The Discovery Of Cuba By Christopher Columbus
When Christopher Columbus first set out to discover the New World, he could not have imagined that he would see some of the world’s most beautiful sights that would undoubtedly take his breath away.
As gathered from his chronicles, the exotic beauty of a particular island in the Caribbean Sea left him absolutely spell-bound. In his essay about the discovery of this land of Cuba, he passionately describes the splendor of its lush greenery and landscape; a land of exotic flowers and trees and wide, clear rivers.
“Discovery” is a rightful term to use, when trying to explain that it was Christopher Columbus who put Cuba on the world map. This is more so, because before Columbus reached there, this island was already inhabited by a race known as the Ciboney. Their line of ancestry has been traced to Central and South America. These people were perhaps the first human inhabitants of Cuba and had settled there for several thousands of years. The Ciboney tribes were not particularly skilled at agriculture, but were primarily fishermen, hunters and gatherers.
After the Ciboney, another community that migrated to Cuba were the Arawak Indians. It is recorded that there were between 50,000 to 90,000 Arawak Indians there by the time of Columbus’ discovery. It has been historically traced that they had probably migrated to Cuba from the Orinoco basin in Venezuela. Another possible area of migration is from the Guianas in South America.
The Arawak Indians were primarily boat-builders and agriculturists. There were also many who were skilled in pottery and the creation of wooden artifacts. The people who were skilled at agriculture were called the “Taino.”
In fact, Cuba gets its name from the Taino word cubanacan, which means “a central place.”
History records that Columbus discovered Cuba before the dawn of the 28th of October 1492. He first thought that he had entered Asia’s mainland, and was convinced that the name “Cuba,” which was what the aborigines called it, was the Indian name for Japan.
He then claimed the land for Spain and called it “Juana.” It is said Columbus named the island after the infant Don Juan, child of the Spanish monarchs Fernando V and Isabel I, who were also his benefactors. There were other names that Columbus successively gave to this land. But in the end, it was the original name “Cuba” that finally stayed with the country.
By the 5th of December 1492, Christopher Columbus had explored the northeast coast of Cuba. He also covered the northern coast of Hispaniola. It was there that one of his renowned ships, the Santa Maria, had to be abandoned. One of the island’s natives, Cacique Guacanagari, permitted him to leave a few of his sailors behind. As a result of this, Christopher Columbus founded the La Navidad settlement with 39 men.
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Everything You need to Know About Henna Tattoo
Are you thinking of getting inked, but not sure you are ready for the commitment? Consider a henna tattoo. It is the best way to avoid permanent ink with out looking like you whimped out.
The tall shrub like henna plant grows in dry, arid climates. Much of the world’s henna supply comes from Egypt, Sudan and India, but it’s cultivated in some African and Middle Eastern countries as well. In Pakistan, the plant tends to be known as “Mendhi”.The plant is ground into powder and made into a paste that will temporarily stain the skin.
Leaves are harvested from the plant just as the pink and cream-colored buds start to bloom. The flowers are can be used for perfume, and the leaves are hung to dry. It’s important to keep them out of direct light. Allowing them to air dry in semi-darkness will preserve their skin-staining qualities.
The paste consists of the powder and a substance usually referred to as a “developer”. Hot water is by far the most common developer. Some henna artists swear by additives such as lemon juice, various kinds of tea and certain essential oils
Henna will start staining the skin upon the initial contact, as well as any soft surface it comes in contact with, so it’s important to protect the work area and make sure the paste goes exactly where you mean for it to.
The paste should set on the skin for about two hours after design is fully applied. Carefully brush the dried paste off of the skin without rubbing. The design should be an orange color. Don’t panic. The color is not finished developing. It should keep evolving for the next 12 to 48 hours depending on skin type.
It’s of utmost importance that the new tattoo doesn’t get wet in the first 12 hours. The water will automatically stop the color development. Aftercare of the fresh henna tattoo is very similar to that of a regular under skin ink tattoo. Avoid soaking in the bath, and use only mild soap. Be careful to keep it clean and make sure to pat the area dry rather than rubbing.
The art of henna application is typically practiced by females, or at least there is very little documentation that proves otherwise. Henna tattoos are traditionally applied to the hands, including the fingernails, and the feet for ceremonies and celebrations such as weddings and festivals, especially religious ceremonies.
The earliest documented use of henna as body art dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Mummies uncovered in archeological digs have revealed signs of henna use, not only on the hands and feet, but as a hair dye and possibly even a conditioner. There is evidence that pharaohs were often hennaed and that specifically hennaed hands may have been perceived as a status symbol among the ancients, signifying prosperity. In other parts of the world where henna application is popular, it’s used without respect to social or economic boundaries. Peasants are just as likely to be tattooed as royals.
