New York: Wearing Ourselves Out!

Friday morning dawned sunny and warm, but not too warm. It was a beautiful day and Michelle and Isis were eager to do a boat tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We had a late start, just one of those things. We walked down to Fifth Avenue and 55th Street and were eventually successful in getting on the correct bus, going in the correct direction, to get to Battery Park. (Photo by dondelion: the 911 construction site. The place is buzzing with activity. I got to the end of the small plaza across the road from the construction site and I just could not go any further. I started crying. The drawings for the future buildings are beautiful. I am glad to see the space will soon be re-dedicated to the pursuit of the American way.) There was lots to see along the long, winding route of the M1 bus that runs from the "top" of Fifth Avenue to the very bottom of Manhattan. We passed through Chelsea, Chinatown, Soho, Tribeca and other neighborhoods. Always there were crowds of people and never-ending store fronts filled with stores and goods not found anywhere else. So unique! Eventually we arrived at the turn-around for the bus. We got off and headed toward what we thought was the correct spot (the Manhattan Ferry Terminal); that wasn't right, but we got directions and ended up at the correct pier in the correct spot, only to learn that we had missed the last boat trip out to the Statue of Liberty for the day - by perhaps 10 minutes. Arggggh! But the day was lovely and Battery Park is beautiful, meticulously maintained. It was filled with people, all having a good time. (This lovely neoclassical building caught my eye in the heart of the financial district as we were walking back from Battery Park. It was the building housed the Chamber of Commerce for awhile at least, built in 1902). Several freelance artists have small booths set up along the winding paths that lead away from the area where the boat passengers disembark. Isis cut a deal with one of them to do a charcoal portrait of Michelle. It took a little while, but less than half an hour, and in the meantime Mr. Don, Isis and I kicked back and relaxed. The portrait was a big success. Michelle looks so beautiful on it. It's hard to realize she's all grown up - it seems like yesterday she was an 8 year old! (Here are Michelle, me and Isis - the three Goddesschess Goddesses, in front of a big deep orange sculpture that looks like a number 1 die). After we left the park area we explored a bit, marveling at the architecture and the mish-mash of buildings that create unending photo vignettes! Friday night saw us dining at Applejack Diner once again, but it was dondelion, Michelle and me; Isis was tired and stayed resting at the hotel. It was a lovely night and we got in a few more photo ops. The above are some photos we took on Friday.

New York Shopping: MacKenzie-Childs

Yesterday was an easy day as we awaited the arrrival of Isis and Michelle. Mr. Don had ambitious plans but I just wanted to have a big breakfast and go window shopping. So, we compromised. We had breakfast at Applejack's Diner and then walked out shopping. In the afternoon we walked over to the Asia Institute and spent several hours there, including time in the gift shop exploring lots of unique gifts. After breakfast we headed toward 5th Avenue on West 57th Street so I could do a little window shopping. I was stopped in my tracks by a charming display in a shop window, and Mr. Don stopped with me, and then he was caught too, because the back wall of the store was covered in a black and white checkerboard pattern and the store was filled with black and white (and other colors) of plateware and accessories. It was a dazzling feast for the eyes. We went in. I was enchanted. We probably spent close to an hour exploring the various displays and wares. Mr. Don asked and was given permission to take a few photographs. As he always does, he got into conversations with staff members and customers alike while I floated about from object to object, examining and admiring. We purchased some gifts and left with a catalog. The name of this enchanting place is MacKenzie-Childs, and I highly recommend it. The patterned beeswax candles are beautiful and well within my budget for gifts; likewise the body creams and scented soaps on the second floor that are gorgeously packaged and have the loveliest scents. I found a lamp to die for, entirely unique (it was not in the catalog). Unfortunately, it was beyond my price range, but one can dream... The staff at MacKenzie-Childs were gracious and helpful. Our purchases were carefully placed in beautiful bags with the MacKenzie-Childs logo on the outside - see my photo of our packages - amid lots of black and cream checked tissue paper. When two of the gift bags were presented to Isis and Michelle later Thursday night, the bags elicited as much pleasure as the gifts they contained! Please visit the MacKenzie-Childs website and explore their uniquely designed wares.

New "Venus" Figurine Discovered

Story from AP:

By PATRICK McGROARTY, Associated Press Writer Patrick Mcgroarty, Associated Press Writer – Wed May 13, 3:42 pm ET

BERLIN – A 35,000-year-old ivory carving of a busty woman found in a German cave was unveiled Wednesday by archaeologists who believe it is the oldest known sculpture of the human form. The carving found in six fragments in Germany's Hohle Fels cave depicts a woman with a swollen belly, wide-set thighs and large, protruding breasts.

"It's very sexually charged," said University of Tuebingen archaeologist Nicholas Conard, whose team discovered the figure in September.

Carbon dating suggests it was carved at least 35,000 years ago, according to the researchers' findings, which are being published Thursday in the scientific journal Nature.

"It's the oldest known piece of figurative sculpture in the world," said Jill Cook, a curator of Paleolithic and Mesolithic material at the British Museum in London.

Stones in Israel and Africa almost twice as old are believed to have been collected by ancient humans because they resembled people, but they were not carved independently.

