Aurelia

By now it's happy belated birthday. Hope you had a good one!

SPQR was the official name of the Roman state. Not a motto, surely? Some sources cite SPQR as a motto as well. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/spqr.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPQR

In the Republican period, SPQR or Senatus Populusque Romanus (= The Senate and People of Rome) was the motto of the Roman government and, by default, the Roman legions. Apparently, it continued to be used under the Empire as well.

Any book giveaways from this (or any previous) list coming our way any time soon?

Late again, sigh. Happy birthday.

I seem to be late every time lately. Happy belated birthday!

Happy belated birthday!

Isn't it rather Carthago delenda est ?

Oh I second that! Imagine competitors being judged not only on speed but also on creativity. Although I imagine that stuff like this or this would end up being censored lest they hurt viewers' sensitivities.

It's even worse than mere baldness. As I pointed to an earlier thread, some Roman commanders were jeered at for their ancient comb-overs. Oh I have no doubt that hiding one's bald spot is as ancient a practice as baldness itself.

I guess it makes sense that 4,000 years ago men were already prone to baldness. Why should that come as a surprise? DNA suggests even ancient man had baldness issues

Hmm, I don't seem to be able to access the video in Belgium. Every time I click on one of the episodes, it says that the content is unavailable.

Cool photo. Yours?

Uhmmmmm, looks delicious. Wanna try them all! I've also been doing the rounds of all the Chinese and Thai shops in town but unfortunately haven't found this yet: If anyone knows where I might get it, do let me know.

I like the original Asterix songs as well, like this one: Also available in:

Happy birthday, my fellow Capricorn.

Excellent, Klingan! I got stuck in Athens in January 2002 on my way to Belgium. I was flying in from Johannesburg and was supposed to stop over in Athens before getting a connecting flight to Brussels. We did land safely but after that all flights were cancelled because they had had a freak snow storm (I heard they hadn't experienced anything like it in 40 years). So I was stranded for 2 days and I promise you, it looked more like Stockholm than a Mediterranean city hehe. Since I had time to kill, I went to see the Acropolis, but couldn't go all the way to the top because it was covered in snow and the path was too icy. Really surreal. Anyway, safe journey and enjoy your stay.

My current favourite History Channel programmes: - Ice Road Truckers - Ax Men - UFO Hunters - Madhouse Yeah... real winners... and very historically relevant...

Thanks everyone for the b-day wishes. I've arrived safe and sound and am slowly adjusting back to the cold temperatures.

This is a photo my father took in Johannesburg recently while running an errand. South Africa is notorious for its creative ads (many of them involving wild animals). This is living proof that creativity is alive and well in the "Rainbow Nation" in spite of its many problems. Here are a few more samples of creative South African ads: - Vodacom is a South African mobile phone operator. This is a play on the classic 80s film, The Gods Must Be Crazy. - Nando's is a chicken restaurant chain. Its ads are always a bit spicy. Garmin GPS & Wildebeest

Thanks Nephele! Am having a great day. Just pity it's my last day in South Africa. Flying back to Europe tonight.

Hehe, this is a bit off topic but I recently found out that both the main actor and director of District 9 attended the same high school as me in Johannesburg. Neill Blomkamp, the director, was in the class just below my younger brother. Anyway, back on topic, I've recently rented 2 movies: Rachel Getting Married and Defiance.

Oops. happy belated birthday, Doc.

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a little image of our (fake) South African tree. The fireplace is quite useless at this time of the year with an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius outside. And here's a little Xmas song to bring you all some cheer (whether you celebrate it or not). http://gpsinformation.info/main/merryxmas.swf

This latest version of Bohemian Rhapsody by the Muppets has apparently taken You Tube by storm. It recorded about 9 million views in just 2 weeks. EMI has recently announced that it plans to turn it into a major Christmas hit in the UK. It will be up against whoever wins X Factor, a British television singing competition. Seriously??