BRACHIOSAURUS: Ask Questions

One of the best known Dinosaurs is Brachiosaurus, who was featured in the move, “Jurassic Park,” (Spielberg, 1993). This giraffe-like Dinosaur blew snot out of his nasal opening in the middle of his forehead, onto the people below. Small wonder since Brachiosaurus belonged to the Family of Dinosaurs called Macronaria, who are noted for their long necks and big noses.

            However, the movie got the function of this opening wrong. The big hole on the forehead of Brachiosaurus was probably not used for blowing snot out. The nasal opening at the end of his snout was for that. The hole in his forehead had other uses: what they were are hotly debated by modern paleontologists. The earliest naturalists believed that it acted as a snorkel since they thought that Brachiosaurus lived underwater. When that theory was proven false, then the scientists said that the forehead cavity was for breathing and blowing out snot. When that hypothesis was questioned, some paleontologists then reasoned that the tissue in the opening was a thermostat to regulate heat. Others think that perhaps it was used as a sound sac. More than likely, his forehead opening probably had multiple uses.

            Discovered in Colorado in 1900, Brachiosaurus (which means “arm reptile”) was named by Elmer Riggs, a noted paleontologist, three years later. In examining the fossil bones, he noted that they resembled a modern giraffe’s skeleton. In fact, this Dinosaur is known for having the longest front legs of any animal. (They were higher than his rear legs.) With his steeply sloping back and long neck, Brachiosaurus did resemble a giraffe. Since He was the first of his type of Dinosaur to be discovered, other similar fossils were usually classified with Him, which led to some confusion. For example, Giraffatitan, found in Tanzania, by Werner Janensch in 1906, has been the object of intense debate. Are Giraffatitan and Brachiosaurus, the same or different species? Adding to this debate is that much of what people know about Brachiosaurus comes from studying Giraffatitan.

            In reconstructing his life, paleontologists think that Brachiosaurus did live like a giraffe. With his immense height and long neck, He could graze the tops of trees. To pump blood so high up to his head, Brachiosaurus probably had the same circulatory system as Giraffe. Unlike Giraffe though, Brachiosaurus had a sharp claw on the inner toe on each of his feet. With it, he could uproot plants for eating.

            Seeing beyond the obvious is what Brachiosaurus teaches. The big hole on his forehead first encouraged people to imagine Him snorkeling under the water. Later they believed He blew snot out of it. Today, scientists are not really sure what all of its uses are. Brachiosaurus encourages people not to assume the obvious, but to investigate and ask questions. Remember that just because He is tall, does not mean that Brachiosaurus plays basketball.

RED-EARED SLIDER: Sociability

Unique among North American turtles, Red-Eared Slider has red patches by his ears, which gives Him a distinctive look. Preferring a quiet pond with a muddy bottom, Red-Eared Slider spends hours basking on a log with his Friends. They climb on top of each other in stacks of three or four. When one of Them senses trouble, They all slide into the water with a graceful plop. Red-Eared Slider’s name comes from his ability to quickly retreat by sliding off his log. Although He has poor hearing, Red-Eared Slider is sensitive to vibrations, and knows when someone is sneaking up on Him and his Friends.

Red-Eared Slider dislikes wandering far from his home. He sleeps at night resting on the bottom of his pond or floating on the surface. During the winter, He hibernates in the mud of his pond. The only time, Red-Eared Slider leaves his pond is to find a mate.

Because of his extroverted personality and hardy nature, Red-Eared Slider has been exploited heavily for the pet trade. Since many people could not care for Him, they released Him to the wild, wherever they lived. Originally from midwestern United States, Red-Eared Slider now can be found in Bahrain, France, Guam, Singapore, South Africa, and the U.K.

Most people prefer to see Red-Eared Slider at his pond, home in North America. Watching a stack of Sliders sunning Themselves on a warm spring day is a joy to see. Hearing Them go ‘plop, plop, plop’ in the water is a musical sound. A pond without Red-Eared Slider is no pond at all, only a small body of water.

Many Turtles prefer being solitary, but not Red-Eared Slider. He delights in the company of his Friends. He suns Himself on a log with a few of his Friends. Red-Eared Slider teaches how to be sociable.
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Female Red-Eared Sliders are larger than males, while the males have long claws to stroke the female’s face during courtship.

Conservation Note: Because people have released Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) into the wild in France, it is now illegal to sell or import them in that country. Red-Eared Sliders are also a problem in the U.K. since they compete with the native species.

Myth of Romulus and Remus for modern people

The founding myth of the City of Rome centers on the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. This myth encompasses the circumstances of their birth, their coming of age, and the death of Remus by his brother. What makes this myth remarkable, for me, is that this is essentially the creation myth for ancient Romans. The myths of Romans usually focused on civic ethics or piety toward the Gods. (Any myth that detailed the creation of the world was usually adapted from the Greeks.) This founding myth presents the belief of the Romans that they were called to a greater destiny in the world. However, they were unsparing in highlighting that Romulus murdered his brother or that the original Romans were criminals.

 The elements of this myth are twins with a divine parentage: in their case, Mars, the God of War. Their royal grandfather is overthrown, and their mother is made a Vestal Virgin. The twins are sent out to be killed by their great uncle, but are saved through magical intervention. A wolf rescues them and nurses them until they are found. A childless couple, Faustulus and his wife adopts the twins and raise them as shepherds. When the brothers are grown, they get into trouble with the king’s men. When they were taken before their great uncle, who happens to be the king, Romulus kills him, and reinstates their grandfather and frees their mother. Afterwards, the brothers leave to find their own fortune. Along the way, they argue over where to establish their new city. Goaded into fury by Remus, Romulus kills his brother. Filled with remorse, he buries Remus with great pomp, and then founds The City of Rome.

 Because of my brain injury, writing fiction is difficult. Imagining characters and constructing a plot is hard. However, I can read fiction, and my favorite genre is crime noir. I decided to rewrite the myth of Romulus and Remus in that form. Comparing this Roman myth to pulp fiction, it sounds like something from the stories of American organized crime. Keeping the original Roman names, I rewrote the myth as crime noir.

 In the City of Alba Longa, the Numitor Crime Family ruled the criminal underworld. The head of the Family, Don Numitor was so powerful that he had a seat on the National Commission, which ruled the criminal underworld of the nation. The head of the Commission (the Boss of Bosses) was Don Maroni (Mars, the God of War). In addition, Don Maroni was interested in Rhea Silvia, Don Numitor’s daughter.

 Meanwhile, Amulius seized control of the Family from his unsuspecting brother. After his coup,

Amulius confined Numitor to his home, and forced his niece into a convent. To ensure that Rhea Silvia remained at the convent, Don Amulius bribed the Mother Superior.

 After Don Maroni found out where Rhea Silvia was, he also bribed the Mother Superior to ensure that his visits were unimpeded. In a few months, Rhea Silva became pregnant. Therefore the Mother Superior asked Don Amulius to come and fetch his niece. After he arrives, she informs him that the father of his niece’s children is none other than Don Maroni. Not willing to offend the Boss of Bosses, Don Amulius imprisons her with her father in their house.

 However, Don Amulius regarded her children to be a different matter. He would tell Don Maroni, that the two boys died at birth. Meanwhile, he ordered one of his men to “take care” of them. The goon dumped the twins into the Tiber River. They floated downstream until a stray dog paddled out and pulled them to land. Since she had lost her puppies, the mangy dog nursed the boys as her own. Then, a passing farmer heard their cries, rescued them, and took the babies to his farm. Faustulus and his wife, Acca Larentia, raised Romulus and Remus as their own sons.

