Earthquakes I have known

News reports have been full of coverage of yesterday's earthquakes in Chile and Argentina.  Of the two countries, Chile had much the worse of it, with an 8.8 magnitude quake recorded.  There were also several significant aftershocks.  One of the aftershocks was recorded at 6.9.  The quake in Argentina, on the other hand, was recorded at 6.3.  Here is one of the many photos showing just what a force nature can be.

Earthquakes are not at all infrequent.  For example, one chart shows that 358,214 epicenters were recorded between 1963 and 1998.  Occasionally, it is not even the earthquakes themselves that cause tremendous damage and loss of life.  Often they are accompanied by tsunamis or landslides resulting from the shock of the earthquake and its aftershocks.  The effect of tsunamis was perhaps most tragically illustrated in recent years by the 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean and its resulting series of tsunamis, where nearly 230,000 people in 14 countries were killed.  Much of the loss of life there was also attributed to the lack of tsunami warning systems in the area affected.

Tsunamis following this recent quake in Chile were also a major concern.  Fortunately for other regions, so far, the death and destruction have not been widespread except to areas near Chile.   Tsunami watches in California and Hawaii have been discontinued, although nations on the Asian side of the Pacific Rim are still bracing themselves.

Although I have spent much of my life in areas within or surrounded by mountains, I have had the very good fortune never to have experienced first-hand an earthquake epicenter.   I experienced several small earthquakes when I lived in Montana, many of them merely gentle shakes.  I even slept through an earthquake that occurred in Tangier, Morocco when I lived there in the late 1960s.  We were astonished to find out that it had made international headlines.  The tremors were significant enough to cause several individuals to spend the night on the beach, but we didn't even have bad dreams that night.

The most recent experience that I have consciously had consisted of tremors from an earthquake with an epicenter near Besançon in France in February 2004.  The earthquake registered 5.5, and we felt the tremors in Geneva.  I was still at work, as was my colleague in the adjoining office.  Most others had left.  Both of us were concentrating so hard on our work that when the building began to shake, neither of us quite believed what was happening.   By the time we realized it was an earthquake, the tremors had ceased.  Interestingly, HWMBO and I had already planned to make a weekend visit to Besançon shortly thereafter.  Happily, the quake had not caused much damage and certainly no loss to life.  We did not change our plans, visited the city and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

But the earthquake that I will never forget occurred when I was still living with my family on the high plains of north-central Montana, about 40 miles from the Canadian border.  The quake occurred some 300 or more miles to the south of us, near Yellowstone Park in August 1959.  The quake measured 7.6 (as later revised upwards from 7.3) and was the largest known earthquake for the state of Montana in recorded history.  OK ... our recorded earthquake history in Montana isn't THAT long.  But still ... .

The quake caused a 70 million ton landslide that ultimately formed a landslide dam on the Madison River.  The landslide travelled down the south side of a mountain killing 28 people who were camped in a nearby campground and further downstream along the Madison River.  The quake also caused several geysers in Yellowstone Park to erupt and muddied several hot springs there.  In addition to creating what is now known as Quake Lake, the landslide destroyed those homes and cabins in its path.  Had Montana been a more densely populated area (the population for the state in July 2008, several years later, stood at 967,440) or had the campground been as full as it would have been earlier in the summer, the death toll would have been much worse.

What I remember about that event is that it was late at night and my brother and I were playing chess in the kitchen, with family members, especially my mother, offering much more help to my brother than they were to me.  It is fair to say that my brother was five years younger than I, so that help was definitely more fair to him, even though I didn't think so at the time.   It is also correct to say that he became a much better chess player later on than I ever would be.  I also remember that my mother had just helped my brother with a particularly brilliant move, which miffed me no end, and it was my turn.  I was trying to plan my strategy to get out of a very tight spot -- without much success -- when suddenly the table began shaking.  Chess pieces flew all over the place.  My first thought was that someone had deliberately shaken the table to spoil my next move.  Then I realized that no one other than my brother was close enough to the table to shake it.  My brother was too young to make it move like that.  As I raised my head in a dazed fashion, we all realized that we were experiencing an earthquake.  Dad quickly turned on the radio and we all learned about the earthquake.  At that time, we had no idea that it had had such far-reaching consequences.  It was only the next day that we heard about all the poor souls who had died.  For Montana, it was a tragedy of breathtaking consequence, just as any tragedy must always be for all those who lose loved ones, livelihood or property.      

