Russia Settlement In The States...!

Sometimes we forget that other countries had designs on the land mass of America, and often made an effort to settle in.

The Russians were one group that had it's sight on America and did their best to get established here. It was tougher than they thought, though. Here's the story of Russia's settlement (or lack there of!).

Feb 2, 1812:

Russians establish Fort Ross

Staking a tenuous claim to the riches of the Far West, Russians establish Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco.

As a growing empire with a long Pacific coastline, Russia was in many ways well positioned to play a leading role in the settlement and development of the West. The Russians had begun their expansion into the North American continent in 1741 with a massive scientific expedition to Alaska. Returning with news of abundant sea otters, the explorers inspired Russian investment in the Alaskan fur trade and some permanent settlement. By the early 19th century, the semi-governmental Russian-American Company was actively competing with British and American fur-trading interests as far south as the shores of Spanish-controlled California.

Russia's Alaskan colonists found it difficult to produce their own food because of the short growing season of the far north. Officials of the Russian-American Company reasoned that a permanent settlement along the more temperate shores of California could serve both as a source of food and a base for exploiting the abundant sea otters in the region. To that end, a large party of Russians and Aleuts sailed for California where they established Fort Ross (short for Russia) on the coast north of San Francisco.

Fort Ross, though, proved unable to fulfill either of its expected functions for very long. By the 1820s, the once plentiful sea otters in the region had been hunted almost to extinction. Likewise, the colonists' attempts at farming proved disappointing, because the cool foggy summers along the coast made it difficult to grow the desired fruits and grains. Potatoes thrived, but they could be grown just as easily in Alaska.

At the same time, the Russians were increasingly coming into conflict with the Mexicans and the growing numbers of Americans settling in the region. Disappointed with the commercial potential of the Fort Ross settlement and realizing they had no realistic chance of making a political claim for the region, the Russians decided to sell out. After making unsuccessful attempts to interest both the British and Mexicans in the fort, the Russians finally found a buyer in John Sutter. An American emigrant to California, Sutter bought Fort Ross in 1841 with an unsecured note for $30,000 that he never paid. He cannibalized the fort to provide supplies for his colony in the Sacramento Valley where, seven years later, a chance discovery ignited the California Gold Rush.

Seems like the real estate market was pretty shaky even back then! I'd say that Sutter made out like a bandit on that deal!

Coffee in the kitchen again today. The weather is crazy outside!

Sugar Is Better...!

I know that some folks use artificial sweetener all the time, but I have proof that sugar is more better...or should that be "gooder?"

According to this article I found at KnowledgeNuts, the Romans used a substance known as "sugar of lead" and for good reason. Read this article and see if you understand why I say that real sugar is better!

Rome’s First Deadly Artificial Sweetener

By Debra Kelly on Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Health gurus and nutritional experts have been waging a war on artificial sweeteners and the potential long-term health effects of using such products for decades. The idea of artificial sweeteners is nothing new, and neither is the idea that they can be pretty deadly. The Romans were the first to use an artificial sweetener; it was called “sugar of lead,” and was exactly that. This lead-based sweetener was often added to wine, and the rampant lead poisoning it caused has, in some cases, been linked to the beginning of the downfall of Rome.

Today, we know how deadly lead can be if its ingested in any quantity—that’s why lead paints and lead toys are banned. But in ancient Rome, cooks and winemakers only had the flavor of a substance to go on when it came to deciding what was safe for human consumption—and as it turns out, lead acetate is pretty darn tasty.

(Many poisons have a bitter or sour taste that works as a first clue to tell our bodies that we’re eating something that’s not good for us. The opposite is true for sugar of lead, however, and its pleasant taste is one reason why it remained popular for so long.)

Lead acetate was otherwise known as sugar of lead, and it was the first in a long line of artificial sweeteners. Today we know that even though it might look like harmless table salt, it’s actually a highly toxic substance that has all kinds of nasty side effects like infertility and dementia. It can even lead up to organ failure.

It was first used in Rome, when winemakers found it was (theoretically) the perfect thing to add a little sweetness to the Roman’s drink of choice—wine. Not only did it add the perfect flavor, but it wasn’t nearly as difficult to obtain as other sweeteners such as honey. To further add to the sweet taste of the final wine, winemakers often used lead pots to boil the grapes; after adding the sugar of lead, the lead content of the wine was somewhere around 1,000 times higher than what we know is the acceptable limit today.

The use of sugar of lead wasn’t limited to just wine, either. Roughly one-fifth of the recipes in a single fourth-century Roman cookbook called for sugar of lead, and strangely, it remains an actively used ingredient in a number of different compounds—including lipstick—even today.

