text:
December 6, 2021 December 6, 2021 / Viktor Athelstan	/ Leave a comment
A common search term that leads a lot of my readers to my website is "was there corporal punishment in medieval monasteries?" I've discussed corporal punishment in the context of The Rule of Saint Benedict (you can find those articles under this tag). However, I want to go into detail about physical punishment in European medieval monastic culture. Today I will discuss corporal punishment and the youngest members of the monastic community affected by it: the oblates.
Adults were not the only people who lived and thus could be punished, in medieval monasteries. Until the later Middle Ages, it was a common practice for parents to donate children to monasteries. Parents did this with the intention that the children would grow up to become monastics. These children were called oblates. (I've written more about oblates here.)
A novice master about to hit his students with a rod | Burney MS 275 f.94r | Source: The British Library
Like modern-day children, oblates could be quite mischievous and misbehave. Medieval monastic leaders and teachers were well aware of the possibility of bad behavior. Corporal punishment was one way adults disciplined oblates.
However, corporal punishment had other purposes besides discipline for bad behavior. The first purpose was to keep the oblate as pure and innocent as possible. The second purpose was to get them used to their place in the monastic hierarchy. Medieval European monasteries were extremely hierarchical. Because oblates were children, they were the lowest in that hierarchy. To have a well-run monastery, it was important for every member to know his place and obey his superiors.
In this article, I will discuss how monastic rules instructed abbots and novice masters to use corporal punishment on oblates, how educational texts written for monastic children by monastic adults portrayed beatings, and the different attitudes monastic leaders had towards the use of corporal punishment.
Corporal Punishment in The Rule of Saint Benedict
The Rule of Saint Benedict was one of the primary guidelines for medieval monastic life. In Chapter Thirty, Saint Benedict discusses the proper punishment for children. While excommunication was the most severe punishment in a monastic community, some oblates were too young to fully understand the gravity of it.
If a child was too young to understand why excommunication was so bad, Saint Benedict recommends corporal punishment instead:
"…let them be punished by severe fasting or sharp stripes, in order that they may be cured." (Saint Benedict, pg. 47).
Corporal Punishment in The Constitutions of Lanfranc
Another guideline for monastic life was The Constitutions of Lanfranc. Lanfranc was the Archbishop of Canterbury after the Norman Conquest. He wrote his constitutions specifically for monastic life at Canterbury. Like Saint Benedict, Lanfranc discusses corporal punishment for children.
Lanfranc specifies that when the abbot is present in the monastery, no one is allowed to "strike a child or cause him to strip for flogging" (Lanfranc, pg. 116). However, that does not mean Lanfranc banned corporal punishment for oblates! Lanfranc specifies only abbots should physically punish oblates when the abbot is present. That being said, abbots can grant permission to other members of the monastic community allowing them to beat oblates.
Furthermore, if the abbot is away, the cantor is allowed to physically discipline any oblates that have made a mistake during religious performances. The prior can use corporal punishment on oblates as well. (But only if the abbot is away!)
Corporal Punishment in Ælfric's Colloquies
Besides guidelines for monastic life, another source of information about corporal punishment for oblates can be found in educational texts written for said oblates. One such text was written by an abbot named Ælfric.
Ælfric lived in England at the end of the tenth and beginning of the eleventh century. One of his many written works was a colloquy for students learning Latin. A colloquy is a written conversation between two or more people. Oblates would enrich their Latin vocabulary and grammar by memorizing and performing colloquies.
While Ælfric's colloquy focuses on common jobs in medieval society, corporal punishment is mentioned several times.
The first discussion of corporal punishment is at the beginning of the text. A few pupils approach a teacher and request to be taught how to speak properly. The pupils claim they would rather be the lesson be beaten into them than to continue to live a life where they speak poorly. They also mention the teacher is a kind man who would not hit them unless they asked for it.
The second mention of corporal punishment is about a page before the end. The teacher asks one of the boys if he was beaten that day. The boy says no he was not because he behaved himself. The teacher asks if his friends were beaten. The boy asks why would he ask such a thing and that he's not going to snitch on his friends.
The third mention of corporal punishment is at the very end. One of the boys tells the teacher that occasionally his novice master hits him with a rod to wake him up.
In each instance, the attitude towards corporal punishment is slightly different. At first, the pupils crave being beaten. However, this could be hyperbole and simply just Ælfric's way of emphasizing how important it is to learn to speak properly. In the second example, the boy is extremely suspicious of why the teacher wants to know if his friends are behaving. It's possible that this indicates that some novice masters were pretty happy to have any excuse to physically hurt their students. The third example confirms this to be the case. Instead of gently poking his student awake, the novice master uses unnecessary force.
Corporal Punishment in The Colloquies of Ælfric Bata
Another medieval schoolbook was written by Ælfric Bata. Ælfric Bata was a student of the Ælfric discussed above. Like his teacher, he also wrote Latin colloquies for oblates. However, The Colloquies of Ælfric Bata are much longer. His colloquies depict everyday life in an eleventh-century European monastery.
Medieval monastic corporal punishment is one of many scenarios Ælfric Bata wrote about. By mentioning corporal punishment so frequently and so casually in some colloquies, this implies monks regularly beat oblates. Or at the very least, threatened to do so. The threat of corporal punishment must have been a common enough occurrence that it was necessary for oblates to learn Latin vocabulary about the subject.
Like his own teacher, Ælfric Bata portrays corporal punishment in different ways. Sometimes it is serious while other depictions have a strong comedic slapstick tone.
In Colloquy 24, the novice master waits in the cloister for his oblates to approach him. Instead of immediately greeting him, the oblates try to figure out what kind of mood he is in. They are afraid that if he is in a bad mood he will beat them. One boy describes the novice master as having "a whip in his right hand and a lot of rods in his left" (Ælfric Bata, pg. 133).
This indicates that whips and rods were regularly used to dole out physical punishments. It also implies that some novice masters abused their power by taking out their anger on boys who did not deserve it.
In Colloquy 25 the novice master laments over the fact that no matter how many times he beats a certain bad student, the oblate still misbehaves. The novice master claims to properly love students, you have to beat them as "a master's sympathy often harms a boy" (Ælfric Bata, pg. 143). He also uses bible quotes to back up his claim. The oblate is less than amused and tells him he's sick of his threats. The novice master proceeds to quote probably every single proverb in the bible. In the end, he does not hit the misbehaving oblate.
In Colloquy 26 an oblate complains that he doesn't have a clean pair of trousers. His only pair is bloody from the beating he got. In this case, the oblate was beaten with rods.
In Colloquy 28 Ælfric Bata depicts an actual beating. An oblate has been caught stealing and lying about it yet again. While stealing and lying are both serious crimes in themselves, doing wrong repeatedly and hiding your wrongdoings was considered particularly heinous in medieval monastic society.
The thieving oblate's classmates list a ridiculous amount of things he was caught stealing. The thief admits it is all true, promises to stop, and wants to do penance again. However, all the previous penances his novice master gave him have done absolutely nothing to deter his thievery. Consequently, the novice master decides to use corporal punishment instead.
In an interesting turn of events, the novice master has the victims find the rods and hit the thief first. (He will go after them.) By allowing the victims to administer corporal punishment, the novice master lets the victims punish the thief as they see fit. In fact, the novice master even encourages the victims to hit the thief harder!
As a result, there is no risk of the victims thinking the novice master was too soft on him.
(I will note earlier in the scene the victims express confidence the novice master will administer a fair punishment.) They are allowed to get their revenge. This prevents any further resentment from the victims from turning into deadly violence.
Monastic communities could be quite small. Any anger bubbling under the surface could and often did result in great acts of violence. (It was not uncommon for monks to attempt to murder each other!) It is much safer to control that anger before it explodes into an uncontrollable situation.
As for the actual beating, the thief's pants are dropped and the boys stand on either side of him. They proceed to hit different sides of his bare bottom.
While he's beaten, the thief melodramatically laments about how much pain he's in, how sad his life is, he never did anything wrong, everyone is against him for absolutely no reason, and he is most certainly dying from this beating, no one cares he'll be dead soon, and he's the victim. The oblate has absolutely no self-awareness his own actions caused no one to like him. Instead, he is convinced there is a grand conspiracy against him.
The novice master tells him to stop being sad and to live a good life he has to take accountability for his actions. The oblate must take on the mindset of "I have sinned and have not received what I deserved" (Ælfric Bata, pg. 171). The oblate promises to do so and never to steal again. That is when the novice master stops the victims from hitting him anymore. In the end, the novice master never hits the thief.
Interestingly enough, Ælfric Bata does not depict this incident of child abuse as particularly tragic or devastating. Instead, it would not be out of place in a modern-day slapstick comedy.
In conclusion, The Colloquies of Ælfric Bata taught oblates the necessary Latin words an oblate might hear before, during, and after a physical punishment as well as the consequences for disrupting their monastic community with bad behavior.
(As a side note, The Colloquies of Ælfric Bata also teaches oblates how to cuss someone out in Latin. Do what you want with that information.)
Attitudes Towards Using Corporal Punishment on Oblates
Religious figures such as Saint Benedict and Hildemar thought children were unable to understand the true gravity of excommunication. Instead, they thought corporal punishment was the only way to make children understand certain behaviors were bad.
The monks, Hildemar and Smaragdus, believed children needed physical discipline to control their behavior. In John of Salerno's biography of Odo of Cluny, he describes how Odo used the "fear of his rod [so that] he might lead us like a shepherd to the joys of heaven" (Quinn, pg. 112).
Monastic leaders wanted oblates to grow up to be the perfect monks. Perfect monks were obedient, pious, and chaste. Oblates were raised in monasteries since childhood, so there was a possibility that childhood innocence could be preserved into adulthood. To ensure oblates retained their innocence, they were supposed to be monitored by several adults at all times. Novice masters watched out for any sinful, disruptive, and disobedient behaviors.
The threat of a beating could be enough to make children behave. One way novice masters did this was by simply carrying a whip on his person at all times.
That being said, monks recognized that sometimes beatings were not a one type fits all solution. If oblates continued to misbehave after beatings, novice masters should find a more punishment that the child responded better to.
