.” This was because their uniforms were red. The British Post Office grew out of the carrying of royal dispatches. Red was considered a royal color, so uniforms and letter-boxes were red. Christmas cards often showed a robin delivering Christmas mail.
• An average household, in America, will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place.
• In the United States, Christmas is the peak time to send cards. In fact, Americans will send out a combined 2.6 billion cards at Christmas time. CHRISTMAS ON THE BIG SCREEN
• “White Christmas” (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, was the first movie to be made in Vista Vision, a deep-focus process.
• In the show, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the Grinch cuts out a Santa beard, but never wears it.
• Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer’s father’s name was Donner.
LET US SHOP, LET US SHOP, LET US SHOP
• Launched in 1926, retailer Macy’s annual parade was immortalized in the film Miracle on 34th Street,
and has become a symbol of the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
• A Christmas club savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount of money regularly to be used at Christmas for shopping, came about around 1905.
AND THEN THERE WAS MUSIC
• Child singer Jimmy Boyd was 12 years and 11 months old when he sang the Christmas favorite, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” The song hit the top of the pop charts.
• The popular Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called “One-Horse Open Sleigh,” and was actually written for Thanksgiving.
• The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas carols.
• There are 364 gifts named in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song.
• In 1996, Christmas caroling was banned at two major malls in Pensacola, Florida. Apparently, shoppers and merchants complained the carolers were too loud and took up too much space.
• Christmas caroling began as an old English custom called Wassailing — toasting neighbors to a long and healthy life.
• The earliest collection of Christmas carols was published in 1521.
A KISS FOR GOOD LUCK
• Long before it was used as a “kiss encourager” during the Christmas season, mistletoe had long been considered to have magic powers by Celtic and Teutonic peoples. It was said to have the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. Celts hung mistletoe in their homes in order to bring themselves good luck and ward off evil spirits.
• Mistletoe, a traditional Christmas symbol, was once revered by the early Britons. It was so sacred that it had to be cut with a golden sickle.
IT’S A CRACKER, IT’S A COOKIE — NO, IT’S AN ORNAMENT
• Animal Crackers are not really crackers, but cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum’s circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.
CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD
• In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts, however, use shoes. Dutch children set out shoes to receive gifts any time between mid-November and December 5, St. Nicholas’ birthday.
• Christmas Day in the Ukraine can be celebrated on either December 25, in faithful alliance with the Roman Catholic Gregorian calendar, or on January 7, which is the Orthodox or Eastern Rite (Julian calendar), the church holy day.
• According to historical accounts, the first Christmas in the Philippines was celebrated 200 years before Ferdinand Magellan discovered the country for the western world, likely between the years 1280 and 1320 AD.
• Christmas is not widely celebrated in Scotland. Some historians believe that Christmas is downplayed in Scotland because of the influence of the Presbyterian Church (or Kirk), which considered Christmas a “Papist,” or Catholic event. As a result, Christmas in Scotland tends to be somber.
BE CAREFUL!
• It is estimated that 400,000 people become sick each year from eating tainted Christmas leftovers.
• Holiday Headaches: Nearly one in four people said they have more headaches during the Christmas season than any other time of the year. Of those surveyed, 75 percent said that not having enough time caused them to have headaches; 73 percent said crowds and traffic created their headaches; and 51 percent said skipping meals gave them headaches.
HISTORICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS
• “Hot cockles” was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. “Hot cockles” was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era.
• A boar’s head is a traditional Christmas dish. According to a popular story, the unlucky boar whose head began the custom in the Middle Ages was killed by choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy. The story claims that a university student saved himself from a charging boar by ramming a book of Aristotle’s writings down its throat. He then cut off the boar’s head and brought it back to his college.
• At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served “endored.” This meant the flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter. In addition to their painted flesh, endored birds were served wrapped in their own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set aside prior to roasting.
• In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made Christmas illegal. Festivities were banned by Puritan leader, Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry, on what was supposed to be a holy day, to be immoral. The ban was lifted only when the Puritans lost power in 1660.
• Christmas was once a moveable feast celebrated at many different times during the year. The choice of December 25, was made by Pope Julius I, in the 4th century A.D., because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.
• During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, the log burned was called the “Yule log.” Sometimes a piece of the Yule log would be kept to kindle the fire the following winter, to ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule log custom was handed down from the Druids.
AND THE SURVEY SAYS...
• According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners.
• According to a 1997 Gallup poll, 29 percent of Americans found the Christmas holidays more stressful than enjoyable. Those with the lowest incomes were most likely to find the season stressful, perhaps reflecting their inability to participate fully in the commercial, gift giving aspects of the holiday.
• According to Gale Research, the average American household wraps 30 Christmas gifts each year.
FROM SNIPPETZ TO ALL OUR READERS MERRY CHRISTMAS!
And so, Christmas is upon us once again, bringing memories of our childhood, filled with joy and anticipation. We have compiled a plethora of fun and interesting facts about this special holiday for you. Merry Christmas from Snippetz... Enjoy!
WHAT A CARD!
• As early as 1822, the postmaster in Washington, D.C. was worried by the amount of extra mail at Christmas time. His preferred solution to the problem was to limit by law the number of cards a person could send. Even though commercial cards were not available at that time, people were already sending so many home-made cards that sixteen extra postmen had to be hired in the city.
• Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called “robins.” This was because their uniforms were red. The British Post Office grew out of the carrying of royal dispatches. Red was considered a royal color, so uniforms and letter-boxes were red. Christmas cards often showed a robin delivering Christmas mail.
• An average household, in America, will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place.
• In the United States, Christmas is the peak time to send cards. In fact, Americans will send out a combined 2.6 billion cards at Christmas time. CHRISTMAS ON THE BIG SCREEN
• “White Christmas” (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, was the first movie to be made in Vista Vision, a deep-focus process.
• In the show, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the Grinch cuts out a Santa beard, but never wears it.
• Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer’s father’s name was Donner.
LET US SHOP, LET US SHOP, LET US SHOP
• Launched in 1926, retailer Macy’s annual parade was immortalized in the film Miracle on 34th Street,
and has become a symbol of the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
• A Christmas club savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount of money regularly to be used at Christmas for shopping, came about around 1905.
AND THEN THERE WAS MUSIC
• Child singer Jimmy Boyd was 12 years and 11 months old when he sang the Christmas favorite, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” The song hit the top of the pop charts.
• The popular Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called “One-Horse Open Sleigh,” and was actually written for Thanksgiving.
• The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas carols.
• There are 364 gifts named in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song.
• In 1996, Christmas caroling was banned at two major malls in Pensacola, Florida. Apparently, shoppers and merchants complained the carolers were too loud and took up too much space.
• Christmas caroling began as an old English custom called Wassailing — toasting neighbors to a long and healthy life.
• The earliest collection of Christmas carols was published in 1521.
A KISS FOR GOOD LUCK
• Long before it was used as a “kiss encourager” during the Christmas season, mistletoe had long been considered to have magic powers by Celtic and Teutonic peoples. It was said to have the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. Celts hung mistletoe in their homes in order to bring themselves good luck and ward off evil spirits.
• Mistletoe, a traditional Christmas symbol, was once revered by the early Britons. It was so sacred that it had to be cut with a golden sickle.
IT’S A CRACKER, IT’S A COOKIE — NO, IT’S AN ORNAMENT
• Animal Crackers are not really crackers, but cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum’s circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.
CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD
• In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts, however, use shoes. Dutch children set out shoes to receive gifts any time between mid-November and December 5, St. Nicholas’ birthday.
• Christmas Day in the Ukraine can be celebrated on either December 25, in faithful alliance with the Roman Catholic Gregorian calendar, or on January 7, which is the Orthodox or Eastern Rite (Julian calendar), the church holy day.
• According to historical accounts, the first Christmas in the Philippines was celebrated 200 years before Ferdinand Magellan discovered the country for the western world, likely between the years 1280 and 1320 AD.
• Christmas is not widely celebrated in Scotland. Some historians believe that Christmas is downplayed in Scotland because of the influence of the Presbyterian Church (or Kirk), which considered Christmas a “Papist,” or Catholic event. As a result, Christmas in Scotland tends to be somber.
BE CAREFUL!
• It is estimated that 400,000 people become sick each year from eating tainted Christmas leftovers.
• Holiday Headaches: Nearly one in four people said they have more headaches during the Christmas season than any other time of the year. Of those surveyed, 75 percent said that not having enough time caused them to have headaches; 73 percent said crowds and traffic created their headaches; and 51 percent said skipping meals gave them headaches.
HISTORICAL FACTS AND TRADITIONS
• “Hot cockles” was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. “Hot cockles” was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era.
• A boar’s head is a traditional Christmas dish. According to a popular story, the unlucky boar whose head began the custom in the Middle Ages was killed by choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy. The story claims that a university student saved himself from a charging boar by ramming a book of Aristotle’s writings down its throat. He then cut off the boar’s head and brought it back to his college.
• At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served “endored.” This meant the flesh was painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter. In addition to their painted flesh, endored birds were served wrapped in their own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set aside prior to roasting.
• In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made Christmas illegal. Festivities were banned by Puritan leader, Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry, on what was supposed to be a holy day, to be immoral. The ban was lifted only when the Puritans lost power in 1660.
• Christmas was once a moveable feast celebrated at many different times during the year. The choice of December 25, was made by Pope Julius I, in the 4th century A.D., because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.
• During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, the log burned was called the “Yule log.” Sometimes a piece of the Yule log would be kept to kindle the fire the following winter, to ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule log custom was handed down from the Druids.
AND THE SURVEY SAYS...
• According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners.
• According to a 1997 Gallup poll, 29 percent of Americans found the Christmas holidays more stressful than enjoyable. Those with the lowest incomes were most likely to find the season stressful, perhaps reflecting their inability to participate fully in the commercial, gift giving aspects of the holiday.
• According to Gale Research, the average American household wraps 30 Christmas gifts each year.
Issue 372
SNIPPETZ WAKES UP AND SMELLS THE COFFEE!
"The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Thanks to King George’s Tea Tax and that fateful day of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, the Continental Congress declared coffee the official U.S. national beverage. Though many of us can and do enjoy an afternoon cup of tea, it is that cup of Joe that wakes up the nation, making up 75 percent of all caffeine consumed in the U.S. That was some declaration!
The term “Cup of Joe” actually came from the U.S. Navy. The practice of serving alcohol on board Navy ships was abolished by Admiral Josephus “Joe” Daniels who eventually became Chief of Naval Operations. Coffee replaced liquor as the drink of choice and was quickly referred to as a “Cup of Joe” after the Admiral.
About 10,000 pounds of coffee berries can be grown on an acre of land. There are two coffee beans within each berry and there are about seven million tons of these green beans produced worldwide. The coffee berry starts off as green, turns yellow, then red and finally dark crimson when it is ripe. This can be a slow process. In fact, Arabica coffee plants can take up to five years to mature and produce its first crop. Most beans are hand picked at harvest time.
How Much is Too Much?
• The U.S. is the leading consumer of coffee in the world at 450 million cups of coffee per day, meaning the average coffee drinker downs 3.4 cups in a day.
• Four hundred billion cups are consumed worldwide on a daily basis.
• Germans consume 16 pounds per person per year.
• Italians consume 14 billion espresso coffees per year.
So Many Coffees, So Little Time
• Flavor is lost within about an hour once coffee is ground unless it is vacuum sealed, which keeps it fresh for up to six months. The roasted beans start to lose their flavor after about two weeks. Once brewed, coffee begins to lose flavor within minutes.
• Flavored coffees are made by adding flavored oil after the roasting process. The most popular flavors are hazelnut and Irish cream. These now popular flavored coffees were invented in the United States in the 1970’s.
• Cappuccino was named after the Cappuicine Monks because the foam on the drink’s peak looks much like the color of robes worn by the monks.
• Against popular belief, espresso actually contains less caffeine than lighter roasted beans because the espresso bean is roasted longer, which causes it to lose some of its caffeine content.
• Forty-three percent of German coffee drinkers and 27 percent of American coffee drinkers add some type of sweetener to their coffee.
Making the Grade
Coffee beans are graded and the grading system is different depending on the part of the world from which it comes.
• Beans from Colombia are graded Supremo, Excelso, Extra and Pasilla (the lowest grade).
• In Kenya, coffee beans are graded A, B and C with AA being the finest.
• Costa Rican grades are a bit more complicated starting with Strictly Hard Bean, Good Hard Bean, Hard Bean, Medium Hard Bean, High Grown Atlantic, Medium Grown Atlantic and Low Grown Atlantic.
• “Hard Bean” indicates that the bean was grown in altitudes higher than 5,000 feet.
• Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is thought to be the best coffee in the world.
• Only about 20 percent of all harvested coffee beans are considered to be of the highest quality.
• Mexican coffees are now thought to be similar in quality to the world’s largest producers, Brazil and Colombia, due to its delicate body and mellow flavor.
Mixing It Up
• Mexicans like their coffee with cinnamon
• Italians prefer espresso with sugar
• Swiss and Germans mix coffee with hot chocolate
• Belgians add chocolate, of course
• Ethiopians add salt
• Middle Easterners like cardamom and other spices
• Austrians like whipped cream
• Moroccans mix their coffee with peppercorns
Big Business
• The coffee bean came to Hawaii in 1825 and it is the only state in the U.S. that grows coffee beans for commercial use. They are harvested between November and April each year and celebrated with a Kona festival.
• Over 50 countries grow coffee commercially around the world and they all mainly lie along the equator between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.
• Coffee shops in the U.S. enjoy a seven percent annual growth rate.
• An estimated 110 to 120 million bags of coffee are produced per year in the world. That’s a lot of beans!
• Brazil manufactures the majority of coffee beans in the world, employing about five million people to cultivate and harvest the precious commodity. Colombia comes in at a close second, cultivating about two-thirds of the amount that Brazil manufactures.
• Coffee passes through four to six hands in buy and sell transactions before reaching the end user.
The Way It Was
Coffee is not a new drink. It’s been around since about 900 A.D., first used as a wine, medicine and stimulant. Some things never change.
• 1615 – first sold in European drugstores for medicinal purposes
• 1625 – first time sugar was used in coffee
• 1715 – Jesuits began cultivating coffee beans in Haiti
• 1720’s – first coffee tree came to the island of Martinique from France, the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere
• 1721 – the first coffeehouse opened in Berlin
• 1822 – first espresso machine invented in France
• 1827 – first percolator invented in France
• 1840 – first vacuum pot brewer invented by a Scottish engineer
• 1870’s – batch roasting of coffee beans became more widespread. Prior to this, folks roasted their own beans in a frying pan over a fire.
• 1900 – coffee is delivered door-to-door by horse-pulled wagon in the U.S.
• 1906 – first commercial espresso machine invented and manufactured in Italy
• 1969 – first coffee consumed on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They also ate hot dogs, bacon squares, canned peaches and sugar cookies.
Different Strokes
• “Grounds” for divorce? Once upon a time, during their wedding ceremonies, Turkish grooms promised to provide coffee to their wives…or else.
• When coffee was scarce during the Civil War, the people of New Orleans would use chicory as a substitute. Still today, some have chicory mixed with very strong black coffee and milk.
• If anyone asks you if you’d like a cup of cowboy coffee, think twice before you say “sure, I’d love a cup.” Cowboys used to put the coffee grounds in their sock and soak it in hot water before drinking the so called coffee.
Top 10 Signs You May be Drinking Too Much Coffee
10. Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
9. Your nervous twitch is measured on the Richter Scale.
8. You grind coffee beans with your teeth.
7. You can jump-start a car without jumper cables.
6. You’ve named all your children “Joe.”
5. Your coffee mug has a picture of your coffee mug on it.
4. People test their batteries in your ears.
3. People get dizzy watching you.
2. You help your dog chase its tail.
1. Starbucks holds the mortgage on your house.
SNIPPETZ WAKES UP AND SMELLS THE COFFEE!
"The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Thanks to King George’s Tea Tax and that fateful day of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, the Continental Congress declared coffee the official U.S. national beverage. Though many of us can and do enjoy an afternoon cup of tea, it is that cup of Joe that wakes up the nation, making up 75 percent of all caffeine consumed in the U.S. That was some declaration!
The term “Cup of Joe” actually came from the U.S. Navy. The practice of serving alcohol on board Navy ships was abolished by Admiral Josephus “Joe” Daniels who eventually became Chief of Naval Operations. Coffee replaced liquor as the drink of choice and was quickly referred to as a “Cup of Joe” after the Admiral.
About 10,000 pounds of coffee berries can be grown on an acre of land. There are two coffee beans within each berry and there are about seven million tons of these green beans produced worldwide. The coffee berry starts off as green, turns yellow, then red and finally dark crimson when it is ripe. This can be a slow process. In fact, Arabica coffee plants can take up to five years to mature and produce its first crop. Most beans are hand picked at harvest time.
How Much is Too Much?
• The U.S. is the leading consumer of coffee in the world at 450 million cups of coffee per day, meaning the average coffee drinker downs 3.4 cups in a day.
• Four hundred billion cups are consumed worldwide on a daily basis.
• Germans consume 16 pounds per person per year.
• Italians consume 14 billion espresso coffees per year.
So Many Coffees, So Little Time
• Flavor is lost within about an hour once coffee is ground unless it is vacuum sealed, which keeps it fresh for up to six months. The roasted beans start to lose their flavor after about two weeks. Once brewed, coffee begins to lose flavor within minutes.
• Flavored coffees are made by adding flavored oil after the roasting process. The most popular flavors are hazelnut and Irish cream. These now popular flavored coffees were invented in the United States in the 1970’s.
• Cappuccino was named after the Cappuicine Monks because the foam on the drink’s peak looks much like the color of robes worn by the monks.
• Against popular belief, espresso actually contains less caffeine than lighter roasted beans because the espresso bean is roasted longer, which causes it to lose some of its caffeine content.
• Forty-three percent of German coffee drinkers and 27 percent of American coffee drinkers add some type of sweetener to their coffee.
Making the Grade
Coffee beans are graded and the grading system is different depending on the part of the world from which it comes.
• Beans from Colombia are graded Supremo, Excelso, Extra and Pasilla (the lowest grade).
• In Kenya, coffee beans are graded A, B and C with AA being the finest.
• Costa Rican grades are a bit more complicated starting with Strictly Hard Bean, Good Hard Bean, Hard Bean, Medium Hard Bean, High Grown Atlantic, Medium Grown Atlantic and Low Grown Atlantic.
• “Hard Bean” indicates that the bean was grown in altitudes higher than 5,000 feet.
• Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is thought to be the best coffee in the world.
• Only about 20 percent of all harvested coffee beans are considered to be of the highest quality.
• Mexican coffees are now thought to be similar in quality to the world’s largest producers, Brazil and Colombia, due to its delicate body and mellow flavor.
Mixing It Up
• Mexicans like their coffee with cinnamon
• Italians prefer espresso with sugar
• Swiss and Germans mix coffee with hot chocolate
• Belgians add chocolate, of course
• Ethiopians add salt
• Middle Easterners like cardamom and other spices
• Austrians like whipped cream
• Moroccans mix their coffee with peppercorns
Big Business
• The coffee bean came to Hawaii in 1825 and it is the only state in the U.S. that grows coffee beans for commercial use. They are harvested between November and April each year and celebrated with a Kona festival.
• Over 50 countries grow coffee commercially around the world and they all mainly lie along the equator between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.
• Coffee shops in the U.S. enjoy a seven percent annual growth rate.
• An estimated 110 to 120 million bags of coffee are produced per year in the world. That’s a lot of beans!
• Brazil manufactures the majority of coffee beans in the world, employing about five million people to cultivate and harvest the precious commodity. Colombia comes in at a close second, cultivating about two-thirds of the amount that Brazil manufactures.
• Coffee passes through four to six hands in buy and sell transactions before reaching the end user.
The Way It Was
Coffee is not a new drink. It’s been around since about 900 A.D., first used as a wine, medicine and stimulant. Some things never change.
• 1615 – first sold in European drugstores for medicinal purposes
• 1625 – first time sugar was used in coffee
• 1715 – Jesuits began cultivating coffee beans in Haiti
• 1720’s – first coffee tree came to the island of Martinique from France, the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere
• 1721 – the first coffeehouse opened in Berlin
• 1822 – first espresso machine invented in France
• 1827 – first percolator invented in France
• 1840 – first vacuum pot brewer invented by a Scottish engineer
• 1870’s – batch roasting of coffee beans became more widespread. Prior to this, folks roasted their own beans in a frying pan over a fire.
• 1900 – coffee is delivered door-to-door by horse-pulled wagon in the U.S.
• 1906 – first commercial espresso machine invented and manufactured in Italy
• 1969 – first coffee consumed on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They also ate hot dogs, bacon squares, canned peaches and sugar cookies.
Different Strokes
• “Grounds” for divorce? Once upon a time, during their wedding ceremonies, Turkish grooms promised to provide coffee to their wives…or else.
• When coffee was scarce during the Civil War, the people of New Orleans would use chicory as a substitute. Still today, some have chicory mixed with very strong black coffee and milk.
• If anyone asks you if you’d like a cup of cowboy coffee, think twice before you say “sure, I’d love a cup.” Cowboys used to put the coffee grounds in their sock and soak it in hot water before drinking the so called coffee.
Top 10 Signs You May be Drinking Too Much Coffee
10. Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
9. Your nervous twitch is measured on the Richter Scale.
8. You grind coffee beans with your teeth.
7. You can jump-start a car without jumper cables.
6. You’ve named all your children “Joe.”
5. Your coffee mug has a picture of your coffee mug on it.
4. People test their batteries in your ears.
3. People get dizzy watching you.
2. You help your dog chase its tail.
1. Starbucks holds the mortgage on your house.
Issue 371
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES NOBEL PRIZE WEEK
“If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.”
- Richard Feynman, American theoretical physicist (1918-1988)
Since 1901, 789 individuals and 20 organizations have won the coveted Nobel Prize, awarded annually for excellence in the categories of Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. The latter was not part of the original five awards provided for in Alfred Nobel’s last will and testament upon his death in 1896. Prizes are awarded to the Nobel laureates on Dec. 10 of each year, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The ceremony for the Peace Prize is held in Oslo and for the remaining categories in Stockholm.
Surprise Prize
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1833. During his lifetime he was most known for developing nitroglycerine, an explosive compound patented under the name of dynamite in 1867. It was unfortunate that his brother, Emil became a casualty of Alfred and their engineer father’s experimentation with explosives in 1864.
When Nobel’s will was read after his death in 1896, his family contested the document because he had left about 90 percent of his wealth to be used in the establishment of “prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.” Those prizes would be awarded for achievement in the five fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. It then took five years to establish how the prizes would be dealt with. Nobel left instruction that the prizes other than the Peace Prize would be awarded by Swedish committees, but the prize for peace, awarded to the individual who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses,” was to be awarded by a Norwegian committee elected by the Storting [Parliament].
Nobel provided no explanation for his bequest.
Getting on the ‘A’ List
So you want to be a Nobel laureate? It takes a little doing. First, you must be nominated a year in advance and you can’t nominate yourself. The committees responsible for awarding the prize request nominations from previous Nobel laureates, scientists, politicians and academics from each relevant field. These nominators are selected from countries all over the world so as to ensure fair representation. Other than the designated “winners,” the nominations are kept secret for 50 years. The appropriate committees then select the prize winners for the year.
