Iran Discovers Large Paleolithic Site

Since again the location was clearly indicated in this press report, thank the Goddess this is "merely" a Paleolithic site, with no gold, no pottery, no ancient gameboards - will the looters flock there? Let's hope not. One could suspect, since this is an official outlet of the Islamist government of Iran, that the government publishes such details in the hopes that looters WILL invade valuable archaeological sites and destroy them - thereby wiping out the history of the area prior to the rise of Islam. Very very sad.

Please note, where that curved indentation along the northern border of the country lies the Caspian Sea.

Iran's largest Paleolithic site found in Semnan
Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:07:53 GMT

Archeologists have found Iran's largest Paleolithic area in the Mirk hill, located in the southern part of the city of Semnan. Dating back to the middle-Paleolithic era, the 4-hectare area has yielded numerous ancient objects belonging to Neanderthals.

“Studies show that Paleolithic people had been living in this region between 40,000 to 200,000 years ago,” said head of the archeology team Hamed Vahdatinasab. “The area is very important in the sense that it is the largest of its kind in Iran and the Middle East and houses thousands of ancient stone tools,” he added.

Vahdatinasab also said that the source of stone for the inhabitants was found 16-kilometers from the site in the hillsides looking onto Semnan. The recent finds were discovered during archeological studies in the natural hills of Delazeyan and Mirk, which were first excavated around 1984.

TE/HGH

Ancient Beauty Cream Formula Revealed

This story shows me that some things haven't changed very much in 2200 years! This sounds something like the classic Pond's cold cream.

Story from MSNBC online:

2,000-year-old cream shows aristocrat’s taste
Tuscan discovery was found almost intact in a cosmetics case
By Rossella Lorenzi
updated 6:15 p.m. CT, Fri., July 10, 2009

Italian archaeologists have discovered lotion that is over 2,000 years old, left almost intact in the cosmetic case of an aristocratic Etruscan woman.

The discovery, which occurred four years ago in a necropolis near the Tuscan town of Chiusi, has just been made public, following chemical analysis which identified the original compounds of the ancient ointment. The team reports their findings in the July issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Dating to the second half of the second century B.C., the intact tomb was found sealed by a large terracotta tile. The site featured a red-purple painted inscription with the name of the deceased: Thana Presnti Plecunia Umranalisa.

"From the formula of the name, we learn that Thana Plecunia was the daughter of a lady named Umranei, a member of one of the most important aristocratic families of Chiusi," the researchers wrote.

Indeed, the wide rectangular niche tomb certainly represents the noble origins of the deceased.

The ashes of Thana rested in a small travertine urn, decorated with luxuriant foliate elements and the head of a female goddess, most likely the Etruscan Earth goddess Cel Ati.

Nearby, the archaeologists found a cosmetic case, richly decorated with bone, ivory, tin and bronze elements. The feet of the box featured bone carved in the shape of Sirens.

The case was filled with precious personal objects: a couple of bronze finger rings, a pair of tweezers, two combs and an alabaster unguentarium vessel — a vase-shaped jar — of Egyptian origins.

"The entire content of the cosmetic case was found under a clay layer which deposited throughout time. This made it possible for the ointment to survive almost intact despite (the fact that) the vessel had no cap," Erika Ribechini, a researcher at the department of chemistry and industrial chemistry of Pisa University, told Discovery News.

Solid, homogeneous and pale yellow, the ointment revealed fatty acids in high abundance.

"This is almost unique in archaeology. Even though more than 2,000 years have passed, the oxidation of the organic material has not yet been completed. This is most likely due to the sealing of the alabaster unguentarium by the clayish earth, which prevented contact with oxygen," Ribechini said.

After analyzing the material, the researchers established that the contents of the vessel consisted of a mixture of substances of lipids and resins.

"The natural resins were the pine resin, exudated from Pinaceae, and the mastic resin, from Anacardiaceae trees. The lipid was a vegetable oil, most likely moringa oil, which was used by the Egyptians and Greeks to produce ointments and perfumes," Ribechini said.

Also called myrobalan oil, moringa oil was mentioned by Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (23 A.D. - 79 A.D.) in his celebrated Natural History as one of the ingredients in the recipe of a "regal perfume" for the king of Parthes.

Since moringa trees were not found in Italy — they are native to Sudan and Egypt — and given the Egyptian origins of the alabaster unguentarium, the researchers concluded that the ointment was imported to Etruria.

Treasure Trove in Turkey!

From Hurriyet.com:

Jewelry of the Parion Princess unearthed
July 12, 2009

ÇANAKKALE - Archaeologists in the Turkish Aegean town of Çanakkale are celebrating the new discovery of a 2,200-year-old sarcophagus in the ancient city of Parion, one of the most important centers of the Helenistic era.

Golden earrings, rings and crown pieces have been found in the sarcophagus, which is believed to have belonged to a princess. An archeological team headed by Prof. Cevat Başaran unearthed the sarcophagus three days ago during excavations conducted in the village of Kemer near Biga, northeast of Çanakkale.

"We have discovered an important finding at the necropolis, which is the cemetery of the ancient city," Başaran said. "This grave is most likely 2,200 years old. The golden jewelry shows this is the grave of a rich woman. We may call her the ’Princess of Parion.’"

Başaran pointed out that the sarcophagus contained a golden crown adorned with many gems, two golden earrings bearing the symbol of Eros and two golden rings. One of the rings was still on the finger bone of the skeleton, the professor added, noting that most of the bones were ruined due to moisture caused by the grave’s proximity to the sea.

Approximately 200 graves have been excavated at the ancient city of Parion. Other unearthed findings include "gifts for the dead," such as teardrop bottles, oil lamps and toys.Based on the findings, Başaran said he believes Parion was a glorious city ruled by the rich elite of the Hellenistic age. Excavations have been going on there for the past four years and have also unearthed jewelry believed to belong to the king and queen.

Rout and Mohanty in Tournament

I'm not sure what tournament this is talking about - I couldn't find anything on the FIDE calendar.

Padmini, Kiran in International Open Chess Tournament
Sunday, July 12, 2009

Bhubaneshwar: The state women international master (WIM) Padmini Rout and Kiran Manisha Mohanty are among the Indian Junior team comprising of six boys and six girls playing in 3rd International Open Chess Tournament that began at Holland as part of the All India Chess Federation effort to give International exposure to Indians in various international events.

Both the Orissa girls shared the top position with other six players, who scored one point each by the end of first round.

Goddess: Amaterasu Omikami

Land of the Sun Goddess
Michael Hoffman traces some fascinating risings and settings in the story of Japan
By MICHAEL HOFFMAN
Special to The Japan Times

The sun was mortally offended — with good reason.

Civilized progress deadens the impulse to see gods in the workings of nature. It's a price we pay, willingly or unconsciously.

To the ancient Japanese, the sun was the goddess Amaterasu Omikami. She was gentle by nature but her brother Susano'o, the Storm God, could be provoking beyond endurance. Subject to tantrums, he "broke down the ridges between the rice paddies . . . and covered up the ditches. Also," reports the eighth-century "Kojiki" ("Record of Ancient Matters"), "he defecated and strewed the feces about in the hall where the first fruits were tasted."

Further depredations followed; finally the outraged Amaterasu took refuge in the "Rock-Cave of Heaven." Japan was plunged in darkness; "constant night reigned."

Rest of article.

I wonder - is "Ama" a Japanese word for mother?

Irish Spot Virgin Mary in Tree Stump, Oy Vey!

Is the alleged sighting of the Virgin Mary in the trunk of a cut-down tree a signal that the End Times Are Near??? I put this right up there with the conspiracy to kill off most of the population by innoculating them against the H1N1 virus (Swine flu, latest version).

I don't know about you, but I sure didn't see any Virgin Mary in this photograph, not even while squinting without my glasses on. This Virgin Mary appears to not have a head. Hmmm...

From the Telegraph.co.uk
Virgin Mary spotted in Irish tree
Religious fever has taken root in the Irish village of Rathkeale, Co Limerick, after workmen claimed the image of the Virgin Mary appeared in the remains of a felled churchyard tree.

Published: 10:13PM BST 09 Jul 2009

The supposed vision surprised locals who have come in their hundreds to pray and light candles in the grounds of Holy Mary Parish church.

While some believe the willow should be preserved and covered in glass, others think the believers are just barking up the wrong tree.

Noel White, Rathkeale Community Council Graveyard Committee chairman, said workmen sprucing up the church land saw the image when they cut the tree.

"One of the lads said look, our Blessed Lady in the tree," Mr White said. "One of the other lads looked over and actually knelt down and blessed himself, he got such a shock. It was the perfect shape of the figure of Our Lady holding the baby."

Candles and rosary beads have been draped over the stump by prayerful locals with up to 700 holding a candlelight vigil last night and into the early hours of the morning. Mr White said people have been travelling from neighbouring Co Kerry as word of the phenomenon spread, while it is believed a local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club from a nearby parish also brought two busloads of people.

