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Issue 890
THE DONNER PARTY WAS A PARTY YOU DID NOT WANT AN INVITATION TO JOIN! by Lindsey Harrison 
“Nothing prompts creativity like poverty, a feeling of hopelessness, and a bit of panic.”
– Catherine Tate, English actress It’s official. Winter is coming. The cold weather is closing in and it’s dark at 5:00 p.m. If you found yourself stranded out in a strange land with little to protect yourself from the cold other than the clothes on your back, you might feel a bit impoverished. Not having enough of the essentials will do that to a person. You might even feel hopeless, especially if you knew there was nothing you could do to change your situation for the better. And, it’s probably fair to say that you might start to feel a little panicky if you realized the food you had rationed was dwindling rapidly with no way to replace it. In that type of situation, yes, it’s likely that you would become very creative in your attempts to stay alive. And that’s just what the doomed Donner Party did. We’ve all heard the story about how they ate each other to stay alive and if you hadn’t before, you have now! There’s definitely more to the story than the fact that these poor settlers found themselves resorting to cannibalism to survive. That’s why we at Snippetz decided to put ourselves right in the thick of things to relay what happened, why it happened, and perhaps make you that much more grateful to have the ability to go to your fridge for food, rather than attempting to “borrow” your brother’s thigh, however tasty it may appear. SETTING OUT Let’s make one thing clear from the get-go: the Donner Party never intended to eat each other to survive. Their goal was to trek across the open plains and treacherous mountain ranges between their starting point in Illinois and their desired destination 2,500 miles away in California. Obviously, things didn’t go the way they had planned, but it’s important to remember these were everyday average people, just like you and that nice lady sitting next to you, who found themselves in an unspeakably terrible situation that called for drastic measures of the highest level. So, no judging, alright? The date was April 16, 1846. Brothers George and Jacob Donner, who had already done pretty well for themselves and their families in Springfield, Illinois, joined forces with businessman James Reed to head west in search of greater wealth and prosperity. The men rounded up others who wanted to see what life west of the Mississippi had in store for them. The original group of travelers included nine wagons and 32 people, although the final number would grow to 87 as others joined the wagon train along the way. They planned to follow a route outlined in a book called “The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California,” written by Lansford Hastings, which proposed a shortcut that would save the travelers several days and make the trip hundreds of miles shorter. WHAT WENT WRONG? Hindsight is 20/20, right? It’s always easy to see the missteps in life when you’ve already gone through them and suffered the consequences. Unfortunately, the Donner Party, as they came to be known, didn’t have the luxury of hindsight to guide them and their missteps proved to be deadly. So, what were they? Well, for starters, following the path outlined in Hastings’s book was certainly a huge one. That route had never actually been used so even though it was touted to be an easier trek, it proved to be entirely the opposite. Another major misstep was James Reed’s outright hubris; he was so darn sure of himself and this little trip he had planned that he severely underestimated the difficulty ahead. For instance, while Reed probably had his heart in the right place, the decision to bring his mother-in-law, Sarah Keyes, along even though she was already gravely ill, was bad. And that’s putting it mildly. But add to that the fact that Reed insisted on bringing along a wagon he had stuffed to the gills with all sorts of things that probably weren’t necessary, like a built-in cast iron stove for cooking. Imagine how heavy that darn thing was all by itself! His wagon was weighted down with so many similar luxury items that his own daughter, Virginia, called their lead wagon “The Pioneer Palace Car.” Until the end of June, the party made few missteps and actually reached their stop at Fort Laramie in present-day Wyoming just one week later than they had anticipated. But that stop also proved to be the jumping off point for a major misstep, taken by none other than James Reed! He encountered a man named James Clyman while at Fort Laramie, and Clyman relayed his experiences along the Hastings trail, which Reed planned to take. Clyman strongly advised against taking the train along that route, stating that the road was simply impossible for wagons to use. Reed, apparently succumbing to his hubris once again, ignored the warnings. When the Donner Party left Fort Laramie, they had picked up several other wagons as part of their train and were apparently bolstered by a letter they received from Hastings himself. It stated that he would meet the train at Fort Bridger where he would then lead them to his shortcut. Although it would be difficult to fault the travelers for trusting the letter, it turned out to be yet another misstep that sealed the party’s fate. On July 19, the party reached the fork in the road, so to speak. The route to the north would take them along the good ole wagon trail that every other settler had used, while the other would lead them to Hastings’s shortcut. The majority of the party decided to split off from the group and headed along the northern route, but the doomed Donner Party stuck with the southern route (another misstep) which would lead them to Fort Bridger. Supposedly, Hastings would be waiting for them there. Seriously, we could keep this up all day. That poor Donner Party made mistake after mistake, including the decision to continue down a path that was clearly too difficult for their group. Bottom line: they really sunk themselves. IN THE END . . . Without going into too much detail, we’ll tell you that the Donner Party ended up losing cattle to attacks by Native American tribes in the area, turned on each other which resulted in at least one confirmed murder, and found themselves snowbound. They tried everything they could think of to forge ahead but in the end, they were stuck at what is now known as Donner’s Lake, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains and winter had already set in. With four months of impassable trails ahead of them, the Donner Party did the best they could to survive the frigid weather with supplies that were never going to be sufficient. In the end, they resulted to cannibalism to survive. Several rescue parties were dispatched to save the surviving members of the party but even those parties were hit with misfortune. Of the 87 members that were considered part of the Donner Party, only 46 survived. ANOTHER THEORY?? Of course, the accounts made by the remaining members of the Donner Party differed and fingers were pointed at one another, placing blame on various people for various things. We will probably never know the exact goings-on during that harrowing time in these people’s lives but one author, Alma Katsu, uses an imaginative approach in relaying their story, while taking a bit of artistic license. In her book, “The Hunger,” she weaves fact and science fiction to create a tale that leaves readers wondering where the line between reality and imagination exists. If you haven’t read it, do. If someone as prolific and talented as Stephen King recommends it, you know it’s gotta be good! Issue 891
