We now have the final report by Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia.

The group was established by a decision of the Council of the European Union in December 2008. As the report points out, this is the first time in its history that the European Union has decided to intervene actively in a serious armed conflict.

The report is a very careful study of a military conflict and has made in this way an important contribution to further scientific research of this episode. However, the media and the public want to know “who started it first”.

The report is equivocal in answering this question. It points out to the fact that there was provision by the Russian side of training and military equipment to South Ossetian and Abkhaz forces prior to the August 2008 conflict. There seems to have been an influx of volunteers or mercenaries from the territory of the Russian Federation to South Ossetia through the Roki tunnel and over the Caucasus range in early August, as well as the presence of some Russian forces in South Ossetia, other than the Russian JPKF battalion.

It was Georgia, however, that started a large-scale Georgian military operation against the town of Tskhinvali and the surrounding areas, launched in the night of 7 to 8 August 2008. The report says that this use of force was not justified under relevant international law.

The report also says that immediate reaction by Russia in order to defend Russian peacekeepers was totally justified. However, it says that much of the Russian military action went far beyond the reasonable limits of defense.

This is a very short summary of the report findings. I recommend reading at least the first part of the report, because it contains many interesting observations.

I need to quit relying on Microsoft Office Spelling & Grammar check.  I left out a word in my opening sentence yesterday and the grammar check did not catch my error of omission.  I meant to say “summer is coming to an end,” not “summer is coming to an.”  That sentence sounds like I graduated from Peru State or UNO, my apology to all graduates of those state institutions except Tony Anville and Matt. 

Saturday night Matt asked me how Tadd Halliman was doing.  I told him I was wondering too, and would email him on Sunday.  Two minutes later there was Tadd being interviewed at the track by Stan Cisar.  It is great to hear that Tadd is recovering from his crash, but I do have to correct one of his statements.  He said he really appreciated his wife putting up with him since the crash.  Tadd, you are a sprint car driver.  Your wife has been putting up with your antics a lot longer than the past few months.

Rather than wait to be attacked by my “friends” I want to state that 8,500 whoopy cushions do not sound like me on the way home from a race, nor is my snoring louder than 8,500 whoopy cushions.  However, if you want to find out just how loud 8,500 whoopy cushions can be, come to the Eagle Shoot Out next Sunday night. 

Did I read that Larry the Cable Guy was at Eagle a few weeks ago?  Naturally it was a night when I wasn’t there.  I’ve been wanting promoter Roger Hadan to sneak Matt and I into the VIP Suite at Eagle when Larry is there.  Since Larry is a big racing fan, I hope to get him to endorse my blog.  For free.  Something like, “This is Larry the Cable Guy.  In my book, if I had a book, The Rest of the Dirt would Git ‘er done.” I would love to announce on Twitter or Facebook that Larry has left a message on my site. Heck, I would just like to get a photo of Larry and me to put on the blog.

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one.  Nebraska football on Saturday night, Eagle on Sunday, and maybe I-80 Speedway after Eagle.  Matt insists that we can take in the Eagle show and ease on down the road to I-80 and still catch the IMCA modified and SLMR late model features. We’ll see.  Are any of the Irregulars going to show for either of these events?  Will this be the week that 2008 Eagle Raceway Homer Simpson Award winner Rick Bradley returns to the track?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks for stopping by.

David Soul

David Soul

(born 28 August 1943) is an American actor and singer, best known for his role as the California police Det. Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the television program Starsky and Hutch (1975-79). He became a British citizen in 2004.

Soul first gained attention as the mysterious “Covered Man” on several appearances on The Merv Griffin Show in 1967, in which he sang while wearing a ski mask and explained: “My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music.”  The same year, he made his film debut in The Secret Sharer.

