For an Iraqi view of Bush's visit see Girl Blog.

Saddam Hussein famously referred to Americans as the "New Mongols" and implied that George Bush was a reincarnation of Hulegu, Chingis Khan's grandson who sacked Baghdad in 1258. Now the man-in-the-street in Iraq seems to have picked up on this idea. Here's a comment from a story in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) about Bush's daredevil Thanksgiving Day visit to Baghdad: "Some Iraqis were unimpressed. 'To hell with Bush,' said Mohammed al-Jubouri. "He is another Mongol in a line of invaders who have destroyed Iraq." This guy better read And Will Chinggisism Flourish, the newly released book by Mongolian scholar Balin Bat-Ochir, which includes a chapter entitled "Chinggisism Is The Ideology Of Taming The Terrorists." "Chinggis" ("or Chingis") is, by the way, the Mongolian spelling of "Genghis".

And it's is not just sunspots: see Billions Face Water Shortages as Glaciers Melt.

People, it’s getting serious. Just when you thought the sun was getting back to its regular rhythms after the recent burst of sunspot activity, the beloved center of our solar system is acting up again. This photos shows the latest series of sunspots taken through four different filters. What exactly does this portend? Anyone out there like to prognosticate?

Miss Naraa bundling against the cold.

"A bowl of tea, a plate of sheep ribs, and thou . . . (to paraphrase Omar Khayyam)."

Ninety-two year-old Lama Gombo isn't fazed by the cold.

Meanwhile, it's still winter in Ulaan Baatar. Here's Oyuna bundled up against the cold.

Lovely Rahila (May you always be Blessed!) from Urumqi in Xinjiang

Famous temple complex of Bezeklik, near Turfan

Young Uighur Girl
Maybe it was the cold weather here that got me thinking about Turfan, in Xinjiang Province, China. This is probably one of the hottest places on earth. I visited here three years ago. The city itself is several hundred feet below sea level. Even in May, when I was there, the temperature in the afternoons was over 100 degrees F. No one goes outside in the afternoons, as can be seen from the photo of the city’s main street. In the evenings, after the sun goes down, thousands of people promenade on this street, which is lined with restaurants, cafes, and night clubs featured discalced, bathukolpic dancing girls. The majority of people here are Uighurs, not Chinese.


The Mosque in Turfan


The main street of Turfan: grape arbors provide some shade.

Winter has arrived in Ulaan Baatar:

People, get ready: the Leonid Meteor Shower is fast approaching . . .

100,000 Deaths Expected in An Imminent Attack Against the U.S. What are we to make of this? Rumor-mongering or legitimate warning?

Camels Compete In Beauty Contest: Here's my entry; the trusty white camel which carried me 167 miles through the Gobi Desert. (Note about linked story: the sub-headline refers to a "dromedary," which is the one-humped camel found in the Mid-East, although the story is about a camel beauty contest which took place in China. The text of the story correctly refers to Bactrian, or two-humped camels, such as are found in China and Mongolia. Also the stock-photo which accompanies the story incorrectly shows dromedaries.


Camels . . . you can't help but love'em.