"It is just a tree, but it is what it depicts when you look at it," Mr White said. "It is just phenomenal what's going on. And it's not just Rathkeale, they're coming in from all over the place."

But not all villagers have seen the supposedly divine image with some treating the discovery with scepticism. Local priest Fr Willie Russell refused to get caught up in the hype but said he was not surprised by the outpouring of interest.

"This is just going to go on and on," he said. "My impression of it at the moment is that I have no impression of it. It doesn't interest me that much at the moment. I have seen the tree ... it's only a tree."

Fr Russell also insisted not everyone in the area believes the image of Our Lady appeared on the tree.

"The local views are kind of mixed," the priest added.

Scepticism over the reported appearance is shared by the Catholic Church's hierarchy in Ireland, according to Fr Paul Finnerty, official spokesman for the Limerick diocese.

"The Church's response to phenomena of this type is one of great scepticism," he said. "While we do not wish in any way to detract from devotion to Our Lady, we would also wish to avoid anything which might lead to superstition."

Cynics have already pointed to the coincidental timing of Ireland's latest "appearance" amidst a recession after the Celtic Tiger boom years.

The last time the country was plagued by massive joblessness in the 1980s there were numerous reported sightings of moving statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of the first - and most prominent of the alleged phenomena - was in Ballinspittle, in Co Cork, where locals insisted they witnessed the statue of Our Lady floating in the air.

The claims drew worldwide attention as busloads flocked from long distances to see the roadside grotto in the small rural village in the hope of seeing the same. The "sighting" sparked a wave of similar claims around the country as people held vigils at other roadside grottoes which mostly sprang up during the Marian Year of 1953.

Former postmaster and councillor John Griffin said that while he had no difficulty with people coming together to pray, it was just a tree stump.

"I respect everybody's belief but when I heard about this and had a look, what I saw were the remains of a felled tree," Mr Griffin said. "I see a shape, the shape of a felled tree. It is in the shape of a cloaked lady or cloaked person, but that's because of the way it was cut. I'm not attributing anything supernatural."

But for believers the big question is what to do now?

"If it is left there I would imagine we would have to get expert advice on how to preserve it, maybe cover it with glass or something," Mr White said. "Because people are taking bits off the tree or stroking the tree and taking the skin off, and if they keep doing that there'll be nothing there soon." [LOL! And - shame on you, those taking bits and pieces of the Virgin Mary.]

Fr Russell added: "Whatever the people want, there's no problem there. It doesn't create a problem for me."
_____________________________________________________________________
Tsk tsk. Compare this "Virgin Mary in Tree" image I found in my archives from 2008. I've probably got a blog about "Her" somewhere here. This one looks like the real deal, not something hacked about by a 17 year old with a chainsaw :) Try searching under "Virgin Mary" or perhaps "apparitions of Virgin Mary."

I've had it for the night, darlings. Good night.

1,200-Year-Old Boat Uncovered in Central Java

From the Jakarta Post:

Ancient boat reveals shipbuilding skills of Java’s seafarers
Suherdjoko , The Jakarta Post , Rembang, Central Java Fri, 07/10/2009 11:49 AM Java Brew

Historians have long wondered just how Indonesians in the 6th and 7th centuries built their boats. A recent archaeological discovery sheds some light on the mystery.

In July last year, an ancient boat, measuring 15.6 meters long and 4 meters wide was discovered in Punjulharjo village, Rembang district, in Rembang regency.

A team from the Yogyakarta Archaeology Center made a detailed study of the site, about 200 meters inland from the Java Sea coastline, from June 17 to 26 this year.

The boat, approximately 1,200 years old, was found buried near the Central Java northern coastline, with its bow lying to the west and its stern in the east. Head of Punjulharjo village Nursalim said eight local residents had stumbled across the ancient relic while making a pond.

“The land was originally planted with coconuts, followed by secondary crops,” he told The Jakarta Post. “But as the soil was not fertile enough, they decided to make a pond. That’s when they noticed the buried boat, its main part still in its whole form, as they dug deeper.”

According to the chairman of the Yogyakarta archaeology team, Novida Abbas, the ancient boat is the most complete ever found in Indonesia. “So far we have only got wooden planks and other separate pieces. The discovery in Rembang is 50 percent intact,” Novida said. “We can see the actual shape of the boat and its construction technology.”

Novida estimates the boat could hold 30 people. Its skeleton remains complete, including its sides, bottom, curved ribs (to support the sides), stringers (to fasten the ribs) and wooden pegs, as well as palm-fiber ropes to fasten the ribs to knobs on the inside of the sides. There are also rattan and bamboo items.

