By Patrick Kavanagh

On Raglan Road on an autumn day I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue;
I saw the danger, yet I passed along the enchanted way,
And I said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day.
On Grafton Street in November we tripped lightly along the ledge
Of the deep ravine where can be seen the worth of passion’s pledge,
The Queen of Hearts still making tarts and I not making hay
Oh I loved too much and by such by such is happiness thrown away.
I gave her gifts of the mind I gave her the secret sign that’s known
To the artists who have known the true gods of sound and stone
And word and tint without stint for I gave her poems to say.
With her own name there and her own dark hair like clouds over fields of May
On a quiet street where old ghosts meet I see her walking now
Away from me so hurriedly my reason must allow
That I had loved not as I should a creature made of clay
When the angel woos the clay he’d lose his wings at the dawn of day.

Listen to original Luke Kelly of the Dubliners version: RTÉ Archives | Arts and Culture | Luke Kelly Sings ‘On Raglan Road’ (rte.ie)

Van Morrison and the Chieftains : (122) VAN MORRISON-THE CHIEFTAINS – Raglan Road – bbc tv – YouTube

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Learn the history of On Raglan Road and see the beautiful woman who inspired it.

History Behind the Poem

On Raglan Road was first published as a poem in The Irish Press on 3 October 1946 under the title “Dark Haired Miriam Ran Away.” Peter Kavanagh, Patrick’s brother, said that “it was written about Patrick’s girlfriend Hilda but to avoid embarrassment he used the name of my girlfriend in the title”. Her real name was Dr Hilda Moriarty, then a medical student from County Kerry. Though she regarded Kavanagh as a friend, her feelings were not romantic and in 1947 she married Donogh O’Malley, who later became Fianna Fáil Minister for Education.

In 1987, Hilda Moriarty was interviewed by the Irish broadcaster RTÉ for a documentary about Kavanagh called Gentle Tiger. In the interview, she said one of the main reasons for the failure of their relationship was that there was a wide age gap between them. She was only 22, whereas he was 40.

Dr. Moriarty also described how Raglan Road came to be written. Kavanagh had lived in Pembroke Road in Dublin, but he moved out as he could not afford the rent and he moved into Mrs Kenny’s boarding house on Raglan Road which cost 10 shillings a week full board – Hilda was staying on Raglan Road – a road off Pembroke Road. Kavanagh saw Hilda coming and going from Raglan Road to University on a daily basis and as an excuse to meet with her in the Country Shop on St Stephen’s Green or Mitchell’s on Dawson Street he would often ask Hilda to critique his work. Kavanagh described himself as a peasant poet but Hilda was not that impressed and teased him-“Can you not, then, write about anything other than stony grey soil and bogs, Paddy?” Kavanagh said, “I will immortalise you in poetry, Hilda.” And so he did. According to Dr Moriarty, he went away and wrote Raglan Road-and Hilda featured in many of Kavanagh’s poems, including Hilda, Hilda 2, and Hilda 3, and several others.

The poem was put to music when the poet met Luke Kelly of the well-known Irish band The Dubliners in a pub in Dublin called The Bailey. It was set to the music of the traditional song “The Dawning of the Day” (Fáinne Geal an Lae). An Irish-language song with this name (Fáinne Geal an Lae) was published by Edward Walsh (1805-1850) in 1847 in Irish Popular Songs, and later translated into English as The Dawning of the Day, published by Patrick Weston Joyce in 1873. Given the similarity in themes and the use of the phrase “dawning of the day” in both On Raglan Road and the traditional tune, it is quite likely that Kavanagh from the beginning imagined the pairing of verse and tune. Indeed, there is a broadcast recording of Kavanagh singing On Raglan Road to the tune on Irish television and in 1974 Benedict Kiely recalled in an interview for RTÉ Kavanagh trying out the paired verse and tune for him soon after its writing. Kelly himself acknowledges that song was gifted to him that evening at The Bailey.

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Dear Maria,

Yes, Magellan lost his head in the Philippine island of Mactan in 1521. Ferdinand Magellan (Fernando de Magallanes in Spanish) was actually born in Portugal (Fernao de Magalhaes) but his expedition was funded by Spanish investors when his own country rejected his exploration proposal. Whether he changed loyalty to Spain is not clear but the Philippines is named after King Philip of Spain.

Magellan’s story is one instance where the old adage “the victor gets to write history” rings true. The PBS History website and Spanish movies like “1898: Our Last Men in the Philippines” depict the Filipinos as uncivilized thankless primitives. From Western perspectives, the Spaniards were the cultured benefactors who came to save the Filipinos from their ignorance. From the Filipino’s viewpoint, the Spaniards were the oppressors. The Spanish monks sworn to celibacy were notorious to have families on the side.

Western literature does not explain how Magellan was killed but ask a Filipino and he can tell you that that Lapu Lapu, the local tribal chief, cut off Magellan’s head. It may be conjecture but in fairness, the PBS video stated that Lapu Lapu’s many tattoos proved he was a strong warrior (how did they know that?) — now that’s conjecture if you ask me.

There is a popular, humorous, clever song about “Magellan” composed by funny man, Yoyoy Villame. You can watch the video below but here’s fair warning that Yoyoy ‘s accent is so thick, you may have to read the captions to understand the lyrics.

Excerpt of the song as you might hear it:
“En March sixteen, Pipteen Hundred Twenty one, the Phelepeens was disco-bird by Magellan.
[In March 15, 1621, the Philippines was discovered by Magellan.]”

Magellan’s claim to fame: The first man to circumnavigate the world. But actually, Magellan, was already dead when the ship Victoria arrived at Seville, Spain on September 9, 1522. The real navigator who accomplished this feat and whose fame was stolen from him was Juan Sebastian de Elcano. Hard to believe that was 500 years ago.

Magellan is also credited to have discovered the Philippines. That’s an insult to the Filipinos whose ancestors had a functioning civilization before the Spaniards forced them into Catholicism. Magellan’s arrival prompted the colonization of the Philippines that lasted for 300 years and, sadly, instead of sharing the technology, the Spaniards kept the natives uneducated in order to hold on to their power. The Catholic missions did put up schools and it taught the local elites (ilustrados) Western culture. Sure enough. the ilustrados, with eyes opened, realized the oppression of their people and started a movement of unrest with their writings. This led to the Philippine Revolution in August 1896.

It seems like the Philippines is always getting the short end of the stick (maybe it’s because most Filipinos are so nice and genteel … an admirable character trait but easy prey to opportunistic bullies) because, when the Filipinos finally united to stop the abuse, they partnered with America who helped drive the Spaniards out. However, seeing the weakened state of the Philippine revolutionaries, the Americans decided to take the Philippines for itself. The United States turned the Philippines into one of its commonwealth countries. Unlike the Spaniards, Americans brought in the protestant brand of Christianity and tradition of educating the natives. They started the public school system. At one point, the Philippines boasted it had the highest per capita literacy in the world. Thanks to America everyone (not just the ilustrados) could get an education. This affiliation with America forced the Philippines’ involvement in the US-Japanese War. Countless lives were lost from the Japanese atrocities. But after the war, the Philippines became the economic envy of South East Asia — more advanced even than Japan in the late 50s. But politics, greed, and corruption creeped in … but that’s another story.

Final observations

There are Philippine statues, paintings, food products and even a fish named after the barbarian Lapu Lapu but there are none for Magellan. As to your question: is it safe for Spaniards to visit the Philippines? Of course it’s safe. Despite the bad blood between the 2 countries, today Filipinos can travel freely to Spain without a visa. Many Spaniards consider the Filipinos as their brothers. Today the remnants of the Spanish influence can be seen in the Filipino names, street names, words in the Filipino language and in many of the food. The mulatos (or lighter-skinned cross-bred children of the Spaniards) are considered to be so attractive that they are plucked to be actors and models regardless of their intelligence or talent. This is part of the colonial mentality deeply ingrained in the Filipino psyche.

Another testament to the kind and forgiving heart of the Filipinos: they have great relations with the Japanese (maybe they’re attracted to Japan’s affluence). In fact, the Japanese (ashamedly) seem to remember what their warring ancestors did to the Filipinos more than most Filipinos today. Japan has also donated greatly to boost the Philippine economy. — Pedro Panduko

Send in your questions

This installment of our advice column comes to you from our Filipino-American expert, Mr. Pedro Panduko (this is his pen name). Ask him anything about the Philippines and he will give his expert opinion. Ask about the food, the beaches, politics, history, the people, customs, superstitions, economy, etc. He can even share affordable travel ideas.

Meet our Filipino-American: Pedro Panduko

Pedro was born in Aklan, a South Eastern province of the Philippines. He speaks Tagalog, Visayan and English. He was studying in Metropolitan Manila when his family decided to move to California, USA in the 90s. He’s a typical hard-working Filipino who enjoys sports (especially basketball, boxing and football), food, cars and action movies. He currently is the quality controller of a medical marijuana plant. No, he doesn’t sample the product (at least that’s what he wants us to believe), but he sure knows how to grow the best ones. He loves his family and America. He and his wife immerse their smart and talented kids into the American culture.

The post Dear Filipino-American: Did Magellan Lose His Head? appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Editor’s Note: This article was written in broad brushstrokes; a generalization of Holiday Traditions that may vary inside the given nation. — EB

America: Colonial U.S.

In Colonial America, Christmas was essentially a day of spiritual observance. Carols were sung and church bells rang out to celebrate the commemoration of Christ’s birth. Early Americans decorated evergreen trees with things from nature and homemade items. Christmas was a warm, family experience for Colonial America. It blended the experience of a new land with the customs from a European Heritage. The Puritans did not celebrate Christmas, and it took awhile for the Catholic Mass of Christ tradition to become popular with a primarily Protestant population.

America: USA

Like Protestant Colonial America, Christmas never really caught on until roughly 1840. Due to the influx of Catholic immigrants, who brought many customs from other countries, celebrating Christmas became more widespread. Finally, Christmas was declared a Federal U.S. holiday on December 25 in 1870. Since then Christmas Day has become a steadily more important holiday.

America: Native AmerIndians

The Amer-Indian Christmas tree was inspired by the teepees of the plains Indians. Many years ago, the plains Indians celebrated the solstice with lights and feasting. Today the Christmas tree is topped with a handmade ornament called the ‘Eye of God.’ Each tree is trimmed by the children, who draw on nature for their designs. Animal hides lay under the decorated trees, where foods, cooking pots and pieces of Indian art are arranged.

America: Alaska

Most of the customs in Alaska are similar to other parts of the USA. Some Alaskan children can even look out of their houses and actually see reindeer. Alaskan people enjoy having Christmas parades. Often, a large star is carried at the head of the procession. The people follow and sing songs that remind them of the Star of Bethlehem that first Christmas. During the holiday season, Alaskans often get together with their families to watch dog sled races. Sometimes streets in the cities are blocked off so that these races can take place right in the middle of town.

