Tuesday, April 15, 2014

History Trivia - Godwin, Earl of Wessex dies

April 15

69 - Battle at Bedriacum, North-Italy fought during the Year of the Four Emperors, which resulted in Vespasian ascending the throne near the end of the bloody year of crisis.

1053 Godwin, Earl of Wessex died. He was one of the most powerful lords in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great and his successors. Cnut made him the first Earl of Wessex. Godwin was the father of King Harold Godwinson and Edith of Wessex, wife of King Edward the Confessor.

1450 Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attacked and nearly annihilated English forces, ending English domination in Northern France.

1452 Leonardo da Vinci was born.

Monday, April 14, 2014

The Night I Danced with Rommel featured on eBookSoda

The Night I Danced with Rommel

by Elisabeth Marrion

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'May I have this dance, Hilde?' asked Field Marshal Rommel at a dance held in his honour . . . Did this dance save the life of Hilde's Polish friends?

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Tea with Mussolini,

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New release: Audio version of: Princess Alexia and the Dragon written by K. Meador and narrated by Michaela James.

Follow Princess Alexia as she and her brave dog, Zoey, as they embark on a mission to confront a fire-breathing dragon. She hopes to do what her father’s soldiers could not, capture the dragon so another Ample Apple Orchard celebration would not be attacked and the land set ablaze.

When Princess Alexia faces her adversary, she is frightened, but her fears abate once she and Titus, the dragon, begin talking. Can she convince Titus to stop plaguing her father’s kingdom, and will the festival be celebrated without fear of destruction?

Princess Alexia and the Dragon is geared for children of the age’s four to nine. Princess Alexia and the Dragon contains a subtle message of sharing with others.

The audio version is approximately 27 minutes and is available on Audible.com and ITunes for $3.95 US dollars.

You can hear a sample of the audio book, Princess Alexia and the Dragon , here

To purchase the audio version from audible.com, click here

To purchase the audio version from Itunes, click here

To purchase the kindle version from amazon, click here

The paperback version is in work but will be available from Createspace soon.

History Trivia -

April 14

43 BC Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieged Julius Caesar's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus in Mutina and defeated the forces of the consul Pansa, who was wounded.

69 Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeated Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum and seized the throne.

70 Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian, surrounded the Jewish capital, with four Roman legions.

73 after two years of defending the fortress of Masada, the Jews committed mass suicide rather than surrender to the Roman Tenth Legion.

979 Challenge to throne of King Aethelred II of England.

1028 Henry III, son of Conrad, was elected king of the Germans.

1205 Battle of Adrianople between Bulgarians and Crusaders.

1434 The foundation stone of Cathedral St. Peter and St. Paul in Nantes, France was laid.

1471 In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeated the Lancastrians under the Earl of Warwick (the Kingmaker) at the Battle of Barnet; the Earl was killed and Edward IV resumed the throne.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

New Release Audio version of: On Top of the Rainbow written by K. Meador and narrated by Michaela James.

Gabe finds out about the true meaning of family love when he is given a choice to go to the land of sugar and spice and many things nice or return to his family that he loves.

On Top of the Rainbow is geared for young children of the age’s three to six. On Top of the Rainbow contains a subtle message that running away from problems is not a solution.

The audio version is approximately 18 minutes and is available on Audible.com and ITunes for $3.95 US dollars.

You can hear a sample of the audio book, On Top of the Rainbow, here

To purchase the audio version from audible.com, click here

To purchase the audio version from Itunes, click here

To purchase the kindle version from amazon, click here

To purchase the paperback version from create space, click here

Archeologists' findings may prove Rome a century older than thought

Rome may be older than its official birthday of 21 April 753BC when founded by Romulus and Remus. Photograph: WestEnd61/Rex

John Hooper in Rome

It is already known as the eternal city, and if new archeological findings prove correct Rome may turn out to be even more so than believed until now.
Next week, the city will celebrate its official, 2,767th birthday. According to a tradition going back to classic times, the brothers Romulus and Remus founded the city on 21 April in the year 753BC.
But on Sundayit was reported that evidence of infrastructure building had been found, dating from more than 100 years earlier. The daily Il Messagero quoted Patrizia Fortini, the archaeologist responsible for the Forum, as saying that a wall constructed well before the city's traditional founding date had been unearthed.
The wall, made from blocks of volcanic tuff, appeared to have been built to channel water from an aquifer under the Capitoline hill that flows into the river Spino, a tributary of the Tiber. Around the wall, archaeologists found pieces of ceramic pottery and remains of food.
"The examination of the ceramic material was crucial, allowing us today to fix the wall chronologically between the 9th century and the beginning of the 8th century," said Fortini.
It was already known that the settlement of Rome was a gradual process and that the traditional date for its foundation was invented by a later writer. There is evidence of people arriving on the Palatine hill as early as the 10th century BC.
The find would appear to show that construction in stone began earlier than previously established. The discovery was made close to the Lapis Niger ('Black Stone' in Latin): a shrine that later Romans associated with their city's earliest days. The site includes a stone block that carries the earliest inscription found in Rome. Written in the 5th century BC, its meaning is not fully clear, but it is thought to place a curse on anyone who violates the site.
• The standirst on this article was amended on 13 April to reflect the correct date of Rome's founding