DEVASTATION OF THE DUST BOWL by Lindsey Harrison “Houses were shut tight, and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes.” – John Steinbeck, American author In this day and age, we have so many things, creature comforts if you will, that it sometimes seems strange to think that we ever lived without them. Consider robotic vacuums, for instance. Not that everyone has one but those that do seem pretty darn happy with the results of having their floors swept every day without them really having to lift a finger. And what about online grocery ordering? Place your order, go pick it up and just like that your family has everything they need to eat! There are so many other examples that it’s a bit tough to pick just a few but that’s just what we did. Why, you ask? Those creature comforts are things that we often take for granted. We complain when they don’t work but we don’t have the slightest clue how bad life can really be. To put it all into perspective we thought we at Snippetz would take a trip back to a devastating time in our country’s history: the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. So settle down into that clean, comfortable chair and sip that coffee that you can reheat in your microwave when it gets cold and while you’re reading, be grateful for those small things! WHAT WAS THE DUST BOWL? Technically speaking, the Dust Bowl wasn’t just one event. It was a series of dust storms that began in 1932 and continued sporadically for several years, but most people consider the Dust Bowl to be the biggest and most impactful storm of them all. That storm swept through the Midwest of the United States on Sunday, April 14, 1935. Just to let you know how bad it was in a couple words, that Sunday came to be known as “Black Sunday,” and was nothing like the “Black Friday” we enjoy after Thanksgiving. It’s known as such because the massive storm, which was actually the result of about 20 dust storms converging, resulting in a false nighttime, as witnesses who experienced it firsthand said they couldn’t even see five feet in front of their faces. Imagine watching that storm slowly descend on your town . . . not much sounds scarier! OK, so it was a huge dust storm, so what? Here’s what: that dust had to go somewhere. It wasn’t just going to disappear into the sky, never to be seen again. No, it came back down in a blanket of grit and dirt, literally burying vehicles, houses, everything in its path beneath feet – yes, FEET – of dust. The quote from John Steinbeck that we highlighted earlier on paints a decent picture of what conditions across the Midwest were like, but truly, the devastation was more than just having a little extra dust in your house. To really understand why it was so bad, we need to back up a bit. WHAT CAUSED THE DUST BOWL? Ordinarily, when you hear that farmers are having a lot of success with their crops, it’s a good thing. But not when those farmers have success with their crops at the expense of the earth beneath them. Consider this: one farmer has a great few years of crops and his cattle are grazing the day away in his lush pastures. But eventually, those pieces of land get overworked and the only way to bring them back is to give them a rest! But farmers for generations prior to the Dust Bowl had been working the land to death and allowing their animals to literally strip the land bare. Now, take that one farmer and multiply it by a couple thousand. You can start to see how every farmer doing the same thing to their large plots of land could result in something like the Dust Bowl. There were no longer any crops to keep the dirt in place and to act as windbreaks. And then there’s the pastures that were literally grazed to death. The dirt beneath those native grasslands was swept up as well. Ever heard of supply and demand? When supply goes up, if demand doesn’t rise at the same rate, you end up with a surplus, which drives down the price of that particular product. So, when all these successful farmers were inundating the market with their crops, the prices dropped. And in order to make up for their losses, the farmers had to sell more, which they decided meant they needed to grow more. You can see how it became a vicious cycle that was a recipe for disaster. To make matters worse, the entire Midwest had just entered one of the worst droughts, meaning the crops weren’t growing and the dust was getting, well, dustier! Farmers across the country were forced to abandon their land and many went broke, leaving themselves and their families literally starving. Oh, and let’s not forget that record-breaking heat added to the really nasty conditions people had to endure. DUST BOWL DEVASTATION So, we know what brought on the Dust Bowl: a series of unfortunate (and in some cases, preventable) events. But what did that actually mean for people across the country? It obviously didn’t affect just the farmers and their families. The dust storms weren’t picky about who they chose to dump their load upon. Starting in 1932, when more than twelve such storms swept across the nation, thousands upon thousands of pounds of dust were showered down on everything in their path. In 1933, the number of dust storms reached 38. But the first massive storm hit in 1934, prompting the new term “black blizzard” to become a mainstay of people’s vocabulary, sadly enough. And reports came in that ships as far as 300 miles into the Atlantic Ocean from the shore were dusted with the storm’s payload! We already talked about the biggest of the storms, the one that hit on April 14, 1935. It was terrible, to say the least, resulting in hundreds of people dying from dust pneumonia. Think about that for a second: pneumonia is an excess of fluid in your lungs, so dust pneumonia is caused by dust in your lungs. Livestock died from the poor conditions, malnutrition was a way of life and there was just no end in sight. Thankfully, the U.S. government realized they needed to step in and in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Soil Conservation Act which created regulations to prevent over-grazing and poor farming practices. STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES’ MOUTHS What better way to understand what life was like during the Dust Bowl than to hear from people who experienced it! Herman Goertzen: “I remember one particular one . . . it was like a black wall that went over that area, south of us, there. It went through, and it was just like shutting a barn door. It was that dark, that black, and then it eventually came to our area.” Avis D. Carlson: “The impact is like a shovelful of fine sand flung against the face. People caught in their own yards grope for the doorstep. Cars come to a standstill, for no light in the world can penetrate that swirling murk . . . We live with the dust, eat it, sleep with it, watch it strip us of possessions and the hope of possessions. It is becoming Real.” Stanley Jensen: “People hung up sheets over their windows to try to keep the dust out. But, of course, houses were not very tight, and stuff sifted in. The road ditches drifted full of dust and dirt and silt, just like snow. And then, of course, it didn’t rain and we didn’t raise hardly any crops. And then the grasshoppers came in and ate what was there.” LeRoy Hankel: “But the whole sky in the west, as far as you – just a black cloud. That’s the way it looked. But it was dirt and that’s all we got out of it. We all got dirt.” Issue 892 - 12/3/2018
COLD AND FLU SEASON IS HERE BUT SNIPPETZ HAS SOME ADVICE! by Lindsey Harrison 
“Health is not valued ‘til sickness comes.”
