Daily Archives: August 20, 2023

Paris Olympics swimming test event cancelled over water quality fears – Euronews

Posted: August 20, 2023 at 11:30 am

The cancellations this weekend pose a new challenge to the Paris Olympics organisers and the citys ambitions to reopen the iconic river to public swimming after the Games.

Worries about water quality forced the cancellation of another Paris Olympics test event in the Seine River on Sunday, as organisers called off a triathlon mixed relay.

While triathlon swimmers took to the Seine in competition on Thursday and Friday, water quality tests showed higher than authorised levels of bacteria ahead of a paratriathlon test event Saturday, so it was cancelled. Further tests ahead of Sunday's mixed relay remained inconsistent, according to a joint statement from organisers and local officials.

As a precautionary measure and to protect the health of the athletes, the decision has once again been taken to cancel all the swimming races scheduled for today, it said. Authorities are investigating the reason for the problematic tests.

Rainfall in recent days may have been a factor. A previous test event had to be cancelled this month because heavy rain caused overflows of untreated waste into the Seine, leaving water quality below safety standards.

The cancellations this weekend pose a new challenge to the Paris Olympics organisers and the citys ambitions to reopen the iconic river to public swimming after the Games.

Paris is spending massively on water-management projects that officials say will make pollution caused by storms less frequent by the time the Games begin on July 26, 2024. Olympics organisers remain determined to hold open-air swimming events along the picturesque river, viewing this months cancellations as a learning experience.

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Gender inequality will still be an issue at the Paris 2024 Olympics … – The Conversation Indonesia

Posted: at 11:29 am

With one year to go until the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, fans around the world have been following their teams performances at the FIFA Womens World Cup.

For fans whose national teams didnt advance as much as they had hoped, they can look forward to seeing those same teams play at the Paris Olympics.

But the same is not true for the mens national teams that competed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. At the Olympic Games, mens national teams are limited to 23-year-old and younger players, with three exceptions for overage players. There are no age restrictions for the women players.

This is only one of the many gender-based differences in how men and women athletes compete at the Olympic Games.

My research examines how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has promoted gender equality at the Games. My book Gender Equality and the Olympic Programme focuses on the sport programme all the sports and events included at the Games because it is the most visible aspect of the Olympic Games.

According to the IOC:

the Olympic programme is the fundamental core of the Olympic Games as decisions regarding the programme have an impact on virtually all other areas of the Olympic Games and Olympic Movement.

The inclusion of specific sports and events, as well as how women and men athletes play those sports (and what they wear to play them), sends important messages about how the IOC and other international sport federations define and attempt to achieve gender equality.

In addition, the sport programme is highly contested. International sport federations, athletes, Games Organizing Committees, broadcasters and the IOC all have interests in its composition. And, sometimes, those interests conflict.

Most of the IOCs claims about gender equality achievements at the Games are focused on the sport programme. The IOC has announced that at the 2024 Games, for the first time, there will be an equal number of men and women athletes, and the same number of events (opportunities to win a medal) for men and women.

In 2014, the IOC released a strategic plan for the future of the Olympic Games. Among the 40 recommendations is one about fostering gender equality. Including an equal number of men and women athletes at the Games is one strategy the IOC identified to foster gender equality.

Claims about achieving gender balance have been an integral part of all the IOCs statements about Paris 2024. It is crucial to critically examine what these claims mean and how they relate to achieving gender equality.

Ensuring gender parity the same number of men and women athletes and mens and womens events is important for gender equality at the Games, but it does not address the conditions of mens and womens participation.

The IOCs aim to achieve gender balance reveals an incomplete, numbers-focused commitment to gender equality.

When men and women compete in the same sports, international federations continue to enforce differences between mens and womens events. These differences include: the length of races; weight categories; the height, weight, size and spacing of equipment; the size of venues; and differences in judging, rules and uniforms.

For example, in artistic gymnastics, the differences between the mens and womens competitions include age requirements (18 years old for men and 16 for women); different apparatus (e.g., parallel bars for men and uneven parallel bars for women); the number of apparatus (six for men and four for women); and uniform requirements (long or short pants for men, leotards or unitards for women).

On the floor and vault apparatus on which both men and women compete womens floor routines are set to music and include dance elements, while the mens do not. When performing the same skills, mens eligible scores are lower than womens.

What the audience sees is womens gymnastics performed in ways that emphasize stereotypical femininity and minimize strength and power. In contrast, mens gymnastics events are organized to emphasize the athletes strength and power.

These gender-based differences are examples of gender inequality.

In cases where sports are gender-differentiated, womens sports are designed to be a lesser version than the mens. Womens races are shorter, there are fewer weight categories, equipment and venues are lighter and smaller and women wear more revealing uniforms.

Differences in mens and womens conditions of participation are the result of decisions made by those who control Olympic sports decision-makers who continue to be predominantly men. The differences are not naturally occurring, nor are they universal.

In fact, there are several sports and events on the Olympic programme that are not gender-differentiated. For example, men and women athletes competing in archery and badminton use the same venue, equipment and rules.

This is evidence of internal contradictions in the Olympic programme; some events are constructed to be different for men and women athletes, while others are not. This reinforces the need to identify and explain the remaining examples of gender-based differences.

These internal contradictions also require further attention from the IOC and the adoption of a more complete definition of gender equality one that includes opportunity and status.

The IOC needs to look beyond the numbers and work with international federations to address athletes conditions of participation in the same sports.

Crucially, embracing and enforcing gender equality should not mean using mens sports as the standard (e.g., increasing the length of womens races to be the same as the mens distance). Rather, this is an opportunity for international federations to determine the best possible conditions for all athletes in their sports.

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Grant Holloway exclusive: On ‘running free’ at Budapest 2023 and … – Olympics

Posted: at 11:29 am

You gotta be a little bit crazy to jump over these 42-inch barriers.

Grant Holloway is very familiar with that "crazy". The 25-year-old USA athlete is a two-time (2019, 2022) world champion in the 110m hurdles and is also the second-fastest man ever in the event, clocking a 12.81 in 2021.

But his Olympic moment at Tokyo 2020 also came with a second next to his name, the silver medal leaving him hungrier for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Gamesand helping to drive his work away from the spotlight in one of athletics most high-octane events.

Ive been using that bad taste in my mouth just as motivation, Holloway told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview. Second place is, as they say, the first loser. But for me, I knew that race wasn't Grant Holloway. I just remember it. I try to move past it. I try to use it to mature. And I try to use it on and off the track to get better in life, because not everything is gonna go your way.

Having clocked two of the fastest times in the preliminary rounds at the U.S. Championships in July, Holloway did not start in the final. He has a bye into the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which run from 19 to 27 August in Budapest, Hungary, as the reigning world champion in the event.

And that is what he is focused on: Budapest 2023, Paris 2024 and every hurdle hell face between now and then.

When he thinks back to that silver-medal performance behind Jamaicas Hansle Parchment in Tokyo, Holloway turns back to his internal eye. The hurdler practises regular visualisation techniques for his races, an aspect he says is important in his event.

I wanna be able to run just free, regardless of what happens...Of course there's gonna be some jitters, everybody has those when you care so much, Holloway said. But [I want] to go out there and run stress free and really see myself crossing the finish line before everybody else.

That's my goal. That's what I set myself out to do. And it's up to me to challenge my team in order for us to fulfil that goal.

Holloway is talking in particular about Budapest, where he arrives as the two-time and reigning world champion, and one of just three men to go under the 13-second mark in the race this season.

The Olympic medallist focuses on two aspects to keep pushing forward: Consistency and discipline.

Those are the rules that I always live by, Holloway said. If I can continue to apply those two things to what I want to accomplish both on the track and off the track, then...the sky's the limit. I'm able to do anything.

Anything is a scary thought for the rest of the global 110m hurdles field, which continues to chase London 2012 champion Aries Merritts world record time of 12.80.

