Car warnings for the mechanically challenged

 If you are anything like me you know next to nothing about what noises your car should and shouldn't be making, or what warning lights mean. While a picture is worth a thousand words, this post should clarify what the car warning lights actually mean. 

First of all, let's put them in priority order. The most important lights are at the top of the list. 

Oil pressure  - It looks like a genie's lamp dripping. Something is wrong with the car's oil pressure system. You are running low on oil or it isn't pumping correctly. This is not something to ignore. 

Engine Temperature - The image to picture is a thermometer with waves below it. Your engine overheated. You may need coolant. This is urgent and should be addressed immediately. 

Antilock Brake System - In case anyone thought a light with the letters ABS was Airbag Safety System (I did, so no shame at all if you have), it is not. If it comes on for a few seconds and disappears all is well. If it stays on you need to do something about it. Antilock brakes are more important than you may think, mostly because it keeps your car on the road surface. 

Traction control malfunction - This can also mean an ABS problem, but it is exactly what it says. It is a triangle with an exclamation mark inside it, all surrounded by an arrow going from right to left. The traction system is broken. Go get that fixed. 

engine - So, if you see this pull over at Autozone and have them check it for free. It is shaped like an engine, literally. Your gas cap may not be fully on, your oil could be low, or you could be overheating the engine. Definitely don't let this one go unchecked. 

battery - It looks like a car battery - a square with a plus and minus sign on it. It means your car battery is low, or a cable is damaged. Wait too long and you need jumper cables from a fellow driver to start up your car to get home. 

low fuel - If you see this indicator, that usually explains itself, you clearly need to go get gas. I thought about leaving this one out, but it is actually important to remember your car runs on fuel. Ignoring this light can leave you stranded at the side of the highway, on a dirt road, or anywhere at all. I tend to get gas at a half or quarter tank. Nancy Drew may forget to get gas, but you shouldn't. 

traction control light - The image of a swerving car is evidence the road is slippery or it is winter. If it is not winter and the road is not slippery, it is your tires that are the problem. 

engine start/ automatic shift - A shoe angled upward with a circle around it means you are trying to shift gears or start the car without a foot on the brake. 

seat belt reminder - This one is the law. Please wear a seatbelt while on the road. If this light is on and you do have it on, get your car checked out. 

airbag indicator - A person with a bubble in front of them is the airbag indicator, showing the airbag has something wrong. Go see a mechanic. 

washer fluid low - It is a windshield with a dotted line coming up the middle like water. It means you need to stop somewhere at some point for washer fluid. This one is not particularly urgent compared to the rest of these lights. 

Noises Your Car Shouldn't Be Making

Your car is making noises, right? Your audiobook is getting harder to hear? Well, let's think about that for a second. Let's talk about those noises your narrator is trying to drown out. 

Your car should not roar when speeding up. This can indicate exhaust system problems, including leakage. Short answer, take it to a mechanic for a check-up. 

Grinding under the hood is never good. Grinding metal anywhere is generally not good. Take stock of the situation with the following questions before going to get it fixed:
1. Are sounds after or before turning it on?  2. Are the brakes wonky or not working correctly?
3. Does how you turn make any difference? 

If it makes sounds when turning you are legitimately in danger and it may have to do with power steering. If it is a shifting gears situation, check transmission fluid, as well as getting it checked over. Scraping brakes are never, never, never normal, so go get brake pads replaced. Knocking noises in an engine is a clear sign to go to the shop, like immediately, since you might strand yourself. 

Rattling underneath needs some investigation. First, check the exhaust system (if so, the sound will be louder at red lights or stop signs). After that, the muffler is your next stop. 

Squealing in cars may be in the movies, but if you accelerate and it is squealing you should be worried. Your serpentine belt is loose or worn-out. Handle this sooner, not later.

Loud banging while driving. Yeah, not good. It is your catalytic converter or your engine is backfiring. Check for the latter first. Check your distributor cap to see if it is cracked. 

Hissing, much like the hiss of a poisonous snake, should be a major warning. Engine hoses are damaged. Go get it fixed if you have no idea how to fix this hose yourself. It will only get worse from here. 

Safe Travels!

I hope you enjoyed the overview of what your car should and shouldn't be doing. With all of us mechanically-challenged humans out there driving I felt we should all have a crash course on it. Some of us (cough, cough - me - cough, cough) generally don't know when to stop drowning our car sounds in audiobooks and radio, so I learned with the rest of you today. Be safe drivers out there and look out for the less safe drivers while shopping! Black Friday is crazy enough. 

Pictures:

go mechanic

Facebook

Sources:

https://www.gregs.com/10-noises-car-shouldnt-making/

https://vatire.com/car-maintenance-tips/what-all-the-symbols-on-your-dashboard-mean/

Fallen Women - a brief history

Pregnant and single? Today's society may not be as harsh on you as it was before. If you thought single parenting was hard, let's look at how things could be worse.

A "fallen woman" was, put in simplest terms, one that had sex outside of marriage and didn't fit into domestic society. It is an archaic term that we no longer use - and for good reason. Whether it was rape, consensual sex, prostitution, or being sold for sex, it didn't matter if they were pregnant outside of marriage. What you have to understand is that women were seen as falling away from God if they were being referred to as fallen women. "Fallen men" is a term that has never existed because only women were held to sexual purity. Women, especially in Victorian era, were held to a maidenly status until marriage, then were held to a standard of being a home-body.