My thoughts are with those who are suffering in Chile now, as they are with those who are still suffering in Haiti today ... as they are with all those who suffer any and everywhere in this world ... because of disasters, whether natural or man-made.   There, but for the grace of all the Powers That Be, we ourselves could be now.

Bless the beasts

If, in some future incarnation, I ever come back to Earth as an animal, I could do much worse than to end up in Switzerland.  In fact, if an initiative currently on the ballot scheduled for voting on 7 March 2010 is passed, I could not do better anywhere else on Earth.

The initiative asks voters to decide whether each of Switzerland's 26 cantons (similar to states in the US) should be required to appoint an animal lawyer to represent the interests of pets and farm animals in court.  If passed, this would mean that every canton would in effect have a dedicated public prosecutor for dogs, cats and other vertebrates that have been abused by humans.   The initiative was launched after the group, Swiss Animal Protection, successfully gathered some 144,000 signatures to force a nationwide vote.  Swiss Animal Protection argues that abuses on pets are often not taken seriously by local authorities and don't make it up to court.

The canton of Zurich has already pioneered animal rights.  It has had a part-time post of animal welfare attorney there since 2007.   French-Swiss lawyer Antoine F. Goetschel, who holds the post, is Europe's only animal lawyer and the figurehead for a movement that wants to expand Zurich's pioneering legal system across Switzerland.   Goetschel is also one of the founders of the Zurich-based Foundation for the Animal in the Law, which has the largest public library of texts on animal welfare law and animal ethics in the German-speaking world.
 
According to Goetschel, the Swiss constitution now prohibits keeping pigs in single pens and parakeets alone in a cage.  Those who own dogs have to take a training course.  Beginning in 2013, it will be forbidden to tie horses in their stalls.   Goetschel has already acted on behalf of a dead pike, after prosecutors in Zurich accused a fisherman of torture because the battle between man and fish lasted about ten minutes.  I can picture the reaction of sports fisherman in Montana to such a "trial" and it would not be pretty.  The complaint was not successful, by the way.
 

The Swiss federal government is not on board with this initiative, saying that animal lawyers are unnecessary and existing laws are sufficient.  We'll have to see what the voting outcome will be on 7 March.
 
In another vein, one perhaps not quite as draconian as appointing a prosecutor to enforce animal rights, there are groups that are raising funds so that frogs, toads, salamanders and similar species can get from one side of the road to the other without becoming vehicle casualties.   As the weather grows warmer, these amphibians leave their winter nests to migrate to the ponds and marshes to reproduce, encountering major highways as obstacles.  The association Pro Natura Genève, together with other communal and association partners, has mobilized efforts to create seven tunnels, called crapauducs, that will allow these little creatures to pass underneath the most frequented highways in those areas where their best-known routes are affected.  Such passages are necessary to maintain genetic diversity in these species.

All things considered, and if I am in a position to have my "druthers," I'd like to come back as a horse and yes, I'd like to live in Switzerland!

Brilliance from the Far East

A very hearty congratulations are in order for the beautiful young skater from South Korea, Kim Yu-Na, who put on a spectacular performance last evening to win her country's first gold medal ever in the figure-skating event.  Her long-time rival from Japan, Mao Asada, won the silver medal.  Host country Canada's Joannie Rochette, winner of the bronze, shared the podium with the two skaters from Asia.

For Canadian figure skating, it was a good night all round because former Canadian champion skater, Brian Orser, coaches Ms Kim, and could bask, albeit vicariously, in her victory.

Asian figure skaters have done very well in international competition in recent years.  For many years, in the United States, Asian-American figure skaters have been at the forefront of the US team.  This year, in fact, the US's Mirai Nagusu placed fourth in the Olympic competition.  She currently holds dual US-Japanese citizenship.  She edged out yet another Japanese skater, Miki Ando, who placed fifth last evening.

Perhaps one of the most striking facts resulting from last night's competition is that no Russian skaters were among the first five finishers, the highest finishers placing ninth and tenth respectively.  This situation has prompted ire from no less than Irina Rodnina, herself a triple Olympics medalist in pairs skating, who minced no words when stating her opinion of who is responsible for the sad situation in which Russian skaters, so long dominant in the sport, find themselves.  She blames the head of the Russian figure skating federation, Valentin Piseyev, stating, "The national federation's top officials shouldn't sit pompously at the stands during the competitions but should contact their colleagues, referees, to form relations with them and to be a part of the international federation's life.  But serious people in the figure skating world do not want to deal with him. They have no respect for him."  She also had harsh words for the head of the Russian Olympic Committee.  

