#101 "Seeking Sanctuary, Recreating Historic Gems, Human Chess Matches"

Human Chess Matches

Go behind the scenes for a survey of human chess matches both old and new. Visit the Midwest Combat Chess League at Six Elements Theatre in Minnesota and the longstanding human chess matches in Marostica, Italy, which trace their origin back to the year 1454, when two noblemen competed for the love of the daughter of the local castle lord in Marostica. This issue will also reveal how human chess matches are staged on television and even in pop music videos.

Painted Wagons of Anatolia

Every since that monumental day at the dawn of civilization when mankind made the intellectual leap and invented the wheel, the use of horse-drawn wooden carts and wagons have been an invaluable and efficient means of transporting goods and people. This issue takes you to a village where horse drawn wagons are made the same way they've been made for centuries.

Seeking Sanctuary

In medieval Europe, especially England, sanctuary was the commonly practiced right to take refuge in a church and suspend common law. For a price, anyone could claim sanctuary and become temporarily untouchable. Much was at stake for those who claimed sanctuary, and a typical case might involve pursuit, betrayal, escape, intrigue, execution, or exile.

Tarot Readers: It's All In The Cards

An intrepid correspondent sits for a reading at the charming new-age shop Some Enchanted Evening, located in Spencer, MA.

Recreating Historic Gems

Decades ago, fifty "big, bright, shiny" famous faux diamonds made of quartz caught the eye of eight-year-old Scott Sucher at a Chicago museum exhibit. Entranced, the boy developed an interest in gems that would last a lifetime.

Whips and Knives!

Visit Adam "Crack" Winrich and Dakota Star Granados (better known as Esmerelda of The Don Juan and Miguel Show), who have teamed up to display their whip-cracking, knife-wielding talents in their own venue, aptly titled Whips and Knives.