– Thomas Fuller, English clergyman It’s that time of year again, when everyone seems to be sniffling. Perhaps it’s just allergies but quite often, it ends up being one of the seemingly millions of strains of the cold or flu virus floating around out there. No one knows better than this writer, who was up for third night in a row with a sick kiddo. It’s definitely not a fun scenario. But with the advent of the internet and all those fun “diagnose yourself” websites, it can be hard to accurately determine what type of illness you’re dealing with. And let’s not forget that everything on the internet is true (total sarcasm there, guys) so when it comes to treating the illness with which you have diagnosed yourself, there’s definitely some gray area that needs to be cleared up. Now, we at Snippetz are not doctors and don’t claim to be. That said, this article is not intended to diagnose or provide treatment to anyone. If you are sick and think you need to see a healthcare professional, please do so! If you’re looking for some interesting information about colds and flus to make today your best day ever, keep reading! You’re gonna love what we’ve got for you. COLD VERSUS FLU For those of us who are not healthcare professionals, it can be difficult to ascertain which type of illness we or our loved ones are dealing with. In truth, the symptoms of a cold are very similar to the symptoms of the flu. But there are differences and according to the Center for Disease Control, the following are the differences that may help you determine what you’ve got! Note that for the flu, the onset of these symptoms is abrupt while for a cold, the onset is gradual. Symptoms:
While this list is a good jumping off point, the best way to determine what you’re dealing with is to see a healthcare professional. Although it’s not terribly common, the flu can result in serious health problems if left untreated; usually, a cold will run its course in 7-10 days and does not result in serious health problems. HOW TO AVOID GETTING SICK (MAYBE) Let’s say you’re at the grocery store and you have a long list of items you need to purchase. You’ll probably need a cart, right? Well, the handles of those carts are prime places for cold and flu germs to hang out, just waiting to infect the next unsuspecting shopper. But you may be able to avoid catching those germs by using the handy wipes provided by the grocery store or by using your own hand sanitizing wipes . . . which, of course, assumes you have them with you! As you can see, sometimes avoiding a cold or the flu takes additional planning on your part. However, certain things like washing your hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and water don’t require much forethought. If you haven’t had the chance to wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth when possible. Also, as difficult as it may be, one of your best defenses is to simply avoid people who are sick. HOW TO KEEP FROM SPREADING A COLD OR THE FLU (MAYBE) Clearly you didn’t listen to our tips from above if you are already sick and looking to keep from spreading your germs to others. How irresponsible. Anyway, there are ways you can protect those around you from getting the same bug you’re suffering from. Sneezing is a major one. No, you can’t control whether or not you need to sneeze. Sometimes you can hold it in by plugging your nose but that’s a temporary solution and certainly not recommended. But considering that a study conducting at MIT (the Manhattan Institute of Technology) showed sneezes can travel up to 200 feet, it makes sense to block them when you can. The recommended way to do this is to sneeze into your elbow rather than your hands, since you’ll likely be touching things with your hands but not with the inner part of your elbow . . . unless you’re really weird. The same principle applies to coughing. Use the inner part of your elbow when you can. Wash your hands frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces so other people don’t pick up your germs from those surfaces. Remember that rest helps your body fight the germs so if you can take a sick day, do it! Stay in bed and binge-watch your favorite show on Netflix. It’s totally worth it. FEED A COLD, STARVE A FEVER? We say maybe to both of our above methods of avoiding or spreading a cold or the flu because there is no guarantee that, even if you do all of these things, you won’t get sick. If you have kids who attend public school, you know all too well what kind of germy cesspool those places are. Your kid could be the best at washing their hands but the kid sitting next to them might sneeze right in their face and then, well, your kid brings home those germs to you and the next thing you know, the whole family is sick! You probably know that there is no cure for the common cold . . . and flu remedies aren’t 100 percent effective either. But if you’re wondering about some of those old wives’ tales for cold remedies, we’ve for what you’re looking for! Let’s start with the “feed a cold, starve a fever” one. Experts say there is no scientific evidence to support this method. For both colds and the flu, you need to stay well hydrated and eat things your stomach can handle. Your body can’t fight off the germs if it has no resources to do so, and food and liquids provide those resources. Dirty socks Yup, dirty socks were considered a cold remedy at one point in time. The idea was to layer chicken fat or lard on your throat and then wrap a dirty sock around it. Although there’s no clear reason why, the motivation behind this remedy may have been to induce sweating, which people believed helped a person get rid of the germs in their body. Ick. Pass. Gogol mogul This “yummy” remedy comes from eastern Europe and consists of a half-cup of warm milk mixed with a tablespoon of unsalted butter, an egg yolk and a teaspoon of honey or sugar. Again, no scientific evidence supports the claim that this is a cold remedy, but it’s believed that the “silky” texture of the egg may soothe a sore throat. Again, hard pass. Horse saliva and wolf liver in wine A common remedy for a cold in ancient Roman times called for a “wolf’s liver, administered in mulled wine,” to help cure a cough. That’s straight from physician Pliny the Elder’s Natural History. He also suggested drinking horse saliva for three days. Nope. Just nope. Roasted mouse Uhhh, what? Why in the world would consuming a roasted rodent help with a cold? We’re not sure but apparently, it’s an old superstition from the United Kingdom. Onions (in milk) Onions were frequently used as a remedy for a cough or sneezing but not everyone enjoys a nice big bite of a raw onion. Allegedly, those who refused the onion by itself would be offered a glass of milk with the onion in it. Issue 893
SNIPPETZ VISITS THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT by Lindsey Harrison “The sanctity of our battlefields, monuments, and veterans institutions is of utmost importance to preserve military history and pay respect to those who fought.” – Henry Waxman, American politician In just about any movie featuring Washington, D.C. you’ll likely see at least one of the following structures: The White House, the Washington Monument, the United States Capitol building or the Lincoln Monument. There’s a good reason for that. Those structures are recognizable. Which is probably a good thing considering they represent people who are pretty important to our country’s story – past, present and future. If you knew nothing about our country or these structures, most of them are self-explanatory. The Lincoln Memorial is a (gasp!) memorial of president Abraham Lincoln and looks just like him, sitting there all huge and important. Both the White House and the Capitol building make sense for what they are as well. But the Washington Monument, a massive obelisk – which is a stone pillar, usually square or rectangular in shape with a pyramidal top – doesn’t exactly scream “First President of the United States of America.” In fact, there are many similar monuments around the world that are clearly not meant to memorialize George Washington. But the one in D.C. is meant to do just that. It was built with other purposes in mind as well, which is why we at Snippetz decided there’s no time like the present to make those purposes (plus other cool stuff) known! THE CHECKERED PAST OF THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT Contrary to what you may believe, the Washington Monument was not some structure that was designed and built in a timely fashion so as to appropriately honor our nation’s first president. In fact, the monument we see today is not what was originally planned. It’s a modification of one planned by architect Robert Mills, the winner of the design contest put forth by the Washington Monument Society. Mills wanted the 600-foot-tall obelisk to have a flat top rather than pyramidal and feature a circular colonnade at the base. On top of that colonnade, Mills envisioned a statue of Washington wearing a toga and driving a chariot. In addition, he planned to include statues of 30 other Revolutionary heroes beside Washington’s, although to be honest, it’s probably good that none of that ever came to fruition. Can you imagine how random and out-of-place a Roman-esque statue of George Washington would be in our nation’s capital today? Mills’s idea, which was approved in 1836, was actually the second version of the Washington Monument to be approved by the government of the newly-formed U.S.A. After the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, Congress approved the construction of a statue of Washington riding a horse, as was common of statues of generals at the time. So what happened? If