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James A. Benn

@jamesabenn.bsky.social
1.9K followers 2.7K following 910 posts

Medieval Chinese Religions. McMaster Uni. Burning for the Buddha (Hawai'i 2007) pback 2016; Tea in China (Hawai'i, 2015), Chinese trans. 2019. Canadian, obvs.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 1h
Early 20th century travelers reported seeing a Burmese pagoda that appeared to rock in the wind. The Sampan Pagoda stood atop a huge boulder in eastern Myanmar, but it seemingly no longer survives, leaving a few photographs as the last evidence of its existence. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Myanmar
A textured halfton-lithographic image shows a tall, tiered golden stupa or shrine rising from a large, dark, weathered rock. The structure is centered and tapers upward into a narrow spire that extends beyond the top edge of the image. Its broad lower tiers have curved, horizontal bands in gold, olive, and dark brown. The rock has an irregular, rounded shape with mottled gray, brown, and black surfaces and rests on a darker base. Behind it is a bright turquoise-blue sky with wispy white clouds and a pale peach-colored horizon. The image has a grainy, painterly texture.A vintage color postcard shows a tall, gold-colored pagoda standing on a large, dark, rounded rock formation. The pagoda has a tiered, conical spire with ornate bands and a pointed finial. A single person stands among pale rocks in the lower-left foreground, providing a sense of scale. Behind the formation, hazy mountains extend across the horizon beneath a bright blue sky with thin white clouds. The image has worn edges and a faded, textured appearance. A white caption strip along the bottom identifies the site.

Transcribed Text:

The Sampan Pagoda — Shwegyen.
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American Council of Learned Societies @acls1919.bsky.social · 1h
Doctoral students with bold, innovative dissertation projects in the humanities or social sciences: the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship offers $52K to fund a year of exploratory research and mentorship. Apply by October 28, 5PM ET: www.acls.org/DIF
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Retro Computers @retrocomps.bsky.social · 1h
"You're pretty punk, Steve."
A stage screen from the game Aero Fighters (1993), the US localization of Sonic Wings. On the left, a very beautiful pilot holds a pink rose. In the middle, a map screen shows Japan has been selected. On the right, a dolphin in a fighter cap. Down below, it reads "You're pretty punk, Steve," though it is not clear who is the punk that is Steve. At bottom, it reads "Level-4 Credit 01."
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MythologyBot @mythologybot.boodoo.co · 2h
D1403 Magic object maims.
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pauline kael bot @paulinekaelbot.bsky.social · 20h
You have to hand it to those skinny, wiry guys—they're stronger than they look. (1968)
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Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 06/10/2026
#OtD 6 Oct 1969 the Haymarket police memorial statue in Chicago was blown up by the Weather Underground urban guerrilla group. Just one of many occasions in which the statue was destroyed by vandals. Learn more in this podcast for our Patreon supporters: workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e85-...
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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · 23h
Q. Is s’s’ the correct plural possessive form of s? Q. Is there such a thing as a suspended en dash? Q. How do you cite syndicated newspaper articles? We answer these and other questions about Chicago style in the October Q&A at CMOS Online.
cmos.style
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition
Find it. Write it. Cite it. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. ¶ It is the indispensable reference for ...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
'The Future Nottingham programme, approved by the university’s council on 5 October, will cut 560 jobs, close departments including modern languages and music, and increase staff-student ratios.' The future is bleak.
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 06/10/2026
Structure of the universe as conceived by 16th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe — Moon orbits Earth, and the planets orbit the Sun, but the Sun still orbits Earth. One of 29 celestial charts from Andreas Cellarius’ Harmonia Macrocosmica (1660) publicdomainreview.tumblr.com/post/8297341...
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MythologyBot @mythologybot.boodoo.co · 06/10/2026
A773.6 Pleiades as swarm of bees.
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ScrivenerApp @scrivenerapp.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The #ScrivenerMadeSimple Playlist is packed with quick tutorials to help you master the tools you need, without slowing down your writing. Explore the full playlist here: buff.ly/RCmD1wh #FinishThatDraft
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MythologyBot @mythologybot.boodoo.co · 06/10/2026
D1633 Image eats or drinks.
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James A. Benn @jamesabenn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Very sweet. I’m going to keep an eye out for Mary’s book so I can shelve it next to Arthur’s.
