KNOWLEDGE PICKER'S ARCHIVE

Pick 74 - Hugs

I was sitting in the lounge at our local YMCA, stroking my grey beard, when out of nowhere a child came up to my chair and gave me a hug. Without any fear or disrespect, he asked me if I had decided to hang out in the warm climate instead of heading back to my home in the North Pole. It took me a few seconds to realize that he had associated my Santa Claus facial look with that mysterious person who had left his favorite toy under the tree just a few days ago.

Photo by __ drz __ on Unsplash

I had grown the beard to play Santa Claus at the local volunteer fire department and thought this child might have been one of my little wish list presenters at the fire house. So I went back into character to answer his question. "No." I teased. "I am not the real Santa Claus. I am his cousin. He lets me help him out whenever he gets too busy to meet every good boy and girl before Christmas."
The little boy took that answer at face value but continued to ask me questions that had to be answered with great care if I did not want to betray his sincere belief in Santa. He was well-schooled in Santa's life. He knew all about the North Pole and Santa's workshop that was staffed by Elves.

That led him to the next question: Do you work in Santa's workshop during the rest of the year?
I replied, "No. Only Santa's elves are allowed to be in the workshop. I only take wishes from good kids like you and send them to Santa. The elves take care of the rest."

Next question: "Have you ever been at Santa's house in the North Pole?"
"No. There are no roads to get there and it is hidden from view so you can't fly there either. Santa's reindeer know how to find it and they take Santa on his magic slay anywhere in the world he wants to go--even when there is no snow."

Thankfully, the boy's mother came by to retrieve him because I was running out of ways to answer these questions in ways that would leave his admiration for Santa in tact. He gave me another hug and headed off with his mom and two older sisters. I can't help but think that when his belief in Santa is shattered, he will still look back on this experience with fond memories. Not only did that kindly old gentleman share his belief in Santa Claus, but sent him away with a hug and the assurance that he now had a friend who actually knew the real Santa Claus.

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Pick 73 - Idioms

Idioms are expressions that cannot be understood from the meanings of their separate words but convey a hidden meaning to those who use them. American English has a plethora of idioms. That makes it difficult for foreigners to learn colloquial or street talk even when they may have arrived here speaking "The King's English"

Some American idioms are personal between friends or members of a group. Outsiders need not know the hidden meaning of these idioms because they apply only to those on the inside. Politicians are very adept at speaking with a forked tongue especially when handling a hot potato, or beating around the bush. They are well aware that their favorite project will cost the taxpayer an arm and a leg, yet they can kill two birds with one stone by simply sitting on the fence until their opponent lets the cat out of the bag. If their opponent cuts the mustard, then jumping on the bandwagon would ensure the best of all worlds.

If you are able to understand the previous paragraph, then you already grasp the hidden value in American idioms. But I would caution you not to count your chickens before they hatch. Elvis has not yet left the building.

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Pick 72 - Santa Claus

Most Americans know that the Santa Claus legend began with a third century monk named Nicholas. His renowned piety and kindness in a time of severe poverty and hopelessness elevated Nicholas to sainthood in the early Christian Church. He is alleged to have given away all of his inherited wealth as he wandered about the countryside serving the poor and sick--especially the children. But what is especially noteworthy about his selfless lifestyle is that he gave away his wealth anonymously. He was a devout monk serving poor souls during the day and a philanthropic phantom at night. Apparently he was also a master of disguise posing as a beggar or itinerant journeyman when performing his philanthropic missions.

Photo by Srikanta H. U on Unsplash

Legend has it that he would be invited to stay with a family overnight. There he would learn of their most pressing needs. Before departing in the early morning, he would hide a gift--perhaps a gold coin--in a place where they were unlikely to find it until he was long gone.

Although, like most legends, his character has been impinged by turning a humble monk into an icon of consumerism, Santa Claus still offers us a hidden value that has nothing to do with presents or false joviality. That value lies in the faith, hope, and love that belief in Santa Claus brings to little children. When you think about it, the Americanized version of Santa Claus gives us a practical lesson on First Amendment rights.

Some children inherit their belief in Santa Claus from parents or grandparents who promote the "better be good or Santa will not leave any presents" legend. Other children are led to believe that Santa is the Grand Distributor of Wish List entries. A small number of children are taught to be Santa's helpers. They forgo their own wish lists and become Angels of love to those less fortunate.

