Where Russia Began

In what is now northwestern Russia there was once a group of tribes. They had succeeded in resisting being ruled by anyone else. But the tribes just couldn't get along with each other.

They ended up seeking some order by actually inviting an outside prince or chieftain to rule over them. The one that ended up being was named Rurik. It doesn't seem to be known for sure where he was from, but Rurik was almost certainly of Viking or Scandinavian origin.

This began, in 862, what was known as the Rurik Dynasty that would last over 700 years.

The Rurik Dynasty ruled over a kingdom known as the Kievan Rus. Vladimir the Great was a Rurik prince in Kiev who made what would turn out to be the momentous decision to adopt the Byzantine rite of Christianity for his kingdom. This was, as we saw in "The House Of Holy Wisdom, Where The Modern World Began", was because his envoys were so impressed with the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

The Kievan Rus ultimately broke apart, but had succeeded in being a conduit for the spread of Christianity and it is today acknowledged as the predecessor state of Russia, Ukraine and, Belarus, and is where the name of Russia comes from.

The next power that arose was the Grand Duchy of Moscow. This state gradually annexed the neighboring states that had been the remnants of the Kievan Rus, and lands to the east as well. This was still the Rurik Dynasty that had been founded centuries before.

A leader called Ivan the Great had married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor, from before Constantinople had been conquered by the Ottomans. Since Constantinople had been claimed to be the "Second Rome", the holy successor city to Rome, Ivan claimed Moscow as the "Third Rome", meaning the center of Christianity.

Finally, in 1547, the grandson of Ivan the Great, known as Ivan the Terrible, proclaimed the annexed lands as the Tsardom of Russia, with himself as tsar. But he is the one who built the magnificent St. Basil's Cathedral, and how terrible can someone be who can build something like that?

The place where Rurik had arrived to begin his rule over the quarreling tribes was Novgorod, to the northwest of Moscow on the way to what is now St. Petersburg. This was Rurik's capital and Ivan the Great eventually annexed what was known as the Republic of Novgorod into the Grand Duchy of Moscow, before all of it became the modern nation of Russia.

In 1862, a metal monument was unveiled in the Kremlin of Novgorod to celebrate the millennium since the arrival of Rurik in 862. His arrival is considered as the beginning of Russia and the monument is known as the Millennium of Russia. We usually think of the Kremlin as being in Moscow but it is simply a term for a walled citadel and there are also kremlins in some other Russian cities.

The first of the following scenes in the Novgorod Kremlin is of the Millennium of Russia Monument. The figure holding the shield is Rurik. The other figures, both on the top and the bottom of the monument, are other important people from Russia's history. The adjacent cathedral, St. Sophia, was the main cathedral of the Novgorod Republic.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >, After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

https://www.google.com/maps/@58.5209835,31.2751234,3a,37.5y,33.81h,111.7t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sbOSDN7YUwGpqmu-8dydwZA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DbOSDN7YUwGpqmu-8dydwZA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D50.051704%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

Notice how the Millennium of Russia Monument resonates with the Tsar Bell, in the Moscow Kremlin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bell#/media/File:Tsar_Bell_in_Kremlin.jpg

The alphabet that is used in Russia is the Cyrillic Alphabet. It was originally based on an alphabet created by St. Cyril, who was a missionary from Byzantium. The alphabet was so that people who spoke Slavic languages could read the Bible. Peter the Great, of the Romanov Dynasty which followed the Ruriks, made some of the letters look more like the Latin alphabet. He personally created the letter that looks like a backwards "R".

There is an enclave of Russia far to the west of the rest of the country, on the Baltic Sea. This is Kaliningrad. The city began with a medieval fortress built by the Teutonic Knights. Kaliningrad used to be part of East Prussia, when it's German name was Konigsberg. It was repopulated with Russians after the Second World War. The city had been part of Russia before, at the time of the Romanov Dynasty, and had also once been part of Poland.

