Saturday, November 23, 2002
MAXIMUM MAXIMS
Do you have a favorite family saying? It may come from something your Grandmother used to say or it can be straight out of Ben Franklin's “Poor Richard's Almanac”. It could even be something you “made up” which is always there in the back of your mind to help you do the right thing when you have decisions to make.
It may be such a guide line is more important you than you realize, too, because we tend to cover up such homely things in favor of those with more novelty and show about them.
Mine is something my mother used to tell us when we were children and it has stuck with me all these years. It has proved itself worthy many times during my life. It is so simple and directly, I hesitate to set it forth as an “example”.
It reads: “Always leave a room better than when you found it” .
It urges me to always try make a difference, small though it might be, with everything I try to do It ,no doubt, was originally intended to concern itself with homemaking and with keep a house in good order. It still works for me and I have found that, in my particular phase of housekeeping at my desk, in my writing area other such places. The simple rule of leaving the area “better than I found it” actually eliminates a great deal work later when we finally reach that point when can do little else than rearrange things, discard clutter,or do what my Pennsylvania Dutch ancestors used to call “redding up”... putting things is order as if you were expecting company.
“Always leave a room better than you found it.” Remember that idea. The exact words may vary a great deal, to give you some leeway from time to time. It can be made less demanding: “Try to leave every room better..etc....” Or, stricter: “See to it that you always leave..etc.”.
After a while the action becomes natural. Even if I am just passing though a room, searching, let's say, looking for our always for our meandering TV “channel changer”, I find myself re-stacking magazines on a table or pushing a chair into the proper formation to help make the room “right”.
My particular maxim proves to be elastic and can be made to apply readily to many aspects of living, not just homemaking. I would imagine you might do the same, but you, first, need such an addition to your inner life before you can modify it to suit your needs.
You are welcome to use mine if you find it meets your needs.
“Always leave a room better than you found it.”
A.L.M. November 23, 2002 [c459wd]
Friday, November 22, 2002
HOW? WHY?
Ogam, or Ogham was an ancient writing system used by the Celtic people of Ireland. It is not unusual to come across inscriptions, usually on stone, in Ireland and the British Isles; in a lettering style which resembles sticks placed in rows.
I find it to be of special interest, however, that the longest, translated Ogam inscription in the world is to be found in West Virginia!
The strange petrograph is to be seen at Horse Creek,West Virginia located on the southwestern end of the State in Mingo County next to the Kentucky line. Anoher smaller Ogam inscription is to be found in neighboring Wyoming County.
For years it was assumed the translation would need to be done through Celtic sources but all such trials were unsuccessful. The ten-foot long sign is in the form of a large bison or buffalo both in size and placement of the characters. Eventually it proved to be translatable only through the Basque language. Ancient writings hold that the Irish, at on time, carried on trade with Bay of Biscayne peoples.
The prevailing theory is that St. Brendan did, indeed, make a trip to the New World as Irish lore has insisted all along he had. That would be somewhere around 600 to 700 AD. It would also be a time when the most primitive native tribes occupied the area until exterminated by the Cherokees some decades later.
The theory also holds that the Irish people who made up the small group were Christians but of the Gnostic style centered in Alexandria and when Ireland, suddenly switched to being Roman Catholic, with all eyes turned to Rome, heretical group of Gnostics, thought to be in lands afar, were ignored and forgotten.
Other fragment Ogam markings are found in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, Colorado, Newfoundland, as well as those in Kentucky and West Virginia.
The translation of the text of the petroglyph at Horse Creek tells of a large buffalo hunt undertaken by a group. A passage had been walled off and closed and the plan is to stampede the herd into the trap where they would be run off a cliff and those not killed by the fall could then be clubbed to death for meat and hides. The plan went well and the herd stampeded with noisemaking and yelling. They, then, set about the butchering with which the visitors were not experienced. I wondered why they divided the meat and hides into three parts. Two insertions also excite our special curiosity. The writer notes, after the success of the killing, says the “clan mother” was ”pleased” with their cooperative effort. Later only the “clan mother” sees a large thunder storm developing and rush to the butchering site to warn them to get out of the canyon lest they be drowned in a wall of water which may come rushing down the canyon. She arrives just in time, too.
The inscription in Wyoming County gives a short version of the beginning of the Christmas story... speaking of Christ being born in a cave.
