1001 Tales of History - The Temple of Atheism

Birth of a genius

2012-01-27T21:51:00.000Z

Today, Mozart would be 256 years old. He died at the age of 35, but during such a short lifetime, he gave humanity too much.

Chained Prometheus

2012-01-25T23:20:00.001Z

Those who know me personally have been witnesses, during the last 9 months, to a transformation that I've been suffering, both physically and mentally. During the same time that the body of a woman takes to generate new life, I was able to build for me a renewed present and, above all, a promising future. It all began when, on the day of my 20th birthday (6th of May, 2011), I decided to become a vegetarian.

It was not a completely spontaneous and unexpected decision, but almost. In fact, if I had already thought many times about that, I never considered it to be a real prospect, but instead an alternative reality in which I didn't eat both meat nor fish. It may be worth mentioning the fact that food had always been one of the most important things to me and, maybe as a proof of that, I had 101,3 kg (222 lbs) at the time. For almost everyone, my decision came as a shock. For a very restrict group, it was a pleasant surprise. And, for others, it was the beginning of a game of bets, trying to guess the length of my vegetarianism (some predicted a week, other, more optimists, a month) - no one seemed to have much hope in me, and, looking back, I can say that maybe even I was skeptical about myself.

From May to July, there I was, joyful, eating a lot of italian Pasta, without meat nor fish. I never payed much attention to my weight, but, around the end of July, I thought that I should see how much I had, at least to see if my vegetarian diet had any positive effect. Of course, when one has too many carbs and doesn't practice any exercise, the calories have to go somewhere, and there was no denying that: I had gained weight, and was now with 102,8 kg (224 lbs). So, if I, Miguel, had been able to say no to meat and fish, two great passions of my life, it was also time to say no to another aspect of me: my awful physical condition. And so, from one day to the other, I changed my lifestyle. I transformed my diet (started to eat huge amounts of Soya, Tofu and Seitan, and, of course, vegetables and fruit - and I also said arrivederci to pasta!), and I started to workout.

I can say that I'm very proud of my dedication. In the hellish heat of Algarve (southernmost region of Portugal) during August, I went running outside, and at home I did abdominal crunches, weights and planking. Sometimes, this would go on for 2 to 3 hours, without any break-time, and without eating anything for the duration - only a lot of water (I'm aware that this was too extreme and even dangerous for me, but well, I survived and came out stronger than ever before). My days would start with exercise, immediately on the morning, and I counted every single calorie that went into my body. If during the first 15 days there were no visible results, and I started to get demoralized, it seems that my body then came into action, and my weight started "evaporating" to the point of making me think if my weighing-machine was functioning properly.

In the beginning of September, I was already with 89 kg (195,8 lbs). Surely, I was no model for the human physique, but for me, this meant already less 13 kg (28,6 lbs). And, even with the beginning of one more university year after summer vacations, my progress was maintained. Even during Christmas, when I ate huge amounts of cakes and stuff, I kept doing my workouts, and I even lost weight.

Today, while I'm writing this post, I have 76 kg (167,2 lbs). If we consider the fact that I am 1,74 m (5' 8,5" ft) tall, there is still a road ahead of me before I get to the ideal weight, an objective which I'm absolutely convinced I will be able to meet soon. But, during these last few months, it was not only my body that suffered tremendous changes: I transformed as a human being. I'm more confident, secure, and, above all, I feel free. It is as if I was being kept chained by my body, like some sort of punishment - I felt like the Prometheus in Greek Mythology.

But today is also the date of a new change: my return to the omnivorous condition - and, I can say, I'm more omnithan ever before, as I learned to enjoy a lot of new stuff. There were various reasons for me to become a vegetarian, something worth of a post per si, and now there are many others for me to eat fish and meat again; I can only say that the main one is that I felt like I was despising one of the great pleasures of life, which is gastronomy. Not that I don't like vegetarian food, because I love it, but because I also love fish and meat.

Maybe I should feel defeated, but I don't. I remained, for 9 months and a half, vegetarian, and I'm not sorry for that - not even a little. If for nothing else, being a vegetarian showed me that I had enough force of will to cause a great rupture in my life, and to go up another stair. Now, I'm not getting down on the staircase, but rather I'm still going up. And I should also note that I'm not going to start to eat meat 14 times per week! Soya and Seitan will forever be an important part of my diet, because I love them. I will be a true omnivorous - when I want something, I can eat it, as long as it is in a healthy portion. I feel no guilt, and that is the most important thing. Who knows, maybe one day I'll try again to be a vegetarian? Like the winds, I am also capable of fast and unexpected changes; those who know me, know very well that I'm a little box full of surprises.

Above all, I can tell you one thing: the moment in which we start to believe in ourselves, is the moment in which we come face to face with the infinitude of the universe. True story.

"Sailors, fighting in the dance hall"

2012-01-08T19:29:00.000Z

I couldn't let the opportunity to wish one my musical heroes (they are Bowie, Kate Bush and Freddy Mercury), a happy birthday. Even though he has been quiet for these last few years, he has already given us too much.

Here is his performance of 'The Jean Genie' on Top of the Pops, in 1973:

For each Tale, there is a Storyteller

2011-11-18T19:56:00.001Z

"We want you", the famous phrase immortalized in the image of Uncle Sam. This time, though, what we want you for, does not mean putting your life at risk. Or does it?...

Maintaining a blog is not an easy task. It requires effort, time and commitment, among other things, and it may, at times, feel like an "unrewarded" job. It can also feel lonely, when you are the only writer. That is why I had the idea to start a project, where you send me an article, which I will then post on the blog, with full credit given to the author. I may write a small introduction to the subject, in case some contextualization is needed, and the text would follow.

With this in mind, I require the following:

The article must be about History (anything between 3500 b. C. and World War II)
Between 1000 and 1500 words
May include up to 3 pictures
Must include between 1 and 3 bibliographical references
Must be written in English

Because it is never a good idea to leave the obvious out, I want to make it clear that the article should be written by YOU, the person who submitted it. Plagiarizing the work of others, or "copy+paste" content from Wikipedia, will not be tolerated. Also, your English should be clear and fluent.

In order to submit your article:

Send an e-mail to mboronha@gmail.com, with the subject "1001 Tales of History - Article Submission", and a Word or PDF attached file of the article.
In the body of the e-mail, specify:

Personal details (Name, age, nationality, profession, etc.)
Links to any other articles that you have written / your blog or website
The name of the University where you studied, or currently study

I will answer to your e-mail as soon as I can, asking for any further details that I may need. I also suggest following the blog's page on Facebook, and my twitter account, for any updates. Take note that these articles will only start getting published in February 2012, after they've been reviewed by me.

Submission period:

20 November 2011 - 20 January 2012

So, get your hands to work, or start searching for those old works of yours, because I'm anxious to see your submissions!

Oh, you make me blush!...

2011-10-29T23:34:00.001+01:00

Hey there, guys!

Just wanted to update you on what I've been up to lately. One of the subjects that I'm having at University, this year, is "Personal Life in the Medieval Period", and it's title is self explanatory about what we deal with. I must say that I've been finding it profoundly interesting, for it has shed a lot of light on some misconceptions that I had about family life in Medieval Europe, that relations within society's groups (and among those same groups, and the material culture of the time - like clothing and so on.

The Professor has also demanded for each student to prepare a small work (something around 15 to 20 pages, maximum), in which we have the liberty to work on anything related to personal life during the Medieval period. Being as interested as I am in Medieval Islam, I immediately knew what to work on: "Erotism in Classical Arabic Poetry". It is a vast, vast theme, which still has much work to be done, and that a 20 pages work can hardly even begin to grasp the entirety of its problematics. But I will do my best to write a small, introductory text into this interesting theme, which I hope to develop during my academic life.

Statue of Abu Nuwas, one of the most important names in Classical Arabic Poetry

So, I'm glad to say that these last weeks I've been busy conducting the necessary research for this project, and once I start to write the text, I will post a smaller, more concise version here on the blog. I'm really hoping that you guys will enjoy the result of this work! :-)

In the Face of many Books

2011-10-12T23:58:00.000+01:00

Due to the beginning of a new year at University, it has been a bit stressful to find any time to write a decent post for the blog, but I've been updating the blog's Facebook page much more regularly, with some interesting historical facts that I come across.

So, if you haven't already 'Liked' the blog page on Facebook, just follow the link (http://www.facebook.com/pages/1001-Tales-of-History/172625622786267), and be sure to share the page with your friends!

Greek heritage in Medieval Islam: an introduction

2011-08-22T14:45:00.001+01:00

After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the people of Arabia faced a new chapter of their History, suddenly realizing that the world was incredibly larger than they perceived - and due to the weakened state of the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires, the doors to this world were open for the Arabs. The Arab conquest was one of the fastest expansions the world has ever seen: it started soon after Muhammad's death, in 632 C.E., during the rule of the Rashidun Caliphs, and barely a century later they were facing the Franks in Europe, at the Battle of Poitiers, as well as having reached the Indus river in the indian subcontinent.

The Umayyad Caliphate, c. 750 C.E.

In the previous map, it is possible to see that the Arabs inherited a big slice of what had been, in the past, the Roman Empire. This is very important to understand how various elements of Ancient Greek culture (and to a minor extent, Roman culture as well) were able to reach the Caliphate, gaining such a fertilized ground to prosper. The fact is that early Islam has an highly assimilative character, which creates this ever-thirstful need to develop further knowledge. There are many hadith's of the Prophet which create an incentive to seek "proper knowledge" of the world, and criticizing ignorance. In this way, the Greek culture starts getting absorbed by many Islamic thinkers, starting with the translation into Arabic of various Classical authors and books - Plato, Aristoteles, Galen; just to name a few.

Plato

There were, still, some contrasts between the Greek and the Islamic way of thinking: the first is greatly anthropocentric, while the second finds the root of everything to be in Allah, or God - it is an essentially theocentric approach. Also, Greek authors look to perpetuate themselves through their works, as well as their City-State; on the other hand, Islamic authors, at least admittedly, do not seek to make themselves more prestigious: what they want, is to see the Ummah, the Islamic community, closer to perfection. Finally, it is important to note that the Greek way of thinking is considered a more Rational one, while in Islam, especially in Shiism and Sufism, a great deal of attention is given into Mysticism, and more esoteric approaches to the texts and their meanings. These contrasts between Greek and Islamic thinkers can be easily seen on the annotations present at many of the translations in Arabic.

"Anatomy of the Eye", by Al-Mutadibih (1200 C.E.)

Some of the most important scientific works, like Galen's books on Medicine, are translated immediately in the 8th century, with many insightful comments added by the translators. This is known as the "translation movement", and is of crucial importance for the Arabs to develop a whole new vocabulary of medical terms that they previously didn't have, many times adapting from the original Greek word, but also creating completely new terms with Arabic roots. And, the comments added show that the knowledge was not only being transmitted, but, almost at the same time, was experiencing new developments. So much so, that Arabic medicine during the Middle Ages was even recognized by the Western thinkers, and the presence of Arabic physicians in European courts was not uncommon. And to add to this, the development of medicine in the West was incredibly slower, when compared to the Arabs - one of the most common "treatments" for many common (but eventually mortal) diseases, like fevers, was the use of blood leeches. This pales in contrast to the fact that, as soon as the 13th century, it was possible to get your cataracts cured in the Muslim world, with a "simple" surgery.

And it is not only Medicine which captures the interest of the Islamic thinkers: Astronomy and Mathematics, both of them have a pivotal role in Islamic society. And all of them have obvious reasons which explain their interest: Astronomy is fundamental for a society which has a lunar calendar, and has to know the exact position of the Sun at least five times a day, for the realization of the prayer; Mathematics is crucial in a world where the central place is hold by the Merchant, having to know the percentage of the loans, the proper amount of money available, among other things. So, the need of something is the driving force behind it's development, and that is what we can clearly see in the Medieval Islamic world. Astrology was also important in this society, but it was as much a Persian heritage as it was Greek.

The name of the Prophet Muhammad in Calligraphy. This
form of Art was developed due to the Islamic restriction on
any human representation.

It is important to take note, however, that not all the aspects of Greek culture were inherited by the Arabs. Such examples are Literature and Art. While types of literature like Epic poems or Tragedies were the most common among the Greeks, these were almost totally ignored by Arab writers. They would write their own Epic texts, but in contexts which had nothing to due with their Greek counterparts. And in terms of Art, the Arabs gave a great deal of attention to smaller details, while developing forms of Art that never had any prominence in Greek society, like Calligraphy. The attention to human anatomy would be ignored by Muslim artists, to the point of prohibiting any anthropomorphic representation of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad.

So, in conclusion, and although there is much more to explore around the subject of this text, we can see that Medieval Islam not only recovered much of the Ancient Classical heritage, but also developed it, through the hands of great thinkers like Ibn al-Haytham, al-Biruni or Ibn Sina. During the Abbassid Caliphate, with its center of power in Baghdad, the mythical Bayt al-Hikma, or House of Wisdom (though its existence is subject to much debate) stood as a shining example of Science, Culture and the Arts. It was not until the Renaissance that Europe started rivaling with the Muslim world, and it was only centuries later that it was able to clearly surpass it.

Back [to Black]

2011-08-20T23:32:00.000+01:00

After more than three months without updating the blog, it is time for me to get back to work. Hope you had a nice time, or even better, if it's your case, vacations! Sad things happened during this time, but life goes on. I updated the look of the blog, to something more artistic, and I already have something in mind for my next article, which I will post in the next couple of days.

