The Earth Is a Magical Place

I wait for it all year long! The first day of summer known as the summer solstice. It’s the start of my favorite season: Summer!!! I especially love summers in New York City. It’s so easy to get out and about, enjoying Happy Hours with good friends, good bar food, and good wine. Outside dinners under a canopy or sitting under the fountain at Lincoln Center before the ballet, or open air concerts and theater. 

How wondrous is the above image showing us the position of the Earth when the Western Hemisphere enters the summer solstice. 

Photo: Indian Times - go here

According to NASA the 2025 summer solstice falls on Friday, June 20th, at 10:42 p.m. ET. It marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere when the Earth’s tilt is closest to the Sun. Imagine if you were spacewalking gazing at the tilted Earth and the Sun from space yet at a safe distance!

Did you know the Earth’s axis is always tilted -- 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the sun? The tilt causes different hemispheres to get varying hits of direct sunlight throughout the year. The tilt is called obliquity and without it, there would be no seasons as we know them. When a hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun it experiences summer, while the opposite hemisphere experiences winter.

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Have you heard of Pangaea? About 300 million years ago the Earth assembled into one supercontinent, Pangaea (from the Greek word pan meaning all, whole, or entire and gaea (meaning land, Earth, or Mother Earth). As Pangaea formed it became surrounded by a single gigantic ocean called Panthalassa, which means all the sea in Greek. While Panthalassa was the only ocean there was a smaller sea called the Tethys Ocean, an embayment within the coastline of Pangaea.

 

Photo: earth how - go here

Tectonic plate movement caused Pangaea to form, break up and is the reason continents continue to shift positions today. As the plates move, they cause landmasses to inch together, break apart, and transform. The plates are massive slabs of solid rock that are always moving and glide over the Earth’s mantle (the rocky middle layer above the Earth’s core). Fault lines are fractures or cracks within those plates or at their boundaries. Fault lines can exist on one plate or over two plates.

Animation here

Some 200 million years ago Pangaea the supercontinent comprising all the continental crust of the earth broke into pieces named Laurasia and Gondwana. 

There were 3 major phases in the breakup of Pangaea: 1) The opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean caused by the rifting (a major fault separating blocks of the earth's surface) between North America and northwestern Africa. 2) The breakup of Gondwana into Africa, South America, India, Antarctica, and Australia. 3) The opening of the Norwegian Sea. Australia and Antarctica broke up. Laurasia split into North America and Eurasia.

Evidence for the existence of Pangaea remains with us today: Like puzzle pieces: The eastern coast of South America closely fits the western coast of Africa. One of Australia’s coastlines fits a coastline of Antarctica, and certain coastlines of North and South America match up with certain coastlines of Europe and Africa. The Appalachian Mountain chain extends from the southeastern United States to the Scandinavian Caledonides of Europe. They are believed to have formed a single chain, the Central Pangaea Mountains. Moreover, fossils of identical species are present on continents that are now very far apart.

Today we have 7 continents. Isn’t it fascinating? What if when humans came along, geology had not separated us?

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Marie Thèrese of France’s Emerald Tiara

Photo: Wikipedia Commons: I’d love to set this piece of history on my head! If this stunner could talk.

Today I’m featuring a beautiful tiara created for a member of the House of Bourbon who had a sad history. Marie Thèrese Charlotte of France (1778 - 1851) was the oldest and only surviving child of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antionette of France both guillotined when she was 12 years old. After France’s Reign of Terror she was isolated and held prisoner for another 5 years until her release was negotiated. She went to live in exile in Austria, her Habsburg-Lorraine mother’s native country. As France headed towards revolution, Queen Marie Antionette had sent some of her jewelry to Austria for safekeeping, and these pieces were returned to her daughter after she arrived in Vienna.

In 1799 Marie Thèrese was persuaded to enter a political marriage with her cousin, Louis Antoine, the Duke of Angouème so she became the Duchess of Angouème. The Emerald and Diamond Tiara of Marie Thèrese is sometimes called The Duchess of Angouème Emerald Tiara. It was made by jewelers Evrard and Frederic Bapst in 1819 - 1820 using stones from the French Crown Jewels. The tiara features a symmetrical scrolling design with 40 emeralds set in gold and 1,031 diamonds set in silver. Fourteen of the emeralds are large ones!

