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October 10, 2011
Was he a shameless opportunist?
A gifted public relations expert who discovered little and never commanded a voyage of his own as some historians believe?
Or someone who deserves more credit?
Should this, in fact, be Columbus Day or Amerigo Day?
Let's do a little exploring of our own.
Born in 1454 in Florence, Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian merchant, employed by the Medicis and credited with four voyages — although the first is disputed.
But lets give it to him anyway.
We do know all his voyages were after Columbus.
His disputed first in 1497 and two others between 1499 and 1502 and another in 1503.
He, under the command of Alonso de Ojeda, explored the northern coast of South America to well beyond the mouth of the Amazon.
He gave names like "Gulf of the Ganges," and other Asian place-names he knew about, to the things he saw.
The big breakthrough came on his second trip, which was the realization that what he was looking at was not India at all, but an entirely new continent.
Map makers got busy when he returned.
One of them, an obscure German clergyman and amateur geographer named Martin Waldseemuller wrote of the new land mass that Vespucci had explored:
“I see no reason why anyone should justly object to calling this part ... America, after Amerigo, its discoverer, a man of great ability."
Adopting the Latin form Americus and the feminine ending to comply with Asia, Africa and Europa, it became America, both north and south.
Seemed like a natural.
So we have this distinction:
Columbus, who organized and captained his own voyages, got to the new world first, but Vespucci, helped by his buddy Martin, was the man who recognized that it was, indeed, a new world.
Of course, we do have people who were there in the first place, and there was Leif Erickson but that's another story.
Happy Columbus Day everybody.
I'm kinda tired and achy and just want to be outside on this warm, sunny, fall day....hoping it i...
Oct. 10, 2011 12:24 PM
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03/19/11
Cristobol Colombo NEVER reach'd nor set foot on this Continent ... We have all been fed the crap about, " In 1492 Colunbus sail'd the ocean Blue, and discover'd America ..." A Complete fabrication ... Colombo(an Italian Jew) was one of many men who had been Sporting with Queen Isabella, who gave him Syphillis by the way ... and got caught while in the Short Rows with her ... Ferdie was going to have him put on the Rack and keep stretching the point until he died, while some Igor-lookin' underling smack'd him in the Gonads every once in a while with a Glove with studs like a Track Shoe ... Isabella was truly fond of Colombo, because he would sneak Fresh Kreplach to her fat ass, as the appetizer for their carnal romp, every day between 2pm and 4pm( Siesta Time) Isabella pled with Ferdie and promised to give his Midget self sex, if only he would spare Colombo ... The Little King (after whom a Beer was named) decided to give the appearance of being Kingly, and charged Colombo with going out and discovering some new Land for Spain ... Ferdie gave him three leaky, dry-rotten hulks and provisions for three years, and sent him into exile, that only could be redress'd by Colombo's returning with a successful Conquest to his credit ... As the Ships near'd the Island of Hispanola(Long since call'd, La Republica Dominican ... Colombo order'd his Krewe to drop anchor and row for what became call'd, Santo Domingo ... Colombo was half mad from the Brain-Rotting Germ that Isabella had so freely supplied him with ... He lay abed for two months under primitive medical care given by strange people sporting Tonsure, Sackcloth, and Ashes ... When Colombo felt a little better, he was reminded that Supplies were low and that the Krewe want'd to go back home ... of all the things he knew were waiting for him back in Spain, the thing that scared him most was, Isabella ... He order'd his men to push on toward The Land Between Two Great Waters, and ten days out, Colombo had a raging Relapse and order'd them back to Santo Domingo, where he died two days after disembarking, and is buried, under a sidewalk that goes around the Southeast side of the Old Baseball Stadium, with a Cast Iron Monument and Plaque, which is forever cover'd with Bird Crap ... Goodbye Columbus !!!
If Martin had named it Vespuccia, we would be the United States of Vespuccia, the NY Yankees would play in the Vespuccian League, and we'd all be singing Bye, Bye Miss Vespuccian Pie. I couldn't do much with Alonso de Ojeda either.
