Quality Plus Automotive - August 2020

August 2020

A Little Common Sense Goes a Long Way Lessons From My Summertime Job

I grew up on a tobacco farm. In fact, I still live on that very same farm. All these years later, I no longer farm tobacco, but I carry a lot of the lessons I learned on the farm with me. Working on the farmwas my“summer job.” I started helping my dad around the farmwhen I was 5 or 6, and it was a year-round job, but it really ramped up in the summer. That’s when the tobacco needed to be harvested and when our family needed all hands on deck. Farming and harvesting tobacco is a big job, so as a kid growing up on the farm, I was expected to help. I was out there harvesting and bringing the crop to the barn to be cured. It was a round-the-clock job — especially when it came to curing. We arranged the tobacco in the barn to ensure all the moisture was pulled from the leaves. Then we had to monitor the temperature in that barn closely, checking every 3–4 hours day and night. If you aren’t familiar with tobacco farming, this process can seem overwhelming, but there’s a good reason for it. As the tobacco leaves cure, you need to very slowly and steadily bring up the temperature of the barn. You’re trying to get a clean and even cure in I also learned discipline. When you’re working in the fields, you can’t just take a break every time you feel like it. No, you work until the job is done.

those leaves. This was my family’s livelihood, and they took it very seriously.

It was hard work, but it wasn’t the only thing we did out on the farm. We also

raised our own food. The only things we would buy at the grocery store were flour and sugar and maybe a few other items here and there. Everything else we provided for ourselves. We had a big garden we planted and grew, and there was always enough food for us to can and freeze for the whole year. We even had a milk cow! My dad was also a good mechanic. He wasn’t a mechanic by trade, but he could fix just about anything on our farm. For him, a lot of it came down to basic logic and common sense. It was a matter of looking at the problem and thinking through it step by step, and he taught me a lot of what he knew. I often needed that knowledge when I was out somewhere on the farm and a piece of equipment suddenly didn’t work. I didn’t have a cellphone, so I couldn’t simply call someone for help. I was alone with my problem-solving skills. I learned a lot while working out there, far more than how to fix a truck. There are lessons that have stuck with me over the years. For one, you can’t wait to do something. When it came to harvesting tobacco and curing it, you couldn’t wait around. When it needed done, you did it. That crop was money on our table. That isn’t to say my parents didn’t have money, but they took their job very seriously in order to get it. Even when it was in the middle of July or August and it was hot and humid, we had to be out there. I also learned discipline. When you’re working in the fields, you can’t just take a break every time you feel like it. No, you work until the job is done. It can get tough, but you work through it. If you run into a problem, you don’t run from that problem; you think about it logically. It’s remarkable how many problems you can solve with a little common sense.

-Randy Bunn

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Wake Forest • 919.453.0345 — Raleigh • 919.231.6164

Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com

Private Wojtek, Heroic Brown Bear of WWII Many brave soldiers answered the call to bear arms duringWWII, but one Polish artillery supply company took things a step further and armed a bear. That’s right —among the countless animal heroes ofWWII was a full-grown brown bear from the mountains of Northern Iran namedWojtek. Wojtek first joined the Polish soldiers as a cub. A young Iranian boy found him after a hunter most likely shot his mother. Then, when a group of Polish prisoners of war, recently released from Soviet gulags to join the Allied forces, passed through the town where the boy and the bear cub lived, they traded some of their rations for the cub and took himwith them. The soldiers loved the cub and named himWojtek, whichmeans “happy warrior” in Polish. They nursed himwith condensedmilk from a vodka bottle and fed him some of their limited rations. Over time, the bear grew to be 6 feet tall and over 400 pounds, but because he had grown up around humans, he was a gentle giant. He learned several mannerisms fromhis human friends and even took a liking to beer and cigarettes. For the many soldiers who had lost or were separated from their families, Wojtek was a welcome boost tomorale. When the soldiers reached the coast of Egypt, where they were to embark by boat to Italy, British soldiers wouldn’t letWojtek on board because he wasn’t a soldier. So naturally, the Polish soldiers gaveWojtek a service number, and he officially became a private in their company, complete with a rank and a paybook. PrivateWojtek’s moment of fame came when his company fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino. The bear saw his human counterparts carrying crates of artillery shells, and he began mirroring their actions. Throughout the entire battle, he calmly carried crates of ammo, which would have required four men to lift, to his comrades. In honor ofWojtek’s service during the battle, the company changed its emblem to an image of a bear carrying an artillery shell, andWojtek was promoted to the rank of corporal. After the war, Wojtek was moved to a zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he lived until he was 21 years old. There is now a bronze statue ofWojtek in Edinburgh’sWest Princes Street Gardens, ensuring that this brave bear will not be forgotten.

