I thought it was evident, maybe because it has always been pretty clear to me, but I was shocked today when I shared a coffee with some friends and they disagreed with me over the sex of:

So, what do you say, MALE or FEMALE?

Ok, so we got:
MALE: 32
FEMALE: 2

And he indeed is a male. Check this out:

e

The eyelids make the difference :lol:

Thanks all for taking part. Hugs :)

Hello :) Here I come with another annoying History lesson for you. I wanted to use Spoiler tags so the laziest readers could skip the text and go right to the pictures, but the new layout still doesn't allow those. So take a look at these categories, place yourself in the one that fits you better and act in consequence ;)

A) Another bloody History lesson? You gotta be kidding me.

*Action to be taken: move it to the next blog.

B) I could check the pics...

*Action to be taken: skip up to the blue text.

C) History rocks my socks!

*Action to be taken: enjoy it!

Virtual visit: http://webworld.unesco.org/goree/en/index.shtml

Gorée is a really small island located 1km south-east from the coast of Dakar, the capital city of the Republic of Senegal. It's hard to find it in the modern maps, although it was recurrent in the old cartography.

Portugal, Holland, UK and France fought over it for centuries. Its name, actually, has Dutch etymology: Good Ree, meaning good harbour. Europeans had huge reasons to fight over its control: Gorée was an excellent natural fort, its shape and orientation allowed the vessels find good protection and it's little beach helped embark and disembark (or rather, load and unload) easy, so the small and quiet fishermen island became and strategic point of a vital importance in the triangular sea commerce between Europe, Africa and America.

From the XV to the XIX century, Gorée became an active spot in the slavery treat. It's estimated that approximately 20 million of Africans stepped on the island as a previous step to their crossing across the Atlantic Ocean.

The "House of the Slaves" was built in 1786, and it was there where the slaves who were just caught were kept until they were sold to the European intermediaries prior to their trip. The weaker ones used to die, and they were simply thrown to the ocean. The stronger ones were fire marked and scarred for life with the shipping company emblem, and then they were loaded and pressed tight together in the decks to be transported to America, where the fast development of the coffee, cotton and sugar crops increased the need of labour and the huge dependence of the slaves, which made the landowners eager to buy big amounts of them.

Even though from the VIII Century African slaves were brought regularly to Asia, the European began the bloodiest stage in the African devastation, in the spread of racial prejudices, in the dehumanization and conversion of the human being into merchandise. However the arrival of the Europeans to America would expand in an unthinkable magnitude the treat of slaves with disastrous consequences. It was the beginning of a chapter in history that would last 4 centuries.

From the very beginning, the "quality of the merchandise" was highly appreciated. Strong, healthy and young slaves were preferred not only because they would be more expensive when sold, but also because of the rigors of the transatlantic crossing, that used to last weeks, and sometimes months.

Slave trader vessels were floating coffins. Almost every day slaves were systematically thrown to the ocean either to avoid contagious diseases to spread to the rest of the "cargo" or to lessen the load (insurance companies wouldn't pay for those slaves who died out of sickness, but they would for those who died drowned while crossing). After the treat was prohibited, they were all thrown altogether to avoid being caught.

This design belongs to the ship Brookes, specially designed to transport slaves. Its maximum capacity was 451 slaves, allowing each of them a 183cm x40 cm room (even less for women and children). However, the Brookes managed to transport 609 slaves. The slave, completely dehumanized, acquired the condition of merchandise for life. Such conditions prompted a tremendous high death rate.

Around the end of the XVI century, the native population of the Caribbean islands had almost disappeared, and their economy depended exclusively on slave labour. Punishment, absolutely regulated by law was part of a slave's daily life. Paradoxically enough, the tyrants used to be black people, bond to perform such bloody task as a means to acquire their own freedom, so they were usually more cruel than white ones.

"The House of the Slaves", used to hold some 150-200 slaves (men, women and children) in atrocious conditions prior to their sale. Entire families were dispersed as they were sold to different and shipped in different vessels. They lost their identity to become an assigned number.

"The House of the Slaves" is nowadays a silent witness of the suffering that those who were caught, piled up and chained in those damp and unhealthy cells were forced to endure for 3 and half centuries. The old shackles still remain attached to the walls. Slaves were forced to wear those day and night, as well as to hold a heavy iron ball in their hands.

