And so it goes, Edna, for the month of September

Artwork © Jose-Ramiro

Selfmate

The end of Judaism

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, September 30, 2024

One cannot understand the meaning of what is happening now in Israel, if one does not understand that Zionism constitutes a double negation of the historical reality of Judaism. Not only, in fact, because it transfers the Christian nation-state to the Jews, Zionism represents the culmination of that process of assimilation which, starting from the end of 18th century, has been progressively erasing Jewish identity. The decisive point is that, as Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin has shown in an exemplary study, as foundation of Zionist consciousness stands another negation, the negation of the Galut, that is, of exile as a principle common to all historical forms of Judaism as we know it. The premises of the concept of exile are prior to the destruction of the Second Temple and are already present in biblical literature. Exile is the very form of the existence of the Jews on earth, and the whole Jewish tradition, from the Mishnah to the Talmud, from the architecture of the synagogue to the memory of biblical events, was conceived and lived out in the perspective of exile. For an Orthodox Jew, even the Jews who live in the state of Israel are in exile. And the State according to the Torah, which the Jews await with the coming of the Messiah, has nothing to do with a modern national state, so much so that at its centre stand just the reconstruction of the Temple and the restoration of the sacrifices, which the state of Israel does not even want to hear about. And it is well not to forget that exile according to Judaism is not only the condition of the Jews, but concerns the defective condition of the world in its integrity. According to some Kabbalists, including Luria, exile defines the very situation of the divinity, which created the world by exiling itself from itself and this exile will last until the advent of the Tiqqun, that is, the restoration of the original order.
It is just this unreserved acceptance of exile, with the rejection it entails of any present form of statehood, that establishes the superiority of the Jews over religions and peoples that have compromised themselves with the State. The Jews are, together with the Gypsies, the only people who have rejected the state form, have not waged wars and have never stained themselves with the blood of other peoples.
By denying exile and diaspora at their roots in the name of a national state, Zionism has therefore betrayed the very essence of Judaism. We should not be surprised then if this removal has produced another exile, that of the Palestinians and has led the state of Israel to identify itself with the most extreme and ruthless forms of the modern nation-state. The tenacious claim of history, from which the diaspora according to the Zionists would have excluded the Jews, goes in the same direction. But this could mean that Judaism, which did not die in Auschwitz, now perhaps knows its end.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Marc Chagall, The dance of Myriam, 1966. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Come on, Edna, you know you are the eternal, the only one

Artwork © Jose Antonio (joseantonio_art)

Autumn Voices

Democracy and Liberty

A bird perches on razor wire in Bern, Switzerland. Photo: Anthony Anex/EPA.

To be sure, Edna, no algorithm can resist the siren call of a “buy one, get two free”

Artwork © Genesis

Mr. Robot

Yeah, Edna, they claim they never looked at you, and yet they died by envy at not seeing you for so long

Artwork © World Of Drawing

雙語替換評測 (BLEU)

She and the Robot

You can’t do anything about it, Edna; no one is alone in the universe except on holidays and Sundays

Artwork © True_Might

Milady 3000

But in this case (and only in this case), Edna, to copy a masterpiece is to perpetuate an ideal rather than the fictional, and, with artistic licence, to elevate an original into one of eternal mould

Artwork © twitch.tv/stephhuni (@.stephhuni)

Biorhythms and Algorithms

“I’d call it more an unique dialogic experience than a game of chess”, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said in her post-match review. “Unlike usually, I approached 元萝卜 (Yuánluóbo) more as a partner with whom to consult than as an adversary, so I opted for an explorative and experimental attitude, playing imaginific moves so that I could feel the difference between a robot and a human. For example, if I play against Carlsen, I can feel he is human after all; his moves will inevitably betray all the emotions of a human being. Well, with 元萝卜 (Yuánluóbo) it is nothing like that”, she said. “Basically it plays chess at a constant speed and with extreme accuracy. The more complex the situation, the faster it moves, which shows its power of calculation, while in the more quiet situations it will think strategically and hit the key points with every move. As our game showed, its technique is highly superb. 元萝卜 (Yuánluóbo) is all in all a reliable partner for a chess affair, and can help one to identify areas where one needs to improve”. Photo: Sina Sports.

