#//Its Mesoamerican/African cultures; right?

[dutybcrne]

I was reminded of Ony.x Equin.ox and HOO BOY, am I gonna binge and possibly Natlan oc-

[dragimal]

it's so bad that people are literally only finding out RIGHT NOW what countries/cultures are 'allegedly' the inspiration, and even then ppl are still arguing. from all the new name drops at least, I've seen Pacific Islander, Mesoamerican/Central American, and South American insp.

for context, most other regions can be easily recognized as one specific country at a glance, even if they include other influences. Mondstadt is Germany, Liyue is China, Inazuma is Japan, and Fontaine is France.

but guess what the one exception is, even before upcoming Natlan drops? that's right, Sumeru-- the only other (current) region that's supposed to reference countries w primarily Black/brown populations. and ppl are STILL arguing abt that one, and that country's been around for two fucking years!! granted, the region is essentially split into two countries in-game, the ancient Egypt desert region, and the jungle region, but even that jungle region has no consensus. it's India, its Saudi Arabia, it's Algeria and nearby Northern African countries. I've even heard arguments for ancient Sumerian insp, given the name. literally nobody fucking knows what Sumeru is.

and that's not to even mention all the active racism/colorism in how desert Sumeru is treated, where it's considered the poor/dangerous region, and all the darker-skinned characters and npcs (including enemies) are from there. desert Sumeru is like Dune's shittier, somehow even more anti-Arab racist little brother

anyways this isn't to detract from the main post abt Natlan, but to emphasize that this is absolutely not new for Hoyo, this is just gonna be Sumeru 2. sigh..

[alatismeni-theitsa]

you are Absolutely right in saying those things about the depiction of the gods. i, and probably most other greek people, definitely agree with you. just because a bunch of butthurt foreigners get worked up over not being able to treat other cultures as their personal playgrounds it doesn’t mean that these cultures Shouldn’t be respected. so yeah thank you for saying those things i was getting tired of seeing everyone acting all entitled and disrespectful

Hey thanks! (I assume that by "butthurt foreigners" you don't refer specifically to the person I was talking to because they were quite respectful and I wouldn't like to call them that :P)

Pantheons reflect local societies and that's why people are used to their pantheons looking like them when they have human form (From Nordic to East Asian to south African and to Mesoamerican native cultures). For Americans 50 deities looking "white" is "no diversity" while for Greeks is just "a Monday in the supermarket" because our society has little diversity of appearance. It's all US centric. It's evident, because 20 "Black" deities is considered a diverse pantheon but 20 "White" deities isn't. That reflects mostly the idea of diversity the Northwest countries have, not a country like Ghana with a different looking population.

Americans can't ask of other countries to not complain about this, especially when it's their own pantheon presented (in a movie that will make US corporations millions). Anglophone media feel more comfortable claiming pantheons as theirs for altering when the skin tones are similar. So, if we don't like the presentation they get offended because they think "I am also white and you are white so I can handle the pantheon as I wish and it'll be the same. Therefore when you tell me what to do, you are the problem. And because you are also white I will assume your ideas stem of white supremacy"

Catch the egg and cut its hair....

[michelles-garden-of-evil]

A recent YouTube video on Haitian Vodou (”Voodoo”) from a channel I follow, detailing the history of the religion and debunking some common myths. Over the past year, I’ve been doing some research from various books and online sources about the religions collectively known in pop culture as “voodoo” with the intention of writing a series of blog posts investigating what Strange Paradise got right about Vodou, what it got wrong, and what things the show just flat-out made up and hoped that 1969 audiences wouldn’t notice. There will be a lot to cover (and probably a lot that I won’t be able to cover), but it’s a topic I want to explore in depth.

For now, however, I want to share some notes on some interesting points in the video that are relevant to this blog:

Although both are derived from the same sources (cultural influences from along Africa’s Atlantic coast--the regions where enslaved Africans were taken--and Catholicism) and involve similar beliefs and practices, Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo are two distinct religions. Nowadays, “Voodoo” is the correct term only for the variety that developed in New Orleans.[1]

Contrary to the popular stereotype, voodoo dolls are uncommon and not central to the religion. (I hope that the channel explores this topic more in future videos, especially if they do one on New Orleans Voodoo.)

Most Haitian Vodou practitioners believe in one supreme god (BonDyè in Haitian Creole, derived from the French Bon Dieu). The lwa play a role similar to Catholic saints and are frequently syncretized with them: for instance, Damballah (the Serpent) with St. Patrick.[2]

Possession is central to Vodou rituals, but is NOT considered a bad thing. During the ceremony, the priest or priestess enters a trance and invites a lwa to possess or “mount” them (as in ride their body like a horse, a commonly used metaphor) for the duration of the ceremony.[3]

Animal offerings are also central to many of its ceremonies, but frequently misunderstood. Dr. Kyrah Malika Daniels, the professor and scholar of African diaspora religions interviewed in the video, compares the use of animal offerings in Vodou to the serving of food at weddings and holiday gatherings in other cultures. During the ceremony, the participants consume the flesh of the animal after it has been presented to the lwa as an offering and blessed.

Although it's unclear whether the Serpent in Desmond Hall Arc I is meant to be the same being as the Serpent God from the Maljardin arc, the "serpent servant" thing is not accurate to the worship of Damballah or any other serpent lwa. Followers of Vodou believe in a reciprocal relationship between themselves and the spirits--where the lwa grant them protection in return for offerings--instead of a fundamentally one-sided relationship of master and servant. (This is understandable for enslaved people and their descendants seeking solace in their religion.)

DISCLAIMER: I am not a scholar in religious studies, nor am I an expert on Vodou or a Vodou practitioner myself. Everything that I know about Vodou and other African-diaspora religions comes from informal research done in my spare time. While I acknowledge that I may have made some mistakes, I have tried to represent the information on these religions as fairly, accurately, and respectfully as possible based on what I have encountered so far in my research.

Notes

[1] Conjure, also known as Hoodoo and Rootwork, is another African-derived magical practice that evolved in the Southeastern United States. Although Conjure is not mentioned in the video, I thought I would mention it here in a side note because SP tends to incorrectly use the terms “Conjure” and “Voodoo” interchangeably when referring to the religion practiced on Maljardin and the surrounding islands. Here is a fascinating article on Conjure and its impact on American history.

[2] As I noted in my review of Episode 23 of Strange Paradise, Damballah is also sometimes syncretized with Mesoamerican feathered serpent gods like Quetzalcoatl in the present day (albeit typically by followers of traditions other than Vodou). Although described as a voodoo priestess, the character Raxl, who comes from an unnamed indigenous tribe related to the Aztecs, refers to the Serpent God she worships as the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.

[3] Milo Rigaud’s Secrets of Voodoo describes these ceremonies in more detail, including the behavior of different lwa when riding their “horses.” Although I highly doubt that there’s a direct link, I think of "mounting" as akin to the ancient Greek practice of communicating with the gods through oracles, rather than the Christian concept of demonic possession.

[garkomedia1]

The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

  Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru  Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program  Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara  Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba  Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe  Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel  Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris.  Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse  Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu  Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.  Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/

[demidemilitclub]

I’ve always been passionate about history. I can’t remember how exactly it started, but I always wanted to learn about previous events and cultures; what happened to us as a human race and how we came to be today. What started as a boyhood fascination with the evolution of military history and warfare evolved into a more holistic approach and examining every aspect. This led me to live by the George Santayana quote “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” or, more often, the paraphrase of “Those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it.”

It’s a useful phrase, isn’t it? It encourages you to understand what led up to different events and different movements, and if they weren’t beneficial, then how can we avoid that happening again? How can we stop things that shouldn’t have happened in the first place from happening again? It makes you want to do something, especially in the grander scheme of humanity. And usually, it lets you pick up on the early warning signs of worse things to come so that you can start speaking out ahead of time instead of fighting a war of attrition with an empowered movement.

I’ve always loved it. But I can tell you who doesn’t love it. My high school head of school. Now, Mr. K was filling in for the history teacher one day during my US History class. It was nearing spring, so us juniors were learning about mid-century America and Mr. K had prepared a basic lecture about the Cuban Missile Crisis. But before we got to that, he was asking us broad questions like “Why do we care about history? What’s so important about it? Why are you guys taking this class? Other than it’s a requirement of course, haha!” And when he was calling on people, I raised my hand and I said “Because those who do not learn--”

And he rolled his eyes into the back of his skull, sagged his shoulders, and let out an exasperated groaning sigh. “From their history are doomed to repeat it. Yeah, yeah. That’s what everyone says. I knew one of you was going to say it eventually. It’s such an overused quote that doesn’t really have any meaning to it.” He said before continuing on. Here’s the thing: yeah, it may be overused, but people use it because it is a valid statement. It still holds its meaning even if every other person in the world said it because the heart of the statement will always be there.

And here’s another thing about the quote. The original quote is very open, but some of the paraphrases close it off. By saying “their history”, there’s an implication that every person is confined to only learning about the history of their country/region/ethnic background/culture etc., making it seem like it is not a requirement to learn from each other. Which is false and not in the spirit of the original quote. We as people should always be learning from each other, learning about other experiences that, maybe because of where/when/how we grew up, we don’t know about. And if we don’t know about something, we could set ourselves up to repeat something that ought not to be repeated. We need to learn from “the past”, not any particular group’s past. I may be pretty into the history of the USA and of medieval Europe and beyond, but I would love to learn more about the history of various Asian and African cultures, the various Indigenous and First Nations tribes that spanned the continent, Mesoamerican societies and all sorts of other people from around the world. I want to learn from their past to get a better understanding of the people around me and the world we all live in, but also so that I am not condemned to repeat the history of colonialism and imperialist expansion that tried to wipe these groups off the map. And it’s not just secular cultures either; I would love to learn more about Judaism and the Jewish people outside of what little exposure Christian history has given me, or knowing more about Islam outside of the fearmongering and rhetorical fallacies that people love to spew, h*ck even non-Abrahamic religions and belief systems; I want to know where people are coming from.

All this long-winded and point-lost rambling to say, I suddenly thought about Mr. K this morning, and I thought about the world he and I live in, both within modern history and right now. With the American government and the society how it is, I can’t help but think about how we view history, especially our opinions on the George Santayana quote. The past couple of years have really brought a lot to light and have forced people to take a side on important issues. I, for one, remember the past and I use that information not to be on the right side of history generations from now, but to do the right thing and prevent a condemnation of repetition.

[princessnijireiki]

The short version of the excuse is, yeah, it's bad for branding & merchandising if DC Aquaman and Marvel Namor have a kingdom with the same name... Disney already HAS its own Atlantis franchise... and Disney also has a new Little Mermaid film coming out soon where their kingdom is Atlantica. On top of that, they got the rights to Cameron's Avatar franchise in the Fox buyout/merger— and "Pandora" is a whole different name, but James Cameron is MISTER Underwater Adventures, and the Na'vi are already (clumsily, awkwardly, highkey racistly) Indigenous coded Blue People. So they gotta try and keep all those brands as separate as possible. You make more money that way.

But be totally fair as well, Atlantis has European connotations, the name itself is Ancient Greek, it comes from Plato, and it comes with its own narrative baggage— a nation of humans cursed by gods to sink beneath the sea, whose citizens had to be punished. The fact that it's become cultural shorthand, like El Dorado, for not only any & all underwater civilization myths AND for "lost" "primitive" civilizations undiscovered by the "modern" world has a lot of culture of conquest vibes— very "white explorer in a pith helmet stomping all over archaeological sites in the interest of white empire."

And DC's Atlantis has verrrry much established its ruling family as aggressively white. To the point where I don't have anything against Momoa, and Pasifika Aquaman and/or Namor have been my top choice for fancasts for over a decade, but the Aquaman film's insistence on Arthur Curry being referred to or referring to himself (and by extension his Pasifika father + his full bloodline and heritage) as a mongrel, half breed bastard unworthy to rule was not only racist, but galling.

Fact is, this is a super low bar, but I am happy that MCU Talocan is an Indigenous kingdom. I am happy that the Talocans are an Indigenous Latin American cast, and that we are distancing this narrative from both the DC "white superpowered royals & the 'polluted' half human king played by an actor of color," and from the potential choice they could've made where Namor (whose abilities & appearance are unique for his species) is made stronger as a biracial superpowered character due to his white human heritage combined with the Atlantean bloodline. And tbh, considering other changes the MCU has made, plus the fact that mutants are back on the table, Namor's physical differences may have a different explanation altogether, whether that is with a biracial narrative or not. We don't know yet.