These were the men's cells. 30 men were forced to remain seated and chained to the wall by their necks and arms in a 2,60metres x 2,60metres cell, waiting for an uncertain future to the border of insanity. A small window closed with bars was the only ventilation. They were given a meal a day and they were shortly allowed outside once a day to relieve themselves. They were also washed down with salty water to avoid dehydration. Hygiene was deplorable and the first plague in the island sprung here.

These were the women's cells, who lived in exactly the same conditions as men.

These were the cells of the children.

The girls were considered more valuable than their mothers. The bigger their breast, the more valuable the girls were. Virginity was a big plus. Those kids were usually raped, and those who became pregnant were released, so hard as it sounds, little girls were willing to be possessed to obtain their liberty, pregnancy being their only way out of a life full of abuse. Mixed race girls, ironically enough, became the aristocracy of Gorèe.

The mortality rate between the boys was the highest. They were forced to lie down chained in pairs, and they could hardly move. The only fact of crying was severely punished. Most of them used to die out of panic, sadness, fear and loneliness, hence they were the most prized.

These were the cells of the so called non-suitable. The prize of a man was established out of his muscle and weight, which had to remain over 60 kilos. Those who didn't reach it, were give extra food to be able to join the rest and be sold.

This is the weighting cell.

The top floor of the house was inhabited by the European traders who, oblivious to the bottom floor inhabitants' misfortunes, used to held magnificent banquets to celebrate the exit of the transactions. Looking out of the banister, they used to bet and haggle. When seller and buyers wouldn't agree in the prize, slaves were frisked like cattle to assess their muscle value. Dentition was also a decisive factor. Violent discussions used to arise, depending on the future use those poor people were destined to: field labour, reproduction or house keeper, wet nurse, escort service and so on.

These are the corridors leading the slaves to the ships, where they would be piled up again to start a long cruise to hell. The Door of No Return was the final exit point of the slaves from Africa.

In 1944 UNESCO included "The House of the Slaves" in a list of monuments of historical interest, and in 1978 it was declared World's Heritage Site as an example of the infamy of men against men.

The slave trade lasted 300 years during which over 6 million people died out of deprivation and abuse. A war was needed for the racial prejudices to start disipating. XIX century brought a new conscience of human dignity and a strong will to abolish the slavery.

"FREEDOM IS NOT GIVEN,

IT IS OUR RIGHT AT BIRTH."

Can you peel a potato in less than 10 seconds? Can you crack a walnut open with your butt? Can you touch your nose with your toes?

What random thing are you really good at?

So after my nephew and niece spent two weekends at my place, it was my time to return the visit. I live by the sea, they live up in a hill, overlooking a little village in the mountain.

Here:

I think that the main difference between me and my nephews is that I consider animals as pets, and they see them as food, or in the best case, as something to get some kind of profit from. They have the usual farm animals: pigs, rabbits, hens... everything but cows.

They have ponies to have fun with:

They have midget goats, which are really cute. They have been present when most of them have been born. They've played with them but then they have no problem in holding them tight when they are sacrificed (apparently, they are yummy :? ).

They have dogs to go hunting:

I got to see how those are trained to mark the place where the pigeon has fallen, without harming it a bit:

Here is the result of such training:

Ewwww, right?

By the way, remember Elur? She's grown a tiny bit.

It was the right time of the year so we went to pick chestnuts:

I thought that the bigger, the better. Then I was told that the biggest ones are the Japanese kind of them, and those are the last ones that the animals eat. Apparently, medium ones (St. Michael's variety) are they yummier.

I loved walking across those forests, it was so very beautiful. By the way, this place was on sale and I absolutely fell in love with it:

As per usual, we had some home fun. Luckily enough no "Party Disney" this time. We played "Know Europe" instead:

This time, my niece gave me this set of fridge magnets as a present:

And the next weekend, I kept on fulfilling my auntie duties attending my #5 nephew's 4th birthday. He is my godson, and it feels like it was yesterday when I held him in my arms during his baptize. I also stayed over for the weekend:

My godson and his brother, nephew #3

That was all. Now that the school year has began they are busier and they enjoy taking part in many activities during the weekend, so it was good that we managed to share some quality time before the summer was over.

