A revival of pre-Inca water technology in the mountains of the Andes is set to keep taps flowing in the drought-affected Peruvian capital, Lima. Grouting ancient canals, it turns out, is a far cheaper solution to the city's water crisis than building a new desalination plant.Remnants of a Wari-made canal [Credit: Condesan]
Lima is one of the world's largest desert cities and relies for water on rivers that flow out of the Andes. But those rivers diminish to a trickle during a long dry season, leaving the population of almost 9 million with intermittent water supplies.
Now the city's water utility company, Sedapal, has decided to invest in conservation projects in the Andes to keep the rivers flowing and taps running. And researchers have discovered that the most cost-effective way is to revive a system of ancient stone canals, known locally as amunas, that were built in the Andes by the Wari culture between AD 500 and 1000, centuries before the rise of the Incas.
Forgotten paths
The canals captured water from rivers in the mountains during the rainy season and took it to places where it could infiltrate rocks that fed year-round springs further down the mountains, so maintaining river flow during the dry season.
The amunas fell into disrepair long ago and had been largely forgotten. In most places, their water now quickly returns to the rivers. But hydrologists such as Bert De Bièvre of Condesan, a Lima-based non-governmental organisation behind the project, say re-grouting the lined stretches of the canals with cement would allow them to resume their original purpose.
Paying for water delivered by truck is part of the daily routine for many inhabitants in Peru [Credit: Matt McGrath/BBC]
"The idea is to build a timelag into the hydrological system, delaying water run-off for weeks or even months until it benefits water supply in the dry season," De Bièvre says.
SEDEPAL has now decided to fund the plan by taking 1 per cent from its water charges for the next five years. The costs are estimated to be $23 million.
Holding back the flood
Lima has water shortages for seven months of the year but during the other five months, the Rimac, Chillon and Lurin rivers, which pass through Lima on their way to the Pacific Ocean, regularly cause floods and landslips. Keeping floodwaters back for the dry season makes obvious sense.
Research into the hydrology of individual canals is still in progress. "We have been injecting ink into the canal water to see where it resurfaces," says De Bièvre. But he is confident that the project could revive 50 amunas, mostly in the Chillon catchment.
According to a study by De Bièvre and Gena Gammie, a water specialist at Forest Trends, an NGO based in Washington DC that is backing the project, that should be enough to increase water supplies to Lima by 26 million cubic metres, and reduce the city's current water deficit in the dry season by as much as 60 per cent.
According to the study, other green investment initiatives that could keep water on the mountainsides for longer include reviving forests, wetlands and ancient agricultural terraces, and restricting livestock grazing on upland pastures. But the study found that reviving amunas would be by far the cheapest option, costing less than a hundredth as much as water from the city's new desalination plant.
Author: Fred Pearce | Source: New Scientist [April 20, 2015]
The Amphipolis tomb excavation site is in danger of being buried under the sand due to neglect and weather conditions, said Greek Deputy Minister of Culture Nikos Xydakis.
The Amphipolis tomb discovery was one of the ten most important findings in the world in 2014. Now, the burial monument is at risk of being buried again, but this time to the knowledge of archaeologists.
The major archaeological discovery in northern Greece cannot be opened for visitors at the moment as heavy rains have created stagnant ponds and forced mounts of dirt to cover most of the site. When water dries, the ground will be even more unstable. Water needs to be drained and a drainage system must be put in place.
“The surrounding wall with wonderful marbles from Thasos needs drainage works urgently,” Xydakis said. Drainage works must be completed before autumn, when bad weather starts again.
An emergency meeting took place between the excavation crew and culture ministry officials. A new geostationary study needs to be conducted in order to decide what precautionary measures to take to save the site.
However, financial reasons do not allow the study to be done. And the geostationary study is essential before further, specific studies of stones, mortars, support methods and so on. Restoration of the monument at the moment is very difficult due to lack of funds for all the studies needed.
Certain restoration procedures have taken place already, but further restoration studies and works need the approval of the Central Archaeological Council, other than the necessary funding.
Author: A. Makris | Source: The Greek Reporter [May 04, 2015]
A recent international study led by ANSTO instrument scientist Vladimir Luzin is likely to be of interest to conservationists who are trying to preserve important marble sculptures and artefacts, such as Michelangelo's famous sculpture of David.David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by Michelangelo [Credit: ALAMY]
"The fact of the matter is that physical weathering, deterioration and damage to marble and other architectural stones present a serious problem for the preservation of sculptures, monuments and buildings," said Luzin.
