#Bernard Seaman

[uwmspeccoll]

Happy Labor Day!

Today is Labor Day, the holiday where we celebrate the contributions of workers and the labor movement to our country. To celebrate, we are sharing some pages from the 1938 publication Labor Hi-Lites published by Union News Features. This pamphlet of cartoon/comic-like pages full of labor- and union-related factoids was compiled by lawyer, labor activist, and Hull House affiliate Charles P. Schwartz (1886-1975) and drawn by political/labor cartoonist Bernard Seaman (1913-1998).

Something unusual you may notice about these comic-book-esque panels is that the facts in each panel are generally unrelated to one another. They all focus on the theme of labor and labor unions, but otherwise don't seem to be grouped by any particular rhyme or reason.

We hope these labor factoids help remind you how far we have come in the struggle for fair labor practices and laws to enshrine our rights but also how much farther we have to go and in some ways how little has changed.

View more Labor Day posts.

-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

[geekcavepodcast]

Dark Horse and Yoe Book to Release “Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry”

Dark Horse and Yoe Books are publishing Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry, which tells the story of how, in the 1940s and 50s, a Jewish organization enlisted some of America’s cartoonists on a nationwide campaign against bigotry. The campaign aimed to flood America’s papers, classrooms, and union halls with anti-racist comics and cartoons.

Cartoonists Against Racism is authored by Holocaust scholar Dr. Rafael Medoff and comics and cartooning historian Craig Yoe. Professor Susannah Heschel provides the forwards. Cartoonists featured in the book includes Bill Mauldin, Vaughn Shoemaker, Carl Rose, Mischa Richter, Frank Hanley, Robert Osborn, Dave Berg, Willard Mullin, Bernard Seaman, Mac Raboy, and Eric Godal.

Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry goes on sale in bookstores on November 28, 2023, and in comic shops on November 29, 2023.

(Image  via Dark Horse - Cover of Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry)

[graphicpolicy]

Exclusive Preview: Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry

Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry exclusive preview. Cartoonists Against Racism uncovers the secret campaign to create anti-racist comics and cartoons to flood America's newspapers, classrooms, and union halls #comics

[cephalopodvictorious]

My book just shipped and I'm so excited!

Horrific scenes of anti-Jewish violence in Europe filled the newsreels in American theaters in the 1930s and 1940s. What could be done to make sure it didn’t happen in America? One Jewish organization hit upon a remarkable idea—to enlist some of America’s most beloved cartoonists to wage a war on bigotry. Cartoonists Against Racism uncovers the secret campaign to create anti-racist comics and cartoons to flood America’s newspapers, classrooms, and union halls. Meet the artists and the work that was their ammunition in the battle for America’s soul. The book showcases impactful anti-racism artwork from the era’s preeminent cartoonists, including multiple Pulitzer Prize winners Bill Mauldin and Vaughn Shoemaker; New Yorker cartoonists Carl Rose, Mischa Richter, and Frank Hanley; famed antiwar cartoonist Robert Osborn; Dave Berg of Mad magazine; renowned sports cartoonist Willard Mullin; noted labor cartoonist Bernard Seaman; comics artist Mac Raboy (Flash Gordon, Captain Marvel Jr.); and Eric Godal, who escaped from Nazi Germany and became a leading cartoonist in the American press and acclaimed artist Dick Dorgan.

I'll let you all know how it is

[cryptid-quest]

HOAX of the Day: Albatross Sea Serpent

Description: Published in 1905 was Count Gauton related a third hand sighting of a sea serpent off a Chinese seaman named Yan while serving on the Albatross. Bernard Heuvelmans debunked the sighting as a carbon copy of the 1903 encounter with the Tresca Sea Serpent.

[gogandmagog]

The Allahakbarries was an amateur cricket team founded by author J. M. Barrie, and was active from 1890 to 1913. The team's name was a portmanteau of Barrie's name and the mistaken belief that 'Allah akbar' meant 'Heaven help us' in Arabic (rather than its true meaning: 'God is great'). Notable figures to have featured for the side included Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, A. A. Milne, E. W. Hornung, Henry Justice Ford, A. E. W. Mason, Walter Raleigh, E. V. Lucas, Maurice Hewlett, Owen Seaman, George Cecil Ives, and George Llewelyn Davies, as well as the son of Alfred Tennyson.