And the real core of it is, I'm happy that even if we're using fictional language combinations (Wakanda has several official languages, and even in visual props + set design, written languages & pictographs are combined from multiple African linguistic groups), if Marvel's invested the same amount of scholarship & research into Mesoamerican linguistics, and possibly additional coastal Indigenous Latin American languages & aesthetics, they've chosen an endonym for this nation that makes more sense than "Atlantis." Talocan is meant to evoke Tlālōcān. That was a deliberate choice. That was a name chosen on purpose. It's not an accident and it makes more sense here than Atlantis does.

And I like what Coogler's done with Black Panther, which has consistently centered the characters of color & the weight of their cultural canon and sovereignty within their narratives rather than catering to a white audience gaze, or minimizing them to keep white characters above the stories he is telling. And that has included conversations about colonization, and historical colonial violence, and I'm hoping Namor is no exception to any & all of that.

"The ruler of Talocan, an ancient civilization hidden in the depths of the ocean, Namor will stop at nothing to protect his people." Bye Atlantis.

From the way you worded your ask I'm assuming you are displeased with Atlantis not being the name of the city.

I understand why Namor fans are going to be upset about this, and I understand the frustration many fans will have; after all we waited a very long time for Namor, and his story, for the comics to come to life on screen. Namor has a very interesting and unique backstory and is a very old character. Namor fans have watched as his copycat Aquaman became more successful over the decades while taking things from Namor's character and then for Aquaman to have a movie first and use Atlantis only for Marvel to change it? I can understand why people would be upset about this.

However I do want to make a point here: Marvel has not cared about Namor, or his supporting cast, or Atlantis for decades now. Namor was among the most popular Golden Age characters, his last peak as a popular character was in the Silver Age and he has had a steady decline since due to loss of fans because of Marvel mishandling his character, shelving him, putting him in every one else's books to act as support, literally destroying Atlantis and never expanding the undersea world or it's history. Do you even know how many different backstories have been written by writers at Marvel? Or how many of them are conflicting? Or that Marvel's Atlantis is so under world built it's literally a patchwork of different things.

Everett's original creation of Namor the Sub-Mariner was not rooted in Atlantis, he was literally a child born of humans and the aquatic submariner race which was Everett's original characters. Atlantis came years later (but before Aquaman's claim to Atlantis) and has stuck with the character ever since, but the original Namor was located in the waters of the south pole, and many times in the comics there were references to Namor's people being indigenous coded.

So the MCU is saying they don't want to confuse people with Marvel and DC Atlantis, which I think is bullshit, there is enough room for two kings of Atlantis, but I am not upset about this take on Namor, in fact I am very happy they will be showing Namor as a biracial indigenous character who struggles with the surface world to protect his people because at his core that is who Namor is. If people want to be upset about the MCU not doing an "accurate" take on Namor then that's on them because I'm just grateful the director/cast/crew are doing this movie and that Tenoch is showing he understands the character. The MCU is taking Namor in a different direction with a Mesoamerican background. Not even the name of Atlantis will stay, but you know what will stay? Namor. Namor is a character that can be adapted and changed and expanded upon as the years go by; he's been a prince, a warrior, a crime solver, a business man, a king, and so on.

I don't understand why fans are so adverse to exploring the character in a new light? Namor's character has changed and developed so much over the decades and this is a new era for him.

[xnxadultstore]

Adult Coloring Books for Men

I used to be attempting to determine an excellent reward for my dad who’s beginning to have indicators of Alzheimer’s for  Christmas and remembered that since he was a child, he beloved to design and paint giant mannequin airplanes… so why not coloring books for males? But in fact, he most likely wasn’t going to benefit from the flowery, tangled kind that I like so I began my search for Coloring Books for Grownup Guys.

Men’s Coloring Books for All Occasions

Intricate Ink Animals in Detail Volume three by Tim Jeffs

Son of a Mother Trucker

A Manly Adult Coloring Book: Dad Life: Clean Dad Swears & Old Coot-isms: A Unique & Funny Antistress Coloring Gift for Men

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One of the most well-liked books for males in our coloring group proper now could be the most recent one from Kerby Rosanes World inside Worlds.

World Within Worlds

I personally personal this pretty e-book and the largest downside is deciding which cool image to paint first. Paper high quality is nice too.

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Dad & Me Coloring Book

I obtained a replica of this lovely e-book and was very impressed with each the illustrations, the standard however principally with the distinctive concept of the softer aspect of fatherhood being present and celebrated all through the e-book. The pages are perforated and TOP sure so it’s great for lefties in addition to those that need to show their creations after you shade them in.

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The Men’s Coloring Book by Nathaniel Wake

Nathaniel says it’s a Manly Mans Adult Coloring Book with Cyborg Women, Military Machines, Futuristic Battles, Western Armory, Fish Illustrations and Cars… nonetheless I completely beloved this e-book so that you might need to struggle your feminine vital different for among the illustrations on this e-book.

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Mythomorphia: An Extreme Coloring and Search Challenge by Kerby Rosanes

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Animorphia

An wonderful coloring e-book for adults that includes the super-detailed animal pictures from artist Kerby Rosanes. Known for his common Sketchy Stories weblog, Kerby works in intricately detailed black and white line to create creatures, characters, patterns, and tiny components to type compositions of mind-boggling complexity. Bring your creativity to finish the breath-taking drawings and discover hidden treasures and creatures scattered all through its pages

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Imagimorphia Coloring Book by Kerby Rosanes

Fans of grownup coloring books are invited to enter the extraordinary world of Kerby Rosanes, the illustrator behind the Sketchy Stories weblog and Animorphia, the worldwide phenomenon and New York Times bestseller. In Imagimorphia, animals, and objects morph and explode into astounding element. Bring every intricate picture to life with shade and discover the objects hidden all through the e-book.

Printed on high quality paper, Imagimorphia is a unusual coloring and search e-book for followers of grownup coloring books like no different.

Dad Life – A Manly Adult Coloring Book

Color in humorous issues that EVERYONE’s Dad says to them.

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ColorArt Coloring Book – Real Men Color

This e-book is spiral sure eight half x 11 pages with over 100 pictures to paint in.

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The Art of the Cigar: Vintage Labels Coloring Book

Based on the attractive lithographs of cigar field labels from years passed by. Each of the 40 gorgeous labels is pre-1920 with elegant designs that wrap you within the nostalgia of an age when life was less complicated and folks knew easy methods to benefit from the second. The pages on this e-book are one-sided professionally printed by Vintage Pen Press.

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Oldtimer Grayscale Adult Coloring Book for Men

This e-book contains 43 Oldtimer Images of Vintage Rustic Cars, Trucks, Tractors, Tools, Motorcycles and different Things for Men to Color. Creator Timothy Parks has his pictures printed on eight half x 11 paper printed solely on one aspect. He has penned a couple of different coloring books with related themes however this one has the most effective opinions.

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Die Hard Coloring Book

If you reside in a home the place Die Hard IS a Christmas film custom, then this coloring e-book is for you. All your favourite scenes and quotes are on this official Die Hard coloring and exercise e-book. This coloring e-book from Harper Design is superb high quality. I obtained a pattern of it from the writer and it’s Coloring Book Addict accepted!

Hans Gruber and his posse crash the Christmas social gathering at Nakatomi and take the tower hostage;John McClane’s limo trip with Argyle;The tension-filled crawl via the constructing vents;John’s morbid message supply to Hans (written on the corpse of one in every of Hans’ males);The well-known bloody footprints;And in fact, John leaping off the Nakatomi tower.

The Book of Beasts

A buddy of mine in Scotland (Kemberlee) ordered this e-book within the UK and he or she couldn’t cease gushing about how fabulous it was. It’s obtained a hardcover with fabulous paper and wonderful illustrations of Dragons of all kinds. Filled with legendary monsters from around the globe, The Book of Beasts will take younger readers on an epic coloring quest via historical lands and lore. As they fill within the pages, kids will encounter creatures from Aboriginal, African, Mesoamerican, Greek, Roman, Indian, Norse, Chinese, and Japanese tales. On the again of every web page, children will discover background on the beasts within the e-book.

Click to ORDER Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Canada ~ Book Depository

Full Metal Coloring – A Book of Down Range Reflection

Along with the pages to paint, you’ll discover some historic background of the firearms and weapons on every of the pages which had been written by a aggressive shooter and veteran who can be the artist. I’ve a replica of this e-book from the artist and have gifted it to the gun fanatic in my life. Its unique artwork on respectable paper. As at all times use a sheet between your pages to keep away from bleed-through and stress marks.

Click to Order Amazon US

Bennett Klein’s model is very detailed tattoo inked line artwork. 

Colour my Sketchbook – DRAGONS by Bennett Klein

The coloured in dragons on this cowl had been executed by members of his Facebook web page linked right here.

Click to order Amazon US      Amazon UK       Amazon Canada      Book Depository

This is simply one of many Bennett Klein Books, discover the remainder right here. 

Tattoo Art Coloring Books for Men

The Tattoo Art of Freddy Negrete

I obtained this e-book from the writer and was fairly happy with the number of pictures contained inside. There is so much to select from however most do have a Hispanic, Chicano, Mexican taste to them. There are a lot of the Virgin Mary in addition to Sugar Skulls which make sense culturally. There’s even a sugar cranium Virgin Mary to paint in. As a colorist, most weren’t tremendous detailed so when you choose that kind of coloring e-book this one most likely received’t be your cup of tea, however when you like so as to add your personal patterning or are studying and working towards shading and contouring this e-book is ideal.

Click to Order Amazon US UK or Canada

Kitchen Overlord’s Colorable Compendium of Geek History: An Adult Coloring Book and Companion to the Illustrated Geek Cookbook

I haven’t seen this one in particular person, however its on my record and from the opinions, it seems enjoyable. “The creators of Kitchen Overlord’s Illustrated Geek Cookbook invite you to paint together with 120 years of geek historical past!

Start with H.G. Wells Time Machine in 1885 and produce the black and white pages to life because the world grows geekier with each decade.

See Cthulhu rise in 1928, shade Captain America in 1941, depart the Shire for Mordor in 1954, boldly go on a 5 12 months mission beginning in 1966, lastly be taught what “inconceivable” means in 1973, struggle Zuul and Gozer in 1984, assist the Scooby gang shield Sunnydale in 1997, turn into a Big Damn Hero in 2002, and assist Ichabod Crane turn into a contemporary man in 2012.

You recover from 50 enjoyable illustrations representing your favourite books, comics, motion pictures, TV, and video games – organized chronologically so you possibly can see how geekdom has developed over greater than a century.” Click to order AMAZON US AMAZON UK AMAZON CANADA BOOK DEPOSITORY

Guys have a tendency to like Science Fiction so most of the books on my nerds and geeks web page would possibly work for the boys in your record too!

Military Coloring Books for Men

The very first thing to do is work out hobbies and issues that the person in your life is into.. my dad loves airplanes and was within the USAF in order that was my first search. I discovered these two: Airplanes of the Second World War and Jet Fighters. Both are Dover Coloring Books so the worth level is correct, underneath $5.

If you want freebies take a look at the free coloring web page and e-book excepts from Dover too.

Other Military Coloring Books for Men embody:

Many of those navy books additionally work in case your man is a historical past buff.

American Muscle Cars Coloring Books for Men

Expertly rendered illustrations of quick, flashy, and highly effective sports activities vehicles, amongst them the 1962 Ford Thunderbird, 1964 Corvette Stingray, 1968 Chevy Impala SS427, 1969 Camaro Z-28, 1970 Ford Torino Fastback, 1971 Mustang Boss 351, 1974 Firebird Trans-Am, and 37 others. For coloring e-book lovers and “muscle car” followers. Click right here to Order American Muscle Cars Coloring Book There’s additionally Classic Cars of the 50’s Coloring Book Luxury Cars Coloring Book Sports Cars Coloring Book & History of Trucks

Motorcycles Coloring Book – This assortment chronicles over 100 years of bike historical past with illustrations of 45 precisely detailed fashions, together with Gottlieb Daimler Motor Bicycle (1885), 1913 Royal Enfield, 1947 Indian “Chief,” 1966 BSA A65 Lightning, and the Honda ES21 Future Motorcycle Concept Prototype.

