rack911 haung built a nice troll’s house with a water wheel. Trolls aren’t quite members of human history but I think that the great details and construction techniques applied on this MOC is sufficient to open an exception

See more details on MOCPages.

The next item in the composition of the Coat of Arms is the lambrequin or mantling at the sides of the shield. This is the flowing drapery arrangement which can be seen in most drawings of Coats of Arms, issuing from the helmet and flowing around the whols arms. The origin of the mantling is again, like many things in Heraldry, very practical. In the burning heat of the Middle East when the Crusades were fought the helmet became very hot and tiring and the mantling began like the old covering for the back of the neck. It was extended to cover a large part of the armor and it was found to be useful not only in protecting from the heat but in catching the sword points of opponents. The colors of the mantling are in general the primary color and primary metal of the shield.

Supporters are perhaps among the most familiar heraldic objects. Supporters are the figures on either side of the coat of arms which hold the shield and appear to support it. They are usually human or animal figures, both real and imaginary, supporters are rarely inanimate abjects. It is thought that they originated from the desire of artists and engravers to show the shield actually upheld by something, and to fill in the spaces surrounding the drawing of the coat of arms. In Britain the use of supporters is strictly controlled under the laws of arms and their use is confined to peers, Knights of the Garter, Knights of the Thistle, Knights of St. Patrick, Knights Grand Cross, Knights Grand Commander and certain Knights of the British Empire. In Scotland the use of supporters is much more widespread, not only peers but also private gentleman of ancient lineage amy often be entitled to supporters on the grounds of ancient usage.

Hallo.. selamat datang kembali di blog pribadi saya sety4budi.wordpress.com semoga kebahagiaan selalu menyertai anda dan keluarga. Dalam kesempatan ini saya akan coba menuliskan pengalaman pribadi saya, dimana terkadang klien mempunyai perspektif yang beraneka ragam tentang ruang kerja arsitek dengan pemborong atau kontraktor.
Batas ruang kerja antara pemborong dan arsitek sebenarnya mempunyai perbedaan yang cukup signifikan. Arsitek yang biasa juga disebut sebagai konsultan perencana mempunyai batasan kerja memberikan gambaran, detail perencanaan, dan anggaran kepada klien, yang kemudian akan dilaksanakan oleh pemborong / kontraktor.

Perencanaan meliputi gambaran tentang desain, detail, sepesifikasi, serta kisaran harga ( RAB ) yang dapat dipertanggungjawabkan baik secara desain, structural. Itu semua adalah tanggung jawab arsitek sebagai konsultan perencana. Namun dilapangan semua menyesuaikan terhadap klien. Beberapa waktu yang lalu menemui seorang klien di Yogyakarta / jogja yang meminta detail material yang digunakan pada saat proses konstruksi nanti, karena beliau berencana ingin membangun sendiri rumahnya. Hal ini tidak termasuk dalam jasa arsitek, karena arsitek hanyalah member gambaran yang akan dilaksanakan oleh pemborong / kontraktor. Walaupun sebenarnya arsitek mampu memberikan rincian penggunaan material pada waktu proses konstruksi ini.
Batasan kerja pemborong adalah melaksanakan apa yang sudah direncanakan arsitek, semua ketentuan teknis sudah tertera pada gambar kerja. Pemborong / kontraktor bertanggung jawab penuh kepada klien agar apa yang sudah direncanakan oleh arsitek dilaksanakan sesuai dengan apa yang tertera. Untuk harga, tergantung pada kesepakatan antara pemborong dengan klien.
Namun kenyataan dilapangan sekarang beraneka ragam. Ada arsitek yang sekaligus melayani jasa konstruksi. Adapula pemborong yang juga melayani jasa desain. Semua tergantung pada klien, karena apa yang akan mereka bangun adalah asset berharga dan mempunyai nilai nominal besar. Kalau menurut pendapat saya pribadi, lebih baik menyerahkan sepenuhnya kepada arsitek. Beberapa alasanya adalah :
1. arsitek lebih tau apa yang mereka rencanakan karena mereka sendirilah yang mendesain.
2. arsitek akan lebih menghargai hasil karyanya sendiri walaupun kadang harus mengurangi profit karena apa yang akan mereka bangun akan sangat dibanggakan arsitek itu sendiri sebagai masterpiece karya seni mereka dan bukan semata mata mengacu pada profit.
3. Apabila terjadi perubahan desain, arsitek mampu memberikan gambaran bagaimana respon desain paling bagus apabila terjadi perubahan di tengah proses konstruksi nanti.

