Now it is official: the Dalai Lama will not be coming to the big Buddhist shindig planned for this June here in Ulaan Baatar. Rumor is some Chinese mandarin is supposed to be in town at the same time, which would make a very awkward situation for the Mongolian government. See Dalai Lama No-Show

More on the Mongol Khan Hulegu, previous incarnation of George Bush: "Or should we listen to Eleanor Robson, of All Souls College, Oxford, who said, 'You'd have to go back centuries, to the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258, to find looting on this scale'"? For the whole story see And Now: 'Operation Iraqi Looting'

Buddhist Chic: The latest fashions from the Dharma Wear capital of the world, Graz, Austria.

The mystery deepens: See Al-Sahaf in Suicide Riddle for more on the alleged suicide of erstwhile Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, whose memorabilia is currently a hot item on the internet (see below).