Barrie's enthusiasm for the game eclipsed his talent for it; asked to describe his bowling, he replied that after delivering the ball he would go and sit on the turf at mid-off and wait for it to reach the other end which "it sometimes did". The team played for the love of the game, rather than the results it achieved, and Barrie was generous in his praise for his teammates and opposition alike. He praised one teammate's performance by observing that "You scored a good single in the first innings but were not so successful in the second" while he lauded the opposition's effort by pointing out how "You ran up a fine total of 14, and very nearly won". He instructed Bernard Partridge, an illustrator from Punch magazine who was afflicted with a lazy eye, to "Keep your eye on square leg" while bowling, and told square leg, "when Partridge is bowling, keep your eye on him." He forbade his team to practise on an opponent's ground before a match because "this can only give them confidence".

— Wikipedia

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1938 – Death of Tom Crean, Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer, from Co Kerry.

The reasons why history has been unkind to Crean are twofold: first, the politics of post-independence Ireland; and second, what George Bernard Shaw described as the greatest of evils and worst of crimes — poverty. Tom Crean was an Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer from Annascaul, Co Kerry. He was a member of three major expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.…

[lonestarbattleship]

USS Texas (BB-35): Seaman Second Class Bernard J. Coleman (March 22, 1898 to March 22, 1918)

On his 20th birthday March 22, 1918, Seaman Second Class Bernard J. Coleman was in a stores room aboard USS Texas (BB-35), when some boxes from the top shelf broke loose and struck him, crushing his skull.

His death was the second of only two deaths aboard USS Texas during WWI, both were not due to enemy fire. His body was shipped home, and was buried at the Old Saint Raymond's Cemetery in Bronx, Bronx County, New York.

Information from findagrave: link

source

[kheelcenter]

Here's to another year of continuing this fight, day by day! 

 This poster “KNOCK HIM OUT! LABOR CAN DO IT!” is by labor cartoonist Bernard Seaman, who was an art editor for the ILGWU, Seafarer's Union (SIU), and the Electronic Worker's Union (IUE), who also painted murals for union halls in a variety of cities (Source: NYT). This poster is from our #6227G Kheel Center Poster Collection. 

 #CornellRAD #LaborArchives #LaborHistory #ArchivesOfInstagram #AllLaborHasDignity #KheelCenter #ILRSchool #LaborRights #Strikes #ILGWU #BernardSeaman #ElectronicWorkersUnion #IUE #SIU #SeafarersUnion #WorkingWednesday #LaborOrganizerSpotlight #CornellLaborSpotlight  @ILRSchool @CornellTextileIndustry @CornellFashionCollection

[scotianostra]

Happy 55th Birthday singer-songwriter Sharleen Spiteri, born in Glasgow, November 7th 1967.

Born to Eddie, a guitar-playing merchant seaman, and mother Vilma, a singing window-dresser. Spiteri is of French, Maltese, Italian, Irish and German descent. When she was young the family moved from the Glaswegian suburbs to nearby Balloch, close to the banks of Loch Lomond. At school (Vale of Leven Academy) her nickname was ‘Spit the Dog’, after the character on the TV show Tiswas. Sharleen was a hairdresser in Muirhead, North Lanarkshire, until Texas became her sole priority in 1988.

Spiteri began her musical career with Texas in 1986 as lead singer and guitarist. She would continue her work with the band throughout the ‘90s, as well as appearing as a vocalist on albums by Gun and Rammstein.

After the release of Texas’ album Red Book in 2005, Spiteri began work on her first album, Melody, which she would co-produce with Bernard Butler, she followed this up with The Movie Songbook two years later, as the name suggest she sang big songs from films including Sound of Silence and Windmills of Your Mind

Spiteri is a patron of the charity for children’s cancer CLIC Sargent. The charity provides supports for child cancer patients and their families across the UK, all the way from initial diagnosis to treatment and follow up care. They help families deal with the stresses of cancer, she is married to celebrity chef Bryn William

Texas played at Edinburgh Castle in July and Sharleen says she loves playing to her home country fans “It’s always very emotional to play back in Scotland,” she said. “You grow up here and I love that the audience are looking at you going ‘ok, we know that you’ve been playing these fancy shows, impress us’. And I will work my backside off to try and do that.”

