http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1551
Here are some one liners...
When the Family is Punished for Your Treason -- The English Parliament punishes the wife of a traitor as well as the traitor himself. I talk about the Code of Hammurabi, and the Israeli practice of bulldozing the homes of terrorists.
A Narrative of the Incas -- Juan Diez publishes the history of the Incas. The Incas don't write things down so we must use care and watch for bias.
The 5th Outbreak of Sweating Disease and the 'No Name' Virus -- It's back and I've talked about it before. I talk about the deaths in Yosemite National Park from the Hanta virus.
When the Family is Punished for Your Treason
A number of changes were made to the penalties for treason in England, much of it softening what the previous Tudor kings had instituted. Calling the King a "usurper" or "heretic" is considered treason only if it is in writing. Probably the most dire of penalties is the revocation of the wife's dower rights... essentially revoking the death benefits for her support. Dower benefits usually consisted of land and a house, but often the family would pay her off so that the family estate would not be split up. This threatening penalty to the family will not be repealed until 1925. Other parts of the Treason Act will not be repealed until 1948. [1]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
There are two examples that come to mind when the family pays the penalty for the acts of the guilty... the ancient Code of Hammurabi required that if a man built a house that killed the owner, the builder was killed in compensation but if the owner's son was killed then "the builder's son shall be put to death." What the son had to do with anything is a mystery. A modern example took place in Israel during the Infitada from 2001-2005. Whenever a suicide bomber blew people up, the Israeli government would identify the family of the bomber and bulldoze their home. The practice was restarted in 2014 after several terrorist attacks, including the gunning down of four rabbis in Jerusalem in November of 2014 by a Palestinian. Is this bulldozing practice effective? In the short-term, like about a month after, terrorist attacks are reduced. Beyond that, not so much. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] FYI, my rabbi lives in Jerusalem.
There are two examples that come to mind when the family pays the penalty for the acts of the guilty... the ancient Code of Hammurabi required that if a man built a house that killed the owner, the builder was killed in compensation but if the owner's son was killed then "the builder's son shall be put to death." What the son had to do with anything is a mystery. A modern example took place in Israel during the Infitada from 2001-2005. Whenever a suicide bomber blew people up, the Israeli government would identify the family of the bomber and bulldoze their home. The practice was restarted in 2014 after several terrorist attacks, including the gunning down of four rabbis in Jerusalem in November of 2014 by a Palestinian. Is this bulldozing practice effective? In the short-term, like about a month after, terrorist attacks are reduced. Beyond that, not so much. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] FYI, my rabbi lives in Jerusalem.
A Narrative of the Incas
Employed as an interpreter, Juan Diez has learned a lot about the Inca people and apparently he has been taking notes. This year he publishes his "Narrative of the Incas". Juan's sources for this history are biased (like the Inca Emperor's wife) so read it with a grain of salt. Not all of it will survive into the modern day, but it will remain one of the primary sources of history on the Incas because the Incas didn't write much down. [7] [8]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Narratives from this time are few and biased. Without additional narratives from the Indians to balance against the Spaniards we can only surmise what the truth is. That doesn't make the Spaniards outright liars, but they tend to jolly along their superiors... downplaying their failures and boosting their accomplishments. You can imagine how nervous those superiors in Europe were because they would have few ways to verify if anything was going wrong. Negativity in a report would be magnified by their fears. [9]
Narratives from this time are few and biased. Without additional narratives from the Indians to balance against the Spaniards we can only surmise what the truth is. That doesn't make the Spaniards outright liars, but they tend to jolly along their superiors... downplaying their failures and boosting their accomplishments. You can imagine how nervous those superiors in Europe were because they would have few ways to verify if anything was going wrong. Negativity in a report would be magnified by their fears. [9]
The 5th Outbreak of Sweating Disease and the 'No Name' Virus
The English Sweating Disease usually kills in a day. It is a lung disease that begins with flu-like symptoms and moves quickly to extreme sweating and coughing. If you can survive for 24 hours you are probably going to make it. Medical historians believe it was a more virulent form of the modern Hanta virus so that means it is distantly related to the Ebola virus. This year John Caius of Shrewsbury categorizes the symptoms of the disease. His work allows the modern physician to understand what might have been going on during this epidemic. [10] [11] [12]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
The Hanta virus is rare in the United States. A recent memorable outbreak was at Yosemite National Park in 2012. People stayed in tent cabins that were infested with deer mice. Ten occupants contracted the disease. Three died. The virus is passed through rodent droppings or urine getting into the food or into the bedding. The virus was isolated in 1993 in the Four Corners Region in New Mexico so it was originally called the Four Corners virus. But after protests from the people living in the Four Corners area, the name was changed to Sin Nombre (seen NOHM-bray) virus... which is Spanish for the "No Name" virus. The lesson to learn is: Do not assume that your national park, rental RV or hotel is doing everything it can to keep you safe. Trust but verify. [13] [14] [15]
The Hanta virus is rare in the United States. A recent memorable outbreak was at Yosemite National Park in 2012. People stayed in tent cabins that were infested with deer mice. Ten occupants contracted the disease. Three died. The virus is passed through rodent droppings or urine getting into the food or into the bedding. The virus was isolated in 1993 in the Four Corners Region in New Mexico so it was originally called the Four Corners virus. But after protests from the people living in the Four Corners area, the name was changed to Sin Nombre (seen NOHM-bray) virus... which is Spanish for the "No Name" virus. The lesson to learn is: Do not assume that your national park, rental RV or hotel is doing everything it can to keep you safe. Trust but verify. [13] [14] [15]
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