Dust Up

I was seriously disinclined to venture outdoors today as, when I glanced out the windows of my aerie around lunchtime, here’s how it looked (I did not alter this photo at all):

In the spring, the winds kick up, and Mongolia is frequently subjected to dust and sand storms, Ulaanbaatar included. It’s been so dry, they say brush fires are already igniting in several provinces.

Other than that, I got nothin’. Just puttering around, tending to domestic duties. Though I just remembered I never shared some photos from the trip I took with Lama Purevbat to his home town of Bornuur. There I discovered he had created a large stupa, with a walk-in shrine room dedicated to Buddha Amitabha:

Widening the view, you see that he is currently building a small temple and cultural center:

After inspecting all this, I was brought along to a town meeting about his activity and made to sit on the stage as part of the “organizing committee”! Here’s how it looked:

I was really along to see a piece of land Purevbat was suggesting we share as a retreat place. On the way there, we dropped by to say howdy to Purevbat's mama, and I was delighted to see a smattering of the most adorable spring lambs and kids:

The land we visited is snugged up to some mature woodland at the end of a long valley, about 6km off the main road. I liked it, but I dunno. It didn’t exactly ring my bells for some reason.

We’ll see how all that develops, but it also occurs to me that it’s been ages since we’ve had a...

Zendette Honorary Geography Quiz!

What a perfect dusty day activity. Well, since our last installment, citizens from six new nations have clipped on their pince nezzes and peered at the proceedings. Guess what they are in the comments based on the preposterous clues provided below:

1. The name of country #124 sounds like a summit meeting between Spanish Catholics and cigar manufacturers. Perhaps this is where the term “holy roller” was born.

2. Though only 239 square miles, this island nation provoked war between France and Great Britain no fewer than 15 times between 1663 and 1814. Not sure how she got such a beatified name. Cool flag and tropical birdies on the coat of arms, too. (No cheating from the link!)

3. If this African nation’s name were offered in the form of a question, the answer might be, “You bet I am!”

4. The capital of this Middle Eastern nation might serve as an epithet for a sub-par student trying to get ahead by buttering up the teacher.

5. This island nation’s name becomes funny when you say it like one of those old Model T horns.

6. Finally, country #129, though in Africa, sounds like what an Italian might say occurs when one rolls up one’s pant legs on a sunny summer day.

Comments

[Ryan]

Aha! I think I got one! #5: Aruba. Or, more accurately, AROOOOOOOOba!

How'd I do? Huh? Huh? How'd I do?

[Konchog]

Cuzzin Ryan: Correct! Clearly a damaged genetic sequence somewhere along our helix.

C'mon, y'all. The others aren't that hard.

[Sarabaite]

For number three, how about "Sierra Leone", or, "Say, are ya' alone?"

Yeah, it's a stretch. Puzzles aren't my gift.

[Konchog]

Sarabaite: Not bad, but no cigar.

It occurs to me that a better response to #3 would be, "You betcha!"

[Sarabaite]

Hey, Konchong, there’s been something that I’ve been mulling over that I wanted to post. I’m sure you dropped the Tibetan issue from feeling discouraged from the lack of response, which has to sting. I know you feel like, as soon as you get away from the cute pictures, the comments drop off dramatically. For someone who spends all his time helping others, that probably doesn’t make much sense. There’s just one bit of consolation I wanted to add, which is an explanation for the heightened apathy, including (especially) myself. Many of us over here are so disheartened with our own government that we feel out-of-place critiquing the civil rights crimes being committed in other countries because of the violations done by our own country, which have accelerated in the last eight years. Sure, we aren’t seeing bloody monks in our streets, but it’s gut-wrenchingly obvious that D.C. doesn’t give a hot damn what we think, or even what the constitution says. It’s easy to give up activism when the news rarely covers protests anymore. (They felt obligated to cover the protests on the anniversary of the war last month, but that was the exception rather than the rule.) Hell, the news hardly covers news anymore; it’s mostly info-tainment.
Yeah, that’s a crap attitude, but I thought I should say that the apathy is not directed at Tibet directly. It’s also a crying shame that I’m describing myself as much as, if not more than, the public at large. Hopefully you have some advice to counteract it, because it’s no way to approach a problem!
TMI? Sorry!

[minnie]

is #3 uganda? (you gonna?)

[Konchog]

minnie: Correct! Now, let's see how many others of you weirdos think like me.

Sarabaite: I'm not discouraged; I don't measure success by number of comments. I can also see how many folks click what, and the most clicks the past month were on the links to action items on behalf of Tibet. I share your grief over the degeneration of our own government, but on the Tibet issue, I just wanted to strike while the iron was hot. To see my fellow monks brutalized in that way is unbearable to me. I may have more when the torch hits Canberra.

[Zendette]

Coming in late here, and I totally guessed Uganda, although Minnie beat me to it. So let's try some of the others:

1. St. Kitts
4. Syria (Damascus)
5. Angola?

On the issue of Chinese occupation of Tibet and the violent crackdowns, I feel a bit strange posting on this because I live in a country often accused of being the only remaining, most brutal occupier. I get annoyed when I hear this, because I always feel the need to remind people that the occupation of Tibet has been equally, if not more brutal and definitely more pointless. I don't want to get into a political argument with anyone here, but clearly the Tibetans have, for the most part, been passively trying to exist under a regime that has done everything possible to eradicate the ancient and beautiful culture of Tibet. I have yet to hear of Tibetan terrorists blowing up Chinese planes or holding Han children hostage before killing as many as they can.

We do have a well organized group in Israel that supports HHDL, bringing him here almost annually to provide teachings. The group also organizes demonstrations at the Chinese embassy. It still eels complicated to be living in an occupying country, and still call for the freedom of Tibet. But I try to let go of that feeling, and just support HHDL, in his tireless quest for religous freedom and autonomy for the Tibetan people.

[Konchog]

Ah, the honoree herself appears! Well, Zendette, you did...OK.

#1: Incorrect! Sure you weren't trying to answer #2? You would have been closer.

#4: Correct! Har-de-har, no?

#5 Incorrect!

Half solved, half to go.

I know, people sometimes try to compare Tibet and Palestine, but to me the situations are so totally different that I don't find the comparison useful at all. Thank you and your Israeli friends for your support of HHDL, and peaceful endeavor in general. Some day, some way, we'll work it all out. And first things first! As the Dalai Lama says, "Without inner peace, how can there be real peace?"

[Zendette]

I meant #6 Angola. If not, how about Burkina Faso?

I cheated, so I'm disqualified from answering #2.

Inner peace, outer peace....any peace at all would be nice :-)

[Konchog]

#6: Neither is correct! You're seriously jeopardizing your naming rights. And you're gonna laugh when you realize what it is.

[jules]

Okay, I'm taking a stab at #6 - is it Tunisia? (Two knees-a. Kind of.)

And I cheated and followed your link for #2, because I wanted to see the cool tropical birds, so I'll leave that one.

[Konchog]

jules: So close! But incorrect!

Lots of people have clicked that link, but haven't squealed. DODR has a very honorable readership.

[jules]

Oh oh oh! I've got #6 - Tanzania! (Tan ze knee-a.) I knew the knees figured into it! :)

[Konchog]

jules! Correct! I wish there were prizes!

I'm surprised no one's gotten #1, so here's another clue: it's one of the few nations afflicted with "conjunctivitis".

[maura]

Trinidad & Tobago
I totally needed the second clue and even at that had to mentally squint to make sense of the first

[Konchog]

Maura! Correct! You know, they can't all be gems...

Only #2 is left unsolved...