[whatthecrowtold]

#unhallowedarts - The Flying Dutchman

“You certainly know the fable of the Flying Dutchman. It is the story of an enchanted ship which can never arrive in port, and which since time immemorial has been sailing about at sea. When it meets a vessel, some of the unearthly sailors come in a boat and beg the others to take a packet of letters home for them. These letters must be nailed to the mast, else some misfortune will happen to the ship—above all if no Bible be on board, and no horse-shoe nailed to the foremast. The letters are always addressed to people whom no one knows, and who have long been dead, so that some late descendant gets a letter addressed to a far away great-great-grandmother, who has slept for centuries in her grave. That timber spectre, that grim grey ship, is so called from the captain, a Hollander, who once swore by all the devils that he would get round a certain mountain, whose name has escaped me, in spite of a fearful storm, though he should sail till the Day of Judgement. The devil took him at his word, therefore he must sail for ever, until set free by a woman's truth. The devil in his stupidity has no faith in female truth, and allowed the enchanted captain to land once in seven years and get married, and so find opportunities to save his soul. Poor Dutchman! He is often only too glad to be saved from his marriage and his wife-saviour, and get again on board.“ (Heinrich Heine)

Ferdinand Leeke "The Flying Dutchman" (c 1905)

Naturally, Washington Irving naturalised him, quitting the Good Hope and sailing tof New Amsterdam to find redemption, the Flying Dutchman, Captain Vanderdecken, Tyn van Straten, van Diemen, van Evert, van Halen or Bernard Fokke of the VOC, the 17th century Dutch East India Company. Legend has it that he struck a with the devil to make the Java run in half the usual time. That he used iron yardarms, allowing him to have as much canvas aloft as possible, even when the feared Southeaster whipped the waters around the Cape that broke wooden spars on a regular basis – mere trivialities. He was, however, cursed to sail until Judgement Day, after he swore into the storm he would do exactly that until he rounded the Good Hope on his last voyage. The one he never returned from.

Ever since, his fluyt is seen in the Southern hemispheres, East of the Cape, with red sails flying in the sunset or bathed in a eerie red light, a portent of doom for those whose bows she crosses. Rich tales that not only inspired imaginative mariners, but professional storytellers as well, from Coleridge and Walter Scott to Hauff and Wagner and cohorts of 20th century journalists and pulp fiction writers. Ever since the 18th century. With the one from 1881 being the most prominent sighting, when HM frigate “Inconstant” encountered the Flying Dutchman with H future M George V on board, no less, who recorded in his log:

“July 11th. At 4 a.m. the Flying Dutchman crossed our bows. A strange red light as of a phantom ship all aglow, in the midst of which light the masts, spars and sails of a brig 200 yards distant stood out in strong relief as she came up on the port bow, where also the officer of the watch from the bridge clearly saw her, as did the quarterdeck midshipman, who was sent forward at once to the forecastle; but on arriving there was no vestige nor any sign whatever of any material ship was to be seen either near or right away to the horizon, the night being clear and the sea calm. Thirteen persons altogether saw her ... At 10.45 a.m. the ordinary seaman who had this morning reported the Flying Dutchman fell from the foretopmast crosstrees on to the topgallant forecastle and was smashed to atoms. “ 

There is, however, a later variant of the damned Dutch skipper’s tale, as told by Heine quoted above, the one that allows him to come ashore once every seven, ten or even hundred years, Brigadoon-like, and find a girl willing to love him, die with him and thus redeem the Flying Dutchman. Wagner famously elaborated on this version in the early 1840 after a rough but rather inspiring sea voyage, after reading Heine and being on the run from his creditors. Wagner made port in Norway twice. Where his Dutchman finds Senta who loves and dies for him and both finally ascend from the seas to heaven. Redemption. Since the last confirmed sighting of the “Flying Dutchman” was recorded in 1959 off Table Mountain, one must assume this is an operatic fable, though.