Regardless of what American children come to believe about Santa, the cardinal rule among parents, grandparents, older siblings, and anyone else who works with children during the Holiday Season is never to disparage a child's innocent belief in Santa Claus.

As young children mature they begin to realize the improbability of Santa coming down the chimney, or delivering gifts around the world using nothing but a sleigh pulled by reindeer. In most cases, it is their peers who enlighten them or reinforce their innocent beliefs. But in all cases the cardinal rule, like the First Amendment, ensures that they are allowed to believe or not believe in Santa Claus as their personal wisdom dictates. That is the hidden value Santa Claus offers to 21st Century America.

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Pick 71 - Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the foster child of the American Dream. I say this because most of the critical thinkers who came our way during the latter 20th Century were considered pariahs or mavericks. The establishment ridiculed Bill Gates when he started to envision a personal computer on everyone's desktop back in the early 80's.

I recall one CEO of a mainframe computer company laughing Gates out of his office when this idea was presented. The aspersion went something like this: "Who in the world would want to have a computer on his desk at home and what in the world would he do with it?' Gates was not the only Critical Thinker to be ridiculed this way.

By the late 70s, technology had evolved to the point that hobbyists and electronics buffs could purchase unassembled PCs or “microcomputers” and program them for fun. Still that CEO was correct. The early PCs may have clicked with hobbyists, but they served no useful purpose for the average American. They could do mathematical calculations and play simple games, but those tasks would not pay the rent nor could a talented programmer make enough money to purchase one.

If those early pioneers of the Personal Computer evolution had listened to the Business Establishment, Americans would likely be purchasing their personal computers, software, and useful applications from China or Japan. Thanks to the outside-the-box thinking of Gates, Jobs, and a host of game-ware developers, hundreds of American-spawned companies sell personal computers, accessories and sophisticated software and games. It is nearly impossible to imagine modern life without them. And that could have been said even before the Internet came along.

Nowadays however, we seem to have grown a new crop of stay-in-the-box thinkers. Not only is critical thinking being devalued. Most of our youthful thinkers seem content to outsource it. Ask a Millennial to provide answers to intriguing economic or social questions these days and the common response is to refer to Siri or manually text the question to Google. Whatever answer comes back is taken at face value without fact checking or respectfully disputing the answer. The very thought of marching to a different drummer is met with fear and consternation.

Apparently the value in critical thinking has become so hidden that, like the American Dream, it does not seem worth pursuing anymore.

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Pick 70 - Who Am I to Judge

Recently Pope Francis issued a statement that seemed on the surface to approve of homosexuality.
“If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge.” However, any Christian who is familiar with the famous scene in John 8: 3–7 would understand exactly what Pope Francis was saying.
Jesus had returned to the temple area to resume teaching the people. The scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman they claim was caught in adultery. Being in the court area, they told him that Mosaic Law commanded that the woman be stoned to death for her sins. Trying to catch Him up in His words, they asked Jesus what He thought should be done with her.

bibleodyssey.org

Jesus did not respond right away, but stooped down to begin writing in the dirt with His finger. After a moment, He straightened up and said: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” One by one they walked away until only Jesus was left with the woman. His message to the Pharisees was simple yet piercing. Only those who are faultless have the right to pass judgment upon others implying that no one is faultless; only God can judge a person.

But the story does not end there. Jesus was faultless and had every right and maybe an obligation to pass judgement on her. He reminds her that she is still a sinner and deserves the judgement prescribed by The Law but offers the mercy that comes with repentance and a desire to avoid sinning again.

Hidden within Pope Francis' use of the phrase "who am I to judge" is a valuable lesson. Both Catholics and even non-Christians revere Pope Francis as a Holy Man of great integrity. For him to say "who am I to judge?" is almost rhetorical. If anyone can pass judgement on homosexuals and other sinners, it would be him. Yet he does not claim that right. Could he have been thinking about
the message in Matthew 7:1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged.²For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again?

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Pick 69 - The Wall

We have been hearing a lot lately about walls. Some walls are figurative like the great divide between Liberal and Conservative members of Congress. Each side of the Isle seems to have at least one issue that is so important to them that they have erected an imaginary wall around it. Compromise on that issue, they say, would betray their constituents. Likewise, the opposition would like nothing better than for the trumpets to sound and that wall to come tumbling down.

