Category: Culture

At the age of eight years, six months, and 11 days, Ashwath Kaushik from Singapore made history by becoming the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster in classical tournament chess. This remarkable feat was achieved when he triumphed over Poland’s Jacek Stopa, 37, during round four of the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland, breaking the previous record by four months.

Ashwath’s journey into chess began with his parents recognizing the increasing screen time in his life and introducing him to the ancient board game through ChessKid.com. As the pandemic hit and Singapore enforced strict lockdowns, Ashwath found himself with ample time to dedicate to practice.

Despite his young age, he displayed a mature understanding of the game and his aspirations, aiming for a 2,000 rating and eventually the title of world champion.

Ashwath’s journey in chess has been fully supported by his family, who provide him with the necessary time and space to pursue his passion.

Under the guidance of experienced coaches like Chess GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming has had other notable achievements such as completing GM Jacob Aagaard’s entire Grandmaster series. While he excels in tactical maneuvers, his coaches wish to further develop his strategic thinking as he continues to learn.

One of the great things about our modern era is the ability to see and listen to things from cultures far away from us.

A particularly enchanting example of this is when something, in this case music, is combined from two different cultures and creates something unique and beautiful.

Finland consistently secures the top spot as the happiest country in the world, as per the annual United Nations World Happiness Report, a position it has maintained since 2018.

The Finnish people attribute their happiness to four fundamental factors: a strong bond with nature, a pragmatic lifestyle, emphasis on fresh and local food, and a commitment to sustainability.

They view happiness not as an enigmatic concept but rather as a set of attainable skills, cultivated through daily activities such as forest walks, sea dips post-sauna, and meals crafted from locally sourced ingredients.
To commemorate their happiness status and following the success of the 2023 Masterclass in Happiness, Finland’s official tourism board and Helsinki Partners are inviting applicants worldwide to participate in a happiness hack-a-thon. This five-day curated experience will take place in Helsinki, the world’s happiest capital.

Scheduled for June 2024, the Helsinki Happiness Hacks urban expedition offers selected participants an opportunity to learn from five Helsinki residents, each sharing their strategies for finding joy in the city.

The lineup includes Lena Salmi, a seventy-year-old skateboarder and avid swimmer, who will share insights on urban swimming; Luka Balac, a renowned chef focused on sustainability, who will discuss his approach to social gastronomy; Adela Pajunen, a well-being expert and biologist, who will shed light on Finland’s natural remedies; designer Tero Kuitunen, who will demonstrate how Helsinki’s urban and natural elements intersect; and Tapio Hakanen, also known as DJ Orkidea, who will introduce participants to the concept of a “sauna rave.”

Heli Jimenez, Senior Director of International Marketing at Business Finland, expresses enthusiasm about sharing Finnish happiness practices with the world. She states, “As the world’s happiest country, we believe in sharing our happiness. We are excited to welcome people from across the globe to discover the keys and hacks to Finnish happiness.”

Almost a century after the discovery of the legs of a colossal statue of Pharaoh Ramses II in Egypt, archaeologists have successfully uncovered its missing pieces.

The recent find includes the statue’s torso, head, and shoulders, which seamlessly join with the legs that have been displayed in a museum for years.

Reconstructed, the statue reaches a majestic height of 23 feet, showcasing one of Egypt’s most revered rulers seated, crowned with a cobra emblematic of sovereignty. The statue’s rear is adorned with hieroglyphs detailing his extensive titles.

Ramses the Great, ruling in an era when average lifespans were between 40 to 50 years, remarkably lived into his 90s, surpassing the lifetimes of many of his children and nearly 100 grandchildren.

His reign marked a golden era for the 19th Dynasty, extending its territory from Sudan to Syria, celebrated through monuments, temples, and statues, including this recently reunited piece, originally discovered in 1930 by German archaeologist Günther Roeder.

Dr. Adel Okasha, leading the Central Administration of Antiquities of Central Egypt, mentioned that recent excavations aimed to uncover the religious center of the ancient city of Hermopolis from the New Kingdom to the Roman period. This city, once a pivotal site of worship and the ancient capital of the fifteenth Egyptian region, is believed to house several temples, including one dedicated to Ramses II.

Dr. Okasha expressed optimism about the significant find, suggesting it confirms they are searching in the right location, despite not yet uncovering the intended temple complex. The ancient city, known as Khomeno in Egypt and Hermopolis Magna during the Greco-Roman period, was a center for the worship of the god Thoth.

The excavation season has concluded, as stated, with the successful pairing of the king’s statue and the restoration and reinstallation of giant granite columns at the Ashmunin basilica, built atop a Ptolemaic temple’s ruins.