Slave trade in Yunnan

This description of the slave trade in Yunnan is over 130 years old.

Tali-foo, as well as Yunnan-foo, were also famous as slave markets to which dealers from Canton, Soo-chow, near Shanghai, and even Pekin itself, resorted for the purchase of female children, numbers of whom were brought for sale by the different tribes visiting the annual fairs, who in their wars look upon women and girls as valuable booty. Caravans, sometimes numbering several hundreds of girls purchased in the neighbourhood of these cities, started regularly every year for the different places I have mentioned, and so great became the traffic in girls, that the authorities in every large town along the routes from Tali-foo to Yunnan-foo appointed officers whose duty it was to inspect the caravans before they were allowed to enter the towns, so as to guard against the introduction of epidemics to which the human merchandise was too often expressed, as they were exposed in the journey to all kinds of privations, fatigue, and cruelty. Although the laws of China do not countenance slave dealing in the true sense of the word, the caravans of girls which left Yunnan were a source of too great wealth to the mandarins for them to enforce the strict letter of the law.

When a caravan was found to be infected with any contagious disease, admission into all towns and villages was forbidden them, and then, dragging along their weary journey by day in all weathers, ill-clad and ill-fed, the older girls might be seen carrying the smaller ones, who were either sick or too young to walk and keep up with the caravan ; and at nightfall, when encamped under the canopy of heaven, the poor creatures, after a scanty meal, would huddle together, the sick with the sound, and thus day by day the caravan would proceed, leaving behind it a long trail of dead and dying, who, by way of burial, became a prey to the packs of hungry wolves which always followed in the rear of the caravans.

(Geographical Journal, Vol. XV, 1870-71, p. 165).

Pictures of Nana Natsume

Nana Natsume is a Japanese AV model and idol from Osaka. Here are some pictures of Nana.


Nana as an ordinary girl on the stairs.


On the cover of a magazine.


All in white.


Aloha style.

Chinese eating rice

Came across this picture of a Chinese man eating rice. I think it is quite realistic, I remember seeing scenes like this when travelling in China, only the bowl was significantly bigger.

What can you say, the guy is hungry...

Giant centipede

And I thought I knew what a giant centipede looked like! But this thing is really huge, isn't it? Or maybe it is only the camera angle that is enlarging it.

Either way, I would not want to find one of these crawling over me when I wake up.

Ernest Hemingway writing

Ernest Hemingway writing. This is a stereotypical moment for a writer: to be caught in the act of actual writing. This being the point, it is likely that he is not actually writing Farewell to Arms or The Snows of Kilimanjaro in any of these pictures but simple correspondence. Or a check to PG&E, or the equivalent of that.


In this photo Hemingway is already old and he is writing out in the open. He has a little desk and chair so I would guess this was not on a hunting trip.


Immersed at work in his study.


At work again, only in a tent.

This photo shows Hemingway typing, with a book opened by his side.

Rembrandt drawings

I think that Rembrandt's paintings are highly overestimated and his drawings and etchings are way better. In the drawings, we do not have the noise of colors. Rembrandt derives his artistic expression from the contrast of light and shade -- everything else is just icing. To be exact, there is not a great divide between Rembrandt's drawings and etchings, there are plenty of compositions that have both drawn and etched versions.


A drawing of a sleeping woman.


A woman with a child. This is a very biblical type of scene, especially the observers in the background.


An ink drawing of a landscape with a river. These technically seemingly unfinished drawings are the best.


Drawing of a lion, obviously a study for one of his St. Jerome etchings. Rembrandt drew lions and elephants a lot, none of which are native in the Netherlands.

Albert King: Born under a bad sign

Albert King: Born under a bad sign

Born under a bad sign
I been down since I begin to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck,
I wouldn't have no luck at all

Hard luck and trouble is my only friend
I been on my own ever since I was ten
Born under a bad sign
I been down since I begin to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck,
I wouldn't have no luck at all

I can't read, haven't learned how to write
My whole life has been one big fight
Born under a bad sign
I been down since I begin to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck,
I wouldn't have no luck at all

I ain't lyin'
If it wasn't for bad luck
I wouldn't have no kind-a luck
If it wasn't for real bad luck,
I wouldn't have no luck at all

Wine and women is all I crave
A big legged woman is gonna carry me to my grave
Born under a bad sign
I been down since I begin to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck,
I wouldn't have no luck at all

Yeah, my bad luck boy
Been havin' bad luck all of my days, yes

Judo throws: Uchimata

Of all the judo throws, uchimata is probably the most confusing one for a non-judo player. It just does not look right, always appearing as if it meant kicking someone between the legs. But in reality it is all a matter of balance, the leg is not there to kick but to provide a powerful momentum. Since uchimata, next to seoinage, is one of the top competition techniques, a good uchimata is enough to drive someone's judo carreer to the top. A good example of this is Kosei Inoue who uses uchimata as his tokuiwaza.


