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Mary Valante

@medievalmaryq.bsky.social

1.5K followers 550 following 1.5K posts

Appalachian academic. Medievalist. Mom. Maker-in-training. Vikings/Women/Labor/ Identity. Chaotic good gnomish bard. She/her. Per uni attorneys: "'opinions expressed here are my own' so it is clear" I am "not representing an official university position.

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · May 4

Updated to include the Royal Irish Academy/ @ria.ie. If you or someone you know should be in the starter pack, let me know and I'll add them (I only add people who wish to be added)

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 9h

omg

McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 2d

"John Keating stands on top of his desk to get their attention. 'Why do I stand up here?' he asks. When one student starts typing 'Why would a teacher stand on a desk in the middle of class?' into ChatGPT, Keating quits his teaching job and moves to a sheep farm in New Zealand."

If 1980s Teen Movies Took Place Today

Goonies Since strangers will call the police if kids in the Goon Docks wander around on their own, the boys don’t get a chance to search for One-Ey...

buff.ly

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 2d

due to the shame its brought on to his party (who, in fairness, are no strangers to poltical money scandals). Since the remaining candidates are both women (though sadly, neither is named Mary), it seems that at least some things in Ireland will soon be restored to their proper order.

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 2d

but he's served his two terms and at age 84 has earned some retirement! Anyway, Jim Gavin, one of three candidates for the office this go-round, was recently outed for having kept a bit over €3000 in rent that he should have returned to a tenant over 15 years ago, so now he's dropped out of the race

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 2d

He took office after the presidencies of two dynamic women, both named Mary (presidents from 1990-2011). Honestly, it was a bit shocking that any party bothered to run a male candidate at that stage, but they did, and Michael D. is great,

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 2d

Irish politics for Americans.

Anyone in the mood for a nice, normal political scandal? There's a presidential election happening in Ireland. If you don't know, Irish presidents don't run the place, taoiseachs do that. The wildly popular outgoing president is a poet, academic, and dog-lover.

Michael D. Higgins, in a suit and standing on the lawn in front of his official state residence, adresses the press at a microphone. His very large Bernese Mountain dog is pawing at his leg and sticking his nose inside the president's jacket, but the president is unfazed as he pets his dog while continuing to speak

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 2d

I only know one or two sites near me that are still operating. The State Line Resource Station and Rural Distribution Center in another.

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 3d

And here's a video from the museum showing how they moved the Oseberg ship.

The Oseberg Ship Has Finally Come Home! - Museum of the Viking Age

After 99 years in the old Viking Ship Museum, the Oseberg Ship is finally home at it's new location. In the Museum of the Viking Age it will be preserved and showcased for future generations.

www.vikingtidsmuseet.no

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 3d

Bonus points for the music.

NPR @npr.org · 3d

It took 10 years of work to prepare a Viking longship for a trip no longer than a football field. How it got to that spot goes back even further — over a millennium.

A more than 1,000-year-old Viking ship goes on a very short, final voyage

It took 10 years of work to prepare a Viking longship for a trip no longer than a football field. How it got to that spot goes back even further — over a millennium.

n.pr

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 3d

Have you reached out to the small local groups on the ground? Foscoe Home Team are doing amazing work with exactly the people you are looking for.

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Reposted by Mary Valante

ProPublica @propublica.org · 3d

ProPublica and @theassemblync.bsky.social found that in some North Carolina counties, homeowners with the highest incomes received two to three times as much FEMA housing assistance as those with lower incomes after Hurricane Helene.

By @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social and Ren Larson

Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene

An analysis by ProPublica and The Assembly of the more rural counties in North Carolina hardest hit by Helene shows that the households that got the most aid tended to have the highest incomes.

www.propublica.org

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 3d

The "block" function in BlueSky is *very* effective. One of my favorite things about this place if I'm being honest.

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 3d

*winces* in medievalist. Too soon.

Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 3d

If you lose to the Vikings in the UK you should be forced to change your team name to The Benedictines

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 4d

I LOVE ALL OF THIS!!

