Italy's ancient Etruscans were buried with a dazzling array of objects - everything from delicate gold jewelry to items one would need for a banquet - such as chalices, plates and a strainer for wine.
Such tomb artifacts along with a stunning 29-foot-long terra-cotta pediment from an Etruscan temple and items found in temples are part of a new exhibit at Southern Methodist University's Meadows Museum featuring more than 450 objects, many being seen for the first time in the United States.
"It's a fantastic chance for people to see things even the experts don't always get to see," said Claire Lyons, curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, who added that while she toured the exhibit she heard even archeologists marveling at the pieces on display.
The Etruscan civilization spanned from roughly 900 B.C. to 100 B.C., by which time they were conquered by the Romans and had been assimilated into Roman society.
For a time though, it was the Etruscans, Phoenicians and Greeks who ruled the Mediterranean.
"A lot of what we consider Italian culture today is from the Etruscans," said Greg Warden, an SMU art history professor who is the American scientific director for the exhibit.
Warden said artifacts help further the understanding of the ancient people because their literature and history is almost entirely gone.
The Etruscan language, which has not been linked to any other known language, has been decoded but there's still not enough text to give a full picture.
"We don't know them as well as the Greeks or Romans," he said.
Their tombs do offer a glimpses into their society.
The tombs can range from a mound of earth and stones over a grave to tombs resembling row houses.
Ivory items show trade with the Near East.
Many tombs contained Greek vases, showing an active trade with that civilization.
In fact, Warden said, most whole Greek vases on display in museums today actually came from well-preserved Etruscan tombs.
Artifacts from early tombs depict military status, including helmets, shin guards, swords and chariots.
Women's tombs included not only exquisite jewelry but also chariots, showing that they had an active role in the society, unlike women's roles in Greece, for example.
Etruscan women are also depicted in scenes as being present at banquets with men.
Most of the items for "From the Temple to the Tomb: Etruscan Treasures From Tuscany," which runs through May 17, come from the Florence National Archaeological Museum.
The Florence museum's director, Guiseppina Carlotta Cianferoni, curated the Dallas exhibit. Cianferoni said she hopes that visitors leave with a better understanding of the Etruscans.
An accompanying exhibit takes a look at an ongoing SMU-led excavation of an Etruscan settlement about 20 miles northeast of Florence called Poggio Colla.
Each summer, students from around the world go to the site featuring a settlement surrounding a fortified acropolis on a hilltop containing the remains of a religious sanctuary.
"It's one of the few places that gives us insight into a sanctuary and the rituals there," said Michael Thomas, who along with Warden oversees team studying Poggio Colla.
Friday, January 30, 2009
One for the good guys
President Obama has signed his first major legislation, an equal pay bill dubbed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which effectively overturns the Supreme Court's 2007 OK for gender-based discrimination in pay.
Liars and Fools
Today's Liars and Fools consist of:
FaxNews' O'Really brags that he doesn't spread rumors before spreading rumor
FauxNews' Handjob revives suggestion Obama may be Muslim
FauxNews is using the Obamas to perfect its racist attacks on Black America
Gingrey (r-Georgia) bows to Dimbulb
FauxNews' O'Really and uncomedian Miller joke about torture
FauxNews' Beck lies that only 3 percent of stimulus plan would be spent in the next 12 month
The Hill repeats repugicans' lie that stimulus bill includes $4.2 billion bailout" for ACORN
FauxNews' O'Really claims that "enhanced food stamps ... will not help the economy one bit" -- but economists disagree
Torture lover John Yoo excoriates Obama for banning torture
FaxNews' O'Really brags that he doesn't spread rumors before spreading rumor
FauxNews' Handjob revives suggestion Obama may be Muslim
FauxNews is using the Obamas to perfect its racist attacks on Black America
Gingrey (r-Georgia) bows to Dimbulb
FauxNews' O'Really and uncomedian Miller joke about torture
FauxNews' Beck lies that only 3 percent of stimulus plan would be spent in the next 12 month
The Hill repeats repugicans' lie that stimulus bill includes $4.2 billion bailout" for ACORN
FauxNews' O'Really claims that "enhanced food stamps ... will not help the economy one bit" -- but economists disagree
Torture lover John Yoo excoriates Obama for banning torture
World News
In France, huge crowds have taken to the streets to protest the government's handling of the economic crisis. President Sarkozy found billions of euros for bailing out failing French banks, but he couldn't find ten cents for ordinary working stiffs.
