disappearing : 07-Jvari Monastery, Georgia

Our grandchildren may never see Jvari. Jvari Monastery, or Monastery of the Cross, is a Georgian Orthodox monastery near the World Heritage site Mtskheta. In the fourth century a female evangelist St. Nino credited with covering the country to Christianity, stayed here to pray and erected a cross on Mtskheta's highest peak. A minor church of the Holy Cross was built in the second half of the 6th century, and a bigger church -the Great Church- was erected over the wooden cross between 586 and 605. The Great Church has a splendid interior and facades and is representative of the tetraconch architectural type that was popular not only in Georgia, but the whole region of South Caucaus. Actually it is considered as a model of many other churches. The importance of Jvari complex increased over time and attracted pilgrims from beyond Georgia’s borders.

Over the centuries the Jvari buildings have suffered damage from erosion (plus acid rain) and inadequate maintenance. The Small Church has no roof and the mosaics and frescoes that decorated its interiors have largely disappeared. The Centre for Architectural Heritage of Georgia has proposed conservation plan, but if the buildings are to survive as a meaningful relic of the early Christian movement in the region, then immediate action will be required.

I have never heard about Jvari, even all I know about Georgia was that that's origin of British singer Katie Melua, I'm sorry. So, when I saw the picture for the first time, honestly I thought it was just a old building. I never thought about the interior. I don't know if it is a good comparison, but it came in my mind that Alhambra is like that: from outside is like old brown building, but the interior is... I would like to visit this monastery since it has been difficult to find pictures of it. Well I guess Jvari isn't that famous and not many people are interested in. So let's improve our knowledge together. You know, it's funny because when I write this section, I often think about the relation between ignorance and sin.

disappearing : 06-the Arctic ice shelf

Our grandchildren may never see the Arctic ice shelf. I think ice melting has become a symbol of climate change. Like Kilimanjaro. I just don’t want to repeat all the things that we can hear or read anywhere. Well it’s a real thread when this process is unstoppable. I always thought this frozen ground is something extraordinary. What is going on? Are you ready to say bye-bye to poor polar bears?

Recently Europe turned off some lights 5 minutes to acknowledge symbolically global warming. It was a good chance to remind us again about the danger, although it already ended as a symbol. For the next time, I think it’s much better to celebrate FIFA World Cup every half year in Europe, so that no European man is gonna use the light but for the TV.

It’s not ecologic talk but I found something interesting Picture when I was researching about Arctic.

This is a American submarine USS Pogy (SSN-647), which was one of the US’s “baddest” Cold War-era fast-attack nuke boats (words from USS Pony Alumni Page). It ends collecting thousand of water samples from over a hundred locations under the polar ice of the Arctic Ocean. I doubt that the world is getting better but it’s obvious that this submarine has been more useful after the Cold War.

sound : travis

Travis a.k.a. the invisible band are a Scottish rock band that had started their career in 90’s and has released 4 original albums and a compilation album. And they are about bringing a new album this year. The member is composed of four and the lead vocalist and main songwriter is Francis Healy. I think people agree that he’s one of the most talented songwriters in UK right now.

Francis recognized he received the influence of some songwriters, such as Joni Mitchell (I wish I could listen their cover of her song River), Paul McCartney and so on. To me, his songs seem to be sort of good elaborated (like a hand work thing). Well done, without unnecessary ornaments. And actually they sound independent, melancholic, and strangely catchy. My favorite song is The Humpty Dumpty Love Song from the album The Invisible Band. I think invisible explains a lot about Travis: they feel that their music is more important than the band making it.

They often make funny music videos. It’s good to feel how they work in good mood. Like this one, Walking In The Sun.

To be honest I’m a little bit worried about getting bald; well maybe it’s ok if I can be bald just like Mr. Healy. Good looking bald I mean :P

Here is the link to their website and you also can hear few songs in their MySpace site.

fun : the challenger

Here in Spain I don't usually watch TV. I always said that Japanese TV programs are much better, and I guess that's one of the reasons.

I found a video on YouTube, the one I was seeking for long time, and I wanted you to watch it. The first time I watched it, believe me, I don't know if I was laughing or dying.

Downtown is one of the funniest comedian groups in Japan (maybe the best). They used to make sketches before on their own TV show and this video is one of them. The title is The Challenger. It's quite old but I'm putting it because it isn't necesary to know Japanese, but to understand better, here is a plot summary: This is before the boxing title match of the World Bantamweight Champions. The introduction to the champion named Higashino and the Japanese national anthem have finished, and the referee introduces to the challenger: Pihyorirenary Boririren (fictional name of course) from the Republic of Hiyakipolineki-sesanamobe (fictional name of course). And then the national anthem starts, which consists of strange voices and it is too long that the challenger complains. That's all.

Everythings is funny, the anthem, the bird on the challenger's shoulder (how is he gonna fight like that?!). And I want that tiger pants. *Downtown are the referee and the challenger.

art : Letters From Iwo Jima poster

To celebrate that Letters from Iwo Jima won the best foreign picture at the Golden Globes (although the film is American), I just wanted to say that its poster is the best poster of the last year. I have not seen the film yet, but I guess the poster tells a lot about that. It's very sober, fresh and... just magnificent.

