I have had a small dog under foot for the past thirty two years. I noticed early on, when I took these dogs to the vet, that most veterinarians in these parts are women. When I was a kid, women in the work force, who were not in the typing pool, were teachers or nurses. These days they are accountants, engineers, lawyers, and doctors. Pinelands OB/GYN Associates located in Medford is an all female group of six doctors.
New research, published by James Flynn, an expert in IQ testing, proves something I've know since I was six years old - girls are smarter than boys. Flynn suspects that women are scoring higher on tests and achieving more because of "the effect of modernity on women." Modernity, schmodernity. What he really means is women could reach their full potential once gender roles stopped holding them in "their place." Mr. Flynn also suspects that the multi-tasking we women do so well, has boosted our brain power. http://shine.yahoo.com/secrets-to-your-success/women-higher-iqs-men-says-science-165600313.html
Medical school, law school, dental school, and pharmacy school have nearly equal enrollments of men and women. In 2011, there were 170 female medical school graduates in New Jersey versus 167 male graduates. http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?ind=435&cat=8 Since 1982 women have earned more Bachelor's degrees than men. Since 1981, they have earned more Master's degrees than men. http://www.pay-equity.org/PDFs/ProfWomen.pdf Women buy 54% of the cars in the United States. http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/women-buying-cars-30335.html Single women buy more homes than single men.http://money.msn.com/home-loans/article.aspx?post=341184a3-116f-4cb2-8123-0e8afe3d59fb The real financial power houses are us old girls. The website She-conomy.com explains that fifty-plus women control more than three fourths of the nation's financial wealth. The site tells men how to market to this group.
Forgive me. I just can't help myself sometimes, but -
If you want it done right, hire a woman.
Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards... and in high heels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfHBPusZg6E
Yes, you can!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Roadside Rhyme
Every summer our family went to North Carolina or Florida for the annual vacation. It was a long, hot trip in a car without air conditioning. Burma Shave signs helped to make the ride a little more bearable. I still remember one of the rhymes - Said Farmer Brown/ Who's bald/ On top/ Wish I could/ Rotate the crop/ Burma-Shave. I had just learned about crop rotation in school that year, so I got the joke, and that felt cool. However, I didn't understand the "Burma Shave" part. I thought it might be something you said after delivering a punchline, like saying "psyche" after fooling somebody. My mother explained that Burma Shave was shaving cream, and the Burma Shave people put up the signs to attract attention to their product.
The signs appeared from 1923 to 1965. The messages either pushed the product (A shave/ That's real/ No cuts to heal/ A soothing/ Velvet after-feel/ Burma-Shave) or emphasized safety and exceeding the speed limit (Don't take a curve/ At 60 per/ We hate to lose/ A customer/ Burma-Shave). Twice, prizes were offered via the signs - a free jar of shave cream for sending in a bumper and a free trip to Mars for sending in 900 empty jars. The company received a few fenders, so they made good on the promise and sent out free jars. A grocery store owner sent in 900 empty jars and received a free trip to Moers (pronounced "Mars"), Germany along with the warning, If a trip to Mars you earn, remember, friend, there's no return. The name Burma-Shave became so well known that Canadians started referring to the practice of holding political signs on the side of the road at election time as "burmashaving."
Phillip Morris acquired the Burma-Shave company in 1963, and the signs were taken down by 1965. In 1994 and 1995 Reminisce Magazine posted Burma-Shave style signs to promote their magazine. They used two slogans, Today's kids/ Sure missed a treat, No moonlight rides/ In a rumble seat/ Reminisce Magazine, and, We played marbles/ And climbed trees/ Now kids can't play/ Without batteries/ Reminisce Magazine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave Each state received one set of signs. Towns had to enter a contest to compete for the signs. Southampton Township won the privilege of displaying New Jersey's signs. Over the years, those signs have deteriorated. Recently, they were restored by Holly Doyle, owner of the Mt. Holly Jersey Made store. The signs were re-dedicated on July 3, 2012. http://www.southamptonnj.org/vincentowns-burma-shave-signs-restored/
So, take a ride out Landing Street to see the signs. If you go on a Sunday, you could also stop at the Jack Allen Memorial Early Country Living Museum (located next to the signs). The museum is open from 1:00 p.m. till 4:00 p.m.
The signs appeared from 1923 to 1965. The messages either pushed the product (A shave/ That's real/ No cuts to heal/ A soothing/ Velvet after-feel/ Burma-Shave) or emphasized safety and exceeding the speed limit (Don't take a curve/ At 60 per/ We hate to lose/ A customer/ Burma-Shave). Twice, prizes were offered via the signs - a free jar of shave cream for sending in a bumper and a free trip to Mars for sending in 900 empty jars. The company received a few fenders, so they made good on the promise and sent out free jars. A grocery store owner sent in 900 empty jars and received a free trip to Moers (pronounced "Mars"), Germany along with the warning, If a trip to Mars you earn, remember, friend, there's no return. The name Burma-Shave became so well known that Canadians started referring to the practice of holding political signs on the side of the road at election time as "burmashaving."
