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Columbus Day should NOT be celebrated! right?

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Columbus Day should NOT be celebrated! right?

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Being compared to the Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler isn't exactly a compliment, and Christopher Columbus has received that criticism.

While many have depicted Columbus as a benevolent explorer who discovered the New World, he wasn't particularly kind, and he didn't discover the New World. We now have evidence many explorers had reached the Americas before him. Also, he only visited islands near North America; he never made it to North America.

So who is Christopher Columbus? In short, he was a greedy, destructive and vile man. Recognizing this, cities like Seattle have switched from celebrating Columbus Day to celebrating " Indigenous Peoples' Day." Instead of celebrating a man who raped and murdered all over the Caribbean and elsewhere, they celebrate those who lived in the Americas first and faced those atrocities.

Here are three reasons we shouldn't celebrate Columbus Day, as a country.

1. He decimated the native population.

According to a census taken by Columbus' men, in 1496 there were more than 1 million natives on the island of Haiti. By 1516, there were 12,000. By 1555, there were zero full-blooded natives left on the island. Why is this? Columbus enslaved natives and killed any person who dared to resist him.

This isn't the only native population that was decimated by Columbus and his men. During his reign over other nearby islands, it has been said that more than 50,000 native committed mass suicide to avoid being enslaved by his men. Everywhere they went, from the Caribbean to Central America to South America, Columbus and his men killed many and raped many.

2. He essentially started slavery in America.

Columbus was the first to instigate organized slave trading in the Americas, as far as we know, and he basically created the platform for what later became the slavery of the U.S. He was known for enslaving natives in many of the places he occupied during his quests, but he eventually started trading African slaves when the native populations died off. Not only did his men rape and kill the natives, they began importing other people to oppress.

How did his men treat slaves? There are stories of men who were chained together by their necks being beheaded so the Spaniards wouldn't have to bother to unchain them. Furthermore, he started a slave trade where children would be sent places to be sold for sex.

3. He was even terrible to his own people.

As Laurence Bergreen points out in his book Columbus: The Four Voyages, Columbus didn't even treat his own men and women well. Columbus is said to have had more than a dozen people whipped and shackled by the neck for purchasing meat and bread without his permission while they were starving. At another point, he "ordered a woman to be stripped and placed on the back of a donkey, 'stark naked,' to be whipped because she falsely claimed to be pregnant," the book says. He also had one woman's tongue cut out for "speaking ill of the Admiral and his brothers," it says. There are many accounts of Columbus torturing his people and killing them for ridiculous reasons.

Considering all this, Columbus Day clearly shouldn't be a thing, and it's time to change it.

For an illustrated explanation of why Christopher Columbus was terrible, be sure to visit The Oatmeal's graphic about him. Here's part of it:

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3 Reasons We Shouldn't Celebrate Columbus Day

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Being compared to the Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler isn't exactly a compliment, and Christopher Columbus has received that criticism. While many have depicted Columbus as a benevolent explorer who discovered the New World, he wasn't particularly kind, and he didn't discover the New World.

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Presidential Houses: A look inside where some of our Presidents live

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Presidential Houses: A look inside where some of our Presidents live

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As soon as a winter chill swept through the nation's capital, President Truman and key members of his staff would head south. The Key West property became known as the "Little White House." It is a short distance from a beach. Truman's retreat was built in 1890 as officers' quarters for the local naval base. In 1911, it was changed into a private residence. For a time, it served as a home for inventor Thomas Edison. He conducted experiments there during the First World War. That was from 1946 until 1952.

Truman spent 175 days of his presidency at this southern getaway. After his death in 1972, the home played host as a break for a number of presidents. Those presidents included Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. It also served as the site of the international peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Those were in 2011.

Today visitors can explore the bleached-white home. It has nearly all of its original furnishings. These include "The Buck Stops Here" sign on Truman's desk. You also can stroll through the home's gardens.

Eisenhower National Historic Site, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

This home is a mere stone's throw from the Gettysburg battlefield. It is where one of the most significant battles of the American Civil War unfolded. The house is former President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 189-acre farm and retreat. Eisenhower bought the property in 1950. He planned to use it as his retirement home. But he and wife Mamie wouldn't stay in retirement for long. In 1953, the five-star general became the country's 34th president. The couple would only see their homestead on weekends and holidays.

Eisenhower was fond of inviting fellow politicians and foreign dignitaries to the "Temporary White House." He liked to show off his herd of Angus cattle. He also liked to relax on the front porch.

A herd of cattle still grazes at the site. Visitors can walk along the farm lanes and trails.

Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois

An hour's drive west of Austin sits Johnson's famed ranch. The 36th president lived there with his family as a boy, beginning in 1913. At the time, many residents living in this rural corner of Texas didn't have electricity or indoor plumbing. This later led Johnson to introduce programs designed to help fellow U.S. citizens who were living in similar circumstances. It includes his famous "war on poverty" legislation. He discussed it during his State of the Union Address. That was in 1964.

Visitors can experience the 1,570-acre property. It includes Johnson's boyhood home, stockyards, farmhouse and the family gravesites. Both LBJ and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, are buried there.

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Take a look inside these six presidential homes

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As soon as a winter chill swept through the nation's capital, President Truman and key members of his staff would head south. The Key West property became known as the "Little White House." It is a short distance from a beach. Truman's retreat was built in 1890 as officers' quarters for the local naval base.

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The true story of "Hidden Figures"

As America stood on the brink of a Second World War, the push for aeronautical progress grew. It spurred a demand for mathematicians.

Women were the solution. They were ushered into the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1935 to shoulder the burden of number crunching. They acted as human computers. Their work allowed the engineers to be free of hand calculations in the decades before the digital age. These women were sharp and successful. And the female population at Langley skyrocketed.

