#Medieval Academy of America

[gradling]

Heard that the MAA called cops on protest signs and this morning got an email announcement that the Business Meeting and Open Q&A were cut short/rescheduled “due to circumstances that were truly beyond our control” does anyone know what’s going on over there??

[upennmanuscripts]

Registration remains open for the 17th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age coming up in just a few weeks. We look forward to seeing you there! (Note that there is a virtual option so you can attend even if you can't make it to Philadelphia)

Circulations

November 21-23, 2024

Before the age of print, manuscript books and documents were the lifeblood of premodern intellectual, religious, literary, and civil life. They circulated knowledge, ideas, beliefs, and values throughout the highly connected yet distinct book cultures of the premodern world. Today, even though performing a different role as artifacts of these times, the surviving witnesses of premodern manuscript cultures continue to move and nourish new lines of cultural, scientific, and scholarly inquiry. This year's topic takes the notion of circulation as a starting point to consider not only how manuscripts produced in various scribal cultures circulated information throughout the premodern world but also what the mechanisms were, and are, that have generated, shifted, and complicated the movement and circulation of the books themselves from the time of production to the present day. The symposium is organized in partnership with the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

This event will also mark the full implementation of the new Digital Scriptorium Catalog, developed by the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies in partnership with Digital Scriptorium. Saturday's lineup will feature a presentation on the DS Catalog and its contributions to Wikidata as well as presentations on the innovative work of Syriaca.org's Syriac Manuscripts in the British Library project and the latest updates on the exciting work and discovery of the Peripheral Manuscripts Project.

The program will begin Thursday, November 21, at 5:15 pm, with the keynote address delivered by Lisa Fagin Davis, Executive Director of the Medieval Academy of America, followed by a reception. Due to upcoming closures related to renovations at the Free Library of Philadelphia, the entire symposium will take place at Penn Libraries’ Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

The symposium will be held in person with an option to join virtually. All are welcome! Registration, full program details, and abstracts are available here:

.

Feel free to share this announcement widely across your networks.

[classtrialguru]

Okay here we go.Being a horse jockey must be an exciting profession and I am here to explain the in's and out's of Ace's talent.

Origins

While modern horse racing was introduced in the 18 century, the earliest records of the sport came from the Greeks as they had chariot racing as one of the competitions of that age, so horse racing was inspired by this activity, then it spread to neighboring regions like the Middle East, Africa, Persia, and more . Races in the medieval times were conducted to determine one's speed on horseback. The King's Plate races were introduced by Charles the second which were the first ever races that gave out awarded prizes and when the rules of the sport were first made known.France then established the Prix du Jockey Club in 1836. Betting on the winner has also been around since Louis the 14th.

The Process of a Horse Jockey

Well to become a horse jockey you got to learn how to ride a horse which probably means that Ace learned how to ride a horse prior to becoming a professional horse jockey. The legal age of becoming a horse jockey is around sixteen in America and England. Then you go to an academy like the Bluegrass Community Technical Colleges Equine program which is located in Lexington, Kentucky or the Professional Racetrack Exercise Rider/Jockey Program in Olds College in Canada, and The British Racing School in Great Britain. They also have to have a high school diploma or GED.They are also required to pickup a job in that profession like a stable hand or groomer which means Ace probably knows how to clean a horse in the proper way your suppose to clean a horse. Then you would need to get an apprenticeship license which in the US you would need to pass all their exams and be placed in a racetrack for sixty days by a committee to get hands on training. Another thing that a jockey would need would be a professional and personal reference which personally makes me think. Who was Ace's personal reference like sure he is very talented with riding horses, but with his overall personality assuming that his bark with no bite type of behavior was a thing before he went professional and went like "yep he'll be fine". I mean yeah the reference might be he's parents, but anybody else that was close to him would probably know how he would react in such a dangerous sport, but back on topic. You would then need to compete against schooling race and get your journeyman jockey license. To get your journeyman jockey license you would need to have a two year degree from jockey school and the schools usually limit the amount of students to twelve per year.Next thing to do is hire an agent and join a jockey's guild. The guild's bargain for their members and will provide life insurance, disability benefits, and will advocate for safe working conditions.

On The Tracks

Now that we know the process of becoming a horse jockey, I think we should get into the general stuff they do. The average salary for a jockey is around $52,645 and the crazy things that they only get five percent of what they win. They do a lot of calisthenics like squats and burpees, they're also some weightlifting thrown into the mix. Jockey got a riding simulator to practice how to ride and balance on the horse properly. They usually eat foods with high in proteins and fibers, but they diet themselves and drink little to no water since the weight limit of a jockey is one hundred and twenty five pounds. The horses also have to be one hundred to six hundred. pounds. The colors the jockeys wear are actually for the owners or trainers that employ them and the tradition was influenced by racing events in Italian city communities. Now there are five types of racing that range from flat racing to Steeplechase racing. Flat racing is the kind of usually racing where the jockeys and their horses go around the track to the finish line. National hunt racing or better known as jump racing has the horses jumping over hurdles to the finish. Endurance racing is a fifty to one hundred mile that takes the horses and their riders through different kinds of terrain like forests and mountains. Quarter horse racing is a race that's a quarter of a mile to see which horse can go the fastest under such a short distance. Lastly we got steeplechase racing which is basically the same as national hunt racing, but with different obstacles like water and bushes. There's also a race for horses that haven't won a race. Horses can get over excited because they know they are about to race so the routine in a stable is designed to keep the horses calm.

Betting

Investigation Time

So betting on horses is a complicated system of statistics and the ability of the horse you're betting on. So the least complicated bet would be the straight wagers, which the person would bet on if their chosen horse will win wager it will need to get first place, for place it would need to get first or second place, and for show it would need to get into first to third place. The minimum you can bet on them is $2. Exotic wagers are more complicated and difficult to win since you would be betting on multiple horses. So Exacta is where you bet on which two horses will get in first and second place, Quinella is like Exacta but the places of the horses you bet on can be interchangeable, and for Doubles you can bet on two horses that are in two different races. A technique used by a group is known as show parlay, where the group will bet on the same horse and double the amount they bet on. This is the repeated till they lose their bets.

