AUTHOR R. ANN SIRACUSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It isn't the destination that matters -- It's the journey that counts!

THE PERFECT ARYAN BABY

1/14/2022

HITLER'S IDEAL ARYAN BABY

How terrifying it must have been for Pauline Levinsons to learn that the photograph she and her husband had had taken of their 6 month old baby, Hessy, by photographer Hans Ballin, had been selected from hundreds, maybe thousands, of entries as the perfect Aryan baby as part of Hitler’s propaganda for white supremacy.

Jacob and Pauline Levinsons, a Jewish couple and both talented singers, came to Berlin in 1928 from Latvia, a few years before Hitler came to power, to pursue careers in classical music. Hessy was born May 17, 1934. Not long after that, Jacob lost his job with an opera company because he was Jewish, and had to earn a living as a door-to-door salesman. If anyone found out who the baby was on the posters and postcards, their lives would have been forfeit immediately.

You can imagine how distraught the Levinsons were to find the photo of their daughter being widely circulated on the front cover of Sonne ins Hause, a major Nazi family magazine and one of the few allowed to be published at the time.

Nearly hysterical, Pauline talked the photographer and demanded how he could do this when he knew they were Jewish? Ballin, no friend of the Nazis, replied “I wanted to allow myself the pleasure of this joke. I wanted to make the Nazis look ridiculous”.

Professor Hessy Levinson Taft and copy of Sonne ins Hause
Image Source: businessinsider.com/perfect-aryan-poster-child

Ballin went on to explain that apparently prominent photographers in Germany had been contacted by Hitler's propaganda people and been asked to submit their ten best baby photographs for a contest. No names were attached, fortunately.

A LONG TIME TO KEEP A SECRET
Ballin did indeed make the propaganda look foolish when he slipped in Hessy’s picture. The “ideal Aryan” was blond-haired and blue-eyed, and Hessy had brown hair and dark eyes. Yet she was selected as the winner, and it was believed her photo was chosen personally by the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels himself. This remained a private joke until 2014, and the truth could have gotten them killed.

Not so funny.

Frightened she would be recognized on the streets and questions asked about her identity, Hessy’s parents keep her at home growing up. Her photograph appeared on widely available Nazi postcards, where she was identified by an aunt in distant Memel, now part of Lithuania. But the Nazis never discovered her true identity.

In 1938, her father was arrested by the Gestapo on a trumped up tax charge, but released when his accountant, a Nazi party member, came to his defense. After that, the family left Germany. They moved first to Latvia, before settling in Paris only for that city to fall to the Nazis. With the help of the French resistance, they escaped again, this time to Cuba, and in 1949 the family moved to the United States.

LIFE GOES ON
Hessy Levinsons went to Julia Richman High School in New York and later majored in chemistry at Barnard College, graduating in 1955. As a graduate student at Columbia University, Hessy met her future husband, mathematics professor Earl Taft. The couple joined the faculty at Rutgers University before she interrupted her career to raise a family.
Image Credit: USC Shoah Foundation
Image Source: huffpost.com/entry/nazi-aryan-baby-jewish_n_5551517

Professor Hessy Levinson Taft was eighty when she finally revealed publically, in 2014, that she was the Nazi propaganda baby. Prof Taft presented the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel with one of the three copies of the magazine her mother managed to save, and told the story of how she became an unlikely poster child for the Third Reich.

“I can laugh about it now,” the 80-year-old Professor of chemistry told Germany’s Bild newspaper in an interview. “But if the Nazis had known who I really was, I wouldn’t be alive…I feel a little revenge,” she said of presenting her photograph to Yad Vashem. “Something like satisfaction.”
Image Source: todayinhistory.blog/tag/hessy-levinsons-taft/

TAKE AWAY
If you think it’s an exaggeration to say Professor Taft played it close to the vest for eighty years, try to use conventional means on the internet to find about her life. The information is pretty much limited to what is in this blog. Give it a try.

Sources:
https://www.businessinsider.com/nazis-perfect-aryan-poster-child-was-jew-2014-7
https://sahistory.org.za/article/how-did-nazis-construct-aryan-identity
https://www.foxnews.com/world/ideal-aryan-baby-on-cover-of-nazi-magazine-revealed-to-be-jewish
https://todayinhistory.blog/2020/05/17/may-17-1934-a-most-perfect-aryan-baby/
https://www.rallypoint.com/
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/02/hessy-levinsons-taft-jewish-woman-who.htmlhttps:/www.amusingplanet.com/2020/02/hessy-levinsons-taft-jewish-woman-who.html
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nazi-aryan-baby-jewish_n_5551517
https://www.descopera.ro/dnews/12872926-cel-mai-frumos-bebelus-arian-desemnat-de-nazisti-in-anul-1935-era-de-fapt-evreu-povestea-inedita-a-lui-hessy-levinson

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SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES: Underwater Cities And Ruins

1/14/2022

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SEARCHING FOR ATLANTIS
When the Greek philosopher Plato wrote Timaeus and Critias, an allegory on the hubris of nations, he set up many future generations for wasting a lot time.

Atlantis, the fictional island mentioned in the allegory, represents a hostile naval power that besieges "Ancient Athens", the pseudo-historic embodiment of Plato's ideal state in The Republic. In the story, Athens defeats the attack unlike any other nation of the known world, supposedly bearing witness to the superiority of Plato's concept of a nation state. The story concludes with Atlantis falling out of favor with the deities and submerging into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving the world plagued with another mystery.

For the last 2,300 years people have been searching for the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis. Seems like a lot of time ill spent when there are real cities and ruins underwater throughout the world, some of which have only been recently discovered, and some which pre-date Plato himself.

DISCOVERING UNDERWATER CITIES AND RUINS
The thought of discovering underwater ruins and treasures sparks the imagination of the history or adventure enthusiasts like nothing else. Underwater discoveries, ranging from sunken cities to the millions of shipwrecks still unexplored on the seabed, are still being found. The bottom of the seas and oceans of the world have been described as the biggest museum of the world, with less than 1% of the ocean floor having been surveyed to date.

In fact many important discoveries were made in the last century, presumably because the kind of diving and scientific equipment became available for that kind of underwater exploration and excavation. Let’s look at some of oldest of the ruins.

● Atlit-Yam, Haifa, Israel (9000 years old)
Perhaps the oldest city discovered in an underwater grave is Atlit-Yam, Israel. The submerged ruins of the Neolithic site, which dates between 6900 and 6300 BC, lies around 30 to 40 feet beneath the current sea level and covers an area of 10 acres. The site is located in the Haifa region of Israel, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Bay of Atlit, at the mouth of the Oren River on the Carmel coast.

Image Credit: freeworldmaps.net/europe/mediterranean
Image source: researchgate.net/figure/MapMediterranean

Image Source:guideoftheworld.com/israel

Discovered by marine archaeologist Ehud Galilibv in 1984. The subsequent years of underwater excavations have unearthed houses, altars, and numerous intact tombs containing dozens of bodies, burial objects, the remains of nets, and an altar of cut stone. This makes it an exceptional site informing us about the way of life of the coastal peoples during the Neolithic period.

Although the scientific community has received regular reports on the excavations, the discovery was largely unknown to the general public until 2008 when a film entitled The Mystery of Atlit Yam revealed its existence to a wider audience as the oldest known submerged stone-age settlement.
◄ Image source: lexiline.blogspot.com/atlit-yam-israel

Stone Circle ▲ and Planisphere by Andia Kaulins (2008) ►
Source of Images: blogs.timesofisrael.com/atlit-yam

At the center of the settlement seven megaliths are arranged in a stone semicircle around a freshwater spring, which may once have been the site of water rituals.

The ritual megaliths consist of seven stones (approximately three to eight and a half feet long), six of which are still standing upright, form a circle open to the northwest. The bases of the standing stones are covered with gray travertine attesting to the presence of fresh water in the past. Close to the standing stones to the west, a few flat stone slabs were found lying horizontally, some of them with shallow cup-marks. Some scientists conclude the monoliths are laid out as a planisphere of the heavens.

Among the intact tombs, archaeologists discovered the inhabitants were buried in a flexed position on their sides or backs, sometimes in group graves. The discovery of two skeletons, a woman and a child, of particular interest to scientists, revealed the earliest known cases of tuberculosis.

Image credit:. Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Image Source: blogs.timesofisrael.com/atlit-yam

The site was covered by the eustatic rise of sea levels after the end of the Ice Age. Scientists believe the current coastline of Israel is roughly half a mile of where it was before the water rose.
Researchers found piles of fish ready for trade or storage, leading them to conclude that the village was abandoned suddenly. According to Wikipedia, “An Italian study….indicates that a volcanic collapse of the eastern flank of Mount Etna 8,500 years ago would likely have caused a 10-storey (130 ft) tsunami to engulf some Mediterranean coastal cities within hours. Some scientists point to the apparent abandonment of Atlit Yam around the same time as further evidence that such a tsunami did indeed occur.”

● Yonaguni Ruins, Japan (10,000 to 5,000 years old)
The Island of Yonaguni is just miles away from Taiwan and is the last of the Ryukyu islands. It is the westernmost inhabited Japanese island. During the ice age, Yonaguni Island was part of the Chinese mainland. Then due to rising oceans and land shifts, it became one of the many islands that were spread out in between China and Japan. It was once part of the Ryukyu Kingdom until it was overtaken by Japan.

▲ImageSource: periergaa.blogspot.com/2014/09/yonaguni.html
Image Source: joshuaproject.net/people_groups/ ►

The Yonaguni Ruins were accidently discovered by a local fisherman, Kihachiro Aratake, in 1986 while scuba diving off the coast of Yonaguni Jima, searching for a new spot to view hammerhead sharks.

There was, and may still be, controversy regarding whether or not these ruins are actually manmade. "The largest structure looks like a complicated, monolithic, stepped pyramid that rises from a depth of 25 meters [82 feet]," said Masaaki Kimura, a marine geologist at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan who has been diving at the site to measure and map its formations for more than 15 years.
▼ Image Source: herbeauty.co/en/mysteries-deep/

But like other stories of sunken cities, Kimura's claims have attracted controversy. "I'm not convinced that any of the major features or structures are manmade steps or terraces, but that they're all natural," said Robert Schoch, a professor of science and mathematics at Boston University who has dived to visit the site. [Is he kidding? In my opinion, those stones look far too sharply cut and stacked to be the result of natural forces, but no one asked me.]
However, Toru Ouchi, an associate professor of seismology at Kobe University, supports Kimura's hypothesis, and says “I've dived there as well and touched the pyramid… What Professor Kimura says is not exaggerated at all. It's easy to tell that those relics were not caused by earthquakes."

▲ Source of Images: nationalgeographic.cm/yonaguni-jima-japan ▲

▲ Source of Images: weirdasianews.com/2008/04/japans-underwater-pyramid ▲

Unfortunately there has been inadequate study of the ruins. Having never been properly research, there are many varying claims surrounding origins and dating. These vary from between 10,000 to 5,000 years old. According to some scientists, Yonaguni was once home to the legendary Jomon civilization that flourished in ancient Japan from around 12,000 to 300BC. It was this civilization that has some of the oldest found forms of pottery.

Regardless of their validity, the ruins have been submerged for at least two thousand years, perhaps much longer, meaning whatever was once there, would be extremely degraded.

● Dwarka, India (7000 and 9500 years old)
Dwarka is one of the best-studied underwater sites because it is one of the four Dhamas (sacred place for pilgrimage) of the Hindu religion. According to ancient Sanskrit literature, the Lord Krishna founded the holy city of Dwarka, which subsequently was submerged under the sea. Dwarka has been the Karma land of Lord Krishna, the 8th avatar of Lord Vishnu. He was born in Mathura but moved to Dwarka after killing his uncle Kansa because of the many atrocities he committed.

The location of the mythical city of Lord Krishna was thought to be a legend, such as Atlantis, until a marine scientist discovered the remains of an underwater civilization near the coast of Dwarka, in the 1970s. Since then the city has been intensely studied. Experts believe that a tsunami stuck 3500 years ago, causing numerous cities, including Dwarka, to submerge.

In 2002, an ancient advanced civilization was discovered not far away, under 120 feet underwater in the Gulf of Cambhat off the western coast of India. The old city is almost five miles long by two and a quarter miles wide. Carbon testing indicates the ruins are between 7000 and 9500 years old.

Image Source: countryreports.org/country/India Image Source: rafalreyzer.com/-ruins-of-dwarka/

▼ Recreation of the City Plan - Image Source: rafalreyzer.com/-ruins-of-dwarka/

The town was connected by an elaborate system of boulevards, roads, market squares, assembly houses and temples. The debris recovered from the site includes construction material, pottery, sections of walls, beads, sculpture, human bones and teeth which corroborate the carbon testing indicating the city was older than the Egyptian and Chinese civilizations.

▲ Source of Images: valorealm.com/warka-underwater ▲

Source of Images: ▲ ►
traveltriangle.com/lost-cities-in-india/
Image Source: earthismysterious.com/dwarka-mythical-city far right►

● Pavlopetri, Greece
Identified originally by geologist Folkion Negris, in 1904, as the Bronze Age port of Pavlopetri, these Greek ruins remained unstudied until 1960 when it was rediscovered by Nic Flemming, from the Institute of Oceanography at the University of Southampton.

