Nemo propheta in patria. 上海市卫生健康委员会 (Shànghǎi Health Commission) ordered to close for “rectification” the laboratory which first isolated and fine-tuned the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus. The shutdown was apparently due to the fact that the researchers’ team coordinated by Professor 张永振 (Zhāng Yǒngzhèn) published online the data of their discovery — which actually helped scientists develop diagnostic kits for the virus — before being authorised by government authorities. In fact, the publication dates back to January 11, 9 days before Chinese President 习近平 (Xí Jìnpíng)’s first official public acknowledgment of the novel coronavirus outbreak. As they say, “a queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early”.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Saturday’s Moon
Particular thanks to all those who today came to Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” — indeed a dance school! — to challenge or confirm what Paul Charles Morphy is reputed to have said one hundred and sixty-one years ago: “Chess never has been and never can be aught but a recreation. It should not be indulged in to the detriment of other and more serious avocations”.
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He’ll never underestimate a bartender again
The Texas senator tried to pick a fight after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out Mike Pence’s coronavirus credentials. [Read more].
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- Luke O’Neil, Ted Cruz tried to mock AOC’s scientific knowledge — it didn’t end well, The Guardian, February 28, 2020
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2007, presenting her project on Caenorhabditis elegan (C. elegan) lifespan extension, which was awarded second prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in microbiology. Photo: Society for Science & the Public.
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Friday, February 28, 2020
Hulk’s Escape
Hulk the hermit crab, whose tendency to repeatedly outgrow or break through its shell means the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, England is on the hunt for a new home. Photo: National Marine Aquarium/PA.
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Cage and Beyond
Tomorrow is Saturday and it’s going to be a big day at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” with a chess960 date waiting for games to start at four o’clock in the afternoon. Since a dance school is not a mere chess club, and since a school is responsible for every student’s happiness and wellbeing, please do not forget to take with you a pair of clean sneakers to be used in the dance room only.
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NickFoxie, [AT] Cassidy and Aina playing Chess, Courtesy of NickFoxie/DeviantArt.
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Gallivanting On Guam
A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was lased by People’s Republic of China (PRC) navy destroyer 161 on February 17 while flying in airspace above international waters approximately 380 miles west of Guam. The incident was apparently due to a maneuver which the Navy, in its official statement, made more than a week later, calls “unsafe and unprofessional”.
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Sirena, Guam’s mermaid. Courtesy of Guampedia.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
The Hunger Games
Empty shelves at a supermarket in Pioltello, Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, at the epicentre of Italy’s novel coronavirus outbreak. Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters.
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Famous Birthdays on February 27
Top celebrity birthdays on February 27, 2020. Birthday wishes go out to four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Sina Mobile.
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Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Whatever
A couple kiss with their masks off while waiting for a train in 上海 (Shànghǎi), China. Photo: 刘行喆 (Liú Xíngzhé)/EPA.
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Life of Pi
The gorgeous U.S. Women’s Chess Champion 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) stars the cover story of the January 2020 issue of Chess Life. |
Assembly language
Mannequins after makeup at a workshop in Kamal, Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Veri Sanovri (@verisanovri).
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Tuesday, February 25, 2020
😊
Olga was four years old when for the first time she entered the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, and even today, years after it happened, she still has a smile in her heart.
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The Eye of the Needle
The recent participation of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and 王皓 (Wáng Hào) in a “Chinese” online blitz tournament served, if nothing else, to reassure the public about their health and safety with respect to the novel coronavirus outbreak. They both will be allowed to take part in next month’s Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Ural Federal District, Russia only thanks to “humanitarian” visas and not without undergoing a two-week quarantine period in the Moscow countryside. 王皓 (Wáng Hào) has castled in Japan, and will travel from there to Russia, at least avoiding the Chinese protocols. Quite different is the situation of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), who since a month dared not put his foot out of his condo in 温州 (Wēnzhōu), 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng province), China. He has been studying alone in his home, patriotically serving his birth city with Internet appeals and a substantial donation of ¥50,000 元 (yuán) to the 温州 (Wēnzhōu) Charity Federation — ”Oh, it’s the least I could do”, he humbly said. Now, finally, he is about to leave his house confinement. Two weeks in Moscow, and then, maybe, “free at last” in the Ural Highlands. Another extraordinary rule severely limits the number of people who can accompany him, just to make his candidacy even more epic. No doubt he will choose for the best.
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Bipolar Shoes
The building that inspired French shoe designer Christian Louboutin’s idée fixe with stiletto heels is, nearly half a century later, home to a retrospective on his 30-year career, emblematically titled L’Exhibition[niste], which opens Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at the Palais de la Porte Dorée in Paris, France. Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters.
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Meanwhile in Arcovazzia
Stupidity has made enormous progress. It is a sun that one can no longer gaze at without blinking. Thanks to mass communications, it isn’t even the same thing any longer, it feeds on other myths, it sells at an extremely high price, it has turned good sense into something ridiculous, it spreads terror all around itself.
