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Vol. 29, No. 7 • July, 2011 / www.Freeman-Spicer.com
[Remembering Eli Spicer 1914-2009] - It’s what you do for others that helps you succeed in Life!
The IRS Mileage Rate . . . . . for business driving is increasing for the rest of the year. The 55.5¢-per-mile allowance, which kicked in July1, represents an increase of 4.5¢. The mileage rate for medical and moving expenses is going up by the same amount . . . . to 23.5¢ a mile. But the rate for driving for charity stays unchanged at 14¢ a mile. The tax agency will announce the mileage allowance for 2012 sometime in the fall. (Kiplinger)
Why Your Fingers & Toes Wrinkle When Wet . . . . . If you find yourself wearing flip-flops around a pool this weekend, consider this: You may already come equipped with skid-resistant footwear, thanks to evolution. New research suggests that our toes and fingers prune up when they’re exposed to water because that temporarily gives us the equivalent of treaded all-weather tires. People have assumed that “when water hits your fingers, some absorption happens and they wrinkle for no good reason. This suggests it’s more than that,” says neuroscientist Mark A. Changizi, who’s been studying the purpose of pruney fingers and toes. “I see it as another great example of the brilliance and beauty of evolution’s design.” As we’ve all noticed at one time or another, fingers and toes wrinkle up when they’re wet. They don’t have to be sitting in a bubble bath, either. “If you’re just walking around in bare feet on wet, damp grass, you’ll still get that water contact that would lead to pruning just as if you’re submerged in water,” says Changizi, an author and director of human cognition at a company called 2AI Labs in Idaho. It might seem like pruning is just the skin’s reaction to getting filled with water. But why does the skin wrinkle instead of just getting plumped up like a water balloon? And why does the nervous system seem to be involved? Weirdly enough, fingers and toes don’t prune in people with severed nerves. Changizi, who studies how hands work, discovered research about the severed nerve phenomenon from back in the 1930s. It got him to thinking about pruning: “It wasn’t just some physical reaction. It was designed, and there’s a damn good reason for it.” In a new report in the journal Brain, Behavior and Evolution, Changizi argues that pruney fingers and toes appear to do two things: they create channels that help water drain away, and they provide some resistance against slipperiness. In some people, wrinkles actually appear all across a wet foot, potentially providing even more skid-proof-ness. Essentially, wet fingers and toes temporarily transform from racing tires (which are smooth and provide more speed) to all-weather tires (which have treads for traction), Changizi says. He added that the channels created by pruney fingers are similar to those that drain rainwater from mountains. (MSNBC - Bodyodd)
All Women Should Live So Long . . . . . . Toward the end of Sunday services the Minister asked, “How many of you have forgiven your enemies?” 80% held up their hands. The Minister then repeated his question. All responded this time, except one small elderly lady. “Mrs. Neely? Are you not willing to forgive your enemies?” “I don’t have any,” she replied, smiling sweetly. “Mrs. Neely, that is very unusual. How old are you?” “Ninety-eight,” she replied. The congregation stood up and clapped their hands. “Oh, Mrs. Neely, would you please come down in front and tell us all how a person can live ninety-eight years and not have an enemy in the world?” The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, faced the congregation and said, “I outlived the SOB’s! (Fournier)
Service Excellence . . . . . . What is the #1 way you engage your customer? Is it with one of the following descriptions or all of them? Promptness, Courtesy, Being an Expert, Accuracy, Preparedness, Understanding, and Timeliness. With this in mind - what are the 6 steps in your initial engagement with the customer: #1 - Greet them - make them feel comfortable. #2 Show them Value - that being a customer deserves your time. #3 - Ask them if you can help them - Ask the question(s)! #4 Listen, not just for your turn to talk, but for them to tell you what they want. #5 Help them - assist them in any way possible. #6 Invite - them back, invite them to talk, invite them to listen. Good Service isn’t good enough anymore . . . . everyone is striving to be the best. But building consumer engagement can help. Four more concepts to think about: #1 Project Confidence, #2 Exhibit Integrity, #3 Develop Pride, and #4 Live Your Passion. Think about all these when selling, demonstrating, or working with your employees. Good words and concepts to think about and use. (From Becky McCrary’s Presentation)
A 15 Year Old Amish Boy . . . . . . and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together again. The boy asked, “What is this Father?” The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, “Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don’t know what it is.” While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, an older, mid-size woman pressed a button. The walls opened, and the lady walked between the walls and into the small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They continued to watch until it reached the last number . . . and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order. Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous 24-year-old blond stepped out. The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son . . . . . . “Go get your mother!” (DeFauw)
This Is My Question . . . . . . The Greatest Generation is made up of those born before 1928, weathered the Great Depression, fought in WWII and Korea; and The Silent Generation, born between 1928 - 1945, during the Great Depression and WWII; The Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964, products of the Cold War, Vietnam and affluence; Generation X, born 1965 - 1980 - the Baby Bust - first generation after the Pill became widely available; and Generation Y, also called the Millennials, born between 1981 and 1999. So what is the present generation, born between 2000 and today called?
