#Columbus DNA: His True Origin

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Christopher Columbus (between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish-based voyages across the Atlantic Ocean sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

His expeditions were the first known European contact with the Caribbean and Central and South America.

[fromchaostocosmos]

Why Are Goyim Obsessed With Bad People Being The Fault of The Jews?

How many times have we seen the speculation that certain truly horrific historical people must Jewish based the stringing of threads. Or the that said horrific people are horrific because of the Jews.

How many times have seen Hitler was actually a Jew conspiracy or that Hitler only became the way he did because he denied entry to art school by Jews conspiracy?

Not just with historical figures we all have seen how often it gets mentioned that Roy Cohen, Jew, and they sure do make a point to highlight that Jew part was behind Donald Trump being who he is.

Think about Henry Kissinger and how much him Jewish gets highlighted when talking his influence on Presidents Ford and Nixon, even though he hated being Jewish.

And of course we can not forget the all time go to Christopher Columbus as the secret Jew.

And now that is being reported to be in fact true. Just look at how everyone is reporting it.

Only that is not the case.

The documentary Columbus DNA. His True Origin, broadcast on Spain’s National Holiday suggests that the explorer was not Genoese and Christian but Spanish and Jewish. The absolute protagonist of the documentary, forensic scientist José Antonio Lorente, has not yet published any scientific study to back his claims. The documentary is presented in the style of a reality show in which Lorente systematically discounts other theories, including that Columbus was Castilian, Portuguese, Galician, Mallorcan or a Cagot. It culminates with a scene in which only one possibility remains, the one put forward by architect Francesc Albardaner, author of the book La catalanitat de Colom (or, The Catalonian Origins of Columbus).

But geneticist Antonio Alonso, former chief of the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, is not convinced: “Unfortunately, from the scientific point of view, no assessment can be made after watching the documentary, since it does not provide any data on what has been analyzed. My conclusion is that the documentary Columbus DNA does not show the DNA of Columbus at any given moment and scientists do not know what analysis has been undertaken.”

Forensic anthropologist Miguel Botella, also from the University of Granada, remembers that day in 2003 when he waited for the box containing the supposed bones of Christopher Columbus to be opened. “Everyone expected to be greeted by an intact Columbus, but there were only 150 grams of bone fragments,” he says with a smile. The largest would have been about four centimeters in length.

Lorente then said that he was going to analyze the DNA of the three alleged members of the Columbus family with the help of prestigious geneticists, such as Ángel Carracedo from the University of Santiago de Compostela; and Mark Stoneking, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in Leipzig, Germany, one of the world’s most prestigious centers for the analysis of ancient DNA. Carracedo recalls that the DNA that reached him was tremendously degraded, and he too distanced himself from the project. Moreover, he refuses to comment on Lorente’s new results until there is a serious scientific study published in a specialized journal. The response of the Max Planck Institute geneticist to questions from EL PAÍS were similar: “I am sorry, my group stopped working on this in 2005 and I have not heard anything about the most recent results,” said Stoneking.

According to geneticist Antonio Alonso, “It is not the done thing for data that the scientific community has not yet endorsed to be presented to society, as it puts the data itself at risk as well as the proposed theory.” Alonso is also surprised by the absence of experts from the U.S. and Australia in the film whose contribution Lorente describes as essential. “Here there is too much protagonism from only one scientist. Neither the Granada team nor the collaborating ancient DNA laboratories in California and Adelaide, which are said to be of great importance in the success of the analyses, appear in the film,” he points out. Recently retired, Alonso is one of Spain’s leading experts in forensic genetics. He worked on the identification of the victims of Madrid’s 11-M terror attacks; on the investigation of dozens of reports of alleged baby thefts; on the recognition of Spanish Civil War victims and even on the attempts to find the remains of the writer Miguel de Cervantes. He claims that the documentary Columbus DNA does not speak to him as a scientist. “We do not know which DNA regions were analyzed, nor the technology used in the analysis, nor the results obtained, which makes it impossible to make a correct assessment of the findings,” he says.

Alonso explains that there are clusters of genetic variants called haplotypes or haplogroups that tend to be inherited together and may be characteristic of certain family lineages, but he adds that they often coincide with those of other groups in historically Jewish or non-Jewish populations. “In any case, having a genealogy, a haplogroup or a haplotype of Jewish or Sephardic ancestry does not call into question Columbus’ birthplace in Genoa as stated by historical sources, nor does it tell us anything about the religious beliefs professed by the generations of relatives close to Columbus,” he says.

Rodrigo Barquera is a Mexican expert in archeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Barquera has conducted DNA studies of human remains prior to the arrival of Europeans in America, such as those of children sacrificed by the Maya at Chichén-Itzá in Mexico. The researcher is very critical of the fact the data have been presented via a documentary, and without the backing of a serious scientific article reviewed by independent experts, especially given the enormous interest in the figure of Christopher Columbus and his origins. “Normally, the article is sent to a scientific journal,” he says. “The journal assigns an editor and at least three independent reviewers who rate the paper and decide if it is scientifically valid. If it is, it is published, and then the rest of the scientific community can say whether they agree or not. Putting it on a screen, removed from this process and with all the media focus on it, makes it difficult for the scientific community to say anything about it.”

Antonio Salas heads the Population Genetics in Biomedicine team at Santiago de Compostela’s Health Investigation Institute. “The documentary promised to focus on DNA analysis, as suggested by its title Columbus DNA: His True Origins,” he says. “However, the genetic information it offers is very limited. Only at the end is it mentioned that the only thing that was recovered from the presumed remains of Christopher Columbus was a partial profile of the Y chromosome. The problem is that the Y chromosome represents only a tiny fraction of our DNA and our ancestry.” “The documentary rushes to a conclusion that Christopher Columbus was a Sephardic Jew originally from the Spanish Levant. This hypothesis is, to say the least, surprising: there is no Y chromosome that can be uniquely defined as Sephardic-Jewish,” argues Salas. “Even if all of an individual’s DNA were recovered, it would still be impossible to reach definitive conclusions about his or her exact geographic origin.

So when science seems to much more aligned with Columbus not being why then is everyone reporting him as Jewish. And why do goyim keep blaming every evil deed, every action, every evil choice and every evil person on Jews?

[kick-a-long]

so let me get this straight. elon musk retweeted or tweeted an antisemitic comment (because he's an antisemitic asshole from a very antisemitic country south africa) and he was critizised to the point that he took a trip to israel to like reflect and learn about how jews don't eat babies or whatever. but...

Ta-Nehisi Coates, an antisemitic asshole who's antisemitic dad also publishes antisemitic books just one's he's too lazy to write, says in person, recorded on video, without retraction.... that he would join in on the rape, murder, infanticide, and kidnapping of jews, if given the chance... and trevor noah (from very antisemitic country south africa) agreed whole heartedly and adding that it's like the american revolution.... which implies that isreal rode into gaza and lebanon ans was dictating how those countries operate and taking taxes which is WHAT IRAN DOES THROUGH HAMAS AND HEZBOLLAH ALONG WITH THE RAPES AND MURDERS... but there's no media outlet saying that might be kind of fucked up and maybe they should apologize or some vague insincere bullshit... I'm sorry?

and also Christopher Columbus... THE symbol for Catholics in America (which is why we that monster even got his own day. literally catholics, the knights of columbus, wanted a celebration of how interconnected the united states and CATHOLICS are) the Christopher columbus with MASSIVE statues around the globe in portugal, spain, america, italy... that guy is now jewish, just like hitler, because .... he has some jewish DNA. and we are just disregarding his recorded actions, relationship to the church, his very catholic life, lifestyle, origins, and catholic life.

and all this during the jewish christmas/ramidan (because goyim don't know what the fuck our high holy days are even if that name alone should tell you exactly how important they are) ??

which idiots are these things for? who is watching the ta interview and saying to themselves, "boy i would love to read the book by the guy who loves murder and kidnapping and rape! what a leftist humanitarian!" or, "WOW! I hate christopher columbus I'm so glad i don't have to feel guilty as a christian that he was under orders by my church because he was obviously a jew going rouge. because i'm a leftist but also a devout catholic? which is a thing that is a totally consistent world view?"