With all due respect to Ms Rodnina, I believe that it is not so much that the Russian skaters are not good or that there is mismanagement by officials -- even though mismanagement or disorganization may account for some of the recent dismal showings -- as that the athletic level of the competition has increased exponentially in recent years.   For example, during her long program last evening, Ms Kim landed six triple jumps, three of them in combinations, and skated with such artistry, almost regal presence and flirtatious physical expression that she left the judges spellbound and the rest of the field distantly in her wake.  Even Mao Asada landed two clean triple Axels, the second one in combination with a double toe loop, the first in women's Olympic competition.   This would have been unthinkable in Rodnina's heyday. 

I must confess to having a personal soft spot for South Korea, however, and so am especially happy to see Kim Yu-Na do so well.  Grandson Prince Tyger is Korean-American.  He has much in his heritage, from all sides, to be proud of.   May Kim Yu-Na fully enjoy her moment of victory and may her life continue to bring joy to her, her family and her nation!

Swashbuckling heroes and great fun

During a recent conversation with Healer Sis and Sis-in-Law, I learned that the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) will be broadcasting episodes of one of my favorite fictional swashbuckling heroes.  Two episodes of the adventures of the dashing, if rough-edged, Richard Sharpe, will be shown on PBS's Masterpiece Theater in late March and early April 2010.  What fun!  PBS viewers are in for a treat.

It's apparently taken a while for the Sharpe series, tremendously popular elsewhere around the world, English-speaking or not -- it's been shown in some 120 countries -- to catch on in the United States.   The saga, taken for the most part from the historical novels of British author Bernard Cornwell, traces the career of the British soldier Sharpe.   He is raised from the ranks of enlisted men and named an officer when he saves the life of the future Lord Wellington.   He ultimately rises to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Sharpe's Waterloo. 

The first 14 episodes are set during the Napoleonic Wars in Portugal, Spain and France, from 1809-1815.  They are told from the British point of view and contain lots of love, lust, bloodshed and even an occasional historical fact or two.  Those episodes were all filmed from 1993-1997.  So far as I am able to discover, none of those episodes has been broadcast on US networks.  The two episodes that are scheduled to be broadcast in the US this spring are the most recent: Sharpe's Challenge, filmed in 2006, and Sharpe's Peril, filmed in 2008.  Both occur during the post-Napoleonic period and are filmed in India.

The British actor, Sean Bean, who plays the title role, is the quintessence of Sharpe, IMO.  It's difficult to imagine another actor in the role, even though Bean was not the first choice way back when.  Sean Bean is probably best-known in the US for his role as Boromir in Lord of the Rings.  Many may also remember him for his bad-guy roles in Patriot Games and Don't Say a Word, among others.  I remember being struck by his presence at the time, finding his performance, even as the designated villain, more arresting than that of either Harrison Ford or Michael Douglas, the respective leads in those films.  In the Sharpe films, he finally gets his chance to play the role of hero.  And oh, what fun it is to watch!

Sharpe is assisted in being a hero in the first 14 episodes by his fiercely loyal band of riflemen, the "Chosen Men," and his second-in-command, Sergeant Major Patrick Harper.  He must first prove himself to all of them because they are reluctant, to say the least, to accept as an officer someone who has been promoted from the ranks.  He does so with both fisticuffs and panache in Sharpe's Rifles.  From then until Waterloo, where all but Sharpe and Harper die in the epic battle, they prove that they will follow him to the gates of Hell itself.

Harper, whose role is played by the brilliant Irish actor, Daragh O'Malley, will also be featured in the two episodes to be shown on Masterpiece Theater.  I, for one, hope that the experience will serve merely as an introduction and that the rest of the series will be brought to the US!

"Hang 'em high!" no more ... hopefully

Beginning today and continuing to Friday, some 1,500 representatives of governments, international organizations and the legal sector are meeting in Geneva as part of the fourth international congress against the death penalty worldwide.  Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero opened today's session.  He believes that the 2015 target date for an international moratorium against the death penalty is achievable.

As shown graphically in the print edition of today's Tribune de Genève, and as also noted in the article in today's online edition, 90 per cent of the world's executions occur in five countries:  China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Pakistan, in that order.  IMO, it is not enlightened company for the United States to be in.

China and Iran are, by far, the leaders in this very dubious category; Saudi Arabia's numbers are in triple digits; and the figures for the United States show that 52 executions were carried out in 2009.  By way of contrast, the death penalty has been abolished throughout the European Union, Canada, Mexico, most of Latin America, South Africa, Australia and several countries in South America, among others.  While the death penalty is in force in Russia, the great Cold War enemy of the United States, no execution has taken place there within the last ten years.

