The brownstone apartment where my daughter's boyfriend lived was in Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the site of some dubious fame. Most people are familiar with the alarming news stories eminating from here - one of Boston's most crime-ridden areas. The clash of different cultures can be as close as next door, or across the street. The twisted lanes and narrow alleyways have been there since 1640 - more than a century before the Revolutionary War. Early British settlers found it too difficult to till the stone-strewn soil, and thus named it Rocksberry. It is common to find puddingstone in the area, a type of conglomerate rock where different types of stones are embedded in a larger rock. Puddingstone was mined here and used to create the foundations of the buildings.
The long history of Roxbury makes it one of the oldest occupied towns in the country, and it has changed gradually with the waves of new inhabitants for over 375 years. Before anyone dreamed of separating from England, wealthy settlers quickly established plantations on the unclaimed land. The treasurer of the early Bay Colony William Pynchon (yes, an ancestor of the author Thomas Pynchon, and also the actress Fay Wray) settled in Rocksberry, but the land was not good for farming. He moved west and established Springfield Massachusetts. William seems to have been a compassionate man, for he advocated trading with the local natives. His philosophy differed greatly from those of the men running the Connecticut Colony, so instead he did business with the Massachusetts Bay Colony, even though he was located far away from Boston.
In addition to farming, this early settler wrote the first book that was banned in Boston. His thoughts angered the Puritans, and eventually he returned to England, leaving his vast settlements in the Pioneer Valley to his children and their families. He also seems to have left a legacy of free thinking that was passed to writers in the central Massachusetts area centuries later.
Back then, Rocksberry was stuck out in the bay, off an isthmus, and in a good location for shipping and fishing. As the city of Boston grew, the coast was filled in. Today Roxbury is about three miles from the water. In the 1840s, the neighborhoods in Roxbury were split up. Where there was one town, now there were several neighborhoods, including Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and Franklin Park.
The early settlers were replaced by indigent populations. Irish, German, and new waves of English settlers established neighborhoods in Roxbury, and became proud citizens. They were not happy in the 1950s when the migration of black people from southern states brought busloads of indigent workers who were happy to do any job they could find. The new neighbors were different. They cooked different food, they wore strange clothes, they played jazz and laughed loudly. Many of them could not read and write, but their church congregations became a powerful force, and Roxbury was a proving ground for civil rights, and integrated public education.
The latest wave of immigrants came from Puerto Rico. Their tastes and styles are reflected in the small boutiques and bars on the crowded streets. At night, dark and narrow alleys shelter drug users and criminals. Roxbury is home to a strange and dangerous combination of people - clashes occur often, sometimes with tragic results.
Today, the name of Rocksberry seems more apt than ever - a conglomeration of antique and modern and everything in between. Cultures from all over the world reside here in a single neighborhood, each distinct and different, like puddingstone.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
My Health and Personal Rights
I remember being about 5 years old and standing in line at school for my drink of "orange juice" that vaccinated me against polio, and another line where I stolidly presented my left arm for an enormous four-pronged shot, the imprint lasting for many years. It was some concoction of popular vaccines in the day (okay, early 1960s). School-wide eye and ear exams, as well as vaccinations, were highly valued as benefits of the public school system. I knew, even then, that it was not right. Some children fainted, were excused, or had bad reactions later. As part of a society that had beat smallpox and dyptheria, our parents were proud.
Even out in the hinterlands of Massachusetts, our water system was treated with flouride. That nobody asked whether there were any side-effects to swallowing this teeth enamel-strengthening substance surprises me. As a child, I could only wonder if the reason lay beyond my limited powers of logic.
Now I have fifty or so years of questioning and listening and trying to make sense of things. Fifty years of researching, breaking things down and rearranging them, putting real information into context that is useful and interesting...I am look at the flouride and the old vaccines, and wondering if we should not be learning something from them.
Mammography causes radiation. Despite the prescribed limit of 2 rads, we usually need 3 pictures (at least). That's 6 rads! Now, in one exam, we have a 1 in 2000 risk of getting cancer from the mammogram. But that factor stays the same no matter how many you get. So if you have 15 mammograms over 15 years, you have a 1 in 133 chance of getting cancer from the mammogram itself.
