Theme Park of Bureacracy

It would be so much fun to visit Bulgaria, not least because it seems to be a theme park of democracy. Not a park IN a democracy, but a park where the various aspects of bureaucracy, academe, and politics, typical of the western world, are exhibited in an educational and entertaining manner. This editorial is from the Bulgarian press.

At the end of July, Bulgarian archaeologistKazimir Popkonstantinov discovered what are believed to be the relics of Saint John the Baptist on the Saint Ivan Island near the Black Sea town of Sozopol.

Pieces of bone from the arm and skull and a tooth of St. John, one of the founders of Christianity, were discovered in a marble sarcophagus reliquary within the ancient church.

Diaspora Minister and renowned historianBozhidar Dimitrov confirmed the authenticity of the findings with absolute certainty, and they were transferred fromarchaeologists to the St. George Church in Sozopol during a ceremony last week.

Dimitrov’s confirmation was based solely on an inscription on the marble sarcophagus. “It is very seldom that one would find an inscription, and in archaeology the inscription is considered the most authentic proof,” stated Dimitrov.

Popkonstantinov also stated “It is important to understand one thing – this is the first time ever in the world archaeological practice that relics of St. John are found together with an inscription which just literally nails the conclusion and leaves no doubts. There are no speculations here.”

The affirmation of origin and the official ceremony both came before any tests were done to provide further evidence that the relics are in fact those of St. John.

Criticism became rampant in archaeological circles. Not necessarily about the authenticity of the relics, but about the haste to confirm it - before actual tests were run.

However, some archaeologists have pointed out that the bones can only be dated but that there is no way of actually proving that they belonged to one of the founders of Christianity.

Nonetheless, the scientific doubts have resulted in a heated exchange of insults betweenarchaeologists and Dimitrov.

Dimitrov accused the archaeologists who voiced skepticism of being jealous of Popkonstantinov’s findings. He even suggested that one of Bulgaria’s most well knownarchaeologists Nikolay Ovcharov was envious.

This comes as no surprise, since Ovcharov and Dimtrov have been involved in a war of discrediting each other’s work for the past two years. Ovcharov was just an easy target and a way to get the ball rolling for Dimitrov.

Archaeologists who were stunned by Dimitrov’s harsh words must take his comments with a grain of salt. At a time when relics from a founder of Christianity are said to be discovered - the archaeological community as a whole will be thrilled - but envy amongst somearchaeologists is bound to ensue. It’s natural.

On the other hand, Dimitrov’s accusation is unjustified. As a former historian and scholar, it is shocking he is unwilling to endorse further confirmation, for which the archaeological community, including Ovcharov, is asking, such as carbon dating, to prove the relics are original.

His critics are also professionals and it is not unreasonable for the scientific community to expect deeper investigation into such a unique discovery.

Trying to prove the authenticity of St. John’s relics, even if to find it is impossible, is also advisable because Dimitrov and the Bulgarian government now hope to turn Sozopol into a pilgrimage tourist destination. As it also owns a piece of the Holy Cross and relics of St. Andrew, Dimitrov went as as far as suggesting Sozopol could become the “Second Jerusalem!”

If the holy relics appear to be fraudulent, Dimitrov will be to blame as he was the one, not Popkonstantinov, who disregarded requests for further investigation and testing of therelics. What is more, the reputation of Bulgarian archaeology will be tarnished, and any prospects for pilgrimage tourism will be discredited.

The archaeological community tied the media frenzy over the discoveries to economic projects.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time Dimitrov is the engine of a media campaign whose goal goes beyond the promotion of an archaeological discovery,” said Totko Stoyanov, head of the Bulgarian Archaeologists' Association.

No doubt, Dimitrov has made his excitement over complementing sea tourism in Sozopolwith pilgrimage tourism very clear. Dimitrov’s and the government’s actions since the discoveries have been made, such as immediately funding the restoration of the church housing the relics at a moment when the money for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has been reduced significantly, are obviously strategic ways to bring people into the buzz and foster tourism.