Priyatno Hadi, a team member and archaeology graduate from Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University, said the main body of the boat was unbroken. The hull was built using a very simple method that did not require any metal components.

“Planks were first arranged to form an arc and then the curved wooden ribs were placed in parallel rows from the stern to the bow. Thereafter, they were fastened and strengthened with wooden pegs,” he added, showing the thumb-sized pegs.

Twelve of the boat’s 17 ribs are still joined to its flanks, with their palm-fiber ropes still partly tied in their knots. Unusually there are also L-shaped planks in the stern – with those in the bow probably having been lost – for reinforcement due to the palm-fiber rope holes.

Missing are the upper parts of the boat and some parts of the bow, Novida said. “The entire boat may have been larger than what has been found today. Its age of 12 centuries and its almost complete state provide good material for more comprehensive research. So we will finally have an idea of what Indonesia’s ancient boats looked like without having to speculate much. This finding gives us a good idea.”

The team sent samples of the palm fiber to ancient vessel specialist Prof. Pierre Yves Manguin in France to determine the boat’s age. Manguin is also director of the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient research institute and is now studying antique ships and boats in Southeast Asia and East Asia. He passed on the samples for examination at the Beta Analytic Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory in Miami in the United States.

Laboratory test results showed the boat was used sometime during 670–780 A.D. It was a merchant boat used toward the end of the Hindu Mataram kingdom in Java and Sriwijaya kingdom in Sumatra. This model was commonly used by traders in Java, Madura and Sumatra in those days.

Novida explained that the archaeology center made an initial inspection soon after the discovery was reported, only undertaking a more thorough study in June 2009. The old boat is now being stored in a building provided by the Hasyim Djojohadikusumo Foundation, which helps preserve the country’s cultural heritage.

The timber used for the planks to form the sides of the hull, each 7 centimeters thick, comes from different species, some teak and others mangrove. All the stringers are made from teak.

“We haven’t yet delved deeper into the boat’s materials,” Novida said. “We will conduct further research.”

Priyatno Hadi added that boat builders of that era used resin and gelam shrub fiber to fill the gaps between planks to keep the boat watertight. The team also found 100 pieces of earthenware, two lead rings believed to have served to bind fishing nets, coconut shells for food or drinks, glass-like bamboo tubes and a wooden stick 50-cm long. The objects may lead to conclusions on how these people lived, their level of technology and their daily lives.

Punjulharjo village head Nursalim displayed some of the other items the locals had found in the boat, including a carved stone head, bones, clay pitcher spouts and a stick. The archaeological team doubts if all the artifacts originated in the boat because the wooden stick turned out to be modern.

However, they will study them further because the female head image resembles ones discovered on former sites of the Majapahit kingdom.

Following the study, the ancient boat was again submerged into water as a way of safeguarding it.

The structure sheltering the boat is now encircled by bamboo fences so people visiting the site can only look at it from outside the barriers.

“We are planning to reconstruct the boat and later make its replica,” Novida said. “In this way, anyone wishing to look at the boat can have a more detailed model of the relic.”

Nursalim said he hoped the boat would remain in the shore area.

“Our village people have agreed to make this area a tourist destination,” he said. “We will protect the boat so let it just stay here. We don’t want to have it moved to another place, as we would get no benefit from it, leaving this area with only the memory of being a boat village.”

Poop Wars!

Whoa! Just what I needed to cheer up an otherwise extremely stressfully and - dare I say it, yes I will - crappy week. Enjoy!

Weighing in against the petrified poop being from a human being, we have these dudes:

Paul Goldberg,1,2, Francesco Berna,1,3 Richard I. Macphail1,4

1 Department of Archaeology, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
2 Zentrum für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
3 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra "Ardito Desio," Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 34, 20133 Milano, Italy.
4 Institute of Archaeology, University College London, Gordon Square, London WC1 0PY, UK.

in this article:

Science 10 July 2009:
Vol. 325. no. 5937, p. 148
DOI: 10.1126/science.1167531
Technical Comments
Comment on "DNA from Pre-Clovis Human Coprolites in Oregon, North America"

And now things get really sexy, darlings, because there is a response, whooo-whooo!

