Ready to work.
When I was in college, I put a bunch of stuff out there that today does not sit well with me. I feel that I have led people astray with my words. It turns out that I was dead wrong about a lot of things.
We are all scientific. We all want to know for ourselves. The only way to know is to try.
Now, trying is only as good as the effort we give. If we come to the table well full of expectations and demands, how do we think that this will go?
“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Those of us who learned this rhyme as school children were taught that it illustrates the fact that Columbus discovered the New World 500 years ago. While Columbus apparently did make a voyage to the Americas during that period of time, it is becoming clear that he was not the first to do so. Evidence shows that humans from both Western and Eastern hemispheres were not only aware of each other since ancient times, but were connected through trade.
In 1992, Dr. Svetla Balabanova, a German toxicologist, found traces of nicotine, cocaine, and hashish in several different Egyptian mummies. (1) All of these substances are products of New World plants, supposedly unknown to the Old World until after the voyage Columbus.
While critics of the initial study pointed to the possibility of lab contamination as an explanation for the presence of these substances, subsequent studies have continued to confirm the initial findings. A 1995 study of an Egyptian mummy found that “significant amounts of various drugs were detected in internal organs (lung, liver, stomach, intestines) as well as in hair, bone, skin/muscle and tendon.” (3) From the same study, “The concentration profiles additionally provide evidence for the preferential ways of consumption: Thus, the highest levels of THC in lung specimens point to an inhalation of this drug — as it has been assumed from known ritual smoking ceremonies — while nicotine and cocaine containing drugs showed their highest concentrations in the intestines and liver, so that they seem to have been consumed perorally.”
These kinds of results cannot be the result of contamination, regardless of whether the anthropologists themselves are drug-mixing party animals. Specific concentrations of specific drugs in specific areas of the body leave very few options for the detractors.
Other evidence which points to cross-cultural exchange is the presence of Old World seed and crop specimens in the New World. (3) Some propose that the specimens may have “floated” to the New World across the ocean, a suggestion which cannot be proven, leading some researchers to assert that human intervention is the most likely explanation. (4) All of this is irrespective of the fact that there are many visual similarities between South American and Egyptian culture and architecture, similarities which even researchers admit are “often remarkable.”
At this point, the preponderance of evidence shows that pre-Columbian contact between the hemispheres is much more than just a fancy.
Sources:
1. http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/ethnic/mummy.htm
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00322236
3. https://ul.qucosa.de/api/qucosa%3A15120/attachment/ATT-0/
4. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/02/10/bottle-gourd-new-world/5260193/
A marble Buddha statue was discovered in the ruins of an ancient Egyptian port city earlier this year. (1) Berenike was one of the largest ports in Egypt, controlled by the Romans at the time of its founding. Sanskrit inscriptions in stone have also been found in Berenike. The presence of what today are considered Eastern icons far removed from India may seem surprising, but these examples are not isolated.
Hellenistic culture and Buddhism were regularly syncretized in ancient Greece. In fact, it has been said that long before the Pali Canon, the teachings of Buddha were first translated into Greek. (2, 3) There are numerous examples of ancient carvings and coinage which depict the Buddha, and some even argue that ancient Greeks were the first sculptors to manufacture Buddha statues. (4)
This cultural exchange between East and West was apparently mutual. For example, an ancient statue of Heracles was found in Mathura, India in the 19th century. (5) This example is not isolated. There are many examples of Heracles being depicted in Eastern art as far East as Japan, where he was syncretized as Vajrapani Shukongoshin. (6, 7) In a famous Ghandara depiction, Heracles is even depicted as a protector of the Buddha. (8)
The largest carvings of standing Buddha in the world were located in Afghanistan. (9) Unfortunately, they were destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban. Centuries ago, these mammoth structures were part of the Silk Road caravan route which connected the East and West through trade for more than 1,000 years.
