Peridot

Nature 1 Minute

Peridot has always been associated with light. In fact, the Egyptians called it the “gem of the sun.” Some believed that it protected its owner from “terrors of the night,” especially when it was set in gold. Others strung the gems on donkey hair and tied them around their left arms to ward off evil spirits.

The word peridot comes from the Arabic “faridat,” which means “gem.” Most peridot formed deep inside the earth and was delivered to the surface by volcanoes. Some also came to earth in meteorites, but this extraterrestrial peridot is extremely rare, and not likely to be seen in a retail jewelry store.

Early records indicate that the ancient Egyptians mined a beautiful green gem on an island in the Red Sea called Topazios, now known as St. John’s Island or Zabargad. Legend has it that the island was infested with snakes, making mining unpleasant until an enterprising pharaoh drove them into the sea. From the earliest times, people confused this stone—now known to be peridot—with other gems. It was one of many labeled as “topaz.”

Some historians believe that Cleopatra’s famous emerald collection might actually have been peridot. People in medieval times continued to confuse peridot with emerald. For centuries, people believed the fabulous 200-ct. gems adorning the shrine of the Three Holy Kings in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral were emeralds. They are, in fact, peridots.

SOURCE: GIA

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Published by pat frederick

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57 thoughts on “Peridot”

  3. Huh….insurance companies are out of fricking control!!!

    “California couple loses homeowners’ insurance after draining their swimming pool to save water”
    ByRenee Koury and Michael Finney
    Wednesday, August 9, 2023 1:37PM
    (VIDEO)
    ENTIRE ARTICLE : “SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — It’s becoming harder and harder to get a homeowner insurance policy in California. State Farm and Allstate stopped writing new policies, citing wildfire risks. Others are limiting new customers. And now, several viewers tell San Francisco’s KGO-TV that AAA is not renewing their longtime policies — and it has nothing to do with wildfires.

    These homeowners were surprised to find out aircraft and satellites were taking photos over their homes. They were baffled to find out the reasons AAA dropped their coverage — everything from clutter in the yard to draining a swimming pool to save water. When KGO last met CJ Sveen of Oakley, AAA had just notified him it would not renew his homeowner insurance. AAA said he had debris and hazards in his yard. “Apparently they have some pictures and they noticed clutter,” Sveen said. “I find that offensive. How dare you judge me because of my stuff!” Sveen said the yard is his workshop — not a hazard. Sveen said, “There was no chance to mitigate, clean up, do anything, it was just, you’re fired.”
    https://abc7.com/homeowners-insurance-non-renewal-drone-photos-nonrenewal/13526291/
    George Nadeau of San Rafael also got a non-renewal notice — but this time, AAA said it was because his roof had “exceeded its useful life.” “I think obviously that their drone surveillance was bogus,” Nadeau said. “And that’s crazy. We have one of the best maintained residences in the neighborhood. And we’ve kept very good care of our roof!”
    ( VIDEO)
    The homeowner was shocked when his insurance dropped him, despite 15 years of being a customer without any claims, for a home not in a fire zone. Nadeau sent invoices to a local agent showing he had a new roof installed on his home seven years ago and a $4,000 upgrade just last March. He also sent photos of the finished roof. “We’ve lived in this house for 50 years and have maintained our roof in a very effective way. So to have an insurance company telling me that I’m not doing my job is a little bit annoying,” Nadeau said.

    The company said the decision was final. Nadeau appealed to a local agent. “And she literally said they’re looking for excuses to eliminate homeowners policies in this area. I’m 85 years old. I feel like I’m a victim of some kind of conspiracy. Give us some consideration for the good citizens we’ve been all these years,” Nadeau said.

    AAA cited a puzzling reason for not renewing Marilyn Smith’s policy. She and her husband had drained their swimming pool to conserve water — during the drought. “I think I was in so much shock, I couldn’t believe it,” Smith said. “I mean, we were both in shock. Because the pool is empty. What’s that got to do with canceling your home insurance?” The couple drained the pool after their grandchildren grew up and moved away.