Kosei Inoue and his uchimata at the Athens Olympics. He takes his time to get his grip but as soon as he does, he throws his opponent for an ippon.


Once again, Kosei Inoue executing an uchimata.


Uchimata is less common with women, especially light weights, but there is still quite a few of them on tournaments.


Uchimata and osotogari are the two major competition throws for heavy weights.


Even if the opponent puts an arm out, the spin will be enough to make the complete turn.


At this point it is fairly obvious that there is no turning back.


Yet another uchimata.

Mongooses: The cobra's enemies

The cobra's enemies

"Mongooses are small carnivores of the family Viverridae. The true mongooses make up the subfamily Herpestinae and include 13 genera and about 30 species, almost all native to Africa. The Madagascan mongooses, a second group, constitute the subfamily Galidiinae and consist of 4 genera and 7 species. In addition, some of the banded palm civets, subfamily Hemigalinae, are also known as mongooses, including the Bornean mongoose, Diplogale, and the Madagascan small-toothed mongooses, or falanoucs, Eupleres. Conversely, certain mongooses are popularly called suricates, meerkats, cusimanses, or ichneumons. Mongooses typically have a pointed head, a long tail, and thick hair except on the lower legs. They are commonly terrestrial, diurnal, and solitary. The suricate, Suricata suricatta, of southern Africa, however, lives in colonies; the African marsh mongoose, Atilax paludinosus, is semiaquatic; and the little-known Madagascan mongoose, Galidia, can be found in trees. Mongooses feed on a wide variety of foods, including small mammals, reptiles, birds' eggs, and insects. Among the better-known mongooses are those of the genus Herpestes, which range from southern Europe into Africa and southern Asia. The Indian gray mongoose, H. edwardsi, which may reach 50 cm (20 in) long plus a 41-cm (16-in) tail, and weigh about 2.3 kg (5 lb), is the one portrayed in Kipling's Jungle Book. The similar gold-spotted mongoose, H. javanicus or H. auropunctatus, was introduced into the Hawaiian Islands and to the West Indies and other Caribbean islands to control rats and snakes; although it did feed on rats and snakes, it concentrated on and seriously depleted populations of native birds and mammals. Mongooses of this genus are famous for their snake-fighting ability and are often portrayed fighting a cobra. Research has shown that although the mongoose is tolerant of small dosages of cobra venom, it is not immune to it. Mongooses are almost always victorious because of their speed, agility, and timing and also because of their thick coat."

Maki Horikita update: The school girl syndrome

Some more pictures of Maki Horikita, in her favorite role of a school girl. She was born in 1988 so she is no school girl anymore but somehow people love to see her like that. (I don't know who, I am not one of them.)


Maki Horikita in school girl uniform, looking bored behind a school desk.


Maki by the window on a train, wearing a school blouse.


Getting dressed for school.


Looking innocent at practice.


Drinking from a fountain?

Giant sea monster

"On the 6th of July, 1734, there appeared a very large and frightful sea monster, which raised itself so high out of the water, that its head reached above our main-top. It had a long sharp snout, and spouted water like a whale; and very broad flappers. The body seemed to be covered with scales, and the skin was uneven and wrinkled, and the lower part was formed like a snake. After some time, the creature plunged backwards into the water, and then turned its tail up above the surface, a whole ship-length from the head. The following evening we had very bad weather."

The above is a statement of the Rev. Egede, whose journal of the Greenland mission is "a masterpiece of accuracy."

Natsuo Kirino's first book in English: Out

I just finished reading Natsuo Kirino's new crime novel called Out and, despite the good reviews, was not impressed. According to the inside cover, this is her first novel that appeared in English but otherwise she is a major crime story star in Japan.

Well, maybe but I did not find the novel so articulate or particularly exciting. It is about some housewifes slaving away at a fast food factory who, when one of them chokes her husband with a belt in a fit of rage, decide to help their friend dispose of the body. The "obvious" solution that comes to their mind is to chop the body up in the bathroom and then put the chunks out in the trash.

The best part of the book was when having gone through all this they began getting similar work from some yakuza connection. They started a business of disposing bodies by chopping them into pieces. I thought this was a much-needed addition into the otherwise uninteresting narrative. This part had some humor in it.

