Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2017-50

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IN THIS ISSUE

• In Heroic Stories, M. H. Niemann tells of two "angels of the highway"
• Jean Sterling sends a photo of her lazy cat
• Tom Williamson forwards examples of inventions made by women
• Irene Harvalias shares a video of an in-store version of Jingle Bells
• Catherine Nesbitt sends a selection of aphorisms
• Marilyn Magid sends this short story
• Shirley Conlon forwards a story of a vocabulary winner
• Sites are recommended by Carol Hansen, Irene Harvalias, and Tom Telfer

M. H. Niemann of Texas sends this story of

THE TANDEM HIGHWAY DANCE

It was too early and still dark at 5:30 a.m. as I drove through Houston, Texas, on the way to my parents´ house for our 2008 Thanksgiving dinner.

As I drove south out of town on Highway 59, somewhere between Richmond and Rosenberg, I noted brake lights on the cars in front of me.

As I got closer I saw two 18-wheeler tractor-trailer rigs, one in each lane, slowing down until they were next to each other and blocking any traffic from getting around them. I thought maybe there was an accident, or perhaps one of the trucks was getting in position to pass the other one.

When the situation continued and the rigs even slowed down even further, I naturally got annoyed and started grumbling at the delay, cursing the rudeness of drivers with no consideration for others sharing the road with them. By this time, the rigs had slowed to almost 20 miles per hour and there was a long line of impatient cars behind them.

My whole mindset changed dramatically, however, when I was able to get a peek into the gap between the rigs at the road ahead. I saw a car weaving all over the road, slowing down and speeding up, slewing from one shoulder to the other.

The two rigs never faltered in their tandem blockade, ignoring the impatient honks of the cars behind them and moving over as necessary to keep cars from going around them on the highway shoulders. This situation continued for about another 15 minutes until three police cars, lights flashing, came racing up the access road and around the two 18-wheeler rigs.

I watched while the police cars herded the weaving car to the side of the highway and forced it to stop. The 18-wheeler rigs then sped up and moved over to let all the cars pass by.

I have no doubt those two 18-wheeler rigs saved many lives, not to mention the impaired driver of the weaving car, on that Thanksgiving morning. I only wish I had had the presence of mind to note which trucking companies those drivers worked for so I could have sent their companies a note.

I´ve always considered 18-wheeler truckers the unofficial "angels" of the highway - they are often in the right place at the right time and always, in my experience, help when they can, with no expectations of reward or even thanks. What I observed that November only reinforced my opinion of these unsung Good Samaritans.

I gave those two truckers what thanks I could by honking and waving as I drove by ... on my way to a truly thankful day with my family.

ED. NOTE: To tell your own heroic story, or to get a free subscription to this site, click on

http://www.heroicstories.org

Jean Sterling sends a photo of how her cat prepared for Hurricane Floyd. She also likes lying on keyboards. Nothing is as relaxed as a relaxed cat!

I found an old birthday card that involved a cat. On the front it wished me a happy birthday and exhorted me to celebrate it as a cat would. On the inside it said I should "do whatever I damn pleased."

"Russia"

Tom Williamson sends these examples of

MACHINES INVENTED BY WOMEN

What´s amazing is how old some of the inventions are!

1. The Car Heater - We all owe our thanks to Margaret A. Wilcox, who invented the car heater in 1893! (Margaret also invented a combined clothes and dishwasher,)

2.. Monopoly - This popular board game was designed by Elizabeth Magie in 1904, and was originally called the Landlord´s Game. The purpose of this game was to expose the injustices of unchecked capitalism. Her game was ripped off by Charles Darrow, who sold it to Parker Brothers 30 years later. However, Parker Brothers later paid Elizabeth $500 for her game. Gee, thanks!

3. The Fire Escape - The fire escape was invented by Anna Connelly in 1887.

4. The Life Raft - The life-saving Life Raft was invented by Maria Beasely in 1882. (Maria also invented a machine that makes barrels).

5. Residential Solar Heating - Solar heating for residential housing was invented by Dr, Maria Telkes in 1947. Dr.Telkes was a psychiatrist in addition to being a solar-power pioneer.

6. The Medical Syringe - The medical syringe which could be operated with only one hand was invented by a woman by the name of Letitia Geer in 1899.

7. The Modern Electric Refrigerator - The electric refrigerator was invented by Florence Parpart in 1914. (She also invented an improved street-cleaning machine.)

8. The Ice Cream Maker - The ice cream maker was invented by a woman named Nancy Johnson in 1843. Her patented design is still used today!

9. The Computer Algorithm - Ada Lovelace is essentially the first computer programmer due to her work with Charles Babbage at the University of London in 1842. In fact, her notes were an essential key to helping Alan Turing´s work on the first modern computers in the 1940s.

10. Telecommunications Technology - Some of the Telecommunication Technology developed by Dr. Shirley Jackson include portable fax, touch tone telephone, solar cells, fibre optic cables, and the technology behind caller ID and call waiting.