The Most Famous Art Hei Meet the Man Who Stole the ‘Mona Lisa’

One hundred and nine years ago this month, one man—or was it three? — fled from the Louvre Museum in Paris, carrying what would quickly become the world’s most famous painting: Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Historical accounts of the theft agree only on who was the ringleader: 30-year-old Louvre handyman Vincenzo Peruggia. He was a house painter, an immigrant, the bearer of a glorious Monopoly Man mustache, and a vehement Italian patriot. At some point

on the morning of Aug. 21, 1911, Peruggia lifted the glass case he

himself had constructed to house the “Mona Lisa” and smuggled the painting from the building. Some versions of the story say Peruggia was assisted by two brothers, fellow

Italian handymen Vincenzo and Michele Lancelotti. NPR reports the trio spent the night preceding the theft huddled in one

Chris Adkins, Technician at Wake Forest Wishing a happy one-year anniversary to Chris! He’s been such a wonderful addition to the team as a technician at our Wake Forest shop. We are so grateful for his hard work and dedication to his job and the satisfaction and safety of our customers and their vehicles!

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Gas Prices and the ‘Hidden’ Cent The History Behind the 9/10th of a Cent We all see it when we drive into the gas station — the “9/10” tacked on at the end of every gas price. When you see $1.79 gas advertised at your favorite fill up spot, the price is really $1.80. There’s a hidden cent. But have you ever wondered why it’s there? This fraction of a cent is rooted in American history. In 1792, Congress passed the Coinage Act to standardize American currency. As part of the act, fractions of a cent were established. There was the one-1,000th of a dollar, which is the equivalent of one-tenth of a cent. This was also called the “mill.” In the early days of America, the mill was a regular part of day-to-day transactions, but it was slowly phased out. It did, however, remain part of various types of utility billing (some electricity companies still use fractions of a cent), tax assessments, and investment stocks. In the 1930s, the mill became a normal part of gas pricing. It all had to do with the Revenue Tax Act of 1932. This allowed for a federal excise tax on gas that could be added in fractions of a cent. In 1934, for example, the average price of a gallon of gas was about 16 cents. It was more difficult to raise the price by a cent because it was a much bigger deal to impose a 1-cent increase at that time. For reference, 16 cents in 1934 adjusted for inflation is about $3.13 today. Today, the average cost of a gallon of gas in Wake County and the surrounding areas is about $1.69. Not bad! The big difference, however, is that it’s much easier to raise prices by a few cents because it makes less of an impact. There’s a psychology to it, as well. In 1934, if you raised the price of gas by one-tenth of a cent, you could market your gas at 16 cents, with the fraction tacked on. At a glance, it looks like nothing has changed. This is the same reason why many items are priced with 99 cents in addition to the dollar amount. Most people make buying decisions based on the first number, not what comes after the decimal.

