Yes, what a mix in this post! You can read about books, sunburn and read a newsarticle! A very strange combination!

The  three books are books 3 people living/working/travelling in London, are busy reading. How do I know that? Well, I like watching people and in particular what they read when they’re reading… whilst travelling on the tube today…three people near me were reading…books…many people read newspapers on the tube to be ”busy”….as it is an “unwritten” rule that you don’t really look at other people on the tube, it’s kinda “rude”…   but it’s just “second nature” to look at people because what if….yes, what if they’ve got a huge rucksack with them with all sorts of “stuff” in the bag…that would be very suspicious and you have to know what people look like to give discriptions IF…..you know what “If…” i’m talking about.  Anyway… I always look at the books’ titles to see what people are interested in, and being a book-lover myself, I might just be interested in what they read! Well, here are the three books and reviews from Amazon…maybe you too are interested in these books? I think I will go for the “rainbow”-book, that sounds more like my taste…as the word “death” puts me off in the second book’s title and “blood” in the first book’s title…lol! although it sounds like they are good fun to read it too…

As you can see from this “mix” image, you will see that I’m really blogging a “rubbish”-mix here…there’s a newspaper report from thelondonpaper…and then…wow! my (yes mine!) sun-burnt shoulder!!  We had sports day on Monday and I was told 20 min before school started, that I was going to be a timer! and little did I know that I was going to be in the sun all day that morning before I left home!…although it was a bit cloudy too…but we all know about sunrays and thin ozone layers…anyway…despite of that, I also thought that I would be sitting under a sun shade umbrella…but looking at what my shoulder looks like, you definitely know that I wasn’t even near a sun shade umbrella…and I was at home yesterday…trying to “recover” from this “mini-heatwave”…see more of these athletic pics of Garsfontein Secondary School - in Pretoria - on the website link with this image…

Image: www.garsies.co.za/atletiek/atletiek.htm

ouch…again…ouch..don’t touch me!! …now that was my turn to say that! hehehe…I think only Londoners will understand what I mean by this….or at least teachers…

image: explodingdog.com…the “mix” pic!

Review 1: Amazon.co.uk ….Margolan, so prosperous and peaceful under King Bricen’s rule, has been reduced to starvation in less than a year. Everyone knows of the usurpation of the crown of Margolan by “Jared the Tyrant”. He and his fire mage, Foor Arontala, have also broken the truce with the Blood Council and are hunting down all vayash moru (vampires). Things are going from bad to worse as the night of the Hawthorn Moon approaches. On that night, half a year from now, Jared and Arontala plan to feed all the souls captured in the Soulcatcher orb to the Obsidian King. Once accomplished, the Obsidian King will have the power needed to break free of the prison, which the Summoner named Bava K’aa had thrown him into, and evil will claim the entire Winter Kingdom.

He is Prince Martris “Tris” Drayke, son of Bricen of Margolan, Summoner and mage-heir of Bava K’aa. However, anyone looking at him would never imagine that he was more than a simple peasant enduring hard times, just like everyone else. The Sisterhood grudgingly agree to train Tris for his upcoming battles, but there is no guarantee that he will survive the training. Arontala is not only a strong fire mage, but is using blood magic (via sacrifices) to increase his power. Arontala will also draw power from the Obsidian King once he is freed.

Tris may very well be the strongest Summoner since Bava K’aa, but it is still going to be a royal battle indeed.
Review 2: Amazon…———–This story lacks the vigour, pace and imagination of the first book in the series. It feels as though the story has been padded out to achieve a deadline and had less enthusiasm from the author than the first book.
I have around 3 chapters to go to finish it and I will do so, however, it is proving necessary to force myself to complete the book. Perhaps the finale will change my view, if it does I’ll come back and amend this.
That all aside, it is readable if you have read the first one but I would have preferred to buy this second hand!

Review: Amazon.co.uk …This book was a fabulous read! It’s entertaining but also informative. It’s a great balance between fun & useful, and isn’t dumbed down to cater to the uninitiated - it’s just explained better than the average scientific text.

