Story from the BBC News
December 23, 2008
Pair of tombs discovered in Egypt
Egyptian archaeologists say they have discovered a pair of 4,300-year-old tombs that indicate a burial site south of Cairo is bigger than expected.
The tombs at the Saqqara necropolis belong to two officials from the court of the Pharaoh Unas, Egypt's antiquities chief said.
One was for the official in charge of quarries used for building pyramids, the other for the head of music.
Hieroglyphics decorate the entrances of both the newly discovered tombs.
Zahi Hawass, Egypt's top archaeologist, told reporters that the tombs represented a "major" find. "The discovery of the two tombs are the beginning of a big, large cemetery," he said.
New discoveries are frequently made at Saqqara, including the unearthing of the remains of a pyramid in November.
Mr Hawass said 70% of Egypt's ancient monuments remain buried. "We are continuing our excavation and we are going to uncover more tombs in the area to explain the period of dynasty five and dynasty six," he added, referring to a period more than 4,000 years ago.
The contents of the newly found tombs have long since been stolen, Mr Hawass said.
The entrance of the tomb of the official in charge of music, Thanah, shows carved images of her smelling lotus flowers.
The other official whose tomb was discovered, Iya Maat, oversaw the extraction of granite and limestone from Aswan and other materials from the Western Desert for the construction of nearby pyramids.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Ancient Macedonian Reference to Goddess Discovered
Story from MINA Breaking NewsJanuary 1, 2009
Macedonia archeologists uncover 4,000 year old writing
Uncovered are the first traces of the old Macedonian language in the country, says "Dr. Dushko Aleksovski, paleolinguistics professor and honorary president of the World Rock Art Academy.
"This is a very rare artifact, the name of the Goddess Vesta is written on it. However, the first written name is Bsefa, which later became Vesta. This is the oldest artifact written in the old Macedonian language discovered on our territory." says Dr. Aleksovski.
The 4,000 year old signs written on the lid of the clay artifact, according to Dr. Aleksovski, are considered as a monumental discovery, first of its kind and very important for the paleolinguistics.
The discovery was made in central Macedonia, the precise location is being kept secret by the Government so the area doesn't get over run by archeological poachers looking for treasures and artifacts. //12.29.08
Chess Can Reduce Anxiety
Story from the San Francisco Chronicle
Brain workout may help anxiety, study suggests
Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Could Sudoku be a balm for anxious people?
A new study suggests that intellectually demanding challenges like crossword puzzles or chess may be more successful at keeping worry-prone people from worrying than supposedly relaxing pastimes like watching TV or shopping.
Contrary to theories that "as things get harder, anxious people fall apart, this suggests it's the opposite way around," said UC Berkeley psychologist Sonia Bishop, lead researcher on the study published online this week by Nature Neuroscience.
The study showed that anxious people performed just as well as others when facing tasks that demanded concentration, but they took more time than others to complete tasks that were easier, Bishop said.
Their slower response time to challenges not requiring full attention was accompanied by reduced blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, which serves as the brain's CEO in thinking, planning and active memory.
The study indicated that anxious individuals have a weakened ability to block out distractions and that they might benefit from mindfulness training, which often uses meditation and stress-reduction exercises to help increase one's awareness and focus.
"With some very popular therapies like mindfulness training, people aren't sure why they work," Bishop said. "This perhaps gives us a rationale for why they do."
The results also challenge another explanation for why anxious people face day-to-day problems in concentration and work-related cognitive function, Bishop said. It has been argued that the "fight or flight" response center of the brain, the amygdala, overreacts to threat-related stimuli in anxious people, thus playing a central role in undermining concentration. But the new study suggests that attention-focusing ability in such individuals is impaired even when the amygdala is not extra-active, and thus their difficulties with concentration may be determined by a different mechanism, she said.
The study consisted of simple letter-recognition tests given to 17 volunteers, ages 19 to 48, while blood flow to a section in the front of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was measured by magnetic resonance imaging. The volunteers, seven female and 10 male, were from Cambridge, England, where Bishop did research at the University of Cambridge before becoming an assistant professor at Berkeley in July.
The results were scored according to the difficulty of the tests, including the distraction level of extraneous elements, and correlated to the volunteers' degree of anxiety. Surveys indicate that nearly a fifth of U.S. adults suffer from one or more anxiety disorders in a given year, Bishop noted in the study, titled "Trait anxiety and impoverished prefrontal control of attention."
Brain workout may help anxiety, study suggests
Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Could Sudoku be a balm for anxious people?
A new study suggests that intellectually demanding challenges like crossword puzzles or chess may be more successful at keeping worry-prone people from worrying than supposedly relaxing pastimes like watching TV or shopping.
Contrary to theories that "as things get harder, anxious people fall apart, this suggests it's the opposite way around," said UC Berkeley psychologist Sonia Bishop, lead researcher on the study published online this week by Nature Neuroscience.
The study showed that anxious people performed just as well as others when facing tasks that demanded concentration, but they took more time than others to complete tasks that were easier, Bishop said.
Their slower response time to challenges not requiring full attention was accompanied by reduced blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, which serves as the brain's CEO in thinking, planning and active memory.
The study indicated that anxious individuals have a weakened ability to block out distractions and that they might benefit from mindfulness training, which often uses meditation and stress-reduction exercises to help increase one's awareness and focus.
"With some very popular therapies like mindfulness training, people aren't sure why they work," Bishop said. "This perhaps gives us a rationale for why they do."
The results also challenge another explanation for why anxious people face day-to-day problems in concentration and work-related cognitive function, Bishop said. It has been argued that the "fight or flight" response center of the brain, the amygdala, overreacts to threat-related stimuli in anxious people, thus playing a central role in undermining concentration. But the new study suggests that attention-focusing ability in such individuals is impaired even when the amygdala is not extra-active, and thus their difficulties with concentration may be determined by a different mechanism, she said.
The study consisted of simple letter-recognition tests given to 17 volunteers, ages 19 to 48, while blood flow to a section in the front of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was measured by magnetic resonance imaging. The volunteers, seven female and 10 male, were from Cambridge, England, where Bishop did research at the University of Cambridge before becoming an assistant professor at Berkeley in July.
The results were scored according to the difficulty of the tests, including the distraction level of extraneous elements, and correlated to the volunteers' degree of anxiety. Surveys indicate that nearly a fifth of U.S. adults suffer from one or more anxiety disorders in a given year, Bishop noted in the study, titled "Trait anxiety and impoverished prefrontal control of attention."
2009 WSCF All Girls Tournament
Just in - news that the 2009 Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation All Girls Tournament will be held on February 28, 2009. Details will be provided within the next few weeks.
Here is some background information about this special event, from the January, 2009 WSCF newsletter received by email earlier today:
The Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation, a 5 year old 501(c) (3) non-profit is hosting its third annual All Girls Chess tournament on February 28th. We expect over 100 girls from throughout Wisconsin to participate. The first year we had 21 girls participate and last year close to 60 students. We have funds and are committed to award scholarships in the amounts of $300, $250 and $50 to the champion of each of the 3 divisions.
The WSCF is looking to increase the level of scholarship support for this worthwhile tournament. Here are excerpts from the WSCF newsletter:
I am writing on behalf of all girls in Wisconsin who play scholastic chess in clubs, leagues and tournaments.
You may already be aware of the rapid growth of scholastic chess across the nation and that the typical ratio of male to female participation is 9 to 1. This ratio has been true for centuries and many studies have done on this subject. There is a national movement to have tournaments just for girls and we believe we are a leader in this effort and expect the size of this tournament to grow each year.
You may also know the power of long term participation in the learning of chess can increase students intelligence, critical thinking, logical, self-esteem and spatial awareness. Again, many studies have proven this and the result most often cited is the immediate raising of math and reading test scores. You can read more about this on our website www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org . You may especially want to look at the article "Chess Empowers Young Minds" and the video by National Geographic "My Brilliant Brain - Make me a Genius," which features the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title, Susan Polgar.
The gifts of chess empowers young people of both sexes. The WSCF is proud to have as its mission the teaching of chess to students all across Wisconsin. The All Girls Tournament is just one of our many activities to promote chess as a powerful educational tool.
One goal of the WSCF is to provide motivation for more girls to play chess and one way to do this is via the All Girls Tournament and the awarding of scholarships. We have committed what our resources allow at this time but would like to increase these amounts with grants and gifts from interested individuals, professional groups, foundations and corporations. One goal would be the awards given in each division to be $1000, $500 and $250 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The second part of this goal would be to grow the fund to be able to do this each year. One hundred percent of donations that WSCF receives marked scholarships are deposited into our scholarship trust account. Scholarships awarded are paid directly and only to the school of attendance of the recipient.
Your support and others you know may help in being a catalyst for some young girl to commit to studying chess with the goal of winning scholarships to help make college affordable.
If you would like more information, a visit to your office, or a presentation to a group of your colleagues please contact me at bob@wisconsinscholasticchess.org , at our P.O. Box or at 262-573-5624. If you would like to donate directly you can mail a check to our P.O. Box marked "all girls scholarship"; or donate via a credit card on our website.
On behalf of present and future female chess students in Wisconsin I extend my appreciation.
Sincerely,
Bob Patterson-Sumwalt
President/Founder
Wish I'd hit a big jackpot in Las Vegas so I could spread around some largesse): As it is, my desire to help far outstrips my ability to provide financial wherewithal, but I will be making a contribution, and I hope you will, too. I'm going to take advantage of the online contribution to get one in before midnight tonight so I can get one more charitable deduction for tax year 2008. It's for a good cause and if you itemize your deductions on Form 1040 it will help to reduce your net income tax.
This is one event I will be following closely - will pass along the tournament information as it becomes available!
Here is some background information about this special event, from the January, 2009 WSCF newsletter received by email earlier today:
The Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation, a 5 year old 501(c) (3) non-profit is hosting its third annual All Girls Chess tournament on February 28th. We expect over 100 girls from throughout Wisconsin to participate. The first year we had 21 girls participate and last year close to 60 students. We have funds and are committed to award scholarships in the amounts of $300, $250 and $50 to the champion of each of the 3 divisions.
The WSCF is looking to increase the level of scholarship support for this worthwhile tournament. Here are excerpts from the WSCF newsletter:
I am writing on behalf of all girls in Wisconsin who play scholastic chess in clubs, leagues and tournaments.
You may already be aware of the rapid growth of scholastic chess across the nation and that the typical ratio of male to female participation is 9 to 1. This ratio has been true for centuries and many studies have done on this subject. There is a national movement to have tournaments just for girls and we believe we are a leader in this effort and expect the size of this tournament to grow each year.
You may also know the power of long term participation in the learning of chess can increase students intelligence, critical thinking, logical, self-esteem and spatial awareness. Again, many studies have proven this and the result most often cited is the immediate raising of math and reading test scores. You can read more about this on our website www.wisconsinscholasticchess.org . You may especially want to look at the article "Chess Empowers Young Minds" and the video by National Geographic "My Brilliant Brain - Make me a Genius," which features the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title, Susan Polgar.
The gifts of chess empowers young people of both sexes. The WSCF is proud to have as its mission the teaching of chess to students all across Wisconsin. The All Girls Tournament is just one of our many activities to promote chess as a powerful educational tool.
One goal of the WSCF is to provide motivation for more girls to play chess and one way to do this is via the All Girls Tournament and the awarding of scholarships. We have committed what our resources allow at this time but would like to increase these amounts with grants and gifts from interested individuals, professional groups, foundations and corporations. One goal would be the awards given in each division to be $1000, $500 and $250 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The second part of this goal would be to grow the fund to be able to do this each year. One hundred percent of donations that WSCF receives marked scholarships are deposited into our scholarship trust account. Scholarships awarded are paid directly and only to the school of attendance of the recipient.
Your support and others you know may help in being a catalyst for some young girl to commit to studying chess with the goal of winning scholarships to help make college affordable.
If you would like more information, a visit to your office, or a presentation to a group of your colleagues please contact me at bob@wisconsinscholasticchess.org , at our P.O. Box or at 262-573-5624. If you would like to donate directly you can mail a check to our P.O. Box marked "all girls scholarship"; or donate via a credit card on our website.
On behalf of present and future female chess students in Wisconsin I extend my appreciation.
Sincerely,
Bob Patterson-Sumwalt
President/Founder
Wish I'd hit a big jackpot in Las Vegas so I could spread around some largesse): As it is, my desire to help far outstrips my ability to provide financial wherewithal, but I will be making a contribution, and I hope you will, too. I'm going to take advantage of the online contribution to get one in before midnight tonight so I can get one more charitable deduction for tax year 2008. It's for a good cause and if you itemize your deductions on Form 1040 it will help to reduce your net income tax.
This is one event I will be following closely - will pass along the tournament information as it becomes available!
Chess Princess: Nisha N Patkar
Story from Express Buzz (Karnataka)
Shimoga girl excels in chess
First Published : 31 Dec 2008 10:29:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 31 Dec 2008 01:18:35 PM IST
SHIMOGA: “I want to play with Grand Master Viswanathan Anand and I dream of becoming a woman grand master,” says Nisha, the young chess champion of Shimoga.
Nisha N Patkar, daughter of Nagaraj and Barathi Patkars, has scaled new heights in the field of chess. Nisha, in the seventh standard at Jnanadeepa School, has participated in many state, national and international chess tournaments and carved out a niche for herself. Trained by national chess player Sri Krishna Udupa of Nalanda Chess Academy, she now holds 1845 rank in the FIDE. She was ranked 20th in the Asian Youth Chess Championship in 2005.
She took part in the Commonwealth Chess championship and Nagpur Mayor’s Cup in 2008.
She has participated in around 35 national-level chess championships. She also bagged the best player in U-9 national-level chess championship in 2004. She has won 4th place in the CBSE south zone national competition in 2005 and in U-12 Nationals held at Sangli in 2008.
Shimoga girl excels in chess
First Published : 31 Dec 2008 10:29:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 31 Dec 2008 01:18:35 PM IST
SHIMOGA: “I want to play with Grand Master Viswanathan Anand and I dream of becoming a woman grand master,” says Nisha, the young chess champion of Shimoga.
Nisha N Patkar, daughter of Nagaraj and Barathi Patkars, has scaled new heights in the field of chess. Nisha, in the seventh standard at Jnanadeepa School, has participated in many state, national and international chess tournaments and carved out a niche for herself. Trained by national chess player Sri Krishna Udupa of Nalanda Chess Academy, she now holds 1845 rank in the FIDE. She was ranked 20th in the Asian Youth Chess Championship in 2005.
She took part in the Commonwealth Chess championship and Nagpur Mayor’s Cup in 2008.
She has participated in around 35 national-level chess championships. She also bagged the best player in U-9 national-level chess championship in 2004. She has won 4th place in the CBSE south zone national competition in 2005 and in U-12 Nationals held at Sangli in 2008.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
More Photos from The Domes
It's pretty funny - dondelion and I were together the entire time we visited the Domes on Sunday 12/28 and I took 30 more photos than he did - of the same stuff! LOL!
Here's a photo of dondelion taking a photo of the Domes :)
The next photo is a view from the entry into the "Show Dome" featuring the winter/holidays exhibit. It's a veritable feast of eye-catching color and textures.
There were lots of people seeing the Domes when we were there - a lot more people than I've ever seen there during previous visits. The revamp (as I understand it, sponsored by a private philanthropical organization) is a great success, the place looks great. A new light show (haven't seen it yet) has also been added thanks to the financial grant that enabled the revamp. The Domes have always been a spectacular sight across the Menomonee River Valley at night to traffic on the expressways and drivers using the viaducts on 6th, 16th, 27th and 35th Streets. They glow and seem to pulsate in the night air - sometimes suggesting the homes of the future (geodesic domes), sometimes suggesting something from outer space. With the addition of a circle of color lights around the "collar" of each of the Domes near their apex, they are even more noticeable than before.
Ahhh, looking at the photo of the show makes me yearn for summer. It's gotten very nasty weather-wise here tonight. The temperature has plummeted, the winds are howling and my driveway is once again loaded with ice pellets and snow drifted to half a foot already (we're only supposed to get an inch or two of snow tonight - HA!) Tomorrow will be even worse. Windchills back to 20 below zero while I'm hiking to the bus stop in the morning. Argh!
On the plus side, I'm now stuffed with the leftovers from last night's outing to Joey Buona's - chopped salad and a large Supreme Pizza. Oh, it was soooo good! Okay, the salad was a wee little bit soggy after more than 24 hours in the fridge here, but it was still delicious. And dondelion left four pieces of pizza for my supper. Now I'm sleepy. Time to wrap it up for the night.
Here's a photo of dondelion taking a photo of the Domes :)
The next photo is a view from the entry into the "Show Dome" featuring the winter/holidays exhibit. It's a veritable feast of eye-catching color and textures.
There were lots of people seeing the Domes when we were there - a lot more people than I've ever seen there during previous visits. The revamp (as I understand it, sponsored by a private philanthropical organization) is a great success, the place looks great. A new light show (haven't seen it yet) has also been added thanks to the financial grant that enabled the revamp. The Domes have always been a spectacular sight across the Menomonee River Valley at night to traffic on the expressways and drivers using the viaducts on 6th, 16th, 27th and 35th Streets. They glow and seem to pulsate in the night air - sometimes suggesting the homes of the future (geodesic domes), sometimes suggesting something from outer space. With the addition of a circle of color lights around the "collar" of each of the Domes near their apex, they are even more noticeable than before.
Ahhh, looking at the photo of the show makes me yearn for summer. It's gotten very nasty weather-wise here tonight. The temperature has plummeted, the winds are howling and my driveway is once again loaded with ice pellets and snow drifted to half a foot already (we're only supposed to get an inch or two of snow tonight - HA!) Tomorrow will be even worse. Windchills back to 20 below zero while I'm hiking to the bus stop in the morning. Argh!
On the plus side, I'm now stuffed with the leftovers from last night's outing to Joey Buona's - chopped salad and a large Supreme Pizza. Oh, it was soooo good! Okay, the salad was a wee little bit soggy after more than 24 hours in the fridge here, but it was still delicious. And dondelion left four pieces of pizza for my supper. Now I'm sleepy. Time to wrap it up for the night.
Susan Polgar On Chess
GM Susan Polgar's December 26, 2008 column from the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal (Online):
Polgar: A year-end recap of Texas Tech, SPICE and chess in Lubbock
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Friday, December 26, 2008Story last updated at 12/26/2008 - 3:38 pm
First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! Secondly, I would like to thank everyone for your support and for sending in so many wonderful comments.
Here is a recap of just some of the SPICE activities and various chess events in Lubbock in the past 12 months:
• Members of SPICE conducted various Chess Workshops (hosted by the TTU English Department) for LISD teachers and educators in Region 17.
• The TTU Knight Raiders Chess Team and SPICE conducted the Super Saturday Chess classes for local youngsters over four Saturdays.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation organized and hosted the first ever Lubbock Open Scholastic (K-12) Championship with 109 participants at Monterey High School.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation hosted and conducted the Susan Polgar All-Star Chess Training for some of the most talented girls in America as well as the "Chess: It's a Girl Thing" Summer Camp at TTU.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation hosted the 5th annual Susan Polgar National Invitational Championship, the most prestigious all-girls national championship in the U.S., at the Frazier Pavilion.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation organized and hosted the 2008 SPICE CUP International Chess Festival. The main event was the SPICE Cup Invitational, the highest rated 10-player round robin International chess tournament in U.S. history. Another highlight of the festival was the Texas Women's Open Championship.
• Visit Lubbock and the Susan Polgar Foundation donated two giant chess sets to the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport. They are being placed on each end of the passenger terminal for all travelers to use. Lubbock is the first airport to have done this.
SPICE helped started or supported chess programs in numerous schools in the area, for example at Harwell Elementary (thanks to the support of the Lubbock Area Foundation), the All-Saints School, Centennial Elementary, Murfee Elementary and Premier High School.
We continued our excellent collaboration with Lubbock ISD and Region 17 to promote chess in education.
I had the opportunity to present SPICE, Texas Tech and Lubbock:
• at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash.
• at the Chess in Education Seminar in Chicago
• at the Raytheon's Innovation Day in Los Angeles
• at the TCA workshop in Houston with Dr. Alexey Root of UTD
• in Budapest, Hungary
• in Dresden at the 2008 World Chess Olympiad
• at the Chess & Technology Conference in San Luis, Argentina, organized by "Universidad de la Punta"
SPICE, Texas Tech, and Lubbock also received plenty of promotion:
• at the National Elementary (K-6) Chess Championship in Pittsburgh, PA
• at the third annual Susan Polgar World Open for Boys and Girls in Las Vegas
• at the 2008 U.S. Open in Dallas
• at the Chess Grand Slam Final in Bilbao, Spain
• at the National K-12 Championship in Orlando, Fla.
In the past year, through the Susan Polgar Foundation, we have given out hundreds of chess sets, chess boards, chess DVDs, chess curriculum, etc. to many of the local schools. Last but not least, Lubbock and Texas Tech received the prestigious "2008 Chess City of the Year" and "2008 Chess College of the Year" awards by the United States Chess Federation.
Please keep questions and comments coming by e-mailing me at Susan.Polgar@ttu.edu. See also www.SPICE.ttu.edu and www.SusanPolgar.blogspot.com for more information.
Polgar: A year-end recap of Texas Tech, SPICE and chess in Lubbock
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Friday, December 26, 2008Story last updated at 12/26/2008 - 3:38 pm
First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! Secondly, I would like to thank everyone for your support and for sending in so many wonderful comments.
Here is a recap of just some of the SPICE activities and various chess events in Lubbock in the past 12 months:
• Members of SPICE conducted various Chess Workshops (hosted by the TTU English Department) for LISD teachers and educators in Region 17.
• The TTU Knight Raiders Chess Team and SPICE conducted the Super Saturday Chess classes for local youngsters over four Saturdays.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation organized and hosted the first ever Lubbock Open Scholastic (K-12) Championship with 109 participants at Monterey High School.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation hosted and conducted the Susan Polgar All-Star Chess Training for some of the most talented girls in America as well as the "Chess: It's a Girl Thing" Summer Camp at TTU.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation hosted the 5th annual Susan Polgar National Invitational Championship, the most prestigious all-girls national championship in the U.S., at the Frazier Pavilion.
• SPICE and the Susan Polgar Foundation organized and hosted the 2008 SPICE CUP International Chess Festival. The main event was the SPICE Cup Invitational, the highest rated 10-player round robin International chess tournament in U.S. history. Another highlight of the festival was the Texas Women's Open Championship.
• Visit Lubbock and the Susan Polgar Foundation donated two giant chess sets to the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport. They are being placed on each end of the passenger terminal for all travelers to use. Lubbock is the first airport to have done this.
SPICE helped started or supported chess programs in numerous schools in the area, for example at Harwell Elementary (thanks to the support of the Lubbock Area Foundation), the All-Saints School, Centennial Elementary, Murfee Elementary and Premier High School.
We continued our excellent collaboration with Lubbock ISD and Region 17 to promote chess in education.
I had the opportunity to present SPICE, Texas Tech and Lubbock:
• at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash.
• at the Chess in Education Seminar in Chicago
• at the Raytheon's Innovation Day in Los Angeles
• at the TCA workshop in Houston with Dr. Alexey Root of UTD
• in Budapest, Hungary
• in Dresden at the 2008 World Chess Olympiad
• at the Chess & Technology Conference in San Luis, Argentina, organized by "Universidad de la Punta"
SPICE, Texas Tech, and Lubbock also received plenty of promotion:
• at the National Elementary (K-6) Chess Championship in Pittsburgh, PA
• at the third annual Susan Polgar World Open for Boys and Girls in Las Vegas
• at the 2008 U.S. Open in Dallas
• at the Chess Grand Slam Final in Bilbao, Spain
• at the National K-12 Championship in Orlando, Fla.
In the past year, through the Susan Polgar Foundation, we have given out hundreds of chess sets, chess boards, chess DVDs, chess curriculum, etc. to many of the local schools. Last but not least, Lubbock and Texas Tech received the prestigious "2008 Chess City of the Year" and "2008 Chess College of the Year" awards by the United States Chess Federation.
Please keep questions and comments coming by e-mailing me at Susan.Polgar@ttu.edu. See also www.SPICE.ttu.edu and www.SusanPolgar.blogspot.com for more information.
Dronavalli Harika Wins Arjuna Award
Excerpted from The Times of India
Sport on!
31 Dec 2008, 0000 hrs IST, RUBINA A KHAN , TNN
Check mate
Chess-wonder Dronavalli Harika from the Guntur district holds the titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master, and has been given the Arjuna Award. Her feats this year include the Girl's title at the World Junior Chess Championship in Turkey.
Sport on!
31 Dec 2008, 0000 hrs IST, RUBINA A KHAN , TNN
Check mate
Chess-wonder Dronavalli Harika from the Guntur district holds the titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master, and has been given the Arjuna Award. Her feats this year include the Girl's title at the World Junior Chess Championship in Turkey.
A New Year Resolution - To Learn Chess
A great idea!
Make A Resolution to Stick To
Last Update: 5:43 pm
Web produced by: Jessica Noll
Whether you are vowing to take up a hobby, get fit, learn a new skill, read more, become more computer literate, volunteer your time or get your GED in the New Year, the Kenton County Public Library can help with your resolution.
Always wanted to learn to play chess? Here is your chance! The Mary Ann Mongan Library in Covington will offer a two-part Chess Class Saturdays, Jan. 17 and 31, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The class for children in first grade through adults will teach the basics such as pieces, point values, rules and moves. The Covington location also offers Chess Club for children in grades K-12 every Thursday from 3-5 p.m. It’s open to all skill levels.
Make A Resolution to Stick To
Last Update: 5:43 pm
Web produced by: Jessica Noll
Whether you are vowing to take up a hobby, get fit, learn a new skill, read more, become more computer literate, volunteer your time or get your GED in the New Year, the Kenton County Public Library can help with your resolution.
Always wanted to learn to play chess? Here is your chance! The Mary Ann Mongan Library in Covington will offer a two-part Chess Class Saturdays, Jan. 17 and 31, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The class for children in first grade through adults will teach the basics such as pieces, point values, rules and moves. The Covington location also offers Chess Club for children in grades K-12 every Thursday from 3-5 p.m. It’s open to all skill levels.
As I Said Before - It's a Numbers Game
This isn't news - just further confirmation of earlier studies that I wrote about at Goddesschess some time ago.
Women are NOT inferior to men when it comes to playing chess, it's just that the relative sample of women who do play is so much smaller than that for men, the statistics get skewed. Women players distribute across a classic "Bell curve" the same way that male players do, it's just that theirs is a LOT smaller.
Chess isn't necessarily about testosterone or spatial perception, or even "superior" intelligence. Women do and can play as well as men, and will achieve equal levels of GMs and IMs with the guys - if we can somehow as a world manage to get to that "critical mass" of female chessplayers where the players that possess the skills required for chess reach equal levels. There is still a long way to go.
So, darlings, don't be fooled by the folks who say that women can't play chess, or that women don't play chess as well as men, or whatever blah blah blah about the supposed "inferiority" of women when it comes to playing chess. It's a lot of baloney and fear on the part of the folks spewing forth these misleading statements (at best) or downright lies (at worst) about female chessplayers.
Women are NOT inferior to men when it comes to playing chess, it's just that the relative sample of women who do play is so much smaller than that for men, the statistics get skewed. Women players distribute across a classic "Bell curve" the same way that male players do, it's just that theirs is a LOT smaller.
Chess isn't necessarily about testosterone or spatial perception, or even "superior" intelligence. Women do and can play as well as men, and will achieve equal levels of GMs and IMs with the guys - if we can somehow as a world manage to get to that "critical mass" of female chessplayers where the players that possess the skills required for chess reach equal levels. There is still a long way to go.
So, darlings, don't be fooled by the folks who say that women can't play chess, or that women don't play chess as well as men, or whatever blah blah blah about the supposed "inferiority" of women when it comes to playing chess. It's a lot of baloney and fear on the part of the folks spewing forth these misleading statements (at best) or downright lies (at worst) about female chessplayers.
Chess Life Magazine January, 2009
Hola darlings! Damn, it is COLD outside. I was pelted smack in the kisser with sleety iceballs all the way home from the bus stop - 3/4th of a mile of sheer hell that would test the mettle of the most stalwart. Ach, I'm sounding like Hemingway - better stop now!
The January 2009 issue of Chess Life magazine from USCF arrived in the mail today and there is one hot cover photo of a suited-up Gregory Kaidanov, he is just smoking in that photo! Well done to whomever took that photo, it's a great shot. The shot on the lead pages of the article (267-27) was nice too, but done in black and white. There was an equally fine shot of Jen Shahade on page 37 in the Hip Hop Variation article (about RZA's efforts to promote chess), also in black and white.
Mostly I skip through Chess Life, because I do not play through any of the games or read any of the analysis, not being a "serious" chessplayer but a hopeless case -- my interest in chess stems from admiration for the people who actually play the game for something other than occasional amusement! I stop at photos that I find admirable and will read through an article occasionally if it about the ancient origins of the game, about a female or females playing chess or one of my favorite players. Now, I did not read this article, on the 2008 Women's World Championship by GM Pal Benko, but I will spend some time looking it over later because I admired his honesty in writing this - his lead-in says:
As a conflict took place between Russian and Georgian troops, the women's world championship lost competitors to the political fallout. One consequence is the imprecision of many of the championship level end-games.
I look forward to going over his insights in this article.
I noticed last month - and again this month - in large ads, the 2009 National Open is not going to be held at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas in June! Why the hell not? What is, exactly, the "South Point Hotel" - the new venue? Off strip and out of the way and inconvenient! Ach! I think this is a big mistake, but hopefully the rooms will be LOTS cheaper for the patzer players who fork over their entry fees to pay for the prizes won by the big guns, and everyone will be happy - and, come to think of it - maybe some of those overweight dudes will walk off some of their bellies trekking to and from the South Point to the Strip, where all the action still, truly, is!
The January 2009 issue of Chess Life magazine from USCF arrived in the mail today and there is one hot cover photo of a suited-up Gregory Kaidanov, he is just smoking in that photo! Well done to whomever took that photo, it's a great shot. The shot on the lead pages of the article (267-27) was nice too, but done in black and white. There was an equally fine shot of Jen Shahade on page 37 in the Hip Hop Variation article (about RZA's efforts to promote chess), also in black and white.
Mostly I skip through Chess Life, because I do not play through any of the games or read any of the analysis, not being a "serious" chessplayer but a hopeless case -- my interest in chess stems from admiration for the people who actually play the game for something other than occasional amusement! I stop at photos that I find admirable and will read through an article occasionally if it about the ancient origins of the game, about a female or females playing chess or one of my favorite players. Now, I did not read this article, on the 2008 Women's World Championship by GM Pal Benko, but I will spend some time looking it over later because I admired his honesty in writing this - his lead-in says:
As a conflict took place between Russian and Georgian troops, the women's world championship lost competitors to the political fallout. One consequence is the imprecision of many of the championship level end-games.
I look forward to going over his insights in this article.
I noticed last month - and again this month - in large ads, the 2009 National Open is not going to be held at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas in June! Why the hell not? What is, exactly, the "South Point Hotel" - the new venue? Off strip and out of the way and inconvenient! Ach! I think this is a big mistake, but hopefully the rooms will be LOTS cheaper for the patzer players who fork over their entry fees to pay for the prizes won by the big guns, and everyone will be happy - and, come to think of it - maybe some of those overweight dudes will walk off some of their bellies trekking to and from the South Point to the Strip, where all the action still, truly, is!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Mitchell Park Domes!
Hola darlings!Today dondelion and I visited Mother Newton and later we visited the newly revamped Domes! It was much colder today than yesterday, brrrr. Yesterday was a day of rain and fog and massive amounts of melting snow! Then yet another weather system came through late last night or very early this morning - WHOOSH! - and it was back to Winter! Fortunately for us, the melt-off yesterday melted all of the accumulated snow from Christmas Eve Day! It was something amazing, actually. When the taxi pulled up to the house the evening of 12/26 bringing us home from the airport, the roads in the subdivision were still snow-covered and slippery. But it was already warming up amazingly, and the snow-caused fog was even then getting thicker by the moment. Indeed, by Saturday morning the Milwaukee airport was intermittently closed due to poor visibility.
Today dawned cold and bright and crisp. We headed out around 10 AM and got back home about 5 PM. The Domes have been newly revamped! The metal structures of the geodesic domes were reinforced and damaged triple-pane glass replaced here and there -- restoring more than 40 years wear and tear! The interior public spaces were revamped too. The bathrooms were totally redone and enlarged, very nice (well, at least the ladies' room was very nice, dondelion didn't notice anything in particular about the mens' room! The ladies room had new sinks and stalls, and additional space, new flooring, and a new paint job.) The terracotta tiled floors were restored and/or redone in parts, everything got repainted, the ceiling was totally replaced, new lighting and benches were put into place, the admissions booth was relocated to the center of the entrance rather than the right side, the doors were replaced, the gift shop was relocated. And - get this - the admission price was lowered! I remember distinctly the last visit dondelion and I had to the rather sad and worn looking Domes - although the interior presentations of the Domes was still as fantastic as ever! I don't exactly remember the admission charge, but I know it was a bit more than $7 each. Now the admission has been lowered to $5 -- or maybe it was just lowered for the holidays? -- I hope the lowered admission is permanent because the displays in the Domes are spectacular and at $5 many more people will come. Indeed, there were lots of people there today when we arrived, shortly before 2:30 PM. The line moved quickly and I was really impressed with the improvements in the appearance of the place.
More tomorrow. It's late here, I have to work tomorrow early, I'm working on my laptop after my wireless network crashed on 12/24 - I don't EVEN want to go there, darlings.
Time to call it a night.
Happy Holidays - Whew!
What a whirlwind the past few days have been, whew! We're back home from Las Vegas and decompressing.We were fortunate in getting out of Milwaukee only about 2.5 hours behind schedule on Christmas Eve day! It started snowing early, and the cab driver on the way back on on 12/26 said we got between 12 and 15 inches (I believe it). Anyway, we arrived late in LV but the hotel we stayed at (Imperial Palace) had very nice rooms, both of us were comfortable and well looked after by the very friendly staff.
More about our LV stay later. We spent Christmas Day at Isis' place and had brunch there, and watched happy Christmas movies until we suddenly had to run back to the Venetian to get our seat assignments for the Christmas Night show of "Phantom of the Opera." Wow - more about that later too.
Then we had a rather interesting late dinner (10:30 p.m.) at what was billed as a top-notch Italian restorante - well, it wasn't quite what we had in mind - more about that later...
The flight back home on 12/26 left LV on time and arrived in Milwaukee on time - wonderful!
The weather - eek!
Here is a photo of Mother Newton's Christmas Tree (we visited today).
Monday, December 22, 2008
Arab Women's Chess Championship
Arab Chess Championship: Egypt’s Mona Khaled Takes Lead
Correspondent 23 December 2008
SHARJAH - Mona Khaled of Egypt is in commanding position in the Arab Women Chess Championship after taking a full point lead with 3 rounds to go after defeating Hamza Amira of Algeria. Mona is at the top of the table with 5.5 points.
Women: Hamza Amira (3.5) lost to Mona Khaled (5.5); Mouradian Knarik (4.5) bt Latreche Sabrina (4); Mezioud Amina (3) lost to Mir Mahmoud Afamia (4.5); Essa Kulood (3.5) drew with Algildah Nibal (3.5); Fuad Natalie (3.5) drew with Jelda Fatma (3.5); Salem Amna (2) lost to Basil Ziana (3.5); Nouman (2.5) lost to Mona (3).
Correspondent 23 December 2008
SHARJAH - Mona Khaled of Egypt is in commanding position in the Arab Women Chess Championship after taking a full point lead with 3 rounds to go after defeating Hamza Amira of Algeria. Mona is at the top of the table with 5.5 points.
Women: Hamza Amira (3.5) lost to Mona Khaled (5.5); Mouradian Knarik (4.5) bt Latreche Sabrina (4); Mezioud Amina (3) lost to Mir Mahmoud Afamia (4.5); Essa Kulood (3.5) drew with Algildah Nibal (3.5); Fuad Natalie (3.5) drew with Jelda Fatma (3.5); Salem Amna (2) lost to Basil Ziana (3.5); Nouman (2.5) lost to Mona (3).
AICF to Host Women's International Tournament in 2009
AICF has announced it will host a women's international tournament in 2009:
From The Hindu.com
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
International women’s open
MANGALORE: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) secretary, D.V. Mr. Sundar said the AICF would conduct an international open tournament exclusively for women next year. “Mangalore could host the tournament,” he added.
“Though women could play in the various open international tournaments, we feel by conducting an exclusive international event for them, we could promote the women’s sport better.
“We will bring Woman Grandmasters from abroad for the tournament.” —
Principal Correspondent
From The Hindu.com
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
International women’s open
MANGALORE: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) secretary, D.V. Mr. Sundar said the AICF would conduct an international open tournament exclusively for women next year. “Mangalore could host the tournament,” he added.
“Though women could play in the various open international tournaments, we feel by conducting an exclusive international event for them, we could promote the women’s sport better.
“We will bring Woman Grandmasters from abroad for the tournament.” —
Principal Correspondent
More Shoveling... A Holiday Hiatus
It was a mere 10 below zero F tonight on the walk home and, now being sufficiently thawed out, I have to once again don the down filled coat, hat, two scarves, gloves and over-mittens to shovel out the drifts from yesterday's fierce windstorm. It's supposed to start snowing again later tonight, and I want to get this out of the way while I can.
I've got the pot roast going in the slow cooker, 4 hours tonight, 2 hours tomorrow night and then on warm until dondelion arrives, Goddess willing, right on time (around 7 PM by taxi from the airport). I've still got to scrub the bathrooms and vacuum - and wrap gifts for various people at the office that I will haul in tomorrow morning. The temperature is supposed to moderate tomorrow and creep into the mid-20's F - a heat wave. No down coat tomorrow, back to the fiber-filled jacket and tall boots - there are still lots of drifts on the sidewalks that haven't been removed by weary homeowners and the streets are a mess - the city is having the same problem as moi - nowhere to go with the snow!
I won't be blogging at all from Las Vegas - assuming we get there. Between tonight and Wednesday we may accumulate as much as 10 additional inches of snow, and the winds, much calmer today (up to 10 mph) than yesterday (sustained at 20-30 mph, with guest at 40 mph and over), are once again supposed to pick up. So - dondelion and my trip to visit Isis and Michelle in Las Vegas is in the Goddess' capable hands.
If there aren't any new posts here for 4-5 days, don't run away darlings, I'll be back!
Happy Holidays to all of our readers and fans. We appreciate your support and comments and emails. Now it's time to pull out the shovel and work some more at whittling my waistline down :)
I've got the pot roast going in the slow cooker, 4 hours tonight, 2 hours tomorrow night and then on warm until dondelion arrives, Goddess willing, right on time (around 7 PM by taxi from the airport). I've still got to scrub the bathrooms and vacuum - and wrap gifts for various people at the office that I will haul in tomorrow morning. The temperature is supposed to moderate tomorrow and creep into the mid-20's F - a heat wave. No down coat tomorrow, back to the fiber-filled jacket and tall boots - there are still lots of drifts on the sidewalks that haven't been removed by weary homeowners and the streets are a mess - the city is having the same problem as moi - nowhere to go with the snow!
I won't be blogging at all from Las Vegas - assuming we get there. Between tonight and Wednesday we may accumulate as much as 10 additional inches of snow, and the winds, much calmer today (up to 10 mph) than yesterday (sustained at 20-30 mph, with guest at 40 mph and over), are once again supposed to pick up. So - dondelion and my trip to visit Isis and Michelle in Las Vegas is in the Goddess' capable hands.
If there aren't any new posts here for 4-5 days, don't run away darlings, I'll be back!
Happy Holidays to all of our readers and fans. We appreciate your support and comments and emails. Now it's time to pull out the shovel and work some more at whittling my waistline down :)
Santa v. Rudolph Grudge Match
From the Muskogee Phoenix.comPublished December 22, 2008 06:45 pm -
Chess battle at North Pole
By Eric Morrow
Sunday, Dec. 21, was the solstice and the first day of Hanukkah. It also marked the date of the much anticipated grudge match between Santa Claus and Rudolph.
The source of the tension was their draw at the North Pole Championship in September. The game ended in a time scramble, as hoof and hand pounded the clock after each move. Rudolph fouled in the scramble when the compact horn on his front right hoof touched a pawn before moving his queen out of danger. The elves and reindeer inhaled as one but Santa moved before the arbiter could compel Rudolph to move his pawn, as required by the touch move rule.
On Santa’s next move he, too, accidentally touched the wrong piece, as he reached to check Rudolf with his rook Santa’s sleeve brushed against his king. Dancer and Dasher burst out “Touch move!” But Rudolpf moved his king out of check before the arbiter again acted.
Since then, Santa and Rudolph have been taunting each other with trash talk. A small, vocal minority of elves hinted that they can prove that Rudolph secretly got computer assistance when he went outside in the snow to relieve himself. Comet wrote a piece for the “Daily Pole” that Santa just got lucky. Vixon and Sugarplum Mary only fanned the flames when they joined forces and began taking bets.
At sundown the match began. The first to win a game won the match. The first two games were hard fought draws. In the third game, however, Santa underestimated black’s attacking potential and failed on his previous move to trade his bishop on b2 for black’s knight at e5. With this hint in mind please try to find how Rudolph mated Santa in two moves. [No board diagram was included in the online version of the article, unfortunately, so we can't see how the pieces were aligned on the board].
Black’s bishop on b8, knight on e5 and queen on f4 are all posed to act in concert. Rudolph struck up the tune by moving his knight to f3, checking white.
Black now threatens mate on h2 with its queen supported by either its bishop or knight. Because Santa is in check, he must either take the knight or retreat his king to h1. One way or another the queen next mates on h2.
After Rudolph’s knight check on f3, Santa resigned. He took Rudolph’s hoof in hand and said, “Well done. And to all a good night.”
**********************
Don't let the author fool you with the references to "hoof" and "horn" - I think the Rudolph he's talking about is actually a coy reference to WIM Anna Rudolf of Hungary, who played in the Dresden Olympiad for Hungary Women's Team. Note the queen's mate attack :) Santa is recently widowed and word has it that he's making a list and checking it twice, looking for a new mate:) It's a wise man who knows that the way to a woman's heart is through a good mating dance. Ho ho ho.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
2008 National 'A' Women's Chess Championship of India
From The Hindu.com - Round 4 Report. Five players currently tied with 2.5/4. Current leader is Kruttika Nadig with 3.0/4.
December 22, 2008
Kruttika outplays Swati, in sole lead
Kamesh Srinivasan
NEW DELHI: Kruttika Nadig sailed past former champion Swati Ghate in the fourth round of the Parsvnath 35th National ‘A’ women’s chess championship at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture here on Sunday.
Kruttika played the closed Sicilian with a rare touch of authority to cruise home in 31 moves, for her third win of the tournament.
Kruttika is the sole leader with three points, while defending champion Tania Sachdev, Amrutha Mokal, Eesha Karavade, Mary Ann Gomes and Soumya Swaminathan were breathing down her neck with 2.5 points each.
On a lively day, when five of the six games were decisive, Kruttika took the cake with her crafty handling of a sharp variation.
“I sacrificed a pawn to gain initiative. Eventually, I not only got the pawn back but also a strong positional advantage. I usually don’t play this, but had prepared it in the morning,” said Kruttika.
Eesha beats Soumya
The fine run of Soumya hit a speed-breaker in the form of Eesha. “I surprised her with the French opening, but she played badly,” said WGM Eesha, after her 34-move demolition of the overnight leader.
Amrutha continued to fight hard despite her constant trouble with time. In fact, the lesser the time on her clock, the better she played, as she check-mated the better-rated Padmini Rout in 32 moves.
Tania back on track
Tania of Air-India revived her fortunes with a clinical performance against last year’s runner-up Kiran Manisha Mohanty.
She galloped on an active knight in the end game, against her opponent’s frozen bishop, to grab a crucial point.
Asian junior champion Mary consolidated her position with a victory over Pon N. Krithika in 49 moves.
The results (fourth round):
Amrutha Mokal 2.5 bt Padmini Rout 1;
Kruttika Nadig 3 bt Swati Ghate 2;
Nisha Mohota 1.5 drew with Bhakti Kulkarni 1;
Mary Ann Gomes 2.5 bt Pon N. Krithika 1.5;
Tania Sachdev 2.5 bt Kiran Manisha Mohanty 1;
Soumya Swaminathan 2.5 lost to Eesha Karavade 2.5.
December 22, 2008
Kruttika outplays Swati, in sole lead
Kamesh Srinivasan
NEW DELHI: Kruttika Nadig sailed past former champion Swati Ghate in the fourth round of the Parsvnath 35th National ‘A’ women’s chess championship at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture here on Sunday.
Kruttika played the closed Sicilian with a rare touch of authority to cruise home in 31 moves, for her third win of the tournament.
Kruttika is the sole leader with three points, while defending champion Tania Sachdev, Amrutha Mokal, Eesha Karavade, Mary Ann Gomes and Soumya Swaminathan were breathing down her neck with 2.5 points each.
On a lively day, when five of the six games were decisive, Kruttika took the cake with her crafty handling of a sharp variation.
“I sacrificed a pawn to gain initiative. Eventually, I not only got the pawn back but also a strong positional advantage. I usually don’t play this, but had prepared it in the morning,” said Kruttika.
Eesha beats Soumya
The fine run of Soumya hit a speed-breaker in the form of Eesha. “I surprised her with the French opening, but she played badly,” said WGM Eesha, after her 34-move demolition of the overnight leader.
Amrutha continued to fight hard despite her constant trouble with time. In fact, the lesser the time on her clock, the better she played, as she check-mated the better-rated Padmini Rout in 32 moves.
Tania back on track
Tania of Air-India revived her fortunes with a clinical performance against last year’s runner-up Kiran Manisha Mohanty.
She galloped on an active knight in the end game, against her opponent’s frozen bishop, to grab a crucial point.
Asian junior champion Mary consolidated her position with a victory over Pon N. Krithika in 49 moves.
The results (fourth round):
Amrutha Mokal 2.5 bt Padmini Rout 1;
Kruttika Nadig 3 bt Swati Ghate 2;
Nisha Mohota 1.5 drew with Bhakti Kulkarni 1;
Mary Ann Gomes 2.5 bt Pon N. Krithika 1.5;
Tania Sachdev 2.5 bt Kiran Manisha Mohanty 1;
Soumya Swaminathan 2.5 lost to Eesha Karavade 2.5.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...
The weather notwithstanding! Despite the dire economic news that is pounding on us nearly non-stop, I am a happy person and filled with the holiday spirit. Someone else is, too... another Golden Eagle has shown up in a Salvation Army pot.
From NPR:
In Fla., A Mystery, Annual Gift To Salvation Army
Listen Now [2 min 1 sec]
All Things Considered, December 17, 2008 · For the third year in a row, a Liberty Eagle gold coin worth almost $1,000 was dropped in a Salvation Army kettle. Each time, the coin has been accompanied by a small note, "In memory of Mimi." Megan Spears, resource management director of The Salvation Army of Lee County, Fla., talks about the donation.
These are scary times; you do what you can do and thank Goddess for your blessings, and try to share what you can with others less fortunate, having faith than in due course things will change for the better.
From NPR:
In Fla., A Mystery, Annual Gift To Salvation Army
Listen Now [2 min 1 sec]
All Things Considered, December 17, 2008 · For the third year in a row, a Liberty Eagle gold coin worth almost $1,000 was dropped in a Salvation Army kettle. Each time, the coin has been accompanied by a small note, "In memory of Mimi." Megan Spears, resource management director of The Salvation Army of Lee County, Fla., talks about the donation.
************************
The red kettles showed up earlier than usual this year, because the need is greater than ever. I put a dollar in every kettle I pass, and I pass then quite often because there are kettles at both the local Walgreens and Pick 'n Save supermarket that I visit nearly every night after work for something or other. If everyone could put in a small contribution each time they pass a red kettle, Salvation Army would maybe receive enough money to help everyone who needs it through fiscal 2009.These are scary times; you do what you can do and thank Goddess for your blessings, and try to share what you can with others less fortunate, having faith than in due course things will change for the better.
Unique at Chesstique: Chessly Gifts
If you're looking for a last minute chessly gift, or something unique for yourself, please check out our boutique at Chesstique, featuring unique chessly designs by dondelion and Isis. Not the usual stuff.
Here is one of Isis' gorgeous hand-made cloth chessboards, this one with satine ribbon, velvetine and gold braided trim. Standard 8x8 playing surface. Several one of a kind pre-made boards are offered, or contact Isis and she'll make up a custom order according to your specifications.
We also offer tee-shirts and hoodies for men, women and kids, tote bags, coffee mugs, and various other goodies with our unique Goddesschess designs.
Here is one of Isis' gorgeous hand-made cloth chessboards, this one with satine ribbon, velvetine and gold braided trim. Standard 8x8 playing surface. Several one of a kind pre-made boards are offered, or contact Isis and she'll make up a custom order according to your specifications.We also offer tee-shirts and hoodies for men, women and kids, tote bags, coffee mugs, and various other goodies with our unique Goddesschess designs.
Mysterious La Palma Stone
Story from Andina.comNo estimate of age of these findings was given in the story - not even a hint. I found that rather odd. Also note the reference to tourists already showing up in the area because of publicity (?) given to these recent finds, and how the regional authorities are already geared up for an influx of tourists, busy training guides and setting up rest-stops and food vendors! Hmmmm... I guess I just have a suspicious mind.
The "stone" is interesting - no way of telling from the photograph how big it actually is (no size was given in the story), but it looks large - and long. At first I thought it was a vertical carving, like on a cliff face (the story did mention caves), but after looking at it more closely I see mountains on the horizon with sky above, so this rock or stone is laying horizontally on the ground. All the easier to carve??? I see what looks like a grid of lines (for a board game?) (upper portion) and what look like cup holes (lower portion), in addition to a sort of zig-zag line that ends in what looks sort of like an angular figure-eight (center of stone, lower portion).
Petroglyphs, ceramics, dwellings and cave art found in Amazonas, Peru
Bagua Grande, Dec. 16 (ANDINA).- Petroglyphs, dwellings with vaulted niches, ceramics and cave art were discovered during cleaning works in Pachallama hill, located in the village of La Palma, in Jamalca-Utcubamba (Peru’s Amazonas), according to researchers who arrived in the zone.
Elvis Chugna, archaeologist and member of the research group of the Sub-regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Bagua-Utcubamba, said that these findings have been confirmed by a recent expedition sent to this zone.
He recalled that a first expedition group, integrated by local authorities and of the provincial municipality of Utcubamba, has recently reported this finding.
Chugna indicated that the petroglyph includes a group of elements which designs can be viewed according to the sun’s position; in the morning, some geometric shapes can be seen, and at noon, and sunset others figures emerge.
In the zone, several caves have been also found with ceramics, thermal waters, fossil mollusks, and impressive flora and fauna, besides of a great variety of orchids.
In turn, Benedicto Perez Goicochea, coordinator of the area’s tourist circuit denominated Pachallama, said that due to this discovery, 124 tourists have already visited the zone who have been properly registered in a visitor book. He said that an accommodation is fitted out for tourists that arrive in this place, located three kilometers far from Pachallama hill. The food and security are in charge of peasant patrols of the zone.
Pérez also indicated that community members are organized and they continue with the cleaning works. About five hectares have been cleared in the zone (covered of lush vegetation) finding evidences as the petroglyph, which is a stone with engravings and geometric designs that inhabitants denominate the mysterious stone of La Palma.
Elkin Herrera, director of the Sub-regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Bagua-Utcubamba, said that a series of activities have been launched in La Palma village such as courses of orientation and training of people, who have been organized as tourist guides.
(END) APV/JOT/GCJ/LVT
************************
One other note - there was only one other photograph of a find from this discovery - photograph two in the Andina article shows a partially re-assembled piece of pottery. Again, no age given. There were no photographs of the "cave art" or "vaulted niches" inside the caves. I understand that a newspaper has limited space to present a story - but why show a broken piece of pottery when you could show a cave painting instead? This all seems rather strange to me, and more than a bit suspicious.
Bronze Hoard Discovered at Cuzco
From Andina.com277 bronze artifacts found at Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman
Cusco, Dec. 17 (ANDINA).- Skilled workers and professional staff of Peru's National Institute of Culture in Cusco (INC) founded 277 bronze artifacts (champi) when conducting archaeological research at the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman located on the outskirts of Cusco
179 plumbs (cylindrical cone-shaped weights) of different types and 98 nose rings were discovered inside the enclosure No. 06 of the archaeological site of Inkacárcel that, according to preliminary investigations, was a warehouse or "qolqa".
The director of the archeological park, Washington Camacho, said that these artifacts were found with decomposed human remains, and burned products such as corn, among others.
He highlighted the importance of this discovery, which would confirm the hypothesis that Incas had different methods of construction used to build their houses, and employed high-quality techniques to control vertical alignments of their buildings.
(END) NDP/PZA/JOT/
Orion over Mount Nemrut (Turkey)
A breathtaking photo. See the larger photo for its full impact.Orion Dawn Over Mount Nemrut
Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel (TWAN)
Explanation: What's that in front of Orion? Forty kilometers north of Kahta, Turkey, lies Mount Nemrut, a mountain adorned with the fragments of vast statues built over 2000 years ago. The stone sculptures once stood nearly 10 meters high and depicted lions, eagles, various ancient gods, and King Antiochus I Theos, who ruled Commagene from 86 BC to 38 BC. Ruins of the bodies of several sitting figures are visible on the hill above, illuminated by moonlight. Zeus' head can be found near the above image's center, while the king's head is seen next closest to the horizon. Visible far in the distance in this image, taken three months ago, is the familiar constellation of Orion. The red patch just below Orion's belt is the Orion Nebula, while the bright star to the left of Orion is Sirius. On the far left, a red and brightening horizon announces that the Sun is beginning to rise.
Something Wrong with this Picture...
Is it only me, or is there something wrong with this picture? Why are these chess dudes (2008 Nanjing), only one of whom is Chinese, all dressed in these 21st fantasy versions of the Mao jacket? YECHY - and damn scary, too! What does this say about the modern Chinese mentality? Reminds me of the Borg - EEK! Now that's really scary!(Photo from Susan Polgar's excellent blog)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Oh no, it's snowing again...
It's begun - the snow - but current forecast calls for a mere 1-3" tonight, an additional inch tomorrow with possibly another inch accumulating after 6 PM tomorrow night. The big story is strong winds and plunging temperatures that have not hit - yet - but are in the forecast through noon on Monday. Great, just great. That means I get to walk to the bus stop Monday morning in -40F winds with blowing frozen snow slapping me in the face the entire 3/4 mile.I thought I'd look for some long underwear - can't get it delivered in time for Monday morning's trek, of course, but it would be a wise wardrobe addition for January, February, March and April, which is roughly the span of winter in Wisconsin in addition to November and December. Sigh. I found these red and white striped very cute long johns - but don't dare wear them unless you weigh less than 100 pounds and are at least 5'10" tall. Obviously not made for anything remotely resembling a REAL American woman like yours truly, LOL!
Blast from the Past: Kramnik the Lucky Loser
Chess News by Jude Acers
from PlayJava.com
March 27, 2000. London, England. World top five chess grandmaster V. Anand of India has shocked the chess world today by rejecting a two million dollar ($2,000,000) -16 game match with world number one rated superstar G. Kasparov. Mr. Anand reportedly demanded $300,000 from the fund being held in escrow in advance , withdrew when the cash did not arrive. Mr. Malcolm Pein (The Daily Telegraph) reports that V. Kramnik of Russia will be offered the challenger's role with launch date April 5, 2000 for all arrangements....the startling developments today complete the near miracle luck of Mr. Kramnik, now guaranteed $665,000 loser's purse and the Kasparov match in one of the apparently great rip-offs of all time --.Mr. Kramnik was badly beaten, losing two and drawing 8, winning NONE versus superstar A. Shirov for a Kasparov match two years ago...Readers will recall that Mr. Kramnik WAS PAID A REPORTED 200,000 FOR LOSING, Mr. Shirov left with huge bills, received nothing for winning when world number one Kasparov disappeared with collapse of the "guaranteed 3 million dollar" Kasparov-led match arrangements. Mr. Shirov, ALREADY deprived of one million dollars PLUS a match with Kasparov earned one thousand times over, must now only watch in agony as fate robs him of everything anew. Mr. Shirov, probably a de-facto world chess champion after defeating all of the top three available chess players in MONACO last week ( including Anand, Kramnik, Karpov etc. with a tremendous first place score: 14.5/22 in the Melody Amber half blindfold play/half rapid event, is so far quite the most unlucky chess grandmaster in history...
from PlayJava.com
March 27, 2000. London, England. World top five chess grandmaster V. Anand of India has shocked the chess world today by rejecting a two million dollar ($2,000,000) -16 game match with world number one rated superstar G. Kasparov. Mr. Anand reportedly demanded $300,000 from the fund being held in escrow in advance , withdrew when the cash did not arrive. Mr. Malcolm Pein (The Daily Telegraph) reports that V. Kramnik of Russia will be offered the challenger's role with launch date April 5, 2000 for all arrangements....the startling developments today complete the near miracle luck of Mr. Kramnik, now guaranteed $665,000 loser's purse and the Kasparov match in one of the apparently great rip-offs of all time --.Mr. Kramnik was badly beaten, losing two and drawing 8, winning NONE versus superstar A. Shirov for a Kasparov match two years ago...Readers will recall that Mr. Kramnik WAS PAID A REPORTED 200,000 FOR LOSING, Mr. Shirov left with huge bills, received nothing for winning when world number one Kasparov disappeared with collapse of the "guaranteed 3 million dollar" Kasparov-led match arrangements. Mr. Shirov, ALREADY deprived of one million dollars PLUS a match with Kasparov earned one thousand times over, must now only watch in agony as fate robs him of everything anew. Mr. Shirov, probably a de-facto world chess champion after defeating all of the top three available chess players in MONACO last week ( including Anand, Kramnik, Karpov etc. with a tremendous first place score: 14.5/22 in the Melody Amber half blindfold play/half rapid event, is so far quite the most unlucky chess grandmaster in history...
***************
With the FIDE-imposed rule changes regarding the Grand Prix and the creation of a new eight-player tournament to determine a challenger to Anand for the world title, Kramnik will have yet another kick at the can without having earned it. Most everyone who has commented on the matter assumes that the Russians will come through with a bid for the event and nominate Kramnik as their man to play.
What's the old saying - the more things change, the more they stay the same...
2008 National 'A' Women's Chess Championship of India
The Indian press is giving enthusiastic coverage to the National 'A' Women's Chess Championship this year - the best yet, I'd say. Perhaps the fantastic year that Indian chess stars have had, including the successful defending of his world chess champion title by GM Vishy Anand, has fired the press up as never before, and interest is at an all-time high in chess across the country. I love seeing this kind of enthusiasm for the game I love, particularly for a chess femme event. Here is a sampling of article that cropped up in a news search a few minutes ago:
Kruttika defeats Bhakti
Hindu, India - 1 hour ago NEW DELHI: Kruttika Nadig took the long route to victory against former National junior champion Bhakti Kulkarni in the third round of the Parsvnath 35th ...
Amrutha holds Soumya in Parsvnath National Women Chess
Bombay News, India - 5 hours ago Maharashtra's Amrutha Mokal held overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan to a creditable draw on the top table in the third round of ongoing Parsvnath 35th ...
Amrutha holds Soumya in Parsvnath National Women Chess
SINDH TODAY, Pakistan - 6 hours ago New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Maharashtra’s Amrutha Mokal held overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan to a creditable draw on the top table in the third round of ...
Amrutha holds Soumya in Parsvnath National Women Chess
Thaindian.com, Thailand - 7 hours ago New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Maharashtra’s Amrutha Mokal held overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan to a creditable draw on the top table in the third round of ...
Tania, Amrutha held at National Women championship
Indiatimes, India - 8 hours ago 20 Dec 2008, 1833 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Defending champion Tania Sachdev was once again held to a draw, while overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan also ...
Soumya stuns Tania
Hindu, India - 22 hours ago NEW DELHI: Soumya Swaminathan surprised defending champion Tania Sachdev with her clean calculation under time-pressure to emerge as the leader after two ...
Here's the first article from The Hindu. The writer enthusiastically conveyed the excitement and tension of Round 3, which was keenly fought by all of the chess femmes.
Sport - Chess
Kruttika defeats Bhakti
Kamesh Srinivasan
(File photo: Kuttika Nadig)
NEW DELHI: Kruttika Nadig took the long route to victory against former National junior champion Bhakti Kulkarni in the third round of the Parsvnath 35th National ‘A’ women’s chess championship at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture here on Saturday.
With the leader Soumya Swaminathan being held to a draw by a gutsy Amrutha Mokal, the 20-year-old Kruttika had reasons to be satisfied with her position, half point behind.
“It was a very funny game,” observed Kruttika.
Complicated position
After the Slav Defence had led to a complicated position, Kruttika conceded that she tried ‘all kinds of tricks’, to find a breakthrough.
Eventually, she had two bishops against a rook, but combined her queen with the bishops to wreak havoc and swallowed the rook as well.
Kruttika could have sealed the match with a bishop move on the 62nd turn, but drove the enemy king all over the board before executing the checkmate in 73 moves.
“I sacrificed to gain tempo, but she made some mistakes and lost,” said Kruttika, even as she agreed that she did not play the best moves, owing to time trouble.
Three-time Asian junior champion Mary Ann Gomes, grappling with a bout of cold, bolstered her sagging morale with a 37-move victory over last year’s runner-up Kiran Manisha Mohanty.
“It was a very tough game. She had an attack, but once it failed, my pieces became active. I gained material advantage too.
“I should not have let the match drift for so long. There should have been a better option,” said Mary. She took her tally to 1.5 points with the victory in 37 moves.
Swati Ghate was also happy to get back to winning ways after an error in the second round when she had to endure the ignominy of being check-mated following a hasty king move.
The 28-year-old sacrificed to gain momentum, but did not have to work hard on her strategy for long as her opponent blundered the queen and lost her way.
“I could have played a better course, but there is a long way ahead,” said Swati.
Time trouble
Soumya played as well as she could, but found dark horse Amrutha a tough nut to crack, despite the latter facing her usual enemy, time trouble.
At one stage, Soumya took so much time to plan her course, nearly 20 minutes for a move, that there was hardly any difference in the clock of the two.
“She played very well. There was nothing much I could do,” said the 19-year-old Soumya who had upset defending champion Tania Sachdev in the second round.
The 22-year-old Tania revealed her craft in holding WGM Eesha Karavade to a draw in 53 moves, despite being a pawn less in a knight against bishop end-game.
Pon N. Krithika continued to impress with her understanding of Ruy Lopez, as she snatched half a point from WGM Nisha Mohota in a 36-move encounter.
The results (third round):
Soumya Swaminathan (2.5) drew with Amrutha Mokal (1.5);
Eesha Karavade (1.5) drew with Tania Sachdev (1.5);
Kiran Manisha Mohanty (1) lost to Mary Ann Gomes (1.5);
Pon N. Krithika (1.5) drew with Nisha Mohota (1);
Bhakti Kulkarni (0.5) lost to Kruttika Nadig (2);
Swati Ghate (2) bt Padmini Rout (1).
Fourth round pairings:
Amrutha-Padmini;
Kruttika-Swati;
Nisha-Bhakti;
Mary-Krithika;
Tania-Kiran;
Soumya-Eesha.
Kruttika defeats Bhakti
Hindu, India - 1 hour ago NEW DELHI: Kruttika Nadig took the long route to victory against former National junior champion Bhakti Kulkarni in the third round of the Parsvnath 35th ...
Amrutha holds Soumya in Parsvnath National Women Chess
Bombay News, India - 5 hours ago Maharashtra's Amrutha Mokal held overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan to a creditable draw on the top table in the third round of ongoing Parsvnath 35th ...
Amrutha holds Soumya in Parsvnath National Women Chess
SINDH TODAY, Pakistan - 6 hours ago New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Maharashtra’s Amrutha Mokal held overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan to a creditable draw on the top table in the third round of ...
Amrutha holds Soumya in Parsvnath National Women Chess
Thaindian.com, Thailand - 7 hours ago New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Maharashtra’s Amrutha Mokal held overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan to a creditable draw on the top table in the third round of ...
Tania, Amrutha held at National Women championship
Indiatimes, India - 8 hours ago 20 Dec 2008, 1833 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Defending champion Tania Sachdev was once again held to a draw, while overnight leader Soumya Swaminathan also ...
Soumya stuns Tania
Hindu, India - 22 hours ago NEW DELHI: Soumya Swaminathan surprised defending champion Tania Sachdev with her clean calculation under time-pressure to emerge as the leader after two ...
Here's the first article from The Hindu. The writer enthusiastically conveyed the excitement and tension of Round 3, which was keenly fought by all of the chess femmes.
Sport - Chess
Kruttika defeats Bhakti
Kamesh Srinivasan
(File photo: Kuttika Nadig)
NEW DELHI: Kruttika Nadig took the long route to victory against former National junior champion Bhakti Kulkarni in the third round of the Parsvnath 35th National ‘A’ women’s chess championship at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture here on Saturday.
With the leader Soumya Swaminathan being held to a draw by a gutsy Amrutha Mokal, the 20-year-old Kruttika had reasons to be satisfied with her position, half point behind.
“It was a very funny game,” observed Kruttika.
Complicated position
After the Slav Defence had led to a complicated position, Kruttika conceded that she tried ‘all kinds of tricks’, to find a breakthrough.
Eventually, she had two bishops against a rook, but combined her queen with the bishops to wreak havoc and swallowed the rook as well.
Kruttika could have sealed the match with a bishop move on the 62nd turn, but drove the enemy king all over the board before executing the checkmate in 73 moves.
“I sacrificed to gain tempo, but she made some mistakes and lost,” said Kruttika, even as she agreed that she did not play the best moves, owing to time trouble.
Three-time Asian junior champion Mary Ann Gomes, grappling with a bout of cold, bolstered her sagging morale with a 37-move victory over last year’s runner-up Kiran Manisha Mohanty.
“It was a very tough game. She had an attack, but once it failed, my pieces became active. I gained material advantage too.
“I should not have let the match drift for so long. There should have been a better option,” said Mary. She took her tally to 1.5 points with the victory in 37 moves.
Swati Ghate was also happy to get back to winning ways after an error in the second round when she had to endure the ignominy of being check-mated following a hasty king move.
The 28-year-old sacrificed to gain momentum, but did not have to work hard on her strategy for long as her opponent blundered the queen and lost her way.
“I could have played a better course, but there is a long way ahead,” said Swati.
Time trouble
Soumya played as well as she could, but found dark horse Amrutha a tough nut to crack, despite the latter facing her usual enemy, time trouble.
At one stage, Soumya took so much time to plan her course, nearly 20 minutes for a move, that there was hardly any difference in the clock of the two.
“She played very well. There was nothing much I could do,” said the 19-year-old Soumya who had upset defending champion Tania Sachdev in the second round.
The 22-year-old Tania revealed her craft in holding WGM Eesha Karavade to a draw in 53 moves, despite being a pawn less in a knight against bishop end-game.
Pon N. Krithika continued to impress with her understanding of Ruy Lopez, as she snatched half a point from WGM Nisha Mohota in a 36-move encounter.
The results (third round):
Soumya Swaminathan (2.5) drew with Amrutha Mokal (1.5);
Eesha Karavade (1.5) drew with Tania Sachdev (1.5);
Kiran Manisha Mohanty (1) lost to Mary Ann Gomes (1.5);
Pon N. Krithika (1.5) drew with Nisha Mohota (1);
Bhakti Kulkarni (0.5) lost to Kruttika Nadig (2);
Swati Ghate (2) bt Padmini Rout (1).
Fourth round pairings:
Amrutha-Padmini;
Kruttika-Swati;
Nisha-Bhakti;
Mary-Krithika;
Tania-Kiran;
Soumya-Eesha.
It's DONE! (for now...)
The driveway is finished! I got back from the store at 1:40 PM and shoveled for another hour and 10 minutes and it's finished! This go-round I didn't even crack a sweat.
I stocked up on nuts for the squirrels and goodies for me and a meaty pot roast with fixings that I will make in the slow cooker Monday nigh, store overnight in the fridge (the inner crock pot removes from the heating element and has a glass dome cover) and finish up Tuesday night in anticipation of dondelion's arrival. Nothing better than having a good home-cooked meal and a tall glass of wine and warm rolls waiting for one after a long hard day of traveling. What can I say - I spoil the man rotten :)
Saturday Morning and No Heart Attack!
Hola darlings! I've survived the storm - now another one is on the way. New bulges on the arms - I tell you, I WILL have Popeye arms in another week or two if this keeps up. This new storm will be a doozy, not so much because of the amount of snow that is expected (maximum a mere 7") but because of strong winds and plunging temperatures that will push sustained windchills to 35 to 40 below zero F starting later tonight, and all day tomorrow. Blowing and drifting snow is expected to cause major travel hazards locally and white-out conditions. So, I've got a lot more to do today before the storm hits - it's already noon! I got behind the time when Isis called from Las Vegas - where more snow is forecast! We chatted for a good hour at least.
I slept in today, did not get up until 7:30 AM, eek! I've been shoveling. Got out at 9 AM and put in a good hour this morning in addition to the initial 40 minutes yesterday and then an hour and 15 minutes later yesterday, moving the heaviest of the snow -- clearing out the base of the driveway where the plow piled up chunks of ice and hard snow to 4 feet deep. Here's what my driveway looks like at present:
Okay - time to get a move on. Have much cleaning and then doing Goddesschess stuff to do before I'll be back here blogging. Right now, time to put the boots back on and bundle back up and head to the Pick 'n Save. I do not look forward to battling the mad crowds there, which there are sure to be! Heave Ho, Jan. Time to brave the elements once again...
I slept in today, did not get up until 7:30 AM, eek! I've been shoveling. Got out at 9 AM and put in a good hour this morning in addition to the initial 40 minutes yesterday and then an hour and 15 minutes later yesterday, moving the heaviest of the snow -- clearing out the base of the driveway where the plow piled up chunks of ice and hard snow to 4 feet deep. Here's what my driveway looks like at present:
You can now barely see the mail and newspaper boxes from the front stoop now (compare to photos taken 24 hours ago) The fresh layer of snow that accumulated over the past 24 hours is also clearly visible - ha, the weather dude said "no accumulation" expected from lake effect snow, which I ALWAYS get.
The driveway is now much narrower since the last shovel-out and is also "crooked" - lol! There are also decided curves in the cleared area although my driveway is a straight shot from the road. Well, it was hard to judge where to plunge the shovel into the snow banks to start shoveling yesterday when the snow was still blowing in my face. Once I get the rest of the bulk shoveled away (starting where the shovel is buried) closest to the house and garage door (probably another hour's worth of steady hard work), I will whittle away on the sides of the snow banks to widen out the driveway area and attempt to straighten out the curves. I don't need to do this, of course, since there is no car parked in the garage that I need to drive in and out. But it's damn good exercise, both aerobic and muscle-wise. Since I'm not walking anymore during lunch-hours I need to get in what exercise I can, when I can. I still want to get down to the weight I was in November, 2003, the last time delion and I visited Las Vegas. The scale keeps fluctuating - I either have to lose 5 lbs. or 3 lbs., depending on what time of the day it is. Can I do it? Assuming we can get out of Milwaukee on 12/24, I've only got a few more days to lose those last pounds! Eek! The left shoulder is aching again - I'm very mindful of not wanting to tear my rotator cuff, so I try to get equal time in on the right shoulder, but despite my best efforts there is just no comparison.
But first I've got to hike down to the supermarket and get a few things, some wine (for moi) and nuts (for the critters), and start stocking in food for dondelion's visit, assuming he can get here. Weather is very iffy in both Montreal and Milwaukee for his Tuesday flight, we're crossing out fingers. I won't be stirring outdoors at all tomorrow other than to shovel off the deck for the critters, the weather is supposed to be that bad. The forecasters are already warning about the mini-blizzard conditions, which is bad enough. It's the 35 to 40 below zero F temperatures that most bother me. My hands freeze up in nothing flat despite investing this season in supposedly super-duper thermal gloves. Ha! Fraud! Well - at least they have a waterproof outer coating which comes in handling when shoveling because with the winds whipping around I get lots of blowback - mostly in the face but on the hands and jacket too. Arghhh!Okay - time to get a move on. Have much cleaning and then doing Goddesschess stuff to do before I'll be back here blogging. Right now, time to put the boots back on and bundle back up and head to the Pick 'n Save. I do not look forward to battling the mad crowds there, which there are sure to be! Heave Ho, Jan. Time to brave the elements once again...
Furry Friends
The squirrels are out in force this morning - no doubt they can anticipate the new storm blowing in that may dump another 7" of snow here starting later on this afternoon, yech!
Here are three different visitors all within a minute of each other: (1) on a thin branch (nice view of my neighbors' shed and backyard :)) (2) Ninja squirrel - demonstrating her stealth and wary mode (3) and (4) are the same cheeky little gal - she's covered in snow because she loves to dig deep in the snow. I missed a great shot of just her tail sticking up out of a deep hole, lol! I whistled my presence at the patio door and she came up out of the hole and made a beeline for me. She's checking me out with the camera - not sure what the heck it is, but she grabbed a nut anyway and then paused long enough at the top of the edge of the snow for me to grab the final shot.
You can see the fresh snow that fell after I shoveled the deck yesterday morning and all of the critters' paw prints all over the place - as well as their pathways from the trees up to the partially excavated deck.
Here are three different visitors all within a minute of each other: (1) on a thin branch (nice view of my neighbors' shed and backyard :)) (2) Ninja squirrel - demonstrating her stealth and wary mode (3) and (4) are the same cheeky little gal - she's covered in snow because she loves to dig deep in the snow. I missed a great shot of just her tail sticking up out of a deep hole, lol! I whistled my presence at the patio door and she came up out of the hole and made a beeline for me. She's checking me out with the camera - not sure what the heck it is, but she grabbed a nut anyway and then paused long enough at the top of the edge of the snow for me to grab the final shot.
You can see the fresh snow that fell after I shoveled the deck yesterday morning and all of the critters' paw prints all over the place - as well as their pathways from the trees up to the partially excavated deck.
Friday, December 19, 2008
King Tut's Father Identified
At least, Zahi Hawass says so :)
King Tut's Father ID'd in Stone Inscription
Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News
Dec. 17, 2008 -- An inscribed limestone block might have solved one of history's greatest mysteries -- who fathered the boy pharaoh King Tut.
"We can now say that Tutankhamun was the child of Akhenaten," Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Discovery News.
The finding offers evidence against another leading theory that King Tut was sired by the minor king Smenkhkare.
