Eastern Versus Western Roman Empire... Nov 11, 2009
Brian Tierney and Sidney Painter, Western Europe in the Middle Ages 300-1475, 5th Edition, (New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992). Peter Llewellyn, Rome in the Dark Ages (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1971). (Suite101.com)
Robert Fisk on writing from World War I Nov 11, 2009
" came the kindly, pitying voices in reply ... And that was an enemy to them, that little touch of gentleness and kindliness; it struck them with a hand harsher than death's, and they sang louder, seeing only the white road before them. Somme. Somme. The name speaks of sacrifice on a monstrous, epic scale, the destruction of youth. Even today, semantics and linguistics have maintained the relationship of these men with us. Their language, their expressions, their horror the metaphors they use... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
The Gospel according to Joe Nov 11, 2009
Religion is not great and religious values are false as over a thousand years of the Christian dark and middle ages demonstrate. Religious values consist predominantly of faith and self-sacrifice and led in that era to the worst period of European history where average life expectancy from birth was about twenty years. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Leipzig drives for former glory days Nov 10, 2009
The Leipzig Trade Fair, which started in the Middle Ages, is the oldest continuously operating trade fair in Europe. Today's Leipzig, which during communism hosted exhibitions of tractors and furniture, is home to the only production site for Munich-based BMW's X1 compact sport-utility vehicle, which first rolled off the line in September. (Business Report, South Africa)
God, why didn't you say that before Joe? Nov 10, 2009
At worst - and in fact - it is propaganda drafted and redrafted, mainly during the middle ages, by church founders. Misha | Selby - November 10, 2009, 2:38PM. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Better Antibiotics And Cancer Drugs Coming Soon? Nov 10, 2009
For example, the use of blue mold for treating wounds was a folk remedy dates back to the Middle Ages. But scientists didn't isolate and purify the active ingredient, penicillin, until the early 20th century, which marks the beginning of the era of 'natural product' medicines originating from microorganisms. (Science Daily)
Homemade mincemeat the only way to go Nov 9, 2009
Later, as a student of medieval history, I learned a great deal about how spices and sugars were used to preserve meats during the Middle Ages, how sweets and savories were often combined, and that mincemeat was indeed made with beef and beef suet, or simply suet - the hard fat surrounding the kidneys. I never found a proper recipe for mincemeat, and until two years ago, had never made it. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Arabic Bosra, Syria Nov 9, 2009
Bathing facilities continued to be an important public service in Bosra well into the middle ages. The 120 x 150m roman reservoir acquired a different function in Islamic Bosra. (Suite101.com)
It's good to call a house your own Nov 9, 2009
MOORE WORDS: One of home ownership's little treats is the mortgage, literally: "You won't own this place for 30 years, Jack." The Online Etymology Dictionary says otherwise: Mortgage comes to us from the Middle Ages' Old French mort gaige, or "dead pledge," because "the deal dies either when the debt is paid or when payment fails.". That much hasn't changed a bit with the passing of centuries nor the falling of leaves. (The Augusta Chronicle)
The time has come to talk of cabbages Nov 9, 2009
Kale was a staple European green until "headed" cabbages were developed at the end of the Middle Ages. Tougher than cabbage, kale is still commonly grown in Scotland and other northern areas. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Controversial speaker warns about 'threat of Islam' Nov 9, 2009
realitychecker wrote on Nov 8, 2009 6:41 PM:" What a surprise a bunch of knee jerk liberals attacking Christianity to show how open minded they are towards Islam.Have any of you read the Koran?I have. Saying it is full of hate (to use your talking point) is putting it mildly. Homosexuality? Nope. Woman's rights? Nope. Death by Stoning aplenty though. Save me the 'that's in the Bible' spiel. There are not dozens of countries enforcing Old Testament type punishments like Sharia Law is being... (Longview Daily News, WA)
Vikings will be Vikings in ‘Severed Ways’ Nov 6, 2009
