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Happy Grandparent’s day!
Grandma and Grandpa are important to families in so many ways: they are there to support and guide their grandchildren, share their wisdom and most importantly, spoil their grandkids with treats all the time! (Ahem.)
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day both get their fair bit of attention, but what about Grandparents’ day?
Well you should know that October 2nd 2011 is their day for recognition and Grandparent’s day has been celebrated in the U.S since 1978. Now we’re recognising the day in the UK, too.
In honour of the older, wiser generation, take a look at this adorable, yet hilarious video of Bruce and Esther Huffman.
The pair accidentally recorded themselves, while trying to figure out how to take pictures using Esther’s new laptop. Their granddaughter posted the clip online and the video went viral.
Don’t miss the moment at 1:50, when naughty grandpa tries to get a little playful with his 70-year-old wife.
Epic win/fail - grandparents an webcam
http://youtu.be/L67_P1xSGb8
Miraculous Essential Miracle Prevents Cancer and Treats Magnesium DeficiencyDanica Collins
If you’ve ever experienced aches and pains … that rundown feeling … or any other low-grade symptoms that you (or your doctor) can’t explain, it might be a signal that you have a magnesium deficiency.
Magnesium deficiency is a dangerous condition that has been recognized since around 1971. That’s when Dr. Edmund B. Fink of the West Virginia University’s School of Medicine identified magnesium deficiency as a common and often undetected ailment.
Contrary to popular belief, magnesium is the most common mineral deficient in the American diet — not calcium. According to many health practitioners, without sufficient magnesium, the body degenerates rapidly, ages prematurely and accumulates toxins and acid residues.
Initial symptoms can be subtle. Since most magnesium is stored in the tissues, the first signs may be leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle twitches.
Other symptoms of magnesium deficiency can gradually develop, including, but not limited to:
• Low Energy
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Restless legs, Muscle Twitches
• PMS and Hormonal Imbalance
• Poor Sleep
• Muscle Tension and Cramps
• Abnormal Heart Rhythms
• Headaches
• Anxiousness
• Nervousness
• Irritability
• Kidney Stones
Chronic deficiency can produce long-term damage and even be fatal. Meanwhile, replenishing magnesium levels provides innumerable health benefits.
“Magnesium may be the most under-rated mineral in human nutrition,” says Mike Adams, health editor of Natural News. “It’s not only pivotal in preventing heart disease, it also prevents diabetes by helping the body properly regulate sugar metabolism.
There are perhaps a thousand benefits for magnesium in the human body, and yet most people are magnesium deficient!”
Can Magnesium Deficiency Cause Cancer?
Some leading researchers say it can indeed cause cancer. “Of the minerals inside the cell, all are vitally important, but magnesium has a role that permits perpetuity of function, and the lack of it will impact a cell’s efficiency and duration of its useful life,” says Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, author of Obesity, Cancer & Depression: Their Common Cause & Natural Cure. “Magnesium deficiency in the body is a very serious unrecognized problem.”
Researchers point to a wealth of studies showing a link between magnesium deficiency and cancer:
• A Polish study concluded that inadequate magnesium is an important risk factor in predisposing individuals to leukemia.
• Other researchers found that 46% of the patients admitted to an intensive care unit in a tertiary cancer center presented as deficient in magnesium (hypomagnesemia).
• Animal studies show that magnesium deficiency has caused lymphopoietic neoplasms in young rats.
• Researchers from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota concluded that diets rich in magnesium reduced the occurrence of colon cancer. A previous study from Sweden reported that women with the highest magnesium intake had a 40% lower risk of developing the cancer than those with the lowest intake.
• Several studies have shown an increased cancer rate in regions with low magnesium levels in soil and drinking water. In Egypt, the cancer rate was only about 10% of that in Europe and America. Among the rural fellah (peasants and agricultural laborers), it was practically non-existent. These cancer-free populations have an extremely high magnesium intake of 2.5 to 3g — which is 10 times more than in most Western countries.
• The School of Public Health at the Kaohsiung Medical College in Taiwan found that magnesium exerts a protective effect against gastric cancer, but only for the group with the highest magnesium levels.
Why Magnesium Pills and Powders Are Not the Answer to Magnesium Deficiency
Supplementing magnesium has not always been easy. In the past, large, hard-to-swallow pills were the norm. These pills were cheap but could not be properly digested or absorbed by the body, thereby leaving a load of unused magnesium for the kidneys and liver to process and excrete. While the body’s magnesium levels remained nearly unchanged, the functioning of the liver and kidneys was threatened.
Powdered magnesium supplements gained popularity over the last decade, providing better absorption. But for many people, too-quick absorption causes a laxative effect that ironically results in further magnesium loss.
The most superior form of magnesium supplementation is thought to be a very convenient and effective transdermal spray. These sprays are applied to high-circulation areas on the skin, allowing for easy absorption into the bloodstream. Transdermal magnesium can help your body maintain optimal magnesium levels — without the drawbacks of other supplement forms — because your body only absorbs the magnesium it needs.
Dr. Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., author of The Magnesium Miracle, describes the unique benefits of topical magnesium chloride oil: “It’s not actually an oil at all, but a super saturated solution of magnesium chloride. Magnesium oil can be sprayed or rubbed on the body, and is readily absorbed through the skin. It helps to greatly increase the amount of magnesium in body tissues and overcomes the problems that some people have with loose stools when they try to take enough magnesium to meet their needs.”
