Quizzes & Puzzles 6
*Some new problems with which to exercise the brain. But first a look at answers and solutions to* Quizzes & Puzzles 5*. New problems below the image.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-5-6a1616ab
Answer to Quiz 5:1
The name of a plant is also part of a magic password, or formula, in a well-known story.
What plant, and what story?
HerBAE had the right answer: **sesame** and **“Ali Baba and the forthy thieves”**. You can read more about both in The Magic of Sesame: Password, Health & Etymology, an article I published here in December 2020. https://read.cash/@HerBAE https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-magic-of-sesame-password-health-etymology-2be0231f
Answer to Quiz 5:2
Which well-known group of islands was once known for housing a large breed of dog, something also giving this group its name?
That is **The Canary Islands** [Latin: Insulae canariae], from canis, dog. The dog, Dogo Canario, has been preserved as Presa Canario, a recognised Spanish breed, although the original Canary dog was cross-bred with English breeds to produce the modern breed.
When thinking about islands and dogs, many suggestions come to mind, none of them right though. The Labrador or the Newfoundland dog has not given name to groups of islands. Neither has the Malteser or the "Cão de Fila de São Miguel" (Azores Cattledog).
An interesting suggestion is Shetland Sheepdog. Interesting because while the Canary islands are the isles of dogs, The Shetlands are the isles of cats. They were called "Inse Catt" in old Irish literature. That is, the Island of Cats. This has to do with clan symbols of the old Celts. Cats was used by several clans, and it still lives on in Scotland, e.g. Clan Chattan. The Shetlands were obviously inhabited by a cat clan.
The derivation of the word "Shetland" is a long chain of gradual changes from Hetlandensis (1190) and on, nothing of which has anything to do with dogs.
Answer to Quiz 5:3
Change of personality by the use of a drug. A classical story treats this theme in an almost archetypal way. A man of unquestionable character becomes a beast. What is the name of the story, and who wrote it?
A clue: The author is known for a pirate story, which is generally considered as the unsurpassed classic in that genre.
The author is ***Robert Louis Stevenson****,* 1850-1894; the story I asked for is “**Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”**. It is a true classic. Today few people have actually read the story, but it has been immortalised in the movie industry. Several film versions have been made, and the story itself is archetypal for stories about double personalities.
Interestingly, there is a real life model for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The author was inspired by the real life of Deacon Brodie (1741-1788), a man who led a double-life. In one a respectable locksmith and cabinet maker, a true gentleman and family man; in the other he was a gambler and drunkard, holding himself with two mistresses and several illegitimate children. His expensive life was supported by burglary. He managed to uphold this life for quite a while, but in the end he was arrested. In 1788, in Edinburgh, he was hanged.
The pirate story in the clue, is **“Treasure Island“**, which in much has shaped the popular view of pirates.
Answer to Puzzle 5:4
What do you get from this?
*- Only bleary-eyed military men ever try to shave with a toothbrush.*
*- No bleary-eyed military men are musical.*
*- Men who never try to shave with a toothbrush never play golf.*
*- Major Tanner plays the cello on Saturdays.*
*- Only musical people who are golfers forget to change their socks.*
*Exactly what can you conclude about Major Tanner?*
I warned you that there was a trap somewhere. Most of you probably reached the solution that Major Tanner:
a) is musical
b) is not bleary-eyed
c) is not a golfer
d) does not try to shave with a toothbrush
e) does not forget to change socks.
Correct as it may seem; if this is your answer, you did fall into the trap. Strictly you have assumed something which is not stated among the premises, something that can be wrong.
The only thing you can conclude, is that Major Tanner plays the cello on Saturdays. That is not a great deal, since it is explicitly stated, but strictly that is all you can know about the Major. If that was your answer, congratulations! Your thinking is far above average!
To conclude a-e above, you have to assume that Major Tanner is a man, which most of you probably did without even realising that you made an assumption about something. But nothing was stated about the Major's gender. It could be a woman, either in an army accepting female officers, or in the salvation Army.
And now some new quizzes and puzzles.
Quiz 6:1
In mythology, a being, whose name is related to a weather phenomenon, was by a major deity cast down and imprisoned beneath a mountain, a volcano. What is the being called, and what is the name of the mountain?
Quiz 6:2
In forensics, there is often the problem of determining the time that has elapsed since the death of a corpse. An animal can be of good help. Which animal?
Quiz 6:3
As we all know, Russia is involved in a war, and its history is full of wars. If we look at it historically, invading Russia is very difficult. Indeed, from the west, it has not happened many times that Moscow has been taken. So the question this time is how many European military commanders have ever taken Moscow? Who and when?
Puzzle 6:4
A less complicated puzzle this time. Well, it's two puzzles, but they are closely related:
Brothers and sisters I have none.
But this man's father is my father's son.
How many men are there and how are they related? It is relatively easy but there might be readers who want to try their own solution.
The French dramatist Ernest Legouvé described in his autobiography how he once in a company asked if it was possible for two unrelated individuals to have the same sister. Everyone in the company, including a lawyer, concluded that it is impossible.
"But it is really possible", said Legouvé, "and I can name two such persons. One of them is Eugène Sue, I am the other one."
Then he explained how this was possible. Eugène Sue and Ernest Legouvé were unrelated, yet they same woman was the sister of both. Can you explain how this can be possible?
As a special note, I think it is necessary to add that in this reasoning a half-sister = a sister, and a half-brother = a brother.
**You'll find answers and solutions in the next “Quizzes & Puzzles”.**
Quizzes & Puzzles has now its own label in my Index, where all issues of the series can be found. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#quizzes-amp-puzzles
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Cartoon by Christian Dorn/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
My 5 most recent articles:
The Borders of Europe https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-borders-of-europe-81f0a31a
Suggested Reading 22 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-22-d47ebe93
The Seven Wonders of the World - Old & New Lists https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-seven-wonders-of-the-world-old-new-lists-02e4cbf6
Quizzes & Puzzles 5 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-5-6a1616ab
Month Stones https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/month-stones-7a40a5b6
The Borders of Europe
*Where are the geographical borders around Europe? Is it possible to define the borderlines? Well, it is not as simple as one might wish.*
Geographically, Europe is the area limited by the Arctic Sea in the north, The Mediterranean in the south, The Atlantic Ocean in the west - but the Eastern border is less clear. A bit vaguely, the Ural Mountains used to be considered as the Eastern border, or more specifically the Ural river or Emba river. Previously in history, the border was considered to be the river Don, or the Tanais river.
In reality it is unclear, whether the Ural area itself should be included in Europe or not. The Russians do include it, but Western Europeans usually do not.
In the Southeast the problem is obvious. From the Mediterranean to the east, the border follows the water through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus, and into the Black Sea. Here comes the hardest part, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Sometimes it is drawn along the crest of the Caucasian mountains, sometimes along Kura river - and sometimes along one of the valleys north of the Caucasian mountains.
This leaves many unanswered questions. Russia is problematic, but is customarily counted to Europe, although the largest part of it lies in Asia. Cyprus, topographically, is a part of Asia Minor, but is almost always considered as Europe. Turkey, with only a very small part of its territory in Europe (the rest in Asia), is sometimes counted to Europe. When we come to the Caucasian countries (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), confusion grows further.
Personally I think Caucasus is Asia, not Europe - as are the Urals and Turkey. (And I don't think Turkey should be admitted into the European Union, simply for the reason that it is no European country; not geographically, not culturally, and not historically.)
This confusion leaves room for considerable variation on an organisational level, where Europe can mean many things. Let's look at some.
The Council Of Europe
Some people define Europe by membership of the Council of Europe. (This is not the European Union, although membership in the Council of Europe is a prerequisite for membership in the European Union.)
The members of the Council of Europe are (in the order of their accession):
Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Greece, Turkey, Iceland, Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Switzerland, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania , Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Andorra, Latvia, Albania, Moldova, Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Russia, Croatia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Monaco, Montenegro.
Are there countries of Europe which are NOT members? Yes, Belarus and the Vatican City. While - in my opinion - Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan are clearly questionable.
The European Union
The European Union consists of:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
Candidates are:
Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.
Considered by the Union as "other European countries":
Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Norway, Russia, San Marino, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City State and United Kingdom.
Not much to comment on, except the same reservation as before about Turkey and Caucasus.
The Union of European Football Associations
UEFA, The Union of European Football Associations, includes these members (apart from Europe proper):
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey, who have themselves chosen to belong to UEFA rather than the Asian Football Confederation. Cyprus could chose to be seen as European, Asian or African.
So in the world of football, Europe includes Israel and Kazakhstan!
The European Broadcasting Union
Have you ever wondered why Israel and Morocco can participate in the Eurovision Song Contest? They cannot by any definition be said to belong to Europe.
The Eurovision Song Contest is arranged by EBU, and only members may participate. Fully active Members of EBU, The European Broadcasting Union, are from states which are Members of the Council of Europe, or those from states that fall within the European Broadcasting Area.
The European Broadcasting Area includes, besides Europe proper, Western Russia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East down to Northern Saudi Arabia; including all the countries around the Mediterranean. This does include, for instance, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Iraq!
So, EBU's Europe is quite large, and not in accordance with anyone else's!
Copyright © 2007, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Image by Mabel Amber/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.*)
My articles on geography can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#geography
**You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic,** **here****.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
**You can read** **here** **about the origin of the name “Europe”.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/continents-real-and-mythical-dfbbd954#ii-europe
My 5 most recent articles:
Suggested Reading 22 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-22-d47ebe93
The Seven Wonders of the World - Old & New Lists https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-seven-wonders-of-the-world-old-new-lists-02e4cbf6
Quizzes & Puzzles 5 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-5-6a1616ab
Month Stones https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/month-stones-7a40a5b6
Applied Privacy: The Value of False Trails & Contrary Information https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/applied-privacy-the-value-of-false-trails-contrary-information-7a79d2b1
Suggested Reading 22
*In* *this series**, I assume the role of a reader instead of a writer, discussing articles by other writers... things I recommend.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading
Read.Cash Evidently Poised For Writers ' Rejuvenation And Societal Transformation says @Seniorman . https://read.cash/@Seniorman/readcash-evidently-poised-for-writers-rejuvenation-and-societal-transformation-1fcf6e66
Fiat money is a scam invented by governments to defraud their citizens claims @Cronos – and I agree. This article explains it well and ought to be read by everyone who still believes in fiat money. https://read.cash/@Cronos/fiat-money-is-a-scam-invented-by-governments-to-defraud-their-citizens-786d8981
In Welcome to the Polygon - Russia launches new Stable Coin, @mypathtofire suggests that Russia is a pilot case for what will soon be following worldwide. https://read.cash/@mypathtofire/welcome-to-the-polygon-russia-launches-new-stable-coin-191f0fbf
In Degital rouble is on the way ! by @clixmoney we can read more about the Russian plans for money. The same author also wrote The war that costs $600 billion and even more !, which is well worth reading. https://read.cash/@clixmoney/degital-rouble-is-on-the-way-bd7927fe https://read.cash/@clixmoney/the-war-that-costs-600-billion-and-even-more-e20683e1
While we are into the subject of the ongoing war, why not read The Facts Behind the Ukraine-Russia War by @ErdoV . And then, of course, read the reports of the situation in Ukraine by @Gemstone . The most recent one is The Situation in Ukraine & Geopolitics: Morning of 23rd March 2022. https://read.cash/@ErdoV/the-facts-behind-the-ukraine-russia-war-464aa5ae https://read.cash/@Gemstone https://read.cash/@Gemstone/the-situation-in-ukraine-geopolitics-morning-of-23rd-march-2022-f6b828da
@Jnavedan philosophises over The reason for the seemingly irrelevant. Also read Between a centralized or decentralized digital life by the same author. I like the writings of @Jnavedan; he does not always provide answers, but has the ability to ask thought-provoking questions. https://read.cash/@Jnavedan https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/the-reason-for-the-seemingly-irrelevant-18d0b3c0 https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/between-a-centralized-or-decentralized-digital-life-581651f1
Democracy is a form of slavery, claims @JustMyRambles01 . Not being a fan of democracy, I can just agree. In May last year (2021), I expressed my view in Assorted Absurdities of Democracy. https://read.cash/@JustMyRambles01/democracy-is-a-form-of-slavery-2b524861 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/assorted-absurdities-of-democracy-ce00a359
@virtualvariety has been absent for a couple of months, but returned some days ago. I suggest you read the very good What is easier to Investigate or Repeat? and also Can You Imagine A World Where We All Lose Our Vision? https://read.cash/@virtualvariety https://read.cash/@virtualvariety/what-is-easier-to-investigate-or-repeat-00da2dc1 https://read.cash/@virtualvariety/can-you-imagine-a-world-where-we-all-lose-our-vision-a29be6d5
“*If I can write and publish this article and you can read it too, it is proof that we are somehow alive somewhere. What about after?”*
That is the first sentence in an article by @foryoubtc09 - Death is Right, Inheritance is Halal. The article is somehow related to my own We Are All Mortal, Anyone can Die at Any Moment: Who will get Your Bitcoins when You Die? https://read.cash/@foryoubtc09 https://read.cash/@foryoubtc09/death-is-right-inheritance-is-halal-1ba050df https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/we-are-all-mortal-anyone-can-die-at-any-moment-who-will-get-your-bitcoins-when-you-die-c65fbaf2
@Talecharm writes about privacy, in Make It Private Today and The Year Ahead. https://read.cash/@Talecharm https://read.cash/@Talecharm/make-it-private-today-and-the-year-ahead-329f74bb
“I'm not saying you should leave social media altogether, this would be a little extreme. However, it may be beneficial to spend less time on them. “
So says cyrus21 in Social platforms. Personal shield. https://read.cash/@cyrus21 https://read.cash/@cyrus21/social-platforms-personal-shield-2767bc17
@ZehraSky writes about Speciesism: The bias for the same species. Most people adhere to it without realising it, but it is not a self-evident standpoint. https://read.cash/@ZehraSky https://read.cash/@ZehraSky/speciesism-the-bias-for-the-same-species-330004ef
Mirror has no filter says @HerBAE – and @JanPat0204 writes about the Importance of Labeling and Organizing. https://read.cash/@HerBAE/mirror-has-no-filter-5268825c https://read.cash/@JanPat0204 https://read.cash/@JanPat0204/importance-of-labeling-and-organizing-5c916735
@Danika writes about Exercising the mind, while @Lucifer01 says that Life has it's own ways to cope up with; be a part of it. https://read.cash/@Danika https://read.cash/@Danika/exercising-the-mind-a2bc43de https://read.cash/@Lucifer01 https://read.cash/@Lucifer01/life-has-its-own-ways-to-cope-up-with-be-a-part-of-it-27ff3670
@daffaputra gives an example of the, essentially immature, Desire to be recognized by others. https://read.cash/@daffaputra https://read.cash/@daffaputra/desire-to-be-recognized-by-others-a58ffdad
@polux, a new member, claims that You Won't be Able to Change your Eyes Unless you can Change your Energy. @Venvie writes How our eyes look the same but see’s differently. – do we really see with our eyes? Both these articles question the reliability of vision. Rightly so, in my opinion. https://read.cash/@polux https://read.cash/@polux/you-wont-be-able-to-change-your-eyes-unless-you-can-change-your-energy-44a5de72 https://read.cash/@Venvie https://read.cash/@Venvie/how-our-eyes-look-the-same-but-sees-differently-do-we-really-see-with-our-eyes-bf033944
In Screen Time, Eyesight and Others, @Giddyboy also writes about eyes, but from another perspective. He warns that too much screen time harms eyes & vision. In June 2020, I also touched that subject, although from another angle, in Blue Light, Blindness, Sleep Disorder & Cancer. https://read.cash/@Giddyboy/screen-time-eyesight-and-others-2206b3ef https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/blue-light-blindness-sleep-disorder-cancer-c2c94afb
@JCnakama continues his series on vision, light& colour, with The shadow in the color, Optical illusion, Color of light and Vision in color. https://read.cash/@JCnakama https://read.cash/@JCnakama/the-shadow-in-the-color-e0b986ab https://read.cash/@JCnakama/optical-illusion-810db014 https://read.cash/@JCnakama/color-of-light-aed19e7b https://read.cash/@JCnakama/vision-in-color-02050512
@Ling01 published several good articles the last days. Read for instance Nyctophile : Night, be my Light, and 5 Hobbies for a Better Life. https://read.cash/@Ling01 https://read.cash/@Ling01/nyctophile-night-be-my-light-50b1d7d6 https://read.cash/@Ling01/5-hobbies-for-a-better-life-9ab6bfe1
@Blogika published Advantages of innervation, The most important thing our appearance depends on, and Why is there so much fuss? https://read.cash/@Blogika https://read.cash/@Blogika/advantages-of-innervation-24660307 https://read.cash/@Blogika/the-most-important-thing-our-appearance-depends-on-6cf87bea https://read.cash/@Blogika/why-is-there-so-much-fuss-3252766c
@Insh_11 urges us to Stand Against Deforestation ! This is really important, forests are important. The few that remain must be protected. https://read.cash/@Insh_11 https://read.cash/@Insh_11/stand-against-deforestation-92c0a3e6
If you like history and mythology, I suggest you take a look at relatively new member, @beyourself . I refrain from choosing titles, just open the author's profile. https://read.cash/@beyourself
While we are discussing history, read also Slave Trade, Colonialism and Europe's Disservice to Africa by @Aimure . https://read.cash/@Aimure/slave-trade-colonialism-and-europes-disservice-to-africa-9348e9a7
As for recurrent topics, we have a new article about coffee: Coffee is Good for you: The Benefits of Drinking More Coffee by @BuildingDreams – and two new about cats: My 5 Years Old Immortal Cat by @Sydney2 and I'll tell you about my cats by @gertu13 . https://read.cash/@BuildingDreams/coffee-is-good-for-you-the-benefits-of-drinking-more-coffee-c2e22a15 https://read.cash/@Sydney2/my-5-years-old-immortal-cat-d39aa60f https://read.cash/@gertu13/ill-tell-you-about-my-cats-60d4249c
The recommended fiction this time consists of three pieces: Tooth Fairy and Batmen, both by @Ozzyy – and a story by @McJulez: The Mastermind: Revisiting a Story. https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/tooth-fairy-9a43a6e6 https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/batmen-524da682 https://read.cash/@McJulez https://read.cash/@McJulez/the-mastermind-revisiting-a-story-06519e3f
Read the whole series, ”Suggested Reading” and my series “Retrospection”. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
The Seven Wonders of the World - Old & New Lists https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-seven-wonders-of-the-world-old-new-lists-02e4cbf6
Quizzes & Puzzles 5 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-5-6a1616ab
Month Stones https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/month-stones-7a40a5b6
Applied Privacy: The Value of False Trails & Contrary Information https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/applied-privacy-the-value-of-false-trails-contrary-information-7a79d2b1
Quizzes & Puzzles 4 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-4-4fd2662e
The Seven Wonders of the World - Old & New Lists
*Obviously, making lists is inherently human. We find lists everywhere about everything. Combine that with the human obsession with number seven, the first list coming to mind is that over the seven wonders of the world.*
*"Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes, the Cnidian, dedicated this to the Saviour Gods, on behalf of those who sail the seas."*
(Dedicatory inscription of the Lighthouse of Alexandria)
The oldest still preserved list of the Seven Wonders of the World was compiled by Antipater of Sidon, who was living in Alexandria in the middle of the second century B.C. It is quite clear though, that in his poem about them, he takes for granted that the reader is already familiar with such a list. So it can be a well-founded guess, that lists were compiled much earlier.
The historian Herodotus and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 B.C.) made lists that have not been preserved, but are partly known due to references. There is no reason not to think there were others.
A list in a text named "De septem orbis spectaculis", previously incorrectly attributed to Philon (2nd century B.C), a Byzantine mathematician, can be as new as from the 6th century A.D. It is often quoted though.
Circulating lists are not all identical.
The most common list from Antiquity is this:
The Great Pyramid of Cheops
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus
The Tomb of King Mausolus at Halicarnassus
The Colossus of Rhodes on the Isle of Rhodes
The Lighthouse on the Isle of Pharos
Another list, which is probably older. One can assume that it was compiled before the Lighthouse of Alexandria existed. (The building was authorised by Ptolemy in 290 B.C.)
The Walls of Babylon
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Pyramids at Memphis
The Tomb of King Mausolus
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Occasionally other objects were included, like the Ishtar Gate, but the two lists above are the most well-known today.
Other objects turned up during Roman times. The poet, Martialis, for instance, uses the latter list above, but changed 2 and 4 to the Apollo Altar at Delus, and The Colosseum of Rome.
During the 16th century, another list was compiled by English and French writers.
The Colosseum of Rome
The Catacombs of Alexandria
The Great Wall of China
Stonehenge
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Porcelain Tower of Nanking
The Haga Sophia, Constantinople
Some other objects occasionally discussed at that time were: The Saladin Citadel of Cairo; Taj Mahal; The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely; and The Abbey of Cluny.
The attraction of making a list of seven wonders has inspired many attempts to compile analogous lists - sometimes covering slightly different objects, like nature or engineering. They might be representative of a certain organisation or even a certain individual.
In her book, The Golden Book of Facts and Figures (1962), Bertha Morris Parker lists what she thinks are the seven wonders of the modern world.
1. Empire State Building
2. Jodrell Bank Telescope (A Radio Telescope in England.)
3. Golden Gate Bridge
4. Panama Canal
5. Sputnik 1 (The first artificial satellite in space.)
6. Hoover Dam (Between Nevada and Arizona.)
7. Nautilus (The first atomic power driven submarine.)
This is a list by American Society of Civil Engineers.
1. Channel Tunnel, Strait of Dover, between England & France
2. CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3. Empire State Building, New York, New York, USA
4. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA
5. Itaipu Dam, Paraná River, South America
6. Delta Works, Netherlands, Europe
7. Panama Canal, Isthmus of Panama, Central America
In 1954, Willy Ley tried to predict 7 future wonders of the world. The list was found in his book "Engineers' Dreams". How correct were his predictions?
**1. The Channel Tunnel.** *In 1802 came the first proposed plan for a tunnel under the English Channel, between England and France. For a long time financial and military concerns held the project back. In 1994 the tunnel was finished, and ready to use.*
**2. The Aerogenerator.** *A wind-powered generator was first completed in 1925. For a short time in 1941 , it was really used, but a large scale use of this sort of energy is still more wishful thinking than reality.*
**3. The Tamed Volcano.** *In 1930 it was found that a hot spring in Tuscany could be tapped and used as a source of energy. Later, a theory was presented, that the deeper one digs, anywhere, the hotter it gets. At least in theory this would offer a huge source of energy. This principle is presently utilized in some places of the world.*
**4. Valley of the Jordan.** *Irrigation and electric power for Palestine - a dam, a canal, a reservoir, and a power plant.*
**5. Africa's Central Lake.** *Herman Sörgel made a plan to form two freshwater lakes in central Africa. This was 1935.*
**6. Atlantropa.** *The same Herman Sörgel wanted to unite Europe and Africa by reclaiming land beneath the Mediterranean Sea. That was 1928. There was much support for the idea at the time.*
**7. Solar Energy.** *The first use of solar power was 1615 - to power toys.*
New 7 Wonders
In 2007 a Swiss organisation, new7wonders, compiled a new list of Seven Wonders of the world by popular vote. They had nominated 21 candidates to choose from.
These were nominated wonders at New7Wonders:
http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php
1. The Acropolis of Athens (450-330 B.C.).
2. Alhambra (12th century), Granada, Spain.
3. Angkor (12th century), Cambodia.
4. The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.), Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
5. Christ Redeemer (1931), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
6. The Roman Colosseum (70-82 A.D.), Rome, Italy.
7. Statues of Easter Island (10th-16th Century), Easter Island, Chile.
8. The Eiffel Tower (1887-89), Paris, France.
9. The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368-1644 A.D.).
10. The Hagia Sophia (532-537 A.D.), Istanbul, Turkey.
11. Kiyomizu Temple (749-1855), Kyoto, Japan.
12. The Kremlin and Red Square (1156-1850), Moscow, Russia.
13. Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru.
14. Neuschwanstein Castle (1869-1884), Schwangau, Germany.
15. Petra (9 B.C.-40 A.D.), Jordan.
16. The Pyramids of Giza (2600-2500 B.C), Egypt.
17. The Statue of Liberty (1886), New York City, U.S.A.
18. Stonehenge (3000 B.C.-1600 B.C.), United Kingdom.
19. Sydney Opera House (1954-73), Sydney, Australia.
20. The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.), Agra, India.
21. Timbuktu (12th century), Mali.
In my opinion, The Pyramids of Giza, The Great Wall of China, and Angkor in Cambodia are indisputable choices. But on speaking about Giza, don't forget the Sphinx!
