The Middle Ages met modern life recently when members of the Shire of Blackhawk visited Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School in Freeport, IL. Students learned about the nitty gritty of medieval life such as worn shoes and chamber pots. Hilary Matheson of the Journal-Standard has the story.

For 400 years, the people of Oberammergau have staged the Passion Play once a decade as a thanksgiving for being spared from the Black plague. Now, a new kind of plague is testing the faith of performers and audiences .

Lord Alain de La Rochelle shares photos and video from Tournament of Friends II which took place recently in the Kingdom of Atlantia.

Vivat for Mistress Melisende Fitzwalter, newest member of the Order of the Laurel in Drachenwald.

At the May 15, 2010 Will's Revenge event, Their Majesties Malcolm and Tessa of the Kingdom of AEthelmearc placed Victor of Shrewsbury on contemplate elevation to the Order of the Laurel.

Just in time for the camping season: oriental mats, for indoor or outdoor use, made from recycled soda and milk bottles (polypropylene). Rugs are available in 4' x 8', 5' x 8', and 6'3" x 9' sizes, at a cost of around $40. (photo)

Sir Burke reports that at the recent Castellan event in Northkeep, Their Majesties of the Kingdom of Ansteorra placed Seigneur Etienne de Saint Amaranth on vigil to contemplate elevation to the Order of the Pelican.

SCA at Foire de Jersey 2006, a promotional video produced by Novantus, showcases fighting in the SCA. The film was shot at an event in Drachenwald in 2006. Music by Vega.

The Kyoto City Archaeological Research Institute has been investigating the 16th century residence of warlord Nobunaga Oda. Among other finds, they turned up the lord's private sauna. 

Over two hundred rare works of art and historical artifacts are on display May 15-September 12, 2010 at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis.

For generations, St. Augustine's Aviles Street has competed with Philadelphia's Elfreth's Alley as the oldest street in the United States, but a recent archaeological dig may hand the honor to the Florida city.

Warrior Weapons, a new four-part series on PBS, focusses on the evolution of weapons and armor and tactics from ancient times to the present.

Based on the silk fabric of the golden gown of Queen Margaret of Sweden, experts at Durán Textiles have produced a hand-printed design and re-created the gown. The story, with photos, appears in the Durán Textiles newsletter.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has produced a series of programs based on Modern Publics: 1500-1700, a book by a group of scholars at McGill University. The program is podcast online.

Viscountess Elashava bas Riva reports that she has posted two albums of photos from recent events in the Kingdom of Northshield: Pie Snit and Jararvellir's May Day.

Pennsic 39 Chirurgeon-in-Charge Master James Galloway requests that Chirurgeons planning to work at First Aid Point at Pennsic send their paperwork to him as soon as possible.

The leaning tower of Bad Frankenhausen in the German state of Thuringia has tilted since at least 1640, and it now leans at an angle of 4.8 degrees -- sharper than the more famous tower in Pisa, Italy, which has only a 3.9 degree slant.

Lady Brenna MacDonald reports that she has created an album of photos from the recent Beltane event in the Kingdom of Ansteorra. The photos are available on SmugMug.

A decade later later, the report of the 1999 "Millennuim Dig" at Carlisle describes the tens of thousands of items found at the site. Finds of wooden buildings and leather artifacts surprised the archaeologists, as such materials don't normally survive.

The Textile Research Centre of Leiden, NL will present the exhibit Embroidery from the Arab World through August 22, 2010. The exhibit is the first in the Netherlands to showcase Arabic embroidery.

Archeologists have unearthed a jug full of coins at Skopje Fortress, a Byzantine-era fortress also known as The Kale.

Lord Dafydd ap Alan reports that the Pennsic University class schedule is now available to download online.

Izza bint Amat al-Rahman reports that armored combat videos from Hit List 2010 are now available to view on YouTube. The event took place in the Kingdom of Meridies.

The Kentucky Horse Park is presenting "A Gift from the Desert: The Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse" which will run from May 29 to Oct. 15, 2010.

THL Marija Kotok reports that an album of photos taken by Lord Petr Kotok at the recent Blackstone Raids 2010 event is now available to view online. Blackstone Raids took place in the Kingdom of AEthelmearc.

An elaborately carved Anglo-Saxon stone is up for auction in a move that has upset scholars of the period.  Nick Evered bought his house eight years ago with the stone already in it, and decided to sell it in order to be relieved of responsibility for the ancient artifact. The Evereds' home sits on the site of the hermitage of eighth-century St.Pega, Britain's first female hermitic saint.

Sonny Scott reports that Duke Tar Radu, inspired by Duchess Broinnfhionn inghean ui Chathain, was the victor of the May 15, 2010 Crown Tournament in the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann.

The mummified remains of a 16th century noble woman were found at a construction site in Osan (Gyeonggi Province), South Korea.

A November exhumation is planned to try to discover the true cause of Tycho Brahe's death. Since a 1901 analysis discovered mercury in a sample of his beard, some have believed the astronomer, "more famous in death than he ever was in life," was murdered.

Fans of both the SCA and the Fox TV series House will be pleased with episode 17 of season 6, "Knight Fall," which begins with a battle at a Renaissance Festival.