HUMAN NATURE
Human beings, by nature, are both suspicious and curious no matter their origins. At some point in evolution, our ancestors began to think, on some level, about themselves and their surroundings. They began to question things. And they began to look for explanations.
​
Another aspect of human nature is the need to know “why?” Our species instinctively fears the unknown and, therefore, we want to understand everything. When the true answer is not obvious or understood, it is in our DNA to fabricate an explanation we can begin to comprehend or at least accept. Humans have never been shy about inventing explanations, viable or otherwise. To do that, we drawn on our observations of the things around us. These “explanations” have been handed down through the generations via a variety of means: verbally in story telling, in songs, in art and physical symbolism, hand gestures, and eventually in writing and electronically.

TERMINOLOGY
Most people today generalize when expressing the manner in which information is passed on from one person to another, one generation to another, and so on. We often refer to stories, explanations, and beliefs by oversimplifying the terms. This is another human trait which may lead people to refer to myths, legends, folk tales, sagas, etc. by one or two names and believe they mean the same thing. But, in fact, these terms define different concepts. So let’s get the terminology straight, just for the record.

ALLEGED ACTUAL EVENTS
Source primarily: https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth
Myths
Myths are symbolic narratives, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events and that are especially associated with religious belief. They are specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or circumstances at an unspecified time in the past, and such events are understood to exist apart from ordinary human experience.

As with all religious symbolism, there is no attempt to justify mythic narratives or even to render them plausible. Every myth presents itself as an authoritative factual account, no matter how much the narrated events are at variance with natural law or ordinary experience: an ideological belief when that belief is the object of a quasi-religious faith.
Sagas
Saga is an Old Norse word that means "what is said." The term generally refers to an extensive narrative which is intended to re-create historical events. A distinction is thus sometimes drawn between myths (set in a semidivine world) and sagas (set in a more realistic world and more firmly grounded in a specific historical setting).
Epics
An epic is similar to a saga in that both narrative forms look back to an age of heroic endeavor, but epics are almost always composed in poetry (with a few exceptions).
The relation between epic and myth is not easy to pin down, but it is in general true that epics characteristically incorporate mythical events and persons.
Legends
In common usage the word legend usually characterizes a traditional tale thought to have a historical basis, although usually unverifiable, as in the legends of King Arthur or Robin Hood.

EXPLANATIONS OF REALITY
Source primarily: https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth
This second category is narrative which teach a lesson, or refer to causes and/or explanations of something in the real world; why a thing is the way it is.
Fables
The original Latin word fabula meant the same thing as the Greek word mythos. However, it evolved to mean a fictitious or untrue story, while myths are not presented as fictitious or untrue. Fables, like some myths, feature personified animals or natural objects as characters. Unlike myths, however, fables almost always end with an explicit moral message, and this highlights the characteristic feature of fables—namely, that they are instructive tales that teach morals about human social interaction. Another difference between fables and myths is that the context of a fable is unspecific as to time and place.
Fairy tales
These narratives are not necessarily intended to explain reality, since they are peopled with fairies and other non-existent beings, but amuse and often teach a lesson. The term Fairy Tale usually refers to narratives and stories (directed above all at an audience of children) about an individual, almost always young and often extraordinary beings, who confronts strange or magical events. Like fables, they tend to have geographically and temporally vague settings and might begin with the words “Once upon a time…” In Europe, the modern concept of the fairy tale seems not to be found earlier than the 18th century.
Folk Tales/ Folk Lore
There appear to be disagreements between experts regarding the classification of folk tales, which obscures the definition. Some regard myths as a type of folk tale; others either consider folktale a subdivision of myth or regard the two categories as distinct but overlapping.

“A different and important aspect of the problem of defining a folktale relates to the historical origin of the concept. As with the notion of folklore, the notion of folktale has its roots in the late 18th century. From that period until the middle of the 19th century, many European thinkers of a nationalist persuasion argued that stories told by ordinary people constituted a continuous tradition reaching back into the nation’s past. Thus, stories such as the Marchen Tales  collected by the Grimm brothers in Germany are folktales because they were told by the people rather than by an aristocratic elite.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth
Parables
This type of narration has the explicit purpose of illustrating a doctrine or standard of conduct. The point made by a parable is known or supposed to be known from another source. Such teaching stories are used to clarify something by using either real or fictional events.
Folk songs
Any of the above put in to song form, particularly for teaching purposes.

For the sake of simplicity, and because of overlaps of definitions, this work will use the general terms of myths, legends and folklore to encompass all the definitions. [So sue me.]

UNIVERSAL THEMES
Creation
The most common question early humans tried to answer was of how we came into being. edtimes.in/massive-similarities-
• How was the world created?
• When? How? By whom?
• birth
• death
• mating

Natural Disasters
• Floods                         • Earthquakes / Tsunami
• Fire                              • Volcanic Eruptions
• Avalanch                     • Drought / crop failures
Image Source: www.infinitylearn.como
All cultures that have been around for a while have experienced, at one time or another, a natural disaster. Such catastrophic events leave lasting impressions and ignite disasters collective creativity. As communities grapple with the fear, loss, and uncertainty brought by such events, people share their stories which eventually coalesce in community tales and songs. These may serve as a moral lesson or warning. Often, they reflect the community’s ability to navigate the realities of the aftermath and showcase heroism, resilience, and shared identity which become embedded in folklore and songs.   Image Source:  www.ar.inspiriedpencil.com

Celestial Bodies
• Sun                      • Moon
• Stars                   • Planets
• Eclipse                • Comets and other lights in the night sky
​
These phenomenon are so vital to human existence that  every culture has woven stories around these constant companions. These narratives reveal profound truths about how different societies grappled with fundamental questions: Why does day follow night? What causes eclipses? How should opposing forces relate to one another?  How these realities of our world have been treated in legend, myth, and folklore throughout the world shows “remarkable diversity in their details while revealing universal human concerns about balance, relationships, sacrifice, and cosmic order.” shystoryteller.com/myths-and-legends

Christian Creation Story
According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. God is portrayed as a powerful and omnipotent being who created humankind in his own image.
Christian Creation Story - Image credit: Shutterstock - Image source: www.fifty.club

​​“Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, were placed in the Garden of Eden and given dominion over all other living creatures. However, they were forbidden from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When they disobeyed God, they were expelled from the garden, leading to the introduction of sin into the world.” 
https://realityreporters.com/comparing-and-contrasting-different-creation-stories/                    Egyptian god Ra - Image Source: www.anthropologyreview.org

​Ancient Egyptian Creation Story
The universe started with a primordial ocean (nothingness or chaos) known as Nun. At the center of Nun was a giant pyramid called benben, and within that came forth Atum (or Ra), the creator deity.