One thing that the city is known for is a famous puzzle, known as the Seven Bridges of Konigsberg. This is a simplified illustration. It is supposedly impossible to walk a route that will cross each bridge once and only once. No swimming, tunneling or flying is allowed. It has to be only walking. It has to be one continuous walk, not two separate walks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Bridges_of_K%C3%B6nigsberg#/media/File:7_bridgesID.png

Anyway, here is Kaliningrad.

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.7208414,20.501261,3a,75y,81.01h,90t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sf-Hc43dWzoVW53TAF26cHg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Df-Hc43dWzoVW53TAF26cHg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D74.68767%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

The city of Yaroslavl was, like Novgorod, a state that was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The great river of the European part of Russia is the Volga River. It runs a very long route from north to south and is kind of like the Mississippi River of Russia. Yaroslavl is, like several other major cities, on the Volga River. All of these cities originated in medieval times and are important industrial centers.

https://www.google.com/maps/@57.6283552,39.8927423,3a,75y,66.49h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sempfXYVBMbmiAOQ3HeCAkg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DempfXYVBMbmiAOQ3HeCAkg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D50.901157%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

The city to the east of Moscow, on the Volga River, that used to be called Gorky has been renamed Nizhny Novgorod. "Novgorod" seems to mean something like "new town" and the original Novgorod has been named Veliky Novgorod, to distinguish the two cities. The following scenes begin in the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.

https://www.google.com/maps/@56.3277047,44.0017685,3a,75y,217.8h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sSLfopn6KL2Er1VGYVuV9Wg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DSLfopn6KL2Er1VGYVuV9Wg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D203.2707%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Far to the east of Moscow is another medieval city on the Volga River, about a thousand years old, Kazan, that is now an important industrial city. The following scenes begin in the center of Kazan.

https://www.google.com/maps/@55.7962188,49.1252096,3a,75y,3.07h,90t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sREyesZgqMmrvwtrqgkLkUQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DREyesZgqMmrvwtrqgkLkUQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D1.7296219%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

Well to the west, and not on the Volga River, is another major city that originated in medieval times, Voronezh.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6641768,39.1973719,3a,75y,104.82h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0CiNWlB5-Geq5cxZeW5WPw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D0CiNWlB5-Geq5cxZeW5WPw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D113.10479%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Moving on to southern Russia, Rostov-on-Don is on the Don River.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.2200934,39.7077414,3a,75y,20h,110t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1s6T9HJ0ou9Ghpp81GkxOmbg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D6T9HJ0ou9Ghpp81GkxOmbg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D20%26pitch%3D-20%26thumbfov%3D100

This is Krasnodar, in the central part of the city beginning at Memorial Arch.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.024688,38.9704395,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1su0qvWSJ-0sPMfizBQQWdKA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Du0qvWSJ-0sPMfizBQQWdKA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D125.36427%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Back eastward to the Volga River is the city of Saratov. The following scenes begin in the center of Saratov.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5356972,46.0265931,3a,75y,91.7h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1slaXe5-tA3gKGyplpBz_xQQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DlaXe5-tA3gKGyplpBz_xQQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D92.733284%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Another major city that originated in medieval times but is now an industrial city on the Volga River is Samara. I can remember that, when I was a youth, this city was called Kuibyshev.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.189431,50.1006053,3a,75y,140h,100t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sr-sr-ZPox-CPGx0c-373EQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dr-sr-ZPox-CPGx0c-373EQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D140%26pitch%3D-10%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Finally, on the Volga River, we come to the city that is named for the river, Volgograd.

Of course, Volgograd is the city that was formerly known as Stalingrad. The greatest battle that the world has ever seen took place here, in 1942-43. It was given to the world as a glimpse of apocalypse.

But that is not what our view of Volgograd is going to focus on. In another way of looking at things, it is not fair that this quiet and peaceful city be defined solely by the battle that took place there. There was an equally horrific battle at St. Petersburg, then Leningrad, a siege that went on for nearly three years. But St. Petersburg is a larger city that has plenty of other things to distinguish it. For Volgograd, in contrast, the battle that took place there is the only thing that comes to mind.