I still have that sour taste in my mouth from 2021, Holloway admitted. I had a lot of things thrown my way. But I am also going to remember what that felt like and I never want to have that feeling again.

That second-place finish has made a detail-oriented Holloway an even more meticulous planner. Post-Budapest, he said, eyes will turn towards Paris and how his team is developing a plan to excel at the Games.

Ill sit down with my team and challenge them, like, All right, this is what we did really good [last season] and this is what we did really bad. Let's see how we can be in the middle', he said.

I want to be able to reevaluate what I've done and then as I get ready to go into 2024 really hone in and grab the bull by the horns and do what we do best, but better.

It isnt necessarily about Olympic redemption, Holloway clarifies. Instead and he harkens his nickname, Wonder Boy here it's about letting his potential be showcased on the biggest stage in the world.

'We wonder what Wonder Boy will do next', laughed Holloway at a suggested headline. My resume, my times, they speak for themselves. But Wonder Boy is going to continue to do wonders.

The 110m hurdles require precision and near-perfection at lightning-fast speeds and with only razor-thin margins of error. Having come within 0.01 seconds of Merritts world record time two years ago, that mountain top still looms for Holloway, but so do other goals.

This year? Its the world title, Holloway replied when asked which he wanted more a record or a gold medal in Budapest. If you ask me next year, of course, it's going to be Olympic gold. [But] the Olympics is an event where you have to be your best in order to get the gold medal.

Next year, I'm going for gold.

Holloway calls a sub-13 time in the 110m hurdles the pinnacle of all hurdles", and likens it to a sub-10 second race in the 100m or sub-20 in the 200m.

I would say it's probably one of the hardest sub races to do, he said.

It requires a pristine start that volts up to top speed, but speed that a hurdler must be able to control all the way down the track", Holloway explained.

Hes done it five times in his career, most recently at the Paris Diamond League stop in June, when he dedicated the race to his stepfather, Bunny, who had recently passed away.

Hed been watching me grow into this young man... he really took me under his wing since 2009," Holloway said. Some of the things he taught me Ill be able to teach to my own kids. He took me under his wing and that race [in Paris] will be a core memory for the rest of my life.

Holloway can be as quick with his wit as he is in a hurdles race: "I didn't come to the party to sit on the wall, I came to the party to dance, he told NBC during this years U.S. nationals.

A nationally-recruited football player who nearly chose collegiate ball over track, for Holloway hard work comes with another aspect - fun.

I realised that to have fun with this sport, you have to be loose, you have to enjoy what you do, he said. That's one of the parts of my legacy that I'm going to be able to leave. It's great to have fun with what you love to do.

"The times will speak for themselves, but you as a human being, [that] will speak more than the times.

Theres been long-running banter on social media, too, between Holloway and fellow Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin, who competes in the 400m hurdles. The idea? The two face off in a new event: The 200m hurdles.

For Rai and I, we're just trying to add some more enthusiasm to the sport, Holloway explained, laughing. Its all love. [But] still to this day he wants to do the race, which is great because I would too. But, honestly, we have to do it on the off year. Hopefully we can get some sponsors in and get the track all built up and we can just go out there and have some fun.

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To be human is to be animal | Eric T. Olsen – IAI

Posted: at 11:29 am

Are we animals? This question, seemingly simple, delves into our many theories of personal identity. While our daily lives define us as human beings, the theory of "animalism" challenges this perspective. Philosopher Eric Olson argues that our fundamental identity aligns with being biological organisms within the animal kingdom. This puts the existence of a human essence in question and has implications for life after death, consciousness transfer, transhumanism and even environmental responsibility.

1.

What are we? Human beings, of course. Were also parents, friends, readers of online articles, and much more. And were animals: biological organisms of the animal kingdom. That may seem rather obvious. Our planet is home to some eight billion members of the primate species Homo sapiens. And those animals seem to be us. When you see yourself or someone else, you see an animal. Wherever that animal goes, you go, and vice versa. We dont appear to be anything other than these animals.

Philosophers call the claim that were animals animalism. You may be surprised to hear that its a minority view in contemporary philosophy. And in fact most of us are at least inclined to believe things that are incompatible with it.

Take, for example, the doctrine of life after death. Billions of people believe (or at least profess to believe) that when we die and are cremated, we nevertheless continue existing in a conscious state. Were resurrected in the next world, or reborn in this one. Thats not consistent with our being animals. When an animal is burnt to ashes, thats the end of it. To say that it might continue existing and remain conscious is like saying that a manuscript burnt to ashes might continue existing and remain legible. An animal cannot have life after death. If we have life after death, we cannot be animals.

You may not believe in life after death. But many nonreligious people believe in the possibility of uploading. Imagine that all the psychological information encoded in your brain is read off by some sort of scan. (This, we may imagine, destroys or erases the brain.) The information is made into a digital file and transferred to a computer. Its then used to program the computer so as to create a thinking, conscious being there: someone psychologically just like you were when you were scanned, or at least as much like you as a purely digital person could be. Even if this will never be technologically feasible, the thought goes, it could be done, if only we knew how. And maybe this process would not merely create a psychological duplicate of you in the computer, but would transfer you yourself from your animal body to the digital realm.

___

if you have a property that no animal has, youre not an animal. The same, in fact, goes for life after death: if its even possible for us to have it, then were not animals

___

But whether or not thats true, its not possible to upload an animal into a computer. An animal is a material thing, and you cant get a material thing into a computer by scanning it, uploading the information thereby gathered, and then programming the computer in the right way. You can no more upload an animal than you could upload a brick or a tree. (Imagine trying to move a consignment of bricks to Australia by uploading them then inviting your Antipodean counterpart to download them at the building site.) You cant move a material thing by a mere transfer of information: you have to move some matter. The animal might be damaged in the scanning process, or even killed, but it stays where it is.

I doubt whether anyone will ever actually be uploaded. But even the possibility of our being uploaded is inconsistent with our being animals. It would mean that you have a property that no animal has: the property of being uploadable, given the right technology, into a computer by a process of scanning, data transfer, and programming. And if you have a property that no animal has, youre not an animal. The same, in fact, goes for life after death: if its even possible for us to have it, then were not animals, as its not possible for an animal to have life after death.

SUGGESTED READING Can We Reinvent Ourselves? An Existentialist View By Kate Kirkpatrick

3.

The argument that moves most philosophers to deny that were animals does not involve uploading or life after death, but an imaginary medical procedure. Imagine that your brain is transplanted into my head. (My own brain is destroyed to make room for it.) If the operation is successful, the result will be someone with your brain and the rest of me. And we would expect him to have your beliefs, memories, plans, and personality, for the most part at least, and not mine. Who will he be: you with a new body, or me with a new brain? (Or perhaps neither?) It will seem to him as if hes you, as hell have memories of your past and no memories of mine, and hell be surprised when he looks in the mirror and sees my face. Would that appearance be correct?

Its tempting to answer yes: that you would go with your transplanted brain. The operation cuts away all your parts except your brain, moves you across the room, and then gives you a new skull, torso, and limbs to replace the ones you lost. Its not strictly a brain transplant, but a body transplant.

But what would happen to the animalthe one now sitting there and reading this article? Would it go with its transplanted brain? Would the operation cut away all the animals parts except its brain, move it across the room, and then give it a new set of parts to replace the ones it lost? Would it move an animal from your body to mine? Surely not. The animal would simply lose an organ: it would stay behind with an empty head. It may even remain alive, though incapable of consciousness. There are two animals in the story, and the operation would move an organ from one of them to the other, exactly as a liver transplant does.

So if you would go with your transplanted brain, the operation would move you from one animal to another. You would leave your animal body behind. But a thing cant leave itself behind. If you could leave that animal behind, you cannot be that animal. And theres no other animal you could be: if youre any animal at all, youre the animal that would stay behind in a brain transplant. Animalism implies that you yourself would stay behind, and donate your brain to me.

