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THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY TO A ROMANCE AUTHOR

4/15/2022

Years ago, I ran onto a wonderful blog posted by Author Simon P. Clark, entitled Eleven Things Never to Say to an Author, dated May 28, 2013 [and, unfortunately, no longer posted online.] His website is: https://www.simonpclark.com/ .

Clark's premise is so true, and so funny, that I wanted to share. I modified his eleven points to fit Romance Writers and added a few "never say" statements of my own and thoughts from my friends at Romance Books 4 Us.

1."You write romance novels? Wow! I wish I could do that."

Response: "You really don't. It's hard work, and you have to spend hours at a hot computer in your underwear coming up with new and clichéless ways of describing an accelerated heart beat, sweat, and how put to tab A into slot B. You have to experiment. You have to...
Why are you leaving?"

2. "Writing a romance novel sounds like fun. I think I'll take a few weeks off and write one."

Response: "Your profession sounds interesting too. Maybe I'll take a summer school course and become a brain surgeon just like you."

3. "If you write novels, why are you still working?"

Response: “What? !!@#$ "

4. "You write romance novels now? Wow. What does it feel like not having to go to work every day?"

Response: "Like going to work every...and every night...and on weekends, but without any vacation, overtime pay, or sick leave."

5. "I have a great idea for a book..."
Response: "Good. Write it, come back in ten years, and we’ll talk."

6. Variations On A Theme #1
● "Your books was so good. I'll bet you could even write a real book."
● "Oh, I get it. You're going to write a romance novels now, and then later you'll write a real book."
● "Is writing this stuff going to interfere with your real book?"
● "Now that you're writing smut, are you ever going to finish your real book?"
● "You're a writer? Cool! Romance novels? Oh, that's too bad."

Response: "Yeah, just those pesky romance novels. It's a good thing they don't require some of the most creative, discerning, demanding, open minded readers around, eh? Aha ha, ha. Ha."

7. Variations On A Theme #2
● "I don't read bodice rippers."
● "I don't care for reading porn, but I enjoy your books."
● "Do you practice all those love scenes yourself?" Chuckle, chuckle.
● "I read a romance novel the other day. How can people read such trash?

Response: "You mean you can read? Well, that's a start. Why are you ogling my cover and sweating?"

8. Variations On A Theme #3
● "You wrote a romance novel? That's wonderful. When will it be published?"

Response: "That all depends on whether or not I can sell it. First I have to find an agent. Then the agent has to send it to publishers and convince one of them to buy it. Then there's the contract. After that it takes a year to get into rewrites and editing. After that... Well, maybe around 2030. Can you wait that long?" [Also an answer to question #3]

● "You wrote a romance novel? That's wonderful. Send me a copy when it's published."

Response: "Yeah, right. Are you kidding, you A-hole? You not only expect me to give you a copy, but to pay postage on top of that. Why don't you sacrifice one cup of Starbucks and buy a copy?"

● "You wrote this?"

Response: "Nooo, I'm just wasting time sitting in Barns and Noble signing someone else's book so they don't have to be here. What? Don't I look like I could write a book?"

9. "Who's Your Agent? Can you recommend me?"
Response: "Who's your psychiatrist?"

11. "Aren't Romance Novels dying out?"

Response: "Something's going to be dying in about four seconds, and I guarantee you it won't be romance novels."

12. "So How Much Money Do You Make Writing Romance Novels? It can't be very much."
Response: "Here's a fun new rule. It's called Don't Ask Authors Things You Wouldn't Ask Other intelligent Adults."

13. "Will You Put Me In Your Next Book?"
Response: "Don't tempt me. I might. I might not. Do something interesting and let's see. Why don't you start by stripping down in public?"

14. "I Hate Reading."
Response: "You say 'hate', I hear 'hit me.' I swear, it's so strange..."

15. “You could be the next Stephen King.”

Response: "I think that name is already taken. Besides, he's a guy, and I'm a size 2X female. I don't think his pants would fit."

JUST SAYIN
If you are an author, I'm sure you have a collection of things people have said to you that make you want to strangle them, or force feed them a book. It makes you wonder what people really think about writers and publishing. For sure, they have no clue about what if takes to write any book, even a bad one.
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CAT TAIL TALK: Learn To Read A New Language

4/8/2022

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A person can’t own a cat… the cat owns the person and gives the orders. Not the other way around. So if you are a fur-baby parent, you need to understand that everything a cat does communicates something, and tail movements are among the best indicators.
◄ Image Source: whycatwhy.com/decode-your-cats-tai

One of the most common questions people ask about cats is why they wag their tails and what it means.

Now, I’ve had one or more cats in my family all my life growing up and most of my adult life… and that question threw me for a loop. As unimportant as the subject matter might be to many, I had to find out. Besides, I never thought of what cats do with their tails as “wagging”.

COMMUNICATION
All animals have ways to express their feelings. Presumably, Cat Feelings are not too complex, and you would think that human beings, with all their brain power and never-ending emotions, would have figured out the simplistic ways our domesticated animals try to communicate with us. But I’m not sure if most humans get it.

Cats use every possible means to let humans and other animals know how they are feeling. Their body movements, eye movements, overall body posture, attentiveness, vocal sounds, and tail movements all send a message to whomever can read it. Despite all the signals, humans find it easy to misread a cat’s behavior.

Pet owners [fur-baby parents] should be ‒ and probably are ‒ able to read their cat’s tail the way most of us read facial expressions of people, and know how to give back signals to their cats. Experts say you can communicate with your cat through eye contact. When a cat makes direct eye contact with a blink, they are communicating affection and comfort to you. To communicate your love, you can offer treats and loving pats.

So, the answer to the big question is not too difficult: Cats use their tails to communicate their feelings.

PHYSICAL NATURE OF THE CAT’S TAIL
To understand what your cat is trying to tell you with their tail, it help to understand a little about the physiology and how it moves.

● Cat's Tails Vary In Length
Cat tails are different lengths, depending on the breed. A cat’s tail length is governed by he number of vertebrae in the tail, and different breeds have different numbers, the average being 19-23 vertebrae. With the majority of the species, the tail comprises 10% of the bones in a cats’ body.

● Cats’ Tails Are Highly Muscled and Flexible
Since cats have so many vertebrae in their tails, they also have a whole army of muscle groups, tendons, ligaments, and nerve endings which contribute to an effective network of signals and muscle responses. This makes the tail very flexible, allowing cats to move the whole tail or only a few vertebrae at a time.

● Cats’ Tails Are Highly Sensitive To Touch
Because of the complex network of nerves, muscles, and sensory input in a cat's tail and spinal column, they usually dislikes her tail being touched. Their physiology also allows cats to raise and lower the hairs of the tail.

RANGE OF MOVEMENTS
Their physiology gives cats a range of movements of the tail, and each one means something in terms of how the cat feels and its moods. Their communication is not just the nature of the movement, but also the up or down position, the direction, and speed of types of movements.
This chart from whycatwhy.com/tail-decoding-masterclass/ gives a quick guide to Cat Tail Reading.

Image Source: whycatwhy.com/tail-decoding-masterclass/

● Low Flick
The low flick tail wag is a quick back and forth action means the cat is unhappy and want to be left alone.

● Low Wagging
If your cat’s tail is low wagging, that is generally an indicator that they’re scared. Their ears may also be pinned back, their body crouched low to the ground. If they’re really scared, they might tuck their tail between their legs too.

● Slow swish
A slow swish of the tail from left to right means the cat is mildly annoyed. Back off if you see this as it could quickly transform into the angry low flick.

● Quick swish
The quick swish from side-to-side occurs when your cat is feeling playful and will often be followed by a pounce. This behavior is most commonly seen when playing with toys or another cat and will be coupled with dilated pupils and forward pointing ears.

● Quick twitch
A short, quick twitch usually implies concentration. You’re most likely to see this cat tail language when they’re window watching a small critter or bird, and they may even display strange cat sounds like chirping or chattering. The cat in the photo is probably quick-twitching her tail.
Image Source: catvills.com/why-cat-stare

● The quiver
The tail quiver means the cat is excited to see you! Your cat will approach you with their tail high up in the air and the tip will do a little quivering movement, similar to how a rattlesnake shakes their tail. This signals to you or other cats that they’re ready for interaction and will usually purr, rub their face on you and sometimes might also meow happily.

● Sleep twitch
Sometimes when your cat’s sleeping and you pet or talk to them, she might give you a sleep twitch of the tail. This cat tail language is their way of saying, “I know you’re there, but I feel safe enough to carry on snoozing anyway.”

● Waving tail while lying down
Cat expert Dr. Ernie Ward suggests that sometimes cat tail wagging may indicate the animal is in pain or feeling unwell. If your cat’s lying down and waving their tail whilst also behaving out of sorts – such as going off their food or spending a lot of time in hiding – they may be feeling under the weather. If you’re concerned about your cat’s health, take them to the vet as soon as possible for a diagnosis.

● Wrapping tail
Occasionally, when your cat wants to show you affection, they may wrap their tail around your hand, arm, leg, or even neck. However, this is less common as most cats tend to display their love for you in the form of head butts instead.

● Fluffed up tail
A fluffed up tail occurs when the cat feels she in danger. They generally do this during a confrontation ‒ dog, cat, human, or maybe with your super scary robot vacuum cleaner. According to experts, cats puff up to try and make themselves look larger and scarier to their foe, which is also why they’ll arch their backs.

CAT FEELINGS
Depending on how felines wag their tails, they may be expressing fear, annoyance, pain, restfulness, playfulness, and happiness. I have no way of knowing what kind of emotions cats may have, and just six seems rather simplistic even for a cat.

For lack of a better and more inspired way to put together Cat Feelings in relation to Cat Tail Movements, I’m going with the six general emotions that are readily “readable” in the tail movements plus a few others I could find references about. So we begin.

Image Source: petmd.com/cat/behavior/cat-wags-tail ▼

● HAPPY CAT
A straight up tail is a sign that the cat is on the “happy cat” side of the spectrum. After all, felines are rather aloof creatures, so don’t expect a smile.

Contrary to some beliefs, felines do have facial expressions but they are very hard to read and not at all what humans would expect.

Felines wag their tails in a slow and sultry way to show its contentment. It’s less a wag than the cat simply lifting their tail, vertebrae by vertebrae, with a little hook curve on the end. They will do this even when lying down, lifting the tail off the surface they are lying on and then letting their tail uncurl again. There are several emotions under the title of Happy Cat.

■ Confident Cat
When a cat is confident, she will walk around with the tail straight up gently wagging at the tip. It is the sign of a happy and fearless cat. It is a spirited attitude that helps other cats know that your pet is open to communication.

◄ Image source: teddyfeed.com/cats-tail-movements

■ Friendly Welcoming Cat
An upright, gently swaying tail is your cat's way of greeting you. She’s saying hello! The tail will often quiver, signaling your cat is happy to see you and would like a petting, please! You'll often see the same greeting between two cats, followed by gentle rubbing and vocalization.
◄ Image Source: petmd.com/cat/behavior/cat-wags-tail

This is usually a sure sign of an excited, happy feline. An upright tail can also signal fear, but the rest of the body language tells you the difference.

Source of Images:
petmd.com/cat/behavior/cat-wags-tail

■ Cat ready for interaction
A quivering tail also means that your cat is excited to see you. Your cat will approach you with their tail high up in the air and the tip will do a little quivering movement.

■ Peeing Cat
Your cat might also show this posture when she's peeing or marking her territory. In this case, your cat will back up against the edge of a litter box, wall, or piece of furniture.
Image Source: petmd.com/cat/behavior/cat-wags-tail

● FRIGHTENED CAT
Felines wag their tails when they are frightened or startled. Usually, their tail will be stiff and the hair on their tail will rise, giving the tail a thicker puffed up appearance.
◄Image Source: animalfoodplanet.com/cats-wag-tails

This is because the cat’s hair stands on end (piloerection) so that they can appear to be larger. Tail is wagged close to the ground. There may be a slight wag to their tail even if they lie down.

Your kitty can even tuck her tail between her legs in submission. This situation symbolizes that she does not want to engage in the fight. If your cat has an elevated tail, arched back, and pushed-back ears. It means your cat is scared but willing to fight the object. There may be another animal or an innocent thing, such as a leaf blowing in the wind, arousing fear in your cat.

