Friday, July 22, 2011

Russian paintings by Andrei Rublev (ca. 1360-1430)

The Russian Orthodox Church considers the monk Andrei Rublev (ca. 1360-1430) as a saint. He lived most of his life on the outskirts of Moscow in the Monastery of the Trinity - St Sergius (Cultural Heritage).

He painted several icons and frescoes.

A Igreja Ortodoxa Russa considera santo o monge Andrei Rublev (ca 1360-1430). Viveu parte da sua vida nos arredores de Moscovo no Mosteiro da Trindade - São Sergio (Património Cultural da Humanidade). Pintou diversos ícones e frescos.

Andrei Rublev (ca 1360-1430)-'Harrowing of Hell'-fresco-(1408-1410) Moscow-Vladimir's Assumption Cathedral

Andrei Rublev (ca 1360-1430)-'Ascension'-icone-1408 Moscow-Tretyakov Gallery

Andrei Rublev (ca 1360-1430)-'Nativity of Jesus'-fresco-1405 Moscow-Cathedral of the Annunciation (Kremlin)

Andrei Rublev (ca 1360-1430)-'Baptism of Jesus'-fresco-1405 Moscow-Cathedral of the Annunciation (Kremlin)

Andrei Rublev (ca 1360-1430)-'Annunciation'-fresco-1405 Moscow-Cathedral of the Annunciation (Kremlin)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Katz Gluten Free ~ Summer Goodies ! ~ GIVEAWAY!!! ~ Ends 8/5




We LOVE Katz. It's that simple.


Every product we've tried has been flavorful and like home made. When you're gluten free, having convenient, pre-made baked goods can be a life saver. And when they are a good as Katz, it turns into a blessing.


We recently were given the opportunity to sample a few new products. Like always, it was a wonderful treat. Even the two non-gluten free guys in our family enjoyed it.






The Coffee Bundt Cake was our favorite! This cake is perfect for a nice presentation. I'm thinking it would be nice for carrying in to a holiday dinner with family- assuring there is a gluten free desert and sharing the goodness with those unfamiliar with gluten free foods.
The cake is moist and the icing is a rich coffee flavor. Upon arrival, the icing sits in a cup in the hole in the middle of the cake. That way you can pour the icing over the cake for display, or spread it on piece by piece as we did here at home. 




Next we got to try the Apple Pie. Yay! I make gluten free pie crust at home, but it's a pain in the neck. It doesn't roll out well, so I have to press it into the pie pan. So pies I make are a special occasion. Having a pie ready to go without all the work is really nice. The taste is just what you think of apple pie. The crust is flaky and I didn't even have to fuss with it.




The  Snack Poppers are plain, lightly sweetened little poppers. A mix of cookie & cracker, these are nice to have around for snacks. Juju liked to dip  them in nutella :) They are also good with ice cream. Or just to pop in your mouth in passing!


Remember, these products aren't just for those who are Celiac. People who want to live healthy and add variety to their diet should eat gluten free products. We should have a variety of grains, not just wheat. Our modern diet is saturated with wheat - add variety with Katz. You'll be glad you did!


BUY IT:


You can purchase a huge variety of gluten free baked goods online at http://www.katzglutenfree.com/ or check here for local retailers.


WIN IT!!!


One lucky winner will receive a prize pack of 10 Katz products!!! Woo Hoo! That is a great prize :)


MAIN ENTRY:


Visit Katz and enter the Summer Giveaway to win one of each of their products!!! When it asks for your referral blog, just let them know you hopped over from Wishing Penny. And become a friend at Wishing Penny via Google Friend Connect. Both parts mandatory to win - thanks :)




EXTRAS:


*Like/Fan Katz Gluten Free at Facebook ( 2 bonus entries )


*Like/Fan me @ Facebook ( 2 bonus entries ) 


*Follow @Katz Gluten Free at Twitter ( 2 bonus entries )


*Follow me @jamaise at Twitter & Tweet this : RT @jamaise #GIVEAWAY #WIN - a Katz Gluten Free Bakery prize pack - includes 10 products! & enter the Grand Prize  http://bit.ly/phAsoY Ends 8/5 SO YUMMY tweet each day for one entry each !