The Hohle Fels cave discovery suggests the humans, who are believed to have come to Europe around 40,000 years ago, had the intelligence to create symbols and think abstractly in a way that matches the modern human, Conard said

"It's 100 percent certain that, by the time we get to 40,000 years ago in Swabia, we're dealing with people just like you and me," Conard told The Associated Press, referring to the southern German region where the sculpture was recovered along with other prehistoric artifacts.

Conard believes the 2.4-inch-tall (6-centimeter) figure may have been hung on the end of a string. The left arm is missing, but Conard said he hopes to find it by sifting through material from the cave.

The Hohle Fels sculpture is curvaceous and has neither feet nor a head, like some of the roughly 150 so-called Venus figurines found in a range from the Pyrenees mountains to southern Russia and dating back about 25,000-29,000 years.

But Cook warned against trying to draw any connections between the Venuses and the Hohle Fels figure, saying that would be like comparing Picasso to a classical sculptor — too much time had passed.

"I wonder whether at this point we're looking at figures which are unique within themselves and unique within the cultures that they're arising in," she said.

Archaeologist Paul Mellars, of the University of Cambridge, suggested a clearer continuum. "We now have evidence of that sort of artistic tradition of Venus figurines going back 6,000 years earlier than anybody ever guessed," he said.

Neanderthals also lived in Europe around the time the sculpture was carved, and frequented the Hohle Fels cave. But Mellars said layered deposits left by both species over thousands of years prove the sculpture was crafted by humans.

"Nothing within a million miles of this has ever been found in a Neanderthal layer," Mellars said.

The archaeologists agreed the sculpture's age and features invite speculation about its purpose and the preoccupations of the culture that produced it.

Cook suggested it could be symbol of fertility, perhaps even portrayed in the act of giving birth. Mellars suggested a more basic motivation for the carving: "These people were obsessed with sex."

Conard said the differing opinions reinforced the connection between the ancient artist and modern viewer.

"How we interpret it tells us just as much about ourselves as about people 40,000 years ago," he said.

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Hmmm, the experts know better, I guess... All I can say is that when I looked at this image of the "Venus" and the other two images I saw, I thought it depicts two people intertwined in an embrace. Perhaps it's just the way the object was photographed that makes it appear that way.

New York 3

Some photos from 5/13/09 at the Met

New York Adventures 2

Yesterday we spent the entire day at the Met. (The Great Hall at the Met, shot from the balcony overlooking the main entrance) There was a walking tour with lecture on ancient Egyptian medicine that dondelion and I wanted to do at 10:00 a.m. We arrived about 10 minutes before the start and were the first ones waiting in the gathering area for the group. Dr. David Minninberg of the staff was to give the presentation. There was an older gentleman standing in the same area and dondelion, who never listens to a word I say, asked him if this was the place to wait for the Egyptian tour, and the gentleman said yes, it was. It seemed that we three were going to be the only ones on the tour. I had a sneaking suspicion that the older gentleman was, in fact, Dr. Minninberg, but I didn't mention this to Mr. Don, who would not have listened to me anyway. But, about 1 minute before the tour was to start, several other people showed up. In all, I'd say there were perhaps 10 of us. About 1 minute after 10, the older gentleman stepped forward and introduced himself - he was Dr. Minninberg - and he escorted us across the great hall into the Egyptian wing. The tour was underway. It was a fascinating hour. The group being small, we were all able to ask questions and our guide was entertaining as well as informative. I learned quite a bit I did not know before about ancient Egyptians and their practice of medicine, both practi cal and what we would call magic, and it was fascinating. (The yellow and green vases are shaped like pommegranites and were used for a special elixir made out of the seeds) The time flew by. Afterward Don and I stayed behind and had a chance to ask Dr. Minninberg a few more questions, and spoke with him for about another 15 minutes. Then I pulled Mr. Don away (he could talk about Egypt 24/7) and steered him back toward the rest of the Egyptian Wing, where we happily spent time until about 2:30 when we ran outside for a quick lunch break (New York hot dogs from one of the street vendors) and were entertained by a very talented street singer. We were back inside by 3 p.m., where we took in the exhibits of second floor balcony area that include Islamic art and artifacts from all along the Silk Road. Mr. Don took 115 photos yesterday - I don't remember how many I snapped. Mr. Don stayed on his feet longer than I did so he had more. I finally could not stand up another second more and I went back to the great hall, hoping to find a seat, while Mr. Don finished taking his photos. I was luck to snag a corner seat on one of the large high-backed benches, and was able to rest for about 15 minutes with my head back, eyes closed, ignoring the din around me, until Mr. Don reappeared at my side. As usual, the walk back to the hotel did not seem as long as the walk to the museum that morning. It was only 4 miles round trip plus all the walking we did inside, but to me it felt like 40 miles! (Our feet - Mr. Don's are the long skinny ones, mine are the short fat ones) We got back to the hotel about 5:30 where we both promptly collapsed on the sofa; but I later ventured forth for food, located a grocery store and got some goodies, a drug store where I picked up a few items and stopped at McDonalds. We spent the rest of the evening watching t.v. I was too tired to do anything else. Goddess, that Big Mac sure tasted good! I haven't had one in a long time. I noticed last night that I got sunburnt on the "v" of my neckline, and my face was definitely pink! So much for the supposed sunscreen protection in my face cream and makeup! When we get back home I'll put up lots of the photos we took at Goddesschess.