The vast majority of people that were involved in the Battle of Stalingrad had never been to the city otherwise.

Here is what the world does not see very often, quiet scenes of everyday life in the city that was once known as Stalingrad. But you may notice that there are far fewer older buildings than there are in the other cities of southern Russia.

https://www.google.com/maps/@48.6983053,44.4724059,3a,75y,100h,100t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sOeocd1HFm_RHE6j5h2pslA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DOeocd1HFm_RHE6j5h2pslA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D100%26pitch%3D-10%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

The Most Attractive Building

I once chose St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow as the most attractive and intriguing building in the world. I have always been fascinated by this building. My favorite of the onion domes is the red and white one, which faces away from Red Square. Image from Google Street View.

The Sagrada Familia And St. Basil's Cathedral

Here is a comparison that I cannot find any documentation of but cannot stop wondering about. I wonder if the Sagrada Familia was inspired by, if not modeled on, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. There is no record of the architect of the Sagrada Familia ever visiting Russia. The cathedral was begun in the time of the tsars, and I can find no record that a tsar ever visited Spain. So, I will just let readers have a look and decide if there is a connection between the two.

Let's take a look at the fantastic cathedral in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia. There are many photos, you do not have to look through all of them.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/La+Sagrada+Familia/@41.4036299,2.1743558,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipO6_K23guoBo1Eoleg5OwE2dyu9aI5TURy-_zQ1!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipO6_K23guoBo1Eoleg5OwE2dyu9aI5TURy-_zQ1%3Dw86-h114-k-no!7i3456!8i4608!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x12a4a2dcd83dfb93:0x9bd8aac21bc3c950!2sLa+Sagrada+Familia!8m2!3d41.4036299!4d2.1743558!3m4!1s0x12a4a2dcd83dfb93:0x9bd8aac21bc3c950!8m2!3d41.4036299!4d2.1743558

Now, let's take a look at St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. This cathedral is far older, nearly five hundred years old, than the Sagrada Familia. But look at the design of the outside, with the domes atop towers that are congruent to the spires of the Sagrada Familia. Concentrate on the outside of this cathedral, rather than the inside.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/St.+Basil's+Cathedral/@55.7525229,37.6230868,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNPAaHFpG-hZACG1LpeIAbMWM7SMnXllc8c5tJO!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNPAaHFpG-hZACG1LpeIAbMWM7SMnXllc8c5tJO%3Dw86-h86-k-no!7i2600!8i2599!4m5!3m4!1s0x46b54a5962e69605:0xa4cf168ae7cb3ae5!8m2!3d55.7525226!4d37.623087

St. Basil's Cathedral has domes instead of spires but both have a tallest one in the middle, or at least the Sagrada Familia will have when it is completed.

Notice the prominent upward-pointing triangles on both cathedrals.

Both ignore architectural conventions, and make rules of their own. The Sagrada Familia seems to particularly ignore the architectural norms of straight lines and right angles.

St. Basil's Cathedral looks different when seen from different vantage points, the domes cannot be seen all at once from the ground. Likewise, the Sagrada Familia has three different facades facing different directions.

Both are known for being colorful, with St. Basil's Cathedral being colorful on the outside while the Sagrada Familia is colorful on the inside, due to it's windows.

There is no reference to it but I will leave it up to you to decide if St. Basil's Cathedral was an inspiration, or at least a great influence, on the Sagrada Familia.

Ukraine And Revelation

Doesn't anyone see what Vladimir Putin is doing? First a dam in Ukraine was breached, which means a lot of water everywhere. Then tactical nuclear weapons were moved into neighboring Belarus.

Ukraine is where the disastrous Chernobyl nuclear meltdown took place, in 1986, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The name of Chernobyl means "wormwood", which is a shrub.

In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 8 Verses 10 and 11, a "falling star" is described, which is also named Wormwood. Bible readers for centuries must have been mystified by this because nowhere else in the Bible is Wormwood mentioned, nor is a "falling star" named for a shrub.

