Girls mentored by Dannii
Rachel Adedeji
Stacey Soloman
Lucie Jones

Groups mentored by Louis
Kandy Rain
John And Edward Grimes
Miss F.R.A.N.K (a new three piece girl band made up of three solo bootcampers. Shar Alexander, Shanice Davis & Graziella Affinita)

Over 25s mentored by Simon
Jamie Archer
Danyl Johnson
Olly murs what do u think ?

zebra | Sep 28, 2009

On Columbus day and Thanksgiving, I often discuss the ambivalent nature of these holidays. Both represent the opening of the Americas to European colonization. This led both to the creation of opportunities that would not have been there otherwise. The example I always use is the fact that had the US not been founded, my family would undoubtedly been killed in Europe during the waves of anti-Semitic violence between 1900 and 1945. The events celebrated by Columbus Day and Thanksgiving day unquestionably saved my family. Of course those same events led to the extermination of many Native American families as well. Hence the ambivalent nature of these holidays.

Among the articles I have written on this subject are:

All we take for granted has been built on genocide

Columbus Day Through the Eyes of Native American Democrats

Columbus Day

And on a related note: America Before Columbus: 1421 and 1491

This year I have some different thoughts on Columbus Day, ones that link directly to the saving of families persecuted in Europe. What gets ignored in the celebrations of Columbus Day (which either are overtly pro-colonialism and/or oddly a reflection of Italian Nationalism) is the interesting story of Columbus himself and his family.

Columbus was NOT Italian. Despite what Italian Americans believe when they adopted Columbus Day as an expression of their own cultural pride, Columbus had little to do with Italy. Instead, there is evidence that Columbus was, in essence, a Spanish Jew by origin and his family had only recently settled in Italy, escaping Spanish anti-Jewish violence.

The following draws from three main sources: a.) The book Jews in Places you Never Thought Of, by Karen Primack; b.) An article in the winter 2008/2009 Kulanu newsletter on the Genetic “Pintele Yid” in Iberia (drawing from a Jerusalem Post article…see also here ), and c.) the book Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler.

It should first off be noted that both Colombo and Colon (two versions of the Columbus name) were common Jewish names in Italy, however were also used by non-Jewish families. Columbus’ life, and, in fact, particularly his voyages to the New World, took place in the context of increasingly violent anti-Jewish activities in Spain, culminating in the Expulsion Edict of 1492 which took effect the same day Columbus sailed westward to try and reach the Far East. During the persecutions in Spain that started in 1391, many Jews were forced to convert to Catholicism (the Conversos). Many Converso families were visibly, and many genuinely, devout Catholics. However many others (the Marranos) continued to practice Judaism in secret. The Inquisition looked with suspicion at all Conversos, suspecting them all of being Marranos and hence heretics. This led to a great deal of prejudice, persecution and violence against both Jews and Conversos in Spain. This drove many Converso families out of Spain and many of them settled in Italy. Interestingly, some Conversos who fled Spain turned to piracy against Spain, including some of the infamous Barbary Pirates. Some of these Converso pirates remained practicing Catholics, others revealed their Judaism openly. Other Conversos also took to the sea, but in the service of Spain or Portugal, maintaining devout Catholic practice either genuinely or as a facade. A great deal of navagational knowledge and technology was in the hands of Conversos.

How common were the Conversos and Marranos? Well, recent genetic evidence has revealed that a full 20% of all modern Iberians (people living in Spain and Portugal) have Jewish ancestry in their male lineage. This is based on Y-chromasomal analysis, so only applies to the male lineage. It would be interesting to know how many are descended from Jews in their femaile lineage but that would take a separate analysis using mitochondrial DNA. That is a huge percentage of the population and shows that the Conversos were a significant part of the Iberian population. So if Columbus was of Converso origin, it would really not be all that surprising.

There is no definite record of where Christopher Columbus was born. Many places and dates for his birth have been claimed and none have any definite proof. Here is a list of some of the claims (from Mysteries Behind our History ): (this source is on a “ministry” website, but it does seem to be a good condensation of info I have found elsewhere)

Italy asserts that Cristoforo Colombo was born in Liguria of humble means. They claim his father, Domenico Colombo, was a tower sentinel in Genoa and later a weaver in Savona.4

Spain insists that Cristobal Colon was the son of Domingo Colon, a wool trader, and Susanna Fontanarossa, both of Pontevedra, Spain.

