One might expect to see fleas outside during the spring, summer or fall, but what about snow fleas outside in the winter time? Believe it or not, there are such insects. 

The Snow flea is a small black critter so primitive that it does not have normal eyes, legs or mouthparts. In fact, it cannot see except for light and dark. Snow flea are insects that feed on decaying organic matter in the soil and are mostly found around areas where there are drains or damp areas. Know this: snow fleas do not carry or transmit disease and cannot bite. Their mouthparts are not capable of doing so.

The funny part about snow fleas is that they are not fleas at all! They are a species of springtail called a hexapod that produces a protein similar to an antifreeze that allows it to survive cold temperatures by not allowing ice crystals to form in its body.

A springtail can jump like a flea at the rate of 4.6 feet per second and 50-100 times its length without landing gracefully; they actually bounce when they land. Snow fleas are easily seen on top of the snow bouncing around but by no means are they only active in the snow. They can be active anytime.

Snow fleas are just another part of diversity in our great creation.

Dear readers,

I ended up with the short end of the wishbone again this Thanksgiving. Wait a second. If you are an old-timer skip the next three paragraphs.

For you younger readers schooled in this modern world of Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Idlehead, but ignorant in the art of using part of a dead animal to get a wish granted, here is a brief tutorial. 

Some dinosaurs and all turkeys have a forked chest bone between their neck and chest. This bone is known as the “wishbone.” It was discovered in ancient times that the person who went home from a feast with the longest piece of this bone would be granted one wish. A contest determines who gets the longest piece of bone.

At the end of the meal two people are chosen for the chance to have their wish granted. Each contestant firmly holds one end of the wishbone. They pull on the bone until it breaks and the one who is left holding the longest piece is granted their wish. 

As I sat there looking at the shorter piece of the wishbone in my hand, I thought about all the people who are down on their luck this holiday season. I suddenly remembered a sign that was hanging in a restaurant when I was a boy. It read, “I complained because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet.”

Somehow getting the short end of the wishbone this year no longer seemed like such a big deal.

Tis the season of giving and many of you will be giving generously to help those who are in need. As a public service, I thought I would mention a local charity. The title of today’s column, “Dedicated to Doing the Most Good,” is the theme of The Salvation Army. 

The Salvation Army may have started in England but has become a part of Americana. An American Christmas scene isn’t complete without a Salvation Army band or bell ringer in the background. You will catch a glimpse when watching the classic Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” 

The 1983 classic “A Christmas Story” not only has the famous “woman’s leg” lamp, but also features a Salvation Army Band in the Christmas parade. They are playing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

A few weeks ago, a reader wrote to complain about all of the grifters out there in both the real and electronic world. When giving to charity it is more important than ever to do a little research. Many of the charities that solicit over the phone, by mail or on social media are scams. 

One of today’s photos is of The Salvation Army building (main photo) located at 136 E. Washington St. The modern brick building was dedicated in 1974. A plaque (photo above) on the wall just inside the entrance lists the names of the community leaders involved. Among those names was Harold Meloy. He was the Shelbyville attorney who taught me how to tie a bow tie.  Next year will be the 50^th anniversary of the building. 

The Salvation Army tradition of raising money at Christmas started in 1891. The first red kettle used to collect coins was a crab pot. Salvation Army members have been ringing a bell and collecting coins in little red pots ever since.

This season, consider tossing in a few coins when you hear the bell ringing. 

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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There are two national holidays in Japan during the month of November.

The first one occurs on Nov. 3 and it commemorates the announcement of the Japanese Constitution on Nov. 3, 1946.  Today, it is widely referred to as “Bunka no hi” or “Culture Day,” a day set aside to reflect upon peace, freedom, and culture. Culture includes traditional culture, academia, and the fine arts of Japan. Most commonly, celebrations are more “recognitions” and often include art exhibitions, parades, and even prestigious award ceremonies for artists and scholars.

Since 1936, an imperial award ceremony has been held on this day called the “Order of Culture.” Presented personally by the Emperor of Japan, it recognizes the work and efforts of those who have achieved great success or made great advances in the areas of scientific research and the arts, like literature, music, or academia.

The nice thing about this award is that it is not only given to Japanese citizens, but can also be awarded to non-Japanese. For example, it was awarded to the Apollo 11 astronauts after their trip to the moon. The ceremony is held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo and it is quite the formal affair.