As the physical embodiment of the sun, Atum created life in the form of the first Egyptian deities – Shu (air) and Tefnut (water/moisture). Together with his children, Atum was able to hold back the destructive forces of chaos and keep the universe in balance. Atum was also supported by Ma’at, the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth and order.

The union between Shu and Tefnut brought forth Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). Geb and Nut gave birth to famous Egyptian deities such as Osiris (God of the afterlife, resurrection, and agriculture; symbolizes rebirth and fertility), Isis (Goddess of motherhood, magic, and fertility; protector of the vulnerable), Seth (God of chaos, storms and desert; disorder and conflict, often seen as the antagonist to Osiris), and Nephthys (Goddess of the night and mourning; associated with death and the protection of the dead).
​
These deities illustrate themes of life, death, and the balance between order and chaos in Egyptian mythology.

​Mayan Creation Story
The beginning of time was filled with nothingness devoid of any structure or order, inhabited by the creator gods Tepeu (the maker) and Gucumatz (the feathered spirit). To fill the silence with substance and life, they first created Hurakan (god of wind and storms), and then together created the earth. To make the world habitable, the gods created the sun, the moon and the stars.
Mayan god Tepeu
Image Source: 
​Subsequently, they created four kinds of animals – a parrot, a coyote, a fox, and a crow. But then they desired intelligent beings who could worship them, so they created man out of wet clay, but it crumbled apart. In their second attempt, the gods created man out of wood, but that attempt was also unsatisfactory. Finally, they created man out of maize (corn) dough, and he thrived and was able to speak, feel and think.

The animals then went in four different directions to make a home, but because they, the gods commanded them to forever remain obedient to human beings. The myth concludes with these four fathers ascending a mountain, unable to return, symbolizing the origins of humanity and their connection to the world.                       Hindu god Brahma - Image Source: eee.freepik.com

​Hindu Creation Story
The Rigveda description of the Hindu creation story is complex and multifaceted because Hindu belief views time and space as cyclical, infinite, and multi-layered. Therefore, Hinduism holds that the world is created many times, over and over again, not just once. Further, this universe is considered to be just one of many; other universes (and other forms of life), exist on many different planes.
Therefore, there are often several creation accounts for each of these different realms.

Essentially, the god Brahma is the creator of the universe, while Vishnu and Shiva are responsible for its preservation and destruction, respectively. The concept of karma and reincarnation plays a crucial role in Hindu beliefs, as individuals are believed to be reborn in different forms based on their actions in their previous lives.
​
Two popular Hindu creations stories come from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and the Vishnu Purana. Both accounts demonstrate the fundamental nondualism typical of most Hindu creation accounts.

“Brhadaryanka Upanishad 1.4: the world is said to have come into existence because the Primeval One, having become bored being the only being in existence, split Itself into a variety of forms and manifestations (i.e., the material world and all of its beings) so that, through them, It could experience a loving and playful relationship with Itself."

“The creation account from the Vishnu Purana, wherein Vishnu, lying on an ocean of milk atop the serpent Sesha, sprung a lotus from his naval that contained the god Brahma. Having been sprung from Vishnu's navel, Brahma creates all living beings, as well as the sun, moon, planets, etc. and a number of other gods and demigods. Following Brahma's creative acts, it is then said that Vishnu expanded himself into Ksirodakasayi Visnu (Paramatma) and entered into everything that exists in the material and immaterial spheres.” patheos.com/library/what-is-the-creation-story-in-hinduism                                    The Wandjina, the creators
                                                                                                                                                                                                              Image Source: pinterest.com

Ancient Greek Creation Story
Hesiod, a Greek poet prevalent between 750 to 650 BC, is credited as an authority on the Greek Creation story. In his book – Theogony – Hesiod explains the beginnings of key figures and outlines how the universe came into being from the perspective of Greek mythology.

In the beginning, the first of all the gods, the goddess Nyx, the deity of darkness, ruled the universe which was a great emptiness and a vacuum. In one version of the myth, the goddess Nyx is believed to have laid a golden egg. After sitting on the egg for eons of years, the egg hatched, producing the deity of love Eros, and the broken shells of the egg became the sky and the earth.

In other versions, the void gave rise to Gaia (Earth or goddess of Earth), Eros (love), the Abyss (Tartarus), and Erebus (darkness), and Gaia gave birth to two sons without a mate. These sons were Uranus (the God of the sky) and Pontus (the God of the ocean). Then, Gaia formed a relationship with her son, Uranus, and birthed the monsters Cyclops and Hecantonchires and the 12 Titans, six male and six female.

Uranus resented his children and ultimately banished the Cyclops and the Hecatonchires to the underworld ruled by Tartarus. When the youngest, Cronus or Kronos, became aware of the fate of his siblings at the hands their father, he and his mother plotted against Uranus.
Cronus castrated Uranus with a sickle, and the resulting blood produced the Giants, the Erinyes, and the Nymphs. Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty, also arose from the sea foam that was created when Uranus’ genitals hit the ocean.

Cronos then ruled the Titians, the generation of gods preceding the Olympians, who were overthrown and replaced as the ruling pantheon of gods by Zeus and the Olympians in a ten-year war known as the Titanomachy (battle of the Titans).

​TAKE AWAYS
All human beings have basic characteristics that are the same no matter where (and when) we come from, but we all live in our own cultures which have similar as well as unique experiences, beliefs, values, traditions, so on. We have learned, often the hard way, that human beings have many similarities but also many differences.

According to goddessnikee.weebly.com history tells us that “Humans are very different, and those differences can tear nations apart which proves, humans can be so arrogant about beliefs and would rather cause a war, than to accept that there are other opinions in this world and their opinion isn’t just fact.” https:// /creation-myths.html

Another approach is expressed by edtimes.inc, "Each culture deserves its unique glory for its contribution to humanity."

