Everybody
Knows
Yet Nobody Really Knows
Observations about our
daily lives we know well
with intriguing facts and tidbits we
never knew.
Jerry Rose
Everybody
Knows
Yet Nobody Really Knows
Observations about our
daily lives we know well
with intriguing facts and tidbits we
never knew.
By Jerry
Rose
www.jerryrosebooks.com
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 by Jerry Rose
All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, copying, printing, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thank you.
This book is also available in print.
ISBN: (Print
Edition) 978-1466386402
ISBN: (EPUB Edition) 978-1466184244
Chapter
1: Where are We Going?
Chapter
2: Personal
Chapter
3: Home & Family
Chapter
4: School
Chapter
5: Work
Chapter
6: Fun
Chapter
7: Out & About
Chapter
8: Inspiring
Additional
Reading and References
Index
Where We are Going
The other day I was watching a show on television that depicted an event that also happened to me in my life. They got it exactly right. I found the show to be quite hilarious, as I saw myself all through it. Then as it ended, it had a bit of a surprising twist. As I thought about it, it really wasn’t that surprising after all. It just caused me to expand my thinking and look at the event from a larger perspective. The show was talking about something I knew, in fact we all know. We love this stuff and that is why common events in our lives are frequently the focus of shows. Thank goodness they do have a surprising twist, or create a thoughtful moment. Without these, we would walk away with nothing gained.
This is what this book tries to do – or at least half. It discusses life events with which we are all familiar. One might say it covers things everybody knows. These also are presented in a way that will cause us to reflect much like the show I watched. Similar to the show I watched, there is an attempt to be thought provoking. Along the way, I would expect that you will also laugh, or at least smile, as you see yourself in some of these pages.
Now what is this bit in the title about including items nobody really knows? This sounds contradictory to covering items everybody knows. What is this all about? Each page of the book makes a concerted effort to provide additional insight into our common everyday affairs. We may look at these events in a different light, or with added insight. This is part of it. But the bigger part includes a discussion of related items that are rarely, if ever, thought about. It is here you will definitely learn new things that you didn’t know before. In fact, it is fairly safe to say this discussion will include a discussion of items nobody really knows.
So how is this all done? Amazingly, it’s all done in a single page. Each page introduces a new thought. The thought is presented in, dare I say, a short double-rhyming poem. This is done for effect to encourage thought and reflection. Having such a format forces each thought to be short and to the point. It also adds to the fun. Following each poem is a short afterthought that is intended to sharpen the key thought of the poem. Each page also includes a series of bullet points that expand the thinking on the topic. Here you’ll find many new items that are generally not known. The bullet points include an assortment of interesting facts, quotes, survey responses, opinions, stories, etc. Have fun with these, I certainly did. You will likely find yourself sharing these with friends, or fellow employees, around the water cooler.
The book begins on a personal note by looking at situations we commonly see as individuals. From here, the view is expanded to look at situations that occur at home or within the family. The focus continues to broaden as we look at events at school, and work, and our pursuit to have fun, and events that occur while we are simply out and about. The final chapter steps away from many specific examples we see in life and shifts attention to many specific character traits or observations about life. These should uplift and inspire.
I suspect we’ll each see ourselves in many of these pages. These thoughts are certainly not unique. In fact, we have probably thought about them many times. The discussion will also likely add a series of new points and facts not known before. Together it provides a fun commentary on life. You might say it discusses things that everybody knows and includes many related things that nobody really knows.
Personal
When
we focus on our personal side,
Our funny habits are hard to hide.
Appearance
Cars
Cell
Phones
Clothes
Dentist
Diets
Dreams
Driving
Test
Environment
Exercise
Food
Friends
Money
Reading
Shopping
Signature
Smoking
Typing
Photographs and Memories
Pictures
bring memories to our mind.
But sadly they are not always
kind.
Sure, I remember being a little fat.
But I never had my
hair like that!
How come I never can find the great pictures of me?
The storage capacity of the human brain is virtually limitless. It was estimated that the number of patterns nerve cells could form was 1 followed by 800 zeroes. Other researchers estimate that even this number is too small.
The brain is only three percent of the body’s weight, but consumes 1/6 (17%) of the body's total energy.
“Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.” ~Albert Schweitzer
“When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not.” ~Mark Twain
“Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.” ~Matt Hardy
Hair
You
like it nice and thick on your head,
With chest and arms a thinner
spread,
And for the nose and ears—no hair please.
But in
reality everything is opposite these.
Not only that, it keeps getting worse the older you get.
There is a four in seven chance of men getting the baldness gene with 25% of men showing the beginnings of baldness by the age of thirty.
Nasal hair plays a key role in blocking harmful particles into the respiratory system. Similarly, ear hairs act as a screen to protect the body from unwanted airborne pollutants. We must need more blockers as we age.
Six percent of men have no chest hair and 38% can be describes as having light chest hair.
Hair generally serves two purposes of providing warmth and helping to block harmful rays from the sun. It can also serve as a lubricant, such as under the arm.
