Geography Div (Up the Yazoo subsection)

 Atlas Obscura Has an interesting article  - - 

 

Geography Div Special - - the Winners

 Tomorrow is the anniversary of "Custer's Last Stand."  Here are some of the survivors .........

Memorial Day div

I originally wrote this when I was living and working in the Washington, DC area. The feelings remain true to this day.

                    *****************************************************************

When I was growing up, Memorial Day fell on the same day every year; the 30th of May. We would huddle around the radio and listen to that famous command; "Gentlemen, start your engines." The Offenhauser's would roar and the Indy 500 would commence.

It was a single day, not the three (or four - -  or if traffic around the Great White Theme Park was any indication on Thursday, five day "celebration"). 

Thursday evening I drove past the now shuttered Walter Reed Army Medical Center and was surprised (as I am since its closing) not to see the young men (and the occasional woman) exercising their shattered bodies in the shaded grounds bordering 16th Street NW. I most recall one young man, seemingly more steel and modern technology than flesh, jogging jerkily (yet upright and proud) along the footpath - I slowed down, honked and gave him a "thumbs up." He raised his remaining appendage and pumped his only fist in acknowledgement. I'll never forget that.

Jon Talton had an excellent post yesterday. I won't repeat his disgust at the commercialization of such a solemn day of remembrance. Suffice it to say, I won't be shopping.

I'll always remember the ceremony that accompanied Remembrence Day when I lived in England. It wasn't just the ceremony at the Centopath in London's Whitehall, but what took place in almost every town and village that had a memorial to it's fallen.

 Although this was written by an Australian, sung by an Irishman and about a war so long ago, I can't think of a better piece of music to symbolize what Memorial Day really means.

                                       

                 They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

                 Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

                 At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

                                    We will remember them.

Ode of Rememberance

Geography Div (what used to be subsection)

 Considering what we've had to put up with lately, maybe this would be an improvement.

Yet, there's hope ........

Geography Div (Flyin' 'round the world subsection)

An interesting article from the Washington Post. 

Geography Div (Airmail Delivery subsection)

 Hard to imagine, but 75 years ago the China Clipper took off from Alameda,CA carrying 110,000 pieces of mail on the first trans-Pacific mail run.

Geography Div (Fortification subsection)

 Seems our nations capital is being turned into an armed camp to prevent the orange horde from destroying it (and leaving the Democrats yet another mess to clean up).

Yet there was a time when the District was really a fortified entity -- Here's what it looked like in 1865.

Geography Div (History subsection)

This was what East Asia looked like today in 1941 ....... we know what happened on that day, don't we?

Geography Div ( Arrrgh!! subsection)

I obviously missed National Talk Like a Pirate Day. Oh well.
Here courtesy of Atlas Obscura is a seventeenth century map and article about the Dutch rooting out a nest of the brigands.

A Little Early Week Fascism

Stumbled upon Rick Steves (the travel guy) on PBS tonite (you certainly won't find this on FAUX news).

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/fascism

See if there's anyone you recognize .............

Geography Div (Exploration subsection)

Today in 1534 Jaques Cartier discovered Prince Edward Island. Neither Prince Edward nor Anne of Green Gables was around then and it was originally part of the French colony of Arcadia. It's name was Ile Sainte-Jean, but the Mi'kmaq called it Epekwitk, meaning "cradled on the waves" (much more poetic, eh?).

Geography Div (Lost State subsection)

Came across this interesting bit of American history:

Geography Div (More ancient roads subsection)

Last week was an ancient "trip-tik" Here's another version of a "road" map; only these are Roman:

The Tabula Peutingeriana, an itinerary map, is a reproduction of a Roman map, showing the highways of the Roman world all the way from England to Sri Lanka. It isn’t to scale and manipulates space to show the road system. Pictured are stopping places, prominent towns, and mountain ranges. The Tabula Peutingeriana is also massive at 22 feet in length. At that size, it wouldn’t be useful for a road trip, but with 555 cities and 3,500 place names, it is a chronicle of Rome’s reach. The map’s geographic information dates back to before at least 79 AD, since you can spot Pompeii. The original map has been lost, but we still have a copy thanks to a monk who reproduced it on 11 scrolls in 1265. 

Geography Div (Invasion subsection)

Today in 1916, these here United States were invaded by Mexico!!! Guess we needed that unnecessary wall then too, eh ?

In the small hours of March 9th 1916 Villa crossed the Mexican/ U.S.A border 3 miles West of the border gate at Palomas (manned by 151 men and 7 officers of the 13th Cavalry).