It's simple math, like credit card interest. And, like credit card companies, it's something the medical industry (and its overblown parasite, the medical insurance industry) don't want us to know. And what I've found is they are very effective at eliminating their competition.
Almost nothing is available on the Internet about the dangers of mammography since 1997 - 16 years ago! I did however find support on holistic care sites which describe the factors involved in radiation and breast cancer. For me, this is encouragement to continue investigating treatments for my non-life-threatening issues and to keep questioning the prescribed methods and vague diagnoses of medical professionals who are not trained to aid me in gaining physical and emotional wellness.
My current concern and interest is hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed with lower than acceptable numbers about 8 years ago and have been taking a very small dose of Levothyroxin ever since. I went to a new doctor recently, and the clinician taking my medical history made a comment about every woman over the age of 50 having hypothyroidism. That got me to thinking.
I know lots of women "my age" and they are a mixed bag. Size, ancestry, habits, occupations, outlooks, and personal relationships - all different. I asked around. They, too, were taking a thyroid T4 medication. Then my Mom, who has had a variety of problems, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and prescribed a low dosage of T4. I ask myself: can this be right for everyone? Is everyone suffering the same symptoms, taking the same cure, and experiencing the same relief? And what about curing hypothyroidism - does that ever happen?
My doctor talked about reducing my cholesterol, getting more exercise. Changing my life to avoid stressful situations. All very good tips - for anybody, in any situation, anywhere in the world. He is a nice guy, my doctor, but he is not an expert on menopausal women with professional careers and hypothyroidism. Recently I decided to do some research on my own.
I have also been diagnosed with depression. When I expressed confusion at this about ten years ago, and reminded the psychiatrist that I had been diagnosed with anxiety ten years earlier, he commented "Depression and anxiety go hand in hand." I was so impressed I didn't question this until many years later, when I began to wonder whether I was on the path to a cure, or a life-long treatment.
Time to take a time-out, and see what symptoms I am really suffering from, and what specifically can boost my system to eliminate them.
My symptoms are not life-threatening. I have a full-time profession career. I have been married over 30 years old to a man I adore. I have an adult daughter preparing for her Masters degree. I have a home, a cat, a small personal artisan business. I love to write, and I am a fan of history. I believe we need to look to our past to understand where we are and to decide where to go. I take my medical care very seriously, and I work with professionals to keep up to date with the results of tests and objective observations. So working with my own therapy is under serious constraints and considerations. Not to mention my family and friends love me and understand me well enough to help me when I need it.
That said, my new journey is one of exploring my body and my spirit in the context of the world I live in . The vaccinations and mammography questions are just that - questions. As are the TSH tests used to determine hypothyroidism. These tests are not conclusive. The medications are not the most effective. But more importantly, there is no indication of getting well - of recovering from the illness of hypothyroidism. Yet, it is possible to manage, even cure, thyroid diseases. Some alternative treatments are pretty weird, like taking dessicated thyroid tissue. But what if I told you it has a significantly higher rate of success in combating hypothyroidism than the conventional prescribed regime?
Going further, I learned that hypothyroidism can cause depression...not surprising, since it cuts off the blood supply to the brain. That the right hypothyroidism treatment can ease depression. anxiety, and a host of other problems. And that the thyroid hormone is behind all those symptoms of menopause you've been experiencing! But I am taking medication for depression as well as hypothyroidism, and they are prescribed by different doctors, from the results of completely different tests. If the doctors are not working together, how can you expect the medications to? It is up to me to determine the real symptoms of my medical issues and to address and monitor them. For that, I need information, both professional and personal.
Step 1 is to eliminate all medications and supplements from my diet. I am trying natural, alternative supplements and solutions, one at a time, while monitoring specific symptoms (both causes and side-effects). I am looking for a prescription of foods, activities, and attitudes to cure my health problems from the inside out. I look forward to sharing what I find, whether effective or laughable, and letting you know my progress through this journey we call life.
Even out in the hinterlands of Massachusetts, our water system was treated with flouride. That nobody asked whether there were any side-effects to swallowing this teeth enamel-strengthening substance surprises me. As a child, I could only wonder if the reason lay beyond my limited powers of logic.
Now I have fifty or so years of questioning and listening and trying to make sense of things. Fifty years of researching, breaking things down and rearranging them, putting real information into context that is useful and interesting...I am look at the flouride and the old vaccines, and wondering if we should not be learning something from them.