For a period of time the Bourbon monarchy was restored. Louis XVI’s two younger brothers sat on the throne with Marie Thèrese returning to France, but in 1830 she was forced into exile again. She made the crazy decision to leave her tiara behind. Later it was worn by Empress Eugènie whose husband, Napoleon III, ruled (1852 - 1870) sizing power as Emperor of the French. Eventually they too, were expelled. Empress Eugènie also left the tiara in France for the state.

 

Photo: Instagram

The Emerald and Diamond Tiara of Marie Thèrese along with other French Crown Jewels were then sold at auction in 1887 by France’s Third Republic. An unknown British buyer bought the tiara. It disappeared for awhile before being put on display as a loan in 1982 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. 

In exile Marie Thèrese moved to Prague with her husband’s family, then to Goriza (part of Italy today) and after her husband's death to a Baroque castle just outside of Vienna where she spent her final years quietly (attending Mass, taking walks, reading and sewing). Empress Eugènie lived for the rest of her life in Great Britain as a guest of Queen Victoria. 

In 2002 the Louvre Museum purchased the tiara from its anonymous owner, returning it to France. The Angouème Emerald Tiara is now on display in Paris at the Louvre Museum. Home, Sweet Home!

We’re fortunate when royal jewels end up in a museum for us to see them up close.

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This Is Bob, Our New Pope Leo XIV

Newly elected Leo XIV on St. Peter's Basilica balcony (May 8, 2025) and as a university student

I'm a little late in getting this post up. Although I rushed to the tv when the sight of white smoke was announced, I'm still a little stunned that a fellow North American was elected Pope. Nobody not even hardcore Vatican Watches expected it. Just imagining being in St. Peter's Square when Pope Leo XIV stepped out onto the balcony to speak to the crowd gives me chills. Our new Pope is such a pleasing mixture of humility and confidence, I was very moved watching the 2,000 year old tradition unfold on television.

Brothers Robert, John, and Louis Prevost 1958

What an honor it is to have a U.S. born Pope elected by the most diverse College of Cardinals in history to provide much needed moral leadership and compassion to the world. Imagine the weight carried on the shoulders of one human in taking on such an exalted role.

Photos: CNA

To friends on Facebook I said, the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost (age 69), now Pope Leo XIV ''is having a promising first day, and seems like the right man for the job. Worldly, intelligent; knows the Vatican, South America and the USA. Close with Pope Francis, and I like that he is from Chicago," in other words, a fantastic combination to be a world spiritual leader of so many adherents and non-adherents alike!

Photo: The Chicago Tribute

I've read that our new Pope has French and Italian ancestry (so the Italians weren't completely left out) on his father's side and Spanish (Louisiana Creole and Haitian) on his mother's side. Her maiden name was Martinez, so I presume there were some amazingly delicious meals in the Prevost home. What did Mrs. Prevost ("Ms." wasn't used in the 1950s or 60s) cook for her 3 precious little boys? Ahhh!

Photo: People

The new Holy Father was a math major, graduating from Villanova University in 1977 and reportedly was accepted into Harvard Law School, but instead decided to administer to the poor by becoming an Augustinian missionary for many years starting in 1985 in Peru. The Peruvians consider him their Pope, calling him Papa Leon. Translates into Lion. He also earned a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1982 and received a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where he also lived for 12 years.

Photo: NYT

It's admirable that Pope Leo XIV knew what he wanted to do from an early age, namely to be of service to people, to lift them up and improve their lives. He prepared himself to serve God through education and by doing!

Leo I (the Great) served from 440 - 461 AD during a crucial period of theological debates when the Church was defining its doctrines. At the time a heresy claimed that Christ had only a Devine nature. Leo I played a key role in defining the dual nature of Christ as fully Devine and fully human.