Soul then appeared as level-headed Joshua Bolt on the television program Here Come the Brides, and later, Arthur Hill’s law partner on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law. Superstar status came when he portrayed Det. Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson on Starsky and Hutch, a role he played from 1975-79. He has also made guest appearances on shows such as I Dream of Jeannie, McMillan and Wife, Cannon, Gunsmoke, All in the Family, the TV miniseries World War III, Star Trek, and The Streets of San Francisco. Soul also appeared in the lead role in the TV mini-series Salem’s Lot, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King (1979). In films, Soul played in the 1971 film Johnny Got His Gun, but his best known film appearance was opposite Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force (1973).

Soul had successful singing career, including hits such as “Don’t Give Up on Us” and “Silver Lady”.  

Soul continued to make guest appearances in various US television series, with the occasional small film role. He starred as the infamous Florida robber Michael Platt in the TV film In the Line of Duty: The FBI Murders (1988), which depicted the 1986 FBI Miami shootout.  In the mid 1990s, Soul moved to London, forging a new career on the West End stage.  September 2004, he became a British citizen. He has also kept his US citizenship and ties with the US. 

In August 2008, Soul appeared in the reality TV talent show-themed television series Maestro on BBC Two.

Salem's Lot 1979

 Make Up Department
  Bette Iverson … hair stylist
  Ben Lane … makeup artist
  Jack H. Young … special makeup effects

Special Effects Department
  Frank Torro … special effects

Ramadhan datang lagi….teringat mak n ayah kat kampung..rindunye… Kirenye tahun ni first time tak dapat sambut first puasa sama2..mungkin juga raya pun tak dapat sambut sama2…dugaan…

August, bulan yang sangat menguji diri kite..macam macam berlaku dalam bulan ni….dan ianya mengajar kite erti hidup, kesetiaan, kejujuran dan kesungguhan dalam hidup….Kite harap August cepat berlalu sebab kite tak nak ingat balik ape yang da terjadi…biarla ia pergi dan sesungguhnya ia lebih baik…..

Puasa, erm…teringat zaman kecik2.hehehe…kite dulu darjah satu sampai darjah 3 puasa tak penah penuh..hehehe buruk perangai..bile tengok anak sedara darjah satu puasa penuh rase malu plak…Kalau maase kecik dulu bulan puasa mandi lama2..sambil mandi tertelan air.heheheh…pastu dalam sehari bape kali buka fridge…sebab sejuk sket..kalau haus je bukak fridge…Sekarang ni kalau ingat balik mase dulu malu pun ade…

Bila sebut pasal puasa…erm, ade jugak tengok kawan2 yang tak puasa.macam-macam ragam…tak taula, kebanyakan dorang lelaki..taktaula kenapa..tapi yang teruknya, taula tak pose tapi tak payahla tunjuk sangat…dorang ni macam bangga je wat bende yang tak baik…tak faham betul….

Puasa mase zaman sekolah dulu, best jugak..mase duk asrama kan…time sahur memang tak penah bangunla..tapi paling semangat time berbuka..heheehe sebab makan best. tetiap ari makan best…kawan2 ramai plak kan…jadi seronokla… Masa zaman duk umah sewa kat melaka dulu lagi la best…ridu gile ayam percik kat bazaar merlimau tu…sedap sangat..bile la nak pegi sana lagi…

Bila ingat balik sume kenangan masa lalu, alangkah indahnya kalau boleh balik ke zaman tu…sekarang….my life is sucks!!! kadang2 macam takde life..pegi keje pagi pastu balik da petang da penat..pastu tido, esok bangun g keje balik….yela, orang kate life start at 40..hehehe…dala, merapu je…nak tido da.

I had no idea what to expect of my first truck/tractor pull.  I really could not have envisioned what we saw, a major motorsports event in tiny Wisner, Nebraska.  And, it was a very enjoyable evening too.

Thunder By The River, or Thunder In The Valley-I have heard it called both, more than lived up to its billing.  From the first black smoke belching tractor run down the 300 foot track to the last pass by a wheel standing 2 wheel drive truck, the evening was all about power and noise.  The man made berms parallel the track, and no matter where you sit, you are extremely close to the action.  We were no more than 50’ away from the east lane-the track runs two lanes-and not only could we hear the power, we could feel it.