Mammography causes radiation. Despite the prescribed limit of 2 rads, we usually need 3 pictures (at least). That's 6 rads! Now, in one exam, we have a 1 in 2000 risk of getting cancer from the mammogram. But that factor stays the same no matter how many you get. So if you have 15 mammograms over 15 years, you have a 1 in 133 chance of getting cancer from the mammogram itself.
It's simple math, like credit card interest. And, like credit card companies, it's something the medical industry (and its overblown parasite, the medical insurance industry) don't want us to know. And what I've found is they are very effective at eliminating their competition.
Almost nothing is available on the Internet about the dangers of mammography since 1997 - 16 years ago! I did however find support on holistic care sites which describe the factors involved in radiation and breast cancer. For me, this is encouragement to continue investigating treatments for my non-life-threatening issues and to keep questioning the prescribed methods and vague diagnoses of medical professionals who are not trained to aid me in gaining physical and emotional wellness.
My current concern and interest is hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed with lower than acceptable numbers about 8 years ago and have been taking a very small dose of Levothyroxin ever since. I went to a new doctor recently, and the clinician taking my medical history made a comment about every woman over the age of 50 having hypothyroidism. That got me to thinking.
I know lots of women "my age" and they are a mixed bag. Size, ancestry, habits, occupations, outlooks, and personal relationships - all different. I asked around. They, too, were taking a thyroid T4 medication. Then my Mom, who has had a variety of problems, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and prescribed a low dosage of T4. I ask myself: can this be right for everyone? Is everyone suffering the same symptoms, taking the same cure, and experiencing the same relief? And what about curing hypothyroidism - does that ever happen?
My doctor talked about reducing my cholesterol, getting more exercise. Changing my life to avoid stressful situations. All very good tips - for anybody, in any situation, anywhere in the world. He is a nice guy, my doctor, but he is not an expert on menopausal women with professional careers and hypothyroidism. Recently I decided to do some research on my own.
I have also been diagnosed with depression. When I expressed confusion at this about ten years ago, and reminded the psychiatrist that I had been diagnosed with anxiety ten years earlier, he commented "Depression and anxiety go hand in hand." I was so impressed I didn't question this until many years later, when I began to wonder whether I was on the path to a cure, or a life-long treatment.
Time to take a time-out, and see what symptoms I am really suffering from, and what specifically can boost my system to eliminate them.
My symptoms are not life-threatening. I have a full-time profession career. I have been married over 30 years old to a man I adore. I have an adult daughter preparing for her Masters degree. I have a home, a cat, a small personal artisan business. I love to write, and I am a fan of history. I believe we need to look to our past to understand where we are and to decide where to go. I take my medical care very seriously, and I work with professionals to keep up to date with the results of tests and objective observations. So working with my own therapy is under serious constraints and considerations. Not to mention my family and friends love me and understand me well enough to help me when I need it.
That said, my new journey is one of exploring my body and my spirit in the context of the world I live in . The vaccinations and mammography questions are just that - questions. As are the TSH tests used to determine hypothyroidism. These tests are not conclusive. The medications are not the most effective. But more importantly, there is no indication of getting well - of recovering from the illness of hypothyroidism. Yet, it is possible to manage, even cure, thyroid diseases. Some alternative treatments are pretty weird, like taking dessicated thyroid tissue. But what if I told you it has a significantly higher rate of success in combating hypothyroidism than the conventional prescribed regime?
Going further, I learned that hypothyroidism can cause depression...not surprising, since it cuts off the blood supply to the brain. That the right hypothyroidism treatment can ease depression. anxiety, and a host of other problems. And that the thyroid hormone is behind all those symptoms of menopause you've been experiencing! But I am taking medication for depression as well as hypothyroidism, and they are prescribed by different doctors, from the results of completely different tests. If the doctors are not working together, how can you expect the medications to? It is up to me to determine the real symptoms of my medical issues and to address and monitor them. For that, I need information, both professional and personal.