How to Choose a Topical Magnesium Product That Delivers Therapeutic Effects
Not all types of magnesium, no matter what form of the supplement, deliver the same recognizable benefits. For example, the most common form of magnesium sold in pharmacies and grocery stores — magnesium oxide — has been shown to have as low as a 4% absorption rate. Similarly, transdermal magnesium can vary widely in quality and absorbability.
The best lab-certified pure topical magnesium is made from a Dead Sea extract and contains magnesium chloride hexahydrate.
This is the only form of magnesium that can be accurately measured in liquid form.
It’s the form most commonly used in hospitals and patient-care facilities where exact doses are needed. Because magnesium chloride hexahydrate comes from a liquid (most easily used by the body), it is bioavailable and readily accepted by your body.
Not surprisingly, however, very few companies go to the necessary lengths to provide the ultra-pure food/pharmaceutical grade magnesium chloride in a form that is easy to use, effective, and available without prescription.
In fact, there is only one publicly available product that contains magnesium chloride hexahydrate in an ultra-purified water solution. This means your body is supplied with the maximum amount of magnesium possible … and you are provided with all the benefits of this life supporting, ultra-energy nutrient.
Find out how easy it is for you to raise your magnesium levels, and consequently improve your health … recharge your energy levels … reduce aches and pains … and prevent cancer … using the only transdermal magnesium product with ultra-pure food/pharmaceutical grade magnesium chloride.
Why Was This Ancient Spice Given to Slaves Building the Pyramids?
Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 28 2011
Garlic has a truly astonishing number of health benefits. Green Med Info has assembled studies that list more than 150 beneficial effects that garlic can have on your health.
The studies show that garlic:• Inhibits cholesterol accumulation
• Reduces risk for heart attack and stroke
• May be effective against drug-resistant bacteria
• Lessens cadmium-induced liver damage
• May have protective effects against cancer
According to one of the studies linked on the site, garlic may also help fight multi-drug resistant tuberculosis:
"Alternate medicine practices with plant extracts including garlic should be considered to decrease the burden of drug resistance and cost in the management of diseases. The use of garlic against MDR-TB [multi-drug resistant tuberculosis] may be of great importance regarding public health."
Saffron is another spice making headlines, as there is increasing evidence to suggest that it may be an effective means of managing Alzheimer's disease. A study found that saffron had an effect similar to the drug donepezil in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's after 22 weeks -- and had fewer side effects.
Another study found that dietary supplementation with vitamin E and folic acid, as well as ALA, DHA, and GPC, could aid in decreasing oxidative stress in mouse brains.
According to FYI Living:
"... [T]his reveals that such dietary supplementation also helps improve cognitive performance in the normal mice. This study is a significant step towards development of newer preventive nutritional therapies in the elderly who are susceptible to cognitive decline and related diseases such as Alzheimer's. It also enables an understanding of the involvement of oxidative stress and other molecular mechanisms that lead to age-related loss of cognitive abilities."
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
If you want a simple way to increase the disease-fighting power of your meals, be generous with your use of high-quality herbs and spices. There is no shortage of research showing that these foods are among the healthiest you can consume, and the best part is they taste wonderful and are relatively inexpensive, so they're a "secret weapon" that just about everyone can take advantage of.
When it comes to using herbs and spices, you really can't go wrong as long as you choose those that appeal to you and "agree" with you. But I want to highlight two in specific that are showing great therapeutic promise, one that you're already familiar with -- garlic -- and one that you may not be -- saffron.
Garlic: One of Nature's Most Impressive Foods
Garlic has been treasured for its medicinal properties for centuries. In ancient times, Greek and Roman soldiers ate garlic before going off to war, and it was reportedly given to the slaves who built the Egyptian pyramids in order to enhance their strength and endurance.
It also happens to be one of the most heavily researched plant foods around. At GreenMedInfo you can find 133 studies involving 153 different conditions that garlic may benefit. Among them:
Atherosclerosis High blood pressure Cancer Gallstones
Ear infections Mercury poisoning Diabetes Low immune function
MRSA High triglycerides Candidiasis Ulcerative colitis
Wound healing Stroke Heart attack Bacterial infections
As you can see from the wide range of conditions it impacts, garlic exerts its benefits on multiple levels, offering anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and antioxidant properties. It's thought that much of garlic's therapeutic effect comes from its sulfur-containing compounds, such as allicin, which are also what give it its characteristic smell.
An Infection-Fighting, Heart-Protective, Cancer-Preventive Powerhouse
Researchers have revealed that as allicin digests in your body it produces sulfenic acid, a compound that reacts faster with dangerous free radicals than any other known compound. This is one of the reasons why I named garlic as one of the top seven anti-aging foods you can consume.
Garlic is also a triple threat against infections, offering antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Not only is it effective at killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including MRSA, but it also fights yeast infections, viruses and parasites.
Garlic also helps relax and enlarge the blood vessels in your body, improving blood flow, especially to your heart. This can help prevent conditions like high blood pressure and life-threatening events such as a heart attack or stroke. Garlic also inhibits the formation of plaques in your arteries, and prevents cholesterol from becoming oxidized, a condition that may contribute to heart disease.
