In a game against a skilled player, a less skilled player may be given a "handicap" of extra stones on the board at the start of the game as well as playing black. These rules help make the game and final score fair for both players.
Besides the order of play (Black plays first, then White plays, then Black plays, and so on) and handicap or scoring rules, there are only two rules in Go:
Stones cannot be removed from the board except by the opponent surrounding it. A group of stones are all "alive" as long as one stone is next to an empty intersection. Stones with no liberties (no access to empty space) are captured and removed from the board. At the end of the game, the prisoners are usually deducted from the score of the player who lost them.
The second rule is called "Ko" (eternity). You can place stones on any clear intersection you want, as long it isn't taken off right after, or the board looks the same all over as it did before. This is to stop the game from going back and forth capturing the same stones forever. Players must make a move somewhere else on the board during a "ko fight" before they can re-capture a stone in the same position.
Its original Chinese name is "" (= wei qi or wei chi). It is also popular in Japan, and its common name "Go" comes from Japanese. In Korea the game is called "baduk". In these three countries the game is an important part of the culture, like chess is in many western countries.
Go and chess are both "board games" and games of strategy. They both have no luck or secret information, unlike some other classic games like backgammon (dice are rolled) or poker and other card games which also have secret information.
There are many places to play Go on the Internet, as well as local clubs and national organizations in many countries around the world. A 2016 survey by the International Go Federation (IGF) found that there are over 20 million players around the world. Most players live in East Asia.
Go was invented in China but the specific time is not known. Some say it was invented more than 2,500 years ago and is the oldest board game still played today. The historian of board games, H.J.R. Murray, said:
Go to: Female Go players
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War, sometimes just called the Gulf War, was a conflict between Iraq and 34 other countries, led by the United States. It started with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on August 2, 1990. Iraq had long claimed Kuwait as part of its territory. The war ended the following spring when Iraq's armies were defeated. There were two military operations.
Operation Desert Shield brought troops to protect Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states that Iraq had not attacked.
Operation Desert Storm attacked Iraq's forces both in Kuwait and in Iraq. It started on 17 January, 1991 with an air strike. Ground operations started 24 February. Iraqi forces set fire to oil wells to slow the attack.The war ended on 28 February, 1991 with a ceasefire.
The long Iran–Iraq War had ended in August 1988. Iraq owed a great amount of money to Saudi Arabia and had difficulty paying it back. Saddam Hussein declared the neighboring country of Kuwait to be siphoning Iraqi crude oil from across the border, and on August 2nd, 1990 the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait started. On January 17, 1991 the US began the Persian Gulf War with a massive US led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm.
The attacks were assisted by newly developed weapons, including stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and smart bombs.
After 42 days of fighting U.S. President Bush declared a ceasefire on February 28. By that time most Iraqi forces in Kuwait had either surrendered or fled.
Operation Desert storm included a bombing campaign that targeted Iraqi aircraft, anti-aircraft systems, oil refineries, weapon factories, bridges, and roads. The war was a lopsided victory for coalition forces. President George Bush decided not to depose Saddam Houssein.
Political issues after Operation Desert Storm lead to the second Persian Gulf War in 2003.
Point of view
A point of view, viewpoint or POV, is the following:
Sicily
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean. Along with some smaller islands it is an autonomous region of Italy. The capital city of Sicily is Palermo. The population was about 5,087,000 (over 5 million) in 2004. Sicily is the biggest region in the nation of Italy.
Phoenician and Greek people colonized the island in the 8th Century BC and sometimes fought wars there. Carthage controlled most of the island until Ancient Rome conquered it. In later centuries, Saracens (who significantly impacted the Island genetically and culturally) fought against the Byzantine Greeks, and Normans ruled it for a few centuries. After the revolts of Sicilian Vespers, the crown of Aragon and Spain took over the Island. Later, Garibaldi in the Risorgimento conquered it and brought it into the Kingdom of Italy.
Donkey
A donkey or ass ("Equus africanus asinus") is a mammal of the Equidae family.
The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild ass, "E. africanus". The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. There are a number of other wild asses in different parts of the world.
The name 'donkey' is correct for the domesticated animal. It is the tame animal that people use for transportation and other work, such as pulling a carriage or plowing a field.
Donkeys can have hybrid children with a common horse. The child of a female horse and a male donkey is called a "mule". The child of a female donkey and a male horse is called a "hinny". Mules are more common, and have been used for transportation.
Donkeys, zebras and mules all look different from the common horses. One difference is the ears. Donkeys ears are much longer than a horse's. The necks are straighter and the croup and rump are also a different shape. The back is straighter.
The mane and tail of the donkey are rough. The mane is still and upright, almost always standing up, and the tail is more like a cow's, most of it covered with short body hair. Because their mane sometimes fly away, many donkeys wear their manes clipped short or shaved close to the neck.
Hoof shapes are different as well, donkey hooves are smaller and rounder, with more upright pasterns. The legs should have good bone, but lots of donkeys have long thin legs with tiny feet. Larger donkeys may appear opposite, with big, heavy legs and large round feet. Good legs and feet are very important for mules that are trying to find a mate. This is because, for breeding, a good foot is more liked than a large body on small legs and feet.
The donkey's voice is a very raspy kind, and it makes a loud "Ee - Aww" noise, known as braying (hence Eeyore in the "Winnie-the-Pooh" books). Although most people think donkeys are a gray color, sometimes they can have stripes, dark ear marks, as well as the "light points". This means that it has a white muzzle and white rings around its eyes, and a white belly and inner leg.
Colors of the donkey may be from gray to brown. Or sometimes they can be black, both red and gray, creamy white, or a unique spotted pattern. Donkeys come in lots of different sizes. Some, like the rare French donkey, has huge heads and ears, and very thick, shaggy curled black coat.
Donkeys vary considerably in size, depending on breed and management. The height at the withers ranges from 7.3 to 15.3 hands (31 to 63 inches, 79 to 160 cm), and the weight from 80 to 480 kg (180 to 1,060 lb). Working donkeys in the poorest countries have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years;