While beating oblates was a common enough practice, that doesn't mean it was always an accepted one. Just like modern day opinions about physically disciplining children, medieval opinions varied too. As you can see from the colloquies, some monks and abbots condoned using corporal punishment on oblates. However, this was not the case for every single medieval monastic who ever lived!
In the tenth and eleventh-century Europe, the ideal student-teacher relationship was a warm one. After all, oblates' parents essentially abandoned them at the monasteries. Instead of being raised by their biological parents, oblates were raised by their new spiritual parents—the novice master.
A good novice master nurtured and cared about his boys. Ideally, this would create a warm, caring father/son dynamic between oblates and their teachers. Furthermore, this relationship would result in monastic boys respecting their teachers. Generally speaking, children are more likely to obey authority figures if they respect and love them. (Again, this is generally speaking. No child is perfect and no child does everything they are told all the time. However, the overall amount of times a child disobeys authority figures goes down if they respect them.) When children listen, beatings and other forms of corporal punishment are not necessary.
If a beating was the only way a novice master could get his oblates to behave, then he was considered bad at his job. Even in the Middle Ages people recognized the negative effect physical violence had on children. Saint Anselm argued that corporal punishment could do much more harm than good.
One day an unnamed abbot and Saint Anselm spoke about monastic discipline. The abbot complained that no matter how many times he beat his oblates, they only behaved worse instead of better. Saint Anselm, shocked at the abbot's actions, asked what kind of men the oblates grew up to be. The abbot's answered, "stupid brutes" (Quinn 113).
Saint Anselm explained that if you beat children like animals, they are going to grow up to act like animals. Children cannot be tamed like animals. Instead, children should be nurtured like a gardener would a tree. Furthermore, by continuously terrifying children with threats of harm and actually hitting them, children stop seeing any good in the world and become hateful. They only grow more hateful as adults.
Saint Anselm argued that oblates stop trusting the adults who repeatedly hurt them. Even if an abbot or a novice master is nice to them, the oblates are still suspicious of their intentions. Suspicious oblates grow up to be suspicious adults who cannot recognize genuine charity. They trust no one.
In short, by repeatedly beating oblates, monks are not raising people fit for heaven. Instead, they raise hateful men.
Saint Anselm asks the abbot why he hates the children so much that he treats them this way. After all, children are human too. Does the abbot want to be treated like his oblates?
Finally, Saint Anselm argued that to properly raise children to be good adults, they have to be nurtured. Abbots and novice masters needed to encourage oblates and treat them with kindness. They needed to take on the role of father and mother to the children. Children needed to be encouraged to self-discipline.
While hitting children was a popular discipline method in the secular world around Saint Anselm's time, monastics were not raising children for the secular world. They were raising them to be monks.
Medieval monasticism valued self-discipline, patience, and humility. Teaching misbehaving children with gentleness and encouragement is difficult. By not constantly striking children in anger, novice masters learned patience and self-discipline. Thus, they also became better monks.
Ælfric. "Aelfric's Colloquy: Translated from the Latin." Translated by Ann E. Watkins, Kent Archaeological Society, www.kentarchaeology.ac/authors/016.pdf.
Bata, Ælfric. Anglo-Saxon Conversations: The Colloquies of Ælfric Bata. Edited by Scott Gwara. Translated by David W. Porter, The Boydell Press, 1997.
Lanfranc. The Monastic Constitutions of Lanfranc. Translated by David Knowles, Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1951.
Saint Benedict. Blair, D. Oswald Hunter, translator. The Rule of Saint Benedict, With Explanatory Notes. Ichthus Publications.
Secondary Sources:
"Ælfric's Colloquy." British Library, www.bl.uk/collection-items/aelfrics-colloquy.
Boswell, John. The Kindness of Strangers: The Abandonment of Children in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
McComb, Maximilian Peter. "STRATEGIES OF CORRECTION: CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE 742-900." Cornell University, 2018. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/59342/McComb_cornellgrad_0058F_10761.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Quinn, P. A. (1989). Better Than The Sons of Kings: Boys and Monks in the Early Middle Ages (Vol. 2, Studies in History and Culture). New York: Peter Lang Publishing,.
Ristuccia, Nathan J. "Ideology and Corporal Punishment in Anglo-Saxon Monastic Education." American Benedictine Review 61:4 (2010). https://www.academia.edu/4129411/Ideology_and_Corporal_Punishment_in_Anglo_Saxon_Monastic_Education
The Rule Of Saint Benedict, The Prologue and Chapters 1-5 | The Mediaeval Monk Podcast Ep. 4
November 18, 2021 / Viktor Athelstan	/ Leave a comment
Here is the YouTube link for episode 4 of my podcast, The Mediaeval Monk Podcast! Below the video are links to The Mediaeval Monk Podcast's Spotify and Anchor pages.
The Mediaeval Monk Podcast on Spotify
The Mediaeval Monk Podcast on Anchor
Today at The Mediaeval Monk Podcast we are taking a look at The Rule of Saint Benedict! This text was widely used as a guideline to monastic life. I am reading the prologue as well as chapters 1 through 5.
https://archive.org/details/TheRuleOfStBenedict/mode/2up
What Did Medieval Monks Wear? | The Mediaeval Monk Podcast Ep. 3
November 11, 2021 December 21, 2021 / Viktor Athelstan	/ Leave a comment
Here is the YouTube link for episode 3 of my podcast, The Mediaeval Monk! Below the video are links to The Mediaeval Monk's Spotify and Anchor pages.
The Mediaeval Monk on Spotify
The Mediaeval Monk on Anchor
In today's episode, I discuss the medieval monastic wardrobe. I wrote several blog posts about this topic, so I wanted to discuss it again for everyone who likes listening to podcasts. Links to my articles are below. Each article cites the sources I used.
What Did Medieval Monks Wear?
Medieval Monastic Clothing Part 1: What Did Medieval Monks Wear?
Medieval Monastic Clothing Part 2: The Habit's Symbolism
Medieval Ghost Stories: The Ghost Stories of Byland Abbey Part 4
October 31, 2021 / Viktor Athelstan	/ Leave a comment
It's still October, so it's time for some more spooky medieval ghost stories! Today I will cover stories four and five of the Byland Abbey ghost stories. Each story is pretty short. Story four is only a paragraph long and story five consists of two sentences. Unlike the previous ghost stories, stories four and five do not include anyone conjuring a ghost.
Bas-de-page scene of the Three Dead, of three skeletal cadavers, two partially wrapped in shrouds, with a caption reading, 'Y was wel fair. Scuch ssaltou be. For godes love be war be me'. | Yates Thompson MS 13 f.180r | Source: The British Library
Story Four
A long time ago, a man named James Tankerlay died. Despite being the rector at Kirby, James Tankerlay was buried in front of Byland Abbey's chapter house. He must have missed his old parish because James had a tendency to make frequent nightly visits. During one of these visits, James visited his old mistress…and blinded her by blowing out one of her eyes!
After this incident, Byland Abbey's abbot and monastic community decided that something had to be done. Their solution was to dig up James Tankerlay's body and coffin and hire a man named Roger Wayneman to chuck it into the nearby Lake Gormyre. (Or Gormire depending on the translation.) As Roger did this, his cart's oxen became so frightened they almost drowned.
Story four ends with the monkish author claiming he's only writing down what he was told and he hopes that God isn't mad at him for telling the story. He also asks for God's mercy and salvation.
Unlike some of the previous ghost stories, this tale seems to be rather old. Or at the very least, it was a story that has been passed down through several generations. The anonymous author claims to have heard this story from some old men. It's possible the Byland Abbey monk's sources either heard this story in their youth from someone older or it happened when they were young.
Another notable difference is the destruction of James Tankerlay's body. Instead of the Christian solution of conjuration and prayers, the abbot's choice to destroy the body is quite pagan. In early medieval ghost stories and Icelandic sagas, revenants' bodies are often destroyed so they can no longer terrorize the local population. This solution supports the theory the story's origin is much older than the previous ones.
Similar to the previous stories, this one both explicitly gives names and hides them. The ghost and the person who threw the coffin into the lake are named, but the abbot who ordered it to be done is not. This would imply that even if the author does not approve of the abbot's decision to destroy James Tankerlay's body, he still wants to protect the reputation of the clergyman who ordered it to be done.
Finally, I find the author's anxiety around even repeating this story particularly interesting. He clearly did not approve of the less than Christian solution of digging up and throwing a body into a lake to get rid of it! However, while his anxiety made him ask for God's mercy for writing the text, he clearly did not consider it too blasphemous to include. I can't help but wonder if the author included the story as a morality lesson, especially one for priestly concubines. Learning that your lover will blind you as a ghost would certainly be one way to deter women (and some men!) from hooking up with clergymen.
Story Five
As this ghost story is only two sentences long, I will quote A.J. Grant's translation in its entirety:
"What I write is a great marvel. It is said that a certain woman laid hold of a ghost and carried him on her back into a certain house in presence of some men, one of whom reported that he saw the hands of the woman sink deeply into the flesh of the ghost as though the flesh were rotten and not solid but phantom flesh." (Grant, pg. 371)
This story is rather vague. There are no named characters and where exactly it takes place is not stated. There isn't really even an ending. The author doesn't tell us what happened after the woman carried the ghost into the house or why she did so. We also aren't told if the ghost wanted to be absolved of their sins.
The way this medieval ghost story is written reminds me of how events were documented for certain chronicles. In that, the author wrote down the most basic information so the audience gets a general idea of what happened.
Web Sources:
A.J. Grant, 'Twelve Medieval Ghost Stories', The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 27 (1924), pp. 363-79. https://archive.org/details/YAJ0271924/page/362/mode/2up
http://www.anselm-classics.com/byland/about.html
Hildebrandt, Maik. "Medieval Ghosts: The Stories of the Monk of Byland." Ghosts – or the (Nearly) Invisible: Spectral Phenomena in Literature and the Media, edited by Maria Fleischhack and Elmar Schenkel, Peter Lang AG, 2016, pp. 13–24, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2t4d7f.5.
Medieval Demon Vision Stories The Dialogue on Miracles | The Mediaeval Monk Ep. 2
Here is the YouTube link and audio file for episode 2 of my podcast, The Mediaeval Monk! Figuring out Spotify and iTunes has been slightly difficult, so I am posting things here until I get all that sorted out. Enjoy!
Today we return to the Dialogue on Miracles. This time I share some stories about clergymen seeing demons.
