Did you ever wonder who suffers the most during road construction?

By David McClelland

As I sit in long road construction caused traffic delays, I wonder about all of the people and businesses that suffer from it and wonder just who suffers the most. Is it the commuters who must deal with these delays every week-day? Is it the school bus drivers trying to maintain a schedule? Is it all of the emergency vehicle drivers to whom every minute counts? Is it the food service businesses along the routes under construction who have watched their revenues drop by as much as 40% during this period? There is no doubt that all of them suffer to one extent or another. However, my candidates for the ones who suffer the most are the employees of those food service businesses who depend on tips for a big part of their total compensation. I have spoken with waiters and waitresses at Big Boy, IHOP, Panera Bread and Olga's along Telegraph Road and they are all feeling the largest negative impact as they see their tips drop to a fraction of what they were before construction. This year is particularly bad as the construction has gone on for many, many months with no end in sight. I have been told that some of these employees just couldn't hang on any longer and had to find other jobs. They had bills to pay and just couldn't wait it out. How sad! We heard that the businesses affected may get tax relief, but that won't help their employees. I think that it is crime that our county leaders let contracts that allowed the construction companies to keep routes like Telegraph Road under construction for all of these months. The contracts could have been written to require the work to be completed in far less time. What do you think?

Did you ever wonder when our Military Academies were founded?

By David McClelland

Here are the answers concerning when each was founded:

The United States Military Academy in West Point, New York - 1802.
The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland - 1845.
The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut - 1876.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York - 1942.
The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado - 1954.

This is the first of a five-part series which will discuss each Academy.

Let's begin with our newest Academy since it is the one about which I am most familiar. I am an Air Force retiree (22 ¼ years) and was stationed in Colorado Springs, Colorado at Ent AFB from 1965 – 1971. Ent is now an Olympic training village, chosen due to its high elevation - 6,035 feet above sea level. Training there is believed to give our athletes an advantage when the games are held at lower elevations. Our daughter, Julie, was born at the Air Force Academy Hospital in March of 1969. I attended a few Air Force Academy football games and toured the Air Force Academy Chapel more than once. The Academy is in a beautiful setting at the base of the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. My Ent assignment was most interesting and enjoyable. From the west windows of our home, we could see Pikes Peak which is 14,110 feet above sea level.

The mission of the Air Force Academy is "to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become officers of character, motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation." The program at the Academy is guided by The Air Force's core values, "Integrity first, service before self and excellence in all that we do."

The Air Force Academy's first class graduated in 1959. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the USAF. Candidates for admission frequently receive a nomination from a member of Congress. Tuition, along with room and board, are all paid for by the U.S. Government; i.e., you and me. Recent classes have had about 1,400 cadets entering their first year and about 1,000 of those are expected to graduate four years later. Graduates must serve at least 4 years in the USAF.

On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed legislation permitting women to enter the United States service academies. On June 26, 1976, 157 women entered the Air Force Academy with the Class of 1980.

The Air Force Academy attracts more than one million tourists a year. If you find yourself traveling through Colorado, believe me when I tell you that you would enjoy a visit to our newest and most picturesque Academy. Be sure to take your camera.

Did you ever wonder if ALL major mountain ranges in the United States run north and south?

By David McClelland

Most major mountain ranges in the USA run north and south. They include the Rocky, Appalachian, Allegheny, Big Horn, Sangre de Cristo and Sierra Nevada.

However, there is one major range that runs east and west. It is the Uinta Mountain range in north-eastern Utah. The Uinta begins 50 miles east of Salt Lake City and runs for about 150 miles east into Colorado.

All the rest of the east & west ranges are considered minor ranges. They include Capitan Mountain (Home of Smokey Bear), near Capitan, NM. This rugged mountain is 10,200 feet high and is covered by wilderness. The Quachita Mountains are located in west-central Arkansas and south-eastern Oklahoma. The San Bernadino Mountains run east & west for 60 miles along the Mojave Desert in south-western San Bernadio County, California. Finally, the entire Transverse Range of mountains run east & west. They include SanYnez, San Rafael, Sierra Madre, Topatopa and Santa Susana mountains.

That is the story. All but one major mountain range runs north and south, but that one major and several minor ranges do run east and west.

Did you ever wonder why so many people are getting body piercings and tattoos?

By David H. McClelland

Everywhere I go, I see people of all ages, from teens to the elderly, with tattoos and piercings. The ones that I most dislike are the ones on professional athletes that the kids look up to. Many are decorated from head to toe. That seems irresponsible !!!

Years ago, the only people that I remember having tattoos were sailors or former sailors who claimed they got their tattoos when they were drunk on shore leave. Not so today.

