Tse-whit-zen artifacts languish in storage

Law suits filed by "native Americans" and cut off of Federal money prevent examination of results from the largest excavation ever undertaken in the state of Washington. By Jonathan Martin Seattle Times staff reporter Story - One of the Pacific Northwest's most astonishing archaeological finds in a generation has languished for more than a year, lingering on metal shelves in a Seattle warehouse, unseen by the public and unexamined by scientists. No one questions the discoveries — artifacts from a 2,700-year-old Native American village excavated from the Port Angeles waterfront amid great public interest — should be exhibited, analyzed and celebrated. But the 900 boxes of artifacts — such things as spindle whorls carved from whale vertebrae, along with animal bones and shell fragments — remain hung up in a bureaucratic no man's land. Questions about who owns and controls access to the collection are still in dispute. And there's also another all-too-familiar problem when the government gets involved: The money to study the collection evaporated. The federal government had promised analysis of and public education about the village, Tse-whit-zen, but backed out when excavation mushroomed in scope and controversy. There's some hope that the local congressional delegation may step up. But until then, frustrated local historians evoke the final scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," when, after all the adventure and fuss, the Ark of the Covenant is crated and carted into obscurity inside a cavernous government archive. "This is a big, important site, and it is sad that it is languishing on the shelf," said Steve Denton of the University of Washington's Burke Museum, which is taking care of the collection for the time being. Time of the essence Tse-whit-zen (pronounced ch-WEET-sen), nestled in the elbow of Port Angeles' Ediz Hook, was once a thriving fishing village inhabited by the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe. It is the biggest Native American village found in the state since the Ozette village, once inhabited by the Makahs, was unearthed in the 1960s. In August 2003, state contractors began digging a dry dock on the site to build bridge pontoons to repair the Hood Canal Bridge. Although crews began finding artifacts and human bones within weeks, the project was not shut down until 2004, after a tense, emotional clash of cultures involving the tribe, the city of Port Angeles and state and federal transportation managers. About $90 million in state and federal money was spent on the failed dry-dock site, including about $10 million for archaeological work. The result is more than 80,000 items or samples excavated from Tse-whit-zen, including carved bone harpoon points, fishing hooks and stone tools such as hammer stones and a finely polished adze head. For some, the star of the collection is a delicate bone comb, crowned by an exquisite carving of cormorants hovering over a child. Ken Ames, a Portland State University archaeologist who specializes in Native American coastal tribes, said the site is so large and well-excavated that "you could reconstruct life 2,200 years ago." Even shell fragments found there could be useful: Molecular analysis could show the water temperature of the Strait of Juan de Fuca thousands of years ago, helping global-warming researchers. But time is also of the essence, Ames urges. Records could be misplaced. And artifacts deteriorate. "At some level, I'd say they might as well have not excavated it if they don't analyze it," he said. A question of ownership Once the village began to be unearthed, an agreement among state, federal and tribal authorities in 2004 called for exhaustive analysis of the site and public education about the findings. How did villagers make tools? Had there been a tsunami there? What shellfish were prevalent? But the agreement was changed in 2007, after more than 300 human remains were dug up and tensions erupted into lawsuits. The new agreement allowed the tribe to focus on reburying its ancestors, and gave local officials, angry about losing jobs from the aborted pontoon project, millions of dollars. But because the flow of federal road-building money stopped when the project was killed, money for the analysis and education was stopped, too. Tom Fitzsimmons, who negotiated the project as Gov. Christine Gregoire's chief of staff, said he was focused on resolving the disagreements, leaving the issue of analysis for the future. "There are differences, and emotions, but we untied the huge Gordian knot to do this," said Fitzsimmons, who has since left state government. Under the agreement, the state will hold the artifacts in storage until the tribe builds a museum-quality education center on land leased to the tribe by the state. At that point, the artifacts will be released to the tribe. But one big part of the deal remains contested: ownership of the artifacts. Fitzsimmons argues the state Department of Transportation owns the collection because it owned the land where the artifacts were found. That gives the state — not the tribe — power to grant access to study the collection. But the tribe vehemently disagrees. "As far as we're concerned, they are the tribe's artifacts," said Frances Charles, the chairwoman of the tribe. The tribe successfully stopped carbon dating of the human remains, and is also opposed to testing of the other artifacts, she said. "The archaeological firms are interested in the scientific methods," Charles said. "Ours is the sensitivities and culture part of it. Science is science, and culture is the culture. We don't want you dating the bones, and also dating the artifacts." For now, the tribe is more focused on plans to rebury their ancestors in a ceremony this summer, but members also have begun planning an education center and trying to find a way to pay for it. "We'd like to tell our story," Charles said. "Enormous" potential Nonetheless, a group of Pacific Northwest scientists from Portland State and other universities is preparing an application to the National Science Foundation for money to study the artifacts. Archaeologists estimate a thorough study could be done for about $1 million, a relatively minuscule amount compared with money already spent. "We spent a lot of money excavating an archaeological site and for whatever reason, rightly or wrongly, the public won't get to obtain the scientific value of the material," worries Allison Brooks, the state historic preservation officer. U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, who supported stopping the dry-dock project, is willing to support the application — or find other funding — if he were asked, said his chief of staff, George Behan. Thus far, Dicks hasn't been asked. So for now, the collection still sits in the Burke Museum, in bubble wrap, at the back of a huge UW warehouse on the former Sandpoint Naval Air Station, unavailable to the public. One day last week, Denton, the held-in-trust program manager for the UW's Burke Museum, lifted the cherished cormorant bone comb out of its special acid-free box and suspended it on a piece of twill cloth. "This is one of the most significant excavations ever in Washington," he said. "The research potential is enormous." Then he lowered the comb back into the box, closed the lid, and put it back in a metal filing cabinet. Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

Columbus Era Shipwreck Recovered - in a Diamond Mine!

From Bloomberg.com De Beers Finds Shipwreck, Treasure From Columbus Era (Update2) By Chamwe Kaira April 30 (Bloomberg) -- De Beers, the world's biggest undersea diamond miner, said its geologists in Namibia found the wreckage of an ancient sailing ship still laden with treasure, including six bronze cannons, thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins and more than 50 elephant tusks. The wreckage was discovered in the area behind a sea wall used to push back the Atlantic Ocean in order to search for diamonds in Namibia's Sperrgebiet or ``Forbidden Zone.'' ``If the experts' assessments are correct, the shipwreck could date back to the late 1400s or early 1500s, making it a discovery of global significance,'' Namdeb Diamond Corp., a joint venture between De Beers and the Namibian government, said in an e-mailed statement from the capital, Windhoek, today. The site yielded a wealth of objects, including several tons of copper, more than 50 elephant tusks, pewter tableware, navigational instruments, weapons and the gold coins, which were minted in the late 1400s and early 1500s, according to the statement. The Namibian government will claim ownership of the treasure found, Halifa Mbako, group corporate affairs manager at Namdeb, said in a telephone interview from Windhoek today. Namibian Law ``By Namibian law, discoveries of this nature belong to the state,'' he said. ``The discovery was found in our mining area, but the treasure belongs to the state.'' The Namibian government is in consultations with the governments of Spain and Portugal to try and identify the ship, which was most likely a trading vessel, given the goods on board, said. On April 1, Bob Burrell, the head of Namdeb's Mineral Resource Department, found some rounded copper ingots and the remains of three bronze cannons in the sand. ``All mining operations were halted, the site secured and Dr. Dieter Noli, an archaeologist and expert in the Sperrgebiet, was brought into the project and identified the cannons as Spanish breach-loaders of a type popular in the early 1500s,'' Namdeb said. The find may be the oldest sub-Saharan shipwreck ever discovered, Namdeb said. ``If this proves to be a contemporary of the ships sailed by the likes of Diaz, Da Gama and Columbus, it would be of immense national and international interest and Namibia's most important archaeological find of the century,'' according to the statement. Diamonds have been mined along the south-western coast of Namibia and in its coastal waters for the last 100 years. De Beers, the world's largest diamond company, is 45 percent owned by Anglo American Plc, 40 percent held by the Oppenheimer family and 15 percent owned by the government of Botswana.

God-Fearing Women Doff Blouses

From bernama.com.my Malaysian National News Agency April 27, 2008 16:14 PM By P. Vijian SALEM (India), April 27 (Bernama) -- Paying homage to gods and goddesses comes in many forms, but the women in a rural village in southern India have an uncanny way of worshipping their goddess. They still refuse to wear blouses for fear their favourite goddess might punish them if they violate the age-old belief. It has been a century-old practice in Thottiayanur village, near Salem, about 350km from Chennai, for women of the Thotianaicken community to wrap themselves with only sarees and bare their bosoms. Only the saree's "pallu" (the throw of the saree) covers their upper body, the only reason being their fear of Goddess Bommakka, the Goddess of Earth who is the village's guardian goddess, punishing women who wear blouses. "Both females and males firmly believe that their goddess would punish them. This stigma etched in their mind cannot be wiped out until now," K. Sridevi, a social worker with the All India Democratic Women's Association, told Bernama. She said some women wear blouses without the knowledge of their families when they travel out of the village but remove the top and hide it in their bags upon their return, fearing that village elders would ostracize them. Fearing ill luck like diseases or natural calamity befalling the village, the community would excommunicate any female caught wearing blouses. Sridevi said the villagers often prohibit outsiders from entering their homes and only young girls are allowed to be clad in any normal dress until they attain puberty. "Some younger women have the desire to wear blouses now after they are influenced by television and movies but they are scared to give up their belief." Since the custom of baring their top without wearing a blouse has been deep-rooted in this community for generations, it cannot be done away in a moment," she added. So, even in the 21st century, wearing blouses remains a taboo for women in Thottiayanur village. **************************************************************************************** An interesting custom, but only a century old? I wonder - what did the Goddess do more than 100 years ago if a female villager wore a blouse? Or did the issue never come up until 100 years ago, because the women didn't wear clothes before that time? The clothing style of leaving a woman's breasts bare was quite common in the ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean - in Egypt, for instance, and on Crete; also among the Etruscans. I assume we're all familiar with photographs from those 1950's National Geographic magazines showing bare-breasted women of various African tribes (the photos the boys also giggled over); and I believe bare breasts were also the custom of female dress among the Polynesians and Hawaiians into the 18th century (before Europeans "visitors" corrupted the people). These Indian women, who modestly cover themselves with the "pallu" (the long trailing part of the saree that can be draped around and across the shoulders) are actually quite modest in comparison to other bare-breasted cultures!

