Irene's Weblog

This cross stitch was made by Major Alexis Casdagli, who was imprisoned by the Nazis from 1941 to 1945. To pass the time, he began stitching on scraps of canvas and bits of thread. The most outstanding piece is a seemingly innocent sampler with a border design – but the dots and dashes are actually Morse code that spell out “God Save the King” and “Fuck Hitler”.

You can read more about Major Alexis Casdagli and his son here and here.

Via reddit.

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the summer/winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2012, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make your great nation. Not to imply that this country is necessarily greater than any other country in the world. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishees.

Via reddit.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, left, kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2011 after Gaeta's ship returned from 80 days at sea. It ís a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings - one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one. On Wednesday, for the first time, the happily reunited couple was gay. (AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot, Brian J. Clark) MAGS OUT

Story via the AP.

Some days, I hate being poor. I really want this shirt from SMBC.

The Jefferson Bible has been put on display at the Smithsonian’s Albert H. Small Documents Gallery in the National Museum of American History. If you can’t get to the Smithsonian, you can now purchase a facsimile copy, complete with Jefferson’s handwritten notes.

From the museum shop’s description:

At 77 years of age, Thomas Jefferson constructed a book that he entitled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. Assembling excerpts from the four gospels of the New Testament, he rearranged them to tell a chronological and edited story of Jesus’s life, parables, and moral teaching. Jefferson cut from printed texts in four languages—English, French, Latin, and Greek—seeking to clarify and distill Jesus’s teachings, which he believed to be “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” The beautiful handmade book became well worn from frequent use even in Jefferson’s lifetime.

The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition, a full-color facsimile created from high-resolution digital photographs of recently conserved and rebound pages, includes all four languages and Jefferson’s handwritten notes. No other edition so clearly provides a window into the mind of its maker.

An introduction by Smithsonian curators Harry R. Rubenstein and Barbara Clark Smith explains Jefferson’s intentions in creating the volume and the ways that his endeavor reflected his Enlightenment ideals and Revolutionary spirit. Smithsonian conservator Janice Stagnitto Ellis’s essay on conservation reveals surprising insights into how Jefferson crafted the book so precisely. Faithful to the unique artifact so painstakingly created by Thomas Jefferson himself, The Jefferson Bible, Smithsonian Edition makes the thoughts of a great American mind accessible for generations to come.  208 pages, full color reproduction of the original Jefferson Bible containing 4 languages.

The step-by-step conservation page is fascinating. This is a big part of history that many more people need to know about. I have wanted to see the book for many years, but I am not a researcher and could never gain access to it. Because time and many hands have rendered it fragile, it’s a great thing that the Smithsonian has preserved the book while also making copies that the world can enjoy.

The Jefferson Bible will be on display November 11, 2011–May 28, 2012 , so I’m afraid I will not get a chance to see it in person. I’m just going to have to save some cash to purchase a facsimile version.