David: A sculpture made from Carrara marble
Before its relocation in Galleria dell'Accademia, David, the "Giant", was symbolically displayed in the political heart of Renaissance Florence, the Piazza della Signoria. Over a period of almost three centuries, the statue was exposed to the action of weather, historical events and inappropriate restoration works. These coexisting factors prevented the appropriate preservation of a masterpiece that, already at the time of its creation, was regarded as challenging by many artists—due to the presence of taroli, imperfections of the marble.
Today David is in a highly stable condition but still presents a contemporary scientific challenge from a conservation point of view. Researchers are monitoring marble cracking of the 4.3 metre David with a system of sensors that record vibrations, rotations and environmental conditions. [1] Conservationists monitor the sculpture because it is thought that even small mechanical impacts and small temperature variations are detrimental to marble.
Geologically marble is formed by the alteration (metamorphism) of limestone under high temperature and high pressure. The metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of calcite and/or dolomite crystals with very specific mechanical behaviour.
Carrara marble, the stone used by Michaelangelo in sculpting David, was one of the most popular types of marble in the world because of its beauty and high lustre. For centuries it was quarried from the Apuan Alps in Tuscan Italy.
The popularity of Carrara marble was due in part to the wide range of varieties available (statuary, flowered, veined, brecciated, bardiglio, etc.), to the constancy of its quality, scarcity of defects, large size of single blocks that could be extracted, excellent physical and mechanical characteristics, and long-lasting strength and beauty." [2]
The Pantheon in Rome [Credit: ANSTO]
However the suitability of marble from the Carrara area of Italy for buildings and artworks has been questioned because of 'spectacular bowing behaviour' of marble slabs on numerous modern buildings including the Amoco building in Chicago and the Grand Arche de la Defense in Paris.
A study of Carrara marble by a group of investigators led by Luzin have confirmed that microstresses caused by temperature variation and the thermo-mechanical properties of the marble itself help explain the deterioration. Co-investigators are Dimitry Nikolayev of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Moscow and Siegfried Siegesmund of theUniversity of Göttingen in Germany.
The investigators were interested in the different environmental conditions that influence marble deterioration and had to reproduce factors known to be important to the process of deterioration. Temperature effects were among those known to cause mechanical stress.
Luzin and collaborators used non-destructive neutron diffraction to confirm that thermally-induced microstress from a single thermal exposure can cause microcracking in the marble and therefore be responsible for weathering and deterioration of the marble [3].
"Neutron diffraction is a useful tool and a non-destructive method to investigate the texture, phase composition and spatial and orientation dependence of strain in a bulk marble sample," explained Luzin.
Although the commercial use of statue-grade Carrara marble is no longer allowed, an exception is made for restoration works and scientific research. Freshly cut marble from a quarry in Carrara, Italy was used for the testing.
"Although not easy, stress measurements in geological materials, such as marble are feasible and provide valuable characterisation," said Luzin.
He explained that the challenges are related to the need to measure two phases with sufficient accuracy. It is necessary to use a large gauge volume because of the coarse grain microstructure and longer measurement time in order to capture very delicate effects of microstress in calcite and dolomite—which are also very weak neutron scatterers.
The neutron high resolution powder diffractomter, Echidna, determined the amount of each phase in two cube samples of marble. In one sample, the dolomite comprised a volume fraction of 28 per cent and in the other it was 18 per cent, which is not surprising given the highly visible non-uniform distribution of dolomite in the marble.
The Kowari diffractometer was used to produce pole figures, graphical representations that capture the preferred crystallographic orientation (texture) of the calcite and dolomite. "A weak crystallographic texture in both phases was confirmed in the neutron diffraction experiment," said Luzin.
The stress experiments were carried out using the Kowari diffractometer in a specially designed sample environment unit in order to control temperature. "We took measurements of the calcite and dolomite phases at room temperature and at 80° C."
Using a technique to measure the stiffness of an elastic material, the researchers were able to accurately measure the accumulated damage after a thermal exposure that could be unambiguously attributed to microcracking.
"Evidently, a significant change in microstress caused micro-cracking in the marble sample due to temperature changes," said Luzin.
Although exaggerated temperature might not be relevant to real daily and seasonal temperature variation, smaller, more numerous natural temperature variations during long periods of time might result in even greater accumulated damage. There are historical examples of sculpture which deteriorated into a pulverised state after a century of exposure to temperature variation.
"We have a responsibility to try and preserve great works of art and architecture with non-destructive techniques and nuclear technologies give us the means to do this. Hopefully David and other important monuments can be preserved in the centuries to come," said Luzin.
