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POPSFrom Little Things, Big Things Grow If the title doesn't fit this clip, then I'll explain the meaning. It's funny how the simplest random act of kindness can be so powerful. It can literally move one to tears. Like someone giving me this clip. I can't take credit where credit is due. Again, random acts of kindness are what make us better human beings. My New Year's resolution is to try to be a better human being. It's an entirely selfish one you know. It not only makes me feel better about myself. It hopefully makes me grow as a person. Thank you. :)
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POPSThe Colors of Ancient Egypt "Paintings, clothing, books, jewelry, and architecture were all imbued with colorful symbolism. African historian Alistair Boddy-Evans explains that color “was considered an integral part of an item’s or person’s nature in Ancient Egypt, and the term could interchangeably mean color, appearance, character, being, or nature. Items with similar color were believed to have similar properties.”
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POPSThe Purple People of Phoenicia "The fast, non-fading dye was an item of luxury trade. It is believed that the intensity of the purple hue improved, rather than faded, as the dyed cloth aged." "Archaeological data from Tyre indicate that the snails were collected in large vats and left to decompose. This produced a hideous stench that was actually mentioned by ancient authors. Not much is known about the subsequent steps, and the actual ancient method for mass-producing the two murex dyes has not yet been successfully reconstructed; this special "blackish clotted blood" colour, which was prized above all others, is believed to be achieved by double-dipping the cloth, once in the indigo dye of H. trunculus and once in the purple-red dye of M. brandaris." The Phoenician dolls are unrelated to Tyrian purple, I thought it was an interesting addition to the clip.
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POPSCaral: The first city in the New World A brief article on a stunning archaeological discovery in South America. About six years ago, Peruvian/American archaeologist Ruth Shady , introduced the "oldest city in America" to the world. It was Caral; an ancient city on the Pacific coast of Peru, with trade centers, temples and a pyramid complex not less impressive than its counterparts in Mexico and Guatemala. The most exciting thing about Caral was its age: The city was carbon dated to ca. 3000 BCE, which strongly suggested a radical change in history textbooks. All evidence show Caral was not an exception in the region and there are many more ancient towns, waiting to be discovered. Another interesting thing about Caral is, its surprisingly peaceful social order. Archaeologists found no city walls, no forts, no signs of an army and even not a single weapon in Caral. Once again, thanks to Ruth Shady for this fantastic discovery.
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POPSWho are the REAL Christians around here? "We are living in the 21st century after all. Who would use the name of the Christian God to justify mass killing? A majority of modern day American Christians, that's who. Perhaps the argument used against Muslims should be applied to Christians instead. Their religion has been hijacked by fundamentalist fanatics while the non-fanatics remain silent. The term clash of civilizations is definitely a misnomer. There can be no clash unless both sides are in fact civilized. Any assertion of American civilization is clearly open to question." ... By Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report., AlterNet
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POPSSmoke a Pack a Day... or move to Cairo This comes as no surprise to me. The entire time I was in Cairo I coughed, hacked and eye watered my way through each day. I asked my chain smoking friend why he bothered to smoke when he could just breathe the air. Worst pollution I personally have ever had to live through. Luckily enough I was able to escape by heading home, unlike most everyone else stuck there.
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POPSSubcontracting Torture to the Terrorists You know, something occurs to me when looking at these three lovely destinations: it really does look like we are hiring the terrorists to interrogate potential terrorists. This is like Milo Minderbinder bombing his own base for the Germans!
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POPSAncient Egyptian Ball Game Discovered A mixture of bowling, billiard and bowls, the game was played at Narmoutheos, in the Fayoum region, in a spacious room which appears to be the prototype of a modern-day bowling hall.
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POPSCartoons from the Middle East (16 pics) In conjunction with the British Council, the Guardian Foundation presents a showcase of cartoonists from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Here are just a few of the selected cartoons ... Guardian
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