The body has about five million hairs.
Aging Gracefully
I
am friendly and help others to belong,
But I am fragile and no
longer strong.
In a beauty contest, I would be no threat,
But
isn’t it prettiest just before sunset?
Grandmas and Grandpas are beautiful in a special way.
Red and orange hues of sunset are mainly caused by the scattering of sunlight by dust particles, soot particles and other solid and liquid aerosols in the atmosphere. It is these air imperfections that make a sunset pretty.
A 98-year-old man has run a marathon in 7 hours and 33 minutes.
A 76-year-old man has climbed Mt. Everest.
Surprisingly there are health benefits to aging. Allergies are reduced because the body produces fewer IgE antibodies. You are less likely to get colds as the body accumulates immunity to cold viruses. The skin’s oil secretions slow down. You may find you can stop using a deodorant. In addition, tooth sensitivity can diminish.
The Fastest Car
It’s
not a Porsche with six on the floor,
But my own Chevy with rust on
the door.
For if we are racing across town nonstop,
Which is
the most likely to attract a cop?
The tortoise wins in real life too!
There are 41 million speeding tickets issued annually in the United States. One in six drivers receives a ticket annually.
The average cost per violation is $150 for the ticket and $900 for increased insurance premiums over three years. This creates $6B of additional money for local governments and $37B of added revenue for insurance companies.
The average traffic cop earns more than twice the cost of their salary and benefits through ticket revenue for their local government.
Those cited for speeding contest their ticket just 5% of the time. The police officer will fail to show up in court 30-50% of the time, which is an immediate ground for dismissal.
My Cell Phone
Others
are sexy and feature rich,
But I will never want to switch.
I
know its buttons and like its shape.
I am in love and there is no
escape.
We’ve been best friends and constant companions for years.
A survey found 82% of Americans do not leave home without their cell phone. Furthermore, 42% of Americans say they cannot live without them.
One-third of mobile users agreed they did not know how to use most of the features on their cell phone.
By the end of 2010, 36% of Americans were using their cell phones to browse the web.
Twenty-nine percent of Americans have delivered a hard message via texting and 4% have even used it to break up.
In 1983, the big Motorola DynaTAC was the first approved mobile phone by the FCC in the United States.
The first person-to-person SMS text messaging occurred in Finland in 1993.
My Shorts
My
shorts have always come to my knees,
But fashion experts I never
can please.
For years, they were always way too long.
Now they
are too short, and still wrong.
At least they are not plaid.
Back in the 1930’s, women in Bermuda were forbidden to show their thighs in public. Female visitors and local residents wanted to wear shorts so they simply lengthened the length of their shorts to the knee and Bermuda shorts were invented.
Prior to 1850, 70% of the clothes worn were hand-stitched by the people who wore them. Clothes were a commodity, not fashion.
It's only quite recently, about 200 years, that children have had clothes distinct from those of adults. Earlier, they just wore smaller sizes.
One sure thing with fashion is change. I expect when this is read, my shorts will be again too long.
My Sweatshirt
I
got my gray sweatshirt when the kids were small.
Now when they
think of me, that’s what they recall.
Today, it’s worn and
impossible to mend.
So how do you now retire such a friend?
We all have one, be it a favorite shirt or pants instead.
It is amazing how it seems you are always wearing your favorite attire over the years in family pictures taken on outings. They may not look fashionable or well kept, but they are sure comfortable.
“Fashion is something that goes in one year and out the other.” ~Unknown
“Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.” ~George Bernard Shaw
“Keeping your clothes well pressed will keep you from looking hard pressed.” Coleman Cox
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” ~Mark Twain
It’s Not Messy, Just Practical
Clothes
you’re wearing belong on the floor.
Not crammed in a hamper or
in a drawer.
Here they lose wrinkles and get some air,
Making
it better for a second wear.
Maybe they even last longer when they are not washed so much.
An internet poll found most people wear clothes, other than underwear, more than once between washings. Shirts were the most debated item. In this poll, 22% washed after wearing once, 40% twice, 22% three times, and 16% after four or more times.
Washing less helps clothes last longer, saves energy with less washing and drying plus less heating of water, saves water, and pollutes the environment less as less detergent is released.
An internet poll found 57% of men and 48% of women leave their clothes on the floor.
Favorite Shirt
My
favorite shirts always get special care,
And I make sure they
don’t get heavy wear.
But one thing I have found hard to
explain.
It’s always my favorite that gets some stain.
My ugly shirts are almost indestructible.
Forty-one percent of people say they throw away a stained piece of clothing before even trying to get the stain out. At the other end of the spectrum, 76% of those who do try to get the stain out will continue trying to get the stain out 2-3 times before giving up.
Stains seem to be a seasonal event with 67% saying most stains happen in summer.
Barbeque sauce and popsicles are tied as the most frequent stain, which is followed by ketchup and mustard, and then chocolate ice cream.
Forty-five percent of family members do not mention stains worn unknowingly by other members of the family.
