MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 324
January 30, 2014
BOOK LAUNCH - The Briton and the Dane: Timeline by Mary Ann Bernal
Dr. Gwyneth Franger is a renowned expert in early medieval England who is set upon learning the truth about the death of Lord Erik, the last descendant of the powerful House of Wareham. Her quest becomes an obsession, a condition that began with the discovery of a portrait of the tall and valiant warrior with which she forms an extraordinary and inexplicable bond.
Digesting troves of mildewed scrolls and source documentation only enhances her belief that Lord Erik was brutally assassinated by a cabal of traitors in the pay of William the Bastard, shortly before the onslaught of the Norman Invasion.
On an archeological dig in Southern England, her team unearths an Anglo-Saxon fortress, a vast citadel built during the reign of Alfred the Great, which she believes was Lord Erik's stronghold. In the midst of her excitement, she is awakened one night from her slumbers by a disconcerting anomaly emerging from the site.
Dr. Franger finds herself transported back to the Dark Ages and at the side of the noble Lord Erik who commands an army of elite Saxon warriors, a swift and mobile force able to deploy quickly throughout the kingdom to ward off invaders.
Witnessing the unrest firsthand, Gwyneth senses that her instincts had been right all along, and she is determined to learn the identities of the treacherous blackguards hiding in the shadows, villains who may well be posing as Lord Erik's friends and counselors.
Will Gwyneth stop the assassins? Is she strong enough to walk away and watch her beloved Erik die? Or will she intervene, change the course of history and wipe out an entire timeline to save the man she loves with all her heart?
Amazon US
http://www.amazon.com/The-Briton-Dane-Mary-Bernal-ebook/dp/B00I4WFUOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391096786&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Briton+and+the+Dane+Timeline
Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Briton-Dane-Mary-Bernal-ebook/dp/B00I4WFUOW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391096904&sr=8-1&keywords=the+Briton+and+the+Dane+Timeline
Print:
https://www.createspace.com/4598250
The Phil Naessens Show The 2014 Texas Rangers are Loaded and Ready
http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/the-phil-naessens-show-the-2014-texas-rangers-are-loaded-and-ready/
On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Rush Olson joins Phil to discuss the Texas Rangers new acquisitions Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, life without Ian Kinsler and the possibility of Nelson Cruz signing with the club this coming season. Mark Berman stops buy to talk about the possibility of Matt Harvey pitching in 2014, the signings of John Lannan and Daisuke Matsuzaka and the guys reminisce about Johan Santana and his no-hitter. Alex Hall joins Phil to discuss minor league phenom Addison Russell and the likelihood of whether or not he’ll play for the Oakland A’s this summer, the A’s possible outfield combinations plus will it be Eric Sogard or Alberto Callespo starting at second base for the Athletics this season plus much more Hot Stove Baseball talk!
On this edition of the Phil Naessens Show Rush Olson joins Phil to discuss the Texas Rangers new acquisitions Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, life without Ian Kinsler and the possibility of Nelson Cruz signing with the club this coming season. Mark Berman stops buy to talk about the possibility of Matt Harvey pitching in 2014, the signings of John Lannan and Daisuke Matsuzaka and the guys reminisce about Johan Santana and his no-hitter. Alex Hall joins Phil to discuss minor league phenom Addison Russell and the likelihood of whether or not he’ll play for the Oakland A’s this summer, the A’s possible outfield combinations plus will it be Eric Sogard or Alberto Callespo starting at second base for the Athletics this season plus much more Hot Stove Baseball talk!
History Trivia - King Charles I of England beheaded
January 30
1077 Pope Gregory VII pardoned German emperor Henry IV.
1487 Bell chimes were invented.
1522 Duke of Albany took captured French back to Scotland.
1648 Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück was signed, which ended the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.
1649 King Charles I of England was beheaded.
1661 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England was ritually executed two years after his death, on the anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.
1077 Pope Gregory VII pardoned German emperor Henry IV.
1487 Bell chimes were invented.
1522 Duke of Albany took captured French back to Scotland. 
1648 Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster and Osnabrück was signed, which ended the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.
1649 King Charles I of England was beheaded.
1661 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England was ritually executed two years after his death, on the anniversary of the execution of the monarch he himself deposed.