So now we're at the final stretch. Now it seems that Ace can't do a lot to help solve a murder but he is very strong and stubborn which helps when bodyguarding the crime scene or helping with arguments as an extra insight. He also definitely has a lot of knowledge on workout equipment because of the requirements of his talent, which I will admit is very specific in the case that there's a gym in this chapter and if it was anything else then he would just be a bodyguard. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask at any time.

[lboogie1906]

Belle da Costa Greene (November 26, 1879 – May 10, 1950) was one of the most prominent librarians in American history. She was born Belle Marion Greener to African American parents Richard Theodore Greener and Genevieve Ida Fleet Greener in DC. Her mother changed her last name to Van Vliet and her children changed their names to Greene. She dropped her given middle name, changed it to da Costa, and began claiming a Portuguese background to explain her light, dusky complexion to escape the deep racism and segregation of the era.

She worked at the Princeton University Library. The assistant librarian was Junius Spencer Morgan, nephew of J. P. Morgan. Morgan at the time was building a library in New York City and was looking for someone to help him cultivate his growing collections. She met with Morgan in 1905 and was hired at $75 a week.

She worked as Morgan’s stenographer and librarian. She was trusted with millions of dollars to purchase books, manuscripts, and art items. She toured Paris, Milan, Munich, and Tunis as well as other locations in search of rare works. She outbid British museums for Egyptian manuscripts and scrolls, ancient tablets, and works by Raphael and Rembrandt.

She never married but admitted to affairs with Morgan, a Norwegian Count, a British Duke, and a decade-long affair with art critic Bernard Berenson. They traveled together, in search of rare works, and shared a love of Islamic manuscripts and miniatures. Her passion for fashion played out in her attire of wide-brimmed, plumed hats and fine gowns she wore daily.

By 1912, she was earning a quarter of a million dollars a year. When J.P. Morgan died in 1913, he left her $50,000 in his will. She was appointed the inaugural director of the Pierpont Morgan Library. She was elected a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, making her the second woman and the first known person of color to be so honored. She retired in 1948.

She burned all of her papers to further obscure her heritage and lineage. Heidi Ardizzone wrote her biography based on numerous letters sent to Berenson over the years. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[reasoningdaily]

The Oldest Treasures From 12 Great Libraries

The oldest reading room at the Bodleian Library, in Oxford. David Iliff/CC-BY-SA 3.0.

When you start to think about the oldest books that a library might hold, there are any number of rabbit holes you can fall down. What’s the oldest book in any particular city? What’s the oldest book in the world? Well, what do you mean by “book”? The oldest written text? The oldest manuscript? The oldest printed material? The oldest bound book?

Librarians take these kinds of questions very seriously, so when Atlas Obscura contacted some of our favorite libraries to ask about the oldest books in their collections, we were treated to a wealth of information about the treasures they hold.

The New York Public Library, for instance, has not only cuneiform tablets and ninth-century gospels, but also a Gutenberg Bible and a copy of The Bay Psalm Book, one of the oldest books printed in America. In addition to its own cuneiform tablets and Gutenberg Bible, the Library of Congress holds one of the oldest examples of printing in the world, passages from a Buddhist sutra, printed in A.D. 770, as well as a medieval manuscript from 1150, delightfully titled Exposicio Mistica Super Exod.

New York Academy of Medicine

Apicius, De re culinaria

Created: A.D. 830, Germany

Synopsis: The earliest surviving cookbook in the West, this Latin manuscript contains recipes that date all the way back to the fourth century B.C. These were recipes meant for average Roman households, although they included non-native spices that would have had to travel far to reach the Mediterranean. Some of the highlights, according to the library, are “roast lamb with coriander, deep-fried honey fritters, and cucumber with mint dressing.”

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Constantinus Africanus, Viaticum

Created: No later than 1244, Italy

Synopsis: In the 10th century A.D., Ibn al-Jazzar, an Muslim physician, wrote a book titled Provisions for the Traveler and the Nourishment of the Settled, a compendium of the medical knowledge of the day, which focused on the interaction of humours and elements in the human body. A few decades later, Constantinus traveled from North Africa to a monastery in southern Italy, where he adapted and translated Ibn al-Jazzar’s work into Latin.

Bodleian Library

Ash-Preserved Papyrus

Created: Before A.D. 79, Herculaneum, Italy

Synopsis: When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in the first century A.D., it covered the town of Herculaneum in ash, gas, and other volcanic material that preserved organic matter for hundreds of years. These carbonized papyrus scrolls came from the town’s library. Archaeologists have struggled to find a way to read the damaged scrolls, so there’s little known about their contents—though progress is being made with advanced imaging techniques.

Provenance: These scrolls were discovered in Herculaneum in 1750s. In 1810, George, Prince of Wales, received 18 of them and presented four to the library in Oxford as a gift.

St. Catherine’s Monastery

Codex Sinaiticus

Created: A.D. 330–60, possibly Rome, Italy

Synopsis: A handwritten version of a Greek Bible, the codex is one of the oldest copies known today, and the oldest surviving version of the complete New Testament.

Chicago Botanic Garden

Theophrastus, Historia Plantarum

Created: 1483, Treviso, Italy

Synopsis: Back in the third century B.C., Theophrastus, one of the first botanists of the Western world, set out to catalogue the the plants of ancient Greece and created the first known classifications of plants in his part of the world. He covered a range of trees, shurbs, dwarf shrubs, and herbs and examined how they grew and were used in his own time.

American Museum of Natural History

Albertus Magnus, De animalibus

Created: 1495, Venice, Italy

Synopsis: Albertus Magnus spent his life studying and commenting on the works of Aristotle. Without his work, much less knowledge of the Greek philosopher would have made it to future generations of scholars. Albertus, who died in 1280 and was later canonized, wrote widely about the scientific and natural worlds. This volume collects his work on the animal kingdom.

Library of Congress

Cuneiform Accounting Tablets

Created: 2050 B.C., Sumeria

Synopsis: The Library of Congress’ oldest written material dates far back, beyond the founding of this nation, to more than 4,000 years ago. The collection of cuneiform tablets dates back to the reign of Gudea of Lagash, in the 2100s B.C. The tablets recorded bills of sale, receipts, ledgers, and other accounting tasks.