Hawass discovered the missing part of a broken limestone block a few months ago in a storeroom at el Ashmunein, a village on the west bank of the Nile some 150 miles south of Cairo.
Once reassembled, the slab has become "an accurate piece of evidence that proves Tut lived in el Amarna with Akhenaten and he married his wife, Ankhesenamun," while living in el Amarna, Hawass said.
The text also suggests that the young Tutankhamun married his father's daughter -- his half sister.
"The block shows the young Tutankhamun and his wife, Ankhesenamun, seated together. The text identifies Tutankhamun as the 'king's son of his body, Tutankhaten,' and his wife as the 'king's daughter of his body, Ankhesenaten,'" Hawass said.
"We know that the only king to whom the text could refer as the father of both children is Akhenaten, himself. We know from other sources that Ankhesenamun was the daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Now, because of this block, we can say that Tutankhamun was the child of Akhenaten as well," Hawass said.
Found among other sandstone slabs in the storeroom of El Ashmunein's archaeological site, the block was used in the construction of the temple of Thoth during the reign of Ramesses II, who ruled around 1279-1213 B.C.
But the block wasn't freshly cut by the workers of the temple. Instead, it was recycled and brought there from el Amarna, along with some other thousand blocks, originally used to build the Amarna temples.
Now known as el Amarna, the city was once called Akhetaten after the "heretic" pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1336 B.C.) had established the capital of his kingdom, introducing a monotheistic religion that overthrew the pantheon of the gods to worship the sun god Aton.
When Akhenaten died, a state decree was issued to purposefully destroy Amarna and its building materials were distributed for use elsewhere.
According to Hawass, the block comes from the temple of Aton in Amarna and the forms of the inscribed names clearly date it to the reign of Akhenaten.
The best-known pharaoh of ancient Egypt, King Tut has been puzzling scientists ever since his mummy- and treasure-packed tomb was discovered in 1922 the Valley of the Kings by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
Only a few facts about his life are known.
While he lived in el Amarna, his name was Tutankhaton ("honoring Aton" -- the sun god). When he ascended the throne in 1333 B.C., at the age of nine, and moved to Thebes, he changed his name to Tutankamun ("honoring Amun" -- a traditional cult). As the last male in the family, his death in 1325 B.C. at age 19 ended the 18th dynasty -- probably the greatest of the Egyptian royal families -- and gave way to military rulers.
Mapping out the lineage of the Egyptian pharaohs is one of Hawass's latest challenges. King Tut has been either credited to be the son of Akhenaten or the offspring of Amenhotep III, who was Akhenaten's father.
Doubts also remain about King Tut's mother. Scholars have long debated whether he is the son of Kiya, Akhenaten's minor wife, or Queen Nefertiti, Akhenaten's other wife.
Egyptian researchers are currently carrying out DNA testing on two mummified fetuses found in King Tut's tomb, believed to be his offspring.
"If the fetus DNA matches King Tut's DNA and Ankhesenamun's DNA, then we would know that they shared the same mother," Hawass said.
According to Swiss anatomist and paleopathologist Frank Ruhli, head of the Swiss Mummy Project at the University of Zurich, Hawass' finding is very important.
"It supports one of my favorite theories about King Tut's parentage. DNA of proven relatives would help if it matches with the one of King Tut," Ruhli told Discovery News.
King Tut's Father ID'd in Stone Inscription
Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News
Dec. 17, 2008 -- An inscribed limestone block might have solved one of history's greatest mysteries -- who fathered the boy pharaoh King Tut.
"We can now say that Tutankhamun was the child of Akhenaten," Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Discovery News.
The finding offers evidence against another leading theory that King Tut was sired by the minor king Smenkhkare.
Hawass discovered the missing part of a broken limestone block a few months ago in a storeroom at el Ashmunein, a village on the west bank of the Nile some 150 miles south of Cairo.
Once reassembled, the slab has become "an accurate piece of evidence that proves Tut lived in el Amarna with Akhenaten and he married his wife, Ankhesenamun," while living in el Amarna, Hawass said.
The text also suggests that the young Tutankhamun married his father's daughter -- his half sister.
"The block shows the young Tutankhamun and his wife, Ankhesenamun, seated together. The text identifies Tutankhamun as the 'king's son of his body, Tutankhaten,' and his wife as the 'king's daughter of his body, Ankhesenaten,'" Hawass said.
"We know that the only king to whom the text could refer as the father of both children is Akhenaten, himself. We know from other sources that Ankhesenamun was the daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Now, because of this block, we can say that Tutankhamun was the child of Akhenaten as well," Hawass said.
Found among other sandstone slabs in the storeroom of El Ashmunein's archaeological site, the block was used in the construction of the temple of Thoth during the reign of Ramesses II, who ruled around 1279-1213 B.C.
But the block wasn't freshly cut by the workers of the temple. Instead, it was recycled and brought there from el Amarna, along with some other thousand blocks, originally used to build the Amarna temples.
Now known as el Amarna, the city was once called Akhetaten after the "heretic" pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1336 B.C.) had established the capital of his kingdom, introducing a monotheistic religion that overthrew the pantheon of the gods to worship the sun god Aton.
When Akhenaten died, a state decree was issued to purposefully destroy Amarna and its building materials were distributed for use elsewhere.
According to Hawass, the block comes from the temple of Aton in Amarna and the forms of the inscribed names clearly date it to the reign of Akhenaten.
The best-known pharaoh of ancient Egypt, King Tut has been puzzling scientists ever since his mummy- and treasure-packed tomb was discovered in 1922 the Valley of the Kings by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
Only a few facts about his life are known.
While he lived in el Amarna, his name was Tutankhaton ("honoring Aton" -- the sun god). When he ascended the throne in 1333 B.C., at the age of nine, and moved to Thebes, he changed his name to Tutankamun ("honoring Amun" -- a traditional cult). As the last male in the family, his death in 1325 B.C. at age 19 ended the 18th dynasty -- probably the greatest of the Egyptian royal families -- and gave way to military rulers.
Mapping out the lineage of the Egyptian pharaohs is one of Hawass's latest challenges. King Tut has been either credited to be the son of Akhenaten or the offspring of Amenhotep III, who was Akhenaten's father.
Doubts also remain about King Tut's mother. Scholars have long debated whether he is the son of Kiya, Akhenaten's minor wife, or Queen Nefertiti, Akhenaten's other wife.
Egyptian researchers are currently carrying out DNA testing on two mummified fetuses found in King Tut's tomb, believed to be his offspring.
"If the fetus DNA matches King Tut's DNA and Ankhesenamun's DNA, then we would know that they shared the same mother," Hawass said.
According to Swiss anatomist and paleopathologist Frank Ruhli, head of the Swiss Mummy Project at the University of Zurich, Hawass' finding is very important.
"It supports one of my favorite theories about King Tut's parentage. DNA of proven relatives would help if it matches with the one of King Tut," Ruhli told Discovery News.
2008 National 'A' Women's Chess Championship of India
Story from The Times of India:
Soumya upsets Tania to jump into sole lead
20 Dec 2008, 0055 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: Soumya Swaminathan jumped into sole lead with 2 points after upsetting defending champion and top seed Tania Sachdev in the second round of the 35th National Women’s A Chess Championship on Friday.
The day saw a lot of surprises as the four decisive results went in favour of underdogs. Amrutha Mokal got the better off WGM Swati Ghate in 35 moves.
In another surprise result, N Krithika overcame second seed Kruttika Nadig in just 30 moves.
Another WGM, Nisha Mohota also suffered a setback as she lost to Kiran Manisha Mohanty of Orissa.
Padmini Rout and Eesha Karavade signed the peace treaty against Bhakti Kulkarni and Mary Ann Gomes respectively in the other matches.
Soumya upsets Tania to jump into sole lead
20 Dec 2008, 0055 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: Soumya Swaminathan jumped into sole lead with 2 points after upsetting defending champion and top seed Tania Sachdev in the second round of the 35th National Women’s A Chess Championship on Friday.
The day saw a lot of surprises as the four decisive results went in favour of underdogs. Amrutha Mokal got the better off WGM Swati Ghate in 35 moves.
In another surprise result, N Krithika overcame second seed Kruttika Nadig in just 30 moves.
Another WGM, Nisha Mohota also suffered a setback as she lost to Kiran Manisha Mohanty of Orissa.
Padmini Rout and Eesha Karavade signed the peace treaty against Bhakti Kulkarni and Mary Ann Gomes respectively in the other matches.
Blizzard Aftermath
So, about 12:15 PM I pulled the boots back on, bundled up, and headed out to the deck to shovel. I did about half of it before running out of steam. Then I tramped lots of snow through the house to go out the front door and tackle a pathway to the road. I was outdoors altogether about 40 minutes and made some headway, as you can see from the photos (bel0w). I came in to warm up and take an hour's break. I came upstairs with the memory card and sat down at my desktop.
LOL! I kid you not, while I was sitting here shortly after 1:00 PM downloading the photos this email from Travelocity appeared:
Jan, you need a break. Here's the bad news: you look tired. [Gee, I wonder why>] But here's the good news: we can fix that! You might not know it, but you've still got time to book a vacation before the end of the year. Whether you want to head home over the holidays or spend them lying on a tropical beach, we've got some great deals just for you. Head over to Travelocity.com and you'll find the following:
Low fares, a variety of destinations, and thousands of customer-reviewed hotels
Our convenient FareWatcher Plussm tool, which lets you watch up to 10 destinations and tells you when the fares drop
Our cutting-edge ExperienceFindersm planning tool
Our industry-leading Guarantee, which ensures that we'll look out for you all trip long—even before you go Plus, we'll help you out with a great holiday offer [travel coupon].
dondelion and I do have a get-away planned - to the relative warmth of sunny Las Vegas which only received 3.6" of snow on Tuesday, if he can actually get here from Montreal on the 23rd and if we can actually get out of here Christmas Eve morning!
Photos:
Deck - about half-shoveled, I shoveled off the part that only had a foot of snow first. The second half has about a foot and a half to two feet of snow, I think I'll wait until it melts in the spring...
Front - stoop is now somewhat cleared and I have the start of a pathway not quite half-way down the drive. The goal is the mail box and paper box that you can see behind my shovel in the far distance...
It's now 1:41 PM. I think I need a nap...
LOL! I kid you not, while I was sitting here shortly after 1:00 PM downloading the photos this email from Travelocity appeared:
Jan, you need a break. Here's the bad news: you look tired. [Gee, I wonder why>] But here's the good news: we can fix that! You might not know it, but you've still got time to book a vacation before the end of the year. Whether you want to head home over the holidays or spend them lying on a tropical beach, we've got some great deals just for you. Head over to Travelocity.com and you'll find the following:
Low fares, a variety of destinations, and thousands of customer-reviewed hotels
Our convenient FareWatcher Plussm tool, which lets you watch up to 10 destinations and tells you when the fares drop
Our cutting-edge ExperienceFindersm planning toolOur industry-leading Guarantee, which ensures that we'll look out for you all trip long—even before you go Plus, we'll help you out with a great holiday offer [travel coupon].
dondelion and I do have a get-away planned - to the relative warmth of sunny Las Vegas which only received 3.6" of snow on Tuesday, if he can actually get here from Montreal on the 23rd and if we can actually get out of here Christmas Eve morning!
Photos:
Deck - about half-shoveled, I shoveled off the part that only had a foot of snow first. The second half has about a foot and a half to two feet of snow, I think I'll wait until it melts in the spring...
Front - stoop is now somewhat cleared and I have the start of a pathway not quite half-way down the drive. The goal is the mail box and paper box that you can see behind my shovel in the far distance...
It's now 1:41 PM. I think I need a nap...
Blizzard Aftermath
It's officially over - for now. My area got 13" of snow. But the winds have not abated, so I'm getting a lot of blow-off from my neighbors and my drifts are getting bigger and bigger, arggghhh! Roads are being cleared - not mine yet, so I won't even bother to start shoveling the front driveway until the plows have been through again. I'll start on the deck.
The bluejays showed up about 30 minutes ago, I threw some peanuts out for them and "called" them in my croaky "jay" voice and they came right away, diving for the peanuts in the snow on the deck.
I am now doing research on snowblowers, I've got to get one, I just can't do another season of shoveling this kind of snow. I hate the thought of another smelly, big heavy gas-guzzling machine that I won't be able to handle. Where are the kids who go around house to house looking for shoveling work for $$$ when you need them? I've lived here nearly 20 years now and I've YET to have a kid come by and ask if I need help shoveling out!
Back to consumer reviews of snowblowers.
The bluejays showed up about 30 minutes ago, I threw some peanuts out for them and "called" them in my croaky "jay" voice and they came right away, diving for the peanuts in the snow on the deck.
I am now doing research on snowblowers, I've got to get one, I just can't do another season of shoveling this kind of snow. I hate the thought of another smelly, big heavy gas-guzzling machine that I won't be able to handle. Where are the kids who go around house to house looking for shoveling work for $$$ when you need them? I've lived here nearly 20 years now and I've YET to have a kid come by and ask if I need help shoveling out!
Back to consumer reviews of snowblowers.
Christmas Tree
This year's version of my Yule Tree. I know, I know, it looks fully loaded, but it doesn't have the gold beads or the burgundy crystal snowflakes this year!
View from My Front Window
Right after I took this shot someone dressed in black and yellow cross-country ski gear (complete with goggles) glided past the house - the flash was recharging on my camera so I could not get the shot!It's now 10:38 AM and I hear snowblowers going all over the neighborhood, but it's still snowing. I'll wait until it stops before attempting to shovel a path for myself. The small part of the deck that I shoveled out earlier this morning is covered now with at least an inch of fresh snow, so it has slowed down, no longer snowing 2" an hour.
Blizzard! Views from the Front Porch
Photos from my front door, taken about 10:00 AM. You can barely make out the tracks I made earlier in the morning going to the road to fetch the paper, about 8:30 AM.
Intrepid Squirrels During Milwaukee Blizzard
Another camoflauged squirrel - he's hanging upside down on the right side of the trunk, just above the middle of the frame. It's not clear but he's eating one of the hazelnuts I tossed around the base of the tree. The picture looks greyed out - that's the heavy snow falling/blowing.
Intrepid Squirrels During Milwaukee Blizzard
One of my squirrels had fetched a nut from the base of the Chinese Elm and climbed up to a safe limb to enjoy the start of his breakfast. You can't tell from the photo, but it's snowing hard and blowing. This little guy is protected from the wind out of the northeast by the tree trunk.
Intrepid Squirrels During Milwaukee Blizzard
He's well camoflauged, but he's there - one of the squirrels that had gathered around the base of the big Chinese Elm out back, on the tree trunk on the left near the top of the frame. The snow in that part of my backyard isn't as deep as on the deck (see prior post photos) - you can see tracks from the honeysuckle bush in the background leading to the tree, and nearly filled-in tracks in really deep snow from the top of the retaining wall headed toward the deck!
Blizzard!
Right on time, the snow started around midnight. "Officially" we have about 9 inches at the moment, with more at the lakefront and downtown because of strong northeast winds off the lake. It's supposed to mostly taper off by noon, but there could be lake effect snow (I'm within five miles of downtown so I get it) until 3 PM. Winds are gusting up to 35 mph but are to "calm" to 20 mph as the front moves to the east.
I'm taking a few pictures, figuring they're the best way to convey what I'm dealing with here at the moment.
I didn't sleep well last night, I finally gave it up at 5:15 and went downstairs to look out the front door. At the time, there was a large drift where the driveway curves to head toward the road from my front porch, but the porch itself had only about 5 inches of snow; later, about 8:30 AM when I ventured out to get see if Sue, my intrepid newspaper deliverer, had made it through, I had to shove the storm door hard to open it through more than a foot of snow that had piled up since 5:15 AM. I had my tall boots on (they come up to my knees), and they weren't tall enough to keep the snow out. I managed to get to the mailbox and paper box at the road. Am totally plowed in, and the plow has only been through once. The road is already covered again with snow, so he'll be through again. There is probably a 18 to 24" of snow in my driveway, drifts are higher. (Photo: This is as much of my deck out back that I managed to shovel. Tell me, do you think this is a "mere" 8" of snow??? That little speck in the middle of the shoveled area is a hazelnut that fell out of my pocket as I was shoveling. You can see some of the tracks of the squirrels who had ventured from the big tree, looking for food).
I dialed the office employee hotline after I put coffee on at 5:15 AM to hear the official announcement - our Milwaukee and Waukesha offices are closed today. Milwaukee County government offices are closed; Milwaukee City government offices are closed; all schools are closed. Last I heard, buses were still running, but many are getting stuck in high drifts. Plows and salters have been out all night but they cannot keep up with the snow that continues to fall, let alone the blowing and drifting. Entrance and exit ramps to the expressways are clogged shut. White-out conditions exist in many open areas. (You can hardly see him, but if you look to the left of the big tree below the top of the retaining wall, you can see what looks like a grey lump. It's a squirrel emerging from deep snow, where he had been digging for something to eat).
I had my coffee, turned off the lights and settled down in my recliner with a toasty down throw. When I awoke from my doze about 8:20 AM I checked the patio to see - to my absolute astonishment - squirrel tracks in the deep snow! So, after I fetched my newspaper I attempted to shovel the deck. I didn't get very far. There were several squirrels gathered at the base of the big Chinese Elm, the base of which is sheltered by an old railroad tie retaining wall so the snow wasn't too deep there, so I threw several hand-fulls of hazelnuts there for them, and watched them scampering up and down the tree, fetching and eating the nuts. The older squirrel who has that "dropsy" disease was there - it is amazing to me he is still alive; it's been a tough winter, colder and more snow than normal, although this is the second year in a row we've had these bad snows. It was months ago I pointed out this squirrel to dondelion because he kept falling over whenever he stopped moving.
Presently, the forecast for tomorrow is another 6 inches of snow starting tomorrow night into Sunday, and more on Tuesday.
Three guesses what I'll be doing all weekend...
I'm taking a few pictures, figuring they're the best way to convey what I'm dealing with here at the moment.
I didn't sleep well last night, I finally gave it up at 5:15 and went downstairs to look out the front door. At the time, there was a large drift where the driveway curves to head toward the road from my front porch, but the porch itself had only about 5 inches of snow; later, about 8:30 AM when I ventured out to get see if Sue, my intrepid newspaper deliverer, had made it through, I had to shove the storm door hard to open it through more than a foot of snow that had piled up since 5:15 AM. I had my tall boots on (they come up to my knees), and they weren't tall enough to keep the snow out. I managed to get to the mailbox and paper box at the road. Am totally plowed in, and the plow has only been through once. The road is already covered again with snow, so he'll be through again. There is probably a 18 to 24" of snow in my driveway, drifts are higher. (Photo: This is as much of my deck out back that I managed to shovel. Tell me, do you think this is a "mere" 8" of snow??? That little speck in the middle of the shoveled area is a hazelnut that fell out of my pocket as I was shoveling. You can see some of the tracks of the squirrels who had ventured from the big tree, looking for food).
I dialed the office employee hotline after I put coffee on at 5:15 AM to hear the official announcement - our Milwaukee and Waukesha offices are closed today. Milwaukee County government offices are closed; Milwaukee City government offices are closed; all schools are closed. Last I heard, buses were still running, but many are getting stuck in high drifts. Plows and salters have been out all night but they cannot keep up with the snow that continues to fall, let alone the blowing and drifting. Entrance and exit ramps to the expressways are clogged shut. White-out conditions exist in many open areas. (You can hardly see him, but if you look to the left of the big tree below the top of the retaining wall, you can see what looks like a grey lump. It's a squirrel emerging from deep snow, where he had been digging for something to eat). I had my coffee, turned off the lights and settled down in my recliner with a toasty down throw. When I awoke from my doze about 8:20 AM I checked the patio to see - to my absolute astonishment - squirrel tracks in the deep snow! So, after I fetched my newspaper I attempted to shovel the deck. I didn't get very far. There were several squirrels gathered at the base of the big Chinese Elm, the base of which is sheltered by an old railroad tie retaining wall so the snow wasn't too deep there, so I threw several hand-fulls of hazelnuts there for them, and watched them scampering up and down the tree, fetching and eating the nuts. The older squirrel who has that "dropsy" disease was there - it is amazing to me he is still alive; it's been a tough winter, colder and more snow than normal, although this is the second year in a row we've had these bad snows. It was months ago I pointed out this squirrel to dondelion because he kept falling over whenever he stopped moving.
Presently, the forecast for tomorrow is another 6 inches of snow starting tomorrow night into Sunday, and more on Tuesday.
Three guesses what I'll be doing all weekend...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thursday is Ladies' Chess Night!
Story from The Brooklyn PaperDecember 18, 2008
Pawns in the game of love
By Sarah Portlock
Ladies night: Christian Whitted of the New York Chess and Game Shop in Park Slope offers free chess for people without Y chromosomes on Thursdays. So if you’re name is Bobbie Fischer, this place is for you.
Finally, a place where you can check out potential mates while also check-mating them.
In the great Reese’s tradition of putting together two seemingly mismatched things, a new chess and gaming emporium on Flatbush Avenue has turned Thursdays into Ladies’ Night, where everyone from Bobby Fischer brainiacs to Bobbie Fischer rook-ies can get free chess games all night long.
The fun is at the new New York Chess and Game Shop, at 192 Flatbush Ave., near Dean Street. Owner and chess master Christian Whitted, who teaches at York College in Queens, said women always ask him where they can play outside of class. So he built out the space for them, and for budding neighborhood chess fans alike.
“We want to create a hub in the community,” Whitted said. “This is like theater of the mind — we will entertain you as well as keep you informed.”
The spot opened earlier this fall, and boasts 25 tables on two floors where gamers can play chess, checkers, backgammon, Scrabble, Monopoly or cards. There’s also a coffee counter in the corner, and boards and other chess memorabilia for sale.
And you can have all that gaming for cheap — customers rent the tables for $3 per person per hour, or challenge the resident masters. Those games are $3 for a three-minute game, $5 for a five-minute game, or $7 for a 10-minute or untimed game.
But how far will that $5 get you? Not that far.
“I can beat an average player in 30 seconds,” Whitted said, confidently.
The shop makes it money on its semi-private tutoring sessions, which are $90 for five 90-minute classes, and comes with a free chess set.
The most fun is, of course, on Thursdays.
“Ladies’ Day is always good,” Whitted added.
New York Chess and Game Shop [192 Flatbush Ave., near Dean Street in Prospect Heights, (718) 398-3727]. Hours: Daily, 11 am–11 pm. For info, visit http://www.newyorkchessandgameshop.com/.
©2008 The Brooklyn Paper
2008 National 'A' Women's Chess Championship of India
From Indopia.in
Tania off to a flier in National Women's 'A' chess
Published: December 18,2008
New Delhi, Defending champion Tania Sachdev of Air India got off to a flying start defeating Amrutha Mokal of Maharashtra in the first round of the Parsvnath 35th National Women schess championship here today.
Second seed Kruttika Nadig and fourth seed Soumya Swaminathan also scored fine victories over Kiran Manisha Mohanty and Asian Junior champion Mary Ann Gomes respectively. Third seed Eesha Karavade was lucky to escape with a draw against Nisha Mohota in the opener.
In the other games of the day, Swati Ghate played imaginatively to beat Bhakti Kulkarni while youngest participant and under-14 girls world champion Padmini Rout played out a draw with Pon N Krithika.
The 12-player, 11-round event saw some fascinating games in the first round and Tania was quite impressive in her mauling of Amrutha who was outplayed after a bad opening.
Playing the white side of Queen Indian defense, International Master Tania controlled the game early. Amrutha fell under time pressure and gave up in just 28 moves.
Playing with black pieces, Soumya Swaminathan accounted for in-form Mary in a Sicilian Najdorf game. Launching a side variation in English attack, Soumya benefited from a strategic error in the middle game from Mary and won after 33 moves.
Mohanty tried a recently popular variation in the Sicilian Najdorf against Kruttika Nadig but her plans were foiled by the latter in a fine display of counter attacking chess. Kruttika won in 37 moves.
Round One Results:
Tania Sachdev beat Amrutha Mokal;
Bhakti Kulkarni lst to Swati Ghate;
Soumya Swaminatha beat Mary Ann Gomes;
Kiran Manisha Mohanty lost to Kruttika Nadig;
Pon N Krithika drew with Padmini Rout;
Eesha Karavade drew with Nisha Mohota.
Tania off to a flier in National Women's 'A' chess
Published: December 18,2008
New Delhi, Defending champion Tania Sachdev of Air India got off to a flying start defeating Amrutha Mokal of Maharashtra in the first round of the Parsvnath 35th National Women schess championship here today.
Second seed Kruttika Nadig and fourth seed Soumya Swaminathan also scored fine victories over Kiran Manisha Mohanty and Asian Junior champion Mary Ann Gomes respectively. Third seed Eesha Karavade was lucky to escape with a draw against Nisha Mohota in the opener.
In the other games of the day, Swati Ghate played imaginatively to beat Bhakti Kulkarni while youngest participant and under-14 girls world champion Padmini Rout played out a draw with Pon N Krithika.
The 12-player, 11-round event saw some fascinating games in the first round and Tania was quite impressive in her mauling of Amrutha who was outplayed after a bad opening.
Playing the white side of Queen Indian defense, International Master Tania controlled the game early. Amrutha fell under time pressure and gave up in just 28 moves.
Playing with black pieces, Soumya Swaminathan accounted for in-form Mary in a Sicilian Najdorf game. Launching a side variation in English attack, Soumya benefited from a strategic error in the middle game from Mary and won after 33 moves.
Mohanty tried a recently popular variation in the Sicilian Najdorf against Kruttika Nadig but her plans were foiled by the latter in a fine display of counter attacking chess. Kruttika won in 37 moves.
Round One Results:
Tania Sachdev beat Amrutha Mokal;
Bhakti Kulkarni lst to Swati Ghate;
Soumya Swaminatha beat Mary Ann Gomes;
Kiran Manisha Mohanty lost to Kruttika Nadig;
Pon N Krithika drew with Padmini Rout;
Eesha Karavade drew with Nisha Mohota.
Irene Kharisma Sukandar Earns WGM Title
This is great news for Ms. Sukandar and Indonesian chess - but this is hardly the pinnacle of this chessplayer's career and the "WGM" title is NOT the world's highest chess title. I believe she has a lot farther and higher to go yet. She's only 16!
Indonesia gets first woman grand master of chess
Thursday December 18, 2008
JAKARTA (Xinhua): Indonesian chess player Irene Kharisma Sukandar finally reached the top of career as the first Woman Grand Master (WGM) and Woman International Masters (WIM) after earning her third norm, the coveted WCM title, the Jakarta Post reported on Thursday.
"Of course, I'm happy (to be named Indonesian's first WGM) and very grateful to God Almighty," said Irene, adding that she hoped that her achievement will encourage other Indonesian women.
She received a certificate of her debut highest achievement in Singapore last week, while at the same time competing in the Singapore Open chess tournament.
Irene, 16 years old, earned norm during last month's Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, and was presented with her new ranking by ASEAN Chess Confederation president Ignatious Leong.
Irene is the first woman in Indonesian history to attain the chess world's highest title. Several Indonesian men have already attained the title of grand master.
Indonesia gets first woman grand master of chess
Thursday December 18, 2008
JAKARTA (Xinhua): Indonesian chess player Irene Kharisma Sukandar finally reached the top of career as the first Woman Grand Master (WGM) and Woman International Masters (WIM) after earning her third norm, the coveted WCM title, the Jakarta Post reported on Thursday.
"Of course, I'm happy (to be named Indonesian's first WGM) and very grateful to God Almighty," said Irene, adding that she hoped that her achievement will encourage other Indonesian women.
She received a certificate of her debut highest achievement in Singapore last week, while at the same time competing in the Singapore Open chess tournament.
Irene, 16 years old, earned norm during last month's Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, and was presented with her new ranking by ASEAN Chess Confederation president Ignatious Leong.
Irene is the first woman in Indonesian history to attain the chess world's highest title. Several Indonesian men have already attained the title of grand master.
Mummy Murder Mystery
The headline from The Sunday Mercury goes one better: "Museum Mummy Murder Mystery" - presented for your entertainment:
Dec 15 2008 By Ben Goldby
IT is the murder mystery which has spanned thousands of years.
Archaeologists have long questioned how an unidentified man entombed in a 1,700-year-old mummy at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery met his death.
Now they hope the macabre case may finally be solved with the help from medical experts from the Midlands.
The elaborately-bandaged Greco-Roman mummy, with gilt terracotta studs, was donated to the museum in the 1920s by Albert Phillips, a Birmingham bedstead maker who often travelled to the Middle East.
Results from previous X-rays revealed an unidentified metal object lodged in the back of the mummy’s neck, which some archaeologists believe may be an arrow head – meaning he could have been murdered.
On Friday the mummy was sent to Stafford Hospital to undergo a full CT scan which will provide 3D images which may finally help establish a definitive cause of death.
The mummy is believed to contain the remains of a male in his mid-30s, but his identity is another unsolved mystery.
An amateur archaeologist came up with the scan plan after attending an event at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery earlier this year.
Robert Loynes – an Egyptology enthusiast and former orthopaedic consultant – recommended the unusual experiment when he discovered that the earlier X-ray had spotted the mysterious metal object.
He suggested that the mummy be sent to Stafford Hospital, which houses highly sophisticated CT scanning equipment that may help to establish what happened to the man beneath the bandages.
Two other mummies from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s collections, called Padimut and Namenkhetamun, and two mummified heads were also CT scanned at the hospital on Friday.
As well as providing 3D images, the X-rays could offer information on how old the people were when they died, their gender, what they may have looked like, their skeletal structure, their teeth and other fascinating facts about their lives.
The scans, which have been partly funded by an anonymous sponsor, may also reveal jewellery and other trinkets that could be concealed within the mummies’ wrappings.
Stafford Hospital’s strict infection control procedures were strictly observed throughout the procedures, with the mummies kept inside sterile body bags to prevent dust escaping from the ancient remains.
Results from the imaging will now be analysed by a crack team of forensic Egyptologists from Birmingham Museum, but it could still be several weeks before the mystery is finally solved.
For further information on the mummies, or any of the other exhibitions at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, visit www.bmag.org.uk
Dec 15 2008 By Ben Goldby
IT is the murder mystery which has spanned thousands of years.
Archaeologists have long questioned how an unidentified man entombed in a 1,700-year-old mummy at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery met his death.
Now they hope the macabre case may finally be solved with the help from medical experts from the Midlands.
The elaborately-bandaged Greco-Roman mummy, with gilt terracotta studs, was donated to the museum in the 1920s by Albert Phillips, a Birmingham bedstead maker who often travelled to the Middle East.
Results from previous X-rays revealed an unidentified metal object lodged in the back of the mummy’s neck, which some archaeologists believe may be an arrow head – meaning he could have been murdered.
On Friday the mummy was sent to Stafford Hospital to undergo a full CT scan which will provide 3D images which may finally help establish a definitive cause of death.
The mummy is believed to contain the remains of a male in his mid-30s, but his identity is another unsolved mystery.
An amateur archaeologist came up with the scan plan after attending an event at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery earlier this year.
Robert Loynes – an Egyptology enthusiast and former orthopaedic consultant – recommended the unusual experiment when he discovered that the earlier X-ray had spotted the mysterious metal object.
He suggested that the mummy be sent to Stafford Hospital, which houses highly sophisticated CT scanning equipment that may help to establish what happened to the man beneath the bandages.
Two other mummies from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s collections, called Padimut and Namenkhetamun, and two mummified heads were also CT scanned at the hospital on Friday.
As well as providing 3D images, the X-rays could offer information on how old the people were when they died, their gender, what they may have looked like, their skeletal structure, their teeth and other fascinating facts about their lives.
The scans, which have been partly funded by an anonymous sponsor, may also reveal jewellery and other trinkets that could be concealed within the mummies’ wrappings.
Stafford Hospital’s strict infection control procedures were strictly observed throughout the procedures, with the mummies kept inside sterile body bags to prevent dust escaping from the ancient remains.
Results from the imaging will now be analysed by a crack team of forensic Egyptologists from Birmingham Museum, but it could still be several weeks before the mystery is finally solved.
For further information on the mummies, or any of the other exhibitions at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, visit www.bmag.org.uk
Let It NOT Snow, PLEASE!
What's going on with the weather? Despite the weather guys saying over and over again that this winter will NOT be the same as last winter, Wisconsin is suffering a basic repeat of last year's near record-setting snowfall and, in addition, we've had well below normal bone-chilling temperatures and windchills that have, I believe, set my teeth permanently on edge. Tonight, right around midnight according to the latest forecasts, a massive and fierce thundersnow storm is supposed to start, dumping 2" of snow or more an hour. Gee, rush hour tomorrow morning is going to be a whole lot of fun - NOT! I got finished with the shoveling in the driveway just in time for the new round of snow. Only this snow is supposed to be wet and heavy. Oh great.
We may also get snow on Saturday, and more on Sunday, and some more on Tuesday, when dondelion's flight is due in. Oy! I'm keeping my fingers crossed he gets here more or less on time and in one piece, and that we get out of here on time with no travel problems on Christmas Eve. Las Vegas is calling, despite the snow...
Yes, even Las Vegas got 3.6" of snow - their first measureable snow since 1979! Unbelievable! This photo is from The New York Times earlier today. Oh crap, I see they changed the photo. I KNEW I should have saved that earlier photograph. Well, here's the story.
We may also get snow on Saturday, and more on Sunday, and some more on Tuesday, when dondelion's flight is due in. Oy! I'm keeping my fingers crossed he gets here more or less on time and in one piece, and that we get out of here on time with no travel problems on Christmas Eve. Las Vegas is calling, despite the snow...
Yes, even Las Vegas got 3.6" of snow - their first measureable snow since 1979! Unbelievable! This photo is from The New York Times earlier today. Oh crap, I see they changed the photo. I KNEW I should have saved that earlier photograph. Well, here's the story.
Southwest Chess Club of Hales Corners
Hola!
SWCC has a new website address: http://home.roadrunner.com/~swcc/ I'll add it to the links if it's not already there (duh, don't remember right at the moment!)
An announcement will soon be made regarding the new location for the club.
SWCC has a new website address: http://home.roadrunner.com/~swcc/ I'll add it to the links if it's not already there (duh, don't remember right at the moment!)
An announcement will soon be made regarding the new location for the club.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt
Is this computer-generated image most representative of what Cleopatra actually may have looked like? I think she looks a little too sub-Saharan African, and not enough like her Greek forebears who established the Ptolemaic line and intermarried with native Egyptians and the sons and daughters of many kingdoms around the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean. Did Egyptian queens wear corn-rows in the first century BCE? Hmmmm, I don't think so. I know - she looks somewhat like Tyra Banks!Sorry Liz, but THIS is the real face of Cleopatra
By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 11:34 AM on 16th December 2008
From Elizabeth Taylor to Sophia Loren, there have been many faces of Cleopatra. But this might be the most realistic of them all.
Egyptologist Sally Ann Ashton believes the compute regenerated 3D image is the best likeness of the legendary beauty famed for her ability to beguile.
Pieced together from images on ancient artefacts, including a ring dating from Cleopatra's reign 2,000 years ago, it is the culmination of more than a year of painstaking research.
The result is a beautiful young woman of mixed ethnicity - very different to the porcelain-skinned Westernised version portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1961 movie Cleopatra.
Dr Ashton, of Cambridge University, said the images, to be broadcast as part of a Five documentary on Cleopatra, reflect the monarch's Greek heritage as well as her Egyptian upbringing.
'She probably wasn't just completely European. You've got to remember that her family had actually lived in Egypt for 300 years by the time she came to power.'
The picture of the queen contrasts with several other less flattering portrayals. For instance, a silver coin which went on show at Newcastle University's Sefton Museum last year showed her as having a shallow forehead, pointed chin, thin lips and hooked nose. Her lover, the Roman general Mark Antony, fared little better.
The reverse side shows him to have bulging eyes and a thick neck. The queen's appearance has long been the subject of debate among academics. While Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra made reference to her youthful looks and 'infinite-variety', many believe she was short and frumpy with bad teeth.
A statue of Cleopatra exhibited at the British Museum in 2001 portrayed her as plain, no more than 5ft tall and rather plump.
Born in Alexandra in 69BC, into a Macedonian Greek dynasty which had ruled Egypt for three centuries, Cleopatra acceded to the throne at 17. Three years later she seduced Julius Caesar, bearing him a son, Caesarion.
After Caesar was assassinated she courted Mark Antony before committing suicide on his death. Legend has it that she put an asp, a venomous serpent, to her breast.
I'm Sure There is a Logical Explanation...
for the Swiss watch discovered in a 400-year old Chinese tomb...
Not sure if I believe this story. It showed up at Daily Grail on December 16th but I could not find a date on it at Ananova.
Swiss watch found in 400-year-old tomb
Archeologists in China are baffled after finding a tiny Swiss watch in a 400-year-old tomb.
The watch ring was discovered as archeologists were making a documentary with two journalists from Shangsi town.
"When we tried to remove the soil wrapped around the coffin, a piece of rock suddenly dropped off and hit the ground with a metallic sound,? said Jiang Yanyu, former curator of the Guangxi Autonomous Region Museum.
"We picked up the object, and found it was a ring. After removing the covering soil and examining it further, we were shocked to see it was a watch."
The time was stopped at 10:06am, and on the back was engraved the word "Swiss", reports the People's Daily.
Local experts say they are confused as they believe the tomb had been undisturbed since it was created during the Ming dynasty 400 years ago.
They have suspended the dig and are waiting for experts to arrive from Beijing and help them unravel the mystery.
