Johans small world

The internet is for …..

johanssmallworld — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:24:18 +0000

I just love this video. It has everything you can ever ask for, a great song from the superb musical Avenue Q and cute little fellows from the World of Warcraft. Let’s join in everyone:

The Internet is for porn!

Why you think the net was born?
Porn! Porn! Porn!

Home-made vanilla extract

johanssmallworld — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:22:52 +0000

You will need 2 vanilla pods, ½ cup of vodka, a saucepan, and a glass bottle with an air tight lid. Pour the vodka into the saucepan and heat it up until it starts to smoke. Please note that the alcohol should not boil. Pour the warm vodka into the glass bottle and add the vanilla pods. Fasten the lid. Shake the vanilla extract once a day for the coming 2 weeks. The vanilla extract is typically ready for use within 2 weeks, sometimes much earlier.

If you want to, you can use rum or tequila instead of vodka when making vanilla extract.

Liangzhu culture

johanssmallworld — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:21:31 +0000

The Liangzhu culture was the last Neolithic jade culture in China’s Yangtze River Delta. In Chinese, the name is written like this: 良渚文化. The Liangzhu culture existed from roughly 3400 BC to 2250 BC.

The Liangzhu culture cultivated rice and used irrigation. They also relayed on aquaculture. The houses were typically built on stilts on the shoreline or over rivers. The Liangzhu society is believed to have been highly stratified, because exclusive materials such as silk, jade and ivory has only been encountered in graves for the elite.

The Liangzhu culture produced big and finely worked ritual jades, often with the taotie motif. The taotie motif consists of a frontal zoomorphic mask with a pair of eye. It typically lacks a lower jaw area. Jade pendants engraved with fish, turtles and small birds are have also been encountered in Liangzhu sites. In addition to this, the Liangzhu culture is famous for its cong cylinders with the largest found one weighing 3.5 kilograms.

Religion is believed to have been important for the Liangzhu culture and an elaborate altar has been found at Yaoshan in Zhejiang. The altar consists of stone piles and rock walls and has three levels paved with cobblestones. The highest level is a platform constructed out of pisé de terre.

Demetrius II

johanssmallworld — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:19:34 +0000

Demetrius II, commonly known as Nicator, was the ruler of the Greek Selecuid Kingdom. As a young boy, the death of his parents and his older brother forced him to flee to Crete. The Selecuid throne was usurped by Alexander Balas and Demetrius could not return to Syria until 147 BC. The then king of Egypt, Ptolemy VI Philometor, helped Demetrius regain the throne and also allowed him to marry his daughter Cleopatra Thea. She was the wife of Alexander Balas at the time, but Ptolemy VI Philometor divorced them and gave his daughter to Demetrius instead.

Demetrius II was not considered a very strong king since everyone knew that he relayed on Egypt for support. The Antiochenians actually offered the throne to Ptolemy VI Philometor, but he preferred to have Demetrius as the king of the Selecuid Kingdom since he knew that Rome would not take kindly to unified Hellenistic state.

The life of Demetrius II ended in 126 BC. He was defeated in a battle at Damascus, his wife Cleopatra Thea deserted him, and he became a prisoner. He was killed on Cleopatra’s orders onboard a ship near Tyre and is believed to have been tortured prior to his death.