Goddess Adishakti Draupadi

From Citizenmatters.in KARAGA FESTIVAL Spectacle under the full moon The Karaga festival is a well-known tradition of the Thigala community in Karnataka and Bangalore in particular. A Citizen Matters pic feature. By Amoghavarsha JS 29 Apr 2008 [There are lots of photographs accompanying this article] Karaga is one of the oldest festivals in Karnataka and is also celebrated in Tamilnadu. In Bangalore, the Dharmarayaswamy Temple in Thigalarpet (central Bangalore, between the City Market area and Richmond Town) has been the focal point of this festival. Karaga ran its course in the third week of April this year. These pictures were taken on the night of 20 April, a full moon. About Karaga Adishakti Draupadi is the community deity of the Vanikula Kshatriya Thigala community, and Karaga is the 9-day festival observed by them in reverence to the Goddess. The Thigalas believe that Draupadi Shakti (power) brims over during the Karaga festival and the Karaga carrier dressing as a female is symbolic of Draupadi. The karaga itself is a mud pot, on which stands a tall floral pyramid that is balanced on the carrier's head. The karaga-bearer himself symbolises goddess Draupadi and is therefore adorned like a woman. The karaga-bearer leaves the temple around midnight. The goddess is brought for the darshan of the devotees from the temple on the head of the karaga-bearer. The festival's route in Bangalore begins at the Dharmarayaswamy temple and snakes through the old city via Cubbonpet, Ganigarapet, Avenue Road, Dodderpet, Akkipet, Balepet, Kilari Road, Nagarathpet and surrounding areas. The karaga is expertly balanced on the carrier's head. The carrier, in his temporary avatar as Draupadi, goes to the houses of the Veerakumaras where their families perform pooja to the karaga. The carrier is practically in a trance even as he dances along with the Veerakumaras (who are carrying their swords). By the time the procession returns to the temple it is dawn. ⊕

Chess Life May, 2008

Great Cover on the May, 2008 edition of Chess Life magazine, which was in the mail when I got home this evening. The photo, by Jeff Weiss, is a beauty, featuring Jennie Liu, Anna Matlin, Eve Zhurbinskiy and Alena Kats, who competed in the U.S. Amateur Team East event in February. I love the name of the team: "Real Gentlemen Would Resign." So true, so true... The oldest (I use that word advisedly) player on that team is 14! I hope we're seeing the future of American chess in these young femmes and that they play for a long long long time!

2008 European Individual Chess Championships

Ladies' top standings after Round 9: 1 GM Lahno Kateryna 2479 UKR 7,0 (draw with Cramling) IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR 7,0 (draw with Muzychuk) 3 GM Cramling Pia 2539 SWE 7,0 (draw with Lahno) 4 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2450 UKR 7,0 with B, defeated Dembo; moved up from 5th to 4th, Dembo fell from 6th to 13th) 5 IM Skripchenko Almira 2443 FRA 7,0 (defeated Stefanova) 6 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 6,5 (defeated Eva Moser, who fell from 21st to 35th) 7 IM Houska Jovanka 2390 ENG 6,5 8 IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO 6,5 (draw with Ushenina) 9 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS 6,5 10 WGM Pogonina Natalija 2470 RUS 6,5 11 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2413 ARM 6,0 12 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2443 GEO 6,0 13 IM Dembo Yelena 2429 GRE 6,0 (lost to Zhukova) 14 IM Danielian Elina 2479 ARM 6,0 15 WGM Stepovaia Tatiana 2378 RUS 6,0 16 WGM Melia Salome 2413 GEO 6,0 17 IM Lomineishvili Maia 2400 GEO 6,0 18 GM Peng Zhaoqin 2455 NED 6,0 19 WGM Voiska Margarita 2339 BUL 6,0 20 IM Socko Monika 2505 POL 6,0 21 WGM Zimina Olga 2363 ITA 6,0 22 WIM Nikoladze Sopio 2249 GEO 6,0 23 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2538 BUL 5,5 (Whoa! Stefanova lost with W to IM Almira Skripchenko (FRA 2443) who moved up from 7th place to 5th, and Stefanova fell from 8th all the way to 23rd!) 94 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 4,0 All right, good girl. She had a draw today behind B against WGM Marina Makropoulou (GRE 2254) and moved up from 100th to 94th. Tomorrow: Board 58: Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 4,0/4,0 WIM Popova Natalija 2239 BLR Only two more rounds to go! I'm rooting for Kazimova to finish at 50%, which I think would be a great result for her against the competition she has faced in this event.

2008 Individual European Chess Championships

Standings after Round 8. It's obvious that at least some of the ladies came to play chess, and they're not content for draws hoping someone above them makes an "oops." Cramling made a move; so did Yelena Dembo (good for her). Round 11 is coming up fast! 1 GM Lahno Kateryna 2479 UKR 6,5 2 IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR 6,5 3 GM Cramling Pia 2539 SWE 6,5 4 IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO 6,0 5 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2450 UKR 6,0 6 IM Dembo Yelena 2429 GRE 6,0 7 IM Skripchenko Almira 2443 FRA 6,0 8 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2538 BUL 5,5 9 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 5,5 10 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2443 GEO 5,5 11 IM Houska Jovanka 2390 ENG 5,5 12 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS 5,5 13 IM Danielian Elina 2479 ARM 5,5 14 WGM Voiska Margarita 2339 BUL 5,5 15 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2466 GEO 5,5 16 WIM Batsiashvili Nino 2304 GEO 5,5 17 WGM Melia Salome 2413 GEO 5,5 18 WGM Pogonina Natalija 2470 RUS 5,5 19 WGM Zawadzka Jolanta 2397 POL 5,5 20 IM Gvetadze Sopio 2350 GEO 5,5 21 IM Moser Eva 2395 AUT 5,5 100 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 3,5 Narmin was not able to win with W against WGM Anna Sharevich, and dropped more than halfway down the standings. Tomorrow in Round 9 she will be black: Board 57: WGM Makropoulou Marina 2254 GRE 3,5/3,5 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE.

Python

From Barbara Walker's "A Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets." Python Great Serpent born of Mother Hera without the aid of Zeus, which meant the Mother's firstborn serpent antedated all father-gods, like the Ophion-serpent of the creatress Eurynome. Also like Lucifer, Python was the lightning-serpent who descended into the Deep to fertilize the Goddess. Mother Hera also bore Hephaestus without the aid of any male god, and Hephaestus was the same lightning-god who "fell from heaven."(1) Python personified the prophetic spirit of the Delphic oracle, whose prietstess was always the Pythoness even when the shrine was taken over by Apollo. Python lived in the earth-womb and knew its secrets, which is why he was an oracle. Some myths said Python was a Lord of Death because Apollo had killed him. But, like all other light-and-dark twins, Apollo and Python were really the same god. Sacred kings of Delphi always killed their predecessors, who were laid to rest in the stone omphalos where the Pythoness sat to commune with the oracular spirit.(2) Sometimes Python was the nether aspect of Apollo himself, the Black Sun corresponding to the celestial sun. This serpent-figure was the familiar Sata, Thoth, Ouroboros, Okeanos, Hermes, and other subterranean oracle-gods. Notes: (1) Guthrie, 73. (2) Graves, G.M., 1, 80-82.

Oooh, Treasure Trove!

Boy, 9, and grandfather find medieval silver treasure in Sweden Posted : Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:36:04 GMT Stockholm - A 9-year-old boy's search for shrapnel on an old battlefield resulted in a huge find of medieval silver coins near the Lund in southern Sweden, local media reported Monday. Alexander Granhof, 9, and his grandfather made the recent discovery, dubbed "silverado" by archaeologists. "We went out on the field looking for cannonballs," Alexander Granhof told the online edition of the Sydsvenskan newspaper. "I found a piece of metal and thought at first it was shrapnel from a shotgun. I shouted to grandfather and then we discovered more and more coins," he added. In all, the pair found more than 4,600 coins on the field. Archaeologists, using metal detectors, boosted the tally to 7,000 but did not rule out that even more coins were hidden in the soil. "This is incredible," Bernd Gerlach of the Lund University Historical Museum told reporters. Both Alexander and his grandfather Jens Granhof are interested in archaeology and went treasure hunting after reading about a treasure buried somewhere in the province of Scania. No reward sum has yet been determined but the silver in the treasure alone was estimated to be worth 1.5 million kronor (250,000 dollars). During the 13th century when the coins were hidden, the sum could have fetched some 15 serfs, museum head Per Karsten said. The coins had been placed in two urns that were wrapped in cloth. The treasure was likely buried during troubled times, and one theory was that the coins were church taxes collected from nearby farms. The find included thousands of English coins with a high silver content and some other markers that likely were used locally.

Oooh, Jewelry!

2,200-year-old gemstones found in Iran
Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:23:37

Ancient priceless gemstones and jewels belonging to postdated Achaemenid era have been unearthed in Iran's southern province of Fars.

Archeologists succeeded in discovering over 20 pieces of 2,200-year-old bracelets, necklaces and earrings adorned with agate, ruby and opal in ancient graves behind Salman-e Farsi Dam in Iran's southern city of Yarj.

“The discovery of such gemstones is a unique achievement. Agates in various colors, ivory, opal and rock crystal (Quartz) in many colors were used to embellish the bracelets, necklaces and earrings,” said Alireza Ja'fari Zand, head of the archeological team at the dam.

“Discovery of jewels and gemstones in Sassanid and postdated Achaemenid graves is unprecedented,” he added.

Opal, which is described by Shakespeare as a miracle and the Queen of Gems, is depicted as a symbol of hope, happiness and truth in the East.

