Hola everyone!
The second Milwaukee Summer Challenge is taking place this weekend - started to day, in fact! June 15-16, 2013.
Results/standings aren't in yet for the first rounds of the Summer Challenge. A scholastic tournament was scheduled against the Summer Challenge (which itself was requested to move it dates and that seems to have siphoned off some chess femmes who otherwise might have chosen to play in the Summer Challenge. That's too bad, because Goddesschess put up some nice prizes again, and a $50 best game prize for the players in the M/E Section (a closed section) as well. This year, all of the players in that section are guys - we spread the Goddesschess love when we can :)
However, we had enough chess femmes playing to activitate the prizes (sure hope I've got these right!):
U2000--2: Anupama Rajendra 1872; Anne Ulrich 1470
U1500--4: Alena Huang 1496; Ritika Pandey 1371; Sabrina Huang 1347; Divya Pandey 1082; Susanna Ulrich
U1000--3: Chelsea Moore 223
Stay tuned!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Unique Gold Female Figurine Found in Denmark Field
From sciencenordic.com
This little lady is TINY. 4.2 centimeters equals 1.65354 inches - about the size of a smallish pawn chess piece!
This little lady is TINY. 4.2 centimeters equals 1.65354 inches - about the size of a smallish pawn chess piece!
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| Close-up of the golden figurine. Note the belt and the rings around the feet and the arms. (Photo: René Laursen) |
Unique gold figurine of naked woman found in Denmark
June 12, 2013 - 06:12
A small figurine depicting a slim, naked woman was recently found in a Danish field. Strangely, this is the fifth in a series of tiny golden human figurines found recently in the area.
A field on the Danish island of Bornholm has in recent years been the site of many surprising archaeological finds. The most recent one of these was of a golden figurine of a naked woman. The small, heavily arched figurine is only 4.2 cm tall and weighs 3 grams, has many details and bears the mark of quality craftsmanship.
The arms are stretched and the thumbs are pressed against one another, while the other fingers are facing downwards. On the stomach is a more clearly incised belt decorated with a zig-zag pattern, and the private parts are clearly visible between the short and thin legs.
When viewing the figurine from the front, it is tempting to associate the naked, buxom, athletic female figure with fertility and health.
Remarkably, the back side has ten prominent ‘teeth’, something that has never been seen before.
Naked female figurines are a rarity in Nordic Iron Age art, where male figurines dominated.
The first figurine was found in the spring of 2009, together with a number of other finds, including several gold-foil figures, while the next three appeared in spring 2012.
Common to all the five figurines is that the heads are plastically formed, but otherwise there is a great deal of variation.
Three of them were found within five metres of each other, while the other two were found 10-15 metres further away. Presumably it was the plough that separated them.
This location may have been chosen due to the presence of one or more springs.
Only an excavation would give more information about the characteristics of the place, and such plans have now become a high priority.
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This article is reproduced on this site by kind permission of Skalk, a Danish periodical with articles about Danish prehistoric and medieval archaeology, history and related topics.
Stretched arms and sagging breasts
The woman has a long and slender body, which may have been made out of a thin bar of gold. The head is elongated with a protruding jaw and incised hair. The breasts are sagging and below both shoulders are notches, indicating that her arms have been tied around her body.The arms are stretched and the thumbs are pressed against one another, while the other fingers are facing downwards. On the stomach is a more clearly incised belt decorated with a zig-zag pattern, and the private parts are clearly visible between the short and thin legs.
Possibly a symbol of fertility and health
The golden woman appears to be either standing on her toes or jumping up athletically with the insteps stretched. And above the elegantly shaped feet, the calves and knees are clearly visible.When viewing the figurine from the front, it is tempting to associate the naked, buxom, athletic female figure with fertility and health.
Remarkably, the back side has ten prominent ‘teeth’, something that has never been seen before.
Naked female figurines are a rarity in Nordic Iron Age art, where male figurines dominated.
The fifth figurine in the series
The golden woman is the fifth in a series of small, golden human figurines from the Smørenge field on Bornholm. The first four are all believed to depict men, while there is no doubt about the gender of the last addition to the series.The first figurine was found in the spring of 2009, together with a number of other finds, including several gold-foil figures, while the next three appeared in spring 2012.
Common to all the five figurines is that the heads are plastically formed, but otherwise there is a great deal of variation.
The plough separated the figurines
The five figurines were probably buried in the same place, individually or collectively, at some point during the 6th century AD, i.e. the Migration Period.Three of them were found within five metres of each other, while the other two were found 10-15 metres further away. Presumably it was the plough that separated them.
This location may have been chosen due to the presence of one or more springs.
Only an excavation would give more information about the characteristics of the place, and such plans have now become a high priority.
------------------------
This article is reproduced on this site by kind permission of Skalk, a Danish periodical with articles about Danish prehistoric and medieval archaeology, history and related topics.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Tomb of "Saka Princess" Uncovered
Kazakhstan archaeologists discover Saka princess tomb
According to him, it is quite possible that young Tomiris who later became a warrior-queen used to wear a similar head wear. According to the expedition’s members, ceramic and wooden vessels, as well as bones of a sacrificial sheep were also discovered in the tomb. Pieces of blue and green clothes remained on the woman’s remains. Golden earrings and a stone altar were found next to her head.
“According to the preliminary information, the tomb of the “Urdzhar princess” is dated 4th or 3rd century B.C.,” Smagulov said. According to him, a similar tomb discovered in Issyk burial mount (the "Golden Man").
Use of the Tengrinews English materials must be accompanied by a hyperlink to en.Tengrinews.kz
Further details about the 'princess' are revealed in a companion article:
Beheaded skeleton discovered next to Saka princess's tomb
Monday, 03.06.2013, 15:13
Kazakhstan archaeologists found a tomb of a “Saka princess”, Tengrinews.kz reports citing head of the expedition TImur Smagulov.
The burial site of the high-ranking young woman was discovered during reconstruction of Taskesken-Bakty road in Urdzhar region of East-Kazakhstan oblast. An expedition made of professors and students of Semipalatinsk and Pavlodar pedagogical institutes discovered the stone tomb-chest with remains of the young woman at the depth of 1.7 meters under a burial mount.
The things found in at the burial site certify that the woman was from a distinguished tribe. According to the archaeologists, the golden head wear that looks like Kazakh Saukele (national headgear of women) is the most valuable item for the research. “The pointed golden head wear with zoomorphic ornaments has the top that looks like the arrows and is decorated with a spiral made of golden wire and jewels. A similar head wear used to be part of the official costume of the Saka tribe chieftains. It is quite possible that the woman was a daughter of a king of Saka Tigrakhauda tribe,” Timur Smagulov said.
The burial site of the high-ranking young woman was discovered during reconstruction of Taskesken-Bakty road in Urdzhar region of East-Kazakhstan oblast. An expedition made of professors and students of Semipalatinsk and Pavlodar pedagogical institutes discovered the stone tomb-chest with remains of the young woman at the depth of 1.7 meters under a burial mount.
The things found in at the burial site certify that the woman was from a distinguished tribe. According to the archaeologists, the golden head wear that looks like Kazakh Saukele (national headgear of women) is the most valuable item for the research. “The pointed golden head wear with zoomorphic ornaments has the top that looks like the arrows and is decorated with a spiral made of golden wire and jewels. A similar head wear used to be part of the official costume of the Saka tribe chieftains. It is quite possible that the woman was a daughter of a king of Saka Tigrakhauda tribe,” Timur Smagulov said.
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| I think this might be the flattened out gold crown. |
According to him, it is quite possible that young Tomiris who later became a warrior-queen used to wear a similar head wear. According to the expedition’s members, ceramic and wooden vessels, as well as bones of a sacrificial sheep were also discovered in the tomb. Pieces of blue and green clothes remained on the woman’s remains. Golden earrings and a stone altar were found next to her head.
“According to the preliminary information, the tomb of the “Urdzhar princess” is dated 4th or 3rd century B.C.,” Smagulov said. According to him, a similar tomb discovered in Issyk burial mount (the "Golden Man").
Use of the Tengrinews English materials must be accompanied by a hyperlink to en.Tengrinews.kz
Further details about the 'princess' are revealed in a companion article:
Beheaded skeleton discovered next to Saka princess's tomb
Thursday, 06.06.2013, 19:07
Kazakhstan archaeologists have discovered a beheaded human skeleton next to the tomb of the “Saka princess”, Tengrinews.kz reports.
A famous restorer Krym Altynbekov has arrived to the archaeological site to prepare the remains for transportation to a laboratory in Almaty for further study. After the tests the anthropologists will be able to date the burial site more precisely.
According to the archaeologists, another tomb was discovered next to the tomb-chest. It contained a beheaded human skeleton without the right hand. The experts supposed that this could be a sacrifice place but stressed that it was only a guess. Besides, the scientists said that the second body was buried quite carelessly and was merely covered with rocks. It is quite possible that it was done intentionally to confuse potential tomb raiders.
According to the experts, the burial itself is dated around 3-4 century B.C.. It was discovered during an archaeological check made before reconstruction and repairs of a local road. The remains of the “princess” were only several meters away from the road.
The discovery is valuable, according to the archaeologists, because the remains are well preserved and the tomb-chest is intact and in quite a good condition. The discovery was called the “Saka princess” because of a Saukele headgear discovered it in. In its making and appearance it is similar to the one of Issyk’s Golden Man discovered in 1969. Clay and wooden wares containing sheep bones and jewelry were discovered as well. The woman was around 170 cm tall.
The works on cleaning the tomb-chest are being made by Alkei Margulan Archeology Institute. They have only found the remains and the head dress of the “Saka princess” so far. They do not preclude that there are more discoveries on the way.
By Daniyar Bozov
Kazakhstan archaeologists have discovered a beheaded human skeleton next to the tomb of the “Saka princess”, Tengrinews.kz reports.
A famous restorer Krym Altynbekov has arrived to the archaeological site to prepare the remains for transportation to a laboratory in Almaty for further study. After the tests the anthropologists will be able to date the burial site more precisely.
According to the archaeologists, another tomb was discovered next to the tomb-chest. It contained a beheaded human skeleton without the right hand. The experts supposed that this could be a sacrifice place but stressed that it was only a guess. Besides, the scientists said that the second body was buried quite carelessly and was merely covered with rocks. It is quite possible that it was done intentionally to confuse potential tomb raiders.
According to the experts, the burial itself is dated around 3-4 century B.C.. It was discovered during an archaeological check made before reconstruction and repairs of a local road. The remains of the “princess” were only several meters away from the road.
The discovery is valuable, according to the archaeologists, because the remains are well preserved and the tomb-chest is intact and in quite a good condition. The discovery was called the “Saka princess” because of a Saukele headgear discovered it in. In its making and appearance it is similar to the one of Issyk’s Golden Man discovered in 1969. Clay and wooden wares containing sheep bones and jewelry were discovered as well. The woman was around 170 cm tall.
