The Economic Development of the World: Part 2

The East vs. West Fight Over the Eurasian Economy


The Tang Dynasty Year 700 BC

Europe wanted to control trade but so did the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire is Europe's opposite number. These people could fight and knew how to use technology. This is the beginning of East v. West. This power struggle still goes on today. 

Asian History is not as warlike as the Europeans. But it at times was just as bloody and the use of slaves were wide spread. China dominated Asia even before the time of the great Egyptian building boom 25,000 years ago.  The civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and China shared many similarities and likely exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel. Other notions such as that of writing likely developed individually in each area. Cities, states and then empires developed in these lowlands.

The steppe region had long been inhabited by mounted nomads, and from the central steppes they could reach all areas of the Asian continent. The northern part of the continent, covering much of Siberia was also inaccessible to the steppe nomads due to the dense forests and the tundra. These areas in Siberia were very sparsely populated.

The center and periphery were kept separate by mountains and deserts. The Caucasus, Himalaya, Karakum Desert, and Gobi Desert formed barriers that the steppe horsemen could only cross with difficulty. While technologically and culturally the city dwellers were more advanced, they could do little militarily to defend against the mounted hordes of the steppe. However, the lowlands did not have enough open grasslands to support a large horse bound force. Thus the nomads who conquered states in the Middle East were soon forced to adapt to the local societies.

Asia's history would feature major developments seen in other parts of the world, as well as events that would affect those other regions. These include the trade of the Silk Road, which spread cultures, languages, religion, and disease throughout Afro-Eurasian trade. Another major advancement was the innovation of gunpowder in medieval China, which led to advanced warfare through the use of guns. It was the gun and the ocean going ships adopted by the Europeans that gave Europe the advantage in warfare.

Asia has a history of uniting then separating just to unit again at a later date. The Maurya and Gupta empires are called the Golden Age of India and were marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, art, religion, and philosophy that crystallized the elements of what is generally known as Indian culture. The religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, which began in Indian sub-continent, were an important influence on South, East and Southeast Asia.

By 600 BCE, India had been divided into sixteen regional states that would occasionally feud amongst themselves. In 327 BCE, Alexander the Great came to India with a vision of conquering the whole world. He crossed northwestern India and created the province Bactria but could not move further because his army was afraid of the foot soldiers of India. Shortly prior, the soldier Chandragupta Maurya began to take control of the Ganges river and soon established the Maurya Empire. The Maurya Empire (Maurya Rājavanśha) was the geographically extensive and powerful empire in ancient India, ruled by the Mauryan dynasty from 321 to 185 BCE. It was one of the world's largest empires in its time, stretching to the Himalayasin the north, what is now Assam in the east, probably beyond modern Pakistan in the west, and annexingBalochistan and much of what is now Afghanistan, at its greatest extent. India was united for the first time in the Maurya empire. The government established by Chandragupta was led by an autocratic king, who primarily relied on the military to assert his power It also applied the use of a bureaucracy and even sponsored a postal service. Chandragupta's grandson, Ashoka, greatly extended the empire by conquering most of modern-day India (save for the southern tip). He eventually converted to Buddhism, though, and began a peaceful life where he promoted the religion as well as humane methods throughout India. The Maurya Empire would disintegrate soon after Ashoka's death and was conquered by the Kushan invaders from the northwest, establishing the Kushan Empire. Their conversion to Buddhism caused the religion to be associated with foreigners and therefore a decline in its popularity occurred.

The Kushan Empire would fall apart by 220 CE, creating more political turmoil in India. Then in 320 CE, theGupta Empire (Sanskrit, Gupta Rājavanśha) was established and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent. Founded by Maharaja Sri-Gupta, the dynasty was the model of a classical civilization. Gupta kings united the area primarily through negotiation of local leaders and families as well as strategical intermarriage. Their rule covered less land than the Maurya Empire, but established the greatest stability. In 535 CE, the empire ended when India was overrun by the Huns.