This powerhouse food is also known to help increase your protection against at least five forms of cancer: breast, colon, ovarian, prostate and esophageal. In one study, the more often participants ate vegetables from the allium family, particularly garlic and onions, the lower their risk of certain cancers became. Part of this effect may be due to garlic's ability to increase tissue activities of phase II detoxification enzymes, which are necessary to help your body excrete chemicals and other toxins.
Interestingly, the allicin in garlic is so powerful it has even been found to help weight loss in rats fed a fructose-rich diet -- which is virtually guaranteed to make most people gain weight. Animals being fed only the fructose-rich diet gained weight, but those whose diets were supplemented with allicin did not, and some even lost weight. Of course, this does not mean you can eat all the fructose you want and then eat a couple of cloves of garlic and expect to lose weight … but it does give you an idea of just how far-reaching garlic's benefits appear to be.
The Healthiest Way to Eat Garlic
In many cases, eating whole foods is a far better approach to taking a supplement, and in the case of garlic this is especially true. Typically, garlic must be crushed or chopped in order to stimulate the process that converts alliin into the beneficial allicin. Once the garlic is cut, the active compound loses potency rapidly and will all but disappear within about an hour of chopping.
So the best way to eat garlic is to take a whole, fresh clove, chop it, smash it or press it, wait a few minutes for the reaction to occur, and then eat it. If you use jarred, powdered, or dried garlic, you will not get all the benefits that fresh garlic has to offer.
Saffron: An Important Spice for Brain Health?
The other spice that deserves attention, but is far less well known in the United States than garlic, is saffron. Saffron comes from the flower of the crocus plant (it's actually the plant's dried stigma) has a reddish thread-like appearance, and is a rich source of carotenoid antioxidants.
Used since ancient times for a variety of medicinal purposes (saffron is known for its immune-boosting power, among others), in the modern day it is widely used in Persian, European, Indian and Turkish cooking, both for its unique sweet, grassy flavor and its ability to add vibrant yellow-orange color to foods.
There are quite a few studies that reveal saffron's beneficial properties, and one of the most recent showed promise for treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. In a 22-week, double-blind study of patients with Alzheimer's, a saffron supplement worked as well as the drug donepezil (brand name Aricept), but with significantly less vomiting experienced among the saffron group.
The researchers noted:
"This phase II study provides preliminary evidence of a possible therapeutic effect of saffron extract in the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease."
It is becoming increasingly clear that supplementing your diet with foods and supplements rich in a variety of compounds, such as vitamin E, folic acid, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and ALA (alpha-lipoic acid), may help reduce oxidative stress and delay the progression of age-related cognitive decline. And it appears saffron is no exception.
Separate research has shown saffron to help prevent and treat dementia, and inhibit platelet aggregation (which can lead to blood clots) and lipid peroxidation (which causes cell damage). It's also known to have chemopreventive properties against cancer, which are also strongly associated with the common saffron alternative turmeric (which is often referred to as Indian saffron). While in China, Marco Polo in 1280 AD recorded information on turmeric in his diary:
"There is also a vegetable which has all the properties of true saffron, as well the smell and the color, and yet it is not really saffron."
So, turmeric has been used as a substitute for saffron (an old world spice) in Europe for over 700 years, and this spice has been found to have many of the same health advantages, including showing promise for Alzheimer's.
If you've never tried saffron, the reason may be because it's earned the moniker "most expensive spice in the world." There are only three stigmas in each crocus flower, and it reportedly takes 80,000 flowers (about the number of plants on one acre of land) to produce one pound of saffron. Turmeric is much easier to come by and is also much less expensive, while offering many of the same potential health benefits, as well as the same characteristic yellow color. You can learn more about turmeric, or "Indian saffron," here.
There's Good Reason to "Spice" Up Your Life
Herbs and spices have very low calorie content, they're relatively inexpensive, and they're a great way to turbo-boost the natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power of your diet. All these benefits, and the ones noted above, give you ample reasons to be adventurous in adding spices to your meals, and to be generous in the amounts you use. It will be worth it for the flavor enhancement alone, and the boost it will give your health is the icing on the cake.
There's obviously much more to herbs and spices than the garlic, saffron and turmeric mentioned in this article … you can get more information on healing herbs, including how to select spices for their medicinal benefits, here.
Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent
by Matt Jabs
When we first set out to make our own homemade laundry detergent we thought it would be difficult and time consuming, boy were we wrong! It was actually incredibly fast, easy, and inexpensive. Now, years after making our first batch, thousands of others have tried it and loved the results.
Note: This soap/detergent works in all HE front-load washers… read more below.
Homemade powder soap required only 3 simple ingredients & took around 5 minutes to create, in respect of opportunity cost I abandoned my original idea of brewing a liquid detergent and set my sights on creating the powder variety. What follows is my own personal pictorial tutorial to making homemade powder laundry detergent. Enjoy!
Soap/Detergent cost breakdown & savings
Prior to making our own, we were using Arm & Hammer liquid detergent. Here is the breakdown in cost analysis:
Note: you only need to use 1 tablespoon of this homemade detergent per load, although you can use 1 – 2 scoops for heavily soiled loads)
• Arm & Hammer® liquid 100 ounce detergent – $6.79 – 32 loads = $0.21 per load
• Tide® with Bleach powder 267 ounce detergent – $20.32 – 95 loads = $0.21 per load
• Jabs Homemade powder 32 ounce detergent – $2.98 – 64 loads = $0.05 per load
As you can see, whether I compare against traditional store bought liquid or powder, I am saving $0.16 per load!
