Monthly Archives: April 2016

1941-42, Waco, Texas

15 Friday Apr 2016

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2117McKenzie_Waco_TexasAt some point when I was 4 or 5 we moved to 2117 Mckenzie.  Our next door neighbors were the Stinsons (who for some reason unknown to me) we did not like and the millers who we liked with very much.  The Millers had two daughters-Meta & Kay-one older and one younger than me they were my playmates until I went to north waco elementary school which was in September 1942-when I was almost 6 1/2.  During the summer Meta would get out her dad’s rods and reals and we would cast from the front porch as far as we could which was about 25 feet. there was a rail on the porch and we had to cast over the rail.  Once–when we were competing for distance–Meta (probably as competitive a women’s libber as I have ever known) reached back and with all the strength she could muster swung her rod and he me up side the head knocking me off the porch and onto my head on the sidewalk–I can still see those stars & my head has never been the same since.  Gary was born in Hillcrest hospital on February 13, 1941 while we lived at 2117.

Mrs. Dudley, a sweet white haired lady was my first grade teacher and all the other kids and i adored her.  I still have a group picture of my first grade class which included Ron Linam, James Balch, Betty Smith (my first girl friend), Janie Williams (my second girl friend) and about 18 other-there were 20-22 of us.  There was no pre-school and no free kindergarten so very few kids started school until the first grade.  We still had no car–so Stratton-StrickerFurnitureCo_AdvertShirley and I walked the block to school and daddy road to work with a co-worker at Stratton-Stricker furniture. at this point daddy did not sell, but delivered, hung draperies, moved furniture within the store, laid a lot of linoleum, and laid carpet.  I remember going with him a time or two and realized, even at that young age, that this was hard work.

The japanese bombed pearl harbor on December 7, 1941, and, since I was 5 years old I should remember, but I don’t.  However, I do remember when the newspaper issued “extras” to highlight significant events.  Many people didn’t have radios-very, very few had telephones (and party lines at that) so the newspaper and word of mouth were the principal sources of news.  I think I should cut this off-this paragraph has gotten much too long!

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Blind Faith: The Hidden Costs of Capacity Overutilization

11 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by in Strategic Management Accounting

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In the March/April Cost Management, Dr. CJ McNair-Connolly, an internationally-recognized expert in cost management, and Charles Thomas explore the role played by escalating marginal costs of disruption as capacity utilization moves beyond specified limits.  The example of an airline is used to identify and explore both the more easily measured and less easily measured costs of capacity overutilization, as well as the limiting features of capacity utilization.

Connolly-Thomas_2016_MarginalCosts-SeatUtilization.png

The goal of the article is to overturn the notion suggested by Shank and Govindarajan that more is always better when it comes to executional cost drivers such as capacity utilization.  In fact, overutilization can rob an organization of its flexibility to respond to normal problems of daily business, moving them into crises that can negatively affect the organization’s ability to meet and exceed customer expectations.

— Connolly-Thomas_2016_BlindFaith-CostsOfCapacityOverutilization

 

More Forthright Than A Politician: Load ’em up

03 Sunday Apr 2016

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at some point in time (where is shirley when i need her?) we moved to a house located two houses from the corner of 25th street and mckenzie on the north side of the street.  i was probably 3 or 4 at the time.  it seems that we only lived there briefly–probably only a few months.  but i remember the black 2-door coupe auto that stayed in the next door driveway close by our porch; it had the look of a late 1930s model and, i thought, how wonderful it was because we had no car.Willys_6_1931_Sport_Coupe.JPG

also remember loud country music coming from the house next door and, i swear i remember this–whether any agrees or not, that i believe our neighbor was hank williams!

i probably shouldn’t tell this, but to be more forthright than a politician, i remember my last “accident” i had in the underwear department.  one summer day i was sitting on the curb watching firemen refill the water tank on their truck–i don’t remember whether there had been a fire close by or not–but i watched with interest too long and “loaded ’em up”.  i was so embarrassed that i went in and changed, but hid the mess in the floor of my closet!  needless to say when mother found it a few days hence she was not happy at all with me!

read on if you are still interested–i don’t think it will get any worse than this.

Childhood Nutritional Supplement–Dirt

01 Friday Apr 2016

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not so very long after i was born- we moved to 2604 summer, but i was too young to be much help with the move–probably 1 year old–for some reason my memory fails me on that.  we lived next door to the harrisons*.  he was the fire chief and a tough looking guy while she was an attractive dark haired lady with flashing black eyes and a kindly personality to go with an attractive smile.

they had two kids-“lee p”, as we called him, and bonnie.  lee was my age and the first playmate i remember.  he was bigger than i was and always went around with the back flap on his drawers open and his rear end shining.  i can remember being embarrassed for him even at that young age.

lee p was bigger than i was and often sent me home crying from childish skirmishes.  finally mother talked to mrs h and she told m that i was going to have to fight back–which i had always been taught not to do.  so, i’m told i “cleaned his plow” one day and that wound up the skirmishes.

i remember the harrisons* had a pony and shirley rode it occasionally.  one day it ran away with her and scraped her off under a low hanging gate.  so much for “annie oakley”!

Annie_Oakley_by_Roland_Bonaparte

lee & i periodically partook in the childhood nutrition supplement–dirt.  the fact that it tasted bad didn’t dawn on us until our parents pointed it out.

*pseudonym

 

Annie Oakley photo courtesy of Roland Bonaparte (Cowan’s Auctions) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons