Hola Darlings!
I'm still being lazy in this now seventh week of my retirement. I am doing things around the house -- the more than foot of snow that lingered for weeks because of the abnormally cold temperatures melted over the past week, thank Goddess! We had far above normal temperatures, the last of which was yesterday when we reached 71 degrees F!!! I worked outside raking up the left-overs of last autumn's leaves in the warm sunshine and worked up a sweat! Now the cold has returned with bitter winds out of the northwest, but I think the worst may be over for this season. I am planning a trip to sunny Las Vegas next month to get away from Milwaukee's chill and hopefully, when I return, the cold will be gone for six months!
I stumbled upon the Polish version of "The Voice" links. Poland! I do not understand a word that is being spoken other than the English words that Dorota Osinska sings in her version of the mega-smash-hit "Calling You" that was sung by Jevetta Steele and is the flag-ship song of the movie "Bagdad Cafe." Dorota sang the song with pure, raw emotion and an angelic voice. I cry every time I watch this video and here her sing. I think about Mr. Don and how much I miss him every day.
This is the video of Dorota's first appearance on Poland's "The Voice" and is over 7 minutes long -- it shows the judges in their chairs and their reactions as Dorota sings. The actual song itself is about 2.05 minutes so you can stop the video after her performance if you don't want to watch the rest. But watching the entire performance and the judges' reactions, even though not understanding a word they said, is well worthwhile:
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Hales Corners Chess Challenge XXI!
Hola darlings!
It's that time once again. The Hales Corners Chess Challenge XXI will be held NEXT MONTH, woo woo!
Geez, it seems like yesterday that Goddesschess first offered prize money to Southwest Chess Club's Hales Corners Chess Challenge VIII! That was thirteen Challenges ago. Since that first tentative reach-out to the Southwest Chess Club, Goddesschess has provided thousands of dollars in prize funds to the Challenges. How time flies.
This year's spring version of the HCCC will be held on April 18, 2015 at the Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, so mark your calendars and get ready for a great event! Synopsis below, you can find the flyer with registration online at the link provided at the end of the synopsis. Please come and participate in this great southeast Wisconsin/regional event that attracts some of the highest-rated players in the region. Personally, I have attended a few Challenges in the past and had a wonderful time at each one -- me, not even a patzer level chessplayer! If I can do it, darlings, you can, too.
It's that time once again. The Hales Corners Chess Challenge XXI will be held NEXT MONTH, woo woo!
Geez, it seems like yesterday that Goddesschess first offered prize money to Southwest Chess Club's Hales Corners Chess Challenge VIII! That was thirteen Challenges ago. Since that first tentative reach-out to the Southwest Chess Club, Goddesschess has provided thousands of dollars in prize funds to the Challenges. How time flies.
This year's spring version of the HCCC will be held on April 18, 2015 at the Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, so mark your calendars and get ready for a great event! Synopsis below, you can find the flyer with registration online at the link provided at the end of the synopsis. Please come and participate in this great southeast Wisconsin/regional event that attracts some of the highest-rated players in the region. Personally, I have attended a few Challenges in the past and had a wonderful time at each one -- me, not even a patzer level chessplayer! If I can do it, darlings, you can, too.
Chess Magnet School Junior Grand Prix!
TROPHIES PLUS GRAND PRIX POINTS: 10
4SS, G/60;d6. 2 Sections: Open & Reserve (under 1600). Olympia Resort Hotel, 1350 Royale Mile Rd., Oconomowoc, WI 53066; 1-800-558-9573 (mention Southwest Chess Club for $99 room rate). EF: $40-Open, $30-Reserve, both $5 more after 4/15. Comp EF for USCF 2200+. $$GTD: Open: 1st-$325, 2nd-$175, A-$100, B & Below-$75; Reserve: 1st-$100, 2nd-$75, D-$50, E & Below-$40. Goddesschess Prizes for Females in addition to above prizes, Open: $40 per win/$20 per draw; Reserve: $20 per win/$10 per draw. Reg.: 8:30-9:30. Rds.: 10-1-3:30-6. Entries to: Allen Becker, 2130 N. 85th St., Wauwatosa, WI 53226; allenbecker@wi.rr.com. Questions to TD: Robin Grochowski: 414-861-2745.
