A reversal of the laws of nature
“Have any of you seen the Nile? Well, you can spare yourselves the journey; she carries it in her eyes,” Julius Caesar, clearly besotted with Cleopatra and her endless violet eyes, declares in the 1963 Cleopatra movie extravaganza. A little later, the Queen of Egypt herself (Elizabeth Taylor) tells general Marc Anthony (her real-life lover Richard Burton) that she carries the fertile Nile in other body parts as well: “I am the Nile. I will bear many sons. Isis has told me. My breasts are full of love and life. My hips are rounded and well apart.” And indeed, Cleopatra bore many sons (3), thereby cleverly connecting her fertility with the power of Rome.
But Cleopatra and the majestic Nile had something else in common: they both went against the current. ‘A reversal of the laws of nature’ as historian Herodutus called the river that literally flowed backward, from south to north. In the same way, he described the emancipated role women of in Egypt. “The women urinate standing up, the men sitting down,” he mocked. Let them laugh; floating up the bright, aquamarine river in her gilded barge with soaring purple sails, the Queen of Egypt ruled supreme. The once and future Siren of the Nile…
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Building bridges
From the Erasmus Bridge and the Mercedes-Benz Museum to Qatar’s metro network; Ben van Berkel’s iconic landmarks bring people together in rapturous beauty, again and again. I talked with the Dutch architect and educator about sensuality, ‘healthy’ buildings and the remarkable parallels between our designs.
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More than a feeling
Don’t ignore your emotions; they are much more powerful than you can imagine. By linking the magical world of emotions with hard science, Dutch scientist Pierre Capel, professor emeritus in experimental immunology, shows us the consequences of our feelings and the power of our minds. The message: we can do much more than we think. “Meditate. It’s the single best thing you can do for your health.”
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Marlies Says
Keto curious?
The fact that I feel bikini-confident all year round is, of course, a nice bonus. But for me, the biggest payoff of following the keto diet is the way it optimizes my health and gives me tons of energy.
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Marlies Says
Super (skin) food
‘If you can’t eat it, why put it on your skin?’. I pretty much live by this beauty adage. After all, with your skin being one of your body’s largest organs, anything – and I mean anything! – you put onto your skin will end up in your bloodstream.
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