Ivory and clay were also used in making some of the necklaces.
NAT/GM

2008 European Individual Chess Championships

Here are the standings of the top 20 after Round 7: 1 GM Lahno Kateryna 2479 UKR 5,5 2 IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO 5,5 3 IM Danielian Elina 2479 ARM 5,5 4 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2538 BUL 5,5 5 IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR 5,5 6 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 5,5 7 GM Cramling Pia 2539 SWE 5,5 8 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2450 UKR 5,5 9 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS 5,0 10 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2413 ARM 5,0 11 IM Houska Jovanka 2390 ENG 5,0 WGM Stepovaia Tatiana 2378 RUS 5,0 13 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2443 GEO 5,0 14 IM Dembo Yelena 2429 GRE 5,0 15 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2466 GEO 5,0 16 IM Skripchenko Almira 2443 FRA 5,0 17 WGM Melia Salome 2413 GEO 5,0 18 IM Moser Eva 2395 AUT 5,0 19 IM Peptan Corina-Isabela 2415 ROU 4,5 20 WIM Nemcova Katerina 2344 CZE 4,5 69 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 3,5 Narmin dropped in the standings after losing her Round 7 game, and is now at 50%. Let's see what she does with W in Round 8: Board 47: Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 3,5/3,5 WGM Sharevich Anna 2311 BLR So far, there are no real surprises in the top 20. The usual crop of the higher rated players are settling in at the top. I would like to see Cramling make a move.

PBS Secrets of the Dead

I've seen this show from time to time on our local PBS stations, but it is not broadcast on a regular basis, unforunately. The summary of this show particularly caught my attention:

From The New York Times
Television
Going for the Grisly Gives a Show Staying Power

... The series, produced by WNET in New York, starts its eighth season on Wednesday on most stations. It has been well received by critics and has scooped up numerous awards, including several Cine Golden Eagles, which honor documentaries, and three Emmy nominations.

“The stories that work either shed some light on a moment in history we know a lot about or a moment that has been forgotten,” said Jared Lipworth, executive producer of the series.
...
There are also few well-known names attached to “Doping for Gold,” the May 7 “Secrets of the Dead” episode, which goes back to the East Germany of the 1960s, ’70 and ’80s, when officials systematically gave testosterone and steroids to athletes. The story has particular resonance, Mr. Lipworth said, because of today’s sports steroid scandals.

At the centerpiece of the “Secrets of the Dead” episode is the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, when the artificially enhanced East German delegation won 40 gold medals, and its women’s swim team captured 11 of 13 events.

Behind the scenes the young female athletes — without their knowledge or consent — were given so many drugs that one was masculinized and underwent a sex-change operation. Others later suffered serial miscarriages and serious health problems.

“They were very strong women; they were very fast; we thought they were machines,” Wendy Boglioli, a member of the 1976 United States swim team, says in the film.

If nothing else, the episode is an important cautionary tale for young athletes today about the dangers of doping, Ms. Boglioli said in an interview. “If you don’t buy that cheating is wrong, look at what it does medically,” Ms. Boglioli said. “That’s what’s paramount in this film.”

**********************************************************************************
I cannot say that I remember the summer Olympics from 1976; I vaguely recall doping scandals from much later Olympics. So - who were these women and what happened to them?

The photo is Kornelia Ender, who won 4 gold medals for East Germany at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. I cannot believe that no one questioned the physique on this broad back then! I've never seen a woman who looks like this in real life. For Goddess sake!

I found this little information about the after-effects of the massive drugs that were (supposedly without their consent) given to the East German female athletes:

The women on the 1976 swim team were teens and preteens when they were given these steroids. Now, they report many adverse effects from this “secret” drug use including birth defects, enlarged hearts and gynecological problems – including one team member who has had multiple miscarriages (Naimzadeh).

Wow! A Turner to Be Auctioned!

I am hot hot hot for Turner - have been for years, since I first saw a few of his paintings in some of those cheesy coffee-table art books more than 30 years ago. He does something with light that I've never seen any other artist ever duplicate. Unfortunately, I cannot even afford to buy a scrap from a Turner painting. This one will start at $10 million! Ohmygoddess! From The New York Times Arts, Briefly Turner Landscape to Be Auctioned Compiled by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER Published: April 25, 2008 A landscape by the British master J. M. W. Turner will be offered at auction by Sotheby’s in London on July 9 at a starting price of $10 million, Reuters reported. The oil-on-canvas painting, “Pope’s Villa at Twickenham,” a depiction of the destruction of the poet Alexander Pope’s house, was bought by the art patron John Leicester in 1808 as soon as it went on view in Turner’s gallery. In 1827 Leicester sold it to the collector James Morrison, whose descendants have passed it from generation to generation. Referring to the artist’s interest in Pope’s house, Emmeline Hallmark, head of British art at Sotheby’s, said Turner “couldn’t understand how an artifact from the past could be wantonly destroyed.” The proceeds will help pay for the restoration of Sudeley Castle, where the work has hung for 40 years.

Update: Lewis Chess Pieces

From news.scotsman.com Stalemate for Lewis chessmen Published Date: 22 April 2008 By David Maddox NEIL MacGregor, the director of the British Museum, has rejected calls to return the Lewis chessman to Scotland. Mr McGregor said the historic chess set, famously found on a sand dune near Uig on the Isle of Lewis in 1831, should stay in London. He also claimed the Scottish Government's bid to have the relics repatriated was shaky. "When they were found the first decision of the Scots was to sell them," he said. "The British Museum bought them as a collector of last resort to keep them together." Currently there are 82 figures in the British Museum and 11 in the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We will continue to campaign for a reunited set of Lewis chessmen. It's very clear that, if found today, the chessmen would have been allocated to museums in Scotland."

Temple of Cybele at Balchik

More Unique Findings Unearthed in Cybele Temple in Bulgaria's Balchik 23 April 2008, Wednesday A total of four antique statues were unearthed in the temple of the Phrygian Goddess Cybele in Bulgaria's coastal town of Balchik on Wednesday. The team of the archaeologists Igor Lazarenko, Elina Mircheva and Radostina Encheva discovered two Cybele's statues and two other, believed to be statues of Aphrodite and Dionysus. During the excavation works, there have been found also two relieves and a limestone slab with a lion embossment. The first finding in the temple, believed to be the biggest one in Bulgaria, was discovered at the end of April last year, when archaeologists found a 30-centimeter-long marble statue of Cybele. "The statue has no head and part of the goddess' palm is also missing," the curator of the local museum Radostina Encheva said. It emerged that a column with a Latin inscription and an architectural element with bulls' heads were discovered on the same spot. Among the other precious findings, discovered on the spot is a 50-centimeter-high Doric column with a well-preserved inscription addressed to the Roman emperor Valerius Licinianus Licinius. The temple's walls were at least 2.5 meters high, and the base of the building is huge, compared to other important buildings of the same age. A huge fire or a disastrous earthquake destroyed the temple, the archaeologists believe. Originally a Phrygian goddess, Cybele was a deification of the Earth Mother who was worshiped in Anatolia from Neolithic times. Like Gaia (the "Earth") or her Minoan equivalent Rhea, Cybele embodies the fertile earth, a goddess of caverns and mountains, walls and fortresses, nature, wild animals. Her title "potnia theron", which is also associated with the Minoan Great Mother, alludes to her ancient Neolithic roots as "Mistress of the Animals". She becomes a life-death-rebirth deity in connection with her consort, her son Attis. *********************************************************************************** From Barbara Walker's "A Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets." Cybele Great Mother of the Gods from Ida - Magna Mater Deum Idea - brought to Rome from Phrygia in 204 B.C. Her triumphal procession was "later glorified by marvelous legends, and the poets told of edifying miracles that had occurred during Cybele's voyage."(1) Her holy aniconic image was carried to Rome by order of the Cumaean Sybil, a personification of the same cave-dwelling Goddess herself. As the Great Mother of all Asia Minor, she was worshipped especially on Mt. Ida, Mt. Sipylus, Cyzicus, Sardis, and Pessinus in Galatia.(2) Her festivals were called ludi, "games."(3) A highlight of her worship was the Taurobolium, baptism in the blood of a sacred bull, who represented her dying-god consort, Attis. Her temle stood on the Vatican, where St. Peter's basilica stands today, up to the 4th century A.D. when Christians took it over.(4) She was one of the leading deities of Rome in the heyday of the mystery cults, along with Hecate and Demeter of Eleusis.(5) Variations of Cybele's name - Kubaba, Kuba, Kube - have been linked with the Ka'aba stone at Mecca, a meteoric "cube" that bore the Goddess's symbol and was once known as the Old Woman.(6) Other names for Cybele assimilated her to every significant form of the Great Goddess. She was the Berecynthian Mother (genetrix Berecynthia). She was Rhea Lobrine, Goddess of sacred caves, known as her "marriage bowers."(7) She was called Augusta, the Great One; Alma, the Nourishing One; Sanctissima, the Most Holy One. Roman emperors like Augustus, Claudius, and Antoninus Pius regarded her as the supreme deity of the empire. Augustus established his home facing her temple, and looked upon his wife, the empress Livia Augusta, as an earthly incarnation of her.(8) The emperor Julian wrote an impassioned address to her: Who is then the Mother of the gods? She is the source of the intellectual and creative gods, who in their turn guide the visible gods; she is both the mother and the spouse of the mighty Zeus; she came into being next to and together with the great crator; she is in control of every form of life, and the cause of all generation; she easily brings to perfection all things that are; she is the motherless maiden, enthroned at the side of Zeus, and in very truth is the Mother of all the Gods.(9) Fathers of the Christian church vehemently disagreed. St. Augustine called Cybele a harlot mother, "the mother, not of the gods, but of the demons."(10) One of her names, Antaea, made her the mythical mother of the earth-giant Antaeus, who was invincible as long as his feet remained in contact with his Mother's body, the earth. Heracles conquered him by holding him up in the air. Churchmen believed the powers of witches came from the same sort of contact with Mother Earth. Arresting officers often carried witches to prison in a large basket, so their feet would not touch the ground.(11) There was a Christian sect founded in the 2nd century A.D. by Montanus (Mountain man), a priest of Cybele, who identified Attis with Christ. [Indeed, the similarities in the myths of both gods are compelling]. Montanus maintained that women were agents of the Goddess, and could preach and prophesy as well as men. This contradicted the orthodox Pauline sect, which followed St. Paul's rule that women must never speak publicly on holy subjects.(12) During the 4th century, Montanist Christianity was declared a heresy, and many of its adherents were slain. Some Montanists in Asia Minor were locked in their churches and burned alive.(13) Notes: (1) Cumont, O.R.R.P., 47. (2) Encyc. Brit., "Great Mother of the Gods." (3) James, 246. (4) Clodd, 79; Frazer, G.B., 408. (5) Angus, 143. (6) Vermaseren, 22; Harding, 41. (7) Gaster, 609. (8) Vermaseren, 27, 53, 83, 85, 177-78. (9) Vermaseren, 86-87. (10) Vermaseren, 181. (11) Robbins, 334; Lea unabridged, 814. (12) Reinach, 278. (13) Chamberlin, A.M., ch. 1. Related: Bibi Nani (Cult of Nania). Compare: Kubaba.

