What Would Jimmy Do?

I’ve alway liked clocks. I suppose I could tell quite a few “clock stories,” but I won’t — at least not now. A few weeks ago I got a clock, from Anne, for my birthday. It’s very small in a precisely machined “box.” It’s suppose to look like a present. It’s pretty cool in and of itself, but I was particularly impressed by the precision with which it’s made — I had to take it apart to put a battery in it. 

Well, this got me to wondering… how come this clock, and every other clock in the world has 12 numbers, or “marks.” signifying 12 hours? How did 12 become significant in our perception of time? 

We got Locke a “Fitbit” watch for his last birthday. I wanted to get him an analog watch so he’d learn to tell time — not just read numbers on his “watch.” Emily, who just turned 11 still has a bit of trouble telling time on an analog clock. Why is that? Well, when you think about it, it’s no wonder kids have trouble learning how to tell time. Just look at the way we divide up a day….
24 hours are divided into two parts — the “day” lasting 12 hours and the “night”lasting 12 hours.
One of those hours contains 60 minutes and each of those minutes has 60 seconds. And to go even further, each second is then divided into 1000 milliseconds. 

So how did this all come to be? Today, we typically use the decimal number system — a system that is believed to have originated because it made it easy for us to count things on our fingers. Way, way back, when humans were still exploring the wonders of the world and finding answers to their many questions, many other numerical systems were commonly used.

The Egyptians and Babylonians were the first to divide the day into smaller parts and used duodecimal (base 12) and sexagesimal (base 60) numeral systems.

The 24-hour day concept comes from the ancient Egyptians. They divided the day into 10 hours using devices like shadow clocks and then added one hour at each end ( one for twilight and one at the end of the day.) Later, the Egyptians made a T-shaped bar that was calibrated to divide the time between sunrise and sunset into 12 parts. But — the absence of sunlight made it hard to divide the time at night. So their nighttime division of time was based on the observation of stars. Without getting into all the details, they chose 36 star groups (small constellations that rose consecutively on the horizon as the earth rotated.) These constellations were called “decans.” Again, skipping the details, the rise of each decan marked an hour and they ended up with 12 hours in each night.

At that point in time, the hours didn’t have a fixed length. It was the Greek astronomers that helped make life simpler by equally dividing 24 hours using the Babylonian’s sexagesimal (base 60) system for astronomical calculations. So, for convenience, they further divided an hour into 60 minutes and each minute into 60 seconds. (The concept of milliseconds is very modern and since we use a base 10 system, each second is divided into 1000 milliseconds.) So I think that’s kind of how we got to where we are today.

Of course for many thousand of years, nobody needed a clock. They got up at dawn to tend their fields, when they were done, they went home and when it got dark, everyone went to sleep. Nobody ever asked “what time is it?” They could guess how far along the day was by the height of the sun and approximate the passing of a month from the waxing and waning of the moon.

But today we take knowing the time, and the day of the year, for granted. And even though the units for measuring time sometimes don’t make logical sense, they seem to be here to stay. But the way we measure time has changed significantly over the centuries. The Egyptians used sundials and watercocks that were also used by several civilizations after them. Hourglasses were an important time-keeping device before the invention of mechanical clocks. The development of quartz watches and atomic clocks has make it possible to measure time with increasing accuracy.

Today, the standard definition for time is no longer based on the rotation of the Earth around the Sun, but on atomic time. A second is defined as: “9,192,631.770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium-133, atom.”
Based on that information, I think it’s time for a drink…..
—60 —

Avast me hearties!! Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Me most favorite of all me favorite holidays — there’ll be the usual Hornpipe ceremony later today and, as usual, when we show up at ye ole’ neighbors’ house for a grog, him will say me don’t look like a pirate — that me should have a peg leg or patch so he’ll know what’s happening. Me will explain, again, today be talk like a pirate, not look like a pirate day…. t’ scurvy dog still won’t get it. I’m sure the streets here will be filled with landlubbers yelling salty sea dog phrases in each other’s faces on this raucous day. 