Leo XIII, whose name, the newest Pope is honoring, wrote an encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891 which addresses the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers to offer workers fair wages, safety and dignity. Certainly the College of Cardinals knew that in our present day, another pastoral Pope is exactly what is needed, but also a globally exposed one who knows doctrine.🎯

People who expect Leo XIV to be overly liberal will surely be disappointed. The Catholic Church is slow to change but change it does do, methodically and orderly in response to changing times. So with this Pope, conservatives should also be alarmed. I am progressive, and from all accounts, Christ was progressive too, but I understand how the Church must be measured. Wise diplomacy is usually cautious. When you guide over 1 billion Catholics and have global influence, speed or sudden changes may not be your friends. Without a doubt, what His Holiness says reaches far and wide. I do think changes on controversial issues will inch their way to the surface out of necessity.

Photo: CBC

I'm happy our new Pontiff has 2 living older brothers because I think being a Pope is a lonely job without family, close friends, and perhaps a dog as a loyal companion. No matter which way he turns, he'll encounter criticism once the Honeymoon is over.

Too darn cute. Photos from CBS This Morning. 

I like what a longtime friend of Pope Leo XIV, Rev Robert Hagan, said on the PBS News Hour about the new Pope's character: "He's not someone who 'looks for a fight,' but also 'won't walk away' from one. This ... suggests a man who is not combative, but also firm and resolute when faced with injustice or challenges." I see a new Pope who will take difficult issues on but I also don't envy him!

Youngest Robert with brothers Louis and John and their mother, Mildred Prevost

I'll bring the blog back home to the USA with what commentators Brooks and Capehart had to say about Pope Leo XIV's potential impact on US culture and politics.

As the famous saying goes, if you enter the Conclave as a Pope you'll leave as a cardinal. So how did Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost become the first US Pope in history? IMHO like everything else hard, high profile or elusive in life, preparation meets opportunity. The stars just have to align in the right way at the right time. We follow our intellect and passions and go where they lead us. The boy wanted to be a priest. There is no way he could have known where exactly it would lead. But he was doing what he knew he should be doing. He was willing to study, work, leave the country and serve. He put in the time. He was recognized by his bosses and peers. He was open ...  and when those stars aligned and he was ready, he became the Pope. How inspiring.

✝☧ Viva il Papa! 🕊️🇻🇦

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My Mom, Germany, And History

I'm a history buff with half German and half English ancestry. But, Ancestry.com informs me that my DNA is not exactly 50/50. With a bit of Scandinavian (Denmark), I'm slightly more English than German, which surprises me because my Mom who was born in Germany, says she is 100% German. Her family lived in Germany without moving for 500 years or longer. So why am I not 50% German? Let's go back in time, shall we?

During the Middle Ages, the monarchs of Europe answered the Popes' calls to fight in the Crusades, and King Richard I of England, from the Plantagenet line, answered the call. At the time England also ruled across the Channel in parts of present-day France.

The following is history along with pure speculation  ...

After fighting in the Third Crusade while sailing home, Richard the Lionheart and 4 attendants were shipwrecked. They tried to cross (Central Europe) the Germanies incognito to return to England only to be recognized and captured by Duke Leopold V of Austria, handed over to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI and held for ransom. 

It took 15 months for Richard's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who ruled as his regent in England, to raise the money to pay for his freedom. My mother's Bavarian town was one of the places of Richard's captivity. Back in the day, when kings were held for ransom, they weren't locked up in a small jail cell but in a Castle befitting their station and allowed to roam within the perimeters of a given territory while being carefully watched by their captors. Under guard they could move around but couldn't leave the boundary. So those merry men might have fraternized with the local maidens of the town, because my mother's town has a mix of German and English ancestry. My mother's nieces and nephews with 2 German parents raised in the town also have some English DNA, as does other residents of her town. There is no record of significant English migration to Southern Germany during the centuries which would also explain the town's ancestry. Is my mother a descendent of either Richard the Lionheart or one of his 4 attendants? We shall never know.

My Mom and I back in the day.

Just for fun (as we can't take this too seriously), do you think Richard I and my Mom have the same nose? She had a cousin named Richard, a popular generational name in Southern Germany. Hmm, how did that name get into the family? A coincidence or not?:) 

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Source: David Attenborough Fans

17 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About Germany

1. Germany is the most populous country in the European Union, with over 83 million people.

2. Berlin, the capital, is nine times larger than Paris and has more bridges than Venice.

3. Germany is home to the world's largest beer festival, Oktoberfest, held annually in Munich, the capital of Bavaria.

4. The country is famous for its contributions to classical music, being the birthplace of composers like Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms.