 Like many young men, Romulus and Remus longed to leave the farm and go into the city. During a trip to Alba Longa, Romulus and Remus got into trouble. Don Amulius’ men dragged them to the “Padrino,” Don Amulius, since Remus had killed their Capo (Crew Boss). However, Romulus escaped, and formed a gang of toughs to storm Don Amulius’ office to rescue his brother. In the melee that followed, he killed Don Amulius.

 The Underboss of the Amulius Family recognized the two brothers as the children of Rhea Silva and Don Maroni. Because of this, he offered them the position of Don of the Family. But, Romulus decided that his grandfather be reinstated instead, and their mother freed. After reuniting with their mother, and learning who their father was, Romulus and Remus set out to start their own crime family, in another city.

 Empowered by being the sons of Don Maroni, the two brothers gathered an impressive group of criminals. As they searched for a suitable city, Romulus and Remus fought with each other. Arriving at a likely town, their arguing became more intense about who would be boss of the new crime family. After Romulus claimed that he received a sign from their father, he decided that this small town is the place to start their Family. Moreover, he announced that he would be the Don. Chagrined at being ignored by his brother, Remus taunted him for being so stupid to set up “business” in such a small town. Enraged, Romulus killed him. After ruing the murder of his brother, Romulus gave Remus a magnificent funeral. Then, he became Don Romulus, the head of the Rome Family, his new crime organization.

Works used.
 Garcia, Brittany, “Romulus and Remus.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. 4 October 2013. Web. http://www.ancient.eu/Romulus_and_Remus/.
“Roman Mythology,” Myths Encyclopedia. 2015. Web. http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Pr-Sa/Roman-Mythology.html.
 “Roman Mythology,” United Nations of Roma Victrix History. 2015. Web. http://www.unrv.com/culture/mythology.php.
 Watson, Donald, “Roman Mythology.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. 10 December 2014. Web. http://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Mythology/.

DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN Second Chances

Photo by Willem M. Roosenburg, Ph.D., Ohio University.

Diamondback Terrapin gets His name from the diamond-shaped patterns on his carapace (upper shell). This freshwater Turtle lives in brackish water along the Atlantic coast of the United States.

Unlike Marine Turtle, Diamondback Terrapin cannot drink seawater because his body cannot excrete salt. However if the Turtle stays only in fresh water, He will develop a skin fungus.

Diamondback Terrapin spends most of the day in the water, floating on his back (carapace down). The Turtle keeps his body steady with his powerful hind legs. At night, the Terrapin buries Himself in the mud for warmth.

Relentlessly hunted for His meat, Diamondback Terrapin was brought to near extinction in the early 20th Century. What saved the Turtle was the American Prohibition on alcohol during the 1920s, because alcohol is needed in cooking the turtle meat. At the same time, U.S. federal and state laws were passed to save the Turtle. Today, Diamondback Terrapin has recovered in numbers, although He will never be as numerous, as He once was.

Diamondback Terrapin teaches about having a second chance. Once you get another chance, take it and do all that you can with it. With His second chance, Diamondback Terrapin came back from near-extinction.

Diamondback Turtle’s Wisdom includes:

Sociability

Wariness

Gentleness

Mild-Manneredness

Living “Betwixt and Between”

Not Giving Up

 

For more information on this amazing turtle: Maryland State Reptile

FRESHWATER AND SEMI-AQUATIC TURTLES: Hidden Surprises in Common Things

 EMYDIDAE SUB-FAMILY: FRESHWATER AND SEMI-AQUATIC TURTLES

The most successful of all Turtle Sub-Families are Emydids. This Sub-Family is split into two groups – Emydinae that includes pond turtles, sliders, map turtles, and terrapins, and Batagurinae that includes leaf, box, and wood turtles. Although Emydids live on all the continents except Australia and Antarctica, most of Them can be found in the Northern Hemisphere.

Emydids are a group of homogeneous Turtles with moderately flattened shells. The plastrons (bottom half) of their shells are large and sometimes hinged. They can close their shells completely. However their main characteristic is their short necks. In addition, Emydids are surprisingly hardy and long-lived, with an average lifespan of forty years.

Largely freshwater and semi-terrestrial turtles, Emydids usually spend their time between land and water. They prefer living near marshes, rivers, and lakes. Although Emydids are considered to be water turtles, Box Turtle, who lives mainly on land, is included in their number.

One thing that makes Emydids extraordinary is how well They thrive in spite of having so many enemies. Their nests are raided by various Mammals. Snakes and Shore Birds eat Juvenile Emydids. Alligators and people eat the Adults. Somehow Emydids survived through it all, and still remain prolific throughout the world. They are so prevalent that when people think “turtle”, they usually picture a typical Emydid.

Most Emydids have a subtle characteristic that identifies Them. Red-Eared Sliders have red patches by each ear. Diamondback Terrapins have a diamond pattern on their shells. Spotted Turtles have spots on their shells. Emydids also have distinctive personalities. Wood Turtles are extroverted while mild-mannered Spotted Turtles are shy.

The ordinariness of Emydids hides many surprises. Box Turtles usually live longer than a century. Map Turtles have intricate patterns of yellow on their shells that resemble maps. Look carefully at ordinary things and you will find hidden surprises.

Take time to read what individual Emydid teachers have to teach.

MATAMATA: Stealth and Craftiness

The most unusual Turtle in the world is Matamata, who lives in the Amazon and Orinoco River Systems of South America. Instead of looking like a typical Turtle, He resembles a pile of debris. When a Fish nibbles on the fibrous parts of Matamata’s head, He springs into action. Expanding his huge mouth, He vacuums up the unfortunate Fish. Expelling the excess water, Matamata then swallows Fish whole.

Having a sedentary but predatory way of life on muddy river bottoms is reflected in his unusual features. Matamata has a snorkel for a nose and leaf-like skin flaps covering his head and neck. His powerful back supports his neck to enable Him to vacuum up his prey. (Matamata belongs to the Side- Necked Turtle Family (Pleurodira).) With his sixth sense, He detects water vibrations. Living at the bottom of dark waterways, Matamata never basks in the sun like other Turtles.

In their various languages, the Amazon Indians refer to Matamata as “I Kill”. Blending with his surroundings, Matamata waits for an unsuspecting Fish to swim by. He remains still as Fish snacks on his head. Suddenly without notice, He will suck the surprised Fish up into his mouth. In other times, Matamata will herd Fish into a pen. A poor swimmer, He walks along the bottom of the muddy water herding the Fish. When He finally corners the Fish, Matamata vacuums Them up.

Matamata uses stealth and cunning to catch Fish. Looking like a pile of leaves, He deceives a Fish into thinking He is a tasty snack. Matamata quietly waits for the unwary Fish to start nibbling. Springing to life, He sucks the stunned Fish into his mouth. Learn how to be crafty from Matamata.

COMMON SNAKE-NECKED TURTLE! LONG-NECKED TURTLE: Being Flexible

Common Snake-Necked Turtle is another “unique” animal from Australia (“Down Under”). Known in Australia as “Long-Necked Turtle”, She can extend her head and neck longer than the length of her shell. Resting at the bottom of a pond, Common Snake-Necked Turtle stretches her long neck and pokes her head above the water’s surface. She searches for a meal this way.

Exclusively a meat eater, Common Snake-Necked Turtle hunts in slow-moving water. During the day, She actively hunts for Frogs and Crayfish (known in Australia as Yabbies). Set unusually far forward, her eyes give Her accurate vision for hunting. Spying a fat Frog, Common Snake-Necked Turtle swims up to Him. While drawing her long neck back into an S-shape, She springs forward. Halting alongside Frog, She opens her mouth wide causing water and Frog to flow inside.