*Blog about this giveaway & leave me the link ( 5 bonus entries)


*Grab my button & tell me where to find it ( 2 bonus entries )


*Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect ( 3 bonus entries )


*Follow me via Networked Blogs ( 2 bonus entries )


*Enter any other giveaway here for one entry each




That's 9 entry methods with tons of bonus & a chance for unlimited entries with daily tweets!




Giveaway will end on August 5th at 11 :59 am EST. Winner will be selected using Random .org. I will email the winner & you will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner . Please remember to leave me your email address if it is not visible on your profile so that I can contact you if you win. Good luck to everyone :)


Disclaimer: Katz Gluten Free provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. These views are my own.

Rome: Son of Hades


I have a new, light-hearted, article up at Sound on Sight, on Ten Films to Watch now that Harry Potter's Finished.

Things are not all well in Rome, as The Godfather chucks The Other Godfather's head on the floor without even bothering to find a wastepaper basket. On the upside, he's stopped rocking. Eirene complains that The Godfather's house is a house of death and will adversely affect any children they might conceive, and Dodgey promises to think about getting them out of it. However, The Godfather is sitting in bed sulking (given that he's caused the deaths of his wife, children and Caesar, this is understandable) and refuses to budge, or to get rid of the now rotting head in the corner of the room.

Cleopatra is in town and Antony pretends not to be interested in her to Atia, who doesn't approve of him having sex with anyone who outranks her. Octavian demands the money he's inherited from Caesar, and Antony evades the issue. He leaves to meet with Cleopatra, who is dressed in a more Roman style than usual, albeit with a very large Egyptian ankh pendant round her neck. He notes that she's changed (probably because she appears to be sober this time). She claims she doesn't remember him. Posca tries to bring the meeting back to the point - the preservation of Cleopatra's throne as a client kingdom - and he and Cleopatra's nurse/companion neogtiate the deal while Antony does his level best to have sex with her with his eyes alone.

Cleopatra demands an official declaration of Caesar's paternity of Caesarion, but while she is willing to prostitute herself for a good cause, she demands payment up front, and Antony has to confess that he'll never make Caesarion Caesar's legal son (he's got enough trouble with Caesar's legally adopted son as it is). When he tries to touch her, she slaps him (which is rather satisfying). The whole scene very effectively sets up Antony and Cleopatra's relationship, in Rome's narrative; he is besotted with her, and she is using him. It's also notable for the being the longest she appears to be sober in the series.

Cicero tries to tell Antony some true but dull and unpleasant facts about famine, mob wars, riots and so on. Antony shows him a list of candidates for the elections Posca claims to have found among Caesar's papers and Cicero notes how many of these Posca seems to turn up, while referring to the candidates themselves as wretches. Cicero's dialogue here really nicely reflects the real Cicero's dry wit, and Bamber is excellent as usual. He also points out Antony can't kill him because he needs him to run the Senate, and Antony has to point out that won't be the case forever. Poor, foolish Cicero. Meanwhile, Antony hasn't paid Posca either.

Dodgey grabs Antony on the street and asks him for help dealing with The Godfather, and rather surprisngly, Antony agrees and goes to get him out of bed personally. Antony has a right royal go at him over the whole letting-Caesar-die thing, demanding to know why he hasn't committed suicide like a good Roman (The Godfather's excuse is rubbish, by the way), then orders him to sort out the mob wars he's started, thus solving one of his own problems at the time. It's a lovely bit of reverse psychology and is actually genuinly nice of Antony, even if he is helping himself as well.