January 29, 2014
The Wizard of Notts Recommends: Blast from the Past: Meadow Lane on the 28th April 1973
Films for 1973 include The Exorcist, Enter the Dragon and The Wicker Man. Dark Side of the Moon, Goats Head Soup and Quadrophenia were amongst the great albums released that year. in Britain, conflict between Ted Heath and the miner caused nationwide power cuts and the first gravediggers strike meant that bodies remained unburied at the side of the road. And in the US, Vietnam raged and Tricky Dicky was secretly listening in on the Democrats in a famous hotel in Miami. More importantly, Notts won 4-1 against Tranmere. The Wizard is in this photo somewhere. Note the fashions, the haircuts and the state of the pitch. None of the players ate pasta or food with green bitsThe Phil Naessens Show What Really Happened to the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks?
http://phillipnaessens.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/the-phil-naessens-show-what-really-happened-to-the-minnesota-timberwolves-and-new-york-knicks/
On todays Phil Naessens Show Zeb Benbrook joins Phil to discuss the 28 NBA players selected to possibly represent Team USA in Spain and also in Brazil and Aaron Stampler joins Phil to answer listeners questions about the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks plus much more NBA talk
On todays Phil Naessens Show Zeb Benbrook joins Phil to discuss the 28 NBA players selected to possibly represent Team USA in Spain and also in Brazil and Aaron Stampler joins Phil to answer listeners questions about the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks plus much more NBA talk
History Trivia - Galileo observes Neptune
January 29
904 Pope Sergius III came out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
1119 Pope Gelasius II died. The brief reign of Gelasius II was plagued by the lingering investiture controversy and the aggressive actions of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor. Henry took possession of Rome and twice drove the pope from the city, installing in his place the antipope Gregory VIII.
1327 Edward III was crowned By laying claim to the French throne, he started the Hundred Years' War. He also created Britain's highest knightly order, the Order of the Garter because of his fondness for chivalry.
1595 William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet was performed for the first time on this day.
1613 Galileo observed Neptune but failed to understand the significance of his find.
904 Pope Sergius III came out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
1119 Pope Gelasius II died. The brief reign of Gelasius II was plagued by the lingering investiture controversy and the aggressive actions of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor. Henry took possession of Rome and twice drove the pope from the city, installing in his place the antipope Gregory VIII.
1327 Edward III was crowned By laying claim to the French throne, he started the Hundred Years' War. He also created Britain's highest knightly order, the Order of the Garter because of his fondness for chivalry.
1595 William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet was performed for the first time on this day.
1613 Galileo observed Neptune but failed to understand the significance of his find.
January 28, 2014
Message decoded, again: 3,000-year-old text may prove biblical tale of King Solomon
Message decoded, again: 3,000-year-old text may prove biblical tale of King SolomonBy Sasha BogurskyDigging HistoryPublished January 27, 2014FoxNews.com
Archaeologist Eilat Mazar shows off her 3,000-year-old Biblical find. (Key to David's City/Youtube) 
Haifa University professor Gershon Galil says the missing letters on the ancient inscription spell out "yah-yin," which is Hebrew for wine. (Gershon Galil) Next Slide Previous Slide A few characters scratched into the side of an ancient earthenware jug have archaeologists scrambling for their dictionaries -- and wondering if it corroborates the Bible's stories of King Solomon.
The Ophel inscription -- 3,000-year-old characters found in Israel in July -- is the earliest alphabetical written text ever found in Jerusalem. It proves the real basis behind the parables and stories in the world’s most famous book, said Gershon Galil, a professor of ancient history and biblical studies at the University of Haifa.
"We are dealing here with real kings, and the kingdom of David and Solomon was a real fact," Galil told FoxNews.com, in a phone call from Israel.
But the world's leading archaeologists are still hotly debating the meaning of the inscription. Gershon offers what he calls the "only reasonable translation," noting at the same time that the very existence of the text is as important as its meaning.
Three letters of the inscription are incomplete, and Galil translates them to read, "yah-yin chah-lak," which is Hebrew for "inferior wine." The first half of the text indicates the twentieth or thirtieth year of Solomon's reign -- making the entire inscription a label of sorts for the jug's contents.
He explains that the text must be written in an early form of southern Hebrew because it is the only language of the time to use two yods (Hebrew letters) to spell the word wine. Galil also suggests that the "inferior wine" was probably given to laborers who were helping to build the burgeoning city of Jerusalem.
If Hebrew as a written language did exist during the time of the inscription, it places the ancient Israelites in Jerusalem earlier than previously believed, under a time the Bible indicates was King Solomon's rule.
According to Galil's understanding of the text, the writing ability demonstrated by the inscription proves the existence of a fully functioning administration that collected taxes, prepared storage jars and performed other duties as early as the second half of the 10th century BC.
"The Bible claims that Solomon built the temple and that he was the man that enlarged the city," explained Galil. Outside of biblical texts, there has not been any evidence that Solomon in the mid-10th century BC ordered the building of the First Temple, the ancient Israelites' place of worship where the Dome of the Rock currently stands.
Some suggest Judean King Hezekiah actually built the temple in Solomon's name. Galil scoffed at the suggestion.