5. Germany is known for its extensive autobahn network, with some stretches having no speed limit.

6. The Berlin Wall, which once separated East and West Germany, stood for 28 years and was torn down in 1989.

7. Germany has over 1,500 types of sausages, with bratwurst and currywurst being particularly popular. Also wesswurst.

8. Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria inspired Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle

9. German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe and is known for its long compound words, such as Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz.

10. Germany has a rich history of innovation and is the birthplace of the printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century.

11. The country is one of the world's leading automobile
manufacturers, home to brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen.

12. Germany is home to more than 20,000 castles, reflecting its medieval history.

13. The Black Forest in southwestern Germany inspired the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

14. Germans are known for their recycling efforts, boasting one of the highest recycling rates in the world.

15. The country is a federal republic, consisting of 16 states known as Bundesländer.

16. Germany has a strong Christmas market tradition, with Nuremberg and Dresden hosting some of the oldest and most famous markets.

17. It is a member of the Schengen Area, allowing for border free travel between many European countries.

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British people roll their eyes when Americans claim they are related to royalty. Personally I don't care one way or another. In the 21st century, I'm a proud commoner.

What makes history great fun (no pun intended:) is how we are all descendants of Charlemagne. It's ultra cool and simultaneously, nothing special, as it applies to every human with European ancestry. We also have a zillion other 16 times great-grandparents, too many to count! 

Richard I of England lies next to his mother Eleanor. He requested to lie at the feet of his father Henry II at the Abbey of Fontevraud (not captured in the photo) as an act of contrition for rebelling against him. All the bodies buried in the Abbey were destroyed during the French Revolution.

Richard I of England's ancestry traces back to William the Conqueror (his great-great grandfather), who was of Norman French and Viking (Norwegian) ancestry. William's Norman dynasty that ruled England integrated into a broader European landscape, including the Germanies.

Richard I was said to be his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine's favorite son. He had at least one known illegitimate son, Philip of Cognac, who lived into his 30s before disappearing (without legitimate issue) into history.📜 

I love when new artifacts or documents are found or decoded like the Dead Sea Scrolls, the body of Richard III, or the letters of Mary Queen of Scots. A history buff loves when facts emerge to unravel mysteries, as well as, to debunk them!

Alles Liebe zum Muttertag, Mama!

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Marie R. Turner (1900 - 1984) Superintendent of Schools

Marie Turner in her office

Today, I want to highlight a woman whose remarkable life I became aware of in college. She is the ideal of a dedicated educator and public servant. 

The Courier-Journal - Sept 27, 1959

Marie R. Turner started her career as a school teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Breathitt County, Kentucky. She became superintendent of schools in 1931, a position she held for the next 38 years. By trying to improve the schools in an area of the country nestled in Appalachia, Marie, as well as her husband, Judge Erwin Turner, became active in local politics. Marie served 3 terms as chair of the Democratic Party. She worked with Kentucky governors, U.S. senators, and U.S. Presidents to upgrade schools and bring jobs, infrastructure, and training opportunities to rural Eastern Kentucky. Her accomplishments were extraordinary and numerous, especially considering Marie's era when women couldn't get loans or credit cards in their own names, much less hold a job with far-reaching authority. 

Marie Turner (back on the right) with Kentucky Governor Albert "Happy" Chandler (left) and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (center)

Marie Turner took advantage of available federal programs (under The New Deal, The New Frontier, and The Great Society), smartly and efficiently,using federal funds to better the lives of the people whose children she wanted to attend public schools. As she explained, if you want poor children to have an education instead of dropping out of school, you address poverty and isolation. Give them a handup through education, work training, job development, and perhaps help them to get on their feet with hot school lunches and affordable healthcare. A handup is not a handout; the people of Eastern Kentucky were a proud lot, used to hard farm work, and Marie thought the school curriculum needed to meet them where they were with prospects and aspirantes of value to them. Her schools and the rural families benefited from the library system sponsored by the WPA (Work Projects Administration) where books were delivered by a team of women librarians who rode horses and mules to the hollows and mountains where families lived. "If the children couldn't get to the books, the books would get to the children." The Superintendent also visited every school in her district once a year, getting there by whatever means were necessary. Early on, some of the paths were so rugged, it took a day to reach some of the schools.