Antony and Atia share a bath in which, unusually, they are in water up to their necks. He insists repeatedly that he's not interested in Cleopatra and Atia really should have noticed that he's protesting too much, though she is reassured that he refused to raise Caesarion above Octavian. It's quite a sweet scene and it seems that Antony and Atia really like each other, as opposed to their many other relationships, which tend to be based on sex alone.

Next day they hold a fancy dinner at which Atia enjoys humiliating Servilia until Octavian rats out her plan to have the woman murdered to Antony and she has to cancel it. Cleopatra turns up in full Egyptian Queen garb - short black dreadlocks wig and all - and Antony makes it even more obvious that he would really, really like to have sex with her. Everyone eats in as aggressive a manner as possible and they all stare at each other even more intensely than the cast of I, Claudius during Claudius' opening this-is-who-everyone-is narration.

Timon, Atia's torturer, hitman and occasional lover, goes home, where it turns out he is Jewish and has a wife, children and a recently returned brother. This is part of a sub-plot that eventually had to be hastily concluded when the show was cancelled early and it doesn't really go anywhere, so I'll skim over it for the most part, though it does lead Timon to an interesting personal crisis later on.

Cleopatra tells Atia to kiss her because she's her friend for life and Atia hisses at her to die screaming, which is mildly amusing but not a terribly good idea politically.

There's yet another new Godfather in town - let's call him The Don - who is putting people in sacks with snakes and that sort of thing. An announcement goes out for a big meeting of the captains of the collegia where they are all to try not to kill each other for a few hours, as they will be under Lady Concord, meaning violence would be extra specially naughty. The Godfather turns up, freshly shaved, and they all settle down to meet and I swear, I half expect a helicopter to appear in the doorway and gun them all down. The Godfather announces that since he killed the previous godfather and he's BFFs with Mark Antony, he'll be taking over mob rule in the city. When a few object, he smashes up the statue of Concord, snaps that he's a son of Hades and f*cks Concord in her a*se, and draws his sword, ready to kill anyone who doesn't do what he says. It's a pretty effective strategy.

Atia is nagging Antony about Cleopatra and Octavian is nagging him about his money, which he needs so he can give the people the money Caesar promised them in his will, for starters. Octavian has hired a lawyer and Antony is forced to tell him outright that he's not giving him the money. (Amusingly, throughout all this, Octavia calmly eats lunch and makes polite requests for the fruit salad). Atia insists that they need Antony's protection and sneers at Octavian's suggestion that he can protect them (it's fun for TV writers to give characters lines they'll seriously come to regret later). Later, Octavian tells Octavia his plan to, essentially, take over the world, and she laughs at him (something else she'll regret later).

Octavian has the town crier announce that he will fulfil the terms of Caesar's will and give everyone money, the result of selling his own property and borrowing three million sesterces. Antony and Atia are very cross and Octavian explains that he's decided to enter public life and this is his way of doing it. He suggests that he and Antony make a public display of unity and makes a very sensible argument in favour of this plan, but the other two are distracted by the whole borrowing-three-million-sesterces business and a full on brawl ensues in which Antony nearly kills him (largely because Octavian hit Atia and called her a whore - it's sort of sweet, or it would be if Octavian wasn't Atia's son). Atia manages to stop Antony actually murdering her son, just about, but Octavian is distracted by the fact she's taken Antony's side and has to be comforted by Octavia.

Dodgey is a bit nervous about The Godfather's lack of respect for the gods, but sticks with him anyway. He hires a brothel supervisor with bad attitude called Gaia to work for them, thus putting one of this season's least satisfying storylines in motion. He also hires another old comrade from the Thirteenth called Mascius.

Servilia and Cicero are celebrating Antony's problems and Cicero dismisses Octavian, but Servilia points out Caesar chose him, and they probably shouldn't ignore him. Cicero persuades her that Brutus shouldn't come home yet, which upsets her.