And while most of the scenes in Tony Stone s peculiar Middle Ages art project look like a homemade educational reenactment, the film is actually more involving than it should be. Severed Ways shrinks the line separating seriousness from keeping a straight face. (Boston Globe)
Mom and Her Gear: 1954 and Today Nov 6, 2009
History: Predecessors of the rocking horse may be seen in the rocking cradle, the tilting seats used during the Middle Ages for jousting practice as well as the wheeled hobby horse. The toy in its current form did not appear before the 17th century. (CBS News -- Early Show)
•Unlike 'Judge Judy,' courts offer living lessons in law Nov 6, 2009
Those who are up on their legal history will recall that the Star Chamber was a type of criminal court used principally to try politically connected people during the Middle Ages. Court sessions were held in secret, with no witnesses, no jury and no appeals. (The Daily Journal)
Court imposes lawyer on Karadzic Nov 6, 2009
The Bosniak people - most of them Muslims - are descended from Bosnian Slavs who adopted Islam under Ottoman Turkish rule in the Middle Ages. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- Europe)
Grief, cancer, Nietzsche and Santa Nov 6, 2009
" He got a big laugh. I'm inclined to think that the only honest way to deal with a movie as dreamlike and filled with self-hatred and sealed off from the world as "Antichrist" is by resisting von Trier's shtick. In other words, by withholding and scrutinizing your own strong reactions, by working your way around von Trier's pathological longing to be pilloried by many and adored by a few. So I'm not here to tell you that "Antichrist" is a great film, however much I admire its beauty and daring,... (Salon)
23 Americans Convicted in Italy-CIA Case Nov 5, 2009
This "high and mighty" approach taken by America during it's own "middle ages" (2001-2008) are just what inflames Arabs and enhances the recruitment of indignant young Arabs by terrorists. These agents were told to conduct international crimes. (CBS News)
The Papillon or Butterfly Dog Nov 5, 2009
The Papillon is an AKC recognized toy breed that was bred as a lap dog in the Middle Ages ... Originally called the Continental Toy Spaniel, the breed was bred as a lap dog for royalty and their courts throughout the middle ages and later centuries. (Suite101.com)
Princeton prof. gives lecture to College Nov 4, 2009
The lecture focused on the rituals of crusaders during the Middle Ages. Such practices included confession, invocation of the saints, the blessing of weapons and the recital of prayers to be sufficiently prepared for holy war, Jordan said. (The Observer, IN)
Senate health-care bill would cover prayer-based treatments Nov 4, 2009
Even obvious nutjobs from the Middle Ages are afforded the same standing as 21st century science. I just pity the children with the enormous misfortune to be born to such religious fruitcakes. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Jill Lepore: Why is American history so murderous? Nov 4, 2009
Pieter Spierenburg, a professor of historical criminology at Erasmus University, in Rotterdam, sifts through the evidence in A History of Murder: Personal Violence in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Present (Polity; 24. 95). (New Yorker)
Spreading swine flu to avoid going broke Nov 4, 2009
Swine Flu has been spun until it is the Black Death of the middle ages. It is being used by the socialistic minded weaklings to promote all kinds of government intrusion. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
romantic exoticism Nov 4, 2009
No other intellectual/artistic movement has had comparable variety, reach, and staying power since the end of the Middle Ages. Beginning in Germany and England in the 1770s, by the 1820s it had swept through Europe, conquering at last even its most stubborn foe, the French. (Harper's Magazine)
The Entwined Destinies Of Humankind And Leprosy Bacteria Nov 3, 2009
3, 2009) For thousands of years an undesirable and persistent companion has been travelling with man wherever he goes. Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium that causes leprosy, has only one known natural host -- humankind. (Science Daily)
How Ayn Rand Became an American Icon Nov 3, 2009
The worst anti-Jewish violence since the Middle Ages was brewing, and the family was terrified of being killed by the mobsbut it was the Bolsheviks who struck at them first. After the 1917 revolutions, her father's pharmacy was seized "in the name of the people." For Alisa, who had grown up surrounded by servants and nannies, the Communists seemed at last to be the face of the masses, a terrifying robbing horde. (Slate)
The Science of Magic: Not Just Hocus-Pocus Nov 2, 2009