More at BBC News.
The CIA's top man in Algeria is accused of using a knock-out drug to rape unconscious Muslim women.
More at ABC News.
Iraq is apparently quite serious about banning Blackwater. A hopeful sign for that nation's future.
More at At Largely.
Vladimir Putin prefers his nation's journalists, like its dissidents, dead.
More at At Largely .
More at BBC News.
The CIA's top man in Algeria is accused of using a knock-out drug to rape unconscious Muslim women.
More at ABC News.
Iraq is apparently quite serious about banning Blackwater. A hopeful sign for that nation's future.
More at At Largely.
Vladimir Putin prefers his nation's journalists, like its dissidents, dead.
More at At Largely .
Prosecute the criminals
The ACLU has asked the Obama administration to turn over the shrub's and cabal's memos and legal opinions supporting torture, war crimes, eavesdropping, and other illegal acts.
The shrub and the cabal, of course, refused to allow anyone to see such things, so now we'll see how the Obama administration really feels about open and honest government.
Basically, if the answer is yes, there's a glimmer of hope that the high crimes of the shrub/cabal era might be prosecuted and proven.
And if the answer is no then all hope of justice from any entity within American borders is effectively extinguished.
The shrub and the cabal, of course, refused to allow anyone to see such things, so now we'll see how the Obama administration really feels about open and honest government.
Basically, if the answer is yes, there's a glimmer of hope that the high crimes of the shrub/cabal era might be prosecuted and proven.
And if the answer is no then all hope of justice from any entity within American borders is effectively extinguished.
More at McClatchy Newspapers.
We're Talking Mount Redoubt Here
Alaska get ready for it ... She's gonna Blow!
The Alaska volcano observatory said in a statement today "volcanic tremor" has increased in "amplitude."
..."I would not be surprised to see it erupt at anytime," Cervelli said. "We're going to know it when we see it." - CNN(you can monitor the mountain too, weather permitting. government scientists have set up webcams at two locations, here and here.) - Christian Science Monitor
I know, I know you were thinking the nitwit governor was going to blow didn't you!
Items in the News
Item One
The sharp contraction of the us economy accelerated in the last three months of 2008, with official figures showing GDP shrinking at an annualised rate of 3.8%.
With forecasters already predicting the worst U.S. recession since World War II, how big a danger is there that the U.S. economy will slip into a depression similar to the 1930s?
The latest figures paint a gloomy picture of the U.S. economy.
More at BBC
Item Two
The average tax rate paid by the richest 400 Americans fell by a third to 17.2 percent through the first six years of the shrub's and cabal's junta and their average income doubled to $263.3 million, new IRS data shows.
More at Bloomberg and New York Times
Item Three
Exxon mobile corp. on friday reported a profit of $45.2 billion for 2008, breaking its own record for a u.s. company, even as its fourth-quarter earnings fell 33 percent from a year ago.
J P Morgan Chase protected itself, but not its clients, from Bernie Madoff's swindles.
More at New York Times.
Item Five
Suicides in the US Army are at their highest ongoing levels since the aftermath of the Vietnam war.
More at Associated Press.
Item Six
A US District Judge has ruled that the names of people who contributed to California's anti-gay Proposition 8, names already publicly listed per the law, will remain publicly listed.
In other words, no special rights for bigots.
More at sfist.com.
The sharp contraction of the us economy accelerated in the last three months of 2008, with official figures showing GDP shrinking at an annualised rate of 3.8%.
With forecasters already predicting the worst U.S. recession since World War II, how big a danger is there that the U.S. economy will slip into a depression similar to the 1930s?
The latest figures paint a gloomy picture of the U.S. economy.
More at BBC
Item Two
The average tax rate paid by the richest 400 Americans fell by a third to 17.2 percent through the first six years of the shrub's and cabal's junta and their average income doubled to $263.3 million, new IRS data shows.
