Bess

Letters and embroidery allowed medieval women to express their ‘forbidden’ emotions

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 15, 2024

Women were not allowed to engage widely in holy intellectual pursuits such as writing and interpreting religious texts, so they could only channel their religious fervour and closeness to God through their bodies.

Key Points: 
  • Women were not allowed to engage widely in holy intellectual pursuits such as writing and interpreting religious texts, so they could only channel their religious fervour and closeness to God through their bodies.
  • In the medieval period, prescriptive literature warned women of the dangers of anger – one of seven deadly sins.
  • But while they were discouraged from expressing their feelings in daily life, letters written by elite women of the medieval period are a rich source of information about their emotions.

Surviving letters

  • Not many of these letters have survived.
  • One that has was sent by Aline le Despenser, Countess of Norfolk, to the chancellor of England in around 1273.
  • In Renaissance Italy, the feeling of being powerless was palpable in many of the letters that women wrote.
  • A Corresponding Renaissance: Letters Written by Italian Women, 1375–1650 (2016), by historian Lisa Kaborycha, includes 55 letters written by women of different social status.
  • In one of her letters, she says: “Don’t be born a woman if you want your own way.” The letters by another Florentine women from the same period, Alessandra Strozzi are considered some of the most important insights into political and social life at the time.
  • In one of her letters she says: “Not seeing any of your children makes me wonder who are they doing all this work for.

Embroidered messages

  • These women used their needles as pens, subverting the traditional notion of female docility by incorporating symbols and messages into their designs.
  • During this period, embroidery was not just undertaken for practical purposes but
    was expected from virtuous upper-class women, part of expressing their “true” nature as dutiful and obedient wives and daughters.
  • Her designs were a symbol of her pride and resistance, especially as her letters were under constant surveillance.
  • While these letters and embroidered messages are a fascinating insight into the emotions of medieval women, most of them are from women of high social standing who had wealth and privilege.
  • And clever enough to find their own tools for claiming power, in a culture determined to silence them.


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Pragya Agarwal received funding from Society of Authors for this research and writing of Hysterical.

Fathom Events and The Metropolitan Opera present live transmission of Terence Blanchard's opera Champion, based on the dramatic true story of boxer Emile Griffith, to cinemas nationwide Saturday, April 29, at 12:55PM ET

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 24, 2023

DENVER, April 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fathom Events and The Metropolitan Opera present a live transmission of Terence Blanchard's jazz-inflected opera Champion on Saturday, April 29, at 12:55PM ET as part of The Met: Live in HD series. Champion was the first opera by the seven-time Grammy® Award–winning composer and depicts the double-life of closeted boxer Emile Griffith, from his arrival in New York City from the U.S. Virgin Islands to his rise from hatmaker to world-champion prizefighter to the tragic moment that he killed his opponent in the ring—an act that haunted him for the rest of his life.

Key Points: 
  • Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green portrays the Young Emile Griffith, and bass-baritone Eric Owens plays Griffith's tormented older self.
  • Fathom Events will also present encores of Champion on Wednesday, May 3, at 1:00PM and 6:30PM, local time.
  • Tickets for Champion are on sale through the Fathom Events website and participating theater box offices.
  • Visit your local theater website for the most up-to-date information related to their health-and safety measures.

Sepio announces series B funding, supporting growth in expanding its sales organizations and allocating resources toward the product roadmap

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 25, 2022

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sepio, the innovator of the physical layer-based asset risk management solution, ensuring customers can see, assess and mitigate the risk of all known and shadow IT assets at any scale, today announced a new series B round of funding. The round, led by U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), will support the growing company's sales organizations needed to address an exceeding demand from tier-1 enterprises for Sepio's solutions. It will also go toward allocating resources for Sepio's future product roadmap.

Key Points: 
  • It will also go toward allocating resources for Sepio's future product roadmap.
  • Other investors included Citi Ventures, Stanford University, World Trade Ventures and market leaders including Slavik Markovich and Intercontinental Exchange's CIO Mark Wassersug.
  • Supporters of Sepio's past significant investment rounds included Hanaco Ventures, Munich RE Ventures, Merlin Ventures, Pico Partners, additional private investors and Bess.
  • The previous funding round, which occurred in November 2019, yielded $10 million, bringing the current funds raised to $37 million.

Deep Instinct Appoints Former Palo Alto CEO and Zscaler COO Lane Bess as CEO

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Deep Instinct , the first company to apply end-to-end deep learning to cybersecurity, today announced that Lane Bess, former Palo Alto Networks CEO and Zscaler COO, is taking over as CEO, effective immediately.

Key Points: 
  • Deep Instinct , the first company to apply end-to-end deep learning to cybersecurity, today announced that Lane Bess, former Palo Alto Networks CEO and Zscaler COO, is taking over as CEO, effective immediately.
  • The latest investment will accelerate the growth of Deep Instinct as the company further penetrates the market with its disruptive threat-prevention technology.
  • Deep Instinct remains the only cybersecurity company that can leverage deep learning to stop threats before they impact our customers.
  • Deep Instinct takes a prevention-first approach to stopping ransomware and other malware using the worlds first and only purpose-built, deep learning cybersecurity framework.

