Effigy of a smiling abbot which is currently at the Llangollen Museum after being found in Chirk (Image: University of Chester)
A University of Chester professor believes a gravestone discovered in a Wrexham garden is rare effigy of a 13th century monk.
Howard Williams and historians from Llangollen believe the stone, which Meryl and Jerry Butler bought as a garden ornament, is a gravestone for Hyywel, who was recorded as Abbot of Valle Crucis in Llangollen at around 1295.
The couple bought the stone carving of a smiling abbot awaiting salvation at auction at Wynnstay Hall estate in Ruabon in the mid-1990s.
The monument later spent 20 years alongside their fireplace before the couple, who ran antique bed store Seventh Heaven in Chirk, decided to share their find with the public and contacted Llangollen Museum manager Gillian Smith to learn more about it.
Jerry said: “We just loved the smile on his face, so we bought it for the garden. It was on its side and we think it had been face down before that – had it been left face up you wouldn’t have the detail now!”
They believe it may have initially been uncovered during the 19th century clearance of the Llangollen abbey ruins.
The unique piece, believed to be the first-ever known, and previously unrecorded, effigal slab of a Cistercian abbot from Wales, is now on display by Llangollen Museum on a two year loan.
Gillian said: “He was by the door in Seventh Heaven when I went in. My initial reaction was “Oh my goodness, that’s really special.
“I just couldn’t stop looking at him. I sat there for about an hour, photographed him, and then dashed down to Valle Crucis, where I know the curators.
“Stylistically, around the edges it was quite similar so I looked that up and looked at the dates… it just looked as if it could possibly even be the same craftsman. I also did a bit more research on gravestones with images and came up with just about nothing so I thought it must be unique.”
Professor Williams added: “Inscribed effigies are rare indeed. There is only one other comparable example of an incised effigy, from Rhuddlan, and while there are a large collection of medieval grave-slabs from Valle Crucis Abbey, with many on display in the abbot’s house there, none have an inscribed effigy.”
He added: “All that remains of the Lombardic writing on the fragment of stone that survives is: ‘…ER: HOWEL’ : ABBAS’. It is believed that the ‘er’ might be the end of ‘frater’, and that, possibly, the original inscription, would have read something like: HIC IACET FRATER HOWEL ABBAS. Here lies Brother Howel, Abbot.”
Yes, we know that the magicians trick us and they don't really saw women in half, and yet we cannot help but admire the miracle that happens right in front of our eyes.
Now tell me, when was the last time you saw chess magic tricks? Some of you might say "never." Well, let me assure you that we are all chess magicians to some extent, because in order to beat your opponent you need to trick him somehow.
In the movie Now You See Me, the protagonist shares his secret: "First rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room." So, you really want to make your opponent believe that he is the smartest one, while it is you who has an ace up your sleeve!
Some 50 years ago when chess was incredibly popular in the former Soviet Union, you would see people playing at the beach, on a bench, and pretty much everywhere! So a guy would come to such players and show them a chess position on his pocket set.
The players are obviously annoyed that somebody distracts them from their game and yet they take a quick look at the position.
"Come on guys! You are kidding me," laughs the stranger. "Black has an extra rook; he cannot lose the game here!"
The dispute usually ends with a bet and the players start showing the stranger his ignorance. Here is how the game proceeds:
Here the players realize that something weird is going on and the famous Saavedra position somehow is not winning for White. While they are still trying to understand what's going on, their money is already in the stranger's pocket and he is looking for a new victim.
Now let me explain what's going on there. The Saavedra position is one of those proverbial "every Russian schoolboy must know" positions. This is how it looks:
As you can see, the position that the stranger showed the players closely resembled the Saavedra position, but white king and black rook switched sides and it changed the result of the game!
Do you think these kind of tricks work only with amateur players? Let's see. In the next game, the very experienced Ukrainian GM Malaniuk trapped a young Peter Svidler into a cute opening trap:
I hope you already know how to trick your opponent. The recipe is quite simple: Get a position that resembles a well-known trap, so your opponent is sure that he is "the smartest person in the room." Then prove him wrong!
Therefore, if you create an illusion that your opponent can trap your bishop following the footsteps of the great Cuban, you are almost guaranteed to succeed.
Turkeys have played a central role in the history of the United States. In a letter to his daughter, Ben Franklin offered praise for the bird, which he called, “…a true original native of America…(though a little vain and silly tis true, but not the worse emblem for that) a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.”
He was correct about turkeys’ aggressive streaks, but lately they haven’t been after the British. Nope. Turkeys have been terrorizing Americans. WBUR in Boston reports turkeys, which had disappeared from New England in the 1800s, have been successfully reintroduced to the region.
The victory isn’t being celebrated in all quarters, though. According to reports, turkeys seem to prefer suburbia where they’ve been “clashing with residents who say they destroy gardens, damage cars, chase pets, and attack people.”
In fact, turkey aggression has become so acute wildlife officials have offered the equivalent of a wild turkey survival guide. First, they recommend, cover windows and shiny objects (turkeys may respond aggressively to sparkly items and their own reflections). Second, Americans who are being intimidated by turkeys should not “...hesitate to scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom, or water sprayed from a hose. A dog on a leash is also an effective deterrent.”
Climbing trees is not an effective way to escape the menacing fowl. Domestic turkeys cannot fly, but wild turkeys can soar at speeds of up to 55 mph for short distances, according to LiveScience.com. Next time you spot a rafter of turkeys, remember: “Turkeys in the wild are far stronger and faster than the ones that land on Thanksgiving tables.”
Stock markets around the world may have ripened to full-slip sweetness this year. Emerging markets have delivered the most attractive returns year-to-date. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index was up 34 percent year-to-date, last week. The United States and Europe have marched higher, too. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up about 16 percent year-to-date, while the Euro Stoxx Index was up 11.3 percent, reported Barron’s and The Wall Street Journal.
Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at the Leuthold Group, told CNBC, “I don't see the elements of a bear market but I certainly think 2018 can bring us a correction or at least just a more challenging market.”
David Lebovitz, global market strategist with J.P. Morgan Asset Management, wrote in Barron’s, “Healthy earnings growth suggests that there is still upside in U.S. equities, but this area of the global equity market is most expensive relative to its long-term average. However, history has shown us that expensive stock markets can get more expensive before they get cheaper, as multiples tend to expand in the final stages of a bull market.”
Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at the Lindsey Group, told CNBC, “This boat is now standing room only…I still can't figure out why some think there is no euphoria in markets when one has to go back 30 years to see this wide a spread between bulls and bears.”
Boockvar was referring to an early November Investors Intelligence Sentiment Survey, which gauges the attitudes of U.S. advisors. CNBC reported 63.5 percent of those surveyed were bullish and just 14.4 percent were bearish. A gap of 30 points is a sign of elevated risk, while a 40-point difference suggests defensive measures may be appropriate.
Individual investors aren’t quite as confident. Last week’s AAII Sentiment Survey showed 35.5 percent were bullish, 29 percent were bearish, and the remainder were neutral. It’s important to note, there was a distinct shift toward bullishness and away from bearishness in last week’s survey.