Many of us today may consider our historical predecessors to be less “advanced” than ourselves. However, despite modern prejudices, the evidence shows that many of our ancestors were just as knowledgeable, resourceful, and connected as we are today.
Sources:
1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/buddha-statue-found-berenike-egypt-180982075/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Buddhism
3. https://www.theravada.gr/en/about-buddhism/hellenism-and-buddhism-greco-buddhism/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanishka
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathura_Herakles
6. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thereligioushistorynerd/2023/02/how-hercules-reached-japan/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nio_(Buddhism)
8. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/340/buddha-with-hercules-protector/
Miami-Dade County offers recycling services for many of its residential communities.(1) With recycling standards frequently changing, knowing what to recycle can be confusing. After having researched the standards for 2023, I created a leaflet for simple reference.
Remember, using the recycling service to dispose of non-recyclables actually creates more harm than good.(2)
Sources:
The Miami Springs War Monument was built in 1945.(1) There is currently a campaign underway to refurbish the monument. This is our city’s way of remembering and honoring our fallen.
American Legion Post 32 is collecting donations to refurbish the monument. If you wish to participate, please download the PDF document below. For a donation, you can order a brick or a bench with an engraved message to honor our veterans. If you wish to add a service branch insignia to the margin of your engraving, you may do so by special request for an additional $10.
This is a local effort, so please spread the word. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
Several years ago, Bill Tallman of The Springs Observer began an effort to research the names on the War Monument as well as additional names that have not yet been included.(2) Tallman had the idea of adding information to the monument such as dates of birth and death, location of service, rank, unit, service branch, and any decorations that they may have earned.
The culmination of Tallman’s research has been reproduced below, and it is being taken into consideration for the monument refurbishment. If you have any names of our local heroes to contribute, now is the time. You may do so by emailing americanlegionpost032@gmail.com.
From World War II:
WO Walter Dressler Kniffin, USMC, died February 23, 1945 at Iwo Jima. Age 42.
CPL Elmer S. Park, Army Tank Corps, died May 31, 1944 near Rome, Italy. Age 24.
T/4 Joseph A. Whitesell, Army Joint Assault Signal Corps, died July 10, 1944 at Saipan. Age 20.
From the Vietnam War:
PFC Fred Butler, III, USMC, died February 22, 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Age 20.
Spc/4 Ronald O’Rourke, Army, died August 25, 1966 in Binh Dong, South Vietnam. Age 19.
PFC James W. Brock III, USMC, died November 4, 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Age 20.
PFC Bruce Wayne Carter, USMC, died August 7, 1969 Quang Tri, South Vietnam, age 19. Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor, posthumously. Miami’s VA Hospital is named the Bruce W. Carter Medical Center in his honor.
Additional research and your helpful leads have turned up additional “missing men” from the Vietnam era and beyond:
PFC Bruce Martin Benzing, Army (Airborne), died November 20, 1967 Kontum, South Vietnam, age 24.
PFC Robert Leslie “Bob” Cornell, USMC, died April 30, 1967 Quang Tri, South Vietnam, age 19.
CPL Robert Emmet Cain, Army (Airborne), died May 20, 1969 near Thua Thien, South Vietnam, age 20.
PFC Edward Michael “Mickey” Misiuta, USMC, died March 1, 1968 Quang Tri, South Vietnam, age 20.
SPC4 Elpidio Juan Ravelo-Toribio, Jr., Army, died October 5, 1970 of wounds sustained 14 July in Quang Ngai, S. Vietnam, age 20.
Airman Basic Joseph Charles Guerriero, Air Force, died October 1, 1968 during basic training near San Antonio, Texas, age 19.
WOC Robert T. Anton, Army, died February 18, 1969 during pilot training at Ft. Wolters, Texas, age 18.
CPL Guillermo “Billy” San Pedro, Jr., USMC, died October 23, 1983 in the terrorist bomb attack in Beirut, Lebanon, age 19.