The works on cleaning the tomb-chest are being made by Alkei Margulan Archeology Institute. They have only found the remains and the head dress of the “Saka princess” so far. They do not preclude that there are more discoveries on the way.
By Daniyar Bozov
2013 Las Vegas International Chess Festival
The Open attracts a lot of talent from around the country and the world because of the possibility of taking clear first place and the $10,000 top prize. What usually happens, though, is a whole lot of players split prizes because they finish "tied." That happened this year; Tatev Abrahamyan was the highest-finishing female player, tying with players 12 through 22 with 4.0. From the score, it looks like Tatev played her usually uncompromising fighting chess, scoring 4 wins and 2 losses!
Here is the top finisher (GM Wesley So) and the femmes whose names I was able to pick out from the Open final standings -- hope I didn't miss anyone!
There were 91 players but as the event went on many of the players at the bottom of the rankings dropped out:
No. Ttl Name St Rate Pts Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5 Rnd6 Prize
1 GM So,Wesley CAN 2728 5 W 19 D 26 W 9 W 25 W 12 D 4 $2,175
22 WGM Abrahamyan,Tatev CA 2407 4 L 26 W 19 W 18 L 14 W 47 W 50 $114
45 WFM Labedz,Patrycja Anna TX 2267 3 L 12 W 73 L 31 L 76 W 86 W 71
46 FM Melekhina,Alisa PA 2267 3 L 3 W 74 D 29 D 26 L 30 W 72
55 WFM Chiang,Sarah TX 2243 2.5 -H- W 52 L 28 L 9 L 61 W 82
71 WIM Gutierrez,Paloma AZ 2212 2 L 15 L 77 L 52 W 81 W 83 L 45
You can find all of the results for sections here.
Here is the top finisher (GM Wesley So) and the femmes whose names I was able to pick out from the Open final standings -- hope I didn't miss anyone!
There were 91 players but as the event went on many of the players at the bottom of the rankings dropped out:
No. Ttl Name St Rate Pts Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5 Rnd6 Prize
1 GM So,Wesley CAN 2728 5 W 19 D 26 W 9 W 25 W 12 D 4 $2,175
22 WGM Abrahamyan,Tatev CA 2407 4 L 26 W 19 W 18 L 14 W 47 W 50 $114
45 WFM Labedz,Patrycja Anna TX 2267 3 L 12 W 73 L 31 L 76 W 86 W 71
46 FM Melekhina,Alisa PA 2267 3 L 3 W 74 D 29 D 26 L 30 W 72
55 WFM Chiang,Sarah TX 2243 2.5 -H- W 52 L 28 L 9 L 61 W 82
71 WIM Gutierrez,Paloma AZ 2212 2 L 15 L 77 L 52 W 81 W 83 L 45
You can find all of the results for sections here.
3rd China Women's Masters
| 3rd Women Masters Wuxi CHN Fri 31st May 2013 - Sun 9th Jun 2013. Category: 9. Ave: (2451) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Name | Title | FED | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pts | TPR |
| 1 | Tan, Zhongyi | WGM | CHN | 2483 | # | = | 1 | = | 1 | 0 | = | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.5 | 2613 |
| 2 | Gunina, Valentina | IM | RUS | 2514 | = | # | = | = | = | 1 | 0 | 1 | = | = | 5 | 2486 |
| 3 | Huang, Qian | WGM | CHN | 2469 | 0 | = | # | = | = | = | = | = | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2491 |
| 4 | Guo, Qi | WGM | CHN | 2439 | = | = | = | # | = | = | 1 | 0 | = | = | 4.5 | 2452 |
| 5 | Ding, Yixin | WGM | CHN | 2427 | 0 | = | = | = | # | = | 1 | = | = | = | 4.5 | 2453 |
| 6 | Shen, Yang | IM | CHN | 2397 | 1 | 0 | = | = | = | # | 1 | 0 | 0 | = | 4 | 2413 |
| 7 | Zhang, Xiaowen | WGM | CHN | 2367 | = | 1 | = | 0 | 0 | 0 | # | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2417 |
| 8 | Wang, Jue | WGM | CHN | 2401 | 0 | 0 | = | 1 | = | 1 | 1 | # | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2413 |
| 9 | Ju, Wenjun | WGM | CHN | 2544 | 0 | = | 0 | = | = | 1 | 0 | 1 | # | = | 4 | 2397 |
| 10 | Javakhishvili, Lela | IM | GEO | 2464 | 0 | = | 0 | = | = | = | 0 | 1 | = | # | 3.5 | 2369 |
Alexandra Kosteniuk Defends Thesis to Earn Advanced Degree
Alexandra joins the ranks of many chessplayers who have earned advanced degrees and gone on to careers in teaching, psychiatry, business, investment banking, mathematics, and many other fields.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Saving Priceless Manuscripts from the Barbarians
3 June 2013 Last updated at 19:40 ET
"These manuscripts are really precious to us. They are family heirlooms. Our history, our heritage," says Dr Abdel Kader Haidara, owner of one of Timbuktu's biggest private libraries, containing manuscripts dating back to the 16th Century.
"In our family there have been generations and generations of great scholars, great astronomers, and we have always looked after these documents."
When Islamist rebels took over Timbuktu last year, looking after the documents began to look like an impossible task.
As a precaution, Haidara and other big book-owning families, together with officials of the state-run Ahmed Baba Institute, had already removed most documents from major collections, hiding them in private homes.
After the destruction of the shrines, it became clear a more radical approach was necessary.
"We realised we needed to find another solution to take them entirely out of Timbuktu itself," says Haidara. "It was very difficult. There were loads of manuscripts. We needed thousands of metal boxes and we didn't have the means to get them out. We needed help from outside."
With approval from 35 key families, Haidara went in search of funding, which he secured from the Prince Claus Foundation in the Netherlands and the German Foreign Office, among others.
"It was very risky. We evacuated the manuscripts in cars, carts and canoes," says Haidara, who launched the operation in October, frequently concealing the metal boxes under crates of vegetables and fruit.
"One car could only take two or three metal boxes at the most. So we did it little by little."
The cars headed for Bamako, via Mopti, the last government-controlled town in Mali during the Islamist occupation of the North.
The canoes - part of local transport in northern Mali for centuries - travelled to Bamako on the river Niger, via Djenne.
When in January of this year the insurgents torched two libraries belonging to the Ahmed Baba Institute, as they were retreating from Timbuktu, the covert rescue operation was already half-complete - and the libraries themselves had been all but empty for months.
Haidara estimates that only a few hundred manuscripts were destroyed.
In Bamako, however, the papers now face threats of a different kind.
"The houses are not air-conditioned and in comparison humidity in Bamako is much higher than in Timbuktu," says Dr Michael Hanssler of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, who has just returned from a fact-finding mission to assess the condition of the documents.
It's impossible for air to circulate around the documents as long they are stored in metal containers. Mould usually develops at humidity levels of 60%, and levels as high as 80% are expected in July and August.
Efforts are now under way to renovate a building in Bamako that will have proper storage facilities. Windows are currently being bricked up in order to protect the manuscripts from daylight, insects and heat.
There will also be a workspace where experts can restore the documents and digitise them for scholars worldwide to study.
The 2,000 documents she had access to were from Islamic North and West Africa, but also from the Middle East, and covered commerce and diplomatic relations as well as commentaries on the Koran, jurisprudence and Arabic linguistics.
"This is an untapped treasure trove of unthinkable value, nobody quite knows what's hidden in these chests," adds Hanssler, whose foundation is supporting the restoration efforts financially and logistically.
The manuscripts have never been kept in optimal conditions, Hanssler says.
"Some of the documents have been damaged in the past by insects or water. Others have suffered from being exposed to dry air in Timbuktu, and the leather covers have become brittle and have cracked."
The manuscript paper itself - thought to have originated from the region around Venice in Italy - has aged substantially. As a result the documents have become fragile and fragmented, and some of the writing has faded.
Haidara himself estimates that about 20% of the manuscripts are severely damaged and extremely fragile, while another 20% are damaged, but less severely.
"The day there is a lasting peace in Timbuktu we will return them to Timbuktu. But until that time comes we must preserve them well - put them in boxes, restore them, catalogue them and digitise them."
When they go back, it won't be in canoes or under piles of vegetables, and hopefully many will be in better condition than when they left.
How Timbuktu's manuscripts were smuggled to safety
When Islamist rebels set fire to two
libraries in Timbuktu earlier this year, many feared the city's treasure trove
of ancient manuscripts had been destroyed. But many of the texts had already
been removed from the buildings and were at that very moment being smuggled out
of the city, under the rebels' noses.
"These manuscripts are really precious to us. They are family heirlooms. Our history, our heritage," says Dr Abdel Kader Haidara, owner of one of Timbuktu's biggest private libraries, containing manuscripts dating back to the 16th Century.
"In our family there have been generations and generations of great scholars, great astronomers, and we have always looked after these documents."
When Islamist rebels took over Timbuktu last year, looking after the documents began to look like an impossible task.
Under their strict interpretation of Islam, the rebels
soon began destroying shrines they considered "idolatrous". The documents held
in Timbuktu since its glory days as a centre of Islamic learning in the 13th to
17th Centuries were equally vulnerable.
As a precaution, Haidara and other big book-owning families, together with officials of the state-run Ahmed Baba Institute, had already removed most documents from major collections, hiding them in private homes.
After the destruction of the shrines, it became clear a more radical approach was necessary.
"We realised we needed to find another solution to take them entirely out of Timbuktu itself," says Haidara. "It was very difficult. There were loads of manuscripts. We needed thousands of metal boxes and we didn't have the means to get them out. We needed help from outside."
With approval from 35 key families, Haidara went in search of funding, which he secured from the Prince Claus Foundation in the Netherlands and the German Foreign Office, among others.
But there was a major problem - the rebels often
searched vehicles leaving Timbuktu, and if they found manuscripts they would
certainly confiscate or destroy them.
"It was very risky. We evacuated the manuscripts in cars, carts and canoes," says Haidara, who launched the operation in October, frequently concealing the metal boxes under crates of vegetables and fruit.
"One car could only take two or three metal boxes at the most. So we did it little by little."
The cars headed for Bamako, via Mopti, the last government-controlled town in Mali during the Islamist occupation of the North.
The canoes - part of local transport in northern Mali for centuries - travelled to Bamako on the river Niger, via Djenne.
When in January of this year the insurgents torched two libraries belonging to the Ahmed Baba Institute, as they were retreating from Timbuktu, the covert rescue operation was already half-complete - and the libraries themselves had been all but empty for months.
Haidara estimates that only a few hundred manuscripts were destroyed.
In Bamako, however, the papers now face threats of a different kind.
Having been preserved for centuries in a dry desert
climate, they now find themselves in the tropics, with the rainy season about to
start.
"The houses are not air-conditioned and in comparison humidity in Bamako is much higher than in Timbuktu," says Dr Michael Hanssler of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, who has just returned from a fact-finding mission to assess the condition of the documents.
It's impossible for air to circulate around the documents as long they are stored in metal containers. Mould usually develops at humidity levels of 60%, and levels as high as 80% are expected in July and August.