To be sure, there are several states in the United States that no longer have a death penalty, or enforce it if they still have one.  Most of those states are in the Northeast and Upper Midwest regions.  They are also generally areas with large population centers, so lack of a death penalty there does not seem to be adding to the criminality generally.  It is certainly not the entire United States that should be tarred with this tawdry brush.  But it does not speak well for how we conduct ourselves in a democracy, especially in a democracy where life is purportedly valued.

The largest number of executions (24) in 2009 can be attributed to the state of Texas.  I was born and raised in the state of Montana, although I have not lived in that state since 1980.  The death penalty is still in force there, although only two individuals have been executed since 1976.  According to the latest statistics that I can find for that state, there are four individuals on death row there.  All of them are white.  My US residence is currently in Maryland, where five individuals have been executed since 1976.  According to the Maryland statistics, there are currently nine persons on death row: six are black and three are white.  By contrast, the statistics for the state of Texas show that 357 persons have been put to death since 1976 and 413 are currently on death row.   The majority of those on death row are black and other minority group members. 

Today's Tribune article contained an interview with Arnaud Gaillard, the general coordinator for the Congress.  When asked why the Congress was taking pace in Geneva rather than in an area of the world where the death penalty actually exists, M. Gaillard answered that the meeting is being held here in part because Micheline Calmy-Rey, the Swiss Foreign Minister, had proposed in 2007, while she was President of Switzerland, that it be held here.  Considering that Geneva is also where the Human Rights Council and other international organizations are headquartered, it seems a logical place to meet in order to consolidate and coordinate international efforts to have the death penalty abolished worldwide.

M. Gaillard also is optimistic about prospects for abolition of the death penalty, citing the progress that has been made in the past 25 years as an example.   I, for one, sincerely hope that his optimism is justified.

Turning around ... and around

The past weekend was a beautiful one.  The good weather extended through yesterday, giving us a tantalizing teaser of spring to come.  The winter drizzle has now returned and is forecast to be with us most of this week.  I'm back to wearing heavy sweaters indoors even though the temperature is not below freezing, as it was a couple weeks ago.

I was also warmed up by a Skype call from Princess Butterfly and Momma M this weekend.  After she tired of amusing herself by pulling faces for the minicam, the Princess flitted about her room, hiding under the covers for a time, although her hiding place was obvious given all the wriggling movements in the sheets, then getting up to go draw on her easel.  She's literally a whirling dervish.  Thinking about her, I am reminded of and have been humming the song, "Turn Around."

Where are you going, my little one, little one

Where are you going, my baby, my own?

Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four

Turn around and you're a young girl going out of my door

Turn around, turn around

Turn around and you're a young girl going out of my door  [...]

Big Bro's Big 10 birthday happened this month.  When Princess Butterfly joined us all, he was 7.  Big Sis was 9.  Now that Princess Butterfly is 3, their ages have risen correspondingly, to 10 and 12.  On her next birthday, Big Sis will officially become a teenager.  Here they are in the Fall of 2007, with the Princess, then eight months, looking much more solemn than she generally does off camera.

Here she is last year with her Papa (Big S), getting ready to dye eggs for the Easter Bunny.

Here she is in August 2009, watching TV with Big Bro in the motel on the way home from the beach in Oregon.

Here she is, home again and tired out from all the new experiences ... thinking about what new adventures lie ahead and what new mischief she'll get into.

Here she is with Big Sis (Ice Princess) and Cousin A in October 2009, celebrating Ice Princess's ice skating achievements.

When I myself was around her age, according to my mother, I used to preface certain statements with "When I grow up to be a Momma and you grow down to be a 'me,'" before announcing how the world would be different, much better of course, when I was in charge.  I intrinsically understood the sense of cycles.  In my world, children grew up and adults grew down.  That was the way that it was and that is the way that it would be, forever and ever.  In that world, there was no sickness, no death, no war and people would be kind to one other.  Reality, of course, has been and is much different.

Now I am literally part of the front-line generation.  I am sad to say that there has not been as much improvement in the world, at least not much improvement insofar as human beings treat each other, as I personally would like to see.   Sadly, there is evidence that some are being treated much worse -- that racism, bigotry, and mob rule are not things of the past, but very present now.

But I am happy to see that there is still joy, anticipation, even enthusiasm for life in these little ones.  Whoever and wherever they are, they are the future.  When they grow up, I will be very glad to "grow down." 

