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James A. Benn

@jamesabenn.bsky.social

1.6K followers 2.4K following 660 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.

Videos

Political science 34%

Sociology 34%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by James A. Benn

Hermetic Library @hermetic.com · 23h

Card of the day from the Thoth Deck for October 14

The Magus

hermetic.com/crowley...

🃏 #tarot #ThothDeck #CardOfTheDay #DailyTarot #divination #cartomancy

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Reposted by James A. Benn

The PhD Place - Academic Community @thephdplace.bsky.social · 1d

A doctoral degree should be the end of precarious work in academia. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

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James A. Benn @jamesabenn.bsky.social · 1d

Beach Tibbies!

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James A. Benn @jamesabenn.bsky.social · 1d

Plum wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo of dog on beach. Sand, blue water blue sky

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Reposted by James A. Benn

C. E. Aubin @ceaubin.bsky.social · 1d

What The Hell Is Going On, a thread:

I’ve seen some thinkpieces and posts about Portland protests that fail to understand the long-term hyperspecificity of Portland culture/humor, and frame it as a sort of shitposting meme-pilled ironic thing. Which is wrong.

So I’m gonna give you my breakdown.

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 1d

Today in 1969, Nixon and Kissinger’s secret “Madman” global nuclear alert—an effort to convince the Soviet Union that Nixon would do anything to end the Vietnam War, and thus intimidate North Vietnam to come to the negotiating table—began.

For more, see this @nsarchive.bsky.social briefing book.

The Movement and the “Madman”

Archive Analyst, Declassified Documents, Featured in PBS Documentary

nsarchive.gwu.edu

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Reposted by James A. Benn

🏳️‍⚧️ Josephine Riesman (Horrifying) @josie.zone · 1d

If this isn't the last video that MTV ever plays, I will be so furious:

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Reposted by James A. Benn

will o’the wisp pooley @willpooley.bsky.social · 1d

The newest volume in the Cambridge Elements in Magic is John Callow’s ‘Gerald Gardner and the Creation of Wicca’.

The PDF is free to download and read for 2 weeks!

www.cambridge.org/core/element...

🗃️ #HexTag #Wicca #Witches #Gardner

Gerald Gardner (1884-1964) provided the central inspiration for Wicca, as a modern, revived, form of Pagan witchcraft. As such, his cultural and religious significance has grown exponentially over the 60 years since his death. 'A Rough Magic' re-evaluates the sources of Gardner's inspiration, redefines his early life within the context of colonial Malaya and the opium trade, and emphasises his vision and ability in fashioning an entirely new synthesis of magical beliefs drawn from both Eastern and Western traditions. In so doing, he stripped away the demonic elements of witchcraft and emphasised Wicca as a creative, mutable and undogmatic nature religion, serving as both fertility cult and a unique source of personal empowerment, that was capable of transforming the world.

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James A. Benn @jamesabenn.bsky.social · 2d

Good afternoon from the lake

Photo of water rocks trees blue sky and clouds

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 2d

Early today 60 years ago at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio, this C-124C Globemaster II was being refueled for a routine nuclear logistics mission when the fuel hose was accidentally disconnected. The aircraft caught fire and was destroyed. Only the wings and landing gear remained intact.

A color photograph of the US Air Force C-124C Globemaster II transport aircraft assigned to the Military Air Transport Service that was involved in this accident on the ground at an airport. The large doors to the cargo bay located below the aircraft’s nose, are open, and a long ramp leads up into the belly of the plane.