Step 1 is to eliminate all medications and supplements from my diet. I am trying natural, alternative supplements and solutions, one at a time, while monitoring specific symptoms (both causes and side-effects). I am looking for a prescription of foods, activities, and attitudes to cure my health problems from the inside out. I look forward to sharing what I find, whether effective or laughable, and letting you know my progress through this journey we call life.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
SOPA and PIPA and the Power of the Internet
It seems to me there are two camps - those who use the Internet and those who don't. I mean, really, if your status on FB hasn't been updated since Nov. 15, do you really know what the Internet is for? Oh, and I thought this was telling:
http://www.facebook.com/LamarSmithTX21?sk=friendactivity
Need I say more?
Mary
http://www.facebook.com/LamarSmithTX21?sk=friendactivity
Need I say more?
Mary
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Reality of the Global Gag Rule
An interesting form letter came in the mail today. On the outside, in old-fashioned looking typewriter font, it said THE RIGHT WING SCHEME TO BAN BIRTH CONTROL
It was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Garret Marotta. Taking a leap of faith, I grabbed it, not very worried that Garret will miss this particular piece of mail. Sure enough, the politicos are at it again, this letter being such a delightful example of outrageous schemes, transparent maneuvering, and heartless idiocy. And of course to get the facts, I went to Wikipedia to look up The Global Gag Rule, which is the specific policy under debate here. According to our folks at Population Connection, the policy is under advisement, and the Reds are going to reinstate it. The Blues are rallying around Free Choice and Women's Rights. But what exactly IS the Global Gag Rule?
The first Gag Rule in the US government prevented all the legislators from discussing anti-slavery bills. That was in 1830, about 35 years before slavery was finally abolished. What motivated that gag rule? People who couldn't afford to lose money in the stocks and bonds that depended on slave trade. By then it was more of an issue in US holdings overseas, enormous plantations that provided billions of dollars in revenue every year. So the gag rule was imposed by the people who didn't want to lose their steady income or to look at where it came from.
The Global Gag Rule is different. It prevents foreign-based, US-subsidized clinics and doctors from giving out information about abortions. My correspondent from Population Connection, the one with the low-tech font and the slightly hysterical tone, oversteps the facts by suggesting that all access to birth control will be revoked by the Reds. Our petitioner pleads with us to sign this petition and send it to our representatives to vote against the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule and ensure that "birth control" will be not be outlawed.
The last time I worried about access to birth control as a legal issue was back in the 1970s. Surely, the right had been won long ago? As I suspected, our faithful correspondent was exaggerating.
Wikipedia tells me that the Global Gag Rule was thought up by the Reagan administration! Seems the co-star of Bedtime for Bonzo had the brilliant idea of winning friends in the Red team even though he was AN ACTOR, and he was from CALIFORNIA! (I wondered how he managed
to win that election.) The eye-catching issue of "abortion" had a law, and a name. Later, when Bill Clinton rescinded it, it became the Red's rallying point. It contains volatile words like "abortion" and "government-funded." It is easy to pronounce. The Global Gag Rule was reinstated by GW Bush. Rescinded by Obama. Get the picture?
A political football that has all the deadly potential of an armed warhead. And this one is a ticking time bomb. The issues that are represented and implied in the Global Gag Rule are far-reaching -- far into the future.
When we campaigned for legal access to contraception and abortion in the 70s, my friends and I were facing life decisions. My decision to go to college met with my parents' approval. My decision to take "The Pill" however, was considered a Sin. I had to make the awful decision that so disappointed my parents. Some of my classmates made other choices. But we had choices. I graduated college and had a professional career before I married. I had a child when I was ready to give her everything I thought a child should have. Meanwhile, I was a productive employee at a good American company.
My difficult choice allowed me to have a full, loving relationship with my husband, while building up our assets so we could give our daughter the best education we could provide. Isn't that what every parent wants for their children?
I weep for the single mother who works two jobs, whose children do not get all the education they need, and who has never really had a chance to plan her life. This is the norm for most of the women in the world today. Without that small sense of control, a woman becomes a doormat, the father is reduced to a bacon-bringer, and the dreams of the children wither and die.
No, children need sunlight and room to grow. They need to learn something they love and to do it, learn from masters, travel, take risks, fail and succeed. Each child deserves the support and recognition of their family, their needs and interests noted, their attempts appreciated, no matter the results.
