Belgian design bureau Creneau International has finished creation of an interior of the central shop of the largest supplier of mobile phones in Belgium, companies BASE.
Designers have suggested to install unusual furniture and mobile show-windows in a shop interior.
Sedentary places are scattered on all interior in the form of huge letters from which the brand name gathers: BASE.
Currently the stables and part of the grounds of the Abbey are rented to a private person who runs a restaurant and holds large weddings and receptions within the grounds of the Abbey that continue late at night. This has been ongoing in excess of 20 years and it has not been duly regulated by the authorities.
There have been alterations and extensions to the historic buildings, which compromised the aesthetic and physical integrity of the historic look of the Abbey.
Currently the proprietor of the said restaurant is in the process of building a sewerage treatment plant approximately 15 meters away from the foundations of the Abbey, which is already precariously positioned.
There is visible erosion caused by weather conditions over the centuries and the Abbey itself has not had any restoration.
A huge crack has appeared on the western wall right above where the proprietor of the restaurant placed a generator. The supporting wall around the foundations collapsed in places. The other walls are also visibly in urgent need of repair.
A conscientious group of citizens has set up a Facebook group for raising awareness of this unacceptable use and neglect of Cyprus' national heritage by both the authorities and the proprietor of the restaurant.
The group has also set up an online petition (in Turkish) to submit to the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) parliament calling for the removal of the sewerage plant and to investigate the terms and conditions via which the lease has been granted.
Author: Fatma Kaya | Source: Balabayis'a Aritma Tesisi Yapilamaz [January 12, 2015]
Last week Ali challenged us to think about the classics. She gave us four questions, and allowed us to mix and match.
1) How do you feel about classic literature? Are you intimidated by it? Love it? Not sure because you never actually tried it? Don't get why anyone reads anything else? Which classics, if any, have you truly loved? Which would you recommend for someone who has very little experience reading older books? Go all out, sell us on it!
2) A challenge, should you choose to accept it: Read at least one chapter of a classic novel, preferably by an author you're not familiar with. Did you know you can find lots of classics in the public domain on the web? Check out The Popular Classic Book Corner, for example. Write a mini-review based on this chapter: what are your first impressions? Would you read further? (For a larger selection of authors, try The Complete Classic Literature Library).
3) Let's say you're vacationing with your dear cousin Myrtle, and she forgot to bring a book. The two of you venture into the hip independent bookstore around the corner, where she primly announces that she only reads classic literature. If you don't find her a book, she'll never let you get any reading done! What contemporary book/s with classic appeal would you pull off the shelf for her?
4) As you explore the other Weekly Geeks posts: Did any inspire you to want to read a book you've never read before—or reread one to give it another chance? Tell us all about it, including a link to the post or posts that sparked your interest. If you end up reading the book, be sure to include a link to your post about it in a future Weekly Geeks post!
Many people chose to answer the first and third questions, although every question did get answered. Some geeks love the classics, while others are a bit more apathetic. But everyone had something great to contribute to the discussion. Here is a sampling:
Both Chris Voss and hagelrat from Un:bound answered this week’s challenge. Un:bound is a team blog, and in a possible history making event, more than one team member participated. Very cool. I also love this line from hagelrat: “it's my pet theory that a girl who has nothing but classics on her bookshelves keeps nothing but mills & boon under the bed.”
In another potentially history making post, Weekly Geeks appears in Danish! Dorte kindly translated her post into English, as well. For which I am forever grateful. I did a double-take when I first saw her post, but then I noticed the helpful arrow for us English readers directing us to look below. Thanks for joining Weekly Geeks, Dorte!
Frances at Nonsuch Book included a beautiful mosaic of book covers in her post. All of the covers are from the same book, The Damnation of Theron Ware. Although I’ve never heard of the book, I found the first cover with the windows to be quite appealing. Frances also reflected on the role classics played in her own development.
Puss Reboots admits that “many of the books I read are older than I am.” She also talks about how she compares Don Quixote and Sancho Panza to Jay and Silent Bob. Dude! Awesome comparison. Go check out her post and enjoy the links!
I will confess to letting out a little woo-hoo when I read Terri’s confession that she feels “pretty inadequate about classic lit, considering I have a BA in English.” Sometimes it’s nice to know that English majors haven’t read it all. Terri also made a wonderful comment about comparing reading the classics to music…”it’s a bit like learning music theory and getting a good base of classical music before journeying off into other styles.”
Sassymonkey discusses how different the classics are from each other. She also mentions the required reading list she made for her boyfriend. Inquiring minds want to know…did he make it through the entire list?