How My Clothes Wear Out
My
clothes rarely get tattered or torn.
They never get holes or
become worn.
Unfortunately, it has become quite routine
To
become spotted in the washing machine.
It’s like counting returning aircraft after a combat mission. Will they make it back?
According to the National Dryer Foundation, washing machines account for 93% of the lost socks in a typical American household.
Washing machines use about 22% of the total water consumed in the average United States home.
The first English patent for a washing and wringing machine was given in 1691. The first automatic washing machine was introduced in 1937.
In Europe, 90% of the washing machines are front loading as opposed to 65% top loading in the United States.
A washing machine developed at Leeds uses only one cup of water per load, but supplements water with plastic chips.
My Dental Exam
My
dentist likes to chat and be a ham
While he does his dental
exam.
Then he tries to get me to interact
Even though my mouth
is fully packed.
I tell him, “grst caghn...” and somehow he knows what I said.
“All dentists talk while they work. They have inherited this from their professional ancestors, the barbers. The dentist who talks well -- other things being equal -- is the one to choose.” ~Mark Twain
A study found that 50% of the people consider the smile the first facial feature they notice. Furthermore, 80% of people are not happy with their own smile.
A typical American will spend 39 total days brushing their teeth over a lifetime. The average brushing is for 45-70 seconds instead of a recommended 2-3 minutes.
Adults with post-high-school degrees have an average of three more teeth than those without a high school diploma.
Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.
Cover Your Ears
There
are many sounds you never want to hear.
Some are very scary and
some cause great fear.
But my dentist has given me my biggest
chill
Simply by saying “oops” as he started to drill.
Good thing doctors put you out before they operate.
It is estimated that 75% of U.S. adults have at least a mild fear of dentists. Approximately 5-10% of U.S. adults have dental phobia causing them to avoid dental care at all costs.
A Gallup Poll found that Americans view dentistry as the fifth most trusted profession in America. They also found that 92% would recommend their dentist to others.
Thirty-three percent of people have untreated tooth decay.
Seventy-three percent of people would rather grocery shop than floss. Twenty-eight percent say they floss every day, yet the average amount of floss purchased annually per person is only 18 yards. The math doesn’t seem to work and someone must be stretching the truth.
Seventy-four percent of Americans have some gum disease.
Dieting
I
certainly can eat cabbage and celery every day.
In just two
months, my weight will melt away.
Just don’t ask me to eat right
all the time
And to exercise to keep me in my prime.
If I have a diet soda, it cancels out the calories in cookies, correct?
Here is a comparison of three popular diets. Atkins limits carbohydrates, South Beach replaces “bad” carbs and fats for “good,” and Weight Watchers uses a plan and count approach.
Losing Weight
There
is no special diet, nothing unique.
No promise to lose ten pounds
in a week.
I don't have to follow any detailed chart.
I simply
exercise and try to eat smart.
In addition, I lost a couple pounds!
A UCLA study found while diets have early success, over time people often regain more weight than they initially lost.
Here are some key highlights of the current daily USDA guidelines for a 2,000-calorie intake. Consume 2 cups (4 servings) of fruit, 2½ cups (5 servings) of vegetables, 6 oz. of grain with half being whole grain, 3 cups of low-fat milk or equivalent milk products, keep fat intake to 20-35% of calories, and exercise 30-60 minutes daily.
Here is how we are doing on average. We are short 1 cup of fruit, .9 cups of vegetables, 2.4 oz. whole grain, 1.4 cups of low-fat milk or milk equivalent products, and only three of ten adults exercise regularly. We are over by 2.8 oz. of enriched grain and 22 grams of solid fats.
Dreams
Some
people dream of becoming a star
Or inventing things that take them
far.
My dreams are always a big mess,
And I never save anyone
in distress.
My life dreams need to be scripted while I’m awake.
Accumulated observations show that dreams are strongly associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, during which brain activity is most like wakefulness.
During REM sleep, the release of certain neurotransmitters is completely suppressed. This paralysis prevents dreams from resulting in dangerous movements of the body.
During a typical lifespan, a human spends a total of about six years dreaming (which is about two hours each night). Most dreams last only 5 to 20 minutes.
Unless a dream is particularly vivid and you wake during or immediately after it, dreams are usually forgotten.
In King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he gives an example of our most important dreams, those we imagine while awake.
Driving Test
The
big day is finally here,
And you are white with fear.
You drive
slowly with extra care,
And when done, say a silent prayer.
The
tester finally says you passed.
Then all you can think is, “At
last!”
A day longed for by youth and dreaded by parents.
A few states offer driving learner’s permits as young as 14. South Dakota offers the youngest driver’s license at 14 years and 3 months with 3 months of driver’s education. It has no passenger restrictions, only a nighttime driving restriction which is lifted at age 16.
New Jersey has the highest age requirement at 17 years old. It has nighttime restrictions and allows only one non-family passenger under the age of 18 until the driver is 18 years old.