New York! New York!

dondelion and I are here, and exhausted! We made it in one piece and Midwest Airlines got us here about 20 minutes early - amazing! (Here's our sitting room at the hotel) The shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel was as hair-raising as I remember from our 2005 visit, with maybe even more potholes. We arrived at the hotel about 2:30 p.m. and after settling into our suite we headed in search of the Applejack Diner (a major hang-out for us during out 05 stay and I knew it was only a couple of blocks away). Ach, totally turned around, I could not navigate us to Broadway. dondelion was getting cranky because he was hungry, so he asked some rather suspicious looking guys for directions while I wanted to ask someone at a nearby bus stop - turns out we were half a block away, LOL! Once we got to Broadway I was able to steer us to the restaurant where we ate and then headed out walking, first this way, then that, snapping photos along the way. (A view from our hotel room) dondelion thinks that we can "save money" by using our suite's kitchenette. We have a mini-fridge, a sink, a coffee maker and a microwave. Frankly, I'm skeptical, but I'm willing to try to have at least some meals here rather than eating out. Walking back from the Hudson River from the areas of West 73rd and Riverside Drive (a whole different world from the bustle of midtown Mahanttan) we spotted a grocers and went in. We bought a few things, but no coffee fixings. As we got closer to the hotel I spied another grocer and a deli on the corner of 57th practically across from the hotel. I was willing to go there and check it out, but we wanted to get the groceries back to the hotel first. After that was done we both sat down to rest a bit; I turned on the t.v. and got out this netbook. After some putzing around I couldn't figure out how the wireless internet connection worked so I called the desk - I needed a password and login. In the meantime, dondelion had stretched out on the sofa and he's now shooting zzzzs at the ceiling. That's okay, I'm going to settle in and watch the grand finale of The Biggest Loser. I'm too tired to go out exploring Manhattan nlght life!

Spring in the Backyard

Mr. Don has been busy with chores around the house since he arrived. He has chopped and dug out dead shrubs, hauled away the mound of gravel and sand the mysterious creature dug out from underneath my driveway at the very front of the house, pruned shrubs, cut down trees, dug out dandelions and thistles, tried to repair my hose reel (he got rather wet this afternoon when it didn't work - and bad me, I laughed and laughed and fetched him some towels to dry off); he attacked mounds of ferocious man-eating ants with ant control granuals, raked, cleaned off the deck, and cleaned out the garage. Then he cut the grass in the backyard (I did cut the grass out front). He also broke down and baled lots of cardboard boxes piled up in the garage and helped me haul the recyclables and trash out to the curb for tomorrow's pick-up. As a result, the garage is looking much cleaner and the front, side and backyards are looking much prettier. The first photo is a shot from the front fence (south side of the house) toward the back yard. I wanted to show the beautiful blossoms on the Newport plums and some of the back yard. I got more than I bargained for! Notice the robin in the foreground (just above the front fence pickets). That robin is VERY territorial. He was following Mr. Don around while he cut the grass. At one point when I was out on the deck Mr. Don called to me and pointed and mouthed "look" - so I looked where he pointed and there was the robin, trying to stare down the lawnmower. LOL! About ten minutes later the robin was still hanging around out back as I set up the blue glass birdbath in the smaller flower garden (you can see it in the second photo), and he continued to fly around, cheep-cheeping as we worked outside. The second photo is a sneak shot of Mr. Don hard at work cutting the grass. Then he turned around and saw me and made faces at the camera. Unfortunately, instead of snapping the photos I hit the on/off button by mistake and the camera shut down. That's what I get. Drat!

Southwest Chess Club: Rumbling Rook Round Robin

My adopted chess club is holding another cool tournament this Thursday, darlings. Come one, come all! Here are the details from Robin Grochowski: Hello Chess Players: This Thursday, May 14, 2009 (and the next two Thursdays after that), the Southwest Chess Club presents for you the “Rumbling Rook Round-Robin” (see below for details). We plan to start promptly at 7:00 p.m.. Registration is 6:20-6:55 p.m. Since this is a quad (round-robin) it is important that players be present for all three rounds. Also, seeing as this is a quad, chess players will in all likelihood be playing others close to them in rating! Note that since this is a quad (round-robin), there are no byes available. The May Supplement will be used for ratings. If you plan to play but anticipate being a few minutes late the first evening, please e-mail myself (rjg@quarles.com) or Allen (allenbecker@wi.rr.com) so we can include you in the quads, or call me (414-744-4872 or 414-861-2745) prior to 5:30 p.m. on May 13, so I can include you in the quads. Hope to see everybody on Thursday. Please remember the SWCC is temporarily located at St. James Catholic Church. Rumbling Rook Round-Robin: May 14, 21, & 28 3-Round “Round-Robin” (a “Quad”). Four chess players to a Quad. Game/90 minutes. USCF Rated. EF: $5. TD is Grochowski; ATD is Becker.

