February 2009
Fourth of July Quotes
MADRID – For millions of Americans, this Fourth of July will be a time of celebration and remembrance of those passed or distanced by war. The annual commemoration of Independence Day has always been a bittersweet time for Americans who evoke the thoughts of Cordell Hull, “I am certain that, however great the hardships and the trials which loom ahead, our America will endure and the cause of human freedom will triumph.”
First celebrated in 1776 and declared a legal holiday in 1941, the Fourth of July is truly the most American of all holidays. A time for families and friends to gather, the Fourth of July has become a benchmark between the blooms of spring and Indian summer.
Our national holiday is described best in the words of our most prominent leaders, past and present.
“Where liberty is, there is my country.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The experience of democracy is like the experience of life itself-always changing, infinite in its variety, sometimes turbulent and all the more valuable for having been tested by adversity.” – Jimmy Carter
This year as millions of Americans celebrate at backyard barbeques and on beaches across the country, we will remember the thousands who are far from home, and we will seek solace in the words of our forbearers. As Elmer Davis, the legendary American radio announcer and news commentator, stated, “This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
For more Fourth of July quotes, visit www.thinkexist.com
About The Author
Mark A. Lugris is the Public Relations Director for ThinkExist.com
mark.lugris@thinkexist.com
Poker Slang: ‘cold Deck’ or ‘cooler’
One of the causes or precursors to the idea of the ‘bad beat’ in poker, a ‘cold deck’ is termed such when it seems that the cards the dealer is giving out are in some designed to hurt a particular player, ie: that improbable acts happen. A cold deck becomes particularly cold when against vast odds you get set into a situation where you were essentially designed to go broke, such as getting dealt pocket kings against pocket aces, or having your opponent hit a 2 outer on you.
The opposite of being ‘on a rush’ or a ‘card rack,’ there’s not much worse for a poker player than when it seems he’s getting cold decked, and though no matter what he does he’s going to lose. Often times in these kind of spots it’s best to get up and take a stretch, though other kinds of players like to try to sit through their cold spells and wait for the cards to come back to them.
A ‘cooler’ is another term in the same camp as a ‘cold deck,’ specifically referring to a situation where the cold deck nailed you. Having three Jacks on the turn against your opponent’s three nines only to see them spike that final nine of the river, well, that may be the ultimate kind of example of a cooler in poker.
Online Spectacles
prescription spectacles in the world nowadays have got so fashionable that some individuals will even wear them without the having the need. Nevertheless, some people need prescription spectacles and do not wear them for one reason or another. Some reasons include, they cannot afford to go to the ophthalmic optician, or they feel prescription spectacles do not look all that wonderful on them. Whatever the reason, it is very important to wear your eyeglasses if you need to.
Additionally, headaches are common in those who are long sighted or near sighted and do not wear prescription glasses. This is caused from the amount of work your eyes have to do in order to properly function.
Many individuals think if they are farsighted that they can just pick up any old pair of eyewear at the grocery store and this will help them see clearer when looking at things close up. This is not true, while some individuals may have some good luck with this type of reading glasses, most of the population do not. You will still have to visit your ophthalmic optician for a few reasons. First, because regular eye tests help to catch eye diseases right away when they can be treated more easily. Second, because many individuals require eyeglasses that have a different prescription for each eye, and drug store reading prescription eyeglasses don’t offer this, which will lead to headaches.
You may choose specs that look good on you by sticking with these hints. The frame shape should suit your face shape. The frame size should go along with your face size and the color should repeat your best personal feature (such as eye color).
There are seven elementary types of face shapes, before buying glasses you should determine which category you fall under and buy rimless glasses that fit. The 7 basic face shapes are round, oval, oblong, base-down triangle, base-up triangle, diamond and square. Then you should also determine the color that best matches your general skin, hair and eye color.
There are many different types of spectacles available to you today. Fashionable designer prescription glasses are no longer challenging to come buy or extremely expensive either. You can even get online spectacles now, which change to sunglasses when you step out into the sun. They can cover lenses with an anti-reflective coat to prevent glare and annoying reflections.