Phillip Morris acquired the Burma-Shave company in 1963, and the signs were taken down by 1965. In 1994 and 1995 Reminisce Magazine posted Burma-Shave style signs to promote their magazine. They used two slogans, Today's kids/ Sure missed a treat, No moonlight rides/ In a rumble seat/ Reminisce Magazine, and, We played marbles/ And climbed trees/ Now kids can't play/ Without batteries/ Reminisce Magazine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave Each state received one set of signs. Towns had to enter a contest to compete for the signs. Southampton Township won the privilege of displaying New Jersey's signs. Over the years, those signs have deteriorated. Recently, they were restored by Holly Doyle, owner of the Mt. Holly Jersey Made store. The signs were re-dedicated on July 3, 2012. http://www.southamptonnj.org/vincentowns-burma-shave-signs-restored/
So, take a ride out Landing Street to see the signs. If you go on a Sunday, you could also stop at the Jack Allen Memorial Early Country Living Museum (located next to the signs). The museum is open from 1:00 p.m. till 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Dangerous Dogs
Lennox, a dog that lived in Northern Ireland, was recently put down by authorities. His crime was being a pit bull, or looking like a pit bull. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/lennox-dog-put-sleep-belfast-145939624.html The Dangerous Dog Act of 1991 makes it illegal in the United Kingdom to own Pit Bull Terriers, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino, the Fino Brasileiro, any cross breed of these four types, or any dog that looks like any of these four breeds. This legislation was passed by Parliament in response to several particularly vicious and highly publicized dog attacks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Dogs_Act_1991
Lennox had never bitten a human or attacked another animal. He never ran loose. During his two year "incarceration," he was always well behaved. By all accounts he was a gentle, loving animal. Since he was seized in 2010, the battle has raged over the injustice of it all. For the past two years Lennox's owner has touted the dog's spotless reputation and offered to muzzle him around strangers, if only she be allowed to take him home. Too little, too late. I don't know why owner Caroline Barnes did not take advantage of a 1997 amendment to the Dangerous Dog Act. Any court in the UK could have ordered that Lennox be placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs, if only Ms. Barnes had approached the court.
Before Pit Bulls, the Doberman Pinscher was the mean dog of the 70's and early 80's. Remember the pair that terrorized Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I.? After that Rotweillers became the bad dogs. Warren Zevon celebrated their nasty reputation in one of his songs. http://www.metrolyrics.com/rottweiler-blues-lyrics-warren-zevon.html Now, it's Pit Bulls. What it has always been is people. Some people think a vicious dog is good for protection. That same dog is good for getting you sued if it "defends." Maybe deep down, a small minded owner feels tough if their dog is tough. Maybe they flatter themselves by thinking they are in control of the beast. Some idiots enjoy dog fights. Sudden popularity of any breed causes irresponsible breeders to increase the output of dogs without regard for good temperament.
Whatever the reason for having a vicious dog, it's a bad reason. Aggressive dogs should put down so that they never harm anyone. They should never be allowed to breed and pass their genes down to another generation. They shouldn't be tolerated for one minute longer after they've shown aggression. I don't care what anyone says about re-educating them. The dog, though much loved, is the lowest member on the family totem pole. He or she should love everybody and be completely trustworthy. Lennox was probably that kind of dog. Too bad no one thought to get him an exemption. Bad owner!
Lennox had never bitten a human or attacked another animal. He never ran loose. During his two year "incarceration," he was always well behaved. By all accounts he was a gentle, loving animal. Since he was seized in 2010, the battle has raged over the injustice of it all. For the past two years Lennox's owner has touted the dog's spotless reputation and offered to muzzle him around strangers, if only she be allowed to take him home. Too little, too late. I don't know why owner Caroline Barnes did not take advantage of a 1997 amendment to the Dangerous Dog Act. Any court in the UK could have ordered that Lennox be placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs, if only Ms. Barnes had approached the court.
Before Pit Bulls, the Doberman Pinscher was the mean dog of the 70's and early 80's. Remember the pair that terrorized Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I.? After that Rotweillers became the bad dogs. Warren Zevon celebrated their nasty reputation in one of his songs. http://www.metrolyrics.com/rottweiler-blues-lyrics-warren-zevon.html Now, it's Pit Bulls. What it has always been is people. Some people think a vicious dog is good for protection. That same dog is good for getting you sued if it "defends." Maybe deep down, a small minded owner feels tough if their dog is tough. Maybe they flatter themselves by thinking they are in control of the beast. Some idiots enjoy dog fights. Sudden popularity of any breed causes irresponsible breeders to increase the output of dogs without regard for good temperament.