The Prize Itself
Winning the Nobel Prize is an honor and being a Nobel laureate is extremely prestigious. At the ceremony each recipient receives a diploma, medal and a financial reward that amounts to about one million American dollars. Many times awards are shared amongst two or no more than three laureates, as well as the prize money. Beginning in 1961, Sweden Post Stamps began issuing stamps to honor the laureates for the year and a postage cancellation is designed for the occasion. For the Peace Prize ceremony held at Oslo City Hall, the honoree(s) is presented the prize by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of the King of Norway. The remaining recipients attend their ceremony in Stockholm Concert Hall where his Majesty the King of Sweden performs the presentation of the awards.
It’s All In The Family
• The Curie family has received multiple rewards with husband and wife teams Marie and Pierre Curie as well as Irene Joliot-Curie and Frederic Joliot; mother/daughter team Marie Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie; and father/daughter Pierre Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie.
• Two other married couples, Gerty and Carl Corti as well as Alva and Gunnar Myrdal received the honors.
• Father and son teams have also been honored: William and Lawrence Bragg, Niels and Aage Bohr, Hans and Ulf von Euler, Arthur and Roger Kornberg, Manne and Kai Siegbahn and J.J. and George Thomson.
More Nobel Facts
• The oldest laureate to receive the Nobel prize was 90-year-old Leonid Hurwicz for Economics in 2007.
• The youngest laureate was 25-year-old Lawrence Bragg who received his prize in Physics with his father in 1915.
• Thirty-five women have won the prize including Marie Curie who won twice – once for Physics in 1903 and once for Chemistry in 1911.
• Interestingly enough there is no prize awarded for the field of mathematics.
• Awards are never given posthumously. Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Peace prize five times and was expected to win the prize in 1948 until he was assassinated two days before the nomination closing on Jan. 30, 1948.
• A Nobel Prize “winner” is referred to as a “laureate,” as the prize is felt to be recognition of outstanding achievement within a broad category that benefits mankind rather than a contest.
Some Notable American Laureates
Over 300 Americans have earned the title of Nobel laureate in all categories, many of whom have had more than their 15 minutes of fame:
• Theodore Roosevelt – Peace Prize in 1906
• Woodrow Wilson – Peace Prize in 1919
• Albert Einstein – Physics in 1921
• Sinclair Lewis – Literature in 1930
• Jane Adams – Peace Prize in 1931
• Pearl Buck – Literature in 1938
• William Faulkner – Literature in 1949
• George C. Marshall – Peace Prize in 1953
• Ernest Hemingway – Literature in 1954
• John Steinbeck – Literature in 1962
• James Watson – Medicine in 1962
• Martin Luther King – Peace Prize in 1964
• Henry Kissinger – Peace Prize in 1973
• Barbara McClintock – Medicine in 1983
• International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War – Peace Prize in 1985
• James M. Buchanan – Economics in 1986
• Harry M. Markowitz, Merton H. Miller and William F. Sharpe – Economics in 1990
• Toni Morrison – Literature in 1993
• Jimmy Carter – Peace Prize in 2002
• Al Gore – Peace Prize in 2007
Turning Down a Good Thing
• Not everyone has their eyes on the prize. Jean-Paul Sartre who was awarded the 1964 prize in Literature declined because he always declined honors. Le Duc Tho was awarded the Peace Prize in 1973 with Henry Kissinger, the U.S. Secretary of State for their work in negotiating the Vietnam peace accord. Le Duc Tho stated that he was not in a position to accept the award due to the situation in Vietnam.
• Richard Kuhn, Adolf Butenandt and Gerhard Domagk were required to turn down their award by Adolf Hitler. They later received their diploma and medal, but not the money.
• Boris Pasternak who won the prize in 1958 for Literature eventually was coerced into declining the prize by the Soviet Union government.
SNIPPETZ CELEBRATES NOBEL PRIZE WEEK
“If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.”
- Richard Feynman, American theoretical physicist (1918-1988)
Since 1901, 789 individuals and 20 organizations have won the coveted Nobel Prize, awarded annually for excellence in the categories of Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. The latter was not part of the original five awards provided for in Alfred Nobel’s last will and testament upon his death in 1896. Prizes are awarded to the Nobel laureates on Dec. 10 of each year, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The ceremony for the Peace Prize is held in Oslo and for the remaining categories in Stockholm.
Surprise Prize
Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1833. During his lifetime he was most known for developing nitroglycerine, an explosive compound patented under the name of dynamite in 1867. It was unfortunate that his brother, Emil became a casualty of Alfred and their engineer father’s experimentation with explosives in 1864.
When Nobel’s will was read after his death in 1896, his family contested the document because he had left about 90 percent of his wealth to be used in the establishment of “prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.” Those prizes would be awarded for achievement in the five fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. It then took five years to establish how the prizes would be dealt with. Nobel left instruction that the prizes other than the Peace Prize would be awarded by Swedish committees, but the prize for peace, awarded to the individual who “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses,” was to be awarded by a Norwegian committee elected by the Storting [Parliament].
Nobel provided no explanation for his bequest.
Getting on the ‘A’ List
So you want to be a Nobel laureate? It takes a little doing. First, you must be nominated a year in advance and you can’t nominate yourself. The committees responsible for awarding the prize request nominations from previous Nobel laureates, scientists, politicians and academics from each relevant field. These nominators are selected from countries all over the world so as to ensure fair representation. Other than the designated “winners,” the nominations are kept secret for 50 years. The appropriate committees then select the prize winners for the year.
The Prize Itself
Winning the Nobel Prize is an honor and being a Nobel laureate is extremely prestigious. At the ceremony each recipient receives a diploma, medal and a financial reward that amounts to about one million American dollars. Many times awards are shared amongst two or no more than three laureates, as well as the prize money. Beginning in 1961, Sweden Post Stamps began issuing stamps to honor the laureates for the year and a postage cancellation is designed for the occasion. For the Peace Prize ceremony held at Oslo City Hall, the honoree(s) is presented the prize by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of the King of Norway. The remaining recipients attend their ceremony in Stockholm Concert Hall where his Majesty the King of Sweden performs the presentation of the awards.
It’s All In The Family
• The Curie family has received multiple rewards with husband and wife teams Marie and Pierre Curie as well as Irene Joliot-Curie and Frederic Joliot; mother/daughter team Marie Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie; and father/daughter Pierre Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie.
• Two other married couples, Gerty and Carl Corti as well as Alva and Gunnar Myrdal received the honors.
• Father and son teams have also been honored: William and Lawrence Bragg, Niels and Aage Bohr, Hans and Ulf von Euler, Arthur and Roger Kornberg, Manne and Kai Siegbahn and J.J. and George Thomson.
More Nobel Facts
• The oldest laureate to receive the Nobel prize was 90-year-old Leonid Hurwicz for Economics in 2007.
• The youngest laureate was 25-year-old Lawrence Bragg who received his prize in Physics with his father in 1915.
• Thirty-five women have won the prize including Marie Curie who won twice – once for Physics in 1903 and once for Chemistry in 1911.
• Interestingly enough there is no prize awarded for the field of mathematics.
• Awards are never given posthumously. Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Peace prize five times and was expected to win the prize in 1948 until he was assassinated two days before the nomination closing on Jan. 30, 1948.
• A Nobel Prize “winner” is referred to as a “laureate,” as the prize is felt to be recognition of outstanding achievement within a broad category that benefits mankind rather than a contest.
Some Notable American Laureates
Over 300 Americans have earned the title of Nobel laureate in all categories, many of whom have had more than their 15 minutes of fame:
• Theodore Roosevelt – Peace Prize in 1906
• Woodrow Wilson – Peace Prize in 1919
• Albert Einstein – Physics in 1921
• Sinclair Lewis – Literature in 1930
• Jane Adams – Peace Prize in 1931
• Pearl Buck – Literature in 1938
• William Faulkner – Literature in 1949
• George C. Marshall – Peace Prize in 1953
• Ernest Hemingway – Literature in 1954
• John Steinbeck – Literature in 1962
• James Watson – Medicine in 1962
• Martin Luther King – Peace Prize in 1964
• Henry Kissinger – Peace Prize in 1973
• Barbara McClintock – Medicine in 1983
• International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War – Peace Prize in 1985
• James M. Buchanan – Economics in 1986
• Harry M. Markowitz, Merton H. Miller and William F. Sharpe – Economics in 1990
• Toni Morrison – Literature in 1993
• Jimmy Carter – Peace Prize in 2002
• Al Gore – Peace Prize in 2007
Turning Down a Good Thing
• Not everyone has their eyes on the prize. Jean-Paul Sartre who was awarded the 1964 prize in Literature declined because he always declined honors. Le Duc Tho was awarded the Peace Prize in 1973 with Henry Kissinger, the U.S. Secretary of State for their work in negotiating the Vietnam peace accord. Le Duc Tho stated that he was not in a position to accept the award due to the situation in Vietnam.
• Richard Kuhn, Adolf Butenandt and Gerhard Domagk were required to turn down their award by Adolf Hitler. They later received their diploma and medal, but not the money.
• Boris Pasternak who won the prize in 1958 for Literature eventually was coerced into declining the prize by the Soviet Union government.
Issue 370
SNIPPETZ LOOKS AT THE FAMOUSLY ECCENTRIC OR THOSE JUST A WEE BIT "OFF"
“The world thinks eccentricity in great things is genius, but in small things, only crazy.”
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
Call it quirky, strange, a bit offbeat or eccentric, there are some folks out there who just do things a wee bit differently than most of us. Who can forget Howard Hughes – billionaire aviator, engineer and businessman – best known for some very quirky behavior as well as being a reclusive later in life? Hughes was so obsessed with cleanliness that he would use Kleenex to pick up objects. He once spent nearly a year in a theater screening room by himself eating only chocolate bars and milk. Hughes was eventually diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. And what about genius Albert Einstein who would pick up cigarette butts off the street so as not to purchase tobacco for his pipe since his doctor insisted that he stop buying tobacco. A genius lacking ‘street’ smarts?
Actors and artists are well known for their propensity toward eccentric behavior, but many are found in other career fields such as authors, royalty and business people.
Who Says Writers are Different?
• Nathanial Hawthorne, author of “The Scarlet Letter,” would always wash his hands before picking up and reading a letter from his wife.
• Benjamin Disraeli, author and British prime minister in 1868, wore evening dress while writing his books.
• You remember “Alice In Wonderland,” curiouser and curiouser, well the author Lewis Carroll was a bit “curious” as well. He would travel with a trunk in which every item had been wrapped in a separate piece of paper.
• In order to avoid certain visitors, Dr. Samuel Johnson, English author of the 1755 “Dictionary of the English Language,” would actually climb a tree to hide. On the occasions when he did receive visitors, he would often consume 25 cups of tea at a sitting.
• Gilbert and Sullivan, creators of 14 of the most popular comic operas in history, disliked each other so much that they rarely met in person and normally collaborated through correspondence.
• Alexandre Dumas, author of “The Three Musketeers,” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” wrote his magazine articles on pink paper, his poetry on yellow paper and his novels on blue paper.
• The famous fairytale writer, Hans Christian Andersen was concerned about his appearance since he felt his chest was a bit concave. To make himself look a little manlier, he would stuff old newspapers beneath his shirt.
• Earnest Vincent Wright’s novel, “Gadsby,” contains over 50,000 words – none of which have the letter E.
• Jonathan Swift, author of the 1726 “Gulliver's Travels” and dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, hated celebrating his birthday. Swift only wore black on his birthdays and refused to eat.
• American poet Walt Whitman would not read anything written in first person by any other author even though he wrote most of his free verse in the same.
• Hans Christian Andersen, author of "The Princess and the Pea," "The Emperor's New Clothes" and other fairytales had a fear of being buried alive. He usually carried a note in his pocket instructing anyone who found him unconscious to not assume he was dead and insist that he must be examined again. He would even leave a note on his bedside table stating, "I only seem dead." He really did die in 1875 from cancer. Really, they were sure.
Ridiculously Royal
• The 1682 czar of Russia, Peter I, would go to bed wearing his boots.
• In 1547, the queen of France, Catherine de Médicis, would allow no woman in her court to have a waistline larger than 13 inches.
• George Clemenceau, the prime minister of France in 1906, (and again in 1917,) spent most of his life going to bed fully clothed in a soft shirt, coat, trousers, shoes and sometimes gloves. He would have made a good boy scout – “be prepared!”
• King James I of England was once so delighted with a loin of beef served to him at dinner that he knighted it and then said, “Arise, Sir Loin.”
• Frederick the Great, king of Prussia between 1740 and 1786, hated water, rarely washed his hands or face, and almost every morning touched up his cheeks with red paint to make himself appear fresh and healthy.
• Empress Eugenie, the very fashionable wife of Napoleon III who had ruled France from 1852 to 1870, never wore the same pair of shoes twice.
• And speaking of shoes, don’t forget Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippine ruler Ferdinand Marcos who once proclaimed that there were no poor people in her native country. She left behind 3,000 pairs of shoes at the palace when she and her husband Ferdinand Marcos were no longer in power.
• The first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley (who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815,) carried six watches on his person. He was very proud of the fact that he had never been late for an appointment in his life.
• Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution in case of a plane crash.
• King Otto, the ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1913, would start each day by shooting a peasant. Two of his attendants would play a trick on him by filling his rifle with blanks and one would saunter by and fall to the ground playing dead at the sound of the shot.
• King Edward VII, son of Victoria and ruler of England in 1901, would allow no one around him to carry loose change because jingling of coins would unnerve him.
American Royalty
• President Ronald Reagan’s very energetic first dog, Lucky, was eventually replaced by Rex, the quieter gentler pooch. Rex had a doghouse lavishly decorated and dedicated by actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.
• During the period in history that recipients of mail had to pay the postage, Zachary Taylor refused all letters sent to him because he didn’t want to pay. As a result, he wasn’t aware that he had been nominated for president in 1848. It was a month before he knew about the nomination. His refusal to pay the 10 cent postage was all that stood between Taylor and the presidency.
Other Notable Misfits
• Babe Ruth wore a cabbage leaf under his cap to keep him cool during a game. He would change into a fresh leaf every 2 innings. Nothing worse than wearing a wilted cabbage leaf.
• Florence Nightingale, founder of professional nursing, carried a pet owl in her pocket when she traveled.
• Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch painter cut off part of his left ear and gave it to a prostitute in 1888.
• The Hungarian pianist, Franz Liszt, who at age 11 was praised as a pianist by Beethoven, would sometimes play a difficult composition with two glasses of water balanced on the back of his hands - and never spilled a drop!
• Cornelius Vanderbilt, the very wealthy American capitalist, used to keep a dish filled with salt under each leg of his bed to scare away evil spirits. It must have worked since Vanderbilt had made $100 million from railroads and shipping by the time he left the world in 1877.
• The Chinese painter, Mi Fu, adopted a rock as his brother and would bow to it in respect. Don’t laugh - remember the pet rock?
SNIPPETZ LOOKS AT THE FAMOUSLY ECCENTRIC OR THOSE JUST A WEE BIT "OFF"
“The world thinks eccentricity in great things is genius, but in small things, only crazy.”
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
Call it quirky, strange, a bit offbeat or eccentric, there are some folks out there who just do things a wee bit differently than most of us. Who can forget Howard Hughes – billionaire aviator, engineer and businessman – best known for some very quirky behavior as well as being a reclusive later in life? Hughes was so obsessed with cleanliness that he would use Kleenex to pick up objects. He once spent nearly a year in a theater screening room by himself eating only chocolate bars and milk. Hughes was eventually diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. And what about genius Albert Einstein who would pick up cigarette butts off the street so as not to purchase tobacco for his pipe since his doctor insisted that he stop buying tobacco. A genius lacking ‘street’ smarts?
Actors and artists are well known for their propensity toward eccentric behavior, but many are found in other career fields such as authors, royalty and business people.
Who Says Writers are Different?
• Nathanial Hawthorne, author of “The Scarlet Letter,” would always wash his hands before picking up and reading a letter from his wife.
• Benjamin Disraeli, author and British prime minister in 1868, wore evening dress while writing his books.
• You remember “Alice In Wonderland,” curiouser and curiouser, well the author Lewis Carroll was a bit “curious” as well. He would travel with a trunk in which every item had been wrapped in a separate piece of paper.
• In order to avoid certain visitors, Dr. Samuel Johnson, English author of the 1755 “Dictionary of the English Language,” would actually climb a tree to hide. On the occasions when he did receive visitors, he would often consume 25 cups of tea at a sitting.
• Gilbert and Sullivan, creators of 14 of the most popular comic operas in history, disliked each other so much that they rarely met in person and normally collaborated through correspondence.
• Alexandre Dumas, author of “The Three Musketeers,” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” wrote his magazine articles on pink paper, his poetry on yellow paper and his novels on blue paper.
• The famous fairytale writer, Hans Christian Andersen was concerned about his appearance since he felt his chest was a bit concave. To make himself look a little manlier, he would stuff old newspapers beneath his shirt.
• Earnest Vincent Wright’s novel, “Gadsby,” contains over 50,000 words – none of which have the letter E.
• Jonathan Swift, author of the 1726 “Gulliver's Travels” and dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, hated celebrating his birthday. Swift only wore black on his birthdays and refused to eat.
• American poet Walt Whitman would not read anything written in first person by any other author even though he wrote most of his free verse in the same.
• Hans Christian Andersen, author of "The Princess and the Pea," "The Emperor's New Clothes" and other fairytales had a fear of being buried alive. He usually carried a note in his pocket instructing anyone who found him unconscious to not assume he was dead and insist that he must be examined again. He would even leave a note on his bedside table stating, "I only seem dead." He really did die in 1875 from cancer. Really, they were sure.
Ridiculously Royal
• The 1682 czar of Russia, Peter I, would go to bed wearing his boots.
• In 1547, the queen of France, Catherine de Médicis, would allow no woman in her court to have a waistline larger than 13 inches.
• George Clemenceau, the prime minister of France in 1906, (and again in 1917,) spent most of his life going to bed fully clothed in a soft shirt, coat, trousers, shoes and sometimes gloves. He would have made a good boy scout – “be prepared!”
• King James I of England was once so delighted with a loin of beef served to him at dinner that he knighted it and then said, “Arise, Sir Loin.”
• Frederick the Great, king of Prussia between 1740 and 1786, hated water, rarely washed his hands or face, and almost every morning touched up his cheeks with red paint to make himself appear fresh and healthy.
• Empress Eugenie, the very fashionable wife of Napoleon III who had ruled France from 1852 to 1870, never wore the same pair of shoes twice.
• And speaking of shoes, don’t forget Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippine ruler Ferdinand Marcos who once proclaimed that there were no poor people in her native country. She left behind 3,000 pairs of shoes at the palace when she and her husband Ferdinand Marcos were no longer in power.
• The first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley (who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815,) carried six watches on his person. He was very proud of the fact that he had never been late for an appointment in his life.
• Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution in case of a plane crash.
• King Otto, the ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1913, would start each day by shooting a peasant. Two of his attendants would play a trick on him by filling his rifle with blanks and one would saunter by and fall to the ground playing dead at the sound of the shot.
• King Edward VII, son of Victoria and ruler of England in 1901, would allow no one around him to carry loose change because jingling of coins would unnerve him.
American Royalty
• President Ronald Reagan’s very energetic first dog, Lucky, was eventually replaced by Rex, the quieter gentler pooch. Rex had a doghouse lavishly decorated and dedicated by actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.
• During the period in history that recipients of mail had to pay the postage, Zachary Taylor refused all letters sent to him because he didn’t want to pay. As a result, he wasn’t aware that he had been nominated for president in 1848. It was a month before he knew about the nomination. His refusal to pay the 10 cent postage was all that stood between Taylor and the presidency.
Other Notable Misfits
• Babe Ruth wore a cabbage leaf under his cap to keep him cool during a game. He would change into a fresh leaf every 2 innings. Nothing worse than wearing a wilted cabbage leaf.
• Florence Nightingale, founder of professional nursing, carried a pet owl in her pocket when she traveled.
• Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch painter cut off part of his left ear and gave it to a prostitute in 1888.
• The Hungarian pianist, Franz Liszt, who at age 11 was praised as a pianist by Beethoven, would sometimes play a difficult composition with two glasses of water balanced on the back of his hands - and never spilled a drop!
• Cornelius Vanderbilt, the very wealthy American capitalist, used to keep a dish filled with salt under each leg of his bed to scare away evil spirits. It must have worked since Vanderbilt had made $100 million from railroads and shipping by the time he left the world in 1877.
• The Chinese painter, Mi Fu, adopted a rock as his brother and would bow to it in respect. Don’t laugh - remember the pet rock?
Issue 369
AND NOW… THE INSIDE SCOOP ON “GONE WITH THE WIND”
"Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... tomorrow is another day."
Scarlett in “Gone With The Wind”
After three long years of writing her first novel, “Gone With The Wind,” Margaret Mitchell had an instant success on her hands. Mitchell was a reporter for “The Atlanta Herald” when she sustained an injury due to a fall from her horse. After that, she became an avid reader until one day her husband brought home a typewriter and suggested she start writing her own novel. She met the challenge and spent from 1926 to 1929 writing the now famous epic novel about the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Mitchell kept her writing a secret, except to her husband, although many of her friends were suspicious. During a visit from New York, her friend Lois Cole who worked for Macmillan Publishing discovered chunks of the book in various places in their small cramped apartment. With some prompting, Mitchell eventually gave her manuscript to Howard Latham, Cole’s boss.
Mitchell’s epic won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 after building enormous popularity in the summer of 1936. Like the Harry Potter books of now, people couldn’t put “Gone With The Wind” down. Except for the Bible, the book has sold more copies than any other in history. Hollywood took notice immediately, purchasing the rights to the story and the rest, as they say, is history.
An Award Winner
“Gone With The Wind” won a total of eight Academy Awards:
Best Picture - David O. Selznick. It is also the first color film to win an Oscar and the longest film to win at almost four hours long.
Best Actress - Vivien Leigh. Oddly enough, when fans cast ballots for a publicity stunt as to who they thought should play Scarlett, Vivien Leigh received only two votes.
Best Supporting Actress - Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win and/or be nominated for an Academy Award
Best Director - Victor Fleming
Best Screenplay - Sidney Howard
Best Art Direction - Lyle R. Wheeler
Best Cinematography, Color - Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan
Best Film Editing - Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom
Achievement - Don Musgrave for pioneering use of coordinated equipment
Honorary (plaque) - William Cameron Menzies for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood
It was nominated for five more:
Best Actor - Clark Gable
Best Supporting Actress - Olivia de Havilland
Best Music, Original Score - Max Steiner
Best Sound, Recording - Thomas T. Moulton
Best Special Effects - Jack Cosgrove for photographic; Arthur Johns and Fred Albin for sound
Frankly My Dear…
Touted by the American Film Institute as the #1 movie quote, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” took a little work to pass the Motion Picture Association’s production code standards. The Association board passed an amendment to the code banning the use of the words “damn” and “hell” except when using them “shall be essential and required for portrayal, in proper historical context, of any scene or dialogue based upon historical fact or folklore…or a quotation from a literary work, provided that no such use shall be permitted which is intrinsically objectionable or offends good taste.” But “frankly, my dear, I just don’t care” doesn’t have the same ring.
