MSCU Pilgrim Speaks

A couple of photos of our recent hike up Mt Purgatory (as it were) have already been posted. Note also this one to the right. Verily, that very sign sits in Goldstream Park—yet another piece of evidence that the Middle Ages follow you everywhere.

One pilgrim recorded a log of the journey...

Tuesday, November 13, 2007: Mt Purgatory, Finlayson, what you will

By 11:20 am, six courageous souls had gathered at the foot of the mountain. The weather was fair and promising, though characteristically damp. We pilgrims examined the salmon briefly but were eager to make our journey.

Before setting off, we consulted a map—surprisingly or not, Jerusalem was not marked, and as true medievalists we consequently felt slightly disoriented. After only an eighth of the way, we began to feel “the weight of our sins” (i.e. the toll that exclusive studying takes on the body).

Along the way we lost two of our members: one to illness, the other to compassionate ministry to the sick. The four remaining clambered onwards, nervously laughing in the face of treacherous slopes.

When finally the Garden of Eden—the summit—was reached, we rested and enjoyed lunch. A timeless lesson was learned: Ryan makes good quesadillas. Now deep into the bush, we were not ashamed to commit such barbarous acts as using a straw for an eating utensil.

Great sights were seen from the mountain top: golf courses as far as the eye could see and flying johns, not to mention Beautiful British Columbia’s breathtaking wilderness. The journey downwards, with rising winds and slippery rocks, inspired increased religious fervour and oblations were nearly promised for our safe return.

By 2:30 pm, we returned to whence we had set out, having been preserved from both great injury and whistling cougars.

Look out for equally exciting MSCU events in the near future!

Another day, another disaster

To prove that yesterday's post about the 'quality' of Medieval history in modern news media wasn't an isolated incident, here's some more 'news.' WARNING! May cause extreme annoyance.

"Letter from Pakistan: Resisting Feudalism?
Pakistan's State of Emergency Can Be Seen as Struggle Between Modern and Feudal Forces"

"Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth"

"Turkish democracy was born out of the ashes of a once glorious empire, to the formation of several independent nations that included the Turkish Republic, to the transformation of her peoples from a medieval mindset to modernity by an enlightened leader, to several military coups, and into finally becoming the sole democratic nation in the Islamic World."

"Bartholomew said psychogenic episodes were common in more repressed medieval societies but have become rarer in the Western world as people now have more ways to release pent-up stress."

"But, the medieval and Victorian eras are long gone, and the age of innocence is buried with the dinosaurs. Thus, many questions come to mind."

From now on I'm going to try to use eras from history as negative descriptors.

For example: "Oh, the traffic was absolutely Tokugawa shogunate-like today."

or

"I think that America's treatment of detainees is Interwar period-like in it's restriction of human rights."

or

"The plight of women in developing nations reflects a Indus Valley Civilization mentality."

Which era do you think deserves more play in common parlance? If you have any favourites, please leave comments. Or, for the most virtuous among you, use random eras in history to describe things and watch the confused reactions of those around you.

Purgatory - the view from the top

Hey look! You see can Hell from here...





These pictures come from our annual trip to Goldstream Park. In true Dante-like fashion, we ascended Mount Purgatory (or maybe Mount Finlayson). After trekking through kilometers of unspoiled wilderness to make it to the top, what did we find? New construction.

Yes, from the top of Purgatory you can see straight into Hell.

Do you hear that sound? It's my teeth grinding...

Here are some 'news' that will make you shake your head. WARNING! May cause extreme aggravation.

"In the medieval Pagan period, there was this huge influx of Buddhists from Bengal especially in the wake of the Muslim invasions of north India. ..."

"The Calderón administration this week also blasted the U.S.-backed border wall, releasing a study labeling it medieval and an environmental risk, and calling on the U.S. Congress to reconsider the idea."

"However, when leaders in high positions articulate this medieval 'eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth' outlook, it provides post-facto justification for the crimes committed by their supporters."

"The collection is called "Red Spikes," and even though none of the stories has that name, it's apt. These are stories of heartbreak, night terrors and exile, all set in some unspecified time and place that feels primeval at times, medieval at others, and sometimes not even human at all."

"Seldon also has an information-age problem: he knows too much. Medieval historians used to complain that they knew too little. The best of them worked out that ignorance was, in fact, liberation. In the cascade of interview invention, almost-true recollection, sabotage and newspaper fiction, Seldon sometimes finds himself drowning, not waving."