Source: Caesarius of Heisterbach's The Dialogue on Miracles
https://archive.org/details/caesariusthedialogueonmiraclesvol.1/mode/2up
Medieval Demon Summoning Stories The Dialogue on Miracles | The Mediaeval Monk Podcast Ep. 1
October 28, 2021 October 28, 2021 / Viktor Athelstan	/ Leave a comment
Fun fact! I started a podcast. Here is a link to the YouTube video as well as the audio file itself.
Join me for the very first The Mediaeval Monk episode. Today I share some medieval demon summoning stories just in time for Halloween! Today's stories focus on secular folk summoning demons and the consequences of stepping outside of a protective circle…
Source: Caesarius of Heisterbach's The Dialogue on Miracles https://archive.org/details/caesarius…
Once again we return to the Byland Abbey Ghost Stories! Today's medieval ghost story is much shorter than our previous one. Medieval ghost story number three is only three paragraphs long. This ghost story also features a spirit looking for absolution before they can go to Heaven.
Two skull headed grotesques | Add MS 36684 f.87v | Source: The British Library
Story Three
Our ghost is known as Robert the son of Robert of Boltby of Kilburn. Now, the vast majority of corpses and dead folk stay nice and tight in their graves and do not bother anyone. However, Robert Jr. was not like most dead people!
Instead Robert Jr. had a tendency to get out of his grave, wander around, and scare people. The local dogs did not appreciate a ghost in their midst. They would follow him around on his nightly adventures and bark up a storm. The local young men did not appreciate a ghost in their village either. They decided they were going to capture Robert Jr. and put him to rest permanently.
However, the youths talked a big talk with absolutely no substance behind it. Once they saw Robert Jr.'s face they ran away!
Well, except two.
Robert Foxton and another (unnamed) youth stayed behind to handle Robert Jr. Robert Foxton grabbed Robert Jr. before he could leave the cemetery and forced him onto the steps of the nearby church. The unnamed youth told Robert Foxton to hold Robert Jr. until he could help him. (The anonymous Byland Abbey monk assures us that the youth said this is a manly way, not in a cowardly way. He was being brave and not running for his life!)
Robert Foxton had other plans. He told the youth to get the priest as fast as he could while he held Robert Jr. down. The youth did as he was told. The priest, of course, rushed to Robert Foxton and the ghost once he heard the news.
The priest conjured Robert Jr. in the name of Jesus Christ and the Trinity until the extremely restless spirit could tell them what he needed. Like the ghosts in the previous stories, Robert Jr. needed to be absolved of his sins. (He also spoke from his guts instead of his tongue like the other ghosts.) The priest gladly listened to Robert Jr. and did just that. Finally, Robert Jr. was able to rest in peace.
However, before our monkish author ends this tale, he throws in a bit of gossip. Apparently before Robert Jr. was absolved, he would stand at the villagers' doors and windows. It seemed like he eavesdropped on the houses' inhabitants. The author speculates that Robert Jr. was just trying to find someone who would conjure him so he could go to Heaven. The locals on the other hand theorized Robert Jr. helped murder someone as well do other evil deeds (the author does not specify exactly what they were). Clearly not everyone had a positive opinion of Robert Jr.
In this story, our ghost is a physical being instead of a spiritual one. This is evidenced by the fact Robert Foxton tackled Robert Jr. and held him down. While there were transparent, spiritual ghosts in medieval folklore, another common type of medieval ghost was the draugr/revenant.
Draugr was the term used for revenants in Scandinavian folklore. They are similar to zombies, in that they looked like rotting corpses and are physical beings. The Norse settled in Northern England in the early Middle Ages, so it's entirely possible this tale was influenced by Old Norse stories passed down over several generations.
Like the ghosts in stories one and two, Robert Jr. is looking for absolution for his past sins and will go out of his way to get it. However, unlike the other two ghosts, Robert Jr. seems to have had a bad enough reputation if the locals speculated his still living corpse was capable of planning murder and other evil deeds. The deeds must also have been pretty bad if the author did not want to name them!
In contrast to the previous stories, it is interesting that the author felt comfortable enough to actually distinguish the characters by name. The author must not have thought he would get in trouble for naming names. Assuming that this story features actual people who lived in the community, this implies one of several things:
The story took place sometime in the distant past and the ghost's family is also dead. (And won't be angry to hear some random monk is writing about their kin!)
The family was okay with people talking about their ghostly kin.
Or if the family was not okay with it, they might not have been powerful, thus the author was not particularly afraid of the consequences of telling the majority of the story.
Finally, I find it particularly interesting that Robert Jr. spoke from his belly instead of his mouth. A previous Byland Ghost did this too. Bowels and excrement were commonly associated with sin and demons. While I am not sure if this has any connection, it does remind me of later medieval depictions of Satan and his demons. Demons in their demonic forms (verses human forms they sometimes took to lure hapless humans into sin) were often drawn with faces on their bellies, groins, and knees.
Personally, makes sense to me if the author intentionally connected the two ideas. Ghosts who are too sinful to go to Heaven are also too sinful to speak from their mouths, so they had no choice but to use their bowels to communicate.
Caciola, Nancy. Discerning Spirits : Divine and Demonic Possession in the Middle Ages, Cornell University Press, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Elliott, Dyan. Fallen Bodies : Pollution, Sexuality, and Demonology in the Middle Ages, University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1998. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Hildebrandt, Maik. "Medieval Ghosts: the Stories of the Monk of Byland." Ghosts – or the (Nearly) Invisible: Spectral Phenomena in Literature and the Media, edited by Maria Fleischhack and Elmar Schenkel, Peter Lang AG, Frankfurt Am Main, 2016, pp. 13–24. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2t4d7f.5. Accessed 13 Oct. 2021.
Medieval Ghosts Part 2: The Revenant/Draugr
As of the time I'm writing this, it's still October, so there is still time to celebrate spooky season! This month I am sharing some medieval ghost stories written by an anonymous Byland Abbey monk. In my last post I discussed the first Byland Abbey ghost story. It is a short tale about a ghost, a man, and some beans.
Today's Byland Abbey ghost story is the longest out of the twelve tales. Despite being longer and having different characters from the first medieval ghost story, there are several tropes that reoccur in both stories:
A shape shifting ghost
The living character asking God for protection
The ghost requesting the living to help them get out of purgatory
A water hating/fearing ghost
These tropes are pretty common in medieval ghost stories.
A demon grabbing a soul coming out of a corpse as it tries to fly to several angels (not shown) | Yates Thompson MS 3 f.201v | Source: The British Library
This ghost story took place during the reign of King Richard II of England. The written text itself dates to around 1400 AD. Richard II died in February 1400, so it is safe to assume the events of the story occurred shortly before the author wrote it down. The recentness of the event is probably why the author went out of his way to not name the ghost. Excommunication from the church was a big deal, so this was probably still fresh in the ghost's family's minds. Stating that a person's loved one suffered as a ghost is insensitive at best and flat out slanderous at worst. Defamation lawsuits were a common enough occurrence in the Middle Ages, so I understand why the author was extremely vague about who exactly the ghost was.
Story Two
Our main character is a tailor named Snowball. One night Snowball traveled from Gilling East to his home in Ampleforth. It was a normal enough night until Snowball heard several ducks washing themselves in a stream. I don't know too much about ducks, but I assume they usually leave washing themselves to the daytime!
To add to the weirdness, a raven suddenly flew around Snowball's head before flying into the ground. The raven looked dead so Snowball got off his horse and went to pick it up. (Depending on the translation Snowball either picked the raven up or was about to.) Then sparks burst out of the raven's sides!
Needless to say, the sparking raven frightened Snowball. He crossed himself and prayed to God that the raven wouldn't hurt him. The raven did not seem to like this as it flew off cawing. Snowball mounted his horse to return home. He didn't get far before the raven flew into him again. Unfortunately for Snowball, this time the raven knocked him clean off his horse!
Snowball lay on the ground for a bit in a terrified swoon. Eventually he regained some bravery and tried fighting the raven with his sword. This did not work. Snowball asked in God's name that the raven wouldn't hurt him and if it wanted to, God would make it leave. The raven flew away wailing…before returning in the shape of a chained dog. Snowball was so scared he used the hilt of his sword as a cross to ward off any evil.
Because the spirit kept coming back, Snowball decided it was time to conjure it through the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to see exactly what it wanted. (In the Byland Abbey ghost stories helping the ghost is the best way to get rid of them.) Conjuring a ghost included asking it its name, why it was being punished in the afterlife, and what exactly Snowball needed to do to make the ghost go away. Luckily for Snowball, this worked.
The ghost told Snowball his name (which the author did not provide), he was excommunicated, a specific priest (once again nameless) needed to absolve him, and that one hundred and eighty masses had to be said for him. The ghost gave Snowball an ultimatum: get the desired answers from the priest or the ghost would make Snowball's flesh quite literally rot off his still living body. (Also apparently the only reason the spirit could appear to him was because Snowball did not go to mass that day or receive the Eucharist.)
In case a sparking raven isn't terrifying enough, the text describes the now conjured ghost as being on fire and he spoke through his guts instead of his mouth. Also Snowball could see the ghost's insides through his mouth.
Snowball asked to bring a friend along when he returned. The ghost said no. However, Snowball was to bring the names of the four gospels and Jesus for protection because two other spirits lived in the area that were not as nice as him. These other ghosts took the form of a burning bush and a hunter so Snowball should avoid those things if he sees them. The ghost also requested that Snowball not tell anyone about this encounter besides the priests he has to ask about the absolution and masses.
Snowball promised he would and attempted to send the ghost to the stream, Hodge Beck. The ghost screamed at him not to do this so Snowball conjured the ghost to Brink Hill (or Byland Bank depending on the translation). The ghost found this agreeable and happily left.
Unfortunately for all involved, Snowball fell ill for a few days after this encounter. Once he recovered, Snowball went to York. In York, he visited the priest who excommunicated the ghost and asked about an absolution. The priest immediately said no. However, the priest promptly asked three other priests about what he should do. Snowball ended up having to bribe the original priest with five shillings to get the written absolution.
As a side note, five shillings was A LOT of money in the late fourteenth century, especially for a tailor like Snowball. The Byland Abbey Ghost Stories Project estimates that Snowball would have had to work several weeks to earn five shillings.