Oh, the Drama
Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Ronald Colman and Errol Flynn were the only serious contenders for the role of Rhett Butler. Gary Cooper was offered the role and turned it down, saying, “’Gone With The Wind' is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history," and, "I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."
Many more actresses were considered for the role of Scarlett, including Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard, Olivia de Havilland, Barbara Stanwyck and Tallulah Bankhead.
The vomiting sounds heard by Scarlett while digging up a radish in her garden at Tara before she gives her famous line, “As God is my witness, they’re not going to lick me,” were not from Vivien Leigh but dubbed in by Olivia de Havilland. Two possible reasons were given – either Leigh could not produce the retching sound well enough or she would not produce the sound as it was not lady-like.
Clark Gable nearly quit when he was required to cry during the scene after Scarlett’s miscarriage when Melanie was trying to comfort him. Olivia de Havilland convinced him otherwise.
It’s Only Money
David O. Selznick purchased the rights to Margaret Mitchell’s best seller for $50,000, an amount never before paid for a first novel. Mitchell eventually received another $50,000 as a bonus in 1942. After much negotiating with MGM’s head and Selznick’s father-in-law, Louis B. Mayer, Warner Brothers and United Artist, Selznick eventually chose to do business with MGM. The deal maker was that MGM had Clark Gable and $1.25 million to pitch in for production costs. MGM had the distribution rights and 50 percent of the profit.
Although Clark Gable was not interested in the “Gone With The Wind” story, he was eventually persuaded with a $4,500 per week paycheck and a $50,000 bonus which gave him the ability to divorce Maria, his second wife and marry Carole Lombard.
The film was a huge success at the box office, grossing more than $20 million in its first release. If the box office receipts alone were adjusted for inflation, the movie would be the highest grossing of all time at a total of $3,785,107,801.
Selznick earned $4 million for the picture and then sold his rights to John Hay Whitney for only $400,000 in order to keep his independent production company in the black. Whitney eventually sold the rights back to MGM for a mere $2.4 million.
Sidney Howard wrote the screenplay and was paid $2,000 per week. Along with David Selznick who contributed significantly to the writing, other writers were also hired to work on the screenplay, bringing the total sum for writing to $126,000.
The cost to make the film was $3.9 million, which surprisingly did not exceed “Ben-Hur” or “Hell’s Angels.”
Vivien Leigh received $25,000 for her role; Clark Gable received $120,000.
GWTW Trivia
AND NOW… THE INSIDE SCOOP ON “GONE WITH THE WIND”
"Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... tomorrow is another day."
Scarlett in “Gone With The Wind”
After three long years of writing her first novel, “Gone With The Wind,” Margaret Mitchell had an instant success on her hands. Mitchell was a reporter for “The Atlanta Herald” when she sustained an injury due to a fall from her horse. After that, she became an avid reader until one day her husband brought home a typewriter and suggested she start writing her own novel. She met the challenge and spent from 1926 to 1929 writing the now famous epic novel about the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Mitchell kept her writing a secret, except to her husband, although many of her friends were suspicious. During a visit from New York, her friend Lois Cole who worked for Macmillan Publishing discovered chunks of the book in various places in their small cramped apartment. With some prompting, Mitchell eventually gave her manuscript to Howard Latham, Cole’s boss.
Mitchell’s epic won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 after building enormous popularity in the summer of 1936. Like the Harry Potter books of now, people couldn’t put “Gone With The Wind” down. Except for the Bible, the book has sold more copies than any other in history. Hollywood took notice immediately, purchasing the rights to the story and the rest, as they say, is history.
An Award Winner
“Gone With The Wind” won a total of eight Academy Awards:
Best Picture - David O. Selznick. It is also the first color film to win an Oscar and the longest film to win at almost four hours long.
Best Actress - Vivien Leigh. Oddly enough, when fans cast ballots for a publicity stunt as to who they thought should play Scarlett, Vivien Leigh received only two votes.
Best Supporting Actress - Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win and/or be nominated for an Academy Award
Best Director - Victor Fleming
Best Screenplay - Sidney Howard
Best Art Direction - Lyle R. Wheeler
Best Cinematography, Color - Ernest Haller, Ray Rennahan
Best Film Editing - Hal C. Kern, James E. Newcom
Achievement - Don Musgrave for pioneering use of coordinated equipment
Honorary (plaque) - William Cameron Menzies for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood
It was nominated for five more:
Best Actor - Clark Gable
Best Supporting Actress - Olivia de Havilland
Best Music, Original Score - Max Steiner
Best Sound, Recording - Thomas T. Moulton
Best Special Effects - Jack Cosgrove for photographic; Arthur Johns and Fred Albin for sound
Frankly My Dear…
Touted by the American Film Institute as the #1 movie quote, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” took a little work to pass the Motion Picture Association’s production code standards. The Association board passed an amendment to the code banning the use of the words “damn” and “hell” except when using them “shall be essential and required for portrayal, in proper historical context, of any scene or dialogue based upon historical fact or folklore…or a quotation from a literary work, provided that no such use shall be permitted which is intrinsically objectionable or offends good taste.” But “frankly, my dear, I just don’t care” doesn’t have the same ring.
Oh, the Drama
Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Ronald Colman and Errol Flynn were the only serious contenders for the role of Rhett Butler. Gary Cooper was offered the role and turned it down, saying, “’Gone With The Wind' is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history," and, "I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."
Many more actresses were considered for the role of Scarlett, including Lucille Ball, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard, Olivia de Havilland, Barbara Stanwyck and Tallulah Bankhead.
The vomiting sounds heard by Scarlett while digging up a radish in her garden at Tara before she gives her famous line, “As God is my witness, they’re not going to lick me,” were not from Vivien Leigh but dubbed in by Olivia de Havilland. Two possible reasons were given – either Leigh could not produce the retching sound well enough or she would not produce the sound as it was not lady-like.
Clark Gable nearly quit when he was required to cry during the scene after Scarlett’s miscarriage when Melanie was trying to comfort him. Olivia de Havilland convinced him otherwise.
It’s Only Money
David O. Selznick purchased the rights to Margaret Mitchell’s best seller for $50,000, an amount never before paid for a first novel. Mitchell eventually received another $50,000 as a bonus in 1942. After much negotiating with MGM’s head and Selznick’s father-in-law, Louis B. Mayer, Warner Brothers and United Artist, Selznick eventually chose to do business with MGM. The deal maker was that MGM had Clark Gable and $1.25 million to pitch in for production costs. MGM had the distribution rights and 50 percent of the profit.
Although Clark Gable was not interested in the “Gone With The Wind” story, he was eventually persuaded with a $4,500 per week paycheck and a $50,000 bonus which gave him the ability to divorce Maria, his second wife and marry Carole Lombard.
The film was a huge success at the box office, grossing more than $20 million in its first release. If the box office receipts alone were adjusted for inflation, the movie would be the highest grossing of all time at a total of $3,785,107,801.
Selznick earned $4 million for the picture and then sold his rights to John Hay Whitney for only $400,000 in order to keep his independent production company in the black. Whitney eventually sold the rights back to MGM for a mere $2.4 million.
Sidney Howard wrote the screenplay and was paid $2,000 per week. Along with David Selznick who contributed significantly to the writing, other writers were also hired to work on the screenplay, bringing the total sum for writing to $126,000.
The cost to make the film was $3.9 million, which surprisingly did not exceed “Ben-Hur” or “Hell’s Angels.”
Vivien Leigh received $25,000 for her role; Clark Gable received $120,000.
GWTW Trivia
- Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh were heavy smokers. Leigh reportedly smoked four packs per day and Gable smoked three packs per day.
- Of the four main actors, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard and Vivien Leigh died at young ages; Olivia de Havilland remains alive today. However, her character was the only one to die in the film.
- The American Film Institute has ranked it the fourth on the list of 10 greatest epic films and sixth on the list of greatest movies of all time.
- The governor of Georgia declared a state holiday for the movie premier on Dec. 15, 1939. By contrast, for the film’s preview in Sept. at Fox Theatre in Riverside, Calif., Selznick insisted that the theatre manager keep the preview a secret to attendees. Once the movie began, the theatre was locked and no phone calls were allowed. The audience was yelling in excitement the moment they discovered that the film was “Gone With The Wind,” a movie anxiously awaited for by the public.
- The horse that played Woebegone, an old nag that carried Scarlett from the burning Atlanta Depot gained weight between the time he was chosen for the part and the time of his acting debut. With no time to waste, he was painted with makeup to appear as if his ribs stuck out from malnourishment. Sets from the 1933 film “King Kong” and the 1936 film “The Garden of Allah” were used for fire timber in this scene. If anything went wrong with the scene, it would have ended up on the cutting room floor. The fire was intense enough to prompt many phone calls to the fire department by nearby residents who thought MGM was burning down.
- There were 800 dummies used along with 800 extras during the scene in which Scarlett searches for Dr. Meade among dying Confederate soldiers. There were a total of 2,400 extras and 50 speaking roles in the film.
- Many of the costumes were donated to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Some replicas were made of the more famous ones that had begun to deteriorate. On online exhibit can be found at http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/online/gwtw/ under the David O. Selznick Collection.
Issue 368
SNIPPETZ SALUTES WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS
"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work."
-Oprah Winfrey
Women-owned businesses are commonplace today, but it is generally believed that women didn’t start entering the workforce until they had to go to work in the factories during World War II. However, women have been business owners for well over a century and are now some of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Some Quick Facts About Women-Owned Businesses
• Women-owned businesses represent 50 percent or more of the companies in the U.S. and they employ more than 13 million people.
• Women-owned businesses represent $1.9 trillion in sales.
• One in five businesses generating $1 million or more in revenue is woman owned.
Notable Characteristics
• Women emphasize relationship building as a management style.
• Women are more likely than men to consult with experts, other business owners and their employees when gathering facts before making decisions.
• Women in successful businesses ($1 million or more in revenue) are more likely to belong to networking associations.
• Women tend to embrace technology to increase productivity and flexibility.
Notable Business Women
Lydia Estes Pinkham
In 1873, Lydia Estes Pinkham founded the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Company for the sole purpose of marketing her Vegetable Compound developed for treating women with menstrual cramps and common menopause symptoms of hot flashes and depression. The Vegetable Compound was made up of unicorn root, pleurisy root, fenugreek seed, black cohosh, life root and 20% alcohol. Her company enjoyed immediate success and by the time of her death in 1883, it was grossing $300,000 per year. The company continued on and eventually had annual profits of $3.8 million by 1925. Pinkham protected the remedy by filing for and receiving a U.S. Patent. At a time when little attention was paid to women’s health issues, Pinkham took advantage of this slight by publishing her Pinkham Pamphlets, answering women’s questions about medical issues pertaining to themselves. Eventually the company had to reveal their compound included 20% alcohol by order of the Food and Drug Act of 1906. However, “Lydia Pinkham Herbal Compound” can still be purchased today. Pinkham was also a nurse, midwife, school teacher, anti-slavery activist and active in the women’s temperance movement.
Madame CJ Walker
Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker, a.k.a. Madame CJ Walker, was born the daughter of former slaves in 1867. She became orphaned at the age of seven and worked in the cotton fields with her sister. She married at the age of 14, had a daughter and became widowed two years after that. She moved to St. Louis to work for her brothers who were barbers. She put her daughter through school with the money she earned and eventually became involved in the National Association of Colored Women.
Walker began experiencing hair loss which prompted experimentation with skin products that were both homemade and those invented by her friend, Annie Malone, a female African-American entrepreneur. Walker moved to Denver, Colo. and began selling her product. She started with a door-to-door sales model and eventually employed 3,000 women selling her cosmetics, providing employment and educational opportunities for young African-American women. She died a self-made millionaire at the age of 52, known as the first African-American women to achieve that level of success.
Ruth Moskowicz Handler
During World War II, Ruth Handler, her husband Elliott and their business partner Harold Matson started the company Mattel, which manufactured toy furniture out of Lucite and Plexiglas. They also made toy pianos, ukuleles and music boxes. While on a visit to Europe in 1956, Ruth Handler was inspired by a doll that looked like a real woman. Upon her return she developed the Barbie doll, named after her daughter Barbara, which debuted in 1959. Her son’s name was Kenneth and he became the subject of the Ken doll later on. The doll and its line of clothing and accessories was a huge success. The Handlers and Mattel had many other notable successes:
• The first to market toys directly to children when they purchased a full year of advertising time as the sole sponsor on the “Mickey Mouse Club” TV show.
• Introduced the Hot Wheels miniature vehicles in 1968, producing two billion cars by 1998.
• Diversified by acquiring other companies such as Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus; Circus World (theme park), Radnitz/Mattel Productions (motion picture production company; Western Publishing (Golden Books); and Turco (playground equipment).
• After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970, Handler resigned as president of Mattel in 1973. She then developed a breast prosthesis and created the “Nearly Me” line of prosthetics for women, which is still being produced today.
Olive Ann Beech
Olive Ann Beech, with her husband Walter, co-founded Beech Aircraft. The company was a major manufacturer of aircraft during World War II, producing more than 7,000 planes. When Walter Beech became ill in 1940 and died in 1950, Olive ran the company on her own. Later she was honored with the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 1980 and by her induction into the American National Business Hall of Fame in 1983.
Debra (Debbi) J. Fields
In 1977, at the age of 20, Debbi Fields convinced a bank to finance her idea of opening a store that served chocolate chip cookies called Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. The business soon grew to more than 600 franchised and company-owned stores across the U.S. and in 10 foreign countries. And that’s not all. Starting in 1989, she embraced the computer age, using it to its full advantage. Her business model became so successful that it is now taught at Harvard Business School. Fields authored three cookbooks, “100 Recipes from the Kitchen of Debbi Fields,” “I Love Chocolate” and her most recent “Debbi Fields Great American Desserts.” She hosted a weekly show on public television with the same title, ”Great American Desserts.” She has since sold her business and sits on the Boards of a radio station and theater. Her motto is “Good Enough Never Is” and she prides herself and her business on providing excellent customer service and the highest product quality.
Oprah Winfrey
Probably few people around the world have not heard of Oprah Winfrey. Oprah was born in Mississippi in 1954 and raised in Nashville, Tenn. Her career started in 1971 and she doesn’t appear to be slowing down yet. As a female entrepreneur she’s accomplished many firsts:
• First Africa-American woman and the youngest woman to anchor a news show at the age of 19
• Highest-rated talk show in TV history, The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Launched “O Magazine” in 2000 in partnership with Hearst Magazines, prompting “Fortune” magazine’s title of the most successful startup in the publishing industry.
• Oprah’s Book Club is the largest book club in the world boasting more than a half million members.
• First African-American woman to become a billionaire
Along with her well-known talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah’s company, Harpo Studios employs about 250 people in publishing, film production, television and online media. She co-founded Oxygen Media, a cable network for women; publishes “O Magazine,” a lifestyle magazine for women; and has a popular web site, Oprah.com, also the home of “Live Your Best Life” which features life’s stories and lessons and an interactive workbook. She also created the Oprah Winfrey Foundation in 1987, a charity which awards millions of dollars to improve education and health care. She also founded Oprah’s Angel Network in order to promote giving and volunteerism from her audience.
Honorable Mentions
Eliza Lucas Pinckney was an Antigua-American who introduced quality blue indigo dye in the mid 18th century. She eventually produced flax, hemp and silk and was the first woman to be inducted into the Business Hall of Fame in South Carolina.
Martha Stewart is an author, magazine publisher and television host. She’s been listed twice by “Fortune” magazine as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women. Stewart is a true American success story both before and after her incarceration for insider trading.
Mary Katherine Goddard was the first woman publisher and printer of the late 18th century and the first female postmaster in the U.S. She printed the first copy of the Declaration of Independence that included the names of the document’s signers.
Florence Nightingale Graham founded the cosmetic company Elizabeth Arden and the first to introduce eye make-up in the U.S.
Josephine Esther Mentzer co-founded Estee Lauder, a cosmetics manufacturing empire, with her husband Joseph Lauder. She was named one of the 20 influential business geniuses of the 20th century by Time Magazine and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Cosmetics and was recognized by “Fortune” magazine as one of the top 100 American companies to work for. Mary Kay Cosmetics can be found in 19 countries with over 350,000 consultants. She also authored three books in her lifetime.
SNIPPETZ SALUTES WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS
"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work."
-Oprah Winfrey
Women-owned businesses are commonplace today, but it is generally believed that women didn’t start entering the workforce until they had to go to work in the factories during World War II. However, women have been business owners for well over a century and are now some of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Some Quick Facts About Women-Owned Businesses
• Women-owned businesses represent 50 percent or more of the companies in the U.S. and they employ more than 13 million people.
• Women-owned businesses represent $1.9 trillion in sales.
• One in five businesses generating $1 million or more in revenue is woman owned.
Notable Characteristics
• Women emphasize relationship building as a management style.
• Women are more likely than men to consult with experts, other business owners and their employees when gathering facts before making decisions.
• Women in successful businesses ($1 million or more in revenue) are more likely to belong to networking associations.
• Women tend to embrace technology to increase productivity and flexibility.
Notable Business Women
Lydia Estes Pinkham
In 1873, Lydia Estes Pinkham founded the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Company for the sole purpose of marketing her Vegetable Compound developed for treating women with menstrual cramps and common menopause symptoms of hot flashes and depression. The Vegetable Compound was made up of unicorn root, pleurisy root, fenugreek seed, black cohosh, life root and 20% alcohol. Her company enjoyed immediate success and by the time of her death in 1883, it was grossing $300,000 per year. The company continued on and eventually had annual profits of $3.8 million by 1925. Pinkham protected the remedy by filing for and receiving a U.S. Patent. At a time when little attention was paid to women’s health issues, Pinkham took advantage of this slight by publishing her Pinkham Pamphlets, answering women’s questions about medical issues pertaining to themselves. Eventually the company had to reveal their compound included 20% alcohol by order of the Food and Drug Act of 1906. However, “Lydia Pinkham Herbal Compound” can still be purchased today. Pinkham was also a nurse, midwife, school teacher, anti-slavery activist and active in the women’s temperance movement.
Madame CJ Walker
Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker, a.k.a. Madame CJ Walker, was born the daughter of former slaves in 1867. She became orphaned at the age of seven and worked in the cotton fields with her sister. She married at the age of 14, had a daughter and became widowed two years after that. She moved to St. Louis to work for her brothers who were barbers. She put her daughter through school with the money she earned and eventually became involved in the National Association of Colored Women.
Walker began experiencing hair loss which prompted experimentation with skin products that were both homemade and those invented by her friend, Annie Malone, a female African-American entrepreneur. Walker moved to Denver, Colo. and began selling her product. She started with a door-to-door sales model and eventually employed 3,000 women selling her cosmetics, providing employment and educational opportunities for young African-American women. She died a self-made millionaire at the age of 52, known as the first African-American women to achieve that level of success.
Ruth Moskowicz Handler
During World War II, Ruth Handler, her husband Elliott and their business partner Harold Matson started the company Mattel, which manufactured toy furniture out of Lucite and Plexiglas. They also made toy pianos, ukuleles and music boxes. While on a visit to Europe in 1956, Ruth Handler was inspired by a doll that looked like a real woman. Upon her return she developed the Barbie doll, named after her daughter Barbara, which debuted in 1959. Her son’s name was Kenneth and he became the subject of the Ken doll later on. The doll and its line of clothing and accessories was a huge success. The Handlers and Mattel had many other notable successes:
• The first to market toys directly to children when they purchased a full year of advertising time as the sole sponsor on the “Mickey Mouse Club” TV show.
• Introduced the Hot Wheels miniature vehicles in 1968, producing two billion cars by 1998.
• Diversified by acquiring other companies such as Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus; Circus World (theme park), Radnitz/Mattel Productions (motion picture production company; Western Publishing (Golden Books); and Turco (playground equipment).
• After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970, Handler resigned as president of Mattel in 1973. She then developed a breast prosthesis and created the “Nearly Me” line of prosthetics for women, which is still being produced today.
Olive Ann Beech
Olive Ann Beech, with her husband Walter, co-founded Beech Aircraft. The company was a major manufacturer of aircraft during World War II, producing more than 7,000 planes. When Walter Beech became ill in 1940 and died in 1950, Olive ran the company on her own. Later she was honored with the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 1980 and by her induction into the American National Business Hall of Fame in 1983.
Debra (Debbi) J. Fields
In 1977, at the age of 20, Debbi Fields convinced a bank to finance her idea of opening a store that served chocolate chip cookies called Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. The business soon grew to more than 600 franchised and company-owned stores across the U.S. and in 10 foreign countries. And that’s not all. Starting in 1989, she embraced the computer age, using it to its full advantage. Her business model became so successful that it is now taught at Harvard Business School. Fields authored three cookbooks, “100 Recipes from the Kitchen of Debbi Fields,” “I Love Chocolate” and her most recent “Debbi Fields Great American Desserts.” She hosted a weekly show on public television with the same title, ”Great American Desserts.” She has since sold her business and sits on the Boards of a radio station and theater. Her motto is “Good Enough Never Is” and she prides herself and her business on providing excellent customer service and the highest product quality.
Oprah Winfrey
Probably few people around the world have not heard of Oprah Winfrey. Oprah was born in Mississippi in 1954 and raised in Nashville, Tenn. Her career started in 1971 and she doesn’t appear to be slowing down yet. As a female entrepreneur she’s accomplished many firsts:
• First Africa-American woman and the youngest woman to anchor a news show at the age of 19
• Highest-rated talk show in TV history, The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Launched “O Magazine” in 2000 in partnership with Hearst Magazines, prompting “Fortune” magazine’s title of the most successful startup in the publishing industry.
• Oprah’s Book Club is the largest book club in the world boasting more than a half million members.
• First African-American woman to become a billionaire
Along with her well-known talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah’s company, Harpo Studios employs about 250 people in publishing, film production, television and online media. She co-founded Oxygen Media, a cable network for women; publishes “O Magazine,” a lifestyle magazine for women; and has a popular web site, Oprah.com, also the home of “Live Your Best Life” which features life’s stories and lessons and an interactive workbook. She also created the Oprah Winfrey Foundation in 1987, a charity which awards millions of dollars to improve education and health care. She also founded Oprah’s Angel Network in order to promote giving and volunteerism from her audience.
Honorable Mentions
Eliza Lucas Pinckney was an Antigua-American who introduced quality blue indigo dye in the mid 18th century. She eventually produced flax, hemp and silk and was the first woman to be inducted into the Business Hall of Fame in South Carolina.
Martha Stewart is an author, magazine publisher and television host. She’s been listed twice by “Fortune” magazine as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women. Stewart is a true American success story both before and after her incarceration for insider trading.
Mary Katherine Goddard was the first woman publisher and printer of the late 18th century and the first female postmaster in the U.S. She printed the first copy of the Declaration of Independence that included the names of the document’s signers.
Florence Nightingale Graham founded the cosmetic company Elizabeth Arden and the first to introduce eye make-up in the U.S.
Josephine Esther Mentzer co-founded Estee Lauder, a cosmetics manufacturing empire, with her husband Joseph Lauder. She was named one of the 20 influential business geniuses of the 20th century by Time Magazine and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Cosmetics and was recognized by “Fortune” magazine as one of the top 100 American companies to work for. Mary Kay Cosmetics can be found in 19 countries with over 350,000 consultants. She also authored three books in her lifetime.