"That's what history suggests; for since 1894 or so, the Bell system has swallowed or eliminated almost all of its would-be rivals. As one historian writes, in the early 1900s Bell would bankrupt competitors, and then "in truly medieval fashion, pile the instruments in the street and burn them, as a horrible example for the future.""

"I really can’t see a reason for wanting to promote Israel over the dictatorships and medieval hellholes of the Middle East."

"Her legislation would require sales prices of property to be made public. This would end the almost medieval nonsense of county tax assessors' relying on guesstimates to fix the value of property on which taxes are then computed."

“Honour-based violence is a cruel medieval throwback which attacks the young and vulnerable and has no place in our society.”

And the worst by far....

"There was more intellectual progress in the two centuries after Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable type than there had been in the thousand years before; and with it came religious wars made more terrible by the technological advances the printing press helped promulgate... Yet it is conceivable that without the invention of the printing press, the world could have hobbled on in its medieval, stagnant way, indefinitely: powerful popes, powerful kings, powerful nobility, and an illiterate and oppressed peasantry within a pre-industrial, agricultural society, and all connected by the parchment and quill of the scribbling classes of monk and clerk."

... I may have just thrown-up in my mouth.

But wait, it gets even worse. All of this horrible news was generated by the news cycle of one day! That's right, each and every day the Middle Ages are denigrated on a mass scale.

Learn your history well - only you can stop mass idiocy!

A Brief Explanation of Medieval Theology...

Today in the Midd... GLORIOUS ROMAN PAST

17 November, A.D. 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers...

...and the dozens of Christians who would eventually be martyred under his rule rejoiced (well not actually as they were being martyred. Their bodies may have screamed in agony, but their souls rejoiced.)

Archaeology student finds Roman remains in garden

By Mark Stead

AN ARCHAEOLOGY student struck lucky when he began digging the garden of his new home - and discovered ancient Roman remains.

Chris Bevan had no idea that a historic find was lurking inches beneath his feet when he moved into the house at Holme-on-Spalding Moor.

Now he and his fellow University of York students are using their spare time to carry out a survey of the garden in High Street and a neighbouring field where the ancient pottery was unearthed.

"I bought the house in July and was just doing some gardening when I found a Roman pot and some Medieval green glaze pottery," says Chris, 24, who is a second year archaeology undergraduate.

"I immediately knew what it was and was obviously excited. There have been quite a few finds of this type in the Holme-on-Spalding Moor area, but I never expected to find something like this in my garden. It's a real coincidence when you consider the subject I'm studying.

"It looks like I made a good choice when I decided to move here!"

Chris and his fellow students have taken the unusual step in archaeology circles of inviting a metal-detecting club to help them sweep the garden and field.

"It's a way of doing things which is almost unheard of, because there has always been a level of mistrust between the archaeological and metal-detecting communities," he said.

"Unfortunately, archaeologists think metal-detecting is done by people purely after making a profit, while metal-detectorists often believe archaeology doesn't let people near important sites.

"We're hoping to break this down and show what can be achieved by a new generation of archaeologists taking opportunities such as using metal detectors rather than avoiding them. By doing this, we've already discovered fragments of Roman coins and other remains, and we hope there are even more still waiting to be found.

"We're having to fit in the work around our studies, but the university has been extremely supportive and has agreed to lend us equipment to help do it."

The archaeology group hope to complete their survey this weekend, and it will be followed by several months of painstaking analysis of the find.

Holme-on-Spalding Moor has a history of historic discoveries - in the 1980s, an Iron Age boat was excavated on the banks of the River Foulness at nearby Hasholme.

From: This Is York.co.uk

Historic conversion finally complete

WORK to breathe new life into a historic building by converting it into some of the most sought-after homes in a Suffolk town is finally complete.

The West Front, in Bury St Edmunds, has been carefully restored over the past month and now comprises five houses - all but one of which already have new owners.

As well as transforming the grade I listed properties, which lie next to St Edmundsbury Cathedral, developers Hawes and Southgate have worked on conserving the medieval remains of the flint core belonging to an 11th century Benedictine Abbey, onto which 17th and 18th century timber-framed houses and some early 19th century structures were built.

