Norfolk seal inscription mystery solved by US man on Twitter - BBC News

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Portable Antiquities Scheme

The mystery of an inscription on a badly burned medieval silver seal has been been solved by a man in the US on Twitter.

Alex Cortez, from California, read online about a Norfolk-found artefact that was so damaged, its border inscription was too hard to read.

After painstaking research, he discovered the words could come from a particular biblical psalm.

The UK's Portable Antiquities Scheme said it was "really grateful".

The 13th or 14th Century seal, containing a reused Roman carved gem, was found in Gayton by a metal detectorist in August.

Experts had suggested possible letters in the inscription, but Norfolk finds liaison officer, Dr Helen Geake, said it did not appear to show a generic motto and "hoped a Latin scholar might be able to decipher it".

Mr Cortez, from Alameda, who has an interest in archaeology but has never studied it formally, saw a tweet about the find.

He decided to attempt to decipher the message and responded to say it could be Psalm 36:27, "Declina a Malo, a fac bonum".

Dr Geake said the suggestion was Psalm 37 in modern Bibles and meant "decline from evil and do good".

Hmm, it could be Psalm 36:27, "Declina a Malo, et fac bonum". That's my best guess at the moment

— Alex Cortez (@alexstar) May 16, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

She said psalm extracts were known from other seal matrices and Mr Cortez had cited the discovery of a 13th Century medieval silver seal matrix in Shropshire in 2006 as "a good parallel".

Industrial procurement specialist, Mr Cortez, said: "I love a good puzzle, so I started looking at news sites and English archaeology sites to see if I could figure it out.

"I got lucky - I found a news article about a similar piece.

"That one had an inscription that was identified as part of a psalm in Latin - so I had a hunch - what if this was common in the 13th Century, to take an old carved stone and reset it in silver with a psalm?

"So I scrutinized the photos and went through a Latin psalter until I found a likely candidate.

"As it happens, I had a free morning."

Dr Geake, said she was "really grateful" to him for "solving the mystery".

Mr Cortez said he felt "very gratified to be able to help".

"I'm no professional, so I hope it shows that anyone with a keen interest and the willingness to do the work is able to contribute something to history. It has definitely encouraged me."

Dr Geake said she hoped Mr Cortez might "have a look at our hundreds of other hitherto-undeciphered seals and see if more can be understood".

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk

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• Portable Antiquities Scheme

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City, county crews to begin chip-and-seal work - Columbia Missourian

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Chip-and-seal work is scheduled for dozens of city streets and county roads in the coming weeks.

The Missouri Petroleum Co. will begin chipping and sealing 49 sections of county roads Wednesday and is scheduled to continue the work through July 22. The work will be done from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day that weather allows.

No parking will be allowed on the targeted roads during work hours. Signs will be posted before the work is scheduled to be done. Any cars or trucks parked on the roads after the designated times will be towed at the owners' expense.

A full list of the county roads that will be chipped and sealed is included with this story.

The city of Columbia also will have crews doing chip-and-seal work beginning Wednesday and continuing through July 20. Its crews will work from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day the weather allows.

Flaggers will be present to assist drivers through the city streets being worked on. A full list of city streets that will be chipped and sealed is available on the city's website.

Drivers are urged to use caution in the work zones.

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Windows 11 install requires a Microsoft account — here's how to avoid it - Laptop Mag

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While Microsoft is still sorting out the botched messaging on the Windows 11 system requirements, an option to dodge one of its new requirements may have emerged.

It isn't one of the hardware requirements, unfortunately, but PCWorld reports that a source close to the company informed them that Windows 11 Pro will allow users to avoid the new Microsoft account (MSA) requirement for installing Windows 11.

Last week, alongside the announcement of Windows 11 and the ensuing system requirements confusion, Microsoft stated that Windows 11 Home would require an internet connection and an MSA in order to install the operating system. Previously, users were able to simply create a local account and install using that offline method.

The basic Windows 11 Home, whether it is done as a free upgrade or purchased at retail, will no longer give you the local option. You will be able to move to a local account after you have completed installation, but this will preclude using any of the Windows 11 syncing functionality between devices as that is being synced via the MSA. 

The lone option for avoiding this MSA requirement is Windows 11 Pro; according to PCWorld's source, users with Windows 11 Pro can install to a local account right from the beginning without having to create or sign in to an MSA.