The status of women is important here. Way back before women were allowed into the workforce like they are today you could not feed your family yourself. Men worked and women were in the domestic sphere, otherwise known as the home. Women did not leave the home. If you got pregnant unmarried it was assumed you were doing wrong before that, so you probably aren't getting support from anyone if it is the 18-1900s. The only support you could get was a man "saving your honor" by marrying you, even if that man was the one whom you were sold to, raped you, or you simply hate the guy's guts. Women were trapped if they were unwed and pregnant. With this clarified, let's see what happened to these women. 

Ireland - Magdalene Laundries

Catholics have been deemed the bad guys in this situation, but I am not saying all Catholics were guilty of mistreating others. I don't want to say that all Catholics are evil, nor am I going to say that the Catholic church has been perfect. If you are Catholic, I want it to be clear that I am only reporting recorded history. Protestant churches also supported some of these institutions, at first. 

In Ireland, Magdalene laundries were run by convents and nuns, worked by women who volunteered themselves and women who were sent by their families. Some of them had nowhere else to go. Some had disabilities, as well, so you can imagine that the world had little promise for them around the years 1837- 1900s. Believe it or not, they ran until 1992. Some chose to stay. 

They found a mass grave at the Donnybrook Laundry, a mass grave of women (According to History Channel, not a rumor). The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam was where 796 babies were found dead in a septic tank. It didn't start out this way. It was meant to rehabilitate the women who had "fallen" from society's approval. While I don't recommend getting pregnant single, and I don't think it was how it was supposed to work, what happened in Magdalene laundries was wrong. The raped women, having no choice in the matter, were especially wronged. 

The fallen women were supposed to redeem themselves through work, including lacemaking, needlework, and laundry. It was reported that it was prison-like as time went on. Some were sent here to hide pregnancies from the eyes and ears of the neighbors. Some came voluntarily and learned "respectable" occupations. It started with good intentions. Inmates were routed into the institutions, along with women with disabilities, victims of rape, women deemed tempting and flirtatious, and pregnant teens. Irish government funneled money into it. Most Asylums can tell a similar tale.

Prison-like is defined as forced silence, beatings, forced hair cuts, overwork, and bad living conditions. They were stripped of their names, in some cases, as well. Women escaped, were brought back, or spent their lives here. It was reported that women were mistreated, some even starving. Pregnant women transferred to homes where they temporarily lived with their babies and worked in similar conditions. Babies were handed over to other families. Religion left this unchallenged and women were shamed for their abuse. 1996 was when the newspapers found the mass grave, after property was sold and searched, and shut the place down. 

Victorian Britain

Victorian times wanted to control deviance. There was a penitentiary for reforming prostitutes in Britain. It was entered voluntarily, not for punishment of crimes, and the place was run by Anglican nuns. Anglican nuns embraced celibacy and rejected the marry-and-reproduce life that women were encouraged into. 1806 in London was the first one to open. Only women were to reform these ladies, it was determined, because only women could influence them for the better. Religious women were perfect because religion was deemed a requirement for reform. The nuns thought chastity and faith was the answer. 

In this case, the church did well. They didn't dismiss these women as worthless, but instead did their best to destroy the division between virtuous women and prostitutes. They used the gospel to do so. The women were sometimes alcoholics that fought with knives and fists when slightly provoked. Women who had sex with no intention of marriage, mentally unstable women, abandoned women, thieves, rape and incest victims, and bigamists came here. They did not return women to their homes because one of the reasons for homelessness in women was incest. They did not deny anyone entry, in most cases, and the younger the woman the more she could be reformed. They only denied entry for lack of room. Generally, they stayed two years, but they went on a case-by-case basis. Alcoholics sometimes never left and no one was forced to leave. Servants with bad experiences were often found here. Upon leaving they were given a complete outfit, references, and help in finding a position. 

Not all women were sincere in reform, I'll note, and used them for a place to rest until they decided to return to their profession. Some would sneak out, walk out despite the appeals of the sisters, and even steal. The place was not a prison. Not one was kept against their will. 

They were taught and worked in a variety of ways, so that they wouldn't get tired of their work.  At least one institution was giving spending money for sewing recreation. The women were taught manners, as well as cleanness. They often became servants, nurses, and teachers until marriage. The sisters taught them to act like sisters, both in discipline and recreation. They, unlike Ireland Magdalene Laundries, didn't abuse them. They loved the women like they were their children. Religion was not forced down their throats. The sisters did not see themselves as above the women. Former prostitutes could be allowed to be nuns. Ironically, both Anglican nuns and prostitutes were social deviants. After world war I the institutions became mother and baby homes, run with the same love until the 1960s. 

The Foundling Hospital

The Foundling Hospital is now a children's charity Coram. Women submitted forms to the governors of the hospital, told their stories, and were allowed to give their children to the Foundling Hospital. It was on the same site as the Foundling Museum is now. They had to convince those reading their stories of their repentance and that they could return to respectable society. Not all were accepted. The women took a chance of rejection. Most would be disgraced if they did not hide and conceal their pregnancy and their "fall". Eventually, petitions were used for entry, as the admission process changed.