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 5d

🫡

How to Turn Off AI Tools Like Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Copilot, and More - Consumer Reports

AI features are crowding into Google search, Gmail, iPhones, Windows laptops, and other products. If you're suffering from AI overload, these settings can help.

www.consumerreports.org

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 4d

omg, I LOVE kitten!! In the end, though, cats will always win vs jigsaw puzzles, because we sleep at night.

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 5d

A year ago today, just a few days after Hurricane Helene, and the same walk today.

A paved walking path alongside a small river. A wooden fence is in pieces, the grass is all flattened on direction, and severe damage to the riverbank is clearly visible on the other side of the water. There's a lot of brown grass and dirt that's been dumped from when the river overflowed its banks during the storm.

A view of the river through bright green plants and the far bank is in much better shape than a year ago.

Reposted by Mary Valante

Niamh Wycherley @niamhwycherley.bsky.social · 5d

What does it say about a society that valued poets so highly? Find out in The Medieval Irish History Podcast — back for a 3rd series! We are kicking off again with the inimitable @thecelticist.bsky.social @ceilteachomn.bsky.social @tiagoovsilva.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/1DTU... 1/2

Poets and Poetry with Dr Elizabeth Boyle

open.spotify.com

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Reposted by Mary Valante

Rwany Sibaja @rwanysibaja.bsky.social · 7d

We’re hiring at #AppState! Assistant Professor of African-American History.
Great department, strong community, wonderful students, and one of the most scenic places high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains
appstate.peopleadmin.com/postings/51963

Assistant Professor in African American History

Teach courses in area of specialization and American history surveys. In addition to instructional duties, faculty members are expected to maintain an active program of scholarship as well as particip...

appstate.peopleadmin.com

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 7d

CNN is more accurate here.
www.cnn.com/2025/08/11/b...

Trump is promising to slash drug prices by 1,500%. Here’s what’s really happening | CNN Business

President Donald Trump recently made his boldest claim yet in his longstanding promise to lower drug prices.

www.cnn.com

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 7d

Then please stop sanewashing this administration.

TrumpRx website for drug discounts is part of Pfizer deal : Shots - Health News www.npr.org/sections/sho...

President announces TrumpRx website for drugs, and pricing deal with Pfizer

The Trump administration says it is making deals with drug companies to lower prices U.S. consumers pay for medicines. But key details are missing on how the initiative would work.

www.npr.org

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Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 10d

Important update.

I don't think the conditions are right for the best possible autumn, but after last year's storm ripped up so many trees and tore the leaves of the trees that were left, any foliage we get will be beautiful.

wataugaonline.bsky.social @wataugaonline.bsky.social · 10d

UPDATED Fall Color Report with recent photos from the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation wataugaonline.com/fall-color-r...

wataugaonline.com

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 10d

chonky bois!

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 14d

The next few days will bring up rough memories, but in the worst of times the kindness and spirit of this community shone through.

wataugaonline.bsky.social @wataugaonline.bsky.social · 14d

Here's a look back at WataugaOnline's Helene coverage prior to the storm until power outages stopped the capability to do so the day of. wataugaonline.com/wataugaonlin... #HurricaneHelene #Helene

wataugaonline.com

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 14d

Adding fake info with a sharpie is a hallmark of this administration....

Mary Valante @medievalmaryq.bsky.social · 14d

It would be so easy to be glib about not turning the government over to an active Ketamine addict, but the very real harm he and the others did to very real people -- we've barely begun to guess at its cost.

Reposted by Mary Valante

Peter Donaghy @peterdonaghy.bsky.social · 15d

Incredible stuff

No, it's not possible to physically "throw" a paper plane from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland because the border is an actual physical land boundary, not an aerial one you could cross with a paper aircraft. While you can cross the border with ease for people and goods, the concept of throwing a paper plane across this geographical divide is a physical impossibility.
Why It's Not Possible
Physical Border:
The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is a geographical, not an aerial, boundary. There is no open airspace for paper planes to travel across.
Distance:
The land border is significant, and a paper plane thrown by hand simply lacks the power and range to cover that distance.
Gravity and Aerodynamics:
A paper plane is subject to gravity and air resistance, which would quickly bring it down after being thrown.
In Summary
You can move freely between the two jurisdictions, but this doesn't mean you can throw an object across the physical landmass. The question is about a physical action that cannot be performed over the distance between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

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