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

For many users, this doesn't rise to anywhere near the same level of concern as the CPU requirement or TPM 2.0 requirement, but it does feel like one more gotcha from Microsoft for Windows 11. Gamers will also be reminded of the Xbox One fiasco when Microsoft could not get its story straight regarding whether the console would or wouldn't need an always-on connection.

Windows 11 looks great with the new design, the promised battery life enhancements, enhanced multitasking and more, but the company has to get a firmer grasp on its messaging. The new requirements clear as it is just going to cause unnecessary confusion for users.

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Synthetic Identity Theft: How to Avoid It | Eye On Annapolis - Eye On Annapolis

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Over 200 years ago,  Mary Shelley sat down and wrote her famous novel “Frankenstein”. It was about a doctor who believed that he could create a new life using the body parts and organs of different dead people, brought back to life using hundreds of thousands of volts of electricity. When the movie version of her novel appeared in 1931, viewers got a glimpse of how the monster that Frankenstein created came to be: he harnessed lightning to provide the necessary electric voltage to breathe new life into his creation. The two most famous words in the movie, “It’s alive!” resonated with audiences for years, and the movie is still watched on cable today.

Baron Von Frankenstein and his horrific creation were slightly ahead of their time – over 200 years ahead. Because today, cybercriminals are doing exactly the same thing: stealing various elements from different people, both dead and alive, like their names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and other details and components of their personal identity and lives, and crafting them together with fictitious elements as a totally new creation. It’s called synthetic identity theft. And it’s the fastest-growing segment of cybercrime in the U.S. today.

Why Synthetic Identity Theft is so Damaging

The biggest problem with synthetic identity theft is that many cybercriminals steal elements of identity from children – particularly their Social Security numbers. In fact, over one million children have become victims of synthetic identity theft in the past year, with many under the age of 7.

The problem escalates because many victims won’t even know that their identities are being used in illegal activities until they’re much older, and apply to college, search for a job or try to buy a car. Only then will their credit show thousands of dollars in unpaid and uncollected charges, stolen bank funds and other criminal activities – all based on synthetic fraud from a cyberthief. By then, it’s too late to clear their name without jumping through extremely difficult legal and financial hurdles.

Different Types of Synthetic Identity Theft

Cybercrooks have different types of synthetic identity theft at their disposal, and which one they use will depend on how creative and technically astute they are.  For the creative cybercrook, there’s Identity Fabrication – which is a persona that is totally made up with no connection whatsoever to actual personally identifiable information (PII).

The cyberthief who is a good manipulator is able to take the PII of an actual person and manipulate it in a new way, creating a new identity that has its roots in a real person. Just know that the manipulation is so extensive you’d probably never recognize the identity of the person that they came from.

The third type of synthetic identity theft is the “Dr. Frankenstein” method, (or Identity Compilation), which takes bits and pieces of personally identifiable information from real people and mixes and matches it with fabricated data that was created from scratch. As with the others, this phony identity is difficult to detect.

Avoiding Synthetic Identity Theft

To avoid becoming a victim, you have to understand where the cybercrooks get their bits and pieces of real information. Some are the result of a data breach, and there have been a lot of those happening lately, causing many IT experts to call it a cybersecurity nightmare. Another way they collect that information they’ll end up melding into a new identity is by searching the Dark Web and purchasing it from another cybercook.

One of the main ways cybercrooks get access to your personally identifiable information is by hacking into your computer – most notably due to a weak password. Most cybersecurity experts agree that having a strong password – one that is at least 12 characters long with a combination of letters, numbers and symbols – is the way to prevent password hacking and protecting data. Plus, they recommend having a unique, strong password for each and every one of your accounts. That would be an overwhelming task to try to create and remember many strong passwords, so a password manager is the best way to go. Some of the top ones include LastPass, Dashlane and Keeper.

To help prevent synthetic identity theft from becoming a long, ongoing problem, it’s smart to review your credit bureau accounts for any suspicious activity, like new open accounts appearing that you never applied for. You should review your child’s account as well, since they’re a primary target of synthetic identity cyberthieves. You’re entitled to get a free credit review each year online.

Yet another way is to purchase personal data from people-search sites like Pipl, US Search and Intelius. They offer unauthorized personal information for sale – and it’s all perfectly legal. To avoid this, you need to delete all of that data from all of the different people-search sites.