America: Hawaii

Hawaii’s Christmas traditions are much the same as the rest of the states, but with a unique Polynesian mix. Homes are decorated with greenery and native Hawaiian flowers. Christmas trees are present in numerous homes. Many families enjoy their Christmas meals at the beach. Sea foods and fresh fruits are popular foods, and you will often find pigs being roasted in underground pits as in a Luau. Children believe Santa comes to them riding on a surfboard or in an outrigger canoe.

America: Canada

Christmas is celebrated in many ways throughout the country. The children believe Santa Claus comes from the North Pole in a sleigh to deliver his gifts. French-Canadians have a very religious Christmas, where Christmas Eve is spent in church. After Church people go home to a family festival and dine on what is called Reveillon. Gifts are not usually exchanged until New Year’s. Anglo-Canadians and others Canadians celebrate Christmas in much the same way as we do in the U.S.

On January 6, a Kings of Epiphany feast is held, and a special cake is eaten with a pea and a bean baked into it. The people getting these prizes in their piece of cake are elected King and Queen of the 12th Night. This happy, joyous time ends the holiday season.

America: Mexico (Feliz Navidad)

Mexicans start their festivities on December 16. Each night for nine nights before Christmas, families go to each other’s homes for joyous parties or posadas. Each posada starts with a parade of all the guests. Leading the procession are people carrying small figures of the holy family and other nativity scene characters. The paradors go to a door of the host’s house and knock. The host calls out that there is no room in his house. The guests continue to sing and knock, and finally they are invited in. The holy figures are placed on an altar and the people pray and sing.

Soon the party drifts out onto the patio, where the high point is the breaking of the pinata, a large earthenware pot, usually decorated to look like a face, animal, or other appealing object. The pinata is suspended overhead by a rope, and blindfolded children strike at it with a large club. When it is broken, its contents shower to the ground and the children scramble quickly to gather its treasures. These usually include fruits, small toys, candy and games. On Christmas Eve, the largest posada of all is held. There are fireworks and noisemakers. At midnight, the people go to church. After church, a large feast is held. Sometimes gifts are exchanged, but children often wait until King’s Day (Jan 6) to receive gifts. The night before King’s Day, the children have been busy filling their shoes with hay. During the night, the children believe the kings will pass on their way to Bethlehem and the hay is for their horses. In the morning, the hay is gone, and small toys and candy will be found in the shoes.

Africa

Africa is widely varied as to the customs followed by the people. Natives do not celebrate Christmas unless they have been influenced by others who have introduced them to this holiday. Many cities were developed by European countries as colony settlements, and immigrants arrived with Christmas customs from their homelands. Activities are generally held out of doors.

Carolers gather around nativity scenes, and dinner may be served out in the yard. The Christmas tree is a decorated banana or coconut tree. Tribes have festive dances around big bonfires. On Christmas Eve children hang stockings or leave shoes for St. Nicholas to fill. Children may only get one, small homemade toy, but they are thrilled to get it.

Africa: Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, children get up early to be at 4:00 am church services. Later, those who live in the capitol city of Addis Ababa, dressed in their best clothing and walked to the royal palace, where the Emperor endowed them with gifts. The last emperor of Ethiopia was overthrown about 20 years ago, so the custom of waiting for gifts from him is no longer valid.

Africa: Cape Town

Cape Town has the advantage of some wonderful beaches, and Christmas falls in mid-summer, so that’s where a lot of the fun happens. Interestingly enough all their Christmas Cards show snow, fir trees, robins and other Eurocentric things. If they want holly, painted berries are used because they’re still green.

Most families get together at home, on the beach or at a restaurant for a cold lunch. Another major Cape Town holiday is “Tweede Nuwe Jaar”, Second New Year, which is traditionally the day the whole city goes to the beach. There’s also the Coon Carnival, where community groups dress up in colorful costumes and play typical Cape Music – banjos, squash boxes and tambourines making up a large part of it. The competition for best band is quite tense.

Of course, Cape Town is a major holiday destination for the Transvaal, where most of the population of SA lives in large mining cities. The best part of Cape Town’s Christmas season is when the Vaalies go back to school.

South America: Brazil

In Brazil, Christmas arrives at the beginning of summer. There is no snow, cold, or need to bundle up, but in spite of the heat. Santa Claus is known as “Papai Noel” and wears the traditional costume as seen in countries where it is winter. The celebration runs from December 25th to January 6th (Three Kings’ Day), lasting 12 days. Many Brazilians attend Mass on Christmas Eve, where the Christmas story is retold. One week later on New Year’s Eve (or Reveillon), many people will flock to Copacabana beach and participate in an African spiritualist ceremony that honors “Lemanja”, the goddess of the sea. Then on Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day, children put their shoes beside the window or outside the door, hoping to find them filled with treats the next day, supposedly by the three wise men. This officially ends the Christmas season.

South America: Columbia

This South American country’s Christmas customs center around country homes in the beautiful Andes Mountains. It’s a time to eat and enjoy folk music played on the traditional instrument, called the Bambucas. Christmas trees are decorated with coffee beans, berries, bacon, and bright ribbons. In some sections of Columbia, a huge balloon is fashioned from thin colored paper to complement the Christmas tree and raise the spirits of the people. The Columbian Christmas celebration begins December 15th and lasts through Jan 6th.

Asia: India

Christmas is not celebrated in many areas of India, but because of the influence of missionaries and influx of the British who once ruled the nation, the holiday has become more popular. In these areas, shops, churches and homes will be brightly decorated with native greenery and flowers. Nativity scenes appear, and Christmas carols are heard. Evergreen trees are not common to may parts of India, and often you will see banana or coconut trees decorated instead. Christmas Day is a time for visits with friends and relatives, as well as for playing games.

Christian families attend church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Toys and decorations are often handmade and depending on the area you are in dinner might be a formal feast with roasted fowl, and all the trimmings, or a simple meal of rice eaten outside under a tree.

Asia: Japan

Japan is not a predominantly Christian country, but Christmas has become a secular holiday that many Japanese people enjoy. Homes are decorated with evergreens, special meals are prepared, and Christmas songs sung. Santa, called Hoteisho, may visit some of the homes. Children believe that he has eyes on the back of his head so he can see all the good and bad things they do. More than Christmas, Japanese children look forward to New Year’s Day. All the homes are cleaned and scrubbed, then decorated with evergreens, bamboo, or flowers. Special rice cakes are made. Everyone pays all their ills, so that they will not be starting the new year in debt. On New Year’s Eve, temple bells ring 108 times to show the old year is over and the new one is beginning. People put good luck poems under their pillows as they go to bed to bring good fortune in the coming year. On New Year’s Day everyone wears their finest clothes. Boys fly kites, girls play games, and people visit friends. Gifts are often exchanged at this time.

Denmark: Europe

Christmas is Denmark’s greatest festival of the year. The chiming of church bells signal the festivities. Traditional Danish celebration is an elaborate Christmas dinner in honor of the beloved Nisse, the Gnome of Christmas. The Danish Christmas tree takes a very unique look with stars, bells, costumed dolls and strings of tiny Danish flags, combining with pine cones and many colors of handmade paper ornaments. At dusk on Christmas Day, the family’s father usually reads from the Christmas gospel. As night falls, the family sings the songs of the season.

England: Europe

Most of the activities in England center around church celebrations. Christmas caroling and Christmas plays and stories are favorites of the holiday season. Christmas trees are very popular, however instead of cutting them down, people dig them up along with some soil, and keep them in a large tub. After Christmas is over, the trees will be replanted again. Yule logs are also widely used. A large log is brought into the home to be burned in the fireplace. Before it is lighted, family members sit on it and wish for good luck in the coming year. Two popular Christmas foods are wassail and plum pudding. Wassail is a hot spiced apple beverage. The plum pudding has a small coin or trinket in one of the servings, and the person finding it is supposed to have good luck in the future. Children hang up stockings on Christmas Eve, and during the night, Father Christmas, a kindly old man, fills them with candy, nuts, and toys. The English include the first weekday after Christmas in the season’s celebration, they call it Boxing Day. Sadly, during the period of the Protestant Reformation, it was illegal to celebrate Christmas, deemed a pagan Catholic holiday.

Estonia: Europe

The Christmas observance begins with the first evening star sighted on Christmas Eve. Tradition calls for Saint Nicholas, the kind and generous bishop, to place wheat cakes on the window sill. The cakes are eaten on Christmas day. The Christmas tree is adorned with handmade ornament balls, colorfully decorated eggs and candles. Christmas Eve supper is served on a table covered with straw, symbolizing the manger where the infant Jesus slept. Later, families dressed in native costumes, gather about their neighborhoods to sing Christmas carols.

Finland: Europe

Simplicity marks the decorations and the celebration of a Finnish Christmas. A balsa star tops the tree. The delicately made stars reflect the light of lamps or a bright fire in the fireplace, suggesting a starlit sky. Many tree decorations are edible. Straw is used to remind them of the manger. Christmas is a quiet day for the family in Finland. Dinner includes roast suckling pig, and the traditional rice pudding with an almond it is said that the legend of Santa Claus began in Finland. Finland is the country of his official residence.

France: Europe

In France most families enjoy two creches (Nativity Scene), The first is in their own church. The other is at home. Great care is taken in setting it up. Holly and greens are purchased for a backdrop. A lighted star is always suspended over the creche. The family gathers around and sings carols as the infant Jesus is placed in the manger. The three kings are place there on Epiphany Eve, (Jan 6).

A special cookie is baked. Some feel it must first be shared with needy people. In addition a ‘Cake of the Kings’ is used in the Jan 6th celebration. A bean is placed inside and the person finding it is given a crown and becomes king of the party. Christmas Eve is for gift giving, Shoes are left by the fire to be filled by Pere Noel. Birch sticks are sometimes left as a reminder to be good. Ashes from the Yule log are saved and used during the year to ward off sickness, or other misfortunes. At midnight, on Christmas Eve, the grownups attend a special Mass. Afterwards, a late supper is served to adults. The children go to bed early to dream of their Christmas miracle.

The top of a traditional French Christmas tree carries a star of angel, bells, handcrafted exotic birds, pine cones, plain globes and candles trim the tree. Often roses or other flowers and apples are added. French children place wooden shoes near the fireplace or under the tree. The shoes are filled with candies, oranges and chestnuts. Christmas presents are given on New Year’s Day.

