Shedeur Sanders refuses to shake rival QB's hand after Colorado's win Breaking News

After the September 10, 2024, presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the Harris campaign became giddy. And why not? Pre-debate conventional wisdom had assured the country that underdog…

It’s not just millions of unvetted illegal aliens—the left likes to call them “migrants” and “refugees,” to give this dangerous deluge a better mouthfeel—who have poured across the uncontrolled…

Good Monday morning. Here is what’s on 46 agenda today: 8am: The President receives the President’s Daily Brief 2:30pm: The President delivers remarks at the 2024 National HBCU Week Conference in…

Never compromising anything. The post The artist Phil Collins thought always reinvented himself: “Very edgy” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

On this day eleven years ago… Tired of listening to her roommate play The Eagles endlessly, Vernett Bader (pictured) of North Charleston, SC grabbed a serrated knife from the kitchen and repeatedly stabbed her male 65-year-old roommate. The gent suffered wounds on his arm, hand and elbow. And here’s the shocker, according to police, both parties appeared intoxicated. Bader told officers her roommate had been listening to The Eagles with another man when she told him that she did not want to hear “Witchy Woman,” “Tequila Sunrise” or any other of Don Henley’s songs. When her roomie told her to shut up Bader went for the knife. She was charged with domestic violence of a “high and aggravated nature.” Ironically, two years later, to the day, The Eagles Don Henley received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Music Honors and Awards Ceremony at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. ### The post A Day In Rock: September 16th, 2013 – Witchy Woman appeared first on RockinTown.

from The National Pulse: A report from the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) has raised questions about the safety of fluoride in drinking water, a practice spanning nearly eight decades aimed at reducing tooth decay. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fluoridated drinking water lowers tooth decay by 25 percent. However, the NTP states with “moderate […]