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 3d

#DOTD (11 Oct): Sima Guang 司馬光 (1019–1086), Song 宋 (960–1279) historian and scholar-official, compiler-in-chief of the Mirror to Aid in Governance 資治通鑑, nemesis of Wang Anshi's 王安石 (1021–1086) New Policies 新法 and second-greatest historian named Sima. #ChineseHistory #Historiography #HistoryOfHistory

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 3d

#DOTD (11 Oct): Wu Han 吳晗 (1909–1969), #Chinese historian and expert on Ming 明 (1368–1644) history. Author of the play Han Rui (1514–1587) Dismissed from Office 海瑞罷官, for which he was severely attacked and died during the Cultural Revolution #ChineseHistory #文革 #HistoriansTuesday

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James A. Benn @jamesabenn.bsky.social · 3d

Good afternoon from the lake

Reposted by James A. Benn

Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 3d

This morning in 1957, a B-47 departing Homestead AFB (about 25 miles south of Miami, Florida) for Wheelus Air Base, Libya, as part of a large alert exercise crashed and burned in a field roughly 3,800 feet from the end of the runway after the pilot chose to take off with a flat right outrigger tire.

A color photograph of a B-47 taking off using Jet-Assisted Take Off rockets (JATO). Large plumes of smoky exhaust pour from the six jet engines and the rockets.

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · 3d

Few examples suvive of written statute law from early S&SE Asia, but I propose that one might infer the existence of generally applicable, enforceable laws from immunities granted in charters: "Customary Legalism: Rules of Law in Early India, Java, and Bali" www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/news/news.ph...

東文研セミナー「Customary Legalism: Rules of Law in Early India, Java, and Bali (A Lecture by Prof. Timothy Lubin)」が開催されました

報告 2025年9月24日に、当研究所訪問研究員であるTimothy Lubin教授（Washington and Lee University）を講師とする東文研セミナー「Customary Legalism: Rules of Law in Early India, Java, and Bali 」を開催した。

www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 4d

#BOTD: Gao Jianfu 高劍父 (1879–1951), #Cantonese painter and representative of the #Lingnan School of (modern #Chinese) #Painting #嶺南畫派. #ModernChina #Art #VisualArts #ModernArt

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 4d

#BOTD: Jiang Wei 蔣偉, courtesy name 字 Bingzhi 冰之, pen name Ding Ling 丁玲 (1904–1986), 20th-century Chinese author. #ModernChina #ChineseLiterature #WomenWritersWednesday #feminism

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Sophie Loy-Wilson @sophieloywilson.bsky.social · 4d

Australia explained for Americans courtesy Arun Chandran

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 4d

The Taiyū-in Shrine, in Nikko, is the final resting place of shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu, one of the "Great Unifiers" of Japan.

The compound is punctuated by several ornate gate houses, including the one here known as Yashamon for the Buddhist guardian figures protecting it. 🧵
🗃️ 📜 #Japan #夜叉門

The image depicts a traditional Japanese structure known as the Yashamon gate at the Nikko Buddest Temple. The architecture features an intricately designed gate with a large, curved, sloping roof adorned with ornate wooden carvings and colorful patterns in gold, red, blue, and green. The gate is flanked by two columns, each with a statue placed inside a niche. The entrance has a pair of elaborately decorated doors, closed shut. In the background, lush greenery and trees surround the temple area, providing a serene natural setting. There are additional smaller structures visible on either side of the gate, creating a harmonious architectural ensemble.

Sort available posts on Bluesky using #Buddhasinthewest | All posts archived here: tinyurl.com/4kmcwp87 🔍 🗃️ 📜

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Reposted by James A. Benn

MIA: Chinese, South and Southeast Asian Art (Bot) @miachsouthasia.bsky.social · 4d

Tea Pot https://collections.artsmia.org/art/98004/

buff and rust colored; three low irregular feet; in the form of a bundle of cut bamboo stems with matching swan-neck spout and loop handle; flat inset cover with curved bamboo stem and leaves forming handle
This buff colored stoneware teapot and cover is modeled as a bundle of cut bamboo stems with matching swan-neck spout and loop handle. The flat, inset cover is fashioned with a similar curved stem of bamboo with low relief leaves forming the knob. The buff stoneware is splashed with a russet colored slip to resemble spotted bamboo. Bamboo, a popular scholarly attribute, is a common motif in I-hsing ware, which was heavily marketed to literati taste. The naturalistic, unglazed colors and the realistic bamboo forms evoke a sense of the natural environment so revered by the scholar class.

