Links

Law and order:

No overcrowding link to prison suicide, study suggests - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42118667

Miscellaneous:

Could more women soldiers make the Army stronger? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41969817

Archbishop of York ends decade of protest over Mugabe - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42128073 From 2017, and he's since stepped down, but Dr Sentamu will always be my archbishop of York (nothing against the new incumbent).

A home in the Himalayas for Buddhist nuns - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-41607098

The female war medic who refused to 'go home and sit still' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-42096350

A 100-year-old US riot only now being talked about - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42116688

Nigeria is on the brink of eliminating polio, thanks to women - https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/nigeria-brink-eliminating-polio-thanks-women-n1030426

Science:

Galapagos finches caught in act of becoming new species - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42103058

Sport:

Football and rugby clubs back Rainbow Laces anti-homophobia campaign - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/42125494 I know a couple of the fencing clubs did as well.

Football:

'I'm surprised that football fanzines have survived' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41149738 Could also go in the literature or arts sections.

Mum's last wish honours Hillsborough fans - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-42110346

Michael Owen finishes second on jockey debut at Ascot - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/42107724 I am shoving this in football because he was a footballer.

Sadio Mane: How Senegal's quiet but steely star has shone for club and country -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42101105

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: How Afoty nominee helped put Gabon on the map -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42089774

Rugby League:

Rugby League World Cup reporter's comeback after attack - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42109316 I feel I need to add the attack had nothing to do with rugby league.

Rugby League World Cup: How England's opponents Tonga have taken the game by storm - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/42095054 From 2017, but we still love them.

Rugby Union:

Marvellous Darryl Marfo's moving climb to Scotland prominence - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42100804

Travel:

Play stations: Railway stops worth lingering at - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42085145

Andalusia 2019 - Part 7 - Cordoba

There aren't quite as many photos of Cordoba on my camera because in the process of going OTT on photos of the Alcazar in Seville, I filled up my memory card. This has since been solved by buying a much bigger memory card, but at the time, I had to try to quickly delete photos from the memory card I had to make space. It also means two of the photos came from my phone camera.

St. Raphael is Cordoba's patron saint and protector (https://sientecordoba.com/en/st-raphaels-day/) so there are lots of statues of St. Raphael. My photo of one of them, which features a monster being speared by St. Raphael on side didn't come out quite right, but you get the general idea.

( St. Raphael spearing the monster )

Possibly the most famous site in Cordoba is the Mezquita (or Mosque-Cathedral, depending who is doing the translating) - https://mezquita-catedraldecordoba.es/en/

( Two photos of the outside of the Mezquita )

I'd read about it and I thought I understood. It was a mosque, and then after the reconquista they turned it into a church.

So I was expecting a mosque with church insides.

That is not what the Mezquita is like.

Imagine they'd listed the features you'd expect from a mosque and the features you'd expect in a church and written them on cards, then shuffled the cards and built according to the first half a deck drawn.

And I was mostly getting my head around that when I hit the Renaissance bit (https://mezquita-catedraldecordoba.es/en/descubre-el-monumento/el-edificio/capilla-mayor-crucero-y-coro/). Quite frankly, I thought I was having heat stroke.

Every part is beautiful, and the mixture is unique. I thoroughly recommend seeing it for yourself because the pictures do not convey the effect of the mixture. (The pictures in the Wikipedia page do give an excellent taster though - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque%E2%80%93Cathedral_of_C%C3%B3rdoba).

As part of the coach trip, we got a guided walking tour of Cordoba, which was very much worth it, and very recommended.

( It's a very pretty city )

Before the Expulsion of the Jews, Cordoba also had a sizable Jewish population. Only one synagogue survived from before the Expulsion, and it is now open as a museum.

( Photo of the inside as it's no longer an active place of worship )

Maimonides is from Cordoba, and has a statue near the synagogue.



(A better photo, or at least one without a crowd in front can be seen here - https://www.andalucia.org/en/cordoba-cultural-tourism-monumento-a-maimonides)

Nearby, there is also a bust of Muhammad ibn Aslam Al-Ghafiqi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Aslam_Al-Ghafiqi).
( Bust without a crowd )