(Photograph: Goddess from Sheikhi Abad mound Iran, 2008 - horns of a red deer with a human face carved into the haft: The first phase of archeological excavations at Sheikhi Abad mound in Iran's Kermanshah Province has yielded the statue of a goddess. The statute, which resembles a figurine previously found in Kermanshah's Sarab-Mort, is believed by experts to be a valuable source of information.)
A fork - a "Y" symbol.
In symbology, the oldest definition of a fork is two-fold: "two horns," i.e., the horns of a cow, a bull, a deer (or gazelle, etc., like-related animals). In archaic times, many goddesses and gods appeared as horned entities - sometimes with one horn, sometimes with two horns. In later times, spiked crowns were substituted for the symbolic power of a horn or horns.
The fork "Y" symbol might also be construed as a long-stemmed glass or goblet - a Grail; and it might also be construed as the classic "delta" area leading to between a woman's legs.
The following is from Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, under the entry Fork. She does not agree with my analysis:
Fork
"Furka" or "fork" described the so-called lost letter of the Greek alphabet, digrmma, a double gamma having the sound of F. Its Sanskrit name was forkwas, linguistic root of the two trees on which dying gods were sacrificed: Norse fyr (fir) and Latin quercus (oak).(1) The Egypotian furka was the Y-shaped cross on which the god Set was crucified. It was also a phallic symbol of the god's sacred marriage.(2) The "thieves' cross" in Christian iconography had the same shape. Such crosses flanking Jesus's cross may have represented sacred marriage. The Y-shaped fork was sometimes regarded as a female genital symbol, in conjunction with the male trident or three-pronged fork.(3)
The voodoo savior-god Legbh characteristically used as his crutch a derivative of the sacred furka of Set.(4)
Notes:
1. Potter & Sargent, 230.
2. Campbell, M. I., 29.
3. de Lys, 233.
4. Martello, 164.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Fork: A Symbol of the Goddess
(Photograph: Goddess from Sheikhi Abad mound Iran, 2008 - horns of a red deer with a human face carved into the haft: The first phase of archeological excavations at Sheikhi Abad mound in Iran's Kermanshah Province has yielded the statue of a goddess. The statute, which resembles a figurine previously found in Kermanshah's Sarab-Mort, is believed by experts to be a valuable source of information.)
A fork - a "Y" symbol.
In symbology, the oldest definition of a fork is two-fold: "two horns," i.e., the horns of a cow, a bull, a deer (or gazelle, etc., like-related animals). In archaic times, many goddesses and gods appeared as horned entities - sometimes with one horn, sometimes with two horns. In later times, spiked crowns were substituted for the symbolic power of a horn or horns.
The fork "Y" symbol might also be construed as a long-stemmed glass or goblet - a Grail; and it might also be construed as the classic "delta" area leading to between a woman's legs.
The following is from Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, under the entry Fork. She does not agree with my analysis:
Fork
"Furka" or "fork" described the so-called lost letter of the Greek alphabet, digrmma, a double gamma having the sound of F. Its Sanskrit name was forkwas, linguistic root of the two trees on which dying gods were sacrificed: Norse fyr (fir) and Latin quercus (oak).(1) The Egypotian furka was the Y-shaped cross on which the god Set was crucified. It was also a phallic symbol of the god's sacred marriage.(2) The "thieves' cross" in Christian iconography had the same shape. Such crosses flanking Jesus's cross may have represented sacred marriage. The Y-shaped fork was sometimes regarded as a female genital symbol, in conjunction with the male trident or three-pronged fork.(3)
The voodoo savior-god Legbh characteristically used as his crutch a derivative of the sacred furka of Set.(4)
Notes:
1. Potter & Sargent, 230.
2. Campbell, M. I., 29.
3. de Lys, 233.
4. Martello, 164.
Hunter Killed by Own Gun
They're saying it's a tragic hunting accident...
Squirrel hunter killed by his own shotgun
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Greene County man was found dead Wednesday of an apparently accidental shotgun wound while hunting on his property in Whiteley, investigators said.
Mark Petrun, 53, had gone hunting for squirrels in the early afternoon Wednesday in the woods on his property on Rocky Ridge Road. When he didn't return to his house by that evening, his family began searching for him, Greene County Deputy Coroner Mary Lewis said.
He was found around 9 p.m. about an eighth of a mile into the woods at the bottom of a steep hill.
Ms. Lewis said it appears Mr. Petrun was about to take a seat on a log, heavily covered with wet leaves, when he lost his footing.
As he fell, the shotgun, with its safety turned off, discharged and the blast struck him in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:15 p.m., Ms. Lewis said.
Games Other Than Chess: A Little News
I found both of these articles of interest.
APSU artist releases book of paper chess pieces
October 30, 2009
(Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee)
“When I was 5 years old, my dad had worked at the New York World’s Fair, and he had gone to the Dutch Pavilion and he bought this kit – make your own medieval village,” Black said. “One night after supper, we cleared the dining room table and cut everything out and glued everything together. It was like magic. I thought, ‘wow, I want to do that.’”
Entrepreneurs roll the dice on board game industry
Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
by Erin Donaghue Staff Writer
Xtreme Takeover - a game that looks like chess and checkers, but isn't
2009 European Women's Team Chess Championship
(Photo from Alexandra Kosteniuk's blog , Russian Women's Chess Team, Gold Medal Winners)
Wrap-up. Official website.Women's team medal winners:
1. Russia GOLD (E 7,000)
1. Russia (RUS / RtgAvg:2500 / TB1: 16 / TB2: 26)
Bo. Name Rtg Pts. Games Rp
1 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2516 6,0 8,0 2621
2 GM Kosintseva Tatiana 2536 5,0 8,0 2432
3 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2493 8,0 9,0 2665
4 IM Romanko Marina 2453 2,0 4,0 2243
5 WFM Gunina Valentina 2437 5,0 7,0 2422
2. Georgia SILVER (E 5,000)
2. Georgia (GEO / RtgAvg:2474 / TB1: 16 / TB2: 24)
Bo. Name Rtg Pts. Games Rp
1 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 4,0 8,0 2410
2 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 5,5 7,0 2599
3 IM Khukhashvili Sopiko 2451 5,0 7,0 2516
4 IM Khurtsidze Nino 2420 3,0 6,0 2349
5 IM Khotenashvili Bela 2438 6,5 8,0 2518
3. Ukraine BRONZE (E 3,000)
3. Ukraine (UKR / RtgAvg:2463 / TB1: 12 / TB2: 20)
Bo. Name Rtg Pts. Games Rp
1 GM Lahno Kateryna 2483 5,5 8,0 2593
2 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2457 4,5 8,0 2423
3 IM Ushenina Anna 2474 2,5 6,0 2304
4 IM Gaponenko Inna 2438 4,5 7,0 2428
5 WGM Zdebskaja Natalia 2410 3,0 7,0 2270
Individual medal winners (information from Alexandra Kosteniuk's blog):
1st Board:
Gold: Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia) (E1,000)
Silver: Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria) (E700)
Bronze: Kateryna Lahno (Ukraine) (E500)
2nd Board:
Gold: Lela Javakhishvili (Georgia) (E1,000)
Silver: Lilit Mktrchian (Armenia) (E700)
Bronze: Sophie Milliet (France) (E500)
3rd Board:
Gold: Nadezhda Kosintseva (Russia) (E1,000)
Silver: Sopiko Khukhashvili (Georgia) (E700)
Bronze: Lilit Galojan (Armenia) (E500)
4th Board:
Gold: Ekaterini Fakhiridou (Greece) (E1,000)
Silver: Joanna Dworakowska (Poland) (E700)
Bronze: Olga Vasiliev (Israel) (E500)
5th Board:
Gold: Joanna Majdan (Poland) (E1,000)
Silver: Bela Khotenashvili (Georgia) (E700)
Bronze: Valentina Gunina (Russia) (E500)
Friday, October 30, 2009
2009 European Women's Team Chess Championship
Final Standings!