Stay tuned!

Wings of Blue

2011-05-13T21:40:00.000+01:00

(National Geographic Photos)

There is no need for words to describe the beauty of the simple things.

It all started a year ago...

2011-05-01T11:22:00.000+01:00

A year ago, it came to me that I should write a blog. It wasn't the first time that I started one, but I usually kept deleting all the blogs I had in a matter of days. I didn't like what I was doing, nor had I a real reason to do it, so I simply got rid of them. But, this time, it was different. I kept more and more interested in the "Blogosphere", joined social networks like Facebook and Twitter, participated in some forums on the internet, among other things. And, until today, my interest has not faded a bit! Obviously, for those who accompany this blog from the beginning, it has come through a lot of changes, including the main theme, from 'Atheism' to 'History'. This is just a reflection of what I am as a human being, nothing more. Who knows where does the blog go from here? I just hope that it keeps growing, getting better, and more and more richer and diverse.

For today, I thought of re-posting that which is one of my favorite articles of this blog: "Religion: a synonym for anesthesia". It is not a very long post, but I really like it for its simplicity and straight-forwardedness!

So, to all the readers of this blog, a big THANK YOU!

"Today, while sitting on a dentist's chair, I had some sort of 'eureka' moment. Let me explain...

Having to remove two teeth, I was under the effect of anesthesia. I felt absolutely no pain, yet I knew that something was happening in my mouth that would normally hurt me. Isn't that the effect of religion? Hiding pain?

It simply hides the truth, it doesn't deal with it. That may bring comfort to some people, but what is the interest of living a lie? There are other sources for comfort. Pain is part of life, hiding it won't deal with it - it will live with you forever, unless you face it. Permanently living in uncertainty is not a healthy way to live your life.

I'm not saying that you should avoid painkillers or anesthesia. They are an excellent temporary solution, but they are not permanent. As soon as the anesthesia wears off, I'll start feeling the discomfort. It's the same with religion. It may tell you that your loved ones are going to some sort of eternal paradise, but sooner or later you will just miss them. In this sense, what comfort does Atheism bring? Nothing is more comfortable than the truth. I know that everyone has to die one day. It's always hard when they die, but that's it. No fairy tales here: when you die, you die. You won't go to heaven or hell, you'll just stop existing as a conscious being, just like you never existed until you were born.

As Lavoisier said: "In nature nothing is gained, nothing is lost - everything is transformed." - we will no longer exist as a conscious being, we will just transform into another kind of matter, depending on if we are cremated, buried, etc.

Damn, this anesthesia effect is taking so long to wear off..."

Healthcare costs: America and the World

2011-04-28T11:47:00.000+01:00

Here, in Europe, we all are pretty much aware of the intentions shown by Obama to "fix" what seems to be a broken health system in the United States of America. We are also aware of the opposition and the difficulties that he faced, being called (among other things) a "socialist" (in America, that is not the most pleasant of words). A reader of this blog, Tony, sent me this infographic for me to share with you, and I think that the comparative studies it shows are quite interesting.

Via: Medical Billing and Coding

Following Ibn Battutah's Footsteps - III

2011-04-13T23:07:00.002+01:00

On this article, we will see what Ibn Battutah had to say about the Sultan of Egypt at the time of his visit. He said:

“The Sultan of Egypt at the time of my entry was al-Malik al-Nasir Abu'l-Fath Muhammad, son of al-Malik al-Mansur Saif al-Din Qala'un al-Salihi. He was known as al-Alfi (the thousand man) because al-Malik al-Salih bought him for a thousand dinars of gold. He came originally from Qifjaq (Kipchack). Al-Malik al-Nasir (God's mercy upon him) was a man of generous character and great virtues, and sufficient proof of his nobility is furnished by his devotion to the service of the two holy sanctuaries of Mecca and al-Madinah and the works of beneficence which he does every year to assist the pilgrims, in furnishing camels loaded with provisions and water for those without means and the helpless, and for carrying those who cannot keep up with the caravan or are too weak to walk on foot, both on the Egyptian pilgrim road and on that from Damascus.”

Vase with the name of al-Malik al-Nasir

Here, Ibn Battutah mainly speaks of the piety of the Sultan, praising his devotion for taking care of the pilgrims while on their travel to Mecca. Surely, Ibn Battutah would not want to become a critic of those in power, specially against the Mamluks of Egypt.

After exiting Cairo, he went on his way with his travel. While traveling north, he came into a town known as Munyat Ibn Khasib. He says that “in truth, it excels all the other towns of northern Egypt, having colleges and sanctuaries, religious houses and mosques. In ancient times it was a village belonging to Khasib, the governor of Egypt.” Here, Ibn Battutah talks about this person, Khasib, telling us his interesting story, and is ascendancy from slave to governor of this powerful kingdom. The legend tells that one of the Abbassyd Caliphs, angered with the people of Egypt, swore to appoint as governor over them the most contemptible and abject of his slaves, with the purpose of humiliating them and inflicting upon them a great punishment. For this he chose Khasib, who, supposedly, was the lowest of slaves, since it was his task the duty of heating the bath. The Caliph made him a nobleman and Amir over Egypt, thinking that he would conduct himself towards them in an evil manner and seek all occasions to injure them. Fortunately, it didn't go as the Caliph expected, for Khasib acted as a just ruler towards the people. This made the Caliph become enraged, and he gave the order for Khasib's eyes "(...) to be put out, be fetched up from Egypt to Baghdad, and thrown into the bazaars there."

Pictures of modern Munyat Ibn
Khasib, which is now called
Minya

Preparing for the coming of the soldiers, Khasib had with him a jewel of great value, which he sewed up, in the night, to one of his garments. When he suffered the punishment, and was thrown into the streets of Baghdad, a poet came to him, reciting:

"Khasib, the fruitful to bestow, by Egypt's Nile alights;

Let high the golden tide o'erflow, since sea with sea unites."

The now blind Khasib got very sensible at this, and decided to offer the poet his precious jewel. The poet was so impressed by the jewel, that thought of offering it to the Caliph. When questioned about it's origins, the Caliph repented what he had done to Khasib, gave him a large sum of money, and offered him anything that Khasib wished; alas, he wished for a small village in Egypt: hence the name of the village being "Munyat Ibn Khasib".
From Munyat Ibn Khasib, Ibn Battutah went to Manfalut, Asyut, Ikhmim and Hu. In this last town, he tells of a Saint called Sayyid Sharif Abu Muhammad Abdallah al-Hasani, who told him to, while in his journey to the Holy City, to the road that went through Syria, instead of going through Juddah. Ibn Battutah did so, and, while crossing the desert in a 15-nights journey, towards Syria, he described the people of the town of Aidhab:

"(...) a large town, well supplied with fish and milk (...). It's inhabitants are the Bujah, black-skinned people, who wrap themselves in yellow blankets and tie headbands, (...) round their heads. They give daughters no share in their inheritance. Their food is camel's milk and they ride on mahri dromedaries. One third of the city belongs to the sultan of Egypt al-Malik al-Nasir, and two-thirds to the king of the Bujah, who is called al-Hadrabi."

This particular excerpt interests me because we are able to see the vision of Ibn Battutah towards new and different people. The details that he notices, like the fact that the daughters have no inheritance, are important in understanding his own mind, and, to a further extent, the predominant mindset of the time. After this, Ibn Battutah continued on his way and reached Syria, which we will deal with in the next article about Ibn Battutah.

A tabu-free History of the word "Fuck"

2011-04-13T12:48:00.001+01:00

For me, one of the great joys of having a blog, is the fact that I get contacted by many different people, from different places, who somehow share the same kind of interests. Well, yesterday, Stephanie Hayden got in touch with me, to share an infographic that she created: the history of the word "Fuck". Well, this blog is indeed about History, and one of the great things that I learned at university was that, in History no subject is more "relevant" than other; that is, historiographically, the History of Coca-Cola has as much to it as the History of the Thirty Years War. In this context, I'm more than happy to share this wonderful infographic with you!

F*ckby Online English Degree

Because History is not static...

2011-04-09T18:36:00.001+01:00

I don't know if you have seen this, but I found it to be most interesting. It is an animated version of the "Tapestry of Bayeux", which depicts England's invasion by the armies of William the Conqueror. Here is an excerpt of information from Encyclopedia Britannica:

"The tapestry is a band of linen 231 feet (70 metres) long and 19.5 inches (49.5 cm) wide, now light brown with age, on which are embroidered, in worsteds of eight colours, more than 70 scenes representing the Norman Conquest. The story begins with a prelude to Harold’s visit to Bosham on his way to Normandy (1064?) and ends with the flight of Harold’s English forces from Hastings (October 1066) (...)"

Emancipation of European Economy in the 17th Century - Mercantilism

2011-04-06T00:21:00.001+01:00

The emancipation of the various national economies throughout Europe, happened through the Mercantilist measures taken by the different countries. It is important to contextualize the various faces that Mercantilism assumed, and from that, we can understand how certain antagonisms developed between some nations.

Philip IV of Spain

Hispanic Mercantilism - also known as "Bulionism"

The main problem in which the Hispanic Mercantilism focuses, is the one of trying to keep the gold and silver that come from the American colonies, instead of exporting it in the exchange of goods produced by other european countries. This is such a big issue, that these precious metals are prohibited of leaving the colonies, while measures were taken to be able to store them within the Hispanic kingdoms. In terms of trying to limit the amount of imported goods, high customs fees were put in place - at the same time, this would stimulate the growth of the internal commerce. Despite these measures, Bulionist politics faced several obstacles: the Hispanic manufactories were poorly developed and archaic, not capable of responding to the increasing needs of the society; there was also a mentality which didn't help much, that of the "hidalgos" (gentlemen), who saw imports as something positive - "Every city is a servant of Madrid's needs, while Madrid serves no one.", wrote an aristocrat of the time.

France's Mercantilism - also known as "Colbertism"

Colbert

Compared to the Hispanic Mercantilism, the French case does have some differences: Colbert tries, like in the Iberian Peninsula, to limit the number of imports through the implementation of high customs fees; but he also tries not just to serve the needs of the society through French-made products, but also to make them in enough quantity to export them, so more money would be obtained. For Colbert, it was the amount of precious metals that defined the power and prestige of the State. He also tries to develop the French navy and, despite the fact that Colbertism didn't do much to better the economic situation of France in the long-run, when he died, France did have a more modern and bigger navy, as well as less archaic production facilities.

England's Mercantilism

Cromwell

Of all the different types of Mercantilism that we deal with in this article, the English one was certainly the most successful. It's focus sits on a very specific theory - that of the 'Balance of Trade'. It supports the idea that for a country to prosper, the amount of gold obtained through the export of goods, must be bigger than that which is used to import goods - basically, import less than what you export. It may seem a little obvious to us, today, but take note that this was an innovation at the time, which proved to be quite successful (and today, don't economies fight the deficit, trying to have a superavit? Isn't this what, ultimately, decides whether the International Monetary Fund intervenes or not?). Also of importance to English economy were the various Navigation Acts, which guaranteed the British Navy's monopoly of the transportation of all the products that entered England. This caused a bigger investment and consequent development of the navy - note that this theory of an English monopoly of the seas is designated as "Mare Clausum" (from the Latin, "Closed Seas"), and it is opposed to the last of the various Mercantilist policies that we are considering here - Holland.

United Provinces' Mercantilism

Finally, we come to Holland's Mercantilism, which is indeed an atypical case, amongst all the other examples that we have seen. Lacking any solid theoretical support for it's own Mercantilist policy, Dutch commerce is characterized by a significant level of liberalism - a reflection of the cultural background of Dutch's society, which presents itself as a safe home for the various minorities that were being persecuted throughout Europe, in the context of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation movements. The perspective assumed towards the sea is that of the "Mare Liberum" (from the Latin, "Free / Open Seas"), Holland continues to export it's coin (as opposed to France or Castille, who were trying to keep the coins inside their kingdoms) - this leads to rivalries between the United Provinces and other european powers, as we will see below.

Rivalries between European powers: The ugly face of Mercantilism

One of the most blatant cases of antagonism between powers in the context of Mercantilism, is the maritime war fought between England and Holland - or, I should say, the wars, as they were actually three, only culminating with the Peace of Ütrecht, which also saw the signing of a trade agreement between both countries.

European borders at the time of the Peace of Ütrecht

Apart from this, other great conflict of interests that took place in the 17th century happened between France and Holland, due to Colbert's politics. In fact, the crucial error that many scholars point in the French Mercantilism, is that he assumed an economic policy which presented itself as static; what this means is that he didn't assume the obvious response that other countries would give towards France's policies. So, being limited in it's commerce with France, Holland no longer frequented French ports, and no longer imported any products that were made there. This crucially limited France's exporting capacity - consider this and the fact that Louis XIV's court had tremendously expensive costs to the Treasure of the State, and we can understand how the crown failed to accumulate the so wished precious metals.

In all this complex economic conjuncture, we can spot a generalized fact - every country wanted to export their own goods, and no one wanted to import. This, naturally, lead to a generalized failure in terms of the objectives of accumulating money - but it also made sure that Europe got more modernized, abandoning certain archaic aspects that accompanied it since the Middle Ages. And, of course, England, with it's moderate politic of "just the right number of imports", was the most successful country, giving place to a stable economic platform that projected her to the vanguard of the 18th century.