A few of the candidates appear to me as sadly misplaced in that otherwise illustrious company. The most striking examples are the Sydney Opera House and the Eiffel Tower. Fascinating buildings they are, but no"wonders". To me it seems like an attempt at "geographical spreading at any cost" rather than a matter of qualification.
On the other hand a lot of worthy candidates are not nominated at all. India, for instance, has much more than The Taj Mahal to offer; Java, in Indonesia, has Borubudur; Myanmar (Burma) has some wonderful Buddhistic architecture; just to mention a few...
Then there is Baalbek. Maybe it is too much a ruin to be qualified, but it is still the most impressing man made construction I have ever encountered... and I have seen a lot!
http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/lebanon/baalbek.htm
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_baalbek_1.htm
http://www.middleeast.com/baalbeck.htm
The resulting list, however was this:
1. The Great Wall of China.
2. Petra, Jordan.
3. Machu Picchu, Peru.
4. The Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico.
5. The Taj Mahal, Agra, India.
6. Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
7. The Roman Colosseum, Italy.
The order does not imply any ranking.
The Pyramids of Giza were removed from the poll, and given the title Honorary New7Wonders Candidate, since they are the only wonder remaining from the antiquity's list. Then 7 other wonders were announced. It is unclear why the pyramids were denoted as a "candidate", or why they were not given a place among the seven automatically (based on the same argument, that they are a wonder from antiquity still existing).
There are many reasons to criticise and question The New7Wonders, the organisation, the project, and the list. I will not dwell on that though; many others are doing it anyway - sometimes with much more grave frenzy than a game like this deserves.
***Why not making your own list? What is your subjective choice for the Seven Wonders of the World? See it as a writing prompt if you like.***
Other articles related to number seven:
What is Special with Number 7? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/whats-special-with-number-7-47e6a9cd
Number Magic 2: Seven https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/number-magic-2-seven-7294599b
Copyright © 2007, 2019, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*Images:*
***Giza.*** Photo: Cezzare/Pixabay. *CC0/Public Domain.*
***Angkor Wat.*** Photo: sharonang/Pixabay. *CC0/Public Domain.*
***Baalbek, the Jupiter Temple.*** Photo: djedj/Pixabay. *CC0/Public Domain.*
*(Lead Image/Thumbnail: From Baalbek. Photo: Ronile/Pixabay. CC0/Public Domain.)*
My articles on history can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#history
**You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic,** **here****.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Also, please join my community History, Myths, Legends & Mysteries (be45). https://read.cash/c/history-myths-legends-mysteries-be45
Quizzes & Puzzles 5
*Some new problems with which to exercise the brain. But first a look at answers and solutions to* *Quizzes & Puzzles 4**. New problems below the image.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-4-4fd2662e
Answer to Quiz 4:1
*In the Mediterranean there is an island, whose name is derived from that of a metal, or the metal got its name from the island. What island, and what metal? (It is a major island, of which practically everyone has heard.)*
**Cyprus** and **copper**. The connection is not undisputed. One theory links the name Cyprus to the cypress tree, "kyparissos"; so it would be the "land of the cypress trees". There is also a suggestion of it stemming from "kypros", which is the henna plant. This is quite unlikely. That is a shrub not being native to Cyprus.
But it might very well stem from Sumerian "zubar", meaning copper, or another Sumerian word meaning bronze, "kubar". There is little doubt, however, that Latin for copper, "cuprum", which has led to English copper", is derived from the Latin expression "aes Cyprium", meaning metal from Cyprus. The island was a rich source of copper already during the Bronze Age.
Other theories link the name to various real or mythic persons, most notably Kypros, the child of Kynias. Whether this refers to a male or a female is a matter of doubt.
So is it Cyprus from copper or copper from Cyprus? Your guess is as good as mine.
Answer to Quiz 4:2
*In the past, a well-known poison was often given to horses to make them look young and vigorous when they were to be sold. Small amounts given to a human, makes the hair lustrous; if getting much, it brings death. This poison is often used in murder stories. What is it called?*
The answer is **arsenic**. You can more about it in Arsenic – Medicine or Deadly Poison? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/arsenic-medicine-or-deadly-poison-bc1a307a
Answer to Quiz 4:3
*This time I ask for the name of a musician and composer. He was one of the greatest virtuosos (maybe the greatest) of his musical instrument ever; and during a time of the first half of the 19th century, he was a performing superstar, treated very similarly to the greatest rock stars of today.*
*As a composer and mentor, his impact on the musical development has been enormous. His son-in-law, one of the greatest composers of another musical genre, has got the (undeserved) credit for some of his musical inventions.*
*Late in life, seven years before his death, he was ordained as Catholic priest - a result of a lifelong religious interest.*
*Who was this virtuoso, composer, mentor, and priest?*
The virtuoso, composer, mentor, and priest was **Franz Liszt** (1811-1886), a megastar of his time, and probably the greatest pianist of all times.
The other composer, Liszt's son-in-law, was Richard Wagner, married to Cosima, Liszt's daughter. Wagner's genre was opera.
You can read more about Wagner and his relationship with Liszt in a previous article of mine: Richard Wagner: Opera Giant & Pioneer of Fantasy. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/richard-wagner-opera-giant-pioneer-of-fantasy-228e9149
Solution to Puzzle 4:4
This was the problem:
*A true story is what someone carved on Diophantus' Tomb:*
*God granted him to be a boy for the sixth part of his life, and adding a twelfth part this, He clothed his cheek with down; He lit him the light of wedlock after a seventh part, and five years after his marriage He granted him a son. Alas! late-born wretched child; after attaining the measure of half his father's full life, chill Fate took him. After consoling his grief by this science of numbers for four years he ended his life.*
*How old was Diophantus when he died?*
The answer is that **Diophantus was 84 years old when he died**.
You can get that by solving this equation:
x/6 + x/12 + x/7 + 5 + x/2 + 4 = x
And now some new quizzes and puzzles.
Quiz 5:1
The name of a plant is also part of a magic password, or formula, in a well-known story.
What plant, and what story?
Quiz 5:2
Which well-known group of islands was once known for housing a large breed of dog, something also giving this group its name?
Quiz 5:3
Change of personality by the use of a drug. A classical story treats this theme in an almost archetypal way. A man of unquestionable character becomes a beast. What is the name of the story, and who wrote it?
A clue: The author is known for a pirate story, which is generally considered as the unsurpassed classic in that genre.
Puzzle 5:4
Making valid conclusions is not always as simple as it looks. Applying logical thinking is well enough, but most people cannot clearly distinguish between facts and assumptions. Even if the deduction is formally correct, the premises often are invalid, and then the conclusions lead wrong.
As I have described before, the brain cannot stand void. So, if you know only certain facts about something - you tend to fill the gaps with assumptions and guesswork. Unless you are very attentive to this risk, it happens unawares. When you then draw conclusions with these assumed (and often erroneous) facts as premises, you get totally astray. (You can read more about that in Brain & Horror Vacui (Fear of the void)) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/brain-horror-vacui-fear-of-the-void-ae876896
Now you know that there is a trap somewhere here, so maybe you can solve this puzzle:
What do you get from this?
*Only bleary-eyed military men ever try to shave with a toothbrush.*
*No bleary-eyed military men are musical.*
*Men who never try to shave with a toothbrush never play golf.*
*Major Tanner plays the cello on Saturdays.*
*Only musical people who are golfers forget to change their socks.*
*Exactly what can you conclude about Major Tanner?*
**You'll find answers and solutions in the next “Quizzes & Puzzles”.**
Quizzes & Puzzles has now its own label in my Index, where all issues of the series can be found. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#quizzes-amp-puzzles
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Cartoon by Christian Dorn/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
Selected recent articles:
Month Stones https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/month-stones-7a40a5b6
Applied Privacy: The Value of False Trails & Contrary Information https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/applied-privacy-the-value-of-false-trails-contrary-information-7a79d2b1
Suggested Reading 21 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-21-33c4c2d4
History of Football (Soccer), Single Combat, Divination, Russia & Ukraine https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-football-soccer-single-combat-divination-russia-ukraine-2902d1c3
Big Brother & Law, Some Tendencies of the Times https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/big-brother-law-some-tendencies-of-the-times-0cbfd779
Month Stones
*This article indirectly connects to several previous topics:* *Gems**, my previous* *series on Zodiacs and Months**,* *Numbers**,* *Symbols* *– and, of course,* *History**.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#gems https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#calendars-amp-time https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#numbers https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#symbols https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#history
Stones, or gems, associated with certain months or zodiacal signs are found in several traditions. From the beginning a form of magic where stones would affect their bearers in various ways, not at least their health, some people today are seeing them as merely fun symbols, and jewellers, no doubt, find them a commercial asset. I will not examine the theoretical background at this time, but just briefly outline some of the correspondences. Believable or not, amusing or not - that is your own choice - but just like astrology, this is a very real part of our cultural history. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/colour-cosmology-i-cultures-alchemy-ae1e6198#introduction
One tradition suggests that the origin of birthstones are the gems of the breastplate of Aaron, which is described in Exodus. There they denoted the twelve tribes of Israel, and possibly the Zodiac. Other traditions exist, however, for example from India and Tibet. They might differ to some degree.
The gems of Aaron's breastplate. First in Hebrew, then according to translation to Greek, and finally according to King James Bible:
1. Odem, Sardion, Sardius
2. Pitdah, Topazion, Topaz
3. Bareketh, Smaragdos, Carbuncle
4. Nophak, Anthrax, Emerald
5. Sappir, Sappheiros, Sapphire
6. Yahalom, Iaspis, Diamond
7. Leshem, Ligurion, Ligure
8. Shebo, Achates, Agate
9. Ahlamah, Amethystos, Amethyst
10. Tarshish, Chrysolithos, Beryl
11. Shoham, Beryllion, Onyx
12. Yashpheh, Onychion, Jasper
As is evident, there are strange translation errors developing throughout the times, partly due to different uses of terms involved. We do not really know what gems the Hebrews had, but that it was not in accordance with the English list is evident. This was a poor people, the cost of such gems, if they were even known at the time, would have been astronomical.
Here is one listing of month, stone, flower, and quality they symbolise. Sometimes more than one of each. The list is in no way exhaustive. Many variations and other traditions exist.
January: Garnet, Emerald (Tibet); Carnation; Pride, Faith, Distinction and Constancy.
February: Amethyst, Bloodstone (Tibet); Violet, Iris; Seriousness, Hope, Happiness & Sincerity.
March: Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Jade (Tibet); Daffodil, Jonquil; Wisdom, Courage & Hope.
April: Diamond, Opal (Tibet); Sweet Pea, Daisy ; Innocence, Modesty & Joy.
May: Emerald, Sapphire (Tibet), Agate (India); Lily-of-the-Valley; Love, Peace, Chastity, Humility, & Tranquillity.
June: Pearl, Alexandrite, Moonstone (Tibet); Rose; Wealth, Purity & Wisdom.
July: Ruby, Onyx; Larkspur; Freedom, Levity, Nobility & Passion.
August: Chrysoprase, Peridot, Sardonyx, Diamond (Tibet), Sapphire (India); Gladiolus; Friendship, Remembrance, Joy & Power.
September: Sapphire, Agate (Tibet), Moonstone (India); Aster; Truth, Patience & Hope.
October: Opal, Tourmaline, Pink Sapphire, Jasper (Tibet); Marigold (Calendula); Hope, Tender Love & Confidence.
November: Topaz, Citrine, Pearl (Tibet), Cat's Eye (India); Chrysanthemum; Loyalty, Compassion, Faith, Fidelity & Friendship.
December: Turquoise, Blue Topaz, Lapis lazuli, Onyx (Tibet), Ruby (India, Arabia); Narcissus; Success & Understanding.
Gemstones are also assigned to the Zodiac, and perhaps that is the original idea. The first is the birthstone; the second the Talisman stone, which was said to protect from evil.
Aries: Bloodstone; Topaz
Taurus: Sapphire; Garnet
Gemini: Agate; Emerald
Cancer: Emerald; Sapphire
Leo: Onyx; Diamond
Virgo: Carnelian; Zircon
Libra: Peridot; Agate
Scorpio: Beryl; Amethyst
Sagittarius: Topaz; Beryl
Capricorn: Ruby; Onyx
Aquarius: Garnet; Jasper
Pisces: Amethyst; Ruby
Here, too, other lists exist.
Read the whole series about Zodiacs & Months:
Zodiac, Month, Year: Some Scientific Elementa https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/zodiac-month-year-some-scientific-elementa-1ba8efbb
History of Months I: Julian - Gregorian - Christian Months https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-months-i-julian-gregorian-christian-months-22243451
History of Months II: Islamic/Arabic Months https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-months-ii-islamicarabic-months-87ce10ba
History of Months III: Ancient Egypt & Babylonia https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-months-iii-ancient-egypt-babylonia-3964b538
History of Months IV: India, China, The French Revolution & The Cruelty of April https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-months-iv-india-china-the-french-revolution-the-cruelty-of-april-300ec314
Other related articles:
About Zodiacs & Astrology (Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian, Chinese) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/about-zodiacs-astrology-egyptian-babylonian-indian-chinese-41e79317
Number Magic 3: Twelve https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/number-magic-3-twelve-17e84054
Colour & Cosmology I – Cultures & Alchemy (about “correspondences”) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/colour-cosmology-i-cultures-alchemy-ae1e6198
Copyright © 2011, 2019, 2021 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Lead Image by Annalise Batista/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.*)
All my articles about calendars , time, months & zodiacs can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#calendars-amp-time
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Applied Privacy: The Value of False Trails & Contrary Information
*Here we will look at two fundamental techniques which can contribute to stronger privacy. But first, let us briefly define privacy, as I use the term here.*
What is privacy?
In Privacy: What is it? Do we need it? Why are People Afraid of it? I defined it thus: https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/privacy-what-is-it-do-we-need-it-why-are-people-afraid-of-it-d69afb46
*To me total privacy would be that I control all information about myself and my life. That is to say, I disclose what I want, to whom I want, when I want - and there should be no other way to obtain information about me.*
*Do you need privacy? I would say yes, but ultimately that is a personal choice and it depends completely on your personality and your general view of life.*
However, few people understand the importance of privacy before they have lost it, and, in many cases, it is too late then.
“*One of the great penalties those of us who live our lives in full view of the public must pay is the loss of that most cherished birthright of man's, privacy.”*
(Mary Pickford)
In Private & Public – Is it Justified With a Free Press When Privacy is Outlawed?, I claim: https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/private-public-is-it-justified-with-a-free-press-when-privacy-is-outlawed-89a06337
*The best for everyone involved, however, would be if all private information could (and were allowed to) be kept as private as the concerned parties wish. Even, should they so desire, to the extent of some people becoming informational black holes. (Absorbing everything, emitting nothing.)*
It is not easy though, perhaps it is impossible, to become an informational black hole, closing all outflow of information. Then, if one desires privacy, other methods must be used instead.
All the time, however, you must expect attempted intrusion, that people unduly try to learn things about you. Many of the accomplishments of modern times are traps here. When you use them you leave trails that are easy to follow for the one having some knowledge of how to do so.
One often mentioned example is your use of Internet, and how your IP address identifies you and what you are doing on the net. With a proxy or VPN you get an intermediary, a middleman between yourself and what you do. By choosing proxy or VPN you can appear to work from any country you wish. You can sit in Paris with a French IP number, use a proxy in Russia or Brazil, and every website you visit will believe you visit from Russia or Brazil. You can even get this to the header of emails you send from ordinary web based addresses. Then it looks as if you sent them from there.
For ordinary mail, snailmail, or postal mail, we have the maildrop, similarly acting as a middleman, while you can present an address for mail which does not reveal where you are.
Both these examples are very simple and can be penetrated by a determined snooper, but they serve as examples of planting ***false trails for the purpose of maintaining privacy***.
Then one can apply another technique: not hiding trails, but expose many and contrary ones, so they become useless by that. My example requires cooperation of three individuals who can really trust one another.
Say that we have Peter, Paul, and John. Peter is going to Brazil, Paul to South Africa, and John to China. Assuming they have mobile phone subscriptions in their own names, they exchange telephones, and they exchange ATM cards.
Now Peter bought a ticket in his name to Brazil, his mobile phone is in South Africa with Paul, and withdrawals with his ATM card is made by John in China. In the same way, these three indicators of location point at three different continents for Paul and John. A snooper will be confused; all the trails will lose authority as evidence, should that be a matter of importance.
This is general: a lot of c***ontrary information is almost as efficient as no information at all***. No one will ever know what is reliable or not.
Finally, don't forget how important for privacy it is to avoid connectivity. In Understand How Connectivity Negatively Affects Your Privacy, I previously described what it is and how handle it, so I will not discuss that more here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/understand-how-connectivity-negatively-affects-your-privacy-e9837af1
Related articles:
Why Should You Always Write under a Pseudonym? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/why-should-you-always-write-under-a-pseudonym-07e4fe80
Private & Public – Is it Justified With a Free Press When Privacy is Outlawed? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/private-public-is-it-justified-with-a-free-press-when-privacy-is-outlawed-89a06337
Identity Theft: Its Cause & How to Root it Out https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/identity-theft-its-cause-how-to-root-it-out-d4354ce6
Understand How Connectivity Negatively Affects Your Privacy https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/understand-how-connectivity-negatively-affects-your-privacy-e9837af1
Privacy: What is it? Do we need it? Why are People Afraid of it? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/privacy-what-is-it-do-we-need-it-why-are-people-afraid-of-it-d69afb46
Copyright © 2018, 2022 Meleonymica. All Rights Reserved.
*(Image by Jan Valečka /Unsplash, CC0/Public Domain.)*
Here you find all my writings about Privacy & Antibigbrotherism. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#privacy-amp-antibigbrotherism
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
Quizzes & Puzzles 4 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-4-4fd2662e
Suggested Reading 21 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-21-33c4c2d4
Quizzes & Puzzles 3 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-3-f12133ce
History of Football (Soccer), Single Combat, Divination, Russia & Ukraine https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-football-soccer-single-combat-divination-russia-ukraine-2902d1c3
Do we need Bitcoin? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/do-we-need-bitcoin-c42238c4
Quizzes & Puzzles 4
*Some new problems with which to exercise the brain. But first a look at answers and solutions to* *Quizzes & Puzzles 3**. New problems below.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-3-f12133ce
Quiz 3:1
“*Rice, bamboo, papyrus sedge, and sugar cane; what do they have in common?”*
They are all some form of **grass**. Grasses are extremely important for mammal life in general, and that does include humans. Other grasses include (but are not limited to): wheat, rye. oats, barley, and corn (maize).
Quiz 3:2
“*For which placental mammal is the difference in size between a mother and her newborn the greatest? (The smallest babies in relation to the size of the mother.)”*
The answer is **the bear**.
Quiz 3:3
An English king, who planned to convert to Islam, sent a secret message to a Muslim ruler. Through the message he actually offered himself and his country in vassalage.
The Muslim ruler's answer is found in Quiz 3:3, in “Quizzes & Puzzles 3”. It's long, and I will not quote it again here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-3-f12133ce#quiz-33
Who was the English king?
(From where these messages are quoted, will be stated along with the answer, in “Quizzes & Puzzles 4”.)
***The answer:***
The English king was John Lackland (1167-1216), and his embassy was sent to the Almohad Caliph of Morocco in 1213.
John was the younger brother of Richard Coeur-de-Lion (Richard Lionheart), whom he succeeded as English king in 1188.
The Caliph's reply was quoted from "The Tartar Khan's Englishman" by Gabriel Ronay (London 1978) - who is quoting Matthew Paris, a 13th century English Benedictine monk and chronicler.
John had a dispute with the Pope, Innocent III. England was put under interdict in 1208, and John was excommunicated in 1209. Under threat of French intervention, John submitted to the Pope in 1213. But not until he had explored alternatives, of which one was conversion to Islam.
Puzzle 3:4
*We are at the North Pole and have a way to determine how many ice holes, bears and fish there are. We do that by rolling two normal dice. Here are some of our results:*
*5+2. One hole. Four bears. Two fish.*
*2+6. No holes. No bears. No fish.*
*3+5. Two holes. Six bears. Six fish.*
*We could go on, but that is enough for you to work out our method. So, how many holes, bears and fish are indicated by a throw of, say, 4+3?*
Solution to puzzle 3:4:
***A throw of 4 + 3 indicates ONE hole, TWO bears, FOUR fish.***
Look at one dice with between one and six dots on it. Only one, three, and five have a dot in the centre - that is a hole! So with two dice we can have zero, One, or Two holes.
The other dots on the dice are bears sitting around the hole. Hence ONE means no bears. THREE means two bears. FIVE means four bears.
And of course the fish are UNDER the hole! So count the numbers on the reverse side of the dice (as obverse and reverse always add to seven there is no need to turn the dice over).
ONE means six Fish. THREE means four Fish. FIVE means two fish.
Two, Four and Six do not have a hole and with no hole there can be no bears and no fish!
And now some new quizzes and puzzles.
Quiz 4:1
In the Mediterranean there is an island, whose name is derived from that of a metal, or the metal got its name from the island. What island, and what metal? (It is a major island, of which practically everyone has heard.)
Quiz 4:2
In the past, a well-known poison was often given to horses to make them look young and vigorous when they were to be sold. Small amounts given to a human, makes the hair lustrous; if getting much, it brings death. This poison is often used in murder stories. What is it called?
Quiz 4:3
This time I ask for the name of a musician and composer. He was one of the greatest virtuosos (maybe the greatest) of his musical instrument ever; and during a time of the first half of the 19th century, he was a performing superstar, treated very similarly to the greatest rock stars of today.
As a composer and mentor, his impact on the musical development has been enormous. His son-in-law, one of the greatest composers of another musical genre, has got the (undeserved) credit for some of his musical inventions.
Late in life, seven years before his death, he was ordained as Catholic priest - a result of a lifelong religious interest.
Who was this virtuoso, composer, mentor, and priest?
Puzzle 4:4
This is about Diophantus (approx 250-330 AD), who was the last of the great Greek mathematicians. Unlike other Greek mathematics, which was mainly geometrical in nature, his work did deal with algebra and number theory, and he is sometimes referred to as "the father of algebra".
He is most known for his, "Arithmetica", the oldest known work of algebra, until much later, when Ahmes' Egyptian work from about 1700 BC was discovered, as late as during the middle of the 19th century.
Diophantus had an enormous impact on the development of modern number theory, and the work of Pierre de Fermat (1601–1665), can much be seen as an extension of Diophantus' work. He also influenced the Arabic mathematics, like that of al-Karaji (abt 980–1030).
But here is the problem!
A true story is what someone carved on Diophantus Tomb:
God granted him to be a boy for the sixth part of his life, and adding a twelfth part this, He clothed his cheek with down; He lit him the light of wedlock after a seventh part, and five years after his marriage He granted him a son. Alas! late-born wretched child; after attaining the measure of half his father's full life, chill Fate took him. After consoling his grief by this science of numbers for four years he ended his life.
How old was Diophantus when he died?