More at Bloomberg and New York Times
Item Three
Exxon mobile corp. on friday reported a profit of $45.2 billion for 2008, breaking its own record for a u.s. company, even as its fourth-quarter earnings fell 33 percent from a year ago.
The previous record for annual profit was $40.6 billion, which the world's largest publicly traded oil company set in 2007.
More at Yahoo News and Washington Post
Item FourJ P Morgan Chase protected itself, but not its clients, from Bernie Madoff's swindles.
More at New York Times.
Item Five
Suicides in the US Army are at their highest ongoing levels since the aftermath of the Vietnam war.
More at Associated Press.
Item Six
A US District Judge has ruled that the names of people who contributed to California's anti-gay Proposition 8, names already publicly listed per the law, will remain publicly listed.
In other words, no special rights for bigots.
More at sfist.com.
Springsteen calls Wal-Mart deal a mistake
The Boss is owning up to a mistake.
In an interview with The New York Times, Bruce Springsteen says he shouldn't have made a deal with Wal-Mart.
This month, the store started exclusively selling a Springsteen greatest-hits CD.
Some fans were critical because Springsteen has been a longtime supporter of worker's rights, and Wal-Mart has faced criticism for its labor practices.
Springsteen's team didn't vet the issue as closely as it should have, and that he "dropped the ball on it," he told the Times for a story to be published in Sunday editions and previewed on its Web site.
Springsteen went on to say: "It was a mistake. Our batting average is usually very good, but we missed that one. Fans will call you on that stuff, as it should be."
In an interview with The New York Times, Bruce Springsteen says he shouldn't have made a deal with Wal-Mart.
This month, the store started exclusively selling a Springsteen greatest-hits CD.
Some fans were critical because Springsteen has been a longtime supporter of worker's rights, and Wal-Mart has faced criticism for its labor practices.
Springsteen's team didn't vet the issue as closely as it should have, and that he "dropped the ball on it," he told the Times for a story to be published in Sunday editions and previewed on its Web site.
Springsteen went on to say: "It was a mistake. Our batting average is usually very good, but we missed that one. Fans will call you on that stuff, as it should be."
Human Sewage to Power Buses in Norway
It is available for free in huge quantities, is not owned by Saudi Arabia and it contributes minimally towards climate change. The latest green fuel might seem like the dream answer to climate crisis, but until recently raw sewage has been seen as a waste disposal problem rather than a power source. Now Norway’s capital city is proving that its citizens can contribute to the city’s green credentials without even realising it.In Oslo, air pollution from public and private transport has increased by approximately 10% since 2000, contributing to more than 50% of total CO2 emissions in the city. With Norway’s ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2050 Oslo City Council began investigating alternatives to fossil fuel-powered public transport and decided on biomethane.
Biomethane is a by-product of treated sewage. Microbes break down the raw material and release the gas, which can then be used in slightly modified engines. Previously at one of the sewage plants in the city half of the gas was flared off, emitting 17,00 tonnes of CO2. From September 2009, this gas will be trapped and converted into biomethane to run 200 of the city’s public buses.
Oldie but goodie
There's this magician who has been working on a luxury cruise ship for a few years.
He doesn't have to change his routines much as the audiences change fairly often, and he's got a good life.
The only problem is the ship's parrot, who perches in the hall and watches him night after night, year after year.
Finally, the parrot figures out how almost every trick works and starts giving it away for the audience.
For example, when the magician makes a bouquet of flowers disappear, the parrot squawks "Behind his back! Behind his back!"
Well, the magician is really annoyed at this, but there's not much he can do about it as the parrot is a ship's mascot and very popular with the passengers.
One night, the ship strikes some floating debris, and sinks without a trace.
Almost everyone aboard was lost, except for the magician and the parrot.
For three days and nights they just drift, with the magician clinging to one end of a piece of driftwood and the parrot perched on the other end.
As the sun rises on the morning of the fourth day, the parrot walks over to the magician's end of the log.
With obvious disgust in his voice, he snaps "OK, you win, I give up. Where did you hide the ship?"
He doesn't have to change his routines much as the audiences change fairly often, and he's got a good life.
The only problem is the ship's parrot, who perches in the hall and watches him night after night, year after year.
Finally, the parrot figures out how almost every trick works and starts giving it away for the audience.