Sources:
I logged into Facebook today to check on a Marketplace listing, and I noticed a peculiar notification with an exclamation mark. I clicked through to read about the recent case levied against Facebook through the State of California. The plaintiffs in the case allege that Facebook illegally sold the personal data of users to third parties for almost a decade, and the judge has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Everyone who was affected is to receive a piece of the pie as long as they opt in.
To better understand our options, Facebook has created a lovely table for us to read.(1)
While some sources are claiming that the individual payouts will be around $500, I believe, based on arithmetic, that payouts will more likely be around $10.(2) In terms of one’s rights however, whether one chooses to opt in or to do nothing, the result will be the same. The only way to preserve your rights with regard to this matter is to opt out.
Facebook plainly states, “you will give up the right to sue, continue to sue, or be part of another lawsuit against the Defendant related to the legal claims or factual allegations resolved by this Settlement.” Despite Facebook’s special website and snappy FAQ page, there is not one mention on the entire website of the firm that, along with Facebook, was at the core of this scandal.
Cambridge Analytica, a UK research group, singled out 50 million American Facebook users – myself included, apparently – and fed us targeted advertisements in an attempt to sway our political opinions.(3) A whistleblower said, “We exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people’s profiles. And built models to exploit what we knew about them and target their inner demons. That was the basis the entire company was built on.”
This is a foreign interest targeting Americans with the intention of interfering with our political process, among many other violations, perhaps even many which are still unclear to us, and we are being offered a paltry few dollars to turn the other way. How is this acceptable? These people should be in jail, and instead they are offering us crumbs from the top of a tower because they know that we will not do anything to stop them.
I will admit that I have no plan for how this should be addressed. My only impression is that it would be wrong for me to accept this money. If someone with the right idea comes along, I will be free to join him, having not relinquished my right to act for some measly fee. According to Statistica, in 2022 alone, Facebook generated roughly $116.6 billion in revenue.(4) $720 million is a mosquito bite. It is an insult.
Some may argue that Facebook did not have explicit knowledge of what everyone on the site was doing, but it is fascinating to note what Facebook does choose to focus on. What I am being told to believe is that a large institution installed apps onto Facebook’s systems and leeched large volumes of user data for tens of millions of persons for years and years, and that Facebook was not intentionally turning the other way, but that even though Facebook is the one that ends up paying the bill, they are not upset with Cambridge Analytica enough to mention them even a single time on the site created to supposedly inform the users who were violated. Maybe they think that it is an unimportant detail that a foreign actor covertly interfered with the American political process, effectively using Facebook servers as a base of operations.
Even if I were to accept all of this as true, I would still have to question if there could be other foreign actors entrenched in Facebook’s systems without their awareness. In fact, the latest iteration of the story is that there were “thousands of third parties.”(5) I happen to think it is all false. I do not believe that they are incompetent the way that they think we are.
Sources:
You may have seen Texas Beeworks on YouTube. Her entertaining shorts have garnered tens of millions of views.(2) Unlike any hive removal I have ever seen, she wears no protection, she uses smoke only rarely, and she takes great lengths to find the queen and ensure that she is protected. It is as if the bees can sense her intentions. All of the hives are carefully removed and relocated. But why is any of this necessary? Why do the bees need saving?
This is not some fruity cause with no practical value. This is as much about economics as it is about creating an environment desirable for us humans. Our crops need pollinators. The FDA estimates that “bee pollination accounts for about $15 billion in added crop value.”(3) If we have pollinators everywhere in abundance, there will be flowering plants and fruits in abundance, and they will also be of greater quality. As it stands however, the bees, and the butterflies as well, are suffering significant and even critical decline.(4) Many species of bees have disappeared entirely.(5)
“Oh, but the government will take care of that.” Really? Will the government take care of it? Well, if they do get around to it, there is no guarantee that their solution will be effective in eliminating the problem. The only guarantee when government intervenes is that it will cost a lot of money, and that the bill will be passed to us as taxes.