Many seem to think the Horse Creek writing was done by a Gnostic Priest in the group who could have been learned in the Basque language and also aware of maternally organized tribes.
Any World War II veterans visiting the the Ogam site, would certainly, look around expecting to see small signs or chalk markings reading: “O'Kilroy was here!”
A.L.M. November 21, 2002 [c583wds]
Thursday, November 21, 2002
ARE WE THERE YET?
Parents, or almost anyone who has driven a car loaded with small children on a long trip, will know the import of the question: “Are We There
Yet?
Children are often curious and so full of anticipation concerning arrival at a destination - let's say, to the beach for a week - that they find it difficult to refrain from asking the question.
Now -the same situation but in a different guise - an adult one.. Let's shift ages and roles.
Think of President George W. Bush as the driver and all of us the kids in the back seat. We realize we are on a journey, a passage from one point to another We long for a return o prosperity;repeat the “ Good Times” we think we remember so well. Most of us have confidence that the driver know where he is going, so it's largely a matter of time and patience. We don't want to wait, however, so we ask again: “Are We There Yet?”
Just as Dad did when he was driving, he had an answer ready, but it was to simple and direct; too factual for our ideas of a proper reply. So, he turned to Mom seated there beside him and she could see the frustrated. quizzical -“What'll-I-do-now!” look in his eye. She turns and calmly explains the situation to us.
In our adults version this would be Bush staffers and associates – Condoleeza Rice or Colin Powell, for instance, who would turn to sooth the backseaters with promising words, and allusions to the happiness ahead. Mom did the job by getting the kids to look out of he windows at the steady stream of exciting traffic; play guessing games - that sort of thing. Just as Mother could never bring about complete tranquility among us, some of the adult-kids riding with us, will question if the the diver how to get to wherever it might be we are going. There will be some disconcerting bickering concerning details of the trip.
Mon used to tell us to watch for sea gulls flying through air, then we would know we were near the ocean and the sunny beach we yearned for
so much.
We need watch for certain, dependable guideposts along the way, too, which tell us we are on the right road. The kids were urged to read he advertising signs they saw which often told them how many miles it was to certain motel's or restaurants. For older kids it means watching for economic indicators which show that the economy is improving; watching the stock markets; looking for healthy signs; crowds thronging into stores and emerging loaded down with packages. Sing happy songs, too, just as we did,. Far better to sing light-hearted songs dirges which seem to invite gloom and despair in our homes. I remember quite well, how we sang “Happy, Dy Are Here Again!” when we felt the Great Depression 1929 into the '30's was coming to an end.
We are on the way. We have a dependable car; good tires are eating up the miles which will take us to our goal. In the proper time we will get there.
Stop bugging the driver with: “Are We There Yet?” You will among the first to know when we do arrive.
A.L.M. November 21, 2002 [c562wds]
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
TRIBUTE TO TESLA
I have no idea how it could have happened, but I grew up without ever hearing of Nicola Tesla.
Thomas Alva Edison was, I suppose, the epitome of everything electrical to us. There were others, of course - Westinghouse, Marconi. Morse - from time-to-time as our level of interest and concern swerved. But it was many years later when I chanced upon a mention of Tesla as being the pioneer in so many phases of electrically-oriented inventions and applications.
Some of them, it was plain to see, were basis to the development of many things we have today.
When I did start reading about Tesla and his work, I came to feel he had been short-changed by historians,I could not bring myself to believe that other scientists of that day had, in any way, either knowingly or unknowingly, contrived a way of avoiding giving him due credit for his innovative concepts. Now, years later, I am not so sure they treated him fairly. I think I have justified their non-action by remembering that business ethics were not he polished, gentlemanly art some deem them to be today. Business was a rough and tumble arrangement then which stretched the truth at times, if it seemed convenient to do so, Such practices where, then, considered to be “good business”. It happened in oil, banking, textiles and others, so why not in electronics as well?
