Alex West
@ajw87.bsky.social
Interested in the Columbian exchange. Philology. Manuscripts. Plants. #OldSundanese #MedievalIndonesia #TupianLanguages Old site: https://indomedieval.medium.com/ New site: https://medium.com/@WestsWorld he/him
Book: https://brill.com/display/title/68202
Book: https://brill.com/display/title/68202
Pinned
Alex West
@ajw87.bsky.social
· Jul 10
Bujangga Manik: Or, Java in the Fifteenth Century
My book on Bujangga Manik has been published by Brill under the title Bujangga Manik: Or, Java in the Fifteenth Century.
indomedieval.medium.com
Hard copies of my book arrived a few days ago, and I've finally found the time to write a bit about it and why you should read it (or get your library to buy it).
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
I see a lot of American tourists these days—there are plenty of them in Lisbon—and... I don't know why Americans think they have a poor reputation abroad *as tourists*. They don't! Anti-American sentiment has very little to do with tourism.
As an American I think it’s important to tip well around the world so people will want to see us coming, and to differentiate us from the dreadful Aussies and Brits
December 1, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I see a lot of American tourists these days—there are plenty of them in Lisbon—and... I don't know why Americans think they have a poor reputation abroad *as tourists*. They don't! Anti-American sentiment has very little to do with tourism.
Reposted by Alex West
"Mushroom madness" revealed: PhD student Colin Domnauer has identified a new species of #psychedelic porcini, Lanmaoa asiatica, involved in unwitting Lilliputian hallucinations documented in New Guinea, China and the Phillipines for decades, perhaps centuries
nhmu.utah.edu/articles/exp...
nhmu.utah.edu/articles/exp...
December 1, 2025 at 2:29 PM
"Mushroom madness" revealed: PhD student Colin Domnauer has identified a new species of #psychedelic porcini, Lanmaoa asiatica, involved in unwitting Lilliputian hallucinations documented in New Guinea, China and the Phillipines for decades, perhaps centuries
nhmu.utah.edu/articles/exp...
nhmu.utah.edu/articles/exp...
I've been feeling a bit run down lately, and I just did some invoices for November and found out why: I worked almost twice as many hours in November as I did in October. That plus the stress of planning the move + I've been pushing myself to read and learn more...
November 30, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I've been feeling a bit run down lately, and I just did some invoices for November and found out why: I worked almost twice as many hours in November as I did in October. That plus the stress of planning the move + I've been pushing myself to read and learn more...
Reposted by Alex West
He’s taking a battering.
France’s far-right leader hit by egg, days after flour attack
French far-right leader hit on the head with an egg
Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, was hit on the head with an egg Saturday, just days after another incident in which a protester threw flour at him.
www.ctvnews.ca
November 30, 2025 at 7:15 AM
He’s taking a battering.
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you have seen in the wild.
Giant golden orb weaver (Taiwan)
Javan surili (Indonesia)
Yacare caiman (Paraguay)
South American coati (Argentina)
European adder (England)
Giant golden orb weaver (Taiwan)
Javan surili (Indonesia)
Yacare caiman (Paraguay)
South American coati (Argentina)
European adder (England)
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you have seen in the wild.
Snapping turtle (US)
Alligator (US)
Soft shelled turtle (US)
Weasel (Egypt)
Hippopotamus (Niger)
Snapping turtle (US)
Alligator (US)
Soft shelled turtle (US)
Weasel (Egypt)
Hippopotamus (Niger)
- Earthworm (UK)
- Red squirrel (UK)
- Grey squirrel (UK)
- Gray squirrel (US&A)
- Heron (NL)
- Widdle bambi deer thing (NL)
- Red squirrel (UK)
- Grey squirrel (UK)
- Gray squirrel (US&A)
- Heron (NL)
- Widdle bambi deer thing (NL)
November 28, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you have seen in the wild.
Giant golden orb weaver (Taiwan)
Javan surili (Indonesia)
Yacare caiman (Paraguay)
South American coati (Argentina)
European adder (England)
Giant golden orb weaver (Taiwan)
Javan surili (Indonesia)
Yacare caiman (Paraguay)
South American coati (Argentina)
European adder (England)
Reposted by Alex West
28 Nov 1520: Magellan & crews enter South Pacific which they call 'mar pacifico'. they are the first Europeans to reach Tierra del Fuego
November 28, 2025 at 2:28 PM
28 Nov 1520: Magellan & crews enter South Pacific which they call 'mar pacifico'. they are the first Europeans to reach Tierra del Fuego
Reposted by Alex West
You can't put a price on sovereignty! *puts finger to earpiece* hang on I have some data coming in
Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.
The Economic Impact of Brexit
Other
siepr.stanford.edu
November 28, 2025 at 11:27 AM
You can't put a price on sovereignty! *puts finger to earpiece* hang on I have some data coming in
Reposted by Alex West
Spotted on this morning's walk: 'cordwainer', a shoemaker or worker with cordwain leather. You might not guess from its appearance that 'cordwain' has Mediterranean origins – the word comes from the Spanish city of Córdoba.