11. The Dishwasher - The dishwasher was invented by Josephine Cochrane in 1887. Before her time, she even marketed her machine to hotel owners and opened her own factory without the help of a man!

12. Wireless Transmission Technology - Hedy Lamarr, a world-famous film star, invented a secret communications system during World War II for radio-controlling torpedoes. This technology also paved the way for everything from Wi-Fi to GPS.

13. Closed-Circuit Television Security (CCTV) - Marie Van Brittan Brown invented CCTV because of the slow response of police officers in 1969 to help people ensure their own security. This invention influenced modern CCTV systems used for home security and police work today.

14. The Modern Paper Bag - Margaret Knight invented a machine that makes square bottomed paper bags in 1871. She almost didn´t get credit when Charles Anan tried to steal her work, claiming that it wasn´t possible for a woman to create this brilliant invention. (Margaret also invented a safety device for cotton mills when she was 12! That invention is still being used today).

15. Central Heating - Although Alice Parker´s invention in 1919 of a gas-powered central heater was never manufactured, her idea was the first that allowed for using natural gas to heat a home, inspiring the central heating systems used today.

16. Kevlar - This life-saving material that is five times stronger than steel and used to make bulletproof vests was invented in 1965 by Stephanie Kwolek.

17. Computer Software - Dr. Grace Murray Hopper was a computer scientist who invented COBOL, which is the first user-friendly business computer software system, in the 1940s. She was also a rear admiral in the U.S. navy and the first person to use the term "bug" in reference to a glitch in a computer system when she literally found a bug (moth) causing problems with her computer.

18. Beer - According to Beer Historian Jane Peyton, Mesopotamian women were the first to develop, sell, and even drink beer.

Irene Harvalias shares this seasonal video of an in-store version of Jingle Bells:

Catherine Nesbitt forwards these

APHORISMS

An aphorism is a short, pointed sentence that expresses a wise or clever observation, or a general truth.

1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.

2. Money will buy a fine dog but only kindness will make him wag his tail

3. If you don´t have a sense of humour you probably don´t have any sense at all.

4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.

5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you´re in deep water.

6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?

7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.

8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?

9. Stroke a cat and you will have a permanent job.

10. No one has more driving ambition than the teenage boy who wants to buy a car.

11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.

12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 a.m. - for example, it could be the right number.

13. No one ever says "It´s only a game" when their team is winning.

14. I´ve reached the age where "happy hour" is a nap.

15. Be careful about reading the fine print - there´s no way you´re going to like it.

16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.

17. Do you realise that, in about 40 years, we´ll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?

18. Money can´t buy happiness but somehow it´s more comfortable to cry in a Cadillac than in a Ford.

19. After 60, if you don´t wake up aching in every joint, you´re probably dead.

20. Always be yourself because the people that matter don´t mind and the ones that mind don´t matter.

21. Life isn´t tied with a bow but it´s still a gift.

Marilyn Magid sends this short story about

A MISUNDERSTANDING

Two nuns are pulled over for speeding. The policeman walks around to the driver´s side of the car and puts his foot on the bumper and starts writing down the licence plate number.

The nun in the passenger seat says to the driver, "I´ll bet if you show him your cross you won´t get a ticket."

So the driver leans out the window and shouts at the officer, "GET YOUR FOOT OFF MY BUMPER!"

Shirley Conlon forwards the story of a

LINGUISTIC COMPETITION

No English dictionary has been able to adequately explain the difference between these two words. In a recent linguistic competition held in London and attended by, supposedly, the best in the world. Samdar Balgobin, a Guyanese man, was the clear winner with a standing ovation which lasted over five minutes.

The final question was: "How do you explain the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED in a way that is easy to understand?"

Some people say there is no difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED. Here is the winner´s astute answer:

"When you marry the right woman, you are COMPLETE. When you marry the wrong woman, you are FINISHED. And when the right one catches you with the wrong one, you are COMPLETELY FINISHED!"

He won a trip around the world and a case of 25-year-old Scotch!

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Carol Hansen recommends this TED talk by Robert Waldinger about what makes a good life:

Irene Harvalias forwards this link to a USAF band playing seasonal selections to get you in the mood for Christmas:

Tom Telfer sends the URL for a Good News story which says that the World Bank will no longer finance oil and gas exploration. Good new indeed!

On a more seasonal note, Tom forwards this link to animals singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas:"

In this TED talk, Mark Bittman says that we are eating the wrong food at the expense of our health, and in the process, we are putting the entire planet at risk:

A recent poll shows that 90% of Canadians want Ottawa to ban the use of tax havens. If you agree with them, click on this site and add your name to send a letter to your MP:

There are 29 historical photos that will take you back in time at this site:

Jean Sterling writes: I found an old birthday card that involved a cat. On the front it wished me a happy birthday and exhorted me to celebrate it as a cat would. On the inside it said I should "do whatever I damn pleased."