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The Eric Reborn podcast discusses SCA combat and is looking for guests to interview on the show.

Viscountess Elashava bas Riva shares photos and memories from Thatsa Mare XIII which took place June 28, 2008 in the Kingdom of Northshield.

KansasCity.com offers an extensive album of portraits of attendees taken at this year's Lilies War (June 13-22, 2008).

Sheikh Yusuf reports that he has posted an album of photos from Calafia May War in the Kingdom of Caid on his Flickr website.

THL Godfrey von Rheinfels, Atenveldt Kingdom Web Minister, has created two albums of historic photos from the Kingdom of Atenveldt online. The events took place in 2004.

M'Lady There is only one good reason to go to a cheaper blade, the cost. I personally own 3 Darkwood blades and have used them for aprox 3 years with no major

Can you capture the excitement of Lilies War in a little over 1 minute? Lynnvander Productions makes a good attempt in a video clip from their commemorative video of the Lilies XXII.

Byron and Ariella report that Lord Darter has posted some amazing photos from the Siege of Harlech Castle event which took place recently in the Kingdom of AEthelmearc.

Aine de Lacy reports that she has created an album of photos from the recent June Crown Tourney in the Kingdom of the West. She also sharea an album of photos from Golden Rivers Rapier Championship & Collegium.

Del Cover Woodworking, a one-man furniture business in San Diego, California, has created an amazing Viking hammock, the perfect place of repose for a Viking king.

£1m makeover for castle 31 July 2008Sussex ExpressLEWES Castle has been given a lottery grant of almost a million pounds for a major refurbishment of the castle and Barbican House Museum. A £985,000 grant has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and work begins in October on much-needed improvements to access and information displays at both sites.Dr Sally White, property manager of the castle, said: "We have wonderful historic properties and now we have the chance to make them more enjoyable, entertaining and informative than they have ever been."All the steps, paths and railings in the castle will be replaced, and a new pavilion will be built in the Gun Garden which will tell the story of the castle's history. The Education Resource Centre will get a full make-over, including the installation of an accessible toilet, baby changing facilities and a small kitchen sponsored by Steamer Trading Cookshop. The medieval gallery in Barbican House Museum will have completely new displays.Sussex Archaeological Society, the Lewes-based charity which owns both buildings, still has to raise a further £77,000 to pay for the work. It is appealing for support from businesses and the wider community, which have already raised more than £100,000 for the project. Dr White said: "The archaeological society hopes that community groups and schools will think of the castle when choosing a charity project in the next year, and make a donation towards renovating this splendid Lewes icon. Smaller donations, such as £50 or £100 would assist in the furnishing of the Education Resource Centre. This room, used by groups from across Sussex, needs tables, chairs, baby changing facilities, audio-visual equipment and a drop-down projection screen."The castle will be closed from early October until late next spring while the major renovations are completed. Barbican House Museum will be partially open throughout the work. The gift and bookshops will be open as usual.