Tonight me and me wench Claire will knock on all the doors in the neighborhood and yell, “arrr, scurvy dog I be needin to swill a pint or two of grog.” If grog not forthcoming, me usually use the blige rat insult, or sometimes “ye scurvy dog!” response. 

But to diverge for a moment, today lots of people will adopt Devonshire accents and call each other “me hearties,” but is that what pirates really sounded like? Despite the fact that there has been a flood of pirate discoveries recently, and we now know more than ever about the day-to-day life of pirates, we still don’t really know very much about how they spoke.

Apparently the Devonshire accent associated with pirates today comes from Robert Lewis Stevenson and later depictions of his character Long John Silver in Treasure Island. For some reason, the world just assumed that all pirates should sound like Long John Silver — and, sound alike.

The (disappointing) truth is that pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy came from diverse backgrounds and pirates are not a cohesive culture or nationality that would have a developed  a speech pattern. We know there were English, French, Dutch, Moorish and African pirates — in fact, probably every nation and accent. 

I hate to admit it, but a pirate (probably) sounded like the average sailor of the 18th century. I doubt that there is any single accent that is truly “pirate.” So in reality, we already talk like a pirate, every day of the year. 

But no matter…..
Talking like a pirate is fun — it gives your conversation a swagger and style denied to landlocked lubbers. So let’s celebrate the day with a smile on our face and a parrot on our shoulder — and a pint or two of grog. Fair winds, me hearties!!
— 30 — 

I’m not sure I know what “normal” is anymore, but if things were normal, today at promptly noon, Oktoberfest 2021 would begin — and end on Sunday October 3rd. The dates for Oktoberfest are always different, but it always starts in late September and ends on the first Sunday of October… of course, like everything, there are some exceptions. 

I’ve only been to Oktoberfest in Germany once, but boy, it is one big party! Both the opening and closing ceremonies are awesome. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening ceremony on my only visit, but I couldn’t get in to the closing ceremony. I attended Oktoberfest in Frankfurt, but the biggest, and supposedly best, is held in Munich. During the Munich opening ceremony, the Lord Mayor of Munich taps the first keg and shouts “O’Zapf is!” to let everyone — at least those who speak German — know that it’s time to get to drinking.

Some of the best news about Oktoberfest is that it is, and always has been, 100% admission free.
The bad news, as you may have guessed, is that Oktoberfest 2021 has been officially cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the spirit lives on — beer lovers will find a way. You know what they say…. you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy beer…. and that’s kind of the same thing.
— 30 —

Today is Constitution Day, also known as Constitution and Citizenship Day — a day that honors the document that guarantees Americans their essential rights. Since 1787, the Constitution of the United States has served as the basis for all U.S. laws. 

Even though we usually refer to today, September 17, as Constitution Day, it’s officially Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Here’s how we arrived at that….

In 1940, Congress and the President passed a resolution creating “I am an American Day,” observed on the third Sunday in May. In 1952, the holiday was renamed “Constitution Day” and moved to September 17, the day in 1787 that the Constitution was signed. Then, more than 50 years later, in 2004, Congress once again changed the name of the holiday to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. I referred to the day as a holiday — it’s a federal event, but not a holiday.

Our Constitution calls for three branches of government with equal powers, creating a system commonly known as “checks and balances.” Each branch has power to mitigate the others. Powers not assigned to one of the three branches are left to the individual states.

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention had two options for setting up the framework of the new legislative branch. The Virginia Plan, was supported by larger states and called for representation based on population. The competing New Jersey Plan called for equal representation for each state. The two-house solution, known as the Great Compromise, combines aspects of both plans and is still in use today.

One of the signers of the Constitution, Ben Franklin, had to be carried to and from the Convention meetings due to his poor health, and needed assistance signing the document. Some of the other very important Founding Fathers never actually signed the Constitution — Thomas Jefferson, for example, was away in Paris serving as an ambassador to France.

It’s interesting that “Pennsylvania” is spelled wrong at top in the list of signatories — Pennsylvania is spelled with just one “n.”

Of 11,600 proposed amendments to the Constitution, only 27 have been ratified, making the chance of passing an amendment 0.23% — if you round that down, it’s 0 (zero.)

