OP-ED THANKSGIVING OUR COUNTRIES ORPHAN HOLIDAY

WHEN THANKSGIVING WAS ABOUT FAMILY AND GIVING THANKS.

Just like the good old days

Good morning everyone. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with minimum family drama. Did you shop on Black Friday? I didn't.

Even if I weren't on the road coming home that morning, I wouldn't go near a store that is brick and mortar.

yup. I want to get up at 12AM so I can shop.

When my mom was still alive and living in Connecticut, I used to go up to spend Thanksgiving with Mom and her two sisters. I'm guessing that was 25 to 30 years ago. I won't say that those were wonderful times, because I had a tough relationship with my mom, but still, it was family. And by then, I already had so little left. So, yeah. I miss it. No one is more surprised than me.

 A Picture of my mom when she was still young

But, as usual, I'm getting sidetracked.

I would get up at 7 am and drive the 20 minutes to the mall. It's so long ago that I can't even remember the name of it. It was built during the time my mom and aunts lived there and it was new and filled with sunlight and lots and lots of stores. Good stores as I recall.

At that hour, I would be one of the first shoppers as they were just opening up. Ah, the good old days when they opened early. At 8 am. Not the kind of "early" we have now. 12 a.m. is not early. It's crazy.

The parking lot was nearly empty. I would go in and wander in and out of the shops. I usually had quite a few shopping bags by the time I left, which was maybe two hours later. When there aren't lines and you walk fast, you'd be amazed at what you can accomplish.

The cars would be filling the lots as I was leaving. I was so glad to be on my way. I'm not a very patient person. If you've been reading my blog you'll know that.

honestly, I get woozy looking at this

I suppose that, when you do this marathon shopping with friends and family it becomes an outing or an experience. That must be why people do it. I love bargains but my time and sanity isn't worth those few extra bucks. Again, I'm not like most people.



What is really sad to me, is that Thanksgiving has become an "orphan" holiday. My friend and I go out for lunch and shopping once a week. We watch as the seasons pass and the displays come and go.

yeah, but it's autumn stuff. not Thanksgiving.

There is a very brief window of items for autumn. That may be the only time you might find a Pilgrim Platter or a decoration for Thanksgiving. Oh, wait. Halloween comes first so that window of opportunity is about 4 hours before all the scary and commercial items come out. And boom. Before its Thanksgiving, Christmas is on display.


I have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful that I live in a country that made it a holiday for us to celebrate. I am thankful that it was on a Thursday which made it possible for many companies and agencies and banks to give us a four day week end.

What began as a history lesson has morphed into a weekend of face stuffing, shopping and football.


I am thankful that I can choose the way I want to celebrate. I hope you chose the one that works for you.

Happy Holiday.

SURVIVAL OF THE FATTEST. NO IT'S NOT A TYPO.

 

 

 

This is not a post about overweight people and obesity. I mean no disrespect. Well, -------- I'm not writing with the purpose to blame people for being overweight. It's meant to be satirical, [hopefully, I never know where this will go], but with the world in such a state of unrest, it got me thinking. You all know how dangerous that can be.

 

 

Several years ago I read a fantastic book entitled, "SURVIVAL OF THE SICKEST" by Dr. Sharon Moalem

 

Through examining evolutionary history, he questioned how certain current diseases didn't become extinct and that perhaps, actually helped our ancestors survive unusual conditions.

 

 What started his research was a disease called hemochromatosis.  It's a genetic disorder that causes iron build up in the body. Left unchecked, over years, it will kill you. It killed his grandpa.

 

HISTORY OF A DEADLY DISORDER

Iron Man or hemochromatosis

 

 

From 1347 and over the next few years, the bubonic plague swept across Europe killing somewhere between one third and one half of the population. Can you even imagine? The disease  finds a home in the bodies lymphatic system and it then becomes airborne.  Meaning it spreads like wildfire.

Question

 

So. Why didn't everyone die? They were all exposed. They had to bury the bodies, they had no idea how it was passed or what was causing it.  The answer, it seems, may have been due to the disease of hemochromatosis What? How can they "know" that?

 

A study of the plague in St. Botolph's parish in 1625 indicated that more men between fifteen and twenty-four were killed by the disease than any others. This outnumbered women of the same age by a factor of two to one. Wha??  That makes little sense since everyone knows that strong, young men are more likely to survive illness. Right. Apparently, no.

 

The men who had the hemochromatosis weren't affected because of their iron levels.* If you want to know the particulars, read the book. If is wonderful and explains things like epigenetics and he does it so you can understand it. Not remember it if you're me, but you might.*  They procreated back then, long before the disease killed them. So, their having a "bad" gene, saved their lives at the time. And passed along dna that was a sickness.

 

The same seems to be true for Diabetes. Since you all know, that my memory is for shit, and it's an entire technical chapter, I'll do my best to try not to give too much misinformation.  Eleven thousand years ago there was an ice age in northern Europe. It happened quickly, so many thousands of humans froze. So, how did the ones who didn't die, survive? Some of course, through adaptation. You know, building huts and making warm clothing. That worked for some. Dare I say the smart ones?