The town, garrisoned with 341 men and 7 officers, lay quiet until around 4.30am when Villa's men rode in from the west, dividing their force to attack the town itself and the military camp.

Half the Villistas penetrated as far as the Commercial Hotel, halfway up Main Street where they robbed and butchered 9 guests. The other half struck Camp Furlong from the Southeast targeting the stables in order to spook away as many of the horses as possible. The cook wide awake and at work defended themselves with foraging shotguns as point blank range. Meanwhile at the cross roads of main street and the railroad the Machinegun Company had set themselves up and would discharge 20,000 rounds of ammunition. Eventually the raiders withdrew from the town and were hotly pursued by Captain Tompkins, 56 cavalrymen verses 400 Villistas. Tompkins drove Villa 15 miles back into Mexico killing 32. Tompkins returned to Columbus at around 1pm to the sight of 67 dead Villistas being doused with kerosene and set ablaze.

The Subsequent Mexican Punitive Expedition lead by General John J. Pershing lasted some 10 months but it failed to capture Villa. It did however disperse his forces who never again penetrated American soil. 
(H/T Treasurenet)

Geography Div (Historic subscetion)

 Today, on his voyage of 1487-88, Bartholomeu Dias had rounded the Cape of Good Hope. This is the first known map to announce that fact: Ptolemy’s land-locked Indian Ocean is gone. Within two years, Columbus’ voyages would reshape the map still more radically, so that this may be regarded as the last view of the old world.

Geography Div

No map today ........ Just a tribute.

 Today, in 1888, The National Geographic Society was founded. They've published more maps than one can shake a stick at and kindled my interest in cartography.
Here's a picture of Vol I, Number 1:

Geography Div ( Tourism subsection)

While on our vacation across the pond, Mrs Bear and I visited Cordoba, Spain.
A fascinating, historic city. We did this walking tour but in reverse, visiting the Cathedral/Mosque last. We also had the advantage of a wonderful, second-generation city guide!!

One interesting point was near #13, Cardinal Salizar Hospital. A statue of Muhammad ibn Aslam Al-Ghafiqi, (d. 1165 CE)  a 12th-century Andalusian-Arab^[1] oculist and author of The Right Guide to Ophthalmology (Al-Murshid fi ’l-Kuhhl). I was amazed that the Moors had contributed so much to this branch of medicine.

Cordoba Sightseeing Walk 1: the Mosque, Jewish Quarter and Alcazar

This is the essential walk for sightseers and visitors to Cordoba who are anxious to see the major tourist sights quickly. It is also an itinerary which can be lengthened, savored and repeated-in fact, I've walked the same streets hundreds of times. You'll see evidence of Roman and Moorish civilizations, and of Cordoba's 3 religions, which lived together in relative harmony at the height of the Caliphate of Cordoba. You'll also be strolling through the heart of Cordoba's historic center, declared Universal Heritage in 1994.

NEW: printable adobe acrobat version (includes some essential information included in links)

1. Our first sight is the Roman Bridge . The Guadalquivir River, once navigable up to this point, made Roman Corduba an important economic hub. We can't date it exactly, and there may have been a wooden pontoon structure spanning the river before the Romans built the stone one, but it was strategic in the wars between Julius Caesar and Pompey, and the later government of Hispania. The Moors rebuilt much of the bridge in the 8th century, after it fell into disrepair under the Visigoths. 

2.  Bridge Gate. Built in 1571 in honor of King Felipe II's visit to Cordoba. Replaced former Moorish gate on site of Roman gate. 

Walk uphill from the Roman Bridge toward the SW corner of the Mosque and follow the west facade along Torrijos street.

3. Episcopal Palace and Museum

4. San Sebastian Hospital: Cordoba Conference Center 

5. Cordoba's Mosque-Cathedral (***) Among the first Universal Heritage Sites declared in Spain in 1984. "The foremost Islamic monument in Spain." (Goodwin, p.55). 

Enter the Orange Tree Courtyard through Deanes Gate on your right. 

Cross to the north side of the courtyard to the ticket office, on the right of the belfry and the Pardon door. 

Enter the Mosque through the Palm Door. Walk south to the Mihrab, then to the apse of the cathedral and finally exit by way of Almanzor's addition.

About the Mosque: The original mosque and the first two expansions make up about two-thirds of the width of the current building's expanse, or 11 naves extending from the west wall (to your right) up to the eastern limit of the cathedral's high altar (to your left) and extend successively southward towards the river to the Mihrab. The eastern third of the building is the most recent addition, built by Almanzor in 988. In the center of the Mosque is the 16th-century Cathedral. 