When I lived in Hirosaki, Aomori, the city would shut down the main street downtown and vendors would open booths where people could stroll the street perusing all the wares on display. I think there was also a parade during some years. Cities choose a variety of ways to commemorate this holiday but generally something related to culture is accentuated on this day. Often times, people will visit local temples and shrines on this day to honor “culture.”

The other November national holiday in Japan is Labor-Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 23. Primarily, this is a day to recognize laborers and workers, including farmers who cultivate the rice harvest, so that is where the “thanksgiving” aspect comes into play, which is very different from the Thanksgiving Day celebrated in the U.S. around the same time.

The Japanese holiday began in 1948 and was set aside to recognize workers for all their hard work. Called “Kinro Kansha no Hi” in Japanese, it had its origins in an ancient ritual called Ninamesai, which was a harvest festival that dates back to the year 678.

During the U.S. occupation of Japan after World War II, there was a push to change Shinto-based holidays to secular ones, but often times the new holiday coincided with the date of a traditional one since people were already used to having a holiday at that particular time.

The main purpose of this holiday is to show gratitude to workers, in other words, being thankful for workers and laborers who work hard and do their jobs well. Often times in train stations or other public areas, elementary students’ artwork will be displayed. These are often in the form of thank you cards with drawings of police officers, fire fighters, medical personnel, teachers, etc., where the children express their gratitude to those who work in the public arena.

I always appreciate and enjoy how creative some students are in their depictions of these workers and how they individually interpret what it is the workers do in their professional jobs.

While Labor-Thanksgiving Day isn’t really a political holiday, it is an opportunity for labor unions to publicly discuss worker’s rights, unions, and the labor movement in general. If the day happens to fall on a Sunday, then the following Monday is celebrated as a day-off where people do not have to go to work, and public and governmental offices are closed, as well as banks.

Because this Japanese holiday occurs close to the American celebration of Thanksgiving, and since it is a national holiday, many Americans will get together to try and have an American-style Thanksgiving feast.

This year, the U.S. Thanksgiving is on Nov. 23, so I am sure that there will be many get-togethers of U.S. citizens and their friends to try to recreate some sort of traditional U.S.-inspired Thanksgiving feast. It is tricky because while you can find turkey in Japan, it tends to be very pricey and Japanese ovens are rather small so it isn’t easy to roast a big turkey.

That’s not to say it can’t be done, though. I have attended many U.S.-styled Thanksgiving feasts in Japan over the years. One of my favorites was at a friend’s, who also owns an English school. She and her husband invite their foreign friends, along with their many Japanese friends and students to have a traditional Thanksgiving feast. While they supply the turkey, and many of the traditional fixings, it was a “pitch-in” so everyone brought food to share, so it always had an interesting and delicious mixture of Western foods and Japanese dishes.

I usually took deviled eggs, which are not normally served in Japan, but Japanese people seem to love them. After the meal, we would stand around her baby grand piano while her son, who is a professional musician, would play holiday songs and we would all sing. I think we also expressed what we were thankful for over the past year.

Another rather amusing and very unofficial holiday that some people casually celebrate in November is “Good Couple Day” which is always on Nov. 22. This is basically a play on words related to the date.

Since November is the eleventh month and depicted as “11,” this sort of looks like “ii” which means “good” in Japanese; “22” can be read as “fufu” which means “a married couple.” So, when combined, it can be read as “ii fufu” or “good couple.”  

Again, this is not a real holiday in the true sense of the word, but it is a cute way to recognize married couples and it gives a couple a chance to exchange gifts on a day other than their anniversary. I have no idea how many couples actively celebrate this made-up holiday but I suspect it is very few. Likely, most people have trouble remembering their wedding anniversaries if married for a long time, so it would be harder to expect a spouse to remember a date in November to celebrate their marriage, unless their anniversary falls on Nov. 22, in which case there is no excuse not to give some sort of a gift to your spouse.  

I hope everyone who celebrates either the U.S. or Japanese Thanksgiving holiday had a wonderful holiday, filled with rest and relaxation, and lots of good food!

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This time of the year it is my belief that we should gain the proper perspective of thankfulness. Did you know that the average human heart beats about 100,000 times per day? Can you believe that the average human takes about 20,000 breaths per day?