Recommended bibliography:

CIPOLLA, Carlo, Before the Industrial Revolution: European Society and Economy 1000-1700, London, Routledge, 1993.
CORVISIER, André, Précis d'Histoire Moderne, [s. l.], Presses Universitaires de France, 1999.
VAGGI, Gianni, GROENEWEGEN, Peter, A Concise History of Economic Thought: From Mercantilism to Monetarism, [s. l.], Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Akhenaten, a man with a vision

2011-04-02T21:40:00.002+01:00

Akhenaten (meaning "The Spirit of Aten") was the name adopted by the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, as part of his cultural revolution in Ancient Egypt - a revolution that would die with him.

He reigned approximately between 1353 and 1336 B.C.E., during the New Kingdom period, and is part of a time with figures which today are well known throughout the world: his father Amenhotep III (whose rule is considered by many to be the highest point in Ancient Egyptian History), his wife Nefertiti, and his son, Tutankhamun (add the names of Cleopatra, Thutmosis III, Hatshepsut and Ramesses II, and you pretty much have all the egyptian pharaohs which are mainstream nowadays)

Akhenaten is subject of much controversy and speculation within the Egyptology community. Some claim he was an illuminated man, with ideas far ahead of his time, while others call him a tyrant, with the single objective of concentrating all the power in his figure, as a divine ruler. Well, the similarities with the french king Louis XIV are uncanny - but Akhenaten literally was "Le Roi Soleil".

Egypt had a wide menagerie of different gods and goddesses, varying from region to region in terms of relevance - but, during the New Kingdom, the cult of the god Amun was the biggest one. And, as a consequence, the Priests of Amun were the most influential ones; they were both rich and powerful. Akhenaten's father, Amenhotep III, had already tried to reduce their power during his reign, but when Akhenaten ascended to pharaoh, it was a complete revolution. He instituted the cult of a sole deity: Aten, the Solar Disk. Aten had no anthropomorphic representation, it was simply the sun disk with it's rays stretching towards the earth, with hands at the end, generally carrying the Ankh, the symbol of life. This must have been a shock for most egyptians, for every god they knew had some kind of anthropomorphic figure, generally a fusion between an animal and a human. But not anymore - although the other gods were not abolished, Aten was the one to be worshipped, as a form of Henotheism, and not Monotheism. And, as a further point to enforce his power, Akhenaten declared himself the son of Aten, and was the only one who could communicate directly to him, and vice-versa.

This was not a simple religious reformation; it was a political, cultural and social transformation. Despite the fact that Akhenaten's intentions about a more "pure" religion were true or not, he had big political motivations for what he did. He was able to reduce Amun's Priesthood power, money and influence to some extent, and changed the capital of Egypt to a whole new, virgin ground - naming this new city "Akhetaten" ("Horizon of Aten"). It symbolized a new birth for Egypt, the beginning of a new glorious age. But the light of this new Sun wouldn't last long.

There was tremendous change in terms of art - old egyptian laws were forgotten, giving place to incredible innovation. For example, the Pharaoh and his family were represented in a more intimate way, where Akhenaten and Nefertiti played with their children, or the fact that fingers were being now drawn on the feet of human pictures - this was never done before, and after Akhenaten's death, it would never be done again. Also, the body of the Pharaoh was drawn in a very strange way, with the head stretched, and having both female and male characteristics - this was not an innovation in terms of art (there are gods who have both male and female aspects clearly shown), but it was in terms of application; the tradition was to represent the Pharaoh in a very masculine, vigorous and young posture. Before Akhenaten, there were also some representations of affection between a Pharaoh and his wife, but not with the level of intimacy now seen. Finally, we have a feeling of movement in the art, which is also something new - old representations were very static, with one foot in front of another, and with the chest shown frontally, while the rest of the body was showing only its profile.

Alas, despite his energetic reformation, it died with him - Akhetaten was abandoned, while its buildings were dismantled and the rocks used for other foundations. The cult of Amun was restored with his son, Tutankhaten, who changed his name to Tutankhamun to reflect this return of tradition. And, while some artistic aspects survived during Tutankhamun's short reign, they were not to be seen afterwards. Probably soon after the young pharaoh's death, the names of all the pharaoh's which were part of this troubled period were deleted of the Lists of Pharaoh's - obviously, not all of them, or we wouldn't know any of these pharaohs' names.

This was but a short summary of this fascinating period, and if you are interested, here are some recommended books:

ALDRED, Cyril, Akhenaten, King of Egypt, [s. l.], Thames & Hudson, 1991.
____________, Egyptian Art, [s. l.], Thames & Hudson, 1980.
ARAÚJO, Luís, Dicionário do Antigo Egipto, Lisboa, Editorial Caminho, 2001.
FREED, Rita, MARKOWITZ, Yvonne, Pharaohs of The Sun, [s. l.], Thames & Hudson, 1999.
SHAW, Ian, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003.

"The Benefits of Animals" - a Medieval Persian Bestiary

2011-03-27T17:20:00.003+01:00

While searching for books about Islam in my university's library, I came across a quite interesting one: "Great Ages of Man: Early Islam" (1968), by Desmond Stewart. It looks on the subject of Early Islam without a very meticulous analysis, but rather in a reader-friendly manner. It is a great book for those starting to study Islam, but has little to give you if you have studied this religion in more depth. Still, what really got my attention, was this little chapter, about a Persian Bestiary.

In the 11th century, a Persian known as Ibn Bakhtishu', who was a physician to the Abbassid Caliph in Baghdad, compiled information about various animals, mainly featuring any healing qualities that they might possess. Two centuries after Ibn Bakhtishu' wrote it, the work was "translated from Arabic into Persian and illustrated with 94 charming miniatures." - today, this work, named Manafi' al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals), is in the New York's Morgan Library.

Desmond Stewart included in his book the descriptions of 9 different animals, whose excerpts I will present to you below.

Manafi' al-Hayawan, or "The Benefits of Animals"

by Ibn Bakhtishu'

The Simurgh

"The Simurgh, found in inacessible islands and near the equator, is fearless beyond all other animals. He can carry off exceedingly large animals like the elephant, and the rhinoceros and when he does, rocks quake and tremble. He builds his nest upon large trees."

NOTE: From the 9 animals featured here, this is the only mythological one. It was assimilated into Arab culture through the Persians, sometimes taking other names, like Rukh. Many similarities are found between the Simurgh and other mythological creatures of different civilizations - like the bird Garuda in Hinduism, or the european Gryphon. It's most famous mention is in Ferdowsi's epic poem, the "Shahnameh".

The Wolf

"Wolves go about singly because they are ferocious and do not trust one another. (...) The female is more wicked, more searching and courageous. (...) She howls until the shepherd's dog hears (...) so that the dog is misled; then she attacks the flock and snatches away a sheep.

The flesh of a wolf, beaten in a mortar, and cooked in the juice of celery and honey, then mixed with saffron, galangale and white pepper, a little bit of each, and taken with the juice of mouse ear, is good for fever."

The Lion

"Of all wild animals the lion is the strongest. (...) He does not attack women or children; (...) he is afraid of a white rooster and does no harm to a caravan in which a rooster is found. (...) His bones contain no marrow. By rubbing or striking them together, one can produce fire. (...) Lion's flesh produces bad humours but it is good for paralysis."

The Elephant

"An elephant lives three or four hundred years; the animals with the longer tusks have a longer life. The elephant is afraid of a young pig and a horned ram but he is annoyed most of all by the gnat and the mouse. (...) One dram(*) of his ivory is good for leprosy; (...) his fat relieves headaches when it is burned and the patient sits on the fumes."

(*) Dram: ancient unit of measurement used in the Arab world, and derived from Roman and Greek units of measure.

The Leopard

"The leopard is a fierce enemy of man, unmanageable and ferocious. He eats only his own game. When satiated, he sleeps for three days and three nights in succession; (...) A sick leopard gets well by eating mice. His skin is tender and if he is wounded it breaks with a slight stroke.

The flesh and fat of a leopard, boiled in the juice of olives, serve as a good salve for the sores, abcesses and pimples that break out on the body; his blood is a preventive liniment for all skin diseases."

The Bear

"The bear eats like beasts of prey and grazes like cattle; he climbs trees backwards and likes to be concealed and live in caves. During the cold weather and winter he stays in his den and never eats (...).

The female keeps her young outdoors until they are strong enough, then she carries them on her back up the big trees to feed them with fruit. The bear is very annoying to the honey-bees; he throws the hive into water, so as to drown the bees and eat the honey (...)

Bear bile with ground pepper restores hair; (...) If a man puts the hair of the tail of a bear on his ear, however much he drinks, he will never be intoxicated; (...) the left eye, tied to the arm, cures malaria. His tooth tied on a child makes teething easier."

The Camel

"Camels are revengeful and of a good memory; whenever they are beaten they seek an opportunity to avenge themselves. (...) The camel does not like the company of a horse, as they always fight. His flesh is tough; it cannot be easily digested and produces melancholia.

The brain of a female camel, dried and liquefied with vinegar, is good for epilepsy resulting from melancholia. (...) The milk is useful for dropsy and for trouble of the liver and spleen. (...) The saliva, in vinegar, is given to an insane man who is as violent as an infuriated camel."

The Mountain Goat

"One of the wonderful traits of the mountain goat is that he leaps down from places that are at a height of about a hundred spears, and stands on his horns. (...) The number of the joints of his horns corresponds to the number of the years of his age.

If one half dram of the goat's bile is taken in the juice of wild lettuce by a person when the sun is in the sign of Aries, he will have no fear and apprehension for one year, until the sun again reaches the sign of Aries. The dung, burned and applied to baldness, restores the hair; (...) applied to the eye, it removes cataracts. If the hair is set on fire, insects and reptiles run away. Allah knows best."

The Rhinoceros

"The rhinoceros is the rarest of all the animals of his kind, and the female bears only one offspring during her lifetime. The rhinoceros hates the elephant and is not afraid of him

(...) The horn is about a cubit long, but stronger than the tusks of the elephant, more pointed and harder (...). The usefulness of a rhinoceros is in his horn and gall; if they are set on fire, the spell and evil eye are offset. He is fierce in reedy places but timorous elsewhere."

After reading through these excerpts, we realize that there are indeed some true observations, certainly understood through empirical observation. Despite the fact that much of the medical information has no scientific support, it shows the spirit of this age: a complete thirst for knowledge. And if here it is suggested burnt Mountain Goat dung to cure the cataracts, the fact is that by the 14th century cataracts were indeed successfully cured by physicians all over the arab world - as opposed to Europe, where the most common treatment for any illness was bleeding, either through a cut or with the aid of leeches. And I must say that I love the Mountain Goat's description, where Ibn Bakhtishu' wrote "Allah knows best." - yes, who knew Mountain Goat dung would have so many uses? :-)

Of course, it is easy for us, in 2011, to laugh at this. But to approach this issue in a historical and competent way, no judgements should be made - this bestiary, as well as any other subject, for that matter, must be studied with the eyes of the time. In that way, I believe Manafi' al-Hayawan to be a masterpiece, and I wish I knew Persian, only to be able to study it with all it's poetic vigor and élégance.

The s*#% hits the fan

2011-03-24T00:09:00.000Z

"Portugal in crisis after prime minister resigns over austerity measures

Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates has said he has submitted his resignation to the president after parliament rejected his minority Socialist government's latest austerity measures.

The loss of the vote "has taken away from the government all conditions to govern," Sócrates said. It brings the country closer to needing a bailout.

Sócrates is said he tendered his resignation to President Aníbal Cavaco Silva tonight, leaving the country in a political limbo that would place further pressure on Portugal's record-level bond yields.

Sócrates had said before the vote that he would resign if the measures to cut spending and increase taxes – designed to see off a bailout similar to those taken by Greece and Ireland – were rejected.

The measures had aroused the fury of trade unions, and railway engineers walked off the job in the morning, causing widespread travel disruption.

Political turmoil in Lisbon set nerves jangling in the eurozone just as it was revealed that EU leaders would postpone making a decision on a new €440bn bailout fund. A draft version of the deal to be agreed after two days of talks on Thursday and Friday delays a final decision until June, according to reports.

An election in Portugal will take at least 55 days to organise. That raised additional fears that Sócrates – who would head a caretaker administration with limited powers until then – will be unable to head off a full collapse in market confidence.

"My worry is the period of inaction before a new government takes over," said Silvio Peruzzo, an economist at RBS in London.

The main opposition centre-right Social Democratic Party, led by Pedro Passos Coelho, has been ahead in recent opinion polls. The Social Democrats also favour debt control.

Portugal's benchmark 10-year bond yield had risen to 7.77% before the debate on Wednesday, while five-year bonds hit a euro lifetime high of 8.2%.

Economists see borrowing costs above 7% as unsustainable and say Portugal will have to resort to the rescue mechanism.

Analysts suggested the failure to agree on measures would push Portugal closer to a bailout.

"It seems more and more likely that Portugal will need some kind of support," Charles Diebel, head of market strategy at Lloyds bank, said before the debate.

News of the delay in putting together the €440bn eurozone rescue fund, coupled with concern about Portugal, could lead to another spell of instability on bond markets.

"I fear that Monday could be Black Monday for markets," one EU financial source told Reuters, emphasising that EU policymakers still had a long way to go to draft all the necessary documents.