Weighing in for the petrified poop being from pre-Clovis people:

M. Thomas P. Gilbert,1 Dennis L. Jenkins,2 Thomas F. G. Higham,3 Morten Rasmussen,1 Helena Malmström,1 Emma M. Svensson,4 Juan J. Sanchez,5 Linda Scott Cummings,6 Robert M. Yohe, II,7 Michael Hofreiter,8 Anders Götherström,4 Eske Willerslev1

1 Centre for Ancient Genetics, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
2 Museum of Natural and Cultural History, 1224 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403–1224, USA.
3 Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.
4 Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Norbyvagten 18D, 74236 Uppsala, Sweden.
5 National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Science, Canary Islands Delegation, 38320 Tenerife, Spain.
6 Paleo Research Institute, 2675 Youngfield Street, Golden, CO 80401, USA.
7 Department of Sociology and Anthropology, California State University, 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93311, USA.
8 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.

in this article:

Science 10 July 2009:
Vol. 325. no. 5937, p. 148
DOI: 10.1126/science.1168457
Technical Comments
Response to Comment by Poinar et al. on "DNA from Pre-Clovis Human Coprolites in Oregon, North America"

What will be the outcome??? Stay tuned.

New Study on Gender and Chess

Most interesting! Thanks to Allen Becker of Southwest Chess Club for giving me a heads-up on this article this afternoon.


European Journal of Social Psychology
Eur. J. Soc. Psychol. 38, 231–245 (2008)
Published online 14 May 2007 in Wiley InterScience
(www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.440


Checkmate? The role of gender stereotypes in the ultimate
intellectual sport
ANNE MAASS*, CLAUDIO D’ETTOLE
AND MARA CADINU
University of Padova, Italy

Abstract
Women are surprisingly underrepresented in the chess world, representing less that 5% of registered tournament players worldwide and only 1% of the world’s grand masters. In this paper it is argued that gender stereotypes are mainly responsible for the underperformance of women in chess. Forty-two male–female pairs, matched for ability, played two chess games via Internet. When players were unaware of the sex of opponent (control condition), females played approximately as well as males.

When the gender stereotype was activated (experimental condition), women showed a drastic
performance drop, but only when they were aware that they were playing against a male opponent.

When they (falsely) believed to be playing against a woman, they performed as well as their male
opponents. In addition, our findings suggest that women show lower chess-specific self-esteem and a weaker promotion focus, which are predictive of poorer chess performance. Copyright # 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Are You Ready for More Dan Brown?

No.

The Writing on the Wall

Prior post.

It ain't over 'til it's over...
The Lede at The New York Times and Nico Pitney at The Huffington Post (continual) have been blogging about the election and its aftermath in Iran.

MENE MENE TEKEL PARSIN...

Tonight the NYT carried this story - and lead photograph (copyright Associated Press). Here is a quote from the story:

... A young woman, her clothing covered in blood, ran up Kargar Street, paused for a moment and said, “I am not scared, because we are in this together.”

The tradition of the pre-islamic warrior woman is alive and well in Iran.

That Pesky 4-3-2 Number of the Goddess Again!

Well, this is just too strange to pass by without mentioning!

When I was doing the prior post on the Ark of the Covenant, I pulled out the one Graham Hancock book I have in my library, Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization, and after using it to get the exact title of Hancock's book about the Ark of the Covenant, I just happened to flip to page 327, which is the start of Chapter 38 entitled "Interactive Three-Domensional Game." If that isn't spooky enough for you, darlings, on the opposite page (326), are two photographs, one of the Great Pyramid built by Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) in c. 2550 BCE. This is the caption to the photograph:

The geometric perfection of the Great Pyramid of Egypt, almost 500 feet high and supposedly built by the Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu around 2550 BC. Amongst other functions the Great Pyramid was designed to serve as a mathematical model of the northern hemisphere of the earth on a scale of 1:43,200.

I cannot speak to the validity of Hancock's claim about the Great Pyramid, but that number he mentioned - 43,200 (and multiples thereof) - repeatedly shows up in the most interesting places. In fact, "432" is called the Number of the Goddess by no less authority than the great Joseph Campbell. For further information, check out 4-3-2 Lift-off! by those fabulous Las Vegas Showgirls, Bambi and Candi!

Photograph above found at Thinkquest.org.

Ark of the Covenant to be Revealed?

LOL! How did I miss this story?

MUCH ABOUT HISTORY
'Ark of the Covenant' about to be unveiled?
Ethiopian patriarch tells pope he will show artifact to world
Posted: June 24, 20099:35 pm Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

The patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia says he will announce to the world Friday the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, perhaps the world's most prized archaeological and spiritual artifact, which he says has been hidden away in a church in his country for millennia, according to the Italian news agency Adnkronos.

Abuna Pauolos, in Italy for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this week, told the news agency, "Soon the world will be able to admire the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible as the container of the tablets of the law that God delivered to Moses and the center of searches and studies for centuries."