Not sure if I believe this story. It showed up at Daily Grail on December 16th but I could not find a date on it at Ananova.
Swiss watch found in 400-year-old tomb
Archeologists in China are baffled after finding a tiny Swiss watch in a 400-year-old tomb.
The watch ring was discovered as archeologists were making a documentary with two journalists from Shangsi town.
"When we tried to remove the soil wrapped around the coffin, a piece of rock suddenly dropped off and hit the ground with a metallic sound,? said Jiang Yanyu, former curator of the Guangxi Autonomous Region Museum.
"We picked up the object, and found it was a ring. After removing the covering soil and examining it further, we were shocked to see it was a watch."
The time was stopped at 10:06am, and on the back was engraved the word "Swiss", reports the People's Daily.
Local experts say they are confused as they believe the tomb had been undisturbed since it was created during the Ming dynasty 400 years ago.
They have suspended the dig and are waiting for experts to arrive from Beijing and help them unravel the mystery.
Exciting Discovery in Peru
Peru seems to be constantly in the archaeological news - I can see why some alternative history buffs think Peru may have where it all started...
Archeologists in Peru unearth ancient Wari city
Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:25pm GMT
By Dana Ford
LIMA (Reuters) - Researchers digging at the Cerro Patapo archaeological site in northern Peru have discovered the ruins of an entire city, which may provide the "missing link" between two ancient cultures, investigators said on Tuesday.
Scientists say the find, located 14 miles (22 km) from the Pacific coast city of Chiclayo, likely dates to the Wari culture, which existed in what is now Peru between about 600 AD and 1100 AD.
If initial assumptions prove correct, the discovery would connect the ancient Wari civilization to the Moche culture, which flourished from about 100 AD to 600 AD.
Researchers say the buried city includes ceramics, bits of clothing and the well-preserved remains of a young woman.
The sprawling site, which stretches over 3 miles (5 km), also shows evidence of human sacrifice, with special spots designated for the purpose and a heap of bones at the bottom of a nearby cliff.
"It provides the missing link because it explains how the Wari people allowed for the continuation of culture after the Moche," Cesar Soriano, chief archaeologist on the project, told Reuters.
He said the discovery provides the first evidence of Wari culture, which expanded from the country's south, at the northern site.
The Wari people made their capital near modern-day Ayacucho, in the Andes, but travelled widely and are known for their extensive network of roads. Earlier this year, archeologists at the Huaca Pucllana ruins in Lima, located some 500 miles (800 km) south of Chiclayo, discovered a mummy that is also thought to be Wari.
Peru is a country rich in archaeological treasures. It has hundreds of sites that date back thousands of years and span dozens of cultures, including the Incan empire that was in power when Spanish explorers arrived in the early 1500s.
(Editing by Terry Wade and Eric Walsh)
Archeologists in Peru unearth ancient Wari city
Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:25pm GMT
By Dana Ford
LIMA (Reuters) - Researchers digging at the Cerro Patapo archaeological site in northern Peru have discovered the ruins of an entire city, which may provide the "missing link" between two ancient cultures, investigators said on Tuesday.
Scientists say the find, located 14 miles (22 km) from the Pacific coast city of Chiclayo, likely dates to the Wari culture, which existed in what is now Peru between about 600 AD and 1100 AD.
If initial assumptions prove correct, the discovery would connect the ancient Wari civilization to the Moche culture, which flourished from about 100 AD to 600 AD.
Researchers say the buried city includes ceramics, bits of clothing and the well-preserved remains of a young woman.
The sprawling site, which stretches over 3 miles (5 km), also shows evidence of human sacrifice, with special spots designated for the purpose and a heap of bones at the bottom of a nearby cliff.
"It provides the missing link because it explains how the Wari people allowed for the continuation of culture after the Moche," Cesar Soriano, chief archaeologist on the project, told Reuters.
He said the discovery provides the first evidence of Wari culture, which expanded from the country's south, at the northern site.
The Wari people made their capital near modern-day Ayacucho, in the Andes, but travelled widely and are known for their extensive network of roads. Earlier this year, archeologists at the Huaca Pucllana ruins in Lima, located some 500 miles (800 km) south of Chiclayo, discovered a mummy that is also thought to be Wari.
Peru is a country rich in archaeological treasures. It has hundreds of sites that date back thousands of years and span dozens of cultures, including the Incan empire that was in power when Spanish explorers arrived in the early 1500s.
(Editing by Terry Wade and Eric Walsh)
Ancient Statues May Hold Clues to Meroitic Script
Great news for those of us interested in ancient languages and linguistics:
Sudan statue find gives clues to ancient language
Tue 16 Dec 2008, 15:11 GMT
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Archaeologists said on Tuesday they had discovered three ancient statues in Sudan with inscriptions that could bring them closer to deciphering one of Africa's oldest languages.
The stone rams, representing the god Amun, were carved during the Meroe empire, a period of kingly rule that lasted from about 300 BC to AD 450 and left hundreds of remains along the River Nile north of Khartoum.
Vincent Rondot, director of the dig carried out by the French Section of Sudan's Directorate of Antiquities, said each statue displayed an inscription written in Meroitic script, the oldest written language in sub-Saharan Africa.
"It is one of the last antique languages that we still don't understand ... we can read it. We have no problem pronouncing the letters. But we can't understand it, apart from a few long words and the names of people," he told reporters in Khartoum.
Sudan has more pyramids than neighbouring Egypt [this may be true, but they are not giant pyramids like those at Giza and Saqqara], but few people visit its remote sites, and repeated internal conflicts have made excavation difficult.
Rondot said the dig at el-Hassa, the site of a Meroitic town, had uncovered the first complete version of a royal dedication, previously found only on fragments of carvings from the same period.
He said experts were still trying to work out the meaning of the words by comparing them with broken remnants of similar royal dedications in the same script.
"It's an important discovery ... quite an achievement," Rondot said.
The statues were found three weeks ago under a sand dune at the site of a temple to the god Amun, an all-powerful deity represented by the ram in Sudan.
The site is close to Sudan's Meroe pyramids, a cluster of more than 50 granite tombs 200 kms (120 miles) north of the capital that are one of the main attractions for Sudan's few tourists.
Rondot said the dig, funded by the French foreign ministry, would also provide vital information on the reign of a little-known king, Amanakhareqerem, mentioned in the inscriptions on the rams.
"Before we started the dig we only had four documents in his name ... We don't even know where he was buried," he said. "We are beginning to understand the importance of that king." (Editing by Katie Nguyen and Tim Pearce)
© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.
Sudan statue find gives clues to ancient language
Tue 16 Dec 2008, 15:11 GMT
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Archaeologists said on Tuesday they had discovered three ancient statues in Sudan with inscriptions that could bring them closer to deciphering one of Africa's oldest languages.
The stone rams, representing the god Amun, were carved during the Meroe empire, a period of kingly rule that lasted from about 300 BC to AD 450 and left hundreds of remains along the River Nile north of Khartoum.
Vincent Rondot, director of the dig carried out by the French Section of Sudan's Directorate of Antiquities, said each statue displayed an inscription written in Meroitic script, the oldest written language in sub-Saharan Africa.
"It is one of the last antique languages that we still don't understand ... we can read it. We have no problem pronouncing the letters. But we can't understand it, apart from a few long words and the names of people," he told reporters in Khartoum.
Sudan has more pyramids than neighbouring Egypt [this may be true, but they are not giant pyramids like those at Giza and Saqqara], but few people visit its remote sites, and repeated internal conflicts have made excavation difficult.
Rondot said the dig at el-Hassa, the site of a Meroitic town, had uncovered the first complete version of a royal dedication, previously found only on fragments of carvings from the same period.
He said experts were still trying to work out the meaning of the words by comparing them with broken remnants of similar royal dedications in the same script.
"It's an important discovery ... quite an achievement," Rondot said.
The statues were found three weeks ago under a sand dune at the site of a temple to the god Amun, an all-powerful deity represented by the ram in Sudan.
The site is close to Sudan's Meroe pyramids, a cluster of more than 50 granite tombs 200 kms (120 miles) north of the capital that are one of the main attractions for Sudan's few tourists.
Rondot said the dig, funded by the French foreign ministry, would also provide vital information on the reign of a little-known king, Amanakhareqerem, mentioned in the inscriptions on the rams.
"Before we started the dig we only had four documents in his name ... We don't even know where he was buried," he said. "We are beginning to understand the importance of that king." (Editing by Katie Nguyen and Tim Pearce)
© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.
Ancient Sanctuary Discovered - and Robbed
The people who steal antiquities out of their context, forever depriving the rest of the world of the knowledge that the may have conveyed, are akin to the Wall Street big wigs and their ilk who, in their greed and arrogance, have destroyed the lives of countless millions of average Americans. They should be taken out, lined up against a wall, and shot - summarily.
Farmer digs up ancient sanctuary in Italy
12/17/2008 10:47 PM
ROME – A farmer working his land south of Rome dug up hundreds of artifacts from a 2,600-year-old sanctuary, but ran afoul of police when he tried to sell the ancient hoard, officials said Wednesday.
After spotting fragments of pottery in soil dug up by the farmer, authorities searched his home last month and seized more than 500 artifacts, including perfume vials, cups and miniature vases used as votive objects.
The art squad of the Carabinieri paramilitary police said the farmer was placed under investigation for allegedly trafficking in antiquities. Ancient artifacts found in Italy are considered state property, and finds must be reported to authorities.
Archaeologists said they will continue to excavate the sanctuary, which dates back to the 7th-6th century B.C. and is located outside the town of Aprilia, near a small lake some 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Rome.
The find could expand knowledge about the area's history in pre-Roman times, when it was inhabited by Latin-speaking people under the influence of the Etruscan civilization that dominated central Italy, experts said.
The pottery, some of which was imported from Greece, was offered to a deity probably connected to the lake, said Stefano De Caro, director of archaeology at the Italian Culture Ministry.
"These were poor people, they gave thanks for a good harvest or they prayed that there wouldn't be a drought," De Caro said. "At the time there were no aqueducts, so the lake meant life."
He speculated the treasure of tiny, delicate ceramics could have been worth hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars) on the illegal antiquities market.
At the news conference in Rome, the Carabinieri also presented artifacts recovered in two more operations conducted last month.
During checks on an antiques shop in downtown Rome, officers found two medieval statues that had been stolen in 2007 from a home in the Italian capital, said Gen. Giovanni Nistri, the head of the art squad.
Separately, experts trawling internet sites that sell antiquities came upon a man offering a mosaic from a Roman catacomb for €55,000 ($75,000) and claiming it had been donated to his family by the Vatican.After verifying the claim was false, the Carabinieri seized the 3rd-4th century A.D. mosaic from the man's home along with a jug, cups and other ancient pottery and placed him under investigation. - AP
Farmer digs up ancient sanctuary in Italy
12/17/2008 10:47 PM
ROME – A farmer working his land south of Rome dug up hundreds of artifacts from a 2,600-year-old sanctuary, but ran afoul of police when he tried to sell the ancient hoard, officials said Wednesday.
After spotting fragments of pottery in soil dug up by the farmer, authorities searched his home last month and seized more than 500 artifacts, including perfume vials, cups and miniature vases used as votive objects.
The art squad of the Carabinieri paramilitary police said the farmer was placed under investigation for allegedly trafficking in antiquities. Ancient artifacts found in Italy are considered state property, and finds must be reported to authorities.
Archaeologists said they will continue to excavate the sanctuary, which dates back to the 7th-6th century B.C. and is located outside the town of Aprilia, near a small lake some 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Rome.
The find could expand knowledge about the area's history in pre-Roman times, when it was inhabited by Latin-speaking people under the influence of the Etruscan civilization that dominated central Italy, experts said.
The pottery, some of which was imported from Greece, was offered to a deity probably connected to the lake, said Stefano De Caro, director of archaeology at the Italian Culture Ministry.
"These were poor people, they gave thanks for a good harvest or they prayed that there wouldn't be a drought," De Caro said. "At the time there were no aqueducts, so the lake meant life."
He speculated the treasure of tiny, delicate ceramics could have been worth hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars) on the illegal antiquities market.
At the news conference in Rome, the Carabinieri also presented artifacts recovered in two more operations conducted last month.
During checks on an antiques shop in downtown Rome, officers found two medieval statues that had been stolen in 2007 from a home in the Italian capital, said Gen. Giovanni Nistri, the head of the art squad.
Separately, experts trawling internet sites that sell antiquities came upon a man offering a mosaic from a Roman catacomb for €55,000 ($75,000) and claiming it had been donated to his family by the Vatican.After verifying the claim was false, the Carabinieri seized the 3rd-4th century A.D. mosaic from the man's home along with a jug, cups and other ancient pottery and placed him under investigation. - AP
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Indian Women's National A Chess Championship: Sachdev Favorite to Defend Title
Tania Sachdev starts hot favourite at Parsvnath chess16 Dec 2008, 2019 hrs IST, PTI
Photo: Tania Sachdev with trophy from 2007 National 'A' Women's Chess Championship) NEW DELHI: Defending champion Tania Sachdev will start as the hot favourite at the Parsvnath National Women's 'A' chess championship beginning at Rusian Center for Science and Culture on Wednesday.
Looking for a hat-trick, the Asian women's champion and International Master Tania will face stiff challenge in the championship from the likes of Asian Junior girls' champion Mary Ann Gomes, Swati Ghate and Kruttika Nadig besides Nisha Mohota and Kiran Manisha Mohanty.
The 11-round Swiss event will have 12-players in all and the championship will be played under FIDE's round-robin league system. The drawing of lots will decide who will meet whom and when but each player will have her task cut out to make it to the Indian team for the next one year.
Tania has won the previous two editions at Chennai and then at Pune last year. The Delhi player, fresh from her good performance in the Chess Olympiad and an open tournament in Croatia from where she is adding important rating points to her present ELO, is not looking to make it three in a row at home.
2009 Sioux Falls, SD Grand Prix Tournaments
Announcement was published at Argusleader.com:
Monthly chess tournaments to be held
December 16, 2008
The Sioux Empire Chess Foundation is holding the Sioux Falls Scholastic League 2009 Grand Prix. Tournaments will be held monthly in various locations throughout the Sioux Falls area.
Players compete in one section: K-5, with class prizes available for K-3.
Games are time controlled and rated by the United States Chess Federation. Official USCF game timers are used. All players get to play five games.
Scorekeeping is not required but strongly encouraged, official score sheets are provided.
The first event is 12:30 to 7 p.m. Jan. 11at John Harris Elementary.
All players must have current United States Chess Federation Membership. Visit online at uschess.org to join for $17 (one year) or pay $20 at site. Entry Fee: $10 if sent in 2008, $15 thereafter. Mail registrations to Alex Yermolinsky, 6300 W Cheyenne Drive, Sioux Falls, SD 57106. Include your name, grade in school, your USCF ranking and if just joining your date of birth.
No registrations accepted after 12:45 PM on the day of the tournament.
Monthly chess tournaments to be held
December 16, 2008
The Sioux Empire Chess Foundation is holding the Sioux Falls Scholastic League 2009 Grand Prix. Tournaments will be held monthly in various locations throughout the Sioux Falls area.
Players compete in one section: K-5, with class prizes available for K-3.
Games are time controlled and rated by the United States Chess Federation. Official USCF game timers are used. All players get to play five games.
Scorekeeping is not required but strongly encouraged, official score sheets are provided.
The first event is 12:30 to 7 p.m. Jan. 11at John Harris Elementary.
All players must have current United States Chess Federation Membership. Visit online at uschess.org to join for $17 (one year) or pay $20 at site. Entry Fee: $10 if sent in 2008, $15 thereafter. Mail registrations to Alex Yermolinsky, 6300 W Cheyenne Drive, Sioux Falls, SD 57106. Include your name, grade in school, your USCF ranking and if just joining your date of birth.
No registrations accepted after 12:45 PM on the day of the tournament.
2009 Kasparov Foundation All-Girls Chess Championships
Announcement from the USCF website:
2009 All-Girls National Chess Championships
By Richard Krueger
December 16, 2008
Kasparov Chess Foundation Presents 2009 All-Girls National Chess Championships
University of Texas at Dallas
Established Academic Distinction Scholarship Valued at $80,000.
US Women's Champion, WGM Anna Zatonskih, to Make Special Appearance.
Dallas, TX, Dec. 16, 2008 -- Kasparov Chess Foundation announced the Sixth Annual National All-Girls Chess Championships, to be in Dallas, TX, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Blvd., April 24 - 26, 2008. The non-profit chess educational organization, founded by world chess champion Garry Kasparov, is hosting this year’s tournament in association with the Dallas Chess Club (DCC), University of Texas at Dallas, and the United States Chess Federation (USCF). This year, as in previous years, the tournament welcomes girls from public, private and home-schools.
Teams will compete within the following age categories: 8 years old and younger; 10 years old and younger; 12 years old and younger; 14 years old and younger; 16 years old and younger; 18 years old and younger.
As a special award, The University of Texas at Dallas, http://www.utdallas.edu, has established an Academic Distinction Scholarship for the winner of the 18 years old and younger section. The scholarship is valued at $80,000 for an out-of-state student. More information on the scholarship can be found at http://www.chess.utdallas.edu.
"This is the second consecutive year that we’re supporting the Kasparov Chess Foundation’s All Girls Nationals with a full scholarship," explained Dr. J. Michael Coleman, Dean of Undergraduate Education, University of Texas at Dallas. "Recruiting top women chess players is very supportive of university goals for innovative, transdisciplinary research and education in emerging areas of technology, science, math and engineering," he added.
All events will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Blvd.; 300 Reunion Blvd., Dallas, TX 75207; Phone: (800) 233-1234.
See full announcement.
2009 All-Girls National Chess Championships
By Richard Krueger
December 16, 2008
Kasparov Chess Foundation Presents 2009 All-Girls National Chess Championships
University of Texas at Dallas
Established Academic Distinction Scholarship Valued at $80,000.
US Women's Champion, WGM Anna Zatonskih, to Make Special Appearance.
Dallas, TX, Dec. 16, 2008 -- Kasparov Chess Foundation announced the Sixth Annual National All-Girls Chess Championships, to be in Dallas, TX, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Blvd., April 24 - 26, 2008. The non-profit chess educational organization, founded by world chess champion Garry Kasparov, is hosting this year’s tournament in association with the Dallas Chess Club (DCC), University of Texas at Dallas, and the United States Chess Federation (USCF). This year, as in previous years, the tournament welcomes girls from public, private and home-schools.
Teams will compete within the following age categories: 8 years old and younger; 10 years old and younger; 12 years old and younger; 14 years old and younger; 16 years old and younger; 18 years old and younger.
As a special award, The University of Texas at Dallas, http://www.utdallas.edu, has established an Academic Distinction Scholarship for the winner of the 18 years old and younger section. The scholarship is valued at $80,000 for an out-of-state student. More information on the scholarship can be found at http://www.chess.utdallas.edu.
"This is the second consecutive year that we’re supporting the Kasparov Chess Foundation’s All Girls Nationals with a full scholarship," explained Dr. J. Michael Coleman, Dean of Undergraduate Education, University of Texas at Dallas. "Recruiting top women chess players is very supportive of university goals for innovative, transdisciplinary research and education in emerging areas of technology, science, math and engineering," he added.
All events will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Blvd.; 300 Reunion Blvd., Dallas, TX 75207; Phone: (800) 233-1234.
See full announcement.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
New FIDE Titles Awarded to Chess Femmes
During the last FIDE General Assembly held in Dresden during the 2008 Olympiad, the following chess femmes have been awarded titles:
GM:
Hou Yifan CHN
Nana Dzagnidze GEO
Monika Socko POL
WGM:
Zhang Xiaowen CHN
Lara Stock CRO
Yaniet Marrero Lozez CUB
Soumya Swaminathan IND
Iulia-Ionela Ionica ROU
Mihaela Sandu ROU
IM:
Olga Zimina ITA
Mariya Muzychuk UKR
WIM:
Svetland Jordanova BUL
Adriana Nikolova BUL
Elitsa Raeva BUL
Xu Tong CHN
Sona Pertlova CZE
Mathilde Congiu FRA
Mariam Danielia GEO
Sarah Hoolt GER
Zsofia Domany HUN
Simona Limontaite LTU
Karina Vazirova RUS
Zuzana Borosova SVK
Kubra Ozturk TUR
Alisa Melekhina USA
Iryna Zenyuk USA
IM Conditional on Rating: Katerina Nemcova CZE
Congratulations to all of the chess femmes for this accomplishment! Nine of the top 10 rated chess femmes in the world on the October, 2008 FIDE Women's ratings list are now GMs. IM Elina Danielian representing Armenia at 2513, holds down the #10 spot.
GM:
Hou Yifan CHN
Nana Dzagnidze GEO
Monika Socko POL
WGM:
Zhang Xiaowen CHN
Lara Stock CRO
Yaniet Marrero Lozez CUB
Soumya Swaminathan IND
Iulia-Ionela Ionica ROU
Mihaela Sandu ROU
IM:
Olga Zimina ITA
Mariya Muzychuk UKR
WIM:
Svetland Jordanova BUL
Adriana Nikolova BUL
Elitsa Raeva BUL
Xu Tong CHN
Sona Pertlova CZE
Mathilde Congiu FRA
Mariam Danielia GEO
Sarah Hoolt GER
Zsofia Domany HUN
Simona Limontaite LTU
Karina Vazirova RUS
Zuzana Borosova SVK
Kubra Ozturk TUR
Alisa Melekhina USA
Iryna Zenyuk USA
IM Conditional on Rating: Katerina Nemcova CZE
Congratulations to all of the chess femmes for this accomplishment! Nine of the top 10 rated chess femmes in the world on the October, 2008 FIDE Women's ratings list are now GMs. IM Elina Danielian representing Armenia at 2513, holds down the #10 spot.
Requiem for Pin-Up Queen Bettie Page
She was a goddess in her time, the Queen of Pin-Ups. (Photo: From New York Times article - WWII cheesecake photo)Bettie Page, Queen of Pinups, Dies at 85
By ROBERT D. McFADDEN
Published: December 11, 2008
Published: December 11, 2008
Bettie Page, a legendary pinup girl whose photographs in the nude, in bondage and in naughty-but-nice poses appeared in men’s magazines and private stashes across America in the 1950s and set the stage for the sexual revolution of the rebellious ’60s, died Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 85.
Her death was reported by her agent, Mark Roesler, on Ms. Page’s Web site, bettiepage.com.
Ms. Page, whose popularity underwent a cult-like revival in the last 20 years, had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia and was about to be released Dec. 2 when she suffered a heart attack, said Mr. Roesler, of CMG Worldwide. She was transferred in a coma to Kindred Hospital, where she died.
In her trademark raven bangs, spike heels and killer curves, Ms. Page was the most famous pinup girl of the post-World War II era, a centerfold on a million locker doors and garage walls. She was also a major influence in the fashion industry and a target of Senator Estes Kefauver’s anti-pornography investigators.
But in 1957, at the height of her fame, she disappeared, and for three decades her private life — two failed marriages, a fight against poverty and mental illness, resurrection as a born-again Christian, years of seclusion in Southern California — was a mystery to all but a few close friends.
Then in the late 1980s and early ’90s, she was rediscovered and a Bettie Page renaissance began. David Stevens, creator of the comic-book and later movie character the Rocketeer, immortalized her as the Rocketeer’s girlfriend. Fashion designers revived her look. Uma Thurman, in bangs, reincarnated Bettie in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” and Demi Moore, Madonna and others appeared in Page-like photos.
There were Bettie Page playing cards, lunch boxes, action figures, T-shirts and beach towels. Her saucy images went up in nightclubs. Bettie Page fan clubs sprang up. Look-alike contests, featuring leather-and-lace and kitten-with-a-whip Betties, were organized. Hundreds of Web sites appeared, including her own, which had 588 million hits in five years, CMG Worldwide said in 2006.
Biographies were published, including her authorized version, “Bettie Page: The Life of a Pin-Up Legend,” (General Publishing Group) which appeared in 1996. It was written by Karen Essex and James L. Swanson.
A movie, “The Notorious Bettie Page,” starring Gretchen Mol as Bettie and directed by Mary Harron for Picturehouse and HBO Films, was released in 2006, adapted from “The Real Bettie Page,” by Richard Foster. Bettie May Page was born in Jackson, Tenn., the eldest girl of Roy and Edna Page’s six children. The father, an auto mechanic, molested all three of his daughters, Ms. Page said years later, and was divorced by his wife when Bettie was 10. She and some of her siblings were placed for a time in an orphanage. She attended high school in Nashville, and was almost a straight-A student, graduating second in her class.
She graduated from Peabody College, a part of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, but a teaching career was brief. “I couldn’t control my students, especially the boys,” she said. She tried secretarial work, married Billy Neal in 1943 and moved to San Francisco, where she modeled fur coats for a few years. She divorced Mr. Neal in 1947, moved to New York and enrolled in acting classes.
She had a few stage and television appearances, but it was a chance meeting that changed her life. On the beach at Coney Island in 1950, she met Jerry Tibbs, a police officer and photographer, who assembled her first pinup portfolio. By 1951, the brother-sister photographers Irving and Paula Klaw, who ran a mail-order business in cheesecake, were promoting the Bettie Page image with spike heels and whips, while Bunny Yeager’s pictures featured her in jungle shots, with and without leopards skins.
Her pictures were ogled in Wink, Eyeful, Titter, Beauty Parade and other magazines, and in leather-fetish 8- and 16-millimeter films. Her first name was often misspelled. Her big break was the Playboy centerfold in January 1955, when she winked in a Santa Claus cap as she put a bulb on a Christmas tree. Money and offers rolled in, but as she recalled years later, she was becoming depressed.
In 1955, she received a summons from a Senate committee headed by Senator Kefauver, a Tennessee Democrat, that was investigating pornography. She was never compelled to testify, but the uproar and other pressures drove her to quit modeling two years later. She moved to Florida. Subsequent marriages to Armond Walterson and Harry Lear ended in divorce, and there were no children. She moved to California in 1978.
For years Ms. Page lived on Social Security benefits. After a nervous breakdown, she was arrested for an attack on a landlady, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a California mental institution. She emerged years later as a born-again Christian, immersing herself in Bible studies and serving as an adviser to the Billy Graham Crusade.
In recent years, she had lived in Southern California on the proceeds of her revival. Occasionally, she gave interviews in her gentle Southern drawl, but largely stayed out of the public eye — and steadfastly refused to be photographed.
“I want to be remembered as I was when I was young and in my golden times,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 2006. “I want to be remembered as a woman who changed people’s perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form.”
Her death was reported by her agent, Mark Roesler, on Ms. Page’s Web site, bettiepage.com.
Ms. Page, whose popularity underwent a cult-like revival in the last 20 years, had been hospitalized for three weeks with pneumonia and was about to be released Dec. 2 when she suffered a heart attack, said Mr. Roesler, of CMG Worldwide. She was transferred in a coma to Kindred Hospital, where she died.
In her trademark raven bangs, spike heels and killer curves, Ms. Page was the most famous pinup girl of the post-World War II era, a centerfold on a million locker doors and garage walls. She was also a major influence in the fashion industry and a target of Senator Estes Kefauver’s anti-pornography investigators.
But in 1957, at the height of her fame, she disappeared, and for three decades her private life — two failed marriages, a fight against poverty and mental illness, resurrection as a born-again Christian, years of seclusion in Southern California — was a mystery to all but a few close friends.
Then in the late 1980s and early ’90s, she was rediscovered and a Bettie Page renaissance began. David Stevens, creator of the comic-book and later movie character the Rocketeer, immortalized her as the Rocketeer’s girlfriend. Fashion designers revived her look. Uma Thurman, in bangs, reincarnated Bettie in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” and Demi Moore, Madonna and others appeared in Page-like photos.
There were Bettie Page playing cards, lunch boxes, action figures, T-shirts and beach towels. Her saucy images went up in nightclubs. Bettie Page fan clubs sprang up. Look-alike contests, featuring leather-and-lace and kitten-with-a-whip Betties, were organized. Hundreds of Web sites appeared, including her own, which had 588 million hits in five years, CMG Worldwide said in 2006.
Biographies were published, including her authorized version, “Bettie Page: The Life of a Pin-Up Legend,” (General Publishing Group) which appeared in 1996. It was written by Karen Essex and James L. Swanson.
A movie, “The Notorious Bettie Page,” starring Gretchen Mol as Bettie and directed by Mary Harron for Picturehouse and HBO Films, was released in 2006, adapted from “The Real Bettie Page,” by Richard Foster. Bettie May Page was born in Jackson, Tenn., the eldest girl of Roy and Edna Page’s six children. The father, an auto mechanic, molested all three of his daughters, Ms. Page said years later, and was divorced by his wife when Bettie was 10. She and some of her siblings were placed for a time in an orphanage. She attended high school in Nashville, and was almost a straight-A student, graduating second in her class.
She graduated from Peabody College, a part of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, but a teaching career was brief. “I couldn’t control my students, especially the boys,” she said. She tried secretarial work, married Billy Neal in 1943 and moved to San Francisco, where she modeled fur coats for a few years. She divorced Mr. Neal in 1947, moved to New York and enrolled in acting classes.
She had a few stage and television appearances, but it was a chance meeting that changed her life. On the beach at Coney Island in 1950, she met Jerry Tibbs, a police officer and photographer, who assembled her first pinup portfolio. By 1951, the brother-sister photographers Irving and Paula Klaw, who ran a mail-order business in cheesecake, were promoting the Bettie Page image with spike heels and whips, while Bunny Yeager’s pictures featured her in jungle shots, with and without leopards skins.
Her pictures were ogled in Wink, Eyeful, Titter, Beauty Parade and other magazines, and in leather-fetish 8- and 16-millimeter films. Her first name was often misspelled. Her big break was the Playboy centerfold in January 1955, when she winked in a Santa Claus cap as she put a bulb on a Christmas tree. Money and offers rolled in, but as she recalled years later, she was becoming depressed.
In 1955, she received a summons from a Senate committee headed by Senator Kefauver, a Tennessee Democrat, that was investigating pornography. She was never compelled to testify, but the uproar and other pressures drove her to quit modeling two years later. She moved to Florida. Subsequent marriages to Armond Walterson and Harry Lear ended in divorce, and there were no children. She moved to California in 1978.
For years Ms. Page lived on Social Security benefits. After a nervous breakdown, she was arrested for an attack on a landlady, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a California mental institution. She emerged years later as a born-again Christian, immersing herself in Bible studies and serving as an adviser to the Billy Graham Crusade.
In recent years, she had lived in Southern California on the proceeds of her revival. Occasionally, she gave interviews in her gentle Southern drawl, but largely stayed out of the public eye — and steadfastly refused to be photographed.
“I want to be remembered as I was when I was young and in my golden times,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 2006. “I want to be remembered as a woman who changed people’s perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form.”
Greek Copper Hoard Discovered
Okay - I don't get it - were the weapons made out of copper (see first sentence of article) - or out of bronze (see title of article)? It makes a big difference as far as historicity is concerned!
Prehistoric bronze hoard found off Greek beach
Thu Dec 11, 7:46 am ET
ATHENS, Greece – Authorities say a hoard of 4,500-year-old copper weapons recovered off a northern beach is the largest of its kind ever found in Greece.
A Culture Ministry statement says the discovery includes at least 110 ax and hammer heads, but several more should be extracted from compacted masses of corroded metal.
The ministry says they were probably buried at a time of unrest or war. The hoard would have represented a fortune at the time.
Thursday's statement says there were no traces of a shipwreck. The site was probably a coastal area flooded by rising sea levels.
The tools were discovered near the village of Mesi, 500 miles (800 kilometers) northeast of Athens. Archaeologists recovered it from a depth of 3 1/2 yards (meters).
Prehistoric bronze hoard found off Greek beach
Thu Dec 11, 7:46 am ET
ATHENS, Greece – Authorities say a hoard of 4,500-year-old copper weapons recovered off a northern beach is the largest of its kind ever found in Greece.
A Culture Ministry statement says the discovery includes at least 110 ax and hammer heads, but several more should be extracted from compacted masses of corroded metal.
The ministry says they were probably buried at a time of unrest or war. The hoard would have represented a fortune at the time.
Thursday's statement says there were no traces of a shipwreck. The site was probably a coastal area flooded by rising sea levels.
The tools were discovered near the village of Mesi, 500 miles (800 kilometers) northeast of Athens. Archaeologists recovered it from a depth of 3 1/2 yards (meters).
Shopping, Shopping, SHOPPING!
Hola! I've passed 1,900 posts, yippee yay!
Today was our investment club meeting and gift exchange. We has a lovely breakfast - the restaurant was busier than we've seen it the past three months - and we had to wait nearly 30 minutes for a table for five. Wow! It was worth the wait, though, because the food is always good at Meyer's. Our portfolio is in sad condition, we only have two stocks in the black, but we're looking to make another buy next month. Get 'em while they're on sale. We're not panicking and we're not selling. Every company/ETF we own is solid and will turn around when the economy turns around. People need water - people need oil, and machines, and food, and medicine. That's what we're invested in.
In a holiday mood, and with sales at the shops presenting some irresistible bargains, I visited the Mall after our meeting ended and spent a few pleasant hours shopping for incredibly discounted Christmas ornaments - I bought more than I planned and when I got home I spent another pleasant few hours rearranging my Christmas tree to find spots just so for the new purchases! Also found some incredible bargains in clothes and bought a new outfit for Las Vegas, and a few little gifts for Isis and Michelle :)
The weather - oy! It was WARM today (in the 40's) and the rain didn't come, and didn't come, and didn't come... I thought perhaps we might be lucky and not get any rain at all, sparing us black ice and ice-rink style sidewalks tomorrow for the commute to work. Alas, it was not to be. When I poked my nose out the patio door to throw out some cut up raw carrots for the possum shortly after 6 PM it was raining. The rain was blowing at a 45 degree slant, the wind is still gusting up to 40 MPH from the south but that will change later on as the temperatures plunge. Sigh. I sure hope our trees and wires and electric towers don't get coated with ice like what happened out east a few days ago. Yikes!
I bought more Brazil nuts and hazel nuts and peanuts for my fat, sassy squirrels. They were out on the deck entertaining the ladies of the investment club earlier today. The blue jays visited too, dive-bombing for peanuts, and everyone oohed and aahed over the pair of cardinals who dropped by. I've the best fed menagerie in town.
Today was our investment club meeting and gift exchange. We has a lovely breakfast - the restaurant was busier than we've seen it the past three months - and we had to wait nearly 30 minutes for a table for five. Wow! It was worth the wait, though, because the food is always good at Meyer's. Our portfolio is in sad condition, we only have two stocks in the black, but we're looking to make another buy next month. Get 'em while they're on sale. We're not panicking and we're not selling. Every company/ETF we own is solid and will turn around when the economy turns around. People need water - people need oil, and machines, and food, and medicine. That's what we're invested in.
In a holiday mood, and with sales at the shops presenting some irresistible bargains, I visited the Mall after our meeting ended and spent a few pleasant hours shopping for incredibly discounted Christmas ornaments - I bought more than I planned and when I got home I spent another pleasant few hours rearranging my Christmas tree to find spots just so for the new purchases! Also found some incredible bargains in clothes and bought a new outfit for Las Vegas, and a few little gifts for Isis and Michelle :)
The weather - oy! It was WARM today (in the 40's) and the rain didn't come, and didn't come, and didn't come... I thought perhaps we might be lucky and not get any rain at all, sparing us black ice and ice-rink style sidewalks tomorrow for the commute to work. Alas, it was not to be. When I poked my nose out the patio door to throw out some cut up raw carrots for the possum shortly after 6 PM it was raining. The rain was blowing at a 45 degree slant, the wind is still gusting up to 40 MPH from the south but that will change later on as the temperatures plunge. Sigh. I sure hope our trees and wires and electric towers don't get coated with ice like what happened out east a few days ago. Yikes!
I bought more Brazil nuts and hazel nuts and peanuts for my fat, sassy squirrels. They were out on the deck entertaining the ladies of the investment club earlier today. The blue jays visited too, dive-bombing for peanuts, and everyone oohed and aahed over the pair of cardinals who dropped by. I've the best fed menagerie in town.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Blast from the Past: Joobji Female Burials
May, 2007 discovery back in the news:
From Press TV
Iran's Joobji relics, rare artifacts
Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:01:08 GMT
Iranian archeologists say relics found at the country's Joobji archeological site are among the rarest of their kind in the world.
“Several coffins, bronze crockery, braziers and golden buttons were found at the site which are considered exceptional in kind,” Joobji archeology team director, Arman Shishehgar announced at Iran's 10th International Archaeology Conference.
The relics were found in an Elamite tomb, which was discovered during construction work in 2007. The tomb was mostly ruined and its stone structure was buried in a mound, 230 meters above sea level.
According to Shishehgar, two bronze coffins were found in the tomb, with the skeletal remains of two women that were buried facing north. Archeologists also found rings, bracelets, armlets and brooches in the coffins, which are similar in make to Achaemenid era jewelry. Excavations also yielded a white faience seal, bearing a human image which resembles the seals found in western Iran and Susa.
Joobji archeological site is located in the ancient city of Ramhormoz in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan Province. Iran's 10th International Archaeology Conference is being held in the country's southern city of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province. TE/HGH
An earlier story from May, 2008:Ramhormoz graves may be Elamite royal burials: experts
Tehran Times Culture Desk
TEHRAN -- A team of archaeologists studying two graves discovered in the city of Ramhormoz in southern Iran said that they bear their remains of a girl and a woman who were most likely members of an Elamite royal family.