Octavian leaves to stay with his friend Agrippa in Campania and prepare for his political career and we see him ride away, covered in bruises from Antony beating him. The camera pulls away to reveal, in a cartload of slaves on the same road, Niobe's sister and all The Godfather's children, still very much alive but thoroughly miserable. End of episode.

This is the last we see of Max Pirkis as Octavian, which is a great shame. Since Pirkis was still in his mid-teens at the time of filming and Octavian needed to age from nineteen (his age at Caesar's death) to, as it turned out, 33, over the course of season 2, the change is understandable, but it's still annoying, as Pirkis had done such a good job with the character. His portrayal of Octavian as a slightly weedy but hyper-intelligent and thoroughly ruthless young man is spot on and the audience can both understand why everyone underestimates him, and see how very wrong they are to do so. Simon Woods, who plays the older Octavian, takes his cue from Pirkis' performance and maintains his character interpretation pretty well, but for me, the character belongs to Pirkis.

Essentially, this episode is composed of set-up for season 2, following on from episode 1, which dealt with the fall-out from season 1. Antony and Cleopatra, Octavian's ambition, The Godfather becoming The Godfather and Dodgey's relationships with Eirene and Gaia are all moving into new stages. As such, there's not so much to say about this episode itself - it does its job nicely, but everything in it has to be understood as part of what is to come in later episodes. One thing I do like very much about season 2, though, is that I think we get slightly more of the actual history; or at least of historical characters, if not history itself, which takes a beating from several directions and for several different reasons as the series goes on.

All my Rome reviews are listed here

Landsat Satellites Track Continued Missouri River Flooding

Flooding along the Missouri River continues as shown in recent Landsat satellite images of the Nebraska and Iowa border. Heavy rains and snowmelt have caused the river to remain above flood stage for an extended period.

A Landsat 5 image of the area from May 5, 2011 shows normal flow. In contrast, a Landsat 7 image from July 17 depicts flood conditions in the same location.

A national overview map of streamflow provided by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) WaterWatch graphically portrays the immense geographic extent of flooding in the Missouri River basin.

Monitoring both floods and droughts, the USGS WaterWatch internet site displays maps, graphs, and tables that describe current and past streamflow conditions for the United States. The real-time streamflow data is generally updated on an hourly basis.

The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Landsat satellites have been consistently gathering data about our planet since 1972. They continue to improve and expand this unparalleled record of Earth’s changing landscapes, for the benefit of all. The next Landsat satellite is scheduled to launch in December 2012.


For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/landsat-missouri.html

Napoleonic Naval battles

Some of the naval battles of the Napoleonic era were painted by the French artist Louis-Philippe Crépin (1772-1851).

Algumas das batalhas navais da era Napoleónica foram pintadas pelo artista Francês Louis-Philippe Crépin (1772-1851).
Louis-Philippe Crépin (1772-1851)-'French corvette Bayonnaise boarding HMS Ambuscade durin the Action of 14 December 1798'-oil on canvas Paris-Musée National de la Marine

Louis-Philippe Crépin (1772-1851)-'fight of the Poursuivante against the British ship Hercule, 28 June 1807'-oil on canvas Paris-Musée National de la Marine

Louis-Philippe Crépin (1772-1851)-'firing of a 18-pound gun'-oil on canvas Paris-Musée National de la Marine

Louis-Philippe Crépin (1772-1851)-'Napoléon and Marie Louise attending the parade of the squadron in Cherbourg Harbor, in 1811'-oil on canvas Paris-Musée National de la Marine

Louis-Philippe Crépin (1772-1851)-'Regulus under attack by British fireships, August 11, 1809'-oil on canvas Paris-Musée National de la Marine

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

USA natives by Henry François Farny (1847-1916)

The American painter Henry François Farny (1847-1916) devoted a substantial part of his work to the natives of various regions of the USA.