Other sources present the view that Columbus’ family were Spaniards who lived in Italy but later returned to Spain, resuming their original family name of Colon.

The language that Columbus and his family both wrote and spoke was Spanish. The few examples of Columbus writing in Italian showed deficiencies that suggest it was not his primary language, while his Spanish writing was far superior. Although he may have been born in Italy, his family was almost certainly not Italian and never considered themselves Italian. But even more interestingly, the Spanish spoken and written by Columbus and his family was a somewhat archaic type of Spanish, similar to if your family spoke English like they did in 1900. This is also typical of exiles who are forced out of their country but still retain their original identity. It suggests Columbus’ family left Spain a couple of generations before he was born and still considered themselves Spanish despite their exile in Italy. It is certainly NOT typical of native Italians. I should also note that is also suggests Columbus WAS born outside of Spain since if they spoke an outdated Spanish, they probably had been living outside of Spain for at least a generation.

In essence, Columbus and his family fit the profile of Conversos who fled Spain for Italy during the post-1391 persecutions, and ultimately turned to the sea for their profession.

Columbus and his brother eventually settled in Portugal and it was in Portugal Christopher started his quest to sail westward to reach the “Indies.” But Portugal refused his requests, so he tried his luck with Spain. Interestingly, and seldom mentioned in the histories who attribute his success to Queen Isabella, it was really the influence of powerful Conversos in the Spanish court who were responsible for Columbus getting the backing to sail. Top among these was Don Isaac Abravanel who, despite being openly Jewish, was in charge of all royal revenues at the time Columbus was seeking Spanish funding for his voyage. Interestingly, at the same time Columbus was sailing, the Expulsion Edict (which had been opposed by Abravanel) took effect and Abravanel chose exile from Spain, joining the bulk of the Sephardim. Juan Cabrero, Luis de Santangel, and Gabriel Sanchez were also influential Conversos who worked to get the king and queen to sponsor Columbus’ voyage.

Why would Conversos be so interested in a voyage of discovery? It could be because the Edict of Expulsion and the Inquisition were immanent threats to their safety. Colonies were starting to spring up, and often, at least in early years, colonies provided a chance for people under such threats to escape. The date when Columbus sailed is also telling. It was first set on a day that coincided with the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av. Columbus postponed sailing by one day to avoid what, to Jews but not Catholics, would have been a very ill-omened day to sail. This also meant his sailing corresponded, coincidentally or intentionally, on the very day Jews were, by law, given the choice of converting, leaving, or being killed. Among Columbus’ crew were many Conversos (not unusual), at least some of whom are now known to be Marranos, and their Jewish practices would have subject them to the Inquisition’s attentions and forbidden them to sail by Spanish law.

Given the number of open Jews, Conversos and Marranos associated with Columbus’ voyages, it does seem like there was considerable interest by Jews, former Jews and secret Jews for Columbus to sail and establish colonies.

Columbus himself seemed cognizant of the need for colonies as refuges for persecuted people. Columbus’ colony on Jamaica became a place where many Conversos (and presumbaly Marranos) settled. In 1540 Columbus successfully insisted that Jamaica be controlled not by the crown, but by the Columbus family itself and, critically, the Inquisition would have no jurisdiction over Jamaica. Clearly, intentionally or not, Jamaica then served as a refuge for those who feared the Inquisition. And, in fact, many who settled there became open Jews over time and many of the secret and open Jews turned to piracy for revenge against Spain. Among the known Jewish pirates were Samuel Pallache and Moses Cohen Henriques. Samuel ran guns for the Dutch and led an attack on a Spanish fleet in the Mediterranean. Moses seized entire shipments of Spanish gold and silver and even had his own pirate’s nest off the coast of Brazil. Jamaica particularly became a pirate’s nest after Spain took control of Jamaica from the Columbus family and gave the Inquisition jurisdiction on the island. When, in 1655, the British invaded Jamaica, they recorded that Jamaican Jews assisted their invasion, preferring British rule to Spanish persecution.

As an aside, I may have a connection by marriage to Jewish pirates of either the Barbary coast or the Caribbean. My wife, Joy, knows of a vague family legend that one of her ancestors was a Jewish pirate. Of course when I first heard this it seemed absurd. But now I know that such pirates did exist. It would suggest, though, that Joy’s Jewish heritage is not just Ashkinazi but also included Sephardim.