However, at a time when we are ripping ourselves apart in racial, religious, and political sectarianism, perhaps we should take a moment to study the roots that we all share.
massive-similarities-between-different-world-mythologies/

​JUST SAYIN'

Sources:
www.Yahoo.search.com – AI
https://www.merriam-webster.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_mythology
https://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-folklore/world-mythologies-0020210
https://people.howstuffworks.com/folklore3.htm
https://leakproject.com/blog/beyond-reality-5-common-themes-in-world-mythologies/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth
https://ijstm.com/images/short_pdf/1464452045_228ijstm.pdf
https://worldhistoryedu.com/creation-myths-from-around-the-world/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism
https://zaklynsky.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/zoroastrian-creation-myth/
https://mythologyplanet.com/greek-mythology-creation-story/#google_vignette
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titans
https://www.loresandlegends.com/folklore/how-folklore-explains-natural-disasters/
https://shystoryteller.com/myths-and-legends/sun-and-moon-stories-from-different-mythologies-around-the-world/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_lore
https://www.almanac.com/weather-lore-and-proverb-calendar
https://www.opticweather.com/blog/weather-history-folklore
https://medium.com/@danielss39/exploring-the-universality-of-myth-common-themes-in-global-mythologies-f83c31a46cf7
https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/book-lists/folklore-and-stories-from-native-american-culture/
https://goddessnikee.weebly.com/creation-myths.html
https://realityreporters.com/comparing-and-contrasting-different-creation-stories/
https://www.patheos.com/library/answers-to-frequently-asked-religion-questions/what-is-the-creation-story-in-hinduism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dreaming
https://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-folklore-myths-legends-australia/australian-aboriginals-creation-myth-00229
https://mythologysource.com/pangu-chinese-giant/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_creation_myths
https://weafrique.com/african-creation-myths/

        ▲ Erfurt location map-Image Source: britannica.com/Thuringia                                             ▲  City of Erfurt, Germany - image source: Alamy.com

​HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The 12th century was a period in history characterized by constant political power struggles between feudal nobles and religious leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. An article on the website www.historyskills.com describes the situation as, “The Holy Roman Empire, which is neither holy nor Roman nor an empire…is in turmoil.”
​
During the period in question, Erfurt was ruled under one of the Germans kings, King Heinrich VI (aka King Henry VI) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. His father, Frederick Barbarossa, was the Holy Roman emperor.
​
An ongoing land dispute between Conrad of Wittelsbach, Archbishop of Mainz, and Ludwig III, the Landgrave of Thuringia, had elevated to the point where it threatened imperial unity. Barbarossa ordered his son to divert his military campaign en route to Poland and go to Erfurt to mediate, which he did.
​ ▼ King Heinrich VI, or Henry VI - Image Source: www.thisdaytrivia.com

​KING HEINRICH VI’S HOFTAG
King Heinrich was anxious to get the dispute settled once and for all, and immediately called a hoftag, an official court meeting involving the disputing parties and their minions, members of the king’s court, local nobility and bishops, and prominent citizens of Erfurt.

An estimated sixty people were present at the July 26, 1184 mediation session, and some believe it was closer to one hundred. Historians agree the assembly gathered on the second (upper) floor of an old two -story building close to Erfurt Cathedral, but it could have been provost's building, the bishop's residence nearby, St. Peter’s Church, or somewhere else. 
                                                                                         St. Peter’s Church, Erkurt, Germany (2023)                                                                                                                                                                                                Image Source: www.dreamstime.com ▼

​Most sources favored St. Peter’s Church, where the upper floor held an assembly room, and the ground floor housed services spaces above a cesspit which serviced the latrine.
​
Regardless of the specific location, the building was several hundred years old and most likely suffering from lack of maintenance, heavy use, and inclement weather. No doubt the floor's wooden support beams were rotten.

THE DISASTER
The sixty plus in attendance, along with their armor, swords, and other accoutrements, concentrated more or less in the center of the meeting space. The combined weight caused the floor to collapse. The impact of the falling people, wooden beams, and debris ruptured the cover of the underground cesspool, and everything continued to plunge into the sewage below.

At least 60 people lost their lives -- some estimates human toll as high as 100 -- from the fall, being crushed in the fall, injuries sustained from the catastrophe, suffocating in the human excrement, or overcome by noxious fumes.

“Survivors later described the mess below as almost impossible to navigate. The floor was slippery, the air heavy, and the wreckage shifted with every step. Some men managed to grab sections of timber or stone as they dropped, holding on until help reached them. Others tried to climb toward any visible opening. Many could not move at all, pinned under broken beams.” explorethearchive.com/erfurt

Pulling survivors out was slow work. Some bodies were recovered quickly, while others were buried under debris or caught beneath heavy beams. The work continued for hours, and people later spoke of how difficult it was simply to move around the wreckage without making things worse.

Ludwig, whose dispute with the archbishop had been the focus of the meeting, survived purely by chance. King Heinrich and the archbishop were talking in one of the room’s window nooks and were able to cling to some iron railings until they were rescued. As noted, the exact number of deaths varies across accounts. The confusion of the scene makes exact numbers difficult to determine.

AFTERMATH
King Heinrich IV left the scene as soon as possible, and no one seems to know what happened to the feud between the archbishop and the Landgrave of Thuringia. For the king, who was quite young, the tragedy reflected badly on his appearance of stability and control. The Latrine Episode did nothing for his good reputation.

A WORD ABOUT LATRINES
Medieval latrines, similar to later such facilities, occupied whatever spare space was available and were a hole or pit into which the waste dropped. In more prominent buildings, like St. Peters Church, they were only slightly more advanced. The space was often used attached to the side of the exterior of the structure or the waste hole might discharge directly into the castle moat. Latrines were rarely cleaned.
▼Image Source: www.alamy.com

◄ Image Credit: Historic Collection / Alamy Stock Photo
Image Source:www.historyhit.com/the-great-emu-war/
The emus successfully evaded the firepower, so an ambush was planned. Locals tried to herd emus towards the appointed trap, but they split into small groups and got away. During another try, about 1,000 birds escaped due to a gun jamming.

Having decided to travel to the places where emus were spotted, Major Meredith mounted one of the guns on a truck so they could shoot the birds while they were running away. That ploy proved as unsuccessful as the ambushes. The truck was too slow and the ride so rough the gunner couldn’t fire. After a week of action, only 50 to 100 birds had been killed.

  ▲ An Australian soldier holds one of the few fatalities                                                                                                                ▲ Image Source: youtube.com
Image Credit: FLHC 4 / Alamy Stock Photo 

                    The Embrace by Rie Muñoz,                                                       Polar Bears by Rie Muñoz,
                                                       Source of Images: health.alaska.gov/heirloom-birth-certificate/

​Rie Muñoz’ paintings are fresh, spontaneous, and full of fun. She conveys the subtle messages everyday life in her work. About herself, she writes:

"My artwork can best be described as expressionism. The term applied to work that rejects camera snapshot realism, and instead, expresses emotion by distortion and strong colors. My paintings reflect an interest in the day-to-day activities of Alaskans such as fishing, berry picking, children at play, crabbing and whaling.  I am also fascinated with the legends of Alaska's Native people. While I find much to paint around Juneau, most of my materials comes from sketching trips taken to the far corners of Alaska."