One final piece of advice: never reveal your Social Security number online to anyone you don’t know or trust. If you’re opening a credit or bank account, they will need your SSN. However, if you log in directly to a URL that you type, you will know it’s really a safe website, and not a spoofed one that some cybercrook has created.

By following the suggestions and information included above, you’ll be well on your way to avoiding synthetic identity theft.

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Designers wanted to help create new official seal in city of Jackson - MLive.com

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JACKSON, MI -- The Jackson Public Arts Commission is accepting proposals from designers who want to help create a new look for the city’s official seal.

The city is seeking an updated design that is more specific to the Jackson community and represents its diversity, officials said.

The city’s current seal, in use since 1937, references a statue in Washington, D.C. of the city’s namesake, U.S. President Andrew Jackson, waving his hat in the air while riding a rearing horse.

Beyond its name reference, the statue and Jackson have no direct connection to the city of Jackson, officials said.

Related: Jackson moving forward with potential redesign of official city seal

The city seal is currently used on official documents and for display around city hall. Since 2014, the city has moved away from using the seal in favor of a new logo and color scheme used for branding and promotional efforts, officials have said.

In July 2020, the Jackson City Council voted to have JPAC start the seal’s redesign process. The city council’s decision to redesign the seal came after discussions on racial equity ramped up in the Jackson community after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 in Minneapolis, officials said.

Additionally, ongoing conversations have increased on how historical figures should be represented in public spaces, officials said. Andrew Jackson was a slave holder who signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the forced relocation of Native Americans along the Trail of Tears.

The only design specifications for the new seal are that it must be circular, include the name of the city and note the founding year of 1829. No reference to Andrew Jackson is allowed, officials said.

Related: Andrew Jackson’s history raises questions about Jackson’s official city seal

Designers have until Thursday, July 15 to submit proposals. Angela Edward, JPAC chairwoman, said commissioners will review the submissions and present two designs to the city council for consideration in September.

“JPAC will be looking for seal designs that encompass integrity, inclusivity and a more current representation of how the city identifies itself,” Edward said.

Mayor Derek Dobies said he’d like to see a seal that is more specific to Jackson.

“A community with so much pride in its rich history and forward momentum deserves a better city seal,” Dobies said. “Cities evolve over nearly 200 years. Our city imagery should represent how we feel about Jackson in 2021 and reflect our current diversity.”

For more details on seal design submission procedures, visit the city’s website.

More from MLive:

$17B spending plan to fund K-12 passes Michigan Legislature

Michigan to pause most road construction over weekend to ease Fourth of July traffic

Michigan reports 195 new coronavirus cases and 4 new deaths for Wednesday, June 30

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Service for Cayce Seal draws hundreds from throughout region - WLOX

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WAVELAND, Miss. (WLOX) - The line of mourners for the visitation and funeral of Cayce Seal seemed endless. It stretched along the grounds at St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland.

Among them were representatives of several power companies, including Entergy, the company he was working for when he died after suffering an electrical shock. Their trucks held aloft American flags in honor of the 28-year-old Bay St Louis lineman.

William Nations grew up with Seal, and they lived on the same street.

“We played yard football together, we played basketball together,” he said. “It was always just me and Cayce against the neighborhood. It was hot pockets and Red Diamond sweet tea after school. We had a beautiful friendship.”

He traveled from his current home in Las Vegas to be among the hundreds for his service.

“It’s really humbling to see,” Nations said. “It’s awesome. Because a lot of people live long lives and they’ve nothing to tell for it. His life was brief, but it was so full. This guy, man, soccer coach, a stud himself playing ball. He played cornerback in front of me in high school. Anything he touched his hands to, he put all his work into it. He put pride on it.”

Also in the massive line was family friend Peggy Averhart. Like many, she has family members who are linemen, and she said people need to give them more respect.

“People have no idea what these men do everyday,” she said. “They’re out there working, trying to get that power back on. But, yet, people have the nerve to walk up to them and say, ‘How much longer before our power’s on. We’re hot.’ These boys are working on no sleep at all. They’re tired also. They’re hot, but they do their job to take care of their family.”

Nations said Seal will be remembered not just for what he did, but how he made people feel.

“You could walk in a room and no know a soul in that room,” he said. “But, if you saw Cayce, now you know everybody. He would pick you up. He would always be the one to bring light into the room.”

The service was held immediately after the reception and the burial was at Lakeshore Cemetery.