John Griffiths, leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said: “Councillors and officers alike have worked very hard over several years to achieve the restoration of the West Front and we are absolutely delighted with the results.

“This is a unique project which shows what can be done when everyone works together. It also celebrates our rich heritage while bringing fresh life to some of the most wonderful buildings in Bury and I would like to thank everyone involved.”

From: EADT.co.uk

Stanford to put Renaissance manuscripts online

Stanford University announced a partnership Thursday with Cambridge University in Great Britain that will make more than 500 medieval and Renaissance manuscripts from Britain available online.

A total of 538 manuscripts from the sixth through the 16th centuries will be available for viewing at parkerweb.stanford.edu by 2009. Currently, approximately one-sixth of the manuscripts can be found on the Web site, according to a university announcement.

Stanford officials began negotiating with officials at Corpus Christi, a college at Cambridge University, in 2001 about putting the contents of the college's Parker Library online.

"What we brought to the table was a comprehension of what it takes to make a project succeed-from concept to being fundable by a grant agency. We knew about digitization and process-how to roll up our sleeves and get it done," Stanford University Libraries Director of Communications Andrew Herkovic said.

Members of the public who want to view digital images of manuscripts from the time of Beowulf will have until the end of 2008 to use the Web site. However, once the site is fully developed it will become subscription-only for academic and research institutions, according to the university.

The partnership is funded by $5.6 million in grants from the Gladys Krieble Delmas and Andrew W. Mellon foundations.

From: Palo Alto Online

Second SReCo Meeting

Continuing next Wednesday (November 21th) at 7:00 pm in Clearihue B215 the MSCU will be holding its second of several informal research meetings where students may get together to discuss a broad general topic related to medieval history.

The aim of these meetings, which will use a broad question to begin discussion, is to allow students to approach a question where they can bring their own ideas from readings and research to the discussion and help to arrive at an 'answer', as much as one is possible, for the weekly question.

Through student interaction, it is hoped that participants will become familiar with new ideas and opinions held by other students in their efforts to come to terms with the topic of discussion. Through collaboration we can arrive at some measure of truth...hopefully.

Thus, in the spirit of academic collaboration, the question for next week (21 November) is:

When were the Middle Ages?

This is an umbrella topic which encompasses many issues. The most general ofthese questions will concern how we describe the era (if there was any such eraat all). S

hould the Middle Ages be seen as the period between the 'fall' of Rome andthe 'Renaissance?' Is it helpful to create such a descriptions? What were the Middle Ages?

If you are interested in joining our discussion, please feel free to come.There is no need to do any research in advance, although the more you put into the Research Collective, the more you will receive out of it.

If you have any questions and comments, please let us know.

MSCU

What do you make of this?

I, Madeleine, have a penchant for browsing MS images online, seeing as it's one of the ways I can get close to the real thing.

One bizarre MS jumped out at me tonight: an image from Sloane 121 (a MS devoted to medicine and including a recipe for gingerbread), found on the British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts website.



What do you make of this? It is a flyleaf, as the description supports, but I think it is worthy of comments and suggestions as to its history and what it reveals about MS production and usage. I invite you, my readers, to post any observations in response to this entry.

For a better image, refer to: http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=6483
For the description, see:
http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=995&CollID=9&NStart=121

And lo the Beckham dost kicketh the balle...

Check out ExecutedToday.com

This website was recently brought to my attention. It follows executions on specific days throughout history. It's engaging, factual and there's Medieval content - this site is well worthy checking out for all you lovers of the macabre out there.

"Here's an excerpt from an account of the St Brice Day's Massacre of 1002:

On this date over a millennium past, according to the chronicle of John of Wallingford, King Ethelred the Unready of England conducted a massacre of Danes living in the realm.

The character of this sanguinary event — named after a fourth-century French bishop whose feast day Nov. 13 happens to be — lies half-buried in history’s shifting sands. Surely the slaughter of every Dane in a Britain then very much in the Scandinavian orbit would have been not only morally reprehensible but logistically unimaginable.

The accepted, albeit sketchy, story has it that to consolidate his own authority — or to check an actual or suspected plot against him — Ethelred ordered the surprise apprehension and summary execution of some sizable number of Danish lords and mercenaries. British historian Thomas Hodgkin characterizes it as a sort of coup d’etat."

