The last refugees – 21 Sri Lankans – have just left Nauru, and the camp that is the island’s economic lifeline is about to close. For six decades Britain, Australia and New Zealand – mandated to administer Nauru after the First World War – profited from its lucrative resource. Little wonder it was Nauru that Canberra approached – after it had refused to allow the Afghans and Iraqis to land – with promises of generous foreign aid. While the offloading of the asylum-seekers – some of whom spent years on Nauru – was branded a scandal, life for Nauruans improved enormously. The Nauru Phosphate Club – where expatriates gathered at sunset to play billiards and enjoy the sea view and evening breeze from its peeling balustrades – is now a Pentecostal church. read more
When I was Renaissance Man, I thought of lots of things, but it never once occurred to me that I’d one day be beaten to death by a crowd of intolerant moths. On the other hand, a tree can hardly be commended for bravery in the face of the Church of England, either, so it seems a pointless gesture. Believe me, I truly felt brought down about never getting to see my ever-faithful fans in England during my life as the greatest star of rock ‘n’ roll, so when, after a brief interval as a prawn in Louisiana, I found myself to be a seagull with powers of flight, I thought, Lordy! I’ll pay a visit now to those folks in England who contributed so powerfully to making so many of my records gold, and I just took off and started flying across the ocean! read more
An exhibit of rare drawings by Leonardo da Vinci will make its U. Organized by the Birmingham Museum of Art, the exhibit will consist of the 18-page “Codex on the Flight of Birds” and 11 separate drawings. The art is from the collection of the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy, where BMA Director Gail Andrews and Curator of European Art Jeannine O’Grody were finalizing details this week. Among the highlights is the preparatory sketch for “Madonna of the Rocks,” described by art historian Bernard Berenson as the “most beautiful drawing in the world. O’Grody was unable to assign a dollar value to the exhibition, but said the museum received a grant from the U. read more
The exhibit will consist of the 18-page "Codex on the Flight of Birds" and 11 separate drawings. The art is from the collection of the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy. Art experts said the drawings are done in red chalk, black chalk, pen and ink and show the range of da Vinci’s technique. Among the highlights is the preparatory sketch for "Madonna of the Rocks," described by art historians as the "most beautiful drawing in the world. WVTM-TV 13 (NBC) , 1732 Valley View Drive, Birmingham, Al. read more