I don’t blame him. This is a great opportunity for the Bulgarian economy to grow, as pilgrimage tourism makes up about 30% of revenues from the tourism industry. These historic, spiritual artifacts in Sozopol may also allow Bulgaria to add to its list of nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites - the recognition alone attracts visitors.

In fact, several Bulgarian ministers will soon begin working on the drafting of a National Strategy for the development of cultural and historical tourism.

Nevertheless, as a government official, Dimitrov has presented Bulgaria, yet again, in a negative light on the international stage, creating more work to be done to make Bulgaria an attractive destination.

Also, Dimitrov’s lude comments against archaeologists and Bulgarian women (whom he deemed indecent or “naked” when entering the church to view the relics) whether strategic or not, have only stolen attention from the importance of the discovery.

Proving the authenticity of the holy artifacts should be the focus of Dimitrov and the archaeological community not only because economic benefits will be realized for bothSozopol and the entire country, but because proving their originality will be a historical milestone.

Coyote story part 5, now at bottom of articles about coyotes attacking children

The capture of a coyote possibly involved in the attacks on children near Rye, New York, has morphed into a story of social media and government transparency. The following article is included in the interests of an ongoing narrative that caught my attention. It is pleasant to reflect that not everyone wants the coyotes destroyed. The link above has a picture of the coyote captured.

After coyotes attacked children playing in yards, the Westchester suburb of Rye embarked on an aggressive program to patrol the area for more creatures. One male coyote was caught near the the location of the second attack last weekend, but the city did not disclose the capture. The Journal News reports that it "learned of the catch from the Facebook page of the trapper's company, Quality Pro Pest and Wildlife Services." One day, local government will realize that social media will force them to be transparent!

The News adds, "When first asked about the capture Friday afternoon, Rye Mayor Doug French referred a reporter to Police Commissioner William Connors. When pressed, French acknowledged the city had nabbed the animal July 31." Conners explained the lack of notice about the capture, "My understanding was that we were waiting to get a few more in that location." The News says that the coyote was euthanized because it was acting aggressive, but Quality Pro Pest and Wildlife Services said on Facebook, "well The Journal News Gets it all Wrong Again!!they said that I killed the Coyote. when in Fact I did not." Update: The News further explains that the coyote was euthanized, but at state direction.
The trapper, Jim Horton, did tell the News it was unclear whether this coyote attacked either of the two victims, who were both young girls, because no coyote DNA was taken from the girls after the attacks. He also discussed a trap-and-capture program in Rye Brook, saying that any coyotes captured will be relocated if they are healthy, "Me catching them and handling them and putting them in a cage and everything — that's just going to instill fear of humans into the coyote. So when we bring it up north and release it, it'll stay clear of people." 


Sept. 6, 2010 update on this story, kind of.

2 coyote attacks in 1 hour in NYC suburb; tot hurt

(AP) – 4 hours ago

RYE BROOK, N.Y. — A teen and a toddler have come face-to-face with a coyote in two separate incidents within about an hour in a New York City suburb. The toddler's father took her to get medical care, but the teen was unhurt.

Authorities say a coyote lunged at the teen boy shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday in Rye Brook. About an hour later, the 2-year-old girl was attacked near her home about two miles away.

In June, the town of Rye — about 3 miles from Rye Brook — had two coyote attacks within four days.

A 3-year-old girl playing in her backyard was jumped from behind by a coyote, and a 6-year-old girl was mauled by two coyotes.

After those attacks, authorities in Rye urged parents to keep their kids inside on summer evenings.

Rye Brook is about 30 miles northeast of Manhattan.