Dover Books has an excellent number of History Coloring Books

Looking for an excellent historic coloring e-book? Dover may also help you add shade to among the most exceptional occasions in historical past! From dinosaurs, the Old West, the Civil War, Native Americans, the house race, American presidents and first women to classic cars and trains, castles and cathedrals, well-known explorers and inventors, historic structure like Famous Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright and landmarks. Black historical past coloring books function genuine illustrations in regards to the Underground Railroad, the Amistad, Barack Obama, and extra. Each version gives fantastically detailed illustrations and fact-filled captions.

Click right here to see the complete choice.

The Bicycle Coloring Book

This e-book blew me away once I began seeing coloured in photos from it. It is full of cityscapes and countryside illustrations that function a motorbike and a cat. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen earlier than. The paper is fabulous artwork high quality and the illustrations are one-sided with a middle fold-out part for a big poster-sized creation. On the dealing with aspect of the web page is an illustration of the identical cat you see in every image (generally you must hunt to seek out him) however what’s actually cool in regards to the cat is that once you flip the pages he animates. This will for certain convey you again to your faculty days once you used to make flipbooks. If you’re a bicycle fanatic or the person in your life is, you possibly can’t go fallacious with this coloring e-book. It’s eight.2 x zero.eight x 10.eight inches and has 144 pages.

Click to order Amazon US Amazon     UK Amazon    Amazon Canada    Book Depository

100 Animals by Jade Summer

An Adult Coloring Book with Lions, Elephants, Owls, Horses, Dogs, Cats and extra. 100 pictures printed on one aspect of the web page.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK & Canada

Ill-Gotten Brain Coloring Books by Chris Guest

I wished so as to add a few books from a brand new illustrator that I do know guys will love. Thanks to one in every of my coloring group, Shawn B. for the heads up about his enjoyable books! Meet Chris Guest aka IllGottenBrain. He has 2 books out, Beyond the Fairytale Forest and Monsters Eat Everything that you’re certain to get pleasure from.

His books remind me of Steve Squidoodle’s illustrations too.. enjoyable and funky, verify his work out right here.

Walking Dead Coloring Book

This e-book is completed in a graphic novel model so LOTS of black and background particulars so it’s alongside the strains of a grayscale coloring e-book. The illustrations are from the Walking Dead graphic novels and it’s very detailed. We are hoping they arrive out with one other that follows the TV present a bit extra but when you recognize a Walking Dead addict, this may be an ideal reward.

Click to order Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Canada ~ Book Depository

Steampunk Devices

Dudes like to tinker with devices so this Steampunk Devices can be an excellent alternative for the artsy man in your purchasing record.

Click to order Amazon US   Amazon UK   Amazon Canada   Book Depository

We discover heaps extra Steampunk and Science Fiction choices for guys right here.

Intricate Ink – Animals in Detail

After seeing colorings from this e-book on Instagram I bought it on Amazon. It’s a greyscale e-book that makes your colorings actually come to life. It’s a hardbound e-book that opens on the prime so nice for left-handed colorists too.

Click to Purchase Amazon US

Lost Ocean by Johanna Basford

Although Johanna Basford is understood for her fairly flowers and delicate leaves, guys can fall just a little in love along with her illustrations in her third Inky e-book, “Lost Ocean”

Visit coral reefs and barnacle-studded shipwrecks, uncover intricate shells and pirate treasure. Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest followers and newcomers alike will welcome this artistic journey into an inky new world.

Click right here to order Lost Ocean Amazon US  Amazon Canada  Amazon UK  Book Depository

Bugs & Creepy Crawling Coloring Books for Men

Maybe your grown guys nonetheless have that little boy in them that loves spiders and snakes… There are some decisions for them too. Check out this Complicated Spiders Coloring Book… This distinctive coloring e-book is eight inches broad x 9 inches excessive, it has 25 completely different illustrations of intricately adorned spiders; every illustration is printed within the e-book twice, one on a black background and the identical illustration on a white background with mild grey strains. Lots of spider and bug e-book right here too.

Fantasy and Dragon Coloring Books For Men

Amazon has dozens of Fantasy & Dragon coloring books that guys would possibly like right here.

Funny Coloring Books

Coloring for Grown-Ups: The Adult Activity Book

Electile Disfunction – The Story of the 2016 Presidential Election Coloring Book

Click to Order Amazon US

You can see extra Political Coloring Books right here.

Unicorns Are Jerks: a coloring e-book exposing the chilly, exhausting, sparkly reality

Coloring for Grown-ups – Holiday Fun Book

There are extra right here of the extra “R” rated variations as nicely.

See a big itemizing of our favourite humorous naughty & horny coloring books right here.

Steve MacDonald’s Cityscapes e-book “Fantastic Cities“ will even attraction to the fellows our there with a e-book the place no flowers or fairies are anyplace to be seen. Steve McDonald applies his distinctive photo-based strategy to create lovely, detailed line drawings of wonderful buildings and different constructions from around the globe in Fantastic Structures and his third e-book contains less complicated designs in Fantastic Collections,

Comic Book and Graphic Novel Coloring Books

DC Comics Coloring Book

Featuring iconic paintings by famend comedian artists, DC Comics Coloring Book contains gorgeous line artwork of beloved characters corresponding to Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Click to Order on Amazon

Wonder Woman Coloring Book

This graphic novel options basic illustrations from among the most well-known Wonder Woman artists of all time, together with George Pérez, Jim Lee, Brian Bolland, Amanda Conner, Ross Andru, H.G. Peter, Cliff Chiang, and Phil Jimenez printed on each side of the web page.  Click to Order the Wonder Woman Coloring Book

Coloring DC Batman Hush Volume 1

This grownup coloring e-book options chapters from one of many biggest graphic novels of all-time, BATMAN: HUSH. Illustrated by Jim Lee, identified for his intricate strains and distinctive element, this story is ideal for coloring. Click to Order this totally illustrated Batman graphic novel right here

Civil War – All your favourite Avengers battle on this graphic novel coloring e-book

120 pages of all-out costumed warfare, that includes Steve McNiven’s exquisitely rendered paintings simply ready for you so as to add the colour! Captain America and Iron Man are the feuding Avengers main the 2 sides of heroes that battle it out over the rights and wrongs of Superhuman Registration. Click to order Civil War

Color Your Own Age of Ultron

Color in your favourite Marvel Heros and Sinister Bad guys on this graphic novel. Difficulty ranges from simple to superior so there’s something for each graphic novel fan.

Click to Order Age of Ultron Here.

Color Deadpool Graphic Novel

This e-book contains covers from New Mutants 98, old-fashioned Pool, New Pool, the Daniel Way years, and Deadpool vs; Thanos, carnage, zombies, Cable, and Spider-Man. Click to order Deadpool

Assassins Creed Coloring Book

Click to Order Assasins Creed Coloring Book

Guys which are into Science Fiction and Fantasy can discover a big number of SciFi Coloring Books right here.

Steve Squidoodle has a implausible following on Facebook which is the place I found him. Like Bennett Klein, he’s at all times gifting away freebies on his fan web page. Learn extra about Steve Turner the illustrator right here. 

Squidoodle’s Book of Fancy Letters – Click to Order

All 26 letters of the alphabet, on single aspect pages with doodles objects to paint in. Taken from the intricate hand-drawn pen drawings of Steve Turner a.ok.a Squidoodle. Each letter is detailed and ornate, with doodled objects starting with that letter.

Each letter sits centrally on the web page, away from the backbone – you possibly can minimize the letters out, shade them and provides them as presents to household or mates. All the pages inside this e-book are taken from the hand-drawn illustrations by Steve Squidoodle Turner. He rigorously chosen objects to be contained in every letter – making it enjoyable for children and adults alike. The A incorporates an astronaut, an apple, an aeroplane, an anchor…. The B incorporates a bee, Big Ben, a beetle, balloons…. you get the concept!!

Squidoodle’s Book of Fancy Letters: An Adult Coloring Book – Click to Order

A Day on the Beach by Squidoodle – Steve Turner

The Natural Atlas by Squidoodle – Steve Turner

Creative Insults for Foul-Mouthed Beasts – A UK Sweary Coloring Book by Squidoodle – Steve Turner

I STRONGLY advocate downloading the Hobby Lobby & Michaels App to your smartphone. That manner you at all times have the coupons with you. Being the clumsy particular person I’m.. I ALWAY neglect the coupons at house or within the different automotive or the opposite purse.. you get me.. proper? You can usually discover artwork provides there for a very good worth with the coupon however most frequently I purchase books and provides on Amazon.

AMAZON PRIME – If you aren’t a member it’s best to look into it. You get free 2-day transport daily at Amazon with Amazon Prime. You can attempt it for free proper now.

The Amazon Prime membership program gives different particular advantages for simply $99 per 12 months. Members can immediately watch over 40,000 motion pictures and TV episodes and borrow 1000’s of books from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

Have the boys in your record loved coloring books I haven’t listed right here? Please let me know within the feedback beneath or on one in every of my social media accounts.

The post Adult Coloring Books for Men appeared first on XNX Adult Store.

[jurakan]

I made this post basically because @andasideofpanache told me to.

So there’s a bit of a kerfuffle going around because the makers of Game of Thrones announced that they want to do an alternate history show about what life would be like if the Confederacy had won the American Civil War. And I don’t know how I feel about it, exactly, other than I think it’s...kind of boring? As far as alternate histories go, it’s pretty standard. “If the Confederacy won the American Civil War” and “If the Nazis won World War II” are the two alternate histories I see all too often and that’s horrible because the answer is that life would suck.

I think it’d be much better if you took some other point in history and took something that was pretty much neutral and said what if it’d gone the other way? So for the viewing pleasure of the followers of this blog: 

A BUNCH OF ALTERNATE HISTORY IDEAS THAT ARE MORE INTERESTING:

-What if Christianity was not the dominant religion of Western Civilization: Look as a Roman Catholic I don’t know if I can conceive of the idea of Christianity just not existing so that’s not what I’m suggesting here. But i am suggesting that it’d be interesting to design a world where it didn’t become the dominant theological viewpoint in Europe. How would the medieval world look? What would make the art different? What would our modern world look like? What would be considered “traditional values” in that world? What would our calendar look like?

And I’m curious as to what different people would put to replace it; my first instinct is Mithraic religion, but as that was a mystery cult I don’t think it’d pick up much steam. Islam’s still a big contender for that, but if you wanted to do something more out there you could pick Zoroastrianism or the official Roman state pantheon of gods. I mean could you imagine PETA freaking out over augurs reading animal guts? There’s a fun picture.

-What if Spain had controlled North America until it had become independent?

As a Hispanic person I get a bigger feel for how much English culture still influences American society today. I’m still baffled by people’s fetishization of the English royal family (especially Anglo Catholics, considering that whole Church of England thing but whatevs), given that a King of Spain actually told Hugo Chavez to shut up to his face in 2007. Really guys, the Spanish-speaking world is where it’s at.

So to see the US as a country more culturally influenced by Spain than England would be a great thought experiment, especially considering that Spain came to the New World first, and fully expected that that new land was all theirs for the taking. The obvious changes would be the dominance of Spanish as the spoken language and probably Catholicism would be more common than Protestantism. But what cultural values would be more common? What would the US’s government turn out to be without the direct influence of English Enlightenment thinkers? Which thinkers would be influential? How would the relationships between countries change in that setting (do we eventually become BFFs with Spain like the US did with Britain or with Spain instead and what’s up with France)? What would the State names be like? Would religious freedom have been such a big thing in our country? Would all the Neo-Pagans be less inclined to British Celtic and Germanic mythologies as much as Roman, Ibero-Celtic, Basque and Mesoamerican mythologies? How would the architecture look different? And so on and so forth.

-What if China colonized North America first?

There’s a conspiracy theory that floats around every now and then that China actually found the west coast of the North America long before Columbus set sail. So...what if they did? What if they set up a colony there? How would that completely change the game?

For starters, the capital would be on the West Coast, and European culture wouldn’t be the dominant one in the country. Even after independence Mandarin Chinese would remain the biggest language in the world, Chinese philosophers would be the important ones people in the country studied and I strongly suspect that democracy and republicanism wouldn’t be as popular given that the Chinese government was imperial until 1911--and not in the same sense of having a Parliament or representative body like England or France. All our urban legends would be more like Chinese ones, and...I don’t know what the opposite of Yellow Peril stereotypes would be, but that’d be something interesting to explore.