I think the tattoos that I find most disturbing are the ones from the neck up. There are simply no items of apparel that will ever cover them. If they later decide they wish they didn't have them, it is just too bad. Some say that it is just a fad. Well, fads come and go, but tattoos last forever. I wonder whether a potential employer would hire a visibly tattooed applicant.

Why do all of these people get tattoos? We discussed this subject where I worked and one young lady told me she had a tattoo. When I asked what it was, she said it was a mushroom. When I asked where it was, she said you couldn't see it unless she was wearing her bikini. Then, I asked her why she had a mushroom tattooed on her. Her reply was a classic. She said, "I wanted to see if I would." Apparently, she wanted to see if she had the nerve to get a tattoo. She will have a lifetime to reflect on her decision.

I did some research on this question and here are some of the reasons people gave for getting tattoos: "Just because I could." "For self-expression." "For shock value."

Body piercings look bad too, in my opinion, but if the wearer changes his or her mind later, they can remove the rings and the holes will eventually disappear or become less noticeable. I must admit that I flinch every time I see a young person with a ring in their eyebrow or nose. They just look like they must have been painful to have done and they sure look like they would be uncomfortable thereafter. Do they do that for the same reasons, do you think?

There are alternatives to both tattoos and body piercings. There are temporary tattoos and rings that don't require body piercing. It would certainly be advisable to try those methods before making the lifetime decision to get the real thing.

Did you ever wonder how our states got their nicknames?

 

By David McClelland

 

Most states adopt nicknames because they help in establishing a state's identity, promote statewide pride and create unity. Nicknames are even believed to have economic value.

 

Michigan, as you know, is called "The Great Lakes State," since Michigan has four of the five Great Lakes on its borders: Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron and Erie. Only Lake Ontario is beyond Michigan's borders. This nickname fits Michigan.

 

Here are some other state nicknames of which I was unaware. See how many that you know and if you know why these nicknames were chosen:

 

Alabama – "The Yellowhammer State"

Yellowhammer is a yellow-shafted flicker with yellow underside to its wings and tail.

-       During the Civil War, the Confederate soldiers from Alabama got new uniforms with bright yellow cloth on the sleeves, collars and coattails. As this company of soldiers passed by, young Will Arnett cried out in greeting, "Yellowhammer, Yellowhammer, flicker, flicker!" and the name stuck and became the nickname.

 

Arkansas – "The Natural State"

-       This nickname was just adopted in 1995 and is intended to refer to the state's natural beauty with its unsurpassed scenery, clear lakes, rivers and wildlife.

 

Idaho – "The Gem State"

      -     Idaho is a Shoshone Indian word meaning Gem of the Mountains.

 

Maryland – "The Old Line State"

-       George Washington bestowed this nickname on Maryland for its "line" of  regular Revolutionary War troops who served so courageously.

 

Montana – "The Treasure State"

-       Montana, with its extensive mineral reserves of gold, silver and copper, got the state this nickname in the 1850's.

 

Utah –  "The Beehive State"

-       The Beehive is the Mormon symbol of the virtues of thrift and perseverance.

The Beehive became the state emblem in 1969 and is on the Utah state flag.

 

Wyoming – "The Equality State"

-       Wyoming was the first state to grant the right to vote to women in 1869.

 

Were you as uninformed about the above state nicknames as I was? 

Did you ever wonder why geese fly in a "V" formation?

By David McClelland

Living in Michigan gives us many opportunities to watch geese flying overhead.
I often marvel at how perfectly they fly in formation. I wondered what instinct enables them to fly in that perfect "V" formation, so I decided to research the subject.

First, lets get the terms right. The female goose is called a goose (shouldn't there be a better name?) and the male is a gander. The babies are called goslings and a group of geese is called a gaggle.

It appears that, as geese take flight, they lift off in a squawking, disorganized gaggle. Yet, in a matter of seconds, a line begins to emerge from the mass of brown feathers. The line straightens, arches slightly and then, as if on cue, bends sharply to form a perfect "V" shape. Just how and why do they do that?

Simply put, scientists believe that they do it to conserve energy and because it makes it easier for them to keep track of every bird. Flying in a "V" enables the group to add about 70% more distance and their heart rates are lower.

One explanation is that it is simply easier for them to fly that way because of the vortices that provide lift for the following birds. When the lead bird flaps its wings, two vortices are shed, one from each wing tip. They consist of a rolling tube of air, the upper portion of which is moving forward and the lower part rearward. The lift for a given stroke size is greater and following bird needs to do less work as they benefit from this free lift. To take advantage of this phenomenon, the following two birds must be behind the wing tips of the lead bird in the "V" formation. In other words, they can draft off each other.