Hugs for all :)

My nephew and niece (those who make #2 and #4 out of the 5 I have) have recently spent two weekends over at my place, and then I returned the visit. I live by the sea, they live in the mountain. We've had a great time together, and here's an account of what we've done. First, their visit. Next blog, mine. So I'll skip the literature and go to the point: pics!! :D

We went fishing:

Gotta fish with two purses on :lol:

We saw one of those huge car carrier ships leaving

Waiting time is boring:

If they would only get hooked...

Made small catches to kill some time:

But also we got lucky:

Went scuba diving:

Niece got acquainted with the snorkel.

And decided that sunbathing was also fun.

My nephew learnt how to use a speargun for the first time.

He tried hard.

And he fished!

At the end of the day we had dinner

And then some home fun:

Party Disney (to which I was just terrible)

PlayStation

And my niece got me this amazing bouquet

Although their smile was all the pay I wanted :)

In the XV Century, a big family lived in a small village close to Nüremberg, surviving out of the scant funds that the father gathered working 18 hour shifts in the coal mines. Two of the sons dreamed about becoming painters, but they knew that their father wouldn't be able to pay their studies. So they reached an agreement: they would flip a coin and the loser would work in the coal mines with the father to provide for the winner's studies and the winner will pay for the loser's studies with the money obtained out of his paints. That way, both of them would be able to make their dream come true. So a Sunday, right after church, they flipped a coin and the winner was chosen: Albrecht Dürer.

As agreed, the brother who stayed at home worked 4 long years in the dangerous mines. Albrecht was an absolute sensation in the Academy. His engravings and oil paintings were much better than those of his teachers and by the time he graduated, he was already making good money out of them. When he went back to his village, he thanked his brother for his huge sacrifice and encouraged him to leave and take his turn to study. However, the brother declined in a tear: out of the hard work in the mines, his hands suffered from arthritis and he wouldn't be able to paint. However, he was glad that at least one of them had known success.

Over 450 years have passed, and Durero's paints can be enjoyed in museums all over the world. I have visited one of his exhibitions in the Guggenheim Museum, and I was amazed at the absolutely magnificent detail of every single one of his paints. There was one that didn't caught my attention until I learnt the story behind it: Dürer drew his brother's hands as a tribute to the enormous sacrifice he made for him and called it "Hands" although it's commonly known as "Praying hands".

Self portrait at the age of 26

Hands

Rabbit

Hello, my friends :) First of all an apology directed to those I speak to on a daily basis: I know I said I would post this way earlier, but well, my life has been a tad complicated lately. I don't have as much time alone at the computer as I used to, and I need to be on my own to write long things. So well, I guess better late than never.

As some of you know, I met my second tv.com friend in person. Jordina came to visit me, and despite short it was an amazing experience. And I have no doubt that this was just the first of a lot of meetings to come. I'm just extremely grateful that she made me this present and helped me construct a lot of memories that I will always cherish. I made my best for her to feel comfortable around. I, for one, had a blast :D

So, here comes the account of our whereabouts: (I know it's long, you can skip the text and go to the pics) :wink:

Thursday 14th of August

The weather was just awesome... until her plane landed. The forecast for the weekend said storms and pouring rain, so yeah :( She said she was nervous, I wasn't at all, just incredibly excited. I already knew what she looked like and the airport isn't big so just as she crossed the arrivals gate I pulled her in a hug, the first of loads to come! :D We headed for my place, had dinner and a good chat afterwards. Moving it to the living room, we also spent some minutes online, mostly to log in here and let you guys know that she arrived well. We were using a laptop each, so it was pretty awkward to post together one beside the other. We talked a bit more and went to bed around 2am.

Friday, 15th of August.

As predicted, it was raining when we woke up :( We had breakfast and since the weather didn't look like it was gonna get any better, we decided to go out for a rain walk ( CSI:NY-ers :wink: ). We headed for the lighthouse in St. Peter's side of the Bay, a short and nice walk.

This is the Bay, St. Peter to the left, St. John to the right.