Also, would slavery had been a thing? I mean, not that the Chinese never had slaves, but would it be so racialized as it was under a European model of colonialism? I have my doubts, especially considering that there’s not an Africa right there for them to exploit.

-What if Alexander the Great had an heir that held his empire together?

Very famously when Alexander the Great died his empire was divvied up between his generals and became several different nations that all eventually fell to Rome. But what if it hadn’t? What if Alexander had named an heir (a son or general or whatever) who’d been able to hold everything together until Rome came along?

What would the empire be called? And would it be able to hold against Rome? Would the two become allies? Or, more likely, would they duke it out and become bitter enemies? And who’d win? How would that change the world today? How would that effect Greek and Roman philosophy/language/culture and the place they held in Western Civilization today? Would we still have Hanukkah? 

-What if Napoleon hadn’t been defeated?

What if Napoleon had been lifelong emperor? Whether that means succeeding in escaping from that island prison, or just never being defeated in the first place, it’s an interesting thought? How long would his empire have lasted? Would it last into the modern day? And if so how different would it be from the EU? Would Britain join or always be in conflict?

And what about his descendants? Would they hold his empire or lose it bit by bit? Or would they expand it and take even more land? Would the French Empire be THE superpower and dominant society on the world stage in modern day?

-What if Antony and Cleopatra defeated Octavian?

Oh hey, what if Octavian was defeated and Egypt didn’t get as Romanized? What if he was killed and the Roman Empire got stopped before it really got started? Suddenly we don’t have an emperor. Does that mean Rome goes back to a (decadent and corrupt) republic? Would Egypt conquer them (and then the repercussions for the world stage after that)? Or would they be in a sort of cold war?

If Rome did endure as a country, what would be the opinion of the Roman Empire? Would we still glorify the “old days” of the Roman Republic if they’d endured, given they were corrupt and lasted? Or would we think of the good ol’ days of Rome being the Empire that never really lasted?

-What if El Dorado was a real place?

And the Spanish found it? And they were able to hold on to that gold, meaning that they remained the dominant superpower in the Age of Exploration/Colonization? Or what if El Dorado was able to defend itself and remained an oasis against Spanish colonization and European influence in Mesoamerica?

Or what if the Spanish didn’t find it but someone else did much later? And how would that discovery be taken by the world?

-What if Mesoamerica repelled the Spanish invasion?

Does that mean Spain wouldn’t have become a major power at all? Does that mean that it’d also be able to resist Anglo American settlers trying to expand the US? How long would the Aztec Triple Alliance last considering it was pretty crappy to its neighbors, and what would happen to replace it? A new Mayan empire, or something else entirely? How long would the practice of human sacrifice last?

Would Latin America be primarily indigenous then? Would Mesoamerica help other nations of indigenous peoples in the Americas and the Caribbean fight against European colonizers? Would Mesoamerican mythology be a more common religion in the modern day?

-What if the Eastern Crusades didn’t happen?

What if the Pope didn’t answer Constantinople’s call for aid against Muslim conquest? Or what if things had just gone peacefully in the meeting between Islam and Christianity? Alright that’s unlikely, but what if some sort of agreement and territorial difference was settled not through armed pilgrimage but by any other means?

But by the Crusades Europeans got a bunch of information about places beyond Europe and preserved Greek and Roman texts from their occupation of the Holy Land (and arguably, this helped contribute to the Renaissance). So does this mean that the Renaissance wouldn’t have happened? Or that certain military and cultural developments wouldn’t have happened?

If the West never went to official war with Islam in such a way would their be the same level of Islamaphobia around today? And what would the status of Israel be, considering that it was taken by Islamic forces in the Crusades? Would Islamic/Christian tensions be assuaged by Jewish people still be screwed by having their lands still not be in their own hands?

-What if the Reconquista never succeeded?

What would happen if Spain never became a Catholic nation again, and continued into the modern day to be dominantly Islamic? It would lead to their being an Islamic country in mainland Europe for one, but what would that entail? Would Portugal exist? Would the relationship with the rest of Europe be good or bad? What would it be like to be Christian, Jewish or atheist in a primarily Islamic modern day Spain?

And of course, what would that mean for Latin America? It wouldn’t be ‘Latin’ at all if it was colonized by an Islamic power rather than a Catholic one. How would that conquest go anyhow? Would African slavery be a thing on the scale it was under Christian Europeans? Would most of Central and South America be Muslim? Would the language be Spanish or Arabic? Or would there be an in-between language?

Would prejudice against Mexican immigrants be based in Islamaphobia? Or would Islam be more accepted in mainstream American society considering that there are tons of immigrants from Mexico?

-What if World War II just didn’t happen?

I don’t know what to do with this one other than suggest that question.

-What if the US had invaded Japan instead of dropping the atomic bomb?

Alright so a bunch of people on Tumblr always like to claim that the US was dickish because it dropped the atom bomb. Which, okay, it’s hard not to construe dropping an atom bomb as a dick move, but what if we’d gone with the other option, which was invading Japan with infantry? That would have sucked, because it’d result in more deaths of both Japanese and Americans. 

So you know, think about how that’d turn out?

-What if the Mongols has conquered Europe?

The Mongols tried to take Europe one time. What if they succeeded? How long would that have lasted? What would the cultural influences of a Mongol Empire, connecting Europe and Asia? Cross-cultural exchange existed then, of course, but it’d be even more prominent. We’d also have Western religions being more common in the East and Eastern religions more common in the West.

And THEN think about what would happen when that Europe or Asia goes out colonizing the world.

Some other ideas that I don’t have time to write about: -What if Buddhism hadn’t caught on? -What if there hadn’t been a Bronze Age Collapse? -What if Italy had funded Columbus’s voyage instead of Spain? -What if Italy never united? -What if the Saxons couldn’t conquer Britain?

[therealdragonnerdagain]

Everything I'm about to say is my opinion. I don't care for fans who want to defend Bioware, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect to me. Please fuck off.

I feel bad every time someone watches me or follows me for Dragon Age fan fiction. I been saying this for years now, but I'll say it again:

I am not writing anymore Dragon Age fan fictions.

Nor am I buying anymore Dragon Age games.

And Mass Effect hurt me so much, I can't even bring myself to write more fan fictions for it either.

So I am not buying anymore Mass Effect games. Which means no more Mass Effect fan fiction.

Dragon Age has really disappointed me with its shitty streamlining for the brainless mainstream. Not only that: Dragon Age has HURT me.

I loved this game for years, only to come to the sobering realization that the Bioware game developers are the same racist, misogynists that exist at every other game company. Yeah. I fucking SAID it. You can not look at Mass Effect and not see the misogyny. That we got FemShep -- one of the greatest female protagonists in a video game of all time -- out of that mire was a happy accident.

The Bioware game developers think indigenous people of color are savage inferiors who not only deserve but *need* to be Christianized and civilized (the Avvarr are human -- and therefore coded as white -- so their paganism is fine, though. Didn't you know? White people do tribal better!!!).

There's a reason why the only "good" elves in Dragon Age are the ones who've conformed to human (white) culture. Aka the city elves like Sera.

I realize it's possible to love something that's flawed, and for years, I did just that. But now that I'm older . . . . it just feels wrong. It's not only racist but irresponsible to use a video game to justify racism and to belittle an entire people for being angry about racism and oppression that is still going on (The Nature of the Beast). Like we need to just let it go and conform to white culture, or else we're inferior and evil for making white people feel uncomfortable.

God forbid white people should feel uncomfortable about anything. Meanwhile, we are expected to suffer our oppression in silence?

White people who feel this way don't seem to understand that the resulting oppression from history's genocide and slavery is STILL GOING ON. So yes, we are still angry. When you live in a country that doesn't allow you to be a fucking human being with rights, you are going to be angry about it.

People of color in America still have no rights and our lives still don't matter, just as Vaughn was able to snatch up any elven women he wanted and rape them with impunity. No one stepped forward to protect the elves. No one stood up for the elves. No one CARED about their lives. Which is why the city elf Warden had to fight: because the elves have NO RIGHTS as people.

And if the city elf origin had been more realistic, the CE Warden would have been killed on sight by the guards as a "cop killer" for defending her people, and there would have been no questions asked, no fair trial, no Duncan to intercede, and no humans to sympathize.

There's a difference between saying a people are free and actually treating them like fucking equals. And just because Dragon Age correctly depicts the plight of the city elves (aka people of color living within white dominate culture) doesn't mean they didn't fuck up entirely when it came to the Dalish.

They completely demonized the Dalish and set them up to be evil inferiors, so that they could justify everything the humans ever did to them -- using the same shitty justification (Manifest Destiny) that white people in real life have been repeating over and over against Jews, Native Americans, enslaved Africans, mesoamericans, and basically any brown people who white people invaded and slaughtered and tried to convert to Christianity.

According to Manifest Destiny, people of color were savage inferiors who destroyed themselves and their own "inferior" kingdoms with demon worship long before pure, good, Christian whites showed up and "saved" them.

That's not only a lie, it's a racist lie that has been used to justify atrocities for centuries. And Dragon Age fucking reinforced the lie for a new generation of white kids. Way to go, Dragon Age.

Dragon Age is racist, and it hurts me on a personal level because racism IS PERSONAL for the people who suffer from it.

It's personal when I see an unarmed black person gunned down on the news, and I know it could be me or my cousin or my brother that white people will call a thug, demonize, and try to justify their death.

Dragon Age is just another white voice trying to justify racism to ease white consciences. That's ALL it is.

And I will likely NEVER write fan fiction about it EVER again. So feel free to unwatch me on Deviant Art and unfollow me here. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is.

I feel I've wasted too much of my time writing fan fictions anyway. I should be weaving my own stories, honing my own craft.

And I know one thing for certain: MY stories will never demonize an entire people, nor justify RAPE, GENOCIDE, SLAVERY, AND religious FASCISM.

[ecadimi-blog]

