The History of the Siege of Lisbon-Jose Saramago | streamfurther.info

This story is about twisting things around. It is about altering certain known ‘historical facts’ and then asking the reader to consider how much truth there was in these ‘historical facts’ to start with. The book challenges the credence we give to history, which in many instances is penned by those who were not even eyewitnesses to the events they write about. Even ‘miracles’, purportedly witnessed by ancient saints, are accepted without question.’What a strange world,’ the author asks, ‘it must have been, that such things should have been believed and written, I’d prefer to say in which such things are not written, but believed even, today, We are positively mad,’Is part of what we call history the product of some historians’ fertile imagination? How much detail is added or erased due to the historians’ bias? How much meaning is lost in translations and misprints from one language to the other? Are some of the speeches, often written verbatim, attributed to the major historical figures mere embellishment of prose? Are some history books mere narrations of fiction and mutilations of facts?The story begins with Raimundo Silva, a long-time proof-reader in Lisbon. He is proofing the ‘history of the siege of Lisbon in 1147’ in which Christians defeated the Moors who had ruled the city for three hundred years. The recorded history is that the Portuguese sought the aid of the Crusaders who were on their way to the holy land. The Crusaders agreed to help the Portuguese, but the proof-reader, Raimundo Silva, inserts a NOT-the Crusaders will NOT help the Portuguese.It is from this ‘NOT’ that main events in the book unfold. Fortunately, the proof reader’s deliberate error is discovered before the book goes to print, and an erratum is inserted warning the readers of the ‘mistake’. The author plays on this error, and once again asks how much of written history is due to conscious vandalism of the facts.The publishers, in reaction to Raimundo Silva’s error of the “NOT,” hire a new administrator, Maria Sara to be in charge of the proof-readers. Maria Sara far from being outraged by Silva’s deliberate error is fascinated by what had happened and challenges Silva to write his alternative version of the Lisbon siege-and from the point of view of his NOT.In altering the history of Lisbon, Silva also fundamentally, and even joyfully, alters his life. He had for many years lived a lonely existence, but consequent to his NOT, he finds love. He now no longer just walks past a florist shop, but stops, enters and buys flowers. The story continues, following his error, on two levels: the present, with Silva and Sara falling in love, and the past-Silva’s version of the siege. In both stories, so much is made of the NOT, as Silva ponders and reconstructs the historical events of the siege.Even the revised version of the proof-reader canNOT be trusted since it teems with speculation. But, at the same time his conjured version may be closer to the truth than the ‘facts’ in modern history books. Even as the improbable relationship between the proof-reader and his boss blossoms, which Sara aptly describes as war with one trying to lay siege to the other’s heart, the NOT is a constant feature. As one reads the book, one gets the feeling that ours is as comical an existence as the blind asylum inmates from his other famous novel Blindness. Blind but seeing-barely seeing.The History of the Siege of Lisbon is a wonderfully written novel by a writer who had complete mastery of his craft. It is a humorous, ambitious, sophisticated and intelligent re-telling of known history, albeit with a slight twist, and a warm love story between two singular and lovable characters.

Type 2 Diabetes – How Much Does Family Medical History Matter? | streamfurther.info