References
[1] Giovanni Pascale, Filippo Bastianini, Roberto Carli, "Monitoring Marble cracking in the David by Michaelangelo Proc. Art'11, 10th Int. Conf. on Non-Destructive Investigations and microanalysis for the diagnostics and conservation of cultural and environmental heritage, Florence, April 13th-15th, 2011, NDT44
[2] Stephano Merlino Paolo Orlandi "Carraraite and zaccagnaite, two new minerals from the Carrara marble quarries: their chemical compositions, physical properties, and structural features" American Mineralogist, Volume 86, pages 1293–1301
[3] 310.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.777.148. Luzin, V; Nikolayev, D and Siegesmund, S, Temperature Induced Internal Stress in Carrara Marble, Mater. Sci. Forum 777, 148-154 (2014)
Source: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) [June 22, 2015]
Australia is home to one of the world’s great art treasures in the form of hundreds of thousands of rock art sites scattered throughout the country.Munnurru public rock art site on Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation land [Credit: Sven Ouzman]
Unfortunately, most Australians have not had the privilege of visiting these special places. Such a visit radically expands a person’s understanding of Australian history as something that goes much, much deeper than our shallow, colonial roots of the last few hundred years.
To reinforce this broader understanding of identity and heritage, archaeologists, chemists, geologists, and physicists from the universities of Melbourne, Western Australia and Wollongong, Archae-Aus consultancy, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation launched a 3 year project across the Kimberley to date rock art using an astonishing variety of scientific techniques.
In 2014 the team was privileged to begin work along the King George River in Balanggarra Country, and has continued this year along the coast of Dambimangari Country.
The work involves careful study of the rock art and its associated cultural context and then taking very small samples mostly of mineral crusts, mudwasp nests and organic material growing on rock surfaces, for laboratory analysis.
These materials may also degrade the art itself over time, so understanding their formation will help guide future conservation and management practices.
No rock art dates are available yet – though indications are that some rock art is very recent, while other rock art traditions may be tens of thousands of years old.
These dates will help demonstrate to the outside world the depth and range of Kimberley rock art, and build the case for it to be recognised with World Heritage Site status.
These dates also help disprove false claims that some Kimberley rock art was not made by Aboriginal people.
To properly date and understand Kimberley rock art will take many years, but the Rock Art Dating Project team are confident the results will help grow a national pride and respect for this intellectual and cultural achievement made and looked after by Aboriginal people.
By RAY MASSEY Eruption: A photographer captures the volcano exploding out of the earth Met office says a dense layer will cover the UK on Friday Civil Aviation Authority says the number of flights could be 'rationed' National Air Traffic service warning of further chaos today Ryanair warned after saying it could fly its planes through the ash The holiday plans of hundreds of thousands of Britons were in the balance last night as the Icelandic volcano threatened flight chaos. A provisional five-day forecast by the Met Office shows a dense layer of ash engulfing the country on Friday – the start of the bank holiday weekend and half term. High concentrations would cause serious delays and cancellations for air passengers, and trigger knock-on effects for flights over one of the busiest weekends of the year. Hundreds of holidaymakers transport plans were in ruins last night, but thousands more face trouble in the coming days as the ash heads south Some planes would be able to take off and land under the ash cloud, but the Civil Aviation Authority said the number of flights may have to be 'rationed'. The warnings have left many anxious about whether their flights at the start of half term will be disrupted. Up to two million people are expected to fly in and out of the UK over the four days of the bank holiday weekend. Officials insisted that Britain and the rest of Europe have learned from last year’s fiasco, caused by another Icelandic volcano, when planes were grounded for six days. The screen says it all: The arrivals board at Edinburgh airport shows how many flights were cancelled and long delays for those that were expected It caused misery for tens of thousands of passengers, many of whom were stranded abroad and were forced to make their way home by road, rail and sea. Although Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is confident that the great getaway will still happen, confusion reigned in Whitehall last night. This was largely because of the unpredictable nature of weather and volcanic activity. Forty winks: A passenger tries to sleep after failing to secure alternative accommodation or transport after his flight was cancelled yesterday Yesterday thousands of passengers endured disruption as Scotland became a virtual no-fly zone. British Airways cancelled all flights to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle, while BMI, easyJet, Flybe and Aer Lingus all scrapped services. Ryanair claimed the cancellations were an over-reaction but went on to halt all its flights in and out of Scotland. More than 250 flights were cancelled across Europe. After a test flight up to 41,000ft in Scottish airspace, airline boss Michael O’Leary described the so-called ‘red zone’ of highest density volcanic ash over Scotland as a 