In lots of cases, the family and friends of the "fallen" woman would reject her and leave her all alone. This caused thoughts of suicide and suicide in some. With no support, it was almost impossible to return to a respectable life with a child in your arms, a child that was born out of wedlock and proof of your "sin"(even if you did not willingly have sex). This hospital would take in the children, given they were accepted and the women could return to living an appropriate life and sex wasn't consensual, making it possible to not be shunned and not be abandoned by family and friends. Giving your child to a hospital was a way out and a way to regain a good reputation. The child was often the "proof" of a fallen woman, so to keep their child from suffering they gave them up. Children were, periodically, found abandoned for this same reason. 

Closing Thoughts

Fallen women, as illustrated by the above institutions, had few places to go other than the streets. No support, in some cases, from family was a major problem. While I'm sure that some families didn't abandon their daughters, those with reputations and money probably did, at least until they could get rid of the proof of sexual deviance. Even then I am sure the women suffered emotionally in the home. I can't imagine the pain and trouble these women faced. While some did voluntarily come into this state, I'd say the majority did not. My sources are truly fascinating, so feel free to click them and explore further. The Irish laundries and convent experiences truly broke my heart.

Pictures: 

Foundling Museum 
Day Out Guide

The New York Times

Medium

Sources:
 https://www.history.com/news/magdalene-laundry-ireland-asylum-abuse
https://oro.open.ac.uk/82/1/NOT_WORSE_THAN_OTHER_GIRLS.pdf
https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/The-Fallen-Woman-exhibition-guide.pdf
https://journals.openedition.org/miranda/8130
http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/fallen2.html

Is Jurassic Park Possible?

 We all know how Jurassic Park ends. Death, blood, dinosaurs loose in the world where they shouldn't be.....etc. But is it possible to do it? Can you actually, with genetics, bring back an extinct species? 

Jurassic Park and Jurassic World books and movies claim that mosquitos that drank the blood of animals got stuck on tree sap and that is where they get their DNA. They also claim they filled in DNA gaps with frog and other animals' DNA. Now that we know the claims, let's see if cinema and literature told the scientific truth.

DNA in blood

Starting at the beginning, let's see what science says about DNA and blood. For starters, Amber doesn't preserve soft tissue, and therefore they have no blood to harvest for DNA. Aside from that fact, there are bugs with blood in them that were found, just never in amber. Surprisingly, it's not all that ridiculous that blood residue would be found from the time of dinosaurs in a mosquito. Neanderthal and Mammoth DNA are the only types to be isolated, actually, and only one of which is a dinosaur.

Does that mean there is DNA in it? Sadly, that is never a guarantee. Soft tissue does not equal DNA. DNA breaks down rapidly, especially when water and sunlight are involved. The oldest DNA found is one million years old. We need 66 times older to get to dinosaur times. I don't think John Hammond has enough DNA to even create even one dinosaur, if we follow the scientific evidence.

Filling in DNA Gaps

Okay, we are going to ignore the previous section just to see if, given enough DNA, we could fill in short gaps with frog or other animal DNA. Assume it is possible to gather enough DNA for a dinosaur from here to the end of this section. 

Problem one, how do you know where the holes are? Without the full genome you can't find where the holes are, which puts serious holes in the plot of Jurassic Park. Assuming you found a whole genome, we go on myth-busting. We have to acknowledge that frogs are not what you would use, but instead birds because frogs are amphibians, with the noted exception of crocodiles due to common ancestry. In case you didn't know, a chicken is the closest we have to a dinosaur and birds are dinosaurs - surprise! You collect eggs from a dinosaur and made your omelet with a dinosaur egg today. 

Cloning and reverse-engineering

Cloning is off the table for dinosaurs, even if we managed to create one. Why? Because DNA is sensitive stuff and old DNA can't handle it. It is, oddly enough, possible to reverse-engineer one. Going back to the chicken point, reverse engineering from the starting point of your backyard egg-layers is strangely more possible. This involves trying to undo years of evolution. Even if you succeed, it is not a true dinosaur at all, simply because it was reverse-engineered. They are actually trying to do this for the wooly mammoth, starting from an Asian elephant. 

Ethics 

The character Ian Malcolm said that scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they never thought about whether they should. Let's break down the ethics of attempting anything close to Jurassic Park. Anyone watching the movies is likely saying "duh! The carnivores will eat us when they get out!", but you have to consider that not all dinosaurs were carnivores.

First of all, growing teeth back in a bird is terrifying. Do you want to live with whether you should question if that goose, swan, or pigeon has teeth? I don't. In fact, let me introduce you to a "Murder-Swan", a real prehistoric dinosaur that has raptor feet, and it looks like a swan. 

By the way, Murder-Swan has teeth. Isn't that fun (sarcasm)? While I can get behind bringing back a passenger pigeon or condor, I can't advocate for a raptor that can navigate land and sea. Can you? 

Putting the subject of Murder-Swans aside, I do think that the wooly mammoth would be totally okay to bring back. The only problem with bringing certain dinosaurs back is the world around us. Birds? They have a sky to fly into and trees to land on, but land animals - in a modern world, at that - would be hard to find a place for. We also need to care for them, if given a sanctuary. Our world is not the place for these creatures if we look into what would actually be required to let them back into it. While it would be fun to ride a mammoth at the zoo, it is unlikely to be helpful to their species at this point in time. Rewatch Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom for more evidence of this. This is partially why scientists are hesitant to attempt anything close to Jurassic Park. They seem divided on de-extinction. 