The names change but most great discoveries come about as a result of venture capital be it Medici dough or Government grant money from the Spanish taxpayers or Silicon Valley "art of the start" money. Personally I would rather have a hemisphere named after me than a holiday in mid October. The protesters should take a class on entrepreneurship and like this motley mountebank take an idea or improve someone else's and create a legacy of their own. These guys were not looking for a new world, they were trying to make a buck for themselves & their investors but when you are a player, things sometimes fall into your lap and never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Well I don't know which has started my day laughing more...IVAN's description of Columbus' bird crap covered monument or PAOLOS' insertion of Bye Bye Miss Vespuccian Pie into my head for the day.
I just couldn't understand why anyone would create a national holiday in honor of the capital of Ohio. Columbus is what it is, god bless it, but you get there from any direction with an extremely boring drive. It's similar to "The Neon Cornfield" at night, or Emerald City by day, appearing out of nowhere. The latter metaphor is especially appropriate in the renovated courtroom of the Ohio Supreme Court, when it's time for the show to begin a secret door in what looked like a wall of wood paneling opens up, and the seven justices magically appear and take their places. Every bit as cool as operating secretly behind a curtain, and at least Alice gets to have a vote before a decision is made. Luckily we are blessed with the likes of Ivan & Paolos, friendly poet philosophers, to straighten folks like ChefDeb & me out.....
ChefDeb….me too! I had to laugh at the picture Ivan painted in my head. And of course, Paolos, I had to sing “Bye Bye Miss Vespuccian Pie”, how could I resist that? Tommy, that was an interesting and true observation – it was the same yesterday, today and will be tomorrow isn’t it? Every time we get a bear market, I hear colleagues and friends say that we are done for now, that the Finance industry is finished….I think not, it will evolve but so long as there are capital users and capital suppliers, there will always be a capital market. And Bert….I swear I will never forget the capital of Ohio – if that question ever comes up in trivial pursuit, I’ll ace it.
How do Americans celebrate Columbus Day? Is it an especially big celebration in any stretch of the continent/s (I can’t really say he landed can I?). Do children learn about Columbus first or the Independence of the USA?
In 1492, Arabs left Spain and this video is an interesting snippet in the story of Columbus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLW6IPw3nQ
Happy Columbus Day to all Villagers!
p.s: Mooseloop, hope you’ll post some photos!
Ivan ~ You have joined my list of "If Onlys". If only you had taught that class where I sat as a rapt pupil soaking up unfortunate misinformation. Paolos ~ "Bye Bye Miss Vespuccian Pie", otherwise known as pizza?
ANDY good one!
Nice post, Spring Fragrance...why am I not surprised? (a rhetorical question)
SPRING Columbus Day is a Union holiday and a traditional long weekend for looking at fall foliage. For many summer businesses, in the N.E> at least, it means it is the end of the Season. Italian Americans consider Columbus second only to the Pope and Francis Albert and you can be sure there will be a parade. In NYC it is a very big parade. It is only in the past 20 years that Americans have begun thinking about what it all actually means and have begun to develop a conscience (sometimes Genocide can bring that out in people, sometimes they shrug and pretend they didn't know). Anyway, children love it--school holiday!
Thanks CD! But a google search can't clarify for me what you mean by a Union holiday? It's not labour day I know. It's a special day for Bebe too then!
Depends on which side of the street you live on. This is a literal comment from someone in NYC. Christobol Colon a.k.a Christopher Columbus may not have been the person we put on the pedistal according to some information that has circulating for years on the National Geographic, Discovery circuit. Apparently good old Chris ranin into some pirates and thre was some identity theft.
Sort of good news for the Italian kids when our Carribean classmates tell us what a bad guy Columbus was, as depicted in the movie 1492.
All I want to know is did he serve pasta putanesca on the boat or not.
Spring- Italians celebrate Columbus day because he was credidtied with finding this country. And since he did not immigrate from Sicily, know one has ever been able to prove that he had any Mafia connections.
Seriously, Italians like to ceelebrate their own for a job well done.
We only acknowledge Columbus one day out of the year. We care about Frank Sinattra but he doesn't have a national holiday or an annual street festival like San Genearo.
I think that one of the reasons we like to celebrate them, even if they did take a wrong turn or two, is that we do get a bad rep from all the media play and fascination about the Mafia. Inuendos and discrimination concerning Italians was a real problem for a long time. Granted, we're all fascinated by things like the Godfather and GoodFellas and the lives of the children and grandchildren reported to have grown up in organized crime families.