'non-existent, mythical and a misguided invention'. The latest satellite image showing the ash plume from the Grimsvotn volcano, under the Vatnajokull glacier in south-east Iceland The crisis has been sparked by the eruption of Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano, which has been spewing out plumes of ash, steam and smoke since Saturday. Scientists say high concentrations of ash can cripple aircraft engines. Since last year's eruption, airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority have eased the rules and now allow flights through 'low density' ash clouds. Airlines that want to fly their planes through medium and high concentrations have to convince the CAA that it is safe. Grounded: Two Ryanair jets and a FlyBe aircraft sit on the tarmac at Edinburgh airport yesterday Long wait: Using their suitacase as a makeshift chair, two passengers at Glasgow airport pass the time by reading a book and checking a mobile phone Waiting and more waiting: Passengers at Edinburgh Airport wait to board buses to other airports after their flights were cancelled If the UK is overshadowed by high concentration ash, airlines would be forced to cancel and delay flights, and timetables could be disrupted for days. Decisions on whether to fly are based on forecasts from the Met Office's Volcanic Ash Advisory Service, rather than real-life measurements of concentrations. Although the Met Office has part ownership of a research plane, it is currently being used in Ireland to study 'marine organic particles'. A dedicated Met Office atmospheric research plane, commissioned after last year's volcanic chaos, is not due to arrive until next month. Huge power: The eruption makes a spectacular sight over the Icelandic landscape On the ground: A car drives towards the erupting Grimsvotn volcano which has sent thousands of tonnes of volcanic ash into the sky Stunning: As the volcano erupts, huge dark ash and storm clouds gather across the Icelandic skyline Yesterday it was in talks with the German Aerospace Centre to borrow a test plane. Last night the Met Office said it stood by its five-day prediction showing the entire UK covered in an ash cloud of the highest density from 35,000ft to 55,000ft. A spokesman for the Met Office said: 'These are the most recent charts available and are on our website. We stand by them. He added: 'It is based on the assumption that the volcano will continue to erupt at the same rate. It is a guide, not definitive.' source: dailymail
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that was badly damaged by three earthquakes, will be rebuilt nearby its original location.The lighthouse is thought to have had three distinct sections, as this 2006 computer-generated image shows [Credit: WikiCommons]
In its meeting last week, “members of the Permanent Committee of the Egyptian Antiquities have approved an old project, submitted previously by the Alexandria governorate, aiming to revive the lighthouse,” Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities SCA Dr. Mostafa Amin told Youm7.
He explained that members of the committee agreed on reconstructing the Lighthouse on an area of land located a few meters to the southwest of the landmark’s original location. A comprehensive study has been completed and submitted to Alexandria governorate for final approval, he added.
The Lighthouse, also known as the Pharos, was badly damaged due to a series of earthquakes hit Alexandria and the Mediterranean area between the 3rd and 12th centuries, Greco-Roman archaeology professor Fathy Khourshid told The Cairo Post Tuesday.
“A severe earthquake in 1303 caused a huge destruction of the monument before the Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay in 1480 reused the monument’s ruins to construct a fortress (currently standing and bearing his name) on the original location of the Pharos northwest of Alexandria,” according to Khourshid.
Built by the Greek architect Sostratus of Cnidus for the purpose of guiding sailors into the harbor, the tower was completed and inaugurated during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285 B.C.-246B.C.), said Khourshid.
“The original building comprised three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section and a circular section at its top,” he added.
Its top used to have a mirror that reflected sunlight during the day while a fire was lit at night in order to guide ships, said Khourshid.
In 1994, remains of the original building were unearthed on the floor of the sunken part of Alexandria’s eastern harbor.
With a height estimated at 130 meters, (420 feet) the tower was the tallest manmade structure on Earth for many centuries.
Author: Rany Mostafa | Source: The Cairo Post [May 06, 2015]
The building for faculty of drawing Royal College of Art is more similar to a place for faculty of hairdresser's art — an equal teeth and a roof teeth are ideally combed by architects under a comb. The project of the London architects from Haworth Tompkins.
Original college in London
Originality of a design consists that have inserted a steel skeleton into an existing brick building. The zigzag roof from a North side is glazed, allowing to provide a premise additional illumination. In a building 58 students can be trained.
Here rooms for study, seminars, exhibitions, administrative premises, and also studios for the artists coming on various actions will be equipped.
I don't consider myself to have poor time management, in fact I'm organised. Really organised. Like chill out Reana Louise and put the filing system down organised. However, I find I have no time this year. Yes I work, yes I study full time, yes I have a social life (admittedly a bit small and pathetic), but I do that every year. So who's the culprit? What's to blame? Sewing.
I've been dreaming about sewing?