Many of these "computers" are finally getting their due. But visibly missing from this story of female achievement are the efforts contributed by courageous, African-American women. They were called the West Computers. The name was taken after the area to which they were relegated. They helped blaze a trail for mathematicians and engineers of all races and genders to follow.

"These women were both ordinary and they were extraordinary," says Margot Lee Shetterly. She is an author. She wrote "Hidden Figures." The book shines light on the inner details of these women's lives and accomplishments. The book was made into a movie. It stars Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson. It now is in theaters.

"We've had astronauts. We've had engineers . . . John Glenn, Gene Kranz, Chris Kraft," she says. "Those guys have all told their stories." Now it's the women's turn.

Shetterly grew up in Hampton, Virginia. This was in the 1970s. She lived just miles away from Langley. The facility was built in 1917. The research complex was the headquarters for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Its purpose was to turn the floundering flying gadgets of the day into war machines. The agency was dissolved in 1958. It was replaced by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) as the space race gained speed.

The West Computers were at the heart of the center's advancements. They worked through equations that described every function of the plane. The computers would run the numbers often. But they frequently had no sense of the greater mission of the project. They contributed to the ever-changing design of a menagerie of wartime flying machines. Their calculations helped make them faster, safer, more aerodynamic. Eventually their stellar work allowed some to leave the computing pool for specific projects. Christine Darden worked to advance supersonic flight. Katherine Johnson calculated the trajectories for the Mercury and Apollo missions. NASA dissolved the remaining few human computers in the 1970s. Technological advances had made their roles obsolete.

The first black computers didn't set foot at Langley until the 1940s. The pressing needs of war were great. But racial discrimination remained strong. Few jobs existed for African-Americans, regardless of gender. That was true until 1941. A. Philip Randolph was a pioneering civil rights activist. He proposed a march on Washington to draw attention to the continued injustices of racial discrimination. The threat of 100,000 people swarming to the Capitol led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802. The order prevented racial discrimination in hiring for federal and war-related work. This order also cleared the way for the black computers, slide rule in hand, to make their way into NACA history.

Exactly how many women computers worked at NACA (and later NASA) is unknown. One 1992 study estimated the total topped several hundred. Other estimates, including Shetterly's own intuition, says that number is in the thousands.

Shetterly's father worked at Langley as well. He started in 1964. He began as an engineering intern. He became a well-respected climate scientist.

It took decades for Shetterly to realize the scale of the women's work.

Shetterly began researching these women. She found that few of these women were recognized for their work. As soon as marriage or children arrived, the women would retire. They often would become full-time homemakers, Shetterly explains. Many only stayed at Langley for a few years.

But the more Shetterly dug, the more computers she found. She scoured telephone directories and newspapers. She searched employee newsletters and the NASA archives. These helped her add to her growing list of names.

"Just today I got an email from a woman. (She asked) if I was still searching for computers. (She) had worked at Langley from July 1951 through August 1957."

Langley was not just a laboratory of science and engineering.

"In many ways, it was a racial relations laboratory, a gender relations laboratory," Shetterly says. The researchers came from across America. Many came from parts of the country sympathetic to the Civil Rights Movement.

But life at Langley wasn't just the churn of greased gears. The women were rarely provided the same opportunities and titles as their male counterparts. And the West Computers also lived with constant reminders that they were second-class citizens. In the book, Shetterly highlights one particular incident. It involved an offensive sign in the dining room. The sign read: Colored Computers.

One computer was Miriam Mann. She decided to respond to the affront. She made it her own personal goal. She took the sign from the table. Then she tucked it away in her purse. When another sign returned, she removed it again.

"That was incredible courage," says Shetterly.

Eventually Mann won. The sign disappeared.

The women fought many more of these seemingly small battles. They included fighting against separate bathrooms for races. And to gain access to restricted meetings. It was these small battles that Shetterly strove to capture in her book. Outside of the workplace, the women faced many more problems. Many struggled to find housing in Hampton. The white computers could live in Anne Wythe Hall. It was a dormitory that helped ease the shortage of housing. But the black computers were left to their own devices.

Shetterly continues to collect these names. She hopes to eventually make the list available online.

The few West Computers whose names have been remembered, have become nearly mythical figures. It is a side effect of the few African-American names celebrated in mainstream history, Shetterly argues.

"Not just mythology but the actual facts," she says. "Because the facts are truly spectacular."

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION

Why did these women need courage?

Write your answers in the comments section below

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The true story of "Hidden Figures" As America stood on the brink of a Second World War, the push for aeronautical progress grew. It spurred a demand for mathematicians. Women were the solution. They were ushered into the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1935 to shoulder the burden of number crunching.

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Jackson Heights, Queens: A Melting pot for diversity 

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Jackson Heights, Queens: A Melting pot for diversity 

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Soon after Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president - and his plan for a ban on travel by Muslims to the United States - in 2015, award-winning photojournalist Yunghi Kim set out to explore the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens, N.Y.

Jackson Heights is one of many multinational neighborhoods in New York City. Hispanics account for most of its population, but there are also many Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, harmoniously woven into the fabric of this bustling community.

Kim says of her encounters:
"It was the immigrant community - Muslims in fact - that welcomed me."
"I was unsure how the men would receive me (since I am a woman and was not dressed traditionally) but they were warm and reached out to me to tell me about their [prayer] service. Some women initially didn't want their pictures taken, bu t others intervened and said it was OK. M y sense was they saw the value in relaying an openness and sense of welcome. And in turn felt warmly included."

From Eid images of prayers to an immigrant tutoring school and daily life, Kim presents visual evidence that Muslim enclaves can and do exist peacefully in American society.
Photography © Yunghi Kim/Contact Press Images
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See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.