Azulejo Bobo, reprodução de figura do claustro da Batalha, 15 *15 cm, 2009

Para ver mais, clique em ESCULTURA APLICADA

Jocker Tile, reproduction of figura at the interior courtyard of the Batalha monastery, 15 * 15 cm, 2009

To see more, click ESCULTURA APLICADA

Series: The Annals of Wynnewood

Title: Shadows and Secrets

Book: One

Author: Chautona Havig (that’d be me)

Publisher’s Synopsis: No one knows what the cloaked creature is or why it is so terrifying.  The villagers of Wynnewood only know they must stay away from ‘the Creature’ for fear of their physical and spiritual safety.

An unfortunate encounter with a dragon introduces Philip Ward to the Creature, and to his surprise, he finds a friend, confidante, and companion in more adventure than he’d ever dreamed possible.

Follow Philip and the creature as they rescue a lame child, discover ‘pirate treasure’, and test the mettle of true friendship.

Shadows and Secrets is the first book in the Annals of Wynnewood.

Well, this book was one of the most unexpected of any of the books I’ve ever begun.  I was sitting, writing another book (that is yet to be finished), when I wondered what medieval superstitions would do with differences that we often see as unique.  I wondered about portwine stains, ‘hare lips’ (as they were called back then),  and similar anomalies.  Within hours, I had several chapters written and the rest is history.

No fantasy book is complete without a map of the area, so I begged everyone I knew to suggest an illustrator.  My friend Michele immediately demanded suggested that I contact her friend Craig.  Being the obedient person I am, I did.  Craig was so enthusiastic about my little underpaid project, I knew the map would be brilliant.  And don’t you agree that it is?

Isn’t it just the most amazing thing?  I am so thrilled with it and I can’t wait to see what he does with the map for the sequel, The Unicorns of Sceadu.

Shadows and Secrets is written for fantasy lovers of all ages (and has been enjoyed by young children through adults), but my target audience was 11-15 year olds.

If you’d like a copy, feel free to email me at chautona @ chautona . com or hit the paypal button.  I’d be happy to sign it for you, wrap it for you, and get it to wherever you need it to go by Christmas.

In keeping with my tradition of giving away a copy of a book, I’ve decided to give away a copy of this book, gift wrapped if you request it, and shipped wherever you want!  Feel free to enter as often as you like, but make sure someone has entered between your entries (no back to backs).

Book will arrive in time for Christmas.  This contest ends November 30, 2009.

El castell de Claramunt és un dels millors, i més ben conservats, i més bonics castells de Catalunya, i d’Espanya i, si m’apureu us diré que d’Europa. No és un castell aparatòs, ni artificiós, ni romàntic. És un bon exemple de castell medieval, sense artificis, sense adicions, sense tonteries. Un recinte jussà, o de baix, amb patis i una cisterna. Un recinta sobirà, esplèndit, amb les restes d’un bellíssim temple romànic, d’una gran puresa. Una ciutadella, amb tres torres i una gran torre mestre. Tots ells edificis romànics, o gòtics, de línia austera, sense concesions de cara a la galeria. Una vista espectacular, quasi aèria damunt la conca d’Odena, l’Anoià i les serres interiors de Miralles. Tot això és Claramunt. Al castell s’hi arriba per la Pobla de Claramunt. Podeu fer l’aproximació per l’autovia A2 de Barcelona a Lleida, sortint a la primera sortida, la que indica Òdena i Igualada. Seguiu els senyals cap a La Pobla de Claramunt i el castell, tot força ben indicat. Podeu anar-hi també des de Martorell per Capellades, o des de Vilafranaca del Penédes, per la carretera que va a Igualada. La pista que puja al castell està al final del poble. Això si veniu des d’Igualada. O just a l’entrada, venint de Capellades. És una pista encimentada, estreta, difícil de trobar, que puja molt, insistent en la pujada. Una cadena tanca el pas de vehicles quan queden encara 1.500 mts. de camí costerut. Hi ha allà un aparcament justet, molt justet. És aquesta una excursió familiar un pèl dura, sobretot pels pares i mares que carregueu fills petits. L’esforç és potent, la pujada cansada, i malgrat tot la recompensa val la pena. La visita al recinte és lliure, o guiada si ho voleu així. Cal pagar un mòdic preu. A dalt veureu un audivisual i, a l’entrada, es venen records i begudes, tot i que no hi ha bar ni restaurant. Hi ha pocs serveis, tots de mera subsistència. Per dinar, i si us cal dormir, teniu una fonda de tota la vida que us ofereix els seus serveis a la Pobla. Petità, abans luxosa, ara una mica vinguda a menys, però només una mica. Hi trobareu bon menjar. És l’hotel Robert, a l’avinguda de Catalunya, 1, ben a prop del camí que puja al castell. Telèfon: 93 808 60 00. El Mas dels Vivencs, és molt bonic, però treballa quasi exclusivament per la BBC, (Bodas, bautizos i convenciones).

El castillo de Claramunt es uno de los mejores, mejor conservados y más hermosos castillos de Catalunya y de España, e incluso, si me apurais, de Europa. No es un castillo aparatoso, ni artificioso, ni romántico. Es un buen ejemplo de castillo medieval, sin artificios, sin adiciones, sin tonterías. Un recinto inferior con patios y una cisterna, un recinto soberano, espléndido, con los restos de un bellísimo templo románico, de una gran pureza, y una ciudadela, con tres torres y una gran torre maestra. Edificios románicos, góticos, de línea austera, sin concesiones de cara a la galería. Una vista espectacular, casi aérea sobre la cuenca de Odena, Anoia o las sierras interiores de Miralles. Eso és Claramunt. Al castillo de Claramunt se llega por la Pobla de Claramunt. Pueden hacer la aproximación por la autovía A2 de Barcelona a Lleida, saliendo en la primera salida, la que indica Òdena e Igualada. Sigan las señales hacia La Pobla de Claramunt y el castillo, todo bien señalado. O bien suban desde Martorell hacia Capellades, o des de Vilafranaca del Penedès, por la carretera que va a Igualada. La pista que sube al castillo está justo al final del pueblo, al final de La Pobla de Claramunt. Eso si viene desde Igualada. O justo antes de entrar en el pueblo, viniendo de Capellades. Es una pista de cemento, estrecha, difícil de encontrar, y que sube mucho, insistente en la subida. Una cadena cierra el paso de vehículos cuando quedan todavía 1.500 mts. de cuesta. Hay allí un parking justito, muy justito. Una excursión familiar un poco dura, sobre todo si los padres y madres cargan con hijos pequeños. El esfuerzo es potente, la subida cansada, pero la recompensa vale la pena. La visita al recinto es libre, o guiada si se quiere, y hay que pagar un módico precio. Se pasa un audiovisual, y se venden recuerdos y bebidas, pero no hay bar ni restaurante. Hay pocos servicios, todo es de subsistencia. Para comer, y si necesita dormir, teneis en la Pobla una fonda de toda la vida que os ofrece sus servicios. Pequeña, antes seria lujosa, pero hoy está un poco, pero solos un poco, venida a menos. No obstante la buena comida está asegurada. Es el hotel Robert, en la avenida de Catalunya, 1, casi junto al camino que sube al castillo. Teléfono: 93 808 60 00. También teneis el Mas dels Vivencs, que es muy bonito, pero trabaja casi exclusivamente para la BBC (Bodas, bautizos y convenciones).

In September/October Deeper Walk International brought an interesting series of webinars on the topic of “Why Western Christianity Failed.” The speaker was Dr. Jim Wilder from Shepherd’s House in California.

- The first part was about a 300 year old philosophy that heavily influenced Western Theology (which I summarized here)
- The second part looked at how medieval psychology influences us until today (see summary below)
- And the third part explained how we ended up with a false dichotomy because of these two influences.

In this post I will give a summary of part two:
Many people don’t realize that our Western theology has been influenced by all kinds of things besides the Bible.

Among other things are:
- rationalism – is about thinking the right things
- voluntarism – is about making the right choices
- Pietism – had the tendency to neglect the body
- Northern European culture – influences people to live in survival mode, value stoic resolve, ignore pain and emotions

> all these affect our theology
> all these even affect how we do Bible translation
> they influence what we think is important

One major influence is the medieval psychology that divides human beings into two main parts:

Physical conditions, the body, emotions and anything related were considered of doubtful use for spiritual things. In contrast, the intellect and the will were seen as separate from the body. Today we know that intellect and will are tied up in the same body, and interact strongly with each other. They cannot be separated from each other as medieval psychology did.

Despite newer insights into how God created us (body and will interconnected), theology still uses these categories until today.

Our bodies are seen as something fallen and unable to please God, while the spirit and will were seen as more important because they can be affected by God, as something that God can transform. The will is fallen but can be empowered by God’s grace to make the right choices. The body and emotions are only causing trouble (implicit – they are beyond God’s power to transform). Therefore the body was left out of any teaching and considered unimportant. The soul was sometimes included with the body, and seen as causing trouble. The only hope was that God would transform the spirit enough to dominate body and soul. The solution to this problem is to have more “truth” (teaching, knowledge) to help the spirit dominate the body.

The result is a false dichotomy that influences our theology until today.

This made perfect sense in medieval psychology but not today!
It is in contradiction to what we know today about the brain:

Our brain is primarily relational. Any strategy that bypasses the dominant emotional and relational center of the brain, and emphasizes thinking and will, is not “Good News” at all. As a result we keep trying to think the right things, but we are still acting and reacting the wrong way.

Antonio R. Damasio in his book “Descartes’ error” pointed out that what makes the human mind run are our emotions not reason. For example, trauma recovery requires body awareness. The priority of our brain is to first ask what our body feels before asking what we think about something.

