William Penn Life, 1982 (17. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1982-07-01 / 3. szám
briefly OCTOBER — MANY NAMED October, the tenth month of the year, comes from the Latin word for eight. It was the eighth month in the calendar of ancient Rome. The Roman Senate tried to change October’s name four times — to Germanicus, Antoninus, Faustinus, and Hercules. Those names honored General Germanius Caesar, Emperor Antoninus Pius, Antoninus’s wife Faustinus, and Emperor Commodus, who considered himself the Roman Hercules. But the names did not appeal to the citizens of ancient Rome. They continued to call the month — October. It stuck . . . LIBERTY STILL ENLIGHTENING Bartholdi’s statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World,” on Liberty Island in New York harbor, was dedicated with elaborate ceremonies on October 28, 1886. It is the largest statue ever made, standing 151 feet high and weighing more than 220 tons. GET A HORSE?! Way back then — Oct. 1, 1908 — to be exact — Henry Ford introduced the Model “T”: an automobile. Since that time, cars have been responsible for more grief, more gaiety, and greater growth than any other single mechanical device. But is a car as practical as a horse? In grandpa’s day, the horse and buggy allowed greater freedom. One did not have to keep both hands on the wheel. Any horse with an ounce of sense knew enough to amble down a quiet lane far removed from lights and noise and people. And grandpa didn’t have to keep his hands on the horse. He just pointed the horse in the desired direction and gave that wonderful animal free rein. Yes, those were the days — when hands were too important to be kept on wheels! IT SINKS!? Leonardo da Vinci developed plans for an underwater warship but kept them secret. He was afraid it would make war even more frightful than it was. The first boat known to have navigated successfully underwater was built in 1620 by a Dutchman, Cornelius Van Drebbel. He was credited with having developed a chemical that purified the air and allowed the crew to stay submerged for extended periods. PURCHASING POWER — DOWN A family of four which earned $10,000 in 1970 — about average for that time — needs $23,425 this year to have the same after-tax purchasing power, reports The Conference Board. Americans’ budgets have been squeezed by increasing Social Security taxes (which have gone from 3.7% of the average family’s income in 1970 to 6.7% in 1982) and the higher Federal income taxes that come with rising earnings. However, inflation has taken the heaviest toll, reducing the purchasing power of the dollar by 55% in the past 12 years. MARIJUANA AND SMOKING HAZARDOUS TOGETHER Young Americans are smoking a dangerous combination: marijuana and tobacco. Those who smoke them both run an especially high risk of lung cancer, according to a physician-scientist, Donald P. Tashkin, M.D. He said that marijuana smoke contains not only the same respiratory irritants that are found in tobacco but also delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) and at least 60 other THC-related compounds not found in tobacco along with 50% more cancer-producing hydrocarbons than are found in tobacco 'smoke. “The combination of deeply inhaled marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke has been found particularly to provoke microscopic changes including abnormalities that are associated with the development of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” Dr. Tashkin said. KILLING: FOR PRIDE About a century ago, Horace Greeley observed: “The wolf and the Indian, though persistent in their warfare, are not wantonly destructive — they kill to eat, and stop when their appetites are glutted, their wants fully supplied. Civilized man alone kills for the mere pleasure of destroying, the pride of having killed.” NO TIME TO LEARN Two boys were discussing their projects for the science fair at their school. One said, “I’m going to do something with magnets for a push-pull kind of energy. But first, I’ve got to look up some stuff in the library.” The other said, “My cousin graduated last year, and he saved his dumb drip-irrigation project. I know he’ll lend it to me, and I won’t have to waste my time with that stuff.” Both boys submitted their projects: both were congratulated by their teachers. One learned something . . . DEDUCT FOR CHILD S CAMP Working parents who sent their children to summer camp should know that the expense might qualify for the Child and Disabled Dependent Care Credit on their Federal income tax returns, according to the IRS. The Credit allows qualifying persons to take a tax credit of up to 30% of the money spent on child care. Day and overnight camp expenses are considered deductible child care expenses. Beginning in 1982, the limit on work-related expenses has been raised to $2,400 for one child; $4,800 for two or more children. This may mean a larger credit on returns filed on or before April 15, 1983, the IRS notes. LITTERBUGS — AN OLD BREED The litterbug is one of the oldest living species on earth. Archaeologists excavating Herculaneum, a Roman city buried under lava from Mt. Vesuvius in the first century of the Christian era, found a sign at a crossroads warning that litterers would be fined or subjected to corporal punishment. SECURITY WISE ... Belong to a union? You have a certain amount of security. No union where you work? You, too, have a certain amount of security. In both instances, the extent of that security depends on your ability at work and the ability of your firm to sell its products or services. The rest is frosting on the cake. HARD HATS vs BALDNESS Wearing a hard hat on the job does not mean a bald head later in life. Such a belief “is simply not valid,” says Dr. Willard S. Steck of the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Steck said that male baldness is determined genetically, beginning early in adult life, and as far as he knows, hats do not impair anyone’s scalp circulation, causing baldness. “It is not likely that either wearing or not wearing a hard hat at work would make any appreciable difference . . .” he said. JACK STILL ROAMING Jack-o’-Lantem grew out of old Irish folklore about a man named Jack condemned to roam the earth with his lantern until judgment day to repent for his cruel, miserly ways. See him this Halloween, Oct. 31. LEARN FROM EACH "MISTEAK" We all make mistakes, but we can learn from them provided we understand and correct them and make sure we avoid the greater mistake of trying to excuse them with alibis. 16