Items from Isis

A couple of items from Isis:

Egypt: Tomb of Cleopatra and lover to be uncovered

Cairo, 24 April(AKI) - Archaeologists have revealed plans to uncover the 2000 year-old tomb of ancient Egypt's most famous lovers, Cleopatra and the Roman general Mark Antony later this year. Zahi Hawass, prominent archaeologist and director of Egypt's superior council for antiquities announced a proposal to test the theory that the couple were buried together.

He discussed the project in Cairo at a media conference about the ancient pharaohs. Hawass said that the remains of the legendary Egyptian queen and her Roman lover, Mark Antony, were inside a temple called Tabusiris Magna, 30 kilometres from the port city of Alexandria in northern Egypt.

Until recently access to the tomb has been hindered because it is under water, but archaeologists plan to drain the site so they can begin excavation in November. Among the clues to suggest that the temple may contain Cleopatra's remains is the discovery of numerous coins with the face of the queen. According to Hawas, Egyptologists have also uncovered a 120-metre-long underground tunnel with many rooms, some of which could contain more details about Cleopatra.

Born in Rome, Mark Antony was a military general and commander, as well as supporter of Julius Caesar. He was also Cleopatra's lover and bore him a son, called Caesarion. After Julius Caesar's assassination in March 44 B.C., Antony formed a triumvirate with Octavian, also known as Augustus, and Marcus Lepidus. Civil war ensued in Rome due to disagreements between Antony and Octavian, who was Julius Caesar's heir and who later became Rome's first emperor. Antony was subsequently defeated by Octavian and he later committed suicide.

Cleopatra, who came to power at 18 years of age, was once the ruler of Egypt and considered the last of seven queens of the same name. She was famous for her intelligence, her beauty and her political power. Cleopatra who also bore Mark Antony twins, committed suicide after his death in August 30 B.C.

What happened to the children?
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Show Danica The Money
By Tom Van Riper, Forbes.com Apr 25, 3:43 am EDT

It’s official: Danica Patrick is no longer a novelty. She’s a champion.

And it’s only matter of time before sports marketers see her in a whole new light, as both an individual endorser and for what she can bring to the sport of auto racing. By capturing first place in Sunday’s Indy 300 race in Motegi, Japan, Patrick shook free of critics who have downplayed her sports celebrity as more flash than substance.

Being the first female driver to hold a lead in the Indianapolis 500, as Patrick first did three years ago before ultimately finishing fourth, does plenty to get you noticed. But to make it last, it’s best to get that first win under your belt.

“It translates into seven or eight figures in marketing and endorsements,” says Darren Prince, who runs Prince Marketing Group, a sports and entertainment company that counts Magic Johnson and Dennis Rodman among its clients.

Patrick, recently turned 26, has already scored heavily on the endorsement circuit. The $5 million she raked in between June 2006 and June 2007 ranked her fifth on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list of female athletes, behind tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, and golfers Michelle Wie and Annika Sorenstam. After signing on with Andretti Green Racing, Patrick has secured Motorola as her chief car sponsor, backed up by XM Satellite Radio and Go Daddy.

She also pitches the Civic sedan for Honda and Secret antiperspirant for Procter & Gamble.

“In the eyes of brand decision makers, she was a personality who happened to be a very good race car driver,” says Dan Migala, who runs a sports business newsletter called the Migala Report. “Now she can be marketed as an athlete. She has the label of racing champion.”

Until now, Patrick has often been lumped into that space traditionally linked to tennis whizzes Anna Kournikova, a highly ranked player who failed to win a major tournament, and Andre (“Image is Everything”) Agassi, in the days before he broke through and won a Wimbledon title.

And that could continue if she doesn’t follow through as a consistent top-10 driver who nets an occasional first-place finish in major races. That’s what will determine whether she goes down as auto racing’s version of Chris Evert, a multiple champion whose popularity and endorsement opportunities lasted long past her playing days, or of Tracy Austin, who had just a brief run as the world’s top-ranked female player before faltering. One-hit wonders only go so far too.

“Multiple wins could carry her to legacy status,” Migala says.
Sports marketing experts don’t particularly expect Patrick to succeed in wooing too many traditional male racing fans, who tend to only grudgingly accept a woman on the circuit. The value of her breakthrough comes in potential numbers of new fans and new dollars that could be drawn to the sport. Cultivating a new fan base usually starts with a novelty.

Not that the classically good-looking Patrick, who recently posed for a spread in the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, doesn’t have her share of male fans. Without winning, marketing through sex appeal only goes so far. But as a complement to winning, it’s a pretty big asset in getting to the next level. Just ask Tom Brady and Derek Jeter.

The top five:
1. Maria Sharapova: Slideshow
2. Michelle Wie: Slideshow
3. Serena Williams: Slideshow
4. Annika Sorenstam: Slideshow
5. Danica Patrick: Slideshow
World’s Top Earning Female Athletes

Danica Patrick's official website - PLEASE ditch the flash and the music, yech!

Chinese Thugs

Throngs of Han Chinese "students" attacked protesters in South Korea during the Olympic Torch Relay. Story from The New York Times Sunday April 27, 2008 I have admiration for the Chinese civilization - at least, the ancient part. Now it seems the ethnic Han Chinese are just thugs. They do not understand the exercise of free speech, political freedom and the right of free people to peacefully assemble and protest. They beat up anyone who disagrees with the official Communist line and are acting like "1984" automatons. These people are described as college students, but they are frigging idiots - no doubt future leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. I hope the South Korean government arrests every single one of them and deports them back to China and never lets them back into their country. When lone protesters demanded that China stop repatriating North Korean refugees, they were quickly surrounded by jeering Chinese. Near the park, Chinese students surrounded and beat a small group of protesters, news reports said. In another scuffle, at the city center where the five-hour torch run ended, Chinese surrounded several Tibetans and South Korean supporters who unfurled pro-Tibet banners, and kicked and punched them, witnesses said. Norbert Vollertsen, a German doctor and advocate for North Korean refugees, found himself surrounded by jeering Chinese students on Sunday. “This torch run reminds me of Hitler, who first invented it in 1936 to divert world attention from human rights problems in Germany under the disguise of 'world harmony,'” he said.

The Recession Diet

Peanut butter and jelly instead of Hamburger Helper and dog food mixed with human food instead of beef stew. Why aren't we having food riots here in the United States? From The New York Times By MICHAEL BARBARO and ERIC DASH Published: April 27, 2008 Stung by rising gasoline and food prices, Americans are finding creative ways to cut costs on routine items like groceries and clothing, forcing retailers, restaurants and manufacturers to decode the tastes of a suddenly thrifty public. Spending data and interviews around the country show that middle- and working-class consumers are starting to switch from name brands to cheaper alternatives, to eat in instead of dining out and to fly at unusual hours to shave dollars off airfares. Though seemingly small, the daily trade-offs they are making — more pasta and less red meat, more video rentals and fewer movie tickets — amount to an important shift in consumer behavior. In Ohio, Holly Levitsky is replacing the Lucky Charms cereal in her kitchen with Millville Marshmallows and Stars, a less expensive store brand. In New Hampshire, George Goulet is no longer booking hotel rooms at the Hilton, favoring the lower-cost Hampton Inn. And in Michigan, Jennifer Olden is buying Gain laundry detergent instead of the full-price Tide. Behind the belt-tightening — and brand-swapping — is the collision of several economic forces that are pinching people’s budgets or, at least, leaving them in little mood to splurge. The price of household necessities has surged, with milk topping $4 a gallon in many stores and regular gasoline closing in on $3.60 a gallon nationwide. Burt Flickinger, a longtime retail consultant, said the last time he saw such significant changes in consumer buying patterns was the late 1970s, when runaway inflation prompted Americans to “switch from red meat to pork to poultry to pasta — then to peanut butter and jelly.” “It hasn’t gotten to human food mixed with pet food yet,” he said, “but it is certainly headed in that direction.” Rest of article.

Queen's Gambit

A book review from inrich.com (Richmond Times) Sunday April 27, 2008 By JAY STRAFFORD TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER When art and life connect, can the intersection of art and death be far behind? Not in Diane A.S. Stuckart's The Queen's Gambit (336 pages, Berkley Prime Crime, $23.95). It's 1483 in Milan, and Ludovico Sforza, the acting duke, has arranged a living chess game to settle a dispute over a painting with the French ambassador. The painter is none other than Leonardo da Vinci, whom the duke chooses to arrange the game. When one of the bishops is found fatally stabbed, the duke gives Leonardo the task of discovering the killer. With the help of one of his apprentices, Dino (the basis of a fascinating subplot), Leonardo solves the case. And there's a clue that's reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Stuckart creates her plot with confidence and describes Renaissance Italy with expertise. "The Queen's Gambit" is perfectly played.