"Titanic" Stars Aid Last Living Titanic Survivor

I thought this was a really cool story: Leo & Kate Help Last Titanic Survivor Access Hollywood - May 10, 2009 4:57 PM PDT LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The last survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 is getting a hand from Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The "Titanic" stars, along with director James Cameron, have contributed to a $30,000 fund for Millvina Dean, 98, Access Hollywood has confirmed. The Irish Independent was the first to report the news. The stars came forward after an appeal by photographer Don Mullan in the Sunday edition of the paper. Mullan had asked the stars and director of 1997 blockbuster to help Millvina, who has struggled with her nursing home bills. Millvina was the ill-fated ship's youngest passenger - only nine weeks old upon being carried unto the Titanic from Southampton, England - and is now its last remaining survivor. The photographer had been selling a limited edition shot, entitled "Still Surviving," of Millvina's hands signing an autograph in order to raise funds for her, and decided to reach out to the "Titanic" stars to pitch in. The photo is part of a new exhibition of his called "A Thousand Reasons for Living." "I figured that if the edition sold out, it would secure Millvina for a full year. My plan, however, was to double the impact and thereby secure her for two years. I decided, therefore, at the opening of the exhibition, to publicly challenge James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, 20th Century Fox and Celine to match me dollar for dollar,'' Don told the Independent. He is still waiting on a response from Celine, who won an Oscar for the film's theme song, "My Heart Will Go On," and the film's studio, 20th Century Fox.

Mumbai Mayor's Cup

This was a good tournament for Humpy - she finished in second place with 9/11. Final standings after R11: Rk. Name FED Rtg Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3 1 GM Areshchenko Alexander UKR 2657 9,0 86,5 72,0 68,75 2 GM Koneru Humpy IND 2612 9,0 85,0 69,5 68,00 45 WGM Meenakshi Subbaraman IND 2303 7,5 73,0 60,0 46,75 60 WGM Soumya Swaminathan IND 2307 7,0 75,0 62,5 46,25 68 IM Harika Dronavalli IND 2474 7,0 71,0 58,5 44,00 72 WGM Ramaswamy Aarthie IND 2191 7,0 69,0 56,5 40,00 74 WIM Thipsay Bagyashree Sathe IND 2177 7,0 68,5 56,0 39,00 84 WIM Dhar-Barua Saheli IND 2154 6,5 74,5 60,5 40,50 87 WIM Padmini Rout IND 2238 6,5 72,5 59,0 39,75 93 WCM Gagare Shalmali IND 2117 6,5 71,0 59,0 38,50 95 WFM Pon Nkrithika IND 2180 6,5 71,0 58,5 38,25 108 WFM Swati Mohota IND 2096 6,5 68,0 56,5 37,25 115 WIM Meera Sai IND 2155 6,5 67,0 55,5 36,75 119 WIM Priya P IND 2186 6,5 66,5 53,0 36,00 146 WIM Gokhale Anupama IND 2119 6,0 68,5 55,5 35,50 150 Preethi R IND 2154 6,0 67,0 53,5 31,25 154 WIM Kiran Manisha Mohanty IND 2182 6,0 66,0 53,5 33,25 Annotation: Tie Break1: Buchholz Tie-Breaks (variabel with parameter) Tie Break2: Buchholz Tie-Breaks (variabel with parameter) Tie Break3: Sonneborn-Berger Tie-Break (with modified points, analogous to Buchholz Tie-Break) Chess-Tournament-Results-Server © 2006-2009 Dipl. Ing. Heinz Herzog, masthead, Chess-Results CMS-Version 02.05.2009 14:15 My apologies to any chess femmes I may have omitted.

A Couple of My Squirrels

After a long day out (visiting Mother Newton, then shopping, shopping and more shopping for walking shoes for the soon to be here New York trip), dondelion and I settled down on the deck, in the sun and out of the brisk (very brisk) northeast wind blowing cold air off Lake Michigan, and enjoyed a pleasant hour as the sun slowly went down and I whistled for my squirrels to come eat. Here is a photo I took capturing two of them -- they are very shy of the camera!

2009 U.S. Chess Championship

After Round 3: First - no surprise - there are no qualifiers left for going 9-0 in wins for the $64,000 Fischer prize. Whoever put up the money for this prize must have first consulted the most knowledgeable bookies in Vegas, baby :) Second - IM Irina Krush (W) defeated the venerable GM Boris Gulko (B). Third - IM Anna Zatonskih's game with GM Gregory Kaidanov has been postponed due to Zatonskih's illness. Don't have the current standings yet - the official website has not been updated for Round 3 results. Here are the results by match, excluding Zatonskih/Kaidanov, to be played later: 1. GM Yury Shulman (2) 2697 ½-½ GM Gata Kamsky (2) 2798 2. GM Hikaru Nakamura (1½) 2757 1-0 IM Robert Hess (2) 2545 3. GM Alexander Onischuk (1½) 2736 ½-½ GM Jaan Ehlvest (1½) 2649 4. GM Joel Benjamin (1½) 2650 0-1 GM Joshua Friedel (1½) 2568 5. GM Julio Becerra (1) 2672 1-0 Tyler Hughes (1) 2293 6. GM Varuzhan Akobian (1) 2664 1-0 IM Ray Robson (1) 2542 7. IM Samuel Shankland (1) 2464 ½-½ GM Melikset Khachiyan (1) 2632 8. IM Michael Brooks (1) 2419 ½-½ IM Enrico Sevillano (1) 2549 9. GM Ildar Ibragimov (½) 2628 ½-½ GM Larry Christiansen (½) 2681 10. GM Gregory Kaidanov (½) 2662 PPD IM Anna Zatonskih (½) 2503 11. IM Irina Krush (½) 2496 1-0 GM Boris Gulko (0) 2631 12. Charles Lawton (0) 2350 0-1 GM Alexander Shabalov (0) 2620