Photo by Isai Ramos on Unsplash

Other walls are quite literal. It is not unusual to build a wall for security purposes. Israel already has walls along the frontiers with Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Most nations have walls to protect their borders:

The United States is building a wall to keep out illegal Mexican immigrants.

Spain built a wall, with European Union funding, to separate its enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla from Morocco to prevent poor people from sub-Saharan Africa from entering Europe.

India constructed a 460-mile wall in Kashmir to halt infiltrations supported by Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia built a 60-mile wall along an undefined border zone with Yemen to halt arms smuggling of weaponry and announced plans in 2006 to build a 500-mile wall along its border with Iraq.

Turkey built a wall in the southern province of Alexandretta, which was formerly in Syria and is an area that Syria claims as its own.

In Cyprus, the UN sponsored a security wall reinforcing the island’s de facto partition.

British-built barriers separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast

It does not matter whether the wall is built with bricks n' mortar or barbed wire n' chain link fence. It serves the same purpose; keep something in or keep something out. Only the builder's perspective determines the purpose.

November 9th, 2014 marked the silver anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Historians tell us that President Ronald Reagan challenged Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall" during his June 1987 speech near the Wall. That afternoon, Reagan said,

We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

On Nov. 9, 1989, jubilant East and West Berliners began tearing down the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Iron Curtain for 28 years.

When President Clinton visited in 1994, he told the crowd of Berliners, "You have proven that no Wall can forever contain the mighty power of freedom."

The hidden value in walls is not that they keep people or ideas in or out. The hidden value lies in the hope that one day the wall will come tumbling down.

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Pick 68 - Side Effects

Possibly the most common side effects of any prescription drug are gastrointestinal issues, including nausea, constipation and diarrhea, because most drugs go through the digestive system to be absorbed. Other common aftereffects include drowsiness, pain and skin reactions.

Anyone who watches TV these days is well schooled on the side effects of the Ask your Doctor about... drugs. These infomercials begin with a pleasant scene featuring happy people. A new drug makes them happy. It cures or controls their medical problem.

Typical "Ask Your Doctor" TV Ad

Drug marketing is a big business, and companies are willing to spend a lot of money to offer you an easy solution to a health problem you may or may not have. From 2012 to 2015, yearly spending on prescription drug advertising in all media outlets (except digital) rose from $3.2 billion to $5.2 billion, and that figure is expected to only go up.
There are three parts to these infomercials. Regardless of the drug they hype, the message has these parts:

Good news for folks who suffer from [ ] there is a new drug that can fix it.

Ask your doctor if [ ] can fix your medical problem.

Do not take this drug if you are pregnant or allergic to any of its ingredients.

An authoritative voice delivers this news. The people in the pleasant scene remain happy. They distract you while the side effects for this drug are recited.

Check with your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following side effects while taking [ ]

Bladder pain

bloody or cloudy urine

difficult, burning, or painful urination

fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse

frequent urge to urinate

lower back or side pain

blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin

chest pain or discomfort

confusion

convulsions

dark-colored urine

difficulty breathing

difficulty with speaking

difficulty with swallowing

double vision

inability to move the arms, legs, or facial muscles

inability to speak

joint or muscle pain

large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs

muscle spasm or jerking of all extremities

pain or discomfort in the arms, jaw, back, or neck

red skin lesions, often with a purple center

red, irritated eyes

seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there

slow speech

sore throat

sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips

sudden loss of consciousness

swelling of the feet or lower legs

uncontrolled repeated movements (tics)

uncontrolled vocal outbursts

unusual tiredness or weakness

seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there

swelling of the face

unusual excitement, nervousness, or irritability

feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings

painful or prolonged erection of the penis

sensation of spinning

painful, swollen joints

continuing failure in men to experience a sexual orgasm

lack of feeling or emotion

lack or loss of self-control

lack or loss of strength

longer or heavier menstrual periods

loss of balance

loss of interest or pleasure

memory problems

mood swings

Your health care professional may be able to help you prevent or reduce these side effects. Check with them if any of these side effects continue, or if you are concerned about them.

Nice way of saying that for every side effect, there is a drug to counteract it. You just need to ask your doctor. So, if you read this far, you are wondering where the Hidden Value lies in this composite of side effects and pleasantries.