There are also many other benefits of homemade products aside from cost savings.
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
I purchased all these ingredients at my local grocery store:
• 1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda = $3.99
• 1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax = $4.99
• 1 – 10 pack of 4.5 ounce bars of Ivory® Bar Soap (**note** you can use cheaper soap, I actually had this on hand already. Use whatever tickles your fancy – Other brands of commonly used bar soaps include Pure & Natural®, Fels-Naptha® and/or ZOTE®. Both ZOTE® and Fels-Naptha® are made for and sold as “laundry bar soap.”)
All items were found in the laundry isle.
A SIMPLE RECIPE
Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load).
• 1 bar of shaved bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha)
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda
Thoroughly stir together for 5 minutes and enjoy the results! That’s it folks…seems too good to be true, but it is true indeed!
Regarding High Efficiency (HE) Front-Load Washers
HE front-load washers require “special soap” for one reason alone – low suds. Because they use less water, they require soap that is less sudsy. The good news is, this homemade detergent is VERY low suds. The ”special” HE detergent is just another advertising mechanism to push consumers to buy “special soap” for unnecessarily high prices.
Regardless of your washer type, just make your own in confidence, here’s how.
THE MAKING OF A BATCH
1. Start with these ingredients & utensils:
2. Shave 1 bar of soap. I used a simple hand grater:
3. My shaved bar looked like this:
4. Add 1 cup of borax:
5. Add 1 cup of washing soda:
6. Stir thoroughly:
>
7. Continue stirring thoroughly:
8. Stirring is complete when you have a powder like this:
9. 2 batches of this recipe fit perfectly into a 32 ounce yogurt container:
10. I wanted to use my trusty black Sharpie, but my wife LOVES her some label maker!
When you do a load use 1 tablespoon of detergent per load (you can also use 1 – 2 scoops for heavily soiled loads).
There you have it folks!
Simple, easy, fast, & efficient homemade laundry detergent.
What are you waiting for? Go get the ingredients & make yours today!
Recycling hotel soap to save lives
By Ebonne Ruffins, CNN
June 16, 2011
Atlanta (CNN) -- That bar of soap you used once or twice during your last hotel stay might now be helping poor children fight disease.
Derreck Kayongo and his Atlanta-based Global Soap Project collect used hotel soap from across the United States. Instead of ending up in landfills, the soaps are cleaned and reprocessed for shipment to impoverished nations such as Haiti, Uganda, Kenya and Swaziland.
"I was shocked just to know how much (soap) at the end of the day was thrown away," Kayongo said. Each year, hundreds of millions of soap bars are discarded in North America alone. "Are we really throwing away that much soap at the expense of other people who don't have anything? It just doesn't sound right."
Kayongo, a Uganda native, thought of the idea in the early 1990s, when he first arrived to the U.S. and stayed at a hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He noticed that his bathroom was replenished with new soap bars every day, even though they were only slightly used.
"I tried to return the new soap to the concierge since I thought they were charging me for it," Kayongo said. "When I was told it was just hotel policy to provide new soap every day, I couldn't believe it."
Kayongo called his father -- a former soap maker in Uganda -- and shared the experience.
Derreck Kayongo, a Uganda native, started the Global Soap Project in 2009.
"My dad said people in America can afford to throw it away. But I just started to think, 'What if we took some of this soap and recycled it, made brand new soap from it and then sent it home to people who couldn't afford soap?' "
For Kayongo, collecting soap is "a first line of defense" mission to combat child-mortality around the world.
Each year, more than 2 million children die from diarrheal illness -- the approximate population of San Antonio, Texas. According to the World Health Organization, these deaths occur almost exclusively among toddlers living in low-income countries.
"The issue is not the availability of soap. The issue is cost," Kayongo said. "Make $1 a day, and soap costs 25 cents. I'm not a good mathematician, but I'm telling you I'm not going to spend that 25 cents on a bar of soap. I'm going to buy sugar. I'm going to buy medicine. I'm going to do all the things I think are keeping me alive.
"When you fall sick because you didn't wash up your hands, it's more expensive to go to the hospital to get treated. And that's where the problem begins and people end up dying."
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2011 CNN Heroes
Kayongo, 41, is familiar with the stress that poverty and displacement can create. Almost 30 years ago, he fled Uganda with his parents because of the mass torture and killings by former Ugandan military dictator Idi Amin, he said.
Witnessing the devastation of his homeland shaped Kayongo's mission and still haunts him today.
Are we really throwing away that much soap at the expense of other people who don't have anything?
--CNN Hero Derreck Kayongo
"It's a long-term grieving process that sort of never ends," he said. "As a child coming from school, passing dead bodies for 10 solid years -- 'It's not cool,' as my son would put it. It's not good. A lot of my friends were orphaned, and I was lucky."
Kayongo and his parents fled to Kenya, where he would visit friends and family in refugee camps and struggle to survive -- sometimes without basic necessities.