Australians also call Common Snake-Necked Turtle “Stinker”. When caught, She sprays stink fluid as far as three feet (one meter) at her captor. Ever resourceful, Common Snake-Naked Turtle uses her “stink” to defend Herself.

When Common Snake-Necked Turtle decides to move, She will ramble with her Friends over dry land looking for water. When She sights a pond, She heads straight for it. Not fussy, Common Snake-Necked Turtle will live in new man-made ponds.

Common Snake-Necked Turtle teaches flexibility. Not only does She have a flexible body, she also has a flexible life. She rambles from pond to pond. She will even defend Herself by spraying stink (uncommon for a Turtle). Learn how to be flexible with your body and your life from Common Snake-Necked Turtle.

SIDE-NECKED TURTLE FAMILY: Thinking Unconventionally

Present-day Turtles are divided into two groups: Hidden-Necked Turtles (Cryptodira to which most Turtles belong) and Side-Necked Turtles (Pleurodria). Many people are not familiar with Side-Necked Turtles since They live in the Southern Hemisphere. The Side-Necked Turtle Family is further divided into two groups–River Turtles of South America and Australia-New Guinea and Mud Turtles of Africa. Members of Side-Necked Turtle Family are either aquatic or semi-aquatic.

Their name “Side-Necked” comes from the way that these Turtles retract their necks. Side-Necked Turtles fold their heads in sideways so that their nose points either to the left or to the right. Their necks lie sideways in their shells in a groove between their carapaces and plastrons (upper and lower shells). When threatened, Side-Necked Turtles can only protect Themselves by pushing their heads further into their shoulders, thus leaving one side of the neck and head exposed.

Side-Necked Turtles developed their method of neck retraction at the same time as Hidden-Necked Turtles did. The two groups of Turtles came up with different solutions to the problem of protecting Themselves. Hidden-Necked Turtles can withdraw their necks completely into their shells. Although Side-Necked Turtles’ solution is more conservative than the Hidden-Necked Turtles’, They are thriving on their continents. Moreover, Side-Necked Turtles are now known for their distinctiveness.

Side-Necked Turtles teach how to think unconventionally. They show that you can come up with different solutions for the same problem. Just remember to expand your imagination to include the cons of a solution as well as the pros.

Babylonian Creation Myth retold for Modern Times: The Mobsters (1991) (part 2 of 2)

Meyer Lansky (Patrick Dempsey)

Caught between the two bosses fighting for supremacy, Luciano decides that the old way of doing things has to end. Spurred into action when Rothstein is murdered, Luciano plots to kill both bosses, and then set up his new system of governing the criminal underworld. As part of his plan, he convinces Faranzano to let Masseria think that he won their war. After assuring Masseria of his “ultimate victory,” Luciano runs afoul of Faranzano, who scars and almost kills him. Still mindful of his ultimate goal, Luciano murders Masseria and returns to Faranzano.

 Watching Faranzano divide the underworld of New York City into the Five Families, Luciano sees how he can organize the other mobsters effectively into a collective group. After Faranzano declares himself “Boss of Bosses” (Capo di tutti capi), Luciano decides that the wars over who is to be the next boss has to end. Faranzano knows this and sends Mad Dog Coll (Irish) to murder him, only to have Luciano kill him instead.

 After confronting Faranzano, Luciano drops him to the pavement below, killing him. The scene of Luciano holding Faranzano’s body outside a window of a tall building is reminiscent of Marduk using the two halves of Tiamat’s body to form the heavens and the earth. In this scene, Luciano acts as Marduk in recreating his world.

 The final scene has Luciano meeting with the crime bosses from all over the United States. He explains that the underworld will be run nationally by a commission of bosses. The head of the new Commission would be selected by the bosses. Of course, they choose Luciano, who, like Marduk, establishes a new order with himself as the boss.

 Though two seemingly dissimilar stories, “Mobsters” and the Babylonian Creation Epic echo each other. Although Luciano and the formation of the National Commission are history, the movie reimagines their story in mythic terms. The result is the retelling of the "Enuma Ellish" for modern audiences.

 Works Used.

“Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses.” U.K. Higher Education Project. 2011. Web. http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/index.html .

Capeci, Jerry, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Mafia, 2nd edition.” Alpha: New York. 2004. Print.

 Cawthorne, Nigel, “Mafia: The History of the Mob.” Arcturus: London. 2012. Print.

 Cicero, Sandra, “A Guide to the Babylonian Tarot.” Llewellyn: Woodbury, MN, 2006. Print.

 Cipollini, Christian, “Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend.” Strategic Media: Rock Hill, SC. 2014. Print.

 “Mobsters.” Kabankoff, Michael, Dr. Perf. Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Richard Grieco, Costas Mandylor. Universal Studios. 1991 Movie. DVD..

 Siren, Christopher, “The Assyro-Babylonian Mythology FAQ.” 2003. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/assyrbabyl-faq.html .

“Sumerian Mythology FAQ.” 2000. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/sumer-faq.html.

 Smitha, Frank, “Civilization in Mesopotamia.” Macrohistory and World Time Line. 2014. Web. http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htm .

Babylonian Creation Myth retold for Modern Times: The Mobsters (1991) (part 1 of 2)

Rothstein (F. Murray Abraham) and Luciano (Christian Slater)

In the Babylonian Creation Myth (Enuma Ellish), the world is first created by the two original Gods – Apsu of the Sweet Water and Tiamat of the Salt Water. These Gods mingled their waters and gave birth to the next generation of Gods. Chaffing under the rule of Apsu and Tiamat, these “New” Gods decide kill Them. After the murder of Apsu, her mate, Tiamat wages war against Them. In desperation, the leaders of the “New” Gods, Anu, Enlil, and Enki seek out Marduk, the principal God of the Babylonians for his help. He, only, agrees to fight Tiamat, if They will make Him their ruler. Then after defeating Tiamat, Marduk remakes the world from her body, and assumes leadership over all the Gods.

 The Babylonians recited this myth every New Year, reminding themselves of their place in the universe. The subtext of the creation myth is that other peoples (including the Sumerians) ruled Mesopotamia before the coming of the Babylonians. After constant warfare by the others, the Babylonians came to establish law and order in the region. Mesopotamia was then recreated into a Babylonian construct.

 The movie, “Mobsters” (Michael Kabankoff, 1991), tells a similar story. Obviously, it is about the rise of Charles (Lucky) Luciano from a poor Sicilian immigrant to the boss of the new National Commission of the American mob. Although the film purports to depict an historical person and his deeds, the director and writer instead chose to only highlight certain elements of his life, and omit others. Moreover, they also added fictional elements to highlight their plot points. The result was a mythic retelling of Luciano as Marduk.

 At first glance, the pairing of the activities of American mobsters in the 1920s to the Creation Epic of the Babylonians seems absurd. However, there are subtle similarities such as two original bosses ruling the criminal underworld of New York City. Furthermore, the subtext of both are the same – the overthrow of the old order, a period of disarray, and finally the establishment of the new order. The original world that Luciano inhabits is ruled by two Sicilian bosses – Joe Masseria and Salavatore Faranzano. Like Tiamat and Apsu, these two bosses spawn other bosses, who chafe under their rule. Fearing usurpation, Masseria and Faranzano kill off the others first. The war between the two finally ends when Luciano kills them both, and recreates the Mob as his own construct.

 In both stories, ethnicity is stressed since new groups of peoples are moving in to replace the original groups. This is implied in the Babylonian epic with the Gods of the Sumerians becoming ruled by the Gods of the Babylonians. In Luciano’s world, Arnold Rothstein, who is Jewish, is the middle generation of bosses. Like Anu, Rothstein takes the next generation under his wing. He grooms the mixed ethnic group of Luciano, Frank Costello (Sicilian), Meyer Lansky (Russian Jew), and Bugsy Siegel (Ukrainian Jew) to be the future bosses.