As bribery is most certainly frowned upon, Snowball asked a clergyman named Richard of Pickering whether or not this absolution counted in the eyes of God and the law. Richard of Pickering gave Snowball the okay. Snowball proceeded to visit every monastic order in York to ask for the one hundred and eighty masses. The monks agreed to say them over the course of the next two to three days. Then Snowball buried the absolution at the ghost's grave.
On his way to Brink Hill/Byland Bank to meet up with the ghost, Snowball's neighbor confronted him about the rumor Snowball knew a ghost. The neighbor demanded Snowball tell him when and where he was supposed to meet the ghost. Snowball was afraid of displeasing God so he told him he was going right then and there and did the neighbor want to come along? The neighbor politely declined the invitation.
When Snowball arrived at the meeting place he drew a protective circle on the ground with a crucifix. Eventually the ghost appeared in the form of a she goat. The she-goat made some goat noises as it walked around the circle three times. It fell to the ground and then got up in the form of a tall thin man.
The author specifically says the ghost looks like one of the dead kings. This is presumably a reference to the popular medieval ghost story "The Three Living and The Three Dead."
After the ghost made sure Snowball did everything he was supposed to, he explained after he was conjured to the time the absolution was buried three demons tormented him nonstop. However, now that he was absolved, the ghost and thirty other spirits would go to Heaven on Monday. (Or on the nearest moon depending on the translation.) The ghost told Snowball how to cure the wounds he gave him as a raven. (He had to wash himself with a piece of sandstone under a big rock in the river.)
Curious, Snowball asked about the two dangerous ghosts. The ghost refused to tell him their names, but he did elaborate on their backstory. The first ghost was a soldier who killed a heavily pregnant woman. This ghost was cursed to stay in the form of a calf with no eyes, ears, or mouth until Judgment Day. Even if Snowball conjured him, he would not be able to speak.
The second ghost was a religious man. He took the form of a hunter with a horn. Because he was devout while alive, he will be able to go to Heaven once a specific boy in the area grew up and conjured him.
Before leaving, Snowball asked there was anything he should do so he wouldn't be cursed to become a ghost. There was. Snowball had to return the clothes he borrowed from his old war buddy. Snowball didn't know where the man now lived, so the ghost told him he lived near Alnwick Castle. (According to Google maps Alnwick Castle is approximately one hundred miles away from Ampleforth, the town Snowball lived.)
Snowball then inquired about his greatest crime. The ghost told him it was the fact people were spreading rumors about which ghost Snowball met, thus accidentally slandering the good names of other dead people. Snowball asked if he should tell people the ghost's name. The ghost said no.
Then the ghost told Snowball if he goes to live in one place he will be rich and in another he will be poor and have enemies. The text does not specify the place names. He also said not to look at any wood fires for the rest of the day before telling Snowball he couldn't stand around chatting anymore and disappeared.
As Snowball walked back to Ampleforth, the ghost calf followed him. No matter how many times Snowball conjured him, the calf did not talk.
Finally, when Snowball returned home he was sick for several days.
https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2020/10/byland-abbey-ghost-stories.html
Gender, Crime, and Punishment in the Middle Ages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_II_of_England
October 8, 2021 October 17, 2021 / Viktor Athelstan	/ 1 Comment
It's October! To celebrate spooky season, I am sharing some medieval ghost stories. There are a lot of medieval ghost stories out there, so today's source comes from Byland Abbey. Byland Abbey was a medieval monastery in Yorkshire England. Today all that remains of it are ruins.
Luckily for people who like historical ghost stories, there was a fifteenth century monk who was just as interested in the genre as we are today. The anonymous monk wrote the ghostly tales down in the back pages of a twelfth century manuscript. The manuscript can now be found at the British Library under the number Royal 15 A XX.
Each of the ghost stories is relatively short. However because there are twelve stories in all, I will cover them either individually or I will combine them. Some of the stories are longer than others. (Story two is several pages long!) My goal is to cover all of them before the end of October.
A living man and a skeleton | Add MS 37049 f.83r | Source: The British Library
The ghost stories were originally written in Latin. The Byland Abbey ghost stories take place in Yorkshire. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, these stories offer a good insight into how the average person went about their day in the early fifteenth century, including their thoughts, concerns, jobs, and even their names. Some characters are named and others are not. It's possible the author left out the names because he either didn't know them or he wanted to keep the people involved anonymous. Either way, his stories are fantastic glimpses into the medieval period!
Story One
In this tale a living man is transporting a peck of beans. The story does not specify where exactly he's carrying them, but I assume the man is taking them home or maybe to the market. Unfortunately for the man, his horse breaks its leg (or shin bone depending on the translation) so the man has to carry the beans himself.
As the man walked along he suddenly came across another horse in the middle of the road. However, this horse was not an ordinary horse. It stood on its hind legs with its front hooves extended out in front of it. I don't know much about horses, but I don't think they normally hang out in the middle of roads standing like humans! The man must have thought so too because in his terror he invoked the name of Jesus Christ and commanded the horse not to hurt him.
The horse transformed into a hay bale. However, it was no ordinary hay bale because there was a light in the middle of it. The man became even MORE terrified and invoked God to keep him from harm.
Finally the specter transformed once more. On the third time it transformed into a man. The ghost told the man his name, the reason he was wandering the roads (which the author does not specify), the remedy (again, the author does not specify, but I assume he wanted prayers for his soul), and offered to carry the man's peck of beans.
The living man said yes to the help. The ghost carried the beans until they reached a river. However, the ghost did not want to cross the river, so he gave the man the beans back and disappeared. The author adds that the living man did not see how exactly the ghost returned the beans. One moment the ghost was carrying them and the next the man was!
Afterwards, the man arranged for masses to be said for the ghost's soul. He also made sure the ghost was absolved of his sins. Apparently this helped the ghost.
Our first story is a good example of how medieval authors occasionally mixed contemporary ghost beliefs in a single tale. Medieval ghost stories often fell under two categories: religious and revenants. To summarize, religious ghosts warned the living about the dangers of Purgatory and begged for prayers to help their souls get to heaven. Revenants caused chaos. The anonymous Byland monk documented both elements in this story. (The ghost scared the living man but he also wanted the man to help his soul.)
I also find it interesting that the ghost was unwilling (or unable!) to cross the river. Ghosts are figures that are stuck between the living world and the dead. Ghosts that are in Purgatory are stuck between Heaven and Hell. It makes sense that a figure stuck in an in between place can't cross a definite barrier like a river. The accompanying essay to the English translation by the Byland Abbey Ghost Stories Project suggests that the river symbolizes purity. Because the ghost's soul is in Purgatory (and thus not pure) he cannot cross it.
The fact that the man was carrying beans is significant too. In Ancient Greece, Pythagoreans believed beans carried the dead's souls. Beans were also eaten on All Saint's Day, which is the day after Halloween. Autumn was a time where people believed the living world and the afterlife were the closest, relating back to the ghost being in an in between space.
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=7506&CollID=16&NStart=150120&_ga=2.81707223.1186522736.1604110416-1285795828.1604018927
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/byland-abbey/
Hildebrandt, Maik. "Medieval Ghosts: the Stories of the Monk of Byland." Ghosts – or the (Nearly) Invisible: Spectral Phenomena in Literature and the Media, edited by Maria Fleischhack and Elmar Schenkel, Peter Lang AG, Frankfurt Am Main, 2016, pp. 13–24. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2t4d7f.5. Accessed 8 Oct. 2021.
Medieval Ghosts Part 1: The Religious Ghost
Medieval Medicine: The Four Humors Part 1, The Basics
October 4, 2021 / Viktor Athelstan	/ Leave a comment
While certain aspects of medieval medicine are surprisingly scientifically accurate, one of the main medical theories of the European middle ages most certainly is not. This medical theory is called humorism or humoral theory. Humoral theory is the theory that the human body is made up of and controlled by the four bodily fluids known as the humors. The four humors were believed to control a person's health, the way their body looked, and even their personality/temperament. The four humors are:
Black Bile
Yellow Bile
Humorism originated in Ancient Greece. Classical figures such as Hippocrates and Galen wrote down their own humoral theories and their texts were the foundation for medieval humorism. Galen's theory not only consisted of the four humors making up the human body but that each of the humors had a corresponding element that made up the humor:
Blood/Air
Phlegm/Water
Black Bile/Earth
Yellow Bile/Fire
Each of the four humors was also associated with a certain degree of wetness and heat:
Blood was hot and wet.
Phlegm was cold and wet.
Black bile was cold and dry.
Yellow bile was hot and dry.
Fire is hot and dry so yellow bile is hot and dry, water is cold and wet so phlegm is cold and wet, etc. Because dryness was considered the absence of moisture and coldness was considered the absence of heat, dryness and coldness were considered to be negative qualities because they lacked the positive traits heat and moisture. Medieval people even went as far as to consider these negative qualities as harmful or even outright evil. Black bile, whose traits are cold and dry, was considered to be deadly if humans had too much of it.
The four humors were not only important in medieval European medicine. The 9th century Middle Persian text, Wizīdagīhā ī Zādspram, documented a medieval Iranian medical theory about the four humors. In the Wizīdagīhā ī Zādspram the humors have the same wet and dry properties found in ancient Greek and medieval European texts. However, there are two main differences in this text. One difference is that yellow bile is called red bile and each humor has properties associated with taste and color:
Blood is red and sweet.
Phlegm is white and salty.
Black bile is black and sour.
Red bile is red and bitter.
In medieval Europe, the four humors also corresponded to a body organ:
Blood was associated with the head or liver (depending on the source).
Phlegm was associated with the brain and lungs.
Black bile was associated with the gall bladder.
Yellow bile was associated with the spleen.
Medieval humoral theory believed that all four humors were combined to make semen. I understand where the logic for this came from. Because humors made up the human body, it's no wonder people thought the source of new humans came from all the other humors!
Print Sources:
Green, Monica Helen. The Trotula: An English Translation of the Medieval Compendium of Women's Medicine. PENN, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002.
Mount, Toni. Medieval Medicine: Its Mysteries and Science. Amberley, 2016.
Pollington, Stephen. Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing. Anglo-Saxon Books, 2008.