This tail position is often triggered by feeling threatened by other animals in the yard, dogs approaching, visitors in the home, or sudden noises. Remove the inciting triggers to decrease your cat’s stress. If you try to interact with your cat when their hair is standing up, they may perceive your approach as a threat and become aggressive.
Image Source: petmd.com/cat/behavior/cat-wags-tail Image Source: tuxedo-cat.co.uk/cats-wag-tails/

● ANNOYED CAT
This is the easiest emotion to spot when a cat is wagging her tail. Cats usually thrash or thump their tails back, or move it back and forth in a swishing motion or in a low flick when they are annoyed or excited.

For example, the cat may jerk her tail if she wants you to stop touching her. You’ll most likely see this cat tail language when the cat is put in a situation she’s not pleased about. The cagt is telling you to go away and leave them so they can have space. If another cat enters their space, the tail flick signals that a fight is about to happen.

Even when a cat that is lying down, she may express annoyance by aggressively wagging her tail in a large swishing motion or thunk it against the surface she’s lying on. If you have petted them too vigorously, cats show their annoyance by wagging or thumping their tail. As with humans, cats experience rising levels of annoyance and at each level the cat will show escalating agitation.

● CAT IN PAIN
A cat may lower their tail below the level of their back if they are frightened or anxious. If your cat’s tail is tucked between their legs, then they are really scared or may be experiencing pain.

Source of Images: petmd.com/cat/behavior/cat-wags-tail

While this is rare, your cat's tail may also wag or twitch while lying down if she is in pain. If your cat's tail is waving or jerking in cases where it is usually relaxed, there may be underlying pain causing the discomfort. “Get thee to a veterinarian post haste.” Pain or illness usually occurs with other associated symptoms such as like lack of energy or not eating, unusual meowing, etc.

If your cat is sitting or lying down with their tail wrapped around her body, then she is frightened, defensive, in pain, or feeling unwell. Whatever the cause, the fur-parent should do whatever possible to ensure that your cat’s environment is free of stressors. If this persists with the cat frequently couching with the tail curled around their body, “Get thee to veterinarian post haste.”

● CAT IN RESTFULNESS
Cats love to sleep ‒ some up to eighteen hours a day ‒ and when they are in a light dream state, the tip of their tail may wag slightly from side to side. Young cats may show a more vigorous wagging since their nervous systems are still developing. An adult cat’s restful tail wagging is perhaps the equivalent of a human toe-tapping when you are engaged in a pleasurable activity. When cats feels secure and safe, they can sleep almost anywhere and in any position.
Image source: Image Source:
science beautifuldesktopwallpapers2014.blogspot.com/ vox.com/memory-improvement-psychology-science

● PLAYFUL CAT
Play is an important part of a cat’s development, and they may signal their readiness to play by wagging their tail suggestively or just moving the tip of her tail to get some human’s attention.

● CURIOUS CAT
Hook-shaped tail means a cat is curious and playful. A low hanging tail with curl means a cat is cautious but still curious. Cats love to inspect things and can stare at them for a long time, sometimes deciding if the “thing” is worthy of attacking.
Image source: tuxedo-cat.co.uk/why-cats-wag-their-tails/

● PREDATOR CAT
The bottom line is “a cat is always a predator”. That’s wired-in behavior no matter how domesticated the animal is.

The predator cat will stalk its prey, then pounce, kill, remove and then eat their prey. When a cat is in stalking mode, she will move slowly, often with pauses while she “waits”. Cats will shift weight in the rear legs as they get ready for a quick sprint and pounce action.   Image Source: za.pinterest.com/pin/553731716654612430/

Then the cat pounces, he lifts off with his back feet and pounces on their prey. Once he catches the prey, he quickly kills it with a fatal bite then takes off to a safe location where they do not feel vulnerable and exposed to have their snack.

THE FINAL TALE
“What happens to a cat born with no tail?” you ask.  Yes, there are breeds of cats with no tails, and sometimes other breeds are just born without them. A cat born without a tail will never miss it. Their brains develop without the presence of the sensory input from the tail, but researchers and scientists know that the tail can serve a purpose in balance and psychological well-being. Cats with tails removed because of illness or injury adjust very well most of the time.

You, as the fur-parent will just have to learn your cat’s way of communication.

JUST SAYIN.
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Sources:
https://www.animalfoodplanet.com/cats-wag-their-tails-while-lying-down/#:~:text=6%20Reasons%20Cats%20Wag%20Their%20Tails%20While%20Lying,Restfulness.%20...%205%20Playfulness.%20...%206%20Happiness.%20

https://cutelitterbox.com/why-do-cats-wag-their-tails/#:~:text=Here%20are%20some%20reasons%20why%20your%20cat%20wagging,cat.%205%20Cat%20is%20in%20pain.%20More%20items

https://www.petmd.com/cat/behavior/evr_ct_what-does-it-mean-when-a-cat-wags-tail#:~:text=Why%20Do%20Cats%20Wag%20Their%20Tails%3F%201%20Thrashing,3%20Swishing%20Tails.%20...%204%20Tail%20Quivers.%20

https://www.lifesize.com/en/blog/speaking-without-words/#:~:text=What%20percentage%20of%20communication%20is%20nonverbal%3F%20There%20have,to%2093%20percent%20of%20all%20communication%20is%20nonverbal.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=EJ%2BVgrxs&id=2476DD12F7C3518F3558F24BE3F813B93DFB72A6&thid=OIP.EJ-Vgrxs8iowF_7WOBUA-QHaLG&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fac%2F10%2F8d%2Fac108daabe70f46330bac09697b6c146.png&cdnurl=ht

https://www.kitnipbox.com/meow/index.php/2020/01/16/what-does-your-cats-tail-say/canva-angry-calico-cat-lying-on-edge-of-bed-wagging-tail-1/
https://www.petplace.com/article/cats/pet-behavior-training/cat-behavior-training/how-do-cats-communicate-with-humans/
https://www.teddyfeed.com/pets/cats-different-tail-movements-mean/
https://www.animalfoodplanet.com/cats-wag-their-tails-wh
http://www.caticles.com/cat-tail-meaning
http://www.whycatwhy.com/how-to-decode-your-cats-tail-a-masterclass/
https://www.purina.co.uk/articles/cats/behaviour/common-questions/why-do-cats-wag-their-tails
https://www.purina.com.au/cats/behaviour/dreaming#.YksVN-jMLcc
https://www.tuxedo-cat.co.uk/why-cats-wag-their-tails/
https://catvills.com/why-cat-stare-at-the-wall/
https://www.vox.com/2014/11/13/7198639/memory-improvement-psychology-science
http://beautifuldesktopwallpapers2014.blogspot.com/2013/11/sleeping-cat-wallpaper-cute-on-pc.html
https://www.caticles.com/cat-tail-meaning/
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/1-playful-kitten-susan-leggett.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/264656915575835862/
https://iheartcats.com/vet-4-things-know-cats-tail/

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The Great Molasses Flood

4/1/2022

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SUGAR IS BAD FOR YOU
It is a proven fact that too much sugar is bad for you, but chances are you never imaged you could drown in sugar syrup.

EVERYTHING YOU NEVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT MOLASSES
Molasses, or black treacle as it’s called by the British, is a viscous syrup-like substance which results from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar syfrup. The word molasses comes a derivative of the Latin for honey [mel].

Sugarcane molasses is an ingredient used in baking and cooking, primarily to sweeten and flavor foods, even beer and portable alcohol. In the US, it is primarily used to sweeten and flavor foods, and is a major component of brown sugar. It can also be fermented to make ethanol, the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages and a key component in munitions.
Blackstrap Molasses - Image Source: dreamstime.com/organic-black-cane-sugar-molasses

Sugar beet molasses differs from sugarcane molasses, and is generally used for cattle food.

Blackstrap Molasses has been used frequently for medicinal purposes. It is known for its bitter taste because it is derived from the third boiling of the syrup. Most of the sugar remains in the first syrup which results from the first boiling, and in the second syrup, result of the second boiling. Blackstrap is also used for dietary supplements because it is rich in vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and potassium.

Sugar-cane juice being boiled in stages to allow the water to evaporate and remove the impurities at a jaggery-making unit near Muzaffarnagar.
Image Credit: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
Image Source: livemint.com/Leisure/Sweet-symphony

THE GREAT MOLASSES DISASTER
The Great Molasses Disaster sounds like a family story about a Sunday brunch incident when Junior spilled an entire pitcher of syrup all over the pastor and his wife at the dining room table. The kind of oral family history you tell your grandkids about and laugh. Unfortunately, the real event was a true disaster which took 21 lives and injured 150 others.

The catastrophe occurred in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, on January 15, 1919, at the Purity Distilling Company facility near Keany Square. Purity used the harborside of Commercial Street to offload molasses transported by ships from the Caribbean on the Charles River and store the product in a large storage tank on their property for later transport by pipeline to the Purity ethanol plant in Cambridge.
▼ Image Credit: IMeowbot - Own work, PublicDomain This storage tank was 50 feet tall and 90 feet in Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?

diameter and had a capacity of 2.3 million U.S. gallons.

Detail of molasses flood area:
1. Purity Distilling molasses tank
2. Firehouse 31 (heavy damage)
3. Paving department and police station
4. Purity offices (flattened)
5. Copps Hill Terrace 6. Boston Gas Light building (damaged)
7. Purity warehouse (mostly intact)
8. Residential area (site of flattened Clougherty house)

The molasses tank approximately 1919 ▼
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/BostonMolassesDisaster

Fate chose January 15, 1919, for the tragedy, but not by chance. First, the winter weather had warmed quickly and the temperature in Boston reached 40°F, well above the freezing temperatures of the prior week. Second, the previous day a ship had delivered a load of molasses which had been warmed for transfer. Experts believe the warmer molasses from the delivery caused expansion of the colder molasses inside the tank, causing it to explode..

K-bang! At 12:30 pm the earth rumbled. According to Wikipedia, “Witnesses reported that they felt the ground shake and heard a roar as it collapsed, a long rumble similar to the passing of an elevated train. Others reported a tremendous crashing, a deep growling, "a thunderclap-like bang!", and a sound like a machine gun as the rivets shot out of the tank.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses

Consider: Molasses is about 40% more dense than water, giving it a great amount of force which created a wave of molasses 25 feet high moving at 35 miles per hour. The wave of sticky syrup took out buildings, snapped part of the elevated railway structure, nearly tipped over a streetcar and flooded several blocks to a depth of 2 to 3 feet in molasses.

The Boston Post wrote, “A rumble, a hiss—some say a boom and a swish—and the wave of molasses swept out. A wall of syrup cascaded over Commercial Street at 35 miles per hour, obliterating all the people, horses, buildings and electrical poles in its path.” The Boston Globe’s article stated that the force of the molasses wave caused buildings to “cringe up as though they were made of pasteboard.”
Front page of the January 16, 1919, “Boston Post”
Image source: history.com/news/the-great-molasses-flood

AFTERMATH
Arriving within minutes, the first responders ‒ police, firefighters, and more than a hundred sailors from USS Nantucket stationed nearby ‒ had to wade through several feet of molasses which was described as being like quicksand. They were quickly followed by the Red Cross, the army and navy.

According to History.com,”The most dramatic rescue took place at the Engine 31 firehouse, where several of the men from the lunchtime card game were trapped in a molasses-flooded pocket of space on the collapsed first floor.”Search and rescue continued for several days. Clean up took weeks. Salt water was sprayed from fireboats to wash away the syrup which was absorbed by the river beach sand, leaving the harbor brown for months. Cleanup of the whole city took months longer since everything anyone touched was sticky.

Oral history claims the entire area smelled of molasses every summer for years.

Site of the Tank afterward ▲ By the raised Railway structure ▲
Image source: commons.wikimedia.org/BostonMolassesDisaster   Image Source: history.com/great-molasses-flood-of-1919

  Damaged part of the elevated train ▼ Damage to Firehouse 31 ▼
  Credit for Images:.Courtesy trustees of the Boston Public Library
Leslie Jones Collection - Source of Images: monovisions.com/boston-molasses-disaster

FOLOWUP
Ultimately, the property damage was assessed at nearly $100,000,000 in today's dollars. As Boston struggled to recover, everyone wanted to know what had caused this disaster.

The newspapers reported that the tank had exploded. The tank's owner, U.S. Industrial Alcohol, who built the tank only four years before due to WWI demand ethanol for munitions, claimed that anarchists had dynamited it as an act of sabotage, which was not beyond possibility.