About 50% of those taking the driving test fail on the first try. Parallel parking is the most dreaded part of the test.
Going Green
It
will probably cost you a bit more
And be inconvenient and be a
chore.
But you can get a break on a tax rule
And walk around
feeling very cool.
If only there was a green badge we could wear.
Coal plants currently generate 45% of the electricity in the United States. Coal along with petroleum and natural gas plants generate 68% while nuclear and renewable sources account for 32%. Renewable sources alone supply 11%.
HVAC accounts for 31% of residential electricity usage followed by kitchen appliances at 27%.
The United States follows China as the second largest producer of CO2 emissions in the world from electricity.
In 2010, $243 billion was invested into green technologies worldwide. This represented a 30% increase over 2009 and a five-fold increase over 2004. Much of the growth is coming from developing countries with China leading the way by investing $51 billion in 2010.
Muscle Building
Whenever
I go and notice people at the gym,
They are stacked with muscles,
yet still trim.
I quietly sneak in when it is quite late
And
quickly press my fifty pound weight.
It’s like a hospital being full of only very healthy people. Those that really need the gym should be the ones there.
The fitness industry is an $18B industry that has doubled in the last ten years. There are about 25,000 health clubs in America.
There are about 50 million health club members in America. Fifty-two percent of the members are females, 48% males. The average member attends their club 92 days per year.
Nearly two-thirds of American adults are overweight. Forty percent of American adults are sedentary.
Exercise has been shown to reduce stress and depression. It also improves one’s confidence and social interaction. It also helps improve other health problems, including high-blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis.
Eating Your Vegetables
Eating
vegetables is not very exciting.
They need something to be more
inviting.
How about including some cocoa beans
To make them
more popular with teens?
That sounds like good vegetables when properly prepared.
Calling dark chocolate a vegetable may not be so farfetched. After all, it does come from a bean. It contains a good amount of flavonoids (eight times more than strawberries) that act as antioxidants. These protect the body from free radicals, which can stimulate the aging process and cause damage that leads to heart disease. It can also help reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and reduce plaque formation on arterial walls.
A Harvard study found that those who eat chocolate and sweets up to three times each month live almost one year longer than those who avoid junk altogether.
Here is the down side. A 100-gram Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar has 531 calories while an apple has just 52.
Toast
I
don’t like it when it’s too light.
Boy, it’s hard to get
just right.
But the thing I hate the very most
Is when it
really turns to toast.
I’ll have some light browns and jam, please.
A master mechanic in Minnesota who wanted to do something about burnt toast in the cafeteria invented the toaster in 1919.
The first commercial use of sliced bread did not occur until 1928. Wonder Bread began selling sliced bread nationwide in 1930.
Sliced bread was banned for a short period in 1943 as a wartime conservation measure.
A survey of favorite toppings for toast found jam to be the top choice with orange jam the favorite type. Following jam was cheese, baked beans, chocolate spread, and honey in that order. Does anyone else question this survey?
Food Dilemma
I
always eat my vegetables like I should
Even though they don’t
taste very good.
Here is one thing with food that seems
askew.
Things that taste bad are always good for you.
Why can’t broccoli taste like chocolate?
Here is a list of favorite food items and an indication of whether or not they are good for you.
Soft Drinks
(No)
Hamburgers (No)
Ice Cream (No)
French Fries/Potato
Chips (No)
Chocolate (Maybe)
Now let’s list a few things we don’t like and indicate whether or not they are good for us. Do you notice a trend?
Brussels
Sprouts (Yes)
Lima Beans (Yes)
Broccoli (Yes)
Asparagus
(Yes)
Liver (Yes)
Calories
When
I go shopping for a new memory stick,
The one with the most
capacity I will pick.
However, when I go shopping for my food,
The
one with the most calories I will exclude.
Don’t I buy food to get energy that comes from calories? Therefore, the more calories per dollar spent must be good, right?
You can calculate the number of calories you require to maintain your weight using online calorie calculators. You need to input your weight, height, gender, age, and activity level. For example, a 150 pound, 5’5’’ 36 year-old woman who has no specific exercise program other than normal chores and walking requires 1,942 calories per day to maintain her weight.
Exercise also affects the results. The person above can maintain her weight by adding 30 minutes of exercise per day and eating 2,162 calories or adding 60 minutes of exercise and eating 2,438 calories per day.
A person can gain or lose a pound a week by increasing or decreasing the daily calorie count by 500 calories.
Breakfast Cereal
They
come with flakes, puffs, and loops,
And even add raisins by the
scoops.
Yet they say, it will keep pounds away,
And may help
you win a gold medal someday.
Is this really the breakfast of champions?
John and Will Kellogg operated a sanitarium where they served grain cereal. In 1894, they let a batch of wheat soak too long by mistake and when they rolled it, wheat flakes were born. A guest named C.W. Post liked the cereals and he made his own product called Grape Nuts in 1897. Will later began Kellogg’s in 1906 and introduced corn flakes.