It’s funny, insightful and fascinating! Highly recommended for anyone with the slightest interest in discovering our universe.

Review: Amazon.co.uk…..If you’re looking for a PS I Love You part two, then you will be sadly disappointed. Instead you step in to the world of Rosie Dunne and her best friend Alex Stewart. Rosie is an ordinary woman trying to get on with her day to day life who quite simply misses her best friend. What starts out as an innocent childhood friendship turns to love, yet neither of them realise it.
This is a beautifully written tale of two people who share a deep rooted friendship who are seperated at a young age. It is a cleverly written story told in the form of emails, instant messages, letters and text messages which span 45 years. It contains a variety of emotions, one minute you are laughing and the next you are wiping away the tears, but throughout the book you carry the hope that this time they really will get it together. Quite simply, you’d be really stupid to pass up the chance to read this novel.

NEWS:

In today’s The London Paper on page 8, the headline of a newspaper article: Mandela off terror list
“Nelson Mandela has finally been removed from the US’s terror-watch list. The 90-year-old former South African President was in a national security immigration category which classified him as a terrorist …..”(ouch! ouch! ….<hehehe>…America!….<silence is golden!….but sometimes plain yellow!>…)

London-weather

Image: thelondonpaper

Thabo Mbeki…image: topnews.in

One of Africa’s (and the world’s) cowards …because of this newsarticle…

Die strelende skemer van my gemoed

Vanselfsprekend dartel
jou skadu’tjie
langsaam, ritsellend
soos ‘n vlokkie
eind’lose skaterlag
vibrerend in my gemoed
en die weerspieëling
is onvermydelik verstrengel
tussen Haydn en Wagner
en die draaikolk
van my gryse gedagtes
wat in die
strelende skemer
van my gemoed bly vloei
©Nikita
29 Junie 2008

Please click HERE to read the book “Thought-Forms” by: Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater on the site of the Gutenberg-project.

Enjoy the music of Haydn…Piano concerto in D major

A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent most of his career as a court musician for the wealthy Hungarian Esterházy family on their remote estate. Isolated from other composers and trends in music until the later part of his long life, he was, as he put it, “forced to become original”.

Joseph Haydn was the brother of Michael Haydn, himself a highly regarded composer, and Johann Evangelist Haydn, a tenor.

Read more about Haydn HERE on Wikipedia.

Image: by Julie Rogers…”Woven thoughts”

Please click HERE to follow the games in Dortmund live.
Please click HERE to play through the games of round 4.

Dortmund - Sparkassen round 4 results:

Kramnik vs Leko 1/2

Gustafsson vs Ivanchuk 1/2

Litwak vs Trella 0-1

Naiditsch vs Mamedjarov 1/2

Nepomniachtchi vs Van Wely 1-0

Dortmund - Sparkassen  round 3 results…

Ivanchuck vs Nepomniachtchi round 3 move 13 end results: 1/2

Van Wely vs Leko round 3 move 16 end results : 1/2

Mamedjarov vs Gustafsson round 3 move 20  end results: 1/2

Naiditsch vs Kramnik round 3 move 19  end results: 1-0

Naiditsch vs Kramnik…end position….1 - 0

Trella vs Van der Weide round 3 move 14 end results: 1/2

Sparkassen results round 2….please click on the images for a larger view. 
Click on THIS LINK to play through the games of round 2.

Kramnik vs van Wely round 2 move 10

Ivanchuk vs Van Wely round 1 draw

Naiditsch vs Nepomniachtchi round 1 draw

Zelbel vs Klyuner round 1 draw

Mamedjarov vs Leko round 1 draw

Gustafsson vs Kramnik round 1 draw

Source: Wikipedia…The Town Hall

Image: Wikipedia…The City Centre of Dortmund
Read HERE more about Dortmund on Wikipedia.

