 project, PMI AIRS work in DRC, and our health services delivery support in Nigeria and Zambia.I apologize as I am on mobile but I thought you were the previous poster who made the childish comment so thanks for clearing that up. I recognize that we can't all feel the same but the point I was trying to make is that depending on when we grew up of course we are ultimately responsible for our mistakes but the society research and social pressures that some older millennials were under basically all but insured that we would be getting into student loans. However many of these loans have become increasingly predatory and are designed specifically to keep people in debt. The Roman bridge at Alcántara in Extremadura, Spain, is one of the finest examples of Roman bridge-building and a monumental feat of engineering. It was built over the Tagus River in the ancient Roman province of Lusitania between 104 and 106 AD and was dedicated to the Roman emperor Trajan on behalf of the local indigenous populations. The architect of this great masterpiece was a man called Caius Julius Lacer. Built of granite and without mortar, the Alcántara Bridge consists of six semicircular arches supported by five pillars. It spans the river at a length of almost 200 m and rises more than 40 m meter above the water level.
The name of the bridge comes from the Arabic “El Kantara” meaning “bridge”. Its dimensions make it unique among Roman bridges and it boasts the largest arch span of the peninsular Roman bridges, with an arch of almost 29 m. At its ends, the arches are supported by buttresses.
A honorific arch at the centre of the bridge was dedicated to the emperor Trajan. The inscription found on the attic reads (CIL II 759): Imp(eratori) • Caesari • divi • Nervae • f(ilio) • Nervae / Traiano • Aug(usto) • Germ(anico) • Dacico • pontif(ici) max(imo) / trib(unicia) • potes(tate) • VIII • imp(eratori) • V • co(n)s(uli) • V • p(atri) • p(atriae).
Another inscription from the side of the triumphal arch reveals that the bridge was paid for by eleven Lusitanian municipalities (municipia provinciae Lusitaniae). The inscription also claims that, in addition to contributed funds to the building of the bridge, these local municipalities ‘completed’ the bridge (perfecerunt).
At the south-east end of the monumental bridge are the remains of a small votive temple, distyle in antis, of Tuscan order with a single cella. It was constructed as an offering to Trajan and to the gods of Rome. It was designed by the same architect as the bridge and the triumphal arch, Gaius Julius Lacer. The dedicatory inscription (CIL II 761) on the temple (now a reconstruction of the original), cut in a slab of marble, records that the temple was dedicated to Trajan, erected by the bridge’s architect Gaius Iulius Lacer, with the help of his associate and friend Curio Lacone Igaeditano (from the city of Idanha-a-Velha). After the conquest of Cáceres in 1169 by Ferdinand II of Leon, the temple was converted into a chapel of St. Julian which explains why the building remains so well-preserved. The architect was buried in the temple and his tomb is still preserved inside.
Over the centuries, the Alcántara Bridge sustained damage in various armed conflicts and also in environmental events, mainly water-related, which have led to the destruction of part of its structure and have degraded it. The bridge was restored during the reign of Isabel II by the engineer Alejandro Millan y Sociats in 1859. It was listed as a Spanish National Monument in 1924 and is in the process of being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
View of the Alcántara Bridge looking north-west.
View of the Alcántara Bridge looking north-east.
The honorific arch at the centre of the bridge dedicated to the emperor Trajan.
View of the Alcántara Bridge looking south-east.
The small votive temple dedicated to the Roman emperor Trajan and the Roman Gods.
Dedicatory inscription (CIL II 761) on the votive temple honoring Trajan and the Gods for the successful building of the bridge.
The entrance is flanked by two Tuscan columns and accessed by an exterior staircase, covered with a gabled roof made of slabs of stone, with a pediment with trim at the edges and a smooth tympanum without decoration.
The interior of the small votive temple.
The Alcántara bridge and the small temple, view from the east.
The Alcántara bridge is still used for traffic.
Alberto Lysy took his first violin lessons with his Ukrainian father, going on to learn with Ljerko Spiller before travelling to Europe at the age of seventeen to further his studies. Failing to sustain a living in London by busking, he was compelled to return to Argentina in 1953. Despite this difficult start, in 1955 he became the first Argentinian to win a prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, following which Princess Lilian of Belgium played duets with him at the palace. Furthermore, Lysy captured the imagination of jurist Menuhin who arranged a Rockefeller Foundation grant for him, became his teacher, and gave him a 1742 Guarnerius violin. Throughout his career Lysy followed Menuhin’s example in devoting time to pedagogy, founding the International Menuhin Academy in Gstaad and initiating several festivals to this end.
Lysy’s playing is characterised by a bright, almost penetrating tone in higher registers which, as with many of his generation, remains unsoftened by his all-pervasive vibrato. Nonetheless a powerfully projected quality places him within the parameters of modern mainstream style. Many of his recordings however—even relatively recent ones—sound dated from today’s perspective. In Bach’s Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord (1996) any suggestion of historical awareness must be tempered by the fact that our understanding of what this constitutes has changed dramatically in recent years. The harpsichord is intrusive and brassy, Lysy’s delivery of the slow movements is heavy with a thick vibrato, and his finales are tough and extrovert in an almost Heifetz-like way: all traits associated with performances at least a decade earlier than this.
The Brahms violin sonatas receive a thoroughly conventional treatment, although there is some fire and excitement in the first movement of Op. 100. The remaining movements are rather slow with a powerful vibrato employed more for tonal beautification than for conveying Classical phrase shapes—fairly typical of the 1980s.
Rather better is a 1987 performance of Mendelssohn’s D minor Concerto, which Menuhin claimed to have discovered, or at least re-habilitated. This work, of small-scale ambition in comparison to the more famous E minor, is played in a modern way that, arguably, blurs the Classical lines of the work, but there is a genuine excitement in Lysy’s sound and in that of the orchestra under Menuhin’s experienced guidance.
Although Lysy’s playing is not especially distinctive, his performance is of high quality and testifies to his illustrious pedagogic connections.
Liverpool’s supporters were in fantastic voice at Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, as the Reds reached their eighth European Cup final.
It was yet another special European occasion for Liverpool, despite eventually losing 4-2 to a spirited Roma side on the night.
Jurgen Klopp‘s team progressed 7-6 on aggregate over the two legs, with goals from Sadio Mane and Gini Wijnaldum proving so crucial in Rome.
If the performance wasn’t the Reds’ greatest of the season, the scenes that followed after the final whistle were something to behold.
The above video, provided by Liverpool’s official YouTube channel, perfectly captures the passion on show both on and off the pitch, as Jordan Henderson and his teammates celebrate with the adoring 5,000-strong faithful.
The footage starts with Henderson and Mohamed Salah embracing, before the skipper pumps his fist towards the away end.
The joy on the faces of the Liverpool fans genuinely warms the cockles of the heart, with some almost close to tears.
The players are then shown huddling together as they hold up a banner showing support for supporter Sean Cox, who remains in a critical condition after being attacked by Roma fans before last Tuesday’s first leg at Anfield.
Dejan Lovren, gaining a reputation as an influential member of the dressing room after some interesting post-match social media antics, looks especially delighted.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben Woodburn must be pinching themselves, with the teenage pair cutting delighted figures, along with fellow youngster Curtis Jones.
Dutch duo Virgil van Dijk and Wijnaldum pose in front of photographers as they drink in every second of proceedings, and Mane returns after a shower to gee-up and high-five some of the fans still kept inside the ground.
Another overjoyed supporter gives a decent rendition of one of Mohamed Salah‘s most famous songs, sung to the tune of ‘Sit Down’ by James, on