Efforts are now under way to renovate a building in Bamako that will have proper storage facilities. Windows are currently being bricked up in order to protect the manuscripts from daylight, insects and heat.
There will also be a workspace where experts can restore the documents and digitise them for scholars worldwide to study.
 |
| All I can say is OHMYGODDESS. Why? My most fervent wish is that the ignorant bastards who did this will be found, de-balled and strung up for the vultures to slowly peck to death. |
"The manuscripts of Timbuktu have always been an
aspiration for scholars working on the intellectual history of Africa," says Eva
Brozowsky, a German paper restoration specialist, who examined six of the chests
in Bamako in April.
The 2,000 documents she had access to were from Islamic North and West Africa, but also from the Middle East, and covered commerce and diplomatic relations as well as commentaries on the Koran, jurisprudence and Arabic linguistics.
"This is an untapped treasure trove of unthinkable value, nobody quite knows what's hidden in these chests," adds Hanssler, whose foundation is supporting the restoration efforts financially and logistically.
The manuscripts have never been kept in optimal conditions, Hanssler says.
"Some of the documents have been damaged in the past by insects or water. Others have suffered from being exposed to dry air in Timbuktu, and the leather covers have become brittle and have cracked."
The manuscript paper itself - thought to have originated from the region around Venice in Italy - has aged substantially. As a result the documents have become fragile and fragmented, and some of the writing has faded.
Haidara himself estimates that about 20% of the manuscripts are severely damaged and extremely fragile, while another 20% are damaged, but less severely.
While the security situation in northern Mali remains
uncertain the manuscripts should stay in Bamako, he says, but he won't hear of
them being taken out of the country.
"The day there is a lasting peace in Timbuktu we will return them to Timbuktu. But until that time comes we must preserve them well - put them in boxes, restore them, catalogue them and digitise them."
When they go back, it won't be in canoes or under piles of vegetables, and hopefully many will be in better condition than when they left.
Dr Abdel Kader Haidara was interviewed on the BBC
World Service programme Newshour.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Hurricane Sandy Victims Complaining About Insurance Premium Hikes
DUH!
Okay, let me see if I've got all my ducks in a row here. (1) YOU live on a coastline known to be frequented by storms, some of them SEVERE storms. (2) YOU live NEAR the shoreline or (3) YOU live on a river that is known to have experienced storm surge in past history. (4) YOUR house is built on STILTS. (5) YOU got wiped out by Hurricane Sandy. (6) Federal taxpayer dollars were poured into YOUR state to help YOU recover from the devastation.
Am I on storm track so far, heh?
(7) YOUR insurance premiums are now skyrocketing. (8) YOU ALL ARE BITCHING ABOUT IT!
Where have these people been all their lives? We had massive flooding all up and down the Mississippi River in the 1990s. It was SO bad the government all neo-cons, Nazis and Tea Party nut cases love to hate finally said enough is enough, we're not gonna pay you suckas if you insist on rebuilding here anymore, and bought out thousands of land owners so the stupid fricks would be prevented from making the same mistake of rebuilding in a flood zone yet ONE MORE TIME..
We ALSO experienced Hurricane Andrew that devasted wide swaths of Florida and other states in 1992. Up to that point, Andrrew was the most devastating and costly hurricane EVAH.
Oh, don't forget Hurricane Katrina where everyone around the world was witness to hundreds of suffering souls holed up inside the Superdome in New Orleans begging for help while our Fearless Leader "I'll Fly Over and Wave Hello" -- President George W. Bush fiddled as people died in front of our eyes on live television.
Followed by - let's see, what should I pick next? Do I dare mention the ongoing drought conditions in the southwest of the United States and the near depletion of the Ogalla Water Aquifer which, once gone, will be gone for about 50,000 years or so? But hey, don't tell that to the farmers growing crops we don't need in the middle of desert! We're getting all of our produce from MEXICO these days, heh heh heh. By the way, has anyone connected the dots as to why there has been a substantial increase in deadly salmonella outbreaks in the United States since NAFTA???
Continuing on with my Sunday night rants, see the two posts below.
FRIGGING DUH!
After Sandy, a new threat: Soaring flood insurance
After Sandy, a dire choice: Lift home or face sky-high insurance, but many can't afford either
By | Associated Press – 8 hrs ago
Okay, let me see if I've got all my ducks in a row here. (1) YOU live on a coastline known to be frequented by storms, some of them SEVERE storms. (2) YOU live NEAR the shoreline or (3) YOU live on a river that is known to have experienced storm surge in past history. (4) YOUR house is built on STILTS. (5) YOU got wiped out by Hurricane Sandy. (6) Federal taxpayer dollars were poured into YOUR state to help YOU recover from the devastation.
Am I on storm track so far, heh?
(7) YOUR insurance premiums are now skyrocketing. (8) YOU ALL ARE BITCHING ABOUT IT!
Where have these people been all their lives? We had massive flooding all up and down the Mississippi River in the 1990s. It was SO bad the government all neo-cons, Nazis and Tea Party nut cases love to hate finally said enough is enough, we're not gonna pay you suckas if you insist on rebuilding here anymore, and bought out thousands of land owners so the stupid fricks would be prevented from making the same mistake of rebuilding in a flood zone yet ONE MORE TIME..
We ALSO experienced Hurricane Andrew that devasted wide swaths of Florida and other states in 1992. Up to that point, Andrrew was the most devastating and costly hurricane EVAH.
Oh, don't forget Hurricane Katrina where everyone around the world was witness to hundreds of suffering souls holed up inside the Superdome in New Orleans begging for help while our Fearless Leader "I'll Fly Over and Wave Hello" -- President George W. Bush fiddled as people died in front of our eyes on live television.
Followed by - let's see, what should I pick next? Do I dare mention the ongoing drought conditions in the southwest of the United States and the near depletion of the Ogalla Water Aquifer which, once gone, will be gone for about 50,000 years or so? But hey, don't tell that to the farmers growing crops we don't need in the middle of desert! We're getting all of our produce from MEXICO these days, heh heh heh. By the way, has anyone connected the dots as to why there has been a substantial increase in deadly salmonella outbreaks in the United States since NAFTA???
Continuing on with my Sunday night rants, see the two posts below.
FRIGGING DUH!
While Egypt, and Ethiopia are Doing War Posturing Over the Blue Nile, Europe is Drowning...
See post below about the Ethiopian dam being constructed on the Blue Nile, and the Islamist government of Egypt's response thereto (foolish, foolish - making threats war).
Meanwhile, in other news of global climate change, there is ongoing massive flooding in Europe, going on for the past two weeks now, I believe. But what do we give a hoot here? Well, we should start giving a hoot, because what's going on in Egypt, and Europe, WILL impact us sooner than later. It's not just about Moore, Oklahoma, people.
"We helped yesterday to carry sandbags to secure the town. The mood is very depressed and frightened because many people have to leave their homes," said resident Liane Nagen.
There have been at least a dozen deaths as a result of floods that have hit Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic over the past week. Officials said more than 8,000 people were evacuated by bus from towns and villages around Aken, south of Magdeburg. Some took their pets or farm animals with them.
More than 36,000 people were evacuated across Saxony-Anhalt. In Brandenburg, a largely rural state that surrounds the capital Berlin, some residents were evacuated and flooding of uninhabited areas was planned.
Carmaker Suzuki, one of Hungary's main exporters, said it would will halt production at its plant in Esztergom, north of Budapest, on Monday because of the floods.
GERMAN ELECTION FACTOR
The damage from the floods in Germany could amount to more than 6 billion euros ($7.93 billion), according to the Cologne Institute for Economic Research. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces an election in September, has promised 100 million euros ($130 million) in aid for flooded areas.
"We'll do everything humanly possible when it comes to reconstruction. Germany is sticking together in an admirable way at the moment and it should stay like that," she said.
She has been seen visiting flooded regions and speaking to victims and helpers, unlike her Social Democrat (SPD) challenger Peer Steinbrueck, who told German state television on Sunday he would not get involved in a "rubber boot competition".
"When the worst is over, I'd like to sit down with those affected and discuss in concrete terms what kind of help we can give," he said, adding that he wanted to create an ombudsman to coordinate aid for the victims of flooding. [OHMYGODDESS - WHAT A STUPID FOOL!]
The pair's response to the flooding could affect their respective chances in the election on September 22. During the floods of 2002, decisive crisis management by SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder gave him a boost in the polls which helped him win a second term.
Along with citizens and emergency services, around 11,000 German soldiers were helping fight the flood waters on Sunday. The situation in cities like Dresden and Halle and in the state of Bavaria had improved. ($1 = 0.7564 euros)
(Reporting by Reuters TV and Nadine Schimroszik; writing by Michelle Martin in Berlin; editing by Tom Pfeiffer)
Meanwhile, in other news of global climate change, there is ongoing massive flooding in Europe, going on for the past two weeks now, I believe. But what do we give a hoot here? Well, we should start giving a hoot, because what's going on in Egypt, and Europe, WILL impact us sooner than later. It's not just about Moore, Oklahoma, people.
Thousands of Germans evacuate as dam on Elbe river breaks
By Martin Schlicht and Oliver Keck | Reuters – 2 hrs 38 mins ago
By Martin Schlicht and Oliver Keck
MAGDEBURG/GROSS ROSENBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Thousands of people left their homes in eastern Germany on Sunday as a dam burst on the swollen River Elbe and swathes of farmland were flooded in an attempt to spare towns, with meteorologists forecasting more rain.
In Magdeburg, one of the oldest cities in eastern Germany and a regional capital, some 23,000 people were asked to evacuate as water levels in the Elbe rose to a record 7.48 meters, around 5 meters above normal and surpassing the level reached in devastating floods in 2002.
"We helped yesterday to carry sandbags to secure the town. The mood is very depressed and frightened because many people have to leave their homes," said resident Liane Nagen.
There have been at least a dozen deaths as a result of floods that have hit Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic over the past week. Officials said more than 8,000 people were evacuated by bus from towns and villages around Aken, south of Magdeburg. Some took their pets or farm animals with them.
A dam at the confluence of the River Elbe and the River Saale south of Magdeburg burst despite attempts to stabilize it. A dike was also breached, and a crisis unit said the high waters were likely to put further pressure on dikes in coming days.
Holger Stahlknecht, Interior Minister for the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where Magdeburg is located, said air and land surveillance would be stepped up in response to a threat from a previously unheard-of group calling itself the Germanophobic Flood Brigade to attack the sodden dikes. [What?]
More than 36,000 people were evacuated across Saxony-Anhalt. In Brandenburg, a largely rural state that surrounds the capital Berlin, some residents were evacuated and flooding of uninhabited areas was planned.
In Hungary, the Danube was also set to reach record levels in the capital Budapest on Sunday night and Prime Minister Viktor Orban said dikes had been strengthened at critical points to protect the city from flooding. The deluge reached Hungary on Friday but so far authorities, soldiers and thousands of volunteers have managed to defend the villages and towns along the Danube, piling more than three million sandbags beside its dikes. [Won't make a difference in the end...]