In 1968, the site was surveyed by archaeologists from the University of Cambridge. Then in 2009, under the direction of John C. Henderson, the University of Nottingham began a five-year project with the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research to study the town at Pavlopetri.

This underwater archaeological site is located in the Peloponnesus region of southern Greece near a small village called Pavlopetri. The archaeological ruins lie 4 meters (thirteen and a half feet) underwater. We can refer to the same location map of the Mediterranean as we did for Atlit-Yam.

Image Source: freeworldmaps.net/europe/mediterranean Image Source: theglobalgrid.org/pavlopetri-reece/

Excavations and study of this city gives archeologists a good idea of what life was like about 3000 BC. It sank around 1100 BC, most likely due to earthquakes that are common in the region, erosion, rising sea levels, or even a tsunami caused by volcanic eruption.
However, this is not the lost Atlantis. The remains found predate Plato’s story. References say it is now believed to be the oldest known planned underwater town in the world, even though Atlit-Yam is the claimed to be 9000 years old. I have no idea how scientists decide because the dating process only gives a age range. Just sayin.

Image shows the sunken city under clear water Schematic shows where the shoreline was in 1100 BC
Source of images: secret-greece.com/pavlopetri/

▼Source of Images: medium.com/@humanoriginproject/underwater-ruins ▼

Image Source:
lolwot.com/submerged-ruins

Image source: secret-greece.com/pavlopetri-city-beneath-the-waves/

Image Source:
lolwot.com/submerged-ruins

Despite earthquakes in the area shifting the land, even after 5,000 years, the arrangement of the city is still clearly visible and at least 15 buildings have been found.

Dr. Jon Henderson, from the University of Nottingham team, manager of the Pavlopetri Underwater Archaeology Project, says, “Pavlopetri was incredibly well designed with roads, two storey houses with gardens, temples, a cemetery, and a complex water management system including channels and water pipes. In the center of the city, there was even a square or plaza measuring about 40 by 20 meters (131 x 65 ft) and most of the buildings had up to 12 rooms inside. “There are older sunken sites in the world but none can be considered to be planned towns such as this, which is why it is unique.”

● Heracleion and Canopus
Thonis-Heracleion (also spelled Herakleion and called Pe-Guti by the Egyptians) were Egyptian cities located on the north coast of the Mediterranean sea near the western-most branch of the Nile River, about 32 miles from Alexandria.
Image Source: historyplex.com/ancient-egypt

When it was founded is unknown but scientists believe it was at during the 12th century BC. By the 8th century BC, Heracleion had become an important trade hub between Egypt and other civilizations with access to the Mediterranean. It was the home to a major temple where new pharaohs came to be legitimized by the gods.

Nearby, the city of Canopus housed the shrine to Serapus, and the City was a significant religious center during the Ptolemaic rule. Pilgrims thronged to the site seeking miraculous healing.

By the second century BC, Heracleion was superseded by Alexandria as Egypt’s main port. According to Wikipedia, “Over time the city was weakened by a combination of earthquakes, tsunamis, and rising sea levels. After the end of the second century BC, probably after a severe flood, the ground on which the central island of Heracleion was built succumbed to soil liquefaction. The hard clay turned rapidly into a liquid and the buildings collapsed into the water. A few residents stayed on during the Roman era and the beginning of Arab rule, but by the end of the eighth century AD what was left of Thonis had sunk beneath the sea.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleion

Although the city had been important, after it sank completely people simply forgot about it, and until recently it was known only through literary references. In 1933, an RAF commander flying over Abu Qir Bay saw ruins under the water. At that time, most historians believed that Thonis and Heracleion were two separate cities, both located on what is now the Egyptian mainland.

In l996 The European Institute for Underwater Archaeology began to explore in the bay of Abukir. Finally, in 1999, after a five year search for the ruins, French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio located and explored the site. Inscriptions confirmed that they were, indeed, the remains of the two lost cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, now resting with the fishes at The ruins now lay at depths of around 20 to 23 feet. Image Source: ► elmundo.es/la- aventura-de-la-historia/

king Nkatabanu of granodorit Statue of a Ptolemaic queen Head of Diorite
ImageSource: herbeauty.co/mysteries-deep/ Source Images: egymonuments.gov.eg/sunken-monuments/

In searching for photographs of building ruins or street plans, it appears there are none available. This would make sense based on the way in which the city sank, due to soil liquefaction and subsidence.
Example of soil liquefaction – Nigerian Earthquake, 1964
Image source:image1.slideserve.com/2053130/slide2-l.jpg

TAKE AWAY
The three sunken cities located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea were affected by geologic occurrences over the millennia in that area of the world. Some of the disasters might have been caused by the same events, although none of the research I saw included a time line comparing the inundations.

There are quite a few other sunken cities in surprising places, and many in lakes. Most of those are not as old, with a few exceptions, and fodder for another blog. Lakes are more vulnerable to changing water levels and local geological events.

The raising of the water level of the oceans can make a big difference. Hopefully, our modern cities on the shores of oceans, seas, and lakes are engineered to account for what humans know about natural disasters, water, and structural design.

Finally, I found it interesting and puzzling that whole cities, some of which were prominent in the past, were so easily forgotten and so difficult to find, particularly when most of them are not really that far underwater.

JUST SAYIN!

Sources:
.https://www.thetravel.com/underwater-cities-that-look-straight-out-of-aquaman/
https://medium.com/@humanoriginproject/8-mysterious-underwater-ruins-of-lost-civilizations-8f83aee6b117
http://descy.50megs.com/Emankato/under.html
https://www.rainforestcruises.com/guides/lake-titicaca-puno-attractions
https://medium.com/@humanoriginproject/8-mysterious-underwater-ruins-of-lost-civilizations-8f83aee6b117
https://www.addtobucketlist.com/these-7-underwater-cities-are-open-to-all/
https://www.lolwot.com/10-truly-incredible-submerged-ruins-to-explore/
https://kalkanholidayproperty.com/the-sunken-city-of-kekova/
https://listverse.com/2013/03/28/10-incredible-submerged-ruins/
https://www.addtobucketlist.com/most-amazing-underwater-sights/
https://www.crystalinks.com/laketiticacaruins.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiwanaku
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Titicaca
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-guatemala-archaeology-idUSTRE59T4P120091030
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/11/guatemala-reveals-treasures-from.html
https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-history/top-10-amazing-facts-about-the-lost-city-of-atlantis/
https://mwwollacott.com/what-did-plato-say-about-atlantis/
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/sinking-cities-not-just-at-sea-level-60014/
https://www.ancientpages.com/2019/08/13/10-enigmatic-ancient-underwater-ruins-our-oceans-are-full-of-secrets/

https://www.earthismysterious.com/underwater-ruins-of-lost-Cities/#:~:text=Here%20are%2014%20underwater%20ruins%20of%20lost%20civilizations,spot%20for%20the%20wealthy%20and%20prestigious%20of%20Rome.
https://www.earthismysterious.com/underwater-ruins-of-lost-Cities/#:~:text=Here%20are%2014%20underwater%20ruins%20of%20lost%20civilizations,spot%20for%20the%20wealthy%2and%20prestigious%20of%20Rome.https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Jo0noGWC&id=074AA5EA23ED7234CA0B8502847272CD000B9ECD&thid=OIP.Jo0noGWCFXnwK4lfPJwOSAHaEK&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.ytimg.com%2fvi%2ffDwkdyG-HPE%2fmaxresdefault.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2
Yonaguni ,Japan
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/yonaguni-jima-japan-underwater-city#:~:text=Ruins%20Point%20Yonaguni%20Jima%20is%20an%20island%20that,was%20unofficially%20renamed%20Iseki%20Hanto%2C%20or%20Ruins%20Point.
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16052/JA (Map)
https://jpninfo.com/65889
https://www.weirdasianews.com/2008/04/13/japans-underwater-pyramid/#:~:text=Underwater%20rock%20formations%20resembling%20a%20pyramid%20found%20off,at%20the%20University%20of%20the%20Ryukyus%20in%20Japan.
Dwarka, India
https://www.earthismysterious.com/dwarka-mythical-city-found-under-water/#:~:text=According%20to%20ancient%20Sanskrit%20literature%2C%20the%20Lord%20Krishna,%28sacred%20place%20for%20pilgrimage%29%20of%20the%20Hindu%20religion.
https://tabooya.com/blog/2015/03/30/these-mindblowing-underwater-cities-have-scientists-reconsidering-the-bibles-big-flood/
https://www.gujaratexpert.com/dwarka-history/#:~:text=Dwarka%20is%20one%20of%20the%20most%20significant%20Hindu,Puris%E2%80%99%3B%20i.e.%207%20holy%20pilgrimage%20spots%20for%20Hindus.
https://www.themysteriousindia.net/dwarka-mythical-city-found-under-water/
https://www.ba-bamail.com/content.aspx?emailid=34323
https://valorealm.com/spirituality/dwarka-underwater-history-discovery/
https://rafalreyzer.com/the-underwater-ruins-of-dwarka/   (also location map)
https://traveltriangle.com/blog/lost-cities-in-india/
https://www.ba-bamail.com/content.aspx?emailid=34323
Pavlopetri, Greece
https://theglobalgrid.org/video-of-submerged-port-city-in-pavlopetri-greece/
http://www.pavlopetri.org/2014/12/mmmmmmmmmm.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/25qrxp/ruins_of_ancient_city_of_pavlopetri_laconia/
https://www.secret-greece.com/pavlopetri-city-beneath-the-waves/
https://www.nexusnewsfeed.com/article/ancient-origins/pavlopetri-5-000-year-old-town-discovered-underwater-in-greece/
Atlit Yam – Haifa, Israel
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/atlit-yam
https://www.elitereaders.com/top-10-mind-blowing-underwater-discoveries/
https://israelbehindthenews.com/2014/10/13/israels-challenges-eastern-mediterranean/   (Map 1)
https://www.quora.com/Does-Britain-have-the-military-capability-to-invade-Turkey   (map 2)
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/atlit-yam-a-journey-into-israels-sunken-past/
https://www.gd.tt/docubox-tv-mystery-of-atlit-yam/
https://lexiline.blogspot.com/2008/12/atlit-yam-israel-underwater-megaliths.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlit_Yam
https://www.guideoftheworld.com/israel-map.html
Herakleion and Canopus, Egypt
https://herbeauty.co/en/foodtravel/mysteries-deep/
https://www.lolwot.com/10-truly-incredible-submerged-ruins-to-explore/
https://www.slam.org/press/sunken-cities-backgrounder-thonis-heracleion-and-canopus/
https://historyplex.com/ancient-egypt-facts-for-kids
https://antinousgaygod.blogspot.com/2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleion
https://www.elmundo.es/la-aventura-de-la-historia/2016/06/01/574daab446163f31358b459c.html014/08/in-egypt-antinous-and-hadrian-visited.html
https://www.slam.org/press/sunken-cities-backgrounder-thonis-heracleion-and-canopus/#:~:text=Experts%20believe%20soil%20liquefaction%20and%20a%20gradual%20rise,the%20cities%20were%20unknown%20until%20Goddio%E2%80%99s%20discoveries.%20Thonis-Heracleion
https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/sunken-monuments/abu-qir-bay/#:~:text=Canopus%20and%20Herakleion%20were%20extremely%20prosperous%2C%20deriving%20their,Soter%20%28305%E2%80%93285%20BC%29%20after%20the%20death%20of%20Alexander.
■

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IO SATURNALIA: THE FESTIVAL OF MISRULE. What the Romans Contributed to Christmas

12/24/2021

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Similar to many facets of life in today’s western civilization, the Romans had a profound influence on the way Christians celebrate Christmas. We just can’t get away from those guys.

ROMAN INFLUENCE OVER THE WORLD
Saturnalia began as a one-day farming ritual related at the end of harvest and the winter solstice. On that day, the agrarian population under Rome’s rule honored Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture by offering gifts and sacrifices to him. The time of origin of the festival, Saturnalia, is unknown, but it predates the birth of Christ.

The tradition of honoring Saturn in relation to the harvest and the winter solstice (around December 21 by our calendar today) followed the Romans throughout conquest of their empire. The map below indicates the breadth of Roman influence on the rest of the world.

Expanse of the Roman Empire by 117 AD – over 19 million sq. miles
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.comt-roman-empire

THE BIRTH OF SATURNALIA
The celebration may have taken on the name Saturnalia when the Temple of Saturn was dedicated in Rome in around 498 BC. The anniversary of the dedication was commemorated on December 17, and is believed to be the source of many of the current Christmas traditions.

Temple of Saturn Temple of Saturn – 3D Reconstruction of Forum
Source of Images: colosseumrometickets.com/temple-saturn/

Whenever the festival began, by 133-31 B.C. this public holiday ‒ a time for feasting, goodwill, and generosity to the poor and for drinking, dancing, nudity, and general bacchanal ‒ had become the most popular holiday on the Roman (Julian) calendar. The gala had been expanded into a week-long event beginning December 17 and ending on December 23. The date of winter solstice on the Julian calendar was December 25.

Augustus Caesar, who ruled from 27 BC – 14 AD, reduced the festivities to three days because it interfered with the working days. Later, Emperor Caligula (37 to 41AD) extended it to five days. By the early fifth century the gala was two weeks long.