What you have heard regarding family medical history and the chance of developing particular diseases may or may not be reliable information. It depends on the source, and you have to consider the possibility of bias. Opinions differ, and they may affect the conclusions you are being told.At the end of the day, though, you know there is a relationship between family history and disease, but the extent is something you still do not likely understand. While this is not medical advice, you could benefit from an informed opinion. More importantly, it is information to help shed light on the relationship existing between family history and disease. Even though medical advice with scientific references will always be irreplaceable, it usually is not the most digestible.On that note, many prevalent diseases in our society share one common cause: a poor lifestyle which often features an unhealthy diet. Unhealthy food choices are the cause of many preventable health problems, which includes notable complications like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. But if these issues have a primary cause influenced by lifestyle, to what degree does family medical history matter? This is the question that needs answering. Some blame their problems on the genetic factor when the real issue is elsewhere. But are some people predisposed to disease to such a degree, the primary cause becomes family history?Pinpointing a balance is difficult. It is an undisputed fact an unhealthy body and an unfortunate family history are both causes of disease. But the truth is, determining whether one factor overshadows the other is futile because it is hard to establish a universal rule. In other words, for some people, family history will matter more than for others. Some adults may have had a poor diet for years and still do not have high blood sugar. Others will have prediabetes despite eating relatively well – they may just be more vulnerable due to an uncontrollable genetic factor.How much does family medical history matter in your case? This is a question you must answer by discovering the necessary information. Determine what you may be at risk for developing and act accordingly. This is a factor affecting each of us differently, so how you are personally affected is all that should matter.It is not a concrete answer to the central question. But there is a solution to take away here. There will always be factors determining your health within and outside of your control. Focus on the former. Even if you feel you are not given the best odds, you must play the hand you are dealt.Type 2 diabetes runs in families but this does not mean if one of your parents has diabetes, a similar diagnosis has to be your fate as well. You can change things. If you eat the same kinds of food as say your parent did, you too are very likely heading for the same diagnosis.Lastly, know when it comes to health and well-being, a healthy diet and lifestyle are the ultimate factors to tip the scales in your favor. The same cannot be said for having a stellar family medical history.