Since the lead bird has to work the hardest of all of the birds in the formation, the lead bird eventually tires and drops back and another bird takes the lead for a while.

How about the honking that the geese do as they fly overhead? What does that do? Scientists believe that the geese behind honk to encourage the geese in front to keep up the speed.

OK. That is what happens and that is why we think they fly in the "V", but just how is it that each new generation of geese knows to fly this way? They learn from their parents.
They really do and they are good learners and they never break tradition.

Ducks are the same. Here is an example. On the Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School property, before the school was built, a family of ducks built their nests south of where the school is now and simply walked with their young in a straight line to Orange Lake which is north of the school. They really like to swim and fish in Orange Lake.
Now, each year, the mother duck leads her flock of youngsters up to the south-west door of the school and they all wait for a student, teacher or janitor to open the door so she can lead them down the hall to the door on the north-west to again wait for someone to open that door and let them proceed to the lake. Every year it is the same. I'm not making this up. It is true.

Back to geese; finally, when a goose becomes ill or suffers a gunshot wound and goes down, two other geese go down with it and stay with it until it either is able to fly again or dies. We can learn a lot from geese. The Air Force and NASA have been studying them for decades.

Did you ever wonder about the origin of the game of basketball?

By David McClelland

I wondered just how old the game of basketball is and how it was created. My research revealed the following story:

It dates back to the winter of 1891-92 in Springfield, Massachusetts at the International YMCA Training School, which in now known as Springfield College. At that time, there were no college sports during the winter months after football season ended and before lacrosse began in the spring. The young men were required to participate in indoor activities to burn off the energy that built up after football season ended, but it consisted primarily of exercises and running.

The instructor for this physical education class was a 31 year-old graduate student, James Naismith, who was himself studying physical education. His supervisor was Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, who had introduced a new course, the psychology of play. Dr. Gulick challenged Naismith to come up with an indoor sport which would be interesting, easy to learn, and easy to play in the winter, yet complex enough to be interesting.

What Naismith came up with was an adaptation of many games of the time, including American Rugby (passing), English Rugby (the jump ball), lacrosse (use of a goal), soccer (the shape and size of the ball) and "duck-on-a-rock", a game that he had played as a child in Bennie's Corners, Ontario, Canada. Duck-on-a-rock used a goal that had a horizontal opening high enough that the ball would have to be tossed up and into it.

Naismith asked the janitor if he could find two 18-inch square boxes to be used as goals. The janitor came back with two peach baskets which Naismith nailed to the lower end of the balcony which just happened to be ten feet above the floor. After each successful shot, the ball had to be lifted out of the basket by an extra man so that play could resume. It was a few years later that the bottoms were removed from the baskets.

Naismith drew up 13 rules which included the method of moving the ball and what constituted a foul. A referee was appointed. He decided that the game should be divided into two fifteen-minute halves with a five minute rest period in between. The rules were posted on a bulletin board. When the first class met, two teams were chosen such that there were three centers, three forwards and three guards per side. Two of the centers met at mid-court, Naismith tossed up the ball and the game of "basket ball" was born.

The game caught on quickly and was a huge success. YMCA's added basket ball to their activities. An article was published in college magazine which was mailed to YMCA's across the country. Soon, the game was adopted in many foreign countries as well. In this country, high schools and colleges began to introduce the game and, by 1905, "basketball" was officially recognized as a permanent winter sport.

Over the years, the rules have been modified, but basketball is basically the same game with the same rules as were tacked up on that first bulletin board in 1891. Now, you know when, where and why basketball was created. Most of are glad that it was and continue to enjoy the sport at all levels.

Did you ever wonder the about the history of blimps and the advertising they do?

By David McClelland

During many sporting events, we see aerial shots from overhead blimps with advertising on them. Years ago, we saw only the Goodyear blimp, but today we see many new blimps and advertisers. Lets first look at the history of blimps.

The history of blimps dates back to 1783 when the Montgolfier brothers of Annonay, France sent the first hot air balloon aloft. Ever since, balloon inventers have been trying to design better airships, dirigibles and blimps. The first blimp consisted of taking a balloon and stretching it at both ends to form and egg shape. Those early blimps maintained their shape by internal gas pressure and are referred to as the non-rigid blimp design. The problem was that this type of blimp would buckle (bend) under the strain of heavy loads or rough weather. This problem was overcome by giving blimps a semi-rigid design. This was done by adding weight to the frame along the bottom of the blimp, which made it possible to build even larger air ships.

