#Nostalgia Use and Care of Oscar Meyer Wienerwhistles

In another blog post, I featured the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile (see above) and the coveted whistles its occupants passed out to us kids. I think the corporate rule was “one Wienerwhistle per kid,” because getting two of them was an uncommon occurrence. Sometimes, if the crowd was big enough, and the Wienermobile stayed for two days, you might score one on each day.

For those of you youngsters reading this, I’m talking late 1950s-early 1960s here. Our TV antenna might manage 4 stations—ABC, CBS, NBC, and an independent English station in Mexico. But, we only got all four on the same day when all the stars were aligned. So, the Wienermobile was a big deal.

The design of the whistle is simple. 

1. Start with an outside of a round-ended closed cylinder.
2. Drill a hole at each end of the cylinder.
3. Drill a hole about one-third of the way down the length of the cylinder.
4. Cut a wedge-shaped opening closer to the other end than the previous hole, but make sure it is open in the same direction as the previous hole.
5. While neither example shows all the holes, all four are present in every Wienerwhistles.

Once you got your Wienerwhistle, you had to play it. Over. And over. And over. Much to the dismay of adults in your household.

To play the Wienerwhistle,

1. Hold the end of the whistle closest to the wedge-shaped opening between your lips with the wedge-shaped opening facing up.
2. Blow into the hole between your lips. A sound will emerge.
3. Cover the end hole with a finger.
4. Repeat Step #2. A different sound will emerge.
5. Remove your finger from the end hole and use it to cover the hole facing up.
6. Repeat Step #2. Yet another different sound will emerge.
7. Finally, keep one finger covering the hole facing up and use another finger to cover the hole in the end.
8. Repeat Step #2. Violà! A fourth sound will emerge.

You now know the potential of the instrument.

Notice I used the term sound and not note for the compression waves generated by your moving breath. That’s because I don’t know if they are notes. I’ve never heard anything like music played on one. Mostly what the Wienerwhistle produces are annoying sounds. Remember the previous sentence.

In most houses, the life span of a Wienerwhistle was less than 24-hours. No matter how clever you were at hiding your whistle, sometime during the first night the whistle spent in your house, something like what follows would occur. I’m using Dad as the designated parent because I’m pretty sure that’s the way it was in my house when wienerwhistles were concerned.

Typical Sequence of Events the Night After Receiving a Wienerwhistle

1. Hide your whistle in your underwear drawer before going to bed.
2. Wrap it in a sock or a pair of tighty-whities.
3. Push it all the way to the back of the drawer.
4. Cover the hidden whistle with other underwear.

After he’s sure you’ve gone to sleep, 

1. Dad will enter your room.
2. With the stealth that a cat-burglar would envy, he will search your entire room: closets, drawers, boxes, baseball card stashes, comic book racks. If it has a place to hide something, he’ll search it.
3. He will find the source of the annoying sounds—your Wienerwhistle.
4. He will take his prize out into the hallway or living room.
5. He will drop in on the carpet.
6. He will smash the Wienerwhistle to smithereens with his shoe-covered foot.
7. He will go to bed.

In the morning, when you wake up and can’t find your Wienerwhistle, 

You will ask your parents, 

“Have you seen my Wienerwhistle?”

Dad will answer,

“No. But I felt it when I stepped on the thing in my bare feet last night. I think I broke. I warned you to keep it off the floor.”

You know you have no chance of winning an argument about what really happened. So, you go to your friends and see if they were any more successful than you were at hiding their whistle(s).

Chances are all they can offer you is a handful of broken plastic pieces and a tube of airplane glue.

PS. I was going to record me playing my Wienerwhistle and link it as an MP3 file. But, my wife says she hasn’t seen it in a long time.

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Next? maybe Duncan Yo-yos and the Yo-yo Masters

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#Nostalgia Mitochondria and Weiner Whistles: Twins Separated at Birth?

You’ve heard stories of identical twins that were separated at birth. Over the course of their lives, amazing similarities were found, even if they grew up in different countries. Click here for a true story.

I think I’ve found two dissimilar twins. I have no proof other than what I present in this post.