You ought to visit your optometrist once per year to once every two years for eye exams. Ofttimes as individuals get older the prescription strength alters in the eyes, which will give you the need for new specs. Obviously, if in between eye doctor visits you notice that your rimless prescription glasses are not working to par anymore, you should make an appointment for an eye exam straight away.
Travel Canada: The Calgary Stampede
Welcome travelers to Cowtown, Canada! This two-week long festival starting the first Friday after June 2nd can showcases everything under the sun to do with ranching. Here is a short description of the attractions, events and festivities this world-renowned event has to offer.
Travel Canada: Stampede Parade
Those traveling from outside of Canada have most likely already seen a Stampede Parade: the estimated TV audience is well over 2 million people at last count. But nothing compares to seeing this kick off party in person! Visitors in attendance will view over 160 entries that can include marching bands, large horses, the RCMP, and the Stampede Queen and Princesses.
Travel Canada: Chuckwagon Races
The end of every Stampede evening in Calgary, Canada begins with the chuckwagon races – an event travelers flock to by the droves. Nine heats of four wagons and 16 outriders compete starting at 8:00pm in the Grandstand at Stampede Park, and afterwards partygoers are treated to live music, entertainment, and fireworks.
Travel Canada: Stampede Breakfasts
A not-to-miss, every morning event at Stampede, visitor to Calgary, Canada, can eat breakfast for free at one of the several hundred Stampede Breakfasts around town. Pancakes, juice and entertainment is shared, free of charge, to tens of thousand of attendees on a daily basis, all in the spirit of the Wild West.
Travel Canada: The Million Dollar Rodeo
The Stampede rodeo has been wowing travelers to Calgary, Canada, since 1912, with saddle bronc, bareback, bull and barrel riding, along with some tie-down roping and steer wrestling to boot. Over 50 of the world’s best compete yearly for the largest purse of a regular season professional rodeo.
Travel Canada: Old Time Rigs
Have you ever wanted to ride a horse-drawn rig, and see the sights of the Old, Wild West? Well, if you get your free tickets early, you can. Volunteers start corralling people at the NE corner of Fluor Rope Square at 8:30am every Stampede morning, and travelers to the Canadian city can grab them on a first come, first served basis. The tour starts at 9:30am promptly, and takes travelers to a free pancake breakfast and a short, one hour tour of the downtown area of Calgary, Canada. Visitors are then dropped off at Stampede Park at the main north entrance when finished.
Travel Canada: Square Dancing
Every day, from 10:00 – 12:00 noon, travelers to Canada’s Stampede can learn how to square dance from the pro’s. The corner of Stephen Avenue and 1st Street SW (across from the Bay) hosts this all ages, all experience level fun time, cowboy style.
Travel Canada: Western Showcase
Like many large exhibitions such as the Calgary Stampede, travelers to the Canadian event can view the arts and crafts that present and preserve the Western Heritage. Cooking shows, live entertainment (such as Cowboy Poetry), photo exhibits and original western art are all proudly displayed for the world to see in Hall D of the Roundup Centre.
You can’t get more Greek!
Perhaps one of the major symbols of the Greek leisure mentality, an integral part of Greek life, are the worry beads, or komboloi. A popular song used to say: “I shall throw away my watch and buy a set of worry beads”, which is exactly the symbolism of the komboloi. Today you will see young and old walking the streets of Athens, their hands behind their back playing around with the beads or men sitting around the kafeneion table, arguing and playing on their beads with a greater degree of agitation as the argument heats up.
These beads are not religious; they are not some kind of Orthodox rosary though you will see many priests swinging them along as well. They are just a way of passing the time, keeping your hands occupied, which is why recently they have been promoted as an excellent way to give up smoking. More and more women have taken up the habit of swinging around a set of worry beads which was never done before. That is why more sophisticated fashion conscious, even designer, sets of worry beads are being produced.