Cretan Bird Goddess

From the March/April 2009 edition of Biblical Archaeology Review Worldwide (p. 72) Crete With lavish painted ornamentation and a dramatic pose, this female figurine commands attention. The bird perched atop her head announces her divine status, as birds such as doves and pigeons were symbols of a goddess throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Found at the center of a small communal shrine at Knossos, on the island of Crete, this 8.5-inch, clay figurine from the 14th century B.C. represents a Minoan goddess. According to scholar Giorgos Rethemiotakis, the goddess’s oversized arms and accentuated eyes “vividly bring to life the message and content of the prayer, the immediate visual and mental contact of the goddess with the praying faithful.” Minoan religion centered around goddess worship; there also is evidence of a powerful female priesthood. Since the language of the Minoans has never been deciphered, mot of what we know of the civilization comes from Greek and other neighboring cultures.

"At Sixes and Sevens"

[Moses cartoon from BAR] Mr. Don pointed out these intriguing letters in Biblical Archaeology issues for January/February, 2009 and May/June, 2009 -- I have yet to read either magazine! He found both of them in my stack of reading material piled on the kitchen counter: January/February 2009 (p. 68) Queries & Comments AT SIXES AND SEVENS I'm the mad linguist who wrote a caption to the hilarious cartoon showing Moses with the two tables numbered in roman numbers (see Strata, p. 22 of this issue for winning entries). It cracked me up. Here's Moses fresh from speaking with the Almighty in the form of the Burning Bush and jotting down the most important document for all humankind - and in stone, no less - but he's gone and put Roman numerals on his rocks, of all the silly things. of course the romans hadn't even been thought of yet, much less started writing numerals. Let me explain why I was so keen on those numbers. I had just been doing research on number words around the Mediterranean in the Bronze Age. It seems rather astonishing that the words for "six" and "seven" are so similar, not only in Semitic languages (like Hebrew, Akkadian and Assyrian) but also in Indo-European languages (like Latin, Greek, Hittie and Luwian). This is especially strange because none of the other number words are anything alike. Even etruscan, which isn't related to anything else, seems to share those two words. Just think about it: Six and seven in Hebrew are shisha and shiva; Akkadian, shishshu and sebe; Assyrian, shishshu and siba; Latin, sex and septum; Greek, hex and hepta; Sanskrit, shash and sapta. Even in Etruscan seven is semph, and six is either sa or huth (I vote for sa). Very odd, isn't it? I think this is no coincidence. I think somebody borrowed from somebody. I believe it was because all those Sea Peoples, like the Phillistines, were wandering around at the end of the Bronze Age (c. 1200 B.C.). Diana Gainer Via e-mail Ed: Does anyone out there have a better explanation? May/June 2009 (p. 10-11) Queries & Comments "AT SIXES AND SEVENS" Egyptian Sixes and Sevens In the January/February issue Diana Gainer finds that six and seven are represented by similar words in many languages (Q&C, "At Sixes and Sevens"). I also noticed this someyears ago. My primary field of interest is Egyptology. In ancient Egyptian, six is ses and seven is sefekh. There are many other words that sound similar in many ancient languages, such as words for "Mother." It's mysterious, but that's how I like it. Bonnie Long Phoenix, Arizona Hungarian Sixes and Sevens Diana Gainer comments on the similarity of the names of the numberals six and seven in several languages, including English, Latin and Greek, among many others. I may add to this list my native Hungarian in which six is written hat and seven is written he't. This is probably a coincidence though, as Hungarian is not even an Indo-European language, but rather belongs to the Finno-Ugric group that includes Finnish and Estonian besides Hungarian. I don't speak either of the last two, but perhaps a reader who does could confirm (or deny) that in those also the six-seven similarity persists. Andrew Lenard Blomington, Indiana Spanish Sixes and Sevens Diana Gainer surmises that since there was such similarity in the numbers six and seven for such diverse peoples that there must have been an interaction at some point. I fully agree. One might add seis and siete, Spanish six and seven and the Italian and Portuguese equivalents to her list. This may be but one of quiete a number of similarites between civilizations that popped up all over the globe at roughly the same time several thousand years ago. Dale Carter Fellsmere, Florida

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dondelion and I discussed this earlier this morning. I'll let him speak for himself (if and when he gets around to posting here). In the meantime, I was curious about the origins of the phrase "at sixes and sevens," so I did a little quick research and found some interesting information: From The Phrase Finder: Meaning A state of total confusion and disorder, or of disagreement between parties. Origin The derivation of this phrase is rather difficult to trace, not least because it has changed in both form and meaning over the nine centuries or so that it has been in use. The phrase was originally to set on six and seven and is thought to have derived in the 14th century from the game of dice. The meaning then was to carelessly risk one's entire fortune. The earliest citation in print is Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, 1374: "Lat nat this wrechched wo thyn herte gnawe, But manly set the world on sexe and seuene." The dice game from which the phrase "set on six and seven" is thought to have originated is hazard (an old dice game), which itself has an interesting derivation: ...hazard first came into the language to refer to the dice game (via the Old French hasard and the Spanish azar from the Arabic az-zahr “luck, chance”, based on an Arabic or Turkish word for dice), and only later took on the meaning of danger or risk, or as a verb, to venture something, because the dice game was so risky to bet on. The modern game called craps is a simplified form of hazard. (World Wide Words) None of this, of course, answers the intriguing question as to why "six and seven" show similarities in so many languages belonging to entirely different language families!

