The History of the Color Purple Researched from Bratislava
by Henni Racik A dictionary defines purple as “any of a group of colors with a hue between that of violet and red” and as a “symbol of royalty or high office.” Historically, the color purple has been associated with royalty and power, but the secret of its power lies in the glands of tiny shellfish creatures. The earliest archaeological evidence for the origins of purple dyes points to the Minoan civilization in Crete, about 1900 B.C. The ancient land of Canaan (its corresponding Greek name was Phoenicia, which means “land of the purple”) was the center of the ancient purple dye industry. “Tyrian Purple,” the purple dye of the ancients mentioned in texts dating back to about 1600 B.C., was produced from the mucus of the hypobranchial gland of various species of marine mollusks, notably Murex. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye. Legend credits its discovery to Herakles, or rather to his dog, whose mouth was stained purple from chewing on snails along the Levantine coast. King Phoenix received a purple-dyed robe from Herakles and decreed the rulers of Phoenicia should wear this color as a royal symbol. Although originating in Tyre (hence the name), man's first dye chemical industry spread throughout the world. Rome, Egypt, and Persia all used purple as the imperial standard. Purple dyes were rare and expensive; only the rich had access to them. The purple colorants used came from different sources, most from the dye extraction from fish or insects. The imperial purple of Rome was based on mollusk from which purpura comes. Emperor Aurelian refused to let his wife buy a purpura-dyed silk garment, as it cost its weight in gold! Insect and snail animal-based colors were mentioned in the Bible for use in textile furnishings of the Tabernacle and for the sacred vestments for the High Priest Aaron, and they also were used in King Solomon's and King Herod's temples in Jerusalem. With the decline of the Roman Empire, the use of “Tyrian Purple” also declined, and large-scale production ceased with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D. It was replaced by cheaper dyes such as lichen purple and madder. Pope Paul II in 1464 introduced the so-called “Cardinal's Purple,” which was really scarlet extracted from the Kermes insect. This became the first luxury dye of the Middle Ages. Dyes were exported extensively from Central and South America during Spain's exploration of North and South America. Among these were Cochineal from Mexico and Peru. The chemical birth of the synthetic dye industry can be traced to the discovery of an aniline-based purple dye, mauveine, by William H. Perkin in 1856, who accomplished this while searching for a cure for malaria. Perkin was an English chemist who changed the world of his time by making this purple color available to the masses. It became quite fashionable to wear clothing dyed with “mauve,” and Mr. Perkin became a very wealthy man. In 1909 Paul Friedlander determined the major chemical composition of Murex dye as 6,6'-dibromoindigo. Today, genuine “Tyrian Purple” remains the domain of the rich and famous. However, synthetic dyes and pigments that meet various purple color requirements have removed the mystique of the color purple.
Everywhere in the Western world, the statistics documenting the incidence of depression and other types of mental illness in the population are skyrocketing. Whether is this due to a statistical technicality (there is less social stigma today associated with mental illness, making it easier to seek treatment) or whether the problem really is growing, we can not afford to ignore it.
It is estimated that approximately 3% of the population in the west suffer from chronic depression. 16% will suffer from depression at some point in their lives. Twenty years ago, these figures were 1.5% and 5%, respectively. In the United States alone, there are approximately 20 million chronic depressives. About 10% of these are children, which is an extremely alarming statistic. It is alarming because depressed children always grow up to depressed adults -- and in turn, depressed adults often (although fortunately not always) produce depressed children. Bi-polar disorder, a condition closely related to depression, affects less people (depression is roughly ten times as common as bi-polar disorder) but it is much more dangerous. It causes extreme mood swings and unpredictable, often self-destructive behaviour. We must understand what is Bi-polar and why did they give such a label to an illness. No-one dies directly from depression or manic depression. However, indirectly bipolar illness is the second most common cause of death for young women in the developed world, the third most common for men. Depression is silent killer one of the causes is STRESS. Depression and its complications are the number one cause for disability in the US. World wide (including the "developing" nations), depression takes away more years from people's lives than wars, AIDS and cancer combined (as calculated by age at which a person dies / becomes disabled due to depression vs. the expectancy of healthy life-years). Depression and substance abuse are closely linked, so we also must take into account the deaths caused by alcoholism or other substance abuse; also, deaths caused by heart disease and several types of cancers may also be indirectly linked to depression, and the self-destructiveness and unwillingness to take care of oneself it produces. All things considered, depression may be indirectly the number one cause of death in the world. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men (whether the reasons are biological, social or a combination of the two, I cannot say), while men are more likely to abuse alcohol and/or other substances or commit suicide. An astonishing 15% of all depressed people (men and women) will attempt suicide at some point in their lives. For people who suffer from mild depression, this figure is about 4%. Sources: The Noonday Demon: an Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon several websites that deal with depression and other mental health issues It's a tragedy really. I hate to think of all the nordish young men and women who perish by self-slaughter. As you say, suicide is a very common cause of death nowadays. As an example of how common it is, apparently, statistics say that all swedish traindrivers (=lokförare?) will kill something like 1,65 (I don't have the exact number) persons during their career,where the bulc concists of suicidal people standing on the rail to commit suicide. From what observations I've made, I've come to think that the present structure of the society is the big cause of this. Cultural roothlessness, lack of unity within the people and self-denial and similuar things that derives from our present misery ought to be reasons for this as well. Please do not believe what is on the website, you must understand the root of what is Bipolar. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-index.shtml Depression being the number one cause of death in western world seems likely. JOIN THE www.velvet-evolution.com to eliminate depression, start to show you care COLOR YOUR WORLD PURPLE ..... _________________ Dear Blessed Friends,
Are you all CRAZY??? Is this what you want to happen in the 21stcentury? WW3, well, I am sorry to inform you all but this world is mine too . If you think for one minute that I am going to simply let the ignorance of man killGOD's children and beauty, then you are all GOD DAMN CRAZY. This world has had enough luncatic EGO, POWER HUNGRY BASTARDS running the show, it is TIME FOR WOMEN TO SHOW MEN WHAT THE WORLD IS ALL ABOUT, and IT IS TIME FOR A WORLD LIVE AID CONCERT TO SHOW HUMAN CARE. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH it is time to say " Ikar4u" and it is time the women in the world learn what is LOVE. I believe every single human on this planet can attend LOVECLASS 101. And GET READY for our WORLD SILENCE IN PRAYER MOVEMENT IN HUNGARY DECEMEBER 13th 2012.IT IS TIME FOR A WAR OF LOVE n CARE. And I hope someone is going to tell the Royal Family that this WORLD WOMAN PROJECT is dedicated to the QUEEN OF HEARTS for the number one killer in the world " DEPRESSION "ONE FINAL NOTE, is this what intelligent men do to spend our TAX PAYERS money to make the RICHY RICH RICHER what about the most richest and precious commodity in our world " LIFE" ! what about the life of innocent children , women and men. WHO gets the right to take away the life of GOD'S CHILDREN, and what about the money we can be using to feed ASAP our CHILDREN IN AFRICA, INDIA, EUROPE, or CHINA, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, of the GAME OF MAN'S IGNORANCE. GROW THE HELL UP OR GOD WILL STEP IN ...THIS IS NOT AN ALERT OR A WARNING THIS IS A FACT OF LIFE, IN GOD'S LAND ...GOD IS THE BOSS, you can take my words into the BANK. AND I CAN PUT MY MONEY WHERE MY MOUTH IS and I BET ALL MY WORDS ON GOD. Gov't officially approves deal to buy F-35 fighter jets By ASSOCIATED PRESS, YAAKOV KATZ Deal worth $3b. will bring 20 of the American made stealth planes to Israel; PMO: The purchase will significantly strengthen Israel's military. The government officially approved plans to buy American-made F-35 stealth fighter jets on Thursday. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said that the purchase would significantly strengthen Israel's military, but gave no other details. RELATED:Finance Minister balks at F-35 jet dealF-35 jet purchase decision pending Israel is planning on buying 20 of the warplanes for nearly $3 billion and will begin receiving the jets by 2015. Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave his personal approval for the deal in August after months of deliberation. A fifth-generation stealth jet, the F-35 is said to be capable of evading all radars and anti-aircraft missile systems. “The F-35 will provide Israel with continued air superiority and help retain its qualitative military edge in the region,” Barak said last month. “The plane will provide the air force with improved capabilities in ensuring Israel’s security when operating near and far away.” Two main obstacles have slowed down Israeli procurement plans until now – the price of the aircraft and US opposition to the integration of Israeli systems into the plane. The first batch will have a configuration similar to those used by the US Air Force, with minor changes. The second batch, likely to arrive in the second half of the decade, will already be designed according to Israeli specifications and include locally-designed and manufactured systems. One of the IAF’s main motivations for becoming the first foreign customer to receive the F-35 is concern that other countries in the region – particularly Egypt and Saudi Arabia – will also be allowed to purchase the aircraft. Israel, for example, was the first country outside of the US to purchase F-15s, but Saudi Arabia now operates a significant number of those fighters and is in talks with the Pentagon regarding the potential sale of an additional 82. Defense Ministry Director- General Udi Shani said that one of the considerations in approving the deal was an American offer of $4 billion in offset, meaning that it will purchase $4b. worth of military supplies from Israeli defense industries. Shani said he hoped Israel would eventually receive $5 billion in offset deals from the US. At the same time, Israeli defense industries will need to hold negotiations with Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the JSF, to pursue possible industrial cooperation. Israel Aerospace Industries, for example, manufactures wings for all F-16 fighter jets. The one Israeli company currently involved in the F-35’s production is Elbit Systems Ltd., whose helmet will be used by JSF pilots. |
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AuthorHenni Racik is an activist for individual human rights and freedom for a better World . One positive thought can make a world of difference, this is an entrepreneur and educator's point of view. Henni has discovered what the key ingredient of depression is to life and what is missing from the human mind. Needless to say, she has formulated a natural treatment or cure to this so called mental labelled disorder illness, "DEPRESSION" with a natural approach. Archives |