Only in America would someone have the ingenuity to bolt a Chinook helicopter engine to a hot rod tractor frame and try to pull a sled weighing thousands of pounds for 300’ or more.  Only in America would people call this entertainment and pay $22 for the privilege of viewing it.  More than 10,000 fans will attend the three show event, cheering John Deere or Farmall or International or Case or Ford tractors do their thing.

I wouldn’t call truck and tractor pulls environmentally friendly, but I hope I can be excused for my love of motorsports if I try to go green in many other ways.  I have no clue how many decibels filled the airwaves with each run, but even Matt asked me for ear plugs last night.  I am pretty sure that black smoke shooting 100’ into the air is air pollution, but then again, this is Nebraska, and the air is a lot cleaner in Wisner than it is in Los Angeles.

My two favorite classes were the 7,400 pound modified tractors, and the 2 wheel drive trucks.  The modifieds were amazing contraptions powered in most unusual ways.  I mentioned the Chinook helicopter engine, but another of the modifieds was powered by a Rolls Royce engine that powered Spitfire airplanes.  Several sported triple big block Chevy engines-yeah, I wasn’t seeing things, there were three Chevy engines powering the tractor, and a few more had dual Hemi’s for power.  Seeing them was a treat, hearing them a motorsports lover’s delight, and watching them pull was awesome.

I have no idea what type of fuel the 2 wheel drive trucks use to run their incredibly powerful and noisy engines, but it must be close to explosive.  The trucks ran in the far lane, but you could absolutely feel the power as they drove by.  I guess if they shook the berms it could be called an earthquake, and if they didn’t, they came awfully close.  Hearing them, watching their nearly 300’ wheel stands was worth the price of admission. 

Differing from auto racing was the fact that anyone could walk through the pits.  And what an enormous pit area it was. The pits were a half-mile or eight blocks long, and at least three blocks wide.  This would be double the size of most dirt track pits, but the pits were packed with over 200 trucks and tractors.  Most of the trailers hauling the trucks and tractors were far more bare bone than the rolling shops of trailers of late model tour drivers.  Plus it seemed like almost every trailer was surrounded by two or three family vehicles.

I was very impressed with the organization of the event.  It takes 300 volunteers to run the three shows, and the organization is apparent from the start with the team parking cars.  Several tractors pulling trams haul people from the parking area to the track.  Four more tractors “farm” the track after each pull. Others man the concession stand-and the concessions were very reasonably priced, including ribeye and beef tip sandwiches.  You could bring your own coolers in, which we did, but beer was only $2.00, and that you don’t find very often at dirt tracks around the country.

The “farming” choreography was well designed, and as one lane was being prepared for the next pull, the other lane was in action.  Even with ear plugs, I could easily make out what the announcers were saying, so the P.A. system of a track used only two days a year was far better than most dirt tracks, definitely better than one that sits halfway between Omaha and Lincoln. The show lasted over four hours, but the only down time was a brief intermission, or when a tractor broke and had to be pulled from the track.  Even that was far better coordinated than many dirt tracks who perform those tasks numerous times during the racing season.

Our neighbors on the east coast and west coast are often chauvinistic about the “hicks” who live in the Midwest.  I admit that Wisner, Nebraska could not host a King Tut exhibit like San Francisco.  However, San Francisco couldn’t run a Thunder In The Valley event, so that evens things out.  Actually, I have been to the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco to view the King Tut exhibit several years ago, and I have been to Wisner to see Thunder In The Valley.  I enjoyed them both.  So to the chauvinists from the coast I say “bite me.”

Random thoughts:

-leave it to a city boy guiding a person wearing shorts and no coat on a cool evening to think it was a good idea to sit on the downwind side of the track, facing into the sun.  Steve Basch was the city boy, and Matt was the coatless, shorts wearing person. 

-no, it is not farmers in short sleeves wearing a straw hat driving these machines.  Drivers wear a fire suit just like their compatriots in auto racing, and the tractors have a roll cage.