Syracuse University presents 'Rethinking Michelangelo: A Series of Lectures, Concerts, and Special Events'28 July 2008Targeted News ServiceMichelangelo Buonarroti has been celebrated for more than 450 years as a sculptor, painter, architect, poet and patriot. This fall, members of the Syracuse University and Central New York communities will have an opportunity to experience his genius firsthand through "Rethinking Michelangelo: A Series of Lectures, Concerts, and Special Events." Featured guests include award-winning soprano Anita Johnson, the Schola Cantorum of Syracuse and William Edward Wallace, the Barbara Murphy Bryant Distinguished Professor of Art History at Washington University, among others."Rethinking Michelangelo" complements "Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth," an unprecedented exhibition at the SUArt Galleries Aug. 12-Oct. 19. The exhibition will include more than a dozen of the Renaissance master's original drawings and writings on loan from the Casa Buonarroti in Florence, Italy. Some of the works have never been exhibited in the United States. The exhibition will also appear at the Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery at SU's Joseph I. Lubin House in New York City from Nov. 4-Jan. 4, 2009.Further information about the exhibition and related events is available on the "Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth" website at http://michelangelo.syr.edu/.CONCERTSThe concerts are open to the general public. Discounted paid parking will be available in the Irving Garage.Sunday, Sept. 212 p.m.Hendricks ChapelCost: Free"From Sonnets to Spirituals," featuring award-winning soprano Anita Johnson, who will present a program of vocal gems -- settings of Michelangelo sonnets by Schubert, Wolff and Britten, followed by a generous offering of heartwarming spirituals. The concert is a joint presentation of the Malmgren Concert Series, Pulse performing arts series, Syracuse Symposium and The College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Office of Alumni Relations.Sunday, Oct. 193:30 p.m. Viol prelude4 p.m. Schola Cantorum of SyracuseSetnor Auditorium, Crouse CollegeCost: $12 general public; $8 studentsTickets are available at the door; cash only. "Music to Michelangelo's Ear," featuring the Schola Cantorum of Syracuse, directed by Joyce Irwin. The concert will include carnival songs, laude and madrigals from Michelangelo's era in Florence; sacred music from his time in Rome; and works representing the Protestant and Catholic reformations of the 16th century.Schola Cantorum of Syracuse is a chamber choir of about 16 members, both amateur and professional, devoted to the performance of music from the Medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque eras -- that is, music composed from about 1000-1700 AD. Schola Cantorum annually presents a three-concert subscription series in Central New York and sponsors a summer choral workshop with invited conductors.RAY SMITH SYMPOSIUMFriday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4Life Sciences AuditoriumCost: Free"Rethinking Michelangelo," a symposium and opening night keynote address that will explore questions and issues associated with the drawings and graphic materials in the exhibition "Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth." The symposium will feature leading scholars from across the United States and Europe. Areas of focus include: "Men and Women in the Art and Life of Michelangelo," "Michelangelo Draws" and "Michelangelo in Word and Print." The symposium is free and open to the general public. Discounted paid parking will be available in the Irving Garage. Registration information and a complete schedule of events are available at http://michelangelo.syr.edu. Information is also available by e-mailing Rethink@syr.edu or by calling the Department of Fine Arts at (315) 443-4184.The Ray Smith Symposium, presented by The College of Arts and Sciences Humanities Council, was established in 1989 as the result of a bequest from the estate of SU alumnus Ray W. Smith '21 to support symposia on topics in the Humanities. Travel support for invited international scholars is being provided by a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.PUBLIC LECTURESThe following lectures are free and open to the general public. Discounted paid parking will be available in the Irving Garage.Friday, Sept. 1910:30 a.m.Shemin Auditorium, Shaffer Art BuildingCost: Free"Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth," a lecture and gallery visit presented by SUArt Galleries Director Domenic Iacono and Dean's Professor of the Humanities Gary Radke. This two-part lecture will include the story of the exhibition and how it is being presented in Syracuse and in New York City. Guided tours of the exhibition are available at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Registration information for the guided tours can be found on the 2008 Homecoming + Reunion Weekend website at http://homecoming.syr.edu.The lecture and art gallery tours are sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations and the SUArt Galleries and are included in the 2008 Homecoming + Reunion Weekend activities.Wednesday, Oct. 17:30 p.m.Life Sciences AuditoriumCost: Free"Drawing a Life of Michelangelo," featuring SU's 2008 Jeannette K. Watson Visiting Professor William Edward Wallace. Wallace, the Barbara Murphy Bryant Distinguished Professor of Art History at Washington University, will discuss the historical and personal contexts surrounding Michelangelo's drawings and documents held by the Casa Buonarroti and on exhibit at the SUArt Galleries. Wallace is an internationally recognized authority on Michelangelo and his contemporaries. In addition to more than 40 articles and two works of fiction, Wallace is author and editor of four books on Michelangelo.The College of Arts and Sciences Jeannette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the Humanities brings to campus scholars and writers whose work is esteemed throughout the humanities. The professorship was made possible by the generosity of the late Jeannette K. Watson. The family of Jeannette K. and Thomas Watson has long been a friend and supporter of the University.Thursday, Oct. 24 p.m.Life Sciences AuditoriumCost: Free"Restoring Michelangelo," featuring Diane Kunzelman '67, G'72, conservator, Uffizi Galleries, Florence, and adjunct professor at SU Florence. A Fulbright fellow and painting restorer, Kunzelman began her career as a student in SU's Florence graduate program in Renaissance art. She has been involved in major conservation projects on works from the principal museums and churches in Florence. She will discuss her work restoring one of Michelangelo's most important panel paintings and her experiences caring for other Renaissance masterpieces. The lecture is presented by SU Abroad and the College of Visual and Performing Arts.Friday, Oct. 35:30 p.m.Life Sciences AuditoriumCost: FreeRay Smith Symposium Keynote Address: "Michelangelo Reverses the Rules," featuring Jeannette K. Watson Visiting Professor William Edward Wallace. This lecture will survey Michelangelo's sculptures -- every one a unique work of art -- and examine how the artist first cultivated, then manipulated, the terms and expectations of Renaissance patronage, thereby reversing the rules. In the process, Wallace will explore why and how Michelangelo became a sculptor and the dynamics between Michelangelo, the willful creator, and the opportunities afforded him by patrons.SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPSThe events below are open only to SU students, faculty and staff, and invited scholarly experts.Monday, Sept. 299:30 to 11:30 a.m.Hall of Languages, Room 500"Writing a Biography of Michelangelo," a seminar presented by Jeannette K. Watson Visiting Professor William Edward Wallace, who will explore the challenges of writing a biography of one of the most famous and complicated artists of all time.Monday, Oct. 69:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.Hall of Languages, Room 500"Michelangelo Engineer and Entrepreneur," featuring Jeannette K. Watson Visiting Professor William Edward Wallace, who will discuss how account books and other 16th-century records reveal Michelangelo's entrepreneurial spirit and provide insight into his collaborations with stonemasons, quarry workers and others."Rethinking Michelangelo" events are made possible by SU's College of Arts and Sciences, SU's College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Jeannette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the Humanities, the Malmgren Concert Series, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Schola Cantorum of Syracuse, the SUArt Galleries, SU Abroad, the Syracuse Symposium, Pulse performing arts series, and your student fee at work.