Portugal's national debt stands at 83% of GDP. The budget deficit hit 9.3% of GDP in 2009, but was lowered to 7.3% in 2010 and Sócrates had wanted it to remain at 4.6% by the end of this year.

Even before Wednesday's events, Portugal's economy had been expected to shrink by 1.3% this year."

-The Guardian UK

'Like' this blog on Facebook!

2011-03-23T19:02:00.002Z

Just wanted to say that I've created a Facebook page for this blog, so all you need to do is to click the 'Like' button located in the top of the sidebar, to the left!

In the page, not only will you be updated with new posts, but also other news that I might share regarding History, Science, Philosophy, or any other topic of interest related to this blog.

Inca Empire: Conquerors of the Heights

2011-03-21T20:01:00.004Z

In the year of 1911, one hundred years ago, Hiram Bingham, an American historian and future member of the United States Senate, brought to the attention of the whole world a place of enormous historical importance to the study of the Incan Empire: this place was Machu Picchu. Two years since this discovery, the National Geographic Society dedicated their April 1913 issue to Machu Picchu.

As a History student, I can not say how important was this discovery in a historiographical and archaeological context. As the place was not discovered by the Spanish conquerors, it remained untouched until it's discovery by Bingham, giving a much more reliable scientific information. It is not often that we are able to study a "virgin" discovery, which has not been adultered in some form - but Bingham seems to have had this great opportunity. In terms of History and Archaeology, I find some resemblance between the discovery of Machu Picchu and the discovery of the untouched tomb of Tutankhamun, in Egypt, by Howard Carter, in 1922. But the scope of information that each site contains is very different - although untouched, the amount of information provided by Tutankhamun's tomb was inferior, compared to the amount of information that Machu Picchu provided to those who study pre-Colombian civilizations.

This month, the National Geographic Magazine will feature an article about the Inca and Machu Picchu, providing very interesting information about the way the Inca forged their empire. I recommend checking out the following link, showing photographies with marvelous quality, which are featured in the April 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands March 29:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/inca-empire/clark-photography

Quite gently, National Geographic Magazine has provided me with some excellent quality photos, as well as the permission to show you an excerpt of the upcoming article, written by Heather Pringle. I must honestly say that it looks phenomenal, but that comes to no surprise, as that is what National Geographic has made us used to.

"Lofty Ambitions of the Inca

Rising from obscurity to the heights of power, a succession of Andean rulers subdued kingdoms, sculpted mountains, and forged a mighty empire.

On the remote Peruvian island of Taquile, in the middle of the great Lake Titicaca, hundreds of people stand in silence on the plaza as a local Roman Catholic priest recites a prayer. Descended in part from Inca colonists sent here more than 500 years ago, the inhabitants of Taquile keep the old ways. They weave brilliantly colored cloth, speak the traditional language of the Inca, and tend their fields as they have for centuries. On festival days they gather in the plaza to dance to the sound of wooden pipes and drums.

©Robert Clark/National Geographic

Perched high in the Peruvian Andes, the royal retreat of Machu Picchu testifies to the Inca's masterful building skills with its precision-cut stones and perfectly placed cascades of terraces.

Today, on a fine summer afternoon, I watch from the sidelines as they celebrate the fiesta of Santiago, or St. James. In Inca times this would have been the festival of Illapa, the Inca god of lightning. As the prayers draw to a close, four men dressed in black raise a rustic wooden litter holding a painted statue of Santiago. Walking behind the priest in a small procession, the bearers carry the saint for all in the plaza to see, just as the Inca once shouldered the mummies of their revered kings.

The names of those Inca rulers still resonate with power and ambition centuries after their demise: Viracocha Inca (meaning Creator God Ruler), Huascar Inca (Golden Chain Ruler), and Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (He Who Remakes the World). And remake the world they did. Rising from obscurity in Peru's Cusco Valley during the 13th century, a royal Inca dynasty charmed, bribed, intimidated, or conquered its rivals to create the largest pre-Columbian empire in the New World.

©Robert Clark/National Geographic, At Museo Leymebamba, Chachapoyas, Peru

Five centuries ago, these mummies were bound into bundles, which resulted in contorted poses but made them easier to carry. Modern looters tore off their wrappings, hoping to find gold.

Scholars long possessed few clues about the lives of Inca kings, apart from flattering histories that Inca nobles told soon after the arrival of Spanish conquistadores. The Inca had no system of hieroglyphic writing, as the Maya did, and any portraits that Inca artists may have made of their rulers were lost. The royal palaces of Cusco, the Inca capital, fell swiftly to the European conquerors, and a new Spanish colonial city rose on their ruins, burying or obliterating the Inca past. In more recent times, civil unrest broke out in the Peruvian Andes in the early 1980s, and few archaeologists ventured into the Inca heartland for more than a decade.

Now archaeologists are making up for lost time. Combing rugged mountain slopes near Cusco, they are discovering thousands of previously unknown sites, shedding new light on the origins of the Inca dynasty. Gleaning clues from colonial documents, they are relocating the lost estates of Inca rulers and examining the complex upstairs-and-downstairs lives of imperial households. And on the frontiers of the lost empire, they are piecing together dramatic evidence of the wars Inca kings fought and the psychological battles they waged to forge dozens of fractious ethnic groups into a united realm. Their extraordinary ability to triumph on the battlefield and to build a civilization, brick by brick, sent a clear message, says Dennis Ogburn, an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte: "I think they were saying, We are the most powerful people in the world, so don't even think of messing with us."

©Robert Clark/National Geographic

Women waiting for a lift at Abra Málaga wear clothing that reflects their country’s history. Their shawls follow an Inca tradition, but their upturned hats and full skirts were inspired by the Spanish.

On a sun-washed July afternoon, Brian Bauer, an archaeologist from the University of Illinois at Chicago, stands in the plaza of the sprawling Inca ceremonial site of Maukallacta, south of Cusco. He takes a swig of water, then points to a towering outcrop of gray rock just to the east. Carved into its craggy summit are massive steps, part of a major Inca shrine. Some 500 years ago, says Bauer, pilgrims journeyed here to worship at the steep outcrop, once regarded as one of the most sacred places in the empire: the birthplace of the Inca dynasty.

(...)"

- by Heather Pringle

My developments in Arabic Calligraphy

2011-03-13T22:53:00.000Z

More than 2 months ago, I wrote a post about a type of art that I recently got into: Arabic Calligraphy. I wrote a brief summary about its importance in the Islamic society, and how did the aniconic nature of Islam contribute to the development of this form of Art.

Today, Arabic Calligraphy is more than a way to preserve the teachings of the Qu'ran. It is used in the making of logos for industries, television channels, book covers, and more. Although the main sources for Arabic Calligraphy artists are still the Qu'ran, the Hadiths of the Prophet, and popular proverbs or verses of poetry, it has a whole new dimension to it. Many interior designers find it very good to decorate the walls of a modern, minimalist home. Even graffiti artists do some work in this area, which is quite amazing.

Traditionally, you get to learn Arabic Calligraphy from a master. He will keep giving you assignments, and will then correct them with red ink, so you can see your mistakes and improve. It takes years to master this art, as the proportions of the letters are almost mathematical. For me, a Portuguese student, it is difficult to learn this art through the traditional manner. So, with the aid of some books on the matter, what I keep doing is studying the proportions of the letters and copying other artist's work, so I gradually get better at it. It has to be me doing the corrections to my errors, but most of the time, they are easily spottable. Here are some of the works that I have done - note that even though these are my drawings, I copied them from original work done by other artists. It is not my intention to make any form of plagiarism - it is just one way of learning. Hope you enjoy them!

Wish the days were longer...

2011-03-10T13:13:00.000Z

I have been rather busy these last few days, having little time to write a decent article for the blog. But, as soon as I can, there will be one!

Another milestone: 20,000 Visits

2011-03-04T18:01:00.000Z

When I originally thought of this blog, I never thought that it would last. I thought it would be just a temporary experience, something to play with until I got tired.

You, the readers, have seen for yourselves the evolution of this blog: originally, "The Temple of Atheism", it was the place for me to protest against what I feel is the tyranny of organized religions. I wrote articles, I posted cartoons, I suggested links - everything with the premise of Atheism in mind.

Around December, I decided to change. I felt that, having a blog about Atheism, was not that different of having a blog about religion - the same fundamentalism was in place, and, to some extent, the same paradigm. I decided to move on, to an area that, I feel, is much more contributive to the growth of the human mind: History. It is the subject that I study at university, it is my passion, and it is me - I wouldn't imagine my life without it. I've had a friend contribute to this blog with a couple of articles, and I wrote others, from the end of the Ancient World, going through the travels of Ibn Battutah, to Chivalry in the Middle Ages. It is, pretty much, enclosed in a sort of a "medieval halo", as a professor of mine gently described it to me. I'm very proud of it, and I hope, that you have pleasure reading what I write.

A big thanks to my readers, which are the reason for me to write!

The river of endless cries

2011-03-02T19:40:00.000Z

(Gustave Doré's illustration for Dante's Divine Comedy, depicting the river Styx)

Hath not the Jew eyes?

2011-02-25T15:38:00.001Z

"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means,
warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer
as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,
do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.
If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility?
Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his
sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge.
The villainy you teach me, I will execute,
and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction."

-Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act III Scene I

ليبيا‎‎

2011-02-24T19:42:00.002Z

Terrorism: a misleading concept - II

2011-02-22T22:10:00.001Z

Continuing with the series of articles entitled "Terrorism: a misleading concept", written by Gonçalo Ramos, we now present to you the second one, which is about the genesis of terrorism in the Ancient World. Assyrians, Romans, Greeks and Persians - they have a lot to teach us about Terrorism, even though we don't think much about it; Terrorism, for most people, it is all about suicide bombings done by Muslim people. Let us dispel this misconception, with this wonderfully written article!

Terrorism: historical roots in the Pre-Classic and Classic World

Following the previous and already long-time released article, this one will approach Terrorism through a historiographical point of view. As such, this article will be, unlike the previous one, a short essay whose true intention is to determine the historical roots of this phenomenon rather than an intensive and surely fruitless explanation about the Terrorism per si, which, by the way, would be negligible without the following arguments concerning the historical roots of this event.

With no intention of compiling an exhaustive list of all historical events regarding the roots of Terrorism acts, we will just refer the most preeminent in this context and, especially, those who clearly fit the characteristics of the contemporary phenomenon.

The truth is that we can actually take back the Terrorism into the Pre-Classic World, more specifically into the Assyrians, the well-known tribe whose rule over Near-East, during the 8th and the 9th century b. C., was almost overwhelming, and, for the purposes of our discussion in this essay, whose conquering methods included what we can call, in nowadays, a psychological warfare. The main goal of this type of war is, according to the military experts, to avoid fighting by simply presenting a largely discouraging scenario that the enemy wouldn’t have another choice but to surrender. The truth is that the Assyrians, highly militarized, often compose huge piles of human heads by the doors of the fortified cities they intended to conquer. And even more often, the one-second-before tenacious defenders became poor and shivering victims of Assyrians military power within a minute. The attentive reader will, nevertheless, find out a failure in this example: if Terrorism is far different from war (since the latter military aggression is legitimated by International Law), why mix both up, using the Assyrian Wars as a terrorist example? It´s a very good question, whose answer is quite simple: the truth is that, in many ways, the means used in both of the acts are, most of the times, very identical, although, obviously, as it was said above, both of the acts are distinct precisely in terms of its legal legitimacy. In this case, by referring the Assyrians, my intention is merely to trace back the origin of the means commonly inherent to Terrorism.

A few centuries after Assyrian hegemony, in Ancient Greece, we observe the very same behavior in the Persian Wars, between the Greek State-Cities and the Persian Empire. It was undoubtedly one of the most notorious Wars of all time, for what it represented in terms of Clash of Civilizations (Samuel Huntington). Actually, this example is doubly interesting, since it can be considered one of the roots of the hard dialogue between the East and the West and, for our purposes in this short essay, as one more example of the abovementioned psychological warfare. We are referring, of course, to the Thermopylae Battle (480 b. C.), in which, according to Herodotus, three-hundred Spartans fought, almost successfully, the huge Persian army, with more than a million men, although these figures are clearly exaggerated. Be that as it may, the point is that the number difference must have been very large, which led the Greeks to act upon the enemy’s psychology, by gathering, just like the Assyrians, huge piles of corpses, that were used not only as discouraging element, but also as a thick barrier between the battlefield and the position guarded by the Greeks themselves. It is another example of a deterrent strategy, still applied to a War, nevertheless.

Last but not least, it would be most unforgivable not to mention the Roman Empire and one of the most familiar punishments of that civilization: the crucifixion, traditionally inherent to the Christian Tradition, since the prophet of that religion has suffered that exact penalty. However, this sanction was generally applied to every inhabitant of the Empire who had committed treason. The truth about crucifixion is that it is a rather painful way of dying, since the victim choked until death, in slow agony, usually with no support to the legs, which, according to modern medicine, would grant some relief to the convicted. It is also worth-mention that this kind of punishment took place in a public space, precisely as deterrent plan towards any other potential traitor. Furthermore, the victim’s family wasn’t allowed to retrieve the body, in order to grant him a proper grave. Instead, the corpses were kept in the cross in order to offer everyone a body corruption “show”. I think it is not needed a large amount of imagination to picture the impact of this acts upon the conscious of people dwelling in that period of time.