Have you ever had the problem you didn’t know what to buy your partner, friend, family member etc? Sure you have, most of us have. Imagine you want to buy yourself or someone else something unique, something that 99,7% of the rest of the town does not have, something people will look at, admire, be jealous of you having it and, when you give it as a present, something that will make someone think of you often and smile. Of course you will find unique and hand-made presents…but don’t forget to bring your bank account when you go out to buy them!
Lots of low quality too expensive komboloi are being sold all over Greece, especially in the tourist areas. Luckily there also are places that will sell you original komboloi, hand-made, and thus unique in its kind, in Greece, not mass produced in India. These Greek design studios make the real thing, the ones the Greek buy. They can be made of glass or acrylic, gemstones, organic material or amber.
Apart from plate smashing, a Greek fat wedding or dancing the sirtaki all night, you can’t get more Greek than with an original komboloi.
Panayotis Papadogonas – Athens Info Guide
The land of the sun and the good wine
The city of San Rafael – Mendoza in Argentina, offers a wide variety of travel resources for all ages. This resources include: hiking, horse riding, trekking, raffting, parapente, kayak, climbing, among others.
If you are not interested in adventure tourism, you can enjoy the beautiful natural landscapes which San Rafael counts with.
For those who are lovers of the culture of the wine, the city of San Rafael is worldwide recognized for its vineyards and its awarded wines of excelence. Also, it offers a tour called “The path of the wine” in which tourists can watch and participate in the whole process of wine-making from when u pick up the grapes, untill you see the finished product.
You can find more information about San Rafael in: http://www.sanrafael.com.ar
Best Regards,
Gustavo Roitman
webmaster@sanrafael.com.ar
About the Author
Gustavo lives in Mendoza, Argentina, he is currently an advanced computer engineer student in Univ. of Mendoza. He also works designing web pages and his last work was: http://www.sanrafael.com.ar
Lack of Information a Problem for Dieters
Fat loss is something most folk contend with from time to time. Seeking the optimum diet program or the most effective exercise routine can last for years. On the surface, it seems that the search is about looking fit for others.
You will go out of your way to impress “them,” correct? To be successful, blissful, and pull in that life mate, its a prerequisite that you look pleasing to them. Hmmmm.
In reality, this is to some degree true, however, looking fit (worthy) is truly about getting in tune with your personal self-respect, accessing a deeper worth that is not obtained from your appearance. “Dropping off fat” must not be the sole question asked. You should not give up on the pursuit of losing weight, but at minimum look at this question: “How do I go about feeling worthy and fit inside, no matter my external appearance?”
You probably are already asking such a question, in your subconcious.
As you are trying to lose fat, the above question normally dwells beneath your on-going weight battle. Since it is present anyway, I am suggesting you make it even more conscious. Make it your obsession (in a good way). precisely as equal in importance to weight loss plans. You may be pleasantly surprised.
When you make self-acceptance the goal, together with a decent “lose weight fast” method, you open a door towards feeling much better emotionally. You begin to envision that there are new ways to solve this problem, aside from just dieting and exercises. Moving towards true dignity brings you to address the problem directly. You then start to bring out the nitty-gritty issues.
It is strongly advised you get help if many wounds are coming out. There are numerous special books and resources on weight loss, self-pride, body image, and honest self-acceptance that will take you to new directions.
However the problem and its solution originate with you. What I am trying to say is that the real job is not finding the best weight loss program, or what to eat, etc. the real problem is self-judgment. It is wise to start there.
You merely feel bad in the eyes of others if you are judging yourself. When you take of your “glasses” of self-judgment, no matter how oppressive it was, then you will have gotten to the source of the problem. You come out from that state by electing to do so. You remove self-judgment about your body image or anything for that matter, by accepting how unproductive it is, and at the same time acquiring paths to feel more self-pride.
Offshore Gambling Keeps Gaming Fans in Their Houses
Umpteen gamblers will likely have come upon the term “offshore sports betting”, but a few maybe aren’t entirely sure what that indicates. A foreign gaming web site inherently acts exterior to the rule of any given country on the other hand it can be a machine-accessible gaming web site that has all of its computer servers within the boundaries of a country where online gaming isn’t currently prohibited. In short then, it is a wagering site running independently of the dominion of the state of the customer. Web based gambling sites are by and large regulated by three organizations. These corporations are OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), the IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association FTGA.