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Andy Roddick @aroddick.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It's chocolate all the way down. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
smithsonianmag.com
Ancient Pottery Reveals the Earliest Known Traces of Chocolate East of the Mississippi, Painting a Picture of Connection in the Americas
A new archaeological discovery suggests that people in present-day Georgia have feasted with cacao for 1,000 years
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Wolfgang Behr / 畢鶚 (氒/厥/攸) @behrwolf.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
OTD in 1865, Édouard Chavannes was born. As Berthold Laufer said in his obituary in 1918, Chavannes "was not merely a sinologue in the narrow, old-fashioned sense of this misused word, but an orientalist and historian of eminent learning and insight, (1/3)
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MythologyBot @mythologybot.boodoo.co · 05/10/2026
D1611.12.1 Magic log answers for fugitive.
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Dr. Samantha Hancox-Li @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com · 05/10/2026
this is the kind of thing that started mass purges in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
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bikebike @bikebikeyyc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Curious to know if a similar situation exists in Canada...but we'll never know because there is no organization bothering to find out road.cc/news/105000-...
road.cc
105,000 more bike mechanics are needed in Europe by 2032 – and the shortfall is already changing how people travel, report claims
Discover the alarming shortfall of bike mechanics in Europe and the projected need for 105,000 additional workers by 2032.
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paulseesequasis @pseesequasis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Galignani, 224 Rue de Rivoli, another English language bookstore in Paris, the first actually, and if you’re into books you should add it your must visit list. In my opinion it has the best curated selection of English titles in Paris.
Galignani, 224 Rue de Rivoli, another English language bookstore in Paris, the first actually, and if you’re into books you should add it your must visit list. In my opinion it has the best curated selection of English titles in Paris.
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Worn On This Day @wornonthisday.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Worn #onthisday in 1933 by Marjorie Goodman at her #wedding to Charles S. Dewey Jr. in Chicago, IL. The satin gown by Blum's Vogue has the leg-o-mutton sleeves revived in the 1930s. Per The Tribune, the beaded velvet panel was a piece of her grandmother's wedding gown. #OTD 📷️ Chicago History Museum
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MythologyBot @mythologybot.boodoo.co · 05/10/2026
A125.3 God with gold teeth.
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Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 04/10/2026
#OtD 4 Oct 1893 Jewish anarchist immigrant Emma Goldman began her trial in NYC. Found guilty of incitement to riot, she was sent to the Manhattan's city prison and later sentenced to a year in Blackwell's Island Penitentiary shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/...
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Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 04/10/2026
#OtD 4 Oct 1884 anarchist poet, essayist, playwright, musician, actor, translator and Dadaist Jun Tsuji was born in Tokyo. Among the works he translated into Japanese is individualist anarchist Max Stirner's The Ego and Its Own stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/1047...
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Eric Vanden Eykel @evandeneykel.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
1/13 We’ve talked a bit about Ron Wyatt in connection with Durupınar. Noah’s Ark was only one of an extraordinary number of “discoveries” he claimed to have made, but without any evidence to back those claims up. So let’s spend a little time with Mr. Wyatt. 🧵 #NoahsArk #Archaeology ronwyatt.com
ronwyatt.com
The Discoveries of Ron Wyatt - Official Website
Explore Ron Wyatt's archaeological discoveries including Noah's Ark, Red Sea Crossing, Mount Sinai, Sodom & Gomorrah, Ark of the Covenant, and Joseph's Pyramids.
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Niao Collective @niaocollective.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Wut
How Jane Eyre could inspire a youth rebellion in China
By Philip Hensher
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The French Republican Calendar @sansculottid.es · 03/10/2026
Today is Tridi the 13th of Vendémiaire in the year 235. Vendémiaire is the month of vintage. Today we celebrate winter squash. #JacobinDay See today's page
An old time-y illustration of a Winter squash.
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CCP Purge Monitor @ccptracker.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
CCDI: Chao Ketu has been expelled from the CCP, had their benefits cancelled, and referred for prosecution as a former First-Class Inspector at the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission due to loss of ideals and convictions, violation of politi
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西肯居士 (Adam) @coldscholarstudio.org · 03/10/2026
Qing 清 era woodblock image of Princess Zhao of Pingyang 平阳昭公主 (d. 623 CE). Helped her father establish the Tang 唐 dynasty (618–907 CE). Like her brothers, Princess Zhao distinguished herself as an independent military commander, coordinating with their family and allies. Buried w/ military honors.
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Carmen Celestini @philofwrite.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
On October 19th I will be part of a panel discussing Christian nationalism in Canada. Registration is free and available online or in person.
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Paul French @chinarhyming.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Anna May Wong: An Intimate Portrait - Shirley Jennifer Lim brings us a story of tenacity and determination in this lush biography, sure to become the essential account of Anna May Wong's life and legacy. Published by Abrams.
