Venice has battled rising water levels since the fifth century. But today, the water seems to be winning. Several factors, both natural and man-made, cause Venice to flood about 100 times a year which usually happens from October until late winter and this phenomenon is called the acqua alta. An acqua alta is an exceptional tide peak that occurs periodically when the northern Adriatic Sea rises and parts of the city will flood. Acqua alta literally means “high water” and it happens because of Venice’s unique position as an island that is crisscrossed with canals. Venice was built across 118 small islands connected by a network of canals, the entire city is an exceptional feat of engineering, but it has never been immune to flooding. When an astronomical tide coincides with a strong south-east wind, low air pressures and the Adriatic’s oscillating currents, the water level in Venice rises and lower areas of the city flood and become lagoons.
Two things are working against Venice, the city is sinking, and the sea is rising. Venice sits atop sediments deposited at the ancient mouth of the Po River, which flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps and these sediments are still compacting and settling. When deposited sediments are smooshed together by the weight of water and other sediment that has settled on top of it, this is called compaction. On dry land compaction usually only takes about 7 years, but Venice suffers from subsidence (sinking of the ground because of underground material movement), as it was built on a muddy lagoon with inadequate foundations from the ground beneath it. When you combine this with the groundwater being pumped out from under the city and a gradual rise in sea levels, the result is a city that is slowly sinking. Underlying plate tectonics are also to blame, thanks to the subduction (geological process of the Earth’s mantle) of the Adriatic plate being beneath the Apennine mountains.
On May 28, 2023, Venetians woke up to a mysterious patch of fluorescent emerald green in the central waterway so police started investigating the origin of the liquid and locals are understandably concerned. Gondoliers could be seen punting through the phosphorescent waters while tourists took photographs. Authorities have now discovered that the liquid was fluorescein, a manufactured organic non-toxic dye used for testing wastewater networks. Fluorescein is primarily used in underwater construction to help identify leaks, but where the dye came from and how it got into the canal in the first place, is still a mystery, however it is not thought to be the result of an accident. Thus far, no one has stepped up to take responsibility for this and the city has since gone back to business as usual, despite the unusual tint of the canal.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower in Piazza del Duomo is one of the largest churches in the world. Roses and lilies have been symbols of Mary since earliest times. The rose, emblematic of her purity, glory and sorrow, was her attribute as Queen of Heaven and a symbol of her love for God and for Christ, her son. The lily represented her immaculate purity, her innocence and virginity. This cathedral in Florence stands tall over the city with its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, with the baptistery right across. The dome is an absolute masterpiece of art, being egg-shaped and made without scaffolding, and it has been enchanting the world since the moment of its creation. It is referred to as the symbol of Florence, of Renaissance culture, and of all Western humanism.
Michelangelo supposedly said, “It looks like a cricket cage.” The dome was built between 1420 and 1436 and it is an octagonal structure in stone and brick masonry. It is actually two domes: one internal and the other external, each composed of eight “sails”, or pendentives. One of these sails has a greater set-back than the others and supports the rest. The Dome can only be accessed by booking a slot time. No elevator is available and there are 463 steps, but once you reach the top, you will have an extraordinary view of Florence. The climb is not recommended for people with a heart condition or if you are suffering from dizziness or have claustrophobia, as the corridors are narrow making it a tight fit. The route takes you by the interior of the dome where you can admire Giorgio Vasari’s frescoes of the Last Judgment (shown below), which were actually mostly painted by his less-talented student Frederico Zuccari and finished by 1579.