But there is more to our culture than the media images and if a parade down 5th Avenue and a pigeon pitstop statue in Ohio can help us remember that, well its a good thing.
Chef Deb: We have had a Polish pope, but Frank Sinatra is 100% Italian-American and the pride of east coast. I think that Tony Bennet (who is also an accomplished painter) deserves a spot on the pedistal too.
Amerigo has his day every November. Okay, so we don't get a day off from work, but he is acknowledge at the start of the NYC marathon as the runners cross his namesake bridge the Verrizanno from one Italian-American neighborhood (Staten Island) into another (Brooklyn).
Julia, that is hilarious! As I understand it, there's been quite a few contenders trying to knock Columbus off his perch, including one by British author Gavin Menzies who thinks it was Chinese sailor Zheng He, aka Cheng Ho, aka Sanbao aka Sinbad the Sailor. I think he introduced noodles aka spaghetti to Columbus!
I've mentioned Admiral Cheng Ho before; here's a photo I previously posted - there is a visual comparison of his chinese junk next to Columbus's vessel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3vttl_Q3MA&list=PL39B3E931FE135543&index=3
The documentary by Menzies is interesting if you have time
http://www.petermanseye.com/photos/279521
I gotta bed down now though it's interesting. As the village goodnite goes...nos da! See you all tomorrow!
Ivan, thanks for the morning laugh and history lesson. I've heard your version before, but never as funny as you can tell it. Revisionist history fails when the truth is so much more entertaining.
JULIA- I hope you did not take offense by my Weisenheimer cracks regarding Columbus Day--I do not really think that you hold the Pope and Sinatra with same esteem. And Italian Americans have much to be proud of. I was not accusing Columbus per se of Genocide but rather alluding to everything that followed that did result in genocide. Happ Y Columbus Day!
SPRING - what I meant by Union Holiday is that it is a holiday written into certain employment contracts and President Nixon decreed that it be on a Monday to guarantee long weekends, again benefitting certain labor groups & everyone else, but I do miss the days when it actually fell on October 11th (is that right?). We used to celebrate the births of Washington & Lincoln on their respective bdays but again Nixon created President's Day, always on a Monday.
It is interesting that the history of our presence on this continent has taken place well after written records and history were well established.
It is more interesting that historians, all of whom aspire to being taken seriously, stake their reputations on shredding the observations and reputations of their predecessors.
It is unlucky that a number of indigenous aborigines by separating not yet dead victims not all of whom were male or adult form their scalps, created an impression of savagery that was applied to all tribes in all places for a century and more.
To lay the blame for what happened to the natives at the feet of Columbus makes as much sense as blaming the inventor of the dry cell battery, Alessandro Volta, for kids texting at the wheel.
The Oneida Tribes in our part of the country, have, in a funny twist of fate, raked in hundreds of millions at their tribal casinos and, more importantly, done great and good things with that money.
Maybe somebody with musical chops, (Tommy T?) could come up with a number:
How many revisionist historians, dancing on the head of a pin, do we choose to believe?
Here in South Dakota, this dayis officially called "Native American Day", as if our aboriginal people had done something notable on October 12. I'm not a racist in any way, but the whole thing pretty much strikes me as silly. Italians among us continue to call it "ColumbusDay", and the vast number of Scandinavians have taken to saying, "Happy Leif Ericsson Day!" So in that respect it has become almost a day of pride in whatever heritage you enjoy. It's not ahuge deal here though, and it's becoming less so: the Air Force base is having a down day today, but the banks are apparently open, which is a change from last year.
As for me, I think I'll celebrate by making Tandoori Chicken tonight, and singing "Vespuccian Pie" through the day. Brilliant.
Spring_ The Chinese and Italians have had a history of working well together completing each other's thoughts. In NYC our ethnic neighborhoods are always surprisingly close together.
The way I see it the Chinese come up with the blueprint or template and Italians embellish it and market it both the masses and the snobs.
Case in point, Marco Polo, without his trip to China we (Italians) would have starved to death.
Chef Deb- Don't worry. 've never been known to be politically correct but don't want my friends from other continents to get the wrong idea about my ethnic group. No offense taken.
A few years back (everything happens a few years
back) I read American Genesis by Jeffery Goodman. His theory is that
the Garden of Eden was in the Americas and that the globe was peopled by humans
from this continent. This being the case, we (the Vespuccians) are in truth
native to this land and just moved back home with the folks, in a manner of
speaking.
