Prior to the Volkswagen Bug, Frankfurter, Werner Klemperer and Beethoven, Germany bestowed upon mankind an icon of greater importance: The modern Christmas Tree.
A prop master in medieval Germany selected an evergreen fir as the centerpiece of a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve, based on the Old Testament story. It was hung with apples representing the tree of good and evil and called a “Paradise Tree.” Over time, a tradition developed as the German people set up Paradise Trees in their homes on Dec. 24, which they considered a religious feast day in honor of Adam and Eve.
As the tradition grew, the Bible’s New Testament began to influence the annual celebration. First wafers, then cookies of various shapes, were also hung on the tree, symbolizing the consecrated bread of the Eucharist. Later, candles were added to represent the light to the world of Christ’s gift of salvation.
The custom of the Christmas tree came to America via German and English settlers as early as the 1600s and beautifully decorated trees became the height of fashion in the 1800s. By the 1700s, Christmas trees had become widespread in Germany’s Lutheran community and a deeply rooted tradition throughout by the 1800s.
Christmas Trees were popularized in England in the mid-1800s by Prince Albert (of German decent) and Queen Victoria. Hand-crafted, blown-glass ornaments began to appear in the 1870s, while strings of electric lights began to replace the candles in the 1890s.
CHRISTMAS TREE FUN FACT: The state of Maryland chose the melody from Germany’s “O, Tannenbaum” (the English title of the song is “O, Christmas Tree”) for the music of their state song!
Today in America during the holiday season the Christmas tree is seen everywhere. They are in homes, offices, public spaces, including your banks and town squares, to the impressive 60-foot great fir placed on the White House lawn. Christmas trees have become visual wonders for adults and children and act as centerpieces for gatherings of families and friends, under which gifts are placed as displays of love.
The modern English word “Christmas” derives from an Old English word “Cristes Maeses,” which translates as Christ’s Mass. A “mass” is a gathering of people for celebration.
A Christmas tree evergreen leaves symbolize Christ’s everlasting love. Ornaments, conjure the story of Adam and Eve and Christ’s sacrifice. The tree’s lights symbolize that Christ was the light of the world. A star on the tree’s crown reminds of the star of Bethlehem.
Some say the Christmas tree has pagan origins. Others point out that centuries have passed, and the Yule tree now symbolizes beauty and love and Christian faith.
Critics say our love won’t pay the rent. Perhaps “they” are right. But as Steve Buscemi said 16 years ago in the movie Fargo, “I didn’t come here to debate with you.”
S.Q. Machine Shop Crafts Bronze Plaque for Alcatraz
San Quentin inmates are lending a hand to the Alcatraz Island Museum Project. They are making bronze castings of the last remaining plaque that used to mark the cell door locking mechanism.
After securing a $400,000 donation, the Alcatraz project committee turned to San Quentin to cast 24 bronze plaques depicting the manufacture’s name
Over the years, the original plaques have been removed, possibly taken as souvenirs or given away as staff retirement gifts.
Amanda Williford, Golden Gate Recreation Area curator for the Museum Project, was reluctant to part with the last remaining plaque. However, after meeting with Richard Saenz, San Quentin Machine Shop instructor, and the students doing the work, she put the plaque in the machine shop staff’s care.
“The foundry will melt down and cast the new plaques from molten bronze poured into sand molds made from resin castings created from the remaining plaque,” Saenz said. “This method of metalworking originated thousands of years ago and the technique of getting an exact replica of the original can be tricky. It is great to see this project happening along side of the continuing work we are doing for NASA.”
NASA Training Starts For Machine Shop
San Quentin’s Vocational Machine Shop students have begun training for a new project launched by NASA Ames.
Vocational Machine Shop instructor Richard Sanez and his students welcomed NASA-Ames Laboratory officials Peter Kulper and Adriana Cardenas to San Quentin’s Vocation Machine Shop to inaugurate the cooperative training program.
“This program is the first of its kind that we know of,” Cardenas stated to the classroom of highly focused students. “NASA-Ames is the only space center in the United States with this type of program.”