Marie R. attending a pie and box supper to raise money for school repairs

Sometimes the women of the horse pack libraries were the only members in their families earning a paycheck. Out of Marie's own frustration of being denied a credit card, she founded Citizens Bank, where a woman could get a loan or credit card. 

Marie Turner and Lady Bird Johnson

From the 1930s through 1960s, Marie Turner worked with the Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations, opening a much-needed high school in Jackson, Kentucky (1938) and encouraging Senator Robert F. Kennedy to visit Eastern Kentucky (1968). When Senator Edward M. Kennedy ran for President in 1980, she sat in a wheelchair alongside him at the podium on stage in Louisville's Freehall endorsing his candidacy in Kentucky. Secret service agents flanked the stage, screening the crowd.

Notably, people with shorter careers, looser ties to Eastern Kentucky, and far, far fewer accomplishments serving the public than Superintendent Marie R. Turner have created Wikipedia pages and published memoirs about their "roots," but not her.

Over a lifetime, she worked as an educator who entered politics to make a difference in the lives of her people. Marie R's words matched her deeds. A reminder of what public service means and an inspiration to aim high for the benefit of others ... the everyday people you serve.

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The Kingdom of Württemberg's Royal Jewels

Crown of Wüttemberg, Landesmuseum in Stuttgart, Germany

Our spotlight today is on the royal jewels of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The Kingdom of Württemberg was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918 (ended by World War I with Germany's defeat). 

The Ruby and Diamond Suite

Today the area is known as Baden-Württemberg. It is 13,804 square miles (or 35,752 square km), which is 1/3 the size of Kentucky in the USA. From 1495 - 1805, the territory located in Southwest Germany was called the Duchy of Württemberg and from 1495 to 1268, Württemberg was a county in the former Duchy of Swabia. So suffice it to say that Württemberg has a long history. What's more, Württemberg was a cultural center in the 19th century, and its major city, Stuttgart, still exists today.

Diamond Jewels including the Wüttemberg Diamond Wedding Diadem (top left)

A majority of European royal families including those in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Denmark, and Belgium are descendants of the House of Württemberg (founded in 1081) because until recently royals only married other royals.

The Württemberg Pink Topez Parure

After World War I toppled centuries-old dynasties (in 1918), the German kings, princes, and grand dukes lost their titles and realms, yet were allowed to keep their castles and wealth including their magnificent jewelry. As time passed into the modern era, sometimes these jewels were auctioned off to raise money; or through marriages and/or purchases ended up on the heads of Europe's surviving royal families. With the fall of more European dynasties at the end of World War II (in 1945), additional royal family jewels were sold sometimes to anonymous rich buyers, and the whereabouts of some of these historic pieces became unknown. 

The Diamond and Natural Pearl Devant de Corsage was created by Emil Biedermann in 1865

Many of the Württemberg jewels featured in today's blog came up for auction at Christie's in 2023, each selling for a hefty sum. You may wonder what makes royals sell their dynastic jewelry: 1), They may need the money for living expenses; 2) Without state functions to host or attend, they don't need such ornate pieces as a sign of power as in the past; 3) Since they no longer have the same wealth or power as when they lorded over a territory, it makes sense to downsize (i.e., no insurance or security to worry about.)

Part of the Sapphire and Diamond Collection.

Diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, oh, my, what pretty eye candy! Which pieces are your favorites? Mine are the diamond jewels -- the necklace and the diamond wedding diadem which I'd wear to something even if I had to create the event! Of course, I love the rubies and sapphires too but think the diamond necklace is more wearable. 

Natural Pearl and Diamond Pearl Brooch (left) and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (right) wearing the Wüttemberg Ornate Natural Pearl Tiara with a 5-string matching Natual Pearl Necklace and Earrings for the state dinner in Japan in 1914.

Go to Christie's here and here for specific details about some of the Württemberg jewelry sold in May 2023.

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