When the Founders worked on the Constitution together, they quibbled over what the title of the head of government should be. Proposed titles included “His Highness the President of the United States of America and Protector of their Liberties,” “Electoral Highness” and “Excellency.” The delegates finally settled on “The President of the United States of America.”

George Washington said, “The Constitution is the guide which I will never abandon.” All Americans should think that way.
— 30 —

A couple of weeks ago, Locke, who just started first grade was exposed to his first “lockdown drill.” In today’s world, these drills have just become part of life. Those that were in school during the cold war remember the drills held in case of a nuclear attack. I’m too old to have experienced them, but Claire did and has talked about them occasionally.

But drills today are in response to a different threat — mostly school shootings. 
Realistically, school shootings are extremely rare, but they are absolutely increasing at a steady clip. All parents and teachers worry about such an event. Kids probably seem to worry less about these things than adults. 

Growing up in Oklahoma, tornado drills were, if not routine, fairly common — but tornadoes were actually pretty rare. Everyone was used to the testing of the tornado warning siren and we all knew the procedure of staying away from windows and getting under our desks — it all seemed pretty basic. I never went home thinking that a tornado was imminent, and I don’t think any of my friends did either.

But tornadoes, floods, etc, are not human-driven, intentionally barbaric events. All disasters can cause traumatic responses, but events in which intentionality is clear — someone trying to do something bad —causes the greatest risk for traumatic syndromes among survivors.

I certainly don’t have the answer for this dilemma, but we should make it clear to kids that while most people in the world are not harmful, there are some people who will do bad things —and, we need to know how to respond. We should also let them know that there are more good people in the world than bad and that adults, like teachers, taking care of them are doing their best to keep them safe.

These are not easy times —anxieties exist for all sorts of good reasons. But we should try not to add to these anxieties. How we approach lockdown is important and hopefully we can come up with an approach that strikes the right balance.
— 30 —

Every year, we celebrate National Grandparents Day on the first Sunday after Labor day. This year, it’s today — September 12.
Grandparent’s Day is a lot like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, except the people are a lot older.
In keeping with my tradition of making you a more informed reader when you follow this blog, let’s talk a bit about Grandparent’s Day.

In 1969, nine-year old Russell Capper sent President Nixon a letter suggesting that a day should be set aside in order to celebrate grandparents. On June 12, 1969, he received a letter from Rose Mary Woods, the Personal Secretary to the President, reading:
“Dear Russell, Thank you for your letter to President Nixon. Your suggestion regarding a Grandparent’s Day is appreciated, but the President ordinarily issues proclamations designating periods for special observance only when a Congressional resolution authorizes him to do so. With best wishes, Sincerely, Rose May Woods Personal Secretary to the President.”

Following this letter, Marian McQuade was recognized nationally by the U.S. Senate and by President Jimmy Carter as the founder of National Grandparent’s Day. McQuade wanted to educate the youth about the importance of seniors and the contributions they have made throughout history. She urged the youth to “adopt” a grandparent and learn more about their lives, challenges, and desires for the future.

In 1977, Senator Randolph, from West Virginia, with the help of other senators introduced a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as “National Grandparent’s Day.”  Congress passed the legislation on August 3, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation, and the day was finally celebrated the following year. 

Even though it was signed in as a national holiday it is celebrated more as an observance than a public holiday. 
But today is our day and we’ve earned it because you know only the best parents get promoted to grandparents….
— 30 —

Today is the 254the day of the year — there are 111 days remaining until the end of the year. But, of course, today is September 11, or nine-eleven, or Patriot Day when we all reflect on the devastating terror attacks that took nearly 3,000 lives. 

We all will always remember where we were that morning in 2001 — I remember it as if it were yesterday. Even as I watched the events unfold, it took some time for the reality to sink in. 

Twenty years ago today, four planes were hijacked. The hijackers flew three planes into iconic buildings — the Pentagon and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after the plane’s passengers fought the hijackers. It was the biggest act of terrorism ever in the United States. 