Pouchelle, Marie-Christine. The Body and Surgery in the Middle Ages. Rutgers University Press, 1990.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyscng8/revision/1
https://www.britannica.com/science/humor-ancient-physiology
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/health-in-persia-i
https://www.medicinenet.com/humorism/definition.htm
https://public.wsu.edu/~hanly/chaucer/coursematerials/humours.html
http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/articles/misconceptions-about-medieval-medicine-humors-leeches-charms-and-prayers/
Google Books Sources:
Lewis-Anthony, Justin (2008). Circles of Thorns: Hieronymus Bosch and Being Human. Bloomsbury. p. 70. ISBN 9781906286217.https://books.google.com/books?id=7WD45AoYO0EC&q=adulthood#v=snippet&q=adulthood&f=false


text:
AQ Austria (1)
AQAS (1)
15/03/2017 - 14/03/2023 uploaded 18/12/2019
AQ Austria European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes
European University of Tirana, Fama College, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, St. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, University for Business and Technology, University of Ljubljana, University of Salzburg, University of Sarajevo, University of Tirana - EuroPS - Joint Master's Programme in Political Science - Integration and Governance (PoSIG) (second cycle)
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Slovenia, Austria, North Macedonia, Albania
Ahfad University for Women, Carl von Ossietzky the University of Oldenburg, Mbarara University of Science & Technology, University of Nova Gorica, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, University of Stavanger, University of the Witwatersrand - European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR) (second cycle)
Slovenia, Czech Republic, Germany, Uganda, South Africa, Norway, Sudan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This package includes 2 x 5.0ah Bosch Cool Pack Batteries and the AL1860 Fast Charger.
Bosch have now added the 5.0ah Coolpack battery to their 18v range of blue power tools. Fully compatible with existing power tools and chargers that charge the 4.0, 3.0ah Cool Pack batteries.
Featuring electronic coding for tools and chargers, high power contacts with silver coating, capacity indicator with 3 LEDs, red Cool Pack housing constructed of heat conductive material, in-built temperature sensor, large ergonomic release button for ease of use, robust housing and slide-in interface.
Efficient Bosch cooling technology in and around the battery prevents heat damage, gives up to 65 percent longer run-time and up to 100 percent longer lifetime. 5.0Ah Cool Pack cells have finer 'windings' than 3.0Ah allowing more power density in the same pack size with less electrical resistance, making it more efficient.
The Battery Premium Service is an extension of the scope of services (regarding validity period and content) of the existing 3 year warranty offer requiring registration of batteries with part and serial number and provision of sales receipt and registration certificate when batteries are sent in for service.
5.0 Ah Coolpacks have finer cell 'windings' than 3.0 Ah, allowing more power density (more 'fuel' (Ah) in same pack size) and less electrical resistance / greater 'fuel efficiency' (run-time per Ah).


 Log In needed Guitar Lessons, West Island - Beginners to Advanced Levels!
- Learn to play the guitar with confidence and a great sense of rhythm (ROCK, BLUES, FOLK, ACOUSTIC and various other genres!).
- Learn strumming/picking patterns and licks/riffs used by well-known players and singer-songwriters.
- From recordings, learn ear playing skills to meticulously analyze and then recognize chord shapes, scales used, string bends, and various common techniques.
- Memorize complete forms of songs, studying the guitar parts within, from recordings and sheet music.
- Lessons on FINGERSTYLE, LEAD, RHYTHM and IMPROVISATION techniques in a variety of genres.
- Learn to read guitar music from manuscript, tablature and chord charts with well-planned guidance and direction.
- Learn the necessities concerning instrument care, string changing and maintenance.
- Beginners to advanced students, all ages welcome!
- Quality instruction, offered with a total dedication to the needs of the student.
- Learn to apply warm-up and technique ideas to the needs of your playing style.
- Learn to play with a great tone - plucking hand approach covered in great detail!
- RCM exam preparation, all grades (optional).
- Apprenez à jouer de la guitare de nombreuses périodes historiques.
- Tous les âges et les débutants sont les bienvenus.
- Form and analysis of studied works.
Along with regular practice, progress depends on a healthy mixture of gradual and steep technical and musical challenges, be them in a beginner study/exercise, a folk song, a burning solo or a Baroque Period piece. Learn to break things down to minimum detail, for the purpose of improving ideas such as basic single-note finger placement, beginner/advanced chord changes, specific areas of a song, rhythm, coordination and various other concepts which we all need to constantly work at in order for them to have happen more naturally. I enjoy zeroing in on what really needs to be worked on the most - very particular to each individual, which with practice and focus, helps students experience constant progress in many areas of their playing!


text:
10 WWE Superstars from the 2002 roster and how they look 20 years later
Former WWE Superstar Terri in 2002 (left) and 2022 (right)
Several WWE Superstars from the 2002 roster look very different today.
2002 was a historic year in Vince McMahon's company. In May of that year, the company changed its name from WWF to WWE. A few weeks later, McMahon also announced the start of the Ruthless Aggression era.
WWE had many big superstars on its roster in 2002, including The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, and The Rock. A few young promising talents also made their debut that year, including John Cena, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar.
While some of the superstars from the 2002 roster look only a little different today, others are now almost unrecognizable.
Here are 10 WWE Superstars from the 2002 roster and how they look 20 years later.
#10. Debra
Debra spent four years in Vince McMahon's company
After spending two years in WCW, Debra joined Vince McMahon's company in 1998. The 62-year-old then spent nearly four years in WWE, during which she won the Women's Championship once.
Although Debra didn't compete inside the squared circle in 2002, she appeared in some backstage segments. The former Women's Champion then left the company in June 2002.
Debra was 42 when she left WWE. Although she is now 20 years older, the former Women's Champion still looks good.
#9. John Bradshaw Layfield
John Bradshaw Layfield looks much different today
In 1992, John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) kicked off his professional wrestling career. He competed for about three years before joining WWE in 1995.
JBL was part of the APA tag team alongside Ron Simmons (FKA Farooq) for several years. However, the two wrestlers split in 2002 due to the brand extension. While Simmons joined the SmackDown roster, JBL went to Monday Night RAW.
The 55-year-old later had a successful run as a singles competitor, during which he won several titles, including the WWE Championship.
In 2002, JBL (FKA Bradshaw) had long black hair and a goatee. He looks much different 20 years later. The former WWE Champion is still currently contracted to Vince McMahon's company. Although he retired from in-ring competition in 2009, he now works as a pre-show panelist.
#8. Terri Runnels
Terri Runnels competed in a few matches in 2002
After spending a few years in WCW, Terri Runnels debuted in Vince McMahon's company in 1996. Over the next few years, the 55-year-old played several roles and participated in different storylines in WWE.
In 2002, however, Runnels took a step back from in-ring competition, transitioning more into a backstage interviewer. Nevertheless, she still competed in a few matches against superstars like Trish Stratus, Victoria, and Molly Holly. She also held the Hardcore Title for a few seconds in May 2002.
In March 2004, Vince McMahon's company released Runnels from her contract. She has since retired from professional wrestling.
Runnels was 35 years old in 2002. Although she is now 20 years older, the former Hardcore Champion seems to have aged well.
#7. WWE EVP Triple H
Triple H recently retired from in-ring competition
In 1995, Triple H signed with WWE after a short run in WCW. He has since become one of the greatest superstars in the company's history.
In 2002, The Game was one of the top competitors on the WWE roster. In January, he won the Royal Rumble match. He then defeated Chris Jericho to capture the Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania X8. However, he lost the title to Hulk Hogan a month later.
In September 2002, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded Triple H the World Heavyweight Championship. The Game feuded with several superstars throughout the year, including his real-life best friend Shawn Michaels and his wife Stephanie McMahon.
In early 2002, Triple H had long hair and a beard. Later that year, he adopted a clean-shaven look. Today, The Game looks much different. He has shaved his head and grown his beard back.
The WWE Executive Vice President recently announced his retirement from in-ring competition.
#6. Dawn Marie
Dawn Marie has retired from professional wrestling
After competing for several years in different promotions, Dawn Marie signed with WWE in 2002.
The 51-year-old debuted in May of that same year as Vince McMahon's legal assistant on SmackDown. She then had a controversial rivalry with Torrie Wilson, which saw her get into an on-screen romantic relationship with Wilson's father, Al.
Dawn Marie spent three years in WWE. Vince McMahon's company then released her from her contract in July 2005.
Two decades after her WWE debut, Dawn Marie looks different today. She is no longer an in-ring competitor. The former wrestler retired nearly a decade ago and is now working as a nurse.
#5. Maven
Maven won the 2001 Tough Enough competition
After winning the inaugural season of Tough Enough, Maven signed with WWE in 2001. In October of that same year, he debuted on SmackDown and feuded with Tazz for a few months.
In January 2002, Maven had a long feud with The Undertaker, during which he eliminated The Deadman from the Royal Rumble Match and defeated him to capture the Hardcore Championship. In November, the 2001 Tough Enough winner moved from the Blue Brand to Monday Night RAW.
Maven spent three more years in Vince McMahon's company before getting released from his contract in July 2005. He then competed for two years on the independent circuit and IMPACT Wrestling (FKA Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) before stepping away from the ring in 2007.
The former Hardcore Champion made a brief return to the ring in 2015. However, he stepped away from action again in 2016. Last November, Maven returned to the squared circle again at an ISPW event. He also competed in a match last month at a GCW event.
Although Maven does not look as fit as he was 20 years ago, the 45-year-old still looks good. He now works in finance on Wall Street. Meanwhile, he appears at independent wrestling shows on the weekends.
#4. Jacqueline
Jacqueline is still in good shape in 2022
Before joining Vince McMahon's company in 1998, Jacqueline competed in a few other promotions, including Smoky Mountain Wrestling and WCW. The 58-year-old then had a six-year run in WWE, during which she won the Women's Championship twice and the Cruiserweight Title once.
Jacqueline played two different roles in WWE in 2002. While she continued performing inside the ring, the Texas native also refereed several matches. The former Women's Champion also had a few title shots throughout 2002. However, she failed to get the job done.
In June 2004, the company released Jacqueline from her contract. Over the next decade, she competed in several other promotions, including IMPACT Wrestling, before stepping away from in-ring competition in 2013. She made a one-off return to the WWE ring in 2018 when she participated in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble Match.