The Winston Agency, a Boutique DC-Based Firm Specializing in Global Sustainability, Corporate Reputation, and Social Impact Communications, to Unite with FINN Partners

Retrieved on: 
Monday, September 19, 2022

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global independent marketing and communications agency FINN Partners announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with the Winston Agency (WA), a Beltway-based boutique purpose, sustainability advocacy, and communications firm with global-service reach, to join its ranks. WA founder and CEO Bess Winston will become a FINN senior partner championing global Purpose and Social Impact efforts from the nation's capital.

Key Points: 
  • WA founder and CEO Bess Winston will become a FINN senior partner championing global Purpose and Social Impact efforts from the nation's capital.
  • The move also increases the FINN Purpose and Social Impact Practice headcount to almost 100 professionals worldwide focused on social-impact issues.
  • Winston will join the Agency's Global Purpose and Social Impact Practice leadership team, and WA will now be branded as "The Winston Agency, a FINN Partners Company."
  • "We are proud to welcome Bess and her team into FINN," said Peter Finn, founding partner and CEO, FINN Partners.

World Insurance Associates Increases Rhode Island Presence with the Acquisition of Howard Russell Insurance

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 19, 2022

Iselin, NJ, Aug. 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- World Insurance Associates LLC (WIA), a Top 50 Insurance Brokerage, announced today that it acquired Howard Russell Insurance (Howard Russell) of East Greenwich, RI on June 1, 2022.

Key Points: 
  • Iselin, NJ, Aug. 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- World Insurance Associates LLC (WIA), a Top 50 Insurance Brokerage, announced today that it acquired Howard Russell Insurance (Howard Russell) of East Greenwich, RI on June 1, 2022.
  • Howard Russell Insurance was founded in 1956 by Howard E. Russell, Jr., and his wife, Bess.
  • Howard Russell is a full service, independent insurance agency serving the needs of clients throughout Rhode Island and southern New England.
  • At Howard Russell we are committed to excellence, says Sally Russell, Owner, Howard Russell Insurance.

Space-Exploring Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist Lane Bess Joins Sepio as Chairman of the Board

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 12, 2022

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sepio , the leader in Zero Trust Hardware Access (ZTHA), today announced the appointment of venture capitalist and cyber tech entrepreneur Lane Bess as Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Key Points: 
  • ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sepio , the leader in Zero Trust Hardware Access (ZTHA), today announced the appointment of venture capitalist and cyber tech entrepreneur Lane Bess as Chairman of its Board of Directors, effective immediately.
  • Bess, a Sepio investor who joined the advisory board in 2020, succeeds Tamir Pardo, former Director of the Mossad and president of XM Cyber, who served as Chairman for the past four years.
  • "I feel very privileged to take on this role at such a crucial time for the cyber security industry," said Bess.
  • Lane Bess is the principal and founder of Bess Ventures and Advisory.

NEW Apprenticeship Expands Leadership Team to Drive Continued Growth, Providing Opportunities for Underrepresented Tech Talent and Building the Workforce of the Future

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Focused on creating sustainable tech career opportunities for underrepresented communities, Apostol and Bess will help continue to strengthen NEW's scope and mission.

Key Points: 
  • Focused on creating sustainable tech career opportunities for underrepresented communities, Apostol and Bess will help continue to strengthen NEW's scope and mission.
  • He has since worked in a variety of roles leading up to his position as VP of Technology at NEW.
  • His background boasts a wide range of experiences including software and application development in ServiceNow and SAAS environments, as well as product management.
  • Our experience-based learning and performance coaching system equips workforce talent with the skills they need to accelerate their careers and provides employers with highly qualified and productive talent, creating future leaders in tech.

National EPC, CS Energy, Expands Its Solar Power and Energy Storage Business in the Southeast

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 4, 2021

"We are excited to add to our solar and energy storage project portfolio in the southeast region," said Eric Millard, Chief Commercial Officer of CS Energy.

Key Points: 
  • "We are excited to add to our solar and energy storage project portfolio in the southeast region," said Eric Millard, Chief Commercial Officer of CS Energy.
  • In light of Florida's high temperatures, CS Energy also meticulously and cost-effectively designed the energy storage containers for maximum safety and optimal performance.
  • "With over 1 GW of distributed energy projects nationally and extensive energy storage experience, CS Energy is one of the market leaders in solar + storage deployments," said Troy Nergaard, CEO of Doosan GridTech.
  • CS Energy is an industry-leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) energy firm that designs and builds optimized projects in solar, energy storage, and emerging energy industries.

Honeywell Launches Battery Energy Storage System Platform to Help Users Forecast and Optimize Energy Costs

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 21, 2021

HOUSTON, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) announced today its Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Platform, which integrates Honeywell asset monitoring, distributed energy resource management, supervisory control and analytics functionality to enable organizations to accurately forecast and optimize their overall energy use.

Key Points: 
  • HOUSTON, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) announced today its Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Platform, which integrates Honeywell asset monitoring, distributed energy resource management, supervisory control and analytics functionality to enable organizations to accurately forecast and optimize their overall energy use.
  • Honeywell's BESS Platform leverages best practices for energy management such as energy arbitrage and demand management to deliver flexibility and control of when energy is purchased and used.
  • The BESS Platform is backed by Honeywell performance-based guarantees, which include predictable and consistent costs along with improved uptime.
  • "We're delivering Renewables and Distributed Assets projects such as our Battery Energy Storage System Platform with a similar turnkey approach.