For the rest of the story, please check out ExecutedToday.com

Medieval Sufi poet all the rage in Iranian rap

By Golnar Motevalli

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters Life!) - Baggy jeans, baseball caps and 13th century Farsi poetry may not appear to be natural bedfellows, unless you are an Iranian rap artist.

Iranian rappers from around the world gathered in London for the first time this month to rap in Farsi using the lyrics of 13th century Persian Sufi poet Mawlana Jalaludin Rumi.

Young men and women packed London's Queen Elizabeth Hall to hear artists like 23-year-old Farinaz rap the words of one of Iran's most revered poets to a pounding hip hop beat.

Born in Iran and now living in the Netherlands, the track-suited, lip-pierced Farinaz said Rumi remained a role model for today's young Iranians.

"He speaks of love for people, love for God, love of oneself and his poems can be nicely mixed with rap."

The London concert was a showcase for Iran's underground hip hop scene which has grown in popularity over the past five years despite the fact that Western music is illegal in Iran.

"Rapping in Iran is very widespread because it's the easiest way for young people to talk about their feelings and their daily life," concert organizer Behzad Bolour said.

"Rumi's poetry is very open-minded…It's very modern, it's very funky, it's very surreal. It's very rhythmic."

Classical Persian musician Ali Nourbakhsh, 25, plays in a band of four traditional musicians and one rapper and says he likes Rumi because the poet keeps things simple.

"Rumi just says 'I'm drunk, you're crazy - how can we go on?'" Nourbakhsh said.

Some of the performers who are shy, retiring and hesitant to talk to reporters off stage come roaring to life once they begin performing, striking defiant poses and belting out lyrics protesting the politics at home.

"You can arrest us, beat us, kill us but we will still say our piece," said Afra, a brooding 24-year-old.

Feisty female rapper Persia, born in Iran but brought up in the north of England raps with a strong Mancunian accent but sings about freedom of speech in Iran.

"For all the women of Iran who can't open their mouths, I'm saying everything I want to say," Persia said.

Reveal is a 23-year-old student of classical Persian literature who speaks with a soft cockney accent and for whom Rumi is Iran's most accessible poet.

"A lot of villages in Iran, even though they are illiterate, they're very familiar with his poetry…it's got this everyman element in it."

From: Reuters

Things that make me shake my head

I (Ryan) read a lot of news in an attempt to find suitable content for this blog. It never ceases to amaze me what comes up when I type 'Medieval' into a GoogleNews search engine. Literally dozens of news stories each day make reference to the Middle Ages - do you know what they have in common? They make me shake my head.

By this I mean, these 'news' stories grossly misrepresent Medieval history. From what I have observed in trolling various news websites, general knowledge of the Middle Ages is tragically low. The word 'Medieval' has become a synonym for backwardness, barbarism, ignorance and brutality.

This, in my opinion, is sad. When I see the Middle Ages, I see a glorious cross-section of the human experience. Many of man's greatest joys and sorrows can be seen in the Middle Ages. It was an age of contrast - for every triumph there was a failing. Such a plurality of experience existed, that one can barely even say what the Middle Ages were.

The age was hardly homogeneous. As partial as I am to the Middle Ages, I cannot say that violence and brutality were not present. But at the same time, few ages can boast the degree of intellectual, artistic and social ferment.

As a result, this new feature will highlight what I consider to be the most gross of misrepresentations of the Middle Ages.

Stay tuned for things that will make you shake your head...

Easily the funniest thing I've ever seen...

... oh wait. They're serious? Oh.

There is no 'I' in 'Blog'

The Medieval Studies Course Union has attempted to regularly update this blog over the past few months. For the most part, we've managed to keep the content flowing.

But we don't want you to consider it as 'our' blog, we want you to consider it a blog for everyone. We want to encourage you to send us content to post on the blog. Do you have a story you want to tell? Have you found an interesting news article? Exciting new lecture? Funny YouTube video? Favourite website?

If you have anything you'd like to share, please sent it to us and we'll post it on the blog. Feel free to disagree with us. Do you think that "Tristan + Isolde" deserved an Oscar? Write up your own movie review. The blog is here to foster dialogue, education, information and entertainment.

If you have any feedback on the blog or would like to suggest ideas for future articles we'd like to hear that as well.