In addition to Goddesschess prizes for the chess femmes, which are awarded to them in addition to any other prizes for which they may qualify, the top female player in each section will receive a Goddesschess gift bag that I take great delight in putting together. The top female finisher in each section also receives paid entry to the next Hales Corners Chess Challenge courtesy of Goddesschess, if she wishes to participate.
We all take a great deal of pride in the fact that over time the Hales Corners Chess Challenges have produced an above-average turn-out of female chessplayers in a safe, family-friendly environment. We hope you will be able to join us on April 18th and check it out for yourself.
Another Horrific Rape In India -- Seventy Year Old Nun Gang Raped During Attack At Christian School
Yet another horrifying rape in India -- I just learned of this incident today while reading at The Daily Mail online. There is video footage of some of the suspects retrieved from a security camera that has been publicized, at least in London; one hopes that people are also seeing the video footage in India too, but who knows, and who knows if it might reach the villages where these sexual terrorists are bred and raised, generation after generation. I hope the authorities catch these sexual terrorists and that their penises are cut off and stuffed down their throats. That is the only fitting penalty for a rapist.
Mr Ghosh added: 'At least two of them were armed and the rest were carrying burglary tools. In the chapel, a holy scripture was found torn and a bust of Jesus was broken.'
Suspects pictured in hunt for men who gang-raped elderly Indian nun at convent
- Nun was trying to prevent six men from robbing the Christian school
- Gang believed to have gagged security guard before violent rampage
- CCTV footage released shows suspects leaving the school's staff room
- Five others have been detained for questioning, police said
- Latest in a series of violent gang-rapes that has shocked the country
Arnab Ghosh, a police superintendent, said: 'CCTV footage showed that six men, aged between 20 and 30, scaled the boundary wall around 11.40 pm and entered the school and disconnected the telephone lines.'
The robbers then tied up and gagged a security guard before entering the nuns' room, where they found the women sleeping, police said.
Mr Ghosh added: 'At least two of them were armed and the rest were carrying burglary tools. In the chapel, a holy scripture was found torn and a bust of Jesus was broken.'
The nun is recovering in hospital in Ranaghat.
Furious residents took to the streets yesterday, shouting slogans demanding action and blocking off the main highway.
Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal Chief Minister, also tweeted her condemnation of what she called a 'horrific attack', promising 'swift, strong action'.
Archbishop Thomas D'Souza has appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony in the area.
He said: 'In our Sunday Mass, we prayed for the sister to recover quickly from trauma, fear and her physical injuries. We will pray for her again this evening.
'They not only committed a heinous crime, but they also vandalized the chapel. This is the first time such an attack has happened in India.'
The incident comes at a time of heightened sensitivity over women's safety in India, which last week saw a documentary about the 2012 gang-rape of a student in Delhi being banned.
Authorities said screening the documentary could have caused public disorder, but critics accused the government of being more concerned with the country's reputation than the safety of its women.
Shocking footage also emerged this week of an angry mob stripping and slowly beating a man to death in an Indian village after he was accused of raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl. The prolonged attack on the 18-year-old was watched by a jeering 1,000-strong crowd. [Shocking? Why? Posse or vigilante justice is what happens when the structures put in place to enforce laws fail to protect innocent citizens and often overlook crimes such as rape. I hope it was a large crowd of women who executed justice against the rapist.]
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
I'm A Sucker For An Injured Baby Squirrel
Hola everyone!
A few weeks ago we suffered through another nasty cold snap in southeast Wisconsin. One bitterly cold (windchills below zero F) but bright and sunny afternoon I opened up the patio door to toss out another hand-full of hazel nuts for my tribe of squirrels, who were feeding more than usual in order to keep their bodies fueled against the cold. There, on the steps leading down to the patio, was a squirrel that did not run away when I opened the door. I could see it was not one of my "regulars" as it was smaller and darker than my usual tribe members. It totally ignored me, in fact, like I wasn't even there.