CHAUCERIAN 'CALCULATOR' TO REMAIN IN UK 31 July 2008Press Association Regional Newswire - LondonA "calculator" used in the time of Geoffrey Chaucer and described as one of the most sophisticated such tools before the computer is to remain in London.The Canterbury Astrolabe Quadrant is one of only eight instruments of this type known to have survived from the Middle Ages, the British Museum said. The museum tried to buy the object last year but was outbid at auction.But it has now been able to acquire it for £350,000 due to a £125,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, £50,000 from The Art Fund and £175,000 from British Museum Friends and other sources. It will go on display in the museum early next month.David Barrie, director of The Art Fund, said the author of the bawdy Canterbury Tales was an expert on such objects, then seen as cutting edge. He said: "The Canterbury Astrolabe Quadrant offers an extraordinary insight into the scientific and technological capabilities of Chaucer's England. Chaucer himself was an expert on astrolabes and wrote in the Canterbury Tales about men's love of 'newfangleness'."Made of brass with a radius of 70mm, the object is the only example certain to have been made for use in England and was found in July 2005 by Andrew Linklater of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust at the House of St Agnes in Canterbury, Kent. The instrument will take centre stage in the British Museum's new medieval gallery, Europe 1000 - 1500, when it opens next year.

Flemish masters with backbone Rachel Spence 29 July 2008Financial TimesExhibit: Florence and the Ancient Low Countries 1430-1530Where: Palazzo Pitti, FlorenceMichelangelo said Flemish painting was only fit to please women, children and that handful of gentlemen who lacked "a sense of harmony". He accused the genre of trying to "trick the eye with pleasant things . . . cloths, cottages, green landscapes, shady trees, bridges and brooks, these they call landscapes, with the odd little figure here and there . . . without symmetry or proportion . . . without substance or backbone".This dismissive attitude was typical of the Italian cinquecento , an era that judged the vivid, detailed realism of northern Europe as cluttered and superficial in comparison with the sculptural space and figures that were the classical ideal.The Palazzo Pitti's exhibition Florence and the Ancient Low Countries 1430-1530 is a splendid defence against such accusations. A compelling juxtaposition of masterpieces painted by Flemish and Florentine artists during the 15th century, it proves that Michelangelo's insubstantial northerners exerted enormous influence on artists who were cornerstones of the early Italian Renaissance, such as Ghirlandaio (to whom Michelangelo was apprenticed), Raphael and Botticelli.At the heart of this exchange lay the relationship that quattrocento Florence enjoyed with Bruges, headquarters of the Duchy of Burgundy, a flourishing metropolis whose wealth of palaces and churches offered ample opportunities to the Low Countries' most talented artists, including Jan van Eyck, Hugo van der Goes and Hans Memling.To Florence's ruling Medici dynasty, Bruges offered enticing commercial prospects. The Medicis opened a branch of their bank there and a colony of Florentine merchants established itself. At the core of this show lie the works commissioned by these wealthy Italians from local maestri and then transported back to their home city.The most famous example, the "Portinari Triptych" commissioned by Medici banker Tommaso Portinari from van der Goes, has had to remain in the Uffizi Gallery owing to its size. But the artist's eight-foot-high masterpiece is echoed here by the vital, silky lustre and late-Gothic iconography of the side panels of the so-called "Baroncelli Triptych".Painted by an anonymous Flemish master, the panels depict a male and female member of the commissioning Baroncelli family. Like the "Portinari Triptych", the painting originally adorned the Church of Sant'Egidio in the Florentine hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. The city's quattrocento artists would have been struck by the rich and varied chromatic detail: the delicate gilt pattern adorning the leather-bound books; the tangibility of the stones that encrust her necklace; the chiaroscuro grooves bringing Signor Baroncelli's face to life.Only oil