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
Rk. SNo Team Team Games + = - TB1 TB2 TB3
1 1 Russia RUS 9 8 0 1 16 26,0 175,0
2 2 Georgia GEO 9 7 2 0 16 24,0 176,5
3 3 Ukraine UKR 9 4 4 1 12 20,0 188,0
4 20 Azerbaijan AZE 9 4 4 1 12 20,0 183,0 (The Presidential Initiative seems to be working!)
5 5 Armenia ARM 9 4 3 2 11 21,0 192,0
6 6 France FRA 9 4 3 2 11 21,0 165,0
7 16 Czech Republic CZE 9 4 3 2 11 19,5 184,5
8 4 Poland POL 9 4 2 3 10 22,5 166,0
9 12 Slovenia SLO 9 4 2 3 10 21,0 154,5
10 10 Hungary HUN 9 4 2 3 10 20,5 166,0
11 13 Romania ROU 9 4 2 3 10 19,0 176,0
12 7 Germany GER 9 4 2 3 10 18,5 177,0
13 17 Israel ISR 9 5 0 4 10 18,0 176,5
14 11 Netherlands NED 9 4 1 4 9 21,0 141,5
15 14 Greece GRE 9 2 5 2 9 19,0 172,0
16 15 Spain ESP 9 3 3 3 9 16,5 174,0
17 22 England ENG 9 3 2 4 8 19,0 131,0
18 19 Italy ITA 9 4 0 5 8 18,5 154,0
19 18 Croatia CRO 9 3 2 4 8 17,0 153,0
20 21 Austria AUT 9 3 2 4 8 16,0 145,0
21 8 Bulgaria BUL 9 4 0 5 8 14,5 174,5
22 23 Montenegro MNE 9 2 3 4 7 16,0 139,5
23 9 Serbia SRB 9 3 1 5 7 15,5 169,0
24 24 Bosnia & Herzegovina BIH 9 3 0 6 6 14,0 130,5
25 28 Turkey TUR 9 1 3 5 5 11,0 146,0
26 25 Former Yug Rep of Macedonia MKD 9 1 2 6 4 12,0 137,5
27 27 Norway NOR 9 0 4 5 4 12,0 136,5
28 26 Finland FIN 9 0 3 6 3 11,0 152,0
Annotation: Tie Break 1: Matchpoints (2 for wins, 1 for Draws, 0 for Losses) Tie Break 2: points (game-points) Tie Break 3: Buchholz Tie-Breaks (variableith parameter)
Some interesting statistics from Chess-Results.com:
Best players according to points:
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
No. Name Rtg Team Pts. Games % Bo. Rp
1 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2493 Russia 8,0 9 88,9 2 2665
2 IM Khotenashvili Bela 2438 Georgia 6,5 8 81,3 4 2518
3 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2469 Armenia 6,5 9 72,2 2 2564
4 WGM Majdan Joanna 2361 Poland 6,0 7 85,7 4 2598
5 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2516 Russia 6,0 8 75,0 1 2621
6 IM Muzychuk Anna 2533 Slovenia 6,0 9 66,7 1 2411
7 WFM Milovic Aleksandra 2173 Montenegro 6,0 9 66,7 2 2297
8 Savola Laura 2090 Finland 6,0 9 66,7 2 2284
9 WGM Motoc Alina 2316 Romania 6,0 9 66,7 4 2390
10 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 Georgia 5,5 7 78,6 1 2599
Best players according to percent:
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
No. Name Rtg Team % Games Bo. Pts. Rp
1 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2493 Russia 88,9 9 2 8,0 2665
2 WGM Majdan Joanna 2361 Poland 85,7 7 4 6,0 2598
3 IM Khotenashvili Bela 2438 Georgia 81,3 8 4 6,5 2518
4 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 Georgia 78,6 7 1 5,5 2599
5 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2516 Russia 75,0 8 1 6,0 2621
6 WIM Fakhiridou Ekaterini 2253 Greece 75,0 6 3 4,5 2400
7 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2469 Armenia 72,2 9 2 6,5 2564
8 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2527 Bulgaria 71,4 7 1 5,0 2561
9 IM Milliet Sophie 2407 France 71,4 7 1 5,0 2504
10 IM Khukhashvili Sopiko 2451 Georgia 71,4 7 2 5,0 2516
11 IM Dworakowska Joanna 2345 Poland 71,4 7 3 5,0 2483
12 WIM Vasiliev Olga 2266 Israel 71,4 7 3 5,0 2459
13 WFM Gunina Valentina 2437 Russia 71,4 7 4 5,0 2422
Best Players according to Performance Rating:
Final Ranking After 9 Rounds
No. Name Rtg Team Rp Pts. Games % Bo.
1 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2493 Russia 2665 8,0 9 88,9 2
2 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2516 Russia 2621 6,0 8 75,0 1
3 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 Georgia 2599 5,5 7 78,6 1
4 WGM Majdan Joanna 2361 Poland 2598 6,0 7 85,7 4
5 GM Lahno Kateryna 2483 Ukraine 2593 5,5 8 68,8 1
6 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2469 Armenia 2564 6,5 9 72,2 2
7 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2527 Bulgaria 2561 5,0 7 71,4 1
8 WGM Mamedjarova Zeinab 2285 Azerbaijan 2519 4,5 8 56,3 1
9 IM Khotenashvili Bela 2438 Georgia 2518 6,5 8 81,3 4
10 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2482 Germany 2516 5,5 9 61,1 1
I think it becomes obvious when looking at the overall stats as to why GM Alexandra Kosteniuk took the 2008 Women's World Chess Champion title. She was consistently in the top five in all categories.
I was curious about how Narmin Kazimova did overall - she's a young chess femme playing on the Azerbaijani Women's Team, who first caught my eye during the 2008 European Individual Women's Chess Championship. Here are her individual stats:
According to Points (out of 137 female players):
No. Name Rtg Team Pts. Games % Bo. Rp
78 WIM Kazimova Narmin 2228 Azerbaijan 3,5 8 43,8 1 2357
According to Ratings Performance (out of 137 female players):
No. Name Rtg Team Rp Pts. Games % Bo.
43 WIM Kazimova Narmin 2228 Azerbaijan 2357 3,5 8 43,8 1
The problem I have with these stats is that Narmin played on Board 2 for 8 games, and on Board 1 once!
Kazimova Narmin WIM 2228 AZE Rp:2357
Rd. SNo Name Rtg FED Rp Pts. Res. Bo.
1 42 IM Collas Silvia 2319 FRA 2334 3,5 s 0 2
2 98 IM Bojkovic Natasa 2429 SRB 2234 4,0 s ½ 2
3 125 WGM Vega Gutierrez Sabrina 2357 ESP 2188 2,5 s 1 1
5 48 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2469 ARM 2564 6,5 w ½ 2
6 45 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 GEO 2599 5,5 w ½ 2
7 131 GM Kosintseva Tatiana 2536 RUS 2432 5,0 s 0 2
8 35 WGM Botsari Anna-Maria 2286 GRE 2284 4,0 s ½ 2
9 67 WGM Krivec Jana 2329 SLO 2241 4,5 w ½ 2
Well, maybe this all makes sense to some people better versed in all of these stats than I. It just seems strange to me that she played one Game on Board 1 and then is listed as playing on Board 1 for all results???
I Have Found Tatjana Plachkinova!
Hola everyone!
Ever since June, 2009, I have been looking for Tatjana, whom I fondly remembered as a young female chessplayer from Bulgaria that I "met" online through IM Ricardo Calvo (rest his soul). While my first independent website called Chessgoddesses.com was online (2001 to sometime in 2004), Tatjana periodically provided me with reports of the tournaments she was playing in and also annotated some of her games. Tatjana, along with Shira Evans reporting states-side, were two chess femmes who made my flegdling site Chessgoddesses.com very popular at the time. It is hard to remember now, because I took Chessgoddessess offline sometime in 2004, and I deleted all of my files related to that website. Really dumb - yes, I know! I deleted the photographs I had, and all of TJ's reports -- I think there were about six or seven, in all.
This blogpost started my hunt for Shira Evans and Tatjana Plachkinova.
