Colin Firth, Daniel Craig, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt are reportedly being considered to play Marc Antony in the upcoming Cleopatra film opposite Angelina Jolie. Who would you choose?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Who should be Marc Antony in the upcoming Cleopatra film?
Colin Firth, Daniel Craig, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt are reportedly being considered to play Marc Antony in the upcoming Cleopatra film opposite Angelina Jolie. Who would you choose?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Cleopatra's Beauty Secrets: Spa Treatments by the Dead Sea
Spa Treatments by the Dead Sea
By Alice Pfeiffer
JERUSALEM — According to legend, Cleopatra ordered the Roman envoy Mark Antony, her lover, to conquer the Dead Sea region so that she would have a lifetime supply of its mud, believed in antiquity to have healing and rejuvenating properties.
Cleopatra may have partly misunderstood the science. Whatever the qualities of the mud, the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at 400 meters, or 1,300 feet, below sea level, has more than the usual amount of ozone in the air above it, providing protection for sunbathers against skin-aging ultraviolet rays.
Today, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee and the hot springs of Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea’s western shore, have become the basis for a thriving spa-based tourism industry.
But many of the spas in the region are becoming concerned about the impact of their operations on an already-fragile environment. Such spas are strengthening efforts to lighten their environmental footprints by putting an emphasis on water conservation, on recycling treatment oils and muds and by producing a full range of treatments in-house.
“Water is and has always been an issue in Israel in that it is a country located in the middle of the desert,” said Guy Nadler, director of Akasha Holistic Wellbeing, a spa that opened last month in Jerusalem and that overlooks the old city walls. “Supply is never guaranteed and all Israelis understand this fundamental reality.”
The spa, which is far from the coast, consciously focuses on treatments that are not water-based and uses muds and locally made oils. “People don’t come for water treatments in Jerusalem as they would do when going to the sea, so we in fact use very little water,” Mr. Nadler said, adding that he purposely chose not to install a Jacuzzi and to avoid hydro-treatments.
“We’ve made every effort to use local, natural ingredients where possible,” Mr. Nadler said, “whether it be through the use of organic massage tools such as basalt stones, or the products used, which include organic sesame oils and creams made of organic sage, jojoba, aloe vera, natural minerals and rosemary.”
To treat the water that the spa does need to use, “we’ve incorporated a carefully selected electrolytic process,” he added. Avoiding chemical treatment agents “has enabled us to make serious headway in our efforts to recycle water for irrigation purposes, ” he said.
To remain consistent with this approach, Akasha has an organic bar and lounge that offers locally grown, seasonal products, uses biodegradable cutlery and employs local staff.
“For a spa to be eco-friendly, it is a matter of ethics more than actions” said Gili Chupak, coordinator of Eco-Israel’s Hava & Adam farm in Modiin, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, that aims to raise awareness about the impact of human behavior and lifestyles on the environment.
“In order to be truly ethical and sustainable, a spa should procure its produce and materials for the spa from local resources,” Mr. Chupak said, adding that “the challenge is to still supply the needs of Israel while promoting the health and well being of these natural resources.”
Using local resources is one of the core principles of the Hotel Spa Mitzpe Hayamim, in Eastern Galilee, which is surrounded by 15 hectares, or 37 acres, of land.
The spa has an ecological farm on which it raises its own goats, cows and chickens, and provides the hotel with homemade cheeses and yogurt; it also has an organic garden and orchards, where it grows vegetables, fruit and plants used in the hotel restaurant and to make the spa’s in-house treatment products.
“A lot of treatments we offer at the spa are entirely produced on the farm,” said Ella Dagan, a manager at the hotel spa. “For example, we have developed our own oil treatment, which is made from our own olive trees,” she said, referring to the “Olive Branch Massage” that uses oil and branches from the farm’s olive groves.
A variety of other treatments at the spa use herbs, oils, and flowers produced on the farm.
Still, “water and energy use are the obvious areas where most spa businesses could make considerable improvements,” said Michael Stusser, who is on the board of the Green Spa Network, which seeks to bring sustainable practices to the global spa industry.
Priorities should include “conserving resources, eliminating toxic exposure and becoming more relevant to their communities, ” Mr. Stusser said. In particular, coastal spas that are heavily reliant on water-based treatments need to address water conservation issues, he said.
This is starting to happen, with water recycling and conservation increasingly incorporated into treatment practices. At Sea of Spa at the Ein Gedi hot springs, for example, managers are developing a water-recycling system that is expected to be in use within months.
“We use about 5,000 cubic meters of water per month, and we are now negotiating to begin recycling water from the showers, toilets and gardens,” Merav Ayalon, the spokeswoman for the spa, said. The spa’s water consumption is equivalent to 1.3 million gallons.
In a nod to energy conservation, “the hot thermo-mineral water is not heated, nor are there any chemicals added,” Ms. Ayalon said, and other conservation measures include “recycling plastic bottles and cardboard boxes, not using plastic bags, and even recycling oil after use.”