In 1553, Philip of Spain was urged by his father, King Charles V of Spain to marry Mary I of England. She became queen when her 15-year-old half-brother Edward VI died from tuberculosis. Mary Tudor was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and she was a staunch Catholic who failed to turn back the tide of the Protestant Reformation in England. Her vigorous persecution of Protestants earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary.” Prince Philip II proposed marriage to Mary and they were married at Winchester Cathedral on Wednesday 25 July 1554. Why do I feel like whistling every time I hear Winchester Cathedral, well no matter, so back to the story. Spain was England’s greatest rival at the time and then the richest country in Europe and Wyatt’s Rebellion of concern over Queen Mary’s determination to marry a foreigner had just failed. The marriage between Mary and Phillip was not a happy one, and Philip spent most of his time as far as possible from his wife. Philip ruled alongside Mary, and he was called King of England, even though he had to run everything by Mary. Philip became the King of Spain in 1556 and so Mary its queen but she died in 1558 of cancer. Philip wasted no time whatsoever and proposed to Mary’s successor, her sister Elizabeth. The Virgin Queen rejected the offer, along with many others, and she steered her kingdom away from Catholicism.
Philip saw himself as the champion of Catholicism in Europe, but Elizabeth reinstated the Act of Supremacy, which put the English monarch at the head of the Church and the Pope excommunicated her for doing this. A third monarch arrived on the stage, Mary, Queen of Scots who was Catholic and the granddaughter of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, but she was unpopular in Protestant Scotland and forced to abdicate in 1567 and then flee the country in 1568. Mary became a potential figurehead for any Catholic-inspired plot to remove Elizabeth from her throne, but she was kept in confinement by her cousin Elizabeth. In 1569, the Northern Rebellion took place which is sometimes called The Rising of the North or The Revolt of The Northern Earls, and this was a major rebellion against Queen Elizabeth I. These were dangerous times for Elizabeth as seemingly everyone wanted her throne, none more so than Philip of Spain. When Mary, Queen of Scots was executed on 8 February 1587, for plotting against her cousin, Philip had one more reason to attack England.
Pirates like Francis Drake were plundering Spanish ships laden with gold and silver taken from the New World. Philip assembled a massive fleet, “The Spanish Armada” which consisted of 132 ships, packed with 17,000 soldiers and 7,000 mariners, who sailed from Lisbon on May 30, 1588. The armada intended to establish dominance of the English Channel, but the Spanish were defeated by superior maneuverability, better firepower, and some bad weather. The English ships attacked fiercely, as the wind blew the Spanish ships northwards. Most of the Spanish ships were galleons that carried anywhere from 20 to 52 cannons on board, but the English navy had faster ships with greater firepower. Many of the Spanish ships were wrecked off the rocky coasts of Scotland and Ireland, and only 65 returned to Lisbon.
Excavations have been going on since 1728, but the ancient city of Pompeii still has so much it can tell us. This city is jam-packed with crumbling buildings and ancient artefacts dating back to the days of the Romans. This once thriving city was completely destroyed by Mount Vesuvius’ volcanic eruption in 79 AD, which was one of the deadliest and best-known in European history. This catastrophe has left us with a perfect snapshot of what life was like 2000 years ago. Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano on the European mainland and more than two million people live in the vicinity of Vesuvius and on its lower slopes. The Romans made some amazing paintings and many of them survived in Pompeii. Roman art is filled with images that would today be regarded as being pornographic. The Romans were a sexually liberated society and this newly unearthed fresco depicts a naked man sitting next to two females that are standing up, with one wearing clothes and the other is also naked. The naked female appears to be flat chested, so this might be a man with long hair.
Most animals don’t care if anyone watches them while they are mating. They don’t seek out attention nor do they try to avoid an audience and this makes animals different from nearly every human. Most humans living throughout history had little concept of privacy in their tiny communities. Sex, breastfeeding, and bathing were shamelessly performed in front of friends and family. It is thought that in the days of nomadic tribes, sex was probably a very public experience. The idea of privacy didn’t come about till later, as people hunted together, ate together, and had they sex together, where everyone was allowed to watch. The children in hunter-gatherer societies would sleep with their parents, either in the same bed or in the same hut, so there is no privacy. These children would see their parents having sex all the time and their parents took no special precautions to prevent their children from watching them. In the ancient world, having a private bedroom was an unattainable luxury. Voyeuristic and exhibitionist urges are thought to be a throwback to this time.