    “We decided well, we don’t use it you know, the kids have moved in different states… that saves us on maintenance… and then just the water, because it does evaporate, so you have to be putting water in there every couple of days… and that’s not a small little pool. Water was becoming very expensive,” Smith said. Now they use the empty pool like a hothouse to grow potted tomatoes and lettuce. But the AAA notice said the pool showed signs of “deferred maintenance.” “She just flat out said because the pool was empty,” Smith said. “I don’t understand what their problem is. Because you empty a pool and you’re saving on water.”

    CSAA Insurance Group, the parent of AAA, said: “CSAA Insurance Group has provided homeowners insurance to AAA members in Northern California for more than 40 years. Over that time, we’ve helped thousands of AAA members recover from home damage and disasters. To continue offering industry-leading insurance coverage, we must periodically evaluate our exposure to risk. After careful review of our exposure, we continue to offer insurance throughout Northern California as long as our underwriting criteria are met. CSAA Insurance Group evaluates many sources of information to assess the condition of properties we insure, including third-party proprietary aerial imagery captured by fixed-wing aircraft and satellites. Out of respect for customer privacy, CSAA Insurance Group does not comment on specific situations or policies, but we will follow-up to better understand these concerns.”

    Consumer advocate Amy Bach of United Policyholders said insurance companies are using new technology like drone surveillance to look for potential risks. “Insure tech tools are scaring insurers,” Bach said. “It’s just very easy now for them to put a customer in the discard pile based on this tech information that they’re using and buying. So far it’s not really helping the consumer.”

    However, it’s not all gloom. After searching for weeks, Sveen found a new and cheaper policy offered through the military — so did Smith and her husband. And after Nadeau sent in all those photos of his roof, AAA reinstated his policy after all.”

    Embedded videos: https://6abc.com/ca-homeowners-insurance-homeowner-cancellation-policy-nonrenewal-not-renewed/13623480/

    Liked by 1 person

      1. thanks!
        we watched the weather while we at mom’s and apparently there were terribly strong storms rolling through up here yesterday. but no limbs or trees down thankfully.
        has GT reappeared?

        Liked by 1 person

              4. But now that he hasn’t shown up for a few days, the damned squirrel is back! Chewed thru one of the bungees on the WP block!!! It’s clearly not the same squirrel but they’re all the same to me!!!

                Liked by 1 person

  14. For years, the government has insisted that the increase in whale deaths off the East Coast has no relationship to the wind industry’s high-decibel pile driving and boat activity. But now, a new documentary, “Thrown To The Wind,” based on new research, will challenge that. pic.twitter.com/Iu7mxH0BaI

    — Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) August 12, 2023

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Patience
    August 13, 2023 12:43 pm
    Reply to Patience

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    ·
    1d
    I hear that RACIST Fulton County (Atlanta) District Attorney “Phoney”Fani Willis, who weakly presides over one of the deadliest communities in the U.S., with thousands of murderers, violent criminals & gang members roaming the streets while going untried, free, & are treated with “kid gloves,” is using a potential Indictment of me, and other innocent people, as a campaign and fundraising CON JOB, all based on a PERFECT PHONE CALL, AS PRESIDENT, CHALLENGING ELECTION FRAUD – MY DUTY & RIGHT!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Patience
      August 13, 2023 12:45 pm
      Reply to Patience

      Donald J. Trump
      @realDonaldTrump
      ·
      4h
      Why is “Phoney” (Like in PERFECT “PHONE” CALL, get it?) Fani Willis, the severely underperforming D.A. of Fulton County who is being accused of having an “affair” with a Gang Member of a group that she is prosecuting, leaking my name in regard to a Grand Jury pertaining to Election Fraud & Irregularities that I say took place in Georgia. I made a PERFECT PHONE CALL OF PROTEST. What does Phoney Fani have to do with me? She should instead focus on the record number of murders in Atlanta!