Germany: Europe

The 11th of November is St. Martin’s Day. St. Martin who lived in the 4th century was first a knight soldier. Later he became a bishop. He was a kind man and especially good to the poor people. One day he even shared his coat with a beggar, literally splitting it in half. Children carry lanterns in parades to praise him and also to bring light to the cold winter nights. A traditional dish to eat on St. Martin’s Tag is the goose. It is told that geese once saved St. Martin’s life.

The advent season includes the 4 consecutive Sundays before Christmas. This is when the children get ready for the arrival of the ‘Christkind’ or the ‘Weihnachtsman’, who will bring gifts on Christmas. An ‘Adventskranz’ is a wreath made of evergreen boughs held together with red ribbons. It has 4 red candles attached to it. The wreath is hung from the ceiling or put on a table.

Traditionally, one candle is lit the 1st advent Sunday and one additional candle for each of the following Sundays before Christmas. The advent wreath with no beginning and no end symbolizes eternity, as do the evergreen branches that it is made of. German children also keep an ‘Adventskalender’. Usually it shows a market square at Christmas time. Every day during the season the children open one of the 24 little windows that can be found in the picture, until all 24 windows are opened on Christmas Eve.

St. Nikolaus Tag falls on 6 December, and St Nikolaus will come and visit the children on the evening of the 5th. He looks very much like Santa Claus, and sometimes he is dressed like a bishop. He tries to find the good children and give them nice gifts. He also carries switches for the bad ones. Children often put their shoes out on the 5th in case he comes while they are sleeping, and in the morning they find goodies or switches in them. Many years ago Sunnerklas (Santa) also came on the 6th, but in modern times he has been coming on Christmas Eve.

Greece: Europe

The Greek tree is without lights. Decorations are taken from nature or are homemade. Nuts and garlanded berries, olive branch circles, and holy pictures trim the tree. A cardboard star sits on top. Freshly sheered lamb’s wool drapes around the tree to represent a winter’s snow. A homemade stable (Nativity Scene) with the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph plays an important part in the celebration.

Italy: Europe

Rome is the birthplace of the Christmas (Mass of Christ) celebration, stemming from the ancient solstice holiday of Saturnalia. Virtually all traditional Christmas events arrived from Saturnalia, with the exception of a live Nativity Scene, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Now, days before Christmas, the children of Italy go door to door singing favorite Christmas carols. They are often accompanied by pipers wearing bright red jackets and broad-brimmed hats with red tassels. They carry bagpipes, flutes and oboes, on which they play sweet holiday music.

Often the children and pipers are invited into homes to sing old carols and folk songs. On Christmas Eve, many candles are lit as the children in the family take turns telling the wonderful story of Christmas and the birth of the holy “Bambino.” At this time, Italian families gather around their beloved “Presepio,” a shrine to the Holy Child, and pray. On the day of Christmas, all members of the family sit down to a feast of ravioli, tortellini al brodo or lasagna, varying on the region. On the 12th day of the holidays (Jan 6) a kindly old witch known as “La  Befana” brings gifts to the children. Legend has it that when Christ was born, the shepherds told La Befana of the wondrous happenings and the guiding star, but she delayed setting out. Every Christmas since, she wanders in search of the Holy Child, leaving gifts at each home in hope of finding him inside. La Bafana is often shown as being old and ugly, but the children of Italy love her very much. That is unless they have been naughty, for then their shoes will be filled with coal and ashes instead of candy and gifts.

The Netherlands: Europe

The Netherlands: (‘Gelukkig Kerstfeest’; ‘Zalig Kerstfeest’) December 5th is called “Sinterklaas’ Avond” (St. Nicholas Eve). The children believe Sinterklaas sails into Holland on a big ship with his great white horse and his helper, Zwarte Piet (“Black Pete”: Slavery – Black Pete: history of the character (weebly.com). He has come to deliver gifts to the good children. The children who have been misbehaving just might get a switch or a lump of coal. On St. Nicholas Eve, families gather to enjoy a family feast and to listen to the story of how St. Nicholas became a legend. The first St. Nicholas was a bishop who lived in Spain in the 13th or 14th Century. He was a very kind man, and people like to tell how he helped the poor people.

He especially loved children, and enjoyed giving them gifts on his birthday (Dec. 6th). Later, the Dutch people made St. Nicholas their patron saint. Before going to bed, Dutch children fill their shoes with hay and carrots for the big white horse. The shoes are set by the fireplace or the stove. In the morning, the food is gone and the shoes are filled with candy and toys.

Although Sinterklaas and Santa Claus have almost the same name, the one has nothing to do with the other. A few days before Christmas the Dutch decorate their Christmas-tree with candles and other ornaments. Christmas music is played and on Christmas Eve there are celebrations in the churches. Many Dutch families choose to give their children (and each other) presents at Sinterklaas, but not on Christmas Day. This is slowly changing in favor of Christmas Day. Presents are brought at night by the ‘Kerstman’ (Santa Claus) in a sledge with reindeer. Santa hangs the presents in the tree or puts them under the tree. Despite the Dutch Reformed Church as the Netherlands’ state religion, they ignored Northern Europe’s Protestant disdain of the Catholic holiday, and kept it alive, spreading it across the northern continent.

Norway: Europe

Norwegian church bells signal the beginning of Christmas at 4 P.M. Christmas eve. They call everyone to church. At home, fragile handmade ornaments in the shape of stars and circles adorn the Christmas tree. Norwegian flags are joined by string to encircle the tree. Often, cookies and other pastries in elaborate shapes are used as ornaments. A Norwegian family Christmas focuses on the tree, where presents are distributed to the children on Christmas Eve.

Poland: Europe

Garlands formed from paper chain links decorate a Polish Christmas tree. Handmade ornaments, elaborate swans made from egg shells, brightly colored birds, fish, shields and patriotic emblems, lend their individual form to the decoration. Straw is commonly used for decorating. It reminds the people that the Christ Child was born in a simple manger. To further recall the newborn Savior, the family leaves an empty chair for him.

Russia: Europe

The former Soviet Union did not approve of people celebrating Christmas or other religious holidays. Older Russian people, however, celebrated Christmas quietly in their own homes. Many years ago, the Russian children used to expect St. Nicholas to visit them on Dec. 6th. They believed he came down from heaven with two helpers – an angel, with gifts for the good people, and a devilish character, who brought switches for misbehavers. In some parts of the country, “Baboushka” (Grandmother) would bring the gifts instead. The homes were decorated with Christmas trees and Nativity scenes. For forty days before Christmas, the people would fast.

Today in the Russia Federation, many families put up a decorated tree for Christmas and exchange gifts A mysterious character known as Father (or Grandfather) Frost might leave surprise packages on Christmas or New Year’s Eve while the family is fast asleep.

Scotland: Europe

The Christmas Tree is a relatively new custom in Scotland. The first trees were decorated in a variety of ways, religious Christmas cards, tinsel garlands, paper chains, mesh bags of candy, colored bells, pull snappers. A tree was usually topped with a Christmas fairy. Some trees became home for a Christmas mouse. Unfortunately, since the end of World War II, the Scottish tree has become more standardized.

Spain: Europe

Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve and lasts until King’s Day on January 6th. Many families set up a ‘nacimiento’ with small figures of Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, & other manger characters. During the holidays, it will be the center for prayers, singing hymns and festive dancing. Christmas Eve day is spent in religious devotion in some families. Others enjoy spending the time at the gaily decorated market places which are piled high with fruits, candy, fancy foods and other colorful items. At midnight, the church bells ring and everyone goes to church to celebrate the birth of Christ. Christmas Day is spent attending more church services and in a huge family feast. Children do not usually decorate trees or hang up stockings. Instead, they wait until the night before King’s Day, and they fill their shoes with carrots and hay and put them on the windowsill. During the night, they believe the 3 Kings will ride by. The carrots and hay are for their tired camels. The 3 Kings will fill the shoes with candy and small gifts.

Sweden: Europe

The Christmas season begins at dawn on 13 December in Sweden. A girl from each household, usually the oldest daughter, dresses in a long, white robe with a red sash. On her head is a halo of lighted candles and evergreen boughs. She moves from room to room singing and serving a breakfast of coffee and cakes to each member of the family. This girl is called St. Lucia. She reminds the Swedish people of a brave, kind-hearted girl named Lucia who lived a long time ago. Lucia was a girl of the Roman Empire who was martyred for giving money and help to early Christians. The candles on Lucia’s head are a symbol that the light of the sun will soon return to Sweden. Because this country is located so far north, days are dark and cold for may weeks before St. Lucia Day and the people are anxious for spring to arrive.

The Swedish people spend many busy weeks before Christmas scrubbing their homes and making special Christmas foods. Late in the afternoon of Christmas Eve Day, they go to church. After church, they hurry home for a huge Christmas feast. Birds and animals are especially remembered during this time. The animals receive an extra portion of their favorite food, and a sheaf of grain is tied in the yard for the birds to feast on. After the Christmas Eve meal, the family sits around their Christmas tree to sing carols and exchange gifts. Each gift comes with a poem written by the sender. Before the gift can be opened, the poem must be read for everyone to hear. Before going to bed, the children often set a bowl of porridge out for the Jultomten (Yule Man), a little elf whom they believe takes care of farm animals and watches over the home. Jultomten may even visit the family while they are awake, arriving in a sleigh pulled by a Christmas goat.

Ukraine: Euopre

Needlework in the form of small pin-cushion-like pillows, ceramic drops decorated in traditional cross-stitched patterns, and real apples, decorated the Ukrainian Christmas tree. Nuts, candles and small wreaths hang from the tree branches. Sometimes thread cobwebs cover the spaces between the boughs. The Ukrainian Christmas always symbolizes health and wealth. The traditional colors of black and red are used in decorating.

Israel: Jewish Traditions (Hanukkah)

Jewish children have a December holiday know as Hanukkah. The word ‘Hanukkah’ means dedication. Many years ago, (165 B.C.) enemies of the Jewish people had taken over their temple at Jerusalem. Finally, a small, brave group of Jews known as the Maccabees battled the enemy and won back the building. Then the Jews held a dedication service to their God. They wanted to keep a large Menorah  burning, but they only had enough oil to last one day. By some great miracle the lamp kept burning for eight days. Hanukkah still lasts eight days. Each night the families get together in their homes to light the Menorah, One candle is lit the first night, with an additional candle lit each additional night. “Rock of Ages” (Maoz Tzur in Hebrew), a hymn of praise to God, is sung after each night’s lighting of the candles Today, in the United States especially, it has become customary to use an electric Hanukkah menorah (known as a Hanukkiyah), which is placed in the front window for all to see.

No work is to be done by the light of the Menorah, so the families have fun together playing games, singing songs and exchanging gifts. A favorite traditional activity for the children is a game using a square top called a dreidel.  The Jewish symbols on the top say “A Great Miracle happened Here,” in remembrance of the oil that kept burning.