Rie wasn't born in Alaska.  She was born Marie Mounier in Van Nuys, CA, in 1921, but spent much of her early life in Holland where her Holland-Dutch father was a partner in a business magazine. He wrote stories about business in America, so he traveled to the US often with the family. In 1939, when Germany threatened to occupy Holland, Rie was sent to the US with a younger brother to live with friends in Plainview, NJ.
Since the US gave visas only to parents with minor children living in the US, her parents applied and received visas. A few days before they were scheduled to leave, Hitler attacked Holland. Rie's parents weren't able to come to the US until 1947.

After one year of high school, she joined her older brother in Hollywood, CA, where she had to earn a living with a job decorating windows in a North Hollywood dime store.

At some point she moved to Seattle. While living there, in 1951, she traveled to Alaska on vacation, taking the Inside Passage by steamship.  When the ship stopped in Juneau, she fell in love with the city and its surroundings. She writes that she gave herself the one day before the ship sailed to find a job and a place to live.

After walking a few blocks, she went into the offices of the Daily Alaska Empire newspaper, where she was hired on the spot. Next she walked along Seventh Street and saw a woman hanging laundry out to dry. She asked the woman if she knew of anyone with a place to rent and the woman said, "I have a place for you." So Rie moved in with a Finnish woman and her husband, paying them $5 a week.

After she collected her belonging from the steamship two days later, she called her parents and told them she wasn't coming back. That was some gutsy lady, if you ask me.

And Alaska was her home ever since, except for a short time in 1957 living on Mercer Island, Washington where her husband Juan was employed as a geologist. Later they returned to Alaska.
​
In Juneau, her first painting was of the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church on Fifth Street downtown. She worked in oils in the beginning before perfecting her craft in watercolors.

         St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church – Juneau, Alaska
          Image Source:                                     Image Credit: R. Ann Siracusa (2012)

During her years in Alaska, Rie Muñoz lived in a variety of small Alaska communities and has held many jobs including journalist, a cartoonist, editor, teacher, museum curator, artist, and mother to a son.

At one point, she taught 25 Eskimo children on King Island, a 13-hour umiak (a walrus-skin boat) voyage from Nome.                             Image Courtesy of Juan Munoz ▼  Image Source: alaskapublic.org/news/2015-04-09

                           Dogsled by Rie Muñoz                                                           Fishing by Rie Muñoz  

                     Bathhouse by Rie Muñoz                                                         Eskimo Babies by Rie Muñoz

Muñoz carried a sketchbook at all times, drawing whatever caught her eye and capturing emotion in a few strokes. Life in general, fishermen repairing nets, children playing, village life, cannery workers, women bathing. She noted details in the margins, such as colors. These field sketches were used as references for composite sketches, more detailed renditions of the scene that she would paint.

​The Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean, the Earth's second-largest, covers 41 million sq. miles (17% of the Earth’s surface) and spans from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, and from the Americas in the west to Europe/Africa in the east. Connected worldwide by currents, this S-shaped basin includes deep trenches, submarine ridges, and diverse marine ecosystems.

The Atlantic Ocean has an average depth of 11,961 feet, making it the third-deepest ocean by average depth, with a maximum depth of 27,480 feet below sea level. The Puerto Rico Trench, located near the Caribbean Sea, is the Atlantic’s deepest point.

​The Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest, covering around 5.4 million square miles and having an average depth of 17,880 feet. Surrounded by North America and Eurasia, it is mostly covered by sea ice year-round, with melting intensifying in summer.

Arctic waters have the planet’s lowest average salinity from limited evaporation and heavy freshwater inflow. Today, climate change accelerates sea ice decline, potentially altering ocean circulation and Arctic wildlife. Despite harsh conditions, it houses unique species and significant natural resources. The Molloy Hole, located in the Fram Strait, is the ocean’s deepest point. The Caribbean Sea is deeper than the Arctic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea’s maximum depth is only slightly less.

SEA WORDS
The ocean is frequently referred to as the sea, meaning the huge continuous body of salt water that spans the earth. With the article the, the usage is correct.

“A sea” is a large body of saltwater, generally smaller and shallower than an ocean and typically found where the ocean meets land, and may be partially or entirely enclosed by landmasses, islands, or archipelagos. Proximity to land results in seas providing more varied habitats for sea life and greater accessibility to human influence, often giving them historical, political, and ecological significance.

Seas also play an important role in regulating Earth’s climate by absorbing vast amounts of heat – an estimated 90% of excess heat generated by human activities -- and carbon dioxide. They act as massive heat sinks, absorbing and redistributing heat globally through ocean currents, which helps to moderate atmospheric temperatures and weather patterns.S Source: biologyinsights.com

UNDER THE OCEANS
Because the major objective of World Ocean Day is to elevate awareness of the importance of the ocean and focus intergovernmental policy on protection of the ocean, what lies under the water and the ocean floor itself are central to that concern.

TOPOGRAPHGY OF THE SEABED

Continental Shelf
The first part of land covered by the ocean extending from the coastline outwards towards deeper water, where it drops off at a point known as the shelf break. The size of the shelf differs around the world.

Continental Slope
The steeply sloping seabed that lies between the continental shelf and the deeper abyssal plain marks the boundary between the continental crust and oceanic crust at at the continental rise.

Abyssal Plain
Beginning at the base of the continental rise, the Abyssal plains are usually found at depths between 13,000 to 20,000 feet, forming some of the deepest parts of the ocean floor and making up about 50% of the seabed. They are mostly flat and cover large areas.

Volcanic Islands, Seamounts, And Deep Open Trenches

THE GEOLOGY OF THE SEABED
The composition of the seabed varies according to location and origin, from eroded land or sand to decomposing sea creatures and material from outer space. As a general rule, there are four different types of sediment which sit on top of the oceanic crust: Terrigenous, Biogenous, Hydrogenous, and Cosmogenous.

OXYGEN PRODUCTION
Our atmosphere contains oxygen because of a number of natural processes. These significant ecosystems make a big difference in the amount of oxygen produced in the atmosphere and are crucial for preserving the equilibrium between carbon dioxide and oxygen in our environment. The ocean gets the credit for producing half of the earth’s oxygen production.

According to oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean-oxygen, “Scientists estimate that roughly half of the oxygen production on earth comes from the ocean. The majority of this production is from oceanic plankton -- drifting plants, algae, and some bacteria that can photosynthesize. One particular species, Prochlorococcus, is the smallest photosynthetic organism on Earth. But this little bacteria produces up to 20% of the oxygen in our entire biosphere. That’s a higher percentage than all of the tropical rainforests on land combined.”