Vladimir Kramnik, Russia 2788
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Azerbaijan 2752
Peter Leko, Hungary 2741
Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukraine 2740
Loek Van Wely, Netherlands 2676
Ian Nepomniachtchi, Russia 2634
Arkadij Naiditsch, Germany 2623
Jan Gustafsson, Germany 2603

Shakhryar Mamedyarov

Ian Nepomniachtchi

Vassily Ivanchuk
Images: Chessdom.com and read HERE more on chessdom.

Time Schedule Sparkassen Chess Meeting 2008
Grand Masters‘ Tournament [Civic Theatre]
Saturday, 28th June 3 p.m. 1st round
Sunday, 29th June 3 p.m. 2nd round
Monday, 30th June day of rest
Tuesday, 1st July 3 p.m. 3rd round
Wednesday, 2nd July 3 p.m. 4th round
Thursday, 3rd July day of rest
Friday, 4th July 3 p.m. 5th round
Saturday, 5th July 3 p.m. 6th round
Sunday, 6th July 1 p.m. final round

Previous winners:

 (1) 1928 Fritz Sämisch
(2) 1951 Albéric O’Kelly de Galway
(3) 1961 Mark Taimanov
1 1973 Hans-Joachim Hecht
2 1974 Victor Ciocâltea
3 1975 Heikki Westerinen
4 1976 Oleg Romanishin
5 1977 Jan Smejkal
6 1978 Ulf Andersson
7 1979 Tamaz Giorgadze
8 1980 Raymond Keene
9 1981 Gennady Kuzmin
10 1982 Vlastimil Hort
11 1983 Mihai Suba
12 1984 Yehuda Gruenfeld
13 1985 Yuri Razuvayev
14 1986 Zoltán Ribli
15 1987 Yuri Balashov
16 1988 Smbat Lputian
17 1989 Efim Geller
18 1990 Alexander Chernin
19 1991 Igor Stohl
20 1992 Garri Kasparov
21 1993 Anatoly Karpov
22 1994 Jeroen Piket
23 1995 Vladimir Kramnik
24 1996 Vladimir Kramnik
25 1997 Vladimir Kramnik
26 1998 Vladimir Kramnik
27 1999 Péter Lékó
28 2000 Vladimir Kramnik
29 2001 Vladimir Kramnik
30 2002 Péter Lékó
31 2003 Viktor Bologan
32 2004 Viswanathan Anand
33 2005 Arkadij Naiditsch
34 2006 Vladimir Kramnik
35 2007 Vladimir Kramnik

Image: Vladimir Kramnik…chess.com
Vladimir Kramnik (pictured) was born on 25 June 1975 in Tuapse, on the shores of the Black Sea in Russia. His father was Boris, a renowned sculptor and his mother was Irina, a music teacher. He learnt to play chess at the age of 5 and by the time he was 12 he was studying at the prestigious Botvinnik school in Moscow.

At 16 he won the World under-18 Championship and emerged onto the world chess scene with a Gold Medal at the 1992 chess olympiad in Manila.

In 2000 Vladimir Kramnik achieved what few had thought possible; he defeated the great Garry Kasparov 8.5-6.5 to take the title of World Chess Champion without losing a single game.

He successfully defended his title against Peter Leko in 2004 by dramatically winning the final game to tie the 14-game match 7-7. In 2006 he beat Veselin Topalov in a hugely controversial match which reunified the competing versions of the World Chess Championship title.

At the end of 2006 he married Marie-Laure Germon, a French journalist (pictured with Kramnik below).

He put his title on the line by agreeing to play in the World Championship Tournament in Mexico City in September 2007 against a world class field. Vishy Anand won the event to end Kramnik’s reign as World Champion.

Kramnik will have an opportunity to regain his title in October 2008 when he challenges Anand for the title in a match to be held in Bonn, Germany.

 
Dortmund seen by the artist Luigi Kasimir…source: www.mosgallery.com

Dortmund by the artist: JOSEF EIDENBERGER …source: www.eidenbergeretchings.com

hmmm……who says chess is just for humans….