Finally, a note about Aunt Myrtle. Poor Myrtle, I’m afraid we were a bit harsh on her. Although she did get plenty of good books out of the deal. I kind of want to be Aunt Myrtle, just to get the books.
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In other news…
At the end of each month we’re going to attempt to give shout-outs to the other Dewey-inspired events that are going on. Many of these events already have links over in the sidebar, but a little more linky love never hurt anyone, right?
Chris and Robin are hosting the Dewey Books Reading Challenge, complete with monthly mini-challenges and nifty prizes. This event lasts all year, and just happens to be dear to my heart because I’m participating and reading some incredibly good books. Go check out the blog for more info. Or this site to read some of the reviews of the participants. Betcha find a book you wanna read.
Jackie has started a new blog to continue the Bookworms Carnival. Info on the upcoming themes and hosts can be found at that site, The Bookworms Carnival. The 23rd Edition of the Bookworms Carnival will be held by Jessica over at The Bluestocking Society, where the theme is Books to Movies. Submissions are due by February 13th.
Also, Jackie has made mention of a Facebook blog network for Weekly Geeks and the Bookworm Carnival. Since I know squat about Facebook, I’ll give you the link and hope you all know what she’s talking about. :-D
There has been chatter about the continuation of Dewey’s popular Read-a-thon. As far as I know there are plans to continue (yay!) and the next Read-a-thon would be held in April. We will let you know more info once the planning starts.
The BBC has been investigating the trade, and the routes from Syria through Turkey and Lebanon to Europe.
The Smuggler
It has taken many calls and a lot of coaxing to get a man we are calling "Mohammed" to meet us. He is originally from Damascus but now plies his trade in the Bekaa valley on the border between Syria and Lebanon. He's 21 but looks much younger in his T-shirt, skinny jeans and black suede shoes. As we sit in an apartment in central Beirut I have to lean forward to hear the softly spoken young man describe how he began smuggling looted antiquities from Syria. "There's three friends in Aleppo we deal with, these people move from Aleppo all the way to the border here and pay a taxi driver to sneak it in." He specialised in smaller items which would be easier to move on - but he says even that has become too risky. "We tried our best to get the items which had most value, earrings, rings, small statues, stone heads," he says.
He made a good profit but bigger players with better connections "sold pieces worth $500,000, some for $1m", he says. When I ask who's making the money and controlling the trade in Syria his gentle voice takes on a flinty tone: "IS are the main people doing it. They are the ones in control of this business, they stole from the museums especially in Aleppo," he says. "I know for a fact these militants had connections overseas and they talked ahead of time and they shipped overseas using their connections abroad." Mohammed is still involved in cross-border trade, but no longer in antiquities. "Anyone caught with it gets severe punishment," he says. "They accuse you of being IS."
The Go-between
To sell looted antiquities you need a middle-man, like "Ahmed". Originally from eastern Syria, he is based in a town in southern Turkey - he doesn't want me to specify which one as he doesn't want the police to know. As a Turkish-speaker he is popular with Syrian smugglers, who ask if he can move goods on to local dealers. When I speak to him via Skype he shows me a blanket next to him filled with artefacts - statues of animals and human figures, glasses, vases and coins. They were dug up in the last few months. "They come from the east of Syria, from Raqqa, all the areas controlled by ISIS (Islamic State)," he says. Islamic State plays an active part in controlling the trade, he tells me. Anyone wanting to excavate has to get permission from IS inspectors, who monitor the finds and destroy any human figures, which are seen as idolatrous (those Ahmed is showing me have slipped through the net). IS takes 20% as tax. "They tax everything," he says.
The main trade is in stoneworks, statues and gold, and it can be extremely lucrative. "I have seen one piece sold for $1.1m," he says. "It was a piece from the year 8500BC." He gently handles each artefact as he brings it closer to the webcam to give me a better view. He has had to pay a sizeable bond to the smugglers to get this material and he doesn't want to lose any of it. The final destination is Western Europe, he says. "Turkish merchants sell it to dealers in Europe. They call them, send pictures... people from Europe come to check the goods and take them away." Ahmed will have to return the looted artefacts to his Syrian contacts, as I am clearly not buying them, but he won't be returning to his homeland. "If I went back I'd be killed," he says.