Carmaker Suzuki, one of Hungary's main exporters, said it would will halt production at its plant in Esztergom, north of Budapest, on Monday because of the floods.
GERMAN ELECTION FACTOR
The damage from the floods in Germany could amount to more than 6 billion euros ($7.93 billion), according to the Cologne Institute for Economic Research. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces an election in September, has promised 100 million euros ($130 million) in aid for flooded areas.
"We'll do everything humanly possible when it comes to reconstruction. Germany is sticking together in an admirable way at the moment and it should stay like that," she said.
She has been seen visiting flooded regions and speaking to victims and helpers, unlike her Social Democrat (SPD) challenger Peer Steinbrueck, who told German state television on Sunday he would not get involved in a "rubber boot competition".
"When the worst is over, I'd like to sit down with those affected and discuss in concrete terms what kind of help we can give," he said, adding that he wanted to create an ombudsman to coordinate aid for the victims of flooding. [OHMYGODDESS - WHAT A STUPID FOOL!]
The pair's response to the flooding could affect their respective chances in the election on September 22. During the floods of 2002, decisive crisis management by SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder gave him a boost in the polls which helped him win a second term.
Along with citizens and emergency services, around 11,000 German soldiers were helping fight the flood waters on Sunday. The situation in cities like Dresden and Halle and in the state of Bavaria had improved. ($1 = 0.7564 euros)
(Reporting by Reuters TV and Nadine Schimroszik; writing by Michelle Martin in Berlin; editing by Tom Pfeiffer)
Water Wars? The Damn Dam...
Well, we all knew it was coming, sooner or later.
Unfortunately, the totally disfunctional Islamic government now in charge of the "new" Egypt doesn't know it's ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to diplomacy. Tsk tsk! Yeah, nothing like fundy politicians going on television saying they're go to war with Ethiopia if E goes ANY further with its construction of a massive damn across a portion of the Blue Nile. Surely Cheops is rolling in his grave (WHEREVER IT IS) right now...
Well, we ain't seen nothing yet. As the world continues to suffer through more drastic climate changes thanks to the shift in the Jet Stream and the melting of the Polar Ice Caps, to name just a few well-documented changes that didn't just "creep" up upon us over thousands or even hundreds of years but are happening right here and now, within the average person's lifetime, Ha! If I live to be 100, as I'd planned previously (I'll wait and see how things are going...) perhaps Mars won't look so forbidding to mankind after all... Meanwhile, I am sure to be entertained by the antics of the idiots in Cairo.
From Yahoo News
Speaking to Egypt's state news agency MENA two days after the Ethiopian government flatly rejected a request [? request? More like a threat of war if construction was not halted] from Cairo to halt the project, Mohamed Kamel Amr said Egyptians view any obstacle to the river's flow as a threat to national survival.
"No Nile - no Egypt," he said, highlighting the pressure on the Egyptian government, whose popularity is wilting in the face of economic troubles, to prevent the hydro power plant cutting already stretched water supplies for its 84 million people. [How about reinstituting the birth control programs that were very popular under the former regime, you dildo heads?]
Last week, Ethiopia summoned the Egyptian ambassador after politicians in Cairo were shown on television suggesting military action or supporting Ethiopian rebels - a mark of the threat felt in Cairo from the plan to dam the Blue Nile, the tributary that supplies the bulk of water downstream in Egypt.
"Egypt won't give up on a single drop of water from the Nile or any part of what arrives into Egypt from this water in terms of quantity and quality," Amr told MENA, noting that Egypt has little rain and is effectively desert without its great river.
Speaking at a news conference, he declined to detail the action Egypt might take next but noted Ethiopian assurances that Africa's biggest hydro station would not cut water supplies.
"We have a plan for action, which will start soon," Amr said. "We'll talk to Ethiopia and we'll see what comes of it. Ethiopia has said it will not harm Egypt, not even by a liter of water. We are looking at ... this being implemented."
Countries that share the Nile have long argued over the use of its waters, repeatedly raising fears that the disputes could eventually boil over into war. Egypt, struggling with a shortage of cash and bitter internal political divisions following a 2011 revolution, called on Ethiopia to stop work after engineers began diverting the course of the Blue Nile late last month.
In Addis Ababa, a government spokesman called that request a "non-starter" and dismissed threats from Cairo of "sabotage" and "destabilization", saying attempts by Egypt under its previous military rulers to undermine Ethiopian leaders had failed.
The possible downstream effects of the $4.7-billion Grand Renaissance Dam, some 40 km (25 miles) from Ethiopia's border with Sudan, have been disputed and full details are unclear.
While letting water through such dams - of which Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia already have several - may not reduce its flow greatly, the filling of the reservoir behind any new dam means cutting the river's flow for a time. Evaporation from reservoirs can also permanently reduce water flowing downstream.
Now 21 percent complete, the new dam on the Blue Nile will eventually have capacity of 6,000 megawatts and is central to Ethiopia's plans to become Africa's leading exporter of power.
Sudan, which borders Egypt and Ethiopia and also gets much of its water from the Nile, said it supported the project. [Okay, so where was the Egyptian government when this dam project was on the drawing board, and before construction even began? Were there no consultations, no negotiations going on before hand -- I don't believe that for a second!]
"The Grand Renaissance Dam brings many benefits and blessings for us," Information Minister Ahmed Belal Osman told reporters in Khartoum.
He gave no details, but Sudanese officials have said the dam will enable Ethiopia to export power to Sudan, a country with frequent outages and one of its closest allies in Africa.
(Editing by Alastair Macdonald, Tom Pfeiffer and Kevin Liffey)
P.S. Did I forget to mention that the Islamist government in Cairo probably wouldn't hesitate to start a war it cannot possibly win, if only to rally the populace behind it -- you know, life and death of our country and all that jazz. An obvious ploy to try and distract the populace from the increasingly deteriorating conditions going on around them around them. Hmmm, no bread, no problem. Hmmm, no free-spending average-Joe AMERICAN and ENGLISH tourists, no problem. Waiting in lines to fill up with adulterated gasoline, no problem. No garbage pick-up, no problem. No clean wate rto drink, no problem. No water to grow our crops -- whoa, now that's a problem... Hey yeah, Abdul, our government frigging sucks and can't see the pyramids for the mounds of garbage being piled up all around them in the desert, but they want us to go to war over our water rights. Okay, let's go, dude. Geez, where is the Hind of Hinds when we need her...
Unfortunately, the totally disfunctional Islamic government now in charge of the "new" Egypt doesn't know it's ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to diplomacy. Tsk tsk! Yeah, nothing like fundy politicians going on television saying they're go to war with Ethiopia if E goes ANY further with its construction of a massive damn across a portion of the Blue Nile. Surely Cheops is rolling in his grave (WHEREVER IT IS) right now...
Well, we ain't seen nothing yet. As the world continues to suffer through more drastic climate changes thanks to the shift in the Jet Stream and the melting of the Polar Ice Caps, to name just a few well-documented changes that didn't just "creep" up upon us over thousands or even hundreds of years but are happening right here and now, within the average person's lifetime, Ha! If I live to be 100, as I'd planned previously (I'll wait and see how things are going...) perhaps Mars won't look so forbidding to mankind after all... Meanwhile, I am sure to be entertained by the antics of the idiots in Cairo.
From Yahoo News
'No Nile, no Egypt', Cairo warns over Ethiopia dam
By Shadia Nasralla | Reuters – 1 hour 26 minutes ago
By Shadia Nasralla
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's foreign minister, vowing not to give up "a single drop of water from the Nile", said on Sunday he would go to Addis Ababa to discuss a giant dam that Ethiopia has begun building in defiance of Cairo's objections. [Right, dude. Way to start negotiations from the get-go -- we won't give us a SINGLE DROP OF WATER.]Speaking to Egypt's state news agency MENA two days after the Ethiopian government flatly rejected a request [? request? More like a threat of war if construction was not halted] from Cairo to halt the project, Mohamed Kamel Amr said Egyptians view any obstacle to the river's flow as a threat to national survival.
"No Nile - no Egypt," he said, highlighting the pressure on the Egyptian government, whose popularity is wilting in the face of economic troubles, to prevent the hydro power plant cutting already stretched water supplies for its 84 million people. [How about reinstituting the birth control programs that were very popular under the former regime, you dildo heads?]
Last week, Ethiopia summoned the Egyptian ambassador after politicians in Cairo were shown on television suggesting military action or supporting Ethiopian rebels - a mark of the threat felt in Cairo from the plan to dam the Blue Nile, the tributary that supplies the bulk of water downstream in Egypt.
"Egypt won't give up on a single drop of water from the Nile or any part of what arrives into Egypt from this water in terms of quantity and quality," Amr told MENA, noting that Egypt has little rain and is effectively desert without its great river.
Speaking at a news conference, he declined to detail the action Egypt might take next but noted Ethiopian assurances that Africa's biggest hydro station would not cut water supplies.
"We have a plan for action, which will start soon," Amr said. "We'll talk to Ethiopia and we'll see what comes of it. Ethiopia has said it will not harm Egypt, not even by a liter of water. We are looking at ... this being implemented."
Countries that share the Nile have long argued over the use of its waters, repeatedly raising fears that the disputes could eventually boil over into war. Egypt, struggling with a shortage of cash and bitter internal political divisions following a 2011 revolution, called on Ethiopia to stop work after engineers began diverting the course of the Blue Nile late last month.
In Addis Ababa, a government spokesman called that request a "non-starter" and dismissed threats from Cairo of "sabotage" and "destabilization", saying attempts by Egypt under its previous military rulers to undermine Ethiopian leaders had failed.
The possible downstream effects of the $4.7-billion Grand Renaissance Dam, some 40 km (25 miles) from Ethiopia's border with Sudan, have been disputed and full details are unclear.
While letting water through such dams - of which Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia already have several - may not reduce its flow greatly, the filling of the reservoir behind any new dam means cutting the river's flow for a time. Evaporation from reservoirs can also permanently reduce water flowing downstream.
Now 21 percent complete, the new dam on the Blue Nile will eventually have capacity of 6,000 megawatts and is central to Ethiopia's plans to become Africa's leading exporter of power.
Sudan, which borders Egypt and Ethiopia and also gets much of its water from the Nile, said it supported the project. [Okay, so where was the Egyptian government when this dam project was on the drawing board, and before construction even began? Were there no consultations, no negotiations going on before hand -- I don't believe that for a second!]
"The Grand Renaissance Dam brings many benefits and blessings for us," Information Minister Ahmed Belal Osman told reporters in Khartoum.
He gave no details, but Sudanese officials have said the dam will enable Ethiopia to export power to Sudan, a country with frequent outages and one of its closest allies in Africa.