Girls in particular, have more choices than boys. Boys cannot have children. A girl of fourteen who feels lonely can have a child. Children that age are married in some cultures, sponsored and nurtured by their families. But the system can be cruel. The girl can be cast out, blamed, shamed, even physically marked. Yet, many girls make this decision.
Let all men and women everywhere remember:
It was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Garret Marotta. Taking a leap of faith, I grabbed it, not very worried that Garret will miss this particular piece of mail. Sure enough, the politicos are at it again, this letter being such a delightful example of outrageous schemes, transparent maneuvering, and heartless idiocy. And of course to get the facts, I went to Wikipedia to look up The Global Gag Rule, which is the specific policy under debate here. According to our folks at Population Connection, the policy is under advisement, and the Reds are going to reinstate it. The Blues are rallying around Free Choice and Women's Rights. But what exactly IS the Global Gag Rule?
The first Gag Rule in the US government prevented all the legislators from discussing anti-slavery bills. That was in 1830, about 35 years before slavery was finally abolished. What motivated that gag rule? People who couldn't afford to lose money in the stocks and bonds that depended on slave trade. By then it was more of an issue in US holdings overseas, enormous plantations that provided billions of dollars in revenue every year. So the gag rule was imposed by the people who didn't want to lose their steady income or to look at where it came from.
The Global Gag Rule is different. It prevents foreign-based, US-subsidized clinics and doctors from giving out information about abortions. My correspondent from Population Connection, the one with the low-tech font and the slightly hysterical tone, oversteps the facts by suggesting that all access to birth control will be revoked by the Reds. Our petitioner pleads with us to sign this petition and send it to our representatives to vote against the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule and ensure that "birth control" will be not be outlawed.
The last time I worried about access to birth control as a legal issue was back in the 1970s. Surely, the right had been won long ago? As I suspected, our faithful correspondent was exaggerating.
Wikipedia tells me that the Global Gag Rule was thought up by the Reagan administration! Seems the co-star of Bedtime for Bonzo had the brilliant idea of winning friends in the Red team even though he was AN ACTOR, and he was from CALIFORNIA! (I wondered how he managed
to win that election.) The eye-catching issue of "abortion" had a law, and a name. Later, when Bill Clinton rescinded it, it became the Red's rallying point. It contains volatile words like "abortion" and "government-funded." It is easy to pronounce. The Global Gag Rule was reinstated by GW Bush. Rescinded by Obama. Get the picture?
A political football that has all the deadly potential of an armed warhead. And this one is a ticking time bomb. The issues that are represented and implied in the Global Gag Rule are far-reaching -- far into the future.
When we campaigned for legal access to contraception and abortion in the 70s, my friends and I were facing life decisions. My decision to go to college met with my parents' approval. My decision to take "The Pill" however, was considered a Sin. I had to make the awful decision that so disappointed my parents. Some of my classmates made other choices. But we had choices. I graduated college and had a professional career before I married. I had a child when I was ready to give her everything I thought a child should have. Meanwhile, I was a productive employee at a good American company.
My difficult choice allowed me to have a full, loving relationship with my husband, while building up our assets so we could give our daughter the best education we could provide. Isn't that what every parent wants for their children?
I weep for the single mother who works two jobs, whose children do not get all the education they need, and who has never really had a chance to plan her life. This is the norm for most of the women in the world today. Without that small sense of control, a woman becomes a doormat, the father is reduced to a bacon-bringer, and the dreams of the children wither and die.
No, children need sunlight and room to grow. They need to learn something they love and to do it, learn from masters, travel, take risks, fail and succeed. Each child deserves the support and recognition of their family, their needs and interests noted, their attempts appreciated, no matter the results.
Girls in particular, have more choices than boys. Boys cannot have children. A girl of fourteen who feels lonely can have a child. Children that age are married in some cultures, sponsored and nurtured by their families. But the system can be cruel. The girl can be cast out, blamed, shamed, even physically marked. Yet, many girls make this decision.
Let all men and women everywhere remember:
- Strong women make strong children.
- Educated women make smart children.
- Confident women make confident children.
Do you want the children of tomorrow to be strong, smart, and confident? The answer is to put the choice for childbirth into the hands of the women making that choice. The political football that is The Global Gag Rule has long-term, moral implications. It is not about abortions. It is not about government funding. It is about our interest in the future of mankind.