The Dealer
It's an unremarkable tourist shop in the centre of Beirut. Inside the glass cases are ancient oil lamps, rings and glassware but the shop owner, a laconic man in his late 40s, has an unusual selling tactic - he says much of it is fake. However, he assures me he does have genuine pieces from the Hellenic and Byzantine periods, around 1,000 years old. I'm interested what other items he can get, mosaics for example? I had been advised by archaeologists that mosaics would almost certainly be looted - at the moment, that would mean most likely from Syria. He asks which kind I want. Faces, animals, geometric designs? "If you're serious we can have a serious negotiation... there is always a way," he promises. When I ask if it's legal he smiles as he tells me the only way to legally ship these items is with official documentation from a museum saying they have been cleared for export.
If it was only a small mosaic I wanted, I could take the chance and try to smuggle it out myself but he warns it's a serious decision, as I could get caught. For a fee he can have them shipped to the UK but it will cost me many thousands of pounds. We shake hands as I leave and he gives me his business card. It has only taken 10 minutes to be offered illicit antiquities. Arthur Brand, an investigator who helps recover stolen antiquities isn't surprised, it chimes with his experience in Lebanon. "I've been there several times and at times and it really is amazing," he tells me from his base in Amsterdam. "The illicit trade is run as a professional business with offices and business cards and you can buy antiquities from Lebanon, but also from countries like Syria, Iraq." The link between smugglers and dealers is the dirty secret the art world doesn't want to admit to, he says.
The Cop
He could easily pass for the star of an Arabic cop show but Lt Col Nicholas Saad is a real policeman, head of Lebanon's bureau of international theft. In his office, filled with certificates from the FBI and Scotland Yard, he shows me photos of huge Roman busts seized in a recent raid in Lebanon. We go up to the roof of his police station, where out to the east, beyond the mountains, is the border with Syria. This is where refugees pour into the country and are exploited by the smuggling gangs.
"The refugees come in big numbers and the gangs put things between the belongings of the refugees," he explains. Since the conflict in Syria he has noticed a significant increase in the smuggling of looted artefacts, "especially from the Islamic parts, Raqqa (the base) of the Islamic State", he adds. His team has seized hundreds of Syrian artefacts. "We have the archaeology expert that said they're very valuable from the Roman period, from the Greek period, years before Christ," he says. But there isn't a market for them in Lebanon. "Lebanon is a transit station, it's one of the the doors that goes to Europe. The real money is made in Europe."
The Treasure
Inside the Beirut National museum are treasures from the cradle of civilisation - Hellenic, Roman and Byzantine statues, busts and sarcophagi 3,000 years old. Hidden away from the public in a store room below the main galleries, seized looted antiquities wait to be returned to Syria. My guide is Dr Assaad Seif, an archaeologist and head of excavations at the directorate general of antiquities in Beirut. He rings a bell and a wrought iron door is unlocked. Inside are scores of items - pottery, stonework - but the most valuable items are sealed away in a warehouse. "We have huge funeral sculptures, representing men and women used to seal the tombs, from Palmyra," he says.
Most of the seized items are from excavations rather than thefts from museums. The looters target warehouses at ancient sites like Palmyra, a Unesco world heritage site. "The warehouses at archaeological sites have objects they know are not listed or catalogued yet, and they think it could be easier to sell them," he says. "The Palmyra objects had value for people in Syria... it gives a kind of identity," he says. Although reluctant to put a price on any of the bigger items, after some coaxing he relents. "We have a dozen objects that would sell for $1m each on the open market." I understand why they keep them out of sight of curious foreign visitors.
The Destination
It has taken days to get through to Dr Maamoun Abdulkarim, the archaeologist in charge of Syria's dept of antiquities in Damascus. When I do reach him, he's angry. "The sites under the control of ISIS, in these areas we have a disaster, a lot of problems. IS attack all things just for the money," he says. "It is our memory, our identity, for the government, the opposition, for all Syria." It's impossible to stop the looting but he is adamant more could be done to crack down on the trade. "We are sure through all the sources a lot of objects go from Syria to Europe, in Switzerland, in Germany, in UK - and Gulf countries like Dubai and Qatar," he says.
It was a common refrain. Everyone from the Lebanese police to Mohammed the smuggler and Ahmed the go-between said the main market was Europe. In the UK there have been no prosecutions or arrests for selling looted Syrian artefacts but Vernon Rapley, who ran the Metropolitan Police's art and antiquities squad for almost a decade, says too much shouldn't be read into this. "I'm quite confident that there have been seizures of material like this," he confidently states, as we stroll around his new workplace, the Victoria and Albert museum, where he is director of security.
Rapley still liaises closely with his former police unit and he is certain that artefacts from Syria are being sold here. He wants the trade in these antiquities to become "socially repugnant and unacceptable" so that in the future, he says, "we don't have interior decorators looking for these things to decorate people's houses".