No, Edna, no robot can be made smart enough to let you play in whatever mode you like

Artwork © True_Might

Impossible Match

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 元萝卜 (Yuánluóbo) SenseRobot AI
Human–Machine Ultimate Chess Showdown; 北京 (Běijīng), September 25, 2024
French Defence C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5. Bobby Fischer called it “A dubious alternative to 5. ... Bxc3+”, yet it has its story.
6. Bd2. More than one theoretician in the last century argued that 6. b4(!), recommended by Alekhine, was here a sharper and more promising continuation for White, but 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) doesn’t seem to think so.
6. ... Nc6 7. Nb5 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 cxd4 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Kxd7 11. Nf3 Bb6 12. a4 a6. Also playable is 12. ... Ne7 13. a5 Bc7 14. a6 Nc6 15. axb7 Rb8 16. c3 dxc3 17. Bxc3 Ke8 18. 0-0 Rxb7 with reasonable chances for equality, Krakops – Barsov, 3rd International Open, Patras 2001.
13. a5 Ba7 14. c4?! A very aggressive move! 14. 0-0 Ne7 was probably a sounder line of play.
14. ... dxc3 15. Qa4+ Kc7 16. Bxc3. 16. Rc1 Rc8 also leaves Black with the better game.
16. ... Rc8 17. Qg4. White persists in her crude strategy, enabling the robot to seize the upper hand.
17. ... Ne7! 18. Qxg7 Rg8 19. Qxf7 Rxg2

20. Qxe6? This leads to a disaster. Willy-nilly, she had to castle Queenside.
20. ... Bxf2+ 21. Kf1 (21. Kd1 Rg6 22. Qf7 Kb8−+)
21. ... Rg6 22. Qf7 Bc5. If body language means anything, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) now burst out in a smile.
23. b4 Qf8! 24. e6

24. ... Rxe6! 25. Be5+. The Rook is obviously taboo, because of 25. Qxe6 Qxf3+ 26. Ke1 Qxc3+ with a massacre.
25. ... Bd6 26. Qxf8. (26. Qxe6 Qxf3+ 27. Ke1 Qe3+−+)
26. ... Rxf8 27. Bxd6+ Kxd6 28. Kf2 Ng6 29. Ra3 Nh4 30. Kg3

30. ... Rg8+! 31. Kf2. All other moves lead to mate, i.e. 31. Kxh4 Rh6#, 31. Kf4 Re4#, and 31. Kh3 Nxf3 32. ~ Rh6#.
31. ... Rg2+ 32. Kf1 Rf6 0–1. Enough is enough! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) burst in laughter and resigned.

Queen and the robot king: an impossible match. Photo: Sina Sports.

A Merciful Heart

[Event "Human–Machine Ultimate Chess Showdown"]
[Site "北京 (Běijīng) CHN"]
[Date "2024.09.25"]
[Round "?"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) CHN"]
[Black "元萝卜 (Yuánluóbo) SenseRobot AI"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "38"]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5 6.Bd2 Nc6 7.Nb5 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 cxd4 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Kxd7 11.Nf3 Bb6 12.a4 a6 13.a5 Ba7 14.c4 dxc3 15.Qa4+ Kc7 16.Bxc3 Rc8 17.Qg4 Ne7 18.Qxg7 Rg8 19.Qxf7 Rxg2 20.Qxe6 Bxf2+ 21.Kf1 Rg6 22.Qf7 Bc5 23.b4 Qf8 24.e6 Rxe6 25.Be5+ Bd6 26.Qxf8 Rxf8 27.Bxd6+ Kxd6 28.Kf2 Ng6 29.Ra3 Nh4 30.Kg3 Rg8+ 31.Kf2 Rg2+ 32.Kf1 Rf6 0-1

Post-match conversation with four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán).

Yes, Edna, you’d better put your glasses back on

Artwork © M✮T (@m._tti4)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Stay tuned for an extraordinary AI premiere that you won’t want to miss! On Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 19.00, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) will take on 元萝卜 (Yuánluóbo) SenseRobot AI in an exciting showdown for the highest stakes. Guest commentator will be 7th Women’s World Chess Champion 谢军 (Xiè Jūn).
“For the first time in my life I am going to play a game with a machine. It is rated 3200. How do you think I should deal with it? I’d better say it silently, show mercy!”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) jokingly said.