Image Source: jeremyvarner.com/blog/saturnalia/

According to Macrobius, a well-known Roman author (370-430 AD), Saturnalia represented the merging of three winter festivals over several centuries.

● The Day of Saturn (Saturnalia) originally December 17;
● Festival of Opalia, goddess of abundance and fruits of the earth (who was also Saturn's
wife and sister); and
● A feast day celebrating the shortest day, called Brumalia by the Romans, which
coincided with the solstice.

THE MOST POPULAR HOLIDAY
There were plenty of reasons why the holiday was so popular with the Romans.
Image Source: dreamstime.com/stock-photo-chiuso-closed

● Nobody worked for the entire week of Saturnalia. Courts, shops, schools, public offices were all closed and no one did business during the holiday.

● Most of the Roman’s strict rules went out the window and it was a time of role reversal in terms of the aristocracy and the common Romans, servants, and slaves. The festival reflects the contradictory nature of the deity Saturn himself; joyful and carefree, but also threatening and dangerous.

● Slaves, servants, and commoners were allowed to participate, which was not the case on other Roman holidays. They received gifts from their masters and were seated at a great feast served by the masters themselves. The UKs Boxing Day is said to have derived from this tradition.

● People would also wear a cap of freedom – the pilleum – which was usually worn by slaves who had been awarded their freedom, to symbolize that they were ‘free’ during the Saturnalia.
Image Source: somathread.ning.com/saturnalian-pileus ►

●It was the Romans’ mid-winter holiday of feasting, drinking, singing in the street naked, dancing, clapping hands, making noise, and debauchery. An orgy, so to speak.

● Activities forbidden to the plebeians were permitted such as gambling in public, bobbing for corks in ice water, trivia games, chariot racing, wearing weird or colorful clothing, and so on.

Dice players fresco from the Osteria della Via di Mercurio (VI 10,1.19, room b), in situ wall fresco, Pompeii
Image Source: etc.worldhistory.org/saturnalia-festival/

● Even the conservatively clothed aristocracy dressed in brightly colored fabrics such as red, purple and gold. This outfit was called the synthesis, meaning they put together whatever clothes they wanted. And no togas. This was a time for relaxation.

● People would feast in their homes. According to the historian Livy, by 217 BC there was also a huge public feast at the oldest temple in Rome, the Temple of Saturn.

Macrobius confirms this, and says that the rowdy participants would spill out onto the street, with the participants shouting, “Lo, lo, lo!" [“Io” is pronounced like yō.] Image Source: reason.com/happy-saturnalia-2019/
THE LORD OF MISRULE
A part of the festivities that was particularly popular in many households was the selection of a mock king. The mock king, or Saturnalicius princeps, got to run around the house for a week, giving everyone commands and a hard time. The mock king was also called "The Lord of Misrule" and his job was to make mischief during the week.

The person who received this honor was selected by chance. A small coin was baked into a cake and whomever was served the piece of cake with the coin inside was deemed the Lord of Misrule. Image Source: solascendans.com/lord-of-misrule/ ▼

Once chosen, this person would:
●Insult guests!
●Wear crazy clothing!
●Chase people around the house!
●Plan scandalous party entertainment!

I found no indication that the household Lord of Misrule took his antics outside of the household. However, because of the general atmosphere, I imagine it happened often.

GIFT GIVING
The Christmas tradition of giving gifts arises, in part, from Saturnalia. December 19 was the Sigillaria, the Roman day of giving gifts. Saturnalia was more about a change in attitudes rather than giving gifts. Because the whole spirit of the celebration was generosity and equality in the eyes of Saturn, the god, the value of the gifts was also reversed in terms of social status. Pottery and wax figurines called sigillaria were made for this day.

▲Pottery and bronze figurines 3rd century Clay mask from Lipari, Sicily
BC & 1st century AD (British Museum) Image Source: latinata.com/kRomanSaturnalia
Image Source: alison-morton.com/saturnalia

In truth, the gifts given were both very expensive (like furniture or jewels) or in the nature of gag-gifts, but the original spirit of the day was that token gifts of low intrinsic value inversely meant the giver considered the friendship as being very dear and high quality. Children received toys as gifts. People gave food items, fruit, cutlery and kitchen items and practical gifts as well a decorative. Other types of gifts might include white candles, named cerei, which signified the increase of light after the solstice. This practice of gift giving can also be looked at like sending greeting cards.

It was also the custom to compose an epigram to go along with the Saturnalia gift. Although gifts were given at any time during the festival, it was customary to give your dinner guests, which included servants and slaves, a present. Since the Romans ate stuffed dormice, they were often given as a gift. This is an English translation example example of an epigram that went goes with a dormouse. latinata.com/kRomanSaturnaliaGifts.html

DORMICE
I snooze the whole winter long and am fatter at that
time, when nothing except sleep nourishes me.

DECORATIONS
The colors of Saturnalia were green and gold, and the Romans decorated their homes with evergreen wreaths, garlands made of pine branches, mistletoe, and holly. Gold decorations in the traditional shapes of the sun and stars, pinecones, nuts, acorns, or animals, were added.
Photo source: biblepaedia.wordpress.com/saturnalia
CANDLES
The Romans had a long tradition of lighting candles (wax tapers) and torches as part of their ceremonies. Whether or not this practice derived from an old prophecy which bade the earliest inhabitants of Latium to “send heads to Hades and to Saturn.” The ancient Latins interpreted this to mean human sacrifices, but according to legend, Hercules advised using lights (phos means “light” or “man” according to accent) and not human heads.

Apparently they accepted that mythical advice and instead lit candles to honor Saturn.

From the beginning of Christianity, fire and light serve as symbols of the divine nature and the divine presence. Christ is the true Light. Light represents the purifying presence of god.
It would not seem a stretch for the new Christians to adopt the idea of candles in their services, but according to Wikipedia, “There is no evidence of any ceremonial use of lights in Christian worship during its first two centuries."

HOW DID SATURNALIA BECOME CHRISTMAS?
Obviously, that didn't happen. One didn't become the other, but the process of religious syncretism blended the old pagan rituals from the celebration of Saturn with the religious beliefs of the new Christianity, resulting in a new religious tradition.

December 25 is celebrated by the Christian religions as the day Jesus Christ was born. In English, the word Christmas is derived from old English Christ Mass. The actual date of the Christ child’s birth is unknown, and many historians and theologians believe his birth more likely occurred in the spring. Some people use that fact to make strange arguments about the holiday, but that is all rhetoric.

Whether or not Christ was born on December 25, this is the date the Christian religion has chosen to celebrate the birthday. It’s similar to having your birthday party on Saturday, when your real birthday is Thursday.

Image source: https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/301-600/the-1st-recorded-celebration-of-christmas-11629658.html

During the first 300 or so years of Christianity, the Baptism of Christ, not his birth, was considered more important and was celebrated on January 6, the Epiphany. The first known celebration of Christmas on December 25 was in 336 AD during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor. At that time the day had no official status. About fifteen years later (350 AD), Pope Julius I declared December 25 as the official date of Christmas. It wasn’t until 529 AD that Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday.

December 25 obviously coincides with the pagan festival of Saturnalia. One popular interpretation is that by selecting this date, religious leaders hoped to convert the pagan masses to Christianity by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia more or less the way it had always been, as Christians. Thus, early Christmas holidays were celebrated by drinking, sexual indulgence, singing naked in the streets, a precursor of modern caroling.

Another major consideration was the “concept in Judaism that link the time of the deaths of prophets being linked to their conception or birth. From this, early ecclesiastical number-crunchers extrapolated that the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy following the Annunciation on March 25th would produce a December 25th date for the birth of Christ.”
https://www.historytoday.com

Over time the celebrations took on a Christian theme and theology but maintained the same spirit as a time of year for peace on earth, equality for all, good will towards man, and generosity for all. Thus, Saturnalia eventually evolved into Christmas.

If you are Christian - MERRY CHRISTMAS!
If you are not - HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GOOD WILL, and HONOR TO YOUR REGILGIOUS DAYS.

2021 Sources
https://allthatsinteresting.com/height-roman-empire-map
https://colosseumrometickets.com/temple-saturn/
https://guernseydonkey.com/did-the-romans-invent-christmas/
https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/how-did-the-romans-celebrate-christmas/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome
http://jeremyvarner.com/blog/2016/12/history-of-the-holidays-saturnalia/
https://etc.worldhistory.org/education/saturnalia-festival/
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/saturnalia-what-controversial-mythology-behind-roman-drinking-festival-1482726
https://www.learnreligions.com/about-celebrating-saturnalia-2562994
https://reason.com/volokh/2019/12/17/happy-saturnalia-2019/
https://www.elixirofknowledge.com/2014/08/saturnalia-ancient-roman-festival.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/crawfda/15438379997
https://reason.com/2019/12/17/happy-saturnalia-2019/
https://solascendans.com/2013/12/17/jesus-christ-lord-of-misrule/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saturnalia-Roman-festival
https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-chiuso-closed-sign-italian-language-wooden-rustic-text-hanging-rope-rock-image70738731
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/28093/#:~:text=Saturalia%20-%20Christmas%20in%20Skyrim%20Saturalia%20is%20traditionally,parties%2C%20and%20parading.%20Visitors%20are%20encouraged%20to%20participate.
https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/301-600/the-1st-recorded-celebration-of-christmas-11629658.html
https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/301-600/the-1st-recorded-celebration-of-christmas-11629658.html
Older Sources
https://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Saturnalia
https://www.naturalnavigator.com/news/2008/11/saturnalia-christmas-and-common-sense/
https://museumhack.com/saturnalia-christmas/
https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/how-did-the-romans-celebrate-christmas/
https://www.creativejeffrey.com/creative/innovative_christmas.phphttps:/www.britannica.com/topic/feast-religion/Types-and-kinds-of-feasts-and-festivals
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/did-romans-invent-christmas
https://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5uG6zaDaIM
https://theluminessence.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/a-saturnalia-ritual/
/mahttps://www.lnstar.com/mallin-areas/xmas-not-first-choice.htm
https://travelingboy.com/travel/saturnalia-history-christmas/
https://alison-morton.com/2018/12/16/saturnalia-serious-roman-festival-or-free-for-all/

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Part 2 - CHRISTMAS PLANS GONE AWRY: A Harriet Ruby Christmas Fantasy

12/17/2021

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A Christmas Fantasy
Copyright R. Ann Siracusa
Rated R