The announcement is expected to be made at 2 p.m. Italian time from the Hotel Aldrovandi in Rome. Pauolos will reportedly be accompanied by Prince Aklile Berhan Makonnen Haile Sellassie and Duke Amedeo D'Acosta.

Rest of article.

Well, I sure didn't read about any announcement, did you?

If you would like an entertaining read on the legends surrounding the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant, I suggest Graham Hancock's The Sign and the Seal: A Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant.

Cache of Artifacts Found at Egyptian Museum in Cairi

Information from The Egyptian Gazette - undated, I presume today or tomorrow? - isn't Egypt several time zones ahead of us timewise?

Another Cache Unearthed in National Museum

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed another cache near the Western gate of the National Museum in Cairo, Culture Minister Farouq Hosni said yesterday.

Zahi Hawass, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the cache contained a table made of limestone, a fragment of a slab with hieroglyphic inscriptions, some stones, and the base of a pharaonic pillar, which date back to the pharaonic period around 1,300 years BC."

This type of slab was quite widespread during the era of the Pharaohs, who used it to mark a special occasion,” Hawass said.“The slab shows the head of a cobra," Hawass said, adding that foreign archaeologists were in the habit of burying antiquities they had considered 'useless' in the Museum's garden. The antiquities will be analysed, said Hawass, who has been supervising a project for giving a facelift to the Museum.

The project, which is near completion, includes upgrading the museum and adding new, showrooms, meeting rooms, a library, a bookshop and a cafeteria.

******************************************************

I find this piece (identified in the article as: Unearthed: The slab that was unearthed near the Western gate of the National Museum in Cairo yesterday) utterly fascinating! I'm no expert, but I've looked at probably a thousand photographs and images of Egyptian artifacts during the past ten years as well as exhibits in museums, and I don't recall seeing this kind of "slab" with a cobra's head etched into it.


This "slab" is set up in the form of an offering table that I've seen many times. There's that little "tail" (that's what I call it), with a trench in it that was means to pour off wine or beer that was poured as a libation by the deceased's descendants over the surface of the "table." None of them was very large, and it's impossible to tell what the dimensions of this one is from the photograph.

I do not recall seeing such a slab or an offering table with a serpent on its face, though! The serpent reminds me of Egypt's two most ancient board games: Senet, with it's "serpentine" path that the pieces follow around the board that leads to each piece's promotion into the ancient equivalent of "Heaven;" and Mehen, predynastic, shaped in the form of a spiraled serpent.

Perhaps this is a hybrid between an offering table and a gameboard? Unfortunately, the photograph is poor, and it's difficult to tell if there might be places on the board where pieces (offerings) might have been placed - but, am I imagining it? Are those squares I see along the left side?

Southwest Chess Club: Club Championship!

The Club Championship starts tomorrow - how'd it get here so fast, eek! Last summer's championship was won by Expert Anthony Parker. Who will win it this year?

Here is the information:

It is a 6-round Swiss, in one Open Section.
Two 1/2-Pt Byes are available in Rounds 1-5 (not Rd 6).
July 9, 16, 23, 30 & August 6 & 13
(No lecture this Thursday, as we will have lots of players signing up for the tournament).

Come on out and support our largest and strongest tournament of the year!

6-Round Swiss in One Section. Game/100. USCF Rated. EF: $7 (must be a member to participate). SWCC Membership $10 (can join prior to first round). (Two ½ point byes available in rounds 1 through 5 if requested at least 2-days in advance)

TD is Allen Becker (cell: 1-414-807-0269 if you are running late); ATD is Robin Grochowski.

Shira Chess Challenge!

Ohmygoddess!

I now somehow find myself playing chess games with Rob, Soheil, Mott the Hoople, and Frog Breath. And I believe more or knocking on my email door, but I have not as yet answered them.

Who would call himself or herself Frog Breath?

I suspect that other than Rob, and - possibly, Soheil, the others are grandmasters in hiding, waiting to get their jollies off on playing a hopeless patzer such as yours truly. I do hope I am wrong. I suspect I am not. Oh my.

Oh, you ask, how am I doing?

Not good. But for the moment, I am temporarily unparalyzed from making moves, however crappy they may be and in my world of the glass always being half full, this is a good thing!

Ta, darlings!

Hales Corners Challenge X!

We have a flyer for the Hales Corners Chess Challenge X, yippee!