Author: Simon Cox | Source: BBC News Website [February 17, 2015]
Work has been continuing at Ani, which has been home to many civilizations throughout history and is today a major draw for tourists in the area, with the support of Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Ani is located 40 kilometers from the city of Kars, where tourists usually base themselves during trips to visit the remote site.
Local Culture and Tourism Director Hakan Doğanay said salvage excavations in Ani would be headed this year by Pamukkale University Classical Archaeology Department Professor Fahriye Bayram.
Doğanay said projects regarding the restoration of the ancient city’s walls have now been finished, with an eye to including Ani on the UNESCO’s heritage list.
“[Ani] may enter the UNESCO list during the meeting to be held in Oslo in 2016. We predict that 2015-2016 will be the years of Kars and the ancient ruins of Ani. The Culture and Tourism Ministry has provided us with great support on this issue,” he said.
“We will also bring over 21 new artifacts from various cultures, making the best use of cultural heritage in our region,” Doğanay added. “Ani is a treasure for us that should be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
Ani, which occupies 78 hectares of land and is surrounded by 4,500-meter-long ramparts, was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey.
Ani is protected on its eastern side by a ravine formed by the Akhurian River and on its western side by the Bostanlar or Tzaghkotzadzor Balley. The Akhurian is a branch of the Aras River and forms part of the current border between Turkey and Armenia.
Dubbed the “City of 1,001 Churches,” Ani stood on various trade routes, and its many religious buildings, palaces, and fortifications were among the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world at the time, according to specialists.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News [March 02, 2015]
This is my second time reading To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee, the first time was about five years ago when I was a sophomore in high school. It seems like that was a million years ago, but I remember this being one of the few books I read for class and really got into. I mean, I couldn't put it down. I ended up finishing it in a couple days and had to spend the next five weeks pretending I was still reading it. Coming back to the book, I started out wondering what it was about this book that drew me in so much. There isn't a whole lot of suspense, besides wondering who Boo Radley really is and what he is going to do next. I just don't think that would have been enough to propel me through the novel at fifteen. I have to agree with Capricious Reader's post from today, it was Scout that made me want to read more. Her voice in this novel is perfect, she's tough but not unbelievable, and she is a great storyteller.
And she loves to read. When her teacher in first grade gets upset that she already knows how she becomes so upset she doesn't want to go back to school. I underlined the same quote as Capricious Reader did. I underlined it when I was fifteen, and it still meant as much to me at twenty; "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." I think every booklover can connect with that quote, and maybe that was the base of my early love for this novel. It's like Scout is asking us to keep going, to love this book now.
I also love the lazy way Harper Lee describes the town."People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer." How opposite is that from how most people feel today? There aren't enough hours in the day, I don't amble anywhere. I sprint. Everywhere. And I'm always connected with my Blackberry or my laptop or my iPod or whatever. But when I crack the spine on this book I don't look at the time. I just sprawl out in my living room and take it all in. I think I might be reading this book a little slowly, but I honestly don't really know.
If you've never read To Kill a Mockingbird, please do so! And if you have, read it again! This month is the 50th Anniversary of the classic and I'm going to talk about it every Monday along with Capricious Reader. If you do a post on the book visit her site and share the link with everyone.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.
VIA «Home builder in Sydney»
VIA «Steven Holl Architects have connected buildings in a multipurpose hybrid»
The reopening of the pyramid comes in accordance with the antiquities ministry’s strategy involving “a rotation schedule whereby every one or two years, one pyramid is to be closed for cleaning and renovation work, while the other two pyramids remain open to public,” said Damaty in a statement Tuesday.
The Pyramid of Khafre will be closed for routine cleaning and restoration starting from April 1, he said.
“More than 20 Egyptian and European conservators along with three professional archaeologists have participated in the two-year renovation and cleaning project with a cost estimated at 3.5 million EGP ($493,000,)” director of the Archaeological Sites Development Department Ahmed Mutawa previously told The Cairo Post.
The pyramid is 61 meters high with a square base of 108.5 meters each side and an angle of 51 degrees. The limestone pyramid was built to serve as the tomb of the fourth dynasty Pharaoh Menkaure (2530 B.C.-2500 B.C.)
Unlike the other two pyramids, the outer bottom level and the burial chamber of Menkaure’s pyramid were sheathed in pink granite that is still visible.
Head of Giza archaeological site Kamal Waheed told The Cairo Post that the restoration work included the removal of graffiti which visitors had left on the walls of the pyramid’s passageways and burial chamber, the removal of the salt deposits from its walls and the replacement of the outer stairs leading to the Pyramid.