(Editing by Alastair Macdonald, Tom Pfeiffer and Kevin Liffey)
*************************************************************
P.S. Did I forget to mention that the Islamist government in Cairo probably wouldn't hesitate to start a war it cannot possibly win, if only to rally the populace behind it -- you know, life and death of our country and all that jazz. An obvious ploy to try and distract the populace from the increasingly deteriorating conditions going on around them around them. Hmmm, no bread, no problem. Hmmm, no free-spending average-Joe AMERICAN and ENGLISH tourists, no problem. Waiting in lines to fill up with adulterated gasoline, no problem. No garbage pick-up, no problem. No clean wate rto drink, no problem. No water to grow our crops -- whoa, now that's a problem... Hey yeah, Abdul, our government frigging sucks and can't see the pyramids for the mounds of garbage being piled up all around them in the desert, but they want us to go to war over our water rights. Okay, let's go, dude. Geez, where is the Hind of Hinds when we need her...
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Thoughts on the Resurrection of Tabitha
Hola darlings! It's Saturday, and I've been enjoying it despite the unseasonably cool, clammy weather. June 8th and it didn't get up to 70 today; night-time temperatures tonight will drop into the 40's once again. Sigh. And tomorrow, rain. More rain...
I visited Biblical Archaeologal Review's website this evening to see what's new and came across this very interesting article on the resurrection of Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, one of the few female disciples of Jesus Christ mentioned in the New Testament.
Tabitha in the Bible
A Disciple Known for Doing Good
DORCAS
At her death the disciples at Joppa prepared her for burial and, on learning that Peter was in Lydda, about 18 km (11 mi) SE of Joppa, sent for him. Undoubtedly they had heard about Peter’s healing the paralytic Aeneas there, and this may have given them a basis for reasoning that the apostle might resurrect Dorcas. On the other hand, they may have turned to Peter simply for consolation.—Ac 9:32-38.
Following a procedure similar to that used by Jesus in resurrecting Jairus’ daughter (Mr 5:38-41; Lu 8:51-55), Peter, after dismissing everyone from the upper chamber, prayed and then said: “Tabitha, rise!” Dorcas opened her eyes, sat up, and took Peter’s hand to rise. This is the first reported resurrection performed by an apostle, resulting in many becoming believers throughout Joppa.—Ac 9:39-42.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001214
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/s/r1/lp-e?q=Tabitha&p=par
I visited Biblical Archaeologal Review's website this evening to see what's new and came across this very interesting article on the resurrection of Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, one of the few female disciples of Jesus Christ mentioned in the New Testament.
Tabitha in the Bible
A Disciple Known for Doing Good
• 05/28/2013
The article by Dr. Branch is very interesting. I can't say I was familiar with the story of Tabitha a/k/a Dorcas, although I may have learned of it perhaps back in catechism classes many many moons ago! I highly recommended Branch's account of the resurrection and how excellently she gives a feel for the time and place surrounding the biblical account.
Here is summary of the resurrection account from another source:
(Dor′cas) [Gazelle].
A Christian woman in the Joppa congregation abounding in “good deeds and gifts of mercy,” evidently including the making of inner and outer garments for needy widows. (Ac 9:36, 39) “Dorcas” corresponds to the Aramaic “Tabitha,” both names meaning “Gazelle.” Possibly Dorcas was known by both names, as it was not uncommon then for Jews, especially those living in a seaport such as Joppa with its mixed population of Jews and Gentiles, to have a Hebrew name as well as a Greek or Latin name. Or, Luke may have translated the name for the benefit of Gentile readers.
A Christian woman in the Joppa congregation abounding in “good deeds and gifts of mercy,” evidently including the making of inner and outer garments for needy widows. (Ac 9:36, 39) “Dorcas” corresponds to the Aramaic “Tabitha,” both names meaning “Gazelle.” Possibly Dorcas was known by both names, as it was not uncommon then for Jews, especially those living in a seaport such as Joppa with its mixed population of Jews and Gentiles, to have a Hebrew name as well as a Greek or Latin name. Or, Luke may have translated the name for the benefit of Gentile readers.
Dorcas is the only woman mentioned in the Scriptures as having the feminine form of the word “disciple” applied to her. This, however, does not mean that she held a special position in the congregation, for all Christians were actually disciples of Jesus Christ. (Mt 28:19, 20) Though her death in 36 C.E. caused much weeping among the widows who had apparently benefited greatly from her kindnesses, the fact that no mention is made of sorrow on the part of a husband suggests that Dorcas was unmarried at the time.
At her death the disciples at Joppa prepared her for burial and, on learning that Peter was in Lydda, about 18 km (11 mi) SE of Joppa, sent for him. Undoubtedly they had heard about Peter’s healing the paralytic Aeneas there, and this may have given them a basis for reasoning that the apostle might resurrect Dorcas. On the other hand, they may have turned to Peter simply for consolation.—Ac 9:32-38.
Following a procedure similar to that used by Jesus in resurrecting Jairus’ daughter (Mr 5:38-41; Lu 8:51-55), Peter, after dismissing everyone from the upper chamber, prayed and then said: “Tabitha, rise!” Dorcas opened her eyes, sat up, and took Peter’s hand to rise. This is the first reported resurrection performed by an apostle, resulting in many becoming believers throughout Joppa.—Ac 9:39-42.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001214
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/s/r1/lp-e?q=Tabitha&p=par
After reading Dr. Branch's article I immediately turned to Babara G. Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, but did not find anything in it about Tabitha, Dorcas or "gazelle." The first "Tabitha" who came to mind was from the popular old t.v. show "Bewitched," LOL! Sort of the antithesis of the idea of the saintly biblical Tabitha, heh?
I also recalled that the traditional and yet quite extraordinary female warriors of the Pesians and Arabs, "The Hind of Hinds," were named after a gazelle. Isn't it interesting that Islam, a religion that today so denigrates females and relegates them to lives spent permanently covered up head to foot in chadors and such should, in its early history, feature such striking warrior women! I've written plenty about the Hind of Hinds:
Thursday, February 28, 2008 The Hind of
Hinds
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008The
Hind of Hinds - Continued
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Sunday, August 7, 2011
I snipped these interesting bits of information about the semitic fondness for gazelles in a 1923 book during a google search "Studies in Biblical and Semitic Symbolism" by Maurice H. Farbridge. This first snip is from page 70:
This second snip is from page 71:
The footnote on page 71: 1. Rel. of the Semites, p. 444.
Irish Monks' Annals of Weather Changes Confirmed by Modern Research
This is just fascinating! From BBC News.
June 6, 2013
Ancient Irish texts show volcanic link to cold weather
June 6, 2013
Ancient Irish texts show volcanic link to cold weather
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Chess Program at I.S. 318 Brooklyn Could Be Shut Down
Read it and weep! This just breaks my heart. How short sighted can our politicians possibly be? OHMYGODDESS, please help us. Please help the kids at I.S. 318 and the other schools whose students benefit so greatly from the chess programs!
Parents and teachers at Intermediate School 318 in Williamsburg have been struggling to raise enough money to keep the program afloat for the last five years.
Without the much-needed funding, the team couldn’t train after-school or attend local tournaments — virtually killing the famed program which took national titles last year in junior high school and high school divisions.
“It would be like a football team that can’t hold practice before the big game on Sunday,” said assistant principal John Galvin. “To achieve the same level of success would be nearly impossible.”
The program has been so successful, Hollywood hotshot producer Scott Rudin purchased the rights from Katie Dellamaggiore, who created the 2012 documentary “Brooklyn Castle” about the team.
The chess program costs $60,000 to run — which includes classes after-school and travel to local tournaments on the weekends — according to Galvin.
The city kicks in $20,000 as part of the afterschool funding.
Faculty and the chess masters have been working overtime to raise the rest of the money by selling candy, running bake sales and appealing to private donors.
But Galvin said if they needed to raise an extra $20,000 to cover what the city kicks in, it would be a death blow.
“This is the best chess program in the U.S. I don’t even know how we would break the news to the kids,” said Galvin.
So far, city officials and members of the city council are trying to hammer out a budget which is due by June 30. The current budget on the table calls for $130 million to be cut from child care and after-school programs.
Teachers and students at the school said they’d be crushed if the program was axed.
“I love the chess program. It’s more than just a game,” said sixth grader Lennin Antunish, 12. I’ve played it all my life. I would be pretty devastated if it gets cut.”
Chess teacher Elizabeth Spiegel said the pressure to raise money is constant.
“It’s a terrible thing,” said Spiegel “It’s hard to have a program when you don’t know year to year if it’s going to exist.”
But IS 318’s chess program isn’t the only one on the chopping block. Advocates estimate 47,000 children will lose out on childcare and after-school programs if the cuts go through.
Looming city budget cuts leave famed Williamsburg middle school chess team on the choping block
The team from I.S. 318 in Brooklyn currently receives $20,000 from the city, money that could go away if the proposed budget, which calls for $130 million to be cut from child care and after-school programs is passed by the city council
By Mark Morales / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, June 6, 2013, 8:08 PM
It could be checkmate for Brooklyn’s chess darlings if city officials cut funding for afterschool programs.Parents and teachers at Intermediate School 318 in Williamsburg have been struggling to raise enough money to keep the program afloat for the last five years.
Without the much-needed funding, the team couldn’t train after-school or attend local tournaments — virtually killing the famed program which took national titles last year in junior high school and high school divisions.
“It would be like a football team that can’t hold practice before the big game on Sunday,” said assistant principal John Galvin. “To achieve the same level of success would be nearly impossible.”
The program has been so successful, Hollywood hotshot producer Scott Rudin purchased the rights from Katie Dellamaggiore, who created the 2012 documentary “Brooklyn Castle” about the team.
The chess program costs $60,000 to run — which includes classes after-school and travel to local tournaments on the weekends — according to Galvin.
The city kicks in $20,000 as part of the afterschool funding.
Faculty and the chess masters have been working overtime to raise the rest of the money by selling candy, running bake sales and appealing to private donors.
But Galvin said if they needed to raise an extra $20,000 to cover what the city kicks in, it would be a death blow.
“This is the best chess program in the U.S. I don’t even know how we would break the news to the kids,” said Galvin.
So far, city officials and members of the city council are trying to hammer out a budget which is due by June 30. The current budget on the table calls for $130 million to be cut from child care and after-school programs.
Teachers and students at the school said they’d be crushed if the program was axed.
“I love the chess program. It’s more than just a game,” said sixth grader Lennin Antunish, 12. I’ve played it all my life. I would be pretty devastated if it gets cut.”
Chess teacher Elizabeth Spiegel said the pressure to raise money is constant.
“It’s a terrible thing,” said Spiegel “It’s hard to have a program when you don’t know year to year if it’s going to exist.”
But IS 318’s chess program isn’t the only one on the chopping block. Advocates estimate 47,000 children will lose out on childcare and after-school programs if the cuts go through.
New Evidence for Viking Presence in North America
From Live Science.
The journey would have taken the Vikings, also called the Norse, from L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of the same island to a densely populated part of Newfoundland and may have led to the first contact between Europeans and the indigenous people of the New World.