Forty-nine percent of Americans begin their day with a bowl of cereal. It is the third most popular item bought in a grocery store behind carbonated beverages and milk. There are enough boxes of cereal sold each year to wrap around the earth thirteen times.
Kellogg’s is the top seller of breakfast cereal, but the top cereal sold is Cheerios by General Mills.
Friends
How
do you know a friend is true?
You can’t always tell by what they
do.
They may be friendly and seem polite,
But the test comes in
a call at midnight.
Just don’t test your friendships often.
“Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.” ~Aristotle
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” ~Dale Carnegie
“When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.” ~Japanese Proverb
“If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.” ~Edgar Watson Howe
“A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” ~Arnold Glasow
Balancing the Checkbook
Everyone
says it is very important,
That you are a careful accountant.
But
the real trick, I suppose,
Is balancing outflows to inflows.
It’s one thing to balance the books and another to keep it in the black.
There are four good reasons to balance your checkbook monthly. First, it verifies your records are in balance with the bank’s records. Second, you have 60 days to inform the bank of an error they made. Third, if you forget to post ATM withdrawals, debit card transactions, or online bill payments, you may start bouncing checks and incur fees of around $32 each. Finally, it is easier to go through one month of transactions than multiple months to find an error.
According to a research firm, 87% of consumers don’t regularly balance their checkbooks.
Banks earn $17.5B per year in overdraft fees. These fees are often maximized by banks by processing large checks before smaller checks and deposits on the same day.
Books
Reading
a book takes you by the hand,
And takes you on a trip to another
land.
They may be filled with love or strife,
But please book
many books in your life.
It’s a ticket to anywhere.
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ~Charles W. Eliot
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” ~Cicero
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” ~Sir Richard Steele
Books have had the power to change history. Consider the impact on U. S. history with the books Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
The Bible is the most published book in history and has been estimated to have sold between 2.5B and 6B copies.
Cozy by the Fire
I
love finding a comfortable place to retire,
Curling up with a good
book next to the fire.
Now with technology, it’s become a new
ballgame.
With an e-book and a virtual fire, it’s not the same.
Sometimes the best things are simple and cheap.
The first e-book readers were launched in 1998. These included the Softbook, the Rocket, and the Cybook. Other key e-book readers included the Sony Reader in 2006, the Kindle in 2007, the Nook in 2009, and the iPad in 2010.
Websites such as eReader.com and eReads.com began selling e-books in 1998.
Bean Books took a different path and began making digital copies of their books available at no cost in 1999. They found this action increased the number of books they sold.
Some advantages for e-books include access to over two million free books. After the initial reader cost, e-books tend to be cheaper. E-books save space and raw materials. One can search a book and change format and size of print. They can link to related items in the book and on the web.
Land of Plenty
America
is a vast land of unbridled wants,
With endless malls and fast
food restaurants.
Because we spend our money without
hesitation,
We are lucky we lead the world in innovation.
America is a land of plenty…plenty of neat things that I want.
Americans have saved roughly 7% of their income from 1929 until the 1990’s when the rate dropped virtually to zero. The recession of 2008 restored the savings rate to the low single digits.
The 2009 Global Innovation Index actually ranked the United States second to South Korea in innovation.
Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota is the largest mall in America with 400 retail stores, an indoor roller coaster and a fourth floor of food, fun, and entertainment.
The typical mall shopper will visit five stores, spend 2-3 hours, and spend $150.
Odds that an American eats at a fast food restaurant on any given day are one in four.
Signature
When
I was young my signature brought pity
Because it was rough and not
very pretty.
Now I find to get ahead
It’s nice having a
signature that can’t be read.
So why do they teach handwriting in elementary school?
In a recent year, there were 67 thousand counterfeiting and forgery arrests in the United States.
The signatures of Washington and Lincoln changed only slightly during their adult lives, while John F. Kennedy's signature was different virtually every time he signed.
Native American Chief Geronimo had no concept of an alphabet; he “drew” his signature, much like a pictograph.
Joe DiMaggio was able to command more money on autograph signing fees than he made in his playing career.
The signature of William Shakespeare is valued at $5M with only six known signatures available in the world.
Smoking is No Joke
It
makes one cough and also choke.
It has a smell that one cannot
cloak.
It can cause cancer and you to croak.
It’s hard to
break it’s tight yoke.
It can even cause one to go broke.
So
why do people decide to smoke?
It’s too bad it can be so popular with young folk.
Smoking rates in the United States have dropped by half from 1965 to 2006 falling from 42% to 21% in adults.
While smoking is declining in the developed world, it is growing 3.4% per year in developing countries.
The World Health Organization estimated that tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths in 2004 and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century.
Two studies calculated the costs associated for medical care and lost productivity due to smoking to range between $7 and $41 per pack.
Typing 101
When
I first began to learn typing,
I remember I did a lot of
griping.
The keyboard began with Q-W-E-R-T,
Instead of the
expected A-B-C-D-E.