Folger Shakespeare Library

Magna Carta

Created: Compiled 1325, England

Synopsis: The Magna Carta was the first English statute, but it wasn’t given that name until after 1217, when it started being issued along with the Charter of Forests. To distinguish the original statutes from the forestry code, they were given the name the Great Charter, or the Magna Carta. This copy is in Anglo-Norman, translated from Latin.

Boston Athenaeum

Egyptian Artifact Album

Created: circa 1500 B.C., Thebes, Egypt

Synopsis: This book isn’t exactly the oldest book in the Athenaeum’s collection. It was bound in the 1910s and is “more an album of archaeological artifacts than a rare book in the traditional sense,” the library writes. It contains three shrine hangings describing the worship of the goddess Hathor, and a series of inscribed mummy bandages, which are some of the oldest examples of painting on cloth.

Austrian National Library

Book of the Dead

Created: 15 century B.C., Egypt

Synopsis: Sesostris was a cattle counter and writer in ancient Egypt, and he was well-off enough to own his own copy of the Book of the Dead. In contrast with its name, the book is actually a papyrus scroll, 20-foot long, that contains magical spells to help the recently deceased make their way to the afterlife.

New York Public Library

Landévennec Gospels

Created: Circa ninth century, Brittany, France

Synopsis: Like the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library’s oldest written material is a collection of cuneiform tablets. Its oldest manuscript, however, is a ninth-century copy of the Gospels, made in a French monastery, but showing Celtic influence in its imagery.

Free Library of Philadelphia

Aldhelm, De Virginitate

Created: Circa 899, England

Synopsis: The oldest written items at the Free Library of Philadelphia are a set of cuneiform tablets—a common theme—but its oldest manuscript is a prose version of De Virginitate, About Virginity. Aldhelm, the Abbot of Malmesbury and Bishop of Sherborne, had written this treatise about early virgin martyrs, the value of purity, and its relationship to Christian virtue. This later Latin edition was written in an Anglo-Saxon script.

Provenance: R. Contan gave this book to a new owner in March, 1855. J.F. Lewis acquired it in 1914, before it went to the library.

[welcometotherpsideblog]

˚.⋆ ✶ 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨 ! ✶₊⊹

⊹ ࣪ ˖ he/him, 17 (bday in jan) ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

.𖥔 closed|OPEN to more RP partners ꩜.ᐟ

ᯓ★ ┆ semi-lit/lit, historical + fandom RP ✮⋆˙

⊹ ࣪ ˖ CARRD ⊹ ࣪ ˖

HAS MOVED TO @writingatthedisco

𝐑𝐏 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐑:

- ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀɪʟʏ ғᴀɴᴅᴏᴍʟᴇss ʜɪsᴛᴏʀɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴘ: victorian, wild west and regency period the most. medieval eras and greek/slavic/general mythology not so much, but still.

- ғᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ʀᴘ: night at a museum, bridgerton, red dead redemption 2, percy jackson, frankenstein (only the novel), marauders era

but 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑 𝐑𝐏 𝐈𝐓𝐂����𝐄𝐒 𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 rn are:

- 𝗥𝗗𝗥𝟮 specific, i have a rough idea for a 18 y.o. golden retriever type cowboy who gets seperated and lost from his usual cowboy group during a cattle round up across America, and decides to stay back so his group can get him on the trail back, in the meanwhile getting accidentally involved with crime and getting sucked into the Van Der Linde gang for means of staying alive and getting money as he waits through the months.

- 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗜��� specific, currently i am in the process of working out a Victor x Henry plot (with me playing Victor) (either during the era when Victor is nursed back to healthy by Henry, orthe summer before Victor leaves to study and Henry stays with his family at lake Como)—if you are into the book ship (i am not interested in any other Frankenstien fandom) and love the AO3 fandom surrounding it—reach out! i'm obsessed 😭

(currently: i am looking for answers on only these two ideas- sorry, folks!)

...but ofcourse i am very open to plotting together, if you have any of yourown ideas that fit these settings i wanna hear them!! just please try to be as involved with the plotting as i so we can bounce off eachothers ideas <3

- old ADs: (Bridgerton ServantxServant) (Percy Jackson Museum Quest)

𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐱𝐌, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐂 𝐱 𝐎𝐂

- this is because i don't really enjoy playing preexisting characters, however occasionally i do find the muse for a pre-existing character and ship—mostly then it is only CCxCC and it happens very rarely

- VERY open to making more ocs if you have ideas for settings and plots, i love writing especially when collaborating HHWJSHWHE

- side characters who are canon being played occasionally for scenes and stuff is completely fine by me btw, as long was we both play them from time to time when needed- not just one of us!

𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒 𝐈 𝐃𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓:

slow burn, friends to lovers, found family, misfit/outsider, mutual pinning (those the MOST like all my rps had at LEAST one (but all were slow burn and misfit) (ill be fr i only do slow burn and misfit...)) enemies to lovers, various academies/schools, past trauma, forbidden love, abusive/no parents, hurt/comfort, i also dont take my rp too seriously- i include a lot of humor!

- i also love my RP to be plot heavyy, not like... JUST romance, yk? and come to me with plot ideas, not just tropes

𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐏:

- semi-lit/lit, i stay around a three to six paragraphs depending on how much needs to be said, my starters are usually longer as in pushing on 6 paragraphs however i don't worry about length, ofc the lengths will depend on the scene, as long as it gives enough to work with and fits whats happening, i just mirror the other person in terms of it all!

- i rp and reply mostly or at least once daily (unless ofcourse i/you notify the other that you cannot that you are busy or sick or anything) this means i at least want to know you are alive once daily, be it in the form of a OOC DM if busy or a RP reply, and you can reply whenever—don't feel pressured to rush replies out quickly, timing is not important to me! i myself mostly reply around once or twice daily in RP (i write slow, lol), while OOC it depends.

- NO smut

- English is my second language, although i've been speaking and writing in it most of my life, i still may make some slight mistakes

- i roleplay in private discord servers using tupperbox, but tupperbox is not must, though!