If you have not watched Fallen Kingdom Stop Reading Now! Spoilers below! 

Fallen Kingdom Bonus Round

Here's the bonus round of today's blog - can you recreate a human with their DNA? Maisie, a character that was cloned, is shown in the second Jurassic World movie. Is it humanly possible to clone someone? Scarily, yes, and it is illegal. Monkeys and sheep have successfully been cloned. Science says it would not be the same person, even as a copy. While some studies suggest cloning may help clone cells and have various other medical uses, a whole person is not going to go well. There are ethical issues involved with editing DNA, which is probably why Hammond had fallen out with his former partner long before the original park opened. Copying your dead child and calling them your grandchild is generally not healthy, and Hammond was rightfully not okay with it.

Sources:

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/could-scientists-bring-dinosaurs-back.html#:~:text=This%20means%20that%20Jurassic%20Park,weren't%20found%20in%20amber. https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/8/16752344/dinosaurs-fossils-murder-swan-halszkaraptor-escuilliei-velociraptor-paleontology https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jurassic-world-can-we-really-resurrect-a-dinosaur/ https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/science-behind-the-fiction-are-we-any-closer-to-jurassic-park-actually-being-possible https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/clonings-long-legacy-and-why-itll-never-be-used-on-humans

Pictures:
Yahoo

Empire

Reddit

Heroes wiki fandom

Vivid dreaming

 Vivid dreams are interesting experiences. Shall we dive into the mystery?

Lucid dreams are defined as when you know you are dreaming. You are in between rest and awake. Sometimes you can do what you want with the plot of the dream, even change it to something else. In the case of nightmares, it may help, but experts say to flow with the dream. Nightmares are not just for children, by the way, so don't feel shamed if you have intense nightmares or night terrors. 

Whether the dream you vivid-dreamed was fun (and you wanted to go back), or you never want to see it ever again (and a thousand years would be too early to dream it up again) is a bit of a dice roll. We dream 2 hours a night, 4-6 times a night. Most people don't remember their dreams. If you remember them often, like me, and return to settings periodically, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments. 

There are two stages of sleep, REM (rapid eye movement) and nonREM. REM dreams are more vivid usually, which means you are deeper in dreamland and it might be early morning. The general cause of vivid dreams are below.

Why is it Vivid?

You may have a fragmented sleep, which increases the chances of remembering dreams. Waking up during or right after the dream puts the memory right up front. Strangely, sleep-deprivation can also cause the same thing (since your body needs more deep sleep to recover). On medication? That can do it, too.

Nightmare-vivid content can be caused by a whole host of things, including medication. Anxiety and stress at high levels can lead to bizarre dreams, straight-up weird dreams, or disturbing dreams. Also, sleep disorders like Narcolepsy can cause some odd dreams, frequently. If you are pregnant, be aware of the dream content getting a little disturbing around the third trimester.

Should I be disturbed?

It's possible you may need to de-stress a little, but typically you shouldn't be disturbed. Your mind is processing life and emotions. The only thing that may indicate you need help is consistent nightmares. Get a doctor (and, personally speaking, I advise you to pray). Dream studies prove that dreams help us solve problems, process emotions, and deal with life and our memories.

If you like your vivid dreams you can write them down and possibly increase your memory of dreams. I do this, actually. I vivid dream often. I even return to locations and remember what happened in the last dream that took place. It is straight-up weird, but it is probably because I'm an abstract thinker. While there are some dreams I want to actively forget, most of them are kinda cool. If you want more of those you should also abstain from drinking alcohol, oddly enough, because it surpresses REM sleep. Turn off the alarm, too, because that helps. Make it a point to tell your brain to remember your dreams and you will. In fact, play it back during the day. You create memories that way and should even give them titles, like episodes of TV shows.

Do you dislike your vivid dreams? Well, keep that sleep schedule. Make sure your bedroom is good for sleep. Relieve some serious stress and practice peace of mind. Maybe do some yoga, if that helps you de-stress. If your dreams are disturbing you it is possible that you need to be mindful of what you put in your brain. It truly matters, in the long run, so be aware of your thoughts and what you consume in media. All else fails, consult a doctor. You may need melatonin (but ask a doctor first!). 

What Vivid dreaming has to do with memory

Your brain plays back the events of the day in your dreams. For example, did covid make it into your dreams and "cancel" events within dreams? (Yeah, me too.) That is just one example of proof. Dreaming is good for memory consolidation. While you process your day mentally, with whatever cocktail of movies and media you consume daily, your brain makes it into memories. If you don't dream it you may not remember it. What you dream goes into long-term memory and helps you learn. 

Creative talents are fed by dreams. With this revelation, you may want to keep those vivid dreams rolling and think about what you want to dream about before you fall asleep. In this same way, I also advise you to keep what you don't want to dream about out of your thoughts before you fall asleep. (And if you don't want to dream about something, don't take in that content daily.) Exercising your body will help you sleep deeper, so athletes, this aids your cause, too. 