This is St. Peter

This is St. Peter's lighthouse, from the coast

And from the boat (these were taken the following days)

On our way along the dock, we saw an impressive sailing boat making it's entrance. Oh, Jordina doesn't know this, but then I found out that it was a German cruise that decided to make a brief stop and enjoy the festivities (it was the biggest festivities of the year here) and the fireworks.

After lunch, it stopped raining and the sky started to clear. We couldn't believe our luck, so we grabbed my bike and went to the city centre :D

San Sebastian

We took a really long walk by the seaside, (pretty much all that you can see in the pic above) and since the day only kept getting better, we decided to take our shoes off and walk by the shore. It felt so good walking for hours in the sun, chatting and giggling. We sat in front of the sea, and kept talking until we got thirsty and decided to have a drink. I ordered the agreed soft drinks and also a little something of my own (*cough* white rum and passion fruit *cough*). If you haven't tried it, it tastes great :wink:

As I said before, JJ's stay coincided with the biggest festivals of the year here. There is an International Firework Contest every night for 8 days, and it is a huge tradition to grab a sandwich, eat it in the beach or the mountain while watching the fireworks and then have an ice cream. So we went to get our sandwiches, to the bar where they make them yummier. You can easily tell which it is by the huge line outside. We went around 20'30pm (the fireworks are at 22'45pm) and yet it cost us like 20 minutes to get our sandwiches. Bag in hand, we headed for the beach and keep chatting, had dinner and watched the fireworks. They were amazing, and ended up winning the Audience Prize (there's also a Jury Prize). Then we watched the "fire bulls", something pretty lame but I'd say, exotic.

The ice cream parlours were packed so we decided to pass on that and we watched some street performances. Then we couldn't make up our minds if we'd go to a concert or to the street movies, so we kept walking because they were close in the same area towards the spot. It was really close to where we left the bike, and on our way there we ended up deciding to go back home. We were tired, and JJ had a huge blister in her toe :? so we called it a night. It was past midnight when we arrived home, and still hang out for about another 2 hours before finally going to bed.

Saturday, 16th of August.

My bf decided to go scuba diving with a friend. He took the boat because Jordina and I were planning to go for a swim out in the ocean later, if the weather was good enough. The morning was a bit cloudy, but it was sunny at times and really warm, so it was a perfect morning for another walk. We went down to the Bay again but this time we planned on taking the boat that crosses to the opposite side of the Bay and walking to the lighthouse in St. John. As we approached the dock to take the boat, I saw this Golden Retriever puppy, so I couldn't but stop and play with him for a bit. To my surprise, we were told that the puppy was lost and that the owner was nowhere to be found. I was so planning on keeping it, but saving you the details, the owner showed up some fifteen minutes afterwards and not even bothering to pet the puppy :evil: Meh, I was pretty pissed off about that. It's too long to be told here, but the man was the most insensible pet owner I've ever met.

We took the boat that crosses from St. Peter to St. John and took a walk through the narrow streets of the old fishermen village. We crossed it and stopped near the lighthouse, sitting there and enjoying a good chat :)

St. John

St. John's lighthouse

We sat there for an hour, more or less. We were able to see bf's boat from our spot, so we only moved back when we saw it moving. There was this woman who made us giggle for a while, because she was looking towards the ocean and first she saw and dolphin and then she changed her mind and said it was a whale. Jordina and I only could see a rock, and so did the woman's family :roll:

The day wasn't very hot but still we took our swim in the sea. We were having a good time so by the time we got back home it was around 5pm so by the time we had a shower and ended lunch it was something like 7'30pm :shock: It wasn't until then that we realized that we were sunburnt, Jordina pretty badly :? We applied some after sun and headed for the city again, and watched the fireworks eating an icecream in the beach. The second after the the fireworks ended it started to rain. We sought for refuge under some arched promenade that runs along the beach, while making a slow line to get out of it. It was raining really hard so we took the long way. People were advancing slowly, so it took us something like 20-30 minutes to get out. I was the firs of us 3 in the line.