The team led by Arman Shishegar was assigned to carry out a series of rescue excavations in the Jubji region of the city in Khuzestan Province in May 2007 after the Khuzestan Water and Waste Water Company stumbled on two U-shaped coffins containing skeletons of a girl and a woman along with a great number of artifacts during a grading operation. The girl was about 17 years old and the woman was between 30 and 35 years old at the time of death, Shishegar told the Persian service of CHN on Tuesday. The girl was discovered wearing a golden bracelet embellished with pieces of agate on her wrist. The bracelet bears the female name Ani-Numa.
During the rescue excavations, the archaeologists found five rings of power among the coffins’ artifacts, which were usually used by royals in Mesopotamia. [Note: The Islamists in control of the Iranian government would NOT have been thrilled by this evidence of pre-Islamic "cultural contamination"].
One of the rings, which bears the name of King Shutruk-Nahhunte of Elam (c. 1185–c. 1155 BC) in a cuneiform inscription was previously surmised to belong to the king, but Farzan Foruzanfar, an anthropologist of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO), rejected the theory during his latest studies, Shishegar said. Due to the large quantity of valuable artifacts found in the coffins, the archaeologists believe that the girl and the woman had most likely been Shutruk-Nahhunte’s relatives or family members, he added.
Another of the five rings, which bears a cuneiform inscription, was handed over to two ancient languages experts but their studies led to different results. One of them deciphered the inscription as a female name but the other said it was the name of a local official. According to Shishegar, the divergence of opinions is a result of the deformed shape of the ring.
Since the grading operation was continued even after the extraordinary discovery, the graves’ site has been almost completely bulldozed. [Islamists hard at work destroying evidence of prior Iranian culture and civilization]. A golden armlet with floral motifs, two golden bracelets bearing deer-head patterns at each end, some ornamental stones with floral decorations, 155 golden buttons of various sizes, several statuettes of goddesses, a golden necklace, golden plaques with floral motifs, 99 golden necklace beads, 23 golden necklace pendants of various sizes, three marble stone dishes, earthenware and bronze dishes, several bronze bracelets, a fish-shaped goddess ornament, and a number of other artifacts have been discovered at the site.
All the relics were transferred to Tehran to be stored at the National Museum of Iran. Shishegar said the items are currently in danger, but the report did not provide any explanation of his statement. [Duh! Of course they're in danger - of being sold on the illegal antiquities market and being substituted with inferior copies.]
Photo: One of the five rings of power discovered in the Jubji region of Ramhormoz, Khuzestan Province - WRONG! This is NOT a finger ring, given the obvious size of the depicted object, it is an arm bracelet.
From Press TV
Iran's Joobji relics, rare artifacts
Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:01:08 GMT
Iranian archeologists say relics found at the country's Joobji archeological site are among the rarest of their kind in the world.
“Several coffins, bronze crockery, braziers and golden buttons were found at the site which are considered exceptional in kind,” Joobji archeology team director, Arman Shishehgar announced at Iran's 10th International Archaeology Conference.
The relics were found in an Elamite tomb, which was discovered during construction work in 2007. The tomb was mostly ruined and its stone structure was buried in a mound, 230 meters above sea level.
According to Shishehgar, two bronze coffins were found in the tomb, with the skeletal remains of two women that were buried facing north. Archeologists also found rings, bracelets, armlets and brooches in the coffins, which are similar in make to Achaemenid era jewelry. Excavations also yielded a white faience seal, bearing a human image which resembles the seals found in western Iran and Susa.
Joobji archeological site is located in the ancient city of Ramhormoz in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan Province. Iran's 10th International Archaeology Conference is being held in the country's southern city of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province. TE/HGH
*************************************
An earlier story from May, 2008:Ramhormoz graves may be Elamite royal burials: expertsTehran Times Culture Desk
TEHRAN -- A team of archaeologists studying two graves discovered in the city of Ramhormoz in southern Iran said that they bear their remains of a girl and a woman who were most likely members of an Elamite royal family.
The team led by Arman Shishegar was assigned to carry out a series of rescue excavations in the Jubji region of the city in Khuzestan Province in May 2007 after the Khuzestan Water and Waste Water Company stumbled on two U-shaped coffins containing skeletons of a girl and a woman along with a great number of artifacts during a grading operation. The girl was about 17 years old and the woman was between 30 and 35 years old at the time of death, Shishegar told the Persian service of CHN on Tuesday. The girl was discovered wearing a golden bracelet embellished with pieces of agate on her wrist. The bracelet bears the female name Ani-Numa.
During the rescue excavations, the archaeologists found five rings of power among the coffins’ artifacts, which were usually used by royals in Mesopotamia. [Note: The Islamists in control of the Iranian government would NOT have been thrilled by this evidence of pre-Islamic "cultural contamination"].
One of the rings, which bears the name of King Shutruk-Nahhunte of Elam (c. 1185–c. 1155 BC) in a cuneiform inscription was previously surmised to belong to the king, but Farzan Foruzanfar, an anthropologist of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO), rejected the theory during his latest studies, Shishegar said. Due to the large quantity of valuable artifacts found in the coffins, the archaeologists believe that the girl and the woman had most likely been Shutruk-Nahhunte’s relatives or family members, he added.
Another of the five rings, which bears a cuneiform inscription, was handed over to two ancient languages experts but their studies led to different results. One of them deciphered the inscription as a female name but the other said it was the name of a local official. According to Shishegar, the divergence of opinions is a result of the deformed shape of the ring.
Since the grading operation was continued even after the extraordinary discovery, the graves’ site has been almost completely bulldozed. [Islamists hard at work destroying evidence of prior Iranian culture and civilization]. A golden armlet with floral motifs, two golden bracelets bearing deer-head patterns at each end, some ornamental stones with floral decorations, 155 golden buttons of various sizes, several statuettes of goddesses, a golden necklace, golden plaques with floral motifs, 99 golden necklace beads, 23 golden necklace pendants of various sizes, three marble stone dishes, earthenware and bronze dishes, several bronze bracelets, a fish-shaped goddess ornament, and a number of other artifacts have been discovered at the site.
All the relics were transferred to Tehran to be stored at the National Museum of Iran. Shishegar said the items are currently in danger, but the report did not provide any explanation of his statement. [Duh! Of course they're in danger - of being sold on the illegal antiquities market and being substituted with inferior copies.]
Photo: One of the five rings of power discovered in the Jubji region of Ramhormoz, Khuzestan Province - WRONG! This is NOT a finger ring, given the obvious size of the depicted object, it is an arm bracelet.
1st Nanjing Super Tournament
Hola! I've got the driveway shoveled out (at last) - just in time for the sleet/rain. Geez! It took a good hour and it wasn't easy work, but with each shovelful I'm getting stronger and slimmer :)
Isis called this morning from Las Vegas - it was 60 degrees F there and she was going outdoors to do some gardening. Geez! dondelion and I will be seeing Isis and Michelle over Christmas - can't wait for some relative warmth! Yesterday it was in the single digits temperature wise here and seven or eight below zero (windchill), but exactly as the weather man forecast, a warm front blew in from the southwest and it was a balmy 25 degrees F or so when I went out at 7 AM to fetch the newspaper. The ice was melting on the driveway! The only drawback is the precipitation, which started when I was about half-way finished with the remainder of the icy snow on the driveway, and strong non-stop winds out of the southwest. Whew! Gusts are up to 40 mph and at times were strong enough to blow icy snow right back in my face, ACH!
The very first Nanjing Super Tournament is taking place in China and it's boring, darlings, boring. No young, new, exciting players (unless you count Bu, but he's already at the elite player level), the same old, same old. Snore. All chess dudes, too. The prizes are rich, but that's about all that can be said for this event. Except -
Well, take a look at this photo. Does this not seem just a bit - hinky - to you? It does to me. Just what, exactly, are the little girls supposed to represent, heh??? VERY weird, having those big hairy chessplaying guys holding the hands of the little girls with painted faces. Rather like miniature courtesans - oh goddess, what a perverse idea. But that's what I thought when I saw this photo. Guess I have a sick mind - or maybe not so sick, having read some about what goes on in the world when it comes to the objectification and sexual exploitation of children. Now I'm not saying that was the implication in this display - but - what, exactly, was the point? And the grown-up lady in the background in the long red gown - what is she? A chaperon? Or a madam? Okay - guess I've watched Moulin Rouge one too many times. Or maye not enough...
Isis called this morning from Las Vegas - it was 60 degrees F there and she was going outdoors to do some gardening. Geez! dondelion and I will be seeing Isis and Michelle over Christmas - can't wait for some relative warmth! Yesterday it was in the single digits temperature wise here and seven or eight below zero (windchill), but exactly as the weather man forecast, a warm front blew in from the southwest and it was a balmy 25 degrees F or so when I went out at 7 AM to fetch the newspaper. The ice was melting on the driveway! The only drawback is the precipitation, which started when I was about half-way finished with the remainder of the icy snow on the driveway, and strong non-stop winds out of the southwest. Whew! Gusts are up to 40 mph and at times were strong enough to blow icy snow right back in my face, ACH!
The very first Nanjing Super Tournament is taking place in China and it's boring, darlings, boring. No young, new, exciting players (unless you count Bu, but he's already at the elite player level), the same old, same old. Snore. All chess dudes, too. The prizes are rich, but that's about all that can be said for this event. Except -
Well, take a look at this photo. Does this not seem just a bit - hinky - to you? It does to me. Just what, exactly, are the little girls supposed to represent, heh??? VERY weird, having those big hairy chessplaying guys holding the hands of the little girls with painted faces. Rather like miniature courtesans - oh goddess, what a perverse idea. But that's what I thought when I saw this photo. Guess I have a sick mind - or maybe not so sick, having read some about what goes on in the world when it comes to the objectification and sexual exploitation of children. Now I'm not saying that was the implication in this display - but - what, exactly, was the point? And the grown-up lady in the background in the long red gown - what is she? A chaperon? Or a madam? Okay - guess I've watched Moulin Rouge one too many times. Or maye not enough...
Friday, December 12, 2008
Friday Night Miscellany - One Day Late
Hola darlings!
Unbelievable news stories out this past week - I couldn't make up some of this stuff if I tried. Yeah, I know I keep saying that, but it's true!
Asshole in Charge of Zimbabwe Denies Cholera Epidemic - even as more and more graves are being dug. The hapless and helpless UN says the whole country could be consumed with the epidemic while Mugabe denies there is a problem. What's the old saying - a picture is worth a thousand words... I would not be surprised if an entire generation of Zimbabweans are wiped out by the epidemic. It's always the children and women who suffer the most - sonsofbitch men who run the world could care less, of course. Well - they will care - A WHOLE LOT - when there aren't any women left to rape, er, marry and breed more chattel (children) to work the fields and use for cannon fodder in endless wars. Get this, the Zimbabwean government is now claiming that the cholera epidemic is a plot by the British Government! I do not understand, no, I will never understand, why someone with a rifle has not taken out Mugabe to end that particular problem in Zimbabwe. President-Elect Obama, please appoint Tom Clancy as head of the CIA.
Respected Wall Street Investment Manager/Market-Maker Defrauded Investors of Billions: Does it feel any different for someone who thought he/she was a billionaire to suddenly realize they don't have any money left than it does for the average wage-earner in this country ($45,000 a year), struggling to make ends meet, having their 401(k) wiped out in a few days by the October stock market crash and the value of their home decrease by 40% (or more) over two years? Somehow, I just can't rummage up much sympathy for the billionaires who may no longer be so because they entrusted their money to a lying fraud.
This dude may have defrauded investors of up to $50 billion. Ironic, isn't it, that the Republicans in the House blocked legislation to lend $14 billion to the Big Three automakers because the United Auto Workers Union representing the average Joe workers refused to accept some ridiculous concessions the Republicans wanted to impose on money that is a LOAN to the auto makers (what about some concessions and give-backs from the millionaire fat cats who managed the companies all the way into the ground???), and this Wall Street dude lost $50 billion through lying and cheating his clients! The Republicans are up in arms about the hairy Democrat Governor from Illinois with the unpronounceable name who is being charged with attempting to "sell" President-Elect Obama's now vacant Senate seat for personal gain, but the Wall Street dude who ripped people off for $50 billion doesn't merit a mention by any of the Republican Congressmen or Senators. Hmmmm.... Where is Elliott Spitzer when you need him? Oh - the fat cats sure got rid of him, didn't they... No New York attorney general sniffing around the Wall Street boobies now. I expect Bernard Madoff will plead diminished capacity by reason of Alzheimers, or some such, and he'll never spend a second in prison.
My heart bleeds (not) for the fat cats who got ripped off by one of their own. The Wall Street Journal coverage today said Madoff was turned in by his own sons. Wonder what the motive was behind THAT move? Greed? Trying to save what's left of the family company for themselves and their posterity? Did they actually have - consciences? Geez, what a concept - uber-rich SOBs having a conscience! Madoff put us his Manhattan penthouse as security for his $10,000,000 bail. Yeah, it just breaks me up. Cough, cough. The last thing he wanted to do before he got arrested was dole out some of the last $200 to $300 million left in bonuses for his loyal employees, friends and family. My heart just bleeds.
Some of the Wall Street Regulars figured Madoff was cheating - and they (all unnamed, of course) specifically invested with Madoff BECAUSE they figured he was cheating -- they thought he was trading on "insider" information. They just didn't figure that he was cheating with a classic Ponzie scheme. I mean - how outre, darlings! A Ponzie scheme! Har!
Health Care in Canada - here's hoping whatever plan the Obama Administration comes up with isn't like what they have in Canada - euuuuuwwwwww! Within months of each other, horrendous stories about people who arrived for emergency treatment ending up dying in the waiting rooms:
Albinos in Tanzania are being targeted for blood and body parts in aid of black magic. What century are we living in???
Unbelievable news stories out this past week - I couldn't make up some of this stuff if I tried. Yeah, I know I keep saying that, but it's true!
Asshole in Charge of Zimbabwe Denies Cholera Epidemic - even as more and more graves are being dug. The hapless and helpless UN says the whole country could be consumed with the epidemic while Mugabe denies there is a problem. What's the old saying - a picture is worth a thousand words... I would not be surprised if an entire generation of Zimbabweans are wiped out by the epidemic. It's always the children and women who suffer the most - sonsofbitch men who run the world could care less, of course. Well - they will care - A WHOLE LOT - when there aren't any women left to rape, er, marry and breed more chattel (children) to work the fields and use for cannon fodder in endless wars. Get this, the Zimbabwean government is now claiming that the cholera epidemic is a plot by the British Government! I do not understand, no, I will never understand, why someone with a rifle has not taken out Mugabe to end that particular problem in Zimbabwe. President-Elect Obama, please appoint Tom Clancy as head of the CIA.Respected Wall Street Investment Manager/Market-Maker Defrauded Investors of Billions: Does it feel any different for someone who thought he/she was a billionaire to suddenly realize they don't have any money left than it does for the average wage-earner in this country ($45,000 a year), struggling to make ends meet, having their 401(k) wiped out in a few days by the October stock market crash and the value of their home decrease by 40% (or more) over two years? Somehow, I just can't rummage up much sympathy for the billionaires who may no longer be so because they entrusted their money to a lying fraud.
This dude may have defrauded investors of up to $50 billion. Ironic, isn't it, that the Republicans in the House blocked legislation to lend $14 billion to the Big Three automakers because the United Auto Workers Union representing the average Joe workers refused to accept some ridiculous concessions the Republicans wanted to impose on money that is a LOAN to the auto makers (what about some concessions and give-backs from the millionaire fat cats who managed the companies all the way into the ground???), and this Wall Street dude lost $50 billion through lying and cheating his clients! The Republicans are up in arms about the hairy Democrat Governor from Illinois with the unpronounceable name who is being charged with attempting to "sell" President-Elect Obama's now vacant Senate seat for personal gain, but the Wall Street dude who ripped people off for $50 billion doesn't merit a mention by any of the Republican Congressmen or Senators. Hmmmm.... Where is Elliott Spitzer when you need him? Oh - the fat cats sure got rid of him, didn't they... No New York attorney general sniffing around the Wall Street boobies now. I expect Bernard Madoff will plead diminished capacity by reason of Alzheimers, or some such, and he'll never spend a second in prison.
My heart bleeds (not) for the fat cats who got ripped off by one of their own. The Wall Street Journal coverage today said Madoff was turned in by his own sons. Wonder what the motive was behind THAT move? Greed? Trying to save what's left of the family company for themselves and their posterity? Did they actually have - consciences? Geez, what a concept - uber-rich SOBs having a conscience! Madoff put us his Manhattan penthouse as security for his $10,000,000 bail. Yeah, it just breaks me up. Cough, cough. The last thing he wanted to do before he got arrested was dole out some of the last $200 to $300 million left in bonuses for his loyal employees, friends and family. My heart just bleeds.
Some of the Wall Street Regulars figured Madoff was cheating - and they (all unnamed, of course) specifically invested with Madoff BECAUSE they figured he was cheating -- they thought he was trading on "insider" information. They just didn't figure that he was cheating with a classic Ponzie scheme. I mean - how outre, darlings! A Ponzie scheme! Har!
Health Care in Canada - here's hoping whatever plan the Obama Administration comes up with isn't like what they have in Canada - euuuuuwwwwww! Within months of each other, horrendous stories about people who arrived for emergency treatment ending up dying in the waiting rooms:
- September 23, 2008: The 45-year-old arrived by taxi at the Health Sciences Centre around 3 p.m. Friday from the Health Action Centre, a community health centre in central Winnipeg, where he had an earlier appointment, officials said. He was found dead after midnight Sunday.
- December 12, 2008 inquest into death that occurred on January 11, 2008: Man arrives at emergency clinic blue in the face, with difficulty breathing and in obvious distress, told to sit down. He died sometime while seated, and someone in the waiting room dialed 911 in an attempt to learn how to do CPR on the man. Unbelievable explanation as to why no one on the medical staff acted to remove the now deceased patient from the waiting room - the doctor who took (and evidently found n0) pulse thought it would be treated by the police as the scene of a crime. Evidently dying for lack of care in an emergency clinic in Montreal is now a crime. Oh those Frenchies, what will they think of next???
Albinos in Tanzania are being targeted for blood and body parts in aid of black magic. What century are we living in???
Time to dance around the room for 30 minutes to songs such as Love Shack (B-52s) and get my aerobic work-out in. 'night.
2,000 Year Old Woman Found in Chosun!
Wow - what do those people eat? Drink? Smoke?
Oops - headline neglects to indicate that the 2,000 year old woman is DEAD and is a SKELETON. LOL!
2,000-Year-Old Woman Found in Incheon (Korea)
December 11, 2008
A well-preserved adult female skeleton dating back 2,000 years ago has been unearthed in Yeongjong Island, Incheon.
The Korea Institute for Archeology and Environment, an agency specializing in unearthing and studying buried cultural properties, on Wednesday said it unearthed the skeleton lying supine with its head facing northwest in a burial mound at the bottom layer of a shell mound relic site in Unnam-dong, Jung-gu in District 2 of Yeongjong Haneul Town in the Incheon Free Economic Zone.
"In light of the size of the femur, we presume that the skeleton once belonged to a 153.6 cm-tall adult female,” the institute said. “She is presumed to have given birth to two to three babies. A long egg-shaped maroon earthen jar which was discovered near the skeleton contained apparent fragments of an infant's skull and lower jawbone.” It said the finds will provide a lot of information for archeological research about people in an era about which little is known.
Pieces of earthenware dating to the early days of the Three Kingdoms Period from centuries before Christ's birth to the third and fourth centuries were also excavated from this shell mound. Also found there were coins made in the Chinese Han Dynasty [circa 220 BCE - 220 CE].
Oops - headline neglects to indicate that the 2,000 year old woman is DEAD and is a SKELETON. LOL!
2,000-Year-Old Woman Found in Incheon (Korea)
December 11, 2008
A well-preserved adult female skeleton dating back 2,000 years ago has been unearthed in Yeongjong Island, Incheon.
The Korea Institute for Archeology and Environment, an agency specializing in unearthing and studying buried cultural properties, on Wednesday said it unearthed the skeleton lying supine with its head facing northwest in a burial mound at the bottom layer of a shell mound relic site in Unnam-dong, Jung-gu in District 2 of Yeongjong Haneul Town in the Incheon Free Economic Zone.
"In light of the size of the femur, we presume that the skeleton once belonged to a 153.6 cm-tall adult female,” the institute said. “She is presumed to have given birth to two to three babies. A long egg-shaped maroon earthen jar which was discovered near the skeleton contained apparent fragments of an infant's skull and lower jawbone.” It said the finds will provide a lot of information for archeological research about people in an era about which little is known.
Pieces of earthenware dating to the early days of the Three Kingdoms Period from centuries before Christ's birth to the third and fourth centuries were also excavated from this shell mound. Also found there were coins made in the Chinese Han Dynasty [circa 220 BCE - 220 CE].
Ancient Chariot Burial in China
(Photo from article below - shows parts of a chariot and the remains of two horses) I'm always interested in news of chariot burials. The 'ruhkh' piece (in middle Persian) was a chariot; the 'shah ruhkh' was the King's Champion, originally the most powerful piece on the chessboard. The King's Champion is the stuff of legend in ancient Persian tales of valor and battle. Today, the name of the 'ruhkh' lives on in western chess as the "rook" - although the piece was converted to a tower or "castle" in western terminology; and in northern India and Pakistan many men are named after the 'shah ruhkh' including famous Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan.As far as I am aware, popular theory today says that the ancient Chinese independently came up with the invention of the wheel, the spoked wheel and the war chariot. (Not sure of the dating on this.) From my own reading and research I know that the eight-spoked wheel war chariot was first invented in what is now modern Armenia around 1800 BCE and spread quickly across the lands. (It was the expertise of the Hyksos with war chariots and horse teams that led to the defeat of part of the Egyptian empire and the rule of Egyptianized Hyksos kings for about 200 years, starting around 1650 BCE). It is usually war chariots and the specially bred and trained horses who pulled those war chariots that are buried with the bodies of elite warriors, priestesses, kings and queens, that have been excavated, no matter in what region of the world.
The size of this discovery is simply - staggering!
Article from china.org.cn
Tomb fit for Chu king, archaeologists agree
Chinese archaeologists have reached a consensus that the master of a tomb dating back 2,400 years, was a king of the State of Chu in the Warring States Period (475 to 221 BC).
"The tomb is the largest and best preserved found to date from the State of Chu in the Warring States Period," Liu Binhui, an expert in Chu culture with the Hunan provincial museum, who had carried out research in Jingzhou for more than 20 years before transferring to Hunan, said.
The tomb has a 131-m-long horse and chariot chamber, the longest ever found from the period, the Wuhan Evening News reported yesterday.
Excavation of the chamber is about half complete, with 43 chariots and more than 100 horses unearthed, Liu said.
"Three chariots were equipped with six horses," he said.
"That reflects the rank of the tomb's owner. Only kings were allowed to drive chariots with six horses during the Warring States Period."
The consensus came at an archaeological forum dedicated to the discussion of the tomb's occupant on Wednesday after more than two years of excavation from the tomb compound, which is located in Jingzhou, Hubei province.
"All of the evidence leads to the conclusion that the tomb belongs to a king of the State of Chu," Liu said.
Meanwhile, archaeologists have also found 92 graves that might have been for people buried with the dead, a custom of the State of Chu, he said.
Since its discovery in 1979, archaeologists have identified the main mound, about 100 ancillary tomb tumuli, more than 30 horse and chariot pits arranged in a row and a surrounding ditch. Formal excavation started in August 2006, he said.
Ever since its discovery, archaeologists have shown great interested in the occupant of the tomb, which covers an area of 60,000 sq m. More than 1,300 jade items were put on display in Jingzhou in September last year, the largest exhibition of jade articles in China.
Xu Wenwu, a professor with the Changjiang University, made an even bolder assumption.
"The great probability is that the tomb is of King Zhao of Chu, named Xiong Zhen, who was the last king of the state," he said.
In all, 11 kings ruled Chu.
2008 Chess Olympiad: Armenian Women's Team
Article from panorama.am
17:11 12/12/2008
WOMEN CHESS TEAM SATISFIED BY THEIR RESULTS
Women chess team of Armenia gained the sixth horizontal in World Chess Olympiad in Dresden. The representatives of the team say they have had a successful participation but the most important victory has been the game with Azeri team who has been defeated by 4-0 points.
“I am content of the results. It has been the most successful result we have ever gained. If we were luckier then we could have even better results,” says Arsen Eghiazaryan, the trainer of the team in a press conference.
The champion of Armenia Lilit Galoyan gained 6.5 points from 10 possible ones, the second was champion of Europe Nelli Aghinyan – 5.5 points from 9 ones, and the third was Lilit Mkrtchyan – 8 points from 11 ones.
The Armenian Women's Team: IM Elina Danielian. She will be joined by IM Lilit Mkrtchian, WGM Nelly Aginian, WIM Siranush Andriasian, and L. Galoian.
17:11 12/12/2008
WOMEN CHESS TEAM SATISFIED BY THEIR RESULTS
Women chess team of Armenia gained the sixth horizontal in World Chess Olympiad in Dresden. The representatives of the team say they have had a successful participation but the most important victory has been the game with Azeri team who has been defeated by 4-0 points.
“I am content of the results. It has been the most successful result we have ever gained. If we were luckier then we could have even better results,” says Arsen Eghiazaryan, the trainer of the team in a press conference.
The champion of Armenia Lilit Galoyan gained 6.5 points from 10 possible ones, the second was champion of Europe Nelli Aghinyan – 5.5 points from 9 ones, and the third was Lilit Mkrtchyan – 8 points from 11 ones.
The Armenian Women's Team: IM Elina Danielian. She will be joined by IM Lilit Mkrtchian, WGM Nelly Aginian, WIM Siranush Andriasian, and L. Galoian.
I Love Christmas!
This is a photo of my grand-niece, Taylor, and grand-nephew, Austin, the children 0f my youngest niece, Kristen. No tears this year on Santa's lap! They are grandchildren of my youngest sister. They're so cute - carrying on the tradition of those gorgeous Newton genes :)My Christmas tree is looking good - I've been tweaking the decorations here and there. One of my favorite places to shop, Boston Store (currently owned by Bon Ton), has been featuring discount coupons in the newspaper every few days, and I've been getting some very good bargains as a result, because the coupons are on top of discounts already in place. Yesterday I scored a very nice Nine West tote bag that retailed for $55 for $33 and change after various discounts. I've my eye on a few more glitzy Christmas ornaments too - now being discounted at 40% plus 10% coupon discount. I may shop tomorrow after I leave the office - yep, it's that time of year, tax accounting, CLE reports due on 12/31 and the uber-rich getting GRAT trusts in place and funded prior to the end of the year; now is an ideal time to fund such trusts, because of depressed asset values, lowering the gift taxes due if the transfers exceed $12,000 per donee per year.
A heat wave is due through just before sunrise tomorrow. By Sunday it's supposed to get all the way into the mid-40's - but with rain. That's a big BUT, because the temperature will drop Sunday night. You know what that means. ICE. LOTS AND LOTS OF ICE. I'm already planning what I'm going to do with my day off on Monday, cuz I won't risk life and limb trying to walk the 3/4 miles to the bus stop on ice! It's bad enough out there as it is! Although it's been below zero with windchills the past couple of days, it has been sunny, enough to melt snow and ice on the sidewalks which promptly freezes again after sundown at 4:17 p.m. Try walking on that! Oh Goddess!
Anyway, that great big Moon is out there tonight - it's so bright I swear my neighbors have left on their patio lights, but it's the Moon! Far too cold, though, to attempt to snap pics outside. I've already got tender spots, chafing and peeling skin on my face from the cold weather, and no amount of super moisturizers can cure it. Arggghhhh!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Article from UBPost
Recently Uncovered Skeleton Offers Clues on Chinggis Khaan Era
Written by William Kennedy
Thursday, December 11, 2008.
AN ANCIENT female skeleton discovered along the Tuul River, some 55 kilometers outside Ulaanbaatar, may be more remarkable for when she lived rather than who she was. After examining earrings and rings discovered amongst the remains, Kh. Lkhagvasuren, an archaeologist who heads the Mongolian Historical and Cultural Heritage Center, said this week that the woman was likely a contemporary of Chinggis Khaan. The discovery is an important one for the discipline and for Mongolia as physical evidence from that period remains rare.
“Few people have found anything from the 13th century,” Lkhagvasuren said, “especially that close to the Tuul river.”
While an examination of the skeleton—specifically the skull and waist—revealed that it belonged to a teenage female, not much else is known about the young woman’s life. The body was buried in a wooden coffin—thought in some circles to be a common Mongol practice at the time—and the trinkets found with it suggest the woman was neither wealthy nor powerful in life.
While it would be too much to assume the woman had direct contact with Chinggis Khaan himself, it might not be a stretch to imagine that she knew his one-time patron and later rival Ong Khan. Ong Khan, known as Wang Khan in Chinese History, made his fall camp in the area where Lkhagvasuren and his students—the archaeologist is also President of Chinggis Khaan University—discovered the young woman’s skeleton on a crisp October day. Those conditions and a picturesque setting offered some clues about why Ong Khaan chose the site, known as Khonkhor, where surrounding hills afford protection from the wind—though permitting enough breeze to keep the bugs at bay—and the Tuul peacefully intersects a plain on which animals still graze today.
This idyllic landscape may also explain why the site’s importance begins well before the 13th century. In fact, many groups historically residing in present day Mongolia decided to set up camp in the exact same spot. Not far from the young woman’s body, for example, Lkhagvasuren and his students uncovered the remains of a Hu Nu man, possibly a chief, buried 12 feet deep in hard earth. Objects dating to the early Bronze Age have also been discovered at the site, making it of particular interest to the Historical and Cultural Heritage Center.
With its wealth of artifacts, Khonkhor has also attracted the interest of the US State Department, which runs a program supporting archaeological research around the world. “The US government feels it’s important to promote preserving historical and cultural sites around the world,” said Marissa Maurer, the Public Affairs Officer for the US Embassy in Mongolia. This dig, she said, was deemed important enough to receive a US$29,800 grant.
Inspecting the project’s recent discoveries at Chinggis Khaan University last week, US Ambassador Mark Minton offered his congratulations and support to the project team. “It’s very interesting work,” he said. “We’re very happy we can support it and now that we see the results, we’re very glad we did.”Of course, the money has been a boon to the Historical and Cultural Heritage Center, used to bring high-tech equipment, including computers powered by propane, to the site. Compared to previous expeditions where all discoveries had to be trucked back into Ulaanbaatar for analysis, Lkhagvasuren said this project is “easy.”
Computers alone, however, will not reveal Mongolia’s human record, but then, Lkhagvasuren has plenty of experience. “I’m not a very famous or good archaeologist, but I’ve been working at it since I was 12 years old,” he said. “I have a lot of practice.”
Lkhagvasuren and his team hope to use all tools at their as they continue the project into next year. With any luck, they may piece together more Mongolia history, especially, Lkhagvasuren hopes, the 13th century.
Recently Uncovered Skeleton Offers Clues on Chinggis Khaan Era
Written by William Kennedy
Thursday, December 11, 2008.
AN ANCIENT female skeleton discovered along the Tuul River, some 55 kilometers outside Ulaanbaatar, may be more remarkable for when she lived rather than who she was. After examining earrings and rings discovered amongst the remains, Kh. Lkhagvasuren, an archaeologist who heads the Mongolian Historical and Cultural Heritage Center, said this week that the woman was likely a contemporary of Chinggis Khaan. The discovery is an important one for the discipline and for Mongolia as physical evidence from that period remains rare.
“Few people have found anything from the 13th century,” Lkhagvasuren said, “especially that close to the Tuul river.”
While an examination of the skeleton—specifically the skull and waist—revealed that it belonged to a teenage female, not much else is known about the young woman’s life. The body was buried in a wooden coffin—thought in some circles to be a common Mongol practice at the time—and the trinkets found with it suggest the woman was neither wealthy nor powerful in life.
While it would be too much to assume the woman had direct contact with Chinggis Khaan himself, it might not be a stretch to imagine that she knew his one-time patron and later rival Ong Khan. Ong Khan, known as Wang Khan in Chinese History, made his fall camp in the area where Lkhagvasuren and his students—the archaeologist is also President of Chinggis Khaan University—discovered the young woman’s skeleton on a crisp October day. Those conditions and a picturesque setting offered some clues about why Ong Khaan chose the site, known as Khonkhor, where surrounding hills afford protection from the wind—though permitting enough breeze to keep the bugs at bay—and the Tuul peacefully intersects a plain on which animals still graze today.
This idyllic landscape may also explain why the site’s importance begins well before the 13th century. In fact, many groups historically residing in present day Mongolia decided to set up camp in the exact same spot. Not far from the young woman’s body, for example, Lkhagvasuren and his students uncovered the remains of a Hu Nu man, possibly a chief, buried 12 feet deep in hard earth. Objects dating to the early Bronze Age have also been discovered at the site, making it of particular interest to the Historical and Cultural Heritage Center.
With its wealth of artifacts, Khonkhor has also attracted the interest of the US State Department, which runs a program supporting archaeological research around the world. “The US government feels it’s important to promote preserving historical and cultural sites around the world,” said Marissa Maurer, the Public Affairs Officer for the US Embassy in Mongolia. This dig, she said, was deemed important enough to receive a US$29,800 grant.
Inspecting the project’s recent discoveries at Chinggis Khaan University last week, US Ambassador Mark Minton offered his congratulations and support to the project team. “It’s very interesting work,” he said. “We’re very happy we can support it and now that we see the results, we’re very glad we did.”Of course, the money has been a boon to the Historical and Cultural Heritage Center, used to bring high-tech equipment, including computers powered by propane, to the site. Compared to previous expeditions where all discoveries had to be trucked back into Ulaanbaatar for analysis, Lkhagvasuren said this project is “easy.”
Computers alone, however, will not reveal Mongolia’s human record, but then, Lkhagvasuren has plenty of experience. “I’m not a very famous or good archaeologist, but I’ve been working at it since I was 12 years old,” he said. “I have a lot of practice.”
Lkhagvasuren and his team hope to use all tools at their as they continue the project into next year. With any luck, they may piece together more Mongolia history, especially, Lkhagvasuren hopes, the 13th century.
I'll Be Looking At The Moon...A BIG ONE TOMORROW
Biggest Full Moon of the Year tomorrow, December 12, 2008. The Moon Goddess will be putting on her Holiday Clothes and wowing all of us mere mortals with Her most spectacular display of the year. We're supposed to have clear skies here, so I'll be looking at the Moon...
From PhysOrg.com
Published: 13:50 EST, December 10, 2008
Biggest Full Moon of the Year
It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this Friday's is a whopper. Why? The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other: see diagram (not copied here). In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.
A perigee Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood. Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon looks much like any other.
The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On Friday, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it. But you still won't be able to see Armstrong's footprint. Not even Hubble can do that. The Moon is 384,400 km away (on average). At that distance, the smallest things Hubble can distinguish are about 60 meters wide. The biggest pieces of left-behind Apollo equipment are only about 9 meters across and smaller than a single pixel in a Hubble image. What you will see is the world around you. This is both the brightest and (in the northern hemisphere) the highest-riding full Moon of the year. If you go outside around midnight it will be close to overhead and act like a cosmic floodlamp making the landscape absolutely brilliant, especially if there's snow. Full moons are always high during winter and, indeed, the solstice is right around the corner on Dec. 21st.
Source: Science@NASA, by Dr. Tony Phillips
From PhysOrg.com
Published: 13:50 EST, December 10, 2008
Biggest Full Moon of the Year
It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this Friday's is a whopper. Why? The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other: see diagram (not copied here). In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called "apogee" (far away) and "perigee" (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.
A perigee Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood. Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon looks much like any other.
The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On Friday, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it. But you still won't be able to see Armstrong's footprint. Not even Hubble can do that. The Moon is 384,400 km away (on average). At that distance, the smallest things Hubble can distinguish are about 60 meters wide. The biggest pieces of left-behind Apollo equipment are only about 9 meters across and smaller than a single pixel in a Hubble image. What you will see is the world around you. This is both the brightest and (in the northern hemisphere) the highest-riding full Moon of the year. If you go outside around midnight it will be close to overhead and act like a cosmic floodlamp making the landscape absolutely brilliant, especially if there's snow. Full moons are always high during winter and, indeed, the solstice is right around the corner on Dec. 21st.
Source: Science@NASA, by Dr. Tony Phillips
Article from Mmegi Online
December 11, 2008
Keinyatse's fools mate
MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer
If it was a tournament, Boitumelo Keinyatse would have suffered several fool's checkmates after the chain of blunders he has made as Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) president.
Last week, he suffered ultimate humiliation when he was suspended by his own committee because he was implicated in the theft of a motor vehicle spare wheel at Yarona Country Lodge (YCL), one of the sponsors of BCF tournaments. The secondary school teacher is said to have colluded with a YCL worker to get the spare wheel in August. The worker has since been fired after the matter was reported to the police.The incident saw YCL terminate a sponsorship with BCF.
It is not just the stolen spare wheel at the lodge that is keeping Keinyatse's head spinning. BCF officials have told Mmegi Sport that with two weeks left before submission of audited books to the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC), the BCF's accounts remain in disarray.
"I am willing to be quoted on this one. The BNSC is very strict on this issue. They do not allocate funds to a sports code with no audited books. My fear is once the BNSC is forced to take that route, it is usually for a period of five years, and chess will suffer because of this," said BCF official Alex Mpuisang.
Since Keinyatse and his committee took over, the BCF has failed to organise annual coaching workshops that are usually conducted during school holidays. The tradition has been to host such events twice a year.