**You'll find answers and solutions in the next “Quizzes & Puzzles”.**
Quizzes & Puzzles has now its own label in my Index, where all issues of the series can be found. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#quizzes-amp-puzzles
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Cartoon by Christian Dorn/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
My 5 most recent articles:
Suggested Reading 21 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-21-33c4c2d4
Quizzes & Puzzles 3 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-3-f12133ce
History of Football (Soccer), Single Combat, Divination, Russia & Ukraine https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-football-soccer-single-combat-divination-russia-ukraine-2902d1c3
Do we need Bitcoin? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/do-we-need-bitcoin-c42238c4
Bitcoin, Critical Mass & Interface https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bitcoin-critical-mass-interface-735ae360
Suggested Reading 21
*In* *this series**, I assume the role of a reader instead of a writer, discussing articles by other writers... things I recommend.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading
This time we start with an author whom I recently discovered here, although he or she has been a member for quite a long time. I'm talking about @SapphireCrypto , whose articles are often worth the while to read. Some recent examples are: Decentralization – Back To The Drawing Board, Bitcoin - Sovereignty Or Slavery, and Invisible Expansion. https://read.cash/@SapphireCrypto https://read.cash/@SapphireCrypto/decentralization-back-to-the-drawing-board-d5c08bcd https://read.cash/@SapphireCrypto/bitcoin-sovereignty-or-slavery-71611401 https://read.cash/@SapphireCrypto/invisible-expansion-70239996
Next we have two articles by @Jnavedan: Why are you passionate about Bitcoin Cash?, and Doomsday Clock. A new challenge for humanity. As @Jnavedan says in the latter: https://read.cash/@Jnavedan https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/why-are-you-passionate-about-bitcoin-cash-538bc50b https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/doomsday-clock-a-new-challenge-for-humanity-d5e0d1dd
“*We live in exciting and dangerous times.“*
I think the next author would agree. What awaits us tomorrow? asks @SolarPhasing in a post where he discusses nuclear winter, false information, cryptocurrency, and - of course - some music. https://read.cash/@SolarPhasing/what-awaits-us-tomorrow-5f364654
@alberdioni8406 praises Bitcoin Cash in BCH Is Useful, the True P2P electronic Cash payment Tool and many other articles. He is doing it in a convincing way. These articles should be read by people still not being convinced about the qualities of BCH. If you belong to them, read also Here are Five reasons why people should use Bitcoin Cash by the same author. https://read.cash/@alberdioni8406 https://read.cash/@alberdioni8406/bch-is-useful-the-true-p2p-electronic-cash-payment-tool-82447065 https://read.cash/@alberdioni8406/here-are-five-reasons-why-people-should-use-bitcoin-cash-13befc40
@EjireKenny published The beauty of SmartBCH, about to blow up to the world, and @SmartBCH wrote about Cloud Enclaves and their Applications in Blockchains. https://read.cash/@EjireKenny https://read.cash/@EjireKenny/the-beauty-of-smartbch-about-to-blow-up-to-the-world-2e6c62ec https://read.cash/@SmartBCH https://read.cash/@SmartBCH/cloud-enclaves-and-their-applications-in-blockchains-6cc24512
Canadian Government Freezes the Crypto Accounts of Protestors, writes @MintDice. That serves as an example of why you should never let a third party hold your cryptocurrency. Another example is how crypto-exchanges have frozen crypto belonging to Russians. Don't hold crypto in custodian wallets! https://read.cash/@MintDice/canadian-government-freezes-the-crypto-accounts-of-protestors-552387d8
@Chaliemoscow12 tells us How to Mint an NFT for Free? and @NFTically speculates about taxes in Here’s How NFT Taxes Work. https://read.cash/@Chaliemoscow12 https://read.cash/@Chaliemoscow12/how-to-mint-an-nft-for-free-1ea55226 https://read.cash/@NFTically https://read.cash/@NFTically/heres-how-nft-taxes-work-1c27420a
@dark_spirit666 describes a Fine art trading platform using Blockchain in early stages. The article begins: https://read.cash/@dark_spirit666 https://read.cash/@dark_spirit666/fine-art-trading-platform-using-blockchain-in-early-stages-9056a7a1
“*Before NFT exploded in 2020, art trading platforms existed, but not like art market trading on Opensea or the like. Today I just want to discuss a platform called "All Public Art (APA)" who has been present since 2018 and at the same time, I want to reminisce a bit, because I am also one of the artists who have sold my work there.“*
I use to say that if you really know how to write well, you can write about anything and make it interesting for the reader. I have an illustration of that in a recently published article by @Hanzell. She writes about cement, a topic that doesn't sound all that exciting - but it's really quite interesting. Cement fascination is worth the while to read. https://read.cash/@Hanzell https://read.cash/@Hanzell/cement-fascination-2c4d2cf5
@Zain-Bhatti. writes about the Significance of TREES in our LIFE! https://read.cash/@Zain-Bhatti. https://read.cash/@Zain-Bhatti./significance-of-trees-in-our-life-65b51e91
@onlymythoughts recently published Sanctions Crypto and Regulation, a discussion about Russia, Crypto and Sanctions. https://read.cash/@onlymythoughts https://read.cash/@onlymythoughts/sanctions-crypto-and-regulation-b6febaba
Does Russia really have a famous weapon of complete destruction?, asks @ceky321. https://read.cash/@ceky321/does-russia-really-have-a-famous-weapon-of-complete-destruction-ec15d30f
@Gemstone writes daily reports from Ukraine and the ongoing war. Very good and interesting. Here are links to the first three (the third today). No doubt more will follow. https://read.cash/@Gemstone
The Situation in Ukraine: Morning of 9th March 2022 https://read.cash/@Gemstone/the-situation-in-ukraine-morning-of-9th-march-2022-b55cee9e
The Situation in Ukraine: Morning of 10th March 2022 https://read.cash/@Gemstone/the-situation-in-ukraine-morning-of-10th-march-2022-6ad7cf73
The Situation in Ukraine: Morning of 11th March 2022 https://read.cash/@Gemstone/the-situation-in-ukraine-morning-of-11th-march-2022-1fd31900
@ArteFM wrote Where does the word "Gol" come from? and, Where was soccer created?, an article that inspired me to write History of Football (Soccer), Single Combat, Divination, Russia & Ukraine. https://read.cash/@ArteFM https://read.cash/@ArteFM/where-does-the-word-gol-come-from-and-where-was-soccer-created-e618b732 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-football-soccer-single-combat-divination-russia-ukraine-2902d1c3
@ArteFM also wrote Oregano saved my life..., about a spice and herb that is a strong antioxidant and a very strong natural antibiotic, and which obviously has made a difference in the author's own life. https://read.cash/@ArteFM https://read.cash/@ArteFM/oregano-saved-my-life-a7a254e4
In That Oliver Twist, @Willtravis elaborates over the quality of contentment, @Kraine writes about The Power of Self – Discipline, and @Luna1999 says Get to know the psychology of music and its benefits for mental health. https://read.cash/@Willtravis/that-oliver-twist-b814db54 https://read.cash/@Kraine https://read.cash/@Kraine/the-power-of-self-discipline-a8d6d5f6 https://read.cash/@Luna1999 https://read.cash/@Luna1999/get-to-know-the-psychology-of-music-and-its-benefits-for-mental-health-c03a8e2d
@Lucifer01 wrote Alone but Enough to bring the Change, about how one individual can really change the world. https://read.cash/@Lucifer01 https://read.cash/@Lucifer01/alone-but-enough-to-bring-the-change-29c9c660
Now return to the interesting subject of colour. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#colour
You can't guess what my favourite color is ?! says @Lara888, while @Snezana28 writes about Royal blue, and @JCnakama continues his series on colour with Chromatic circle and Black and white. https://read.cash/@Lara888/you-cant-guess-what-my-favourite-color-is-181d46e4 https://read.cash/@Snezana28 https://read.cash/@Snezana28/royal-blue-a006e933 https://read.cash/@JCnakama https://read.cash/@JCnakama/chromatic-circle-95a8802b https://read.cash/@JCnakama/black-and-white-d5025f7d
@Jcnakama, who also write about writing, also published Taking notes and jottings. https://read.cash/@JCnakama https://read.cash/@JCnakama/taking-notes-and-jottings-91ab8fda
While we are into the topic of “writing”, I also want to mention Do you know the power of writing? by @Strongpen . https://read.cash/@Strongpen/do-you-know-the-power-of-writing-fbd829e2
So another recurrent theme here: cats. @BuildingDreams presents Top 10 Benefits Of Having Cats, and @Galenkp wrote about his/her cat in She Knows Everything. https://read.cash/@BuildingDreams https://read.cash/@BuildingDreams/top-10-benefits-of-having-cats-8dc24e46 https://read.cash/@Galenkp https://read.cash/@Galenkp/she-knows-everything-7b04e820
@Duvinca discusses the power of A drop of water, @Good-boy presents 5 beautiful Birds you need to see!, and @OliviaQueen shows us Ten (10) animals that can live after death. https://read.cash/@Duvinca https://read.cash/@Duvinca/a-drop-of-water-df99be61 https://read.cash/@Good-boy https://read.cash/@Good-boy/5-beautiful-birds-you-need-to-see-404bdbc2 https://read.cash/@OliviaQueen https://read.cash/@OliviaQueen/ten-10-animals-that-can-live-after-death-0cd988e5
Last, some fiction. My choice this time is She broke up with me on the altar after we got married by @FashTioluwa. https://read.cash/@FashTioluwa/she-broke-up-with-me-on-the-altar-after-we-got-married-f30a527d
Read the whole series, ”Suggested Reading” and my series “Retrospection”. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
My 5 most recent articles:
Quizzes & Puzzles 3 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-3-f12133ce
History of Football (Soccer), Single Combat, Divination, Russia & Ukraine https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-football-soccer-single-combat-divination-russia-ukraine-2902d1c3
Do we need Bitcoin? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/do-we-need-bitcoin-c42238c4
Bitcoin, Critical Mass & Interface https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bitcoin-critical-mass-interface-735ae360
Quizzes & Puzzles 2 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-2-1b9eaf9c
Quizzes & Puzzles 3
First a look at the answers to Quizzes & Puzzles 2. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-2-1b9eaf9c
Answer to Quiz 2:1
*Two Ancient cities were buried by ash from a volcanic eruption in the year 79 AD. They are famous, because they were largely preserved in the ash and powdered volcanic rock. Which are the cities and what is the volcano called?*
The cities were **Pompeii** and **Herculaneum**. The volcano was **Vesuvius**.
@Sergee0213 knew Pompeii in a comment written only moments after the quiz was published. https://read.cash/@Sergee0213
Answer to Quiz 2:2
*The science or systematic study of animals is called zoology; of diseases, it is called pathology; and of stamps, it is philately. But what is the systematic study of flags called?*
**Vexillology**. I wrote about that in Vexillology & Heraldry: https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/vexillology-heraldry-e8be6267
“*The word was coined in 1958 by Whitney Smith, and is composed by two stems: Latin vexillum, meaning flag or banner; and the common end -ology, derived from Greek “logos”. Vexillology comprises everything about flags, including history, usage and symbolism. The International Federation of Vexillological Associations defines it as:'the creation and development of a body of knowledge about flags of all types, their forms and functions, and of scientific theories and principles based on that knowledge'”.*
@Sergee0213 was very close to solve this. It didn't become exactly right, but he was thinking in the right way and came as close as one can come without hitting the mark. However, it was @Aimure who finally came with the right answer. https://read.cash/@Sergee0213 https://read.cash/@Aimure
Answer to Quiz 2:3
*"'[...] but if you have a wart on your forehead or nose, you imagine that all the world is looking at it, and that people would make fun of you because of it, even if you had discovered America!'*
*This is quoted from a novel by one of the greatest Russian authors ever, no doubt he is one of the greatest novelists in world literature. Who is the author and what is the name of the novel?"*
*This is difficult, so let me give a clue. The novel, which is one of his most famous, and whose title indicates limited intelligence, was originally published in 1869, but it remains a true classic.*
The author was **Fyodor Dostoevsky**, (1821-1881). and the novel was “**The Idiot**”.
Portrait of Dostoevsky (above). Painting (1872), oil on canvas, by Vasily Perov. Public Domain. Original at the Tretyakov Gallery.
Answer to Puzzle 2:4
*113+24=140*
*Have I been counting wrong here? No, this is correct, but how can it be?*
This is not the decimal system; I have used the base seven. This is immediately clear when realising that 3+4=10 and not 7. For two numbers, a and b, where a+b=10, a+b=the base of the system. And 3+4 arithmetically is seven, so when 10 is an expression for seven, we have the base seven.
Expressed in the decimal system, our expression would be: 59+18=77
And now some new things to exercise the brain.
Quiz 3:1
Rice, bamboo, papyrus sedge, and sugar cane; what do they have in common?
Quiz 3:2
For which placental mammal is the difference in size between a mother and her newborn the greatest? (The smallest babies in relation to the size of the mother.)
Quiz 3:3
An English king, who planned to convert to Islam, sent a secret message to a Muslim ruler. Through the message he actually offered himself and his country in vassalage.
The Muslim ruler answered:
*"I was just now looking at the book of a wise Greek and a Christian named Paul, which is written in Greek, and his deeds and words please me much; one thing, however, concerning him displeases me, and that is that he did not stand firm in the faith in which he was born, but turned to another like a deserter and a waverer.*
*And I say this with regard to your Lord, the king of the English, who abandons the most pious and pure law of the Christians under which he was born, and desires, fickle and unstable as he is, to come over to our faith!"*
The offer was rejected, and this was added:
*"I never read or heard that any king possessing such a prosperous kingdom subject and obedient to him, would voluntarily ruin his sovereignty by making tributary a country that is free, by giving a stranger that which is his own, by turning happiness to misery, and thus giving himself up to the will of another, conquered, as it were, without a word.*
*I have rather read and heard from many that they would procure liberty for themselves at the expense of streams of blood, which is a praiseworthy action; but now I hear that your wretched lord, a sloth and a coward, who is even worse than nothing, wishes from a free man become a slave, who is the most wretched of all human beings."*
Who was the English king?
(From where these messages are quoted, will be stated along with the answer, in “Quizzes & Puzzles 4”.)
Puzzle 3:4
This problem was once given to me by “Wise Owl”, a retired Naval Officer with whom I exchanged logical puzzles many years ago.
*We are at the North Pole and have a way to determine how many ice holes, bears and fish there are. We do that by rolling two normal dice. Here are some of our results:*
*5+2. One hole. Four bears. Two fish.*
*2+6. No holes. No bears. No fish.*
*3+5. Two holes. Six bears. Six fish.*
*We could go on, but that is enough for you to work out our method. So, how many holes, bears and fish are indicated by a throw of, say, 4+3?*
Quizzes & Puzzles has now its own label in my Index, where all issues of the series can be found. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#quizzes-amp-puzzles
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Cartoon by Christian Dorn/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
My 5 most recent articles:
History of Football (Soccer), Single Combat, Divination, Russia & Ukraine https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-of-football-soccer-single-combat-divination-russia-ukraine-2902d1c3
Do we need Bitcoin? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/do-we-need-bitcoin-c42238c4
Bitcoin, Critical Mass & Interface https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bitcoin-critical-mass-interface-735ae360
Quizzes & Puzzles 2 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-2-1b9eaf9c
Suggested Reading 20 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-20-1ee1b0b1
History of Football (Soccer), Single Combat, Divination, Russia & Ukraine
*History of Football (Soccer), Ivanhoe, Single Combat, Judicium Dei, Divination, Russia & Ukraine; there is a connection between these seemingly disparate subjects.*
*The word “football” here refers to “soccer”. American football is derived from rugby, whose origin is also discussed.*
Introduction
I did recently read an article by @ArteFM about the history of football: Where does the word "Gol" come from? and, Where was soccer created? Below I relate the history of football, as I found it. @ArteFM also lands in England, but mentions an alternative as well; historical records from 1639 describes a football-like game,“***Manga ñembosarái"***, played by the Guarani, a people in present day Paraguay. I have no special comment to that, I am not familiar with the records, but it is very likely that games reminding of football or rugby, invented independently many times, were played all around the world far back in history. So, saying that football (or soccer) originated in England would be both right and wrong. Wrong, because similar games existed before. Right, because it was in England modern football (soccer) was standardized to the shape on which today's football is based. https://read.cash/@ArteFM https://read.cash/@ArteFM/where-does-the-word-gol-come-from-and-where-was-soccer-created-e618b732
Football - A Note On Its History: Eton & Rugby
Football: either you love this spectacle; as Queen, in "More of that Jazz":
*"Only football gives us thrills,*
*Rock 'n roll just pays the bills"*
Or you think it is ridiculous, like the author, O.M., of the Introduction to "The Book of the Law," who wrote:
*"Consider sport, the babyish enthusiasms and rages which it excites, whole nations disturbed by disputes between boys."*
However it is, it might be interesting to know how it began.
It is impossible to say when people began playing with balls. Rugby-like games probably existed during Antiquity and earlier; and a team game where a ball was kicked and hit is known from old China.
Something similar to modern football was played during the Middle Ages, in Scotland, England and a couple of countries in Continental Europe. The brutality that was involved, however, caused the game to be prohibited. The tradition survived only in some English schools, and two of them, Eton and Rugby, came to be important for the future of football.
For long disputing about the rules - unlike Eton, Rugby wanted to allow the use of hands - the Cambridge rules of 1848 set the rules upon which modern football (Association Football, or Soccer) is based. Eton had won! In 1863, the Football association was formed.
But the dissidents did not accept this. They decided to form their own association. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union came into being.
By this Football (soccer) and Rugby were established as two different sports.
Russia & Ukraine,Single Combat & Divination
When I did proofread this text now, a bizarre thought entered my mind.
We all know about the ongoing war in Ukraine. What if Russia & Ukraine would determine winner or loser with a football match instead? The winner gets his way, but without all the killing and destruction!
Ridiculous? Well, not entirely; there is some support for that sort of solution in history. Not with football, mind you, but a way to determine outcome while saving lives.
In old North European culture, wars where sometimes settled by single combat between kings or chieftains. While a full war could lead to complete extermination of one or both fighting tribes or nations (which were very small, seen with today's eyes). This limited death to the losing king or chief only. The winner took it all, and the losing tribe was absorbed into the winner's tribe. The outcome was considered an expression of the will of the gods - so, with their mind-set, the outcome was inevitable. War, single combat, or even throwing a dice, would not make any difference – they just needed a way to find out the intention of the gods.
This principle survived into Christianity. Trial by combat or ordeal were common during the Middle Ages. Allegedly, these were methods to find out the will of God. The term for this was *“judicium dei”*, “God's justice”.
An even for modern times well-known example can be found in Ivanhoe. Please allow me to quote my own e-book, “The Birth of Chance” (2019):
“*I am sure most of you have read* ***Ivanhoe****, or seen one of the film versions. There the Jewess Rebecca is sentenced to death for being a witch, but the matter may be determined by single combat, judicium dei, judgement of God. Ivanhoe and Brian de Bois-Guilbert fight to death. Ivanhoe, Rebecca's champion, wins, so she goes free. According to the medieval mind, this is not the strongest being victorious, but God makes the righteous party win. A way to determine guilt or innocence by divine intervention:* ***divination****.”*
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail by 0fjd125gk87/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
My articles on history can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#history
**You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic,** **here****.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Also, please join my community History, Myths, Legends & Mysteries (be45). https://read.cash/c/history-myths-legends-mysteries-be45
My 5 most recent articles:
Do we need Bitcoin? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/do-we-need-bitcoin-c42238c4
Bitcoin, Critical Mass & Interface https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bitcoin-critical-mass-interface-735ae360
Quizzes & Puzzles 2 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-2-1b9eaf9c
Suggested Reading 20 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-20-1ee1b0b1
A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/a-comparison-of-birds-and-their-ancestral-dinosaurs-232683b6
Do we need Bitcoin?
The cashless society is just around the corner. Banknotes and coins are becoming increasingly rare in many places of the world. This is the dream of governments and other manifestations of ***Bigbrotherism***. They want everyone to have a bank (or other) account and then in various ways make transfers between those accounts. Everything can be monitored. They will know exactly what you earn, exactly what you spend, and exactly ***on what*** you spend and ***where*** you spend it. Moreover, they can freeze your money or take it, as they see fit.
This is the opposite of cash, which can move from hand to hand without anyone knowing anything about it, apart from the two involved parties.
Why does Big Brother want to monitor everything?
There are several common excuses for the implementation of cashless finance. The most dramatic ones are to combat corruption, drug trading, and the financing of terrorism. This is just rubbish. People in those businesses will always find ways to make their transactions as discreetly as they want or need. The cashless society aims at the common people; to erase the black market and the informal sector, to control everyone and to ensure that everyone pays taxes on everything. But also to ensure ***the power of negative interest***, which is a new creative way to steal from people. It affects money in the bank, not stashed cash. If all money must be in the bank, the negative interest cannot be avoided.
The cashless society can hardly be avoided. Period. But does it have to become a tool of the Big Brothers of this world? Does it have to become a tool for slavery?
With government-issued money: yes. In reality, all such money is owned by the government. People may hold it and use it, as long as they do it in the way the government wants. But don't fall for the deception that you would own your money. If you don't play according to the rules of the government, the money will be frozen or simply taken away from you. (Because this is not a trustless system. You don't only have to trust others, you are forced to be at their mercy.) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bitcoin-trustlessness-backing-8f11ed9c
For money not issued by a government: not necessarily so, as long as the money is not based on a physical commodity whose possession falls within the jurisdiction of a state. And that's where cryptocurrencies come in. The development of Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, came as a response to the gradual loss of financial freedom and privacy we have seen during several decades. It shows an alternative to the ***Bigbrotheristic*** version of cashlessness. A cryptocurrency cannot be considered as cash, but it is a digital solution offering important cash-like characteristics. It cannot be controlled or manipulated by any government, and although transactions can be monitored through the public blockchain, it is technically possible for those who so desire, to keep ownership invisible.
***Currently, cryptocurrencies are the major defence against total financial slavery.***
Not everything called a cryptocurrency is a genuine cryptocurrency though. The word “cryptocurrency” currently have positive vibes, so it is also used to mislead people. Governments are good at this sort of games when they try to make their populations embrace new freedom-limiting laws or projects. Today governments, or their central banks, are increasingly interested in making their version of a cryptocurrency. But central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are not genuine cryptocurrencies, they are just digital versions of the same old FIAT - they are tools of deepening slavery, since they admit governments more power, not less. I am idealistic enough to embrace as a goal of cryptocurrency: the ***removal of political control of money***.
*"Now the reason given by our rulers for suppressing cash is to keep society safe from terrorists, tax evaders, money launderers, drug cartels, and other villains real or imagined. The actual aim of the flood of laws restricting or even prohibiting the use of cash is to force the public to make payments through the financial system. This enables governments to expand their ability to spy on and keep track of their citizens’ most private financial dealings, in order to milk their citizens of every last dollar of tax payments that they claim are due."*
(Joseph T. Salerno, in his article "*Why Government Hates Cash")*
Your principle has placed these words above the entrance of the legislative chamber: “whosoever acquires any influence here can obtain his share of legal plunder.” And what has been the result? All classes have flung themselves upon the doors of the chamber crying: “A share of the plunder for me, for me!”
(Frederic Bastiat, Plunder and Law, 1850)
"The government says to the citizen: Your earnings are not exclusively your own; we have a claim on them, and our claim precedes yours; we will allow you to keep some of it, because we recognize your need, not your right; but whatever we grant you for yourself is for us to decide."
(Frank Chodorov, The Income Tax: Root of All Evil, Chapter 3)
I have added to my INDEX as a separate label/topic: Cryptocurrency & Digital Money. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#cryptocurrency-amp-digital-money
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail by ActivePen/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Here you find all my writings about privacy & antibigbrotherism - and here about crypto.
https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#privacy-amp-antibigbrotherism https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#cryptocurrency-amp-digital-money
My 5 most recent articles:
Bitcoin, Critical Mass & Interface https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bitcoin-critical-mass-interface-735ae360
Quizzes & Puzzles 2 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-2-1b9eaf9c
Suggested Reading 20 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-20-1ee1b0b1
A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/a-comparison-of-birds-and-their-ancestral-dinosaurs-232683b6
Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/archaeopteryx-birds-dinosaurs-25fdeb1a
Bitcoin, Critical Mass & Interface
Whether we talk about Bitcoin BTC or Bitcoin Cash, the use of bitcoin continues to grow, but it is still unknown to most people in the world. The truth is that it is not ready to be used by the masses. It remains too technically difficult for the average user to handle security properly, and that needs to be solved, and it's on its way to be so. The major remaining issue, however, is about interface.
All digital currencies and payment systems so far have fallen over the problem with interface, starting from ***e-gold*** and ahead. It is not difficult to create a closed system, the problem is to create safe interfaces.
Interfaces come on many levels. Basically, a digital system has an interface wherever it is in direct contact with the non-digital world. E-gold went down because the gold backing that had to be stored physically - it was available to the jurisdiction of a state, and in the end, the state stole it. E-gold was only semi-digital. Transactions were made digitally, but the whole system was not fully digital.
Even having a central server is a form of interface, because this central server must be situated in a place under the jurisdiction of a State. That's the reason why a distributed system is superior. There is no central point to attack.
By eliminating the need of backing, and by being distributed, Bitcoin has solved many aspects of the problem. But there is still the very difficult interface between Bitcoin and other currencies. People want to buy bitcoins or sell bitcoins, just as they buy and sell currencies on the forex market. Not only for speculation, there is also a practical need for this. That is a major problem with cryptocurrencies. They are not existing in an isolated digital world; if they are to assume the function of money, that money must be used in the real world. This is simple, if people can just send bitcoins as cash between computers and mobile phones. But they cannot, because they still need to buy and sell their bitcoins. The typical bitcoin transaction between user A and user B follows this pattern:
1. A buys bitcoin from an exchanger. To do that, he has to transfer fiat currency to the exchanger. To most people that means an international bank transfer, which might include an additional exchange between currencies, resulting in a loss of privacy. He also has to pay for the bank transfer, and a fee to the exchanger.
2. A transfers bitcoin to B.
3. B transfers the bitcoin to an exchanger for out-exchange and receives a transfer of fiat currency from the exchanger through the ordinary bank system. B pays for the bank transfer and exchange and loses his privacy in the process.