The Han Dynasty (simplified Chinese: 汉朝; traditional Chinese: 漢朝; pinyin: Hàn Cháo ;206 BCE – 220 CE) was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms (220–265 CE). Spanning over four centuries, the period of the Han Dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history. One of the Han Dynasty's greatest emperors, Emperor Wu of Han, established a peace throughout China comparable to the Pax Romana seen in the Mediterranean a hundreds years later. To this day, China's majority ethnic group refers to itself as the "Han people". The Han Dynasty was established when two peasants succeeded in rising up against Shi Huang's significantly weaker successor-son. The new Han government retained the centralization and bureaucracy of the Qin, but greatly reduced the repression seen before. They expanded their territory into Korea, Indochina, and Central Asia, creating an even larger empire than the Qin.

The Han developed contacts with the Persian Empire in the Middle East and the Romans, through the Silk Road, with which they were able to trade many commodities—primarily silk. Many ancient civilizations were influenced by the Silk Road, which connected China, India, the Middle East and Europe. Han emperors like Wu also promoted Confucianism as the national "religion" (although it is debated by theologians as to whether it is defined as such or as a philosophy). Shrines devoted to Confucius were built and Confucian philosophy was taught to all scholars who entered the Chinese bureaucracy. The bureaucracy was further improved with the introduction of an examination system that selected scholars of high merit. These bureaucrats were often upper-class people educated in special schools, but whose power was often checked by the lower-class brought into the bureaucracy through their skill. The Chinese imperial bureaucracy was very effective and highly respected by all in the realm and would last over 2,000 years. The Han government was highly organized and it commanded the military, judicial law (which used a system of courts and strict laws), agricultural production, the economy, and the general lives of its people. The government also promoted intellectual philosophy, scientific research, and detailed historical records.

However, despite all of this impressive stability, central power began to lose control by the turn of the Common Era. As the Han Dynasty declined, many factors continued to pummel it into submission until China was left in a state of chaos. By 100 CE, philosophical activity slowed, and corruption ran rampant in the bureaucracy. Local landlords began to take control as the scholars neglected their duties, and this resulted in heavy taxation of the peasantry. Taoists began to gain significant ground and protested the decline. They started to proclaim magical powers and promised to save China with them; the Taoist Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 CE (led by rebels in yellow scarves) failed but was able to weaken the government. The aforementioned Huns combined with diseases killed up to half of the population and officially ended the Han Dynasty by 220 CE. The ensuing period of chaos was so terrible it lasted for three centuries, where many weak regional rulers and dynasties failed to establish order in China. This period of chaos and attempts at order is commonly known as that of theSix Dynasties. The first part of this included the Three Kingdoms which started in 220 CE and describes the brief and weak successor "dynasties" that followed the Han. In 265 CE, the Jin Dynasty of China was started and this soon split into two different empires in control of northwestern and southeastern China. In 420 CE, the conquest and abdication of those two dynasties resulted in the first of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Northern and Southern Dynasties passed through until finally, by 557 CE, the Northern Zhou Dynasty ruled the north and the Chen Dynasty ruled the south.

During this period, the Eastern world empires continued to expand through trade, migration and conquests of neighboring areas. Gunpowder was widely used as early as the 11th century and they were using moveable type printing five hundred years before Gutenberg created his press. Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism were the dominant philosophies of the Far East during the Middle Ages. Marco Polo was not the first Westerner to travel to the Orient and return with amazing stories of this different culture, but his accounts published in the late 13th and early 14th centuries were the first to be widely read throughout Europe.

The Islamic Caliphate and other Islamic states took over the Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century, and later expanded into the Indian subcontinent and Malay archipelago.

At the beginning of the Medieval Age in 500 CE, the Middle East was separated into small, weak states; the two most prominent were the Sassanid Empire in Persia (modern-day Iran), and the Byzantine Empire in Turkey. In the Arabian peninsula (now Saudi Arabia), the nomadic Bedouin tribes dominated the desert, where they worshipped idols and remained in small clans tied together by kinship. Urbanization and agriculture was very limited, save for a few regions near the coast. Mecca and Medina were two of these cites that were important hubs for trade between Africa and Eurasia. This commerce was central to city-life, where most inhabitants were merchants.

From 613 CE to 630 CE the prophet Muhammad spread the Islam faith in the Arabian desert, culminating in his victory at Mecca. He then unified the idolatrous tribes into an Islamic Empire, ruled by a religious and political leader, the caliph. They would proceed to conquer the Sassanids, and modern-day Syria, Palestine,Egypt, and Libya.  An Arabic navy was created that soon dominated the Mediterranean, crippled the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), and put it under siege for centuries to come. Issues in deciding the caliphs to succeed Muhammad led to the Ridda wars and eventually the Sunni-Shia split, two different sects of Islam; the Sunni eventually became dominant and established the Umayyad Caliphate. Here lies the reason why you have the wars between the two Islamic sects today.