Issue 367
SNIPPETZ GETS SUPERSTITIOUS: WE'RE KNOCKING ON WOOD AND CROSSING OUR FINGERS
“The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.”
Francis Bacon, Sr.
Superstitions have been around for centuries, first thought of as believing in magic or beliefs outside of Christianity. And in many cases, superstitions were part of religious practices. For instance, during the time of the plague in Europe, it became customary to say “God bless you” to anyone who sneezed in hopes that this would ward off spreading the plague. It was also common to cover the mouth with a handkerchief or a hand to stop the spread of the plague. However, some believed that covering the mouth would keep the soul intact, for if you sneezed into the air then your soul could escape and death would soon follow. Up until the time of the plague, the opposite held true in that sneezing into the air would expel evil.
Webster’s Dictionary says that superstition is a “belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.” Whatever the case, many of us act upon superstitions without even thinking about it. Do you knock on wood when you state that something positive is going to happen? Knocking on wood came about before Christianity when people believed that spirits lived in trees and knocking on wood would be like asking the spirits for protection from harm and bad luck.
Do you throw salt over your left shoulder? It is believed that spilling salt is unlucky and causes arguments during the day. This may come from the belief that Judas spilled salt during the Last Supper. Tossing salt over your shoulder is thought to be like throwing salt into the eye of evil spirits who are waiting for an opportunity to strike.
There are many superstitions involving both good luck and bad luck.
Good Luck Superstitions
• Carrying a rabbit’s foot
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away
• Finding a four-leaf clover
• Finding a horseshoe; hanging a horseshoe over a door in the shape of a “U” brings about good luck also
• Clothes worn inside out bring good luck
• Wearing your birthstone; but don’t wear an opal if it’s not your birthstone, because it is bad luck!
• An itchy palm means money is coming; but if you scratch that itch, money won’t come after all.
• A cricket in the house
• An acorn in the window keeps lightening out of the house; carrying an acorn brings good luck and longevity
• Finding a penny heads up
• Good luck will come to you if the first butterfly you see in the spring is white.
Bad Luck Superstitions
Probably one of the most prominent superstitions is the number 13. Friday the 13th is unlucky and is rooted in both Scandinavian and Christian beliefs. Scandinavians thought that the 12 mythological demigods were joined by an evil 13th. And for Christians, the 13th guest at the Last Supper was the traitor Judas. In honor of the unlucky number 13, airplanes do not have a 13th aisle, more than 80 percent of high-rises do not have a 13th floor, hotel rooms and hospitals usually do not have a room number 13 and Italians do not have a number 13 in their lottery. There is a superstition that if you have 13 letters in your name you will have the devil’s luck. And for proof, count the letters in Jack the Ripper, Theodore Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson.
More superstitions about bad luck:
• Walking under a ladder
• A black cat crosses your path
• Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck
• Opening an umbrella indoors
• Step on a crack, break your mother’s back
• Sing at the table, sleep on a table or put your keys or new shoes on a table; it is also bad luck to put new shoes on a bed
• A bird in the window
• Refusing a kiss while under mistletoe
• Goldfish in the house, whereas goldfish in a pond brings good luck
• Chasing someone with a broom
• Giving someone a purse or wallet without money in it
• Rocking an empty rocking chair
• Leaving a house through a different door than the one used to come into it
• Cutting your fingernails on a Friday or Sunday
• Wishing someone good luck for a theater performance is bad luck. We tell them to “break a leg” instead. It is also bad luck to paint the green room green.
Reversing Bad Luck
• Remember to knock on wood when speaking of good luck so you don’t jinx the good luck you speak of. What?
• If you break a mirror, take the pieces outside and bury them under moonlight to reverse seven years of bad luck.
• If you walk under a ladder, simply walk back out the way you came.
• If you receive a two-dollar bill, thought to bring bad luck, tear off one of the corners of the bill to reverse the bad luck. If the two-dollar bill has no corners left when it comes into your possession, you must tear the entire bill up.
Some Misfortune for the Clumsy
• To drop a fork means a woman will visit
• To drop a knife means a man will visit
• To drop a spoon means a child will visit
• To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming
• Dropping an umbrella on the floor inside the house means a murder will happen
• Dropping a pair of scissors means a lover is unfaithful
• Dropping a comb while combing your hair means disappointment is coming
Wedding and Marriage
• To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
• The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye.
• The marriage is bound to be a failure if the groom drops the bride’s ring during the ceremony.
• Some days of the week are better than others for weddings – Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all, Thursday for losses, Friday for crosses and Saturday for no luck at all. Hey, what about Sunday?
• Everything a bride says while opening her gifts at the bridal shower should be repeated on the wedding night.
• The person who gives the third gift opened at the shower will have a baby soon after.
Time is of the Essence
One of the most recent types of superstition to occur is wishing on the time 11:11 or the date 11/11. Superstition has it that when a person looks at a clock that reads 11:11 and makes a wish, the wish will come true if you truly believe. Several theories on 11:11 have been conjured. Astrologers claim that times like 11:11 and 1:11 go hand in hand with epiphanies. Many people say they have experienced a revelation while looking at the clock at exactly 11:11, and do not even realize it. A couple spiritual theories have been based off of 11:11 as well. It is often believed that when you see the times of 11:11, 12:12, 12:34, 1:11 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55, or any repetition of numbers, an angel above has made you look at that time. Consequently, if you believe in angels, then you may make a wish and the wish will come true. Another spiritual theory says that looking at the clock and seeing 11:11 is an indication that you are in fact an “Earth Angel.” An Earth Angel is someone who has a mission to spread as much light as possible on Earth, almost a peacemaker. Parallel to the Angel theory, it is believed that the Angels are telling you that you are an Earth Angel when you see 11:11. So the next time you catch yourself looking at the clock at exactly 11:11, or another repeated time, you might want to think twice. And who knows, you may want to make a wish at 11:11 on Nov. 11 just in case. But don’t forget to knock on wood and do NOT drop anything!
SNIPPETZ GETS SUPERSTITIOUS: WE'RE KNOCKING ON WOOD AND CROSSING OUR FINGERS
“The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.”
Francis Bacon, Sr.
Superstitions have been around for centuries, first thought of as believing in magic or beliefs outside of Christianity. And in many cases, superstitions were part of religious practices. For instance, during the time of the plague in Europe, it became customary to say “God bless you” to anyone who sneezed in hopes that this would ward off spreading the plague. It was also common to cover the mouth with a handkerchief or a hand to stop the spread of the plague. However, some believed that covering the mouth would keep the soul intact, for if you sneezed into the air then your soul could escape and death would soon follow. Up until the time of the plague, the opposite held true in that sneezing into the air would expel evil.
Webster’s Dictionary says that superstition is a “belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.” Whatever the case, many of us act upon superstitions without even thinking about it. Do you knock on wood when you state that something positive is going to happen? Knocking on wood came about before Christianity when people believed that spirits lived in trees and knocking on wood would be like asking the spirits for protection from harm and bad luck.
Do you throw salt over your left shoulder? It is believed that spilling salt is unlucky and causes arguments during the day. This may come from the belief that Judas spilled salt during the Last Supper. Tossing salt over your shoulder is thought to be like throwing salt into the eye of evil spirits who are waiting for an opportunity to strike.
There are many superstitions involving both good luck and bad luck.
Good Luck Superstitions
• Carrying a rabbit’s foot
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away
• Finding a four-leaf clover
• Finding a horseshoe; hanging a horseshoe over a door in the shape of a “U” brings about good luck also
• Clothes worn inside out bring good luck
• Wearing your birthstone; but don’t wear an opal if it’s not your birthstone, because it is bad luck!
• An itchy palm means money is coming; but if you scratch that itch, money won’t come after all.
• A cricket in the house
• An acorn in the window keeps lightening out of the house; carrying an acorn brings good luck and longevity
• Finding a penny heads up
• Good luck will come to you if the first butterfly you see in the spring is white.
Bad Luck Superstitions
Probably one of the most prominent superstitions is the number 13. Friday the 13th is unlucky and is rooted in both Scandinavian and Christian beliefs. Scandinavians thought that the 12 mythological demigods were joined by an evil 13th. And for Christians, the 13th guest at the Last Supper was the traitor Judas. In honor of the unlucky number 13, airplanes do not have a 13th aisle, more than 80 percent of high-rises do not have a 13th floor, hotel rooms and hospitals usually do not have a room number 13 and Italians do not have a number 13 in their lottery. There is a superstition that if you have 13 letters in your name you will have the devil’s luck. And for proof, count the letters in Jack the Ripper, Theodore Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson.
More superstitions about bad luck:
• Walking under a ladder
• A black cat crosses your path
• Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck
• Opening an umbrella indoors
• Step on a crack, break your mother’s back
• Sing at the table, sleep on a table or put your keys or new shoes on a table; it is also bad luck to put new shoes on a bed
• A bird in the window
• Refusing a kiss while under mistletoe
• Goldfish in the house, whereas goldfish in a pond brings good luck
• Chasing someone with a broom
• Giving someone a purse or wallet without money in it
• Rocking an empty rocking chair
• Leaving a house through a different door than the one used to come into it
• Cutting your fingernails on a Friday or Sunday
• Wishing someone good luck for a theater performance is bad luck. We tell them to “break a leg” instead. It is also bad luck to paint the green room green.
Reversing Bad Luck
• Remember to knock on wood when speaking of good luck so you don’t jinx the good luck you speak of. What?
• If you break a mirror, take the pieces outside and bury them under moonlight to reverse seven years of bad luck.
• If you walk under a ladder, simply walk back out the way you came.
• If you receive a two-dollar bill, thought to bring bad luck, tear off one of the corners of the bill to reverse the bad luck. If the two-dollar bill has no corners left when it comes into your possession, you must tear the entire bill up.
Some Misfortune for the Clumsy
• To drop a fork means a woman will visit
• To drop a knife means a man will visit
• To drop a spoon means a child will visit
• To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming
• Dropping an umbrella on the floor inside the house means a murder will happen
• Dropping a pair of scissors means a lover is unfaithful
• Dropping a comb while combing your hair means disappointment is coming
Wedding and Marriage
• To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.
• The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye.
• The marriage is bound to be a failure if the groom drops the bride’s ring during the ceremony.
• Some days of the week are better than others for weddings – Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all, Thursday for losses, Friday for crosses and Saturday for no luck at all. Hey, what about Sunday?
• Everything a bride says while opening her gifts at the bridal shower should be repeated on the wedding night.
• The person who gives the third gift opened at the shower will have a baby soon after.
Time is of the Essence
One of the most recent types of superstition to occur is wishing on the time 11:11 or the date 11/11. Superstition has it that when a person looks at a clock that reads 11:11 and makes a wish, the wish will come true if you truly believe. Several theories on 11:11 have been conjured. Astrologers claim that times like 11:11 and 1:11 go hand in hand with epiphanies. Many people say they have experienced a revelation while looking at the clock at exactly 11:11, and do not even realize it. A couple spiritual theories have been based off of 11:11 as well. It is often believed that when you see the times of 11:11, 12:12, 12:34, 1:11 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55, or any repetition of numbers, an angel above has made you look at that time. Consequently, if you believe in angels, then you may make a wish and the wish will come true. Another spiritual theory says that looking at the clock and seeing 11:11 is an indication that you are in fact an “Earth Angel.” An Earth Angel is someone who has a mission to spread as much light as possible on Earth, almost a peacemaker. Parallel to the Angel theory, it is believed that the Angels are telling you that you are an Earth Angel when you see 11:11. So the next time you catch yourself looking at the clock at exactly 11:11, or another repeated time, you might want to think twice. And who knows, you may want to make a wish at 11:11 on Nov. 11 just in case. But don’t forget to knock on wood and do NOT drop anything!
Issue 366
SNIPPETZ BREAKS WORLD RECORDS FOR GUINNESS WORLD RECORD DAY
"Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
Samuel Johnson
Guinness World Records recently released the 2009 edition of their book last month. After 54 years in business, Guinness is still going strong as a recognized authority on record-breaking around the world. More than three million copies of the book are sold each year and are published in 25 languages in over 100 countries. Guinness now has a day each November honoring world records. This year, Guinness World Records Day will be Nov. 13 and enthusiasts around the world will be working hard to break new ground and records.
It Began Innocently Enough
The managing director of the Guinness Brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver, was involved in a dispute during a 1951 shooting party in Country Wexford, Ireland over the golden plover. Was the game bird Europe’s fastest? Beaver couldn’t find the answer, so on the advice of Chris Chataway, an employee at the brewery in London, he turned to Norris and Ross McWhirter, twin brothers and journalists who loved researching facts. It took until 1955 for the first edition of the “Guinness Book of Records” to be published and it was an instant success, quickly migrating around the globe.
Guinness is no longer owned by the Guinness Brewery but is now part of the Jim Pattison Group, a privately owned Canadian company. The name of the company and the book has changed somewhat over the years, but is now “Guinness World Records.”
So, You Want to Be a Record Holder?
First of all, Guinness no longer accepts records involving consumption of alcohol, as well as dangerous maneuvers such as sword swallowing. Although exceptions are occasionally made, this generally leaves many of us out. No records are accepted involving chain letters via U.S. mail or e-mail. However, if you think you can beat the record for World’s Fastest Clapper, Ugliest Dog, Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Gorillas, Largest Tumor Removed Intact, Most Bubbles Blown With a Tarantula in Mouth, Most Cockroaches in a Coffin or Most Tattooed Senior Citizen, then you still have a chance.
A visit to the Guinness website is the first step whereby an application is submitted to make a record attempt. A Standard Application can take approximately four to six weeks to process and has no cost associated with it. Why so long? Because Guinness receives about 65,000 applications each year. A Fast Track Application will be responded to within three working days, but at the hefty price of a nonrefundable $600. If accepted, the applicant is given specific guidelines and a Records Breakers Pack. A record attempt must be made using the Guinness guidelines. And there’s more. Once the evidence is submitted back to Guinness, it will take another six to eight weeks to assess the evidence and award the certificate of recognition. In many cases, a representative from Guinness will attend the event and award a plaque on-site for the world to see.
Some Noteworthy Records
• Best Selling Copyright Book – you guessed it – “Guinness World Records” made this record as of November 2003, selling 100 million copies. The Harry Potter books have sold over 100 million copies when all books are combined.
• Most Tennis Balls Held in the Mouth – Golden retriever Augie from Dallas, Texas held five tennis balls in his mouth on July 6, 2003.
• Tallest Sandcastle – measured 31 ft. 6 in., made by the folks at Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine on Sept. 1, 2007
• Longest Running TV Drama – Guiding Light, first aired June 30, 1952 and still running
• Oldest Message in a Bottle – Spent 92 years, 229 days at sea; released on April 25, 1914 and found on Dec. 10, 2006
It’s Only Human
• Most Spoons Balanced on the Face – Joe Allison of Devon, U.K. balanced 16 spoons on April 1, 2008.
• Heaviest Weight Dangled From a Swallowed Sword – Matthew Henshaw of Australia balanced a 44 lb. 4.96 oz. sack of potatoes from a 15.9 in. long sword that he had swallowed on April 16, 2005 (one of those exceptions to the no sword swallowing rules).
• Longest Ear Hair – 7.12 in. by Anthony Victor of Madural, India, Aug. 26, 2007
• Most Tattooed Person – Lucky Diamond Rich from Australia spent over 1,000 hours having his entire body tattooed including such areas as between his toes, gums and eyelids.
• Tallest Man – Robert Pershing Wadlow of Alton, Ill. measured 8 ft. 11.1 in. tall on June 27, 1940. He died on July 15, 1940.
• Heaviest Car Balanced on the Head – John Evans of the U.K. balanced a 352 lb. Mini on his head on May 24, 1999.
• Sat with Most Snakes – Jackie Bibby of Dublin, Texas sat in a bathtub with 87 snakes on Nov. 5, 2007 in celebration of Guinness World Record Day.
• Most Basketballs Spun Simultaneously – Michael Kettman of St. Augustine, Fla. spun 28 basketballs on May 25, 1999
• Most Consecutive Skateboard Frontside Ollies (halfpipe) – Rob Dyrdek of Los Angeles, Calif. performed 46 on Sept. 17, 2007 during MTV’s “The Rob & Big Show.”
• Swimming Relay, Most Participants, One Length Each, 24 Hrs – 3,168 swimmers participated in Spain June 1-2, 2007.
Fascinating Science
• Largest Plate Inserted in Human Skull – The record goes to Tom Thompson of Decatur, Ga. who had a titanium plate measuring 5.9 x 4.33 in. inserted into the left side of his head on April 30, 1971 after a car accident.
• Largest Mobile/Cell Phone – No, it’s not the first one you ever purchased. It’s actually a Sony/Ericsson W810i measuring 8.2 x 3.9 x 1.7 ft. (yes, feet) and displayed at the MTN Sciencentre in Cape Town, South Africa Sept. 20, 2007.
For the Musically and Artistically Inclined
• Largest Guitar Ensemble – KYYS in Kansas City, Kan. coordinated an ensemble of 1,721 guitar players for a rendition of “Smoke on the Water” on June 3, 2007.
• Largest Irish Dance – Not to be outdone by the Kansas City folks, 10,036 danced together in Dublin, Ohio on Aug. 4, 2007.
• Individual Drumming Marathon – Gery Jallo of Belgium drummed for 85.5 hrs. Feb. 22-25, 2007.
• Largest Ballet Class – 578 dancers in Eugene, Ore. on April 20, 2008.
• Fastest Rap MC – Rebel XD (Seandale Price) of Chicago, Ill. rapped 852 syllables in 42 seconds on July 27, 2007.
Big Stuff
• Largest Cut Diamond – 555.55 carats of Fancy Black created by Ran Gorenstein of Belgium in June 2004
• Largest Collection of Penguins – Birgit Berends of Germany had collected 5,098 of the tuxedoed waddlers as of April 2006.
• Largest Collection of Model Cars – Michael Zarnock of Deerfield, N.Y. owned 8,128 Hot Wheels® model cars as of Feb. 14, 2007.
• Largest Slab of Fudge – Chantelle Gorham of Ontario, Canada made 5,050 lb. of the delicious confection on May 24, 2007. Certainly enough to share.
• Largest Sandwich – The folks at Wild Woody’s Chill and Grill in Roseville, Mich. made a sandwich weighing 5,440 lb. on March 17, 2005.
• Longest Wedding Dress Train – Andreas Evstratiou of Cyprus created 4,468 ft. 5.94 in. of wedding dress train.
Everybody Loves a Parade
• Largest Parade of Horse-Drawn Carriages – On Aug. 1, 2004, 208 horse-drawn carriages participated in a parade in Lingen, Germany.
• Largest Parade of Ferrari Cars – Cornes & Company Ltd. placed 490 in a parade in Shizuoka, Japan on May 11, 2008.
• Largest Parade of Tow Trucks – The Washington Tow Truck Association pranced 83 tow trucks through a parade in Wenatchee, Wash. on Aug. 20, 2004.
Fun and Games
• Fastest Game of Operation – one minute, two seconds by Isa Isaa of Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2001. The event was sponsored and held by the British Association of Urological Surgeons. Part of their continuing education?
• Largest Twister Board – 130 ft. 11 in. x 84 ft. 1 in. by Colegio Campoverde in Colima, Mexico on June 6, 2008
More Fame For The Already Famous
• Most Searched Person on the Internet – Britney Spears
• The Most Successful Songwriter – Sir Paul McCartney
• Highest Demand for Tickets for One Music Concert – Led Zeppelin
• Most Powerful Actor and Actress in the World – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
• Highest Grossing Actor – Samuel L. Jackson for 68 movies at a gross of $7.42 billion
• Most Lucrative Movie Partnership – Tim Burton and Johnny Depp
• Most Downloadable Show – “Lost” (ABC)
• Most Popular TV Show – “House” (Fox)
SNIPPETZ BREAKS WORLD RECORDS FOR GUINNESS WORLD RECORD DAY
"Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
Samuel Johnson
Guinness World Records recently released the 2009 edition of their book last month. After 54 years in business, Guinness is still going strong as a recognized authority on record-breaking around the world. More than three million copies of the book are sold each year and are published in 25 languages in over 100 countries. Guinness now has a day each November honoring world records. This year, Guinness World Records Day will be Nov. 13 and enthusiasts around the world will be working hard to break new ground and records.
It Began Innocently Enough
The managing director of the Guinness Brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver, was involved in a dispute during a 1951 shooting party in Country Wexford, Ireland over the golden plover. Was the game bird Europe’s fastest? Beaver couldn’t find the answer, so on the advice of Chris Chataway, an employee at the brewery in London, he turned to Norris and Ross McWhirter, twin brothers and journalists who loved researching facts. It took until 1955 for the first edition of the “Guinness Book of Records” to be published and it was an instant success, quickly migrating around the globe.
Guinness is no longer owned by the Guinness Brewery but is now part of the Jim Pattison Group, a privately owned Canadian company. The name of the company and the book has changed somewhat over the years, but is now “Guinness World Records.”
So, You Want to Be a Record Holder?
First of all, Guinness no longer accepts records involving consumption of alcohol, as well as dangerous maneuvers such as sword swallowing. Although exceptions are occasionally made, this generally leaves many of us out. No records are accepted involving chain letters via U.S. mail or e-mail. However, if you think you can beat the record for World’s Fastest Clapper, Ugliest Dog, Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Gorillas, Largest Tumor Removed Intact, Most Bubbles Blown With a Tarantula in Mouth, Most Cockroaches in a Coffin or Most Tattooed Senior Citizen, then you still have a chance.
A visit to the Guinness website is the first step whereby an application is submitted to make a record attempt. A Standard Application can take approximately four to six weeks to process and has no cost associated with it. Why so long? Because Guinness receives about 65,000 applications each year. A Fast Track Application will be responded to within three working days, but at the hefty price of a nonrefundable $600. If accepted, the applicant is given specific guidelines and a Records Breakers Pack. A record attempt must be made using the Guinness guidelines. And there’s more. Once the evidence is submitted back to Guinness, it will take another six to eight weeks to assess the evidence and award the certificate of recognition. In many cases, a representative from Guinness will attend the event and award a plaque on-site for the world to see.
Some Noteworthy Records
• Best Selling Copyright Book – you guessed it – “Guinness World Records” made this record as of November 2003, selling 100 million copies. The Harry Potter books have sold over 100 million copies when all books are combined.
• Most Tennis Balls Held in the Mouth – Golden retriever Augie from Dallas, Texas held five tennis balls in his mouth on July 6, 2003.
• Tallest Sandcastle – measured 31 ft. 6 in., made by the folks at Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine on Sept. 1, 2007
• Longest Running TV Drama – Guiding Light, first aired June 30, 1952 and still running
• Oldest Message in a Bottle – Spent 92 years, 229 days at sea; released on April 25, 1914 and found on Dec. 10, 2006
It’s Only Human
• Most Spoons Balanced on the Face – Joe Allison of Devon, U.K. balanced 16 spoons on April 1, 2008.
• Heaviest Weight Dangled From a Swallowed Sword – Matthew Henshaw of Australia balanced a 44 lb. 4.96 oz. sack of potatoes from a 15.9 in. long sword that he had swallowed on April 16, 2005 (one of those exceptions to the no sword swallowing rules).