Again, no one is actually going to have a brain transplant. But if you would go with your brain if it were transplanted, you have a property that no animal has: the capacity to go with your transplanted brain. The animal does not have this capacity, as the operation would only leave it with an empty head. And if you have a property that no animal has, you cannot be an animal. Thats the reasoning that leads most philosophers to reject animalism.

4.

At this point you may wonder why anyone would suppose that we are animals. I said that we appear to be: when you see yourself, or someone else, you see an animal. We dont appear to be anything other than the animals we see in the mirror. But of course things are not always as they seem. Is there any better reason to accept animalism?

___

Consider what it would mean if you were not the animal. There would then be two conscious beings thinking your thoughts: you and the animal. If thats not already absurd, think of how you could ever know which of them was you.

___

There is. Its possible for an animal to think and to be conscious. Dogs can recognise their home, feel hungry, and remember (or forget) where they left their favourite ball. And clearly human animals are not psychologically inferior to dogs. They can recognise their home, feel hungry, remember where they left their ball, and much more. The animal you see in the mirror is a thinking, conscious being. And you are a thinking, conscious being. Doesnt that suggest that you are that thinking animal? How could you be something other than the animal thinking your thoughts?

Consider what it would mean if you were not the animal. There would then be two conscious beings thinking your thoughts: you and the animal. If thats not already absurd, think of how you could ever know which of them was you. You may take yourself to be the non-animalon the grounds, perhaps, that you would go with your brain if it were ever transplanted and leave the animal behind. But the animal, sharing your brain, would presumably believe for the same reason that it was not an animal. Yet it would be mistaken. And for all you could ever know, you yourself might be the one making this mistake. Even if we were not animals, we could never know it, undermining any reason we may have to suppose that were not.

Or maybe the animal would not be thinking your thoughts: youre the only thinker there, and the animal is no more conscious or intelligent than a stone. That would enable you to know that youre not the animal. Thats what most opponents of animalism say. But its quite a startling claim. The animal has a functioning brain: the same brain that you have. What could prevent it from using that brain to think just as you do? Opponents of animalism have no satisfying account of why human animals cant thinkor of what sort of non-animals we might be.

It seems more likely that animals can think, and in particular that the human animal now looking at your computer screen is thinking just as you are. And surely youre not one of two such thinking beings. Given the undeniable fact that you are thinking, it follows that the animal is you. You are an animal.

5.

What if the animalists are right? What would it mean if we really were animals? Weve seen that it would appear to rule out the possibility of life after death or of uploading ourselves into computers. And it would mean that transplanting your brain into my head would not give you a new body, but would give me a new brain. But is there anything further? Would accepting animalism change our thinking about anything else?

It might. Our being animals would imply that we are reliant on a certain sort of environmentone thats currently threatened by climate change. The opponents of animalism agree that we require such an environment, because our animal bodies do and we rely on those bodies. But if were not animals ourselves, there remains the faint hope that we might one day overcome this reliance. Perhaps the right technology could enable us to exchange our animal bodies for something inorganic that could function even in the extreme conditions that climatologists are warning us about. Climate change may finish off the corals, the penguins, and the polar bears, but we might be able to survive it by transforming ourselves into heat- and drought-resistant robots. This thought, however unrealistic, may weaken the resolve to reduce our greenhouse-gas emissions.

___

If my organic parts were cut away and replaced, one by one, with inorganic prostheses, the animal would not gradually become inorganic. It would only become gradually smaller and have more and more gadgets attached to it.

___

But if were animals, there is no such hope. An animal can no more be transformed into a robot than it could be uploaded, resurrected, or reincarnated. Why is that? Even if were animals now, couldnt future technology make us into non-animals?

The thought is that we could replace our parts with inorganic prostheses that do the same thing only better. Even our brains might be replacedbit by bit, perhaps, to preserve the continuity of our mental liveswith computer chips. This process could eventually make us entirely inorganic. But whatever merits this thought may have, its not something that could happen to an animal.

Suppose I had a bullet lodged in my shoulder from my days as a mafia hitman. Would it be a part of the animal sitting here? Would the animal be made partly of flesh and blood and partly of lead? No: the bullet would be inside the animal but not part of it. Thats because it was never involved in the activity that makes up the animals life: growth, maintenance, metabolism, and so on. Animals are made up of living tissue and the bullet is not. The animals life would go on around the bullet but not within it. Strictly speaking its a part of the animals surroundings.

Now imagine that my arm is amputated and replaced with an inorganic prosthesis. Does the prosthesis become a part of the animal? Again, the answer is No. However useful I may find it, its not made of living tissue and is never involved in the activity that makes up the life of the animal. Its not nourished by the animals blood supply, or repaired and maintained as bones and muscles are. When my arm is cut off, the animal loses a part and gets smaller. And fitting a prosthetic arm doesnt make the animal bigger again by giving it a new part. It only changes the animals surroundings. A transplanted organic arm could become a part of the animal by being assimilated into the animals life-activitiesthats what happens in real-life transplantsbut not a prosthesis.

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And the same goes for any other inorganic object attached to or implanted into me: a stainless-steel hip joint, an artificial heart, an electronic brain implant, or what have you. If my organic parts were cut away and replaced, one by one, with inorganic prostheses, the animal would not gradually become inorganic. It would only become gradually smaller and have more and more gadgets attached to it. Eventually it would become unable to maintain its living functions and would die. The gadgets may continue to function. They may even make up a robot with a mental life like mine and memories of my life. But that machine would not be an animal, or anything that was previously an animal. It would not have grown from an embryo. No animal has the capacity to become inorganic: it can only be replaced by something inorganic. We ourselves could have that capacity only if we are not animals.

Animalism implies that our organic nature and our dependence on the environment are unalterable features of us. At most we could replace ourselves with a population of heat-resistant robots. Accepting this might, perhaps, make us just a bit more environmentally responsible.

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To be human is to be animal | Eric T. Olsen - IAI

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Charge of the knight brigade: Indian teens storm global chess – IndiaTimes

Posted: at 11:28 am

For over three decades, the title of India's No.1 chess player belonged to Viswanathan Anand, the country's first Grandmaster. But come September, that tag will pass to the 17-year-old D Gukesh. Although remarkable, Anand making way for his protege does not signify a change merely at the top of Indian chess. It marks a transformation that runs deep and is taking the chess world by storm. Consider this: There are four Indian juniors in the World Open top 50. Gukesh is at No.8 (live rating of 2758.4), No.23 is R Praggnanandhaa (2720.8), Arjun Erigaisi (2712) is at No.30 and Nihal Sarin at No.42 (2694.2). Along with Raunak Sadhwani, Leon Luke Mendonca and Aaditya Dhingra, there are seven Indians among the world's top 20 juniors. Clearly, these juniors are rearranging the board. It wasn't too long back when Indians would shine at the World Youth Chess Championship (Under-18 and lower age groups) only to turn in a lacklustre performance at the World Junior Chess Championship (U20). Despite most of the top U20 players giving the juniors a miss, Indians would fail to dominate even the second-string field. But cut to the post-pandemic world and India's chess juniors are now dominating the senior sections. The question marks regarding their progress have turned into an exclamation mark. So, what changed? At first glance, two things stand out: the Covid-19 pandemic, and Anand's foray into mentorship. Covid, Anands mentorship & tech all helped chess stars vie with worlds best Add to that chess engines and software that enable youngsters to train at the same level as the games stalwarts and you have a situation where the Gukeshes and Praggnanandhaas are challenging those at the top of the chess pile. Indeed, Gukesh opted not to play the juniors last year he was 16 because he had already reached the next level. A young and fearless India B team led by him stole a march over India A by winning the team Olympiad bronze at home last year. GM Vishnu Prasanna, Gukeshs coach, agrees that online chess during the pandemics peak ensured that the chess worlds elite rubbed shoulders with the secondand third-rung players. The online and shorter time control of the game has also brought speed and reflexes into play, which are to youngsters advantage.