The Umayyad Empire began to decline in the early 700's CE when its leaders became more and more detached from their people, especially the warriors who had fought for their conquest. A new political group, the Abbasids, joined the upset warriors, Shia, and mawali, and overthrew the Umayyad in 750 CE during the Battle of the Zab. The remaining Umayyads fled to Iberia, and established the independent, Muslim Caliphate of Córdoba. The establishment of the Abbasid Caliphate started with moving the capital to Baghdad in Persia (now Iraq) in 762 CE and with this came the application of certain Persian political institutions. This included the creation of an absolute monarchy, which ruled without question, as well as an improved bureaucracy, led by the wazir who took most of the political and administrative responsibilities the caliph previously had. The Abbasid also experienced a boom in trade, specifically that at sea, sending dhows that continued expansion, first by sending merchants and missionaries to India and Southeast Asia. Eventually conflict would arise due to a piracy issue in India, and the Abbasid would begin to conquer the western area of India which they traded with. The first expedition was led by Turkish general Qutb-ud-din Aybak and established the Mamluk Sultanatein 1206 CE, ruled by the sultan (Arabic: سلطان) which means "authority."

The Abbasid Empire that helped make the people of Europe fearful of outsiders

However, the Abbasid government soon fell to the same vices as the Umayyad. Different factions in the royal court would fight for power, especially various groups of the Turkic peoples. The caliph began to rely on advisors from wealthy families, which would sometimes render him a mere puppet. This happened when the Persian Buyid dynasty was established in 934 CE. The Shia government lasted only a little over a century. They were quickly overpowered by the Turkish people who would create the Seljuq dynasty by 1051 CE, reestablishing the Sunni government. Nevertheless, succession issues and the squabbling factions would continue through the First Crusade, launched by Christian western Europeans in 1095 CE, which was largely ignored by the more powerful Muslim princes despite its success at capturing Jerusalem. The next eight Crusades would succeed to varying degrees, and the Christians would lose considerable ground when the Muslims were united under Saladin in the late 1100s CE. By 1291, after the final crusade and the fall of Acre, the Christians had lost all of the territory they originally gained.

The increasingly divided regions of the Abbasid caliphate would face new challenges in the early 1200s CE, during the invasion of the central Asian nomadic peoples, the Mongols; led by the infamous Genghis Khan, the Mongols raided much of the eastern empire. In 1258, Genghis Khan's grandson Hulegu Khan would finish his grandfather's work with the sacking of Baghdad and the death of the caliph. The Mongols eventually retreated, but the chaos that ensued throughout the empire deposed the Seljuq Turks. In 1401, the weak and limping caliphate was further plagued by the Turko-Mongol, Timur, and his ferocious raids. By then, another group of Turks had arisen as well, the Ottomans. Based in Anatolia, by 1566 they would conquer the Mesopotamia region, the Balkans, Greece, Byzantium, most of Egypt, most of north Africa, and parts of Arabia, unifying them under the Ottoman Empire. The rule of the Ottoman sultans marked the end of the Postclassical Era in the Middle East, and of the caliphate.

Post classical China saw the rise and fall of the Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties and therefore improvements in its bureaucracy, the spread of Buddhism, and the advent of Neo-Confucianism. The Middle Ages were an unsurpassed era for Chinese ceramics and painting. Medieval architectural masterpieces the Great South Gate in Todaiji, Japan, and the Tien-ning Temple in Peking, China are some of the surviving constructs from this era.

By 960 CE, most of China had been reunited under the Song Dynasty, although it lost territories in the north and could not defeat one of the nomadic tribes there—the Liao Dynasty of the highly sinicized Khitan people. From then on, the Song would have to pay tribute to avoid invasion and thus set the precedent for other nomadic kingdoms to oppress them. The Song also saw the revival of Confucianism in the form of Neo-Confucianism. This had the affect of putting the Confucian scholars at a higher status than aristocrats or Buddhists and also intensified the reduction of power in women. The infamous practice of foot bindingdeveloped in this period as a result. Eventually the Liao Dynasty in the north was overthrown by the Jin Dynasty of the Manchu-related Jurchen nomads. The new Jin kingdom invaded northern China, leaving the Song to flee farther south and creating the Southern Song Dynasty in 1126 CE. There, cultural life flourished.