• Longest Ear Hair – 7.12 in. by Anthony Victor of Madural, India, Aug. 26, 2007
• Most Tattooed Person – Lucky Diamond Rich from Australia spent over 1,000 hours having his entire body tattooed including such areas as between his toes, gums and eyelids.
• Tallest Man – Robert Pershing Wadlow of Alton, Ill. measured 8 ft. 11.1 in. tall on June 27, 1940. He died on July 15, 1940.
• Heaviest Car Balanced on the Head – John Evans of the U.K. balanced a 352 lb. Mini on his head on May 24, 1999.
• Sat with Most Snakes – Jackie Bibby of Dublin, Texas sat in a bathtub with 87 snakes on Nov. 5, 2007 in celebration of Guinness World Record Day.
• Most Basketballs Spun Simultaneously – Michael Kettman of St. Augustine, Fla. spun 28 basketballs on May 25, 1999
• Most Consecutive Skateboard Frontside Ollies (halfpipe) – Rob Dyrdek of Los Angeles, Calif. performed 46 on Sept. 17, 2007 during MTV’s “The Rob & Big Show.”
• Swimming Relay, Most Participants, One Length Each, 24 Hrs – 3,168 swimmers participated in Spain June 1-2, 2007.
Fascinating Science
• Largest Plate Inserted in Human Skull – The record goes to Tom Thompson of Decatur, Ga. who had a titanium plate measuring 5.9 x 4.33 in. inserted into the left side of his head on April 30, 1971 after a car accident.
• Largest Mobile/Cell Phone – No, it’s not the first one you ever purchased. It’s actually a Sony/Ericsson W810i measuring 8.2 x 3.9 x 1.7 ft. (yes, feet) and displayed at the MTN Sciencentre in Cape Town, South Africa Sept. 20, 2007.
For the Musically and Artistically Inclined
• Largest Guitar Ensemble – KYYS in Kansas City, Kan. coordinated an ensemble of 1,721 guitar players for a rendition of “Smoke on the Water” on June 3, 2007.
• Largest Irish Dance – Not to be outdone by the Kansas City folks, 10,036 danced together in Dublin, Ohio on Aug. 4, 2007.
• Individual Drumming Marathon – Gery Jallo of Belgium drummed for 85.5 hrs. Feb. 22-25, 2007.
• Largest Ballet Class – 578 dancers in Eugene, Ore. on April 20, 2008.
• Fastest Rap MC – Rebel XD (Seandale Price) of Chicago, Ill. rapped 852 syllables in 42 seconds on July 27, 2007.
Big Stuff
• Largest Cut Diamond – 555.55 carats of Fancy Black created by Ran Gorenstein of Belgium in June 2004
• Largest Collection of Penguins – Birgit Berends of Germany had collected 5,098 of the tuxedoed waddlers as of April 2006.
• Largest Collection of Model Cars – Michael Zarnock of Deerfield, N.Y. owned 8,128 Hot Wheels® model cars as of Feb. 14, 2007.
• Largest Slab of Fudge – Chantelle Gorham of Ontario, Canada made 5,050 lb. of the delicious confection on May 24, 2007. Certainly enough to share.
• Largest Sandwich – The folks at Wild Woody’s Chill and Grill in Roseville, Mich. made a sandwich weighing 5,440 lb. on March 17, 2005.
• Longest Wedding Dress Train – Andreas Evstratiou of Cyprus created 4,468 ft. 5.94 in. of wedding dress train.
Everybody Loves a Parade
• Largest Parade of Horse-Drawn Carriages – On Aug. 1, 2004, 208 horse-drawn carriages participated in a parade in Lingen, Germany.
• Largest Parade of Ferrari Cars – Cornes & Company Ltd. placed 490 in a parade in Shizuoka, Japan on May 11, 2008.
• Largest Parade of Tow Trucks – The Washington Tow Truck Association pranced 83 tow trucks through a parade in Wenatchee, Wash. on Aug. 20, 2004.
Fun and Games
• Fastest Game of Operation – one minute, two seconds by Isa Isaa of Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2001. The event was sponsored and held by the British Association of Urological Surgeons. Part of their continuing education?
• Largest Twister Board – 130 ft. 11 in. x 84 ft. 1 in. by Colegio Campoverde in Colima, Mexico on June 6, 2008
More Fame For The Already Famous
• Most Searched Person on the Internet – Britney Spears
• The Most Successful Songwriter – Sir Paul McCartney
• Highest Demand for Tickets for One Music Concert – Led Zeppelin
• Most Powerful Actor and Actress in the World – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
• Highest Grossing Actor – Samuel L. Jackson for 68 movies at a gross of $7.42 billion
• Most Lucrative Movie Partnership – Tim Burton and Johnny Depp
• Most Downloadable Show – “Lost” (ABC)
• Most Popular TV Show – “House” (Fox)
Issue 365
GOBLINS AND GHOSTS AND WITCHES... OH MY! - SNIPPETZ GETS SPOOKED OVER HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS
"When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween."
~Author Unknown
When we think of celebrating Halloween, what comes to mind are parties, costumes, candy and trick-or-treating. For the kids, what could be more fun than donning a costume, becoming your favorite character and scooting around the neighborhood as fast as you can knocking on doors and demanding candy? For adults, same costuming situation, but instead heading out to a party (or several) and pretending to be someone else for one night. Now, that’s fun. Too bad we can only legitimately do this one night each year!
Thanks to the Irish
It was the Irish who brought Halloween to North America in the 19th century. However, it originated during the festival of Samhain, the Celtic New Year when the Celts celebrated the end of the harvest season in October. The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead would return on the eve of Samhain in order to inhabit live bodies. Since this was rather undesirable, the Celts would dress in ghoulish costumes so as to scare off the spirits. They would parade around noisily in the streets, enjoying food and drink. Legend has it that at such times human and animal sacrifices were offered up to the spirits. It was believed by some that the Irish townsfolk would visit their neighbors and ask for food for the town feast, thus beginning the tradition of trick-or-treat.
Symbolic Jack
The pumpkin carved with a scary or funny face with a candle inside is commonly called the jack-o-lantern. The name can be traced back to the legend of a farmer named Jack who was known for his trickery, greediness and gambling, not to mention he rather enjoyed excessive tipping of the bottle. The tale has it that one night Jack tricked the devil into climbing up a tree after which Jack carved the symbol of a cross into the tree trunk in order to keep the devil from coming down from the tree. The devil being the devil, of course, placed a curse on Jack so that he could not go to either heaven or hell upon his death. Jack’s spirit was forced to roam the countryside holding a hallowed out turnip with a lit candle inside to light the way. Once Halloween traditions came to America, the turnip was replaced by the pumpkin, a larger and easier to carve ‘lantern.’
Keeping the Economy Going
Halloween is the second biggest spending holiday next to Christmas.
Scary Movies, Anyone?
What would Halloween be without a few scary movies? Grab some popcorn and a body guard and rent one of these: “Arachnophobia” (1990), “The Blob” (1988), “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968), “Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984), “War of the Worlds” (1953), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), “Jaws” (1975), “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Shining” (1980), “Halloween” (1978), and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978). Aahhh, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
For Those Who REALLY Love Halloween
Haunted houses, hayrides and corn mazes are popular in many neighborhoods around the country, but some serious enthusiasts plan vacations around All Hallows’ Eve. Try one of these:
Scary Trivia
It Wouldn’t be Halloween Without a Ghost or Two
A Colorado Halloween
Coloradoans who say that that it snows on Halloween every year may be partially correct in their observations. Records for Halloween snow activity have only been kept since 1954. In looking at just Halloween day, snow has fallen only 10 times in the past 53 years and only eight of those times have been measurable. However, snow has been on the ground for Halloween 11 times during those years. Taken together, that equates to snow being on the ground about 42 percent of the time. Factoring in the 20 times it has snowed on Nov. 1 that would equate to having snow events around Halloween about 79 percent of the time. No wonder we think that it always snows on Halloween!
The worst of those snow events? Well, that was on October 31, 1972 when Denver saw eight inches of snow with an additional six inches the next day.
The warmest Halloween was in 1990 when the average temperature during the prime trick-or-treat hours of 5 to 8 PM was 63 degrees.
BOO!
GOBLINS AND GHOSTS AND WITCHES... OH MY! - SNIPPETZ GETS SPOOKED OVER HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS
"When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween."
~Author Unknown
When we think of celebrating Halloween, what comes to mind are parties, costumes, candy and trick-or-treating. For the kids, what could be more fun than donning a costume, becoming your favorite character and scooting around the neighborhood as fast as you can knocking on doors and demanding candy? For adults, same costuming situation, but instead heading out to a party (or several) and pretending to be someone else for one night. Now, that’s fun. Too bad we can only legitimately do this one night each year!
Thanks to the Irish
It was the Irish who brought Halloween to North America in the 19th century. However, it originated during the festival of Samhain, the Celtic New Year when the Celts celebrated the end of the harvest season in October. The Celts believed that the spirits of the dead would return on the eve of Samhain in order to inhabit live bodies. Since this was rather undesirable, the Celts would dress in ghoulish costumes so as to scare off the spirits. They would parade around noisily in the streets, enjoying food and drink. Legend has it that at such times human and animal sacrifices were offered up to the spirits. It was believed by some that the Irish townsfolk would visit their neighbors and ask for food for the town feast, thus beginning the tradition of trick-or-treat.
Symbolic Jack
The pumpkin carved with a scary or funny face with a candle inside is commonly called the jack-o-lantern. The name can be traced back to the legend of a farmer named Jack who was known for his trickery, greediness and gambling, not to mention he rather enjoyed excessive tipping of the bottle. The tale has it that one night Jack tricked the devil into climbing up a tree after which Jack carved the symbol of a cross into the tree trunk in order to keep the devil from coming down from the tree. The devil being the devil, of course, placed a curse on Jack so that he could not go to either heaven or hell upon his death. Jack’s spirit was forced to roam the countryside holding a hallowed out turnip with a lit candle inside to light the way. Once Halloween traditions came to America, the turnip was replaced by the pumpkin, a larger and easier to carve ‘lantern.’
Keeping the Economy Going
Halloween is the second biggest spending holiday next to Christmas.
- About $1.5 billion is spent on Halloween costumes,
- $2.5 billion on Halloween decorations,
- $2 billion is spent on candy, and
- $50 million is spent on greeting cards.
Scary Movies, Anyone?
What would Halloween be without a few scary movies? Grab some popcorn and a body guard and rent one of these: “Arachnophobia” (1990), “The Blob” (1988), “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968), “Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984), “War of the Worlds” (1953), “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), “Jaws” (1975), “The Exorcist” (1973), “The Shining” (1980), “Halloween” (1978), and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978). Aahhh, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.
For Those Who REALLY Love Halloween
Haunted houses, hayrides and corn mazes are popular in many neighborhoods around the country, but some serious enthusiasts plan vacations around All Hallows’ Eve. Try one of these:
- New York City is the host of the largest Halloween party that includes the Village Parade and attracts over two million people as either participants or spectators and boasts a television audience of over four million.
- Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida holds “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” with a parade and show that features Disney’s favorite villains with a Halloween-themed fireworks show.
- Disneyland’s California Adventure Park holds “Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat Party.”
- Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando hold “Halloween Horror Nights.”
- Six Flags Amusement Parks hold “Fright Fest” that includes rides, costumes and shows.
- Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay and Williamsburg also host “Howl-O-Scream.”
Scary Trivia
- A single woman was told that if she gazed into a mirror on Halloween night the face of her future husband would appear in the mirror. If a skull appeared, then death was imminent before the marriage could take place.
- About 50 percent of adults sport costumes for Halloween and 56 percent participate by having or attending parties and/or decorating for the holiday.
- The candy apple was a common Halloween treat given to children who came door to door for many decades because Halloween fell during the annual apple harvest. However, because of some rare incidents of children receiving apples tainted with razor blades, pins and other objects, this practice soon waned and was replaced by wrapped candy. During this time, some hospitals offered to x-ray children’s goodie bags to ensure their safety.
- One-fourth of the candy sold during the year is purchased for Halloween.
- Harry Houdini, the famous magician, died on Halloween in 1926.
- About 10 percent of pets are dressed in costumes for Halloween.
- About 99 percent of pumpkins sold in the U.S. are used for Halloween as jack-o-lanterns.
- Although Halloween is often associated with a full moon, in the 20th century there have only been full moons on Halloween night in 1925, 1944, 1955 and 1974. We’ll have to wait until 2020 for the next full moon to light the way for trick-or-treaters.
- It should be no surprise that 90 percent of parents admit to sneaking candy from their kids’ treat bags.
- About nine billion pieces or 35 million pounds of candy corn are produced each year.
It Wouldn’t be Halloween Without a Ghost or Two
- According to a Gallup poll, 11 percent of Americans believe in ghosts and the supernatural.
- The ghosts in the Pac Man video game are named Blinky, Clyde, Inky and Pinky.
- The Windsor Castle in Britain is said to have some royal ghosts including Queen Elizabeth I, King Henry VIII, King Charles I and King George III.
A Colorado Halloween
Coloradoans who say that that it snows on Halloween every year may be partially correct in their observations. Records for Halloween snow activity have only been kept since 1954. In looking at just Halloween day, snow has fallen only 10 times in the past 53 years and only eight of those times have been measurable. However, snow has been on the ground for Halloween 11 times during those years. Taken together, that equates to snow being on the ground about 42 percent of the time. Factoring in the 20 times it has snowed on Nov. 1 that would equate to having snow events around Halloween about 79 percent of the time. No wonder we think that it always snows on Halloween!
The worst of those snow events? Well, that was on October 31, 1972 when Denver saw eight inches of snow with an additional six inches the next day.
The warmest Halloween was in 1990 when the average temperature during the prime trick-or-treat hours of 5 to 8 PM was 63 degrees.
BOO!
Issue 364
SNIPPETZ GETS INTO THE SPIRIT: HAIL TO THE CHIEF!
"As to the Presidency, the two happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it."
Martin Van Buren 1837-1841
Tired of political campaigns and negative smear ads? An election year doesn’t always bring out the best in our politicians and future presidents, but we find their lives fascinating just the same. Snippetz dug up a little trivia about our past presidents to share.
It’s All Relative
The Kennedy’s may be one of the most well known families in politics, but there have been a few related presidents:
It’s Only Money
In the U.S. we love to put our presidents on money and 14 have been given the honor of appearing on coins and paper – Grover Cleveland, Ulysses Grant, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, James Madison, Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, William McKinley, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Washington and Jefferson hold the honors of being on both coin and paper forms of currency.
Not Just Presidents
Past presidents have had interesting and varied occupations both before and after their presidential careers. It’s no surprise that 12 presidents were military generals and 26 were lawyers, but did you know that…
After holding office, many presidents become writers, political activists and lecturers. William Howard Taft was the only president to become Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a position for which he was more proud of than being president.
Men of Many Talents
Thanks Might Be In Order
Believe It Or Not
Some Firsts
U.S. Presidents Term
SNIPPETZ GETS INTO THE SPIRIT: HAIL TO THE CHIEF!
"As to the Presidency, the two happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it."
Martin Van Buren 1837-1841
Tired of political campaigns and negative smear ads? An election year doesn’t always bring out the best in our politicians and future presidents, but we find their lives fascinating just the same. Snippetz dug up a little trivia about our past presidents to share.
It’s All Relative
The Kennedy’s may be one of the most well known families in politics, but there have been a few related presidents:
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt were cousins, as well as Zachary Taylor and James Madison.
- Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of William Henry Harrison.
- George W. Bush is the son of George H.W. Bush
- John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams.
It’s Only Money
In the U.S. we love to put our presidents on money and 14 have been given the honor of appearing on coins and paper – Grover Cleveland, Ulysses Grant, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, James Madison, Franklin Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, William McKinley, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Washington and Jefferson hold the honors of being on both coin and paper forms of currency.
Not Just Presidents
Past presidents have had interesting and varied occupations both before and after their presidential careers. It’s no surprise that 12 presidents were military generals and 26 were lawyers, but did you know that…
- Five presidents were Civil War Veterans – Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower served in both World Wars I and II.
- Four Presidents were schoolteachers – John Adams, James Garfield, Chester Alan Arthur and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
- Three presidents were journalists/editors – Benjamin Harrison, Warren Harding and John F. Kennedy.
- George Washington, Harry S. Truman and Jimmy Carter were farmers; Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher.
- Abraham Lincoln was a postmaster and a lawyer.
- Both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were oil executives.
- Ronald Reagan was the only president who was an actor.
- Gerald Ford was once a fashion model and a park ranger.
After holding office, many presidents become writers, political activists and lecturers. William Howard Taft was the only president to become Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a position for which he was more proud of than being president.
Men of Many Talents
- Jimmy Carter is a published poet.
- Bill Clinton is a saxophone player, once performing on a late night talk show.
- Richard Nixon was a piano player, once performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt was an authority on stamps and stamp collecting.
- John F. Kennedy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Profiles in Courage.”
- Herbert Hoover, an author and fisherman, published “Fishing for Fun and to Wash One’s Soul.”
- Warren Harding played the cornet in the Marion, Ohio town band, as well as serving as the band manager.
Thanks Might Be In Order
- Moms can thank Woodrow Wilson for establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
- Richard Nixon gave 18-year-olds the right to vote in 1971.
- Ulysses S. Grant gave us the first national park in 1872 – Yellowstone.
- Harry Truman gave us the interstate highway system.
Believe It Or Not
- George Washington was unanimously elected president.
- John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
- William Taft weighed more than 300 pounds.
- Lyndon Johnson would often walk through the White House turning off lights in order to save electricity.
- John Quincy Adams liked to swim nude in the Potomac River during the early morning hours.
- Richard Nixon was the only president to ever resign from his position.
- Gerald Ford was never elected as president or vice president. He was appointed as vice president by Richard Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew and he became president when Richard Nixon resigned as president in 1974.
- Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan both lived to be 93, the oldest living former presidents.
- James Buchanan was the only president that never married. Ronald Reagan was the only president who had been divorced and remarried.
- John Tyler had 15 children.
- William Henry Harrison died in office 32 days after he was elected after giving a 105-minute speech outdoors in March without wearing a coat or hat.
- Andrew Johnson’s wife taught him how to read, write and do arithmetic as he had no formal education.
Some Firsts
- John Adams - first to live in the White House
- Thomas Jefferson - first to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
- James Madison – first to discard knee breeches and wear full length trousers
- James Monroe – first daughter to marry in the White House
- Andrew Jackson – first to survive an assassination attempt
- Martin Van Buren – first to be born in the U.S.; all presidents preceding Van Buren were born in the colonies
- James K. Polk – held the first annual White House Thanksgiving dinner
- Franklin Pierce – the first to have a Christmas tree in the White House
- Abraham Lincoln – first to wear a beard and the first to die by assassination
- Rutherford B. Hayes – held the first Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn
- Grover Cleveland – first and only president to marry at the White House and the first to have a child born in the White House
- Benjamin Harrison – first to use electricity in the White House
- William McKinley – first president to ride in an automobile
- Theodore Roosevelt – first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize
- William Taft – first president to own an automobile
- Woodrow Wilson – first president to meet with the Pope
- Warren G. Harding – first president to speak to the nation over the radio
- Herbert Hoover – first president born west of the Mississippi
- Harry S. Truman – first president to appear on television giving a speech
- John F. Kennedy – first president to hold a press conference on television
- Lyndon B. Johnson – first president to name an African-American to his cabinet
- Richard Nixon – first to visit all 50 states
- Bill Clinton – first president to become a Rhodes Scholar
U.S. Presidents Term
- George Washington 1789-1797
- John Adams 1797-1801
- Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809
- James Madison 1809-1817
- James Monroe 1817-1825
- John Quincy Adams 1825-1829
- Andrew Jackson 1829-1837
- Martin Van Buren 1837-1841
- William Henry Harrison 1841-1841
- John Tyler 1841-1845
- James K. Polk 1845-1849
- Zachary Taylor 1849-1850
- Millard Fillmore 1850-1853
- Franklin Pierce 1853-1857
- James Buchanan 1857-1861
- Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865
- Andrew Johnson 1865-1869
- Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877
- Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881
- James A. Garfield 1881-1881
- Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885
- Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
- Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893
- Grover Cleveland 1893-1897
- William McKinley 1897-1901
- Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
- William H. Taft 1909-1913
- Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921
- Warren G. Harding 1921-1923
- Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929
- Herbert Hoover 1929-1933
- Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945
- Harry S. Truman 1945-1953
- Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961
- John F. Kennedy 1961-1963
- Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969
- Richard Nixon 1969-1974
- Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977
- Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
- Ronald W. Reagan 1981-1989
- George H. W. Bush 1989-1993
- William J. Clinton 1993-2001
- George W. Bush 2001-Present
Issue 363
SNIPPETZ DONS ITS THINKING CAP: BRAIN POWER!
"I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells."
-Dr. Seuss
Do you forget why you walked into a room? Or can’t remember where you put the ice cream but wonder why you put your wallet in the freezer? Well, you’re not alone. What we consider normal slip-ups in mental capacity during our youthful years becomes a source of full-blown panic as we age. For decades we have been told to keep our minds active by reading, writing and learning new things. Now it’s a multimillion dollar business referred to as brain training for brain fitness. The business of brain training is not just targeting those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, but is catching the attention of the aging baby boomer generation who might be having difficulty finding their car keys in the morning.
The average number of neurons housed in the human brain is about 100 billion, each of which can connect with up to 30,000 other neurons. It was once thought that the number of neurons and brain activity in general decreased as we grow older; however, the good news is that our brains continue to produce new neurons as well as form connections between neurons well into old age. This is referred to as brain plasticity or neuro-plasticity. Neurons can’t do all of this on their own. They need a bit of help.
Not Just Keeping Busy Minds
Albert Einstein said, “I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.” The latest research indicates Einstein was right. It’s not just being intellectually active by reading newspapers, working crossword puzzles and playing chess. It’s introducing a variety of novel experiences and challenging activities into daily life. And that’s not all.
Life’s a Treadmill
And here’s another good reason to exercise – it plays an important role in good brain health. Not only is exercise good for the heart, it is also good for the mind. The act of exercise releases the “pleasure” chemicals of serotonin and dopamine, bringing about a calm, happy feeling. Exercise also aids in clear thinking and better overall performance. Some research has shown that exercise stimulates nerve growth factors and growth of stem cells. As in mental stimulation, here again variety in an exercise routine will make the biggest impact on brain health.
Think About What You Eat
We’re heard it before – balanced diet, balanced diet, balanced diet. Add to that certain brain healthy foods that give a boost to brain function.
• Vegetables and fruits are full of vitamins and antioxidants. Green leafy and cruciferous vegetables are the most brain healthy, e.g., cauliflower, spinach and broccoli. Fruits high in antioxidants include blueberries, prunes, strawberries and raisins.
• Foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids are the perfect brain food. Omega-3s can be found in wild salmon, tuna, sardines, herring and anchovies.
• Chocolate! But not the ordinary milk chocolate found in the grocery store aisle. It is the pure cacao bean that houses theobromine, antioxidants, catechins and flavonoids. The less processing of the bean, the better. Try to eat chocolate bars that have at least 75% cacao content. It may be harder to find and a bit costlier, but the benefits are well worth it.
