Ancient Aliens?

I have been watching the History Channel show, Ancient Aliens and decided I had a lot to say about it, much like I did on my previous entry on the show Doomsday Preppers  .  Basically, this show is incredibly speculative.  Speculation is sometimes fun, but some historians can take it too far and I feel as though that is what this show does.  Now, I cannot say 100% for sure that they are wrong, since there is no proof that aliens do or do not exist.  But I can say for sure that in all of the scenarios they mention, there are far more likely explanations that aliens.

The ancient Sumerians believed that a superior race came from above from another planet and mixed with Neanderthals and that is how modern humans were formed.  The "historians/scientists" on the show believe this formation was from ancient genetic engineering and that the "superior race from above" is an ancient proof of aliens.  Now, the latest evolutionary theories suggest that modern humans, or homo sapiens, did not come after Neanderthals, but existed with them simultaneously.  The best theory is that both homo sapiens and Neanderthals descended from homo heidelbergensis, so they are actually thought to be "brother" species.  There is no proof that homo sapiens were able to interbreed with Neanderthals, however.  So before you could prove that we were genetically engineered into one species by aliens, you would first have to prove that homo sapiens could interbreed with Neanderthals, which is impossible to prove. 

The show also proposed that the beasts mentioned in ancient mythology such as the Minotaur (half man, half bull), Centaur (half man, half horse), and Cerberus (three headed dog) were all proof of ancient genetic engineering by aliens.  There are many reasons hybrids existed in ancient mythology.  One reason was that many ancient religions practiced animal worship.  Another reason is that many of these creatures were being punished by the gods by being turned into a hideous creature (such as Medusa).  Many times, hybrids made a philosophical statement about the inner battle humans have between going on their "animal" or base instincts, and being civilized.  Aliens is not the most logical solution that comes to mind. 

The show also proposes the aliens caused plagues.  The 430 B.C. Plague of Athens, the Justinian Plague, and the Black Plague were all events accompanied by reports of seeing glowing gold shields in the sky.  The "historians/scientists" on the show believe that ancient aliens had somehow weaponized airborne diseases that they used to wipe out the human race at certain points.  I would point out that many intense diseases, especially some as severe as plagues, are accompanied by hallucinations. 

The people on the show also find proof of aliens in plagues by saying that "In all ancient time periods, many humans believed that diseases and bad fortune came from above."  Well that doesn't necessarily mean aliens.  The ancient Greece called it fate.  The ancient Hindus called it karma.  Many other pagan religions thought it to be the wrath of the gods.  I don't know how you can pull "this means aliens exist" out of that. 

I don't think that anyone can say either way for sure that aliens exist or aliens do not exist.  However, this show seems to blame everything that ever happened in history on aliens.  And while you can't prove aliens do not exist, there are much more likely scenarios other than "the aliens caused this." 

 

"Doomsday Preppers"

I don’t know if any of you have seen the show “Doomsday Preppers” on the History Channel, but it is pretty ridiculous.  As described in the show’s title, this show is about people preparing for an apocalypse.  Before watching this show, I assumed that it was people preparing for 2012 doomsday type stuff.  However, the people on this show all have different theories about how the world is going to end and they are all preparing for something strangely specific such as the poles shifting, an oil crisis, a financial crisis.  Someone even said they were preparing for a power outage (and I was like, “Really?” You think a power outage is the end of the world?).

If I believed the world was going to end, I would not want to spend the last moments of my life obsessively preparing for an event that may or may not occur.  I feel sorry for these people because they are wasting all of their time and days with what sounds more like OCD than preparations. 

However, there is something to be said for having a “just in case” plan.  I would certainly not recommend doing what they do on that show.  But you can live a normal life and at the same time still be prepared for an emergency.  Here are a few ways:

1.    Know how to hunt.  The best way to survive would be to live in an area where you can already hunt on your own property.  That way, you wouldn’t have to uproot yourself in case of an emergency.

2.    Know how to garden.  Once again, the best thing to do would be to already have a garden before an incident happens.  This also requires living somewhere where you can have a garden.

3.     Have a heat source/cooking source that does not require electricity.  Whenever I buy a house, I intend to have a wood-burning stove in it.  However, this could be as simple as having a grill in your backyard or a Dutch oven.  You need to know how to prepare food without electricity. 

4.    Know how to preserve food.  Try to learn and practice canning.  Canning would be your best bet for a lot of stuff.  Collect mason jars, look up how to can and practice.  Know how to salt meat.  Also read up on burying for preservation, or other methods such as drying.

5.    Any one of us could stop buying clothes right now and still have enough clothing to last the rest of our lives, but it may be helpful to learn how to mend clothes by hand sewing so that the clothes you already have will last.

6.    Be well educated in basic first aid.

7.    Make sure you have a self-defense plan for intruders, such as the guns you already have for hunting.  ;)

8.    Hope to my goodness that the apocalypse you are preparing for isn’t a nuclear disaster, in which case, even if you survive, you will not be able to do any of the above. 

For the project of the day, I am working a winter ear-muff headband.  It simultaneously can look cute and keep your ears warm in winter.  For all one color, just cast on approximately 10-13 stitches (depending on how wide you want it).  I am alternating colors on mine.  Keep knitting back and forth until it measures the right length around your head.  Some knitters measure there heads first, but I’m more or less a “see how it goes” type knitter.  Cast off when it is the right length, then darn the ends together with matching yarn. 

I am not done yet, but here are the beginnings of my headband.

