truth | mermaidcamp

Before the Deluge

September 16, 2014 — 3 Comments

I have drained my water barrel and am preparing for a storm of mighty proportions. Arizona has had a good year of rain during our monsoon season this year, but the last round was too intense. There was flooding all over the state, but Phoenix was hit hardest because the major freeway through that city was flooded and closed. There were disasters and deaths by drowning during our recent storms. Today we are bracing for what we are told will be 5 inches of rain in about 3 days. At this time the predictors are off a bit because it was to have rained all day today. We had some light sprinkles in the morning, but the deluge has not yet arrived. I took the dog for a walk early because I was convinced we would be trapped by rain all day. The sky is grey and the air very humid. The smell of wet creosote bush confirms that summer rains are still in gear. We normally welcome rain in all forms and amounts, but this is on the scary side. There is nothing to be done except get some sand bags ready for the back door just in case we need to protect our home.

I am thinking of it as a baptism. The rain can wash away all the recent violence in our neighborhood and cleanse the air. I hope people will pay attention to safety and stop themselves before driving into washes to be swept away to drowning death. As natural disasters go floods are swift and powerful. I am hoping our washes and rivers will stay within their bounds and that nobody will loose life or home. All we can do is be careful. Have you ever lived through a flood?

Rudolf II Count der Gutige Old graf Der Schweigsame Von Habsburg

September 15, 2014 — 5 Comments

: Rudolf II Count der Gutige Old graf Der Schweigsame Von Habsburg

: Rudolf II Count der Gutige Old graf Der Schweigsame Von Habsburg

: coat of arms

: our genealogy

My 22nd great-grandfather was born and died in present day Aargau,Switzerland. He married in Germany in about 1200. The Habsburg family was known for making very strategic marriages. His grandson Rudolf moved the family power base to Austria and became Holy Roman Emperor. They did very well for themselves.

Father: ALBRECHT 111 the rich VON GRAF HABSBURG b: ABT 1132 in Habsburg,Aargau,Switzerland
Mother: Ita Von PFULLENDORF b: ABT 1141 in Pfullendorf,Konstanz,Baden

Marriage 1 AGNES VON STAUFEN b: BEF 1178 in of A.D.H. Blankenberg Am Rhein,Brunswick,Germany
Married: ABT 1200
Children
ALBRECHT 1V VON GRAF HABSBURG b: ABT 1188 in Schloss Limburg A.D. Rhein,Freidberg,Baden,
Gertrud Von HABSBURG b: 1191 in Schloss Limburg A.D. Rhein,Freidberg,Baden,
Heilwig HABSBURG Countess b: 1195 in Schloss Limburg A.D. Rhein,Freidberg,Baden,
Rudolf 1 Habsburg LAUFENBURG count b: ABT 1198 in Schloss Limburg A.D. Rhein,Freidberg,Baden,
Rudolf II Count der Gutige Old graf Der Schweigsame Von Habsburg (1158 – 1232)
is my 22nd great grandfather
Albert IV “The Wise” Count of Habsburg (1188 – 1240)
son of Rudolf II Count der Gutige Old graf Der Schweigsame Von Habsburg
Rudolf IV King of Germans, Holy Roman Emperor Habsburg (1218 – 1291)
son of Albert IV “The Wise” Count of Habsburg
Albert I King of Germany Habsburg (1248 – 1308)
son of Rudolf IV King of Germans, Holy Roman Emperor Habsburg
Albrecht Albert II ‘The Wise’ Duke of Austria Habsburg (1298 – 1358)
son of Albert I King of Germany Habsburg
Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg (1351 – 1386)
son of Albrecht Albert II ‘The Wise’ Duke of Austria Habsburg
Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg (1377 – 1424)
son of Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg
Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg (1420 – 1493)
daughter of Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg
Christof I VanBaden (1453 – 1527)
son of Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg
Beatrix Zahringen (1492 – 1535)
daughter of Christof I VanBaden
Sabine Grafin VonSimmern (1528 – 1578)
daughter of Beatrix Zahringen
Marie L Egmond (1564 – 1584)
daughter of Sabine Grafin VonSimmern
Richard Sears (1590 – 1676)
son of Marie L Egmond
Silas Sears (1638 – 1697)
son of Richard Sears
Silas Sears (1661 – 1732)
son of Silas Sears
Sarah Sears (1697 – 1785)
daughter of Silas Sears
Sarah Hamblin (1721 – 1814)
daughter of Sarah Sears
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Sarah Hamblin
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