2008 Individual European Chess Championships

Standings of the top 20 after Round 6: 1 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 5,0 2 IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR 5,0 3 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS 5,0 4 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2413 ARM 4,5 5 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2538 BUL 4,5 6 IM Peptan Corina-Isabela 2415 ROU 4,5 7 IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO 4,5 8 GM Lahno Kateryna 2479 UKR 4,5 9 IM Danielian Elina 2479 ARM 4,5 10 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2450 UKR 4,5 11 GM Cramling Pia 2539 SWE 4,5 12 WIM Batsiashvili Nino 2304 GEO 4,5 13 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2449 GER 4,5 14 WGM Pogonina Natalija 2470 RUS 4,5 15 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2466 GEO 4,5 16 WGM Golubenko Valentina 2253 CRO 4,5 17 IM Matveeva Svetlana 2420 RUS 4,0 18 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2443 GEO 4,0 19 IM Houska Jovanka 2390 ENG 4,0 20 WGM Stepovaia Tatiana 2378 RUS 4,0 39 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 3,5. Kazimova has had a tough two rounds. In Round 6, she lost with W to IM Monika Socko (POL 2505), who had 3.0. In Round 5, she lost with B to IM Victoria Cmilyte (LTH 2466) who had 3.5. In Round 7, she will once again have B against IM Sopio Gvetadze (GEO 2350), with 3.5. Key match-ups in Round 7: Board 1: IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 5,0/5,0 IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR Board 2: GM Cramling Pia 2539 SWE 4,5/5,0 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS Board 3: GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2538 BUL 4,5/4,5 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2449 GER Board 4: IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO 4,5/4,5 WIM Batsiashvili Nino 2304 GEO

2008 European Individual Chess Championships

Key match-ups for Round 6: Board 1: IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS 4,5/4,5 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU Board 4: IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2449 GER 4,0/4,0 IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO Board: 5: GM Lahno Kateryna 2479 UKR 4,0/4,0 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2450 UKR Board 6: IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR 4,0/4,0 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2443 GEO Board 7: GM Hoang Thanh Trang 2477 HUN 3,5/4,0 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2413 ARM

Melekhina Scores IM Norm

From the North American Chess Association website: 10th North American FIDE Invitational - Final Results A week of grueling chess is finally over for both the players and the organizer. At the end of the tournament IM Angelo Young came out on top wth 7/9 followed by triple norm winner WFM Alisa Melekhina and finally in third place with FM Mehmed Pasalic. Alisa was able to pull off the feat of capturing 3 types of norms in a single tournament, even though she came in as the third lowest seat. Perhaps she was prepared greatly, perhaps she was underestimated, perhaps she is seriously underrated. I think it's all three and after taking out IM Amanov in Round 2 everyone else woke up and though - 'Uh-oh she's for real and is here to take my head off.' Alisa methodically took apart her opposition on her quest to prove her status in chess, which she did very nicely. It was a pleasure having Alisa at the tournament (and always similing, proud papa Alex) and we hope she comes back soon to continue her quest to become an IM. Mehmed was in a must win situation against FM Gauri Shankar and pushed and pushed (for 117 moves) in mutual time trouble to scrape out the win, but alas only a draw. The third norm slipped away this time. But there is always next month! Another great young lady to meet was WFM Yuanling Yuan, who despite a subpar performance kept her spirits and smiles on throughout the tournament. We hope our chess friend from the north will come back soon to continue her norm hunt. Of course we have to speak about our event champion - IM Angelo Young. Angelo's goal was to go undefeated however Alisa derailed that idea in Round 4. But Angelo still went on to take first place. All games were drawn in the final round except for Stamnov-Monokroussos which was 1F-0F. Final Standings: 1st place - (7.0/9.0) IM Young 2nd place - (6.5/9.0) WFM Melekina (WIM, WGM, and IM norms scored!) 3rd place - (6.0/9.0) FM Pasalic 4th place - (5.0/9.0) IM Amanov 5th - 6th place - (4.5/9.0) FM Stamnov FM Shankar 7th - 8th place (4.0/9.0) FM ChowIM Vishnuvardhan 9th place (2.0/9.0) WFM Yuan 10th place (1.5/9/0)FM Monokroussos (he dropped out due to illness)

Friday Night Miscellany

Hola darlings! It's storming here now with lots of lightning, I'm going to shut down and hunker down. Tornadoes are in the air. All this is due to a massive cold front coming through; the temperature got up to 78 today, tomorrow it may get up to 38. Yikes! Lots of pouring rain, strong winds, tons of very frightening lightning. Later...

Women's Viking Longship Burial Re-Examined

Vikings acquitted in 100-year-old murder mystery By Alister Doyle Fri Apr 25, 10:06 AM ET OSLO (Reuters) - Tests of the bones of two Viking women found in a buried longboat have dispelled 100-year-old suspicions that one was a maid sacrificed to accompany her queen into the afterlife, experts said on Friday. The bones indicated that a broken collarbone on the younger woman had been healing for several weeks -- meaning the break was not part of a ritual execution as suspected since the 22-metre (72 ft) long Oseberg ship was found in 1904. "We have no reason to think violence was the cause of death," Per Holck, professor of anatomy at Oslo University, told Reuters after studying the two women who died in 834 aged about 80 and 50. "The fracture could have been caused by stumbling or whatever. She could have been seriously hurt, got brain damage. But this fracture alone is no sign of killing," he said. The discovery of the ornate Oseberg oak longboat in south Norway, with a curling prow and the bodies of two women, was one of the archaeological sensations of the early 20th century. Historians believe the Vikings sometimes practiced ritual killings. Arab 10th century traveler Ahmad Ibn Fadlan wrote a detailed description of a Viking burial in Russia where a servant girl was stabbed to death and buried. The bones of the older Oseberg woman showed she had cancer, Holck said of studies since the skeletons were exhumed last year to see if modern technology could discover more about them than when they were re-buried in 1948. "It is a terminal cancer so I'm pretty sure that was the reason for her death," Holck said. It was the earliest documented cancer in Norway. The studies also indicated both women were of high rank -- their diets were largely of meat when most Vikings lived off fish. The teeth of the younger woman showed she used a metal toothpick, a rare 9th century luxury. Historians have long suspected that one of the two was Queen Aasa, mother of Halfdan the Black, father of the first king of all Norway, Harald Fairhair. The old woman suffered from Morgagni's syndrome, a hormonal disturbance that gave her a man-like appearance with a beard and a thick-set body. For the two women, there was not enough DNA to tell if they were related, for instance a queen and her daughter. "There are still more questions than answers," said Egil Mikkelsen, director of Oslo's Museum of Cultural History. (Editing by Jon Boyle)

Rock Art and Stone Sculptures Discovered in India

A somewhat vague article - wish there were some photographs! From The Siasat Daily Rich rock-art sites found in Telangana Friday, 25 April 2008 Hyderabad, April 25: THE Department of Archaeology & Museums has discovered rock-art sites in Warangal and Mahabubnagar districts, priceless stone sculptures in Warangal and a Buddhist settlement in Visakhapatnam. Disclosing to newsmen the discoveries made last month, Director P Chenna Reddy said rock-art sites were found in the reserve forest area near Narsapur and Bandala hamlets in Thadwai mandal of Warangal district and near the Akkamahadevi caves in the Srisialam hill ranges of Mahabubnanagr district by the technical staff of the department. The rock paintings in red, ochre and white pigments depict various types of animals such as such as antelopes and peacocks, human figures representing hunting and dancing, and geometrical designs. The paintings near the Akkamahadevi caves are being ascribed to late Mesolithic times, that is, approximately 3000 BC based on the various animals drawn and style of execution. The rock shelters at Narsapur and Bandal are being associated with Dolmenoid cist chamber burials which helped the department date these painting to Megalithic times (1000 BC onwards). Reddy said more surveys had been planned in the region. Priceless stone sculptures depicting Parswantha, Mahishsuramardani and Brahma with his consort Saraswati seated on a swan are being shifted to the district museum,Warangal. The Archaeology Department has also unearthed a Buddhist settlement in Peddauppalam village in Rayavaram mandal of Visakhapatnam district. An idol of a seated Buddha has been recovered from the site where the department is planning further excavations after obtaining permission from the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi. ************************************************************************************ No ages given for the stone sculptures.

Mars

From Barbara Walker's "A Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets." Mars Rome's "red" war-god Mars was once an Etruscan fertility-savior Maris, worshipped at an ancient shrine in the Apennines, Matiene.(1) At a similar shrine in northwestern Iran, Matiane (Mother Ana), the Medes worshipped the same god who became Martiya to the Persians, a holy "martyr" also called Immanuel or Imanisi. The inscription of Darius at Behistun says the god was incarnate in a sacred king slain by his people.(2) His spirit ruled what Sufis stil call the "fulfilling" death-and-rebirth process, known as mardiyya or martyrdom.(3) An early Phrygian version of the same sacrificial god appears in greek myth as the flayed satyr Marsyas, slain on a pine tree "between heaven and earth" by order of the heavenly father. Mars was "red" because his basic Indo-European prototype was the pre-Vedic flayed god Rudra, father of the Maruts or sacrificial victims, red with their own blood. Rudra "the red one" was born of the three-faced virgin-mother Marici, Goddess of birth, dawn, and the New Year, a manifestation of the ancient feminine Trinity. Thus, Rudra bore the title of Tryambaka, "He Who Belongs to Three Mother Goddesses." In Japan this Goddess was known as Marici-deva or Marishi-ten, whom later patriarchal writers masculinized as a Buddhist monk. However, this alleged monk always wore the garments of a woman.(4) The same Goddess was Marica to the Latins. She gave birth to the god-king Latinus, ancestor of all Latin tribes. Her consort was the flayed goat god of the Lupercalia, Faunus, another incarnation of Mars, who also appeared in bird-soul form as the sacred woodpecker Picus, giving oracles from the top of a phallic pillar in his shrine.(5) The Martian New Year sacrifices took place in the god's month of March, which once began the Roman year; this is why the "Ides of March" were considered dangerous to kings. In the Babylonian sacred calendar, the same New Year month of atonement sacrifices was Marcheshvan.(6) The astrological sign of this month still begins the year, according to astrologers' tradition. In northern Europe, Mars was identified with Tiw, Tyr, or Tig: names derived from Indo-Germanic dieus, "God."(7) Just as Mars was often confused with the sky-father Jupiter [deus-pater], so Tiw was another name for the sky-father Odin. Tiw's sign was a lingam-yoni arrangement of a phallic spear atached to a female disc. As wielder of the spear or lightning bolt of fertility, Mars-Tiw became a god of battle He was the patron of Roman warriors, who called him Marspiter (Father Mars) and honored him with "martial" exercises on the Campus Martius, site of a temple of Maris in Etruscan times. His sacred day was Tuesday, named after Tiw in English, though it is still dies martis in Latin and similarly named in Latinate languages (French mardi). To account for the inevitable story that the Queen of Heaven as Celestial Virgin gave birth to the sacrificial god, Romans claimed the Blessed Virgin Juno spurned the love of her spouse, Jupiter, and to spite him conceived Mars by her own unaided feminine fertility magic, the lily blossom that represented her own yoni.(8) Notes: (1) Hays, 182; J.E. Harrison, 101. (2) Assyr. & Bab. Lit., 178. (3) Shah, 394. (4) Larousse, 342, 422. (5) Larousse, 207-8. (6) Assr. & Bab. Lit., 170. (7) H.R.E. Davidson, G.M.V.A., 58. (8) Larousse, 202.