And the logic was to slow us down so the keys didn’t crash! So why do we still use it?
Christopher Sholes developed the QWERTY keyboard in 1873. It was designed to reduce typebar clashes, which were a problem because the typing was invisible until the carriage was raised. This design was sold to E. Remington and Sons the same year and because of the popularity of their typewriter, it became the standard.
An alternate Dvorak keyboard was designed to optimize speed and efficiency by placing the most frequent letters on the home row and maximize alternating between hands.
The Dvorak keyboard uses the home row 67% of the time and has a left hand right hand mix of 47-53%. The QWERTY keyboard uses the top keyboard the most and has a left hand right hand mix of 57-43%.
Home & Family
Having
a close family style,
These will make you smile.
Birthdays
Chores
Communications
Dinner
Environment
Farm
Life
Finances
Going
Home
Holidays
Marriage
Moms
Outing
Pets
Phone
Preparedness
Roles
Rooms
Seasons
Stuff
Training
Treats
TV
Parent Birthdays
They
are over forty and way over the hill,
But claim to be thirty-nine
and holding still.
It is hard to find unique presents anymore.
So
it’s another pair of socks for their drawer.
At least being over the hill is better than being out to pasture.
Here are some sport examples why age 40 is not over the hill.
There have been 33 champions at 40 years old, or older, of the four major golf championships.
There have been 17 NBA players 40 years old, or older. Accomplishments include scoring 40 points in a game, being in the top 5 for assists and shooting percentage, blocking 97 shots, and playing all 82 games.
There have been 7 Olympic swimmers 40 years, or older. Dana Torres won the silver medal in the 2008 50 yard freestyle being 41 years old.
There have been more than fifty NFL players who have played being at least 40, and 17 have been quarterbacks.
A good team could be had any year with major league baseball players over forty years of age.
Weeds
They
don’t get any fertilizer or water.
I use my hoe to create a big
slaughter.
I poison their leaves and even their seeds,
But they
continue to grow just like weeds.
It doesn’t seem right that weeds have found immortality.
“They know, they just know where to grow, how to dupe you, and how to camouflage themselves among the perfectly respectable plants, they just know, and therefore, I've concluded weeds must have brains." ~Dianne Benson
“Weeds never die.” ~Danish Proverb
“A weed is a plant that is not only in the wrong place, but intends to stay.” ~Sara Stein
“A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.” ~Doug Larson
Here are a few home remedies for killing weeds. You may use bleach, salt, or rubbing alcohol. Boiling water will cook them. Cornmeal will act as a pre-emergent. Vinegar will kill the leaves. Newspapers will block the sun.
Dishwasher
We
always meet our mother’s wishes
By scrubbing all our dirty
dishes.
Even though it does all you desire,
It is really just a
dishdryer.
For some reason I still give it detergent.
Modern dishwashers are descended from the 1886 invention of Josephine Cochrane, which was a hand-powered dishwasher. Josephine was wealthy and never washed dishes herself. She only invented the dishwasher because her servants were chipping her fine china.
Forty-five percent of people run their dishwashers with plates very clean, 38% with plates somewhat clean, and 17% with dirty plates. Additionally, 8% of the load receives no pre-treatment, 23% has plates scraped without water, and 69% are pre-treated using water.
On average, people run their dishwasher 5.4 times per week.
Assuming you use the dishwasher for truly washing dishes, you’ll save half the water that’s required for hand washing.
Vacuuming
Vacuuming
the carpets always seems very lame
Because the before and after
look is the same.
The only difference I can ever find
Is from
the wheel lines left behind.
Maybe we should invent a simple carpet wheel-line maker.
The first electric vacuum cleaner was patented in 1901. It was drawn by horses and parked outside the building to be cleaned.
Hoover was a popular early brand. Their first model sold for $60 in 1908.
Vacuuming can kill 100% of young fleas and 96% of adult fleas.
A person sheds about 1.5 million skin flakes an hour, most of which becomes embedded in our carpets.
Male dust mites live for only 10-19 days while female dust mites live for 70 days. A relative humidity below 50% can be fatal to them.
Home & Family / Communications
Family Communications
We
have a great communication tool.
It’s not high tech, but it’s
really cool.
It holds many notes and pictures galore.
It is
simply our refrigerator door.
What other high tech devise offers one-stop messages and a soda?
Early refrigerators in 1911-1922 cost about twice as much as a car. The first popular refrigerator came out in 1927 by General Electric and sold over a million units.
The best form of communication is face-to-face which also does not utilize high tech. A UCLA professor found that when feelings and attitudes are conveyed in a face-to-face conversation, 55% of the impact is delivered by body language, 38% by the tone of the voice, and only 7% by the content of the words spoken. It appears high tech may actually be at a disadvantage.
“It seemed rather incongruous that in a society of super sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.” ~Erma Bombeck
Home & Family / Communications
Communication with Teens
Sometimes
it seems teens think it is wrong
To have discussions more than a
sentence long.
