Boycott Koch Brothers Products

Koch companies' products are everywhere we look- In our offices, homes and backyards. We walk on them. Wear Them. Eat off them. We use them to clean spills or to keep spills from staining. Chances are, nearly every store you walk into sell a Koch company product. Next time you shop, be on the lookout for these familiar brands:

Investa

 Lycra

 Cool Max

 Tactel

 Solar max

 Polarguard

 Dacron

 Thermolite

 Comforel

 Antron

 Stainmaster

 Cordura

Georgia-Pacific

 Vanity Fair

 Angel Soft

 Quilted Northern

 Sparkle

 Brawny

 Mardi Gras

 Dixie

 DensArmor Plus

 Plyntanium

 Tough Rock

 Demak Up

 Kittensoft

 Lotuss

 Moltonel

 Tenderly

 Nouvelle

 Okay

 Calhogar

 Delica

 Inversoft

 Tutto

If you wish to participate in the Koch boycott, you don't have to memorize the list, just look for this logo when you buy your household products:

Another List:

Toilet Paper:

Angel Soft

Quilted Northern

Soft N, Gentle

Paper Towels:

Brawny

Sparkle

Mardi Gras

Napkins:

Mardi Gras

Vanity Fair

Zee

Agriculture:

Nitamin

Bumper Harvest

Food Service:

Quik-Rap sandwich paper

Quilt-Rap insulating sandwich wrap

Food Shop sandwich wrap

Menu tissue

Packaging:

Color-Box

MulitKraft

GP paper products

GP industrial claening & janitorial products

GP healthcare products

GP building & remodelling products

Apollo and Helios

If you ever want to get a headache, try to find the difference between Helios and Apollo. Helios (not Apollo) is the Greek God of the Sun and he rides his Sun chariot across the sky during the day. Even the Romans made this distinction Helios became Sol Invictus. Helios is the Greek word for the Sun. Apparently, the idea of equating Apollo with the Sun and riding the chariot came later in time.

Although I always knew both names, it never really bothered me that much. I just went back and re-read one of my favorite books as a child, D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. I came across a paperback copy of this book while in the Getty bookstore, and I purchased it despite the ridiculously high price. (I just found the hardcover copy on Amazon and I will buy it.) D'Aulaires says that Helios is the God of the Sun (and has the chariot). It also says that Apollo was as "fair as the Sun, and he was to be the god of music, light and wisdom." D'Aulaires also says that Apollo was given a silver bow and a quiver of arrows. Apollo's arrows "were hard and piercing as the rays of the Sun." When discussing the myth were Helios allowed his son to drive the Sun chariot. The son couldn't control the chariot, and he died. D'Aulaires notes that Helios "grieved over his lost son, and he never again allowed anyone to drive his chariot except for Apollo, the god of light."
HELIOS:

APOLLO:

COVER OF D'AULAIRES SHOWING HELIOS:

Rare statue of Hercules discovered in Northern Israel

A rare statue depicting the Roman god Hercules has been discovered during an excavation in the Jezeel Valley in the north of Israel. The white marble figure stands at 0.5 metres and is thought to have originally decorated an alcove in a Roman bathhouse. It has been dated to the second century AD and is said to be of exceptional quality. Dr Walid Atrash of the Israel Antiquities Authority said: "This statue is unusual because it is small. Most statues of gods from this period were life-size. This is something special." The demigod is depicted leaning on a club, draped with the skin of the Nemean lion that he slew in the first of his twelve labours.

When I saw that this statue and the one posted earlier, I thought that I had seen another statue of Hercules leaning over his club. I found that it is a common classic pose:

Hercules statue returning from Boston to Turkey

During excavations in 1980 in Perge town of the southern province of Antalya, Prof. Jale Inan unearthed lower part of demigod Hercules statue. Officials noticed that a similar statue was being exhibited in Boston. Experts examined the statue in Boston and found out that it was the half of the part in Turkey. Presumably, someone cut the top half of the statute off, and sold that to the Boston Museum. Turkey has been exerting efforts to get back the upper part of the statue since that date.