paint could bestow such virtuosity. The medium, whose slow-drying properties permitted sophisticated layering techniques, had been widely used in the Low Countries for some time but in mid-15th-century Italy it was still tempera that prevailed.Testifying to the Florentine longing for a touch of northern naturalism is the confrontation between van Eyck's diminutive depiction of Saint Jerome in his studio - which was part of Lorenzo de Medici's collection and probably painted in the 1430s - and Ghirlandaio's much larger fresco copy, which was executed half a century later. Van Eyck zooms in on the objects that litter the saint's desk, every detail rendered with obsessive precision. Ghirlandaio makes a valiant effort to mimic this realism with tempera, painting in the shadows and replacing Van Eyck's green baize cloth with an elaborately patterned alternative to show off his intricate brushwork. Yet the painting, though splendid, lacks the subtle tonal depths conjured by the Flemish master.By 1500, the use of oil had become widespread among Florentine artists, as demonstrated by the velvety patina of Raphael's "Virile Portrait". Painted in the first decade of the 16th century, the young man is depicted in three- quarters profile, his hands folded as if resting on the base of the frame. This pose, far more immediate and human than the sideways profile previously in vogue in Italy, would become a hallmark of Renaissance Italian painting, yet its origins were Flemish.In a lending coup, the exhibition organisers have persuaded New York's Metropolitan Museum to entrust them with Memling's "Portrait of a Young Man", which was painted in the mid-15th century for a Florentine in Bruges and believed to have inspired the later work by Raphael. Equally stellar is the presence of "Portrait of an Old Man", painted by Van Eyck in the early 15th century. It is a spookily lifelike depiction of a Roman cardinal - the parchment skin, steely gaze and wispy grey hairs a testament to the Flemish master, who is credited with inventing this genre of portraiture.The Florentine painters were also stimulated by the Flemish approach to landscape. The detail-laden, verdant vistas - despised by Michelangelo - came as a revelation to a generation brought up on Byzantine gilt backgrounds and Gothic fantasies of the Holy Land, and at times their borrowing verges on the shameless. For example, the picturesque thatched mill, departing horseman and swan-studded lake that lie beyond the window in Memling's "Pagagnotti Triptych" are exactly reproduced both in Fra Bartolomeo's "Madonna with Child and St John" and Tommaso's "Madonna with Child and an Angel".Perhaps the proof of the intimate rapport between the two schools is the news that, until just 20 years ago, the copy of Memling's "Grieving Christ in the Act of Blessing" by Ghirlandaio was attributed to the Flemish artist himself. Such uncertainty is intrinsic to the warp and weft of this remarkable show. Exhibition runs until October 26; tel +39 055 2388614

Archaeological finds unearthed in Heraklion Port 30 July 2008Athens News AgencyA section of a Byzantine wall, church frescoes, important inscriptions, a fortress that played a supportive role to Koule Fortress and tombs that have not been opened yet, make up the rich archaeological findings discovered during ongoing upgrading works at the Heraklion Port on the island of Crete.The scheduled works will have to be altered as a result of the findings, which have been unearthed in the region of Bentenaki, while the archeological excavations will continue until early October at the latest, funded by the Heraklion Port Authority.

There are several places that are good. Zen Warrior Armory is a good beginner place. Think of it like buying that toyota that'll be a good starter car.

Alexander reports that he has posted several albums of photos from the 2008 Trillium War IV that took place in the Kingdom of Ealdormere on the Two Ravens website.

There is nothing worst then a lethargic group when it comes to new members.  New members are the life blood of our society and that energy should be used to

Katriona has posted photos from Pax Interruptus which took place recently in the Barony of Thescorre, Kingdom of AEthelmearc.

On my way to Gulf Wars last March I stopped at Wal-mart for ice and adult beverages and while I was there I wandered through the clothing dept and found my