O pintor Norte-americano Henry François Farny (1847-1916) dedicou parte substancial da sua obra aos nativos de várias regiões dos EUA.
Henry François Farny (1847-1916)-'among the Foothills'-gouache on paper-1892

Henry François Farny (1847-1916)-'Crow scouts'-gouache on paper and watercolor-1898

Henry François Farny (1847-1916)-'through the pass in winter'-gouache-1897

Henry François Farny (1847-1916)-'chief spotted tail'-gouache on paper-1896

Henry François Farny (1847-1916)-'Moki courtship'-gouache on paper-1908


 

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

NASA Taps Into Students' Water Recycling Design


Fifteen-hundred hours, 62 days, nine weeks, or two months -- any way you look at it, a group of Wisconsin middle school students spent a lot of time working on a winning project for NASA's 2011 Waste Limitation, Management and Recycling (WLMR) Design Challenge.

From October 2010 to May 2011, Katelyn, Brianna, Amy, Julia and Maeve, along with their mentor, Christopher Deleon, worked through lunch and after school to develop a highly advanced water recycling system.

They were all good students, but I think they went to a whole other level with this project," Deleon said of the five girls.

WLMR challenged fifth- through eighth-grade students nationwide to design and test a water recycling system that could be used in space. The reason: It's really expensive to transport critical supplies to destinations beyond Earth's atmosphere, so sustainability is the key to affordability for NASA's future expeditions.

Twenty-five teams submitted a final design, tested their systems on a simulated wastewater stream and reported results to a NASA panel comprised of three subject matter experts and three professional educators. Team QNA's Michael Roberts, a lead for Sustainable Systems Research at Kennedy, said the panel was looking for an innovative design that could function in space for long periods of time without the need for a lot of energy or re-supply.

Called "Aqua De Vida," which means "water of life" or "the fountain of youth," the winning team concocted a closed-loop water recycling system design that uses multi-stage filtration, biological treatment and distillation to mimic water recovery on Earth. Their design uses gravity to sieve wastewater through a sand and gravel filter, then through an activated charcoal filter. Filtered water then flows into a biofiltration pond containing bacteria to break down ammonia and Spirulina, a carbon-absorbing and protein-rich, edible cyanobacteria, formerly called blue-green algae. From there, the water trickles into a distillation chamber, where it vaporizes and condenses into drinkable water.

"We all had our own ideas and bringing those together was a challenge," Brianna said. "We really learned to work as a team."

Julia said this solution-seeking project has helped her realize that she would like to be a doctor someday. This solution involved more than just quantity, though; the teammates also had to test the quality of their finished product. To do so, they used a pH test kit, ammonia tester and conductivity meter to determine the number of impurities and nutrients in their filtered water.

"They spent a lot of time researching, building and testing,"Deleon said. "I think this was a great learning experience for them to acknowledge that if they put their minds to something, anything is possible."

Part of their kudos for a job well-done included a trip to Kennedy Space Center, where they toured the Space Station Processing Facility, the Vehicle Assembly Building, Orbiter Processing Facility-2, Launch Pad 39A, where space shuttle Atlantis awaits its STS-135 launch, and the Space Life Sciences Lab. They also toured the Indian River Lagoon on a boat and met with NASA scientists and engineers to discuss their design and learn about other sustainability challenges the agency is working to conquer.

"I think our design can help outside of the space industry, too," said Amy after meeting with Kennedy employees, "Maybe in disaster-stricken areas, like Japan where a tsunami just hit."

Even though Aqua De Vida's system seems complex and is quite bulky, taking up about 8 feet of real estate on the ground, the team says its design can be scaled down for easier transport.

The possibilities don't end there. The system eventually could help boost the immune systems of astronauts on long-duration missions. That's something that could benefit Maeve years from now if she decides to transition from her chosen career path of a member of the Marine Corps to the Astronaut Corps.

"Some of the algae that we used really helps with preventing radiation sickness, or treating it," said Katelyn, who now is considering a career in engineering.

"This NASA middle school opportunity meets science, technology, engineering and mathematics content standards while challenging students to participate in the real-world integrated, multidisciplinary environment critical to the next generation of scientists and engineers," said Cheryl Johnson Thornton, lead of Kennedy's Informal Education.