" But the impression made by magicians has not always been as positive. During the Middle Ages in Europe, they were sometimes accused of witchcraft, and were banned from certain towns. Only by the late 16th century did suspicion give way to applause, as magic assumed its place among the performing arts. For centuries to follow, crowds would watch in wonder, consumed by a question that still resonates today: "How does the magician get the audience member to believe. And that's where the magic... (CBS News)
If we leave Iraq, do we lose for good? Nov 1, 2009
Assertions that belief in the divinity of Christ is a priori definitional of Christianity simply replay the theological disputes of the Middle Ages, when losers in the heresy wars were burned at the stake. In the map of world religions, Mormonism is indisputably a subset of Christianity. (Salon)
Tastes of the Azores Nov 1, 2009
It s a longer way from here to Starbucks than it is to the Middle Ages, when sugar was a luxury and the daughters of Portuguese nobles, who were confined to convents, bided their time inventing desserts. Every neighborhood supports its own small markets. (Boston Globe)
* Hardcover: US: Hard-boiled cop, Hong Kong triads collide Nov 1, 2009
That was 1992, but it feels like the Middle Ages. . (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Churches inspired by saints Oct 31, 2009
"In the Middle Ages, the association of a church with a saint meant that person protected the church, or interceded for them," the Rev. Sanders said. "Sometimes the bones of that person were kept there or built into the church, or the church would preserve and share a relic from that person.". (The Augusta Chronicle)
Crawfords Corner - Attack of the vampire peacocks (2) Oct 31, 2009
It was believed in the Middle Ages that peacocks were immortal. Now that they are known to be vampirous, that belief is now, without a doubt, confirmed. (Brownstown Jackson County Banner, IN)
Dist. 7 candidates not much alike Oct 30, 2009
It's like moats and castles in the middle ages, where you had all these little fiefdoms are people willing to take the moats down and put bridges up to have consolidation. K: We need to look at the expenses and try to consolidate wherever that can happen, be it manpower, equipment, capital expenses, carrying costs. (Auburn Citizen, NY)
Why we carve pumpkins, not turnips Oct 30, 2009
The practice continued throughout the region even after Christianity took hold in the Middle Ages and the festival was renamed All Hallows Eve. Later, in towns, the fires shrank and were placed instead within turnips or gourds, which were inexpensive, readily available and safe containers. (MSNBC -- Technology)
The plight of the bluefin Oct 29, 2009
They kept saying "there's no shortage of fish, but at the same time, they were selling parrot fish (filleted to disguise), because they completely overfished the reefs with massive numbers of fishpots. About 15 years ago a fishpot ban was introduced in Bermuda and parts of the reef system were set aside as breeding grounds. The fishermen were furious, but the law stood. Its taken all this time for the fish population to start to recover but there is still a long way to go. There are some... (BBC News -- Science)
COLUMN: 'Good without God' seems to turn nothing into a bit of something to brag about Oct 29, 2009
" State-sanctioned killing isn't murder, a cop shooting someone isn't murder (usually), and so on. Jesus further expounded on this by saying, if you gossip or talk badly or tear someone down, that's the same thing as murder. (Yikes!)Christianity has never "sanctioned slavery" or war or whatever, although CHRISTIANS have. Christianity is a movement... not an entity that issues position statements. Slavery exists in society from time to time. War happens. Christians make good and bad decisions,... (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Renaissance of the undead Oct 29, 2009
In the Middle Ages, it was linked to the spread of the plague. There were historical characters Vlad Tepes, Elisabeth Bathory and Gilles de Rais linked with cruelty and bloodlust, whose lives became incorporated into vampire mythology. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Sorry, Minister, beauty trumps Oct 29, 2009
Video will begin in 5 seconds. What type of connection do you have. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Brief history of men's underwear Oct 28, 2009
Variations on the loincloth seem to have persisted into the Middle Ages, when loose-fitting trousers called braies came into fashion. These linen duds extended from the waist to around mid-calf, and once the wearer stepped into his breeches he had to lace them tight around his waist and shins. (CNN)