Chapter Three

At about one o'clock that afternoon, my group and I straggled into the hotel after our walking tour to St. Peter's and the Vatican.
"Well, that was a life-altering experience," Woodie announced as we stumbled our way back to the meeting room.
Behind him, Mavis dragged Basil along with a firm grip on his earlobe. "I've never been so embarrassed."
I didn't see Will but felt his presence the instant I walked through the door. The zing, snap, crackle of our incredible emotional connection hit me like a bolt of lightning.
When I spotted him standing near the entrance to our meeting lounge, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, my temperature soared and perspiration beaded on my skin. My breath caught, and it was all I could do to keep from ripping off my clothes and jumping his bones. Well, we hadn't seen each other for more than three weeks.
I smiled at him and did a finger wave.
Woodie chortled. "That your hunk, Inspector Harriet?"
"He's not my..." Well, actually, he did fit the description, along with a number of others like gorgeous and horny. When I made a feeble attempt to look indignant, Mavis whacked me on the butt.
"Don't even bother. Both of you are drooling."
Yeah, well. What could I say? I'd already explained the situation.
Will pulled away from the wall and closed the distance. "Hi, Harriet. How'd the morning tour go?" He ran a finger around the inside of his collar.
I wanted to throw myself into his arms and slobber kisses all over him, but being on the job, I restrained myself and smiled chastely. "Hello, Will. It wasn't exactly an auspicious beginning."
"I can't wait." He rolled his eyes at me and extended his hand to Woodie. "Will Talbot."
The men shook, although Will had to bend a little, and Woodie stood on tip toes.
"I'm Elwood. Woodie for short. The master carver."
"Elwood ELF," I murmured, watching for some sign of amazement or incredulity from Will. No dice!
Mavis let go of Basil's ear and, batting her eyelashes, sidled up to Will, brushing against him like a cat rubbing the master's legs. Sort of a physical mismatch.
"Hi, handsome, you must be Will. Harriet's told us al-ll about you. I'm Mavis, public relations."
"Mavis ELF." And I hadn't told her al-ll about him. Mostly, I don't share with anyone, at least intentionally. Like I said, sometimes I speak without my brain in gear.
"Nice to meet you both." Will glanced at me and raised one eyebrow languidly, a sign of amusement. "So, what happened?"
"It was absolutely humiliating," Mavis answered for me. "We were in St. Peter's Square looking at the beautiful crèche, when Basil, who paints nativity scenes on candles and decorator soaps, climbed inside and ended up in the baby Jesus' cradle."
"I only wanted to find the baby figure so I could study the face," Basil, the youngest and smallest of the elves, cut in defensively. "When it wasn't there, I thought maybe it had slipped to the bottom."
"You be quiet!" Mavis snapped. "You shouldn't have popped up in the cradle in front of a group of tourists."
"How was I supposed to know they were there? I couldn't see. It wasn't my fault that fat lady fainted and broke her arm."
As the group gathered around us and gawked at Will―he looked gigantic next to the elves―I put my hand on Woodie's shoulder and murmured, "I really don't think he could be related to Won't."
Spitting his ubiquitous cigar onto the carpet, Woodie nodded. "Nah, as much as it hurts, I've got to agree with you, sweet cakes."
My eye twitched.
As Mavis introduced Will to everyone, I watched him smile at each upturned face, shake hands, and make appropriate small talk. He never blinked an eye, looked a look, or spoke a word to imply these folks might be different than any anyone else. He is good!
Finally, he eased away from the others and stepped close to me. Grinning, he murmured, "This tour group isn't what you expected, is it?"
Frustrated, I fisted my hands. "In case you haven't noticed, they are elves, not children."
My sarcasm fell on deaf ears. Of course, he'd noticed, and he seemed content to accept the situation for what it appeared to be. Could I be the only person on earth with reality conflicts?
The two chaperone elves exchanged glances, then Woodie rounded up the others. "Okay, it's time for lunch. Everyone go to the café. It's buffet style."
Mavis cornered Happy. "Don't let Basil sneak back into the bar again. That Dragon Blood is too strong for the kid. We don't want a repeat of this morning."
Happy nodded and looked, well, happy. "Don't worry. We'll be back in an hour."
Mavis planted herself in front of Will and me. "Do you two have a few minutes? We have something to discuss."
Discuss? Reluctantly, I wrenched my thoughts away from all the things I wanted to do as soon as Will and I were alone. Right! Find the baker. I ground my teeth, unsure how he might take the request to play detective for Mr. Claus...Saint Nicholas...the big fella. Whomever.
Will shot me a puzzled frown, and I nodded. "Sure, we can stay for a while."
I led the way to the sofas, hoping Will would follow and not stomp out the front door heading for the nearest cold shower. We could fight later. It always made for good makeup sex.
We sat. My superspy extraordinaire draped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close. As I leaned into his warmth, all my girly parts sizzled. Oh, man. I hoped this wouldn't take long. The heat between us flared so fast we might have to book a room, if we could even make it upstairs.
Once we settled, Woodie busied himself by stuffing cookies in his face in place of the putrid cigar, and Mavis quickly laid out the problem of finding Geppetto with only an e-mail address.
"Harriet said since you're both...ah...stuck with us for the week, you might be willing to help us find him. What's your take?"
Will's forehead crinkled into a frown. From the lecherous grin flickering at the corners of his mouth, I surmised his only desire to play detective related to me under the sheets. But being the master of self-control, he focused on the problem to please me...well, actually to get us out of there so we could get naked.
"Hmm." He hums when he's thinking or doesn't want to answer. "If you have the e-mail address, it shouldn't be too hard for me to locate him."
He had all kinds of incredible spy―and, well, personal―equipment.
Woodie stopped munching and pushed Will's hand away to tap me on the shoulder. "Oh, let me guess? He's a hacker, maybe?"
My eye twitched again. Woodie had a real attitude problem.
I reach up and plopped Will's hand back where it had been, although maybe not quite as close to the boob as before, and gave the elf a squinty-eyed glare. "Law enforcement."
Will put on his most ferocious frown and assumed command. "Settle down, you two."
Mavis giggled. Woodie looked chagrined. "You have another tour this afternoon, don't you?" He didn't look entirely pleased about that.
Mavis, Woodie, and I nodded.
"Okay," he continued. "Mavis, if you'll write down the information, I'll see what I can find out before you get back. We can investigate all kinds of venues under the auspices of sightseeing, depending on what I can find out about Geppetto while you're out."

Chapter Four

An hour into our jaunt through the Roman Coliseum, Will called me on my cell phone.
"Ciao, Harriet. I've located an address for the baker. Write this down."
I scrambled for my pad and pencil. "That was fast."
"I'm highly motivated to get you here as quickly as possible."
"Right. I'll give it to them. Thanks." I scribbled the name and address on my itinerary, then on a piece of empty paper, and told him I'd be at the apartment no later than five.
"Here's the address you're looking for." I handed the note it to Woodie. "It's not that far from here."
"Thanks, Inspector Sweet Cakes. Mavis, shake your booty. Let's blow this Roman Gladiator show and find the cook. We'll skip the rest of the tour."
Oh, man. If my boss found out I'd cancelled part of a tour, I would be so-o in trouble.
Mavis nodded sympathetically. "It's okay, Harriet. It's our tour, and we want to take the afternoon off. Go meet your...ahem...friend, and we'll take a taxi to Geppetto's. Give me your phone number, and we'll let you know what happens."
On my pad, I scribbled down my cell phone number and the address of the place Will and I share when he's in Rome, shoved it into her hands, and raced out of there.
When I entered the apartment, Will rose from the couch where he'd been watching television.
"Hi. I'm home." Before he could answer, I threw down my backpack and launched a full frontal attack that landed us both on the sofa, knocking pillows and newspapers onto the floor. After a few minutes of hot and sweaty foreplay, I murmured, "Not here."
By the time we rolled onto the floor, the sofa upholstery was damp with perspiration. Leaving a pile of pillows and magazines on the floor along with my shirt and bra, we stumbled, laughing and touching, down the hall. A trail of discarded clothing followed us into the bedroom. With my head start, I undressed first. As Will kicked off his shorts, I tackled him around the legs and knocked him backward onto the bed.
"Oof!"
The surprise attack gave me a chance to scramble astride his perfect body and plant my rear on his abdomen. With arms rigid, I pressed his shoulders into the mattress.
"What?" A broad grin spread across his handsome face.
"Okay, pal. Before you touch anything else, you have to explain what's going on with these...ah...little people."
All bravado. My strategic advantage would only last as long as his tolerance, and that wasn't likely to endure more than a sentence or two. We were both anxious to make up for lost time.
"Why are you asking me? They're your group, not mine."
He leered at me and my pulse rate skyrocketed. My blood burned with desire, sending tingles from the roots of my hair to my toes.
"C'mon Will, they insist they're elves...Santa's elves, no less...and you're acting like this is no big surprise. Ho hum."
He shrugged, his muscles rippling against the pressure of my hands. "A lot of things in this life are unexplainable."
"I'm losing it, aren't I? I've been run over by the Popemobile in St. Peter's Square, right?" I shook his shoulders. "Tell me that at this very moment I'm really lying half dead in San Camillo hospital, hallucinating, while a normal husband and wife with eleven children stand around my bed crying."
"It's Christmas time, Harriet. Miracles happen. Who am I to question?"
Okay. This is getting nowhere.
Putting aside my state of dazed bafflement—I wanted to get on to other things―I redirected the conversation. "Speaking of that, what do you want for Christmas?"
"Hmm." He rolled me underneath him and straddled me. "You―as much time with you as possible."
Oh, man. The one thing he wants, and I can't deliver. Frustrated, I sucked in oxygen then blew out a long disappointed breath. I wanted the same thing he did.
Sitting back on his heels, his hands rested on the thick ropes of muscles along his thighs as they pinned my arms loosely to my sides. His favorite position.
My tight nipples ached for his touch. My temperature rose in anticipation.
Ohmigod, what a package! I really didn't mind being underneath. The view, already hard and hot, inspired me.
Leaning over me, his lips brushed mine, then he buried his face against my heaving chest and took one taut nipple into his mouth, his teeth nibbling lightly, his tongue flicking over the hardened peak and drawing it deeper.
With a cry of delight, I arched my back, pressing closer to his hot mouth, my fingernails biting into his biceps.
His hands spanned my waist and ran up and down the length of my torso, thumbs skimming my rib cage, my abdomen and--gulp—my thighs. My pulse pounded in my ears.
Molten heat spread out from every place he touched, melting my insides. The texture of his hands brought every nerve ending to the surface in waves of tension. The scent of aftershave and Will Talbot maleness made my mouth water for the slightly salty taste of his skin.
He spread my legs and positioned one over his shoulder. His tongue raked along the inside of my thigh. My belly contracted, and I arched my body to meet his mouth. He nibbled, sucked, and licked until I writhed and begged for release.
Well, maybe I screamed a little, too.
He rolled us over again. On top, I sank down on him. My flesh welcomed his full length inside, tightening around him. He groaned with pleasure. "Jesus, Harriet."
At first, I moved my hips slowly, but our need drove us harder, faster, deeper. His strong fingers pressed into my buttocks, guiding me, setting the pace. His body rippled with tremors.
"Ahhh, Tiger."
He exploded in me. Reality shattered into a million tiny lights around us and together we shot off into space riding wave after wave of ecstasy, a long, long trip.
Hot and sweaty, I collapsed on top of him as we drifted back to earth.
When I could breathe again, I rose on arms so weak they trembled. I looked into his hypnotic blue eyes, quaking with emotions I couldn't even put words to. Connected. Filled. Powerful. Joyful and yet fearful. Whole. Drained and limp. Contented and wanted.
Too much to begin to comprehend.
And already the tension built inside me again.
"Wow!" I managed finally. "When the paramedics leave, let's do that again."
"If you're going to fibrillate every time, we'd better set them up in the extra bedroom." He hooked a strand of sweaty hair behind my ear. "You have no idea what you do to me."
Warmth spread through me, touching me in a way I'd never experienced before. "Show me."
That's when my cell phone rang.
Our gazes locked, and we both uttered desperate sighs.
No! No! No! Not now. My girly parts were still smoking and demanding more of his attention. This is not a good time!
The phone chirped again.
He rolled me off him. "You're supposed to be working, remember? You'd better answer it."
I threw myself off the bed, scrambled around to find my pants and retrieved my phone. "Hello, this is Harriet."
"Hello, Inspector Clouseau," Woodie's voice grated on my ear. "We just wanted to let you two love birds know we found Geppetto. He couldn't make the delivery 'cause his oven blew up and replacement parts aren't available till after the New Year. Without the bakery, he couldn't pay his bills, so his Internet service was disconnected."
"Let me talk to her." I heard Mavis in the background, then, "Harriet, I've made arrangements for Geppetto to use the kitchen at the Hotel Foletto for the baking. If the staff and the rest of us help, we should be able to make three or four deliveries before the deadline. And to thank you for your help, our Christmas present to Will is your undivided attention for the rest of the week. We'll take care of ourselves."
I sucked in a surprised breath. "Do you mean that?"
Woodie must have snatched the phone. "Don't you speak English? I'm against this, but Mavis insists. This is gonna be a long week. More fun than being offed on Christmas day."
"I might arrange that event myself. Give me that phone." Mavis came back on the line. "Harriet, you can get back to your hunk and give him his present."
"I...don't know what to say..." I murmured, overwhelmed.
"Try thank you, and Merry Christmas. We'll be in touch in a few days."
"Thank you, and Merry Christmas."
I clicked off, explained the plan to Will, and by eleven o'clock we were well into the fourth installment of his Christmas present when the doorbell rang.
"Now what?" I moaned. "Let's pretend we're not here."
Grunting his displeasure, he untangled his limbs from mine and slipped into his jeans. "I'll get it." He headed bare-chested to the door. After a few seconds, he yelled, "Jesus, Harriet! Get in here!"
I threw myself off the bed, grabbed a throw from the chair, and scampered down the hall wrapping the blanket around me just as Will opened the front door.
Woodie pushed his way into the room, cigar hanging from his lips. "Nice rags, Inspector Sweet Cakes. Okay, Happy, let's get them in here and settled." The elf waved Happy into the room with the rest of the excited and chattering elves behind him."
"But...but..." I sputtered, half raising one arm. "What about your promise?"
Oblivious to our state of shock and bewilderment, Woodie directed elves to all corners of the apartment. "You two, move the furniture against the wall, then put the tables in here. Happy and Basil, you can bring in the baked goodies. I'll―"
I grabbed his arm. "What do you think you're doing? You can't―"
"Better hold on to that blanket." Woodie sprinkled cigar ashes on the tile floor. "We got a little problem working here."
"What problem?" I cried, waving my hands. Oops!
Eyes bugged and major gasps erupted as the blanket dropped to my waist. As I struggled to pull the corner out from under my foot and cover my heaving bosom, Will pushed my semi-nakedness behind him.
"Hi, guys." Mavis entered, one arm around the hunched shoulders of a short man in white wearing a burned chef's hat above black stubs of eyebrows. Tendrils of smoke rose from his singed gray beard. Tears streaked the soot-covered face.
Geppetto Elf, I presume.
"Sorry about this, but we have to renege on your Christmas present," Mavis hurried on. "We were almost finished with the baking until Geppetto here had a smidgen of an accident in the hotel kitchen."
Both my eyes twitched.
"Reindeer poop!" Woodie clapped the man on the back hard enough to send him stumbling forward. "The asshole burned down the whole freakin' hotel. We're going to have to finish the job packaging the goodies here."
Will and I gaped at him with our mouths in fly-catcher mode as Happy, Basil, and another elf began to carry arms loads of Christmas breads into our apartment.
"Why here?" I murmured, more for something to say than anything. My brain was on overload again.
Woodie shot us a mischievous smile. "Geppetto's place is too small, plus he hasn't been able to pay his light bill. It'd be perfect for you two, though—in the dark and all—but the bed is a little short."
"I have a better idea," Mavis piped up, grinning at us. "You need to lighten up. What you two need is a Christmas tree."
"A what?" Will almost shouted, the first indication I'd seen that he wasn't, after all, taking the situation in stride. He jerked forward as though he intended to whop her upside the head...or maybe it was downside, under the circumstances.
I grabbed his arm and held him back, whispering, "What happened to 'Miracles happen' and 'Who am I to question?'?" At the time, I'd had a sneaking suspicion he was pulling my chain.
Santa's public relations elf extraordinaire put her arms around us...our legs, anyway. "You know. A tall pointy tree with pine needles. Green. You hang shiny gadgets and ornaments on it."
"Mavis, that is not funny." My usually good humor had begun to fade, and I was getting angry as well as cold. Maybe I shouldn't have restrained him. "Besides, there isn't a Christmas tree lot anywhere near here."
She shrugged. "Sure there is. Right around the corner from here. The guy who runs it has a cozy little house at the back of the lot with a big fire place and a bear skin rug. He'll be over here helping, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you stay all week. Whatever it takes."
Will smirked. "Who knew packaging baked goods could take so long?" With a twinkle in his eye, he winked at me. "Maybe miracles do happen. Are you coming, Harriet?"
Hmm. Well, I wasn't exactly sure what Will had in mind, but one place we'd never done it was a Christmas tree lot. Titillated with the idea, I winked back and smiled. "Sure. Should I get dressed first, or just wear the blanket?"
He raised one eyebrow. "You'd better put something on...but not too much. But bring the blanket and a bottle of Bailey's with you. I'm not sure I believe the part about the bear skin rug."
All the elves tittered and wished us a merry Christmas when we headed for the door. Just outside, Woodie stopped us and sprinkled ashes on the mat.
"You're not so bad after all, Inspector Sweet Cakes. I'll put in a good word for you with the Big Guy. We should be gone by the time you get back with your tree." He raised his voice for that last part. Laughter came from inside. "Thanks. Merry Christmas, and enjoy your Christmas present."
We fully intended to do just that.
□
JUST SAYIN! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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SINGLES’ DAY: The World’s Biggest Shopping Day