This opportunity was extremely rare. It was almost non-existent earlier, Vishnu said. The high frequency of online events and the exposure of playing against stalwarts of the game made youngsters a lot more confident and ready for the next leap. In fact, none of the top Indian youngsters were in the top 100 before the pandemic. According to Prasanna, the timing of Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), too, was perfect as the Indian teens got top-notch GM coaching, funding and mentoring that enabled them to capitalise on the transformations that were being wrought.

Anands involvement identifying players for high-level training and not giving them cash has made a big difference. The efforts are paying off already and Gukesh is set to overtake Anand on September 1 in the ratings list. Anand is a multiple-time world champion and set the bar really high for those who followed him in India. Though that might have seemed unfair at times in the past the new generation is blazing its own trail.

If Anand was the first and only Indian so far to qualify for the Candidates cycle back in 1991 that is meant to find challengers to the reigning world champion, there is a freshly-minted contender in Praggnanandhaa in the same league after more than three decades. And, indeed, there may be more. Thats because Gukesh, on rating strength and other qualifying paths before January 2024, can sneak in as well into the Candidates race.

03:02

17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh sprints his way into the world's top-10 Chess players

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Charge of the knight brigade: Indian teens storm global chess - IndiaTimes

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Knowing when to insist – ChessBase

Posted: at 11:28 am

The key point to realize is that there is no magic bullet to solve this, and if your miss was due to an outside distraction such as a dog was barking (solution: earplugs), this article won't help you one bit. Still, let's assume none of those things, and that the shot you missed was absolutely within your ability to see, find and play.

In tactics there are usually three kinds of misses:

All three of these can and will happen to even the best players in the world, but the third is the one that can leave the most bitter taste in one's mouth. If you simply failed to even guess there was a shot to be had, you will shake your head, mumble and grumble a bit, and shrug it off. 40 years ago it might have felt rarer, but with today's super engines, we know it is a regular occurrence especially in complex positions.

The second is a bit more frustrating as you felt you had it, but somehow some aspect of it eluded your ability to solve it to the end. Some baffling key move, or an unusually complicated continuation. Again, engines are merciless in revealing these to us, but they also enrich our play and imagination with these fascinating sequences. I have heard the words "I saw it, but couldn't make it work" from the elite more than once.

The third is a bit more complicated because it is a bit of a mix of 1) and 2). We are all victim to them, but here is a position in which it almost happened, except a key question saved the day. That key question might save yours too.

As soon as my opponent played this knight move, the intention was clear: force my knight of e5 and prevent further use of that square. However, an equally obvious question revealsitself now: what about 13. Nxf7?

At first view, it seems pretty pointless: sure if 13. Nxf7 Kxf7?? 14. Ng5+ will win the rook, but if Black refuses to be so cooperative and instead plays 13... Rxe1+ 14. Qxe1 Kxf7, what then?

Sure, we have a check with 15. Ng5+ Kg8, but there endeth the party. 16. Qe6+ is prevented by the knight on f8, and 16. Qe8 accomplishes nothing after 16... Nf6attacking the queen and protecting f7.

This sort of situation is something we all face, and quite a lot: a glance at the many ideas, some running into a brick wall and we are forced to drop them and move on. Except.... this is not one of them.

The key is in that mental note, "16. Qe6+ is prevented by the knight on f8". There is a knight protecting the square, sure, but without itthe note would be "Qe6 wins with mate". In tactics, one of the classic motifs is the diversion or decoy in whicha piece prevents our winning blow. Tothat end, and we train ourselves to ask the question"how can I remove thepiece or move that is preventing mywin?"

This is easy enough when faced with puzzles we know have a winning solution, but it is easy to forget this sort of question in the throes of an actual game. However, if we ask this question here, suddenly new possibilities beg to be looked at.

There is no way to attack the knight on f8, so that leaves only one possible move: 16. Bxh7+?! No, no exclamation points until we know if it is any good. It might just lose another piece for no good reason after all, so for now we are just looking. Hmmm.... Ok, so on the plus side, if 16. Bxh7+ Nxh7 then 17. Qe6+ is not only possible, it mates!

So that is one promising revelation, but what about 16. Bxh7+ Kh8? Will this refute it alland leave usshaking our heads in disappointment? These things happen all the time, and when theydo, be ready to move on. But not this time! Our queen on e1 (this is still all in our mind's eye) now has the new possibility of 17. Qh4! And yes, this is really looking strong.

In reality, I was in an online blitz game and stopped my calculations here, happy with the position and after seeing Qh4 and the powerful discovered checks it promised, I made a snap decision to play it as a result. If all went bad, I would most likely still have a repetition in there.

Were this a slower game I would have spent time working out the full line before suffering a chess form of buyer's remorse ("Why didn't I spend a bit more time calculating it properly?").

Truthfully, I almost gave up on the line after 13. Ng5+ as above, but the position nagged at me, and it was when I asked myself the question "is there any way to deal with that Nf8?" that everything clicked into place. Hopefully, you too will find yourself able to ask that question and reach a solution that had seemed to be absentat first.

Middlegame Secrets Vol.1 + Vol.2

Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!

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Knowing when to insist - ChessBase

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World Cup: Pragg and Salimova win tiebreakers – ChessBase

Posted: at 11:28 am

A heartbroken Vidit Gujrathi shared the following message on Twitter after being knocked out of the FIDE World Cup by Nijat Abasov:

Was probably one win away from Candidates. Proud of playing some good games and reaching QF of World Cup, again, but disappointed to come so close and get knocked out.

The 28-year-old was well aware of the huge opportunity he had just let slip away. Out of the four Indian players who made it to the quarterfinals, up to three could have qualified to the Candidates Tournament, but in the end it was the second-youngest of the group who reached the all-important double round-robin: Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

Pragg was paired up against his good friend Arjun Erigaisi, and remarkably managed to tie the score on demand after losing the first classical game in the quarterfinals. Despite facing each other in such an important stage, Pragg and Arjun continued to take walks together at night. Commentator Irene Sukandar shared a photo of the two on Twitter.

Thursdays rapid and blitz tiebreaks were nothing short of exhilarating. Two draws were agreed in the 25-minute encounters, and then Pragg took the lead by turning the tables (with black) froma clearly inferior position.

White has all the trumps in this position, with an extra pawn, a passer on the a-file three squares away from promotion,andthe more active major pieces. Both 45.Qc6 or 45.Qb7, protecting the a-pawn, would have kept Whites advantage, while Arjuns 45.Qc4, allowing a queen swap, prompted the engines to evaluate the position as balanced.

Unfortunately for Arjun, another mistake eight moves later allowed his opponent to take the drivers seat. Pragg, unlike his friend, made the most of his chances and won the game.

Two fierce competitors | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

Arjun had no trouble bouncing back in the next 10-minute game. Two more wins with black followed, which meant the Indian prodigies would decide the match in the sudden-death games a single win is needed from that point on to reach the next stage.

Amazingly, once the clocks were started (in a 3-minute game), Pragg was not sitting at the board. His mom looked worried as he speed-walked to what would turn out to be the final encounter of a tension-filled match. Pragg won with white to obtain the biggest achievement of his life, one that could potentially lead to him playing a match for the World Championship.

Official photographer Maria Emelianova captured a couple of heart-warming moments and shared them on Twitter:

Calculation Training for 1400-1600 players

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

So Pragg is set to face Fabiano Caruana in the semifinals, which start on Saturday after a very deserved rest day!