Who asked for this? I don't think this kind of shit is even for antisemitic leftists anymore. this is for some kind of POC leftist white supremesist with white guilt but also an arab supremasist .... i guess that might describe one or two very mentally ill people but... like ... who? is this stuff to get rage clicks from jews? there aren't that many jews you guys. I have no fucking understanding of these people's world's view other than they hate jews. none of this makes sense in any other way than to attack and increase attacks on jews around the globe. it's so mentally confusing because none of these people are saying anything that benefits them in anyway, nothing that is smart or true, nothing that makes sense if it is not generated directly from the thought, "this will increase jew hate, so i should do it!"

these people are risking their careers, being hella racist about arabs generally and Palistinians specifically, making both jews and arabs less safe, saying inflammatory things they obviously spent very little time thinking about, for the chance to normalize antisemitism. what planet are these media orgs even living on? they don't sound like nazis, they sound like fucking delusional Qanon derps who are improving "the day of the storm" ironically like the segments they show on the daily show, with TREVOR NOAH.

it's like really... sad. like, these guys and scientist have wasted so many people's time and their own talents which people tell me they have i guess, but it's sad that this kind of libel from the media doesn't even make sense to people who don't live on twitter.

[israelchronicle]

Deciphering the Origin of Christopher Columbus: A 500-Year Journey

After five centuries of speculation and theories, the true identity of Christopher Columbus has begun to emerge thanks to the documentary “Columbus DNA: his true origin ’, produced by RTVE. This feature-length film, which details 22 years of research led by forensic scientist and professor at the University of Granada, José Antonio Lorente, has revealed that the man who discovered America was, in…

[ejesgistnews]

The Truth About Christopher Columbus: DNA Evidence Sheds Light on His Origins.   Spanish scientists have unveiled new findings suggesting that Christopher Columbus, the renowned 15th-century explorer, was likely a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe. This conclusion comes after an extensive 22-year investigation, employing DNA analysis to resolve longstanding debates surrounding Columbus’s origins.   Columbus, whose expeditions led to the European conquest of the Americas, has been claimed by various countries, with theories of his birthplace ranging from Genoa, Italy, to Portugal, Spain, Greece, and even Britain. However, many historians have questioned the traditional belief that he hailed from Genoa. DNA Evidence Sheds Light on the Origins of Christopher Columbus Led by forensic expert Miguel Lorente, the research team analyzed remains thought to belong to Columbus, which are housed in Seville Cathedral. The team compared Columbus's DNA with that of known relatives, including his son Hernando Colón. The results, announced in a documentary titled *Columbus DNA: The True Origin* on Spain’s national broadcaster TVE, reveal genetic markers consistent with Jewish ancestry.   “We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient,” Lorente stated. The team discovered evidence from both the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA—traits passed down through male and maternal lines—indicating Sephardic Jewish origins.   Sephardic Jews were a significant population in Spain before the Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand ordered their expulsion or forced conversion in 1492. The term "Sephardic" refers to Jews from Sefarad, the Hebrew word for Spain.   While the research narrows down Columbus’s birthplace to Western Europe, Lorente acknowledged the complexity of identifying his precise nationality. Nonetheless, he described the DNA evidence as “almost absolutely reliable,” confirming that Columbus’s remains indeed rest in Seville, resolving another contentious point about his final resting place.   Columbus, who died in 1506 in Valladolid, Spain, initially wished to be buried on the island of Hispaniola. His remains were later moved from Hispaniola to Cuba and eventually returned to Seville in 1898. The DNA findings now provide a clearer picture of the explorer’s enigmatic background.   As the world continues to reexamine the legacy of Columbus, this revelation adds another layer to the story of the man credited with opening the New World to European exploration. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="768"] People visit the mausoleum of Christopher Columbus in the cathedral of Seville, Spain, on October 11, 2024[/caption]

[storiearcheostorie]

Studi / Colombo? “Era ebreo sefardita e originario della Spagna”. La “rivelazione” che fa discutere

Studi / Colombo? “Era ebreo sefardita e originario della Spagna”. La “rivelazione” che fa discutere

Elena Percivaldi Ebreo sefardita spagnolo. Queste le origini di Cristoforo Colombo secondo un team di studiosi iberici, che sostiene di aver così risolto un enigma che aleggia da oltre cinque secoli. La “clamorosa” rivelazione è giunta ieri sera, 12 ottobre – anniversario dello sbarco in America –, in occasione della messa in onda del documentario “Columbus DNA: His True Origin” sulla tv…

[thethinkingman]

A few problems with this.

First off we don't know who the room belonged to. The author later claims it was Sally's, then states they don't know.

Secondly Thomas Jefferson could not simply free all his slaves due to the myriad of laws governing slavery in VA. The laws often contradicted each other and the cost to do so would have bankrupted Monticello. The only way to free them would be a bill through Congress and signed by the president.

Thirdly the piece mentioned from 1998 was peer reviewed. That means other journalists reviewed it and agreed with the claims. The DNA test was not as conclusive as they want you to believe. Much of the claims by that journalist were debunked by other historical experts. One being David Barton who actually sources all his material. This is why it's believed that Thomas Jefferson's brother is the father.

Fourthly Thomas Jefferson had little to do with writing the Constitution. He wrote the Declaration of Independence which was years prior to the Constitution. During the Constitutional Convention he was in France as the US ambassador. To claim he had such great influence on the Constitution is outright false and destroys all credibility by the author.

Finally what you have here is another hit piece designed to bring down another prominent historical figure in American history. The absurdity of believing rumors from a reporter is as true today as it was then. This is also the time period where one presidential candidate was accused of being a transvestite by the other and the rumor was actually printed in the papers. Added to the fact that it's admitted that the person who originally wrote about the room was known to be unreliable yet they persist on trying to make this stick as fact is typical with the revisionist history crowd. Perhaps the author also believes that Christopher Columbus came to infect the Indians with small pox also. Frankly the whole site is questionable, but sadly the public school system has so undereducated people that they will readily believe anything as long as it's bad.

[revolutionaryeye]

Traces of indigenous 'Taíno' in present-day Caribbean populations

Researchers have produced the first clear genetic evidence that the indigenous people whom Columbus first encountered in the New World still have living descendants today

A thousand-year-old tooth has provided genetic evidence that the so-called "Taíno," the first indigenous Americans to feel the full impact of European colonisation after Columbus arrived in the New World, still have living descendants in the Caribbean today.

Researchers were able to use the tooth of a woman found in a cave on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas to sequence the first complete ancient human genome from the Caribbean. The woman lived at some point between the 8th and 10th centuries, at least 500 years before Columbus made landfall in the Bahamas.

The results provide unprecedented insights into the genetic makeup of the Taíno -- a label commonly used to describe the indigenous people of that region. This includes the first clear evidence that there has been some degree of continuity between the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and contemporary communities living in the region today.

Such a link had previously been suggested by other studies based on modern DNA. None of these, however, was able to draw on an ancient genome. The new research finally provides concrete proof that indigenous ancestry in the region has survived to the present day.