Let us put an end to this horror, for now and focus on one important consequence in all of this: the roots of a phenomenon like the one we’ve been approaching are very antique and, in our view, it is clearly not enough to trace back the origin of it only two-hundred years ago, with the French Revolution. A large number of antecedents can be dissected, as we can observe, and it would be historiographically wrong not to do so.

-by Gonçalo Matos Ramos

Macintosh - My new religion!

2011-02-20T15:31:00.000Z

I'm not an atheist anymore - I believe in god, and his name is Steve Jobs.

This simple hyperbolization serves merely to illustrate the passion that I have developed for Apple and Macintosh. All my life, I've been a Windows user, from using Windows 98 at my school, to Windows 7 more recently. I gladly followed the evolution of this operating system, who tried to improve every time, with all its pros and cons.

Very recently, though, I acquired a MacBook Pro. My father had already one, so I knew what it was like. But I never payed much attention to it, thinking of my Windows as something like my name - something that I would never change. Windows was there, it was mainstream, and I had no reason to get away from it. But the Macintosh seed was planted, and it started growing. I started reading more about it, reading comparisons between different operative systems, etc.

It was some months ago that I decided to make the change. And now I've done it. Any regrets? Yes - I regret that I didn't do it before. Macintosh isn't without its flaws! First, and the one that annoys me the most, is that although it is a company that makes a lot of money, all the things I buy from Apple come with these tiny letters saying "Made in China". Yes, good old American capitalism - criticize China's regime, but use it in your favor. And it was recently pointed in this article, that even child's labor has been used, which is even more disgusting. Besides this, other flaw of Mac, is that a Windows PC vs Mac with same computer specs, have a big difference in prices - Macintosh is much more costly, probably for an excuse of "design". Despite this, Macintosh is far better, and it seems to me just a natural evolution from Windows - just like Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis to Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

Motivation

2011-02-11T12:46:00.000Z

Following Ibn Battutah's Footsteps - II

2011-02-09T23:32:00.004Z

Egypt: The Heritage of the Pharaohs and the Daughter of the Nile - II

Burhan al-Din the Lame

When Ibn Battutah tells us about some of the learned men that he met in al-Iskandariyah, he refers the imam Burhan al-Din the Lame, which he refers to as "(...) one of the greatest ascetics and a devotee of outstanding personality. I met him during my stay in Alexandria and I spent three days as his guest.". This person may have been of great importance to motivate Ibn Battutah to travel far away into India, China and Sind, for he, has Ibn Battutah recalls, predicted that he would visit each of these places, and pass on the greetings of the imam to his friends in each of these cities. Many who study the Rihlah of Ibn Battutah believe that these friends of Burhan al-Din the Lame are nothing more than metaphors, and some even argue that Ibn Battutah only thought of including this episode in his work when he came back, making up the whole thing, and trying to show that it was his destiny to reach all these places. Of course, this is all but speculation, so let us not dwell that deep into it, even though they are interesting questions to raise.

The city of Dimyat

"(...) Dimyat (Damietta). It is a city of spacious quarters and with a diversity of fruits, admirably laid out, and enjoying a share of every good thing. It lies on the bank of the Nile, and the people in the houses next to the river draw water from it in buckets. Many of the houses have steps leading down into the Nile. Banana trees are especially abundant there, and their fruit is carried to Cairo in boats. Its sheep and goats are allowed to pasture at liberty day and night (...). Outside the town there is an island lying between the sea and the river, called al-Barzakh. On this island there is a mosque and a hermitage, (...) and a number of pious poor brethren (faqiirs), devoted to the religious life and of excellent character, who passed the night in prayers, recitation of the Qur'an, and liturgical exercises."

This is another clear description of a traditional egyptian city, with a very close relationship with the Nile. The abundance of fruits reflects the fertility of the lands, which were rich with essential nutrients. The sheep and goats are still, today, one of the most important economic activities of this region, producing the famous Damiati cheese. Also, although with more means of transport nowadays, the Nile was the best way to transport these goods into other egyptian cities. Finally, Ibn Battutah mentions a group of faqiirs (in arabic, this means 'poor'), in a tone of praise for their devotion to Islam, and their right example.

He also supplies us with another piece of valuable information, related to the period of the Crusades and its consequences. It seems that, the town of Dimyat that Ibn Battutah visited was of recent construction; the old one had been destroyed by the Crusaders, which the Arabs designated as the 'Franks' (for more about this, I also recommend reading "T he Crusades Through Arab Eyes", by Amin Maalouf - note that is formation is in journalism, and not History, but it is still well done in terms of information).

Cairo and the Egyptian Nile

"From Dimyat I travelled up the Nile until at length I arrived at the city of Misr (Cairo), mother of cities and seat of pharaoh the tyrant, mistress of broad provinces and fruitful lands, boundless in multitude of buildings, peerless in beauty and splendor, the meeting-place of comer and goer, the stopping-place of feeble and strong. Therein is what you will of learned and simple, grave and gay, prudent and foolish, base and noble, of high estate and low estate, unknown and famous; she urges as the waves of the sea with her throngs of folk and can scarce contain them for all the capacity of her situation and sustaining power. Her youth is ever new in spite of length of days, and the star of her horoscope does not move from the mansion of fortune; her conquering capital (al-Qahirah) has subdued the nations, and her kings have grasped the forelocks of both Arab and non-Arab. She has has her peculiar possession the majestic Nile, which dispenses her district from the need of entreating the distillation of the rain; her territory is a month's journey for a hastening traveller, of generous soil, and extending a friendly welcome to strangers."

I did not have the courage to cut any single word of this paragraph out, for it is of a marvelous scale. So much information is contained therein, and it is quite magnificently written. All the details are so clearly put, that there is no extensive need to explain much of the above mentioned, except for the reference to al-Qahirah. Tim Mackintosh-Smith translates it as "The Conquering One", and it was the name given by the Fatimid dynasty to the capital which they founded in the year of 969 north of the old metropolis, and not far from one of the main cities of Ancient Egypt, Memphis. It is this name that is in the origin of Cairo. I also enjoy this idea that Ibn Battutah had of the Pharaoh - a tyrannic ruler. It is true that so little was known about Ancient Egypt in the 14th century, and I believe that this idea is influenced by the Bible, for the Pharaoh therein is portrayed as a inhumane, power-hungry, vain, luxurious ruler, who has a gigantic quantity of his slaves at his disposal.

Ibn Battutah goes on to describe an enormous amount of boats that travel through the Nile to reach all of Egypt, bringing goods from everywhere. The holy shrine where the head of al-Husain ibn Ali rests is also mentioned, one of the most (if not the most) important places for Shi'ite muslims.

His description of the river Nile is on par with the one of Cairo:

"The Egyptian Nile surpasses all the rivers of the Earth in sweetness of taste, breadth of channel and magnitude of utility. Cities and villages succeed one another along its banks without interruption and have no equal in the inhabited world, nor is any river known whose basin is so intensively cultivated as that of the Nile."

The Pyramids and the Pharaonic Temples

"These are among the marvels which have been celebrated through the course of ages, and there is much talk and theorizing amongst men about them, their significance and the origin of their construction. They aver that all branches of knowledge which came into existence before the Deluge were derived from Hermes the Ancient, who lived in the remotest part of the Sa'id (Upper Egypt); (...) It is said that he was the first to speculate on the movements of the spheres and celestial bodies, and the first to construct temples and glorify God in them, (...) in which he depicted all the practical arts and their tools, and made diagrams of the sciences, in order that they might remain immortalized."

This paragraph is fantastic. It shows the perspective of the Egyptology (obviously, this is a more loosely use of the term, as their methods had nothing to do with those of Egyptology as we understand it today) in his time, which tried to make sense of those bizarre symbols written in the Ancient Egyptian ruins, through marvellous theories related to the myth of Hermes Trismegistus. In part they were right; the main purpose of the Pyramids was the protect the body of the Pharaoh, so he would have access to the Afterlife, with everything that was buried with him, which wasn't known at the time. But the Pyramids also served as a form of veneration towards the gods, with many prayers and rituals written inside.

In the next article, we will see what Ibn Battutah had to say about the Sultan of Egypt, and the story of an interesting person called Khasib, finishing his travel in Egypt before going to Syria.

Following Ibn Battutah's Footsteps - I

2011-02-07T00:49:00.003Z

Egypt: The Heritage of the Pharaohs and the Daughter of the Nile - I

It is now time to begin telling the wonderful story of Ibn Battutah. Roughly following the course of the book, we will start by looking at the most interesting events and descriptions on the first chapter, “North-West Africa and Egypt”. I forgot to mention in the introduction to Ibn Battutah’s work, that the wonderful thing about these stories is that we are able to read his descriptions of things that no longer exist, like the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which we will pay great attention to ahead.

Al-Iskandariyah and its Lighthouse

Ibn Battutah arrived to the city of al-Iskandariyah (Alexandria) on the 5th of April 1326. It is curious to note that this city has always been one of the most populated and important cities of Egypt, ever since the Ptolemaic Dynasty during Pharaonic times, and Ibn Battutah clearly tells us that, at the time of his visit, this is most true. He offers a beautiful, poetic description of it:

“Noble are her dwellings, graceful her qualities and to imposing size her buildings unite architectural perfection. She is a unique pearl of glowing opalescence, and a secluded maiden arrayed in her bridal adornments, glorious in her surprassing beauty, uniting in herself the excellences that are shared out by other cities between themselves through her mediating situtation between the East and the West. Every fresh marvel has there its unveiling, every novelty finds its way thither. Among all the ports in the world, I have seen none to equal it (...).”

Ignoring (with tremendous difficulty) the poetry quality of this excerpt, let us see more closely the phrase “(...) her mediating situation between the East and the West.”. This is of tremendous importance, in terms of information provided to the thirstful Historian. It tells us that, despite the conflicts that took place some centuries earlier, between the Crusaders and the Muslims, Alexandria had returned to its condition of a “mediator” between the Western and the Eastern worlds. Trade seems to be thriving, judging by Ibn Battutah’s description of the port, probably between the Italian city-states, aswell as some Jewish communities around Europe, and the Near East.

About the Lighthouse, Ibn Battutah tells us that it was located on the top of a mound in the Island of Pharos (which is the greek word for lighthouse, and derivations of it are it still found in many Romance Languages nowadays), connected by a long tongue of land, at about three miles of distance from the city. Also, the cemetery of Alexandria was located in this small peninsula, not far from the Lighthouse. At the time of his first visit, in 1326, Ibn Battutah says that one of its faces was already in ruins. In fact, we know that the Lighthouse was damaged in the years of 956, 1303 and 1323, so it must have been quite damaged by the time that Ibn Battutah first saw it. And, when Ibn Battutah returned the Maghrib in 1349, he visited the Lighthouse again, writing:

“(...) found that it had fallen into so ruinous a condition that it was impossible to enter it or to climb up to the doorway. Al-Malik al-Nasir (...) had started to build a similar lighthouse alongside it, which he was prevented by death from completing.”

After al-Malik al-Nasir's attempt to restore the Lighthouse (or, more precisely, to build another similar one next to it) failed, Ibn Battutah reports of no other major attempts to rebuild it.

In the next article, we will read more about Ibn Battutah's travel through Egypt, his meetings with Islamic saints, his considerations about the Pyramids, and what can we learn from him about the city of Cairo in the 14th century.

Lurking

2011-01-29T19:51:00.002Z

Following Ibn Battutah's Footsteps - Introduction

2011-01-25T19:24:00.002Z

Recently, I started reading an abridged edition, edited by Tim Mackintosh-Smith, of the book “The Travels of Ibn Battutah”, commonly known in Arabic as the ‘Rihlah’ (Travels). Almost as soon as I started, I knew that this book had much to teach, about the world (or part of it) in the 14^th century. And I thought that it would be a good idea, to frequently write something for the blog about it. Certain episodes that it might contain, certain descriptions, certain people worth knowing; all of these will be taken into account, and are absolutely worth sharing through the blog, in a series of articles with the name “Following Ibn Battutah’s Footsteps”. For the first article, I believe that a small introduction about Ibn Battutah should be made, offering a contextualization in time and space, which is of utmost importance for the Historian.

The full name of Ibn Battutah was Shams al-Din Abu Abdallah Muhammad Ibn Abdallah Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Battutah al-Lawati al-Tanji. Since I believe that knowing the significance of names and titles may be revealing about the person in study, I include here the explanation that Tim Mackintosh-Smith gives about the name:

«Shams al-Din, ‘the Sun of Religion’, is a typical handle (…) given to the names of scholars, mainly in the Islamic East. Abu Abdallah is ‘Father of Abdallah’ , (…) this is the respectful form of address, perhaps the equivalent of ‘Mr…’. Muhammad is the traveler’s personal name, Abdallah that of his father, Muhammad of his grande father, and so on. Ibn Battutah (…) is the family name (…). Al-Lawati is ‘of the tribe of Lawatah’ (…), al-Tanji ‘of Tanjah’, i.e. Tangier.»

Though he was probably ethnically Berber, this was a consideration that he surely wouldn’t have appreciated, and was, culturally, a regular Arab. Born in Morocco, as his name indicates, in the year of 1304, practically all that we know about him is what any information the Rihlah contains. The Rihlah was written down by Ibn Juzayy, between 1352 and 1355, in Granada, the last of the Islamic kingdoms in the al-Andalus, with the title “Tuhfat An-Nazar Fi Ghara'ib Al-Amsar Wa ‘Aja'ib Al-Asfar”, which can be translated as “A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling”. His travels went from Granada to China, covering about 75,000 miles (about 120,700 km, three times more than Marco Polo’s journey), starting in the year of 1325, and lasting until 1354.