This has to do with our vagus nerve, which tells the brain what we feel like and influences our relationships and what we like. This vagus nerve does not sound very spiritual but influences everything we consider spiritual. It has two parts:
dorsal vagal – takes care of your own body
ventral vagal – regulates interpersonal relationships

Maybe it is more important to make our vagus nerve “Christian” more than our thinking!

The Old Testament refers to our “inward parts” (e.g. Jer 4:19, Lam 2:11) but they are often translated with ‘mind’ in Greek. In other places the Hebrew text speaks about the “bowels.” The translation of these verses often shows a lot of bias. Since the body is not important, bowels are sometimes translated as heart and sometimes as bowels and nobody cares if these are really referring to the same thing.

Conclusions from Voluntarist Philosophy

>> Western Christianity became about ideas and choice
>> Solution – all important life problems are corrected by truth and choice
>> This statement should feel true to you because your culture says it’s true
>> The Bible translations were made to fit that assumption due to language and culture.

Conclusions from Medieval Psychology

>> Choice is in the intellect
>> Will is in the reason
>> Intellect and reason are in the mind /spirit
>> Bible translation is made to fit those assumptions
>> The mind and spirit are changed by choices and knowledge
>> The body and emotions are not important for the spiritual life as will and choice.

Corrections to Medieval Psychology

>> What controls the brain, will, body and emotions is relationship not information.

“Who you love or who you fear, will determine what you’ll choose, how your body responds to it and how you feel about it. That relationship is actually experienced in your brain, not your emotions, not your body, not your will.”

>> We have more than one will and there can be conflict.
>> Emotions and related body responses are in executive control of the brain
>> Relationships based on love produce very different interpretations of the information in the intellect than the same information with fear.

For example, “your dad is coming” can produce two different reactions, depending whether your relationship is love or fear based. The same happens with biblical information – “God is watching you” can cause two different reactions.

Living with the Lord means having our “bowels” transformed.
We need a Christianity that transforms both sides of our character, also our body not just our mind. We need to overcome this false dichotomy (more about it in part 3).

If you are interested in listening to the whole webinar, go to Deeper Walk International Resources Center – Webinars and scroll down to

Webinars by Jim Wilder

How Western Christianity Failed

Each webinar is available for $3.00. Once you have paid, you will receive a link to download or listen online to it.

Neuschwanstein Castle – Bavaria, Germany as recreated in Lego as part of the LEGO Castle Adventure exhibition on Henry Ford Museum.

The gears are spinning again – we got a bunch of stuff done – and I have a screenshot to prove it!

If you go check the Checklist, you’ll notice a couple of things have turned a beautiful green.

I managed to show them all off with a single screenshot (yay!)

Notice:

The HUD is gone, excpet for the stats of the unit you selected and the end turn button. The other button you see is a notifier that tells you if you’ll have enough AP to take an action after you move to the cursor.

There’s a horse (yay!) and a guy riding it. Calvary. With working collisions. Oh yes. Notice: I actually took my time spriting the horse – trying to get a style down for the rest of the graphical revamp later. Check it out: 

It’s in widescreen – this isn’t default! It’s a custom resolution! Now anyone can have the game fit their monitor, yay! (Shown at my 1440×900 resolution)

Screenshot: http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/71/horseshudwidescreen.png

(Linked because it’s too big to post here)

Pretty nice, huh? Next up will be speed bonuses, and after that the collision revamp and ai revamp. Good things are in the future.

Also notice: The website’s been cleaned up. Now you can access the latest build AND the latest checklist through the navagation bar at the top of the screen! Classy!

Until next update,

SunnyKatt

These are some photos I took in October 2009 at the Museum of London.  They are of a very small Leather Costrel which I intend to try to recreate.  I wrote to the MOL and they provided me with a bit of detail.  This costrel was found in 1913:  Acc. no. A10640, H 80 mm; W 85 mm, found: Town ditch, Old Bailey, London EC1; Leather costrel with foliate design.  The measurements I’ve seen so far vary:  80×85mm (MOL), 4 x 33/4″ (Black Jacks and Leather Bottells Baker, Oliver  1921).  Having seen it I think the 4×33/4 (100mmx95mm) seems closer.

Years ago when I was a wee lad of 11 or 12 I went to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival and while I was there I found a shop called “Talon Armoury”.  Even back in those days I loved armour so I had to go check this place out.  Inside was the most amazing array of armour including a full suit of Maximillian armour inside a glass case.  The shop was run by Master Glendour a Laurel in the Kingdom of Calontir.  He was quite patient with myself and my friends despite the fact we were getting our grubby finger prints all over his nicely finished armour.  He answered all our questions about the armour and how he made it and then he told us about a group called The Society for Creative Anachronisms who were running a big demo on the site.  I think I spent the entire day there running back and forth between the SCA demo and Master Glendours shop.  A few years later I found out there was a SCA group just an hours drive from my home so I joined up. 