Whatever the reason for having a vicious dog, it's a bad reason. Aggressive dogs should put down so that they never harm anyone. They should never be allowed to breed and pass their genes down to another generation. They shouldn't be tolerated for one minute longer after they've shown aggression. I don't care what anyone says about re-educating them. The dog, though much loved, is the lowest member on the family totem pole. He or she should love everybody and be completely trustworthy. Lennox was probably that kind of dog. Too bad no one thought to get him an exemption. Bad owner!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Poison Proof
Opossums are immune to just about any toxin that exists - snakebite, the toxin that causes botulism, even ricin, the toxin found in the castor oil plant. The American opossum produces a substance called Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor (LTNF). Some research showed that the this substance, extracted from the opossum and injected in mice, protected the mice from various deadly snake venoms. This information came to light and was published in 1999. So why hasn't anyone carried to ball a little farther to see if LTNF could help humans? http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/opossum-protein-makes-them-immune-nearly-poisons-could-190604532.html
Maybe my mind makes oddball connections, but this story made me think of the the first Men in Black movie. The cat had the universe dangling from the collar around his neck. How many secrets and solutions are right in front of our faces, hiding in plain sight? How many times has someone stumbled upon something "interesting" and tossed it in a drawer? I had a high school history teacher who asked us to decide if things changed because of social, political, or economic pressure. I always seemed to conclude that money made the world go round. In this case, I suspect the pharmaceutical companies can reap greater financial rewards from something like Premarin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premarin Snake bites and botulism can be treated with other products, so the opossum's cure all factor might upset the financial apple cart. There's also a social factor. The animal rights people might get up in arms if opossums have to begin producing LTNF the way mares have to produce urine for Premarin. That could wreck some political havoc in the upper echelons of biopharma.
Look at what that history teacher started! Thanks, Mr. McGeever.
Maybe my mind makes oddball connections, but this story made me think of the the first Men in Black movie. The cat had the universe dangling from the collar around his neck. How many secrets and solutions are right in front of our faces, hiding in plain sight? How many times has someone stumbled upon something "interesting" and tossed it in a drawer? I had a high school history teacher who asked us to decide if things changed because of social, political, or economic pressure. I always seemed to conclude that money made the world go round. In this case, I suspect the pharmaceutical companies can reap greater financial rewards from something like Premarin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premarin Snake bites and botulism can be treated with other products, so the opossum's cure all factor might upset the financial apple cart. There's also a social factor. The animal rights people might get up in arms if opossums have to begin producing LTNF the way mares have to produce urine for Premarin. That could wreck some political havoc in the upper echelons of biopharma.
Look at what that history teacher started! Thanks, Mr. McGeever.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Immunities
Mom always said, "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die." I heard this every time I dropped a snack on the floor and whined that it was ruined. Mom just gave it a rinse or dust off and handed it back to me. As I got older, I complained about the grease spatters on the stove or our less than pristine bathroom. You see, Mom was not the most fastidious of housekeepers. A Finnish study just came out suggesting that families who own dogs have babies who suffer less respiratory illness and need fewer antibiotics. Dirt and allergens, the dog's contribution to the household, seem to stimulate little one's immune systems. http://news.yahoo.com/babies-dog-owning-families-may-healthier-041915748.html
The Finns must have spent a bunch of money on the project. Why bother studying something that is already an established scientific principle? Edward Jenner figured out how to vaccinate people against small pox in 1796. Louis Pasteur expanded our understanding of germ theory in the mid to late 1800's. Practitioners of homeopathy dispense a little of the problem to effect a cure. Maybe the guy who set up the study was a dog lover who wanted to prove to young parents that pets won't harm babies.
All this reminds me of another of my mother's mantras - you'll feel better if you get up and move around. That was a nicer way of saying, "Suck it up," or "Walk it off." I got so good at walking off colds, headaches, and menstrual cramps that I got awards for perfect attendance in the eighth through twelfth grades.
So, don't worry too much if Junior takes a bite out of a mud pie. Science has proven that if you grow up dirty, you'll grow up strong. Geez, Kelly Clarkson even sang a song along those lines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH_dWijufDo
The Finns must have spent a bunch of money on the project. Why bother studying something that is already an established scientific principle? Edward Jenner figured out how to vaccinate people against small pox in 1796. Louis Pasteur expanded our understanding of germ theory in the mid to late 1800's. Practitioners of homeopathy dispense a little of the problem to effect a cure. Maybe the guy who set up the study was a dog lover who wanted to prove to young parents that pets won't harm babies.
All this reminds me of another of my mother's mantras - you'll feel better if you get up and move around. That was a nicer way of saying, "Suck it up," or "Walk it off." I got so good at walking off colds, headaches, and menstrual cramps that I got awards for perfect attendance in the eighth through twelfth grades.