These in- and out-exchanges expose the user to many of the disadvantages of ordinary money, disadvantages Bitcoin is designed to eliminate. The exchangers are, and will increasingly be, exposed to legal regulation (KYC etc.) creating a back-door for states and governments to monitor and control users.
A lot of energy is spent on trying to develop distributed and/or decentralised exchanging, or private exchanging between individual users. That's fine, it is needed, but I think much of that discussion is missing the main point: ***If bitcoin shall ever become mainstream, the need of in- and out-exchanging must be close to eliminated.***
Many users claim that Bitcoin is not suited as a currency system, but is well suited for international transfers. They also claim that for this purpose, it is cheap. This is not true. Look at the transaction above, which, provided users A and B are in different countries, shows exactly what they talk about. When they say it is cheap, they choose to see only step 2. If the whole procedure includes buying Bitcoin, transferring them, and then selling Bitcoin, then it is neither simple nor cheap. In my opinion, Bitcoin is very well suited to be a currency system (that no longer applies for BTC, which has gone astray completely, but it applies well for BCH), but ill suited for the sort of transfers where it just becomes an extra step.
***To use Bitcoin is simple and cheap when the payer already has bitcoins and the receiver needs and can use them without an out-exchange.*** In short, Bitcoin serves well as a currency if it can circulate as cash in exchange for goods and services. You are paid in Bitcoin, you pay with Bitcoin - as when you use currency in your everyday life within the currency area where you live. In- and out-exchanges cannot be eliminated completely, there will always be some need for that service, but that need must be reduced. As it is now, in- and out-exchanging probably constitute the great majority of transactions with Bitcoin. This needs to change.
The problem is a classical one, it is about a critical mass. Today you can buy Bitcoin, but can you use it? Yes, a little, but not to a point where you can manage a whole economy using it. That means that most of the users buy bitcoins to speculate, not to use it as money. The user base must grow to a point where all sorts of goods and services can be bought or sold for Bitcoin. At that point, the user base will grow by its own momentum. But there is a threshold somewhere, a ***critical mass***, and we are not quite there yet for a while.
I have added to my INDEX as a separate label/topic: Cryptocurrency & Digital Money. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#cryptocurrency-amp-digital-money
Copyright © 2019, 2022 Meleonymica. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail by tom bark/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Here you find all my writings about privacy & antibigbrotherism - and here about crypto. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#privacy-amp-antibigbrotherism https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#cryptocurrency-amp-digital-money
My 5 most recent articles:
Quizzes & Puzzles 2 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-2-1b9eaf9c
Suggested Reading 20 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-20-1ee1b0b1
A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/a-comparison-of-birds-and-their-ancestral-dinosaurs-232683b6
Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/archaeopteryx-birds-dinosaurs-25fdeb1a
Quizzes & Puzzles 1 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5
Quizzes & Puzzles 2
Before we look at new quizzes, I will give you the answers to those in Quizzes & Puzzles 1. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5
Quiz 1:1 consisted of two questions; I asked for two capitals: https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5#quiz-11
*a) If you reverse the syllables in the name of this (present day) capital, you get the name of the previous capital in the same country. Which capital am I referring to?*
*b) I assume that everyone is familiar with the distinction between vowels and consonants. The name of the second capital whose name I seek, consists of 11 letters, and as many as 8 of them are vowels. Which is the capital?*
The answer to the first one is the Japanese capital ***Tokyo***. The previous Japanese capital was Kyoto (TO-KYO; KYO-TO).
The second capital is **Ouagadougou** in Burkina Faso.
@Ling was first to answer this in a comment. @Princeyahwe also posted a correct answer.
For Quiz 1:2, there were some guesses, but no right answer. The most expensive spice after saffron, is ***genuine vanilla***. I once wrote about this in an article titled The Three Most Expensive Spices. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5#quiz-12 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-three-most-expensive-spices-24717e1d
As for Quiz 1:3, liquorice is 50 times sweeter than ordinary sugar. But again, always be careful with liquorice, it raises the blood pressure, sometimes dramatically. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5#quiz-13
Quiz 1:4 was different and more difficult. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5#quiz-14
The author of the text was *Charles Dickens*, and the novel I quoted from, was “*Great Expectations”*, from 1860-61.
In June 1861 The Times reviewed this novel. They wrote:
*"Great Expectations is not, indeed, his best work, but it is to be ranked among his happiest. There is that flowing humour in it which disarms criticism, and which is all the more enjoyable because it belies criticism. Fault there are in abundance, but who is going to find fault when the very essence of the fun is to commit faults?"*
Dickens's position in literary England was not at this time what it had been - and that is reflected in the review. Great Expectations is from the later period of his life; it is not one of his best known novels, but - I have to disagree with The Times - it definitely is one of his best.
Dickens has a special ability to use the specific, the individual, to illustrate the general; what made Chesterton call him *"a mythologist rather than a novelist"*. His characters are extremely individual, often on the brink of being caricatures, we feel that we “know” them, yet they never lose in generality.
In the same way, time and location are very specific, Victorian England, while everything also remains universal; it could be anywhere, anytime. This is what makes Dickens a truly great author, in the most profound sense a classic.
(The photo of Dickens is taken from “*Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens”* by G. K. Chesterton, Published 1911. Public Domain.)
Quiz 2:1
Two Ancient cities were buried by ash from a volcanic eruption in the year 79 AD. They are famous, because they were largely preserved in ash and powdered volcanic rock. Which are the cities and what is the volcano called?
Quiz 2:2
The science or systematic study of animals is called zoology; of diseases, it is called pathology; and of stamps, it is philately. But what is the systematic study of flags called?
Quiz 2:3
*"[...] but if you have a wart on your forehead or nose, you imagine that all the world is looking at it, and that people would make fun of you because of it, even if you had discovered America!"*
This is quoted from a novel by one of the greatest Russian authors ever, no doubt he is one of the greatest novelists in world literature. Who is the author and what is the name of the novel?
This is difficult, so let me give a clue. The novel, which is one of his most famous, and whose title indicates limited intelligence, was originally published in 1869, but it remains a true classic.
Let's also take a puzzle this time. I tend to call it a Quiz, if it is about knowledge, and a puzzle, if it is more a matter of logical thinking. This most definitely is a puzzle.
Puzzle 2:4
113+24=140
Have I been counting wrong here? No, this is correct, but how can it be?
Quizzes & Puzzles has now its own label in my Index, where all issues of the series can be found. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#quizzes-amp-puzzles
Read also the series, ”Suggested Reading”, which is a compilation of articles by other authors on this platform; and “Retrospection”, which presents some of my own old articles (with some further comments) in a topic related way, quite different from the chronological order in my profile. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Cartoon by Christian Dorn/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
My 5 most recent articles:
Suggested Reading 20 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-20-1ee1b0b1
A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/a-comparison-of-birds-and-their-ancestral-dinosaurs-232683b6
Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/archaeopteryx-birds-dinosaurs-25fdeb1a
Quizzes & Puzzles 1 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5
Suggested Reading 19 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-19-419f66b5
Suggested Reading 20
*In* *this series**, I assume the role of a reader instead of a writer, discussing articles by other writers... things I recommend.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading
We start with the history of money. @dave_gutteridge has written an excellent essay, where he questions the generally believed theory, that the origin of money was barter. He writes: https://read.cash/@dave_gutteridge
“*The only trouble is that this story is completely untrue. According to anthropologists, there is literally no record in history of any society starting with a barter system and then transitioning to a currency system. The whole concept of currency solving the problems of bartering is a complete myth. It only gets passed around as fact because it seems so intuitively believable.*
And he continues:
“*I believed it when I first heard it. But, let this really sink in, it never happened. Or, at least, there is absolutely no evidence it ever happened, and plenty of evidence for other systems of commerce before currency.“*
Read more in The Story Crypto Tells Itself About The Origin of Money by @dave_gutteridge. https://read.cash/@dave_gutteridge/the-story-crypto-tells-itself-about-the-origin-of-money-a1a398ae
The next article I suggest for reading is Be your Own bank Using BCH to enhance Your freedom in a decentralized economy by @alberdioni8406 . https://read.cash/@alberdioni8406/be-your-own-bank-using-bch-to-enhance-your-freedom-in-a-decentralized-economy-59a41bc6
Then we have two articles by @SapphireCrypto - The Implosion Of The First World Is Creating The Bitcoin World and Three Crypto-Based Browsers With Built-In Rewards. https://read.cash/@SapphireCrypto https://read.cash/@SapphireCrypto/the-implosion-of-the-first-world-is-creating-the-bitcoin-world-39bf5334 https://read.cash/@SapphireCrypto/three-crypto-based-browsers-with-built-in-rewards-b02e8c0d
@meitanteikudo wrote about Crossing Blockchains with Cross-chain Bridges. https://read.cash/@meitanteikudo https://read.cash/@meitanteikudo/crossing-blockchains-with-cross-chain-bridges-3a2826b1
For newbies here, @Lixten well sums up what to think of in Getting Started in Read.cash: Useful Tips and Guide for Beginners. https://read.cash/@Lixten https://read.cash/@Lixten/getting-started-in-readcash-useful-tips-and-guide-for-beginners-3654a20b
@Loucy writes about Blockchain and the worst enemy of Sustainable Development Goals. https://read.cash/@Loucy https://read.cash/@Loucy/blockchain-and-the-worst-enemy-of-sustainable-development-goals-2e9f4469
Ukraine has been a the very centre of world news the recent week. It is a difficult situation, but normally one can learn something from bad and difficult situations. @Fexonice1 puts his finger on 3 great financial lessons the Ukraine' crisis has taught the world. https://read.cash/@Fexonice1 https://read.cash/@Fexonice1/3-great-financial-lessons-the-ukraine-crisis-has-taught-the-world-fbef2d72
War is a part of human nature, claims @Tomi-Ajax in an article published just when I lay my last hand on this issue of “Suggested Reading”. https://read.cash/@Tomi-Ajax/war-is-a-part-of-human-nature-e523194f
My loyal readers know about my interest in eyes and colours. However, I am not the only one; @JCnakama also has a deep interest in light and colour, manifested through his very good Visible light through color. Obviously we can expect more articles from him about this topic. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#eyes-light-vision-blindness https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#colour https://read.cash/@JCnakama https://read.cash/@JCnakama/visible-light-through-color-728dd370
In Theories about Death, new member @Zicharius.Khlyne philosophises about death, and @DocLayla is Contemplating the world of animals. https://read.cash/@Zicharius.Khlyne/theories-about-death-76aebcee https://read.cash/@DocLayla https://read.cash/@DocLayla/contemplating-the-world-of-animals-cefe2b63
@Shounenbat writes about history in Ares, Sparta, and the Relationship that Never Was. https://read.cash/@Shounenbat https://read.cash/@Shounenbat/ares-sparta-and-the-relationship-that-never-was-402ead97
“*Man is at his most free when he realizes that he can overcome something.”*
This is quoted from a post, You are free when you have nothing to lose., by relatively new member @Strongpen . https://read.cash/@Strongpen/you-are-free-when-you-have-nothing-to-lose-25c4df2c
In To share some of my thoughts as a parent, @sj0820 discusses morals, education and the relationship between parents and children - and @itsCbitC discusses the importance of patience in Art of Patience. I fully agree with the author, patience is an extremely important quality. In another article, Sound of Life, she writes about music. https://read.cash/@sj0820/to-share-some-of-my-thoughts-as-a-parent-4c0ef557 https://read.cash/@itsCbitC https://read.cash/@itsCbitC/art-of-patience-8ab8d9dc https://read.cash/@itsCbitC/sound-of-life-f7ba5d08
@Princessbusayo writes Your uniqueness, your advantage. I quote: https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/your-uniqueness-your-advantage-20382e37
“*Everyone of us must identify our abilities, know our weakness and work towards doing what work for us on time.“*
@charmingcherry08 lists her Important Rules In Life. https://read.cash/@charmingcherry08 https://read.cash/@charmingcherry08/important-rules-in-life-42a07c56
In Infatuation versus love- 10 differences!, @OliviaQueen discusses two often confused phenomena. By understanding the difference, many mistakes can be prevented. https://read.cash/@OliviaQueen/infatuation-versus-love-10-differences-5030125c
“*I believe nature has sustained itself for so long due to one key factor. A delicate balance that makes everything perfectly in tune.“*
This (above) is quoted from Finding Balance, a well written article by @Aimure about the importance of balance, in as well nature as our personal lives. https://read.cash/@Aimure/finding-balance-5ea37175
Let's enjoy an interesting cultural display by @Big-E in Bitcoincash: a little party to celebrate our culture in Western Nigeria. https://read.cash/@Big-E https://read.cash/@Big-E/bitcoincash-a-little-party-to-celebrate-our-culture-in-western-nigeria-813a59df
New member @Sirjmllano writes about What food you have to eat in the forest to survive, something everyone ought to have some knowledge about. https://read.cash/@Sirjmllanos https://read.cash/@Sirjmllanos/what-food-you-have-to-eat-in-the-forest-to-survive-1b46c48a
@Ling01 tells us about Herbal Plants : Let's Cure Ourselves through Natural Made. https://read.cash/@Ling01 https://read.cash/@Ling01/herbal-plants-lets-cure-ourselves-through-natural-made-0eb66f7d
In 2.22.22, @Bloghound wrote about the recent palindrome date. https://read.cash/@Bloghound/22222-f20a1a49
Good Quotes are fascinating. @Olasquare recently wrote two articles about that: Some Of My Favourite Quotes Explained and Some Of My Favourite Quotes Explained, II. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#quotes-proverbs-sayings https://read.cash/@Olasquare https://read.cash/@Olasquare/some-of-my-favourite-quotes-explained-e954debd https://read.cash/@Olasquare/some-of-my-favourite-quotes-explained-ii-699f450c
Do you like travelling? Look at these two destinations, described by @sam786: Pamphylia; a gorgeous and ancient city in Turkey and Astonishing Golden sea of Canola. https://read.cash/@sam786 https://read.cash/@sam786/pamphylia-a-gorgeous-and-ancient-city-in-turkey-4a6bb344 https://read.cash/@sam786/astonishing-golden-sea-of-canola-67f0a7f3
Some art? Digital art_2020. Hummingbird by @daring-celt . Or Kingfisher (soft pastel), by the same artist, https://read.cash/@daring-celt/digital-art-2020-hummingbird-b1d75926 https://read.cash/@daring-celt/kingfisher-soft-pastel-f0c2e36c
Finally some fiction:
Of Guns and Spells by @Ozzyy . https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/of-guns-and-spells-1f732fdf
A hidden treasure and The treasure was found! by @gertu13 . https://read.cash/@gertu13/a-hidden-treasure-42f10c2e https://read.cash/@gertu13/the-treasure-was-found-78eb45c2
You Are Good For Nothing!! - Part 1!!, You Are Good For Nothing!! - Part 2!!, You Are Good For Nothing!! - Part 3!! and You Are Good For Nothing!! - Finale!! by @Theblackdoll . https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll/you-are-good-for-nothing-part-1-2b62be49 https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll/you-are-good-for-nothing-part-2-f11b1d6e https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll/you-are-good-for-nothing-part-3-560b04eb https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll/you-are-good-for-nothing-finale-7857b410
Read the whole series, ”Suggested Reading” and my series “Retrospection”. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/a-comparison-of-birds-and-their-ancestral-dinosaurs-232683b6
Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/archaeopteryx-birds-dinosaurs-25fdeb1a
Quizzes & Puzzles 1 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5
Suggested Reading 19 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-19-419f66b5
How to Avoid Mental Decline: Neuroprotectors https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/how-to-avoid-mental-decline-neuroprotectors-0f3c9928
A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs
*This is the second article about the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. The first one was* *Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs**.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/archaeopteryx-birds-dinosaurs-25fdeb1a
*All birds (avians) are dinosaurs, but all dinosaurs were not birds. So what is the difference between birds and other (non-avian) dinosaurs?*
Feathers & Flight
Feathers existed long before birds, probably even before the dinosaurs, since even crocodiles carry the gene which builds feathers in birds. I will not go further into that discussion here, just stating the fact. It is likely that all Archosaurs (see diagram below) had the feather gene. However, we must be clear over that feathers are not always of the sort we see on birds, which is a highly evolved and complex structure. The first feathers most probably were ***filamentous*** feathers. Filamentous means “threadlike” and filamentous feathers are more hairlike, although they are definitely not hair. Yet, filamentous feathers are not what most people spontaneously would recognise as feathers.
When we say that all Archosaurs probably had the feather gene, it is not certain that all of them had feathers; the genetic basis for feathers might have been suppressed in some or even many species. It is also certain that all who really had feathers, did not have pennaceous feathers, the highly complex and evolved type that is necessary for flapping flight. So far, they are known only from birds and a few Theropod dinosaurs.
The original purpose of feathers could have been insulation, protection of eggs during brooding, or social or sexual display. There is no doubt that feathers serve all these functions for modern birds.
As everyone knows, feathers are also used for flapping flight, although that requires highly developed pennaceous feathers, and flying were most certainly not why feathers were evolved in the first place.
How flying developed is a matter of speculation and dispute. Most likely, small feathered animals first climbed up on something, then jumping and gliding away in the air. Or perhaps flapping with feathered wings were first a help in running faster; then flying by moving wings came step by step. Today feathers and flying with the help of wings covered with pennaceous feathers are characteristics of birds, but it is very possible that already some small Theropod dinosaurs developed that ability. Not necessarily direct ancestors of birds, it can have happened on later extinct side-lines.
Flying itself is not dependent on feathers. Pterosauria, for instance, was an order of dinosaur-like animals (although they were not dinosaurs). Pterosaurs came in many sizes, and they were the first vertebrates to develop flight. They had no feathers. With their membrane-like wings, they dominated the airspace about 228-66 million years ago.
And there are others. A contemporary example of featherless flying vertebrates are bats.
Breathing & Bones - Pneumatisation of the Post-Cranial Skeletal Structure
Birds have a superb system for breathing and absorption of oxygen, very superior to ours. Flying is hard work, they need much oxygen. We, with our system for extraction of oxygen from air would never have the strength for flapping flight; we would not be able to keep up the supply of oxygen to the relevant muscles. We would also be too heavy, because we have compact bones. The bones of birds are not compact; they contain cavities, which are part of their breathing system. They have pneumatic bones
In addition to lungs, birds have air sacs penetrating the skeleton, in a system that moves the air in just one direction. What reaches the lungs is always fresh air. Everything in the system is working in one direction. Not as in mammals, including humans, where it flows in two directions, which means that every time the lungs get new air, there comes also some old air. For a mammal, the concentration of oxygen becomes lower.
The structure in the lungs is also different from mammals. Mammal lungs have alveoli and handle both ventilation and exchange of gases (between lungs and blood) in the same places, while, in birds, ventilation and exchange of gases are separated.
Theropod dinosaurs had a pulmonary system similar to the system of the birds, including the presence of air sacs penetrating the skeleton. And so had Pterosaurs, discussed above as featherless flyers 228-66 million years ago.
The skeletal air “pockets” make the animal lighter than if it had compact bone. For birds, this is a precondition for flight, but obviously, this was not why it first evolved. The Theropod dinosaurs did not fly, and many of them were huge in size. Just imagine Tyrannosaurus Rex! Certainly, it did not fly. However, it went upright, it was bipedal, and even that is a feat for an animal of that size. (Being bipedal is also a characteristic birds share with their Theropod ancestors.) It is quite possible that bipedalism couldn't have developed if the skeleton had been compact - at least not in animals over a certain limited size.
Although there are several similarities and both had pneumatic bones, the skeletal anatomy of birds is not identical to that of their Theropod ancestors. Aves (birds) have evolved further and become adapted to flight and its special anatomical requirements. Details about that is beyond the scope of this article, but it can be fun to know that the wishbone, something often said to be typical only for birds, have been found also in some of their Theropod ancestors.
Teeth & Beak
Theropod dinosaurs had teeth, birds have not. This, however, is no dramatic difference. Birds have the genes to teeth and sometimes it is said that there were early birds with teeth. That is, indeed, a matter of how one defines Aves. The present view is that Aves, birds, have no teeth and have never had teeth. They were lost in an immediate ancestor of Aves.
Birds also developed the beak, which come in myriad shapes and sizes, often highly specialised for the need of just that species of bird.
Gizzard
Birds have nature's most efficient digestive system, and the basis for that is the use of a gizzard. Amongst contemporary animals having a gizzard, we find crocodiles and alligators, and it is likely that all Archosaurs had it. That includes dinosaurs.
A gizzard is a muscular digestive organ working by grinding food. Birds have stones in it to aid the grinding. When the stones become too smooth and round, they become useless and are replaced with new ones. The old ones are then regurgitated. Similar stones have been found in connection with dinosaur fossils, indicating that at least some dinosaurs had a gizzard, and, just like birds, used ingested stones as help with the grinding.
(Some other animals also have a gizzard. For instance, earthworms, crustaceans, and some fish.)
Vision & Colours
Birds are sometimes vividly coloured. Colour plays a role in sexual selection and social interaction. They have good colour vision and some birds can perceive ultraviolet.
Their vision is highly developed in other ways as well. Far beyond the vision of any other vertebrate, although it varies between different species of birds.
Dinosaurs, at least the Theropods, obviously had superb vision and colour vision as well. Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Theropod, might have had the best vision of any land-living animal ever. (For more on the eyes and vision of Tyrannosaurus Rex, see The Most Powerful Eyes) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-most-powerful-eyes-9dc49a42
If Tyrannosaurus Rex had feathers, as observations suggest, they cannot have been there for insulation or flight, the animal was quite simply too large. They must have been for sexual selection and social display. Then, they most probably were coloured.
Childhood and speed of growth
Traditional reptiles grow their whole life. They get bigger the older they are. So do crocodiles. Dinosaurs, however, did not, neither do birds.
Birds grow up extremely fast. They reach full size in just a few weeks!
One can say that dinosaurs were somewhere between reptiles and birds. First they grew relatively slowly and then there was a period of exponential growth, before they were full-grown. After that they didn't live all that long – nothing like the long life of reptiles.
Sexual maturity reflects how they grow. Dinosaurs most likely were breeding at time before they were full-grown. (Naturally, traditional reptiles are breeding before they are full-grown, since they are never full-grown.) Birds are not doing that. They grow up so absurdly fast that all energy must go to growing. They cannot waste energy on breeding during that time.
One has to wonder ***why*** birds have developed this speed of growth.
Young birds lead a dangerous life. Predators lurk everywhere and a young bird is helpless, apart from the protection the parents can offer – and that protection is often quite limited. They must grow quickly and learn to fly quickly.
Appendix: Archosauria
Here we can see how, according to the present level of knowledge, crocodiles (belonging to Crocodylomorpha) are related to dinosaurs and, in the extension, to birds (which would be a branch of Saurischia). Some member of Archosauria was the last common ancestor.
Crocodiles and birds are, as far as we know today, the only branches of this tree that are not extinct. Also, since both birds and crocodiles have the gene building feathers (although suppressed in today's crocodiles, they are not feathered), it is probable that feathers were already developed by Archosaurs before the lines were divided.
Read also part one of this article, *Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs**.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/archaeopteryx-birds-dinosaurs-25fdeb1a
**Related Articles:**
To Revive an Extinct Dinosaur - Is it at all Possible? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/to-revive-an-extinct-dinosaur-is-it-at-all-possible-c37386b9
How Can We Know Anything About Dinosaurs? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/how-can-we-know-anything-about-dinosaurs-9e286d64
The Most Powerful Eyes https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-most-powerful-eyes-9dc49a42
Retrospection 4 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/retrospection-4-0c1add0e
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2019, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Photo by LoggaWiggler/Pixabay. CC0/Public Domain.)*
Here you can find my articles about Palaeontology. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#palaeontology-amp-evolution
If you are interested in Evolution & Paleontology, a topic including Dinosaurs, join my community *"**Natural Science (1c4e)**".* https://read.cash/c/natural-science-1c4e
My 5 most recent articles:
Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/archaeopteryx-birds-dinosaurs-25fdeb1a
Quizzes & Puzzles 1 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5
Suggested Reading 19 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-19-419f66b5
How to Avoid Mental Decline: Neuroprotectors https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/how-to-avoid-mental-decline-neuroprotectors-0f3c9928
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery II: The Great Physicians https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-ii-the-great-physicians-d8533aa6
Archaeopteryx, Birds & Dinosaurs
*In two articles, I will discuss the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. This is the first one; the second one is* A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs*.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/a-comparison-of-birds-and-their-ancestral-dinosaurs-232683b6
Birds are Dinosaurs
In 1880, Thomas Henry Huxley suggested that birds evolved from dinosaurs.