Nicola Tesla was born, we are told, at the stroke of midnight which accounts for the fact that we often see the date of his birth given as July 9/10, 1856. And, the birth took place in Smiljan, Croatia or Serbia, depending on the political inclination of the biographer you happen to chose. His father was an Orthodox Priest and Orator. His mother was Djuka Mandic, said to have been unschooled but very intelligent and I find her tagged as having been an “inventor”, although with not a hint of what she might have invented. Inventing Nicola was, I'd say, enough because he grew up to actually patent over seven hundred items. The boy got the urge from someone and he started early. As youngster he became obsessed with the idea a flying and went through all the usual phases including jumping from a barn roof with an open umbrella. He landed, unconscious, on the ground but suffered no ill effects otherwise. He then built a sixteen-bug flying machine. He joined light splinters of wood together and glued live June bugs to them. When the bugs buzzed their wings the thing was supposed to fly which it did not. Young Tesla stayed with the project until a younger friend of his came to his work place and ate all of his extra June bugs. We don't know about the bug eater, but Tesla go deathly sick, vomited and discontinued the 16-bug flying machine project.
After graduation from the University of Graz, Austria and University of Prague Engineering and Mathematics schools in 1880 he worked in the government's telegraph engineering office in Budapest and it was there he worked out his first real invention - a telephone repeater. He also developed his ideas concerning rotating magnetic fields and at Continental Edison, in Paris, he built, in his spare time, his first induction motor. But, during all of that time, America –the land of opportunity - was calling louder and more urgently.
He left France in 1884 at the age of twenty-seven. He became a citizen in 1891, the same year in which he invented the Tesla Coil, widely used in our radio and television sets. And, he did well. Young Tesla had only four cents remaining in his pocket when he landed at The Battery, but while was walking along Broadway he came upon three men trying to repair an electric motor. He fixed it for them and they paid him twenty-dollars. His idol, of course, was a Thomas Edison, so he went to him seeking a job. He found it, too, but it became apparent that the two were so has different backgrounds and working methods. They did not agree and soon parted. Tesla has sold his patent rights to his polyphase system of alternating-current dynamos, transformers and motors to George Westinghouse in 1895.
Tesla went on with his busy career. It is far too complex to detail here. Read up on Tesla's achievement. He was an eccentric, in many ways, but he left a fine heritage for all of us in his inventive role.
A.L.M. November 19. 2002 [c758wds]
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
GONE? NOT YET!
From time-to-time it appears we have among us today a fringe of persons who seem to feel we are, as a nation are, either “on our last legs” or dead and unaware of that fact. They are chronic doom sayers.
A scattered hand full of these unhappy residents of this wobbly edge of our society are, then, exhibited to the world as being typical of the manner in which the majority of us are said to think and live. This negative view of Americans and of our well-being as a nation, needs to be refuted.
In spite of what many mean-spirited poll, surveys and studies might suggest, we are not totally devoid of moral sensibilities in this country.
Contrary to the picture of us as presented by portions of the media here and even larger parts of the media overseas, we are not a desolate, depraved, licentious, hard-hearted, conniving and and unforgiving people. We actually think we are just the opposite and we have good reason which we can set forth for people to see which will that side of our nature that we may be almost as pure, charming and lovable as we think we are. It is time we stated clearly a few of the better qualities the American life instead of letting the unhappy few dictate a badly warped image of what is to be seen as being normal living for Americans.
It is contrary to my basic religious beliefs for one thing, and also because I can not respect those who would be so eager to place such a Mark of Cain upon others. I have a strong feeling they might look to their own lapels for long-standing badges of such membership with qualifications of selfishness, lying and sundry and general of malfeasance. But, I'm no especialy interested in seeing them happy, I only want them to go their way and let me go mine. We have always had a wide gamut of views in his country and I hope we can go right on being that way without to much bickering over who may be right or wrong. If you have one view, show me, by example, how it is better than mine – and I'll be there. But don't try to haggle me into accepting your way.
Some of our dissident groups try to hide their ultimate purpose and goals behind a flimsy screen of religion too, often of their own making, or mute it with some by some vocative allegiance to a quirk of ecology or a curious freak of social or natural conditions. They spin out generous supplies of colorful selections of badges, pins, rings, bracelets, bumper stickers, poster sheets - and do wholesale mailings to every citizen in the realm.
They cry desolation, destruction, and ruin! They attend every petty parade through the streets and byways crying hopelessness and despair and doing clever tricks so they can get some free time on the TV news
We are a young nation, as nations go. We have only begun to be whatever we are becoming , so it's far too early to count us out.
Dwell on the past too much and it will rule you, Look to the bright, promising future and it will guide you to a better life. Condemning what we have is not a wise thing to do..