However, roughly the same amount produced by the ocean is consumed by marine plants and animals , including dead plants and animals decaying in the ocean. The fact that half of Earth’s oxygen depends on microscopic ocean life makes it sensitive to environmental change, particularly the warming of temperature. The risk is the collapse of marine food webs that depend on these organisms, and the loss of a major carbon dioxide sink that helps regulate global climate.

ISSUES TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT
Despite the fact that so much of the ocean is unexplored, we know the life that the seafloor supports is crucial to the larger ocean ecosystem and to survival on the planet. Because the seafloor is largely unexplored and difficult to reach for prolonged periods, the condition of the ocean bed is a major concern.

● Habitat Destruction And Loss Of Biodiversity

● Deep-Sea Mining

● Pollution, Marine Debris, and Plastics
Once plastic makes its way into the ocean floor, it becomes near impossible to remove. It’s estimated that the ocean floor is covered in 14 million tones of microplastic, which is considered a conservative estimate. Microplastics make their way into the diet of sea creatures, often suffocating or poisoning them.

● Climate Change
As the global temperature rises, the temperature of the ocean goes up. This, along with altering sea levels, change in ocean acidification, and changing currents have profound effects on benthic life. Coral bleaching is one major concern that arises from global change.

● Lack of Knowledge and Access

REGULATIONS AND GOVERNANCE OF THE SEABED
A complex network of international  agreements govern and regulate  the sea floor. The United Nations Convention n the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) establishes the legal framework regarding the ocean, including the seabed. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) deals with regulations such as seabed mining activities in international waters, issuing licenses, and promoting sustainable practices.
World Oceans Day to about awareness and conservation. Life may depend on it.

JUST SAYIN’

Sources:
https://unworldoceansday.org/
https://www.worldatlas.com/oceans/how-many-oceans-are-there-in-the-world.html
https://earthhow.com/5-oceans/
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/worlds-seas/
https://biologyinsights.com/what-are-all-the-seas-a-look-at-the-worlds-major-seas/
https://learnertrip.com/geography/world-seas/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Oceans_Day
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ocean-oxygen.html
https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/deepest-oceans-and-seas.html
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-floor-features
https://iere.org/how-does-oxygen-get-into-the-ocean/
https://thecriticalscript.com/article-details/5-major-sources-of-oxygen-on-earth
https://scienceinsights.org/what-produces-oxygen-on-earth-oceans-plants-more/#google_vignette
https://www.blue-growth.org/Oceans_Rivers_Seas/Index_Oceans_Seas_Bays_Gulfs_Of_The_World_%20A_To_Z_Lists.htm
□

In the context in which Romans 16 takes place, Paul is sending his personal greetings to the Romans and lists individuals who have worked with him. He asks the people of Rome to welcome Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, and others who have had an important role in Christian history, including Junia. He gives thanks for their dedication and asks the people to of Rome to greet each of them.  www.christianity.com

This is the only passage in the bible which mentions Junia by name, although some scholars have also identified her with a woman from the Gospels named Joanna, the wife of Chuza, who appears in Luke 8:1–3 and the narrative where the women visit the tomb of Jesus towards the end of the Gospels. ​en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junia  Other scholars believe she was the wife, sister or other relative of Andronicus.*
​
This Bible verse has engendered extensive discussion and research on several points, but primarily in relation to these questions:
● Was Junia a man or a woman?
● Was Junia an apostle? (i.e. Could a woman be an apostle?)
● Was Junia a relative of Saint Paul, from the same country or region as Paul, or another Jew?

WHAT IS THE REAL ISSUE?
The primary subject of debate within the academic and theological world concerns the implications of a female apostle leading within the early Church and what it might suggest regarding the ordination of women.

The debate over Junia’s identity affects how scripture is interpreted regarding apostleship and leadership, and it certainly flies in the face of 1 Timothy 2:12 which translate as “And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” (New King James Version)
                                                                                                 ▼Original text of John 3.16                                                                                                                                                  Image Source: www.christianity.com 

​A WORD ABOUT TRANSLATIONS
Anyone who reads the Bible knows the translation from the original written text is everything. How words, particularly ones in ancient languages, are expressed in another more-modern language involves interpretations.
 
Biblehub.com identifies no less than 46 English translations, many of which translate the original words to mean something different -- some slightly, some more -- all subject to interpretation. biblehub.com/was_junia_an_apostle

WAS JUNIA A MALE OR FEMALE?
While most translations of this passage use the name “Junia”, some use “Junias.”
In terms of historical usage, “Junia” was a common Latin female name in the ancient world, whereas “Junias” (the proposed masculine form) is exceedingly rare and has little documentary evidence in Greco-Roman records.

​St. John Chrysostom (347 CE – 407AD), an early Christian bishop and theologian known for his homilies and commentaries on the Bible, in his Homily 31 on Romans, writes about “Junia” as a female. His commentary expresses surprise that a woman could be held in such esteem. He indicates delight at her faithfulness and distinction, gives no indication that the name could be masculine, and lauds her as worthy of honor among believers.
 
◄ Image Source: www.pinterest.com

The male name "Junias" has been discovered only once in non-biblical Greek literature, referring to the bishop of Apameia of Syria, while the name “Junia” is found often on inscriptions, tombstones and records, most notably, the half sister, Junia Secunda, of Marcus Junius Brutus. Therefore, prior to the 13th century, most Bible commentators and translators favored the female name “Junia.” Based on this, scholars and theologians have generally accepted that Junia was female, consistent with many standard references.

The first texts regarding Junia as a male named Junias come from 12th century manuscripts and the first named author to describe Junia as a male was Giles of Rome in the 13th century.

A number of sources contend that by the 13th century the church would no longer consider the idea of a woman being an apostle or leader in the church and purposely had scribes change the name “Junia” to “the male name “Junias.”

According to Christine Schenk – American Catholic nun, author, and founding director of the international group FutureChurch -- "transcribers could not believe a woman would bear the title apostle, even though virtually all early Christian writers, from Chrysostom to Origen to Peter Lombard, assumed that Junia was a woman apostle.” Finding no equivalent male name in ancient sources, while the female Junia is common, they changed the name to “Junias”. www. en.wikipedia.org

The source faithward.org states that “There was no evidence in ancient manuscripts that anyone understood Junia as a male, no evidence in translations she was a male, and there was no ancient evidence that Junias was a man’s name. Still, the church got into a rut and rode it out until some courageous folks said, “Oh yes, Junia was a woman and she was an apostle, and we’ve been wrong, and we’re going to do something about it.” 
www.faithward.org/women-of-the-bible
Finally, she was canonized by Pope Francis on July 5, 2015.

