Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at UChicago Hosts Lecture of Sudanese Archaeological Work Amidst Conflict reposted by Ruth Paget

The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures at the University of Chicago will host a lecture on Sudanese archaeological work during a time of conflict (notably at Darfur) on May 27, 2026 with French scholar Vincent Francigny, who has lived in Khartoum for more than ten years as the head of the French Archaeological Mission there..

Information about this free event follows:

https://events.uchicago.edu/event/258182-nubian-month-visiting-scholar-lecture-with-vincent-fr?mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGiBPWZl0H65O0wHFOtJhzFGewK6uK9NFaS00oZ1p07prk6uXg3gY_8ujKuqVGbOxGJ7-_DTkmfqiF7dgurUkdLeyn4-eeHMhKv3g4B_NSjkwksRvo

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

United Announces Seasonal Non-Stop Flights Between Monterey and Chicago reposted by Ruth Paget

United announces seasonal non-stop flights between Monterey, California and Chicago, Illinois for a 4 1/2 hour flight.

Art and architecture lovers have a choice of world famous museums to visit here and architecture tours by boat and bus.  

Information about this new flight service by United follows:

https://www.montereyairport.com/press-release/united-airlines-announces-seasonal-nonstop-service-between-monterey-and-chicago

Note: I lived in the corn cob Marina City Tower close to the boat in the photo after graduating from the University of Chicago.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

UChicago’s Chicago Minds Fundraising Achievements to Date and Guiding Principles reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago’s. Chicago Minds Fundraising Achievements to date in 2026 follow along with guiding principles for university fundraising efforts follow:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/university-chicago-launches-ambitious-campaign-chicago-minds?s_src=N26395&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGh7z-Trf1eRCbhZnbQw0Kw5LE0mFbjGqlRoG_yLljnucFDV3n1bafN1mylzCTZn2yUgr69wH7jw6aNwdnL1W5DxPJAPrlLD3ERGHefJ5-tNNaRr6Y

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Gaming the Gods Course Hones Analytical Skills at UChicago reposted by Ruth Paget

The Gaming the Gods course at the University of Chicago Divinity School challenges students to identify religious and belief systems present in games like Halo and India.

The class learns about insider/outsider analysis skills as one of the class outcomes.

Students are invited to bring in content from their studies outside the class such as in economics and art history to enrich the class experience for all students as they analyze the games.

Many students are learning about foreign cultures and religions through gaming imagery in the 21st century making game analysis a necessary skill like media literacy.

The University of Chicago article on the Gaming the Gods course follows:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/please-play-syllabus?utm_medium=05.21email&utm_source=UChicagoNews&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGh6rBPisKWxgFkMPrctnu1smQvweUMz_uZursjGo9Rwf1rNpAoW10BZHihQNeOGUsfQmkFuXP6v2lqqsiPZJjTT9jAT2GXfPCm3k3Ni2fs0C4DsMo

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Painting in the 1980s Art Book on sale by UChicago Press reposted by Ruth Paget

The overarching ambiguity of Painting in the 1980s characterizes outwardly diverse styles such as Neo-Geo and Italian Transvanguardia in this book by Rosemary Vohane Erpf sold by the University of Chicago Press during its book sale which runs until June 15, 2026.

Details about the book and purchase information follow:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19e455f9e35b502a

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Chicago Booth article on making AI training faster and cheaper reposted by Ruth Paget

The following article on ways to make AI training faster and cheaper so businesses can use their own data to develop AI human language models for business needs according to Kawin Ethayarajh from Chicago Booth (one of the article’s authors) details one of  the reasons AI is expensive to implement and how to potentially lower implementation costs:

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/ai-works-better-when-its-little-bit-human?source=ic-em-20260519&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGh37md3Qyng25f9hdCmgxj_tv1SYe0irSC34Wfyzil116NrgQ4pngdhJHD4ZZ9ZCjeBLpf8fj8zcj2ZovIGqXnV1GNAXErzgRh1bOO4-gMr7Svb5U

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

UChicago offers free tuition to students with yearly family income less than $250,000 reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago is offering free tuition to students with families whose families have $250,000 or less in yearly income.

Details about this program follow:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/uchicago-will-offer-free-tuition-families-incomes-below-250000-greatly-expanding?utm_medium=05.14email&utm_source=UChicagoNews&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGhx2QI0LjSSFLSXEP6CgXf5yJ8kxuCPO5EaGxYwbb2b5fFdfHwvOT12JJdCGwCmfs__95GtvNOK5sWVN2Zk2f4jR88I6Slzh7MAyfzv4133_dsVxk

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Pulitzer Prize Winner Yiyun Li’s Lectures at UChicago reposted by Ruth Paget

2026 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Literature Yiyun Li gave three lectures at the University of Chicago right before winning the Pulitzer Prize.

These three lecture, part of the Berlin Family Lecture Series, are available at the University of Chicago link below:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_personal/19e26ae89a15e189

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

UChicago Alums Win 2 Pulitzer Prizes reposted by Ruth Paget

Two University of Chicago alumni have won 2026 Pulitzer Prizes.

Details about their award-winning work from the University of Chicago website follow:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/uchicago-alumni-earn-pulitzer-prizes-international-and-local-reporting?utm_medium=05.12email&utm_source=UChicagoNews&mkt_tok=MjUwLUNRSC05MzYAAAGhvJc4xtGhjbqAxwoMJlIji-rWSexEWKO1dBSaC8KfR-_VVPC12u8yf04RjGHbI-ucyiRunsSbo7bncaBQ23SrBWRDBpU8nUiZsudLP2SshF1lqLc

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Business of Being a Writer book sold by UChicago Press reposted by Ruth Paget

The writing resource book entitled Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman and published by the University of Chicago Press might interest writers in Monterey County California.