I didn't write about it here, but after I located Shira and re-established contact with her, I continued to hunt for Tatjana Plachinova. The only problem was - I was not spelling her name correctly! DUH!
Today, and I don't know why - during my lunch hour I once again hunted for Tatjana Plachinova, and came up with zero on Google. So, this time, I added a "k" to her last name, and - lo and behold - I found her!
(Photo: From 2008 European Women's Individual Chess Championship at Plovdid, by Chessbase - TJ is on the left)
Birthday 7/12/81, her first name is also sometimes spelled Tatyana and Tatiana.
TJ (this is what I called her in my emails) is still playing chess, although sporadically. Now that I am spelling her name correctly, I easily located her FIDE record. She has the WIM title (earned in 2003) and a current FIDE rating of 2148, and is still playing under the Bulgarian flag.
TJ's two most recent FIDE rated events:
The Campeonato de Catalnya d'Equipos Primera Division G-I between March 1, 2009 and March 29, 2009. I think it must be a league because they played over too long to a period to be a tournament! She finished with 4.0/9.
The Hogeschool Zeeland Chess Tournament 2009 (250 players) August 1 - 8, 2009, she finished with 4.5/9.
During our last contact, I remembered that TJ was going with GM Artur Kogan, who lived in Spain. I think they got married and have a child - that would account for the drop off in TJ's playing time, as motherhood and marriage is time consuming and becomes the first priority. It is very difficult for female chessplayers who are married and mothers to pursue their chess careers as professionals.
Check this out - I found this game TJ played against Magnus Carlsen in 2001 (yes, THE Magnus Carlsen, the kid born in 1990 who looks like he will break the 2800 ELO barrier this year, the same Magnus Carlsen currently under the tutledge of Kasparov).
Game
Site: Bergen
Date: 08/10/2001
Round: 7
Score: 0-1
ECO: D10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav defence
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bg4 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. Qb3 a5 9. Ne5 Bh5 10. O-O Qc7 11. e4 O-O 12. Bf4 Qe7 13. Rfe1 Nbd7 14. Re3 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. Rg3 Nc5 17. Qc2 Bg6 18. Qe2 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Bxe4 20. Rd1 Bg6 21. Bg5 Qc7 22. h4 Ne4 23. h5 Nxg3 24. fxg3 Bf5 25. g4 Bc2 26. Qxc2 Qxe5 27. Be7 Rfe8 28. Bd6 Qe3+ 29. Kh2 Rad8 30. Bg3 h6 31. Qb3 Qc5 32. Rf1 Rd7 33. Be2 Red8 34. Bf3 b5 35. Bf2 bxa4 36. Qxa4 Qxc3 37. Qxc6 Qxc6 38. Bxc6 Rd1 39. Kg1 f6 40. Bb5 Kf7 41. Be3 Rxf1+ 42. Kxf1 Rb8 43. Bc6 Rb4 44. Bd2 Rc4 45. Bf3 a4 46. Be2 Rc2 47. Bb4 Rb2 48. Bd6 Rb1+ 49. Kf2 Rb3 0-1
TJ has bragging rights against a player who is probably a future World Chess Champion!
Today, and I don't know why - during my lunch hour I once again hunted for Tatjana Plachinova, and came up with zero on Google. So, this time, I added a "k" to her last name, and - lo and behold - I found her!
(Photo: From 2008 European Women's Individual Chess Championship at Plovdid, by Chessbase - TJ is on the left)
Birthday 7/12/81, her first name is also sometimes spelled Tatyana and Tatiana.
TJ (this is what I called her in my emails) is still playing chess, although sporadically. Now that I am spelling her name correctly, I easily located her FIDE record. She has the WIM title (earned in 2003) and a current FIDE rating of 2148, and is still playing under the Bulgarian flag.
TJ's two most recent FIDE rated events:
The Campeonato de Catalnya d'Equipos Primera Division G-I between March 1, 2009 and March 29, 2009. I think it must be a league because they played over too long to a period to be a tournament! She finished with 4.0/9.
The Hogeschool Zeeland Chess Tournament 2009 (250 players) August 1 - 8, 2009, she finished with 4.5/9.
During our last contact, I remembered that TJ was going with GM Artur Kogan, who lived in Spain. I think they got married and have a child - that would account for the drop off in TJ's playing time, as motherhood and marriage is time consuming and becomes the first priority. It is very difficult for female chessplayers who are married and mothers to pursue their chess careers as professionals.
Check this out - I found this game TJ played against Magnus Carlsen in 2001 (yes, THE Magnus Carlsen, the kid born in 1990 who looks like he will break the 2800 ELO barrier this year, the same Magnus Carlsen currently under the tutledge of Kasparov).
Game
Site: Bergen
Date: 08/10/2001
Round: 7
Score: 0-1
ECO: D10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav defence
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bg4 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. Qb3 a5 9. Ne5 Bh5 10. O-O Qc7 11. e4 O-O 12. Bf4 Qe7 13. Rfe1 Nbd7 14. Re3 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Nd7 16. Rg3 Nc5 17. Qc2 Bg6 18. Qe2 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Bxe4 20. Rd1 Bg6 21. Bg5 Qc7 22. h4 Ne4 23. h5 Nxg3 24. fxg3 Bf5 25. g4 Bc2 26. Qxc2 Qxe5 27. Be7 Rfe8 28. Bd6 Qe3+ 29. Kh2 Rad8 30. Bg3 h6 31. Qb3 Qc5 32. Rf1 Rd7 33. Be2 Red8 34. Bf3 b5 35. Bf2 bxa4 36. Qxa4 Qxc3 37. Qxc6 Qxc6 38. Bxc6 Rd1 39. Kg1 f6 40. Bb5 Kf7 41. Be3 Rxf1+ 42. Kxf1 Rb8 43. Bc6 Rb4 44. Bd2 Rc4 45. Bf3 a4 46. Be2 Rc2 47. Bb4 Rb2 48. Bd6 Rb1+ 49. Kf2 Rb3 0-1
TJ has bragging rights against a player who is probably a future World Chess Champion!