• Coffee, like chocolate, in a purer form as close to the coffee bean as possible is also rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. Good quality coffee, especially an espresso style, is the most beneficial, particularly when the flavorings, whip cream and sugars are eliminated.
• Green tea is also good brain food, particularly matcha tea, a stone-ground Japanese green tea, which can be somewhat difficult to find in the local grocery store. However, a substance called EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) found in green teas has been indicated to fight cancer and aging. A little internet research can help locate the best quality of these products to obtain the best benefits.
IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES!
There is much that we can do to offset the effects of aging and exercise our minds. If you’re having difficulty coming up with novel and challenging ideas, here are a few to consider:
Brainiac Facts
• The human brain weighs about 3 lbs. and consists of about 75 percent water.
• The brain uses approximately 20 percent of the blood that flows from the heart and 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe in.
• Yawning helps us become more alert by allowing more oxygen to enter the bloodstream. No one really knows why yawning seems to be contagious, but we’ve all experienced the phenomena.
• Because the brain does not sense pain, most brain surgeries are performed without general anesthesia so the patient can respond to manipulation in order to identify problem areas.
• Reading aloud to children stimulates brain development.
• It is impossible to tickle yourself. Your brain is wired to alert you to new and important things going on around you. Things like your own touch or the clothes on your body do not demand attention by the brain.
• Sunlight can make you sneeze because the bright light that triggers pupil constriction may also affect a close-by neuron that triggers the olfactory reflex of sneezing. The neurons are packed a little tight in some areas of the brain.
• High levels of stress are bad for everything including the health of the brain.
Brain Teasers
We at Snippetz would be remiss if we didn’t offer a brain teaser or two to help challenge your brain. Try a couple of these and check your answers at the end.
1) A man has to get a fox, a chicken, and a sack of corn across a river. He has a row boat, and it can only carry him and one other thing. If the fox and the chicken are left together, the fox will eat the chicken. If the chicken and the corn are left together, the chicken will eat the corn. How does the man do it?
2) A man was outside taking a walk when it began to rain. He did not have an umbrella and he wasn't wearing a hat. His clothes were soaked, yet not a single hair on his head got wet. How could this happen?
3) There are 20 people in an empty, square room. Each person has full sight of the entire room and everyone in it without turning his head or body, or moving in any way (other than the eyes). Where can you place an apple so that all but one person can see it?
4) The Smith family has both girl and boy children. Each of the boys has the same number of brothers as he has sisters. Each of the girls has twice as many brothers as she has sisters. How many boys and girls are there in the Smith family?
ANSWERS
1) The man carries the chicken, leaves chicken and comes back. The man then gets the fox, leaves the fox and gets chicken. The man next leaves the chicken and gets the corn. He then leaves the fox and the corn to get the chicken; he gets the chicken.
2) The man is bald.
3) The apple can be placed on one person’s head.
4) The Smith family has 4 boys and 3 girls.
SNIPPETZ DONS ITS THINKING CAP: BRAIN POWER!
"I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells."
-Dr. Seuss
Do you forget why you walked into a room? Or can’t remember where you put the ice cream but wonder why you put your wallet in the freezer? Well, you’re not alone. What we consider normal slip-ups in mental capacity during our youthful years becomes a source of full-blown panic as we age. For decades we have been told to keep our minds active by reading, writing and learning new things. Now it’s a multimillion dollar business referred to as brain training for brain fitness. The business of brain training is not just targeting those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, but is catching the attention of the aging baby boomer generation who might be having difficulty finding their car keys in the morning.
The average number of neurons housed in the human brain is about 100 billion, each of which can connect with up to 30,000 other neurons. It was once thought that the number of neurons and brain activity in general decreased as we grow older; however, the good news is that our brains continue to produce new neurons as well as form connections between neurons well into old age. This is referred to as brain plasticity or neuro-plasticity. Neurons can’t do all of this on their own. They need a bit of help.
Not Just Keeping Busy Minds
Albert Einstein said, “I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.” The latest research indicates Einstein was right. It’s not just being intellectually active by reading newspapers, working crossword puzzles and playing chess. It’s introducing a variety of novel experiences and challenging activities into daily life. And that’s not all.
Life’s a Treadmill
And here’s another good reason to exercise – it plays an important role in good brain health. Not only is exercise good for the heart, it is also good for the mind. The act of exercise releases the “pleasure” chemicals of serotonin and dopamine, bringing about a calm, happy feeling. Exercise also aids in clear thinking and better overall performance. Some research has shown that exercise stimulates nerve growth factors and growth of stem cells. As in mental stimulation, here again variety in an exercise routine will make the biggest impact on brain health.
Think About What You Eat
We’re heard it before – balanced diet, balanced diet, balanced diet. Add to that certain brain healthy foods that give a boost to brain function.
• Vegetables and fruits are full of vitamins and antioxidants. Green leafy and cruciferous vegetables are the most brain healthy, e.g., cauliflower, spinach and broccoli. Fruits high in antioxidants include blueberries, prunes, strawberries and raisins.
• Foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids are the perfect brain food. Omega-3s can be found in wild salmon, tuna, sardines, herring and anchovies.
• Chocolate! But not the ordinary milk chocolate found in the grocery store aisle. It is the pure cacao bean that houses theobromine, antioxidants, catechins and flavonoids. The less processing of the bean, the better. Try to eat chocolate bars that have at least 75% cacao content. It may be harder to find and a bit costlier, but the benefits are well worth it.
• Coffee, like chocolate, in a purer form as close to the coffee bean as possible is also rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. Good quality coffee, especially an espresso style, is the most beneficial, particularly when the flavorings, whip cream and sugars are eliminated.
• Green tea is also good brain food, particularly matcha tea, a stone-ground Japanese green tea, which can be somewhat difficult to find in the local grocery store. However, a substance called EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) found in green teas has been indicated to fight cancer and aging. A little internet research can help locate the best quality of these products to obtain the best benefits.
IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES!
There is much that we can do to offset the effects of aging and exercise our minds. If you’re having difficulty coming up with novel and challenging ideas, here are a few to consider:
- Numbers puzzles such as Sudoku, word scrambles and crossword puzzles are good for the brain, but other activities are needed in addition to these more routine brain stretchers.
- Drive a different route to work or school.
- Learn to play an instrument.
- Write a book, a poem or a short story.
- Learn a new language.
- Learn ballroom dancing.
- When at a party or a networking event, work the room and meet as many new people as possible. Use mnemonic devices to assist in remembering their names.
- Memorize numbers – addresses, phone numbers, bank account numbers.
- If you have some money to spare, there are a number of products out there, particularly computer brain fitness games that are interactive and tailored to the individual in order to provide the best brain challenges.
Brainiac Facts
• The human brain weighs about 3 lbs. and consists of about 75 percent water.
• The brain uses approximately 20 percent of the blood that flows from the heart and 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe in.
• Yawning helps us become more alert by allowing more oxygen to enter the bloodstream. No one really knows why yawning seems to be contagious, but we’ve all experienced the phenomena.
• Because the brain does not sense pain, most brain surgeries are performed without general anesthesia so the patient can respond to manipulation in order to identify problem areas.
• Reading aloud to children stimulates brain development.
• It is impossible to tickle yourself. Your brain is wired to alert you to new and important things going on around you. Things like your own touch or the clothes on your body do not demand attention by the brain.
• Sunlight can make you sneeze because the bright light that triggers pupil constriction may also affect a close-by neuron that triggers the olfactory reflex of sneezing. The neurons are packed a little tight in some areas of the brain.
• High levels of stress are bad for everything including the health of the brain.
Brain Teasers
We at Snippetz would be remiss if we didn’t offer a brain teaser or two to help challenge your brain. Try a couple of these and check your answers at the end.
1) A man has to get a fox, a chicken, and a sack of corn across a river. He has a row boat, and it can only carry him and one other thing. If the fox and the chicken are left together, the fox will eat the chicken. If the chicken and the corn are left together, the chicken will eat the corn. How does the man do it?
2) A man was outside taking a walk when it began to rain. He did not have an umbrella and he wasn't wearing a hat. His clothes were soaked, yet not a single hair on his head got wet. How could this happen?
3) There are 20 people in an empty, square room. Each person has full sight of the entire room and everyone in it without turning his head or body, or moving in any way (other than the eyes). Where can you place an apple so that all but one person can see it?
4) The Smith family has both girl and boy children. Each of the boys has the same number of brothers as he has sisters. Each of the girls has twice as many brothers as she has sisters. How many boys and girls are there in the Smith family?
ANSWERS
1) The man carries the chicken, leaves chicken and comes back. The man then gets the fox, leaves the fox and gets chicken. The man next leaves the chicken and gets the corn. He then leaves the fox and the corn to get the chicken; he gets the chicken.
2) The man is bald.
3) The apple can be placed on one person’s head.
4) The Smith family has 4 boys and 3 girls.
Issue 362
SNIPPETZ GETS ORGANIZED FOR NATIONAL WORK FROM HOME WEEK
"Organization is not an option; it is a fundamental survival skill and distinct competitive advantage."
Pam N. Woods
About 49 percent of U.S. businesses are operated out of the home according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Add to that the rise in telecommuting and the number of us working at home is skyrocketing. Are you one of them? With home offices come challenges finding space and getting organized.
If you feel there is never enough time to organize, think about the time wasted looking for things in the office. The time you take to clean out and organize can be used to your advantage, and if self-employed, to make more money! If you could use a little more of that, read on…
Piles, Piles Everywhere
The more clutter in the office, the less productive and happy we are. However, don’t expect to completely clean out and reorganize the office in one day. It will feel too overwhelming and you are less likely to do anything. Take baby steps. If possible, schedule short blocks of time from 30 minutes to an hour each day or every other day – whatever works best. Then stick to the schedule and get started.
Start with one area of the room, one drawer or one pile. If the problem is finding where to put things, then start with cleaning out one file cabinet drawer. Just because it’s filed away doesn’t mean that it needs to be there forever. Pull everything out at once and go through each file and piece of paper to see what can be thrown out, shredded or recycled. Chances are you will find new space for more “stuff.”
Once filing cabinets are cleaned out and you’re feeling liberated (and you will), use the same tactic for desk drawers and closet shelves.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Does that describe the inside of your desk drawers? It seems like everything winds up in a desk drawer in an effort to get it put away so we can deal with it “later.” Before you know it, one good old fashioned junk drawer turns into the whole desk. Just like with file cabinet drawers, take everything out and make a gigantic pile.
Rather than start an illegal bonfire, pick up each item and make a decision as to whether it really needs to go back in the desk, in the trash or needs another home in your home. Who really needs 14 key chains even if they were freebies from trade shows? Do we need to discuss rubber bands and business card magnets?
Will it Stay or Will it Go?
A good rule of thumb for record detention is to keep most things for six to seven years for tax purposes. Although audits usually take place within three years, better to be safe than sorry. Then shred the rest. If not sure, set the item or papers aside in a box to check again in a couple of weeks.
Some records should become permanent fixtures in the files:
• Articles of incorporation, stock and bond records, bylaws and minutes, contracts/agreements and legal correspondence;
• Annual financial statements, general ledger, auditors’ reports and journals (cash receipts, disbursements, general and purchase journals);
• Copyrights, trademarks, patents and servicemarks;
• Mortgage deeds; and
• Profit sharing/pension records.
Most employee and insurance records should be kept for six years, and employee accident reports and injury claims should be kept for 11 years. Any employee medical records involving toxic substance exposure should be kept for 40 years.
Keep in mind that most magazines, journals and research materials can be accessed online, so no need to keep those dust collectors and space eaters around for eternity. And chances are you won’t need 12 yogurt containers to store extra pens, pencils and paperclips.
Let’s Get Organized!
First, take everything off the desk except for your computer and telephone. Grab a dust cloth and apply to the desktop. Wouldn’t it be nice if it looked like this all the time? If you can, try to keep everything off the desk for a few days and just take out what you need when you need it. Once you pick up a piece of paper, file or office supply and use it, think about where it makes sense to store it. You might want your scissors, stamps and stapler in the desk drawer. But, paperwork could be put in a file folder and placed in the file cabinet if not used daily; or, if it is used daily, the file drawer in the desk might be the most efficient place.
Hope for Procrastinators
This is where you can put off this organization ordeal and leave the office to go shopping for important supplies. Invest in a label maker. It will be great for setting up filing systems and you can drive the rest of your household crazy when you put labels on everything that doesn’t move. Now is the time to decide if you want color-coded files because you’ll need to purchase plenty of file folders. How about those desk drawer dividers for storing paper clips, pens and a limited number of rubber bands? For the desktop, do you need an in-basket, a stacking basket set and/or a Bose docking station for your ipod?
Filing Systems – Yuk!
Filing systems don’t need to be complicated. Think about how you do your work. Do you think of your job as working on various projects or by different clients? Does it make more sense to file by client name, project name or subject? Maybe it’s a combination of different types of systems. There are no rules here – do what works for your work style. It’s all about you and you get to decide. If there was a rule, it would be to keep it simple and easy to manage growth within the system.
That Burning Question
What do you do with all those stickies and notes? Some evening during “Monday Night Football” or “Dancing With the Stars,” sit down with your stickies and your planner and transfer everything you can into that planner. A good planner can be used for more than jotting down the kids’ orthodontist appointments. It’s a great place for phone numbers, project notes and to-do’s. If you’re worried about remembering where you put an important file during your reorganization, jot that down in your planner as well. Speaking of to-do’s, a few minutes spent every evening or at the end of the work day making notes in your planner will go a long way to ensuring a good night’s sleep.
No Man (or Woman) is an Island
Get help! Ask a family member or friend to help. Everybody loves to use a label maker, so take advantage of that. If you’re too embarrassed to ask for help from people who know you, then pay a stranger. Many people you do business with will know a friend of a friend of a friend who is a good organizer or office support person. The two hundred bucks or so will be well worth it to be on your way to impressing your clients with your organization prowess and earning more income.
Most importantly, remember that offices are dynamic places with changing and evolving systems and needs. Set your office up to change and expect it to change. If you keep up with the change as you go along, there will be less and less need for major reorganizations.
SNIPPETZ GETS ORGANIZED FOR NATIONAL WORK FROM HOME WEEK
"Organization is not an option; it is a fundamental survival skill and distinct competitive advantage."
Pam N. Woods
About 49 percent of U.S. businesses are operated out of the home according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Add to that the rise in telecommuting and the number of us working at home is skyrocketing. Are you one of them? With home offices come challenges finding space and getting organized.
If you feel there is never enough time to organize, think about the time wasted looking for things in the office. The time you take to clean out and organize can be used to your advantage, and if self-employed, to make more money! If you could use a little more of that, read on…
Piles, Piles Everywhere
The more clutter in the office, the less productive and happy we are. However, don’t expect to completely clean out and reorganize the office in one day. It will feel too overwhelming and you are less likely to do anything. Take baby steps. If possible, schedule short blocks of time from 30 minutes to an hour each day or every other day – whatever works best. Then stick to the schedule and get started.
Start with one area of the room, one drawer or one pile. If the problem is finding where to put things, then start with cleaning out one file cabinet drawer. Just because it’s filed away doesn’t mean that it needs to be there forever. Pull everything out at once and go through each file and piece of paper to see what can be thrown out, shredded or recycled. Chances are you will find new space for more “stuff.”
Once filing cabinets are cleaned out and you’re feeling liberated (and you will), use the same tactic for desk drawers and closet shelves.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Does that describe the inside of your desk drawers? It seems like everything winds up in a desk drawer in an effort to get it put away so we can deal with it “later.” Before you know it, one good old fashioned junk drawer turns into the whole desk. Just like with file cabinet drawers, take everything out and make a gigantic pile.
Rather than start an illegal bonfire, pick up each item and make a decision as to whether it really needs to go back in the desk, in the trash or needs another home in your home. Who really needs 14 key chains even if they were freebies from trade shows? Do we need to discuss rubber bands and business card magnets?
Will it Stay or Will it Go?
A good rule of thumb for record detention is to keep most things for six to seven years for tax purposes. Although audits usually take place within three years, better to be safe than sorry. Then shred the rest. If not sure, set the item or papers aside in a box to check again in a couple of weeks.
Some records should become permanent fixtures in the files:
• Articles of incorporation, stock and bond records, bylaws and minutes, contracts/agreements and legal correspondence;
• Annual financial statements, general ledger, auditors’ reports and journals (cash receipts, disbursements, general and purchase journals);
• Copyrights, trademarks, patents and servicemarks;
• Mortgage deeds; and
• Profit sharing/pension records.
Most employee and insurance records should be kept for six years, and employee accident reports and injury claims should be kept for 11 years. Any employee medical records involving toxic substance exposure should be kept for 40 years.
Keep in mind that most magazines, journals and research materials can be accessed online, so no need to keep those dust collectors and space eaters around for eternity. And chances are you won’t need 12 yogurt containers to store extra pens, pencils and paperclips.
Let’s Get Organized!
First, take everything off the desk except for your computer and telephone. Grab a dust cloth and apply to the desktop. Wouldn’t it be nice if it looked like this all the time? If you can, try to keep everything off the desk for a few days and just take out what you need when you need it. Once you pick up a piece of paper, file or office supply and use it, think about where it makes sense to store it. You might want your scissors, stamps and stapler in the desk drawer. But, paperwork could be put in a file folder and placed in the file cabinet if not used daily; or, if it is used daily, the file drawer in the desk might be the most efficient place.
Hope for Procrastinators
This is where you can put off this organization ordeal and leave the office to go shopping for important supplies. Invest in a label maker. It will be great for setting up filing systems and you can drive the rest of your household crazy when you put labels on everything that doesn’t move. Now is the time to decide if you want color-coded files because you’ll need to purchase plenty of file folders. How about those desk drawer dividers for storing paper clips, pens and a limited number of rubber bands? For the desktop, do you need an in-basket, a stacking basket set and/or a Bose docking station for your ipod?
Filing Systems – Yuk!
Filing systems don’t need to be complicated. Think about how you do your work. Do you think of your job as working on various projects or by different clients? Does it make more sense to file by client name, project name or subject? Maybe it’s a combination of different types of systems. There are no rules here – do what works for your work style. It’s all about you and you get to decide. If there was a rule, it would be to keep it simple and easy to manage growth within the system.
That Burning Question
What do you do with all those stickies and notes? Some evening during “Monday Night Football” or “Dancing With the Stars,” sit down with your stickies and your planner and transfer everything you can into that planner. A good planner can be used for more than jotting down the kids’ orthodontist appointments. It’s a great place for phone numbers, project notes and to-do’s. If you’re worried about remembering where you put an important file during your reorganization, jot that down in your planner as well. Speaking of to-do’s, a few minutes spent every evening or at the end of the work day making notes in your planner will go a long way to ensuring a good night’s sleep.
No Man (or Woman) is an Island
Get help! Ask a family member or friend to help. Everybody loves to use a label maker, so take advantage of that. If you’re too embarrassed to ask for help from people who know you, then pay a stranger. Many people you do business with will know a friend of a friend of a friend who is a good organizer or office support person. The two hundred bucks or so will be well worth it to be on your way to impressing your clients with your organization prowess and earning more income.
Most importantly, remember that offices are dynamic places with changing and evolving systems and needs. Set your office up to change and expect it to change. If you keep up with the change as you go along, there will be less and less need for major reorganizations.
Issue 361
SNIPPETZ IS ALL SMILEYS CELEBRATING WORLD SMILE DAY®
"Everyone smiles in the same language."
Author Unknown
October 3, 2008 marks World Smile Day®, and the motto is “Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.” The holiday began in 1999 and is recognized by U.S. Congress and included in the Congressional Record. As you probably already know, we at Snippetz love to smile and love helping others smile even more.
World Smile Day® was invented by Harvey Ball, a commercial artist who invented the original smiley face, the now familiar round yellow image with two dots for eyes and a curved line for a mouth. He spent only minutes designing the smiley for the Worcester Mutual Insurance Company in 1963 in order to boost employee morale at the company.
Smileys gone wild
Harvey Ball could have never imagined the popularity of his smiley face. In fact, he never even bothered to trademark it at the time. The company received a $240 fee for his work.
In 1967, David Stern, an advertising agency owner in Seattle, used his version of the smiley for a University Federal Savings & Loan ad campaign. They produced 150,000 buttons, coin purses and piggy banks for this promotion. The savings & loan’s walls were even adorned with smiley faces.
The smiley face peaked in popularity in the early 1970’s when two brothers from Philadelphia, Bernard and Murray Spain, added the saying, “Have a happy day,” to the yellow icon. They mass produced it on novelty items such as t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, buttons, key chains and anything else you can imagine a smiley face slapped onto.
Can you trademark a smile?
The smiley face became a registered trademark in 1971 when Franklin Loufrani, a Frenchman, started “Smiley World” in order to sell the image in Europe and the U.K.
Wal-Mart attempted to trademark the smiley as their own in 2006 while they were using the icon on their signs and employee uniforms. Loufrani fought Wal-Mart’s use of his trademark. It was no laughing matter for Wal-Mart when their trademark request was denied. They’ve since reverted to a “no smiling” campaign.
Harvey Ball felt that the smiley face should remain in the public domain, so declared in 1999 that the first Friday in October would always be World Smile Day® and registered the name. Ball wanted the spirit of the smiley to remain intact by encouraging others to do acts of kindness.
Not such happy smileys
It should be no surprise that once the smiley became a popular positive icon, it soon spiraled into sinister and cynical use in movies, literature and computer games.
• Randall Flagg, a Stephen King villain wears a smiley badge.
• Smiley the Psychotic Button is a sidekick for Evil Ernie, a Chaos! Comics character. The smiley button has a sinister face with crossbones behind it.
• Several other comic book series love to use the smiley in sinister ways – “Watchmen,” “Transmetropolitan,” “The Tick,” The Sandman,” and “Solus.” At least Batman is not on the list.
• TV and movies were not to be outdone with their depiction of smileys. In the movie “Evolution” produced in 2001, the smiley (three-eyed) symbolizes aliens.
• In the horror film “The Howling,” the werewolf leaves smiley face stickers behind with his victims.
Interesting Smileys
• A Hawaiian spider, called the “Theridion grallator,” is also known as the Happyface Spider because it has a yellow body and sometimes appears to have a smiley face on it.
• A mars crater has been photographed that holds a striking resemblance to a smiley face.
• A smiley is a term to describe a piercing of the webbed area located in the mouth between the upper lip and the upper gums. The piercing can only be seen when the person is smiling, hence the name.
We can’t get enough of these smileys
• Popular singer and actress Miley Cyrus became Miley from “Smiley,” a nickname she had as a small child. Her real name is Destiny Hope.
• A smiley face is painted on the side of a water tower In Hammond, Ill.
• The Microsoft Bob software sports a smiley logo.
• Think Pac-man.
• “Tetravex,” a Micrsoft Windows game changes tiles to smileys if the player can solve the puzzle without receiving hints.
• The image is seen in the movie “Forrest Gump.”
Communicating with a smiley
Although many have used their own renditions of the smiley in communications since the 1970’s, it appears that the Internet has influenced yet another comeback of the little guy. Scott Fahlman, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, is given credit for the development of the symbols or emoticons of smileys and other images that denote feelings. Fahlman started this trend when online billboards became popular among his peers at the University. The problem, he felt, was that without body language and tone of voice that is picked up in personal conversation, writing on these billboards lacked the usual signals when comments were deemed to be funny, sarcastic or something otherwise. Hence, the symbols to make communications easier.
