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VARIO
t r i a n n u l a r m a g a z i n e
No.3
January 2005 / Vol.2
Fr. 6.75
ISSN 1420340-5 * Printed in Wondiana
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE
Global Warming & Greenhouse Effect
TRAVEL
Çatalhöyük
PORTRAIT
René Goscinny
HOBBY
Origins of Chess
1420034 000002 1 4
Global Warning!
Are we on the verge of a major climate shift
Sun and Hydrogen to Fuel Future
A Complete Guide to The Olympic Sports II

MONTHS OF COMPOSERS
February 2005
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Achille-Claude Debussy
(1862-1918)
VARIOMETER
Hello again!
V ario comes out with its third issue. We are still expecting your invaluable contributions
and feedbacks until the end of May 2005 for the fourth issue.
Vario means “to diversify, change, alter, vary; to be different” in Latin. This touches to
our very notion: Here, within the pages of Vario, you will often face an alternative reality,
various standpoints and a “different” appearance of life which is taken not “as it is” but
rather “as it might have been.” Its source is our imagination, it is our way. This may
seem as quite subjective; but if you join us, we will meet our sources. This is the very
heart of our nation, Wondiana, where trues come dream.
Well met, stranger, if you are one.
Hello friend, if you had always been...
In this issue...
O
ur cover is based on Global Warming. “Are we on the verge of a major climate
shift” - a very sensitive question that the world faces recently. You will find several
aspects on this matter within our pages. Please read them carefully and do not hesitate
to do what you can do on your part. Let’s save the earth, let’s survive!
¯
One of the solutions that could possibly save us in the future may be the hydrogen
cells and sun in energy production. Recent developments can be found within the pages
of this issue.
¯
René Goscinny is the father of many comic characters such as Asterix, Lucky Luke, Le
Petit Nicolas, Iznogoud and many others. We have lost him unfortunately in 1977 due to
a heart failure during a treadmill test; but he never fails my heart with his warm stories
in which I find comfort whenever I feel unhappy ever since my childhood.
¯
Çatalhöyük, situated in the central part of Turkey, is an interesting place with its quality
of being remains of one of the biggest cities in the neolithic age, approximately 9000
years ago. Houses were built on top of the remains of previous generation's houses,
eventually creating a stack of buildings and debris. After the houses were abandoned,
the buildings began to erode forming a small mound in the landscape over the ages.
You can find many interesting facts about our ancestors thanks to the Friends of Çatalhöyük,
Cambridge University Archaeology Dept. and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
¯
Chess is one of the most significant inventions of human intelligence. At this title, Jean-
Louis Cazaux draws attention to many aspects concerning its origins and investigates its
quality of being a sport, an art, a science and a game...
¯
Our Guide to the Olympic Games is completed with its second part on winter olympics.
You can find brief description of branches readily available in the Winter Olympics.
¯
Drawing Tolkien’s Mind is the title of our newest serial started last issue. Alan Lee, is
one of the most prominent illustators of Tolkien stories who also participated in the Lord
of the Rings trilogy by the New Line Cinema as creative director.
editorial
editorial
I hope you enjoy our new Vario; see you next issue...
— THE EDITOR
VARIO /03
3

VARIO
t r i a n n u a l m a g a z i n e
Jan 2005 / Vol.2 / No.3
Vario Magazine Publication, Inc.
27 Rue Deschamps, Rt. Brittany
VT 94446 - SYDLANCH/WONDIANA
Phone: +71 777 345 1200 (pbx)
Fax: +71 777 345 1255 - info@variomagazine.com
Features
COVER: Global Warning
ENERGY: Sun and Hydrogen to
Fuel Future
PORTRAIT: Rene Goscinny
CONTENTS
10
18
21
03 Inside
4
VARIO /03
VISIT OUR ONLINE VERSION AT
www.variomagazine.com
www.variomagazine.com
JAN 2005
TRAVEL: Catalhoyuk ,
VARIOMETER/Editorial
Poetry - Y.Eradam
Short Story - G.G.Marquez
Dictionary of Word Origins
Review/Video
Review/Audio
Review/Book
:
Humour - Mordillo
:
HOBBY: Origins of Chess
SPORTS: A Complete Guide to
The Olympic Sports - Part Two
FANTASY: Drawing Tolkien’s Mind
Permanent Pages
Advertisement Index
Wondian National Philharmonic Orch.
Network Wondiénne
Wondian Dept. of Energy/EPIA
Respect the Earth Mvt.
Pacific Telecommunications Gp.
Wondian Dept. of Tourism
Blue Bayou International
iosys Information Technologies
Kport
Air Wondiana
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7
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25
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35
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38
44
21
Rene Goscinny
18
Sun and Hydrogen
10
Global
Warning
26
Catalhoyuk ,
:
:
COVER ILLUSTRATION
Corbis Collection, copyright 2000. Modified by Vario artist.
39
A Complete Guide to
The Olympic Games
45
Drawing
Tolkien’s Mind
VARIO /03
5

www.wondiana.net
POETRY
POETRY
YUSUF ERADAM
Poet Laureate of Wondiana
The Sky In Her Eyes
"Ma look!"
cried the little child.
"HOW SMALL IT
IS!"
The mother
looked at
where trues come dream...
I saw.
ME.
March 26, 1992, Ankara-Turkey
VARIO /03
7