Sleep disorders

A word on sleep disorders before you stop reading - sleep is critical! Sleep disorders can be linked to Alzheimers and Parkinson's. It deeply affects your memory to sleep badly, thus you should get help for a disorder related to sleep. Below is a list of sleep disorders with a brief description. I'm not going in-depth on these. Go ahead and feel free to do so on your own, or suggest one to go in-depth on for another blog. 

restless leg syndrome - to have, just like it sounds, restless legs in the evening

Jet lag - time zone troubles that make your sleep pattern out of whack

Narcolepsy - overwhelming drowsiness during the day

night terrors - overrealistic nightmares that make you want to stay up rather than attempt sleep

insomnia - hard to fall and stay asleep

 sleep apnea - a breathing problem at night

sleepwalking - exactly what it sounds like, walking while asleep

sleep paralysis - you wake up and can't move at all (as weird as it sounds, prayer helps)

Nightmare disorder - consistent nightmares that may get more disturbing over time

As always, if you have a suggestion for a topic comment. Sweet dreams, friends!

Sources:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/vivid-dreams

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/dreaming-overview

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201605/no-1-reason-having-vivid-dreams-benefits-your-brain

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders

Pictures:

Psychology Today

Medium

bulletjournalideas.com

Cherished Sleep

Billy the kid

Billy the Kid. William Henry Bonney. Brushy Bill. John Miller? Did Billy die in 1881, or not? Let's dive into that.

One of the only confirmed pictures of Billy the Kid

A short introduction to Billy the Kid is in order. He was born in the slums of New York City. His father died when he was a child, his mother remarried, and he was a straight shooter until he stole laundry at age 14 while working at a hotel. From there he went to jail (and instead of just letting it blow over and get released) only to escape out a chimney. He went to work as a civilian teamster in Arizona and encountered a man who bullied him. He shot him in self-defense during a fistfight. Once again, instead of letting the law acquit him on self-defense, he ran away. From there he eventually ended up in Lincoln County working for John Tunstall, who got killed by a rival rancher. This set him up for being on the wrong side of the Lincoln County War. All this led to Pat Garrett supposedly killing him at Fort Sumner. 

The Debate 

Yes, that was a lot, but if you want more go down and surf my sources. He's a fascinating outlaw. Here is where we debate. Did he die in 1881 at the hands of Sheriff Pat Garrett, or did he live out his life as Brushy Bill or John Miller? No one actually has proof of either situation. It would not surprise me if evidence was buried due to a mistake in identification, or if Garrett sympathized with him as a friend. 

First, let's give you the facts. No opinions, just facts, on what can be proved. It isn't much, sad to say. Billy was in Fort Sumner visiting women, staying at Peter Maxwell's house. He had a knife on him because he was cutting meat off a killed yearling outside. Pat Garrett had been asking questions of Peter Maxwell when Billy came into the room. Here Garrett shot him. This is all that can be proved. 

Young guns is not as factual as you think, but it does ask the question of whether it happened this way or not. According to Pat Garrett's book "The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid", this is how it happened. However, according to Joe Hines (a survivor of the Lincoln County War), Garrett killed the wrong man and Brushy Bill was in fact Billy the Kid. Historians all have different views. Some say Billy was dead in 1881, while others think he was Brushy Bill or John Miller. 

Brushy Bill in Hico, Texas

Evidence is a problem. There are two coroner reports that are nowhere to be found and the remains of the original (possibly, but maybe not) Billy and Brushy Bill have not been kept track of well. The sketchy part is that most times you kill an outlaw you have a picture of the body. Garrett buried the body so quickly that there is no picture of the dead body and the witnesses who signed the coroner report barely saw the body. Brushy Bill being Billy is denied by the family of Brushy Bill. The timeline doesn't line up, as well. You see, Billy the Kid is a legend and most likely only killed 9 men (when newspapers said he killed 21). His case is so cold that we may never have actual proof of the outcome and newspapers don't help. 

So, What Happened?

I will say this for Brushy Bill - he only wanted the pardon he was denied by Lew Wallace. He said he left him to die when he took back his word. This fact and several others convinced a lot of Hico, Texas that Brushy Bill was Billy the Kid. Paired with Joe Hines' tale, it would actually fit together that Billy the Kid died around 90 years old in Hico, Texas - that he didn't die in 1881 in Fort Sumner. 

As for Pat Garrett's tale, I can't look past the fact he buried the body almost as quickly as he shot the man. It would be believable that he could lose a coroner's report or two to cover up his mistake. Also, wouldn't you want to show off that you shot a notorious outlaw who was known for killing 21 men? His story is also contradicted by Joe Hines. In general, something is not lining up. It is entirely possible he shot the wrong man.

Lastly, some think he lived a peaceful life as John Miller after dodging Garrett. I can't find much on this at all, which might be why it is possibly true. If he was hiding out, it could be he did so in a way that drew no attention to himself. He wanted that pardon he was given and then denied, so why not use his "death" to live the peaceful life he desired? 

An Updated (not the original) grave of Billy the Kid 
in the Billy the Kid museum. The original was a wooden
board  and his body was in flooded land. 

All of these are possible outcomes to a cold case that has never been solved. What do you think? Did he die in 1881 or not? I'll leave it up to you. Go ahead and surf my sources. See what you can find.

Pictures:

Roadside America

Wikipedia

Mental Floss

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/video/billy-the-kid-a-controversial-death-2203008690?li_source=LI&li_medium=m2m-rcw-biograph

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-billykid/

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/billythekid.htm

https://www.cowboysindians.com/2019/09/billy-the-kid/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/billy-the-kid-survived-hico-texas

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/21/one-mans-quest-to-bury-the-wild-west-mystery-of-billy-the-kids-death/

https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/billy-the-kid

Politics- how to civilly discuss it

 Politics can't be avoided these days. Shall we discuss it civilly? 