Chapter 1—Three Old Worlds Create a New, 1492-1600

Chapter 1—Three Old Worlds Create a New, 1492-1600   SHORT ANSWER   Instructions: · Identify each item. Give an explanation or description of the item. Answer the questions who, what, where, and when. · Explain the historical significance of each item. Establish the historical context in which the item exists. Establish the item as the result of or as the cause of other factors existing in the society under study. Answer this question: What were the political, social, economic, and/or cultural consequences of this item?     Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca   ANS:         Paleo-Indians   ANS:         Teotihuacán   ANS:         the Mayas   ANS:         the Pueblos   ANS:         the Mississippians   ANS:         the City of the Sun (Cahokia)   ANS:         Monks Mound   ANS:         The Aztecs   ANS:         Huitzilopochtli   ANS:         Tenochtilán   ANS:         sexual division of labor   ANS:         Upper Guinea   ANS:         Lower Guinea   ANS:         dual-sex principle   ANS:         the Sandé and Poro cults   ANS:         the Black Death   ANS:         the Hundred Years' War   ANS:           the lateen sail, the compass, the astrolabe, and the quadrant   ANS:         Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile   ANS:         movable type and the printing press   ANS:         Travels by Marco Polo   ANS:         the Mediterranean Atlantic   ANS:         the Azores, the Madeiras, and the Canaries   ANS:         the Northeast Trades and the Westerlies   ANS:         Prince Henry the Navigator   ANS:         São Tomé   ANS:         Christopher Columbus   ANS:             Amerigo Vespucci   ANS:         Leif Ericsson   ANS:         John Cabot   ANS:         Hernán Cortés   ANS:         Malinche   ANS:         the Spanish model of colonization   ANS:         the encomienda system   ANS:         Spanish missionaries   ANS:         the Columbian exchange   ANS:         smallpox   ANS:             syphilis   ANS:         sugar, the horse, and tobacco   ANS:         maize   ANS:         John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake   ANS:         Richard Hakluyt   ANS:         Sir Walter Raleigh   ANS:         Roanoke   ANS:         A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia   ANS:         MULTIPLE CHOICE   Which of the following were the first to cultivate food crops in the Americas? a. European colonists in South America b. Indians along the Atlantic seaboard of North America c. Jesuit missionaries in southern California d. Indians living in central Mexico     ANS:  D     Which of the following was a consequence of the spread of agricultural techniques among Indian groups? a. Cultural differences among groups of Indians disappeared. b. Most groups began to live a more sedentary existence. c. The various groups began to engage in almost constant warfare. d. Political power within the various groups fell into the hands of land-owning elite.     ANS:  B   Why did the practice of settled agriculture lead to the emergence of more complex civilizations? a. People practicing settled agriculture needed a more structured political system. b. People with a steady supply of food were free to devote their energy to accumulating wealth, producing art, and creating ceremonies and rituals. c. An increase in the number of children in such societies gave rise to the educational institutions associated with complex civilizations. d. Property owners in such societies demanded laws and institutions that protected their property rights.     ANS:  B   What did the city-states of Mesoamerica and the urban clusters known as the Mississippian culture have in common? a. Each practiced a form of township democracy. b. Each was engaged in extensive trade in the Caribbean basin. c. Each had religious beliefs that were monotheistic. d. Each reached the height of its power only after achieving success in agriculture.     ANS:  D   Which of the following best explains the differences in the means of subsistence and lifestyles that emerged among Indian groups in the New World? a. Disagreements over political beliefs caused groups to separate. b. The various tribes migrated to the Americas separately and came from widely divergent cultures. c. Different Indian groups adapted their means of subsistence and lifestyles to the environment in which they settled. d. Geographic barriers in the New World made interaction between different Indian tribes impossible.     ANS:  C   Which of the following best explains the fact that bands of Indian hunters remained small in the area of the Great Basin (present-day Nevada and Utah)? a. The disease environment dramatically lowered the life expectancy of the inhabitants of the Great Basin. b. The tribes of the Great Basin enacted laws that imposed strict limitations on the size of each band within the tribe. c. The inadequate supply of large game made it difficult to find food in sufficient quantity to support large groups. d. The practice of human sacrifice significantly reduced the population of the bands and tribes of the Great Basin.     ANS:  C     North American Indian agricultural societies were alike in which of the following respects? a. They all defined the extended family matrilineally. b. The clans that made up these societies were defined patrilineally. c. They all allocated agricultural chores to women. d. Women were allowed to be chiefs in all these societies.     ANS:  A   The design of pre-Columbian Indian villages indicates which of the following? a. These societies had an extensive trade network with one another. b. Native Americans once had a common culture because there are no differences among the villages of hunter-gatherer societies, agricultural societies, and fishing societies. c. The design of Indian villages around a central place of worship indicates that, although widely separated, all Indians had the same religious beliefs. d. The defensive design of villages indicates that North American Indians fought with each other long before the arrival of Europeans.     ANS:  D   Women were most likely to hold political positions in a. hunting tribes. b. tribes that had no sexual division of labor. c. nomadic tribes. d. agricultural tribes.     ANS:  D   Which of the following is true of the Algonquians? a. They followed the example of the Aztecs, practicing settled agriculture and living a sedentary existence. b. They accepted women as rulers in some villages. c. They defined the extended family patrilineally. d. They were unique among the North American tribes in that they had no known religious beliefs.     ANS:  B   When Europeans began to colonize North America, the Indians on the continent a. did not see themselves as one people and did not think of uniting against the invaders. b. realized that unity against the invaders was essential to survival. c. quickly accepted the religious ideas expressed by European missionaries. d. recognized the importance of accepting and adopting the major characteristics of European culture.     ANS:  A   Which of the following was one of the major means of subsistence of the people living in the northernmost region of Upper Guinea? a. Farming b. Animal husbandry c. Cultivation of rice d. The gold trade     ANS:  C     In the fifteenth century, Lower Guinea and Upper Guinea differed in which of the following respects? a. The governments of Lower Guinea were democratic; those of Upper Guinea were autocratic. b. Women were responsible for the cultivation of rice in Lower Guinea but were the primary local traders in Upper Guinea. c. The peoples of Lower Guinea continued to practice traditional African religions; those of Upper Guinea were heavily influenced by the Islamic religion. d. Women were denied political power in Lower Guinea but held powerful political and religious positions in Upper Guinea.     ANS:  C   Most Africans of Lower Guinea were similar to the agricultural Indians of the Americas in which of the following respects? a. The political systems of both consisted of hereditary rulers governing agricultural empires. b. Both assigned agricultural tasks to men. c. Both lived a nomadic existence. d. The religious practices of both revolved around rituals designed to ensure a good harvest.     ANS:  D   At the time of initial contact with the Europeans, Lower Guinea was characterized by a. powerful and wealthy empires. b. decentralized political and social authority. c. religious disagreements between Christian rulers and the Muslim masses. d. acceptance of and strong devotion to Islam on the part of rulers and people.     ANS:  B   The societies of West Africa were like Native American societies in which of the following respects? a. The social systems of both were organized on the basis of the dual-sex principle. b. The political systems of both were organized on the basis of autocratic rule. c. In both, work assignments were organized on the basis of a sexual division of labor. d. In both, women were allowed to hold formal political power over men.     ANS:  C   The social systems of West Africa were all organized on the basis of the dual-sex principle, which meant that a. female political and religious leaders governed the women and males ruled the men. b. men and women were expected to have not only a sexual partner of the opposite sex but one of the same sex as well. c. every man could have two wives and every woman could have two husbands. d. all individuals were believed to have both a masculine and a feminine side.     ANS:  A                   Members of the Sandé cult a. frequently engaged in wars with neighboring tribes to obtain prisoners for human sacrifice to the gods. b. established diplomatic relations between Benin and Portugal and acted as middlemen in the trade between the two societies. c. were led by female religious leaders and were not allowed to reveal the secrets of their cult to men. d. were the only known West Africans to have monotheistic religious beliefs.     ANS:  C   Fifteenth-century European, African, and Mesoamerican societies differed from most North American Indian societies in that the former were a. theocratic in nature. b. hierarchical in nature. c. egalitarian in nature. d. patriarchal in nature.     ANS:  B   In contrast to African and Native American societies, women in European societies were a. not allowed to engage in certain kinds of work. b. usually denied positions of political and religious authority. c. primarily responsible for discipline within the family. d. equal to men in the eyes of the law.     ANS:  B   As a result of the Black Death, a. the people of Europe turned to the Christian religion for the first time. b. it is estimated that one-third of the people of Europe died in the late fourteenth century. c. the Angle and Saxon tribes of England were so weakened that they were easily defeated by William of Normandy. d. European scientists finally accepted the germ theory of disease long advanced by Arab scholars.     ANS:  B   After the Hundred Years' War, the monarchs of England and France worked to consolidate their political power. They were aided in this effort by a. their acceptance of the concept of constitutional monarchy. b. a new sense of national identity among their subjects. c. a resurgence of regional loyalties among nobles. d. promising their subjects that they would uphold the concept of human rights.     ANS:  B   Marco Polo's Travels was important primarily because it convinced many Europeans a. of the need for a defensive alliance against hostile non-European powers. b. that direct trade by sea with China was possible. c. of the need to Christianize China. d. that Chinese culture was superior to European culture.     ANS:  B   The primary motive for the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century European voyages of exploration and discovery was the desire to a. spread Christianity around the world. b. verify the new scholarly theory that there were undiscovered continents. c. gain direct access to the goods of Africa and Asia. d. establish naval control of the seas.     ANS:  C   These winds made it easy for Spanish and Portuguese mariners to sail from the Iberian Peninsula to the Canary Islands. a. The Northeast Trades b. The Polar Easterlies c. The Horse Latitudes d. The prevailing Westerlies     ANS:  A   Why was it difficult for Spanish and Portuguese mariners to return home from the Canary Islands? a. The Northeast Trades, which quickly carried Iberian sailors from the Iberian peninsula to the Canaries, blow steadily southward. b. Unusual magnetic fields in that area rendered navigational instruments useless. c. Berber pirates preyed on ships sailing northward from the Canaries. d. They had no knowledge of the tacking maneuver.     ANS:  A   The Mediterranean Atlantic prepared the way for the European voyages of exploration and discovery because it was there that European mariners a. first learned the skill of trimming their sails. b. discovered that the Westerlies would carry them swiftly into the Atlantic and toward the Caribbean. c. first learned the importance of square sails in making their ships more maneuverable. d. learned the valuable strategy of sailing around the wind.     ANS:  D   By the 1470s the world's first colonial plantation economy was found in the a. Azores. b. Canaries. c. Madeiras. d. West Indies.     ANS:  C   After conquering the last Canary Island in 1496, the Spanish devoted the land to the cultivation of a. corn. b. rice. c. sugar. d. tobacco.     ANS:  C       Which of the following correctly characterizes the trade relationship between Portugal and the states of West Africa? a. The Portuguese merchants grew wealthy; the African chiefdoms gained little. b. The African chiefdoms gained wealth and power; the Portuguese gained little. c. The Portuguese merchants controlled the terms and conditions of the trade. d. The rulers of West Africa controlled the terms and conditions of the trade.     ANS:  D   Black slavery was introduced into Europe by the a. French. b. Spanish. c. English. d. Portuguese.     ANS:  D   The first economy based primarily on the bondage of black Africans was created in a. the Azores. b. the Canaries. c. the Madeiras. d. São Tomé.     ANS:  D   Based on their experiences in the islands of the Mediterranean Atlantic, the Europeans learned that they a. would have to use European laborers if colonies were to be productive and profitable. b. could successfully transplant their crops and livestock to exotic locations. c. would never be able to develop a system for supplying workers to distant colonies. d. could successfully cure the diseases they contracted in distant lands.     ANS:  B   As a result of his visit to the Portuguese colony on the Gold Coast of Africa, Columbus a. began to understand how important rice cultivation could be in solving food shortages in his native Genoa. b. recognized the economic potential of the slave trade. c. acquired a hatred for abusive and exploitive labor systems. d. learned how important it was to understand and accept the belief systems of non-Europeans.     ANS:  B   Queen Isabella decided to finance exploratory voyages, in part, because she a. believed it would divert her subjects' attention away from Spain's domestic problems. b. hoped profits from such voyages would help finance an expedition to wrest Jerusalem from the Muslims. c. wanted to prevent England from colonizing Africa. d. wanted knowledge about other world cultures.     ANS:  B       Columbus's log of his first encounter with the New World and its inhabitants reveals which of the following? a. He wanted to profit from the land he had found by exploiting its natural resources, including its people. b. He wanted to exterminate all Native Americans and completely destroy the cultures they had built. c. He insisted that Europeans had come merely to observe, not to change, the cultures of the New World's native inhabitants. d. He believed that his primary goal should be to Christianize the native inhabitants of the land he had found.     ANS:  A   The first person to publish the idea that Columbus had discovered a new continent was a. Pedro Alvares Cabral. b. John Cabot. c. Amerigo Vespucci. d. Martin Waldseemüller.     ANS:  C   Which of the following is true of John Cabot? a. He brought back to Europe the first formal knowledge of North America's northern coastline. b. He is credited with having found an all-water route through North America to Asia. c. As a result of his voyages, Cabot was the first European to realize that Columbus had not reached Asia. d. He established a settlement at Vinland, which was the first European settlement in North America.     ANS:  A   Under the encomienda system, a. the Catholic Church established schools and hospitals in Indian villages. b. individual conquistadors were granted tributary Indian villages from which they could collect money and goods. c. Spanish Jesuits undertook the task of converting Indians to the Christian faith. d. prisoners from Spain were sent to work in New World silver mines for periods ranging from seven years to life.     ANS:  B   Large numbers of Native Americans living in Spanish territory accepted Catholicism, in part, because a. it was the religion of their conquerors. b. they believed the parish priests could cure them of European diseases. c. they believed they would be executed if they refused. d. Catholicism seemed to promise immediate rewards in this life.     ANS:  A           Which of the following was a long-term consequence of the influx of gold and silver from the New World into Spain? a. The Spanish government funded domestic social programs that substantially raised the standard of living of the peasant masses. b. Rapid inflation led to an unfavorable balance of trade and the collapse of many businesses. c. The ready availability of investment capital at low interest rates led to the expansion and modernization of Spanish industries. d. The Spanish government became complacent and failed to defend the nation's interests against the aggressive Dutch and English.     ANS:  B   The main reason for the dramatic decline of the Indian population of Hispaniola from 1492 to 1542 was the a. Spanish decision forcibly to move the Indians to South America. b. inhumanity of the Spanish slave system. c. introduction of European diseases onto the island. d. psychological devastation caused by systematic destruction of traditional Indian culture.     ANS:  C   The Lakota, Comanches, and Crows of the Great Plains were profoundly affected by the a. introduction of the horse into North America. b. introduction of wheat and rye into North America. c. cultivation of tobacco. d. introduction of settled agriculture into North America.     ANS:  A   The permanent outposts established by Europeans in North America in the early seventeenth century were initially inhabited by people whose aim was to a. establish permanent colonies for their respective countries. b. establish military bases for their respective countries. c. Christianize the Indians of North America. d. make money by sending as many beaver pelts as possible home to Europe.     ANS:  D   Which of the following is true concerning trade between Indians and Europeans? a. Such trade was beneficial only to Europeans. b. In order to supply Europeans with much-demanded furs, some Indian bands abandoned their traditional economies. c. The controls imposed by some Indians on trade with Europeans created financial problems for European trading companies. d. Most Indian bands traded with Europeans only out of fear of reprisals if they refused.     ANS:  B   Who published translations of stories of exploratory voyages and argued in favor of English colonization of North America? a. John Cabot b. Richard Hakluyt c. John Hawkins d. Captain John Smith     ANS:  B   Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to establish English outposts in the New World, in part, because he wanted to a. establish tobacco plantations. b. serve the colonies of other European nations by carrying New World products into European markets. c. establish a haven for religious dissenters. d. establish trade with the Indians.     ANS:  D   ESSAY   Discuss the series of Mesoamerican civilizations that eventually gave rise to the Aztec civilization, and describe the major characteristics of Aztec culture. How did the Indian cultures that emerged in Mesoamerica differ from those that emerged in North America? What factors caused these differences?   ANS:         Discuss the similarities and differences among the Indian cultures of North America at the beginning of the seventeenth century. How can the differences among these cultures be explained?   ANS:         Discuss the similarities and differences among the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century West African cultures. How can the differences among these cultures be explained?   ANS:         Discuss the political, social, and economic characteristics of the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Muskogean Indians in the early seventeenth century.   ANS:         Discuss the similarities and differences concerning the sexual division of labor among the English, the Iroquois, and the societies of West Africa.   ANS:         Discuss the prevailing winds of the North and South Atlantic as both a hindrance and an aid to European seafarers, and examine the role these winds played in the European voyages of exploration and discovery.   ANS:         List and discuss the three key lessons of colonization learned by Europeans from their experiences in the islands of the Mediterranean Atlantic and the African coast.   ANS:         Discuss the impact of the transfer of plants, diseases, and animals on Europe and Africa and on the Americas.   ANS:         Discuss the goals behind Spanish colonization of the Americas, and examine the features of the Spanish model of colonization. Did Spain attain its goals? What impact did Spanish colonization have on Spanish society and on the civilizations that the Spanish encountered in the Americas?   ANS:         Discuss the first English attempt to plant a permanent settlement in North America, and explain why that attempt failed.   ANS:                                           MAP EXERCISES   Map Exercise 1-1 Use the map that follows:     Refer to Map Exercise 1-1. On the outline map of the Americas above and referring to an historical atlas, draw in the boundaries for and mark the location of each of the present-day nations: Argentina Ecuador Paraguay Belize French Guiana Peru Bolivia Guatemala Puerto Rico Brazil Guyana Surinam Chile Haiti United States Colombia Honduras Uruguay Costa Rica Jamaica Venezuela Cuba Mexico   Dominican Republic Nicaragua   El Salvador Panama                         Refer to Map Exercise 1-1. Mark the location of each of the following cities: Buenos Aires Caracas Lima Mexico City Panama Santiago             Refer to Map Exercise 1-1. Using three pens of different colors (highlight pens will work fine) and referring to an historical atlas, mark the location of: the Aztec Empire the Inca Empire the Maya Empire             Refer to Map Exercise 1-1. Referring to an historical atlas, mark the following: the route taken by Cortés in his conquest of the Aztec Empire the route taken by Pizarro in his conquest of the Inca Empire                                                                 Map Exercise 1-2 On the outline map of the world that follows and using the text as a reference, mark the following:     Refer to Map Exercise 1-2.   Part 1 You will need five colors to complete this map exercise. (Highlight pens will work fine.)   Trade winds (Northeast and Southeast) blow from the Horse Latitudes toward the Equator. The rotation of Earth causes these winds to blow diagonally rather than directly North or South.   Westerlies blow from the Horse Latitudes toward the polar regions. The diagonal deflection of these winds is also caused by Earth's rotation.   Stagnant air exists in the Horse Latitudes and in the area called the Doldrums. (The Horse Latitudes are so named because the Spanish, who frequently ferried horses across the Atlantic, often found their sailing vessels stalled in this region. As a result, they ran out of water for the horses. As the horses died from thirst, they had to be thrown overboard.)   Polar Easterlies blow from the Arctic regions toward the more temperate regions to the South.   Use one color to highlight the area in which the Doldrums are located. Label this area "The Doldrums." (The Doldrums are located to the immediate north and south of the Equator, where the Northeast Trades and the Southeast Trades meet.)   Use a second color to highlight the Trade winds, both Northeast and Southeast.   Use a third color to highlight the areas in which the Horse Latitudes are located. Label this area "The Horse Latitudes." (The Horse Latitudes are located about at about 30 degrees North latitude¾in the area between the Westerlies and the Northeast Trades¾and at about 35 degrees South latitude (in the area between the Southeast Trades and the Westerlies).)   Use a fourth color to highlight the Westerlies.   Use a fifth color to highlight the Polar Easterlies.   Part 2 On the outline map of the world above and using the text as a reference, mark the following:   · The route of Columbus's first voyage to the New World. · The route of Cabot's 1497 voyage to the New World. · The route of Cabot's 1498 voyage to the New World.   Part 3 Based on this map exercise, and using your text as a reference, answer the following questions:   1. What winds aided Columbus in his voyage from Spain to the New World? 2. What winds appear to have hindered Cabot on his first voyage from England to the New World? 3. What winds appear to have made Cabot's second voyage easier?     ANS:       Read the full article

