Art (and beauty) are in the eyes of the viewer

Very Special People - a warning before you proceed

 If this topic disturbs you, please go to any other post instead. No judgement on my part--or yours, please.

These were fellow human beings. And they have a story to tell.

Of challenges, struggles, notoriety in its own cruel way, employment (yes!), even romance and families; of proving themselves. This is the story of some Very Special People. And I discuss this with nurses and other medical professionals to ask, "Do you know of these people and their conditions?"

I had this book in paperback in 1973, and last read it in 1982. The stories still are vivid in my memory. Even now, I can tell you some of the names of the book cover: that's Eli Bowen on top left, born without a lower body but attached feet instead; poor Julia Pasternak, who was from a Mexican Indian tribe and labeled "The Ugliest Woman in the world," who did get married, but only at death to have her body put on display by her greedy, manipulative husband. To her left; well, she was obviously a midget, and around 18 inches tall. The overweight man eludes me, but that's "The Human Caterpillar," Prince Randian from the Caribbean, who is rolling his own cigarette with his mouth. There were others whose story I would leave for another possible post.

But very special in his own way: Joseph Merrick. The Elephant Man, whose short life was totally misplaced and ruined by David Lynch's movie of the same name. Joseph, who suffered NOT from neurofibromatosis but instead, Proteus Syndrome, did NOT face the social ridicule of Victorian England when he DID work as a side show exhibit. He DID have a fairly normal childhood although his growths were obviously forming, and he was unable after age 11 to work in a factory--and ended up in a workhouse until age 17, and then went to the side shows for employment. 

He WASN'T associated with a theater star, nor was he abused by a guard at the hospital where he lived after he WAS introduced to his benefactor, Dr. Frederick Treves. He did NOT meet a beautiful theater actress, but he WAS introduced to one of Queen Victoria's daughters. He would normally sleep sitting up because of the weight of his skull being impossible to sleep sideways or on his stomach or back. When he DID one night try to sleep on his back, the mass and weight of his skull broke his neck and killed him. He was known to never complain about his condition.

Proteus was the Greek god who could change into a gas, solid, or liquid. He did so to try and avoid helping Hercules complete his 12 tasks. Hercules still contained him and got the answers he sought.

Oh. About Eli Bowen. He had a pal named Charles Tripp, who had no arms but had his legs. They would go out on a two-seated bicycle throughout Ohio as a tour enticement for their act. Eli would steer and Tripp would pedal, and a crowd of amazed viewers often heard Bowen snap back, "Get your hands off me!" Tripp would call out to his partner, "Watch your step!" 

The 16 Types of Government

Civics isn't taught in high school anymore; a real loss for social knowledge skills and decision-making, in my view. And although I didn't have that class as my choice in high school, we did take sociology in 10th grade, and I took "Presidential Politics" as a course in 1976 at a college. It reflected on four styles of the office of the commander-in-chief: how they could be either active or resistant to handling responsibilities. It would also depend on two choices once they were in office: how did their term as president reflect in a rewarding view by historians--or not? Active presidents sought the office. Negative presidents didn't want the office but were swayed to accept it.

Active-Positive; Active-Negative, Negative-Positive; Negative-Negative.

(A Negative president could be someone who replaced a previous leader.

 Calvin Coolidge is a Negative-negative)

(Dwight Eisenhower-Franklin Pierce / Harry S. Truman-Calvin Coolidge) = Active/Positive & Active-Negative, while Truman/Coolidge is Negative-positive and as mentioned...

But here's a list of current ideas rolling around everyone's vocabulary--which is why I'm posting it.

The Evolution of Rhinos

Evolution of the Platypus

Narwhals: The Mysterious Creatures Facing the Perils of Vanishing Sea Ice

The narwhal is one of the most fascinating and elusive creatures on the planet—often described as a real-life “unicorn of the sea.” With its long, spiraled tusk extending from its head, the narwhal looks like a blend between a whale and a mythical creature. Most males grow this tusk, and in rare cases, some even have two. The tusk, which can reach up to 10 feet in length, is actually a modified tooth. Recent research, including studies supported by WWF, suggests that the tusk is more than just decorative. It contains up to 10 million nerve endings, making it a highly sensitive organ that may help narwhals detect changes in their environment. It’s also believed that the tusk plays a role in displays of dominance among males. 

Narwhals live year-round in the cold, Arctic waters surrounding Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia. Most of the global narwhal population spends the winter months—up to five at a time—beneath the sea ice in the Baffin Bay-Davis Strait region, between Canada and western Greenland. They rely on cracks in the ice to surface and breathe, especially after deep dives that can reach depths of over a mile. Their diet mainly consists of Greenland halibut, but they also eat other fish, squid, and shrimp.

The Most Terrifying Climb in the Pacific – Ball’s Pyramid First Ascent

Only A Leopard Can Hunt Like This. Cunning Hunting Technique of Leopards.

Investigating 13 Bizarre Islands

Adak Island - One of the World's Most Remote Abandoned Places

My home; my first duty station in the U.S. Navy: 

August 1977-1978. Naval Security Group, Adak.

They say once you've lived on Adak, your life changes. True.

You never EVER forget it. 

And you wish you were there one more time. To remember it.

How Inuit Survive Polar Bear Attacks

The 2024 New Jersey Earthquake (and Jan 27 New Hampshire earthquake): Fi...

Hungry Venus flytraps snap shut on a host of unfortunate flies | Life - BBC

Scientists Stunned To Discover What's Hidden Under The Ice In Greenland

Led Zeppelin II, if it was recorded in the 50s

The point is that music class is in session here: and it's fundamental to know who Led Zeppelin was and that THESE musicians are brilliant in their method of taking some crunchy, heavy blooz (yes, that's the word) and ran it into a new reality. Any student of music should appreciate this.      

Honey Buzzards Feast on Deadly Hornets

MOST EXPENSIVE CARS Comparison 3D | $1.7M to $30M

Ancient Marine reptiles Size comparison 3D | 3d Animation Size Comparison

Sun VS. The Other Stars: Size Comparison (4K)

The ancient mountain in Venezuela: Mt. Roraima

 

This in Venezuela, and it is called Mount Roraima, one of the most amazing geophysical wonders in the world. For more than 500 years, scientists around the world have attempted to decipher the unique geological origin of Mount Roraima, southern Venezuela. In addition to rising almost 3,000 meters above sea level, the mountain has an unnatural morphology, which seems to have been cut with knives due to the precision of its million-year-old angles. 

This rock formation is the largest of its kind in all of South America, and is part of the Pakaraima mountain range. For more than 5 centuries, it has intrigued historians, geologists and other scientists because it is a mountain without a point. The top of Mount Roraima is completely horizontal, and occupies an area of more than 30 square kilometers, surrounded by waterfalls, cliffs and other rare geographical features in the world. 

Seen this way, it could be considered an island in the heights. Mount Roraima is home to a great diversity of endemic plant and animal species. Geologists and biologists from around the world estimate that it hides some of the species that science has no record of, since there are spaces in the mountain that still remain unexplored. 

It is thought that Mount Roraima was the product of a large earthquake in the past. However, its origin is not certain, since geological features that were created in similar ways do not have that shape. This has led scientists to think that it may be the oldest rock formation on Earth.