This was soon proved to be false, and the families affected by explosion ‒ mostly poor Irish and Italian laborers ‒ testified the tank had leaked since construction in 1915, and U.S.I.A. had ignored complaints and warnings that the tank was not safe.

The tank, they insisted, had leaked or "wept" molasses consistently since its construction in 1915, under pressure to rush completion, and the neighborhood had heard groans, rumbles, and metallic creaks since its construction. U.S.I.A had ignored complaints and warnings that the tank was unsafe.

The court ruled in favor of the property owners and families who had suffered. “Massachusetts and most other states responded to the verdict by passing laws to certify engineers and regulate construction. The molasses case marked the beginning of the end of an era when big business faced no government restrictions on its activities — and no consequences.” history.com/news/the-great-molasses-flood

JUST SAYIN
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Sources:
https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/xrILP6IeqqU05wBXGMuzGK/Photo-Essay--Bittersweet-symphony.htmlhttps:/www.livemint.com/Leisure/xrILP6IeqqU05wBXGMuzGK/Photo-Essay--Bittersweet-symphony.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood#:~:text=The%20Great%20Molasses%20Flood%2C%20also%20known%20as%20the,North%20End%20neighborhood%20of%20Boston%2C%20Massachusetts%2C%20United%20States
.
https://www.history.com/news/the-great-molasses-flood-of-1919#&gid=ci023d0bbd600125f5&pid=molasses-flood-gettyimages-631625454

https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/great-molasses-flood.html
https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/great-boston-molasses-disaster-1919/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84101
https://monovisions.com/the-boston-molasses-disaster-of-1919/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BostonMolassesDisaster.jpg

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A WOMAN OUTSTANDING IN HER FIELD

3/25/2022

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MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
In March the world celebrates International Women's History Month, created to honor the many, many great women who have made innumerable contributions to society.

Image Credit: Paul Thompson/Getty Images
Image Source: mentalfloss.com/womens-history-month-facts

National Women's Day started in New York in 1909, spearheaded by Theresa Malkiel, an activist who served on the women's committee of the Socialist Party of America. The idea was soon adopted in Europe, and until 1987 we celebrated International Women’s Week and Day not only to honor women but create an open forum to discuss anti-sexism, anti-discrimination, and other women’s issues. Theresa Malkiel ►
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/Theresa_Malkiel.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter, the first president to recognized Women’s History Week, officially set aside the first week of March to honor women and their accomplishments. Six years later, Congress passed PL 100-9 [PDF], officially designating Women’s History Month as a permanent event every March.

◄ President Jimmy Carter signs document on Feb. 28, 1980, proclaiming March 2-8 "National Women's History Week."
Image Credit: Barry Thumma—AP
Image Source: time.com/womens-history-month-history/

A WOMAN OUT STANDING IN HER FIELD
Every March I try to write a blog on a woman who has made significant contributions to her field of interest or society in general, focusing on those women who haven’t made entries in the history books. Most of us know the famous names, such as Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, or Helen Keller, but I’m interested in those women who accomplished great things -- but not necessarily huge things -- and have been somewhat ▲Image Credit: Thinkstock overlooked.
Image Source: grainews.ca/women-advancing-in-agriculture/

Doing my due diligence, I “googled” well-known and not-so-well-known women in history, along with articles on women honored for great achievements. In reading the many lists of names, I realized that all of the women, famous or rich or infamous, low-key or in the public eye, are there because their names are well known, not so much because of their outstanding accomplishments.
Please understand, I don’t intend to criticize or denigrate anything these remarkable women have done – all achievements in any field are important and deserve to be honored -- but I can’t help trying to put a comparative value on the good works or impact on society in general.
I know that’s not fair, and it is naive to try, but I still can’t help wondering if Madonna’s kudos for being “best selling female vocal artist of all time”, Marilyn Monroe “Actress and model”, or Rihanna “Barbados singer, actress and fashion designer” hold up in comparison to Mother Teresa “Nun and charity worker who dedicated her life to serving poor and disadvantaged”, Angela Merkel, “chancellor of Germany since 2005 and the de facto leader of the European Union during financial crisis”, or Marie Curie “Polish physicist, chemist, and first person to win the Nobel Prize in both Chemistry and Physics.”
[https://www.biographyonline.net/people/famous/100-women.html#]

All these high-achieving women approached greatness from one of three situations:

● Women throughout the spectrum of society going about their business but making impacts through their example, teaching, mentoring, being exceptionally good at what they do, and influencing decisions that count, if only in a small way -- and sometimes in a huge way. Sometimes they “fall into” opportunities by chance or background) and have the wisdom and passion to commit.

● Women born or married into positions in society which allowed them to be educated, to excel in the arts and sciences, to become noted philanthropists or activists on behalf of some cause or, in the case of being a queen, to mandate laws for the betterment of her subjects in general and women in particular.

● Women born into any position in life who purposely sets out to achieve great goals and are willing to put their hearts, souls, and hard work into its achievement. Some have to work harder at it than others, and the degree of success is varies.

One thing the women the lists of great women a have in common: Each woman learned from whatever and whomever was around them, recognized doors opening to them and took advantage. They may not have started out with the desire to be great or to make great changes in society, but developed their passions and commitment through learning, seeing, and hearing with compassion.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING “GOOD” AND BEING “GREAT”
All achievements are important, but what makes one great and others good, successful, helpful, rewarding, recognized, etc. but not “great?” What makes the difference? I looked up that question with regard to a number of professions. I found they only address what makes an individual better than “good”, not so much the accomplishment itself. [Please note that I’m talking about outstanding performance as “good”, not “average, adequate or good enough”.]

The value of the achievements is something future history will determine. Sometimes it takes many years before the true value of the achievement can be seen or even debated.

Evaluating what makes an individual better than just “good/ outstanding” and recognizing that most great achievements are not accomplished alone or in a vacuum, most professions identified the following factors for achieving personal “greatness.”

● The Physical Work
First, most of us recognize you have to go the extra step, put in the extra hours, pay attention to the smallest detail, etc. to make your work better than good. Great requires that much more.

● The Mental Work
Second, mental work means that no matter what adversities and roadblocks occur, the great players don’t ever give up. They believe in themselves and their work; they stay focused and reach the goal, no matter what. They make the sacrifices necessary to push through the painful and impossible times.

● Constant Learning
A great performer learns from everything and everyone, from every situation, good and bad. They observe and learn and then ask the right questions. Then they apply what they learn to improve their own work and performance.

● Put Yourself First
Focus on your own role, your own problems and weaknesses, and on getting your work done. Expanding efforts beyond a person’s own “controllables” (attitude, effort, thoughts), usually causes frustration and exhaustion. This doesn’t preclude making suggestions to others as appropriate, but basically do your own work. Be humble.

● Frequency and Nature Of Response To Neurological And Stress
Studies indicate the difference between “good” and “great” performers is how frequently they get emotionally triggered and emotionally react to situations versus thoughtfully responding to them. Stated differently, the difference between “good” and “great” performance is not necessarily a difference in their knowledge, skills, and competencies, it is a difference in the quality of their neurological and stress-response system.

● Self-awareness
“Self-awareness is the capacity to know what we know, and what we don’t know. It’s also the particular skill of realizing that unknown unknowns are lurking in the shadows.”
https://medium.com/the-mission/the-difference-between-good-and-great
A self-aware person is highly sensitive go where the edge of their awareness is. They seek out coaching, feedback loops and mentorship to illuminate the dark spots of their experience. Self-awareness is built on a growth mindset seeking to learn from whatever happens; adapting, changing and improving from any result, be it good or bad.

● Work Smart
This refers to the Pareto Principle, an aphorism which asserts that 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event. The goal of the 80-20 rule is to identify inputs that are potentially the most productive and make them the priority. Performers who rise above “good/ outstanding” put their attention and work on those tasks that produce the best results in terms of reaching the goal.

To excel, one must have energy, flexibility, focus, intuition, commitment, purpose / passion, perseverance, ability to fail and try again, support of others, and optimism. Two things to remember: First, you only have to be “great” at one thing. Second, you have to be good before you can be great.

CASE IN POINT: MALALA YOUSAFZAI
Malala Yousafzai is a contemporary “great woman”. Some articles characterize her as being someone who didn’t start out as hoping to set the world on fire but just an eleven-year-old Pakistani girl wanted to learn to read.

In a sense, that is true, but like life itself, it’s complicated.

◄ Malala Yousafzai, now 24
Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai

BIRTH OF AN ACTIVIST
Malala-Yousafzai was born July 12, 1997, into the lower middle-class family of Ziauddin Yousafzai and his wife, Toor Pekai Yousafzai, in the Swat District of Pakistan, northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Malala was the first of three children, and her family is Sunni Muslim of Pashtun ethnicity.

Image Source: geology.com/world/pakistan

Her father, a teacher and educational activist himself, ran a chain of schools in the region, and he insisted his daughter receive the same education as any boy.

Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,
Pakistan - Image Source: swatvalley.pk/2019/04/34886

She sat is his classroom as a toddler and became passionate about knowledge from a very young age.

Then Taliban extremists began to take control of the Swat Valley, among other things banned, girls were not allowed to attend school, families could not own televisions, play music or dance. The extremists destroyed over 400 schools.

THE BLOGGER
According to Women’s History.org, “In late 2008, Aamer Ahmed Khan of the BBC Urdu website and his colleagues came up with a novel way of covering the Pakistani Taliban's growing influence in the Swat Valley. They decided to ask a schoolgirl to blog anonymously about her life there.“ womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/malala-yousafzai

After older girls had to turn down the opportunity for fear of the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai finally asked for the job. During the time she was eleven- and twelve-years-old, Yousafzai wrote a blog using a different name for BBC Urdu explaining her life during the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s occupation of the Swat region. At the time, she declared, she was scared and had nightmares, but that didn’t stop her for advocating education for girls.

After her blogging career ended, Malala and her father continued to campaign for girl’s education rights. She began appearing on television to publicly advocate for female education. From 2009 to 2010 she was the chair of the District Child Assembly of the Khpal Kor Foundation. In 2011, Yousafzai trained with local girls' empowerment organization, Aware Girls.

In 2011, Yousafzai was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize because of her advocacy. She didn’t win, but the same year she was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize. The Prime Minister of Pakistan later renamed the award the National Malala Peace Prize in her honor. Image Source: islamicrop.blogspot.com/2012/

THE TARGET
Of course, this award and public focus did not endear her to the Taliban. She became a target. One day in October 2012, fifteen-year-old Yousafzai was on the school bus returning home, when two Taliban members stopped the bus. They singled Yousafzai out from the others and shot her in the head and wounded two others.

This made massive worldwide news. Fortunately, she was airlifted to a Pakistani military hospital and then taken to an intensive care unit in Birmingham, England. The doctors induced a coma, and after ten days she woke up in the hospital.

By some miracle, she had not suffered any major brain damage, but was required to undergo many reparative surgeries and rehabilitation for other damages. After many months, she came home to her family now living in England, and in 2013 returned to school there.

THRUST INTO GREATNESS
In a way, Malala Yousafzai was just an eleven-year-old Pakistani girl who wanted an education. And she achieved her goal… the hard way. But there was more behind that which gave her the character and passion to go beyond and keep on fighting for the rights of all girls to get an education. Without carrying on, she might accomplished an amazing goal, her fifteen minutes of fame, and that was that.

Instead, even though she was now in England and fulfilling her dream to get an education, at a very young age decided to keep on fighting on behalf of all girls. With her father, she established the Malala Fund, a charity devoted to bringing equal education opportunities to girls around the world. Within its first year of operation, the Malala Fund raised over $7 million and opened up multiple schools in Malala’s native Pakistan.

On her sixteenth birthday, Yousafzai spoke at the United Nations in New York. That same year she published her autobiography entitled, “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.” She was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament for her activism.

She was a co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. After sharing her story, Malala catapulted to international fame. She received an outpouring of support from around the world as her story spread. In honor of her efforts, she became the youngest ever Nobel laureate at the age of 17.

Accepted by Oxford in 2017, and continuing with her activist work, Yousafzai completed her degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford and graduated with honors in 2020.
Somewhere in all this, Malala found time to get married.
That is "greatness."