Contemporary Newspapers Clipping Reporting the Sighting of the "Flying Dutchman"

Heinrich Heine's Wagner- and yours-truly-inspiring aperçus from"The Memoirs of Herr von Schnabelewopski" can be read in full below:

[postambientlux]

BEST AMBIENT OF 2022

the 100 BEST AMBIENT ALBUMS of 2022 curated by @holsgr

#100 : Awe Kid - Body Logic

#99 : Dujat - Tertre

#98 : John Hayes - Beautifully Lost Mind

#97 : Zguba - Znój

#96 : Rubin Henkel - Restless

#95 : Saul Guanipa - Emanations

#94 : Wreath - Green Wall

#93 : Andrew Tasselmyer & Blurstem - Duets

#92 : Caldera - One Last Glimpse

#91 : Benny Bock - Vanishing Act

#90 : Polypores - Small Moves Ellie

#89 : Warmth - Pale Sun

#88 : Mindwarden - Timeless

#87 : Hugar - Rift

#86 : Daniel Herskedal - Out of the Fog

#85 : Fabio Orsi - Reverse Diverse

#84 : N Kramer - Altered Scenes and Slight Variations

#83 : Caterina Barbieri - Spirit Exit

#82 : Ethan Sherman - Indoor Vistas

#81 : Jonas Coltrup - At the Crest

#80 : Gregor Dys - riss

#79 : Kuedo - Infinite Window

#78 : Tegh & Adel Poursamadi - Ima ایما

#77 : Szun Waves - Earth Patterns

#76 : Sven Laux & Fione - Tomorrow Everything Could Be Different

#75 : Marc Codsi - The Silence Between the New World and the Aftermath

#74 : Adrian Copeland - If This Were My Body

#73 : Tapani Rinne & Teho Majamäki - On The Border

#72 : Jónsi, Sin Fang, Alex Somers, Kjartan Holm - Sounds of Fischer Vol. 1

#71 : bvdub & James Bernard - Departing In Descent

#70 : Andrew Heath & James Olsand - Once We Were All Here And Nowhere Else

#69 : K. Freund - Hunter on the Wing

#68 : Jean-Michel Blais - aubades

#67 : Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Emile Mosseri - I Could Be Your Dog / I Could Be Your Moon