 

                  

 Research on dead bodies ,that have since been excavated and f course found frozen, yuck and ooo shows some interesting possibilities.  Science wise, people begin to shiver and that burns the sugar stored in your muscles and creates heat.  You also need to pee. Remember, I'm just skimming. So the people who created more sugar and peed a lot survived. It seems that today, the predisposition to Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes is related to the human cold response. So Diabetes has some deep connection to the response to cold. That would make it seem that those who had a genetic predisposition to be able to deal with the cold, survived. Then, was then passed on their dna which is related to Diabetes. Since most people no longer have to deal with cold in that way, the gene has created a disease which is no longer an asset.

 

 

In any event, for a number of current illnesses, people survived because of that gene, then passed it on generation after generation.  However, as climate and other factors changed, the genes were no longer assets. However, due to modern science, many people are able to survive now, even with a "defective" gene.

 

BACK TO OBESITY AND SURVIVAL

 

Perhaps if the world were a stable place, obese people would reproduce and either genetically or through conditioning, produce more obese people and I wouldn't give a rats ass. Not that I would even know where to find one. blch.  Well, actually, that seems to be what's happening.

Personally, I don't care. I thank God it's not something I have/am?. Being obese can't be easy. But that's not my point.

 

The government is upset with obesity only because of the cost the health care. The government only cares about us if we cost them money.

 

 

THE WORLD IS AT WAR

Okay, maybe not every country right now. Although it seems that there are always several wars going on at any given time, and if one ends, another begins.

 

What has this got to do with us?

 

A lot

 

Right now we have troops all over the world. Fighting, keeping peace (yeah that's rich), and fighting. Did I mention we have men and women fighting wars? Except they aren't wars. Wars usually have names. Well, anyway, we're fighting and losing, beautiful, wonderful American men and women.

 

We don't have a draft because it would be very unpopular. Even though statistics show that when we have a draft, we get a higher grade of solders. Again, no disrespect. Do a fact check if you don't believe me.

 

My mind wanders to the, what ifs?

 Like what if, we really had to mobilize to save ourselves from the evils of terrorists like Isis? {Or whatever they are and however they spell it.}

 

 

First, if we did do a draft, who would go? Generally, we have requirements for the draftees. Right?  I think one of those requirements is to be physically fit. So, would they change that if they couldn't get enough people fit to draft? I don't know.

 

One scenario is that we send every fit person between the ages of 18 and 45 to fight. I can't predict the outcome. At the very least. Lots of people will die.

 

However, let's say," GOD FORBID", we lose. Their Army is now coming to our shores and we have to defend ourselves. How well is that going to work?

The lean, mean, killing machines are gone. Who's left?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And over they come. What a grand resistance force we have left behind. Who's left to fight for our Children??

 

 

okay. that's pretty depressing.

 

 

AFTER THEY WIN THEY DON'T INVADE.  I like that idea better.

 

Well, thank God for small favors. We are left alone. Except for, maybe the gene pool has changed. The people of reproductive ages are, well, mostly obese , or otherwise unfit with other diseases, disorders and whatever it was that kept them from the fray.

 

And that's how Obesity survives. The gene pool of Americans that once was, no longer exists. I suppose those left standing, or sitting, can figure out how to run a country, so the USA will still be able to fly its flag. I never ever suggested that the obese are not smart. The two are not correlated at all.

 

And that's the story of how the fattest survive.

 

THE END

  ps. I just liked the title. that happens sometimes. I think of a great title, and then,  well, that's it. I truly did not mean to offend anyone. I'm tired of governments. it's all their fault.

BESSARABIA OR WHITE RUSSIA OR USSR OR, UH MAYBE ROMANIA?

I've been doing  genealogy research on and off for a couple of years. I've written before about how difficult it is for me. I wonder how many other people don't know enough to get information.

I did get lucky when I found my grandparents marriage certificates. I purchased them and they had each listed their parents names. Holy Cow. I now know more names. Except for one.
 Damned people with fancy handwriting. One of my great grandmothers' was named X-ali. The X is in lieu of whatever letter it is. I can't make it out. It might be a G, or a Y or some other letter. That, is of course the least of it, because I don't know where she was from. Ah you're thinking. She is finally getting to the point.

ONE OF THE POINTS

Just an aside, one point is never enough. You know me by now.
This point starts with geography. My mother's father, Grandpa Joe, was allegedly born in Bessarabia. I never met him, but the tales I recall aren't that helpful. When he lived in Europe, the place he lived was called Bessarabia, or maybe White Russia, but it was part of Romania. The main reason I know this difference in his home country was because of the mamaliga he made. ( I hope I'm remembering the right name.  Especially if you remember that I consider cutting up a cantaloupe as cooking.) And so I just did some research. I looked up mamaliga and it is Romanian polenta, usually served with black beans.  So, it is a Romanian recipe. I don't remember any beans, but knowing the word confirms the Romanian connection. At least it's good enough for me. 