I invite you to agree or disagree with my conclusion. The choice is yours.

The mitochondrion is an organelle in cells that have a nucleus. The term organelle was derived by others from the term "organula," which Karl August Möbius first used in 1894. It means  “tiny organ.” It was the generic name given to structures found within cells by early microscopists. In many diagrams of cells found in textbooks, the mitochondria (plural form) are orange.

The Oscar Meyer Weiner Whistle is a toy. It is distributed by the Oscar Meyer corporation as advertising for their hot dogs. In both its original (top) and modern (bottom) iterations—see photo—it, too, is orange.

Similarity #1: orange color.

Mitochondria are double-membrane structures. While they can change their shape to some degree, it appears as though they have a preferred shape. That shape is like a gel cap used in dispensing medicine—or—A HOT DOG! See below.

The original whistle was in the shape of a gel cap used in dispensing medicine—or—A HOT DOG!

  

A wiener whistle, in its first iteration before child-choking was a national concern.

Similarity #2: shape of A HOT DOG.

Your body runs on energy supplied by an energy-carrying molecule called ATP. The energy stored in the ATP ultimately comes from glucose. Mitochondria convert the glucose energy—think of it as the electricity that runs through the wiring in your house—into ATP energy—think of ATP as a rechargeable battery.

Nearly all cellular processes require ATP battery power. Your cells use the ADP foundation over and over again. Food energy must be converted into usable ATP energy. The conversion is like AC electricity being converted into DC energy by a battery charger. The conversion from ADP to ATP is like recharging a rechargeable battery. ADP is “recharged” in the mitochondria by replacing the third phosphate.

You blow air into the hole in the end of a wiener whistle. 

• The air is converted into sound as it leaves the whistle.

Similarity #3: Conversion of one thing to another.

I will admit there are differences between the two objects as well.

• Mitochondria have their own DNA. They are membrane-bound organelles. Wiener whistles don’t have DNA. They are made of plastic.
• Mitochondria come from your mom. Well, all yours are progeny of the mitochondria in the egg your mother provided was fertilized by your dad’s sperm. Wiener whistles come from the Wienermobile. 

Now it’s time for you to take a stand. Review the evidence above and vote on the question: 

Mitochondria and Weiner Whistles: Twins Separated at Birth?

YES or NO

Epilog: When I was a kid, the Wiener Wagon, which is what we called the Wienermobile, appeared annually at Valley Farm Market in Spring Valley. It was just a short walk from my house to where the anxiously awaited vehicle would park. The driver and passenger would pass out wiener whistles. 

It was an exciting summertime event! 
Come back next week for an in-depth look at weiner whistles.

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#Brain Why It Pays to Increase Your Word Power

The September 2017 issue of Reader’s Digest is titled “Genius Issue – Secrets to a Sharper Mind.” The article “Why It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” on pages 66-73 begins with a question.

“How many hours did you spend reading books last week?”

In 2016, researchers at Yale School of Public Health began analyzing data collected from 20,000 people every other year since 1992. They narrowed the focus to the 3600 respondents over 50 years of age. Included in that data was an answer to the above question gleaned from over 20-years of data collection.

• “People who read books—fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose—for as little as 30 minutes a day over several years were living an average of two years longer than people who didn’t read anything at all [emphasis mine].”

Other research included suggests that 

• “[C]hildren as young as six months who read books with their parents several times a week show stronger literacy skills four years later, score higher on intelligence tests, and land better jobs than nonreaders.”

The article goes on to discuss the benefits of reading in adults. Summary: 

• Reading books is more beneficial for adults [maybe everyone] than reading newspapers and magazines.

Why?

1.  Brains build many connections and pathways when keeping track of chapters and storylines. This doesn't happen when skimming headlines, as is common with newspapers and magazines.
2.  Empathy and emotional intelligence scores increase after reading even only a part of a chapter in a story.

Another concept discussed is “cognitive reserve”—your brain’s ability to damage. More reading, more ability over a wider range of damage types. 

Shocking to me was

• “This [cognitive reserve built up by reading] could explain why, after death, many seemingly healthy elders turn out to harbor signs of advanced Alzheimer’s disease in their brains despite showing few signs in life.”

