Columbus Day is a day of both celebration and contention for numerous American towns. The ongoing discussions on Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day frequently place them in opposition to one another.

The American origins of Columbus Day, a federal holiday instituted in 1937, indicate that the contemporary observance is less associated with Christopher Columbus and his expeditions to the Caribbean and more related to the persecution of Catholic Americans, particularly Italian immigrants who faced extensive discrimination and violence in the late 19th century.

Christopher Columbus never landed on the continental United States, and his expedition to the Western Hemisphere took place 284 years before to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

What is the rationale behind the inclusion of Christopher Columbus’ voyage in the narrative of American history by the United States government? The solution is rooted in the nation’s inception.

The Beginnings of Columbus Day

During the 15th and 16th centuries, continents were frequently represented as allegorical figures in cartography and European art. Occasionally, these depictions manifested as goddess-like women.

Following the Europeans’ discovery of other land masses, North America was designated the name “Columbia” by the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, both Europeans and Americans employed the picture of Columbia to symbolize the newly independent United States, which had recently achieved freedom from British rule.

Following the passage of the Constitution in 1787 and the demise of George Washington in 1799, early Americans commenced the documentation of their nascent nation’s history.

Desiring to dissociate from England, these Americans regarded Columbus as possessing numerous admirable traits: he originated from humble beginnings, he did not navigate under the English crown (but rather for Portugal and Spain), and his expertise and leadership acumen contributed to his achievements.

This abridged rendition of Columbus’s narrative catered to the requirements of America’s 18th-century political leaders, who were predominantly Protestant.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Columbia, initially a sign of our nation, ultimately became synonymous with the historical hero Columbus, so establishing a new national emblem comparable to the bald eagle and the United States flag. Thus, Columbus emerged as a foundational reference for the nascent nation’s documented history.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day originated from the aspiration of Native American communities to honor the history and culture of the indigenous populations of the Americas.

Columbus Day is not observed in states with minimal Italian American presence and bigger native populations, like Colorado, Alaska, South Dakota, and Vermont.

Hawai’i observes “Discoverer’s Day” by commemorating their Polynesian forefathers, rather than European explorers, who also traversed the seas.

Although Columbus Day is a federal holiday, individual states and municipalities have the authority to determine their own celebratory practices. The City of Pittsburgh observes both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

In contrast to the 18th and 19th centuries, his standing as an American hero has undoubtedly evolved. Numerous Italian Americans today recognize that a holiday commemorating him does not honor the good contributions of Italian immigrants or the rich culture of Americans of Italian descent.

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(VOR News) – North Korea is preparing to blow up highways that span its heavily guarded border with South Korea, Seoul said on Monday.

The North has accused its rival of deploying drones over its capital, Pyongyang. This occurred amid a growing verbal exchange between the two nations.

According to a military officer in South Korea, North Korean personnel were operating under cover on their side of the border’s highways close to the east and west coasts. These preparations are thought to be for the aim of setting off explosives on the roads, which might occur as early as Monday.

In a statement released on Friday, the North Korean government charged that South Korea had used drones to drop a “huge number” of anti-North Korean leaflets above Pyongyang.

The North Korean authorities called this a military and political provocation.

On Monday, Lee Sung-jun, a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, failed to respond to inquiries on whether or not South Korean military personnel piloted the drones.

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, made yet another divisive statement on Monday, criticizing both the US and South Korea. She said that Washington should be held responsible for its conduct as well as the South Korean military, which was “clearly” to blame for the drone intrusion.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published her message, in which she made references to Washington and Seoul. “If the sovereignty of a nuclear weapons state was violated by mongrels tamed by Yankees, the master of those dogs should be held accountable for this,” she suggested.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North Korean army reportedly stated last week that it will thoroughly fortify the area on its side of the border and cut off all roads and railroads connected to South Korea.

The North Korean leadership issued a threat to execute a “horrible disaster” if it was discovered that South Korean drones were once again hovering over Pyongyang over the weekend. According to a statement issued on Sunday, eight artillery battalions that are fully armed have been stationed at the frontier and are prepared to fire.