Suddenly, I felt a fist being stuck to my lower back. I looked back and I saw that a woman had got in front of JJ and bf and right behind me. I let her go ahead, and we lost her from our sight. JJ and bf told me that she had done exactly the same to them. Funny thing being that once we got out of the arcs and into a wider area to go up a slope and out of the beach, the woman was in front of me again. Guess what I did? I stuck my fist into her back, and us three had a hard time holding back our laughter at the glares she addressed me :lol:

When we finally got out of the mess, we went to have a drink to this bar where bf's sister works. There was a soccer match on tv, and bf and JJ kept talking about football :shock: Bf is into this site where you become the manager of a soccer team and enter leagues and stuff. He told JJ all about it and she wants to join that site!! Bf is actually scared of losing against her :lol: Then we went back home, where we talked for another two hours before going to bed.

Too funny about JJ finding out that day that I own a big chain of supermarkets :wink:

****(To be continued in the next blog)****

Sunday, 17th of August.

We woke up later than the previous days, I guess that the tiredness of walks and swims was hitting us. We decided to go take a walk to a nearby town and we ate in a restaurant by the sea.

Zarauz

It was a really hot day, and we were debating what to do later. The heat was enough reason not to take the car and go for visits to any more villages, so we decided to go back home and grab the boat again. JJ got to meet this doggie friend of mine. I dunno his name, so I call him "Salchi" (short in Spanish for sausage) because he is a Tekkel and looks like one. He comes to play with me every morning when I go grab my bike and we've become close friends :)

This time we wanted to go to the Bay in the city centre; however the sea wasn't at its best, so we stayed in this quiet cove where we had fun in the water for a long while. JJ did some synchro swimming, I was amazed at how good she is :shock: I did the washing machine instead (aka rolling under the water while trying to keep my legs out) :oops: Pity bf was taking pics of the boat's engine (@#%&/!! :wvil: ) while we did so. The temperature of the water was great, so we only got out when we were all wrinkled.

JJ snorkelling

BM snorkelling

Both

As we were taking out the boat, we met this friend of my bf, who came along for dinner. At some point, both JJ and I commented that time flown and that it was our last day together :cry: I guess that somehow to wash away the thought, we decided to play a drinking game involving Kalimotxo (a typical drink here that is 50% good Coke 50% extremely bad wine) and a Playstation game (Tekken), so named it Tekkenmotxo :lol:

Kalimotxo

Tekken

JJ dizzy :wink:

Tekken is a fighting game, so we set it up to beat the machine mode, and we were taking a fight each. Whoever loses the fight had to drink a shot. The fights are really fast, 40 seconds each, so go figure how much we drank. The more we drink the hardest it was to beat the console, so yeah, we ended up pretty wasted. JJ took a shot of wine only and we all cracked up. I guess our senses were pretty "conditioned" by then :lol: However I should be laughed at even harder when I went to the bathroom for like the 20th time and didn't come back... I had fallen sleep in there :oops: :lol:We called it a night around 4'45am after my nap. 7 and half litres of Kalimotxo had been gone! I had to work the next morning and JJ had a plane to catch but we were all giggly so whatever.

Monday, 18th of August

We woke up drank as fishes without hardly any sleep. I had to go to work, so it was time to say goodbye. It was a really hard time, I'm just terrible at goodbyes. I did the best I could not to cry, and I managed just so so. It had only been 3 days, but 3 wonderful days indeed. I loved meeting JJ and I will return her visit someday :D JJ and bf came with me up to the garage. I took my bike, and let them both go have breakfast. Bf drove her afterwards to the airport. It was a sad day, but totally worth it because the amazing experience of having met JJ totally balanced out the sorrow of seeing her depart.

So that was it. Sorry it took me that long. Hope that you enjoyed it :)

Maria Antoinette is my favourite historical character. So, since knowledge doesn't take room in our brains, I thought I'd share some random facts about her life with you. If you have the time and/or the inclination go ahead and read through it, she had quite a life. And one never knows if you'll ever get to asnwer the million dollar question and the answer can be found here :wink:

#1 Born at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, the Archduchess Maria Antonia was the youngest daughter of the head of the House of Habsburg Maria Theressa of Autria and her husband the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. She was the fifteenth child out of the sixteen born to the imperial family.

#2 7-year-old Mozart was admired at her performance upon seeing her at the Laxenburg palace and Schönbrunn. That was quite a praise taking into account that Mozart himself was a composer since he was 4 years old.