12/3/2021

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TODAY IS DECEMBER 3
The most significant but uninteresting event occurring on December 3 ‒ for all times, it appears ‒ was when Sir Thomas Herriot introduced potatoes to England from Columbia in 1586. This actually proved to be the most significant factor for population expansion and agricultural enhancement across Europe. These benefits ultimately allowed for the rapid industrialization and military conquest launched by select European nations.

Be that as it may, this blog does not have anything to do with December 3. The subject is about the biggest worldwide shopping day.

SINGLES’ DAY
What? You’re a shopping aficionado and you’ve never heard of it? Well, let me tell you… I hadn’t either, until I did research for my blog Black Friday Around The World. I’m just a regular dinosaur these days.

According to Wikipedia (but no other source I found) Singles' Day was originally called Bachelors' Day. It is an unofficial Chinese holiday to celebrate people who are not in relationships.

Singles’ Day originated in China in 1993. A group of lonely, yet positive, students at Nanjing University came up with the idea. These male students conceived the idea of celebrating the fact they were all single and without a girlfriend. The four roommates were tired of the day to day life as ‘single dogs’ as they are called in China and wanted to change this. They decided that instead of lamenting their lack of a significant other, they would instead celebrate being single, and selected November 11, 1993 as the debut date.

Initially there was no commercial aspect or intent. Subsequent to November 11, 1993, the date became a kind of anti-Valentine’s Day celebration of singledom which caught on and spread across universities throughout China and Southeat Asia, generally characterized by fun, harmless events.

Image source: millionairedating.onluxy.com/china-singles-day

One student, for example, reserved every other seat in a movie theater, prohibiting couples from sitting next to each other during a screening of Beijing Love Story, an aptly named romantic film. Image Source: telegraph.co.uk/chinas-singles-day ▼

The Singles’ Day has also been adopted by the Chinese as sort of a Valentine’s Day for couples. In Beijing, 4,000 couples got married on November 11, compared to the average of 700 per day.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The date for the observation of singledom was not selected at random. There are number of reasons. First, 11/11 looks like four, single sticks, strung together trying to make the most out of their time, and the date has become the symbol of the holiday.

Second, the date, November 11 (11/11), was chosen because the numeral 1 resembles a bare stick which apparently is Chinese Internet slang for an unmarried man who does not add 'branches' to the family tree.

Now, Singles’ Day, is the busiest and most lucrative shopping day in the world, enjoyed by single men and women, and married ones, too.
How did that happen?

IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY
The holiday in China went along for about a decade as a day for fun, planks, and shopping, a day with single folks celebrating their freedom, until the CEO of one of the largest online purchasing companies in the world, Alibaba, based in China, recognized the commercial potential.

Singles’ Day was kicked into high gear in 2009 when Alibaba created and heavily promoted the first Singles’ Day shopping festival from November 1 thru 11 that year, sparking a trend that has now surpassed Cyber Monday in single-day transactions.

Alibaba has turned the day into a festival week of performances and activities. Stars appearing at the gala performance the night before the 11/11 shopping sales start, include Nicole Kidman and Jesse Alba 2017, Taylor Swift at Alibaba's Shanghai event in 2019, and Katy Perry performing in a livestream in 2020. Not merely a shopping event, the holiday is also a day when people can party to socialize and meet other people, as well as practicing traditions that celebrate the single life. Jesse Alba stars at 2017 Alibaba Singles’ Day Festivities ▼
Image Source: adweek.com/performance-marketing/singles-day

Worldwide in 2019, shoppers spent $7.4 billion US dollars during the Black Friday weekend and an additional $9.4 billion on Cyber Monday. Even when combined, these numbers come nowhere close to Singles’ Day spending of $38 billion dollars. Source: techradar.com/news/singles-day-officially-bigger

There has been a slow down in the Chinese market in the past couple of years for certain political reasons, but the phenomenon of “Single’s Day” shopping has spread worldwide, supported heavily in Southeast Asia.

WHAT MORE COULD A GIRL WANT?
Exactly! Another day to legitimately spend two or three days shopping… and, hopefully, enough money to do it right.

China - Image Credit: Alibaba Shoppers in Poland
Image Source: techradar.com/news/singles-day Image Source: polki.pl/praca-i-finanse/pieniadze,udane-zakup

In a sense, it is not so much which countries acknowledge the day as it is which online retailers promote the event with sales and promotions, similar to Cyber Monday. In the United Kingdom it is called National Singles Day, but it is celebrated on March 11. Indonesia celebrates on 11/11 and has dubbed it “Harbolnas” or National Online Shopping Day.
▲ On of the problems in China is the leftover trash from Singles Day
Image Source: wlz-online.de/verbraucher/singles-day

MediaMarkt, a German company, promotes Singles' Day in their stores in Germany and throughout Europe. In Belgium public reaction has been somewhat negative since November 11 is the anniversary of the Armistice that ended WWI and a day of commemoration of the war dead in Belgium.

In 2016, Swedish electronics retailer Elgiganten promoted a Singles’ Day campaign in Norway before implementing it in the other Nordic countries in 2017. Singles’ Day has yet to reach the Western and Southern Hemispheres, but who knows?

USA - HOME SWEET HOME
The American public is unlikely to embrace November 11 as a national shopping day. In part because we have our own frenzied holiday shopping days, but primarily that is because that date is Veterans Day which, hopefully, is far more important to US citizens than holiday shopping. Singles Awareness Day is the US was created primarily from the same feelings of isolation that started Singles’ Day in China.

“Around 2001, Dustin Barnes decided to create a day for his group of friends to enjoy their singleness rather than drown in their sorrows. This group of high school boys not only chose February 15 as a protest of Valentine’s Day but also realized they could score candy and love-themed items at a huge discount." Dustin carried the tradition from his high school on to Mississippi State University, where the holiday gained popularity.
nationaltoday.com/singles-awareness-day/

Singles Awareness Day was copyrighted in 2005 and continued to grow from there. Not surprising! The Census Bureau indicates that about one third of the adult population in the US reports themselves as single or not in an ongoing relationship.

Adults of all ages celebrate the day as a reminder that you don’t need a relationship to celebrate love. You can love yourself, your family, and your friends. There’s no reason to feel lonely around Valentine’s Day when love is all around you. And it doesn’t cost you a penny.

JUST SAYIN
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Sources:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/singles-day.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alibaba_Group
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/singles%27_day
https://nationaltoday.com/singles-day/
https://www.techradar.com/news/singles-day-officially-bigger-than-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-combined
https://www.adweek.com/commerce/americans-shopping-more-nov-11-dont-call-singles-day/
https://millionairedating.onluxy.com/china-singles-day-alibaba-online-shopping.html
http://www.polki.pl/praca-i-finanse/pieniadze,udane-zakup
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/10/business/china-singles-day-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/black-friday/0/what-is-chinas-singles-day-and-how-does-it-compare-to-black-frid/
https://www.k-international.com/blog/shopping-holidays-around-the-world/
https://www.marketing91.com/top-10-alibaba-competitors/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singles_Awareness_Day
https://nationaltoday.com/singles-awareness-day/
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/estimates-families-living-arrangements.html
https://theopinionator.com/its-singles-day-the-most-ginormous-shopping-day-of-the-year/

https://news.yahoo.com/singles-day-alibabas-annual-event-054530003.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEqviMSHGHA6tM4wHXNDRT-2J3DXhhDohXlWcsPP-7EmjTtIEp7fMolLjY_nZAqfPj_G6F30t0qTrFkzYvyUJnaAe1S4uF5n15OZDU6__M

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/economics/chinas-singles-day-and-the-war-of-ideas/news-story/8badd70feceabb08c27ccae9bad0b49b

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/singles%27_day#:~:text=the%20holiday%20has%20now%20become%20the%20largest%20physical,usd%20%2444.5%20billion%20total%20sales%20volume%20in%202017.

https://www.wlz-online.de/verbraucher/singles-day-black-friday-china-usa-amazon-alibaba-einkaufen-shoppen-rabatte-angebote-cyber-monday-umsatz-zr-90096077.html

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Black Friday Around The World

11/26/2021

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THE CHALLENGE
You may know all about Black Friday, but here’s the challenge. Ask anyone born after 1990 if they know the origin of the term “Black Friday”.

Chances are none of them will have a clue, other than it's a Friday for special sales. Not even as the day after Thanksgiving or Holiday Sales, since many retailers now advertise Black Friday sales throughout the year.

WILL THE REAL BLACK FRIDAY STAND UP?
The first use of the term came about in relation to a specific financial crisis in the United State: the collapse of the Gold Market on September 24, 1869.

This collapse occurred when two stock brokers, Jay Gould and Jim Frisk ‒ who had already engaged in stock fraud and bribery ‒ collaborated in a scheme to cheat Wall Street investors by manipulating the Gold Market. The subsequent crash was called “Black Friday” by the financial world, the press, and those who lost money. Note: a good description of the event can be found by clicking here.

Scene in the New York Gold room during the excitement of September 24th, 1869
Image credit:. Library of Congress
Image Source: pbs.org/wgbh/black-friday/

Until the 1950s and ‘60s, “Black Friday” and “Black any-other-day” had been associated with financial disasters.

BLACK FRIDAY REBORN
Any number of stories exist about the rebirth of the “Black Friday” phenomenon we experience today, and each year I find a new version.

Some believe the term found new life in the 1950’s when factory managers referred to the day after Thanksgiving as "Black Friday" because so many workers called in sick.

However, the most direct trail leads back to the Philadelphia Police Department in 1966 when the police began using the term to mean the day after Thanksgiving, the official opening of the Christmas shopping season, which brought massive traffic jams, over-crowded sidewalks, a rash of shoplifting, and general chaos. In addition, the annual Army-Navy football game was played on the last weekend of November and brought its own crowd, traffic, and problems.

Image Credit: Shopify Black Friday Philadelphia
Image Source: usupdates.com/black-friday-history Image Source: philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/police

Needless to say, the police hated that day ‒ no day off for them ‒ and the nomicker was applied in an uncomplimentary way. The people in Philadelphia didn't like the negative connotation and tried to change the term to "Big Friday" but it didn't stick. Gradually the name “Black Friday” for the first day after Thanksgiving came to mean the beginning of holiday shopping.

AMERICAN INGENUITY SAVES THE ECONOMY
Popularity and common usage grew, and by the 1970s and 80s retailers throughout the US aborted the dreaded name and complained about the negative connotations. I doubt that at that point the general public even remembered the tie to financial disaster, but apparently the merchants had not.

So, being the innovative business people that we are, someone realized that this day was the point in the year when retail businesses ‒ which traditionally operated at a loss or “in the red” ‒ started making profits and operated “in the black”. Retail interests made sure that this positive spin was publicized and ‒ Ta-dah! ‒ then the merchants loved it, and the shoppers loved the sales.

RE-REBIRTH AS A GLOBAL EVENT
The internet and the 2020 pandemic can be thanked for the expansion of Black Friday Christmas sales morphing into year-round sales events and on-line purchasing, primarily to keep businesses alive during the shut-down. It certainly eased the stress a little by being able to purchase “without contact”. During the five-day Thanksgiving weekend of 2020, shoppers still spent an average of $311.75 on holiday purchases, only 1.7% down from 2019. blackfriday.com/news/black-friday-history

The other result was the almost sudden expansion of the phenomenon throughout the world. Of course, global expansion had been happening slowing with the accessibility of internet purchasing but the COVID virus gave it a kick in the butt… so to speak.