Ennio Flaiano, “The Via Veneto Papers”, 1973
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The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi
- Swee Kheng Khor, MySay: In a war between species, we must understand and harness fear, The Edge Malaysia, February 18, 2020
Viruses have no passports, citizenships, nationalities or identities. The quicker we can harness our fears and change our mindsets away from “us versus foreigners” to “humans versus viruses”, the quicker we can make bold political choices to save ourselves from this outbreak and prepare for the next one. [Read more].
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Monday, February 24, 2020
“Love, who exempts no loved one from loving”
范冰冰 (Fàn Bīngbīng) for Madame Figaro: “Boundless expectations of love / Love connects us / Love makes us believe / Love keeps us together / Like spring blossoms”. Photo: Madame Figaro 中文版/新浪微博 (Sina Wēibó).
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The Royal Game
Caïssa descends down to earth. Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 9th Women’s World Chess Champion 诸宸 (Zhū Chén), and Grandmaster 王玥 (Wáng Yuè) will star in a charity chess gala which will be broadcasted live Monday, February 24, Tuesday, February 25, and Wednesday, February 26 at 19,00 on the most popular video-streaming platform 哔哩哔哩 (Bìlībìlī)’s B畀 (“B Station”). The charity show, jointly organised by 杭州 (Hángzhōu) Chess Sports Management Centre, Alibaba Public Welfare Fund, and 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng) Charity Federation, aims at providing psychological help to people suffering from the novel coronavirus, and also at raising funds to support the frontline medical personnel in their daily efforts to handle the crisis.
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Sunday, February 23, 2020
Dive ’n’ Dance
Given that five-time Olympic gold medal diver 吴敏霞 (Wú Mǐnxiá) has been spending more time than usual at home recently, she kindly took time to introduce her admirers to three exercises which help her to stay in shape.
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Sunday
Today is Sunday
Today is Sunday. Today, for the first time, they took me out into the sun and for the first time in my life I looked at the sky amazed that it was so far and so blue and so wide. I stood without moving and then respectfully sat on the black earth, pressed my back against the wall. Now, not even a thought of dying, not a thought of freedom, of my wife, The earth, the sun and me... I am happy. |
上海芭蕾舞团 (Shànghǎi Ballet) dancers wearing masks practice in a dance studio in 上海 (Shànghǎi), China. Photo: 阿里宋 (Ālǐ Sòng)/Reuters.
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Saturday, February 22, 2020
Warm Up
Not too surprisingly, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), the world No. 3, took home first prize in the Group A of the online blitz tournament which took place today on 智赛网 (zhisai.net). Just for the record — here is the detail of the results and ranking scores:
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1°) 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) 4½ (first-prize winner under the tie-breaking rules); 2°) 张鹏翔 (Zhāng Péngxiáng) 4½; 3°) 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) 2; 4°) 卢尚磊 (Lú Shànglěi) 1.
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Pleas of the Crown
Caïssa’s army goes to war. Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 9th Women’s World Chess Champion 诸宸 (Zhū Chén), and Grandmaster 王玥 (Wáng Yuè) will star in a charity chess gala which will be broadcasted live Monday, February 24, Tuesday, February 25, and Wednesday, February 26 at 19,00 on the most popular video-streaming platform 哔哩哔哩 (Bìlībìlī)’s B畀 (“B Station”). The charity show, jointly organised by 杭州 (Hángzhōu) Chess Sports Management Centre, Alibaba Public Welfare Fund, and 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng) Charity Federation, aims at providing psychological help to people suffering from the novel coronavirus, and also at raising funds to support the frontline medical personnel in their daily efforts to handle the crisis. Photo elaborations: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù)/Sina Sports.
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日常生活 (Everyday life)
One of the last public appearances of chess Grandmaster 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) dates back to last February 9, when he appeared in a video recorded with other sportspeople from 温州 (Wēnzhōu), 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng province), China making an appeal to social solidarity and giving his encouragement to his fellow citizens with respect for their daily coping with the novel coronavirus crisis. Screen capture from 《温州日报》 (Wēnzhōu Daily).
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Friday, February 21, 2020
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Just keep in mind that the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” is the best place in the city of Florence to do things like dance, make improvisations and rehearse a choreography, so do not miss your chess960 class tomorrow at four o’clock in the afternoon, taking care not to forget to bring with you a pair of clean sneakers to be used in the dance room only!
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The Bamboo Network
Chess in the time of novel coronavirus. Next weekend (February 22 and 23) 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and 王皓 (Wáng Hào) will take part in an online blitz tournament on 智赛网 (zhisai.net). Two groups of four players each will play two round-robin games. The Group A will be composed of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xiong), 卢尚磊 (Lú Shànglěi), and 张鹏翔 (Zhāng Péngxiáng); the Group B of 王皓 (Wáng Hào), 许翔宇 (Xǔ Xiángyǔ), 韦奕 (Wéi Yì), and 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié).
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劉勃麟 (Liú Bólín), Hiding in the City — The Inheritance, 2016. Courtesy of 劉勃麟 (Liu Bolin)/Galerie Paris–北京 (Běijīng).
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