The OSGA is an unbiased bureau which supervises the offshore gambling trade with the purpose to also give gamblers the capability to quickly discover acclaimed organizations to play games on, without concern. It attempts to defend client’s rights, not to mention they do not charge any membership costs.
The association is a well-qualified and nonpartisan third party affiliation which asserts neutral assessments, advised by your assessments, objective studies, telephone conversations, insider prompts not to mention offers inside bulletins.
The Interactive Gaming Council is a not-for-profit council. The administration was created to allow a platform for concerned individuals to address subjects and in addition to advance communal matters in the international online gaming industry, to ensure upright and also stable business rules and patterns that strive to improve consumer confidence in internet based gambling commodities and utilities, also to assist as the sports gambling industry’s inclusive practise advisor not to mention the Interactive Gaming Council functions as an information depot.
The IGC has worked up a distinction for honor, integrity also believability by virtue of its high principles, also its allure for business concerns of moral practise. The Interactive Gaming Council influences offshore gaming by means of recommending a specific ten step set of precepts and charges gaming web sites license fees for publishing the council’s logo. Unsatisfied clients can also disclose their misunderstandings to the IGC.
The FTGA has been formed in order to create a standard which will raise the criteria of networked gambling operations. The Interactive Gaming Council proposerealize that carrying on business entirely with businesses of honorable reputation, they can develop an affiliation of the most fair and most expert offshore betting businesses in the world at large.
So, there are councils which survey the procedures of internet sports gaming and which should assist to mitigate most of the fears felt by skeptics. Online sports gambling internet sites are absolutely free from danger, since personal details should not be requested and also the payments and the gaming odds are usually as balanced and sportsmanlike as in a typical Vegas-style Vegas type sports-bet. They cut back on the travel expenditure, but retain the basic character, but nowadays you are enabled to play in your own home.
online sport book betting line
SALOME and HERODIAS, A Curious Mother’s Day Story, Part 1 of 2 Parts
First, a disclaimer:
This article requires information about John the Baptist, whose life and works and words are holy, divinely inspired, to Christians. The sources I’ve accessed are religious, historical, literary, exegetic, and anecdotal. In order to avoid disrespect for the sacredness of the words and concepts with which Christians hold The Gospels and with which Jews hold The Torah, I’ve renamed both ‘translated redactions.’ I also use the euphemism, monotheistic god, to avoid any disrespect to any deity and religion. This is an essay designed to entertain and inform you, Dear Reader, not to cause any religious discussion or foment.
Second, a thank you:
To friend Pam and friend Vanessa, both of whom got my research juices going on Salome, whom, I believed, was trivial, too trivial even for our newsletter. It boiled down to “Who did she do the belly dance for?” I hadn’t a clue, because I didn’t think she was real. They both assured me she was a real person. I checked it out. Yup, she was real and…
…she may have danced or may not have danced. But, if she did dance, it wasn’t a belly dance that she did, nor was it a tap, the tango, or the quick step. The belly dance aspect was imagined in the late 19th century by some artistic guy, and we’ll get there, later, when it’s timely. She did perform, that much is true, and she performed for the host, her stepfather, at the instigation of the hostess, her mother, and their banquet guests.
It was an entertainment interlude, and it occurred about the 1st century AD in a castle located in area called The Galilee. She may have performed in a play about some Greek mythological character or she may have been the one non-Bedouin ( a guest) in a troop of Bedouin entertainers who did folk dances that non-Bedouins enjoyed seeing. If it was the former, the structure of the play was rigid: it was a pantomime, with stringed instrumentals to keep the story line going, mime actors of both genders, all adults, and young children acrobatics of both genders. Everyone was masked. This was a troop of professional entertainers on the payroll of biggies, not a traveling group (a type not yet invented). They were probably on the payroll of her stepfather and she had time to practice with them before the banquet.