Where is this going? It is a reminder that everyone has something to be thankful for, even something so mindless, repetitive and overlooked, yet so important as a heartbeat or breath.

I am thankful for my family, friends, good health and to live in country where my right to worship is protected. I am also very thankful for my customers and my job.  I love my job!

We should be thankful for what we have and not complain about what we don’t have. Thankfulness breeds generosity. Generosity may be giving from our abundance, giving of our time, or simply offering some help or giving a listening ear to someone in need. 

We at Pest Assassins are thankful for our customers and the opportunity to serve our community. If you have a question or a problem, give us a call. Perhaps the information you are looking for can be provided over the phone.

Be grateful, be generous; who knows, this may change the world or at least the world of someone in need. 

Thank you!

Dear readers,

I must admit that I’m disappointed in some of you. You know who you are. Your neighbors know who you are. I’m talking about those of you who forgot that there is a holiday between Halloween and Christmas.

Think really hard. It involves grandma’s house, Pilgrims, Indians, turkeys, a hatchet, noodles, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Oh, I almost forgot one of my favorites, cranberry sauce. I have always been fascinated by the way cranberry sauce retains the look of the can it came in when plopped out on a plate for serving. 

The holiday is Thanksgiving. It all began similar to the way Gilligan’s Island was discovered when the S.S. Minnow ran ashore. Except the Pilgrims’ boat was named the Mayflower and it was grounded when it hit Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims named their new home Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

Being new to the neighborhood, the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag Indians over for a three-day celebration called Thanksgiving. I know some of you find it hard to believe that the first Thanksgiving really lasted for three days. You question how the Pilgrims and Indians could have gotten along for three days when you find it difficult to stay in the same house with your in-laws for a couple of hours. Truth be told, it wasn’t easy for the Indians either.

According to Pilgrim folklore, some members of the Wampanoag tribe were still a bit miffed about the Pilgrims moving into the neighborhood. After all, the Indians had enjoyed having the place all to themselves for over 10,000 years.

The Pilgrims smoothed things over that first Thanksgiving by letting the Indians take the centerpiece home. It was a magnificent goat’s horn overflowing with flowers, fruit, and nuts. Called a cornucopia, it remains a symbol of the holiday.

Almost as an afterthought, the Pilgrims also promised if they ever took over the entire continent, they would name the NFL team in their capital city after the Indians. The Pilgrims kept their promise and that is why every thanksgiving the Dallas Cowboys play the Washington Redskins.  The Redskins had a name change and are now the Commanders. This year’s game will kick off on Thanksgiving at 4:30p.m.

As Paul Harvey always said, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

Today’s photographs:

Loyal Team Schwinn member Jack Yeend has “The Helbing” decorated for Thanksgiving. Honk when driving past “The Helbing” if you see an old guy sitting beneath it in a lawn chair. Jack and I take turns waiving to people as they drive into town. Honking lets us know that our work promoting “The Helbing” is appreciated.

Susie Veerkamp (main photo) strikes a pose with this year’s Thanksgiving entrée.  Susie’s holiday tip, “sharpen your hatchet.”

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

Earwigs just can’t get past their reputation of being evil even though it is unfounded. I am sure you have seen them in the home or outside on occasion in leaf piles or around decaying wood or mulch. An earwig is one of those ugly insects that appear light brown in color and seem to have long pinchers on the end of their body. These misunderstood creatures normally spend most of their lives outside, in basements or crawlspaces; however sometimes they are found inside the home gaining entry through cracks and crevices in the foundation or around loose trim around windows or baseboards.

Most of their activity is at night so it is advised that outside lighting be reduced as to not attract them to the structure. Homeowners can help themselves by eliminating damp crawl areas and by trying to keep a dry attractive border around the home. Over mulching year after year promotes the growth of fungus which is a great food supply for earwigs along with some vegetation.

During the winter months earwigs outside may burrow into the soil below the frost line however overwintering in crawl areas, basements and under slabs is very common and convenient. 

The name earwig comes from the old English words meaning “ear wiggler” or “ear creature”. It is mistakenly believed that these creatures crawl into the ears of humans while sleeping and attach with the pinchers and feed on the human brain.  I admit that this story makes for some good science fiction writings or movies, but it just is not true. 