Details about this book and purchase information follow:

https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart2/ChicagoBook?ISBN=9780226838656&PRESS=CHICAGO&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BUY%20THIS%20BOOK&utm_campaign=Reader%27s%20Picks%20April%202026

Keep Writing!

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

4 UChicago Professors Win Guggenheim Fellowships reposted by Ruth Paget

4 University of Chicago Professors Win Guggenheim Fellowships reposted by Ruth Paget

Subjects supported by these fellowships include:

-urban sociology - analyzing how needs like energy, food, and waste management in cities are impacting the environment

-art of Mesoamerica (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras)

-19th and 20th century politics and culture in Russia and Europe

-deep sea oceanography and the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Details about the awards follow:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/four-uchicago-scholars-receive-2026-guggenheim-fellowships?utm_medium=04.16email&utm_source=UChicagoNews

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

UChicago Alumni Travel Packages Reposted by Ruth Paget

Travel with well-read professors and classmates always sounds interesting to me.  

Places UChicago can travel to with a university professor guide include:

-Antarctica

-Central Europe

-The Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain

-Southwest National Parks

-Tunisia

-Christkindlmarkts in Germany and Austria along the Danube River

-Mexico City and Oaxaca

University alumni clubs could help their tourism industry alumni with travel packages like the following ones:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_personal/19d97ace5ec8a7e6

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

UChicago Press Economics Books on Sale as Part of Financial Literacy Month reposted by Ruth Paget

For Financial Literacy Month this April, the University of Chicago Press invites readers to browse their spring sale books for titles like Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom.

The UChicago Press Book Sale lasts until June 15, 2026:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19d921e99748cc10

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Unmasking Trash Reveals Many Concepts of Trash Through History and Across Civilizations reposted by Ruth Paget

Anthropologist and University of Chicago Professor Sarah Newman analyzes how what is considered trash has varied  through history and across different cultures in Unmasking Trash: New Histories of Old Things.

Details about the book, purchase information, and and its recent award of excellence by the University of Chicago follow:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/uchicago-press-awards-top-honor-sarah-newman-unmaking-waste?utm_medium=04.14email&utm_source=UChicagoNews

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

University and Theatre Collabrations Lecture Hosted by the University of Chicago reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago’s Court Theatre is hosting a lecture on university and theatre collaborations grounded in academic research and development of talent featuring Peter Sellars from the Opera & Theatre Department of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Chicago’s Court Theatre’s Artistic Director Marilyn F. Vitale on Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.

Details about registering for this free lecture for in-person attendance in Chicago or via zoom follow:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_personal/19d78b61d01db793

Note: There is a direct United flight now between Monterey, California and Chicago, Illinois.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopstivks and Marrying France 

$2.99 Earth Day e-books from UChicago Press during April 2026 reposted by Ruth Paget

The University of Chicago Press is selling Earth Day topic books as $2.99 e-books during April 2026.

Subjects include:

-Mushrooms

-Trees

-Flowers

-Frogs

-Shells

-Snakes

These books and others and others are on sale at varying prices till June 15, 2026 as part of the UChicago Spring Book Sale.

Details and download information follow:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19d723a6cb1bbd37

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Flow Creatvity Book on Sale Today reposted by Ruth Paget

Flow by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly is described as a happiness book that I find useful as a creativity tool for using all of life’s experiences as writing material is on sale today on Kindle for $1.99.

Details and sales information on the book follow:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W94FE6?_bbid=331880167&tag=bookbubemail1-20

Note: Csikszentmihaly was a professor at the University of Chicago and received his BA and PhD from the University of Chicago as well.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and Novgorod and Bento War Games

Mini History of Double-Entry Accounting Largely Centered in Northern Italy article in Chicago Booth Review reposted by Ruth Paget

The following article entitled The Birth of Modern Accounting and Finance in the Chicago Booth Review is a mini history of how double-entry accounting developed in Europe with the best documentation in Northern Italy.

The article describes single-entry accounting in medieval manors with serfs and how the rise of towns and trade promoted double-entry bookkeeping.  

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/birth-modern-accounting-finance?source=ic-em-20260407

Great reading for armchair economists!

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Wheat Culture versus Rice Culture Traits in Chicago Booth Review reposted by Ruth Paget

The following article entitled  New Residents Adopt Old Cultures about people moving to new culture regions and adopting different thought processes in China touches upon the differences between wheat growing cultures and rice growing cultures in China.

The article in Chicago Booth Review is short and raises issues Californians who eat bread and tortillas in a rice growing state might want to ponder:

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/new-residents-adopt-old-cultures?source=ic-em-20260407

Happy Reading!

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games

Free UChicago Press Book for April: Old Beach: Toxic LA Ingrastructure reposted by Ruth Paget

The free University of Chicago e-book for April is Old Beach; How Toxic Infrastructure Threatens Life in the Ports of Los Angeles and Beyond by Christina Dunbar Hester.

This book may interest sustainable tourism students for its discussion of the fragile balance between needs of petroleum shipping and a rich marine life site.  Similar conditions might exist in other ports in California.

Details about downloading the book follow:

https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19d537a1f0f3411d

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer. Of the Novgorod and Bento War Games