"We lost everything," Kayongo said. "We didn't live in the camps, but we sacrificed a lot. The people worse off lived in the camps. Soap was so hard to come by, even completely nonexistent sometimes. People were getting so sick simply because they couldn't wash their hands."
Kayongo transitioned from the tough life of a refugee to become a college graduate, a U.S. citizen and a field coordinator for CARE International, a private humanitarian aid organization. But he has not forgotten his roots -- or the fact that many refugees in Africa continue to lack access to basic sanitation.
"As a new immigrant and a new citizen to this country, I feel very blessed to be here," he said. "But it's important, as Africans living in the Diaspora, that we don't forget what we can do to help people back at home. It's not good enough for us to complain about what other people aren't doing for us. It's important that we all band together, think of an idea and pursue it."
With the support of his wife, local friends and Atlanta-based hotels, Kayongo began his Global Soap Project in 2009.
So far, 300 hotels nationwide have joined the collection effort, generating 100 tons of soap. Some participating hotels even donate high-end soaps such as Bvlgari, which retails up to $27 for a single bar.
Web extra: CNN Hero Derreck Kayongo
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2011/06/17/cnnheroes.kayongo.extra.cnn
Volunteers across the U.S. collect the hotel soaps and ship them to the group's warehouse in Atlanta. On Saturdays, Atlanta volunteers assemble there to clean, reprocess and package the bars.
"We do not mix the soaps because they come with different pH systems, different characters, smells and colors," Kayongo said. "We sanitize them first, then heat them at very high temperatures, chill them and cut them into final bars. It's a very simple process, but a lot of work."
A batch of soap bars is only released for shipment once one of its samples has been tested for pathogens and deemed safe by a third-party laboratory. The Global Soap Project then works with partner organizations to ship and distribute the soap directly to people who need it -- for free.
To date, the Global Soap Project has provided more than 100,000 bars of soap for communities in nine countries.
Kenya Relief is one organization that has benefited. Last summer, Kayongo personally delivered 5,000 bars of soap to Kenya Relief's Brittney's Home of Grace orphanage.
"When we were distributing the soap, I could sense that there was a lot of excitement, joy, a lot of happiness," said Kayongo, whose work was recently recognized by the Atlanta City Council, which declared May 15 as Global Soap Project Day in Atlanta.
"It's a reminder again of that sense of decency. They have (someone) who knows about their situation, and is willing to come and visit them ... to come and say, 'We are sorry ... We're here to help.' "
Want to get involved? Check out the Global Soap Project website at www.globalsoap.org and see how to help.
Dead Sea Scrolls!
Back in 1947 a young Bedouin goat herder made the initial and fantastic discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls!
Found in caves 13 miles east of Jerusalem and hidden in 11 caves they have been called the greatest manuscript discovery of modern times.
Dating back 2000 years and written mostly on animal skin parchments, they include not only the oldest known surviving copies of the bible but also non-biblical documents that offer insights into life and religion in ancient Jerusalem, including the birth of Christianity.
The last words of Joseph, Judah, Levi, Naphtali, and Amram (the father of Moses) are written down in the Scrolls.
Before now, only a small handful of scholars and archeologists have ever viewed the scrolls, but now anyone around the world can view, read and interact with five digitized Dead Sea Scrolls on their computer!
http://youtu.be/5rYj_0foJYA
A Flute Song for Mama, the Klamath River
This is a beautiful tribute written by my friend, Mihael Kavanaugh (pictured), in a farewell poem he wrote for Mama. Mihael played the flute to Mama on two occasions while canoeing on the Klamath River, one of which I was honored to accompany him on the canoe.
A Flute Song for Mama, The Klamath River Whale 2
Mihael Kavanaugh
Peaceful Rest
She has laid down to rest
Her journey home now complete
Her story known by many
Her message, a mystery …
A sigh of sadness
For she touched many a heart
Her dance
Was with such grace
The mist of her spout
Still refreshes my face
Such a friend …
One can’t replace
Though in story and song
She’ll echo her grace
Mama whale ~~~
Peace be with you …
As you go
From this worldly place
©2011 Mihael Kavanaugh
Seth Altamus, a stand-up paddler, had hopes Mama would follow him out to the ocean. She followed him to the Klamath River RV Park, a short way from the bridge, but then she turned and swam back to her spot by the bridge and continued her circles. Here Seth is waving a bittersweet farewell to Mama when he realized she did not want to leave. In the other image, he was serenading her with his ukelele from his paddle board.
All of the above images were what I would term a “holistic” approach in an attempt to soothe Mama or an attempt to convince her to head back to the ocean. Music has the capability to touch all beings, but Mama had her own path to follow, a reason for which we do not know, and she seemed content to stay near the bridge and make her continual circles mesmerizing all who watched this beautiful creature.
Many more images can be seen at AshalaTylor.com and http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashala
Warrior Captain Jack, Modoc Kintpuash 1837-1873
In 1864, the Modoc Indians were living on their ancestral tribal lands near Tule Lake, on what is now the Oregon-California border region. However, because white settlers wanted the rich Modoc lands for themselves, the US Government relocated the Modoc people to the Klamath Indian Reservation in southwest Oregon.
Unhappy with how Modocs were being treated on the Klamath Reservation, Captain Jack led his people back to their tribal lands in 1865.