The celebration of Hanukkah in Jewish homes outside Israel (at least among the Askenazic Jews) is the same as described for Israel. I don’t know details of the Sephardic celebration. (Ashkenazic are those Jews from roughly Germany; in short, most northern European. Sephardic are the Jews descended from the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492; many ended up in north Africa, Romania, Turkey, and the Middle East).

The legend of the miracle oil did not surface until over 100 years after the dedication (December 10, 165 BC, based on the current calendar algorithm). The probable reason for the 8 day celebration was that the Maccabees hadn’t had time to celebrate the harvest festival of Sukkot earlier in the year, an 8 day holiday.

Also, due to possible non-maintenance of the calendar (adding an extra month 7 times in 19 years to keep the months aligned with the seasons) because of the Jew banning policies of the Syrian Greeks, the dedication may have really taken place on October 11, 165 BC, just after Sukkot (Oct 1 through Oct 8 that year). Menorah: seven-branched candelabrum described in the bible and used in Temple days. Today it is the official emblem of Israel. Most synagogues utilize a Menorah as part of the decor in the sanctuary. The special Menorah for Hanukkah has eight candlesticks and a ninth for the shammmash (server).To distinguish the two, the latter is called a Hanukkiyah.

Israel: Non Jewish Traditions

While Jews around the world do not celebrate Christmas, there are Christmas celebrations in Israel. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem leads a procession to Manger Square in Bethlehem, arriving around midnight, where he leads a special Christmas mass. Outside, in the Square, there are several, often incongruous, things going on.

Arab boys sell chestnuts they have roasted over Sterno. There is a final competition in caroling. The weather is often cold with a stiff wind, yet women/girls wear short skirts, while men/boys wore clothes more appropriate to their home states.

Well, that’s what I have on Christmas and other year end holidays around the World, If anyone has additions or corrections, let me know.

Happy Holidays!

– Traveling Boy

Sources Consulted for Article:

International Christmas (c) 1974 Trend enterprises, Inc.

Christmas Around the World by John D. Green, who spent time interviewing delegates to the United Nations and visiting foreign consultants in New York City.

Dictionary of the Jewish Religion by Dr. Ben Isaacson (c) 1979 by Bantam Books, Inc.

Christmas Around the World from World Book Series: Christmas in the Holy Land (c) 1987, Christmas in Brazil (c) 1991, Christmas in Russia (c) 1992.

The post Christmas & Holiday Traditions Around the Globe appeared first on Traveling Archive.

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. – Jack London

3 Ways Urgency Makes Waste – (kathleenallen.net)

Research Discovery: Brain Aging in Childhood-Onset – (scholar.google.com)

How to Deal With Self-Doubt – (theepochtimes.com)

Can Cannabis Relieve Menopause Symptoms? – (verywellhealth.com)The Clinical Impact of Vitamin C

My Personal Experiences as a Physician – (theepochtimes.com)

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value – Albert Einstein

A Day in the Life: The Marble Quarries With Michelangelo – (theepochtimes.com)

History Articles About Ancient Egypt – (HistoryExtra.com)

Looking Back at a Half-Forgotten Pioneer of Method Acting – (The New Yorker)

The Golden Nugget that Sparked California’s Horrific Past

Finds From King Tut’s Tomb – (History.com)

This 800-Year-Old Castle Built in a Cave on a 400-Foot Cliff Was Totally Untouchable—Until This Happened – (theepochtimes.com)

I can honestly say that I was never affected by the question of the success of an undertaking. If I felt it was the right thing to do, I was for it regardless of the possible outcome.
– Golda Meir

Mark Twain Thanksgiving Statement – 1905 – (twainquotes.com)

‘Massive Harms’ From Lockdowns Shouldn’t Be Forgiven: Dr. Scott Atlas – (theepochtimes.com)

Greta Thunberg: It’s time to transform the West’s oppressive and racist capitalist system – (telegraph.co.uk)

Lee Harvey Oswald’s Motives – (HistoryNewsNetwork.com)

How France became trapped in a spiral of chaos and decline – (telegraph.co.uk)

The post Health, History, Opinions and More appeared first on Traveling Archive.

I HAVEN’T BEEN EVERYWHERE, BUT IT’S ON MY LIST. – Susan Sontag

Nearly Half of Americans Believe Their Health Insurance Would Cover Them if They Got Sick or Hurt on International Vacation — But It’s Not That Simple – ValuePenguin

10 Helpful Tips to Find Cheap Thanksgiving Flights – Johnny Jet

Travel Nightmares: Travel Lessons Learned – T-Boy Society of Film & Music

How to Block the Airline Seat Next to You – Condé Nast Traveler

How To Get An Upgrade to First Class – Stasher Blog

The Real Reason Flight Attendants Don’t Want to Help You Stow Your Luggage – Traveling Boy

ENTERTAINMENT STUFF

WHAT COUNTS IN MAKING A HAPPY MARRIAGE IS NOT SO MUCH HOW COMPATIBLE YOU ARE BUT HOW YOU DEAL WITH INCOMPATIBILITY. – Leo Tolstoy

World Cup Coverage – Reuters News Agency – Reuters

Halloween 2020 Eclectic News Articles – Traveling Boy

The Film Comment Podcast – Remembering Godard, with Richard Brody and Blair McClendon – Google

Tickets Are Now on Sale for the 2022 New Yorker Festival – The New Yorker

Adventure in Motion 2022: Announcing Category Winners – Adventure Travel News

GOOD TO KNOW STUFF

HOW CAN ANYONE GOVERN A NATION THAT HAS TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIX DIFFERENT KINDS OF CHEESE? – Charles De Gaulle

How Gen Z Uses Emoji: A Guide For Millennials – Dictionary.com
Why We Wear Black to Mourn – The Atlantic
Why Hurricanes Have Names – History
Hurricane season 2022 gets weird, thanks to climate change – Grid.news
How Many Category 5 Storms Have Hit the US? – History
Can Organizations Evolve Like Nature? – Kathleen Allen

The post Travel Nightmares, World Cup, Jean-Luc Godard appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Leadership coaching benefits more than just the leader of an organization. The direct impact of leadership coaching helps the leader, board and organization to become healthier and more effective. With over forty years of experience coaching leaders and organizations, Dr. Kathy Allen reflects on the Benefits and Outcomes of Coaching in her newest blog post. 

What to Cook: Onion burgers, chicken tortilla soup and more recipes

These ‘ghost’ islands have been marked on maps for centuries

New Virus Breakout Raises Question of Bioterrorism

American Tourism to Türkiye Up a Massive 77% Over 2019

Fall for a Summer Place

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower

10 Things You’re Doing That Annoy Flight Attendants

The 11 Best Outdoor Games 2022 | The Strategist

Dear Icelandic-American: Travel advice on Iceland

Top Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Supplements

Cod With Apricot Compote Recipe – La Cucina Italiana

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
—Socrates

How To Get An Upgrade to First Class | Stasher Blog

Why yonder is the most wonderful of Southern words

Medical Travel Soars Past Pre-Pandemic Numbers

9 Nuclear Near-Misses During the Cold War

Three Things About Ernest Hemingway

There is no sadder thing than a young pessimist‚ except an old optimist.
—Mark Twain

Touring New Orleans’s Hidden Bars: ‘Walk With T+L’

2022’s extreme weather | The Week

Willie Dixon: “The Pen is Mightier …”

Watch The Liberal Redneck

Churchill: Up Close and VERY Personal — As YOU Have Never Read Before

988 Is the New Mental Health Crisis Hotline

The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Top Five North-American-English Language Travel Novels

Tips for Surviving a Day at a Theme Park

California ranks as the best state for sustainable properties

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.
—Mahatma Gandhii

Messy Summer Travel Season

Visiting Domestic or International Destinations for its Music

How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?
—Charles De Gaulle

Best Gambling Holiday Destinations in Europe

This California corn maze makes list of world’s most Instagrammed

What’s New at Western National Parks-Association

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
—Nelson Mandela

T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Friendliest Destinations in the World

Mafaldine Pasta With Cuttlefish and Crispy Prosciutto

Plan your trip to Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands with Discover Ireland

Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.
—Aristotle

How Cyrus the Great Turned Ancient Persia Into a Powerful Empire

Weekend Warriors May Reap the Same Health Benefits as People Who Exercise Daily

7 Mysterious Mass Illnesses That Defied Explanation

988 Is the New Mental Health Crisis Hotline

Seattle Cinema in 1977: Two Student Films by T-Boy Editor, Ed Boitano

The Son of Cody Jarritt:

Seven Days in a Movie Town:

Five Major Tourism Developments for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

Entertainment Takes Center Stage in Americans’ Vacation Plans

Inflation is rising: Energy prices are up, and so is everything else

Learn why biologic medications can result in the creation of anti-drug antibodies and what can be done when it happens

The post Leadership Coaching, Flt Attendant Annoyance appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Leadership coaching benefits more than just the leader of an organization. The direct impact of leadership coaching helps the leader, board and organization to become healthier and more effective. With over forty years of experience coaching leaders and organizations, Dr. Kathy Allen reflects on the Benefits and Outcomes of Coaching in her newest blog post. 

What to Cook: Onion burgers, chicken tortilla soup and more recipes (nytimes.com)

These ‘ghost’ islands have been marked on maps for centuries

New Virus Breakout Raises Question of Bioterrorism (theepochtimes.com)

American Tourism to Türkiye Up a Massive 77% Over 2019 (constantcontact.com)

Fall for a Summer Place – Traveling Boy

10 Things You’re Doing That Annoy Flight Attendants (travelandleisure.com)

The 11 Best Outdoor Games 2022 | The Strategist (nymag.com)

Dear Icelandic-American: Travel advice on Iceland – Traveling Boy

Top Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Supplements (theepochtimes.com)

Cod With Apricot Compote Recipe – La Cucina Italiana

How To Get An Upgrade to First Class | Stasher Blog

Why yonder is the most wonderful of Southern words (southernthing.com)

Medical Travel Soars Past Pre-Pandemic Numbers – HealthCare.com

9 Nuclear Near-Misses During the Cold War – HISTORY

Three Things About Ernest Hemingway – Traveling Boy

There is no sadder thing than a young pessimist‚ except an old optimist. – Mark Twain

Touring New Orleans’s Hidden Bars: ‘Walk With T+L’ (travelandleisure.com)

2022’s extreme weather | The Week

Willie Dixon: “The Pen is Mightier………….” – Traveling Boy

Watch The Liberal Redneck https://youtu.be/q_rsLWnEGik

Churchill: Up Close and VERY Personal — As YOU Have Never Read Before – Traveling Boy

The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Top Five North-American-English Language Travel Novels

Tips for Surviving a Day at a Theme Park – Traveling Boy

California ranks as the best state for sustainable properties

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.- Mahatma Gandhi

Messy Summer Travel Season

Visiting Domestic or International Destinations for its Music – Traveling Boy

How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese? – Charles De Gaulle

Best Gambling Holiday Destinations in Europe 

This California corn maze makes list of world’s most Instagrammed

What’s New at Western National Parks-Association

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. – Nelson Mandela

T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Friendliest Destinations in the World

Mafaldine Pasta With Cuttlefish and Crispy Prosciutto

Plan your trip to Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands with Discover Ireland

Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy. – Aristotle

How Cyrus the Great Turned Ancient Persia Into a Powerful Empire

Weekend Warriors May Reap the Same Health Benefits as People Who Exercise Daily

7 Mysterious Mass Illnesses That Defied Explanation

988 Is the New Mental Health Crisis Hotline

Seattle Cinema in 1977: Two Student Films by T-Boy Editor, Ed Boitano

The Son of Cody Jarritt:

Seven Days in a Movie Town:

Five Major Tourism Developments for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

Entertainment Takes Center Stage in Americans’ Vacation Plans

Inflation is rising: Energy prices are up, and so is everything else

Learn why biologic medications can result in the creation of anti-drug antibodies and what can be done when it happens

The post Summer Games, Leadership Coaching, Iceland appeared first on Traveling Archive.