  The path toward becoming the president of the United States is rigorous, steeped in tradition, and a mix of qualifications and campaigning. The journey can take decades of preparation to culminate in heartache or euphoria. In the end, and as the Founding Fathers intended, it is all up to the American People and their chosen electors.   First of Its Kind   An 1899 oil painting by Ramon de Elorriaga of George Washington’s inauguration as the first President of the United States on April 30, 1789. Source: Wikimedia Commons   When the Founding Fathers conceived the idea for the office of the president of the new United States, the rest of Europe, with its long-standing monarchies and nobility, undoubtedly doubted the success of the democratic experiment. As historian David C. Whitney stated in his The American Presidents (2009, 11th edition, p. vii) the statesmen of the “Old World” predicted that the system of an elected citizen presiding over a nation would not last and that “a strong president would refuse to bow to the wishes of the electors and would make himself king for life, or that a weak president would be cast out of office by revolution before his four years were up.” Needless to say, they were wrong.   The American political system, with its branches, checks and balances, electoral procedures, and electoral college, is confusing. Yet, at the center is a tried and true understanding that the American people have the right to change their leaders at pre-set intervals—a concept that, undoubtedly to the dismay of European monarchies of the 18th century, has yet to be disproved. The people can influence political policies every few years by supporting or rejecting congressional candidates and retaining or dismissing presidents. As showcased by the election of 1800, which historians have dubbed an “election revolution,” a Federalist, John Adams, peacefully handed over power to a Republican, Thomas Jefferson, proving the system worked.   Constitutional Requirements An image of President Theodore Roosevelt giving his inaugural address. Roosevelt was the youngest man to assume the office of the President of the United States after the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. Source: Library of Congress   The United States Constitution is very specific in describing the proper qualifications for the office of the president. One of the most foundational requirements, as spelled out in Article II, for holding the executive office is that the individual must be a natural-born citizen, a stipulation rooted in the desire of the Founding Fathers to ensure that the person holding the highest office in the land did so with an inherent loyalty to the country.   The Constitution also specifies that the president must be at least 35 years old, an age chosen in the 1780s as a marker of having attained sufficient maturity and life experience, especially when the average life expectancy was thirty-eight. To ensure that the new leader had a deep understanding of the country’s needs, challenges, and values, the Founding Fathers stipulated that the president must be a resident of the United States for at least fourteen years before running for office.   While it was explicitly stated the executive would have to submit themself to judgment by the people every four years through a new election process, it would not be until the 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, that the presidential terms were limited to two.   To this day, the closest individuals to the minimum age marker at the time of their inauguration have been Theodore Roosevelt (42) and John F. Kennedy (43). While none dared to break George Washington’s precedent of stepping down after two terms in office, the World War II calamity saw President Franklin D. Roosevelt elected four times to help guide the nation through one of history’s gravest conflicts.   The Election Process Presidential nominee George H.W. Bush and wife Barbar Bush wave to the crowd at the 1992 Republican National Convention. Source: Library of Congress   Becoming president of the United States is a rigorous and multifaceted process of campaigning, navigating through primary elections and caucuses, and finally winning the general election—all of which begins years before the election date, which is set for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The primary elections and caucuses start about a year before the general election. These serve as a testing ground for potential candidates to demonstrate their political viability and to gain delegates to support them at the parties’ national conventions.   While the primaries work like the general elections in that voters cast ballots for their preferred candidates, the caucuses are interactive and community-based local meetings that involve rounds of voting and negotiations. The Iowa and New Hampshire primaries have traditionally been the most significant because they are the first to take place and thus set the tone for the rest of the potential candidate’s campaign. Once determined, the outcome of all the primaries and caucuses dictates the allocation of delegates to the respective candidates. At the conventions that follow, one for each major party, a candidate who receives the most delegate votes becomes formally nominated to represent the said political party in the general election.   The Electoral College Picture of President Lyndon B. Johnson casting his vote in the 1964 presidential election by Cecil W. Stoughton. Source: LBJ Library   Once the candidates are chosen, the focus shifts to the general election and the Electoral College, a process often debated and misunderstood by many. The Electoral College is a system composed of electors from each state, with the number allocated to each one determined by the number of senators and representatives a given state has in Congress at the time of the election. When individual American voters cast their ballots on election day in November, they are, in turn, signaling to their state’s electors the candidate to whom that given state should pledge its electoral votes. The individual who receives the majority of the electoral votes of at least 270 from the current 538 wins the presidency.   The Electoral College system emphasizes the importance of each candidate winning individual states, especially those with larger populations and greater electoral votes. As such, swing states often play a decisive role in the election’s outcome, as their electors’ pledges are not entirely known until the general election in November. Because the swing states change, as their moniker suggests, between supporting the different party candidates during each election cycle, they are promptly identified and targeted by both major-party campaigns as they could be plausibly won by either.   Becoming President President John F. Kennedy giving his Inaugural Address in Washington DC on January 20, 1961. Source: JFK Library   After the general election results are in, the final step in becoming the president of the United States is the formal inauguration, which takes place on January 20, following the election year. At the center of the ceremony is the swearing-in, during which the president-elect takes an Oath of Office administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”   Typically held on the steps of the US Capitol Building, the inauguration is witnessed by a large audience of dignitaries, political leaders, and the American people, both those who show up in Washington DC and those who watch on their televisions from home.   Apart from the inaugural address, where the new president outlines their vision and goals for the country, one of the most significant aspects of the day’s celebrations is the peaceful transfer of power from the outgoing head of state to the incoming president. Often viewed as the cornerstone of the American democratic process and a lawful and orderly transition of authority, the symbolism also includes the outgoing leader typically leaving behind a letter to their successor as a gesture of support and goodwill.   The next day begins the real test of character, one on which depends the fate of a nation. Famed American novelist John Steinbeck perhaps said it best: “We give the President more work than a man can do, more responsibility than a man should take, more pressure than a man can bear… We wear him out, use him up, eat him up… He is ours and we exercise the right to destroy him.”   No one ever said the job was easy.

