The Bowers Museum clearly has someone working for them who is both extremely persuasive, and very well-connected in China, in order to negotiate such an…
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The amazing mummies of the Tarim Basin
I was going to write in a rather scholarly mode about my visit to the Tarim mummies, but I think all my “scholarly” has been…
Continue ReadingSouthern migration for the Mummies of Urumchi!
Planning a trip down to the LA area this weekend for a potentially once-in-a-lifetime experience. Some of the astonishingly well-preserved Tarim mummies from China will…
Continue ReadingThe Genghis Khan Exhibition at the Tech (3 of 3)
The other really nice display on a 3-dimensional model was of a 19th-20th century shaman in full regalia. I was inordinately delighted by this (much…
Continue ReadingThe Genghis Khan Exhibition at the Tech (2 of 3)
We have the same situation of frustratingly half-told stories occurring repeatedly in the Tech’s exhibit. For example, exactly one sentence was dedicated to Genghis’ daughters,…
Continue ReadingThe Genghis Khan Exhibition at the Tech (1 of 3)
Try any of these books for more on this fascinating and amazing era. The Secret History of the Mongols was written a scant 20 years…
Continue Reading‘The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream’ by Paulo Coelho
(Originally posted in June 2005) Well, crudpuppies. I’ve been so head-down in work and thesis writing that I realize I’ve let not one but two…
Continue ReadingPunisher MAX: Butterfly (3 of 3)
There were a number of very nice “grace notes” in the story which I rather liked. The panel of Butterfly whispering her safeword, “Jamaica,” to…
Continue ReadingPunisher MAX: Butterfly (2 of 3)
Thinking about it, there are a number of religious themes running through Butterfly’s story, as well as some extremely common (and unfortunate) tropes. The narrator…
Continue ReadingPunisher MAX: Butterfly (1 of 3)
I’ve been told I tend to ramble quite a bit in my book reviews, and that they’re consequently more interesting… so I thought I’d try…
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