#66 : Yair Elazar Glotman - Speculative Memories

#65 : Bill Seaman & Stephen Vitiello - The Other Forgotten Letters

#64 : Paolo Bellipanni - Persona

#63 : Marine Eyes - Chamomile

#62 : The Expanding Universe - One

#61 : Danny Lubin Laden - Notes To Rest

#60 : Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Restful Spaces

#69 : We Dream of Eden - Garden Heart

#58 : Mischa Blanos - The Bald Soprano  

#57 : Ralph Heidel - Modern Life

#56 : Julia Gjertsen - Formations

#55 : C Duncan - Alluvium

#54 : Martin Roth - Mono No Aware

#53 : Logic Moon & Henrik Meierkord - Inseln

#52 : Nightports w/ Tom Herbert - Nightports w/ Tom Herbert

#51 : Channelers - Time, Space, and Thought

#50 : Jameson Nathan Jones - Somewhat the Same

#49 : Tomotsugu Nakamura - Nothing Left Behind

#48 : Fergus McCreadie - Forest Floor

#47 : Mathoms - The Woe Trumpets

#46 : Taylor Deupree - Harbor

#45 : Artur Maćkowiak - Secret Carnival

#44 : Francis Harris - Thresholds

#43 : Danny Mulhern - Singing Through Others

#42 : Pie Are Squared - The Whole World's a Window and I Can't See a Thing

#41 : Deniz Cuylan - Rings of Juniper

#40 : Cole Pulice - Scry

#39 : Alina HipHarp - Reflections

#38 : Zensō - The Secret Garden

#37 : Daniel Avery - Ultra Truth

#36 : Golden Brown - Luminous

#35 : Wojciech Rusin - Syphon

#34 : Blurstem & Elijah Bisbee - Geneva

#33 : Kasper Bjørke - Mother

#32 : Matt Ulery - Become Giant

#31 : Zuwe - SH40

#30 : IDRA & Hiroshi Ebina - Circle

#29 : Serpiente Negra Ensamble - Black Guzman

#28 : Monodrama - mndrmooaa

#27 : Tristan Eckerson - Going Home

#26 : Cucina Povera & Ben Vince - There I See Everything

#25 : Bill Seaman & Daniel Howe - Dispositions

#24 : Rival Consoles - Now Is

#23 : Andrew Wasylyk - Hearing the Water Before Seeing the Falls

#22 : Daigo Hanada - Satori

#21 : Gabríel Ólafs - Solon Islandus

#20 : Inhmost - Space and Awareness

#19 : Tom Skinner - Voices of Bishara

#18 : City Of Dawn - As the Universe, So the Soul

#17 : Steve Fors - it's nothing, but still

#16 : Scott Campbell - Quiet Rituals

#15 : Space Between Clouds - Space Between Clouds

#14 : Jasmine Myra - Horizons

#13 : Home Baker - Habits

#12 : Aftab Darvishi - A Thousand Butterflies

#11 : Angus MacRae - Vivarium

#10 : Luke Howard - All of Us

#9 : Toàn - Phonolite

#8 : Jason Van Wyk - Descendants

#7 : Krystian Shek - Suddenly

#6 : Tapani Rinne & Juha Mäki-Patola - Open

#5 : Andrew Heath - Quiet Noise

#4 : Alex Smalley & Lucia Adam - Patterns

#3 : Mike Lazarev - When You Are

#2 : Rachika Nayar - Heaven Come Crashing

#1 : Chad Mossholder - Lighghthouse

the 10 BEST AMBIENT EP's of 2022 curated by @holsgr​

#10 : Dear Gravity & We Dream Of Eden - Holocene

#9 : Matthew Halsall - The Temple Within

#8 : Antxnio Graz - LOADING//:fluids

#7 : Michael Griffiths - Une Chapelle à La Campagne

#6 : Portico Quartet - Next Stop

#5 : The June Rise - Birds

#4 : Heavy Cloud - Beyond the Last Beach House

#3 : Antarctic Wastelands - Mysteries

#2 : Erik Mowinckel - Everything Is An Island

#1 : Clams Casino & Jazztronik - Winter Flower Reimagined ​

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Klaus Schulze - Deus Arrakis

Mind Over MIDI - Offgrid

Carlos Niño & Friends - Extra Presence

Sam Prekop & John McEntire - Sons Of

zmi - Piano Diary

Billow Observatory - Stareside

Salamanda - ashbalkum

Whatever The Weather - Whatever The Weather

Kenneth James Gibson - Groundskeeping

Jóhann Jóhannsson & Jonas Colstrup - Blind Massage

Federico Mosconi - Air Sculptures

ILUITEQ - The Light Inside, The Dark Outside

Dag Rosenqvist - Lexika

Ian William Craig - Music for Magnesium_173

The Broken Cradle - The Burial of the Dead

Max Ananyev - Garden

Drape - Forage / Presence

Trio Ramberget - 24 Ways

Dronny Darko & G M Slater - Dissolving into Solitary Landscapes

Bugge Wesseltoft - Be Am

Sangam & Kid Smpl - Found Wings

Daou - Sanctuary

Panoram - Acrobatic Thoughts

Bill Laurance - Affinity

Ross Gentry - Apparitional

Lorenzo Montanà - Aural

Räven Musen - Peppermint Soldier

Esmam La Crowned - Nuclear City

Neuro... No Neuro - Faces & Fragments

Pat Jaffe & Aidan Filshie - Summit

Sweatson Klank - Postcards

Luca Forcucci - The Room Above

EABS - 2061

Dunam - From Sand to Glass

Herhums - Humming in Chaos

Elin Piel - Satsuma Sunday

Andrea Bellucci & Matteo Uggeri - The Soundtrack of Your Secrets

Fabio Orsi & Alessandra Guttagliere - Arcoiris

Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer - Recordings from the Åland Islands

TIBSLC - Hypertranslucent

Podel - Suburban Memory

Svarte Greiner - Devolving Trust

Suso Sáiz X Menhir - Just Before Silence

Araceae - Nothing Will Last

CHECK ALL THE AMBIENT ALBUMS SHARED THIS YEAR ON THE AMBIENT 2022 SPOTIFY PLAYLIST > LINK HERE

Experimental electronic & Ambient music blog made by Hermann Holsgr. linktr.ee/postambientlux 