The Mongol Empire, the largest land empire ever created by one group of people.

By 1227, the Mongols had conquered the Western Xia kingdom northwest of China. Soon the Mongols incurred upon the Jin empire of the Jurchens. Chinese cities were soon besieged by the Mongol hordes that showed little mercy for those who resisted and the Southern Song Chinese were quickly losing territory. In 1271 the current great khan, Kublai Khan, claimed himself Emperor of China and officially established the Yuan Dynasty. By 1290, all of China was under control of the Mongols, marking the first time they were ever completely conquered by a foreign invader; the new capital was established at Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing). Kublai Khan segregated Mongol culture from Chinese culture by discouraging interactions between the two peoples, separating living spaces and places of worship, and reserving top administrative positions to Mongols, thus preventing Confucian scholars to continue the bureaucratic system. Nevertheless, Kublai remained fascinated with Chinese thinking, surrounding himself with Chinese Buddhist, Taoist, or Confucian advisors.

Mongol women displayed a contrasting independent nature compared to the Chinese women who continued to be suppressed. Mongol women often rode out on hunts or even to war. Kublai's wife, Chabi, was a perfect example of this; Chabi advised her husband on several political and diplomatic matters; she convinced him that the Chinese were to be respected and well-treated in order to make them easier to rule. However this was not enough to affect Chinese women's position, and the increasingly Neo-Confucian successors of Kublai further repressed Chinese and even Mongol women.

The Black Death, which would later ravage Western Europe, had its beginnings in Asia, where it wiped out large populations in China in 1331.

The Mongol Empire conquered a large part of Asia in the 13th century, an area extending from China to Europe. Medieval Asia was the kingdom of the Khans. Never before had any person controlled as much land as Genghis Khan. He built his power unifying separate Mongol tribes before expanding his kingdom south and west. He and his grandson, Kublai Khan, controlled lands in China, Burma, Central Asia, Russia, Iran, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Estimates are that the Mongol armies reduced the population of China by nearly a third. 

Genghis Khan was a pagan who tolerated nearly every religion, and their culture often suffered the harshest treatment from Mongol armies. The Khan armies pushed as far west as Jerusalem before being defeated in 1260. If the Mongol’s could have stayed together as a fighting force with a successive government, they could have over run all of Europe easily. Here is another reason why the Europeans fear non-White people from outside Europe.

The Russian Empire began to expand into Asia from the 17th century, and would eventually take control of all of Siberia and most of Central Asia by the end of the 19th century. The Ottoman Empire controlled Anatolia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans from the 16th century onwards. In the 17th century, the Manchuconquered China and established the Qing Dynasty. In the 16th century, the Mughal Empire controlled much of India and initiated the second golden age for India. China was the largest economy in the world for much of the time, followed by India until the 18th century.

In the interest of national glory, the Chinese began sending impressive junk ships across the South China Seaand the Indian Ocean. From 1403 to 1433, the Yongle Emperor commissioned expeditions led by the admiralZheng He, a Muslim eunuch from China. Chinese junks carrying hundreds of soldiers, goods, and animals for zoos, traveled to Southeast Asia, Persia, southern Arabia, and east Africa to show off Chinese power. Their prowess exceeded that of current Europeans at the time, and had these expeditions not ended, the world economy may be different from today. In 1433, the Chinese government decided that the cost of a navy was an unnecessary expense. The Chinese navy was slowly dismantled and focus on interior reform and military defense began. It was China's longstanding priority that they protect themselves from nomads and they have accordingly returned to it. The growing limits on the Chinese navy would leave them vulnerable to foreign invasion by sea later on. The Chinese coast was helpless when the British and Japanese came calling with their ships and guns in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.

Chinese Influence on the Japanese  

Japan went under the process of sinicization, or the impression of Chinese cultural and political ideas. Japan sinicized mostly because the emperor and other leaders at the time were largely impressed by China's bureaucracy. The major influences China had on this region were the spread of Confucianism, the spread of Buddhism, and the establishment of a bureaucracy (although it was vulnerable to favoritism towards the wealthy). In Japan, these later medieval centuries saw a return to the traditional Shinto faith and the continuing popularity of Zen Buddhism.