The "Father of the blimp" was Jean Baptist Marie Meusnier who created his first blimp in
1784. In 1851, Dr. William Bland was the first to fit his blimp with a steam engine and he called his blimp, "The Atomic Airship."

The difference between a balloon and a blimp is that balloons can't be steered and must go where the winds take them. I have had two hot air balloon rides and loved the experience. During each flight, we were in two-way communication with the "chase" car so that, when we landed, we would have transport back to our vehicles. After the first flight, we celebrated with the French tradition of enjoying a glass of champaign.

The blimp is a steerable airship which allows them to be used for the aerial photography for sporting events such a golf tournaments, football games, etc.

Blimps have four main components: envelope, gondola, power plant and controls.
The envelope is the skin that holds the contents together. The gondola is the cabin under the blimp where the pilot and passengers ride. The power plant or engines is another example of the progress made in blimp development. When Dr. Bland installed a small steam engine in his blimp, it could travel at 5 miles an hour against the wind. Today, Airship Industries Sky Ship 500 XL uses two Porsche 930 Engines to push 15,000 pounds of blimp through the air at 45 knots. Each engine is inside the gondola in a fire- proof box. The engines can turn a tail rotor propeller or two main, five-blade variable pitch propellers for thrust. The pilot can turn the propellers in the direction he wishes to go, whether to hover over the 16th hole at Pebble Beach or above Michigan Stadium.

The Goodyear blimps have been flying and advertising since 1925. Today, Goodyear operates three airships in the United States. "The Spirit of America" based in the City of Carson, California, "The Spirit of Goodyear" based in Akron, Ohio and "The Spirit of Innovation" based in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Today, Arnold Aerial Advertising of New York is the only company that offers all varieties of advertising on blimps. They do so above beaches, concerts, all sporting events and even rush hour traffic. Now, you know a little more about blimps.

Did you ever wonder how the "Zips" of the University of Akron got their nickname?

By David McClelland

One of the most unique college nicknames is the "Zips" of the University of Akron.
Originally, "Zippers," the name was shortened to "Zips" in 1950 by then Athletic Director, Kenneth "Red" Cochrane, 25 years earlier. The teams got the name, "Zippers," in a campus-wide contest to choose the nickname for the school's athletic teams. "Zippers" was the name of a very popular, rubber overshoe made by the B.F. Goodrich Company, headquartered in Akron, Ohio and first introduced in 1923. The boots were so popular that they made a lasting impression on the world. They had a slide fastener with interlocking metal teeth. With a quick pull of the tab, the boots either opened wide or sealed shut. Since it "zipped" shut, the mechanism became known as a zipper. "Zippy" the kangaroo became the Akron mascot in 1953. The kangaroo was chosen because it is an animal with speed, agility, power and determination. Now you know how the "Zips" got their name.

Let's look at a few other schools with unusual nicknames and where they came from:

The Virginia Tech "Hokies" is certainly one. The school's web site says that the name has been around since 1895 and, like hooray, rah or yeah, is used to express feeling, approval, excitement and surprise. The name was coined by O.M. Stull, class of 1896, and used in a spirit yell he coined for a competition.

The "Hoyas" of Georgetown University is also an unusual nickname. What is a "Hoyas," you wonder? The name came into use in the 1920's. The school admits that the precise origin of the name is unknown. It is believed to have been derived from a combination of foreign words that loosely translated mean, "What Rocks" and was used to describe a defensive wall.

Then, there are the "Nittany" Lions of Penn State. The Penn State mascot was the creation of a senior student in 1907 who visited Princeton and was embarrassed that his school did not have a mascot. On the spot, he created the Nittany Lion as its new mascot and said it was named after the King of the Beasts. The name was readily accepted by the student body without a vote. Mountain lions roamed on nearby Mount Nittany until the 1880's.

We also have the Webster University "Gorloks". Webster University students in St. Louis created this mythical creature and its nickname. The name was a combination of two streets on campus, Gore and Lockwood. They say a Gorlok has the paws of a speeding cheetah, horns of a fierce buffalo and the face of a dependable St. Bernard. A Gorlok embodies the highest standards of speed, agility and stamina in an atmosphere of fairness and good conduct. What could be better than that?

I'm sure readers would find this blog incomplete if it did not deal with the nickname of the teams of The Ohio State University. The state of Ohio adopted the buckeye tree as its state tree because of the prevalence of the buckeye trees in the state. It is called a buckeye because its fruit is the shape and color of a deer's eye. Ohioans have referred to themselves as Buckeyes since 1840. The Ohio State University adopted the "Buckeyes" as its nickname and Brutus Buckeye as its mascot.

I guess these schools didn't want a common name and became creative. Now, you know how the Akron "Zips" and a few other schools got their nicknames.