Now there are at least 195 countries which have a “Black Friday” which features pre-holiday or other sales (since some of these countries are not Christian, such as Saudi Arabia).
But alas, most of the 195 countries do not celebrate Thanksgiving, and for them there is no day after Thanksgiving. There is, however, a fourth Friday in November, which many countries have adopted as the day to begin the holiday sales. In some places, Black Friday falls on other dates.

Of course, it is not an official holiday anywhere and in most of these countries no one gets a day off as many do in the US, which was one of the main reasons for Americans to begin their holiday shopping. Note: I presume the photos below were all taken prior to 2020.

United Kingdom Saudi Arabia
Image Source: mirror.co.uk/news/black-friday-2014 Image Source: youtube.com/watch?v=_2LDvAJi7dI

Italy Japan
Image Credit: gettyimages.com.au/aeon-news-photo Image Credit: gettyimages.com.au/aeon-news-photo

I didn’t read anything or see any photos that implied that the residents of other countries are any more ‒ or less ‒ polite and civilized in their shopping behavior than Americans. It’s a zoo wherever you shop on Black Friday weekend.

Image source: distractify.com/p/black-friday-fights

Image Source: dailymail.co.uk/Black-Friday-shoppers-arrested

Worldwide, Black Friday is still not the busiest or most lucrative shopping date in the world. That, believe it or not, is “Singles Day”. Spain and the United Arab Emirates — both countries with dedicated Amazon markets — have jumped on the Singles Day trend and the US may soon join in the Singles Day shopping trend (a subject for another blog).

TAKE AWAY
I find it interesting that changes in society take place so slowly or so subtly that no one seems to have the foresight to see or think about what direction trends are going. No one is recording anything much in the way of history. So much change occurs that isn’t big or political, yet any history we have appears to be created after the fact. That results in so many unknowns about where things originated and how the evolution occurred.

Perhaps in this “ME” era when everyone has the internet to express their opinions and observations to a large audience (whether or not the audience wants to hear it), and want to talk about everything including their sex life and the color of their underwear, our historical information will be more accurate… or maybe not!

I guess I’m being unrealistic. Anyone can write anything on the internet, whether or not it’s correct or corroborated and can do it anonymously. No one ever checks, and everyone seems to believe anything on the internet.

JUST SAYIN
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2021 Sources:
https://usupdates.com/black-friday-history-2295.html
https://samdamretail.be/blog/black-friday-history-popularity-europe/
https://www.history.com/news/the-black-friday-gold-scandal-145-years-ago
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/grant-black-friday/
https://www.junglescout.com/blog/black-friday-around-the-world/
https://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/black-friday/#:~:text=This%20crisis%20was%20the%20collapse%20of%20the%20United,into%20a%20free-fall%20that%20eventually%20caused%20its%20collapse.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/black-friday-2014-three-arrested-4710327
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2LDvAJi7dI
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2515911/Black-Friday-shoppers-arrested-Virginia-man-35-sliced-bone.html
https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/customers-shop-during-the-black-friday-sale-at-an-aeon-news-photo/6255698026
https://www.ilgiornaledipantelleria.it/shopping-scatenato-con-il-black-friday-venerdi-23-novembre-in-tutta-italia/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%28shopping%29#:~:text=%20Black%20Friday%20around%20the%20world%20%201,originated%20within%20the%20Police%20and%20NHS...%20More%20
2020 Sources:
https://mashable.com/shopping/black-friday-2020-future-predictions/
https://www.techradar.com/news/black-friday-deals-2019
https://www.hbs.edu/news/releases/Pages/koehnblackfriday.aspx
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/02/black-friday-is-over-heres-why-retailers-are-touting-weeks-of-deals.html
https://www.theblackfriday.com/what-is-black-friday.shtml
https://www.hbs.edu/news/releases/Pages/koehnblackfriday.aspx
https://www.marketplace.org/2011/11/25/history-black-friday/
https://www.crushthestreet.com/articles/precious-metals/black-day-week-started-gold-friday
https://www.distractify.com/p/black-friday-fights
https://www.hoskinsandturco.com/blog/the-deals-and-dangers-of-black-friday-five-most-insane-injuries/
https://corporate.target.com/press/releases/2014/11/target-shoppers-nationwide-score-doorbusters-as-bl
2016 Resources
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/11/25/the-little-known-philadelphia-origins-of-black-friday/
http://www.philly.com/philly/...Black_Friday_started_in_Philly.html%20-
http://en.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/20879/20141125/history-of-black-friday.htm
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/life/commentary/history-black-friday
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/grant-black-friday/
http://www.vocabulary.com/articles/wordroutes/the-origins-of-black-friday/
https://blackfriday.com/pages/black-friday-history
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31581/brief-history-black-friday
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/11/black-friday-is-not-the-biggest-shopping-day-of-the-year/
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/thanksgiving/shopping.asp

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THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

11/19/2021

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GOD BLESS AMERICA
Most of us are aware of the history behind the Pilgrims and the first American Thanksgiving in 1621. It is an important national celebration in the United States – as it should be -- but Americans are a bit presumptuous to think the pilgrims “invented” Thanksgiving.

Pilgrims first Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris
Image Credit: Bettmann Archieve via Getty Images
Image Source: amazon.com/Thanksgiving-Gerome-Ferris

In fact, it is a matter of historic debate where the first Thanksgiving feast was held in North America and by whom, including two locations in Texas, two in Florida, one in Maine, two in Virginia, and five in Massachusetts. I didn't realize there were so many colonies and expeditions before 1621. Also, I noticed the articles referenced didn't list where those sites were located or who made the claims.

More than two sources, however, cited the first known Thanksgiving feast in North America as being celebrated in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas panhandle, in 1541 by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado and the "Tejas" of the Hasinai group of Caddo-speaking Native Americans. Who knew?

HARVEST FESTIVALS
Hundreds, and more likely thousands, of years before the fifteenth century, there were harvest festivals and celebrations held by nearly every agrarian culture in the world. These ancient peoples depended on an adequate autumn harvest to feed the population through the winter, and they understood that sun, rain, and good earth were required to make that happen. These natural phenomenon became worshiped as gods in many cultures, and harvest festivals the world over were oriented to celebrate the harvest, thank their local deities for a bountiful year, and/or pray for either continued good fortune or for a better harvest the next year.

Lughnasad, Celtic Harvest Festival
Image Source: historicmysteries.com/lughnasadh

This ancient tradition, religious and non-religious, sets the stage for worldwide “Thanksgiving” days.

THANKSGIVING AROUND THE WORLD
The same basic elements that went into the first North American Thanksgiving, wherever it was, are embraced by other countries and reflected in their national holidays in other parts of the world. Some of them are harvest feasts of harvest and thanks completely unrelated to the U.S. holiday, and others are versions of the American tradition, albeit with modifications. Many are held on or near the fourth Thursday in November, while others are as early as September.

CANADA
The first Canadian Thanksgiving was held in 1578 ‒ about 40 years prior to the celebration at Plymouth ‒ Sir Martin Frobisher and his crew in Nunavut, giving thanks for the safety of their fleet.

Later, such festivities drew inspiration from similar European holidays and gave early settlers a way to appreciate the fruits of a successful harvest. Canada’s first official Thanksgiving was held on November 6, 1859.

GERMANY
Germany’s Thanksgiving equivalent is known as Erntedankfest, which translates to ”harvest thanksgiving festival.” There is evidence that Erntedankfest celebrations happened thousands of years ago as pagan festivals.

Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com/Germany

Today Erntedankfest is a religious holiday for both the Catholic and Protestant churches. The altar is decorated with sheaves of wheat, and the fruits of the harvest. There is singing, celebration, and often a second service in the evening. After the second service, churchgoers distribute leftover or surplus food to the poor. Many communities have a Lanternumzug (Lantern Parade).

Although this celebration began as a rural festival to give thanks for the harvest, all Germans still give thanks and celebrate.

NETHERLANDS
Thanksgiving is observed by orthodox Protestant churches in the Netherlands on the first Wednesday in November (Dankdag [ nl]), but it is not a national or public holiday. Observers go to church in the evening.

However, the English Pilgrims weren’t the only Europeans who traveled across “the pond” for a different life in 1620. Dutch Pilgrims joined their English counterparts on the journey. The ship Speedwell left the city of Leiden in the Netherlands in 1620 and sailed to Southampton, England, where they picked up English pilgrims who traveled with them to the Americas.

Pieterskerk in Leiden, Netherlands Thanksgiving Decorations, Netherlands
Image Source: .wikipedia.org/wiki/nl:Pieterskerk Image Source: thecountriesof.com/Netherlands

In Leiden, the connection to the pilgrims is still strong and that community celebrates Thanksgiving on the same day as the United States. Leiden’s residents gather in a 900-year-old church Pieterskerk and celebrate the Speedwell’s successful voyage to the Americas.

AUSTRALIA
Because Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, their harvest season is different than the Northern Hemisphere. Although a hearty meal to give thanks at the end of the growing season makes sense in the north, where winter is coming, in the south it’s the beginning of summer.

Australians enjoy harvest festivals around Easter time, but they don’t relate them to Thanksgiving. They do, however, celebrate a National Day of Thanks the last Saturday in May, which is fall in the Southern Hemisphere..

At the beginning of the 21th Century, many Australians expressed their desire to have a national day each year to honor the country’s Catholic heritage, and the blessings and freedoms that Australians enjoy. In 2003, National Church leadership introduced these thoughts and dreams into the Australian church network and received unexpected support. Through many exchanges and discussions, Australia’s National Day of Thanksgiving was born and eventually set for the last Saturday of May each year.

ISRAEL
Like other agrarian-based cultures, citizens of Israel have a form of harvest festival celebrating the gift of food and life. Israel’s is called Sukkot, the Feast of the Tabernacles. As well as a time to say thanks for the harvest, Sukkot also commemorates the protection of the Jewish people by God when they left Egypt for their promised land.

The celebration begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and lasts seven days. The date upon which if falls on the western calendar varies, sometime between the months of September and October. It comes five days after Yom Kippur ‒ the Hebrew high holiday.

During the seven days of Sukkot, all meals are eaten in open-ceiling, wooden booths called sukkahs. The outdoor structures commemorate the temporary dwellings in which the Jewish people lived while on their journey from Egypt..

Community takes part in a traditional pilgrimage
Image Source: Ibtimes.Co.In/Sukkot--Feast-Tabernacles

A sukkah Image Source: torahportions.ffoz.org/portions-library/

A sukkah - Image Source: torahportions.ffoz.org/portions-library/

A sukkah - Image Source: looking4theblessedhope.com/feast-of-tabernacles

Special prayers and psalms are read at different points during the seven-day celebration, and everyone is encouraged to spend as much time in their sukkah as possible.

Sukkot is perhaps the Thanksgiving holiday that is most heavily influenced by religion, but it is nonetheless a celebration with the same central themes of all these holidays and festivals: food, family, and thankfulness.

CHINA
China celebrates their annual Chung Chiu Moon Festival, the fall harvest festival, on the 15th day of the eighth lunar cycle of the year, the full moon closest to September 15. On this day, Chinese families come together for a three-day feast featuring a sweet delicacy called the mooncake. Image Source: chinahighlights.com/mooncake.htm

Families watch the full moon and sing and recite poetry about it. Chung Chiu is a particularly special holiday for couples, who can celebrate some romance under the full moonlight.

In the US it’s said the Chinese are the only people other than North Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving. American teachers have been teaching kids about this holiday and how America was settled by Pilgrims for several decades now, and it has caught on among younger people and Christians in China.
Image Source: en.ce.cn/Life/newsMoonFestival

Granted, it is generally thought of as a time to have a Western meal and thank friends, family, workmates, and teachers or bosses. They call it "Gan'en Jie" (感恩节, literally: 'thanks for grace holiday'). So foreigners in China might hear people say "thank you" and receive a small gift. New Chinese supermarkets in the big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing may also stock frozen turkey.

JAPAN
Japan observes a Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro Kansha no Hi) on November 23 every year, which is incorporated into Japan’s Happy Monday System. Not all Japanese citizens have the day off work, but all government entities are closed on this day in celebration of the country’s industrial workers and their progress.

Labor Thanksgiving Day is the modern name for Niiname-sai.

The origin of Japan’s Thanksgiving holiday actually dates back to the seventh century. The first record of the holiday is found in ancient records from 678 A.D., originally known as Niinamesai, an ancient cereals (rice, barley/wheat, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, proso millet, and beans) harvest festival. The holiday, which was then celebrated in November, “welcomed” the harvest season.

This celebration was accompanied by a harvest ritual by the Japanese emperor and the Royal Court. This ritual known as Shinjo-sai and involved the Emperor tasting the first rice of the harvest and honoring the harvest for the spirits, or kami.

Image Source: whenistheholiday.com/Thanksgiving_Japan

As Japan progressed and evolved into an industrial country rather than an agrarian one, the celebrations switched from honoring farmers to honoring workers. This modern interpretation has been in practice since 1948, following the country’s expansion of their Constitution following World War II which established new laws regarded workers’ rights and fundamental human rights.

Although widely practiced, Instead of large festivals and parades, families have modest celebrations within private residences. A number of major events held on this day, such as a labor festival in the city of Nagano, which hosted the Olympic Winter Games in February 1998. Local labor organizations sponsor this event to encourage people to think about issues affecting peace, human rights, and the environment

SOUTH KOREA
Korea’s Thanksgiving holiday Chuseok, also known as Hangawi, commemorates the first day that the full harvest moon appears, similar to other ancient harvest festivities from around the world. Families come together to welcome the harvest season and to spend some quality time with one another.