Master Glendour was also knighted a few years ago in the Kingdom of Calontir so when I saw him at the Toys for Tots tournament I knew I had to ask him to be the first knight to accept my 100 Knights 100 Fights challenge which he graciously accepted.  I was honored not only because Master Glendour is such and excellent knight who embodies the knightly virtues in every way but also because it was he who introduced me to the SCA and armouring. 

Thank you Master Glendour!

Vic celebra el seu mercat medieval a primers de desembre, sovint coincidint amb el pont de la Constitució. I direu… un mercat medieval més. Doncs, us equivocaríeu si penseu que estem davant d’una fira com tantes. El Mercat Medieval de Vic mereix les majúscules dels seu nom perquè és enorme. Penseu que hi ha més de 300 parades repartides per tot el casc antic de Vic. I aquesta és una ciutat gran. Places, carrers, carrerons, parcs i passejos estan plens de tota mena de paradetes de tot tipus de productes. Parades gastronòmiques, a Vic hi ha el millor embotit de Catalunya,de formatges, de menjars cuinats allà mateix. També parades artesanes i d’oficis, moltes, moltíssimes, molt interessants. També mostra d’animals, com ara cavalls, ovelles, vaques, rucs… mostra d’aus de presa, tot l’imaginable. Els nens inenes podran muntar a cavall, assistir a espectacles de carrer, escoltar música o veure exposicions. El casc antic de Vic acompanya un mercat d’aquestes característiques. Ancorada en el temps del barroc, la vila dels sants i dels capellans, dormí fins no fa gaire temps el son feixuc dels pobles oblidats del progrés. Així ha pogut preservar palaus, temples, ambient en general, que res no te a veure amb el segle XXI. Per sort, però, els vells carrers no s’han degradat. La universitat ha ocupat espais i ha revitalitzat el centre. Per això us agradarà resseguir el mercat medieval i anar visitant monuments i obres d’art de primer nivell. Com ara la catedral, neoclàssica, però amb una magnífica torre romànica. A l’interior les pintures maravelloses de Sert. Al costat, el museu episcopal guarda el més granat de l’art romànic i gòtic català. Un museu exemplar. Uns carrers enllà topareu amb un veritable temple romà, com tret directament i sense escales de l’època dels cèsars. Seria impossible ressenyar les esglèsies, convents i monestirs, els palaus, cases fortes i cases burgeses que us sortiran al pas. Nomes fer menció de l’esplèndida plaça del mercadal, la plaça major, la plaça gran, única a tot Catalunya, on s’hi celebren mercats tan nomenats com el del ram, o més senzills, com el de cada dissabte. Pugeu a Vic. Si no arribeu tard troabreu aparcament amb facilitat, i ben senyalitzat, en els parkings habilitats, o pels carrers moderns abans d’arribar al centre històric. Podeu dinar a la fira, en les parades de menjar, nombroses i ben acondicionades. Si us agrada més gaudir de una bon taula ho teniu fàcil. L’ambient estudiantil i glamuròs de Vic fa que hi hagi molta oferta, sobretot al casc antic. Si voleu un que ens han recomanat, aneu al restaurant Basset, al Carrer Sant Sadurní, 4. Tel. 938 890 212. També hem anat a un que es troba en els baixos d’un casalot, a la placeta que es forma el carrer Dues Soles, en ajuntar-se amb el carrer de Cardona. Tot un restaurant amb encant. Però no recordem el nom. Per dormir teniu un hotel NH, que també te un bon menú al migdia. El dia del mercat, però, caldrà reservar qualsevol lloc on aneu.

