Earthquakes in the news frequently these days. Some big on the rector scale.
I have experienced earthquakes in New York, California and Italy. Italy the worst. The quake itself hit hard. The aftershocks just as hard. I was concerned.
Greece came to mind recently while recalling the earthquakes I experienced. Athens the perfect place for an earthquake. How would Acropolis and the Parthenon fare? Acropolis the huge hill in the middle of Athens. The Parthenon the top where Greek temples for centuries have stood. Some massive.
I visited Acropolis and the Parthenon on my first trip to Greece 12 years ago. Acropolis is one big hill! I had to rest 3 times on the way up. Heart attack time!
The top of Acropolis is large and flat. Three temples. The largest dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos. Athena the Virgin. The temples are 2,460 years old. The tall columns marble, the base limestone.
I could not find any earthquake which might have affected Acropolis and Parthenon. I did come across a story concerning Parthenon’s “marbles.”
Apparently the Turks were in control of Greece in the early 1800’s. An English nobleman Lord Elgin convinced the Turks to let him take some carvings and statues from Parthenon. He wanted to take them to England for viewing in English museums. Three boats were required to carry the carvings and statues.
One boat sunk. It was recovered from the ocean floor 2 years later.
Somehow the statues and carvings recovered became known as Elgin’s Marbles. How and why marbles I do not know.
The recovered statues and carvings ended up in places not agreed to between Elgin and Greece when Elgin was allowed to take them to England. They are scattered throughout Europe. Many can be found in the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris, and the National Museum in Denmark.
They continue to be known as Elgin’s Marbles.
Greece wants them back. The countries now having them say no. They represent the fortunes of recovery and have now become ours.
For well over 200 years, Greece has been trying to recover “its Marbles.”
I planned to be on the road again last night. Ending up staying home in a comfortable chair reading. I have yet to finish In the Closet of the Vatican. Concerns present day homosexuality. Shocking! And I am not timid!
The book is 500 plus pages. Most sentences compound and/or complex. Facts galore. Print a bit on the small side.
Like climbing Acropolis. Tiring! If the topic were not so current, I would have given up long ago. The Catholic Church began imposing more stringent rules than normal beginning in the 1950’s while the Cardinals were playing around in the Vatican. Even to today.
I had intended to stop at the finals of the Hemingway Look-a-Like contest last night at Sloppy Joe’s. Obviously I did not make it and do not know who won.
The number of hopefuls are down this year. Last year exceeded 150. This year 135 participating.
Ernest Hemingway’s birthday today. He was born in Oak Ridge, Illinois this day in 1899. He died July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho.
Hemingway lived in Key West for 11 years. From 1928 to 1939. During that time he wrote the whole or parts of novels and short stories. Interestingly, only one of his writings had a Florida setting. To Have and Have Not.
Many think the Old Man and the Sea had a Florida setting also. Not so. The setting actually in waters off Cuba’s coast.
Keys residents have an affinity for anything having to do with ocean waters. Turtles being one example.
St. Thomas (what a name for a turtle) is a rehabilitated green sea turtle. He was released into the ocean friday.
In October, he was brought to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon. No question, he was sick. His entire body was covered in cauliflower like tumor growths. Such generally caused by a herpes like virus which affects turtles world wide.
The tumors were surgically removed. Recovered, St. Thomas has returned to his natural habitat.
I consider New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof a skillful observer of world events. He is generally correct. Right on!
In yesterday’s column, he wrote that the GOP has turned into a “personality cult.” He mentions “how far the Republican Party has fallen.” He views the GOP as a personality cult of “a hothead who incites a crowd to repeat an ugly chant…..”
He views Republican leaders as splitting hairs where such does not make sense at all. The Party denounces the new Trump chant as “racist,” but not “racism.”
Kristof takes the position the GOP stands now for “nothing.”
A person by the name of Schicklgruber might have been the most evil tyrant in all history. Adolph Hitler’s family name was Schicklgruber. His father Alois changed his name to Alois Hitler January 7, 1877.
There is growing concern that violence awaits.
I have been writing and saying for more than a year that violence could very well result. From Trump’s side, not the Democrat’s.
A recent study indicated violence against the 4 Congresswomen was a possibility. The study indicated 91 percent of Democrats believed so. On the Republican side, 61 percent.
An indication that all concerned should “cool it.” Especially Trump supporters.
The numbers that really concern me are those concerning whether Trump’s change of politics is for the better or worse. Forty nine percent of Republicans say the change is for the better. This really concerns me! How blind can they be? Why cannot they see?
Twenty three percent of Republicans thought it was for the worse. Twenty seven percent saw no change.
Enough for a Sunday morning.
Enjoy your day!