5.

Hey guys! Sorry the posts are spread out so much. All of my classes this semester are reading intensive, so my textbooks usually take precedence over my blog - well, and it was the weekend! Before I start with my list, I wanted to add this video of Allyson Townsend, who was chosen to be the person of the week by ABC News. She is a 2nd grade teacher going for her ASL (American Sign Language) license, and she has brought music to life for the deaf community. Next year I plan to go to the University of Minnesota - Duluth to attempt an ASL license as my minor, and I can honestly say that was sparked by translating music in my high school ASL classes. Here is the video. Allyson Townsend - Bringing Music to Life for Deaf Ears I hope by sharing it, more people become involved with sharing new media with the deaf community.


Back to the list!


1) John Smith and Pocahontas were never in love. At the time of her saving his life, he would have been around the age of 29, and her 11. Pocahontas actually ended up marrying John Rolfe, converting to Christianity and changing her name to Lady Rebecca. She moved to Europe where she died when she was 20 years old of a lung infection.

Please tell me you feel slightly awkward,
looking at this 11-year old with the body of a 22-year-old.

2) Her husband, John Rolfe, was the man who stole some of the tobacco seeds from the Spanish and started growing tobacco in America.

Yeah, I would choose this hot old guy over John Smith, too.
Good choice, Pocahontas.

3) The first nation to settle in New York was the Dutch, not the English. Because the region was so diverse in cultures and religions and no one backed the Dutch government in place there, the English conquered it with no bloodshed. The good part is is that the Dutch left many imprints on America, including the New York names "Wall Street" (named after the wall that was erected to keep the Indians out), "Broadway" (Literally Breede Wegh) also words like cookie, boss, spook and crib, and the legendary Santa Claus.

Dank je wel, Dutch.

4) The first Jewish settlers came to America in 1654 after being exiled from Europe because of the Catholic Inquisition and then Brazil after the Portuguese took control. The Jews were accepted - begrudgingly - to America, but because of the less than favorable treatment, the population of Jews did not grow. In 1773 - over 100 years after the first settlers came to America - only 242 Jews resided in New York, and represented only one tenth of one percent of the entire colonial population.


5) Now to get away from American Colonial times and just to tell you something that will probably make you laugh... To take an oath, ancient Romans put a hand on their testicles. (Now this part isn't true, but it makes me laugh - where do you think the word testimony came from?!)

I'll be back!