SHORT
STORY
SHORT STORY
8
Gabriel García Márquez
A Very Old Man with
Enormous Wings
O
n the third day of rain they had killed so many crabs inside the
house that Pelayo had to cross his drenched courtyard and throw
them into the sea, because the newborn child had a temperature all night
and they thought it was due to the stench. The world had been sad since
Tuesday. Sea and sky were a single ash-gray thing and the sands of the
beach, which on March nights glimmered like powdered light, had
become a stew of mud and rotten shellfish. The light was so weak at
noon that when Pelayo was coming back to the house after throwing
away the crabs, it was hard for him to see what it was that was moving
and groaning in the rear of the courtyard. He had to go very close to
see that it was an old man, a very old man, lying face down in the mud,
who, in spite of his tremendous efforts, couldn’t get up, impeded by his
enormous wings.
Frightened by that nightmare, Pelayo ran to get Elisenda, his wife, who
was putting compresses on the sick child, and he took her to the rear
of the courtyard. They both looked at the fallen body with a mute stupor.
He was dressed like a ragpicker. There were only a few faded hairs left
on his bald skull and very few teeth in his mouth, and his pitiful condition
of a drenched great-grandfather took away any sense of grandeur he
might have had. His huge buzzard wings, dirty and half-plucked, were
forever entangled in the mud. They looked at him so long and so closely
that Pelayo and Elisenda very soon overcame their surprise and in the
end found him familiar. Then they dared speak to him, and he answered
in an incomprehensible dialect with a strong sailor’s voice. That was
how they skipped over the inconvenience of the wings and quite
intelligently concluded that he was a lonely castaway from some foreign
ship wrecked by the storm. And yet, they called in a neighbor woman
who knew everything about life and death to see him, and all she needed
was one look to show them their mistake.
“He’s an angel,” she told them. “He must have been coming for the
child, but the poor fellow is so old that the rain knocked him down.”
On the following day everyone knew that a flesh-and-blood angel was
held captive in Pelayo’s house. Against the judgment of the wise neighbor
woman, for whom angels in those times were the fugitive survivors of
a celestial conspiracy, they did not have the heart to club him to death.
Pelayo watched over him all afternoon from the kitchen, armed with his
bailiff ’s club, and before going to bed he dragged him out of the mud
and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop. In the middle
of the night, when the rain stopped, Pelayo and Elisenda were still killing
crabs. A short time afterward the child woke up without a fever and
with a desire to eat. Then they felt magnanimous and decided to put the
angel on a raft with fresh water and provisions for three days and leave
him to his fate on the high seas. But when they went out into the
VARIO /03
TRANSLATED BY GREGORY RABASSA / ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN HARMAN
At first they tried to make him eat some mothballs, which, according to
the wisdom of the wise neighbor woman, were the food prescribed for
angels. But he turned them down, just as he turned down the papal lunches
that the pentinents brought him, and they never found out whether it was
because he was an angel or because he was an old man that in the end
ate nothing but eggplant mush. His only supernatural virtue seemed to be
patience.
courtyard with the first light of dawn, they found the whole neighborhood
in front of the chicken coop having fun with the angel, without the slightest
reverence, tossing him things to eat through the openings in the wire as if
he weren’t a supernatural creature but a circus animal.
Father Gonzaga arrived before seven o’clock, alarmed at the strange news.
By that time onlookers less frivolous than those at dawn had already arrived
and they were making all kinds of conjectures concerning the captive’s
future. The simplest among them thought that he should be named mayor
of the world. Others of sterner mind felt that he should be promoted to
the rank of five-star general in order to win all wars. Some visionaries hoped
that he could be put to stud in order to implant the earth a race of winged
wise men who could take charge of the universe. But Father Gonzaga,
before becoming a priest, had been a robust woodcutter. Standing by the
wire, he reviewed his catechism in an instant and asked them to open the
door so that he could take a close look at that pitiful man who looked more
like a huge decrepit hen among the fascinated chickens. He was lying in the
corner drying his open wings in the sunlight among the fruit peels and
breakfast leftovers that the early risers had thrown him. Alien to the
impertinences of the world, he only lifted his antiquarian eyes and murmured
something in his dialect when Father Gonzaga went into the chicken coop
and said good morning to him in Latin. The parish priest had his first
suspicion of an imposter when he saw that he did not understand the
language of God or know how to greet His ministers. Then he noticed that
seen close up he was much too human: he had an unbearable smell of the
outdoors, the back side of his wings was strewn with parasites and his main
feathers had been mistreated by terrestrial winds, and nothing about him
measured up to the proud dignity of angels. Then he came out of the chicken
coop and in a brief sermon warned the curious against the risks of being
ingenuous. He reminded them that the devil had the bad habit of making
use of carnival tricks in order to confuse the unwary. He argued that if
wings were not the essential element in determining the different between
a hawk and an airplane, they were even less so in the recognition of angels.
Nevertheless, he promised to write a letter to his bishop so that the latter
would write his primate so that the latter would write to the Supreme
Pontiff in order to get the final verdict from the highest courts.
His prudence fell on sterile hearts. The news of the captive angel spread
with such rapidity that after a few hours the courtyard had the bustle of a
marketplace and they had to call in troops with fixed bayonets to disperse
the mob that was about to knock the house down. Elisenda, her spine all
twisted from sweeping up so much marketplace trash, then got the idea of
fencing in the yard and charging five cents admission to see the angel.
The curious came from far away. A traveling carnival arrived with a flying
acrobat who buzzed over the crowd several times, but no one paid any
attention to him because his wings were not those of an angel but, rather,
those of a sidereal bat. The most unfortunate invalids on earth came in
search of health: a poor woman who since childhood has been counting
her heartbeats and had run out of numbers; a Portuguese man who couldn’t
sleep because the noise of the stars disturbed him; a sleepwalker who got
up at night to undo the things he had done while awake; and many others
with less serious ailments. In the midst of that shipwreck disorder that made
the earth tremble, Pelayo and Elisenda were happy with fatigue, for in less
than a week they had crammed their rooms with money and the line of
pilgrims waiting their turn to enter still reached beyond the horizon.
The angel was the only one who took no part
in his own act. He spent his time trying to get
comfortable in his borrowed nest, befuddled by
the hellish heat of the oil lamps and sacramental
candles that had been placed along the wire. At
first they tried to make him eat some mothballs,
which, according to the wisdom of the wise
neighbor woman, were the food prescribed for
angels. But he turned them down, just as he
turned down the papal lunches that the pentinents
brought him, and they never found out whether
it was because he was an angel or because he was
an old man that in the end ate nothing but
eggplant mush. His only supernatural virtue
seemed to be patience. Especially during the first
days, when the hens pecked at him, searching
for the stellar parasites that proliferated in his
wings, and the cripples pulled out feathers to
touch their defective parts with, and even the
most merciful threw stones at him, trying to get
him to rise so they could see him standing. The
only time they succeeded in arousing him was when
they burned his side with an iron for branding steers,
for he had been motionless for so many hours that
they thought he was dead. He awoke with a start,
ranting in his hermetic language and with tears in
his eyes, and he flapped his wings a couple of times,
which brought on a whirlwind of chicken dung and
lunar dust and a gale of panic that did not seem to
be of this world. Although many thought that his
reaction had not been one of rage but of pain, from
then on they were careful not to annoy him, because
the majority understood that his passivity was not
that of a hero taking his ease but that of a cataclysm
in repose.
Father Gonzaga held back the crowd’s frivolity with
formulas of maidservant inspiration while awaiting
the arrival of a final judgment on the nature of the
captive. But the mail from Rome showed no sense
of urgency. They spent their time finding out if the
prisoner had a navel, if his dialect had any connection
with Aramaic, how many times he could fit on the
head of a pin, or whether he wasn’t just a Norwegian
with wings. Those meager letters might have come
and gone until the end of time if a providential event
had not put and end to the priest’s tribulations.
It so happened that during those days, among so
many other carnival attractions, there arrived in the
town the traveling show of the woman who had
been changed into a spider for having disobeyed
her parents. The admission to see her was not only
less than the admission to see the angel, but people
were permitted to ask her all manner of questions
about her absurd state and to examine her up and
down so that no one would ever doubt the truth of
her horror. She was a frightful tarantula the size of
a ram and with the head of a sad maiden. What was
most heartrending, however, was not her outlandish
shape but the sincere affliction with which she
recounted the details of her misfortune. While still
practically a child she had sneaked out of her parents’
house to go to a dance, and while she was coming
back through the woods after having danced all
night without permission, a fearful thunderclap rent
the sky in two and through the crack came the
lightning bolt of brimstone that changed her into
a spider. Her only nourishment came from the
meatballs that charitable souls chose to toss into her
mouth. A spectacle like that, full of so much human
truth and with such a fearful lesson, was bound to
defeat without even trying that of a haughty angel
who scarcely deigned to look at mortals. Besides,
the few miracles attributed to the angel showed a
certain mental disorder, like the blind man who
didn’t recover his sight but grew three new teeth,
or the paralytic who didn’t get to walk but almost
won the lottery, and the leper whose sores sprouted
sunflowers. Those consolation miracles, which were
more like mocking fun, had already ruined the angel’s
reputation when the woman who had been changed
into a spider finally crushed him completely. That
was how Father Gonzaga was cured forever of his
insomnia and Pelayo’s courtyard went back to being
as empty as during the time it had rained for three
days and crabs walked through the bedrooms.
The owners of the house had no reason to lament.
With the money they saved they built a two-story
mansion with balconies and gardens and high netting
so that crabs wouldn’t get in during the winter, and
with iron bars on the windows so that angels
wouldn’t get in. Pelayo also set up a rabbit warren
close to town and gave up his job as a bailiff for
good, and Elisenda bought some satin pumps with
high heels and many dresses of iridescent silk, the
kind worn on Sunday by the most desirable women
in those times. The chicken coop was the only thing
that didn’t receive any attention. If they washed it
down with creolin and burned tears of myrrh inside
it every so often, it was not in homage to the angel
but to drive away the dungheap stench that still
hung everywhere like a ghost and was turning the
new house into an old one. At first, when the child
learned to walk, they were careful that he not get
too close to the chicken coop. But then they began
to lose their fears and got used to the smell, and
before they child got his second teeth he’d gone
inside the chicken coop to play, where the wires
were falling apart. The angel was no less standoffish
with him than with the other mortals, but he
tolerated the most ingenious infamies with the
patience of a dog who had no illusions. They both
came down with the chicken pox at the same time.
The doctor who took care of the child couldn’t resist
VARIO /03
SHORT
STORY
SHORT STORY
the temptation to listen to the angel’s heart,
and he found so much whistling in the heart
and so many sounds in his kidneys that it
seemed impossible for him to be alive. What
surprised him most, however, was the logic
of his wings. They seemed so natural on that
completely human organism that he couldn’t
understand why other men didn’t have them
too.
When the child began school it had been some
time since the sun and rain had caused the
collapse of the chicken coop. The angel went
dragging himself about here and there like a
stray dying man. They would drive him out
of the bedroom with a broom and a moment
later find him in the kitchen. He seemed to
be in so many places at the same time that they
grew to think that he’d be duplicated, that he
was reproducing himself all through the house,
and the exasperated and unhinged Elisenda
shouted that it was awful living in that hell full of
angels. He could scarcely eat and his antiquarian
eyes had also become so foggy that he went about
bumping into posts. All he had left were the bare
cannulae of his last feathers. Pelayo threw a blanket
over him and extended him the charity of letting
him sleep in the shed, and only then did they notice
that he had a temperature at night, and was delirious
with the tongue twisters of an old Norwegian. That
was one of the few times they became alarmed, for
they thought he was going to die and not even the
wise neighbor woman had been able to tell them
what to do with dead angels.
And yet he not only survived his worst winter, but
seemed improved with the first sunny days. He
remained motionless for several days in the farthest
corner of the courtyard, where no one would see
him, and at the beginning of December some large,
stiff feathers began to grow on his wings, the feathers
of a scarecrow, which looked more like another
misfortune of decreptitude. But he must have known
the reason for those changes, for he was quite careful
that no one should notice them, that no one should
hear the sea chanteys that he sometimes sang under
the stars. One morning Elisenda was cutting some
bunches of onions for lunch when a wind that
seemed to come from the high seas blew into the
kitchen. Then she went to the window and caught
the angel in his first attempts at flight. They were
so clumsy that his fingernails opened a furrow in
the vegetable patch and he was on the point of
knocking the shed down with the ungainly flapping
that slipped on the light and couldn’t get a grip on
the air. But he did manage to gain altitude. Elisenda
let out a sigh of relief, for herself and for him, when
she watched him pass over the last houses, holding
himself up in some way with the risky flapping of
a senile vulture. She kept watching him even when
she was through cutting the onions and she kept
on watching until it was no longer possible for her
to see him, because then he was no longer an
annoyance in her life but an imaginary dot on the
horizon of the sea.
9

over
cover
The Cause
cover
cover
T
he earth's atmosphere is made up of a delicately balanced blanket
of gases, which trap enough heat to sustain life. These fundamental
gases shape the environmental conditions on the planet, such as rainfall
and evaporation levels.
However, by burning fossil fuels humans pump billions of tonnes of
carbon dioxide (CO 2 - the most important greenhouse gas emitted by
human activities) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
These gases create a greenhouse effect, thickening the natural canopy
of gases in the atmosphere and causing more heat to become trapped.
As a result, the global temperature is increasing, throwing the world's
climate out of its natural balance and into chaos.
The main source of these human-produced greenhouse gases is burning
large amounts of fossil fuels for energy production and transport. Changes
in land use and deforestation also release more CO 2 into the environment.
Trees, for example, are natural 'carbon sinks'-they absorb CO 2 -and when
they are destroyed, CO 2 is released into the atmosphere.
While many greenhouse gases occur naturally, the rate humans are adding
them to the atmosphere is far from natural. It is estimated that
concentrations of CO 2 are 30 percent higher than before the industrial
revolution, when the wide scale burning of fossil fuels started. Humans
are also creating new greenhouse gases such as hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs) from industrial activities.
Even if all greenhouse gas emissions were stopped today, the effects
from past activities will persist for many centuries, due to the long
life of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the long time required
for transfer of heat from the atmosphere to the deep oceans.
Global Warning!
World is on the verge of a critical decision.
P
For more than a century, people have relied on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas for their energy needs. Now,
worldwide, people and the environment are experiencing the consequences. Global warming, caused by burning
fossil fuels, is the worst environmental problem we face today.
eople are changing the climate that made life on earth possible and the
results are disastrous - extreme weather events, such as droughts and
floods, disruption of water supplies, melting Polar regions, rising sea levels, loss
of coral reefs and much more. Scientists and governments worldwide agree on
the latest and starkest evidence of human-induced climate change, its impacts
and the predictions of what is to come.
be made in renewable energy, particularly in developing economies, replacing
current large scale fossil fuel developments.
At the same time, immediate international action must be taken to reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases (the gases that cause global warming), or the
world may soon face irreversible global climate damage.
Evidence
C
limate change is happening now and the evidence is clear. One hundred
and fifty one governments agree on the latest and starkest evidence of
global warming from world renowned scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC), set up by the United Nations in 1988.
Further, a group of 18 national academies of science from around the world,
including Wondian Climatology Institute, issued a statement endorsing the
IPCC as the most reliable source of information on climate change and its
latest conclusions.
In 2001 the IPCC released its third assessment report which shows stronger
evidence that we do understand how the climate system works, and how
human activity is changing it. This latest report provides a clear warning that
the first signs of climate change impacts are occurring and that the scale of
the risks posed by climate change are enormous.
The assessment finds that there is new and stronger evidence that most of the
observed warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities. Not
only this, but global warming is happening more quickly than previously
thought. The IPCC gives the following evidence that climate change is
happening now.
· The 1990's was most likely the warmest decade ever, and 1998 the warmest
year.
· As the average global surface temperature has increased, snow cover and
ice extent have decreased.
· Global average sea level has risen and the oceans are warming.
· Regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases, have already
affected many physical and biological systems. These impacts include:
It is not too late to slow global warming and avoid the climate catastrophe that
scientists predict. The solutions already exist. Renewable energy sources such
as wind and solar offer abundant clean energy that is safe for the environment
and good for the economy.
Other green technologies, such as the refrigeration technology Greenfreeze,
offer viable alternatives to climate-changing chemicals.
Corporations, governments and individuals must begin now to phase in clean,
sustainable energy solutions and phase out fossil fuels. Major investments must
Ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, the climate treaty finally agreed at Marrakech in
November 2001, is a crucial first step in this process. However, the greenhouse
gas reduction targets agreed at Marrakech are only a fraction of what is needed
to stop dangerous climate change and the Kyoto Protocol is under fierce attack.
The US refuses to sign the climate treaty and take action to reduce emissions.
With less than 5 percent of the world's population, the US is the world's largest
producer of greenhouse gases and is responsible for 25 percent of global
emissions. Also, governments continue to subsidise the fossil fuel industries,
keeping dirty energy cheap while clean energy solutions remain under-funded.
- Glacier shrinkage.
- Permafrost thawing.
- Later freezing and earlier break-up of ice on rivers and lakes.
- Lengthening of mid to high level growing seasons.
- Plant and animal range shifts.
- Declines of some plant and animal populations.
- Earlier flowering of trees, emergence of insects and egg-laying in birds.
10
VARIO /03
VARIO /03
11