Comparing the ancient Bahamian genome to those of contemporary Puerto Ricans, the researchers found that they were more closely related to the ancient Taíno than any other indigenous group in the Americas. However, they argue that this characteristic is unlikely to be exclusive to Puerto Ricans alone and are convinced that future studies will reveal similar genetic legacies in other Caribbean communities.

The findings are likely to be especially significant for people in the Caribbean and elsewhere who have long claimed indigenous Taíno heritage, despite some historical narratives that inaccurately brand them "extinct." Such misrepresentations have been heavily criticised by historians and archaeologists, as well as by descendant communities themselves, but until now they lacked clear genetic evidence to support their case.

The study was carried out by an international team of researchers led by Dr Hannes Schroeder and Professor Eske Willerslev within the framework of the ERC Synergy project NEXUS1492. The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Lead author Schroeder, from the University of Copenhagen who carried out the research as part of the NEXUS1492 project, said: "It's a fascinating finding. Many history books will tell you that the indigenous population of the Caribbean was all but wiped out, but people who self-identify as Taíno have always argued for continuity. Now we know they were right all along: there has been some form of genetic continuity in the Caribbean."

Willerslev, who has dual posts at St John's College, University of Cambridge, and the University of Copenhagen, said: "It has always been clear that people in the Caribbean have Native American ancestry, but because the region has such a complex history of migration, it was difficult to prove whether this was specifically indigenous to the Caribbean, until now."

The researchers were also able to trace the genetic origins of the indigenous Caribbean islanders, showing that they were most closely related to Arawakan-speaking groups who live in parts of northern South America today. This suggests that the origins of at least some the people who migrated to the Caribbean can be traced back to the Amazon and Orinoco Basins, where the Arawakan languages developed.

The Caribbean was one of the last parts of the Americas to be populated by humans starting around 8,000 years ago. By the time of European colonization, the islands were a complex patchwork of different societies and cultures. The "Taíno" culture was dominant in the Greater, and parts of the Lesser Antilles, as well as the Bahamas, where the people were known as Lucayans.

To trace the genetic origins of the Lucayans the researchers compared the ancient Bahamian genome with previously published genome-wide datasets for over 40 present-day indigenous groups from the Americas. In addition, they looked for traces of indigenous Caribbean ancestry in present-day populations by comparing the ancient genome with those of 104 contemporary Puerto Ricans included in the 1000 Genomes Project. The 10-15% of Native American ancestry in this group was shown to be closely related to the ancient Bahamian genome.

Jorge Estevez, a Taíno descendant who works at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York and assisted the project team, said that as a boy growing up in the United States, he was told stories about his Taíno ancestors at home, but at school was taught that the same ancestors had died out. "I wish my grandmother were alive today so that I could confirm to her what she already knew," he added. "It shows that the true story is one of assimilation, certainly, but not total extinction. I am genuinely grateful to the researchers. Although this may have been a matter of scientific inquiry for them, to us, the descendants, it is truly liberating and uplifting.".......

Continued:- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180219155009.htm

[godsopenmindedfollower]

The Truth About Thanksgiving

We all know the story about the pilgrims and Indians sitting together for a big feast. The Indians welcome the pilgrims in with food and thanksgiving. But what if I told you that’s not what happened at all.

Native Americans have their stories from way before the Mayflower came to what is known as America now. It is known researchers came to find it was the Wampanoag tribe that was first come along the Europeans. Travelers from the tribe ended up going to Europe and found out that was part of their plan to discover ”New Land” but in fact that the Native American tribes have been on that land way before the Europeans came over. At least 12,000 years or some tribes say since the beginning of time.

The Wampanoag tribe was going through a rough epidemic disease that took out his tribe. The chief Ousamequin saw the English as a way to fend off his rivals. Chief reached out to English in Plymouth not because he was wanting a friendly greeting but to have an alliance. It wasn’t a friendly hand over their land they have been on for centuries now. It was strategy to keep his tribe going. Which is why the Wampanoags are still around.

Did you know that Indians had centuries of bloodshed with the Europeans. The Mayflower is known that, that was the first encounter but it isn’t. So why should we celebrate Christopher Columbus? Because he was brave for traveling across sea? Or because he was the reason for all the slaughter for millions of Native Americans. Native Americans, nowadays, their new generation is standing up and speaking out against Christopher Columbus and the Americans. They were here first.

So, where did the Thanksgiving feast come from? The Americans celebrated thanksgiving that didn’t even involve a feast. It was more fasting, and prayer. A group of pilgrims wanted to boost tourism and felt that their culture authority was going downhill. So, they made it known that the pilgrims were the fathers of America. A publication from Rev. Alexander Young mentioned, “This was the first Thanksgiving, the great festival of New England. The idea was widely accepted. Later in history, even long after Europeans took over America, Abraham Lincoln declared it a holiday during Civil War to foster unity.

In the late 19th century, white Protestants were unhappy about the European Catholics and Jews. They wanted have culture authority over the newcomers. So they created the hoax of the Indians giving over the land and inviting them in. As the Indian Wars were ending, opportunity to have Indians included in the hoax. Thanksgiving myth allowed New Englanders to bring idea that the bloodless colonialism was the origin of the country, having nothing to do with the Indians Wars and slavery. Americans today feel good about this so called feasting but don’t know it’s dark history.

In King Philip’s War, part of it was Wampanoag people saying, “Enough, you’re not going to turn us into a landless, subjugated people.” Wampanoag people disagreed with the chief from the beginning. They wanted to wipe out to colony. They suggested making an alliance with the Narragansetts and getting rid of the English who were raiding the coasts for decade, enslaving their people. They believed they caused epidemics and were the end of the people.

As for me, I will open my kids eyes as to the truth of all these holidays and their dark truths! Hopefully, more others will follow as I also know some already do so in not celebrating or even celebrating but telling the true meaning of it. I may enjoy our holidays because it means something different in my heart but I also want to know what we are celebrating. Also what we are telling our kids is truth or a big myth. I am not one to judge if you celebrate or not. I am just here to seek truth and to also open minds to the truth and make others think.

I am a Native American, blackfoot and Cherokee tribes are on my families ancestry side. Did you know that if you do a DNA test done, Native American will not show up on ANY test? The government will not allow anyone to officially know that knowledge. You literally have to dig into your ancestry tree and find Native American details in your ancestors, because I know some are there. It’s time to stand with the Native American tribes and tell their history. Time to open eyes about what’s been hiding. The truth will set you free and also Native Americans have a belief in God. You have to take in consideration that there is a God but some will believe and some won’t and that is ok. It’s not our place to judge but us true Christian aka God followers know the truth in the Lord. We follow Him and we want others to know His good will too. He does wonderful things, like bringing light into these pagan holidays and also the darkness of these so called federal holidays we celebrate.

[crowleytakesall]

Books Read in 2017

I really don’t know what else to say at this point. Other than I toned it down a bit from last year. ;)

OH actually: I noticed I was being a failure at listing the illustrators of graphic novels. So I’ll try to do that from now on. I apologize to all those artists I’ve neglected to include in my bylines, but thankfully I believe you are all listed on the linked pages. Which is better than no credit at all....