This Is the Most Punctual Airline in the U.S. – for the 18th Year Running

Hawaiian Airlines continues to live up to its reputation for timeliness as the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has named it most punctual for the 18th year.
According to data released by the DOT last month, the carrier was on time for 90.14% of its 60,654 flights operated in 2021, making it the number one American airline for punctuality.

This Country Was Just Named Happiest in the World

By Rachel Chang

Every year for the past decade, the World Happiness Report ranks how people in more than 150 countries evaluate the quality of their lives to find the world’s happiest countries. And for the past four years, the top spot has been claimed by Finland.

ROBERT MATZEN

Author of “WARRIOR: AUDREY HEPBURN” on Our City Tonight

The 10 Best Cities in the World for Art Lovers

Courtesy of Jessica Poitevien

For art aficionados looking to plan their next trip, the resident experts at Money.co.uk conducted a study to find the best art and culture-filled cities around the world. The study used a variety of data points to rank 40 global cities already known for their unique arts and culture scenes.

When did women swap skirts for trousers?

When did women start wearing trousers? The short answer is in prehistory, and there have been many civilizations throughout human history that have survived the ‘scandal’ of its women wearing trouser-like garments.

The 5 Most Popular Arts and Crafts Museums in America

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has been revealed as the most popular craft museum in the United States,according to a new study by Design Bundles. Often shortened to the MET, comes on top, with a total of 368,000 monthly searches and 406,170 Instagram hashtags. One of the most popular landmarks in New York, primarily famous for events like the MET Gala and its exhibitions, holds numerous craft pieces, with mediums spanning clay, fiber, glass, metal, and wood.

MORE ON Arts and Crafts MuseumsLESS ON Arts and Crafts Museums

STRONG WOMEN IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CINEMA

Sally Field, Norma Rae (1979)

Audrey Hepburn, The Nun’s Story (1959)

The Origins of 12 Caribbean Music Styles

Cha Cha Dance Lesson for Beginners

From reggaetón to the cha-cha-cha to the “singing newspapers” known as plena, Caribbean and Latin American musical genres have interesting origin stories and collaboration, across countries and cultures, is always key to their creation.

Let’s travel around the Caribbean for a tour of the names and origins of some of these musical styles.

Lessons in Survival from 5 Powerful Women of Our Past

It becomes obvious that we can learn a great deal from these powerful women, especially if we apply their advice, their words and the examples they set to our own modern lives.
Dr Estelle Paranque highlights five powerful women from history and the qualities they possessed.

Catherine de’ Medici: The power of resilience

Catherine de Medici was the queen consort to Henry II of France and the mother of three French kings: Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. The most valuable quality we can learn from this powerful woman is, without a doubt, patience; and you cannot have patience without resilience. Born into a noble Florentine family, Catherine was never meant to be queen. In 1533, she was married to Prince Henry, the son of French king Francis I, at the age of 14; at the time of their marriage, Henry was not in line for the throne, and only became heir apparent upon the death of his elder brother in 1536. Catherine remained in the shadows of the French royal court, both of her father-in-law and later her husband. Her spouse allowed her little political influence, and even worse, Catherine became the ‘third wheel’ in her own marriage, having to suffer the presence of Henry’s royal favorite at court: Diane de Poitiers. Following the death of her husband in 1559, and after more than 25 years of countless humiliations, Catherine finally had the opportunity to overshadow Diane and cast her rival away from court. She went on to become a powerful influence in 16th-century France during the reigns of her sons, particularly during the French Wars of Religion.

Roxelana (Hurrem): Another example of the power of resilience

Another example of 16th-century resilience is the case of the Ottoman sultana, Roxelana (also known as Hurrem). Born in what is now Ukraine in c1505 and sold into slavery, she became a concubine in the harem of Sultan Suleiman ‘the Magnificent’. During her time at Suleiman’s court, Hurrem changed the course of her fate and, consequently, of Ottoman history. She seduced Suleiman and the couple fell in love, which led to Suleiman breaking with centuries of tradition in order to please her: he gave up on all other concubines, freed her, and married her – making her his queen. By 1534, after the death of the sultan’s mother, the couple became inseparable. Hurrem remained in Suleiman’s palace and became his trustworthy confidante. This turn of events did not happen overnight and, in many ways, Hurrem showed great patience, resilience and incredible intelligence during this time.

Mary I: the power of compassion

Mary I of England all too often only remembered as ‘Bloody Mary’, to the point where most people forget that she also knew how to rule with compassion and care for her people. In 1554, when a group of rebels led by Sir Thomas Wyatt took arms against her to protest her marriage to Philip II of Spain, Mary showed prudence. When the traitors were later apprehended and arrested, she gave a moving speech at London’s Guildhall, during which she professed: “On the word of a prince, I cannot tell you how naturally the mother loveth the child, for I was never the mother of any; but certainly, if a prince and governor may as naturally and earnestly love her subjects as the mother doth love the child, then assure yourself that I, being your lady and mistress, do as earnestly and tenderly love and favor you.”

It was a quality also favored by Mary’s sister, Elizabeth I of England, who would reiterate and used this motherly love to her people during her own reign. She claimed in her 1559 speech: “And reproach me so no more that I have no children: for every one of you, and as many as are English, are my children and kinfolks.” Mary had clearly paved the way for her becoming the mother of England.

Marie Antoinette: forgiveness and compassion

Previously, Maria Antonia of Austria, the daughter of Empress Maria Theresia of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor Franz I.

Two centuries later, Marie Antoinette, wife to Louis XVI of France and the last queen of France before the French Revolution, also demonstrated that the right path to happiness and fulfilment was via forgiveness. Before her own execution, in her last letter to her sister-in-law Madame Élisabeth. Marie insisted that her children should “never seek to revenge our death. In her final moments, the queen wanted her legacy to be about forgiveness and compassion instead of hatred and revenge. To be noted, Marie Antoinette was a firm believer in the U.S. Revolution; sending troops, weaponry, fleets of battleships, often funded by the sale of her own jewels. She insisted that her husband, Louis XVI, underwrite colonial America’s war with the British but had to raise taxes on his own citizens in order to do so. As this took place during a flour shortage in France, it was this very revolutionary French populace that abandoned the monarchy, leading to the death of both king and queen at the guillotine.

Nzjinga of Ndongo and Matamba: the power of overcoming misogyny

Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba – in present-day northern Angola – ruled in the 17th century; she assumed power over the kingdom of Ndongo in 1624 after the deaths of her father and brother, later conquering Matamba and joining the two kingdoms in c1630/1. Like Elizabeth, Njinga also had to find ways to legitimize her power and authority because of her gender.

Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba had to find ways to legitimise her power and authority because of her gender, writes Estelle Paranque. This queen, however, went further in her goal to override the misogyny around her. Her biographer, Professor Linda M Heywood, explains that the queen forced her inner circle and followers to refer to her as a man, and no longer as a woman. She even married a man and made him dress as a woman, demanding that everyone address her as king rather than queen. She also took several men as her concubines and acted like any other king of the time. With her new role, she continued to fight the foreign forces that tried to invade her homeland. She was the ultimate warrior queen of the 17th century.
In many ways, one might wonder why we bother learning about the lives and accomplishments of past female leaders? We all do it – women and men – for several reasons. We do it to be inspired, to understand the struggles they faced and how they overcame them, and to continue the fight for women to be respected and valued as true leaders in their own right.

Dr Estelle Paranque is a lecturer in early modern history at New College of the Humanities. Her books include Elizabeth I of England Through Valois Eyes (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) and a forthcoming joint biography of Elizabeth I.

Staying Adaptable in Perpetuity

By Dr. Kathleen Allen

Russia’s War on Ukraine Has Already Changed the World

By Rick Steves –

Russia’s aggressive action is heartbreaking for the death, suffering, and economic turmoil it has caused in Ukraine and beyond. Here at Rick Steves’ Europe, we hope that a diplomatic solution can be found and peace will return to that fragile and long-suffering part of our world.

Make Your Own Darn Bed: Hotels Ditch Daily Housekeeping Services

Whether out of necessity due to staffing shortages, out of respect for social distancing or perhaps just to save money, one of the primary amenities that sets a hotel apart from your home – daily housekeeping – is disappearing.

The days of returning to a wrinkle-free duvet are likely gone. Forget fresh towels, and accept that your room’s trash might never get taken out during your stay.

The trend of no more daily housekeeping – while largely initiated by COVID-19 – has become the norm at many hotels. During the pandemic’s early days, when transmission was more of a mystery, many hotels cut housekeeping services to reduce contact between strangers. But more than two years later, housekeeping still hasn’t returned.

Marriott’s policies vary by property, but housekeeping is usually offered only upon request, with all rooms cleaned automatically every sixth night. Hilton’s default is no more daily cleanings at most properties unless requested. Walt Disney World reduced service to light housekeeping every other day. That entails towel replacement and trash removal but doesn’t necessarily include services you might expect, like getting your bed made.

Other hotels have schedules, like the Hotel Solares in Santa Cruz, California: Three-night stays or fewer, no service, while six-night stays or fewer are cleaned once. The hotel recommends you leave trash outside your door.

Those service reductions aren’t always welcome.

“Guests don’t want to have to ask every time they need their trash emptied or dirty towels replaced,” said D. Taylor, international president of Unite Here – a U.S. and Canada hospitality workers’ union – in a prepared statement. “Without cleaning, what stops a hotel from being just a more expensive Airbnb?”

