Mullet Over

BY JAMES K. WHITE  | SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Have you been delighted with all our recent U.S. presidents?

There are few inventions that have had as much social and economic impact as Eli Whitney’s 18th century cotton gin. However, not all students of history realize that “gin” was simply an abbreviation of “engine.” For years I thought the invention had something to do with an alcoholic drink containing nutritious fibers.

Likely the reader has witnessed a dog vigorously shaking to remove water from its fur. The technique is both efficient and common amongst mammalian quadrupeds. Mice have been observed to oscillate at 29 times per second while the polar bear seems content with a mere 4 times per second.

Have you been delighted with all our recent U.S. presidents? It appears the citizenry has long been dissatisfied with White House performances. For instance, Martin Van Buren was referred to as “Martin Van Ruin” during his re-election bid. He was not re-elected. I will mention a linguistic side note: It was during this 1840 campaign that a distiller named E.C. Booz (supporting W.H. Harrison) sold whiskey in log cabin shaped bottles. Mr. Booz made a fortune marketing his innovative product.

Sometimes removing bandages to check the healing processes is damaging to the healing processes. Clever persons in Switzerland may soon provide a dramatic improvement to the medical world. Placing flexible optical fibers into bandages enables physicians to observe wounds without risking the dangers (exposure, infection, etc.) of dressing removal.

I trust that none of my readers would deliberately remove a towel from a hotel, cruise ship, etc. However, towel pilfering is a huge problem in some locales. An unnamed Hawaiian resort was losing 4,000 towels per month because of “inadvertent” theft. This rate has been cut by 81 percent since RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips have been sewn into the fluffy terry cloths.

Until 1910, a person who enjoyed chewing on “unstruck” matches risked being poisoned by white phosphorus. Records indicate toxins from those hazardous matches did kill at least one man.

The first modem (short for “modulation/demodulation”) was used in 1949 by the U.S. Air Force to transmit radar data.

The ubiquitous “qwerty” keyboard was arranged by Christopher Sholes and first used on a Remington typewriter in 1874.

“Bwana Devil” was released in 1953 and was the world’s first full length 3-D movie.

Before SOS became the internationally recognized distress call in 1911, CQD (Come-Quick-Danger) was used for that purpose. Well, I suggest that you refrain from gnawing on old matches – and do have a pleasant week.

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

It just warms your heart

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

1.  A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'

2.  Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.
A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption; I was adopted.'
'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.
'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'

3.  On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the first-base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was.
'We're behind 14 to nothing,' he answered with a smile.
'Really,' I said. 'I have to say you don't look very discouraged.'
'Discouraged?', the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face.
'Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet.'

4. Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott.
Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.
On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her, eyes shining with pride and excitement. 'Guess what, Mom,' he
shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me....'I've been chosen to clap and cheer.'

God Bless All

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Sept. 21 – 27, 2011

For All Signs:  We will arrive at the autumnal equinox on Sep. 23 at 5:05 a.m. EDT.  This is the theoretical point of equal day and night which teeters annually at the point of the northern hemisphere's slide toward winter.  The solstices and equinoxes throughout the years 2010, 2011, and 2012, are especially significant points in time on this planet.  Give attention to the main events one month before and after the solstice.  There will be a global message.  The spring equinox of ’11 gave us the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.  Message to the world:  clean up nuclear energy plants; care about clean water as our most valuable resource.
Aries:  Surprise, changeability, and general rebellion are the qualities prominent this week.  You may be the one who feels rebellious and wants to be left alone.  Or it could be your partner or a good friend.  Think carefully before you speak.  Words may fall right out of your mouth when you least expect it. 
Taurus:  You may have overdone it on the goodies in life.  If so, you might feel sluggish and have the droops.  Put yourself back into harness and treat your body with what it needs, rather than what it craves.  Perhaps you need some time to yourself, to handle work matters and reflect upon your life.
Gemini:  You are caught between what you should do and what you want to do.  The routine is safe, but also boring.  Your mind may play tricks on you and you could be distracted easily.  This is not a good time to do work that requires discipline with details.  You are feeling independent, so you may want more alone time than is the norm.
Cancer:  You may be feeling agitation over the subject of income and resources.  Perhaps there is something nagging at you to buy, but it doesn’t seem quite “right” yet.  Meanwhile attending to daily routines and using positive self-care disciplines give you a necessary sense of grounding.
Leo:  The March equinox period brought circumstances, people, and decisions that suddenly altered your perspective on life.  This is the month to reflect upon that period.  Do you approve of the developments since that time?  Can you move forward from here?  It’s a decision to grow or split the scenario.
Virgo:  It may seem that every time you attempt to concentrate on any sort of detail, someone or something begins to interfere.  Bitsy parts will not cooperate or can't be found.  It may take 2 to 3 trips to the hardware store or the grocery market to collect what you need to complete the task.
Libra:  (Sep 22 – Oct. 22):  You very likely will encounter someone who wants you to hurry toward a decision.  There is a sense of restlessness in another that makes you edgy.  Your preference is to rein inward and move slowly, carefully.  Look inside yourself to see if you are repressing your own disturbance.  Is this an argument with yourself?
Scorpio:  Between now and early November your attention will be drawn to career and life direction.  Activity in the outer world picks up speed.  Authorities and others may be challenging, so have your ducks in a row if you take initiatives.  Use this time to improve your "product" or your presentation.
Sagittarius:  You are having a conflict between the big picture (always your preferred view) and finding the means to reach the current goal.  Technicalities are not your thing, but right now the "Devil is in the details."  Usually you can find someone else to resolve these problems.  It looks like this is your baby for the present.
Capricorn:  Details may nag your mind and your time like pecking ducks.  You may be in the mood to nit-pick on yourself or others at the beginning of the week.  Your attitude is somber.  This is a good time to work alone and concentrate on a calming project, rather than a challenging exploit.
Aquarius:  You may be taking a sober look at one or more relationships.  Even the very closest friends cannot know each other from the inside.  There are times when we simply want to withdraw and have some quiet.  Keep your social life to a minimum.  It may happen for you, whether you wish it or not.
Pisces:  You are “on hold” while you wait for others in your life to complete things.  You can’t rush forward or go backward to get around it now.  It may very well be that it is you who is secretly reluctant to move, so you cooperate with circumstances and bide your time.  You fear the unknown and making errors.

Are you interested in a personal horoscope? Vivian Carol may be reached at 704-366-3777 for private psychotherapy or astrology appointments (there is a charge). Blog: www.horoscopesbyvivian.com.