the eleven virtues of jade

The wise have likened jade to virtue. For them, its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound, which it gives forth when one strikes it, represents music. Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountain and of water, represents the earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents chastity. The price that the entire world attaches to it represents the truth. To support these comparisons, the Book of Verse says: "When I think of a wise man, his merits appear to be like jade."

Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)

Spent a little time on Wednesday at the bloggers' preview of the National Geographic Terracotta Warriors exhibit in Washington D.C. More pics and thoughts to come. First: Must. Sleep.



p.s. yeah: I'm not sure that "wise man" counts as number eleven, but Confucius said there were eleven virtues so there have to be eleven virtues, right?

inverted canyon

inverted canyon
Originally uploaded by suttonhoo

A topographical map of the Grand Canyon floats overhead at the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C.

Spent a little time here tonight previewing the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at a blogger event -- pics and opinions to follow soon.

Posting by cameraphone from Washington D.C.

smitten by this kitten

National Geographic Video: Searching for the Snow Leopard

Don't. Miss. The pics »

Eco-porn at its very best.

slouching towards bethlehem

jesus pope and babies
Originally uploaded by tijo.

a found poem

This is not how Mary and Joseph came into Bethlehem,
but this is how you enter now.

You wait
at the wall, three stories high, thorned
with razor wire. Standing beside it, you feel
as if you're at the base of a dam. Israeli soldiers armed
with assault rifles examine your papers. They search
your vehicle.

No Israeli civilian, by military order, is allowed
in. And few Bethlehem residents are permitted out.

If you're cleared to enter, a sliding steel door grinds
open. The soldiers step aside, and you drive
through the temporary gap in the wall. Then the door slides
back, squealing on its track, booming shut.

You're in Bethlehem.

The city, at the scrabbly hem of the Judaean desert, is built
over several broad, flat-topped hills, stingy
with vegetation. The older homes are made
of pale yellow stone, wedged
along steep, narrow streets. A couple of battered taxis ply
the roads, drivers heavy
on the horns. At an outdoor stall, lamb meat rotates
on a spit, dripping fat. Men sit on plastic chairs and sip
from small glasses of thick Arabic coffee. There's an odor
of uncollected garbage. As you work your way up the hill, you can see
the scope of the wall and chart its ongoing expansion

A gray snake, segmented by cylindrical guard towers, methodically
constricting the city.


From Michael Finkel’s Bethelehem 2007 in the December issue of National Geographic

narwhals with picnickers & pepsi

narwhals with picnickers & pepsi
Originally uploaded by suttonhoo.

Field Museum, Lower Level
Chicago, IL

Scarfing some vending action before seeing George & David Stuart (father & son Mayanists) speak at a National Geographic event on Palenque. (What's Palenque? Search my Flickr stream. ;)

Foraging upshot: Hostess Ding Dongs, 11 days past their expiration date.

Posting by cameraphone from seat #D22.