Medieval Japan is marked by the beginning of the Asuka period. During this time, Yamato dynasty is established, along with the beginning of recorded Japanese history and a capital in the southern Nara region. In 600 CE, the Japanese send their first diplomatic mission to China, catalyzing the process of adoption of Chinese culture. The Yamato establish their power with a Chinese-based bureaucracy and encourage the spread of Buddhism, discovered through China. The latter was achieved particularly through the construction of Buddhist temples in cities and the countryside.

The Flash is Back in Newberry, York County Pa.

Daniel sitting on the back of the Newberry Police Special Unit Van showing off his medal

The Newberry Township Police Department sponsored the Dare to Care 5K Run on Aug. 31, 2013. Daniel ran this race last year with a time of  25 Minutes 26.74 seconds. This year his time was 25 Minutes 21 seconds. However, this year Daniel, the Jamaican Flash took first place and won a free trip to Ski Round Top. In both years he ran in the "14 Year Old and Under" group. 

This is the beginning of the 5K race with dog Molly, Stephanie, and David watching from the sidewalk. Daniel must run down the hill and turn left into town. At that point he runs across town turns around then runs back. 

The water truck came passing out water. You can see people going over and getting water. Daniel did not! He knew not to break his form and carry a heavy water bottle with him to the finish line. 

Below is Daniel as he ran the last 100 Feet of the 3.1 Mile race passing an older runner on the last turn.

Damine, Daniel's father was waiting for him at the finish line. After the race, Damine asked me why Daniel was the only black running in this race. I explained to Damine that not many Blacks run 5K races in this part of South Central Pennsylvania. Newberry is not the place were you would find Black people. I would like to see more Black men and women run in these races. This is why I promote the Hershey Track Club.

https://www.facebook.com/HersheyBlazeTrackClub

Hershey Track Club Website   

On Sept 21, 2013, Daniel will run the Members 1st 5K run for Kids at the Members 1st FCU, Administrative Headquarters, 5000 Louise Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA.

Daniel and I appreciate all the people who come out and watch Daniel practice at the many school tracks and fields in the Harrisburg suburbs such as Swatara, CD, and Susquehanna. Daniel will continue to train and he will try his best to promote a good sports image for the area. 

The Economic Development of the World: Part 1

Spain and Portugal at the time the Moors where thrown out of Spain and Columbus sailed for America.

Introduction

As the public goes about working everyday and thinking about what party to attend next weekend. Several upper class groups of people around the world are working on taking over the economic power of the planet. We are not going to get into why they are doing this. People have been trying to dominate the world since the days of Alexander the great. That was before the birth of Rome and the birth of Jesus.  What we are going to find out is how this game of domination started. From this we can see why this game continues. This started with the domination of the descendants of the European people. Today, we have the Western descendants of Europe headed by the United States and Great Britain on one side.  We have the emerging economic powers of the Eastern Nations headed by China on the other.

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You do not hear about this battle. At least they do not talk about it openly. They do talk about it secretly and quietly. You the average citizen are being educated to take sides. You are taught not to trust people of color even if you are of color. 

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Whites are encouraged to fear people of color. People of color are encouraged to look upon suspicion of African, African Americans, Asians, and Hispanic peoples.

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This is all to keep world economic development out of the hands of these people of color and to continue the world domination of the world economy by Western European descended people.  

 The history of the European and Western Nations

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 Europe was not always as united as what it is today. The Franks came into what is now France and Belgium. The Germans more into what is now Germany, Austria, and part of Switzerland. 

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Spain is made up of many European people including the Moors from North Africa, the Franks, and the Visigoths from Eastern Europe. Most of the Eastern European nations are made up of Slavic people’s from Asia. As a matter of fact, most of the European people had their start about 2 to 3 thousand years ago in Asia. These Early European love to make war on other people. The most feared was the Huns. The Huns is the reason why the tribes of Europe moved Westward into Western Europe. About 4 to 5 hundred years after Christ, the Roman Empire that dominated southern Europe united with the war lovers of Central Europe and defeated the Huns.