Those pinchers or forceps are used to hold their insect prey to feed on but are near rubbery in nature and cannot pierce human skin. Earwigs are good mothers, but the young of the humpback earwig does not return the kindness to mom.  When it is time to leave the nest, the young turn to mom for a meal. Mom pays the ultimate price. The practice of eating the mother is called matriphagy. This sounds gross I know, but nature finds a way for survival of the species. 

Earwigs are quite harmless to humans.

Dear readers,

Veterans Day was yesterday. It was originally known as Armistice Day to honor the veterans from the Great War, later known as World War I. It is now a day set aside to honor all military veterans.

I first learned about Armistice Day from my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Frances Liles, and later from my law partner, George Stubbs Sr. They were both among the living in 1918 and knew all about it firsthand.

Mrs. Liles was a friend of Paul Cross when they were both students in high school. Cross was a popular boy in her class, and he died in WWI.  Cross was a basketball player and to this day the award given to the most outstanding player at Shelbyville High School is the Paul Cross Award.

George Stubbs Sr. was a student in grade school on the day WWI ended.  His teacher walked the class from the old Hendricks school to the public square. George told me it seemed like everyone in the county had come to the public square to celebrate. 

Years ago, when writing my Veteran’s Day column, I would always look up a veteran of the Great War to interview. Martin Schultz is the last living WWI veteran that I visited. He taught music at both Southwestern and Shelbyville high schools.

This year I paid a visit to local veteran Chuck Cochran. I found him sitting outside on a beautiful November day with his dog Tucker. The only clouds in the sky were vapor trails left behind by jet airplanes. As an Air Force pilot, Chuck had left contrails across the sky all around the world.

Chuck was a graduate of Shelbyville High School in the class of 1948. He attended Indiana University and planned to be a lawyer. He was following in his father’s footsteps. Ralph Cochran had graduated from I.U. with a law degree in 1919.

Chuck was in his first year of law school in 1953 when he was called to active duty in the Air Force. He owed the Air Force two years of active duty having been in ROTC. Chuck planned on doing those two years and returning to law school.

Commissioned as Second Lieutenant, Chuck was given the responsibility for recruiting civilians for the Ground Observer Corps.  The Air Force had very few radar air defense early warning sites in those days. They depended on volunteers manning observation posts to spot Soviet airplanes. One of the observation posts was in Shelby County. Chuck has donated several items used by the Ground Observer Corps to the Grover Museum for a future display.

Plans change and Chuck’s return to law school was delayed for 25 years.  He entered pilot training and excelled. Chuck enjoyed flying. As an Air Force pilot, he flew 7,000 hours in eight different types of airplanes.  During the Vietnam war, he flew over 200 sorties in the combat zone for which he was credited with 87 missions and received two Air Medals.  

After retiring from the Air Force, Chuck returned to law school. He graduated from the University of Dayton in 1985 and ended his law career as a judge in Ohio. After retiring from his second career, he and his wife Char returned to Shelbyville. 

Chuck played basketball in high school and remains a Golden Bear fan today. He and his wife were regulars for years at all home games. Sadly, Char passed away a few years ago. 

These days, Chuck enjoys spending time with friends and his dog, Tucker. He is also known worldwide as an expert in certain makes of antique automobiles, but that’s another story. 

We should never forget that the freedom we all enjoy was provided by our veterans. To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan: Some spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world, but our veterans don’t have that problem.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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This past summer, fellow columnist Kris Meltzer commented in his column about karaoke and asked if I would write about the history of how karaoke started in Japan. This column will discuss the evolution of karaoke and how it became a worldwide phenomenon.

After a little digging, I found that karaoke started in Kobe, Japan, in 1971 in a small bar. As legend has it, when a scheduled band didn’t show up to perform, the bar owner, in an attempt not to disappoint the customers who planned to attend the concert, decided to put on music and invited the customers to sing along. It was a huge hit, and soon became popular.

The first karaoke machine was called “Juke-8” and was made by the Japanese musician and inventor, Daisuke Inoue. As the story goes, he often played backup music in a club for businessmen who wanted to perform on stage. When he was asked to accompany a client on a trip, but couldn’t go, he made a taped recording of the music for the man to use. And Voilà, karaoke was born.

Sadly, Daisuke Inoue didn’t patent his invention. That was done later in 1975 by Filipino inventor Roberto del Rosario. He is credited with creating the Karaoke Sing-Along system, not so dissimilar from the U.S. NBC’s TV program “Sing Along with Mitch.”