2009 European Women's Team Chess Championship
Rank after Round 8
Rk. SNo Team Team Games + = - TB1 TB2 TB3
1 1 Russia RUS 8 7 0 1 14 23,5 137,0
2 2 Georgia GEO 8 6 2 0 14 21,5 141,0
3 5 Armenia ARM 8 4 3 1 11 19,5 148,0
4 3 Ukraine UKR 8 4 3 1 11 18,0 150,0
5 12 Slovenia SLO 8 4 2 2 10 19,5 123,0
6 20 Azerbaijan AZE 8 3 4 1 10 17,5 148,5
7 16 Czech Republic CZE 8 4 2 2 10 17,5 146,5
8 13 Romania ROU 8 4 2 2 10 17,5 135,0
9 6 France FRA 8 3 3 2 9 18,0 132,5
10 14 Greece GRE 8 2 5 1 9 18,0 131,0
11 15 Spain ESP 8 3 3 2 9 16,0 135,0
12 4 Poland POL 8 3 2 3 8 19,0 135,5
13 10 Hungary HUN 8 3 2 3 8 17,0 135,0
14 19 Italy ITA 8 4 0 4 8 17,0 123,5
17 8 Bulgaria BUL 8 4 0 4 8 14,0 134,5
18 11 Netherlands NED 8 3 1 4 7 17,5 115,0
19 18 Croatia CRO 8 3 1 4 7 15,0 119,5
20 9 Serbia SRB 8 3 1 4 7 14,5 129,0
21 21 Austria AUT 8 3 1 4 7 14,0 111,0
22 22 England ENG 8 2 2 4 6 16,0 109,5
23 23 Montenegro MNE 8 2 2 4 6 14,0 112,5
24 28 Turkey TUR 8 1 3 4 5 10,0 112,5
25 25 Former Yug Rep of Macedonia MKD 8 1 2 5 4 11,0 109,0
26 24 Bosnia & Herzegovina BIH 8 2 0 6 4 11,0 106,0
27 26 Finland FIN 8 0 3 5 3 10,5 115,0
28 27 Norway NOR 8 0 3 5 3 10,0 107,0
Annotation: Tie Break 1: Matchpoints (2 for wins, 1 for Draws, 0 for Losses) Tie Break 2: points (game-points) Tie Break 3: Buchholz Tie-Breaks (variable with parameter)
The final round is today. Here are the match-ups: No. SNo Team Team Pts. MP Res. : Res. MP Pts. Team Team SNo 1 1 RUS Russia 23½ 14 : 11 19½ Armenia ARM 5 2 13 ROU Romania 17½ 10 : 14 21½ Georgia GEO 2 3 16 CZE Czech Republic 17½ 10 : 11 18 Ukraine UKR 3 4 9 SRB Serbia 14½ 7 : 8 15 Israel ISR 17 5 12 SLO Slovenia 19½ 10 : 10 17½ Azerbaijan AZE 20 6 14 GRE Greece 18 9 : 9 18 France FRA 6 7 15 ESP Spain 16 9 : 8 19 Poland POL 4 8 7 GER Germany 16 8 ½ : ½ 8 17 Italy ITA 19 9 8 BUL Bulgaria 14 8 : 8 17 Hungary HUN 10 10 21 AUT Austria 14 7 : 7 15 Croatia CRO 18 11 26 FIN Finland 10½ 3 : 7 17½ Netherlands NED 11 12 22 ENG England 16 6 : 5 10 Turkey TUR 28 13 23 MNE Montenegro 14 6 1 : 1 3 10 Norway NOR 27 14 25 MKD Former Yug Rep of Macedonia 11 4 : 4 11 Bosnia & Herzegovina BIH 24
Top PR after R8: No. Name Rtg Team Rp Pts. Games % Bo. 1 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2516 Russia 2649 5,5 7 78,6 1 2 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2493 Russia 2648 7,0 8 87,5 2 3 GM Lahno Kateryna 2483 Ukraine 2618 5,0 7 71,4 1 4 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 Georgia 2599 5,5 7 78,6 1 5 WGM Majdan Joanna 2361 Poland 2598 6,0 7 85,7 4 6 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2469 Armenia 2573 6,0 8 75,0 2 7 WGM Mamedjarova Zeinab 2285 Azerbaijan 2570 4,5 7 64,3 1 8 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2527 Bulgaria 2561 5,0 7 71,4 1 9 WGM Galojan Lilit 2326 Armenia 2560 5,5 7 78,6 3 10 IM Khukhashvili Sopiko 2451 Georgia 2546 4,5 6 75,0 2
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Complex Traditions of the Diwali Celebration
Article from The Times of India.
Photo from an article in the Daily Mail Online, November 10, 2007, I could not find a photo credit. Caption:
Workers could take time off for the Hindu celebration of Diwali - the festival of lights.
October 18, 2009
Diwali celebrations: A melange of traditions
By Nidhi Singhi
LUDHIANA: While Diwali is celebrated all across the country with same enthusiasm and fervour, it holds different meanings for various communities. While Bengali community celebrated it by worshipping Goddess Kali on Diwali night, people belonging to south Indian community marked the day commemorating victory of Lord Krishna over demon Narkasur.
Bengalis worship Goddess Lakshmi five days after Dussehra, but on Diwali, they worship goddess Kali. Devotees believe that Kali is the aggressive form or the destructive incarnation of Goddess Durga, but Bengalis celebrated the festival by worshipping goddess Kali, because she destroys the evil and in turn, she promises rejuvenation of life and justice on earth.
Among south Indians, it is believed that Diwali celebrations are simply for commemoration of victory of Lord Krishna who killed Narkasur, a powerful king of Assam, who had imprisoned various inhabitants and had been freed by the Lord on this day so Diwali is also known as Naraka Chaturdasi. Some devotees also believe that Narkasur had requested the Lord to fulfil his last wish that he wanted to enjoy the last day of his life in a grand manner and the practice thus continued.
Describing celebrations, TK Banerjee, secretary, Bangia Samsad, said it is a tradition in their community to decorate the house with 14 candles a day prior to festival to keep ghosts away from their houses.
Since they could not use fried sweets in the worship, they used plain burfi solely prepared by ladies of their homes but one sweet called nadu, served after havana, is liked by all.
R Sidhartan, a member of south Indian community, said it is just the traditions that differ but the purpose of festivals is to celebrate it with friends and family members. He said Diwali celebrations include a visit to the temple, gifts of clothes and jewellery, gorging on sweets and receiving blessings of elders.
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I did not know that Hindus believe in ghosts. If there is reincarnation of a decedent's soul, where do the ghosts comes from, or who are the ghosts?
At another website discussing the Diwali celebration, the worship of Ganeha in conjunction with the Goddess Lakshmi is mentioned (from Duniyalive.com. Hindus worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi in Diwali, Posted on October 19th, 2009 in Latest India News) :
Diwali, Festival of Lights is an auspicious occasion celebrated across India. During Diwali the devotees worship Lord Ganesha beore any other god or goddess.
Traditionally on Diwali night, Ganesh shares the altar with Lakshmi. Shree Ganesh is the Lord of Wisdom and the remover of obstacles. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity and also personifies beauty, grace, and charm.
In the Hindu pantheon, the two are unrelated, Ganesh being the son of Shiva and Parvati. However, when placed side by side, Lakshmi Ganesh hold out promise of a year of fulfillment, free from wants.
During the Ganesh pooja, the idol of goddess Lakshmi is placed on the left and Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed god is kept on the right. Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped for wealth and prosperity, while Ganesh is worshiped first to ensure that any obstacles to obtaining wealth and prosperity are removed.
Shri Laxmi-Ganesh Pooja takes place on Diwali by placing their idol on a platform, making various offerings of sandal paste, saffron paste, perfume(itr), haldi, kumkum, abeer, gulal, garland of cotton beads, flowers , especially the marigold flowers and leaves of Bel (wood apple tree). Incense stick and dhoop is lit and offering of sweets, coconut, fruits, and tambul are made.
At the end, aarti dedicated to Lord Ganesh is sung by the devotees.
Babylonian Contact with the Hyksos in Egypt
From the Austriantimes.at
Austrian archaeologists make Babylonian find in Egypt
October 29, 2009
By Lisa Chapman
(Photo Credit: (c) Axel Krause)
Austrian archaeologists have found a Babylonian seal in Egypt that confirms contact between the Babylonians and the Hyksos during the second millennium B.C.
Irene Forstner-Müller, the head of the Austrian Archaeological Institute’s (ÖAI) branch office in Cairo, said today (Thurs) the find had occurred at the site of the ancient town of Avaris near what is today the city of Tell el-Dab’a in the eastern Nile delta.
The Hyksos conquered Egypt and reigned there from 1640 to 1530 B.C. She said a recently-discovered cuneiform tablet had led archaeologists to suspect there had been contact between the Babylonians and the Hyksos.
Forstner-Müller added that Manfred Bietak had begun archaeological research on the period of Hyksos dominance at the remains of a Hyksos palace at Avaris in 1966. She said ÖAI would open a museum at the Avaris site that the Egyptian government and sponsors would fund to make the seal and other objects accessible to tourists.
Chess Femme News
Here are some links to recent news stories about female chessplayers and women's chess events from around the internet:
Susan Polgar Chess News and Information Blog, October 29, 2009:
SPICE and Texas Tech get go-ahead for pilot chess program in selected Texas schools
Chessbase, October 24, 2009:
Indian chess champ on city streets – She is thirteen, rated 2132, and won the Asian U-14 title in Delhi last month. With her chess career she has made her country proud. But Saranya's childhood is anything but a bed of roses. Her father deserted the family five years ago, and her mother sells small items made of plastic and mud on the pavement of Thiruvottiyur (near Chennai) to eke out a living. Someone must help this girl.
October 28, 2009:
The USCF website published an article about the final determination of the winners of the 9 Queens "best games" prizes which were set $300, $200 and $100.