JUST SAYIN.
□
Sources
https://www.expandinglight.org/free/yoga-teacher/articles/general/good-vs-great.php
https://medium.com/the-mission/you-dont-need-to-be-good-at-many-things-you-need-to-be-great-at-one-a18ed01d0ffc
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Theresa_Malkiel.jpg
https://geology.com/world/pakistan-satellite-image.shtml

https://medium.com/the-mission/the-difference-between-good-and-great-is-massive-343d80f6d990#:~:text=%20The%20Difference%20Between%20Good%20and%20Great%20Is,put%20in%20the%20work%2C%20you%20might...%20More%20

https://girlssoccernetwork.com/tdifference-between-good-and-great-soccer-player/#:~:text=The%20Difference%20Between%20Good%20and%20Great%201%20First%2C,Lastly%2C%20the%20GREAT%20player%20puts%20themself%20first.%20

https://budtoboss.com/leadership/the-difference-between-a-good-manger-and-a-great-manger/#:~:text=%20The%20difference%20between%20%E2%80%9Cgood%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Cgreat%E2%80%9D%20managers,navigate%20challenging%20situations%20in%20a%20healthy...%20

ttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/309638#:~:text=%208%20Traits%20of%20Outstanding%20People%20%201,people%20don%E2%80%99t%20lament%20about%20his%20fact%2C...%20More%20

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/1/80-20-rule.asp#:~:text=Key%20Takeaways%201%20The%2080-20%20rule%20maintains%20that,efficiently%20to%20create%20maximum%20value.%20More%20items...%20

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/malala-yousafzai
https://borgenproject.org/facts-about-malala-yousafzai/
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2014/yousafzai/biographical/

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World Building

3/18/2022

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WORLD BUILDING

During an interview, I was asked how I went about building the world in the time travel novella A Timeless Melody. The answer is that the primary setting of the novel is the California Mojave Desert in 1979-1980.

The interviewer looked disappointed. "But this is a time travel, isn't it?" she asks.
"Well, yes. But it takes place—"
"No world building? That's too bad."
"Wait, wait. You don't understand..." I cry as the interviewer walks away. Darn!

BUILDING A BRAVE NEW WORLD
Most people define “world building” as the construction of an imaginary world but, in fact, all writers deal with world building. It's a necessity if a writer hopes to produce a novel, in any genre, that is consistent, real, and believable.

Creating the setting of a novel is a type of world building. Novels set in contemporary times and in familiar places don't require as much time, research, or as many words. A writer often sets the stage in a few words or sentences. That's all the reader needs to understand where and when the novel takes place, how people dress and act, and the laws of physics that apply. The reader can rely on what he/she knows of that time and place and the planet we live on.

Despite the advancements in communication, the world is still a big place. Even though we all have many things in common, such as cell phones and automobiles, there are still differences -- accents, language, customs, dress, food, climate, housing -- just to name a few. Even if your novel is contemporary, you need to pinpoint those things that are different about the particular setting. But there won't be any big surprises.

Isn't writing a historical about rebuilding the world that existed in a specific time and place on earth? More differences will exist, and you can't have a Roman soldier wearing a wrist watch or using modern slang; but still, no big surprises.

So, contemporary and historical require some world building, but you can always count on one moon in the sky, gravity, rotation of the earth around the sun, ocean tides, and human nature. The laws of physics are the laws of physics, even in a time when they weren't understood.

WHEN ALL BETS ARE OFF
When a writer takes on science fiction, fantasy, or time travel (depending on where the traveling is to or from) all bets are off. These genres take more time, research, and words to create a world which the reader understands.
"Why do I need research? This is fantasy. I can make up what I want."
Right … but not totally right.

The key to world building is making your story believable. Even though the author is writing the rules of this new world, there still have to be rules … and the author has to follow them. As the author, you have to know, at least generally, those rules that exist in our universe in order to decide which of them you're going to break when you create the new one.

"CONSTRUCTION MANUAL"
Although there are no "construction manuals" on how to build a new world, many authors offer sound advice on the approach. Author Holly Lisle suggests there are three varieties of writers in relation to world building for fantasy and science fiction genres.
● "Those who really have no idea what world building is or why they should bother with it."
● "Those who do know, but figure they'll wing the details as they go." and
● "Those obsessive folks who secretly believe that they can't start a book until the whole
planet is in place."

My preference, and the general recommendation of most of the writers on this subject, is:
Don't do too much at the beginning.

Focus on putting the big ticket items (the core principles, as Victoria Strauss puts it) in place and develop a solid concept, then deal with the more detailed issues when they come up. Deal only with the parts of the world you need for the plot of your story.

● Develop a well-thought-out concept of your world.
In order for readers to visualize the world, it has to come alive in the writer's mind. It has to feel tangible and real to the writer before it can be tangible and real to the reader. There are tricks to do that, including drawing maps of the world and figuring out the geography.

● Develop the Core Principles.

● Anchor the world with humanity and things human that the reader knows.
Even if this is a Star Wars type world not based on humanity or our universe, your readers are human. Where is doesn't matter to the storyline, ground the story in earth, humanity or things that readers are familiar with, like an equivalent for coffee, booz, or expected human reactions.

An example given by A. Wrighton is that in the movie Star Wars, which is not related to earth in history or development, still has a senate. People know what a senate is. You could call it a derfloppengut, but senate works just fine. Don't make the world any more complicated than necessary.

● Don't overwhelm the reader with too much
Don't explain everything up front in the first chapter. And, of course, the author should show the reader, rather than explain.

● Establish the basic rules and make the limitations seem real
Because fantasy and science fiction ask readers to suspend disbelief, the work needs to be consistent internally or the reader loses faith in the author. Like any novel, something can change … but only if there is a credible reason. Most readers will spot the inconsistencies and be jarred out of the story.

● Know history, ours and that of the imaginary world
Is any part of the story based on real history, or is this an alternate world? A fantasy with magic in it could easily be set on the earth and be subject to real history … or it could be on earth, but with a completely different history. If you are using real historical events, they better be correct within the rules of the new world. And, of course, the rules need to be clear.

You don't have to overdo it at the beginning and know everything about the world, but do your prep work. Without it, you can paint yourself into a corner with no way out that doesn't break the rules of your new world.
Rebecca Zanetti lists the following five blunders in world building:

● "Making the world faaar too complex right at the beginning
Avoid trying to explain everything up front in an information dump."

● "Forgetting to look ahead to possible sequels and giving all the rules in book one, leaving no wiggle room in the next book."

● "Forgetting even the characters may be new to the world and should react believably to the strange new world."

● "Forgetting to relate the world to the one the readers live in.
Even paranormal creatures need humanistic flaws, goals, weaknesses. Give the readers something to hold on to that they understand."

● "Holding ourselves back and not putting bizarre ideas out there."
Rebecca says she writes every scene like she's the only person who is ever going to read it.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT WORDS
Not only can you create your own species, strange sentient life forms, and wild beasts that fly, you can also create a language or languages to be spoken in this new universe. But be careful. The people who read your work speak English (or another earth language). They won't want to learn a whole new one — which most of us aren't capable of creating anyway — just to read your fantasy novel.

Tip the reader off that the characters are speaking another language, but use made-up, new-universe words sparingly, just as you would to give the flavor of a foreign language or an accent without making the dialogue unreadable. Here's a line from my sci-fi romance All In The Game. "The voice sounded familiar. So did the language, but not the English Shauna knew. A strange, stilted dialect. Yet, she understood perfectly."

An A. Wrighton example of the same thing. "Dref rubbed his antennae and sighed. He looked at his mother and spoke to her in their native Huvlovian tongue, the only way he knew how – while whining."

I would suggest limiting the number of words in your new or futuristic language, and explaining them (preferably, showing the reader what they refer to) the first time used. After that, the reader has to remember. Or you can put in a glossary of words at the back.

PUT THIS ISSUE ON YOUR RADAR SCREEN.

JUST SAYIN.

Sources
http://awrighton.com/2013/03/14/world-building-for-fantasy-sci-fi-writers/
http://rebeccazanetti.com/writing-craft/five-blunders-authors-make-in-world-building/
http://www.stormthecastle.com/mainpages/for_writers/worldbuilding.htm
http://www.victoriastrauss.com/advice/world-building/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldbuilding
http://hollylisle.com/how-much-of-my-world-do-i-build/
http://www.stormthecastle.com/mainpages/for_writers/how-to-write-an-epic-fantasy-novel.htm
http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/
http://www.lsswritingschool.com/WorldBuilding.html
http://www.cjbrightley.com/on-writing-and-publishing/world-building-for-fantasy-authors/
http://www.lisahartjes.com/tips-for-world-building-when-writing-fantasy-and-science-fiction/
http://www.blackholly.com/writingresources.html
http://sffworlds.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/world-building-for-writers-build-more-than-you-need/
http://worldsoftheimagination.wordpress.com/tag/world-building-for-writers/
http://referenceforwriters.tumblr.com/post/47088714715/worldbuilding
http://www.writersdigest.com/tip-of-the-day/discover-the-basic-elements-of-setting-in-a-story
https://blog.reedsy.com/worldbuilding-guide/

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WILL THE REAL SAINT PATRICK PLEASE STAND UP?

3/11/2022

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ÓCH! SAINT PATRICK WASN'T IRISH!
For lo these many years, the world has had to live with the knowledge that Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, was not born in Ireland, but in Scotland. Humbled but never daunted, the Irish learned to accept that and have worshiped Saint P. nonetheless. At minimum, for driving the snakes out Ireland.

Image source: ▲blog1.hawaiianislandweddings.com/ Image Source: ▲youtube.com/watch? Image Source:▲.redbubble.com//Saint-Patrick

The snakes miracle story has always been in question since there have never beren snakes in Ireland. What is now Ireland separated from the continental mainland at the end of the ice age, and snakes never managed to make the swim, although parts of Scotland were within about eighteen miles from Ireland and most snakes are good swimmers.

Was that not enough? Apparently not.

THEORY OF THE TWO PATRICKS
Adding insult to injury, on March 20, 1942, Thomas Francis O'Rahilly (Irish: Tomás Ó Rathile) cast more doubts regarding Saint Patrick by announcing his scholarly “Theory of the Two Patricks.”

O'Rahilly, an Irish scholar of Celtic languages from the University College in Dublin, wrote extensively on early
Image source: sacredhearthook.org/st-patrick Irish history and mythology.

His most important contribution to Celtic linguistics is Irish Dialects Past and Present (1932, Dublin: Browne and Nolan) which remains in use to this day. O’Rahilly was latter appointed senior professor at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Thomas Francis O'Rahilly
Image Source: uni-due.de/DI/DI_Portraits.htm

Thomas O’Rahilly was no slouch in his field of research, so he rocked the boat, so to speak, by proposing that there were two missionaries to Ireland, both of whom went by many names including Patricius (Patrick) whose individual 30 years of service overlapped but encompassed about sixty years in the 5th century.

He claimed both Patricks were Roman citizens and both had been sent to Ireland by different Popes, but only one of the Patricks wrote an autobiography… “Patrick the Britton” whom we now honor on March 17. The timing, combined with difficulties keeping accurate records of dates and events; led eventually to a medieval scribe who either implied or believed that there was only one missionary to Ireland named Patrick who died somewhere between 461 and 493 AD.

Ultimately, O’Rahilly professed, this range became accepted as the possible death dates of “Patrick the Britton,” who was the better known of the two, and who received credit for all that was achieved by both him and the first missionary who was Palladius.

SAINT PALLADIUS (PATRICK), THE FIRST BISHOP OF IRELAND
Palladius (the first Patrick) was born in the Roman province of Gaul (modern-day France) in approximately 390 AD, the son of Exuperantius of Poitiers, a member of the one of the prominent families in Gaul.

There are records that he was married and had one daughter. Around 408/409 AD, he went to Sicily, put his daughter in a convent there, and lived as an ascetic. (Nowhere did I find a reference to his wife). It appears that he was ordained as a priest around 415. He lived in Rome between 418–429 and appears to be the "Deacon Palladius", responsible for urging Pope Celestine I to send the bishop Germanus to Britain to guide the Britons back to the Catholic faith.

Pope Celestine sent him to Britain with the mission of bringing some heretics back to Christianity. Then he was sent to Ireland as the first bishop of the Christians of Ireland and is recorded as arriving there about 432. He established his church in southern Ireland and proceeded to convert heretics throughout the provinces of Leinster and Munster.

But Ireland was not the end of the line for Palladius. Irish writers of the lives of the Saints Patrick indicate that it didn’t take long before Palladius was banished by the king of Leinster.