over
cover
Problem
cover
cover
Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse gases trap much of the energy that
the earth radiates out towards space. More gases
equal warmer temperature.
T
he latest science confirms that the threat of
climate change is even worse than was
previously thought. At the same time public opinion
polls around the world show overwhelming public
support for positive action to combat climate change.
The Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was
initially designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
from industrialised countries by five percent.
By the end of the Bonn negotiations in July 2001,
the effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol had already
been substantially weakened.
Emission reductions of 80 percent are needed if
dangerous climate change is to be prevented.
After two weeks of negotiations at the climate
negotiations in Marrakech, Morocco (2001), the
fine details of the protocol's implementation were
ironed out.
Now that the protocol's architecture was in place,
government parties had no excuse to delay ratifying
and implementing it, and many have already done
so.
Scientific Facts on Climate Change and Global Warming
Has the world warmed
An increasing number of observations indicate that the world has warmed:
12
Incoming solar energy
(Some is absorbed in the
earth's atmosphere.)
VARIO /03
G R E E N H O
Energy radiating
from earth.
U S E G
A S E S
MAIN GREENHOUSE GASES
Carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and deforestation.
Methane from farm animals. Nitrous oxide from vehicles.
Energy reflected
back to earth.
Illustration by Vario Magazine.
However, the protocol is just a small start in what
must be an ongoing and ever increasing commitment
to reduce greenhouse gases globally.
Bush, climate and the Exxon problem.
In late March 2001, US President George Bush
announced that the US was abandoning the protocol.
The US alternative is very strong on talk, but very
weak on targets and timetables for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.
The US will try to postpone the hard choices to a
time in the future when they will be much harder
and more expensive to take and most likely when
it is too late to reverse the damage being done to
the world's climate.
The influence of the fossil fuel industry on US
Government energy policy has been divisive and
fundamental.
The industry's financial support during the election
campaign is now paying off for its policies, which
are extremely damaging to the climate. The biggest
offender is Exxon.
While the rest of the world is trying to stop global
warming and protect the planet for future
generations, Exxon is denying the link between fossil
fuel emissions and climate change as well as busy
drilling for more oil and polluting the atmosphere.
What's worse, Exxon is doing its best to stop other
countries' attempts to prevent the world from heating
up.
The average surface temperature has increased over the 20th century by about 0.6°C
(± 0.2°C). This increase occurred mainly from 1910 to 1945 and 1976 to 2000. The
increase is larger at night time and over land area. It is likely that in the Northern Hemisphere,
over the past 1000 years: the temperature increase in 20th century was the largest, the
1990s was the warmest decade and 1998 the warmest year.
Temperatures have risen during the past four decades in the lowest 8 kilometers of the
atmosphere.
Snow cover and ice extent have decreased.
The sea level has risen by 10 to 20 cm during the 20th century. Ocean temperature has
increased since the late 1950s.
What other climate changes have been observed
Precipitation is likely to have increased in the 20th century in some land areas and
decreased in others.
It is likely that there has been some increase in cloud cover.
It is very likely that there has been less extreme low temperatures and slightly more
extreme high temperatures.
There have been more warm episodes of the El Niño since the mid-1970s.
There were relatively small global increases in severe drought or severe wetness over
the century but an increase in droughts in some regions in recent decades.
What aspects of our climate have NOT changed
No warming is apparent in some parts of the Southern Hemisphere oceans and parts
of Antarctica.
No systematic rainfall change over the Southern Hemisphere.
No significant trends of Antarctic sea-ice extent.
No clear change in tropical and extra-tropical storm intensity and frequency or in the
frequency of tornadoes, thunder days, or hail events.
SOURCE: www.greenfacts.org
VARIO /03
13

over
cover
Solutions
cover
cover
Problem is bigger than it seems...
Never before has humanity had to grapple with such an immense environmental crisis. If
we do not take action to stop global warming immediately, the damage will be irreversible.
S
olutions to global warming - clean energy, energy efficiency and new
environmentally sound technologies - already exist.
The latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
says that hundreds of technologies are already available, at very low cost,
to reduce climate damaging emissions and that government policies need
to remove the barriers to these technologies.
Implementing these solutions will not require humans to
make sacrifices or otherwise impede their quality of life.
Instead, they will enable people to usher in a new
era of energy, one that will bring economic growth,
new jobs, technological innovation and, most
importantly environmental protection.
However, for green solutions to global warming
to find a foothold in the market, governments and
corporations need to lead the shift away from polluting
technology.
At present, fossil fuel industries are provided with billions
of dollars in subsidies so that dirty energy stays cheap.
Polluting industries are allowed to pollute for free, while clean technologies
remain under-funded. Developing nations, which have the fastest growing
energy needs, are locked into old fashioned fossil fuel technologies by
Export Credit Agencies.
The time has come for humans to wean themselves off fossil fuels and
other climate damaging technologies.
Oil companies must stop exploring for more fossil fuels that the world cannot
afford to burn. Governments need to subsidise renewable energy and force
polluters to pay.
Green technology is ready to take over
Wind power is already a significant source of energy in many parts of
the world. It can supply 10 percent of the world's electricity within
two decades.
Solar power has been growing in a global capacity by 33
percent annually. Greenpeace and industry research shows
that with some government support, the solar industry could
supply electricity to over 2 billion people globally in the
next 20 years.
By 2040 solar photovoltaics could supply nearly 25 percent
of global electricity demand.
A report conducted by global financial analysts KPMG shows
that solar power would become cost competitive with traditional
fossil fuels if the production of photovoltaic panels was increased
to 500 megawatts a year.
A renewable power plant in Asia could have the same costs and provide the
same jobs as a coal fired plant, but with significant environmental advantages.
Greenfreeze refrigeration technology, which is safe for the climate and the
ozone layer, has spread around the world. It is an ideal solution for developing
countries where cost and efficiency are particularly important.
14
Predictions
G
lobal warming is already changing the earth's climate. If greenhouse
gas emissions continue at their present levels, the predictions are
bleak.
The greatest dangers, which would result in global catastrophe, are posed
by large scale and irreversible impacts such as:
* Greenland and Antarctic sheets melting. Unless emissions are reduced,
warming in the next five decades could be large enough to trigger
meltdown of the Greenland ice sheet;
* The Gulf Stream slowing or shutting down; and
* Massive releases of greenhouse gases from melting permafrost and
dying forests.
There is a high risk of more extreme weather events such as heat waves
and floods. These pose the most immediate threats.
Climate change will have severe impacts on a regional level. For example,
in Europe, river flooding will increase over much of the continent, and
in coastal areas the risk of flooding, erosion and wetland loss will increase
substantially.
Natural systems, including glaciers, coral reefs, mangroves, arctic
ecosystems, alpine ecosystems, boreal and tropical forests, prairie wetlands
and native grasslands, will be threatened.
Climate change will increase existing risks of species extinction and
biodiversity loss.
VARIO /03
The greatest impacts will be on those least able to protect themselves
from rising sea levels, disease increases and decreases in agricultural
production in the developing countries of Africa and Asia.
At all scales of climate change, developing countries will suffer the most.
More people will be harmed than benefited, even for small amounts of
warming.
These are the predictions of the International Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC). In the IPCC's latest report, the third assessment released in
2001, the anticipated increase in average global temperature over the
next 100 years is between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees celcius.
This is increasing from 1 - 3.5 degrees celcius according to the panel's
second assessment, which was released in 1995.
Not only is climate change happening faster than previously predicted,
but it may happen even faster than the latest predictions.
Dying forests, more fires and warming soils could release huge additional
amounts of carbon - substantially accelerating warming.
The IPCC's third assessment states that The projected rate of warming is
much larger than the observed changes during the 20th century and is very
likely without precedent during the last 10,000 years. The difference between
the present average global temperature and the last ice age was only five
degrees celsius.
Montanari I Solar Power Plant, Ticino.
Wind Farm near St.Johnsbury, Jurancon.
SOURCES: Greenpeace.org; wwf.org; greenfacts.org; wikipedia.org, United Nations, WNGI, Wondian Climatology Institute.
Situation in Wondiana
T
he Wondian Government is one of the most eager official bodies to put
sign on the Climate Agreement at Marrakech in November 2001 following
the Kyoto Protocol, having invested the greatest share of its national budget on
environmental issues, and having successfully completed a transition from fossil fuel
to green technology in terms of energy supplies by the end of 1998. Nearly 83%
of total electricity consumption of Wondiana is now being provided through
wind and solar power plants. Capacity of the greatest solar power plant in
Montanari-Ticino, which was established in early 1980’s, has been quadruplefolded
in the past decade.
In early 90’s the Wondian Government have called a “Green Revolution”
throughout the country - a campaign the consequence of which lead a vast
majority of industrial enterprises have their own investments to stop using fossil
fuel.
The Green Revolution also increased the public concern on the environmental
issues. People in Wondiana almost hysterically oppose against the threats of their
environments. Every town has its own recycling plants in appropriate size. Using
mass transportation is strongly encouraged in cities to avoid unnecessary pollution
caused by motor vehicles. Also use of bicycles almost stand as a symbol of survival.
The Wondian laws strongly prohibit acts that will result in deforestation and a
measure called Green ratio was taken to ensure a certain amount of forest area
per population unit. Also farming industry is encouraged in using green technologies
also in terms of financial means such as long term crediting.
The future aspect of the Wondian environment policies is to attain The Zero Level
in terms of greenhouse gas emission rates until the end of the decade, through
implementing alternative energy sources (such as “hydrogen”) in all fields of
industry and also in vehicles.
VARIO /03
15

