April 30, 2007

•  fashion dance music society

  
  

  Have you seen the spectacular photography of Nina Chung in the spring edition of the quarterly, Movmnt?

  
  

  Pretty amazing dance in motion.

  
  

  

  
  

  Please check out this link to NinaJChung.com   http://www.ninajchung.com/   

  
  

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  B.C. comic strip originator Johnny Hart has passed. He also worked in collaboration on “Wizzard of Id”.

  
  

  Johnny Hart’s passing is only a few days following the death of the co-producer of the “Wizzard…” strip.

  
  

      RIP

  
  

  ———–

  
  

  Author/Journalist David Halverstam has also passed after the car he was riding in was broadsided. His books were

  
  

  influential in getting the Us to get out of the Vietnam conflict. He also wrote of sports, with the last completed work

  
  

  a biography of, New England Patriot football coach, Bill Belichick.

  
  

  

  
  

  ————–

  
  

   Goodbye Boris….  Boris Yeltsin, the Russian who led Russia into it’s age of democracy, has

  
  

  also died. His legacy is a mixed bag however. Russia is now seen as a former superpower. Yeltsin also oversaw

  
  

  the break-up of the former Soviet Union and the plunge into chaos of Chechnya, in it’s bid to become a breakaway

  
  

  republic, the sacking of the Russian economy by private carpetbaggers, and widespread hyper-inflation which led

  
  

  to impoverishment to millions. He was much loved, though, as he came to power, and considered a folk hero.

  
  

  He was ill several times while in office but overcame it each time.

  
  

  ———————–

  
  

  As I have a special interest in Ethiopia and other neighboring countries in the horn of Africa, I am adding a few pictures

  
  

  to my short post (at the bottom of my blog, two entries back). Near to the hot arid Dankil Desert is the River Awash.

  
  

  Some of it’s length has been included in the spectacular Awash National Park. It is a short distance from the “Land of

  
  

  the Afars”, which I talked about in the other post.

  
  

   oryx gazelles

  
  
  

  
  

  
  They all wear a kalachnikov or other firearm and they are sometimes dangerous….

  
  

   

  
  
  
  
  
   

  Young very beautiful Afar girls
  

  
  

  
  
   
  
  
  
   
  
  The Danikil Depression is one of the lowest spots on earth, and nearly the hottest. Volcanic oozes are common.

  
  
  
  

  3 of 5

  
  
  
  
  

  A Painted Desert Photograph by Carsten Peter A double team of forces—hot springs and liquid rock—combined to create the otherworldly landscape of Ethiopia’s Dallol volcano. Dallol is the world’s only volcano below sea level (minus 157 feet [minus 50 meters]) and the hottest place on Earth. Sulfur and mineral salts from upwelling springs create vivid colors.

  
   
  

   

  
  

  The road to Assab. Nearby isolated port city in Eritrea. No doubt this is the road that my friends, discussed in the previous post,

  
  

  warned me about.

  
  

  “The Afar are an independent-minded people, and one who lay great stress on a man’s toughness, strength and bravery. Weaklings

  
  

  do not survive in the Danakil Desert. In the past, a further requirement for achieving manhood was to kill a male member of

  
  

  an enemy tribe and castrate the victim. The young Afar man was then looked upon with respect and entitled to certain rights,

  
  

  such as marriage.”   

  
  

                                                                                              Salt – the Afar gold, Dekemhare

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

                                                                                                                                                      –Afars of Gawene–

  
  

  

  
  

                                 Afar hut. Many Afars are still nomadic.                

  
  

       Camel caravans are common.  

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  The Afar grind grain like this, mix it with milk and bake it in an underground furnace. Bread and milk products are the staples of the Afar diet. They may butcher a cow for a special occasion such as a wedding.

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Almost all Afar are Sunni Muslims. As children, they learn the Koran and religious practices from a village leader. Few rural Afar Muslims get deeper than the basic concepts of Islam, but they are fiercely protective of their religion.

  
  

                                                            
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  The Afar homes of palm mats and wood pack easily onto camels to move to the next location.

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Most Afar live in rural settlements of several clans. Clans make decisions by consensus, but clan leaders usually hold strong, persuasive powers over the clan.

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  The “Afar Triangle” at the intersection of Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea is home to most of the world’s 1.5 million Afar people. Unlike much of Ethiopia, only a handful of them are Christians. Most are Muslim. These Afar women herd the family’s cattle, goats and sheep. The Afar travel with the seasons to find better grazing lands for their animals and to find and sell salt found in large quantities within the Danakil Depression.

  
  

  -Some of the pictures depict, assumably, other people of the Danakil Desert area. All are from the northeast section of Ethiopia though, included with much of the tiny country of Djbouti, and eastern Eritrea.-

  
  

  I’d like to say happy May 1st birthday to Ralph.

  
  

  “Aww… Gee thanks.”

  
  

  take care all. Blessings! JtheP 

  • 9:03 pm
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