House of Habsburg CountryAustria, Kingdom of Germany, Holy Roman Empire, Sicily, Naples, Spain, Hungary-Croatia, Bohemia, and Portugal

Titles
Holy Roman Emperor
Emperor of Austria
Emperor of Mexico
President of the German Confederation
King of the Romans
King of Germany
King of Spain
King of Aragon
King of Sicily
King of Naples
King of Castile
King of Hungary
King of Bohemia
King of Croatia
King of Portugal
King of Dalmatia
King of Galicia and Lodomeria
King of England
Grand Prince of Transylvania
Archduke of Austria
Grand Duke of Tuscany
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Parma
Count of Habsburg

Founding11th century: Radbot, Count of Habsburg

Dissolution1780

The House of Habsburg (pron.: /ˈhæbs.bɜrɡ/; German pronunciation: [ˈhaːbs.bʊʁk]), also spelled Hapsburg[1] and also known as House of Austria, is one of the most important royal houses of Europe, The Habsburgs are best known for being Holy Roman Emperors for most of the time between 1438 and 1806, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and Spanish Empire and several other countries.

The House takes its name from Habsburg Castle, a fortress built around 1020–1030 in present day Switzerland by Count Radbot of Klettgau, who chose to name his fortress Habsburg. His grandson, Otto II, was the first to take the fortress name as his own, adding “Count of Habsburg” to his title. The House of Habsburg gathered dynastic momentum through the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.

By 1276, Count Radbot’s seventh generation descendant, Rudolph of Habsburg, had moved the family’s power base from Habsburg Castle to the Duchy of Austria. Rudolph had become Roman-German King in 1273, and the dynasty of the House of Habsburg was truly entrenched in 1276 when Rudolph became ruler of Austria, which the Habsburgs ruled until 1918.

A series of dynastic marriages enabled the family to vastly expand its domains, to include Burgundy, Spain, Bohemia, Hungary, and other territories into the inheritance. In the 16th century, the family separated into the senior Habsburg Spain and the junior Habsburg Monarchy branches, who settled their mutual claims in the Oñate treaty.

The House of Habsburg became extinct in the male line in the 18th century. The Spanish branch ended upon the death of Charles II in 1700 and was replaced by the Anjou branch of the House of Bourbon in the person of his great-nephew Philip V. The Austrian branch went extinct in the male person in 1740 with the death of Charles VI and in the female person in 1780 with the death of his daughter Maria Theresa and was succeeded by the Vaudemont branch of the House of Lorraine in the person of her son Joseph II. The new successor house styled itself formally as House of Habsburg-Lorraine (German: Habsburg-Lothringen), although it was often referred to as simply the House of Habsburg.

Principal roles

Their principal roles were as:

King of the Romans
Holy Roman Emperors
King of Germany
Rulers of Austria (as Dukes, Archdukes after 1453)
King of Bohemia (1306–1307, 1437–1439, 1453–1457, 1526–1918),
Kings of Hungary and Croatia (1526–1918),
Kings of Spain (1516–1700),
King of Portugal (1580–1640),
King of Galicia and Lodomeria (1772–1918), and
Grand Prince of Transylvania (1690–1867).

Numerous other titles were attached to the crowns listed above.