Image: http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2008/

Fields of Gold
Wade in the Water
Autumn Leaves
Wayfaring Stranger
Songbird
Time Is A Healer
I Know You By Heart
People Get Ready
Oh, Had I A Golden Thread
Over the Rainbow
~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is one of my favourite CD’s in my collection. You can read about Eva here and on the link at the bottom of the post, it’s sad to know that she died of cancer.  I enjoy “Songbird” the most and my other favourite on this album is “Fields of Gold”, enjoy it here.

Eva Marie Cassidy was born on February 2nd, 1963. Music was introduced to Eva at an early age by her father, Hugh - who surrounded her with the voices of Pete Seeger, Buffy St. Marie and Ray Charles. He taught Eva how to play the guitar and she learned to accompany herself and her siblings (Anette, Margret and Dan) in a family music group.

As a teenager, Eva sang with friends in several bands and groomed her musical talents and performance skills. By the early 1990s she was doing studio work, performing with her friends - and then recorded “The Other Side” with Chuck Brown. Eva’s career turned a corner that would lead her to pursue more solo work. She developed a repertoire of “great” songs that inspired her, and would later be the reason we all remember her - not for songs she wrote, but for songs that she interpreted and made her own.

Eva’s voice was recorded at many of her performances at local Annapolis and Washington DC venues, and at studio sessions - little did we all know that this was a miracle. Eva’s young life was cut short on November 2, 1996, by cancer. She was surrounded by music her entire life - now she surrounds our lives with her music.

Order the cd from HERE or read more about her and her love for art here too…links at the bottom of the page once you’re on the site.

Lompie and Nicky… not our pictures, but our cats looked exactly like these two cats!!  They were like two children…and you can click HERE to read about Nicky and Lompie….As a cat-lover, I want to blog a few books about cats and also some lovely poems! Enjoy!!

Image: lovereading.co.uk

Image: puffin.co.uk

These first two books are both books on my shelf! Great books if you work with children or gifts to children age 9 and up to read…

This book is really a MUST-have if you’re a cat-lover! The pages are glossy and there’s interesting info about cats and cat-quotes too! This is a fantastic gift to someone that’s a cat-lover! It’s also a diary…any-year-diary…

How to draw a cat…one way! Image from the book:

 ”The Complete Guide to Drawing and Illustration”…A Practical and Inspirational Course for Artists of all abilities by Peter Gray.

Click HERE to read Anne Fine’s biography.

OKAY,OKAY.
So hang me.
I killed the bird.
For pity’s sake,
I’m a cat.

Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can’t understand what all the fuss is about.

Who on earth will be the next victim to arrive through the cat-flap? Can soft-hearted Ellie manage to get her beloved pet to change his wild, wild ways before he ends up in even deeper trouble?

The hilarious antics of Tuffy and his family as told by the killer cat himself.

Okay,Okay!.
So slap my teensy little paws.
I messed up - big time

Tuffy can’t wait for Ellie and the family to go away on holiday. A week of freedom lies ahead - if only he can get away from the catsitter. But everything goes wrong when Tufty is catapulted into the arms of horrid, sweet-as-pie, Melanie.

Melanie has always longed for a lovely, cuddly ickle pussykins. And with the promise of cream, fresh fish and escape from the catsitter, Tufty loses all his dignity. Dressed up in baby-clothes and pampered like a pussycat, has the killer cat really gone for good?

OKAY,OKAY.
So stick my head in a holly bush!

Tuffy, the killer cat, knows what he likes. And he isn’t loving the ‘art’ that Ellie’s mum brings home from her new class. So what’s a cat to do?

A scratch here just happens to shred a painting. A nudge there somehow slips a clay pot off a shelf.

Dad hopes a particularly hideous sculpture will be next, but Tuffy’s having none of it.

The killer cat will go his own sweet way!