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Jackson Heights' Muslim enclave in the New York City melting pot

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Soon after Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president - and his plan for a ban on travel by Muslims to the United States - in 2015, award-winning photojournalist Yunghi Kim set out to explore the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens, N.Y. Jackson Heights is one of many multinational neighborhoods in New York City.

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Harriet Tubman FINALLY gets national recognition 

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Harriet Tubman FINALLY gets national recognition 

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Harriet Tubman's home designated as National Park | PBS NewsHour Extra

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The National Park Service recently made Harriet Tubman's home in Auburn, New York a national park, celebrating the later chapters of her life.

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Teach current events in your elementary classroom, grades 1-6.

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Teach current events in your elementary classroom, grades 1-6.

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Teach current events in your elementary classroom, grades 1-6.

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Photo Credit: Amazon

In 2013, Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder of Amazon Inc., made headlines when he proclaimed that within a few years, the company would deploy unmanned drones to deliver packages within 30 minutes after an order was placed. Since Amazon Prime Air was unveiled the night before "Cyber Monday," skeptics dismissed it as a publicity stunt designed to draw attention to the company. It turns out they were wrong.

On December 7, 2016, Amazon revealed that it had completed its first Prime Air delivery in Cambridge, UK. The package, containing a bag of popcorn and an Amazon Fire TV, were loaded on to the unmanned vehicle from a local fulfillment center and delivered to a two-story farmhouse several miles away - all within 13 minutes after the items were bought!

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

The company also announced that the service is now available within the five-square-mile radius of the Cambridge area, seven days a week during daylight hours. The sparsely populated rural area, with few dozen residents scattered amidst vast swaths of farmland and fields, is perfect for testing the drones.

Unfortunately, even if the trial is wildly successful, many challenges still remain before drone delivery becomes a reality for most of us. While the octocopters may do fine in rural areas, they remain untested in crowded urban cities where they would encounter obstacles like buildings or trees. There is also fear that the autonomous flying vehicles could injure people as they descend to drop their packages. The drones and their cargo are also susceptible to being taken down by vandals.

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

Then there are the delivery logistics. Amazon will not only have to ensure that every Prime Air customer has a special landing pad, but also come up with a feasible solution for apartment dwellers who do not have access to an open space where the drone can land. Hence, while Amazon Prime Air may someday be a reality, for now, we will just have to wait for two "long" days to receive our packages!

Resources: Amazon.com, endgadget.com

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Amazon Drone Delivers Popcorn And Fire TV To Its First Customer

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In 2013, Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder of Amazon Inc., made headlines when he proclaimed that within a few years, the company would deploy unmanned drones to deliver packages within 30 minutes after an order was placed.

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Cuba's leader is now dead after 90 years!

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Cuba's leader is now dead after 90 years!

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13 interesting facts about the 13 colonies! 

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13 interesting facts about the 13 colonies! 

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This is why we still celebrate Columbus Day 

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This is why we still celebrate Columbus Day 

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Every fall in recent memory has reignited the ongoing handwringing about the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World, and the legacy his "discovery" left us.

For decades, the U.S. has celebrated the second Monday of October as a federal holiday, an "annual reaffirmation by the American people of their faith in the future, a declaration of willingness to face with confidence the imponderables of unknown tomorrows," according to a Senate report from the year Congress made Columbus Day a federal affair.

Native American activist groups, among others, see Columbus as a European colonizer who set in motion the genocide of an entire people. But the reasons we still have a holiday in his name are pretty straightforward.
RELATED: On Indigenous Peoples Day, some facts about California's Native students >>
Columbus Day was Italian Americans' idea, and many of them want to keep it

After strong lobbying from the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic service organization consisting largely of Italian Americans, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Oct. 12, 1937, as the first Columbus Day and "directed that flags be displayed on all government buildings on that date," according to a front page item in the Los Angeles Times that September.

"Each recurrence of Columbus Day brings to all of us a greater appreciation of the heritage we have received as a result of the faith and courage and fortitude of the Genoese navigator and his brave companions," Roosevelt said to mark the occasion the next year. (Celebrations in Los Angeles honoring Christopher Columbus were happening as far back as 1932, according to news reports at the time.)

Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law in 1968, establishing the three-day weekend for some federal holidays and adding Columbus Day as an official public holiday. By then, 45 states were already observing it.

Since then, efforts to eliminate or rename the Columbus Day holiday in various states and cities have met strong resistance from Italian Americans, who have said Columbus is an important figure in their heritage and calling such efforts "anti-Italian American."

In 2002, the Los Angeles City Council voted to allow city employees to take Cesar Chavez Day as a paid holiday instead of Columbus Day, a move that prompted a slew of prominent Italian Americans, including former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, to send a strongly worded letter to city officials. As a compromise, the council allowed city employees to celebrate either holiday. (Although California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated the Columbus Day state holiday as part of a budget-cutting measure in 2009, Los Angeles city and county offices still observe it. The Los Angeles Unified School District does not.)

When Montana state Sen. Don Ryan tried to swap the state's Columbus Day holiday in favor of a Sept. 11 holiday to avoid the increased cost of an extra paid holiday, Italian Americans spoke out against the bill and it was voted down, he told The Times in 2009.
See the most-read stories this hour >>
It would take an act of Congress to scrap the federal holiday - and it doesn't look like anyone has even tried

Since Congress enshrined the day as a public holiday in 1968, it would take another act of Congress to eliminate it.

And in a search of bills going back to 1973, it doesn't appear any have been introduced. There have been resolutions introduced, however "expressing support for students to learn about Christopher Columbus" and "proclaiming Christopher Columbus to be an honorary citizen of the United States." Another measure, which passed both houses in 1992, expressed support for the planting of 500 California redwood trees in Spain to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the voyage.

Robert Holden, deputy director of the National Congress of American Indians, said that although the idea has been brewing in the Native American community for years, there has been no political will to introduce such a measure. The organization has lobbied, however, for establishing November as Native American Heritage Month and other forms of recognition.

