The mystery surrounding the Matteo Perez d’Aleccio map prints of the Great Siege of Malta of 1565

The album of the 1565 Great Siege of Malta prints by Matteo Perez d’Aleccio is very rare and few copies or individual prints ever come on the market. This may possibly be because few copies were printed. In their book on the Siege maps, Ganado and Agius-Vadalà quote Lockhead and Barling, and Vincenzo Melillo, (though they immediately state that these authors do not quote their source) saying that Grand Master de Verdalle may have suppressed the album because he was displeased when Perez d’Aleccio had dedicated the album to Cardinal de Medici and not to him. This is hardly likely as Perez d’Aleccio had sought and obtained copyright protection from Pope Gregory XIII on 30 May 1582 for a ten-year period, as indicated in the title page Cum privilegio / GREG. XIII. PONT. MAX. / Ad Decennium / MDLXXXII. Besides, Pope Gregory XIII held Verdalle in high regard as he had created him a Cardinal and Verdalle would not have gone against the wishes of the Pope. I tend to agree more with what Ganado had originally said in his 1984 article. Here he mentions that ‘Perez d’Aleccio paid homage to the ‘Great Verdalle’ in the legend accompanying the plan of the new city of Valletta [Foglio 14] and apart from including his coat of arms, together with those of De Valette, Del Monte and De La Cassière, on the same plate, he reserved a special place for Verdalle’s escutcheon in the elaborate cartouche on the next plate’peer-reviewe

Check One Box and One Box Only: Christianity and Biracial/Bi-ethnic Identity Development

A phenomenological overview showed the current understanding and conceptualization held by biracial and bi-ethnic individuals of their racial identity development. While the literature on biracial identity development recently expanded, there is little research done on the various coping mechanisms and mindsets used to create a solidified sense of racial identity in biracial and bi-ethnic individuals. Additionally, there is no research investigating Christianity’s influence on biracial identity development. Such research could bring greater understanding to the various ways double racial consciousness has impacted the lives of multicultural individuals. Furthermore, investigations have brought greater understanding of the different identity resolutions individuals have made amid racial ambiguity, the factors that helped encapsulate their identity formation, and how the Christian faith impacted this process. For the further investigation of this topic, bi-ethnic and biracial individuals between the ages of 18-28 were interviewed. The qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for potential patterns to contribute to existing literature. Research yielded ten influential factors that included phenotypical appearance, societal designation of identity, racial profiling and discrimination, peer influence, familial integration, language, media, dating, international schooling, and Christianity

Papillitis as the prominent ocular sign in Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

A 29-year old homosexual presented with clinical symptoms and an immunological picture of AIDS syndrome. Ocular involvement started in August 1986 with reduction of visual acuity in the right eye rapidly progressing to amaurosis. The most prominent ophthalmoscopical sign was of papillitis which had, in the beginning, the characteristics of an ischaemic optic neuropathy. Besides this, cotton-wool spots, retinal haemorrhages and limited areas of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis were found. Choroid was also involved with secondary CMV retinitis. On the other hand, sheathing of retinal vessels and Roth’s spots were absent. Although papilloedema, haemorrhages, cotton-wool exudates and CMV retinitis completely disappeared by October 1986, the general condition aggravated and the patient finally succumbed.peer-reviewe