[...] Where are you going, my little one, little one?

 Little dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?

Turn around and you're tiny. Turn around and you're grown.

Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own.

Turn around. Turn around.

Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own.

Of Minarets and men ... and women

My thoughts were abruptly moved from the east side of North Africa to the far west, from Egypt to Morocco, by news of the collapse of the minaret of the Bab Berdieyinne Mosque in Meknes on Friday, 19 February 2010.

A minaret is to a mosque somewhat as a bell tower is to a church.  It is where the muezzin calls Muslims to prayer.  A mosque is where many Muslims go to pray on Fridays, although some advantages of Islam are that no building is necessary for prayer and no priest is necessary to lead prayer.  The faithful can pray anywhere.  Usually, however, they prostrate themselves on a prayer rug facing in the direction of Mecca.  This particular minaret, apparently a casualty of the very heavy rains that have been causing similar disasters and loss of life in other regions as well, was about 400 years old.   The death toll appears to be climbing still.  The last figures that I've seen indicate that so far 41 people have lost their lives in the collapse.  Here is a photo of the minaret that was taken in December 2009.

The media have generally attributed the minaret's construction to Sultan Moulay Ismaïl Ibn Sharif, who reigned in Morocco from 1672-1727.  In many ways, he was considered to be the Moroccan equivalent of Louis XIV.  He was also the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty, which is the ruling dynasty in Morocco today.  He made Meknes his capital city, building some of it from stones plundered from the ancient Roman ruins at Volubilis nearby.  In addition to being a prolific builder and a warrior king, the Sultan was also a prolific progenitor.  He is said to have fathered almost 900 children through his harem of some 500 women.

Because the minaret is believed to have been some 400 years old, I am not sure that its construction can be attributed to Moulay Ismaïl.  By my reckoning, if it is 400 years old, it would have been built in 1610 and the Sultan wasn't even a gleam in his father's eye at the time.  The mosque, however, was apparently built on the orders of Khnata bent Bakkar, who as Dowager Sultana following the death of the Sultan, was the de facto ruler of Morocco from 1727 to about 1754.  During her husband's lifetime, she also acted as his First Minister and Secretary.  After his death, she was the reigning constant throughout the reigns of ten of her husband's sons by various wives, much as Catherine de' Medici was the de facto ruler of France from the time of Henri II's death until the accession of Henri IV, the first of the Bourbon dynasty to hold the French throne.

Meknes is one of the four Imperial Cities of Morocco, the others being Fès, Rabat and Marrakech.   It is also a UNESCO World Heritage city and is situated some 62 miles east of the current capital city of Rabat.   One of its nicknames is "City of the Hundred Minarets," though strictly speaking the count is now down to 99.  That omission will not last long.  Morocco's present King Mohammed VI has ordered reconstruction of the damaged buildings.

Morocco is a country that I once called home.  I was first married and lived there from October 1964 to August 1970, with a brief stay in Montana for the birth of my first son.  My second son was born in Tangier.   My sons and I returned to live in Rabat from August 1980 to August 1982, while I worked with a community development project.  I met HWMBO there during our second stay.  Those are all stories for another time.  I love the country and its people.  Like Egypt, Morocco certainly has its socio-economic-political problems.  But its natural beauty is stunning.  And I sincerely hate when bad things happen to good people, especially when so many are already among the most vulnerable.

I first visited Meknes, as opposed to merely passing through it on the train, in the spring of 1965.  That also is a story for another time.  One of the most notable landmarks of Meknes is the Bab el-Mansour.  It was named after its architect, El-Mansour, a Christian who converted to Islam, and was completed in 1732.

Here is an example of the architecture that can be found in the Old City.

Here is a street in the narrow medina, awaiting tourists.

And here one can choose sweets to one's heart's content.

May the rains stop pouring long enough to give everyone a chance to dry out, to mourn their loved ones, and to put their damaged lives back together again!

Fascination on the Nile

This week's latest discoveries about the Boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun reminded me of the first time that I visited Egypt in 1999.  It was one of the most fascinating experiences of my life.  During the visit, HWMBO and I were able to take a cruise on the Nile River from Luxor to Aswan.  Because the drainage basin of this magnificent river covers about 10% of the area of the African continent, you can see that cruises such as ours cover only a tiny part of the possible route.  Aswan is the last dot before Lake Nasser on the map below.  Interestingly, it is the southern part of Egypt that is known as Upper Egypt.  The northern part is Lower Egypt.  The two kingdoms were united around 3000 B.C.  Pharaohs were thereafter known as the rulers of the Two Kingdoms and wore a double crown, with each half representing one of the kingdoms.