From Ireland he returned the part of Britain known now as Scotland and was recognized as the first bishop of Scotland. Then he was sent to the northern part shown as Albann on the map, the land of the Picts. The Picts were known as being a wild and fierce people. They went into battle (frequently), their entire bodies painted blue and wearing no clothes.

Sixth Century Britain & Ireland - Image Source: Source: members.tripod.com/~Hal_MacGregor/

He remained in Scotland until his death, and some sources say he met a martyr’s death, others claim he died outside of Aberdeen in about 450.

According to the authors of an article on https://www.electricscotland.com/, Palladius is buried in the village of Fordun which is situated on a spur of the Grampians, looking sweetly down on the well cultivated plains of the Mearns. The church of Fordun is claimed to hold records corroborating this.

St. Patrick depicted with shamrock in detail of stained glass window in St. Benin’s Church, Kilbennan, County Galway, Ireland.
Image Source: Wickipedia

SAINT PATRICK, THE SECOND BISHOP OF IRELAND
“Patrick the Briton” is better documented than Palladius. Patrick was born in Roman Britain, near Dumbarton, Scotland, in the year 387. His father, Calphurnius was a deacon from a Roman family of high standing, and his mother, Conchessa, was a close relative of St. Martin of Tours. Patrick's grandfather, Pontius, was also a member of the clergy (one source said his grandfather was a priest (possibly a reference to the first Patrick.). But in his aristocratic youth Patrick was not an active believer in Christianity.

He beat Palladius to Ireland, but not as a missionary. He was captured at the age of 16 by Irish raiders pillaging the west coast of Britain, by then a land no longer protected by the rapidly dissolving Roman Empire. Slemsh County today – the sheep at still there
Image Source: travel.sygic.com/slemish

He was taken to Ireland where he was enslaved for six years near Slemish, County Antrim. (Other scholars claim he was taken to County Mayo near Killala.) Where ever he was held, he worked as a shepherd. Alone and afraid, he turned to his religion for comfort and direction. It was then he became a deeply devoted Christian.

Apparently Patrick had visions and, in one, he saw the children of pagan Ireland reaching out their hands to him. This led him to the determination that he should free them from Druidism and convert them to Christianity. In around 408, he dreamed a voice told him he would soon go home; then, in a later vision, the voices said his ship was ready. Apparently it was, and he eventually escaped but vowed to return to Ireland and bring the gospel of Christ to the people he had come to love.

Patrick began studying for the priesthood in Auxerre, France, and was ordained four years later. Later in life, he was ordained a bishop and still held on to the desire to bring Christianity to Ireland. Around 461, at the same time that Palladius’s days either had drawn, or were shortly drawing to a close, Pope St. Celestine I consecrated St. Patrick as Bishop of the Irish, and sent him to Ireland to spread the faith.

The latter Patrick’s mission concentrated on the north and west of Ireland, in Ulster and Connacht, places Palladius had not touched. He died in 493, according to no less of an authority than St. Colmcille, and is buried in Downpatrick, in Ulster.

Image Source: millefiorifavoriti.blogspot.com/2012/03/saint-patricks

SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE THEORY?
Professor O'Rahilly became known for his theory which was characterized as the person we knew and loved called Saint Patrick was actually an amalgam of a number of holy men who live more or less contemporaneously. This resulted in both consternation and amusement among scholars and holy men concerned with the subject. Flann O’Brien
Image Source: writerswrite.co.za/flann-obrien/

Writer Flann O’brien saw the amusing side of the controversy and wrote in his Irish Times column jesting that O’Rahilly had “so far proved that there was no God and two St. Patricks.” O’Rahilly didn’t think that was funny, and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies sued for libel. The Institute prevailed and was awarded damages in the sum of 20 British pounds, half of which was never paid.
https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article/the-two-st-patricks,“The Two Saint Patricks” by Frank O'Shea

Regardless, the publication of the theory started an academic civil war, which still rages. “If the careers of the two Patricks, through scholarly bungling, had become inextricably entangled, who did what? And worse still-which of them was the patron saint? If you addressed a prayer to one, might it not be delivered by mistake to the other? There was a feeling abroad that any concession to the two Patricks theory would lead unfailingly to a theory of no Patrick.” https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-solution-to-the-two-st-patricks-theory/

No Saint Patrick!? That would be the final blow.

CONCLUSION
To the extent that there is a conclusion, the first is “There is no hard and fast answer.” The historical evidence and documentation available is quite limited. What exists has been so dissected and re-dissected in genuine attempts to find the truth that it has become extremely inter-woven and confused. It is generally accepted now by historians that Palladius was the first Bishop of Ireland.

The second conclusion is that Saint Patrick and his status a Patron Saint of Ireland is extremely important to the Irish and, in general, the beliefs and celebrations of the Irish at home and abroad, remain unchanged by academia and theories.

THEY GO TO CHURCH

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral – Dublin - Source of Imagers: fiveminutehistory.com/the-top-3-cathedro

THEY GO TO PARADES

Image Source: thrillist.com/philadelphia/st-patricks-day image source: dailyhive.com/montreal/st-patrick

THEY GO TO BARS AND DRINK

Image Source: thelistlove.com/st-patricks-day-facts Image source: gateshotelkeywest.com/st-patricks-day

JUST SAYIN.
ABÚ (Hurrah for) SAINT PATRICK and HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY.
□
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89
http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/who-was-saint-patrick
http://st-patricks-day.com/about_saintpatrick.html
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/legend-of-Saint-Patrick.html
http://www.biography.com/people/st-patrick-9434729
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/shamrock-plant.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladius_(bishop_of_Ireland)
https://www.markedbyteachers.com/as-and-a-level/religious-studies-and-philosophy/critically-assess-the-view-that-the-two-patrick-theory-solves-the-puzzle-of-patrick.html#:~:text=Critically%20assess%20the%20view%20that%20the%20two%20Patrick,contained%20to%2
https://www.theexaminernews.com/a-tale-of-two-patricks-but-who-was-first/
https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article/the-two-st-patricks
https://www.academia.edu/11900877/THE_TWO_PATRICKS
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-solution-to-the-two-st-patricks-theory/
https://www.edmaps.com/html/british_isles.html
https://www.uni-due.de/DI/DI_Portraits.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFlZcAkqn9E
https://members.tripod.com/~Hal_MacGregor/gregor/Chronicles.html
https://travel.sygic.com/en/poi/slemish-poi:3652586
https://fiveminutehistory.com/the-top-3-most-beautiful-cathedrals-built-in-honor-of-st-patrick/
https://www.writerswrite.co.za/literary-birthday-5-october-flann-obrien/
https://www.lane1photos.com/Archives/2015/St-Patricks-Day-Parade/i-mBGJhgn/
https://www.thrillist.com/events/philadelphia/st-patricks-day-parade-in-philadelphia
https://dailyhive.com/montreal/st-patrick-day-parade-return
http://thelistlove.com/10-amazing-st-patricks-day-facts
tps://www.sacredhearthook.org/st-patrick
https://blog1.hawaiianislandweddings.com/2015/03/why-you-are-wrong-about-st-patricks-day.html
https://www.yourirish.com/history/christianity/palladius#:~:text=After%20a%20short%20while%2C%20Palladius%20was%20banished%20from,Scotland%20where%20he%20landed%20at%20the%20Orkney%20Islands.
https://www.electricscotland.com/history/wylie/vol2ch8.htm#:~:text=History%20Of%20The%20Scottish%20Nation%20Vol%202%2C%20Chapter,in%20Ireland.%20Dies%20and%20is%20buried%20at%20Fordun
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WEDDING TRENDS IN 2022

3/4/2022

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Weddings didn’t go away during the pandemic, but many of them were put off or down scaled. But the masks are off and the marriage business is booming in 2022. A recent invitation tickled my interest in what kinds of changes have come about during and, as the result of, the almost two year shut down. In my humble opinion, having nothing at all to do with the industry, things don’t look all that different, but no one asked me.

WHAT’S IN
1. Putting Guests First
The Knot, experts in weddings, have some predictions based on being in the wedding planning business, the most all-encompassing is the trend to be more casual and to make the guests more comfortable… putting guests first. A more thoughtful, modern etiquette is replacing traditional pomp and circumstance, but often without loss of luxury.

2. The Ultra Formal Takes A Hit
“Formality of even the most lavish weddings will be slightly pared down in the year ahead.” Amy Shey Jacobs, owner and creative director of Chandelier Events in New York tells The Knots writers, “While the classic black-tie wedding will still be around, we will see more and more of a relaxed vibe coming into play at weddings. This means there's less fuss about the traditions and more fun."

3. The More Local Destination Wedding
Planners say couples have found the many out-of-this-world destinations in the US where the travel isn’t so far or as costly, and travel requirements are less. Some are still going on longer trips, but passport problems and Covid regulations make keep that off the table for a while.

4. The Multi-Generational and Multi-Day Wedding
Taking added measures to tailor multi-generational experiences for their loved ones is appreciated by guests after the events of separation during the pandemic. Often the events in a multiple-day wedding are planned for different sets of guests. Whether it's a pool party or a Sunday family brunch, there's an event for the grandparents all the way to the nieces and nephews.

5. The Outdoor Wedding
Outdoor weddings have always been around but the green sustainability movement is showing up full force in outdoor venues. Tents and no-walls locations may be left overs from not gathering so closely together, and hanging florals are in great demand.

Source of images: New Wedding Dresses, Simple Lace Wedding Dresses On Sale & Come Buy (firstdresss.com)

6. Themed Weddings and big blowouts
Themed weddings are more popular than usual. That, also, might be the result of people proceeding with very small or city hall weddings during the shutdown who now, a couple of years later, want a big blowout party for the friends they couldn’t invite for the actual nuptials.

7. Breaking Tradition
“With the forced changes to events these past two years (e.g. micro weddings followed by bigger parties), I have seen more couples decide to do things in a more nontraditional way, and I welcome the change," shares Tzo Ai Ang of Ang Weddings and Events. From reception-only celebrations to elopements to bold design, weddings are much more individualized to the couple.

Planner Tory Smith of Smith + James Events adds, “We love the ‘anti-trend’ trend. The whole industry is moving away from cookie-cutter weddings and we’re here for it. Out-of-the-box destinations, culinary surprises, and crescendo moments really do it for us.”

Image source: brides.com/wedding-trends-2022-:

WHAT’S OUT
Vogue also fills us in on what kinds of wedding events and traditions are out this year. This is what prominent wedding planners told their writers not to do anymore. https://www.vogue.com/article/the-wedding-trends-that-are-in-and-out-for-2022

1. Family Style Meals
“Goodbye, family-style dinner service. Leave this casual supper for summer BBQs. Our clients want formality, ritual and elegance...and lots of room on the table for flowers.” -Rebecca Gardner
While some may be doing blowout events, others have come to embrace the intimacy of a micro-wedding. It doesn't have to be with a home cooked meal.

Image Source: brides.com/wedding-trends-in-2022

2. Twinkle Light Ceilings
“They were beautiful in time, but rather than drawing design upward, we’re metaphorically in the moment, drawing attention to the tables and dance floors—to the present!” -Mindy Weiss

3. Multiple Toasts at the Reception
“Toasting is happening the night before or for the smaller group at the rehearsal dinner. At receptions, brides are saying, ‘Let’s dance!’ and dispensing with long, formal dinners. Getting the speeches done the night before (except for the groom, best man, and father of the bride’s) turns the reception into a dinner party, letting the guests get onto the dance floor much earlier in the night.” -Bronson van Wyck

4. Monogrammed Dance Floors
“We’ll always love a monogram, but the statement dance floor monogram we can leave with the trends of the 2010s. If branding the dance floor is for you, think further with artistic touches and graphics to create a statement, pattern, or color that represents your overall wedding style and personality.” -Mindy Weiss

5. Muted Color Schemes
“We're seeing less white/ivory/green this upcoming year as couples gear up for a vibrant 2022.” -Stefanie Cove
“As lovely as white is, couples want to pick a color and go for it. As the saying goes, go big or go home!” -Tara Fay

6. Overly Packed Welcome Bags
“As we all try to be more sustainably conscious, couples are now offering a simple yet thoughtful treat or gift for guests to enjoy, perhaps a nod to the wedding location. This also means less 'stuff' for guests to travel home with.” -Stefanie Cove

WHAT’S ON [THE BRIDES]
Every year you can find wedding all styles of wedding gowns, and plenty of variations among each style. Nothing is ever new, but the way the elements of gowns are put together can be fresh and innovative… and, in some cases, terrifying. I’ll leave those out this year.
I read that the trends are the following:

1.Short Dresses
These looks are short on hemline but big on personality. They make it possible to show off you killer shoes. If you want a long dress for the ceremony, how about short for the reception?

