Friday, July 14, 2006

Sobes Wants More - Here's to Randomness

Sobes gave me hell last night for not posting interesting photos, so I'll throw a few pics up here willy-nilly and try to fill in with some captions as I can. I just returned late last night from a three day excursion to the city of Suzhou and am on duty all day today, so my time is a bit limited. I apologize if these are unexplained or trite.

Ok, is this guy (to the right) Ben Mautner's double or what?




Arrival in the city of Suzhou, the capital of the ancient Wu Kingdom (triumphal return for Taeko - though the Japanese battered it once already this century) and an important silk manufacturing center.






Confucian philosophy, while abandoned by the Communists during the Mao era, is experiencing a bit of a revival in China today. So this is a Confucian temple ( though we all thought calling it a Confusion Temple might be more appropriate, given our collective experience of trying to work in China) for the religious worship of a non-religion. I guess it might be similar to us bowing and burning incense at the Jefferson Memorial - I know smoke would pour from WOP's ears just at the thouht (though he might be inclined to bow at a temple to Sam Adams - though I think having a stiff drink and finding someone to tar-and-feather would be more appropriate reverential acts at the Adamsian Temple. Hmmmm...that give's me an idea for a new cult - any takers?)

Woke up in Suzhou and snapped this pic from my hotel-room window. I'm not exactly sure what these two have in their boat or if they were out fishing or gathering, but they were plying her down the canal in between two major roadways.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

thats the stuff doc. As for the pesky TA's, no one said it better than your hero Oli Cromwell "YOU HAVE BEEN SAT TOO LONG HERE FOR ANY GOOD YOU HAVE BEEN DOING. DEPART, I SAY, AND LET US HAVE DONE WITH YOU. IN THE NAME OF GOD, GO!."

Anonymous said...

hey hey - I like that (even though it's tough for me to take anything from Cromwell). Good digging Sobes.

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