Information from: The Journal News, http://www.lohud.com

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


PART 5
Okay, here's another relevant link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/science/28coyotes.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1285693256-4oNWDPmPkqJvsR54WFy9gw&pagewanted=all


and relevant in this collection of articles about coyotes attacking children because it points out that there is DNA evudence now that what we call coyotes now have wolf and even pet dog DNA in their genetic make up. This might explain the change in behavior (to attacking people) although there are other reasons you could put forward for this----like the Times article points out how variable in prey selection the coyote is. And on this topic, the coyotes in Chicago have been observed not just eating Canada goose eggs (better than shooting the geese I think) but burying goose eggs when the hunters are full, so they can come back later. Which gives me an idea for a fairy tale, not about an ugly ducking, but a baby goose that manages to hatch, into a different world than the one its parents expected. But I am rambling. Read the Times article.

Is Arithmetic Broken? an article from New Scientist

Is Arithmetic Broken?  Here is the setup from an article in New Scientist magazine:


...are the rules of arithmetic, the basic logical premises underlying things like long division, unsound? Implausible, you might think. After all, human error aside, our number system delivers pretty reliable results. Yet the closer mathematicians peer beneath the hood of arithmetic, the more they are becoming convinced that something about numbers doesn't quite add up. The motor might be still running, but some essential parts seem to be missing- and we're not sure where to find the spares.

How they found the book thief

Cambridge graduate sentenced for rare books theft

By Wesley Johnson, Press Association

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

A tome raider who stole antique books worth £40,000 from a world-famous library was jailed for three-and-a-half years today.

Cambridge University graduate William Jacques, who stole £1 million of rare books in the late 1990s, drew up a "thief's shopping list" as he continued his life of crime.

He used a false name to sign in to the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library in London before stuffing valuable books under his tweed jacket and fleeing, Southwark Crown Court in London was told.

Recorder Michael Holland QC told Jacques: "You have absolutely no intention of turning away from what seems to you to be an extremely lucrative and easy crime."

Such crimes "undermine and destroy parts of the cultural heritage that's contained within these libraries", the judge said.

The judge, who said Jacques had no mitigation, told him: "You are a Cambridge graduate and should know better, I suppose."

He went on: "This was a systematic and carefully-planned theft and you had prepared what, in my view, was a target list, from your research at that library, of books that were worth stealing.

"This was a theft in progress and the list referred to books worth tens of thousands of pounds more.

"Your entire motivation was commercial and you intended to make whatever money you could from the theft of these books despite their cultural value.

"The effect of your criminality was to undermine and destroy parts of the cultural heritage that's contained within these libraries and make it more difficult for those who have a legitimate interest in these books to gain access to them because libraries have to take inconvenient and expensive steps to stop thefts of this kind."

Jacques was "relying on the reluctance of library staff to challenge people" when they were used to dealing with members of the public whom they could trust, the judge said.

Jacques, 41, previously plundered more than £1 million of historic books from the UK's leading libraries in the biggest haul of its kind in British legal history.

The serial book thief, who escaped with some 500 extremely rare antiquarian books, hid behind a "shabby cloak of respectability" as he went on to sell them at auction houses in the late 1990s, judge Derek Inman said in May 2002.

Motivated by arrogance, greed and an obsession with money, the loner raided the nation's libraries, devastating their collections and damaging valuable works in an attempt to disguise their origins.

Even a four-year jail sentence, imposed by Judge Inman at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court for 21 counts of theft, could not stop him.

In the latest case, the jury heard that Jacques would regularly visit the Lindley Library in Vincent Square, central London, which holds books, journals, pictures and art on practical gardening, garden history, plants and design dating back to 1514.

The rare volumes of Nouvelle Iconographies des Camellias by Ambroise Verschaffelt were taken some time between June 2004 - when an audit of the books was last undertaken - and March 2007, the court was told.

Gino Connor, for the prosecution, said the crime was a "systematic, carefully planned theft committed by a man who knew precisely what he was doing".

"We are not dealing with Penguin books, we are dealing with very valuable books," he said.

Jacques, highly intelligent with an understanding of rare and valuable books, studied at Cambridge University and was a member of both the British Library and the London Library.

But staff started to become suspicious after noticing he would always wear the same clothes - a tweed jacket and glasses - on visits to the library.