  It is well-known that in the United States, the president is limited to two terms in office. This is not particularly unusual, and is common practice in many countries around the world. However, this law hasn’t always been around. In fact, it wasn’t until well into the 20th century when this law was introduced. There is only one man who has served more than two terms, and it was his lengthy service as president which prompted lawmakers to introduce the two-term limit.   Popular Presidents A poster depicting Uncle Sam and FDR, by James Montgomery Flagg. Source: Library of Congress   It is not unusual for US presidents to serve two terms in office. There has been a total of 13 presidents who have served two full terms and a few who have served more than one term. Some of the latter completed other presidents’ terms in office, or had their second term cut short by resignation or death.    One president served more than two terms in office. Inaugurated on March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt presided over the presidency during a critical period in US history, and carried his duties out with such success that he was elected to serve again in 1936, 1940, and 1944. FDR won all these elections by a comfortable margin.    FDR Changes America Out of work dockworkers in New York, 1934. Source: US National Archives on Flickr   When FDR came to power, the country was reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. He implemented the New Deal, which was a series of reforms to provide social relief and stabilize the economy. Laws were put in place that protected workers, and made the banking sector far more stable. In doing so, FDR was the principal actor in US economic recovery.    So successful was FDR in his first term that he was elected again in 1936. The New Deal was successful, but it could not completely cure the problem of unemployment in the United States. It was only as a result of the Second World War that things changed drastically in this regard. Military industrialization cured the economic woes, and FDR led the country to victory. Sadly, he would not live to see the final results of his efforts. On April 12, 1945, he collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage while sitting for a portrait. He died the same day, and Vice President Harry Truman was sworn in as the new president.   FDR died less than a month before Germany’s final surrender, and four months before Japan’s surrender after the use of two atomic bombs.   The Law Changes A badge denoting support for term limits. Source: The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation   Many had feared that unlimited presidential terms would be a threat to democracy. The issue had been discussed ever since the first days of the United States. In 1947, the Twenty-Second Amendment was approved by Congress. This amendment limited the number of terms a president could serve to two. The amendment was submitted to state legislatures for ratification, and finally adopted in 1951.   Conclusion Portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Photographed by Leon Perskie. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Through FDR’s guidance the United States emerged as a dominant superpower with a huge stake in international relations. FDR provided the foundations for a powerful United States that stood at the center of Western world and provided the backbone for those who stood against the Soviet Union and its allies. 