Before flying down to Luxor (we were discouraged from taking the train), we first spent some days in Cairo, visiting the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities there. We also didn't miss a visit to nearby Giza to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids.

Seeing these marvels was marvelous in itself; I literally had to keep pinching myself to believe that it was happening.  I could have spent weeks, even months just in the museum alone. There was so much to see there, including the treasures that were removed from Tutankhamun's tomb.

After the flight to Luxor, we were surprised to be met at the airport by a young Egyptian woman, Copt as it turned out, who would prove to be our personal escort.  Keep in mind that we had booked our Nile cruise from Switzerland.  More importantly, keep in mind that Egyptian tourism had been plagued by terrorist attacks, one occurring in 1997 at Deir el-Bahri, an archaeological site located across the Nile from Luxor.  Deir el-Bahri is one of the top tourist attractions in Egypt, most notably for the spectacular mortuary temple of the 18th-dynasty female Pharaoh Hatshepsut.

On that tragic day in November 1997 and in this spectacular setting, 62 people lost their lives at the hands of six attackers, disguised as members of the Egyptian security forces.  Four Egyptians were among those killed, three of them police officers and one a tour guide.  A total of 58 foreign tourists were killed, among them 36 Swiss, ten Japanese, six British, four Germans and other nationalities.  Twelve Swiss, two Germans, one French, and nine Egyptians were among the wounded.  Because the Swiss were the tourist group most affected, this massacre had the practical effect of stopping Swiss tourism to Egypt in its tracks for some years.  What a shame!

Because we had booked through a Swiss travel agency and had travelled to Egypt from Switzerland, we were heralded with great fanfare, even though we were not actually Swiss nationals.  The Egyptians that we met chose to believe that we were the vanguard of a much hoped-for return of Swiss tourists and were very excited and happy about that.  I hope that we were such a vanguard. Whatever its socio-political problems, Egypt is a country that is so rich in history, culture and extraordinary monuments that it should not be missed.  Its citizens are still among its richest resources. We found them uniformly welcoming and delightful.

Our boat was quite new and luxurious. As many have discovered, the cruise boats are much like floating four-star hotels.  Ours was no exception.

There were other groups on the boat, notably from Italy and France.  There was one group from the UK and one other American couple was travelling with that group.  Our "group" was composed uniquely of HWMBO and myself.  Dinner seating was assigned by group so HWMBO and I spent most of the time dining in solitary splendor.  Because the Government of Egypt was very concerned not to have anything like the 1997 Massacre happen ever again, we had heavily armed escorts in convoy formation to any sights that were not right in the cities next to the river.  This included visits to the temple of Hathor, the complex at Deir el-Bahri and the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Egyptology is a major field of archaeology and includes the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century.  Modern Egyptology was initiated with Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of Egypt (1798-1800).  Although that conquest was extremely short-lived, its long-term consequences were spectacular.  Napoleon brought several scientists with his army and they did a remarkable job of describing, drawing and cataloging all the ancient Egyptian temples and antiquities that they found, as well as the fauna and flora of the country.  But one of the most important discoveries was that of the Rosetta Stone by a French soldier.  Because the Rosetta Stone contained three translations of a single text in Classical Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphics and Egyptian Demotic script respectively, studying the comparative translations provided the key to decipher the language used by the Pharaohs.  It was in 1822, when Jean-François Champollion deciphered parts of the Rosetta Stone, showing that the Egyptian writing system was a combination of phonetic and ideographic signs, that Modern Egyptology "officially" began.

Thus, what we can see in Egypt today has been interpreted from the work begun by those early scientists and discoverers. And, as we have seen this week, our knowledge is far from being complete.

Historical mysteries: the "Boy King"

The latest episode in the thrilling archaeological drama that centers around the "Boy King" of Egypt, Tutankhamun (1341-1323 B.C.), was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  After two years of DNA testing and CAT scans of his mummy and 15 others, it has been revealed that Tutankhamun most probably died from complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria.  This latest resolution to a 3,300 year old mystery revolving around the young Pharaoh, who briefly reigned over Egypt from ages 10 to 19, has also demystified some previous theories about his parentage and his reign in general.  The Guardian reports the findings here.