ist You’ve Never Heard Of of the Louvre’s supply closets, lying in wait to steal the portrait. In his documentary about the theft, director Joe Medeiros claims Peruggia acted alone, driven by an obsession with the work and a dream of returning the painting to Italy. Either way, we know that Peruggia successfully spirited the painting back to his one-bedroom apartment. There it lay concealed in a false-bottomed trunk for more than two years. This period of mysterious absence (during which police grilled and dismissed Peruggia as a suspect in favor of J.P. Morgan, Pablo Picasso, and playwright Guillaume Apollinaire) is what made the “Mona Lisa” world famous. Peruggia was eventually caught attempting to sell the painting in Italy. He pleaded guilty and spent eight months in jail. After his release, he enlisted in the Italian army to fight in WorldWar I, surviving the war only to die of a heart attack on his 44th birthday. Though Peruggia married after the war, some suspect that the true love of his life was the “Mona Lisa” herself. In a CNN article, author and art history professor Noah Charney speculates that over his two years with her, Peruggia developed romantic feelings for the portrait. Perhaps he fell victim to a kind of “reverse Stockholm syndrome,” Charney suggests, the captor falling in love with his hostage. “In this case,” he says, “the hostage was a work of art.”

If you’ve never had apples in a savory dish, this is a great way to try it! Perfect for a lazy weeknight, this easy paleo dish will make your kitchen smell heavenly. You can even watch a sitcom episode while it cooks.

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2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

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1/2 cup water or apple juice 2 tbsp hot curry powder 3 cups diced apples (peeled or not, your choice!)

1 cup onion, diced 1 tbsp garlic, crushed 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

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6 pork chops

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1 tsp salt

Cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 2. In a large pan over medium heat, melt coconut oil or ghee. 3. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and salt. Sauté for 10 minutes or until onions are soft and mixture is fragrant. 4. Mix in water or apple juice and curry powder. Then add apples, ensuring they get coated in sauce. 5. In an oven-safe dish, arrange pork chops, cover with sauce and apple mixture, and cook for 20 minutes (if using bone-in chops, cook for an additional 10 minutes) or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 F. 6. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

Eventually, it became easier for oil companies to raise gas prices and the federal government to raise taxes as people got accustomed to it. Over time, ending the gas price with “9/10” became the norm, and now

we’re all used to it, so the hidden cent sticks with us.

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INSIDE This Issue

Lessons From My Summer Job Out in the Fields Private Wojtek, Heroic Brown Bear of WWII Meet the Man Who Stole the ‘Mona Lisa’ Weeknight Curried Apple Pork Chops Why Do Gas Prices Have That Fraction of a Cent? Engaging Indoor Activities

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Stuck Inside? 3 Activities to Keep You Busy

Summertime means getting out of the house to enjoy the sunshine and the bright blue sky. But even during this great time of year, you may have to spend some of these precious days inside, not outside. Rather than scrolling through social media or reminiscing about better days, here are a few ideas you can use to turn a day spent indoors into a fun summer memory! Get Crafty You’re bound to have a fewmaterials floating around the house that you can use to create a new art project or even start a new hobby. If you have extra sheets of paper lying around, then give origami a go. Do you have a shirt you don’t wear anymore but still love? Turn it into a new pillow cover or a bag. You can also create fun garden decorations by painting rocks, making a wind chime, or repurposing an old boot into a new plant holder. You never know—whatever you choose to do could become your next passion. PlanYour Next Vacation Spending the day inside might just be the perfect time to plan your next vacation. Use this time to calculate the expenses of the trip, such as travel, board, food, and souvenirs. You can also research and figure out where you’re going to stay ahead of time, whether that be a hotel or an Airbnb, to optimize your experience. Once you have the groundwork

done, you’ll have a better idea of how your trip will go and be able to focus on the fun stuff when the time comes! Change It Up If you’ve been putting off rearranging or

reorganizing a room in your house, then a day at home is a great chance to get started. Switching up the layout of your stuff gives your home a fresh new look and provides you with an opportunity to deep-clean your space. If you have a patio or porch, then try sprucing up those outdoor spaces with new furniture, potted plants, or trendy decor. Just imagine how satisfying it will feel once everything is in a new place and sparkling clean. Even when you’d rather be outside enjoying the last days of summer, these indoor activities will keep you entertained and give you something fun to look forward to!

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