Total: 144

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister

Please Excuse This Poem: 100 New Poets for the Next Generation ed. Brett Fletcher Lauer and Lynn Melnick

But What If We’re Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman

Culture and Customs of Korea by Donald N. Clark

Making Whiteness: The Culture of Segregation in the South, 1890-1940 by Grace Elizabeth Hale

サイレントヒル by Sadamu Yamashita

A History of Nepal by John Whelpton

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I Little Slave: A Prison Memoir from Communist Laos by Bounsang Khamkeo

Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More by Dustin Hansen

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

DC Universe: Rebirth - The Deluxe Edition writ. Geoff Johns, illus. Gary Frank, Ethan van Sciver, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jimenez

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Silver Child, Silver City, and Silver World by Cliff McNish

The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman

A Modern History of the Somali: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa by I. M. Lewis

Uzumaki Vols. 1, 2, and 3 by Junji Ito

Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route by Saidiya Hartman

One-Eyed Doll by James Preller

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J. K. Rowling

Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond

The Vikings: A History by Robert Ferguson

Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1-5 and The Kane Chronicles #1-3 by Rick Riordan

Draw The Line by Laurent Linn

Somalia: A Nation Driven to Despair: A Case of Leadership Failure by Mohamed Osman Omar

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology by Valerie C. Scanlon and Tina Sanders

Ultraviolet and Quicksilver by R. J. Anderson

Harmony House by Nic Sheff

Me Against My Brother: At War in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda by Scott Peterson

Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey by Isabel Fonseca

Cultures of the World: Somalia by Susan M. Hassig and Zawiah Abdul Latif

The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away by Abdi Roble and Doug Rutledge

Half Bad by Sally Green

The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800 by Christopher Ehret

Omega City by Diana Peterfreund

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

The Dragons of Noor by Janet Lee Carey

Asylum, Sanctum, Catacomb, and The Asylum Novellas by Madeleine Roux

Unraveling Somalia: Race, Violence, and the Legacy of Slavery by Catherine Besteman

A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

Unnatural Creatures ed. Neil Gaiman and Maria Dahvana Headley

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture by Heather Marie Akou

The Foundry’s Edge by Cam Baity and Benny Zelkowicz

Diagnoses From the Dead: The Book of Autopsy by Richard A. Prayson

House of Secrets by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin

A Silent Voice #2-7 by Yoshitoki Oima (read the first one last year)

Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan

Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings

Printer’s Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History by Rebecca Romney and J. P. Romney

The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Things Happen by Eric Liu

The Father of Forensics: The Groundbreaking Cases of Sir Bernard Spilsbury, and the Beginnings of Modern CSI by Colin Evans

Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime by Val McDermid

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America by Michael Eric Dyson

It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg

The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class - And What We Can Do About It by Richard Florida

An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal

The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It by W. Chris Winter

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford

Dissecting Death: Secrets of a Medical Examiner by Frederick Zugibe and David L. Carroll

Asking For It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture - And What We Can Do About It by Kate Harding

ワンパンマン Vol. 1 - 3 writ. ONE illus. Yusuke Murata

Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America by Elliot Jaspin

Forensic Nurse: The New Role of the Nurse in Law Enforcement by Serita Stevens

So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme, and the Murder that Shocked the World by Peter Graham

The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute by Zac Bissonnette

Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper

The Silence of the Sea by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Beyond Monongah: An Appalachian Story by Judith Hoover

Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favelli and Francesca Cavallo

The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

Inferno by Dan Brown

Paper Girls Vol. 1 writ. Brian K. Vaughn, illlus. Cliff Chiang, Jared K. Fletcher, Matthew Wilson

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

Warcross by Mary Lu

Life on Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World by Reshma Saujani

Head First C: A Brain-Friendly Guide by David and Dawn Griffiths

A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain

Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser

Coding for Beginners in Easy Steps: Basic Programming for All Ages by Mike McGrath

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening writ. Marjorie Liu, illus. Sana Takeda

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

Native Son by Richard Wright

Courage is Contagious: And Other Reasons to be Grateful for Michelle Obama ed. Nick Haramis

This is the Part Where You Laugh by Peter Brown Hoffmeister

The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness by Jill Filipovic

Coding for Dummies by Nikhil Abraham

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond by Marc Lamont Hill

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Artemis by Andy Weir

Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy by Tressie McMillan Cottom

C Programming: Absolute Beginner’s Guide by Greg Perry and Dean Miller

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

The Memory Code: The Secrets of Stonehenge, Easter Island, and Other Ancient Monuments by Lynne Kelly

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

[blogchristophercolumbus-blog]

The Mysterious Origins of Christopher Columbus

For someone as famous (or infamous, depending on your view of history) as Christopher Columbus, you might think that we know all there is to know about his life. After all, researchers have been fascinated in his story ever since he “discovered” the Americas. But there is much about the man that has not been proven and so historians cannot definitively give you an answer about every detail. In fact, the earliest details of his life are some of the least understood, starting with where he was born.

There are theories that connect him to a variety of regions, countries, and religions at birth. 500 years after he began crossing the Atlantic, we still don’t know which are true.

Traditionally, Columbus has been thought to be Italian. His birth name was allegedly Cristoforo Colombo. For people who subscribe to this theory, he was born in 1451 to Susanna Fontanarossa and Domenico Colombo who sold wool. They lived in the region of Liguria which was part of Northwest Italy. The capital of Liguria was Genoa at that time. Genoa was its own city-state (Italy wouldn’t exist as the unified country we know until 1861) and was very wealthy and influential.

If Columbus truly did spend his childhood in Genoa, then his father’s work in a city with trade connections in other countries, including Spain, would have afforded the young Columbus the opportunity to learn many languages. There are accounts, including some by his son, that talk about how Columbus left Genoa in his teens to work for the Portuguese merchant marines. The experience he gained while traveling as far as West Africa, Ireland and Iceland would be invaluable to his later explorations.

While in Portugal, Columbus married a Portuguese woman and began petitioning the Portuguese government to fund his Atlantic excursion. After they refused, he moved to Spain in 1485 where he began lobbying the monarchy of Spain to back his trip. They finally relented in 1492.

Columbus’s own writings support this theory, including his will where he describes himself as being from Genoa. But there is little other evidence to support this claim. The Genoese ambassadors to Spain did not claim him as their own, even after his successful voyages. Also, official Spanish documents do not note Columbus as a foreigner like they do for other non-Spanish explorers of the day.

In 2012, Fernando Branco published a book that presented his theory that Columbus was born in Portugal and not Genoa. He believes that Columbus’ real name is Pedro Ataíde. It is believed that Ataíde was killed in a naval battle in 1476. Branco and some other Portuguese historians believe that he actually survived, changed his name and continued living under a new identity. Researchers are testing this theory. In 2018, they began comparing the authenticated DNA of Fernando Columbus, Christopher Columbus’s son, with the DNA of Antonio, Ataíde’s cousin. A genetic match should be convincing evidence of whether Columbus was Portuguese.

In 2009, another researcher, Estelle Irizarry, published her own book which shows the results of analyzing Columbus’s writings in hundreds of documents. Her research suggests that Columbus was born in Aragon in the northern part of Spain. She found that the primary language used by Columbus was Castilian. There are no documents existing where Columbus uses Ligurian.

Her theory is that Columbus was actually Jewish and was hiding his ancestry to avoid persecution by the Christian church in Spain. There are many instances of Jewish phrases in his writings.

There are wilder theories that Columbus was Polish or Scottish, but there is little evidence to support these theories.

Surprisingly, for all that is known about Columbus and his voyages, we still don’t know for certain where he actually came from.

Source: where is Christopher Columbus from

[fitnesshealthyoga-blog]

New Post has been published on https://fitnesshealthyoga.com/2019-gairdner-awards-winners-hailed-for-discoveries-on-dna-replication-and-power-of-stem-cells-to-fight-cancer/

2019 Gairdner Awards: Winners hailed for discoveries on DNA replication and power of stem cells to fight cancer

Replicating cells — both normal and cancerous — lie at the heart of discoveries made by four of this year’s seven Canada Gairdner Award winners.

vshivkova/iStockPhoto / Getty Images

Canada Gairdner International Awards

Makers, breakers and movers

For life to endure, cells must copy their DNA to pass on to new cells and new generations. It is a basic fact of biology that disguises a Herculean feat.