Kulper spent several hours instructing shop students on the first two chapters from new textbooks donated to the class. The textbooks entitled, “Understanding Space-An Introduction to Astronautics,” are college-level texts, covering topics on Space Mission Architecture, Space System Engineering, and Spacecraft Subsystems. Kulper also used a computerized slide presentation to discuss Space History.
Students walked away with a greater insight into how the space program in the U.S. positively affects their lives. They discussed the large number of satellites orbiting the earth at distances from low-orbit (250-350 miles) to high-orbit (24,000 miles). They include communication and GPS (global positioning) navigation satellites that enable near instantaneous global connection between individuals anywhere on earth.
“Every time you see the news on television, those live, instant conversations between reporters in different countries” are thanks to satellite technology, Kulper told the class. “Those four-color moving weather maps are signals being bounced off the satellites. Even banks use the satellites to move information around.”
Military and spy satellites are mostly in mid-orbit at about 10,000 miles above earth, he said. This is a “compromise orbit” involving military officials and scientists. Not much else could be said, he added, other than that these satellites are not supposed to target the U.S. for surveillance, just other countries.
Guest teachers are being scheduled to come regularly to S.Q. to teach the various chapters on the new text. The goal is to give all involved a broad understanding of the space program that will better support the understanding of the work the Machine Shop will eventually be doing. That work is projected to be the machining of “P-pod” parts. Those parts will be assembled to house certain scientific experiments included in future space missions.
Cardenas told the class that since NASA is no longer flying the Space Shuttle, part of the space agency’s new focus will be to encourage private industry to step up their development efforts and contributions to further the U.S. Space Program. If all goes well, paroled machinists from S.Q. should have a leg up on the competition.
—Staff Writer Micheal Cooke contributed to this story.
Breaking the Cycle Of Crime, Punishment
For the last half-dozen years, a new approach is being promoted in San Quentin Prison to help break the cycle of crime and punishment that has controlled America’s courts and prisons.
Called Restorative Justice, it has been used in many countries, including South Africa, New Zealand and Canada. South Africa used it to help cure the divisiveness that separated and abused the black population for decades. It’s currently used in Minnesota and Pennsylvania prisons.
TRADITIONAL MODEL
In the traditional model, punishment and retribution are meted out to offenders for the crimes they commit. The victims of those offenders often remain victims. If offenders are caught, they are prosecuted and sent to prison – a place that offers them little chance to repair the damage they caused. By removing the offender from society and tipping its hat to the victim, California believes justice has been served. But, something is missing in this simplified but all-too-true scenario.
The results include: a vast number of victims’ rights groups and extreme prison recidivism. Currently, approximately 70 percent of “low risk” offenders return to prison.
CIRCLE KEEPERS
On May 7, 2011, members of San Quentin’s Restorative Justice Round Table attended a full day of intense instruction in conflict resolution training to become “Circle Keepers.” Circles are an alternate process of communication, based on traditional discussion through storytelling and healing practices of aboriginal peoples throughout the world. Circles are ancient and have been used as a way of healing harms, resolving conflict, communicating, grieving, even celebrating.
The training allowed each person to experience deeper insight and personal healing, thereby they were better prepared to assist others in their journey. By accepting responsibility for their actions, the inmates continued restoration in their lives. Through their restoration, the goal of helping others to restore themselves becomes possible. Through empathy and compassion, hearts were opened wide.
INTER-FAITH GROUP
Each person shared openly in the inter-faith group made up of inmates and outside guests. The event included San Quentin’s Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Native American communities. Thirty-five attendees became Circle Keepers under the guidance of three volunteer trainers.
Restorative Justice has grown globally from a movement begun in the 1970s. It seeks to change traditional retributive, “punishment only” justice systems such as that in the United States, to one where both the victim’s and offender’s needs are actually addressed in an effort to break the cycle of crime and violence.
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Supporters say Restorative Justice programs have reduced the number of adult and youth prisoners, and trimmed recidivism. Local cities including Oakland use the concept with youth to help foster empathy responsibility.
San Quentin’s Restorative Justice Round Table meets in the Catholic Chapel on Thursday at 6:20 p.m. The group also schedules semi-annual symposiums for all general population inmates and community members. Many of San Quentin’s programs including Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG) and Anger Management use Restorative Justice principles in their formats.
For more information, contact Krizman at 2N25.