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Wednesday, December 25, 2013
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Wednesday, May 2, 2012
A Trip to the Tobacco Market - A Disappearing Market
Growing up I would go to the tobacco market with Granddaddy every opportunity I got. Even if it meant spending hours there I was never bored, well maybe a little bored, but I always enjoyed it. I can still remember the smells and sounds of the market in my mind.
The song of the auctioneer walking down the rows of tobacco with the buyers following him is hard to forget. There was row after row of cured tobacco with each group of bundles brought by a different farmer hoping to get the best price of the day for his sale.
Several years ago when I was working as an account manager for an industrial maintenance service provider I visited a cigarette plant near Macon, Georgia. I had to park my car near the raw material receiving docks at the back of the facility. As soon as I stepped out of my car I could smell the dried, cured tobacco and a feeling of nostalgia washed over me in a flood of memories of the tobacco market and Granddaddy. As a long time ex-smoker who hates the smell of cigarette smoke I truly love the smell of cured tobacco.
Most years being the first to the market was very important. Not as a point of pride but because the best money was paid for the early crops and by that time of year money was tight and the income was needed to keep going. The first markets to open were the South Georgia markets and usually Granddaddy and couple of the other local small farmers would get together and put a load of their tobacco on a large truck and drive from North Carolina to the Georgia markets to get in on the first sales. I never got to go on those trips.
There were lots of local tobacco markets in Eastern North Carolina and when they opened Granddaddy would listen intently during lunch time to the market reports on the radio and read them in the newspaper trying to find which market was paying the best price. I can remember him saying after the report, "We are going to the market in Greenville tomorrow with a load. Do you want to come?" My answer was always "Yes." We would get up before sunrise the next morning and load the truck with cured, sorted tobacco and off we would go. You had to get there early because you wanted to get a spot near the beginning of the auction line, not at the beginning but near it. Granddaddy knew all the little tricks to help get a better price for his crop.
When you arrived and checked in they would give you a lot number for your sale. The buyers from the different tobacco companies would spend the first part of the morning walking around and looking at the various lots and making notes for the auction. When the auction started the auctioneer would begin moving down the rows of tobacco and hesitating, not stopping, at each lot and never missing a beat of his bidding song. The buyers would follow behind him indicating their bids with a nod, a hand wave or some other special way. There were other people next to the auctioneer who would write up the sale as soon it was indicated and would leave a couple of copies of the sale paper on top of the lot. One was for the company buying the lot and the other was for the farmer to cash out with. Granddaddy would take his copy to the cashier window and they would pay him on the spot.
The tobacco markets were always an exciting place to go and back in those times it played an important part in the local economy and history. Dreams could be made are broken by what happened at the market on any given day. A years work would be tallied by the results of a few days at the market.
Tobacco is no longer the golden leaf crop that drove the economy of several southern states and just like the smells and sounds of the North Carolina tobacco markets are fading in my memories, they are also fading in our history.
Larry Gray. I was born and grew up in Eastern North Carolina in the small rural town of Aurora. After marrying my high school sweetheart I moved to Lakeland, Florida where I spent my adult years raising a beautiful family and working in the Citrus Industry, with over 38 years in various leadership and management roles ( http://www.larrygraysells.blogspot.com ). I have also been busy as a writer wannabe ( http://www.growingupinauroranc.com ).
Come join me on this great adventure, remembering the past and building the future.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
INVESTMENTS
Image via WikipediaTHE R&D INDICATOR
The amount of money a corporation spends on research and development is a: good guide to its earnings prospects. Generally, the higher the expenditure in relation to sales, the greater the company’s emphasis on new-product development. Benchmark: 5 % of annual sales spent on research is considered a sizable commitment to research spending. Source: Merrill Lynch Stockfinder Research Service, 165 Broadway, New York 10080.
OPTIONS AS INDICATORS
Often the first sign of a rally in a stock is increased activity in its options. Recommended: Look for newcomers on the “Most Active Options” list in The Wall Street Journal. Then, all you have to remember is …sell high…buy low...Happy climbing!
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Sunday, May 22, 2011
Can Hypnosis Help You To Stop Smoking?
Image via WikipediaHow does hypnosis help an individual stop smoking?
Hypnosis is a state of hyperawareness. It is exactly the opposite of sleep. This is not fully understood by the public. In a hypnotic trance, your ability to focus attention is freed from distractions. By helping a person mobilize this extraordinary power of concentration, hypnotists enable their subjects to bring their will to bear on a single, clear goal, in this case, nonsmoking.
Does it work for everyone?
No. About 30% of the population cannot be hypnotized at all. Of the remaining 70%, 15 % are very hypnotizable and 15 % are capable only of light trances. The rest fall somewhere in between.
How do you know if a person can be hypnotized?
Over the years, some reliable indicators have been discovered. The most accurate one is the eye-roll sign. Have someone observe you. First, gaze straight ahead. Then, roll your yes up and into your eyelids. The further upward the eyes move, the more hypnotizable you probably are.
What happens when a person goes to a hypnotist?
It’s a single, 45-minute session. First, we give tests to determine hypnotizability. We take a personal history to determine that the patient possesses reasonable mental health. The technique won’t work on people with major personality disorders because they have too much difficulty concentrating. About half an hour is devoted to the treatment itself.
What does the treatment consist of?
In the most general terms, it involves the implantation of a set of premises in the psyche. These are positive expressions of the will to protect the body and to celebrate its wellbeing. It’s far more effective than dire don’t smoke warnings.
What s the success rate? Does it depend on how hypnotizable a subject is?
Surprisingly, no. In the short term, about 90% of the high-trance types will stop. But these people are very sensitive to their surroundings. For example, if you live alone, receive little support for your effort, or associate mainly with smokers, it’s likely that you will backslide. People on the lower end of the hypnotizability scale who stop in the short run are more likely to stop forever. All told, about one out of three hypnotizable people quits completely. They never smoke again after the session. It’s a lower rate than many claims you read about, but it’s a good result. Remember, these are hard-core smokers who have repeatedly tried to quit and have failed.
How can an individual find a reputable hypnotist?
Go to someone with medical training, ideally a psychiatrist or psychologist with some experience in other behavior-modification techniques.
Can people use hypnosis to reduce smoking?
You either smoke or you don’t. It’s a life-or- death issue. You cannot negotiate it.
Source: Herbert Spiegel, M.D., a pioneer in the use of hypnosis to break self-destructive habits. A former three pack-per-day smoker, he teaches psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York 10027.
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Friday, April 8, 2011
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Sunday, December 26, 2010
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