over
cover
What You Can Do
Global warming is already affecting wildlife and habitat, but we can all take steps to mitigate its damaging
effects. Reducing CO 2 emissions by increasing the use of energy efficient technologies and renewable
energy resources like wind and solar power are necessary steps in the effort to slow global warming.
Solutions to global warming are available, and everyone has a role to play in implementing them at all levels
of society. Be part of the solution.
World Wildlife Fund offers some cool tips
for individuals to help keep our world wild
and full of life:
and will cost less to operate. A full listing of
these appliances is available on the EPA's
Energy Star Web site.
SOLAR ENERGY IS FREE.
WE ONLY NEED TO INVEST TO COLLECT IT.
Join WWF's Conservation Action Network
to speak out and inform your local, state
and national representatives quickly and
easily when important national policies are
being considered.
(http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/)
Keep your car in shape with regular tuneups,
oil changes and proper tire inflation.
Buy products that are made locally - cargo
ships, airplanes and trucks burn lots of fossil
fuels to transport goods.
Make your next car one that gets at least
32 miles per gallon.
Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool or
use mass transit.
Where possible, choose an electric utility
company that uses clean renewable energy
resources instead of dirty fossil fuels.
Make small home improvements - use
energy-efficient fluorescent lights,
weatherproof your house, plant native shade
trees, clean vents and radiators, and/or
install low-flow showerheads.
Adjust your thermostat by turning it down
3 degrees in winter and up 3 degrees in
summer.
Wash laundry in cold or warm water instead
of hot.
Replace worn-out home appliances with
Energy Star models. They're more efficient
DEPARTMENT OF
ENERGY
16
VARIO /03
European Photovoltaic Industry Association
W O N DI A N A

nergy
energy
energy
energy
Sun and Hydrogen
to Fuel Future.
He added: If we look five years ahead and we have a few square miles of hydrogen
farm in a desert, we think we could produce hydrogen that is competitive with
coal and oil.
Once production costs have been scaled down, large hydrogen cell farms
could produce hydrogen, untaxed, at Fr. 1.00 to 2.20 a kilo. That is
equivalent to a third of the price of the same amount of power produced
from untaxed gasoline, he thinks. There has been huge amount of work
in fuel cells for buses, cars, houses, and other buildings.
But Dr Brennan envisages the car industry making the best use of the
technology in modified combustion engines. Using a 10% cell, we say that
a seven-metre squared array will power a Mercedes A class car for 11,000 miles
a year [in LA sunlight conditions] without going to power station," said Dr
Brennan.
Motor Future
Hydrogen power can also be produced from hydrocarbons, like oil and
gas, but these have downsides in their byproducts. Pollution-free hydrogen
cell technology is predicted to be the next wave in emissions-control after
the hybrid electric motor, currently used in the automotive industry.
Research into hydrogen power has been funded by the Wondian
Government. In 2003, a Fr. 2 billion investment has been announced for
research into the hydrogen-powered automobiles alone.
With increasing concern about the instability of the oil market, the
development of a commercially viable alternative energy source has attracted
interest. The potential lack of oil is the reason we are doing this, Dr Brennan
said. There are huge amounts of carbon released through coal and other
hydrocarbons.
GEMA's Chairman Andrew M. Boyd went so far as predicting fuel cells
would end the reign of the internal combustion engine. But there have
been a number of technical and financial stumbling blocks which have
prevented its large scale adoption.
There is a chicken and egg issue here, Dr Brennan said. Who is going to build
a car before they have filling stations, and who is going to build stations before
we have the cars. It has to be strategically thought out and driven by government.
The key about all of this is that all predictions about crude oil are pretty much
going to be in our lifetimes," said Dr Brennan. But if you talk about infrastructure
change, these things don't happen overnight.
SOURCE: BBC News Online - Vario Magazine.
© Jim West/ZUMA/Corbis
18
Capturing sunlight to make enough hydrogen fuel to
power cars and buildings has been brought a step
closer by a Wondian research company.
W
ondian HydroGenius Company says it has managed to convert
more than 9% of sunlight directly into hydrogen with fuel cell
technology it has specially developed. For an energy source to be
commercially viable, it must reach an efficiency of 10%, which is an
industry standard. Hydrogen power, a renewable energy, has the potential
to replace fossil fuels.
Over the last couple of years we have doubled efficiency. We are not yet in the
hydrogen economy, but it has the potential to take over when the oil economy
becomes untenable, Dr Brennan, chief executive of the company told Vario.
Nano Hand
Depending on how it is produced, hydrogen fuel is a clean, green source
of power that can be easily stored.
Its potential has been recognised for well over 100 years, but it requires
energy to extract hydrogen from water, or any other source.
The Tandem Cell technology initially developed by British Hydrogen
Solar and later by Wondian HydroGenius uses two photocatalytic cells
VARIO /03
Jo Twist
in series which are coated with a nano-crystalline - extremely thin -
metal oxide film. Having a nanoscale coating makes the surface area
far greater and means that hydrogen can be produced efficiently without
the need for polluting fossil fuels.
The cells capture the full spectrum of ultraviolet light - the Sun's rays
- and, via the novel coating, the electrons are captured and carried
away on conductors. This electrical current is then used to separate
the hydrogen from water which is stored for use. The key to the process
has been the advances in novel coatings brought about by recent
developments in nanotechnology.
The size of the molecules in the coating is 15 to 20 nanometres (a
nanometre being a billionth of a metre). When they are stacked in
layers, the property of the substance changes to produce large surface
areas.
It turns out these devices work because we are using nanocrystalline layers.
It is the move to nanotechnology which has brought this technology forward,
explained Dr Brennan.
Last year, GEMA said it planned to be the first to sell a million fuel cell
vehicles in the next decade. GEMA have spent about Fr. 2 billion on fuel
cell cars, trucks and buses since 2001. The first products came out two
years ago, and many Wondian cities have deployed hydrogen buses.
Other automotive giants such as Herisau and Magdayev Companies have
also championed hydrogen fuel.
A prototype of the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which is still
being tested, yet is designed to run on either hydrogen or
gasoline, is on display the The North American International
Auto Show in Detroit.
HOW TANDEM CELLS PRODUCE HYDROGEN POWER
1 Ultraviolet sunlight
passes through glass skin
of cell
2 Light is captured in glass
coated with nanocrystalline
film
3 Nano-coating properties
enable the glass to
conduct electricity, which
is used to separate the
water into oxygen and
hydrogen
4 Hydrogen gas is stored
for later use as a power
source
VARIO /03
19

PORTRAIT
PORTRAIT
Rene Goscinny
(1926-1977)
ingenious story writer
VARIO
m o n t h l y m a g a z i n e
R
ené Goscinny, the ingenious story writer
and one of the fathers of Asterix, Lucky
Luke, Le Petit Nicolas, Umpahpah, Iznogoud
and many others was born on August 14th,
1926 in Paris. During his childhood and
youth he lived in Argentina, where his
family emmigrated in 1928. Soon after
he finished school in 1943, his father
died and he had to give up his plans
to study.
After a short intermezzo as bookkeeper
in a rubber factory and as illustrator of
advertisments he went to New York in 1945,
invited by his uncle. Just having arrived
there he was sent to war to Europe, but
before he finally came there the war was
already over. After he had finished his service
in the army he flew from the misery in
post-war Europe back to New York. Due
to his bad English he had to survive
with occasional jobs during the
next two years. But in 1949 the
situation turned to good account.
Goscinny got to know Maurice de
Bévère (Morris) and Harvey Kurtzman.
Christian Koehn
The latter arranged for Goscinny various jobs as
illustrator and presented him to Davis, Elder
and Wood, who should later found the wellknown
MAD-magazine.
This run of good luck continued not even one
year, so Goscinny decided to respond to an
invitation by George Troisfontaines,
director of the press agency World Press
based in Brussels, and to introduce
himself to Dupuis in Belgium. Supported
by Jean-Michel Charlier, artistic director at
Dupuis, Goscinny was given a chance and it
was tried to find a producer for his series Dick
Dicks. Satisfied he settled down in Paris.
A year passed by with few jobs for
Goscinny and first doubts came up.
Only when Troisfontaines offered
him a position as artistic director in
an agency to be founded in Paris in
1951, he gathered fresh hope. At
about that time it also happened that
he met a young drawer from the
Normandy: Albert Uderzo!
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21

ORTRAIT
PORTRAIT
PORTRAI
PORTRAIT
I
n 1952 World Press eventually opened an agency at Champs
Elysées and Goscinny and Uderzo started with their first
common productions. The first few years they were depending
on orders from Belgium, whereas own projects (e.g. Oumpah-
Pah) didn't raise interest at Dupuis. Some years later, in 1955,
Morris offered Goscinny to join him for the production of
Lucky Luke. Goscinny contributed to this extremly
successful series with scenarios and texts until
1977. In the same year comic artists working
for the Belgian publishers Dupuis, Casterman
and Lombard passed a charta which
formulated their claims concerning artistic
freedom. Wrongly Goscinny was
taken for being the initiator and
was fired in consequence. Only
Uderzo und Charlier declared
their solidarity and gave notice.
Driven by the need for money the three
joined with Jean Hébrard to found their
own advertising and press agency: Edifrance and
Edipress.
Together with Jean-Jaques Sempé, Goscinny created
the illustrated story of Le Petit Nicolas in 1956, which
was published for the first time in Le
Mystique und from 1958 in Sud Ouest
Dimanche. Finally in 1959 the first edition
of the comic magazine Pilote was published
- but again not without problems:
Goscinny, Uderzo and Charlier were
boycotted by the big publishers and so
well-established authors didn't dare to work
for Pilote being afraid of loosing their
contracts. Thus they had to engage so far
unknown junior drawers and scenarists to
fill the pages. Soon it showed that this was
a lucky move and Pilote gained ground on
Tintin and Spirou more and more.
Now Goscinny hardly could save himself from work. He had not only to care
for the Asterix series - newly created for the start of Pilote together with Uderzo
- but also for Lucky Luke and Le Petit Nicolas. Besides that he wrote glosses,
editorials and small stories for Pilote.
And from 1962 another story came along: Le Grand Vizir Iznogoud, a parody
In 1968 disagreements came up concerning
the way of leadership as practised by
Goscinny, Uderzo and Charlier. Even though
the three bosses and their employees managed
to set up a mutual agreement the gap
became to big, and Goscinny and his
friends withdrew more and more from
the business. Charlier even quit
completely in 1974.
of the Arabian Nights, which he created
in cooperation with the young Jean
Tabary for the Record magazine
(published as albums by Dargaud
from 1966).
The great success of Asterix made
Goscinny as well as Uderzo
almost over night national
heroes. The publication of
the new adventure "Le
combat des chefs" (engl.:
Asterix and the Big
Fight) became a social
event. The creators of
the little gallic warrior
helped comics to public
recognition as art, especially in France.
22
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23