Consider that in order to maintain a healthy blood supply, the adult human body must produce about 500 million blood cells a minute. Each new cell carries two metres of tightly coiled DNA. Do the math and it works out to one-million kilometres of DNA every 60 seconds – enough to wrap around the equator 25 times over. And that’s just blood. There’s also gut, skin, liver and all the other cells that require regular replacement. In practice, a replicating cell can’t achieve this by starting at one end of a strand of DNA and copying until it gets to the other. Like a medieval monastery where the monks all work together, each reproducing one page of a sacred book, a cell must deploy many thousands of copiers all at once in order to duplicate its entire genome faithfully and swiftly.

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As a young scientist, Bruce Stillman long puzzled over how cells manage this trick, especially without some genes being copied twice. “Forty years ago, we really didn’t know how replication occurred,” said Dr. Stillman, who is director and president of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a renowned research centre on Long Island, N.Y.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, he grew up with dreams of becoming a medical doctor. But in university, it was the lab rather than the hospital that captured his imagination. When he first arrived in Cold Spring Harbor in 1979, he had a burning desire to tackle the mystery of DNA replication.

Within a few years, he was joined in his quest by another young researcher, John Diffley, a native of New York and now associate research director at the Francis Crick Institute in London. Working with yeast cells, which share the same form of DNA replication as humans and other animals, the two researchers developed new techniques to study the process. By 1992, they had identified an elegant structure made up of multiple proteins which they dubbed the origin recognition complex – ORC for short. The structure wraps around the DNA double helix at specific sites and serves as a starting point where the rest of the replication machinery is assembled. Key to the find was the discovery of how the protein complex is triggered to begin its work at the appropriate moment in the cell-division cycle.

“It was so beautiful and so clear that it had to be right,” Dr. Diffley said.

Further work has added detail to the picture. In 2015, Dr. Diffley’s team was able to reconstitute the process with purified proteins outside of living cells, making it easier to study. The results shed light on genetic diseases that impair DNA replication and also on how cancer can affect the process so that the DNA of cancer cells increasingly diverges from that of its host.

“It’s really one of the most impressive pieces of molecular biology in recent years,” said Adrian Bird, a professor of genetics at the University of Edinburgh and a previous Gairdner winner.

The mechanics of cell division also come into play in the work of Susan Band Horwitz, a professor of cancer research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

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Growing up near Boston in the 1940s, Dr. Horwitz never thought about a career in science but imagined, instead, of becoming a historian. All of that changed when she took a biology course in her first year at college.

“It was wonderful. It opened up a whole new world to me,” she said.

By 1963, she had earned her PhD in biochemistry at Brandeis University. By then, she was married and gave birth to twins five days after defending her thesis. But at a time when few women were working in her field, she was hard-pressed to find a position that would allow her to balance her scientific career with her family life. She eventually found part-time work teaching pharmacology students at Tufts University while pursuing her research on the side. The job had an unexpected benefit because “it introduced me to the idea of small molecules that can do great things.”

By the 1970s, she was at the Albert Einstein College, where her husband, a virologist, had accepted a position. She was also working full-time again with a growing track record of studying naturally derived products for cancer treatments. That was when the U.S. National Cancer Institute sought her out to examine a new drug candidate called Taxol, derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree.

Working with a graduate student, Peter Schiff, Dr. Horwitz discovered that Taxol has an uncanny ability to latch onto tiny fibres inside cells known as microtubules. In normal cells, microtubules are assembled and disassembled continuously and they play a key role during cell division when they are used to pull apart duplicated sets of chromosomes just before a cell splits in two. But when Taxol was present, the microtubules could no longer be disassembled, and instead formed bundles that clogged up dividing cells, including those driving tumour growth.

It would be another 15 years of clinical trials and scientific hurdles before Taxol was approved for use as a cancer drug in 1992, but it was the work done in Dr. Horwitz’s lab that set the wheels in motion. Today Taxol has been administered to millions around the world.

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“I never give a lecture when someone doesn’t come over to me afterwards and say thank you,” Dr. Horwitz said.

In addition to roping DNA, microtubules serve as the tracks for an elaborate transportation system found within many cells. Incredibly, those tracks are traversed by a class of proteins called kinesins that amble along like microscopic ants, dragging cargo from production sites near the nucleus and making deliveries to the cell’s outer reaches.

Ronald Vale, a professor of cellular molecular pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco, has played a key role in uncovering this remarkable system. Born in Los Angeles, Dr. Vale’s childhood fascination with science was sparked by museum and planetarium visits. In graduate school, he studied nerve cells, which require the transportation of neurotransmitters and other chemicals down long extensions, called axons.

Working with the cell biologist Michael Sheetz, Dr. Vale turned to the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., where the researcher could work with giant-squid axons that are many times larger than those found in the human nervous system. By squeezing out the contents of the squid axons they were able to painstakingly identify and reassemble the pieces of the cellular transportation system.

“It’s a tribute to human creativity that one can actually probe the natural world at these levels,” Dr. Vale said.

Their initial breakthrough discoveries came in 1983-84, but it would take another 15 years of work before Dr. Vale pinned down precisely how the tiny walkers perform their task and how the transport system, when disrupted, can be linked to certain forms of neurodegenerative disease.

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“It’s been my observation that if you make a fundamental discovery there will be practical applications. In this case there’s no question that’s true,” said Randy Schekman, a Nobel Prize-winning researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, who is on the Gairdner Foundation’s medical advisory board.

The same sentiment applies to the work of Timothy Springer, a professor at Harvard University medical school. A gifted researcher, Dr. Springer became disillusioned as an undergraduate in the 1960s because of the use of scientifically developed chemicals such as Agent Orange and napalm during the Vietnam War. But after a period of volunteer work, he decided to return to his studies, earning a PhD and eventually landing at Harvard in 1977.

It was then that Dr. Springer began making key discoveries about the mechanisms cells deploy to securely latch onto neighbouring cells or to brace themselves against their surroundings so that they can shift location. This ability is particularly important for immune cells, which must leave the blood stream and penetrate into infected tissue in order to do their work. Dr. Springer showed how the molecules involved in the latching operate, and found drugs that can selectively disable them in cases where the immune system is overactive, such as in inflammatory bowel disease.

“Scientists can be like Columbus discovering a new world,” Dr. Springer said. “I very often feel that, if I was born in a different era, I would have wanted to be an explorer. But instead of exploring the Earth I’m exploring the inner workings of cells.”

Each Gairdner Award winner will receive a $100,000 cash prize. In the weeks leading up to the award ceremony this fall, winners will also be sent across Canada to speak to students about their work as a way to inspire the next generation of biomedical researchers. – Ivan Semeniuk

Canada Gairdner Wightman Award

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A stem-cell trailblazer and mentor

In 1961, when Connie Eaves was one of only 10 female students in a pre-med class of 100 at Queen’s University in Kingston, she knew that being a woman meant having to be better than everyone else simply to be considered for an academic opportunity.

“For me, that wasn’t a big deal,” said Dr. Eaves, the daughter of a mathematician and a schoolteacher whose four children all became professors or doctors. “We were brought up to adhere to the principle of always being the best we could, no matter what we did.”