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 Corporations became a very good business tool for getting mass projects done. The Romans needed manpower if they were to continue to expand and make money for the Roman upper class. With the Huns out of the way, they began to enslave the Slavic people. In fact, that is where the word “slave” comes from, the word “Slav”  The Slavic people rebelled against Rome followed by other tribal European people. The Visigoths was one of the tribes that sack Roman and moved to western Spain to live. This is one of the reason why Rome declined and dissolved into kingdoms. These Kingdom were ruled by wealthy warlords. These warlords had to organize their territories into counties, cities, towns, and villages. This was for protection against other warlords and to expand their territories by attacking other territories. War was the major industry in the European Dark Ages. War has a benefit for the new nations. It encouraged faster creation of technology. 

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Soon the outcome of a war was determined by the technology that each side had.

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 The stage was set for Europe’s treatment of Slavic and Jewish people to this day.  

 The Moors invaded Spain, taking their Islamic religion and culture with them, in 711, where they overran the Visigoths. Remember, the Visigoths just move the western Spain a few centuries before. The Moors spread northward across the Pyrenees into France, but they were turned back by Charles Martel and his Frankish knights in 732.

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 The 11^th thru the 13^th Century came the 9 Crusades. These were the wars fought by a united Europe to take back the Holy Lands. At least that is what the Kings of the European Nations wanted the people to believe. But in fact they were wars to gain territory and a passage way to markets in India and China. It was not until the Italian Marco Polo came back from China did the common European people understood how important it was to open trade with China. The Crusade got no further than Jerusalem. Europe became obsessed with the idea of getting around the middle east without paying a massive fee to the Arabs and Muslims to trade with China. They also became obsessed with the control of the Holy land.

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 As you may know, Columbus tried to find a way to China by way of sailing west from Spain. This exploration was financed by the Queen of Spain shortly after the Moors were defeated and sent back to North Africa. They did not find a passage way to China, at least not then but they did find America. America was a large new land, rich in minerals, metals, and people for labor. It was not long before they found out that the natives could be defeated in battle and enslaved. At the same time, explorers traveled down the coast of Africa, meeting new people. They too were not as militarily advanced as the Europeans and the Arab/Muslim peoples.

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 The 16^th Century is when we first started seeing the modern behavior of militarily superior nations against militarily inferior nations. The heads of nations in Europe had the church declare that brown skin people were not human and should be treated as such. European Corporations went into the slave trade and sold Africans and Native Americans for profit. New mines and plantations were created in all of the Americas run by Europeans then later Americans (North, Central, and South). As the European wealth grew, they turned there war and trade ideas on Asia.

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Later came the United States that adopted European thinking and went on a program of expansion westward across North America, through the Pacific Islands, and into Asia. Slavery did not end until the Industrial Revolution and the use of skilled paid labor grew. 

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However, the treatment of people of color, Slavic, and Jews remained as part of western culture to this day. This treatment met its height in Hitler’s Germany and the White Superior ideology of the United States.        

Tim Russell Meet 5k Meet in Hershey

Daniel showing the metal that he won at the Tim Russell Meet in Hershey 5K Meet in Hershey on August 24, 2013. This meet took place at Hershey High School. 

 

Daniel ran the 5K in 22 Minutes and 1.4 Seconds. He came in 111th out of 540 runners. He ran in the 13 and under age group coming in 5th place. Daniel ran an average of 7 Minutes and 6 Seconds per mile. The oldest person running today was 88 years old and the youngest was 6 years old.  

This is the start in a series 5K runs for Daniel, starting with this 2013 5K Run on August 24, 2013. A 5K race is approx. 3.1 Miles. 

Here is where you can see Daniel finish the race at 22 Minutes and 1 Second. After he came in Daniel walked over the the refreshment table drank Gator Aide, ate fruit and walked back to the awards area. People were still finishing the race when Daniel was at the awards area one half of a mile away. 

Now Let's Not Forget David!

David hurt his knee trying to practice in front of his house. He refused to practice for 2 weeks because he did not want to get hurt again. Then came the Tim Russell Meet in Hershey. When he saw the 540 runner group take off at the starting line, he did the same thing. I don't think David, a 3 year old can run 3.1 miles. But I did not think that he could run a mile either. That is what he did with Stephanie his mother behind him. You can see in this video that Stephanie went some place to sit down. 


We Put the 2013 OutDoor USATF Program to Bed!

Kathy Derr representing the Derr Family gave Daniel his 2013 Outdoor USATF Award the afternoon of Aug. 24, 2013.  The next 5K will be on August 31, 2013, the Dare to Care 5K Run sponsored by the Newberry Township Police Department in York County, Pa.     