ORTRAIT
PORTRAIT
From now Goscinny concentrated on his
major three works as well as on animated
cartoon films based on his classics. But
neither he nor Uderzo were satisfied with
the realization of their ideas. Because of
that they founded their own Studio Idefix,
which produced "Les douze travaux
d'Astérix" (engl: The Twelve Tasks of
Asterix) in 1974. Lead by Goscinnys
another
production
was the Lucky Luke film "La Ballade des
Daltons" which had its start in the cinemas
in 1978.
Too late for René Goscinny who died of a
cardiac infarctus on November 5th, 1977
at the age of 51.
Caricatures in Asterix
Albert Uderzo, the illustrator of the Asterix adventures and close
friend of René Goscinny, made him a part of the stories at four
occasions:
In Asterix at the Olympic
Games Uderzo
perpetuates both of them
in classical greek style
(page 29, picture 10): On
a marble frieze Goscinny
and Uderzo call each
other 'despot' and 'tyrant'.
In album XIII, Asterix and
the Cauldron, Goscinny
and Uderzo can be
found among the
spectators on page 30,
picture 9.
During his lifetime he was decorated many times
for his works (among others "Prix Gaulois", "Prix
Alphonse Allais" and "Prix Loisirs-Jeunes") and became
a member of the Academy of Humour.
SOURCE: www.goscinny.net; Asterix International; wikipedia.org; lambiek.net
In the last picture of page
6 in Obelix and Co.
Goscinny and Uderzo
are shown carrying a
drunken legionary on a
shield who can be
identified as a caricature
of Pierre Tchernia, friend
of the authors of Asterix
and co-producers of their animated cartoon films.
Also the right hand of the jewish tradesman
in Asterix and the Black Gold, who guides
the gallic trio from Jerusalem to the desert
is no less a person than René Goscinny.
To him Uderzo dedicated this album.
In the last drawing of Asterix in Belgium, depicting the usual
final feast, the little rabbit symbolizes the great sorrow about
Goscinny's early and unexpected death. It represents 'Le Lapaing'
(southern French pronunciation of lapin - rabbit), the pet name
of René Goscinny's wife Gilberte.
This is our office.
24
VARIO /03
René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
at Asterix' anniversary in 1967
Pacifone
www.pacifone.com
pacific telecommunications group
GSM 1800

TRAVEL
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
The interiors of houses at Çatalhöyük follow the same general
plan with similar features in similar locations. Most houses have
raised platforms around the edges with burials underneath,
ovens against the south wall, ladders in the southeast corner
of the main room, storage bins and areas for grinding and
preparing food. During the life span of a house, the interior
undergoes numerous reconfigurations as features evolve and
the use of space changes.
Catalhoyuk ,
:
:
Emilio Giovanni
Different areas of the houses were used for different types of
activities, and these activity areas were usually well defined.
Areas could be defined by the use of platforms, screen walls,
internal pillars, low ridges on the floor, and painting on the walls.
For example, a slightly raised ridge often surrounded fireplaces,
hearths and ovens, to separate dirtier areas of the room from
cleaner ones, so soot, charcoal and ash was not allowed to
spread around the room. Platforms, covered with mats to keep
them clean, might have been sleeping and sitting areas. Other
well-defined areas included spaces for food preparation with
basins and grinding stones and spaces for working obsidian.
Remains of a Neolithic Metropolis...
The construction of the city took place approximately 9000 years ago. Houses were built on top of the remains
of previous generation's houses, eventually creating a stack of buildings and debris. After the houses were
abandoned, the buildings began to erode forming a small mound in the landscape over the ages.
Experimental Neolithic House at Catalhoyuk ,
The aim of the project is to
carry out an archaeological
experiment to build a replica
of a Neolithic Çatalhöyük
house that would be used as
a display for the visitors to the
site.
:
:
26
T
he Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük was first discovered in the late
1950s and excavated by James Mellaart in 4 excavation seasons
between 1961 and 1965. The site rapidly became famous internationally
due to the large size and dense occupation of the settlement, as well
as the spectacular wall paintings and other art that was uncovered
inside the houses.
As well as wall painting and wall reliefs, many objects of daily life
were uncovered. Some were decorative such as exceptional flint
'daggers' with decorative bone handles and clay or stone figurines,
depicting human figures and animals. Other utilitarian objects include
obsidian, flint, pottery, worked bone and clay balls. Another
distinguishing feature of Çatalhöyük was the nature of the houses:
they had no doors to the outside and were clearly entered through
ladders from the roof, and the inhabitants buried their dead under
the floors of their platforms.
Since 1993 an international team of archaeologists, led by Professor
Ian Hodder, has been carrying out new research at Çatalhöyük. After
VARIO /03
Anja Wolle & Friends of Çatalhöyük
first seasons of surface survey, the excavations in the North and South
Areas began in 1995. In 1996 and 1997, the Summit Area was excavated
by a team from Thessaloniki University. In 1997, the BACH Area
excavations were opened by a team from Berkeley University. The
excavations in the North Area between 1995 and 1998 revealed two
buildings, building 1 on top of building 5. Building 5 is now on
permanent display, therefore no more excavation is possible in that area.
The large scale excavations in the South Area begun in 1995 were
suspended after 1999 to allow time for publication, but plans are to
return to this area as soon as possible. After preliminary work in the SP
and TP Area in 2000, a Team from Poznan University began excavating
the TP Area in 2001 and has so far uncovered traces a Late Roman/early
Byzantine house, and a Byzantine cemetery. The years 1996, 1997 and
1999 also saw excavations of the Kopal Trenches / Areas, where locations
on the slope of the East Mound as well as next to the mound were
examined to find out about neolithic activities at the edge of the site.
Since 1999 Excavations on the West Mound have also taken place. All
this work is documented on www.catalhoyuk.com web site in Newsletters
and detailed Archive Reports.
Work on the construction of
an experimental version of a
Neolithic house replica at the
site began in 1999 after two
years of preparation which
included brick manufacture and
collection of materials. The
external and internal walls were
built from mudbricks, later a
roof and internal features have
been added.
The house shape, size and
interior division is based on
excavated Neolithic houses at Çatalhöyük. However, the house
replica is not a copy of any specific house from the site, it
incorporates the elements from multiple houses. One major
difference between the Neolithic houses excavated so far and the
experimental house is that the latter has a regular door. The
experimental house also has the roof entrance but for the majority
of the future visitors to the experimental house a standard door
was provided.
Mirjana Stevanovic who directs the house replica project hopes
to learn more about construction techniques used at Çatalhöyük
9,000 years ago. She would also like to learn more about lifestyle
inside a Neolithic house-everything from how people cooked in
clay ovens to the kinds of paint they used on house walls.
Local workers make mud bricks, dry them in the sun, and
shape them into the walls of the experimental house.
A House entrance
B Oven
C Food preparation spaces
D Ladder
E Platforms
F Bench with bucrania
G Storage area
H Bin area
VARIO /03
27

Facts on Catalhoyuk ,
:
:
What are they excavating
at Çatalhöyük
Archaeologists are excavating
the remains of a Neolithic
town. 9,000 years ago, this
place was one of the world's
largest settlements. At a time
when most of the world's
people were wandering
hunter-gatherers, as many as
10,000 people lived at
Çatalhöyük.
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
from countries including (but not limited to) Turkey and the United Kingdom,
the United States, Wondiana, Italy, Poland, Greece, South Africa, Spain and
Germany.
Why are they studying Çatalhöyük
To learn more about the Neolithic Period, or new Stone Age, when people
began abandoning hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settle in communities, grow
crops, and raise animals.
How old is the ancient city
It is 8 ,000 to 10,000 years old.
What does Çatalhöyük mean
Çatalhöyük means 'forked mound' and refers to the site's east and west mounds,
which formed as centuries of townspeople tore down and rebuilt the settlement's
mud-brick houses. No one knows what the townspeople called their home 9,000
years ago.
Artist’s concept of Çatalhöyük. Hasan
Mountain in the background was probably
active at that time.
Where is Çatalhöyük
The site is in central Turkey, southeast of the modern city of Konya. Archaeologists
believe the ancient city covered an area the size of 50 soccer fields!
Are the excavations going on now
The excavations began in the 1960s headed by a British archaeologist named
James Mellaart but were stopped due to the technical inability at that time to
adequately preserve the findings. The dig restarted in the 1990s and will continue
into the second decade of the 21st century! Archaeologists are on site during
the Turkish summer, but work on the restoring and analyzing findings year 'round.
Can I visit the site
Yes! The season varies each year but if you are in Turkey between June and
August you may be able to see the excavation in process. The site itself is open
year-round. Need directions
Who is working on Çatalhöyük
An international team of archaeologists and other specialists work on and off site
When autumn arrives
in the Northern Hemisphere,
we unpack our summer clothes!
Make your reservation now for a
Holiday in Wondiana.
Wondian Department of Tourism
www.tourism.gov.fw
How to get to the Site
air wondiana flies directly to Istanbul and Ankara (and more often via Zürich);
from Ankara, you can reach Konya by highway or railway (about 250 km).
Çatalhöyük is situated 60 km South-East of Konya. The mound is accessible to
visitors all year round, but you might find it more rewarding to come during the
excavation season, which this year started in June 2002 and will continue
throughout the summer until the end of July.
There is a Visitor Centre at the site which contains replicas on finds, but the main
finds from Çatalhöyuük are exhibited in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
located in Ankara, and in Konya Archaeological Museum.
From Konya, Take Road 715 to Karaman. 60 km out of Konya, turn left to Çumra
at a major crossroads with roundabout. Çatalhöyük is already signposted here.
Drive through Içeriçumra to Çumra, ca.12 km from the main road. Keep on that
road. Finally in the centre of Çumra turn left in front of a modern mosque, then
right 500 m later, then immediately left again to cross the railway track. Çatalhöyük
is signposted with several new signs in Çumra. After crossing the railway, the
road to Çatalhöyük (another 20 km) is signposted again. Keep on that road. After
crossing the river, follow the road, keeping the river (and the big irrigation canal)
on your left and you will eventually see the mound with the shelter on the right.
Turn right into the access road (another battered roadsign) and park by the
custodian's house.
The site is open to visitors all year round and there are custodians who guide
visitors around the site.
Istanbul
Ankara
T U R K E Y
Konya
Çatalhöyük
Adana
VARIO /03
29