The drive to succeed and to make discoveries led her to England’s University of Manchester, where she found an ideal role model: Alma Howard, a Montreal-born scientist who was known for her work on the biological effects of radiation and who had risen to a position of leadership at one of the most prominent cancer laboratories in the U.K. It was also her entry into an exciting new field in which researchers were striving to understand how blood cells develop from less specialized precursors known as stem cells. After earning her PhD, Dr. Eaves moved to the Ontario Cancer Institute, where she was a postdoctoral researcher with stem-cell pioneers James Till and Ernest McCulloch.

Back in Canada, she found a research community that had not yet learned to accept female researchers as equal the way she had seen in Manchester. “I was just floored,” Dr. Eaves said. “It became clear that a future career in science for me in Canada was going to be an extra challenge.”

But the research was exciting, and in 1973 it led to an appointment in Vancouver with the British Columbia Cancer Agency and the University of British Columbia. She was joined there by her husband, physician-scientist Allen Eaves, and together the two collaborated to build a research powerhouse on Canada’s West Coast that would eventually become the Terry Fox Laboratory and also spawn Stemcell Technologies Inc., the largest biotech company in Canada.

Throughout this time, Dr. Eaves’s research led to key discoveries in blood stem cells, including the development of a technique for separating cancerous from normal blood stem cells in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. She later moved into breast cancer and was among the first, in parallel with an Australian team, to demonstrate the existence of mammary-gland stem cells in mice, before moving on to study the equivalent cells in humans. The finding, published in 2006, set the stage for thinking about how an entire tissue could be generated from a single cell other than in blood. More recently, her team has been perturbing the genes of normal stem cells to reproduce and study the transition to cancerous growth.

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Along the way, Dr. Eaves has mentored more than 100 graduate student and postdoctoral researchers, many of them women, creating a growing worldwide network of scientists working in related areas of stem-cell and cancer biology. Her focus on developing a research community and her determined advocacy for women in science are included in her citation for the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, which recognizes both scientific excellence and extraordinary leadership in Canadian health research.

“Critical mass is essential in science, and Connie created that when she went out to Vancouver,” said Alan Bernstein, president of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and a former Wightman Award winner. “She is a true builder.”

Dr. Eaves said that the challenges and rewards of a life in research helped underscore for her the importance of opening doors for all those who have the motivation and the ability to contribute to scientific breakthroughs.

“I was extremely lucky … in the people that I met and the opportunities I was given,” Dr. Eaves said. “That is not true for everyone.” – Ivan Semeniuk

John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award

Mental health for all

When Vikram Patel was a medical student, he says he was drawn to psychiatry “because it was the only field of medicine that was interested in the whole person as opposed to simply where it hurts.”

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It is fitting, then, that the groundbreaking research he’s done on mental health has, in a very real way, improved the lives of millions of people in the developing world.

Dr. Patel is the 2019 recipient of the prestigious John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award, which recognizes “his world-leading research in global mental health, providing greater knowledge on the burden and the determinants of mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries and pioneering approach for the treatment of mental health in low-resource settings.”

Dr. Patel, a professor of global health at Harvard University, said, modestly, that his greatest achievement is “having generated knowledge to change hearts and minds about the importance of mental health everywhere in the world.”

But what he did, over more than two decades, is debunk the commonly held belief that mental illness was a Western phenomenon, and that poor people had more important things to worry about than their mental health, such as poverty, malaria and AIDS.

“It’s a Faustian bargain to say people shouldn’t get mental-health care because they’re in a socially or medically difficult situation. Mental illness can devastate lives as surely as any other condition,” Dr. Patel says.

His research demonstrated not only that mental illness is as common in low- and middle-income countries as in high-income ones, but showed how care could be delivered effectively and cheaply, in even the most challenging circumstances. For example, his research demonstrated the benefits of lay health counsellors being trained to offer brief psychological treatments for depression and anxiety in clinics, and task-sharing to support caregivers of people with dementia, interventions that have been adopted in more than 60 countries.

Dr. Patel said receiving the Gairdner Award, the pre-eminent prize in global health, is flattering and humbling but, more importantly, it sends the message that mental health is being taken seriously in international health circles.

He noted that, early in his career, his research plans were often greeted with mockery and skepticism but he was lucky to have a few mentors and funders who took “enormous gambles” on him, including the Wellcome Trust in the U.K. and Grand Challenges Canada. – André Picard

Illustrations by Murat Yükselir

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[awesometheauthor]

Juan Ponce de Leon, The Missing Years. Rationalizing the Historical Documentation By Way of Archival Documentation

Copyright 2018, John J. Browne Ayes, Author of Juan Ponce de Leon His New And Revised Genealogy. All Rights Reserved, National, And International

Life for Juan Ponce de Leon was full of frustration. He would have liked to have governed freely but he was always beneath the constraining orders of his king and queen. He was also battling his political enemies. He was also bound to his religion. He must have thought heavily about the hypocrisy of the priests who were all too willing to enslave the Indians who were supposed to have been under their charge delivering their immortal souls. Anytime it seemed that he was making a positive headway in building up and populating Isla de San Juan a royal decree would be delivered demanding that he divide up Indians among the new settlers who had immigrated to the island from Spain. He must have hated that task because it was despicable to him having to separate families, seeing their agony and pain and hearing their cries. They were people, innocent in their ways like children. They were close to nature. He knew that their enslavement would embitter them. Harden them. Life for them would become evil and dark.

Even more frustrating was the adversarial political situation around him. He had arrested two of Diego Colon's cronies. He must have been tempted to have them garroted but in his wisdom, he didn't want to make the same mistakes that Columbus did. Instead, Ponce de Leon sent them off to Spain in chains to be judged and tried for their contemptuous behavior against his governance. Instead of stripping them of their titles and holdings and incarcerating them. One can imagine the anger and frustration Juan Ponce had to bear after the king sent them back to the island imploring, Juan Ponce reinstate them to their offices. Juan Ponce knew his days as governor were numbered.

That day finally came after Diego Colon had petitioned the Supreme Council in Spain to get them to enact and ratify the tenets of his father's contract with the king. They concurred and Diego Colon was made Viceroy of the Caribbean islands his father had discovered. Juan Ponce must have been enraged because the Council included Puerto Rico which Colon never really discovered and formally claimed on behalf of the king. Ponce must have sworn that he would get even with Colon someday. He would bide his time when it was right to do so when. Colon and his cronies would make a fatal mistake.

After Diego Colon became a viceroy, Juan Ponce de Leon was sent to smash another rebellion initiated by a family member of Agueybana II of the same name. A large number of the rebellious Taino had fled to one of the islands. Juan Ponce set out with a boatload of his heavily armed troops on board his ship. The confrontation got intense. It would be wise to say that the Taino had set a well-coordinated gorilla style trap that took the troops by surprise. Juan Ponce must have seen that he was heavily outnumbered and he ordered a retreat. In the process, many of his troops were killed and captured. It is said that the Indians had also captured two women. To this date, there are no archival documents naming them, but I suspect that the women must have been crew member's wives. Who initiated the legal process that forced Ponce to set out on a suicidal mission? The King? Or Ponce's political enemy the viceroy? In any case, Ponce was not going to sacrifice his men or himself on behalf of the viceroy, Colon.

Sometime before then, Juan Ponce's legitimate wife died. She might have succumbed to one of the many tropical diseases that struck down so many Spanish women during that era. It must have been a devastating blow to the governor and his family. Again, there are no archival records that would indicate when his wife died or where she was interred. Was she buried in Caparra or Isla Espanola or was she sent back to Spain?