A million miles away, by Rory Gallagher (1973)

Rory Gallagher, Irish Tour

This hotel bar is full of people, the piano man is really laying it down
The old bartender is a high as a steeple, so why tonight should I wear a frown?
Million miles away, I'm a million miles away
I'm sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay
Why ask how I feel how does it look to you?
I feel hook, line and sinker, I lost my captain and my crew
I'm standing on the landing, there's no one there but me
That's where you'll find me, looking out on the deep blue sea
This hotel bar is full of people, the piano man is really laying it down
The old bartender is a high as steeple, so why tonight should I wear a frown?
The joint is jumping all around me and my mood is really not in style
Right now the blues want to surround me but I'll break out after a while
Well, I'm a million miles away, I'm a million miles away
I'm sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay
Why ask how I feel, well, how does it look to you?
I feel hook line and sinker, I lost my captain and my crew
I'm standing on the landing and there's no one there but me
That's where you'll find me, looking out on the deep blue see
There's a song on the lips of everybody, there's a smile all around the room
There's conversation overflowing, so why must I sit here in the gloom?
This hotel bar lost all its people, the piano man has caught the last bus home
The old bartender is asleep in the corner, so why must I still be here, I don't know
Well, I'm a million miles away, I'm a million miles away
I'm sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay

Otani Kozui photographs

Otani Kozui was the man behind the Otani expeditions into Chinese Turkestan at the beginning of the 20th century. He was the heir to the abbotship of the largest religious organization in Japan, the Nishi Honganji branch of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism. Before inheriting the leadership from his father, the young Otani Kozui travelled around China and India before making it over to England where he spent 2 years. From London he eventually returned home via an overland route through Russia and Chinese Central Asia or, as it is known today, Xinjiang. This trip was what we call today the first Otani expedition. Another two expeditions were to follow a few years, although these were financed and directed by Otani from his headquarters in Kyoto.

When it comes to photographs and pictures of Otani Kozui, there is always one picture that is shown. To counter-balance this, I omitted that particular one and am showing a few others.


This is the young Otani Kozui in London, in his twenties.


This is an even younger Otani before going to London.


Here is Otani already in his sixties, living in exile in Manchuria and Indonesia.


And yet another picture of Otani Kozui, also from his later years.

Vampires and bloodsuckers

This is a vampire from the movie Van Helsing. It think this capture in particular is a wonderful example of what a female vampire should be. I mean this not as a role model but more of how me imagine a vampiress (vampiretta? vampira?) in our image-driven minds.






This is a picture of a young vampire girl drinking blood on the cover of the comics magazine Vertigo.






This is Elizabeth Bathory in McFarelane's Monster Series, Six Faces of Madness. This is a small toy sculpture showing the countess taking a blood bath. Elizabeth Bathory (or Elisabeth Bathori, Erzsebet Bathori) was a Hungarian noble lady in the late 16th and early 17th centuries who was known to murder young girls because she believed that their blood would help her maintain her beauty and avoid ageing.

Old pictures of Minamoto no Yoshitsune

Here are some pictures of Minamoto no Yoshitsune from old paintings. Needless to say, there are only old pictures of him.

(Youshitsune is sometimes also written as Yoshitune but it still refers to the same person.)


Minamato no Yoshitsune


Minamato no Yoshitsune


Minamato no Yoshitsune

Back On The Streets (Michael Kiske)

Back On The Streets by MICHAEL KISKE
I've been told in the name of something
I've got to know what it means to play the game
Too many faces around they're talking
They play their parts oh, so well but who's to blame
Back on the streets, that's where we are
Building a fortress of power, yeah! We're coming
You know better than me the rules are:
Getting better or fat in the mania
It's good to know who is who in our game
The speed is faster, it's harder to see where we are
Back on the streets. . .
Please Mister Know-how just bring me the news
I'm waiting so long for you telling me all you can tell
There's one thing about you, you're dying to prove
The master plan is yours and living with knowledge is hell
Back on the streets. . .

Fuck me tender, Love me tandoori

Les calèches de l'amour
Mènent toutes à vous Altesse
Et doucement la casse my Dear vos bas blessent
Tranchées du coeur, frou frous d'Organdi
Fuck me tender, Love me tandoori
Il n'y aura pas de mais Avril pourra remettre ça

St. James Palace in London

St. James Palace


The St. James Palace in London in the late 19th century.