The Derr Sisters

The late Geraldine Derr (maiden name Pentz) had 9 children.

I know two sets of Derr Women; Gerry, Linda, Lydia, Deb, Kathy, and Traci is in one set. Holly is in the second set. The late Geraldine Derr had 9 children. In both sets, there are eleven Derr members total.  Linda Beaver (2 of 9; sounds like the Borg on Star Trac) from Milton, Pa. called me about two weeks ago and told me of all the parties that they were planning to have in the month of August. These parties are in the rural parts of Central Pennsylvania, about 70 miles north of Harrisburg.  We are not talking about country towns for the most part. We are talking about isolated farm land areas.  I told them that I would try to make the parties.

Linda Beaver lives with her husband in Milton, Pa. She is a grandmother. 

The first party was a wild party, a pig roast given by Traci Appleman (9 of 9; Grandmother) in Montour County. The next weekend, I went to Jim and Misty’ s birthday party for their son Sawyer. He is a boy that just turned 2 years old. Misty is one of the step children of one of the Derr men. So as you can guess, they have many parties and get to gathers throughout the year. This party was also in Montour County in Pottsgrove, Pa. on Rt. 147.  Misty follows my grandson Daniel in his track and field events around the United States. I asked Misty if I can have 2 boxes of treats to give to my grandchildren. Misty was very glad to give them to me plus additional candy that was left over from the party. I said good-bye to everyone and gave Linda and Deb Delaney (4 of 9; Grandmother from Muncy, Pa.) a good-bye kiss before getting into my car and driving to Washingtonville, Pa. about 10 miles north.  

Later that day, I took Kathy Derr (8 of 9) to Turbotville Great Valu Food Store, 4680 State Route 54, Turbotville, Pa., about 15 miles from Pottsgrove and 5 miles from Washingtonville. Here is where I encountered an Amish woman that came into the store to shop while her preteen son parked the horse and buggy In the barn area set up for the Amish shoppers. I spoke to the woman and practically shopped with her as I went through the store. At check out, I was amazed that she did not pay in cash. She paid by check written out on her families checking account at First National Bank of Turbotville.   I was shocked because a checking account is something used for convenience. Convenience is something that the Amish way of life is against. This is just another example of how over the decades, the Amish are changing their ways.  Outside, the Amish lady put her groceries away in the buggy and started cleaning out the barn area.  Kathy said that she wish people would clean out the parking lot when they are done with it. I told Kathy that our cars do not poop all over the parking lot either. Kathy replied, “No but they do leak oil and transmission fluid all over the place and people put cigarette butts and paper everywhere!” I shut up because she won that argument.

Kathy Derr who helps out with Daniel

After taking Kathy home, I stopped at Lydia Parker’s house (5 of 9; Great Grandmother) in Washingtonville. She is a great grandmother. Lydia with the help of her sisters runs the candy drive for Daniel’s Track and Field Fund in Central Pennsylvania. She counted the candy money that she had and Kathy and Lydia did the accounting work. The Derr sisters do a large part in raising money for Daniel to travel all over the country to run in track. Some of these national and international events cost $1,000 for him to participate. Without their help, Daniel will have a harder time getting to and from these track meets.

After looking for aliens in Washingtonville and out at the PPL Reserve, I came home.

Daniel running his first indoor track meet at 5 years old.

The next day, I deposited Daniel’s money into his trust. I handed the teller the envelope from the Federal Credit Union of Danville, Pa. The teller wanted to know who does Daniel know in Central and Northern Pennsylvania? So I told her and others in the bank about the Derr Family and how their ancestors developed the Pennsylvania northern frontier when it was just a colony under the British.  Actually, it was the late Geraldine Derr, maiden name Pentz whose ancestors came from Prussia. John Pentz was said to have fought for the British in the French and Indian War. Peter Pentz, his son fought for George Washington in the Revolutionary war.  He was involved in the siege of Boston. The Derr family came from the Rhineland in William Penn’s day. They came here thru the docks of early Philadelphia, Pa. 

The Derr's and Pentz families came to America toward the end of the first Reich, the Holy Roman Emperor time period between 962 to 1806. They probably came over in the early 1700s. They were here before the unification of Germany before 1871.  

