TYVANYNG ONGNUKTERI
The Friends of Tuva Newsletter
Celebrating Richard Feynman's spirit of adventure
Sixteenth Issue: Winter 1996-1997
Edited by Ralph Leighton
This was going to be pages 9-16 of the fifteenth issue, but so much time
has elapsed that it might as well be a new issue! The seventeenth issue will appear in
late Spring, 1997.
Published by Friends of Tuva, Box 70021, Pasadena CA 91117 USA
Hotline and fax: (415) 380-TUVA (-8882)
(If fax doesn't turn on automatically, press 33)
E-mail on the Internet: [email protected]
Tuva Trader OnLine
Huun-Huur-Tu Rides Again
After a one-year hiatus, Huun-Huur-Tu (sometimes called ``Throat Singers of Tuva''),
featuring the golden voice of Kaigal-Ool Khovalyg, will tour in January-March, 1997. If
you haven't seen them, DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE! If you have seen them, I know
you'll be going again.
Here is information provided by the tour organizer, International Music Network, (508)
283-2883.
Jan. 30: Lobero Theatre Paul Argenbright
Santa Barbara, CA 123 W. Padre, Suite B
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
phone: 805/563-7585
fax: 805/563-9985
Jan. 31: Methodist Church Barbara Karol
Encinitas, CA San Diego Folk Heritage
458 Palmitas Street
Solana Beach, CA 92075
phone: 619/755-4231
fax: 619/755-1196
Feb. 1: McCabes Zachariah Love
3101 Pico Blvd McCabes
Santa Monica, CA 90405 3101 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
phone: 310/828-8037
Feb. 2: Temple of Music Don Gest
330 S. Scott Avenue Gest Productions
Tucson, AZ 85701 1307 East Adelaide Drive
Tucson, AZ 85719
phone: 520/327-4809
fax: 520/320-9489
Feb. 5: Kingsbury Hall Steve Bouley
University of Utah Space Agency
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 419 East 100 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
phone: 801/355-2200
fax: 801: 355-2236
Feb. 6: Boulder Theater Nona Gandelman
Boulder, Colorado Maven Productions
PO Box 970
Boulder, CO 80306
phone: 303/443-5858
fax: 303/443-5894
Feb. 8: Meany Hall Matt Krashan
University of Washington Univ. of Washington/Seattle
Seattle, WA Meany Hall, Box 351150
Seattle, WA 98195
phone: 206/543-4882
fax: 206/685-2759
Feb. 9: Beall Hall Mark Levy
University of Oregon University of Oregon
Eugene, OR School of Music/1225 Univ. of
Oregon,
Eugene, OR 97403
phone: 541/346-2852
Feb. 11: Aladdin Theatre Steve Reischman
3116 SE 11th Avenue Showman Inc.
Portland, OR 97202 3116 SE 11th Street
Portland, OR 97202
ph: 503/234-9694
fax: 503/234-9699
Feb. 12: Laxson Auditorium Pat Kopp
Cal. State University Cal State Univ., Chico
Chico, CA Public Events/400 W. First &
Orange St.
Chico, CA 95929
phone: 916/898-5917
fax: 916/895-6824
Feb. 13: Varsity Theatre Steve Weiss
Second Street Univ. of California/Davis
Davis, CA University Cultural Programs
Davis, CA 95616
ph: 916/757-3488
Fax: 916/757-6185
Feb. 14-15: Great American Music Hall Annie O'Toole
859 O'Farrell St. Great American Music Hall
San Francisco, CA 94109 859 O'Farrell St
San Francisco, CA 94109
phone: 415/202-9815
fax: 415/885-5452
Feb. 19- 21: Cedar Cultural Center Bill Kubeczko
416 Cedar Avenue South Cedar Cultural Center
Minneapolis, Minn 55454 416 Cedar Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55454
ph: 612/338-2674
fax: 612/338-1687
Feb. 22: Old Town School of Folk Music Colleen Miller
909 W. Armitage Avenue Old Town School of Folk Music
Chicago, IL 60614 909 W. Armitage Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
phone: 312/525-7793
fax: 312/525-7842
Feb. 24: John Waldron Arts Center Lee Williams
122 S. Walnut St. Lotus World Music and Arts
Bloomington, IN 47402 Festival. PO Box 1667
Bloomington, IN 47402
ph: 812/336-6599
Feb. 25: The Ark Lee Berry
316 S. Main St. Prism Productions
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 PO Box 8125
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
phone: 313/665-4755
fax: 313/996-4553
Feb. 27: Wellin Hall Maitland Alferieff
Hamilton College Hamilton College Music Dept.