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and his mom | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

Replay games from all round at Live.ChessBase.com

One match went to tiebreaks in the semifinals of the womens tournament. Nurgyul Salimova, who came from upsetting Polina Shuvalova, faced ninth seed Anna Muzychuk. After beating the Ukrainian grandmaster, this is what Salimova had to say about her opponent:

I grew up watching Annas matches. She was like my idol when I was a kid, and still I respect her a lot, and of course she was the clear favourite. But I didnt think about this, because it doesnt help thinking about this. I just prepared for my matches.

Wins with black were traded in the first two 25-minute games, as Salimova found a nice tactical trick to score a full point in the first encounter of the day.

29...Bf5 invited 30.Qxb8, which Muzychuk played, failing to notice that now she either had to give up a lot of material or let her opponent go for a mating attack.

There followed 30...Kh7 31.Qf4 Bh6 32.Qf2 and it is mate-in-three for Black.

Muzychuk resigned after 32...Bc2+. In case of 33.Kc1 there is 33...Bd3 34.Kd1 Qc2#

Improve your chess with Tania Sachdev

On this DVD, well-known Indian WGM Tania Sachdev shows you how to evaluate certain positions and then find the right concepts and plans on the basis of her own games.

In the 10-minute section, Salimova got ahead on the scoreboard by winning a remarkable game in just 23 moves. A draw in the final game gave the 20-year-old from Krepcha a ticket to the gruelling events final and, perhaps more importantly, a spot in the 2024 Womens Candidates Tournament.

Nurgyul Salimova | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage

Replay games from all round at Live.ChessBase.com

Full schedule | Pairings and results

All games with computer analysis: Open | Womens

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Xbox game releases August 21 to 27 – TrueAchievements

Posted: at 11:28 am

20 new Xbox games arrive next week, including major launches like Immortals of Aveum we've got the exclusive reveal of the Immortals of Aveum Xbox achievements along with the arrival of the slightly delayed WrestleQuest and more, although the next arrival on our list of games coming to Game Pass isn't on here, having just missed the window of this article with a release date of August 29. Here's a breakdown of everything coming to the world of Xbox next week. Let us know which of these you're planning on picking up in the comments!

August 22nd

Summon your power, stop the Everwar, save the realms. Pre-order* Immortals of Aveum and get the Purified Arclight, a unique blue sigil that will unleash more power for Jak's blue Strike spells and Shatter Fury spell!

No Place Like Home is a cute and relaxing sim.

You play as Ellen Newland, a girl who decides to visit her grandfather, on Earth, for the very last time before she moves to Mars. However, she soon discovers that her grandpa is missing and that his farm was recently destroyed.

Key Features:

CLEANING Clean the world, destroy mountains of trash, vacuum all the rubbish, and recycle resources to build your very own dream farm! Everything you need can be found and recycled from trash, and if you befriend local neighbours, they may prove very helpful during your farming and adventuring endeavours.

FARMING Find seeds, become a farmer, and use your produce to cook delicious dishes that can be traded for useful items! There are tons of plants, fruits, vegetables, flowers and trees to find and grow. You can also make honey, jams, mayo, and lots of other preserves to spice up the farming fantasy.

EXPLORATION Explore and go on adventures through many diversified zones. Trek through the wonderous Lonely Hills region and restore the damage done by its poisonous gasses. Save animals from icy weather in Frozen Peaks and fix the leak from an old factory that has turned the local flora into giant mushrooms. Break the giant dam and release the river to bring nature back to the desert.

PARTIES Find, rescue and befriend farm animals that have gotten lost throughout the valley. If you gain their trust and take good care of them, you can be sure that they will return the favour. Once you are ready, you can show off your fun side by giving them funky hats and throwing them awesome parties!

RENOVATIONS Rebuild, refurbish and decorate your house into a cosy place of perfection. Find awesome decorations and items across the world and use them to personalize your abode. After all, there is No Place Like Home!

The whole family can choose one Smurf, its kart and special power, then youre ready to go on wild races! Make the best start, find shortcuts, and use the right items at the right time to pass your opponents!

- Play solo or with friends and family, should you be a beginner or the most trained driver you can get 1st place and show others who the fastest Smurf of all time is! - 12 tracks taken from the Smurfs universe: the village, the forest, the dam, the swamps even Gargamels house! - 12 playable Smurfs: chose the Smurf you want to drive with. - Each Smurf has its own kart and a very handy special item to help you breeze past your opponents. - Reach 1st place by using the environment around you: bonus items, boosts, ramps, destructible boxes, shortcuts and more! - Play solo or with family and friends, up to 4 players in split-screen local multiplayer game mode. - Try to beat every Smurf at their own racetrack in the Time Challenge mode and reach the top of the online rankings with your best time! - Unlock original bonuses race after race, win after win, and try to Smurf them all in your personal album! - Take a smurfy start to take the lead as soon as the race begins! - Use your unique special power to get rid of a too smurfy opponent on-track!

TAG TEAM WITH DESTINY! Pro wrestling and RPG fantasy collide in the ultimate pixel powered adventure. Macho Man Randy Savage and tons of other icons offer guidance as you powerbomb your way to glory beyond the ring. This heros journey aint just an epic quest, its WRESTLEQUEST!

August 23rd

Main Features: - A powerful chess AI to challenge; - Local multiplayer - so you can also challenge others; - A massive set of chess puzzles to solve and learn chess logic from; - Daily puzzles, for those who can't get enough of them!

Mirrored Souls is a puzzle platformer that tells the story of Ravi and Daru, two completely different celestial beings connected to each other but separated in a mirrored universe. Following a thoughtful narrative, you will control both characters simultaneously and solve puzzles that explore the possibilities of the mirrored mechanics in fun and challenging ways. Discover beautifully illustrated scenarios that compliments the duality of both characters and develop your cognitive skills and spatial vision as you cross portals to bring them together.

The game features traditional turn-based combat with real-time execution of moves: blocking, countering and timing your attacks carefully as well as predicting your foes' moves is essential to succeed in Virgos twisted and unforgiving cosmic quest to bring back the Golden Age, a period of peace, symmetry and balance, or so she thinks.

In this galaxy where every action means a reaction, youll play as Virgo, the Holy Queen, often called Dreadful Queen by heretics, bringing mayhem to the Zodiac Realms and leaving a trail of stardust on the way, all to fit her excessively righteous worldview.

August 24th

The Penitent One awakens as Blasphemous 2 joins him once again in an endless struggle against The Miracle. Dive into a perilous new world filled with mysteries and secrets to discover, and tear your way through monstrous foes that stand between you and your quest to end the cycle one and for all.

A 2D party platformer where you fight with a hat! Throw your hat to attack, defend and bait opponents. But watch out! If someone jumps on your hat... you die!

Rev up your engine and get ready to hit the track with RIDE 5. An adrenaline-filled gaming experience that is so authentic it will make you feel like you're truly racing at break-neck speed.

Find your favorite bikes and check out new ones in the ultimate motorcycle game! Race on over 35 tracks and collect more than 200 motorcycles from world-renowned manufacturers, each element is designed to feel like you're riding a real bike.

IT'S A LONG ROAD It's not just speed that wins races - Endurance mode rewards perseverance and strategy. Time is no longer the issue, ride to your heart's content with the option of saving, exiting and jumping back in later. Just make sure you keep an eye on fuel and pit-stops - these helplines can quickly become your worst nightmare!

FROM ZERO TO HERO Start out in your garage, climb the ranks and become the best world racer in the new Career mode. Race against increasingly skilled Rivals, true obstacles who will stand between you and the finish line. Learn to master different bikes and handle every situation. It won't be easy though... The road to victory is laden with challenges and it's up to you to decide which one you want to take - the harder the challenge, the greater the reward!