▼  Image Source: www.bibleodyssey.org/junia

WAS JUNIA AN APOSTLE?
First, we must ask what constitutes an “apostle”?
The word is derived from the Greek word “apostolops,” which means “one who is sent on a mission.” One source indicates its origin as a military term but was subsequently employed to refer to messengers or envoys in various contexts.

An apostle, in the Biblical sense, is “one whom God has sent on an errand or with a message. An apostle is accountable to his Sender and carries the authority of his Sender. An apostleship is the office an apostle holds. Jesus Christ Himself has an ‘postleship.’ He wears ‘Apostle’ as one of His descriptive titles (Hebrews 3:1). He was sent to earth by the Heavenly Father with God’s authoritative message, which He faithfully delivered (John 17:1–5).”

In the New Testament, an apostle can be one of the Twelve and, later, Paul (although he never claimed to be included among the original twelve), or the term can apply in a broader sense, as “one who is sent,” which would include apostolic delegates tasked with spreading the gospel.

So, depending on context, someone “well-known among the apostles” could be recognized as holding a distinguished ministry or could be understood as part of the wider group of commissioned individuals entrusted with proclaiming the gospel, or that they enjoyed a high reputation among the apostles. However, because Paul makes a special point of emphasizing how well known the couple is to him, and his references to the couple's imprisonment with him, one can reach the conclusion that he feels confident to introduce them as "apostles" on the basis of his own involvement with them.

It is interesting to note that the issue of what Paul really meant when he referred to Junia an apostle, never came into question until scholars and theologians began to focus on Junia as a female.

Another observation is that the earliest interpreters saw no major conflict in identifying Junia as a female co-laborer in the gospel, potentially recognized for evangelistic work and missionary activity. biblehub.com/junia_an_apostle.htm

There is no doubt Junia was an important figure in spreading the Christian faith. In later centuries, saints who significantly spread the Word are often referred to as “equal to the Apostles,” and this title is given without reference to gender.

WAS JUNIA A RELATIVE OF PAUL?
​While this interpretation may not be as significant as the first two questions, there are several differences in translation of the relationship between Paul, Andronicus, and Junia.
​
● New Living Translation
“…Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me.”

● English Standard Version
“…Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners.”

● Berean Standard Bible
“…Andronicus and Junia, my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners.”

● New American Standard Bible
“…Andronicus and Junia, my kinsfolk and my fellow prisoners,”

● World English Bible
“...Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners,”

In some translations, Junia is identified as a "fellow countryman" of Paul, which suggests that she was of Jewish descent and possibly related to Paul by blood or at least through a shared cultural heritage. This connection underscores the diverse backgrounds of early Christian leaders and the inclusive nature of the Gospel message. biblehub.com/junia--a_relative_of_paul.htm

Junia's status as "outstanding among the apostles" highlights her importance regardless of familial connection. Theologically, her relationship to Paul could influence interpretations of gender roles in ministry.                                     Image Source: en.wikipedia.org/Andronicus_of_Pannonia ▼

​A WORD ABOUT SAINT ANDRONICUS*
Andronicus of Pannonia was a 1st-century Christian who had become a follower of Jesus Christ before Paul's Damascus road conversion. He and Junia were among the Seventy Apostles chosen and sent forth to preach by Christ (Luke 10:1). It is generally assumed that Junia was his wife, but they could have been brother and sister, or father and daughter, or no close relation to each other, but to Paul as kinsmen.

Andronicus was appointed bishop of Pannonia, but instead of staying in one place he preached all over Pannonia with Junia as his helper. By faith they converted many pagans to Christ, destroyed many idolatrous temples, drove out demons, worked miracles and healed every type of disease and illness. Both were martyred, and their relics were discovered on the outskirts of Constantinople together with the relics of other martyrs at the gate of Eugenius.

He was canonized in the 4th century during the early Christian period, and his contributions to spreading Christianity were significant in the early church history. The Catholic Archbishopirc of Moravia was originally established by Pope Nicholas I in the 9th century as a revival of the see founded by Andronicus.

TAKE AWAYS
● The average person must depend on the work of numerous scholars, linguists, and theologians who spend many years studying, translating, and interpreting the original text of the Bible. Today, the majority of these dedicated individuals believe that Junia was a female, that she was among the Seventy Apostles chosen and sent forth to preach by Christ (Luke 10:1), and suffered martyrdom for Christ.

● Whether Junia was a relative of Paul or not is, in my view, essentially irrelevant. Her contributions to the early Christian church are relevant and worthy of note.

● For anyone who takes exception to this belief, there are numerous, long and tedious analyses of the original written text which you can study yourself and come to your own conclusion. Ultimately, each of us choose to believe what we believe regardless of the evidence.

JUST SAYIN’
Sources:
Junia A Woman An Apostle by David Williams (Mar 5, 2014)
Junia: The First Woman Apostle by Eldon Jay Epp (Sep 22, 2005)
https://biblehub.com/q/was_junia_considered_an_apostle.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junia_(New_Testament_person)
https://www.faithward.org/women-of-the-bible-study-series/junia-the-hidden-apostle/
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/who-junia-in-the-bible.html#google_vignette
https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/junia-female-apostle-examination-historical-record/
https://juniaproject.com/who-was-junia/
https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/junia/
https://www.antiochpatriarchate.org/en/page/546/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andronicus_of_Pannonia
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Apostle_Junia
https://www.oca.org/saints/all-lives/2024/05/17
https://www.saintforaminute.com/saints/saint_andronicus
https://biblehub.com/q/was_junia_considered_an_apostle.htm
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-Chrysostom
https://www.gotquestions.org/apostleship.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Schenk
https://www.seminary.edu/center-for-women-in-leadership/junia-the-female-apostle-imprisoned-for-the-gospel/
https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/0201/10/09/102907-venerable-andronicus-and-his-wife-athanasia-of-egypt
https://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints?contentid=58
https://byzantinela.com/may-17-2025/


Other References
The Lost Apostle, Searching for the Truth about Junia By Rena Pederson
Junia: A Forgotten Apostle – Rediscovering Her Legacy in Early Christianity By Dr. Ferris W Corbett
Junia Arise: Apostolic Women On The Frontlines By Axel Sippach
end

​Mother’s Day is May 10 and I intended to write a simple update of my blog from a few years back about this special day. As I’ve said before, nothing is simple.

Searching the internet for some new inspiration on the topic of Mother’s Day, I found heart-felt but gushy praises (see quotes above) and, to my surprise, a plethora of articles about why people hate their mothers.  Oh, my!

