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WITandWISDOM(tm) - June 4, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: When friends are in trouble, don't bother them by asking if there is anything you can do. Think of something appropriate and do it. Source: Bits & Pieces, September 17, 1992, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., http://www.epinc.com ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Yoshihiko was six months old. He lived in Nagoya City, Japan. His parents learned that he suffered from hydrocephalus, an abnormal accumulation of fluid on the brain. Physicians told his parents that their child was probably mentally retarded. With a hearing loss that strangled his speech and an IQ that was never tested at higher than 47, one would have thought his future very bleak. But then he acquired a new special education teacher. Takashi Kawasaki liked his new, well-behaved pupil. Gradually the boy began to smile in class, and slowly he learned to copy the letters from the chalkboard and write his name. He spent long hours painstakingly copying cartoons from books and magazines. One day Yamamoto drew an accurate sketch of the Nagoya Castle. The clear lines of the picture reminded his teacher of a print. He had the boy transfer his design to a wood block and encouraged him to concentrate on printmaking. Eventually, Kawasaki entered some of Yamamoto's prints in an art contest in Nagoya City, and he won first prize. Today bankers and storekeepers buy the student's work to adorn their walls. Yamamoto still requires a very ordered life and likes his schedule unvaried. He gets up at 7:00 every morning, makes his bed, eats breakfast at 7:40, and takes the 8:00 bus to school, where he writes in his picture diary and then works on his prints. At noon he goes to the shopping center, buys his favorite bread for lunch, and is back to school and at his prints promptly at 1:00. He leaves for home at 5:00, has supper, watches TV, and goes to bed on schedule. From "Confidence" (Augsburg Publishing House) Alan Loy McGinnis Source: Bits & Pieces, July 25, 1992, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., http://www.epinc.com ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: The Washington Post recently asked readers to redefine words from the dictionary without adding or changing any of the word's letters. Here are some of the responses: Abdicate: To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach. Carcinoma: A valley in California, notable for its heavy smog. Flatulence: The emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller. Flabbergasted: Appalled over how much weight you have gained. Gargoyle: An olive-flavored mouthwash. Oyster: A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddish expressions. Source: The Oregonian, Copyright (c) November 1, 1999, http://www.oregonian.com/ Submitted by Barbara Henry ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Sign on a Chicago executive's desk: " It's too late to agree with me. I've already changed my mind." Source: The Funnies, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/andychaps_the- funnies ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: When Ben Franklin was a young man he told his mother he would like to become a printer. She discouraged him because there were already two printers in the 13 states and she felt that the field was overcrowded. Source: Bits & Pieces, January 4, 1996, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., http://www.epinc.com |