If it was the latter, it was a dance, one with a lot of whirling and head tossing, by females in heavy blue robes with cowls, and there was a flute accompaniment. The company did not live in The Galilee, but were nomads from the desert between The Galilee and Arabia, who had come by request of the biggie. It is unlikely that Bedouin dancers were involved in this banquet, for they had to walk a fine line in their desert migrations, land that abutted both The Galilee and Arabia. at that time There was bad blood between Aretas IV King of Arabia and Antipas, stepfather of Salome, Tetrarch of The Galilee, the place where the banquet and the entertainment took place and the place where Salome lived. And, Salome would not have had time to practice the whirling and head tossing before the banquet.
So, it was a Roman style play about Greek mythology that was probably performed as the intermediate event between courses or the closing event of a posh banquet. The host, her stepfather, was a Herod we’ll call Antipas, (not as high as a King) and the hostess, her mother, was named Herodias (a former Queen, divorced from her 1st husband, Phillip, a King, and now married to a mere Tetrarch, making her a Tetrarchess, I guess). The guest list contained: nobles visiting from Rome, Roman nobles stationed in The Galilee by Rome, aristocrats from The Galilee and maybe Judea, and Antipas’ Steward, Chuza. Some sources say the banquet was thrown by Herodias because it was Antipas’ birthday, an unnecessary embellishment, to my way of thinking. Most sources are silent about the reason for the banquet, so I tend to go with most when it’s a fact such as this kind. Any banquet takes preparation, whether you’re a Queen, a Tetrarchess, or merely the wife of a mope. So, along with the food and seating plan, Herodias prepared for the entertainment and decided that Salome’s participation in the entertainment would be the thing to do before the banquet took place. Herodias is described as a savvy kind of gal by the benign tellers of the tale (she’s vilified by most) and Salome was her only child (by Phillip), so she probably made time to watch Salome rehearse. A lot was riding on Salome being real real good. Nothing anywhere says whether Salome wanted to be a part of the entertainment or was unwilling to be a part of the entertainment.
Herodias planned a staid, Roman affair. It could not have been a bacchanal type banquet (similar to the present Wild On’s on E!), as some sources suggest. There were stringent Roman rules about highborn women and what they can attend and do in while in attendance. Herodias was high born and from Judea. (Antipas, her second husband, was not as high born, coming from an Idumean father and possibly a Samarian mother.)
Salome was just a kid at the time of the banquet. Some sources say she was a teenager, but they have to in order for other parts of the legend to fit. (We’ll get to the other parts later.) I doubt if she was a nubile teenager. She was royalty, a Princess, in fact, with very good blood on her mother’s side, Maccabean blood, which was respected even by Rome, who, by the way, had conquered Judea (and The Galilee) long before this time and made this area a part of their Empire. Modesty and chastity were required for this type female from a Roman standpoint and a Maccabean standpoint (her bloodline was matriarchal). She had to be dutiful, respectful, and learn at her mother’s knee, an important custom amongst the Maccabean women. She was a good kid. So, she couldn’t have been a teenager and allowed to perform. It would diminish her future value in the marriage market, Roman or otherwise, and it would have been a sin. I would opine she had to be less than Nadia Comaneci’s age when she blew away the Olympic judges in 1976, but she was probably just as agile.
It’s probable that Herodias recognized her daughter’s agility long before the banquet, for kids have a tendency to display what they’re good at long before there’s a use for the tendency. It could have been a genetic throwback to the time before the Maccabees were promoted to highborn, the time when the men were just about the best guerilla fighters in Judea and found the mountainous regions around Judea excellent terrain to entice their foes into combat. She was probably proud of this tendency and savvy enough to see a utilization for her own good. This also pre-supposes that Herodias might have had more contact in Salome’s upbringing than Roman highborn mothers or that there was a lot of contact between highborn mothers and their daughters at that time. In either case, Herodias planned the banquet and the entertainment and included her agile daughter in the entertainment, making sure Salome rehearsed and would do a good job in the acrobatic kid part of the troop…a multi-tasking woman for sure.