The African Junior Championships in Gauteng, South Africa takes place on December 28 but the Botswana team has not been announced. Besides, questions abound about BCF funds given to BCF secretary Kefilwe Miti to pay a coach that was supposed to train the Botswana Olympiad team.
Miti who took the money to Germany maintains that a certain Peter Long was hired to coach the team. He told Mmegi Sport last week that they engaged the expert hence the improvement of the Botswana teams. However, last Friday, top player Phemelo Khetho told Mmegi Sport that they had no coach in Germany.
Another top player who represented Botswana at the Olympiad said on condition of anonymity that Long arrived two days after the event started. "He was presented to us as our coach. But we did not think that was the right time to have a new coach, considering that we were in the middle of the tournament. He did not coach us (men). I understand among the women, only Gorata Sebetso was willing to work with Long," the player said.
The chess community is also unhappy that after the team did so well at the Olympiad, Keinyatse's committee failed to receive them with pomp and glory. There was no press release from the chess office recognising the country's outstanding performance at the Olympiad.
December 11, 2008
Keinyatse's fools mate
MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer
If it was a tournament, Boitumelo Keinyatse would have suffered several fool's checkmates after the chain of blunders he has made as Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) president.
Last week, he suffered ultimate humiliation when he was suspended by his own committee because he was implicated in the theft of a motor vehicle spare wheel at Yarona Country Lodge (YCL), one of the sponsors of BCF tournaments. The secondary school teacher is said to have colluded with a YCL worker to get the spare wheel in August. The worker has since been fired after the matter was reported to the police.The incident saw YCL terminate a sponsorship with BCF.
It is not just the stolen spare wheel at the lodge that is keeping Keinyatse's head spinning. BCF officials have told Mmegi Sport that with two weeks left before submission of audited books to the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC), the BCF's accounts remain in disarray.
"I am willing to be quoted on this one. The BNSC is very strict on this issue. They do not allocate funds to a sports code with no audited books. My fear is once the BNSC is forced to take that route, it is usually for a period of five years, and chess will suffer because of this," said BCF official Alex Mpuisang.
Since Keinyatse and his committee took over, the BCF has failed to organise annual coaching workshops that are usually conducted during school holidays. The tradition has been to host such events twice a year.
The African Junior Championships in Gauteng, South Africa takes place on December 28 but the Botswana team has not been announced. Besides, questions abound about BCF funds given to BCF secretary Kefilwe Miti to pay a coach that was supposed to train the Botswana Olympiad team.
Miti who took the money to Germany maintains that a certain Peter Long was hired to coach the team. He told Mmegi Sport last week that they engaged the expert hence the improvement of the Botswana teams. However, last Friday, top player Phemelo Khetho told Mmegi Sport that they had no coach in Germany.
Another top player who represented Botswana at the Olympiad said on condition of anonymity that Long arrived two days after the event started. "He was presented to us as our coach. But we did not think that was the right time to have a new coach, considering that we were in the middle of the tournament. He did not coach us (men). I understand among the women, only Gorata Sebetso was willing to work with Long," the player said.
The chess community is also unhappy that after the team did so well at the Olympiad, Keinyatse's committee failed to receive them with pomp and glory. There was no press release from the chess office recognising the country's outstanding performance at the Olympiad.
Chess Set Exhibition: Detroit Institute of Arts
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ExhibitionMaster Pieces: Chess Sets from the Dr. George and Vivian Dean Collection
December 26, 2008 - May 17, 2009
(Photo: butterfly piece from exhibition) This exhibition includes more than two dozen sets from the world-renowned collection of Dr. George and Vivian Dean. Ranging from the 16th to the 20th centuries, these chess sets represent exquisite examples from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
Featuring a wide range of materials and designs, the pieces and boards demonstrate how differently artists throughout history and across the globe have interpreted the game of chess. The artists’ superb craftsmanship and creativity are explored, with sections featuring ivory and porcelain examples, including sets by Sèvres and Meissen. Some sets include tiny insects, sea creatures, and a variety of precious bejeweled objects.
Several themes are explored in the exhibition, including the ideological oppositions that the game of chess has been used to evoke, such as Good vs. Evil or Communism vs. Capitalism; the fascinating stories of set ownership, such as one commissioned from Fabergé and another once owned by Catherine the Great; and the variety of artistic styles, including abstract and modern. Some of the modern artists featured are Man Ray and Salvador Dalí.
This exhibition has been generously supported by Dr. George and Vivian Dean. Additional support has been provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit.
Tania Sachdev Interview
From The Times of India OnlineWe can win a medal at Olympiad: Tania Sachdev
12 Dec 2008, 0107 hrs IST, Sudeshna Chakraborty,TNN
(Photo: Tania Sachdev, Round 8, Dresden Olympiad)In the recently concluded Chess Olympiad in Dresden (Germany), where the Indian women team finished 15th, Delhi-based Grandmaster Tania Sachdev scored a creditable 6.5 points from 11 games. After the Olympiad, she participated in an open tournament in Croatia and finished second where she lost in the tie-breaker.
Tania spoke to TOI about her Olympiad experience and much more. Excerpts from the interview:
How would you sum up your Olympiad performance and the tournament in Croatia?
Olympiad has always been a dream for me. This year when I got selected in the national team, I knew that I had the opportunity to prove myself. I had huge expectations and the experience was enlightening. Olympiad is about so many things - the stiff competition, the chance to play with the bigwigs, the heartbreaks. The Croatia tournament was an Open GMs meet. Since I was in Europe, I thought I might as well play there too. The tournament has fetched me six Elo rating points, so I’m happy.
Tell us about your experience in playing on the top boards?
The competition is very intense when you play on the top boards. Besides the intensity of the games, one feels much more patriotic and much more accountable when pitted against the best. After the sixth round, I was exhausted having to play consistently on top boards. But that’s where your game gets better... one emerges enlightened after a satisfying game against a stalwart.
Are you happy with India’s performance?
Have we narrowed the gap with the top teams? Definitely the level of play has accelerated in India. We played consistently both in the men’s and women’s sections. India stands a very good chance of winning a medal in the next Olympiad. We are very close to it.
Since you are from Delhi how much your exploits will help chess grow in the Capital?
During my initial years, there were hardly any chess tournaments or coaching centres. Slowly the scenario has changed. There are many players now and I expect many more to pick the game as more tournaments are being held today than before.
You often say that you require sponsors. Have you got any help from the Delhi Chess Association (DCA)?
Sponsorship in sports is a big problem except cricket. But DCA has always helped me in arranging sponsors.
What do you think should be done to make the sport bigger?
The biggest problem with chess is that it is not a TV-centric sport. One cannot enjoy watching it. But there is so much talent in India that it surely deserves corporate sponsorship and media attention.
Where do see yourself in another three years?
As a World Cup winner.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Philippines "Goddess on Stage" Didith Reyes Dies
A sad story.SULTRY SINGER
Didith Reyes found dead in shanty; 60
By Pocholo Concepcion, Maricar Cinco
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 01:52:00 12/11/2008
MANILA, Philippines—In her prime, Didith Reyes was “a goddess on stage,” says the composer of her signature song, “Bakit Ako Mahihiya.”
And so it came as a shock to Reyes’ friends and fans when the sultry siren, best known for a string of love ballads and sensual performances in the 1970s and ’80s (including a wardrobe malfunction that well predated Janet Jackson’s), was found dead practically a pauper at a friend’s ramshackle home in Biñan, Laguna, Wednesday morning.
The original Jukebox Queen, whose hits have remained videoke staple to this day, was 60.
Without a Didith Reyes starting a trend, the likes of Claire de la Fuente, Imelda Papin and Eva Eugenio might not have risen to pop stardom.
Reyes, Helen Sta. Maria in real life, apparently died of a heart attack, De la Fuente told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).
“Her pancreas ruptured, parang binangungot,” said De la Fuente, who had been asked by Vic del Rosario, former head of Reyes’ now defunct record label, Vicor Records, to take charge of Reyes’ wake and funeral.
Senior Supt. Manolito Labador, Laguna police director, said Reyes was found lifeless inside the house owned by Derly Antolin in Barangay Sto. Domingo at around 5 a.m. The house was a patchwork of plywood and sheets of tin, located on the edge of a middle-class neighborhood.
In her statement to the police, Antolin said Reyes had been staying in her house for the past three days. Reyes showed up at her door on Sunday with bruises on her face and body, saying she had been sideswiped by a vehicle, Antolin said. The following Tuesday, Reyes asked Antolin to buy her antacid tablets for her stomach ache.
Before rising to stardom as a solo artist, Reyes was as one of the vocalists in Time Machine and Circus Band, which were wildly popular in the 1970s.
Her contemporaries in Time Machine included Celeste Legaspi and Anthony Castelo; Circus Band’s other famous members were Basil Valdes, Hajji Alejandro, Tillie Moreno, Pabs Dadivas and Jacqui Magno, among others.
Femme fatale
In 1975, Reyes recorded the single “Araw-araw, Gabi-gabi,” a song about sexual longing, which became a huge hit and eventually inspired a movie
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More hit singles followed: “Nananabik,” “Bakit Ako Mahihiya,” “Hatiin Natin ang Gabi,” “Hindi Kami Damong Ligaw”— which established Reyes as a Jukebox Queen whose femme fatale image sent temperatures rising among the male population.
“Bakit Ako Mahihiya” became her signature song.
She became the talk of the town after she accidentally exposed a breast while singing “Nananabik” at the Famas Awards rites in 1977. That same year, she won the Gold Prize and the Best Performer Award in the Tokyo Music Festival. She sang a Japanese song and bested Morris Albert who sang his own composition, the now pop classic “Feelings.”
“She was everyone’s fantasy,” entertainment writer and former record label executive Aster Amoyo told the Inquirer.
“Grabe ang appeal niya (She had such a huge appeal). At that time, it seemed like she was the epitome of the pop singer as [a] luscious woman.”
Reyes’ debut album, “Didith,” was a multi-platinum seller, Amoyo recalled.
A la Judy Garland
“She had a distinct voice that made her stand out from other singers of her generation,” said Pablo Vergara, who wrote “Bakit Ako Mahihiya.”
“She was the perfect singer, beautiful, sultry. She was like a goddess onstage,” De la Fuente said.
“Didith was a good person. When her career was still okay, she would often surprise me with gifts, like fresh fish,” said talent manager Norma Japitana. “I helped discover her.”
“Her life was classic tragic show biz, a la Judy Garland. Men were running after her. She had a thriving singing career,” Japitana added.
Another friend, who asked that she be identified only as Minda, remembered Reyes as a “beautiful” woman who would wear cheap accessories yet make them look like “expensive jewelry.”
“Although many people were saying bad things about her, I know I knew her better as a person,” Minda said.
Minda wondered why some of Didith’s friends in show business came when she died but never showed up during the time Didith needed them.
Downward spiral
Reyes’ decline, Amoyo noted, began in 1978 when she became unprofessional.
“She did not show up at performances. What I know is that at the height of her popularity, she would throw a flat iron [at people who displeased her]. But she was very kind when she was not in a foul mood. She was the type of person who was easy to love,” Amoyo said in Filipino.
Amoyo said she barely recognized Reyes during a meeting set up by a friend at a coffee shop in Greenhills, San Juan City, two years ago.
“Para akong nalusaw sa itsura niya (I almost fainted when I saw her). She had aged physically, she had gained weight, she was limping due to a wound on her foot and she smelled badly,” Amoyo recalled.
The Didith Reyes of her prime, who reportedly had an insatiable sexual appetite and had affairs with prominent businessmen, club owners and politicians, eventually went on a downward spiral. She got hooked on drugs and alcohol.
Homeless
Homeless, she once sought help from Amoyo and promised to mend her ways. Amoyo took her to Reyes Haircutters, whose owner, Les (a brother of beauty guru Ricky Reyes), promptly took her in.
“But she was a pain in the ass,” Amoyo said with amusement. “She was always drunk, drinking gin straight from a plastic bottle. So I told Les just to let her go, but he just couldn’t do it immediately.”
The last bit of news Amoyo heard about Reyes was that she was hospitalized and that Les paid the bill.
Reyes left behind a son, Arvy, now married and living on his own. Before she become famous, she had been separated from husband Victor Reyes. Her last known relationship was with a 67-year-old man from Laguna, her live-in partner for seven years.
Reyes’ remains were to be brought for viewing to the Mount Carmel Church on Doña Juana Rodriguez Avenue in New Manila, Quezon City, De la Fuente said.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
New Membership Options for USCF
Whether we like it or not, there is now an option to go "magazineless" as a membership option for USCF - but hurry rates are going up on January 1! Say what?
Right now, according to the December issue of Chess Life, "Premium USCF Membership Rate" for 1 year with magazine (adult paid online) is $41; if paid by mail or telephone it goes up to $49.
Contrast the "Regular USCF Membership Rate" for 1 year without print magazine (online version only) adult (paid online) is $29; if paid by mail or telephone it goes up to $36.
So - what is the USCF going to do with increases in the Premium Rates in 2009? Talk about a sucker bet, geez!
I have no idea how much USCF is now earning for selling print advertising in its monthly magazine - but I can practically guarantee that the amount will go down once the magazine moves to "online only" version, which is the current fate of Chess Life once the new changes take place. Can you say USCF CUTTING ITS OWN THROAT. Bwwwwwwaaaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaa!
Right now, according to the December issue of Chess Life, "Premium USCF Membership Rate" for 1 year with magazine (adult paid online) is $41; if paid by mail or telephone it goes up to $49.
Contrast the "Regular USCF Membership Rate" for 1 year without print magazine (online version only) adult (paid online) is $29; if paid by mail or telephone it goes up to $36.
So - what is the USCF going to do with increases in the Premium Rates in 2009? Talk about a sucker bet, geez!
I have no idea how much USCF is now earning for selling print advertising in its monthly magazine - but I can practically guarantee that the amount will go down once the magazine moves to "online only" version, which is the current fate of Chess Life once the new changes take place. Can you say USCF CUTTING ITS OWN THROAT. Bwwwwwwaaaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaaa!
2008 Czech Coal Chess Match
The Czech Coal Chess Match took place in Marianske Lazne and features a Snowdrops vs Old-hands Scheveningen tournament with Anatoly Karpov. The experienced team won 17.5 - 14.5 against the Snowdrops women's team.
Official site: http://www.praguechess.cz/index.php
Snowdrops vs Old-hands Marianske Lazne (CZE), 29 xi-6 xii 2008
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Hort, Vlastimil g GER 2478 +7 +5 -3 +4 +7 +5 +3 =4 6.5 2685
2 Karpov, Anatoly g RUS 2651 -4 +3 =5 +7 +4 =3 +5 =7 5.5 2575
3 Cmilyte, Viktorija m LTU 2512 +8 -2 +1 =6 +8 =2 -1 =6 4.5 2539
4 Jackova, Jana m CZE 2360 +2 -8 +6 -1 -2 +8 =6 =1 4.0 2496
5 Ushenina, Anna m UKR 2496 +6 -1 =2 +8 =6 -1 -2 +8 4.0 2496
6 Olafsson, Fridrik g ISL 2440 -5 =7 -4 =3 =5 +7 =4 =3 3.5 2391
7 Nemcova, Katerina wg CZE 2369 -1 =6 +8 -2 -1 -6 -8 =2 2.0 2303
8 Uhlmann, Wolfgang g GER 2417 -3 +4 -7 -5 -3 -4 +7 -5 2.0 2241
Official site: http://www.praguechess.cz/index.php
Snowdrops vs Old-hands Marianske Lazne (CZE), 29 xi-6 xii 2008
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Hort, Vlastimil g GER 2478 +7 +5 -3 +4 +7 +5 +3 =4 6.5 2685
2 Karpov, Anatoly g RUS 2651 -4 +3 =5 +7 +4 =3 +5 =7 5.5 2575
3 Cmilyte, Viktorija m LTU 2512 +8 -2 +1 =6 +8 =2 -1 =6 4.5 2539
4 Jackova, Jana m CZE 2360 +2 -8 +6 -1 -2 +8 =6 =1 4.0 2496
5 Ushenina, Anna m UKR 2496 +6 -1 =2 +8 =6 -1 -2 +8 4.0 2496
6 Olafsson, Fridrik g ISL 2440 -5 =7 -4 =3 =5 +7 =4 =3 3.5 2391
7 Nemcova, Katerina wg CZE 2369 -1 =6 +8 -2 -1 -6 -8 =2 2.0 2303
8 Uhlmann, Wolfgang g GER 2417 -3 +4 -7 -5 -3 -4 +7 -5 2.0 2241
Grave of Bronze Kurgan Warrior in Iran
Information from CAIS NEWS ©
Latest Archaeological and Cultural News of Iran and the Iranian World
Grave of Kurgan Warrior Discovered at Khoda-Afarin Dam Reservoir
08 December 2008
LONDON, (CAIS) -- Iranian archaeological teams working at the reservoir area of the Khoda-Afarin Dam have recently discovered a burial site of a Kurgan warrior during their rescue excavations.
A bull statuette, a number of ancient weapons, dishes, and bronze artefacts have also been found in the warrior’s grave, Archaeological Research Centre of Iran (ARCI) Director Mohammad-Hassan Fazeli Nashli told the Persian service of CHN on Sunday.
“According to the archaeologists, the warrior enjoyed a special status among his people,” he added.The Kurgans were an Indo-European culture living in northern Europe, from Russia across Germany during the fifth, fourth, and third millennia BCE.
A number of the people also immigrated to northwestern Iran and lived there around 1500 to 2000 BCE, when the Bronze Age was ending in Iran. So far, a total of 20 graves of Kurgans have been dug out at the site, nine of which were discovered during the recent excavations, Fazeli Nashli said.
“Along with the bull, a number of grey pottery dishes bearing geometrical shapes and weapons such as a dagger, sword, and bayonet have been presented to the warrior in the grave,” he explained.
The archaeologists had previously discovered Kurgan graves containing skeletons of a horse, sheep and other animals during the previous season of excavations last year.
The warrior’s grave, which measures about 6 x 1.5 meters, has been constructed by mud and stones. The stones are larger in lower part of the grave and become smaller in upper part.
“This is the first time the Kurgan people are being studied in Iran, however we don’t know much about their architecture and residential areas in Iran,” Fazeli Nashli noted.
The teams have also discovered strata dating back to the Parthian and Achaemenid dynastic periods. They also hope to find signs of habitation by Kurgans in the strata.
Five teams of experts are currently working at the reservoir area of the Khoda-Afarin Dam, which is home to many archaeological sites. The dam has been completed one year ago and its filling was postponed following an ARCI’s appeal for rescue excavations. However, it is not clear how the team can continue working at the site, because the dam was officially launched by the Islamic Republic’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his tour of East Azarbaijan Province last week.
Latest Archaeological and Cultural News of Iran and the Iranian World
Grave of Kurgan Warrior Discovered at Khoda-Afarin Dam Reservoir
08 December 2008
LONDON, (CAIS) -- Iranian archaeological teams working at the reservoir area of the Khoda-Afarin Dam have recently discovered a burial site of a Kurgan warrior during their rescue excavations.
A bull statuette, a number of ancient weapons, dishes, and bronze artefacts have also been found in the warrior’s grave, Archaeological Research Centre of Iran (ARCI) Director Mohammad-Hassan Fazeli Nashli told the Persian service of CHN on Sunday.
“According to the archaeologists, the warrior enjoyed a special status among his people,” he added.The Kurgans were an Indo-European culture living in northern Europe, from Russia across Germany during the fifth, fourth, and third millennia BCE.
A number of the people also immigrated to northwestern Iran and lived there around 1500 to 2000 BCE, when the Bronze Age was ending in Iran. So far, a total of 20 graves of Kurgans have been dug out at the site, nine of which were discovered during the recent excavations, Fazeli Nashli said.
“Along with the bull, a number of grey pottery dishes bearing geometrical shapes and weapons such as a dagger, sword, and bayonet have been presented to the warrior in the grave,” he explained.
The archaeologists had previously discovered Kurgan graves containing skeletons of a horse, sheep and other animals during the previous season of excavations last year.
The warrior’s grave, which measures about 6 x 1.5 meters, has been constructed by mud and stones. The stones are larger in lower part of the grave and become smaller in upper part.
“This is the first time the Kurgan people are being studied in Iran, however we don’t know much about their architecture and residential areas in Iran,” Fazeli Nashli noted.
The teams have also discovered strata dating back to the Parthian and Achaemenid dynastic periods. They also hope to find signs of habitation by Kurgans in the strata.
Five teams of experts are currently working at the reservoir area of the Khoda-Afarin Dam, which is home to many archaeological sites. The dam has been completed one year ago and its filling was postponed following an ARCI’s appeal for rescue excavations. However, it is not clear how the team can continue working at the site, because the dam was officially launched by the Islamic Republic’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during his tour of East Azarbaijan Province last week.
Newly Discovered Ancient Culture in Mexico?
Mystery Pyramid Built by Newfound Ancient Culture?Alexis Okeowo in México City
Several stone sculptures recently found in central Mexico point to a previously unknown culture that likely built a mysterious pyramid in the region, archaeologists say.
Archaeologists first found the objects about 15 years ago in the valley of Tulancingo, a major canyon that drops off into Mexico's Gulf Coast.
Most of the 41 artifacts "do not fit into any of the known cultures of the Valley of Tulancingo, or the highlands of central Mexico," said Carlos Hernández, an archaeologist at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History in the central state of Hidalgo.
Many of the figures are depicted in a sitting position, with their hands placed on their knees. Some have headdresses or conical hats with snakes at the base, which could represent Ehécatl-Quetzalcóatl, the Aztec god of the wind. One figure shows a man emerging from the jaws of a jaguar. The sculptures are also made of flat stucco—a combination of fine sand, lime, and water—and painted blue or green to the give the appearance of jade.
All of the artifacts date to the Epiclassic period between A.D. 600 to 900.
Some Mexican and foreign archaeologists have said the sculptures weren't ancient and thus false, Hernández said.
Some Mexican and foreign archaeologists have said the sculptures weren't ancient and thus false, Hernández said.
"But by linking all the characteristics that make them different, [such as their location in Tulancingo and time period], allows us to say that they should be considered as a product of a different culture [called Huajomulco]."
The culture is named after an area in Hidalgo.
Baffling Pyramid
Some of the artifacts were also found near the mysterious Huapalcalco pyramid in Hidalgo, whose origin has been a source of debate among archaeologists.
Some of the artifacts were also found near the mysterious Huapalcalco pyramid in Hidalgo, whose origin has been a source of debate among archaeologists.
The pyramid's proportions, along with smaller structures that were painted black and white, do not correspond to the Toltec or Teotihuacan cultures of the same area and time period.
The Teotihuacan people, who lived from 400 B.C. to A.D. 700, constructed one of the largest pyramid complexes in the pre-Hispanic Americas, which refers to cultures that lived on the continent before the Spanish conquest of the Western Hemipshere.
The Toltecs, who came afterward, were made up of several groups of South Americans that together formed an empire famous for its artists and builders in the Teotihuacan capital of Tula from A.D. 900 until the 1100s.
The pottery found at the site—rough, cylindrical vessels that are gray and reddish-brown in color—is also not familiar to experts.
The pottery found at the site—rough, cylindrical vessels that are gray and reddish-brown in color—is also not familiar to experts.
Based on the artifacts' discovery near the pyramid, "it is likely that the Huapalcalco pyramid has been built by people from this new culture," Hernández said.
Thomas Charlton, an archaeologist at University of Iowa, has worked in the state of Hidalgo. He said that ample evidence—including the new artifacts—links a new pre-Hispanic culture to the Huapalcalco pyramid.
"It's a reasonable hypothesis [that] near the Valley of Tulancingo, there is a site that looks like it existed between the fall of the Teotihuacan and the beginning of the Tula [Toltec]," Charlton added.
"We know that there's an occupation [from this time] near Tulancingo.
"After the Teotihuacan, there were all sorts of smaller states throughout Mexico. It's part of the cycle after the fall of an empire."
Creative Era
Michael Smith, an archaeologist at Arizona State University, agreed.
"The notion that there would be an independent culture in [the Epiclassic] period is not surprising at all," he said.
Michael Smith, an archaeologist at Arizona State University, agreed.
"The notion that there would be an independent culture in [the Epiclassic] period is not surprising at all," he said.
"It was a very creative period, with rich development."
Future excavations of Huapalcalco should solidify the link to a new pre-Hispanic culture, and help archaeologists glean clues about this lost time, Hernández said.
"The [Epiclassic] period is considered a time of dynamic development—new trade, cities, and development," said Arizona State's Smith, "but one we don't know much about."
I HATE WINTER!
Oy Goddess! We got hammered again starting last night and all today with not one but TWO storm systems that left a layer of frozen sleet and ice topped by three inches of slush and two inches of wet heavy snow. Now the temperature has dropped in the last hour from 33 to 21 degrees F. and will drop even lower, possibly into the single digits tonight. (Photo: Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, the storm today - that's not me but it could be me -- see below)We didn't get hit so much in Milwaukee County (ha - tell that to my aching arms, hips, legs and back) - I get a lot of drifting in my driveway because of the prevailing winds so I often end up with more than a foot of snow when it's snowed 4 inches, which is what happened today. Away from the lake and to the north, the outlying counties got A LOT MORE ice and snow. Now with the whipping winds having shifted from the northwest to the northwest, there is lots of drifting, which is saying something because the snow is so wet and heavy. So while technically this was not a blizzard, forget that technical b.s., IT WAS/IS A BLIZZARD IF YOU'RE OUT IN IT!
I left the office just before 3 PM and got home at 4:20 - it's normally a 50 minute bus ride and a 10 minute walk. Do you like being pelted in the face with sleet? Despite hat, scarf wrapped Arab style around my face and tightly cinched hood (so it wouldn't blow off in the wind), that's what my walk was like going to the bus stop this morning and coming home this afternoon. I'm just grateful it wasn't a 20 below windchill! I'm surprised I have any skin left on my face at all, it felt like it was being scoured off by millions of ice pellets hitting me in thost 25 mph gusts of wind. But even though it was a sonofabitch walking out there, I was glad to arrive home while it was still semi-daylight outside, because I had to walk in the roads for the most part, the sidewalks either being drifted shut or plowed over - or the snowbanks were piled too high where the corners were supposed to be for my tired bod to climb over. Needless to say, it's dangerous climbing over snow banks because you might fall backward into traffic, and if you walk in the road because you absolutely cannot find what is supposed to be the sidewalk, you run the risk of being run down by some idiot who is going too fast for conditions, or some idiot who didn't clean his windshield good enough, or some idiot who hits a patch of black ice and cannot control his or her vehicle, or some idiot who just wants to take out a pedestrian because he's a crazy asshole and it makes him feel macho, or some idiot who is driving drunk. Fortunately, there were not too many cars on the road, and I did make it home safely. Obviously, since I'm sitting here writing this!
I now have about 20 inches of snow in my front yard - this is turning out to be as bad a winter as last year, which was almost a record here - I keep harping on it but hell, over 100 inches of snow in four months is A LOT of shovelling, people! Anyway, when I got home, I started shoveling. I shoveled for an hour, and gave up when my arms gave out. I now have about a 3.5 foot wide pathway from my front porch 40 feet to the road, and I attempted to shovel out the snowbank in front of the mail and paper boxes so I can get my mail and newspaper! They won't deliver if they can't get to the boxes in their vehicles. Which means no matter how badly the plow piles up the snow, I have to get rid of it - somehow. Even earlier than last year, I have now started a snow pile on the road to the south of my driveway, about midway between my driveway and my neighbor's to the south. Last year that's where I planted the bomb that finally got rid of that damn plow and plowman who tormented me all last winter. This season - thus far - they've been a lot more careful about not piling 10 feet of snow at the base of my driveway. Thus, murder paid off...
Let me tell you, making that snow pile is no joy. I pick up a shovel-full of snow, then walk 20 feet south and dump the snow. Repeat 300 times to get rid of the average pile of snow the plows leave behind in my driveway. That SOB plow and plow driver last year deserved it. And if they treat me badly this season, I'll get 'em again, I swear I will!
The temperature drop tonight and over the next 3 days means everything that is not plowed/snowblown/shoveled tonight will turn to solid ice. Believe me when I tell you I am not looking forward to the walk to and from the bus stop the next several days!
At least my Christmas tree is up. And I treated myself to a Big Mac and small fries last night. Back on healthy food today :)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday Night - Whew!
It's been a whirlwind weekend. I've been working on my Chessville column (still far from finished), I went shopping, shovelled out the driveway (finished the last part this morning in below zero windchill, brrrrrr), watched the Packers LOSE again, blogged, read the paper and clipped coupons, watched President-Elect Obama on Meet the Press, dragged out the artificial Christmas tree (what a fiasco that was - but in the end I managed to put all of the parts back together in a reasonable facsimile of a live tree), cooked a casserole, vacuumed, ate, started decorating the tree, am still decorating the tree...
Now it's time for "The Cutting Edge" my favorite all-time figure-skating movie to come on commercial t.v., and so I'm signing off and will watch the movie downstars in the living room while I finish decorating the tree. This year I'm going with a more "minimalist" look than in prior years - no gold beads this year, no pearl beads this year, and probably only 2/3rd of all the ornaments I own will go on. I forgot how bright the tree is when plugged in! And with the lights around the ceiling-high round top window at the front of the house (I never got around to taking those lights down last year), I light up the entire neighborhood :)
Good night, darlings.
Now it's time for "The Cutting Edge" my favorite all-time figure-skating movie to come on commercial t.v., and so I'm signing off and will watch the movie downstars in the living room while I finish decorating the tree. This year I'm going with a more "minimalist" look than in prior years - no gold beads this year, no pearl beads this year, and probably only 2/3rd of all the ornaments I own will go on. I forgot how bright the tree is when plugged in! And with the lights around the ceiling-high round top window at the front of the house (I never got around to taking those lights down last year), I light up the entire neighborhood :)
Good night, darlings.
Genetic Link Between Etruscans and Anatolia?
The dating seems strange - can't make it out. As far as I can tell KYA means "thousand(s) years ago." If this is correct, then the article is saying the genetic linkage between Anatolia and the Etruscans was first made between 2,300 years ago (plus or minus 400 years?) and 1,100 years (plus or minus 100 years?) History tells us that the Etruscans first became an identifiable civilization in Italy about 900-800 BCE (2,900 to 2,800 years ago). That would put the oldest date from the article (2,300 plus 400 years, or 2,700 BCE) near this date range:
Abstract from the European Journal of Human Genetics
Short Report
3 December 2008; doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2008.224
The Etruscan timeline: a recent Anatolian connection
Francesca Brisighelli1,2, Cristian Capelli3, Vanesa Álvarez-Iglesias1, Valerio Onofri4, Giorgio Paoli5, Sergio Tofanelli5, Ángel Carracedo1,6, Vincenzo L Pascali2 and Antonio Salas1
1Unidade de Xenética, Facultade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Legal, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
2Forensic Genetics Laboratory, Institute of Legal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
3Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
4Institute of Legal Medicine, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, Policlinico Torrette, Ancona, Italy
5Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
6Fundación Pública Galega de Medicina Xenómica (FPGMX-SERGAS), CIBER enfermedades raras, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
Correspondence: Dr A Salas, Unidade de Xenética, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Legal, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Galicia, Spain. Tel.: +34 981 582 327; Fax: +34 981 580 336; E-mail: antonio.salas@usc.es
Received 14 April 2008; Revised 14 October 2008; Accepted 15 October 2008; Published online 3 December 2008.
The origin of the Etruscans (the present day Tuscany, Italy), one of the most enigmatic non-Indo-European civilizations, is under intense controversy. We found novel genetic evidences on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) establishing a genetic link between Anatolia and the ancient Etruria. By way of complete mtDNA genome sequencing of a novel autochthonous Tuscan branch of haplogroup U7 (namely U7a2a), we have estimated an historical time frame for the arrival of Anatolian lineages to Tuscany ranging from 1.10.1 to 2.30.4 kya B.P. (emphasis added)
Short of paying $32 to download the current issue online, I guess I'll remain in the dark as to whether the authors are suggesting that ALL Etruscans can be traced back to Anatolia through this mitochondrial DNA or whether only a certain portion of Etruscans can be traced back to Anatolia through this DNA tag inherited from one's mother!
Abstract from the European Journal of Human Genetics
Short Report
3 December 2008; doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2008.224
The Etruscan timeline: a recent Anatolian connection
Francesca Brisighelli1,2, Cristian Capelli3, Vanesa Álvarez-Iglesias1, Valerio Onofri4, Giorgio Paoli5, Sergio Tofanelli5, Ángel Carracedo1,6, Vincenzo L Pascali2 and Antonio Salas1
1Unidade de Xenética, Facultade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Legal, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
2Forensic Genetics Laboratory, Institute of Legal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
3Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
4Institute of Legal Medicine, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, Policlinico Torrette, Ancona, Italy
5Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
6Fundación Pública Galega de Medicina Xenómica (FPGMX-SERGAS), CIBER enfermedades raras, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
Correspondence: Dr A Salas, Unidade de Xenética, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Legal, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Galicia, Spain. Tel.: +34 981 582 327; Fax: +34 981 580 336; E-mail: antonio.salas@usc.es
Received 14 April 2008; Revised 14 October 2008; Accepted 15 October 2008; Published online 3 December 2008.
The origin of the Etruscans (the present day Tuscany, Italy), one of the most enigmatic non-Indo-European civilizations, is under intense controversy. We found novel genetic evidences on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) establishing a genetic link between Anatolia and the ancient Etruria. By way of complete mtDNA genome sequencing of a novel autochthonous Tuscan branch of haplogroup U7 (namely U7a2a), we have estimated an historical time frame for the arrival of Anatolian lineages to Tuscany ranging from 1.10.1 to 2.30.4 kya B.P. (emphasis added)
Short of paying $32 to download the current issue online, I guess I'll remain in the dark as to whether the authors are suggesting that ALL Etruscans can be traced back to Anatolia through this mitochondrial DNA or whether only a certain portion of Etruscans can be traced back to Anatolia through this DNA tag inherited from one's mother!
Blast from the Past: Priest of Cybele Gravesite Found
The headline of this article from the Independent.uk is rather tastelessly sensational (what's new), but the article itself is extremely informative. It's a blast from the past that showed up in my weekly archaeological search today:
Pagan transvestite priest? died after ritual castration?
By David Keys Archaeology Correspondent
Wednesday, 22 May 2002
Romano-British clergymen from exotic religious cults ministered to their congregants while dressed as transvestites weighed down with stone and bronze jewellery.
A research report, published by the Council for British Archaeology yesterday, reveals that a pagan priest from Yorkshire was buried in the late 3rd century wearing what was probably full ritual regalia including a five-strand necklace of 600 jet beads, a jet bracelet, a brown shale armlet and a bronze anklet.
He was buried immediately opposite a large stone building – possibly a temple.
Investigations have been run by English Heritage and other archaeological organisations at the site, Bainesse near Catterick in North Yorkshire, over the past 20 years. They suggest that the building lay at the heart of a settlement strung out along more than half a mile of the ancient Roman Dere Street, which is now the A1 trunk road.
Experts in Roman religion believe that the Yorkshire cleric belonged to the officially sanctioned and important religious cult of a mother goddess called Cybele, who originated in Anatolia, present-day Turkey.
The cult was based on the great mother goddess and her toy-boy lover Attis who, guilt-ridden for having sexually betrayed her, went mad, castrated himself and, consequently, died.
The cult's tradition dictated that its priests had similarly to mutilate themselves in painful solidarity with Attis, often using a piece of flint or a sharp fragment of pottery. Ritual clamps were then used to staunch the blood, but Cybelean priests often died in the process.
Indeed, the Romano-British transvestite eunuch from Yorkshire probably perished from the wounds inflicted in just such an act. Osteological examination of his skeleton shows he died in his early 20s.
The ritual self-castration, which was performed in a state of dance-induced ecstasy, was known in the Roman calendar as the "day of blood" and described by at least one Roman emperor as the "sacred harvest".
The deity Cybele eventually became a universal goddess, viewed as mother of the gods, the goddess of everything from peace to war, from fertility to nature and from law to disease.
In some respects, the cult of Cybele had certain similarities with early Christianity. Attis sacrificed himself and was resurrected from the dead. In the 4th century Attis became identified as a sun god, as was Christ at the time. And through Attis and Cybele, as in Christianity, the cult's followers were guaranteed immortality of the soul. The concept of priestly celibacy was also a common feature.
Some 40 metres (130ft) from where the Yorkshire priest was buried was the substantial stone building. Its proximity to the burial, as well as an important feature of the structure – a subterranean chamber reached by a flight of stone stairs – suggests the building may well have been a temple of Cybele. Cybelean temples were unusual in having underground rooms, one for secret rites and another in which individuals wishing to achieve spiritual immortality bathed in the blood of ritually slaughtered sacred bulls.
Other religious objects found near by include a bronze statue of a Roman god, a pair of bone dolphins, symbolising immortality, three small altars and a potentially ritual whetstone for sharpening cutting implements found immediately adjacent to the underground chamber. Inside the underground room itself were the remains of feasts held at least 16 centuries ago.
Pagan transvestite priest? died after ritual castration?
By David Keys Archaeology Correspondent
Wednesday, 22 May 2002
Romano-British clergymen from exotic religious cults ministered to their congregants while dressed as transvestites weighed down with stone and bronze jewellery.
A research report, published by the Council for British Archaeology yesterday, reveals that a pagan priest from Yorkshire was buried in the late 3rd century wearing what was probably full ritual regalia including a five-strand necklace of 600 jet beads, a jet bracelet, a brown shale armlet and a bronze anklet.