  In recent years, Cappadocia has come onto the tourist radar. There’s no surprise as to why. This stunning region is rich in both history and natural beauty. Above ground, rolling fields give way to magical fairy chimneys, pillars of rock formed by millions of years of volcanic activity. Below ground are underground cities carved into the rock, with up to 18 layers stretching 85 meters (278 feet) toward the Earth’s core. These hidden cities have served to protect their persecuted inhabitants, even as recently as 1923.   Derinkuyu Underground City An artist’s impression of the network of tunnels that made up the underground city at Derinkuyu, by Bilge Ozel, 2014. Source: Heritage for People   It is a fact of life that when you go searching for something you’ve misplaced, you’re bound to find something else you’d completely forgotten instead. This couldn’t have been more true for the Derinkuyu resident (who has never been named) who went searching for his missing chickens. During his search, he noticed a small gap in the wall of his basement. Assuming this was the chickens’ escape route, he knocked through the wall. By pure fluke, he unearthed the remains of an 85-meter deep (approx. 278 feet) network of tunnels which dates back to the 7th century BCE. He never did find his chickens, though.   It would come as less of a surprise had this underground city been hidden away for centuries or millennia. As it was, it was only 40 years earlier, in 1923, that the tunnels beneath Derinkuyu were in use for shelter. When the last residents were forcibly removed from their homeland during a population exchange between Turkey and Greece, the people here took not only their belongings but over 25 centuries of history.   The Origins of Derinkuyu Archaeologists explore Derinkuyu Underground City, 2023. Source: Architectural Digest   No one truly knows exactly when or why the underground city was built, but the most commonly cited view is that the Phrygians were the first to build caves here. They populated the Anatolian plains from around 1180 BCE and it is estimated that the first caves were dug out of the soft volcanic rock here in the 7th or 6th century BCE.   As Phrygia gave way to Persia, the caves continued to be extended to create a network of tunnels. Ancient Greek carvings show that the tunnels were well-developed by the time the Kingdom of Cappadocia was born in 322 BCE. The final extensions were built during the Byzantine period and by the 7th century CE the underground city was at its full size.   A Sheltered City Entrances to underground cities were well hidden to protect inhabitants. Source: National Geographic   Building a network of tunnels so deep beneath the earth’s surface with only the rudimentary tools available at the time may seem a fruitless task. However, it was done for good reason.   During the city’s construction, Cappadocia changed hands several times. Initially Phrygian, it was invaded by Lydian forces with a bloody battle fought at Pteria in 547 BCE. Cappadocia then became part of the Persian Empire before Alexander the Great’s armies took control of the region. After a brief period as an independent Kingdom, Cappadocia fell under Roman control in 17 CE. In such a fought-over territory, a place of safety was crucial, and an underground city was the ideal solution.   In the 7th century CE, Arab forces began to expand westward with the aim of conquering Byzantine (Eastern Roman) territory. Constantinople had no intention to relinquish control of any of their land, and four centuries of wars ensued. The Arab-Byzantine wars reached Cappadocia in 780 CE. During the conflict, Christian residents fled their homes and took shelter in the underground city.   The wars saw considerable migration of Armenians to Cappadocia. These settlers fought alongside the Roman armies to defeat the Arabs and were instrumental in ensuring Cappadocia remained a Christian stronghold. Unfortunately, when the Arab threat dissipated, the Seljuk Turks fought to weaken the Byzantine stronghold in Anatolia.   Derinkuyu Underground City. Source: The Daily Sabah   Cappadocia joined the Ottoman Empire in the 13th century CE and it remained largely peaceful, with the exception of a brief period of fighting with the Mongol Empire during the 14th century. Fighting during the First World War never reached Cappadocia, with fighting in the Ottoman Empire largely confined to its border areas. When the Ottoman Empire fell, however, Cappadocia’s fortunes took a turn for the worse.   The Treaty of Lausanne, signed on July 24th, 1923, brought to an end the tensions created by the Greco-Turkish war of 1919-1922. The effects of the war were significant and felt far beyond the land on which it was fought. In the United Kingdom, it brought the downfall of the Lloyd George government, in Greece it spelt a revolution, and for Türkiye, it meant regaining control of the city of Izmir. It also led to one of the largest periods of denaturalization in recent history.   Under the terms of the Treaty, a population exchange was to take place between Greece and Türkiye. The new Republic was Islamic, and the Greek Orthodox Christians who accounted for around 60% of the Cappadocian population, had no place in it.   During 1923, Cappadocian Greeks were persecuted in a program of ethnic cleansing. Thousands fled, but those who stayed behind sought shelter in the tunnels beneath Derinkuyu, giving this hidden city one final period of occupation. Once the final Greeks had been expelled from Cappadocia, the tunnels were closed off and the underground city all but forgotten.   Kaymakli Underground City Kaymakli Underground City. Source: Audley Travel   Just ten kilometers north of Derinkuyu lies another underground city. Kaymakli, known in ancient times as Enegup was built around the same time as Derinkuyu, with historians believing that it too grew from caves built by the Phrygians.   Expanding alongside the tunnels under Derinkuyu, the two underground networks eventually met up during the Byzantine period and were merged. Hidden Kaymakli was only discovered as a result of the unearthing of Derinkuyu Underground City in 1963.   The two networks of tunnels were separated again upon their discovery, with a small section at Kaymakli being opened to the public in 1964. Derinkuyu received far greater attention from archaeologists and was only opened to visitors in 1969, although in a far more sizable chunk.   Life in Cappadocia’s Underground Cities An amphora used for storing wine, discovered in Derinkuyu Underground City. Source: The Maritime Explorer   While conditions underground were likely far less comfortable than those on the surface, the incredible ingenuity of engineering used in building the underground cities suggests that life in the tunnels was as good as can be expected of the circumstances.   