I'm obsessed - did you know that Well of course you didn't because I'm telling you now, but I do! All the time I think about it. Whenever I leave the house I'm dissecting other people's outfits thinking how was it made? How does it sit like that? Will that warp? How hard would it be to get those stripes to line up? I'm mad, totally sewing mad I tell you!
And it's not like I'm overly fecund, I've only produced a handful of garments. So much of my time is spent scouring the inspiration, blogs, and communities in the big time-sucking device that is the internet. And then there's this blog - which is so much fun being able to express ideas and ask questions to people who love sewing as much as I do (I already bore my friends with art, I can't push this on them too).
But it's not as bad as I might be making out, it's so rewarding creating something and then wearing it. But what about you guys? Are you as obsessed as me, or do you take sewing in your stride? Is there anything else that you're obsessed with?
My swishable floral dress is completed and I'm really happy with the result!
Especially the way it fits... I'm not going to bore you with all of the details, just a quick run through with links to techniques. If you have any questions, please ask me!
I practically snatched it from the poor postman. You see, I live in a house of girls and a fair bit of online-shopping happens around here. Much time is spent out the front with tea-in-hand eyeing his arrival down like vultures - so hopefully he's used to it. Talking of online shopping my roommate just bought this dress from modcloth, how pretty is it? As you know I'm buying zero clothes this year so I have to live vicariously through them. Thank god they have such great taste!
But back onto my original point... New bikini pattern means I'm now ready to buy some fabric! The only problem is I think there's a secret kingdom of gorgeous and appropriately priced stretchy bikini fabric that is hiding from me. I've done a bit of hunting at the local fabric shops but their lycra is more 5th-grade-gymnast-team than hot-woman-strutting-about-Europe. Where is all of the good swimmer fabric?
So far 'Beach Animation' from Tessuti is winning, the only problem is that I think the pattern might be a little too big? One butt cheek might look like a giant flower, and the other a dark navy space? Is it Ok to have a lop-sided butt? I definitely don't want the flower in the middle.
I've scrummaged through etsy too and couldn't find anything that felt 'right'. And then I need lining! Picking fabric for me is one of the fun tasks (unlike hemming, or ironing- snore) but I feel this is something I need a little help with.
So come one... give me your secrets! Have you found some swimwear fabric that you're dying to use and would be willing to share the source? Do you know where the secret kingdom of luscious lycra is hiding?
i love the way nature and natural things is encouraged in Charlotte Mason and Waldorf styles of teaching. I especially love the use of a nature shelf or nature table. I really wanted one. My kids are forever collecting up tons of treasures on all our walks and hikes into the woods....for that matter i am too!! I hate to get rid of them so we are now happily displaying them on our newly dressed up nature shelf.
The other night i quickly made up this little quilt to put everything on. I just used some tan linen and a green floral for the binding. I wanted it to protect the paint on the shelf and make it a little easier to see the treasures...dark treasures on dark shelf get kind of lost. The kids were so excited when i put it there for them the next morning. Right away Avery very neatly laid out all the things they had collected which had previously just been in one big heap. They are actually coming to look at them and study and enjoy them now instead of them being forgotten.
By ELEANOR HARDING Louis Walsh had seen Westlife sing in Dublin before the alleged incident Louis Walsh last night denied allegations that he indecently assaulted a man in a nightclub toilet. The X Factor judge said: ‘The allegations made against me are wholly false and with no foundation. ‘I will happily cooperate fully with the police and am 100 per cent confident that after a full investigation I will be fully exonerated.’ An anonymous 24-year-old, who is understood to be a single father, told police that Mr Walsh, 58, touched his groin after they struck up a conversation, according to The Sun newspaper. According to the unsubstantiated claims from the alleged victim, the attack happened in the early hours of April 10, when Mr Walsh is said to have visited Russell Court Hotel in Dublin. Earlier in the evening, Mr Walsh had attended a concert by Westlife, the Irish boyband he created. The man allegedly told police he chatted with Mr Walsh in the hotel’s private Global Bar, before the pair moved on to its well-known Krystle nightclub. His statement to officers claims the TV star then indecently assaulted him in the nightclub’s toilets. The venue: The alleged assault is said to have taken place at the Krystle nightclub, inside Dublin's Russell Court Hotel According to The Sun, a police source said the investigation was ‘ongoing’ and that officers have taken CCTV footage from the nightclub and will also study film from cameras in the hotel. A spokesman for Mr Walsh said: ‘He vigorously denies all of the allegations. If contacted by the police he will willingly co-operate with any investigation. Louis categorically denies any wrongdoing and will fight to clear his name.’ Famous: The nightclub is one of the most popular and exclusive in Dublin Last night, the alleged victim refused to comment. Mr Walsh is on the judging panel for this year’s X Factor, alongside Gary Barlow from Take That, Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child and N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos. The Irishman first appeared on the programme in 2004 alongside Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne. Mr Walsh became well-known in the 1990s for creating the group Boyzone after deciding to create an Irish version of Take That. Under his management, they achieved international success, selling more than 12million copies worldwide Back to work: Louis Walsh arrives at the London Studios for X Factor yesterday He later used the same formula to produce Westlife, co-managed by Boyzone member Ronan Keating. Mr Walsh launched his television career as a judge on the Irish edition of reality music show Popstars. After finding a band on that show he was brought across to London to star in Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. It was on this show that he found UK fame, as mentor of the winning group, Girls Aloud. During his time on the X Factor, Mr Walsh had success with classical-style boyband G4, who went on to have a chart-topping album and completed two tours of the UK. source: dailymail
Hirshhorn Museum soon will cardinally change appearance, and without especial and cardinal changes. The New York architects from bureau Diller Scofidio + Renfro will add an existing complex with two easy structures in the form of blue spheres which will allow a museum to open additional spaces during a season. The sphere on a roof precisely reminds eggs on a museum of El Salvador of the Distance.