That is when I realized it was either a baby or a sick squirrel, maybe even a blind and deaf squirrel, on his/her last legs. I would roll a nut right in front of it and it would crawl right over it, like it didn't see it, that's why I thought for several days that it was blind.
It kept showing up in the yard. It was either very young and injured (young enough not to know that humans can be dangerous and evil and young enough not to instantly recognize a hazel nut) or very old and weak. It did not move like a squirrel and was unsteady on its feet, so I suspected it might have the "tipping over" disease that I occasionally witnessed in squirrels at the former Maison Newton over the years.
The other squirrels pretty much left it alone. Thankfully, starting last Saturday the weather turned well above freezing during the day and the snow is slowly melting away. The squirrel came every day and foraged for nuts. In the afternoon sun last weekend it laid out on top of the fence railing and slept, soaking in healing and warming rays.
And then, yesterday, the squirrel did not appear. I waited all day, looking and looking, but did not see it at all.
I thought it must have died, and my heart broke a little. I know it is the way of nature, but it still hurts.
I checked for sight of him again this morning first thing, but did not see him. He has a distinct way of moving, and I did not see him among the other squirrels.
But a short while ago I looked up from the kitchen table out the patio door and there he was, sitting on top of the snow where the bird seed lands and the sun has not yet melted through the snow to the concrete below, eating the sunflower seeds in the bird seed mixture just as fast as he could find them! Relief - and gratitude that he is still alive.
I grabbed my camera and managed to get some photos of him. I tried not to spook him; even the squirrels who are very familiar with me do not like to have their photos taken and will run away if I stand at the open patio door too long. This squirrel seemed oblivious!
Being able to see the squirrel close-up in the sunlight, I saw that he has an injury on his left leg above his paw, and he is favoring the left front leg/paw, so essentially, he is surviving on two legs and his right leg/paw! In the photo above, you can see the left paw looks shriveled. You can see the area above the shrunken paw has matted fur and while it is not possible to tell from the photo, I could see that he must have either been hit by a car or had a run in with a predator but managed to escape. The skin had been broken and he is missing a patch of fur.
Brave little guy, and thank Goddess he found sanctuary in my yard. I don't know where he was yesterday, I'm just happy he found his way back today, and has been busy eating the additional peanuts and hazelnuts I've been tossing out to him, which he now recognizes as food!
He is moving MUCH better today -- he is moving around more like a normal squirrel (getting strength back?), so the warmer weather, the sun, and probably the food he's getting enough of here are, I hope, putting him on the path toward a full recovery.
By being able to observe him this close-up, I could see that he favored the left leg/paw. The photo above was the next one I quickly snapped in the sequence -- you can see the damage to his upper left side above his paw area. But, look - he's getting chubby! When he first appeared he was so wizened and thin. See all of the snow still left on my patio area -- and even more snow in the front yard that faces west and the sun not yet high enough up in the sky to reach it with melting sunshine. If the weather does hold for two full weeks as forecast, I hope ALL of this snow will be gone!
As the snow has been slowly melting I've been going out with my broom to sweep up the nutshells freed from the ice and snow cover -- feeding squirrels leads to rather a big mess on one's patio!
In the photo above, you can see the difference between the size of the healthy right front leg and paw and the left side. Isn't he cute, my little gimpy squirrel. I hope he heals and survives.
A few weeks ago we suffered through another nasty cold snap in southeast Wisconsin. One bitterly cold (windchills below zero F) but bright and sunny afternoon I opened up the patio door to toss out another hand-full of hazel nuts for my tribe of squirrels, who were feeding more than usual in order to keep their bodies fueled against the cold. There, on the steps leading down to the patio, was a squirrel that did not run away when I opened the door. I could see it was not one of my "regulars" as it was smaller and darker than my usual tribe members. It totally ignored me, in fact, like I wasn't even there.
That is when I realized it was either a baby or a sick squirrel, maybe even a blind and deaf squirrel, on his/her last legs. I would roll a nut right in front of it and it would crawl right over it, like it didn't see it, that's why I thought for several days that it was blind.