SLOTH BEAR: Expand Your Perceptions

Known as the “Unbearlike” Bear, Sloth Bear defies most people’s ideas about Bears. Because of her slow gait and ability to live in trees, Sloth Bear was classified with Sloths. Adding to her slothlike characteristics, She also specializes in eating Termites and Ants. Because She lives in the tropics, Sloth Bear does not hibernate like other Bears.

However, Sloth Bear is from the oldest lineage of True Bears. She diverged from the main lineage of Bears about 6 million years ago. Scientists think that glaciers blocked her passage out of India. In her migration north, Sloth Bear was stopped at the foothills of the Himalayas.

Sloth Bear adapted to life in the Tropics by eating fruits and Insects.  By dragging her long front claws, She digs into Termite mounds. When Termites rush outside, Sloth Bear vacuums Them up, with her large mobile lips. In addition, her vacuuming is made easier by the lack of upper incisors in her jaw.

Sloth Bear lives a rich life. Spending time with Her Friends, She howls, roars, squeals, yelps, rattles, and gurgles with Them. Even when She suns Herself in a tree, Sloth Bear buzzes and hums. When She is out and about with Her Family, Sloth Bear Cub rides on Mother’s back. Father Sloth Bear travels with Them as well.

Sloth Bear changes people’s perceptions of Bears. In fact, She asks them to expand their notions of life. Regardless of what people think, Sloth Bear is all Bear, even when She is buzzing in her tree.

POLAR BEAR: Power of the Primeval

The largest carnivore on land, huge Polar Bear is well suited for life on the icy tundra. Strong and active, She has better eyesight than most Bears. The soles of her feet are covered with fur to give Her stability on the slippery ice. Polar Bear’s thick white coat traps warm insulating air, and also acts as a solar collector to keep Her warm. In addition, Polar Bear can stand high on her hind legs to scan the Arctic landscape.

Called “Ursus maritimus”, Polar Bear swims the seas like a seal. A fast swimmer, She uses her forepaws as flippers. Swimming from ice floe to ice floe, Polar Bear roams the frozen seas of the Arctic Nations, hunting from Russia to Greenland.

Feeding mainly on Seals, Polar Bear uses guile to hunt Them. She will pretend to be an ice chunk that just happens to drift by Bearded Seal. Not suspecting anything, Bearded Seal will surface next to the “ice chunk”.   Springing into action, Polar Bear lunges and kills Him in a single, powerful bite.

Polar Bear lives in a two-dimension world for sight in the Arctic and one-dimensional one during the long dark winters. For these reasons, She relies greatly on her sense of smell. Because the air is always moving, Polar Bear can smell the molecules of anything distances away.

Among the Inuit and Inupat, Polar Bear is a teacher. Since She showed them how to survive, they call Her “Person inside a bear hide”. With great reverence, they hunt Her, and also respectfully use her corpse.

Face to face with Polar Bear, a person feels her raw, wild power. Living in civilized places, most people rarely experience such power in its fullness. An encounter with Polar Bear is to come face to face with the primeval sense of life. Respect that power, and learn how to survive in your own Arctic wilderness.

Polar Bear’s Teachings Also Include:
“We are alone standing here. The only movement is the wind, our constant companion. And it comes, the sudden ghost-like appearance of the white bear moving silently, steadily across the gravel and ice-covered landscape.”   Copyright: “Bears of the World”, Terry Domico.

AMERICAN BLACK BEAR: Expect the Unexpected

The least aggressive of all Bears, Black Bear (Ursus americanus) is also the most prosperous. Having wide-ranging tastes in food, He can thrive in any type of forest. In fact, Black Bear spends much of his year browsing on twigs, buds, and berries. He rounds out his meals with Grubs and Worms. In the fall, however, Black Bear switches to nuts and roots. By feeding on plants and small animals, He is freed from having to hunt Big Game all the time to survive.

Unlike other Bears of the world, Black Bear has expanded his range in modern times. Before the last Ice Age, He migrated from Asia and discovered that the New World was already populated with fierce predators. Black Bear learned to survive by climbing trees and eating fruits. Throughout the years, his intelligence has served Him well. Today, Black Bear can get food from people’s cars. He simply climbs on the roof, and jumps up and down until the roof collapses. The doors pop open, and dinner is served.

Wherever Black Bear lives, He is the keystone species of the region. Because He forages here and there, Black Bear disperses plant seeds throughout the forest. By hunting browsing animals, Black Bear prevents the forest from being overrun. Not only that, He, also, eats large numbers of Colonial Insects.

What Black Bear teaches people is to expect the unexpected. Hungry, He mugs people’s cars for food. A carnivore, Black Bear spends most of his time eating fruits and nuts. Just when people have Him figured out, He does the unexpected by hunting a deer instead of eating berries.

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Conservation Note: The hunting of American Black Bear is regulated in the United States.

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Picture of "Black Bear" by Mary Ann Sterling

Bear Family: Speaking Truth to Power

The most recently evolved of the Carnivores, Bears appeared on earth about 20 million years ago. They now contain the largest meat eaters on land. Despite their heavy bones and massive skulls, Bears are fast sprinters, able to keep pace with Horse. In addition, many Bears are good tree climbers, foraging for fruit and nuts. Lifting large boulders, They eat Insects, that live under the rocks. Swimming for long distances in the cold Arctic Seas, Polar Bears hunt Seals. In their pursuit of food, Bears are quite resourceful.

Throughout history, people’s lives have intertwined with Bears’ lives. These Predators stand up, eat the same foods, and protect their children, much like people do. Because of these similarities, people feel a kinship with Bears. Humans and Bears have been wary, respectful, and tolerant of each other. However, contact with the other usually ended in disaster for both people and Bears.

Bears are one of the oldest recorded totemic beings. For many peoples, Bears offer their nurturing, protection, and wisdom. Ancient legends tell of people sharing caves with Bears. (People were contemporaries of Cave bears (Ursus speleus) in Eurasia.) Early people often sought permission from the elders and from the Bears, before hunting a Bear. In addition, special ceremonies were often held to ensure the Bear’s Spirit were at peace, after the killing.

Various peoples have traditions of Bears as intimate members of their cultures. Among Native Americans, Bear, “the animal that walks like a man”, would care for lost children and raise them. Among the Basque and Siberian peoples, if a person was killed by Bear then they came back as a Bear. Arcadians of the Mediterranean Basin claim that they are descended from Bears, as well.

Bears urge people to speak truth to power. In the face of power, truth is their best ally and weapon. Knowledge of Bears has helped people to avoid being killed. In addition, this powerful Animal appears in people’s dreams offering individual truths. Bears go into the dark regions where people fear to go, and speak truth to power for them.

 Bear Family’s Teachings Include:
“This innate visceral fear of bears lives somewhere inside all of us. Stone Age man still hunkers in the cave of our emotions and his survival is still threatened by predators. This Stone Age fear will always exist but we can control it with understanding. To make it easier to coexist with bears, because without them our lives will be greatly diminished.” Copyright: “Bears of the World”, Lance Craighead.

“Bear has two sides to his personality. On one hand he is curious, cheerful, good-natured, and deliberate. On the other hand, he is quick to anger, because he is sure of his own power, and will defend his family to the death. Bear’s only enemies are man and forest fires.” Copyright, “Alaska Bear Tales”, Larry Kanuit.
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Note: Because of DNA evidence, Giant Pandas are grouped with Bears, while Red Pandas are classified with Raccoons.