With all this Republican versus Democrat yelling going on, let's first talk about the origin of the political parties that we see every election. Politics is defined as activities associated with governing, especially conflict among individuals or parties having and hoping to achieve power. The Republican and Democrat parties were born in 1820 when settlers had to decide whether their state would be free or slave. Apparently, they have been at each others' throats for a longer time than some of us thought possible, so let's learn how to get along this election.

Civil Conversation

In some cases, it may be a respectful conversation habit to avoid politics at all times. This depends on the person you are talking to. If you can bring up politics without a chair being thrown across the room you can benefit from this post. To start with, choose your moment to speak on this carefully. Invite the person into the topic, but do not demand they talk about it. In this situation, they can politely decline without any anger and frustration. 

Everybody makes decisions on what they think of people. However, stop and consider this person with a blank slate and hear them out on their views without jumping to conclusions on what you think their background is. Assume good intentions until proven otherwise. If proven otherwise you should probably just end the conversation. Every person you know is loved by God. Treat them as such in this interaction. 

On a related note, pride and looking down upon people is frowned upon, especially when you discuss sensitive topics. Topics that can make someone go at you in a public place, like politics, is a good area to remain humble. Being humble is a good practice in life. Pride can make it hard to discuss anything, let alone intelligently debate. Being right does not necessarily mean you need to rub it in anyone's face, and right now we can't always know what is truth, half-truth, and lie. This is where we give grace to each other and lovingly correct, should someone be wrong about something. Do not insist your opinions are correct if they are just opinions. 

Intelligent debate should help you understand the other point of view. It is not a court case where someone can win or lose - it is a conversation where two or more people logically provide backing for their beliefs while agreeing to disagree. Don't be baited into turning debate into argument. We already know that our own government does not always intelligently debate, especially if you watched the last few debates recently. If the other side of the debate is not going to calm down you should end it, then and there, and walk away (if you are not on TV or at a debate event). 

When you jump into your passions you can easily go overboard. You believe strongly in x, y, or z, and most likely believe you are right. You shouldn't go into this conversation fully trying to prove it. This is not the courthouse. You have no reason to constantly present evidence that you are right and try to outdo your fellow humans. If this is the case, stop talking. Listen to understand.

Building Connection

It is hard to connect political conversation with building connections, but here it is. Most of the time we converse on common ground. Find that common ground and build some trust as you navigate this type of conversation. Relationship and friendship make it easier to respectfully discuss a topic. You are less likely to attack the other person verbally if there is some form of friendship or trust there. This creates a space that is more welcoming to a respectful discussion. 

Ask questions, respectfully, about the person's experiences. Get some background on what they believe, experienced in childhood, lived through, and live with. Real, genuine curiosity can lead you into a more connected discussion than you thought possible. Try to understand the issues and views from their point of view. Use your empathy and put yourself in their shoes. You can come away from this with a new understanding of the people and groups around you. Don't shut that down by refusing to empathize with another human being. 

With this, we have to understand that some words mean different things and offend different people. Don't storm off in a huff when they say something you are offended by. Let them explain themselves in full. Assume nothing. If you find you simply can't hold back your temper you need to walk away from this conversation before you say something hurtful. If they are intentionally being hurtful that is a clear sign to leave the room.

Listening skills are seriously important here. If you are listening to respond back and refute, rather than to understand, you shouldn't be in the conversation at all. Listening to understand creates a connection that makes someone feel important and valued. If you are just trying to prove you are right you are not doing any good, not to anyone. Don't tune anything out, either, simply listen.

A verbal attack on your beliefs is one thing you need to make sure you don't do. We defend beliefs naturally. This makes us all hostile, even with intentions to be civil. I have said walk away from hostile confrontations many times and this situation is no different. If the other person can't intelligently talk about differences, then the conversation you had was just hot air. I would encourage you to feel out who can talk about politics without throwing a chair, so that hostility can be avoided (it can't always, but this can save you some breath and bad feelings in the long run). 

At the end of all this, it is suggested that you bow out of the conversation before you get too triggered by issues and are tempted to get hostile yourself. If you come out of it agreeing to disagree you have had a good conversation and now understand (mostly) the other person. It is okay to not have the same view on politics. We are not the same people and should not expect to. 

Today 

Right now this type of conversation is not the most common. Scan through Facebook today, I challenge you, and find at least one argument in the comments. It only takes a few minutes to find one, which doesn't bode well for our future. God did not call us to communicate hate, but instead gave us the ability to build others up. God has called us to love our neighbors, so please, love your neighbors for the sake of everyone around you. It will create a better community. Since most everyone has now discovered how important human interaction is (due to Covid regulations), I think we need to relearn love. Now is the time to start and it is never too late to do so. 

Pictures:
The Thunderbeat

Videos:

SNL 2020

Sources:

https://www.ushistory.org/gop/origins.htm

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/12/712277890/keeping-it-civil-how-to-talk-politics-without-letting-things-turn-ugly

http://www.respectfulconversation.net/mission/

https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-talk-about-politics-constructively/

Gifted -what it means

Gifted kids. Gifted programs. Problem-causers that frustrate teachers when they get bored. What does gifted mean? That's today's deep dive. 