-if you go to a dirt track you often see drivers walking the track during intermission, trying to read the dirt.  The same thing happens at truck and tractor pulls.

-many of the tractors pulling are owned and driven by farmers.  It sort of belies the image of a poor dirt farmer when the announcer says “the engine on this machine has four turbochargers costing $30,000.”

-if Americans are creative enough to strap three engines to a tractor, we ought to be able to come up with a workable change to a health system that is far from ideal.  OK, I shouldn’t put politics into my blogs, but that was my thought when the first modified tractor with three Chevy engines took to the track.

This is an event you should see in person at least once.  Thanks for stopping by.

Töötajate vahel ei tohi suhteid olla, nii ütles Niko. Viimase aja suurim pomm plahvatas. Niko ja meie leedulanna Ernesta vahel on suhe. Kordan veelkord: Töötajate vahel ei tohi suhteid olla! Niko leidis endale lõpuks siis naise, kes küll 29. august lahkub. Ega ta enda vanust ei saa, alati vaja noorematele külge ajada. Tavaliselt 15.16- aastastele, seekord isegi veab, paar aastat vanem.Ernesta hakkab ennast töö juures liigagi vabalt tundma – iga kord jääb tööle hiljaks ega tee tööl mitte midagi erilist, lihtsalt loivab ringi. See, et ta juhatajaga ringi aeleb, ei tähenda, et ta sai ametikõrgendust!

Paar nädalakest veel jäänudki, mõned päevad ka veel otsa. Juba kangesti ootan kojutulekut, samal ajal tahaks siia päikese kätte ka jääda. Saaks ainult selle päikese kaasa võtta. Muud ma ei jäägi igatsema. Kui siis Anjat, kellega oleme viimasel ajal päris palju igast asjadest rääkinud. Üldiselt põhjuseks, miks ma koju tahan kogu aeg tulla, ongi see, et ma tunnen ennast pidevalt üksinda ega pole kellegagi midagi koos teha.

I recently wrote to someone that I have lost my joy.  The joy I used to have for life is gone and I don’t know how to get it back.  I have brief moments of happiness but other than that, I am an emotional wasteland of pain, anger, jealousy, rage, fear, and disappointment.  I have things that I am very grateful for (like Hubby, doggies, and my wonderful friends – both physical and bloggy) but that’s not the same as joy.  I feel like a candle whose light has been snuffed out and can’t be relit.

I sobbed last night in therapy, begging the therapist and Hubby to tell me what to do to feel better, to not hurt, to get my joy back, to have some peace.  I will do anything, just tell me what to do, I said.  We talked a lot about negative and irrational self-talk aka the mean, nasty voices that I hear telling me that the boys were it, I get no other children, I’m broken and defective – you know, the good stuff.  I’m supposed to counter that with “a dispute.”  So if my head tells me, “You are never going to have another child,” I’m supposed to dispute that with, “I will have another child.”  I’ll try it.

The therapist really latched on to the idea of adoption.  She ran with that idea, offering to help us find resources and contacts and then she alluded to the fact that she didn’t think I was emotionally capable of conceiving and carrying a child in my present state and that we might need to take a break while exploring adoption.  That really hurt.  Prehaps it’s true but it still hurt.  I sort of shutdown at that point.  I’m not willing to give up the idea of getting pregnant and carrying a child right now.  Hubby and I agreed to keep trying while exploring the possiblity of adoption.  Her comment sort of overshadowed any excitement that I was feeling for making the decision to try to adopt and left me feeling sad and hurt (thus, possibly, proving her point that I am an emotionally fragile mess that needs electro-shock therapy). 

Along those same lines and possibly providing more evidence for Therapist’s theory, was the fact that I got a message last night from IAC (Independent Adoption Centers) that the information session we signed up for was full.  It wasn’t full when I signed up for it 5 days ago on their website but it is now.  Yeah, no idea how that works.  We are on the wait list for that session and signed up for the October 3rd session.  I was so upset and disappointed that I had to have Hubby return the call out of fear that my anger and snippiness towards the “keeper of the babies” would harm our chances of sitting down with these people.  Again, probably not the rational response the rest of the world would have but I’m starting to understand that not much of what goes on in my head these days is rational.