they approved the monument, why didn’t it get built? Those are darn good questions and the only answer is that the Washington Monument Society approved the idea without then initiating the planning and construction of the monument. What’s worse is that George Washington died in 1799, long before any actual work on his monument was every begun. OK, so things got off to a bumpy start. But surely, once Mills’s plan was approved, construction began and that was the that, right? Nope. Construction didn’t begin until 1848 when the monument’s cornerstone was laid. Great! Finally! So, everything must have run smoothly from then on, right? Nope again. The structure stalled out at 152 feet, definitely nowhere near the height Mills had imagined. THE KNOW-NOTHING PARTY That’s the part of the story where this oddly-named group of people, the Know-Nothing Party, came into play. Interestingly enough, this group took over control of the Washington Monument Society in 1854, the same year that funding for the project ran out, causing the stall we mentioned above. Technically, it was Congress’s fault that funding ran out; they didn’t particularly like the Know-Nothing group and cut funding for the project the group oversaw. That didn’t stop the Know-Nothings from trying to work on the monument, though. They used what little knowledge they had and continued construction, but their shoddy workmanship had to be taken down later on. So, here it is, 1860 and the monument is STILL only 152 feet tall. The Know-Nothings quit the Washington Monument Society and with the onset of the Civil War not long after, the monument was put on the back burner and with good reason. But even when the war ended in 1865, construction was still not a major priority and the monument sat for another 11 years. LET’S FINISH THIS THING ALREADY! Apparently, the 100th anniversary of our country’s founding spurred something in our government because they realized it was about time they finished the Washington Monument. Sadly, Mills wasn’t around anymore and his design was modified to become the monument as we know it today. No colonnade with chariots and togas. And thankfully, someone had the presence of mind to question whether or not the ground at the site could sustain the weight of such a massive structure. The consensus was that the obelisk would be too heavy at 600 feet so the plan was to taper it off at 555 feet and 5 inches. The Washington Monument was officially completed in 1885. If only George Washington had managed to hand on until his 156th birthday, he would’ve been able to enjoy the monument built in his honor. You’ve probably already guessed that the change in color we observe in the Washington Monument now is because of the stop in construction many years before and you would be correct. The materials were slightly different, resulting in slightly different colors and a very clear reminder of how something as honorable as a monument to our first president can be marred by in-fighting and politics. WASHINGTON MONUMENT SNIPPETZ
Issue 894 - 12/17/2018
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY... MONEY! by Lindsey Harrison 
“Money is not the most important thing, but when you need it, there are few substitutes. So while I like the things money can buy, I love what money won’t buy. It bought me a house but it won’t buy me a home. It would buy me a companion but it won’t buy me a friend.”
– Zig Ziglar, American author Unless you’re a money-hungry miser, and we know NONE of our Snippetz readers are anything remotely like that, the words of Zig Ziglar ring true. It’s definitely nice to have money and there are certainly times when we NEED money. But to assume that money is the most important thing is inherently wrong. Plenty of people have shown us that you don’t need money to be happy. Sure, it makes things easier, but have you ever sat back and actually looked at a dollar bill? What makes it so special? We, as a species, have attached a massive amount of meaning to money. It’s literally a piece of paper (granted, not just any old piece of paper) with some writing on it. Why does one particular piece with a “50” written on it get you so much more than a piece with a “1” written on it? At some point, we all had to agree that these items mean something more than the sum of their parts, so to speak. Our society, and really just about any society on the face of the planet, has done the same thing. Perhaps not with pieces of paper; let’s not forget that we also have coins. While we don’t intend to try to unravel the mystery behind currency in general, we at Snippetz thought we should “pay” attention to how our monetary system developed over time. It makes “cents” to check it out! IN THE BEGINNING . . . Although it might be a bit of a surprise, for the first 70 years of our country’s existence, paper money was the standard form of currency. In today’s society, our money is issued by the federal government, but back then, private entities issued the money. Imagine this: roughly 8,000 different entities are all printing and distributing their own money. There was no standard in how it had to look, what type of paper it needed to be printed on, nothing like that. As you may have guessed, that made counterfeiting a huge problem (or extremely easy, if you’re the one doing the counterfeiting). With so many different “flavors” of paper money out there, it would be nearly impossible to ensure that each and every bill was accurately screened. Now, the Continental Congress was our governing body as our so-to-be country fought for independence from England in the American Revolution, right? Yep. And that governing body decided to issue currency, often called “Continentals” to help fund the American Revolutionary War. However, these Continentals were easily faked, just like all the other paper currency that had floated around during this time. Additionally, they were issued “in anticipation” of tax revenues and not backed by anything, causing them to become devalued fairly quickly. Anyway, the southern states decided to secede from the United States and become their own country, called the Confederate States. This launched the Civil War in 1861. The Union, or the north, realized the problem they faced with using paper money that could be faked so easily and thus, people began to rely on gold and silver as their main form of currency, which they had done for years prior to the American Revolution. The Confederate States apparently didn’t see the risk involved and decided the best way to fund their part of the war was to just print more money. As you can imagine, inflation resulted and the cost of goods and services was out of control. In fact, the Confederate States printed the equivalent of $1 billion during the war. Yikes! While the Union did ultimately print their own money, called the Demand Note, the point of said note was to allow the holder to immediately (or “on demand”) redeem it for its worth in gold. The Demand Note was replaced by the Legal Tender Note or the United States Notes, which were referred to as “greenbacks” because of the green tint they featured. Given that photography was on the rise, but could only done in black and white, the green discouraged people from using photography as a means to counterfeit the notes. By the time the Civil War ended in 1865 and the United States of America was once again a single nation, the National Banking Act had been passed to create a standardized national currency. In 1866, the National Bank Note, which was backed by the federal government, helped stabilize the economy and the value of currency by replacing the 8,000 private currency notes that were circulating. Of course, the road was bumpy and the economy hit rough patches in 1893 and 1907. But the Federal Reserve Act was passed in 1913, which helped regulate the flow of currency and also authorized ONLY the federal government to produce said currency. IT’S ALL IN THE DESIGN Over the years, our money has undergone alterations in the design, size, etc. For instance, in 1929, the size of paper currency was reduced by 25 percent. Additional security measures, like a security thread and microprinting were incorporated in 1990 and by 1993, those features are part of all denominations except the $1 bill. In 2000, to further discourage counterfeiting, the U.S. Treasury introduced redesigned versions of the $5 and $10 bills. So, with all these new-fangled security measures to prevent counterfeiting outfits, our currency is not longer ever counterfeited, right? Wrong. And yes, we know you knew that was wrong. Anyway, there are some ways that you, the average person, can spot a counterfeit: Look for differences between the suspected counterfeit note and one that is genuine. Pay attention to the paper’s quality and characteristics and the quality of the printing. The saw-tooth points on the seals for the Federal Reserve and Treasury are clear, easy to make out, and sharp, while on a counterfeit bill, the seals could have broken, uneven or blunt saw-tooth points. On a genuine bill, the border lines are clear and unbroken, while a counterfeit bill may have a blurry or indistinct border. Remember those red and blue specks we talked about? Well, in a genuine bill, those specks are fibers actually embedded throughout the paper. In a counterfeit bill, those specks are often just printed on the paper. Look closely! MONEY SNIPPETZ
Issue 895 12/24/2018
MERRY CHRISTMAS (TREES & WREATHS) by Lindsey Harrison 
“It’s always a wonderful time to be able to settle down by the fire, enjoy the Christmas tree and the decorations, and just spend time with the ones you love and surround yourself with the people that you don’t get to see enough throughout the year.”