It kept showing up in the yard. It was either very young and injured (young enough not to know that humans can be dangerous and evil and young enough not to instantly recognize a hazel nut) or very old and weak. It did not move like a squirrel and was unsteady on its feet, so I suspected it might have the "tipping over" disease that I occasionally witnessed in squirrels at the former Maison Newton over the years.
The other squirrels pretty much left it alone. Thankfully, starting last Saturday the weather turned well above freezing during the day and the snow is slowly melting away. The squirrel came every day and foraged for nuts. In the afternoon sun last weekend it laid out on top of the fence railing and slept, soaking in healing and warming rays.
And then, yesterday, the squirrel did not appear. I waited all day, looking and looking, but did not see it at all.
I thought it must have died, and my heart broke a little. I know it is the way of nature, but it still hurts.
I checked for sight of him again this morning first thing, but did not see him. He has a distinct way of moving, and I did not see him among the other squirrels.
But a short while ago I looked up from the kitchen table out the patio door and there he was, sitting on top of the snow where the bird seed lands and the sun has not yet melted through the snow to the concrete below, eating the sunflower seeds in the bird seed mixture just as fast as he could find them! Relief - and gratitude that he is still alive.
I grabbed my camera and managed to get some photos of him. I tried not to spook him; even the squirrels who are very familiar with me do not like to have their photos taken and will run away if I stand at the open patio door too long. This squirrel seemed oblivious!
Being able to see the squirrel close-up in the sunlight, I saw that he has an injury on his left leg above his paw, and he is favoring the left front leg/paw, so essentially, he is surviving on two legs and his right leg/paw! In the photo above, you can see the left paw looks shriveled. You can see the area above the shrunken paw has matted fur and while it is not possible to tell from the photo, I could see that he must have either been hit by a car or had a run in with a predator but managed to escape. The skin had been broken and he is missing a patch of fur.
Brave little guy, and thank Goddess he found sanctuary in my yard. I don't know where he was yesterday, I'm just happy he found his way back today, and has been busy eating the additional peanuts and hazelnuts I've been tossing out to him, which he now recognizes as food!
He is moving MUCH better today -- he is moving around more like a normal squirrel (getting strength back?), so the warmer weather, the sun, and probably the food he's getting enough of here are, I hope, putting him on the path toward a full recovery.
By being able to observe him this close-up, I could see that he favored the left leg/paw. The photo above was the next one I quickly snapped in the sequence -- you can see the damage to his upper left side above his paw area. But, look - he's getting chubby! When he first appeared he was so wizened and thin. See all of the snow still left on my patio area -- and even more snow in the front yard that faces west and the sun not yet high enough up in the sky to reach it with melting sunshine. If the weather does hold for two full weeks as forecast, I hope ALL of this snow will be gone!
As the snow has been slowly melting I've been going out with my broom to sweep up the nutshells freed from the ice and snow cover -- feeding squirrels leads to rather a big mess on one's patio!
In the photo above, you can see the difference between the size of the healthy right front leg and paw and the left side. Isn't he cute, my little gimpy squirrel. I hope he heals and survives.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Squirrels Acting Nuts -- Squirrel Crazy Dancing
Hola and happy weekend everyone!
You know I'm a squirrel nut -- I nurture and fed a large tribe for 24 years at the former Maison Newton and am doing the same here at the new maison. In the northeast corner of my backyard are two large clumps of arborvitae that have grown nearly as tall as a telephone pole and there are a couple of squirrel nests inside the thick foilage, very much concealed from prying eyes because the arborvitaes are evergreen. Because of how sunshine and wind come into the fenced backyard, the ground underneath the arborvitae clumps is bare, and it is not uncommon on a sunny afternoon even in bitter cold to see a squirrel or two stretched out on the layer of dead leaves that I put down last autumn to "melt" away during the winter, soaking up the warm sunshine. This morning as I sipped my coffee and watched the first group of squirrels come for their morning hazel nuts, peanuts and sunflower seeds just after sun rise, I noticed a squirrel doing a "crazy dance" on the bare ground beneath the arborvitaes!