The Rhineland and Prussia are only two of the independent German states that formed the New German nation created by King Frederick William (Second Reich) and was organized into a modern German state by Hitler. In World War II, the Derr and Pentz women worked in the factories and farms to produce war goods for the Allied troops. The Pentz and Derr men went to Germany in World War II to defeat Hitler (Third Reich) and the NAZIs and freed Europe from slavery.    

The Derr family may have started out as German’s four centuries ago but as time went on, other people married into the family. They may look Pennsylvania Dutch now but in fact they are many different people under the same family name. As time goes on they will continue to water down their German ancestry roots and become vastly different people in the same family with the same Derr/Pentz name.            

Daniel’s first State Games of America

Daniel showing off his 1500 Meter Run first place metal

Daniel Tulloch, age 8, competed in the State Games of America at the new Bishop McDevitt High School in Lower Paxton Twp., just outside the City of Harrisburg, Pa. The flash competed in the 7 and 8 year old Division. This was a "fun run" for Daniel because this meet does not lead to any other track meet. 

On Friday, August 2 at 1:00 PM, he ran the 1500 M in 6 Min. 7.64 Sec. getting first place.  This was a very easy first place medal for Daniel with little competition. Several of Daniel supporters cheered him on from Penn Hills near Pittsburgh to supporters from Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and the Bronx, N.Y. 

 The Flash ran the 1500 M in 6 Min. 7.64 Sec. getting first place. 

He also competed in the Long Jump in 14th place with a distance of 2.09 Meters or 6 Feet 10.25 inches.  

On Saturday, August 3 at 1:00 PM, Daniel competed in the 800 M run with a time of 3 Minutes, 4.09 Seconds. Daniel received a 2nd place medal for this event.

Coach Mike Galaway was at the track in this video giving his comments. Coach Galaway coached Daniel in the long jump earlier this summer. If Daniel stays in Track and Field until High School and if Daniel is good enough to make the Central Dauphin East High School team in 7 years, Coach Mike Galaway will be his high school instructor.   

The Flash ran the 800 M in 3 Min. 4.09 Sec. getting Second place. 

The State Games of America is a biennial Olympic-style event featuring competition between State Games medal winners (gold, silver, bronze) from across the nation. There are currently 31 states conducting or organizing statewide sports festivals known as State Games.  Medal winners from State Games programs in 2011 and 2012, as well as medal winners from the 2011 State Games of America in San Diego are eligible to compete in the Hershey Harrisburg region in 2013. 

2013 marks the 8th year for the State Games of America, which returns to the East Coast for just the second time in the event's history.  The sports event will be managed by the Keystone State Games, while Opening Ceremonies and visitors' needs will be handled by the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau.
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The Keystone State Games (KSG) has been a mainstay on the Pennsylvania sports landscape since 1980.  More than 30 years later, Owen Costello is still leading the charge to run an event that seeks to promote physical fitness and sports activity as a health improvement and disease prevention strategy for all Pennsylvanians and to create an expanded, coordinated and citizen-sponsored program of physical fitness and amateur athletic competition.
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This was Daniel’s last outdoor track meet as an 8 year old. The week after the 2013 State Games ends, Daniel starts training for Cross Country with his first 5K meet August 24, 2013.  

Starting in January 2014, Daniel will compete in the 9 and 10 Year Old Division. This will start his 5th year in official Amateur Athletics.

Daniel's Track Club

Here are a few members of the St. Luke Spirit Track Club with their parents. Many of them are of Caribbean Decent.

St. Luke Spirit Track Club is an outreach ministry of St. Luke Episcopal Church, Germantown. The ministry's misson is to provide a support system where youth of today can achieve religious conviction, education, fitness and have fun through group interaction and competition. It also strives to  increase youth's self esteem, motivation, respect for self and others, communication and conflict management skills.

The track club is registered and participates in both AAU and USATF sponsored events. It is also the host club for the Philadelphia Area Hershey Games.

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitnessprograms. 

Below is the official AAU Website;

http://aauathletics.org/

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known for a number of years as The Athletics Congress (TAC) after its spin off from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which governed the sport in the US through most of the 20th century until the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 dissolved its responsibility.

Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USATF is a non-profit organization with a membership of nearly 100,000. 

Here is the official USATF home page;

http://www.usatf.org/Home.aspx