"We want to put some accuracy in history and acknowledge that we were here, and that we are still here," said Holden, who is of Choctaw and Chickasaw descent.
Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >>
Alternatives exist, but millions of people still go to Columbus Day parades

In 1992, the city of Berkeley was the first to declare the day Indigenous Peoples Day. Last year, Seattle and Minneapolis followed suit, and this year, Albuquerque; Portland, Ore.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Olympia, Wash., did too.

Twenty-two states, including California, do not consider it a paid holiday. South Dakota celebrates Native American Day instead, and Hawaii and Alaska, which also have large native populations, don't recognize it at all.

In polls going back to 2007, very few Americans have said they believe Columbus Day is one of the nation's most important holidays. In 2014, 45% of those surveyed by Rasmussen said they consider it one of the least important.

Even so, according to a 2013 poll, 58% of Americans still think America should honor the Italian explorer.

And New York City's Columbus Day Parade is one of the city's biggest public gatherings of the year. This year it was expected to draw more than a million spectators. See the big crowd below.

For more breaking news and explanations, follow me @cmaiduc ALSO: Thought the scorching heat in Southern California was over? Think again Sarkisian's firing 'in the best interest of' school and student athletes, Haden says #MillennialPledge backlash is 'what you get when you raise an entire generation without spanking'

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Every fall in recent memory has reignited the ongoing handwringing about the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World, and the legacy his "discovery" left us. For decades, the U.S.

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Columbus Day SHOULD be celebrated! Right? 

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Columbus Day SHOULD be celebrated! Right? 

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10 reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day 

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10 reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day 

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The second Monday in October is designated in the U.S. as Columbus Day, commemorating Christopher Columbus's sighting of the Americas and landing in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. He did not, however, "discover" the Americas, since people had already been living on the continent for thousands of years, and in any case, the Vikings had visited 500 years earlier. ( John Oliver has a wonderful take on this.)

But as we learn more and more about the atrocities that Columbus carried out against the people he found living in the Americas, why do we still celebrate his arrival?

Berkeley, California is thought to be the first city to adopt 1. In fact, many of us don't celebrate Columbus Day. Indigenous People's Day in 1992. South Dakota has celebrated Native American Day instead of Columbus Day since 1990. In 2014, Seattle and Minneapolis became the first major American cities whose city councils voted to approve a measure recognizing Indigenous People's Day.

ne cities in states across the U.S. have since then pressed for resolutions to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day rather than Columbus Day. Of these,Albuquerque, New Mexico; Lawrence, Kansas; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City, have all canceled Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day in the past two months. Several other city councils across the U.S. are still working on this change.

3. Columbus was a murderer and a tyrant, which is why we don't want to honor him. Just take a look at some of the horrific acts he committed: according to Michele de Cuneo, who participated in Columbus' second expedition to the Americas, after being attacked by over 2,000 natives, Columbus had three "Indian" leaders brought to him and had them publicly beheaded. Another native was also dragged to the middle of his village and the Spaniards "cut off his ears' in retribution for the Indians' failing to be helpful to the Spaniards when fording a stream."

4. Still not convinced? Here's an account of how the natives were first enslaved and then beheaded, when their Spanish captors under Columbus didn't want to take the time to untie them. Benjamin Keen, who is a historian of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, has found multiple sources confirming accounts of "exhausted Indian carriers, chained by the neck, whose heads the Spaniards severed from their bodies so they might not have to stop to untie them."

nti-Columbus sentiment can be found throughout the Americas. In Chile, two years ago rotesters clashed with police in Santiago during an anti-Columbus Day march organized by Indigenous groups; on the 521-year anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas, activists demanded the return of their ancestral lands and the right to self-determination. p In 2002, indigenous people in Guatemala gathered in huge groups across the nation's highways, thereby shutting them down, to protest the day.

6. In Spain, October 12 is known as Día de la Hispanidad, or The National Day of Spain. It also coincides with the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar, patroness of the city of Zaragoza and of Spain. A military parade in the capital, Madrid, is a key part of the celebrations each year. The Prime Minister, along with Spanish royalty, joins a wide array of authorities, who are invited to attend the parade. Other celebrations take place throughout the rest of the country.

7. In Mexico, October 12 is known as Día de la Raza (Day of the Race). Indigenous groups gather in Mexico City dressed in their community's traditional outfits, some wearing pre-Columbian clothing and headdresses, and the festivities last all day both in the capital and around the country. However, although viewed as a day of celebration for many, it has also recently been a day chosen for protests, rallies and street marches.

8. Many other countries celebrate October 12, or the nearest Monday to it. In Argentina, the holiday is known as Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity). In Chile it is called Día del Descubrimiento de Dos Mundos (Day of Discovery of Two Worlds), in Costa Rica it is Día de las Culturas (Day of Cultures), in Uruguay it is Día de las Americas (Pan American Day), and in Venezuela October 12 is the Día de la Resistencia Indígena (The Day of Indigenous Resistance).

9. The United Nations has declared October 12 Spanish Language Day, a day to honor a language that unifies speakers on both sides of the Atlantic. The event was established by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to seek "to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity."

In the U.S., this holiday, initiated by President Roosevelt in 1937, may not survive at all, as more and more cities and states decide to do away with it. According to the Pew Research Center, it's already "one of the most inconsistently celebrated U.S. holidays." Federal employees get the day off, but otherwise, workers in only 23 states receive a paid day off to mark the holiday.

If you agree that it's way past time to stop celebrating Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous People's Day, please sign this petition to our leaders in Washington, demanding that they make this change.

