Jean Nicolet... one of my great grandfathers who turns out to be a famous explorer

There was a family myth about the French Canadian brothers who first came to Quebec in the 1600's.  It claimed that they landed in Quebec, grabbed some Native American women, and started our family line. Of course, the family name was Guay by the time it was my mother's maiden name and the story wasn't true. But there was one ancestor who fathered that line who did come from France and take a Nipissing maiden as his own. She bore a child for him, who became one of my great grandmothers.

The crazy thing is that his name was Jean Nicolet, and although he was not as well known as Samuel Champlain or Marquette, after about 200 years Wisconsin 'discovered' him.  Yes, he became quite famous as the first European to visit what is now Wisconsin, so famous, in fact, that there are paintings of him in the Governor's office and a statue recently moved to a park near Green Bay.

He lived with the Nipissing nation, which was a small tribe at the time, near Lake Nipissing for eight years.  Champlain had sent him there to enhance the fur trading business and to learn their language so that he could be an interpreter. It is said that he learned all the survival skills from the tribe, but there was one element of his education that was neglected.  Although he traveled by canoe thousands of miles, he could not swim. He drowned in 1942 because of it.

My great grandfather Jean was quite a noble man from all accounts, so much so that school children helped raise some of the money for that bronze statue that glorifies his contribution to history. The Jesuits also wrote about him, they had some of his memoir material although most of it was lost overboard (while in a canoe). He is quite famous in Quebec as well, I should add, and he was known as one of the good guys.

This painting depicts him in a Chinese embroidered damask gown that he donned as a way to impress a tribe (Winnegago) he had been told was ferocious. Thinking they might be from another race - from the descriptions of other Native Americans - he thought they might be from Asia. He was looking for the northwest passage for Champlain, remember. Hence, the robe and the two pistols - which he discharged to show his 'power' - seemed to be sufficient to create the show he intended. It seems this scene is often re-enacted in Wisconsin Public Schools, much the same way the Pilgrim story is re-enacted in Massachusetts, where I lived part of my childhood.

I am not sure if my great grandmother, known as Nipissing maiden or Giizis with a very long last name - BAHMAHMAAADJIMOWIN, which probably translated to 'daughter of so and so' - also called Jeanne, died or her relationship with Jean Nicolet faded when he returned to Quebec. Their daughter Euphonsie-Madeleine Nicolet, aka Euphrodie-Madeleine, was born around 1628, but she later joined her father in the City. She married Jean LeBlanc, a Frenchman, when she was 15 (legal marriage age for girls in those days was 12 but for boys it was 14) in 1643. There was a terrible shortage of French women for the Frenchmen who were there, so I am sure she had other offers as well. Her step-mother, Marguerite Couillard, was a Frenchwoman who married her father in 1637.

Of course, I have tried many times to find this Native American ancestor, as many family myths are based on truth.  I was sure this one was. Of course, as it has been 13 generations, I am about 2/10ths of a percent Native American on that line. Not a lot I suppose, but still exciting to know that I now have three ancestors who were Native American. One from the Mayflower Days, which is just about the same number of generations ago, so maybe I am closer to a half a percent Native American, and another from the New Amsterdam era.  The other rumor was we were from the Mi'kmaq tribe also on the French Canadian side, but that one I cannot verify yet.

The odd thing is that initially when North America was settled by Europeans, the French preferred a chubby type and a Native American woman was  valuable woman as she could withstand the elements and knew how to survive.Of course, once the Native Americans introduced the settlers to popcorn in the late 1630's, they should have realized the Europeans would eventually take everything else they had of value. I mean, what would the world be like without popcorn?

Well, I'll write more about this later. It is just interesting to realize that I am different than I thought I was this morning. I have a lot of research to do on this great grandfather.  I have found almost 300 historical references to him and several biographies.

Attitude in the Oil Business is Everything including Disgusting

I'm as disgusted as the rest of the country with the way BP gambled on getting away with experimental technology seemingly without any safeguards or even a reasonable plan B.  This picture by NASA of the BP oil slick - which now seems to be a great under-estimation of the first disclosed figure of 5,000 gallons a day - is from their Satelite.  If you can see it from space, imagine exactly how big it really is, folks.

Unfortunately, our government, both this current crew - which seems to be in a toothless daze of late - and the previous ones have allowed corporations to get away with literally, murder.  With all the devastation it is easy to forget that 11 people also died in that initial explosion. Does anyone know their names or care about their mothers and fathers, siblings and kids?