The ancient Greeks desired some privacy, so they used their sophisticated understanding of geometry to create housing with the mathematically minimum exposure to public view while maximizing available light. The majority of Romans lived in crowded apartments, with walls thin enough to hear every noise and since Rome was not a prudish place, they built communal public toilets with no partition between the seats, so the citizens lost their self-awareness. Communal baths, and public sex continued to be popular across Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire, but as Christians frowned on nudity, most people would only bath twice a year. In the Middle Ages, anyone who could afford it had a tub in his home, but the majority of people went to the rivers, lakes, or bathhouses where sexual freedom was enjoyed by those with lose morals. Somewhere between 1500-1600, European culture underwent a major cultural shift that looked for privacy. Instead of homes being essentially one main room, they became divided up into rooms, and parents began to separate themselves from children, so adults could do adult things in private.
Di was not happy when she read the sign that said. “No Dogs On Beach.” She talked with the lifeguard and asked why they have such a stupid law and he explained that allowing dogs on the beach is detrimental to ecosystems in and around the ocean, because rambunctious dogs can harm small creatures like fish, turtles, and hermit crabs. In addition, some dogs may bother tourists and beachgoers. The lifeguard added that without access to water and shade, dogs can develop heatstroke at the beach. If the sand is particularly hot, your dog’s pads can burn and blister. Wet rocks and moss are very slippery, and your dog can cut their pads on sharp rocks and/or oyster shells at the beach and even stingrays and jellyfish. He told her that this beach has rough waves or strong currents which can make the water too dangerous for your dog and there was another beach 5 miles north that is dog-friendly where dogs are allowed, but they must follow all leash laws.
Di told him that she did not like this law, and she always come prepared when she takes her dog to the beach by bringing bottled water, a water dish, a beach umbrella to provide shade, plenty of towels, and a dog blanket. Di said that her dog was not rambunctious and that she would make sure that it wouldn’t bother any of the wildlife, or any of the people on the beach. Di said that she has booties for her dog which fit over its paws and that her dog was an expert swimmer. The lifeguard said, “Rules are rules, and you will have to take your dog to another beach.” Di said that she would, but when she got back home, she was going to call her congressman.
Food in Italy is a very serious affair, and because of this, clear distinctions between the different types of eating establishments are made, although the lines have been blurred over time and the distinction isn’t as direct in our modern-day as it was in the past. Understanding the exact differences between the different types of Italian eating establishments will give you a more complete understanding of what a truly authentic Italian dining experience is. The trattoria is a traditionally family owned, casual with laid-back service, rustic neighborhood reasonably priced restaurant that provides a greater quantity of fresh, unassuming, conventional local food and they are found throughout all of Italy. The trattoria is less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria. An osteria serves wine and simple food, where menus tend to be short, with an emphasis on pasta and grilled meat or fish, often served at shared tables. Patrons of the ristorante tend to be upscale and the food, as well as the service is better, and that is why the ristorante draws a more distinguished crowd. An enoteca usually does not serve food, as this is just a place to go and drink wine, or have tasting sessions. You may be served some cheese with your wine, or cold cuts.
The trattoria usually doesn’t have a printed menu and the dishes may consist of potatoes with gorgonzola, clam soup, Fiorentina, or freshly caught baked fish. A trattoria serves local wines and instead of offering it by the glass, it is sold by the decanter. I basically live to travel and eat and while I was travelling in Tuscany, I walked down this alleyway that had a lot of table and chairs outside, and above there were flags of many nations, which caught my attention. I noticed a sign for a trattoria and there was a sign in the window that said, “You must try our Pappa al Pomodoro.” I was looking to taste this Tuscan bread soup as it is a quintessential taste of the region, and it makes a hearty starter. I sat at a table and asked the waitress what the deal was with all of these flags being flown overhead. She told me that they get a lot of tourists and that since consumers feel great pride in seeing their flags, we decided to tap into that patriotism to unify the people around their gratification of being included.