Juan Ponce retired to his home in Caparra. During this time period until 1520 – 1521 the historical records become mute. We can infer from the records before that time, that Ponce carried on with selling produce from his farm. Shipping foodstuffs to Spain and probably selling the same to ship owners who traveled by sea around the empire. The Spanish in Mexico probably enjoyed the fruits, vegetables, pigs, lambs and even rode Juan Ponce's horses. It was written within Melchior Troche's petition that Ponce and the family had lost horses and a bar of gold after the 1521 incident when the settlers had to flee Florida. Those horses were destined to be sold to people in Mexico. Juan Ponce settled in Cappara developing trade, growing crops, fruits, and vegetables, selling horses, pigs, cows as well as commune with his children. During that quiet time, Ponce busied himself with finding suitable husbands for his three daughters. Two of them he married off to the Troche brothers and the last one married Antonio de la Gama. A year later, Ponce married de la Gama's daughter. Ponce de Leon may have been active politically because all of a sudden his future son in law shows up in Puerto Rico in the powerful position of a royal judge. The plot against Diego Colon and his cohorts at the Royal Hacienda at Toa begins to unfold after de la Gama's arrival. What was left of the Taino Royal family of Agueybana I had been placed there to serve as slaves in the mines, the church and on farms. They had suffered cruelties that caused the deaths of many of them.

De la Gama came to Puerto Rico to specifically investigate, prosecute and jail those who were in charge at the Royal Hacienda for unbridled cruelty and murder. As a result, a royal decree was issued freeing all the Taino people from the yoke of slavery in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, that judicial victory came after Ponce's death, It must have hurt Diego Colon and his cronies as well as all those slave owners on the island. Those people, in the end, had to go out and purchase slaves from Africa to replace the Indigenous people who had been freed. I have a copy of the judicial proceedings that lists the names of the members of the Royal Taino family who were mistreated. Guyabana, Agueybana, Dona Ines, and many other variations of the Agueybana name appeared on that list. They were also listed by what position they held in their society. Nitaino, and naboria. I suspect that the naboria might have been the slaves that the Taino themselves used to own. My maternal Guanahatabey ancestor might have been among them.

Earlier in this essay, I wrote about Juan Ponce de Leon's business dealings during the time he retired to his home in Caparra. For a long time after I wrote my book, Juan Ponce de Leon His New And Revised Genealogy, I asked myself the question, where did Ponce de Leon learn to become a businessman? Historians have painted him as a soldier who served in the war of Granada as a squire. True, but how did the man learn about business an government as well as building?

After I published the book I took the time to review all the resource documents and copies of original documents I had gathered from the Archives of Spain. The answer came slowly to me.

Juan Ponce's grandfather and family members had owned a very successful soap factory in Seville, Spain. No doubt they imported and exported all manner of things to and from the rest of the world outside of Spain. They owned the port of Cadiz which was later given to the king of Spain in exchange for all kinds of graces and mercies from that king. This image of businessmen, traders, exporters, and importers breaks the mold of preconceived images of lazy noblemen, and in reality, sets the stage for Juan Ponce's uncanny and sudden rise to political power in the Caribbean. It is quite obvious that Ponce de Leon acquired his business knowledge as well as his extensive knowledge of military tactics from his family. His uncle, Rodrigo Ponce de Leon was dubbed the second El Cid during the conflict at Granada. Archival documents inform us that Rodrigo considered Juan Ponce his favorite nephew and Rodrigo supported Juan Ponce during a dispute over water and land monies against his brother, Pedro Ponce de Leon. In fact, since the earliest days of the Moorish-Spanish conflicts, the Ponce de Leon were active participants throughout their family history beginning with Ponce de Minerva their ancestor. With this information, I put forward that Juan Ponce de Leon spent his days in retirement conducting business from his home in Caparra.

1513

During Juan Ponce de Leon's journey of discovery and exploration of Florida, the main characters were:

Anton de Alaminos was the navigator.

Juan Gonzalez Ponce de Leon who was the legitimate son of Juan Ponce de Leon. Juan Gonzalez was employed as a spy for the king in the Caribbean as well as Mexico.

A Free-never had been enslaved friend and associate of Juan Gonzalez Ponce de Leon, Juan Garrido who was the first free African to set foot in the new land of Florida.

The Jimenez sisters. What were two women doing aboard that ship? Some historians try to assume that one of the sisters was a mistress of Juan Ponce. I refuse to believe that assumption based on the possibility that Ponce's wife was still alive during that time and the documented fact that the Jimenez sisters were close relatives and family members.

They both came from a very rich family that had land, titles and material holdings in Spain. There is a possibility that the Jimenez sisters were the first women in history to have partly financed that important expedition. That reason would gain them the unique privilege to tag along this voyage of discovery and exploration. I also feel that it is important to point out that Juan Garrido wasn't your ordinary sidekick. The man was very intelligent. He is credited with finagling around with wheat DNA to produce a new strain that was purposely adapted to the harsh desert-like environment of Mexico. He, in essence, is the first real DNA researcher in this hemisphere before that humble priest that studied another type of farm produce in Europe. Garrido became a successful landowner and exporter of his new wheat in Mexico. No doubt he gained his business knowledge from his close association with Juan Ponce de Leon.

The End.

Everyone who has studied Juan Ponce de Leon knows that he sent out two important letters. One to his king informing that he was going to create a settlement in Florida and the other letter of a more personal nature was sent to an important member of the church also informing him that he was going to settle la Florida. He added that he had married off his daughters and now he was free to pursue his dream of building and running a successful settlement according to the contract that was drawn up in between King Ferdinand and himself. This decision according to historians came suddenly, but in reality, this decision to settle Florida must have come out of the necessity to move his business ventures to Florida so that it would be more convenient in dealing with Mexico. Florida was to become a new port of his export and import enterprise. As I pointed out before in this essay, Melchior Troche his grandson was petitioning the House of Contracts in an attempt to claim everything that ended up in Cuba that belonged to his grandfather. Historians of that era would have you believe that Juan Ponce retired to Caparra licking his political wounds and wallowing in a deep depression. He was not that kind of man. He was an astute businessman who had built, populated and fortified Isla de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico at his own expense. Had he lived to finish that settlement in la Pasqua Florida the peninsula would have developed much earlier than it had.

Sources, resource material and copies of original documents derived from the book, Juan Ponce De Leon His New And Revised Genealogy.

[joneswilliam72]

Track Of The Day: Barrie pay tribute to New York City in 'Darjeeling' and its Wes Anderson-esque video

NYC-based collective Barrie recently announced the release of their debut album Happy To Be Here for May 3rd, and have today released another track from it called 'Darjeeling'. Not all of the members of the quintet hail from New York originally, but they found each other there. 'Darjeeling' speaks of the idiosyncrasies of the magical city by telling the story of Barry Lindsay's early days there:

"The opening line of the song – "the city towed my car the first night I got in" – is true; my car got towed when I first moved to New York. The first night I hung out with Spurge and Noah, we went to this warehouse party in Bushwick on the train tracks, which was totally new to me. My car was in Manhattan, and when I went back to find it at 3 am it was gone. So I walked along the West Side highway to the impound lot. At 4 am it was this eerie wasteland of abandoned cars. It was in the honeymoon phase of moving to New York and I remember feeling very happy and surreal in the tow lot. I’ve had a lot of experiences like that in the city, and I think I had that feeling in mind with this song — it’s kind of a collection of those vignettes."

When envisioning the fabled city, you often think of bustle, traffic and noise, but Barrie's music transcends these by offering a vibrant and dream-like view of their home. The usual polychromatic and multi-textural sounds are intact on 'Darjeeling', with the feeling of excitement practically embedded into its very DNA. Even though it starts with the downer of Barrie having her car stolen, it's immediately quashed by the infinite possibilities that a metropolitan has to offer, and these are expounded upon in 'Darjeeling' both lyrically and musically. Anyone who has moved to a large city and discovered whole new depths to life will immediately connect with 'Darjeeling', and will know well that feeling of the city singing to you when Barrie launch the simple one-word order: "stay."