– Jay DeMarcus, American musician Christmas is finally here! If you’re under the age of 18, you’re likely thrilled and anxiously awaiting the morning when you can finally run downstairs to the Christmas tree and rip open all the presents left underneath for you. If you’re over 18 (or at least have kids yourself), you’re glad that the season is ending and hoping your kids sleep later than 5:30 a.m. on Christmas morning. Regardless of what Christmas morning will be like for you this year, there’s one thing we can all pretty much count on: having that special time with your family around the Christmas tree. Maybe you have a fake tree because pine needles are a pain the in the butt or perhaps you have a real tree because nothing says Christmas like the smell of a fresh-cut evergreen. Either way, that tree is still the center of Christmas morning for families around the world. But why? Have you ever sat back to wonder why we bring in a tree from outside just to decorate it and then give it the old heave-ho when Christmas is over? If you haven’t, fine. But we at Snippetz have and we have also been curious about why we cut up branches from pine trees, put them in a circle and hang them on our doors, above our fireplaces, etc. This year, we decided to unwrap the history about the origins of Christmas trees and wreaths, so get your favorite mug, fill it with some hot chocolate or tea and sit by your Christmas tree as you read all about it! WHAT’S WITH THE PINE TREE? Of all the trees available to people around the world, pine trees sort of makes sense for the tree we use as our Christmas trees. But let’s be real for a minute. If we’re going to say that the Christmas tree is part of how we celebrate the birth of Christ (which is, after all, the “reason for the season”), why wouldn’t we have picked a tree that can easily be found someplace near Bethlehem, where Jesus was born? Even a simple Google search will tell you that pine trees weren’t exactly plentiful in that region. Honestly, a palm tree might have been a better choice. So, again we ask, what gives? Well, let’s first look at the symbolism behind the choice and then we can look at who thought this whole thing up (because it certainly wasn’t Jesus and his parents). Christians use evergreen trees to celebrate Christmas because it symbolizes the everlasting life they believe they have with God. But pagans also use evergreens in their celebration of the winter solstice, which just happens to occur a couple days before Christmas. They often brought in branches of evergreens because it gave them a visible reminder that spring would be coming back around soon. Let’s not forget that we are also looking into the origins of wreaths, which this certainly speaks to!! OK, so that’s a general idea of how we got around to using evergreens, but who actually started it all? Supposedly, there’s an ongoing feud about who came up with the idea between the cities of Tallinn, Estonia, and Riga, Latvia. Each city claims to have erected the first-ever Christmas tree, with Estonia laying claim to one in 1441 and Latvia to one in 1510. We will probably never know for certain who can claim the title as “First Person/Country to Have a Christmas Tree” in the sense that we know of today. But records indicate that the first person to have a Christmas tree that was brought into their house, rather than left where it was and decorated in place, could have been Martin Luther, the German preacher from the 1500s. Of course, there’s only so much documentation that speaks to how people chose to decorate for the holidays back then. WHAT ABOUT THE WREATH? Wreaths have been around for a pretty long time, from the Romans who hung them on their doors as a sign of elevated status in society to the Greeks who presented wreaths to the winners of sporting events. But neither of those customs really addresses how we got the tradition of making Christmas wreaths. The name “wreath” sounds kind of obscure unless you know its origins. “Wreath” comes from the old English word “writhen” which means “to writhe” or “to twist.” So, let’s say you are a Christian in the olden days (like, before 1900, not the 1990s like one writer’s kids seem to think). You want to make a wreath because that’s what you do. How do you get those evergreen branches to form a circle? You “twist” them into one! Get it? OK, now you know what the word wreath is used to describe, well, wreaths. But why? Why do we even make them in the first place, right? Well, the same idea Christians had about Christmas trees, that they symbolized the ever-lasting life found in God, applies to the wreath. There’s more to it than that, though. The evergreens symbolize eternal life in God, but so does the circular shape. Where does a circle begin and end? No one knows; therefore you could say it’s never-ending, which is how Christians view the love and strength of God. The wreath came to be so symbolic that Catholics actually used it to mark Advent, which is the first season of the Christian church year and the weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent wreaths, which are not hung but placed on a table, feature four candles. Three of them symbolize penance and expectation and are purple, while the fourth (usually a pink or light rose color) symbolizes the coming joy of Jesus’s birth. Each Friday of Advent (the four weeks prior to Christmas), one candle is lit at dinner and a prayer is said. CHRISTMAS TREE AND WREATH SNIPPETZ
Issue 896
PREDICTIONS FOR 2019 by Lindsey Harrison 
“I find that predicting the course of our lives is like predicting the weather. You might be able to predict your future in the short term, but the longer you look ahead, the less likely you are to be correct.”
