Corn Mazes Date Back to Ancient Greece? A HISTORIC LOOK AT THIS WACKY FALL TRADITION
Exploring a corn maze is a great way to get outside and enjoy the fall season with friends and family — but who came up with the idea of wandering around a corn field for fun? As it turns out, outdoor mazes are an ancient tradition, and the American corn maze of the ‘90s sprouted from the mazes of 17th-century European gardens. Don’t believe it? Here’s a quick tour of corn maze history. THE MINOTAUR AND THE MAZE Have you heard of Theseus and the Minotaur? This ancient Greek legend tells the story of the hero Theseus, who ventured into an elaborate maze to kill the half-man, half-bull imprisoned there. The monstrous Minotaur was known to eat heroes, and the labyrinth was known to trap them, but Theseus managed to slay the Minotaur and find his way home with the help of a string that he unspooled as he walked. This story isn’t the first recorded example of a maze or labyrinth — according to the World History encyclopedia, “[L]abyrinths and labyrinthine symbols have been dated to the Neolithic Age in regions as diverse as modern-day Turkey, Ireland, Greece, and India, among
others” — but it’s perhaps the most famous ancient tale. If you’ve ever navigated a Halloween corn maze staffed by ghouls and ghosts, you can see the parallels! GARDEN ART TO GET LOST IN Mazes formed from bushes began popping up European gardens in the 17th century. They were a popular artistic feature of upper-class gardens in England, more for looking at than solving. One famous example is the half-mile-long Hampton Maze, which was planted in 1690 and still stands today. THE CORN MAZE: AN AMERICAN INVENTION Garden mazes eventually hopped the pond to America but didn’t become interactive puzzles until Don Frantz, Creative Director of the American Maze Company, came on the scene. In 1993, Frantz created the “first ever cornfield maze for private and public entertainment” to attract college kids in Pennsylvania. Today, every small-town corn maze is a descendant of his “Amazing Maize Maze.” To learn more about that wacky history, visit AmericanMaze.com.
THE SCARY PENALTIES FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING IN CALIFORNIA Prison Time and a $20,000 Fine?!
CALIFORNIA PENALTIES FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
In our last newsletter, we told you all about how easy it is to accidentally get roped into a drug trafficking scheme. Often, couriers are recruited by friends or family without even realizing what they’re bringing across the U.S.- Mexico border! Unfortunately, even if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could still end up on the hook for drug trafficking. STATE VS. FEDERAL: WHICH IS IT? Transporting, importing, and selling drugs is illegal at both the state and federal levels, but whether it’s counted as a state or federal crime depends on the specific situation. The penalties for drug trafficking can vary widely because prosecutors take into account things like where the offender was caught and other actions they’ve taken. As a rule of thumb, drug transactions within California are considered state crimes while those crossing state or national borders are federal.
If you’re caught selling or transporting drugs within California, you could face 3–20 years in jail and a fine of up to $20,000. There are also things that can make this sentence worse, like transporting large amounts of drugs (cutoffs vary by drug type), selling to minors, trafficking drugs near a drug treatment facility, or providing drugs to certain at-risk people like pregnant individuals or felons. Any of those could add 3–5 additional years in county jail, felony probation, and/or more fines of up to $20,000 to your sentence. FEDERAL PENALTIES FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING Federal penalties for drug trafficking are usually determined by the quantity of drugs involved, whether or not they have caused injury or death, and a few other circumstances, depending on the quantity of drugs. In federal
court, the penalties with the potential of a mandatory minimum from 5–10 years in custody to life in prison. IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO GET HELP If you or someone you know has been accused of drug trafficking in California, reach out to our office today. Elliott can offer expert advice and representation that could make the difference between years in prison and walking free.
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The Law Offices of Elliott Kanter APC | www.enkanter.com
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