MY CONFESSION
I confess I am guilty of writing of writing one of those gushy praises, to wit my blog from 2023:

“FIRST FRIEND, BEST FRIEND, FOREVER FRIEND
Mother’s Day is the special time of year set aside for celebrating a very special person: our best friend, our mentor, our personal advisor, the person who always has our backs. It is the time to remember that person and show our love to all the women our lives, be it mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend.”

While I now concede that “First Friend, Best Friend, Forever Friend” might be a tad unrealistic for many of us -- I loved my mother very much, but I can't say we were ever "best friends" -- I stick by my statement that all of us were born young and someone’s love guided us to become what we are today. Mother’s Day is a good opportunity to show our love to the women in our lives who have made a positive difference.

But I promised myself not to indulge in repeating all the gushy Happy Mother’s Day wishes.

WHY PEOPLE HATE THEIR MOTHERS
I always had a good relationship with my mother growing up and, as an adult, I don’t remember any of my teenage friends being particularly unhappy about their mothers, either. So it came as a surprise when I discovered how many people I knew claimed to hate their mothers and/or disliked being around them.

After sifting through the literature about the many reasons why people (primarily young people) hate, or at least think they hate, their mothers, it became apparent that most psychologists writing about the topic on the internet attribute the feeling to Betrayal Trauma.

According to www.verywellmind.com, “Your mother was once solely responsible for your vitality and responded to your every need. Therefore, we hold intense bonds with our mothers. That intensity often impedes our ability to view our mothers as humans, along with the flaws and damage that correspond with that. People usually harbor feelings of hatred towards their mothers when they believe they’ve been mistreated, neglected, or abused…Relationships with mothers are often complicated. Rarely are mothers ‘all-bad’ figures, and therein lies the problem.”

There are numerous reasons why someone might feel detached from their mother, even if there is no history of neglect, abuse, or toxicity in the relationship. However, the professional commentaries seem to boil down to the fact that, in most cases, the individual feels “betrayed” because the mother in question did not l live up to their expectations.

According www.msn.com, addressing unrealistic expectations placed on mothers, states that tradition and society, “still tend to increase the pressure on these mothers by promoting a vision of motherhood that is far from reality. Mothers are expected to be perfect, available, and fulfilled in all circumstances, both at work and at home. On top of that, we want them to smile all the time. However, these expectations are often unrealistic and guilt-inducing. In reality, no mother can tick all these boxes at once.” 
​
Scientific studies are finding that social media content present idealized portrayals of motherhood, which may be putting increased pressure on mothers and negatively affecting their mental health. www.sciencedirect.com

A few of the unrealistic expectations identified include but are not limited to:
● Presenting a polished and always-in-control image. A mother must always be smiling, perfectly coiffed, and fulfilled.

● Shedding immediately weight gained during pregnancy. The media and certain celebrities perpetuate the illusion that a postpartum body can become "perfect" again in just a few weeks. Demanding that a woman quickly regain herre-pregnancy appearance is not only unrealistic, but also dangerous to her health.

● Always being available for your children. The idea of a mother who is entirely devoted to her children and available every second of the day is no longer possible for mothers who work, manage a household, juggle schedules, and juggle a multitude of responsibilities.

● Always being patient and caring.
Mothers can no longer express the frustrations of daily living and caring for a family without fear of being judged. Today, the myth of the constantly caring mother creates additional pressure and makes those who crack, raise their voices, or show their limits feel guilty.

● Continuing to perform well at work as if nothing had changed.
● Provide homemade, balanced meals.
● Keeping the house spotless at all times.
● Managing the mental load of the family alone.
● Succeeding without ever asking for help.

● Staying attractive and available for your partner. Women's magazines and popular culture still perpetuate the idea that a woman must remain attractive, available, and perfectly fulfilled, even after the arrival of a child.
  
● Prioritizing academic success of children with a strict and demanding parenting style. Striving for success in both her child’s and her own life, mother are often pursuing unattainable perfection.

● Presenting their idealized rather than their actual selves on social media and to others. Apparent roles such as the caring mother, the strong and wealthy husband, or the diligent student serve as idealized performance presentations sanctioned by society. This phenomenon not only facilitates self-presentation but also contributes to identity construction, fostering both a desire and, an expectation among observers to adopt similar roles

Because these values are projected in everything children see and hear, their expectations may naturally reflect these influences. Mothers are human and imperfect like everyone else. They have good and bad qualities, and experience human emotions. An individual’s experience with their mother reflects both the magnitude of their flaws and also on our ability and capacity to accept their mistakes and faults.

The pressure to conform to societal -- and their children’s -- expectations can have a significant impact on a mother’s feelings of guilt, anxiety, and inadequacy. Mothers commonly identify themselves as falling short of the expectations and experience stress which leads to burnout, depression, and a sense of lost identity.
therelatabletherapist.com/societal-expectations-for-motherhood

I HOPE YOUR MOTHER LEFT FOOTPRINTS IN YOUR HEART
Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32nd US President), is often referred to as an iconic first lady who changed the rules and is the gold standard for the first ladies who follow.  She wrote a poem about friendship entitled “Footprints In Your Heart.”

Hopefully, your relationship with your mother was that kind of friendship, and you can say she left footprints in your heart.

Footprints In Your Heart
By Eleanor Roosevelt
Many people will walk in and out of your life,
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
To handle yourself, use your head;
To handle others, use your heart.
Anger is only one letter short of danger.
If someone betrays you once, it is his fault;
If he betrays you twice, it is your fault.
Great minds discuss ideas,
Average minds discuss events,
Small minds discuss people.
He who loses money, loses much;
He who loses a friend, loses much more;
He who loses faith, loses all.
Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
But beautiful old people are works of art.
Learn from the mistakes of others.
You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.
Friends, you and me.
You brought another friend,
And then there were three.
We started our group,
Our circle of friends,
And like that circle –
There is no beginning or end.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is mystery.
Today is a gift.
That’s why it’s called the present.


TAKE AWAY
Cut your mother some slack. Don’t expect her to be perfect! After all, you aren’t perfect either. Go out of your way to appreciate her on Mother’s Day.