Capture the Queen: An Update

Prior post on Esther Elizabeth Reed. From Greenvilleonline.com Esther Reed in court for new federal charges By Eric Connor • STAFF WRITER • April 24, 2008 The woman accused of assuming the identity of a missing Upstate woman to con her way into prestigious universities appeared in court this morning to hear new federal charges against her in Greenville that offer more of a glimpse into how authorities allege the 29-year-old high school dropout duped those around her. Before and after her appearance before the judge, Esther Elizabeth Reed sat quietly but curious of the proceedings of other inmates. The Washington native was bound in handcuffs and wearing thick eyeglasses, frequently peeking her head around attorneys standing in front of her and unwittingly blocking her view of the courtroom. The new charges include allegations that she duped boyfriends and professors, moving from state to state touting a false career as a chess champion, convincing educators and professors to write her letters of recommendation and claiming to be in the witness protection program when she sought help to form another in a litany of new identities. A superseding indictment against Reed charges her with new identity theft and fraud charges in connection with allegations that she stole the identity of Brooke Henson -- a Travelers Rest woman who disappeared nearly nine years ago and whom police believe to be dead -- as well as the identities of five other women from across the country. Reed, who herself disappeared in 1999 from a Seattle suburb and was arrested two months ago outside of Chicago to face identity theft charges in Greenville district court, doesn't appear to have had any hand in Henson's death, authorities say. The indictment alleges that the secret lives Reed led -- using her intellect and fake identities to secure more than $100,000 in student loans, as well as engaging in more-minor schemes such as creating fake store receipts and returning them for cash refunds -- stretch to as early as 2001. In March 2001, Reed secured a Pennsylvania driver's permit in the name of a woman the indictment identifies only as "NF" by using "NF's" name, date of birth and social security number, the indictment alleges. As "NF," Reed "engaged in a personal relationship with a West Point cadet and falsely represented to individuals that she earned a living as a chess champion," the indictment alleges. Reed began using the identity of a woman listed in the indictment as "NB" in August 2002 to attend Cal State Fullerton college in the Los Angeles area. "As 'NB,' Reed took numerous classes at California State Fullerton College, specifically debate classes, and convinced a professor to write a recommendation to Columbia University in the name of the person known as 'BH' by falsely representing that she was in the witness protection program and was forced to change her name," the indictment alleges. In December 2003, according to the indictment, Reed used that relationship with the West Point cadet to convince the cadet's mother, a professor at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, to write a recommendation for her acceptance to Columbia University in New York. That same month, Reed used Henson's identity to earn a GED in Ohio, which she then used in California six months later to earn an SAT college admission exam score good enough to qualify for Columbia University, according to the indictment. Over the course of the next two years, Reed received more than $100,000 in student loans to study in the university's School of General Studies, the indictment alleges. In February 2005, Reed applied to the S.C. Department of Vital Statistics for a copy of Henson's birth certificate using an Ohio identification card, Columbia University identification and Henson's social security number, the indictment alleges. A month later, she received the birth certificate in the mail in Northampton, Mass., and a few months later applied for a passport in Henson's name, the indictment alleges. In July 2005, Reed began working in the Ivy League school's "Vice President University Development Alumni Relations Office and was paid $10 per hour for her services," the indictment alleges. A year later, in July 2006, New York City Police confronted Reed to ask her if she was indeed Henson, "to which Reed replied in the affirmative and was able to answer some of the personal family questions in an effort to verify her identity," the indictment alleges. New York police asked Reed to take a DNA test to confirm her identity but Reed declined and "absconded from authorities," according to the indictment. When Reed was arrested two months ago at a Chicago-area hotel, she was using the identity of a woman referred to in the indictment as "JM," the indictment alleges. Reed assumed the identity of "JM" in December 2006 when she got an Iowa driver's license using a fraudulently made birth certificate from Kentucky and fraudulently made marriage license from Nevada, as well as using the identity of a woman referred to as "KW," the indictment alleges. Reed used the "JM" identity to buy a car from a person in Chicago and registered the car in Iowa, the indictment alleges. Authorities arrested Reed on Feb. 2 at a hotel in Tinsley Park, a small town outside of Chicago, after the "America's Most Wanted" television show aired a segment on her. During her time using other identities, Reed also ran up charges on fraudulently obtained credit cards and used her computer to create fake store receipts and return items for cash refund, the indictment alleges. No bond has been set for Reed as she is in jail awaiting another hearing. Reed faces charges in Greenville, the only charges against her, because of allegations that she applied to a South Carolina's agency for a duplicate copy of Henson's birth certificate, U.S. Attorney Walt Wilkins said. She faces the possibility of 47 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.

2008 European Individual Chess Championships

Here are the standings for the top 20 ladies after Round 5: 1 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 4,5 2 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS 4,5 3 IM Peptan Corina-Isabela 2415 ROU 4,0 4 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2413 ARM 4,0 5 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2538 BUL 4,0 6 GM Lahno Kateryna 2479 UKR 4,0 7 IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO 4,0 IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR 4,0 9 GM Cramling Pia 2539 SWE 4,0 10 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2450 UKR 4,0 11 WGM Pogonina Natalija 2470 RUS 4,0 12 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2449 GER 4,0 13 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2443 GEO 4,0 14 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 3,5 15 WIM Nemcova Katerina 2344 CZE 3,5 16 IM Danielian Elina 2479 ARM 3,5 17 IM Matveeva Svetlana 2420 RUS 3,5 18 IM Vasilevich Tatjana 2360 UKR 3,5 19 WIM Batsiashvili Nino 2304 GEO 3,5 20 IM Houska Jovanka 2390 ENG 3,5

2008 European Individual Chess Championships

In Round 5, Kazimova lost behind the black pieces to Victoria Cmilyte, so Cmilyte moves to 4.5 and Kazimova stays on 3.5. I'll have the standings tonight. IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 3,5 1 - 0 3,5 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE

WIM Audrey Wong Su Yi

An interesting story with a happy ending. From The Star Online Friday April 25, 2008 Out of limbo Quah Seng Sun IT IS settled: Audrey Wong Su Yi’s position vis-à-vis the World Chess Federation (Fide) regarding her title of woman international master. Wong was our first woman international master (WIM), long before Siti Zulaikha Foudzi became only our second WIM. But inexplicably, Wong’s name went missing from Fide’s own list of titled holders. Consequently, Wong’s name was also missing from the Fide rating list. Definitely, it wasn’t in the list of active players because she had not played competitively for more than 20 years but neither was she in the inactive list. She just went missing, as if Fide did not know that she existed. So, for the past 23 years, Wong’s very existence as a Malaysian WIM was in limbo. To re-stake her claim with Fide, she had a certificate from the World Chess Federation acknowledging that she was indeed a woman international master. It was this certificate, as well as a few old newspaper clippings, that she took with her to the reunion dinner last month. That started the ball rolling. The MCF president requested the MCF secretary to take up the matter personally with Fide. E-mails and faxes were exchanged between the MCF and Fide until finally, about three weeks later, an e-mail arrived from the Fide office that said: “Please kindly note that we confirm that Wong, Su Yi Audrey, MAS was the winner of the Asian Girls U-20 1985 Championship. The WIM title has been published in her personal card on the FIDE website. Thank you. Best regards, Baira Tsedenova, Elista FIDE Office.” I’m happy for her. . . . Back to Audrey Wong – she set the standard for Siti Zulaikha to follow who in turn, I’m certain, will set even higher standards for more Malaysian women chess players. Back in June 1985, Wong was in uncharted waters when she set out for Adelaide, Australia. As the national women’s champion then, she represented the country at the Asian under-20 girls’ chess championship. It was a 13-round event with chess players from around Asia taking part. Wong astounded the field with a flying start that saw her score a perfect 10. Ten points from the first 10 games. She was on course to win the championship. However, she then faltered and, eventually, finished the tournament with 11.5 points. Another player – Abhyankar Anupama from India – also scored 11.5 points. Both players tied for first place in the tournament. Florencio Campomanes – who was then the Fide president – decided that both players would be the co-champions and be given the titles. That’s how Wong returned to Malaysia triumphantly with her WIM title. This triumph proved to be the pinnacle of her chess career because it was never to be repeated. True, Wong won the national women’s championship title several times but she never repeated her international success again. In those days, in order for a person to be in the Fide rating list, the player would have to be actively playing and possess a rating of at least 2,200 points. The Asian Girls Under-20 was not enough to give Wong her rating points. That was why, even though she was given the WIM title, she was an unrated titled player. I suppose in the years that followed, Fide did not know what to do with people like Wong who possessed a title but did not have rating points; what’s more, Wong had also become inactive. When Fide computerised eventually, the easiest solution was to remove such players from the rating list. So what’s to become of Wong now that she is again recognised by Fide? After all the effort put in by the MCF, I hope she will not pull back from playing again. I hope she will ease herself back into the local chess fraternity by coming back to play. There are always the local weekend chess tournaments and, of course, if she feels up to it, this year’s national closed championship. She will be an excellent role model for a new generation of women chess players.

Alexander the Great's "Crown," Shield Discovered?

From the National Geographic, a story of archaeological detective work and evidence of the barbaric mindset of the ancient Greeks - they killed innocent women and children along with the primary targets (the males). Sara Goudarzifor National Geographic News April 23, 2008 An ancient Greek tomb thought to have held the body of Alexander the Great's father is actually that of Alexander's half brother, researchers say. This may mean that some of the artifacts found in the tomb—including a helmet, shield, and silver "crown"—originally belonged to Alexander the Great himself. Alexander's half brother is thought to have claimed these royal trappings after Alexander's death. The tomb was one of three royal Macedonian burials excavated in 1977 by archaeologists working in the northern Greek village of Vergina. Excavators at the time found richly appointed graves with artifacts including a unique silver headband, an iron helmet, and a ceremonial shield, along with a panoply of weapons and an object initially identified as a scepter. "[Archaeologists] announced that the burial in the main chamber of the large rich [tomb] was that of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, who was assassinated in 336 B.C," said Eugene N. Borza, professor emeritus of ancient history at Pennsylvania State University. But recent analyses of the tombs and the paintings, pottery, and other artifacts found there, suggest that the burials are in fact one generation more recent than had previously been thought, Borza said. Rest of story.