The video for 'Darjeeling' pays tribute to one of their favourite directors (and one who has honoured New York in many of his films) Wes Anderson. Check it out below.

Barrie's Happy To Be Here is out on May 3rd and can be pre-ordered here. They'll be touring Europe around that time too:

Apr 24 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade Bristol Apr 26 – London, UK @ Moth Club Apr 28 – Manchester, UK @ YES Apr 29 – Paris, FR @ Le Pop-Up du Label May 01 – Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar May 02 – Gothenburg, SE @ Oceanen May 03 – Oslo, NO @ Jaeger May 04 – Stockholm, SE @ Sodra Bar May 06 – Hamburg, DE @ Mojo Jazz Cafe May 07 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine am Berghain May 10 – Bloomington, IN @ Granfalloon Festival May 11 – Columbus, OH @ Flyover Fest

Keep up with The 405's Tracks of the Day in our 2019 playlist, updated every weekday.

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[taswhapstuff]

African history = unknown

We have a chance to listen to the most phenomenon rapper, Akala, an English rapper. His speech at Oxford Student Union is monumental, “fighting” against the controversial ideas against black people especially African. True Black history is being faded and changed through time, creating many different aspects that carry till now. Justifying Jim Crow, black people or slave are examples of government to use for politics. What’s left are all lies, Black’ reputation is being underestimated compared to the world and people considered Africa has no history. Standing in front of Oxford Student Union, Akala against those ideas by providing pieces of evidence supporting the glory of Africa.

First of all, Akala started with emphasizing how Ancient Egypt (The Greatest Civilization) were not black. Medias industry denying the fact that Egyptian are black, like how Akala using the example of the movie “Exodus” - Hollywood movie. Due to the lack of realness on history, many creations for King Tut are different from the French to the British. Scientists were testing the DNA tests of King Tut, and the result showed that he is black. But the whole world and the community denied the fact he is black. Since the word “black” only used for those people are on the lowest on the civilization. Ancient Egypt is such an enormous and powerful civilization that making people felt unreal to call them “black”. Egyptian are original “negros” but people falsely believe they are “Hamites” due to their physical appearances like the skin color or the nose structure. The European wanted everything that positive to relate to their life. Teaching from the European are all based on the accomplishment but not the root of the region. Since the Egyptian accomplished just enormous achievements, European wanted to consider them as “Hamites” to take credits

Secondly, it’s funny how people support the idea of European responsible for all the greatest things on Earth. Although we’re all been “brainwashed” about African civilization from the past till now by those Europeans, Akala proved through multiple shreds of evidence rebuts the African stereotypes. He showed the achievements of Haiti, Ethiopia, and Egyptian are all responsible for making wonders on Earth. For example, The Egyptian 365 Calendar creation is similar to the Western Calendar. Especially for medical, Imhotep was an Egyptian polymath. He designed the pyramid and wrote the medical book. People considered himself as an actual father of medicine before Hypocrites. Besides those factors, Pi or we can know as 3.16 is invented by the Egyptian. All of the factors that I mentioned above are African examples of intelligence and civilized they are.

Thirdly, historian Ivan Van Sertima claimed that African in the early time, stepped on America way before Columbus found America not only once but twice. Akala has given some examples to back up this theory. He pointed out that during 800 BC, people founded statues in Mexico that similar to African people. Away from the video, I also founded an interesting fact about Africans sail under the leader of Egyptian around 1200 B.C. The evidence of Ivan Van Sertima can be the foundation of the huge stone heads of the Olmec civilization in Mexico. Besides the finding, Akala also claimed that the leader from Mali, Abubakari II, discover America way earlier than the European. 

To relate this topic to another country, Vietnam can be a perfect choice.  Vietnam war started in 1955 and ended in 1975. When the war ended, the North (Communist side) won and South (U.S side) lost. The Communist ideas are drawn into South citizen minds making the people lost the ideology of their creation. Propaganda is a major effect on the creation and mythology of Vietnamese culture. Since then the North has thrown propaganda to fool people mind on how magnificent the Russian has done that contribute to our society today like how the European brainwash minds through their teaching or media. To conclude this blog, Akala contribution through his speech is a phenomenon. He wanted to prove the world is “blind” in African history as well as culture. Akala emphasizes through many pieces of evidence like African accomplishments, DNA test of King Tut, Ivan Van Sertima and more. Through these examples can prove that we should study the root history of a region. 

- PETERRRRRRRRRRRR

[mysouthparkopinion-blog]

“Holiday Special” Review

Watch here! 

Each episode this season is bringing more and more surprises! “Holiday Special” starts off with a riot, which we learn is because the school canceled the Columbus Day holiday and the kids have to come on Monday. Which is totally unfair. We learn that Randy Marsh is behind this, protesting various Columbus things such as the statue in New York and even the city of Columbus, Ohio. And while we might think he is overdoing it, he justifies that by saying, “You have to overdo it in today’s society.” So true Randy, so true. When Randy is interviewed about defecating on the statue (while wearing a hilarious shirt, I might add) and is asked if he is doing this because of the feelings of Indigenous Peoples, it’s shown that he doesn't even know what the word means. “I don’t care if people get indigenous!” he says. Randy is a pretty typical example of a white person taking over issues that don’t concern them, instead of letting the people actually affected, such as real indigenous people, speak up for themselves. 

Meanwhile, the kids come up with a way to keep their holiday because, as Cartman so truthfully says, “In 1492 Columbus got us a day off schoo.” The boys find that Randy hasn’t always had and anti-Columbus history- in fact, until very recently, it was the opposite. Randy was super stoked on Columbus. The boys, using Kenny to talk into the phone in a deep, Vader-y voice, try to get Peter Galtman, who is in charge of the calendar committee, to see Randy’s internet history, but Galtman refuses because the internet is “fake news.” 

Randy knows that someone is onto him- so he has an idea- get a DNA test to prove that he is part victim and therefore excuse himself from his past racism. It worked for the people in the commercials- “I’m 13% victim.” The commercial, by the way, was a hilarious parody of Ancestry.com commercials and the like that I’ve been seeing so much recently. We see Randy inviting people over for the testing so that he has witnesses, and then he makes out with a Navajo man so that he can have Native American DNA in his spit. 

We see this backfire on Randy as the Navajo man falls in love with him, showing up to his house to bring flowers and play music. One night Randy, trying to dispose of all his Columbus gear (seriously, who has Columbus salt and pepper shakers?), pushes the Navajo man away, and a neighbor records it on his phone. Randy was literally Columbus, in both dress and actions. 

We see Randy get the results of the DNA test, after a problem with the original (he didn't think it would really work, now did he?). To his disappointment, Randy matches the standard British man, but things turn for the better when he learns that he is 2% Neanderthal, a primitive species that were wiped out by Homo Sapiens. Randy is delighted to go around playing the victim, with the test to prove it. 

Randy also has a solution to the Columbus Day situation- the school will have a day off, but instead of Columbus Day, it will be Indigenous Peoples Day, in which everyone is “indigenous” to each other. So basically a day to rip on people. This shows that most people don’t care about the meaning of Columbus Day so much as the day off. And Randy still doesn't know what indigenous means, showing his perpetual ignorance. I can’t wait until the second Monday of October. I know I will certainly be indigenous to everyone! Watch out! 

Strong points of the episode: The “DNA and You” commercial, Randy in general

Weak Points of the episode: Come on, you guys know how hard it is to criticize South Park. It was a great episode!