I have no doubt that the percentage of women who understand and make these life choices is increasing with each generation. The political football that is called "The Global Gag Rule" is losing air already.
The strange old-fashioned letter from Population Connection is going into the recycling bin, but, as my grandmother used to say "A Word to the Wise is Sufficient."
Monday, July 11, 2011
Marc Cohn, in person
Last night, at the Bull Run Restaurant, in Shirley, we were mezmerized by Marc Cohn and his band. From the hits like True Companion, to covers like Paul Simon's Only Living Boy in New York, Marc sang and played piano and guitar, casting a spell over the small audience and reeling us all in "just like a fisherman's daughter." That's a line from one of my favorite Marc Cohn songs - Walk on Water. I loved the rendition of "True Companion" where Marc and the band jammed and rocked out, taking this hit song to the next level.
Keeping it real, Marc joked and talked with the audience, and afterwards stayed for a meet and greet. The Bull Run's intimate venue is the perfect place to hear my favorite blues artist, Marc Cohn, giving me a chance to know him and appreciate his music even more.
Keeping it real, Marc joked and talked with the audience, and afterwards stayed for a meet and greet. The Bull Run's intimate venue is the perfect place to hear my favorite blues artist, Marc Cohn, giving me a chance to know him and appreciate his music even more.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Deep Thoughts on a Rainy Day
This week I learned a new word: merkin. I was so surprised that Colette knew it already. The definition "pubic wig" cracks me up. Honest, I had never heard of it. So, at 54, I can still be a little shocked!
It going to be a great weekend. Gem show in Marlboro, and Mark Cohn on Sunday evening. Hurray!
I have been feeling better but I think I need to clean and dust the house. So it's good there's nothing planned
for Saturday!
I have been wanting to take photos of my jewelry and get them posted on silverfinchdesigns.etsy.com. We need a bright sunny day. Laura does too, as she'll be at the beach. Well, at least she gets to see Pat Benatar tonight. The concerts on Hampton Beach are so much fun.
Today's story: I just got a new book about gems, and it tells the story of the Marie-Louise Diadem. The history says it was originally set with emeralds and diamonds. They must have been some large emeralds. However, upon acquiring it in the early fifties, the jewelry company sold off all the emeralds and replaced them with...turquoise! The result, I hardly need to say, is very sad. It looks so cheesy. I am stunned that anyone with any heart or love for gems would split up the emeralds, not to mention replacing them with (ugh) turquoise.
Not that I have anything against turquoise jewelry. Especially in silver mountings.
But the original emeralds were faceted (of course) and darkly contrasting the gold and diamonds
of the diadem. However, the turquoise gems are cabochon, smooth and round. They look like placeholders.
Who would want the thing the way it is? It would make me sad, knowing how magnificent it must have been with the original emeralds.
Ah, so there is another story, my children, and always, we are left with a question. What the hell were they thinking?
It going to be a great weekend. Gem show in Marlboro, and Mark Cohn on Sunday evening. Hurray!
I have been feeling better but I think I need to clean and dust the house. So it's good there's nothing planned
for Saturday!
I have been wanting to take photos of my jewelry and get them posted on silverfinchdesigns.etsy.com. We need a bright sunny day. Laura does too, as she'll be at the beach. Well, at least she gets to see Pat Benatar tonight. The concerts on Hampton Beach are so much fun.
Today's story: I just got a new book about gems, and it tells the story of the Marie-Louise Diadem. The history says it was originally set with emeralds and diamonds. They must have been some large emeralds. However, upon acquiring it in the early fifties, the jewelry company sold off all the emeralds and replaced them with...turquoise! The result, I hardly need to say, is very sad. It looks so cheesy. I am stunned that anyone with any heart or love for gems would split up the emeralds, not to mention replacing them with (ugh) turquoise.
Not that I have anything against turquoise jewelry. Especially in silver mountings.
But the original emeralds were faceted (of course) and darkly contrasting the gold and diamonds
of the diadem. However, the turquoise gems are cabochon, smooth and round. They look like placeholders.
Who would want the thing the way it is? It would make me sad, knowing how magnificent it must have been with the original emeralds.
Ah, so there is another story, my children, and always, we are left with a question. What the hell were they thinking?
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