JUST SAYIN’
Sources:
https://www.ambersperling.ca/blog/expectationsinmotherhood
https://mariasnajder.medium.com/why-the-good-mother-ideal-is-failing-moms-around-the-world-88d1617d7da3
https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2024-64667-001.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563222002394
https://therelatabletherapist.com/busting-out-of-societal-expectations-for-motherhood/to play.
AI Summary Yahoo.search.com
https://jamiededes.com/2017/02/18/footprints-in-your-heart-a-poem-by-eleanor-roosevelt/
https://thriveworks.com/blog/i-hate-my-parents/
https://www.reddit.com/r/TooAfraidToAsk/comments/1729v9f/why_do_people_hate_mothers_so_much_why_are_they/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6230657/
 

​​Lazy language occurs more often in verbal than in written communications. At least we can proof read written words if we care enough. Most people can’t unhear spoken words, even if further explanations or corrections follow. They make an impact.
​
Writers and authors are expected to be more careful with their use of language, and we owe it to our reading audience to make our best effort to choose the correct words and phrases. Getting them in the correct order is part of our creative process.
             Image Source: www.cartoonstock.com  

​Some of these can get picky. The whole purpose of this discussion is to avoid sounding (and being) ignorant. A lot of words fall into the category of improperly used words, but I’ve picked ones that I have seen recently in novels, and a few from my own earlier works.

Affect vs. Effect
“Affect” used as a  verb means to have an influence on something. For example: "The weather affected my mood."

"Affect” used as a noun refers to feeling or emotion.                       Image Source: www.cartoonstock.com 
For example, “Her face bore a dismal affect.”                                                               
 
"Effect” is most commonly used as a verb meaning to cause something (stronger verb than “affect,” which refers to merely having an influence on). Thus, you would “effect change,” and could be described as “effective.”

"Effect” used as a noun refers to the end result of the influence: "The weather had no effect on my mood."

"It’s A Doggy-Dog-World" vs. "It’s a Dog- Eat-Dog World"
Correct version: “It’s a dog-eat-dog world”.
The expression “A dog-eat-dog world” alludes to the kind of ruthless, red in tooth and claw world of wild animals. The implication of such a scenario is that either you destroy your competitors or they will destroy you.

"On Accident" vs. "By Accident"
The correct usage of the phrase "by accident" is when describing something that nobody saw coming. It was an unforeseen happenstance; a surprise. The phrase has been around for a long time. “On accident” has become popular in American colloquial speech, especially in regional dialects and informal conversations, during the 20th century.

"I Could Care Less" vs. "I Couldn’t Care Less"
Most people say they “could care less” in an attempt to show how little they care about an issue. Actually, saying you could care less implies that you not only care, but you care enough that you would have the ability to care less if you wanted to. If you don’t care at all “I couldn’t care less” is more accurate.

As I said before, some of these grammarians get very picky. The common usage seems clear enough.
​
"On Tender Hooks" vs. "On Tenter Hooks"

​Correct version: “On tenterhooks” which means “under stress or tension.
“Tenterhook” is an archaic word that isn’t used anymore outside of this expression.
A “tenter” is a wooden frame which was used in the past to dry cloth attached to the frame with hooks.
                                  Image Source: www.phrases.org.uk

"One in the Same" vs. "One and the Same"
Both phrases are idiomatic expressions used to suggest equivalence or identity.

“One and the same” is the phrase used to emphasize that two things are identical.
“One in the same” is incorrect, although commonly used, but should be avoided in writing.

​"Shoe-in” vs. “Shoo In"
“Shoo in” is the correct term. This was a new one to me, so I have probably been using the phrase incorrectly forever. The word “Shoo” is a verb that means “To usher in.”
"Shoo in” (as a noun) means a candidate who is very likely to win a contest or other competition.
“Shoo in” (as a adjective) describes such a candidate.

The phrase is a “shoo in” dates back to horse-racing days when you could urge — or shoo — something toward victory. Hyphenated, the word takes on a modified meaning. A “shoo-in” someone who is likely to be ushered into victory. writingexplained.org/shoo-in-or-shoe-in.

               Image Source: www.cnn.com/2025/band-of-holes                                            Image Source: www.usf.edu/news/mysterious-band-of-holes.aspx

According to Jacob Bongers of the University of Sydney, the high-resolution aerial images showed clear patterns in how the holes were organized. The rows appear segmented and mathematically structured — a layout that mirrors quipu, a knotted-string devices the Inca used for counting and recordkeeping.

Archeologists realized the slender, snake-like structure is made up of more than 60 sections separated by strips of land. The blocks contain varying numbers of rows and holes.

“There are these interesting mathematical patterns,” Bongers told New Scientist’s Chris Simms. “You have some [sections with] multiple rows of eight holes, and then you have other sections that have alternating counts. Eight holes, then seven, then eight and seven, then eight. It hints that there was some sort of intention behind it."
 www.smithsonianmag.com/

With a clearer understanding of what the site was used for, researchers have their work cut out for them and plan to build on the work by studying the types and origins of plants found in the holes — including those with potential medicinal properties. There is much more work to be done to fully understand the implications of the “Band of Holes."
www.usf.edu/2025/band-of-holes.aspx

Note:
“A quipu usually consists of cotton or camelid fiber cords, and contains categorized information based on dimensions like color, order and number. The Inca, in particular, used knots tied in a decimal positional system to store numbers and other values in quipu cords. Depending on its use and the amount of information it stored, a given quipu may have anywhere from a few to several thousand cords.”  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quipu

JUST SAYIN’
Sources:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thousands-of-mysterious-holes-dot-the-landscape-in-peru-archaeologists-say-they-may-finally-know-why-180987681/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/nazca-lines
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2025/11/iconic-andean-monument-may-have-been-used-for-indigenous-accounting
https://vimeo.com/1138603829
https://thecoloradodaily.com/science/new-study-reveals-monte-sierpe-as-indigenous-accounting-tool/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_of_Holes
https://montanainsider.com/science/new-findings-suggest-monte-sierpe-was-indigenous-accounting-hub/
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/01/12/the-unexplained-band-of-holes-in-pisco-valley-peru/
https://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Pisco/forecasts/latest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quipu
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/there-are-thousands-of-aligned-holes-in-peru-archaeologists-now-think-they-know-who-made-them/ar-AA1QT9Jl?cvid=3a7ef41d0bc2451488db40a8cf8dcc51&ei=10
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/5-200-peruvian-mystery-holes-under-investigation-after-scientists-crack-600-year-old-code/ar-AA1QFd4c
https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/new-interpretation-of-monte-sierpe-indigenous-accounting-system
https://www.usf.edu/news/2025/new-study-suggests-accounting-not-aliens-explains-perus-mysterious-band-of-holes.aspx
​Inca mythology - Wikipedia
Gods, demons and beasts from the Andes
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/indigenous-accounting-and-exchange-at-monte-sierpe-band-of-holes-in-the-pisco-valley-peru/41D83389D230D99CFF18194CF274A9A3
 
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