stv.tv/bingo - Odysseus Unbound
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stv.tv/bingo - Odysseus Unbound
www.edinburghnews.com 26 THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2007 EVENING NEWS Indian Cavalry City official on verge of unlocking secret to whereabouts Club ready to charge ahead THE Indian Cavalry Club is to open the doors of its new restaurant next month after being granted a liquor licence. The curry restaurant plans to launch its new premises on April 15, despite the concerns of local residents. It moved into the new building on Coates Crescent in Edinburgh after owners were told the lease at their Atholl Place premises, directly opposite, was set to expire. There had been concerns from objectors that the new restaurant would lead to noise problems and drunken customers, but these were denied by the restaurant. A representative of owner Shahid Chowdhury said: “This is a very well-established, award-winning restaurant that first opened its doors 20 years ago. “The lease at Atholl Place expires next month and the restaurant was very lucky to find a building so close to its current location.” Phil Attridge, chairman of the licensing board, said: “I cannot understand the concerns of the objectors. “There appears to be no trouble where the restaurant is now, so I cannot see there being significant problems when it moves across the road.” Referee’s epic quest to solve ancient riddle SANDRA DICK E ASTER ROAD erupted as the man in black reached into his pocket to deliver his red card, sending Hearts’ Edgar Jankauskas to the dressing room and paving the way for a famous Hibs victory. For SPL veteran referee John Underhill it was another fiery weekend at the centre of the football action, a chance to enjoy his sporting hobby in the red hot caul- dron of an ill-tempered Edinburgh derby. It was October 2005, and it couldn’t have been further removed from the gentle sound of waves lapping against the unspoiled shore of a baked Ionian peninsula. Yet the referee’s role in the game at Easter Road was nothing compared to the dramatic impact he is about to have on this sleepy Greek outcrop. And few – if indeed any – of Get a full house at stv.tv/bingo Join the online bingo revolution on stv.tv/bingo! Not only can you get your eyes down anytime of the day, you’ll also be part of Scotland’s freshest bingo community. Our chat rooms are brimming with hundreds of other like minded Scots just waiting to say hello and our fun and friendly Chat Hosts are always on hand to offer you help and advice. Bingo cards can be bought from as little as 10p so the free £5 you get when you register with us can take you a long way. All our games are fast, fun and exciting and with a new winner every three minutes you could be netting a jackpot before you know it. free £5 when yo u sig up today n Winnings are paid straight onto your debit or credit card (subject to a minimum of £30) or you can play on, buy more cards and try and increase your kitty. So what are you waiting for...? Get online now and start playing! It’s easy to claim your free £5 and start playing online bingo. Just follow these steps: 1. Go to www.stv.tv/bingo and register by clicking the ‘Sign up’ button. those derby match football fans could possibly imagine that the man brandishing the red card at the Hearts favourite might really be some kind of modern day Indiana Jones, hunting for clues to ancient civilisation, unravelling centuries’ old riddles. Today John is edging to within touching distance of solving a perplexing Greek mystery that has confounded scholars and sent archaeologists on a wild goose chase for two millennia. If the theory he is working on proves to be correct, the whistler and his two colleagues will be feted the world over for having made the greatest classical find since the discovery of the site of Troy 130 years ago. And Paliki, that sleepy penin- “In terms of classical Greek scholarship and Western literature, Ithaca is the Holy Grail” JOHN UNDERHILL ITHACA OR BUST: Geologist John Underhill, who is also an SPL sula jutting westwards from Cephalonia – the island made famous by Captain Correlli’s Mandolin – could suddenly find itself at the heart of a real life major Greek saga. Today John is in his office at Edinburgh University’s School of Geoscience, looking back on a refereeing career that has placed him at the top of the Scottish game. “I’ve been lucky,” he says. “I’ve got two hobbies, football and geology, that I’ve been able to enjoy at a high level. And they complement each other perfectly.” Now 46, he is looking towards ending his refereeing career in the next 12 months; winding down from the world of whistle-blowing just as the spotlight turns towards his geological role as historical detective and his work analysing rock formations and land masses 2. Fill in your details. 3. Enter the passcode JACKPOT in the Promotion Code box. 4. Click on ‘Submit’. 5. You will automatically receive £5 directly into your account. Select ‘play bingo’. Good luck! 1. To claim a Free £5, visit www.stv.tv/bingo and enter the passcode printed in the advert. A £5 credit will be placed into your new account. 2. Users can register for their free £5 until 20.04.07. 3. Only one free £5 can be claimed per person. This offer applies to UK residents aged 18 or over only. 4. Free £5 credits cannot be redeemed for cash and can only be used to purchase Bingo cards. 