Huxley based his theory on a comparison of Archaeopteryx, generally considered to be an early bird, and bones from Theropod dinosaurs that were found in the same area. He found striking similarities.
This idea, already then seen with skepticism by his colleagues, later came to be completely discarded. Between 1920 and about 1970, the paradigm was that dinosaurs were cold-blooded, slow and stupid animals, very primitive creatures that could not be closely related to birds at all.
The turning point came during the 1970s-1990s and findings in Manchuria and Mongolia of quite birdlike dinosaurs. They clearly had feathers, which was the first absolute *evidence* that at least some dinosaurs had feathers. They also showed skeletal similarities with birds and quite evidently they were fast. Feathers also indicate that they were warm blooded - the original purpose of feathers was most probably insulation, to keep warmth inside.
Since then, there are a lot of findings and observations confirming the close relationship between dinosaurs and birds. There are so many fundamental similarities, and so many things we today see as typical for birds that were there already with the dinosaurs, that the closeness can no longer be denied.
According to the present level of knowledge, birds did not only evolve from dinosaurs, ***they are dinosaurs***.
Archaeopteryx & What it is to be a Bird
It is justified to assume that Archaeopteryx is the world's most well-known fossil. It is sometimes described as a bird, sometimes not, it all boils down to definitions, but fact is that it triggered the idea that perhaps birds descend from dinosaurs the first time it turned up. It happened 1880, when Thomas Henry Huxley suggested that birds evolved from dinosaurs. He based this theory on a comparison of Archaeopteryx, generally considered to be an early bird, and bones from Theropod dinosaurs that were found in the same area. He found striking similarities.
This is a photo from 1880 of a fossil of Archaeopteryx, the Berlin Archaeopteryx specimen. Legs and feathers were subsequently removed. Totally, 11 fossils of Archaeopteryx have been found. Most of them in Jurassic limestone in Bavaria (about 150 million years old).
Archaeopteryx was a long time considered as the oldest known fossil bird, because it had feathers. In German, it was even referred to as “Urvogel”, meaning “original bird”. This was based on the (erroneous) assumption that only birds had feathers. Only in the beginning of this century, findings of other feathered and birdlike fossils of about the same age in China have changed that view. Archaeopteryx is now increasingly re-classified as a dinosaur, but not a bird. This makes sense, because Archaeopteryx has some characteristics that are not birdlike. Indeed, they contradict the criteria for being a bird. The fact that it had feathers does not alone make it a bird, since it has now been understood that feathers existed before the evolution of birds. Archaeopteryx also had wings, but the skeletal structure doesn't support flight (although it had started to change in that direction), as it does in birds, so it is unclear if it could fly. Further, it had hollow bones with air sacs, so had at least some traditional non-avian dinosaurs as well. (More about that in a forthcoming article.)
If feathers, wishbone, three-fingered hands, and robust forelimbs would make Archaeopteryx a bird, it certainly wasn't the first one. There were older species with these characteristics. However, according to the present standards of classification, there are further criteria for making something a bird, and these criteria are not satisfied.
Archaeopteryx had teeth, a bird has not. It also had a long tail, while in birds, the tail has become very short, which is probably necessary for efficient flight. Further, birds have fused fingers, while Archaeopteryx could move each finger individually, and its fingers had claws. We are talking about ***hands****,* a part of the wings. Birds have claws, but not on the forelimbs.
So, if Archaeopteryx was not a bird (Aves), what was it then? Well, just as all birds, it certainly was a dinosaur, most likely a transitional form between non-avian dinosaurs and birds; a dinosaur on its way to become a bird. If its line is the origin of birds is a matter of dispute, but I doubt that it was. Many parallel lines may have evolved and only one survived. Archaeopteryx is scientifically important, however, for our understanding of as well birds as dinosaurs and how theropod dinosaurs became birds.
Etymology of Archaeopteryx
The word “archaeopteryx” was coined by palaeontologist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer. He based it on Ancient Greek ἀρχαῖος (arkhaîos, *“ancient”* or *“primitive”*); and Ancient Greek πτέρυξ (ptérux, *“wing”*).
This discussion continues in A comparison of Birds and Their Ancestral Dinosaurs. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/a-comparison-of-birds-and-their-ancestral-dinosaurs-232683b6
Related articles:
To Revive an Extinct Dinosaur - Is it at all Possible? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/to-revive-an-extinct-dinosaur-is-it-at-all-possible-c37386b9
How Can We Know Anything About Dinosaurs? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/how-can-we-know-anything-about-dinosaurs-9e286d64
The Most Powerful Eyes https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-most-powerful-eyes-9dc49a42
Retrospection 4 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/retrospection-4-0c1add0e
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright ©2019, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail image by Gordon Johnson/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
Here you can find my articles about Palaeontology. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#palaeontology-amp-evolution
If you are interested in Evolution & Paleontology, a topic including Dinosaurs, join my community *"**Natural Science (1c4e)**".* https://read.cash/c/natural-science-1c4e
My 5 most recent articles:
Quizzes & Puzzles 1 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/quizzes-puzzles-1-387570b5
Suggested Reading 19 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-19-419f66b5
How to Avoid Mental Decline: Neuroprotectors https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/how-to-avoid-mental-decline-neuroprotectors-0f3c9928
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery II: The Great Physicians https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-ii-the-great-physicians-d8533aa6
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery I https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-i-635674a5
Quizzes & Puzzles 1
For many, many years in the past, I was a “Puzzlist” - that is to say, I was constructing and compiling various sorts of logical puzzles, some very complex, some less so. I also created quizzes for different uses. It was never my main occupation, but I have always done many parallel things; to do so is part of my general approach to life.
Since things like these amuse a lot of people - after all, it is a playful way to learn (not at least from the answers), and it's quite fun to produce as well - I decided to test a new series here: “Quizzes & Puzzles”. Then ***if the response is good, the series will continue*** until further notice, with a new issue now and then (never more often than once a week though). The main part will be quizzes, but occasional puzzles will turn up. That is to say, that this is what I have in mind now, but I know from experience that reader feedback can bring things in entirely new directions.
In the internet age, it's sometimes too easy to answer quizzes by using Google, although it's more fun not to do so. For that reason, I will not offer any prizes for correct answers. Let's do this for fun, and in order to exercise the brain or to learn something in a playful way, but feel free to post answers and solutions in the comment section.
What will the quizzes be about and what sort of logical puzzles will I include?
Almost anything can turn up as a quiz; I will try to reach some variation in my choice of subjects, but of course, topics from my articles will be there: history, (in the broadest sense), literature & art, science, language, etc. However, I might go beyond even these borders to less intellectual realms. We will see where this leads us.
As for puzzles, I have not really decided that yet. We will see.
Quiz 1:1
This is a question about geography and words. I ask for two capitals. Names refer to how they are written in English.
a) If you reverse the syllables in the name of this (present day) capital, you get the name of the previous capital in the same country. Which capital am I referring to?
b) I assume that everyone is familiar with the distinction between vowels and consonants. The name of the second capital whose name I seek, consists of 11 letters, and as many as 8 of them are vowels. Which is the capital?
Quiz 1:2
Most people know that saffron is the most expensive spice, but which is the next most expensive?
Quiz 1:3
A member of the plant kingdom contains a substance being 50 times sweeter than ordinary sugar. The root is used to produce medicines and sweets. But beware, only a small overconsumption can make the blood pressure rise dramatically. What is this plant called?
Quiz 1:4
Who wrote this and from which Victorian novel is it taken?
*"It was spacious, and I dare say it had once been handsome, but every discernible thing in it was covered with dust and mould, and dropping to pieces. The most prominent object was a long table with a tablecloth spread on it, as if a feast had been in preparation when the house and the clocks all stopped together. An epergne, or centerpiece of some kind was in the middle of this cloth; it was so heavily overhung with cobwebs that its form was quite undistinguishable; and, as I looked along the yellow expanse out of which I remember its seeming to grow, like a black fungus, I saw speckled legged spiders with blotchy bodies running home to it, and running out from it, as if some circumstance of the greatest public importance had just transpired in the spider community.*
*I heard the mice too, rattling behind the panels, as if the same occurrence were important to their interests. But the blackbeetles took no notice of the agitation, and groped about the hearth in a ponderous elderly way, as if they were short-sighted and hard of hearing, and not on terms with one another."*
Answers will be provided in “Quizzes & Puzzles 2”, along with new chances to test your knowledge.
Read also the series, ”Suggested Reading”, which is a compilation of articles by other authors on this platform; and “Retrospection”, which presents some of my own old articles in a topic related way, quite different from the chronological order in my profile. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
**In my** **INDEX****, you can find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic.** https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Image by Christian Dorn/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
My 5 most recent articles:
Suggested Reading 19 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-19-419f66b5
How to Avoid Mental Decline: Neuroprotectors https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/how-to-avoid-mental-decline-neuroprotectors-0f3c9928
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery II: The Great Physicians https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-ii-the-great-physicians-d8533aa6
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery I https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-i-635674a5
Suggested Reading 18 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-18-5f653c5c
Suggested Reading 19
*In* *this series**, I assume the role of a reader instead of a writer, discussing articles by other writers... things I recommend.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading
We begin with Wellcome to Bitcoin - A Government Controlled "Asset", by @annayks who discusses a conspiracy theory. https://read.cash/@annayks/wellcome-to-bitcoin-a-government-controlled-asset-3cda9295
@Pantera writes about Venture Capital Funds and Smart Contract Networks and about how Satoshi Was Right, Bitcoin Cash is The Proof. https://read.cash/@Pantera https://read.cash/@Pantera/venture-capital-funds-and-smart-contract-networks-0bb91513 https://read.cash/@Pantera/satoshi-was-right-bitcoin-cash-is-the-proof-83c1e0f7
I also want to include two articles by @Jnavedan - Can governments limit or regulate the use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin Cash? and Will bitcoin be a Trojan horse? https://read.cash/@Jnavedan https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/can-governments-limit-or-regulate-the-use-of-cryptocurrencies-such-as-bitcoin-cash-44d2fa2e https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/will-bitcoin-be-a-trojan-horse-586b29fc
Is OpenSea reliable? Well, read OpenSea Phishing by @xuanling11 - and judge for yourself?
https://read.cash/@xuanling11/opensea-phishing-bcf67923
Bitcoin Cash And Things - what the heck are NFTs? by relatively new member @Lixten, can be a good starting point if you wonder over exactly the same thing. In Readcashers - Pantera and Jane, @Lixten also coins a new word: “Readcasher”, and defines it thus: https://read.cash/@Lixten/bitcoin-cash-and-things-what-the-heck-are-nfts-201b19f1 https://read.cash/@Lixten/readcashers-pantera-and-jane-66b5206d
“*A Readcasher is anyone who is actively engaged in the read.cash platform”.*
Then he/she invites you to share your favourite Readcasher(s), and to share information about yourself. Obviously, a “Readcasher series” is planned.
@zrtv relates The story of a woman who looted billions through the cryptocurrency 'One Coin' and disappeared. https://read.cash/@zrtv https://read.cash/@zrtv/the-story-of-a-woman-who-looted-billions-through-the-cryptocurrency-one-coin-and-disappeared-6bbd9fc6
In You Are Being Watched!, @Bjorn discusses photo surveillance, including some tips on how to detect hidden cameras. And while we are into privacy, read also KYC, a Mass Surveillance Instrument, by new member @LiberLion . https://read.cash/@Bjorn/you-are-being-watched-260caf71 https://read.cash/@LiberLion/kyc-a-mass-surveillance-instrument-321068f1
@emin wrote Space exploration and the political interference, about space research and politics. Personally, I would rather see politics staying away from scientific research, but unfortunately that's not the world we are living in. https://read.cash/@emin https://read.cash/@emin/space-exploration-and-the-political-interference-cb997194
@Codename_Chikakiku speculates about Phenomena That Will Put Humanity in Extinction, and @Ellen-he illustrates the concept of parallel worlds with a simple story. https://read.cash/@Codename_Chikakiku https://read.cash/@Codename_Chikakiku/phenomena-that-will-put-humanity-in-extinction-8e4b491a https://read.cash/@Ellen-he
@pajeroz has written a thought-provoking article, 18+ Content Effects On Children And A Bleak Future. This subject out to concern all parents and future parents. The same author also wrote Elon Musk's Craze For Brain Chips And Monkey Brain Damage, another thought-provoking post. https://read.cash/@pajeroz https://read.cash/@pajeroz/18-content-effects-on-children-and-a-bleak-future-2d381153 https://read.cash/@pajeroz/elon-musks-craze-for-brain-chips-and-monkey-brain-damage-5e19d40e
*"The culprit behind all types of error is not the lack of general knowledge, but false information, accepted as factual."*
This is only one well-phrased truth in Discouragements, Matrix, And The Worth Of Persistence by @Gemstone . I don't share the author's religious belief, but I still agree to the conclusions. This is a quite heavy article to read, but don't be scared away by that. In many ways, this is @Gemstone's best article at Read.cash so far. https://read.cash/@Gemstone/discouragements-matrix-and-the-worth-of-persistence-23f05225
“*The winner writes the history, and many times it's pure propaganda - the creation of a myth to preserve power or justify certain actions.”*
This was my comment to History's Unkindness by @Talon – an article that can perhaps be an eye-opener for some of you. I have previously discussed the question of truth and myth in history, in History – Understand the Present by Understanding the Past. @Talon, however, takes you there with a piece of African history. In the end he concludes: https://read.cash/@Talon/historys-unkindness-ae6c7473 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/history-understand-the-present-by-understanding-the-past-54e66be9
“*Do not trust what you think you know, half the time, what we think we know is what someone wanted us to know, and it ain't necessarily the truth.”*
What's Right and What's Wrong, writes @DrPsycho in an article about ethics. "Ethics and moral values" need to be studied by all, he claims (and I tend to agree). https://read.cash/@DrPsycho/whats-right-and-whats-wrong-a5635f49
It's not about thinking the same, it's about respecting others, says @milaagrosramirez – and @Trifecta says, Be the friend you want to have. https://read.cash/@milaagrosramirez/its-not-about-thinking-the-same-its-about-respecting-others-8bd03195 https://read.cash/@Trifecta https://read.cash/@Trifecta/be-the-friend-you-want-to-have-03ce624c
@Freedom007 writes about Little things that turn a good person into a monster, and @OfficialGamboaLikeUs writes My Mother's Words Vs. What I Want To Say. https://read.cash/@Freedom007 https://read.cash/@Freedom007/little-things-that-turn-a-good-person-into-a-monster-8739a689 https://read.cash/@OfficialGamboaLikeUs https://read.cash/@OfficialGamboaLikeUs/my-mothers-words-vs-what-i-want-to-say-872ba273
@DocLayla relates the The lizard and rat analogy, a story about differences. https://read.cash/@DocLayla https://read.cash/@DocLayla/the-lizard-and-rat-analogy-79956b28
Despite the title, Enriching the reading experience by @SolarPhasing is about music, and includes some videos. https://read.cash/@SolarPhasing/enriching-the-reading-experience-81b3734c
@Fexonice1 lists Some important things you must not ignore as a blogger. I suspect many of you do ignore them or some of them. https://read.cash/@Fexonice1 https://read.cash/@Fexonice1/some-important-things-you-must-not-ignore-as-a-blogger-4419ed8c
Most people are so used to English as a world language, that they never think of that there were other world languages before that, and probably will be others later. However, changes are so slow, so we will hardly notice it within the course of a human life. In a recent article, @charmingcherry08 shares her thoughts about English As The Global Language. https://read.cash/@charmingcherry08 https://read.cash/@charmingcherry08/english-as-the-global-language-abae7661
Some fiction:
A Sci-fi experiment by @Ozzyy - one of the best authors of fiction here. https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/a-sci-fi-experiment-59169cca
Let's also look at a new member, @Emina_Daisuki – read A Gladiator's Cry (Part 1) https://read.cash/@Emina_Daisuki https://read.cash/@Emina_Daisuki/a-gladiators-cry-part-1-b96eec3c
and A Gladiator's Cry (Part 2). https://read.cash/@Emina_Daisuki/a-gladiators-cry-part-2-f545775f
Finally some art, by active artists:
Digital art_2019. Clouds creator by @daring-celt – and (DIGITAL DRAWING) Inspiration from drawing a cat by @magin.pintor . https://read.cash/@daring-celt/digital-art-2019-clouds-creator-81794fbf https://read.cash/@magin.pintor/digital-drawing-inspiration-from-drawing-a-cat-1f183c9a
Read the whole series, ”Suggested Reading” and my series “Retrospection”. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
How to Avoid Mental Decline: Neuroprotectors https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/how-to-avoid-mental-decline-neuroprotectors-0f3c9928
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery II: The Great Physicians https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-ii-the-great-physicians-d8533aa6
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery I https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-i-635674a5
Suggested Reading 18 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-18-5f653c5c
Big Brother & Law, Some Tendencies of the Times https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/big-brother-law-some-tendencies-of-the-times-0cbfd779
How to Avoid Mental Decline: Neuroprotectors
*Is it unavoidable with loss of memory and mental ability if we live long enough? Or can we protect ourselves against mental decline?*
INTRODUCTION
If, as a start, we can defend ourselves against degenerative disease, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, the two biggest killers - if we can retain our physical health and strength - we reach the next step: how to protect ourselves to mental decline? How to eliminate or postpone almost indefinitely degeneration of nerve cells? How to avoid Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other similar conditions? Are there nutrients or other substances protecting against nervous decline? Or is senility unavoidable if we can preserve our physical health long enough?
In my opinion, it is not unavoidable. We will discuss these questions here. Note, however, that far from all is known about the brain and the central nervous system. Although we know a great deal of how protect it, I'm sure much more facts will be uncovered in the future. Thus, I will not present a foolproof strategy here, only the knowledge we presently possess. It is limited, but in no way insignificant. However, it is important to ***get rid of the idea that anything is unavoidable****.* Such thinking fosters a mentality of passive acceptance of decline and nothing is done to eliminate it, reverse it, or at least retard it. And, if we take action, we can do quite a lot to improve our odds to remain strong and active far beyond the present average human life-span – physically as well as mentally.
First we must realise that the nervous system is a part of the physical body. Everything that is good for physical health is good for mental health. Nerve cells also crave good nutrition and plenty of oxygen. That is, good nutrition and suitable physical exercise.
Second; it is a fact that everything that is not used does atrophy. You must use your mental and cognitive powers to be able to keep them, or to strengthen them.
Third, and that is the subject of this article, there are a number of substances which are so-called neuroprotective agents, substances helping to preserve brain function.
Neurodegeneration can be a result of physical or traumatic brain injury, stroke, mitochondrial dysfunction, exposure to certain toxins, drug abuse, certain diseases (e.g. schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease), inflammation, certain medical drugs, and even protein deficiency. If it is also a natural part of ageing can be questioned. In any case, there is good reason to do what is possible in order to stop, retard, or even reverse such seemingly age-related gradual degeneration.
We will look at some substances, which can be defined as neuroprotective agents. While the natural ones in most cases can be taken as supplements, one should be careful with pharmaceutical drugs. Although there are a number of such drugs undoubtedly acting as neuroprotective agents, and some can be used for prevention, many of them also come with considerable risks for undesirable side-effects. That means that they are not suitable for self-treatment. I considered how many of these I should discuss here, and I decided not to include them at all.
The list is not exhaustive and although most vitamins and minerals are not included, there is no reason to believe they are not needed for full-spectrum neuroprotection.
Before we look at the individual substances, I want to mention another often overlooked, but very important factor: sleep. Poor sleep quality makes the brain shrink, especially after the age of 60. No doubt, good and sound sleep has a considerable neuroprotective effect.
CROCIN
Crocin, a carotenoid, is the substance that gives saffron its colour. It is a very strong neuroprotective antioxidant. But if you take saffron as a supplement, don't take too much. 10g is a lethal dose for an adult human.
Also remember that carotenoids are fat soluble, so they should always be taken with some fat in order to ensure good absorption.
CURCUMIN
Curcumin is the yellow colour of turmeric. It has many neuroprotective properties and has shown to be useful in the treatment and prevention of stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-king-queen-of-spices-turmeric-ginger-d697e39f
Curcumin protects cell membranes against oxidation and helps to maintain good cell function. Unfortunately, its bioavailability is poor when taken orally. Turmeric should be taken with some fat in order to be properly absorbed, and if it is ingested together with black pepper, its power increases up to 2000 times.
1-2 teaspoons of turmeric per day can be taken as a dietary supplement. Combine it with ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
ST. JOHN'S WORT (Hypericum)
This powerful herb is not officially a neuroprotector but traditionally it is used against depression. I suspect, however, that it possesses a certain neuroprotective effect. But this is a strong and complex herb, poisonous in high doses, which interacts (sometimes in a fatal way) with many other substances and many prescribed drugs. Caution is justified.
BACOPA MONNIERI (BRAHMI)
Brahmi is used in traditional Indian medicine as a nerve tonic and to improve memory. The few scientific studies that has been done, indicate that it is a neuroprotector. It has proved to reverse loss of memory in rodents. The herb has strong antioxidative properties.
CAFFEINE
It has been proved that caffeine protects against Parkinson's disease. It increases glutathione synthesis, resulting in neuroprotection. Other studies have shown that coffee, especially in midlife, protects against Alzheimer's disease. It is not clear if that is a result of caffeine or some other substance in coffee. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#coffee-health-amp-history
L-THEANINE
This is a compound found in green tea. Combined with caffeine, it seems to increase the intellectual capacity. In animal tests, it has shown to limit the area of brain damage after stroke.
NICOTINE
It might come as a surprise to many, but every effect of smoking is not bad. Nicotine protects neurons from glutamate-induced neurotoxicity and delays onset of Parkinson's disease. That does not justify smoking, however. The bad health effects of smoking by far outweigh the good.
ACETYL-L-CARNITINE
Animal tests have shown that Acetyl-L-carnitine, a natural substance, has several neuroprotective effects. However, they have not been proved for humans. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/co-enzyme-q10-carnitine-42291565
ACETYLCYSTEINE
Acetylcysteine, usually given to reduce mucous and to treat overdose of paracetamol/acetaminophen, can also be taken as a general supplement. It is an antioxidant and it provides mitochondrial enhancement. Neuroprotective effects are likely but still unproved.
LITHIUM
Lithium is a component of several medical drugs intended for psychiatric treatments. Studies have shown that it has neuroprotective effects as well.
If you want to take lithium as a supplement, the best is to eat thyme, a rich source of this mineral. Then the risk for overdose is reduced. Too much lithium can disturb thyroid function and cause goitre. But even in the form of thyme, it should not be overdone. Don't take too much. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/another-three-spices-aphrodites-birth-smoke-king-minos-daughter-8d15a193#thyme
VITAMIN E
Vitamin E reduces oxidative stress in the brain and prevents neurodegeneration caused by glutamate or stroke. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/vitamin-e-a-powerful-vitamin-32979116
OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
Apart from many other benefits, Omega-3 fatty acids offer neuroprotective effects by limiting oxidative stress and keep mitochondria healthy. This has been proved for rodents, but so far not for humans. It is likely, though, that there is a similar effect in humans as well. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/understanding-dietary-fats-part-1-of-2-e8b4f70d#ii-essential-fatty-acids
GINSENOSIDE RD
This compound is derived from the ginseng (Panax) root. It has proved to be a strong neuroprotector, although the mechanisms behind the effects are not fully understood. It is suitable for prevention and for treatment following a stroke.
It has also been shown to prevent trimethyltin-induced neurotoxicity. Trimethyltin is an industrial chemical and a neurotoxin, which has been extensively studied.
RESVERATROL
This is a substance best known for being found in red wine and the skin and seeds of grapes. (Always eat and chew the seeds when you eat grapes!) It is a neuroprotector. It is also known for its life-extending ability. It mimics the effects of caloric restriction, a proved but uncomfortable method of life-extension.
MELATONIN
Melatonin is a hormone formed in the pineal gland. It regulates sleep and is commonly used against jet lag. Not addictive, natural and harmless, it is the only medicine I would ever consider to give as a “sleeping pill”. However, it also reduces free radicals in the brain. It offers significant neuroprotection, especially following a stroke.
A sometimes undesirable side-effect of melatonin is that it slightly decreases the sex drive. This is unusual for neuroprotectors, which often increase libido and fertility.
URIC ACID
Neurodegeneration is associated with a low serum level of uric acid, which impairs antioxidant capacity in the cells. A high level of uric acid is neuroprotective, but can also lead to gout, an inflammatory ailment. Interestingly, it has been shown that people with gout has a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
One should remember that up to 60% of the antioxidant capacity in human blood is provided by uric acid.