Conservation Note: Bears are endangered, and are protected by laws worldwide.

Time and Babylon (1 of 2)

In Mesopotamia, a region long settled by other peoples, the Babylonians had to establish their dominance. By adopting various myths from the Sumerians, and then amending them, they created a sense of the long view of time. Into this invention of time stretching into the infinite past, the Babylonians inserted themselves, thereby breaking the timeline into two parts: before and after their arrival. They grafted the legacy of the Sumerians to themselves. Moreover, possessing a concrete sense of time, the Babylonians then subdivided it in a number of ways, each division of time serving a religious or imperial need. They bifurcated time into two distinct parts – one: circular and repeating, the other: an arrow into the future. These two splits of time complemented each other in the Babylonian mind.

 Every New Year which began at the Spring Equinox, the Creation Myth (Enuma Elish) was read. This myth begins with the original creation of the world by Tiamat, the God of Chaos, and Apsu, the God of Waters. Later Enlil, a God from the succeeding generation becomes the “Father of the Gods.” Eventually, He cedes his powers to Anu, from yet a newer generation of Gods, who seeks to overthrow the original Gods. After Apsu is killed, Tiamat wages war on the newer Gods. In desperation, Enlil goes to Marduk, the principal deity of Babylon, for help. On condition that He is made the Ruler of the Gods, Marduk agrees. After killing Tiamat, Marduk remakes the world from her body.

This creation story cements Babylon’s place in Mesopotamian history. After ages of rule by other peoples and their Gods, Mesopotamia is then recreated by the Babylonians. Generations of Gods follow each other ending with Marduk. Thus, Babylon becomes the terminus point for the timeless past, and the future that is now Babylon. The ritual of reading the Creation Myth every New Year was the intersection of circle with arrow time, and also the combination of both.

 In its various forms, the Gilgamesh Epic highlights the nexus of time and immortality. Within this epic is the story of a Great Deluge. Like the Creation Story, the time in the Great Flood is broken into two halves, the world before Babylon and after. According to this myth, the list of Kings before the Flood numbered ten. After the Flood, the Kings reigned from the City of Kish (in Sumer), with reigns consisting of 300 years to 1,200 years. In this story, comes a sense of a long past, a rupture, and then the start of a new age. Because Kish had great symbolic significance, the myth allows Babylon to become the heir to the ancient civilization of Sumer. The story gives to the people of Babylonia, the sense of a great destiny. Babylon is the New World remade from the older world. Once more, time in Babylonian perception was broken, and then welded together again.

 The Gilgamesh Epic, itself, focuses on the questions of death and immortality. After his friend, Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh comes to dislike death. Resolving to end death for all, he searches for the key of immortality. During his adventures, various Gods tell him to enjoy life and accept death gracefully. Through a series of mishaps, Gilgamesh is denied immortality for himself and his people. However, he realizes that his city will exist long after his death. His immortality would come from his legacy, which is his city. Babylonians saw this in terms of themselves as the legacy of Sumer. Again it was presented as endless time that was disrupted.

Time and Babylon (2 of 2)

 In Babylon, the year was divided into two halves – summer and winter, in explicit circle time. In the myth of Ishtar’s Descent Into the Underworld, winter comes about when Ishtar sends her husband Tammuz to take her place in the Land of the Dead. In desperation, Tammuz then seeks help from his sister, Gestinana. After much negotiation with the Gods of the Underworld, both siblings decide to take each other’s place for six months at a time.

Ishtar’s husband, Tammuz was the God of Crops and Flocks. The Babylonians saw Him as the life blood of the land and the sheep. When He went into the Underworld, winter came. At that time his sister, Gestinana reemerged, and presided over the autumn harvest and wine making. She became the Goddess of Wine and Grapes.

 At the Spring Equinox, the Babylonians started their New Year. To commemorate this, the King would enact a sacred marriage with the temple priestess of Ishtar. Their mating was to reaffirm the marriage of Ishtar, the Goddess of Fertility, with her husband, Tammuz. These marriage rites was to ensure that the King was accepted as one of the Gods, and blessed by Ishtar, who also blessed the crops. This was circle time, repeated every year at the same day.

 In contrast, the Fall Harvest was the beginning of the Royal Year. At this time, the King offered First Fruits for the blessings of the Gods for him and his city. Afterwards, he would begin a project such as building a temple. Counting regnal years in Babylon started with the harvest, and was often named for the King’s latest project. The passage of time was demarked by the reigns of kings and their deeds. Again the Babylonian sense of time was divided into two parts, one for the Gods and the other for the kings. Regnal time was inserted as an arrow to the future into the circle time of the harvests.

In their daily lives, the Babylonians were very conscious of the passage of time. They measured days, months, and years (with a nineteen month calendar to tract solar and lunar eclipses). They used artificial time to track governmental and commercial activity for regnal years and fiscal years. Against this backdrop of dividing time into smaller units came the sense of timelessness that rose from living in Mesopotamia. Being conscious of being a part of a succession of kingdoms in the region, the Babylonians both merged their myths with the Sumerians, and divided them into two parts, before Babylon, and after.  Time for the Babylonians was to split into two parts, one an arrow pointing towards the future, whilst the other a circle that returned back to Babylon.

Works Used.
“Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses.” U.K. Higher Education Project. 2011. Web. http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/index.html.
 Aveni, Anthony, “People and the Sky.” Thames and Hudson: New York. 2009. Print.
 Cicero, Sandra, “A Guide to the Babylonian Tarot.” Llewellyn: Woodbury, MN, 2006. Print.
 King, L.W., “Babylonian Religion and Mythology.” Wisdom Library. 1903. Web. http://www.wisdomlib.org/mesopotamian/book/babylonian-religion-and-mythology/d/doc7086.html
 Siren, Christopher, “The Assyro-Babylonian Mythology FAQ.” 2003. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/assyrbabyl-faq.html.
“Sumerian Mythology FAQ.” 2000. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/sumer-faq.html
 Smitha, Frank, “Civilization in Mesopotamia.” Macrohistory and World Time Line. 2014. Web. http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htm .

Myth Decoding: Marduk and Tiamat (Babylon)

Marduk and Tiamat (Enuma Elish: The Epic of Creation)

Read this myth at The World Mythology Course (new window opens) 

 At first glance the story of Marduk and Tiamat in the Enuma Elish seems to be a creation story of Mesopotamia as told by the Babylonians. However, the subtext tells how humans mastered the volatile environment of Mesopotamia. Layered below this is the rise of Babylon to be the principal power of the region. The Enuma Elish describes the lives of the succeeding generations of Gods, their conflicts with the Gods before Them, and ends with Marduk as their ruler. Each generation of Gods probably represents a prior group of peoples who lived the region. Since Marduk is the major God of the Babylonians, this myth then becomes the story of how Babylon came to rule Mesopotamia.

 The myth starts by describing the ancient landscape of Mesopotamia, thousands of years ago. Apsu, the sweet water, mixes with Tiamat of the salt water. The symbol of their union is the mingling of the Tigris and Euphrates with the sea to produce the salt marshes. The sea was much farther inland then, and tides had more effect on the people living there. The landscape of the area is one of river bottoms, tidal marshes, swamps, and wetlands. Even the names of their children Lahamu and Lahmu which means mud reflect this as well. 

 The next generation of Gods were Anu, Enlil (Ellil), and Enki (Ea) of the Sumerians. Unlike the first group, these Gods focused on developing agriculture and decreeing divine laws. While Anu ruled the Gods, Enlil granted kingship, and Enki created people. (In a similar story to Apsu and the noisy Gods is Enlil and the noisy humans. In both cases, the Gods tried to destroy the noisemakers, since the activities of farming disturbed them.)