History Counts of Habsburg

The Habsburg dominions around 1200 in the area of modern day Switzerland are shown as Habsburg, among the houses of Savoy, Zähringer and Kyburg

The progenitor of the House of Habsburg may have been Guntram the Rich, a count in Breisgau who lived in the 10th century. His grandson Radbot, Count of Habsburg founded the Habsburg Castle, after which the Habsburgs are named. The origins of the castle’s name, located in what is now the Swiss canton of Aargau, are uncertain. Most people assume the name to be derived from the High German Habichtsburg (Hawk Castle), but some historians and linguists are convinced that the name comes from the Middle High German word “hab/hap” meaning ford, as there is a river with a ford nearby. The first documented use of the name by the dynasty itself has been traced to the year 1108.[3][4][5] The Habsburg Castle was the family seat in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.

The Habsburgs expanded their influence through arranged marriages and by gaining political privileges, especially countship rights in Zürichgau, Aargau and Thurgau. In the 13th century, the house aimed its marriage policy at families in Upper Alsace and Swabia. They were also able to gain high positions in the church hierarchy for their members. Territorially, they often profited from the extinction of other noble families such as the House of Kyburg.

Kings of the Romans
By the second half of 13th century, count Rudolph IV (1218–1291) had become one of the most influential territorial lords in the area between Vosges mountains and Lake Constance. Due to these impressive preconditions, on 1 October 1273 Rudolph was chosen as the King of the Romans and received the name Rudolph I of Germany.[6]

In 1282, the Habsburgs gained the rulership of the Duchy of Austria, which they then held for over 600 years, until 1918. Through the forged Privilegium Maius document (1358/59), a special bond was created between the House and Austria. The document, forged at the behest of Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria (1339–1365), also attempted to introduce rules to preserve the unity of the family’s Austrian lands. In the long term, this indeed succeeded, but Rudolph’s descendants ignored the rule, leading to the separation of the Albertian and Leopoldian family lines in 1379.

By marrying Elisabeth of Luxembourg, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund in 1437, Duke Albert V (1397–1439) became the ruler of Bohemia and Hungary, expanding the family’s political horizons. The next year, Albert V was crowned as the King of the Romans as Albert II. After his early death in war with the Turks in 1439, and after the death of his son Ladislaus Postumus in 1457, the Habsburgs lost Bohemia and Hungary again. National kingdoms were established in these areas, and the Habsburgs were not able to restore their influence there for decades.

Fitness, Feedback, Fitbit

September 9, 2014 — 2 Comments

In the 1970’s I went to the Elaine Powers Salon to exercise. The regime included a food list sheet divided in to food groups to be filled in daily and reviewed with a staff person once a week. The exercise was self serve, and included those fat rolling machines. Once and hour there was a ten minute session in the middle of the room that anyone could join. This was a primitive, but pretty good model for monitoring diet and encouraging exercise. The consultation with the food list included a bit of physiological counseling because every time the food list was used the emotion felt at the time, the place the food was eaten, and the time of day were also recorded. The chart was divided into food groups and meals, but I don’t think there was mention of calories or fat. The discussion with the counselor was intended to draw attention to habitual patterns and possible ways to improve. The system worked well, and I am not sure why the company folded, but I copied the food lists and used them for years after they were gone.

Today the feedback does not require a sheet of paper or a staff person to review and make suggestions. Now there is Fitbit. We can get real time feedback about our diet and exercise habits, as well as sleep patterns from these tiny devices. I read an article by David Sedaris recently about how the Fitbit encouraged him to move more and be adventurous (and slightly mindless in pursuit of steps). He also told how addicted he became after his step counting became part of his life. When his device died he lasted 5 hours before ordering a new one with express delivery. I love his style of writing and often the stories he tells come alive and go on living and being funny in my head. This Fitbit story has been like that. Today I decided to order my own and see what all the fuss is. I believe that awareness is the best way to make meaningful changes in lifestyle habits. I know I am less active now than I want to be, but am not sure how grave the issue really is. I will soon know exactly what is happening with calories in and calories out. Two days from now I will join the Fitbit generation. Do you use a fitness tracking device? How does it work for you? I think it will be fun.