– Leonard Mlodinow, American physicist Christmas has come and gone and for many of us, it may feel like there’s not much to look forward to, except those credit card bills that will reflect all the gifts we bought, and that’s just no fun. “Another day older and deeper in debt,” or so says the No. 1 hit song from 1955 by Tennessee Ernie Ford, “Sixteen Tons.” But it’s almost a new year and with the new year often comes resolutions about how to make life better. Usually it’s something about wanting to eat better, exercise more, spend less, that type of thing. Not everyone is making resolutions about the new year, though. Some people, companies, etc. are making predictions about what our world will face in 2019. Whether those predictions are based on anything other than a hunch is debatable at best. Sure, the past behavior is a decent predictor of future behavior but nothing’s a sure thing. Of course, that made us at Snippetz curious: just what are some of these predictions? We did some searching and found quite a few predictions for what 2019 has in store. But we also have a few of our own, so read on and you may just learn what the new year will be bringing for you! DISCLAIMER! Before we go too far, we want to make something completely clear: unless otherwise noted, the predictions we have included in this article are from other sources, which we have supplied for you. That said, those predictions are THEIR predictions, not ours. (We’ve added some of our own at the end!) TECHNOLOGY PREDICTIONS The world of technology is moving very quickly, more so than ever before. It seems like every time you turn around there’s another gadget out there intended to make life easier. According to Quantumrun.com, a whole heck of a lot will happen in 2019 in the realm of technology. For instance, they predict that General Motors will release self-driving vehicles that can be used for ride-sharing services, like in place of Uber drivers and whatnot. Imagine having a driverless car show up to take you to a party . . . do you tip? Who do you thank? Speaking of self-driving vehicles, Quantumrun.com also predicts that the European Union will allow the use of such vehicles throughout its entirety. If you’re planning a trip to Europe anytime soon, be prepared to not only drive on the opposite side of the road, but trust that the car next to you without a driver is legitimately a self-driving vehicle. Quantumrun.com predicts that the SpaceX gigabit internet satellites will launch in early 2019 allowing for global internet service by the end of the year. Thank God those poor people in third-world countries will have internet; maybe next we can help them have, oh, we don’t know, clean water?? (Kidding . . . sort of). On the topic of space, Quantumrun.com has also put out a prediction indicating that a telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope will be launched in 2019 to search for water on other planets. Maybe that’s where we’ll get the clean water for those poor countries? (Kidding again . . .) Industry Week predicts that a real “Iron Man” exoskeleton suit of armor will be released in 2019, but they will be focused less on being armor and more on being external support systems for people with injured or weak muscles or joints. Maybe the full-body suit will come in 2020? FINANCIAL PREDICTIONS Remember the song lyrics from above that said, “Another day older and deeper in debt?” Well, if Quantumrun.com’s prediction about the U.S. economy comes true, that could spell disaster for a lot of us. They say that a “significant economic recession” will hit our fair country in early 2019, then spread worldwide. Can’t wait for that (serious sarcasm added there). Yahoo! Finance predicts that online sales will see a rise of 11.6 percent in sales from 2018, with brick-and-mortar retailers seeing a 3.04 percent increase. But NOT included in those brick-and-mortar stores will be more than 100 JCPenney stores, which the site predicts will be closed due to the increased profitability of online shopping. Oh, and they also predict that Sears will cease to exist altogether by the time the holidays roll around in 2019. Some good news on the financial front, is Yahoo! Finance’s predictions are to be believed, is that changes to our country’s tax code could mean massive tax refunds for many Americans. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this prediction comes true! RANDOM PREDICTIONS If there was ever a shortage of something that could prove devastating for the world, you’d probably assume that would be a water shortage. But Industry Week predicts that a shortage of sand – that’s right, sand – will cause a rise in sand prices and put a “financial strain” on the construction industry. Betsey Lewis, a “renowned psychic,” predicts that 2019 will bring flash floods, mudslides, extreme heat and cold, and other “major catastrophic events” to the entire world. She also predicts that Nibiru (also known as Planet X or Planet 9) will travel through our solar system in 2019. Whether or not we admit it into our solar system, as in Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Nibiru/Planet X/Planet 9, remains to be seen . . . or predicted. Lewis also predicts that volcanoes around the Pacific Rim of Fire will become active once again, requiring those living nearby to be ready to leave their homes at a moment’s notice. She predicts that a “mega-thrust” earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0 or higher, could help awaken some of those volcanoes. On the bright side, Lewis predicts that scientists will discover the gene that causes Multiple Sclerosis, allowing them to find a way to stop the progression of the disease, but not cure it. Not YET, anyway. Probably the most important prediction that Lewis has made is that the film “First Man,” will win the Oscar for best picture. (Again, super sarcasm used here). SNIPPETZ PREDICTIONS We promised we’d include some of our own predictions at the end and here they are! 1). Snippetz readers will be recognized as the most intelligent humans in the history of the world, many of whom will attribute such incredible brain power to the amazing things they have learned from reading the Snippetz magazine itself. 2). Road construction across Colorado will continue so that, no matter where you go, you will inevitably run into construction crews, blocked lanes, traffic cones and the like. 3). Out of town drivers will continue to say that Colorado has the worst drivers but will overlook the simple fact that they are the problem, not the people who have lived here for decades. 4). Stephen King, renowned author, will visit Monument, Colorado, and happen to pick up a copy of Snippetz, which he will read with genuine fervor and enjoyment. He will then reach out to each and every author in the magazine and offer to partner with them to write a bestselling book, which will be published in 2020 Issue 897
LEGENDS AND MYTHS FROM THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Lindsey Harrison “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Yves Cousteau, French explorer Of all the places on Earth, very few hold the same mystery and intrigue as the ocean. Considering about 71 percent of our planet is covered in water and about 96.5 percent of that total can be found in the oceans, there’s a lot of mysterious places to explore. And for centuries, man has been doing just that. We’ve sailed across the “ocean blue” to find new land and we’ve sent devices to the sea floor to hunt around for whatever we could find that was new and exciting. During all this exploration, it stands to reason that we’ve come across some things that we can’t easily explain. More often than not, when humans encounter something inexplicable, reality goes out the window and a trumped-up version of the situation is created. Maybe those creative geniuses felt it was a way to keep other people safe; or maybe it was their way of protecting something they found to be extremely valuable. Confused? Don’t worry. The point to all of this is that there are myths, legends, tales, etc. that recall the experiences of people throughout their years of seafaring. And since we at Snippetz love us a good tale or two, sail away with us as we explore the myths and legends that have emerged from hundreds of years of sea travel and investigation! RELEASE THE KRAKEN! If you happened to be traveling across the ocean and stumbled upon an island paradise that had beautiful fresh-water ponds and waterfalls, copious amounts of food, plenty of shelter material and a couple treasure chests full of gold coins, you might be inclined to keep it all to yourself. What better way than to make up a story about a massive sea creature that inhabits that particular part of the ocean, right? Now, we’re not saying that that is the case with the Kraken, a ginormous mythological creature similar to a squid, but significantly larger and more dangerous. But considering that the Kraken is said to be able to completely envelope (and swallow) entire ships, it seems possible that this creature could have been the brainchild of some greedy sea captain. The first description of the Kraken comes from the oceans surrounding Norway, Iceland and Greenland and hails from the 1200s. Nowadays, we might be tempted to ask for pictures to prove such a sea monster even exists, but since the legend of the Kraken has been around for so long, there will likely always be people who believe in its existence, photographic evidence or not. HEY ARIEL, WHERE’S FLOUNDER? In case you aren’t of the generation that completely adored and even idolized Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” to the point where your aunt sewed an entire mermaid costume for you and your mom made you pose in front of a fish tank to have pictures taken, Ariel is an animated mermaid who happens to be friends with a flounder named Flounder. Probably the most well-known of the seafaring creatures that allegedly call the Earth’s oceans their home, mermaids half-fish, half-human, with the upper body of a woman the lower body of a fish, usually with super fancy fins. Some tales make them out to be tragic beings, like the tale that comes from Assyria in about 1000 B.C.E., which claims an Assyrian priestess became the first mermaid after she jumped into the ocean to cleanse herself of the shame she felt for becoming pregnant accidentally. Others indicate that mermaids are a bit more sinister, claiming they seduce lonely sailors and lead them to their deaths amidst the underwater mer-people’s kingdom. DO YOU HEAR THAT SIREN? Although we can’t be positive, we at Snippetz speculate that the reason the whooping, wailing sound coming from a police car is called a siren is because sirens have long