WIN UNDER ANY CONDITION It doesn't matter how good you are, there is always one factor you can't control: the weather. Clear blue skies can turn into heavy downpours and then back to sunshine, rolling clouds will follow you as you dash through the bends, giving you ever-changing views and landscapes. You will have to deal with unexpected situations and use your skill to tackle both wet and dry conditions - the improved physics makes for an even more life-like experience!

TEST. LEARN. RIDE. Not sure which line to follow or when to slam on the brakes? Use the new riding aids and get customized support when needed the most. Learn to better handle the bike and the tricks of the trade to become the best rider you can be.

TAKE CONTROL You can tell a true motorcycle aficionado not just from the bike but also from their garage - collect your favorite models and customize them to your liking. Share your designs with other players and showcase your style! Don't get caught up on cosmetics only. With Race Creator you can build an endless number of scenarios, from single races to complete championships, choose your bikes and tracks, and act as a Race Director to set your own rules.

FEEL THE COMPETITION Split screen is back! Now you can challenge a friend and win live! And if you want to show the world what you're worth, Endurance races will really put you to the test, now even more thrilling thanks to the Crossplay function.

It's time to teach those white pieces to fear the Shotgun King.

Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate is a unique turn-based strategy roguelike.

Key Features: - Choose wisely: Every turn, you may either move your king or shoot at enemy pieces, after what you'll need to move again to reload your shotgun. - Avoid Checkmate: Kill the White King to complete the floor and move on to the next level! - Strengthen both Kings: After completing each floor, you will upgrade your king... but also your opponent! - A whole kingdom: 15 difficulty ranks, an endless mode, a chase mode, and over 100 upgrades are waiting for you!

5 cars are available to get you to the final fort, each capable of holding progressively more loot. Ranging from the simple Redneck pick-up and the classy Hunter and to the tough Sledge and frankly-silly Harvester, youll enjoy throwing these bodged-up jalopies at the lines of the undead. Each is highly customisable, with 15 upgrades including spiked bumpers, improved tyres, buffed engines, and more ammo, fuel and nitros. With 8 locations to traverse, handsome 3D graphics and gory shambling bodies, Zombie Derby is a killer game.

August 25th

Combining FromSoftwares longstanding expertise in mech games with their signature action gameplay, ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON brings a brand-new action experience to the series.

Dynamic, Omni-directional Battles Players will pilot their mech in fast-paced, omni-directional battles, taking advantage of massive stages and their mechs mobility on land and in the air to ensure victory.

Customized Parts for Individual Battle Styles Customize Armored Core parts to suit a large variety of playstyles. Selecting different parts not only changes the mechs attacks, but also directly affects its movement and battle style, so each mission can be approached with a unique mech strategy.

Thrilling Boss Battles Deploy a wide variety of offensive and defensive tactics at close and long range to take down powerful enemy bosses.

An idle card game where you kill monsters. From monsters, you get money to open chests. Each chest has its own deck of cards. Collect cards, upgrade cards, defeat monsters, join guilds and hire heroes. Raise your DPS!

Overdriven Evolution takes you on a challenging journey through the Kruuthian empire with an ever-changing, expertly crafted universe full of action.

The game proposes 7 Game Modes:

- STORY: 4 Difficulties: EASY NORMAL HARD NIGHTMARE - ARCADE: Can you beat the game with only a few continues? - MANIC: Test your true arcade skills with no health bar. - THE LINE: Use all your knowledge and mastery to keep enemies away from the red line. - 10 CHALLENGES: Replay each stage with a specific goal. - COLOR-REFLEX: Involving 56 new and improved Puzzle-Maps mixing match3 and shmup! - BOSS-RUSH: Use everything you have as an expert pilot to beat all the bosses at once.

When cultists target Los Angeles for destruction, only the High-Risk United Nations Task-Force (codenamed H.U.N.T.) can end their reign of terror. Gear up and load out as one of five elite operatives, each with their own attributes, and infiltrate the cult monastery to stop their nefarious plans.

Dive deep into ROTT lore with 4 full campaign modes and expansion packs, and explore never-before-seen content from previously-lost beta builds. Run and gun through labyrinthine levels and splatter LUDICROUS GIBS across the island with over-the-top weapons. Double the fun with the gaming worlds first-ever dual-wield pistol setup, or blast the iconic Drunk Missile and watch rockets trail off with a mind of their own. Mix things up with magical weapons like the legendary Excalibat, and delete foes in the blink of an eye with the Hand of God.

Experience a perfect mix of past and present with 60+ frames-per-second gameplay, classic pixelated artwork upscaled to HD resolutions, increased field-of-view, cloud saves, achievements, and more. Recreate any Rise of the Triad experience with multiple iterations of the classic original soundscape, or rock out to the heavy metal 2013 reboot soundtrack. Get the upper hand on enemies with the inclusion of ROTTs original cheat codes - if you can remember them!

Its fast. Its fun. Its addicting. Deafest the enemy tanks while dodging their deadly bullets. Improve your aim and maneuver skill while war itself is trying to end your adventure. Level by level the enemy's tanks get faster, smarter, and deadlier. Can you make it to the end and defeat their leader?

Play alone. Play with your friends. Play against your friends. - Play the single-player campaign to practice your skills and beat the game by yourself. - Finish the campaign with 2 players in the co-op mode.

A full motion video game from the makers of Vegas Tales. Judge a new reality show in which over-the-top contestants are hooked up to lie detectors and must answer any question you ask honestly. Vote one off every round, based on their answers, until only the winner remains.

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What do F-16 and MiG-29 fighter jets do? – Times of Oman

Posted: at 11:28 am

Munich: During sharp turns, you are flattened into the seat by a force many times stronger than gravity. You only maintain consciousness if you are in peak physical condition and wear special pants that squeeze the blood out of your legs. You rarely fly below 900 kilometers per hour (roughly 560 miles per hour).

"The acceleration is breathtaking." That's how former German Air Force pilot Joachim Vergin described the feeling of flying a fighter jet.

One might compare it to riding a roller coaster, but not really: The power in a jet is twice as strong. And during combat, you have to operate a large number of weapon systems simultaneously: Fighting, evading, defending. In an extreme situation, such as an air raid, everything is a matter of life and death, often at the speed of sound.

Engines under pressure The first time fighter jets, such as F-16s and MiG-29s, were used was at the end of the last major war in Europe: World War II. With their turbojet engine, jets fly much faster than propeller-driven aircraft, which had been used up to that point.

Jet engines suck air into the front of the motor, where it is compressed. Fuel is sprayed into the highly compressed air and ignited. This forces the air out of the engine "very powerfully," said Robert Kluge, an aviation expert at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

As the air is accelerated in the process, a thrust is created that pushes the aircraft forward.

A jet's targets: Airborne or on the ground Fighter jets can attack targets in the air as well as on the ground. For aerial combat, a jet can be equipped with air-to-air missiles that can be fired in flight to destroy a target that is also flying.

To strike targets on the ground, a jet can use air-to-ground missiles or drop simple free-fall bombs that fall to the ground according to the laws of physics, said Leonhard Houben, a historian at the Berlin-Gatow Military History Museum.

Technology of trade-offs When building fighter jets, compromises must be made. Questions to consider include whether a jet is likely to fight other aircraft in the air and whether those aircraft are other fighter jets that can fight back. Or should the jet only be able to effectively engage ground targets?

Such strategic considerations are then reflected in a fighter jet's technology: Should the aircraft be built to be rather light and maneuverable for air combat, or equipped with large fuel tanks for long-range missions?

The MiG-29 was designed to take to the air for a very specific purpose: To protect the borders of Warsaw Pact countries against NATO aircraft.

Thus, this so-called interceptor, which entered service in 1983, can take off very quickly and reach its destination. Due to its design, the MiG-29 is extremely maneuverable in air combat. It can even stand vertically in the air on its own for short periods of time. However, the jet was initially equipped with only short-range fuel to save weight.