No, we are too worried about what is going to happen to all the people on the Gulf Coast, and perhaps the Atlantic Coast, the islands and who the heck knows where that oil will eventually go.

We would like to forget that BP essentially told the Environmental Protection Agency to shove it when told not to use the poisonous chemical disbursant their subsidiaries manufacture. Yes, they are doing... well... what they have always done. Whatever the hell they want!

They are only concerned that they disburse as much of the slick as possible so that the damages that will be decided by a jury - because this will go to court - are unable to actually determine how much damage they did.  You see, if you disburse the oil, no one can measure it. Punitive and negligence damages are based on the amount of oil that was released.  Getting the picture?

What the cost is to the U.S. Taxpayer and the people who depend on having a coastline in some way for their livings is meaningless to BP.  There is no way to describe what will happen to the value of those coastal towns and properties over the next ten years as the oil comes in and sullies the beaches and kills everything in its path.  All that marine life, all those coastal marshes and all this destruction for no good reason. Imagine something as innocent as children who want to go swimming when school gets out.  How do you explain to a six-year-old that some bad men didn't care about anything but money?  What about the families who had their boats ready to go into the water? They won't be able to breath around that oil never mind go for a boat ride. It is just not right and we are all pretty astounded that BP just didn't care.

Every other country that allows drilling has stringent regulations for safety.  Not us. We're the cowboy Americans. BP knows it could not possibly get away with this in England or Canada or anywhere else but a developing country. It is just plain stupid, folks. We let them get away with this stuff over and over again and nobody pays any consequences. It is obvious that Corporate America cannot be trusted. Oh, I know there are good people in corporations, I used to be one of them, but I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about the cads like the top echelon over at BP.

Watch the pelicans, as in their oil slicked-down feathers they can't fly or feed.  Imagine what we don't see.  Maybe the large fish like whales can swim away, but what about crabs, shrimp and oysters? Those beds and shrimp fishing areas will be destroyed for decades. We see the volunteers trying to pick up the oil and save the birds, but you know what? It should be those BP guys out there. They should have to pick up as the chain gang of miscreants who created this.

One BP spokesman had the guts to say it was not going to be anything but a modest problem.  I'm too angry and disgusted now to remember his exact words, but he didn't think it was a big deal.  Why should he?  His investments are still worth billions and even though I am starting to think there is a crime that has been committed here that should be investigated, you know BP's billions will bury our government in paper and nothing will ever be done.

Obviously BP has a board of directors filled with sociopaths as they simply do not give a damn. Sadly, the Corporations plundering our country, the oceans and the world's resources are just mowing us down.  Money, power and more money and power.  It is very scary what greedy, evil people can do.

This is a plea to all the people who can legally vote but do not.  Let's do some housecleaning in Congress, because, candidly, that's where the bucks have been parking lately.  The lobbyists are crawling up everybody's you-know-what and until we reform campaign finance, it will continue just this way. Corporations like BP will  do what they want, flaunting their power and telling our government to shove off.

It makes me sad, frustrated and anxious, but I promise you, I will be telephone-banking and I will be calling other voters and trying to inspire some action.  This has got to stop.  America is not for sale.  It doesn't belong to BP or anyone like them. Our resources belong to each and everyone of us but in order to protect them we have to participate fully as citizens. Let's get out there and change things.

Taking Care of Business

That is what we Americans do best, isn't it?  We 'take care of business' with all our hearts, but sometimes we leave a mess in our wake and forget about some of the important things like personal histories. 

Some people care, of course.  There is always the aunt or uncle on Mom or Dad's side who knows all the names and birthdates.  And then she dies and nobody knows where that old bible went or it rots in somebody's attic through the next generation. Then that house is sold and by then nobody is left to identify who the people are in the old pictures. If they are lucky enough to make it to the new garage, they are of no more interest to the newest generation than random old postcards would be.

So I've come up with a concept for our town. I want to give people a chance to step outside of their normal experience.  I want to do a sort of historical barn-raising. In fact, I am launching the Ridgefield Living History Project on Tuesday night. I've tried to lower my expectations, but I do hope to have a crowd at our first information and organizational meeting. I've gotten some pretty good press from the local newspapers, so we'll see. If nobody shows up, I guess I'll just write a book about Ridgefield and interview the oldtimers and newtimers myself.