HAIL THE CONQUERING HEROS

Papa Joe was born in 1882 or thereabouts. Now I am having to go back to look at the world map for that year and see what it says about Bessarabia.

Bessarabia (Romanian: Basarabia; Russian: Бессарабия Bessarabiya,Turkish: Besarabya; Ukrainian: Бессарабія Bessarabiya) is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. Bessarabia occupied the region where modern-day Moldova and Ukraine are located.
In the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812), and the ensuing Peace of Bucharest, the eastern parts of the Principality of Moldavia, an Ottoman vassal, along with some areas formerly under direct Ottoman rule, were ceded to Imperial Russia. The acquisition was among the Empire's last territorial acquisitions in Europe. The newly acquired territories were organized as the Governorate of Bessarabia, adopting a name previously used for the southern plains, between the Dniester and the Danube rivers. Following the Crimean War, in 1856, the southern areas of Bessarabia were returned to Moldavian rule; Russian rule was restored over the whole of the region in 1878, when Romania, the result of Moldavia's union with Wallachia, was pressured into exchanging those territories for the Dobruja. (Wiki)


Wow. That's a lot of turmoil in not so many years. If my Grandpa was born around 1882, he would have been a baby during the last upheaval. His parents would have been Bessarabians, but he would have been a Moldavian? or Russian? At least now I understand why he said he was from Russia when he immigrated or emigrated. I know which is which, but I'm talking about both.

I believe he left when he was either 11 or 13 and came to the states with a brother. His older brother/brothers? were already in the States. It appears that he did not pass through England like the only two relatives I've located. I don't know if his parents ever left either. He fought with his brothers and he was dead before I was born. Lots of mystery and intrigue. Okay, so I can be easily intrigued.

Which leads me to a topic.
How many times has Europe been chopped up?

Clearly, I have no intention of answering that question with an actual number.

It's not just Europe. I don't know enough history to know about the conquering of the Far East, Near East and Africa. Or any country, land mass or other place I may have missed. I know that people from all around the world follow this blog, so if I missed you, let me know. It was not intentional.

And that leads to another topic
How many forms has the earth had?



I hear tell that the actual land has chopped itself up as well. The Lady Gaia has a mind of her own.  Volcanos erupting and spewing and forming land masses. Whole continents that drifted apart. Seas appearing and disappearing. Freezes, Hot spells, catastrophic disasters of all kinds.
It may not matter what your belief system is. At least it doesn't matter to me. The part that matters is that here too, we have no control. Not that we shouldn't have been more careful in our treatment of our planet. I think we treated her very, very badly. Did we speed up some destruction? I'm not a scientist. Perhaps a philosopher. In any event, it's just another thing for which I have no definitive answer. 

THEORY?

We know that people/governments/crazy mother fuckers change the borders and boundaries of the lands we live on. Theoretically, we should have some control over that. Generally, the people who are involved are not happy with the changes. When the world was less populated, if you were able to, you left, and went somewhere else. Hopefully a better and more stable place.

Now, where do you go?  Besides the fact that the governing powers won't let you leave, when you do, what are your choices?

It should seem fairly obvious that not too many countries are willingly taking in immigrants. Well, the fact that so many may be terrorists, does make it a little harder on the average Mohamed.  Even so. Where could you go?

The changes in how we live are a huge  factor. Who wants to go the an island that doesn't have cable or cell towers? Running water? Electricity?  Food?
And what's to say that should you go somewhere like that, you won't have a tsunami?

It certainly seems like the odds are stacked against us human beings. And most other living creatures on the planet.

SO WHY AM I SEARCHING OUT MY ROOTS?

Perhaps I am a bit afraid of looking forward. I'm at an age where I have time but not all the time in the world. When I was younger I would have been out there rallying, trying to change things. Making a difference.

There comes a time in one's life, at least for me, to put down the gauntlet and let someone else take over the fight. If you want a future, you have to be active in creating it.

And so, I am looking at the past. When I see the dates of my great-grandparents and grandparents births, I try to imagine what it must have been like for them.

If I'm doing some arithmetic on my Grandpa Morris, his dad Zelman was possible born in 1830 in Poland. Possibly Lublin. Wow. What was it like?
Obviously, by the time my Grandpa left it couldn't have been too great. He was born around 1883. He was 20 when he arrived in England although I can't find a record of his immigration there. I do know that he just walked out of Poland and across Europe to leave. I don't know what port he left from, but I know he walked there. Was it France? Germany? I'm looking.


I am now appreciating how hard life was that long ago. Hatred and poverty are powerful motivators.

QUESTION FOR US ALL?

Will we ever learn?

As Dr. Phil, whom I don't like, but will quote anyway, has said.  "The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."

Boy do I pray that he is wrong.



As usual, I had no idea where this would end up. I'm rather surprised at where it did. I had no idea that I was thinking about this.
Reminder to self:

1. Stop leaving the house.
2. Don't listen to people talking politics.
3. Leave the house but use noise deadening earphones.
4. Don't talk to people.
5. Don't talk to self. But the voices won't stop. yes they will.  no they won't, oh shut the fuck up.