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Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery II: The Great Physicians
*Western medicine, when it started to evolve during the Renaissance, didn't evolve from thin air, but built on traditions from Egypt, Babylonia, India, Old Greece, and, above all, Middle Ages Islam.*
*This is an article in 2 parts, where we will briefly look at these traditions and some of the greatest representatives of them.* *Part I* *was an introduction and general discussion, part II (below) presents some of history's most important physicians and what they did.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-i-635674a5
**Part II. INDIVIDUAL PHYSICIANS**
*With us ther was a Doctour of Phisyk*
*In al this world ne was ther noon him lyk*
*To speke of phisik and surgerye, . . .*
*Wel knew he the olde Esculapius,*
*And Deiscorides, and eek Rufus,*
*Old Ypocras, Haly, and Galien,*
*Serapion, Razis, and Avicen*
(Chaucer, Canterbury Tales)
IMHOTEP
Imhotep [Immutef, Im-hotep] approximately (2650-2600 BC), had an impressive number of titles: "Chancellor of the King of Egypt, Doctor, First in line after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Hereditary nobleman, High Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief Carpenter, Chief Sculptor, and Maker of Vases in Chief". No doubt, he was the highest ranked non-Royal in Egyptian history, and was bestowed divine status after death. Many achievements are attributed to him but it is impossible to know which of them are really his. No doubt, he designed Djoser's pyramid. According to legend he founded medicine, which is certainly untrue, and several medical texts of value are attributed to him. If he really wrote them is impossible to know. He remains, however, the oldest physician known to us by name, and he became the god of healing and medicine.
HESI-RE
Hesi-Re, [Hesire, Hesy-Re] with the epithet "the greatest of those who dealt with teeth, and of the physicians," is the first dentist of history known by name. Obviously he was a physician with dentistry as his speciality. The modern peculiar separation of dentistry from the medical science came later.
This man was also "known by the king", which perhaps indicates that he was royal himself, and "overseer of the royal scribes". He lived and worked during the reign of Netjerikhet [Djoser], lasting approximately 2630-2611 BC, although the exact years are very uncertain.
HIPPOCRATES
In the West, Hippocrates (460?-370? BC) is considered as the father of medicine. For good and bad, he established it as a discipline separate from other scientific and scholarly fields. His own achievements were not insignificant, but his main work was that he summed up the medical knowledge of the time. Above all, however, he is remembered for the Hippocratic Oath, which sets ethical standards for the conduct of a physician. It is unsure if Hippocrates wrote it, however, since it more resembles Pythagorean ideas.
One of his ideas was that the body is a whole and must be treated as such, not as parts. He also attributed thoughts and emotions to the brain, while his contemporaries placed them in the heart. Something we still have a remnant of in many modern languages. Hearts are "broken" or "gladdened".
Finally he recognised the intimate connection between diet and health. A thought that at least in western medicine feels very modern, still almost ahead of our time.
GALEN
Galen (129?-216/217?), Roman physician of Greek origin. Definitely a representative of Greek medicine. His influence on Islamic and Western medicine is perhaps greater than anyone else's. His model of the human body prevailed for over a thousand years. He wrote a book: "That the Best Physician is also a Philosopher", which reflects his view on the medical profession. He was not only a physician, but covered many disciplines and his literary production was immense. Unfortunately a lot of it has been lost.
JABIR IBN HAYYAN
Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan, Latinised Geber (721-815), Arabian or Persian polymath, physician, and alchemist, sometimes considered as "the father of chemistry". His works are many and varied, and his achievements too many to mention in this short survey. He is best known, however, for developing the distillation process [fractional distillation] that produces purified alcohol. [Some later historians question that he did. I am not going to evaluate the arguments for or against that here.]
HUNAYN IBN ISHAQ AL-IBADI
Hunayn ibn Ishaq al-Ibadi (?-873?) was known as the great translator of medical texts to Syriac and Arabic, both Greek originals, and important Sanskrit texts from India, as Sushruta Samhita, and Charaka Samhita. He also was the physician of the Caliph al-Mutawakkil.
IBN SARABIYUN
Yahya Ibn Sarabyun (Sarafyun), or Serapion, (9th century) was a Syriac physician and geographer. He tried to combine Greek and Arabian methods and described diseases and their treatment in a work called "al-Kunnash". As Serapion, he is often confused with another Arabian physician of that name, who lived in the 12th century. They were long believed to be the same person, and since very little is known about their lives, confusion is not surprising. Sometimes they are distinguished by the epithet "the older" and "the younger".
RHAZES
Rhazes, or Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865?-925), Persian physician, alchemist, philosopher - possibly the greatest physician of all times. In my opinion, he is more important than Ibn Sina. His greatest work was "Kitab al-Hawi fi al-tibb", a summary of medical knowledge, with additions of his own observations. It was translated to Latin [Continens] in 1279 by Faraj ben Salim. Another book which influenced European medicine was "Liber ad Amansoris". Further, his treatise on smallpox and measles was widely studied in Europe as late as the 17th century.
HASDAI IBN SHAPRUT
Hasdai Abu Yusuf ben Yitzhak ben Ezra ibn Shaprut (915-970), a Jewish physician and diplomat in Cordoba, at the court of Abdul Rahman III. He is best remembered for his translation of a work on botany.
IBN JULJUL
Ibn Juljul (943-?), Andalusian physician who wrote valuable works on medical history.
AL-MAJUSI
Ali ibn al-Abbas al-Majusi, Latinised Haly Abbas (?-994), physician of Zoroastrian origin, a critic of Rhazes. His "Kitab Kamil al-sina'ah al-tibbiyah" is one of the real masterworks of medical literature of the time. In Europe his work came to be known as "Liber regius". Above all, al-Majusi systemised the medical knowledge.
ALBUCASIS
Albucasis, or Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi (936-1013), Moorish physician, working in Cordoba. He compiled all medical knowledge (as he saw it) in "Kitab al-Tasrif li-man 'ajiza 'an al-ta'lif", an encyclopedical work of great value. He was court physician to al-Hakam II.
AL-KARMANI
Abu Hakam Amr ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmed ibn Ali al-Karmani, Moorish physician, surgeon and mathematician, whose influence was considerable. Perhaps more important as a mathematician than as a physician.
IBN SINA (AVICENNA)
Ibn Sina, or Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Sina (980-1037) was Persian, one of the greatest physicians of all times. His "Kitab al-Qanun fi al-tibb", or simply "Qanun" [Canon] was the ultimate medical authority for centuries. He was also a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher.
MASAWIAH AL-MARDINI
Masawaih al-Mardini (?-1015), born in Mesopotamia, worked first in Bagdhad, then in Egypt. He was a Jacobite (monophysite) Christian. His works include "De medicins laxativis", on emetics; and above all a pharmacopoeia, "Antidotarium sive Grabadin medicamentorum", which sums up the knowledge within this field. It was used in the West, too, for several centuries.
IBN AL-HAITHAM
Ibn al-Haitham, who worked in Cairo during the beginning of the 11th century is sometimes considered as the greatest Medieval physicist [no error], with his works on optics, which are amongst the masterworks of science; he also dealt with the physics of music, with alchemy and chemistry, and he contributed to medicine as well.
AMMAR
Abu-l-Qasim Ammar ibn Ali al-Mawsili, Latinised Canamusali was an Iraqi who worked in Egypt during the reign of al-Hakim (996-1020). He wrote "Kitab al-muntakhab fi ilaz al-ain", about the eye, also including surgery. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/al-hakim-the-mad-caliph-1f0fd456
IBN AL-WAFID
Abu-l-Mutarrif abd al-Rahman ibn Mohammed ibn Abd al-Karim ibn Yahya ibn al-Wafid al-Lakhmi, Latinised Abenguefit (997-1074), was a Moorish physician and pharmacologist. He wrote on drugs in "Kitab al-adwaiya al-mufrada", where he combined old knowledge, among others from Galen, with his own observations and studies.
IBN AL-TAIYIB
Ibn al-Taiyib, or Abu-l-Faraj Abdallah Ibn al-Taiyib al-Iraqi, or Latinised Abulpharagius Abdalla Benattibus (?-1043/1044); a Nestorian Christian who lived and worked in Baghdad. He was a physician, commentator, and translator. His translations were of great importance.
IBN BUTLAN
Abu-l-Hasan al-Mukhtar ibn al-Hasan ibn Abdun ibn Sa'dun ibn Butlan, or Latinised Elluchasem Elimither (?-1063), Christian physician of Baghdad. Wrote extensively on hygiene and dietetics [The Tables of Health]. Had a long polemic fight with Ibn Ridwan.
ALI BIN ISA
Ali bin Isa (?-?), possibly a Christian, wrote the first major work on ophtalmology [the eye]. In three volumes [Tadhkirat al-kahhalin] he dealt with the anatomy and physiology of the eye, diseases, and general medicine - all with the eye in focus. It is an extraordinary work, both summing up older knowledge, and adding new observations.
IBN RIDWAN
Ibn Ridwan, or Abu'l Hasan Ali ibn Ridwan Al-Misri (998-1061/1069) lived and worked in Cairo. He wrote extensively, including commentaries on Hippocrates and Galen. His "Fi daf mudar al-abdan bi-ard Misr" is a classic. It is dealing with hygiene from an Egyptian perspective.
IBN ZUHR
Ibn Zuhr (?-1162), Latinised Avenzoar, was the personal physician of several Almoravid Caliphs, and wrote several classical works: "Taysir", 1280 translated to Latin; and "Kitab al-Kulyat fi al-Tibb", with Latin title "Colliget".
IBN AL-NAFIS
Ibn al-Nafis, or Ala al-Din Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Abi-Hazm al-Qarshi al-Dimashqi (1210-1288), physician and polymath, born in Damascus, worked in Cairo. His main contribution to medicine is within the field of circulatory physiology. Generally, he is one of the absolutely greatest physicians of his times, perhaps the greatest. By his admirers he has been called the second Ibn Sina, or even been considered as superior to him. His works to some extent replaced those of Ibn Sina as the ultimate medical authority.
IBN AL-BAYTAR
Ibn al-Baytar (13th-14th century), Chief of Botanists in Cairo, wrote the important "Kitab al-Jami' li-mufradat al-adwiyah wa-al-aghdhiyah" [The Comprehensive Book on Materia Medica and Foodstuffs], a work that was the basis for many later treatises.
AL-ANSARI
Ali ibn 'Abd al-'Azim al-Ansari, a Syrian, wrote (1270) about plants and medical practice in the Crusader states.
IBN AL-KHATIB
Ibn al-Khatib, or Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Said ibn Ali ibn Ahmad al-Salmani, of 14th century Granada (although exiled twice), was active during the black death. He wrote:
"*The existence of contagion is established by experience, investigation, the evidence of the senses and trustworthy reports. These facts constitute a sound argument. The fact of infection becomes clear to the investigator who notices how he who establishes contact with the afflicted gets the disease, whereas he who is not in contact remains safe, and how transmission is affected through garments, vessels and earrings.*"
Apart from a physician, he was also a writer, historian, poet, and politician. If you visit the great Moorish castle Alhambra in Granada, you can see some of his poems on the walls. His most famous work is not about medicine, but history: "Al-Ihata fi akhbar Gharnata", about the history of Granada.
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Read also part I, Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery I - Introduction & General Discussion. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-i-635674a5
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Suggested Reading 18 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-18-5f653c5c
Big Brother & Law, Some Tendencies of the Times https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/big-brother-law-some-tendencies-of-the-times-0cbfd779
About Eating Meat https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/about-eating-meat-ea1adff9
Bluetooth Technology, a 10th Century King & a Female Warrior https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bluetooth-technology-a-10th-century-king-a-female-warrior-448bb4ed
Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery I
*Western medicine, when it started to evolve during the Renaissance, didn't evolve from thin air, but built on traditions from Egypt, Babylonia, India, Old Greece, and, above all, Middle Ages Islam.*
*This is an article in 2 parts, where we will briefly look at these traditions and some of the greatest representatives of them. Part I (below) is an introduction and general discussion, part II, "*Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery II: The Great Physicians"*presents some of history's most important physicians and what they did.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-ii-the-great-physicians-d8533aa6
*"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."*
(Voltaire)
*"Medicine is a science from which one learns the states of the human body with respect to what is healthy and what is not, in order to preserve good health when it exists and restore it when it is lacking."*
(Ibn Sina, Qanun fi al-tibb)
General Discussion
At least from a western perspective, the medical science of Europe and the United States is terribly over-estimated. It has not only gone totally astray on several important points - it is locked in its own narrow-minded dogma and has lost its potential for real progress. Today it is more a tool for death than for life. Few treatments are curing, and many are outright devastating to the long-term health. Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the two most obvious examples of ailments where short-term methods cause long-term catastrophes.
In modern health care the human, the individual, has been lost amongst streamline routines and assembly-line treatments. Efficiency is not measured in successful recoveries, but in the number of passing patients. The casualties of healthcare are far more than in any war, perhaps than in all wars combined; and no one seems to care! Add to that the attitude of the medical profession: In 90% of cases the doctor has no idea what is wrong, but does he say so? No, he says something, prescribes a standard treatment (the patient must believe the doctor knows what he is doing) and hopes Mother Nature will take care of the patient. Incidentally, medicine poisoning might very well be the world's most common cause of death - although no one will admit it. But what is the most successful treatment then? To work with nature, not against it.
The great physicians of the past, on whose shoulders the medical science is built, are often forgotten, at least in the West. They represented a time with another paradigm, a time when science had not yet entered a tunnel leading to its own implosion. There are, of course, the partly separate traditions of China and India, but for western medicine their direct influence is still very limited. There is another culture, however, without whose intellectual elite, scientists, alchemists, artists, and physicians, western culture would hardly have evolved - and certainly no medical science worth the name: Islam. For that reason, I am going to cover some of the greatest Arabian and Persian physicians of history; individuals every educated person should know something about.
Why are they important to western medicine? Because the Europeans were little more than intellectual barbarians before the Renaissance, which itself was a direct result of Arabian influence. There were three, perhaps four paths this influence followed. One was by returning crusaders, who assimilated a good deal of Arabian culture and brought it back home. Another was through Sicily, where Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II held a court almost entirely based on Arabian culture, a court he had taken over from Sicily's previous Islamic rulers. A third was the collapse of the Byzantine Empire; when it was lost to the Turks in 1453, a stream of refugees flowed into Europe. The fourth and most important was Moorish Spain, and especially its collapse, which brought a large number of refugees into northern Italy's cities. There they triggered the Renaissance, which is nothing but Arabian-Moorish culture applied to European minds. This brought about alchemy, chemistry, science, mathematics, geography, music, art, literature, games, qualified crafts, foodstuffs, and much more.
So what did these Muslims build further on, what was before them? They had the Greek tradition, and certainly specific influences of Egyptian, Babylonian, and Persian origin, as well as from India and China. It is often emphasised that they had preserved the Greek tradition. This, however, is misleading in my opinion, because, I claim, there was no genuine Greek tradition. The more I have been studying ancient cultures, the more I have realised that the Greeks were intellectually very simple people, with hardly any creative power of their own. They were great copiers, however, and what they did was to collect scraps from the great ancient cultures that preceded them and faded in that time of history, and transfer that to posterity: the Egyptian, the Babylonian (building on Sumer), and the Persian, also with some influence from India. Most of what they found, however, they never understood, so they discarded it as useless; what they brought further were just a few scattered pieces of knowledge from the ancient world. In medicine this is very obvious. The medical science of ancient Egypt or Sumer, for instance, was far more advanced than anything the Greeks were ever close to. In some instances more advanced than we are yet close to. This is apparent today, and much of these old civilisations remains yet to be discovered.
But we leave that discussion for another time. Let us concentrate on today's main topic: an overview of the most important Arabian, Moorish and Persian physicians, whose importance for the building of later western medicine was significant. It should be noted, however, that the Greek sources they built heavily on were Hippocrates and Galen - to some extent also Dioscorides and Rufus of Ephesus. Due to their importance to Islamic medicine, I include the two former here (part II). I also include two physicians from ancient Egypt, the two I think an educated layman should know about.
While much material from old Egypt and Sumer is lost, or remains to be found or interpreted, India today has the longest unbroken medical tradition on earth. Older Indian medicine undoubtedly was amongst the sources from which the Muslim physicians learned, especially two works: Sushruta Samhita, and Charaka Samhita.
Sushruta, 6th century BC, is the father of Ayurvedic surgery, and he describes several types of operations, even brain surgery. He made the first known prostatectomy, reconstructed damaged noses with methods of which some are still used, and performed advanced dental and cataract surgery. He, just as many Muslim physicians, was disproportionally interested in eyes. [Blindness and eye disease were very common, and are still common in the Middle East.] Sushruta, however, as most writers of old times, did sum up the knowledge from past and added some of his own to it. Most of these methods are much older, perhaps going back to about 3500 BC.
Charaka, is an old sage whose person is not known to us. Perhaps he is a myth and his work a compilation made by several authors through the ages. His "Samhita", however, is the most authoritative preserved writing on Ayurvedic medicine, and it is older than Sushruta's.
Both Sushruta Samhita, and Charaka Samhita were translated into Arabic by Hunayn Ibn Ishaq [see part II], and influenced subsequent Muslim medicine and surgery.
This list is in almost chronological order, as far as it is possible, so we get the two old Egyptians first, followed by the two Greeks. After that we have physicians from the Muslim world, although not all of them were Muslims. I included only those preceding the European Renaissance, the Middle Ages when Islamic Baghdad, Cairo, and Moorish Spain were the peak of human culture west of China. The selection is subjective. The number of known physicians and writers of medicine from this era is large, but I had to exclude many of high quality on grounds of available space, and to keep the text readable also for general readers.
Apart from what I have compiled here, there is a tradition of Prophetic medicine, which is based on the time of the Prophet Mohammed. No practitioner of this medicine is known by name, although some scholars, more religious than medical, wrote about it. However interesting they might be, I am not including them here, because I think their influence on subsequent medicine has been insignificant.
....continues in part II, "Before Western and Modern Medicine & Surgery II: The Great Physicians". https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/before-western-and-modern-medicine-surgery-ii-the-great-physicians-d8533aa6
Copyright © 2012, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail\; from Dioscorides, De materia medica. Public Domain.)*
My articles on history can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#history
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Also, please join my community History, Myths, Legends & Mysteries (be45). https://read.cash/c/history-myths-legends-mysteries-be45
My 5 most recent articles:
Suggested Reading 18 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-18-5f653c5c
Big Brother & Law, Some Tendencies of the Times https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/big-brother-law-some-tendencies-of-the-times-0cbfd779
About Eating Meat https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/about-eating-meat-ea1adff9
Bluetooth Technology, a 10th Century King & a Female Warrior https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bluetooth-technology-a-10th-century-king-a-female-warrior-448bb4ed
Suggested Reading 17 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-17-8d369796
Suggested Reading 18
*In* *this series**, I assume the role of a reader instead of a writer, discussing articles by other writers... things I recommend.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading
During the time between two issues of “Suggested Reading”, I save links to articles to consider for inclusion. When I looked at them now, I saw that I have saved not less than four articles by @Jnavedan, who has evolved to one of the most interesting authors here. https://read.cash/@Jnavedan
One day, @Jnavedan received a message supposedly from Marc De Mesel... What was it? Read Naivete is ageless on the Web and nowhere else to find the answer. https://read.cash/@Jnavedan https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/naivete-is-ageless-on-the-web-and-nowhere-else-05a7f877
In What do you value more, transparency or privacy? @Jnavedan wrote: https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/what-do-you-value-more-transparency-or-privacy-6392d6c3
“*Also, you will have heard about the goal of forming the new man. Well, in this sense, social architects repeatedly fail. Perhaps, I am delusionally connecting these general ideas with the world of the recent crypto society. I see a temporary easing of the elites' influence over us with the entry into the scene of a dictatorship of code. Perhaps, Platon is right. And real democracy is the worst form of government.”*
In Who will decide on the truth?, the author brings up an always actual question. https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/who-will-decide-on-the-truth-82b91a5b
And finally, the fourth article by @Jnavedan, Why is Bitcoin Cash out of the headlines? https://read.cash/@Jnavedan https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/why-is-bitcoin-cash-out-of-the-headlines-c67558a0
@Bjorn asks the relevant question Would You Want Your ID to be Implanted? For me the obvious answer is no, but, strangely enough, there are a lot of people who have no objection. https://read.cash/@Bjorn https://read.cash/@Bjorn/would-you-want-your-id-to-be-implanted-0b110817
@Pantera explains Why You NEED To Be In SmartBCH NFTs TODAY! And @scottcbusiness tells us about The Best Decentralized Swap Exchange [THORSwap]. https://read.cash/@Pantera https://read.cash/@Pantera/why-you-need-to-be-in-smartbch-nfts-today-86e91ab3 https://read.cash/@scottcbusiness https://read.cash/@scottcbusiness/the-best-decentralized-swap-exchange-thorswap-73477c13
A recent article by @Gemstone: Crimocracy, a Decaying Giant ("The Individual Is Finished"). https://read.cash/@Gemstone https://read.cash/@Gemstone/crimocracy-a-decaying-giant-the-individual-is-finished-4ef8a9e9
@VoluntaryJapan continues to explain Voluntaryism. https://read.cash/@VoluntaryJapan https://read.cash/@VoluntaryJapan/voluntaryism-e0e9a91b
@Hanzell wrote Carnitine and diet: intro. Obviously, there will follow at least one more part. https://read.cash/@Hanzell https://read.cash/@Hanzell/carnitine-and-diet-intro-d83a0e12
Sleep is essential for health. In How to Sleep, @Daria brings up some important points, which, perhaps, can make you sleep better. https://read.cash/@Daria/how-to-sleep-a5fc7101
My readers know I like and am interested in coffee, some of my articles bear witness of that. It is also a fact that coffee comes with many health benefits. Most of them are not a result of caffeine, but it's not entirely sure which role caffeine has for some of the health effects. However, for others, it is sure. Although some of the known effects of the caffeine are negative, it doesn't go for everything. For instance, caffeine is a neuro-protector, a powerful one at that. It dramatically lowers the risk for developing dementia, especially Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. For that reason, I am critical to decaffeinated coffee. However, @Papi00, a new member, writes about its benefits in The benefits of coffee decaffeination. Welcome, @Papi00, to the large group of coffee-loving Read.cash members! https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#coffee-health-amp-history https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/what-coffee-does-to-you-4055074f https://read.cash/@Papi00 https://read.cash/@Papi00/the-benefits-of-coffee-decaffeination-05fdcab6
Water Reacts, claims @DrPsycho, a relatively new member. It's a quite interesting post, which is thought-provoking and inspire to research. https://read.cash/@DrPsycho/water-reacts-3c5d13a1
@Musech96 has been a member for only a few days; his articles are worth the while to read: Law of polarity and Law of synchronicity. His or her first article was What magic really is. This also leads us also to The Black Magic by @Ling01. https://read.cash/@Musech96 https://read.cash/@Musech96/law-of-polarity-33024666 https://read.cash/@Musech96/law-of-synchronicity-5d89f5e1 https://read.cash/@Musech96/what-magic-really-is-e04d8e55 https://read.cash/@Ling01/the-black-magic-758eb8b4
@nomadghada explains Why you should avoid donating to large organizations. I can just agree with the author, donating to large organisations might be totally wasted money. https://read.cash/@nomadghada https://read.cash/@nomadghada/why-you-should-avoid-donating-to-large-organizations-eee6052e
Drop the ego and fix that relationship is a very mature article by @Fexonice1. I think he puts his finger on a very important point, a point where many fail. https://read.cash/@Fexonice1/drop-the-ego-and-fix-that-relationship-b17081cd
@Peter-Molnar wrote a quite interesting article: The World As We Perceive It, But What Is Beyond Perception. Myself philosophically a subjectivist, I claim that we can never know that (I have touched that question in a number of articles), but others might have a different opinion. @Peter-Molnar discusses different points. https://read.cash/@Peter-Molnar https://read.cash/@Peter-Molnar/the-world-as-we-perceive-it-but-what-is-beyond-perception-bb12bc24
Renew your mindset, wrote @The.Ada. The author describes why it is essential to be able to change the mind's perspective and angle. https://read.cash/@The.Ada/renew-your-mindset-5fe09264
I use to say that self-discipline is one of the most important qualities to have. @Sequoia expresses it a bit differently, but recognises the power of discipline in Nothing beats Discipline. https://read.cash/@Sequoia https://read.cash/@Sequoia/nothing-beats-discipline-7d7f03d0
@GelayyLumiere wrote A Dreamer's Responsibility, an article about education and its limits. https://read.cash/@GelayyLumiere https://read.cash/@GelayyLumiere/a-dreamers-responsibility-7638ce80
I want to bring up two articles by veteran member @wakeupkitty: first, The good guy, which I think everyone ought to read; second, What's in a name? The latter one should have been included in the previous “Suggested Reading”, but for some reason I missed to put it there, so we take it this time instead. https://read.cash/@wakeupkitty https://read.cash/@wakeupkitty/the-good-guy-c8bb312d https://read.cash/@wakeupkitty/whats-in-a-name-3f6f49de
Prolong A Promising Time As Ageless As Timeless and Ambitiously Aspire To Inspire And Be Contagious are two of many read-worthy articles by @Talecharm. https://read.cash/@Talecharm/prolong-a-promising-time-as-ageless-as-timeless-2aa58e3a https://read.cash/@Talecharm/ambitiously-aspire-to-inspire-and-be-contagious-fa4741c0
@Imjhum writes about superstitions and beliefs about mirrors, in Broken Mirror, Broken Life? https://read.cash/@Imjhum https://read.cash/@Imjhum/broken-mirror-broken-life-2a2fb253
Technology and humans is a very good article by @Duvinca. https://read.cash/@Duvinca/technology-and-humans-1f837849
Then I want to wish a returning old member, a veteran here, welcome back! It is @SolarPhasing, French music composer, SciFi fan, etc. He starts with The key is within us. The key to everything, a post about his return, his music and a Science Fiction novel. Of the eight articles he has published since his return, I would also recommend About Bitcoin Cash from a small French town. Finally, if you like electron music, and especially modular synthesizers, you should read Electronic "BerlinSchool" Patterns. https://read.cash/@SolarPhasing https://read.cash/@SolarPhasing/the-key-is-within-us-the-key-to-everything-dffa916d https://read.cash/@SolarPhasing/about-bitcoin-cash-from-a-small-french-town-f0a039b4 https://read.cash/@SolarPhasing/electronic-berlinschool-patterns-aa173f13
If you are into learning to become a real author, you can benefit from some tutorial articles here. I have previously mentioned some.
