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.

Maki Horikita Gallery: More pictures

I am uploading some more pictures of Maki Horikita, the new Japanese TV star.

Maki Horikita on the cover of a magazine.

No idea what she is doing here. But I think it does not really matter anyway, it is not the point.

Just a smile.

Before swimming?

Maki in a boat, reaching for the water.

Tientsin (Tianjin) Railway Station

Found this old photograph of Tientsin Railway Station. Of course, today Tientsin is spelled as Tianjin and it is the third most populous city in China. Despite of this, most people have never heard of it, even though it was an important city in the first decades of the 20th century, as most colonial powers had concessions here.

On this old photograph, titled "Railway Station. Tientsin. China," we see what appears to be the Eastern station, or Dongzhan. Needless to say, it looks very different today.

Chinese kanji

Chinese kanji are not an easy thing to find and the reason for this is that you are searching for the wrong thing. Because "kanji" is the Japanese name for Chinese characters so while "Japanese kanji" is a legitimate concept, "Chinese kanji" is a hybrid nonsense. The Chinese call their characters "hanzi" which is exactly the same as "kanji," only pronounced in Chinese.

Perhaps this is getting a bit confusing. To explain this in a nutshell: You should look for "Chinese characters" or "hanzi" or even "Chinese symbols," although this latter is also a bit inaccurate.

Podocarpus Macrophyllus

Podocarpus Macrophyllus Maki, or Shrubby Chinese Podocarpus.

"The true species has largely yielded landscape space to 'Maki' (var. maki), often called the Shrubby Chinese Podocarpus. The leaves of the species are 3 to 4 in. long; those of 'Maki' are 1/2 to 2 3/4 in. long and narrower. In youth an irregular columnar pyramid of feathery branches and needles, easily sculpted into any shape. In fact, in Florida and California, this is often used for topiary." (From Michael A. Dirr's Dirr's Trees and Shurbs for Warm Climates: An Illustrated Encyclopedia.)

Picasso's drawing of a woman's head

A drawing of a girl's head by Picasso. It is definitely one of the most expressive drawings I have seen: the dark shades on the right make a wonderful contrast to the missing top of the skull. Very nice.

When we talk about cultural icons in modern art, Picasso can never be left out. He embodies the image of a modern artist on so many levels.

Chinese symbol tattoos: What is going on?

I am not sure where this photo comes from but it shows two Chinese symbols as a tattoo on some-one's skin. The problem is that in Chinese it means "insane diarrhea."

Now I know that there are many types of people with different lifestyles and philosophies. But I still do not understand how it feels cool for anyone to have a tattoo of Chinese symbols meaning insane diarrhea. WHY?

Or perhaps this is just a mistake. Or a mean joke. In either case, if you are to get a Chinese tattoo, please get it from professionals who can read and write Chinese. Simply etching the lines into your skin is not enough.

Try this link: Chinese symbols for tattoos

Chinese shunga

Chinese shunga. This sounds like nonse because shunga is a distinctly Japanese art form, with a Japanese name. But at the same time the Chinese have erotic prints which are very similar to the Japanese ones, the only difference being in style. The sample here is a very special one because the couple is doing it mounted on a horse back. The man is possible a barbarian of some sort.

Also, pay attention to the lady's socks which are interesting not so much because it is funny to see someone stark naked wearing socks but because she obviously has those notorious bound feet of the Manchu aristocracy.

Siberian wagon church: Church on the go

This must be one of the weirdest kinds of churches I have seen so far. This is a photo, on an old postcard, of a wagon church, that is, a church inside a train. The caption says, "Siberia, inside view of a wagon church."

Pictures of the frilled shark

So here are some pictures of the frilled shark.

A drawing of the frilled shark.

A photo of a stuffed specimen.

A line drawing of the frilled shark, showing its long body and face.

A frilled shark in a Japanese museum. It is called Rabuka in Japan.

What would you do with a donkey?

Why do you think this guy is naked and what does he want with that donkey? Whatever it is, the donkey obviously wants no part of it.

Pictures of John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker must be one of the most photogenic blues singers in rock history. His hat, shades and guitar are always with him, and he is always singing and playing. Or chilling, with his hat, shades and guitar.


John Lee Hooker just with his usual accessories: a hat, shades, and his guitar


John Lee Hooker playing the blues.


Singing, playing and sweating.


As always, playing the blues.


In this early picture, John Lee Hooker only has a guitar, he wears no hat or shades. I guess the "John Lee Hooker image" had not formed yet.

Dutch pink

On the subject of dutch pink, below is an extract from Hassal's book published in 1857 under the title Adulterations detected; or, Plain instructions for the discovery of frauds in food and medicine. It describes how to spot Dutch pink in tea.

Dutch Pink. -- Although called Dutch pink, this subtance is of a brigh yellow colour; it consists of a vegetable dye in combination with chalk or carbonate of lime. It is the yellow pigment most frequently used in this country in the facing of spurious green tea.

For its detection the following method should be pursued: -- An alkali should first be applied to the yellow dye, in order to determine, in the first place, whether it be vegetable or not: if it turn brown, there is no doubt about its vegetable character. In the next place, a minute portion of it should be examined under the microscope, with the view of ascertaining whether it is turmeric or not: if the cells of turmeric are not visible, and if it effervesce with an acid, there is no doubt that the dye is vegetable, and most probably Dutch pink.

Edna Million in a drop dead suit: Jockey full of bourbon

Edna Million in a drop dead suit
Dutch pink in a downtown train
Two dollar pistol, but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner in the pouring rain
16 men on a deadman's chest
And I've been drinking from a broken cup
Two pair of pants and a mohair vest
I'm full of bourbon; I can't stand up

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire; your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire; your children are alone

Schiffer broke a bottle on Morgan's head
And I've been stepping on the devils tail
Across the stripes of a full moons head
Through the bars of a Cuban jail
Bloody fingers on a purple knife
A flamingo drinking from a cocktail glass
I'm on the lawn with someone else's wife
Come admire the view from upon the top of the mast

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire; your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire; your children are alone

Yellow sheets in a Hong Kong bed
Stayzbo horn and a Singerland slide
To the carnival is what she said
A hundred dollars makes it dark inside
16 men on a deadman's chest
And I've been drinking from a broken cup
Two pair of pants and a mohair vest
I'm full of burbon; I can't stand up

Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire; your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire; your children are alone

Who are the Dungans

The Dungans are Chinese Muslims who used to live in Western China but moved further West during the second half of the 19th century. These are the ethnic Dungans who currently live in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and parts of southern Siberia. But later on, during the beginning of the 20th century, there was a tendency by Westerners to call all Muslim Chinese in Western China Dungans. This created quite a confusion in terms of the real ethnicities of people. (Then there is the Dungans and Dragons web forum which is yet another funny misunderstanding...)

The Dungans are perhaps most well-known today for the curious fact that they use the Cyrillic alphabet to write their language, which is clearly a Chinese dialect. Writing Chinese in an alphabetic script has often been thought of as impossible (especially by Chinese) but the Dungans proved this wrong.



Dungans and Chinese from Kashgar practicing shooting.


A Dungan medrese in Chinese style.


Dungan graves