Courtesy of Oscar De La Renta Courtesy of PatBO Courtesy of Houghton
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

2. Ruffles
The first example brings on the maximalist gown with plenty of ruffles and unapologetically extra detail. A ruffled skirt adds airy dimension to a streamlined silhouette, while a full skirt of cascading ruffles is perfect for the bride looking to make a serious fashion statement. They can go from frothy to understated sophistication.

Courtesy of Elie Saab Courtesy of Theia Courtesy of Kim Kassas Couture
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

3. Colorful Florals
While florals are always in the mix for wedding dresses, this year be prepared for gowns with bold blooms everywhere. Colorful prints and splashy embroidery give this established trend a gorgeous refresh. To pull off this fashion-forward look in real life, keep your accessories simple and let your gown do all the talking.

Courtesy of Monique Lhuillier Courtesy of Romona Keveza
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

4. Puff Sleeves
The idea of puff sleeves may awake visions of outdated '80s dresses, but today’s more subtle versions are all about tasteful romance. This detail can be adapted to almost any wedding gown silhouette, and may show up combined with some different styles. They always make a regal statement.

Courtesy of Lazaro Courtesy of Romona Keveza Courtesy of Hermione d Paula
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

5. Pants
With more and more non-traditional couples, pants are always in demand. No problem. These sleek dress alternatives are comfortable, figure flattering and totally of the moment. For the 2022 bridal trends, crop tops, one shoulder necklines and shorts gave the classic wedding pantsuit and jumpsuit a fun and festive vibe.

Courtesy of Retrofete Courtesy of Ines di Santo
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

6. Square Necklines
The sharply angled flatters the decollete and is a true throwback. Popular in the Renaissance and then Regency eras, square necklines have since made a major comeback. Again, this detail also works with almost every wedding gown style. Go classic with heavy satin, romantic with floral lace or boho with crepe.

Courtesy of Sareh Nouri Courtesy of Alison Webb Courtesy of Theia
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

7. High Slits
High slits brought the sex appeal to Bridal Fashion Week. If you're looking to show some skin, and you’ve got the legs for it, you can go full femme fatale with a curve-skimming silhouette that shows lots of leg or go timeless with a twist and opt for a formal ball gown with a thigh high slit.

Courtesy of Retrofete Courtesy of Ines di Santo
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

8. Corsets
Similar to square necklines, lingerie-inspired bodices are about as old world as you can get. Invented in the 1500s, this structured bodice supports the bust and cinches the waist. And while this style is nothing new, restyled bustier tops and corsets with exposed boning, sheer panels and cutouts are easy to find in the new 2022 collections, with a silhouette that's equal parts functional and sultry.

Courtesy of Galia Lahav Courtesy of Alyne by Rita Vinieris Courtesy of La Premiere Ibal Dror
Source of Images: brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-2022

CONCLUSIONS
First, from the Wedding ceremony, venue, and party to the gowns, nothing is new. What is new every year is how the designers put it all together. One gown could meet all the requirements of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.

Second, I am so grateful I don’t personally have anyone getting married in the family.

JUST SAYIN.
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Sources:
https://www.theknot.com/content/new-wedding-trends#:~:text=The%20Top%20Wedding%20Trends%20of%202022%201%20Relaxed,...%2010%20Weekday%20Weddings.%20...%20More%20items...%20

https://www.vogue.com/article/the-wedding-trends-that-are-in-and-out-for-2022 https://www.brides.com/wedding-trends-to-expect-in-2022-5094228

https://theunion.kay.com/post/wedding-trends-in-2022-61ce15f0454b211254219bdc?cid=SEM-bing-DYNAMIC+SEARCH+ADS-NB+-+DSAs&gclid=177e8c1404ab1c2587d1ee350d6bdc55&gclsrc=3p.ds&

https://welcome.zola.com/weddingplanning_paidsearch_desktop_5reasons_bragbar1/?pkey=wed_bingsem_desktop_researchexact_np_&orderkey=wed_bingsem_desktop_researchexact_np_&msclkid=df5d8fde66bd182b60dfedfc05b3b5d9&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=We

https://www.brides.com/fall-2022-bridal-fashion-week-wedding-dress-trends-5205222
https://www.hebeos.com/new-wedding-dresses?ref=googleads&msclkid=555ec1e203211098fa24a3c2fa62691a
https://www.brides.com/bridal-fashion-trends-to-expect-in-2022-5213864

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POLAR BEARS

2/18/2022

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THE MOSTEST TO SAY THE LEASTEST
Polar bears are BIG. Urusus Maritimus, as it is called in scientific palaver, is a hypercarnivorous bear whose natural habitat is primarily within the Artic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses.
◄ Image Source: animalfactguide.com/polar-bear/

The Polar Bear is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest living land carnivore. Only the Kodiak bear nears this size.

The average boar (adult male) weighs around 770 to 1,540 lb and reaches 7’10” to 9’10” in total length. Their are about 2’8” to 5’ in length. Adult females (sows) are about half that size but still big enough to do some major damage, particularly if you threaten her babies. They are very good mothers.
Image Source: researchgate.net/World-distribution-polar-bear ►

Guide Polar Bear Brown Grisly American Black Bear Polar Bear measures 9'10 "
Source of Images: zooologist.com/how-tall-is-a-polar-bear/ ▲ ▲

The Ursus maritimus, or Marine Bear, evolved to survive nicely in a narrow ecological niche, which today means big bears, the need for lots of food and, now, shrinking habitat, making it an endangered species in this era of climate change. There are an estimated 21,000 to 33,000 polar bears left in the wild.

The Ursus maritimus, or Marine Bear, evolved to survive nicely in a narrow ecological niche, which today means big bears, the need for lots of food and, now, shrinking habitat, making it an endangered species in this era of climate change. There are an estimated 21,000 to 33,000 polar bears left in the wild.

Polar bears are born on land, but spend much of their life on sea ice. Their big bodies have adapted to cold temperatures and moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting seals, their main source of food. Seals live at the edge of sea ice. When there is little sea ice, and no seals; the polar bears can live off body fat (for a while). Because of their dependence on the sea ice and seals, polar bears are classified as marine mammals.

Researchers believe the bear family, Ursidae, split off from the run-of-the-mill carnivore about 38 million years ago. A sister to the brown bear, recent research establishes the divergence of polar and brown bears at about 400,000 years ago. However, there is evidence that the species have mated intermittently for all that time. The oldest known polar bear fossil is a 130,000 to 110,000-year-old jaw bone found in 2004. More recent fossils demonstrate that the polar bears molars changed, between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, significantly from those of the brown bear.

ADAPTATION TO HABITAT
The Polar Bear leads a solitary life. The animal’s preferred habitat is where annual sea ice covers the ocean over the continental shelf and the Arctic inter-island archipelagos. These areas, known as the "Arctic ring of life", have high biological productivity in comparison to the deep waters of the high Arctic. The bears sometimes range as far south as James Bay in Canada, but tend to stay along the periphery of the ice packs where the seals live.
Within that habitat, fresh water is limited. Thus, polar bears have evolved with the ability to produce water through the metabolism of fats found in seal blubber.
Their legs are stocky and the ears and tail are small. However, the feet are very large to distribute load when walking on snow or thin ice and to provide propulsion when swimming.

Polar bear jumping on fast ice in Spitsbergen Island, In the water
Svalbard Archipelago, Norway Image Source: animalia.bio/polar-bear ▲
Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/Polar_bear ▲

Claws are deeply scooped on the underside to assist in digging in the ice of the natural habitat. Research of injury patterns in polar bear forelimbs found injuries to the right forelimb to be more frequent than those to the left, suggesting, perhaps, right-handedness. They have 42 teeth adapted to a carnivorous diet with large, sharp canines, and a blue tongue.

Blue? Sounds strange. It’s because they have black skin. Also they regulate their heat balance by panting like a dog. The tongue is so blue because it is well supplied with blood.

Polar bears are insulated by up to four inches of adipose tissue (fat), hide and fur, keeping body temperature at a steady 98.6° F. Polar bear fur consists of a layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of guard hairs which appear white to tan or yellowish but are actually clear and hallow. Their skin is black. Polar bear insulation - Image Source: researchgate.net/Polar-bears-fur

Actually, polar bears are not white, as they often appear. Thanks to evolution. the bear’s guard hair has some rather novel features. Firstly, each hair is hollow, like a straw. When the sun shines on a polar bear’s fur, light gets trapped in the hollow section of each individual hair. With nowhere else to go, the trapped light bounces around inside the hairs and the energy produced creates a reaction called luminescence. This even helps the black skin to absorb the heat.

So, polar bears aren’t actually white. Their color is determined by the lighting and climate of their surroundings; they can appear: yellow, gray, orange, and even green. Green occurs when the hairs get algae inside them.

Let’s not forget their great pair of sniffers. Wikipedia claims “They can smell a seal’s breathing hole, or aglu, up to one mile away. Once located, a polar bear will wait patiently by the hole and attack the seal’s head when it comes up for air.”

On the left are some characteristic postures you may recognize from photos:
1.At rest
2.Assessing a situation;
3.When feeding
◄ Image credit: Волков Владислав Петрович - сделано мной, CC0
Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/w/13907826
Image Credit: AWeith /Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
▼ Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/51515270

When food is plentiful, the bear will just eat the seal fat, leaving the carcass for other animals. However, when food is scarce, polar bears will eat just about anything; walruses, short-legged reindeer, birds, bird eggs, kelp, and beached whales.

REPRODUCTION
Polar Bears are active year-round, although they have a vestigial hibernation induction trigger in their blood. Pregnant females do enter a dormant stage after mating in the spring. They spend the summer eating a lot and building a den in a snow drift. As winter approaches the female goes into her den and assumes the dormant state until she gives birth. Litters are usually two cubs who stay with their mother for two years to learn how to survive. Another source indicates that cubs nurse for 2 ½ years. Seems a little inconsistent, but whatever.

▲ Source of Image: animalia.bio/polar-bear ▲

Image Source: worldwildlife.org/polar-bear ▲ Image Credit: US Fish and Wildlife ▲
Image Source: en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear#

In the springtime, April and May, the polar bears congregate in the best hunting areas and the courting begins. This is when males fight for mating rights. Polar bears have a polygynous mating system. Partners stay together for an entire week, mating repeatedly. After mating, the fertilized egg remains in a suspended state until August or September. Based on what I read, the male takes off and is out of the story.

Polar bears are not territorial, so mating season is the only time males fight with each other. Otherwise they can comingle peacefully, although this doesn’t happen often.

During the summer, the pregnant female eats a lot (she may gain over 400 pounds or double her body weight). During these four months she finds a suitable place for a den and begins preparing it. When the hunting season is over and the ice flows are at minimum, she builds a den with a narrow entrance and one to three chambers within. Most of them are in snow drifts but some are actually underground in permafrost, located a few kilometers from the coast. The female enters her dormant state and her heart beat lowers, but her body temperature does not drop as it would in true hibernation. Image Source: en.wikipedia.org//Polar_bear ▲

Between November and February, cubs are born blind, covered with a light down fur, and weighing less than two pounds. They remain in the den until around April, then the mother digs a way out. They remain in the area of the den for a week or two, then head off toward the coast for hunting, since Mom has been fasting for months.
Cubs stay with the mother for two and a half years. Then she chases them away or simply leaves, and they are on their own.

LIFE CYCLE
Females breed at between four and five years. Males are six years old before they are able to breed. Reproductive success and the maternal weight of females peaked in their teens. In the wild, these animals live on average twenty-five years.

Not a lot is known about “old age” of Polar bears. They appear affected by infectious diseases and parasites than most terrestrial mammals, and they have no predators, except an occasional whale while swimming. They generally avoid going in the water of a pod of whales is detected.

The major belief is that if they are not killed by hunters, the most likely lose the ability to find food and die of starvation and old age. But over hunting has been a problem for years, and finally the countries in the range area took measures in the mid-to-late 20th century to control hunting.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the polar bear is important as an indicator of Arctic ecosystem health. Polar bears are studied to gain understanding of what is happening throughout the Arctic, because at-risk polar bears are often a sign of something wrong with the Arctic marine ecosystem.