      Liked by 1 person

  19. oh hells to the no! ultra maggot wants 40 BILLION for new housing for illegals…where they can come and go as they please all day but have to check in at night. WTF??????????? send them HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE BROKE!!!!
    article
    The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve a temporary housing program for migrant families that illegally cross the southern border — a plan that would give them more freedom than traditional detention, Axios has learned.

    Why it matters: The government has struggled to balance humanitarian concerns about detaining migrant children while enforcing immigration laws amid a rise in families illegally crossing the border to seek asylum.

    The administration’s ask is part of a $40 billion emergency funding request to Congress. The package includes nearly $2.7 billion for the Department of Homeland Security’s various border efforts.

    Driving the news: DHS wants the ability to use funds to set up new types of facilities to hold migrant families as they go through an expedited asylum and deportation process.

    Migrant family members would be able to come and go as they please during the day, but would be required to check in and stay the night on the campus, a DHS official told Axios.
    “We do not view this as family detention,” the official said.
    The facilities would allow immigration agencies to more easily keep track of migrants throughout the asylum process, but also could ease the burden on local shelters near the border to house recent arrivals, officials say.
    DHS also is asking Congress for permission to look into for-profit contractors or non-governmental organization grantees to run the facilities.

    What to watch: Officials say this kind of set-up would help meet court-ordered requirements for facilities housing children, but it’s unclear whether the facilities still would have to release families in less than 21 days, under those requirements.

    Either way, the official told Axios they expect to be able to get families in these facilities through the legal process within three weeks because of the government’s recent efforts to expedite the process.
    It’s not the only move the administration has made recently to try to address a surge in families of migrants and asylum seekers.
    ICE has been rapidly expanding a program to more quickly deport migrant families that illegally cross the border and don’t qualify for asylum. It uses GPS monitoring and home curfew requirements for those enrolled.

    Between the lines: The Biden administration quietly ended detentions of migrant families in 2021, while ramping up the use of tracking technology and check-ins by phone call as families make their way through the immigration process.

    Faced with the end of restrictive pandemic policy called Title 42, the administration came under fire for considering a return to family detention.
    The new housing plan would mirror some systems in Europe.

    The big picture: For a long time, border officials typically encountered only single adults illegally crossing the southern border — often of Mexican nationality.

    But in the past decade, families — especially those from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador — have made up a significant share of those caught by the Border Patrol.
    U.S. border policies and infrastructure have not fully adjusted to the new demographic, leaving many facilities unsuitable for minors who may cross with their parents.
    In addition, courts have put guardrails around how minors can be detained even with their parents — forcing officials to release families from detention after no more than 20 days.
    As president, Donald Trump tried to solve the problem by separating families.

    https://www.axios.com/2023/08/11/biden-migrant-family-detention-new-housing-program-congress

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Is he an attorney? Apparently so….”Gaetz earned his JD from William & Mary Law School in 2007 and was admitted to the Florida Bar on Feb. 6, 2008.”

      Liked by 1 person

  21. “He is licensed in cosmetology and hairdressing as well as being a dentist. I’ve never seen that combo on a dentist profile before. I hope he was a better dentist than his cosmetology and hairdressing work here…”

    “Sunnyvale dentist facing child porn, peeping charges after camera found in restroom”
    CBS News/Bay Area

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “SUNNYVALE – A dentist with an office in Sunnyvale was arrested following a child porn and peeping investigation, authorities said. According to the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, a hidden camera was found inside a restroom of a dentist office located at 877 West Fremont Avenue suite C2 on July 27. Authorities said the victim took the camera to police and reported the incident. Investigators determined that several victims were recorded using the restroom inside the dental office.

    On Wednesday, officers executed search warrants at the dental office and at the suspect’s home in Santa Clara. The suspect, identified as Zaid Yousif Sharma, was arrested without incident. During their search, police said they found digital media that showed additional victims captured by the hidden camera, including two juveniles. Sharma was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on multiple counts, including possession of child pornography and peeping. It was not known when Sharma would appear in court on the charges.

    Police said Friday that they have notified the California Dental Board of the incident. Anyone with information is asked to reach Detective M. Hutchison of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety at 408-730-7110.”

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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