What Would Jimmy Do?

Well, here it is coming up on the next holiday we celebrate here in West Virginia — Chinese New Year. We always celebrate the new year by doing something special — even if it’s just going out to eat. A lot of people, even those in the restaurants we visit, just don’t seem to get the significance of it — in fact most of them don’t even realize what day it is….
I personally think it’s a pretty cool holiday. It always comes along about a month or so after our New Year and if you’re about month into the year and not doing so well with those resolutions you made, Chinese New Year is kind of like a do-over.

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Turns out that twelve animals showed up and Buddha named a year after each one. He then proclaimed that the people born in each animal’s year would have some that animal’s personality. This will be the Chinese year 4712 — the year of the Horse. Those born in the year of the Horse are cheerful, hard-working, but impatient. They are also independent and intelligent.

I wasn’t born in the year of the Horse — I was born in the year of the Tiger. According to the Chinese horoscopes, 4712, or 2014 if you prefer, is going to shape up like this for me:
“This should be a good year for Tigers. It could bring luck, joy, romance, spirituality and learning opportunities.” Specifically….
Work: You should do well in businesses that have to do with blood, such as surgery and the army, as well as teaching and philosophy. If you are self employed, expand your business.
Wealth: This should be a year of stability for your money.
Relationships: Romance is in the stars. If the opportunity is there, consider marriage. If you’re married, watch out for temptations from extramarital affairs.
Health: Watch out for sharp objects, and be careful of accidents and bleeding.

The comments above are interesting, because on my list of my occupational goals, right after being a pirate, brain surgery was the next on the list. So I’m thinking maybe I should pursue that a bit this year.
As far as wealth, looks like I probably won’t be destitute  — especially if the brain surgery initiative takes off….
Romance looks pretty good for me — of course my first wife Claire should probably be on her toes…
In the health department, I’ll probably have to be extra careful during surgery, I don’t want to stick myself.

The Chinese have many New Year’s traditions, but don’t traditionally make New Year’s Resolutions like we do. But for people like me, this is a good time to reflect on the goals I set about a month ago and if necessary get a do-over.

So Happy Chinese New Year — hope it’s a good year. If for some reason it’s not, maybe the last fortune cookie I had was right: The fortune you seek is in another cookie.
— 30 —

Thirty years ago today, the Macintosh computer was introduced. I was fortunate enough at the time to be working in an office whose management was willing to explore new ideas and they willingly purchased a couple of the first Macs off the assembly line. From the first time I sat down in front of one, I was hooked. I’ll admit that compared to the other computers in our office, the thing was kind of weird looking, the screen was small and black and white. No hard disk drive. A funny looking thing called a “mouse.” It was kind of slow, but it worked just like I thought a computer should. It came close to speaking my language and didn’t demand that I learn its language.

So Apple fan or not, thirty years ago they set out to change the world and I’d say by the looks of things, they did. Happy Birthday, Mac!
— 30 —

Well, it’s snowing like crazy outside and I’ve decided to not clean the driveway in shifts, but just wait for it to quit… which leaves me some time to either do nothing (I’m really good at it) or to just ponder some things, like how does the guy that drives the snowplow get to work in the morning? Or why if you sit up or sit down, its the same? Or is it further to Chicago or by bus?

Anyhow, there are a lot of life’s little mysteries — in keeping with the World War II theme of my last update one has been asked and discussed hundreds or thousands of times is why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
For those of you not old enough to be familiar with kamikaze, that was the name given to a small group of Japanese pilots in World War II whose sole purpose was to carry out suicide missions. Most people believe that most Japanese pilots flew their missions for the purpose of ramming into enemy targets — much like the terrorists did at the World Trade Center. Actually, Japan had a small, special group of pilots trained for suicide or kamikaze missions (kamikaze means godly or “divine winds in Japanese.)
Sometimes Japanese pilots, when unable to complete their missions or suffered damage to their airplanes, ran out of ammo, or for some reason couldn’t return to their base, would try to inflict as much damage as they could by ramming their aircraft into a target. These instances were often called kamikaze attacks, but technically kamikaze only refers to the missions that were specifically planned suicide missions.

But back to the question — technically, they didn’t wear helmets. They wore leather “flight caps” that covered their head and ears. These kept the pilots from getting too cold or going deaf when they flew with their cockpit canopies open as they often did to get a better view when taking off, landing or looking for landmarks. They also held the airplane’s radio earphones and offered some protection against banging their heads against the canopy.