"If Obama were to achieve something, he would not claim that Bush did it. It's not in human nature! Solomon built the temple, not Hezekiah."
"Even if my reading is not the right one, the fact that somebody knew how to write [in Hebrew] during this time, shows that somebody could have easily written a book a little while later like [the Old Testament's] book of Samuel and Judges."
Galil hopes that in years to come, more evidence will be found to support the Kingdoms of Solomon and David.
"The evidence that we have today and each year we have so much more that David and Solomon were real and important kings and not just tales of the Bible," he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/01/27/message-decoded-again-3000-year-old-text-may-prove-biblical-tale-king-solomon/
Archaeologist Eilat Mazar shows off her 3,000-year-old Biblical find. (Key to David's City/Youtube) Haifa University professor Gershon Galil says the missing letters on the ancient inscription spell out "yah-yin," which is Hebrew for wine. (Gershon Galil) Next Slide Previous Slide A few characters scratched into the side of an ancient earthenware jug have archaeologists scrambling for their dictionaries -- and wondering if it corroborates the Bible's stories of King Solomon.The Ophel inscription -- 3,000-year-old characters found in Israel in July -- is the earliest alphabetical written text ever found in Jerusalem. It proves the real basis behind the parables and stories in the world’s most famous book, said Gershon Galil, a professor of ancient history and biblical studies at the University of Haifa.
"We are dealing here with real kings, and the kingdom of David and Solomon was a real fact," Galil told FoxNews.com, in a phone call from Israel.
But the world's leading archaeologists are still hotly debating the meaning of the inscription. Gershon offers what he calls the "only reasonable translation," noting at the same time that the very existence of the text is as important as its meaning.
'If Obama were to achieve something, he would not claim that Bush did it. It's not in human nature!'- Haifa University professor Gershon Galil"The most important thing this tells us is that somebody during this time knew how to write something," he said.
Three letters of the inscription are incomplete, and Galil translates them to read, "yah-yin chah-lak," which is Hebrew for "inferior wine." The first half of the text indicates the twentieth or thirtieth year of Solomon's reign -- making the entire inscription a label of sorts for the jug's contents.
He explains that the text must be written in an early form of southern Hebrew because it is the only language of the time to use two yods (Hebrew letters) to spell the word wine. Galil also suggests that the "inferior wine" was probably given to laborers who were helping to build the burgeoning city of Jerusalem.
If Hebrew as a written language did exist during the time of the inscription, it places the ancient Israelites in Jerusalem earlier than previously believed, under a time the Bible indicates was King Solomon's rule.
According to Galil's understanding of the text, the writing ability demonstrated by the inscription proves the existence of a fully functioning administration that collected taxes, prepared storage jars and performed other duties as early as the second half of the 10th century BC.
"The Bible claims that Solomon built the temple and that he was the man that enlarged the city," explained Galil. Outside of biblical texts, there has not been any evidence that Solomon in the mid-10th century BC ordered the building of the First Temple, the ancient Israelites' place of worship where the Dome of the Rock currently stands.
Some suggest Judean King Hezekiah actually built the temple in Solomon's name. Galil scoffed at the suggestion.
"If Obama were to achieve something, he would not claim that Bush did it. It's not in human nature! Solomon built the temple, not Hezekiah."
"Even if my reading is not the right one, the fact that somebody knew how to write [in Hebrew] during this time, shows that somebody could have easily written a book a little while later like [the Old Testament's] book of Samuel and Judges."
Galil hopes that in years to come, more evidence will be found to support the Kingdoms of Solomon and David.
"The evidence that we have today and each year we have so much more that David and Solomon were real and important kings and not just tales of the Bible," he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/01/27/message-decoded-again-3000-year-old-text-may-prove-biblical-tale-king-solomon/
Mr. Chuckles stirs the Wizard's Cauldron, and can't get enough of Christmas
This week around the Cauldron, we have Rebecca Raisin, who writes both romance and thrillers with eloquence, culture, wit and with a dash of humour in each chapter. A resident of Perth, Australia, (rather than the racecourse town in Scotland), she penned her debut novella for Harlequin imprint Carina UK at Christmas and, barely a month later, she's straight back on our shelves with Snake Typhoon, a thriller written under indie pseudonym Billie Jones. Want to read more, click on the link:
http://greenwizard62.blogspot.com/2014/01/top-romance-and-thriller-author-rebecca.html
The Wizard's Cauldron: Top romance - and thriller! - author Rebecca Raisi...
The Wizard's Cauldron: Top romance - and thriller! - author Rebecca Raisi...: This week around the Cauldron, we have Rebecca Raisin, who writes both romance and thrillers with eloquence, culture, wit and with a dash...