It doesn't show up in all of its glory here - but I'll do my best to make it pretty :)

Hales Corners Challenge X
Sponsored by The Southwest Chess Club
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Two Sections – Open & Reserve (Under 1600)

FORMAT: Four Round Swiss System - Four Games in One Day
USCF Rated
TIME LIMIT: Game in One Hour (60 minutes per player)
ENTRY FEE: $35 – Open; $25 – Reserve
(both sections $5 more after October 14, 2009)
Comp Entry Fee for USCF 2200+: Entry fee subtracted from any prizes won
SITE REGISTRATION: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
ROUNDS: 10 am -- 1 pm -- 3:30 pm -- 6 pm
Pairings by WinTD---No Computer Entries---No Smoking

PRIZES
OPEN RESERVE
1st—$325* 1st—$100
2nd—$175* 2nd—$75
A—$100 D—$50
B & Below—$75 E & Below—$40
* guaranteed
Goddesschess prizes for top performing females:
Open Section: 1st - $60, 2nd - $40
Reserve Section: 1st - $40, 2nd $30, 3rd $20

Tournament Director: Tom Fogec
Assistant Tournament Directors: Robin Grochowski & Allen Becker
SITE: Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel—4747 S. Howell Avenue—Milwaukee—414-481-8000
(formerly known as Four Points Sheraton, across street from airport)
ENTRIES TO: Allen Becker—6105 Thorncrest Drive—Greendale, WI 53129 allenbecker@wi.rr.com

QUESTIONS TO: Tom Fogec—414-425-6742 (home) or 414-405-4207 (cell)

USCF I.D. Required -- Bring your own clocks – Sets and Boards Provided
Half point bye available in Round 1, 2 or 3 if requested prior to round 1; not available in Round 4.
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Ancient Royal Chinese Tomb Discovered

Hola darlings!

I do hope I have not previously reported on this discovery. I found this story at English.Chosun.com which is, I believe, a South Korean website (but don't quote me on that :))

Ancient Royal Tomb Found in China
Arirang News / Jul. 07, 2009 12:10 KST

Workers in northern China building water infrastructure recently uncovered a 1,400-year-old royal tomb containing ancient wall paintings. The tomb belonged to Gao Xiaoxu, the male heir of an emperor during the Qi Dynasty.
The detailed frescoes of honor guard officials found inside are thought to date from 550-577 AD. [This is around the time that the game of Xiang Qi - Chinese chess - may have evolved in China from an earlier practice that was part divination/part board game called Xiang Xi, according to Dr. Joseph Needham].

However, the more than 1,000 years that have passed have taken its toll on the condition of the paintings. Sun Jinghua of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology says that the discovery needs the full attention of restoration specialists. Fragments will be secured and the wall will be removed to a location off-site for further study.

The site is located in an area that contains 134 tombs mostly from the royal family of the Northern Dynasties which ruled from 368-581 AD.

Wherever this place is, it sure is gorgeous!

Donostia Chess Festival

Action July 7 - 16, 2009. In addition to three other tournaments that are composed with only chess dudes (snore), there is a women only event with a well-mixed line-up of chess femmes:

Diputacion Foral de Gipuzkoa Donostia (ESP), 7-16 vii 2009
cat. III (2318)
Name Ti NAT Elo DoB
Tania, Sachdev m IND 2410 1986
Milliet, Sophie m FRA 2388 1983
Pokorna, Regina wg SVK 2381 1982
Michna, Marta wg GER 2379 1978
Hamdouchi, Adina-Maria wg ROU 2324 1979
Zakurdjaeva, Irina wg RUS 2305 1982
Melnikova, Yana wg RUS 2285 1984
Ionica, Iulia-Ionela wg ROU 2263 1980
Rozic, Vesna wm SLO 2239 1987
Karlovich, Anastazia wg UKR 2211 1982

Significant Islamic Find in Japan

This discovery could possibly re-write the history, such as it is, of trade between Japan and centers that traded Islamic-made goods in the 8th century CE.

8th century Islamic vase found
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2009/7/6

NARA--Shards of an Islamic ceramic vase--the oldest uncovered in Japan--were excavated at the former site of Heijokyo palace, municipal researchers said.

The 19 pieces of what is believed to be a vase more than 50 centimeters tall date back to the late eighth century, about 100 years earlier than Islamic ceramics found in Fukuoka Prefecture.

The researchers believe the vase was used during maritime trade to carry spices from the Islamic world.

Tatsuo Sasaki, a professor of archaeology at Kanazawa University, said the finding confirms that Nara was a terminus on the ancient Silk Road of the Sea.

Heijokyo was the nation's capital during the Nara Period (710-784).(IHT/Asahi: July 6,2009)

Shira Chess Challenge: I Am NOT Ready for Beginner Chess

Oy, this is driving me crazy.