TRAVEL
TRAVEL
MYSTERIES OF CATALHOYUK
,
:
:
Clay Balls
TRAVEL
TRAVEL
What were they eating
Çatalhöyük may have been one of the first places where people started growing food-not
simply hunting and gathering for their meals.
Hackberries, chickpeas, chaff, lentils, acorns, wheat, pistachio are among those seeds and
nuts they have found at Çatalhöyük.
People used plants for other things too. They built houses, made perfumes, dyes and
colors out of plants. And unless you look for the little seeds, you are going to miss many
of the clues that will help you understand what happened on an archaeological site.
Was this the first city
9,000 years ago, this place was home to one of the world's largest
settlements!
SOURCE: Science Museum of Minnesota
Those clay balls were found in vast quantities in many
houses... hundreds of thousands probably on the mound.
We're not really sure what they're used for. It is thought
they might have something to do with cooking. Because
they are found with ash deposits. Here you can see ash and
charcoal which probably comes from fire. Some of them
have strange markings in them ... it’s not known why ...
they might have been used for counting ... they might be
used for some kind of bartering system. There is also the
possibility that they were used as weapons ... when people
annoyed you, you just throw a ball at your neighbors - but
we're not really sure about that one.
We found these things that we call clay
balls. They're made of fired clay. They're
about the same size as a baseball or a cricket
ball. We don't think they were used for
sport but it's quite a nice idea."
-Roddy Reagan, Archaeologist
At a time when most of the world's people were nomadic
hunter-gatherers, Çatalhöyük
was a bustling town of as
many as 10,000 people.
Mud brick houses
were built close
together more and
more of them as the
population grew. Eventually,
the settlement became terraces of
houses rising above one another. Over
time, layers of debris from demolished
houses accumulated. Erosion smoothed the
ruins into a hill-like mound.
Why were the dead buried in the floor
While people talk of the 'houses' of Çatalhöyük, they can equally be talked
of as tombs. People lived their lives walking, eating, and sleeping on
the bones of their dead ancestors.
Skeletons were buried in a fetal position, many under raised platforms,
which the archaeologists believe were covered with reed mats and used
as beds.
It is thought that staying close to one's dead was one of the main
reasons why the city existed in the first place. At least the overgrown
structure anyway. It is also seen that they would go under the floor
after a couple of years and cut off some of the heads. Probably from
important family members. Men and women heads were cut off
about equally, alluding to a sexual equality. There were other clues
to a sexually equal society as well.
Goddess Figurine
Today, some feminist and New Age Groups believe that all Stone
Age cultures worshipped a great Mother Goddess. They point to
this figurine as an important piece of evidence. Many archaeologists
are not so sure.
"The famous seated 'Mother Goddess' was found in a grain bin-perhaps
this has something to do with fertility, but we have no suggestion that
grain bins were symbolically important. It is quite likely that the figurines
and statuettes had a range of different functions. But for most of them
it is difficult to argue for any special symbolic significance."
Ian Hodder, Project Director
30
VARIO /03
VARIO /03
31

hobby
hobby
Origins of Chess
The Enigma of Chess Birth
T
he quest of chess origin is an exciting riddle. Earliest references are
found in epic romances written in Pahlavi (old Persian) around 600
/ 625 AD. They present Chatrang, Chess, as an Indian invention brought
to the Shah's court. In China, the first undisputable source appears around
800 AD although there is an earlier one dated 569, but some experts argue
that the referred game is not Chess. The similarities between both games
are too great to deny a link between them.
Let's start by a short presentation of each.
The Persian Chatrang (and the Indian Chaturanga) had already two armies
of 16 pieces each, with a familiar set-up, on an uncheckered 64 cases board:
Each side has :
· 1 Shah, whose capture
is the aim of the game
and which moves 1 step
in all direction as our
King.
Firzan in Arab), close to
the Shah and which
moves 1 step diagonally.
· 2 Elephants (Pil, Fil in
Arab) which moves
diagonally 2 steps,
leaping over the
intermediate case if
occupied.
· 2 Horses (Asp, Faras
in Arab) moving obliquely exactly as our modern Knights.
· 2 Chariots (Rukh in Persian and Arab) which have exactly the orthogonal
move of our Rooks.
· 8 Soldiers (Piyadah, Baidaq in Arab) which move 1 step straight ahead
(never 2) and capture diagonally ahead as our modern Pawn. When reaching
the last row, they are promoted to Farzin.
In China, the earliest description of Xiangqi, with all its pieces, are more
recent. They are from Bei Song Dynasty, around 1000 A.D. and depicted
the modern Xiangqi already. They are two armies, one blue and one red,
with 16 pieces placed on the intersections of a 8 x 9 cases board, then 9
x 10 points :
· 1 General (Jiang for blue, Shuai
for red) whose capture was here
again the aim of the game and
which moves 1 step, orthogonally
only. It is confined to the 9 points
of its citadel.
· 2 Advisors or Mandarins (Shi),
also confined in the palace and
which moves 1 step diagonally.
· 2 Ministers for blue, or 2
Elephants for red (both named
Xiang but with different
ideograms) which move 2 steps
diagonally. They can not jump
and are not allowed to enter the opposite half-board.
· 2 Horses (Ma) whose move is similar to that of our Knights with, maybe
already, the impossibility of jumping over the first leg case if it is occupied.
· 2 Chariots (Ju) strictly equivalent again to our Rooks at the corners of
the board.
. 2 Cannons (Pao) placed before most of the troops on the third row
· 5 Soldiers (Zu for blue, Bing for red) which step 1 case straight ahead
as long as they are in their own half of the board, then which can also
move 1 case sideways when they have penetrated the opposite camp. This
is their only form of promotion. As all the other pieces, their move and
capture are identical.
From this presentation, one can note an undisputable lineage. Non only,
the pieces have similar moves, if not identical, but their names have often
the same meaning and, moreover, their initial set-up follows the same
principles.
hobby
hobby
Is it a game, an art, a science or a sport
Chess is not a game of chance; it is based solely on tactics and strategy. Nevertheless,
the game is so complex that not even the best players can consider all contingencies.
Jean-Louis Cazaux
Four Possible Scenairos
A natural tendency among games historians is to try to unroll the lineage
of the board-games by unearthing the successive ancestors as if their history
could simply be described by a succession of more and more evolved
generations of games. Although it gives convenient schemes, often sufficient
to sketch the history of a given game, I believe that in some cases, more
complex relationships could have led to the invention of some of the most
popular and successful brain games.
32
C
hess is one of humanity's most popular games; it has been described not only as a game, but also as an art, science, and sport. Chess is sometimes
seen as an abstract wargame; as a "mental martial art", and teaching chess has been advocated as a way of enhancing mental prowess. Chess is
played both recreationally and competitively in clubs, tournaments, online, and by mail (correspondence chess). Many variants and relatives of chess
are played throughout the world. The most popular are Xiangqi (in China), Janggi (in Korea), and Shogi (in Japan).
Chess (from the Persian word Shah) is a board game and mental sport for two players. It is played on a square board of 8 rows (called ranks) and 8
columns (called files), giving 64 squares of alternating colour, light and dark. Each player begins the game with 16 pieces that each move and capture
other pieces on the board in a unique way: eight pawns, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, one queen and one king. One player controls the white
pieces; the other player controls the black pieces. The object of the game is to achieve checkmate. This occurs when a king is attacked and it cannot
escape capture. Note that checkmate renders the actual capture of the king unnecessary since it is a foregone conclusion and the game ends at that
time.
VARIO /03
For instance, our Backgammon is most likely the fruit of the marriage
between ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. One ancestor would be the
Egyptian Senet, played on a 3x10 board with strong cosmological
connotations, a second one would be the Sumerian so-called Royal Game
of Ur, soon modified in the 20 Squares Game. This latter game was played
over a board with 3x4 cases plus a tail of 8 cases in a line. When the 20
Squares Game reached Egypt (circa 1800 BC), the inhabitants adopted
the habit to use game boxes with a Senet and a 20 Squares Game represented
on top and bottom sides. Many of such game boxes have been excavated
and can be admired in several museums. A possible, logical, evolution was
to use a single 3x12 board with some thickenings to highlight either one
game or the other. Such a board has been found at Ak-hor and is depicted
by Murray in his second book . The next step was obviously to play a race
VARIO /03
33