Most of the ills these drugs are supposed to fix seem benign compared to their side effects. The human digestive system does a lot more for us than digest our food and sustain our life. It also alerts us when dangerous substances have been introduced into our food chain. When you experience a serious side effect, it may be an alert from your body. That alert is the hidden value. Silence that alert at your own peril. Your own digestive system knows more about you than your doctor. Besides, if your doctor has nothing better to do than answer questions about drugs that may or may not treat a health issue that you may or may not have, then you might do better talking to a Pharmacist. They are the experts when it comes to drugs and their side-effects.

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Pick 67 - Prayer

I began this search for the hidden value of prayer by perusing the viewpoints presented by Atheists. After all, if an avowed Atheist can see some value in prayer, then the practice must have hidden value that has endured intelligent scrutiny over the ages. Here is an example:

The combination of feeling as if you have the ultimate listener’s undivided and nonjudgmental attention with complete self-honesty mixed with emotional release can all work together to make the act of praying both comforting and regenerating.

When members of a 12-Step Recovery group begin their journey up the steps to recovery, they must first admit to themselves that, as a result of addiction, their lives have become unmanageable. If they can take this first step with conviction, then the second step follows naturally. If one is incapable of managing one's own life, then who or what can restore them to sanity. This thought opens the door to the concept of a Higher Power--someone or something beyond ones self that can bring an addicted person back to sanity and give them serenity. For some, this person or spirit may be a serene, nonjudgmental person or the God of their childhood. For others, the Power Greater than themselves may be the God of their understanding derived from deep religious conviction. Here are a few examples from the perspective of major religions:

MUSLIM Prayer, by its very nature, is a form of request or entreaty, and thus requires the full conscious participation of the one praying, with will, intellect, body and soul. The one engaged in prayer is in direct connection with the Creator Who hears everything the supplicant says and responds – though not necessarily in the affirmative – to each request.

CHRISTIAN Quite simply, for followers of Jesus Christ prayer is the best way to communicate with God. Prayer is the vehicle for daily dialog with the One who created us. The importance of daily communication through prayer cannot be overestimated. It is so important that it is mentioned over 250 times in Scripture. So why is daily prayer so important? First, daily prayer gives us an opportunity to share all aspects of our lives with God. Second, daily prayer gives us the chance to express our gratitude for the things He provides. Third, daily prayer provides the platform for confessing our sin and asking for help in overcoming that sin. Fourth, daily prayer is an act of worship and obedience. And finally, daily prayer is a way to acknowledge who is really in control of our lives.

JUDAISM One purpose of prayer is to increase your awareness of G-d in your life and the role that G-d plays in your life. In addition, if you want to do something well, you have to practice it continually, even when you don't feel like doing it. This is as true of prayer as it is of playing a sport, playing a musical instrument, or writing. The sense of humility and awe of G-d that is essential to proper prayer does not come easily to modern man, and will not simply come to you when you feel the need to pray. If you wait until inspiration strikes, you will not have the skills you need to pray effectively.

BUDDHIST The purpose of Buddhist prayer is to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life.

HINDUISM In this life we are faced with various kinds of difficulties, afflictions and sorrows. We go to a doctor to get relief for our bodily ailments. We approach numerous authorities for obtaining solution for our worldly problems. We also pray to God. Our great men have given guidance as to how to pray and what to pray for. There is one school of thought which says that we should pray to God only for our spiritual salvation. But there are others who think that we owe a duty to the members of the family, and, in the discharge of that duty, we have perforce to invoke the blessings of God by prayer. This is a proper approach and, therefore, even when we have to go to human agencies to get relief, we should first submit our difficulties and troubles to God.

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Pick 66 - Mental Sabbaticals

Blue laws —aka Sunday laws— once banned worldly distractions such as manufacturing, shopping and non-essential services on Sunday. In the USA, this was to be a day for the observance of worship or just a well-deserved day of rest after a long, stressful week.

Thanks to technology and the demise of the Industrial Park mindset, these laws have been repealed or just ignored. Today however, there is a genuine cultural need for some sort of respite from the 24/7 on-line awareness nightmare we have created.

We now realize that there was hidden value in having a protocol for weekly R&R whether it was faith-driven or health-driven. In the past, everyone agreed with the need for a weekly sabbatical, even though some disagreed on the day of the week that sabbatical should occur. Now we find it hard to agree on the protocol for any kind of sabbatical that does not accommodate the 24/7 awareness mentality of the Global Village.

