On Wednesday, June 12, 1493, pope Alexander VI married his thirteen year old daughter Lucrezia to Don Giovanni Sforza. Though considered a proxy marriage, not to be consummated for a year due to prior contractual agreements, there was plenty of pomp in this June wedding and, the festa afterward went on into the night. Johann Burchard tells the story, At The Court Of The Borgia. Lucrezia's life would become one of those 'most interesting' in this period. The marriage would be annulled, also by the pope, four years later.
That Wednesday, was also the day that discussions with the Turkish ambassador commenced with the pope in a private consistory. This included a few cardinals, the translators, and the palace-captain, his brother. The ambassador asked to speak with the sultan's brother to give him gifts, which the pope granted. He also congratulated the new pope for accession to office and wished his good health, on behalf of the sultan Bajazet. The pope asked to speak with him again in private before he left.
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Everybody all week has been freaking out about Turkey, at least, in Turkey. And the rest of us should be too. Things have calmed a bit (3 min audio) and some are optimistic after a very intense couple weeks. And then, Syria has been accused (and verified) to have used chemical weapons against it's own people. The US has said it will act, but how? And the awarenesss of the extent of NSA powers has exploded in Washington, and the media, at least. Most of us already knew or could guess. The biggest problem that nobody talks about is that it's a terrible legacy to leave the future. Because the leaders of the future with those powers, or those that sit at the FISA court, or it's replacement, could be even worse. There are bills being introduced to get rid of the programs. Now that we know they exist. More to come, I'm sure. There was a week's worth of comment and investigative reporting by NPR's Steve Inskeep, out of Tehran, Iran, in their run-up to today's election. The expected winner, is way ahead in the vote-counting, as of late Friday night.
comic Sarah Silverman agrees to go get coffee with Jerry Seinfeld, then donuts. He tries to be nice to her. She pretty much wipes the floor with him and beats him at the niceness and the funny game. 19 min video
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