 In Tiamat’s case, the noisy ones were the next generation of Gods, who were replacing the original ones. They were draining the swamps, digging the canals, and irrigating the fields. These Gods were taming the “sweet water”, thereby killing Apsu as a God. The efforts of the new Gods threatened Tiamat, since They were transforming the salt marshes into farmland.

 Furious, Tiamat raises an army, which metaphorically reflects the violence of the times. Through continuous irrigation, salt made the land of the Sumerians infertile. Faced with dwindling resources including water, the various cities fought each other to gain these precious resources for their peoples. During this awful time, the suffering Sumerians wrote lamentations describing their misery -- bodies melting in the sun and cities shrouded in smoke. Into this war-torn landscape came the Amorites, who adopted the Sumerian culture, and established their main city of Babylon. Under their king, Hammurabi, the Babylonians cemented their empire and imposed law and order in Mesopotamia. 

 This creation myth, the Enuma Elish, relates how the Babylonians came to power and recreated the world, making order out of chaos. Their principal God, Marduk, assumes power over the other Gods and defeats Tiamat. The Sumerian Gods, Enki and Enlil cede their power to Marduk by granting “Enlil-ship” to Him. Meanwhile, the other Gods confer “Anu-power” on Him. Hence, several generations of Gods pass from importance. 

 After adopting myths from the Sumerians, the Babylonians rewrote the creation myth to include the rise and rulership of Marduk. After Tiamat came Enlil, who was the original head of the pantheon. With each succeeding generation, Enlil shared his power first with Anu and then with Enki. While They ceded their power to Marduk, Anu remained in the titular rule. In Enuma Elish, the Babylonians acknowledge their predecessors, the Sumerians and the others. But they end the myth with Marduk recreating the world and establishing his reign. He does this by building the world on the bones of Tiamat, one of the Gods of the original peoples living there. Marduk remakes the world as the Babylonians remade Mesopotamia.

 Works Used.

“Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses.” U.K. Higher Education Project. 2011. Web. http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/index.html .

 Aveni, Anthony, “People and the Sky.” Thames and Hudson: New York. 2009. Print.

Cicero, Sandra, “A Guide to the Babylonian Tarot.” Llewellyn: Woodbury, MN, 2006. Print.

 King, L.W., “Babylonian Religion and Mythology.” Wisdom Library. 1903. Web. http://www.wisdomlib.org/mesopotamian/book/babylonian-religion-and-mythology/d/doc7086.html .

 Siren, Christopher, “The Assyro-Babylonian Mythology FAQ.” 2003. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/assyrbabyl-faq.html.

“Sumerian Mythology FAQ.” 2000. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/sumer-faq.html .

 Smitha, Frank, “Civilization in Mesopotamia.” Macrohistory and World Time Line. 2014. Web. http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htm .

Examining the Nexus of History and Legend

 The major area within Lore that fascinates me is the nexus between history and legend. What makes certain historical people legends? Why do some people and their exploits become mythic, and not others? How did these particular historical figures embed themselves into the public imagination?

 I became first aware of this phenomena with Davy Crockett. I had learned that he was probably taken prisoner of war after the Battle of the Alamo (1836), and later killed. Both the Alamo and Crockett loom large in people’s imaginations for different reasons. The Battle of the Alamo became a powerful story of martyrdom for Texas independence. Meanwhile Crocket was famous for his tales of his frontier exploits. Since the Disney series of the 1950s featured him dying during the battle, various people have objected to the notion of Crockett being a prisoner. However, there is confusion about where and when he died. Perhaps because of this murkiness, people refer that Crockett died a heroic death. His dying at the Alamo would number him amongst the Texan martyrs.

 Then there is the story of how Eliot Ness brought Al Capone (Alphonse Capone) to justice. Because of “The Untouchables,” the memoir of Ness during his days as a U.S. Treasury Agent in Chicago, and later the TV program that featured his exploits, people believed that he had put the notorious gangster Capone in prison. However, it was the IRA agent Frank Wilson, and his special task force who brought the charges of income tax evasion against Capone in 1931. Few people realize that Capone was convicted for not paying his federal income taxes, and not for his other heinous crimes.
 Did this epic story come from Ness igniting the public imagination with his colorful memoir? His writing makes for a compelling story of good overcoming evil. Since Capone seemed to be such a monster, and Ness so incorruptible and heroic, the two men became yoked together in a Christian morality play of good versus evil. Becoming larger than life, Ness and Capone morphed into equal and opposing forces locked in a titanic struggle.

 Is there a nexus between notoriety and mystery that propels someone to be a legend? Consider the continual popularity of the infamous mobster, Lucky Luciano (Salvatore Lucania (1897-1962)). What makes him memorable while his contemporaries are relatively forgotten? Although Frank Costello (Francesco Castiglia), a friend of Luciano, became known as the “Prime Minister of the Mob,” few outside of crime history have heard of him. Meanwhile, popular culture made Luciano “Public Enemy Number One.” Stories about his scars, attempted murder, and gangster life abound. Often, these tales have been embellished around a small grain of truth.  Many people viewed Luciano as the successful antihero, who thwarted authority. By living vicariously through his exploits, they could feel powerful themselves.

 Various historians have studied to understand how Luciano could have such a broad effect society and economics. How did he have a lasting impact that Capone did not? If Crockett was not connected to the Battle of the Alamo, how would he be remembered? How did one person become a name mentioned in passing, whilst another is a subject of serious study and fascination?

 I would like to explore how someone like Luciano became a factor in people’s lives. Was he, the catalyst who changed organized crime and law enforcement? What was his archetypical role in crime, history, and culture? What was the difference between Luciano and the others? What is the power of archetypes in history? With a focus on the crime history of the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s, I would compare and contrast Luciano with other colorful gangsters to understand why.

Works Used.
Cipollini, Christian, “Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend.” 2014. Strategic Media: Rock Hill, SC. Print.
Minister, Christopher, “The Biography of Davy Crockett.” About.com. 2014. Web. http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/thehistoryofmexico/p/Biography-Of-Davy-Crockett.htm .
“Did Davy Crockett Die At the Alamo?” 2014. Web. http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/TexasIndependence/p/Did-Davy-Crockett-Die-In-Battle-At-The-Alamo.htm .
 Tucker, Neely, “Eliot Ness and Al Capone, The Men, the Myths, and the Bad Man in the Dark.” The Washington Post. 18, February 2014. Web. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/eliot-ness-and-al-capone-the-men-the-myths-and-the-bad-man-in-the-dark/2014/02/18/8223c47a-95aa-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html .

Musings on Banned Books

Banned Book List for 2014
(Opens window)

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When I read over the banned book list, I realized that I had read quite a few of them for school. Some I read for leisure after I had graduated from school. However, I was surprised at how many banned books that I had unwittingly read, since so few of them seemed to have perturbed me.

 The banned books and other classics that I read for school were actually meant to be read only by mature people. As teenagers, we often missed the point that the author was making. But since it was probably the only exposure that we would have to any serious literature, we were required to read them.

 The banned book that everyone wanted to read was J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.” At the time, it was not considered worth studying. However, we had heard about it being smutty and vulgar. So, naturally everyone had to read it on the sly.

 Meanwhile, the state school board required that everyone read “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. Even though it was reported to be racist, they still wanted us to read Twain’s classic of American literature. At the time, my school was a majority African-American/ Hispanic high school. Half the students had problems with the dialect of the characters, while the other half with the culture it portrayed. Racism was the last thing on people’s minds as to why they disliked the book.

