THE PILLARS OF HERCULES
On either side of the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar there are two small mountains known since great antiquity as the Pillars of Hercules. The pillar on the northern, European side is the famous Rock of Gibraltar. That on the southern, African side is Mount Abyla, Phoenician for “lofty mountain.”
The legend for the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans was that Hercules pushed the two pillars apart to join the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. We think today of Hercules as a comic-book bodybuilder, while the truth is opposite. The entire ancient Mediterranean world very seriously worshipped him. For the Phoenicians, he was Melqart, King of the Earth. For the Greeks, he was Heracles, Divine Protector of Mankind. He was the same for the Romans, who pronounced his name as Hercules.
The Phoenician trading port of Abyla has a history of 3,000 years, from Phoenician to Carthaginian to Roman to Byzantine to Christian Visigoths to Islamic Berbers to Portuguese – and since 1668 to Spain, which continues to govern it today as the Spanish Autonomous City of Ceuta on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco.
Ceuta is a charming European city with beautiful beaches, open air cafés with great sangria, very relaxed and pleasant. It is here you find the statue of Hercules separating his Pillars commemorating the legend pictured above. Easy to get to with high-speed ferries from Algeciras near Gibraltar, Ceuta is definitely worth your while to experience. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #137 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
SKYE’S LINKS 06/16/22
Uvalde and beyond. That figure is $433 more than March. Want to bet it will be over $6,000 by end of summer?
Inflation to Cost Families an Extra $5,520 Per Year, Up from Last Projection
Perhaps this has something to do with why mass shootings are increasing; 35% to 40% of under 50 years old US poll respondents support assassination of politicians that they consider dangerous; what could possibly go wrong?
Enjoy watching the video of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) take Xiden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to the woodshed. This is such bad news for 'Crats; most Americans know that the Xiden administration has abetted fuel price increases to crush fossil fuels.
Poll: Most Believe Biden Admin Allowing Gas Prices to Rise to Get Americans off Fossil Fuels
WHO’S GUILTY OF INCITING INSURRECTION?
Has it not occurred to them – especially when faced with the loss of the House & Senate in a few months -- that the Democrat Senate Majority Leader can be seen as guilty of inciting insurrection that includes assassination attempts of a Supreme Court Justice?
WE MUST GIVE UKRAINE THE TIME TO WIN
“Putin comparing himself to Peter the Great (6/10): ‘During the war with Sweden, Peter the Great didn't conquer anything, he took back what had always belonged to us, even though all of Europe recognized it as Sweden's. It seems now it's our turn to get our lands back.’ Beware when small men acquire great power and grand dreams. Putin is a thug, a petty thief and chekist who believes he is a mighty emperor. End his imperial fantasy now because his ambitions begin in Ukraine, they won't end there.” –Garry Kasparov, World Chess Champion
We must have the patience to support the Ukrainians. A strategically bankrupt, selfish and impatient French approach will only encourage future aggression.
The Ukrainians have fought for the right to determine how this war ends. We must give them time to retake all their territory and inflict a military defeat on Russia. If that also humiliates Russia, that is the price they must pay for their brutality, destruction and unwarranted aggression.
We must prove that the democracies of the world have the resilience, unity and perseverance to resist the coercion and aggression of all of this era’s techno-authoritarian regimes.
BADAB-E-SURT
The “Springs of Intensity” in Persian are a series travertine terraces in remote northern Iran of such impressionist beauty they look like a masterpiece of Claude Monet. For thousands of years, water flowing down a mountainside from two hot mineral springs depositing carbonates have built these natural multi-colored staircases.
Iran is an enormous country – almost the size of Alaska, four times the size of California – filled with wonders, natural and cultural. We were welcomed in every part of the country in our exploration of it in 2014. While the current political climate does not allow that today, the day will come before long when we will return. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #130 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR PRESIDENT!
Today, June 14, 2022, we celebrate the 76th birthday of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. In our hearts, he is our President to this day. Thank you for your love of America, Mr. President, and all that you have done for our country. Happy Birthday!
FLAG DAY SKYDIVE
What better Glimpse could I post than this on Flag Day, June 14. I’m on the right, my skydiving buddy Chris Wentzel is on the left. The jump was performed at the Skydive Perris drop zone in Perris, California. The photo was taken by famed skydiver cameraman Norman Kent. Long may Old Glory wave over the country we love and cherish. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #211 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HAPPY FLAG DAY!
Betsy Ross showing the first American flag to George Washington
Celebrating American patriotism is a tradition in small towns all across our country on Flag Day, June 14. This is the opportunity for all of us to wave Old Glory to show our love for America. Here are four photo examples:
KEEPING YOUR SANITY WITH RITUALS FOR EXCELLENCE
William James 1842-1910
As the great American psychologist, William James said well over a hundred years ago:
“The more of the details of our daily life we can hand over to the effortless custody of automatism, the more our higher powers of mind will be set free for their own proper work. There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision, and for whom the drinking of every cup, the time of rising and going to bed every day, and the beginning of every bit of work, are subjects of express volitional deliberation.”
Unfortunately for James, it turns out that the “miserable human being” he was describing was himself! Sometimes we can teach best what we most need to learn, and apparently James was quite good at that regarding habits.
So how do we establish strong, positive, and consistent habits? We create rituals that hold us to those habits.
SKARA BRAE
North of Scotland are the Orkney Islands. On a windswept bluff above the North Atlantic, archaeologists have unearthed an intact Neolithic village of farmers and cattle herders that’s 5,000 years old (3200 BC) – centuries older than the Pyramids of Egypt. Their homes had beds, chairs, cupboards, flush toilets, running water, cozy, warm, and comfortable.
What you see here is just one section of the village. What I found particularly interesting was this sign at the entrance to the site.
These villagers enjoyed a warmer climate than today, more fertile land. Skara Brae is a 5,000 year-old refutation of the Global Warming Hoax. If you ever get to Scotland, be sure the Orkneys are on your itinerary. Skara Brae is only one of the places you’ll find fascinating. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #210 photo ©Jack Wheeler)