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Reposted by James A. Benn

EarthSky @earthskyscience.bsky.social · 4d

This evening, check out one of the flashiest stars in the sky. It’s so bright that every year in northern autumn, we get questions from people in the Northern Hemisphere who see a star twinkling with colorful flashes. That star is #Capella. Read more at: buff.ly/Ldo9Q3N

Star chart showing the constellation Auriga with stars and other objects labeled.

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 4d

Today in 1976, Gen. Paul Tibbets (USAF, ret.) re-enacted the bombing of Hiroshima he led on August 6, 1945, at an air show sponsored by the private Confederate Air Force in Harlingen, Texas. As Tibbets flew a B-29 overhead, conventional explosives were detonated on the ground to simulate the bomb.

Screenshot from an archival color film showing a B-29 bomber in flight at the airshow in Harlingen, Texas.

Screenshot from an archival color film showing the simulated explosion of an atomic bomb at the airshow.

Screenshot from an archival color film showing a mushroom cloud rising from the ground following the simulated explosion of an atomic bomb at the airshow.

A black and white, undated (circa October 11, 1976) Associated Press wirephoto of the simulated atomic explosion at the air show:

"Mushroom Cloud

A mushroom-shaped cloud rises above Rebel Field at Harlingen, Tex., home of the Confederate Air Force, during a re-enactment of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in World War II. The re-enactment of the first A-bomb use in war came over the weekend during an air show."

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 5d

BOTD: Lin Yutang 林語堂 (1895–1976), educator, linguist, translator, and inventor of the Ming Kwai Typewriter for #Chinese. #ChineseTypewriter

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Reposted by Brian Keegan, Alessandro Rigolon, James A. Benn

Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 5d

since denver launched its e-bike rebate program - the have sold 10,000 e-bikes and reduced an estimated 1,000,000 car trips - replacing millions of VMTs and reducing air pollution

there are no climate silver bullets... but damn - e-bikes and e-cargo bikes are close

denvergov.org/Government/A...

Denver Celebrates 10,000 E-Bike Rebates

Since its inception in April 2022, Denver has distributed over 10,000 electric bikes (e-bikes) to community members through its pioneering e-bike rebate program. As the first U.S. city to implement su...

denvergov.org

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Reposted by Kris Inwood, James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 6d

Has anyone ever attempted to georeference the maps from Tan Qixiang's 譚其驤 Zhongguo lishi ditu ji 中國歷史地圖集?

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 6d

#BOTD: Chen Duxiu 陳獨秀 (1879–1942, left-hand side), revolutionary, journalist, publicist, and, together with Li Dazhao 李大釗 (1889–1927, right-hand side), founder of the #Communist Party of #China #中國共產黨 in 1921. #CCP #CPC #ModernChina #ChineseHistory

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 6d

#BOTD: Sun Kuo-tung 孫國棟 (1922–2013), historian of #MedievalChina (Tang-Song 唐宋), medieval Chinese #InstitutionalHistory, aristocracy, and #prosopography. #MedievalHistory

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 6d

DOTD: Yan Gengwang 嚴耕望 (1916–1996), historian of #AncientChina and #MedievalChina. #唐史 #交通史

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Reposted by James A. Benn

Prof. Dr. Michael Hö (Sinologist) 何彌夏 🇹🇼🇪🇺🇭🇰 @medievalchina.bsky.social · 6d

#DOTD: Lin Shu 林紓 (1852–1924). With his team of collaborators, he rendered almost 200 foreign works of literature in Chinese. #ModernChina #ChineseLiterature

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Reposted by James A. Benn

On This Day In @chroniclebot.bsky.social · 6d

1446

The Hangul alphabet is published in Korea.

Hangul

The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as Chosŏn'gŭl, and in South Korea, it is known as Hangul. The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs used to pronounce them. They are systematically modified to indicate phonetic features. The vowel letters are systematically modified for related sounds, making Hangul a possible featural writing system. It has been described as a syllabic alphabet or alphabetic syllabary as it combines the features of alphabetic and syllabic writing systems, though it is not technically an abugida.

en.wikipedia.org