[Steppes] Period Week in Review 7-09 thru 07-15-2006

[Mike]

Heilsa,

Hope the reader will enjoy this look at History
within Period - both from the past and the present
as it affects the history that is known today.

Week in Review 07-09 through 07-15:

July 9th:
Modern Day:
Spain  Before 601
On July 9th,   New Discoveries Give Insight into Basque Language.
The recent discovery of inscriptions in the Basque language, or
euskera to its speakers, dating to the 3rd century has researchers
excited. Considered one of the oldest European languages,
Basque has been linked to African, Caucasian or Etruscan tongues
or thought to have developed on its own. The recently-discovered
text was found at a Roman site in northern Spain and has let experts
identify such words as colors and verbs which were previously
unknown. Until now, a text written by a monk in both Castillian
Spanish and Basque had been the oldest written example of the
language, dating from the year 1040. The head of the excavation,
Eliseo Gil, said the pieces would not be dated exactly until
October or November, but members of the Academy of the
Basque Language, Euskaltzaindia, said the find was
extraordinary Among the words inscribed were the colours
"urdin" (blue), "zuri" (white) and "gorri" (red), verbs
"edan" (drink) "ian" (eat) and "lo" (sleep), the excavation team
said. Another piece read "Iesus, Ioshse ata ta Miriam ama"
(Jesus, the father Joseph and the mother Mary) while another had
the greeting "Geure ata zutan" (May the Father be with you).
Archaeologists also found pictures depicting the life of Jesus,
including what could be a Last Supper.

JUly 10th:
Modern Day
Canada  Before 0601     Got Mead?
On July 10th,   Alberta, Canada beekeepers are hoping the
province's move to allow a cottage wine industry to develop for
an ancient beverage will create a buzz among liquor connoisseurs.
Last month, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission added
mead, or honey wine, to its list of products that can be produced,
packaged and sold directly to liquor stores and restaurants from
bee farms. Alberta's honey industry is the busiest in Canada with
some 700 beekeepers and 250,000 bee colonies. So branching
out and trying to grow an industry for mead, an alcoholic drink
dating back to around 5,000 B.C., only seemed a natural step,
said Cherie Andrews of the Alberta Beekeepers Association.
The drink, often dubbed nectar of the gods and evoking images
of Vikings with drinking horns, is sweet and, like grape wine,
can be served in dry or sparkling varieties. Because mead
needs to age for two to three years, the first bottles likely won't
hitting store shelves until next year, but Andrews said they're
already in high demand. Mead is still produced in England,
Poland, Northern France, Germany and Russia and remains
very popular in Africa. "It survived right from the Romans, to the
Greeks, to the Middle Ages - they can't have been all wrong."

July 11th:
China  1401 - 1500
On July 11th, 1405   Chinese fleet commander Zheng He set sail to
explore the world for the first time. Zheng He is one of the most
well-known Chinese mariner and explorer and fleet Admiral, who
made the voyages collectively referred to as the travels of "Eunuch
Sanbao to the Western Ocean"  or "Zheng He to the Western Ocean",
from 1405 to 1433. According to Chinese sources, Zheng He
comanded 7 fleets comprised of 30,000 men and over 300 ships
at its height. "The Western Ocean" refers to the Asian and African
places Zheng He explored, including: Southeast Asia, Sumatra,
Malacca, Java, Ceylon, India, The Americas (not proven), Persia,
The Persian Gulf, Arabia, The Red Sea as far north as Egypt, and
Africa as far south as the Mozambique Channel. Taiwan seven times.
The number of his voyages varies depending on the method of
division, but he traveled at least seven times to "The Western
Ocean" with his fleet. He brought back to China many trophies and
envoys from more than thirty kingdoms -- including King
Alagonakkara of Ceylon, who came to China to apologize to the
Emperor. There are speculations that some of Zheng's ships may
have traveled beyond the Cape of Good Hope. In particular, the
Venetian monk and cartographer Fra Mauro describes in his
1457 Fra Mauro map the travels of a huge "junk from India" 2,000
miles into the Atlantic Ocean in 1420.

July 12th:
Modern Day
Egypt
Bozenka, an American Wins International Belly Dancing Competition.
Egypt opened its doors to foreign dancers and asked its hometown
heroes to stay out of the competition at the Alf Leila We Leila Festival
(Belly Dancing World Cup 2006). Since an Egyptian has won nearly
every year of the competition, the local contestants decided to see
what the rest of the world had to offer. Over 1,200 dancers
competed in the multi-day competition, surrounded by
photographers, judges and vendors. Belly dancing is big business.
Dozens of merchants come to this festival every year selling the
latest in belly dancing apparel and accessories. In fact, outfits like
these can range in price from $100 to thousands. But the dancers
are not judged on their costumes. Judges here look at technique,
musical understanding, stage presence and overall presentation.
In the end, not all bellies are created equal. So this night it wasn't
the amazing displays of abdominal discipline that captured the
judges' imagination, it was the graceful twists and turns of
American dancer, Bozenka, winning her the Golden Crown.
Then, if that wasn't enough, Egyptian dancer Nancy and her
equestrian friend stole the night, not by competing but by
performing and showing the rest of the world why Egypt
remains the home of belly dancing

