This week's video is another Horrible Histories clip (I can't get enough of it!!!) -- Victorian Slang. What do you think, could you figure it out without a translator?
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
History is Going Digital - Bringing Historical Newspapers Online by Christina Appleworth
Welcome to History Undressed, Christina Appleworth. She has written an enlightening article about the future of documents and the digital age.
History is Going Digital - Bringing Historical Newspapers Online
by Christina Appleworth
More and more Internet users will
be able to access local, national and historical
newspapers online as more and more papers are being digitised. With schemes
like the British Library’s Newspaper Archive leading the way, and helped by
partnerships with major search engines, older copies of papers can be used to
provide access to the UK and world history. Some of the chief benefits of this
access, with key titles including The
Times and The Economist, as well as multiple local
papers, will be the ability to more accurately search for and collate data than
ever before.
Offering a contrast to the
patience and time consuming nature of researching bound volumes and microfilm,
online history through newspapers will be much easier to bring together, either
through a limited paywall or free. With more and more archives becoming
available, and becoming linked to major search engines and university access, a
number of different groups stand to specifically benefit from the expansion of
digital newspapers. From people completing historical projects to family
histories and school use, and including the importance of preservation and
archiving, the digital turn for newspapers has many key appeals:
1
- Historical Projects
Being able to access newspaper
archives online, and being able to search through different papers and cross
reference stories will represent a major time saving achievement for
researchers. The ease of use, speed and quality of these searches will arguably
help researchers to complete work remotely, cutting down the need for site
visits and long waits for material to be released. Moreover, while much of the
online papers being archived will be tied to paid subscriptions, university
affiliation and links to search engines and academic databases will gradually
help to spread costs.
2
- Teaching and Schools
The availability of many more
primary sources will be a great resource for different schools and teaching
projects. Particularly important will be the easier access to local papers,
which will allow schools to draw on more detailed documents without having to
make field trips to visit archives. The main benefits of this access will
therefore be to widen the field of reference for schools willing to invest in
the archives.
3
- Family Histories
The availability of newspaper
archives also means that family and local historians will have much more
content at their fingertips with which to research individuals and areas. Local
newspapers, preserved in high quality digital copies, will be particularly
useful in this regard, and should encourage a greater cross referencing and
archiving of family trees, as well as photographs and particular stories.
4
- Preservation
Perhaps
the key benefit of making newspapers available as a digital archive will be the
better preservation of that archive. While many newspapers are being kept in
excellent physical conditions, having a reliable and world class digital
resource means that it will be much easier to avoid damage and losing files.
While having the physical copies in storage will still be important, having
data archives and back ups will help to strengthen the consistency of and wide
access to archives.
Christina Appleworth, freelance copywriter and avid
historian, is currently working along in partnership with Gale Cengage, a
leading provider of innovative teaching, learning and research solutions for
the academic, professional and library markets worldwide.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Scottish Highland Games-What’s the Big Deal? by Nancy Lee Badger
Welcome back to History Undressed, one of our regular guest bloggers (who is sure to entertain you once more!) Nancy Lee Badger!
Scottish
Highland Games-What’s the Big Deal?
By Nancy Lee Badger
My
husband and I have attended the New Hampshire Highland Games since they started
back in 1975 (before we were married). Later, my husband decided to volunteer
at the three day festival. I stayed home with the boys until the youngest
showed an interest in his Scottish lineage, then we joined him as volunteers. Later,
my other sons also joined in the good times. We watched a small family picnic
of a few hundred like-minded people turn into a massive undertaking where over
40,000 people participate.
What’s
the big deal? Why do people travel hundreds (or thousands) of miles for a few
days of marching bands, ethnic food, and colorfully dressed kilts? When coupled
with the spectacular fall foliage of the New Hampshire White Mountains, their
visit makes for a memorable experience.
These types of celebrations—often called Games—are held up and down the coast of North America and Canada. The main goal is to continue the heritage and to further the sights, sounds, and flavors of Scotland. There are more people of Scottish heritage living in the United States and Canada then there are in Scotland, and the exodus was a massive undertaking. Even now, Scottish tourism is reaping a boon of business from those seeking their Scottish roots.
These types of celebrations—often called Games—are held up and down the coast of North America and Canada. The main goal is to continue the heritage and to further the sights, sounds, and flavors of Scotland. There are more people of Scottish heritage living in the United States and Canada then there are in Scotland, and the exodus was a massive undertaking. Even now, Scottish tourism is reaping a boon of business from those seeking their Scottish roots.
Do
you know the surname you wish to explore? Come to the local Highland Games and
visit Clan Village or the Genealogy Tent. Are you curious about life in merry
old Scotland? Visit the Highland Games historical village. Have you ever
thought about the culture that made you what you are today? Check out the
dancers, bagpipers, and food vendors. It all comes together at any Highland
Games.
The games part of the description is not the
same as the athletics. Athletics are
a vital part of Highland games. Where else can you watch a kilted man or woman
toss a bag of hay over a high pole with a pitchfork? Where can you watch a man
or woman toss a telephone pole? Where can you see 275# or larger muscled men
wearing brightly colored skirts* (oops…call a kilt a skirt and you will be
shunned)
*My husband wants you to know the
difference between a skirt and a kilt is that you wear undies beneath a skirt.
Many
states, communities, and organizations host their own Highland Games and Scottish
festivals. They welcome everyone…a Scottish lineage or kilt are not required.