F-16: A versatile performer from the assembly line The majority of modern fighter jets combine a variety of capabilities. Houben said it is more economical to build so-called multi-purpose warplanes because they can be mass-produced in just one batch that can then be used for a variety of missions.

The F-16 is one such mass-produced multi-purpose aircraft. It was explicitly developed in the US in the 1970s for export to partner nations as a low-cost, general-purpose jet. The F-16 is the fighter jet with the largest worldwide production run that is still in service. To this day, the jet is still produced in the US and is being continually improved.

Similar to battle tanks, the rule is usually whoever fires first and hits, wins. Modern air-to-air missiles, once fired, virtually sneak up on their target and activate their conspicuous radar only shortly before impact. By then it's often too late to dodge. The reality usually has little to do with wild maneuvers, machine gun fire, or what we see in the movies. Becoming a pilot takes years

A fighter pilot has to be able to engage in close combat in the event that all the missiles have been fired. They must be able to multitask under exceptional conditions. For this reason, pilots are not trained overnight.

For the German Eurofighter aircraft, the training period takes five to six years and costs 5 million ($5.4 million) per pilot.

On his very first flight in a jet, an engine failed, said former pilot Vergin. Although he said he was scared, he knew exactly what to do because of "drills and training." He said he remained calm and safely landed the plane.

However, each pilot often learns to fly just one type of fighter jet, as retraining for another type of jet is costly. When Vergin switched from the Phantom fighter jet to the Tornado, the training took seven months.

The jet as a myth In war, however, fighter jets are more than the sum of their technical capabilities.

Kluge described the aircraft as a "myth" because, unlike humans, it can also move in the third dimension.

A fighter jet can even be seen as a symbol that can boost the morale of one's troops. And as an important chess piece in the strategy of a war simply having it can be enough to make enemies have second thoughts.

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What do F-16 and MiG-29 fighter jets do? - Times of Oman

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Go! Guide Aug. 17 – The Republic

Posted: at 11:28 am

Make tracks to rail fun

The Columbus Area Railroad Clubs monthly open house rolls around Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at the Johnson County Park headquarters building adjacent to Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh. For more information, visit the Columbus Area Railroad Club Facebook page.

Kids and teens

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 536 Fifth St., Columbus. Scheduled: Teen Games at Mill Race Park, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 17; Teen Dungeons and Dragons, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 17; Tween Stitch Camp, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 18; Teen Pizza Party Society, 3 p.m., Aug. 19; Pokemon Club, 4 p.m., Aug. 21; Toddler Time, 9:15 and 10 a.m., Aug. 22, 29, Sept. 5; Storytime, 11 a.m., Aug. 22, 29; Teen STEAM: Irwin Gardens Tour + Chickens, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 22; Watch-It Wednesday, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 23, 30; Library Babies, 10 and 10:30 a.m., Aug. 24, 31, Sept. 7; Tween Game Time, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 24, 31, Sept. 7; Teen Pokemon Go Meetup, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 24; Exhibit Columbus Read In, 9:30 a.m., Aug. 26; Teen Thursgame, 3:30 p.m., Aug. 31; Kids Art Studio, 11 a.m., Sept. 2; Preschool Storytime, 11 a.m., Sept. 5; Guided Hike at Tangeman Woods, 1 p.m., Sept. 5; Whatever the Weather, 11 a.m., Sept. 6; Family Storytime, 1 p.m., Sept. 7; Sing and Play with Allie Jean, 4 p.m., Sept. 7; Fill the Bus, 3 p.m., Sept. 8; The Disassemblers, 1:30 p.m., Sept. 9.

TRAIL LIFE, 5:30 p.m., Aug. 24, Garden City Christian Church, 3245 Jonesville Road, Columbus. Come join the Trail with Trail Life troop IN-0110! Trail Life USA is a Christian outdoor adventure program for boys, rooted in character building and leadership development while attaining skills and emphasizing Biblical principles. The troop welcomes families with boys ages 5-18 to join.

Music and theater

LIVE COMEDY SHOW, 8 p.m., Sept. 1, YES Cinema, 328 Jackson St., Columbus. Yes Comedy Showcase starring Mike Armstrong. Opener is Blind Stein. One show only! Rated PG-13. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Advance tickets available at yescinema.org or at YES Cinemas Box Office, call 812-379-1630.

PRAIRIE CREEK, 6 to 7 p.m., Sept. 1, Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., Columbus. Join us on the Library Plaza for a concert by Prairie Creek. Prairie Creek will play classic rock and just a light sprinkling of outlaw country from the 60s through the 90s. Prairie Creek aims to play what we and our crowds like and get everyone to their feet. Bring your own chairs. This event can also be viewed live at facebook.com/mybcpl.

Sports, exercise, wellness

FALL ICE SKATING & HOCKEY CLASSES, through Oct. 7, Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena, 2501 Lincoln Park Drive, Columbus. Classes include Snowplow Sam 1 & 2 (ages 4-6) for beginning skaters, Basic 1-6, Novice Club, Speed Skating, Adults Class, Beginning Hockey Basics, and Advanced Hockey Basics. Classes are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Visit columbusparksandrec.com/programs-and-events/ice-programs/group-ice-skating-hockey/ for more information. Register at cbusinparks.com/ice-and-hockey by Aug. 14.

LEARN TO PLAY HOCKEY, 4:15 to 5:15 p.m., most Saturdays through Oct. 7, Hamilton Community Center & Ice Arena, 2501 Lincoln Park Drive, Columbus. A noncompetitive environment in which children ages 4 to 10 can learn the basic skills of hockey without distractions that are often associated with an overemphasis on winning. Free equipment is available to use. Cost is $5 per child. Arrive 30 minutes early to get fitted for equipment.

GIRLS DROP-IN HOCKEY, 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. Mondays through Oct. 9, Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena, 2501 Lincoln Park Drive, Columbus. Are you a girl interested in hockey? Drop in to learn the fundamentals and basic skills of the sport in a girls-only environment. Visit cbusinparks.com/HockeyPrograms to register or for more information.

BLACKWELL PARK STORYWALK, Blackwell Park, 1550 Whitney Court, Columbus. Enjoy some fresh air while strolling the Bartholomew County Public Librarys StoryWalk. Together with the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department, the library is excited to feature Schools First Day of School by Adam Rex in August. The StoryWalk is located along the People Trail near the Pollinator Park in Blackwell Park.

SWIMMING FOR EXERCISE, Foundation for Youth, 405 Hope Ave., Columbus. Lap swimming, water aerobics and public swim are available. You must preregister for current swim sessions. Information: foundationforyouth.com.

Miscellaneous

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, 536 Fifth St., Columbus. Scheduled: Music with Valerie, 10:30 a.m., Aug. 18; Dementia Friendly Bartholomew County Kickoff Event, 10 a.m., Aug. 19; Hooks and Needles Workshop, 12:30 p.m., Aug. 19, 26; Chair Yoga, 1 p.m., Aug. 22, 29, Sept. 5; Reading with Friends, 9:30 a.m., Aug. 23; Author Talk, 8 p.m., Aug. 23, 2 p.m., Aug. 30, all day, Sept. 7; Exhibit Columbus Read In, 9:30 a.m., Aug. 26; Poetry Workshop, 6 p.m., Aug. 28; Adults Reading YA Book Club, 6 p.m., Aug. 26; All Bookd Book Club, 5:30 p.m., Aug. 29; Lessons Ive Learned on the Appalachian Trail, 6 p.m., Sept. 6; Fill the Bus, 3 p.m., Sept. 8.

COLUMBUS FARMERS MARKET, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturdays, through Sept. 16, behind City Hall, 123 Washington Street. Food, crafts, gifts, entertainment and more. More information: columbusfarmersmarket.org.