Wonderful Old Videos To Bring Back Memories . . . . . . On the Freeman-Spicer web page: www.freeman-spicer.com - we have listed 81 videos that will bring back memories. Once you start, better leave some time to enjoy for more than a few minutes. Examples: James Dean, his final TV appearance - Bloopers from the Honeymooners - Abbott & Costello’s: Who’s on First....and much much more. Take a minute and see what’s posted. (Rasmussen submitted)
Remember . . . . . . . . to check you credit reports using www.annualcreditreport.com - not freecreditreport.com! Annualcreditreport.com is a free service that allows you to check your credit with one of three credit reporting services. If you pull one report every four months - you can stay on top of your credit and make sure the report is correct. (ECL)
Credit monitoring isn’t worth it unless you have good reason to think your data has been exposed - say, you lost your wallet. And even then, it doesn’t stop someone from opening a new account in your name, says John Ulzheimer of Credit.com. The only way to do that is by freezing your credit reports at all three bureaus through a service like TrustedID (typical cost: $20 to $40). That will keep new lenders from looking at your reports and prevent accounts from being opened by anyone - including you. The downside: To take out a loan, you’ll have to pay $15 to unfreeze your reports.(Money)
Older Crowd Stories . . . . . . . An older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his son. “Yes, Dad, what is it?” “Don’t be nervous son; do your best and just remember, if it doesn’t go well - if something happens to me - your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife . . . . . . ” // A distraught senior citizen phones her doctor’s office. “Is it true,” she wanted to know, “that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?” “Yes, I’m afraid so,” the doctor told her. There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, “I’m wondering, then, just how serious is my condition - because this prescription is marked - “No Refills”? // Who knows what age this is??? When you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it? (Fournier)
The Citizenship Test . . . . is composed of 100 questions across five categories: American government, systems of government, rights and responsibilities, American history, and integrated civics. In the actual test, 10 questions from the 100 chosen randomly. To pass, the test taker must get at least six right. NEWSWEEK gave the test to 1,000 people. Beyond the topline results - 62% of Americans passed, 38% failed - even the easiest questions generated a worrisome number of incorrect answers (answers following): 1. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted? 67% correct. 2. What happened at the Constitutional Convention? 35% correct. 3. Who was president during World War I? 20% correct. 4. Who did the United States fight in World War II? 60% correct. 5. The House of Representatives has how many voting members? 14% correct. 6. When must all men register for Selective Service? 83% correct. 7. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? 83% correct. What did Susan B. Anthony do? 41% correct. 9. What did Martin Luther King Jr. do? 77% correct. 10. Who is in charge of the executive branch? 73% correct. 11. We elect a U.S. senator for how may years? 39% correct. 12. If both the President and the Vice-President can no longer serve, who becomes president? 58% correct. 13. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government. 19% correct. 14. How many justices are on the Supreme Court? 37% correct. 15. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution? 57% correct. 16. What is the supreme law of the land? 30% correct. 17. Name one U.S. territory. 57% correct. 18. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words? 74% correct. 19. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803? 65% correct. 20. How many amendments does the Constitution have? 6% correct. 21. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now? 71% correct. 22. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now? 41% correct. 23. What is the economic system in the United States? 33% correct. 24. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States? 91% correct. 25. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers. 12% correct. (Newsweek)
Answers: 1. July 4, 1776. 2. The Constitution was written. 3. Woodrow Wilson. 4. Japan, Germany, and Italy. 5. 435. 6. 18 or between 18 and 26. 7. Communism. 8. Fought for women’s rights or fought for civil rights. 9. Fought for civil rights or worked for equality for all Americans. 10. The President. 11. Six. 12. The Speaker of the House. 13. To print money, to declare war, to create an army, or to make treaties. 14. Nine. 15. The Bill of Rights. 16. The Constitution. 17. Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Marianas, U.S. Virgin Islands. 18. We the People. 19. The Louisiana Territory, or Louisiana. 20. 27. 21. Joe Biden. 22. John Boehner. 23. Capitalist or market economy. 24. Pacific. 25. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay or Publius.
“People always call it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.” (Anne Tyler, American author)
Sincerely,
Edward C. Levy
President