Much like American Thanksgiving, there are specific foods associated with Chuseok. One of the most important foods is a rice cake known as songpyeon. The rice cake’s dough is made using finely ground, new rice, and filled with sesame seeds, chestnuts, red beans, or other delights. It’s then molded into a small ball.

Image Source: financialexpress.com/south-korea--chuseok Image Source: koreaonlinevisa.com/news/

Families come together on the night before Chuseok to make songpyeon as a bonding activity, illustrating the importance of family in Korean culture.

Korea’s Thanksgiving holiday also calls for gift-giving between both family and friends. Typical presents range from high-quality steaks and fresh fruit, to gift baskets filled with necessities for the year. Spam is actually one of the most common gifts since it’s incredibly popular in Korea.

LIBERIAl
Thanksgiving in Liberia is celebrated on the first Thursday of November each year. It is almost identical to the United States’ version of Thanksgiving, aside from the day it’s celebrated.

Liberia, West Africa, was founded by freed American and Caribbean slaves in 1822. It was established for those free slaves who wanted more freedom and equality than the United States could offer. The country’s capital, Monrovia, is named after President James Monroe, who supported the creation of Liberia. The free slaves who choose to relocate to Liberia brought a lot of American traditions with them, and one of those traditions was the Thanksgiving holiday.

Image Source: pinterest.com/pin/527202700100336316/ Image Source: marketwatch.com/story/thanksgiving

Of course, Liberians put their own spin on the American traditions. Families get together and eat dinner consisting of chicken, green bean casserole, and mashed cassavas, which are a vegetable similar to potatoes. But Liberians like their food to be spicy, so different seasonings are added to give their dishes a kick.

UNITED KINGDOM
It may be surprising to some that Thanksgiving is celebrated also in the United Kingdom, seeing as the U.S. and the U.K. have had a pretty turbulent past at times. But long before there were Brits or Americans, the people of what is now the United Kingdom celebrated harvest festivals just like much of the world. So it isn’t as much of a leap as it might appear on the surface.

“It {Thanksgiving] began in churches in the year 1843, when Robert Hawker invited local parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at a church in Cornwall. This resulted in the custom of decorating churches with home-grown products. In the old times, the success of crops determined the success or failure of the people. The natives of UK, pleased the god of fertility by offering him the first sheaf of corn. This was done to ensure a good harvest in the coming season.” thanksgiving-day.org/celebration-united-kingdom.html Prior to that time the Druids and Celts celebrated fall harvest festivals at well.

The holiday is unofficially dubbed “Brits-giving” in the UK and is celebrated by those who honor it on the 4th Thursday of November as it is in the US.

BARBADOS
Like many other countries, Barbados’ answer to Thanksgiving comes in the form of a harvest festival called the Crop Over Festival. This is a 300-year-old tradition with origins from the sugarcane plantations on the Caribbean island. Slaves who worked in those plantations began celebrating the end of the sugarcane harvest season, which signaled the end of their strenuous plantation labor. The event included singing, dancing, and feasting. Drinking competitions were also a part of the celebration, as well as the tradition to climb a greased-up pole.

Begun in the 17th century, Crop Over was suspended for a period of time in 1943 when Barbados suffered from economic struggles due to World War II and didn’t have the funding to continue. It was brought back to life 30 years later by the Barbados Tourist Board and a group of passionate Barbadians..

Image Credit: Eye Ubiquitous/UIG via Getty Images Image source: barbadostoday.bb/BarbadosCropOver
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com/thanksgiving-Barbados

Now the festival is now renowned worldwide and lasts anywhere from six weeks to three months, and apparently has little to do with giving thanks, at least in the sense that most Americans celebrate.

INDIA
Thanksgiving in India is usually found to be observed by the Christian populations. It is not a nationally recognized holiday and is known by different names in different parts of the country as a means to give thanks for bountiful harvest and flourishing of wealth.

As a multi-lingual, multi-cultural and secular country, the population participates in a number of harvest festivals in various regions, and the day is known for its Unity in Diversity. Harvest festivals are not national holidays in India but may be declared as State holidays by their respective regions. The purpose is to thank their deity’s.

In southern India the end of the harvest is observed as Pongal. On this day, farmers bring the newly harvested rice and prepare sweet dishes. The people believe that by thanking their deity, they will remain happy and prosperous throughout the year.
Image Source: goabroad.com/articles/Thanksgiving-India

On this day, homes are neatly decorated and new clothing is adorned for the occasion. Prayers are offered, a variety of sweets are cooked and distributed to the neighbors and friends.

The festival is common to several parts of India but they are known by different names in various parts of the nation and occur on different days. Therefore the holiday is celebrated with diverse culture and rituals.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL
These are only some of the countries who celebrate what could be called a formal Thanksgiving, but enough to give you a good idea of how widespread this is. It is all about thinking of the things you are grateful for and giving thanks for those things, and doing it with family. Some of the others include (but are not limited to):

Brazil Ghana Greneda Norfolk Island Puerto Rico Vietnam

Malaysia

And as Snoppy asks, "Why can't we be grateful all year?"
JUST SAYIN
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Sources
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/9-other-countries-celebrate-thanksgiving-110021067.html
https://allthatsinteresting.com/thanksgiving-in-other-countries
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/thanksgiving-around-the-world/
https://www.history.com/news/8-thanksgiving-celebrations-around-the-world
https://www.theifod.com/ten-other-countries-that-celebrate-thanksgiving
https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/thanksgiving-day.htm
https://tshirtatlowprice.com/thanksgiving-day-in-australia/
https://culturacolectiva.com/travel/thanksgiving-around-the-world-celebrations-traditions
https://www.thedailymeal.com/thanksgiving-family-traditions-across-america-slideshow-photos
https://whereintheworldislianna.com/miscellaneous/thanksgiving-traditions/
https://www.ibtimes.co.in/sukkot-2016-how-jewish-celebrate-feast-tabernacles-check-out-photos-700185
https://germangirlinamerica.com/what-is-erntedankfest/
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/when-is-thanksgiving-canada-2019-190659375.html
http://whenistheholiday.com/hc-5645-Labor_Thanksgiving_Day_in_Japan_in_2015
https://www.thedailymeal.com/thanksgiving-liberia
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/thanksgiving-in-8-other-countries-2015-11-25
http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/celebration-united-kingdom.html
https://www.goabroad.com/articles/gobble-up-these-7-thanksgiving-traditions-around-the-world
https://www.historicmysteries.com/lughnasadh-celtic-harvest-festival/
http://jschwind.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-in-australia.html
https://torahportions.ffoz.org/portions-library/weekly-torah/raised-up-and-rebuilt.html
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/08/06/bteditorial-crop-over-2022-in-some-form-or-fashion/
https://torahportions.ffoz.org/portions-library/weekly-torah/raised-up-and-rebuilt.html
https://looking4theblessedhope.com/2018/09/27/fulfillment-of-the-feast-of-tabernacles-and-our-eternal-choice/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving#:~:text=Thanksgiving%20is%20observed%20by%20orthodox%20Protestant%20churches%20in,church%20in%20the%20morning%20%28and%20occasionally%20afternoon%29%20too.

https://caribbeantrading.com/thanksgiving-traditions-in-puerto-rico/#:~:text=The%20locals%20have%20embraced%20the%20holiday%20eagerly%20and,So%20what%E2%80%99s%20different%20about%20a%20Puerto%20Rican%20Thanksgiving%3F

https://blog.japanesecartrade.com/1072-labour-thanksgiving-day-japan/#:~:text=Labor%20Thanksgiving%20Day%20in%20Japan%20celebrated%20as%20an,ancient%20festival%E2%80%99s%20origination%20dates%20back%20hundreds%20of%20years.

https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/south-korea-extends-annual-chuseok-holiday-to-boost-domestic-spending/860442/

http://www.fundootimes.com/festivals/india-thanksgiving-day.html#:~:text=Thanksgiving%20Day%20in%20India%20is%20known%20with%20different,end%20of%20the%20harvest%20is%20observed%20as%20Pongal.

https://blog.japanesecartrade.com/1072-labour-thanksgiving-day-japan/#:~:text=Labor%20Thanksgiving%20Day%20in%20Japan%20celebrated%20as%20an,ancient%20festival%E2%80%99s%20origination%20dates%20back%20hundreds%20of%20years.

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/26/native-americans-dominated-first-thanksgiving-feast-plymouth/4248526002/
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THE TYRANNY OF DEMOCRACY: "Democracy Is Two Wolves And A Lamb Voting On What To Have For Lunch"

11/12/2021

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A NATION DIVIDED
Washington, we have a problem!

Public opinion has become so heated over recent issues, that many Americans have been making angry statements – and making fools of themselves – over individual rights, what government can or can’t do, and basically speaking without remembering the meanings of terms they should have learned in school.

Americans are already so polarized about important issues that it doesn’t help – and is a waste of time – arguing over minutia. What is the matter with us?

A FRAME OF REFERENCE
Truth and fact exist based on the best information science and technology can determine at the moment and on the acceptance of those truths and facts by the vast majority of scientists, researchers, historians, scholars, and others intimately familiar with the subject. Some facts may never change, such as the number of bones in a human body which probably hasn’t changed for thousands of years now, but many others, over time, may be altered by new information and evolution itself.

In 500 BC the Greeks believed the earth was a sphere, then later between about 500 to 1100 AD, give or take a few years, it was a fact that the world was flat. Alas, the real fact is, in 2021 we know the earth is neither flat nor is it completely spherical.*

This is the Frame of Reference for discussing Democracy v Republic in terms of form of government.

G. Washington A. Hamilton B. Franklin J. Adams S. Adams T. Jefferson J. Jay J. Madison

OUR FOUNDING FATHERS
Within our frame of reference, it is clear the founding fathers favored a republic rather than a democracy as those terms were then defined. They wanted a government for the people and by the people, and championed seating power in the people of the nation. They also feared what they called the "tyranny of the majority", where the minorities have no protection of their rights.

Their solution was the creation of a republic where the people elect representatives to conduct the business of government, but with a Constitution that addresses this concern spelling out the rights of individuals, is intended to prevent the majoritarian rule of a simple democracy.

When the delegates of the United States Constitutional Convention debated the question in 1787, the exact meanings of the terms republic and democracy remained unsettled. At the time, there was no term for a representative form of government created “by the people” rather than by a king.

However, these guys were pretty smart!

They conceived a new form of government with "liberty and justice for all" based on the concept of the power resting with the citizens. These citizens elect representatives to make the laws which must be consistent with a Constitution that spells out the rights of all the citizens. There were plenty of disagreements and other major issues – such as a strong federal government v power being vested in the states – which are related to but not part of the democracy v republic question.

Our Constitution was designed to “promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty.” With these rights and blessings come responsibilities that citizens need to assume in order to fulfill the promise of the new nation. These lofty goals and principles never had a singular interpretation and over time have led to differing ideas and heated debates, but none of them negate the responsibilities of the citizens, which many fail to mention when talking about their rights.

George Washington presiding at the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787
Original painting by Junius Brutus Stearns - Photographer: Granger
Source of Image with caption: pagetwo.completecolorado.com/

Keep in mind that the Roman Republic conquered much of Europe and East Asia, and with the Romans came their traditions and ideas, including that of republics. The founding fathers had examples of different forms of republics in Europe to learn from.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DEMOCRACY AND A REPUBLIC
Democracy and Republic are often taken as one in the same, but there is a fundamental difference.

First, there are different kinds of democracies and republics, and they can ‒ can be and are ‒ mixed and matched into hybrid forms of governance. Second, both in republics and democracies, citizens can be empowered to participate by electing representatives to the governing bodies. These representatives are sworn to protect the interests of their electorate.

Democracies
A pure democracy – called a simple or Athenian Democracy -- requires the people be allowed to take part in the government and its political processes. In a pure democracy, all citizens who are eligible to vote take an equal part in the process of making laws that govern them.

In other words, all citizens vote on all laws and measures, and the majority rules.

Because of the size of the territory included in the newborn country, from the beginning the Founding Fathers realized they needed a representative form of governance where citizens vote directly for representative who then convene to vote on the laws.

Even with a democracy with a representative system, the essence of the system is “The majority rules”. The attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate. whether it be based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Therefore, in a democracy minority rights are overridden by the majority, and the laws enacted by the majority apply to all citizens of the country.

This is probably the most significant difference between the two forms of governance, because it leaves those in the minority with no protections of their personal or property rights.

Republics
The basic concept of a republic is a form of governance wherein the power rests in the hands of the citizens who elect representatives to make the laws and an executive to enforce those laws. Election of those representatives is through a voting process open to all citizens eligible to vote. Government leaders exercise their powers as per the rule of law, not rule of the majority as in a simple democracy.

A constitution, which is the law, limits the power of Government and ensures some rights and protections which cannot be overridden even by the majority. According to the constitution those individual and property rights are guaranteed and the government is prohibited from limiting or taking away certain “inalienable” rights of the people, even if that government was freely chosen by a majority of the people.

In a pure democracy, the voting majority has almost limitless power over the minority. Inherent in this is the expectation that to enjoy the guaranteed rights the citizens will accept the obligation and responsibility to participate in the voting process and to obey the laws.