Protocol at posh and formal banquets where Roman mucky mucks were invited was stringent. This would have been very important to Antipas, also. He had been raised in Rome (maybe even a hostage child) and the land he administered at the time of the banquet had been bequeathed to him by Rome. Augustus (of the Cleopatra story) had handled the apportioning of Antipas’ father’s enormous estate when he, known as Herod The Great, died. Antipas was not happy with the way Poppa’s estate was apportioned, felt he had gotten the short stick amongst his four brothers. (He had.) He would have been very, very Roman at this Roman banquet in order to make nice and have this get back to Rome.
The men would have reclined on the equivalent of 1st century Barco-Loungers and ate lovely things and drank lovely wine moderately, while trading amusing stories and quips and bantering amongst each other. I’m not sure just what bantering is, but I am sure they bantered. They would have been arranged in a horseshoe pattern. The women guests and their hostess would have sat on chairs and I couldn’t figure out where the chairs were placed, within the horseshoe in a line or outside the horseshoe in a line. But in any case, they would have sat on fancy, but hard backed, chairs in a line and would not have eaten, drunk wine, but I suggest they may have bantered. Their job was to just sit, all gussied up and smellin’ good. (They would eat and drink, later, when they got home or when the guests left, depending on your perspective.)
Salome could not have been invited. If she had been invited, she would have left her fancy, hard-backed chair vacant in order to get into costume and perform. Antipas would have noticed the empty chair and have asked someone, “Where did the kid go?” And, someone would have said, “She’s going to perform.” That would have taken the drama out of this next part of the story. Let’s agree; she was not invited to the banquet.
At the proper time, the play was performed, and the audience clapped after it was over. Antipas complimented the performers, then singled one out. Because it was Salome that was singled out, I believe she was one of the masked acrobats. It only makes sense. Antipas apparently didn’t recognize the stepdaughter he had raised since infancy as the excellent acrobat in the play. Rather, he thought her one of the professionals, for if he had recognized her, he wouldn’t have offered the giftreward. He just would have said, “Good job, sweetie. Go get washed. You’ll catch cold.” Therefore, because he didn’t recognize her, he made a magnanimous gesture (It’s not unlikely that he was showing off for the guests, for Antipas was a doodle-head, didn’t think things through. We’ll get to that, later.), and he offered the acrobat-Salome anything she desired as a gift from him for her fine performance. This is exactly what Herodias had planned to happen. She knew her guy pretty well and she knew her little girl real well. The benign tellers were right: she was a savvy gal.
Since all sources attribute what comes next as engendered by Herodias, the acrobat-Salome had to have asked him to wait a minute and had to have gone to the chair line, where her mother and the other women were sitting, otherwise Herodias would not have been associated with what comes next. (It would have been only Salome who would have been associated with what comes next.). So, the mother and daughter had to have conferred quietly, while Antipas (and the guests) watched. Perhaps, Salome said, “Euwww,” as kids do when they hear something revolting; or perhaps, not. She was a 1st century kid and they may have been different from 21st century kids. I think not. Kids are kids. She said “Euwww.” Dutifully, she listened closely to what her mother told her and she probably repeated it back to Herodias, so that she got it right and straight. Then, she, the acrobat-Salome, came back to Antipas with the gift idea: the head of the long time prisoner John (who later became John the Baptist, but who was merely the prisoner John at this time) on a platter (which was probably not a platter, but a charger).
It’s possible that he recognized Salome at this point. It doesn’t really matter. I do know he knew he had been set up by his wife, Herodias, via this acrobat-Salome, when he heard the performance reward. And he was startled and embarrassed and in a public quandary. It’s possible he questioned the acrobat-Salome with an ‘are you kidding? kind of question, while looking in Herodias’ direction, who either shrugged her shoulders or nodded ‘yes.’ From a legal standpoint, he did not have to honor this acrobat-Salome’s request, for it wasn’t hers. It was Herodias.’ But that’s not how it went down.