hobby
hobby
game on that 3x12 board. That was what the Greeks did (probably) as
well as the Romans (certainly).
(Later on, maybe to improve legibility of both paths for the opposite
standing players, the middle row was omitted to lead to the game of
Tables in Europe and Nard in Middle-East with a 2x12 cells)
peace of mind,
body and soul.
A comparable process could have occurred for Chess, that game deriving
from the encounter of two influences, a Chinese Xiangqi and an Indo-
Persian Chatrang.
Looking for a Scheme
It is widely accepted that the striking resemblance between Chatrang
and Xiangqi is not fortuitous. Both games oppose two sides of 16 pieces
each with the goal of killing a central King or any sort of supreme
authority. In both games, the armies have a front row of mere Soldiers
and a back row with Chariots at the aisles, Horses then Elephants beside,
encircling the leaders. The moves of all these pieces, although presenting
some interesting discrepancies, are very like in both Chess.
How such a kinship can be explained Logically, four scenarios can be
constructed.
1) A westward birth followed by an eastward diffusion. An Indian origin
of Chess is the dominating opinion among historians so far. It lies on
the works of several famous scholars, Hyde (1694), Jones (1790), Forbes
(1860), Van der Linde (1874,1881) and culminating with the never
surpassed Murray and his monumental History of Chess, more than
900 pages of pure erudition, published in 1913. The most convincing
arguments are the written texts in Sanskrit or Pahlavi which are the
oldest known and accepted dealing with the game of Chess. This theory
places the birth of Chatrang in North India around the 6th century AD
and assumes that it was latter transmitted to China (around 800) along
with other Indian cultural elements, possibly by Buddhist pilgrims. A
sub-school is the one claiming a Persian origin
for Chatrang, which is mainly supported by
the fact that some of the older texts are in
Pahlavi, even if they tell the story of an
arrival from India (this could be a tale
for fashioning the new game with the
prestige of India) and also because the
oldest known chessmen were excavated in Central Asia, then a Persian
land .
2) An eastward birth followed by a westward diffusion. This option is
often defended with such a polemic tone that it provokes its abrupt
rejection by orthodox Chess historians. Nevertheless, many sinologists are
more inclined to rely on such a scheme, following the most famous of
them: Needham. It makes sense also, because a close examination of the
structure of the Xiangqi - the move of the pieces, the marks on the board
- suggests that the Chinese game would be of greater antiquity than the
Chatrang. In other words, it is very difficult to convince that an evolution
from Chatrang could have led to the Xiangqi characteristics. The absence
of Chinese texts before the 6th or 7th century is disputed. They are texts
dating from Beizhou period (557-581) which deal with a Xiangxi game.
However, this Xiangxi is assimilated to an astronomical game and then,
disputed. It has now been proved that board-game apparition in civilisations
is very linked to other formalised activities such as divination, geomancy,
astrology and other initiatory sessions . This is the case for Senet, 20
Squares Game, Awele, Liubo, precolombian American games, just to cite
few examples, so why Xiangqi should be discarded
3) A common ancestor for both Chatrang and Xiangqi. For differentiating
from the previous cases, we must look for a seminal game at more or less
the same “structural distance” to both successors. To have existed, such
a game should contain the different germs which could have evolved up
to Chatrang in one hand and up to Xiangqi in the other hand. That
necessarily implies a time span of few centuries. No evidence of the
existence of such a game has been found until now.
34
VARIO /03
4) The development of two different war games with a mutual influence
during their formation. The medium of such a coupling is well pictured:
it is the Silk Road which was the theatre of many cultural and industrial
exchanges between the Indo-Persian and the Chinese worlds. This theory,
which implies a much more complex process than the three other ones,
supposes the existence of a board game in China, an other one in the West
and that both have evolved into a war game. Their evolutions would have
been achieved with a strong correlation.
The reader will notice that this fourth scenario does not really exclude the
first two ones. As a matter of fact it must be seen as an intricacy: neither
an Indo-Persian nor a Chinese-only origin can explain everything, both
bearing probably some truth but both being definitively too simple to be
convincing.
HAMLIN ISLAND RESORT- HERISAU
Blue Bayou
INTERNATIONAL HOTELS
www.bluebayou.com.fw

Computer Chess
hobby
hobby
So much rely on us...
Once solely the province of the human mind, chess is now played by
both humans and machines. At first considered only a curiosity, the
best chess playing computers like Shredder or Fritz have risen in ability
to the point where they can seriously challenge and even defeat the
best humans.
Garry Kasparov, then ranked number one in the world, played a sixgame
match against IBM's chess computer Deep Blue in February
1996. Deep Blue shocked the world by winning the first game in
Deep Blue - Kasparov, 1996, Game 1, but Kasparov convincingly
won the match by winning three games and drawing two.
Garry Kasparov vs Deep Blue, New York 1997
Why would
Kasparov want to
play a match
against Deep
Blue
There are a number of reasons why
Garry Kasparov agreed to a rematch
against Deep Blue. As the World
Champion, Kasparov feels a sense
of responsibility to be a spokesman
for the game. He has taken it upon
himself to increase worldwide interest in chess by aggressively
promoting it globally.
Kasparov knows that last year's match generated an enormous amount
of international interest, and he realizes that this year's event presents
him with another opportunity to promote the game to a worldwide
audience.
In 1996, over six million people visited the official event web site
during the match, while millions more tuned into news and radio
coverage. This year's event promises to generate even more international
interest, and Kasparov looks to use the opportunity to continue his
effort to promote his favorite pastime.
The six-game rematch in May 1997 was won by the machine (informally
dubbed Deeper Blue) which was subsequently retired by IBM. In
October 2002, Vladimir Kramnik drew in an eight-game match with
the computer program Deep Fritz. In 2003, Kasparov drew both a
six-game match with the computer program Deep Junior in February,
and a four-game match against X3D Fritz in November.
Kasparov's defeat to Deep Blue has inspired the creation of several
chess variants with much greater theoretical depth. Perhaps, the best
known board game of this origin is Arimaa which is still played upon
a standard 8 x 8 chessboard yet is vastly more difficult for computers
to play well competitively.
Why are there so few women at the
top levels of chess
There are many theories about this. One argument says that chess appeals
more to boys than girls, due to the warlike comparisons it invokes. Child
psychologists note that girls generally prefer to play games where cooperation,
not domination, is the goal. At the higher levels of chess, the demands of
the game nearly preclude any social life at all, and marriage and domesticity
of the classical kind are pretty much out of the question.
Another argument says that women cannot achieve levels in mathematics,
music and other disciplines where abstraction and pattern recognition are
at a premium. Kasparov makes this argument in his autobiography, Child
of Change, and has made no secret that he believes no woman will never
play at the level of the top men. Still, the achievements of Judit Polgar have
silenced many critics. Polgar recently moved into the Top 10 rankings in
the world, the first woman ever to do so, and her example has driven a deep
stake into the argument of gender inferiority.
...and we simply do IT.
Kasparov also enjoys his role in the
computer science experiment that is an
integral part of this event. In a sense, he
is playing the part of scientist by giving
Deep Blue a very thorough product
inspection. The technology behind Deep
Blue may one day affect the way we live,
do business and treat disease.
Kasparov is an integral part of testing the
capabilities of this massively parallel,
exceptionally powerful technology known
as Deep Blue. As C.J. Tan of the Deep Blue
development states, "I think Garry is
gradually realizing that he is part of the
team, he is really part of our scientific
experiment. He wants to be part of the
history-making event himself."
Information Technologies
DIAL FREE 800 430 4010
(Wondiana only)
www.iosys.com.fw
VARIO /03
37

SPORTS
SPORTS
The Final Moment
The Final Hit
The Final Gear
T
A Complete Guide to
Olympic Sports
he current Olympic Games programme includes 35 sports and nearly
400 events.
Summer Sports: Aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball,
boxing, canoe / kayak, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, gymnastics,
handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball,
table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.
Winter Sports: Biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating, skiing.
This is the second part of the two-part guide. You can find the first part in
our previous issue, Vario No.2.
Recognized Sports
In order to promote the Olympic Movement, the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) may recognise as International Sports Federations (IFs)
international non-governmental organisations administering one or several sports
at world level and encompassing organisations administering such sports at
national level.
In order to be recognised, these organisations must apply the Olympic Movement
Anti-Doping Code and conduct effective out-of-competition tests in accordance
with the established rules. The recognition of IFs newly recognised by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) shall be provisional for a period of
PART TWO
two years or any other period fixed by the IOC Executive Board. At the end
of such period, the recognition shall automatically lapse in the absence of
definitive confirmation given in writing by the IOC.
As far as the role of the IFs within the Olympic Movement is concerned, their
statutes, practice and activities must be in conformity with the Olympic Charter.
Subject to the foregoing, each IF maintains its independence and autonomy in
the administration of its sport.
RECOGNIZED SPORTS LIST
Air sports
Netball
Bandy
Orienteering
Billiard Sports
Pelote Basque
Boules
Polo
Bowling
Powerboating
Bridge
Racquetball
Chess
Roller Sports
DanceSport
Rugby
Golf
Squash
Karate
Surfing
Korfball
Sumo
Life Saving
Tug of War
Motorcycle Racing
Underwater Sports
Mountaineering and Climbing
Water Skiing
Wushu
VARIO /03
39

PORTS
SPORTS
SPORTS
SPORTS
Skiing
Olympic sport since 1924
It was not long before Man worked out how to
move quickly through deep snow in the wilder
parts of the world, as paintings discovered in the
1930s clearly portray. On the ancient artefacts,
which were found in Russia and are thought to
be at least 6000 years old, a hunter on
rudimentary skis is clearly identifiable alongside
reindeers. It is virtually certain that a form of
skiing has been an integral part of life in colder
countries since that time.
Obviously the principal use of skis until recently
was for the transportation of goods and people
or for the swift movement of soldiers patrolling
remote, icy borders. Horses were clearly not
much use in three metres of snow, so other
methods had to be developed and skis quickly
became as natural an accoutrement of everyday
life as hats and gloves.
Luge
Olympic sport since 1964
Luge is the French word for sled, and historical
findings point to the existence of sleds, as early
as AD 800 with the Vikings in the Slagen
countryside near the Oslo Fjord. The Vikings are
believed to have had sleds with two runners,
which resemble the modern-day version. The
first international sled race occurred in 1883 in
Davos, Switzerland, with 21 competitors from
Australia, England, Germany, the Netherlands,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. This
race took place over 4km and was won by Georg
Robertson, a student from Australia, and Peter
Minsch, a mailman from Klosters. Both finished
the race in just over nine minutes.
The first World Championships occurred on an
artificial track in Oslo in 1955. Two years later,
the International Luge Federation (FIL) was
founded in Davos and remains the governing
body of luge today. It made its Olympic debut at
the 1964 Games.
The Olympic Winter Games present five disciplines
of Skiing: Alpine, Cross Country, Ski Jumping,
Nordic Combined, Freestyle as well as
Snowboarding. To compete in these various
disciplines one needs to master speed, endurance,
dexterity, and determination.
Bobsleigh
Olympic sport since 1924
Biathlon
Olympic sport since 1960
Biathlon was originally a tactic of survival rather
than a sport. Northern Europeans skied to hunt
for food and, later, skied with weapons to defend
their countries. The word "biathlon" stems from
the Greek word for two contests. Today it is
interpreted as a joining of two sports: crosscountry
skiing and rifle shooting.
In 1960, Biathlon joined the International Modern
Pentathlon Union (UIPM). But in 1993, an
agreement was made to retain the Union as an
umbrella body under which the UIPM and the
IBU could act autonomously. It took effect in
1998, but the two sports maintain relations in
various projects.
Bobsleigh racing was developed in search of
the ultimate thrill by the 19th century.
Considered the world's first sliding sport, skeleton
originated in the Swiss town of St. Moritz in the
late 1800s. The first competition was held in
1884. Riders raced down the road from St.
Moritz to Celerina, where the winner received a
bottle of champagne. It wasn't until 1887 that
riders began competing in the prone position
used today. The sport took its name in 1892,
when a new sled made mostly of metal was
introduced. People thought it looked like a
skeleton.
The sport's governing body, the Federation
Internationale de Bobsleigh et Tobagganing
(FIBT), was founded in 1923. This competition
has been part of the official programme since
the 1st Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix
Mont Blanc in 1924.
40
VARIO /03
VARIO /03
41