Vic celebra su mercado medieval a primeros de diciembre, a menudo coincidiendo con el puente de la Constitución. Y diréis … un mercado medieval más. Pues os equivocaríais si pensáis que estamos ante una feria como tantas. El Mercado Medieval de Vic merece las mayúsculas de su nombre porque es enorme. Pensad que hay más de 300 paradas repartidas por todo el casco antiguo de Vic. Y esta es una ciudad grande. Plazas, calles, callejones, parques y paseos están llenos de toda clase de tenderetes de todo tipo de productos. Paradas gastronómicas, en Vic está el mejor embutido de Cataluña, y los mejores quesos, y comidas cocinadas allí mismo. También hay paradas artesanas y de oficios, muchas, muchísimas, muy interesantes. También muestras de animales, como caballos, ovejas, vacas, burros … muestras de aves de presa, todo lo imaginable. Los niños podrán montar a caballo, asistir a espectáculos de calle, escuchar música o ver exposiciones. El casco antiguo de Vic acompaña mucho un mercado de estas características. Anclada en el tiempo del barroco, la villa de los santos y de los sacerdotes, dormida hasta no hace mucho tiempo en el sueño pesado de los pueblos olvidados del progreso. Así ha podido preservar palacios, templos, su ambiente en general, que nada tiene que ver con el siglo XXI. Por suerte las viejas calles no se han degradado. La universidad ha ocupado espacios y ha revitalizado el centro. Por eso gusta recorrer el mercado medieval y ir visitando monumentos y obras de arte de primer nivel. Como la catedral, de estilo neoclásico, pero con una magnífica torre románica. En el interior las pinturas maravillosas de Sert. Al lado, el museo episcopal guarda lo más granado del arte románico y gótico catalán. Un museo ejemplar. Unas calles allá toparéis con un verdadero templo romano, como sacado directamente y sin escalas de la época de los césares. Sería imposible reseñar las iglesias, conventos y monasterios, palacios, casas fuertes y casas burguesas que les saldrán al paso. Sólo hacer mención de la espléndida plaza del mercadal, la plaza mayor, la plaza grande, única en toda Cataluña, donde se celebran mercados tan nombrados como el del ram, o más sencillos, como el de cada sábado. Subid hasta Vic. Si no llegáis tarde encontrareis fácil aparcamiento y bien señalizado, en los parkings habilitados, o por las calles del barrio más moderno, antes de llegar al centro histórico. Pueden comer en la própia feria, en las paradas de comida, numerosas y bien acondicionadas. Si os gusta más disfrutar de una buena mesa lo teneis. El ambiente estudiantil y glamuroso de Vic hace que haya mucha oferta, sobre todo en el casco antiguo. Si desean una dirección que nos han recomendado, vayan al restaurante Basset, en la Calle Sant Sadurní, 4. Tel. 938 890 212. También hemos ido a uno que se encuentra en los bajos de un caserón, en la plazoleta que se forma la calle Dos Soles, en juntarse con la calle de Cardona. Un restaurante con encanto. Pero no recordamos el nombre. Para dormir tiene un hotel NH, que también tiene un buen menú al mediodía. El día del mercado, sin embargo, habrá que reservar cualquier lugar donde vaya.

Coincidiendo ayer con la celebración de unos cuantos mayores del cumpleaños de uno de los txikitos nos reunimos en Estella y aprovechamos un poco la semana del pincho de Estella. Realizamos una miniruta un poco rara ya que ir de pinchos degustación resultó ser algo completamente fortuito, yo cuando llegué no tenía ni idea.

De los 11 establecimientos que hacen esta propuesta estuvimos en 3 sitios solamente, a punto de estar en dos más pero comer un pincho en condiciones se hacía imposible en el momento. Este año uno de los pinchos tiene o está basado en recetas medievales ya que será uno de ellos el que representará a la ciudad el año que viene.

El primero fue el del Bar Florida, Pechuguitas de codorniz en escabeche de agraz-verjús con higos y frutos secos, este era el medieval y estaba acompañado de un ragout de cigalitas y setas. Muy bueno, a mi el que más me gusto fue el ragout de los dos.

Después nos fuimos hasta el Pigor, pero estaba a tope así que seguimos hasta llegar al Kopa’s que presentaba un ambiente más de sábado noche, su degustación me encantó, ambos pinchos, tanto el Mini volován con salda de queso menorquín y tomate, acompañado de champiñón, setas y salsa de gamba como el Magret de pato ahogado en oporto sobre cama de cebolla caramelizada y salsa de zanahoria, ese segundo era el pincho medieval. @rusov me pasó parte de su cebolla caramelizada, que buena estaba así como el pato.

Para terminar fuimos al Amaya que está al lado de la estación de autobuses y estaba imposible así que nos quedamos sin probar el de kokotxa y la costilla de cerdo. De ahí nos pillaba cerca el Lerma y fuimos a probar su degustación, primero una delicia de Navarra ahumada, que yo salté por mi firme convicción de que los espárragos no están hechos para mi y el segundo, el medieval constaba de una envoltura de berenjena con morcilla y txistorra a la crema de la tierra que me encantó.

Bueno, esto fue todo, hacía tiempo que no iba de pinchos y de ronda en este plan y resultó muy entretenido y gratificante, saludos a la cuadri que estuvimos y que se repita alguna que otra vez, sin duda fue una forma diferente a las cenas habituales.

Gruyères is 810 m above sea level, 4.5 km south-south-east of the district capital Bulle. The historical town is placed on top of an isolated hill north of the alps, in the foothills of mount Molèson . It is also the location where the Saane river (French name: Sarine) leaves the Fribourg alps. Long famous for it’s cheese it is also home to a  notable castle with wonderful  Baroque style interiors.

The Castle of Gruyères located in the Medieval town of Gruyères, Fribourg, is one of the most famous in Switzerland. The castle, constructed in the 13th century, was home to a long succession of Gruyères counts. The end of the 15th century stands out as the golden age in the history of the counts. In 1476, count Louis takes part in the Burgundy war by the Confederates’ side. Following this deed of valour, modernization works were undertaken. The adjustment of the esplanade with its chapel, the spiral staircase in the courtyard and the transformation of the main building go back to that time. Thus, the castle loses its fortress appearance to become a stately residence. The baroque interiors remind one of the time when the bailiffs sent by Fribourg lived there.

