mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys
A Coney Island pie maker invents the hot dog | Ephemeral New York
June 3, 2016
Birth of the hot dog
Like so many wonderful New York icons, this one comes from Coney Island. It was after the Civil War, and this spit of land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean was fast becoming a summer resort favo…
Source: A Coney Island pie maker invents the hot dog | Ephemeral New York
New Moon in Gemini Horoscopes from Chani Nicholas
June 2, 2016
— 1 Comment
Check out this week’s horoscopes from master astrologer Chani Nicholas, including this weekend’s new moon in Gemini.… View Post
Death by Side Effect
June 2, 2016
— 1 Comment
skull and crossbones
The death rate in the US has risen in 2015 for some alarming reasons. The new statistics for Alzheimer’s disease, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis show that our population suffers from toxic overload. The liver disease is normally caused by alcohol consumption, and Alzheimer’s is still a mystery. I took care of both of my demented parents until death. My own suspicion about their memory loss issues is that they were primarily caused by alcohol consumption that continued for more than 65 years. My parents were not seriously into drugs like people are today, but they did like to drink. Their diet choices and alcohol consumption worsened as they aged. I often wondered if could have been reversed if they had reformed rather then slipped into worsening habits. We will never know. For myself I am making different choices. I don’t think I have a genetic risk from my parents, as much as I cultural one, from being raised at a cocktail party.
Now the middle aged white population is into opioids. There is an increase in suicide by drug overdose happening in this group. Heroin is often a cheaper option for those who begin their use of opioids with a doctor’s referral. I don’t use any prescription drugs, but I know very few people of any age like me. Almost everyone is on something. The idea of taking meds for everything, real or imagined, has become so common that doctors have basically become drug dealers. Now Americans are killing themselves willfully and accidentally with these dangerous substances. I am concerned about our society. These are not social drugs, but drugs designed to kill pain. Have we no skills to deal with pain? I am afraid of this trend. I watch the evening news that is punctuated with drug commercials that must quickly mention the side effects. Often the side effects mentioned in the commercials include increased possibility of death. In my mind the whole country is on one dangerous drug or another with increased risk of death as a general side effect. I have no solution, gentle reader. I will close with the words of Prince, our recently deceased rock royalty:
You can be the president. I’d rather be the Pope.
You can be the side effect. I’d rather be the dope.
It is assumed that Prince’s death involved a drug overdose of pain killer.
How to make stress your friend
June 1, 2016
— 3 Comments
30 Days of Stress Relief starts today!!! Who does not need this?
Snitch, Tattle and Tell by @UnMakeaBully
May 31, 2016
— 3 Comments
This excellent production from down under shows how bullying can be contained by communication. I found the twitter account @UnMakeaBully, a brilliant collaboration of students around the world creating anti-bullying content. Their creativity and first hand knowledge of school bullying make the kids own content the ideal catalyst for reform. This piece highlights students’ unwillingness to reveal the truth to authorities. They have a cultural belief that snitching is a betrayal of their other student colleagues. They maintain a stone wall because of peer pressure. By finding the rapport with the kids, the school authorities can change the situation for the better. I am a huge fan of this movement. Let’s stop little bullies from becoming grown up bullies.
The group maintains an instagram account where they showcase the productions and the students who participate in them. I am happily impressed with the very creative solutions these young people are finding and promoting. If there is a starter drug for a lifetime of violent tendencies, it must be school bullying. It is an excellent place to start to reduce needless violence in our society. “Don’t Wait” is the group’s motto. I could not agree more. Please check out this group for more innovative ways to bring bullying (child as well as adult) to heel.
Samuel Wilbore, Pioneer Wheeler Dealer
May 30, 2016
— 13 Comments
Central Burial Grounds Boston
My 10th great-grandfather was banished from the colony of Massachusetts, and signed the Portsmouth Compact. He did not stay in Rhode Island for very long, but returned to live in Boston, where he was one of the citizens who purchased the Boston Common and donated it to the town. I am not sure how he became un-banished, but his case is not the only un-banishment in our family. He kept his property in Rhode Island and had extensive holdings in Boston as well. He was in the wool business.
Portsmith Compact
Samuel Wilbore and wife Ann, came to America before 1 December, 1633 and lived in Boston. May have come 4 September, 1633 on ship “Griffin” He was a merchant, had a ship, probably sold cloth and lumber and was in the wool business.