For example, between 2002 and 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency spent more than $92 million on office furniture alone, including $813 on a pencil drawer, and $4,047 on a single “Herman Miller chair with adjustable arms, swivel, lumbar, caster and tilt.”(6) This is the same Environmental Protection Agency which people are hoping will save the bees.
Whether or not the government decides to intervene, in America the People should take it upon themselves to do as much as they can without the help of government.
The easiest way to solve this issue would be for lots of us to plant milkweed. Milkweed is well known to those who love the monarch butterfly. The monarch butterfly is a critical American pollinator which migrates South during the cold months to places like South Florida. The monarchs follow a migration corridor which has classically been populated by plants rich in nectar, marking the route like waypoints on a map.(7) As land has been developed by humans, those plants have disappeared, leaving the butterflies confused and stranded, ultimately leading to serious decline in monarch populations.
Milkweed in particular is critical for monarch migration. Monarch caterpillars will only eat milkweed.(8) Since milkweed is loved by both monarch butterflies and bees, I consider it best to save two bugs with one plant.(9) Milkweed is easy to grow and easy to maintain. If everyone had some milkweed in their yard, populations would begin to explode, crops would grow like crazy, we would all be a little richer, and that’s the honey right there.
Update (July 28, 2023): It is recommended that you plant milkweed plants that are native to your area. The most common Floridian milkweed plant is Asclepias tuberosa. Read more here.(10)
Sources:
Joseph Smith Jr. is considered the founder of Mormonism. Having been taught the canonical Joseph Smith History as a child, I learned that Joseph met his end at the hands of a mob that stormed the Carthage Jail.(1) A new documentary, titled Who Killed Joseph Smith?, sheds light on the event by presenting the currently debated theories for what really happened on that day.(2) I found the documentary very compelling.
While the evidence and proposed narratives may be a bit jarring to an orthodox believer of the faith, such ideas are not new. To his credit, the filmmaker included the testimony of Katherine Smith, Joseph’s younger sister, and she has stated clearly, in no uncertain terms, her version of events.
In fact, there are many things which Joseph’s closest family members have testified to over the years which the mainline LDS church has flatly contradicted. For example, Emma Smith repeatedly claimed that she was Joseph’s only wife, and that Joseph had no connection with polygamy. From Wikipedia:
“Rumors concerning polygamy and other practices surfaced by 1842. Emma publicly condemned polygamy and denied any involvement by her husband. Emma authorized and was the main signatory of a petition in summer 1842 with a thousand female signatures, denying Joseph Smith was connected with polygamy. As president of the Ladies’ Relief Society, she authorized the publishing of a certificate in October 1842 denouncing polygamy and denying her husband as its creator or participant. In March 1844, Emma published:
“‘We raise our voices and hands against John C. Bennett’s “spiritual wife system”, as a scheme of profligates to seduce women; and they that harp upon it, wish to make it popular for the convenience of their own cupidity; wherefore, while the marriage bed, undefiled is honorable, let polygamy, bigamy, fornication, adultery, and prostitution, be frowned out of the hearts of honest men to drop in the gulf of fallen nature.'”(3)
There are many independent researchers studying the history of Joseph Smith. There are even those who claim that it was Brigham Young who was responsible for the destruction of the Nauvoo Temple and the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum. While I will not personally attest to the accuracy of any of these theories, I will say that it is very fascinating how even some of the “eccentric” views can fit in squarely with much of the available evidence.
The more I look into the history of Joseph Smith, the more convinced I become that there are questions still unanswered. History shows that the very same men who stood to gain most from the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum did gain, and now that a case has been laid against them, I think that it would be wise to give this research some attention.
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Florida is a very special place. These are just five of my favorite Floridan wonders.
1. The Giant Trees of Florida
It is a bit ironic that we Floridians will pay money to go and see a giant artificial tree in Orlando when in fact our state was once freely covered in these natural marvels.