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10 Fascinating Facts About October 12 - Columbus Day Or Indigenous People's Day? | Care2 Causes

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The second Monday in October is designated in the U.S. as Columbus Day, commemorating Christopher Columbus's sighting of the Americas and landing in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. He did not, however, "discover" the Americas, since people had already been living on the continent for thousands of years, and in any case, the Vikings had visited 500 years earlier.

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(Michael Mundy/Architectural Digest via AP)

See the private side of The White House

President Barack Obama likes to say the White House is the "people's house." Now, the people are getting a look at the rooms where he lives.

Architectural Digest has published exclusive photos. The photos give the public its first glimpse of private areas. They are on the second floor of the White House. Obama, his wife, Michelle, daughters Malia and Sasha and family dogs Bo and Sunny have called them home. They have lived there for nearly eight years.

Los Angeles-based interior designer Michael Smith decorated the rooms. He also decorated the Oval Office. A mutual friend in Chicago introduced him to the Obamas. This was after the 2008 election.

The first lady said Smith managed to reflect her family's tastes. At the same time, he respected the history of the White House.

"Above all, it has truly felt like a home for our family," she told the magazine.

Photos show a number of rooms. There is the Yellow Oval Room. The Treaty Room, where Obama retreats late at night. In that room, he likes to read briefing material for the next day. There's a sitting room, a dining room and the master bedroom. The rooms are adorned with a variety of modern and contemporary art. The art was borrowed from major art institutions. They include the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian museums.

Architectural Digest has also published photos of the private living quarters of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

Amy Astley is editor in chief of the magazine. She said the Obamas' personal style, and the history and diversity of the nation, are reflected in their art and decor choices. The Architectural Digest issue with photos of the Obama living quarters was scheduled to appear on newsstands on Nov. 8. That is Election Day.

The master bedroom is decorated in beige hues. It has an antique canopy bed. It is decked out with fine Italian linen. Identical, footed tables stand at either side of the bed. One bears family photos. One is stacked with books. Matching, upholstered chairs and a sofa form a sitting area.

Smith called the bedroom the Obamas' "sanctuary."

"You really want to make sure that the president of the United States gets a good night's sleep," he told the magazine.

That's something Obama apparently gets.

"I have a phone right by my bedside. And every morning somebody calls and says, 'Mr. President, it's your 7 a.m. wake-up call,'" Obama said during a recent appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION

Why is The White House decorated differently for different presidents?

Write your answers in the comments section below

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(Michael Mundy/Architectural Digest via AP) See the private side of The White House President Barack Obama likes to say the White House is the "people's house." Now, the people are getting a look at the rooms where he lives. Architectural Digest has published exclusive photos.

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Stories - Native Americans in Olden Times for Kids

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Hranicka Propast (Photo Credit: Krzysztof Starnawsk via Facebook)

Polish explorer Krzysztof Starnawski's fascination with the Hranická Propast, or Hranice Abyss, an underwater cave in the Czech Republic, began in 1999. The diver, who once held the world record for the deepest dive (283-meters) with a closed circuit rebreather, says the cave's limestone unusual formation led him to suspect that it was a lot deeper than his dives had taken him.

Armed with a grant from National Geographic, Starnawski and his team returned in 2014. This time, the diver managed to reach 200 meters, or what he thought was the bottom of the cave, only to find a "squeeze passage" in the rock that led to another deep, dark, tunnel. Unable to go any further, he lowered his probe to its maximum length of 384 meters, and still did not hit bottom. Interestingly enough, this was a mere 8 meters shy of Italy's Pozzo del Merro, the world's deepest underwater cave.

Photo Credit: Krzysztof Starnawsk via Facebook

Believing that Hranická Propast could easily surpass that depth, the 48-year-old Polish cave explorer returned in 2015. This time, Starnawski went through the "squeeze passage" that had widened substantially since his previous visit and swam all the way down to 265 meters. Still finding no bottom, the explorer lowered the probe to 370 meters before it was stopped by a pile of debris, most likely from the collapse of the squeeze passage.

To investigate beyond the rubble, Starnawski returned to the area again in 2016. This time, he was accompanied by a remotely-operated underwater robot (ROV). To give the ROV a good chance to reach the cave's floor, Starnawski scuba dived 200 meters to install a new line for the ROV to follow. Then on September 27, the team at the surface guided the ROV to the line marker, and watched as it made its way to a record-breaking depth of 404 meters!

Krubera Cave - The world's deepest known cave ( Photo Credit: Amusing Planet)

While that is enough to grab the title of the world's deepest underwater cave, the Czech Speleological Society believes the cave is even deeper. They say that the robot was limited by the length of the rope and speculate that the floor of the Hranická Propast goes well beyond 404 meters. Whether that is the case will be revealed soon. That's because Starnawski and his team are determined to return and continue their quest to unveil all the secrets this mysterious, seemingly unending cave has to offer.

While the Hranická Propast is the world's deepest underwater cave, it is not the deepest known cave on Earth. That claim belongs to the Krubera Cave. Located in the country of Georgia, it extends an astounding 2,197 meters underground. To put it in perspective, that is deeper than the length of the Burj Khalifa, Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Empire State Building, the Washington Monument, and the Chrysler building, combined!

Resources: phys.org, nationalgeographic.com,abc.ne.au,

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The World's Deepest Underwater Cave is Almost The Height Of The Empire State Building

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Polish explorer Krzysztof Starnawski's fascination with the Hranická Propast, or Hranice Abyss, an underwater cave in the Czech Republic, began in 1999. The diver, who once held the record for the deepest dive (283-meters) with a closed circuit rebreather, says the cave's limestone unusual formation led him to suspect that it was a lot deeper than his dives had taken him.