The reason that made Ibn Battutah travel such a distance is not clearly known. In his own words, he was but doing is duty as a Muslim to perform the Hajj – the pilgrimage that every Muslim should do once in his life, to the Holy City of Mecca. But this reason only justifies his travel from Morocco to Arabia, and not the fact that he went further to the East, to China. There are also Islamic Hadiths (a Hadith is a saying attributed to Muhammad, Prophet of Islam) that endorse the act of travelling, as a ‘noble venture for the soul’, as well as passages from Islam’s holy book, al-Qur’an. The Rihlah also refers a very curious episode, in which Ibn Battutah meets with the saint Burhan al-Din the Lame. Having the divine gift of seeing into the future, like many other Islamic holy figures, he asked Ibn Battutah to give his greetings to his spiritual brothers (certainly, they were nothing but metaphorical characters) in Sind, India and China. So, this clearly is a case in which the saint’s supposed gift became true, because Ibn Battutah made it become true. He said that the saint’s message was cast into his mind, and he could not rest until he had visited those three places.

With this small introduction, I hope to make you interested in the wonderful character that was Ibn Battutah. His Rihlah is still an important source of study for the 14^th century, and is as an interesting book now, as it was more than 650 years ago, when it was written.

Knights in the Middle Ages

2011-01-21T20:13:00.005Z

The concept of Knighthood is not of a constant meaning throughout the whole of the Middle Ages, progressively transforming. It was a reality that found fertile ground in the Imaginary of the people, initially with very Pagan characteristics, but becoming gradually Christianized. But let us get deeper into this topic, through the use of some documents as well.

According to the historian J acques Le Goff, the concept of Knighthood has its origin between the 8^th and 9^th centuries. It is associated with the growing use of cavalry by the Franks, which becomes even more prevalent with Charlemagne. In fact, being a Knight meant using heavy armor, as well as a few horses, and these were costs that not everyone could support, so it was mainly accessible to the richest families – this helped in making the role of the Knight even more prestigious. As I previously said, the concept of Knighthood is initially very Pagan, or even secular, meaning that it was totally independent of the Christian doctrine. Gradually, though, the Christian ideology started influencing this concept, as the illustration shows.

Here, we can see a man, apparently young, that is kneeling before a priest, inside a Church, and with a very distinct cross right in the middle of the scene, as if presiding over it. It is probable that the young man is swearing an oath, as his hand is positioned over the Bible. Not directly taking part in the ceremony, but acting as an audience and, possibly, witnesses, is a group of soldiers, with a king among them, clearly distinct for two icons of power that he carries: a crown and a scepter. This image of the “good and noble Christian knight” will find a fertile ground in an imaginary of popular context, being a proof of that the «Chansons de Geste», which include the famous «La Chanson de Roland». In this song, the idealistic Christian knight is praised, as he fights against the Muslims until he dies because of his unending courage. There are also the famous tales about the «Knights of the Round Table», and their search for the Holy Grail, mainly those written by the French Chrétien de Troyes, which puts the Christian values of Purity, Faith and Chastity above everything else.

In this new image, we can see another of the values greatly appreciated in Knights, which was the respect for women, mainly for the young damsels. There were even Tournaments organized, in which the Knights fought for the respect, or even for the hand, of a damsel. In this picture, it is also very clear that the lady here represented belongs to the Aristocracy, for it is using a crown in her head; these were the woman who were really valued, and not the poor ones which made part of the lower society. These Tournaments were an important place to improve diplomatic relations between different families, arranging marriages between them for mutual benefit.

Finally, let us look at this short excerpt from Georges Duby’s “William Marshall: The Flower of Chivalry”:

«As soon as the band returned to Tancarville, the Master, the Squire, announced to the new Knights that from then on, they should only count with themselves. With their learning finally finished, he shall not feed them anymore. Let them get far, let them go away, (…) wandering the World.»

This text refers to a specific «modus vivendi» of some Knights that probably started around the 13^th century, and enduring through the following two centuries: the condition of the Knight-errant. This is due to the fact that most of the Knights were second-sons, having to search for riches and glory in other lands, as warriors. The text is also about a common practice related to the education of the Knights – the Knights were not educated in their own homes, but with other families, right from around the age of 8. The main reason for this, was that the young child would serve as a sort of safe-conduct for an alliance – this way, both families would honor the agreement, or something could happen to the children. It was when this Chivalric education was finally over, that the young Knight would become a Knight-errant, searching for a better future through battle.

The delightful taste of change, for the better

2011-01-18T00:50:00.000Z

Attention!

2011-01-07T00:27:00.000Z

العربية

2011-01-05T15:41:00.002Z

I am on my second year at university, and it was this year that I started studying the history of Islam. I've always had a certain fascination for the Middle East, from Arabia to India, especially. I don't know why, it has always been part of my imaginary as I grew up, possibly influenced by stories like "One Thousand and One Nights", the movie Aladdin, the books of Amin Maalouf, etc.

So, as interested as I was in learning more about the history of Islam and the Arabs, I also started learning the Arabic language by myself, whenever the time so allows - which, in university, is not much. From that, I now practice Arabic Calligraphy, which is still at a very premature state - all the imperfections are quite clear to anyone who is used to see this kind of art, which is not easy, and requires a healthy amount of time, patience, and, especially, dedication. With time, I expect to become better, keeping in mind that this is just a, delightful, hobby.

You are probably thinking that it is a bit strange to become interested in practicing a kind of art, because of being interested in a certain period in history. Well, while reading about this fascinating subject, I keep coming across beautiful works of art, which I truly appreciate. From that, I think it is only natural, that I like to replicate what I see, through my own hands. Initially, I started by writing the names of some friends in arabic, just for fun. Now, though, it is the majestic traces of the more complex calligraphy that keep me interested. Let me further explain what are these images I show here, and why is Calligraphy such a praised art in the Islamic world.

First, the photos here are mine, and they show my Arabic Calligraphy work. They are not a random drawing though - in them, it is written the first verse of the Qu'ran. Yes, the phrase بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم can be used to make these beautiful zoomorphic drawings. This confers an even more especial meaning to the drawing, mainly if you are a Muslim (which, obviously, I don't need to tell you that I am not). I should also clear up, that these drawings were not created by me: the first bird, was drawn originally by an artist in the 9th century, and the blue bird below, is from a Turkish artist. I'm simply trying to replicate their beautiful works of art.

The importance of Calligraphy in the Islamic world - History

This is very easy to explain - Islam appeared in the 7th century, with Muhammad, who started to preach this new faith to the people of the Arabian Peninsula, who were mainly polytheists at the time, with some Christian and Jewish communities among them. At this time, there was a big discussion going on in the Church, through all the Byzantine Empire, aswell as, with much less importance, in western Europe. This discussion concerned the problem of representing religious images, becoming known those who opposed any iconic representation as "Iconoclasts". Many historians believe that this was the main reason for the fact that Islam appeared as an aniconic religion - no images were used to represent the divine, prophets, and other religious symbolism.

With the absence of art such as paintings, Islamic artists started focusing on other subjects, like architecture and writing, being the last one that concerns us here. The art of Calligraphy became quite praised, and the men who practiced it enjoyed a very prestigious role in society, which lasted until today, though, as claimed by some studies, it is a profession in decline on the Islamic world.

With this small explanation, I hope you understood the importance of Arabic Calligraphy, and that you enjoyed my drawings. Hopefully, in the future, I might have better drawings to display.

!السلام عليكم

as-salaamu alaykum!

The Mediterranean in the 4th and 5th centuries C. E.

2011-01-02T22:36:00.001Z

«The Roman Empire, at the end of the third century, had one outstanding general characteristic: it was an essentially Mediterranean commonwealth.» - These are the words of the late historian Henri Pirenne, in his book “Medieval Cities: Their origins and the revival of trade”.

In fact, if we look to a map of the Roman Empire, we see that the Mediterranean lies in its very center – they proudly called it Mare Nostrum for a reason. Those distant frontiers, from the rivers of Germany, to the Euphrates in Mesopotamia, serve a more defensive purpose than an economic one – specially the European limes, as Mesopotamia served as a platform of trade with Asia, most notably India. And, interestingly, this complex phenomenon of trade taking place in the Mediterranean continued, from the beginning of Rome to the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire, and even then, it was maintained by Byzantium – notice that even its capital, Constantinople, was a city built on the shore - without any rivalry until the Islamic expansion.

In the beginning of the 4^th century, though, there was already a great contrast between the Western provinces of the Empire, and the Eastern ones – there were no really great cities left in the West, while the East was thriving with commerce, becoming some provinces highly developed, like Syria, which contributed even more to the orientalization of the Empire. And the increasing importance of the East is even more explicit, when we observe that, with the pressure in the frontiers of the Empire, the peripheral regions to the North and the Interior of Europe were the first ones to be lost, becoming the Empire more and more contracted around the Mediterranean. Also, the Germanic tribes kept advancing south, possibly and understandably, with the intention to reach this “idyllic place of riches” that must have seemed the Mediterranean. Of course, for about a century and a half, Rome was able to restrain these invasions, «(…) at the cost of exhausting her armies and her finances.»

In the beginning of the 5^th century, though, Rome couldn’t resist any longer, and the whole Western Empire was invaded, transforming the Germanic tribes the Roman provinces into kingdoms – the Vandals, crossed the Iberian Peninsula and were installed in Northern Africa, mainly in actual Tunisia, the Visigoths occupied much of the Iberian Peninsula aswell as Aquitaine, in France, the Burgundians stayed in Northern Italy, and the Ostrogoths made the rest of Italy their home. Notice, that all these new kingdoms mentioned here, are all in the Mediterranean sphere. And even though some might think that these invaders destroyed every city in its path, that is not true. Many of the cities just changed their rulers, from Romans to Germans, as the population was, in many cases, already a mix of different people – the barbarians had been infiltrating the Empire for more than two centuries, and at its final days, the army of the Western Roman Empire consisted in very large numbers of soldiers with Germanic origins. With the fall of the political power of the Romans in the West, their culture was still preserved by the invaders – it simply was “barbarized”. Now, all the great historical events are located in the shores of the Mare Nostrum, many of the great names of this time being natives from Mediterranean regions – Boëthius, Cassiodorus, St. Benedict, Gregory the Great, Isidorus of Seville – this is because the last schools were maintained in these regions, serving as a platform for cultural development.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T20:16:00.000Z

Yes... Let's hope that it is a good year...

Merry Winterval!

2010-12-24T13:17:00.000Z

The Egyptian Book of the Dead, and the Negative Confession

2010-12-18T21:27:00.001Z

"The Book of the Dead" is the name given by modern Egyptologists to a collection of papyrus covered with magical texts and illustrations called "vignettes", which the ancient Egyptians placed with their dead in order to help them overcome the challenges needed to get into "The Field of Reeds", which is the concept of paradise and eternal life of the ancient Egyptians.

The original name of The Book of the Dead is "The Book of Coming Forth By Day". Many of the texts and vignettes can be found in the walls of tombs, mummies' coffins, heart scarabs and even in other materials besides papyrus, like linen or leather. Some of the spells in The Book of the Dead originated in the Pyramid Texts, which seem to have first appeared around 2345 B.C.E. However, by the quality of its content, it is certain that these had been in existence before, maybe centuries. While the access to an eternal life was seen as a royal privilege in the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom saw the increased accessibility to this afterlife, being granted to all those who could afford the (expensive) equipment. This period saw the appearance of the Coffin Texts, which were a development from the Pyramid Texts, and as the name implies, were carved on the coffins. These were the predecessors of The Book of the Dead, which was in great use from around the New Kingdom period until the Late Period.

The Book of the Dead was a very expensive item (after all, it was the key to a eternal life), and it was very rare for someone to be buried with one containing all the spells. Most people bought only some of the main spells. Probably, the most common spell was Chapter 30B, which was inscribed on heart scarabs, and is concerned with the moment in which the heart of the dead is weighed in the scales of balance against the feather of the goddess Ma'at (goddess of Justice), and which can be seen on the image below.

"The Negative Confession", which is the 125th chapter of The Book of the Dead, is fundamental to understand what this collection of papyrus is all about. In it, the deceased declares to a tribunal of forty-two gods that he has not committed any of the mentioned crimes (or sins, which is a familiar term but not very accurate, as the Egyptians didn't have the same notions as we do, from our Judaico-Christian culture). The deceased, when he has finally reached the Hall of Justice, must first make an introduction while beholding the faces of the gods, and purging himself of all the evil which he might have done. He says things like:

"(...) I have not done what the gods detest,

I have not calumniated a servant to his master,

I have not caused pain,

I have not made hungry,

I have not made weep,

I have not killed(...)"

This introduction ends by the deceased reinforcing the idea that "(...) I [the deceased] am pure, pure, pure, pure! (...)". After this, it is finally time for the deceased to make its Declaration of Innocence before the gods of the tribunal. He starts by naming a god, and then declaring something he hasn't done. This declaration may seem very familiar to something found in the three major monotheistic faiths of today, which surely comes to no surprise, as Egypt had a great cultural influence on the region of Syria and Palestinia. Here is an excerpt from the declaration itself:

"(...) O Nosey who came forth from Hermopolis, I have not been rapacious.