Why cut out housekeeping?

In many cases, the cutbacks may be more about money than safety. For some hotels, there’s not enough money to cover the cost. For others, it’s an opportunity to make more of it.
The nationwide labor and materials shortage has hit hotels particularly hard. For instance, the leisure and hospitality industry lost 8.2 million jobs in March and April 2020 which is an employment decline of 49% , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While there has certainly been rehiring hope (travel-related jobs are now among the fastest-growing sectors lately), the industry is still about 1.5 million jobs short of its pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, supply chain and inflation issues are ongoing. Hotels reported a 79% cost increase of cleaning and housekeeping supplies, according to a November 2021 American Hotel & Lodging Association survey of about 500 hotel operators.

Other hotel operators have explicitly stated it’s about money.
“The work we’re doing right now in every one of our brands … is about making them higher-margin businesses and creating more labor efficiencies,” Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said during a February 2021 investor earnings call. “When we get out of the crisis, those businesses will be higher margin and require less labor than they did pre-COVID.”

How to keep getting housekeeping on your vacation

RESEARCH BEFORE BOOKING: Hotels typically post cleaning procedures online. Look for pages on individual hotel websites labeled something like “amenities,” or “COVID-19 safety.” If the cleaning calendar is not up to par, consider booking elsewhere.

BOOK HIGH-END HOTELS: Most high-end hotels are notably absent from this trend. Some Hilton brands, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, still offer daily housekeeping. Most Four Seasons offer twice-daily housekeeping.
But that’s not always true. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – frequently deemed Walt Disney World’s most opulent resort – offers housekeeping only every other day, like all Disney resorts. Nightly rates range from $757 to $4,428, according to theme park data site TouringPlans.com.

REQUEST SERVICE: Of course, booking high-end hotels might be an unrealistically expensive solution. But here’s another trick that can work at even budget hotels: Ask nicely.

Be polite, and staff might take pity on your mess. After all, they don’t want stinky odors of days-old seafood takeout emitting from your room either. And the beach sand you tracked in could easily spread if not promptly vacuumed anyway.

For hotels where housekeeping is available on request, you can generally ask at check-in. Other hotels require you to request it each day.

The bottom line

Some economists have pegged a new word to this phenomenon where, rather than raise prices, companies cut services previously provided: skimpflation. Skimpflation could mean reduced staff, thus longer lines or phone hold times. It might entail the end of free headphones on airplanes or restaurant bread service.

And for many travelers, skimp flation in the form of no more daily housekeeping has become a particularly unpleasant and – quite literally – messy trend.

The post Caribbean Music, Strong Women on Film, Trousers appeared first on Traveling Archive.

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. But for all of his prevalence in culture—namely the holiday held on the day of his death that bears his name—his life remains somewhat of a mystery. 

Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

St. Patrick was born in Britain—not Ireland—to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.

Reek Sunday (Irish: Domhnach na Cruaiche) or Garland Sunday is an annual day of pilgrimage in Ireland. On the last Sunday in July, thousands of pilgrims climb Ireland’s holiest mountain, Croagh Patrick in County Mayo, held in honor of Saint Patrick who is said to have spent forty days fasting on the mountain in the 5th century. Masses are held at the summit, where there is a small chapel. Some climb the mountain barefoot, as an act of penance, and some carry out ‘rounding rituals,’ which were formerly a key part of the pilgrimage. This involves praying while walking sunwise around features on the mountain: seven times around the cairn of Leacht Benáin (Benan‘s grave), fifteen times around the circular perimeter of the summit, seven times around Leaba Phádraig (Patrick’s bed), and then seven times around three ancient burial cairns known as Reilig Mhuire (Mary’s cemetery).

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner and at least $5.87 billion expected to be spent for the holiday this year, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Best Cities for St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations, as well as accompanying videos and expert commentary. It also released stats about the holiday in its St. Patrick’s Day infographic.

St. Patrick’s Day Facts

• 174%: Increase in beer sales on St. Patrick’s Day compared to the rest of the year (153% more spirits are sold compared with the average day).
• $1.92 Million: Market value of a leprechaun’s pot of gold.
• $5.87 Billion: Amount spent collectively on St. Patrick’s Day 2022 ($42 per person celebrating).
• 31.5 Million: Number of Americans who claim Irish ancestry, second only to German and 6.5 times Ireland’s population.

“While celebrations of the holiday go back to at least the American Revolution, Saint Patrick’s Day became very popular in the United States due to the large numbers of Irish-Americans, especially in large cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Kansas City, who saw it as the perfect occasion to celebrate their culture and heritage, as well as their contributions to American life. Especially in the second half of the twentieth century the celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day opened up to larger numbers of the population and became a holiday for everyone to celebrate Irish heritage, whether they had any themselves or not.”
Sean Brennan – Professor, University of Scranton.

Ulster American Folk Park: Located in Omaha, Northern Ireland, the Folk Park recreates the experience where over two million people emigrated for better lives outside of Ireland. Populated with traditional thatched buildings and exhibitions, docents in period costumes demonstrate crafts such as spin weaving, cooking and printing while sharing the stories of their lives. A centerpiece of the park is a life-size replica of an emigrant tall ship – dubbed “Coffin Ships” – that re-creates the brutal living conditions for the twelve-week voyage to the U.S. Photograph courtesy of  Elyssa Davalos.

“Whereas St. Patrick’s day was typically observed as a quiet, religious holiday, Irish immigrants who came to the United States fleeing persecution, famine, and political upheaval in the nineteenth century and their descendants have made St. Patrick’s day into a celebration of their heritage and culture. St. Patrick Day observances in the United States date back as early as the 1700s following the very first migrants to the colonies, but parades and celebrations became more prominent through the mid to late nineteenth century as Irish immigrants pushed back on the anti-Irish sentiment that was prevalent in the US at the time. Today, thanks to growing national recognition of Irish day as a point of pride and celebration throughout the twentieth century, St. Patrick’s day is often a raucous, nationwide party.”

Stephanie Hinnershitz, Ph.D. – Founding CRIS Director; Assistant Professor, Cleveland State University

Leonard Maltin on “Our City Tonight”

Traveling Yesterday & Today

HealthCareInsider.com surveyed over 1,180 U.S. adults on current COVID attitudes and the return to normalcy.

• 34% of Americans say they are already comfortable traveling
• 32% of Boomers/Gen X are already comfortable traveling compared to 26% of Gen-Z/Millennials
• 20%don’t think they’ll be comfortable traveling until 2023 or later
• At 60%, travel is the most common life event put off by the pandemic
• Out of ten public activities, travel was the most looked forward to after the pandemic

Explore our full survey results and methodology

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Sightless Fiji

By Richard Carroll

Fiji has a profound long-lasting effect on my heart and soul. An island country deep in the South Pacific where nature comes miraculously alive with cloud rain forests, a lush tropical mountainous terrain, 333 islands, hundreds of islets, and sweeping views of a dark blue crystal clear sea, all of which seem to be suspended in time. Fiji’s dramatic setting of upscale island holiday hideaways offering pollution free skies, an unrelenting sun shimmering on glistening water, and palm-lined beaches, have attracted visitors from all parts of the world.

Read more about FijiClose Fiji article

I experienced a heart-tugging dilemma on one of numerous visits this time with Dr. Beeve, a noted eye physician and surgeon based in Glendale California and his wife Dorothy an RN, that unfortunately this ideal scenario of sun and sea is also a huge negative for the Fijian’s creating blinding cataracts affecting a huge number of Fijians of all ages along with other troubling eye difficulties.

Fijians travel from island to island in canoes and boats, fish and farm the ocean, swim before they can walk, and are living an island lifestyle which from birth seriously affects their eyesight. The stinging contrast is the Fijians might not be the happiest people on earth, but are affable and forthcoming, welcoming visitors with open arms, regardless of personal difficulties, of which are usually overlooked or ignored by tourists.

I found this distressing and heart-tugging drama unbelievably touching. Men unable to work and support their families because they are sightless, children born with eye deficiencies, a grandmother who has never seen her grandchildren, Fijians unable to leave their island because of poor eyesight, and young mothers who see their offspring as a milky blur. I noticed that even most of the dogs had cataracts too.

Since that visit in 1991 when the Beeve’s established the Beeve Foundation, Dr. Beeve and his staff quickly realized that the Fijians were receiving very limited eye care and medication, and had no access to modern medicine. On their first mission with a small staff which included an anesthesiologist, ophthalmic surgical technologist, a dental hygienist, and an assistant who helped with pre and post op care, and patient education and vision testing, set up a makeshift eye clinic in Bure 2 on upscale Turtle Island. The word quickly spread and hundreds of sight-impaired Fijians formed a long line patiently standing in the blazing sun, some arriving via canoes days in advance, the line of canoes stretching to the horizon. Many Fijians I spoke with could not remember when they had vision and were spellbound when the day after surgery they gazed at Dr. Beeve with better than 20/40 vision. The Beeve’s said, “When we complete a cataract operation it’s like resurrecting someone from the dead. It’s an incredible feeling.”

The Beeve Foundation Team in Fiji. Photo courtesy of the Beeve Foundation.

In 2017 the Beeve’s were honored for their more than 25 years of medical missions; 28,503 eye exams, issuing 27,714 pairs of glasses, 1,756 cataract extractions with lens implants, 55 corneal transplants, and 1,005 other procedures for more than 30,000 Fijian patients, the majority of whom were legally blind. Dr. Beeve and his wife Dorothy finally retired with Loma Linda University continuing the Fiji missions. In 2018 with a team of world-renowned cataract surgeons Loma Linda performed 137 surgeries in six days.

The Fijians live in a tropical paradise but with an ironic twist, but for a writer the unpredictability of travel can often leave a lingering memory, such as the Beeve’s and their Foundation successfully treating over three percent of the entire Fiji population.

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T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Top Road Movie

Wim Wenders’ highest watermark is 1976’s Kings of the Road about a movie projector mechanic (Wenders’ regular, Rüdiger Vogle), traveling the lonely backroads of pre-reunification West Germany to dilapidated movie theaters. He meets a depressed linguist, who just bungled a suicide attempt. The two decide to travel together in an attempt to come to terms with their own lives in a changing world. The final installment of Wenders’ Road Trilogy, shot in stark b/w by the brilliant Robby Müller (another Wenders’ regular).

MORE

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The pharaoh’s painted tomb was missing its mummy

Discovered in 1817, the tomb known as KV17 was filled with extraordinary artifacts, from images of ancient deities to scenes from the legendary Book of Gates. But the pharaoh it was built for was nowhere to be found.

Read on for the story of how the tomb was discovered by a former circus strongman and gangs of tomb raiders, and how its pharaoh was lost and found.