Possible Fire Temple Discovered In Iran

Possible Existence of a Sasanian Fire Temple in Sarab-e Mort April 24, 2008 LONDON, (CAIS) -- Archaeologists working at Sarab-Mort site in Kermanshah Province announced the news of the possible discovery of a Sasanian Fire Temple adjacent to the Parthian Manor house, reported Persian service of ISNA on Monday 21, 2008. “During this year’s [archaeological salvage] excavation, we have unearthed the religious section of the structure; it consists of a Chahar-Taqi (free-standing Zoroastrian Fire Temple), which in fact was a private chapel,” said Yousef Moradi, director of archaeological salvage operation team at Sarab-e Mort. The Parthian manor house consists of various sections including official, administrative, ceremonial and religious. Moradi stated: “we started our excavation in the Parthian manor house last year. Last season we discovered the official, administrative and ceremonial quarters, and this year the religious section. However, the residential quarter has totally been destroyed and there is no hope of finding the private chamber belonging to the lord of the manor.” Initially, the private and residential sectors of the manor-house were destroyed partly in 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war and the remaining part was demolished in recent decade as the result of the dam construction activities. In regard to the Zoroastrian fire temple he said: “located in the southern corner of the structure there is a small area, which points out to its function and origin as a Sasanian fire temple. However, we cannot be sure until we complete our excavation.” According to Moradi, the manor house was built during the Parthian dynastic era (248 BCE -224 CE) and was in use during the succeeding dynasty, the Sasanians (224-651 CE). Apparently the discovered religious section was an annexation. Further excavations however at a lower level will shed more light about its origin. Iranian archaeologists began their second and last season of archaeological salvage operation at Sarab-Mort archaeological site in Kermanshah Province in February 2008, prior to the site soon being submerged once the newly built Dam becomes operational. Discovery of plaster in the ceremonial hall indicates that the walls of this building were most probably covered with stucco-decorations which have been destroyed over time. This manor house covered an area about 5,000 square meters. Sarab-Mort is situated near a stream known under the same name and it is located 3 kilometres east of Gilangharb in Kermanshah province. The site consists of three archaeological mounds (Tappeh). The area of Sarab Mort is renowned for its mort (myrtle) trees. Myrtle was considered as a sacred plant by the ancient Iranians, and its leaves and fruits were used during Mithra and Anahita cultic ceremonies.

2008 European Individual Chess Championships

Hola! I'm too tired to do the update to Chess Femme News tonight so I'm posting the info on Round 4 Women here - top 20 finishers: Rank Name IRtg FED Pts BH. BH. vict Fide Rtg+/- 1 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2421 RUS 4,0 4,0 9,0 4 10,0 13 2 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2466 LTU 3,5 5,5 10,0 3 9,5 9 3 Kazimova Narmin 2071 AZE 3,5 5,0 10,5 3 9,0 73 4 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2538 BUL 3,5 5,0 9,5 3 8,5 5 5 IM Peptan Corina-Isabela 2415 ROU 3,5 4,5 10,0 3 9,5 9 6 IM Muzychuk Anna 2486 SLO 3,5 4,5 9,0 3 8,5 8 7 GM Lahno Kateryna 2479 UKR 3,5 4,5 8,5 3 9,0 8 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2443 GEO 3,5 4,5 8,5 3 9,0 9 9 GM Cramling Pia 2539 SWE 3,0 5,5 11,0 2 7,5 -2 10 WGM Stepovaia Tatiana 2378 RUS 3,0 5,5 10,5 2 8,5 6 11 IM Gvetadze Sopio 2350 GEO 3,0 5,5 10,5 2 8,0 18 12 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2413 ARM 3,0 5,5 10,0 2 8,5 7 13 WIM Nemcova Katerina 2344 CZE 3,0 5,5 9,5 3 9,0 18 14 IM Ushenina Anna 2474 UKR 3,0 5,0 10,0 2 8,5 1 15 IM Matveeva Svetlana 2420 RUS 3,0 5,0 10,0 2 8,0 4 16 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2450 UKR 3,0 4,5 9,5 2 8,5 4 17 IM Danielian Elina 2479 ARM 3,0 4,5 9,0 3 7,0 1 18 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2449 GER 3,0 4,5 9,0 2 8,0 3 IM Lomineishvili Maia 2400 GEO 3,0 4,5 9,0 2 8,0 6 20 IM Vasilevich Tatjana 2360 UKR 3,0 4,0 8,5 3 9,0 6 As you can see, the "usual suspects" are in the top rankings after Round 4 - but the big story is Narmin Kazimova. Who? I'd never heard of her - nor recall seeing her name crop up in tournament reports. So who the heck is she and how is she managing to stay on par with the top players given her vastly inferior ELO??? There must be a story there, darlings! Ohmygoddess, she's a baby! According to the official FIDE website, she was born in 1993! Her first FIDE-rated games showed up in January, 2006 - from the 2004 World Youth Chess Championships U-12! There was no reported activity before or after, until 3 events for all of 2007. She played in the World Youth Chess Championships in Turkey in November, 2007 where she scored 5.5/9; and four tournaments in Azerbaijan in late 2007 (2) and early 2008 (2). In this event, in Round 4, Kazimova (W) defeated WGM Salome Melia (GEO 2413) (B); in Round 3, Kazimova (B) drew with GM Pia Cramling (W); in Round 2 she defeated WGM Baira Kovanova Baira (RUS 2372) (B); in Round 1 she (B) defeated WFM Ekaterina Akatova (RUS 2320)(W). Can she keep it up?

The Goddess Mariamman

Wow! Incredible information about the Goddess Mariamman from Desicritics.org - lots of photos to describe the story as it unfolds. It's India, it's real, it's 21st century and simply, totally, unbelievable. And the people live this every single day. A Goddess for Summer April 23, 2008 Deepa Krishnan The fierce April heat brings with it rashes, skin diseases and the dreaded pox. Before it was eradicated in India, smallpox was one of the most feared diseases of summer. Chicken pox is still a big worry for Indian parents. Many communities believe it is the wrath of the Goddess Mariamman that brings on these diseases, and that she must be propitiated to ward off the pox. In Mumbai [formerly Bombay], a small community from Andhra Pradesh worships the Goddess Mariamman every summer, seeking protection from smallpox, chickenpox and all forms of disease. My housemaid is from Andhra Pradesh, so I went with her to see the annual Mariamman ceremony. Mum came along, of course, to find out what it was all about. The first thing we saw (heard) were the drums. Three men came walking from a little lane, and posed for me. Rest of article.

Random Round-Up

Wow! Mr. Don has outdone himself this week putting together the April 20, 2008 edition of Random Round-up at Goddesschess. The headline starts with the board games carved into the living rock on Kharg Island, Iran, that were reported on April 19th, but after that, well - you have to see where he takes you on this week's magical mystery tour of board games and history.

Benefiel Awarded Fellowship from Archaeological Institute of America

Rebecca Benefiel, assistant professor of classics at Washington and Lee University, received the Olivia James Traveling Fellowship from the Archaeological Institute of America for 2008-2009. It's designed to support field research in the Mediterranean, and there is only one fellowship of this kind given out per year. The award is $25,000. Benefiel will spend this fall and next spring on-site in Pompeii and in Rome working on her book, "Pompeii and Her Neighbors: Civic Identity, Social Interaction, and Ancient Graffiti."More than 11,000 inscriptions (ancient "graffiti") on the walls of ancient Pompeii have been discovered and recorded since excavation of the site began in the 18th century. These writings provide interesting information about the social interaction taking place among residents of different communities. Benefiel said that they show there is a "good amount of civic pride and civic rivalries, especially between Pompeii and her closest neighbor, Nuceria." "I am thrilled about this opportunity," she said. "It's the best fellowship I could have gotten for my project because it is designed to support research in the field. For my research, being on-site in Pompeii is invaluable. Published photos exist for fewer than 1% of these graffiti. "I have gone to Pompeii for brief research trips and every time I go, I encounter something unexpected that affects my approach to, my thinking about, and my understanding of these ancient writings. There is no substitute." Benefiel received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Chess News Update

Chess Femme News has been updated, April 23, 2008. Scroll down for latest news (and be sure to hit your refresh button).

Five Year Old Discovers Ancient Stone Tools

Archaeologist responds to find By Betsy Levinson Tue Apr 22, 2008, 04:09 PM EDT Finding stone artifacts that are approximately 4,000 years old is not just rare, it’s never happened in Littleton (Massachusetts), said Martin Dudek of J. Milner Associates, an archaeological consulting firm on Great Road. “I’ve never seen stone axes that are found on private property,” said Dudek after confirming that five-year-old Dalton Blake dug up two Native American tools in his grandmother’s backyard earlier this month. Dudek said artifacts like those are usually found in collections, historical societies or farms. “They are well known tools; they are not a unique class of artifact,” said Dudek, “but digging them up in a backyard is very rare.” He said finds like Dalton’s are increasingly unusual along small streams since the sediment has shifted over the last centuries and most artifacts are now found along the mouths of big rivers or the ocean. “Many were found in the 1800s to early 1900s from those that walked through fields,” he said. He said he noticed from the photo of Dalton that ran in the April 10 Littleton Independent that the tools were probably in subsoil, or class B soil that is geologically below the surface. C soil is glacial till, he said. “Often, tools are found in subsoil, or mixed in what is known as a plow zone,” said Dudek. “Dalton may have dug deeper than the surface soil.” Dudek gave forms to register the site to Andrea Curran, a friend of Dalton’s grandmother, Donna White. Curran brought Dudek the artifacts after White, a historian, revealed to her what Dalton had found. “I was in awe,” said White when Dalton ran to the house saying he’d found ‘a rock in the shape of a man.’” Dudek said the Nipmuc natives were living in the Littleton area at the time, and could have been the site of a hut or “tool use area,” or it could be related to a burial site. “It is a valid possibility,” said Dudek. Dudek said the state historical commission would come out and catalog the site if White were to register it. Dudek said the natives used stone tools such as the axe “at least until the European explorers arrived,” citing other stone implements such as hatchets and machetes. Dudek is proud of Blake and his find. He said he first developed a love for paleontology at age 5, so he can relate to Blake’s excitement.