“It also included the installation of a special lighting system which does not damage the drawings and inscriptions while at the same time providing a clear view for visitors,” he added.
Author: Rany Mostafa | Source: The Cairo Post [February 04, 2015]
Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith is a first for me... For the first time that I can remember, I have nothing that I wish to say about a book. Oh, there are things that I'm thinking, thoughts that I'm having, but none of them are anything I actually wish to share. I always have far more thoughts and opinions about the books I read than can possibly fit into a review. I'm pretty sure I could easily come up with two reviews worth of stuff for most books I read. With this book, it's a struggle to find enough I want to share for just the one. But, I shall try-
I'm going to start by admitting that if this was not one of books written by one of the authors who are The Contemps, I would not have been interested in reading this book. I do not read books about girls who go chasing after boys, especially after they've been dumped. I do not read books about girls who base large parts of their identity/self-worth around their boyfriend. I knew that this was that book before I picked it up. So I can't blame the book for being things I don't love. But it didn't make it easier to read about. I have never been the type to pine. It's not in my nature. I have never understood characters like Joy — people who tie their self-image, self-esteem, self-worth, self-identity, well... their self into their relationships. I don't understand people like that, and I have absolutely no patience for them either. I've known too many people IRL who do this and it always ends badly. Can't say it worked out any better for Joy.
So, already this book is a little... iffy for me because I'm rather put off by the premise. Sometimes, this works out great and I end up finding a complete gem that I would have otherwise overlooked. But this book wasn't really like that. All the things about this book that I didn't think I'd like when I read the synopsis were things that bothered me about it while reading it. This makes me sad. I wanted to like this book more than I did. But it's hard when every time Joy said or did something I thought — I would never be friends with someone like her.
This is going to be a book that some people will love. There is a lot of good to this story and it's a pretty fun read. There is also lessons to be learned here, if you choose to read for lessons. Joy needs to learn that her identity isn't dependent on her boyfriend, that our first impressions are often wrong, that being too quick to judge means you miss a lot and more. Joy learns a lot about preconceived notions.
This is a hard review for me to write, because I just don't know what to say about this book. I didn't love it. I didn't have it. I didn't really connect with it, and I doubt I will remember much about it later. But it is a book I would recommend to people, especially to those in the younger YA crowd (and/or their parents) wanting to try some more 'grown up' books, but being nervous about running into questionable content, because there isn't any. There is a sweet story in here. There really is. It's just not one that really hit home for me.
So there you have it... Apparently, my idea of having nothing to say is still significantly longer than when most people have things to say. I shouldn't be surprised at this point... Story of my life. Ashley talks... A lot.
Hey all! I have another guest post going up today over at A Tapestry of Words! Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer. And let me tell you, I've got some strong thoughts on this one...
So, head on over to Danya's blog and check out the review! Let me know what you think! This is one I'd love to see some feedback on, because I'd love to see who else agrees with me, and who thinks I'm completely off base. (Note, right now, the link will take you to Danya's blog, since I'll be at work. But it should be updated with a direct link after I get home)
I am currently about fifty pages from the end of To Kill a Mockingbird. Yesterday I mentioned that I was planning on watching the movie for the actual fiftieth anniversary, but since I wasn't finished with the book I decided to wait. Today is a rainy day and I have nothing to do, so I think it's the perfect time to actually finish up this book. I've been reading Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields at the same time. I'm not very far into this biography about the extremely private Harper Lee, but I feel like the book is full of information that makes the book even more interesting.
I recently learned that Harper Lee was childhood friends with Truman Capote, but I had no idea that he was that base for the character Dill. I also didn't know that Harper Lee's father was a lawyer and in some ways he is like Atticus in the book. Some of the similarities between her life and the book you could guess, but it's interesting to read an account of them and see how things might have come together. Shields put together this book without interviewing Harper Lee, which made it extremely challenging and I'm amazed by how well he did. He used old interviews and accounts from people who knew or know Harper Lee to create the story. It's a great biography and reads like a novel.
I'm also following the To Kill A Mockingbird Anniversary Facebook Fan Page and found this article by Tom Brokaw about his first experience with To Kill a Mockingbird. It's really interesting to read an account by someone who was there for the release of the book and it made me think about things I hadn't really considered before. Check out this article if you're interested! There are several other posts on the Facebook fan page that are also great for different ideas about the book. Also, be sure to check out Capricious Reader's post about To Kill a Mockingbird as well.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.