Archaeological excavations have shown that a 55-meter (180-foot) ventilation shaft had been built to provide oxygen to the inhabitants of Derinkuyu. Presses used for making wine and olive oil have been unearthed along with storage cellars and refectories. Livestock were kept on the level closest to the surface to prevent any foul smells and toxic gasses from being passed to the residents who lived several stories below.   Of course, living beneath the ground is far from a luxurious experience; with no plumbing system, human waste had to be stored in sealed ceramic jars, bodies of the deceased had to be left to rot and natural light was non-existent. A short visit to Derinkuyu or Kaymakli today shows just how claustrophobic the conditions were.   Cappadocia Above Ground Love Valley, Cappadocia, by the author, Alex Johnson, December 2023   To those who haven’t visited Cappadocia, or are not experts in Ottoman or Byzantine history, Cappadocia is better known for its scenic beauty. The sunbeams beating off rugged limestone valleys, hot air balloons floating through the air and those stunning, mysterious fairy chimneys. But there is more to these landscapes than meets the eye, they too have their place in the history books.   Goreme Open Air Museum Fairy Chimneys in Goreme Open Air Museum, by the author, Alex Johnson, December 2023   The idea of an open-air museum often conjures up the image of a man-made feature created as a tourist attraction. That is not the case here. The Open Air Museum is in fact a collection of historic sites on the edge of Goreme town, Cappadocia’s main tourist destination. Goreme grew in popularity around what is now the museum, not the other way round.   The museum forms part of Goreme Historical National Park which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The park covers over 9,000 acres of rocky, mountainous terrain, marked by basalt valleys and the iconic fairy chimneys.   Goreme Open Air Museum is situated within Goreme Valley, a one-kilometer-long valley which is home to 60 ancient churches. A staggering number by any account — 30 of them sit within the museum’s grounds.   The reason behind this is that Goreme Valley became a popular burial site in the early Roman Period. When the Roman Empire embraced Christianity, this continued and the tombs developed to resemble chapels. During the Byzantine era, around 800 CE, monasteries began to be built along the valley — the monks saw this as spiritual land as it had become the resting place of saints.   With monasteries come pilgrims and with that, more and more chapels were erected. As a result, Goreme Valley is home to the highest concentration of chapels and churches in all of the Cappadocian region.   Dark Church, Goreme Open Air Museum. Source: The Daily Sabah   Today, the best-preserved examples are the Dark Church, the Sandal Church, and the Apple Church. These are notable for their hand-painted domed ceilings, which it is believed were decorated around 1000 CE by the Abbot of the Monastery. The Dark Church is the original, with the designs of the Sandal and Apple churches having been completed later to reflect the Dark Church.   The other key draw of the Open Air Museum is the fairy chimneys. As much a part of history as the churches, the chimneys came about as a result of millions of years’ worth of geological processes. Formed by the ash from the eruptions of Mount Hasan and Mount Erciyes, ash from the volcanoes turned into porous tuff which was covered by layers of basalt. Years of erosion caused the tuff to wear, creating the fairy chimneys we see today.   These chimneys, though, are just as important to human history as they are to geographical history. Such soft rock makes for easy digging, and as early as the 4th century CE, anchorites– who withdrew from society and lived a hermit’s life in the valley had begun to build caves and make a home here.   As this developed, churches began to be built in the form of caves, giving way to the smaller chapels which remain today. Just like in Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, persecuted Christians sought refuge in these hollowed-out dwellings in times of persecution.   In Goreme, though, caves became more than a means of escape and emerged as a way of life. To this day, residents of the town live in hollowed-out dwellings, albeit with the conveniences of modern life installed. Many of Goreme’s hotels are cavernous rooms, offering visitors the opportunity to experience this unique lifestyle without sacrificing satellite TV and 21st-century plumbing.   Zelve Open Air Museum Zelve Open Air Museum, photo by Linda Gerbec. Source: Unsplash   Twelve kilometers (7.5 miles) north of Goreme, Zelve Open Air Museum is another natural treasure. Flourishing a little later than Goreme, Zelve rose to significance around the 9th century CE during the Byzantine era when seminaries were established for priests.   While Zelve is also home to underground dwellings and chapels that served as a refuge during the periods of Christian persecution, there are also signs here of peaceful coexistence. Among the chapels preserved in basalt, a mosque has been unearthed here which reflects the peaceful times of the Ottoman Empire during which Christians and Muslims lived side by side.   Nearly a century after the expulsions of Greek Christians from the region, such a coexistence is once again possible, but Cappadocia’s historical sites serve as a firm reminder of very different times.   Practical Information Hot air balloons over Goreme at sunrise, by the author, Alex Johnson, December 2023   There are two airports which serve as gateways to the Cappadocia region: Nevsehir (NAV) and Kayseri (ASR). Turkish Airlines, and their subsidiary AnadoluJet, operate several daily flights from Istanbul (IST and SAW). Corendon, Pegasus, SunExpress, Transavia and TUI fly to Kayseri from destinations in Western Europe.   A wide range of accommodation is available to suit all budgets, with Goreme being the largest destination geared for tourists. Hotels and restaurants here are open year-round, with prices lower during the cold-winter months.   A number of tour operators provide day trips from Goreme, taking in the main visitor attractions including the open-air museums and underground cities. Alternatively, a comprehensive local bus network operates, serving all the destinations mentioned in this article. Timetables are not published online or on any map applications (such as Google Maps), so check with your hotel or a Tourist Information Center.