Blast from the Past: Egyptian Hieroglyphics Translated 1,000 before Champollion

Hieroglyphics Cracked 1,000 Years Earlier Than Thought ScienceDaily (Oct. 7, 2004) — Western scholars were not the first to decipher the ancient language of the pharaohs, according to a new book that will be published later this year by a UCL researcher. Dr Okasha El Daly of UCL’s Institute of Archaeology will reveal that Arabic scholars not only took a keen interest in ancient Egypt but also correctly interpreted hieroglyphics in the ninth century AD – almost 1,000 years earlier than previously thought. It has long been thought that Jean-Francois Champollion was the first person to crack hieroglyphics in 1822 using newly discovered Egyptian antiquities such as the Rosetta stone. But fresh analysis of manuscripts tucked away in long forgotten collections scattered across the globe prove that Arabic scholars got there first. Dr Okasha El Daly, of UCL’s Institute of Archaeology, explains: “For two and a half centuries the study of Egyptology has been dominated by a Euro-centric view, which has virtually ignored over a thousand years of Arabic scholarship and enquiry encouraged by Islam. “Prior to Napoleonic times little was known in the West about the ancient civilisation of Egypt except what had been recorded in the Bible. It was assumed that the world of the pharaohs had long since been forgotten by Egyptians, who were thought to have been incorporated into the expanding Islamic world by the seventh century. “But this overhasty conclusion ignores the vast contribution of medieval Arabic scholars and others between the seventh and 16th centuries. In reality a huge corpus of medieval writing by both scholars and ordinary people exists that dates from long before the earliest European Renaissance. Analysis reveals that not only did Moslems have a deep interest in the study of Ancient Egypt, they could also correctly decipher hieroglyphic script.” Following the Roman invasion of Egypt in 30 BC the use of hieroglyphics began to die out with the last known writing in the fifth century AD. While Western medieval commentators believed that hieroglyphics were symbols each representing a single concept Dr El Daly has shown that Arab scholars grasped the fundamental principle that hieroglyphics could represent sounds as well as ideas. Using his unique expertise in both Egyptology and medieval Arabic writers, Dr El Daly began a seven year investigation of Arabic writing on ancient Egypt. “The manuscripts were scattered worldwide in private as well as public collections and were mostly not catalogued. Even when they were, they were often wrongly classified so I had to go through each one individually - it is not like researching in modern books with an index which you can check for relevant information,” says Dr El Daly. “A specialist in only Arabic or Islamic studies reading these manuscripts would fail to grasp their significance to Egyptology. Conversely Egyptologists think that Arabs and Moslems had nothing useful to say about ancient Egypt, so there wasn’t any need to look at manuscripts that were mainly the domain of scholars within the disciplines of Arabic/Oriental studies.” The breakthrough in Dr El Daly’s research came from analysis of the work of Abu Bakr Ahmad Ibn Wahshiyah, a ninth century alchemist. Ibn Wahshiyah’s work on ancient writing systems showed that he was able to correctly decipher many hieroglyphic signs. Being an alchemist not a linguist, his primary interest was to identify the phonetic value and meaning of hieroglyphic signs with the aim of accessing the ancient Egyptian scientific knowledge inscribed in hieroglyphs. “By comparing Ibn Wahshiyah’s conclusions with those in current books on Egyptian Language, I was able to assess his accuracy in understanding hieroglyphic signs,” says Dr El Daly. “In particular I looked at the Egyptian Grammar of Sir Alan Gardiner which has a sign list at the end, it revealed that Ibn Wahshiyah understood perfectly well the nature of Egyptian hieroglyphs.” Dr El Daly added: “Western culture misinterprets Islam because we think teaching before the Quran is shunned, which isn’t the case. They valued history and assumed that Egypt was a land of science and wisdom and as such they wanted to learn their language to have access to such vast knowledge. “Critically they did not, unlike the West, write history to fit with the religious ideas of the time, which makes their accounts more reliable. They were also keen on the universality of human history based on the unity of the origin of human beings and the diversity of their appearance and languages. Furthermore, there are likely to be many hidden manuscripts dotted round the world that could make a significant contribution to our understanding of the ancient world. Dr Okasha El Daly is based in UCL’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, one of the world’s largest collections of artefacts covering thousands of years of ancient Egyptian prehistory and history. On Wednesday 6 October UCL launches the biggest university fundraising campaign, Advancing London’s Global University - the Campaign for UCL, which will seek to raise £300 million over the coming decade, including £25 million to build a purpose built museum, the Panopticon, that will house UCL’s collections of Egyptology, art and rare books in an environment that preserves them for all to see. The Panopticon, which means ‘all-visible’ in Greek, will be unlike any other museum in the UK because the entire collection will be on display and publicly accessible. Other highlights will include works by Durer, Rembrandt, Turner and Constable; an unrivalled collection of John Flaxman’s drawings and sculpture; the first edition of Milton’s Paradise Lost and the George Orwell archives. Adapted from materials provided by University College London.