When I arrived in Japan the first time in the late 1970s, I remember going to a club where they had a karaoke machine and people would clamor to go to the stage to belt out their favorite songs. I remember being amused by how passionate everyone was in singing and performing.

When I returned to Japan permanently in the late 1980s, karaoke had become so widespread that it was an established fixture in most bars and clubs, and karaoke boxes (places where you could rent a room to sing privately) had become commonplace.

As a young teacher in 1989 socializing with other teachers, I was always astounded at the transformation of my colleagues from their office or school persona to their karaoke alter ego that would rear itself after a couple of drinks.

The shyest, most reserved teachers would become different people when a microphone was put into their hands and alcohol was pulsing through their bodies. They would gesticulate, and gesture wildly while performing their favorite karaoke song -- singing their little hearts out.

In the early years of karaoke in Japan, it resembled U.S. karaoke today … like an open mic night where people could request a song and sing publicly. While these places still exist, vestiges of the Showa Era (1926-1989), they are not as popular today as they once were. Partly because many Snack Bars, once a fixture of Japanese nightlife during the Bubble-Boom Economy, have become less common.

These were small bars that would often only seat a handful of people where salaried men would become regular customers and even “keep” a bottle with their name on it to drink with colleagues after work. These were/are usually run by an older woman called a “Mama-san” and she would often hire several younger women to pour drinks for the men using a distinctive pricing system. 

“Snack bars” are a cheaper, more budget conscious version of the pricier “hostess clubs” that were also popular during the Showa Era.  

Today, it is far more popular for people to go to actual Karaoke Boxes where many small, private rooms are available for groups of people to sing privately with each other. Even someone alone can rent a room for an hour or two to sing in the largely soundproof room. Food and drinks are available from a menu, so it is like having a private party room to enjoy singing with friends and colleagues.

I know my university students will often times go with friends and classmates to drink and sing for entertainment. Also, retired people will join karaoke groups where they meet and rent a room to sing on a weekly or monthly basis as a social diversion.

When I first started living in Japan in the late 80s, it became clear to me rather quickly that I needed to have a couple of go-to songs in my repertoire when out with colleagues to be able to sing. My favorite karaoke song in those days was “Love me Tender” by Elvis Presley, and “Let it Be” by the Beatles. I also learned a song in Japanese to sing during my early days in Japan, but I have forgotten the name of it, believe it or not.

Thankfully, in my case, the reverb is so strong on these machines that even if you are off tune or can’t carry a note, it is difficult to tell!

Karaoke boxes have stream-lined their offerings making it very simple to reserve a room, no matter how many are in your group or what kind of music or songs you want to sing. These establishments feature a reception counter where customers sign in. Often a first-time customer will be asked to fill out some sort of registration and show a photo ID.

Rooms vary in size, so if you are alone or with just one other person, you can reserve a small room. If it is a big group, then a large room can be reserved. Usually, they like to know an estimated amount of time you plan to be there, and you can order the initial food and drinks to be served in your reserved room.

Pricing and charges depend upon the time of day and day of week. Weekdays are cheaper than a weekend night, for example.  They have a menu of services and this can include an “all you can drink” option for either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, or an a la carte option where people just order what they want.

Of course, the real money is made from the food and drinks, so some establishments have a policy that each customer must order something to eat and a drink up front.

During a peak period (like a national holiday or a Saturday night) for an evening of singing, eating and drinking, a customer can expect to spend anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 yen ($15-$30 at the current exchange rate).

While karaoke is still quite popular as a social activity, I haven’t done it in over 20 years. Not because I dislike it, necessarily, but just because my group of friends currently doesn’t really sing karaoke and I am not a big enough afficionado to go by myself. But if someone suggested going, I would be open to it … sort of like bowling, while it is not something I do frequently, when I have an opportunity to go bowling, I enjoy the experience, even though I bowl about as well as I sing karaoke!

Did you know that moles have twice as much blood and red hemoglobin as other mammals of the same size? I am sure that this subject is not exactly discussed during conversations with friends around the table while drinking morning coffee, but they are interesting concepts that should be considered. 

The large number of red blood cells allows moles to breath better in an underground environment that contains low oxygen and high levels of carbon monoxide. This is nothing less than a miracle of nature!