For instance, I know a wonderful fellow originally from Iran. People here know him as "Cyrus" but I know him (phonetically) as "Seer-Ruse" with the accent on the second syllable. His daughter shared some precious saffron with us that her grandmother brought. As it is outrageously expensive to buy in the United States, I was ready to faint.  After all, you can't make that delicious Spanish rice and fish dish, paella, without it, folks.

And who could ever forget Claudia, who used to work at the City Hall and who ruled that building department for years. She is descended from some of the first white settlers in the area who homesteaded here, and she still lives on a street that bears her family name. My land was owned by my neighbor's grandfather, who didn't leave it to his daughters as they were... daughters. Instead it was eventually short-platted into five and ten acre parcels and what wasn't given to the family men was sold.

Did I ever mention how much I love this town and our five acres?  Just to give you an idea, the only way I plan to leave here is in a plain pine box.:) Oh, instead of a funeral, I'd rather have my family sponsor a concert with Jazz Musicians in the local park when the weather is really nice and then all go out and eat in an expensive restaurant and talk about how much 'Mom' would have loved the food. Maybe in June on my birthday for the concert but anytime for the restaurant.

Oh come on.  Anybody who has to dye their hair has earned the right to talk about their own post-mortem arrangements.  Oh, ashes, by the way.  That's how I would rather end up, and then sprinkled on my land somewhere pretty. Or if nobody owns it anymore, then along the Salmon Creek trail would be nice.  I wouldn't mind spending eternity around there as I burned a lot of calories walking that thing with my descendants and friends.

Well, we'll see next week whether I make a lot of new Ridgefield friends or start writing that book. I know not everybody thinks genealogy and personal history is worth preserving for the less-than-famous, but that's my point. In our own minds, aren't we all the real protagonists in our own stories?  If not, I want to help people get there. Every person's story does and should matter.

Watercolors as a medium and loving painting

Everyone who knows me knows I love art, but few people realize how much I have wanted to learn watercolors. Well, a few months ago I ventured into an all-day workshop an artist friend of mine was running. Of course, it was the second in a series, so I was a little lost, but I caught on and finished my first stilllife painting at home. 

It was an intense experience, but I decided that it was possible for me to learn how to paint. This was my first experiment and I had no idea how to do a tablecloth and worried about perspective. I worked harder on it and eventually fixed the plate, but I hated the color and thought I might paint it again.

It somehow ended up in the sink (not mine), which was a little sad, but fortunately I had taken a picture, so I didn't really care. It was my first watercolor but it won't be my last. Oh, forgive me, as I haven't framed anything yet, so some of these shots still have my masking tape, ragged edges, etc.

Well, then I did another painting of my granddaughter at her ballet class.  I learned that you cannot use a watercolor pencil on wet watercolor paper and expect a good result. 

As a matter of fact, although I still have the painting on my wall, it will probably become part of my draw of shame one day.  As you can see I could not get the flesh to look right on the chins of both little girls.  I was happy with the bodies and the hair, but definitely I needed help on the faces.  The girls are standing in front of a mirror, talking, and they were so, so cute in real life. 

Well then I did some other paintings, none of which are particularly great, but I liked them anyway.  This was my baby grandson - who is much cuter than I could paint, but I tried.

I also cut a painting in half, as I didn't like one side and that one came out pretty good.  I had really worked hard on the background and when the focal point of the painting - a clown fish - looked... well... stupid, I got frustrated and decided to retrieve what I could. 

This picture sort of grew on me, as I liked seeing the fish looking rather geeky - fish are not what you would call handsome - at the worms. They have personality I think, although nobody has offered to buy this painting, I'm rather glad.

So then I took another workshop and learned how to do something I didn't think was possible.  Paint a picture that even my husband likes.  I gave it to him for Father's Day, although it isn't Father's Day yet and he's not my father - although he often acts like he is when he's in a mood.  Just the same, he liked it or claimed he did, which made me feel very happy.

 I love orchids, and this one I thought was such a pretty subject.

Today I am working on another protrait of my granddaughter.  I think she looks quite lovely, although I haven't finished the painting yet or decided on a background. I like it anyway, and hope I don't ruin it by trying to finish it, but that's how it is. 