Henna crosses many diverse cultural boundaries, but application techniques have stayed pretty much the same. The artwork may vary depending on the formality of the event. Tattoos worn for every-day decoration won’t be as ordinate as those for special occasions. The popularity of various designs changes from one geographical region to the next.
For example, the dominant style in Arabia is large, flowery design covering the palm, in addition to the back of the hand. This design tends to leave more unadorned skin showing than some alternative styles. Fine-lined, intricate paisley patterns are popular in northern India. These designs usually only cover the palm and leave very little skin uncovered.
Henna is a permanent dye. It only fades because of the natural regeneration of the skin. The typically tattoo lasts about 10 to 15 days. The fading process is affected by the tattoos placement on the skin and the lifestyle of its wearer.
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MySpace – For the Young or the Older
Looking around MySpace it may seem as if there is nothing there for people who are over the age of 35. The site is typically designed for most people who are young and looking for friends. However, upon a deeper look the site is perfect even for older people to connect with some friends and even stay in close contact with family and loved ones. This makes MySpace perfect for people of all ages.
While some social networking websites are quite complicated and leave people confused and dazed, MySpace boosts a fairly easy and user-friendly layout that allows everyone to learn how to quickly and easily maneuver the website so they can easily find whom they are looking for without having to surf around confused about what you are doing. This makes it the perfect choice for people who are looking to learn how to get started on the internet in the social networking scene.
For the older adults who are using MySpace to stay in contact with family it is perfect. You can easily share pictures, videos, and even leave comments back and forth with your family all without having to stress out about how to use the website. With some great security features that allow you to only communicate with the people of your choice, it is the perfect solution for many people to still stay in close contact without feeling as if they are exposing all of their personal information on the internet for anyone to see.
Young people adore MySpace as well. With the vast ability to look around and discover new people in places all around the world it is a great website that is able to help kids stay in contact with each other from activities, clubs, schools and events and also able to help people connect from across various countries easily and quickly. Using places such as MySpace, people are no longer restricted to only being friends with others in the world who are close to them. The geographical boundaries are now removed and people are free to be friends easily with others across the world.
From the perspective of bringing people of all ages together, MySpace is one of the best solutions around at this time. With easy methods to share pictures, videos and even funny stories or blog entries and the ability to make messages private it is one of the best social networking sites for so many reasons. People from the young to the young at heart are all able to find plenty to do on MySpace and plenty more to share with family and friends.
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Some Ideas On How To Reach The Stars To Get The Autographs You Want
If you haven’t attempted to collect autographs you may not understand all that is involved in the undertaking. In addition to how hard it is to get the autographs in the first place some celebrities even keep track of the people that they send the autographs to in order to try to reduce or eliminate people making money off of them, at least on a repetitive basis. Of course in some cases the collectors are actually paying for the autographs in the 1st place. I have heard stories of celebrities and even sports stars such as Emitt Smith charging for their autograph.
There are many different forms of collecting autographs from just signatures to finding letters written by a famous person that can really be valuable depending upon the subject matter. For example a letter written to a previously unknown or undocumented love interest would be very valuable. For example, can you imagine how much a love letter between JFK and Marilyn Monroe that was documented as authentic would be worth? That is of course assuming it made it pas the government.
One of the reasons why Marilyn Monroe memorabilia is so valuable is because it is so rare due to her short life. There are only so many autographs from her. Contrast that to someone like Ronald Reagan who in addition to being President was a movie star for many years. The fact of the matter is that the long life a person had the easier it is to get their autograph and this can also make the autographs less valuable. As with anything it is all about supply and demand and those in short supply will be worth more. In our time now, a star like Kurt Cobain or Anna Nicole could have very valuable autographs again due to the short lives they lived.
If you are a true autograph hound you will need to have a modicum of discretionary funds to use for travel expenses and the like to be able to rub shoulders with those whom you look to collect signatures from. You need to be able to attend events such as political conventions to collect signatures and take pictures with upcoming and famous political figures and go to sporting events to have a chance of getting them from famous sports figures. An autograph from Governor Schwarzenegger now serves double duty as a celebrity and political collector’s item.
You have to be willing to travel and get to the locations that the celebs congregate around to get the autographs you want and be willing to take some chances. Your hard work and planning will be well rewarded in the future by the appreciation of the autographs in the future. It also helps to have a little bit of prognostication skill to know who may become a big thing before they become famous.
Gregg Hall is an author living with his beautiful wife and family in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about Hollywood memorabilia as well as Hollywood collectibles at http://www.shop4hollywoodcollectibles.com