Clinton, NY 13323 198 College Hill Rd.
Clinton, NY 13323
phone: 315/859-4331
fax: 315/859-4632
Feb. 28: Portland High School Bau Graves
Portland, Maine Portland Performance Arts Center
25A Forest Ave.
Portland, Maine 04104
phone: 207/761-0591
fax: 207/775-4254
March 1: Iron Horse Jordi Herold
20 Center St. Iron Horse
Northampton, MA 01060 One Short Street
Northampton, MA 01060
ph: 413/586-2632
fax: 413/586-1162
March 2: Sander Theatre, Maure Aronson
Harvard University World Music, Inc
Cambridge, MA 720 Mass Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
ph: 617/876-4275
fax: 617/876-9170
March 6: Moore Theater Margaret Lawrence
Dartmouth College 6041 Hopkins Center
Hanover, NH 03755 Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH 03755
ph: 603/646-3453
fax: 603/646-3911
March 8: Town Hall Robert Browning
123 W 43rd St. World Music Institute
New York, NY 10036 49 W. 27th St. #810
New York, NY 10001
phone: 212/545-7536
fax: 212/889-2771
March 9: International House Helen Henry
Folklife Center Folklife Center/International
Philadelphia, PA 19104 House; 3701 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Ph: 215/387-5125
March 10: Birchmere Zoey Read
3901 Mt. Vernon Ave. Chesapeake Concerts, Inc.
Alexandria, VA 22305 5203 Leesburg Pike, Suite 1302
Falls Church, VA 22041
Ph: 703/824-1525
fax: 703/824-1542
Huun-Huur-Tu's New CD's
A third CD by Huun-Huur-Tu has just been released by Shanachie Records to coincide with HHT's 1997 tour. If
I'd Been Born An Eagle explores a possible past with the addition of an end-blown
flute, an instrument of other Turkic mountain peoples, which may once have been played in
Tuva. Once you hear it along with the other Tuvan instruments, you'll wonder why the
Tuvans ever gave it up! This CD is a worthy addition to the other two by HHT.
HHT also appear on a CD recorded in Bulgaria with the women's choir Angelite (formerly
called Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares). Called Fly, Fly My Sadness, this CD is
definitely meditative stuff --- not quite my style, but certainly an interesting mixture
of distinctive musical traditions. All four CD's by Huun-Huur-Tu are available from the Tuva Trader.
Other Record News
by Pat Conte, curator,
Secret Museum
Well, it's finally available, folks --- those of you who have been waiting since 1928
or so, when the original disc was discontinued (or thereabouts): The Lonely Cowboy,
Parts 1 and 2, by Arthur Miles, a mysterious cowboy from Austin.
This should finally put to rest Ralph Leighton's unspoken suspicions about my faking
this through elaborate electronic trickery (only kidding, RL...). It's on When I Was
a Cowboy: Early American Songs of the West, Vol. 1 (Shanachie's label Yazoo #2022;
Vol. 2 is #2023).
It's a beautiful set of cowboy musicianship, poetic lyrics, and rare glimpses into
history. Volume 1 has Arthur Miles on his throat-singing trip (singing two notes at the
same time, self-taught, with yodelling to boot!) --- though not alone in the annals of
American music, Miles seems to me the smoothest. So, best get to Tower Records now, or
through the home page of Yazoo's mothership, Shanachie
Music Corp .
Infinity On Video
For those of you who missed Matthew Broderick starring as Richard Feynman in Infinity,
a film of mixed reviews written by Matthew's mother, now's your chance to see it. Inquire
at your local video store for rental. (It's also on laser disc.)
Atomic Bombers
The world premiere of a play featuring the character of Richard Feynman at Los Alamos
will take place in March at the Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Illinois. It was written by
Russel Vandenbroucke, Artistic Director --- and author of a similar play that Feynman
himself saw and enjoyed tremendously in Los Angeles.
The press release states:
With the wry physicist Richard Feynman as guide --- first as a graduate student, later
a Nobel Prize winner... --- the mad dash to the atom bomb comes alive with dark humor,
intellectual mischief and riveting drama.
The 250-seat theater is new and state-of-the-art, with no seat more than 10 rows away
from the Greco-Roman thrust stage. Atomic Bombers is the first play in the new
home of the Northlight Theatre.
For information, call (847) 869-7278. Previews begin on March 5; the play runs through
March 30.
FoT HQ in Chaos!