I'm happy with the eyes, they look rather luminous, exactly like hers and her mom's. The skin tone is perfect too, she has this gorgeous skin, seemingly without any pores (like her father's).  I'll add detail, of course and highlighting, but I like the hat and I think I have captured her 'essence' here.  At least an expression I see on her face sometimes.  She's a dreamer like I used to be.  The artist in her, I am sure.  Both her parents are artists and she is so talented already. Anyway, she was wearing my gardening hat and wasn't really inclined to give it back that day.:)

Watercolors are wonderful, but they are pretty risky. Still, how I love to paint!

Virgin Voyage for Experimental 48hrmag is this Weekend!

Today two of the most talented writers I know, Alexis Madrigal and Sarah Rich, (and their wonderful friends) will launch an amazing experiment that may foretell the future of on-line magazines.

48 hours will solicit a themed call for submissions over 24 hours.  Knowing the founders and their incredible and diverse writing, editing and cutting edge publishing talents, they are sure to select the best contributions only.  The second 24 hours will encompass the production cycle of something that is destined to have great  appeal for those hungry for substance, humanity, science, technology, humor and meaning in their reading. 

At the end of 48 hours - hence the name, 48hrmag - the public will be presented with a finished, amazing magazine. I wish them "Bon Voyage".  It is sure to be an exciting 48 hours!

Is LED lighting superior or just more hype?

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are the latest innovation in solid-state lighting appropriate for general illumination applications and today's energy conservation goals. 

The only negative comment I have heard about this technology - other than cost - was purportedly made by a Patagonia executive working to help green Wal-Mart's operations. Patagonia is a very responsible company with superior green credentials, so I won't embarrass him by name here. (His friends and children have probably verbally beaten him senseless by now anyway.)  The comment quoted in the article I read was essentially, 'Well, the LEDs last forever, but to produce them takes enormous power'.

Trade-offs are one thing, of course, but there is no logical explanation why anyone would think the trade-off with LEDs is iffy. It would probably astonish the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as well, as they not only collaborated on the solid-state lighting research but have compiled some pretty impressive results.  In fact, based on very signficant energy savings potential, the DOE has developed a strategy to both accelerate market availability and stimulate acceptance of LEDs.

The light emitted by the LEDs is very familiar to most of us, as just about every electronic contraption we own has an LED light.  Yes, all those little red and blue lights that signify your power is on in your burglar alarm, your cellphone, your cell charger, your watch, your computers, your faxes, all the clocks on your appliances, your auto dashboard are all LEDs. In other words, this is actually technology that has been around for a pretty long time and works. The challenge has been how to make it bigger, better, brighter and less costly. 

As you can see from the photo above, this LED (a sample at the Earth Advantage Institute's offices in Tigard, Oregon) gives off a very nice quality of light.  I took the photo myself without a flash and did not photoshop the result. The actual glow from the fixture is a bit whiter, but it has a pleasing, incandescant-style appeal.

The National Generation Lighting Industry Alliance's (NGLIA) and the DOE's partnership produced estimates of the energy savings that would accrue over a twenty year period. Here is a portion of the announcement:

"Under the LEd scenario, in 2030 the annual energy savings from solid-state lighting will be approximately 190 terawatt-hours, or the equivalent annual electrical output of about 24 large power plants (1,000 NW electric). At today's energy prices, that would equate to approximately $15 billion in energy savings in that year alone. Assuming the same mix of generating power stations, these savings:

         1) Would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 31.4 million metric tons of carbon.
         2) Consumption for lighting would decrease by roughly 25 percent relative to a scenario
             with no solid-state lighting in the market.
         3) This would represent enough electricity to illuminate more than 95 milliion homes in the US today.

Over the 20-year analysis period, spanning 2010-2030, the cumulative energy savings are estimated to total approximately 1,488 terawatt-hours, representing approximately $120 billion at today's energy prices. Assuming the electric power plant generating mix is held constant over the next two decades, these savings would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 246 million metric tons of carbon."
Source: Department of Energy (DOE)

My friends, that is a whole lot fewer carbon emissions. To learn more about DOE Solid-State Lighting Portfolio activities, visit http://www.ssl.energy.gov/.

Recession Legacy for Children: Doubling of Child Abuse

The resounding legacy of hard economic times has always been an increase in parental stress, neglect and ultimately child abuse.  A study of four metropolitan area hospitals found the incidence of head area injuries and trauma caused by child abuse has almost doubled since the recession began in 2007.