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/13/archaelogists-find-rome-century-older-than-thought

16th-Century Masterpiece Reveals Cheese Glue Recipe

by Rossella Lorenzi

Sticky cheese might be the secret behind one of the most intriguing Mannerist paintings, according to a preliminary investigation carried out during restoration work.
Restorers had wondered what holds together the five poplar wood planks which make up “Visitation,” an enigmatic work by the 16th-century Mannerist Jacopo Pontormo.
“We believe they were pieced together with a caseine-based glue,” restorer Daniele Rossi told Discovery News. Caseine is a group of proteins commonly found in mammalian milk.
Photos: Restoring ‘Visitation’
“Cheese glue was very popular at that time, and was normally used to join wood planks. We are going to carry out special chemical analyses for bindings to get a definitive answer,” Rossi said.
Described in the 16th-century Compendium of Rational Secrets as a “great secret of nature, a “super glue which withstands dampness and heat,” cheese glue was already detailed in the artists’ manuals of both Theophilus, a 12th-century German monk and 15th-century Italian painter Cennino Cennini.
The recipe for the potent adhesive relied on polypeptide casein protein molecules, and included ingredients such as hot water and quicklime. The goat or cow cheese-based concoction resulted in a sticky and thick compound which dried hard as stone, making it extremely hard for wood joints to separate.
Photos: Da Vinci’s ‘Magi’ Hides Master’s Original Vision
“Whatever glue was used there, it was a powerful one. It’s still holding after five centuries,” Rossi said.
The source of inspiration for “The Greeting,” a video installation presented at the 1995 Venice Biennial by the Italian American artist Bill Viola, the dream-like Visitation is now the centerpiece of an exhibition on Mannerist artists Jacopo Carucci, also known as Pontormo (1494-1557), and Giovan Battista di Jacopo, a.k.a. Rosso Fiorentino (1494-1540) which runs in Florence through July 20.
Pontormo was one of the last artists of the Florentine Renaissance. He was a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Sarto, and one of the earliest of the Mannerist school, a style of art developed in Italy following the High Renaissance, which emphasized mental conception over realistic depiction.
Pontormo completed the Visitation around 1528-1529, but the oil painting remained almost unknown until 1904, when it was rediscovered in the church of San Michele in Carmignano, a village west of Florence, and attributed to Pontormo.
Michelangelo’s David Holding Secret Weapon?
The painting depicts in an almost metaphysical way the biblical meeting of the Virgin Mary, pregnant with Jesus, and Elisabeth, pregnant with St. John the Baptist. Staring fixedly into space, two statuesque figures in the background represent their alter egos.
The younger of the two wears the same color clothing of the Virgin Mary, but reversed. The older one appears to be Elizabeth shown in a sort of doubling.
Naked Dwarf Revealed Again in Painting
“This intensely abstract atmosphere is sustained by the disproportionate size of the figures in comparison to the Florentine architectural backdrop and by the artist’s multiplication – as though in a mirror – of the number of figures witnessing the scene,” art critic Antonio Geremicca wrote in the exhibition catalog.
“These figurative devices make it more complicated to interpret the painting, whose significance scholars have yet to fathom in full,” he added.
Rossi’s restoration might help acquire new clues.
In addition to finding the super glue, the restorer filled 1,673 woodworm holes and removed the heavy repainting of past restorations. Incisive, luminous colors which previous interventions covered with a yellow varnish, re-emerged in full glory.
Photos: The Face of Da Vinci: An Enduring Mystery
“We discovered a bright blue sky beneath a black overpainting that had made it almost overcast, and Pontormo’s clouds are white and ragged,” Rossi said.
Previously unseen details were also unveiled.
“A woman is leaning out of a window and a white cloth is falling from a window ledge. A smiling donkey peeks out from behind the corner of a building, while two passers-by converse on a bench like masked mannequins,” Rossi said.
Image: Detail of The Visitation by Jacopo Pontormo. Credit: Daniele Rossihttp://news.discovery.com/history/art-history/16th-century-masterpiece-reveals-cheese-glue-recipe-140326.htm