Vespuccians sounds like an order of monks
or beings from another planet. I like the ring it has to it. Maybe I could
start a movement, like Reuben Clamzo and the Clamshell Alliance..
More history of the early settlers to this
continent follows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo9TxeqeDCE
Andy ~ There is a pizza
chain (a few stores) in Atlanta that goes by the moniker Vespucci
Pizza. I have not tried them, maybe George, Ummgawa or the Moose could
give us a report if they have darkened their doors.
ChefDeb and Julia
~ The pope is German and speaks Italian with a
piece of cotton in his mouth to sound authentic. I'll make you an
offer you can't refuse.
IVAN......................you outdid yourself! Applause!
PAOLOS.................like CHEFD I too will be singing this song all day.
ANDY....................agreed!
STONEY....................brilliant!
Good morning all..........we are off today.............they are calling it fall break...................I don't think there is any political correctness it's just that the administration probably can't say the word Columbus or even knew it was Columbus day........................they are overly excited that a cabal of women (monsters?) from the delta are coming to the district tomorrow to spend all day telling us idjits how to teach...............................I'm melting.....................not to be confused w/ the words "I'm melting" that the heir to the Bonne Bell cosmetic fortune used to write on the dorm walls in college when he was tripping, which was often......................
JULIA.........................Hey! I will just call today, Worship at the Altar of Italians day..........it works for me!
AAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYY.....................you are so missed, there's no one who comes close......................
We were up late last night watching TV… a sporting event and I keep forgetting to tell you about the lady at the pork chop supper who got a big laugh.
With very little high but a lot of wide and a ton of self-assurance, she wore a royal blue t-shirt with large white letters that spelled out:
FAT PEOPLE
ARE HARD
TO KIDNAP
BEEBS ~
I love your days off.
IVAN ~ Little Kings is not JUST a beer, it is a Cream Ale. I was teethed on it or weaned off it, one maybe both.
As the experssion goes in our family, "Dear Aunt Lily!" what a read you people have give me. I've decided no one "discovered" this northern continent or the southern one known in history and geography books as North and South America. They just came upon a place they didn't know about that other people did. It just there had to be a designation and Old Martin got the drop on all the other map makers so he named it after his buddy Amerigo. Works for me.
Bebe- That is the perfect description of the day. Works for me.
Does anyone know which food staple Columbus brought to Europe?
Its the potato!
Columbus also brought exotic parrots to Europe.
He also brought Peter Falk to the television
audience or vice versa.
If Columbus brought us Columbo then he was also responsible for being a trendsetter inspiring the rumpled trenchcoat look of the 70's.
I'm kinda tired and achy and just want to be outside on this warm, sunny, fall day....hoping it is not it's swan song of colour before wibter pulls its blanket of cold and gray over the midwest.
I think Columbus Day has become the Americas version of the 'Creation Myth' and has been under fire by those pesky and unfortunate facts that have surfaced. It was a nice story about how we all got here from there that didn't dig verydeep beneath the surface and expose the roots of power, politics, and greed that fueld the expedition, nor make mention of the fate of those who were here in the first place.
It was happy talk.
I always liked the myth, i felt a bit of pride even though neither I nor my ancestors had anything to do with it.
If it still brings that kind of joy and positive connectivity to so many people, that is fine by me..... As long as the darker side lessons have been learned.
After all,who is to say how things may have unfolded had it not happened the way it did. I know that I am not smart enough to predict this.
I say let those enjoy this day who are able to. Respect those who can't... Or at least tolerate all the sides of this spinning coin called history.
Back to taday. I am going to discover a soft spot beneath the burnt orange and red branches of my sumac tree in the back yard. I'll celebrate by doing a happy dance aroud the trunk, while hopefully remembering to duck the lower limbs, and then just rest my eyes for a while.
Catch you on the flip side.....
more on the honor rollMy Thanks to All Y'all for your Notice ...
MISS ANDY: The Pizza thing is hilarious !!! Good On You !!!
MISS SPRING: We celebrate by running a Day-long Marathon of old Richard Benjamin Movies ...
MISS JULIA: If Marco Polo hadn't happen'd along, (the origins of Pasta notwithstanding ...) the Chinese would never have been able to market, Cella Lambrusco ...