MSCU

Ancient Hebrew text to return to Israel

JERUSALEM - For six decades, Sam Sabbagh carried a good luck charm — a parchment he found on the floor of a burned synagogue.

Turns out that parchment likely is more than 1,000 years old, a fragment of the most authoritative manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. His family plans to present it to a Jerusalem institute next week, officials said Thursday.

The parchment, about "the size of a credit card," is believed to be part of the Aleppo Codex manuscript of the Hebrew Bible, said Michael Glatzer, academic secretary of the Yad Ben Zvi institute.

It contains verses from the Book of Exodus describing the plagues in Egypt, including the words of Moses to Pharaoh, "Let my people go, that they may serve me."

In 1947, Sabbagh, then 17, picked up a piece of the manuscript off the floor of a synagogue in Aleppo, Syria. The synagogue had been burned the previous day in riots after the United Nations decided to partition Palestine, a step toward creating the Jewish state of Israel.

When Sabbagh later immigrated to Brooklyn, he carried the parchment around for years in a plastic pouch in his wallet, Glatzer said. Sabbagh used it as a good luck charm, even bringing it with him when he underwent open heart surgery.

About 20 years ago, a Jewish studies institute in Jerusalem named after Israel's second president, Yad Ben Zvi, learned of the fragment's existence. But it was unable to persuade Sabbagh to part with it.

After he died two years ago, his family decided to donate it to the institute.

The recovery "is important in the sense that we are getting the chance to unify the missing parts and put them in their original place," said Michael Maggen, who as head of paper conservation at the Israel Museum will oversee restoring the document.

The codex "is not just another manuscript — it's a landmark," Maggen said, mainly because it provides insights into key aspects of Hebrew grammar and pronunciation.

Portions of the codex that have already been retrieved are on display in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Sabbagh fragment would eventually join its counterparts there, Glatzer said.

Glatzer hopes that the parchment's recovery will encourage others to check their safety deposit boxes and attics for similar treasures.

"What (Sabbagh) did, others must have done," he said.

The codex, also known as the Masoretic Text, was written in Tiberias, next to the Sea of Galilee, in the 10th century and later brought to Jerusalem.

It then traveled to Cairo, after which, according to tradition, Moses Maimonides' grandson brought it to Syria. The elder Maimonides was a 12th-century Jewish scholar whose writings and rulings are still followed and studied.

"We have only about 60 percent of the codex — more than a third is still missing," said Aron Dotan, professor of Hebrew and Semitic languages at Tel Aviv University. The missing part includes most of the Torah, or Pentateuch, he said. The codex comprised the books of the Old Testament.

Although only a tiny scrap, the find is still noteworthy, he said.

"Every find is something, every new piece is something," he said. "It is an addition to what we

have."

From: Yahoo News

Today in the Middle Ages

8th November, 1308- John Duns Scotus dies...

....8th November 1342, a mere 34 years later, Julian of Norwich is born.

One philosopher dies, another is born - the circle of life.

Having been watched, the clip amused...

Golden Treasure Found in Medieval Fortress Markely

By excavation work in medieval fortress Markely near Karnobat (Eastern Bulgaria), archeologists found very valuable golden treasure.

That was announced by the local museum's director Dimcho Momchilov.

The treasury consist of 37 golden coins of three Byzantine emperors, golden ring and five gilt loops. They were found in a clay pot.

Treasures like this are rare for Bulgaria, explained Dr. Dochka Aladjova, science assistant in charge to Archaeological Institute of Bulgarian Science Academy, who arrived immediately to survey the find.

According to her the treasure could be valued to dozens thousands EUR.

31 of the coins wear the face of Nikifor III Votaniat, 1078- 1081, 4 are with Aleksii I Komnin , 1092-1118, and another 2- Joan II Komnin, 1118-1143 year.

The most valuable, according to specialists are the coins of emperor Aleksii I Komnin.

From: News.bg

Sorry, Pisa, you've been out-leaned

ALLAN HALL

A LOPSIDED church in Germany has knocked the Leaning Tower of Pisa out of the Guinness World Records as the building with the biggest tilt on the planet.

The landmark in the village of Suurhusen in northern Germany applied for the title in June and has now been told that its curious angle beats that of the famous Italian tourist attraction.

It will be entered into the next edition of the book in 2008, Olaf Kuchenbecker, of Guinness World Records' German office in Hamburg, said.