The South Korean military has stated that it is refraining from responding to inquiries regarding the drones due to the possibility of falling prey to Pyongyang’s strategy of generating justifications for provocations if it were to address the North’s allegations.

Lee stated that South Korea has been improving its anti-drone defenses since 2022.

Five North Korean drones soared above Seoul for hours.

Expert in military drone operations at Jungwon University Lee Kyoung-haing said that individuals could easily purchase drones with a range of about 186 miles, which is the distance round trip from Pyongyang to the South. Leaflets would be a minimal payload that these drones might transport.

Some observers think that even if individuals from the South had crossed the border with these drones, it would have been challenging for them to do so without official government permission. It’s also possible that the authorities failed to recognize and outlaw them.

The drones, according to the North Korean Ministry of Defense, were of a kind that needed a specialized launcher or a runway, and it was impossible for a civilian organization to set them off. The ministry claimed to have seen the drones flying over Pyongyang three times earlier this month.

The two Koreas remain formally at war despite the Korean War of 1950–1953 concluding with an armistice instead of a peace treaty.

The above mentioned cross-border interactions are remnants from periods of détente between the countries, exemplified by the 2018 summit between the presidents, during which they proclaimed the cessation of hostilities and the commencement of a new era of peace.

North Korea has reinstated guard posts and heavy weaponry in the Demilitarized Zone’s border buffer following the two nations’ decision to annul a military pact established in 2018 aimed at reducing tensions.

SOURCE: NBC

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(VOR News) – The TikTok investigation that was carried out by National Public Radio and Kentucky Public Radio revealed that administrators at TikTok are aware of the possible harm that the app could do to teens.

This was uncovered as a consequence of an inquiry. This particular information was obtained from court documents that were used as the source.

The reporting component of the project was also carried out by a variety of public radio stations, such as National Public Radio and Kentucky Public Radio, among others.

A lawsuit was filed against the social media network TikTok by fourteen attorneys general from the United States of America just the week before last.

The complaint identified TikTok as the defendant.

There is a lawsuit that has been filed, in which it is said that the application is harmful to the mental health of children and that it ought to be removed from the market to the greatest extent feasible as soon as possible.

It was possible for reporters to obtain some of the information that was contained in those instances by copying and pasting the text that was contained in those circumstances. In spite of the fact that a substantial percentage of the information that was supplied in such circumstances was concealed, this was the situation that occurred.

In the complaint that was submitted by Kentucky, it was stated that the private study that was carried out by the corporation reveals that “compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects such as loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, TikTok conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety.”

This is the conclusion that can be drawn from the findings of the inquiry that was conducted by the company. According to the complaint that was filed by the state of Kentucky, this particular piece of information is included in the document.

The complaint that was submitted by a person from the state of Kentucky includes a specific statement that is similar to the one that is being discussed here.

As a further point of contention, the lawsuit says that there was a discussion that took place within the firm over a feature that provides parents with the power to limit the amount of time that their children spend using TikTok.

People claim to have discussed this trait in TikTok conversations.

This particular function is already incorporated into the bundle that you purchase, so you could say that it is already included.

According to the findings of a number of reviews that were carried out, the functionality only reduced the amount of time that was spent using it by an average of one and a half minutes each day. Rather than utilizing this tactic, the group analyzes its effectiveness based on the idea of “improving public trust in the TikTok platform via media coverage.”

This method is not utilized by the organization. The organization base its conclusion about whether or not it has been successful in accomplishing its aims on these standards, which serve as the foundation around which the organization makes its conclusion.

According to the statement that was made by a spokesperson for TikTok, who expressed remorse over the decision, it was “highly irresponsible” for National Public Radio to reveal excerpts from the complaint on their website. This comment was in line with the assertion that was made by the representative.

In addition to that, she expressed her remorse with regard to the decision that was ultimately made. According to him, the sections of the paper that are considered to be significant “cherry-pick misleading quotes and take outdated documents out of context in order to intentionally misrepresent our commitment to community safety.”

SOURCE: TC

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