This pharaoh’s painted tomb was missing its mummy

(Note: You will need to subscribe to National Geographic.com for the full story)

---

In a new study, the T-Boy Society of Film & Music discovered the origin of the term Gaslighting

Definition: Gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation where victims (generally spouses or the voting public) are systematically fed false disorienting and distressful information that leads them to question what they know to be true.

Research revealed that the origin of Gaslighting stems from the British play, Gas Lighting (1938) by Patrick Hamilton. It was then adapted to the 1940 British film directed by Thorold Dickinson as Gaslight (Angel Street in U.S.). The term hit the world platform with MGM film director George Cukor’s 1944 remake, Gaslight: a big budget psychological thriller starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, and Angela Lansbury (in her film debut). The narrative follows a young woman whose husband slowly manipulates her into believing that she is descending into insanity.

---

Sardinia’s Punta Molentis Beach

The ocean at Punta Molentis Beach has been described as a sparkling turquoise color, so transparent it resembles glass. What’s certain is that the sea is perfectly stunning along the entire coast here in Villasimius, a municipality of southern Sardinia. The area has been settled since prehistoric times, but the spectacular setting wasn’t always the draw; people first occupied this shore for its strategic defensive location on the Mediterranean Sea.

Movie of the Week:
Andrei Rublev (1966) by Andrei Tarkovsky

An expansive Russian drama, the film focuses on the religious icon painter Andrei Rublev, drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era. The peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But, after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

---

Spotify removes Neil Young’s music

Spotify removed Neil Young’s music from its streaming service after he posted a letter on his website saying he would not allow his catalog on the same platform as podcast host Joe Rogan’s “fake information” about coronavirus vaccines.

“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young said in the letter to his manager and record label. He said people spreading bogus information about vaccines could be killing people who believe it. Rogan, who hosts one of the most popular podcasts on Spotify, has faced frequent criticism for his statements on the pandemic, including that healthy young people shouldn’t get vaccinated.

Of course the press from both sides of the aisle are having a field day with all the latest development.

From NBC News From Fox Business News

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When a Winter Storm Triggered One of the Deadliest Disasters in D.C. History

On January 28, 1922, the Knickerbocker Theatre’s snow-covered roof collapsed, killing 98 people and injuring another 133. It was a seemingly inconsequential homework assignment that saved Charles Lyman III’s life on the frigid night. The 14-year-old prep school student, Lyman was visiting family in Washington, D.C. when a major storm buried the city under almost two and a half feet of snow. On the second day of the blizzard, Lyman’s cousin David suggested spending a cozy evening watching a movie at the Knickerbocker Theatre in nearby Lanier Heights (now known as Adams Morgan). Lyman told him to go ahead with a friend, Kirkland Duke, and promised to join the pair after finishing his schoolwork.

Read moreClose winter storm aarticle

Trudging through the snow about a half block away from the theater, Lyman heard a sudden boom followed by a chorus of terrified screams. The Knickerbocker’s roof had come crashing down, overwhelmed by the weight of the record-breaking snowfall.

In total, the collapse killed 98 people-including David and Kirkland-and injured another 133. According to Kevin Ambrose, author of a 2013 book on the blizzard, the tragedy marked the city’s deadliest single-day disaster. A century later, however, the Knickerbocker Theatre remains little known among the denizens of the nation’s capital.

“It’s not common knowledge now,” says Ambrose. “It was a horrendous disaster at the time … and [publicized] widely. But over the years, it’s slowly been forgotten.”

By the night of January 28, the blizzard had started to wind down. Braving the snow, more than 200 people walked to the theater to watch a silent comedy, Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, that has since been lost. Moviegoers paid 25 cents for admission to the Knickerbocker, which Ambrose calls the Titanic of Washington theaters at the time, both for its elegant style and its fatal vulnerabilities to the forces of nature.

“It was the most opulent and luxurious theater in D.C., and it was in a very high-end part of town,” he says.
Opened to great fanfare on October 13, 1917, the Knickerbocker had a seating capacity of 1,700 and boasted both a movie screen and a stage, where a live orchestra played music to accompany the silent film of the day. On the night of the collapse, only about 11 of the 20 musicians showed up to the 9 p.m. showing.

Just after intermission, audience members heard a loud hissing noise that some described as the sound of sheets ripping. The Knickerbocker’s flat roof, burdened by the heavy weight of the wet snow, was starting to split down the middle. A small dust cloud started leaking from a crack in the ceiling above the stage but went unnoticed by most attendees. The orchestra kept on playing until the unthinkable happened.

“In a split second, the entire roof came down in one piece,” Ambrose says. “It was the worst-case scenario.”
The Sunday Star described the collapse in vivid terms: “Came a hiss-a terrific crash-the rattle and clatter of falling timber, stone, steel and plaster. … A stillness, an unearthly pause, followed the din. Then a scream, an agonized cry, a moan. Beneath tons of steel and masonry scores of men, women and children were buried.”

The falling roof struck the theater’s balcony and knocked down chunks of the brick walls. It hit the floor so forcefully that a gust of compressed air blew out the doors and windows, ejecting at least two people outside and inadvertently saving their lives. Other audience members were killed instantly or trapped under the rubble of concrete, twisted steel beams, bricks and plaster. In one haunting case, rescuers found an unidentified man who’d escaped the collapse physically unscathed, protected by steel beams that buckled upward to form an air pocket, but died of an apparent heart attack.

Future World War II general George S. Patton, then a major in the U.S. Army, led the rescue effort. He was recovering from an allergic reaction to seafood when he was called out of bed to coordinate the complicated undertaking. The initial scene was chaotic, with survivors and volunteers on the street scrambling to pull people out of the rubble. By midnight, 200 police officers, soldiers and firefighters were on the scene; by 6:30 a.m., their numbers had ballooned to 600. A fleet of ambulances from Walter Reed Army Medical Center helped evacuate the injured, and every hospital in the area was filled with Knickerbocker victims.

Several thousand onlookers gathered near the theater to watch in horror. According to news reports, local residents provided hot food and coffee for rescuers and blankets and wraps for the injured. Many nearby houses and stores were converted into temporary first-aid stations.

Washington Post

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See the World with BeamZ

BeamZ Live is a platfrom connecting you to Live Interactive Entertainment, from Music to Travel Tours. Watch Free, Live-streamed Tours & Events from around the world.

Explore BeamZ

Other places to visit in BeamZ

• Experience Budapest from above and enjoy a lovely walk on Gellért Hill-Citadel. You can’t miss seeing Budapest from above. Zsuzsi will start the tour on the top of Gellért hill, where you will be able to see the whole city with the amazing panorama of its main sights!
• Explore The Union Canal! Take a relaxing stroll with Sam through one of the main canals of the city and enjoy its many interesting landmarks.
• Spirit of Japan Let’s join Eriko and explore one of the most stylish business districts in Tokyo, filled with amazing modern architecture. We will be discovering the beauty of the Imperial Palace outer gardens, Tokyo central station, and the local’s favorite architecture that looks like a floating glass ship! Find out more on the tour!
• Australia’s Great Ocean Road: The 12 Apostles
  Witness the rugged splendor of the famous 12 Apostles, magnificent rock stacks that rise up majestically from the Southern Ocean on Victoria’s dramatic coastline in Australia. The limestone pillars were once connected to the mainland cliffs. Waves and wind carved them into caves, then arches, and eventually battered them down into 150-foot-tall columns. Come with us for an adventure and explore the beauty of Australian nature with Alex!

---

Film Star of the Month:
Herbert Marshall

Herbert Marshall (1890 -1966) is considered by the T-Boy Society of Film & Music to have the greatest voice in film history. But, it was long path of self-determination that led him to his place as Hollywood royalty. His initial career in the theatre career was interrupted when he was shot in the left knee by a sniper at the Second Battle of Arras in France as a British solider during World War I.

Read MoreClose Herbert Marshall article

After a succession of operations, doctors were forced to amputate his leg. Marshall remained hospitalized for 13-months, and decided he wanted to return to the theatre, where he diligently learned how to walk with a prosthetic leg. While he was recovering, King George V visited the hospital, and was asked to pick which of the actor’s legs he thought was artificial. The king chose the wrong one.

Throughout his career, Marshall largely managed to hide the fact that he had a prosthetic limb, although it was occasionally reported in the press. He developed a very deliberate square-shouldered and guided walk, largely unnoticeable, to cover up his disability. His mellow baritone and British accent rolled out with a minimum of mouth movement and a nonchalant ease that stood out as unique. His rather blasé demeanor could take on various nuances, without overt emotion, to fit any role he played, whether comedy or drama. He filled the range from sophisticated romantic comedy, dignified military officers, doctors to various degrees of villainy, with his unemotional delivery meshing with the cold, impassive criminal character.

Marshall suffered from his war injury for the rest of his life, both from phantom pain, common to amputees, and from the prosthesis. One friend remembered that he kept holes in his trouser pocket so that he could inconspicuously loosen a strap on his prosthetic leg in order to ease sudden discomfort.The pain in his leg became more pronounced later in life, including bothering him on film shoots in ways noticeable to others and exacerbating his usually very slight limp.

During WW II, Marshall used his own money for travel to many military hospitals in the UK and US. In particular, he focused on encouraging soldiers with amputations to keep a positive attitude and not to think of themselves as handicapped or limited. Despite his usual reluctance to discuss his own injury, he talked freely about his personal experiences in order to give these amputees tips on how to use and adjust to their new artificial limbs. Although mostly kept private, a 1945 article in Motion Picture Magazine reported, against Marshall’s wishes, on his work at military hospitals. The author insisted that his story needed to be told to help injured veterans and their families and to show that “Marshall is doing one of the finest war jobs any human being can do.” She interviewed one young officer, who recalled: “Herbert Marshall gave me back my life. When I found out I had a metal claw instead of a hand, I was completely broken. Then one day, while I was in the hospital, we were told Herbert Marshall, the film star, was coming to talk to us. I was disgusted with the idea. A collar ad, I thought, coming to give us a Pollyanna speech!”

The officer added, “It turned out to be anything but that. Mr. Marshall talked real sense into us. He followed it up with demonstrations, actually showing us what he could do. Before he left, we were convinced that if he had been able to lead a normal life, we could do the same.”

The article also quoted a veteran with a double amputation (left leg and right foot), who praised Marshall for showing him how to dance with a prosthetic leg. He considered the actor’s advice and example to be his Ten Commandments General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Head of the Allied Forces in Europe, noted in private that, of all the film stars he met in Europe during the war, he was most impressed with Marshall and Madeleine Carroll (who worked as a nurse at field hospitals).

