Barack Obama 's gift to HuJingTao(Chairman of China)
Markhor
it is said that it buying from Hawaii. it looks crystalline,jap
style--biconvex.
thanks Mr.Obama
richard
Yes, Obama gave Hu a go set made in Hawai it seems.
A picture of the set is given in the following google translated page:-
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpost.weiqi.tom.com%2Fs%2Fgallery_4C0008E02062.html&sl=zh-CN&tl=en
of http://post.weiqi.tom.com/s/gallery_4C0008E02062.html
The picture seems to be taken from a 24 minute news broadcast in Chinese where the board appears 18:30 into the discussion and
possibly elsewhere.
The video is at http://space.tv.cctv.com/video/VIDE1258472084687884
Dave Filpus
richard <mullens-...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
The board was hand-made in North Carolina from kona wood shipped in from
Hawaii. The bowls are blown glass and the stones are quartz.
richard
Thanks for the information.
I wonder if this is the Acacia Koa http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Acacia-koa.pdf
Paul Celmer
able to get into the E-journal:
My part started when I got a call from the president of the AGA, Allan
Abramson. He started the conversation with: "I have an emergency!"
Turns out he needed a presidential-quality Go set,and fast. The reason
he called us at the Triangle Go Group here in Raleigh/Durham NC is
because Allan knew that Frank Salantrie produced a remarkable North
Carolina shaped Go board for the Black Mountain congress, the board
that was played upon by a pro from China and Japan, with commentary by
Nakayama and Redmond! We went into overdrive to get this new
presidential Go/Wei-chi board done on time. The State Department got
the wood shipped in from Hawaii. This wood is Koa, found only in
Hawaii,and while a bit darker than traditional Go board wood, it has a
wonderfully warm and rich grain when finished. Frank carefully cut and
joined the planks to form the board. Then Frank and I went to Techshop
Durham (www.techshopdurham.com) , a place that allows inventors and
artisans to share the use of industrial grade equipment. There we used
a laser cutter to cut in the lines (within 1/1000 of an inch accuracy)
and to engrave the presidential seal on the back, and President
Obama's signature. Frank worked to finish the board and ink the lines.
Peter Armenia photographed all phases of the construction. Our entire
Triangle Go chapter offered to help with advice and offer of labor. It
was a bit crazy, tense, and nerve-wracking for me; I can't imagine
what it was like for Frank. There was no room for error at any stage,
yet he came through magnificently. And the final result was a truly
remarkable, unique, and beautiful board. In the end it was traditional
craftsmanship with some American high-tech mixed in. I think the board
has special significance in that not only is Frank a master carpenter,
but that he is a strong amateur go player and he has been one of the
foundations of our club for many, many years. He put all his passion
and respect for our game into what is now the most famous Go board in
the world.
From what we have heard at the State Department, the gift has been
well received.
Pictures at: http://fotorocket.wordpress.com/
Paul Celmer
Chapter Rep, Triangle Go Group