Country Music History | streamfurther.info

The Beginning of Country MusicOne thing that has always baffled me is the fact that whilst country music is one of the most popular genres of music in the United States, outside of the country it is not as well regarded. In fact, if you head on over to the United Kingdom you will find that it is an incredibly niche genre. Why is this baffling to me? Well, it is because country music history can be traced back to the Irish, who of course are very close to the United Kingdom (just a couple of miles over the water in fact, with half of Ireland considered part of the United Kingdom). On this page I want to take a little look at the its roots. This is before any music recordings or the like. This was when music was a form of entertainment and not just a way to make money.Country Music, in the form that we know it, has been going strong for over three hundred years in the Southern part of North America. It was not until the 1920s that it started to gain traction though. So, where did it all begin? It began with a group of Irish immigrants who decided to settle in the Appalachian Mountains. Obviously North America is an incredibly long distance from Ireland. The boat journey was horrendous to start with and of course, space was limited. Those that headed to America could only take their most prized possessions with them. Everything else was left at home. Many Irish cherished their instruments and it was those that they took on this boat journey.The Irish preferred to use the fiddle, the sounds of which are heard in country music to this very day. The reason why they loved the fiddle so much was because it had such a dynamic range. One second you could be playing the most upbeat music possible, and the next second you could be creating something that was almost mournful. In its history it was not just the Irish fiddle that played a roll though. The banjo got in there (from West Africa), the Mandolin (Italy) and even the Dulcimer (Germany). You got a nice blend of instruments.It was sort of born out of a clash of cultures. Many people do not realize this, but it has a number of its roots in African music. It was born out of the white and black musicians in the southern areas of the country starting to play together. In fact, country music history shows us that back then Country Music tended to be a great deal more ‘African’ influenced than European influenced. The style has meshed too much nowadays to really tell though. It just grew from here. As the music style started to spread around the area more and more people started to introduce new elements into it. This is a constantly evolving form of music. What we regarded as country all those years ago is nothing close to what is regarded as country music right now. That is why it is so exciting. We never know where the music is going to take us next.The Early RecordingsCountry Music has been played throughout the southern part of the United States for over three hundred years now. However, it was not always as popular as it is today (where it is one of the most popular music genres in the United States). In fact, up until the 1920s very few people outside of the Appalachian area had even heard of this music style. This all changed pretty quickly though.It was the booming industry in Atlanta which kicked started country music history in recordings. During the early days of Atlanta many people who lived in the Appalachian area started to work in the cotton mills. Just like their ancestors had done all of those years ago, they took their instruments on their travels. This means that country music started to hit Atlanta.In the 1920s the recorded music industry was just getting started. It was particularly popular in Atlanta. In fact, Atlanta was the hub for a lot of recorded music for over twenty years. The recordings sadly started to die down in the 1950s.Anyway, during the 1920s everybody was looking to make money with commercial music. However, nobody thought that country music would sell. Many people, including Fiddlin’ John Carson tried to get their music recorded. They were turned down by record company after record company. This was until somebody discovered that country music was actually marketable. In fact, these marketing geniuses believed that it would resonate particularly well amongst those that worked in agriculture. What a brain wave this was. It was this very idea that kicked off country music history as we know it today.Around this time, country music was a blend of styles. It really had no definition. People just played it how they wanted. One of the first recordings launched which was regarded as country came from Henry Gilliland and A.C. Robertson. They released ‘Turkey in the Straw’ and ‘Arkansas Traveller’. Both of these musicians were fiddlers. This is a far cry from the country music that we know nowadays which tends to be dominated by guitar players.It was the high sales of these records which really got the country music ball rolling. Fiddlin’ John Carson, previously turned down by all of those record labels was signed by Okeh Records. He released his much beloved song ‘Little Log Cabin in the Lane’ in 1923. Vernon Dalhart was the first country singer to take the country by storm though. His hit, Wreck of the Old 97, released in 1927, was absolutely fantastic. It really pushed the commercial value of country music.Nobody had such an impact in the 1920s as the Carter Family though. Their music style was unique. Over the course of 17 years they went on to released 300 different songs. Many of which people sing to this very day. In fact, the music that the Carter Family released was meant to showcase this history of Southern America. As you can probably guess, they sold millions of records.This is just a very brief introduction to country music history in 1920s. As you know, the style evolved from there. What we know as country though originated in these recordings. It was distinctly different to the music from three hundred years ago (although built on the same principles). It really would be interesting to see where country music takes us from here on out.The Evolution of Travis PickingI do not know whether you have attempted to learn guitar before. However, if you have then you will notice that there are a number of techniques that you need to get down if you want to start any hope of actually being able to play a song that another person wrote, let alone write one yourself. One of the most important techniques for a guitarist is that of ‘finger picking’. Now, there are a number of different ‘finger picking’ styles out there. The one that I want to focus on though is Travis Picking. This is because it has its roots in country music history.Before we dive into what Travis Picking is all about, I want to discuss a little bit about where it stands in the context of country music history. As you may know, country music never really started to get a grip on popular culture until the 1920s. However, people were starting to develop their style a long time before that. One of those people was Arnold Shultz, an African-American musician who was born in Ohio County, Kentucky.Arnold was very much surrounded by music for much of his life. In fact, his family were touring country musicians. As they went from location to location he met a number of famous musicians. He also began to develop his own style. His own style was something that had not really been heard before in country music. It was a very jazzy sound with deep base notes (sadly he was never recorded so we do not know what he done exactly). The style that he developed became firmly rooted in Kentucky Style country music. In fact, his performances had a massive influence on one Merle Travis through a country musician known as Kennedy Jones.It was Merle Travis who began to develop the idea of Travis picking in greater depth. So, what is Travis Picking? Well, it is a thumb picking technique. It is very hard to explain if you have never played the guitar before. Basically, it is a style which involves the thumb of a finger playing the bass notes on the guitar (the top three strings). This creates a deep bass note. The other fingers then play the lower strings to add a touch of melody. As you can probably guess, absolutely no guitar picks are used here.Nowadays, many musicians blend Travis picking into their music. In fact, I am sure that you will find elements of Travis picking in pretty much every genre out there. Even ‘rock’ musicians do it from time to time, particularly on their slower numbers. This is one of a few ‘country music’ styles which seems to have escaped the confines of country music history and worked its way into other forms of music. It really does go to show the reach that this genre of music actually as. If you want to hear a good example of Travis picking outside of Country Music then I suggest that you pay a listen to Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer’.