Graphic renditions of some of these emoticons are easily located for use in e-mail correspondence, but certain keystrokes together make the smiley (or a frown) by viewing sideways. And in some software programs, these keystrokes will automatically convert to its colorful symbol:
:) smiley
:-) smiley with a nose
:( sad
:-( sad with a nose
;-) wink
Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation
Harvey Ball formed the World Smile Corporation in 1999 in order to sell licensing opportunities and other products. Ball had no desire to receive any profits from the sales, as his goal was to use the icon to spread kindness throughout the world. He deemed that all after tax profits would go to charities. The Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, was formed after his death in 2001 in order to disseminate profits from smiley licensing and product sales to small, little known charities who receive limited funding from other sources.
Interesting smiley facts
• By 1971, over 50 million smiley face buttons had been sold.
• In 1986, the USS Reeves navy ship used smiley face covers on its missile fire control radars during a visit to China.
• If you spoke to a telephone operator in the 1970’s, each call was concluded by the operator with “Have a happy day.”
• Each year since 1999, the U.S. Postal Service issues a stamp in honor of World Smile Day.
• In 2008, you can send a smiley cookie to a member of the armed forces serving overseas. Eleni’s Bakery in Manhattan is providing the yummy treats and the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation is organizing the project. (Go to www.worldsmileday.com for more information.)
Ready to make someone smile? According to Harvey Ball, that can be accomplished with anything from sharing a smile to doing a good deed for another.
“A smile is what we want to see when we look at another human being…We start to believe that we are too small to make a difference…The truth is that every one of us has the ability to make a difference every day.”
Harvey Ball
SNIPPETZ IS ALL SMILEYS CELEBRATING WORLD SMILE DAY®
"Everyone smiles in the same language."
Author Unknown
October 3, 2008 marks World Smile Day®, and the motto is “Do an act of kindness. Help one person smile.” The holiday began in 1999 and is recognized by U.S. Congress and included in the Congressional Record. As you probably already know, we at Snippetz love to smile and love helping others smile even more.
World Smile Day® was invented by Harvey Ball, a commercial artist who invented the original smiley face, the now familiar round yellow image with two dots for eyes and a curved line for a mouth. He spent only minutes designing the smiley for the Worcester Mutual Insurance Company in 1963 in order to boost employee morale at the company.
Smileys gone wild
Harvey Ball could have never imagined the popularity of his smiley face. In fact, he never even bothered to trademark it at the time. The company received a $240 fee for his work.
In 1967, David Stern, an advertising agency owner in Seattle, used his version of the smiley for a University Federal Savings & Loan ad campaign. They produced 150,000 buttons, coin purses and piggy banks for this promotion. The savings & loan’s walls were even adorned with smiley faces.
The smiley face peaked in popularity in the early 1970’s when two brothers from Philadelphia, Bernard and Murray Spain, added the saying, “Have a happy day,” to the yellow icon. They mass produced it on novelty items such as t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, buttons, key chains and anything else you can imagine a smiley face slapped onto.
Can you trademark a smile?
The smiley face became a registered trademark in 1971 when Franklin Loufrani, a Frenchman, started “Smiley World” in order to sell the image in Europe and the U.K.
Wal-Mart attempted to trademark the smiley as their own in 2006 while they were using the icon on their signs and employee uniforms. Loufrani fought Wal-Mart’s use of his trademark. It was no laughing matter for Wal-Mart when their trademark request was denied. They’ve since reverted to a “no smiling” campaign.
Harvey Ball felt that the smiley face should remain in the public domain, so declared in 1999 that the first Friday in October would always be World Smile Day® and registered the name. Ball wanted the spirit of the smiley to remain intact by encouraging others to do acts of kindness.
Not such happy smileys
It should be no surprise that once the smiley became a popular positive icon, it soon spiraled into sinister and cynical use in movies, literature and computer games.
• Randall Flagg, a Stephen King villain wears a smiley badge.
• Smiley the Psychotic Button is a sidekick for Evil Ernie, a Chaos! Comics character. The smiley button has a sinister face with crossbones behind it.
• Several other comic book series love to use the smiley in sinister ways – “Watchmen,” “Transmetropolitan,” “The Tick,” The Sandman,” and “Solus.” At least Batman is not on the list.
• TV and movies were not to be outdone with their depiction of smileys. In the movie “Evolution” produced in 2001, the smiley (three-eyed) symbolizes aliens.
• In the horror film “The Howling,” the werewolf leaves smiley face stickers behind with his victims.
Interesting Smileys
• A Hawaiian spider, called the “Theridion grallator,” is also known as the Happyface Spider because it has a yellow body and sometimes appears to have a smiley face on it.
• A mars crater has been photographed that holds a striking resemblance to a smiley face.
• A smiley is a term to describe a piercing of the webbed area located in the mouth between the upper lip and the upper gums. The piercing can only be seen when the person is smiling, hence the name.
We can’t get enough of these smileys
• Popular singer and actress Miley Cyrus became Miley from “Smiley,” a nickname she had as a small child. Her real name is Destiny Hope.
• A smiley face is painted on the side of a water tower In Hammond, Ill.
• The Microsoft Bob software sports a smiley logo.
• Think Pac-man.
• “Tetravex,” a Micrsoft Windows game changes tiles to smileys if the player can solve the puzzle without receiving hints.
• The image is seen in the movie “Forrest Gump.”
Communicating with a smiley
Although many have used their own renditions of the smiley in communications since the 1970’s, it appears that the Internet has influenced yet another comeback of the little guy. Scott Fahlman, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, is given credit for the development of the symbols or emoticons of smileys and other images that denote feelings. Fahlman started this trend when online billboards became popular among his peers at the University. The problem, he felt, was that without body language and tone of voice that is picked up in personal conversation, writing on these billboards lacked the usual signals when comments were deemed to be funny, sarcastic or something otherwise. Hence, the symbols to make communications easier.
Graphic renditions of some of these emoticons are easily located for use in e-mail correspondence, but certain keystrokes together make the smiley (or a frown) by viewing sideways. And in some software programs, these keystrokes will automatically convert to its colorful symbol:
:) smiley
:-) smiley with a nose
:( sad
:-( sad with a nose
;-) wink
Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation
Harvey Ball formed the World Smile Corporation in 1999 in order to sell licensing opportunities and other products. Ball had no desire to receive any profits from the sales, as his goal was to use the icon to spread kindness throughout the world. He deemed that all after tax profits would go to charities. The Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, was formed after his death in 2001 in order to disseminate profits from smiley licensing and product sales to small, little known charities who receive limited funding from other sources.
Interesting smiley facts
• By 1971, over 50 million smiley face buttons had been sold.
• In 1986, the USS Reeves navy ship used smiley face covers on its missile fire control radars during a visit to China.
• If you spoke to a telephone operator in the 1970’s, each call was concluded by the operator with “Have a happy day.”
• Each year since 1999, the U.S. Postal Service issues a stamp in honor of World Smile Day.
• In 2008, you can send a smiley cookie to a member of the armed forces serving overseas. Eleni’s Bakery in Manhattan is providing the yummy treats and the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation is organizing the project. (Go to www.worldsmileday.com for more information.)
Ready to make someone smile? According to Harvey Ball, that can be accomplished with anything from sharing a smile to doing a good deed for another.
“A smile is what we want to see when we look at another human being…We start to believe that we are too small to make a difference…The truth is that every one of us has the ability to make a difference every day.”
Harvey Ball
Issue 360
SNIPPETZ WONDERS ABOUT ONE-HIT WONDERS
Fame is a fickle food – Upon a shifting plate.
Emily Dickinson
We at Snippetz love to reminisce and today we’re thinking back on those music’s “one-hit wonders” of long ago and some from more recent times. Do you remember any or all of these? Can you get through the day today without humming a few of these oldies?
Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
In 1954, the song “Sh-Boom” was recorded by a doo-wop group that called themselves The Chords. The song was on both the rhythm & blues as well as the pop charts that year. It was so popular that other publishing companies were clamoring to purchase the rights. After The Chords began appearing on television, it was discovered that there was another group calling themselves by the same name. This prompted The Chords to change their name to the Chordcats. The group’s 15 minutes of fame was soon over and after many more attempts and a name change to The Sh-Booms, the group never returned to the hit charts. However, “Sh-Boom” lives on. The song was used in Disney/Pixar’s “Cars” in 2006.
It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
In 1958, actor, cowboy, rodeo rider and country-western singer Sheb Wooley (1921-2003) ventured into the pop charts with “Purple People Eater.” Although well known for his purple hit, he was also a successful actor, playing in western films such as “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “High Noon,” as well as TV’s “Rawhide” and “Hee Haw.” He also wrote the theme song for the TV hit show “Hee Haw” and played the character of Ben Colder. Under the name Ben Colder, he produced parody recordings such as “Shaky Breaky Car” (“Achy Breaky Heart”) as well as one of his own with “Purple People Eater 2.”
The day my momma socked it to the Harper Valley PTA
Jeannie C. Riley was best known for her simultaneous appearance on both the country-western and pop charts in 1968 with her No. 1 hit, “Harper Valley PTA.” She was the first woman to achieve this milestone. It was 1981 before Dolly Parton repeated this achievement with her No. 1 hit, “9 to 5.” “Harper Valley PTA” was hugely popular, winning the Single of the Year Award from the Country Music Association, as well as earning Riley Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the Grammy awards. And that’s not all. The song launched Riley’s career into television and movies. She was the first female country-western singer to host her own variety show, “Harper Valley USA,” which she hosted with country singer and guitarist Jerry Reed. Tired of her mini skirt and go-go boot image, she donned more conservative attire in the 1970’s when she became a born again Christian and focused her attention on gospel music. She describes her career in her 1980 autobiography, “From Harper Valley to the Mountain Top.”
They're coming to take me away,
Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha,
To the funny farm
Where life is beautiful all the time
It was 1966 when Jerry Samuels, a record producer and songwriter recording under the name Napoleon XIV, produced “They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa.” The song climbed to No. 1 on the pop charts within a week of release, but dropped off the charts almost as quickly. There was much pressure put on the radio stations from advocacy groups for the mentally ill to pull the plug on this novel hit. Samuels’ career was not over, as he continued to write and record songs, never again making the Top 40.
In the summer time when the weather is high
You can chase right up and touch the sky
Mungo Jerry is the name of an English folk music/rock group, not a person, lead by musician Ray Dorset. It was 1970 when “In The Summertime” hit the pop charts in both the U.K. and the U.S., as well as many other countries around the world. Although Mungo Jerry never had another No. 1 hit in the U.S., their popularity remained strong in the U.K. and Europe, as well as behind the iron curtain where the group performed on television, the first western band to break that barrier. Over the years, the group evolved and changed with many new members and styles, always headed by Ray Dorset. They also recorded the first reggae version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Mungo Jerry is still producing music, more recently releasing a single “Mr. Midnight” from “Phantom of the Opera on Ice,” as well as two new albums in 2007.
Do the hustle…Do the hustle…
Yes, those are all the words in this song – the same three repeated over and over. Wish you came up with this snappy tune and lyrics? Van Allen Clinton McCoy (1940-1979) was sure happy he did so in 1975 and the song is still playing for dancers today. “The Hustle” was his one and only hit; however, his real life’s work was as a music producer, songwriter and orchestra conductor. He produced records for many famous recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Peaches & Herb, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Melba Moore and the Stylistics.
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music til you die
Rob Parissi led his band Wild Cherry (named after a cough drop flavor) to stardom for the one hit wonder, “Play That Funky Music” in 1976. The No. 1 hit made it on the pop, R&B and Billboard charts that year and the group received Top R&B Single of the Year, an American Music Award, and received two Grammy nominations. The group made three more albums with limited success and the group eventually disbanded. “Play That Funky Music” is still a requested song on dance floors everywhere.
'Cause I got Pac-Man Fever
It's driving me crazy
The duo Buckner (Jerry) and Garcia (Gary) recorded “Pac-Man Fever” in 1982, followed by an entire album of songs about arcade video games. And if that’s not enough, the song was re-recorded in 1999. Enough said.
Don't worry, be happy
Bobby McFerrin was enjoying a career as a pianist and singer in the 1970’s and 1980’s when he produced the 1988 album “Simple Pleasures,” which spawned the No. 1 hit “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” The single was also featured in the movie “Cocktail.” McFerrin is best known for his musical talent with vocal range, switching from falsetto to normal to perform melody and the accompanying portions of songs. He also uses his mouth and taps his chest to make music. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” won McFerrin acclaim for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance.
I’m too sexy for my love…shirt…car…cat
In 1992, Right Said Fred, an English pop band hit the charts with “I’m Too Sexy,” a fun song about a very confident male fashion model. The band leaders, Fairbrass brothers Richard and Fred, appeared in the Daz Detergent’s (a U.K. product) advertising campaign, renaming the song, “I’m Too Sexy For My Whites,” as new band name “White Said Fred.” The No. 1 hit also had the distinction of being named by Blender as No. 49 on the “Run for Your Life! It’s the 50 Worst Songs Ever!” list.
A little bit of Monica…Erica…Rita…Tina…Sandra…Mary…Jessica…Angela…Pamela
Lou Bega, a West German born Latin-pop musician, remade Mambo No. 5 in 1999 from the early 1950’s Perez Prado instrumental. The song became a hit on the European charts almost instantly and was No. 3 on the American pop charts. Mambo No. 5 has prompted many versions and remakes since it’s 1999 debut including a Radio Disney version which replaced the ladies’ names with Disney Character names, as well as replacing some lyrics such as the “liquor store around the corner” with the “candy store around the corner.” The ladies’ names were replaced with types of cars in a CarMax commercial, as well as with New York Yankee player names during a version written for the 2000 World Series. The song was also awarded 6th place in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 10 most annoying songs.
Don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
Today, Billy Ray Cyrus may be more famous for being the father of Miley Cyrus, but the country singer and actor has enjoyed great success of his own. His most notable on the pop charts was his crossover tune, “Achy Breaky Heart” recorded in 1992. Cyrus has also starred in movies and TV shows such as Love Boat, The Nanny and co-starred with his daughter Miley in Disney’s Hannah Montana. Although cited as a one-hit wonder on the pop charts due to “Achy Breaky Heart,” Cyrus’ career may be far from finished and the future may hold more pop chart hits, eliminating his place on the one-hit wonder list.
“Fame is like a shaved pig with a greased tail, and it is only after it has slipped through the hands of some thousands, that some fellow, by mere chance, holds on to it!”
Davy Crockett
SNIPPETZ WONDERS ABOUT ONE-HIT WONDERS
Fame is a fickle food – Upon a shifting plate.
Emily Dickinson
We at Snippetz love to reminisce and today we’re thinking back on those music’s “one-hit wonders” of long ago and some from more recent times. Do you remember any or all of these? Can you get through the day today without humming a few of these oldies?
Oh, life could be a dream (sh-boom)
If I could take you up in paradise up above (sh-boom)
In 1954, the song “Sh-Boom” was recorded by a doo-wop group that called themselves The Chords. The song was on both the rhythm & blues as well as the pop charts that year. It was so popular that other publishing companies were clamoring to purchase the rights. After The Chords began appearing on television, it was discovered that there was another group calling themselves by the same name. This prompted The Chords to change their name to the Chordcats. The group’s 15 minutes of fame was soon over and after many more attempts and a name change to The Sh-Booms, the group never returned to the hit charts. However, “Sh-Boom” lives on. The song was used in Disney/Pixar’s “Cars” in 2006.
It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
In 1958, actor, cowboy, rodeo rider and country-western singer Sheb Wooley (1921-2003) ventured into the pop charts with “Purple People Eater.” Although well known for his purple hit, he was also a successful actor, playing in western films such as “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “High Noon,” as well as TV’s “Rawhide” and “Hee Haw.” He also wrote the theme song for the TV hit show “Hee Haw” and played the character of Ben Colder. Under the name Ben Colder, he produced parody recordings such as “Shaky Breaky Car” (“Achy Breaky Heart”) as well as one of his own with “Purple People Eater 2.”
The day my momma socked it to the Harper Valley PTA
Jeannie C. Riley was best known for her simultaneous appearance on both the country-western and pop charts in 1968 with her No. 1 hit, “Harper Valley PTA.” She was the first woman to achieve this milestone. It was 1981 before Dolly Parton repeated this achievement with her No. 1 hit, “9 to 5.” “Harper Valley PTA” was hugely popular, winning the Single of the Year Award from the Country Music Association, as well as earning Riley Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the Grammy awards. And that’s not all. The song launched Riley’s career into television and movies. She was the first female country-western singer to host her own variety show, “Harper Valley USA,” which she hosted with country singer and guitarist Jerry Reed. Tired of her mini skirt and go-go boot image, she donned more conservative attire in the 1970’s when she became a born again Christian and focused her attention on gospel music. She describes her career in her 1980 autobiography, “From Harper Valley to the Mountain Top.”
They're coming to take me away,
Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha,
To the funny farm
Where life is beautiful all the time
It was 1966 when Jerry Samuels, a record producer and songwriter recording under the name Napoleon XIV, produced “They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa.” The song climbed to No. 1 on the pop charts within a week of release, but dropped off the charts almost as quickly. There was much pressure put on the radio stations from advocacy groups for the mentally ill to pull the plug on this novel hit. Samuels’ career was not over, as he continued to write and record songs, never again making the Top 40.
In the summer time when the weather is high
You can chase right up and touch the sky
Mungo Jerry is the name of an English folk music/rock group, not a person, lead by musician Ray Dorset. It was 1970 when “In The Summertime” hit the pop charts in both the U.K. and the U.S., as well as many other countries around the world. Although Mungo Jerry never had another No. 1 hit in the U.S., their popularity remained strong in the U.K. and Europe, as well as behind the iron curtain where the group performed on television, the first western band to break that barrier. Over the years, the group evolved and changed with many new members and styles, always headed by Ray Dorset. They also recorded the first reggae version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Mungo Jerry is still producing music, more recently releasing a single “Mr. Midnight” from “Phantom of the Opera on Ice,” as well as two new albums in 2007.
Do the hustle…Do the hustle…
Yes, those are all the words in this song – the same three repeated over and over. Wish you came up with this snappy tune and lyrics? Van Allen Clinton McCoy (1940-1979) was sure happy he did so in 1975 and the song is still playing for dancers today. “The Hustle” was his one and only hit; however, his real life’s work was as a music producer, songwriter and orchestra conductor. He produced records for many famous recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Peaches & Herb, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Melba Moore and the Stylistics.
Lay down the boogie and play that funky music til you die
Rob Parissi led his band Wild Cherry (named after a cough drop flavor) to stardom for the one hit wonder, “Play That Funky Music” in 1976. The No. 1 hit made it on the pop, R&B and Billboard charts that year and the group received Top R&B Single of the Year, an American Music Award, and received two Grammy nominations. The group made three more albums with limited success and the group eventually disbanded. “Play That Funky Music” is still a requested song on dance floors everywhere.
'Cause I got Pac-Man Fever
It's driving me crazy
The duo Buckner (Jerry) and Garcia (Gary) recorded “Pac-Man Fever” in 1982, followed by an entire album of songs about arcade video games. And if that’s not enough, the song was re-recorded in 1999. Enough said.
Don't worry, be happy
Bobby McFerrin was enjoying a career as a pianist and singer in the 1970’s and 1980’s when he produced the 1988 album “Simple Pleasures,” which spawned the No. 1 hit “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” The single was also featured in the movie “Cocktail.” McFerrin is best known for his musical talent with vocal range, switching from falsetto to normal to perform melody and the accompanying portions of songs. He also uses his mouth and taps his chest to make music. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” won McFerrin acclaim for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance.
I’m too sexy for my love…shirt…car…cat
In 1992, Right Said Fred, an English pop band hit the charts with “I’m Too Sexy,” a fun song about a very confident male fashion model. The band leaders, Fairbrass brothers Richard and Fred, appeared in the Daz Detergent’s (a U.K. product) advertising campaign, renaming the song, “I’m Too Sexy For My Whites,” as new band name “White Said Fred.” The No. 1 hit also had the distinction of being named by Blender as No. 49 on the “Run for Your Life! It’s the 50 Worst Songs Ever!” list.
A little bit of Monica…Erica…Rita…Tina…Sandra…Mary…Jessica…Angela…Pamela
Lou Bega, a West German born Latin-pop musician, remade Mambo No. 5 in 1999 from the early 1950’s Perez Prado instrumental. The song became a hit on the European charts almost instantly and was No. 3 on the American pop charts. Mambo No. 5 has prompted many versions and remakes since it’s 1999 debut including a Radio Disney version which replaced the ladies’ names with Disney Character names, as well as replacing some lyrics such as the “liquor store around the corner” with the “candy store around the corner.” The ladies’ names were replaced with types of cars in a CarMax commercial, as well as with New York Yankee player names during a version written for the 2000 World Series. The song was also awarded 6th place in Rolling Stone Magazine’s 10 most annoying songs.
Don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart
Today, Billy Ray Cyrus may be more famous for being the father of Miley Cyrus, but the country singer and actor has enjoyed great success of his own. His most notable on the pop charts was his crossover tune, “Achy Breaky Heart” recorded in 1992. Cyrus has also starred in movies and TV shows such as Love Boat, The Nanny and co-starred with his daughter Miley in Disney’s Hannah Montana. Although cited as a one-hit wonder on the pop charts due to “Achy Breaky Heart,” Cyrus’ career may be far from finished and the future may hold more pop chart hits, eliminating his place on the one-hit wonder list.
“Fame is like a shaved pig with a greased tail, and it is only after it has slipped through the hands of some thousands, that some fellow, by mere chance, holds on to it!”
Davy Crockett
Issue 359
ARR ME MATEY... SNIPPETZ BE TALKIN' LIKE A PIRATE
"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest -- Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"
“Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson
Arr me hearty, here at Snippetz, we be gettin’ ready for International Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept. 19. We be bettin’ ye thought it would ne’er be here soon enough!
Who Came Up With This Idea?
A couple of regular mateys from Corvallis, Oregon came up with the idea in 1995 when during a racquetball game between the two, one yelled “Aaarrrr” after a fall. Being the fun guys they were, John Baur ("Ol' Chumbucket") and Mark Summers ("Cap'n Slappy") officially named Sept. 19 (Summer’s ex-wife’s birthday) International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The holiday started off as an inside joke between the two mateys, but in 2002 they wrote to author, humorist and syndicated columnist Dave Barry who rather fancied the idea and promoted it in his column.
In more recent years, Bauer and Summers have found more than their 15 minutes of fame. Both appeared on ABC’s Wife Swap in 2006 as a pirate family. Bauer appeared as a contestant just this summer on CBS’ Jeopardy, referring to himself as a pirate and writer. They have a website dedicated to the holiday and all things pirate where fellow enthusiasts can purchase books, t-shirts and other fun pirate booty.
Talkin’ The Talk
In order to celebrate the holiday properly, ye must learn a bit o’ lingo.
• Start all sentences with “Arr, me matey” or “Arr, me hearty.”
• Don’t use the word ‘my’ to describe your possessions. It’s ‘me grog,’ ‘me lass.’