Officials measured the steeple bending over at a 5.19 degree angle, compared with the meagre 3.97 degrees managed by the tower of Pisa.

Mr Kuchenbecker confirmed: "It is a world record."

The church was built in middle of the 13th century, but a 90ft tower was added in 1450. It was built on wooden foundations, and the combination of the oak foundations and wet soil has caused the tower to slowly lean to one side over the years. Several attempts to stop it from leaning over any further have been made since 1982, and it was eventually stabilised in 1996.

The church is still in use and it also offers guided tours. Officials are appealing for donations to help maintain the lopsided building.

Because of the danger of it falling over, church services are held only on occasions such as Christmas or Easter. "It is still generally considered safe, but you cannot help worrying whether it is going to land on your head," Bärbl Köller, the head of the association to save the church, said.

Suurhusen councillors hope that fame will bring in more tourists to the area, but it is doubtful: the community numbers only about 1,200 and the village lies on flat land with little in the way of natural beauty or amenities.

"I don't see it ever getting the trade that Pisa does," Ulrich Menge, a local historian, said.
"Of course it has its own beauty, and now, thanks to its lopsidedness, its own individuality. But you can't call it a gem of medieval beauty like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"Still, people around here are very proud."

BUT ITALY'S PRIDE STILL TOWERS ABOVE ALL THE REST

EUROPE has the highest number of officially "leaning" structures, with 24 - four in Britain alone.

Asia has six - but the Iron Tower of Yuquan Temple in Hubei, China was actually designed with a tilt.

Even the United States has one - a replica of Pisa's famous structure, in Niles, Illinois.
The worldwide fame of the Italian tower comes as much from its place in history as from its architectural beauty. Construction work began on 9 August, 1173. It began to sink as the third floor was put in place in 1178. The seventh floor was completed in 1319 and the bell-chamber, the final touch, was not added until 1372.

Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two cannon balls of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their descending speed was independent of their mass. This is considered an apocryphal tale, and the only source for it comes from Galileo's secretary.

In 1934, the Italian leader Benito Mussolini - in his quest for perfection - ordered that the tower be returned to a vertical position, so concrete was poured into its foundation. However, the tower actually sank further into the soil.

During the Second World War, the Allies discovered that the Nazis were using it as an observation post. A humble American army sergeant was briefly entrusted with the fate of the tower. His decision not to call in an artillery strike to take out the Germans saved the edifice.

From: Scotsman.com

Student Research Collective Fall '07

Beginning next Wednesday (November 14th) at 7:00 pm in Clearihue A204 the MSCU will be holding its first of several informal research meetings where students may get together to discuss a broad general topic related to medieval history.

The aim of these meetings, which will use a broad question to begin discussion, is to allow students to approach a question where they can bring their own ideas from readings and research to the discussion and help to arrive at an 'answer', as much as one is possible, for the weekly question.

Through student interaction, it is hoped that participants will become familiar with new ideas and opinions held by other students in their efforts to come to terms with the topic of discussion. Through collaboration we can arrive at some measure of truth...hopefully.

Thus, in the spirit of academic collaboration, the question for next week (14 November) is: How Christian was medieval society?

If the majority of our sources from the medieval era rest on the writings of religious authors, then how accurate are these sources in labelling the entire epoch as deeply Christian?

Feel free to approach this topic however you see fit, that is of course the idea behind the exercise.Hope to see you there ( Clearihue A204).

Please email back so that we may have an idea of how many people to expect.

Courtesy of,

Matt McHaffie
MSCU Social Chair and Department Liaison

Ye Olde Nintendothe LXIV

The simple joy of Francis

The MSCU is proud to announce the second annual Commune with Nature!

Each year the MSCU organizes a trip to Goldstream Park to hike up Mount Finlayson and to watch the salmon spawn during the Winter-term Reading Break.

Ironically enough, Read Break rarely grants us a 'break' from our studies. In fact, our beloved professors tend to assign projects to complete over this alleged 'break.' Our annual trip to Goldstream Park allows us to relax and enjoy the splendor of nature. Nothing revives a tired brain more than fresh air and exercise - taking a break to join us will allow you to return to your studies refreshed and renewed.

When: Tuesday November 13th starting a 11:00 am.

Where: Goldstream Provincial Park (see above link for directions)

If you would like to join us, please email ahead of time so that we can better arrange transportation. If you would like a ride, one can be arranged if you let us know.