He was buried immediately opposite a large stone building – possibly a temple.
Investigations have been run by English Heritage and other archaeological organisations at the site, Bainesse near Catterick in North Yorkshire, over the past 20 years. They suggest that the building lay at the heart of a settlement strung out along more than half a mile of the ancient Roman Dere Street, which is now the A1 trunk road.
Experts in Roman religion believe that the Yorkshire cleric belonged to the officially sanctioned and important religious cult of a mother goddess called Cybele, who originated in Anatolia, present-day Turkey.
The cult was based on the great mother goddess and her toy-boy lover Attis who, guilt-ridden for having sexually betrayed her, went mad, castrated himself and, consequently, died.
The cult's tradition dictated that its priests had similarly to mutilate themselves in painful solidarity with Attis, often using a piece of flint or a sharp fragment of pottery. Ritual clamps were then used to staunch the blood, but Cybelean priests often died in the process.
Indeed, the Romano-British transvestite eunuch from Yorkshire probably perished from the wounds inflicted in just such an act. Osteological examination of his skeleton shows he died in his early 20s.
The ritual self-castration, which was performed in a state of dance-induced ecstasy, was known in the Roman calendar as the "day of blood" and described by at least one Roman emperor as the "sacred harvest".
The deity Cybele eventually became a universal goddess, viewed as mother of the gods, the goddess of everything from peace to war, from fertility to nature and from law to disease.
In some respects, the cult of Cybele had certain similarities with early Christianity. Attis sacrificed himself and was resurrected from the dead. In the 4th century Attis became identified as a sun god, as was Christ at the time. And through Attis and Cybele, as in Christianity, the cult's followers were guaranteed immortality of the soul. The concept of priestly celibacy was also a common feature.
Some 40 metres (130ft) from where the Yorkshire priest was buried was the substantial stone building. Its proximity to the burial, as well as an important feature of the structure – a subterranean chamber reached by a flight of stone stairs – suggests the building may well have been a temple of Cybele. Cybelean temples were unusual in having underground rooms, one for secret rites and another in which individuals wishing to achieve spiritual immortality bathed in the blood of ritually slaughtered sacred bulls.
Other religious objects found near by include a bronze statue of a Roman god, a pair of bone dolphins, symbolising immortality, three small altars and a potentially ritual whetstone for sharpening cutting implements found immediately adjacent to the underground chamber. Inside the underground room itself were the remains of feasts held at least 16 centuries ago.
Christian Holidays Rooted in Ancient Traditions
dondelion reminded me yesterday - on St. Nicholas' Day - of some ancient Egyptian traditions - long long before there was Christ in Christmas. When I was a kid we celebrated St. Nicholas' Day as much as Christmas - it was always a big thing to go to bed the night before and see if we could stay up to catch St. Nick hanging a candy-filled stocking on our bedsteads. There were only four of us girls in those days (early 1950's) and we all slept in one large bedroom - two of us in a full-size bed, two of us in bunkbeds. Needless to say, none of us ever managed to stay away to catch St. Nick in the act; but, lo and behold, no matter how early the next morning we awoke, the stuffed stockings were always there!
I don't think St. Nicholas' Day is related to the ancient Egyptian traditions but - hmmm, come to think of it, heck, it might be, as so much in our western society seems to come from there! Anyway, here are the special Egyptian days that dondelion pointed out:
I don't think St. Nicholas' Day is related to the ancient Egyptian traditions but - hmmm, come to think of it, heck, it might be, as so much in our western society seems to come from there! Anyway, here are the special Egyptian days that dondelion pointed out:
- December 6: "Bast guards the Two Lands; Day of offerings to the Shemsu (followers) of Ra"
- December 23: The Egyptian Festival of the Great Heat; Feast Day of Het-Hert (Hathor)
- December 25: Birth of Heru (Horus) the child of Aset (Isis); the Going forth of Wadjet singing in Heliopolis; the Day of Elevating the Great Netjert (Goddess) in all Her names & manifestations
Now if those don't sound like celebrations of the Virgin Mary, the birth of Christ and the singing of carols some 2600 years beforehand, I don't know what does!
Here are some Roman Catholic holy days and days of remembrance from around this time of year:
- December 6: Feast of St. Nicholas (St. Nick's Eve is when the candy-stuffed stockings magically appeared on our bedsteads, much to our amazed eyes and hungry mouths the morning of December 6). According to Wikipedia, in 1809, the New-York Historical Society convened and retroactively named Sancte Claus (a/k/a St. Nicholas) the patron saint of Nieuw Amsterdam, the Dutch name for New York City
- December 8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Virgin Mary is conceived miraculously by her mother, St. Elizabeth, thereby avoiding the taint of "original sin")
- December 12: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (a dark-skinned reincarnation of the Egyptian Goddess Het-hert [Hathor] as the Virgin Mary, standing on a "crescent Moon," not only denoting the ancientness of this lunar goddess, but also representing Hathor's ancient Horns of Power and Authority over mankind)
- December 25: Christmas (celebration of the birth of the Christ)
- December 25 - January 5: The Twelve Days of Christmas - ancient traditional end-of-year celebration from pre-Christian days -- lots of feasting, always-burning fires and lights were critical during this time, especially in the northern countries where the shortest days of the year were around the Winter Solstice
- January 1: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother of God (supposed to be a day of reflection and contemplation at the start of the New Year)
- January 6: Feast of the Three Wise Men (the ancient Magi from Persia arrived in Bethelem some months after the birth of Christ, heralded by a "miraculous star" that appeared in the Eastern sky as a sign of this momentous birth; they brought expensive gifts with them and gave them to the parents of Jesus, who were subsequently forced to flee to Egypt - according to one tradition - when King Herod was hunting for the Christ child to kill him. Since Joseph and Mary were poor people, it was probably these gifts of gold, frankincense and myhrr that sustained the small family during their years in Egypt)
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Supporting Local Chess: Announcements
WISCONSIN
From the New Richmond News
December 9
Chess Club, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Heritage Center Farmhouse, 1100 Heritage Drive. Call 715-781-2562.
OHIO
From the Chronicle-Telegram
The Lorain/Sheffield Notebook
Programs at the Lorain Public Library
Sorry - missed this one earlier:
Chess club meets 1 to 4 p.m. today at the South Lorain branch. Everyone welcome. Call (440) 277-5672 to register.
MASSACHUSETTS
From the Wicked Local-Sommerville
December 4, 2008
Love Your Library: Join the Chess Club
New chess club forms
On Monday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., players of all ages and abilities are invited to join the newly forming Chess Club at the Central Library. Players should be familiar with the game, though some limited instruction may be available. The club will meet monthly on Monday evenings.
From the New Richmond News
December 9
Chess Club, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Heritage Center Farmhouse, 1100 Heritage Drive. Call 715-781-2562.
OHIO
From the Chronicle-Telegram
The Lorain/Sheffield Notebook
Programs at the Lorain Public Library
Sorry - missed this one earlier:
Chess club meets 1 to 4 p.m. today at the South Lorain branch. Everyone welcome. Call (440) 277-5672 to register.
MASSACHUSETTS
From the Wicked Local-Sommerville
December 4, 2008
Love Your Library: Join the Chess Club
New chess club forms
On Monday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., players of all ages and abilities are invited to join the newly forming Chess Club at the Central Library. Players should be familiar with the game, though some limited instruction may be available. The club will meet monthly on Monday evenings.
2008 Asian Junior Chess Championships
As reported at The Hindu.com
December 7, 2008
Chess
Three top rated TN players lose
Arvind Aaron
Chennai: Three highly rated players from Tamil Nadu lost in the opening round of the Sai Ram Engineering Asian junior chess championship here on Saturday.
FIDE Master S. Nitin (Salem), FIDE Master Shyam Nikhil (Nagercoil), both in boys, and P. Uthra (Chennai) in the girls, were shocked by lower rated fellow Indians.
India, a super power in chess has the World champion in Anand, world junior champion in Abhijeet Gupta and the World Junior girls champion in Harika. Given that we dominate the world, the campaign for the Asian supremacy in juniors should not be a difficult proposition as our players are only expected to retain the titles they won at Mumbai last year.
Top seed International Master S.P. Sethuraman (Chennai) crushed Shiven Khosla (Mumbai) in 33 moves with the black pieces after white did not deploy the knights well. Sethuraman won a rook for knight and was about to checkmate his opponent when resignation happened.
Second seed and world under-16 champion of B. Adhiban (Chennai) lived dangerously with a knight sacrifice for two pawns to win an enterprising 69-move encounter against Upadhyay.
Third seed Deep Sengupta (Kolkata) won a counterattacking 39-move encounter against Shreyansh Daklia.
D. Yashas cornered the king of Shyam Nikhil by trooping in his rook and later brought his queen and bishop to cement the attack.
Easy for Kruttika
In the girls section, top seed Kruttika Nadig (Pune) had an easy 31-move win using the Austrian attack against the Pirc defence of Aparajita.
Second seed Mary Ann Gomes (Kolkata) won in 44 moves but she was certainly too strong for G. Apurva.
Supriya Joshi (Mumbai) scored a 68-move shock win over experienced P. Uthra (Chennai). The Mumbai girl trained by R.V. Gokhale caught the uncastled king of black in the centre to win a rook for knight and the point in a pawn ending.
Sixty-three boys and 32 girls are competing in this edition.
Leading results (round one):
Girls: Kruttika Nadig bt Aparajitha Gochhikar, G. Apurva lost to Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout w/o Anjana Pereira (Sri), Antonova Nadezhda (Tjk) lost to w/o Kiran Mohanty, Bhakti Kulkarni bt M. Khushboo, B. Taraswinee drew with R. Preethi, Ch Divyasri bt Supeshala Thilakawardana (Sri), Supriya Joshi bt P. Uthra.
Boys: Shiven Khosla lost to S.P. Sethuraman, B. Adhiban bt Anwesh Upadhyaya, J.S. Daklia lost to Deep Sengupta, Ashwin Jayaram bt Tejas Ravichandran, M.G. Gahan lost to P. Karthikeyan, Swapnil Dhopade drew with Pranav Shetty, A.M. Imran (Ban) lost to Shyam Sundar, S. Nitin lost to Shardul Gagare, R.K. Ranjith lost to Lalith Babu, Minhazuddin Ahmed (Ban) bt Niranjan Navalgund, D. Yashas by Shyam Nikhil, Osheen De Silva (Sri) drew with Akshat Khamparia.
December 7, 2008
Chess
Three top rated TN players lose
Arvind Aaron
Chennai: Three highly rated players from Tamil Nadu lost in the opening round of the Sai Ram Engineering Asian junior chess championship here on Saturday.
FIDE Master S. Nitin (Salem), FIDE Master Shyam Nikhil (Nagercoil), both in boys, and P. Uthra (Chennai) in the girls, were shocked by lower rated fellow Indians.
India, a super power in chess has the World champion in Anand, world junior champion in Abhijeet Gupta and the World Junior girls champion in Harika. Given that we dominate the world, the campaign for the Asian supremacy in juniors should not be a difficult proposition as our players are only expected to retain the titles they won at Mumbai last year.
Top seed International Master S.P. Sethuraman (Chennai) crushed Shiven Khosla (Mumbai) in 33 moves with the black pieces after white did not deploy the knights well. Sethuraman won a rook for knight and was about to checkmate his opponent when resignation happened.
Second seed and world under-16 champion of B. Adhiban (Chennai) lived dangerously with a knight sacrifice for two pawns to win an enterprising 69-move encounter against Upadhyay.
Third seed Deep Sengupta (Kolkata) won a counterattacking 39-move encounter against Shreyansh Daklia.
D. Yashas cornered the king of Shyam Nikhil by trooping in his rook and later brought his queen and bishop to cement the attack.
Easy for Kruttika
In the girls section, top seed Kruttika Nadig (Pune) had an easy 31-move win using the Austrian attack against the Pirc defence of Aparajita.
Second seed Mary Ann Gomes (Kolkata) won in 44 moves but she was certainly too strong for G. Apurva.
Supriya Joshi (Mumbai) scored a 68-move shock win over experienced P. Uthra (Chennai). The Mumbai girl trained by R.V. Gokhale caught the uncastled king of black in the centre to win a rook for knight and the point in a pawn ending.
Sixty-three boys and 32 girls are competing in this edition.
Leading results (round one):
Girls: Kruttika Nadig bt Aparajitha Gochhikar, G. Apurva lost to Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout w/o Anjana Pereira (Sri), Antonova Nadezhda (Tjk) lost to w/o Kiran Mohanty, Bhakti Kulkarni bt M. Khushboo, B. Taraswinee drew with R. Preethi, Ch Divyasri bt Supeshala Thilakawardana (Sri), Supriya Joshi bt P. Uthra.
Boys: Shiven Khosla lost to S.P. Sethuraman, B. Adhiban bt Anwesh Upadhyaya, J.S. Daklia lost to Deep Sengupta, Ashwin Jayaram bt Tejas Ravichandran, M.G. Gahan lost to P. Karthikeyan, Swapnil Dhopade drew with Pranav Shetty, A.M. Imran (Ban) lost to Shyam Sundar, S. Nitin lost to Shardul Gagare, R.K. Ranjith lost to Lalith Babu, Minhazuddin Ahmed (Ban) bt Niranjan Navalgund, D. Yashas by Shyam Nikhil, Osheen De Silva (Sri) drew with Akshat Khamparia.
McClain Reminds Us Why the Great Are - Great!
From The International Herald TribuneAll copyrights preserved
Dylan Loeb McClain: Chess
Published: December 5, 2008
It is inevitable that young phenomena and new champions hog the limelight, but sometimes ex-champions remind the world why they were, and in some cases still are, so great.
At the recent Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, the women's section was won by the team from Georgia, the No. 4 seed. It was a return to glory for Georgia, which last won gold in 1996 and had not medaled at the biennial event since winning a silver in 2000.
Georgia was once synonymous with women's chess because it was home to the two women who, between them, held the world title from 1962 to 1991.
Nona Gaprindashvili, now 67, reigned from 1962 to 1978. She was dethroned by Maia Chiburdanidze, who held the crown until 1991. Chiburdanidze, now 47, is still ranked No. 18 in the world among women.
At the Olympiad, Chiburdanidze was the top player on her team, and she turned in far and away the best performance of any competitor. She finished with six wins, three draws and no losses. Her record included victories over Hou Yifan of China, No. 3 among the world's women, and Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia, No. 13.
She also defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia, the reigning women's champion, in Round 5.
Chiburdanidze usually prefers the Caro-Kann Defense, but against Kosteniuk she selected the sharper Sicilian Defense. She may have played something unexpected to throw Kosteniuk off balance.
If that was her strategy, it worked. The players followed well-known plans in the Richter-Rauzer Variation until Chiburdanidze played the thematic exchange sacrifice 10. . . Rc3. Most players continue with 11 bc3, and after 11 . . . e5 12 Qb4 Qb4 13 cb4 Ne4 14 Bh4 g5 15 fg5 Be7, the position is unclear. Black will eventually have an extra pawn and active pieces, while White will have a slight material superiority (rook for knight and pawn).
But Kosteniuk chose 11 Qc3 and quickly fell into a passive position.
She tried to squirm out of it with 19 Be4, probably hoping that Chiburdanidze would play 19 . . . Be4, when White might sacrifice material with 20 Re4 fe4 21 Rb7, giving her a chance to draw because of her superior development. But Chiburdanidze avoided any complications with 19 . . . fe4 and steadily improved her position.
Kosteniuk resigned because she must lose a rook after either 37 Kb1 Rg2, or 37 Kd1 e2 38 Ke1 Bg1, leaving her in a hopeless position either way.
The Best Female Figure
Hmmm, do I have your attention? LOL! A rather interesting article from Live Science:
Best Female Figure Not an Hourglass
Wed Dec 3, 10:15 am ET
An imperfect body might be just what the doctor ordered for women and key to their economic success, an anthropologist now says.
While pop culture seems to worship the hourglass figure for females, with a tiny waist, big boobs and curvy hips à la Marilyn Monroe, this may not be optimal, says Elizabeth Cashdan of the University of Utah.
That's because the hormones that make women physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute fat from the hips to the waist.
So in societies and situations where women are under pressure to procure resources and otherwise bring home the bacon, they may be less likely to have the classic hourglass figure, Cashdan hypothesizes in the December issue of the journal Current Anthropology.
Curve crazy
Until now, scientists (and apparently Western society) thought a curvy figure trumped other body shapes [if that's true, then how come we only use above-average height models with stick figures and no boobs who wear clothes designed for women with no curves at all in size negative 2?] The idea was based on results from medical studies that suggested a curvy waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 or lower (meaning the waist is significantly narrower than the hips) is associated with higher fertility and lower rates of chronic disease.
In addition, past research has revealed that men prefer a ratio of 0.7 or lower when looking for a mate. The preference makes perfect sense, according to evolutionary psychologists, because the low ratio is a reliable signal of a healthy, fertile woman. Along those lines, Playboy centerfolds tend to have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.68, Cashdan found.
However, women around the world tend to have larger waist-to-hip ratios (more cylindrical than hourglass-shaped) than is considered optimal by these medical and social standards. [In other words, this fantasy female does not reflect the reality of actual women's figures!]
Specifically, Cashdan compiled data from 33 non-Western populations and four European populations, finding the average waist-to-hip ratio for women was above 0.8. So if 0.7 is the magic number both in terms of health and male mate choice, Cashdan wondered why most women exhibit a significantly higher ratio.
That's where the hormones come in.
A little testosterone
Androgens, a class of hormones that includes testosterone, increase waist-to-hip ratios in women by increasing visceral fat, which is carried around the waist. But on the upside, increased androgen levels are also associated with increased strength, stamina and competitiveness. Cortisol, a hormone that helps the body deal with stressful situations, also increases fat carried around the waist.
Hormone levels linked with a high waist-to-hip ratio could lead to such health benefits, which would be particularly useful during times of stress, Cashdan said. These benefits could outweigh those attained from having the tiny waist, hourglass figure, she said.
Perhaps the differences between predominant body shapes in some societies have to do with sexual equality, Cashdan said. [Yeah, maybe that, at least in some western modern societies - but in all societies the level of stress on females has increased tremendously in the late 20th and early 21st centuries].
In Japan, Greece and Portugal, where women tend to be less economically independent, men place a higher value on a mate's thin waist than men in Britain or Denmark, where there tends to be more sexual equality, Cashdan said. And in some non-Western societies where food is scarce and women bear the responsibility for finding it, men actually prefer larger waist-to-hip ratios."Waist-to-hip ratio may indeed be a useful signal to men, then, but whether men prefer a [waist-to-hip ratio] associated with lower or higher androgen/estrogen ratios (or value them equally) should depend on the degree to which they want their mates to be strong, tough, economically successful and politically competitive," Cashdan writes.
She added, "And from a woman's perspective, men's preferences are not the only thing that matters."
Best Female Figure Not an Hourglass
Wed Dec 3, 10:15 am ET
An imperfect body might be just what the doctor ordered for women and key to their economic success, an anthropologist now says.
While pop culture seems to worship the hourglass figure for females, with a tiny waist, big boobs and curvy hips à la Marilyn Monroe, this may not be optimal, says Elizabeth Cashdan of the University of Utah.
That's because the hormones that make women physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute fat from the hips to the waist.
So in societies and situations where women are under pressure to procure resources and otherwise bring home the bacon, they may be less likely to have the classic hourglass figure, Cashdan hypothesizes in the December issue of the journal Current Anthropology.
Curve crazy
Until now, scientists (and apparently Western society) thought a curvy figure trumped other body shapes [if that's true, then how come we only use above-average height models with stick figures and no boobs who wear clothes designed for women with no curves at all in size negative 2?] The idea was based on results from medical studies that suggested a curvy waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 or lower (meaning the waist is significantly narrower than the hips) is associated with higher fertility and lower rates of chronic disease.
In addition, past research has revealed that men prefer a ratio of 0.7 or lower when looking for a mate. The preference makes perfect sense, according to evolutionary psychologists, because the low ratio is a reliable signal of a healthy, fertile woman. Along those lines, Playboy centerfolds tend to have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.68, Cashdan found.
However, women around the world tend to have larger waist-to-hip ratios (more cylindrical than hourglass-shaped) than is considered optimal by these medical and social standards. [In other words, this fantasy female does not reflect the reality of actual women's figures!]
Specifically, Cashdan compiled data from 33 non-Western populations and four European populations, finding the average waist-to-hip ratio for women was above 0.8. So if 0.7 is the magic number both in terms of health and male mate choice, Cashdan wondered why most women exhibit a significantly higher ratio.
That's where the hormones come in.
A little testosterone
Androgens, a class of hormones that includes testosterone, increase waist-to-hip ratios in women by increasing visceral fat, which is carried around the waist. But on the upside, increased androgen levels are also associated with increased strength, stamina and competitiveness. Cortisol, a hormone that helps the body deal with stressful situations, also increases fat carried around the waist.
Hormone levels linked with a high waist-to-hip ratio could lead to such health benefits, which would be particularly useful during times of stress, Cashdan said. These benefits could outweigh those attained from having the tiny waist, hourglass figure, she said.
Perhaps the differences between predominant body shapes in some societies have to do with sexual equality, Cashdan said. [Yeah, maybe that, at least in some western modern societies - but in all societies the level of stress on females has increased tremendously in the late 20th and early 21st centuries].
In Japan, Greece and Portugal, where women tend to be less economically independent, men place a higher value on a mate's thin waist than men in Britain or Denmark, where there tends to be more sexual equality, Cashdan said. And in some non-Western societies where food is scarce and women bear the responsibility for finding it, men actually prefer larger waist-to-hip ratios."Waist-to-hip ratio may indeed be a useful signal to men, then, but whether men prefer a [waist-to-hip ratio] associated with lower or higher androgen/estrogen ratios (or value them equally) should depend on the degree to which they want their mates to be strong, tough, economically successful and politically competitive," Cashdan writes.
She added, "And from a woman's perspective, men's preferences are not the only thing that matters."
Friday, December 5, 2008
Liberia: President Sirleaf to Receive FAO Award
From All Africa.com
December 4, 2008
Monrovia — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is to receive this year's Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) Ceres Medal Award
Making the disclosure recently, the Country Representative of the Food and Agricultural Organization in Liberia, Mr. Winfred Hammond, said the award will be presented to the Liberian leader by F.A.O. Director General Jacques Diouf at this year's National Agricultural Fair to be held in Voinjama, Lofa County on Saturday, December 6, according to the Executive Mansion release.
Mr. Hammond added that the presentation of the Ceres Medal Award to President Johnson Sirleaf is in recognition of her commitment to international partnership to promote peace, food security, health and education, as a means of achieving a Liberia free of hunger and poverty, as enshrined in the Poverty Reduction Strategy of Liberia.
The Ceres Medal, which is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, is awarded to distinguished women who have made an outstanding contribution to social and humanitarian affairs or to agricultural development and food security.
Previous recipients of the award include Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Prime Minister Indira Ghandi of India, Queen Sofia of Spain, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, amongst others.
During his two-day visit to Liberia, FAO Director General Jacques Diouf is also scheduled to hold talks with Foreign Minister Olubanke King Akerele and Agricultural Minister Dr. J. Chris Toe. The discussions are geared toward exchanging views on major issues related to food security and agricultural development. The talks will also focus on the FAO's initiatives as well as national and regional efforts aimed at realizing the initiatives.
(Copyright the Liberian Government)
December 4, 2008
Monrovia — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is to receive this year's Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) Ceres Medal Award
Making the disclosure recently, the Country Representative of the Food and Agricultural Organization in Liberia, Mr. Winfred Hammond, said the award will be presented to the Liberian leader by F.A.O. Director General Jacques Diouf at this year's National Agricultural Fair to be held in Voinjama, Lofa County on Saturday, December 6, according to the Executive Mansion release.
Mr. Hammond added that the presentation of the Ceres Medal Award to President Johnson Sirleaf is in recognition of her commitment to international partnership to promote peace, food security, health and education, as a means of achieving a Liberia free of hunger and poverty, as enshrined in the Poverty Reduction Strategy of Liberia.
The Ceres Medal, which is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, is awarded to distinguished women who have made an outstanding contribution to social and humanitarian affairs or to agricultural development and food security.
Previous recipients of the award include Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Prime Minister Indira Ghandi of India, Queen Sofia of Spain, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, amongst others.
During his two-day visit to Liberia, FAO Director General Jacques Diouf is also scheduled to hold talks with Foreign Minister Olubanke King Akerele and Agricultural Minister Dr. J. Chris Toe. The discussions are geared toward exchanging views on major issues related to food security and agricultural development. The talks will also focus on the FAO's initiatives as well as national and regional efforts aimed at realizing the initiatives.
(Copyright the Liberian Government)
Friday Night Miscellany
COLD! It's horrid out there - end of January weather is here already. My hands have frozen at least half a dozen times, I am now ready to bite the bullet and pay $100 for a pair of down mittens, which just about kills me but if I lose my hands to gangrene, then what? Tomorrow I'm going shopping for a knee length down coat. I already have one down to my ankles, that gets pulled out for the most severe weather. It's a heavy duty down coat and I look like the Michelin Man when wearing it - I don't care. It keeps me warm. But I don't want to wear it now - what will I wear when the windchill is F40 below? I have a "qualofil" parka that covers my butt but ends about mid-thigh length - it keeps my torso and arms warm enough and it has a hood that helps protect my head (with the addition of my wool beret - a new one now since I ate my old one after the U.S. Women's Chess Olympiad Team won a Bronze Medal in Dresden - and a wrap-around scarf), but my legs are COLD, especially when the wind is blowing! Arggggh! More money - cha ching! My Christmas bonus (which we are getting this year, thank Goddess!) will buy (1) down mittens (2) down "car coat" and (3) pay balance on real estate taxes.
I'm already sick of shovelling snow! And - I was ready to blow up the plow Wednesday night when we got our last 3 inches of snow - but he never put his plow down as he passed my house, he just laid down a layer of salt, which did nothing to clean up the mess in the road. I was ready for that plow man - I had my shovel in one hand and a baseball bat in the other hand - and I was ready to go after him. I stood at the foot of the driveway that I had laboriously cleared of giant ice boulders and powder-puff snow in strong winds (try that for some exercise, no wonder I've lost another 2 pounds this week, geez!) - all the way past the half-way mark so that a car can actually pull into the drive - and I waited for him patiently. ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM - he zipped down Plainfield Avenue; ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM - he zipped up Leroy Avenue and turned left instead of turning right to pass my house - he disappeared on Coldspring Road. I waited and shovelled more, and waited and shovelled more. Then, he came around the corner from Plainfield Avenue and zipped past so fast, he must have known I was waiting for him, the bugger. No snow thrown four feet deep (and tall) into my half-way shovelled out driveway. Thank Goddess!
I went inside. It took an hour to thaw out, but it was worth it! The roads in the subdivision are in bad condition though; a little better tonight coming home, I think they came through again and put down yet more salt, and sometime yesterday while I was at work the plow did sneak by the house and dumped some snow into the end of the shovelled out part of the driveway - but not too bad. Tomorrow morning at sunrise I will go out and shovel it out into the middle of the road, perhaps make some snow castles - and dump water on them and freeze them. Ha! Take that City of Greenfield! I hope I tear the chassies off of several cars with my ice sculptures!
Isis' house-warming gift arrived today from Bella Ling Antiques. I apprehensively unwrapped it after letting it thaw out for a couple of hours (it was on the front stoop when I got home from the office this evening). Ohmygoddess, it is just absolutely gorgeous, and I'm madly in love with it. It will be a perfect gift for Isis - I am hoping she loves it as much as I do. I can confidently say that the photos of the piece did not do it justice! It's perfect colors and the perfect size, and has just two production flaws as far as I can tell (I'm far from an expert), which I guess isn't so bad for mass-produced but hand-blown Murano glass. Now, mind you, I took it on faith that this piece is Murano glass, because that's what the dealer said it was. But there is no label on the piece and no marking on the base of the piece so identification - well, I have learned that there are lots and lots of cheap fakes out there. And even if it is Murano, so much has been made, and is still being churned out, that quality can be an issue. But my inexperienced eye tells me this piece is finely made, so I suspect that the dealer was right in calling it what she did. The color is fabulous - the proportions are perfect and the size is just right - not too big and not too small. Sounds a bit like the saga of the "Three Bears"! I am going to take some digital photos of it and, after it is presented to its intended owner, I will publish one or two here.
Geez, I'm long-winded tonight. Here are a few items that captured my fancy, much as the Fratelli Toso Murano glass piece did:
Spread a Little Happiness - It's Contagious: It's so nice to know that it's not just stuff that can kill you that is contagious :) This article made me very happy, and reinforces my belief in going around with a Mona Lisa smile on my face most of the time; it not only effectively hides the sag lines on either side of my mouth, it makes people feel better who see me and puts them to wondering what the heck is causing that secret semi-smile... I get lots of smiles back, actually. LOL!
Climate history may explain empires' fall: This is an interesting but very short piece. I think, however, it's been pretty well demonstrated by lots of other evidence that is now coming to light (and re-examination of previous finds in light of new knowledge and hypotheses) that climate change DOES lead to regime change -- call it what you will, the collapse of civilizations, the end of eras, the end of the world as we know it, etc. etc. Hell, it's a no-brainer, don't you think? I mean, darlings - just consider what has happened just during the 20th century due to drought conditions and the gradual decimation of fragile eco-systems in our own western states in the U.S. due to the lengthening of "summer" by about 2 weeks and the increasing lack of snow pack, etc. etc. Not to mention what drought has wrought in Africa.
Scientists Pinpoint Flu Gene: Well, whoop dee doo! I haven't had a flu shot in my entire life. They've been giving them out free at the office for the past 4 or 5 years and I always say no thank you! And I've been fine, while those around me have fallen to various maladies that probably are not flu but are nearly as yecchy. Oh, stupid woman that I am, I made the bad mistake of letting my doc, who otherwise is a quite sensible and pleasant person, talk me into getting a flu shot on November 28th when I visited her for a BP check and to get renewal prescriptions for my meds which now keep the aforesaid BP within the normal range. Ach! I had a terrible headache the next day that lingered into the following day, and then developed a sore throat. Since the symptoms disappeared after three days I figured they must be side-effects of the flu shot and after doing some research online, sure enough, I was right! I've learned a great deal about various medical conditions since the advent of the internet, actually. Not sure if that's good or bad...
There is always hope - if we lose hope - we die - as a person, as a society, as a world: Chinese "Mice" - a Mighty Force for Free Speech (even if we don't necessarily like what they say...)
I'm already sick of shovelling snow! And - I was ready to blow up the plow Wednesday night when we got our last 3 inches of snow - but he never put his plow down as he passed my house, he just laid down a layer of salt, which did nothing to clean up the mess in the road. I was ready for that plow man - I had my shovel in one hand and a baseball bat in the other hand - and I was ready to go after him. I stood at the foot of the driveway that I had laboriously cleared of giant ice boulders and powder-puff snow in strong winds (try that for some exercise, no wonder I've lost another 2 pounds this week, geez!) - all the way past the half-way mark so that a car can actually pull into the drive - and I waited for him patiently. ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM - he zipped down Plainfield Avenue; ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM - he zipped up Leroy Avenue and turned left instead of turning right to pass my house - he disappeared on Coldspring Road. I waited and shovelled more, and waited and shovelled more. Then, he came around the corner from Plainfield Avenue and zipped past so fast, he must have known I was waiting for him, the bugger. No snow thrown four feet deep (and tall) into my half-way shovelled out driveway. Thank Goddess!
I went inside. It took an hour to thaw out, but it was worth it! The roads in the subdivision are in bad condition though; a little better tonight coming home, I think they came through again and put down yet more salt, and sometime yesterday while I was at work the plow did sneak by the house and dumped some snow into the end of the shovelled out part of the driveway - but not too bad. Tomorrow morning at sunrise I will go out and shovel it out into the middle of the road, perhaps make some snow castles - and dump water on them and freeze them. Ha! Take that City of Greenfield! I hope I tear the chassies off of several cars with my ice sculptures!
Isis' house-warming gift arrived today from Bella Ling Antiques. I apprehensively unwrapped it after letting it thaw out for a couple of hours (it was on the front stoop when I got home from the office this evening). Ohmygoddess, it is just absolutely gorgeous, and I'm madly in love with it. It will be a perfect gift for Isis - I am hoping she loves it as much as I do. I can confidently say that the photos of the piece did not do it justice! It's perfect colors and the perfect size, and has just two production flaws as far as I can tell (I'm far from an expert), which I guess isn't so bad for mass-produced but hand-blown Murano glass. Now, mind you, I took it on faith that this piece is Murano glass, because that's what the dealer said it was. But there is no label on the piece and no marking on the base of the piece so identification - well, I have learned that there are lots and lots of cheap fakes out there. And even if it is Murano, so much has been made, and is still being churned out, that quality can be an issue. But my inexperienced eye tells me this piece is finely made, so I suspect that the dealer was right in calling it what she did. The color is fabulous - the proportions are perfect and the size is just right - not too big and not too small. Sounds a bit like the saga of the "Three Bears"! I am going to take some digital photos of it and, after it is presented to its intended owner, I will publish one or two here.
Geez, I'm long-winded tonight. Here are a few items that captured my fancy, much as the Fratelli Toso Murano glass piece did:
Spread a Little Happiness - It's Contagious: It's so nice to know that it's not just stuff that can kill you that is contagious :) This article made me very happy, and reinforces my belief in going around with a Mona Lisa smile on my face most of the time; it not only effectively hides the sag lines on either side of my mouth, it makes people feel better who see me and puts them to wondering what the heck is causing that secret semi-smile... I get lots of smiles back, actually. LOL!
Climate history may explain empires' fall: This is an interesting but very short piece. I think, however, it's been pretty well demonstrated by lots of other evidence that is now coming to light (and re-examination of previous finds in light of new knowledge and hypotheses) that climate change DOES lead to regime change -- call it what you will, the collapse of civilizations, the end of eras, the end of the world as we know it, etc. etc. Hell, it's a no-brainer, don't you think? I mean, darlings - just consider what has happened just during the 20th century due to drought conditions and the gradual decimation of fragile eco-systems in our own western states in the U.S. due to the lengthening of "summer" by about 2 weeks and the increasing lack of snow pack, etc. etc. Not to mention what drought has wrought in Africa.
Scientists Pinpoint Flu Gene: Well, whoop dee doo! I haven't had a flu shot in my entire life. They've been giving them out free at the office for the past 4 or 5 years and I always say no thank you! And I've been fine, while those around me have fallen to various maladies that probably are not flu but are nearly as yecchy. Oh, stupid woman that I am, I made the bad mistake of letting my doc, who otherwise is a quite sensible and pleasant person, talk me into getting a flu shot on November 28th when I visited her for a BP check and to get renewal prescriptions for my meds which now keep the aforesaid BP within the normal range. Ach! I had a terrible headache the next day that lingered into the following day, and then developed a sore throat. Since the symptoms disappeared after three days I figured they must be side-effects of the flu shot and after doing some research online, sure enough, I was right! I've learned a great deal about various medical conditions since the advent of the internet, actually. Not sure if that's good or bad...
There is always hope - if we lose hope - we die - as a person, as a society, as a world: Chinese "Mice" - a Mighty Force for Free Speech (even if we don't necessarily like what they say...)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
More on the Zaraysk Stone-Age Sculptures
What is this "mysterious object?"From BBC News
Dig unearths Stone Age sculptures
By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News
Page last updated at 11:40 GMT, Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Rare artefacts from the late Stone Age have been uncovered in Russia.
The site at Zaraysk, 150km south-east of Moscow, has yielded figurines and carvings on mammoth tusks.
The finds also included a cone-shaped object whose function, the authors report in the journal Antiquity, "remains a puzzle".
Such artistic artefacts have been found in the nearby regions of Kostenki and Avdeevo, but this is the first such discovery at Zaraysk.
The Upper Palaeolithic is the latter part of the Old Stone Age, during which humans made the transition from functional tool-making to art and adornment.
The new artefacts, discovered by Hizri Amirkhanov and Sergey Lev of the Russian Academy of Sciences, include a mammoth rib inscribed with what appear to be three mammoths, a small bone engraved with a cross-hatch pattern, and two human figurines presumed to be female.
"The finds enrich the inventory of Upper Palaeolithic [portable] art and broaden the known distribution of specific types of art objects in the East European Upper Palaeolithic," Dr Lev told BBC News.
"In terms of the splendour and variety of its art pieces, Zaraysk is on a par with such famous sites as Kostenki and Avdeevo."
'Unique picture'
The figurines are a type of "Venus" statuette, examples of which have been found in locations ranging from the mountains of Spain as far east as Siberia. However, their cultural significance remains a point of debate among anthropologists.
At Zaraysk, the two figurines were found carefully buried in storage pits. Underneath each was a round deposit of fine sand toward the south; toward the north, there was a deposit of red ochre - an iron-based pigment.
Each of the figurines had been covered with the shoulder-blade of a mammoth.
One is presumed to be finished and stands at a height of nearly 17cm (6.7in); the other is clearly unfinished and about half as big.
However, both resemble examples of such statuettes found at the Avdeevo site to the south-west, suggesting cultural links between the two.
"This collection of artefacts is spectacular in a number of ways, not only for the range of representations of both humanistic and animal but also for the range of materials that is used," says Jeffrey Brantingham, an anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
"These finds are really incredibly rare, and they offer a unique picture into human Upper Palaeolithic life."
Also among the finds was an object carved from mammoth ivory, shaped like a cone with its top removed. The cone is densely ornamented and has a hole running through its centre.