5. Offer open to new accounts only. 6. See www.stv.tv/bingo for full terms and conditions. MARCHING ORDERS: John sends off Edgar Jankauskas in a bid to track down a key site mentioned in one of the world’s greatest literary epics – Homer’s The Odyssey. Ithaca, wrote Homer, was the home of the hero of Troy, Odysseus, the Greek general who cunningly tricked the Trojans with a wooden horse. The poet described it specifically: “Ithaca itself lies low, furthest to the sea towards dusk; the rest, apart, face dawn and sun.” But while other islands and locations mentioned have been identified, mystery always surrounded the exact location of the island and the site of Odysseus’ palatial home. Yet within 18 months John, along with amateur historical sleuth Robert Bittlestone and Cambridge University professor of Greek and Latin, James Diggle, hope to unveil proof that Paliki is the real ancient Ithaca, using modern geological methods to show it was once an island. Just why the location of a place which may or may not have existed in 1200 BC is of such interest might well baffle some. But as John explains, finding Ithaca has been one of the biggest challenges for scholars and historians down the ages. “In terms of classical Greek scholarship and Western literature, Ithaca is the Holy Grail,” he says. John’s involvement in the search for Odysseus’ homeland EVENING NEWS www.edinburghnews.com THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2007 27 of Ithaca – the home of mythical Greek hero Odysseus Kefalonia Corfu GREECE Ionian Sea Kefalonia Zante referee, hopes to prove Paliki was once the home of Greek general Odysseus. came about by the most modern of means. “I had worked on the geology of Cephalonia a while ago,” he says. “The others had this theory and wanted to work on it. They typed Cephalonia and geology into Google and my name came up. “James had re-translated ancient Greek text of The Odyssey and looked specifically at geography references – all because of what Robert had suggested as a possible explanation for this 2000-year-old conundrum.” Their theory – published last year in their book, Odysseus Unbound: The search for Homer’s Ithaca – argues that the Paliki peninsula was once an island separated from Cephalonia by a narrow strait of water. Using John’s geological expertise, they have analysed the argument that major landslides and earthquakes had combined to seal the strait, linking what was once the separate island of Ithaca to the main island. “The more I looked into it – including drilling a borehole at the end of last year – it became more possible,” says John. “The results of that borehole in particular are very supportive that the western peninsula was once an island.” His geological survey of the area revealed the connecting strip of land is composed of loose rockfall and landslide material – supporting the idea it was once a waterway Picture: KATE CHANDLER THE HERO RETURNS HOME THE year is 1200 BC, the Trojans have been vanquished thanks to a heroic Greek general called Odysseus and his ingenious wooden horse plan. Homer’s first epic poem, The Iliad, has already set the scene – now The Odyssey charts his return to his palace on the island of Ithaca and his battle to regain his crown and be reunited with his patient wife, Penelope. But first he must negotiate Circe, a goddess who turns men into pigs and Calypso, who is so besotted that she offers him the gift of immortality if he will be her eternal lover. Eventually, only a message from Zeus sets him free and returns him to his homeland. Written sometime between 800 to 600 BC by the blind poet, The Odyssey and The Iliad form two of the world’s oldest surviving texts. While some locations in each book have stood the test of time, others, such as Ithaca, Odysseus’ homeland, have remained a mystery. filled in as the result of rockfalls triggered by an earthquake. A further marine survey of the bays at each end found an offshore marine valley which lines up with where the ancient waterway would have run. But the biggest boost to the theory emerged this week, when a major geoscience specialist company, Fugro, joined the search, bringing the latest geological technical equipment and massive resources to the hunt for Ithaca. The Edinburgh link was strengthened when the company agreed to sponsor an Edinburgh University PhD student, Kirsten Hunter, to work full time on the project. Soon it’s hoped industryscale geophysical techniques will be brought to the site, enabling a “full body scan” of the six-kilometre long isthmus. “The next 18 months are crucial,” says Portsmouth-born John, who now lives in Newington with his wife, Rosemary, a teacher at Hope Cottage Nursery School, and his children Laura, 13 and Matthew, 11. “This is a conundrum that has taxed people for 2000 years and now the technology is there to help solve it.” [email protected] Aegean Sea Athens Baltic ball set to celebrate two cultures A “BALTIC ball” will take place in the city tomorrow to celebrate Scottish and Polish culture. The Scottish Traditions of Dance Trust has organised the event as part of this year’s Ceilidh Culture celebrations. Director Angela Dreyer-Larsen said: “My dad was Polish and was brought up dancing from an early age, Poles love dancing, especially the men. “Given the influx of Poles over recent times, I felt the traditional ceilidh we held as part of the Edinburgh celebrations was a wonderful opportunity to embrace the two cultures and bring them together to share a common love – dancing.” The band for the evening will be Ceilidh Minogue, accompanied by Dominic Lech, who will play traditional Polish dance music. Scottish and Polish snacks will be available to sample, and whisky, vodka and Polish beer will be on sale. The ball will take place at the Southside Community Centre, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, tomorrow.
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