Not much left of Robin Hood's Sherwood

EDWINSTOWE, England — Robin Hood might have a hard time hiding out in the Sherwood Forest of today.

The forest once covered about 100,000 acres, a big chunk of present-day Nottinghamshire County. Today its core is about 450 acres, with patches spread out through the rest of the county.

Experts say urgent action is needed to regenerate the forest and save the rare and endangered ancient oaks at its heart.

Some 15 organizations have joined forces to draw up a rescue plan, hoping to win a $100 million grant through a TV competition in December.

"If you ask someone to think of something typically English or British, they think of the Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood," said Austin Brady, the regional director of the East Midlands Conservancy Forestry Commission. "They are part of our national identity ... but the Sherwood forest is a real place and the real forest needs help too."

The forest is beloved for its connection to Robin Hood, the legendary 13th century bandit who supposedly hid there from his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham, in between stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

One of Sherwood's oldest and most celebrated trees is Major Oak near Edwinstowe, the town where legend has Robin marrying Maid Marion. Historians believe it and other Sherwood oaks could have been saplings back in Robin's time.

Park rangers say the collection of ancient oaks is one of the greatest in Europe. But they see an increase in the trees' rate of decline.

Over the centuries, the forest was carved up for farms, mines, towns and logging. Sherwood timber built medieval ships and even part of London's St. Paul's Cathedral.

Now, the ravages of age — and, some fear, climate change — are taking their toll. On average one veteran oak per year would fall; this year seven have come down and the rate seems to be accelerating, said Izi Banton, the forest's chief ranger.

Currently 997 ancient oaks stand on the 450 acres known as the "beating heart of the forest," Banton said. About 450 are still living, and of those, 250 are good shape, while the other 200 are particularly vulnerable. The remainder are standing deadwood, still valuable to the forest because of the life they support.

Each oak has its own management plan and some even have names, like Medusa, Stumpy and Twister. Rangers monitor them closely, watching for branches that look droopy or stressed, anxious to ensure that each tree lives as long as possible, said Paul Cook, a senior ranger.

"Every time I come up here I think, 'Has that one gotten slightly lower?"' Cook said, looking at one aging oak. "It is a shock every time one comes down."

Ancient oaks survive about 900 years, of which 300 years are spent growing and 300 dying. Of the seven trees already lost this year, four were felled by high winds on one February night.
With fallen trees go the mostly unique kinds of beetles, moths and bats that live in them.

"It's the hidden side of Sherwood — everyone knows about the amazing trees, but they're not aware of life it supports," Banton said. "They're not all cute and fluffy, but they have just as an important role to play."

The oaks and wildlife will become more vulnerable as long as they remain isolated from the rest of the forest, Brady said. The rescue plan would focus on planting 250,000 trees to knit the parts of the forest back together.

Hopes are high that Sherwood Forest will win the grant from BIG Lottery, a branch of the National Lottery that gives out money to good causes. Last year, the lottery launched Living Landmarks, a TV program that encourages communities across Britain to work together to improve quality of life and environment.

The lottery committee has shortlisted Sherwood and four other projects to vie for the $100 million.

"This lottery project is the biggest one that there's ever been," Brady said. "It's almost a once in a lifetime opportunity to get the forest back on track."

From: USAToday

EU funds Fountains Abbey project

A HUGE £125,000 project is under way at Fountains Abbey to give visitors a history of the World Heritage site and an insight into the lives of the medieval monks who lived there.

The scheme is being funded by the European Union and will see a contemporary building built within the ruins of the gatehouse, which is known as the Porter's Lodge.

Currently visitors can find out about the estate's history by buying a guide book, hiring an audio tour or joining a free guided tour.

The National Trust now hopes the new Porter's Lodge Interpretation Centre will make it possible for people to imagine what the abbey was like in its day-to-day life via a new medium.

They say it will introduce a new audience to a deeper understanding of the history of the daily life of the monks and wider community, as well as the uses of different rooms in the abbey, both prior to and following exploration of the ruins.

Exhibits will include sections on medieval beliefs and the popularity of religious ideals, how the abbey was built by skilled craftsmen and how the monks spent their time each day, as well as interactive elements.