- we will also most likely exchange writing/RP samples- it's just the easiest way to see if our RP styles click and if we are both looking for the samw thing in RP!

lot of communication and plotting out OOC is required! im autistic and prefer everything to be cleared up like that 😭

𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐃𝐌 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞/𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚! <𝟑

AND come with whatever specifically caught your eye, your character/an additional idea or whatever, and/or bit about yourself as a roleplayer (lit level/para count, activity, age, whatever you feel is important)! (just gimme smth to work with with the first DM so we can get rolling for the love of god 😭)

[mariacallous]

(JTA) — Over 20 Jewish groups from the United States and Spanish-speaking countries are calling on Spain’s linguistic authority to drop two antisemitic definitions from its official dictionary.

The 300-year-old Madrid-based Academy, or RAE, oversees the evolution of Spanish through its Dictionary of the Spanish Language. In the entry for the word “Jew,” the fifth definition listed translates to a “greedy or usurious” person.

The entry for the word “judiada” — which notes that the term “originated with antisemitic intent” — has two definitions: first, “a dirty trick or an action that is detrimental to someone,” and second, “a crowd or group of Jews.”

“The definitions of the word judío and judiada in no way reflect the true meaning of these terms,” reads a letter sent to the RAE this week that is signed by groups ranging from Spain’s Federation of Jewish Communities to the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “These descriptions are the product of a medieval and renaissance terminology of rejection, envy and hatred directed at the Jews who, because of their work, had the highest incomes – which was one of the factors that led to their expulsion from Spain by the Catholic monarchs.”

Spanish lawyer Borja Luján Lago is leading the groups’ request. He was contacted by the Jewish community of Panama after he successfully asked the RAE in February to modify the entry of the word “lawyer,” which included the definitions “talkative” and “chatty.”

The RAE confirmed to the Spanish news agency EFE that the claim was received and that “it will be processed following the usual channels.”

“We can presume that those terms as crystallized in the Dictionary are a sign of an antisemitic prejudice still prior to the Edict of Expulsion of 1492 that has been maintained throughout the centuries,” Ariel Gelblung, the Wiesenthal Center’s director for Latin America, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He was referring to the Inquisition, which expelled all Jews from Spain or forced those who remained to convert to Catholicism.

The RAE’s dictionary modifies definitions each year. In 2017, it added the words “kosher” and “hummus.”

In 2019, the RAE helped open an academy in Israel dedicated to the study and preservation of Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish — a language that developed and morphed as Jews left Spain for other nearby countries following the Inquisition.

[rauthschild]

Donald Drumpf's Background in Chabad Lubavitch

Left, Donald and his father Fred with Masonic/Brotherhood of Death hand-over-hand Skull and Bones ("X") Signal. The sign, or letter X, has a long history of use in the Ancient Mystery Religions, in apostate Judaism, in Freemasonry, and in the Occult. The ILLUMINATI elite use it to this day to symbolize key phenomena and mark significant events.

People who should know better think Donald Trump is some kind of saviour. The article below reveals Donald Trump is a longstanding member of the satanic Masonic Jewish conspiracy: "Donald Trump is nothing less than a sideshow and a counterfeit medieval medicine man offering cheap miracle and ILLUSIONARY fixes for America's problems here and abroad."

Jewish opposition is designed to give Trump credibility, as in the banker coup ruse of 1932.

Chabad are reborn Pharisees. Many Pharisees belonged to the Jewish occult group, the Satanic "Cabal".

Illuminati credo:

"A Jew was not created as a means for some other purpose; he himself IS the purpose, since the substance of all divine emanations was created ONLY to serve the Jews." Chabad Lubavitch leader, "The Great Rebbe" Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Donald Drumpf:

"The only [candidate] that's going to give real support to Israel is me," said Donald Drumpf. "The rest of them are all talk, no action. They're politicians. I've been loyal to Israel from the day I was born. My father, Fred Trump, was loyal to Israel before me."[51]

from Jan 23, 2021

from Mind Controlled Assassins

Donald Trump, the Devil's Run for the White House

(Excerpts by henrymakow.com)

Donald's father Fred moved in the circle of a corrupt powerful New York political fixer and power broker attorney, Abraham (Bunny) Lindenbaum. Or Bunny moved in Fred C. Drumpf's circles. They were more than just client and attorney. The two were joined at the hip. Bunny's first retainer came from Fred C.[27]

Fred and Bunny were political insiders of [Masonic] Tammany Hall through Brooklyn's Madison Club.[28] Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City Democratic political machine entangled and mired in racketeering, corruption, graft and patronage.[29]

(Illuminati i.e. satanist, Jewish power brokers,

Bunny Lindenbaum & son Sandy)

Don didn't go into how or why his father had been so loyal to Israel since the day he was born (1946), but his close personal association with Bunny Lindenbaum may provide some answers. Bunny Lindenbaum was an orthodox and fanatical Zionist Jew. He was president of the Brooklyn Jewish Community Council, and the Brooklyn Jewish Center (BJC). The BJC is connected directly to United Synagogue of America, the World Zionist Congress, United Jewish Appeal, National Jewish Welfare Board, and the MOSSAD.[52]

Bunny Lindenbaum, and his son, Sandy Lindenbaum were high priests of the secret ultra orthodox Lubavitch Movement and the Educational Institute Oholei Torah, the Flagship school of Chabad - Lubavitch, it owns the BJC edifice.[53] Basically, the Chabad Lubavitch Movement is connected with the Ancient Babylonian Talmudic Pharisaic Universal Noahide Laws of Nimrodic God Baal. The Babylonian Talmudic High Priests of the Order of the Pharisaic sun god worshippers of Baal are known as the Mystical Hassidic Chabad Lubavitch.[54]

(left, Trump's lawyer, Sandy Lindenbaum)

Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, the head of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1943, writing in the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, "Pharisaism became Talmudism ...the spirit of the ancient Pharisee survives unaltered. When the Jew studies the Talmud, he is actually repeating arguments used in the Palestinian academies." [55] In other words, the Talmudic Lubavitchers are reborn Pharisees. Many Pharisees belonged to the Jewish occult group, the Satanic "Cabal".[56]

According to the Chabad Lubavitch radical theology, the non Jew "infidels" must be exterminated, adding "may the name of the wicked rot." Among them was Jesus of Nazareth.

