Stories from Friday, June 27, 2003

It's thought of as the game of medieval kings and queens, but there's much debate about the origins of modern chess. Its precursors and related games have survived and evolved over centuries, with the pieces, the moves allowed and other aspects of the game changing as it moved between cultures. ...

100 Years Ago -- June 27, 1903 ITEMS -- P.S. Miles Thursday sold to H.M. Duck a fine pair of mules for $300. The team will be used on the Duck Farm near Schell City. W.C. Sheets, a leading farmer citizen of Moundville Township, was in Nevada today and informs the Mail that he observed a patch of corn in tassel on some bottomland southwest of Nevada. ...

I've been following the brouhaha over the University of Michigan quota case. Left wing ideologues praise the university for its policy of giving certain minority groups, but not others, special consideration when applying for admittance to that institution. ...

To me, the most fascinating thing about the Hulk isn't his green skin, his glowing eyes or his superhuman strength. It's his amazing pants. From the comic book to the television series to the feature film, the Hulk has never split the rear of his pants despite growing three to 15 times his human size. ...