The upper part of a Hercules (Heracles) statue is returning from Boston to Turkey. Turkish Culture & Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay told A.A on Sunday that the upper part of Weary Hercules Statue was returning from the United States to Turkey by the plane of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Arch of Hadrian & Constantine

Hadrian's Arch (shown above) existed when the Emperor Constantine reigned. Constantine added to it as shown below:

The blue and green sections indicate parts added by Constantine's artisans to the then-existing Arch of Hadrian. The yellow sections show parts that were taken from other monuments and added to Hadrian's Arch to make "The Arch of Constantine."
One of the parts added by Constantine shows him with his troops:

The following frieze shows Constantine (his face seems to be missing) and his court:

Hadrian's Arch without the Constantine's additions would look something like this:

Emperors Justinian and Constantinople

This mosaic in the Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (532-7 AD) depicts Justinian (left) presenting model of church of Hagia Sophia to the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Constantine to the right presents her with model of Constantinople. (Justinian looks older than in the Ravena mosaic.)

The Court of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora

These mosaics from Ravena, Italy show the royal court of the Emperor Justinian and his wife, Theodora:

We also have Christ in Heaven from the same church:

Archangel Michael and the War in Heaven

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Revelation 12:7-9

I had an icon like this over my bed when I was a child. (Mine was a little different.)

Mona Lisa of the Galilee

One of the most exquisite and well-preserved mosaics was unearthed inside a building referred to as the Roman villa in the ancient city of Sepphoris(Zippori) in Israel.

The mosaic depicts a captivating woman adorned with earrings and a laurel garland. Her gaze is riveting; in fact, it appears she looks directly at you from every corner of the room. This woman has been dubbed "the Mona Lisa of the Galilee", not because she resembles DaVinci's subject but rather because she seems to have the same quality of timelessness and of superb artistry. She even has the same faint hint of a smile.

Ancient Greece & Greek Colonies

Bishop's Throne

I really like this picture. It shows the Bishop's Throne in St. Sohpia Cathedral in Los Angeles, California:

Greek Orthodox Church - Layout

This picture shows you the layout of a typical Greek Orthodox Church:

I also found this picture, but it doesn't look as accurate as the picture above:

The History of the Parthenon

Classical Architecture

I love Greco-Roman Architecture:

By the way, if you compare the above temple with the Parthenon in the next post, you will how the designer of the Parthenon adjusted the column widths of the Parthenon so that the columns line up perfectly instead of appearing to lean outward, which is what straight columns looks like (as in this picture).

The Heroes of the Iliad

I really like this picture. It represents some of the heroes of the Iliad: Menelaus, Paris, Diomedes, Odysseus, Nestor, Achilles and Agamemnon

Checkers in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Checkers is called Draughts (pronounced "drafts"). In the UK, Checkers is the country home of the Prime Minister (Chequers):

Atlantis - Santorini

Santorini is a small island just north of Crete. Santorini is a dormant volcano. This aerial photo shows the circle (caldera) of the volcano and the island that sits in the middle of the circle:

On the the southern tip of Santorini, archaeologists found the buried ancient town of Akrotiri. The ruins of Akrotiri contain beautiful frescoes from the Minoan period. The following fresco shows a flotilla procession passing between a major island containing women in Minoan garb (like Crete) and a major city siting on an island in the middle of another island (like Santorini).

The following is the portion of the fresco that shows Crete:

The following is the portion of the fresco that shows Santorini:

Scientists say that the Santorini volcano erupted around 1600BC, and devastated Santorini. Many people believe that the Santorini eruption/devastation is the basis for the Atlantis tale. The following picture shows the buried ruins of Akrotiri:

Dinosaur Feathers

Scientists have found examples of dinosaur feathers in Canadian amber samples. HOLY JURASSIC PARK! The samples show the evolution of dinosaur feathers from slim hair-like feathers to full feathers that resemble modern bird feathers.

"We've got feathers that look to be little filamentous hair-like feathers, we've got the same filaments bound together in clumps, and then we've got a series that are for all intents and purposes identical to modern feathers," Mr McKellar told BBC News.

"We're catching some that look to be dinosaur feathers and another set that are pretty much dead ringers for modern birds."

Vikings' Route

Although this picture was designed to show the shrinking Arctic Ice Cap, I like it because I can visualize how the Vikings made their discoveries. They followed the old saying, "GO WEST YOUNG MAN, GO WEST". They followed a westward straight line from Scandinavia to Iceland to Greenland to Vineland (North America).