The Castle was decimated by a fire in 1493 which destroyed virtually everything but the dungeons. Michel, the last count, ran up huge debts reconstructing the living quarters in Savoyard style and then fled, leaving his creditors – the governments of Fribourg and Bern – to divide up his lands between them.

 A rich Geneva dynasty, the Bovy and Balland families, bought the castle in 1848 and supported a number of artists in residence, including the French landscape painter Corot, before the cantonal government of Fribourg assumed control in 1938. The Castle was made into a museum and opened to the public. Since 1993, a foundation ensures the conservation as well as the highlighting of the building and the art collection.

I have built this medieval layout with LEGO sets to be part of the PLUG exhibition on the shopping mall El Corte Ingles.

For people who haven’t bothered to read “about Friggin Loon” (and you know who you are) I’ve spent much of much life traveling the world filming documentaries and stuff. During one of my travels a few years back, I and my trusty cameraman Simon, had the bizarre privilege of being allowed to film the Shroud of Turin. It was one of those right place, right time things (which we both have a special knack for). We had no idea it was on display in Turin, (Simon didn’t even know what the hell it was!) nor that people had tickets for this event two years in advance.

Anywho, we were escorted through the church and whacked less than 1 metre from the cloth and told to film to our hearts content.We are one of the few media companies in the world given this privilege. OK, OK, I m getting to the point. So since then I have followed with interest all the medieval forgery debates and carbon dating dramas surrounding the 4.37m long piece of linen. This week a Vatican researcher is claiming she has deciphered the faint writing on the cloth (move over Dan Brown!) and believes it’s proves the burial cloth is that of Jesus. Pray tell Barbara Frale? Ms Frale says the faint words (which probably seeped through from the “death Certificate” attached at the mortuary) are written in Greek, Latin and Aramaic and include the name “Jesus Nazarene”. Important? Yes. Because had it been a Medieval forgery it would have also  included the words “Christ” or “son of God” as  it was a crime not to mentioned Jesus without his divinity in those days. That’s a heretic charge right there! OK, so that research  “may” exclude it from the 13th and 14th century time line but never underestimate the brilliance of Leonardo Da Vinci, it sounds exactly like something Leo would have diliberately done to argue it’s authenticity!

Psst If you want to see the footage you can find it at Italian Vista!

Quan una fira arriba a la 616èna edició és que podem parlar d’una fira consolidada. La fira de Sant Andreu, a Torroella de Montgrí, és una fira ben consolidada. I no ens estranya gens. No és habitual que una fira ocupi tot una vila, una vila gran, com Torroella. I tampoc és habitual que hi hagi més d’una fira en una diada. A Torroella n’hi ha diverses: fira de gossos d’atura, fira de mostres, trobades, fira del cavall, exposició. I amb tot un seguit d’actes i d’activitats que la fan molt adequada pels nostres infants. Teatre de carrer, passejades en carruatges i en poni, actuacions musicals… i moltíssimes coses més. Escolliu del completíssim programa de la fira, a la web de l’ajuntament. A més Torroella és una població magnífica, amb fira o sense. La plaça de la Vila és el cor de la vila medieval. Porticada, irregular, però graciosa. Podeu passejar per Torroella, sense fira o amb fira, per veure les restes de la muralla, amb el portal de Santa Caterina, la torre de les Bruixes, o bé arribar-vos fins la gran esglèsia gòtica de Sant Genís, amb el seu peculiar campanar. Dalt del Montgrí, desafiant els vents i el temps veureu sempre el castell de Montgri. La pujada no és apta per minyons de pit, però si per bons excursionistes familiars. Podeu fer-hi cap a través de la vall de l’ermita de Santa Caterina, on s’hi fa un aplec molt lluit al novembre. Són notables també algunes cases de Torroella, com la Casa Pastors o la del Metge al carrer Major. Torroella ocupa la vall final del Ter i està molt a prop de poblets que cal visitar, com ara Verges o Ullà, o més lluny Peratallada o Pals. A 7 kms. trobareu el mar, amb platges molt boniques, i amb un bon port, l’Estartit, des d’on surten les barques que us portaran a les illes Medes i a donar un volt pels penyasegats de la costa. excursió familiar inoblidable. Ja ho sabeu: Torroella, amb fira on sense, us espera. Per menjar i dormir, a banda del que us ofereixi la fira, teniu la Fonda Mitjà, de tota la vida. Bona cuina cassolana i bones habitacions. Molt més modern i sofisticat, de disseny i per bones butxaques, l’hotel Molí del Mig, us ofereix cuina elaborada i habitacions superiors.