For example, when the magician makes a bouquet of flowers disappear, the parrot squawks "Behind his back! Behind his back!"
Well, the magician is really annoyed at this, but there's not much he can do about it as the parrot is a ship's mascot and very popular with the passengers.
One night, the ship strikes some floating debris, and sinks without a trace.
Almost everyone aboard was lost, except for the magician and the parrot.
For three days and nights they just drift, with the magician clinging to one end of a piece of driftwood and the parrot perched on the other end.
As the sun rises on the morning of the fourth day, the parrot walks over to the magician's end of the log.
With obvious disgust in his voice, he snaps "OK, you win, I give up. Where did you hide the ship?"
The Next Catastrophe
The entire world is in recession.
But the United States is the only wealthy country in which the economic catastrophe will also be a health care catastrophe — in which millions of people will lose their health insurance along with their jobs, and therefore lose access to essential care.
Paul Krugman has more to say about this in the New York Times
But the United States is the only wealthy country in which the economic catastrophe will also be a health care catastrophe — in which millions of people will lose their health insurance along with their jobs, and therefore lose access to essential care.
Paul Krugman has more to say about this in the New York Times
Ten Rules
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan, gives his 10 rules for surviving an unpredictable world with dignity.
1 Skepticism is effortful and costly. It is better to be skeptical about matters of large consequences, and be imperfect, foolish and human in the small and the aesthetic.2 Go to parties. You can’t even start to know what you may find on the envelope of serendipity. If you suffer from agoraphobia, send colleagues.
3 It’s not a good idea to take a forecast from someone wearing a tie. If possible, tease people who take themselves and their knowledge too seriously.
4 Wear your best for your execution and stand dignified. Your last recourse against randomness is how you act — if you can’t control outcomes, you can control the elegance of your behaviour. You will always have the last word.
5 Don’t disturb complicated systems that have been around for a very long time. We don’t understand their logic. Don’t pollute the planet. Leave it the way we found it, regardless of scientific ‘evidence’.
6 Learn to fail with pride — and do so fast and cleanly. Maximize trial and error — by mastering the error part.
7 Avoid losers. If you hear someone use the words ‘impossible’, ‘never’, ‘too difficult’ too often, drop him or her from your social network. Never take ‘no’ for an answer (conversely, take most ‘yeses’ as ‘most probably’).
8 Don’t read newspapers for the news (just for the gossip and, of course, profiles of authors). The best filter to know if the news matters is if you hear it in cafes, restaurants... or (again) parties.
9 Hard work will get you a professorship or a BMW. You need both work and luck for a Booker, a Nobel or a private jet.
10 Answer e-mails from junior people before more senior ones. Junior people have further to go and tend to remember who slighted them.
Unusual Celebrations and Holidays
Remember to have fun at work today
because it is FUN AT WORK DAY today!
because it is FUN AT WORK DAY today!
'Idol': Judges misconstrued 'Be careful' remark
This is why I don't pay any attention to 'American Idol' - (well other than being a no talent show where the talented ones are booted off in favor of the ones more easily manipulated - you can look no further than the show's 'successes' to see this - every 'winner' that has listened to them has disappeared and those that have told the show to 'F' themselves have gone on to real success and stardom ... even the really talented non-winners who also told the show where to stick themselves have had major success while those drones who listened are a forgotten waste) - they're idiots and hacks
Be careful not to read too much into what someone from Louisville says while heading out the door - like the "American Idol" judges did.
The producers of "Idol" apologized Thursday on behalf of its judges, who apparently misinterpreted what a contestant in Louisville, Ky., said after a failed audition.
On his way out, Mark Mudd said: "Take care and be careful."
Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell took that as a threat.
Abdul scolded Mudd, telling him, "You don't say that to people, 'Be careful.' That's just not a normal thing to say."
It turns out that "Be careful" is a regional parting expression.
The show's producers say they had not heard that from any other contestants, so it took everyone by surprise.
A statement from "Idol" producers said: "We now know better and look forward to visiting Louisville again someday."
As I said Abdul and Cowell are idiots. Someone who 'fails' an 'American Idol' audition isn't going to be 'threatening' anyone let alone those two, they will be thanking their lucky stars for the chance to actually sing instead of being sent through the 'Idol' machine and turned into another Ruben , oh, whats-his-name?