The Unusual Museum in Washington
In one of spheres the audience on 1,000 visual places will take places. Through transparent walls of a sphere spectators can enjoy not only a show, but also possibility to peep for the visitors of a museum walking on galleries. In the friend, a smaller sphere on the size there will be a cafe.
Estimated cost of realization of 5 million dollars, now the project is in a stage of study of the concept. Under plans, pavilions will open in 2011 year. However, if statements Fine Arts Commission) be required and National Capital Planning Commission, realization will be postponed for couple of years.
Copyright by Y-3 | Creative Direction Lloyd & Co | Photography Pierre Debusschere | Styling Jay Massacret | Hair Esther Langham | Make-Up Adrien Pinault | Models Juliane Grüner, Guerrino Santulliana In 2013 adidas and Yohji Yamamoto celebrate ten years of Y-3, a collaboration based on seeming opposites combining adidas’ sports technology and Yohji Yamamoto’s style aesthetic. the communication campaign for Spring/Summer 2013 captures the essence of Y-3, led by photographer and director Pierre Debusschere, the campaign explores the partnership of the opposed – the transmission of ideas from the two worlds of Japan and Germany. Pierre Debusschere’s photographs are a celebration of motion and exploration of movement that draws on the bold colors and graphic lines of the collection. Through the use of visual effects, the photographs have been distorted to provide a palpable sense of kinetic energy to the images. The Spring/Summer 2013 campaign film is an evolution of these themes - study of movement, distortion and transformation. Through a cutting edge interactive online interface located on the Y-3 website, the user will be able to engage with the video content and through manipulation of sound and image will create their own video clips to share online with others. In addition, Y-3 commissioned Tim Hecker, noted as one of the most preeminent figures currently making ambient music, to compose an original work exclusively for the Spring/Summer 2013 interactive video. As with much of Tim's work this piece plays with notion of variations on a theme, resulting in individual loops which shift and pulse in time with the visual effects of the campaign film. Y-3
Near the border with Botswana in the Shashi-Limpopo region lies Mapela, which is now an excavation site. The ruins of what is believed to have been a flourishing urban community for an astoundingly long period of time were first examined in the early 1960s. As a result of political developments in the country, which at that time was known as Rhodesia, the site was later abandoned and forgotten by the archaeologists.A section of Mapela Hill from the north [Credit: PLoS ONE]
Until June 2013, that is. Then, new excavations started under the leadership of Dr Chirikure from the University of Cape Town. Chirikure and his team discovered a large area with massive stone walls, huge piles of fossilised animal excrement, pottery, spinning wheels and thousands of glass beads that testify to thriving trade with other countries, probably India and China. Carbon dating indicates that Mapela was as a flourishing community that existed continuously from the early 8th century until well into the 18th.
'Mapela lies virtually untouched in a rather inaccessible area, and is unique in several respects,' says Per Ditlef Fredriksen, associate professor of archaeology at the University of Oslo. Since June 2014 he has been Dr Chirikure's collaboration partner and head of the research project that will dig deeper into the ecological history of Mapela to find out more about how people and the environment mutually affected each other in the Shashi-Limpopo region.
Mapela is unique, but also one of many
Ecological history studies the complex interplay between people and the environment through the centuries.
The excavation of Mapela is a collaborative project between the universities of Cape Town and Oslo, with funding from the research councils in both countries [Credit: Per Ditlef Fredriksen]
'In other words, the question is not only how people have adapted to climate change; it's also a fact that urban societies generate climate change,' Fredriksen points out.