A.L.M. November 18, 2002 [c570wd]
Monday, November 18, 2002
GRANDPA EXPLAINS “PERSUASION”
My Grandfather was always ready to explain things to us which we did not understand.
“What does “persuade” mean?”
“Hmmm....” He thought about the subject for all of ten seconds.
“Well, “persuade” sorta means getting someone to do something they should have done anyway only they needed a little push... a nudge, a little poke to get them started. Like a “reason why” they should get things moving.”
Now, for some that may be just like a cup of hot, freshly brewed coffee to sweep away the cobwebs and let the bright sunlight of a new day creep into life. Others, it takes something more than just a jolt to cause any reaction and there are persons who never get hit by anything more than a bite from a stray mosquito with nothing else to do.
It was the King of France, I'm almost sure, who, years ago got word that his bakers were short-bunning his peasants by counting out only eleven hunks of crust to the basket when a dozen had been requested. Now, when Ole Le Roy first heard this vile practice had become common among his dough-slingers, well, he just couldn't believe it.
“Just imagine that!” he scoffed in perfectly good French because the King of France did not speak English in those days. He said he'd fix them and he did issue one of his royal decrees... by callin' his secretary with her law-changin' pad.”
“Mon Cherry,” he said sternly ,”Write this little change in our Baking Laws and have the Minister of Public Welfare post a copy in every bake shop in ye realm 'fore 'he day's sun goeth down.” Kings were expected to get a bit carried away like that when they were composing or decomposin' laws in those days. The secretary, of course, wrote down that the Minister of PW was to get the new law posted before sundown of that same day. It was already 2:25 in the afternoon and that was before the days of copying machines, too!
The new law said: “All Bread Bakers! 12 = 12. When a dozen buns are ordered do not stop counting at eleven instead! Try that just one more time, and off comes your head!”
Things changed! From that day on bread buyers often found not eleven, not twelve but thirteen buns in their baskets. Bakers were, persuaded, you see to add one extra roll, just to be safe. They liked to go home a night and put their head on a pillow attached to a live neck! And – that's where we get the expression you hear today... “a baker's dozen!”
Granddaddy's explanations always had a point to them - after a while.
A.L.M. November 16, 2002 [c461wds]
Sunday, November 17, 2002
COMMANDER COOK
We owe James Cook a more than we can ever repay.
He explored more areas and discovered more places than any other man and brought us a wealth of scientific knowledge as well. He explored on all seven continents including two trips to chart the edge of Antarctica.
I have no idea why we “demote” the man, for he attained to the rank of Commander, it may well stem from the man's natural sense of modesty and his insistence on doing things properly.
Often, I feel, we fail to realize the unique nature of his explorations. Most of the expeditions were funded by commercial interests such as several merchants joining to share the cost in return for treasures to be brought back to them, by Kings and Queens to add to their holdings, by religious groups, or by adventurers bordering, at times, on being renegades. The major trips taken by Cook were all funded by the Royal Geographic Society.
Following the coal collier years, He enlisted in the Royal Navy as a common seaman and continued to study surveying, navigation and astronomy. As a result of this unusual use of his time, he rose quickly through the ranks. He served in the Seven Years War and he was in the group which surveyed and charted the St. Lawrence River in advance of Wolfe's campaign in Canada.
Cook show a special ability to lead men and got along well with the scientists who became a part of ship's personnel on every trip he made after his navy years. They were often of an academic sort and must have caused some disruptions to routines aboard ship, especially in emergency times when they were called upon to serve as crew members rather than guests. Cook could, it seems, act as one of them on such occasions.
Read a good biography of this man's interesting life. The heritage he left us is complex and spans so many spheres of knowledge. It is said that Captain Cook explored or named one-third of all the places we know in the Pacific area today.
The story of his life has a tragic end at sixty-nine years of age. The facts prove that he was killed by Hawaiian natives. One version has him being revered as the God Lono and was suddenly discovered to be be a mere man because he bled. He was, That version insists, bludgeoned to death then and there. It happened in the very island he had discovered and named in honor of Lord Sandwich. He was one of the first to travel the high seas without losing crew members to scurvy. He insisted on vegetables and sour kraut in their mess kits and he kept a milk goat aboard as well.
While not a perfect man by any account, James Cook deserves more recognition than he has received.
A.L.M. November 15, 2002 [c483wds]
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