Much improved

 This is my second visit to the Native American festival and it has certainly improved.

This is an annual Indian festival hosted by the Miccosukee Tribe on the grounds of their casino. 

This is one of the many active native American tribes operating in Florida.

The first time I went to the festival, it struck me as only a way of increasing traffic to it's casino,  but this year it was far more family oriented.

There were far more rides for kids and even a petting zoo.

 They  also had many more stalls with native crafts and food.

It's quite a difficult task, but Indians from the over 500 tribes still existing in the USA, are working hard to not only maintain their cultures but also sharing it with the rest of the world, we were informed. 

One tool used is through dance rituals.

At the festival today, a number of dances were exhibited. Dancers are drawn from all over the nation, including  Oklahoma, Florida, Wisconsin etc.

The sole female dancer did a rain dance.

The dance troops not only use their craft to entertain Americans, but also, they go on tours all over Europe, we were informed.

My personal favorite was the alligator wrestling show though.

This year, the alligator was a bit more aggressive than the one I saw when I attended a few years before. 

It was a 9 foot critter.

The theme this year depicted a young brave going off by himself to capture a gator for food. His only weapon was a stick and after tiring out the gator for a bit, he moved in to hold it and tie its mouth with barks from a  tree. 

But the gator got agitated and the M.C had to jump in and help him.

 After the gator was subdued, the brave turned it over on its back so it would go to sleep.

 It actually did, or so it appeared to me.😕

Only then could he be able to put it in his canoe and take it home, he explained.

I am sure that in the olden days, many braves were killed before they perfected that technique!

It was interesting but a bit heart stopping at times.

Incidentally, I learned that the Miccosukee have their own police force but when I saw an African American driving one of the cars and asked about it, he told me it's called that but there are no native Americans in their squad.😊.

 Interesting!

What would the festival be without a ride in the swamp on the air boat?

Lacking😊.

 So that topped it off for me.

Good day, great entertainment and educational too!

Youtube link; https://youtu.be/twP3Zzns6R8

No more cruising!

Have you ever wondered what happens to those large cruise ships when they can no longer sail?

A cruise ship burial ground

I hadn’t, but would have guessed that they end up mostly as scrap iron. However, on the trip to Green Cove Springs, I learnt that some end up as artificial reefs on the floor of the St. Johns River.

That's useful!

Green Cove Springs is a tiny city near Camp Chowenwah where we camped recently. Then our local 'guide’/fellow camper, Stephanie, took us on a tour there.

From the pier, we could see an old Carnival Cruise ship which was going to be sunk to create a reef, but it was missing the funnel as it had been torn off as it sailed beneath the bridge which joins the area to St. Augustine.

Bridge to St. Augustine in background

The pier draws a lot of visitors whether to fish, hang out or just enjoy the view.

The aquifer is 28 feet deep 

This small city is the County seat of Clay County, Florida. The area was first inhabited over 7,000 years ago by Native Americans. 

It is developed around a warm hydrological mineral spring locally known as the "Original Fountain of Youth." 

The sulfur-smelling spring feeds an adjacent public swimming pool and a number of attractions were built around the area for recreational purposes.

The area has a number of historic buildings but perhaps the best known is St Mary’s Episcopal church. 

It was built in 1878 and has sets of stained-glass windows which are said to be among the first to be used  in the United States. 

Below these windows, you see other openings which serve as fire escapes.

St. Mary's

As we walked around the city admiring the architecture, I noticed that Senator Marco Rubio has his campaign headquarters there. 

What amused me was seeing that he had a washed-out tattered ‘Trump 24’ flag in front ofthe building. While I suspect he was displaying it to impress Trump’s base, I couldn’t help wondering if he deliberately allowed the flag to become decrepit, as Trump had so often insulted him publicly and christened him Little Marco.😅

Anyway, that’s an aside, for this small city is really pleasant and attractive.

Links.

1) Joan, my views: Glamping (joan-myviews.blogspot.com

 2) Joan, my views: Anti immigrant crap (joan-myviews.blogspot.com)

MEMORIES

A tattered Trump flag outside Rubio's office

 

Of guns and conservatism

I find most members of the Republican Party in the USA (aka conservatives) very dangerous indeed. For if their philosophy is to be believed, when young children who are raped or been the victim incest, they must be reminded of the horror every day by being forced to carry an unwanted child for nine months.

On the other hand, if anyone wants an assault weapon to murder innocent children or anyone, they must be allowed to get it.

For why else would a civilian want an assault weapon except to commit mass murder?

I am not at all anti-gun, for in my book if someone wants to have a gun to protect themselves or their family, or to go hunting, they should by all means be allowed to do so.

However, there are guns for various types of activities. So, for example, some people tell me that assault weapons should be allowed for hunting. But my understanding of hunting is that it is a sport, so shouldn't the poor animal have some kind of a chance of survival?

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (in a 1994 debate,) "assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use."

I think the most relevant word above is combat, for that is really what they are designed for.

That means war.

Is it this love for weapons of war among a significant proportion of the Republicans in my book, which have caused America to start so many wars against far less armed nations too. For example, recent incursions into places like Iraq, and Libya.

It seems to me too, that American philosophy is really built on bullyism....... I have better weapons so I will kill you and take what you have.

Wasn’t that the entire foundation of the nation as they tried to wipe out the native Americans? And they have carried on that tradition over the years with non-whites being the targets under Jim Crow and ever since. (Heard of the Tulsa Massacre etc?)

