Sic transit gloria mundi

"He renamed the month of January after himself and April after his mother; he banned ballet, gold teeth and recorded music; he ordered the construction of a lake in the midst of the desert and a ski resort on the snowless foothills of the Iranian border...interspersed with the crowd were stony-faced officials ensuring the public enjoyed the event. We heard of people being summoned to police station for not smiling broadly enough at such occasions." - BBC News, reporting the death of Saparmurat Niyazov.