6. The Original Mosque of Abd Al-Rahman I (786) is some 13 aisles of columns deep, with the southern limit of cathedral's gothic nave. Some columns have disappeared into chapel walls and a line of the cathedral's flying buttresses. The eastern limit of this section is easy to identify, in line with the high altar and two spaces between columns which were filled in with masonry and decorated with paintings, etc.

7. Abd Al-Rahman II's expansion (833) is the most altered by the construction of the cathedral in the 16 th century. It extends a further 9 aisles of columns to the south (3 aisles beyond the cathedral's nave and up to the line of flying buttresses extending to the east.

8. Al-Hakam II's expansion (964) and the Mihrab lies beyond the flying buttresses and the northern limit is marked by a nave 5 rows wide and 3 rows deep cleared of columns with raised ceilings, a rose window and Christian tombstones in the floor. This is the 14 th century cathedral. Just to the east is the fabulous Villaviciosa Chapel, followed by 2 enclosed chapels, including the Royal Chapel. At the back of the Mosque, on the south wall, is the richly decorated Mihrab, and to the left, the Cardinal's Chapel, now the Cathedral Museum .

9. Almanzor's Expansion (987) is the largest, but most poorly decorated, part of the mosque, extending it 8 aisles to the east and turning it from a rectangular building, deeper than it was wide, into a building with a nearly square floor plan. With its courtyard, the Mosque is 22,250 square meters in area, and it then boasted of some 850 columns.

10. The Cathedral was begun in 1523 and built during the remainder of the 16 th century, with Gothic structure, Renaissance vaulting and domes, and baroque choir stalls and pulpits (1750). 

Exiting the Mosque and leaving the Orange Tree Courtyard through the eastern, Santa Catalina door, turn left up Magistral Gonzalez Frances street to the NE corner of the Mosque and turn left on Cardenal Herrero Street.

Take a short detour with an immediate right on Velasquez Bosco and then again into Callejita de las Flores .

11. Callejita de las Flores Street 

Back on Cardenal Herrera Street , continue straight leaving the Pardon Door and Belfry on your left until you reach the NW corner of the Mosque. This is the probable location of one of the Jewish Quarter's medieval gates and the southeastern corner of the triangle-shaped neighborhood.

12. Jewish Quarter

Continue straight into Juderia Street past several souvenir shops and turn right on Deanes street . Then take an immediate left into Romero street . This street was most likely the eastern boundary to the Jewish quarter.

13. Cardinal Salazar Hospital

Continue past the University (the street becomes Almanzor street ) and turn left when you get to Fernandez Ruano. This is the northernmost point of the medieval Jewry.

14. Almodovar Gate: the best preserved of Cordoba's original city gates. Just outside used to be the Jewish cemetery.

15. City walls: Just outside Almodovar Gate is a good viewing point of the city walls, flanked by fountains and gardens. 

Turn south on Judios street . The city wall just to your right formed another boundary to the district.

16. Synagogue(*), built by Simon Majeb in 1315. It is one of the three significant synagogues remaining in Spain and is largely unaltered (its Mudejar stucco work was covered and it was used as a rabies hospital, seat of the shoe-makers' guild and finally a 19th-century primary school). The buildings around it were probably used as public baths and a Talmudic school. 

17. Souk: a medieval market with a distinctly Moorish air through a narrow passageway on the left. 

18. Statue Maimonides: tourists seem to think that rubbing this great Jewish thinker's shoe gives good luck. 

From Maimonides Square go south on Tomas Conde Street, leaving the Jewish Quarter and arriving to Campo Santo de los Martires Park.

19. Caliphate Baths. Briefly opened and then closed again in 2004. Once part of the Caliph's walled complex of palaces and government buildings stretching south to the present-day Alcazar and east to the Episcopal Palace.

Cross south to Alcazar

20. Mosaic Room

21. Patios

22. Gardens

Exit Alcazar and turn right. Cross street and return to starting point via Amador de los Rios street .

23. Triumph of Saint Rafael column, dedicated to Cordoba's archangel protector. 

Sources: [Goodwin pp.44-55, Orti Belmonte pp.15-35, Makariou pp.68-73]

Geography Div (You decide subsection)

If April showers bring May flowers, what do Mayflowers bring?
Well, today in 1620, the Mayflower departed Plymouth, England.
We know what followed.
As one of my Lakota co-workers answers to the riddle, "Genocide."

Geography Div (Still Happenin' subsection)

Afghanistan has loon been called the Graveyard of Empires. Today in 1919, it gained its independence from Great Britain ...... and so the story continues.

Geography Div (In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, etc subsection)

Today in 1492 Christopher Columbus landed in the Canary Islands to rest and refit before sailing off the edge of the world ...... er