Also the poster of Flags of Our Fathers is good one. The motif is that famous picture of course.

person : Patricia Conde

This amazing Spanish woman Patricia Conde can be the funniest and the hottest at the same time. She went to the beauty contest Miss Spain representing Palencia, although she was born in Valladolid in 1979. Then she started to work as an actress or a reporter on TV programs, like El Informal, well known in Spain. Then she had her own program ladykaña which was like Patricia Conde doing sketches all the time. It was on local TV but enjoyable indeed, without success though. Later she was in another sketch show, Splunge. This video is for Spanish speaking readers, sorry!

The fact is that she can play the classic stupid blond girl. She's clever. Currently she's hostess of Sé lo que hiciste la última semana which is kind of gossip show but there're a lot of cynical elements. I'm not big fan of that program (I don't usually watch TV) but she and her collaborators are magnificent, I'd have to write about them too.


I'd just like to watch her playing in funny sketches again!

disappearing : 05-wild cedar groves of Lebanon

Our grandchildren may never see wild cedar groves of Lebanon. Do you know how is Lebanon Cedar? I did not know anything, but if we are told that Lebanon Cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon, things change:


When I was a child I thought it was a Christmas tree, but I liked that flag.

So, wild cedar groves of Lebanon are disappearing. Military activity and lands for settlements are, once again, the guilty. It also provided good wood for the use of construction. "Only five per cent remains of the once-extensive cedar forests from which King Solomon built the first Temple in Jerusalem". That sentence makes scarier as it takes a reference to a historic event. But the Lebanon Cedar is really mentioned 75 times in the Bible: "the righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon".


It is now legally protected (it doesn't seem to be enough) and there're also the same cedar in western Syria and south central Turkey. The tree is an evergreen and it can reach 40 metres and live up to 3000 years. Beginning and ending. I wonder how the world would be without men. Or is it stupid thought?

art : Tomoko Tsuneda

The drawing above is the first and last Tomoko Tsuneda's work that I saw in the market. That's the cover of ACO's album absolute ego. But surely it touched my soul, so I searched the web.

Tomoko Tsuneda (常田朝子) is a female ilustrator who studied grafic design at the famous art university of Musashino. She had few personal and collective exhibitions in different gallaries around the world, including New York and Hong Kong. There are many CD and book covers made by her and also she designs T-shirts or other clothes. Female figures are the center of her works but she's currently investigating animals, plants and male figures. Well that's all the information I could get about her.

A book cover (鹿島田真希／レギオンの花嫁).

There was an introduction to her which writes "it's impressive her materialization of warm-hearted and cruel nature of girls, using the good sense and unique colors". So I agree. I imagine women like her art much more than men, because it's kind of fragile figures. But as a man, I find it very sexy. Like the one below.


Thin lines are atractive as well. And it's incredible that only few lines are able to transmit many ideas.


Personality, lines and colors are definitely her strengths. I can't take my eyes off of that dysfunctional hands and perfect bracelet...

fun : he can shake hands from 5 metres

That's scary Australian arm! From a Japanese web site.

sound : Aimee Mann

And Magnolia takes me to talk about Aimee Mann.

Fortunately the film introduced me to her. The song Wise Up caught specially my attention and I went to get the soundtrack. The Magnolia soundtrack succeeded because songs from Aimee Mann's album Bachelor No. 2 inspired Paul Thomas Anderson in the creation of his work. And two songs were written exclusively for the film. That makes sense how the film and music are so closed.

She's one of the best rock singer-songwriter ever. I'm not quite sure what makes her so indispensable. She looks like normal woman (although I can't believe she was born in 1960!), her music doen't impress that much. There's nothing glamourous, spectacular or even big. However, then something extraordinary happens. She has got her own style near simplicity (or boringness if you prefer) but once you like one of her songs, she's absolutely addictive.

This is my opinion but her album The Forgotten Arm is a masterpiece. Firstly, there's no unworthy track here (something impossible to find nowadays). This is a concept album, there's a story of the boxer John and his girlfriend Caroline, both try to escape their problems by running away together. Actually all the songs are similar one another, Aimee Mann's sign is strong (as always). But it's strange because, in The Forgotten Arm, every song has its own universe. They're kind of melancholic but she doesn't impose you sadness, she just sings pleasant melody line. The lyrics are beautiful as well, just take a look at the 9th song title: That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart (when you wrote it). And all the songs together make great example of artistic expression. She does it so simple but I think it's not easy. Simply the best album of 2005. It never gets tasteless. The more you listen, the more it gets flavorful. If you'd like to, visit to her home page and click LISTEN. You can listen three first songs and read a "book".

She started her career being the vocalist in the punk rock group Young Snakes (1982), later in the more known band Til Tuesday (1985) creating four albums, and she switched to solo in 1990. She was a little bit unlucky having troubles with record companies and finally got some independence. Seven albums have been released in total. She also appeared in the I Am Sam soundtrack, where she sang with her husband Michael Penn the Beatles's cover two of us. Her last album was Christmas season title One More Drifter in the Snow, with oldies influence. The Christmas Song and her own song Calling On Mary were the best songs.

I found a 1995 song That's just what you are. Catchy song. The video is a little bit old but I guess it's watchable. Give it a try if you want to.