Cuando una feria llega a la 616 edición es que podemos hablar de una feria consolidada. La feria de Sant Andreu, en Torroella de Montgrí, es una feria muy consolidada. Y no nos extraña. No es habitual que una feria ocupe todo un pueblo, una villa grande, como Torroella. Y tampoco es habitual que haya más de una feria en un día. En Torroella hay varias: feria de perros pastores, feria de muestras, encuentros, feria del caballo, exposiciones. Y con toda una serie de actos y actividades que la hacen muy adecuada para nuestros niños. Teatro de calle, paseos en carruajes y en pony, actuaciones musicales … y muchísimas cosas más. Elija el completísimo programa de la feria, en la web del ayuntamiento. Además Torroella es una ciudad magnífica, con feria o sin ella. La plaza de la Vila es el corazón de la villa medieval. Porticada, irregular, pero graciosa. Puede pasear por Torroella, sin feria o con feria, para ver los restos de la muralla, con el portal de Santa Catalina, la torre de las Brujas, o bien acercaros hasta la gran iglesia gótica de Sant Genís, con su peculiar campanario. Arriba del Montgrí, desafiando los vientos y el tiempo, verá siempre el castillo de Montgrí. La subida no es apta para niños de pecho, pero si por buenos excursionistas familiares. Puede hacerse a través del valle de la ermita de Santa Catalina, donde se celebra una romería muy bella en noviembre. Son notables también algunas casas de Torroella, como la Casa Pastors o la del Médico en la calle Mayor. Torroella ocupa el valle final del Ter y está muy cerca de pueblos que hay que visitar, como Verges o Ullà, o más lejos Peratallada o Pals. A 7 kms. encontrará el mar, con playas muy bonitas, y con un buen puerto, l’Estartit, desde donde salen las barcas que les llevarán a las islas Medas,  y a dar una vuelta por los acantilados de la costa. Una excursión familiar del todo inolvidable. Ya lo sabéis: Torroella, con feria donde sin ella, os espera. Para comer y dormir, aparte del que les ofrezca la feria, tiene la Fonda Mitjà, de las de toda la vida. Buena cocina casera y buenas habitaciones. Mucho más moderno y sofisticado, de diseño y para bolsillos potentes, teneis el hotel Molí del Mig, que ofrece cocina elaborada y habitaciones superiores.

Right now I am reading Christakis and Fowler’s new book on the nature of social networks.  The text is called Connected: The Surprising Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives and recently generated a spate of articles, such as this one in the New York Times, reporting on the pervasive effects of “network contagion”—i.e., the process by which we “catch” everything from happiness to obesity from our friends and from friends of friends.

The book is quite interesting because of what it suggests about the collective nature of emotional states.  We all know that panic or laughter can be contagious, but as Christakis and Fowler emphasize, other, less dramatic emotions can also be shared and are, in fact, likely to be shared.

Although network science is a relatively new field, Western culture has in one form or another always recognized the collective nature of emotions and actions.  This was particularly true in the Middle Ages, when social psychology and individual psychology were closely intermingled and people tended to think of the boundary between community and self as very permeable. Mental health was measured not merely by the individual’s experience of his mind, but also by the state of his household and community.  Put simply, medievals assumed that “sane” people hung out with other sane people (sanus in Latin means “sound” or “healthy”; insanus means the opposite), and that “insane” people lived in communities with other insane people.

Now, nothing exemplifies medieval ideas about the links between individual and community psychology quite so well as depictions of heaven and hell.  Consistently, medieval artists depicted heaven and hell as cities or communities that were external reflections of an inward reality. Heaven is usually full of clean, upright, orderly people, while Hell has miserable, naked, tortured people all facing in contrary directions.

To give you a sense of what I mean, here is a small gallery of medieval images of Heaven and Hell, starting with Hans Memling’s extraordinary tryptych of the Last Judgment.

- Siovahn Walker

Last Judgment, Tryptych, Hans Memling

Heaven & Hell, Tympanum, Abbey Church of St. Foy, Conques. Peter Campbell.

Close up on "Mouth of Hell" - Abbey Church of Ste.-Foy, Conques

Doom, St. Peter’s, Wenhaston, Suffolk. Nave. Original at: http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/wenhaston.html.

Hell in Herrod of Landsberg’s Hortus Deliciarum, c. 1180.

Now players can see more of the world they started to explore in Medieval II: Total War, with Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms. This game offers new content that gives gamers over 75 hours of new gameplay, 4 brand new campaigns, and six new multiplayer scenarios.

Minimum System Requirements
Windows 2000/XP/Vista
Celeron 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 of equivalent AMD processor (2.4 GHz recommended)
512 MB RAM (1.0 GB recommended)
12.0 GB free hard disk space
100% DirectX 9.0c compatible 16-bit sound card with latest drivers
DirectX 9.0c (included)
128 MB hardware accelerated video card with Shader 1 support and the latest drivers. Must be 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible. (256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 7300, ATI Radeon X1600, or greater recommended)

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