Other upcoming educational challenges, initiatives and opportunities include an art contest, Student Launch Initiative, One Stop Shopping Initiative, DIME Microgravity Challenge, HAM Radio for International Space Station and a MooonBuggy race.

For more information visit http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/centers/kennedy/home/WLMR.html

Ice Dutch skaters by Jan Spohler (1837-1923)

The Dutch painter Jan Jacob Coenraad Spohler (1837-1923) showed some examples of modes of locomotion used by his fellow citizens during the winter.

O pintor Holandês Jan Jacob Coenraad Spohler (1837-1923) mostrou alguns exemplos do modo de locomoção dos seus concidadãos durante o período de Inverno.
Jan Jacob Coenraad Spohler (1837-1923)-'a winter landscape with numerous skaters on a frozen waterway'-oil on canvas

Jan Jacob Coenraad Spohler (1837-1923)-'skaters on a frozen river'-oil on canvas

Jan Jacob Coenraad Spohler (1837-1923)-'a winter landscape with skaters near a village'-oil on canvas Private collection

Jan Jacob Coenraad Spohler (1837-1923)-'a frozen river landscape'-oil on canvas

Jan Jacob Coenraad Spohler (1837-1923)-'winter ice skating'-oil on canvas

Monday, July 18, 2011

Walmart ~ Box Tops for Education ~ $25 Gift Card ~ GIVEAWAY!!! ~ Ends 8/2


Whether you’re shopping for a summer barbeque or gearing up for back-to-school, Walmart makes it easier for you to find everything for every list. And while you stock up on your family’s favorites, don’t forget you can earn cash for the participating school of your choice with Box Tops for Education products.


  • Starting in mid July, head over to your local Walmart to find up to 70 participating products that each have 4 Box Tops!
  • Shop at Walmart to purchase products from your family’s favorite brands such as Nature Valley, Cheerios, and Yoplait, and earn more cash for the upcoming new school year!
To learn more about the Box Tops for Education program and how you can help contribute to your school, visit www.boxtops4education.com/.




Right now, many products are double Box Tops for Education as well, so get out there and support your school BOGO style. Also, don't forget to create an account at http://www.boxtops4education.com and visit the marketplace, where you can shop online to really amp up your boxtops - often earning 6 boxtops per every $10 spent on products you purchase everyday. Why not?


WIN IT!!!

One lucky winner will win a $25 Walmart gift card to buy up all those Box Tops for Education double boxtops!

MAIN ENTRY:

Tell me one boxtops products that is a staple in your home, & become a friend @ Wishing Penny via Google Friends Connect. Both parts mandatory to win - thanks :)


EXTRAS:

*Like/Fan Walmart at Facebook ( 3 bonus entries )

*Like/Fan me @ Facebook ( 2 bonus entries ) 

*Follow @Walmart at Twitter ( 2 bonus entries )
                                 
*Follow me @jamaise at Twitter & Tweet this : RT @jamaise #GIVEAWAY #WIN - A $25 Walmart Gift Card!! http://bit.ly/qNuLaZ Ends 8/2 tweet each day for one entry each !


*Blog about this giveaway & leave me the link ( 5 bonus entries)

*Grab my button & tell me where to find it ( 2 bonus entries )


*Follow me via Networked Blogs ( 2 bonus entries )


*Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect ( 3 bonus entries )

*Enter any other giveaway here for one entry each




That's 10 entry methods with tons of bonus & a chance for unlimited entries with daily tweets!

