Experts working on restoration of the Henry Hyde monument in Salisbury Cathedral have discovered remnants of Gothic text beneath whitewash on the cathedral wall.

Séaghdha mac Roberd reports that he has created an album of photos from 12th Night, which took place recently in the Barony of Lonely Tower, Kingdom of Calontir.

Sara Penrose reports that Mistress Marguerite Dinard has been offered entry into the Order of the Pelican by Their Majesties of the Kingdom of Ansteorra.

A collection of 105 documents, some dating back over 1,000 years, has been published in book form by the Vatican. The Vatican Secret Archives features a such diverse documents as a letter from the grandson of Genghis Khan to a 1550 note from Michelangelo demanding payment.

A century after the Norman Conquest, the relationship between the French and the English was anything but cordial, if you can believe a 396-line poem written by an Anglo-Norman cleric.

From RealLifeComics... authenticy in Star Trek... or for that matter, in the SCA.

Baronne Cateline la broderesse and Master Broom report that they have created several albums of photos from A Market Day at Birka which took place recently in the east Kingdom. Both albums are available on PicasaWeb.

The Board of Directors of the SCA Inc, announces the creation of a new subsidiary corporation; SCA Illinois, Inc (SCA IL).

Mistress Magdalen Venturosa reports that Lady Illora von Neunhoff will sit vigil to contemplate elevation to the Order of the Pelican February 13, 2010 at Estrella War XXVI.

Devotees of Joan of Arc were disppointed recently to learn that relices of Joan of Arc, overseen by the Archbishop of Tours in Chinon, France, are not only fake, but actually the "bones of a human and a cat tracing back to ancient Egypt."

Dan Christensen, the creator and one of the hosts of the podcast "The Lions Road", has stated in a blog post on Sonnetoptics that he intends to resurrect the "The Lions Road" and start posting again in March 2010.

Tragedy struck the Fresno office of the California Department of Fish and Game January 5, 2010 when a helicopter carrying three of the office's four wildlife specialists clipped a power line and crashed, killing the three men and their pilot. Among the three was SCA member Tom Stolberg, known in the Current Middle Ages as Thomas of St. Brendans.

The SyFy Channel is offering viewers a chance to name a film set in the Middle Ages. The winner will receive an "amateur filmmaking kit," including camera, computer and software.

On the 30th of January 2010, Their Majesties of the Outlands traveled to the Barony of Unser Hafen for the annual Winter Oasis, a middle eastern themed dancing event. During Their court King Bela and Queen Anna called Nikolaos Demetriou ho Toxhotes forward and offered him admittance to the Order of the Pelican.

Christmas Martin reports that she has created an album of photos from War Practice in Sun Dragon which took place recently in the Kingdom of Atenveldt. The photos have been posted on Flickr.

Vito Franco of the University of Palermo thinks Mona Lisa is sick, that is, she suffered from "worryingly high levels of cholesterol." Franco bases his observations on a "xanthelasma – a subcutaneous accumulation of cholesterol – in the hollow of the Mona Lisa's left eye, and a tell-tale lipoma, a fatty tissue tumour, on one hand."

Juelda reports that Syr Aleksandr Yaroslavovich Vyetcikov has been invited into the Order of the Pelican by Their Majesties of Calontir.

In 1602, when he created the first Chinese map to name the Americas, Matteo Ricci was a Jesuit missionary living in Bejing. His map is currently on display at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. (photo)

Merchants will open a day earlier, and close a day earlier, at this year's Pennsic War than they have in years past.

Viscountess Elashava bas Riva, Chronicler of the Kingdom of Northshield, shares photos and memories from the recent Twelfth Night celebration.

Shadow has posted several albums of photos taken during a recent European trip featuring closeups of artifacts in various museums. The photos are available on her SmugMug website.

Isolda Jourdan reports that she has created an album of photos from the Atlantian 12th Night which took place January 9, 2010 in the Canton of Falconcree. The photos have been posted on PicasaWeb.

The Lady in the Tower, a new book by Tudor scholar Alison Weir, looks at the last four months in the life of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Janet Maslin of the New York Times has the review.

Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henry II of France, was known for her youthful looks, which kept the interest of the king, twenty years her junior, but did her vanity and desperation lead to her death? Experts believe they did.

A dispute over loaned  SCA armor was the subject of a recent Judge Judy television show.

Archaeologists working in Noisy-le-Grand, a suburb of Paris, have discovered two burial grounds dating to Merovingian and Carolingian times. The site is believed to contain more than 300 graves.

In an article for the physorg.com website, Traci Thomas looks at the origins of skiing, from the swift Norse god Ullr to its depiction in an 11th century Swedish rune stone.

The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is seeking candidates for the position of Society Chronicler. The current Society Chronicler’s warrant ends in August 2010. In order to ensure a smooth transition, applications for the position of Society Chronicler are now being accepted.

As of Feburary 1, 2010, for a limited time only, the third edition of the Known World Handbook is available for only US$10!

Recent analysis of skeletons from Wharram Percy, a village on the Yorkshire Wolds, shows that the thick bones of the medieval women demonstrated a life of hard labor which built up their strength.