If you enjoy harps, bagpipes, Highland dance, wonderful food and a sea of sexy
men wearing brightly colored wool kilts, please visit a Highland games or
Scottish festival soon and see for yourself what the big deal is all about!
I have taken my
fifteen years experience as a volunteer at the New Hampshire Highland games to
write a Scottish time travel romance that begins and ends at the Highland
Games. Please check out MY HONORABLE
HIGHLANDER, Book #1 of the Highland Games through Time series. For more
information about the games where I volunteer each fall under the Information
tent, visit www.NHScot.org
Book Blurb
Bumbling present day herbalist, Haven MacKay, gets more than
she bargains for when her love spell goes awry, is cast back in time, and meets
her true love -- Laird Kirkwall Gunn.
Kirk’s plans go slightly off course when he falls in love
with a woman wandering through the Scottish Highlands. After all, he has
pledged to marry another, from an enemy clan, in order to end a century-old
feud.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/Knot6H
NOOK: http://bit.ly/K4TqzH
All Romance EBooks: http://bit.ly/JmqjXJ
ISBN 9781476417400
AUTHOR BIO
After
growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New
Hampshire, Nancy moved to North Carolina where she writes full-time. Due to a
Scottish heritage, she and her family volunteer at the New Hampshire Highland
Games each fall. Nancy is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of
Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers,
and the Celtic Heart Romance Writers. Nancy also writes romantic suspense as
Nancy Lennea and is a proud Army Mom.
Website
http://www.nancyleebadger.com
Twitter @NLBadger
On Facebook as Nancy Lee Badger
Video of the Week: Horrible Histories -- Cliff Whiteley: Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid and Pearl Hart
In honor of my wild western romance release yesterday, I thought it appropriate to entertain you with a westernish video this week! Quite funny and educational!
Scandalous Woman
By: Annabelle Weston
Book two in the Desert Heat trilogy.
Carly Buchanan knows who and what she is. She’s the owner of
the Lonesome Saloon, a bawdy place in the harsh West where any man can have his
darkest desires fulfilled—for a price. But life at a saloon isn’t easy. After
hearing too much one night, Carly is caught in the middle of a deadly dispute.
Now no-accounts are shooting up the streets, good men are dying and no one will
do a thing about it.
Until he comes to town…
Sheriff Jeddah Poole is lethally serious about cleaning up
Tucson. But he can’t stop thinking of Carly’s bright eyes and passionate
nature…or the way her lush curves feel pressed beneath him as he takes her
again and again and again. In a town on the brink, caught in a divine passion
they can’t escape, Jed and Carly have only each other to rely on. And only
their love can help them survive.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
SCANDALOUS WOMAN now available!
YAY!!!! I’m so excited for the release of the second book in Annabelle Weston’s Desert Heat series — SCANDALOUS WOMAN. Another emotionally gripping, gritty–and of course completely HOT, western erotic romance.
Book Blurb:
Carly Buchanan knows who and what she is. She’s the owner of the Lonesome Saloon, a bawdy place in the harsh West where any man can have his darkest desires fulfilled—for a price. But life at a saloon isn’t easy. After hearing too much one night, Carly is caught in the middle of a deadly dispute. Now no-accounts are shooting up the streets, good men are dying and no one will do a thing about it.
Until he comes to town…
Sheriff Jeddah Poole is lethally serious about cleaning up Tucson. But he can’t stop thinking of Carly’s bright eyes and passionate nature…or the way her lush curves feel pressed beneath him as he takes her again and again and again. In a town on the brink, caught in a divine passion they can’t escape, Jed and Carly have only each other to rely on. And only their love can help them survive.
Click here to read an excerpt: http://www.jasminejade.com/productspecs/9781419938481.htm
Doing a bit of a bar jig and singing a bawdy song!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Happy 111th Would-be Birthday to Anastasia Romanov of Russia (and Giveaway!)
Even now in 2012, one of the greatest mysteries has been the
fate of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov of Russia, the last of four daughters
born to the Tsar Nikolas and his wife Alexandra. After the tragic execution of
the Russian Royal family in1918, officials were never able to recover the
remains of Anastasia. Tales of her supposed escape from Russia have gripped
thousands for decades, fueling speculation that a daughter of Russia’s last
sovereign ruler survived the revolution that destroyed her immediate family.
June 18th marks what would be the 111th birthday of Her
Imperial Highness Anastasia Romanov.
In honor of the lost Duchess, Sourcebooks has offered up one
copy of The Last Romanov by Dora Levy
Mossanen to giveaway to one lucky History Undressed reader! (US and Canada Only) Leave a comment to
win. Winner will be drawn on Friday the
22nd.
About the book...
IN A TIME OF RASPUTIN'S MAGIC AND ROMANOV MYSTERY, A YOUNG
GIRL FINDS HERSELF AT THE HEART OF THE ROYAL FAMILY
She was an orphan, ushered into the royal palace on the
prayers of her majestry. Yet, decades later, her time spent in the embrace of
the Romanovs haunts her still. Is she responsible for those murderous events
that changed everything?
If only she can find the heir, maybe she can put together
the broken pieces of her own past-maybe she can hold on to the love she found.
Bursting to life with the rich and glorious marvels of Imperial Russia, The
Last Romanov is a magical tale of second chances and royal blood.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Video of the Week: Horrible Histories -- Fan Language
This video had me laughing so hard!!! Love it!
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