"This area of Notre Dame Bay was as good a candidate as any for that first contact between the Old World and the New World, and that's kind of an exciting thing," said Kevin Smith, deputy director and chief curator of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University.
Evidence of the voyage was discovered by a combination of archaeological excavation and chemical analysis of two jasper artifacts that the Norse used to light fires. The analysis, presented at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Honolulu, suggests the jasper used in the artifacts came from the area of Notre Dame Bay.
The jasper artifacts were found L'Anse aux Meadows and the Norse explorers likely set out from that outpost. They would've headed due south, travelling some 143 miles (230 kilometers) to Notre Dame Bay. When they reached their destination Norse would have set foot in an area of Newfoundland that modern-day researchers know was well inhabited.
"This area of Notre Dame Bay [is] archaeologically the area of densest settlement on Newfoundland, at that time, of indigenous people, the ancestors of the Beothuk," a people who, at the time, lived as hunter-gatherers, Smith told LiveScience.
Aside from likely encountering the ancestral Beothuk, the Norse would probably have been impressed by the landscape itself. The coastline had fjords, inlets and offshore islands, with lots of forests. Birds, sea mammals and fish also would have been plentiful.
"For anyone coming from the nearly treeless islands of the North Atlantic, this would have potentially been a very interesting zone," Smith said. "There are a lot of trees; there's a lot of opportunities for cutting things down; it's a bit warmer; it's an interesting mix of resources," Smith said.
For any Norse voyagers who had been to Norway, it would have been familiar. It still would have made an impression though, since the lands the Norse had occupied in their journey across the North Atlantic tended to be more barren.
Researchers don't know the specifics about the contact between the Norse and the ancestral Beothuk on this voyage, presuming it actually happened. It could have been a peaceful encounter, although the Norse sagas also tell of hostile meetings with people in the New World. Also, while the possible meeting likely would have been one of the earliest Old World-New World encounters, researchers don't know if it was the very first.
Norse matches
The two jasper artifacts were key pieces of evidence that helped the researchers unravel the existence of the voyage.
The larger, and more recently excavated of the two, was found in 2008, only 33 feet (10 meters) away from an ancient Norse hall. The discovery was made by Priscilla Renouf, a professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland, and Todd Kristensen, who is now a graduate student at the University of Alberta.
"You can think of these almost as the matches of the Vikings," Smith said. The Norse would have struck them against a steel fire starter to make sparks to start a fire, he explained. As time passed, and after being struck against steel repeatedly, the jasper fire starters wore down and were thrown out.
The chemical composition of jasper varies depending on where it was obtained. To figure out where the larger jasper fire starter came from, Smith, Thomas Urban of Oxford University, and Susan Herringer of Brown University's Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World looked for the outcrops in the New (or Old) World chemically matched it. They compared the fire starter with geological samples using a handheld X-ray florescence device that can detect the chemical signature of jasper.
The results suggested the jasper originated from the area of Notre Dame Bay, somewhere along a 44-mile-long (71 km) stretch of the coast. The closest chemical match was to a geological sample from modern-day Fortune Harbor.
The second, smaller jasper piece was unearthed in the 1960s in excavations carried out by Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad, who discovered L'Anse aux Meadows. Different tests run on this piece suggested in 1999 that it also came from the Notre Dame Bay area. At the time Smith couldn’t prove it was used as a fire starter, but now believes it likely is.
Exploring the New World
Ever since the discovery of L'Anse aux Meadows nearly 50 years ago, archaeologists and historians have been trying to uncover the story of Norse exploration in the New World.
Previous research has revealed the presence of butternut seeds at L'Anse aux Meadows, indicating the Norse made a trip to the Gulf of St. Lawrence or possibly even a bit beyond. Additionally, Norse artifacts (and possibly a structure) have been discovered in the Canadian Arctic, indicating a trading relationship with the indigenous people there that might have lasted for centuries.
However, the Norse exploration outpost at L'Anse aux Meadows was in operation for no more than 10 to 25 years, archaeological evidence suggests. In fact, according to medieval Norse stories, the outpost may have been in use for just two to three years, and perhaps only seasonally, before being abandoned.
The new research, Smith said, has demonstrated there is still much to learn about Norse exploration in the New World.
"It's provocative," he said. "It's interesting to think about where this goes."
New North America Viking Voyage Discovered
Owen Jarus, LiveScience Contributor
Date: 05 June 2013 Time: 02:19 PM ET
Some 1,000 years ago, the Vikings set off on a voyage to Notre Dame Bay in modern-day Newfoundland, Canada, new evidence suggests.
The journey would have taken the Vikings, also called the Norse, from L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of the same island to a densely populated part of Newfoundland and may have led to the first contact between Europeans and the indigenous people of the New World.
"This area of Notre Dame Bay was as good a candidate as any for that first contact between the Old World and the New World, and that's kind of an exciting thing," said Kevin Smith, deputy director and chief curator of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University.
Evidence of the voyage was discovered by a combination of archaeological excavation and chemical analysis of two jasper artifacts that the Norse used to light fires. The analysis, presented at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Honolulu, suggests the jasper used in the artifacts came from the area of Notre Dame Bay.
The jasper artifacts were found L'Anse aux Meadows and the Norse explorers likely set out from that outpost. They would've headed due south, travelling some 143 miles (230 kilometers) to Notre Dame Bay. When they reached their destination Norse would have set foot in an area of Newfoundland that modern-day researchers know was well inhabited.
"This area of Notre Dame Bay [is] archaeologically the area of densest settlement on Newfoundland, at that time, of indigenous people, the ancestors of the Beothuk," a people who, at the time, lived as hunter-gatherers, Smith told LiveScience.
Aside from likely encountering the ancestral Beothuk, the Norse would probably have been impressed by the landscape itself. The coastline had fjords, inlets and offshore islands, with lots of forests. Birds, sea mammals and fish also would have been plentiful.
"For anyone coming from the nearly treeless islands of the North Atlantic, this would have potentially been a very interesting zone," Smith said. "There are a lot of trees; there's a lot of opportunities for cutting things down; it's a bit warmer; it's an interesting mix of resources," Smith said.
For any Norse voyagers who had been to Norway, it would have been familiar. It still would have made an impression though, since the lands the Norse had occupied in their journey across the North Atlantic tended to be more barren.
Researchers don't know the specifics about the contact between the Norse and the ancestral Beothuk on this voyage, presuming it actually happened. It could have been a peaceful encounter, although the Norse sagas also tell of hostile meetings with people in the New World. Also, while the possible meeting likely would have been one of the earliest Old World-New World encounters, researchers don't know if it was the very first.
Norse matches
The two jasper artifacts were key pieces of evidence that helped the researchers unravel the existence of the voyage.
The larger, and more recently excavated of the two, was found in 2008, only 33 feet (10 meters) away from an ancient Norse hall. The discovery was made by Priscilla Renouf, a professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland, and Todd Kristensen, who is now a graduate student at the University of Alberta.
"You can think of these almost as the matches of the Vikings," Smith said. The Norse would have struck them against a steel fire starter to make sparks to start a fire, he explained. As time passed, and after being struck against steel repeatedly, the jasper fire starters wore down and were thrown out.
The chemical composition of jasper varies depending on where it was obtained. To figure out where the larger jasper fire starter came from, Smith, Thomas Urban of Oxford University, and Susan Herringer of Brown University's Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World looked for the outcrops in the New (or Old) World chemically matched it. They compared the fire starter with geological samples using a handheld X-ray florescence device that can detect the chemical signature of jasper.
The results suggested the jasper originated from the area of Notre Dame Bay, somewhere along a 44-mile-long (71 km) stretch of the coast. The closest chemical match was to a geological sample from modern-day Fortune Harbor.
The second, smaller jasper piece was unearthed in the 1960s in excavations carried out by Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad, who discovered L'Anse aux Meadows. Different tests run on this piece suggested in 1999 that it also came from the Notre Dame Bay area. At the time Smith couldn’t prove it was used as a fire starter, but now believes it likely is.
Exploring the New World
Ever since the discovery of L'Anse aux Meadows nearly 50 years ago, archaeologists and historians have been trying to uncover the story of Norse exploration in the New World.
Previous research has revealed the presence of butternut seeds at L'Anse aux Meadows, indicating the Norse made a trip to the Gulf of St. Lawrence or possibly even a bit beyond. Additionally, Norse artifacts (and possibly a structure) have been discovered in the Canadian Arctic, indicating a trading relationship with the indigenous people there that might have lasted for centuries.
However, the Norse exploration outpost at L'Anse aux Meadows was in operation for no more than 10 to 25 years, archaeological evidence suggests. In fact, according to medieval Norse stories, the outpost may have been in use for just two to three years, and perhaps only seasonally, before being abandoned.
The new research, Smith said, has demonstrated there is still much to learn about Norse exploration in the New World.
"It's provocative," he said. "It's interesting to think about where this goes."
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Treasure Trove! Backworth Hoard on Display
Absolutely incredible. To think these beautiful pieces had survived 1800 years buried in the ground!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The Backworth Hoard, a stash of exquisite Roman treasure buried on Tyneside 1,900 years ago, has gone on display in the North East for the very first time.
The collection is on loan from the British Museum and can be seen at Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend between May 24 and September 15.
The hoard was found in 1812 and is a personal collection of jewellery and precious ornaments, buried on the Roman-Barbarian frontier by a mysterious, wealthy owner.
Geoff Woodward, Manager of North Tyneside Museums at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums said: "It's very exciting that these beautiful precious objects are going to be returning to the area where they were buried nearly 1,900 years ago.
"They are high status objects that demonstrate the wealth and power of an individual living at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall.
"The circumstances of their burial give us a connection, albeit shrouded in mystery, with that individual and a glimpse into the murky overlap of cultures on this key frontier of the Roman Empire.
"We're delighted to have been able to work in partnership with the British Museum to create this fascinating exhibition."
Dr Ralph Jackson, Senior Keeper of Romano-British Collections at the British Museum, said: "The Backworth Hoard, purchased by the British Museum in 1850, was one of the first acquisitions made specifically to build up the National Collections and exhibit British antiquities.
"As a probable temple treasure, dedicated to the shadowy Mother-Goddesses, it is not only of great rarity but also enigmatic, beautiful and fascinating.
"The Treasure is still a key part of the British Museum's Roman Britain display, and we are extremely pleased to collaborate with our partners at Segedunum Roman Fort to display it temporarily for the benefit of those living in the region where it was buried so long ago."
The Backworth Hoard is of national significance, and features gold and silver artefacts such as a silver pan, spoons and gilded silver brooches that were believed to be treasure deposits from a pagan shrine.
It forms the centrepiece of an exhibition that examines the complex relationship between the Romans and their environment, the native people and the indigenous deities of northern Britain.
The Backworth Hoard: Roman Treasure On Display In North East For The First Time
By Ruth Holliday Location: WallsendWednesday, May 29, 2013
The Backworth Hoard, a stash of exquisite Roman treasure buried on Tyneside 1,900 years ago, has gone on display in the North East for the very first time.