The "falling star" is described as causing the "waters to turn bitter", and many people to die from drinking the bitter waters. This is exactly what happens after their has been a nuclear explosion. A cardinal rule is to never drink from open water afterward. Since there was no word in biblical times for anything nuclear, this is what happens after a nuclear explosion, and "Chernobyl" means "Wormwood", we can presume that this "falling star" is a prophecy of a nuclear missile.

Now can you see what Vladimir Putin is doing? First breaching the dam and then moving tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus? It is evoking this prophecy.

News

FACIAL RESEMBLANCE 

Facial resemblance can be a factor in politics. I have written here about how Archbishop Desmond Tutu closely resembles Mahatma Gandhi, who lived for a long time in South Africa, even though Tutu was black and Gandhi was Indian. Also the present Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, closely resembles the long-time Soviet foreign minister, Andrei Gromyko. The top Iranian general Soleimani, who was killed on orders of Donald Trump, resembled Ayatollah Khomeini.

Silvio Berlusconi resembled Benito Mussolini in a similar way and I think Italians acted out their mixed feelings about Mussolini on him.

What about Boris Johnson? His posture looks just like that of Winston Churchill. It looks like he could be Churchill's grandson.

THE DEATH OF DANIEL ELLSBERG 

Daniel Ellsberg died this week. The U.S. Government commissioned a secret report about what was really going on in the conduct of the Vietnam War, a lot of which the public wasn't being told. Daniel Ellsberg, in the course of his work, got hold of one of the copies of the report. He took it home and secretly copied it. He was very much in opposition to the war and secretly leaked the report to major newspapers. The government figured out that he did it.

The report became known as the "Pentagon Papers". The administration of Richard Nixon set about discrediting Ellsberg. There was a June 1972 burglary into the office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist, at the Watergate complex in Washington.

The burglars were caught. The complex was closed for the day. It had the kind of doors that could be opened from the inside, but not from the outside. A security guard noticed that someone put tape over the latch on a door and removed the tape. When he went by again the tape has been replaced. The guard called police, who found the burglars.

I am unsure if Richard Nixon knew about the burglary before it happened. But he definitely tried to cover it up afterward. It ended with Nixon's shocking resignation as president.

When I was a child we would hardly ever have dinner around a table. We would watch the news while having dinner, and now I am glad of that because I witnessed so many things that I can write about here.

In the compound posting "Investigations", December 2018, there are two investigations involving the Watergate scandal, 9) THE REAL BATMAN and "49) THE BUFFALO NY CONNECTION TO WATERGATE.

AMERICA AND ROYALTY

We saw in the posting "America And Royalty", September 2022, that America is really as royal as anywhere, despite officially being a republic. You can see what I mean in how President Biden recently closed a speech by referring to "God Save The Queen", which is Britain's national anthem.

REMEMBERING THE "SON OF SAM"

The recent death of the Unabomber reminds us of another serial killer that would send puzzles containing clues to newspapers.

What would you do to get revenge on people who allow their dog to bark outside if you had already shot and wounded the dog and sent anonymous letters threatening the life of it's owner?

What David Berkowitz did was to become a serial killer, name himself after the owner of the dog, claim that it was the dog's owner who compelled him to kill, terrorize New York City, and then claim that you thought the barking of the dog were demonic instructions being given you to carry out the killings.

But, unlike the Unabomber, the case of the "Son of Sam" has some happiness in it's ending. David Berkowitz is in prison for life. He has become a born-again Christian and carries on a ministry from prison. Other people help because he isn't allowed to use a computer. Even a serial killer has the way open to salvation if he wants it.

We saw the Son of Sam in the compound posting "Investigations", December 2018, section 1) DID THE SON OF SAM WANT TO GET CAUGHT?

Mongolia

We have seen the Mongols in the posting on this blog, "Why We Should Understand The Mongols". Let's have a look at what Mongolia, the land of the Mongols, looks like today.