They let me roam around wherever I want all day long, but I always come back to the coup at night because it is warm there. The coup is also a good place for me to lay my eggs, but I have no idea why the humans enjoy collection them so much. I always try to leave them a new egg every day, because they give me really good things to eat. I actually enjoy eating kale, but they also feed me grains so I can have a nutritionally balanced diet. When I am roaming around in the day, I can find some tasty insects to consume for protein. There is only one rooster on this farm, and he is very annoying, as he thinks it is his job to wake everyone up. It doesn’t seem fair to have just one rooster for 12 hens, but he seems to enjoy his work. He has a favorite hen named Hilary Fluff and mostly I try to avoid his attention, but on occasion, I will submit to the rooster. All of that prancing around and clucking that he does before he mounts me and then with everyone else watching, it can be so embarrassing, and it is not romantic at all. The good thing is that it is over in a matter of seconds, but there is never any flowers or dinner after, and he is a terrible conversationalist anyway. When it is my turn, I crouch down and spread my wings to maintain my balance and squat. He does his business and hops off, while I shake off my feathers, ain’t love grand?
Snakes are interesting creatures if you don’t get grossed out by the slime factor. The idea that snakes are slimy is why most people dislike these slithering creatures, but as it turns out, snakes aren’t slimy at all. Amphibians like frogs, toads and salamanders are slimy because they have glands that secrete a slimy liquid to help them keep their skin moist. Their skin has to stay wet in order for them to absorb oxygen so they secrete mucous to keep their skin moist, because if they get too dry, they cannot breathe and will die. Snakes, on the other hand, are covered in scales and they don’t need to be kept moist. A snake’s skin is slippery and smooth, but they do not secrete slime. Many snakes are smooth to the touch, but the snakes with smooth scales often appear shiny, glossy or iridescent, which may give the appearance of being wet or even slimy.
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles covered in overlapping scales. There are species of snakes that live in the water, on land, or both. Some of the most amazing facts about these reptiles relate to their breeding and egg-laying activities. The male snakes have a double-penis, which is called the hemipenes, and a recent study found that some female snakes have a pair of clitorises the hemiclitores, which is most likely used for stimulation during mating. A mating pair may remain entwined for hours. Female snakes can become pregnant immediately or choose to delay fertilization, storing sperm for up to five years. Some snakes can reproduce without sex. Reptiles with the capability to lay eggs always ensure that the eggs are laid in a place that can be safe for their offspring, but their young are abandoned to hatch on their own with no parental care. Certain female snakes will carry their eggs inside their body until they hatch, but that is where the parental care ends. Snakes swallow their food whole, so the mother can’t really feed her offspring, and they need to learn how to forage for themselves once they hatch.
My brother and I were walking on the shore of this lake when we both spotted this big ripple in the water. My brother asked me if I threw a stone into the lake to make that ripple and I told him that I didn’t know how it was created and he said that it must be from a fish fart, which sort of made sense to me, till I remembered that most fish don’t fart, that is expel gas from the rear end. However, there are two exceptions, the shark and the herring. I knew that the sand tiger shark would purposefully gulp air into its stomach at the surface then fart it out at the other end, so it would be able to sink down to its desired depth. Sand tiger sharks are able to stay nearly motionless in the water by gulping in air and they retain this air in their stomach to help them to hover above the ocean floor, but nearly all sharks are intolerant to freshwater. On the other hand, river herring run up freshwater rivers, launching through rapids and over rocks, funneling by the thousands into smaller and smaller streams, so they can spawn in freshwater lakes. Knowing that this was not the right time of the year for river herring to spawn, the big ripple must have been caused by something else.