Be careful not to read too much into what someone from Louisville says while heading out the door - like the "American Idol" judges did.
The producers of "Idol" apologized Thursday on behalf of its judges, who apparently misinterpreted what a contestant in Louisville, Ky., said after a failed audition.
On his way out, Mark Mudd said: "Take care and be careful."
Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell took that as a threat.
Abdul scolded Mudd, telling him, "You don't say that to people, 'Be careful.' That's just not a normal thing to say."
It turns out that "Be careful" is a regional parting expression.
The show's producers say they had not heard that from any other contestants, so it took everyone by surprise.
A statement from "Idol" producers said: "We now know better and look forward to visiting Louisville again someday."
*****
As I said Abdul and Cowell are idiots. Someone who 'fails' an 'American Idol' audition isn't going to be 'threatening' anyone let alone those two, they will be thanking their lucky stars for the chance to actually sing instead of being sent through the 'Idol' machine and turned into another Ruben , oh, whats-his-name?
It's a Married Thing
There was a Packers fan with a really crappy seat at Lambeau.
Looking with his binoculars, he spotted an empty seat on the way down 50-yard line.
Thinking to himself "what a waste" he made his way down to the empty seat.
When he arrived at the seat, he asked the man sitting next to it, "Is this seat taken?"
The man replied, "This was my wife's seat. She passed away. She was a big Packers fan."
The other man replied,"I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. May I ask why you didn't give the ticket to a friend or a relative?"
The man replied, "They're all at the funeral."
Looking with his binoculars, he spotted an empty seat on the way down 50-yard line.
Thinking to himself "what a waste" he made his way down to the empty seat.
When he arrived at the seat, he asked the man sitting next to it, "Is this seat taken?"
The man replied, "This was my wife's seat. She passed away. She was a big Packers fan."
The other man replied,"I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. May I ask why you didn't give the ticket to a friend or a relative?"
The man replied, "They're all at the funeral."
Growing Trend Of Vacationing In The Buff
A trend in specialty vacations that involves nudity is growing across the country.
That's right, more and more Americans are heading out in the buff. Intimate cruises are made up of less than 200 people, beautiful scenery, crystal clear water and the option of going au natural.
"You remove the uniform, the clothes, we are all the same," Julian Marsh, a self proclaimed naturist.
Marsh described his first experience with nudity five years ago as shocking. He was just visiting a friend at a party.
"When I walked in the door and bunch of people watching TV and drinking coffee and chatting naked," said Marsh.
Julian said that gave him a sense of freedom which is now available for everyone on the high seas.
"People are hungry for a connection for something that is real and our cruises provide that," said Craig Stevens, creator of Source Events, a travel company based in Miami.
Smith is not only surviving, his business is thriving. He is taking advantage of the 400 million dollar a year nude recreation industry. Source Events, which began booking gay cruises, is now expanding their horizons.
"Women that want to create women's cruises, other people that want to do youth cruises," said Smith.
If hitting the high seas naked is something you are not comfortable with you don't have to worry because you'll have options.
"Our events are clothing optional meaning that if you are not comfortable with it, it doesn't mean you have to take your clothes off," said Marsh.
Some of the common questions include looking good naked, one's physical attributes and the average age of each passenger. The answer to all those questions is 'it doesn't matter'. As for the age question, Marsh said he's seen people in the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's cruise nude.
*****
This trend will continue to grow and for the reasons the piece says, but also because as the economic keeps getting worse more people will not be able to afford clothes so a nude vacation will become the norm rather than the rare.
Woman's ex-friends used cold as weapon
A 19-year-old woman who thought she was going to a party was instead driven to a rural wooded area and abandoned in 8-degree weather in a long-planned attack by three friends angry with her over an insurance claim, police said.
The victim was wearing only a dress and one shoe, having lost the other in a struggle as she was dragged from the car, said Lt. Frank Cannella of the North Bergen police.
A motorist soon stopped and let the victim use a cell phone but refused to give her a lift.
The victim used the phone to call one of the women who abandoned her.
She spent more than an hour in the freezing cold before flagging down another motorist, who took her to a hospital.