Sugar of lead has also been implicated in the death of Pope Clement II. In 1047, the pope died under mysterious circumstances which were much, much later revealed to be lead poisoning—a logical conclusion, especially considering the pope liked his wine prepared in the ancient Roman tradition.

Historians have, for centuries, studied the downfall of Rome. While there’s certainly no easy answer as to just what happened to one of the most powerful civilizations in history, it’s been put forth that lead poisoning is one major part of it. In addition to the sugar of lead that was so popular in their diet, Romans also drank their water after it had been filtered through lead pipes and consumed their food and drink from lead vessels. Even our modern word “plumbing” is derived from the Latin word for “lead”—”plumbum.” One of the biggest pieces of evidence that historians point to when they’re discussing the impact of lead poisoning on Roman culture is the widespread, rampant freedom of sexual endeavors and the distinct lack of offspring that came from the various unions. Even Roman emperors renowned for their sexual appetites have only a handful of offspring credited to them, a sign, historians say, that they were suffering from the sterility and infertility that often went along with lead poisoning.

The emperors, clearly a part of the upper-class Roman elite that would have enjoyed a full array of fresh water piped through lead fittings and a steady diet of lead-based wines, also suffered from chronic dementia and not a little bit of insanity, as well as another common side effect of lead poisoning: gout.

Always a surprise at the Hermit's house, wouldn't you say? Well, at least I hope you were surprised!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. I'm gonna bake cookies and you can help!

The "Cicada 3301" Puzzle For Monday Mystery...!

Today, instead of murder and mayhem, we have a very unusual puzzle to talk about.

This particular puzzle shows up in January usually, and as of yet no one has figured it out. According to the folks over at Listverse, this puzzle has been showing up for at least 3 years all around the world. To date no one as solved it.

Worldwide Cicada 3301

Photo credit: Cicada 3301

For the last three years running, the Internet has seen a bizarre puzzle game each January, hosted by someone who calls itself “3301” and uses cicada imagery. The puzzles are enormously complex. They draw on elements of cryptography, mathematics, literature, hidden messages, data security, and philosophy. Physical clues appear in places as diverse as Poland, Hawaii, Spain, Australia, and Korea. 3301 claims that its puzzles attempt to find “intelligent individuals,” for unspecified ends.

Whoever is behind the messages is clearly brilliant, so much so that most people believe the puzzles are meant as a recruitment vehicle. For whom, precisely, is another matter altogether. The most obvious suspects would be intelligence agencies like the CIA or MI6. However, any number of other resourceful entities could be behind the scheme. Major corporations like banks or software manufacturers like Microsoft would also gain from recruiting people with hacking skills and raw intelligence.

As of this writing, the third version of Cicada is underway and seems every bit as baroque and mysterious as its previous incarnations.

Now this is a mystery I'd like to see someone solve. It's cool, causes no harm to anyone (as far as we know), and it's not only interesting but very clever! How about it? Wanna try?

Coffee inside again this morning. Fried ham and biscuits sound OK?

Last Cartoons For 2014...!

Seems a bit strange that it's almost 2015, doesn't it? Yep, the new year is right around the corner!

I'm still toying with the idea of changing things around next year, but we'll wait and see on that. In the meantime, Sunday means 'toons and I just happen to have some ready to go!



I wonder how much fun it would be to fly one of those model planes from the inside? Might be a real blast!



Ya know, that's not just a bad idea! Might be fun...for the rider.



Looks like Donald has some great toys in just the right size for Chip and Dale! One more should do it!



Well, I guess that's enough for today. Don't want to over-do it, right?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Gonna be cold again today!

Pretty, But Not Deadly...!

I was one of the folks that always thought the poinsettia was a deadly, poisonous plant. Once again, I was wrong.

According to this article over on Listverse, the plant is not poisonous to have around at all. That's probably a good thing since so many folks use them for decorating this time of the year. Here is the article for your enjoyment.

The Poinsettia Is Incredibly Dangerous

The poinsettia is almost as common a Christmas decoration as a tree in the family room. If you have pets or small children, you’ve likely heard that they’re at risk just by having the plant in the house. The poinsettia is highly toxic and extremely poisonous, according to common belief. Any curious explorers can end up in the emergency room after ingesting the plant.

That’s not true. The poinsettia has only a mild toxicity to pets, and ingesting the white sap of the plant won’t be deadly or poisonous. It might result in a little drooling, some discomfort around the mouth, or (in extreme cases) vomiting and diarrhea—but it’s not deadly.

The rumor goes back to a single unproven story from 1919. According to the urban legend, a two-year-old child of an Army officer died after eating a leaf from the poinsettia. The story has never been established as real, and organizations like the US Consumer Product Safety Commission have found no reason for the plants to even carry warning labels. Yet the myth has persisted.