Mischief and mayhem rule in Anne Fine’s brilliant new story, with hilarious illustrations by Steve Cox throughout. It is perfect for developing readers aged 5-8 years. (for slow readers or children with English as a second Language, this book can be read up to age 11/12—all depends on the level of the child)

The Killer Cat spreads mayhem amongst the paint pots!

“Nonchalant Tuffy the cat makes his triumphant third outing in this latest tale by Anne Fine. Tuffy is fast becoming an archetype in children’s literature.”===achuka Reviews

“Well, stretch my stripes! Tuffy’s back, with more problems… This, the third of the Killer Cat sagas, is enough to make a dog laugh.” –Carousel

The author of the owl and the pussycat was of course Edward Lear ==1812 - 1888 ==and the first publication date of the owl and the pussycat was 1871. Wonderful illustrated graphics have also been set to the words of the owl and the pussycat poem helping to fire the imagination of a child! The burning question remains, however, what exactly is the runcible spoon referred to in the words of the owl and the pussycat poem? The probable definition of this term is that a runcible spoon is a small fork with three prongs, one having a sharp edge, and curved like a spoon. This spoon is used to eat pickles, etc.

 Edward Lear
Read here on WIKIPEDIA more about Edward Lear.
The Owl and the Pussycat poem

The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
“O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are,
What a beautiful Pussy you are.”
Pussy said to the Owl “You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing.
O let us be married, too long we have tarried;
But what shall we do for a ring?”
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows,
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose, his nose, his nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling your ring?”
Said the Piggy, “I will”
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand.
They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Cat in the window

What do you see?
Cloud, wind, birds,
a bird in a tree.
The daffodils shivering
in the February breeze,
A puddle in the road
beginning to freeze.