Even though kamikaze pilots didn’t technically wear helmets, I can see why, in case their suicide mission was unsuccessful, they’d want to protect them for another attempt. There weren’t many pilots skilled enough to slam a Mitsubishi Zero into an aircraft carrier. They needed to be able to fly above the cloud layer, gauge correctly where the boat or target was, then sweep out of the clouds to hit the ship (or target) before the anti aircraft battery shot them down. If you have a pilot with those skills, you want to at least protect him the best you can before he kills himself.

But seriously, this is a dumb question….
— 30 —

We attended a (late) New Years gathering yesterday afternoon and the subject of World War II came up. Someone was asking people’s age and what, if anything, they remembered about WWII. I don’t remember much, but I do remember rationing and I remember where I was when the end of the war announcement came over the radio.
One thing I seem to remember than no one else present did was the use of mills — I’m not sure this was a World War II thing, but I associate it with the war and don’t remember them being used much after the war ended.
I probably remember them because they were made like a coin, but not nearly as thick and they had a hole in the middle. They were great for threading the string you used to spin your top with — the mill kept the string from slipping through your fingers. Of course you could just tie a loop in the end of the string and slip it over your finger, but this technique was better suited to yo-yo’s than tops — for a top, the mill was much cooler.

I think the reason I remember mills and others don’t has to do with where I grew up. Mills were really tax tokens and only some states issued them — Oklahoma being one of the states. The idea of tokens came as a result of the sales tax. When the sales tax practice began, it resulted in the final price of items often being fractions of a cent. Let’s say you purchased an item for $1.25 and the sales tax was 3% — the cost of the item would be $1.2875 ($1.28 and 3/4 cents.) The thinking back in the 1930s and 40s was that if the total was rounded up to $1.29, it would result in an “unfair” profit of 1/4 cent to the seller, but if it was rounded down to $1.28, it would be unfair to the seller by reducing the profit by 3/4 cent.
So — the solution was to provide tokens in fractions of a cent (“mills”) 1 mill = 1/1000 of a dollar or 1/10 of a cent. Using the $1.25, 3% tax example, the customer would pay $1.29 and receive 2.5 mills in tax tokens as change. If the next purchase came to, say, $5.4325, the customer could pay $5.43 plus the 2.5 mills in tax tokens. If this didn’t make life complicated enough, different states issued different tax tokens. Finally, people decided just not to worry about fractions of a cent.
As a note, my extensive research revealed that the last tax tokens were not discontinued until 1961. I wasn’t able to determine which state was the last to discontinue them…..

The “coin-like” tokens were made of aluminum, copper, zinc, brass, plastic (in several colors) cardboard and paper. (The ones I remember were aluminum.) The most common denominations were 1 and 5 mills, but other denominations were “coined” by some of the states.

One of the dictionary definitions of token is, “round piece of metal or plastic that is used instead of money in some machines — an object that looks like a coin and is used in place of a coin.” Today, we often use the term token to describe a minority included in a group to prove they’re culturally diverse. There’s a guy on South Park named Token because he’s the “token black guy.”

But again, I’m getting off track. Back to mills — it seems like taxes have always complicated things. But I kind of wish tokens would come back — you can’t use a form 1040 on the end of your top string.
— 30 —

Well, here we are well into the new year, and I’m right on track with my resolutions. Before I put them out of my mind until next year, I thought I should do some extensive research on the subject….

The ten most popular New year’s Resolutions are:
Lose Weight
Improve Financial Budgeting
Exercise more
Get a new/better job
Manage stress more effectively
Quit smoking
Improve a relationship
Stop procrastinating
Set aside time for yourself

The ten most commonly broken resolutions are:
Lose Weight
Quit smoking
Learn something new
Eat healthier and diet
Get out of debt and save money
Spend more time with family
Travel to new places
Be less stressed
Volunteer
Drink less