In 1869, U.S. Army soldiers again rounded up the Modoc people and moved them back to the Klamath Reservation, but conditions there had not improved for the Modocs.
A year later, 1870, Capt. Jack again led his people back to their tribal lands at Tule Lake.
BATTLE OF LOST RIVER
In 1872, Army soldiers were again dispatched to Tule Lake to escort Captain Jack and his band back to Klamath Reservation.
However, during negotiations, a fight broke out between an Army soldier and a Modoc warrior and the Battle of Lost River ensued.
After the battle, Captain Jack led his band into what is now known as the Lava Beds National Monument — Captain Jack's Stronghold — a natural maze of caves and trenches worn into the lava bed.
The Modoc braves were very successful in defending this stronghold and the Army was losing dozens of soldiers during fights to evict the band from this natural Indian fort.
Captain Jack is said to have believed that if the white Army leaders were killed, the Army would be defeated and the government troops would leave the Modocs alone.
During a high-level meeting, Captain Jack and several other Modocs drew their pistols in unison and killed two leading members of the government commission, including General Edward Canby.
The killings resulted in the US Government sending in over 1,000 reinforcement troops, and the soldiers attacked Captain Jack's Stronghold with superior forces and successfully evicted the Modocs from their safe haven.
On October 3, 1873, Captain Jack was hanged for the murder of General Canby.
Compiled by webmaster.
Battle of Lost River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Part of Modoc War (Indian Wars)
Date November 29, 1872
Location Lost River (along the California-Oregon border)
Result Marginal United States victory
Belligerents
United States
Modoc
Commanders and leaders
Captain James Jackson
Captain Jack
Scarface Charley
Strength
40+ {U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment}+citizens Unknown
Casualties and losses
1 killed, 7 wounded 2 killed, 3 wounded
The Battle of Lost River in November 1872 was the first battle in the Modoc War in the northwestern United States. The skirmish, which was fought near the Lost River along the California-Oregon border, was the result of an attempt by the U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army to force a band of the Modoc tribe to relocate to the Klamath Reservation. In the subsequent war, Captain Jack of the Modoc and 53 warriors held off over 1000 U.S. soldiers for 7 months.[1]
Captain Jack's Stronghold, named for Modoc chief Captain Jack, is a part of Lava Beds National Monument. The stronghold can be accessed from the Perez turnoff, off Highway 139 between Tulelake and Canby, California.
During the Modoc War, Captain Jack's band settled here following the Battle of Lost River, and held off a United States Army force outnumbering them by as much as 10 to 1 for several months. The lava beds made an outstanding stronghold for the Modocs because of the rough terrain, rocks that could be used in fortification, and irregular pathways to evade pursuers.
In the First Battle of the Stronghold, January 17, 1873, 51 Modoc warriors defeated an Army force of 225 soldiers supported by 104 Oregon and California volunteers,[2] killing 35 and wounding several others, while suffering no casualties or serious woundings. During the Second Battle of the Stronghold, April 15 - 17, the reinforced Army of over six hundred men captured the Modoc spring and cut off their route to Tulelake, forcing the Modoc to flee when their water supplies ran out. After fleeing the Stronghold, the band of Modoc splintered, and the last group, made up of Captain Jack, John Schonchin, Black Jim, and Boston Charley were captured on June 1, 1873.
All four were hanged on October 3, 1873, at Fort Klamath.
The area originally served as a hunting and gathering area.
Edward Richard Sprigg Canby
November 9, 1817 – April 11, 1873 (aged 55)
Edward Richard Sprigg Canby (November 9, 1817 – April 11, 1873) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.
Early life
Canby was born in Piatt's Landing, Kentucky, to Israel T. and Elizabeth (Piatt) Canby. He attended Wabash College, but transferred to the United States Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1839. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Infantry and served as the regimental adjutant. He married Louisa Hawkins at Crawfordsville, Indiana, August 1, 1839. Although often referred to as Edward Canby, a biographer has suggested that he was known as "Richard" during childhood and to some friends for most of his life. He was called "Sprigg" by fellow cadets at West Point, but during most of his career, he was generally referred to as E.R.S. Canby, sometimes signing his name "Ed.R.S. Canby."
Early military career
During his early career, he served in the Second Seminole War in Florida and saw combat during the Mexican-American War, where he received three brevet promotions, including to major for Contreras and Churubusco and lieutenant colonel for Belén Gates. He also served at various posts, including Upstate New York and in the adjutant general's office in California from 1849 until 1851, covering the period of the territory's transition to statehood. Against his own wishes, he was ordered to serve in what was supposed to be the civilian post of custodian of the California Archives from March 1850 until he left California in April 1851. The Archives included records of Spanish and Mexican governments in California as well as Mission records and land titles. Evidently, Canby had some knowledge of the Spanish language, which came in handy during this period. (The Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky holds what appears to be a document written in Canby's own hand in Spanish, in which he identifies himself as "Edwardo [sic] Ricardo S. Canby.")
He served in Wyoming and Utah (then both part of the Utah Territory) during the Utah War (1857–1858). During this period, Canby crossed paths with Captain Henry Hopkins Sibley (whom he may have known slightly at West Point) when the captain was court martialed and Canby served on the panel of judges. Sibley was acquitted.