The North Bergen woman, whom police did not identify, may need surgery after suffering frostbite to both feet January 16th in Alpine, a town on the Hudson River about 18 miles north of New York City.
"These actions were so profound that it leads you to believe there was a tremendous indifference to human life," Cannella said.
Maria Contreras-Luciano, 22, of Dumont, and Amber Crespo, 20, and Dyanne Velasquez, 21, both of North Bergen, face kidnapping, assault and conspiracy charges and are free on $200,000 bail.
Crespo is also charged with making terroristic threats.
The women planned the attack for more than a month.
The suspects wanted revenge after the 19-year-old sued Crespo's auto insurance carrier after a car accident, Cannella said, adding that he didn't have details about the accident or claim.
The victim arrived at Crespo's home to meet up with the three women and then drive together to a party, according to authorities.
She noted that her friends weren't dressed for a party but was reassured by their words and by an evening dress on a hanger inside the car.
The incident didn't come to the attention of police until the victim reported it January 20th.
A man identified as Contreras-Luciano's boyfriend was arrested on suspicion of hindering apprehension after he declined to turn his car over to investigators.
Police believe his car was used in the attack.
These three BITCHES (and yes that is the only why to describe them) need to spend an awful lot of time behind bars for this - say, like until they are far past child bearing age!
The victim was wearing only a dress and one shoe, having lost the other in a struggle as she was dragged from the car, said Lt. Frank Cannella of the North Bergen police.
A motorist soon stopped and let the victim use a cell phone but refused to give her a lift.
The victim used the phone to call one of the women who abandoned her.
She spent more than an hour in the freezing cold before flagging down another motorist, who took her to a hospital.
The North Bergen woman, whom police did not identify, may need surgery after suffering frostbite to both feet January 16th in Alpine, a town on the Hudson River about 18 miles north of New York City.
"These actions were so profound that it leads you to believe there was a tremendous indifference to human life," Cannella said.
Maria Contreras-Luciano, 22, of Dumont, and Amber Crespo, 20, and Dyanne Velasquez, 21, both of North Bergen, face kidnapping, assault and conspiracy charges and are free on $200,000 bail.
Crespo is also charged with making terroristic threats.
The women planned the attack for more than a month.
The suspects wanted revenge after the 19-year-old sued Crespo's auto insurance carrier after a car accident, Cannella said, adding that he didn't have details about the accident or claim.
The victim arrived at Crespo's home to meet up with the three women and then drive together to a party, according to authorities.
She noted that her friends weren't dressed for a party but was reassured by their words and by an evening dress on a hanger inside the car.
The incident didn't come to the attention of police until the victim reported it January 20th.
A man identified as Contreras-Luciano's boyfriend was arrested on suspicion of hindering apprehension after he declined to turn his car over to investigators.
Police believe his car was used in the attack.
*****
These three BITCHES (and yes that is the only why to describe them) need to spend an awful lot of time behind bars for this - say, like until they are far past child bearing age!
Hot Tea
There is nothing as calming as a cup of hot tea right before bed.
If you are having difficulties in falling asleep give it a try.
If falling asleep isn't a problem then do it just for the contemplation time as I do.
You won't go wrong either way.
I would suggest an herbal variety, preferably non-caffeinated - unless you desire to get up after a couple of hours sleep to run to the toilet and disrupt that peaceful and serene feeling you had when you went to sleep.
If you are having difficulties in falling asleep give it a try.
If falling asleep isn't a problem then do it just for the contemplation time as I do.
You won't go wrong either way.
I would suggest an herbal variety, preferably non-caffeinated - unless you desire to get up after a couple of hours sleep to run to the toilet and disrupt that peaceful and serene feeling you had when you went to sleep.
Our Readers
Some of today's readers hail from:
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Munich, Bayern, Germany
Hales Corners, Wisconsin, United States
Abilene, Texas, United States
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Bath, England, United Kingdom
Munich, Bayern, Germany
Hales Corners, Wisconsin, United States
Abilene, Texas, United States
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Discuss what you've recently learned with a person who's always encouraging.
All right then ... Hey, Mom, ya got a minute?
Discuss what you've recently learned with a person who's always encouraging.
All right then ... Hey, Mom, ya got a minute?
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