message from Japan

"subject: Mongolia
2011-03-12

"Hello there. I am an Australian currently writing from Japan and have been given some information that Mongolia may be one of the safest places as far as natural disasters are concerned. As you are aware we got shaken up terribly yesterday...

"Anyway I am seriously considering moving to Mongolia and would like to discuss how things over there are..."

=

RE: Mongolia

Thanks for your message. It's terrible about the disaster in Japan.

Here is a post I wrote about earthquakes in Mongolia, and particularly in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar:

http://radiganneuhalfen.blogspot.com/2010/04/earthquake-in-ulaanbaatar.html

Here is a recent article on the rapidly-changing society of Mongolia:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/02/welcome_to_minegolia

Cheers,
Radigan

2009 October 16

Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

models backstage at Gobi cashmere fashion show

photo by Timothy Fadek / Polaris Images

2010 June 17

Mongolia, worksite near Uyanga

ninja miners playing pool

photo by Timothy Fadek / Polaris Images

2010 June 25

Mongolia, Gobi Desert, Oyu Tolgoi gold and copper mine

miners

photo by Timothy Fadek / Polaris Images

2010 June 27

Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Tuul River

swimming

photo by Timothy Fadek / Polaris Images

2010 July 14

Mongolia, Erdenet

woman with umbrella

photo by Timothy Fadek / Polaris Images

"We have no chance": England vs. United States, 1950 World Cup

"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"On 29 June 1950, at the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the United States defeated England 1–0 in a group match.

"At the time, the English considered themselves the 'Kings of Football', with a post-war record of 23 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. Conversely, the Americans had lost their last seven international matches by the combined score of 45–2. The odds were 3–1 the English would win the Cup, and 500–1 for the U.S.

"The American team consisted of semi-professional players, most of whom had other jobs to support their families. The team had also been hastily assembled, and had only been able to train together once, and that was the day before they left for Brazil. 'We have no chance,' recently-appointed coach Bill Jeffrey told the press.

"Newspaper headlines in most World Cup nations trumpeted the shocking upset, except in the United States and England.

"There was only one American journalist even at the World Cup: Dent McSkimming of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who could not get the newspaper to pay for the trip, and had taken time off work to cover the event. His report of the match was the only one to appear in any major American newspaper.

"In England, so unexpected was the result that it was presumed that the 1–0 scoreline was a typing error and so it was reported that England had won on a scoreline of 10–0 or 10–1.

"England's blue kit, which had made its debut in this match, was never worn again.

"The United States and England did not play another World Cup match against each other until the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which ended in a 1–1 draw."

Merry Super Bowl

“It's become a de facto national holiday. Super Bowl Sunday and New Year's Eve are the two biggest party days in the United States, and probably in that order.”

--Peter Schwartz, quoted by Eliott C. McLaughlin at CNN.com

Mongolian competitors in historic electronic gaming event

“...19-year-old Lkhagvasuren Byambasuren aims to win glory... at the Second Asian Indoor Games (http://www.maigoc2007.com/), an international multi-event sporting competition that includes hockey, swimming and cycling.

“Byambasuren aims to win gold... through the popular video game ‘FIFA 2007.’ That's because this year, for the first time, the Games will include an ‘electronic sports’ category....

“His ambition will surprise nobody who's been to Game Arena, an Internet cafe in Mongolia's frigid capital city Ulaanbaatar. This is where the nation's best video game players tend to congregate. Among them are Mongolia's two other representatives for the Games: 18-year-old Ganzorig Batbold, who will compete in the car-racing game ‘Need for Speed: Most Wanted,’ and 23-year-old Bilguun Chimedregzen, who aims for glory at ‘NBA Live 07.’ All three emerged victorious in national competitions held to find the best players.

“This dream team will face formidable competition, though. Tsogt Sharavrentsen, the overseas manager of Mongolia's national e-sports program, is most concerned about competition from China and South Korea. Those players, he says, receive better training and are well-supported by both sponsors and their governments.

“‘In Mongolia it's very difficult because nobody understands e-sports,’ he says. ‘They think it's like a game.’