A recent article by @justanny is Conflict versus Character; How to Introduce it confidently into the Story, but if you are into learning how to build up a text, visit the author's profile; there are many articles about writing. https://read.cash/@justanny https://read.cash/@justanny/conflict-verses-character-how-to-introduce-it-confidently-into-the-story-7333f84c
I also suggest you read an ongoing series by @Jcnakama. He most recent parts are Writing a book and Imagination, our best ally. The author explains: https://read.cash/@JCnakama https://read.cash/@JCnakama/writing-a-book-7a883abe https://read.cash/@JCnakama/imagination-our-best-ally-12fac536
“I am doing a course on how to be a writer, and I have decided to share with you through my publications, the knowledge I am acquiring. This way we can learn together.“
A new member, @Mitsukiluna, recently published The art of showing and not just telling, another article about how to build up a story. https://read.cash/@Mitsukiluna https://read.cash/@Mitsukiluna/the-art-of-showing-and-not-just-telling-359f43f5
Finally some fiction:
The loneliness of the vampire by @Simon.M32 https://read.cash/@Simon.M32/the-loneliness-of-the-vampire-162994f6
“The Screech!!” by @Theblackdoll. I comes in 3 parts: The Screech!! - Part 1!!, The Screech!! - Part 2!!, and The Screech!! - Finale!! https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll/the-screech-part-1-30c4edab https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll/the-screech-part-2-44b664c7 https://read.cash/@Theblackdoll/the-screech-finale-ff7f180f
Read the whole series, ”Suggested Reading” and my series “Retrospection”. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
Big Brother & Law, Some Tendencies of the Times https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/big-brother-law-some-tendencies-of-the-times-0cbfd779
About Eating Meat https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/about-eating-meat-ea1adff9
Bluetooth Technology, a 10th Century King & a Female Warrior https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bluetooth-technology-a-10th-century-king-a-female-warrior-448bb4ed
Suggested Reading 17 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-17-8d369796
B-Vitamins IV: Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), plus Guidelines https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iv-amygdalin-b17-pangamic-acid-b15-orotic-acid-b13-paba-b10-plus-guidelines-961d0327
Big Brother & Law, Some Tendencies of the Times
*Law, State, Policing, Justice, Free Market. Here I present a number of more or less connected points, supplementing my previous articles on politics and justice. For full understanding of how all this is connected, please also read "related articles" (links after the article).*
I. For Whom is the Law?
Does Big Brother act in accordance with his own law? Do not count on it. Rather expect the opposite. Let me give you one example.
In the autumn 2005, there was a campaign against the EU's (then) suggested legislation on further monitoring people's activities on the Internet and through mobile phones. Right now we need not concern ourselves with the exact contents of that suggestion or the directive that was the result, the point here is something else entirely.
At that time, I were discussing this "new" policy with some high police and intelligence officers in a couple of major EU countries. Their attitude is very well illustrated by what one of them said. He did not understand what people were fussing about at all, *"after all this is something we have done for years, now it is just about making it legal"*.
To these officers it is the most natural thing in the world, that they can do anything they want, no matter if it is legal or not, as long as nobody notices. When it is beginning to get sensitive and too well known, they want it legalised, to avoid too much trouble.
There might be another reason as well, as we shall see in the next section. But first note this: If you want to protect your privacy, you can not base that protection on what the snoopers **may** do (according to law), but on what they **can** do, or what is at all **possible**, or what can **possibly be possible**! And this goes for everything else than privacy too. Do not ever expect Big Brother to follow his own laws!
II. Policing Made Private
*"This, gentlemen, is the art of the police, which is believed to be so complicated and which, nevertheless, appears so simple, as soon as you see that it consists in getting your work done by people who have nothing to do with the police."*
(M. de Commissaire de Police Mifroid, in The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux)
The effect of the EU directive was not that the snoopers got access to more information, they have had it all the time. They now could get it legally and - and this is important - they now can let others collect it and store it for them! Do these others getting paid for doing that? Of course not, they may pay for it. This is solved differently in different countries, but the point is that the private entrepreneur (in this case Internet service providers, and mobile phone operators) would get much of the trouble and the costs.
This is a general tendency. Bankers in most of the world have been treated like this for years. They are not only expected to collect and store a lot of information (that they themselves have no use for or interest in), they are even under obligation explicitly to spy on their customers and report "suspect" behaviour, which need not be criminal, only unusual. Thus banks have become a branch of police and intelligence, without wanting it, and they may themselves pay the costs. Or, in the end, the customers may pay for it. YOU pay your bank for spying on YOU, on behalf of Big Brother.
The Postal Service of many countries are stuck in this mess too, as are various brokers, money exchangers, gambling companies, etc., etc., ...
Isn't that smart? Let people control one another, and have most of the trouble and costs themselves. Expect this to develop further...
III. Two Guiding Principles of a Police State
1. Let people control one another, and never let anyone feel safe and "unobserved".
2. A police state thrives on an overabundance of laws, whose purpose is not to protect people or express any form of justice - but to make so many laws available, often contradictory to each other, that whoever they want to prosecute, they can always find some applicable law to base the prosecution on.
IV. Over-legislation & Legal Instability
The amount of laws in a "modern" country is so huge, that it is impossible for any one individual to even read them all during a normal lifetime. Most of them are not needed, and would be better abolished. As it is, more than 95% of them are used to violate people's rights, individually or collectively, and as a tool for Big brother to shape and form society after his mad fantasy.
Modern society also suffers the worst legal instability in human history, in the meaning that laws are created and changed and changed and changed again in a speed that is close to impossible to follow. Try to plan for anything in a long future perspective! Your life, retirement, inheritance, whatever... it is almost impossible, because the rules are floating, and cannot be trusted to last even for ten years, even less for a lifetime.
V. Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Another tendency of the time is that fundamental principles of justice are neglected, changed or even reversed. Most notably, the old and sound principle that someone standing accused is always "innocent until proven guilty", is now more and more reversed. This started in the tax legislation of certain European countries some years ago, where the accused taxpayer was claimed guilty until proven innocent, and he had the burden of evidence himself!
VI. Free Market?
In wide circles it is held today that free-market economy won over Communism (and its sibling Socialism) when the Soviet Union was dissolved. But is that really true? Did Communism/Socialism really lose? [Communism and Socialism are similar in their ends, it's just the means that differ. Communism, at least in its pure form, wants to change society by violence, Socialism want to change it by "democratic process" (read brainwashing and indoctrination).]
And what about free-market economy? Did it win? Then **show me where it is!**
Today it is even a view spread that market economy has failed to solve the world's problems and must be replaced. That is nonsense. Free market economy did not win, and it hasn't failed, because (apart from a few private systems and very limited applications) **it hasn't been tried during the last 100 years!** What is today called "free market" is a legal fiction and a deceptive use of language.
If you listen or read carefully, maybe you have noted that sometimes another expression is used; "regulated free market"! This expression alone should be enough to make the alarm bells ring. How can something that is regulated at the same time be free? What we have is a regulated market. There is nothing free about it, but by using that word, the whole concept is made more attractive to certain parts of the gullible masses.
Related articles:
Justice, Law & The State As a Self-Contradiction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/justice-law-the-state-as-a-self-contradiction-1751b8bf
Discrimination & The Legal Fiction of Private Ownership https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/discrimination-the-legal-fiction-of-private-ownership-239218b4
Assorted Absurdities of Democracy https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/assorted-absurdities-of-democracy-ce00a359
The Mind of a Politician https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-mind-of-a-politician-d50c29ff
Copyright © 2006-2007, 2021 Meleonymica. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail photo by vBlock/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
Here you find all my writings about Privacy & Antibigbrotherism, and here about Philosophy. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#privacy-amp-antibigbrotherism https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#philosophy
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
About Eating Meat https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/about-eating-meat-ea1adff9
Bluetooth Technology, a 10th Century King & a Female Warrior https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bluetooth-technology-a-10th-century-king-a-female-warrior-448bb4ed
Suggested Reading 17 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-17-8d369796
B-Vitamins IV: Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), plus Guidelines https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iv-amygdalin-b17-pangamic-acid-b15-orotic-acid-b13-paba-b10-plus-guidelines-961d0327
B-Vitamins III: Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Inositol https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iii-folic-acid-biotin-pantothenic-acid-choline-inositol-803bab85
About Eating Meat
*Some readers noticed that I wrote somewhere about vegetarianism, and wondered if there is any health benefit in eating meat, and whether I think it is natural or not.*
*This is an important and interesting subject, somewhat controversial too. It definitely deserves more than a casual attention.*
*This is my opinion, not everyone will share it.*
*Let us first discuss mammal meat.*
Mammal Meat
From a medical point of view, it would be hard to find eating it being of any benefit whatsoever. It is a strain to the body and provides nothing valuable that cannot be better obtained from other sorts of food.
Our teeth and our gastric juices are not made to chew or digest meat, and our digestive channel is too long for it. So long that the meat rots in the intestines, thus producing toxins that strongly contribute to the gradual development of degenerative disease. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/animal-teeth-sabre-toothed-tigers-dragons-teeth-3ee1c91e
The fat from mammals is of the most harmful sort, which contributes maximally to the building up of cardiovascular disease; the proteins acidify the body and accelerate ageing. (Acidity & Acidification Part 1; Degenerative Disease) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/acidity-acidification-part-1-degenerative-disease-db0298a2
According to recent research, "read meat" (unlike "white meat") contains substances that imitate female sexual hormones. I previously described how hormone imitating substances are harmful to health. (The Feminisation of Nature) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-feminisation-of-nature-d9ba1e17
Some people would object and say that meat is natural to us, because we have always been eating it. I do not agree. I doubt that humans did eat meat before they used tools (to hunt and to kill the prey), and before they were able to "control" and use fire. And that would mean that we evolved without eating meat, and that doing so would rather be an abuse of our body for the purpose of survival when other food was insufficient.
This is not entirely negative. To survive as a species, in times or environments where we would otherwise have died by starvation, we lived contrary to our nature. The cost we had to pay was that we began to develop certain diseases, but that was the payment for surviving. As so often in history, we had to sacrifice quality of food for quantity of food in order to survive, which I previously described. (Why Dietary Supplements are Needed) But it's foolish to keep bad habits when they no longer serve any constructive purpose at all. As of today, when other, better food is almost always available and meat is no means to keep starvation at bay, it is hard to find any reason to eat it. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/why-dietary-supplements-are-needed-d70e789c
If eating meat were natural for us, we would be able to hunt, catch, kill and eat our prey without tools or fire - with only feet, hands and teeth.
If you still want to eat meat, game is normally better than "cultivated" livestock or any form of domestically raised animal. The reason for this has been discussed earlier. (Why Dietary Supplements are Needed) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/why-dietary-supplements-are-needed-d70e789c
As for the meat industry today, it is a disgusting activity that has nothing to do with life. It is an artificial production of bio-material - food of a very low quality. And the moral problems that are associated with it are insurmountable.
Fish
Fish differs from mammal meat. It is easier to digest, and its fat contains beneficial fatty acids, which protect against cardiovascular disease and a number of other ailments.
Unfortunately, fish is much exposed to environmental pollution, so in order to eat it, it is important to know from where it comes; if it is a sea that is sufficiently clean.
Most toxic substances are deposited in the fat, so fat fish (herring, salmon, mackerel) contains more of the good fatty acids, but it is more prone to contain more toxic waste as well.
Eggs
Eggs are germinal food (Germinal Food = Superfood) and would be almost perfect, if they did not tend to rot in the intestines. They are very likely to have been a part of human natural diet very early. Then consumed raw, of course. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/germinal-food-superfood-112867a5
Industrially produced eggs can contain considerable amounts of toxic waste; and eating them raw is not recommendable, due to the risk of infection. So from a health point of view, they are best eaten boiled.
Poultry
Poultry occupies a position in between mammal meat and fish. While it is relatively low in fat if you remove the skin, and the level of dangerous saturated fat is comparatively low, it is easy to destroy it in the preparation. Add to that terrible industrial breeding, a stressed environment and a lot of chemical toxins.
Chicken and turkey are generally better than goose or duck, but I would advise you to keep consumption low, unless you breed them yourself and control the whole chain of feeding and growing them.
It is also essential to prepare them in a way that does not make them even more unhealthy. Be careful which sort of fat you add!
Poultry requires heat for its preparation and is not a part of a natural human diet. But if properly prepared, it is easier to digest than mammal meat, although not as easy as fish. The composition of fatty acids is also better than in mammal meat, but not as good as in fish.
Rotting
The repeatedly mentioned intestinal rotting, a risk we face with all animal protein, can be reduced or eliminated if we combine certain foodstuffs. Generally, raw starch prevents it, as does lactic acid, garlic and many strong spices.
*"Never listen to those who have nothing better to think of than filling their bellies! Food is a good and important thing, at the right time and with the right people, but it's far from all in life."*
(Urla, in Hans Bemmann's "The Stone and the Flute")
Related articles:
The Feminisation of Nature https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/the-feminisation-of-nature-d9ba1e17
Why Dietary Supplements are Needed https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/why-dietary-supplements-are-needed-d70e789c
Germinal Food = Superfood https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/germinal-food-superfood-112867a5
Copyright © 2012, 2021 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail photo by milesz/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
All my articles on health & medicine can be found here, and about supplements & nutrients here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#health-amp-medicine-for-covid-19-see-covid-19 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#vitaminsmineralsnutrients
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Also, please join my community: *The Mechanisms of Health (d52e)**.* https://read.cash/c/the-mechanisms-of-health-d52e
My 5 most recent articles:
Bluetooth Technology, a 10th Century King & a Female Warrior https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/bluetooth-technology-a-10th-century-king-a-female-warrior-448bb4ed
Suggested Reading 17 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-17-8d369796
B-Vitamins IV: Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), plus Guidelines https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iv-amygdalin-b17-pangamic-acid-b15-orotic-acid-b13-paba-b10-plus-guidelines-961d0327
B-Vitamins III: Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Inositol https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iii-folic-acid-biotin-pantothenic-acid-choline-inositol-803bab85
B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
Bluetooth Technology, a 10th Century King & a Female Warrior
*The colour blue, a contemporary technology, the trouble of an 8th century king, and a female war leader... what do they have in common? Well, the common denominator of these seemingly disparate topics is a king with toothache.*
King Harald Gormsson
Harald Gormsson became king in Denmark in 958, upon the death of his father, Gorm the Old. (The year of the death of Gorm the Old is not absolutely certain; 985 is likely, but it can have been later.) Harald was also king of Norway a couple of years in the 970s. His reign there, based on the assassination of the Norwegian king Harald II Greycloak, was not very stable though.
He also pursued some attempts to win power outside Denmark and Norway, but with poor result. In the end, it is possible that his kingship in Denmark ended by him being removed by his son, Sweyn Forkbeard. This, however, is not verifiable. Historical facts mingle with myth in a way where we cannot discern any undisputable truth, and old sources are sometimes contradictory.
King Harald is best remembered for two things:
He was the first Christian King in Denmark, although sources differ as to the details of his conversion.
He had a dead tooth assuming a blue-black colour, which gave him his nickname, “*Blåtand*“ (in English meaning “Bluetooth”). Posterity remembers him as *King Harald Bluetooth.*
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a system wirelessly to transfer data between fixed and mobile devices. The development of the technology, started at Ericsson in Sweden in 1989, although it was not available to general public until ten years later. Then the project had five members; apart from Ericsson, it was also IBM, Intel, Nokia, and Toshiba.
The name, “Bluetooth” is taken from King Harald Bluetooth. The inspiration seems to be twofold. One source being the novel “The Long Ships” by Frans G. Bengtsson. It is a story about Vikings, and Harald Bluetooth is a part of it. (For those of you being interested in historical novels, I really recommend Frans G. Bengtsson's novel. Then you may also get acquainted with an author who would have been a part of the classics of world literature, had he just been born into a large language.)
The other source of inspiration was King Harald's rune stone, found in another book, “A History of the Vikings” by Gwyn Jones.
The Bluetooth symbol, or logo, is a rune, a so-called bind rune.
Bluetooth was a working name of the project, but the developers never intended it to become known to the public under that name. For that, they had two suggestions, “PAN” or “RadioWire”. However, the name “Bluetooth” quickly stuck and spread around the world; it became impossible to change. For that reason, all of us today use a technology, named after a dead tooth of 10th century viking age king.
Thyra Dannebod
Thyra Dannebod, was the mother of Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson. She was married to Denmark's king Gorm the Old and was a tough lady; it has been related that she led her own army against the Germans.
It is hard to find trustworthy sources to information about Thyra. We don't even know from where she came. There are sources claiming she came from Jutland or Holstein, while others say that her father was Ethelred, King of England. None of this is verifiable.
Thyra's husband and King Harald Bluetooth's father, Gorm the Old, is known as the first historically recognised king of Denmark.
According to *Danmarks Riges Krønike* by Arild Huitfeldt, a legend tells us this about Gorm's death (although the truth can be questioned, contradictory information exists).
*The three sons were Vikings in the truest sense, departing Denmark each summer to raid and pillage. Harald came back to the royal enclosure at Jelling with the news that his brother Canute had been killed in an attempt to capture Dublin, Ireland. Canute was shot with a coward's arrow while watching some games at night. No one would tell the king in view of the oath the king had made. Queen Thyra ordered the royal hall hung with black cloth and that no one was to say a single word. When Gorm entered the hall, he was astonished and asked what the mourning colours meant. Queen Thyra spoke up: "Lord King, you had two falcons, one white and the other gray. The white one flew far afield and was set upon by other birds which tore off its beautiful feathers and is now useless to you. Meanwhile, the grey falcon continues to catch fowl for the king's table." Gorm understood immediately the Queen's metaphor and cried out, "My son is surely dead, since all of Denmark mourns!" "You have said it, your majesty," Thyra announced, "Not I, but what you have said is true." According to the story Gorm was so grieved by Canute's death that he died the following day.*
More articles related to "blue".