World's Oldest Manufactured Beads Older Than Thought

World’s Oldest Manufactured Beads Are Older Than Previously Thought (Image: Dating from 82 000 years ago, these beads are thought to be the oldest in the world. (Credit: Copyright Marian Vanhaeren & Francesco d'Errico / CNRS 2007) ScienceDaily (May 7, 2009) — A team of archaeologists has uncovered some of the world’s earliest shell ornaments in a limestone cave in Eastern Morocco. The researchers have found 47 examples of Nassarius marine shells, most of them perforated and including examples covered in red ochre, at the Grotte des Pigeons at Taforalt. The fingernail-size shells, already known from 82,000-year-old Aterian deposits in the cave, have now been found in even earlier layers. While the team is still awaiting exact dates for these layers, they believe this discovery makes them arguably the earliest shell ornaments in prehistory. The shells are currently at the centre of a debate concerning the origins of modern behaviour in early humans. Many archaeologists regard the shell bead ornaments as proof that anatomically modern humans had developed a sophisticated symbolic material culture. Up until now, Blombos cave in South Africa has been leading the ‘bead race’ with 41 Nassarius shell beads that can confidently be dated to 72,000 years ago. Aside from this latest discovery unearthing an even greater number of beads, the research team says the most striking aspect of the Taforalt discoveries is that identical shell types should appear in two such geographically distant regions. As well as Blombos, there are now at least four other Aterian sites in Morocco with Nassarius shell beads. The newest evidence, in a paper by the authors to be published in the next few weeks in the Journal of Quaternary Science Reviews, shows that the Aterian in Morocco dates back to at least 110,000 years ago. Research team leader, Professor Nick Barton, from the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Oxford, said: ‘These new finds are exciting because they show that bead manufacturing probably arose independently in different cultures and confirms a long suspected pattern that humans with modern symbolic behaviour were present from a very early stage at both ends of the continent, probably as early as 110,000 years ago.’ Also leading the research team Dr Abdeljalil Bouzouggar, from the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine in Morocco, said: ‘The archaeological and chronological contexts of the Taforalt discoveries suggest a much longer tradition of bead-making than previously suspected, making them perhaps the earliest such ornaments in the world.’ Rest of article. Earlier related: Discovery Of The Oldest Adornments In The World ScienceDaily (June 18, 2007) Earliest Known 'Bling' Revealed ScienceDaily (June 24, 2006)

2009 U.S. Chess Championship

How'd the chess femmes (Krush and Zatonskih) do?

14. IM Krush, Irina (20).......... NY 2496 D11 A12 0.5
22. IM Zatonskih, Anna (19)....... NY 2503 L5 A18 0.0

Round 1 pairings:
7. IM Anna Zatonskih (0) 2503 0-1 GM Varuzhan Akobian (0) 2664
8. GM Gregory Kaidanov (0) 2662 ½-½ IM Irina Krush (0) 2496

Round 2 pairings:
7. GM Joel Benjamin (½) 2650 - IM Irina Krush (½) 2496
10. IM Anna Zatonskih (0) 2503 - GM Ildar Ibragimov (0) 2628

Blast from the Past: New World Ancient Writing

I found a newspaper clipping from 2006 with this article when I was cleaning off the top of my microwave that died Tuesday night (the new one was delivered yesterday morning). These images provided by the journal Science show the Cascajal block from Veracruz, Mexico, and a drawing of the block at right. The stone block inscribed with patterned images is believed to be the oldest example of writing in the New World. dondelion tracked down the article for me earlier today - it's still online (amazing!) Stone reveals ancient writing system 2,900-year-old text represents oldest known New World inscription By Andrew Bridges updated 1:12 p.m. CT, Thurs., Sept . 14, 2006 WASHINGTON - It’s more than idle doodling, and the meaning is unclear. But there’s one thing researchers are sure of: The insect, ear of corn, inverted fish and other symbols inscribed on an ancient stone slab is the earliest known writing in the Western Hemisphere. The arrangement and pattern of the symbols suggest the ancient Olmec civilization was using written language roughly three centuries earlier than previously proposed. “We are dealing with the first, clear evidence of writing in the New World,” said Stephen Houston, a Brown University anthropologist. Houston and his U.S. and Mexican colleagues detail the tablet’s discovery and analysis in a study appearing this week in the journal Science. The patterns covering the face of the rectangular block also represent a previously unknown ancient writing system — a rare find in archaeology. The text covers the block’s face, which is almost exactly the dimensions of a standard legal pad. However, at 5 inches (12 centimeters) thick and tipping the scales at 26 pounds (12 kilograms), the tablet is decidedly more hefty. The face is smooth and slightly concave, which suggests it may have been worn down in antiquity as it was inscribed and erased multiple times, Houston said. Discovered years ago Villagers in the Mexican state of Veracruz discovered the tablet sometime before 1999, while quarrying an ancient Olmec mound for road-building material. News of the discovery slowly trickled out, and the study’s authors traveled to the site earlier this year to examine and photograph the block. Based on other materials, including pottery sherds, believed found with the slab, team concluded it is roughly 2,900 years old. Isolated signs similar to those inscribed on the block also appear on even older figurines found elsewhere in Mexico. In 2002, other experts claimed an Olmec cylindrical seal and chips from a stone plaque contained the oldest examples of writing in the Americas. Some have disputed their interpretation of those symbols, which date to roughly 650 B.C. “This is centuries before anything we’ve had. People have debated whether the Olmecs had any writing. This clears it up. This nails it for me,” David Stuart, a University of Texas at Austin expert in Mesoamerican writing, said of the new find. Stuart was not connected with the discovery, but reviewed the study for Science. Was it a dead-end script? The block contains 28 distinct glyphs or symbols, some of which are repeated three and four times. The writing system doesn’t appear to be linked to any known later scripts, and may represent a dead end, according to the study. Other experts unconnected to the study agreed with Houston and his colleagues that the horizontally arranged inscription shows patterns that are the hallmarks of true writing, including syntax and language-specific word order. “That’s full-blown, legitimate text — written symbols taking the place of spoken words,” said William Saturno, a University of New Hampshire anthropologist and expert in Mesoamerican writing. The Olmecs flourished between about 1200 B.C. and 400 B.C., before other great Central American civilizations like the Maya and Aztec. They are best known for the massive heads they carved from stone. The village where the block was found is close to a site called San Lorenzo, believed to be the center of the Olmec world. “To me, this find really does bring us back to this idea that at least writing and a lot of the things we associate with Mesoamerican culture really did have their origin in this region,” Stuart said. The small size of the block and the faintness of the inscription imply the text wasn’t a public document, but instead was meant for intimate reading, Houston said. Some suggested it may have had a ritual use. © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Scorpion Goddess