It also overshadows another Christmas plant that can be more dangerous—mistletoe. Both American and European mistletoe can cause anything from mild poisoning symptoms (vomiting and abdominal pain) to low blood pressure, cardiac issues, and collapse. Pet deaths from eating mistletoe have also been confirmed.

Ya know, even though the poinsettia is not poisonous, I wouldn't eat any, if I were you. Better safe than sorry, I say. You might want to pass on the mistletoe salad while you're at it. Just hang it up and avoid nibbling on it, OK?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Ya'll can help bake some cookies, alright?

Self Talk On Freaky Friday...!

Do you talk to yourself? No, really! This is a real question and you might be surprised to know that it's quite normal to do it!

Seems that research has shown a certain benefit to indulging in "self talk." It's true that some folks might look at you funny, but I wouldn't worry about that. This article from KnowledgeNuts tells all about this particular activity, OK?

Why Talking To Yourself Doesn’t Mean You’re Crazy

By Debra Kelly on Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Getting caught talking to yourself is always a little bit embarrassing. There’s a certain taboo attached to it, not the least of which is the suggestion that talking to yourself is what crazy people do. But researchers have now found that talking to yourself not only helps you focus your mind and motivation, but it can help with a healthier self-image and enhance performance.

It’s something we pretty much all do, and when we’re caught doing it, there’s a certain amount of embarrassment that usually goes along with it. We’ve always been told that talking to yourself is the first sign you’re going off the deep, and it’s been associated with mental illness and instability.

But now, research has found that there’s absolutely no need to be shy about talking to yourself. Far from being a sign of mental illness, it’s quite the opposite.

Because everything has to have a new and updated name, the idea of talking to yourself is called self-talk or, in some cases, it’s referred to as private speech.

Different people talk to themselves in different situations and in different amounts—some say something aloud to themselves once or twice a day, some have entire conversations with themselves on their commute home from work. Regardless of how often we do it, it’s been found that it can serve a very positive purpose and certainly isn’t something to be embarrassed about doing.

Researchers first tested people by asking them to find something in a store. One group was told to repeat the name of the item, the other group was instructed not to. The group talking to themselves was much more successful much faster, and a subsequent experiment has found that self-talk can be particularly useful when you already have something of a connection with whatever you’re saying. You’re more likely to have a better success rate practicing repetitious self-talk when you know what it is you’re looking for, as opposed to, say, looking for a business in a plaza when you you have no clue what their sign looks like.

Self-talk might not mean you’re crazy, but it can still be harmful. Researchers from the University of Thessaly in Greece have found that self-talk has a measurable impact on not just mood but motivation. Being positive in your self-talk can make a huge difference in our performance of certain tasks.

Next time you start to talk to yourself, listen to how you’re addressing yourself. If you’re saying “I” a lot, start referring to yourself as “you.” Researchers suggest that simply switching how you refer to yourself might help the brain process the information you’re giving yourself. Rather than scolding yourself in the first person, suddenly the words take on the air of the advice of a trusted friend.

You’re not crazy when you do it, but you can damage yourself emotionally by criticizing yourself too much—especially when you say it out loud.

Self-talk begins when we’re young. Listen to a child just learning how to talk, and you’ll probably hear her repeating words back to herself that she’s learning. It’s a good way for children to start developing language, and as they get older, the role of self-talk changes—but becomes no less important. Toddlers and young children will often reinforce their successes with praising themselves, and we do much the same thing as we get older.

So, it’s a completely natural thing to do, and there’s no reason to be embarrassed about holding an entire conversation with yourself.

Now I don't know about you, but I think that we all talk to ourselves more than we might want to say, especially right after the holidays. Seems pretty normal to me. But then, I've always been considered a tad strange!

Coffee out on the patio this morning. 70 with a slight chance of rain, OK?

A Little Christmas History...!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, ONE AND ALL !

I figured that I would touch on a bit of Christmas history that is a sore spot for many folks. It used to be with me as well! I think you'll find this interesting.

Did You Know?

While some have objected to using the term “Xmas” as an abbreviation for “Christmas,” this particular form of shorthand has been around for hundreds of years. In fact, the “X” in “Xmas” is actually the symbol for “Chi”-the first letter in the Greek spelling of the word “Christos,” or Christ. Use of the letter “X” as an abbreviation for Christ's name is over 1,000 years old, and the term “Xmas” has been used in English as far back as the 18th century.

I thought you might find that tidbit of information interesting. I always figured that it was a sign of disrespect, but it turns out I was wrong. Hey...even the hermit learns something once in a while.

Anyway, I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas, a good Yule, or whatever you want to name this holiday! Let's just all remember the true reason for the season...OK?

Coffee out on the patio this morning, weather permitting. Ginger snap cookies on the side!