He and 6 men under him guarded the gate at Roxbury. He sold his home on what is now Washington St. to Samuel Sherman. In 1634, he and William Blackstene bought “Boston Commons” and gave it to the town. Made “Freeman” 4 March 1633/4 and with John Porter and Philly Sherman bought Aquidneck Island, (Rhode Island). He was banished from Boston 30 August 1637, and disarmed 20 November 1637 and went to Portsmouth, R.I. because of his association with a religious group lead by Anne Hutchinson, Mr. Wheelwright and possibly Roger Williams. Anne Hutchinson was the unauthorized Puritan preacher of a dissident church discussion group.
Rhode Island had become a haven for persecuted religious sects. These people, called Antinomians, believed that the moral laws as taught by the Church of England were of no value and that the only law that should be followed was that of the Gospel. Quakers, who eventually merged with the Antinomians, established a meeting house on Aquidneck in 1657.
11 January 1638/9 he was constable at Portsmouth. He owned land at Nt. Wolliston (now Quincy). With Ralph Earle he built a planing mill at Portsmouth,1640. By 1645 was back in Boston, though he kept his Portsmouth and Taunton land, and lived on Mill Street. He was wealthy and gave to the 1st free school in America. The early spelling was “Welleboro”, a Norman name. In 1626 he was a “juror” in Sible Hedington, Essex, England.
Samuel Wilbore (1595 – 1656)
10th great-grandfather
Dorothy Wilbore (1617 – 1696)
daughter of Samuel Wilbore
Elizabeth Albro (1646 – 1720)
daughter of Dorothy Wilbore
Benjamin Congdon (1676 – 1756)
son of Elizabeth Albro
William Congdon (1711 – 1755)
son of Benjamin Congdon
Frances Congdon (1738 – 1755)
daughter of William Congdon
Thomas Sweet (1765 – 1844)
son of Frances Congdon
Valentine Sweet (1791 – 1858)
son of Thomas Sweet
Sarah LaVina Sweet (1840 – 1923)
daughter of Valentine Sweet
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Sarah LaVina Sweet
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
Samuel Wilbore was born in Jan 1595 in Sible Hedingham, Essex, England. He died on 29 Sep 1656 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Samuel married Ann Smith on 13 Jan 1619/1620 in Sible, Hedingham, Essex, England.
Samuel Wildbore, said to have been born in 1585, came to Boston not later than 1633, and was admitted to the First Church of Boston on December 1/1633. His house was on the neck of land between the island and the mainland, now called Washington St. and later Milk Street. In 1634 Samuel and others bought the Boston Common for the town, from William Blackstone whose ownership was acknowledged by an entry in the Town Records as early as 1633 by which it was agreed that William Blackstone shall have 50 acres set off to him near his house in Boston. The Town Records have the following statement in reference to Samuel Wildbore’s share in the purchase of the Common. “The 10th day of the 9th month 1654: Item, Edmund Quinsey, Samuel Wildbore, William Baulston, Edward Hutchinson the elder, and William heesborough, constable, shall make and assess all the rates, viz, a rate of œ30 to William Blackstone”. Blackstone sold the whole parcel of land except 6 acres immediately adjoining his house. On August 6/1635, Samuel gave œ10 towards a free school, the first in America. Governor Winthrop gave a like amount, and none other gifts exceeded this amount. Samuel also had a piece of land on Essex St., near where the Touraine Hotel now stands. Samuel married in 1620, at Sibley Hedringham, England, Ann Smith. Most genealogies wrongly give her name as Ann Bradford. Samuel was made freeman on March 4/1634. He bought much property in Taunton and likewise possessed considerable holdings in Boston, evidently dividing his place of residence between the two places. While in Taunton, he with others, embraced the “dangerous doctrines” as they were then called, of Cotton and Wheelwright, for which in 1637 he was banished from the Massachusetts Colony. Acting upon the advice of Roger Williams, he and seventeen others fled to Providence, R.I., where they purchased the island of Aquidnec, (now Rhode Island) from the Naragansett Indians, and early in 1638 moved his family there and formed a colony on March 7/1638. Full details of the purchase and history of this action is contained in the Genealogies quoted, but too long to insert here. He did not remain in Rhode Island for long, and returned to Boston in 1645 and built the first iron furnace in New England at Taunton, now Raynham, on the main road from Tilicut to Taunton. He was clerk of the town board in 1638, Constable in 1639, Sergeant in 1644. He married, 2nd, before November 29/1645, Elizabeth Lechford, widow of Thomas Lechford. Date of his second marriage and date of death of his first wife Ann are not known. Samuel died July 24/1656. After his death Elizabeth married, 2nd, on December 20/1656, Henry Bishop who died in 1664: Elizabeth died in 1665. Samuel was a man of wealth and he was of very respectable standing in society, exerting a wide influence in each of the places he dwelt. His will was dated April 30/1656.