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Chocolate and Mezcal Pairing in Oaxaca, Mexico: Some Thoughts on Product Commonalities, Differences

She's a tease. There's no doubt about it. "No, not yet, you have to wait until I'm done first, please," she entreats mezcal artisanal. While the foreplay is interesting, and sensuous to the extreme, I want to jump right in - and get at the three young mezcals, with 18 chocolates set up in front of them.

The evening was billed a mezcal and chocolate pairing event, or a maridaje in local parlance, held at Restaurante La Olla in downtown Oaxaca. It was hosted by owners Chef Pilar Cabrera and Ing. Luis Espinoza, and their special guest, chef/chocolatier Arcelia Gallardo. Mezcal brands Koch and Vago were featured.

Of course Chef Gallardo simply wanted us to hold off delving into her enticing chocolates alluringly set in front of us, with water at the ready and three mezcals in the wait. The idea was to direct us when to sample what, in the course of her discourse.

This was more than a mezcal and chocolate combining encounter. It was a treatise on the history of cacao, a lesson on the production of chocolate, and a discussion of its different formulations based on country / continent of origin. In addition, of course, there was the main focus, learning an appreciation of different mezcals as paired with a variety of chocolates. Each chocolate had been hand-crafted that very day by Chef Gallardo using Oaxacan ingredients she had earlier sourced with the assistance of Chef Pilar.

"I came to Oaxaca principally to learn about the region's unique flavors and ingredients, with a view to experimenting with how I could incorporate what I discovered into my chocolate," she explained.

Yes, the packed house learned about chocolate's Mesoamerican origins, the differences between South American, African and American cacao concoctions, what exactly white chocolate is, why chocolate melts in your mouth (and in fact in your hands), and tasting notes relative to each sample devoured. But for me, a mezcal aficionado and researcher for in excess of two decades, what struck home most were the elements in common between and contrasted with cacao and chocolate on the one hand, and the iconic Mexican spirit on the other.

Naturally I was interested in everything Chef Gallardo had to say, given that it was all new to me; and who doesn't have an interest in the wherefores and whys of chocolate? But I continually found myself relating what I was being coached about cacao and chocolate, to mezcal as well as pulque.

The Historical Record

In tracing the use of cacao to the Olmec civilization some 3,000 years ago, our grand maestra noted that residue of the cacao compound theobromine has been found in pottery vessels, evidencing its earliest consumption in Belize and Guatemala. My interest initially piqued recalling that archaeologists in Mexico have found clay pots with traces of alcohol, leading them to theorize about a pre-Hispanic distillation tradition. Many Mexican spirits thinkers take issue with this latter reasoning, primarily because there have not been codices, pictographs and the like found, detailing distillation as a cultural indicia among indigenous groups. The more accepted thinking is that the Spanish learned distillation from the Moors, and subsequently brought this knowledge to The New World, no earlier than in the first quarter of the 16th century.

With her powerpoint presentation Chef Gallardo showed us photographs of various paintings and clay containers, representing a Mayan god embracing a bowl containing cacao; a squirrel holding a pod; cacao vessels in ancient tombs; Aztec glyphs and notations in scriptures; a goddess of cacao; and more. The proponents of pre-Hispanic distillation, by contrast, have not been able to tie together the slight evidence of alcohol, with neither drawings nor stone or clay representations of anything beyond fermentation. Where to date they have failed, the chocolate historians have convincingly succeeded.

Modern Day Manifestations of Commonalities and Contrasts

One of the main positives in common between the production of chocolate and mezcal relates to the concept of bio-diversity and agro-forestry. Chef Gallardo pointed to cacao plantations being suited to multiple crop land use. Cacao can be shaded by allspice and coconut, and cardamom is capable of providing good ground cover. Regarding mezcal production, in between rows of agave and at times growing simply amongst the plants, crops such as alfalfa, garbanzo, corn, beans and squash are frequently found, enabling growers to reap annual rewards while waiting for their principal crop to mature - often eight to ten years after planting, at times much longer.

Chef Gallardo lamented the backbreaking work of cacao growers, and the often paltry wages they are paid, at least relative to the retail prices designer chocolate fetches. Farmers are required to check the trees as often as on a daily basis to ensure infestations do not take hold. Agave, on the other hand, requires very little attention. But the work of those who spend their days in the sun-drenched fields and slopes cutting the plants out of the ground and lifting the resultant piñas onto trucks, is grueling enough.

While the current price per kilo of agave used in mezcal production is upwards of tenfold and in some cases more, compared to what it was only three or four years ago, this fact does not necessarily translate to farmers obtaining an appropriate piece of the pie, given the work they do and market fluctuations. The same holds true for artisanal distillers. The lion's share of campesinos and palenqueros are not enjoying an appreciably better standard of living, as compared to what is happening outside the villages of production. The price of export quality mezcal will continue to rise mezcal. As compared with the vagaries of living for the growers and producers, there will be no peaks and valleys in the financial fortunes of its foreign agents, its importers, and its retailers be they stores, bars or restaurants. In this vein, concerns by some "in the know" regarding the mezcal industry mirror those with a social conscience in the chocolate industry, such as Chef Gallardo.

Chef Gallardo commented briefly on the use of fertilizer for growing cacao, stating that many growers do not even know the term, let alone about the issue of chemical versus organic growth stimulants. My mind raced along to those mezcal producers boasting organic production, and recalling a friend in pulque production telling me that he composts whatever animal feces is available to use as fertilizer for his pulquero agave, but that it really isn't enough to provide a significant change in growth pattern, and that in any event he simply cannot afford chemical fertilizers. Most small scale agave growers are practicing organic production without even considering the marketing aspect of their practice.

But what struck home perhaps the most were other matters relating to regulation and marketing of chocolate production, issues which mirror concerns of some commentators in the mezcal industry. And even if those concerns are not at the fore in chocolate chats, then they are certainly on the minds of chocolatiers such as Chef Gallardo.

Two sheets of paper in front of each attendee contained square boxes, with a different chocolate in each, with producer and origin noted: Dandelion from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic; Madécasse and Akesson from Madagascar; and Valrhona from Africa. As the lecture proceeded, we began tasting the chocolates while discerning different appearances, aromas, textures and finally tastes. In the course of an extremely enlightening question and answer session, Chef Gallardo confirmed what I assume most of us had at least considered, that origin is a major determinant of flavor. I asked from what country(ies) the African chocolate we have sampled is derived. She replied:

"There are so many trade secrets in the industry. There is no labeling requirement to disclose country of origin or even the percentage of powder versus cacao butter used in production."