One might think that going into the winter season there would be less of a problem with moles, however, that is not the case. Moles can stay active twelve months out of the year. 

Breeding starts in February with young being born in March and April yielding three to five young called “pups.” During breeding season, several moles can inhabit a relatively small area; otherwise, they are very territorial and not very social. In fact, there may not be more than 3 to 5 moles per acre of ground most of the year and they will vigorously defend their area.

One mole can travel up to 100 feet per day collecting their food supply. About 90% of a mole’s diet is earthworms leaving about 5% of its diet grubs and another 5% of the diet other insects. 

The best plan is to take action against moles in one’s yard by trapping or using baits to eliminate the pest. Research shows that pinwheels and ultra sonic devices are ineffective.

If you need help, feel free to call for a consultation and evaluation of your problem. Don’t let moles ruin your yard and landscaping causing damage that may "trip" you up.

Dear readers,

Just like Billy Pilgrim, a character in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five, I found myself unstuck in time this week.

I bounced around from the 19^th century to the present. I was in a one room schoolhouse with my grandfather. I visited my friend Steve Marcopulos in 1961when his family relocated to Shelbyville, the city of progress. I drifted in a small boat through Fantasyland. Little animatrons frolicked in the atmosphere of global peace singing, “It’s a Small World.” 

My time travel was somehow triggered by the visit from the delegates from Shelbyville’s sister city, Shizuoka City. It has been 35 years since the sister city relationship was established. A street in Shelbyville is being named in honor of Yuichiro Ichikawa. He is the president of the Kambara International Exchange Society and has been instrumental in building the successful relationship between the cities. 

I recently met Mr. Ichikawa and Mayor Takashi Nanba along with the other delegates from our sister city. It was a rainy day. The delegation from Japan was touring Fischer Seeds and had planned on going for a walk in Meltzer Woods. Due to the rain, they stopped by the one room schoolhouse on Meltzer farm instead. 

My grandfather, Brady, and his sister, Cora, were students at the school in the late 19^th century. A framed photograph of their class is hanging on the wall. I looked closely at the faces in the photograph. They looked surprisingly happy even though none of them had electricity or indoor plumbing in their homes. 

The children in the photograph are now fertilizing daffodils, just like the students whose photos were hanging in the school in the movie, “Dead Poets Society.”  Robin Williams character claimed, if you listened closely, you could hear those children from the past whispering “Seize the day.”

I don’t know if Brady, Cora, and their classmates were whispering to seize the day, but looking very closely, I could tell by their faces that they never imagined a delegation from Japan would someday visit their school. I never imagined such a visit when I was in school and I started in 1961.

The future looked bright. The interstate was coming through Shelbyville and General Electric had just built a big factory at the east edge of town.  Several families had moved to town with General Electric, including my new friend, Steve Marcopulos. Famous actor and future President Ronald Reagan hosted the TV show, “General Electric Theater.”  Shelbyville was in the big time.

No company was more American than General Electric. Beginning with Thomas Edison’s light bulb to jet engines, GE was living up to their slogan, “We bring good things to life.”

Only a few years later when I was in high school, Steve and his family moved to Singapore. His father was being transferred to a General Electric facility on the other side of the world. 

General Electric brings both products and jobs to over 150 countries.  Unfortunately for many in Shelbyville, the local GE plant closed, and those jobs went elsewhere. GE started in America but like most large companies is now international. As a boy, I never saw a Toyota or Honda automobile on the streets of Shelbyville.  Now both are not only common but are made in Indiana. 

Lucky for the citizens of Shelbyville, Mr. Ichikawa has been working with our city administrations for 35 years bringing jobs to our city of progress. 

I spent a wonderful rainy afternoon in the old schoolhouse with the Japanese delegation from our sister city. I learned a few things. Three take-a-ways for me were as follows:

• I really do need to visit Japan. Somehow my lame jokes, when filtered through a Japanese interpreter, are much funnier.
• Yuichiro Ichikawa’s 35 years of dedication supporting our sister city relationship certainly merits the naming of a street in his honor. However, if you happen to live on that street, be prepared to spell the name whenever giving your address.
• Walt Disney was right all those years ago when he opened the “It’s a Small World” boat ride in Disneyland. My apologies to all of you who have the song now playing in your head just from me mentioning it. It’s still playing in mine.

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.

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