https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#blue
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail & in-text image: Gorm learns of the death of his son Canute, painting by August Carl Vilhelm Thomsen. Public Domain.)*
Here you find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
Interested in history, legends and myths, join my community History, Myths, Legends & Mysteries (be45). https://read.cash/c/history-myths-legends-mysteries-be45
My 5 most recent articles:
Suggested Reading 17 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-17-8d369796
B-Vitamins IV: Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), plus Guidelines https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iv-amygdalin-b17-pangamic-acid-b15-orotic-acid-b13-paba-b10-plus-guidelines-961d0327
B-Vitamins III: Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Inositol https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iii-folic-acid-biotin-pantothenic-acid-choline-inositol-803bab85
B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
B-Vitamins I: Introduction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
Suggested Reading 17
*In* *this series**, I assume the role of a reader instead of a writer, discussing articles by other writers... things I recommend.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading
The Bitcoin news these last weeks, are dominated by the fall in price, which is spectacular, but not really any danger for BCH. @Pantera addressed that in No Bear Market For Bitcoin Cash. I quote: https://read.cash/@Pantera https://read.cash/@Pantera/no-bear-market-for-bitcoin-cash-ba7e542f
“*Bitcoin Cash has significance in the crypto market, and its utility is above other cryptocurrencies. No other decentralized network can reach the same network capacity and efficiency Bitcoin Cash accomplishes.”*
I did also discuss that in my recent Should We Publish More at Read.cash Now When BCH has Fallen so Much? BCH is a long-term winner because it is superior to its competitors and especially to BTC. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/should-we-publish-more-at-readcash-now-when-bch-has-fallen-so-much-ce0c7033
In Bitcoin Cash Price Will Disprove Naysayers, @annayks also discuss the price development. https://read.cash/@annayks/bitcoin-cash-price-will-disprove-naysayers-36df5d2e
Without Peer-to-Peer Freedom, Crypto Is Just Surveillance Money writes @VoluntaryJapan. https://read.cash/@VoluntaryJapan/without-peer-to-peer-freedom-crypto-is-just-surveillance-money-1539ce08
I want to mention one other article by @Pantera: MistSwap Releases a smartBCH Bridge to the Cryptoverse! Well worth a read for everyone interested in SmartBCH. https://read.cash/@Pantera https://read.cash/@Pantera/mistswap-releases-a-smartbch-bridge-to-the-cryptoverse-85236b74
@Davinchysax posted The First BCH Sponsored Movie… Tadaaa! https://read.cash/@Davinchysax https://read.cash/@Davinchysax/the-first-bch-sponsored-movie-tadaaa-f58ddc5b
*“Don't be trapped in a virtual world full of fakes, because you will lose your real self.”*
...writes @daffaputra in Human Life in the Digital Age, where the author speculates about the risk of living too much in the virtual world. https://read.cash/@daffaputra https://read.cash/@daffaputra/human-life-in-the-digital-age-153bba5b
Is it correct to leave your financial future to a state lottery?, asks @MikeZillo. The same author also refutes the often repeated connection between crypto and money laundering, in Cryptocurrencies and Money Laundering: a wrong match. https://read.cash/@MikeZillo/is-it-correct-to-leave-your-financial-future-to-a-state-lottery-2fe562a6 https://read.cash/@MikeZillo/cryptocurrencies-and-money-laundering-a-wrong-match-a243dc3e
If you belong to those believing in government issued crypto, I think you should read On the eve of the future digital dollar by @Jnavedan. Beware for deceptive use of words, a government issued and controlled currency can never be genuine crypto. But “crypto” is modern and has a positive aura; everyone wants to use the word, even if it is for something in reality being the opposite. https://read.cash/@Jnavedan/on-the-eve-of-the-future-digital-dollar-ea3b9797
I will bring up some articles by @xuanling11. First two about Facebook: When Meta Patented Metaverse and Facebook Just Did the Rug Pull. Then two posts about DAOs (DAO = Decentralized Autonomous Organization). DAO The Way Part 1 and DAO The Way Part 2. https://read.cash/@xuanling11 https://read.cash/@xuanling11/when-meta-patented-metaverse-ada0a8c9 https://read.cash/@xuanling11/facebook-just-did-the-rug-pull-a2f2cd79 https://read.cash/@xuanling11/dao-the-way-part-1-0152bd59 https://read.cash/@xuanling11/dao-the-way-part-2-c8fc3b19
@Nattoo is an interesting new member. All his 3 articles so far are definitely worth to read: Wrinkling in Space: Gravity wave, Science behind love, and, as I know that there are many fans of horror here, read about the Vampire mtyh scientifically. Despite the typo in the title, this s a good article. https://read.cash/@Nattoo https://read.cash/@Nattoo/wrinkling-in-space-gravity-wave-26dadde4 https://read.cash/@Nattoo/science-behind-love-f3114e4f https://read.cash/@Nattoo/vampire-mtyh-scientifically-f54e6c88
@Plint published an article about death, or rather what happens after death. A question every human has pondered about. There are theories and beliefs - still, I suspect, we will never know for sure. Read The Great Unknown. https://read.cash/@Plint https://read.cash/@Plint/the-great-unknown-8925f039
Always well-writing @Gemstone wrote A Proper Way To Start Your Day (Backed By Science And The Bible) – and @Blogika wrote Nerve innervation is the key to health and sexuality. https://read.cash/@Gemstone https://read.cash/@Gemstone/a-proper-way-to-start-your-day-backed-by-science-and-the-bible-700fc400 https://read.cash/@Blogika https://read.cash/@Blogika/nerve-innervation-is-the-key-to-health-and-sexuality-9207c0cc
@sanctuary.the-one-law continues to present his consistent philosophy. This time he published Currency of The-One-Law Economy. https://read.cash/@sanctuary.the-one-law https://read.cash/@sanctuary.the-one-law/currency-of-the-one-law-economy-a2c347d3
Choice Is An Illusion wrote @KriszRokk. A good read about the power of marketing. https://read.cash/@KriszRokk/choice-is-an-illusion-2c950b67
@hamedbkh just published part 2 in his series on the often quite violent relations between England and France throughout history France, England and the devil fighting alongside the saint (part 2). https://read.cash/@hamedbkh https://read.cash/@hamedbkh/france-england-and-the-devil-fighting-alongside-the-saint-part-2-6e47ff87
Relatively new member @Kheefhee obviously likes to read. His first post was Benefits of Reading and in his second, he claims If You Read These Books They Will Change The Way You Look At The World https://read.cash/@Kheefhee https://read.cash/@Kheefhee/benefits-of-reading-fb4f71be https://read.cash/@Kheefhee/if-you-read-these-books-they-will-change-the-way-you-look-at-the-world-002a1bcc
What do you understand by Poison? asks @Princessbusayo. https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/what-do-you-understand-by-poison-f7b6c2a6
@Freedom007 writes about Addictions That's Okay With The World. https://read.cash/@Freedom007 https://read.cash/@Freedom007/addictions-thats-okay-with-the-world-e51f4f82
Are you aspiring on becoming a real author? Then you can benefit from reading articles by @justanny. For instance Writing tips For you; Beginners guide in writing a good character. If the topic interests you, check the author's profile; there is much more. https://read.cash/@justanny https://read.cash/@justanny/writing-tips-for-you-beginners-guide-in-writing-a-good-character-4a289280
Another article about writing is Writing Effectively: To Express, Not to Impress by @Amy05. I like the message of this article, which is that one should not make writing so complicated that it can hardly be understood. I always strive for that in my own writing; above all it should be clear. A simple, clear text explaining something potentially complicated in a way also a novice on the topic can understand – that's a good text! https://read.cash/@Amy05/writing-effectively-to-express-not-to-impress-89118dfd
Colour is a topic turning up over and over again. I am interested in colour and have written much about colour here, so I tend to notice colour-related posts. Why not this article by @Dawn_Dii: Am I Weird for Being a Black Lover? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#colour https://read.cash/@Dawn_Dii https://read.cash/@Dawn_Dii/am-i-weird-for-being-a-black-lover-366e5736
Crows can predict your Death? asks @Imjhum in an article about folklore. Read also her most recent article: Scary Dwafs. https://read.cash/@Imjhum/crows-can-predict-your-death-a8d4d196 https://read.cash/@Imjhum/scary-dwafs-b27ae13b
Another recurrent theme is coffee, about which I wrote an early series at this platform. Here are some recent posts related to coffee: https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#coffee-health-amp-history
@Peter-Molnar writes about Coffee As A Status Symbol: Why People Would Pay More For Coffee; @Talecharm writes about If Only Coffee Could Talk; and finally an interesting article by @Lhes about harvesting coffee: Harvesting coffee, the back end process. https://read.cash/@Peter-Molnar https://read.cash/@Peter-Molnar/coffee-as-a-status-symbol-why-people-would-pay-more-for-coffee-4a16c84c https://read.cash/@Talecharm https://read.cash/@Talecharm/if-only-coffee-could-talk-bdff2c76 https://read.cash/@Lhes https://read.cash/@Lhes/harvesting-coffee-the-back-end-process-352c8bef
Nature Quest: Everyone Should Love &Appreciate Nature, says @Pearlkel, and I can just agree. https://read.cash/@Pearlkel/nature-quest-everyone-should-love-appreciate-nature-83ecdc66
@Duvinca share with us Baby seagulls on the beach. https://read.cash/@Duvinca https://read.cash/@Duvinca/baby-seagulls-on-the-beach-f4e0c764
@Rezanur is a very good photographer. If you enjoy beautiful photos, take a look at his posts - for instance: Some Moments with Dragonfly, Insect Photography (Day-1) or Lovely Looks of Nature. https://read.cash/@Rezanur https://read.cash/@Rezanur/some-moments-with-dragonfly-1b1b085e https://read.cash/@Rezanur/insect-photography-day-1-060fb7a5 https://read.cash/@Rezanur/lovely-looks-of-nature-f542f370
@Allworldforyou published Impressive photograph of an Egyptian mummy seller in 1875. If you want to read more about Egyptian mummies, you can read my own Egyptian Mummies & Mummification, and Ancient Egyptian: Mummification and Building of Pyramid by @Ling01. https://read.cash/@Allworldforyou https://read.cash/@Allworldforyou/impressive-photograph-of-an-egyptian-mummy-seller-in-1875-2f1986ce https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/egyptian-mummies-mummification-27386004 https://read.cash/@Ling01/ancient-egyptian-mummification-and-building-of-pyramid-e1de9589
@cmoneyspinner writes about an animated classic: Disney Animated Classic Film: The Aristocats (1970). https://read.cash/@cmoneyspinner https://read.cash/@cmoneyspinner/disney-animated-classic-film-the-aristocats-1970-f5cdcb66
Finally we have Ningen The Humanoid Beast of the Arctic / Library of the Strange by @susurrodelmisterio. https://read.cash/@susurrodelmisterio/ningen-the-humanoid-beast-of-the-arctic-library-of-the-strange-54415524
Read the whole series, ”Suggested Reading” and my series “Retrospection”. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#suggested-reading https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#retrospection
Copyright © 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
B-Vitamins IV: Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), plus Guidelines https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iv-amygdalin-b17-pangamic-acid-b15-orotic-acid-b13-paba-b10-plus-guidelines-961d0327
B-Vitamins III: Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Inositol https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iii-folic-acid-biotin-pantothenic-acid-choline-inositol-803bab85
B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
B-Vitamins I: Introduction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
Should We Publish More at Read.cash Now When BCH has Fallen so Much? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/should-we-publish-more-at-readcash-now-when-bch-has-fallen-so-much-ce0c7033
B-Vitamins IV: Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), plus Guidelines
*Part four concludes my series about B-Vitamins. In this part, I will discuss Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), and Some General Guidelines about how to avoid developing deficiency. You find* *part one here**,* *part two here**, and* *part three here**.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iii-folic-acid-biotin-pantothenic-acid-choline-inositol-803bab85
Amygdalin (B17)
As a substance first found in almonds, amygdalin (sometimes called laetrile, nitrilosid, or vitamin B17) has advanced to become one of the most controversial substances of contemporary medicine.
E.T. Krebbs is sometimes claimed to have discovered the substance, but that is not correct, since it had already been discovered in the 19th century. Krebbs was probably the man who popularised it as a cancer treatment, however, and coined it as vitamin B17.
I have previously described how amygdalin works and will not repeat all of it here. You can read it in Cyanophobia. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/cyanophobia-d2cfe961
Amygdalin is prohibited in many countries and the medical establishment has made many attempts to defame it. Do not be surprised to find texts describing it as dangerous. Yet many Americans are going to Mexico to have their cancer treated with it.
Official Recommended Daily Allowance: None. B17 is prohibited in many countries.
Optimal Dose: As a supplement, stick to the natural sources only. As a therapy, up to 2500mg per day. (But only under the supervision of a competent professional.)
Some natural sources: bitter almond, apricot seeds and alfalfa sprouts.
**WARNING: Pregnant women should never use B17 in therapeutic doses. During a certain phase of pregnancy, the child can be harmed.**
Pangamic Acid (B15)
Pangamic acid is important for cardiovascular and circulatory health, for glands and nerves, and for the liver. It reduces the need of oxygen and - which is essential for cancer prevention - it reduces the formation of lactic acid in muscles under strain.
B15 is useful in the treatment of all forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as for prevention. It can be of special help for drug addicts trying to get rid of their addiction.
This vitamin is illegal in the United States and certain other countries.
Official RDA: Not established.
OD: 50-300mg.
Some natural sources: brewer's yeast, apricot seeds, maize.
Orotic Acid (B13)
Orotic acid stimulates growth and regulates the microflora wherever it is applied. This can be used externally too, to treat various so-called infections and inflammations on the skin or mucous membranes. It is essential for the function of heart and liver, improves immunity and combats cancer.
The best source of orotic acid is concentrated fermented whey. Diluted it can be taken as a beverage or be applied externally.
Official RDA: Not established.
OD: Not established. As therapy, 5000mg.
Some natural sources: Milk, and certain products derived from milk (especially whey), brewer's yeast.
PABA (B10)
PABA, or para-aminobenzoic acid, protects the skin from ultra violet radiation, and thus from sun-related damage.
Sometimes PABA is said to prevent hair from turning grey, or to prevent wrinkles. Nothing of this has been proved.
Another claim that has not been proved so far, is that PABA can protect against arthritis.
Official RDA: Not established.
OD: Up to 750mg. Higher doses can harm vital organs, such as liver and heart.
Some General Guidelines
There are some things you can do to reduce, eliminate or prevent B-vitamin deficiency.
1. Take a good supplement.
2. Take good care of your intestinal microflora. If you do, many B-vitamins can be produced there. Garlic, Lactobacilli and Fermented Whey - for instance - are very beneficial.
3. Ideally, food should contain the vitamins (and other nutrients) that it needs for its own digestion, its use, and to remove the waste it generates. Unfortunately this is rarely the case. White sugar is a terrible example. It contains nothing but a lot of energy. It needs to steal minerals and vitamins from other sources in the body. If there is not sufficient amount available somewhere, the processes of the body are interrupted. You will become ill and gradually develop degenerative disease.
This is a simple equation: Ingested nutrients must be (at least) equal to used nutrients. As long as they are, you will not have any deficiency. But if you ingest less than you need, deficiencies will rapidly develop, and you will age, your vitality will fade, and you will become ill. Ultimately this process leads to death.
This problem can be approached from both ends. First, minimise your use of industrial and refined food, which causes a deficit of vitamins. Second, add some superfoods that contain a vitamin surplus - that is, where ingested vitamins are more than those used. (The same reasoning goes for minerals or other essential nutrients.)
For B-vitamins, I recommend:
***Brewer's Yeast***, which contains all known B-vitamins, and probably even some so far unknown ones. It also contains a lot of minerals and nucleic acids. If you look at its contents, the amounts are not overwhelming, but the synergy is excellent. I recommend this to be used daily. Many times if possible.
I prefer yeast as powder. It is cleaner and easier to use in a beverage or on food. If you take liquid ascorbic acid, adding one or two tablespoons of Brewer's yeast to it makes a good vitamin drink.
***Alfalfa sprouts***, which contain all known essential nutrients: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, etc. in perfect combination. Use as often as possible, preferably daily.
For those able to access it, I recommend ***Fermented Whey*** and ***Molasses*** as well. Both are full of B-vitamins and minerals.
***Lecithin***, a source of choline and inositol, can be bought in health food stores. It gets rancid very easily, so be sure to check the expiry date. I have found granular lecithin to be the best and most effective form.
Read the whole series about B-vitamins:
B-Vitamins I: Introduction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
B-Vitamins III: Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Inositol https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iii-folic-acid-biotin-pantothenic-acid-choline-inositol-803bab85
B-Vitamins IV: Amygdalin (B17), Pangamic Acid (B15), Orotic Acid (B13), PABA (B10), plus Guidelines https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iv-amygdalin-b17-pangamic-acid-b15-orotic-acid-b13-paba-b10-plus-guidelines-961d0327
Other related articles:
Why Dietary Supplements are Needed https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/why-dietary-supplements-are-needed-d70e789c
Supplements, Getting Them Right: Some Points to Consider https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/supplements-getting-them-right-some-points-to-consider-b4d57960
All my articles on Vitamins, Minerals & Nutrients can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#vitaminsmineralsnutrients
Copyright © 2006-2017, 2019, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail and in-text image by MasterTux/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
Interested in health & medicine, join my community "The Mechanisms of Health (d52e)" https://read.cash/c/the-mechanisms-of-health-d52e
*You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic,* *here**.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
B-Vitamins III: Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Inositol https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-iii-folic-acid-biotin-pantothenic-acid-choline-inositol-803bab85
B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
B-Vitamins I: Introduction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
Should We Publish More at Read.cash Now When BCH has Fallen so Much? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/should-we-publish-more-at-readcash-now-when-bch-has-fallen-so-much-ce0c7033
Suggested Reading 16 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-16-cc9102ef
B-Vitamins III: Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline, Inositol
*This is part three in my series about B-Vitamins. In this part, I will discuss Folic Acid (B9), Biotin (B8), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Choline, and Inositol. You find* *part one here**, and* *part two here**.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
Folic Acid (B9)
Folic Acid is important for the formation of blood and for the synthesis of RDA/DNA; for normal cell function, digestion, and reproduction. It increases female fertility (tend to lead to twins) and stimulates lactation. In combination with B6 and B12, folic acid is essential for mental and cognitive functions in general, and for certain aspects of cardiovascular health. It contributes to healing of damaged blood vessels.
Deficiency of folic acid plays a role in the development of pernicious anaemia, and high doses of this vitamin can conceal the presence of the disease.
Official RDA: 400mcg (0.4mg).
OD: 800-5000mg.
If you take high dose vitamin C, you may need extra folic acid.
Some natural sources: green leaves (which gave folic acid its name), liver, brewer's yeast, peas and beans.
Folic acid is very sensitive to heating and is almost completely destroyed by cooking. Green leaves, the major source, are incompletely digested by many humans. A high degree of folic acid deficiency is very common.
Folic acid is known to interact especially with vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, C, and E.
Biotin (B8)
Biotin stimulates growth of hair and nails, it is essential for immunity, for the balance of fatty acids, and for proper function of various glands. It can possibly prevent gout.
Horses can be given biotin to strengthen their hooves.
Official RDA: 300mcg (0.3mg).
OD: 300-750mcg (0.30-0.75mg).
Some natural sources: brewer's yeast, alfalfa sprouts, peanuts, nuts, beans, peas, eggs, liver.
Eggs (the white) contain a substance, avidin, which blocks the assimilation of biotin. Avidin is partly destroyed by heating, although what percentage of active avidin an egg still contains depends on the temperature and the time of heating. The higher temperature and the longer time, the faster and more complete destruction of avidin. With normal boiling of eggs, only a very small percentage of the acitve avidin remains; frying and baking destroys it even faster, since the temperature is normally above boiling level, and the egg is broken so it is heated all through much faster. The danger of causing a biotin deficiency by eating eggs is a danger mainly if you regularly eat raw eggs (whites, there is no avidin in the yolk) or some product made from raw eggs.
Biotin is known to interact especially with: B2, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid.
Pantothenic Acid (B5)
Traditionally this vitamin is known for its effect on hair and skin, but it has many other functions. It is involved in all production of energy, in the synthesis of hormones and fatty acids, it lowers blood cholesterol, and it is a powerful antioxidant. In addition to that, it improves detoxification.
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter (a chemical which transfers signals between nerve cells), essential for the ability to reason, memory, muscle control, and many other functions. It is made from choline (see below), and pantothenic acid is necessary for the conversion. Thus it plays an important role in combating and preventing senility.
Official RDA: 10mg
OD: 50-1500mg
Some natural sources: brewer's yeast, peanuts, fish (especially herring), eggs, beans.
Pantothenic Acid is known to interact especially with vitamin B1, B2, B3, Choline, Folic Acid, Biotin, and vitamin C.
Choline
Apart from other functions, choline, which is a part of lecithin, is a precursor to acetylcholine, and is essential for many nerve functions: memory, reasoning, etc.
(Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter - see above. A precursor is a chemical that can be changed to another by the body. That choline is a precursor to acetylcholine means that the latter is made from the former.)
Moreover, acetylcholine is important for sexual functions. In males it controls the signals that trigger erection. In females it seems to be involved in responsiveness.
Lecithin, in itself an excellent dietary supplement, contains choline in the form of Phosphatidyl choline (hence called PC), which is the form best utilised by the body. When you buy lecithin, make sure your chosen product contains as much phosphatidyl choline as possible, not less than 30%. Read the label!
PC is the material of which all cell membranes are made, and it is needed for continuous reparation of cells – especially brain and nerve cells.
Choline is essential for cardiovascular health, liver, glandular function, and for the metabolism of fats. It regulates blood cholesterol and positively affects the eyes.
Lecithin is best known for its ability to regulate blood cholesterol, but it is a substance of which much of the body is made. Of the dry weight of the brain, 30% is lecithin!
For the prevention and treatment of senility or any other form of diminished brain power, choline (preferably as lecithin) should always be involved. The same goes for cardiovascular disease, circulatory problems, liver ailments, and cataract.
Official RDA: not established.
OD: 500-3000mg. (Much higher doses have been used without any adverse effect.)
Some natural sources: lecithin, brewer's yeast, eggs, soy.
**WARNING: Manic-depressive people should not take choline, or any precursor to acetylcholine. It could deepen the depression-part of the cycle.**
Choline is known to interact especially with Pantothenic Acid and Inositol.
Inositol
Just as choline, inositol is a part of lecithin, and it is essential for the metabolism of fats, cardiovascular health, the skin, and various mental functions.
Some sources claim that this vitamin “cures” baldness, reviving hair growth where it has been lost. This has never been proved.
It might be true for some cases of baldness caused by vitamin deficiency, but certainly not for typical male baldness, which is a genetic matter, no disease or deficiency.
Official RDA: Not established.
OD: 500-3000mg.
Some natural sources: brewer's yeast, oats, maize, liver.
Inositol is known to interact especially with: Choline.
The Series to be continued...
Read also part one... B-Vitamins I: Introduction, and part two... B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
Other related articles:
Why Dietary Supplements are Needed https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/why-dietary-supplements-are-needed-d70e789c
Supplements, Getting Them Right: Some Points to Consider https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/supplements-getting-them-right-some-points-to-consider-b4d57960
All my articles on Vitamins, Minerals & Nutrients can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#vitaminsmineralsnutrients
Copyright © 2006-2017, 2019, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail by MasterTux/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
Interested in health & medicine, join my community "The Mechanisms of Health (d52e)" https://read.cash/c/the-mechanisms-of-health-d52e
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-ii-thiamine-riboflavin-niacin-pyridoxine-cyanocobalamin-9019bb69
B-Vitamins I: Introduction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
Should We Publish More at Read.cash Now When BCH has Fallen so Much? https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/should-we-publish-more-at-readcash-now-when-bch-has-fallen-so-much-ce0c7033
Suggested Reading 16 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-16-cc9102ef
Blue, Murdered Wives, Kings, and a Bird https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/blue-murdered-wives-kings-and-a-bird-050d1a9a
B-Vitamins II: Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Cyanocobalamin
*This is part two in my series about B-Vitamins. In this part, I will discuss Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6), and Cyanocobalamin (B12). You find part one* *here**.* https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
Thiamine (B1)
Thiamine is important for normal digestion, the metabolism of carbohydrates, for liver and pancreas, brain and nerves. It is a strong antioxidant, especially preventing nerves from alcohol-caused oxidation. So, if you drink a lot of alcohol you need extra thiamine.
This vitamin is a moderate diuretic - deficiency can be a cause of oedema; it improves memory and appetite, and is important for cardiovascular health.
Official RDA: 1.4-2.5mg.
OD: 25-1000mg.
Some natural sources: brewer's yeast, wheat germ, beans, eggs, and most meat from mammals and fowl (although see next sentence).
Thiamine is extremely heat-sensitive. It is almost totally destroyed by cooking.
Thiamine is known to interact especially with vitamin B2, B3, B6, C, and D.
Riboflavin (B2)
Riboflavin, vitamin B2, is a co-enzyme to many of the enzymes that are regulating functions on a cellular level. It is necessary for normal growth and reproduction; for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins; for regulating thyroid activity; for the function of several transmitter substances; for the production of red blood cells; for antibody formation; for the function and health of skin, hair and nails and for the eyes. It is a strong antioxidant and can be one of the most important nutrients for cancer prevention.
Deficiency often shows first as various eye problems, or skin/hair disorders, muscular weakness, or mental problems.
Being yellow-orange in colour, riboflavin is used for colouring other foodstuffs or to protect them or fortify them. And, if you take it as a supplement, urine is coloured by it. It is a harmless condition.
Official RDA: 1.7-2.5mg.
OD: 25-300mg.
Some natural sources: wheat germ, brewer's yeast, green leaves, beans, avocado, milk.
This vitamin is destroyed by light and by certain medicines.
Riboflavin is known to interact especially with vitamin A, B1, B3, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, and Biotin.
Niacin (B3)
This vitamin has been discussed in detail in a separate article: Nicotinic Acid, the Real Super Vitamin! https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/nicotinic-acid-the-real-super-vitamin-9e90bc33
Pyridoxine (B6)
Pyridoxine is necessary for protein metabolism. The more protein you eat, the more pyridoxine you need. It is also essential for the synthesis of RNA and DNA, and for immunity; it is involved in the production of various neurotransmitters, and it is a moderate diuretic.
B6 deficiency can contribute to the development of various neurological problems, oedema and varicose veins, allergies, metabolic disturbance, and joint ailments.
A Dr. John M. Ellis once invented a test to detect early pyridoxine deficiency. I would not say that it is foolproof, but it certainly can detect early tendencies to joint ailment, which could then be examined further.
You can do this test yourself. Hold out your open hands, palms upward. Without moving the hands or the knuckles, bow the fingers (two joints per finger) and try to touch the palms with the fingertips. If you cannot, or if it is hard, you probably have a beginning joint ailment.
Official RDA: 1.4-2.5mg.
OD: 25-200mg.
Do not exceed 200mg/day; it could lead to peripheral neuropathy, a nerve damage, which cannot easily be healed.
Some natural sources: brewer's yeast, bananas, pears, herring, liver.
B6 is known to interact especially with vitamin B1, B2, B3, Folic Acid, Biotin, C, E, and Magnesium.
**WARNING: If you are under medication for Parkinson's disease, consult your physician before taking extra B6.**
Cyanocobalamin (B12)
B12 is essential for metabolism, for formation of blood, and for RNA synthesis. It is important for liver function, for brain, and for cardiovascular health. It improves learning and memory.
Pernicious anaemia, a disease that previously had a 100% mortality rate, can now be treated with B12.
Official RDA: 3-6mcg
OD: 100-1000mcg.
Some natural sources: brewer's yeast, liver, kidney, eggs, shellfish, herring, salmon, alfalfa sprouts.
Vegetarians risk B12 deficiency and need to take special care to cover their need.
B12 is known to interact especially with vitamin A, C, E, B1, B6, Folic Acid, Biotin, and Pantothenic Acid.
The Series to be continued...
Read also part one... B-Vitamins I: Introduction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
Related articles:
Why Dietary Supplements are Needed https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/why-dietary-supplements-are-needed-d70e789c
Supplements, Getting Them Right: Some Points to Consider https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/supplements-getting-them-right-some-points-to-consider-b4d57960
Nicotinic Acid, the Real Super Vitamin! (Vitamin B3) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/nicotinic-acid-the-real-super-vitamin-9e90bc33
All my articles on Vitamins, Minerals & Nutrients can be found here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34#vitaminsmineralsnutrients
Copyright © 2006-2017, 2019, 2022 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.
*(Thumbnail and in-text image by MasterTux/Pixabay, CC0/Public Domain.)*
Interested in health & medicine, join my community "The Mechanisms of Health (d52e)" https://read.cash/c/the-mechanisms-of-health-d52e
You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here. https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/index-over-my-articles-at-read-cash-5f7c1e34
My 5 most recent articles:
B-Vitamins I: Introduction https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/b-vitamins-i-introduction-5124ead0
Should We Publish More at Read.cash Now When BCH has Fallen so Much?a https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/should-we-publish-more-at-readcash-now-when-bch-has-fallen-so-much-ce0c7033
Suggested Reading 16 https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/suggested-reading-16-cc9102ef
Blue, Murdered Wives, Kings, and a Bird https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/blue-murdered-wives-kings-and-a-bird-050d1a9a
Retrospection 14 (Health & Illness, and how we perceive them. Health Paradigms) https://read.cash/@Mictorrani/retrospection-14-ba02f7df
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