Patriot Day was proclaimed by President George W. Bush and is recognized every year on September 11. Flags are lowered to half-mast, and there is a country-wide moment of silence at 8:46 am (Eastern Time) which is when the first plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers. Even though the attacks were in the U.S., Patriot Day is recognized worldwide because the attack devastated and impacted people around the world.

Today, reflecting and remembering the events that took place 20 years ago reminds people of the sensitivity of time and the importance of standing united as a nation.
I wonder how many people would have been complaining about masks or vaccinations on September 12, 2001?
We should never forget!
— 30 —

Well, I guess it’s official now — summer’s over.
All the grandkids are in school this week.
Rory and Ellie are the last to start —good luck to the teacher figuring out who is who….
— 30 —

Today is the day to honor the ampersand — you know, that strange curly symbol that’s often used in place of the word “and” in logos and places where a person writing a sentence is trying to save some time, or is running out of space. 

If you’re like most people, you probably give very little thought to this symbol and that makes it even more important that it should have its own holiday — every year, September 8 is known as National Ampersand Day. 

Here’s some interesting things you may not know about this symbol most of us use often:
The symbol “&” has been around for more than 1,500 years.
The ampersand originally meant “et” or “and” in Latin.
The ampersand was actually a part of the English alphabet during the early 19th century. It was the last letter in the alphabet.
The ampersand is both a ligature and a logogram.
The ampersand is a commonly used special character for people’s passwords. 
A lot of companies and brands use ampersands in their names and/or logos — such as, Ben & Jerry’s, M&M, Smith & Wesson, A&E, AT&T, and Barnes & Noble.

The symbol actually has a long and storied history….
The origin of ampersand is from the Latin Language and the alphabet position as per Latin is 27. The symbol is a logogram and began as a ligature of the letters “et,” Latin for the world “and.” The symbol goes back thousands of years but first showed up in English during the late 18th century. During the late Middle Ages, single letters that were not only letters, but could also function as a word, such as “A” and “I,” were referred to as letters by using the phrase “per se.” That phrase was used to clarify that the letter was being used in that context and not the word.
For example, if someone wanted to refer just to the letter “I” and not the word “I,” then they would say I per se, I.” This means in Latin “I by itself.” When the 27th letter of the English alphabet was added, “&” would be referred to as “& per se, and.” That meant “& per se, means and.” Eventually, that evolved into the word we now use, ampersand.

National Ampersand Day was invented by Chaz DeSimone, the founder of Amper Art in 2015. Amber Art is a website that was founded in 2011 — it showcases ampersand art posters that DeSimone has created.

So today I’m going to make sure to use an ampersand in everything I write…. 
— 30 —

When I was growing up, my family really didn’t have any “traditions,” at least not what I’d call traditions today. But since we’ve just celebrated Labor Day weekend, I remembered something that we did every year on that weekend — we watched the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon.

I guess a lot of people tuned in every year to watch the weekend-long telethon hosted by Jerry Lewis, who served as the M.C. for all kinds of entertainment — sometimes very professional and other times not so much. And there was the constant “encouragement” for all the viewers to donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. 

Every year, the show dominated by Jerry Lewis, delivered a mix of show business schmaltz and true-life, touching stories of people who had muscular dystrophy. Whether you liked it or not, it was live television. I remember as the hours rolled on, Lewis got alternately cranky and teary, pleading with everyone to make the donations on the tote board increase. 

I don’t remember watching this telethon after I left home, but I looked it up and apparently Jerry Lewis last hosted the Muscular Dystrophy telethon in 2010 — Jerry Lewis died in 2017.
The first MDA Labor Day Telethon was broadcast on only one station — WNEW-TV in New York. According to the MDA, the telethon raised nearly $2 billion over the years.

I read an article a few years ago that indicated that before the telethon ended, people who had muscular dystrophy — a group of diseases that cause muscles to progressively weaken — and those people’s advocates objected to lewis treating those with the disease as pathetic victims. 

I’m not sure if the Muscular Dystrophy Association still holds a telethon — obviously it was a good cause, but I suspect it’s one of those “things of the past,” although I have to admit it was a one-of-a-kind experience.
— 30 —