For starters, being gifted does not mean you are a genius by any means. It simply means you are more mature and advanced in one topic or more than your peers are. You are probably also keenly aware of a lot more in your world than your peers. Your peers are not stupid. If you are gifted in any way you are not a superior human; you are simply built and wired differently from those around you. Do not become narcissistic and begin to believe you are superior. 

Now that the warning is out there, let's keep going. Being gifted can show up in IQ, but not always, so don't depend on IQ points to show if your child, you, or your peer is gifted. It also has to be noticed over time by several others. One devoted mother/father saying their son/daughter is a young prodigy is not enough to say they are gifted. It takes careful observations and more than one person to notice a gifted kid, and there are also tests that you can take to know. Academic success does not mean gifted. Some people who fit in the gifted category have been known to fail miserably at conventional schooling, while others do phenomenally.  As you are probably already realizing, this is no simple definition. 

Qualities of a gifted kid

One of the most common characteristics of a gifted person includes curiosity and deep-diving into passions. We all have our interests, but this will be abnormally intense passion uncommon for the age of the person. The curiosity aspect of things also includes questions, constant in nature, so think about that kid in class who asked ten million questions until the teacher shut them down to move on. Or maybe that was you. Maybe you wanted to know how everything works, functions and can be taken apart, then put back together. In the simplest of terms, gifted individuals generally have an insatiable curiosity. when we take an interest in something we nerd and geek out on it to intense levels. 

One example of geeking and nerding out on a passion is cosplaying, 
dressing as your favorite characters from comic books, movies, and books.

Remember that bored kid, or maybe you, that sat in the back of the class doodling while waiting for the rest of your classmates to understand the concept you perceived as mind-numbingly easy? Yeah, that is a gifted person problem. This is why some students stop listening in class, and in some cases, mistakenly get labeled ADHD by worried parents who don't quite understand what is going through their kids' heads and mistake not paying attention and class disruption for a disorder that wasn't there. Also, "troublemakers" in class could be gifted kids. I want to encourage teachers to remember this. "Troublemakers" are, in some cases,  bored kids that need brain stimulation the classroom they are in can't give them. This is why gifted programs that go at the student's pace are good to have. Also, if you are homeschooling it can help because there isn't a whole classroom to teach and it is individual learning by nature. Generally, boys are more disruptive because girls seek to blend in with others. 

 Intensity is another major quality of gifted individuals. Intensity in emotion, sensitivity, passions, and social interaction makes it hard to fit in. Intensity in focus makes it hard to tear someone away from a task they are engrossed in mentally. This can be vividly illustrated by a person unwilling to leave a computer game, book, or project alone to go do something unrelated. I know people that have obsessed deeply on subjects and projects to a point of perfectionism, which is a gifted person problem. That kind of intense focus consumes us to the point of frustration because nothing looks as good as your mental blueprint said it would. 

Being observant is not as common as it should be. Those of us who are gifted tend to notice what others don't and might be belittled for noticing "unimportant" details in a book, real life, or a movie. Sometimes our details prove important later, sometimes not, but my point is this; we are more aware of our world than others seem to be. Trying to converse about that odd song lyric (for example) with someone who barely noticed that radio was even on is not particularly encouraging in the way of faith in humankind (for reference, I put my faith in God, not humankind). It is frustrating to talk about a subtle social cue and have no one else notice it. It makes you look crazy when you are not. I'm here to tell my fellow gifted people you are not crazy. It probably stops us from being harmed in the streets to notice everyone around you. Keep on being aware of your world, especially when others are oblivious to what they shouldn't be.

Imagination, encouraged in all children, is a trait gifted never lose. It makes us writers, artists, and creative problem solvers. We may alarm our adult leaders in our younger years with more mature ideas that came from our young mouths, but we use our adult years coming up with unconventional solutions to common problems. Here's to all the inventors out there that thought outside the box! We have no box, as gifted individuals, so we tend to do things differently. Teachers, once again, I want to say something to you. If we answer and solve the problem correctly in our own way, please don't penalize us for creativity. Creative thinkers shouldn't be squashed in youth to be just like everyone else. 

Complex vocabulary that is unusual for that age group is a big clue, but it creates social problems. Adults that can use the vocab and complex sentence structures are now easier to converse with than your peers. Try connecting with others socially when they are not at your intellectual level but are your maturity level; it is legitimately a struggle to find a connection in this situation. The term "peer" takes on a new meaning and we find someone mentally our age, and in elementary school it is darn near impossible unless you are talking to a teacher. It gets easier the older you become and college is the easiest still because those getting a college education are mostly those people who are coming by choice and have high levels of intelligence already. My best school years are still college and the most human connection I have made was during college. 

Nancy Drew Games are created by Her Interactive and feature you, as Nancy Drew, solving the mystery.

You see puzzle games everywhere, and lots of gaming takes more intelligence than just, for example, blasting asteroids until you can't. I have played Nancy Drew Her Interactive games for years that took quite a bit of problem-solving and intelligence to finish. I still play them. Some are harder than others in level and puzzles, but puzzle games attract gifted individuals. Occupying your mind and providing stimulation to gamers relieves gifted people of their boredom, as well as also sharpening skills. Creative puzzle games and logic puzzles are easier for out-of-the-box thinkers. Unoccupied people with a need for challenge find these games and consume them happily. 