PORTS
SPORTS
Ice Hockey
Olympic sport since 1920
The word hockey comes from old French
"hocquet" which meant "stick". The origins of
ice hockey are unclear, but it's widely accepted
that the British are responsible for bringing
hockey to North America. Soldiers stationed
in Nova Scotia, Canada, played the earliest
games. In 1879, a group of college students
at McGill University in Montreal organised
competitions and had developed the first known
set of hockey rules.
SPORTS
SPORTS
The sport migrated south to the United States
during the 1890s. The first known hockey
games took place between Johns Hopkins and
Yale Universities in 1895.
Skating
Olympic sport since 1908
Now somewhere between art and sport, skating
on ice was, for hundreds of years, a rapid form
of transportation across frozen lakes, rivers and
canals, and the oldest form of skate (a length of
bone attached to sandals with thongs) dates
back to 20,000 years B.C..
The Dutch were some of the early pioneers and
as far back as the 13th century maintained
communication by skating from village to village
along frozen rivers and canals. Skating spread
across the channel to England and soon the first
clubs and artificial rinks had begun springing up
across the country. Before long the sport had
spread right across Europe and had reached
North America . Several kings of England, Marie
Antoinette, Napoleon I, the great German poet
Goethe and Napoleon III all loved to take to the
ice.
The Olympic Winter Games present three
disciplines of skating: Figure Skating, including
singles for Men and Ladies, pairs (a man and a
lady) and ice dancing, Speed Skating, and Short
Track Speed Skating for Men and Ladies.
The first Olympic Games to include ice hockey
for men took place in 1920 in Antwerp. However,
the first Olympic Winter Games took place in
1924 in Chamonix.
Curling
Olympic sport since 1924
Curling originated in the 16th century in Scotland,
where games were played during winter on frozen
ponds, lochs and marshes. The earliest-known
curling stones came from the Scottish regions
of Stirling and Perth and date back to 1511. The
earliest reports of curling came from Paisley
Abbey, Scotland, in 1541. In the early days of
the sport, stones were taken from river bottoms.
In the 1600s, stones with handles were
introduced, allowing a delivery style similar to
what is used today.
The key developments in the sport in the 20th
century have been the standardisation of the
stone and the use of indoor, refrigerated ice
facilities.
Curling made its Olympic debut at the 1998
Nagano Winter Games with the men's and
women's tournaments.
42
VARIO /03
VARIO /03
43

Drawing Tolkien’s Mind...
FANTASY
FANTASY
The Battle for Helm's Deep.
Théoden, King of the Mark, retreats to the Hornburg and is
attacked by a whole army of Orcs and evil men.
Natural flyer...
www.airwondiana.com
By Alan Lee
VARIO /03
45

EVIEW
REVIEW
VIDEO
AUDIO
REVIEW
REVIEW
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
[2004 USA, 123 min.]
Cast:
Dennis Quaid
Jake Gyllenhaal
Ian Holm
Emmy Rossum
Sela Ward
Dash Mihok
Ken Welsh
Jay O. Sanders
Austin Nichols
Perry King
Nestor Serrano
Adrian Lester
Sheila McCarthy
Arjay Smith
Glenn Plummer
Tamlyn Tomita
Joe Cobden
Jared Harris
Rick Hoffman
Kenny Moskow
Roland Emmerich - Director / Producer / Screen Story
Mark Gordon - Producer
Arthur H. Bell - Book Author
Jeffrey Nachimanoff - Screenwriter
Whitley Strieber - Book Author
Ueli Steiger - Cinematographer
Harald Kloser - Composer (Music Score)
David Brenner - Editor
Barry Chusid - Production Designer
PLOT SYNOPSIS
Tracie Cooper
Directed by Roland Emmerich,
this mega-budget, specialeffects-laden
epic revolves
around the onset of an
international series of crises
brought on by the long-term
results of the greenhouse effect.
At the eye of the storm is
paleoclimatologist (a professor
dedicated to the study of
weather patterns throughout
the ages) Professor Adrian Hall
(Dennis Quaid), who
voluntarily takes on the
preservation of the world in
the dawn of the next ice age
and all the disaster that comes
along with it — violent
hurricanes, tornadoes,
earthquakes, tidal waves,
massive floods, etc. Hall must
also contact his son, Sam (Jake
Gyllenhaal), who was in the
middle of an academic
competition in New York City when the chaos begun. In addition to facing the largest-scale onslaught
of natural catastrophes in the history of humankind, Professor Hall, in his journey north, must
contend with the masses fleeing south in an attempt to resettle in a warmer climate. The Day After
Tomorrow also features Emmy Rossum, Sela Ward, and Joe Cobden.
The Wall - PINK FLOYD
Disc 1
1. In the flesh
2. Thin ice
3. Another brick in the wall (Part 1)
4. Happiest days of our lives
5. Another brick in the wall (Part 2)
6. Mother
7. Goodbye blue sky
BOOK
The Wall [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Pink Floyd
Undoubtedly the most spectacular piece of rock theatre ever devised, ‘The Wall’ marks the
pinnacle of Pink Floyd’s achievements. Conceived by Roger Waters as a stage show, album
and film, ‘The Wall’ takes the recurring themes of the previous three albums (‘Dark Side of
The Moon’, ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Animals’) to their logical conclusion, homing in on
the barriers people erect around themselves for protection as well as the barriers society
imposes for control.
This two-disc special edition of The Wall is a remastered version available in two packages,
one in Super Audio CD, the other in Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC-3) tracks.
8. Empty spaces
9. Young lust
10. One of my turns
11. Don't leave me now
12. Another brick in the wall (Part 3)
13. Goodbye cruel world
Disc 2
14. Hey you
15. Is there anybody out there
16. Nobody home
17. Vera
18. Bring the boys back home
19. Comfortably numb
20. Show must go on
21. In the flesh (2)
22. Run like hell
23. Waiting for the worms
24. Trial
25. Outside the wall
Liam Hutchinson
46
REVIEW
It was a different world in 1996, when nasty aliens attacked America in Roland
Emmerich's science fiction summer blockbuster Independence Day. Back then,
it was all about the exciting state-of-the-art special effects, and it didn't really
matter that the rest of the film was inane and corny hackwork. In those carefree
days before 9/11, audiences could look on the vividly imagined destruction of
city after city with wonderment and awe. It was all in the name of barely
serviceable entertainment, and we didn't really have to think about the millions
of imaginary dead. In 2004, watching downtown skyscrapers collapse in the
early scenes of The Day After Tomorrow should cause more queasiness than
the filmmakers intend, even if the buildings are located in Los Angeles.
Emmerich and co-writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff ludicrously extrapolate their
doomsday scenario from the real-world problem of global warming, even
Dictionary of Word Origins
Equator
VARIO /03
Josh Ralske
including Bush and Cheney stand-ins. It's a feeble effort at topicality, a transparent
effort to morally justify their destruction spectacle, but it isn't sincere. And even
those who can stomach watching L.A. reduced to rubble, and New York City to
a frozen ghost town, are in for heavy slogging once that's over, and a lame trudge
through when the snow rescue plot kicks in. Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum
are an appealing couple, and there's a silly, clumsily foreshadowed, but fairly exciting
action sequence late in the film involving an abandoned Russian ship and a pack
of timber wolves escaped from the zoo. The filmmakers are perhaps contractually
obligated to end the movie on a note of false uplift, so the film ends up espousing
the same principles as the predatory politicians it means to pillory. It doesn't matter
how much is lost, or by how many, as long as you and your friends come out on
top.
by John Ayto
ca.1391, from Latin æquator diei et noctis meaning equalizer of day and night (when the sun is on the celestial equator, twice annually, day and night
are of equal length), from Latin word æquare make equal, equate. Sense of celestial equator is earliest, extension to terrestrial line midway between the
poles first recorded in Engish in 1612.
Slowness
MILAN KUNDERA
Translated by Linda Asher
Slowness, Milan Kundera's newest novel-and his first
written in French rather than his native Czech-is a
philosophical tragi-comedy that will delight, disgust,
and challenge any reader willing to engage with its
bizarre and compelling logic. Fans of Kundera's earlier
work will find themselves on familiar ground here: the
long philosophical asides; the multiple points of view;
the black humor; the cold, cerebral eroticism. The
difference is that Kundera's French novel seems finally
to have achieved the lightness that the author values so
highly and for which his Czech novels strive but often
fail to realize.
Under pressure from Kundera's forceful associative
intellect, a meditation on slowness versus speed moves
into more esoteric discussions of Epicureanism, the art
of amorous conversation, the relation of speed to
memory, the provincialism of his former comrades from
Communist Europe and--more. As delightful as these
diversions are, they ultimately serve the book's central
quest to understand the existential nature of "the dancer."
What is "the dancer" This is vintage Kundera: the novel
always raises more questions than it answers.
Jim Knowles
The plot follows an eclectic group of misfits to a
converted 18th-century chateau, where they are to
attend a conference of entomologists. The narrator,
Milan, and his wife have gone to the chateau for a
weekend getaway. At the same time, we follow the story
of a young Chevalier who is seduced there on the same
night 200 years ago--by the mysterious Madame de T.
Confrontations lead to a hilarious climax, but readers
will find that Slowness is a moral tale weightier than
it first appears.
Mr. Kundera comes closer to polemic here than in his
other fiction, but he is fiercely defending the ''spirit of
complexity'' that the novel embodies. The novel's
business, he wrote in ''The Art of the Novel,'' is to say
to us, ''Things are not as simple as you think.'' So it
seems almost churlish to point out shortcomings in a
writer of his spirit of play, breadth of reach and
perspicacity -- all admirably at work once again in
''Slowness.'' Much can be forgiven a writer who fearlessly
takes on impossible questions like ''What does it mean
to be modern''
milan kundera
slowness
Translated by Linda Asher
lighthouse
SYDLANCH - WINDSOR - CIRANO - FRONTENAC
VARIO /03
47

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Jan 2005 / Vol.2 / No.3
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