Aurelia

Congrats! This calls for a toast... sant

I see a lot of people coming by (I think I just saw a little head bobbing up and down through the window) - some even come as far as the atrium for a quick look - but few actually take the time to sit down and chat. Hmmm, perhaps the African music is putting you off? If so, don't worry, I can play something else. I have a very eclectic musical collection...

I was working in a village in Mozambique. Even though the country went through almost 17 years of civil war, it sort of bypassed this particular village (that's how remote it is). I think the images that you normally see on TV of children holding guns etc are mainly from war-torn countries in which the fabric of society has been largely ripped to shreds (and probably the conflict is still ongoing). This means that there is very little holding "traditional" African communities together. Anyway, Africa is a very big place so it's difficult to generalise.

Your story sounds very interesting. If you ever need someone to proofread it...

The fact that these things are hidden it's more disturbing then what that guy it's doing to the goat. The museums cheat by showing a false image of roman art. Apparently these erotic pieces are aired out from time to time. Here's an article I found on the CNN website (dated August 2000). http://edition.cnn.com/2000/STYLE/arts/08/....art/index.html Interesting how the photos in the gallery don't seem to be available anymore... And I love this bit: For his private viewing pleasure???

At least English still has wonderful words like "virile".

Haha, very funny! I wouldn't be surprised if good ol' Rob Mugabe had indeed nicked the Ark, and other biblical artifacts too (might be a feasible explanation for his staying in power all these years). Need to get myself to that Museum of Old Stuff.

Haha, got 10/10. I especially like the last question.

Haha woops, that's how tired I am after 6 days in Naples I somehow thought that they were talking about the first temple (They said original ) from the 9th century BC. My mistake. Maybe you should go get some sleep - Sundays are good for this sort of thing, you know. Great pics the way!

I think it's 19 years BC...

Imagine having this as a hobby... http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/6402/56/

I love the other headlines on this site... It was new boobs or bust: How Ulrika Jonsson got the cleavage she wanted for 20 years Prince William shows his thinning royal hair... and reveals he's wearing BRACES Ashes to ashes: Tragic Desperate Housewife Edie Britt ends up sprinkled on the wisteria Gripping stuff

It looks like Jacob Zuma will become the next South African president. Even though everybody knew he would win the elections, this still saddens me a little. I moved to South Africa with my family in 1992, just before the end of Apartheid. I was very fortunate to be there when the country experienced its first democratic elections in 1994, which culminated in Nelson Mandela being elected president. He was a brilliant speaker and a unifying force in a country that could very well have sunk in a bloody civil war. Fortunately this didn't happen and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up as a compromise. But since Mandela has left power, and the initial euphoria is over, things seem to be going downhill. It's true the country is going through a transitional period and the results of decades of social injustice and racial prejudice cannot be changed overnight. However, the "quality" of South African leaders is definitely dropping. Ok, it's difficult to live up to an iconic figure like Mandela, but still. Thabo Mbeki, Mandela's successor was a fence-sitter, not to mention his embarrassing statements to the effect that he didn't believe that the HIV-virus caused Aids and therefore didn't support any type of governmental action to subsidise and distribute retro-viral drugs to HIV-positive patients. And this in a country with of one of the highest infection rates in the world. And now Zuma: a man who's been involved in countless corruption charges (conveniently dropped just before the elections) and who was also accused of rape a few years ago. Where will all this lead to? I'm afraid to answer this question. Even though I don't think South Africa will go the same way as Zimbabwe, I think things could get a lot worse before they get better. It's good at least to see that the political opposition is getting stronger and hopefully in the not-too-distant future, the ANC will not monopolise South African politics so much. But enough about politics. I love South Africa and regard it as my second home. And as I still am in a mood for tributes (see previous blog entry), I would like to share two videos with you. The first contains a song by Soweto String Quartet, a group of amazing musicians known for their fusion of African and classical elements. I attended a live performance when I was a student in Cape Town. It was a brilliant concert and nearly brought the theatre hall down. And the second is a rendition of Weeping (lyrics available here), a powerful protest-song about the alienating effects of Apartheid - performed in London last year to celebrate Mandela's 90th birthday. I must say I like the version by Soweto String Quartet (with vocals by Vusi Mahlasela) much better. It gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. Anyone interested in listening to it, leave a comment or send me a PM and I'll send you a link where you can download it (don't want to violate copyrights here, hehe). Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika (= "God Bless Africa" in Xhosa)