9Queens Presents the Best Games at the U.S. Women's
By 9Queens Best Game Judges
Four judges ranked their favorite five games from the 2009 US Women's Championship in a Best Games Contest sponsored by 9queens, a Tucson-based non-profit that promotes chess to those most in-need of its benefits especially girls and at-risk youth. The prizes were $300 for 1st place, $200 for 2nd and $100 for 3rd. The first place winning game won by a landslide, while the other awards were hotly contested.
Winners:
#1-: Anna Zatonskih-Alisa Melekhina, Round 6, 14 points ($300)
#2-4: Abrahamyan-Krush,1-0, Round 9 ($100)
#2-4: Baginskaite-Abrahamyan, 1-0, Round 1 ($100)
#2-4: Tatev Abrahamyan vs. Alisa Melekhina (0-1), Round 3 ($100)
9 Queens Blog, October 28, 2009:
Here is Jennifer Shahade's post on her thoughts about the best games at the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship.
Kosteniuk Blog, October 28, 2009:
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk is currently playing first board for the Russian Women's Chess Team at the European Women's Team Chess Championship. She posted her 7th round victory behind the black pieces against Zeinab Mamedjarova (Azerbaijan).
Computer Labs for Kids: Update
Shira Evans has revamped and updated the Computer Labs for Kids (cl4k) website and announced the organization's newest project: the SOS Children's Villages Illinois. She has already mapped out the project and ordered 28 laptop computers! Shira wrote in a news email to her supporters: Our program will be for 28 children between the ages of 5 and 8. We can't show the faces of the children this time (for the children's security), but I will have lots of other fun things I can share. I've already ordered the laptops, and the date is set for Sunday, November 15th! Wish me luck! I'm very excited about this one as it's our biggest yet!!!
Not only is Shira busy with her current work assignment in the Windy City as well as putting together the SOS Childrens Villages Illinois project for cl4k, she's been busy playing chess online. She's completed 8 games at Chesspro - won all of them. She's also completed 18 games at Lexulous - won 4, lost 13 and 1 draw. The crowd must be tougher at Lexulous. When I checked in on my game at redhotpawn.com during lunch today, I saw that Shira had challenged me to a new game. I plan on giving her a better fight than I gave to Chessdaddy in the last two games I played with him. Crashed and burned - badly.
I am working out the details for getting a new chess coach, by the way. He recommended that I buy and read How to Play Chess Like an Animal. How could I possibly resist? LOL! I'll let you know how it goes. We are going to play a game so he can check out my relative skill level (I use relative and skill quite liberally in regard to my chess-playing abilities). He says he will make chess fun for me again. Hmmmm...
As it is, at the moment, I spent almost half my lunch hour starting at my game with an unknown player trying to decide what move to make, dithering back and forth, attempting to analyze what would happen if I make this move versus that move versus that move, and for the life of me it's driving me nuts! My natural instinct is to go for the jugular in this game and commence a bloodbath, and may the best pawn be standing at the end (probably my opponent's). But then I say to myself, "Self, that's probably what he (or she) wants you to do. That's exactly why he (or she) put that damn pawn there on c3. He (or she) is just trying to psych you out."
He (or she) doesn't have to try to psych me out; I'm doing a pretty darn good job all by myself :)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
2009 European Women's Team Chess Championship
Rank after Round 7:
1 1 RUS 12
2 2 GEO 12
3 5 ARM 10
4 16 CZE 10
5 3 UKR 10
6 20 AZE 9
7 12 SLO 8
8 6 FRA 8
9 14 GRE 8
10 13 ROU 8
11 15 ESP 8
12 17 ISR 8
13 8 BUL 8
14 4 POL 7
15 11 NED 7
16 10 HUN 7
17 7 GER 7
18 19 ITA 6
19 18 CRO 6
20 23 MNE 6
21 9 SRB 5
22 21 AUT 5
23 22 ENG 4
24 25 MKD 4
25 24 BIH 4
26 28 TUR 4
27 27 NOR 3
28 26 FIN 2
Top PR after R7:
No. Name Rtg Team Rp Pts. Games % Bo.
1 WGM Majdan Joanna 2361 Poland 2686 5,5 6 91,7 4
2 WGM Mamedjarova Zeinab 2285 Azerbaijan 2659 4,5 6 75,0 1
3 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 Georgia 2647 5,0 6 83,3 1
4 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2493 Russia 2625 6,0 7 85,7 2
5 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2516 Russia 2616 4,5 6 75,0 1
6 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2469 Armenia 2599 5,5 7 78,6 2
7 GM Lahno Kateryna 2483 Ukraine 2581 4,0 6 66,7 1
8 IM Gaponenko Inna 2438 Ukraine 2577 4,0 5 80,0 3
9 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2527 Bulgaria 2574 4,5 6 75,0 1
10 IM Jackova Jana 2393 Czech Republic 2572 4,0 6 66,7 1
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Knights (and Knightesses) of Mill Valley Chess Team
Hola! One last post for tonight. Earlier this month when I was looking for information on the Badger Open held in early October, I came across a blog devoted to the Knights of Mill Valley Chess Team, Mill Valley Elementary School, Muskego, Wisconsin, which is located just a wee bit to the southwest of my own hometown.
There are 30-some kids on the team, 12 of whom are girls. That's pretty darn good percentage wise. Way to go Knights of Mill Valley! I will root for all of the chess femmes in their upcoming lessons and future tournaments!
Surprised this evening by an email from chess coach/chess teacher Mark Seghers of the Knights of Mill Valley with a couple of photos of the team, one of some of the ladies. Without further ado, presented here with Mr. Seghers' comments.
First Photo: Mr. Seghers wrote: "We meet on the stage, there is no other place for us! Works out pretty good."
I don't know - it looks pretty crowded to me on that stage, but the players look intent! No chairs for the kids. On the other hand, the tables are almost as tall as some of the players, so it is probably easier to stand and play than to sit and try to play in a chair that would be too low to the board!
Second photo: Some of the young ladies of the Knights (actually, they are Knightesses) of the Mill Valley Chess Team. They are all Gorgeous! YOU GO GIRLS! Perhaps we have a future #1 in the world in this picture.
Thanks for the photos, Mr. Seghers. I will be following along on the blog for future news and please feel free to send me more photos of the chess femmes in action!
First Photo: Mr. Seghers wrote: "We meet on the stage, there is no other place for us! Works out pretty good."
I don't know - it looks pretty crowded to me on that stage, but the players look intent! No chairs for the kids. On the other hand, the tables are almost as tall as some of the players, so it is probably easier to stand and play than to sit and try to play in a chair that would be too low to the board!
Second photo: Some of the young ladies of the Knights (actually, they are Knightesses) of the Mill Valley Chess Team. They are all Gorgeous! YOU GO GIRLS! Perhaps we have a future #1 in the world in this picture.
Thanks for the photos, Mr. Seghers. I will be following along on the blog for future news and please feel free to send me more photos of the chess femmes in action!
Interesting Carved Stones Found Near Church Ruins
Oh no - at the very end of this article, they mention an old legend about buried treasure. Now that this tombstone(?) or sarcophogus(?) cover has been found, you know what's bound to happen - hordes of treasure hunters will descend upon this site, and they're probably not going to be signing up and staying at the local inn and shopping in the local village shops!
From the News.scotsman.com
Mystery stone found near church linked to Knights Templar
Published Date: 27 October 2009
By CLAIRE SMITH
A MYSTERIOUS carved stone has been uncovered alongside a 12th-century church associated with the Knights Templar.
The stone has been dated to the 12th century. Pictures: Kate Chandler
What appears to be the carved top of a sarcophagus was unearthed when builders were excavating and reinforcing a wall alongside the old ruined church in Temple, Midlothian. But the inscriptions, which include symbols similar to those found in Viking monuments, in medieval graves and in West Highland Celtic carvings, have baffled archaeologists.
Crispin Phillips, who is renovating a house alongside The Old Parish Church, said: "I was on a mission to repair the wall – which was falling into the graveyard. We got near the bottom of the foundations and found something buried there.