• Never speak in the past or future tense. Always use ‘be’ – I be, you be, they be.
• Drop all g’s and v’s when you speak – ne’er, writin,’ fightin,’ drinkin’ and cussin,’
• Be sure to use ye best deep, throaty-sounding voice when ye speak in pirate-ese.
Once ye get the basics down, here are some words to add to ye vocabulary for the day:
• Ahoy - Hey
• Avast Ye – Hey, stop and listen up; check this out
• Aye – Yes
• Aye Aye – Yes sir, I be doin’ what ye ask NOW.
• Bilge rat – A derogatory term to call your friends and coworkers. The bilge is the lowest part of the ship where the rats live in the slimy stinky water found there.
• Booty – Treasure
• Cackle fruit – Chicken eggs
• Davy Jones Locker – An imaginary place at the bottom of the sea where it is said that the souls of dead sailors and pirates lie. If ye be in Davy’s Grip, ye be scared or close to dyin.’
• Fiddlers Green – Pirate heaven
• Grog – A pirate drink made of rum and water. It is said that a bit o’ rum was added to their water that had been stored in bales. The rum helped take away the scummy taste and hopefully kill some germs.
• Lily-livered – Faint of heart
• Matey – A friend or fellow pirate
• Me hearty – A friend or fellow pirate
• Poop deck – It’s not what you think. The poop deck is the deck on a ship that is the highest and farthest to the stern (back). The ‘head’ is the toilet, which is simply a hole cut in a deck that allows waste to go into the sea.
• Scallywag – A scoundrel
• Shiver me timbers – A saying used to express shock or disbelief. It is said that the saying described what happened when the wind howled and rattled the wood planks of the ship. However, some say that it was really a way for a pirate to request a back shave. Apparently, pirates were superstitious about hairy backs (a feeling that stays with most of us to this day). Is it true? Not sure, but an interesting thought.
• Sprogs – New recruits
• Thar – There
• Wench – Ye need to look this up on yer own since this be a family publication.
• Yellow-Belly’d - Chicken
Yo-Ho-Ho, It’s a Pirate’s Life For Me
Being a pirate wasn’t all plundering and pillaging fun. Pirates spent countless months at sea on board fairly small ships with little food or drink. With no refrigerators or canned goods available, their version of cheese and crackers were stale crackers and weevils.
Disease was common and rampant. Pirates would typically experience scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency which would cause their teeth to fall out and skin to go pale. It also led to the disease “crickets” which caused blindness. Hence, the reason we see pirates with an eye patch.
Pirates also experienced dysentery and contacted Yellow Fever from mosquitoes. Many died from the fever, but some only experienced the high fever and then recovered. And then there was gangrene caused by untreated infections. An unlucky pirate with gangrene could only hope that there were sufficient rum rations still on board when it was time to amputate a limb.
If caught and found guilty of pirateering, a pirate could be hung in front of townspeople or even decapitated. Sometimes the pirate’s head was put on a stick and marched around town for others to see in an attempt to discourage would-be pirates.
Pirate Code of Conduct
Yes, there was a code of conduct that included the following:
• All shipmates have equal voting rights.
• No women or boys allowed on board the ship.
• Booty must be divided equally, as well as liquor and food.
• No fighting between pirates.
• No gambling.
• Wounded pirates received a pension determined by the severity of their injuries.
• Pirates must maintain their own weapons.
Not following the code or breaking rules was punishable, but “Walkin’ the Plank” was not considered punishment except in fiction. Depending on the severity of the breach, a pirate could be marooned or put to death.
Bountiful Booty
Now for the pillaging that made it all worthwhile. The most prized booty were jewelry and precious stones, and gold and silver. However, other items were more commonly pillaged such as spices, quinine, medical supplies, food, linen and rope. Dividing the loot could be a little more challenging. According to the pirate code of conduct, the loot had to be divided equally. Some things were divided easily and others were more challenging. Jewelry would simply be cut with a knife in order to divide it evenly. A pirate could receive more than his fair share if he lost a limb or partial limb during an attack. A loss of a finger would earn 100 pieces of eight (silver that could be cut into eight small pieces); a right arm would earn 600 pieces of eight.
More Pirate Particulars
• Every holiday needs a patron saint, right? Talk Like a Pirate Day is no exception. Actor Robert Newton who played Long John Silver in Disney’s 1950 “Treasure Island” is the honorary patron saint of TLAPD. He’s the first that we know of to use the term “Arr matey.”
• What about an anthem? We’ve got that, too - a catchy tune entitled “Talk Like a Pirate Day” written by Tom Smith.
• Blackbeard started a fashion trend when he lost a leg to diabetes and wore a wooden leg. Pirates began to use wooden legs as a fashion statement, even adorning them with jewels.
• Speaking of jewels, pirates wore pierced earrings because they thought it improved eyesight. Apparently, reading glasses were hard to come by at sea.
• Contrary to Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” pirates likely did not have parrots or use treasure maps. And pirates typically did not bury their treasures, although Captain Kidd was known to do so.
• Although women were not allowed aboard a pirate ship, there were still many famous women pirates including Mary Reed and Anne Bonney who pillaged in the Caribbean during the early 1700’s. Women would have to impersonate men to remain on the ship.
Avast me hearty, be needin’ more on TLAPD? Go to http://www.talklikeapirate.com/, get yer mateys and sprogs on board and make a day of it, or ye be walkin’ the plank ye scallywag.
ARR ME MATEY... SNIPPETZ BE TALKIN' LIKE A PIRATE
"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest -- Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"
“Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson
Arr me hearty, here at Snippetz, we be gettin’ ready for International Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept. 19. We be bettin’ ye thought it would ne’er be here soon enough!
Who Came Up With This Idea?
A couple of regular mateys from Corvallis, Oregon came up with the idea in 1995 when during a racquetball game between the two, one yelled “Aaarrrr” after a fall. Being the fun guys they were, John Baur ("Ol' Chumbucket") and Mark Summers ("Cap'n Slappy") officially named Sept. 19 (Summer’s ex-wife’s birthday) International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The holiday started off as an inside joke between the two mateys, but in 2002 they wrote to author, humorist and syndicated columnist Dave Barry who rather fancied the idea and promoted it in his column.
In more recent years, Bauer and Summers have found more than their 15 minutes of fame. Both appeared on ABC’s Wife Swap in 2006 as a pirate family. Bauer appeared as a contestant just this summer on CBS’ Jeopardy, referring to himself as a pirate and writer. They have a website dedicated to the holiday and all things pirate where fellow enthusiasts can purchase books, t-shirts and other fun pirate booty.
Talkin’ The Talk
In order to celebrate the holiday properly, ye must learn a bit o’ lingo.
• Start all sentences with “Arr, me matey” or “Arr, me hearty.”
• Don’t use the word ‘my’ to describe your possessions. It’s ‘me grog,’ ‘me lass.’
• Never speak in the past or future tense. Always use ‘be’ – I be, you be, they be.
• Drop all g’s and v’s when you speak – ne’er, writin,’ fightin,’ drinkin’ and cussin,’
• Be sure to use ye best deep, throaty-sounding voice when ye speak in pirate-ese.
Once ye get the basics down, here are some words to add to ye vocabulary for the day:
• Ahoy - Hey
• Avast Ye – Hey, stop and listen up; check this out
• Aye – Yes
• Aye Aye – Yes sir, I be doin’ what ye ask NOW.
• Bilge rat – A derogatory term to call your friends and coworkers. The bilge is the lowest part of the ship where the rats live in the slimy stinky water found there.
• Booty – Treasure
• Cackle fruit – Chicken eggs
• Davy Jones Locker – An imaginary place at the bottom of the sea where it is said that the souls of dead sailors and pirates lie. If ye be in Davy’s Grip, ye be scared or close to dyin.’
• Fiddlers Green – Pirate heaven
• Grog – A pirate drink made of rum and water. It is said that a bit o’ rum was added to their water that had been stored in bales. The rum helped take away the scummy taste and hopefully kill some germs.
• Lily-livered – Faint of heart
• Matey – A friend or fellow pirate
• Me hearty – A friend or fellow pirate
• Poop deck – It’s not what you think. The poop deck is the deck on a ship that is the highest and farthest to the stern (back). The ‘head’ is the toilet, which is simply a hole cut in a deck that allows waste to go into the sea.
• Scallywag – A scoundrel
• Shiver me timbers – A saying used to express shock or disbelief. It is said that the saying described what happened when the wind howled and rattled the wood planks of the ship. However, some say that it was really a way for a pirate to request a back shave. Apparently, pirates were superstitious about hairy backs (a feeling that stays with most of us to this day). Is it true? Not sure, but an interesting thought.
• Sprogs – New recruits
• Thar – There
• Wench – Ye need to look this up on yer own since this be a family publication.
• Yellow-Belly’d - Chicken
Yo-Ho-Ho, It’s a Pirate’s Life For Me
Being a pirate wasn’t all plundering and pillaging fun. Pirates spent countless months at sea on board fairly small ships with little food or drink. With no refrigerators or canned goods available, their version of cheese and crackers were stale crackers and weevils.
Disease was common and rampant. Pirates would typically experience scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency which would cause their teeth to fall out and skin to go pale. It also led to the disease “crickets” which caused blindness. Hence, the reason we see pirates with an eye patch.
Pirates also experienced dysentery and contacted Yellow Fever from mosquitoes. Many died from the fever, but some only experienced the high fever and then recovered. And then there was gangrene caused by untreated infections. An unlucky pirate with gangrene could only hope that there were sufficient rum rations still on board when it was time to amputate a limb.
If caught and found guilty of pirateering, a pirate could be hung in front of townspeople or even decapitated. Sometimes the pirate’s head was put on a stick and marched around town for others to see in an attempt to discourage would-be pirates.
Pirate Code of Conduct
Yes, there was a code of conduct that included the following:
• All shipmates have equal voting rights.
• No women or boys allowed on board the ship.
• Booty must be divided equally, as well as liquor and food.
• No fighting between pirates.
• No gambling.
• Wounded pirates received a pension determined by the severity of their injuries.
• Pirates must maintain their own weapons.
Not following the code or breaking rules was punishable, but “Walkin’ the Plank” was not considered punishment except in fiction. Depending on the severity of the breach, a pirate could be marooned or put to death.
Bountiful Booty
Now for the pillaging that made it all worthwhile. The most prized booty were jewelry and precious stones, and gold and silver. However, other items were more commonly pillaged such as spices, quinine, medical supplies, food, linen and rope. Dividing the loot could be a little more challenging. According to the pirate code of conduct, the loot had to be divided equally. Some things were divided easily and others were more challenging. Jewelry would simply be cut with a knife in order to divide it evenly. A pirate could receive more than his fair share if he lost a limb or partial limb during an attack. A loss of a finger would earn 100 pieces of eight (silver that could be cut into eight small pieces); a right arm would earn 600 pieces of eight.
More Pirate Particulars
• Every holiday needs a patron saint, right? Talk Like a Pirate Day is no exception. Actor Robert Newton who played Long John Silver in Disney’s 1950 “Treasure Island” is the honorary patron saint of TLAPD. He’s the first that we know of to use the term “Arr matey.”
• What about an anthem? We’ve got that, too - a catchy tune entitled “Talk Like a Pirate Day” written by Tom Smith.
• Blackbeard started a fashion trend when he lost a leg to diabetes and wore a wooden leg. Pirates began to use wooden legs as a fashion statement, even adorning them with jewels.
• Speaking of jewels, pirates wore pierced earrings because they thought it improved eyesight. Apparently, reading glasses were hard to come by at sea.
• Contrary to Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” pirates likely did not have parrots or use treasure maps. And pirates typically did not bury their treasures, although Captain Kidd was known to do so.
• Although women were not allowed aboard a pirate ship, there were still many famous women pirates including Mary Reed and Anne Bonney who pillaged in the Caribbean during the early 1700’s. Women would have to impersonate men to remain on the ship.
Avast me hearty, be needin’ more on TLAPD? Go to http://www.talklikeapirate.com/, get yer mateys and sprogs on board and make a day of it, or ye be walkin’ the plank ye scallywag.
Issue 358
SNIPPETZ SOARS WITH THE U.S. AIR FORCE HAPPY 61ST BIRTHDAY!
A modern, autonomous, and thoroughly trained Air Force in being at all times will not alone be sufficient, but without it there can be no national security.” General H. H. ‘Hap’ Arnold, USAAF
It was 61 years ago on September 18, 1947 that the Air Force became a branch of the United States military, previously a part of the U.S. Army. The National Security Act of 1947 created the U.S. Department of Defense made up of three branches – Navy, Army and Air Force. Prior to this Act, aviation was part of the Army and Navy. However, these branches continue to operate their own aircraft for both support and combat.
The United States Air Force has 302 flying squadrons and over 7,500 aircraft including those for air to ground attack, bombers, helicopters, tankers, reconnaissance, transports, and trainers.
The USAF is headquartered at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and is lead by Mr. Michael W. Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force; General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff; General Duncan McNabb, Vice Chief of Staff; and CMSgt. Rodney J. McKinley, Chief master Sergeant.
USAF Core Values: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do.
Mission: To deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests – to fly and fight in air, space and cyberspace.
CALLING COLORADO SPRINGS HOME
Colorado Springs is the proud home of three Air Force centers – The Air Force Academy, Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever Air Force Base.
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY
The USAFA is a four-year academic institution where a cadet graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree and is commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force. Some areas of study include astronautical, civil, aeronautical and electrical engineering; computer science; law and international affairs; management, behavioral science and human physiology; economics, political science and military history, to name a few. And, of course, military and flight training are an integral part of cadet education. On many days of the year one can see the AFA cadets parachuting from the Colorado skies.
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE
Established in 1942, Peterson AFB is the home of the Air Force Space Command and serves as a supporting airfield for the Air Force Academy and Schriever AFB. In 2006, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) was relocated to Peterson AFB.
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE
Formerly known as the Falcon Air Force Station from 1985 and 1998, Schriever AFB provides command and control for defense warning, navigational and communications satellites. It houses the Space Innovation & Development Center, the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center and the Global Positioning System (GPS).
SIGN ME UP
Becoming an airman in the USAF is to become a member of an elite few, the crème de la crème. There are various requirements that must be met:
• Obtain a bachelor’s degree at a civilian college/university or at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
• Be an officer with a rank of second lieutenant by either completing a Reserve Officer’s Training Corps program at a civilian college/university; attending Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama; or applying to the Air Force Academy. The application must be accompanied by a nomination from a member of Congress and candidates must pass medical and physical fitness exams. There are only about 1,400 applicants accepted yearly.
• Be at least 18 years of age and enter flight training before turning 30 years old.
• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Score a minimum of 25 points on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, pilot portion, and pass a basic aptitude test.
• Complete a Flying Class I physical, as well as background checks, physical and psychological testing. Pilots must be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall and no more than 6 feet 5 inches tall. Disqualifications include overweight, allergies after the age of 12, colorblindness or difficulties with depth perception (no laser surgery allowed), or vision worse than 20/50 in one or both eyes.
• Training at Flight School at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
CAN I FLY NOW?
Not really. First, there is the introductory flight training consisting of 25 hours of hands-on flying and 25 hours of classroom instruction. The hands-on training can be gained from ROTC or Officer Training School. These courses are taught in single-engine, propeller-driven planes.
Next, soon-to-be pilots participate in a one-year program learning basic flight skills including classroom instruction, simulator training and hands-on flying. These programs are offered at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi or Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. These long training days (10-12 hours) are followed by advanced training to learn how to fly specific Air Force planes.
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
The USAF Thunderbirds perform throughout the U.S. and areas of the world as the Air Demonstration Squadron unit. They have been dazzling spectators with their aerobatic formations since 1953 when they performed at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. These skilled Thunderbirds serve between two and four years depending on whether they are officers or enlisted personnel. New pilots are being trained every year.
The Thunderbirds fly Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcons, the same aircraft used in combat with a few modifications to include red, white and blue paint, exchanging the cannon and ammunition drum with smoke-generating systems and removing the jet fuel starter exhaust door. These aircraft as well as the Thunderbird pilots can be easily returned to combat state with little notice.
SINGING A DIFFERENT TUNE
The United States Air Force Band was formed in 1941, providing world class musical entertainment around the world. The Band serves to increase public awareness of the Air Force mission, enhance morale and aid in recruiting. The Air Force Band is made up of seven different ensembles – Ceremonial Brass, Airmen of Note, Air Force Strings, Silver Wings, Singing Sergeants, Concert Band and Max Impact.
NOTABLE SNIPPETZ
• Basic training runs for 6.5 weeks and has ranged anywhere from 2 weeks to 13 weeks in length since USAF inception depending on service needs.
• In 1945, the Army turned over the Colorado Springs Army Air Base (now Peterson Field), then housed at the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, to the City of Colorado Springs. Between 1945 and 1951 it was activated and deactivated several times.
• Peterson AFB was given its current name in 1942 in honor of an airman who died on the base in a plane crash.
• In 1998, Schriever Air Force Base was renamed from Falcon Air Force Base in honor of General Bernard Adolph Schriever, retired, who developed the ballistic missile program. It is the only base ever named after a living person at that time.
• The first female Thunderbird pilot was Captain Nicole Malachowski, accepted in 2005; and the first female solo pilot was Captain Samantha Weeks, accepted in 2006.
• A Beanhead is a term used to describe fourth class cadets who have shaved heads early in the year.
• Every U.S. President except Eisenhower and Carter have spoken at an Air Force Academy graduation ceremony since the Academy’s inception. Notable speakers other than U.S. Presidents are the USAF Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Air Force and Vice President. Barry M. Goldwater was the only U.S. Senator to speak at an Air Force graduation and did so on two occasions.
SNIPPETZ SOARS WITH THE U.S. AIR FORCE HAPPY 61ST BIRTHDAY!
A modern, autonomous, and thoroughly trained Air Force in being at all times will not alone be sufficient, but without it there can be no national security.” General H. H. ‘Hap’ Arnold, USAAF
It was 61 years ago on September 18, 1947 that the Air Force became a branch of the United States military, previously a part of the U.S. Army. The National Security Act of 1947 created the U.S. Department of Defense made up of three branches – Navy, Army and Air Force. Prior to this Act, aviation was part of the Army and Navy. However, these branches continue to operate their own aircraft for both support and combat.
The United States Air Force has 302 flying squadrons and over 7,500 aircraft including those for air to ground attack, bombers, helicopters, tankers, reconnaissance, transports, and trainers.
The USAF is headquartered at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and is lead by Mr. Michael W. Wynne, Secretary of the Air Force; General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff; General Duncan McNabb, Vice Chief of Staff; and CMSgt. Rodney J. McKinley, Chief master Sergeant.
USAF Core Values: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do.
Mission: To deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests – to fly and fight in air, space and cyberspace.
CALLING COLORADO SPRINGS HOME
Colorado Springs is the proud home of three Air Force centers – The Air Force Academy, Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever Air Force Base.
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY
The USAFA is a four-year academic institution where a cadet graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree and is commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force. Some areas of study include astronautical, civil, aeronautical and electrical engineering; computer science; law and international affairs; management, behavioral science and human physiology; economics, political science and military history, to name a few. And, of course, military and flight training are an integral part of cadet education. On many days of the year one can see the AFA cadets parachuting from the Colorado skies.
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE
Established in 1942, Peterson AFB is the home of the Air Force Space Command and serves as a supporting airfield for the Air Force Academy and Schriever AFB. In 2006, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) was relocated to Peterson AFB.
SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE
Formerly known as the Falcon Air Force Station from 1985 and 1998, Schriever AFB provides command and control for defense warning, navigational and communications satellites. It houses the Space Innovation & Development Center, the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center and the Global Positioning System (GPS).
SIGN ME UP
Becoming an airman in the USAF is to become a member of an elite few, the crème de la crème. There are various requirements that must be met:
• Obtain a bachelor’s degree at a civilian college/university or at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
• Be an officer with a rank of second lieutenant by either completing a Reserve Officer’s Training Corps program at a civilian college/university; attending Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama; or applying to the Air Force Academy. The application must be accompanied by a nomination from a member of Congress and candidates must pass medical and physical fitness exams. There are only about 1,400 applicants accepted yearly.
• Be at least 18 years of age and enter flight training before turning 30 years old.
• Be a citizen of the United States.
• Score a minimum of 25 points on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, pilot portion, and pass a basic aptitude test.
• Complete a Flying Class I physical, as well as background checks, physical and psychological testing. Pilots must be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall and no more than 6 feet 5 inches tall. Disqualifications include overweight, allergies after the age of 12, colorblindness or difficulties with depth perception (no laser surgery allowed), or vision worse than 20/50 in one or both eyes.
• Training at Flight School at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
CAN I FLY NOW?
Not really. First, there is the introductory flight training consisting of 25 hours of hands-on flying and 25 hours of classroom instruction. The hands-on training can be gained from ROTC or Officer Training School. These courses are taught in single-engine, propeller-driven planes.
Next, soon-to-be pilots participate in a one-year program learning basic flight skills including classroom instruction, simulator training and hands-on flying. These programs are offered at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi or Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas. These long training days (10-12 hours) are followed by advanced training to learn how to fly specific Air Force planes.
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
The USAF Thunderbirds perform throughout the U.S. and areas of the world as the Air Demonstration Squadron unit. They have been dazzling spectators with their aerobatic formations since 1953 when they performed at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. These skilled Thunderbirds serve between two and four years depending on whether they are officers or enlisted personnel. New pilots are being trained every year.
The Thunderbirds fly Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcons, the same aircraft used in combat with a few modifications to include red, white and blue paint, exchanging the cannon and ammunition drum with smoke-generating systems and removing the jet fuel starter exhaust door. These aircraft as well as the Thunderbird pilots can be easily returned to combat state with little notice.
SINGING A DIFFERENT TUNE
The United States Air Force Band was formed in 1941, providing world class musical entertainment around the world. The Band serves to increase public awareness of the Air Force mission, enhance morale and aid in recruiting. The Air Force Band is made up of seven different ensembles – Ceremonial Brass, Airmen of Note, Air Force Strings, Silver Wings, Singing Sergeants, Concert Band and Max Impact.
NOTABLE SNIPPETZ
• Basic training runs for 6.5 weeks and has ranged anywhere from 2 weeks to 13 weeks in length since USAF inception depending on service needs.
• In 1945, the Army turned over the Colorado Springs Army Air Base (now Peterson Field), then housed at the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, to the City of Colorado Springs. Between 1945 and 1951 it was activated and deactivated several times.
• Peterson AFB was given its current name in 1942 in honor of an airman who died on the base in a plane crash.
• In 1998, Schriever Air Force Base was renamed from Falcon Air Force Base in honor of General Bernard Adolph Schriever, retired, who developed the ballistic missile program. It is the only base ever named after a living person at that time.
• The first female Thunderbird pilot was Captain Nicole Malachowski, accepted in 2005; and the first female solo pilot was Captain Samantha Weeks, accepted in 2006.
• A Beanhead is a term used to describe fourth class cadets who have shaved heads early in the year.
• Every U.S. President except Eisenhower and Carter have spoken at an Air Force Academy graduation ceremony since the Academy’s inception. Notable speakers other than U.S. Presidents are the USAF Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Air Force and Vice President. Barry M. Goldwater was the only U.S. Senator to speak at an Air Force graduation and did so on two occasions.