Subsequently, Canby wrote an endorsement for a teepee-like army tent that Sibley had invented. Both officers were later assigned to New Mexico where Canby coordinated a campaign against the Navaho in 1860, commanding Sibley in a futile attempt to capture and punish Navajos for "depredations" against the livestock of settlers. The campaign ended in frustration, with Canby and Sibley rarely so much as sighting Navajos, and then usually at a considerable distance that seemed impossible to close.
Civil War
At the start of the Civil War, Canby was in command of Fort Defiance, New Mexico Territory. He was promoted to colonel of the 19th U.S. Infantry on May 14, 1861, and the following month commanded the Department of New Mexico. Although subsequently defeated by Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley in February 1862 at the Battle of Valverde, his troops eventually forced the Confederates to retreat to Texas after the Union strategic victory at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.
Immediately following this battle, Canby was promoted to brigadier general on March 31, 1862. Recombining the forces he had earlier divided, Canby set off in pursuit of the retreating Confederate army, but he soon gave up the chase and allowed them to reach Texas. Shortly after the failure of the Confederate invasion of northern New Mexico, Canby was relieved of his command by Gen. James H. Carleton and reassigned to the east.
Canby's achievement in New Mexico had largely been in his planning an overall defensive strategy. He and his opponent, Sibley, both had limited resources. Though Canby was a little better supplied, he saw that defending the entire territory from every possible attack would stretch his forces too thinly. Realizing that Sibley had to attack along a river, especially since New Mexico was in the middle of a long drought, Canby made the best use of his forces by only defending against two possible scenarios: an attack along the Rio Grande and an attack by way of the Pecos and Canadian rivers.
Moreover, the latter defensive force could easily be shifted to protect Fort Union if the enemy attacked by way of the Rio Grande, which they did. Canby also took initiative in persuading the governors of both New Mexico and Colorado to raise volunteer units to supplement regular Federal troops; the Colorado troops proved helpful at both Valverde and Glorieta. It was Sibley's campaign to win or lose, and in spite of occasional superior soldiering by Confederate troops and junior commanders, Sibley's sluggishness and vacillation in executing an extremely risky plan led to an almost inevitable Confederate collapse.
After a period of clerical duty, Canby became "commanding general of the city and harbor of New York" on July 17, 1863. This assignment immediately followed the New York Draft Riots. He remained in that post until November 9, not only restarting the draft, but overseeing a prisoner of war camp in New York Harbor. He then went to work in the office of the Secretary of War, unofficially describing himself in correspondence as an "Assistant Adjutant General." Looking back on Canby's record, a twentieth century Adjutant General, Edward F. Witsell, described Canby's position as "similar to that of an Assistant to the Secretary of the Army."
In May 1864, Canby was promoted to major general and relieved Nathaniel P. Banks of his command at Simmesport, Louisiana. He thereafter returned to the Midwest, where he commanded the Military Division of Western Mississippi. He was wounded in the upper thigh by a guerrilla while aboard the gunboat USS Cricket on the White River in Arkansas near Little Island on November 6, 1864. Canby commanded the Union forces assigned to conduct the campaign against Mobile, Alabama in the spring of 1865, culminating in the Battle of Fort Blakely, which led to the fall of Mobile in April 1865. Canby accepted the surrender of the Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor in Citronelle, on May 4, 1865, and those under General Edmund Kirby Smith west of the Mississippi River on May 26, 1865.
Canby was generally regarded as a great administrator, but opinion was mixed as to whether or not he was a great warrior. Ulysses S. Grant thought him not aggressive enough. In a telling incident, Grant sent Canby an order to "destroy [the enemy's] railroads, machine-shops, &c." Ten days later, Grant reprimanded him for requesting men and materials to build railroads. "I wrote... urging you to... destroy railroads, machine-shops, &c., not to build them," Grant said pointedly. The story is instructive regarding Canby's character: although he could be a destroyer when he felt he had to be, he clearly preferred the role of builder.
Today, he might be considered a "policy wonk" because he was expert in the minutiae of administration. If someone had a question about army regulations or even Constitutional law affecting the military, Canby was the man to see. Grant himself came to appreciate this in peace time, once complaining vigorously when President Andrew Johnson proposed to assign Canby away from the capital where Grant considered him irreplaceable.
John D. Winters in The Civil War in Louisiana (1963) writes that Canby "lacked the social amenities" of Banks and appeared to most people as stern and taciturn."[1] Winters quotes Treasury agent Geroge S. Denison of New Orleans: "General Canby is very active, but his work makes no great show as yet, because it is conducted too quietly and without ostentation. Canby is a tall man of thoughtful and kind face - speaks litte and to the point - thoroughly a soldier and his manner is very modest and unassuming and sometimes even embarrassed."[2]
Canby's father had once owned slaves. Some of Canby's cousins fought for the Confederacy, and one was taken prisoner of war. The man's father wrote to Canby asking the general to use his influence to parole his son, but Canby declined on the grounds that he felt he was not entitled to use his influence to benefit family members. Later, when Canby was a military governor during Reconstruction, he declined to favor relatives who had become carpetbaggers in his jurisdiction.
Post War assignments
After the war, Canby served as commander of various military departments, remaining in charge in Louisiana from 1864 to May 1866. The Department of Washington, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Alexandria and Fairfax counties in Virginia from June 1866 until August 1867, when he was appointed to command the Second Military District comprising North and South Carolina. In August 1868, he briefly resumed command in Washington, but was off to the Fifth Military District in November. There he focused primarily on the reconstruction of Texas. He left Texas for Virginia, the First Military District, in April 1869, serving there until July 1870.