Snow on the wind
Dusk in a cloud.
Leaves in a frenzy,
The bird’s head cowed.
Winter - though the sun shines.
Blizzard, and the north wind’s whine.

~~~Brian Morse

Cat Kisses

Sandpaper kisses
on a cheek or a chin -
that is the way
for a day to begin!

Sandpaper kisses -
a cuddle, a purr
I have an alarm clock
that’s covered with fur.

—Bobbi Katz

Cat Warmth

All afternoon,
My cat sleeps,
On the end of my bed.

When I creep my toes
Down between the cold sheets,
I find a patch of cat-warmth
That he’s left behind;
An invisible gift.

—John Cunliffe
The last 2 poems from: Read Me2: A Poem For Everyday Of The Year.

On THIS LINK you can read about the book.. “Two Frogs”…

Ahw….Wow! just look at this cute kitty!! which Streathambrixtonchess has on their blog!

http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.com/2008/06/cat-chess.html
 

I was tagged by Wipneus to write about my “slogan” in life…well, firstly I want to apologise, as this entry will be in Afrikaans…basically, I’m saying that I’m a “ready-steady-go”-person…as you can see from this picture…and that I believe to do what is expected from you, when it’s expected and also, try to do more than what’s expected and….to use my logical mind!/use your brain!! …and…be positive and see an opportunity in every problem! I don’t have patience with myself and in general, I want to get things done! So,  if you’re a bit too slow for me, I’ll do your work too just to get the job done. I can’t hang around doing nothing and would use my logical mind to do what needs to be done.

Personally, I  think Chess is the game to develop the logical mind!! Slide down to the bottom of this post to read about the logical mind…and read about Susan Polgar and her brilliant brain. Everybody has a brilliant brain, it depends on how you use it! I’ve said to so many children that there is no such thing as a dumb child…each child learns in a different way and the same with adults. You use your brain in a different way and some people don’t use it at all… it’s not that they are dumb..they have to learn how to use it..  And now…tagging time…(you can find them all on my blogroll) Ray (bookstoysgames)…Norrbu….Tony…and Luigi!

Vir iemand om saam met my te werk, moet dit seker een groot vet fees wees…Ek weet presies wat ek wil doen, hoe ek dit gedoen wil hê en wanneer ek dit wil doen. Ek raak gou besig met ander mense se “opdragte” as hulle nie gou genoeg ‘n ding doen nie… en gelukkig waardeer hulle dit wanneer ek dit doen. Ek geniet dit ook om meer as net te doen wat van my verwag word…nie omdat ek wil iewers wil “inkruip”  nie, maar net bloot omdat dit in my natuur is om raak te sien wat gedoen moet word en om my logiese verstand te gebruik wanneer dit kom by dinge wat gedoen moet word. Sommige mense sien sekere take as benede hulle posisie en ander sal wil hê hulle moet eers gevra word om ‘n ding te doen - dalk dink hulle hulle word meer belangrik geag as hulle eers gevra word, maar in my oë sien ek dit eerder as ‘n geval van nie jou logiese denke inspan nie!  Ek vra myself die vraag…waarom nie doen wat gedoen moet word, jy spaar energie/tyd, want sekere opdragte hou verband met ander en daarom gaan alles soveel vinniger as opdrag 1 uit die pad is en opdrag 2 kan voortgaan…ek vra myself ook soms, “dink mense nie vir hulself nie”? ek verkies om kinders in die laerskool te leer hoe om vir hulself te dink, hoe om verstandig te dink en net deur logika te gebruik, spaar dit almal baie pyne en deur in ‘n span te werk, maak jy dit vir almal ligter en almal is soveel gelukkiger! Jy ontwikkel jouself as mens en skep geleenthede vir jouself in in die proses  dalk vir ander ook! Dit is nou waar “sien ‘n geleentheid in elke probleem” inkom! – en om eerlik te wees…(jammer vir die nie-skaakspelers…dis geen aanklag teen jul intelligensie nie!!)…skaak is ‘n spel wat jou beslis logika leer!

Met myself is ek baie ongeduldig… ek moet aan die gang bly en kan nie sit en niks doen nie, my familie - gesin - weet gewoonlik dat hulle met my altyd “gereed” moet wees… wanneer daar iewers heen gegaan moet word, is dit gewoonlik algemeen aanvaar dat almal gereed is wanneer hulle gereed moet wees…sjoe! Dit klink verskriklik…maar dis nie so erg nie! Wanneer ek skoolhou is dit deel van my algemene omgang met die kinders…”are you ready?” in Suid-Afrika was dit gewoonlik ‘n koor wat antwoord…”Ja…steady….” julle ken seker almal die “are you ready” van die Gladiators..wel, dis nou ekke…hoor dit in jou gedagtes en jy hoor vir my! lol….hier in London…sal daardie selfde koor kom met…”no!! wait!!”…hierdie Engelse is te stadig na my sin……

Our logical mind has a definite purpose, it can figure things out, it can plan, it can analyze, figure out how to make things work, figure out how to implement a plan. These are all wonderful things that help us in our day to day life.