Medieval Poop Found: Still Stinks

by Rossella Lorenzi

A number of Medieval wooden barrels have been uncovered in Denmark, revealing their less- than-glamorous contents.
Originally built to transport goods and store fish, the barrels were converted into latrines — still filled with their original contents.
"We are talking about 700-year-old latrines. And yes, they still smell bad," Maria Elisabeth Lauridsen, the archaeologist in charge of the excavation, told Discovery News.
Photos: Digging Up a Medieval Latrine
Unearthed in the center of the Medieval town of Odense, the birthplace of the fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, the barrels are believed to have served a toilet area.
"The excavation is characterized by great conditions for preservation and is located on a Medieval site that has been found to contain brick houses, half-timbered houses and stables," Lauridsen said.
Described as being in "excellent condition," the human excrement can give scientists unique insight into what people ate in Denmark in the Middle Ages.
Photos: Top 10 Things Poop Makes Better
"Preliminary results of analysis show that raspberries were popular in Odense in the 1300s. The contents also contain small pieces of moss, leather and fabric which were used as toilet paper," Lauridsen said.
It appears that barrels were recycled for various use in Medieval Odense. The excavation unearthed three barrels stacked on top of one another and tied together that served as a basic well.
Poop Gets Its Close-Up
A system of pipes at the bottom of the structure led water to the well. To prevent mud from getting into the well, the lowest barrel was covered with reeds.
"This well has probably been a part of beer brewing. We have excavated nearby a stock of partially germinated barley which is commonly used in the brewing process," Lauridsen said.
Video: What's in Your Poop?
Visitors can go on a free tour of the excavation every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:00 pm and can visit the archaeologists' workshop every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 3:00.
"We are finding new and exciting information about the life that was lived in Odense during the 14th century," Lauridsen said.
Image: Human excrement still smelling bad has been found in these 700 year old barrel latrines. Credit: Odense City Museum.

http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/medieval-poop-still-smelling-bad-found-140401.htm

History Trivia - Constantinople falls

April 13

1111 Henry V was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

1204 Constantinople fell to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.

1250 The Seventh Crusade was defeated in Egypt; Louis IX of France was captured.

1256 The Grand Union of the Augustinian order formed when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae.

1598 Henry IV of France issued the Edict of Nantes, allowing freedom of religion to the Huguenots. (Edict repealed in 1685.)

1640 Charles I's eleven years of personal rule end with the calling of the 'Short Parliament' at Westminster.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Congratulations Bill Jones, Jr. - Authorsdb #1

Authors Directory Bill Jones, Jr.

Bill Jones, Jr. Hot

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Written by Bill Jones, Jr. December 23, 2013

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Bill Jones, Jr. was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up as a painfully shy kid in southern Virginia, listening to his mother’s war stories and wondering why he didn’t inherit her gift for storytelling. Some years later, after discovering he had a talent for writing poetry, Bill thought perhaps not all of Mom’s genetics went to waste. In 2008, a writer friend encouraged him to pen a short story. He loved it. Shortly thereafter, he decided to see if he could turn the story into a book. It became two: Discovery and Awakening, the first two books of his fantasy fiction series The Stream.

Since then, he’s been writing almost constantly. He finished The Stream trilogy with Emprise, and then went on to write a short story anthology, The Juice and Other Stories, as well as his first Sci-Fi novel, Hard as Roxx. Currently, he’s editing a detective novel, has another in progress, and has begun a second short story collection.

On those rare days he’s not working at his Lockheed Martin day job, or his writing night job, Bill is a photographer, father, and life coach, along with other things he does for love rather than money. Usually, however, Bill can be found somewhere under a camera, shooting whatever there is. On the very best days, his photos end up as a scene in a book. On his bad days, they still end up as an scene in a book – just an angry one.

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Germantown, Maryland, USA

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Author of science fiction, adventure, and mystery novels, including the acclaimed series, The Stream.

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History Trivia - Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople

April 12

238 Gordian II lost the Battle of Carthage against the Numidian forces loyal to Maximinus Thrax and was killed. Gordian I, his father, committed suicide.

467 Anthemius was elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

1204 The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breached the walls of Constantinople and entered the city, which they completely occupied the following day.

1606 The combined English-Scottish 'Union Jack' was created by royal decree, originally for use at sea only.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Fun Facts about author K. Meador - stuff you didn't know

What you don't know about author K. Meador:

- her favorite cartoons are Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo

- her favorite color is green

- her other profession is being an aircraft mechanic

- as a mechanic she has blown down a fence while running aircraft engines

- as a mechanic she has worked for the customs and border patrol in Texas and saw drug lords unloaded from one aircraft to another in shackles and chains accompanied by guards with high power guns.

- as a mechanic at the customs and border patrol in Texas, she has watched untold amount of confiscated drugs moved from one aircraft to another under heavy guard.

- boarded a pirate ship in Savannah Georgia that was rebuilt and sailed 10 months of the year

- spent three months on the island of Oahu, Hawaii (all bills paid)

Visit Ms. Meador's webpage:

www.authorkmeador.com

Mary Ann Bernal

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