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John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon at the second Presidential debate in 1960 (Photo Credit: United Press International via Wikimedia Commons)

Though not mandatory, it has become customary for the US Presidential nominees of the two largest political parties - currently the Democratic and Republican parties - to face off against each other in a series of live debates. While the primary purpose is to convince undecided voters, hearing the candidate's views on issues ranging from the US economy to foreign policy sometimes sways even staunch party supporters. Given that the nominees get just three chances to present their ideas, the discussions are often contentious. However, the arguments are usually restricted to differences in policies. But this time the rhetoric has been personal. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump spent the first two debates talking more about each other's character flaws than discussing America's future. Last night was no different.

The third and final debate before the November 8 general elections started off well. The candidates spent the first half hour discussing their views on issues pertaining to the country, similar to how one might hear in any other election. Unfortunately, it did not last. Clinton fired the first salvo by talking about Trump's reluctance to mention his favorite topic - the proposed border wall - when he met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on September 1. Trump took the bait. From their on, the Republican candidate did what he is well-known for - going off-topic and getting curt and defensive when confronted with tough questions. His already tarnished reputation among women was made worse when he repeatedly called Clinton "such a nasty woman."

Photo Credit: monmouth.edu

But despite these missteps, experts believe that the Republican candidate would have emerged relatively unscathed had he not made one last comment. During the final few minutes of the debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he would accept the election's results, irrespective of who won. The candidate's response, "I will look at it at the time," drew an immediate rebuke from his opponent and the ire of many voters. That's because even in the closest of elections, no US Presidential hopeful has ever questioned the integrity of the democratic process. Needless to say, this is not how the Republican Party wanted their candidate to end the most crucial debate of the election.

Hillary Clinton was not perfect either. The Democratic candidate also evaded tough questions about her e-mail scandal as well as recently leaked news of mismanagement of funds in the Clinton Foundation. However, political pundits say between the two, Hillary was stronger, more poised, and more prepared to answer the questions presented to her. Trump's election results statement put the final nail in the coffin, causing experts to almost unanimously agree that Clinton came out ahead. Informal polls set up by many newspapers indicate that US voters feel the same way.

Whether this will effect the Republican candidate's bid for the US Presidency will be revealed when Americans go to the polls on November 8. But one thing is for sure: the 2016 election will go down as the strangest in the nation's 240-year history.

Resources: NPR.org, cnn.com, wikipedia.org

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Third and Final US Presidential Debate Was . . . More Of The Same!

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Though not mandatory, it has become customary for the US Presidential nominees of the two largest political parties - currently the Democratic and Republican parties - to face off against each other in a series of live debates.

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Diwali, The festival of Lights...India's Joyful ceremony

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Diwali, The festival of Lights...India's Joyful ceremony

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Lighting the house with Diyas or oil lamps, is a common tradition during Diwali (Photo Credit: Khokarahman (Own work) CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

Today, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists worldwide will begin the countdown to Diwali. Also called the Festival of Lights, the annual event is the most anticipated and eagerly awaited of all Indian celebrations. Though the holiday is always observed in late October or early November, the exact date which is determined by the position of the moon and the Hindu lunar calendar, differs.

The festivities will begin in earnest on Friday, October 28, with Dhanteras. The name is derived from the words "wealth" (Dhan) and "thirteen" (Teras), the day of the lunar month the celebration takes place. Since the day is dedicated to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, one of the fun rituals observed is shopping for gold and silver jewelry. Those that cannot afford to settle for colorful new clothes and utensils, which are also considered auspicious.

Colorful powder designs called Rangolis are popular during this festival (Photo Credit: By Subharnab Majumdar CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

According to folklore, the credit for this fun tradition can be attributed to the crafty wife of a 16-year-old prince who was destined to die from a snakebite four days after the wedding. To try to save her husband's life, the bride illuminated the room's entrance with small lamps and heaps of gold and silver coins and ornaments. She also kept him awake by narrating stories and singing songs. When Yama, the Hindu god of death, arrived, he was blinded by the brilliance of the light from the lamps and precious metals. When the deity finally managed to get atop the heap, he became so mesmerized by the sound of the prince's wife and her stories that he sat and listened the entire night. He then quietly snuck out in the morning without harming the prince.

The day after Dhanteras is celebrated in different ways. Some call it Kali Chaudas or Narak Chaturdashi and believe that it was on this day, Mahakali, the Hindu goddess of time and death, killed Narakasura, an evil demon. To commemorate the occasion, they conduct elaborate rituals to rid the house of demons and evil spirits. Non-believers think of the day as "Choti" (small) Diwali and begin the celebrations early.

Indian Sweets are a must at any Diwali celebration (Photo Credit:

Most households start Diwali, which will fall on Sunday, October 30 this year, with morning prayers. The rest of the day is spent exchanging gifts and sweets with family and friends. Those that missed out on the Dhanteras shopping spree make up for it on this equally auspicious day. Many people also adorn the entrance of their homes with colorful powder designs called Rangolis.

The festivities continue into the evening when homes are lit up with diyas, and tables are laden with scrumptious food. After dinner, families meet up with neighbors and friends to create their own fireworks shows. While younger kids stick to safe sparklers, teens and adults light up the skies with bigger, louder, and more colorful fireworks. The celebration continues late into the night until every last firecracker has exploded.

There are numerous myths associated with Diwali. The most popular one credits it to the people of the ancient kingdom of Ayodhya. According to the legend, the festival was held to celebrate the return of King Rama, his wife Sita, and brother Lakshmana, from a 14-year exile imposed by the monarch's stepmother.

Photo Credit: By UrbanUrban CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

For some Hindus, Diwali also marks the end of the calendar year. On Monday, October 31, they will celebrate the first day of the year 2073. The 57-year lead against the commonly used Gregorian calendar has to do with using the shorter lunar months to calculate the year. The last day of the festival, Bhai Dooj, is dedicated to the special bond between brothers and sisters and celebrated with more gourmet food and prayers.