Ripples in water are caused by the subtle interaction of wind and water, or the physical interaction of the water with another object. Any disturbance to a system tends to propagate outward, upsetting an increasingly larger portion of the system. During a ripple, the water molecules don’t move away from the disturbance, they actually move up and down. When they move up, they pull the other molecules next to them up and when they move down, they drag the molecules next to them down, creating peaks and troughs on the water. Ripples often spread out in circles increasing in size, but over time, the water near the surface rushes back to fill in the space it left behind. When water is in its calmest, lowest energy state, it has a flat surface and physics tells us that everything seeks to find a state where its energy is as small as possible. A ripple in still water, when there is no pebble tossed, nor wind to blow and it was not made by the hands of man is going to perplex me for the rest of the day. I am suffering from the “ripple effect”, which is a cliche analogy for any situation in which one person or event influences another.
Jon Anderson and Chris Squire of Yes wrote the song ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’ for the groups 1971 third studio album The Yes Album. Yes are an English progressive rock band and this song reached #40 on the US charts. The song is divided into two sections, ‘Your Move’ written by lead singer Jon Anderson and ‘All Good People’ written by bassist Chris Squire. The first part of this song discusses how to navigate interpersonal relationships using chess terminology as a metaphor for male–female relationships and life’s spiritual challenges. The song mentions a queen and squares, the colors white and black, and it references news being captured. Like chess, life can be a game where strategically placed situations are presented to you, and you have to learn how to live with them and work with them. Opportunities or doors will open and sometimes they will be closed. This song tries to convey the idea that we are surrounded by a spirit, or God, or energy which is in time with our understanding of who we are.
The line, “I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day, so satisfied I’m on my way” could be about a soldier who is fighting the enemy and he is unsure that this is a just cause, but since the people back home keep cheering him on, he has made peace with his involvement in the fighting. The next line, “Take a straight and stronger course to the corner of your life” could be a voice inside of his head telling him not to blindly follow orders, because he could end up being dead, as the other corner of a chess board, is where your chess piece can be easily captured. The following line, “Make the white queen run so fast, she hasn’t got time to make you a wife” is very confusing and the only thing I can come up with is that the queen wants another queen, because in chess you can have more than one queen. The rule of promotion is where you move your pawn to the last row on the opponent’s side and convert it to a more powerful piece such as a rook, bishop, knight or Queen.
Another chess reference comes in with, “‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time and its news is captured for the queen to use!” and this happens when it is your opponent’s turn to make a move, you sit by waiting like you are suspended in time till you are allowed to move, and when your opponent sees the move that make their queen can use it to her advantage. Again, “Move me on to any black square, use me anytime you want. Just remember that the goal is for us all to capture all we want.” People that play chess have a purpose so they are not just aimlessly moving their pieces around the board. The line, “Don’t surround yourself with yourself, move on back two squares” might be that voice inside of his head telling him not to be so self-involved that he can’t reach out to others, as the world isn’t always an us or them situation and he should be more than just a white or black chess piece. Moving forward and attacking his opponent may seem like progress, but sometimes it is about prospective, and the better move may be to retreat back two squares. Chess is a game where you constantly need to rethink your position. War is a lot like a game of chess, and this is an anti-war song. The song references John Lennon’s ‘Instant Karma’ and ‘Give Peace a Chance’.
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
Take a straight and stronger course
To the corner of your life
Make the white queen run so fast
She hasn’t got time to make you a wife
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
And its news is captured
For the queen to use!
Move me on to any black square
Use me anytime you want
Just remember that the goal
Is for us all to capture all we want (Move me on to any black square)
Don’t surround yourself with yourself
Move on back two squares
Send an instant karma to me
Initial it with loving care (Don’t surround yourself)
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
And its news is captured
For the queen to use!
Don’t surround yourself with yourself (Don’t surround yourself)
Move on back two squares
Send an instant karma to me (Send an instant karma to me)
Initial it with loving care (Don’t surround yourself)
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
And its news is captured
For the queen to use!
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (All we are saying)
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (Is give peace a chance)
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (All we are saying)
Diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit diddit didda (Is give peace a chance)
‘Cause it’s time, it’s time in time with your time
And it’s news is captured
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
A Unique Title For Me 