Perhaps we need to abandon our concept of weekly sabbaticals and think in terms of an "as-needed" mental sabbatical. The protocol for this might be taking a 15-minute mental break from all worldly concerns to meditate and restore our spirit. This might include complete disconnection from all electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets, TV, radio--anything that consumes electrical energy to function.

It will be awkward at first--just as the Blue Laws may have felt awkward back in the early 20th century. But in time we will feel no shame posting our "Back On-line in 15 Minutes--Taking Mental Sabbatical" message to all our conferrers. They will understand because they are now following the same protocol.

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Pick 65 - Spiritual Solutions

This is not the first time in history nor will it be the last that we face evil forces intent upon destroying the legacy left by generations of faith-filled people.

The Romans tried to stomp out Christianity. The Barbarians tried but failed to destroy the Holy Roman Empire. The Nazis attempted, but failed, to eradicate Judaism. The Communists tried, but failed to purge all religious belief from the world. Now ISIL is attempting to eradicate anyone who does not conform to their radical views.

In each of these cases, the initial response by those under siege was to muster the troops and wipe out the enemy. When that solution was overcome by events, there would be a call for "talks" to find a political solution. Yet in all the cases cited, it was neither the military solution, nor the political solution that saved the day. It was the spiritual solution.

A spiritual solution is not and cannot be sponsored by any organized religion. It does not spring from any logical or dogmatic principal. As one pundit wisely put it: Religion helps people who fear going to hell; spirituality helps those who have already been there.

A spiritual solution arises in the hearts of people who have nothing left to lose and nowhere else to go.

A spiritual solution recognizes that either some Power higher than our own judgement and intellect exists or the phase of consciousness we call life is no more than a spec of dust colliding with other specs in a dirty universe.

The hidden value in a spiritual solution to the evil we face today is that it has always been within our reach. It does not require weapons, carefully crafted conference tables, or religious ritual. It only requires faith in a Higher Power. IN GOD WE TRUST.

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Pick 64 - One Word

I don't know what overly ambitious person invented the practice of making New Year's Resolutions. I am sure that person was well-intentioned and many have benefited from this yearly run for perfection. I used to think that a new year could magically throw out a lifeline to keep me from sinking into the "not enough" sea of desperation. All of my resolutions were rooted in feeling like I was not enough—not working hard enough, not slim enough, not spiritual enough, not fit enough, not a good enough friend or parent and not carrying my own weight in the world. Now that I am older and wiser, I realize that a new year doesn’t change old thought patterns. If anything, the passing of time tends to reinforce them. The longer my to-do list got each year, the more I began to feel powerless and to believe the person I was in that moment was not enough. There's no hidden value in that. It just fosters self incrimination and shame.

Nowadays, I do not set New Year’s goals or make resolutions to lose weight, gain patience, grow rich, or be more than the person I already am. I just pick One Word to frame my life.

My word for this year is FAITH. On January 1st, that word begins to frame my attitude and my life for the next 365 days. I will remember that word every time I begin to feel fearful or that I do not have the right stuff to succeed. I will meet fear with faith at every dark corner of this year. I will stop worrying about the future and obsessing about past failures. I will live in the moment with the serenity that God can do for me what I have not been willing or able to do for myself. In that way I will see the hidden value in every person I meet and in every thing that happens throughout the year.

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Pick 63 - Pagers

A pager also known as a beeper is a device that is essentially a small battery operated radio receiver that when the proper signal is received will set off an alert (either audible or vibrating) and display either a numeric message such as a phone number or a word message if the pager is alphanumeric capable.

If he had not responded to a Page from the Grim Reaper on June 9, 2009, John Francis Mitchell would be celebrating his 86th birthday on New Year's Day 2014. Unless you have worked for Motorola or are imbued with communications technology , you may never have heard of John Francis Mitchell. However, if you use a mobile phone or pager, you should realize that Mitchell developed this essential tool of urgent communication in 1960--long before Steve Jobs came along. During his 45-yerar career with Motorola, Mitchell shaped the creation of nearly all of the wireless communications industries in the latter half of the 20th century.