#3 The consequences of a smallpox that killed some of the family members and rendered others ineligible for marriage, left 12-year-old Antoine as the only potential bride left in the family for the fourteen-year-old Dauphin of France, Louis Auguste, who was also her second cousin once removed.

Marie Antoinette at the age of 12

#4 Antoine was married by proxy on April 19, 1770. Her brother Ferdinand stood in as the bridegroom. Marie Antoinette was officially handed over to her French bearers on May 7, 1770. The ceremonial wedding of the Dauphin and Dauphine took place on May 16, 1770 in the Palace of Versailles. 132 people died in the streets out of suffocation while celebrating the royal wedding.

#5 It was assumed by custom that consummation of the marriage would take place on the wedding night. However, this did not occur, and the lack of consummation would plague the reputation of both the Dauphin and Dauphine for 7 years.

#6 Marie Antoinette's first daughter, Marie Therese Charlotte, was finally born at Versailles after a particularly difficult labor on December 19, 1778, following an ordeal where the queen literally collapsed from suffocation and hemorrhaging. The queen's bedroom was packed with courtiers watching the birth, and the doctor aiding her supposedly caused the excessive bleeding by accident. The windows had to be torn out to revive her. As a result of this harrowing experience, the queen banned most courtiers from entering her bedchamber for subsequent labors.

#7 Her first born child would be the only one to survive. The birth of a daughter meant pressure to have a male heir and after a miscarriage in the summer of 1779, the queen gave birth to Louis Joseph Xavier Francois, (October 22, 1781 - June 4, 1789) who died at the age of seven of what was then known as "consumption" (tuberculosis). On his death the title of Dauphin passed to his younger brother Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy (March 27, 1785-1795), who was noticeably stronger in constitution than the sickly Dauphin and who would survive his father and die in prison at the age of ten. Finally, a second daughter, Sophie Helene Beatrix (July 9, 1786 - June 19th, 1787) was born several weeks premature, and would die shortly after.

Marie Antoinette and her children, 1786-1787. Sophie Hélène Béatrix, originally in the cradle, was painted out after her death.

Sophie Hélène Béatrix

#8 The Petit Trianon is a small chateau located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. Upon his accession to the throne in 1774, the 20-year-old Louis XVI gave the château and its surrounding park to his 19-year-old Queen Marie Antoinette for her exclusive use and enjoyment. Marie Antoinette would come to the Petit Trianon not only to escape the formality of court life, but also to shake off the burden of her royal responsibilities. None were permitted to enter the property without the Queen's express permission (not even Louis XVI). The queen occupied herself with the creation of a "model village" near the petit Trianon of a mill and twelve cottages, nine of which are still standing.

#9 After Louis XVI was executed in the guillotine, Marie Antoinette was tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal on October 14. Unlike the king, who had been given time to prepare a defense, the queen's trial was far more of a sham, considering the time she was given (less than one day) and the Jacobin's misogynistic view of women in general. Most of the accusations were untrue, and the most serious charge was that she sexually abused her son. This was according to Louis Charles, who, through his coaching by Hébert and his guardian, accused his mother. The accusation caused Marie Antoinette to protest so emotionally that the women present in the courtroom - the market women who had stormed the palace for her entrails in 1789 - ironically also began to support her.

#10 She was declared guilty of treason in the early morning of October 16, after two days of proceedings. She was executed in the guillotine later that day, two and a half weeks before her thirty-eighth birthday.Her body was thrown in an unmarked grave in the former La Madeleine cemetery (closed in 1794). Both her body and that of Louis XVI were exhumed on January 18, 1815. Proper Christian burial of the royal remains took place three days later, on January 21, in the necropolis of French Kings at St. Denis Basilica.

Now, who is your favourite

historical character?

To the request of several people (you know who you are *swings fist* :wink: ) this is how my desktop looks like at the moment. It's a picture taken by someone way more skilful and way more inspired than me when it comes to handle a camera. Well, actually this photo is part of a collection of some 40 that were taken for me, spoiling me rotten :D

Mid May and autumn hitting in the south hemisphere. An awesome and very well kept park, with an amazing carpet of grass and the first fallen leaves scattered all around. It is pity that you can't see them in detail in the big version of the photo. I think the effect of the brown leaves in the grass is really beautiful.

So, what do your desktops look like?