According to the National Library of Medicine, assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics appear to be used in a higher share of firearm mass murders (up to 57% in total)"

Would you believe the majority of decent Americans oppose having assault weapons in civilian hands?

 According to Gallup, between 57-61% of persons polled in the USA think assault weapons should be banned, but the legislators have consistently ignored these facts.

So why are most Republican legislators opposed to the banning of assault weapons when their constituents want them to be.

Corruption it would appear.

 In the USA, there is a well-entrenched method of bribing legislators called lobbying.

This is how Wikipedia begins its description of lobbying;

“In politics, lobbying, bribery, persuasion or 'special' interest representation is the act of a legally sanctioned attempt at influencing the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.”

Among the richest organizations which use lobbyists in the USA; are gun manufacturers and the NRA (National Rifle Association). Why you may very well ask? The answer lies in the piece published by the Huffington Post in 2017 entitled "Assault Weapons Sales Boom Fuels Gun Industry Profits, And Tragedy." (It is interesting to learn via the History Newsletter, that the NRA opposed access and carrying of weapons in the 1960's when the Black Panters were the propoonents and whites were scared out of their pants by them!The NRA Supported Gun Control When the Black Panthers Had the Weapons - HISTORY)

 It is therefore my view that until the USA addresses the corrupt system of lobbying, they will forever be shedding tears and saying prayers for victims of mass murders, be they mere infants, Texas May 24th, black people two weeks before in Buffalo, or people in churches, cinemas, malls etc.

Yes, every country suffers from crime with which violence is often associated. For humans will forever reach for weapons with which to harm others, be they sticks, cars, guns etc.

 But must the USA continue to make it easy for anyone with a grudge to kill people by the dozens in the flash of an eye, simply because that is what the NRA and gun manufacturers want?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naples, Florida

 My interest in nearby Naples, Florida, stemmed from the fact that I love the beach and had heard they had wonderful beaches there.

Wonderful is relative though, for what is wonderful to North Americans is certainly not wonderful to people from the Caribbean, who are accustomed to white sands beaches with clear, warm, beautiful waters. So, although the sands are pretty and widespread, the water there just does not meet our standards.

Nevertheless, like much of southern Florida, Naples, (a Trump city (?) an assumption made because no business requires masks!) is a playground for snowbirds and persons with many vacation homes. And the city caters for them with some 450 restaurants to suit every palate and more than 100 golf courses.

 On a tour, some prominent names of home owners were floated as having homes there. Among them was the famous Judge Judy, who we were told was often seen driving around in her convertible Bentley.

A view of Naples from the roof of Baker Museum

It wasn’t only the beach I had a misconception about, but also the city itself, which I thought was a huge metropolis with high rise buildings like many other Florida cities. However, it proved to be quite delightful with attractively designed neighborhoods, moderately tall buildings, with a green and lush environment.

We enjoyed touring the Baker Museum which has some really good art, the luxuriant botanical gardens and the Zoo.

This amazing work of art at Baker Museum looks like a bunch of wires until you see the shape of the mosquito beneath!

I was particularly impressed with the zoo, where I saw an anteater in the flesh for the first time and was introduced to the Gibbon.

Seeing this particular ape in a tree at first, I thought it was hanging upside down, as its arms are so large and strong, that I thought what I was seeing were legs.

I so fell in love with this creature that I had to do further research in “Monkeyworlds” and learnt ;

Anteater

·     *  A Gibbon is often described as a Monkey but most classify them as Apes. The controversy often continues and so you will find information out there about them in both categories. You may hear them called the Lesser Apes at times too. They are smaller than Apes and they don’t have the size differences.

·      *  The Gibbon is the fastest of all mammals that live in trees for they have a body that is designed for speed and movement.

·        *The molars are sharp which can help them for fighting off predators and for food. Some species have two fingers on each hand that are stuck together.

·      *  Northeast India, Indonesia, and Southern China are home to the Gibbon. They live in both the tropical and sub -regions. They are arboreal which means that they only live in the trees.

From Naples, we journeyed over to nearly Ave Maria town which we were told, was built around a cathedral constructed in the shape of a bishop’s miter.

It is a new clean, attractive town which already has a university by the same name. Interestingly too, every business has incorporated the name Ave Maria, so if you want coffee, you go to the Ave Maria café etc. The town is undergoing massive development and I suspect it will be considered a major city soon.

From there we also visited nearby Immokalee, a Seminole reservation in the Everglades with casino and all.

Now that was a surprising experience, since I have always found casino food reasonably priced as that is one means of ensuring that the patrons stay inside. Not here though, for it was the most expensive menu I have ever seen outside of a gourmet restaurant!

A quick drive around the town, indicated why this was so though. For the fact is that it seemed to be the only decent place in town to grab a meal. So, what do you get when there is no competition? Ridiculous prices.

This is clearly a farming community though with a high percentage of persons who looked like Caribbean farm workers and very few Native Americans in sight.

Even in the casino, the workers appeared to be Afro Americans.

The trip to Immokalee was the only disappointment, for although Naples was not what I imagined it to be, the surrounding areas were really interesting and pleasant, including nearby Cape Corral where we had the most wonderful eco-tour.  

 

                                                                            The Gibon monkey on the move

 OTHER MEMORIES

Immokalee hotel and casino