"We found one stone carved with a cross and then another with these carvings on it." He added: "We spent about half an hour in philosophical discussions about what we should do about it. I felt we should do something, rather than just bury it again."
Mr Phillips contacted Historic Scotland and East Lothian Council, whose archaeologists cover Midlothian. He said the stone had been photographed and recorded but he was still unclear whether further investigations would be carried out.
"One of the archaeologists who came out told us it was probably from the early 12th century," he added. "But really I'm still in limbo about what to do about it."
Historian and author John Ritchie said the stone raised many questions. "It is a crude carving, quite primitive, but I have never seen anything like it in my life," he said. "It has a whole series of symbols on it and the symbols are very interesting."
The symbols at the bottom look like Viking sun compasses, while the dials at the top look a little bit like a Celtic cross but with notches carved on them. Expert David Connolly, of Connolly Heritage Consultancy, said he believed the stone was from the 13th or 14th century.
"It is a significant site because it was the Templar Preceptory for Scotland," he said. "I think from the condition, it may once have been set inside the church – which was once much bigger," he added. "He could be a Templar, he could be a Hospitaller, he could just be a knight who wanted to be buried there – but the heraldry is like nothing anyone has seen before." He added that he hoped further study of the stone was possible in the future.
Mr Phillips said he planned to complete the rebuilding of the 17th-century graveyard wall and would build an arch into it so the half-buried carvings could still be seen by interested scholars. However historian and author Michael Turnbull said he doubted the find was significant: "There were certainly Templars there but this might be a fake."
Village legend tells of long-lost buried treasure
THE village of Temple in Midlothian takes its name from the Knights Templar, who once had their Scottish Preceptory – their headquarters – there.
The ruined chapel, which nestles in the valley at the foot of the village, is all that remains of what was once an abbey founded by the Templars on lands gifted by David I of Scotland in 1127.
Founded during the Crusades, the Templars was a religious order of knights whose mission was to protect Christians in the Holy Land.Some say they invented international banking, with a system of credit letters used to pass funds to people fighting in the Crusades. The Templars certainly grew rich and powerful. According to some accounts they were the holders of treasures from Jerusalem. But the organisation came under suspicion from the royalty of Europe and the Catholic Church. Templars were hunted down and burned at the stake. Legend has it some of those fleeing persecution hid in this Midlothian village – bringing their treasure with them.
According to local legend some of this treasure still lies buried in Temple: "Twixt the oak and the elm tree/You will find buried the millions free."
Donegal Shrine Virgin 'Comes to Life'
A Virgin Mary apparition site - and some very interesting happenings earlier this month.
From The Belfast Telegraph
Donegal grotto statue 'took on human form'
Friday, 2 October 2009
Visitors to a remote grotto have claimed a statue wept and crosses appeared and disappeared in the night sky this week.
A group of 14 people, who had gathered at the statue of the Virgin Mary, in a rocky outcrop near the town of Dungloe, Co Donegal, on Tuesday night, were transfixed as they watched the phenomenon, which they said lasted almost an hour.
"It was a crazy evening. It was absolutely amazing. I am still on an emotional high. All but one person seemed to see the same thing," recalled James Boyle, from Ardara, who was at the site with his wife Margaret and children, Martin (10) and Mary (11).
The Kerrytown shrine is visited by thousands of pilgrims annually, after first becoming the subject of a religious apparition 70 years ago.
James explained how the group had been drawn there last Tuesday night because of a claim by Ballyfermot-based faith healer Joe Coleman that the Virgin Mary had told him in a channelled message that she would appear at the shrine on September 29 at 8pm.
"We went into the shelter facing the rock and at a few minutes to eight someone suggested we should start the rosary. We had no sooner started than someone shouted 'look up'.
"To the left of the cross, another cross appeared in the sky and as soon as it disappeared, another one appeared. It lasted about 10 minutes," he explained.
Then people began noticing that the white statue with its red heart had begun changing colour and form.
"She appeared to have a human face and her head turned and she looked at people. She looked down at the children who were at the front," he said.
One woman explained how the statue began crying and she went up to dry the tears.
"The tears were running down from her eyes," she told Highland Radio.
Speaking to the Irish Independent from his Dublin home, Mr Coleman said that the Virgin Mary, who has been appearing to him for many years, had communicated to him that she would make herself known at Kerrytown on September 29.
He had passed on the details of that message to a small group of people who attended a healing service organised by him in Dungloe last June.
He added that a lot of priests in Co Donegal did not believe he was doing his healing work for the love of God.
Dungloe parish priest, Father Seamus Meehan, said last night that there had been talk about the Kerrytown grotto for years.
"But I would be kind of sceptical about it myself," he added.
2009 European Women's Team Chess Championship
Standings after R6:
Rk. SNo Team Games + = - TB1 TB2 TB3
1 1 Russia RUS 6 5 0 1 10 16,5 76,5
2 2 Georgia GEO 6 4 2 0 10 15,5 85,0
3 20 Azerbaijan AZE 6 3 3 0 9 15,5 80,5
4 13 Romania ROU 6 3 2 1 8 14,5 76,5
5 6 France FRA 6 3 2 1 8 14,5 75,0
6 5 Armenia ARM 6 3 2 1 8 14,0 87,0
7 16 Czech Republic CZE 6 3 2 1 8 14,0 80,0
8 3 Ukraine UKR 6 3 2 1 8 13,5 87,5
9 17 Israel ISR 6 4 0 2 8 12,5 77,0
10 12 Slovenia SLO 6 3 1 2 7 15,0 67,0
11 14 Greece GRE 6 2 3 1 7 14,0 70,0
12 10 Hungary HUN 6 3 1 2 7 13,5 75,5
13 15 Spain ESP 6 3 1 2 7 12,0 74,5
14 4 Poland POL 6 3 0 3 6 15,0 75,0
15 18 Croatia CRO 6 3 0 3 6 11,5 68,0
16 8 Bulgaria BUL 6 3 0 3 6 10,5 72,5
17 11 Netherlands NED 6 2 1 3 5 13,0 62,5
18 7 Germany GER 6 2 1 3 5 11,5 81,0
19 9 Serbia SRB 6 2 1 3 5 10,0 78,5
20 21 Austria AUT 6 2 1 3 5 10,0 61,0
21 19 Italy ITA 6 2 0 4 4 11,5 68,5
22 22 England ENG 6 1 2 3 4 11,5 60,0
23 23 Montenegro MNE 6 1 2 3 4 10,0 62,0
24 25 Former Yug Rep of Macedonia MKD 6 1 2 3 4 9,0 56,5
25 28 Turkey TUR 6 1 1 4 3 6,0 70,0
26 24 Bosnia & Herzegovina BIH 6 1 0 5 2 7,5 58,5
27 26 Finland FIN 6 0 2 4 2 7,0 69,0
28 27 Norway NOR 6 0 2 4 2 7,0 61,0
Top 10 Women by PR after R6:
No. Name Rtg Team Rp Pts. Games % Bo.
1 WGM Mamedjarova Zeinab 2285 Azerbaijan 2822 4,5 5 90,0 1
2 WGM Majdan Joanna 2361 Poland 2658 4,5 5 90,0 4
3 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2472 Georgia 2632 4,0 5 80,0 1
4 IM Milliet Sophie 2407 France 2616 4,0 5 80,0 2
5 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2493 Russia 2602 5,0 6 83,3 2
6 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2516 Russia 2600 3,5 5 70,0 1
7 GM Lahno Kateryna 2483 Ukraine 2581 4,0 6 66,7 1
8 IM Khukhashvili Sopiko 2451 Georgia 2579 3,0 4 75,0 2
9 IM Jackova Jana 2393 Czech Republic 2572 4,0 6 66,7 1
10 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2469 Armenia 2560 4,5 6 75,0 2
Monday, October 26, 2009
Festival of the Nine Gods (Sons of Dou Mu)
Taoists celebrate the nine sons of the Dou Mu, Goddess of the North Star.