FIRST SATURDAYS AT UTOPIA, 1 p.m., Sept. 2, Oct. 7, Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators, 18300 E. County Road 200N, Hope. Join Utopia for a presentation with animal ambassadors at 1 p.m., followed by a tour of outdoor enclosures. The event is weather dependent.

SUMMER ART SHOW, 5 to 7 p.m., through Aug. 25, Perceptions Yoga, Mindfulness & Art, 139 E. State Road 3, Vernon. Trinaty Scroggins artwork will be featured in August. Scroggin is a graduate of Jennings County High School and has been creating art for most of her life. A closing reception will take place on Aug. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m.

DINNER ON A STICK, 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., Aug. 25, Bartholomew County Humane Society, 4415 E. County Road 200S, Columbus. Pick up dinner, to fetch it home or sit and stay and enjoy some live music! Dinner will feature chicken or vegetarian tacos and choices of street corn flavors. Beverages will be available. Free will donations benefit the Bartholomew County Humane Society.

MOTORCYCLE SHOW, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aug. 26, Keepsake Village of Columbus, 2564 Foxpointe Dr., Columbus. Motorcycle show fundraising event for Walk to End Alzheimer. There will be food, raffles and giveaway items. All proceeds from the event benefit the Alzheimers Association. No RSVP and no admission fee are required, but donations are welcomed.

ELKS LODGE BINGO, 6:30 p.m. Fridays and 12:30 p.m. Sundays, Elks 521 Lodge Bingo Hall, 4664 Ray Boll Blvd., Columbus. Doors open at 5 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. The first game is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. Open to the public. Information: 812-379-4386.

VFW POST 1987 BINGO, 215 N. National Road, Columbus, Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 9:30 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.), and the second Saturday of each month from 2 to 6 p.m. (doors open at noon). Open to the public.

AMERICAN LEGION BINGO & KARAOKE, American Legion Post 25, 2515 25th St., Columbus. Bingo is on Tuesdays starting at 6 p.m. Karaoke is on Wednesdays starting at 6 p.m.

COLUMBUS CHESS CLUB, 5 to 9 p.m., Thursdays, Lewellen Chapel, corner of Middle Road and Grissom Street, Columbus. Equipment is furnished. Open to chess players 16 and older. Information: 812-603-3893.

COLUMBUS AREA RAILROAD CLUB OPEN HOUSE, noon to 4 p.m., Aug. 19 and the third Saturday of each month. Trains will be operating layouts in four scales HO, N, O, and On30. The club is located at the Johnson County Park headquarters building adjacent to Camp Atterbury. Information: Greg Harter, 812-350-8636, or on Facebook at Columbus Area Railroad Club.

GRACES TABLE FREE MEAL, 5 p.m., Sept. 10 and the second Sunday of each month, East Columbus United Methodist Church, 2439 Indiana Ave., Columbus. Free meal in the youth center as well as music and storytelling. Enter the church parking lot on Indiana Avenue.

AMERICAN SEWING GUILD, 9 to 11 a.m., Oct. 7 and the first Saturday of each month. The American Sewing Guild is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to people who believe sewing is a rewarding and creative activity. Our neighborhood group welcomes sewing enthusiasts of all skill levels and walks of life. We meet monthly to learn new sewing skills, network with others who share an interest in sewing and participate in community sewing projects. If you are interested in attending, please email Marilyn at [emailprotected] for meeting location.

COLUMBUS STAR QUILT GUILD, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Sept. 7 and the first Thursday of each month, First Baptist Church Columbus, 3300 Fairlawn Drive, Columbus. Each gathering consists of a short business meeting, followed by a quilting lesson/program, along with show-and-tell of finished projects. Augusts featured speaker is Claudia Lash, owner of Presto Avenue Designs, providing new ways to create your own quilt designs. Members participate in various service projects. New and experienced quilters are invited to attend. Membership dues are $15 per year. For additional information, visit starquiltersofcolumbus.weebly.com.

EVENING STAR QUILT GUILD, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Sept. 12 and the second Tuesday of each month, Mill Race Center, 900 Lindsey St., Columbus. The Evening Star Quilt Guild is a group of women who enjoy creating traditional and modern art quilts while learning new methods. For more information, check out the website: starquiltersofcolumbus.weebly.com.

FRIENDS DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB, 1 to 4:30 p.m., every Thursday, St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 2561 N. California St., Columbus. Bridge club open to the public.

Galleries, museums, exhibits

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 524 Third St., Columbus. The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. BCHS hosts two permanent exhibits that share the history and heritage of Bartholomew County. Learn about our county through interactive, hands-on exhibits that include a map table, notable people, county timeline, Then and Now, Did You Know, early industrialists and videos of Reeves steam engines. The historical society also hosts rotating exhibits throughout the year featuring items from their extensive collection. Admission is free, with a donation suggested. Information: 812-372-3541, bartholomewhistory.org.

GALLERY 506, Columbus Indiana Visitors Center, 506 Fifth St., Columbus. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

YELLOW TRAIL MUSEUM/VISITOR CENTER/RESEARCH CENTER, west side of Hope Town Square, 644 Main St., Hope. The museum is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays noon to 4 p.m., or by appointment. The Research Center is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or by appointment. Contact the museum at 812-546-8020. Follow Facebook page Yellow Trail Museum/Hope Visitors Center for updated information.

ATTERBURY-BAKALAR AIR MUSEUM, located at Columbus Municipal Airport, 4742 Ray Boll Blvd., Columbus, is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are accepted to help with ongoing costs of operation. Special tours may be scheduled by calling 812-372-4356. The museum preserves the history of the former Atterbury Army Air Field, later named Bakalar Air Force Base. Visit the museum online at atterburybakalarairmuseum.org and on Facebook.

T.C. STEELE STATE HISTORIC SITE, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, 4220 T.C. Steele Road, Nashville. Staff is offering special indoor tours each with a limited number of people. Tours are included with site admission, but preregistration is recommended by calling 812-988-2785. Information: indianamuseum.org/tcsteele.

TRI-STATE ARTISANS, 422 Washington St., Columbus. Handmade retail gallery of more than 60 local artisans. Unique gifts, fine art, art classes for youth and adults, youth art programs, art parties and home parties. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Information: tsartisans.com.

JENNINGS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM, 335 Brown St., Vernon. Museum hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Information: 812-346-8989, jenningscounty.org.

BROWN COUNTY ART GUILD, 48 S. Van Buren St., Nashville. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Summer Stroll: Historic Collection Exhibit through Sept. 3, and Guild Artist Exhibition and Fine Art Sale through Nov. 3.

THE REPUBLIC BUILDING GALLERY, 333 Second St., Columbus. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

411 GALLERY, 411 Sixth St., Columbus. 411 is a community arts gallery and cultural space for exhibitions, events and collaborations with Columbus arts and cultural organizations. The galley is open Thursday and Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn more about the current exhibition and artists at artsincolumbus.org/411.

HOOSIER ARTIST GALLERY, 45 S. Jefferson St., Nashville. Hoosier Artist Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: hoosierartist.com.

BROWN COUNTY ART GALLERY, 1 Artist Drive, Nashville. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Information: 812-988-4609, [emailprotected], browncountyartgallery.org.

CHARLENE MARSH STUDIO & GALLERY, 4013 Lanam Ridge Road, Nashville. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Mondays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, please call the studio/gallery at 812-988-4497 or visit charlenemarshstudio.com.

Ongoing

FABULOUS FIRST FRIDAYS WITH MISS POLLY, 12:15 p.m., the first Friday of each month. Viewpoint Books, 548 Washington St., Columbus. Information: 812-376-0778.

FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, 405 Hope Ave., Columbus. The Boys & Girls Club is open to children ages 5-18. Information: 812-372-7867.

KIDSCOMMONS, 309 Washington St., Columbus. Ongoing activities are all free with museum admission. Information: 812-378-3046.

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Go! Guide Aug. 17 - The Republic

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