O Swallower of shades who came forth from the cavern, I have not stolen.

O Dangerous One who came forth from Rosetjau, I have not killed men.

O Double Lion who came forth from the sky, I have not destroyed food-supplies. (...)"

Finally, the deceased is questioned and then announced, being able to reach the Field of Reeds, if he does not fail when his heart is weighed against the feather of Justice.

Terrorism: a misleading concept - I

2010-12-12T00:43:00.000Z

To inaugurate this 'new dawn' of my blog, I start by presenting the first article on the subject of "Terrorism", written by a colleague, and above all, a great friend, Gonçalo Ramos. He will contribute with a series of articles related to this topic, dealing with issues such as 9/11 and its impact, the israelo-palestinian problem, Iraq and Afghanistan, I.R.A., and more. He, like me, is a student of History - therefore, a sort of historical contextualization will be made in each article.

This first article serves merely as a simple introduction to the general issue of "Terrorism", approaching the problem of its definition, and its anarchical use in present day. It is my pleasure to provide a platform for his articles to become more acessible to a generalized audience, and without further ado, here is this first article:

Terrorism: A First Approach

Before we start, we shall make a point very clear: unlike many other texts regarding the same or even different themes, the following text is intimately connected with his title. It is, indeed, a first approach, non-exhaustive, which, obviously, will raise much more issues than those to which it’ll answer. This aception is essential in this context, for it will, I hope, tear apart any prejudice related to the misunderstanding of most of the citizens towards this issue, which must be urgently quelled. In this particular case, this won’t happen, since we are moving ourselves into one of science’s most true laws: the temporariness of every historiographical construction, especially in this case, where the lack of information is a constant obstacle and, mainly, because of the huge limitations of the author himself.

Having exposed our methodology, let us turn our attention onto this issue, one of the most contentious of our increasingly globalized world.

First of all, we must define the concept per si. Actually, terrorism is a word that has lost most of his meaning, since it has been used in an anarchic and very inappropriate way. There isn’t, of course, no trouble in tracing the root of the word back into the more general term of Terror. However, it is not so clear the justification for this use. Why has it been used this way in first place? Is it applied correctly? The main goal of this phenomenon is to create fear, in order to coerce any enemy (lato sensu) in the pursuit of a determined action. Nevertheless, by questioning the term itself, we must realize that we are working in one of the abovementioned historiographical constructions, therefore something not entirely reliable: we are referring to different times (for most of the historians they are all equivalent, which, in our view, distorts the reality) and to very distinguishable realities. Also, in this epistemological field of analysis, there’s something else very disturbing when one is studying Terrorism: the divisions usually used to differentiate many types of the same phenomenon. In this basis, many people speak of State Terrorism and Religious Terrorism, the latter widely spread in the last few years. But, considering it more profoundly, what is the main difference between both of them? Perhaps the second one might be individualized for its main goal, the conversion en masse of the hit target? Certainly not, the religious mark is exclusively applicable because their perpetrators use this argument as a form of legitimacy, some said. But others, deeply influenced by the incompatibility between the institution Religion and the use of violence, will deny the previous statement, underlining the intrinsically political ends of the terrorist acts.

We can’t know for sure. According to U.S.A. Army, there are more than a hundred different definitions of Terrorism, a large and discouraging amount of information, perfectly impossible of establishing an unchanged and complete definition for this phenomenon. Having this in mind, let us not forget the polyphonic and artificial nature of Terrorism, apparently insert in a coherent historical process. These aceptions will become clearer when we approach some of the most distinctive faces of Terrorism, such as the association of this process with Islam and the I.R.A.’s separatism towards England, for instance.

Let us put an end to this brief introduction by refocusing the importance of the temporariness of the meanings henceforth explained.

-by Gonçalo Matos Ramos

The silent melody of change

2010-12-06T23:00:00.003Z

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”, a great quote that I came across once, and that is attributed to M. Robinson.

Change is a constant. It affects us all, and it is part of us all. Many times, did I talk about the fact that, sometimes, I feel that writing about Atheism may be a pointless endeavour, and that I am doing the same that religious people do, but in a different context.

Today is a new day for my blog, and for me. After thinking about it for some weeks, I've decided to finally change the focus of my writing. I'm an History student, and want to make History my profession, my life, and I want to write about it. This does not mean that I will stop writing about religion - it just means that it won't be my main subject, from now on. My deepest interest is the History of Islam and the Arabs. My intention is to write about this, but also various other subjects of History. And, as a new feature, I will actually have some content written by other people, as guest writers, starting soon with a series of articles on Terrorism from a great friend, studying its historical roots and social impact.

It is important to say in advance that these articles will not be based on Wikipedia, or its type of 'knowledge'. They will be written based on solid bibliography, and, when possible, the study of historical sources and documents. This is of most importance to guarantee the quality of the text, and for the content to be truthful to History.

The title of the blog was changed to "1001 Tales of History - The Temple of Atheism" - it still has its original identity, but as a subtitle. I also intend not write as frequently as I do, but instead write less with better-quality content. I hope this change is appreciated, for I am surely motivated!

Truth for the Masses

2010-12-05T15:07:00.000Z

(http://wikileaks.ch/)

The Governments who claim to be the "Paladins of Freedom and Democracy", are the ones putting the most effort into destroying WikiLeaks. Ah, hipocrisy...

World AIDS Day 2010

2010-12-02T17:51:00.001Z

Although it was yesterday, December 1st, this whole week is important to raise awareness about the prevention of AIDS. It is a disease which is still very overlooked, and although scientists around the world work hard to find a cure, it is still not available. There are, of course, treatments to give infected people a good quality of life, which every human being deserves. When dealing with this matter, no matter what is your religion or creed, your health (and other's health aswell) is the priority - a condom never killed anyone, but AIDS claims millions each year. Don't be afraid of using it.

"Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2010 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. World AIDS Day is important for reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.
According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.3 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2009 some 2.6 million people became newly infected with the virus and an estimated 1.8 million people died from AIDS.¹
The vast majority of people with HIV and AIDS live in lower- and middle-income countries. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world."

If you want to know what you can do to help, check this link to AVERT's website.

Musicalholic - XXVI

2010-12-01T13:02:00.003Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

2010-11-30T13:22:00.000Z

"A Pakistani court has barred President Asif Ali Zardari from pardoning a Christian woman sentenced to death on charges of insulting Islam, in a case that has prompted criticism over the country's blasphemy law.
Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old mother of four, requested a pardon from the president after a lower court sentenced her to death on 8 November in a case stemming from a village dispute.
The Lahore high court today barred Zardari from pardoning Bibi in a petition filed by Shahid Iqbal, a Pakistani citizen. Iqbal's lawyer Allah Bux Laghari told Reuters a pardon was illegal as the court was already hearing an appeal against her sentence.
"We believe it is the court's duty to evaluate the evidence against her, not individuals, and if she is found innocent, she should be freed," he said.
Human rights groups have demanded the repeal of the law, which they say discriminates against religious minorities who make up roughly 4% of Pakistan's 170 million-strong population.
A government minister said last week that an initial inquiry into the case of the Christian mother said she had not committed blasphemy but was falsely accused after a quarrel.
Blasphemy convictions are common although the death sentence has never been carried out. Most convictions are thrown out on appeal, but angry mobs have killed many people accused of blasphemy."

-The Guardian UK

Be'twain' rationalism and reason

2010-11-28T00:41:00.001Z

(source)

Buddhism & Abortion

2010-11-25T22:12:00.000Z

"The discovery of more than 2,000 foetuses stored at a Bangkok temple has made front-page news across Thailand. As most abortion is illegal in Thailand, the case has shone a spotlight on a massive backstreet industry and sparked national debate about the country's current abortion laws, which date from the 1950s. With abortion routinely recognised as a "sin" in Theravada Buddhism, religion has played a significant social and political role in this debate.
The undertaker at Wat Phai Ngern is accused of accepting regular deliveries of foetuses in plastic bags from an intermediary, who was paid by clinics to dispose of them discreetly. Buddhist temples are often used to store bodies prior to cremation but, with the local crematorium out of order, complaints about the smell led to the discovery of the operation. The bags are thought to have come from up to 20 different locations, sparking a crackdown on 3,900 suspected illegal clinics nationwide.
In 1993 the Thai health ministry estimated there were 80,000 illegal abortions a year. An earlier study suggested the total was closer to 300,000. In urban areas doctors are responsible for many of the illegal abortions by providing them for congenital disorders and HIV infections.
This is despite the fact the law only permits abortions in cases of rape or physical risk to the woman's health. Illegality means that medical standards remain low – a study in 1993 found that over 1% of women attending regional hospital for illegal abortions subsequently died due to complications.
Theravada Buddhism in Thailand is a socially conservative force. About 95% of the population are Buddhist and Buddhism remains closely tied to the state.
Sociologist James Hughes explains that most eastern Buddhist commentators, through an acceptance of karmic rebirth, believe consciousness begins at conception. Therefore, "all abortion incurs the karmic burden of killing". While some monks such as Phra Thepwethi believe in a "middle way" (which regards abortion as a sin, but sometimes as the best option) the framing of abortion in terms of sin still has a significant cultural influence.
A survey of women who had had abortions found that more than half were fearful of community exposure and a third worried that they would suffer bad karma. Andrea Whittaker, in her book, Abortion, Sin and the State in Thailand also explains that "fear of bap (sin) is the most common reason given by women with unplanned pregnancies for why they didn't abort".
Thai Buddhism has also had a key political role in maintaining current abortion laws, which have remained unchanged since 1956. Public discussions on reform began in the 1970s and culminated in 1981 by passing of amendment in the House of Representatives. This proposed widening the legality of abortion to include considerations of mental wellbeing, congenital abnormalities and some cases of contraceptive failure. However, Major General Chamlong Srimuang mobilised a powerful religious coalition to successfully lobby against the amendment.
Chamlong's intervention marked a more overt role for Buddhism in politics. He is a member of the Buddhist movement Santi Asoke, whose founder, Phra Phothirak, challenged the idea that Thai monks should not comment on contemporary social issues. Phothirak believed that monks had a duty to speak out to oppose abortion as the killing of human life, arguing that "those who say they are religious but who don't say anything don't know about religion or morality".
The Santi Asoke sect, which broke away from the Buddhist sangha in 1989, has been described as "radical Buddhism" for its anti-modernist conservatism and strict monastic codes. Chamlong, now a leading political figure, is responsible for the political wing of the Santi Asoke movement. For these followers, abortion is linked to the influence of western promiscuity and is "un-Buddhist, anti-religious and therefore un-Thai".
Members from the mainstream Buddhist sanga also continue to oppose the liberalisation of abortion laws. After a conference in 2006 where NGOs called for the wider legalisation of abortion, a monk named Phra Mahamanoj responded: "We Buddhists … firmly disagree with legal abortion and the destruction of life. If you don't want something to happen, don't do it."
Following the recent temple discovery, leading monks have again been speaking out. Phramaha Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi was unequivocal: "In [the] Buddhist view, both having an abortion and performing an abortion amount to murder. Those involved in abortions will face distress in both this life and the next because their sins will follow them."
The scandal has given momentum to calls for political reform. A Democrat MP has proposed a bill on "consensual and necessary abortions", which would liberalise current laws. This has been supported by Maytinee Bhongsvej, of the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women (APSW), but she believes that change will be difficult to implement. "People's attitudes are the major obstacle. For Thai society, abortion is a sin," she says.
The prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, has ruled out any legal changes, saying that the current laws are "good enough". Thai advocacy groups like Women's Health Advocacy Foundation point out that liberalising abortion laws would be in line with public opinion, would align the law more closely with the realities of current abortion provision and would also significantly reduce preventable medical complications. However, any reform must contend with Theravada Buddhism – which, with its integral part in political and social structures, retains a significant influence over the debate on abortion in Thailand."

-The Guardian UK

Musicalholic - XXV

2010-11-24T11:54:00.000Z

Another Portuguese song, which you will surely appreciate!

Is Muhammad the devil's name?

2010-11-23T22:05:00.001Z

9/11 - America, aswell as the world, wakes up to a new reality - that of fundamentalist Islam. Bush declares is own 'Jihad' against Islam; his own Crusade; his battle to defend the [supposed] values of the United States of America; his battle for oil. We all are aware of the arguments used against the former President, George W. Bush and his administration. But what impact has 9/11, and the posterior american course of action, done to our view of Islam in Europe?

It is indeed hard for a person born, raised and educated in the Western society, to understand the way of life of Islamic societies. But, it is a matter of perspective. For a woman living in Saudi Arabia, it is Western women who act in a strange, weird way. Thanks to America's influence, Europe has decided to start building its own misconceptions against Islam. Am I being apologetic towards Islam? No. Islam is a delicate religion, which can easily be used by some as a weapon and a reason to spread hate. But its highest dogma, "There is no god but God [Allah], and Muhammad is its Prophet", is not that different of, for example, the Catholic dogma: "Extra ecclesia nula salva" ("Outside the Church, there is no Salvation").

We can find extremism in every religion - actually, in any human idea. Surely, Muhammad wouldn't be too happy to see how his name has been used as a justification for the slaughter of millions. Just like Jesus wouldn't be happy with what has been done in his name, from the Crusades, to the numerous paedophile priests.