[graphicpolicy]

Dark Horse and Yoe Books present: Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry

Dark Horse and Yoe Books present: Cartoonists Against Racism: The Secret Jewish War on Bigotry #comics #comicbooks

Cartoonists Against Racism tells the remarkable unknown story of how a Jewish organization enlisted some of America’s most beloved cartoonists to undertake a nationwide campaign against bigotry in the 1940s and 1950s. Cartoonists Against Racism uncovers the secret campaign to flood America’s newspapers, classrooms, and union halls with anti-racist comics and cartoons. Meet the artists and the…

[ltwilliammowett]

Three Philanthropic Pirates

After the end of the war with France in 1686, the English king offered a pardon to all privateers and pirates who surrendered within twelve months and gave security for good behaviour. Early in 1688, perhaps intending to retire from seafaring, the pirate Edward Davis and two of his long-time shipmates, John Hinson and Lionel Wafer, travelled to Philadelphia and then on to Maryland. Also with them was Davis' slave Peter Cloise, who was from Curaçao.

Attack on a Spanish Treasure Ship, 1620, by Bernard Finnigan Gribble (1872-1962) (x)                                                                 

From a sloop off the coast of Gloucester and Mathews County, Virginia, the four men transferred to another private vessel that took them to the Elizabeth River. On 22 June 1688, a royal warship, HMS Quaker, stopped and boarded the ship as it passed the mouth of the James River. The ship's officers discovered that the chests of Davis, Hinson and Wafer contained a large quantity of silver and gold and about 3,590 pieces of eight. Davis later estimated the value of the treasure at more than £4,000, not including a supply of pearls and precious stones. The three were, of course, immediately arrested and taken to Jamestwon, where they were immediately identified as pirates, even though they claimed they were not and that the treasure came from their trading activities. Imprisoned in James City County Jail on suspicion of piracy, Davis and his companions admitted the charge on 16 August 1688 and applied for a pardon from the king. They told the governor that they had intended to turn themselves in but had not dared because the king's offer of pardon had not yet been made public in Virginia. While the authorities in Jamestown were still waiting for a decision from the Crown, the three men instructed Micajah Perry, a prominent London merchant with numerous trading connections to Virginia, to petition the King for their release and the return of their property.

After a delay in the court proceedings, the Governor's Council released Davis, Hinson and Wafer on 30 April 1689, and the following year the three men sailed for England to recover their treasure. On 10 March 1692, the Privy Council granted their request after the three men agreed with James Blair, later president of the College of William and Mary, to donate £300 to "the pious plan of a free school and college in Virginia". The account books of the College of William and Mary in 1697 speak of £300 "received from privateers".

In 1699 Wafer published an account of his travels in which he also described his time with Davis, but he made no mention of piracy or of his imprisonment in Virginia, why should he, since he was now considered a benefactor of a college. The names Davis and Hinson no longer appear in the archives or in contemporary literature on pirates and privateers. It is possible, though unlikely, that Davis was the seaman of that name who testified in London in May 1697 about the defence of the Newfoundland fishery against the French; it is less likely that he was the seaman of that name who testified in Boston in July 1700 about the piracy of Captain William Kidd. The date and place of Edward Davis' death are not recorded.

[puppyexpressions]

8 Great Facts About the Newfoundland Dog

He is the black bear of the dog world, but his imposing size and appearance belies a kind nature and a long history of service to mankind. Here are eight fun facts about the noble Newfoundland dog.

1. The Newfoundland Dog’s Canadian Origins

The Newfoundland dog did indeed originate in the Dominion of Newfoundland (now a province of Canada), where he was used as a working dog by fishermen. He descended from a breed native to the island and known as the Lesser Newfoundland or the St. John’s Dog. 

DNA analysis confirms that the breed is also closely related to other Canadian retrievers like the Labrador and the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. The Newfoundland shares many physical traits (huge head, broad muzzle, stout legs) with the Mastiff and Molosser-type breeds such as the St. Bernard. This was likely due to the introduction of Mastiff blood, probably from matings with Portuguese Mastiffs, which were brought to the island by Portuguese fishermen beginning in the 16th century.