Although nearly two decades have passed since she competed regularly in WWE, Jacqueline is still in great shape.
#3. Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels is now a writer and producer on NXT
After retiring nearly four years earlier due to injury, Shawn Michaels made his long-awaited in-ring return in August 2002. The Heartbreak Kid feuded with his real-life best friend and former D-Generation X partner Triple H for several weeks before the two squared off in an Unsanctioned Street Fight at SummerSlam.
Michaels defeated The Game at SummerSlam in August. In November, he won an Elimination Chamber Match at Survivor Series to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Later that same year, he defended his title against Rob Van Dam on Monday Night RAW before losing it to Triple H in a Three Stages Of Hell Match at Armageddon.
The Heartbreak Kid's second run lasted until 2010 when he retired again from in-ring competition. He is currently a writer and producer on NXT.
Michaels' appearance has changed a lot since 2002. The Heartbreak Kid no longer has his signature long hair. He has also grown his beard out.
#2. Jazz
Jazz in 2002 (left) and Jazz with Trish Stratus and Lita in 2022 (right)
After a brief run in ECW, Jazz joined Vince McMahon's company in 2001. In February of the following year, she captured her first Women's Championship when she defeated Trish Stratus on Monday Night RAW.
Jazz continued to perform in the company for two more years, during which time she won another Women's Title. The company then released her from her contract in November 2004. She made a brief return in 2006. However, WWE let her go again in January 2007.
Following her departure, the former Women's Champion competed in several other promotions, including AEW and IMPACT Wrestling. Nearly a year ago, she retired from in-ring action.
Over the past 20 years, Jazz has changed her appearance. The most significant change she made was shaving her head. She now looks much different than when she won her first Women's Title in 2002.
#1. The Rock
The Rock is in the best shape of his life
Two decades ago, The Rock was one of the top superstars on the roster. Hence, he was targeted by the NWO when they debuted in Vince McMahon's company in February 2002. Nearly a month later, The Great One went head-to-head against NWO's Hollywood Hulk Hogan in an Icon vs. Icon Match at WrestleMania X8.
After defeating Hogan, The Rock took some time off from in-ring action. He returned later that year to win the Undisputed Championship at Vengeance. Nevertheless, he dropped the title to Brock Lesnar a month later at SummerSlam. The Great One then went on another hiatus to kickstart his acting career.
The Rock returned to action in January 2003. However, he left for good in 2004 to pursue a career in Hollywood. He has since made several sporadic appearances and competed in a few matches.
The Rock's appearance has changed since he faced Hogan at WrestleMania. He is now probably in the best shape of his life. The 50-year-old also shaved his head.
The Great One is now a mega Hollywood star and one of the highest-paid actors in the world.
Suggested: You won't be able to guess these Wrestlers' age!
Check out exclusive footage of a fight that broke out at the WWE Royal Rumble press conference here
WWE SmackDown The Rock Triple H History of WWE WWE Universal Championship WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
Edited by Jacob Terrell


text:
JEMIMAH PAINE
Singing tuition
Jemimah Paine is a classically-trained singer/songwriter, singing teacher, vocalist and worship leader in London. Her music is innovative and creative, covering a wide range of genres including neo-soul, jazz, contemporary and pop. It seeks to inspire courageous joy and freedom through deep-reaching lyrics that are sure to have you singing along.
Jemimah recently received the award for 'Best Pop Artist 2022' with the TMMP awards.
Listen to her latest release 'FRIEND' on Spotify or iTunes!
SUPPORT FUTURE MUSIC PROJECTS
Over the last year or so, I have been working on my brand new EP and will be releasing fresh and vibrant music in the next few months. If you would like to support me in my music creation and future projects please head to the links below.
© 2023 Jemimah Paine Music


text:
Olympia All Destinations
Explore Olympia
Olympia Tours
All Olympia Tours
Things to do in Olympia
Things to do in Greece
Things to do in Peloponnese
Top Olympia Art & Culture
You are viewing Virtual Experiences in Olympia. See more Virtual Experiences around the globe. 🌎
30 Olympia Art & Culture | All Olympia Tours
Katakolon Shore Excursion: Private Tour of Ancient Olympia and Archeological Site
Make the most of your time in Katakolon port with this private, half-day shore excursion to Olympia. The sanctuary of Ancient Greece and the site of the classical Olympic Games, Olympia is one of Greece's most important archaeological sites. With your own personal guide, you'll check off highlights such as the Temple of Zeus, the Bouleuterion and, of course, the original Olympic stadium. You'll also have ample free time to explore modern Olympia or visit the Museum of the Olympic Games.
Katakolon Shore Excursion: Private Tour of Ancient Olympia, Archeological Site and Archeological Museum
When you're in port in Katakolon, visit Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, on this private shore excursion. With a private guide, travel to this famous archaeological site and explore the ruined ancient stadium, athletes' training areas, and other monuments associated with the games, first held in 776 BC, as well as relics such as the Temple of Zeus. Hear about the games' history; visit the Archaeological Museum to see the statues and artifacts excavated here; and enjoy free time in modern Olympia before your return to Katakolon.
Olympia Treasures and History Tour - Shore Excursion from Katakolon (Olympia)
Discover the ruins of ancient Olympia, dedicated to Zeus, at the south-western foot of Mount Kronios - a definite 'must see' historical site when visiting the port of Katakolon. Our Olympia Treasures and History Tour departs by air-conditioned transportation from the port side. This tour includes a professional English-speaking tour guide. The visitors will have the chance to admire the Gymnasium, the Palaistra, the temple of Zeus, the temple of Hera, Hera's altar and finally the ancient stadium of Olympia from the outside. The tour guide will give a detailed tour about the history and mythology of the ancient Olympic Games. The tour guide also shows pictures of what all the monuments used to look like. This way they will get as much as possible.
Olympia Walking Tour with Virtual Reality Glasses
The Virtual Reality glasses make you feel like you are really in Ancient Olympia. Small and interesting stories will be activated automaticaly when you approach every monument. You visit any monument at your own pace. A map with your current location in the Arch. Site activates when you look down (it helps a lot to see where you are and where is avery monument) This is perfect also for families. Kids love the experience and it is a great way to learn about Ancient Olympia.
Private Tour:Olympia Museum & Archaeological Site from Katakolon Port
Experience the birthplace of the Olympics on this half-day private excursion. After a convenient port pickup, cruise through the Peloponnesian countryside and admire vineyards, olive groves, and the region's gorgeous coastline. Learn about the ancient Olympic archaeological site from an informative guide as you explore the Temples of Zeus and Hera, the Gymnasium, Stadium, and Archaeological Museum of Olympia.
Private Tour: Olympia and Pyrgos Town from Katakolon Port
Maximize your limited time on dry land with a private 4-hour tour of the Peloponnese Coast. Private transportation picks you up from the Port of Katakolon at your chosen time. Travel comfortably along the scenic coast to Olympia, where you enjoy a guided visit and free time to explore. Stop at the nearby archeology museum, then take a tour of the 17th-century city of Pyrgos. Return to the port with time to spare before you disembark.
Private local tour of the archaeological site and museum of Olympia
Once in Olympia, the highlights to visit are the Archeological Museum also called the New Museum and the Archeological site. In the archeological site, among several other remains of important buildings, you will see the gymnasium and the palaestra, the round Philipeion, the workshop of Phidias where the gold and ivory statue of Zeus was built, the temples of Zeus and Hera, the altar where the Olympic torch is being lit in the modern days and the ancient Olympic stadium. In the archeological museum are housed all finds that were excavated from the archeological site. Bronze and clay offerings (tripods and figurines), armor, vases, the tools and cup from Phidias's workshop, the gorgeous Hermes by Praxiteles, the Nike by Paeonios and the very impressive and very well preserved classical statues from the pediments of the temple of Zeus etc.
Katakolon and Olympia Shore Excursion (4 seated car)
Explore Katakolon and Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and skip the long queues on this privately-guided excursion. Take in the stunning Grecian coastline, and walk roads once frequented by classical-era athletes and statesmen. Choose between a trip to a local honey producer - topped off by delicious pancakes with homemade honey - or take a guided tour of an olive farm followed by a cooling beach swim.
Magnificent Argolis, Glorious Sparta & Significant Olympia in 3 days
Spend 3 days at the most historically significant places of the mainland Greece. Feel the excitement of walking through the place where the Olympics were "born" or where the Spartan strict but brave culture flourished!
Visit Corinth,Mycenae, romantic Nafplio & unique Olympia in 2 days
Visit the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Olympia and feel part of the history! Nafplio is a picturesque town where you can stroll around the colorfoul narrow streets and admire its beauty! Corinth and Myceane display great history and wealth!
Private Olympia tour (4.5 hours)
Departing from the port with your private vehicle and driver you will travel through the rich countryside to Olympia, where you will embark a guided tour of the archaeological site and museum. In the archeological site, among several other remains of important buildings, you will see the gymnasium and the palaestra, the round Philipeion, the workshop of Phidias where the gold and ivory statue of Zeus was built, the temples of Zeus and Hera, the altar where the Olympic torch is being lit in the modern days and the ancient Olympic stadium. In the archeological museum are housed finds things were excavated from the archeological site. Bronze and clay offerings, armor, vases, the tools and cup of Phidias, the gorgeous Hermes by Praxiteles, the Nike by Paeonios and the very impressive classical statues from the pediments of the temple of Zeus etc. After all that you can have a short break in the modern town of Olympia for coffee or shopping and then you will be returned back to the port.
Private local tour of the Olympic Games site
Once in Olympia, the highlight to visit is the Archeological site. In the archeological site, among several other remains of important buildings, you will see the gymnasium and the palaestra, the round Philipeion, the workshop of Phidias where the gold and ivory statue of Zeus was built, the temples of Zeus and Hera, the altar where the Olympic torch is being lit in the modern days and the ancient Olympic stadium.
Amazing Argolis, Unique Olympia and Mystical Delphi in 3 days
History becomes reality during this 3 day tour in the comfort of your private luxurious vehicle! Amazing heritage and beauty will make it unforgettable once you visit Delphi and Olympia! The picturesque Nafplio with the colourful narrow streets will utterly impress you!
Visit Olympia, the Olympics Birthplace
Experience and be part of the Olympic history in a private tour which allows you to keep your own pace!