They claim that while the Jews are the "Chosen People" created in God's image, the Gentiles do not have this status and are effectively considered subhuman." [57] The Chabad are allowed to exist as a powerful international force because they serve Israel in two ways: working with Mossad in intelligence and criminal activities, and a source of extremist ideology to fuel Zionist crimes. It was also a scheme to permanently alienate, divide and polarize the races.[58]

(Trump's mother comes from occult bloodline)

Bunny Lindenbaum BJC's United Jewish Appeal assisted Jewish refugees arriving in the United States.[59] His BJC's World Zionist Congress collaborated with the Nazis to allow a limited number of Jews to emigrate to other countries.[60]

TRUMP-LINDENBAUM FAMILIES TIED TO CIVIC CORRUPTION AND SCANDALS

Bunny Lindenbaum presided over New York Major Robert Ferdinand Wagner, Jr.'s city planning commission.[44] Mayor Wagner's mayoral administrations from 1954 to 1965 had been for the most part of the Tammany Hall rackets.[45],[46] In 1954, Scandalous Fred C. was the subject of a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee investigation for being involved in widespread corruption in the federal Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD),....

(Trump-Clintons longtime partners in crime. Perot got Bill elected.)

Lindenbaum and Scandalous Fred C. [Trump] were clandestinely using HUD and state funds to build a haven and Jewish power base in Brooklyn for eastern European Mystical Hassidic Chabad Lubavitch Jews at enormous and substantial profits at the taxpayers' expense.

Today, Chabad is among the world's largest Hasidic groups, and it is the largest Jewish religious organization. The vast network of Chabad institutions have placed the movement at the forefront of Jewish communal life today.[65] A spokesman for the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement says the sect is ZIONIST in its support for Israel.[66] Fred and Bunny were secretly working with SS Baron Otto Albrecht Alfred von Bolschwing, Israeli Defense Force (IDF), MOSSAD and the newly formed CIA.....

However, Bunny Lindenbaum and his father ran the largest and most costly corporate welfare fraud-embezzlement system in this nation's history. Primo Don is a product of that corporate welfare bread line straight out of state and federal treasuries. His shit don't stink. Any notion that Primo Donna Donald is a self made billionaire is a fallacy and grand ILLUSION.

DONALD TRUMP'S JEWISH BACKGROUND

Donald's great-grandparents, Christian Johannes Drumpf and Katherina Kober, had sons, Christian Drumpf and Christ Christ.[16] Christian was Sleazy Freddy's father. By his name, Christ Christ, may have converted to Judaism. Nevertheless, Donald's great-grandmother, Kathernia Kober, may have been Jewish.[17]

What we know is that the surname Kober is German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from a derivative of the personal name Jakob or Yakov. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German Kober "basket", Middle High German Kober, hence a metonymic occupational name for a basket maker or perhaps a nickname for someone who carried a basket on his back.[18] The Kallstadt, Pfalz - Rhineland-Palatinate area where they lived in Germany comprised the Jewish communities of Mainz, Speyer and Worms became the center of Jewish life during Medieval times.[19]

Trump's father, Fred

Paul S Writes:

The Trump family, like the Heinz family (also Jewish), is from Kallstadt Germany, which is a small village located within walking distance of the Speyer/Worms/Mainz Rhineland metroplex. This area of the Rhineland (i.e., Speyer/Worms/Mainz) has basically been the "homeland" of Ashkenazi Jews for more than 1,000+ years -- indeed, even Frankfurt and the Rothschild clan are likewise just up the river, again within walking distance of Mainz. If you're a billionaire and you're from the Rhineland, it stands to reason that you're probably a Jew. I suspect his first wife Ivana was also Jewish.

That said, for a country that was founded (literally) by Zionist Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock and constituted 150 years later by Zionist Freemasons in Philadelphia, what would you expect? Rather than complaining about "Zionist" America -- which is something that has been in America's DNA since Day One -- I've found it more constructive to focus on my own heritage and ancestors, and pay as little head to the Beast as possible. Wise as serpents, harmless as doves so to speak.

Glen- "Donald Trump is nothing less than a sideshow and a counterfeit medieval medicine man offering cheap miracle and ILLUSIONARY fixes for America's problems here and abroad."

I've been shouting this shite from the roof tops for months now. Anybody(and by God there are plenty)who cannot see through this "phony bologna, plastic banana good time rock and roller" is a sucker and a fool. Does anyone think this clown made his millions by being a square shooter and playing by the rules? Give me a freakin' break !

[paulinafirek]

Why is Marc Chagall known as the painter of Love? Chagall an orthodox Jew, was born in Vitebsk, Russia (now Belarus) on the 7th of July 1887 as Moshe Segal. He was the eldest of 9 children. In 1910 Chagall moved to Paris, where he changed his name to the more French sounding Marc Chagall and in 1911 moved into his own studio in La Ruche, the legendary Parisian artist colony. On 25th of July 1915 Marc Chagall married Bella Rosenfeld in Vitebsk.

By 1919 Marc Chagall had set up the Vitebsk School of Fine Arts with artists Kazimir Malevich and El Lissitzky. But things did not go well and Chagall soon upped and left. Shortly afterwards, Malevich renamed the Art School the Suprematist Academy. By the 1930's Marc Chagall’s paintings were selling well. In 1933 a number of Chagall’s paintings were publicly burnt by the Nazis, outside of the Mannheim Art Gallery. In 1937, on the orders of the Nazi regime, all Chagall’s works were removed from German museums, three were shown in the notorious Degenerate Art Exhibition in 1937.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, Chagall moved his family to the United States.

In New York Pierre Matisse, the son of artist Henri Matisse, organised Chagall’s first exhibition in America, in November 1941, at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York. In the late 1940’s exhibitions were held of Chagall’s work in New York, London, Zurich and Bern in Switzerland. They were all hugely successful. But Marc Chagall longed to return to France, in 1948 he left America for good. In 1950 he moved to Vence in the South of France and intermittently met up with Matisse and Picasso both of whom had studios nearby.