Cutting Losses-Unexpected Twists of Fate

September 6, 2014 — 1 Comment

I like to be very punctual. It is polite, which is fine, but if one has a few extra minutes to compose oneself in any venture rather than rush, the odds improve. Leaving only the bare minimum of time for preparations of any kind seems foolish to me. I think I developed these beliefs while doing a lot of traveling around the world. There are always some unexpected time suckers in each mode of travel. In airports we are helpless if our flight is cancelled or delayed. In a car traffic can stop us in our tracks on the road. Sometimes we have no other option and must endure wasting time or spending it in ways we abhor. Today I count myself as lucky even though I have postponed a trip I looked forward to taking that will not be available again for 8 months.

We had reserved a place on the Grape Train, a wine tasting moonlight train ride on the Verde Valley Railroad. We were excited and ready to go when we found the battery in my car to be dead. I have a BMW, so the battery is hidden under the back seat and the replacement battery is not carried by everyone. We fiddled around with the car for a while, then went to a car rental agency, determined to save the weekend plans. I now feel fortunate that this agency had a very odd system that involved doing the paperwork on 5 or 6 clients before anyone was given a car. We had been processed, but as we waited for the car we did some math. We asked ourselves “What is the very last minute we can leave here and make the train on time?” We reached the conclusion that it was already the last minute, and after all this anxiety we still could miss our departure at the train depot. We thanked the inefficient clerk and cancelled the rental. It was a favor, a blessing in disguise. If they had rushed us into a rental car we would have rushed home, grabbed the bags and hit the road. By showing us what could go wrong right out of the gate, at the rental agency, these good folks saved us a high anxiety drive through Arizona with possibly disastrous results.

The moral of this story is about time. The entire drive might have turned out to be a waste of time. I called the train company and was given an entire year to use the tickets I purchased. I also let the landlady know we were not going to be staying with her tonight and she offered to give us the night if we come later and stay for 2 nights at her place. The only “lost” money was a booking fee from Air bnb, which is fair and reasonable. I also think that we will enjoy staying for 2 nights in Clarkdale and doing the train ride when the fall colors have begun. We were poised to have a high anxiety rush, and now we will have plenty of time at home, and after the car battery mystery has been solved we can take a more leisurely trip. Thank you, car rental company that shall not be named, for saving our weekend plans!!

What Terrifies You?

September 3, 2014 — 6 Comments

Terror is the new leisure. We have become so accustomed to the word being used all over the world to describe atrocities, political take overs, and now the rising stars of the terror world, ISIS. The meaning has become scattered and diluted, so now that real sociopathic mobs roam the desert with intent to do massive destruction we have no new way to describe what they do. We have allowed fear and loathing to become part of everyday living. While I am personally glad I am not in a position to direct military or political policy I do see a reason for declaring exactly what we are doing (besides fear and loathing) with our military might. When war is actually declared there is incentive to negotiate peace and end the war. By free styling war with no declarations we have gathered new enemies and spread distrust all over the globe. I have objected and protested publicly against war since I was a teenager, but in all that time the government has never had the guts to declare one. We are just participating in one huge covert operation that changes frequently and irrationally as we become less popular.

John McCain and I have never agreed before and will not be likely to do so in the future. I usually think my Senator from Arizona is a paranoid militaristic dweeb with too many houses. If a bunch of violent punks can declare themselves to be a sovereign nation and run rampant over rule of law the United States needs to declare SOMETHING!!! Are we bullies? Are we cowardly? Are we completely out of touch with reality? I think yes to all of the above questions. I personally think this is more than a decisive moment in history. It is pivotal now to stop this armageddon warm up before momentum takes us to a new world order that we can’t imagine.

What terrifies me is the idea that our government is full of self serving and dishonest people who have no will to act. I am not naming any names because there is no individual responsible. It is a culture that tells us to “support our troops” without telling us what those troops are really doing and why. Going to war is serious business, but going straight to hell because we won’t declare war or peace terrifies me.