As horrifying as it is, after parental neglect, child abuse is the highest cause of infant and child deaths in the United States. Candidly, there is no excuse for child abuse, as it is the most horrific form of violence on our most vulnerable Americans.  This is not newsworthy, but what is new is the government's willingness to publicize the results of this study originally reported by HealthDay News.

Hospital records were compared from 2004 through 2009 with the recession period identified as from December 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009.  The hospitals studied were located in Seattle, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, and only those head injuries classified as "unequivocal" were included in the study results. Other injuries that are not as serious or in doubt were omitted from the study to ensure the results were conclusive. Here is a quote from the HealthDay News article:

"Throughout the study period, Dr. Berger (one of the researchers) and her team recorded 511 cases of trauma. The average age of these cases was a little over 9 months, although patients ranged from as young as 9 days old to 6.5 years old. Nearly six in 10 patients were male, and about the same proportion were white. Overall, 16 percent of the children died from their injuries.

The authors found that the changing economic situation did indeed appear to be associated with a shifting rate of abusive head trauma. While the average number of such cases per month had been just shy of five, that figure rose to more than nine cases per month once the downturn got underway.

The researchers further noted that as the economy tanked, the trend towards an increase in cases was most strongly evidenced in Seattle and Pittsburgh. Berger and her colleagues were not able, however, to draw a specific link between certain aspects of the economy and the apparent abuse case spike."

Jay G. Silverman, an associate professor of society and human development and health at the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston, also serves as director of Harvard's Violence Against Women Prevention Research.  He was asked to comment on the results of the study and observed that a significant rise in rates of abusive head trauma indicates an increase in other forms of abuse.

"Abusive head trauma is one of the most observable indicators of child abuse, because they result from the most extreme domestic violence that requires hospitalization," he noted. "But there are many, many, many more child abuse cases that we wouldn't expect to show up as traumatic brain injuries in the ER. So an increase seen in head trauma is probably indicative of an even larger problem. And that means that this finding should really be a major public concern."

Sadly, breaking this cycle takes an almost superhuman effort on a generational basis and the services people need to overcome these horrendous experiences?  Both perpetrators and victims need resources to change behaviors.  Unfortunately, as this study shows, not everybody is lucky enough to survive.  If you suspect child abuse - whether you are a legally required reporter like a teacher, policeman or social worker - please get the family help.  Do not ignore it, my friends, as this is not a 'family' matter. Children depend on all of us to do the right thing.

Even if you are unable to stop the abuse immediately, when a child knows you cared enough to try, that may be enough to help them survive until help finally comes.  And if you want to help these struggling families - from all income brackets as child abuse is only partially a socio-eonomic problem - see if there is any way you can help relieve the parents' or other caretakers' stress.  It takes a family to make a child, but a community to keep that child safe.

I will add my own conclusions here which are based on my childhood experience.  When there is any kind of child abuse, the home is simply a violent home. Perhaps not all parties participate, but there is a tolerance for the abuse that boggles the mind of any rational person. These people really need help, as they are part perpetrator/part victim as well. In addition to children, the elderly, women and men (yes, men get abused) may also be suffering abuse. Many people who have not experienced child abuse themselves have no concept of the potential for physical and psychological damage. However, this study points out that the number of children experiencing terror at home has almost doubled in two years. This is horrifying and frightening for the children of the present and the effect on their future.

This is not neglect (a different but serious, serious form of abuse) or minor spanking, pinching, shoving or slapping. Although these behaviors are abhorrent, one of the major causes of brain damage and death in children is shaking. Little necks and spinal cords cannot tolerate the violent movement. The brain bangs against the skull and the children can end up blind, deaf, mentally disabled and worse. Many young and/or immature people - and those with poor impulse control - need this information and to be taught how to ask for help and provided structure, supervision and strategies for effective parenting. Some may be unable to overcome reactive behavior and then their children are simply better off with other caretakers. There is no easy solution, and no painless remedy, but these children deserve the right to grow up unharmed.

No nurse, doctor or relative ever gave me advice on the subject of child abuse, even when I had infants. I'm sure I don't 'look' like a child abuser, and I am not, but, sadly, we must assume everyone has the potential.  The statistics are just too prevalent to assume anything else. Have your parents, teachers, friends or relatives ever talked to you about child abuse? Have you ever talked to a new parent or even a stressed out one?  Make your experience useful.  Help someone learn how to cope with parenting and save a child from this horror.

Child abuse breaks my heart. Here's the link to the full article.