I've seen this kind of behavior many times over the past 25 years; I sat down at the computer and, not sure how to describe the behavior, did a google search under "squirrel doing sommersaults and acting crazy" and sure enough, up popped lots of results, LOL! I found this website -- backyardsquirrels.com -- please check it out, it is a hoot! -- and this video:
This kind of show presented to us by Mother Nature is exactly why I find my squirrels so entertaining!
You know I'm a squirrel nut -- I nurture and fed a large tribe for 24 years at the former Maison Newton and am doing the same here at the new maison. In the northeast corner of my backyard are two large clumps of arborvitae that have grown nearly as tall as a telephone pole and there are a couple of squirrel nests inside the thick foilage, very much concealed from prying eyes because the arborvitaes are evergreen. Because of how sunshine and wind come into the fenced backyard, the ground underneath the arborvitae clumps is bare, and it is not uncommon on a sunny afternoon even in bitter cold to see a squirrel or two stretched out on the layer of dead leaves that I put down last autumn to "melt" away during the winter, soaking up the warm sunshine. This morning as I sipped my coffee and watched the first group of squirrels come for their morning hazel nuts, peanuts and sunflower seeds just after sun rise, I noticed a squirrel doing a "crazy dance" on the bare ground beneath the arborvitaes!
I've seen this kind of behavior many times over the past 25 years; I sat down at the computer and, not sure how to describe the behavior, did a google search under "squirrel doing sommersaults and acting crazy" and sure enough, up popped lots of results, LOL! I found this website -- backyardsquirrels.com -- please check it out, it is a hoot! -- and this video:
This kind of show presented to us by Mother Nature is exactly why I find my squirrels so entertaining!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Goddesschess News: The Moscow Open (Tournament B - Women's Chess Ghetto)
Hola darlings!
As far as I have been able to determine from the website for the 2015 Russian Open, only males are allowed to play in the "A" Tournament. Female players are relegated to "B" and below. Well, figures. There are a lot of hungry Russian chessplayers these days who cannot afford to travel outside the country, so they flock to events like this one, and male players greatly out-number female players. The Russian Open used to be a far-more well-funded international event, attracting top-level players from around the world. These days, not so much.
As you know, I don't give a fig about men's events but the ladies, yes, they are important to track, and not only because of their gender. What is going on in the world as a whole is reflected in the miniscule world of chess, only greatly magnified. Who suffers first? Always women and children. So take a look at this list of all of the female players from the 2015 Moscow (NOT SO OPEN) Tournament - the "B" Event, and draw your own conclusions. "RR" equals Russian Rubles, which are STILL falling relative to international currency standards, despite the relative stablization of the price of a barrel of oil the past couple of weeks -- but this has happened after the tournament concluded -- wonder if the players actually got paid???
Warning: The Women's "B" Tournament Results is in Russian alphabetic script and I can't read a damn word, so I may be reporting average Siberian temperatures for the past 50 years:
As far as I have been able to determine from the website for the 2015 Russian Open, only males are allowed to play in the "A" Tournament. Female players are relegated to "B" and below. Well, figures. There are a lot of hungry Russian chessplayers these days who cannot afford to travel outside the country, so they flock to events like this one, and male players greatly out-number female players. The Russian Open used to be a far-more well-funded international event, attracting top-level players from around the world. These days, not so much.
As you know, I don't give a fig about men's events but the ladies, yes, they are important to track, and not only because of their gender. What is going on in the world as a whole is reflected in the miniscule world of chess, only greatly magnified. Who suffers first? Always women and children. So take a look at this list of all of the female players from the 2015 Moscow (NOT SO OPEN) Tournament - the "B" Event, and draw your own conclusions. "RR" equals Russian Rubles, which are STILL falling relative to international currency standards, despite the relative stablization of the price of a barrel of oil the past couple of weeks -- but this has happened after the tournament concluded -- wonder if the players actually got paid???
Warning: The Women's "B" Tournament Results is in Russian alphabetic script and I can't read a damn word, so I may be reporting average Siberian temperatures for the past 50 years:
Итоговое положение после 9 туров
Аннотация:
Доп1: Buchholz Tie-Breaks (variabel with parameter) Доп2: Buchholz Tie-Breaks (variabel with parameter) Доп3: The greater number of victories |
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