Want to have some Social Media fun this weekend?

August 15, 2014 — 4 Comments

Party time on Empire Avenue!! Great weekend to join the fun of EA Leaders!!

Right to Bear Video Camera

August 12, 2014 — 4 Comments

I have recently watched footage from 1968 in a museum exhibit which included the Democratic convention in Chicago and other riots. As I see St Louis now drenched in violence over the shooting of another unarmed teenager of color I have a deja vu feeling. The riots of Watts and Detroit in the 60s were about the same issues we face today. When the narrator speaks in the black and white footage shot 46 years ago he reveals the culture of the broadcast universe at the time. Today news footage flashes across twitter at the speed of digital finger snapping, allowing a more complete story to emerge instantly. The new cameraperson is the bystander who is ready to capture what happens with a phone. The new commentary is done live on the scene by everyone. The facts come out quicker and opinions are shouted out on Youtube before you can say network newscast. People have the facts caught on camera and distributed throughout the world before you can say Jessie Jackson. Justice must now take into account the fact that everyone is now a reporter and every phone is an official source of news. The editorial department has swelled to include anyone who has an opinion and chooses to voice it. Do you think this democratic version of news reporting will be a remedy for social injustice? Have you ever whipped out your phone to record evidence as something happened in front of you? Do you think we will know the truth and the truth will us us free, or do so many versions of the truth make the world more contentious? What does the camera toting public change? Do you feel safer now?

: 1968 Democratic Convention

: 1968 Democratic Convention

: MLK Assassination

Remembering 1968

July 29, 2014 — 1 Comment

I came to the University of Texas as a freshman in 1968, a very turbulent year in American history. The Texas History Museum is currently showing an exhibit about that year. It makes me wonder why we never hear anybody say “fascist pig” any more. I was clearly against the war in Viet Nam, and went to see Hubert Humphrey when he came to campus to speak. I did not particularly like him but was only 17 so I had no voting rights. As students we were not very tied into current events because we had studying and partying to do. We also mistrusted news sources that were conventional. This was the era of the underground newspaper. It was also the era of protest for political change. The campus was divided. The football, sorority, fraternity people were already invested in status quo. The rest of us were rallying to stop the war in Viet Nam because it had no earthly purpose, and was destructive. I came to school in September and Richard Nixon was elected in November. There was much to protest. I remember on very symbolic gesture that illustrated our differences. A group of students wanted to raise money to buy The Texas Longhorn, Bevo, and send him to Biafra to feed the starving people. “Send Bevo to Biafra” was actually a moral pivotal point in student organizing. It had only been 2 years since Charles Whitman, a Nam vet, shot people on the mall from the UT tower. To the anti war faction the shooter was not seen as a victim or a sufferer of post traumatic military issues. He was seen as typical of the “other side”. Some of us liked killing and some of us thought war was not healthy for children and other living things. We believed Charles Whitman was doing what we thought all Nam vets wanted to do, kill people with a big gun. He was a capitalist imperialist pig, and that was all there was to it. Things were so simplistic in 1968, but somehow I feel that nothing has changed.

Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated in 1968. Lyndon was president when I came to school in Austin. Even though he signed the Civil Rights Act he was not seen as a progressive hero by the youth. He was seen as a crooked politician who sent kids to war. Lady Bird, who wanted people to stop throwing garbage out the windows of their cars, was seen as a wet blanket. Garbage throwing was perceived as a birthright, just like owning a gun or hating other races. Her “Beautify America” campaign was the foundation for today’s ecology movements. Museums and libraries document history and put matters into perspective for those who were not alive or old enough to know what happened. When I walked through the 1968 exhibit it brought back memories as well as a sense of struggle. For a while it seemed that the struggle resulted in peace and harmony. It did not last. Where were you in 1968? Were you on the bus or off the bus?