But the logical mind is just that, logical. It does what “makes sense”.

And just what makes sense to the logical mind? What has worked in the past. What it has seen work for others.

Hmm, let’s see, so if you are making decisions and living your life with your logical mind in charge, what could the future possibly look like?

Same as the past!!!

And is that what you want? I’m guessing no. We are always growing and expanding and with that comes the desire for more. That is a natural part of this life and it is a good thing.

So how can you prevent your logical mind from holding you back like this?

It helps to see it from a bigger perspective. You see, if the mind had the perspective of the soul it would have a much bigger picture of your life and of what is possible. It would not look to the past to see what to do. It would see the potential and move forward.

But the logical mind does not see this big picture. It only sees what is and what has been.

So if you are wanting to take your life to a new level, to break into wonderful new territory do you really want to be putting your logical mind in charge?

I don’t think so.

So how do you deal with this? Who is in charge then?

You.

You are not your mind. Your mind is a tool you have available to you.

And you have the ability to access higher information through your intuition. You can receive guidance from a higher part of yourself that sees the big picture.

It is up to you to choose how you make decisions in your life. From the logical mind, or maybe based on a higher knowing. You choose.

That is why your intuition is an important part of this journey to your even better life. It is your access to the big picture. And you may never get to see that bigger picture and that doesn’t matter. You just need the insight from the part of you that does see it.
Please click HERE to read the entire article.

Read about Susan Polgar, Woman Grandmaster in Chess…American…what she says…you can read her blog..it’s on my blog roll in the “Chess” section.

At 38 years old, Susan Polgar has reached heights that few women have ever equalled in the chess world. Despite the common assumption that men’s brains are better at understanding spatial relationships, giving them an advantage in games such as chess, Susan went on to become the world’s first grandmaster. Susan’s remarkable abilities have earned her the label of ‘genius’, but her psychologist father, László Polgar, believed that genius was “not born, but made”. Noting that even Mozart received tutelage from his father at a very early age, Polgar set about teaching chess to the five-year-old Susan after she happened upon a chess set in their home. “My father believed that the potential of children was not used optimally,” says Susan.

Throughout the rest of her childhood, Susan practised for hours, memorising thousands of moves and scenarios, and devouring books and stratagems. She took on the men in her local chess club at the age of five and began beating them. By the age of 15, she was the best female player in the world. A year later in 1985, she sensationally vanquished a male grandmaster for the first time. But Susan is not the only family member to achieve such incredible success – her younger sisters Judit and Zsófia are grandmaster and international master respectively, thanks to similar schooling from their father.

So how has Susan trained her brain to such a formidable degree? Chess is so complex a game that there are four billion choices for the first three moves alone. Susan has committed to memory tens of thousands of possible patterns and scenarios. Every time Susan sees a grouping of chess pieces on a board, she can browse through her back catalogue of memorised groupings, using instinct to tell her the right move. “We seem to heap a lot of praise on people’s calculating ability,” says former British champion William Hartston, “but we take for granted all sorts of mental abilities that are absolutely intuitive.”

Susan displays her skills as she takes on a friend at ‘Blitz’ – a form of chess in which players must complete their moves in just one minute. Susan uses her razor-sharp instinct to not only move her own pieces, but guess her opponent’s moves in milliseconds. “I have to trust my instincts, my recognition,” she explains. “It’s almost like guessing, but basing it on prior games and experience.”