The collection is on loan from the British Museum and can be seen at Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend between May 24 and September 15.
The hoard was found in 1812 and is a personal collection of jewellery and precious ornaments, buried on the Roman-Barbarian frontier by a mysterious, wealthy owner.
Geoff Woodward, Manager of North Tyneside Museums at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums said: "It's very exciting that these beautiful precious objects are going to be returning to the area where they were buried nearly 1,900 years ago.
"They are high status objects that demonstrate the wealth and power of an individual living at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall.
"The circumstances of their burial give us a connection, albeit shrouded in mystery, with that individual and a glimpse into the murky overlap of cultures on this key frontier of the Roman Empire.
"We're delighted to have been able to work in partnership with the British Museum to create this fascinating exhibition."
Dr Ralph Jackson, Senior Keeper of Romano-British Collections at the British Museum, said: "The Backworth Hoard, purchased by the British Museum in 1850, was one of the first acquisitions made specifically to build up the National Collections and exhibit British antiquities.
"As a probable temple treasure, dedicated to the shadowy Mother-Goddesses, it is not only of great rarity but also enigmatic, beautiful and fascinating.
"The Treasure is still a key part of the British Museum's Roman Britain display, and we are extremely pleased to collaborate with our partners at Segedunum Roman Fort to display it temporarily for the benefit of those living in the region where it was buried so long ago."
The Backworth Hoard is of national significance, and features gold and silver artefacts such as a silver pan, spoons and gilded silver brooches that were believed to be treasure deposits from a pagan shrine.
It forms the centrepiece of an exhibition that examines the complex relationship between the Romans and their environment, the native people and the indigenous deities of northern Britain.
Monday, June 3, 2013
2013 Madison Spring Championship
Took place June 1 - 2, 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin. GM Josh Friedel was the TD.
Top ranked player was GM Aleksandr Lenderman (I have a soft spot for him) and many of Wisconsin's best players came out to play in the Open section. Lenderman took clear first, finishing with with a perfect 5.0/5.
Anumpama Rajendra
12 | ANUPAMA SHASHIKALA RAJENDRA |3.5 |W 36|L 5|W 23|W 14|D 7|
WI | 14061227 / R: 1849 ->1891 | | | | | | |
finished in a tie with several other players with 3.5/5, but on the table I'm looking at she's in 12th place overall out of 48 players. Not bad! She played against the following:
Top ranked player was GM Aleksandr Lenderman (I have a soft spot for him) and many of Wisconsin's best players came out to play in the Open section. Lenderman took clear first, finishing with with a perfect 5.0/5.
Anumpama Rajendra
12 | ANUPAMA SHASHIKALA RAJENDRA |3.5 |W 36|L 5|W 23|W 14|D 7|
WI | 14061227 / R: 1849 ->1891 | | | | | | |
finished in a tie with several other players with 3.5/5, but on the table I'm looking at she's in 12th place overall out of 48 players. Not bad! She played against the following:
| Result | Score | Pre Rtg. | Post Rtg. | Opponent | |
| W 36 | 2.0 | R: 1362 | 1401 | KENNETH R RASMUSSEN (12533630) | |
| L 5 | 3.5 | R: 2129 | 2134 | ALLEN J BECKER (10481783) | |
| W 23 | 2.5 | R: 1680 | 1693 | ROBIN J GROCHOWSKI (11164412) | |
| W 14 | 3.0 | R: 1926 | 1902 | WADE CHRISTENSEN (12439617) | |
| D 7 | 3.5 | R: 2075 | 2081 | AKSHAY INDUSEKAR (14640961) |
The All Egypt Edition
Hola darlings!
Egyptian antiquities have been in the news quite a bit recently. Here is a quick review. Click on a particular link to read more:
Interview with Hawi Zahass at The Smithsonian Online. I read it through, but not thoroughly. Well worth the read - lots of fascinating information in it!
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Zahi Hawass
By Joshua Hammer
Smithsonian magazine, June 2013
You all have probably heard about this right now, but Explorator conveniently compiled related links regarding the discovery of, reporting on, apology for, attempted (but failed) restoration and, so they now claim, a successful removal of the grafiti. Yeah, like I believe the pathetic schmucks running ANYTHING in Egypt right now? NOT!
A Chinese tourist defaced an image of Alexander the Great in a temple
in Luxor:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/72467/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Chines\
e-tourist-scribbles-name-on-ancient-Luxor-Te.aspx
http://tv.ibtimes.com/officials-forced-restore-egyptian-relic-after-teen-graffit\
is-name-11337
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/05/ding_jinhao_d\
efaced_the_luxor_temple_writing_graffiti_on_egyptian_pyramids.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/travel/china-egypt/?sr=google_news&google_edit\
ors_picks=true
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22677980
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331613/China-disgraced-tourist-vandal-e\
ngraved-Ding-Jihao-hieroglyphics-Egyptian-temple.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaig\
n=1490
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/785075.shtml#.Uajyqdj4JVU
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=62890#.Uaj5n9j4JVU
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0601-saturday-egypt-graffiti-2\
0130601,0,4764462.story
… and his parents later apologized :
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/05/27/ding_jinhao_chinese_parents_ap\
ologize_for_teen_s_egypt_graffiti.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content
http://www.newsdaily.com/article/c86c1303cdc6281f3ae2c1e08b4ce61d/nile-relic-van\
dal-hunted-down-in-china
… and there was a followup piece on graffiti on Egyptian monuments:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/05/ding_jinhao_d\
efaced_the_luxor_temple_writing_graffiti_on_egyptian_pyramids.html
A sensationalistic article (one of a great deal of coverage on the discovery) about the first evidence of child abuse in ancient Egypt -- from an oasis late in the empire that was basically overrun by Romans and was "Christian." Frankly, I'm skeptical that the child was actually Egyptian:
Lots of news about the well-noted decline in tourism in Egypt since the Muslim Brotherhood took the government over. Well, what the hell did they expect! Unemployed thugs and the desperate who do not realize or do not care just how much damage they are doing to their country are out in the streets daily, maybe some of them paid by the struggling government and the rest are just - you know - stupid, protesting and shouting ceaselessly "DEATH TO AMERICA." Even CNN doesn't report on these schmucks any more, everyone rolls their eyes and spends their money elsewhere. Free-spending, big-spending American tourists are avoiding Egypt en masse these days. Does the Brotherhood really think Chinese tourists will make up the shortfall? LOL!
Egypt's tourism still in decline after uprising
Sarah Lynch, Special for USA TODAY
12:17 a.m. EDT April 4, 2013
Tourism in Egypt: Hope amid a slow recovery
Wondering if anyone else found this as hysterically funny as I did, LOL!
'It's just business' says minister on phobia of Iranian tourists in Egypt
Dalia Farouk and Ahram Online , Saturday 1 Jun 2013
And if anyone really believes the government that the tourist traps along the Red Sea will still be welcoming Europeans and others with open arms, and bikinis will not be banned and booze will continue to be served - just wait until they read this article. And the authorities are writing this off to an "inexperienced" security officer. Hmmmmm....
Al-Arabiya,
Egyptian antiquities have been in the news quite a bit recently. Here is a quick review. Click on a particular link to read more:
Interview with Hawi Zahass at The Smithsonian Online. I read it through, but not thoroughly. Well worth the read - lots of fascinating information in it!
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Zahi Hawass
You all have probably heard about this right now, but Explorator conveniently compiled related links regarding the discovery of, reporting on, apology for, attempted (but failed) restoration and, so they now claim, a successful removal of the grafiti. Yeah, like I believe the pathetic schmucks running ANYTHING in Egypt right now? NOT!
A Chinese tourist defaced an image of Alexander the Great in a temple
in Luxor:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/72467/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Chines\
e-tourist-scribbles-name-on-ancient-Luxor-Te.aspx
http://tv.ibtimes.com/officials-forced-restore-egyptian-relic-after-teen-graffit\
is-name-11337
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/05/ding_jinhao_d\
efaced_the_luxor_temple_writing_graffiti_on_egyptian_pyramids.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/27/travel/china-egypt/?sr=google_news&google_edit\
ors_picks=true
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22677980
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331613/China-disgraced-tourist-vandal-e\
ngraved-Ding-Jihao-hieroglyphics-Egyptian-temple.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaig\
n=1490
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/785075.shtml#.Uajyqdj4JVU
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=62890#.Uaj5n9j4JVU
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0601-saturday-egypt-graffiti-2\
0130601,0,4764462.story
… and his parents later apologized :
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/05/27/ding_jinhao_chinese_parents_ap\
ologize_for_teen_s_egypt_graffiti.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content
http://www.newsdaily.com/article/c86c1303cdc6281f3ae2c1e08b4ce61d/nile-relic-van\
dal-hunted-down-in-china
… and there was a followup piece on graffiti on Egyptian monuments:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2013/05/ding_jinhao_d\
efaced_the_luxor_temple_writing_graffiti_on_egyptian_pyramids.html
A sensationalistic article (one of a great deal of coverage on the discovery) about the first evidence of child abuse in ancient Egypt -- from an oasis late in the empire that was basically overrun by Romans and was "Christian." Frankly, I'm skeptical that the child was actually Egyptian:
Earliest Case of Child Abuse Discovered in Egyptian Cemetery
Joseph Castro, LiveScience Contributor
Date: 28 May 2013 Time: 08:24 AM ET
Lots of news about the well-noted decline in tourism in Egypt since the Muslim Brotherhood took the government over. Well, what the hell did they expect! Unemployed thugs and the desperate who do not realize or do not care just how much damage they are doing to their country are out in the streets daily, maybe some of them paid by the struggling government and the rest are just - you know - stupid, protesting and shouting ceaselessly "DEATH TO AMERICA." Even CNN doesn't report on these schmucks any more, everyone rolls their eyes and spends their money elsewhere. Free-spending, big-spending American tourists are avoiding Egypt en masse these days. Does the Brotherhood really think Chinese tourists will make up the shortfall? LOL!
Egypt's tourism still in decline after uprising
Sarah Lynch, Special for USA TODAY
12:17 a.m. EDT April 4, 2013
Tourism in Egypt: Hope amid a slow recovery
By Orlando Crowcroft, for CNN
updated 7:19 AM EDT, Thu May 23, 2013
Wondering if anyone else found this as hysterically funny as I did, LOL!
'It's just business' says minister on phobia of Iranian tourists in Egypt
Dalia Farouk and Ahram Online , Saturday 1 Jun 2013
And if anyone really believes the government that the tourist traps along the Red Sea will still be welcoming Europeans and others with open arms, and bikinis will not be banned and booze will continue to be served - just wait until they read this article. And the authorities are writing this off to an "inexperienced" security officer. Hmmmmm....
Al-Arabiya,
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Hooray, Gata Kamsky!