“The Olympic Council of Asia couldn't disagree more. A few years ago at a board meeting in Kuwait, it decided video games were serious enough to include in the event....

“Of course, video game contests are not uncommon -- especially in Asia. Channel-surf in Seoul, for example, and you'll likely stumble upon video game action, complete with breathless commentators, on-screen maneuvering and close-ups of players' intent faces.

“But it's rare for video games to be included as part of a multi-sport event -- Chau says it's the first time, as far as he knows -- and to be recognized by a sports governing body as weighty as the OCA. The council, recognized by the International Olympic Committee, includes the National Olympic Committees of 40-plus nations (http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/noc/index_assoc_noc_fede_uk.asp?id_assoc=7).

“So far, nine nations have signed up for the e-sports event. Others include India, Iran and Kyrgyzstan. (The Games are held October 26 to November 3.)

“The OCA decided that the video games chosen should be versions of real sports. This criteria -- and a marketing tie-up -- led to the choices being ‘FIFA 07,’ ‘NBA Live 07’ and ‘Need for Speed: Most Wanted.’ All the titles are from California-based game publisher Electronic Arts. The company's marketing muscle was a factor in the decision, Chau says, as was the popularity of the games themselves.

“More important, he says, is what the event means for video games. ‘This is a very important moment. We are witnessing the development of e-sports. Its development has reached a different level than being merely a game to play with.’”

--CNN.com, 2007 August 28

Drownproofing

"If Drownproofing is so good, why isn't it taught at every local pool?

"That is one of the world's great mysteries, but here are some possible explanations. Fred Lanoue invented his technique when television was in its infancy and the Internet hadn't been thought of. He wrote a book, but didn't have modern methods for gaining widespread publicity. Drownproofing doesn't fit with the conventional lifesaving and swimming establishment. It isn't altruistic - you can only save yourself and it isn't a sport which can win medals. It is difficult to convince people that staying afloat is so easy until they have seen a demonstration and tried it for themselves."

http://www.drownproofing.com/

Khovsgol Diving Expedition

"Steven Schwankert is the founder of Beijing diving school SinoScuba. From August 9 to 23 this year, he will lead the first-ever diving expedition to Lake Khovsgol...

"We're not claiming it's the first time anyone has dived in the lake.... However, it has only been dived a few times, and we are the first diving scientific expedition to the lake.

"...there may be Buddhist relics thrown into the lake in the 1930s by monks who wanted to preserve them during a persecution."

--Danwei

Mongol Football from Ulemj

MongolFootball.com

The Difference Half a Year Makes

This article from a year ago contrasts completely with the article from six months ago ("The Sumo authorities appreciate the excitement and ticket sales that foreign wrestlers generate."):

"Ticket sales are dropping as sumo stars like Bulgaria's Kotooshu and Mongolia's Asashoryu shove contenders from Japan out of the spotlight...

"Ticket sales have been declining, it is becoming harder for sumo to find young recruits and TV ratings have fallen significantly compared with a decade or so ago, when Japanese were still more of a factor in the six annual tournaments."

-Taipei Times

"Sumo falls to a Mongol invasion"

"Thirty-four Mongolians compete regularly in Japan's national, indigenous sport. One of them, Asashoryu, has dominated the ring since being promoted in 2003 to the highest rank of Grand Champion. Currently the only wrestler at that level, he could soon be joined by a Bulgarian, the strongest of the 14 or so East Europeans who have also broken into the sport.

"Since the 1960s there have always been a few foreigners in Sumo. Several Hawaiians made it to the top, an achievement that means adopting Japanese nationality, dress and behaviour...

"But conservative Japanese are dismayed at the recent involvement of so many outsiders. More than a sport, Sumo, with its ancient history, is steeped in the rituals of the Shinto religion that the Japanese believe only they can fully comprehend...

"And foreigners do not always behave with the necessary decorum. The Mongolian Grand Champion has been disqualified for hair-pulling and has refused to take Japanese nationality.

"The Sumo authorities, however, appreciate the excitement and ticket sales that foreign wrestlers generate."

-The First Post

Springboots

Jump high, run fast.