The demonization of Islam, is of no help to improve the relations between the Western World, and the Islamic World. Surely I think it is as susceptible to a rational scrutiny as any other religion. Surely, I do not like the inferiorization of women, the brain-washing of young children, the homophobia, the violence - all the things present in fundamentalist Islam. But, we are in such a desperate need to relief the tensions with the Islamic countries, specially with Iran, that a more thoughtful approach is needed. And, surely, people in the West need to be better educated about Islam. Nowadays, most of the information (and I use the word "information" lightly) that a normal person gets is through a bunch of idiots in television, like the american Bill O'Reilly, who spill out whatever they want...

Back to black

2010-11-21T19:49:00.001Z

Back from a sort of "holiday weekend". Hopefully, will be writing something soon enough!

Musicalholic - XXIV

2010-11-17T17:27:00.001Z

From Loreena's new cd, here is this great song.

To be or not to be...

2010-11-16T22:50:00.002Z

Recently, NATO has been quite discussed, because of the approaching event, here in Lisbon. For the sake of debate, I present to you this poll. The votes are anonymous, but if you want, you may leave a comment explaining your point!

Too much work, not so much time

2010-11-15T18:48:00.000Z

Lately, I've been having a healthy amount of work to do for University, aswell as some exams, and this is why I didn't wrote anything in the last weeks. Hopefully, I'll get done soon enough, and I'll have some time to write something more consistent for the Blog - I'm thinking of writing something about the early History of Islam, which is a topic that I've been reading a lot about recently. I'll keep posting some updates with news, in the meanwhile!

حج‎

2010-11-12T21:42:00.000Z

(Guardian UK)

£uck off with th€ cut$

2010-11-10T16:59:00.001Z

«There have been clashes between demonstrators and police in London, as students and lecturers protest against plans to treble tuition fees and cut university funding in England.
Protesters have broken into the building housing the Conservative Party headquarters in Westminster.
They have set fire to placards outside.
Student leaders condemned the latest action as "despicable". They say about 30,000 people took part in a march earlier.
A stand-off is taking place between students and the police, with protesters surging forward at Millbank Tower, chanting.
Some protesters are on a roof terrace at the top of the building.
Missiles have been thrown at the police, as thousands of demonstrators crowd the street outside.
According to Scotland Yard, nine people have been taken to hospitals in London for treatment - both police officers and protestors.
The vast majority of demonstrators had been peaceful, a statement said, but "a small minority" had damaged property.
BBC News correspondent Mike Sergeant is at the scene.
He says the protesters on the roof have been throwing liquids down and that a female police officer has been injured.
And demonstrators have been cleared from outside the Liberal Democrat headquarters, where a car window has been smashed.
Elsewhere, the massive rally had passed off peacefully.
Hundreds of coach loads of students and lecturers had travelled to London from across England for the demonstration in Whitehall, with 2,000 students also travelling from Wales.
President of the National Union of Students Aaron Porter condemned the violence as "despicable".
"This was not part of our plan," he said.
"This action was by others who have come out and used this opportunity to hijack a peaceful protest."
The NUS is threatening to try to unseat Liberal Democrat MPs who go back on pre-election pledges they made to oppose any rise in tuition fees. (...)»

-BBC UK

Musicalholic - XXIII

2010-11-10T15:34:00.002Z

Fractalizing reality

2010-11-08T22:23:00.000Z

"All the Western theologies are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent"

- Frank Zappa

Hope & Despair

2010-11-07T21:44:00.001Z

(source)

Viewing life through a tight box

2010-11-05T23:17:00.000Z

A Paris court today gave a retired French teacher a one-month suspended sentence for attacking a Middle Eastern woman who was wearing a face-covering Muslim veil.
The court also ordered Jeanne Ruby to pay €800 (£698) in damages to the victim, a citizen of the United Arab Emirates.
Ruby had been charged with aggravated violence, and the prosecutor had asked that she be given a two-month suspended sentence.
The incident – in which Ruby bit, slapped and scratched her victim – happened in a shop in the French capital in February.
In a recent interview with Le Parisien newspaper, Ruby compared the niqab to a "muzzle" and said she did not mean to harm the woman and had wanted to pull the veil off.

-The Guardian UK

STOP!

2010-11-04T00:00:00.000Z

(source)

It is actually quite amusing that there are plenty of graffitis with this sign all around Lisbon.

Musicalholic - XXII

2010-11-03T14:06:00.000Z

أبجدية عربية

2010-11-02T22:57:00.000Z

"Before getting into proper calligraphy, it is important to contextualize the Arabic Alphabet, to learn about its History and its evolution.

Today, scholars have a consensus about the origin of the Arabic language - it originated in the Nabatean alphabet, which itself was a very close descendant of Aramaic. The first dated inscription in Arabic is from 512, in the region of Syria, but other pre-Islamic inscriptions are really sparse, and rather deteriorated.

The use of the Arabic really gains momentum at the time of the prophet Muhammad, and later with the Arabic expansion. The dots used in the script were introduced by an Ummayad governor, Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf (661-714), but were only formally made part of the script around the 9th-10th centuries. From then on, the Arabic script has suffered little changes: mainly, new letters have been introduced in languages with sounds that didn't exist in Arabic, like Urdu or Persian. (...)"

The text above is an excerpt of a bigger article that I wrote for Videojug Pages! There, I make a little introduction into Arabic Calligraphy! Check it, here: http://pages.videojug.com/pages/11367

If it is not personal

2010-11-01T22:50:00.002Z

"Jesus had AIDS!", he eloquently said...

2010-11-01T12:44:00.000Z

(HIV Prevention Campaign Ad)

"Today I will start with a three-part sermon on: Jesus was HIV-positive," South African Pastor Xola Skosana recently said in a Sunday church service.
The words initially stunned his congregation in Cape Town's Khayelitsha township into silence, and then set tongues wagging in churches across the country.

Some Christians have been outraged, saying he is portraying Jesus as sexually promiscuous.

HIV is mainly transmitted through sex, but can also be spread through needle-sharing, contaminated blood, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

However, as Pastor Skosana told those gathered in the modest Luhlaza High School hall for his weekly services, in many parts of the Bible Jesus put himself in the position of the destitute, the sick and the marginalised.

"Wherever you open the scriptures Jesus puts himself in the shoes of people who experience brokenness. Isaiah 53, for example, clearly paints a picture of Jesus who takes upon himself the infirmities and the brokenness of humanity," he told the BBC.

He is also quick to emphasise that he is using the metaphor to highlight the danger of the HIV/Aids pandemic, which still carries a stigma in South Africa's townships.

"Of course, there's no scientific evidence that Jesus had the HI virus in his bloodstream," says the pastor, whose non-denominational Hope for Life Ministry is part of a growing charismatic movement in South Africa.

"The best gift we can give to people who are HIV-positive is to help de-stigmatise Aids and create an environment where they know God is not against them, he's not ashamed of them."
[...]

-BBC UK

אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל

2010-10-31T13:13:00.000Z

"A religious site outside Bethlehem revered by both Jews and Muslims has emerged as the latest diplomatic battlefield between Israel and the United Nations. Known as Rachel's Tomb to Jews and the Bilal bin Rabah mosque to Muslims, the site was included in a resolution by Unesco last week, which described it as a mosque and noted that it formed "an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories".
The UN body in charge of culture, education and science also urged the Israeli authorities to remove the site from its national heritage list, where it was placed in February this year. The resolution – which also refers to the site as Rachel's Tomb – triggered an angry response from Israel yesterday. "We strongly condemn this resolution that is tainted with blatant political bias," said a spokesman of the Israeli foreign ministry. He added: "It ignores the historical fact that Rachel's tomb was never a mosque."
The grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Mohammed Hussein, argued the opposite. "It has always been a mosque, but the Israelis banned the access to Muslims for decades. They cannot enter to pray since 1967," he said.
Rachel's Tomb is the third holiest place in Judaism and a Jewish pilgrimage site, located in the occupied territories. For the Muslims, it is a mosque and a cemetery. Every year, in a 24-hour period, tens of thousands of Jews visit what they consider to be the grave of their biblical matriarch. The pilgrimage is especially popular among women longing to get pregnant. Israel's West Bank barrier surrounds the site and separates it from Bethlehem.
Unesco's decision was backed by 44 countries, with only the US opposing and 12 countries abstaining. It also voiced criticism of Israel's decision to include the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron on its list of national heritage sites. The day the list was adopted, Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said: "Our existence depends not only on the IDF or our economic resilience. It is anchored in our store of knowledge and the national sentiment that we will bestow upon the coming generations, in our ability to justify our connection to the land."
The Palestinian Authority opposed the decision, which it considered to be political and part of the settlement project."

-The Guardian UK

(Ir)Rational superstitions

2010-10-28T20:36:00.000+01:00

(source)

Musicalholic - XXI

2010-10-27T18:40:00.001+01:00

Today, we have a song sung in Portuguese. Enjoy!

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind, (...)"

2010-10-26T23:05:00.000+01:00

(French protesters)

Right now, I have 101 reasons to throw, at least, a pair of shoes to the Portuguese Prime Minister. The country in which I live feels like an empty hole with no end - we just keep on falling. And I wouldn't throw them only to the current Prime Minister - the past ones should also taste the sole of some shoes.

It is sad and depressing to live with fear of the future. Everything is uncertain. There is little hope, and even that little one is ravaged away from us. I'm a young person. I have dreams, whishes, aims for the future. None of them is attainable in my country. Why? Because we've been ran by one-eyed beastly fuckers, who are not able to see anything but their own pockets and their own interests. They constantly call us 'idiots', but in a more implicit manner. They waste money on things that are of secondary relevance at this time, like the TGV (which will be only ~15-20minutes faster than the fastest train we currently have), which will cost millions of euros. And, after such "wise" decision, they announce that they are closing some important theaters, and schools, and hospitals, and museums - because they are all "unsustainable". An administration that actually works to lower the IQ and general culture of its population, is the administration that runs Portugal.

But we, the People, are also to blame. We have voted for these ignorant idiots. Our population is more worried about Football's scores, only worrying about politics when there is nothing better to do. Our universities have adhered to "Bologna's Process", which has changed a good quality education to an express education, where there is actually very little education to be held, and a "healthy" amount of money to be paid.

Alexandre Herculano, considered the Portuguese "Pater Historiae", wrote in the 19th Century:

"(...) It is frequent, in History, the examples of States where their Governments lie to themselves about the imminent ruin that they are facing, trying to masquerade it with futile and luxurious presentations.".

If this was to be written today, could it be any more accurate? I think not. History is full of examples of situations like the one we are facing now. And, according to the measures being taken, the results are somehow predictable - and they aren't good....

I know that the whole world seems to be facing a hard time. But while some governments really seem to show some efficiency, the Portuguese one is leading our country down a pathway that is dark, cold and smelly.

I'm a very positive person, and rarely do I get sad or frustrated. But, I feel like our politicians are wiping their asses with a silky paper, just before rubbing it in our faces. And, after that, they won't let us use water to clean ourselves, laughing at our misery.

I love freedom, choice and Democracy. But, in times like these, I feel that Democracy is just an illusion of choice; yes, we do vote for our leaders, but they do whatever the fuck they want, in a completely arrogant way. And we just follow the system, without raising much opposition to this matter. We are but mindless robots, being commanded by capricious bastards.

Just some random thoughts, about the way my country is at the moment...

The supper of rationality

2010-10-25T21:06:00.000+01:00

(click to increase size)

Oh, Persia...

2010-10-24T15:49:00.000+01:00

"Iranian authorities have amputated the hand of a convicted thief in front of other prisoners, in a possible step towards restoring the punishment to common use and carrying it out in public, state radio reported today.
Cutting off the hands of thieves – allowed under the Iranian judiciary's strict reading of sharia law – has been rare in Iran in recent years, but the amputation was the second this month. A week ago, a judge ordered the same punishment for a man who stole from a sweet shop, though he can still appeal against that ruling.
The 32-year-old convict whose hand was cut off at a prison in the central city of Yazd had committed four robberies and other crimes. Iranian state radio did not elaborate or identify the prisoner by name.
There were no details on how the punishment was carried out. There have been conflicting reports in the past, with some saying amputations were done in the early 1980s without medical supervision. A recent news report said they would now be carried out with anaesthetic.
An audience of fellow inmates was assembled to witness the amputation, which could be a sign that such punishments will be done before the public in future.
The punishment has been part of Iran's penal code since 1980, a year after the country's clerical leaders came to power.
The reporting of the punishment on state radio indicated it had approval from senior Iranian leaders, although there has been no official government comment about any push to resume more frequent implementation of the punishment.
Critics say amputations and public executions and floggings hurt Iran's image and reflect badly on Islam."

-The Guardian UK

The hidden side of War

2010-10-23T18:07:00.000+01:00

Numerous, horrible things happen during war, that we don't even imagine. In this case, we can leave imagination for another time, because the facts are visible.

The ridicule of political ignorance... by a politician!

2010-10-21T17:52:00.000+01:00

I'm not American, and even I found her observation at 3:00 minutes completely ridiculous.

Musicalholic - XX

2010-10-20T12:11:00.000+01:00

A few days ago I was able to watch "Lord of the Dance" live here in Lisbon - a phenomenal experience, which I recommend to anyone!

Enjoying the ultimate protection

2010-10-19T13:22:00.001+01:00

(source)

Stepping stones

2010-10-18T20:33:00.000+01:00

That is a very heavy topic, so, to cheer you guys up, here is Monty Python!

Spotted beauty

2010-10-18T17:06:00.002+01:00