There'a a dude's Grand Prix going on right now in Thessoliniki, Greece. I don't normally follow male-only events, but since recently crowned U.S. Chess Champion GM Gata Kamsky is in first place by half a point with one more game to go, I felt it incumbent upon me to give a nod in his direction, one fellow law degree holder to another :)
According to Mark Crowther at The Week in Chess (I used to spoof it as The Weak in Chess at the old International Chessoid):
Gata Kamsky was not forced to work very hard at all for yet another win in the FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki, this time in the 10th round against Alexander Morozevich. Kamsky turned 39 today although he was trying not to make very much of it. For Morozevich this was his fourth loss in a row. He arrived at the board hidden under a baseball cap and played a rather rare variation which he used over a decade ago against Peter Leko. Already 17...Nxb2 loses to a long line in which Kamsky missed a key point at the end: 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Rxc2 20. Rxe7 Rxe7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Qxf6! Re1+ 23. Rxe1 Qxf6 24. Re8# but his 18.Bb3 left him with an easy position to play and after 18...Bd8? (20...Ne5 had to be tried) 19.Nxg7 Morozevich could have resigned. Morozevich just needs the event to end now. Kamsky leads by half a point going into the final round and a draw in the final round against Caruana should take him back into the top 10 in the world.
Imagine, THE USA HAVING TWO CHESSPLAYERS IN THE WORLD TOP 10. Holy Hathor! When was the last time that happened?
BTW, Happy Birthday to GM Kamsky. Thirty-nine was a very good year for moi, and I hope it will be for him, too :)))
According to Mark Crowther at The Week in Chess (I used to spoof it as The Weak in Chess at the old International Chessoid):
Gata Kamsky was not forced to work very hard at all for yet another win in the FIDE Grand Prix in Thessaloniki, this time in the 10th round against Alexander Morozevich. Kamsky turned 39 today although he was trying not to make very much of it. For Morozevich this was his fourth loss in a row. He arrived at the board hidden under a baseball cap and played a rather rare variation which he used over a decade ago against Peter Leko. Already 17...Nxb2 loses to a long line in which Kamsky missed a key point at the end: 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Rxc2 20. Rxe7 Rxe7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Qxf6! Re1+ 23. Rxe1 Qxf6 24. Re8# but his 18.Bb3 left him with an easy position to play and after 18...Bd8? (20...Ne5 had to be tried) 19.Nxg7 Morozevich could have resigned. Morozevich just needs the event to end now. Kamsky leads by half a point going into the final round and a draw in the final round against Caruana should take him back into the top 10 in the world.
Imagine, THE USA HAVING TWO CHESSPLAYERS IN THE WORLD TOP 10. Holy Hathor! When was the last time that happened?
BTW, Happy Birthday to GM Kamsky. Thirty-nine was a very good year for moi, and I hope it will be for him, too :)))
| Makedonia Palace FIDE GP Thessaloniki GRE (GRE), 22 v-4 vi 2013 | cat. XXI (2753) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 1. | Kamsky, Gata | g | USA | 2741 | * | 1 | . | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 7½ | 2945 | |||||||
| 2. | Dominguez Perez, Leinier | g | CUB | 2723 | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | . | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2900 | |||||||
| 3. | Caruana, Fabiano | g | ITA | 2774 | . | 0 | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 6½ | 2862 | |||||||
| 4. | Grischuk, Alexander | g | RUS | 2779 | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | . | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 5½ | 2791 | |||||||
| 5. | Ponomariov, Ruslan | g | UKR | 2742 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | . | 1 | 5½ | 2789 | |||||||
| 6. | Kasimdzhanov, Rustam | g | UZB | 2699 | 0 | 0 | ½ | . | 1 | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 5 | 2755 | |||||||
| 7. | Svidler, Peter | g | RUS | 2769 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | 1 | . | 0 | 1 | 4½ | 2713 | |||||||
| 8. | Topalov, Veselin | g | BUL | 2793 | ½ | . | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4½ | 2715 | |||||||
| 9. | Bacrot, Etienne | g | FRA | 2725 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | * | ½ | ½ | . | 4 | 2683 | |||||||
| 10. | Nakamura, Hikaru | g | USA | 2775 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | . | 1 | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 4 | 2677 | |||||||
| 11. | Morozevich, Alexander | g | RUS | 2760 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | . | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | 3½ | 2643 | |||||||
| 12. | Ivanchuk, Vassily | g | UKR | 2755 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | . | ½ | ½ | * | 2½ | 2562 | |||||||
Shaman 'Rainmaking' Center Discovered in South Africa
From Live Science via Yahoo News
By Owen Jarus, LiveScience Contributor | LiveScience.com – Fri, May 31, 2013
A towering "rain control" site, where shamans would have asked the gods to open up the skies centuries ago, has been discovered in South Africa.
Located in a semiarid area of the country, near Botswana and Zimbabwe, the site of Ratho Kroonkop (RKK) sits atop a 1,000-foot-tall (300 meters) hill and contains two naturally formed "rock tanks." These tanks are depressions in the rock created when water weakens the underlying sandstone. When the scientists excavated one of them, they found over 30,000 animal specimens, including the remains of rhinoceros, zebra and even giraffe.
The shamans, or religious leaders, would have ascended to the top of Ratho Kroonkop through natural tunnels (fissures) in the rock. When they reached the top of the hill, they would have lit a fire to burn the animal remains as part of their rainmaking rituals.
Access to the rain-control site would have been strictly controlled.
"The shaman or ritual specialist was usually the only one directly involved with the actual doing of the rituals. It would have been strictly forbidden for normal folks to go near the site," Brunton wrote in her email. The site "was placed away from society because it was seen as very dangerous or 'hot,' and any interference would cause the gods to be angry."
The team's findings were reported in Issue one of the 2013 volume of the journal Azania.
Fat power
Brunton and her colleagues used ethnographic studies to determine the importance of the different animals at Ratho Kroonkop for rainmaking.
Some of the animals, the team found, were sacrificed for their fat. "Many San believed (and believe) that fat contained a high concentration of supernatural potency," the researchers wrote in the Azania paper.
For instance, the rhinoceros remains the team found were mainly from the animal's lower extremities. "People were taking the lower parts of the rhinoceros, in the region of the leg and thighs. These parts of the animal contain a lot of fat and meat, which is linked to potency and power," wrote Brunton.
Other fatty creatures they found at the site include the rock hyrax, a bushpig and what might be the remains of an eland. "In San cosmology, the eland was the most potent animal; killing one would give the shaman immense power to ask the ancestors for rain," Brunton wrote in her email.
Exploration and dating
Maria Schoeman, Brunton's supervisor and co-author of the study, originally surveyed the area as part of her doctoral work. "We were originally interested in [Ratho Kroonkop] because we found rock art at the bottom of the hill and decided to investigate it further. We climbed up the hill, and that was when we found the mound of bones contained in the rock tank 2," Brunton wrote.
Dating the excavated rock tank has proven difficult, as it contains a termite mound, and the insects may have moved some of the smaller objects. It's also possible that Ratho Kroonkop was used as a rain-control site before the rock tank was in use.
Brunton said the history of the region, and the rock art at the site, may provide clues as to exactly how long the site was in use.
"The site was possibly used by hunter-gatherers for many years, as there is San rock art at the bottom of the hill. Over time, farmers came onto the landscape and knew that the site was sacred in San cosmology; they would hire the San shamans to control the rain, but also left their own marks on the site by painting their own sacred animals over the San art, adding power to their own animals," Brunton wrote, adding that farmers were in the area by A.D. 1000.
"The way I see it is that this site could have been used over many years, but this paper is a snapshot in time for one of many periods of occupation/use," Brunton wrote.
By Owen Jarus, LiveScience Contributor | LiveScience.com – Fri, May 31, 2013
A towering "rain control" site, where shamans would have asked the gods to open up the skies centuries ago, has been discovered in South Africa.
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| Photo credit. |
Located in a semiarid area of the country, near Botswana and Zimbabwe, the site of Ratho Kroonkop (RKK) sits atop a 1,000-foot-tall (300 meters) hill and contains two naturally formed "rock tanks." These tanks are depressions in the rock created when water weakens the underlying sandstone. When the scientists excavated one of them, they found over 30,000 animal specimens, including the remains of rhinoceros, zebra and even giraffe.
"What makes RKK special is that every piece of faunal material found at RKK can in some way be linked to rain control," researcher Simone Brunton, a doctoral candidate at the University of Cape Town, wrote in an email to LiveScience.
The shamans, or religious leaders, would have ascended to the top of Ratho Kroonkop through natural tunnels (fissures) in the rock. When they reached the top of the hill, they would have lit a fire to burn the animal remains as part of their rainmaking rituals.
The people who conducted these rituals were from the San, an indigenous group in southern Africa who lived as hunter-gatherers. "They were San rain controllers who were employed by the farmers to control the rain," Brunton explained. The farmers, in turn, depended on their chief to make sure this arrangement went smoothly and that they did, in fact, get rain.
Access to the rain-control site would have been strictly controlled.
"The shaman or ritual specialist was usually the only one directly involved with the actual doing of the rituals. It would have been strictly forbidden for normal folks to go near the site," Brunton wrote in her email. The site "was placed away from society because it was seen as very dangerous or 'hot,' and any interference would cause the gods to be angry."
The team's findings were reported in Issue one of the 2013 volume of the journal Azania.
Fat power
Brunton and her colleagues used ethnographic studies to determine the importance of the different animals at Ratho Kroonkop for rainmaking.
Some of the animals, the team found, were sacrificed for their fat. "Many San believed (and believe) that fat contained a high concentration of supernatural potency," the researchers wrote in the Azania paper.
For instance, the rhinoceros remains the team found were mainly from the animal's lower extremities. "People were taking the lower parts of the rhinoceros, in the region of the leg and thighs. These parts of the animal contain a lot of fat and meat, which is linked to potency and power," wrote Brunton.
Other fatty creatures they found at the site include the rock hyrax, a bushpig and what might be the remains of an eland. "In San cosmology, the eland was the most potent animal; killing one would give the shaman immense power to ask the ancestors for rain," Brunton wrote in her email.
Exploration and dating
Maria Schoeman, Brunton's supervisor and co-author of the study, originally surveyed the area as part of her doctoral work. "We were originally interested in [Ratho Kroonkop] because we found rock art at the bottom of the hill and decided to investigate it further. We climbed up the hill, and that was when we found the mound of bones contained in the rock tank 2," Brunton wrote.
Dating the excavated rock tank has proven difficult, as it contains a termite mound, and the insects may have moved some of the smaller objects. It's also possible that Ratho Kroonkop was used as a rain-control site before the rock tank was in use.
Brunton said the history of the region, and the rock art at the site, may provide clues as to exactly how long the site was in use.
"The site was possibly used by hunter-gatherers for many years, as there is San rock art at the bottom of the hill. Over time, farmers came onto the landscape and knew that the site was sacred in San cosmology; they would hire the San shamans to control the rain, but also left their own marks on the site by painting their own sacred animals over the San art, adding power to their own animals," Brunton wrote, adding that farmers were in the area by A.D. 1000.
"The way I see it is that this site could have been used over many years, but this paper is a snapshot in time for one of many periods of occupation/use," Brunton wrote.
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