Viggen

Halleluja, the first world cup qualifying game for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa produced something incredible tonight, the Nr. 101 of the World, my beloved Austria, just won 3:1 to France. OMG, we going all berserk!!!!! btw. how is your team doing? cheers viggen

Below are the newest releases for September... The Ruin of the Roman Empire: A New History Philippi 42 BC: The death of the Roman Republic Hadrian: Empire and Conflict Hannibal's Last Battle: Zama and the Fall of Carthage Chronicle of the Roman Republic (Chronicles) (Paperback) Caesar: A Life in Western Culture Rome and the Barbarians: The Dawn of a New World The Rise of the Romans: The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, a Chronolgy: Volume One 753 BC-146 BC Daily Life of the Ancient Romans (Paperback) Also, the bestselling page for August has been updated and again a recently reviewed book took the first place.

I am not worried about that at all, you can visit the family you support any time, (plenty of reports on the austrian site from people that visited), you get monthly reports, you can exchange letters with them etc... This is one of the most reputable organizations i know of, and i enjoy to see how my relatively small amount can make such an impact in someone elses life. cheers viggen

I am doing great, much better then expected and at a much faster rate. (Just got an 20% increase)!!! I decided that I need some extra Karma , and joined the World Vision Sponsorship, thats 30 Euro a month to support a child in need! This is such a wonderful organization and if you read up on how much my (your) 30 Euro per month can change a whole families life, it makes one really humble. I could choose the gender (I have choosen a girl) the age (below 7 years) and the country (mozambique). Soon i will get per post a folder with all the infos of the little girl i am going to support now. I keep you guys up to date!

I really had a good laugh at that! Although thinking of it, the end is nigh... Let's face it, we really trust science. In fact, studies suggest that the vast majority of people will murder another human being, if a guy in a lab coat tells them it's OK.But surely in their insatiable curiosity and desire to put knowledge above all things, science would never, say, inadvertently set off a chain of events that lead to some sort of disaster that ended the world. Right? Well, here's five experiments that may prove us wrong. The 5 Scientific Experiments Most Likely to End the World

In a crowded laboratory painted in gray and cooled like a cave, half a dozen specialists embarked this week on a historic undertaking: digitally photographing every one of the thousands of fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the aim of making the entire file

Sometimes it seems remarkable Rome produced anything resembling high art. The proper role of an upper class male was service to the community in a legal and political capacity; those on lower rungs could content themselves with agriculture or commerce. Then of course for both sorts there was virtus; the courage and physical excellence (manliness) displayed in a battlefield against the enemies of Rome. Arts were regulated to secondary status. Actors, for instance, were often considered little better than prostitutes, a sign of decadence of effeminate Greek culture... ...read the full article about the poet Ovid, thanks goes to Ursus!

I managed to move all my current debt into a single low interest loan at my local bank. Which means Credit Card, consumer credit and overdraft (both with high interest) are on zero (and will stay that way). This move which took me less then 60 minutes reduced my monthly payment to service all my debt by 12% and shed a good year of paying back too... I am really cruising nicely along right now, i am ahead of plan! The interesting thing is that the more i think of getting rich, the more i think of money, the more i think of how to reduce costs, the more i think of increasing income, the more of all those things are happening --> a classic case of self-fulfilling prophecy?

yup, i invited him, but i fear right now he is pretty busy, he soon has his priesthood inauguration (or whatever you call that process to become a priest), but he did get the url, he did say he is interested...

"Most of us take if for granted that two cities, Athens and Rome, completely dominated the classical world," opines Justin Pollard and Howard Reid. "In fact, there was a third city that, at its height, dwarfed both of these in wealth and population as well as in scientific and artistic achievement. " That city was Alexandria, the Greco-Egyptian capital of the Ptolemaic empire. The authors call the city "the greatest mental crucible the world has ever known," the intellectual foundation upon which the later Renaissance forged the minds of modern men. "The Rise and Fall of Alexandria" is a delightful and informative read that effectively waves the banner of an unappreciated aspect of the Western legacy... ...read the full review of The Rise and Fall of Alexandria by Justin Pollard and Howard Reid

Yesterday was my cousins wedding, i was invited there and although i thought it was going to be a complete disaster, it was bloody cool! The bride was from Russia and couldn`t speak a single word of german! He met her while he was studying technical physics in ST. Petersburg. Luckily she speaks fluent english, so at least 90% of the guests could have a conversation with her, plus a good friend of the family knew a russian girl that lives now for more then five years here, so we had a translator and a new friend for the bride. It was at times really funny, having this russian-german-english mix of conversations. ...in any case, one of my cousins classmates who will became a monk was sitting next to me, so I pretty soon got him engaged in a roman history discussion, as he is very knowledgeable in the early church history, can read and write, old greek, latin and hebrew and was pretty relaxed about christianity, we had some pretty interesting hours. I invited him to join our forum, let`s see if he does, once he sobers up! ;-) btw. I learned three things about Russia; ...the russian language in action is much more pleasing to the ear then i thought ...being a professor in Russia means you are bloody smart, but you wont make a living and ...russian girls can drink more then you, don`t try!

This book charts the rise of the Roman army and how it played a decisive role in the eventual demise of the Roman Republic. It tells the story of how it evolved from an army of wealthy landowners fighting for the glory of Rome, into a professional army fighting not only for Rome but for the glory of their general. Its main focus is spread over a period of about 70 years beginning in 133 B.C. with the tribuneship of Tiberius Gacchus and ending 78 B.C. on the death of Lucius Cornelius Sulla... read the full article of Swords Against The Senate by Erik Hildinger

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Below are the newest releases for July... The Chemical Muse: Drug Use and the Roots of Western Civilization The Annals: The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback) Feeding the Roman Army (Paperback) The British Museum Concise Introduction to Ancient Rome (Paperback) Italy and the classical tradition The Romans (Lost Worlds) (Hardcover) Spectacle in the Roman World (Classical World) (Paperback) From Romulus to Romulus Augustulus: Roman History for the New Millennium (Paperback) Roman Passions: Pleasures in Imperial Rome (Hardcover) The Transformation of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Cambridge Studies in Eighteenth-Century English Literature and Thought) (Paperback) Also, the bestselling page for June has been updated and the clear winner is again an old favourite.