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MythologyBot @mythologybot.boodoo.co · 03/10/2026
G242.6 Witches use magic aids for flying.
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Victoria Haddock @vickyhaddock.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto was born #OnThisDay in 1943. He designed this black crêpe bias-cut dress with an asymmetrical draped bodice for his S/S 1998 collection. Sold by Timeless Vixen. #fashionhistory
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Cold War Conversations Podcast @coldwarpod.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
#OTD 1952: Britain detonates its first atomic bomb. Operation Hurricane explodes inside HMS Plym off Western Australia with a yield of 25 kilotons, destroying the ship. Britain is now the world’s third nuclear power—and its independent nuclear deterrent has begun.
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Adrian Vickers @avick.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Detailed AI statement by NUS Press: nuspress.nus.edu.sg/pages/our-ai...
nuspress.nus.edu.sg
Our AI Policy
Please do not submit texts that include wording from AI models, even if you are prompting models to simply "polish" or "streamline" your draft.
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Year Progress Bot @yearprogress.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░ 75.49%
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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
#tdih 1935 Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia with poisonous gas, bombs, concentration camps. "From Kingston to Johannesburg, from Detroit to Ghana, Port-of-Spain to Paris, Black communities rallied in defense of Ethiopia." #PanAfrican #TeachOutsideTextbook Read ⬇️ www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/et...
zinnedproject.org
Oct. 3, 1935: Ethiopia Invaded by Italy
Ethiopia was invaded by Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini.
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The Public Domain Review @publicdomainrev.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Cartoon portrait of artist and writer William Morris, who left this "earthly paradise" 125 years ago #onthisday. More caricatures of leading (male) 19th-century figures featured in Cartoon Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Men of the Day (1873): publicdomainreview.org/collection/c...
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Jacqueline Antonovich @jackiantonovich.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
In 1974, Cornell lecturer Lin Farley began recognizing a pattern in the experiences women shared in her Women and Work course: women were being pushed out of jobs by men’s sexual behavior. Farley coined the term, “sexual harassment.”
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James A. Benn @jamesabenn.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I feel like the Jesuits might have made an even earlier start on this inquiry. shc.stanford.edu/arcade/publi...
shc.stanford.edu
Machines in the Garden | Stanford Humanities Center
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BCMECR spooky/pumpkin spice mode @b1kes.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Relevant for Canadians too. My off-brand third-hand cargo bike recently had a seatpost failure, which I could luckily rectify really easily with an angle grinder and some paint. Probably not a suitable solution for an $8,000 bike.
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Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Japan paying students to study in rural unis
en.sedaily.com
Japan Pays Tokyo Students to Study in Shrinking Regions
Japan will fund five Tokyo-area universities to send students to study in shrinking regions, with up to 25 million yen each per year for three years.
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MythologyBot @mythologybot.boodoo.co · 02/10/2026
A718.3 Sun from fruit kernels thrown into water of flood.
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pauline kael bot @paulinekaelbot.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
THE WARRIORS is a real moviemaker's movie: it has in visual terms the kind of impact that "Rock Around the Clock" did behind the titles of BLACKBOARD JUNGLE. THE WARRIORS is like visual rock. (1979)
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ArtButMakeItSports @artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Time orders Old Age to destroy Beauty (flipped, detail), by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni, 1746, 📸 by @madelinepcarter.bsky.social
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James A. Benn @jamesabenn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Just contrasting the governing styles of Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney in our class discussion of wuwei.
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1946 News @80yearsago.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
[October 2nd, 1946] Illustration of several judges of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, Germany, as sketched by Stars and Stripes artist Don “Shep” Sheppard
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Englishness & Britishness have never been fixed concepts. They have been redefined & debated for centuries. Shakespeare did it loads. John of Gaunt’s lament for an imagined glorious past England vs the present crap one from Richard II is like a really well written version of a Tory conference speech
This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, 
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, 
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself 
Against infection and the hand of war, 
This happy breed of men, this little world, 
This precious stone set in the silver sea, 
Which serves it in the office of a wall, 
Or as a moat defensive to a house, 
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, 
This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, 
Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth, 
Renowned for their deeds as far from home, 
For Christian service and true chivalry, 
As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry, 
Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son, 
This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land, 
Dear for her reputation through the world, 
Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it, 
Like to a tenement or pelting farm:
England, bound in with the triumphant sea 
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege 
Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame, 
With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds:
That England, that was wont to conquer others, 
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
Ah, would the scandal vanish with my life, 
How happy then were my ensuing death!
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BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
this would be an incredible film if you started it with all the normal serial killer hunting tropes
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