The article takes a turn in its story arc for the last part. Benefits of bilingualism are presented. That's another blog, someone else's blog.

Chances, if you are reading this post, you are a reader. There’s a different level of probability involved with you being an author—but you might be one of those, too.

1. If you’re a reader, you should be fired up by the above content—especially if you read books.
2. If you’re an author, I hope you’re inspired by how you are contributing to more than just the list of books in print.
3. I suspect that writers' brains have good-sized cognitive reserves.

I taught high school and college biology for 39 years. From what I know about brain function

• An author’s brain must build connections while determining the plot, fleshing out characters, and developing a plausible setting—while writing.
• The number of those connections must be at least as many as a reader builds while following those plots and characters in that setting—while reading.

Writing and editing are disciplines. 

1. Accept that discipline is required to write a good story.
2. Don’t rush to finish a story.
3. Do all that you need to do to produce a story that sucks readers in.
4. Disciplined writing helps readers develop healthier brains.

Write on!

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#Graduation Pomp and Circumstance Part 2

Most schools graduated in late May, graduated last week, or will graduate this week. Welcome to part two of a two-part post on graduation ceremonies "as I see it." 

I encourage you to read last week's post before this one. The only hint I'll give you about how I got to this point is...

I enjoyed being the "door monitor" for graduation robes after the ceremony for two reasons.

First, when Pat Carroll was principal, his goal was to finish the entire graduation ceremony—from the time Pomp and Circumstance ended until they tossed mortarboards—in 30-minutes. 

• MV averaged around 500 graduates each year. 
• There was an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, acknowledging the Honor Graduates, and a student speaker each year. 
• After all that, they called every student’s name over the P.A. system as they walked across their half of the stage and received their diploma from one of two dignitaries. 
• It required two dignitaries because one side of the graduates entered from stage left and the other from stage right. 
• It was a quick-moving sight to behold. 
• After two 40-minute ceremonies, he managed a 35-minute one. 
• Those of us on “robe recovery detail” anxiously awaited his final graduation—the year he retired. 
• Thirty minutes and forty seconds after Pomp and Circumstance, mortarboards flew like Frisbees. 

He’d done it!

The second reason I enjoyed being “door monitor” was my “position” at graduations, I got to see every graduate. I am proud to say that more than a few took photos with me. 

Top Row: Ph.D. Grad. MVHS as “door monitor” in 1984 w/ Babi Scott.
Middle: Doug and me “on the field” after his graduation in 1998.
Bottom Row: Emily Marsh and Julia Wright in 1993. Bobby T at GOHS (keep reading).
Hmmm.  It doesn’t look high school males were “in the mood” for photos after graduations!

I was on the field for one MVHS graduation ceremony after my “police” boycott. Because my son was a graduate, they allowed me—in my regalia—to hand him his diploma in 1998, two years after I left to take a faculty position at Point Loma Nazarene University.

I was on the field for two graduation ceremonies at Great Oak High. The first is the only time I broke tradition and asked if I could sit with a student for her graduation. Her name is Baharak Tavafifard. I’m working on a blog about her, so I’ll leave it with this anecdote: 

As a sophomore, I asked her why she never—and I mean NEVER—displayed any outlook except positivity. She looked befuddled, but only for a moment. “Why, Dr. Downing, being happy is a choice. I make that choice every morning when I get up.” 

The second GOHS graduation was because a specific student asked me to attend. I was ready to storm the podium when one speaker went off-script and needed to be shutdown. I took admission tickets or was part of security for the rest of my GOHS graduations.

Graduations at PLNU were mostly painless. Once you got past the students who wanted to wait until the last minute to line up, things went smoothly. I opted to supervise one of the first two rows because we got down to the floor of the Greek Amphitheater early and my charges had little room to do much beyond wiggle.

I attended my daughter-in-laws Ph.D. ceremony on May 20, 2017. I was hot, but they had a huge video screen so you could see each graduate receive the diploma . . . and a VERY longrepetition of Pomp and Circumstance (20+ minutes).