Tangut and Thibet (Tibet)

"The vast country described as Tangut and Thibet is known to the Chinese by the name of Tsang. The Tartars call it Tangout, Barantola, and Boutan. It is said to be six hundred and forty leagues from east to west, and six hundred and fifty from north to south. (Thibet is sixteen hundred miles east and west; its breadth very unequal. -- Rendell, p. 227). It is bounded by the countries of Kokonor, Sechuan, Yunnan, Ava, Hindoostan, Bucharia, and the desert of Kobi. The Tartar emperor, Kublai, divided it into several provinces. He conferred on the Bonze, Passepa, the title of sovereign prince, and honoured him with a golden seal: and also with the titles of tutor to the emperor, doctor of the empire, head of the law, and even that of ouang, which signifies king, or prince. Next to the Thibetans, the Tartars are the most zealous worshippers of the grand Lama. The lamas had great power in China, while the Mongols possessed that throne; they are distinguished by the red and yellow cap." (Historical researches on the conquest of Peru, Mexico, Bogota, Natchez and Talomeco and the thirteenth century, by the Mongols, accompanied with elephants; and the local agreement of history and tradition, with the remains of elephants and mastodontes found in the New World, London 1827)

Latin and Greek languages, plus an acient Persian

"If an ancient Persian were to rise from the dead, there is one feature above all others in the system of modern life, which would strike him with surprise and perplexity; and, probably the majority of ourselves would be equally astonished at the fact, if we were not habituated to the sight of it. What is the meaning, he would ask, of devoting so much labour and time in the process of education, exclusively to the study of Latin and Greek? If the object of education is to fit men for discharging with propriety the duties of their subsequent life, why compel them to consume the first twenty years of their age, in an endeavour, and in nine instances out of ten, a painful and futile endeavour, to acquire a knowledge which gives them no practical information, which they throw aside the moment it is acquired, which, if pursued, would lead them far away from the business and interests of life; and which sends them into the world ignorant of its commonest facts, and with all the main principles of conduct still wanting, and still to be supplied?" (William Sewell)

Can a dolphin eat a shark?

Following up on the general fascination with dolphins brutalizing sharks, I would like to take a minute and answer a question addressed to me by one of my readers.

Can a dolphin eat a shark?

The answer is yes and no. First of all, dolphins are carnivorous mammals so they eat meat. They persist solely on eating fish. They will eat shark if sharks are fed to them in small quantities. In fact, they will probably eat any other meat if it is "served" right.

At the same time, dolphins do not attack sharks with the aim to eat those. They eat relatively small fish which they can take in at once. They do not have the capacity to tear off chunks of meat from a large animal. So in reality, a dolphin cannot eat a shark, unless the shark is a very small baby shark. Even so, dolphin would probably prefer to eat the kind of fish they usually eat. It is very rare in the animal kingdom that you can introduce a new type of food to an animal which it will like a lot better than what it is used to.

Down in the hole

Will all your money
Buy you forgiveness
Keep you from sickness
Or keep you from cold?

Will all your money
Keep you from madness
Keep you from sadness
When you're down in the hole?

'Cause you'll be down in the gutter
You'll be bummin' for cigarettes
Bummin' for nylons
In the American Zone

You'll be down in the hole
Yeah, down in the hole
No escape from trouble
Nowhere to go

Down in the gutter
Beggin' for cigarettes
Beggin' forgiveness
All that you know

Down in the hole
After diggin' the trenches
Looking for cover and findin' out there ain't nowhere nowhere to go
Nowhere nowhere nowhere to go

None of your money
Will buy you forgiveness
None of your jewelry
None of your gold

Your black market cigarettes
Your American nightclubs
Ah, they've got nowhere left

Something for nothing
All of your friends gone
Something for nothing
That's all that you know

There's something down in the hole
Down down down in the hole
There's something down down down down in the hole

Marisa Tomei pictures

I always thought Marisa Tomei was spelled as Marissa Tomei. Then I googled her and got corrected. In any case, I think the world needs more pictures of her so I am doing my share here. Personally, I think she looked best in My Cousin Vinny.


Marisa looking back.


And here she is in My Cousin Vinny


What is she up to?


Marisa Tomei a bit heavier but charming as ever.

Dolphins in packs and pairs: pictures

Whatever you may say about dolphins, one thing is clear: dolphins are rarely seen alone. They are highly social animals, almost always surfacing in pairs or in packs. When you think of these animals, it is kind of hard to visualize them hanging out alone without company. A dolphin all by itself is a miserable sight.

These pictures also show dolphins in their usual social environment, that is, in the company of other dolphins.


A paid of dolphins enjoying the sunshine that shines through the water.


Another couple. Dolphins have a mouth that makes them look as if they smiled all the time. Or maybe they do smile all the time, huh?


A pack of dolphins near the surface.


Dolphins with more dolphins. Look at the beautiful color of the sea.