Giveaway will end on August 2nd at 11 :59 am EST. Winner will be selected using Random .org. I will email the winner & you will have 48 hours to reply back before I draw a new winner . Please remember to leave me your email address if it is not visible on your profile so that I can contact you if you win. Good luck to everyone :)

Disclosure: Walmart and General Mills through MyBlogSpark provided me with information about the promotion at Walmart and a $25 Walmart gift card for my review and to offer as a giveaway. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. These views are my own.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two (dir. David Yates, 2011)


There isn't really very much that's Classical in Harry Pottter 7b - aside from the usual Latin names and spells - but I'm nothing if not a completist so I'm covering it anyway! Spoilers follow.

Harry Potter 7b (thanks to Kermode and Mayo for that nickname) does contain a dragon, so perhaps this is a good time to discuss ancient dragons. Dragons as we imagine them are generally either Eastern (the long ones, especially if they're friendly, like that one that looks like a dog in The Neverending Story) or Norse (the fire-breathing, treasure-hoarding ones). However, the word 'dragon' comes from the Greek drakōn, Latin draco, both of which essentially mean 'large serpent'. In Classical myth, a dragon is long and toothy, more like an Eastern dragon or perhaps a wyrm-type of dragon, but it doesn't really have any special qualities other than size. A dragon guarded the Golden Fleece, but that was more because it had been placed there as a suitably scary monster rather than because dragons had any particular connection with treasure hoarding. Whereas modern pop culture dragons, aside from usually having a heavier shape, tend to have certain qualities - cleverness, a weak spot in a thick hide, a fondness for treasure - ancient dragons really are just big snakes. The dragon in the film is definitely a modern-by-way-of-Norse dragon.


The dragons that pull Medea's chariot as she makes her escape, and the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece swallowing Jason - as you can see, they're basically just big snakes.

Draco Malfoy's first name, of course, means dragon, but it is also the name of a legendary ruler of Athens who brought in a set of incredibly harsh laws in which the death penalty was laid down for just about everything. These laws were repealed by Solon, except for the murder laws, and it's Draco of Athens that gives us the word 'draconian' for a particularly harsh set of rules. Draco Malfoy is named for the mythological creature - in fact, for the mythological creature in its Classical, big-snake form, given that he's a Slytherin through and through. But I can't help feeling that the most harsh of the ancient law-makers is a pretty suitable connection for him as well!

I really enjoyed the film, and almost everything I wanted to see in it was there. (The exception was the wonderful scene where Professor McGonagall enchants a bunch of school desks to go after the bad guys, which I loved, but I understand why it wasn't included). I was a bit sad to see Draco still refusing to stand up for, well, anything, but I'm very glad the scene with Narcissa and supposedly-dead Harry was kept, which was one of my favourite parts of the book. Mrs Weasley kicked bottom, though I expected her to shout louder! Poor old Fred's death scene got a bit curtailed, which was a shame, and I wanted Neville to kill the snake in front of the whole school, not just Ron and Hermione. And the entire film felt a bit like one big climax with no build-up - since all the build-up was in 7a - which I guess is justified after ten years and eight movies, but does make it feel a bit incomplete. Though we did get to spend almost all the movie in Hogwarts again, which was great.

There were some parts I absolutely loved. Neville and Luna make a great couple. Perhaps my favourite moment of all was Professor McGonagall telling Mrs Weasley that she'd always wanted to do the spell that makes the statues turn into an army. Helena Bonham Carter as Hermione on Polyjuice Potion was completely wonderful and, bizarrely, had better chemistry with Ron, though the kiss in the Chamber of Secrets was nice. Ron yelling 'that's my girlfriend!' like he's secretly been wanting to do for eight movies was good too. Snape's death and the revelation of his memories were great and I cried - I especially loved that they got the shorter wig back for some of the sequences set in the past - though I did wonder how Voldemort thought he could win the wand from Snape if he got a snake to kill him (because he disarmed him I suppose).