I’m an irrational, joyless, emotionally fragile lostbabymama and at this point, I think we can safely say, I’m not even surviving anymore….I’m in real trouble, aren’t I?

I know this isn’t really racing.  All I can say in my defense is that a Skynyrd concert is a lot like an evening at a dirt track.  The crowds are actually a lot alike, and the show is all about obliterating your senses for a few hours.

I spent last evening with several thousand other members of the Skynyrd Nation, a truly amazing group of people.  How many other groups can claim rednecks, white collars, and blue bloods bonafide members? A Skynyrd concert is like a Berkshire Hathaway stockholders meeting in a wrong side of the tracks bar.  It would be no surprise to see Warren Buffet standing beside a leather jacketed biker screaming “Free Bird.”  Or 60-somethings standing next to their teenaged grandchildren, all stomping to “Gimme Three Steps.”  People who would scream at each other at a health care town hall meeting high five to “Sweet Home Alabama.”  Something about this group transcends all that would otherwise divide Skynyrd Nation members.

Star crossed is a too often used phrase that I will use anyway.  How else would you describe a band that survived a plane crash that killed its lead singer, a guitarist, and a back-up singer?  I guess you can reform the band behind a singer who happens to be the younger brother of the deceased, who looks and sounds a lot like him.  But Skynyrd suffered far more than the terrible loss from the infamous plane crash.  With three guitarists, a bass player, a drummer, a keyboard player, a lead singer, and two back-up singers, the group has the feel of what it was like in the 70’s.  However, during one of the songs last night names of past members, dead or alive, were flashed across the large TV screen behind the stage.  Nine Skynyrd members have died, and ten others have left the band for whatever reason. That the band survives is unreal.  That it thrives defies all odds. Transcends, no doubt.

Keyboard player Billy Powell died earlier this year.  In the three previous Skynyrd concerts Matt and I attended, we always sat on the Powell side of the stage.  I enjoyed watching his honky-tonk playing, and his intro to “Free Bird” always left goose bumps.  I didn’t think the band could replace him.  And they didn’t.  Actually, to their credit, they did not try.  From the Skynyrd website, the current keyboard player is Bill Payne, who once played with Little Feat.  Payne is a top notch player who has his own style.  It does give the band a somewhat different feel, but that does not lessen the show in anyway.

I do have to say, that I am well aware that Gary Rossington is the only “original” member of the band.  However, guitarist Ricky Medlocke played drums for the group back in 1971, prior to moving on to Black Crowe.  Johnny Van Zant has actually been lead singer of the group longer than his brother was.  With those three I have no problem seeing the group as Skynyrd. Skynyrd is a concept, not any individual.

Skynyrd does not disappoint, and last night’s show was a good one.  The only one I can say I liked better was several years ago in Sioux City, and that was because Hank Williams Jr. played with them.

Random thoughts:

-My son Matt loves songs that are older than him.  He does not want his wife or mom to go with us to these concerts because they do not have the same passion for the music.  Actually those are not his exact word, but discretion/ valor/etc. in case they read this post.

-A typical scene: Tie-dyed wearing, AARP card holding boomers limping down arena steps to find their seats, knees crackling from an overload of cups of Budweiser and orders of tator tots.  No tator tots for me.  I did not limp either, though I took the steps one at a time.

-Beer bellied bald guys should not draw attention to themselves by “dancing” in the front row of the main floor seats.

-As we backed into our parking spot a car load of “old” people drove by.  I said to Matt, “damn those people are old,” then realized they are probably only a few years older than me.

-I am sure there were some lawyers in the crowd, obviously good guys.  It is the 99% of lawyers who are bad that make it tough on the good ones.

