Happy weekend everyone! Here is an Open Thread/News Lounge where the usual ‘no links’ rule has been lifted as with other Lounges. Please use this post as your general point of chiming in about whatever news of the day is stuck in your craw :) There will also be a “Palin Lounge” later today for the weekend along with the “Palin Report” podcast, so please save your Palin links for that Lounge. Thanks.
Here are some history notes to get us started:
Darwin’s Personal Library with Handwritten Notes Available Online
Notes and comments hand-written by Charles Darwin on the pages and margins of the books in his personal library are now available online for the first time, enabling new insights into the great naturalist’s thought processes and the development of the theory of evolution. The first phase of the project has just been completed, with 330 of the most heavily annotated books now accessible online at the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Darwin’s scientific library comprised 1480 books, of which 730 contain abundant research notes in their margins. All the annotated books are in the process of being digitized, resulting in high-resolution images of each book’s pages showing Darwin’s handwriting along with a transcription of the notes in a companion panel.
Adolf Hitler’s Austrian hometown revokes honour title
Adolf Hitler’s hometown in Austria has revoked the Nazi leader’s honorary citizenship – even if he never may have been given it. The council in Braunau am Inn decided to strip Hitler of any honour he may have received and which did not expire automatically after his death in 1945.
Hitler was actually born in Ranshofen in 1889, and the village made him an honorary citizen in 1933.
Codex Calixtinus manuscript stolen from Santiago de Compostela
A priceless 12th-century illustrated manuscript containing what has been described as Europe’s first travel guide has been stolen from the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain.
The Codex Calixtinus, which was kept in a safe at the cathedral’s archives, is thought to have been stolen by professional thieves on Sunday afternoon…The 225 parchment pages include a guide to the pilgrimage routes to Santiago, apparently written by a French friar, Aimeric Picaud.
They also tell the story of how St James the Apostle’s body was supposedly transported from Judea on a raft without oars or sails, which swiftly crossed the Mediterranean and travelled north through the Atlantic before grounding in north-western Spain. From there it was supposedly dragged inland by two oxen, and the body was buried in a forest.
Viking Ship to Sail the Waters of Chautauqua Lake
The Vikings are coming! The Vikings are coming!
Centuries ago, such a statement would have been viewed as an ominous warning of impending doom to coastal towns and villages throughout western Europe. Today, however, it should be met with great enthusiasm, as anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of a replica Viking ship will have the chance to do so on July 14 when The Norseman sails the waters of Chautauqua Lake.
The event is being held to help promote the 2011 Scandinavian Folk Festival, taking place July 15 – 17 at the Gerry Rodeo Grounds, located just 10 minutes north of Jamestown.
The Norseman is a ship owned by The Leif Ericson Viking Ship, Inc. – a not-for-profit education group from Philadelphia aimed at raising awareness of Leif Ericson and the Viking’s role in world history. It is a 40 foot-long replica and has a mast that rises 24.5 feet above the waterline. The sail is 17 feet by 17.5 feet. The vessel also features a figurehead, representing a sea serpent that was hand-carved by artist and sculptor Marty Martinson. The shields on the side represent the countries of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It is rated for a maximum crew of 20 people.
The Norseman’s tentative schedule is to embark from Chautauqua Lake’s Long Point State Park on the morning of July 14 and sail to Bemus Point. From there it is on to the historic Chautauqua Institution, before returning back to Long Point. The ability to sail is dependent on the weather.
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