2. The Newfoundland loves water

The Newfoundland excels at water rescue and lifesaving, thanks to his muscular build, thick double coat, webbed feet and innate swimming ability. The breed’s large bones and massive size give it the power to handle choppy ocean waves and strong tides. 

Newfoundlands have a huge lung capacity for swimming long distances. The oily, waterproof coat keeps a Newfoundland dog dry and protects them from the chill of icy waters. The breed’s history is replete with examples of courage demonstrated by the Newfoundland in lifesaving exploits. One particularly famous Newfoundland was “Seaman,” who accompanied American explorers Lewis and Clark on their expedition.

3. The  Newfoundland’s breed standard

The Newfoundland’s lifesaving prowess would not be possible were it not for the breed’s kind nature. The American Kennel Club breed standard says it in the most emphatic way: “Sweetness of temperament is the hallmark of the Newfoundland; this is the most important single characteristic of the breed.” The standard starts out with the following description under “General Appearance: The Newfoundland is a sweet-dispositioned dog that acts neither dull nor ill-tempered. He is a devoted companion. A multipurpose dog, at home on land and in water, the Newfoundland is capable of draft work and possesses natural lifesaving abilities.”

4. A bear-like breed

A typical adult Newfoundland male stands 28 inches at the shoulder; 26 inches at the shoulder for an adult female. This is also a very heavy, substantial breed, with adult males ranging from 130 to 150 pounds; adult females from 100 to 120 pounds. For all his size, however, the Newfoundland dog is a mellow fellow and doesn’t require a huge amount of room to be happy. Adults will typically spend much of the day napping. While many a child has learned to walk grabbing hold of a Newfoundland, active puppies can easily bowl over a toddler, so adult supervision is recommended.

5. Some Newfoundland dogs are black and white

While the majority of  Newfoundlands are solid black, perhaps with a touch of white on the chin, chest and toes, it is the white Newfoundland with black markings that boasts a lasting artistic connection. As an homage to the famous English painter, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, who often chose the black-and-white Newfoundland dog as the subject of his works, this color pattern is known as the Landseer. There are also solid brown and solid gray Newfoundlands.   

6. Newfoundlands in pop culture

Although Newfoundlands are often encountered in books and art, the most famous Newfoundland dog in literature is easily “Nana,” the faithful protector of the Darling children in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Robert Kennedy’s family was devoted to Newfoundlands and many casual photos of the young Kennedy children feature a Newfoundland lovingly watching over them.

7. Newfoundland dogs have won at Westminster twice

Many breeds are still waiting impatiently for their day to win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club, the most prestigious dog show in America that takes place every year. Newfoundlands have triumphed twice: “Adam,” more formally known as Champion Seaward’s Blackbeard, claimed the top prize in 1984 and, two decades later, it was “Josh,” Champion Darbydale’s All Rise Pouch Cove, who stole the spotlight in 2004.

8.  Newfoundlands and Water Dog titles

To honor the Newfoundland’s illustrious history of lifesaving and to appreciate the fun of seeing the dogs doing what should come naturally to them, the Newfoundland Club of America designed rescue and water dog tests. In the Junior Division, Newfoundlands are required to retrieve a bumper, a life jacket or cushion, deliver a rope to a swimming steward, tow a boat and swim calmly with a handler. Performing these and other exercises earns the Newfoundland a Water Dog title.

The exercises get more challenging in the Senior Division, and to earn the Water Rescue Dog title the dog must retrieve two articles in the proper order, leap from a boat to fetch a paddle, carry a life ring to a swimmer in “distress,” retrieve underwater, tow a boat to shore and leap from a boat to save his handler who has “fallen” overboard. There is even a third division for elite working dogs that compete for the Water Rescue Dog Excellent title.

[cryptid-quest]

HOAX of the Day: Albatross Sea Serpent

Description: Published in 1905 was Count Gauton related a third hand sighting of a sea serpent off a Chinese seaman named Yan while serving on the Albatross. Bernard Heuvelmans debunked the sighting as a carbon copy of the 1903 encounter with the Tresca Sea Serpent.