The epilogue worked better on the film than it did in the book for me. I think it's because the railway station is such a symbol of the world of Potter, because Harry's offspring is trundling along an identical cart to Harry's and most importantly, because the original John Williams score comes back. The use of the first movie's music all over the end section - with it's more magical, enchanting and especially more upbeat sound! - really brought the story full circle and was the perfect way to demonstrate that all is well in the wizarding world once again. It was like that moment at the end of Revenge of the Sith where the two suns appear on Tattooine and the original score plays and you just want to watch the whole set of movies all over again from the beginning (in Star Wars' case, from No. 4, of course). It's actually the perfect ending for the film and for the series, and I foresee many circular viewings of the films that both start and end with the flawed but magical first film in the future!

Labours of the Months



In the Middle Ages, agricultural work was essential for the survival of populations of any social class.

Os trabalhos agrícolas eram fundamentais na Idade Média para a sobrevivência das populações de qualquer classe social.

Unknown-'Crescenzi calendar'-pergament-ca 1306 Chantilly-Musée Condé (Ms 340, Pietro de' Crescenzi; Le calendrier des travaux agricoles du Rustican ou Livre des proffiz champestres et ruraulx)
Unknown-'threstling with flail agricole'-pergament-ca 1270 Paris-Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Ms latin 12834, fol. 64v-Calendrier martyrologue de l'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Près)

Unknown- 'labors of the Months' -pergament-818 AD Wien-Österreischische Nationalbibliothek (Salzburger Handschrifter, codex 387, folio 90)

Unknown-'labors of the Months (September)' pergament-ca 1180 The Hague-Den Haag Konigliche Bibliothek 76 F 13, folio 3v, 9v

Unknown-'labors of the Months (December)' pergament-ca 1475 Wien-Österreischische Nationalbibliothek (Sammel Hanhschrift, codex 3085, folio 11r)

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Me and Capri Save & Splurge for BlogHer '11





She was trying to make it last year.

BlogHer '10 was held August 6-7.

Last August 6-7 we were back and forth to the hospital , me in labor, her attempting to get to BlogHer.

Once she realized she was going to be late for the event, she gave me a a bit of a rest and was delivered on August 10th.

Now that she's here and all settled in, she is very adamant about not missing it again.

I've done my part in getting us there by saving as much money as I can on everyday living expenses, so that I can splurge and make it to BlogHer. I have been pulling out my coupons, shopping sales, buying for practical purposes rather than fun.

ShopAtHome.com has been a huge help in my efforts. There I can save shopping online, I can print coupons before I head to the store, and I get cash back when I shop online from ShopAtHome.com. That's what sets them apart from other coupon sites.

Couponing is the thing. I know you've seen Extreme Couponing on TLC. I did some research on how to  become a couponer and tried my hand at it. I am in no way extreme yet, but I have saved hundreds, and am still working on it.


I've got the conference tickets bought, but I am still need hotel accommodations. The thing is, I've got this little girl who has worked very hard to get there. I can't let her down.


She's packed.



She's made all the phone calls.



She's got all the party invites.



ShopAtHome.com is giving away  (2) 3 night stays at Hard Rock Hotel for two very lucky BlogHers. Capri is sitting here with fingers and toes crossed.



BlogHer or Bust!

Breakfast (pequeno-almoço)

As the first meal of the day, it should be taken in an atmosphere of relaxation and not in a rush. The type of food consumed depends largely on the season, on the colder or more tropical climate, and on the historical period.

Como primeira refeição do dia, deveria ser tomada em ambiente de descontracção e não em correria. O tipo de alimentos consumidos depende muito da estação do ano, do clima mais frio ou mais tropical e do período histórico.
Hanna Pauli (1864-1940)-'breakfast-time'-oil on canvas-1887 Stockholm-National museum

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) - 'breakfast in the loggia' - oil on canvas - 1910 Washington-Smithsonian Institution

Edmund Charles Tarbell (1862-1938)-'breakfast on the piazza'-oil on canvas1902 Private collection

Louis Ritman (1889-1963)-'dormitory breakfast'-oil on canvas-1929

William Hoggarth (1697-1764)-'shortly after the marriage'-oil on canvas-1743 London-National Gallery