 The other books that we had to read for American literature class were “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane, and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The complaints that my class had about all these books was that someone always ended up dying in them. We were so sick of reading about dead and dying characters that we revolted and stopped reading. As far as I know, none of these books were banned because for having too many deaths depicted. What adults failed to realize is that teenagers do not share their sensibilities. Each group is shocked by unrelated things.

 With the other banned books that I read as an adult, I was unaware of any controversy. “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury and “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein, I read since I enjoy science fiction. However, I disliked Heinlein’s fascist overtones in his book. I was thrilled to read “Our Bodies, Ourselves” by the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Finally a book about women’s health issues written by and for women! “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown fascinated me with its counter point of view of history. However, I disliked Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” because for me, it was a racist soap opera.

 I met people who both loved and hated these books. I think that each book, in its own way, make adults uncomfortable. Moreover, I think that some adults transfer their discomfort to children. Rather than realizing that people do have the freedom not to read, certain adults decided to instead ban these books. Personally, I think that the more attention paid to these books, the more people will want to read them. (Consider “Catcher in the Rye.”) As for whether children would be troubled by them, people such as Stephen King, noted horror author, have pointed out that what bothers children is different from what adults are concerned about.

STICK INSECT! WALKING STICK! STICK BUG: Having Many Choices

Stick Insects or Phasmids (Phasmatoidea, Phasmatidae) encompass about 2,700 known Insect species. With their long bodies that give them a twig-like appearance, Phasmids are almost invisible among the leaves of trees. When They are disturbed, Phasmids will lay motionless for hours pretending to be a stick. Sometimes, They will sway to mimic a twig blowing in the wind.

To avoid being eaten, Phasmids have many unique defenses. Although Most rely on passive camouflage to avoid predators, many large Phasmids have large spines on their hind legs for self-defense. Other Phasmids will discourage their attackers by regurgitating food at them or by squirting them with poison. American Walking Stick (Anisomorpha bupestiordes) sprays his intruder with a chemical spray that causes blindness.

Female Phasmids can reproduce without mating. Some populations consist entirely of mature Females and their Offspring. The Young are identical to their Mother. Sometimes Mother Phasmid will search for a rare Male to mate with. She will either find Him with his Friends or will attract Him by emitting a seductive scent.

Unlike other Insects, many people like to have Phasmids as pets. Usually all They require is blackberry leaves and water to thrive. However, They do prefer to have their leaves in their cages lightly misted.

Phasmids teach about having as many choices as possible. For example, people call Them by many names--Walking Stick, Stick Insect, or Stick Bug. Female Phasmids can reproduce with or without a mate. Phasmids defend Themselves in various ways. Some simply become still, while Others will squirt a poison. In life, it is important to have many options available to you.
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Phasmids are cousins to Grasshoppers and Mantids.

Ponderings on Time

"When as a child I laughed and wept, Time crept.
When as a youth I waxed more bold, Time strolled.
When I became a full-grown man, Time RAN.
When older still I daily grew, Time FLEW.
Soon I shall find, in passing on, Time gone."
Poem from the front of the clock case in the North Transept of Chester Cathedral, attributed to H. Twells (1823-1900).

To perform a personal examination of time, please document a single minute of time. Using a watch with a second hand, observe this one minute as carefully as possible. Then write as many details as possible: the location you are in, the sounds and sights available to you, and the 'feeling' of the time you are observing. Have you proved that time is relative?
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Proving whether time is relative or not is something that I cannot do. As with many people who have a brain injury, I have lost my sense of time. I live in the Eternal Now, with the past, present, and future merging into a singular whole. Not only that, but now I see time as colors – blue days, purple months, green hours. (It is a form of synesthesia.) If I focus on time, it becomes a kaleidoscope of colors merging, fracturing, and flowing. Time, as I experience it, runs counter to most people’s sense of time. Therefore documenting a single minute of time is impossible.

 Because my sense of time is gone, I decided to research how others see time. What I uncovered was that there is not agreement on how time is perceived. One thought is “presentism” in which “time is experienced but does not pass.” The other is “flowism” in which time flows whether people perceive it or not. “Flowism” says that people perceive the passage of time by reflecting on their experiences. The philosopher Immanuel Kant agreed with this. He wrote that “the phenomenology of passage of time is a necessary condition for any experience.” For him, time existed and was “true” whether we experienced it or not (A priori reasoning).

 Before Kant, western philosophers traditionally defined time to be a construction of the self, starting with St. Augustine. (“I measure my self, as I measure time.”) Therefore perceived time is the “mental state of the beholder.” According to this philosophy, we perceive time as we feel. For example, depressed people usually see time as slowing down. However with a brain injury, my perception of my self is detached from how I feel. Therefore time is nonexistent to me, and is only an artificial construct. What exists for me is the illusion of time.

 From a psychological point of view, people may experience time in one of two ways. “Polychrons” experience time as one continuous current much like a river flowing from the past through the present, and on to the future. Meanwhile, “monochrons” perceive time as discrete intervals, which are divided into fixed elements such as hours. Furthermore, societies tend to organize themselves on either of these perceptions of time. Since western industrial society is monochromic, the notion that time can be proven to be relative is plausible. (Of course a polychromatic society would not even consider the idea.)

To gain an understanding of how time could perceived in relative terms, I compared watching a football game to a hockey one. Fifteen minutes of watching players skating frantically trying to score seemed like an instant. Watching the last few seconds of a football game with the losing team trying to score seemed endless. I suppose that in relation to me and the action of the game, time could be seen as relative. However, sports games are usually measured in “sports” minutes, which differs from “standard” minutes. A fifteen minute quarter in football may result in thirty minutes of “standard” time. Therefore, proving how time is relative in sports can be problematic.

 Since I live in a monchronic society, I have to accept the idea that time exists in measured units. To be in sync with others, I have to develop methods of “timekeeping.” Otherwise, I would simply follow the rhythms of my body in sleeping and eating. Monchronic time divorces many people from natural rhythms, and forces them to see time differently.

 Works Used.
 Hahn, Harley, “Time Sense: Polychronicity and Monochronicity.” Web. http://www.harley.com/writing/time-sense.html. 
Janiak, Andrew, “Kant’s View on Space and Time.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 14, September, 2009. Web. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-spacetime/.
Le Poidevin, Robin, “The Experience and Perception of Time.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2009. Web. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/time-experience/.
Musser, George, “Time on the Brain.” Scientific American. 15 September 2011. Web. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2011/09/15/time-on-the-brain-how-you-are-always-living-in-the-past-and-other-quirks-of-perception/.
 Prosser, Simon, “Passage and Perception.” Paper. Web. http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~sjp7/passage_and_perception.pdf.
 Wittmann, Marc, “The Inner Experience of Time.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. 31, May, 2009. Web. http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/364/1525/1955.full.pdf.

Carving in Stone: Washington National Cathedral (U.S.)

Living in Washington D.C., much of what happens is already recorded in history. However, there are parts of the City that still hold their mysteries close. One of those places is the Washington National Cathedral (Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.)

 Dedicated in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt, this Gothic Cathedral has been continually worked on by various stone carvers and masons, ever since. Officially finished in 1990, the Cathedral is still being labored on, since there are grotesques and gargoyles still be carved. Also, after the 2011 Washington Earthquake, they have endeavored to repair the damaged done to the Cathedral.

 Throughout the many years, the stone carvers developed a deep sense of intimacy and connection to the Cathedral itself. As Master Carver Vincent Palumbo noted, “The sculptor creates it (the work), but we give it life. When we carve it in stone, that is the resurrection.” Many of the carvings around the building reflect this closeness. One gargoyle depicts Master Carver Roger Morigi as the devil with his stone working tools, while another one is of a mushroom cloud coming out of his head. Both are in reference to his bad temper. (People who do not know this, often think that the mushroom cloud is a commentary of the modern age.)