Everyone at the banquet knew there had been a big mad between Herodias and Antipas regarding John for a long, long time. She had wanted him killed outright for talking often and badly about her and her marriage to Antipas to everyone and anyone who would listen to him. John had labeled it incestuous and it was, kind of, but by only a technicality, like the small print in a big long contract. Herodias’ first husband, the Herod we’re calling Phillip, was Antipas’ half brother. They shared the same father, Herod The Great, but had different mothers. Phillip was still living in Judea where he was King (Rome gave him a large portion of his father’s estate, larger than Antipas..) and as long as Phillip lived, Herodias and Antipas had an incestuous marriage. As soon as he died, it would be an okay marriage. But, he hadn’t died, yet.
Although it was the gossip that bothered Herodias (A good spin doctor would have helped, but they were 2000 years down the road in development.), it was the religious twist John put on the technical incest that bothered Antipas. John attributed all the stuff that had gone wrong in The Galilee since they married (and stuff had gone wrong, for Antipas was a doodle-head) to the marriage. And, John said that the monotheistic god was angry with her, more than Antipas, because of her good Maccabean blood (a mix of Idumean and Samarian blood results in a person that the monotheistic god doesn’t expect much from), and would stay angry with her and get more so, so the anger would spill over to the whole of The Galilee, until she and Antipas split (or, I guess, until Phillip died, a factor that was out of her hands).
People listened to that kind of stuff at that time and in that place and they got real scared. A monotheistic god’s anger was a terrible thing. Famine, drought, disease, pestilence, flood, invasion, even eclipse – anything could happen when a monotheistic god was angry. While there hadn’t been famine, drought, disease, pestilence, flood, invasion, or even an eclipse in The Galilee, Antipas had lost a war, his first, with Nabatea, their neighbor in Arabia.
Herodias could have been a vulnerable position should important people have listened to John’s predictions. Luckily for her, the important people had other things on their mind. Antipas said ‘no’ to killing John and ‘yes’ to imprisoning him, believing that would shut John up. Some sources said Antipas had a feeling that John’s predictions were true; others said he had a feel for the monotheistic deity. Still others say he was merely acting like a political animal, notably, a fox. At any rate, John was not killed, but imprisoned, and he had been languishing in the prison for many years at the time of the banquet.
Now, killing a local prisoner was no big deal anywhere in the 1st century world of the Roman Empire and having a prisoner killed to reward an agile acrobat was stretching the reward idea, but… it could work. The thing is that the head on a plattercharger was the note that made it a bigger deal. This touch was a gruesome, certainly barbaric, dramatic thing and would cause a scandal and gossip all over Judea and in Rome, what Antipas did not need if he were to ever get any more land from his dead father’s estate from Rome. (And it did, for Flavius Josephus in his book, “Antiquities,” writing to and for Rome about 100 years after the event ,included the event for it was still so juicy. This, by the way, is how we know about some parts of it.) (An important question occurs to me and that is this: How and where did Herodias get this notion? The very best I can come up with is the Greek myth of Perseus and Medusa and their fight to death. Perseus won. He decapitated Medusa and waved her head around and took it a bunch of places as a talisman. It must have been awful after a time. Maybe that’s where she got it, for she was well educated. Perhaps, she then pragmatically adapted it to the opportune situation at hand. Beheading was a popular type of death and an honorable type of execution for criminals and warriors amongst the Romans and the Maccabees and the Arabians. This, I discovered, from plunking around on the Internet to some very weird websites. I don’t recommend you check this out for yourself. Truthfully, I cannot imagine where she got this embellishment. One of these weird websites calls her talented.)
The doodle-head complied.
A messenger was sent to the fortress named Macharerus (now called Mukawir) in an area called The Perea (now part of Amman, Jordan) where John was imprisoned. A nameless guard cut off his head, and got a messenger to convey it to the castle somewhere in The Galilee, where the banquet guests were waiting, the males still bantering with one another, I guess, to pass the time; the females still sitting quietly on their hard chairs, smellin’ good. The acrobat-Salome probably went off somewhere to bathe and change clothes, then returned to the banquet room to stand next to her (talented) Momma or stand with the performers. The guards put the headless body somewhere, waited for further orders.
