What's In a Name?

Often times a subject to espouse upon just comes to the wordsmith. Case in point, while attending a recent conference in San Diego on the utilization of technology in education, J actually went and learned a thing or two about the value of technology.

What he took away was simple - as long as education pushes technology that is fine and beneficial for the student, but when technology pushes the use of technology for technology's sake then the concept of learning to gain knowledge no longer exists.

His words, not the presenters, at the Innovation Summit.

This is actually rather creepy!

Back to the concept of this blog. After the conference ended each day, J would take a leisurely stroll along the Embarcadero. Stretching his legs and thoughts while peering at the hundreds of yachts tied near the waterside beside the Marriott and Sheraton just southwest of the Gas Lamp District.

Tens of millions of dollars worth - probably more - of every make and year of vessel resting gently on the waters of the San Diego Bay while tightly secured by mooring lines attached to the floating docks.

Lots and lots of money in boats in San Diego!

While enjoying the afternoon sun, J started to ponder the various names on the aft section of the boats. It seemed that every yacht was named this or that - not really 'this' or 'that' but a name which must have been dear or at least meant something to the owner of the yacht.

Then the question arose during that leisurely stroll - why were boats named and those names forever painted on the rear end of the boat? People didn't name their cars in the same fashion. People didn't name their RV's - motorhomes or travel trailers in the same fashion. People didn't place large letters on the side of their homes in the same fashion.

Oh, Captain - that does not work anywhere

Then why boats?

This called for research - that's what we do here.

Seems there is no definite time when seafarers started naming boats but it goes back to the idea of identity. Before the invention of instantaneous communication - that technology thing - people needed to know what boat a person was traveling on. You couldn't just say, "I'll be on the wooden boat with masts in the harbor." That really wouldn't have helped anyone in Boston in 1790 when all boats were wooden with masts now would it?

Uh - we're on the third boat to the left - can't miss us

So, slap a name on the rear of the boat and voila you knew where the person you were looking for was.

The love of naming boats never went away even when satellite phones came into existence and a person could talk to someone on the 'Big Kahuna' half way between Los Angeles and Honolulu.

One reason, and this could just be myth, is that naming a boat is good luck and not is not - good luck that is.

Somewhere back in the day (not sure what that means but heard a lot of that terminology at the conference - "back in the day when rotary phones made sense . . . ") people believed that the gods of the oceans, Poseidon or Neptune (choose your culture) kept a ledger of every ocean bearing boat that sailed. A name meant the boat was being watched over by either one of these two gods and that was a good thing.

Better name your boat and give me a drink while you're at it!

If they didn't know the name of your boat or it didn't have one then that would be a bad thing which could ultimately include sinking and drowning - a very bad way to ruin an ocean cruise.

So, name the boat and the captain and crew were probably safe except for possible hurricanes, monsoons, typhoons, rogue waves, pirates, running aground, and the occasional sea monster.

Technology is everywhere

And don't think of changing the name of the boat - that means bad luck. Of course, some seasoned sailors believe that is nonsense but let's stick with the myth. Much more exciting.

An example to illustrate the point - a husband wants to purchase  a yacht for his spouse for her birthday. A lovely thought but it would be unwise to give her a vessel with another woman's name on it. That could entail, depending on the strength of the marriage, disagreements or even yelling about what he was thinking?

Original thinking - yes

It should be noted that at one time pretty much every boat had a woman's name on it - the reason a ship is called a 'she' and not a 'he' - gender bias yes but that's they way of the sailing world back in the day (last time promise). That and the fact that in many languages, nouns have a gender, and boats are generally feminine. Hence, she's a beautiful ship. But I digress.

Can a boat's name be changed the husband would ponder prior to leading his lovely spouse down the gangway to view her new expensive gift? The answer is yes - - but there are a couple things that need to be done first.

Original thinking - probably not

All mention or telltale visage of the former boat's name must be vanquished. Get rid of every shred of evidence that boat was ever named anything but what the current name is to be. Be thorough - very thorough. Change the name on every legal and non-legal document.

Then and only then can the boat be renamed - Poseidon and/or Neptune will then wipe out the old name from their ledger and replace it with the new name and all will be well.

Forget to do this and the boat will sink and all will drown. Okay - maybe not but perhaps the motor will break or the BBQ will fall overboard with the night's dinner firmly attached to the grill.

Oh yes, there's some sort of ceremony and chants to the sea gods that go along with the whole ritual and even pouring libations into the surrounding waters to appease the alcoholic gods. So, chant away "Oh mighty and great ruler of the seas and oceans - blah, blah, blah," and pour away to rid your boat of any bad karma.

We at J and L highly recommend being a bit stingy on the pouring and then empty the bottle into two crystal flutes and toast the newly named yacht.

Just our opinion.

Not enough chanting or booze obviously

Kaliningrad Oblast

While doing research on Immanuel Kant. The political guru – yes, how else would you refer to the 18^th century German philosopher? J and L found something interesting in the area called Kaliningrad Oblast.

In the midst of a whole lot of countries - Geeez

It seems that Kant – the wise one, who is considered a central figure in the modern philosophical model, was born there. He believed that perpetual world peace could be achieved through universal democracy and international cooperation.

Sounds easy enough!

Nah, not really - that piece about universal democracy may become a stumbling block for most countries on this revolving ball through the universe.

We can buy into this idea - sounds happy.