Partying like it's 1409 Oct 25, 2009
The nave of the cathedral resonated with period music on Saturday as festivalgoers lined up to receive her blessing, a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. Hamilton's enthronement was part of the festival, which featured vendors selling handmade crafts and people in medieval garb milling about the 124-year-old Gothic downtown structure. (Albany Times Union)
Anglicans ponder outreach by pope Oct 25, 2009
What would happen to the property, including some beautiful stone churches dating to the Middle Ages, that many congregations use. Questions arise on the other side too, such as whether allowing married Anglican priests to become Catholics yet remain married will increase the pressure on the Vatican to ease its requirement of celibacy for the priesthood. (AZCentral -- News)
Jeer the one about Strine? Oct 25, 2009
In the early 1960s the humour section in bookshops was very slender and had changed little since the Middle Ages. The selection contained especially few volumes relating to the experience, common to many of the citizens, of living in this part of the world. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
The Anti-Capitalist Impulse on the Right Oct 24, 2009
England during the Middle Ages prescribed the color, material and type of clothing for people of various ranks and trades. Such laws were not necessarily rigorously enforced, but their mere existence inhibited the development of business culture. (Townhall.com)
Spain feeds the soul and stomach Oct 23, 2009
Since the Middle Ages, humble hikers have walked these miles to pay homage to the remains of St. James in his namesake city. Their traditional gear includes a cloak; a pointy, floppy hat; a walking stick; and a gourd for drinking from wells. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Psychic Meditation With Metaphysica... Oct 22, 2009
During the Middle Ages, it was believed that opals could render people invisible. Opals are good at raising consciousness and can enhance creativity. (Suite101.com)
A tale of how it turned out right Oct 22, 2009
When Greenland was occupied by Icelandic and Scandinavian settlers in the early Middle Ages they soon made themselves at home with familiar customs and methods of food cultivation. When the great chill bit deep in the 15th Century, instead of adapting by learning from the climate-adjusted indigenous people, who they dismissed as skraelings (wretches), they clung to what they knew, and died out. (BBC News -- Science)
DVDs you should have seen -- but didn't Oct 22, 2009
(She was "working on her thesis," which is about "gynocide," the mass murder of suspected witches in the Middle Ages. They call the place Eden, half in jest, and like so many stupid protagonists in so many horror movies before them, they decide to go there, just the two of them. (Salon)
Oh no Jew di'nt! Oct 21, 2009
if , as the statement is by no means settled as being true, it is because of Christians and the persecution of Jews during the Middle Ages and later. The Jews had to amass money as the only way to protect themselves. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Catholic-Anglican Healing Reaction to Gay Clergy Oct 21, 2009
In a historic and astonishing announcement, Pope Benedict XVI today paved the way for the largest influx of Anglicans into the Catholic Church since the Reformation of the Middle Ages. The Pope approved new structures to allow potentially hundreds of thousands of Anglican clergy and faithful to be received into the Church. (Newsmax)
Blind need more access to written word Oct 19, 2009
In the Middle Ages, books were available only to the clergy and the wealthy; everyone else was illiterate and ignorant. That changed with the invention of the printing press, but it was nearly 400 years before another invention -- the Braille code -- gave literacy and knowledge to the blind. (Albany Times Union)
Higher Fees for Workers with Health Risks? Oct 17, 2009
"Hey, they would have done this back in the Middle Ages if they had DNA testing too. Why shouldn't we?" says one insurance representative. 00004000. (CBS News -- US)
Education and America's Early Settl... Oct 16, 2009
During the early Middle Ages education was used for advancing spiritual well being; church or state sponsored occupations and morally proper forms of knowledge. Issues of Church and State. (Suite101.com)
The Monty Python circus keeps rolling along after 40 years Oct 15, 2009