JUST SAYIN!

FACT SHEET
KINGDOM - Animalia
PHYLUM - Chordata
SUBPHYLUM - Vertebrata
CLASS - Mammalia
ORDER - Carnivora
SUBORDER - Caniformia
FAMILY - Ursidae
GENUS - Ursus
SPECIES - Ursus maritimus

Scientific Name - Ursus maritimus (Sea Bears)
Name – male = boar, female = sow; baby = cub
Population – 21,000 to 33,000 worldwide
Life span - 25-30 yrs
Top speed - 40 km/h
On land, gait is lumbering. Average speed 3 ½ mph. Sprinting can reach 25 mph.
In water, they are buoyant and swim in dog-paddle fashion using forepaws. Swim at about 6 mph but can reach 40 mph. They can swim for days.

Weight – male – 770 to 1,540 pounds; female 400 to 800 pounds
Height – 7’10” to 9’10”
length – 6 to 9 feet
Teeth – 42 razor sharp teeth: with jagged back teeth and canines larger than grizzly teeth, they pack quite the bite
Paws - 30 cm wide paws: the size of a dinner plate! a natural snowshoe that helps the bear trek across treacherous ice and deep snow,

Eyelids - 3 eyelids: the third helps protect the bear's eyes from the elements.
Eye Sight – as acute as that of a human, bettert at long distance.
Hearing – as acute as that of a human.
Sense of Smell – Extremely well-developed sense of smell allows them to detect seals a mile away and buried under 3 feet of snow.

Insulation - 4 inches of fat: Under the bear's skin to keep it warm
Skin – Black; absorbs the heat
Fur – A layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of guard hairs which appear white to tan or yellowish but are actually clear and hallow.
Tongue - Blue
No. Offspring – 2 cubs; become independent at between 2 and 3 years.

Environmental Status – Vulnerable
Habitats - Arctic Ocean, sea ice, and adjacent coastal areas
Continents - North America, Europe, Asia
Countries - Canada, Norway, Russia, United States
Regions - Yukon, Greenland, Yakutiya, Alaska, Newfoundland, Labrador, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Québec

Oceans - Arctic Ocean
Group Name - sloth, sleuth
Lifestyle - Terrestrial, Altricial, Natatorial, Nomadic, Apex predator, Burrowing, Aquatic
Diet and Nutrition - Carnivore, Scavenger
Most of what polar bears eat is the blubber and skids of ringed seals. they often leave the rest of the carcass, which becomes an important food source for other animals. they also eat birds, fish, berries, reindeer and sometimes walrus. carcasses of walruses, seals and even whales can provide a regular source of food for polar bears. they sometimes break into underground seal dens to hunt the pups inside them.
Mating Behavior – Polygynous
Mating Season – April and May
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SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/polar-bears.htm
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/manitoba/churchill
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/polar-bear
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchill,_manitoba
https://animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/polar-bear/
https://animalia.bio/polar-bear
http://zooologist.com/how-tall-is-a-polar-bear/
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Polar-bears-fur-24_fig4_317219975
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-color-is-polar-bear-fur-2017-12

https://www.nathab.com/polar-bear-tours/tundra-lodge-adventure/?sclkid=3a91703132ce194b83ba11ee326a0ce6&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search%20-%20Polar%20Bears&utm_term=polar%20bears%20canada%20churchill&utm_content=Churchill&utm_content=po

https://travel.quarkexpeditions.com/arctic/svalbard/?creative=&keyword=svalbard%20polar%20bear&matchtype=p&network=o&device=c&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=ak-spitsbergen-priority&utm_term=svalbard%20polar%20bear&utm_content=search&msclkid=fa

https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Donation2?df_id=14264&14264.donation=form1&s_src=AWE1800OQ18710A01688RX&msclkid=72137b9c1e721909d5191a431d6b60dd&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Wildlife%20Save%20-%20Species&utm_term=how%20to%20save%20pol

https://www.nathab.com/polar-bear-tours/classic-polar-bear-expedition/?utm_content=churchill%20canada&utm_source=Bing_Yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&msclkid=9f06fbaa79ee1ca6007b9a757a22bee6&utm_campaign=Search%20-%20Polar%20Bears%20-%20Churchill&utm_term=churchill%2

https://idairco.com/are-polar-bears-turning-green/#:~:text=Polar%20bears%20have%2C%20although%20we%20cannot%20see%20it,blue%20because%20it%20is%20well%20supplied%20with%20blood.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/World-distribution-of-the-polar-bear-Ursus-maritimus-In-this-overlay-of-the-Arctic_fig1_31579076
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IT’S NEVER WHAT YOU THINK: Saint Valentine’s Day Trivia Quiz

2/11/2022

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When you’ve celebrated an event all your life, there is a tendency to believe you know everything about its origins and traditions. Take Valentine’s Day, for instance. I remember cutting out little red hearts from construction paper seventy-five years ago, then it was more complicated cupid forms. That alone should make me an expert, but life and traditions are never that simple.

TAKE THE VALENTINE’S DAY TRIVIA QUIZ

1. VALENTINE’S DAY ORIGINATED FROM:
a. The death of Saint Valentine, Bishop of Interamna (now Terni, Italy).
b. The birth of Saint Valentine of Rome.
c. The Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia
d. The fifth century AD when Pope Gelasius I created a religious day honoring Saint
Valentine.

ANSWER
The origins of Saint Valentine's day are rooted in the ancient Romans and their fertility festival of Lupercalia on the Ides of February (15th), dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. It was a sensuous affair where young women put their names in a big pot and young men simply drew out a name. According to a 2008 article by Glenn Church, "The man did not need to ask for a date, plan a dinner setting or a movie. Just draw a name and off to fornicate."

In the fifth century Pope Gelasius I outlawed the pagan festival and superimposed a religious day honoring Saint Valentine. The Pope’s action toned down the festivities but, according to scholar Noel Lenski, University of Colorado, “It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on. That didn’t stop it from being a day of fertility and love.”
Image Source: unsettlingthings.com/history-of-valentines-day/

2. WHO WAS ST. VALENTINE’S DAY NAMED AFTER?
a. Saint Valentine, bishop of Interamna (now Terni, Italy) – Executed February 14, between
430 and 440 AD
b. Saint Valentine, priest in Rome – Executed February 14, approximately 270 AD
c. Saint Valentine, a martyr in the Roman province of Africa. Executed February 14, Year
Unknown

ANSWER
Actually, no one knows for sure, but historians agree there was nothing romantic in any of the histories of the three possible early-Christian martyrs (Saints) named Valentine.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia there were thirty saints named Valentine. “At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February.” The only thing known for sure about any of them ‒ and there could be errors in the Church’s early recordkeeping as well ‒ was that they were all martyred on February 14 of different years.

St. Valentine of Terni St. Valentine of Rome
Image Source: guernseydonkey.com/the-death-of-a-saint Image Source: albionfourthrome.blogspot.com/valentine

The most accepted of the three as the real “Saint Valentine” possibilities is the Roman priest, and his legend is based on disputable writings from many years later and word of mouth.

According to the legend, under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families.”

The Emperor took care of this little problem by banning all marriages and engagements in Rome (or perhaps it was only those in the military). Valentine, reacting to the injustice of the decree, continued to perform marriages. When the news got back to the Emperor, Claudius ordered that Valentine be put to death. “Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. The sentence was carried out on February 14, on or about the year 270.” history.com/day-in-history/st-valentine.
There are a number of variations to the legend.

The first mention of St. Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday appeared in the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382. With the Medieval period came a new focus on illicit but chaste courtly love,

3. WHERE DOES THE STYLIZED SHAPE OF THE VALENTINE HEART COME FROM?
a. It is shaped like a human heart.
b. Heart shape originated as the symbol of Dionysus, Greek god of grapes, wine, and
debauchery, and champion of sexual orgies.
c. It is the shape of Silphium, a well-known, but now extinct, herb widely used in the
Mediterranean area for spicing food and widely used as an abortive agent for women.
d. The idea is from the 1250 French romance, The Romance of the Pear, written by Thibaut.
e. It is the shape of female body parts: buttocks, heart shaped baby bump, and (Oh, my!)
the full frontal whoo-hah
.
ANSWER
Chronologically speaking, the first theory is the heart shape originated as the symbol of Dionysus, Greek god of grapes, wine, and debauchery, and champion of sexual orgies. The god and the Cult of Dionysus are depicted among Mycenaean artifacts the end of the Bronze Age (1600-1100 BC).

By the seventh century BC, the city-state of Cyrene (in today’s Lybia), was known to trade in the rare, and now extinct, plant silphium. Silphium, a well-known herb widely use in the Mediterranean area for spicing food, grew only along the Libyan coast where the climate is now considerably drier. It was also widely used as an abortive agent for women. And guess what! Its seeds were shaped like hearts. The shape and plants were even commemorated on Cyrene coins.

Image Source: edenbrothers.com/?msclkid Image Source: bellabeat.com/uncategorized

The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) wrote that the human heart was the center of all human emotions. It is certainly one of the major body parts which sends visceral signals regarding our feelings and moods. If you've ever been in love, or heartbroken, you know you definitely feel it in your heart. That could support the connection between the heart and passion, bnut they don’t look much alike.

Image Source: heartattackfaq.com/what-is-heart-attack

The first verifiable association of the heart shape as a symbol of romantic love occurred in 1250 in a French romance (Le Roman de la Poire) by Thibaut. The illustration in this book is earliest known depiction of the human heart in a metaphorical context signifying romantic love.

Our last theory or the heart shape origin is the replication of certain female body parts. The Catholic Encyclopedia makes no reference to this matter, and all above are theories advanced by “experts”, but archeological research seems to fall on the side of #e... lady parts.

Image Source: demicblog.com/shape-of-butt Image Source: refinery29.com/heart-shaped-uterus

4. WHAT COLOR ROSES IS BEST TO SEND YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER ON
VALENTINE’S DAY?

a. Red b. Dark Crimson c. Lavender d. Yellow
e. White f. Coral/Peach g. Orange h. Blue i. Pink

ANSWER
The days of picking up a gift at random are gone, Romeo. That’s one of the problems with the internet. There’s too much information out there. Today’s modern woman is probably going to know – or find out – the meaning of each color of the flowers you might give her. While you are fairly safe, there are a few thorns. Read the meanings carefully before deciding what message you want to send.

Red – Symbolizes love and desire; the best because the color means love.
Dark crimson or Black – Symbolizes mourning.
Lavender – Symbolizes love at first sight.
Yellow – Symbolizes joy, friendship, the promise of a new beginning.
Blue – Symbolizes an unattainable dream.
White – Symbolizes purity, innocence, reverence, a new beginning, a fresh start.
Coral or Peach – Symbolizers friendship, modesty, sympathy.
Pink – Symbolizes grace, happiness, gentleness.
Orange – Symbolizes desire and enthusiasm.

Remember, any other color than red symbolizes the florist was our of red roses.

4. WHAT IS THE BEST NUMBER OF ROSES TO SEND YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER ON
VALENTINE’S DAY?
a. One   b. Three                        c. Five
d. Six   e. Ten                            f. Twelve
g. Fifteen                       h. Twenty                      i. Twenty-four

You’re getting close but not off the hook yet. If roses are your choice, you need to pay attention to what that the number means as well. Again the best answer depends on where you are in your relationship.

A single rose – Signifies a great compliment; it represents ‘love at first sight’ and is often given to the ladies during the first date. It shows a definite romantic interest.

Three roses – Expresses contentment from being with the other person. This bouquet is often reserved for couples with some mileage behind their backs.

Five roses – Being given five roses is the moment most women dream about. They symbolize true love. So, if you are on the receiving end of this gift, pinch yourself, it is really happening.

Six roses – Shows the person on the giving end that you want to take the relationship to the next level. This bouquet confesses unrevealed tinges of love and passion.

Ten roses – Symbolizes two lovers meant for each other; a perfect love.

Twelve roses – A dozen roses symbolizes wholeness; the desire of the gift-giver to spend their whole life with their beloved. It’s equivalent to a marriage proposal.

Fifteen roses – Symbolizes a feeling of regret such as one might harbor following an argument with their special someone.

Twenty roses – Signifies that your love it sincere.

Two dozen ‒ The mind-disarming message of eternal and unconditional love – a genuine gesture of appreciation for the other person. (It also may mean you are rich, considering the price of roses these days.)

