Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
I’ve come to think of this post as one where you come for the music and stay for the conversation—so feel free to drop a note. The diarist gets to sleep in if she so desires and can show up long after the post is published. So you know, it's a feature, not a bug.
Join us, please.
Good morning everyone. I do hope each of you is having a lovely Thursday. The heat is breaking up (slowly) and today we have an expected high of 87°F, which will be the first time in a long stretch that the high will not be in the 90s. Rain’s coming, too; but I think that’s a fine tradeoff for the brutal temperatures we’ve been having. October in South Louisiana has always been my favorite month of the year—but I think that life-long preference is going to be revised. Oh well, things change and humans (I’m told) are adaptable so I shall adapt. And no wonder older folks are so grumpy.
Enjoy today’s video when you have time. The Kingdom of Zimbabwe was an enormously wealthy empire that controlled the trade in ivory, gold, and other precious metals from the interior of the continent to the southeastern coast. Asian and Arabic goods moved through Zimbabwe’s ports and cities and it was a key point on the trade throughout the Indian Ocean. The empire was known for its artists and stonemasons. Some of the examples shown in the video below highlight the intricate and sophisticated approach to gold smithing. Zimbabwe was truly the most prominent and influential culture in pre-colonial Southern Africa.
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Part 1 of the series: Lost Kingdoms of Africa, Nubia
Part 2 of the series: Lost Kingdoms of Africa, Ethiopia
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Grab your coffee or tea and join us, please.
What's on your mind this morning?