Modern Day
France    Mont Saint-Michel to "Float" Again
On July 12th reported on June 16th, 2006     Once an island, the
Benedictine abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy has become
connected to the mainland by a buildup of silt. New plans by French
engineers will return the landmark to its island status. The huge
project will require the replacement of a dike with a bridge and the
construction of a high-tech dam. The construction work is set to be
completed in 2012. The unusual abbey and steepled church of
Mont Saint-Michel were built between the 11th and 16th centuries.
It is a Unesco world heritage site.
"Historically, the Mont was more than four kilometres (2.5 miles)
from the mainland. Today it is only a few dozen metres (yards)
away," said project director Francois-Xavier de Beaulaincourt.
The project will cost 150 million euros (£103m; $190m). It was
launched by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Friday.
The hydraulic dam is to allow tidal waters to flow freely up the
nearby Couesnon river, but should filter out much of the sediment.
When the tide goes out the dam should then release water to flush
silt away from the river delta.

July 13th:
Holiday - Japan
July 13th to July 15th,  Bon Festival
O-bon or only Bon is a Japanese Buddhist holiday to honor the
departed spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist festival has
evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people from the
big cities return to their home towns and visit and clean their
ancestors' graves. Traditionally including a dance festival, it has
existed in Japan for more than 500 years. It is held from 13th of July
to the 15th ("Welcoming Obon" and "Farewell Obon" respectively)
in the eastern part of Japan (Kanto), and in August in the western
part. In recent years, however, most parts of Tokyo, and by extension,
 the media, hold Obon in August to coincide with the summer holiday
period. Obon shares some similarities with the predominantly
Mexican observance of el Día de los Muertos. Obon is a shortened
form of the legendary Urabonne/Urabanna.  It is Sanskrit for
"hanging upside down in hell and suffering" (Sanskrit:Ullambana).
The Japanese believe they should ameliorate the suffering of the
"Urabanna". Bon Odori originates from the story of Mokuren, a
disciple of Shakyamuni, who saw a vision of his deceased mother
in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts where she was indulging in her
own selfishness. Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and
asked how he could release his mother from this realm.
Buddha answered, "On the 15th of July, provide a big feast for
 the past seven generations of dead." The disciple did this and,
thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature
of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made
for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and
grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this
dance of joy comes Bon Odori or "Bon Dance", a time in which
ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated.

July 14th:
Modern Day   Queer Eye for the Medieval Guy
On July 14th, 2006   Reported that Bravo TV's Fab Five, the Queer Eye
for the Straight Guy guys, take on medieval re-enactor Eric Zseller in
the July 18 episode of the series.
Episode Detail: Eric Z. (Medieval Proposal)
"The makeover mavens give their hip tips to Eric Zseller, whose
passion is clashing in reenacted medieval battles. The Fab Five also
help him pop the question to his girlfriend---in the middle of a
13th-century-style banquet, no less."
Eric Zseller hails from New York City and plays with Medieval
Scenarios and Recreations, Ltd. (MSR)/Kingdom of Acre.
The combat scenes and feast portrayed on the program were from
a Valentine's Day event put on by MSR at Sand's Pointe.
There is also footage from a mid-week fighter practice.

July 15th:
Germany  1201- 1300
On July 15th, 1291   Rudolf I of Habsburg died. The first German
king of the Habsburg (or Hapsburg) dynasty, Rudolf von Habsburg
renounced imperial rights in Rome in exchange for papal
recognition, and sought to maintain peace between his German
lands and neighbors. He was never officially crowned Holy
Roman Emperor, but his territorial acquisitions would later
form the nucleus of one of the most powerful dynasties of
medieval times. Rudolf is sometimes seen as a pawn because
he was selected by the German Electors for his apparent
malleability, but he still managed to hold Germany together
against rival claimants. Although he was able to grant lands
aquired through conquest (including Austria and Styria) to
his sons, the electorate blocked him from naming either of
them as his successors, keeping the crown from becoming
a hereditary possession. Rudolf did succeed in enforcing the
public peace (Landfriede) and in reasserting the right of the
crown to impose taxation on the cities of Germany. Rudolph
died in Speyer on July 15, 1291 and was buried in the
Speyer Cathedral. He had a large family, but only one of his
sons, Albert, afterwards the German king Albert I, survived him.
In the Divine Comedy, Dante finds Rudolph sitting outside the
gates of Purgatory with his contemporaries who berate him
as "he who neglected that which he ought to have done".


YIS,
Lord Michael Kettering