I couldn’t find out how far away the area The Parea was from The Galilee, for I couldn’t pin down exactly what city the castle was located in the area known as The Galilee, then, the area where the banquet occurred. Let’s believe it wasn’t terribly far, so the messenger conveying the head could get from there to there quick. He arrived and a kitchen servant brought a plattercharger (No one knows if it was a platter made out of silver, gold, porcelain, or stoneware. In fact, no one cared. Furthermore, it may not have been a platter, but a charger, which is larger than a plate and smaller than a platter and rested under a plate at a table service and was often of precious metal. Since it’s a Roman banquet, people took morsels of this and that from servant-held chargers, didn’t have a table service at all. They were reclining.) where the head was placed. Another servant, a serving type, brought the head to the banquet hall and stood in front of Antipas. It’s possible he directed the servant to acrobat-Salome, who took the plattercharger and gave it to her Mother. One redactor source makes Herodias even more gruesome stating: she got a sword and stabbed the tongue. This is an embellishment that even Flavius Josephus didn’t believe, so he doesn’t mention it. What she really did with it, I don’t know. (People who thought John had a direct line to the monotheistic god requested his body and his head from Antipas, who released both parts to them. They took it to an area called Samaria, which was close to The Perea, and buried it.)
What happened after this part of the banquet took place, I don’t know. I imagine some guy yawned and said, “It’s been quite an evening. I think it’s time to get going.” And the guests all went to their lodgings. It’s probable that Antipas and Herodias had a long conversation, after the guests left. When they were alone in their private rooms, he probably opened the conversation with: “We never talk anymore, Herodias. Tell me what’s going on with you.” Salome, who had been up long past her normal bedtime, was probably overtired and went to sleep or was put to sleep immediately.
And there you have it. Salome didn’t dance, didn’t wear veils, and had a strong bond with her Mother.
End of Part 1
Barbara Nell, publisher of The Perspicacious Woman OnLine (C), a bi-monthly fashion magazine now in its 10th year of publication, has been a closet bug on history all her life.
Cheap Gift Ideas
Regardless of whether you don’t want to spend a bundle or simply can’t, there are plenty of cheap gifts that will make people smile. Here’s a list of cheap gift ideas.
Cheap Gift Ideas
You can find all of the following cheap gift ideas online. Just search for the words in parentheses and you should find them.
1. Dual Cereal Dispenser – A great kitchen accessory, the Dual Cereal Dispenser sits on a counter top and…ta da, dispenses cereal. Simply put a box of cereal in one of the two holders and seal the top. Each morning, family members just put a bowl underneath and dispense cereal through a slot. Keeps cereal fresh and gets rid of annoying boxes that take up space. The Dual Cereal Dispenser will run you as low as $14.99 online.
2. Rolling Caster Set – Moving furniture and heavy items around is not much fun. In truth, I’ve added to the lexicon of cusswords when hauling my oak dining table around. Fortunately, the Rolling Caster Set has been created to help us all avoid back surgery. These rolling casters are little triangles with wheels on the bottom. Simply slide them under the corner of whatever you’re moving, and off you go. No struggling and staggering around. When it comes to cheap gift ideas, this one will run you $9.99 and never be thrown away by the person you give it to.
3. Cordless Glue Gun – A great gift for moms. The cordless glue gun can be used in arts and crafts, home repair projects and for general repairs around the house. The glue gun works on fabric, metal, wood, plastic, leather and just about anything you’ll run across. You can find the cordless glue gun for as low as $9.99 online.
4. Nomad Writing Journals – If you’re buying for a person that loves the outdoors or to travel, Nomad Writing Journals make great gifts. These journals are tailored to activities such as travel, fly fishing, bird watching, backpacking, camping, rock climbing and so on. They come with or without a case and provide writing space as well as cues for writing down important information. A great keepsake for family members to preserve their travel and outdoor experiences. The journals cost as low as $9 without waterproof case and $25 with case.
Thanks to the Internet, cheap gift ideas aren’t hard to come by. Heck, I even purchased some of these while writing this article.
Rick Chapo is with www.nomadjournals.com – makers of writing journals for travel and outdoor activities. Writing journals make great Christmas gifts for him or her.