From the Malaysian Star Online
Tuesday October 27, 2009
Thousands pay homage to Nine Emperor Gods
By ANDREA FILMER
GEORGE TOWN: After nine days on earth, the Nine Emperor Gods were ushered back to the waterways in a grand ceremonial send-off to heaven.
Thousands of Taoist devotees flocked to temples in Penang last night to pay homage to the deities at the end of the annual nine-day vegetarian festival.
The festival, which began on Oct 18 or the first day of the ninth lunar month, is held to honour the nine sons of Dou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star.
In this old historic city, several of the normally quiet streets were brought to life by the clashing of cymbals and lively chatter.
Residents in the inner city were seen coming out of their pre-war shophouses or watching processions from the windows of their upper floors.
At the Tow Boh Keong Kew Ong Tai Tay temple on Macallum Street, devotees dressed in white ushered majestic floats and sedan chairs upon which the deities “rested’” onto the streets. Mediums with long whips fell into trances and had their cheeks pierced with 5m-long metal skewers before leading devotees to the Weld Quay seafront.
At the waterways (believed to be the place where deities arrive and depart) on both Weld Quay and Gurney Drive, devotees from temples all over the island gathered to send off the nine “ren huang” or human sovereigns in boat-shaped floats.
When brought out far enough, the floats were set ablaze to symbolise the departing of the deities to heaven.
More information on the Goddess Dou Mu:
**Dou-mu (at Encyclopedia Mythica)
by Micha F. Lindemans
The Chinese goddess who supervises the register in which the life and death of each person is recorded. She is venerated by those who wish a long life and personal compassion. Her name means "Mother of the Great Wagon".
Dou-mu is portrayed sitting on a lotus throne and has four heads, with three eyes in each, and eight arms -- four on each side of her body. In Taoist temples a hall is often dedicated to her. She is also venerated by Chinese Buddhists.
Plan to Scan 'Neanderthal' Genome for 'Modern Human' DNA
Despite the sensationalized title of this article, it discusses an interesting new project. For the first time, the Neanderthal genome will be scanned for traces of modern human DNA.
From The Times Online
October 25, 2009
Neanderthals ‘had sex’ with modern man
Modern humans and Neanderthals had sex across the species barrier, according to a leading geneticist who is overseeing a project to compare their genomes.
...
Professor Svante Paabo, director of genetics at the renowned Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, will shortly publish his analysis of the entire Neanderthal genome, using DNA retrieved from fossils. He aims to compare it with the genomes of modern humans and chimpanzees to work out the ancestry of all three species.
...
Paabo recently told a conference at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory near New York that he was now sure the two species had had sex — but a question remained about how “productive” it had been.
“What I’m really interested in is, did we have children back then and did those children contribute to our variation today?” he said. “I’m sure that they had sex, but did it give offspring that contributed to us? We will be able to answer quite rigorously with the new [Neanderthal genome] sequence.” [He doesn't explain how he is so certain 'Neanderthal' and 'modern human' got close enough to each other to have sexual intercourse ala "Clan of the Cave Bear."]
...
Last week Professor Chris Stringer, head of human origins at the Natural History Museum, presented a conference at the Royal Society in London with an idea that could accommodate both sets of evidence [of Neanderthal-modern human offspring].
“It’s possible that Neanderthals and humans were genetically incompatible, so they could have interbred but their children would have been less fertile,” said Stringer. This phenomenon is seen in many other species such as when lions breed with tigers and horses breed with zebras.
“I used to believe Neanderthals were primitive,” said Stringer, “but in the last 10,000-15,000 years before they died out, around 30,000 years ago, Neanderthals were giving their dead complex burials and making tools and jewellery, such as pierced beads, like modern humans.”
Due to the length of time that has elapsed since Neanderthals became extinct, any trace of their DNA in modern humans could have been diluted below detectable levels. Paabo hopes to overcome this by scanning the Neanderthal genome for the genes of modern humans.
Click here to watch an interview with Professor Svante Paabo, who is overseeing the neanderthal genome project, where he talks about whether neanderthals and modern humans had sex.
European Women's Team Chess Championship
Standings after R4:
Rk. SNo Team Team Games + = - TB1 TB2 TB3
1 2 Georgia GEO 4 4 0 0 8 11,5 39,5
2 20 Azerbaijan AZE 4 3 1 0 7 11,5 34,0
3 3 Ukraine UKR 4 3 1 0 7 10,5 36,5
4 4 Poland POL 4 3 0 1 6 12,0 27,0
5 1 Russia RUS 4 3 0 1 6 11,0 30,5
6 5 Armenia ARM 4 3 0 1 6 10,0 43,5
7 12 Slovenia SLO 4 2 1 1 5 11,0 26,0
8 14 Greece GRE 4 2 1 1 5 10,0 30,0
9 7 Germany GER 4 2 1 1 5 9,5 37,5
10 13 Romania ROU 4 2 1 1 5 9,5 34,5
11 6 France FRA 4 2 1 1 5 9,5 32,5
12 16 Czech Republic CZE 4 2 1 1 5 9,0 35,5
13 11 Netherlands NED 4 2 0 2 4 9,5 25,5
14 19 Italy ITA 4 2 0 2 4 9,0 26,0
15 10 Hungary HUN 4 2 0 2 4 8,0 36,0
16 9 Serbia SRB 4 2 0 2 4 7,5 38,0
17 15 Spain ESP 4 2 0 2 4 7,5 33,0
18 17 Israel ISR 4 2 0 2 4 7,5 30,5
19 21 Austria AUT 4 1 1 2 3 6,5 28,0
20 22 England ENG 4 0 2 2 2 6,5 23,0
21 24 Bosnia & Herzegovina BIH 4 1 0 3 2 6,0 23,5
22 18 Croatia CRO 4 1 0 3 2 5,5 33,0
23 23 Montenegro MNE 4 0 2 2 2 5,5 28,0
24 8 Bulgaria BUL 4 1 0 3 2 4,0 37,0
25 28 Turkey TUR 4 1 0 3 2 3,5 36,5
26 27 Norway NOR 4 0 1 3 1 4,5 29,0
27 25 Former Yug Rep of Macedonia MKD 4 0 1 3 1 4,5 27,0
28 26 Finland FIN 4 0 1 3 1 3,5 35,0
It’s a surprise to see Azerbaijan currently in second place. WIM Narmin Kazimova, a young player I started following during the 2007 European Women’s Chess Championship, is on the Azerbaijani team. She currently has 1.5/3.
The Georgian women’s team is playing like they’ve got something to prove. Round 5 today, then only 2 more rounds to go. I imagine lots of strategizing will be going on as teams look to make their moves now up the rankings. Georgia has already played and defeated the Russians, Germans, Armenians and the Czech Republic. Today they face Ukraine.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Snake Goddess of Khubala
What makes this story so fascinating is that this snake goddess is not ancient; she died 11 years ago. Of equal interest - Khubala (a/k/a (Kubile, Kubala, Kubaba, Kubabat - Cybele), the Great Mother.
Story from The Times of India (Nagpur)
TNN 25 October 2009, 05:59am IST
KHUBALA (SAONER): She may have passed away 11 years ago of a snake bite, but the memories of Sarika Dhakne are still alive in the minds of the villagers of Khubala, about 50 km away from Nagpur. Not only that, Sarika has been quite literally idolized by the villagers who say that no one has died of a snake bite ever since.
On June 26 every year, the day Sarika had died, her family organizes a pooja at a shrine they built in her memory. A green field, where Sarika was bitten by the snake, serves as the backdrop of the shrine. A fleeting glimpse at the idol in the shrine, that stands on the bank of a narrow stream, may leave an onlooker foxed as Sarika's idol, in a bluish attire with a snake head rising above her head, may appear like Lord Shiva, whose temples are commonplace in the lanes and bylanes of the country.
"Villagers generally visit the fields to relieve themselves. Sarika had also gone there for the same reason and got bitten by a snake on her right ankle," recalled Sarika's distant relative Bapurao Pradhan. "We rushed her to a temple as villagers have more faith on the miraculous powers of sacred places and holy persons than anything else. It was in my lap that she breathed the last," said Pradhan who said he wanted to bring Sarika home as a daughter-in-law. "My wife passed away when our children were young. After that, Sarika used to take care of my house. I would have liked to have Sarika marry my elder son Sachin," said Pradhan. "She was the most beautiful of her siblings," he added.