been something to fear. Interesting how you’d likely fear a police car’s siren should you find yourself the target of such a noise, isn’t it? Kind of like how people for centuries have feared the sound of Sirens while at sea. The latter Sirens, which can be found in stories as far back as the anicent Greek poem written by Homer, called “The Odyssey.” Those Sirens, however, were described as beautiful (and sexually alluring) woman-like creatures that would sing songs to send ships off-course, with the ultimate goal of having the vessels wreck on some rocky outcropping or another, killing the crew aboard. They have been blamed for the disappearance of ships for centuries, but again, there’s no real solid proof of their existence. DAVY JONES, WHAT’S UP WITH YOUR LOCKER? Definitely one of the strangest legends/myths associated with the sea is that of Davy Jones’s locker. First off, why the heck would a locker have anything to do with the sea? And who the heck is Davy Jones? Well, as with many other legends, there is no clear answer to how Davy Jones came to be in possession of a locker and why anyone would be afraid of it, which they undoubtedly were. Depending on who you talk to, there are several theories about Davy Jones and his infamous locker. Some say it’s just a euphemism for the ocean floor, basically saying that anyone sent to Davy Jones’s Locker had drowned while at sea. Others say Davy Jones’s Locker was a place were unfortunate sailors were trapped and doomed to spend eternity essentially in purgatory. This idea goes hand in hand with the idea that Davy Jones is the name given to the evil god of the sea. Use of the term Davy Jones’s Locker has been around since before the 1700s but certainly became widely known in that century. One theory indicates it was because the real Davy Jones was a man running a pub in London at the time. Allegedly, he would trick unwitting people into getting drunk and then would stash them in his locker where he kept them until he sold them to ships as slaves. Still another theory claims Jones was really a man named Duffer Jones who constantly fell of the ship he sailed upon, and another still claims Davy Jones is the captain of the infamous ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman. More on that later. The earliest references to Davy Jones in literature appears to be from 1726, in the story by Daniel Defoe called, “Four Years Voyages of Captain George Roberts.” Since then, his name has crept into various books, movies and poems. However, the first reference to his locker seems to come from an 1803 Naval Chronicle. THE FLYING DUTCHMAN We mentioned the ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman, above and now here’s more. The ship may or may not have been captained by Davy Jones but one thing is clear from the legends: the ship was bad news. Its crew was made entirely of ghosts and was destined to sail the seas forever, thanks to the supposedly blasphemous assertion made by its captain that the ship would sail around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, even if it took him until doomsday to do so. The ship, which supposedly vanished in a horrible storm near the Cape in 1680, was captained by Hendrik Van der Decken. That name doesn’t sound anything like Davy Jones, does it? So, you can see how these myths and legends sort of intermingle and become mixed with each other over the years. Perhaps some cold hard photographic evidence to prove the existence of this ghost ship (and hey, while you’re at it, climb aboard and ask the captain’s name) would clear up any confusion. If there’s one thing you can take away from this article it’s this: the ocean is an entity with which one should not be tempted to fool; however, it is also more beautiful than just about anything on Earth so it should certainly be enjoyed . . . wisely, of course. Issue 898
DREAM ON! SNIPPETZ ENTERS THE SURREAL WORLD OF DREAM INTERPRETATION by Lindsey Harrison “I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?” – Zhuangzi, ancient Chinese philosopher Picture this: it’s a day like any other. You’re walking down the sidewalk on your way to your favorite coffee house. You look down and realize you are holding a baby that isn’t yours but that’s fine. It’s fine. You keep walking and when you get to the coffee house, you set the baby down on the seat next to you, only to realize it’s not a real baby at all but a doll. Suddenly, a plate appears on the table in front of you and you just know you’re expected to eat the strange meal before you can leave. As you pick up the first cricket (yes, the meal is entirely made of bugs), you take a deep breath, plug your nose and toss that bad boy into your mouth. Naturally, the taste is revolting but you keep munching away. Having finished your terrible meal, you get up to leave and notice there are literally legs stuck between your teeth. You pick them out, toss them aside like it’s nothing and go on your way. What a weird series of events, right? But if we told you that it was a dream, you’d probably laugh and nod, realizing that you have had similarly weird dreams yourself. Truly, there’s no denying that dreams can be beyond bizarre, but many of us would agree that there’s something more to the crazy little movies that play in our heads while we sleep. For centuries, people have tried to interpret the meaning of various dreams and the consensus remains that most meanings remain a mystery. That’s where we at Snippetz decided to step in and see if we could make heads or tails of the dream world, so keep reading. You might just get some answers to questions you didn’t know you had! WHERE DID IT ALL START? Of course, there’s no way for us to pinpoint the first person to have a dream. Most researchers agree that we all dream. Whether or not we remember them when we wake up is another story. However, when we do happen to remember our dreams, it seems logical that we would want to know what the heck it all meant. Sigmund Freud, one of the first people to actively attempt to interpret dreams and whose theories have led the way in the field for decades, actually wrote a book called “The Interpretation of Dreams” in 1900. In the book, Freud posits the theory that dreams are generally connected to wishes the dreamer may or may not realize they have. The images and events found in a dream, Freud claimed, represented various things and often certain elements or images could be interpreted to mean the same thing for most dreamers in general. Essentially, everything we dream about is a symbol of a deeper, perhaps even an unconscious desire. We’ll go over some of those common symbols and their theorized meanings in a bit. There are plenty of other psychoanalysts like Freud who have put forth their own theories about what dreams mean. Carl Jung, another leading psychoanalyst, agreed with Freud in that he felt dreams have deeper meanings than what they appear to have at first glance. His main difference was that he felt those meanings were more personal to each dreamer, rather than the general meaning for a particular symbol, regardless of who dreamed it. Both Jung and Freud did their research and analysis in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so naturally others have developed their own theories since then. We could go into all kinds of detail about the other psychoanalysts but we want to get into the fun stuff . . . DREAMS! COMMON DREAM THEMES AND WHAT THEY COULD MEAN Notice we used the word “could” in the above heading because the bottom line when it comes to dreams is that everything we think we know about them – including their meanings – is entirely theoretical. Granted, some of the theories may hit the nail on the head quite a lot of the time, but there are no hard and fast rules about dream analysis. So, with that in mind, let’s jump right in the some common dream themes and what they could mean: Being naked or almost naked in public – according to “Dream Dictionary for Dummies” by Penny Peirce, dreaming of being naked or almost naked in public could symbolize that you feel afraid to show “your true colors” to others, which may include your shortcomings or imperfections. Additionally, this dream could also mean you might feel like a fraud in something you are doing. Falling – the general consensus about dreams of falling is that they indicate something in your life isn’t going well, like your career choice or the direction in which you’re headed. Russell Grant, writer of “The Illustrated Dream Dictionary,” describes dreams of falling as a symbol that you fear something in real life, like a failure at work or in your loved life. Additionally, he indicates those dreams could express “a need to let yourself go more and enjoy life more.” Being chased – the common interpretation of dreams about being chased say these dreams often symbolize that you are trying to avoid something in your daily life. “Dream Dictionary” author Tony Crisp says these dreams may be a hint that you want to escape from something, including your own fears or desires. The interpretation, he says, is based on who is chasing you. If it’s an animal, it may mean you are trying to get away from your own passions, anger and other potentially negative feelings. Being chased by an “unknown figure” could indicate you are grappling with a childhood trauma and being chased by a person of the opposite sex might mean you are either afraid of love or “haunted by a past relationship,” Crisp says. Losing teeth – this one is a bit strange but according to Peirce, these dreams indicate one of a few potential things. It could mean you are concerned about your appearance or being attractive to others, but it could also symbolize your fear of being able to communicate effectively or that you are worried about something you said that you found embarrassing. “The real essence of teeth is their ability to bite through, to cut, tear, and grind,” Peirce says. “If your teeth fall out, you lose personal power and your ability to be assertive, decisive, and self-protective.” DREAM SNIPPETZ
This author remembers a dream from when she was likely no more than 6: she was being chased by Indians on stilts who had different eye colors depending on whether they were “good” or “bad.” The “good” Indians had blue eyes and the “bad” ones had red eyes. She buried herself in the sandbox in her back yard to avoid the Indians. Suddenly, though, she was seeing through the eyes of one of the “bad” Indians and was looking down at her father who was napping on the couch in the family room. She was positive the Indian was planning to kill him. Issue 899 - 1/21/2019
SNIPPETZ LOOKS INTO "ALL THAT JAZZ" by Lindsey Harrison 
“Life is a lot like jazz . . . it’s best when you improvise.”