In order to isolate the areas of her brain she uses when playing chess, Susan is given an MRI scan. There is an area at the front of the brain which deals with face recognition, allowing most people to remember a face in 100 milliseconds. Astonishingly, this is the very place where the experts find that Susan has moulded her recognition of 100,000 chess scenarios. Over years of childhood practice, Susan has hardwired these countless scenarios into her long-term memory and can recognise one in an instant – as quickly as someone might recognise the face of a friend or relative.

It is this lightning-quick instinct, coupled with a phenomenal memory and years of relentless practice, that have earned Susan the status of ‘genius’. Her story presents strong evidence to suggest that her father was right – genius may indeed be nurture over nature. “I really believe that if you put your mind to it,” reflects Susan, “you can achieve it, whatever it is”.
Article to be found HERE about Susan Polgar…”My brilliant brain”…

Image:www.sv-goerlitz.de/Foren/Gallery/images
On THIS LINK you can watch a long-ish video about Susan and her brilliant brain. It is a video longer than 40 minutes and worth to watch. She wasn’t born with this brilliant brain, it was created….

Watch this movie about Susan Polgar and her “brilliant brain”.

As a space-lover..I couldn’t resist this picture! of the day…as it immediately reminded me about our brains…almost the shape too!

Image: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
 

Image: u1.ipernity.com

 
Die Broosheid van my Siel

Dit is soos gister
dat my gedagtes swerf
op golwe van stormwinde;
ongesiens, verwyder dit
die eind’lose groenbedekte
ystergrendels van my hart

Verstommend genereer dit
beelde uit lande
versamel van die Ooste en Weste
die Noorde en van die see af
- ‘n half herwonne reis

Diep onder lê ‘n sluimerende stilte
ontsnapte krete reën om my
helder buitelyne van donker oë
kruis my lewenspad
en ek huiwer

Hunkerend na ‘n somers-motreën
blomruigtes, onweerstaanbare weerligstrale
waterfonteine, ‘n ontnugterde haelbui
Vind jy my siel op haelwit wolke

Ja, soos gister
stap ek deur die Dorsland
met lofoffers
en êrens omhels die broosheid
die gedagtes van my siel.

©Nikita 18 Junie 2008

Die verlange na Suid-Afrika bly daar vir enige persoon in die buiteland. Iemand moet nie vir my vertel dat hy die stof van sy voete afgeskud het en nou “klaar” is met SA nie, daardie persoon bluf homself, beslis nie vir my nie. Vanaand was ek - soos baie ander tye - weer hart en siel in Suid-Afrika…geniet hierdie stukkie “gedagtes” of herinneringe wat ek hier saamgeflans het…en geniet dit met die musiek van Hilary Stagg…

I’ve got this CD of Hilary Stagg…beautiful music…enjoy this track and do get yourself this CD!!

Indien jy ooit by die Opelug Museum in Pretoria ‘n draai maak, maak gerus ‘n draai by die Watermeule. Hierdie watermeule het op ons plaas gestaan en is hy klip-vir-klip gemerk en net so herbou in Pretoria. As kind van ongeveer 7/8 jaar oud, het ons gedurig op die wiel gespeel en was dit ‘n heerlike wegkruipplek vir die kat om haar kleintjies te kry!! Daarom dat my gedagtes ook in hierdie gegriffel ‘n draai gaan maak het op die watermeul se wiel! Ek kon vir ure die miskuiers volg wat in veld hulle bolletjies gerol het…wanneer ek gaan stap het om verdroogde stukkies takkies te versamel en grassade vir my versameling wat ek gedurig in my kamer uitgestal het…die gedrooge takkies…spesiale mooi uitgesoektes natuurlik, het ek in gebruik in rangskikkings en was my kamer omtrent ‘n “nes” van alles wat ek van die veld aangedra het. Selfs verdwaalde tarentaal-vere het hul ere-plekkie gehad…en hoe kon ek die karretjies uitlaat, dit het ek meer gespeel as met my poppe wat altyd net op my bed gelê vir die mooiheid…btw…hierdie waterval op die foto lyk byna nes die een wat op ons die plaas gehad het…dieselfde hoogte min-of-meer ook…

Suid-Afrika - my skaduwee

In die skadu’s
van die groot ou Eik
stoot ek weer in die sand
Boeta se karretjies een-vir-een
‘is verstommend hoe die mierleeus uit hul tonnels
krioel met kierang-hier en kierang-daar

Langs die waterval
sit ek, halfbewus
my gedagtes vind perspektiwiteit
en rol ragfyn ligstraaltjies voor my uit
op die kabbellende water

Op die meulwiel van vervloë
versamel ek babakatjies
pas gebore, versteek
teen elemente daar buit’
en ek streel die sagtheid
wat ek koester
verder op my reis

Ek verdwaal tussen rante
soekend na onweerstaanbare
toktokkies en miskruiers
‘k neem ‘n honger teug
uit die kom van fluisteringe
“ons-vir-jou-ons-vir-jou”

Hoe sal ek jou kan vergeet
jou alledaagse ontwykende
en eindlose horison
onwetend
bly jy daar vir my
en ek vir jou
Hoe kán ek dan
Vergeet van: “ons-vir-jou”…?

©Nikita 17 Junie 2008

Image:www.amazingwaterfallbudgettours.com/Waterfall_p1.jpg

‘Blatant lies’ in history book
13/05/2008 19:48 - (SA)
Durban - The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is arranging a series of protests to stop the use of a Grade 12 history book it describes as “biased pro