But with love and respect and showing you care,
You
may find they have a lot to share.
They are capable of verbal communication and not just texting.
Here is a list of key points to think about and remember.
Stop what you are doing and really listen. Try to understand their feelings.
Keep most of your conversation positive and include their interests. Don’t be too detailed, talk too much, or lecture.
Try to create situations where conversation can occur.
Don’t overreact. Don’t argue and avoid power struggles.
Write a short note or letter, particularly when something has not gone right in verbal conversation.
Carpooling your teen with friends is an opportunity to receive many gems if you can remain silent.
Be honest. This can help build trust.
Wash Your Hands, it’s Time for Dinner
Mom
calls to us as she scrubs each hand.
Dad does a light rinse to
meet her command.
Sister looks at them and says they’re
clean.
Brother figures only a little dirt can be seen.
It never plays out as mom believes.
Frequently washing one’s hands is a good way to avoid getting sick or spreading germs.
The Mayo clinic says hand washing requires lathering hands well with soap and scrubbing for 20 seconds. If possible, the faucet should be turned off with the towel.
Soap does not have antiseptic qualities, but it makes the skin slick. By vigorously scrubbing and rinsing the hands, germs will slide right off the hands.
Right-handed people tend to wash their left hand better than their right and the opposite goes for left-handed people.
A study found 92% of adults say they wash after using a public restroom, but observations show it to be only 77%.
Dinner Table Progression
My
dad and brother always took a lot.
Then came myself in the middle
spot.
I couldn’t take much if it was to last.
Hence, I turned
out thin by contrast.
At least by being thin, I was able to do fairly well in track.
Sometimes life puts us in a position we don’t like. We only can see bad opportunities coming our way. In my position at the dinner table, it felt that way sometimes. I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as the above poem sounds, but it felt that way at times. I clearly wasn’t hurt. In fact, things worked out great. I could have easily over indulged, but I’m relatively thin instead. Adversity can work out just fine.
“Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself.” ~Samuel Johnson
“He knows not his own strength that hath not met adversity.” ~Ben Johnson
“All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” ~Ronald Reagan
Showers
My
wife takes quickie showers,
Taking minutes instead of hours.
Even
with the hot water, she is light.
Boy did I ever marry right!
OK, maybe I’m exaggerating the importance a bit.
Showers account for about 17% of the total water consumed in the average United States home.
The average shower takes eight minutes. By reducing a person’s average shower time by three minutes would save about 1,600 gallons per year, or 6,400 gallons for a family of four.
In a random poll of 94 people, 72 would like to take showers longer than ten minutes and 17 of these would like the length to be longer than a half hour.
The practice of taking showers goes back at least to the Greeks in 300 BC.
A Navy shower only uses about three gallons of water by soaping up while the water is turned off.
Living on a Farm
When
I was young, I wished we lived on a farm.
Having lots of animals
was part of the charm.
Playing hide-and-seek in the corn would be
fun.
But I greatly miscalculated the work to be done.
My garden hasn’t ever done well, so it’s a good thing I grew up in the city.
In the 1930’s, 25% of America’s population lived on farms. Now it is less than 2%.
Agriculture employs 17% of America’s workforce growing, processing, and distributing the food.
American’s spend about 10% of their disposable income on food. In many countries, it is more than 50%.
In 1850, it took 2½ acres and 90 hours of labor to produce 100 bushels of corn. Today, it takes ½ acre and 2½ hours of labor to produce the same 100 bushels.
There are 2.1 million farms in the United States with 930 million acres of land. The average farm size is 441 acres, yet the median size is 95 acres. The acre-weighted median is 2,190 acres showing most acreage is held in large farms.
The Family Trust
It
seems it should have a more legal name,
Something like “The
Family Estate Claim.”
Then when I was handed the thick papers to
review,
I no longer questioned why it’s called a Trust, I knew.
If you can’t trust your lawyer, who can you trust?
Living trusts date back to 16th century England, when landowners used trusts to circumvent the King.
A living trust puts property into a trust and allows easy distribution upon death without going through probate. Assets with listed beneficiaries also avoid probate.
A 1990 AARP study found that probate consumed 5-10% of the gross estate value (not net of mortgage) and took an average of 17 months to complete. The annual cost to Americans in 1990 was estimated at $25B.
A study of living trusts concluded that less than 4% of adults have set up such a trust.
In 2011, federal estate taxes begin at $5M. State estate taxes vary by state.
Going Home
When
you have been away for a while,
Heading home can sure bring a
smile.
You’ll be able to see family and friends at last
And
recall familiar memories from your past.
There is nothing like mom’s raspberry pie!
I guess if you are on American Idol, or some other reality TV show, going home is not a good thing.
Between 2003 and 2010, the NFL home team has won 57% of the time. This works out to 33% more home wins than road wins. Odds makers have indicated being the home team is worth three points. This is why the season is played, to make the playoffs and get home field advantage.