While Diwali is fun for kids all over the world, it is particularly so for those that reside in India. That's because, in addition to a week's vacation from school, they also receive gifts, attend parties, eat delicious meals, and best of all, play with fireworks!

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Diwali, The Joyful Indian Festival Of Lights Is Almost Here!

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Today, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists worldwide, will begin the countdown to Diwali. Also called the Festival of Lights, the annual event is the most anticipated and eagerly awaited of all Indian celebrations. Though the holiday is always observed in late October or early November, the exact date which is determined by the position of the moon and the Hindu lunar calendar, differs.

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Do different racial groups view the police differently?

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Daily Video

Essential question

How do different racial and socio-economic communities view the role of police?

Only one-third of African Americans think the police are doing an excellent job, compared to roughly three quarters of white people, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

But Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka has worked to change those numbers. Baraka says it is important to help improve racial relations in his community, including changing the culture of the police department while also giving law enforcement the support they need.

"I think [what] we want is community policing and police officers who care about the community that they live in, who think that they're part of a community, and not an occupying force in a community," Baraka said.

Since Baraka took office two years ago, the city of Newark has made it easier to access the internal affairs division so that residents feel more comfortable making complaints about police conduct. The city has also instituted sensitivity training for new recruits and encourages police officers to live in the communities they are policing longer than they normally do.

Another key part of Baraka's plan for Newark includes improving the economy. The city has set up cooperatives, which give residents partial ownership of their own businesses.

"We're experimenting and trying to do the best that we can with the ideas that we have," Baraka said.

cooperative - a farm, business, or other organization that is owned and run jointly by its members, who share the profits or benefits

de-escalation training - training used by law enforcement during a potentially dangerous or threatening situation in an attempt to prevent a suspect from causing harm to themselves or others

Warm up questions (before watching the video)

1. Why are tensions between police and African American communities high at the moment?

2. What can happen if people within a community don't trust law enforcement?

3. What are some ways to strengthen the relationship between police and the community they serve?

Cr itical thinking questions (after watching the video)

1. Do you think Mayor Ras Baraka's efforts to reform Newark's policing will improve community relations in the long term?

2. Why do you think Newark encourages police to live in the communities they serve?

3. How could Mayor Baraka's efforts be replicated in other parts of the country?

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How do different racial groups view the police? | PBS NewsHour Extra

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Only one-third of African Americans think the police are doing an excellent job, compared to roughly three quarters of white people, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. But Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka has worked to change those numbers.

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Can you imagine life without clean water? Well...check out what these Native Americans deal with...

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Can you imagine life without clean water? Well...check out what these Native Americans deal with...

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It's a tough balance to strike, especially as Native youth leave tribal lands in search of education and career opportunities. Across the nation, members of the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes are working to keep their traditions alive to pass on to the next generation and to show mainstream America that Native culture is a living, breathing entity.

Some faces of these efforts are captured in "Red Road," an ongoing photo series by Italian photographer Carlotta Cardana and writer Danielle SeeWalker, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

The name "Red Road" comes from the Lakota concept of "the good path" that should be followed in life, the project's website says: "The people we've met and photographed all follow this 'Red Road' in some way, rising above to be role models to their people and their way of life."

"Red Road" consists of portraits taken in a setting of the subject's choosing and a short biography, showing how each person bridges the gap between modern America and Indian Country.

One photo shows 33-year-old Tanksi Morning Star Clairmont, who grew up off the reservation in Denver.

She was usually the only Native American in school growing up. She began to embrace her Native identity in high school by performing cultural dances for her classmates. She also learned the Lakota language and rituals from her grandmother and mother, and she continues to share them with her community in Denver, where she works for the American Indian College Fund.

Her portrait shows her dressed in hand-beaded regalia in the colors and patterns of the Lakota and Dakota tribes, standing near a river in a park close to her home in Denver.

"I'm proud that we, as Native Americans, can maintain our traditional lifestyle whether we live in the city or on the reservation and that we can be educated and be professionals, too," Clairmont said in "Red Road."

Another photo shows Danielle Finn, a member of the Hunkpapa Lakota tribe, sitting on a pink bedspread in a bedroom of her family's home. If not for her traditional green dress and accessories made by her and mother, the portrait could be mistaken for an image from a decor catalog.

A law student in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Finn also represented the Hunkpapa Lakota tribe at the 2014 Miss Indian World pageant. She also visits reservations on behalf of the Center for Native American Youth's "Champion for Change" program, discussing topics such as teen pregnancy, alcohol abuse and the importance of Native culture.

"Running in pageants is a way to show you are a leader, be an inspiration to other young Native girls and teach others about your tribe," she said.

Cardana and SeeWalker met in 1998 while in high school. SeeWalker had just moved to Nebraska from her tribal land in North Dakota, and Cardana was an exchange student. They bonded as the new kids in town over a love for thrift clothes and blue hair, and they became lifelong friends.

They decided to pursue a project together in 2013 after Cardana visited SeeWalker and her family on the Standing Rock reservation. The goal was to capture stories that portrayed Native Americans in a positive light to counteract the negative headlines coming out of Indian Country related to substance abuse and poverty.

"We envision this project as a celebration of Native American culture rather than portraying all the misery," Cardana said.

"There's a richness of cultural differences among the tribes. We tend to generalize and think of them as just a few tribes, but there's so much more."

Carlotta Cardana is an Italian portrait and documentary photographer based in London. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.

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young native americans celebrating their culture - cnn

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Young Native Americans celebrating their culture - CNN

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It's a tough balance to strike, especially as Native youth leave tribal lands in search of education and career opportunities. Across the nation, members of the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes are working to keep their traditions alive to pass on to the next generation and to show mainstream America that Native culture is a living, breathing entity.

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Should the government build a pipeline on Native American lands?