" For all the silliness, the Oxford- and Cambridge-heavy troupe has eclectic skills and interests, too. Palin, the host of numerous travel documentaries, is president of the Royal Geographical Society. Gilliam's latest directorial effort, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus with , , and , opens at Christmas. Jones, a writer and lecturer who feels "a burning need" to restore the reputation of King Richard II, says his interest in the Middle Ages dovetailed with Holy Grail. "In the original... (USA Today -- Life)
Marlborough Schools resurrect Latin Oct 15, 2009
Farkas takes attendance in Latin and teaches students the intricacies of Latin pronunciation, including the absence of the letters J and N, both added during the Middle Ages. A poster shows the striking similarity between ancient Latin words and their counterparts in the more modern Romance languages and in English. (Marlborough Enterprise, MA)
Marron Glace - Traditional Holiday ... Oct 14, 2009
When wheat was unavailable during the Middle Ages, in many parts of Europe, chestnut flour was the available substitute. Breads and cakes were made with chestnut flour. (Suite101.com)
Where in the world is Capuano? Oct 14, 2009
A flowering of learning that started in this land helped pull Europe out of the benighted Middle Ages. The lovely landscape and light here has lured painters for centuries. (Boston Globe)
Congo-Kinshasa: Citizens Look for Solutions Outside the Law Oct 14, 2009
We work like we are in the Middle Ages. We write everything by hand. (allAfrica.com)
Youths learn teamwork by farming Oct 14, 2009
Some kids (and grownups) out there are going to love this one: From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, the Society of Creative Anachronism takes over the Honolulu Academy of Arts to re-enact days of old, and it's all about the Middle Ages. Knights will joust at the Academy of Arts, and there will even be medieval Lego castles from the Lego Enthusiasts Association of Hawai'i. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Joan Acocella on Hilary Mantel Oct 12, 2009
England thereby progressed from the Middle Ages into the modern period, and you can t make that kind of revolution without breaking eggs. Elton s research revealed, furthermore, that under Cromwell only about forty people per year were killed in the service of the Crown s political needs. (New Yorker)
Blessing Pets? Oct 11, 2009
To Intrigued wrote on Oct 7, 2009 11:03 AM:" You may not be an athiest, but you are certainly not a Christian. If you were you would be in the Church that Jesus established over 2000 years ago, not one which was started but protesters (Protestents) in the middle ages, who decided to do what they wanted, instead of what Christ established. Luther and Calvin ripped chapters out of the Bible. Henry IV wanted a devorce because he couldn't chop off the head of another wife, so he started his own... (New Iberia, LA)
A world redrawn: When America showed up on a map, it was the universe that got transformed Oct 11, 2009
But when they set their sights beyond the earth, they still relied on a 2,500-year-old model of the universe, one that scholastics during the Middle Ages had made fundamental to Christian theology ... European scholars in the late Middle Ages devised a way of explaining this problem away. (Boston Globe)
Alternatives to Halloween Candy Oct 9, 2009
The tradition of dressing up in costumes and going door to door on holidays to beg for treats dates back to the Middle Ages. Today, most children in the United States carry on the tradition by going trick or treating on Halloween. (Suite101.com)
Gore Vidals United States of Fury, Johann Hari, The Independent Oct 9, 2009
I just looked it up and it appears some of his ancestors may have been Jewish and have converted to Christianity in the Middle Ages. You are implying "most" other "Jews" are by definition frightened to decry imperialism where they see it (Because they are Jewish. (Harper's Magazine)
Shroud re-created Oct 8, 2009
Carbon dating in the 1990s suggested it dates from the Middle Ages. But John Paul II insisted it is important to learn lessons from the relic, whether or not it is genuine. (CNN -- World)
FAITH & REASON: Must Shroud of Turin be 'real' to make you think of God? Oct 7, 2009
a researcher in the Vatican Secret Archives, the shroud was hidden and venerated by the medieval Knights Templar from the time of the Crusades through the Middle ages. Go see for yourself. (USA Today -- Tech)
Four decades on the Pythons are still a flying circus Oct 7, 2009
Terry Jones makes documentaries and writes scholarly books about the Middle Ages, the period the Pythons so memorably sent up in their film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Terry Gilliam, animator turned filmmaker, is still quixotically obsessed with making a movie about Don Quixote. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