Between 1995 and 2005, immigrants in the United States founded 25% of all engineering and technology companies. Recent surveys of foreign college graduates indicate they are no longer staying in the United States, but are going home to new opportunities.
“My home is not a place, it is people.” ~Lois McMaster Bujold
Easter Egg Hunt
Do
you remember hiding candy Easter eggs
Under seat cushions and
behind chair legs?
We were never quite sure we found them
all
Because we would always find one in the fall.
The degree of difficulty always seemed to increase each year.
Easter fits between March 22nd and April 25th. It falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
Easter follows Halloween as the holiday with the second most amount of candy being consumed.
There are 90 million Easter bunnies made each year. The ears are eaten first 76% of the time. There are also 700 million marshmallow peeps made each year.
The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe early in the 19th century.
A public White House Easter Egg Roll is conducted each year on the Monday following Easter on the South Lawn. Rutherford B. Hayes started the practice in 1878.
Santa Must Use House Slippers
Ever
notice that Santa must always replace
His boots after sliding down
the fireplace.
For I have never seen any hints
Of any dirty
boot footprints.
House slippers are perfect. They can be put on and off quickly and they are quiet.
In many cultures, it is customary to take shoes off before entering a home. It is estimated that 85% of the dirt that enters our homes come from shoes or paws of pets. In a lead exposure warning, the EPA recommended that shoes remain outside. Since we know Santa is a very considerate person, it is only logical he must use house slippers.
The English stage production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe sought traditional Santa boots that were not affected by popular modern trends for their production. Sticking closely to legends of Lapland and Siberia, they chose boots made of leather from Mongolia. They were maroon in color.
No More Christmas Stockings
When
I was young, my sock was small
And my dad always got the biggest
haul.
For me this simply wasn’t fair
And he didn’t even
seem to care.
Why can’t we use a pillowcase instead
And drape
it at the foot of our bed?
This would be more consistent with the tooth fairy and certainly fairer.
One story describing the beginning of Christmas stockings involves a poor nobleman who has three daughters without a dowry. Wanting to help anonymously, St. Nicholas sneaked into their house through the chimney and found the three daughters stockings laid by the chimney to dry. He filled each with a bag of gold coins and then went away.
In 1836, Alabama became the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1907, Oklahoma became the last USA state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
Single Life
My
friend goes out most weekends
And keeps up with all the
trends.
His life is hectic and quite varied.
I’m sure glad
I’m now married.
Although a night out is still a good thing.
The average age of a first marriage is 27.7 years for men and 25.6 years for women. In 1950, the average ages were 22.8 years for men and 20.3 for women.
Statisticians Bernard Cohen and I-Sing Lee have stated, “Being unmarried is one of the greatest risks that people voluntarily subject themselves to.” In fact, they said being single can shorten life expectancy more than having heart disease.
Sociologist Linda Waite has found that married men earn 10-40% more than single men.
Married people are twice as likely to be very happy and half as likely to be unhappy as their single counterparts are.
The Ultimate Boss
There
are head coaches, presidents, CEOs,
Generals, and many great
leaders I suppose.
But these are all complete and total bombs
When
you compare them to our moms.
Moms are even nice too!
Pew Research completed a study that revealed that women make most of the decisions in the home. When asked who makes the most decisions, 43% of homes responded the wife and only 26% the husband. The other 31% said it was equally divided. Wives made more decisions even on large home purchases and financial matters.
My mom often said, “Because I said so, that’s why.” Certainly this underscores her position as the ultimate boss. There was nothing left to debate and never a higher authority available for appeal.
Preschoolers require mom’s attention once every 4 minutes, or 210 times a day. Clearly, moms manage the details.
Mother’s Day fittingly is the busiest phone day of the year.
Are We There Yet?
My
kids, from the very outset,
Get easily restless and upset.
They
constantly ask, “Are we there yet?”
To which I reply, “Not
until sunset.”
Now I have one very big regret.
Narrow canyon
walls create a “sunset.”
I should have inspected the map more carefully.
In an internet study, 68% viewed the car trip as the most stressful part of the vacation.
A survey of parents found the average family begins arguing 12 minutes into a trip. Unsurprisingly, the peace and quiet could be half as long with children under ten.
Traditional car games are still popular on long trips. Fifty-eight percent of families still play I Spy, 46% play computer games, 28% read, and 22% draw.
Nearly 90% of adults say in-car DVD players are effective in keeping kids entertained.
Camping
When
we went camping, I was very glad.
It was always fun to go fishing
with dad.
It was only topped when mom came too,
Because she
would cook her famous stew.
It didn’t even matter where we went.
Twelve percent of the population enjoys camping each year. The average participant spends 14 days camping a year. The ideal length of a single camping trip is 3-5 days.
Forty-four percent of campers consider the opportunity to meet with neighboring campers and to develop a social friendship during their stay an important part of camping.
The five most popular in-camp games, reflected by the percent that have done each in the past year, were card games 79%, pen and paper puzzles 40%, dice games 25%, checkers & chess 18%, and scrabble 16%.