The forgotten stonewalled site at Mapela Hill will be used as a case study in the project, but this is only one of a number of urban, historical communities that have been discovered in the Shashi-Limpopo region. The more famous ruined cities of Khami and Great Zimbabwe, both on UNESCO's World Heritage List, are also located in this part of Southern Africa.
'We are undertaking excavations in several locations in the area to obtain a better understanding of the development of all these world heritage sites, since the relationship between them remains unclarified.'
More concerned with the common folk
Until now, researchers have been mostly concerned with the elite and the elite culture that has been uncovered in places such as Great Zimbabwe and other well-known historical sites in the region. The common folk, on the other hand, were not deemed to be of equal interest ‒ until now.
A K2 sherd surface collected from the lower summit of Mapela hilltop [Credit: PLoS ONE]
'We wish to learn more about the relationship between the common population and the elite. Part of Mapela's uniqueness is that this site shows traces of all the three elite cultures in the area. The material culture testifies to this fact,' Fredriksen explains.
'Especially the jewellery, but even the fantastically constructed stone walls are extremely rich in symbols. Our findings in Mapela include traces of the stone walls of Khami.'
Using climate data from the start
'Climate and the environment have previously been topics raised in the debate over the urbanisation of Southern Africa. However, this new interdisciplinary project proceeds several steps further in the direction of natural science,' Fredriksen says.
The location of Mapela in relation to other important sites in the region around present-day Zimbabwe [Credit: PLoS ONE]
'We include climate data at an early stage when establishing research questions. Our objective is to obtain a deeper insight into the associations between climate, environment and socioeconomic and political strategies.'
Today, Mapela is located in an underdeveloped and marginal agricultural area, and researchers have assumed that this was an arid region earlier as well, and that Mapela was a regional centre of little importance. New findings, however, indicate the opposite.
A society against all odds
Mapela must have been larger than the known locality of Mapungubwe, where the elite is thought to have lived. Perhaps even the climate was quite different in earlier times.
Khami (shown here) is already on the World Heritage List. There is a lot to support the inclusion of Mapela, too [Credit: UNESCO]
'Was Mapela a community that existed against all odds?'
'That is an extremely interesting question. After all, Mapela continued to exist for centuries, while other communities, such as Mapungubwe, perished. Why? This is one of the questions we will attempt to answer.'
'Could this project provide new knowledge about the ways in which societies have adapted to climate change?'
'It's very complex, but hopefully we will be able to contribute to this,' says Fredriksen. He refers to the achievements of the University of Cape Town in the field of climate research.
'We are in this project to learn from the South Africans, and we have a lot to learn from them,' he concludes.
For more information see: Zimbabwe Culture before Mapungubwe: New Evidence from Mapela Hill, South-Western Zimbabwe. PLoS ONE (2014)
Author: Mari Kildahl | Source: University of Oslo [May 30, 2015]
As I'm sewing my 1950's Violet Wiggle Dress it reminded me of the set of photographs I once saw on the LIFE archives. A few of you know I've been to Russia a few times, once when I was 15 with my very adventurous father (Russia was his type of vacation) and then after high school with the intent to study Russian History. To make a long story short I ended up being very homesick and my stay was brief. Still, it's one of my favorite places in the world and I've had the privilege to see. Since then I love learning about Russian history, the good and the bad, and seeing it through art and photography are one of my favorite things to do.
Dior in Moscow
In 1959 the Soviet Union decided to get with the times and host some fashion shows. Does Yves Saint Laurent's Russian Collection ring a bell? Dior decided to bring their "New Look" straight to the people at GUM, which is like Russia's version of Galleria, located directly in Red Square. Back then it had more sensible shops for the working comrades, today it hosts over 200 luxury brands like Dior.
Red Square in Soviet Union
Dior had it their mind just to walk with the people at GUM, who by their expressions seemed horrified and curious all at the same time.
I'm kind of loving the floral dresses that nearly all of the women are wearing. Kind of wish I stuck around Moscow for a few days more just to do some vintage shopping. Wait while I add it to my bucket list.