Playing Joan Rivers with History

Yes, the role of “Joan Rivers” will be played by me today.  I am going to talk about different fashion for women over the centuries, in an “E Network” kind of way.  :D

The awards go to:

Worst Dressed:  Women in the 1980’s and aristocratic women in the 1700’s.  I don’t have to explain the 80’s to you, because most of you know why that is.  But let’s talk about 1700’s fashion (European/American aristocracy).  The corset has come along, but for some reason, women are wearing it on the outside of their clothes.  White, powdered wigs are enjoyed as well.  Women would actually cut their hair off and wear these on a daily basis.  They not only powdered their wigs, but also their faces with a washed out, chalk white powder.  Don't forget the frilly sleeves!  Also, it seems like it was popular to make it look like you have “box hips.”  Instead of the beautiful southern belle hoop skirt to accentuate your hips that will come later, or accentuating your natural hips like pencil skirts of the 1940’s, 1700’s “Georgian” women make their dresses stick out to either side, creating a “box hip” look.  Real flattering….

Most Practical/Comfortable Dress:  People these days talk about “practical and comfortable” dress in the form of jeans and a t-shirt, but I disagree.  I think jeans are pretty far from comfortable (what’s comfortable about stiff pants that make your thighs look huge?).  If you want to talk about real comfort and practicality, look no further than Biblical times (specifically Jesus times).  Men and women wore robes.  Do you have to wash your hair?  No, just wear a veil.  Now, fashionably speaking, these look like giant mumu’s to us, but still, you can’t argue that mumu’s are comfortable.  Some would have been made of wool, which isn’t so comfortable, especially in the deserts, but I’m speaking of the ones NOT made of wool.  If you want to get this look, but in a much prettier way, look to general traditional Indian dress.  I mean the country, India.  Women wear/wore robes and veils, but much more colorful, and the robes are a tighter fit, decorated with jewelry. 

Most Scantily Clad:  Believe it or not, the answer to that question is not in the past 40 years, although, there have been some scantily clad…many in fact….it is not our “in general, acceptable, everyday fashion.”  I also exclude tribal fashion, because it does not count under “widely and popularly worn.”  So the winner for most scantily clad goes to ancient Egypt.  Sleeveless tops, dresses that go down to your feet, and nothing under it.  Sounds like I’m describing lingerie.  To make it more enticing...it was popular for a while for women to wear transparent linen.    

Most Modest:  To go from who wore the least to who wore the most, the award for most modest goes to Victorian women.  Queen Victoria herself set a very modest fashion for the 19^th century.  No low-cut tops or short dresses in this time period.  We have long-sleeved dresses, cinched slightly at waist, and dresses flowing to the ground, puffed out by layers of petticoats (and at times in the 19^th century a hoop skirt or a bustle).  Some of you may argue that 17^th century (1600’s) fashion was more modest because you’ve seen a picture of Queen Elizabeth where she has a frilly turtle-neck, which would be more modest.  This was not the fashion of all, just the queen.

Best Fashion of Now Times:  I don’t hate everything that comes out in the modern age (although I feel like fashion has become rather careless since the 1960’s, and also boring and ugly).  It’s funny, even though I said I hated the 1980’s (and yes, most of it was a terrible time for fashion) my favorite modern fashion came out of it.  It is a fashion that is popular now, once again.  This is the big shirts (pretty ones) with tights underneath it, cinched at the waist with a belt.  This look can be done with flat shoes, but I think it looks better with heels.  It is a flattering look to women was long as the big shirt (or better, short dress) covers you past the butt a little.  As long as it does that, it is wonderful to flatter your waist, your upper body, and your legs, as well as accentuating curves.   

Best Dressed:  Fashion is all about opinion, so in my opinion, the best time for fashion was the 1950’s.  1.)  You get to wear short sleeves, and even sleeveless for once.  2.)  Your dresses and skirts don’t need to go floor-length; they can go to the knees.  3.)  These are the most flattering to a woman’s figure because typical dresses are cinched at the waist, then flow out to the knees.  4.)  Hairstyles and make-up are meticulously done, but not overdone.  5.)  The whole look is pulled together with elegant, understated pearls, which were very popular.  The downside of this fashion would be that you still wear petticoats underneath, but I don’t think it’s as big of a deal when they are knee-length (they don’t get as hot).   

1950's style from etsy.com

"Runners Up" that are Well Dressed:  Even though I’m not a modern historian in the least, I prefer 1900-1950’s dress the most.  In the 1900-1920’s, we have some Victorian leftovers, but the fashion of this age mostly goes toward a more fitted look.  Your skirts still go to the floor, but they are flowy with less layers underneath and more fitted to your body.  Short sleeves become more popular and acceptable.  In the 20’s, you can dress in skimpier outfits and cut your hair off and look absolutely adorable.  The 30’s and 40’s are about jackets with big buttons to the side and knee-length skirts with a mere slip underneath, however very dark and neutral colors.  The pencil skirt starts to come along in this period, although many women still wear long skirts.  Another separate period I like is the 1500’s nobility.  You get the big dresses, but you can also enjoy low necklines, and tighter tops, so your natural figure is still in view.  Also, everyone loves the southern belle look of the late 1850’s, early 1860’s. 

Today's Project of the Day is another very simple one for everyone.  It's what's for dinner!  :D  Something very simple for busy moms or generally busy women (like me).  If you want something really fast and easy that is also delicious, try cooking rice, and separately cooking a can of vegetable soup, then pouring the vegetable soup over the rice.  It's very yummy, filling, and easy. 

Progresso Vegetable Soup over rice