So, don't worry too much if Junior takes a bite out of a mud pie. Science has proven that if you grow up dirty, you'll grow up strong. Geez, Kelly Clarkson even sang a song along those lines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH_dWijufDo
Friday, July 6, 2012
People Are Crazy
I couldn't get a song out of my head this morning - the Bill Currington song with the lyrics, "God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy." I like crazy people. Not the murder and mayhem crazies, rather the hot mess kind of crazies. They make life interesting and funny.
Thomas Daigle and his wife Sandra just made their final house payment of $620.00 with 62,000 pennies. Some might call that crazy. Mr. Daigle calls it making the last installment "memorable." http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-makes-final-house-payment-pennies-144051687.html I never paid a bill totally with pennies, but almost. My sister and I went out for a snort at Dunleavy's. At the end of the evening (and this was before ATM machines) we discovered that we hadn't brought enough money. Since we lived just down the road, my sister went home for some cash while I waited at the bar. She came back after about 15 minutes and plopped her piggy bank down on the table! The tab was paid with her collection of spare change.
People do crazy things for their dogs like buying them diamond collars, taking them for spa days, or having them bar mitzvahed. https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&gs_nf=1&tok=y_g6zW0q1bhaGlXhbhnXyA&cp=12&gs_id=1a&xhr=t&q=bar+mitzvahed&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=bar+mitzvahe&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=a2e370afc0354df8&biw=1024&bih=653 I'd like to say I'm not that nuts, but I did stage a wedding for my first dog Spike. When she rejected her suitor, I had her spayed. Does that count as a divorce?
No matter what the weather, the Naked Cowboy makes his living walking around New York City in his BVD's. https://www.facebook.com/NkdCowboy?sk=photos That's not for me. But I once went to Jamesway in my pajamas. They had a drawing for shoppers who came dressed in pajamas. The prize was big, so I figured "what the heck."
So, what's the silliest thing you've ever done? It felt good didn't it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv3ujzEC6jg
Thomas Daigle and his wife Sandra just made their final house payment of $620.00 with 62,000 pennies. Some might call that crazy. Mr. Daigle calls it making the last installment "memorable." http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-makes-final-house-payment-pennies-144051687.html I never paid a bill totally with pennies, but almost. My sister and I went out for a snort at Dunleavy's. At the end of the evening (and this was before ATM machines) we discovered that we hadn't brought enough money. Since we lived just down the road, my sister went home for some cash while I waited at the bar. She came back after about 15 minutes and plopped her piggy bank down on the table! The tab was paid with her collection of spare change.
People do crazy things for their dogs like buying them diamond collars, taking them for spa days, or having them bar mitzvahed. https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&gs_nf=1&tok=y_g6zW0q1bhaGlXhbhnXyA&cp=12&gs_id=1a&xhr=t&q=bar+mitzvahed&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=bar+mitzvahe&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=a2e370afc0354df8&biw=1024&bih=653 I'd like to say I'm not that nuts, but I did stage a wedding for my first dog Spike. When she rejected her suitor, I had her spayed. Does that count as a divorce?
No matter what the weather, the Naked Cowboy makes his living walking around New York City in his BVD's. https://www.facebook.com/NkdCowboy?sk=photos That's not for me. But I once went to Jamesway in my pajamas. They had a drawing for shoppers who came dressed in pajamas. The prize was big, so I figured "what the heck."
So, what's the silliest thing you've ever done? It felt good didn't it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv3ujzEC6jg
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Taylor-ed for Smiles
I usually have to chuckle every time I pass the Taylor Rental Center on Route 38 in Mt. Laurel. That's because the franchise owner puts funny sayings on the signs in front of his store. I wondered when this started, so I called Craig Fisher. He's the third generation of Fishers to operate the Mt. Laurel rental center. There is another store on Route 541 in Burlington.
Mr. Fisher told me that his grandfather started posting the quips thirty years ago as a way to attract business. His sources were newspapers, Reader's Digest, and quote books. These days the witticisms come mostly from the internet. The only rule is that the sayings are limited to twenty-two characters per line so they fit on the signs.
Here's what the Fishers have posted now:
You can't help but want to do business with happy people. I've rented from Taylor twice and been pleased both times.
Maybe I could get this up on one of their signs:
Mr. Fisher told me that his grandfather started posting the quips thirty years ago as a way to attract business. His sources were newspapers, Reader's Digest, and quote books. These days the witticisms come mostly from the internet. The only rule is that the sayings are limited to twenty-two characters per line so they fit on the signs.
Here's what the Fishers have posted now:
 |
| I can identify with this one. |
You can't help but want to do business with happy people. I've rented from Taylor twice and been pleased both times.
Maybe I could get this up on one of their signs:
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