The adage "when it rains, it pours" is proving true as many factors have
converged to make it difficult for me to devote as much time as I have done in previous
years to keeping the Friends of Tuva operation running. By May, when I plan to publish the
next newsletter, I hope things will have settled down. No need to go into details now;
it's mainly a matter of delegating some of the responsibilities of keeping Feynman's
spirit alive, and finding a bit more time for my family. (An unexpected family move from
Los Angeles to San Francisco in November caused FoT activities to grind to a halt.)
The Tuva Trader is gradually being shifted to a website (the Tuva Trader OnLine) and a warehouse (instead of my
home), which has resulted in some delays in fulfilling orders. Therefore, please do order
items, but don't expect them to arrive next week. You might be pleasantly surprised, but
your best chances of that are by giving up all hope of receiving your order soon. (It will
arrive eventually, taking a leisurely amount of time, like a journey involving Tuva
properly should.)
Thank you for your patience. I am trying to keep Friends of Tuva a mission, and not
turn it into an efficient business!
Tuvanly yours,
Urgent Action Alert: Imprisoned Conscientious Objector
Friends of Tuva is dedicated to Richard Feynman's spirit of adventure, thus making most
of our activities fun. There is another part of Richard Feynman's spirit that deserves
attention in the following story: his resistance to tyranny. One reason Feynman refused to
visit the Soviet Union in his capacity as scientist was the suppression by that government
of intellectual freedom. Russia, in some ways the successor to the Soviet Union, has been
only partly successful in changing the old ways: although the new constitution of 1992
(Article 59) states that ``A citizen of the Russian Federation whose convictions or faith
preclude the performance of military service... has the right to substitute for it an
alternative civilian service,'' the Russian Parliament has not amended Soviet criminal
code that imprisons conscientious objectors!
One such citizen is Uvanchaa Dozur-ool Mongushevich, a 22-year-old novice monk from
Tuva who was, until recently, studying at the Gelupa Buddhist Monastery in St. Petersburg.
Last year he was drafted into the Russian Army despite stating his conscientious objection
to military service, and was severely beaten (probably because of his beliefs) at a
military base near Khabarovsk. After being discharged to recover (both his legs were
reportedly broken), Uvanchaa returned to his monastery in St. Petersburg. He was arrested
on May 26, 1996 and charged on June 13 with voluntary desertion of his army unit. So far
as we know, Uvanchaa is still in detention in St. Petersburg, even though he has
repeatedly made known his conscientious objection to military service.
The National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors (NISBCO) is
asking people to write a letter on behalf of Uvanchaa Dozur-ool Mongushevich calling for
his immediate release from detention, and that until the Russian Parliament enacts
legislation implementing the Constitutional right of conscientious objection, that
President Yeltsin issue a Presidential Decree ensuring it. Please address your letter to
President Boris N. Yeltsin, Kremlin, Moscow, Russia. Please send a copy to Mr. John H.F.
Shattuck, Assistant Secretary; Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; U.S.
Department of State; 2201 C St NW; Washington DC 20037.
Thank you!
Feynman Stamp Campaign Update
As of press time (January 21), just over 500 signature have been collected on petitions
for a Feynman Stamp. Combined with letters, we're approaching 1,000. I haven't yet decided
when to approach the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (perhaps this May), so if you're
inclined, please send in more letters and petitions (from issues 14
and 15)!
Administratium
From the Internet, sent in by Lou Rosen
The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by university physicists.
The element, tentatively named Administratium (Ad), has no protons or electrons, which
means that its atomic number is 0. However, it does have 1 neutron, 125 assistants to the
neutron, 75 vice neutrons and 111 assistants to the vice neutrons. This gives it an atomic
mass of 312. The 312 particles are held together by a force involving the continuous
exchange of meson-like particles called "memos."
Since it has no protons or electrons, Administratium is inert. However, it can be
detected chemically because it seems to impede every reaction in which it is present.
According to one of the discoverers of the element, even a small amount of Administratium
made one reaction that normally lasts less than a second take more than four days.
Administratium has a half-life of approximately three years. It does not actually
decay. Instead, it undergoes a reorganization in which assistants to the neutron, vice
neutrons, and assistants to the vice neutrons exchange places. Some studies indicate that
the atomic mass actually increases after each reorganization.
Research at other laboratories seems to indicate that Administratium might occur
naturally in the atmosphere. According to one scientist, Administratium is most likely to
be found on college and university campuses, and in large corporate and government
centers, near the best appointed and maintained building.
Solar Eclipse Begins in Tuva
Shortly after sunrise on March 8, the sun will become totally eclipsed over the extreme
south of Tuva. If we're lucky, we'll have a report in the next issue, due out in May or
so. So long for now!