Ann SMITH-8832 was born on 13 Jan 1598 in Sible, Hedingham, Essex, England. She died on 24 Sep 1636 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts. Ann married Samuel WILDBORE-8833 on 13 Jan 1619/1620 in Sible, Hedingham, Essex, England.
They had the following children.
MiSamuel WILBORE-8830 was born on 10 Apr 1622. He died in 1697. MiiWilliam WILBORE-8838 was born on 21 May 1630. He died on 15 Apr 1710.
The Internet Responds To Donald Trump’s Refusal To Debate Bernie Sanders With #ChickenTrump — Real Stories – UPROXX
May 28, 2016
NBC Most of America was interested in a debate for the first time in months this week thanks to Donald Trump’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live this past week. Kimmel hit Trump with a question from Bernie Sanders — his guest for the following night — involving a possibly debate in California. Trump said it…
Mars, God of War
May 28, 2016
Mars/male gender symbol
Mars will be so close to the earth next week that it will visibly outshine our brightest star, Sirius. The red planet is retrograde in Scorpio as it appears shining brightly in the night sky. The planets (as well as recently demoted Pluto) are named for Roman gods because they have certain qualities the ancients identified with them. Mars rules battle and martial arts. The word martial is derived from his name. He was the father of legendary Romulus and Remus who founded Rome. Thus he is the true god-father of Rome. Citizens of Rome referred to themselves as sons of Mars and worshipped him copiously. Indeed, war was perhaps the best talent of the Romans as a civilization. They certainly developed the first global takeover strategy. Sure, they had common currency and governance from the emperor in Rome, but none of that would have been possible without their military conquests. Mars was their main man.
The famous adulterous affair between Mars and Venus has been immortalized in many ways. The symbol for Mars the planet is the same one used for the male gender and the element iron. Similarly the symbol used for Venus is the same for the planet, the female gender, and the element copper. Men actually have more iron in their blood than women, while women have more copper in the bloodstream than men. Chemically this is just a fact. There are the theories in psychiatry about communication styles and the conflicts they naturally engender between the sexes. From Roman mythology to pop culture the planets Mars and Venus represent archetypal male/female roles. In reality nobody is made up of a single archetype, although we usually have one that is more developed than the others. The Mars archetype is aggressive and militaristic. It is protective of farmers and soldiers. In the Roman Empire Mars was a unifying factor, linked to local gods in order to strengthen the empire. I can see how Mars has been the god we share with all of our war partners around the globe.
We can no longer live without war on earth. Security forces are needed to prevent all out chaos. However, as Mars approaches the earth this Memorial Day to salute his people, let us give some thought to our use of his powers. Military suicides are highest in the time before deployment because Mars is one scary boss. The general public generally hides from the gruesome details of the horror of war. This year as you pass the potato salad look to the sky as Mars passes by look directly into his flaming red eyes and take an oath to direct his energies to a higher purpose. As protector of farmers he has work to do on global warming. Happy Memorial Day, gentle reader. I wish you a cloud free sky and a clear view of his majesty, Mars, in all his glory.
The Only Game I Play
May 27, 2016
— 1 Comment
Parcheesi board
We are at the end of our Hulu month, and I am fairly binged out on my TV watching. I freeze the membership for the maximum amount of time, 12 weeks, in between months of using it. That works around here since we already have Amazon and cable. There is only so much TV you can watch without loosing your mind. This time I have found a lot of new comics and seen some very funny as well as kinky new series. Warcraft is one of the shows we have not seen, although it is super popular. When an ad came on for the show last night it sparked a conversation between my partner and me. He is younger, but neither of us has ever been into computer gaming. I never even played Pac Man, and have not held a joy stick. Bob did play a few games like Pac Man and Nintendo in his youth, but his interest died in these things. We have not played World of Warcraft and don’t know anything about the story line even though it is a cultural and marketing fad of giant proportions. I never developed a taste for games that take place in imaginary worlds, neither farms nor planets. They are not my style…unless they are based on an imaginary stock market.