Today I made a very bad mistake. I actually opened one of the data bases that Kelly a/k/a Chess Daddy sent to me, using Chess Base Lite. I forced myself to work through 1 and nearly a half games, and then I couldn't stand it anymore. Every single thing I do when I play chess is fricking WRONG. So WRONG, I found myself paralyzed and now I cannot make a move in my pending games (now 3 games). I am terrified of making a mistake. Which I know I will, because I suck.

This is HORRIBLE. I don't know what to do.

To add insult to injury, lately I seem to have come across a plethora of articles about "beginner" chess, like this one:

Your Chess Coach
Chess starts with the basics
By Laura Sherman, Bill Kilpatrick
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 03:08:00 07/07/2009

Chess is taught by starting with the basics and building from there. It has to be done step by step.

It is a big mistake to skip ahead too quickly with new strategies or techniques, when the more basic concepts are not well understood by a young chess player.

Teaching “checkmate” is a perfect example.

Coaches quickly learn it’s a big challenge to teach children the concept of checkmate.

We have found that many beginners have trouble checkmating their opponents despite having an overwhelming advantage of pieces on the chess board. So how do you teach this seemingly basic concept?

Break it down! Simplify it! Pull checkmate apart into little pieces that can be learned, one at a time.

The first step is to drill easier concepts with your students. How do you attack a piece? When is a piece in danger? How do you trap a piece? There are dozens of such exercises that are needed in order to fully prepare the student to understand and apply the concept of checkmate.

Once they have these components down, they must be able to recognize when the king is in check and understand that concept fully. Quiz them on the number of escape squares the king has. This usually requires a bit of drilling, but there will come a point where the student knows it, really knows it.

Being able to recognize when a student has a concept and is able to move on is also important. The last thing you want to do is rehash something over and over that they already understand. There’s a certain look that a student gets when they fully understand something. Watch for that look, that confident gleam in their eye.

Now they will have an easier time grasping checkmate. Show them many examples. Stick with exercises that are checkmate in one move, starting with extremely easy and basic positions. The more you drill these with your student the faster they will pick up the themes and be able to recognize reoccurring patterns.

Checkmate needs to be drilled regularly and often. The result will be that your students will take advantage of more opportunities on the board and you will have a strong foundation from which to move forward.
_____________________________________________________

Laura Sherman founded Your Chess Coach with her husband, Dan Sherman. The couple's full-time profession is teaching children to play chess. Bill Kilpatrick, founder of several professional specialty schools, brings an entrepreneurial spirit to chess coaching. Together they provide consulting around the globe helping improve the ability of coaches, parents and educators to teach chess to children.


Okay, so what about teaching someone like ME to play chess after years of doing it wrong? And please, do not say "forget everything you ever thought you knew about chess." My response: SCREW YOU. No way am I going to unlearn 40 years worth of playing chess the way I play.

There has to be a different way to do this. I'm officially ditching the data bases. I cannot even remember the first four moves (2 for white and 2 for black). Sorry Chess Daddy, this ain't gonna work.

Honor Killings Rage Unchecked in Pakistan

Here is jus a sampling from the Daily Times, which reports news from Pakistan. In almost all incidents, the victims are female:

Monday, July 06, 2009

‘Honour’ killings remain unchecked
By Rana Tanveer

LAHORE: ‘Honour’ killing seems to go unchecked in the city as it claimed three lives in two incidents during the last week.

On July 2, a newly married couple was killed in the name of ‘honour’ in Barki police precincts. Ramazan shot dead Khalid and his wife Shamim, who had eloped and married without the consent of their families. Ramazan was Shamim’s cousin and both had been engaged. The other incident took place on July 5, when a boy, Irfan, killed his uncle Shahadat Ali for marrying his mother after the death of his father in Kahna police precincts. Reportedly, Irfan considered the marriage a matter of ‘honour’.

In 10 weeks, nine people were killed in the name of ‘honour’ in the city. Among these incidents, on June 18, in Sabzazar police precincts, Iqbal killed his sister Adeeba (22) for having an alleged affair with a boy. The accused tried to hide the incident by shifting the body to some other city, but the police recovered the body after chasing the accused. On June 2, Nawaz of Ferozewala killed his sister Shehnaz Bibi, who was a mother of two, for having an affair with a man.

On May 26, Ahsan Elahi gunned down his wife Shazia in Liaquatabad police precincts. On April 20, Zulfiqar Khokhar of Green Town killed his sister Shahnaz (35) and niece Farah (18) for honour. In Kahna, on April 16, a woman was killed by her in-laws in the name of ‘honour’.