November 28, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Spotted on this morning's walk: 'cordwainer', a shoemaker or worker with cordwain leather. You might not guess from its appearance that 'cordwain' has Mediterranean origins – the word comes from the Spanish city of Córdoba.
Just in case you want to take advantage of the Brill sale...
Hard copies of my book arrived a few days ago, and I've finally found the time to write a bit about it and why you should read it (or get your library to buy it).
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
indomedieval.medium.com/bujangga-man...
Bujangga Manik: Or, Java in the Fifteenth Century
My book on Bujangga Manik has been published by Brill under the title Bujangga Manik: Or, Java in the Fifteenth Century.
indomedieval.medium.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Just in case you want to take advantage of the Brill sale...
Reposted by Alex West
Academic friends, DeGruyter Brill is offering a 40% discount on their books untill 11 December! Code is DGBHOLIDAY40
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_Sale_EN?...
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_Sale_EN?...
As we celebrate the close of another year, you can enjoy an exclusive 40% discount. Now’s the perfect time to pause and recharge, with 40% off all books and eBooks from De Gruyter Brill until 11 December 2025.
marketing.degruyterbrill.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Academic friends, DeGruyter Brill is offering a 40% discount on their books untill 11 December! Code is DGBHOLIDAY40
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_Sale_EN?...
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_Sale_EN?...
Reposted by Alex West
My annual traveling turkeys post! What do you do when a New World bird visits the Mughal court? Paint it in miniature, of course! This essay by Neha Vermani follows the Muslim reception of our feathered friends.
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
The turkey's journey from the Atlantic to the early modern Islamic world | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
www.folger.edu
November 27, 2025 at 2:23 PM
My annual traveling turkeys post! What do you do when a New World bird visits the Mughal court? Paint it in miniature, of course! This essay by Neha Vermani follows the Muslim reception of our feathered friends.
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Reposted by Alex West
It wasn't all wretched though. These documents record a religious festival (possibly the oldest written evidence for a midsummer celebration in England) at the fort, where beer, wine, pork, fish sauce and more was consumed!
Learn how Roman fish sauce was made in Antiquity 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
Learn how Roman fish sauce was made in Antiquity 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
November 27, 2025 at 4:02 PM
It wasn't all wretched though. These documents record a religious festival (possibly the oldest written evidence for a midsummer celebration in England) at the fort, where beer, wine, pork, fish sauce and more was consumed!
Learn how Roman fish sauce was made in Antiquity 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
Learn how Roman fish sauce was made in Antiquity 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
I've been working with this book recently and I've found it fairly useful. It isn't perfect—there are a few flubs with the pinyin and Sanskrit, and I think it needed more decisive input from an editor—but the selection of texts is good and I've learned a lot so far.
November 27, 2025 at 10:24 AM
I've been working with this book recently and I've found it fairly useful. It isn't perfect—there are a few flubs with the pinyin and Sanskrit, and I think it needed more decisive input from an editor—but the selection of texts is good and I've learned a lot so far.
The best thing about social networks at this time of year? All the photos of turkey and pies and assorted Thanksgiving goo
November 26, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The best thing about social networks at this time of year? All the photos of turkey and pies and assorted Thanksgiving goo
Reposted by Alex West
Some Parthian taste-words from Sundermann, MKG 849ff.:
/wxašan/ "taste"
/nameδk/ "salt"
/trifšīft/ "bitterness"
/dažnagīft/ "spicyness, sharpness"
/šiftagīft/ "sweetness"
/wxašan/ "taste"
/nameδk/ "salt"
/trifšīft/ "bitterness"
/dažnagīft/ "spicyness, sharpness"
/šiftagīft/ "sweetness"
November 26, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Some Parthian taste-words from Sundermann, MKG 849ff.:
/wxašan/ "taste"
/nameδk/ "salt"
/trifšīft/ "bitterness"
/dažnagīft/ "spicyness, sharpness"
/šiftagīft/ "sweetness"
/wxašan/ "taste"
/nameδk/ "salt"
/trifšīft/ "bitterness"
/dažnagīft/ "spicyness, sharpness"
/šiftagīft/ "sweetness"
"Criminaumẽẽẽntchi?" is perfect
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 3:49 PM
"Criminaumẽẽẽntchi?" is perfect
TRAIN DREAMS took me out. One of the most beautiful films I've seen in a while; I can't stop thinking about it.
November 25, 2025 at 7:21 PM
TRAIN DREAMS took me out. One of the most beautiful films I've seen in a while; I can't stop thinking about it.