In 1951 he married Valentina Brodsky. Their marriage gave him new energy later he visited Chartres Cathedral to study medieval stained-glass window painting. This inspired him and in 1959 he created stained glass windows for the north apse of Metz Cathedral in France. 1964 saw Marc Chagall complete the window of the Good Samaritan for the memorial to John D Rockefeller Junior and the Peace window for the United Nations building in New York. Marc Chagall died at his home in St Paul de Vence at the age of 97, on the 28th of March 1985.

[donsvgfile]

Graduation Celebration: Exploring the History, Traditions, and Fun Facts with Inspiring SVG Files

Graduation is a significant milestone in one's life, symbolizing the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and academic achievement. It is a time of celebration and transition as individuals embark on new chapters and pursue their dreams. In this post, we will delve into the rich history, explore the cherished traditions, uncover intriguing facts, and showcase a collection of Graduation-themed SVG files available at DonSVG.com. Whether you're a graduate, a proud parent, or someone who loves the spirit of Graduation, this post is for you.

History of Graduation:

The tradition of graduation ceremonies can be traced back to medieval Europe. The first universities were established in the 12th century, and students would attend for several years before receiving their degrees. The ceremony of conferring degrees was a way to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of these scholars. The practice spread throughout Europe and eventually made its way to America. The first recorded graduation ceremony in the United States took place in 1642 at Harvard University. However, it was not until the mid-19th century that graduation ceremonies became more widespread and formalized. Today, graduation ceremonies are a common tradition in educational institutions worldwide.

Types of Graduation Ceremonies:

In the United States, graduation ceremonies are an integral part of the educational journey, and they vary across different levels of education. Here are some of the different types of graduation ceremonies commonly observed in the USA: - Kindergarten Graduation: Kindergarten graduation marks the transition from early childhood education to elementary school. It is a celebratory event where young students, often wearing mini caps and gowns, participate in ceremonies that recognize their completion of kindergarten and their readiness for the next educational phase. - High School Graduation: High school graduation is a significant milestone in a student's life. It represents the completion of secondary education and the readiness to move on to college, university, or the workforce. High school graduation ceremonies typically involve students wearing traditional caps and gowns, speeches by valedictorians and guest speakers, the presentation of diplomas, and the symbolic turning of the tassels. - College and University Graduation: College and university graduations are highly anticipated events that mark the culmination of higher education. These ceremonies often take place in large auditoriums or outdoor venues and include the recognition of academic achievements, the awarding of degrees, the procession of faculty and graduates in academic regalia, and inspirational speeches. College and university graduations may also include traditions specific to the institution, such as the ringing of bells or the throwing of caps. - Graduate School Commencement: Graduate school commencement ceremonies honor individuals who have completed advanced degrees, such as master's degrees and doctoral degrees. These ceremonies are similar to college and university graduations but often have additional elements specific to the graduate school, such as the hooding of doctoral candidates or the recognition of research accomplishments. - Military Graduations: The military academies, such as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy, and the United States Air Force Academy, have their own unique graduation ceremonies. These events combine elements of military traditions, such as the cadets' formal march and the rendering of honors, with the formal conferral of academic degrees. - Online and Virtual Graduations: In recent years, online and virtual graduations have gained popularity, providing an alternative for individuals who have completed their education through distance learning programs or online universities. These ceremonies are conducted online, allowing graduates from various locations to participate, often through live streaming platforms. Virtual graduations can include digital diplomas and interactive elements that simulate the traditional graduation experience. Each type of graduation ceremony holds significance and serves as a memorable milestone in an individual's academic journey. These ceremonies provide an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments, honor achievements, and recognize the dedication and hard work of graduates.

Traditions Associated with Graduation:

Graduation ceremonies are steeped in tradition and symbolism. Here are some of the most common traditions associated with graduation: - Caps and Gowns: The traditional attire for graduates is a cap and gown, which symbolizes academic achievement and scholarship. - Processionals and Recessionals: Graduates often enter and exit the ceremony in a processional and recessional, usually accompanied by music. - Diplomas and Awards: Graduates receive their diplomas and often additional awards or honors for their achievements. - Speeches and Addresses: Graduation ceremonies often feature speeches from notable figures, such as the school's president, faculty members, or guest speakers. - Tossing of the Caps: At the end of the ceremony, graduates often toss their caps into the air in celebration. - The Turning of the Tassel: Explore the tradition of flipping the tassel from one side to another, symbolizing the transition from student to graduate.

Facts about Graduation:

Here are some interesting facts about graduation that you may not know: - The word "graduation" comes from the Latin word "gradus," which means step or degree. - The color of the tassel on a graduate's cap can signify their area of study. For example, gold is often used for science and engineering, while white is used for the arts. - The tradition of throwing caps at graduation originated in the U.S. Military Academy in the late 19th century. The first recorded instance of this practice at a civilian graduation was in 1912 at the U.S. Naval Academy. - The longest graduation ceremony on record was held by Weber State University in Utah in 2013. The ceremony lasted for 5 hours and 40 minutes. - The shortest graduation ceremony on record was held by the University of Leicester in the UK in 2011. The ceremony lasted just 11 minutes. Celebrating Graduation with SVG Designs: If you are looking for a unique way to celebrate graduation, consider using SVG designs from DonSVG.com. Here are some ideas for using these designs: - Graduation Cards: Send your congratulations with a personalized graduation card featuring a unique SVG design. - Graduation Party Decorations: Use SVG designs to create banners, centerpieces, and other decorations for a graduation party. - Graduation Gifts: Create custom gifts, such as mugs, t-shirts, or tote bags, featuring a special graduation SVG design. - Graduation Scrapbook Pages: Use SVG designs to create scrapbook pages commemorating this special occasion. There are several compelling reasons to consider purchasing Graduation SVG designs on DonSVG.com. Here are some of the key reasons: - Customization: SVG designs offer a high level of customization. By purchasing graduation-themed SVG files, you have the freedom to personalize your graduation-related projects. Whether you're creating invitations, decorations, or gift items, SVG designs allow you to tailor them to your specific preferences and needs. - Unique and Professional Designs: DonSVG.com offers a wide range of professionally designed SVG files specifically crafted for graduation-related projects. These designs are unique and eye-catching, ensuring that your creations stand out and make a lasting impression. - Time and Effort Savings: By purchasing SVG designs, you save valuable time and effort. Instead of starting from scratch or searching for individual design elements, you can access a collection of ready-to-use SVG files that are specifically designed for graduation themes. This allows you to complete your projects efficiently and focus on other important aspects of your graduation celebrations. - Versatility: Graduation SVG images are versatile and can be used across various mediums and platforms. Whether you're working on digital projects like websites and social media graphics or physical items like banners, T-shirts, or signage, SVG designs can be easily scaled, manipulated, and adapted to suit your needs. - Professional and Polished Look: DonSVG.com offers high-quality SVG designs that ensure a professional and polished look to your graduation projects. The intricate details, clean lines, and crisp graphics of SVG files contribute to a refined and professional appearance, enhancing the overall aesthetic of your creations. - Reusability: Once you've purchased SVG designs, you can use them repeatedly for multiple graduation-related projects. Whether you need to create additional items for friends and family or for future graduations, SVG files provide the flexibility to reuse the designs without any loss of quality. - Cost-effective: DonSVG.com offers affordable pricing for their SVG files, making it a cost-effective option for obtaining high-quality graduation-themed designs. Instead of investing in expensive graphic design services or purchasing individual design elements, you can access a vast selection of SVG files at a fraction of the cost. In Conclusion Graduation is a momentous occasion that deserves to be celebrated and honored. By understanding the history, embracing traditions, and uncovering fascinating facts, we gain a deeper appreciation for the significance of Graduation. Whether you're looking to commemorate your own achievements or show support for a graduate in your life, the Graduation-themed SVG files from DonSVG.com offer a creative and customizable way to add a personal touch to your celebrations. Let's celebrate the journey, accomplishments, and limitless potential that Graduation represents. Read the full article