Small group local tour of Olympia (site only)
This tour is designed to serve the several individual travelers who will be visiting Olympia between July 1st and September 30th. This tour is available either in English or in French. It won't be a bilingual tour but we will be using different guides each time for each language from the hand picked team of qualified guides that we work with. Our goal is to offer you a complete historical experience off-the-beaten track. The tour is designed for those of you that want to have an insight of the history and masterpieces of Olympia that only a licensed tour guide can present to you the best way, on a value for money tour.
Ancient Olympia: Audio Tour on your Phone (no ticket)
Immerse yourself in the magic of Ancient Olympia with a fascinating audio tour on your smartphone and discover the secrets of an archaeological site tied with the birth and evolution of the Olympic Games! Start your tour from the Ancient Gymnasium and enjoy an unforgettable stroll through the ruins of a Unesco World Heritage Site wrapped up in myth and legend. Having enjoyed a complete tour covering the highlights of the archaeological site, you will end your walk in front of the ruins of the Prytaneion, where joyous celebrations were once held for the winners of the games at the heart of the fertile valley of Alpheios. This tour, combining an immersive audio tour with a detailed map of the site, is your perfect companion for an unforgettable visit to one of the most potent landmarks of Greece. * Ticket/entrance fee to the archaeological site is not included. ** The tour is designed to cover the archaeological site of Olympia but doesn't include stories for the site museum.
Katakolo - Olympia
This relaxing 4 hour tour gives you the opportunity to visit the birthplace of the ancient Olympic games.
Classical Olympia Private Tour
Tour the ruins of Olympia with an archeologist & get the inside scoop on ancient life. Also, you'll visit the place where the Olympic Flame is ignited every four years for the modern Olympic Games and you will walk in the world's first stadium and let this place come to life with real stories
Ancient Corinth & Canal, Mycenae, Nafplio, unique Epidaurus &Olympia in 2 days
A 2 day private tour which offers beauty and historically important places! Ancient Corinth, Mycenae will impress you with their history and wealth! Epidaurus theatre will amaze you with its worldwide famous accoustics still considered the best! Nafplio with the colorfoul narrow streets is the best for relaxation and great photos! It will be a unique experience to visit the Ancient Olympia where the Ancient Olympic Games were "born" and walk through the places where the athletes actually competed!
Self-guided Virtual Tour of Olympia: The most beautiful place in Greece
Experience the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia from the comfort of your home with an engaging self-guided virtual tour, narrated in English, from your PC or smartphone browser. It's so simple! You will receive an email with the tour link with instructions and, in a couple of minutes, you will travel back in time and enjoy a virtual journey from the comfort of your couch! Through the power of storytelling combined with street and satellite views, you will learn not only about historical facts but also discover unknown stories and tales of ancient and modern times that will amaze your family and friends. The tour's content is the result of in-depth research, squeezed into brief intriguing stories that will make your virtual visit both engaging and informative. The tour is only available online and you can access it repeatedly and anytime. This is an unmissable opportunity to gain valuable insights into the birthplace of the Olympic Games!
Private Olympia Highlights 4hrs Private Tour
Experience some of ancient Greece's top attractions on this half-day guided excursion. After a convenient hotel pickup, visit landmark sites like the Temple of Zeus, the Altar of Hera, the Shrine of Pelops, and the Olympic gymnasium and stadium. Stop by the site's archaeological museum and marvel at amazing ancient sculptures and artifacts.
Katakolon – Ancient Olympia // Shore excursion
Visit with us the highlights of this historical place, such as the archaeological site, including the original ancient Olympic games stadium and the unique archaeological museum . After your tour enjoy some free time in the town of Katakolon.
Ancient Olympia Tour Taxi or Van
Olympia is a sanctuary of ancient Greece where the first ancient Olympic Games took place at approximately 776 BC in the honor of Zeus. They were then held every four years, like nowadays, during the " Olympia", the most significant celebration of the ancient years. The last Olympic Games took place in 393 BC, while a liitle later their final end was instructed. As we will be wondering at the place, we can also see many monuments, like the Temple of Zeus and the Temple of Hera (Heraion), the Bouleuterion and the Prytaneion, as well as the Ancient Stadium where the Olympic Games were conducted and the Palaestra where the athletes were training. Finally, we are going to visit the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. It's one of the most important museums of Greece, which hosts the findings of the ancient sanctuary of Olympia.
10 to 12 minutes
Accessible Tour Katakolon Port, Ancient Olympia Archaeological Site and Museum
Embark your special vehicle and start your driving to Ancient Olympia. Now that Athens has hosted the 2004 Olympic Games, join us in reliving the wonder and thrill of the original Olympic Games, which were held from 776 BC to 393 AD as you explore the ruins of the great monuments. Enter the famous archeological site of Olympia and marvel at the Temple of Zeus, which once housed the Golden and Ivory statue of Zeus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and the original Stadium and Bouleuterion, unique in history, where once competitors swore an oath to confirm to the rules. Follow your guide and walk a short distance in order to visit the world famous Archeological Museum of Olympia where you can admire, amongst many priceless exhibits, the marble statues of the Temple of Zeus and the unique statue of Hermes, carved by the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles. Afterwards, enjoy a short stop at the town of Olympia where free time will be given before returning back to the ship.
5 hours to 5 hours&nbsp30 minutes
What are the best Art & Culture in Olympia?
The best Art & Culture in Olympia according to Viator travelers are:
See all Art & Culture in Olympia on Viator.
What Art & Culture in Olympia are taking additional safety precautions?
These Olympia experiences are providing additional COVID-19 safety measures:
What Art & Culture in Olympia are good for avoiding crowds?
These hidden gems in Olympia may have limited interaction with crowds:
More Tours in Olympia
Things to do near Olympia


text:
How MyMac almost became eWorld
April 1, 1998 March 20, 2011 Tim Robertson Opinion Leave a comment
The quest began before I everrealized there was a quest. When the first issue of My Mac was released, the name "My Mac" was really nothing more than a filler. The whole issue (which would now fill two or three pages of a current issue) was completely written and ready for uploading, but I had no name.
For three days, I conjured up every Mac-ish name I could think of. A few candidates were "New Mac Order" and "Digital Mac". But really none of these seemed to fit. The magazine, at that point, was not really a magazine at all. It was more or less a little something I came up with to pass the time, share my thoughts on some shareware, and perhaps give some helpful hints to other Mac users. I had no idea at the time that eventually my efforts would grow to the state it is today.
The title "My Mac" was one I was never really pleased with. In fact, the name did not really grow on me until six months or so ago. Meaning, of course, that in two and a half years of publishing, I was never happy with the name of my own magazine ("my own" only in that I created it and own the name. The staff "owns" My Mac just as much as I do in creativity. Without them, there would be no "My Mac". Okay, I will move on now). So in two and a half years, I was still searching for a new title.
It had been a hot day, which turned into a very warm night, and I was tired. I was thinking of the upcoming house call I was heading to. As a Macintosh consultant, I was always visiting clients at odd hours, usually in the evening when they were home. There were a few businesses
that I would visit in daylight hours, but those were few and far between. So it was on this particular night that inspiration would bloom, and a new name for the magazine would present itself.
The client, Bruce, asked me to "clean up his Mac". By this, he meant that his hard drive was full of stuff and he really did not know what he should toss out, what he should keep, or even what some of the things were. Every time Bruce downloaded something from the Internet, he
would keep both the .sit and hqx. files. Bruce had owned his Mac for a few years, but he was completely ignorant of even the most rudimentary skills. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but he couldn't find his way out of a broom closet with a map.
So there I sat, deleting file after file on Bruce's computer. I was also explaining why and what I was getting rid of, so that he would know in the future and could do it himself, thus saving $35 an hour (not that I don't like or need the money, but he was paying so he could learn.)
"I never use that one. Should we get rid of it?" he asked, pointing to one icon after another, when inspiration hit. "What is eWorld, anyway?"
eWorld. The now defunct online service for Mac users. Unlike America Online, who seemed to have an anti-Mac policy, or any of the other myriad online services at the time, eWorld was a Macintosh-only online service run by Apple Computer. Alas, no good thing ever seems to last, and eWorld was no exception. While I myself used the service, at the time I found America Online had more content, more members, and more of everything else I wanted. I stayed with eWorld to the end, but I was not really all that broken up to see them go. It was later, when all the problems with AOL started, that I realized just how much I really enjoyed eWorld. The feeling of community was much more profound on eWorld. You really did feel welcome when you signed on. eWorld was a bright spot in a dark online world.
But here I sat, explaining to Bruce why he did not need the software cluttering up his hard drive, and I realized something. My newfound feelings toward eWorld were very much the same feeling I felt thinking about my own magazine, My Mac. And here I sat all this time, trying to come up with a great magazine name that Mac users could identify with, and here was just such a name, going completely unused.
The next day, I spent an hour on hold with one department after another with Apple. As I moved up the food chain, each person I spoke with told me the same thing. "I am not sure who you would want to talk to. I don't think we have any plans for that name, so they may let you have it, or use it."
"They" finally turned out to be Paul Carmichael, who was very helpful and full of great ideas. When Paul and I first talked on the phone, he notified me that quite a few businesses had contacted Apple about buying the name for their own use. Each time, Apple had refused, even when offered a nice licensing fee. While this was somewhat discouraging, Paul was nonetheless honest with me as well as being very helpful when I explained what "My Mac" was and what I intended to use the eWorld name for. Paul was not very familiar with a purely digital magazine, but after viewing our Web site, he was quite comfortable about taking my request to the next level.
Weeks had gone by, with no word. I was beginning to worry, and wonder if perhaps Paul had forgotten. This was at the time Apple was in the midst of laying of thousands of employees. Could Paul have fallen victim to corporate downsizing? Were my plans for the eWorld name change now lost in limbo? As despair set in, I finally received the following email from Paul:
Subject: Re: eWorld & My Mac Magazine
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 97 08:32:37 -0700
From: Paul Carmichael iplaw@apple.com
To: publisher@mymac.com
Tim, it is taking longer to come up with a response to your request than I anticipated. Simply do to the pressure of other matters. If we were to proceed, and the decision has not been made to do so, it would likely be a license type arrangement with the ability of Apple to cancel on reasonable notice with minimal payments consistent with our transaction and registration costs. Would this make sense from your standpoint?