Mr Connor said that, on one occasion, the defendant "was seen to place something inside his jacket and walk away with his left arm stiff against his jacket as if holding something".

"It was rather crude, but it was effective," Mr Connor said.

He told the jury that Jacques always signed in when visiting the library, when he had both arms free. But he never signed out.

Staff called police to the library on April 2, 2007 after noticing Jacques in the building, the court heard.

On being challenged by officers and staff, he said: "I do not know nothing (sic)about this", before adding: "Do you have any evidence?"

Jacques also had a card for London's Senate House library in the name of "Santoro" with him, the same name he used to sign in to the Lindley Library.

Police also found an A4 piece of paper with the names of 70 volumes of rare books, all kept at the library, which were listed in sequential order as to where they could be found.

The document amounted to a "thief's shopping list", Mr Connor said.

Notes were also made as to their valuation and whether they included maps and plates - which could be removed and sold separately, the court was told.

"This tends to suggest that there was a great deal of pre-planning," Mr Connor said.

Jacques, of no fixed address, was found guilty of theft, relating to the 13 volumes missing from the library, by a majority of 11-1.

The jury of seven women and five men, who deliberated for five hours and 40 minutes, also unanimously found Jacques guilty of going equipped with the Senate House card to commit theft.

Inside Google Books: Books of the world, stand up and be counted! All 129,864,880 of you.

Inside Google Books: Books of the world, stand up and be counted! All 129,864,880 of you.

Burns expert finds Burns family letter in thrift store

BBC article from Jan, 2010. Link linked to below:


A letter written by the widow of Robert Burns in the years following his death is set to be handed over to the National Library of Scotland.

Dated 1804, Jean Armour writes about the death of two of her children and how she remains in the home she shared with the poet before his death in 1796.

The page was discovered in a New York junk shop last year.

It is thought the letter was intended for Maria Riddell, a woman from a local landed family, who lived in Dumfries.

It was found by American scholar Dr Nancy Groce who by coincidence had recently produced a symposium on Robert Burns at the Library of Congress.

She paid $75 for the letter, one of the few written by Jean Armour.

In the letter, the poet's wife begins by thanking "Madam" for her "kind inquiry after my famaly [sic] and that you wished to know what was become of Mr Burns children".

She also writes about the death of her sons Francis Wallace, who is thought to have died in his early teens, and Maxwell Burns, who died two years after Burns.

Speaking ahead of the hand-over, Dr Groce said: "I am delighted that this significant letter will be going to a good home.

"I hope its availability will increase public awareness of Jean Armour Burns, a remarkable and frequently underappreciated woman whose understanding and support assisted Robert Burns to pursue his art."

The guy who stole a Shakespeare folio gets prison time.

The guy who stole a Shakespeare folio gets prison time.  Not quite sure where this guy fits in, or what his mistake was, but it makes an interesting story. This article has pictures. He is described as a fantasist, and an alcoholic. There is a contradiction with these adjectives. The judge criticized him for thinking he could match wits with experts. Gotta think about this story because it is not adding up. It doesn't take much to match wits with experts (see A. J. P. Taylor and the Hitler diaries hoax.) This is the first time I read the guy was an alcoholic, and that seems to me to be at odds with the planning, and sensible goals (see the pictures) he was after. Fantasist? The dreams we are all after in a way, dreaming the impossible dream is considered a plus and in fact functions in human evolution for the general good. He did badly miscalculate how to turn the manuscript into cash, but that could be a matter of not studying up on the world of rare manuscripts. If he is a fantasist, beyond the amount we all are, then what was the fantasy. Yeah, he was a crook, yeah he was a cultural bore, but this describes many of those successful in industry.  You could say he was trying to think his way through a problem,  and came up with an original solution. But not a good solution.  There is something to be gleaned here, but I haven't gotten it yet.... Though the inability of the print media to think outside the lines is one point to take home.  Apparently he has a long record of stealing stuff.  Is he incompetent? I hate to say he is stupid, in view of his big dreams, and concrete steps to accomplish the dreams. File under," not sure what to think."