Jenny Coupland, a spokeswoman for Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, said: "We are delighted to have been the UK participant of this leading example of partnership working within Europe, which has enabled the National Trust to complete a number of conservation and interpretation projects here at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. Porter's Lodge will be a fabulous addition to the interpretation of this unique World Heritage Site and is an excellent opportunity to promote learning and understanding of this particularly interesting period of history."

The Porter's Lodge is part of a 13th century building and although the Interpretation Centre will be a modern construction, the National Trust says it will be screened by the walls of the lodge.

Jenny said: "It will blend into its surroundings sensitively, striving to employ maximum use of natural light and ventilation and will provide innovative explanation of the history of the abbey from its inception in the 12th century to the Dissolution Of The Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1539."

The Interpretation Centre is due to be finished by Easter next year.

From: York Press

Stealing? I'm just borrowing it...

From: Married to the Sea

Historian finds oldest recipe for German bratwurst

A hobby historian has discovered the oldest known recipe for German sausage, a list of ingredients for Thuringian bratwurst nearly 600 years old.

According to the 1432 guidelines, Thuringian sausage makers had to use only the purest, unspoiled meat and were threatened with a fine of 24 pfennigs -- a day's wages -- if they did not, a spokesman for the German Bratwurst Museum said on Wednesday.

Medieval town markets in Germany had committees tasked with monitoring the quality of produce. Thuringian bratwursts, which are made of beef and pork, are symbols of Germany's cultural heritage and ubiquitous snacks at football matches.

Historian Hubert Erzmann, 75, found the ancient recipe, inscribed with pen and ink in a heavy tome of parchment, earlier this year while doing research in an archive in the eastern town of Weimar, museum spokesman Thomas Maeuer said.

"The discovery shows that there were already consumer protection laws in the Middle Ages," he said.

The instructions go on display on Thursday in the Bratwurst Museum near the eastern city of Erfurt, Thuringia's capital.

From: Reuters

Prodi unveils pilgrimage route

Signs to mark 900km of medieval Via Francigena

Monteriggioni (Siena), October 29 - Premier Romano Prodi on Monday unveiled the first of 1,544 signposts which will soon show modern-day walkers the paths used by medieval pilgrims travelling from Canterbury to Rome.

The brown sign, marked Via Francigena, stands outside the castle in the Tuscan village of Monteriggioni, once a regular stopping place for pilgrims doing the 1,800-km walk.

Marking out the 900-km Italian section of the Via Francigena, the Way of the Franks, is a key part of Prodi's longstanding project to revive the old pilgrimage paths and render them usable for tourists and Italians themselves. "It's about the rediscovery of our identity: we need to revisit the itineraries of the past," the Premier said at a ceremony held outside the gate of the Monteriggioni castle, which overlooks Sienese hills.

The idea is to re-establish footpaths and rights of way, tidying up the landscape and ensuring that modern-day pilgrims have access to inexpensive hostels.

Prodi said the best approach to the Via Francigena was to tackle it "slowly, with a lot of people," in such as way as to allow casual meetings with "people you've never seen before."

The route to Rome from Canterbury in southeast England meanders down through France, crosses the Alps near Aosta, then winds down through Parma to Tuscany before reaching Rome.

The itinerary was first documented in the 10th Century when the Archbishop of Canterbury Sigeric the Serious travelled to Rome to see the Pope in order to be consecrated. Walking it took about three months.

Few people nowadays are expected to do the entire length on foot but governments in Italy and France are keen to promote the old road as a vehicle for religious and cultural tourism. "Cultural tourism is different from the usual invasions of consumer tourism. Here you can see the real Italy," said Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli.

Prodi, a devout Catholic, got the idea 13 years ago when he cycled along the pilgrimage route to Santiago di Compostela in Spain and realised that his own country had many pilgrim ways as well.

The Via Francigena was designated a cultural route by the Council of Europe in 1994.

An American journalist, Eric Sylvers, walked the 900 km stretch from the Alps to Rome earlier this year for charity and is writing a book about his experiences along the way."

Many towns keep their bit of the path in good condition but what's needed is a broader project to rehabilitate the whole thing," said Sylvers in an interview.

He also warned that some sections were practically unusable because they ran alongside heavily trafficked highways.Moves to clean up the Via Francigena began in the 1990s and a Via Francigena Association was set up in Fidenza, one of the towns on the route. But signposting remained inadequate in many sections.

From: ANSA.it