The following chart, put together from two sources, compares a pure democracy and a republic and lays out the major differences.

WHAT IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
After all this time, there is still no “official” designation for the type of governance we enjoy in the United States. Like most modern nations, is neither a pure republic nor a pure democracy. Instead, it is a hybrid democratic republic.

Alexander Hamilton called it a “representative democracy.” Others called it a “representative democratic republic”. It definitely combines several forms of government.

Just remember, you “pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands."

Because our country is a “representative democratic republic” which honors freedom and liberty and has guaranteed your right to speak out, it’s okay to have issues with the government, and it’s okay to disagree with something you don’t believe in… but please, do so from an informed position. And remember the responsibilities of the citizen in all this.

Try reading the Constitution, or a minimum the Bill of Rights, before you write that nasty little comment on FaceBook or Twitter.

And by the way, that popular quote, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote”, often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, as well as other founding fathers, it was never said by any of them.

The saying means that in a pure democracy, the majority would literally eat the minority for lunch or dinner. The closest Franklin comes to expressing this sentiment is where he writes in a 1773 letter, “There is Truth in the Old Saying, That if you make yourself a Sheep, the Wolves will eat you.”

The first documented printing of the statement that has been found is the journal “Nomoss: Studies in Spontaneous Order" in 1987. Authorship is unknown. For your amusement, here are a few other definitions by Bill K. published on groups.google.com/g/misc.activism.militia/:

“A Democracy: Three wolves and a sheep voting on dinner.”
“A Republic: The flock gets to vote for which wolves vote on dinner.”
“A Constitutional Republic: Voting on dinner is expressly forbidden, and the sheep are armed.”
“Federal Government: The means by which the sheep will be fooled into voting for a Democracy…”
“Democrats and Republicans: sheep who think they are wolves.”

JUST SAYIN
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THE BILL OF RIGHTS FROM THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

Article VII
The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.

First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Third Amendment
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Seventh Amendment
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

10th Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
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Notes
Note 1: Thirty-three amendments to the United States Constitution have been proposed by the United States Congress and sent to the states for ratification since the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789. Twenty-seven of these, have been ratified.

Note 2:: The earth is not a perfect oblate spheroid, because mass is distributed unevenly within the planet. There is more mass in the southern hemisphere. The greater the concentration of mass is, the stronger its gravitational pull, creating bumps around the globe. Moreover, to even out Earth's imbalanced distribution of mass and stabilize its spin, the entire surface of the Earth will rotate and try to redistribute mass along the equator, a process called true polar wander.

Sources
https://www.theunion.com/news/twi/our-founding-fathers-wanted-a-republic-not-a-democracy/
https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/us-democratic-constitutional-republic-and-yes-it-matters/
https://www.thoughtco.com/republic-vs-democracy-4169936
https://joedoakesplace.blogspot.com/2015/04/democracy-versus-republic.html
https://juscafe.com/encyclopedia/the-bill-of-rights-1791-the-usa/
https://checkyourfact.com/2019/05/29/fact-check-democracy-jefferson-adams-franklin-hamilton/
https://ammo.com/articles/founding-fathers-quotes-democracy-government-power-in-people
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h375.html
https://americanhistory.si.edu/democracy-exhibition/creating-citizens/what-are-rights-and-responsibilities-citizens
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2020/12/23/caldara-dont-forfeit-freedoms-to-fear/

https://www.history.com/news/biracial-royalty-meghan-markle-queen-charlotte#:~:text=Black%20royalty%20has%20always%20existed%2C%20and%20modern%20monarchies,have%20complicated%20contemporary%20de

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_republic#:~:text=Republic%3A%20%22A%20state%20in%20which%20supreme%20power%20is,members%20of%20a%20state%2C%20typically%20through%20elected%20representatives.%22
https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/democracy_is_two_wolves/#:~:text=%22Democracy%20is%20two%20wolves%20and%20a%20lamb%2Fsheep%20voting,majority%20would%20literally%20eat%20the%20minority%20for%20lunch%2Fdinner.

https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-democracy-and-republic.html#:~:text=The%20major%20differences%20between%20democracy%20and%20republic%20are,rule%20of%20the%20people%E2%80%99.%20...%20More%20items...%20

https://www.ourdocuments.gov/print_friendly.php?flash=false&page=transcript&doc=13&title=Transcript+of+Bill+of+Rights+(1791)

https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/difference-between-democracy-and-republic/#:~:text=Difference%20between%20Democracy%20and%20Republic%20%20%20Democracy,made%20by%20...%20%204%20more%20rows%20

https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/full-text#:~:text=Full%20%EE%80%80Text%EE%80%81%20The%20%EE%80%80U.S%EE%80%81.%20%EE%80%80Constitution%EE%80%81.%20We%20the%20People,and%20establish%20this%20%EE%80%80Constitution%EE%80%81%20for%20the

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REMEMBER THE BEES! Writing characters of other ethnic and cultural backgrounds

11/5/2021

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I HAVE A PROBLEM
The main character in my contemporary series is a tour guide who travels to many countries and has people from everywhere in her tour groups. Hence, I must create characters from ethnic groups and cultures that I am not part of. These characters must be believable and real, and I want to do this without unintentionally writing something that is offensive to members of other cultures I’m writing about and piss them off.

That dilemma prompted this blog about how to write characters from other ethnic groups and cultures.

Personally, I start from the point of view that God created us all equal. Humans have two legs and two arms with one head and a brain that is capable of unbelievable things. Our bodies and internal organs are the same no matter where we are from. Our basic human needs and fears are the same.

It is what happens at birth and afterward that creates the differences in people. The experience of living and surviving is unique to every person.

You can’t live in anyone else’s skin or know exactly their thoughts and feelings, but the closer your experiences are to those of the other person, the easier it is to empathize and to come closer to real understanding.

“I suspect most people feel more or less the same when being chased by bees.”
Max Gladstone in intellectusspecul-max-gladstone-on-bees

SHOULD WHITE AUTHORS WRITE ABOUT CHARACTERS OF OTHER ETHNIC AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS?
The consensus seems to be that they should. After all, we live in a diverse world. In most contemporary settings – even in most historical novels – an all-white cast of characters would be odd, as it hardly reflects reality. So yes, a white author can write a diverse cast… and will learn something in the process.

In both contemporary and historical novels, if a writer is being realistic, it’s hard to find a time and place without at least some representation from people of other races or cultures who could show up at least as secondary characters, if not primary, depending on the type of novel, location, and time.

The second part of this answer, however, is that the writers must do their homework. Research! Research! Research! Then be respectful and understand which lines not to cross.

Mya Nunnally [bookriot.com/casually-racist-things-that-white-authors-do/] writes:
“It’s hard to explain the importance of representation to someone who doesn’t understand. But it’s like not having a good parent to look up to. You don’t have a positive image of what you can be. When you’re a young child of color and all around you are stories and movies and television about white children, you internalize the idea that hey—maybe my story isn’t as important as theirs.”

TAKING ON THE TASK
The following applies to major and secondary characters who have an impact on the story, not to pass-through characters. Minor characters who come and go through out the novel need some description including ethnicity and/or culture.

● Ask The Big Questions
What is my purpose in writing this? Who do I expect to be my audience? These are questions the author should ask himself regardless of what kind of novel he is writing.

Whatever you are writing and particularly if your target audience is primarily white, this is an opportunity to add diversity to your books in ways that help other white people understand and embrace the similarities we all share as human beings. Remember the bees.

Are you willing to do the work? If you are writing a 500 page historical family saga, you are in for a lot of research. Be sure you know what kind of novel you intend to write and your purpose in writing it.

● Research!
Massive research! Start by clearing your mind of everything you think you know about that ethnicity and culture. Be cautious of allowing friendships within the specific ethnic/ cultural group. Even a multitude of friends can’t represent everything about the entire history or culture. Look at your own ethnicity/ culture and think about how many differences there are between you other people you know in the same group.

Just don’t try to cram everything you’ve learned into the actual novel. Only use the parts that are pertinent to the story.

● Read
Read literature written by and for the group you want to depict. Also read or view anything you can which expresses the group members unhappiness with the way they are portrayed in the media and thought of by the general public. Read examples of white writers who handle ethnicity well, and maybe one who doesn’t.

Kelly Nichols and Kris Montee – two sisters who write as P.J.Parish – are a good example. They are so successful at writing their Louis Kincaid series, the the editor who bought the first book thought it had been written by a black man.

Just don't try to put everything you've learned into the actual story.

● Persist
Hang in there, even when your feelings are hurt, you are overwhelmed with “white guilt”, or become defensive. Kayla Ancrum says [mediadiversified.org/how-to-write-women/men-of-colour ], “This blinding rage some POC [People of Color] have for white people is not born of bigoted prejudice, but rather from old hurt. Or fear. Or pain.”

You must must must disassociate your personal feelings about the issues and just sit quietly and listen and not get emotional. The purpose is educate yourself about the issues that this group – and the character you want to write about – has strong feelings about and discuss in their everyday life.

● Be Awareness of Ethnicity
Do not have your white characters pretend People of Color are not POC. White people and POC see the difference in each other. That isn’t to say they can’t interact, be friends, treat the each other with respect, etc., but they are aware of the difference.

Mixed race people are often very cognizant of their racial perception and where and how they fit in. When you write such a character, they should have that awareness. Readers should identify with your character’s human characteristics over everything else.

● Turn About Is Fair Play
Right now, most of the articles available on this subject are about white writers trying to create characters of color or different cultural backgrounds. That’s to be expected since the majority of the authors are white. White people, however, are not homogeneous and do not come from the same cultural backgrounds.

When anyone, white or a person of color, writes a character, just as much research about era, location and cultural background is necessary for the time and place. Most likely, the person of color or other culture doesn’t know about a white person’s ethnicity and culture, nor understand their attitudes, values, and mindset. It should be a learning experience for a POC author.

● Use a Beta Reader
Have one or more Beta readers from your character’s ethnic or cultural group to assess your work and keep you on the right track.

BE AWARE OF THE PITFALLS
My opinion is that the major pitfalls can be avoided if the writer has done the research I keep harping about and is aware of being respectful and sensitive. The following pitfalls are very important to POC readers.

● White by Default
White by default is a sticky wicket and is as much a writing issue as a sensitivity issue. In many novels, when characters are introduced, only those persons of color are called out. That leaves the reader with the idea that everyone else is white if not identified as something else. This doesn’t bother most white writers, but it does bother the readers who are not white. It may cause younger readers to ask, “Aren’t there other people like me out there?”

The rule of thumb is that pass-through characters who never show up again in the novel [the waiter, the maid, the bank teller] and have no impact, are not described at all or with only one descriptor.

Writing primary and secondary characters require the heavy-duty research and Beta reader. Minor characters who show up now and then, or who are there but have little or no role in the outcome are usually described often by actions as well as unique things about their looks [e.g. a big hook nose.].

All characters need to be introduced by showing, not a feature-by-feature description, which will probably solve the introducing only white or only POC characters. Physical character description should be more than skin tone. Show the reader hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands. Body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not necessarily all of those nor at once.

● Stereotypes
Stereotypes are a no-no in every type of writing. It’s lazy writing; a shorthand used to make quick descriptions of minor characters. When a writer does this, it’s easy to fall back on stereotypes.

All your characters should possess a fully well-rounded personality. After all, not all Japanese are good at math or a master at martial arts. Stereotypes are particularly noticeable in clothes and hairstyles, sometimes in professions.

● Describing People Of Color Using Food
If I learned one thing, it is that People of Color do not like having their skin colors described as a food color. Mya Nunnally [bookriot.com/casually-racist-things-that-white-authors-do/] explains that first, this kind of description is usually applied to people of color.

Second, “people of color have had a history of being used for slave labor involving food, especially coffee, chocolate, and so on. The words you use have a historical context. Be aware of them.”Don’t despair if one of your latino characters has “skin the color of caramel.” There are plenty of other ways to describe skin tone, including flowers and earthtones. Here are some listed in writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/words-for-skin-tone.
Basic Colors ▼ Expanded Basic Colors ▼

Minerals & Gemstones ▲ Flowers ▼ Metals ▲ Woods ▼

https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/96830966357/words-for-skin-tone-how-to-describe-skin-color

● Writing Dialogue in Black Dialect
Black English is a dialect of English, not standard English using bad grammar or slang. The dialect is African-American Vernacular (AAVE), and should be researched the same as any unfamiliar dialect. The name for the dialect was suggested in 1975 by a Black scholar. Even though it was never formally adopted by linguists, the dialect has its own rules and structure. Don’t wing it!

Scholars still argue about what AAVE should be called, leaning one way or another at different times. This probably why our white population isn’t familiar with either the name or the concept of it being a dialect. At this point in time, this is the name to use when researching.

● The Faithful Sidekick
Ever since – and maybe before -- Author Fran Striker wrote the “Lone Ranger” series of books, first released in 1936, the only person of color [if there was one in the story] was the hero’s sidekick or maybe the villain. Those works in themselves were surprising for the time to have one lone POC character.

Be cautious when you use a POC as a sidekick. At least make the character a full blown person with the appropriate feelings and mindset for the time and place, and give him or her a significant role.

● The White Savior
Another pitfall is the novel with the white person who “saves the natives”, presumably because they can’t do it themselves.