The Oxford History of the Roman World is, above all, an enjoyable read. It is however one that is flawed in approach. When I think of UK scholarship, and Oxford in particular, I am wont to imagine a certain thoroughness in detail and scope that may even border on pedantry. Such is not the case with this work. There are gaps in its focus which detract from what could have easily been a brilliant and even-handed survey. Nonetheless, on the areas it chooses to concentrate, the book does provide an engaging read. This makes the Oxford History an introduction of mixed quality for the neophyte... read the full article of The Oxford History of the Roman World by John Boardman

The world's oldest recorded joke has been traced back to 1900 BC and suggests toilet humor was as popular with the ancients as it is today. It is a saying of the Sumerians, who lived in what is now southern Iraq and goes: "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap." more at ABC News

The tomb of a woman who died around 2,600 years ago on the eastern Italian coast is helping archaeologists piece together the vast trade network that once linked this area with the Middle East, North Africa and Greece. Experts working on a tomb near the port of Ancona say the site contains over 650 artefacts from the 7th century BC, including numerous items made in other parts of the world. The tomb contains artefacts manufactured in sites as far away as modern-day Egypt, Rhodes, mainland Greece, the Palestinian Territories and Anatolia. ''This discovery fills in a big gap in our knowledge and helps define the role this area played in past centuries,'' continued De Marinis"... ...full article at Ansa

If one wishes to peer into the life of a society, one of the most direct and interesting method is to read the texts of that society. Not only do these gems of literature detail the events of the day, but also give the biases and perspectives of the author and, often of the society of that place and age. Heather and Matthews

Rare 2,500-year-old marble discus that was meant to protect ancient ships from the evil eye was found in the sea and turned over to the Israel Antiquities Authority. To date, only four such items have been found in the world. The white discus, which is flat on one side and convex on the other, measures 20 centimeters in diameter. In the middle of the discus are a perforation and the remains of two circles that are painted around the center of it. This object has been identified as representing the pupil of an eye that adorned the bow of an ancient warship or cargo ship. Its Greek name is ophtalmoi and a lead coupling or bronze nail that was driven through the hole in the center of the discus was used to attach the object to the hull of the ship... full article at IMFA

Archaeologists excavating one of the most important Roman sites in Britain have made an "extremely rare" find. The team digging at part of the Roman fortress in Caerleon near Newport found what they believe is a legionary's ceremonial lance. Dr Peter Guest said he thought the iron staff, broken into three pieces, was the first of its type found in the UK. He also believed it was likely to have belonged to a high-ranking commander who was "not to be tampered with". Dr Guest, of Cardiff University, said: "It's a very unusual find and there's not more than a dozen of them. "I don't know of any of that type in Britain... full article (including video) at the BBC

An unexpected sexual curse has been uncovered by archaeologists at Cyprus's old city kingdom of Amathus, on the island's south coast near Limassol, according to a newspaper on Friday. "A curse is inscribed in Greek on a lead tablet and part of it reads: 'May your penis hurt when you make love'," Pierre Aubert, head of Athens Archaeological School in Greece told the English language Cyprus Weekly... ...more at AFP

I had hesitated to purchase and review any book on women studies. In my opinion, usually the discipline is nothing but an excuse to indulge in obnoxious postmodern jargon and whiny deconstructionist tirades about oppression. However, the status of women in Roman society is something that does merit serious study. I found a cheap, used copy of D'Ambra's work on the subject, and was generally pleased that I had taken a chance. It is written in clear language and richly illustrated. While pointing out the often-unequal status of Roman women, the work does not possess what I would consider an overbearing axe to grind. In short, "Roman Women" offers a passable overview of the topic for a casual reader... read the full review of Roman Women by Eve D'Ambra

...after two months into my adventure becoming really wealthy, i experience side effects i did not expect... While the focus of this two months were to slash costs on not necessary stuff, something else happend, as i think, breath and act as if i already have those millions on my bank account, the following is happening... I seem to attract rich people In the last two months i had an unbelievable amount of interesting encounters with wealthy people, at the weiredest places, i think the smell of money attracts each other (even if i only have them only in my vision yet) If it wasn`t for the Euro Soccer Championships i wouldnt have turned the TV on, i don`t know if that is true, but it seems when you think of wealth, TV seems to become less attractive, i estimate i watched less then 5 hours the last two months I stopped reading my local newspaper, it wasn`t even a planned move, the subscription cancelled (fault on their site), so i had spare cash i have now the Financial Times Germany instead and read even more about wealth... Classical Music is all of a sudden really nice to listen to I get money i did not count on. unexpected tax refund, i find money on the street, a guy that owed me for years, all of a sudden paid back in full, ...so there you have it, more to come cheers viggen

yo, sounds good !

Armed with a map depicting a 10,000-year-old landscape submerged beneath the North Sea and fresh evidence from nearby sites, archaeologists are realizing that early humans were more territorial than was previously thought. Because the archaeological evidence from the period is thin, Mesolithic people have in the past been depicted by researchers as restless nomads and Doggerland as a land bridge through which they passed without leaving a trace. The new map suggests that, on the contrary, Doggerland would have been an ideal environment for them to linger in