Of course, he also utilized his so-called atheism for the ontological argument of God’s existence thus believing he (Kant) destroyed the whole idea of God. This concept was thus poo-pooed by Friedrich Nietzsche who said Kant was actually religious – being brought up in a strict religious household and was just trying to make an apology for the traditional Christian beliefs.

Nietzsche went so far to state: “Kant wanted to prove, in a way that would dumbfound the common man, that the common man was right: that was the secret joke of this soul.”

And how many times have we heard this one? Sound advice.

Okay – enough of the philosophy but sometimes that is where research takes the researcher.

How about the mention of Kaliningrad Oblast?

This blog is about the area located on the Baltic Sea where Kant was born and raised. It was once a German province but then again it has changed hands many times since the Middle Ages.

Home to the Prussians in the western sections and the Lithuanians in the eastern sections. The good old Teutonic Knights decided they wanted a piece of this sea coast and destroyed the Prussian settlement of Tvanksta and soon realized that name couldn’t stand since almost no one could pronounce it so they changed it to Konigsberg.

Yeah, that’s much easier than Tvanksta!

Anyway, as history goes,  the territory went through different peoples for hundreds of years – so much for Kant’s idea of global peace through cooperation. So, even though the folks living there were more Germanic than anything else, because of the Teutonic Knights, other countries fought over the real estate including but not limited to the Germans, Polish, Lithuanians, and the Russians - some of them more than once through the ages.

But we can't forget about the Nazi’s role in this piece of land.

Adolf Hitler decided in 1938 the area of Konigsberg should be part of the Third Reich. With that said he also thought the Slavic and Jewish populations should be eliminated. Thus started a genocide which nearly wiped these two cultures off the face of the coastal regions.

The round-up in Kaliningrad

After WWII and the supposed death of Adolf Hitler in his bunker in Berlin (there are many stories saying he fled in the last days of the Reich to South America and we do love our conspiracies) the land was now up for grabs between the big three victors – Russia, Great Britain and the United States.

Joseph Stalin won the debate and by 1948 all German speaking peoples were asked to leave the area - rather forcibly. Half the population went to the port and exiled themselves.

Soviet Union control meant 'Control'!

A picture is worth - what - everything

The Hell of World War II

Not much of the city was left after the war, but over the decades, it was rebuilt and people began moving back in -- not those Jews or Slavs or anyone else not wanted by the Soviet Union, but people did move back.

In 1946, the area was renamed Kaliningrad -- and thankfully, everyone can pronounce it!

It was rebuilt beautifully through the decades

The Cold War – where many countries threatened to destroy each other with bombs which would vaporize a human with a millisecond took place for nearly sixty years started mainly between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Luckily no one inputted the secret code.

Now this lovely province lies on the Black Sea unharmed and once again a tourist attraction for those living in Eastern Europe.

Modern days just laying in the sun on the Baltic

As with all stories this one is not finished – Kaliningrad is the only Russian sea port on the Baltic Sea which is ice-free all year round. Thus the reason the Soviets wanted it so badly at Potsdam.

But then again – J and L do our most never to get into politics.


Never does not mean never – a story is to not finished until it is done.




The story of Kalingrad seems never ending. Hmm, "The Never Ending Story" -- sounds rather catchy.

But wasn't there a film with that title?

Maybe -- but that is the true case with this gem on the Baltic.

The research continues and so does the quest for the truth.

A deep piece for J and L but wouldn’t Kant demand that?

Philosophically that is.

Operation Scorpion

What if? That is one of the questions writers of all genres must ask themselves before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards).

What if? That's a good start...

 It's true that there are not always answers to every question one can come up with but with the premise of looking - delving into such a question as 'what if' gives the researcher more than ample ammunition in doing a good deal of looking for evidence.

A person can not write without wondering what they are writing about. Sounds confusing but in reality it is not. If we all knew the answers to everything then there wouldn't be anything to write or read. It is the job of researching to see if knowledge can be gained to satisfy the quest. Some of the answers are welcomed and some are not - but that is life.

That insatiable appetite for wanting more is what makes a writer, researcher, explorer and reader continue on their quest. To learn what they may not have known before.

What would be the reason for libraries or museums if that were not true?

As is the case of John's 3rd  novel, Operation Scorpion, being released by Black Opal Books on January 14th, 2017.

Operation Scorpion has been a long project that took years to research and write - each of John's works entails traveling to the locations written about and deep searching. As with our blogs we want our readers to understand that we, as the writers, are trying to deliver the best research and exploration we can - albeit with some humor and silliness occasionally. But it is important to us and hopefully to you also.

Author busy researching his next work!

Though Operation Scorpion is a work of fiction it still depicts a sense of reality and what if questions. Would a rogue military officer truly hide nuclear waste under the very noses of his commanders? Would that same officer consider selling the waste material to terrorist groups planning harm to the United Stated? Would an ex-cop turned private detective accidentally stumble onto this evil mission and dissolve it while all the time being a patsy for a federal officer under ground?



These are the questions J asked himself while writing his newest novel. Hopefully the work will suffice in answering those same questions for the readers.

That is his hope.

Hunted - 2013 Black Opal Books
Soft Target - 2014 Black Opal Books
Operation Scorpion  - 2017 Black Opal Books

Thanks for reading - we truly appreciate it. J and L


https://www.blackopalbooks.com
https://www.barnesandnoble.com
https://www.amazon.com


P.S.: You can also see John's latest short story being released later this month at https://gnujournal.com

https://gnujournal.com