However unbelievable it may seem, all roads lead to you, Edna

Artwork © DrPeace

Two Career Girls

Two ballerinas in the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” studio dance school look forward to a bright future. On one hand, Sofia (pictured above and below) was admitted to the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, a highly selective public research university in Pisa, Italy, where she is going to study Engineering. Viola (pictured above), on the other hand, is about to sit down with the whole family in the “button room”, eager to hand out credits to the worthy.

Yeah, Edna, the queen is never late, an audience can be

Artwork © Zack Weisgerber (@pterozacktylart)

Yesterdays

Have faith, Edna. There are still a lot of good people out there!

Artwork © MV0382unique

Peace & Love

Over three thousand people paraded today in the Peace and Fraternity March from Perugia to Assisi, now in its 28th anniversary year.

Pursuing Meaning

A bold chipmunk tackles a large peanut on the deck of a home in Morristown, New Jersey, United States. Photo: Zuma Press/Alamy Live News.

You know, Edna, every morning one wakes up and washes and then goes out to work not because one believes that, in the light of the capitalistic ideology which dominates Western life, to get rich is glorious, but just to while away the time till next day

Artwork © DrPeace

A Shot in a Trance

We had just had our old Panasonic Lumix repaired a few days before, and thus when we met 林丽丽 (Lín Lìlì) yesterday, we took the opportunity to capture as many of her expressions as possible!

For you, Edna, anything

Artwork © OriginalMarcchest

Propitiation

As far as Mado Flynn is concerned, 林丽丽 (Lín Lìlì) is the most exotic model in the brand’s seasonal collections.

One can deny almost anything, Edna, but no one can deny that the world without you is like an ocean without water

Courtesy of Craiyon LLC

What the Stars Foretell

Come on, Edna, it won’t be two nouveau riche ragpicker women who will win the heart of “the fair vestal throned by the west”; it will be you

Artwork © Blackwell

Billboard

Feeling board... Didier Vanderperre’s shot of Chinatown in New York City, United States. Photo: Didier Vanderperre via The Guardian.

Nay, Edna, being unique is not exactly the same as being the only one

Photo courtesy of Dragon’s Deal’s

Lunar Returns

Well, Edna, you know, one must not take literally all what is said and written

Artwork © D💖 (@dresstothedrama)

Power of Gardens

Spent Sunday wandering around the stalls of the Wellness Festival at Anconella Park in Florence, Italy, where Mado Flynn featured her art in the exhibit of the A.M.A. (Friends of Animal World) Cat Pound. One of the highlights of the programme was the lecture given by philosopher Luigi Lombardi Vallauri, an acknowledged authority in animal law and animal rights. If then one needed signs, posters, labels, here they were: give peace a chance and say no to NATO.

Yes, Edna, they did not take into account that, unlike you, they have no jurisdiction in airspace and outer space, nor have they power to do any thing without your permission

Artwork © Dreamland Character Hunt (@dreamland_character_hunt)

Heart of the Moon

Naturally, Edna, it goes without saying that you assumed a 🧘 lotus position just to remind your fans you’re still around

Artwork © Никита З. (Nikita Z.)

Laughing Matters

Behind the scenes at 2023 Women’s World Chess Championship match: 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) burst out into liberating laughter.

Summer’s Tail

It’s a lost cause, Edna. They need war as much or more than the money they make from selling arms, and the sole idea of a world in peace simply terrifies them

Artwork © Zamora30

³

Lee Miller, Exercises, triple exposure, Limbering up for the big push, London, UK, 1942. Photo: Lee Miller Archives.

It’s an optical trick, Edna. The longer the legs are, the narrower the waist appears to be

Artwork © hit-gal

Tamta Longlegs

To be sure, Edna, every school has its ponytails, but your one is brighter and farther in the sky than a rainbow tail

Artwork © Georgio The Artiste (@georgiotheartiste)

The Wish of Wishes

On Saturday evening, September 7, 2024, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and PKU Professor 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (pictured above, front row, from back right) joined teachers and special guests in the grand ceremonies of “2024 PKU First Run”. Photo: Peking University/Office of Student Affairs.

Hey, Edna, there must be an untold reason why students are never late for your classes!

Artwork © Maldives Business School (@maldivesbusinessschool)

NearFar

Berlin Wall, Niederkirchnerstraße, 1988. Photo: Roland Arhelger via Wikimedia Commons.