In 1960, he combined elements of Motorola's Walkie Talkie with evolving features of AM transistor radios for automobiles. The result was the first transistorized pager. Although mobile phones were also evolving, they were expensive and not well supported. However, paging technology was affordable and well supported by the various telephonic Paging services that had sprang up across America since the 1950's. Pager technology continued to expand, until the early 1990s when cellular technologies became cheaper and more widely supported. Still, the Pager has not yet been relegated to the Smithsonian. It has hidden value in the way it operates that has yet to be disrupted by the cellular industry.

Pagers reached their peak popularity in the late 1980's through late 1990's. Around the year 2000, cell phones became smaller with a longer battery life and cell phone plans became less expensive which enabled the average consumer to switch from paging to cellular communication. At the peak of pager popularity, there were well over 60,000,000 pagers in use worldwide.

Pagers are still in use where mobile phones have no signal, and in places where the operation of the radio transmitters in mobile phones is prohibited. This includes hospitals and airport hubs, where cellular coverage is weak or nonexistent, and radio transmitters can interfere with sensitive electronic equipment yet there is a need for 24/7 communications with service and emergency staff.

Any facility handling classified information, precludes the use of transmitter or data storage devices to ensure no information can leave the facility undetected.

The 2005 London bombings spurred user overload and subsequent shutdown of all SMS systems during the resulting panic. But pagers, which do not have to "answer" before a message can be received, continued to operate as usual. Moreover, they operate at very low signal level that causes no interference to other communication devices such as radio and TV. For this reason, Volunteer Firefighters, EMT, and Rescue squad members carry pagers to alert them of emergency call outs for their department. These pagers receive a special tone from a fire department radio frequency that is not susceptible to jamming or hacking.

Pagers have a growing customer base in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Customers who may wish to shop or visit the bar while waiting for a table get a portable beeper that alerts them when their table is ready. Some restaurant kitchens use beepers to alert wait staff when meals are ready to serve. This frees them to take new orders or provide other service instead of hanging out in the kitchen to ensure prompt service.

Modern paging systems typically use multiple base transmitters to modulate the same signal on the same RF channel, a design approach called simulcast. Simulcast systems can use satellite feeds to distribute identical information to multiple transmitters. This coverage overlap, plus the broad reach of satellite communications, makes paging systems more reliable than ground based cellular networks that are easily disrupted by severe weather or terrorist activity. This hidden value has led public safety agencies to adopt pagers over cellular and other commercial services for critical messaging.

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Pick 62 - Blood Types

I have Type O-negtive blood. Depending on how you feel about blood transfusions, this can be a blessing or a curse. It is a blessing to be able to donate blood to anyone else regardless of their blood type. The American Red Cross calls me a "universal donor" meaning they can transfuse my blood to anyone regardless of the recipient's blood type. It is also a curse. I can only receive blood from donors having O-negative blood--and we are not in the majority by any means.

The discovery of the ABO blood group system is widely credited to Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner, who identified the O, A, and B blood types in 1900. Understanding the ABO blood group system has enabled safe and predictable transfusions which was not the case prior to 1900. According the Landsteiner, Type A and Type B blood groups are associated with anti-A and anti-B antibodies. They are produced in the first years of life by sensitization to food, bacteria, and viruses.

Landsteiner originally described the O blood type as type "C", but in parts of Europe it was renamed as "0" (zero), signifying the lack of the A or B antigens.In persons with Type A or B blood, these antigens or sugars physically exposed on the exterior of red blood cells are unique to each individual--similar to fingerprints. Each person's Immune System uses these markers to distinguish between good cells and bad cells. Any cell that does not have the correct marker is destroyed as a defense against germs and harmful bacteria. This is all well and good until a person with Type B blood receives a transfusion of Type A blood. The Immune Systems goes on general alert and begins all out war on the "foreign" red cells. This harsh response, though an adaptive reaction useful against infection, can cause death when large amounts of such cells are encountered after blood transfusion.

Prior to 1900, all blood was thought to be the same as long as it came from another human being. The success or failure of a blood transfusion was hit or miss depending on the prevalence of blood donors who coincidentally matched the blood type of the recipient.Once the role of antigens was understood, it was not long before scientists determined that the O-negative blood type had no markers. The red cells are, in effect, stealth cells that are ignored by the human Immune System. That is the hidden value in O-negative blood. However, the down side of that for me is that my Immune System does not expect red cells to carry any antigens. So if I happen to receive a transfusion of Type A or Type B blood I am SOL. Thanks to Dr.Landsteiner, that is very unlikely to happen.

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