-Not watching American Idol, I did not know who opening act Bo Bice was.  Actually Bo Bice is not bad.  And the Bo Bice Band (Bo Bice back-up band?) is not bad either.  The music was like a mix of southern rock, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimi Hendrix.

-I love people watching at Skynyrd shows.  It is definitely a side show, though it is not a frightening freak show like Oakland Raiders home games.

-Seeing pictures of a young Gary Rossington I wondered how many times he has played the haunting riff in “Free Bird.”  And thought of all the stories he could tell.

-What does the band do prior to coming on stage?  Is there some kind of pre-game ritual? Do they do yoga?  Take vitamins?  Have a visiting chiropractor adjust them?

-I wish I had the beer concession on a Skynyrd tour.  Heck, I wish I had the beer concession for one night of a Skynyrd tour.

-The echoes of the amplifiers were ringing in my ears for long after the show.  Yeah, I know, that is Bob Seger, not Skynyrd, but it was quite some time before I was able to fall asleep last night.

-Not sure if Simple Man or Free Bird is my favorite Skynyrd song.

-I love the group’s guitar row, when all three guitarists and the bass player stand at center stage and sledge hammer the crowd with great rock.

-On the way home from the concert Matt and I talked about how long the group would tour.  The show is still high energy, the fans love Skynyrd, they make a good living at what they do, and they seem to thrive on playing.  Still, they are no longer youngsters.  I don’t know how long they will continue, but I do know that every time they play near Nebraska we will be there.

It is always a good evening when “Skynyrd is in the house.” Thanks for stopping by.

jumbly thoughts. try to keep up:

1. went to visit AT&T about my $1,425.00 bill (see post below for full story) and I talked to my friend and assistant manager Spence who I have met at Apple because of our lovely relationship with AT&T. So I say, “look Spence…no.” To paraphrase. And he got on the phone and whaddya know…he got me my moneys back. GO SPENCE!

2. Rooms and I did some serious work on “Operation Amber Has Lived Here for a Month Now and Has Yet to Unpack.” And so it does look like I live here now. Score. In fact, I am sitting at my desk which I haven’t used for anything besides a coat rack/closet/storage area since, oh…the day Rooms-to-Go brought it to me in the 6th grade. It’s nice.

3. I would like to share 2 pics with you. Totally unrelated but both pretty sweet. The first is a shot of the cast of “The Diviners” put on by the Pope Theatre Company during my senior year of high school. I played Aunt Norma. And my hair is in a bun on the top of my head. Excellent.

The second is a shot my pal Brit took of me. My hair is crazy and consequently, so is my face. I think it’s a pretty cool pic. Nice work Brit Brit.

Welp, big gulps eh? See ya later.

Please enjoy the most fantabulous posts from that historic month, August 2008:

4. Post From The Past – August 2007 – This was quite a momentous month for Post From The Past, with a whole 26 posts to choose from.  And being the freak that I am, I, of course, made sure that I listed each and every one of them.  They include such gems as a man’s finger, some men on a children’s playground, a cute kitten, a story about a peg on a penis, and much, much more.

3. Hot Shower – Fireheart Movie Rumour – Any information on the Fireheart! movie is exciting, but this also includes the lyrics for one of the steamiest (pun intended) songs of all time.

2. Reality Vomit – An account of a rather interesting evening I had, watching a universe rebooting.

1. Missing Todd – A photo of the shrine, and a moving poem, bring to life the emotion of missing Toddy.

Disclaimer – This is an extremely self-indulgent feature and is a cynical attempt to recycle stuff that I have written in the past in the vain hope that someone will actually read them. Please feel free to slag off “Post From The Past” to your hearts content

The skies are happy. Anticrepuscular rays, Green rays and all Atmospheric optical phenomena bring luck to the ones who see them. Or maybe they are lucky already, so they see them. Anyway, I can’t ellaborate longer. I am on holiday. I hope my photo brings a bit of luck to you too. ___

Tags: august-2008, anticrepuscular-ray, sunset, ikaria, luck, good-luck, eleni, epiphany, ικαρία, πορφυρογέννητη, sun | Edit Tags Sunday August 17, 2008 – 12:47pm (PDT) Edit | Delete

Next Post: In the Olives lies the Income Previous Post: The Island I (i)

• vixen
• Offline

many people are sorry that you seldom post in Flickr…
δεν μπορώ να βρω πως μεταφράζεται Ελληνικά. “Ακτίνες του Αντι-Λυκόφωτος”; Γουάου, Παναγίτσα μου!