[lboogie1906]

Dr. William Chester Jordan (July 4, 1948) is an author and award-winning historian of medieval Europe. He was born in Chicago to Johnnie Parker Jordan and Marguerite Jane Mays Jordan. He graduated with a BA from Ripon College and earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He began teaching at Princeton, where he would spend his entire career.

He published several books on the history of medieval Europe throughout his career. He dedicated his first book, Order and Innovation in the Middle Ages: Essays in Honor of Joseph R. Strayer, to his academic advisor. His second book, Louis IX and the Challenge of the Crusade: A Study in Rulership, examined the life of the French king who fought in two Holy Crusades. He wrote From Servitude to Freedom: Manumission in the Sénonais in the Thirteenth Century. His next book was The French Monarchy and the Jews: From Philip Augustus to the Last Capetians. He wrote Women and Credit in Pre-Industrial and Developing Societies. In 1996, he wrote Northern Europe in the Early Fourteenth Century.

He served as editor-in-chief of the four volumes of The Middle Ages and one volume of The Middle Ages: A Watts Guide for Children. He wrote a collection of essays on Ideology and Royal Power in Medieval: Kingship, Crusades, and the Jews. Other works include Europe in the High Middle Ages (2003), Unceasing Strife, Unending Fear: Jacques de Therines and the Freedom of the Church in the Age of the Last Capetians, The Tale of Two Monasteries: Westminster and Saint-Denis in the Thirteenth Century. He was the principal editor of The Capetian Century: 1214-1314.

He became co-editor of two unexpected titles, Human/Animal Boundary: Historical Perspectives and Corrupt Histories. He has served as chairman of the history department at Princeton. He served as president of the Medieval Academy of America and the American Catholic Historical Association. He received several prestigious fellowships, grants, and awards, including the Haskins Medal.

He resides with his wife, Christin Kenyon Hershey. They have three daughters and a son. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[provecfy]

If I can add a bit about her Spanish name because I love Nemona so much:

The Spanish name "Mencía" has a triple meaning. Firstly, one of the flowers of the Nemophila family is called 'Nemophila menziessi', so she keeps the flower connection (another Nemona & Sprigatito truther over here). It's cool to know that the flower the name references is originally from America but has adapted to the Mediterranean weather, similarly to how Nemona is not from Paldea but has adapted to it as if it had always been her home.

Mencía is also, as op said, a type of grape cultivated for wine in Spain (a connection to Pokemon Violet and the Uva Academy). I'm not a wine expert but you can reasonably keep the symbolism going for a while: since grape juice has to ripe to become wine you can say it's a fruit for the future (another connection to Violet), expensive wine is a drink associated to the high class (a nod to her background), and wine from Mencía grapes is said to have an 'earthly taste' (another connection to nature).

And, finally, Mencía was a relatively common name for women in Spain during the middle ages. That's another nod to her background (rich families in Spain love giving their kids medieval-sounding names), it could also be a connection to the Scarlet game (a name from the middle ages, from the past). The name has two possible origins irl: it might come from the Spanish word 'Clemencia' (mercy, which is historically given by the victors to defeated opponents, giving the name a meaning of 'victory' which nods to Nemona's love for battles). The other possible origin comes from Basque, a language spoken in the northern regions of Spain, in which it means 'monte' (mountain), yet another connection to nature.

i love nemona's name so much

she is named after nemophilas which is a very pretty flower and also means woodland loving (you get woodland from νέμος or nemos and get loving from philio) and im taking this as fuel for me being a nemona sprigatito truther

there is also nemo which means nobody which HURTS ME along with nemona being an anagram of no name and also point nemo which is "the loneliest place on earth" because it's the furthest place from land on the planet

and her story is about loneliness and im gonna throw up

her spanish name is less interesting to me than nemona and nemo but mencia is suuuch a pretty name and is also a kind of wine grape!

[timespanner]

In a vault in the basement of a library in Connecticut lies a book no one can read. The Voynich Manuscript, an early 15th-century codex that belongs to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, presents an irresistible medieval mystery. The tome is written using an otherwise unknown collection of symbols known to those who study the codex as “Voynichese,” with what appear to be roots, prefixes and suffixes as well as repeating spelling and grammatical patterns. Then there are the illustrations, which include unidentifiable but detailed and realistic plants, circular zodiacal and astronomical diagrams, crowned nude women bathing in green or blue pools and other images that defy description.