 Other signs of the intimacy between the Cathedral and the stone carvers are the numerous carvings of their exploits. One grotesque shows Palumbo in a truck with a flagpole. This memorialized the time when he hit the Cathedral’s flag pole with his pick-up truck. At the north side of the nave, there is a flying buttress that remains uncarved. This is to commemorate in stone the death of Stone Carver Joseph Petti, who died there, when a scaffolding gave way.

 The stone carvers share the story of a fellow carver who worked there in the 1950s. He commuted daily from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington D.C., and therefore few people had met his family. When his wife died, he wanted her to be buried in the Cathedral. (Other people who had been interred there were President Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller.) He asked the Dean of the Cathedral Francis Sayre if his wife could be also. After being told no by the Bishop, Dean Sayre offered his apologies to the stone carver. Dean Sayre said that the man told him that it was already taken care of. According to the Dean, the masons had mixed the ashes of the wife of the stone carver into the mortar. She holds several stones together atop the south transept. Rumor has it that after the earthquake, she and the stones are still intact.

 Although Dean Sayre verified authenticity of the story, several elements make it a legend. The names of the stone carver and his wife are unknown. When the Dean was asked about the story, it was forty years after the fact. Furthermore Dean Sayre only stated what he surmised. Palumbo, who was interviewed about his long tenure at the Cathedral, told many stories, to the reporter, about specific people. The ashes of the stone carver’s wife was not one of them. Also, the legend of mixing of the ashes of the dead into the stone mortar is a story often told about other cathedrals as well. Whether it is true or not, it remains a testament to the closeness and love of the stone carvers for their Cathedral.

 Works Used.

Meyer, Graham, “Mysteries of the Washington National Cathedral.” The Washingtonian. September 2007. Web. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/arts-events/mysteries-of-the-washington-national-cathedral/.

 Ringle, Ken, “Carving Out a Niche at the Cathedral.” The Washington Post. 18, November, 1999. Web. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/18/101r-111899-idx.html.

 Washington National Cathedral Official Web Site. Web. http://www.nationalcathedral.org/.

AFRICAN ELEPHANT: Having a Rich Emotional Life

To those first encountering African Elephant, He seems large and strong. With his great curved tusks, long nose, and great ears, African Elephant seems like a creature from prehistory. At one time, the earth was filled with Trunked Mammals (Proboscidea), and now there are only two left – Asian Elephant and African Elephant (who are not close relatives).

Despite African Elephant’s great weight, He walks almost noiselessly through the African plains and forests. Using his long trunk as a hand, African Elephant browses trees and grass, chomping on green plants. Playing a vital role is the ecosystem of Africa, He is a keystone species. His herd’s paths act as a firebreak. His wallows are small pools for water. He disperses seeds from one place to another, converting the savannah to grassland.

Living a close-knit group, African Elephant’s herd is ruled by a Matriarch, an Old Cow. (The Bulls have their own small group within the herd.) Ever affectionate, African Elephant is willing to risk his life to prevent a death of a family member.  Greeting his friends with low rumbles and trumpets, He welcomes Them back to the herd. He snorts and rumbles good-bye to his Friends when He leaves to browse.

“An elephant never forgets” is in reference to African Elephant’s rich emotional memories. He remembers what happens to Him and his Family Members especially if They are harmed in any way. African Elephant notices and remembers when One Elephant has something the Others cannot have. He will settle scores and harbor grudges.

African Elephant has a rich emotional life. He beckons you to have one as well. Like people, African Elephant cares what happens to Him and Those he loves.

Just do not harbor grudges like African Elephant does.
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Note: Although Asian Elephant (Elephas maxims) and African Elephant (Lexodonta African) are the only remaining members of the Proboscidea (trunked mammals) Order, they are not close relatives of each other. Asian Elephant, which is closer in DNA to Mammoths, evolved as a separate Asian species. African Elephant has larger ears and a sloped head.

Conservation Note: African Elephant is endangered.

Archeoastronomy: Babylonians

Noted for their complex astrology, the Babylonians (the peoples of ancient Mesopotamia: Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria) were also accomplished astronomers. From their seven story Ziggurats, these astronomers watched the rising and setting of the stars, as well as, the five bright planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). By keeping meticulous records of lunar and solar events, the Babylonians were able predict the next eclipse. Some of their contributions to astronomy are the discovery of many of today’s constellations.

Using their based-sixty numerical system, the Babylonians set circles at 360 degrees. Stemming from this, came the measurement of angles. With their degree system (similar to longitude and latitude), the astronomers could pinpoint the position of various stars. Using their records, they developed formulas to predict the next celestial event. Their observations were so accurate that some modern people wonder if the Babylonians had invented a primitive telescope.

 Starting their month with the New Crescent of the Moon, the Babylonian astronomers divided the period into six phases, each with its own particular meaning. They measured synodic months to be the period between full moons. To insure that their year started on the first day of spring equinox, the Babylonians devised a nineteen year cycle (235 synodic months), that contained leap years. Six of the nineteen years had a month added called Addaru, and another year at the seventeen year mark had the month Ululu added. This cycle of 235 synodic months, known as the Saros cycle, allowed for the repetition of celestial eclipses at defined periodic intervals.

Since the Gods resided in the heavens, the Babylonian rulers had to understand the stars. Their power came from correctly interpreting the desires of the Gods. In fact, the dynasties of each city state and later empire were tied to particular Gods. Therefore before any decisions of State could be made, the Gods had to be consulted.

According to the Babylonians, the Gods communicated with humans through various celestial events. They built their Ziggurats to reflect this belief. Each of the tower’s seven stories represented the bright planets, the sun, and the moon. Using’ their careful records of correspondences of local and celestial events, the Babylonians astrologers could interpret the will of the Gods. The Babylonians used their astronomy/astrology to aid their rulers in the affairs of State.

 Full-time astrologers became the intermediaries between the ruler and the Gods, by translating the will of the Gods. Some of their predictions were “when the Moon occults Jupiter that year a King will die.” On that particular day, the king would have a substitute king be killed. “When Jupiter goes out from behind the moon, there will be hostility in the land.” When the ruler was informed of that, he prepared his armies.

 The Babylonians watched the skies to understand what their Gods were telling them. Since their ruler acted by the consent of the Gods, he had to know what They were telling him. His astrologers not only informed him of the will of the Gods but also what the future would be. In this way, Babylonian astrologers ensured a well-ordered society.

 Works Used:
Aveni, Anthony, “People and the Sky.” Thames and Hudson: New York. 2009. Print.
 Halsall, Paul, “The Reports of the Magicians and Astrologers of Nineveh and Babylon, c. 2500 – 670 BCE.” Ancient History Sourcebook. March 1999. Web.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/bablylonian-astrology.asp .
 Kolev, Rumen, “Some Reflections About Babylonian Astrology.” Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Astrologie. 2001. Web. http://cura.free.fr/decem/09kolev.html .
 Lendering, Jona, “Kidinnu, the Chaldaeans, and Babylonian Astronomy.” Livius.org: Articles on Ancient History. 2014. Web. http://www.livius.org/k/kidinnu/kidinnu.htm.
Magli, Guilio, “Mysteries and Discoveries of Archaeoastronomy.” Copernicus Books: New York. 2009. Print.
 White, Gavin, “The Exaltation System in Babylonian Astrology.” SKYSCRIPT.co.uk. May 2009. Web. http://www.skyscript.co.uk/exaltations.html .