2. The Miami Circle points to Nazca, Peru?
Florida has a rich and fascinating history, and has been inhabited since ancient times by different groups of people. In 1998, a truly amazing discovery was made in Downtown Miami: a large circle carved into stone.(10) It is currently held that the Tequesta built a structure on the circle, and that it was their capital.
This discovery is amazing on its own, but I do take interest in amateur theories. I think that they can often add color and draw attention to ancient sites that would otherwise pass unnoticed by the general public. Andis Kaulins, German lawyer and writer, believes that the Miami Circle points to Nazca, Peru.(11)
Using data gathered by anthropologists at the University of Florida, Kaulins interpreted the holes in the stone, which appear to have been deliberately drilled, as a star chart, and began to look for some analog in the night sky that would fit this idea. He believes that he has found the exact arrangement, but it is not in Florida. In fact, it is not even in the Northern Hemisphere. Kaulins believes that the Miami Circle depicts the sky over Nazca, Peru 2000 years ago.(12)
3. Mayan Settlement in Florida?
The Crystal River Archaeological State Park was first opened in 1965.(6) Here, mounds and artifacts indicating earlier settlement have been found. It is currently held that the Santa Rosa-Swift Creek culture occupied the territory, but researcher Gary Daniels has put forward an interesting interpretation of the site.(7) He believes that it was the Mayans who occupied the area. He bases his claim on certain symbols found on shards of pottery, and certain alignments between stelae and mounds.
In 2021, Quest TV visited Gary Daniels in Crystal River to investigate his claims. Using a drone equipped with lidar, they scanned the area to the west, hoping to find evidence of a step pyramid. Have they found definitive proof of Mayan settlement in Florida?
4. Atlantis Found in Tampa?
In his colorful book, “Atlantis Was America: Tampa Was The Royal City,” author Dennis Brooks illustrates his hypothesis using Plato’s and Solon’s descriptions of the geography of the mythic city.(8)
There is another researcher who goes by the name of “John Saxer” who associates the mysterious giant stones of Tarpon Springs, which appear to have drilled holes, with ancient anchors.(9) Could it be that Saxer’s anchors are from ships that were docked in the Atlantean harbors of Tampa Bay?
5. The Ancient Spanish Monastery: An Anomaly
It is said that this beautiful building once sat in Sacramenia, Spain. It remained there from its completion in 1141 until 1925, when the monastery was purchased and transported, brick by brick, to the New World, where it was not reassembled until 1953. At the time, Time magazine called it, “the biggest jigsaw puzzle in history.” (13)
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I know what my intentions were when I applied to become a columnist for the Independent Florida Alligator. I was an avid reader of the student newspaper, and I was tired of always reading fluff columns about pop culture. I wanted to discuss deeper topics, and I thought that would be a small contribution toward making the world a better place.
Well, I started writing things that the editors at the Alligator disliked, and to fight back they would edit the writing heavily. I was told that it started specifically after I wrote this piece.
These were fellow students that I had never met in person, and at the time I had no idea about their intentions, so I simply communicated my concerns to the Opinions Editor frequently. Eventually their strategy became so obvious that I had to arrange a meeting in person.
I was ultimately given the position of Opinions Editor precisely because I showed that I cared enough to speak up, and I might not have had that opportunity were it not for their schemes.
Below I have posted a link to the original Google Document for one of my columns as I wrote it, as well as a link to the column as it was finally published. All I can say is, there must have been some serious Justin Bieber fans in the newsroom that day. In particular, the added, “I just don’t know anymore,” sounds more like the internal grumbles of a student who wants to get home early than anything that I wrote.
Original: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-AKSpkpkiYEhKJG1E6Bt8TpM_pAiPx-Zpj8Ze3MG93w/
After editing: https://www.alligator.org/article/2013/02/real-art-isn-t-taken-seriously
If you would like to read some of my more enjoyable work from the Alligator, you may do so by following these links:
Heat is fleeting; let’s hear it for Higgs
I agree with scientists: Mars or bust
