The Black Death

In the early 1340's an outbreak of bubonic plague broke out in China. It mainly affected rodents, but fleas transmitted the disease to people and once that happened, they began to infect others transmitting person to person. The plague causes fever and a painful swelling of the lymph glands, which is how it gets its name. The disease also causes spots on the skin that are red at first and then turn black.      China was one of the world's most extensive trade nations. The outbreak of plague in China spread to western Asia and Europe traveling with infected rats on ships and caravans. In 1347, several Italian merchant ships returned from a trip to the Black Sea, one of the main ports in the journey between Italy and China. When the ships docked in Sicily, many of those on board were already dying of plague. Within days the disease spread to the city and the surrounding countryside. The people realized what had happened and they drove the Italians from their city. But they were to late. The disease had already infected their city. It quickly laid waste to their city.      The disease struck and killed people with terrible speed. The Italian writer Boccaccio said its victims often "ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise."      Many scholars believe that the song "Ring around the Rosy" was written about symptoms of the black death.       Within a years time the plague had spread as far north as England, where people called it "The Black Death."  The Black Death spread across Europe, and Medieval medicine had nothing to fight it.       In winter the disease would seem to disappear, because the fleas which spread the disease became dormant. Each spring, the plague would resurface, claiming new victims. Within five years nearly a 1/3 of Europe's population was destroyed. After 1350 the disease slowed it progress but smaller outbreaks continued until finally the disease disappeared in the 1600's. For almost 300 years people lived in terror of this deadly disease. It is believed that improved hygiene and modern sanitation contributed to ending this plague.      Medieval society never fully recovered from the results of the plague. There were serious labor shortages all over Europe. By the end of the 1300s peasant revolts happened in England, France, Belgium and Italy over wage disputes.  .

Interesting historical article.

https://peoplestrusttoronto.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/irish-the-forgotten-white-slaves/

A good essay about tactics

A good essay about tactics

I was told about this essay on tactics. Just click on the link above to check it out.

Faux Pirate Chest

I was looking for a simple project to do during the cold weather so I made myself a chest. Wooden chests are pretty pricey but I found this plastic chest at Lowes for $30. It is water resistant and big enough to fit all of my garb, and it has a handy carry handle. In a nutshell it is great for camping extended events.

However, I wanted a piece of furniture that looks medieval. I bought a roll of contact paper and some silver metallic spray paint. I started off by spraying three silver bands on the chest to give it the appearance of metal bands.

Then I added contact paper to give it the appearance of being made out of wood. I found that the paper doesn't like to stay down so I sprayed super 33 on it to reinforce the sticky back of the contact paper. The whole thing only took me about an hour to decorate. Here is the finished product. I figure that just about anything could be decorated in this manner. I plan to do a cooler next. Enjoy.

Medieval Selfie

Humor

Q: What do you call it when all the knights trade places at the round table?

A: The knight shift.

This joke was a fan favorite from the joke contest hosted by Medieval Times. 
The video is one of my favorite songs from Monty Python and The Holy Grail

Prison of the mind

Political correctness is like being in prison without having bars. It is a prison of the mind, which uses guilt for bars and peer pressure for guards. Richard Lovelace once wrote a poem To Althea, From Prison about a man who believed that even though his body was in prison, his mind was still free. It makes me wonder what do you say of a people who's bodies are free but their minds are not?

Potter Stewart said, "Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself."

And Henry Louis Gates said, "Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice."

We live in a country that is supposed to be a culture of freedom, a shining citadel of truth and justice, a great dream of potential as people are allowed life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

In many places through out the world people groan under the yoke of injustice. Their life and liberty are playthings to be taken away at the whim of tyrants and dictators for their petty amusement and happiness is such a fleeting dream that many of them fear to ever hope in glimpsing it through the misery that is their existence.

It is difficult for many to comprehend that such a life even exists coming from the point of view of having lived such a blessed existence. And then we allow our minds to be shackled by fear and guilt. We allow our prosperity to be preyed by upon by the parasites of debt and those who adhere willingly to this prison of thought are more than willing to act as guards to ensure that no one escapes.

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill -- the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill -- you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." Morpheus The Matrix 1999 

To Althea, from Prison

BY RICHARD LOVELACE

When Love with unconfinèd wings

   Hovers within my Gates,

And my divine Althea brings

   To whisper at the Grates;

When I lie tangled in her hair,

   And fettered to her eye,

The Gods that wanton in the Air,

   Know no such Liberty.

When flowing Cups run swiftly round

   With no allaying Thames,

Our careless heads with Roses bound,

   Our hearts with Loyal Flames;

When thirsty grief in Wine we steep,

   When Healths and draughts go free,

Fishes that tipple in the Deep

   Know no such Liberty.

When (like committed linnets) I

   With shriller throat shall sing

The sweetness, Mercy, Majesty,

   And glories of my King;

When I shall voice aloud how good

   He is, how Great should be,

Enlargèd Winds, that curl the Flood,

   Know no such Liberty.

Stone Walls do not a Prison make,

   Nor Iron bars a Cage;

Minds innocent and quiet take

   That for an Hermitage.

If I have freedom in my Love,

   And in my soul am free,

Angels alone that soar above,

   Enjoy such Liberty.