Reposted by Alex West
BDG feature: Finding Them Gone: A Conversation with Bill Porter/Red Pine on Pilgrimage, Poetry, and the Art of Showing Up
🔗 Read more: tinyurl.com/25fc6psu
#Buddhism #China #Poetry #Poets #ChineseCulture #RedPine #BillPorter #ChinesePoetry #ChinesePoets #Interview
🔗 Read more: tinyurl.com/25fc6psu
#Buddhism #China #Poetry #Poets #ChineseCulture #RedPine #BillPorter #ChinesePoetry #ChinesePoets #Interview
Finding Them Gone: A Conversation with Bill Porter/Red Pine on Pilgrimage, Poetry, and the Art of Showing Up - Buddhistdoor Global
My introduction to the work of Bill Porter/Red Pine was his translation of The Heart Sutra, which I first read back in 2005 when I was living in Illinois. For years, it has had pride of place on the t...
tinyurl.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:42 PM
BDG feature: Finding Them Gone: A Conversation with Bill Porter/Red Pine on Pilgrimage, Poetry, and the Art of Showing Up
🔗 Read more: tinyurl.com/25fc6psu
#Buddhism #China #Poetry #Poets #ChineseCulture #RedPine #BillPorter #ChinesePoetry #ChinesePoets #Interview
🔗 Read more: tinyurl.com/25fc6psu
#Buddhism #China #Poetry #Poets #ChineseCulture #RedPine #BillPorter #ChinesePoetry #ChinesePoets #Interview
Reposted by Alex West
Today I learned that stalking a 17 year old girl, writing up a 400 page 'dossier' about her, falsely reporting her to the police and smashing her phone does not constitute 'harassment'.
One wonders what *would*.
One wonders what *would*.
Graham Linehan cleared of harassment but guilty of criminal damage to trans activist's phone
Graham Linehan cleared of harassment but guilty of criminal damage to trans activist's phone
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan has been found guilty of criminal damage to the phone of a trans activist but not guilty of harassment.
news.sky.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Today I learned that stalking a 17 year old girl, writing up a 400 page 'dossier' about her, falsely reporting her to the police and smashing her phone does not constitute 'harassment'.
One wonders what *would*.
One wonders what *would*.
Reposted by Alex West
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
November 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
Reposted by Alex West
If you're interested in the movement of Buddhist terms and elements into Persian and Arabic from Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan, see Chia-Wei's fascinating new article below!
Today I stumbled upon an open-access article in the new edited volume "Connected Philology" by someone who has the exact same name as me and also works at the Université de Lausanne. Very suspicious 👀
#shamelessselfpromotion
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
#shamelessselfpromotion
www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...
Connected Philology
Even though the similarities of philological methods and traditions across various cultures have been the subject of scholarly research, the reasons for these occurrences usually remain obscure. The p...
www.degruyterbrill.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:47 AM
If you're interested in the movement of Buddhist terms and elements into Persian and Arabic from Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan, see Chia-Wei's fascinating new article below!
Reposted by Alex West
A rich collection. Sanskritists will be particularly interested in the article: ‘Sanskrit educational texts in Kawi culture; The case of the Sanskrit educational texts in Kawi culture; The case of the
"Kārakasaṁgraha"’
Zakariya Pamuji Aminullah
Yosephin Apriastuti Rahayu
"Kārakasaṁgraha"’
Zakariya Pamuji Aminullah
Yosephin Apriastuti Rahayu
Important group of new studies on the "Kawi culture" that grew out of the use of the Old Javanese in the 8th-15th c. as a cosmopolitan vernacular by speakers of various languages, esp. in Java & Bali. Lots of exciting new work in this field. Wacana 26(3), free download: scholarhub.ui.ac.id/wacana/
November 25, 2025 at 10:24 AM
A rich collection. Sanskritists will be particularly interested in the article: ‘Sanskrit educational texts in Kawi culture; The case of the Sanskrit educational texts in Kawi culture; The case of the
"Kārakasaṁgraha"’
Zakariya Pamuji Aminullah
Yosephin Apriastuti Rahayu
"Kārakasaṁgraha"’
Zakariya Pamuji Aminullah
Yosephin Apriastuti Rahayu
"In countries such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where the conservative Theravada strain predominates [...]"
"conservative", "strain". Hmm.
I imagine that we're supposed to read those words and think of Theravada as something like conservative Christianity or conservative Islam. Which it isn't.
"conservative", "strain". Hmm.
I imagine that we're supposed to read those words and think of Theravada as something like conservative Christianity or conservative Islam. Which it isn't.
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’
The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’
The long read: Still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy, across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:52 AM
"In countries such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where the conservative Theravada strain predominates [...]"
"conservative", "strain". Hmm.
I imagine that we're supposed to read those words and think of Theravada as something like conservative Christianity or conservative Islam. Which it isn't.
"conservative", "strain". Hmm.
I imagine that we're supposed to read those words and think of Theravada as something like conservative Christianity or conservative Islam. Which it isn't.
Reposted by Alex West
if elon just hired an Inverse Jester (guy hired to listen to his jokes and pretend they're funny) we could solve every problem except how to keep the inverse jester from killing himself
November 24, 2025 at 4:42 PM
if elon just hired an Inverse Jester (guy hired to listen to his jokes and pretend they're funny) we could solve every problem except how to keep the inverse jester from killing himself
Reposted by Alex West
Man Who Thought Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ Was Over In For Thrill Of His Fucking Life https://theonion.com/man-who-thought-fleetwood-macs-the-chain-was-over-in-for-thrill-of-his-fucking-life/
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Man Who Thought Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ Was Over In For Thrill Of His Fucking Life https://theonion.com/man-who-thought-fleetwood-macs-the-chain-was-over-in-for-thrill-of-his-fucking-life/