Monday August 18, 2008 – 10:00pm (EEST) Remove Comment

• AKK
• Offline

Αφού πρόκειται για ένα τρίγωνο χωρίς φως ανάμεσα σε δυο δέσμες με φως, πρέπει να λέγεται “Αντι-ακτίνα”. Αντιακτίνα του Λυκόφωτος!

Tuesday August 19, 2008 – 09:51pm (EEST) Remove Comment

• vixen
• Offline

Sci-fi

Wednesday August 20, 2008 – 02:32pm (EEST) Remove Comment

• greg
• Offline

Zeus in the sky cannot be happy about this:

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – A small group of pagans pledged Thursday to hold a protest prayer among the ruined Acropolis temples, more than 1,500 years after Christians stamped out worship of the ancient Greek gods.
Group spokeswoman Doretta Peppa said the worshippers would pray Sunday to Athena – goddess of wisdom and patron of ancient Athens – to protect the 2,500-year-old site. Peppa said followers of the old religion object to the removal last year of hundreds of sculptural masterpieces from a tiny museum on the Acropolis to a large new building under the citadel.
In a statement, her group, Ellinais, described the landmark glass and concrete structure as “an incredible architectural monstrosity that insults (Greece’s) cultural heritage.”
The $190 million building is where Greece hopes one day to display the Elgin Marbles beside the other Parthenon sculptures. Greek officials have said it will open next month, displaying some 4,000 artifacts. The Elgin Marbles were removed from the Parthenon temple by Scottish diplomat Lord Elgin in the 19th century, when Greece was still an unwilling part of the Ottoman empire. The British Museum has repeatedly rejected Greek calls for their return.
Peppa told The Associated Press she would prefer the Acropolis sculptures to have stayed at the ancient temples – from where they were removed by Greece over the past 30 years to stop erosion from Athens’ polluted air.
“But even if we accept a new museum was needed 5 it should be in a style close to that of the ancient buildings,” she said. “It’s not a museum of modern art.”
Peppa’s Athens-based group, Ellinais, is campaigning to revive ancient religion and has defied Culture Ministry bans to hold prayers at several ancient temples.
She said she would not seek state permission for the ceremony, to be held near the ancient Parthenon temple, built between 447-432 B.C. in honor of Athena.
“We will just sing three hymns. It won’t be a big ceremony,” Peppa said. “I don’t know how many of us will be there. People are afraid. The fact is that we are subject to religious persecution.”
Christianity took hold in Greece in the 4th century. Roman Emperor Theodosius wiped out the last vestige of the Olympian gods when he abolished the Olympic Games in 394 A.D. The Parthenon was converted into a Christian church in the 5th century A.D.
Designed by U.S.-based architect Bernard Tschumi in collaboration with Greece’s Michalis Photiadis, the new Acropolis museum has been criticized for its bulk and modern style.
Architects and conservationists have denounced government plans to enhance its view of the Acropolis by demolishing two elegant, early 20th-century houses – one of which belongs to Oscar-winning composer Vangelis Papathanassiou.

Thursday August 28, 2008 – 12:33pm (PDT) Remove Comment

• elle
• Offline

Thank you, greg. It’s a hateful building which worships no other thing but concrete. In a way it’s true because this is the current god in Greece.
I like when I hear people referring to it as “the aircraft carrier” and yes, it does look like one.

But the ancient stone with columns is still there. And of course the light.

Thursday August 28, 2008 – 01:47pm (PDT)