Developing environmental awareness is a gradual process, said Mr. Nadler of Akasha Holistic Wellbeing. “We are taking steps in our way, little by little, to preserve resources and not be wasteful.”
“Our hope is that these efforts, such as recycling, taking public transportation, and saving water and electricity, will help the longer-term sustainability goals of our nation.”
Monday, March 28, 2011
Being Cleopatra: Constance Collier
Constance Collier being Cleopatra in the 1907 production of Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare at His Majesty's Theatre in London.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Textured One Shoulder Tunic Saturday, March 26, 2011
Cleopatra's Culinary Adventures: Nile Style: Egyptian Cuisine and Culture: Ancient Festivals, Significant Ceremonies, and Modern Celebrations
"From classics like Fava Bean Puree, Yogurt with Honey, and Egyptian Whole-Wheat Pita Bread, to tempting Lamb-Filled Phyllo Triangles and Peanut, Coconut, and Raisin Baklava, "Nile Style" spans the range of the Egyptian kitchen with recipes that will appeal to every palate! It includes 23 full menus showcasing, 150 easy-to-follow recipes and much more."
Friday, March 25, 2011
Ruched Jersey DressThursday, March 24, 2011
Being Cleopatra: Elizabeth Taylor
Click here to buy Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra
In memory of one of the great Cleopatras, Elizabeth Taylor. May she rest in peace.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
David Fincher - the new candidate for the Cleopatra film
Sony Pictures struggles to pin down a director for its in-development 3D Cleopatra biopic starring Angelina Jolie.
At the beginning, James Cameron showed interest, but is moving ahead with his Avatar sequels instead. The next candidate was Paul Greengrass, but he will instead be directing his own historical drama, Memphis.
Now The Social Network director David Fincher is reportedly being considered for the job. This would reunite him once again with producer Scott Rudin (who produced The Social Network and Fincher’s upcoming Girl With the Dragon Tattoo adaptation) but it would be Jolie's first time working with this director.
However, timing could be an issue as Fincher may want to make two more films in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series and the in-demand filmmaker has several other projects in the pipeline.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Cleopatra's Daddy Issues by Vicky Alvear Shecter
Everyone's parents are embarrassing when you're kid. But Cleopatra's dad? Totally cringeworthy.
See, her dad played the flute. All the time. In place of ruling. So people called him Ptolemy the Piper, and not in a good way, either. Turns out choosing to play a wind-instrument over taking charge of your kingdom doesn't inspire confidence. Imagine that.
And then, to add to the embarrassment, Daddy sold out to the Romans. He borrowed so much money from a Roman loan-shark--squeezing his people dry to pay off the interest--it was a wonder the entire economy didn't collapse. Rome then took some of Egypt's territories (because they could) and Daddy did nothing to stop them. His people were furious and let him know it with riots in the streets.
At one point, Daddy Piper took a little trip to Rome, taking 11-year old Cleopatra with him. He needed more support (*cough* money) from Rome, you see. So the king of Egypt swallowed his dignity and trolled for cash up and down the Tiber.
Everybody, including his own daughter, Berenice, was furious. So, in typical Ptolemy fashion, Berenice poisoned an older sister and took the throne. Daddy was sucking up to the Romans, after all, right? It was time for new leadership!
Only one problem. Daddy Piper wasn't ready to give up his throne. He convinced yet another rich Roman to "loan" him a Roman army. Yup, Cleopatra's dad used a Roman army to invade his own kingdom. Then he had his daughter Berenice killed as a traitor. He quickly resumed squeezing his people dry with even more ridiculous taxes in order to pay off even more Romans.
Young Cleopatra had...er, a "nose" for sniffing out political strategies designed to fix what her forefathers broke. Young Cleopatra VII somehow kept Daddy's favor and he named her queen when she was 17. She inherited his great big Roman mess when he died a year later, leaving her to rule with her pre-pubscent little brother.
Is it any wonder then, that Cleopatra evolved a strategy of pairing off with Rome (via unions with leading Romans Julius Caesar and later, Marc Antony) rather than continuing the unhealthy, economy-sapping strategies that her father and grandfathers promoted? She was smart enough to know things had to change.
And change they did.
How? You'll have to find out by reading my book, Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen.
(Yup, I did. I went there. Did it work? Are you going to read it now?)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Being Cleopatra: Camilla Belle
Camilla Belle being Cleopatra as she takes part in the School Champions Carnival Parade on March 12, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Cleopatra Street Art
The Bricklane Gallery hosted Six Degrees of Separation in London in 2009. It was a group show that brought together originals and prints of Banksy, Gee Vaucher, Faile, Paul Insect, Mode 2, The Art Tart, RUN, Antonio Cabrera, Jamie Hewlett and BToys. This was an opportunity to discover the latest artwork by Andrea de B-Toy, who is fascinated by the retro world of Hollywood glamour.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Being Cleopatra: Carmela Remigio
Soprano Carmela Remigio being Cleopatra singing Da tempeste in Handel's 'Giulio Cesare.'
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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