Thursday, February 11/2010

Reading Hello, new free magazine J has brought home. And it should be free as it's mostly advertising, thinly disguised and otherwise, although it's possible to subscribe to it for €25 a year. Despite being written in English, it seems to have heavy Russian input (thus all the photos entered in the most beautiful girls contest are Russian or Ukrainian), and some phrases that seem to have suffered in translation. For example an article on Home Spas begins with the following advice -

After drawing the face and neck with a small amount of fat cream you can proceed to the following movements: Attach 4 fingers of the left hand and 4 fingers of the right hand to the corners of your mouth.

By the time we reach the legs, it's:

Use your towel or massage gloves to mash hip and thigh.

And there's information on water treatment as well:

For example, bath salts, which not only makes the water smell, but also reduces stiffness, or drugs from plant extracts.

Or alternatively there are herbs:

Bath with rosemary extract has a calming and refreshing effect and besides that cleans the pores. After such a bath you can't take a shower but should immediately go to bed.

And this evening radio and television celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison - beginning his most impressive contribution to South Africa at 71, an age when he might so reasonably have retired to some post incarceration peace. It's very humbling.