The authors note that the object is unique among Palaeolithic artefacts. "The function of this decorated object remains a puzzle," they say.
*****************************
Remains a puzzle? Without having any size given in the article, I think it is a spindle-whorl! Of course, that does not fit into the "accepted" dating of when spinning flax, wool and cotton yarn was first invented (many thousands of years AFTER this object is dated) - therefore, this is a "mysterious object."
Could Women Save Chess?
Every day I visit a circuit of chess websites to check on the latest news. Chess fans already know that at the Dresden Chess Olympiad, the FIDE General Assembly approved changes to the current Grand Prix chess cycle in mid-cycle! This caused much consternation and frustration, and anger, but is FIDE doing business as usual. The one thing you can always rely upon is that you cannot ever ever ever rely upon FIDE to stick to a contract or keep its word.
It took a few days for the truth to surface (despite some earlier hints about sponsorship problems at some chess news websites, nothing had been confirmed). Now it has been confirmed by a letter from FIDE itself. The reason for the change in the Grand Prix cycle - introducing a whole new event of 8 players which instantly reduces winning the Grand Prix and the World Cup to an "also ran" status instead of the two players (Grand Prix and World Cup) facing off against each other and the winner of the match facing off against the World Champion - is because of money. As is well known by now, the Doha sponsor of the Grand Prix event scheduled for December, 2008 withdrew, and FIDE stepped in hastily to organize the event in Elista, Khan Kirzan's home town (and presumably put up the prize money, too). Now a second Grand Prix sponsor has withdrawn (Montreux - sp?) - allegedly due to financial problems. Well, when a certain amount of prize money is to be put up for the players' purse IN ADDITION TO 20% ON TOP FOR FIDE AND 5% ON TOP FOR WORLD CHESS, one can only wonder what the hell is going on and marvel at the fact that ANY SPONSORS whatsoever were found for the Grand Prix!
Okay - fast forward to tonight. I arrived home after a long had day at the office and visited Susan Polgar's blog to see that GM Magnus Carlsen has withdrawn from the remainder of the Grand Prix cycle. Geez! So then I visit Michael Greengard's "Daily Dirt" chess blog at Chess Ninja to see what the regulars are saying about this latest development (under the topic "FIDE not-so-Grand-Prix") - but the news was too new, not enough opportunity for people to post about it much when I visited earlier this evening. But the conversation was interesting, and in particular, this post reverberated:
irv replied to comment from guest December 4, 2008 3:22 PM Reply
Guest wrote:
"Chess needs to give up the idea that such rich tournaments are sustainble."
That's the bottom line.
The sick, never-ending quest, chimeric quest for perfect play has led to the death of chess. The first ones to go were the chess clubs. Online chess is doing bad: a few years ago you could get a game on the spot at ICC or Playchess; nowadays, you have to wait a few minutes for a game to materialize.
Let's face it: chess at the top has become excruciatingly painful to watch. Too mechanical. Too dry. Too boring; hell, I wouldn't ACCEPT 50 bucks to watch Svidler-Leko, for God's sake.
Less money and more daring, if imperfect chess, is the solution. Let players relax a bit. Win a bit more, lose a bit more, enjoy a lot more. Force players to play to a decisive result.
What's wrong with a top player making $15.000 in a couple of weeks (all expenses paid for by the organizer) of leisure chess at 2 hours per game, one game per day?
If tournament organizers could get half a dozen of the top 20 players in the world (along with 6 up-and-coming tigers) to enter a tournament that can be run with $100.000, many sponsors could be found.
Bring life back to chess.
Is chess "dying?" Well, I don't know about that - but I do know one way it could be jazzed up with the right promotion and some money to back it - just like some very smart people backed internet and televised Poker a few years ago...
I couldn't help myself - I responded - WOMEN! Women chessplayers! I mean, come on darlings! Irv thinks "more daring, imperfect chess" is a possible solution to the slow death of chess and that really describes the chess that about 90% of the female chess pros out there on the circuit play today.
It has often been noted by chess "fans" (99.4% male) that "women's chess" is more exciting than a lot of the games played between the elite players (Judit Polgar notwithstanding). Women's chess games generally are not too dry, too mechanical, too boring. Women play "fighting chess" and will battle on and on and on, long past the point where a male player will concede a draw against another male player. Just a few days ago at USCF's website I read about an 111 move head-banger that GM Jesse Kraai played against a chess femme - WFM Bayaraa Zorigt, a player who barely registered on my awareness of chess femmes. The point is obvious. Who IS this woman who played a GM to 111 moves before finally succumbing (probably due to physical and mental fatigue)??? That is a woman chessplayer worthy of notice.
He may be right - and I may be crazy. Win a bit more, lose a bit more, enjoy a lot more.
It took a few days for the truth to surface (despite some earlier hints about sponsorship problems at some chess news websites, nothing had been confirmed). Now it has been confirmed by a letter from FIDE itself. The reason for the change in the Grand Prix cycle - introducing a whole new event of 8 players which instantly reduces winning the Grand Prix and the World Cup to an "also ran" status instead of the two players (Grand Prix and World Cup) facing off against each other and the winner of the match facing off against the World Champion - is because of money. As is well known by now, the Doha sponsor of the Grand Prix event scheduled for December, 2008 withdrew, and FIDE stepped in hastily to organize the event in Elista, Khan Kirzan's home town (and presumably put up the prize money, too). Now a second Grand Prix sponsor has withdrawn (Montreux - sp?) - allegedly due to financial problems. Well, when a certain amount of prize money is to be put up for the players' purse IN ADDITION TO 20% ON TOP FOR FIDE AND 5% ON TOP FOR WORLD CHESS, one can only wonder what the hell is going on and marvel at the fact that ANY SPONSORS whatsoever were found for the Grand Prix!
Okay - fast forward to tonight. I arrived home after a long had day at the office and visited Susan Polgar's blog to see that GM Magnus Carlsen has withdrawn from the remainder of the Grand Prix cycle. Geez! So then I visit Michael Greengard's "Daily Dirt" chess blog at Chess Ninja to see what the regulars are saying about this latest development (under the topic "FIDE not-so-Grand-Prix") - but the news was too new, not enough opportunity for people to post about it much when I visited earlier this evening. But the conversation was interesting, and in particular, this post reverberated:
irv replied to comment from guest December 4, 2008 3:22 PM Reply
Guest wrote:
"Chess needs to give up the idea that such rich tournaments are sustainble."
That's the bottom line.
The sick, never-ending quest, chimeric quest for perfect play has led to the death of chess. The first ones to go were the chess clubs. Online chess is doing bad: a few years ago you could get a game on the spot at ICC or Playchess; nowadays, you have to wait a few minutes for a game to materialize.
Let's face it: chess at the top has become excruciatingly painful to watch. Too mechanical. Too dry. Too boring; hell, I wouldn't ACCEPT 50 bucks to watch Svidler-Leko, for God's sake.
Less money and more daring, if imperfect chess, is the solution. Let players relax a bit. Win a bit more, lose a bit more, enjoy a lot more. Force players to play to a decisive result.
What's wrong with a top player making $15.000 in a couple of weeks (all expenses paid for by the organizer) of leisure chess at 2 hours per game, one game per day?
If tournament organizers could get half a dozen of the top 20 players in the world (along with 6 up-and-coming tigers) to enter a tournament that can be run with $100.000, many sponsors could be found.
Bring life back to chess.
Is chess "dying?" Well, I don't know about that - but I do know one way it could be jazzed up with the right promotion and some money to back it - just like some very smart people backed internet and televised Poker a few years ago...
I couldn't help myself - I responded - WOMEN! Women chessplayers! I mean, come on darlings! Irv thinks "more daring, imperfect chess" is a possible solution to the slow death of chess and that really describes the chess that about 90% of the female chess pros out there on the circuit play today.
It has often been noted by chess "fans" (99.4% male) that "women's chess" is more exciting than a lot of the games played between the elite players (Judit Polgar notwithstanding). Women's chess games generally are not too dry, too mechanical, too boring. Women play "fighting chess" and will battle on and on and on, long past the point where a male player will concede a draw against another male player. Just a few days ago at USCF's website I read about an 111 move head-banger that GM Jesse Kraai played against a chess femme - WFM Bayaraa Zorigt, a player who barely registered on my awareness of chess femmes. The point is obvious. Who IS this woman who played a GM to 111 moves before finally succumbing (probably due to physical and mental fatigue)??? That is a woman chessplayer worthy of notice.
He may be right - and I may be crazy. Win a bit more, lose a bit more, enjoy a lot more.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Stone Age "Venus" Figurines
Stone Age site reveals 'extraordinary' artworksFrom CNN.com/Technology
December 3, 2008
By Richard Allen Greene CNN
CNN) -- Archaeologists in Russia have discovered an "extraordinary" group of Stone Age artworks which appear to have been carefully buried in pits and covered with mammoth bones, the researchers announced this week in a newly published paper.
Archaeologists uncovered these Stone Age figures buried in pits southeast of Moscow. At least some of the 21,000-22,000-year-old objects appear to have been regarded as magical, the scientists surmise.
The collection includes the only example of engravings of images found to date at the site -- what appear to be three overlapping mammoths only a few centimeters long and carved onto the rib of a mammoth.
"The main lines of the image are clear, not ragged; they were made by confident, unbroken movements," Hizri Amirkhanov and Sergey Lev write.
The carving may have been part of a hunting ritual, Lev told CNN.
The objects they describe in their new paper "show an extraordinary repertoire of incised carving on mammoth ivory plaques and carving in the round, including representations of women and large mammals, and geometric decoration on bone utensils," they write.
They also uncovered two female figures, including one 16.6 centimeters tall with a head they call particularly accurate in shape. The figures, which Lev called Venus statuettes, had been carefully placed in pits and surrounded with colored sand, Lev said.
The archaeologists uncovered the objects in 2005 at a site called Zaraysk, which was discovered in 1980. The site is about 100 miles southeast of Moscow.
Researchers have been excavating the site since 1995, and have found a necklace made of teeth of the arctic fox and a carving of a bison made from mammoth ivory.
Zaraysk is the northernmost known location for a style of Stone Age artwork called Kostenski-Avdeevo after two other locations where art of that type has been found.
Lev said the Zaraysk site was on a par with Kostenski and Avdeevo "in terms of the splendor and variety of its art."
The site dates from the Upper Paleolithic period, which began about 40,000 years ago and lasted until roughly 10,000 years ago.
Amirkhanov and Lev's article, "New Finds of Art Objects from the Upper Palaeolithic Site of Zaraysk, Russia," is to be published in the December issue of the magazine Antiquities, a York, England-based journal that describes itself as a quarterly review of world archaeology. A version of their article appeared on the journal's website on Monday; the print version is due out soon, reviews editor Madeleine Hummler said.
The researchers are associated with the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
************************************
Here is a link to the online version of the article at Antiquity.
White-Skinned, Blonde-Haired "Cloud People"
A fascinating article about some recent discoveries in Peru:Ancient city discovered deep in Amazonian rainforest linked to the legendary white-skinned Cloud People of Peru
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:44 AM on 04th December 2008
A lost city discovered deep in the Amazon rainforest could unlock the secrets of a legendary tribe.
Little is known about the Cloud People of Peru, an ancient, white-skinned civilisation wiped out by disease and war in the 16th century.
But now archaeologists have uncovered a fortified citadel in a remote mountainous area of Peru known for its isolated natural beauty. It is thought this settlement may finally help historians unlock the secrets of the 'white warriors of the clouds'.
The tribe had white skin and blonde hair - features which intrigue historians, as there is no known European ancestry in the region, where most inhabitants are darker skinned.
The citadel is tucked away in one of the most far-flung areas of the Amazon. It sits at the edge of a chasm which the tribe may have used as a lookout to spy on enemies.
The main encampment is made up of circular stone houses overgrown by jungle over 12 acres, according to archaeologist Benedict Goicochea Perez. Rock paintings cover some of the fortifications and next to the dwellings are platforms believed to have been used to grind seeds and plants for food and medicine.
The Cloud People once commanded a vast kingdom stretching across the Andes to the fringes of Peru's northern Amazon jungle, before it was conquered by the Incas.
Named because they lived in rainforests filled with cloud-like mist, the tribe later sided with the Spanish-colonialists to defeat the Incas.
But they were killed by epidemics of European diseases, such as measles and smallpox. Much of their way of life, dating back to the ninth century, was also destroyed by pillaging, leaving little for archaeologists to examine.
Remains have been found before but scientists have high hopes of the latest find, made by an expedition to the Jamalca district in Peru's Utcubamba province, about 500 miles north-east of the capital, Lima.
Until recently, much of what was known about the lost civilisation was from Inca legends. Even the name they called themselves is unknown. The term Chachapoyas, or 'Cloud People', was given to them by the Incas.
Their culture is best known for the Kuellap fortress on the top of a mountain in Utcubamba, which can only be compared in scale to the Incas' Machu Picchu retreat, built hundreds of years later.
Two years ago, archaeologists found an underground burial vault inside a cave with five mummies, two intact with skin and hair.
Chachapoyas chronicler Pedro Cieza de Leon wrote of the tribe: 'They are the whitest and most handsome of all the people that I have seen, and their wives were so beautiful that because of their gentleness, many of them deserved to be the Incas' wives and to also be taken to the Sun Temple. 'The women and their husbands always dressed in woollen clothes and in their heads they wear their llautos [a woollen turban], which are a sign they wear to be known everywhere.'
The Chachapoyas' territory was located in the northern regions of the Andes in present-day Peru. It encompassed the triangular region formed by the confluence of the Maranon and Utcubamba rivers, in the zone of Bagua, up to the basin of the Abiseo river. The Maranon's size and the mountainous terrain meant the region was relatively isolated.
*****************************
Okay - a far out speculation - sounds as if this ancient kingdom was bounded by three rivers: shades of the biblical description of the Garden of Eden...
And here I always thought the occasional article I read at alternative history sites about "white-skinned, fair-haired" people in South America was the result of someone toking a bit too much, the legend of Queztocoatl notwithstanding!
Interesting Chessboard
Story from the press.co.ukCan anyone explain this ‘chessboard’?
9:28am Wednesday 3rd December 2008
By Reader's letter »
MY ATTENTION was recently drawn to what appears to be a chess or draughts board carved into the well trodden paving flags on the city wall near Victoria Bar.
The black squares are indicated by a cross. It is quite neatly done and must have taken some time to inscribe. Despite being in a job where I have access to quite historically knowledgeable people, no one has been able to explain, with any confidence, why the board is there, or who put it there, or when?
I am hoping that one of your readers will be able to supply the answers.
Richard Aitken, Alness Drive, Acomb Park, York.
Answers:
Hieronymous, York says...10:06am Wed 3 Dec 08
I suppose the romantic answer to the question would be that a couple of bored soldiers scratched it on the walkway in order to pass the time on a long watch during a period of inactivity. However, it is in such remarkably unworn condition that I doubt it has been in it's present position for much more than the thirty years or so in which I've been aware of it. (Note how part of the design is superimposed on a section which has flaked off!) Perhaps it was found elswhere and repositioned. Alternatively, since the style of carving is pretty modern-looking, perhaps it's a piece of erudite Victorian graffiti!
old_geezer, york says...12:37pm Wed 3 Dec 08
I was told it came from the condemned cell in the former prison, now Castle Museum. But why it was moved if so, no idea.
Nona Says: "No Diamonds on Trophy"
According to a news article at Kiev Post (Kyiv Post.com) no diamonds were stolen off of the Gaprindashvili Cup awarded to the Ukrainian chess teams for their combined performances at the 2008 Chess Olympiad at Dresden. Right from the mouth of the lady whose name is on the Cup, she says "no diamonds," only silver and gilt decorations.Chess prize missing a few pieces upon arrival [Not true - read the article - nothing was missing, but a piece was broken off - see photo - actually, it looks like the piece screws in, so perhaps it wasn't broken off at all, it just came lose!]
Yesterday, 20:04 Yuliya Popova, Kyiv Post Staff Writer
Chess Olympiad trophy won by combined Ukrainian team arrives in Boryspil airport damaged and short of most valuable features
At the Chess Olympiad in Germany, the Ukrainian team edged other nations in combined men’s and women’s results. But German airlines may have put them in check.
In Frankfurt, Lufthansa personnel made them sacrifice their knight – a precious cup personifying a female on a male horse – to the main luggage section Nov. 26.
In Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport, the Ukrainian Chess Federation received their trophy with a broken head and stripped of decorations.
“Absolute negligence,” exclaimed vice president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, Leonid Tymoshenko, who was transporting the prize. Boarding a flight in Frankfurt, he said that the Lufthansa staff made him check in the trophy due to its heavy appearance.
“I told them that it’s a piece of art of global importance but nobody listened to me. I insisted to weigh it as it’s only three kilograms and 200 grams, twice less then was permitted,” complained Tymoshenko. “But they were stubborn and asked me if I wanted to fly or not.”
Tymoshenko resigned the prize to the belly of an airplane, the last time he would see the trophy intact.
As chess enthusiasts tried later to sort out what happened, Lufthansa employees in Kyiv avoided comment. Airport management blamed luggage handlers for the damage. Tymoshenko insisted on negligence.
Boryspil has a bad record of baggage looting. Major air carriers in Ukraine reported more than 11,000 thefts in 2007. The general prosecutor’s office busted a police squad and six handlers for pilfering passenger bags in September.
The damaged trophy was named after the first female grandmaster, Nona Gaprindashvili. The legendary chess player from Georgia found out about the incident from the Kyiv Post. “It’s impossible. They shouldn’t have put it with the rest of luggage, it’s unthinkable,” she exclaimed. Gaprindashvili dismissed speculations that the cup was decorated with diamonds. “It’s made of silver and gilded embellishments but it’s a lot more precious than other cups in the [chess] Olympiad.”
Tymoshenko said that the cup was insured. Police launched a criminal investigation. The next Chess Olympiad is scheduled to take place in Russia in 2010. The “knight” is transferrable and will have to be repaired by then.
************************
So - why the report about missing diamonds from the trophy? Did Tymoshenko REALLY says that diamonds had been - I assumed pried - out of the trophy? Where did this report of missing diamonds originate, and why? Is this all traceable back to the initial Russian news report - blaming Georgians for the theft???
The way the incident now sounds, NOTHING WAS STOLEN, the trophy was BROKEN.
Clarification - will it ever be forthcoming???
Southwest Chess Club of Hales Corners News
Forgot to post this last night:
EVENTS AT SOUTHWEST CHESS CLUB THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 :
This Thursday Expert Paul Fricano will be giving a lecture entitled: "Positional Play - It's About Time". Any of you who have attended one of Paul's lectures know that he does an outstanding job of making chess concepts understandable. You will not want to miss this lecture. The lecture will start at 6 PM.
Also the Holiday Holly High-Speed Swiss starts this Thursday with the first two rounds of this Game in 45 event. Sign-ups will be taken during the lecture. Sign up no later than 6:50 PM so that we can start promptly at 7 PM. The final two rounds of this event will be held on the following Thursday, December 11. Details below. If you think you will be late, contact me in advance at the number below or email me. Any calls or emails after 5 PM on Thursday will be too late. This event is at the Layton State Bank in Greendale (5850 Broad Street).
Tom Fogec
USCF Senior Tournament Director
Southwest Chess Club
414-425-6742
tfogec@wi.rr.com
Holiday Holly High-Speed Swiss: December 4 & 11
4-Round Swiss in One Section. Two games per night. Game/45
minutes. USCF (dual) Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (One ½
Point Bye Available for any round (except round four) if requested at
least 2-days prior to round). TD is Tom Fogec; ATD is Robin Grochowski
EVENTS AT SOUTHWEST CHESS CLUB THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 :
This Thursday Expert Paul Fricano will be giving a lecture entitled: "Positional Play - It's About Time". Any of you who have attended one of Paul's lectures know that he does an outstanding job of making chess concepts understandable. You will not want to miss this lecture. The lecture will start at 6 PM.
Also the Holiday Holly High-Speed Swiss starts this Thursday with the first two rounds of this Game in 45 event. Sign-ups will be taken during the lecture. Sign up no later than 6:50 PM so that we can start promptly at 7 PM. The final two rounds of this event will be held on the following Thursday, December 11. Details below. If you think you will be late, contact me in advance at the number below or email me. Any calls or emails after 5 PM on Thursday will be too late. This event is at the Layton State Bank in Greendale (5850 Broad Street).
Tom Fogec
USCF Senior Tournament Director
Southwest Chess Club
414-425-6742
tfogec@wi.rr.com
Holiday Holly High-Speed Swiss: December 4 & 11
4-Round Swiss in One Section. Two games per night. Game/45
minutes. USCF (dual) Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (One ½
Point Bye Available for any round (except round four) if requested at
least 2-days prior to round). TD is Tom Fogec; ATD is Robin Grochowski
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Who is Right About the Thera Eruption?
Compelling evidence from two different fields of study yield contradictory dates for the famous eruption of Thera, which destroyed the ancient Minoan civilization. One says 1613 BCE; one says sometime after 1530 BCE. Who is right? Could both be right - I mean, were there two eruptions that, over time, were combined in popular memory at the time into one eruption (the second, larger one resulting in the collapse of the Minoan civilization?) Or were previous "experts" (many were adventurers who could hardly be classified as archaeologists in the sense we use the term today) who dug up so much of Egypt in the 19th and early 20th centuries wrong about their timeline? The stakes about who is right - and who is wrong - are enormous. If the 1613 BCE date is right, much of Egyptian history needs to be adjusted by about 100 years - and that causes LOTS of problems in terms of dating some of the most famous (and not so famous) finds in Egypt and, indeed, because of spill-over in dating, in other ancient civilizations throughout the Mediterranean and beyond which are gauged by developments in Egypt!
Thera volcano in 1613 BC
December 3, 2008
Two olive branches buried by a Minoan-era eruption of the volcano on the island of Thera (modern-day Santorini) have enabled precise radiocarbon dating of the catastrophe to 1613 BC, with an error margin of plus or minus 10 years, according to two researchers who presented conclusions of their previously published research during an event on Tuesday at the Danish Archaeological Institute of Athens.
Speaking at an event entitled "The Enigma of Dating the Minoan Eruption - Data from Santorini and Egypt", the study's authors, Dr. Walter Friedrich of the Danish University of Aarhus and Dr. Walter Kutschera of the Austrian University of Vienna, said data left by the branch of an olive tree with 72 annular growth rings was used for dating via the radiocarbon method, while a second olive branch -- found just nine metres away from the first -- was unearthed in July 2007 and has not yet been analysed.
The researchers said both olive tree branches were found near a Bronze Age man-made wall, giving the impression that they were part of an olive grove situated near a settlement very close to the edge of Santorini's current world-famous Caldera. The two trees were found standing when unearthed, and apparently had been covered by the Theran pumice immediately after the volcano's eruption.
According to the two scientists, other radiocarbon testing from archaeological locations on Santorini and the surrounding islands, as well as at Tel el-Dab'a in the Nile delta in Egypt, corroborate the dating based on the olive tree.
On the other hand, as the two researchers pointed out, archaeological evidence linked with the Historical Dating of Ancient Egypt indicate that the Thera eruption must have occurred after the start of the New Kingdom in Egypt in 1530 BC. The two researchers said their find (olive tree) represents a serious contradiction between the results of the scientific method (radiocarbon dating) and scholarly work in the humanities (history-archaeology), with both sides holding strong arguments to support their conclusions.
The radiocarbon dating places the cataclysmic eruption, blamed for heralding the end to the Minoan civilisation, a century earlier than previous scientific finds.
Thera volcano in 1613 BC
December 3, 2008
Two olive branches buried by a Minoan-era eruption of the volcano on the island of Thera (modern-day Santorini) have enabled precise radiocarbon dating of the catastrophe to 1613 BC, with an error margin of plus or minus 10 years, according to two researchers who presented conclusions of their previously published research during an event on Tuesday at the Danish Archaeological Institute of Athens.
Speaking at an event entitled "The Enigma of Dating the Minoan Eruption - Data from Santorini and Egypt", the study's authors, Dr. Walter Friedrich of the Danish University of Aarhus and Dr. Walter Kutschera of the Austrian University of Vienna, said data left by the branch of an olive tree with 72 annular growth rings was used for dating via the radiocarbon method, while a second olive branch -- found just nine metres away from the first -- was unearthed in July 2007 and has not yet been analysed.
The researchers said both olive tree branches were found near a Bronze Age man-made wall, giving the impression that they were part of an olive grove situated near a settlement very close to the edge of Santorini's current world-famous Caldera. The two trees were found standing when unearthed, and apparently had been covered by the Theran pumice immediately after the volcano's eruption.
According to the two scientists, other radiocarbon testing from archaeological locations on Santorini and the surrounding islands, as well as at Tel el-Dab'a in the Nile delta in Egypt, corroborate the dating based on the olive tree.
On the other hand, as the two researchers pointed out, archaeological evidence linked with the Historical Dating of Ancient Egypt indicate that the Thera eruption must have occurred after the start of the New Kingdom in Egypt in 1530 BC. The two researchers said their find (olive tree) represents a serious contradiction between the results of the scientific method (radiocarbon dating) and scholarly work in the humanities (history-archaeology), with both sides holding strong arguments to support their conclusions.
The radiocarbon dating places the cataclysmic eruption, blamed for heralding the end to the Minoan civilisation, a century earlier than previous scientific finds.
****************************
Some Christian fundamentalist groups link the date of c. 1513 BCE - that is, the putative date of the great eruption of Thera that blew up 2/3rds of the island in its violence - with the Exodus from Egypt, with at least some of the "ten plagues" being explained by natural phenomenon associated with the cataclysmic eruption of Thera's volcano.
Love and Sex in the Renaissance
Probably no chess tonight - I'm chessed out - and shoveled out. More than a foot landed in my driveway due to drifting and blowing, despite the fact that "officially" we only got 3 inches. Ha! More snow due tomorrow night, up to 5 inches. So far, this December is turning out to be a near-carbon copy (as far as I remember) of a year ago, when we had near record-breaking snow fall, over 100 inches.I saw this exhibit advertised at the Met in New York - looks fascinating. I picked out threeinteresting objects from it. My take on the exhibit is decidedly different from the reviewer's article:
Art Review 'Art and Love in Renaissance Italy'
Eternal Objects of Desire
November 20, 2008
The objects I zeroed on present goddesses and/or women (representing goddesses) in close association with dogs, in an erotic context. "Sex" is used to gloss over the underlying concepts of women's unique power to bear life and the monthly menstruation of blood during the fertile years - blood representing the life of the earth, the very rhythym of the interaction of the earth and the moon every 28 to 32 days. This association has been recorded in surviving relics as far back as 25,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the condition of women as equals of men, who each held unique places in the conception of the universe, was obliterated particularly with the advent of the "warrior god" religions (Jews, Christians and Muslims) which still, unfortunately (and with telling results) dominate the world today. As always, women and children continue to be the primary victims of the non-stop warfare carried on by males in these three religions against each other.
The association of goddesses and dogs is extremely ancient, perhaps due to the possibility that it was women who first domesticated wolves who followed hunter/gatherer bands across the landscape. Canines were domesticated about 16,000 years ago, possibly even further back. There is also an association of the Triple Goddess, representing birth, fruition, death-rebirth with her companion dog as eater of the dead in preparation for rebirth of the soul of the deceased. This too, is a very ancient association.
There is the association of the Goddess with the numbers 8 (in western chess, symbolized in the 8x8 board) and 9 (in Chinese chess the board is 2 sides of 8 by 4 squares divided by the Celestial River which is not played upon, and the "King" piece is confined to an area of 2x2 squares - which measures 3x3 "points" -- in Chinese chess the pieces are placed not upon the squares but upon the intersection of the squares, resulting in 9 x 8 total playing points, or 72). And there are the ancient Indian traditions of the Goddess number 4-3-2, which totals 9, and the eight-legged female spider who continuously weaves her web of the universe.
Painting #1 is, I think, the most light-hearted of the lot. It is ”Venus with an Organist and a Dog,” detail, by Tiziano Vecellio, circa 1550. While the article points out the obvious phallic symbolism of the "upright organ pipes" (har!) and the "upright" trees in the verdent "nature tamed" background (implying, evidently, that the Goddess of Love could be tamed - what a joke!), Venus herself is playing with her doggy friend, seemingly ignoring the organist whilst coyly pressing one foot into the small of his back. Venus is definitely playing the Game! It wasn't for nothing, you know, that the ancient game players often used "dogs" as playing pieces. Notice the ornate red draperies and the blood-red (also known as royal purple) bed covering that Venus reclines upon. As for the organist, I think his body language and the expression on his face is self-explanatory.
Object #2 is called a birthing platter, depicting the meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba from the workshop of Francesco del Cossa, circa 1470-73. Ignore the then current clothing styles of the protagonists! Items of note are the outer-sanctum black and white checkerboard floor, upon which three dogs lounge, and the inner-sanctum red (there's that life blood again) and black checkerboard floor). The entire painting is set on a 3x3 grid (3x3 = that Goddess number 9) -- notice how the laticed-pergola under which Sheba and Solomon meet is aligned with the tall middle tower of the church, which is flanked by two lower domes (perhaps representative of feminine breasts - the tower being a phallic symbol). Notice what is in the center of the painting - a "grail" - i.e., chalice! "Da Vinci Code" fans will recognize the grail, er, chalice, as a female symbol for fertility - it's the classic delta shape - and the "stem" - well, I think you can figure it out.
The #3 painting is the most ironic of all - it depicts a young naked virgin being pursued by a young man (the dude on the horse) whom she has rejected. He has his hunting dogs attack her in the midst of a wedding feast where she has sought aid. Irony, indeed, since the Goddess Artemis was always accompanied by her hunting dogs, whom she often set upon encroaching young men! The young naked girl represents beauty, youth, and virginity - the essential aspects of the first part of the Triple Goddess. The young dude on the horse ends up killing himself after the Virgin is killed by his dogs. The horse symbolism of potent masculinity run amok is rather obvious - continued to this day in the form of the "knight" upon the chessboard, by the way. I can well imagine what the horrified bride at the wedding feat must be thinking. However, the caption is perhaps most telling of all, and presents an irony upon irony since the article was written by a female art critic. Here is what she says: A panel by Botticelli’s workshop depicts a wedding feast interrupted by a young nude woman being attacked by dogs. In short, she rejected him and he committed suicide, two unforgivable sins. The bride and groom in both the painting and the room it decorates will know better. (Photo: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid)
Oh, really? The bridge and groom will know better? Run, bride, run!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Buy Someone You Love - Chess! - for Christmas
I thought this was cute, even if it was put together by an antiques website :)
Collectibles and Memorabilia Are Selling As Unique, Interesting, and Affordable Christmas Gifts
December 1, 2008
With the ailing economy, shoppers are putting much more effort in finding gifts that are more meaningful but low in cost.
Christmas gifts are often bought last minute and not a lot of thought is put into them and they are often forgotten once the holiday is over. This year, with the ailing economy, shoppers are putting more effort in finding gifts that are more meaningful but low in cost. While this is not the best news for most stores the antique and collectibles stores are in the exciting situation of being able to put a little spark back into Christmas by offering truly unique and cherished gift ideas.
How much would a husband or wife, or even a son or daughter, love to get autographed photos from their favorite sports team, band, or actor? Autographed items range in price from $15.00 to $1000.00 and it is easy to find an autograph dealer who offers a lifetime guarantee and certificate of authenticity. Which is important for both the Christmas shopper and the collectibles shop owners since neither wants to worry about authenticity.
Another idea is a die cast car, plane, or boat. Most are reasonably priced and there is an amazing range of choices. Everything from Model A Fords to the Space Shuttle has been die cast. So shoppers can easily find the right vehicle for their loved ones whether they are a pilot, police officer, fireman, garbage man, or car nut.
Porcelain dolls are always a big seller during the holidays and this year they should not be overlooked since their price has dropped. Porcelain dolls now range in price from around $20.00 to $200.00 and can be found in a variety of era clothing and sizes. Quite often they come with their own storage case and stand which is nice for both store owners and shoppers alike.
Figurines are also very popular and come in a nice range of materials from plastic polymers to porcelain. They make a great gift for men, women, and children since they are available in a variety. There are figures of superheroes, musicians, actors, animals, fantasy creatures, and even erotica so most collectibles stores won’t have a problem fitting them into their inventory and shoppers will be thrilled with the variety.
Chess sets make an excellent Christmas gift. Chess sets vary in price as well as design. The very simple beginner set can be found around $20.00 while the more elaborate sets might be as much as $500.00. They style of the pieces are just as varied as they range from the traditional design to ancient Egyptian, African animals, soldiers from every period of time and fantasy or science fiction. The pieces can be made of inexpensive plastic to gold plate. Chess is a marvelous game, it can be both science and art, and should be instituted in schools and colleges throughout this country as it is in other countries. Since it not only did not hinder studies at school but can even helpful as it played a part in development habits of logical thought. It has even helped children with behavioral problems like ADHD, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, to improve their study and social skills.
While most Christmas gifts get forgotten antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia may very well change that. Collectibles and memorabilia not only make great gifts but also can become family heirlooms, which is a very nice gift for storeowners and shoppers alike.
Collectibles and Memorabilia Are Selling As Unique, Interesting, and Affordable Christmas Gifts
December 1, 2008
With the ailing economy, shoppers are putting much more effort in finding gifts that are more meaningful but low in cost.
Christmas gifts are often bought last minute and not a lot of thought is put into them and they are often forgotten once the holiday is over. This year, with the ailing economy, shoppers are putting more effort in finding gifts that are more meaningful but low in cost. While this is not the best news for most stores the antique and collectibles stores are in the exciting situation of being able to put a little spark back into Christmas by offering truly unique and cherished gift ideas.
How much would a husband or wife, or even a son or daughter, love to get autographed photos from their favorite sports team, band, or actor? Autographed items range in price from $15.00 to $1000.00 and it is easy to find an autograph dealer who offers a lifetime guarantee and certificate of authenticity. Which is important for both the Christmas shopper and the collectibles shop owners since neither wants to worry about authenticity.
Another idea is a die cast car, plane, or boat. Most are reasonably priced and there is an amazing range of choices. Everything from Model A Fords to the Space Shuttle has been die cast. So shoppers can easily find the right vehicle for their loved ones whether they are a pilot, police officer, fireman, garbage man, or car nut.
Porcelain dolls are always a big seller during the holidays and this year they should not be overlooked since their price has dropped. Porcelain dolls now range in price from around $20.00 to $200.00 and can be found in a variety of era clothing and sizes. Quite often they come with their own storage case and stand which is nice for both store owners and shoppers alike.
Figurines are also very popular and come in a nice range of materials from plastic polymers to porcelain. They make a great gift for men, women, and children since they are available in a variety. There are figures of superheroes, musicians, actors, animals, fantasy creatures, and even erotica so most collectibles stores won’t have a problem fitting them into their inventory and shoppers will be thrilled with the variety.
Chess sets make an excellent Christmas gift. Chess sets vary in price as well as design. The very simple beginner set can be found around $20.00 while the more elaborate sets might be as much as $500.00. They style of the pieces are just as varied as they range from the traditional design to ancient Egyptian, African animals, soldiers from every period of time and fantasy or science fiction. The pieces can be made of inexpensive plastic to gold plate. Chess is a marvelous game, it can be both science and art, and should be instituted in schools and colleges throughout this country as it is in other countries. Since it not only did not hinder studies at school but can even helpful as it played a part in development habits of logical thought. It has even helped children with behavioral problems like ADHD, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, to improve their study and social skills.
While most Christmas gifts get forgotten antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia may very well change that. Collectibles and memorabilia not only make great gifts but also can become family heirlooms, which is a very nice gift for storeowners and shoppers alike.
Translation, Please!
I saw this earlier today at Susan Polgar's blog and it showed up tonight in a news search. My reaction is still - huh? What is this article saying? The article was reported at Panorama.en - and is titled "Armenian Information Portal." Here is the article:
17:22 01/12/2008
AZERI CHESS PLAYERS UNDER PRESSURE
Zeiynab Mamediarova, who is the best chess player of Azerbaijan, said that Azeri women chess players were under pressure as “enemious character” against Armenians is sowed among them.
According to Azeri media, Mamediarova admitted that the most difficult meeting in Dresden was the one with Armenians when they have been crucially defeated by 4-0 points.
“The only reason of that defeat was the pressure on us. Armenians did not have such feelings and they managed to get well prepared to the game. Any game with Armenia is much spoken in our country and everything is accepted not as it is to be,” she said.
Source: Panorama.am
Mamedjarova is rated 2351 and she is a WGM.
Second, Mamedjarova is not the best
17:22 01/12/2008
AZERI CHESS PLAYERS UNDER PRESSURE
Zeiynab Mamediarova, who is the best chess player of Azerbaijan, said that Azeri women chess players were under pressure as “enemious character” against Armenians is sowed among them.
According to Azeri media, Mamediarova admitted that the most difficult meeting in Dresden was the one with Armenians when they have been crucially defeated by 4-0 points.
“The only reason of that defeat was the pressure on us. Armenians did not have such feelings and they managed to get well prepared to the game. Any game with Armenia is much spoken in our country and everything is accepted not as it is to be,” she said.
Source: Panorama.am
**********************
Okay, first of all the article had her name spelled wrong: it's Zeinab Mamedjarova, although I understand the regional variations due to pronunciation - but the name as spelled in the article did not show up in a FIDE search of players. The reporter should have checked the data base of chess-results.com for information on how this player's name is spelled for FIDE purposes. Mamedjarova is rated 2351 and she is a WGM.
Second, Mamedjarova is not the best