Each of these postings occurred during Reconstruction and put Canby at the center of conflicts between Republicans and Democrats, whites and blacks, state and federal governments. New state constitutions were either being written, ratified or put into effect in each district that he commanded, and he could not help but offend one side or the other and often both. Nevertheless, Charles W. Ramsdell called Canby "vigorous and firm, but just." Even political opponents like Jonathan Worth, governor of North Carolina, admitted that Canby was sincere and honest.
Final assignment and death
On July 21, 1870, Canby was awarded a doctor of laws honorary degree by Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. In August, he was posted to command the Pacific Northwest. One of the problems he soon faced was that the Modoc tribe, which had previously lived in Northern California, had been compelled to live on the same reservation in Oregon with the Klamath tribe with whom they did not get along. The government would not give them their own reservation in California, so the Modocs returned to their old territory illegally. In 1872, the Modoc War broke out. The Modocs, entrenched in Captain Jack's Stronghold south of Tule Lake, resisted army attacks, fighting to a stalemate.
General Canby received conflicting orders from Washington as to whether to make peace or war on the Modocs, but war was not working, so the federal government authorized a peace commission and assigned Canby a key position on it. The purpose of the commission was undermined by the fact that there were many lines of communication between the Modocs and whites. At one point, someone in touch with the Modoc leader Captain Jack, alleged that the governor of Oregon intended to hang nine Modocs, apparently without trial, as soon as they surrendered. This caused the Modocs to break off scheduled talks, and infuriated Canby because he believed that his federal authority trumped the governor's and made the threat irrelevant; if they surrendered to him, Canby had no intention of allowing the Modocs to be punished without a trial.
Winema (Toby Riddle) standing between an Indian agent and her husband Frank (on her left) with other Modoc women in 1873
On April 11, 1873, after months of false starts and aborted meetings, Canby went to another parley, unarmed and with some hope of final resolution; however, Judge Elijah Steele of Yreka, California maintained that when he warned Canby that the Modocs were volatile and apt to kill the peace commissioners at the slightest provocation, Canby replied, "I believe you are right, Mr. Steele, and I shall regard your advice, but it would not be very well for the general in command to be afraid to go where the peace commissioners would venture." The talks were held midway between the army encampment and Captain Jack's Stronghold near Tule Lake. Two members of Canby's party brought concealed weapons, but, even more of the Modocs were armed.
Frustrated by the negotiations, Captain Jack, along with Ellen's Man, one of his lieutenants, shot Canby twice in the head and cut his throat. He was the only General killed during the Indian Wars. Other members of Canby's party were killed, including Reverend Eleazar Thomas. Others were wounded. According to Jeff C. Riddle, author of Indian History of the Modoc War (1914), the Modocs (believing a peace settlement that would allow them to remain in their home country impossible) had plotted to kill Canby and other peace commissioners before the meeting even began, and then "fight until we die."[3] Captain Jack was reluctant to go along with the killings, believing it "coward's work," but was pressured by other tribe members until he finally agreed. Jack's one condition was that they first let him ask Canby again to "give us a home in our country."[4] Canby did not have the authority to give this promise, so Captain Jack initiated the attack. (Riddle was the son of Frank Riddle, Canby's interpreter at the talks.)
Aftermath
Following Canby's death, there was a severe backlash against the Modocs. Eastern newspapers called for blood vengeance. (All except for one newspaper in Georgia that headlined the story: "Captain Jack and Warriors Revenge the South By Murdering General Canby, One of Her Greatest Oppressors." In contrast, citizens of Richmond, Virginia, where Canby had actually served as military governor, met on April 18 to express their appreciation of Canby and sorrow at his death.) E.C. Thomas, son of the murdered peace commissioner, demonstrated the extent and limitation of moderation when he accepted the inevitability and even desirability of reprisals against Captain Jack and his men, but reminded people that his father's memory would be dishonored by generalized malice toward Native Americans: "To be sure, peace will come through war, but not by extermination." Eventually, Captain Jack AKA Kintpuash, Boston Charley, Schonchin John and Black Jim were tried for murder and executed on October 3, 1873. The Modocs were sent to reservations.
Funeral of the Late General Canby -- the Body Lying in State
The killing of Canby, and the Great Sioux War, undermined public confidence in President Grant's peace policy, according to Robert Utley.[5]
After services were performed on the West Coast, Canby was returned to Indiana and buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana on May 23, 1873. Attending the final funeral service in Indianapolis were at least four Union generals: William Tecumseh Sherman, Philip Sheridan, Lew Wallace, and Irvin McDowell, the last two serving among the pall bearers. A reporter noted that, although the funeral procession was generally reserved, "more than once, expressions of hatred toward the Modoc" marred the silence.
In recognition of his assassination, Canby's Cross was erected in the 1880s in the area that would later become Lava Beds National Monument. The towns of Canby in Clackamas County, Oregon, Canby in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, and Canby in Modoc County, California, are named for him. Every year in Canby, Oregon, on July 4th, the town celebrates General Canby Days, including a pancake breakfast, car show, parade and music.[6]