The percent of Americans who usual make New Year’s Resolutions – 45%
The percent of Americans who infrequently make New Year’s Resolutions – 17%
The percent of Americans who never make New Year’s Resolutions – 38%
The percent of people who are successful in achieving their resolutions – 8%
The percent of people who have infrequent success – 49%
The percent of people who never succeed & fail every year – 24%
The percent of people in their 20s who achieve their resolutions every year – 39%
The percent of people over 50 who achieve their resolutions each year – 14%
Number of people that maintain resolutions through the first week – 75%
Number of people that maintain resolutions past two weeks – 71%
Number of people that maintain resolutions past one month – 64%
Number of people that maintain resolutions past six months – 46%

There’s real no point to all of this, I really just needed to keep my extensive research skill sharp.
You may note that my resolution list didn’t include the most popular resolutions or those on the most likely to be broken list. Make of that what you will….
Good luck to those 45% of you that made resolutions – hopefully you didn’t choose poorly.
— 30 —

Well, here it is the last day of the year — time for the annual ritual of making New Year Resolutions.
Most years I make a list — sometimes fairly short and sometimes longer that Santa’s naughty or nice list. A lot, if not most, people make lists and I’ve heard statistically that they usually give up by the first of February. My personal goal is to keep all the resolutions on my list until noon on January 1st.
So why do we make resolutions? I’m not sure but I guess most of us are somewhat goal-driven and we need something to strive towards. But on the other hand, why do we insist on setting ourselves up for failure?
I’m usually pretty good about not making promises that I can’t keep — usually if I tell someone that I’ll do something, I do it. But on New Year’s Eve, I, along with a lot of other people, seem to go brain dead and promise all sorts of things that we know full well we won’t do — and — we don’t even feel bad about it. I bet if you think about it, if you set a goal any other time during the year, you’re much more likely to follow through.
I’ve heard it said that he who breaks a resolution is a weakling and he who makes one is a fool.
So here goes….

I will spend less than one hour a day on the Internet.
I will take up some worthwhile new habit.
When someone tells me a joke, I will laugh, not reply, “LOL.”
I will buy at least one lottery ticket — but at a luckier store.
I will watch more TV — it’s very educational.
I will unfollow everyone that puts a New Year’s Resolution on Facebook.
I will be more imaginative.
I will forget past mistakes and press on to greater mistakes
I will walk 1 to 2 miles every day — or at least consider it.
I will be more awesome than last year.
I will pay more attention to the important thing in   hey,look! A shiny object…

Happy New Year to all!!!
— 30 —

Well, here it is Christmas again — probably the most special of all the holidays…

Even though we’re not sure why, we all feel different this time of year — there’s excitement, dread, togetherness, happiness, loneliness, sadness, stress, and just about every other emotion you can imagine. The strange thing is that a lot of us feel them all, or most of them and sometimes at the same time. Someone said that Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home. I think there’s probably some truth to that.

Thinking back about all the Christmases I’ve experienced, I’m pretty sure I can’t remember them all (the number’s getting pretty big) but I remember a number of them. The funny thing is though, that I don’t remember any of them for a particular present I received. I’ve spent Christmases in some pretty awful and some pretty remarkable spots. Those Christmases I remember not so much because of the location but the absence or presence of family/friends….

That’s it — the best gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of family/friends.

I guess you’ve truly grown up when none of the things you want for Christmas can be bought in a store. Merry Christmas to all….

— 30 —

I read an article a few days ago explaining the sorry state of the Washington Redskins. It seems the team has had a curse placed on it by Jay Winter Nightwolf, an American Indian. Apparently it wasn’t a genuine American Indian curse, but more of a ceremonial prayer. The curse or ceremonial prayer simply says that the Redskins won’t have any good luck until they change their name. Whatever Nightwolf did, it seems to be working — and — the solution seems pretty simple. Of course I thought I had a pretty simple solution to all their problems — change the owner.

Well, anyhow, this got me to thinking about curses. Curses have always fascinated me — they are, at the very least interesting and almost all cultures have some form of a curse. Depending on the society, they may be called a jinx, execration, hex, witchcraft, magic, voodoo, or other things. But they all pretty much express a wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will attach to a person, place or thing.