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Flashback: Kate Middleton in the Wimbledon crowd three years ago. There are rumours she will be back this year As one would expect from the future Duchess of Cambridge, she had impeccable manners. But unfortunately for the then Kate Middleton, a handwritten letter to the All England Club has revealed that spelling is not her strongest point. Despite her public school and university education, her note thanking club officials for a visit in July 2008 contains two mistakes. In the letter, just unveiled in Wimbledon’s museum, she writes quite instead of quiet and confuses ’till with ’til. Kate, whose brother James suffers from dyslexia, is a former pupil at Marlborough College, whose current boarding fees are £29,000 a year, and went on to study at St Andrews University. This is a rare example of her handwriting before she joined the Royal Family and had flunkeys to check, or even write, letters for her. Oops: One of Kate Middleton's errors In a two-page letter displayed in a glass cabinet, she wrote in looping script: ‘Dear Sir. Thank you for your kind hospitality at Wimbledon last week. My friend and I had such a fantastic time and it was great to be able to enjoy the day knowing that we could have a little peace and quite if things got a little too hectic. ‘It was a wonderfully relaxed day and we even spent part of it on the “Henman/Murray Hill”, which was great fun. I really was not expecting to be looked after with such hospitality and I certainly wasn’t expecting to see any of the Centre Court games. ‘I do hope the end of the tournament runs smoothly and this fantastic weather lasts ’till the end of the week. Rumours: Kate Middleton may attend this year's tournament before going to Canada and the U.S. with Prince William ‘Thank you again for making it such a fun and easy visit.’ The note, whose address is covered by a strategically placed Union Jack flag, is signed off: ‘Best wishes, Catherine Middleton.’ It is believed the duchess was consulted and gave her permission for it to be revealed to the public – perhaps unaware of her errors. Speculation is rife at SW19 that she will visit with her sister Pippa before leaving for her first official royal tour of Canada and the U.S. with Prince William. source :dailymail
An ancient Aboriginal settlement on a volcanic lava flow in south-west Victoria – the setting for a bloody war between Indigenous people and white settlers in the mid-19th century – appears likely to become Australia's latest UNESCO World Heritage site.Lake Condah in south-west Victoria [Credit: Damian White]
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt has told Fairfax that he believes the Budj Bim landscape – stony rises from Mt Eccles near Macarthur to a prehistoric aquaculture system on Lake Condah and south to Tyrendarra wetlands – was an outstanding site that had the potential to achieve World Heritage status.
He has invited the Victorian government to complete an independently audited assessment to prove compliance with world heritage values.
If that showed there were "recognised outstanding universal values, then I would be delighted to propose this as a tentative item for listing by the World Heritage Committee", he said.
The Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, has written to Mr Hunt stating the Victorian government's full support for listing Budj Bim, and has forwarded a peer-reviewed study by leading scientists and archaeologists that finds the landscape is of international significance and that the criteria for listing is fully justified.
Budj Bim – the Indigenous name of Mt Eccles which produced the lava flow that was settled by the Gunditjmara Indigenous people thousands of years ago – is already on the Australian National Heritage Register.
World Heritage listing would elevate it to the status of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the 19 Australian sites currently receiving international protection.
The Gunditjmara are considered unique in Australia. They lived in large villages constructed of stone huts and harvested eels and fish in a sophisticated network of weirs and traps, dated to at least 6600 years ago, that meant they had no need of a nomadic lifestyle.
The Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, backed by teams of archaeologists, historians and independent heritage experts, having been gathering evidence for a decade to support the nomination for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Author: Tony Wright | Source: The Age [June 05, 2015]
Every city throughout the United States has been impacted by the recent economic recession. The combined forces of the credit crisis and the foreclosure crisis led to plummeting home prices in every region of the country. The ripples were felt from San Francisco condos to homes for sale. However, some metropolitan areas were able to avoid the worst of the turmoil and are now emerging from the mess faster than the rest of the country.
The recovery is swiftest in those areas that didn’t have as much of a housing price run up to begin with, either because the economy in those areas has stayed healthy or the economy has been limited for decades and residents have adapted or left. The top recovering areas also had lower rates of sub-prime and negative amortization loans financed in the years leading up to and during the crash.
In December of 2009, Forbes Magazine released a list of the number of loans that were foreclosed upon in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Forbes then calculated the percentage of loans that were descending into further delinquency versus those that were improving.
For example, the number of foreclosed homes in Austin was examined to see which loans continued towards the path of complete default versus those which inched their way back towards normalcy. The lower the rate of deterioration was for a given area, the higher their corresponding ranking with regard to recovery.
Here are the cities that fared best by that measurement and are recovering the most quickly:
1. Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa. 2. Austin-Round Rock, Texas 3. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah 4. Buffalo, NY 5. Knoxville, Tennessee
Source: Forbes, Francesca Levy (12/09/2009)
The Pennsylvania region of Harrisburg, and the Austin area of Texas were rated the best, followed by Ogden, Utah and Buffalo, NY. The homes seem to be recovering quite well as that region came in fifth in the study.
Top 5 Recovering Real Estate Markets in the U.S., 7 out of 10 [based on 512 votes]