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Native American Teens Running To Save Their Water Supply

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Standing Rock Sioux Reservation members are running 2000 miles to deliver a petition to lawmakers, asking them to stop an oil pipeline that risks polluti...

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Look at what Latina women are doing in Queens!!

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Look at what Latina women are doing in Queens!!

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Columbus Day or No Columbus day?

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Not everybody will be celebrating Columbus Day.

Members of 200 Native American tribes, who consider the Italian explorer more criminal than conqueror, will skip the Manhattan parade on Oct. 10 and instead descend on Randall's Island for the second annual Indigenous People's Day celebration.

"I thought it was important to have a free day for people to come and learn about what Columbus Day really means. It's a blemish on our history that we choose to fabricate and reinvent," said Cliff Matias, 40, who is a Taino Indian, the director of the Red Hawk Native American Arts Council and the festival founder.

"People are celebrating one of the greatest mass murderers and perpetuators of rape and human slavery," Matias continued, referring to Columbus's treatment of his ancestors - the Taino people of Hispaniola.

The all-day pow-wow will be attended by members of the Cherokee, Sioux, Ramapough and Seminole tribes, among many others, he said. Members of the public are also welcome to attend the free event.

Nearly 6,000 Native Americans attended the event last year, and many will return this year to camp out Sunday Oct. 9 at Randall's Island Park. The anti-Columbus festivities will commence at 7 a.m. the following day.

The parade meanwhile, will step off on Fifth Avenue, with the line of march stretching from 44th Street to 72nd Street.

"We will honor our ancestors and think of the pain and suffering they endured because of Columbus," Matias said.

Columbus Day became a national holiday in 1937. It celebrates the anniversary of the Italian explorer's arrival in the Americas in 1492, and has come to be synonymous with honoring Italian-Americans and their culture.

"Our mission is to celebrate Italian-American culture, heritage and accomplishments," said the president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, Angelo Vivolo, who also runs the parade.

But recent decades have brought a revisionist version of history that argues Columbus, sailing under the Spanish flag, committed atrocities against Native Americans. According to Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," he ordered the enslaving and murdering of inhabitants of the Bahamas, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and took their treasure.

Celebrations of America's indigenous people have been popping up on Columbus Day in Oregon, Minnesota, Washington, Michigan and New Mexico.

Matias finds it "preposterous" that Italians have "attached themselves" to Columbus and suggested a Frank Sinatra day instead. "We want city officials to stop supporting a criminal," Matias said.

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Native American tribes maintaining anti-Columbus Day tradition

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Not everybody will be celebrating Columbus Day. Members of 200 Native American tribes, who consider the Italian explorer more criminal than conqueror, will skip the Manhattan parade on Oct. 10 and instead descend on Randall's Island for the second annual Indigenous People's Day celebration.

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On the fourth Thursday of November, people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday honoring the early settlers and Native Americans who came together to have a historic harvest feast.

NATIVE AMERICANS

Long before settlers came to the East Coast of the United States, the area was inhabited by many Native American tribes. The area surrounding the site of the first Thanksgiving, now known as southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island, had been the home of the Wampanoag people for over 12,000 years, and had been visited by other European settlers before the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620. The native people knew the land well and had fished, hunted, and harvested for thousands of generations.

THE SETTLERS

The people who comprised the Plymouth Colony were a group of English Protestants called Puritans who wanted to break away from the Church of England. These "separatists" initially moved to Holland. But after 12 years of financial problems, they received funding from English merchants to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in 1620 to settle in a "New World." Carrying 101 men, women, and children, the Mayflower traveled the ocean for 66 days and was supposed to land where New York City is now located. But windy conditions forced the group to cut their trip short and settle at what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

SETTLING AND EXPLORING

As the Puritans prepared for winter, they gathered anything they could find, including Wampanoag supplies.

One day, Samoset, a leader of the Abenaki people, and Tisquantum (better known as Squanto) visited the settlers. Squanto was a Wampanoag who had experience with other settlers and knew English. Squanto helped the settlers grow corn and use fish to fertilize their fields. After several meetings, a formal agreement was made between the settlers and the native people, and in March 1621, they joined together to protect each other from other tribes.

THE CELEBRATION

One day that fall, four settlers were sent to hunt for food for a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag heard gunshots and alerted their leader, Massasoit, who thought the English might be preparing for war. Massasoit visited the English settlement with 90 of his men to see if the war rumor was true.

Soon after their visit, the Native Americans realized that the English were only hunting for the harvest celebration. Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. They played ball games, sang, and danced.

Although prayers and thanks were probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two years later in 1623. On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought.

THE MYTHS

Puritans are often thought of having silver buckles on their shoes and wearing somber, black clothing. Their attire was actually bright and cheerful (with no shoe buckles!). The Native Americans actualy didn't wear woven blankets on their shoulders and large, feathered headdresses, even though some artworks portray this. And though today we might refer to the Puritans as "Pilgrims," the Englishmen didn't call themselves that.

NATIVE AMERICANS AND THANKSGIVING

The peace between the Native Americans and settlers lasted for only a generation. The Wampanoag people do not share in the popular reverence for the traditional New England Thanksgiving. For them, the holiday is a reminder of betrayal and bloodshed. Since 1970, many native people have gathered at the statue of Massasoit in Plymouth, Massachusetts, each Thanksgiving Day to remember their ancestors and the strength of the Wampanoag.

MODERN THANKSGIVING

In the 19th century, the modern Thanksgiving holiday started to take shape. In 1846, Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of a magazine called Godey's Lady's Book, campaigned for an annual national thanksgiving holiday. But it wasn't until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared two national Thanksgivings; one in August to commemorate the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War, and the other in November to give thanks for "general blessings." It's the second one that we celebrate today.
Learn more about the holiday at National Geographic.

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Native Americans and early settlers gave thanks together with this historic feast.