– George Gershwin, American composer If you were to take a poll of the people sitting around you right now, you’d likely find that each person has a favorite food. They probably have a favorite color, even a favorite spot in their house to sneak away from their kids to eat the candy they hid in the bag of broccoli in the freezer. There are lots of things we have in common and lots of things that set us apart from one another. However, there’s one thing in this world that both unites and separates us as humans and that’s music. Perhaps you enjoy rap music with the violent, angry lyrics and the strong beat. Or maybe classical is more your speed. You might even prefer Gregorian chants. Who knows? The one thing that is certainly clear is that music is a major part of our culture and really just about any culture around the world. Even though music is the common thread we all share with one another, it also happens to be something that is so incredibly personal that it’s unlikely you’ll ever find someone who shares ALL your likes and dislikes of songs. What if we told you that there was a type of music that literally thrives on being different, not just from the other music around it, but from one performance of a song to the next? We’re talking about jazz, in case you didn’t figure that out from the title. If you don’t know much about jazz, that’s just fine. We at Snippetz are going to introduce you to the history of jazz and what made it become the genre it is today, you dig? (It’s OK if you didn’t understand much of that . . . we were trying out a few terms we learned from jazz lingo and felt it necessary to show off just now). WHAT IS JAZZ? Trying to define jazz is like trying to wrangle a herd of cats. OK, that might be a bit dramatic, but the reality is that jazz is something that isn’t easy to define, in part because it entirely depends on the musician who is performing. You’ll see why in a little bit, but for now, here’s the best we can do: jazz is a musical type that is based very heavily on improvisation and often uses elements of “swing” music or “blues” music. Some jazz music relies on “call and response” patterns in which one person, instrument or part of the band plays a riff and another person, instrument or part of the band “responds.” The different effects and “inflections” frequently used in jazz music, like the muted brass instruments, glissandos and scoops, also serve to set it apart from other types of music. If you’ve ever been to New Orleans (and we’re not saying we have, but we certainly can rely on the very accurate depictions of the city we’ve seen in movies), you may have noticed how incredibly diverse the population is. It’s not much different from the diverse population from the beginning of the 20th century, when jazz was born. There was a wide variety of people from many different parts of the world and their musical influence was felt by musicians of the time. They took a little bit from this culture, a little bit from that culture, and eventually this incredibly spontaneous and unique style called jazz emerged. Initially, jazz was played live for people to dance to. People would head to bars to listen and dance and when prohibition was instituted across the United States, illegal “speakeasies” that sold alcohol frequently had a nice bit of jazz going on as well. Even though jazz’s roots are very solidly in the southern portion of the country, it became incredibly popular in the larger cities to the north like Chicago and New York. WHAT MAKES JAZZ SO HIP? See, we did it again with the jazz lingo. Are you impressed yet? Anyway, in our humble opinion, jazz is unlike any other musical genre because of that one little word we mentioned before: improvisation. Let’s say you go to a concert where the performer is going to play Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. You would expect it to sound a certain way, right? That, “dum-dum-dum-duummmmm . . . . dum-dum-dum-dummmmm.” If the performer chose to start those chords on the down beat (think of tapping your foot . . . the down beat is when your foot taps the ground) rather than the up beat (when you raise your foot in preparation for the next down beat), the entire song would be nearly unrecognizable from the outset. Sure, you might be able to figure out what song it was after he or she played a little further into the piece, but those first few notes are so unique and identifiable, there is really no question of the song you’re hearing when you hear them played in the manner Beethoven intended. Jazz, on the other hand, relies so much on improvisation that it is one of the only actual genres in which a song can be played multiple times but by all different people and it will likely sound very different each time. And in the case of jazz, that’s a good thing! In fact, it was once said that if you happen to listen to a piece of jazz music, you’re not listening to the performer’s interpretation of someone else’s song or composition; you’re actually listening to their own unique song because they create it on the fly using improvisation. IT’S A NO-BRAINER . . . SORT OF To some people, jazz sounds like a bunch of random notes and rhythms thrown together in an almost hectic manner. To others, it’s bliss. But did you know that it takes a special person to improvise in the way jazz requires? A study done at the Johns Hopkins University showed that jazz musicians were able to “turn off” portions of their brain related to self-censorship and inhibitions, to allow other parts related to self-expression run the show. So, maybe it’s not exactly a no-brainer as much as it’s a different-part-of-your-brainer. Speaking of jazz and science, another study showed that listening to jazz can increase your creativity, relieve stress and help boost your immune system. Apparently, listening to jazz stimulates the theta brain waves, which are touted as the most creative brain waves of them all. Additionally, studies indicate that listening to 30 minutes of jazz can help prevent viral and bacterial infections through a boost in a person’s immunoglobulin A levels. JAZZ SNIPPETZ
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