As a child I played dominos, Chinese checkers, checkers, and Parcheesi with my grandparents. I looked forward to going to their farm and being involved in these games. I remember them going non-stop at my insistence. I liked to keep the board out when we slept and finish in the morning. My grandma was the Parcheesi freak. When she was around we played that with a group. Most of the time my grandpa and I went one on one in dominos or checkers. My father did not play much, but at home he and I played Gin Rummy a lot. He also played Gin with his friends. I loved to play cards, and took them with me in order to play at the pool or wherever I went. War and Spit were very popular games in elementary school, similar in nature. We played board games too, but they were less portable. I was into portable. I traveled with my bag of marbles and/or jacks to pick up games wherever I went. I seriously played jacks, and had no problem finding enthusiastic players, at my college dorm in 1968 at UT Austin. As I reminisce I think jacks may have been my all time favorite game. Since there is so little investment I feel like ordering a set from Amazon to see if I still have my chops.
Computers have been on my home desk for decades, but no computer games ever called to me. My brother gave me a trivia game once called “You Don’t Know Jack”. I was highly amused with it for a couple of times, then never played it again. The whole world swooned over computer gaming, but I was not interested. I still don’t know jack about gaming. I have found my adult game. It is called EmpireKred. It mimics the stock market, which is really fun for me. You may have heard of it as Empire Avenue, the original name of the game. On this avenue you purchase stock and pay dividends based on social media value. I love being able to speculate without using real money. My real money is safe in the care of a fiduciary, but I am high rolling success playing EmpireKred.
The reason this game has held my interest for years is the social side effect inherent in being a regular player. By playing we meet each other and read each others’ content. Many internet groups do the same thing, sometimes with only quid pro quo support, and no genuine interaction. I have met many extremely cool people from around the world with whom I engage on different platforms in different ways. I got into playing because I loved the statistics on my own on-line activity and the stock market metaphor. I am a huge fan of graphs and charts. I stayed for the supportive and interesting friendships I have found. Once I am holding shares in someone I want them to thrive, so I pay attention to them. I also feel very obliged to produce a high dividend for all my shareholders. Dividends are based on social media scores. An effort is made to score quantity as well as quality, which is hard to do with a mathematical algorithm. What is sure is that if you just walked away from all your social media platforms for a while your dividends would drop from both lack of quality and quantity in your social media presence.
During my lifetime I have moved from dominos, an obvious math game, to EmpireKred, a simulated stock market based on math game. My father was a heavy stock market gambler for his entire adult life, so this may be my natural inherited disposition. My dad called his broker early every morning on the phone, like calling a bookie, to place his bets. I do like to speculate, but am keeping my investments and my gaming completely separate. It is fine to get caught up in the social stock market. I happen to be a great investment, and like all great investments I make sure I earn the trust of my shareholders. By using this method I meet and enjoy the friendship of many like minded investments (people) all around the world.
We sometimes play games within our game. I am very pleased to support a very cool effort This Memorial Day weekend that involves computer gaming. By purchasing imaginary balloons which we drop full of imaginary EAVs (our imaginary currency) on our fellow players we will contribute in real life to Operation Supply Drop. They live up to their motto, making fun where there is none, by distributing care packages of games and game related gear to deployed soldiers. I am all over this creative idea. We get to have fun within our gaming universe and share it with deployed soldiers in various alternate gaming universes. How cool is that? If you are a player already do come on out and launch a few balloons. If you have not played this is a great weekend to join. To play the game is free, but if you decide to buy balloons you will be thrilled at the exchange rate of Eav’s to real currency. You get a lot of bang for your real bucks, and for this event 20% goes to the soldiers. I plan to stay home and send balloons all weekend.
game over
Meet the Leaders Quest: Day 11
May 26, 2016
— 2 Comments
EmpireKred is the only game I play. It is a social atmosphere that values good conduct and good content. Join us during this drive and start Leaders with a big bonus. Get rich fast.
mermaidcamp 