In Marshall’s stunning career in cinema, he appeared in Josef von Sternberg’s Blond Venus with Marlene Dietrich; Ernst Lubitsch’s Trouble in Paradise (1932) with Miriam Hopkins & Kay Francis and Angel (1937) with Dietrich again; Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Joel McCrea; and two by William Wyler, The Letter (1940) &The Little Foxes (1941), both costarring Bette Davis.

---

The T-Boy Society of Film & Music selected Herbert Marshall’s key film performances as the following: Josef von Sternberg’s Blond Venus; Ernst Lubitsch’s Trouble in Paradise (1932) & Angel (1937); Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940; and two by William Wyler, The Letter (1940) & The Little Foxes (1941) both costarring Bette Davis.

See & hear Herbert Marshall & Miriam Hopkins in Ernst Lubitch’s Trouble in Paradise, discovering they’re both stylish criminal characters.

“Trouble in Paradise” (1933) – YouTube

The post With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner… appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Leonard Maltin on “Our City Tonight”

Traveling Yesterday & Today

HealthCareInsider.com surveyed over 1,180 U.S. adults on current COVID attitudes and the return to normalcy.

• 34% of Americans say they are already comfortable traveling
• 32% of Boomers/Gen X are already comfortable traveling compared to 26% of Gen-Z/Millennials
• 20%don’t think they’ll be comfortable traveling until 2023 or later
• At 60%, travel is the most common life event put off by the pandemic
• Out of ten public activities, travel was the most looked forward to after the pandemic

Sightless Fiji

By Richard Carroll

Fiji has a profound long-lasting effect on my heart and soul. An island country deep in the South Pacific where nature comes miraculously alive with cloud rain forests, a lush tropical mountainous terrain, 333 islands, hundreds of islets, and sweeping views of a dark blue crystal clear sea, all of which seem to be suspended in time. Fiji’s dramatic setting of upscale island holiday hideaways offering pollution free skies, an unrelenting sun shimmering on glistening water, and palm-lined beaches, have attracted visitors from all parts of the world.

T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Top Road Movie

Wim Wenders’ highest watermark is 1976’s Kings of the Road about a movie projector mechanic (Wenders’ regular, Rüdiger Vogle), traveling the lonely backroads of pre-reunification West Germany to dilapidated movie theaters. He meets a depressed linguist, who just bungled a suicide attempt. The two decide to travel together in an attempt to come to terms with their own lives in a changing world. The final installment of Wenders’ Road Trilogy, shot in stark b/w by the brilliant Robby Müller (another Wenders’ regular).

The pharaoh’s painted tomb was missing its mummy

Discovered in 1817, the tomb known as KV17 was filled with extraordinary artifacts, from images of ancient deities to scenes from the legendary Book of Gates. But the pharaoh it was built for was nowhere to be found.

Read on for the story of how the tomb was discovered by a former circus strongman and gangs of tomb raiders, and how its pharaoh was lost and found.

(Note: You will need to subscribe to National Geographic.com for the full story)

In a new study, the T-Boy Society of Film & Music discovered the origin of the term Gaslighting

Definition: Gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation where victims (generally spouses or the voting public) are systematically fed false disorienting and distressful information that leads them to question what they know to be true.

Research revealed that the origin of Gaslighting stems from the British play, Gas Lighting (1938) by Patrick Hamilton. It was then adapted to the 1940 British film directed by Thorold Dickinson as Gaslight (Angel Street in U.S.). The term hit the world platform with MGM film director George Cukor’s 1944 remake, Gaslight: a big budget psychological thriller starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, and Angela Lansbury (in her film debut). The narrative follows a young woman whose husband slowly manipulates her into believing that she is descending into insanity.

Sardinia’s Punta Molentis Beach

The ocean at Punta Molentis Beach has been described as a sparkling turquoise color, so transparent it resembles glass. What’s certain is that the sea is perfectly stunning along the entire coast here in Villasimius, a municipality of southern Sardinia. The area has been settled since prehistoric times, but the spectacular setting wasn’t always the draw; people first occupied this shore for its strategic defensive location on the Mediterranean Sea.

Movie of the Week:
Andrei Rublev (1966) by Andrei Tarkovsky

An expansive Russian drama, the film focuses on the religious icon painter Andrei Rublev, drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era. The peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But, after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

Spotify removes Neil Young’s music

Spotify removed Neil Young’s music from its streaming service after he posted a letter on his website saying he would not allow his catalog on the same platform as podcast host Joe Rogan’s “fake information” about coronavirus vaccines.

“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young said in the letter to his manager and record label. He said people spreading bogus information about vaccines could be killing people who believe it. Rogan, who hosts one of the most popular podcasts on Spotify, has faced frequent criticism for his statements on the pandemic, including that healthy young people shouldn’t get vaccinated.

Of course the press from both sides of the aisle are having a field day with all the latest development.

When a Winter Storm Triggered One of the Deadliest Disasters in D.C. History

On January 28, 1922, the Knickerbocker Theatre’s snow-covered roof collapsed, killing 98 people and injuring another 133. It was a seemingly inconsequential homework assignment that saved Charles Lyman III’s life on the frigid night. The 14-year-old prep school student, Lyman was visiting family in Washington, D.C. when a major storm buried the city under almost two and a half feet of snow. On the second day of the blizzard, Lyman’s cousin David suggested spending a cozy evening watching a movie at the Knickerbocker Theatre in nearby Lanier Heights (now known as Adams Morgan). Lyman told him to go ahead with a friend, Kirkland Duke, and promised to join the pair after finishing his schoolwork.

See the World with BeamZ

BeamZ Live is a platfrom connecting you to Live Interactive Entertainment, from Music to Travel Tours. Watch Free, Live-streamed Tours & Events from around the world.

Other places to visit in BeamZ

• Experience Budapest from above and enjoy a lovely walk on Gellért Hill-Citadel. You can’t miss seeing Budapest from above. Zsuzsi will start the tour on the top of Gellért hill, where you will be able to see the whole city with the amazing panorama of its main sights!
• Explore The Union Canal! Take a relaxing stroll with Sam through one of the main canals of the city and enjoy its many interesting landmarks.
• Spirit of Japan Let’s join Eriko and explore one of the most stylish business districts in Tokyo, filled with amazing modern architecture. We will be discovering the beauty of the Imperial Palace outer gardens, Tokyo central station, and the local’s favorite architecture that looks like a floating glass ship! Find out more on the tour!
• Australia’s Great Ocean Road: The 12 Apostles
  Witness the rugged splendor of the famous 12 Apostles, magnificent rock stacks that rise up majestically from the Southern Ocean on Victoria’s dramatic coastline in Australia. The limestone pillars were once connected to the mainland cliffs. Waves and wind carved them into caves, then arches, and eventually battered them down into 150-foot-tall columns. Come with us for an adventure and explore the beauty of Australian nature with Alex!

Film Star of the Month:
Herbert Marshall

Herbert Marshall (1890 -1966) is considered by the T-Boy Society of Film & Music to have the greatest voice in film history. But, it was long path of self-determination that led him to his place as Hollywood royalty. His initial career in the theatre career was interrupted when he was shot in the left knee by a sniper at the Second Battle of Arras in France as a British solider during World War I.

After a succession of operations, doctors were forced to amputate his leg. Marshall remained hospitalized for 13-months, and decided he wanted to return to the theatre, where he diligently learned how to walk with a prosthetic leg. While he was recovering, King George V visited the hospital, and was asked to pick which of the actor’s legs he thought was artificial. The king chose the wrong one.

Throughout his career, Marshall largely managed to hide the fact that he had a prosthetic limb, although it was occasionally reported in the press. He developed a very deliberate square-shouldered and guided walk, largely unnoticeable, to cover up his disability. His mellow baritone and British accent rolled out with a minimum of mouth movement and a nonchalant ease that stood out as unique. His rather blasé demeanor could take on various nuances, without overt emotion, to fit any role he played, whether comedy or drama. He filled the range from sophisticated romantic comedy, dignified military officers, doctors to various degrees of villainy, with his unemotional delivery meshing with the cold, impassive criminal character.

Marshall suffered from his war injury for the rest of his life, both from phantom pain, common to amputees, and from the prosthesis. One friend remembered that he kept holes in his trouser pocket so that he could inconspicuously loosen a strap on his prosthetic leg in order to ease sudden discomfort.The pain in his leg became more pronounced later in life, including bothering him on film shoots in ways noticeable to others and exacerbating his usually very slight limp.

During WW II, Marshall used his own money for travel to many military hospitals in the UK and US. In particular, he focused on encouraging soldiers with amputations to keep a positive attitude and not to think of themselves as handicapped or limited. Despite his usual reluctance to discuss his own injury, he talked freely about his personal experiences in order to give these amputees tips on how to use and adjust to their new artificial limbs. Although mostly kept private, a 1945 article in Motion Picture Magazine reported, against Marshall’s wishes, on his work at military hospitals. The author insisted that his story needed to be told to help injured veterans and their families and to show that “Marshall is doing one of the finest war jobs any human being can do.” She interviewed one young officer, who recalled: “Herbert Marshall gave me back my life. When I found out I had a metal claw instead of a hand, I was completely broken. Then one day, while I was in the hospital, we were told Herbert Marshall, the film star, was coming to talk to us. I was disgusted with the idea. A collar ad, I thought, coming to give us a Pollyanna speech!”

The officer added, “It turned out to be anything but that. Mr. Marshall talked real sense into us. He followed it up with demonstrations, actually showing us what he could do. Before he left, we were convinced that if he had been able to lead a normal life, we could do the same.”

The article also quoted a veteran with a double amputation (left leg and right foot), who praised Marshall for showing him how to dance with a prosthetic leg. He considered the actor’s advice and example to be his Ten Commandments General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Head of the Allied Forces in Europe, noted in private that, of all the film stars he met in Europe during the war, he was most impressed with Marshall and Madeleine Carroll (who worked as a nurse at field hospitals).

In Marshall’s stunning career in cinema, he appeared in Josef von Sternberg’s Blond Venus with Marlene Dietrich; Ernst Lubitsch’s Trouble in Paradise (1932) with Miriam Hopkins & Kay Francis and Angel (1937) with Dietrich again; Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Joel McCrea; and two by William Wyler, The Letter (1940) &The Little Foxes (1941), both costarring Bette Davis.

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The T-Boy Society of Film & Music selected Herbert Marshall’s key film performances as the following: Josef von Sternberg’s Blond Venus; Ernst Lubitsch’s Trouble in Paradise (1932) & Angel (1937); Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940; and two by William Wyler, The Letter (1940) & The Little Foxes (1941) both costarring Bette Davis.

See & hear Herbert Marshall & Miriam Hopkins in Ernst Lubitch’s Trouble in Paradise, discovering they’re both stylish criminal characters.

“Trouble in Paradise” (1933) – YouTube

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