The chocolate from the Dominican Republic has dried cherry tones. "The country taste is clear," Chef Gallardo confirms, then continued, "our Madécasse Madagascar sample contains vanilla."

If producers label chocolate from Madagascar with the country of origin, why do they not label chocolate from other countries in Africa in a similar way, given in particular the extreme diversity in climatic regions and terroir on the continent and the importance of country of origin in determining flavor?

I am less than a novice when it comes to cacao and chocolate. However, no doubt there are ongoing round table discussions and perhaps even cogent and convincing answers to the foregoing question and other matters relating to labeling.

As the evening progressed I proceeded to consider comparisons and contrasts and live issues in the mezcal industry which relate to chocolate regulation.

Labeling of mezcal for export is regulated to a significant extent, although quality, quantity and parameters are often debated. We have denominación de origen, alcohol content and percentage agave used in production all required to be noted. I have personally questioned whether the mezcal industry would be better served with more comprehensive labeling of region where the agave was grown versus fermented versus distilled, and species and subspecies of agave given the plethora of often confusing local variations in terminology. But after having heard what's going on and arguably lacking in chocolate regulation / labeling, I began to think perhaps our own back yard is not doing all that bad.

The Pairings

The first mezcal Koch we sampled was a madrecuixe. Chef Gallardo paired it with a truffle filled with seasonal guava. We then scoffed another truffle with the same mezcal, filled with panela. Our final pairing with Koch madrecuixe was a hard chocolate made with pecan and dried cranberry.

The second Koch mezcal was infused with gusano. For me and for most of the crowd it provided the best-suited mezcal for combining, no doubt due to Chef Gallardo's expertise. I usually do not drink mezcal de gusano. However I found that the semi-hard chocolate topped with a chapulín both complemented and moderated what is often too strong a gusano flavor. The second chocolate entry was made with chiles guajillo and chilhuacle amarillo, the tangy chocolate subtly and correctly overpowering the larva-laden mezcal. The final Koch pairing was with a hard chocolate made with local corn and coconut.

The Vago mezcal was made with corn grown in the same micro-climate where the mezcal was produced, near the tiny Oaxaca hamlet of Candelaria Yegolé. The corn had been infused in a quantity of mezcal espadín, then distilled in a copper alambique topped up with additional espadín a la mezcal de pechuga. The first chocolate was a truffle spiked with rosita de cacao, one of the requisite ingredients used to make tejate, the local, high-nutrition corn and cacao pre-Hispanic drink. The second was an overly salty yet nevertheless complementary milk chocolate made with chipotle and topped with sea salt. The final chocolate entry combined with the Vago mezcal was prepared with pinole.

Mezcal Pairings: Chocolate is But One in the Realm of Combining Partners

Mezcal viewed as a sipping spirit is still in its infancy. And even more so is the perception of it as a beverage worthy of giving consideration for pairing. Some twenty years down the road, perhaps sooner, we might find on our bookshelves a compendium of different types of mezcal best suited for combining with different beverages, desserts and other foodstuffs as well as full meal offerings. Indeed some producers of mezcal añejo have already begun to market by recommending particular qualities of chocolate best combined with their spirit.

Evening sessions have begun to pop up pairing a selection of beers from a particular craft brewery with mezcals from a specific distillery. I envision more professionals' efforts working to find the perfect mix of mezcals with both popular sweets and main courses, especially in those regions of Mexico where mezcal is a locally produced spirit, and in major international centers where the spirit is now in vogue.

Be more conscious of which mezcal you're drinking with what, continue to combine with different chocolates, and like me, consider what's behind the production and marketing of each. In this way you'll support the development of healthier industries, for our benefit and for everyone, in particular those who currently remain near and at the bottom of the production chain.

[garkodigitalmedia]

The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

  Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru  Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program  Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara  Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba  Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe  Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel  Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris.  Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse  Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu  Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.  Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/

[michaeljtraylor]

The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru  Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program  Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara  Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba  Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe  Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel  Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris.  Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse  Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu  Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge.  Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

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from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/ from Garko Media https://garkomedia1.tumblr.com/post/184329005129

[michelles-garden-of-evil]

Episode 23 Review: In the Not-So-Hidden Temple

{ YouTube: 1 | 2 }

{ Full Synopses/Recaps: Debby Graham | Bryan Gruszka }

{ Screencaps }

CONTENT WARNING FOR MENTION OF SUICIDE TOWARDS THE END OF THE REVIEW

Welcome back to my Garden of Evil, which I have let lay barren for far too long. A few busy weeks of mask-making threw me off my posting schedule last April and I have only just begun to get back into the habit of writing episode reviews. Also, I knew that I would need to do a lot of research for this one, so I kept putting it off while I worked on my essay about Strange Paradise on WKBF. But now I’m ready to return to reviewing this show regularly, and let me tell you that I learned some very interesting things while researching this episode.

But first, a word from Jean Paul Desmond.

Jean Paul: “Erica, my darling, I do know what is right and wrong, and to be with you is all that is right for me. I cannot control either, though, for is it wrong to want you alive again? Is it wrong for me to want to give up my life for yours, if need be? Because the Devil will not have my soul! And, if it means freeing you from the capsule, I will. We will destroy each other so that at least we may share our eternity together.”

Jean Paul is wearing a lovely green shirt that, unfortunately, we will never get to see again after this episode. He has also not yet given up on his habit of stalking, as we see when he spies on Matt Dawson. Matt prays for Erica, then goes to investigate the coffins of Jean Paul’s ancestors while Quito sneaks up behind him. Then he starts talking to the mute servant about how much he wants to leave Maljardin and tries persuading him to sail him back to the main island.

That is when Raxl finds him there and tells him something which I can't make out (see Part 1, 2:54 to 2:59). Debby Graham transcribes part of her line as "he is deaf," but Raxl says more than that. Bryan Gruszka of StrangeParadise.net says nothing on either his synopsis or the corresponding trivia page about Quito being deaf, so it’s possible that he didn’t understand her line either. Still, I'll be damned if I can make out anything with the bad audio. The automated captions don't even transcribe any of it, correctly or not, so I have no idea what the hell she’s saying.

"He may not be able to talk," replies Matt, "but he can hear." You would think that being together with Quito since at least 1689 would be more than enough time for her to figure out whether he is deaf or not, but I guess I'm wrong. Anyway, she decides that, because Matt is a minister, she can safely confide in him about the evil on Maljardin aka THE DEVIL JACQUES ELOI DES MONDES.

Stop trying to distract her, Dan! Go rant about Jean Paul to a hidden camera again!

Meanwhile, Dan is being a patronizing ass to Alison in the lab as she searches for Dr. Menkin’s missing notes. I can’t tell if Dan was intended to be so unlikeable or if their scenes together just haven’t aged well. Either way, they still have no chemistry (unlike her and Jean Paul/Jacques) and I still have no idea what she sees in him.

But enough about them for now. Let’s return to the crypt, where the interesting stuff is happening. There’s a lot to unpack, so I will be going through their dialogue and analyzing the important bits.

Alison (from the previous scene): “You talk of-”

Matt: “-Evil, of danger, but not of how I am to fight them.”

   Raxl: “God--the Christian God--He is good?”    Matt: “He is love, Raxl.”    Raxl: “So you are good.”    Matt: “I am His servant.”    Raxl: "It is not enough to do as the curandero does."    Matt: "Curandero?"    Raxl: "When evil walks, the soul is lost. The curandero--the sorcerer--calls for it to return to the body."

Here Raxl references a type of traditional healer popular throughout Latin America. According to Wikipedia, the rituals of curanderos and curanderas combine traditional medicine from indigenous cultures with religious practices from both Catholicism and traditional African religions. Sound familiar? That’s because modern curanderismo came about because of the same social factors as the religions collectively known as Vodou[1]: namely, colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, which led to increased interaction between indigenous peoples, African slaves, and European colonists. When the colonists tried to impose Christianity on the people they enslaved (both indigenous and black), many of them responded by combining Christian figures and trappings with their own religious practices in a process known as syncretism. Although curanderismo is not Vodou, both are syncretic traditions with a similar history and a similar association with witchcraft. This is probably why the show makes the connection between them.

Matt: "And is a soul lost in this place, Raxl?" Raxl: "Most easily. It returns [through the hands] or [through the temples]." [She touches those areas of Matt's body.] "These are its holes in the body. When it departs, it goes from them. When it returns...The magic of the curandero is a fervent belief of my people. You understand?" Matt: "Which you no longer believe."

The Reverend appears to assume that, because Raxl is seeking his help, she must no longer believe in the curanderos’‘ magic. Most likely this is because he follows a religion that tends toward exclusivism, the idea that one true religion exists and all others are wrong. Although Matt has already revealed that he does not believe this--he said in Episode 10 that “a minister should have an interest in all spiritual phenomena” and “any path that leads to God should have a minister’s approval”--he might still unconsciously believe that a non-Christian who expresses an interest in God must want to convert.

Raxl: "I believe the Christian God is good." Matt: "And that I, His servant, can help you with this, this matter of the soul?" Raxl: "Someone must! Please! Help us! HELP US! SOMEONE MUST!"

Yes, he’s still watching them.

And Raxl notices the camera!

Raxl tells Matt that they mustn’t stay in the crypt in case someone overhears. Jean Paul watches as they grab torches and get ready to head to the Not-So-Hidden Temple, and very nearly discovers the temple’s entrance, only to turn away at the wrong moment to scowl at the camera:

Proof that I did not just make that up.

When we return, we see Raxl and Quito escort Matt to the temple. Between the torchlight, the eerie music, and the darkness of the tunnel, it’s a surprisingly effective scene that gives a sense of suspense and wonder. When they reach the temple, Raxl tells Matt about the temple’s history:

Matt: “I’ve read about many ancient temples, but this one is-” Raxl: “Secret and sacred, the Temple of the Serpent.” [She and Quito pass their torches between their hands, as they do in many of their rituals.] “An ancient people years ago lived on Maljardin. You know of them?” Matt: "Like the Aztecs and the Tarascans, the Totonacs." Raxl: "Like them were our island people. For three thousand years, they were one with the Earth." Matt: "Farming people?" Raxl: "Not warriors, not dealers in the Devil's business of death. This was our temple, is our temple!"

So Raxl and Quito are natives to the island and of indigenous Central American descent, related to the Aztecs, Tarascans, and Totonacs. (In spite of this, both of their actors are white.) Unlike the Aztecs, however, they were a peaceful people. That is, except for one little thing...

Raxl: "The Christian god is not displeased?" Matt: "God believes that each may have his own belief." [He touches the altar.] "If this is what I think it is..." Raxl: "The basin of the blood sacrifice."

Meanwhile, Jean Paul heads to the crypt to continue stalking and is shocked to find neither Raxl. nor Quito, nor Matt, nor the very obvious hidden door leading to the Temple of the Serpent:

Well, if you had left your monitor on and watched it for just a minute longer, you would know all about the not-so-secret door to the temple. *Jacques voice and laugh* You snooze, you lose, Jean Paul!

Back in the Temple of the Serpent, Raxl and Matt discuss the use of the altar:

Matt: "God wouldn't be pleased with this!" Raxl: "Only the priests used it, and only to please the gods of fertility and the maize." Matt: "Sometimes humans were sacrificed." Raxl: "As others have sacrificed. You know the Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent?" Matt: "Yes." Raxl: "He gathered bones of the dead from all the world. When he returned, he sprinkled his own blood on them." Matt: "And thus created his man." Raxl: "This is the belief."

Here we learn the identity of the Serpent whom Raxl worships: it is Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec creator god also known as the Feathered Serpent. In Pre-Columbian times, many peoples throughout Mesoamerica worshipped feathered serpent gods, including the Olmecs, the Yucatec Maya (Kukulkan), and the K’iche’ Maya (Q’uq’umatz). Although the legends and appearance of the Feathered Serpent vary from culture to culture, all Mesoamerican Feathered Serpents are generally considered variations of the same ancient deity, once again connecting to the aforementioned practice of syncretism.