Was Columbus himself Jewish? This actually contains two questions. The first is simply was he Jewish, as in was he really a Marrano, a secret Jew. Maybe. But he could also have been a genuine Catholic, a Converso, who also felt a deep sympathy for other Conversos and wanted a refuge for anyone the Inquisition suspected of Jewish practices.

There are clear signs that Columbus was aware of and valued a Jewish heritage and might even have been a practicing Jew. From Mysteries Behind our History again (similar info from the other sources as well):

Columbus employed peculiar dates and phrases unique to the Hebrew people. Instead of referring to the “destruction” or “fall of Jerusalem,” he used the phrase “the destruction of the second house.” He also employed the Hebrew reckoning of 68 a.d. instead of 70 a.d. A marginal note dated 1481 is immediately given its Hebrew equivalent of 5241, etc.

He boasted that he was related to King David, some of his letters were described as written in an “unknown script” (Hebrew?), and he is said to have used a unique triangular signature similar to inscriptions found on gravestones of ancient Jewish cemeteries in Spain and Southern France.

Again, this could indicate actual Jewish practices or it could merely be a pride in his Jewish ancestry…or just a fascination with Judaism. But it is clear that Columbus, when he established his first colony, did set the stage for BOTH the role of the Americas as a refuge for persecuted people AND as exploitation and murder of the native population.

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Maxwell&#39;s Demon | May 18, 2008

However due to stereotyping due to movies and stories people automatically think its spookier/scary at night during a thunderstorm and there are bound to be ghost about this could mean they judge things wrongly, thunder storms can be scary when you in the dark as it is.

p.s I am a believer, I just rule things out first and don’t jump to the first conclusion:-)

James
Magick-mystery | May 18, 2008

stop talking | Jan 11, 2009

But, more recently, the Nobel Peace Prize has become just a Booby Prize, awarded to villains such as the terrorist YASSER ARAFAT and frauds such as the left-wing mouthpiece RIGOBERTA MENCHU.

Now, rumor has it that Mrs. Sheehan is being considered for the prize. (Who next — ANGELA DAVIS?)

Mrs. Sheehan’s son volunteered to serve our country. Sadly, he was killed in combat. Even sadder, his dingbat mom is running around the country now, shaming her son’s sacrifice by badmouthing the President, saying things like she "wished she could go back in time and kill Bush when he was a baby."

The President didn’t start this war. The Islamofascists started it. The brave volunteers in the military are standing up to protect America.

Shouldn’t we honor the memories of our fallen heroes and not bring shame on their sacrifice?

I do agree though, that many recent recipients have been undeserving. But this year it was awarded to someone who definitely did deserve it: Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank.

nathanm_mn | Oct 14, 2006

Doug

doug_donaghue | Jun 17, 2007

Cary C | Sep 16, 2008

http://www.webtvwire.com/watch-gavin-and -stacey-online/

The Trickster | May 22, 2009

But, Americans use ungodly amounts of drugs and puts only a small fraction of drug users in jail.

Why does Mexico bother trying to stop it? Why would they care if drugs make it to the US?

dolphinsfan913 | Feb 12, 2009

Earth would spin much faster without its orbiting moon. That’s because the moon’s gravity pulls on Earth’s oceans. The moon is largely responsible for the tides. The pull of the moon, and ebb and flow of the tides, puts the brakes on Earth’s daily rotation.

The Moon has been a stabilizing factor for the axis of rotation of the Earth. For this reason, we had much less climatic change than if the Earth had been alone.

f4fanactic | Aug 05, 2006

A – Amount : "$2.00"
B – Bet : "to show"
C – Choice : "Number 6, please"
John M | Aug 06, 2006

The game featured in the Simpsons was mimicking World of Warcraft, which is the most played MMORPG.

There are also games like Second Life that don’t have a fantasy or war theme, but are more about socializing and living an alter-ego

D. Dave | Jun 22, 2008

"We knew that this would really appeal to the 20-something crowd," said Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey.

It is not yet know how much of Marge will be on show inside the issue, but "it’s very, very racy," said editorial director James Jellinek.

He added: "She is a stunning example of the cartoon form."

The edition goes on sale in the US on 16 October, but subscribers to the magazine will find their copies have a more traditional live model on the cover.

Playboy owner Hugh Hefner is said to be a huge Simpsons fan and appeared in an episode in the early 1990s.

melody | Jan 13, 2009

Then you can go to the ING website, click on "Move my Money" (the wording may different on the US site, but that’s what the Canadian site uses) and initiate the transfer from your chequing account to your ING account.