The story of Sarika deification is also quite strange. Pradhan and other villagers recalled that there would be snakes spotted at the Dhakne's residence daily after Sarika's last rites were performed. "The family members were baffled and scared by the occurrence. But, gradually they started placing a diya in front of the snakes, perceiving it as a manifestation of her spirit," said neighbour Lakshmi Kolte. The Dhaknes soon took a pilgrimage to Nagdwar to appease the snake goddess and its lord (Shiva).
"However, it was a hair-raising experience that prompted the Dhaknes to build the shrine. One day, the family members spotted two snakes mating on a ceiling beam inside the house. This incident shook up the Dhaknes who took this as a sign and decided to build a shrine in Sarika's memory," said another villager.
Pradhan's son Ashok recalled how Sarika was a good student who scored well in her board exams. "A feast in her memory is organized after the annual ritual at the shrine every year," said Ashok. The family members, who regularly visit the shrine to light lamps and incense sticks, say they dream of building a bigger shrine one day.
Humpy Calls AICF's Bluff
From The Times of India
Humpy declares war on AICF secy
TNN 26 October 2009, 01:08am IST
CHENNAI: Grandmaster Koneru Humpy seems to have declared war on All India Chess Federation secretary DV Sundar. On Sunday, in an interesting sequel to her first salvo two days ago, Humpy challenged the AICF secretary to appear for an open debate in front of the media to "prove his point".
The World No. 2 [Women's List] also released documents to support her allegations. Earlier, Humpy had withdrawn from the Asian indoor championship after Sundar allegedly refused permission for her to be accompanied by her father/coach.
Sundar had termed Humpy's allegations "baseless" and a "combination of half-truths and lies". Humpy released letters that were exchanged between the two with regard to the incidents mentioned in her allegations.
Humpy revealed she was never comfortable with any other coach than her father. "Once I tried without his guidance in the Chess Olympiad, 2006, at Turin, Italy, and I utterly collapsed," says Humpy in her open letter to Sundar. In the four tournaments during the 2009-10 period for which Humpy confirmed participation, her father agreed to pay the airfare and for stay and food but all that he required was his inclusion in the delegation and visa/accreditation clearance, reveals the letter. The request was not granted by Sundar.
Humpy made it clear that the issue was not exactly about AICF bearing the expenses for her father's trip, as pointed out by Sundar, but "it's about his (Sundar's) tyrannical attitude in forcing me to play in the tournaments irrespective of my preferences".
Humpy described how she had been treated shabbily in India, while she got perfect conditions while she played for her club, Monaco, to which Sundar took exception. "He (Sundar) needs to go to Monte Carlo and see for himself. I'm proud to be part of the team for the Monaco Club. For the third time consecutively I played for the Monaco team. They know the importance of a trainer, and invite me along with my dad. They treat me like a celebrity and cheer me up for every game. On the other hand Mr. Sundar encourages me with warning letters," she said, and claimed she got a winning position in her "first game off the chess board".
She also refuted Sundar's claim that it is the world body (FIDE) that issues certificates of participation and released certificates signed by the AICF secretary in international events.
Week in Review: Recent Chess News
Whew - what a busy and tiring day. September here was gorgeous, but Mother Nature flipped a switch the first week in October and it's been unrelentingly rainy, windy, cold, miserably cloudy, dark dark dark and dank! More of the same was forecast for yesterday with some relief (partly cloudy but still cool/cold) forecast for today. Yesterday when I woke up, I expected it to be raining. It wasn't! It was still very windy, and cool/cold, but it was dry, and about 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. the clouds blew out unexpectedly and the sun appeared! It was still too windy and wet to consider doing serious yard work. But today dawned dry again (no rain overnight as was forecast), much less windy, and when the sun chased away some early morning clouds by 9:30 it felt like a heat wave out there! LOL! It was great! Early on I had on my heavy duty Badger Alloys sweatshirt (inherited from brother-in-law Fred) and was out back well before 9 a.m. picking up and breaking down major branches that were scattered all over the grass for the past several weeks of intermittent strong winds. I got the biggest ones out of the way, but I won't kid you - there were lots of smaller ones left behind. I should have raked, but once the sun came out I was itching to get the lawnmower out and cut the front lawn. I waited until the respectable hour of 9:30 a.m.
Grass out front got cut; I raked some leaves, did some pruning, cleaned the leaves off the driveway; then my buddy Ann and I went to Menards where I picked up some needed supplies to repair my cedar picket fence. We lunched at Olive Garden, took a leisurely ride in the country to enjoy the day and the autumn colors which were showing in all of their glory in the clear (not watery) sunlight. The sky was so blue today!
When I got home I turned on the radio and listened to the tail-end of the Packers/Cleveland Browns game (Packers won 31-3), then I fired up the lawnmower again and tackled the back yard, which has not been cut for 3 weeks. An hour later it was done, and I sure need a shower, peeeuuuhhh! But first I pulled out one of the lawn chairs I had put away earlier this morning and sat out on the deck for awhile listeing to post-game analysis, just enjoying the sun and relatively balmy temperatures. Now the sun has set and it's cooled off quite a bit, but thanks to the sunlight pouring in today, the house heated up (with no help from the furnace, which I shut off this morning) to about 70 degrees. My crazy next store neighbors are now out (in the almost dark) cutting their lawn - well, at least they're doing it, their lawn was looking shaggy!
Here are various links to news events during the past week - I'm just too tired this evening to put them up at Chess Femme News. There should be enough here to fill your reading schedule for a couple of days!
On USWCC Boston herald http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/general/view/20091014anna_zatonskih_wins_us_womens_chess_championship/srvc=home&position=recent
Story in Iryna Zenyuk
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09288/1005637-53.stm
The abolish women titles bullshit article from the WST
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09288/1005637-53.stm
And commentary on it at Chessbase http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5834
On Zatonskih clinching title at the Gambit blog
http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/zatonskih-is-us-womens-champion-again/
News brief on Iryna Zenyuk finishing 8th (I'm sure she was VERY disappointed with her performance)
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/yb/136431286
Coverage in the Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-16932-Chess-Examiner~y2009m10d13-2009-US-Womens-Chess-Championship-has-a-winner-with-a-round-to-go
Chessbase article on USWCC
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5833
Article on Nana Alexandra
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5827
Arne at Chessvibes on abolishing women's titles
http://www.chessvibes.com/columns/abolishing-women%e2%80%99s-titles-a-different-perspective/
Report on USWCC by Peter Doggers at Chessvibes
http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/zatonskih-clinches-2nd-consecutive-u-s-womens-championship-title/
Zatonskih's performance rating: 2817.
Don't think I've reported on Nanjing - this report from Chessvibes too
http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/xu-yuhua-wins-nanjing-gp-tournament/
European Club Cup -here is the official site with link to chess-results http://www.ecc2009.com/eng.htm
Jen Shahade's reaction to the WST bullshit article about abolishing women's titles
http://main.uschess.org/content/view/9786/343/
And commentary from the always-entertaining Elizabeth Vicary chess blog
http://lizzyknowsall.blogspot.com/2009/10/wsj-article-about-womens-titles.html
http://www.chessvibes.com/columns/valencia-lectures-part-2-the-amazing-story-of-the-lost-chess-book/
Modern chess invented in Valencia lecture part 2
Tania Sachdev http://lifestyle.in.msn.com/fashion/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3309562
Is this the same cause? One of the same people is involved - Tania is going to be a model in a fashion show to show "solidarity" with a convicted rapist? Oh my. http://www.merinews.com/article/anand-jons-sister-organises-a-solidarity-fashion-show/15786672.shtml
Movie about a woman learning how to play chess and how to cheat on her husband
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/movies/news/story/1294359.html
Article on Armenian Women's Team at the World Team CC
http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2009/10/23/sport2/