For centuries, the Voynich Manuscript has resisted interpretation, which hasn’t stopped a host of would-be readers from claiming they’ve solved it. In June 1921, the monthly magazine Hearst’s International announced that University of Pennsylvania Professor William Newbold had “come upon the key to the secret cipher of the [Voynich] Manuscript … and the truth of six hundred years ago is coming out!” Newbold surmised that 13th-century English scientist Roger Bacon had written the manuscript with the aid of a microscope and a telescope, centuries before the invention of either instrument. Newbold’s solution was debunked in 1931 by University of Chicago classicist John Matthews Manly in a journal of medieval studies called Speculum, leaving Newbold posthumously disgraced. Although they had once been close friends, Manly felt a moral imperative to publicly denounce Newbold’s work in the “interests of scientific truth.” “In my opinion,” he wrote, “the Newbold claims are entirely baseless and should be definitely and absolutely rejected.”

Sound familiar? It should. Every few months, it seems, a new theory is trumpeted by the news media beneath a breathless headline along the lines of “Has the Voynich Manuscript Really Been Solved?” (Spoiler alert: No, it hasn’t.) I’ve seen them all.

I’ve been critiquing Voynich theories since I was a PhD student at Yale in the early 1990s and had a job at the Beinecke Library. In addition to my other responsibilities, I was tasked with handling Voynich-related correspondence. Ever since I first laid eyes on the manuscript 30 years ago, I have been captivated not only by the object itself but also by the hold it has on both the public and the persistent and devoted “Voynichologists” who can’t get enough.

Like modern-day Newbolds, we all want to know what the Voynich means. But most would-be interpreters make the same mistake as Newbold: By beginning with their own preconceptions of what they want the Voynich to be, their conclusions take them further from the truth. Their attempts to demystify the medieval past only serve to mystify it further, making the Voynich into a telling avatar of our vexed relationship with the past.

In addition to my own work on the Voynich, which involves a detailed study of the scribes who wrote the manuscript, I’ve been increasingly called upon by the media in recent years to comment on various theories. Every solution I have seen falls apart under scrutiny, from wishful foundations to illogical conclusions.

Recent proposals that were reported worldwide argued that it was written in “Proto-Romance” (something that was not an actual language in the early 15th century), in ancient Hebrew (this theory depends in part on Google Translate, which can’t really handle medieval languages), or — as publicized just last month — in an Italian dialect transcribed using a well-known medieval shorthand system called Tironian Notation. (In fact, there is no resemblance between Voynichese and Tironian Notes.) Like others before them, these authors tend to go public prematurely — and without proper review by the real experts. Word of each new solution spreads across the globe in minutes. While it took years for Manly to call out Newbold, today’s refutations are posted within hours on Twitter or other platforms.

What is it about the Voynich Manuscript that keeps us clicking? Why do we fall for the breathless announcements, only to see them denounced within hours or days? And why should we care about the Voynich Manuscript at all?

There is, in fact, no medieval manuscript that has been seen, studied, analyzed and debated more than Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library MS 408. Dozens of solutions have been proposed in the past century alone, most of them more aspirational than they are substantive. In addition to Roger Bacon, the manuscript has been credited to Leonardo da Vinci or attributed to 16th-century Mesoamerica. Recent chemical analyses, however, concluded that the oak gall ink and the mineral and botanical pigments are consistent with medieval recipes, and Carbon-14 analysis has dated the parchment to between 1404 and 1438. That rules out Roger Bacon (who was already dead), da Vinci (who hadn’t been born), and the peoples of post-contact Mesoamerica.

I regularly receive Voynich “solutions” by email with requests for feedback. That feedback and my public comments are not always accepted in the constructively critical spirit in which they are given. I recently received an ugly and threatening direct message from a fake Facebook account referring in detail to my critique of the Proto-Romance theory, claiming that the author of the theory “will go down in history,” while I will be remembered as a “backwards looking troglodyte” who tried to slow “the advancement of knowledge and human progress” and who will “fade into obscurity.” For some, apparently, the stakes appear to be irrationally high.

The proliferation of demonstrably false Voynich solutions is indicative of a larger issue. As executive director of the Medieval Academy of America, the largest organization in the world dedicated to the study of the Middle Ages, I am acutely aware of the importance of the humanities as a discipline and the urgency of addressing the increasing threats to the study of history, languages and literature in the United States.

In this context, what are we to make of the widespread popular interest in a 600-year-old manuscript that no one can read? While it is the mystery of the Voynich that appeals, that grabs and holds the attention of a curious public, undercooked solutions presented without context lead readers down a rabbit hole of misinformation, conspiracy theories and the thoroughly unproductive fetishization of a fictional medieval past, turning an authentic and fascinating medieval manuscript into a caricature of itself.

Every new Voynich theory offers an opportunity for readers to exercise healthy, critical skepticism instead of accepting publicized solutions at face value. Proposed solutions shouldn’t automatically be rejected (the default reaction of most medievalists), but they should be approached with caution. Seek out expert opinions, and do some follow-up reading. It shouldn’t take a Voynichologist to spot a leap of logic or an argument based on wishful thinking instead of solid facts. It is only by engaging with the critical reading and interpretive skills imparted by the study of the humanities that consumers of media can deconstruct methodologies, assess hypotheses and judge for themselves the reliability of what they read. And I’m not just talking about the Voynich Manuscript.

When we approach an ancient object such as the Voynich Manuscript, we tend to bring our preconceptions with us to the table. The more we burden the manuscript with what we want it to be, the more buried the truth becomes.

The missteps of historical preconception are particularly problematic when dealing with the Middle Ages. We watch “Game of Thrones,” we read “Lord of the Rings,” we play medieval-themed video games, and therefore we think we know something about the Middle Ages. Nationalists and white supremacists misappropriate medieval symbols, imagery and narrative to serve their own vicious agendas. Using a contemporary cultural megaphone to talk over history threatens to drown out that which might otherwise be heard on its own terms. To truly understand the past, we have to let it speak for itself. The Voynich Manuscript has a voice — we just need to listen. 

[skeleton-richard]

That feel when while working on a project you find out someone has already done what you’re doing and did it way better and now you feel like scrapping several months of work.