Kurt Johnson

I’ve mentioned this to a couple of people in conversation but never had a link handy until now.

Check out the articles here and here (quoted below).

The ancient game of Buzkashi [aka Bozkashi] has been played in northern Afghanistan since the days of Ghengis Khan, the Mongol warrior whose army swept across Asia in the 13th century. It is a fierce game of competition played on the steppes of Asia by expert horsemen. The Mongols lived and died in the saddle. Today, it is played in the Afghan provinces of Maimana, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kataghan. As a rule, women are not allowed to watch.

The carcass of an animal is used. Goats are preferred, but small calves will do if goats are in short supply. A carcass is soaked in cold water for 24 hours before the game. This is done so the carcass will remain intact and not be torn to pieces as hundreds of chopendoz horsemen independently compete to grab and carry the carcass to the winning circle. Usually, a the carcass is beheaded, its four legs are cut off from the knee, and its insides emptied before soaking. Sand is sometimes packed inside for extra bulk….

Some outstanding photos are here and here. I learned about it first from P.J. O’Rourke’s hilarious travelogue All the Trouble in the World. He characterized Bozkashi as a game where one team of horsemen compete against another team in a kind of capture-the-flag with a calf carcass. However prize money went to the winning individual, not the winning team; teamwork was undermined by individual gamesmanship for the cash prize – all in all a pretty neat sports metaphor for central asian politics.

It’s funnier if you imagine it in the voice from the Guinness commercials.

From 1850 but new to me. Bastiat’s petition entitled: A PETITION From the Manufacturers of Candles, Tapers, Lanterns, sticks, Street Lamps, Snuffers, and Extinguishers, and from Producers of Tallow, Oil, Resin, Alcohol, and Generally of Everything Connected with Lighting.

Found via the excellent Mahalanobis blog.