For Carlos:

The scorpion appears in ancient Egyptian iconography (as the Goddess Serkert, for instance), and in the carved game boards discovered in Jiroft, Iran in 2001, and here in Mayan iconography.

dondelion says the symbolism is universal. Mother Scorpion, who dwells at the end of the Milky Way and is many breasted, reminds me of the ancient Ephesian Artemis who was many-breasted. Rhea was said to have pressed her breast and her milk formed the stars of the Milky Way.

Mayor's Cup - Mumbai

A 415 player event. Round 9 is in the books - how's GM Koneru Humpy doing? She's doing great! Currently in second place. Humpy was in 5th place with 6.5 after Round 8. A Round 9 victory over IM Suvrajit Saha (2380), a game she should have won, and did, moved her up in the standings as the remaining five of the top six boards all drew their games. Things are really tight at the top - here are the leaders, all within a point of each other: Rk. Name FED Rtg Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3 1 GM Areshchenko Alexander UKR 2657 8,0 57,5 45,5 50,00 2 GM Koneru Humpy IND 2612 7,5 58,0 45,0 47,25 3 GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J IND 2482 7,5 56,5 44,5 44,75 4 GM Miroshnichenko Evgenij UKR 2680 7,5 56,5 44,0 45,75 5 GM Panchanathan Magesh Chandran IND 2462 7,5 51,0 42,0 42,00 6 GM Deviatkin Andrei RUS 2566 7,0 56,0 44,5 41,75 7 GM Timoshenko Georgy UKR 2550 7,0 55,5 44,0 41,50 8 GM Belov Vladimir RUS 2623 7,0 54,0 42,0 41,50 9 GM Iuldachev Saidali UZB 2497 7,0 52,0 41,0 38,75 10 Thakur Akash IND 2308 7,0 51,5 41,0 38,00 11 IM Himanshu Sharma IND 2403 7,0 51,5 40,5 38,25 12 GM Safin Shukhrat UZB 2485 7,0 51,0 39,5 38,25 13 GM Zinchenko Yaroslav UKR 2531 7,0 51,0 39,5 37,75 14 IM Saptarshi Roy IND 2396 7,0 50,5 39,0 37,75 15 GM Kostenko Petr KAZ 2490 7,0 50,0 40,0 37,00 16 IM Prakash G B IND 2404 7,0 49,5 39,0 38,00 17 IM Kamble Vikramaditya IND 2351 7,0 48,5 37,0 36,50 Humpy will have her work cut out for her in Round 10, when she plays the black pieces against the No. 1 seed in the tournament and currently in 4th place: GM Evgenij Miroshnischenko (UKR 2680). Good luck Humpy! Here are the current standings of some of the other chess femmes playing. I did not have time to check all of the names on the FIDE ratings list to confirm the player's sex (I am sorry, I cannot usually tell by the names alone) and I stopped after I got to player 154! 40 WGM Soumya Swaminathan IND 2307 6,5 46,5 36,0 32,75 50 WGM Meenakshi Subbaraman IND 2303 6,0 50,5 39,5 31,50 62 WIM Thipsay Bagyashree Sathe IND 2177 6,0 47,5 37,5 28,75 63 WGM Ramaswamy Aarthie IND 2191 6,0 47,0 36,0 28,00 65 WFM Swati Mohota IND 2096 6,0 46,5 36,0 28,75 80 WIM Dhar-Barua Saheli IND 2154 5,5 52,0 40,0 29,25 83 IM Harika Dronavalli IND 2474 5,5 50,5 39,0 30,25 87 WCM Gagare Shalmali IND 2117 5,5 49,0 39,0 26,75 119 WIM Priya P IND 2186 5,5 41,5 31,5 22,00 128 WIM Padmini Rout IND 2238 5,0 48,5 38,5 23,50 130 WIM Meera Sai IND 2155 5,0 48,0 38,5 23,75 135 WIM Gokhale Anupama IND 2119 5,0 46,5 36,0 23,75 143 Preethi R IND 2154 5,0 45,5 34,5 20,25 153 WIM Kiran Manisha Mohanty IND 2182 5,0 43,0 32,5 21,75 Very unusual to see IM Harika Dronavalli off the pace of the top chess femmes. I hope nothing is wrong.