RanaBanana | Apr 11, 2008

Keep checking the website, I am sure they will post the day that you can begin registering for ‘09.

blah | Oct 14, 2008

If you are adopting a stranger’s child, then I would suggest contacting the agency involved and ask how to do this long distance. Local problems for the classes are usually acceptable if similar.

TotalRecipeHound | Jul 03, 2009

Manhattan Skyline | May 27, 2008

The papers have been spot on in their reports about it being good and the boys should be proud of themselves for putting on such a great show. They are certainly on a par with Take That now as far as concerts go.
Rachel | May 28, 2008

Amount You Paid
Total Cost
Property taxes $ $
Mortgage interest expense
Rent
Utility charges
Upkeep and repairs
Property insurance
Food consumed
on the premises
Other household expenses
Totals $ $

Minus total amount you paid ( )

Amount others paid $

If the total amount you paid is more than the amount others paid, you meet the requirement of paying more than half the cost of keeping up the home.
Include in the cost of upkeep expenses such as rent, mortgage interest, real estate taxes, insurance on the home, repairs, utilities, and food eaten in the home.

If you used payments you received under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or other public assistance programs to pay part of the cost of
keeping up your home, you cannot count them as money you paid. However, you must include them in the total cost of keeping up your home to figure if you
paid over half the cost.

Costs you do not include. Do not include in the cost of upkeep expenses such as clothing, education, medical treatment, vacations, life insurance, or transportation. Also, do not include the rental value of a home you own or the value of your services or those of a member of your household.

notaperviemusculargent | Feb 18, 2008

* qualifying child or
* qualifying relative.

And here, briefly, are some guidelines to help you out. First, the qualifying child rules always take precedence over the qualifying relative rules. So if someone can claim a dependent using the qualifying child rules, then no one else can claim the same dependent using the qualifying relative rules.

Secondly, both sets of rules are designed to award the dependent to one and only taxpayer. For example, under the qualifying child rules, the child must live with you for more than half the year. Under the qualifying relative rules, the taxpayer must provide more than half of the dependent’s total support. While a bit complicated, these rules are designed to eliminate confusion over who gets to claim the dependent.

Thirdly, the IRS will always audit tax returns where two or more taxpayers attempt to claim the same dependent. Only one taxpayer will win. The taxpayer who loses might also lose the related tax breaks such as child tax credit, earned income credit, or Head of Household filing status. What that means, is that the taxpayer who loses the IRS audit will have to pay additional taxes, plus penalties and interest. That makes dependent audits one of the most expensive audits that a taxpayer can endure.

To protect yourself, you should make sure that you can claim the dependents. You should gather any documents that would support your claim. It would also be advisable to get a written agreement with an ex-spouse detailing who gets to claim the dependents and for which years.
Chrissy C | Feb 18, 2008

The child must be a U.S. Citizen or Foreign National (with a social security number or an itin) and under the age of 19 (or 24 if a student) and if you provided more than 50% of her total support including housing, food etc., AND nobody else is claiming her as a dependent on a US Income Tax return, then you can claim her.
Tomk | Feb 19, 2008

TOM | Apr 25, 2009

Thx a lot :* any answer helps

?M?l?ni???????????.

H-man | Jun 26, 2007

That’s all, I think…

El chavo que no notaste ayer | Jul 13, 2009

hope this helps.
Anonymous | Jul 13, 2009

if you want to be "sweet" you could say :

buenas noches mi vida

buenas noches corazon que suenes con los angelitos

etc
Alan R | Jul 13, 2009

Happy birthday to Gabrial McNair!!!!

I’ve added scans from the October issue of Glamour to the gallery .

There’s a new article on the Observer Online site about the upcoming album.

maddy &lt;3 | Feb 26, 2009

answwer mine : http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index; _ylt=Aua4CQp5JR7b0G2FKGQ8HW_ty6IX;_ylv=3 ?qid=20090226100749AAVjeqF
Last sunday , x | Feb 26, 2009

West of Encino | Aug 15, 2008

CARLOS BELTRAN | Sep 29, 2009

What exactly is this and how do I get rid of it? I don’t have health insurance.

Grandma | Jun 23, 2008

Change your diet to greens and fruits. That will help. Turmeric one tea spoon twice a day helps.
Iron | Jun 24, 2008