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Mitch McConnell has laid a trap for Democrats. Here’s how they can avoid it. - The Washington Post

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It’s hard to overstate how momentous a victory it would represent if Democrats can pull off their two-part infrastructure and jobs package, one bill done with Republicans, the other by Democrats alone. It would allow President Biden to proclaim he restored bipartisanship, while showcasing the Democratic Party acting ambitiously on its own as a unified majority party.

That’s why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is trying to bait Democrats into squandering this opportunity. McConnell is tacitly threatening to tank the bipartisan half of the deal unless Democrats drop their strategy of linking the fate of the two bills together.

In an interview with me, a key player in all this — Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), the chair of the House Budget Committee — suggested several reasons why McConnell’s trap is unlikely to work. And he laid out new details about the way forward.

House Democrats plan to wait until the Senate sends over both a bipartisan bill and a reconciliation package before passing either. This is meant to ensure that the left supports the bipartisan bill and moderates support the reconciliation one.

To blow this up, McConnell is pressuring Biden to get Democratic leaders to drop this linkage, insisting that they agree to pass the bipartisan bill without making it conditional on the Senate passing the reconciliation one.

McConnell’s trap

The trick is to spook Democratic moderates into fearing the bipartisan deal — which they want to tout in swing districts — will collapse, getting them to call on their party to drop that condition, angering the left. As Politico reports, the idea is to provoke Democratic “infighting.”

Unfortunately, some moderates have taken the bait, calling for passage of the bipartisan deal regardless of whether a reconciliation one is complete.

But Yarmuth, who exercises much influence as budget chair, was blunt in explaining why Democrats cannot allow this.

“That’s not gonna happen,” Yarmuth told me, referring to moderates’ demands for a bipartisan bill to advance alone, though he said they’re free to express that preference.

Underscoring the point, Yarmuth said there’s “widespread skepticism” within the Democratic caucus that if a bipartisan bill passes first, the reconciliation measure won’t happen.

Importantly, while it’s been widely noted that progressive members fear this, Yarmuth said this fear goes well beyond progressives. “Most of the caucus doesn’t want to see that happen,” he told me.

The path forward is tortuous. The next step is for the Senate Budget Committee to produce an overall framework and general top-line number for its reconciliation bill. Yarmouth said Democrats expect this next week.

In hopes of minimizing intraparty discord, Yarmuth said, the Senate and House budget committees are in talks about what framework and top-line number could win 50 Senate Democrats and virtually all House Democrats, which will be needed for passage.

In this scenario, the Senate Budget Committee will produce its framework first. As E.J. Dionne reports, this will be negotiated to get the support of all 50 Senate Democrats — from Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.).

House Democrats will then determine if this general framework can pass the House. If so, the details will get filled in. If not, a new framework will get negotiated, Yarmuth told me.

The idea is that this locks the left and centrist wings into a framework of mutual need. The left needs moderates to pass the reconciliation bill. The moderates need the left to pass the bipartisan one.

Each has an interest in seeing the other get its way. As David Dayen explains, this is why progressives in Congress quietly recognize an opportunity to exert more influence than usual.

A lot can go wrong

A million things could wreck this scheme. Ten GOP senators may not support the bipartisan bill, requiring Democrats to try to pass everything by reconciliation. Moderates like Manchin could then say an attempt at bipartisanship was made, giving them cover to agree to a big Democrats-only reconciliation bill.

In some ways, that could produce a better outcome than the two-track solution. It might lead to more and better-designed spending on bricks-and-mortar infrastructure. But moderates could still use their influence to pare down “human” infrastructure spending.

Or it’s possible that despite assurances from Democratic leaders, moderates do get their way, and the bipartisan bill passes before the reconciliation one is locked in.

But that would be a serious mistake. If Democrats can remain united throughout and this process produces a suitably ambitious reconciliation package, the possibilities are big and tantalizing.

Rise together, fall together

Whatever you think of bipartisanship as an end in itself, Biden campaigned on his ability to restore it, and he (and moderates in Congress) could argue they made Washington work again in a manner independents seem to want.

Meanwhile, imagine if Democrats do deliver on human infrastructure and climate — with a new standard for electricity to be generated by renewable sources coupled with large investments in them. That would show them uniting their factions to address the twin challenges of the moment — the massive economic inequalities laid bare by the pandemic and the long-term climate crisis — as a true governing majority.

That could prove politically very powerful indeed. Which is exactly why McConnell is trying scuttle the whole scheme.

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