Absolutely. We evolved as social animals and more often than not our survival as a species depends on interaction with others. One other thing I noticed while living in an African mud-hut village is the fact that you don't see beggars or abandoned children. Every single child or disabled person is cared for by a neighbour or relative, no matter how poor they are. So here's an example of necessity for you: take care of one another because this is all you have. You may be healthy today but could be crippled by malaria tomorrow. And as there are no hospitals around (there was a health post there but the nearest hospital was 11 km away), who's going to take care of you? This also reminds of an old African proverb: "It takes a village to raise a child".

So... basically what you're saying is.... they're no better off than me? Seriously though, the 'back to basics' lifestyle is great when everythings peaceful and the necessities of life within easy reach. Add some policial turmoil, a few chinese arms dealers, a famine, a long period without rain, one or two king rats, and you get hell on earth. No I didn't mean it like that. And I didn't mean to paint an idyllic picture of rural Africa either. Life there is tough, people die every day of malaria and other easily preventable diseases. I was simply talking about one aspect of life in a remote location where you are away from the usual Western comforts and technology. Don't get me wrong, these are not bad things. But I was amazed at how quickly I got used to not having them around, that's all. Of course, I'm not going to lie that I was not happy when I took my first "real"shower after I don't know how many weeks. But it took me a while to adjust back to the faster pace of life in the city.

Heh, you slipped an extra "o" into your angram there. But her name is a tough one. I'll give Ginger a gothic anagram alias, using her original first name: Ginevria Rigors = Virginia Rogers That was a great pic you found of her! Very dark! -- Nephele Oops! Hadn't noticed. Oh well, it was worth a try... Yes, I like that pic too. She looks like a "femme fatale" in it. :-)

And to finish off.... Ignorre G. Gores Ginger Rogers

I totally agree - it's good to get away from it all sometimes. Just to give you a slightly more radical example. I lived and worked in a mud-hut village in a remote part of Africa for a few months in 2007 and 2008. At the time, we had no electricity, no running water, no access to internet, and very basic facilities. To many people this would seem like hell but I must say it took very little time and effort for me to adjust to this simpler way of life and in fact didn't miss having a TV or a radio too much. I did miss not being able to use e-mail to communicate with friends and family but once a week I would take a boat to a nearby island and use one of their two public computers for about one hour. I had a wonderful time there and actually had a harder time adjusting back to "normal life" once I was back in "civilisation".

So... time to come up with some gothic anagrams for the divas? I'm a complete beginner but let me give it a try. I'll start with my countrywoman Carmen Miranda: (I couldn't find any gothic versions of Carmen and am too lazy to use photoshop but she looks a bit vampire-like in this one, I think... ) Dame Carrma Carmen Miranda - rn Marrema Rancid Anca Merrmaid hehehe...

I like Rita better too. But hey, let's not forget Brazil's own Carmen Miranda! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7UgkjTKZks EDIT: I like this clip as well

In order to celebrate this new addition, I thought I'd make a contribution... We think of villas as the grand farmhouses of the Roman countryside. But were they? Bryn Walters takes a fresh look at the evidence and comes to some radical conclusions... http://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/roma...-tax-depots.htm

I would choose Boadicea too. Hell, I would choose any of the girls over Enrique Iglesias!

LOL, good one, Neph! Glad to be giving people something to talk about.

You're welcome! I thought it might be more interesting to see it rather than just read about it. :-)

Lol, I must say, watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing was quite entertaining, not sure what they were trying to do though - it looked like they were dancing a sort of Spanish flamenco. Cariocas don't really dance like that, at least I don't although I can hold my own while dancing the samba. And what's with the musicians wearing the sombreros? I think Fred and Ginger must have flown to Mexico by mistake and thought it was Rio.