The Italians have so very much else that they can be proud of, and celebrate ... the realization that Colombo did NOT discover America, is no big loss ... As I have mention'd too many times ... I was the only Jew growing up in an Italian Neighborhood, and was speaking Italian before I ever got to School ... but I Love Soccer, and Bocce, and the Family Life of the Italians(not that different from Jews) ... Had a Blast growing up, and having some kind of Celebration almost every day ... Only a few times did I ever hear the word, "Scunizzi" directed at me ... and if one changes a few Spices, it is really a little difficult to tell the difference between a Calzone and a Knish ... !!! (PIZZA, BTW is NOT an Italian Dish) Even tho' there was a generous amount of sumptuous Red Gravy IN the Calzone, we would often put a Ladle or two over the top of one, before cutting into it ... And now of course, I am starving, and am going to fix a little Fried Pasta for Dinner today ... Chill a Cella !!! (Aldo Cella was really a Greek)
PAOLOS: Right You Are, Sir !!! I just wasn't sure how many people alive today, even know what a "Cream Ale" actually is ... a Good Little Snort !!! An Eight-Pak used to fit very well, in the Iced Down Console of my '58 T-Bird ... and then, there were Drive-In Movies, too ....... As we have seen in recent years, not all Hopeless Change means, Progress ...
I don't know if y'all have seen this before. It
was new to me and worth passing forward.
It is about the 9 -11 boatlift. There are 9 -11
images and I know some of you may not want to watch, so I thought I would warn
you.
The story itself is a good one, even an amazing
one. It is about boats and discovery of who we are and what we can
be.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/MDOrzF7B2Kg
It was Amerigo's less experienced brother, Vertigo, who colored in all the forests and golf courses while eschewing the heights which were left to the leathery complected Latigo. What a family.
The Vespuccis had a trusty dog but no one remembers his name-o.
PAOLOS Thanks for the heads up. I am sure it is a good story.
BEBE So glad you have the day off!
HAZEL--Where are you?
Bert ~ Thank you for the praise, poet
philosopher is well earned by Sir Ivan Jalopkin, as for me, I'd wager that
Tom Savage would debate you, if not berate you over that accolade. But thank
you just the same. Maybe one day I will achieve that rank somewhere other than
in my own mind, but if not...You know, Bert, I can see Professor Savage pacing
down the streets of gold, his beret askew, his stogie about to drop ash, shaking
his head and muttering to himself Albert, Albert, How do you intend to
defend that position?
The Beauty is a bit out of sorts today. Something requiring a prescription I'm waiting to pick up.
A sweet and very elderly couple who pass sharing a walker, explained to someone who pulled up in a car that they celebrate Columbus Day by opening a can of spaghetti, a little tin of peas and enjoying it with toast and a glass of wine.
Tonight, because his team is playing, they will watch part of the football game.
It can't get much more adorable than that.
I received a copy of this book. If you could have but one...
http://www.questia.com/library/book/americas-93-greatest-living-authors-present-this-is-my-best-over-150-self-chosen-and-complete-masterpieces-together-with-their-reasons-for-their-selections-by-whit-burnett.jsp
I saw The Ides of March, definitely recommend it.
STONEY........................that is just about the cutest d*mn story ever...............may we all be able to love someone & find pleasure in the simplest things.....................it just makes me grin like some maniac...........................hope the Beauty is feeling much better..................
Santa Cruz and a number of other California cities celebrate Indigenous People's Day rather than Columbus Day.
Bebe, was you day wonderful? A good movie and ....? I think I'll go see The Ides of March too. Today was my son's birthday, so that's what I celebrated. Sweet dreams....
"All the problems we face in the United States today can be traced
to a weak immigration policy, on the part of the American Indian."
- Pat Paulsen
JANE....................Happy birthday to your son. What a wonderful mom he has! I think you will NOT be disappointed by the movie. Lots of great people in it. Marisa Tomei continues to enchant, she is aging naturally which just makes her more beautiful & sexy. She is that wonderful combination of young girl and lived in woman, it fits her. And yes, it was a wonderful day!
I am sure you are counting down the days until India brings home her cooking class cream puffs. me, I'd be waiting at the door...........................bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha.............have a great day JANE!