Tutankhamun, whose name was originally "Tutankhaten," ("Living Image of Aten") was generally believed to have been the son of the so-called heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten, although some scholars had advanced other theories of his parentage in recent years.  These most recent tests prove that he was indeed the son of Akhenaten and that his mother was probably Akhenaten's sister, although they have not yet decided exactly which of Akhenaten's wives that she was.  While this part of the mystery is still being studied, scientists have been able to conclude through these medical tests that he was frail, with multiple disorders including scoliosis, a club foot and a cleft palate.  Such disorders commonly result from genetic inbreeding. 

Neither Akhenaten, who tried to revolutionize traditional ancient Egyptian theology where many gods were worshipped in favor of one god, the "Aten" (sun disc), nor Tutankhamun, who ruled after his death, was much known to history before the 19th century discovery of Amarna, the capital city Akhenaten built for the Aten.  Amarna is said to be the only ancient Eygptian city where great details of its internal plan remain, in large part because it was abandoned after the death of Akhenaten, with administrative and priestly functions returning to the ancient capital of Thebes (Luxor). 

Following Akhenaten's death, the traditional religion was restored and his son's name was changed from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun ("Living Image of Amun") to reflect this change.  Amun-Ra was the focus of the complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt.   But the discovery of Amarna, particularly with art objects such as the exquisite bust of Nefertiti,  Akhenaten's chief wife, and Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, with its nearly untouched treasure trove, have long fired our imaginations about the reigns of both of these Pharaohs.

One fish, two fish, red fish, ... blobfish?

John Kass of the Los Angeles Times has WAY too much time on his hands these days.  Now he's "fear-mongering" with a fish.

As if it weren't enough already having to battle the dreaded Asian carp (which I in no way mean to belittle because the carp are an invasive species currently posing a significant threat to the US Great Lakes), Kass wants us now to begin fearing the blobfish, for reasons that a photo explains better than words.

Kass goes far afield to gin up fear for this particular species.  It is only found some 9,600 miles away, in the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania, waters so deep, in fact, that the pressure is several dozens of times higher than it is at sea level.  It is rarely even seen by humans, and appears to like it that way.

IMO, one of the few intelligent statements in Kass's column is the following:  "With all their boneless goo and slime and passive/aggressive floating, blobfish feeding behavior is remarkably similar to that of a subspecies of far more advanced creatures:  American politicians."  I can agree with that statement, insofar as it refers to the "Party of No" subspecies, whose behavior has been uniformly abhorrent.  But I would quibble with the "more advanced creatures" characterization in general.

After all, there is no evidence that the blobfish, despite Kass's alarmist proclamations and its distinctly non-glamorous appearance, has any interest in doing anything other than it generally does.   It quite peacefully floats just above the sea floor, placidly consuming mollusks, without seeking to expand its territory or wreak havoc on any other species.  In fact, some scientists believe that it is the blobfish that is in danger of extinction at the hands of man because of extensive deep-sea trawling in its only-known habitat.  

We have nothing to fear from the blobfish but fear itself.  But the blobfish has plenty to fear from us.

Going for the gold

Because many are watching the Winter Olympics in Vancouver right now, I thought this would be a good opportunity to mention that the idea for the modern Olympic games came from a Frenchman.  There is also a Swiss connection.  Please bear with me.

The Frenchman's name was Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, although he is more often known simply as Pierre de Coubertin.  He was born into an aristocratic French family of the 19th century.  As an aristocrat, he had leisure to choose life as an intellectual, writing about a variety of topics including education, literature, history and sociology.  His favorite topic was education, specifically, the role of organized sports in helping to get mind and body into equilibrium.   As a classicist who romanticized ancient Greece, he looked to Athenian ideals such as the gymnasium,  a training facility that simultaneously encouraged physical and intellectual development.  Gymnasium, by the way, comes from the Greek "gymnos," meaning "naked."  Early Greek athletes, all of whom were male, competed in the nude.  In addition to encouraging aesthetic appreciation for the male body(!), this early practice effectively ensured that no females could inadvertently participate in the competitions.  The non-participation of females is just one of the ancient traditions that, thankfully, did not continue.

De Coubertin's admiration of Greek curricula was hardly unique.  Other individuals, notably in Great Britain, had created athletic contests in their own countries.  Dr. William Penny Brookes, for one, had sought a revival of the games under the auspices of the Greek government.  But it was de Coubertin who conceived the idea to revive the ancient Olympic games as an international competition and devoted several years to organizing towards that revival.  He ultimately founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 23 June 1894.  The IOC organizes the Olympic games, held every four years.  Those who are of my generation will remember that it is comparatively recent, only since 1992, that the Summer and Winter games have been held in different years, that is, apart from when the games were originally revived after a hiatus of some 1500 years.

