All in the spirit of Yankee hypercompetitiveness.
It [Old Slavonic] is the root of both branches of the living Russian language: of Great Russian, which is the literary and official Russian, as well as of Ukrainian, or Southern Russian. There are, moreover, no popular dialects in our country. The fourteen millions of Ukrainians, settled in the plains of south-west Russia, all speak exactly the same language.
They are often told that the pishtaco is going to carry them off if they do not behave. Thus, they are taught to fear the mestizo and white man at an early age. The pishtaco also maintains conformity among adults. Individualism is not a norm ...
[T]he Romans let their body lie seven days; mean while using their Ablution in warm Water, and their several Conclamations, as they called them, to try if there was any spirit left in them, which might be awaked and recovered to life again. If after the last Conclamation no sign of life appeared, then Conclamatum est, there was no Remedy, after this Cry they carried them forth to their Funeral-Pile.