Paul Carmichael
I was overjoyed to see this email, and had renewed hope. Obviously, with the nature of the proposal, I was not too optimistic that we could come to an agreement. After all, they had not decided to part with the name. And Paul was now talking about a licensing agreement. Looking at the date of the above email, many of you will remember that it was during this time Apple was doing away with the Macintosh clones, meaning getting a license from Apple was no easy task.
Then there was the matter of the fee. While I didn't expect Apple to give me rights to use the eWorld name without some kind of remuneration, the big question in my mind was how much they would ask for. The "minimum" payment that Paul mentioned may well have been far out of my reach.
A few more weeks past by, with no further word from Paul. Then one day while getting my Mac news fix on Macintosh, I read a small blurb that said "Paul Carmichael, of Apple, has retired." The bottom had fallen out, and I did not even see it coming.
A few desperate calls later, and I was finally put in contact with Barbara Dunn, who was now handling the whole "My Mac/eWorld" thing. Once again, like Paul, Barbara was very warm and helpful. She was aware of my prior correspondence with Paul, and was in fact in the process of making some progress on the deal.
Weeks go by, and no word. Steve Jobs was now acting head honcho at Apple, and I was afraid that the request may have headed his way. If it had, I figured, there was no way I would get eWorld. So I decided to write a nice, long letter to Steve Jobs myself, explaining what had gone on before, where we were at, and why I wanted to use the eWorld name.
I really did not know what to expect after I sent the letter. I also decided that I should not have sent it, as I had been dealing with Barbara in this matter, and felt badly about going over her head. How would I feel if someone did that to me? I was stupid, I thought, writing to Steve Jobs about this, as if he didn't already have enough on his plate. Besides, I could not get over the feeling that I had somehow betrayed the talks I was already in with Barbara.
I was not really expecting a reply from Steve Jobs. Perhaps he would have a secretary reply, or kick it back down to Barbara to deal with. But to my surprise, the very next day, Steve Jobs had written me back. He thanked me for all the nice things I had said (Yes, I was sucking up some in my letter) and that after careful thought, Apple did not want to sell the eWorld name.
"Sell the name?!?" I yelled at my computer. "We were talking about a license agreement!" I had blown it, I figured. All done, last one out turn off the lights, end of hopes and dreams. I was crushed, mad at myself, and not a little disappointed. I felt I had come so close, could almost see the eWorld logo rather than the My Mac one, and now it was all gone with one simple email.
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! I cursed myself over and over for a week. Then, once again to my surprise, I received a FedEx from Apple Computer to My Mac Productions. Business-sized envelope. The term "Legal Papers enclosed" on the front. Chills ran up my spin and back down again. What could it be? Who had sent it?
The first thing I saw as I ripped open the cardboard envelope was the top of the first page: "eWorld Licensing Agreement."
It was mine. All I had to do was sign the paper, send them some cash (not a huge figure) and My Mac would become eWorld. We would have exclusive rights to the logo, the artwork, the URL, and more. Everything was spelled out, right down to the need for the "e" in eWorld to be in red whenever the word appeared.
What was also in the agreement was the fact that Apple could terminate the agreement anytime they chose to do so (giving fair and ample warning).
I was overjoyed that eWorld could be mine, and that the decision was now in my hands. I don't know if Steve Jobs had given his okay after the email I received or not, but obviously it was a done deal. Someone had made the agreement! But now the choice was mine, and it was not one I wanted to make by myself.
I turned to those I always trusted: the staff and the some of My Mac's longest readers. Most of the staff was divided on the subject. And so were the readers I had quietly polled. I was still undecided until I received a letter from a reader whom I know has followed My Mac from our very humble beginnings. He wrote "Everyone will assume you are affiliated with Apple. Worse, can you publish a negative article about Apple without fear that they may revoke the name? Will this take away some of the creative freedom you all enjoy so much? And like I said, you will always be affiliated with a failed Apple experiment. Are you sure that is an image you really want?"
The letter really hit home. Up until this point, I had never really thought of it in quite that way before. All his arguments (and there were more than these) were valid and worth thinking about. Did I want to lose any of the creative freedom I so much enjoy in My Mac? Do I want people to think Apple has some sort of control over us? No, I did not.
So I sat thinking what My Mac means to me. When I first coined the name, it was out of desperation. I had nothing better, and I needed a name. Later, a friend visiting asked me why I called it My Mac. I said "Because I write about my Mac a lot, and the magazine is for people who use their Mac. I want people to see the name "My Mac" and not only think about the magazine, but about their own Macs and what they use them for. We Mac users are passionate about our computers, and "My Mac" is a fitting title"
Later, as I was putting the final touches on that month's issue, I stopped and looked at the main page. "My Mac" it said. Yeah, it is "My Mac," and I want to keep it that way. It's not just mine, but everyone's. I am not Apple, I am not eWorld. My computer is uniquely mine, and so is this magazine. It is unique. And I want to keep it that way.
Tim Robertson (publisher@mymac.com)
eWorld
Starting Line
My Mac Magazine #36, April '98
CanOpener 4.0


text:
Region - COSMO
Parameter - COSMO
Max. wind velocity
RH 2m
Cloud cover (low)
Rain/Snowfall rate
Snow accu.
Archive - COSMO - Surface pressure P
Base Time
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2018 2019 2020 2021
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
panel 1 panel 2
Base Su, 06 UTC Su, 03 UTC Su, 00 UTC Sa, 21 UTC Sa, 18 UTC Sa, 15 UTC Sa, 12 UTC Sa, 09 UTC Sa, 06 UTC Sa, 03 UTC Sa, 00 UTC Fr, 21 UTC Fr, 18 UTC Fr, 15 UTC Fr, 12 UTC Fr, 09 UTC Fr, 06 UTC Fr, 03 UTC Fr, 00 UTC Th, 21 UTC all


My vendors have had an awesome vision and thoughtfully divided two parts on their prime land off, for some one very privileged to make the most of. The two sunny little knolls gaze over the only golf course in the Sounds, lovingly cared for and named the Nopera golf club. This stunning nine hole course has a strong community following, a croquet course and arguably the best golfing back drop in the country!
Located literally the next paddock over is the airstrip. This airstrip is a popular destination for holiday makers, golfers or even just people looking to enjoy some of the local cuisine. Pelorus air services is a local family based company who will bring you out from town or even the North Island. A scenic way to enter and leave the Sounds. Raetihi Lodge located a short drive from the sections gate or Portage Resort located a short boat trip away, both renowned for their outstanding food and service and set in absolutely stunning settings.


Bobcat Loaders are incredibly powerful and versatile machines that can do so much more than just dig dirt.
The massive Bobcat T870 track loader has been given an overhaul to make it even smoother, more powerful and more comfortable.
Doosan machines are built for easy maintenance, durability, fuel efficiency, and operator comfort.
The new 74hp Bobcat T595 features increased horsepower and performance for pushing or digging applications without the need for operators to move up to a bigger machine.
Easily rip through hard and soft woods with the new Bobcat 70-inch forestry cutter attachment.


Connecting seniors with essential services, meaningful programming, their peers and the local community to foster purposeful and passion-filled lives.
Pastor Sackey began a church, Revival Harvest Ministries, in the small town of Somanya, Ghana, with a few young people from off the streets. His ministry now numbers hundreds of members, and he oversees and mentors over 20 other ministries in Ghana and other countries around the world.
Frontiers is working to fulfill the Great Commission among Muslim people groups that don't know the saving message of Jesus Christ.
Our global priorities focus on the regions with the largest concentrations of unengaged Muslim people groups. To this end, we work to recruit, train, and send church planting teams to live in the Muslim world.


text:
Only Online Learning Activities (65)
Search Results (Showing 21 to 40 out of 66)
Philippines M&E of Innovation Policy Course - Session 2
The World Bank Group supported by the Korea–World Bank Group Partnership Facility (KWPF) has been developing a set of knowledge and learning products and case studies around innovation policy. As...
IFPRI Global Nutrition Country Profile: Philippines
Output-Based Aid in the Philippines: Public Health Project
In the Philippines, access to accredited healthcare and health insurance remains a challenge for the poor
Supporting Reforms Towards Disaster Resilience in the Philippines
The Philippines is disaster-prone, but is strengthening its planning and risk reduction
Water Access in Philippines: Fixing the Institution that Fix the pipes
Improving delivery of piped water to households in the Phillippines
Risk and Resilience after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines
Poverty cannot be eradicated without resilience to climate change.
Understanding the Drivers of Public School Performance and Efficiency in the Philippines
This note attempts to identify the factors associated with differences in overall school
Increasing Investment to Improve Basic Education Outcomes in the Philippines
The purpose of this note is to investigate whether the recent increases in the financing for basic education have improved education outcomes
Philippines: What It Takes to Be a Good Citizen
Filipinos weigh in on the values and actions needed to improve their country.
Philippines: What Does it Take to End Poverty?
We asked Filipinos what it will take to end poverty in their country. Their answers may surprise you.
Philippines: Teaching and Learning Outside Classroom Walls
Mobile teachers are bringing schools to communities.
Assessing Systems for Hiring and Deploying Teachers in the Philippines
Over the last decade, research from many different countries has demonstrated the important role played by teachers in improving students' learning and increasing their competencies. Studies from...
Developing a Proficient and Motivated Teacher Workforce in the Philippines
Providing teachers with good quality professional development opportunities has been shown to be an effective way of increasing their competencies and improving student learning outcomes
Philippines Building Strong Instituions for Peace and Development
The importance of finding solutions to conflict and violence
Public-Private Dialogue Helps Steer Agribusiness Reforms in the Philippines
Public-private dialogue informs discussions on agribusiness trade logistics and transport systems in the Philippines.
Philippines - Grid-Connected Solar PV-Hydro Hybrid Demonstration : Case Study
The demonstration in the Philippines illustrates the feasibility of a grid-connected PV plant in a developing country.
Assessing the Role Played by Local Government in Supporting Basic Education in the Philippines
The purpose of this policy note is to assess the financing of basic education services by local governments in the Philippines.
Why Does the Conditional Cash Transfer Program Matter in the Philippines? A Governance Perspective
The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya) is a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.