Before re-watching this episode, I had forgotten that Raxl identified the serpent as Quetzalcoatl. Because the show, many ads promoting it, and the tie-in novels refer to her religion as voodoo, I assumed (after Googling “voodoo serpent” and reading many pages in the results) that the serpent she worshiped was the Vodou god or lwa Damballah, a deity similar to Quetzalcoatl. According to legend, Damballah created the world and all living things, much like the Feathered Serpent, who restored humanity to life after its death at the end of the world’s previous cycle.

Some modern pagans and Vodou practitioners syncretize Quetzalcoatl and Damballah. This post on La Bloga by Ernest Hogan and this essay by the Steemit user yestermorrow are good examples.[2] Another example of this association can be found in Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel Almanac of the Dead, where one character, a black Vietnam vet named Clinton, says the following about them:

The spirits of Africa and the Americas are joined together in history, and on both continents by the sacred gourd rattle. Erzulie joins the Mother Earth. Damballah, great serpent of the sky and keeper of all spiritual knowledge, joins the giant plumed serpent, Quetzalcoatl. When someone dies, the spirit goes to the Dead Country. Legba Gede, Lord of the Crossroads of Life and Death, directs the traffic of the human souls.[3]

Does Raxl also syncretize the West African and Mesoamerican serpent gods? They never say, but I think she does. She likely practices a combination of her native religion, curanderismo, and "the conjure faith” (as she and Vangie usually call voodoo).

Matt: "Did you bring me here to talk of ancient tribal history, Raxl?" Raxl: "Tribal? It wasn't! It is the highest culture!"

Matt inadvertently reveals a somewhat condescending attitude toward the ancient Mesoamerican civilization on Maljardin by calling it “tribal.” The word’s connotations of primitiveness are not lost on Raxl.

Matt: "All right, but what of this danger, this evil that rambles around here?" Raxl: "You scorn what I have said. I see it in your face and in your eyes: your scorn, derision. Your presence corrupts the Temple! It was wrong of me to bring you here, to trust you!" Matt: "Wait! If you must trust someone, trust me. I scorn nothing about this temple. It's a place of worship. I respect it as I would my own. If I seemed impatient with past history, it's only that the present concerns me more."

Sure, Jan Matt. I totally believe you respect a temple with an altar for blood sacrifice. Not that many people would, but still, his claim not to disrespect it is not entirely convincing (to say the least). It’s about as convincing as his insistence that he’s officiated at many funerals in crypts back in Episode 16. Even so, Raxl agrees to trust him and tells him all about Erica’s death and Jacques’ possession of Jean Paul.

Meanwhile, Jacques continues to torment his descendant. He also continues to reference things which no mere mortal from the 17th century would have been aware of:

Ah, yes, just like the bus depot that Louis XIV built at Versailles and the time clock he made all his ministers punch.

But Jean Paul can’t keep himself away from his hidden stalker room for long and returns to it two minutes later to spy on Alison, who is looking for Dr. Menkin’s notes on Erica and who is also desperately trying to persuade Dan that she does not have feelings for her brother-in-law. And then he visits the lab to let them know he was spying on them:

He’s stopped hiding the fact that he’s spying on everyone.

Dan, sick of dealing with Jean Paul and his moods.

Getting salty!

Dan asks Jean Paul when he reported Erica’s death. He insists that Dr. Menkin wrote a statement about her death, which he showed to the Cryonics Society before they froze her corpse, but Dan does not accept that. He asks if he ever told the authorities of Erica’s death, but Jean Paul didn’t for obvious reasons. He refuses to allow anyone to open the capsule to give Erica an autopsy, because that would mean that she could never be revived (not sure what his logic is, since zombies exist in this show’s universe).

He also officially rehires Dan, which is when he learns that Jacques already did so a week ago. This sends Jean Paul over the edge and he sends them off so they don’t see him rummage through the medicine cabinet.

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE SECTION ABOUT SUICIDE. IF THE TOPIC OF SUICIDE TRIGGERS YOU, SKIP AHEAD TO THE NEXT PHOTO OF JEAN PAUL.

He grabs a bottle of cyanide and sneaks behind them back into the Great Hall. He announces to Jacques that he plans to kill himself and Jacques along with him, as though suicide were enough to defeat THE DEVIL. He is delusional, of course. All that would do is prevent Jacques from taking over his living body (and, as I mentioned above, zombies exist in this show’s universe, so Jacques could--in theory--possess an undead Jean Paul). “Now, be a good boy,” Jacques purrs to him like the handsome biscuit-maker that he is, “and store that away for another day. Now join your guests, eat slowly, and digest what I have said very carefully.”

END OF SECTION ABOUT SUICIDE

I enjoyed this episode, particularly the scenes with Raxl, Matt, and Quito. The Reverend may be somewhat of a creep when it comes to his behavior towards Holly, but I like his other subplot with Raxl and how they join forces against Jacques despite their religious differences and the temple’s dark history. Also, although initially I kept procrastinating, researching for this entry was fun and I ended up having fun going down the rabbit snake hole. I’m not an expert on Vodou, curanderos, or ancient Mesoamerican religions now, but I’ve learned some interesting things.

Coming up next: An analysis of the top five things wrong with Tim’s subplot.

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Notes

[1] I use “Vodou” here to refer to the real-world religions commonly known as voodoo and “voodoo” in reference to their portrayal in popular culture.

[2] Along with Simbi (another serpent lwa), Damballah is also believed to possess the ability to control snakes; because of this, many of his devotees further syncretize him with Saint Patrick and Moses.

[3] Leslie Marmon Silko, Almanac of the Dead: A Novel (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992), p. 429, https://archive.org/details/almanacofdead00lesl. (RIP National Emergency Library)

[nicholerestrada]

The 10 Most Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels for Earth Day – Robb Report

With constant news of a climate in peril, some of the world’s most luxurious properties are joining the green revolution with a variety of inventive techniques. Many hotels are making a start with simple methods such as switching plastic straws for the paper variety, and providing guests with drinking water from reusable glass bottles, however, we’ve found a few resorts around the globe that don’t think that’s nearly enough.

From anti-poaching initiatives in South Africa and coral-reef restoration projects in Mexico, to solar panels in the Maldives that help offset the equivalent of hundreds of flights per year, these 10 resorts are going above and beyond in an effort to make every day Earth Day.

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Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Considering it’s set in the aquamarine waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has an added level of environmental responsibility—one which it takes very seriously. So seriously in fact that the resort recently installed 3,105 solar panels on the rooftops of its staff village, making it one of the country’s largest resort-based solar installations. The perennial sunshine bathing the island nation means the panels will help power the resort’s guest rooms and electric golf carts, and amounts to an annual savings of 300,000 liters of diesel and 800 tons of CO2—the equivalent of 544 flights between London and the Maldivian capital of Malé each year.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru ; Photo: Courtesy of Four Seasons

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is surrounded by the ancient gnarled trees, hanging vines and canopies of a 10-million-year-old rainforest. With that kind of natural environment to protect, it’s clear why the resort’s 2018 renovation, led by architect Kerry Hill and interior designer Didier Lefort of DL2A, focused heavily on sustainability. The new on-site nature center is run by a team of dedicated naturalists and marine biologists who not only lead workshops and nature walks for guests, but have launched the “Fish for The Future” program, creating artificial reefs that provide a sustainable ecosystem for local fisheries.

The Data Langkawi’s “Fish for The Future” program ; Photo: Eric Martin/Le Figaro Magazine/2019

Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

Named for a Sanskrit word that means “the garden in the third heaven,” Trisara is practically nirvana—and not only for its striking infinity pool villas, white-sand beach and emerald hillside location. Its high-concept restaurant PRU, presided over by chef Jim Ophorst, was bestowed with Phuket’s first Michelin star in 2018, and is a promised land for eco-conscious foodies. All ingredients on the six- or eight-course rotating menu are sourced entirely from within Thailand, and mainly from Trisara’s very own four-acre organic farm, which uses natural pesticide alternatives and compost from the restaurant’s leftovers.

A pool villa at Trisara ; Photo: Courtesy of Trisara

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Giving back to the local community is paramount to the ethos of Fairmont Mayakoba, even if that community is one of the world’s largest aggregate collections of whale sharks whose home is the Mesoamerican Reef offshore from the hotel’s dazzling stretch of sugary beach. In partnership with Oceanus AC, a Mexican organization focused on coral reef reforestation, the resort is allowing guests to get involved in the combat against coral bleaching and loss of marine habitats by participating in coral reef reforestation and adoption programs.

Fairmont Mayakoba ; Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Mayakoba

Amanzoe, Porto Heli, Greece

Melding with the ancient land, culture and people of the Peloponnese is the concept behind Amanzoe, Aman’s Porto Heli resort that resembles a modern Grecian temple. With a belief that supporting the local community promotes true sustainability for the area, the property (which is a Robb Report Best of the Best winner) runs a multitude of waste-reduction initiatives, including one that donates used guest slippers, worn staff uniforms, bed linens and room curtains to the KESO Institute, which teaches unemployed women how to sew. The donations are then artfully transformed into new items, thus create jobs for the women, and importantly, keeping the old textiles from ending up in a landfill.

Amanzoe ; Photo: Courtesy of Man

Tortuga Bay Hotel, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The Tortuga Bay Hotel set within the Puntacana Resort & Club is famed for soft sand, lapping turquoise waters and jaunty yellow villas with interiors designed by the late Oscar de La Renta. But the complex is also making waves in the area of sustainability. The Puntacana Resort & Club’s not-for-profit foundation has embarked on multiple ambitious environmental projects to reduce their footprint, including a zero-waste program that vastly reduces items being sent to landfills, expanding its wastewater treatment plant which returns 100 percent of the water to irrigation purposes. In 2018, the resort also opened the Caribbean’s first Center for Marine Innovation.

Tortuga Bay Hotel ; Photo: Courtesy of Tortuga Bay Hotel

Thanda Safari, South Africa

Set 160 miles north of the South African city of Durban, Thanda safari lodge sits on a 34,600-acre Big Five private game reserve with a luxury tented camp, bush suites, and a massive private villa complete with a helipad. The lodge takes its name from the language of the local Zulu people—thanda means “love,” and that’s just what the property is showing South Africa’s population of rhinos. In collaboration with Project Rhino KZN, an organization dedicated to anti-poaching and conservation programs, Thanda lets guests participate in the Thanda Safaris Ulwazi Research & Volunteer Program, which tracks and darts rhinos for identification purposes before releasing them back into their habitat. Since it’s launch, the program has been successful in saving dozens of rhinos from poaching.

Tracking and darting rhinos with Thanda Safaris. ; Photo: Christian Sperka

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi, Finland

Finland was recently named the world’s happiest country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report, an accolade it has won for two years running. A connection with nature is claimed to be the reason behind this high-level cheer, a statement the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel embodies daily. The Northern Lights are a frequent visitor aglow eerily above the streamlined, geometric glass-and-wood houses, all constructed of sustainable Finnish wood that the property contributes to maintaining by planting 5,000 to 10,000 new seedlings per year in the surrounding forest.

Arctic TreeHouse ; Photo: Courtesy of Arctic TreeHouse

Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Opened in fall 2018, the goal of the new Six Senses Uluwatu is to blend entirely within the natural surroundings of Bali’s southwest coast. This paragon of sustainable architecture was built on land carved from a sea-hugging limestone cliff, and then entirely reconstructed in a futuristic design using the same limestone. All resort furniture was sourced from sustainable wood found within local regions of Bali. Water also plays a leading role in the hotel’s ambiance, and the water features that permeate the resort grounds are fed by a mix of rainwater catchment and resort wastewater treated at the on-site water treatment plant.

Six Senses Uluwatu ; Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses

andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana

Resorts set in the most remote locations are often champions of sustainability, not only from a desire to do right by the planet, but also out of sheer necessity. AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is no exception. Bordering the vast Moremi Game Reserve, the lodge uses 63 percent renewable energy from an on-site solar plant. Perishable products that must be flown in from elsewhere are transported in specially designed, reusable cooling containers, eliminating the use of the single-use plastics and Styrofoam often used in food freight. Additionally, plans for 2020 include installing a bottling plant to eliminate 100 percent of plastic water bottles.

A game drive at andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge. ; Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond

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Source: https://hashtaghighways.com/2019/04/20/the-10-most-eco-friendly-luxury-hotels-for-earth-day-robb-report/

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