Dad, things are going great..

Mr. Smith immigrated to the United States as a young man and fulfilled the immigrant's dream: He started up his own nail factory in Brooklyn, bought a nice house, sent his kids to college, even put the oldest son through Harvard Business School. When the young man graduated, Smith patted him on the back and said, "Jimmy, you're the smart one. I'm turning the business over to you and retiring to Miami Beach."

A year later he got an excited call from his son. "Dad, things are going great: I've computerized inventory, automated the factory, even got a great new ad campaign going. You've got to come see it with your own eyes." So the young man picked him up at the airport, and just before they reached the factory a huge billboard loomed up. In huge let- ters, beneath a close-up of Jesus on the cross, it read USE SMITH'S NAILS FOR THE TOUGHEST JOBS. "Jimmy," groaned Mr. Smith, "that's the new ad campaign? I'm telling you, the public's never gonna go for it."

A year later Jimmy informed him that things at the factory were going very well. "Come on up and check it out, Dad," he urged. "Oh, and by the way, you were right about that ad campaign. We've got a whole new one running now." So Mr. Smith flew up again, and on the way in from the airport spotted the same huge billboard. Only this time the picture showed Jesus crumpled at the foot of the cross, and the slogan read, YOU SHOULD HAVE USED SMITH'S NAILS.