The History Boys - The French Scene - Translation

I like The History Boys very much. Since I do not understand French, I am always a little lost when I get to the French scene. I came across this translation of that scene in the play. It isn't the same text as the movie, but it is close and gives you the feeling of what is being said. At least, I now know what is going on.

HECTOR: Where would you like to work this afternoon?
RUDGE: In a garage.
BOYS: No, no.
SCRIPPS: Not again. Have pity on us.
HECTOR: Dakin. Where would you like to work this afternoon?
DAKIN: I would like to work...in a maison de passe.

HECTOR: Oo-la-la.
BOYS: What is that? What is a maison de passe?
POSNER: A brothel.
HECTOR: Very good. But a brothel where all the clients use the subjunctive or the conditional, yes? Here. Already a client! Who is the maid?
POSNER: Me. I am the maid.
HECTOR: What is your name?
POSNER: My name is Simone.
AKTHAR: Simone, the gentleman cannot wait.

POSNER: Good day, sir.
DAKIN: Good day, dear.
POSNER: Enter, if you please. There is your bed and here is your prostitute.
HECTOR: Oh. Here one calls a cat a cat.
DAKIN: Thank you, ma'am (referring to an older, married woman).
POSNER: Miss (referring to a younger, unmarried woman).
DAKIN: I want to stretch out on the bed.
HECTOR: I would like...I would like to stretch out on the bed in the conditional or the subjunctive.
POSNER: But your shoes, sir, not on the bed. And your pants, if you please.
DAKIN: Excuse me, miss.
POSNER: Oh! What beautiful legs!
DAKIN: Watch it.

POSNER: And now...Claudine (Timms).
DAKIN: Yes, the prostitute, if you please.
CROWTHER: Sir, I thought that you would want some foreplay?
DAKIN: What foreplay?
POSNER: Claudine. What foreplay is on the menu?
TIMMS: At what price?
DAKIN: Ten francs.
TIMMS: Ten francs? For ten francs I can show you my prodigious chest.
DAKIN: And now, could I touch your chest?
TIMMS: That would cost you 15 francs. For 20 francs you can put your mouth on my chest and agitate...

LOCKWOOD: Agitate what?
POSNER: Another client.
HECTOR: Ah, dear Director sir.
HEADMASTER: Mr. Hector, I hope I'm not...
HECTOR: English, it's banned. Here we speak only French, according a particular importance to the subjunctive.
HEADMASTER: Oh, ah. And what is happening here? Why is this boy...Dakin, isn't it?...without his...trousers?

HECTOR: Anyone? Don't be timid. Tell the Director what we are doing.
DAKIN: I am a man who...
HECTOR: You are not a man. You are a solider...a soldate blessé; you understand, dear Director sir...soldat blessé?
HEADMASTER: Wounded solider, of course, yes.
HECTOR: This is a hospital in Belgium.
HEADMASTER: Belgium? Why Belgium?
AKTHAR: At Ypres, sir. Ypres. During the First World War.
HECTOR: That's it. Dakin is a wounded solider, one mutilated in war and the others are doctors, nurses, and all the personnel of a big medical and therapy establishment. Continue, my children.
HEADMASTER: But...

AKTHAR: How he suffers!
LOCKWOOD: My mother! My mother!
AKTHAR: He calls his mother.
LOCKWOOD: My father!
AKTHAR: He calls his father.
LOCKWOOD: My aunt!
HEADMASTER: His aunt?
TIMMS: The entire family.
HECTOR: He is distracted. He is distracted.
IRWIN: He is commotionné, perhaps?
HECTOR: What?
IRWIN: Commotionné. Shell-shocked.
HECTOR: It's possible. Shell-shocked. Yes, that is the correct word.
HEADMASTER: Allow me to introduce Mr. Irwin, your new professor.
HECTOR: Pleased to meet you.
HEADMASTER: What I want...
HECTOR: (the subjunctive) Veuille...veu...ille...
HEADMASTER: Vei-ulle. Enough of this...silliness..

The Iliad - The Giant Golden Book

These are pictures from my favorite book. I have two copies.