Significant Find on Fiji

Fiji jewellery box find stuns archeologists 22 APR 2008 Archeologists have discovered a 3000-year-old pot in Fiji containing jewellery believed to have been made by the South Pacific’s original settlers – the Lapita people. The discovery was made by an excavation party from the Fiji-based University of the South Pacific and the Fiji Museum at Bourewa in Natadola on the Coral Coast. The dig at Bourewa, which is the earliest human settlement in Fiji, unearthed the pot and a thick piece of “exquisitely decorated pottery”. The Lapita people were the first colonists of Pacific Island groups, including the eastern Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. The descendants of the Lapita people, who disappeared as a distinct cultural group around 550 BC, live in these countries today. Fiji Museum's Sepeti Matararaba found the jewellery made of shells. "As Sepeti continued excavating, he found in the middle of these two rows an upturned pot," says USP’s School of Geography's Professor Patrick Nunn. "It was filled with shell jewellery. Nine shell rings of different sizes, four shell bracelets, six straight units with drill-holes." Another researcher also found a pot. Professor Nunn said when she got it out she was initially disappointed because it seemed to have no decoration on it.Then she turned it over. "She saw the most extraordinary find ever made in Fiji," Professor Nunn said.Cut into it was the eyes and nose Lapita motif, made of very fine dots and all in-filled with lime. Excavations involved more than 70 people, including 38 students from the University of the South Pacific. The project was directed by Professor Nunn from the School of Geography at the University of the South Pacific, supported by Roselyn Kumar from the University and Matararaba. Researchers from universities in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, USA and UK were also involved.

Chess News Update

Chess Femme News has been updated, April 22, 2008 (scroll down for latest news).

Native American Tribe Wants to Promote Ignorance

The tribal leaders who are promoting this agenda are disgusting. They want to repatriate remains and artifacts from a museum and rebury them (indeed, from the sound of the article, they want to repatriate everything in every museum in the country, and deprive everyone in the United States any access to the pre-European history of this country), so that people can no longer look, study and learn. That stance is nothing less than the willful promotion of ignorance. If this tribe truly wants Native American remains to be reburied (assuming they are Native American), fine - but the artifacts belong to everyone, to be available for learning and educating everyone on the history of mankind. From United Press International Tribe wants university to return remains Published: April 17, 2008 at 7:47 PM DETROIT, April 17 (UPI) -- A group of Native Americans is demanding that the University of Michigan return the tribal remains and artifacts it has acquired. Led by the Saginaw Chippewa of Mount Pleasant, Mich., the Native Americans say hundreds of human remains, and the funerary objects buried with them, are being wrongly held, and they want to rebury them, The Detroit News reported Thursday. The controversy pits one of the nation's most renowned archeology departments against one of the nation's most wealthy tribes. "This is a first step. The University of Michigan was a logical move," said Shannon Martin, director of the tribe's Ziibiwing Center, a $9 million museum on the Chippewa's reservation. "We thought we would go with the most difficult (institution) and stake our claim and position." David Hurst Thomas, the curator of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, said the controversy is simple. "It's about power and control of the past and who gets to tell the story of the past," he said. © 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form. ****************************************************************************************** Consider the wider issues. This isn't just about reburying remains. James Cuno is president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the author of “Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle Over Our Ancient Heritage,” published by Princeton University Press in 2008, writes about the issues and problems in Who Owns the Past? - Antiquities from great cultures belong to humanity, not nation states that emerged centuries later (April 21, 2008).

Chess News Update

Chess Femme News has been updated, April 21, 2008.

Gimpy the Squirrel

Hola! It's been a depressing sort of day. The weather is beautiful - for a change - and I actually dosed for awhile today outdoors in the sun while I was reading the latest issue of Chess Life magazine, yippee! But the news, oh my, the news. One of my pleasures on Sunday is reading different things online and posting about them here. I usually find a lot of interesting items at The New York Times. But today I scoured The Times and was appalled, and got depressed. News about food shortages, news about the rising cost of oil and the looming shortages in that commodity too, news about the eroding of the American middle class, now only 16% of all Americans make wages higher than $20 an hour. We are in danger of becoming the first generation of Americans who will not live as well as our parents - and our children certainly will not. If that isn't pathetic, I don't know what is. More bad news about global warming and climate change. One gets the vision that my senior years will be spent huddled with freezing, hungry people in underground dugouts around meager coal fires, eating roasted worms. All the animals will be gone, all the wood will be gone, we won't be able to afford oil or gas to eat our homes, which will be deconstructed for the lumber and other materials they contain, all the food will be gone. One-third of the coasts of the United States will be under water and the rest of the country will be scoured by relentless hurricanes, floods and drought. In the developing nations about 8.5 billion people will be jostling for elbow room and killing each other over whatever is left to scarf out of the ground. The oceans will be dead, all animals will be gone, even the insects will be in danger of extinction as people turn to them as the only food source left. May as well just blow my brains out now and get it over with. Sigh. BIG sigh. So I want to tell you about litle Gimpy the squirel, who always makes me feel better whenever I see her. I do not know exactly what befell Gimpy, but she showed up in the back yard one day in laste autumn last year, with her tail bent at a weird angle and moving very strangely - sort of like dragging/hopping. She was absolutely terrified of me - whenever my shadow came anywhere near the patio door she would drag/hop out of sight. But she stuck around, no doubt because of the plentiful and easily acquired food I toss out in the mornings and the evenings, day in and day out. When dondelion visited over Christmas I pointed her out to him. Slowly, very slowly, she got used to seeing me - but she would still run up a tree for safety when I opened the patio door to throw out some tempting nuts for her. Unlike the other squirrels who hang around here, she doesn't come running when I make my squirrel "mooching" sound - they know that's the signal for food. Maybe because of the constant food supply, Gimpy survived this long hard winter, and actually came through with some weight put on! The broken end of her tail fell off about 2 or 3 weeks ago, so now she just has about a five inch stub. I don't know if it will grow back. When she first arrived, I suspected that she had an injured paw or leg, thus causing her very strange gait - but until recently I could only guess because she would not come close enough (or hold still in one position long enough) for me to get a good long look! Gimpy has gotten sufficiently used to me now that she comes up on the deck to grab peanuts, as long as I stand quietly behind the closed patio door. So I was able to get a good look at her, at last. She is missing her right front paw - it's not there at all. I suspect that whatever fate caused her broken tail also caused her to lose her paw, and thinking back on how she moved when I first saw her in the yard, she may have had an injured rear left leg too. But now she is fat and sassy and the boy squirrels are chasing her all over the yard. She has lost her funny gait and moves pretty much just like the others in my tribe of squirrels do. When she eats the nuts I toss out with free abandon (I spend more on nuts for the squirrels than I do on food for myself) she holds them between her good left paw and her stump. I expect she'll have a litter later in the summer. And so Gimpy, Goddess love her, was able to adapt and survive. I will try and get a picture of her to post here - so far I've been unsuccessful - she's just too fast for me! So perhaps there's a lesson here, although I seriously doubt that there will be any "Goddess raining peanuts from Heaven" down upon us sorry-butt humans - so, maybe not. I don't know. I just know that seeing Gimpy makes me feel better.

Goddess Neith

From Barbara Walker's "A Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets." Neith Triple Goddess of Sais, also called Anatha, Ath-enna, Athene, Medusa. Egyptians said her name meant "I have come from myelf." She was the World Body, the Primal Abyss from which the sun first rose, and "the Cow, who gave birth to Ra."(1) She was the Spirit Behind the Veil, whom no mortal could see face to face. She called herself "all that has been, that is, and that will be," a phrase copied by the Christians Gospels (Revelation 1:8). She was older than dynastic Egypt. Her symbol was borne by a prehistoric clan, and her name by two queens of the first dynasty. Greeks knew her as Nete, one of the original trinity of Muses at Delphi.(2) In the Bible she was called Asenath (Isis-Neith), Great Goddess of the city of Aun, which the Jews rendered "On." Her high priest Potiphar was made her "father," as Teiresias was made the "father" of the Goddess Mante, and Brahma was made the "father" of the Goddess Sarasvati (genesis 41:45). The Goddess herself was made the spouse of Joseph, whose Egyptian name meant "he who was brought o life by the word of the Goddess (neter)."(3) Notes: (1) Budge, G.E., 1, 451, 459; 2, 299. (2) Larousse, 37, 118. (3) Budge, D.N., 34-35. See information on some of these related goddesses: http://goddesschess.blogspot.com/2008/04/hannah-bride-of-lord-of-death.html Ana, Anatha, Anna, Diana, Hannah, Inanna, Jana, Juno, Nana, Nanna, St. Anne More information on Neith at Wikipedia.

JAPFA Chess Festival

News on Irene Kharisma Sukandar's quest for a WGM norm: April 21, 2008 Irene edges 1st Grandmaster norm The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia's chess star Irene Kharisma Sukandar is only one win away from earning her first Grandmaster norm after she beat the odds by outsmarting top seed Woman Grandmaster Li Ruofan of Singapore in the ninth round of the Japfa Chess Festival. The 16-year-old Woman International Master, who is expected to become the first Indonesian to claim the Woman Grandmaster title, ended Ruofan's unbeaten run on the 23rd move in Saturday's evening match at the Indonesian Sports Council in Central Jakarta. "I was surprised I won," she told The Jakarta Post. This was Irene's first win over the overnight leader. She drew Ruofan in both their meetings last year. "I guess she (Ruofan) was too tired so she made a fatal blunder in the middle of the game. She did not play her best," Irene said. Despite the victory, Irene, who has bagged 5.5 points from three draws and four wins during the tournament, must win the last round against Woman Grandmaster Jana Krivec of Slovenia on Sunday to garner 6.5 points, the points required to claim a Grandmaster norm. In the eighth-round match in the morning, Irene drew Pokorna on the 39th move. Irene admitted the final match would be tough for her. She will be playing the black side in the match, a position she believes is unfavorable for taking the offensive. "I hope I can play relaxed and do my best, because it is such a decisive match," she said. "I found I could play my best when I played with a lot of composure. I hate that I did not find my best earlier on," she The Jakarta Post. Irene dropped her third and fourth rounds to Woman Grandmaster Regina Pokorna of Slovakia and Slovenian Krivec before finally regaining her momentum. She will spend the night preparing tactics for Sunday's match with her coach Tiber Karolyi of Hungary. She said earlier she needs "a miracle" to win her first norm after missing a golden opportunity last month during the Rector International Cup tournament in Ukraine. During the Cup, she posted 6 points, only one point away from grabbing a Grandmaster norm. Despite her loss on Saturday, Ruofan still topped the standings with 6 points. The 30-year-old player acknowledged the competition was really tough. Irene and Pokorna share second place with 5.5 points. At the time of writing, Catherine Perena of the Philippines was taking on Slovenian Krivec. ... (ind)