How much do you really know about Santa Claus?   To begin , historians identify Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who was born around the year 260 in what is today southwestern Turkey, as the first Santa Claus.  He was known to be a miracle maker, and was known as the patron saint of schoolchildren. But it took until the end of the 11th century for his relics to be transferred to Italy for the cult to begin. The Feast of Saint Nicholas (this painting by Jan Steen in the 17th century) was welcomed in the Netherlands, which spread the tradition. Around this time, Dutch Calvinists fleeing religious persecution set sail for what became Nieuw Amsterdam, later named New York.  But Sinterklaas was introduced to the New World.  He was also called De Goedheiligman (The Good Holy Man), so who knows where this would have gone if it had prevailed. His Dutch name was Americanized to Santa Claus, as a symbol of resistance against the British around the time of the 1776 Revolution. In 1809 Washington Irving

Today I will start a series featuring some of the more controversial past issues covered in this blog site: Is religion a scam? The 10% simple solution for world peace. Genetic engineering for the perfect baby. Three strikes and you're dead. School teachers are not important enough to deserve more pay. Geospas in Hawaii. The hydrogen economy. The Blue Revolution. I advance some of the above, but do not necessarily personally believe they are necessarily morally or otherwise justified, or not.  However, each topic, I think, deserves to be debated.  Perhaps one or more will be picked up by others to foster or fight.  I am nearing the end of my useful life and welcome others to carry on the effort. As this is Sunday, it's obvious which controversy will initiate the series.  Here is a recent article entitled,  Organized Religion is a Scam : By Harry Seitz, who describes himself as writer and returned Peace Corps Volunteer. If we can't put them in prison, we should tax the hell