The next high school graduation I will attend will be my granddaughter, Hadley’s . . . 13-years from now.

In one of my first three years of teaching at Monte Vista, one of my students asked to talk with me. She was very nervous. I waited for her to begin.

• She talked with significant emotion about how, as far as anyone knew, she was the first person in their extended family to graduate from high school. 
• “People are coming from Oklahoma and Arkansas. This is very important to my family. I hope I don’t mess up.”
• After I choked back a tear, I assured her she would do a fine job.

Then it hit me.

This graduation ceremony is the major event in this young lady’s life. No one has the right totake that away from her and her family.

That was the first year I gave “the speech” to every one of my classes on the day of the second semester final exam.

I told them about the young lady I described above. Then I added,

“For many of you, this graduation is just a bump in your educational road. You’ll graduate at least once more, and some of you will graduate two or three more times. It’s tempting to blow off this graduation ceremony.”

I paused and put on my best “serious teacher face” at this point. My students all knew that “the look” that accompanied the serious face meant they’d better not only pay attention but do what I told them to do.

“You might be planningsome prank or goofy act for the ceremony. If you, or any of your friends, do that, you will ruin what might be the biggest day in someone’s life. Your fun is not important compared to being the first in a family’s entire history to graduate from high school.”

To the best of my knowledge, none of my students were involvedin any disruptive acts. I had several thank me on their way out of class after “the speech,” because they would use it on people they knew were planning something.

#Graduation Pomp and Circumstance Part 1

Graduation at Point Loma Nazarene - 2019

Most schools graduated last month, will graduate this week, or will graduate next week. This is a two-part post on graduation ceremonies "as I see it." 

The recording of Edward Elgar directing Pomp and Circumstance Marche No.1 is the “go to” music for just about any school graduation. I don’t know why?

The rest of this blog has nothing to do with marching. However, I will reference P&C again.

I started teaching high school in 1973. Protesting was the national pastime for many students. Graduation ceremonies, even high school graduation ceremonies, were targets. While many of the protests were ideological in theory, many were times for people to do things they “had the right to do”—even if they didn’t have that right.

I’m not a fan of graduation ceremonies. I remember 
My 8th-grade graduation (1964) more from photographs than from RNA pathways. It’s probably because I got an award.

My high school graduation (1968). I was the closer on a 5-part valedictory address.

My college graduation from San Diego State (1972) in Aztec Bowl—now a parking structure—for two reasons. 

• First, Pauline Frederick was the speaker. Her speech was anti-Vietnam War biased and did not go over well at a university in San Diego, California. 
• Second, my wife came down to the field after the ceremony. I split as fast as I could because there was nobody between me and my car. Since cell phones were sci-fi then, she didn’t know I’d left, and I didn’t know she’d come down. Forty minutes later, my parents pulled into our driveway and asked where Leanne was. I hot-footed it back to SDSU and found her waiting on the sidewalk with a kind passerby who waited with her.

I remember the graduation ceremony for my Ph.D., only because I got to wear a snazzy outfit known as regalia.

Faculty attendance at Monte Vista High School graduations was optional in 1974, 75, and 76. We had a nude motorcyclist speed around the track at one of those, but nothing else of consequence happened that I remember.

In 1977, beachballs and tortillas filled the air during the ceremony. The administration requested that all faculty members sit with the students to, “emphasize the academic nature of the event.”

“You mean, you want us to be police,” I said.

They held to the party line. 

“When you admit that we’re police, I’ll go down on the field.” 

For the next 18-years stood at the top of the stairs next to what was then “the wrestling room” during graduation ceremonies. I was the “door monitor.” Students had to return the robes because the school rented them for the occasion. 

My job was to keep students from entering the wrestling room with the robes on because, once inside the room, they had to throw the robe in a cardboard box and pick up their diploma. Disrobing in the room would have seriously disrupted the flow.

End of the graduation ceremony at Monte Vista High - 1984
Principal Pat Carroll is to the lower left in a sport coat and tie. More on him next week.

I enjoyed doing that for two reasons.

I talk about those reasons and finish graduating next week.