Kids and adults who tend to follow office and school rules to the letter could be gifted. A sense of constancy and justice is part of being gifted. Basically, one's word is taken as law. This can be seen in me, who sees a largely-ignored rule about cell phone use that even most supervisors ignore, but I can't bring myself to break. I don't tell anyone above me about this because it doesn't truly interfere with work, but yet, I won't go against it and use my cellphone at work. That is one example of having a sense of justice. I, and others with similar traits, hold myself to a high bar and won't let myself slack off. Because of this, and a reputation for not slacking off, I get caught red-handed when I do, while others who aren't watched as an example can do anything (seemingly). 

Along with following rules to the letter, we remember a bit more than our peers for longer periods of time. I am gifted in reading, so I can tell you all about books I read months and years back, while my peers that I went to early or later schooling with may not be able to. If you tie this to noticing more about the environment you can conclude quite easily that we can retain knowledge about people and places that others quickly or have nearly forgotten. Little details, especially odd things, are kept in long term. If you tend to remember more than those around you I want you to know you are not crazy. Just because no one else noticed it doesn't mean it didn't happen or certain words didn't come out of someone's mouth. 

Quirky Individuals

If you process through all this and connect it all together it is clear that gifted traits can create quirky individuals. This means that they may also include learning disabilities. High IQs tend to come with social weirdness, to varying degrees, that makes it hard to fit in or blend in. In some cases, they are told to live up to adult standards, but if they do they have fewer friends because they have to play dumb with their peers to blend in. You can't truly be yourself in this scenario and you may end up being a loner. In my case, I was well-liked by most and still on the social fringes. I was almost in between popular and the social fringes, actually, which turns out to be an odd place where you befriend the "weird" people and yet get your picture inevitably in the yearbook. Gifted individuals are truly originals, and we have original ideas that may leave some people a little uncomfortable or amazed at our maturity. Our perspectives are not what the average student sees. As a result, trying to explain our ideas can sometimes and often get expressions of confusion, a raised eyebrow, or a mix of several reactions. We can be easily misunderstood and misrepresented, as well as others perceiving us as "off" or "odd". 

Here's the part where I tell you the struggles of being gifted. I'd like to personally say these are real struggles and nowhere near fiction. Being gifted, have a learning disability, or both combined can create a life where you would rather throw yourself into your passions and forget most of (not all) your peers. I mentioned that college was the most social connection with other students I have ever had. That doesn't mean I had no friends (I did make true friends earlier than that, so don't assume I didn't), but it meant I did bury myself in writing fiction to create a world of my own. It was a coping mechanism that has now led to me writing fiction in an attempt to get it published. I would sit in the back of classrooms writing stories in notebooks when I was bored. It confused a math teacher once, who picked it up thinking it was me passing notes. I did not have a learning disability, but I did have no regard for social norms. 

Oh, social norms, pesky rules that make no sense and make life so much harder in the long run... Other people on the social fringes felt the same way. Odd ducks stick together. It is a gifted person problem. Long ago I decided to quit trying to fit in and I am not the only one to make that decision in this world. The only problem with that is the fact that when you blatantly ignore social norms you can get made fun of, and you don't blend in anywhere. Social groups all include unspoken rules, especially in female circles. In my case, I disappeared inside my created worlds and only reached out to specific people that I liked and trusted. 

Other struggles that the gifted endure include not being able to connect intellectually with others. Another personal experience I have had is intense empathy that my peers mistook for "having a crush on every boy". My kindness was taken as a crush by my peers because my emotional maturity was not at the same level. (This is also an introvert-related problem, but that is not today's topic.) When I did have a real crush on someone it was strangely intense and obvious due to the deep emotions I didn't know how to control or interpret. This deepness in emotion is not uncommon in gifted people. 

Last, but definitely not least, is perfectionism. This is when you have a blueprint or mental image of the results in your brain that are magnificent and amazing, then you look at your project that is absolutely beautiful and it falls short. You rewrite your thesis, term paper, fiction story, or presentations ten million times because it falls short of your vision. You see your art or wood project, nearly perfect in every detail and only off by an eighth of an inch, and call it flawed. You have a grand vision and you can't make it look that perfect. It is a struggle that can drive you mildly or terribly insane. I took a class making a documentary (no, I didn't include it in this blog. You'll never see it if you don't personally know me.) and my inexperience with the camera made it impossible for me to reach my vision, even with a tutor that greatly helped and encouraged me. Did I get a good grade? Yes, but I still see my creation as subpar and home-video-like. My point? I never reached my perfect vision and couldn't possibly have done so. I got a decent result (according to my tutor who loved it), and I am unsatisfied with it. Tears were cried over that project. Perfectionism can drive you to succeed, but it can also drive you to insanity faster than anything else I've ever seen. 

The End 

This has been a long post, so I leave you to process this information. Feel free to find more information and dive deeper into this subject. 

Sources:

https://www.readandspell.com/us/signs-of-a-gifted-child

https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/my-child-gifted/common-characteristics-gifted-individuals

https://www.care.com/c/stories/3409/20-top-traits-of-gifted-children/

https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-parents/my-child-gifted

https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/10-characteristics-of-the-gifted-child

Pictures:

Greenwood School District

Bored Panda

Her Interactive

Pinterest