5. WHO ORIGINATED THE MODERN DAY VALENTINE’S DAY GREETING CARD?
a. Charles, Duke of Orleans (1415)
b. Hallmark cards 1916
c. Esther Howland, American Business Woman (1840s)
d. King Henry V
e. American Greeting Cards

ANSWER
Charles, Duke of Orleans is credited for writing the first Valentine while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). The note still exists.

Not long after, King Henry V supposedly hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

References indicater written Valentines were popular in the middle ages, although there were, in those days, few others than some nobles and clerics who could read or write. It makes one wonder what “popular” means to the author of that reference.

By the 1800s, however, written and illustrated valentines abounded, but for sure they were all hand-made.  Tah Dah!

Esther Allen Howland, born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1828, was the artist and businesswoman responsible for popular-izing Valentine's Day greeting card in America by being the first entrepreneur to mass produce them (thanks, perhaps, to her father Southworth Howland who operated S.A. Howland & Sons,the largest book and stationery store in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Esther Howland, Image Source: stampingmadly.com/who-is-esther-howland

Shortly after graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 1847, she received a handmade Valentine’s Day card from a colleague of her father’s. The nineteen-year-old was intrigued. She was convinced she could make a much nicer card, and proceeded to make a dozen samples for salesmen to include in her father’s inventory for that period of the year.

Image Source: victoriana.com/VictorianValentine/

They were very popular. Howland was hoping for at least $200 worth of orders. Instead the orders amounted to $5,000 worth of business. Not bad for the 1850s. She started her first assembly line in Howland family home, but soon had to move to a larger place… and the American Valentine’s greeting card was on its way into the history books.

Hallmark didn’t start mass producing Valentine’s Day cards until 1916.

JUST SAYIN

Sources
http://www.keytoumbria.com/Terni/St_Valentine.html
https://www.wrhistoricalsociety.com/a-history-of-st-valentines-day
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/heart-shaped-uterus
https://www.al.com/living/2018/02/who_was_st_valentine_why_is_he.html
https://www.unsettlingthings.com/the-unsettling-history-of-valentines-day/
https://stampingmadly.com/2013/02/14/who-is-esther-howland-and-why-should-you-care/
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/st-valentine-beheaded
http://albionfourthrome.blogspot.com/2011/02/st-valentine-of-rome.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Howland
https://guernseydonkey.com/the-death-of-a-saint-and-the-start-of-a-romantic-tradition-the-martyrdom-of-st-valentine/

https://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/what-is-true-origin-of-valentines-day.html#:~:text=It%20is%20unclear%20the%20origin%20of%20the%20familiar,like%20the%20heart%20shape%20used%20in%20modern%20times.

https://www.heartattackfaq.com/what-is-a-heart-attack?&msclkid=a96974b7bf4718e435b216b6e1c8718b&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UNB_DTC_DSE_Awareness_General_BMM_5.23.2020&utm_term=%2Bheart%20%2Bhealth&utm_content=Heart%20Attack%20%26%20Health
Roses
https://www.lolaflora.com/blog/trend/
https://www.womansday.com/relationships/dating-marriage/g744/flower-meanings/
https://www.almanac.com/content/flower-meanings-language-flowers
https://www.odealarose.com/blog/what-is-the-most-romantic-flower/
https://www.goldflorist.com/pages/rose-color-meanings/Yellow-Rose-Meaning.html
https://www.goldflorist.com/pages/White-Rose-Meaning.html
http://www.homegrown.org/profiles/blogs/do-black-roses-actually-exist-in-nature

https://www.reference.com/world-view/meaning-black-rose-dfdacf5fc81d034a
roseforlove.com/the-meanings-of-black-roses-ezp-38

https://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/flower-meanings
heart shape

https://hometech101360.wordpress.com/2016/06/11/say-it-with-single-rose-learn-its-meaning-too/
ck-https://steemit.com/blog/@sraj/rare-blarose-only-found-in-turkey

http://voices.yahoo.com/origins-valentines-day-heart-symbol-849689.html
http://www.kingdombaptist.org/the-origin-of-valentines-day-and-the-heart-symbol/
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2007/02/the_shape_of_my_heart.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day
https://bellabeat.com/uncategorized/opening-your-heart-to-change-never-goes-out-of-fashion/
https://www.thehairpin.com/2012/02/possible-origins-of-the-heart-shape/
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2007/02/the_shape_of_my_heart.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1586252/posts
https://www.romancefromtheheart.com/articles/general/history-of-heart-shape.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen
http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Dionysos.html
http://scribol.com/anthropology-and-history/history/the-changing-symbolism-of-the-heart-shape-through-the-ages/
https://www.quora.com/Where-did-the-heart-symbol-(%E2%99%A5)-originate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium

http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/what-is-the-origin-of-the-heart-symbol
www.iep.utm.edu/galen/

https://www.edenbrothers.com/?msclkid=4b452ac61fd311e4d61548c206c7a67a&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Seeds&utm_term=seeds%20for%20planting&utm_content=General

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STORMY WEATHER: Impact Of Weather On Mood

2/4/2022

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I sit here typing in 70° weather with sunshine pouring in my windows, and it is hard to believe that winter can produce a glum mood. But February weather, in many parts of the US and the world, is less than warm and sunny today. From the map you can guess I live in Southern California or Southern Texas.

Image Source: weather.com/maps/currentusweather

AND I QUOTE
“Researchers in Germany sought to find out whether day-to-day weather affects people's moods, but branched out beyond just sunny and cloudy and looked at temperature, wind, sunlight, rain and snow, air pressure, and how long the days were.” Study Sheds Light on Whether the Sun, Wind, Rain Sway Our Emotions By Kelley Colihan

Most people don’t need scientific reports or the latest news article to know how the weather affects moods. All we have to do is pay attention to what is going on around us … and inside us. But as human beings, we often make assumptions about the “obvious” which turn out to be incorrect or at least skewed. So it doesn’t hurt to check on the latest research to confirm or challenge what we’ve personally observed in our lifetimes.

In addition, our observations are constrained and biased by our life style, where we live and travel, and who we know. They don’t tell us how people feel in different locations, weather conditions, or life circumstances.

THE STUDY SHOWS….
The fact that there are at least a zillion studies about weather and how it affects people, should be enough to prove there is both interest and variation in weather impacts. This plethora of research often results in conflicting results, but the Journal of Psychological Science found these inconsistencies may be due to two important factors: the season and how much time is spent outside.

The inconsistencies didn’t put me back to square one, but forced me to comb through a lot of articles and studies on weather and mood to filter out those things which are “generally” accepted by most researchers.

WEATHER AFFECTS MOOD, HEALTH, SOCIAL WELL BEING
These are the common general “truths” or, at least, the consistent beliefs I found in most of the references I used and is the level playing field, so to speak.

● Weather does affect mood, health, and social well being; the strength and nature of that relationship varies from person to person;
● The impact of weather on you may depend on your personality type;
● Weather does not have to impact your mood;
● Even though the day-to-day weather can affect your mood, it doesn't define who you are as a person.
● If you're in a good mood, chances are, bad weather won't bring you down too much.
● Mood disorders can be susceptible to seasonal influences, with a typical worsening in the winter months.
● Sleep is affected by the weather. If it is cold, people are more likely to sleep more lightly and if it’s too hot, sometimes they can’t sleep at all.

“DAY-IN, DAY-OUT”
Song written and performed by David Bowie, Album “Never Let Me Down” - 1987

The study data implies to me a difference in the impacts between the day-in day-out climate of a location and/or extended periods of extreme weather conditions, and shorter periods of weather, like a rainy day or a foggy week.

“STORMY WEATHER”
Song by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Ted Koehler; first performed by Ethel Waters at The Cotton Club, Harlem 1933

Image Source: https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-qicpk Image Source: wallpaperhi.com/Umbrella/rain_selective

Here are some of the common thoughts and findings about the effects of cold, inclement, rainy, or gloomy weather on moods.

● Wintertime can bring you down;
● Cold temperatures can lead to physical lethargy;
● Cold temperatures can cause physical pain related to other influences such as arthritis;
● Temperature can affect mood as a result of energy usage. In the winter our bodies have to work harder to maintain body temperature and our immune systems have to work harder to keep us healthy;
● Extreme rain brings out the worst in people;
● Rain can cause you to eat more;
● A lack of sunlight can make you sad;
● Rain makes everything more difficult and can affect your lifestyle in ways not conducive to a good mood.
● Drops in barometric pressure when wet weather is on its way, can cause a headache and achy and stiff feelings in general;
● Rain causes us to stay inside and socialize less. Socializing is actually one of the most powerful antidepressants of all, as are sunlight and exercise.

In other words, winter weather, cold temperatures, rainy and gloomy skies tend to put people in a less positive mood. They’re downers.

“I’M WALKIN’ ON SUNSHINE”
Song written by Kimberley Rew for Katrina and the Waves' 1983

Image Source: bing.com/images/opening+arms+to+sunshine&form Image Source: thebrightsideoflife.org.uk/happy-childhood/

Studies find warmer, more temperate weather/climates as affecting our moods in a positive manner.

● Higher temperatures can bring a depressed person up;
● Warm climates have a lower death rate;
● Pleasant weather (higher temperature or barometric pressure) is related to higher mood, better memory, and ‘‘broadened’’ cognitive style during the spring as time spent outside increased;
● Being outside can improve your memory, and boost creativity;
● Fresh air and sunshine may help relieve depression;
● When the sun comes out, you may alter your behavior without even realizing it. Studies suggest, for instance, that on sunny days people help each other more and leave more generous tips when eating at restaurants;
● A 50-minute nature walk improves mood and memory – even photos of green space improve mood.

If I am interpreting these findings correctly, the experts are saying when people experience warmer and more comfortable weather which lets them go outdoors and be active, mood improves and spirits rise.

“COME RAIN OR COME SHINE”
Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer; written for the musical St. Louis Woman, - 1946

Rain or shine, extreme weather conditions affect mood. Conditions which interfere with a person’s life and keep them from doing what they need or want to do, can become irritating and/or sources of anxiety or fright if the conditions are likely to have severe consequences.

Lightning storm Tornado Heavy snow /extreme cold High Wind
photostockeditor.com/thunderstorm-lightning misistemasolar.com/tornados/ shorenewsnetwork.com/cean-county-police-blotter/ wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/winds

Overcast Skies Extreme Heat Heavy Rain Dark Nights
spartagroup.ca/wp-content/clouds pl.dreamstime.com/suchej-gliniane quotesgram.com/pouring-rain/ allposters.com/-sp/Sliver-of-the-Moon

Surprisingly, Strong wind has more of a negative effect on mood in spring and summer than in fall and winter. Also, when days become shorter, some people's moods mirror that, while others actually felt more positive feelings.

People are affected differently, and the human body can acclimate itself to fairly extreme differences – just look at the variety of climates in the world we inhabit. I believe how individuals are affected by weather depends a lot on what they have become used to. I went to New Zealand in the early spring. I was freezing the whole time, but I would see local people out running at five in the morning in shorts and sleeveless tops.

“ALL ABOUT CHEMISTRY”
The third and final album by rock band Semisonic; Song written by Dan Wilson – 2001

While the whole issue of the mood-weather relationship is undoubtedly complicated, on a simplistic level we’re looking at appetite, exercise, exposure to light and particularly sunlight, outdoor time, and sleep. All these factors impact several types of non-clinical, common depression: When life just gets you down.

In this case, much of the discussion centers around biochemistry. Sun shining on bare skin is necessary for the human body to produce Vitamin D, which plays a role in the production of the biochemical serotonin. (Some references called it a hormone.) This biochemical has several critical functions within the human body which we don’t need to go into.
After those functions are taken care of, the remainder is synthesized in “serotonergic neurons” which regulate mood, appetite, and sleep. Thus, it’s often considered a contributor to feelings of well being and happiness. In addition, the substance impacts cognitive functions including memory and learning. The more or less sunlight, the more the mood elevation rises or decreases.

Some of the most powerful depression fighters are socializing with others, plenty of restful sleep, eating right, exercise, sunlight, and outdoor activity ... which are some of the advantages of living in a moderate climate which allows outdoor activity and sunlight … and where weather conditions don’t inhibit these natural “antidepressants” as much as heavy weather.

“SAD”
Song by Bo Burnham from the album “Overexposed” (Maroon 5 song) 2018