Wednesday, April 16, 2003
More on the “Americans are the New Mongols” Paradigm. Apparently some rare Korans which survived Hulegu’s sack of Baghdad in 1258 did not make the cut this time. See Now Free to Protest, Iraqis Complain About Americans, which says in part: “This morning, the ashes were still smoldering at the Ministry for Religious Affairs, where a building housing thousands of Korans, many of them illuminated and hand written, several a thousand years old, had been burned to a charred shell. It was another severe blow to Iraq's 10,000 years of cultural history, along with the looting of the National Museum and the burning of the National Library, in which countless priceless artifacts and books were lost. ‘When Baghdad fell to the Mongols in 1258, these books survived,’ said Abdel Karim Anwar Obeid, 42, the ministry's general manager for administration. 'And now they didn't survive. You can't put a price on this loss. If you talk to any intellectual Muslims in the world, they are crying right now over this.'"
Iraqi Wifes to Iraqi Husbands: “Sorry Honey, but your looting is giving me a headache.” According to Baghdad Looters Returning Swag, “Some people are surrendering the booty they took in the Dura district of Baghdad, perhaps in response to a rumored edict by a Muslim cleric forbidding Iraqi wives from having sex with looter husbands.” (Inexcusably, the Wall Street Journal ran this story under the headline Surrendering the Booty [subscription may be required].)
Well, I guess it was only a matter of time: Mongolia Has First Suspected SARS Cases. I knew something was wrong when I went out shopping at two o'clock this afternoon. At least half the people in the street had on faces masks. It's springtime in Mongolia, when there are often terrible dust storms and people often wear face masks, but there was no wind and no dust today. I stopped at the book store in the Zanabazar Museum and the woman there said that an announcement had been given on the radio that at least five Killer Virus cases were suspected but not confirmed. Then I went to the Austrian coffee shop just around the corner and found all the girls working there in face masks. They too had heard the warnings on the radio. So now what . . . ?
City of New York to Mongolia: "Pay Up or Get Out!". Apparently the government of Mongolia has not been paying its property taxes in New York. "The city is seeking $16.4 million from India for 235 East 43rd Street, which the city says was used for living quarters for people other than the head of India's mission or consulate. A similar claim is made against Mongolia for $2.1 million in taxes for a building at 6 East 77th Street," according to the NY Times.
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
I love it! Now there is a Disaster News Network with all the world's disasters detailed on one convenient web site so you do not have to go cruising all over the web in search of disasters. Today's leading disaster - you guessed it! - the Killer Virus!
Sunday, April 13, 2003
Examples of the "Americans are the New Mongols" paradigm, mentioned below several times, continue to pour in. Just one case, as reported in the Guardian, "'The army of America is like Genghis Khan,', snapped Fouad Abdullah Ahmed, 49, as US tanks rumbled by without stopping. 'America is not good and Saddam is not good. My people refused Saddam, and they will refuse the Americans.' One young man went further: 'If this continues in Baghdad we'll kill any American or British soldier,' said Rahad Bahman Qasim, 30."
Under the circumstances Mr. Fouad Abdullah Ahmed can be excused if his history is a bit hazy; it was of course Hulegu, Chingis's grandson, who sacked Baghdad in 1258, not Chingis himself, who died in 1227.
In any case, is it too early to hope for another Pax Mongolica?
Under the circumstances Mr. Fouad Abdullah Ahmed can be excused if his history is a bit hazy; it was of course Hulegu, Chingis's grandson, who sacked Baghdad in 1258, not Chingis himself, who died in 1227.
In any case, is it too early to hope for another Pax Mongolica?
Saturday, April 12, 2003
Just returned from Yeson Zuil, the birthplace of Zanabazar, the First Bogd Gegen of Mongolia and Erdene Zuu, site of Mongolia's first Buddhist monastery in the post-Yuan Dynasty era. Should have more on this shortly.
The famous 108 Stupa Wall around Erdene Zuu
Main Temples of Erdene Zuu
All the photos of people hitting statues of Saddam Hussein with their shoes has led to the Washington Post story "Worst Foot Forward: A Guide to Foreign Insults, which helpfully points out that while "In Mongolia, you can't lean on the supporting pole of someone's yurt." Remember this, all you folks coming for Visit Mongolia 2003. Anyone else like to point out Mongolian No-Nos?
Now the Killer Virus Is in Inner Mongolia. Ten cases have been reported in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia, where I was in in February. See my Photos. There are at least two planes a week from Hohhot to Ulaan Baatar and also trains.
More Killer Virus News: Hong Kong has had to dump its catchy new advertising slogan: "Hong Kong Will Take Your Breath Away", for obvious reasons. Whew! Talk about bad timing!
More Killer Virus News: Hong Kong has had to dump its catchy new advertising slogan: "Hong Kong Will Take Your Breath Away", for obvious reasons. Whew! Talk about bad timing!
Sunday, March 30, 2003
And not only "Visit Mongolia 2003" is scheduled for this year. This summer the Enlightenment Experience Celebration IV is supposed to take place in Ulaan Baatar from June 1 to July 7. This is an immense Buddhist wingding featuring teachings and initiations by numerous Buddhist notables, including Lama Zopa and the Dalai Lama, although of course the Dalai Lama’s appearance in Mongolia is always problematic. His proposed visit last September was thwarted by the Chinese and Russian authorities, although he finally did manage to Sneak in Later in November. The EEC IV event is billed an international gathering of Buddhists from all over the world. How many will run the gamut of Killer Viruses and war-related travel fears remains to be seen.
Of course the war may be over by June and the Killer Virus may have gone back to wherever Killer Viruses come from, but then again maybe not. I may have to consult the soothsayers at Gandan on this. They did pretty well on the Iraq war, missing the starting date by only two days.
Of course the war may be over by June and the Killer Virus may have gone back to wherever Killer Viruses come from, but then again maybe not. I may have to consult the soothsayers at Gandan on this. They did pretty well on the Iraq war, missing the starting date by only two days.
Well, the Mongolian government has launched a big Visit Mongolia 2003 program to lure visitors to Mongolia in 2003. Apparently they did not consult the soothsayers at Gandan Monastery before choosing the year 2003. As if the war with Iraq is not enough to deter many travelers now there's the Killer Virus Thing. See US set to curtail official travel to Asia over SARS, which says in part: “Under the new guidelines, all non-essential travel by US government employees to China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan will be suspended until further notice. The travel warnings will also urge US citizens to defer travel to the four places and suggest that those already there consider leaving.”
Since a good portion of the people coming to Mongolia transit through Beijing this can’t be good news. And the fact that many people even at this late date think Mongolia is somehow part of China will only add to the confusion. And the Killer Virus seems to be getting Worse.
Since a good portion of the people coming to Mongolia transit through Beijing this can’t be good news. And the fact that many people even at this late date think Mongolia is somehow part of China will only add to the confusion. And the Killer Virus seems to be getting Worse.