Lots of curses are pretty famous, or at least well known, like the curse of the Bambino. This one refers to the run of bad luck the Boston Red Sox experienced after trading Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees early in his career. Up until that time, the Yankees had never won a World Series — after Ruth arrived, they obviously did. After the trade, the Red Sox didn’t win the World Series again until 2004. An interesting sidelight of that series is that during the winning game, a total lunar eclipse occurred — that had never happened before during a World Series. And, of course, the win was against the New York Yankees. Maybe we all saw the lifting of the curse……

People old enough to remember James Dean will remember that he was killed while driving a silver Porsche 550 Spyder in 1955. Within about a year, after the crash, the car was involved in two more fatal accidents. The car was repaired and sold and while getting a tune-up, “Little Bastard,” as James Dean had named the car, fell on a mechanic’s legs and broke them. Little Bastard’s shell was taken on the exhibition circuit and supposedly the truck carrying it crashed and killed the driver — and — Little Bastard was gone by the time authorities arrived on the scene. I ain’t sayin nothin, but if you see a silver Porsched Spyder on the road, you might want to give it some extra room…..

Even Superman has a curse – it refers to the misfortunes that occurred to people involved with the Superman story over the years. George Reeves, who played Superman in the television series committed suicide and Christopher Reeve, who played the character in the early movies, became paralyzed after falling from a horse.

The Hope Diamond weighs 45.52 carats and besides its size, clarity and beauty it’s most famous for bringing misfortune to its owner. A man named Tavernier made a trip to India and while there, stole the diamond from the forehead, or eye, of a statue of the Hindu goddess Sita. Tavernier was torn apart by wild dogs on a trip to Russia (after he had sold the diamond.) Kind Louis XVI is probably the most famous owner of the diamond and he was ultimately beheaded along with his wife Queen Marie Antoinette. It’s currently on display at the Smithsonian — I’ve seen it, but I didn’t stand too close…..

One of the more interesting curses is the curse of Tippecanoe or Tecumseh’s curse. William Henry Harrison won the presidency in 1840 with the slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.” (The slogan referred to Harrison’s participation in the Battle of Tippecanoe.) One year later, William Henry Harrison died. From then (1840) until the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, every president elected in a year ending in a zero died while serving their term as President. If you don’t believe me, look it up: 1840 – Harrison – natural causes; 1860 – Lincoln – shot; 1880 – Garfield – shot; 1900 – Mckinley – shot; 1920 – Harding – natural causes; 1940 – Roosevelt – natural causes; 1960 – Kennedy – shot. Ronald Reagan ended the streak, but just barely — Reagan was shot while in office, but survived….

So — if good fortune always seems to escape your grasp, maybe…. These things have been wreaking hypothetical havoc for centuries and no one knows for sure, but the odds are you probably haven’t been cursed. Of course, I’ve heard it said that every blessing ignored becomes a curse….
— 30 —

Well, hard to believe, but here it is that truly American Holiday — Thanksgiving. Whether it’s been a good or bad year so far, we’ve all got a lot to be thankful for.
I suppose I could make a list of things I’m thankful for, but in the end it all comes down to family, friends and health. If you got all of those – as it says somewhere in the Bible, I think – your heart should overflow with thankfulness….

So as you sit down to devour the turkey, or whatever, just be thankful that at that first Thanksgiving, no one paid any attention that Native American that said, “Don’t feed them. If you feed then , they’ll never leave!”
Emily said that this Thanksgiving, she was thankful for her mommy and nail polish….
No matter what you’re thankful for – Happy Thanksgiving!!
— 30 —

In the last update, I talked about barber poles and barbers. It reminded me of a story I heard a long time ago — it only uses barbers to make a point, but I always thought it was a good story and I think it’d be a good time to write it down in my ramblings….

It seems this man went to a barber shop to get his hair cut. As the barber began to work, they talked about all kinds of things (as barbers are prone to do.) Eventually they touched on the subject of God and the barber said, “I don’t believe God exists.”

“Why do you say that?” asked the customer.

“Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if there were a God, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there wouldn’t be suffering or pain I can’t imagine a loving God would allow all of these things…..”

The customer thought a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument…

The barber finished and the customer left the shop. Just as he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair — he looked dirty and unkept. The customer turned around and went back into the barber shop and said to the barber, “You know what? Barbers don’t exist.”

The barber was surprised and said, “How can you say that? I am here, and I am a barber — and I just cut your hair!”

“No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair like that man outside.”

“Ah, but barbers do exist! What happens is, people just don’t come to me,” said the barber.

“Exactly!” said the customer. “That’s the point! God, too, does exist. What happens is people don’t go to Him and don’t look for Him. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”

Believe in God —or don’t. It’s still a good story……
— 30 —