The first modern Summer Olympic games were held in 1896, fittingly in Athens, Greece.  The first Winter Olympic games were held in Chamonix, France in 1900.   De Coubertin, who was the second President of the IOC, remained its Honorary President until 1937, when he died in Geneva, Switzerland.  He was buried in Lausanne, the seat of the IOC.

In 1993, the International Olympic Museum was created in Lausanne.  It is the largest archive of Olympic games in the world and remains a prime tourist draw, not too far away from where I live now.   The official website for the museum can be found here.

The Gold and the Green

Congratulations to the two Swiss skiers, Didier Défago and Dario Cologna, who won gold medals for Switzerland at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver yesterday!  Although it was not as if either came from nowhere, the victories were very pleasant surprises considering the quality of the competition.   For Défago in particular, it was a sweet victory as he has not been considered the strongest "Didier" on the Swiss team.  Called the "Unlikely Swiss" by the New York Times, he nonetheless came in first in the men's downhill.  Teammate Didier Cuche, who came in 6th, will undoubtedly have other opportunities to even the score.

I, for one, got a kick out of the way that the Tribune de Genève is reporting the medal counts today.  In the official talley that considers the total number of medals won, as found on the Vancouver 2010 website, Switzerland is ranked fifth.  In the Tribune, however, Switzerland is ranked No 1.  Although it has only won three medals so far, all three are gold.  It's all in the perspective.

The "Green" in today's title stands for ecological.  Today's Coopération magazine reports that the Coop grocery chain is supporting an innovative automobile concept that is designed to improve rail travel options and reduce automobile emissions.  The Swiss automobile manufacturer Rinspeed has developed a new electric car model, called the "UC?."  The "UC" of the name comes from the English expression "urban commuter."  The two-seater, measuring 2.5 meters in length, is designed to be driven from one's home to the railroad station and there put onto a specially designed rail car reserved in advance on the internet to travel with the commuter to his destination city, recharging along the way.  Once arrived, the commuter merely gets into the car and drives to the local address, generally avoiding traffic hassles.  Wired provides a report in English, together with the photo below.

 

How can one not admire, empathize with and encourage Frank W. Rinderknecht, the "Father" of the UC?, who has taken as his inspiration the chorus from John Lennon's "Imagine?"

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.

The Year and a Half (almost) of Prince Tyger

In addition to being Valentine's Day yesterday, 14 February 2010 launched the Chinese New Year.  According to Wikipedia, the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use "continuously numbered" years.  Outside China, however, the years are usually counted from the reign of Huang-di, the "Yellow Emperor," a legendary sovereign and folk hero who is considered to be the ancestor of all Han Chinese.   Also according to Wiki, there are at least three different years considered to be the first year by different scholars, so "2010" in the Western calendar could be considered variously as 4708, 4707 or 4647 in Chinese years.  Each year is named in rotation for one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar).   2010 is the "Year of the Tiger."

In an earlier blog post, I wrote about my own Prince Tyger.  Based on his actual birth year of 2008, he is not actually a "Tiger."   But somehow, "Prince Rat" doesn't have quite the same ring as "Prince Tyger."  And I don't call him "Prince Tyger" because of his birth year, but rather because of the power in the symbol.   He is still quite little.  But I realize that he too is growing up fast.  So, for today, here are some memories of the first year and a half -- almost -- of our wonderful little Prince Tyger.

Here is one of our first glimpses of the Little Guy -- with his shock of black hair and dead to the world.

Here, he sizes up HWMBO and doesn't seem too sure what to think about this world of BIG people.

Learning to roll around is such fun!  Now if I could just get this whole hand in my mouth!

Oh boy, oh boy ... there's so MUCH to do and learn!  WHERE should I begin?

Here I am with Mom (Momma H) and Dad (Big T).  I'm just too cool for words with my blue-rimmed sunglasses.

Now that I can sit up by myself and play, I can try to see what makes things work.

And it's so much fun to make noise!  Lots and LOTS of noise so that my cousins will pay attention to me.

          

Hey, look at me!  Standing is even MORE fun than sitting is.  And now I can even walk because Horsey is helping me.

 Now with my new car, I can even drive ... once I finish unwrapping all these interesting gifts.

Yes, the Year of the Tiger will be a very interesting one.  The wish "May you live in interesting times!" is a mixed blessing.  I wish a belated Happy New Year to all who celebrated it yesterday!   And I wish all the best of everything for my very special Prince Tyger!