Mongolia is a vast country in terms of geography, but a small country in terms of population. The only large city is the capital of Ulan Bator. Life is traditionally semi-nomadic in Mongolia, revolving around the portable tent-like dwelling, known as a "yurt". The country is between Russia and China and has been influenced and affected by both.

Ulan Bator was founded by Buddhists in 1639. There are many Buddhist temples and monasteries in the city today. Mongolia was where the Mongols originated, although their conquests extended far beyond what is now the nation's borders. Mongolia was ruled by the Qing Dynasty of China, the Manchus, but became independent when the Qing were overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911.

The October Revolution of 1917, which began the Soviet Union, was echoed in the 1921 Revolution in Mongolia. Communism ended there in 1990.

Genghis Khan is considered as the founder of Mongolia. Outside the capital city of Ulan Bator there is a massive statue of him. "Genghis" is sometimes spelled as "Chinggis". The following scenes begin inside the Genghis Khan statue complex. The cylindrical form of the building is the same shape as a traditional Mongolian yurt.

There are multiple scenes following. To see the scenes, after the first one, you must first click the up arrow, ^, before you can move on to the next scene by clicking the right or forward arrow, >, After clicking the up arrow, you can then hide the previews of successive scenes, if you wish.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8081027,107.5299207,2a,75y,309.9h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIWjIkqMZOkQAAAQXM0sFxg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DIWjIkqMZOkQAAAQXM0sFxg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D321.2289%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Notice how the arch leading to the statue of Genghis (Chinggis) Khan on horseback is very much like the arch of another conqueror. Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is so named because it was on the Carrousel, which was a parade ground for horses. This is why a merry-go-round with horses is called a carousel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_du_Carrousel#/media/File:Arc_de_Triomphe_du_Carrousel_2006.jpg

The focal point of the city of Ulan Bator is Sukhbataar Square. It is named for the hero of Mongolia's 1921 Revolution, Damdin Sukhbataar, who is depicted on horseback in the statue in the center of the square, in a way similar to that of Genghis Khan. The name of the city of Ulan Bator means something like "The Red Hero". The following scenes of the central part of the city begin in Sukhbataar Square. The building with the pillars is the Mongolian Parliament.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9190048,106.9176053,2a,75y,320.17h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_15f0WNxlE9m-bEkQFIOvQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D_15f0WNxlE9m-bEkQFIOvQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D330.79755%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Near the center of the city is a link to the west, a monument of the Beatles. The apple represents Apple Records, which was their label. The following scenes begin at the Beatles Monument.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9156828,106.9065078,3a,75y,316.15h,91.88t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipMA783FExTUcAtXnlrtAwjwBYuIHO5DXR2zp3-k!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipMA783FExTUcAtXnlrtAwjwBYuIHO5DXR2zp3-k%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya195.4038-ro0-fo100!7i3840!8i1919

This is what was the winter palace of the Emperor of Mongolia, in the southern part of the city. Ulan Bator has a very continental climate, high in elevation in central Asia, and is known for how cold it gets during the winter.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8976797,106.9070154,2a,75y,129.03h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1svdjzXPps6oz5-85Jz3PknA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DvdjzXPps6oz5-85Jz3PknA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D140.40285%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Also in the southern part of Ulan Bator is the Zaisan Monument. It is a ring-shaped mural tribute to the alliance and cooperation between Mongolia and Russia, and below the ring is a panoramic view of the city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8840709,106.9154427,2a,75y,97.71h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1spj0e1WrZS2p4zMEqgVM4Iw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dpj0e1WrZS2p4zMEqgVM4Iw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D101.410835%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

Away from the monuments and tourist sites, the following scenes are around the center of the everyday city of Ulan Bator.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9153824,106.8946152,3a,75y,169.5h,92.93t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPrHb3-ep02ceSCgJ6PTpRuJ0Zv0FOgkeFwWNl9!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPrHb3-ep02ceSCgJ6PTpRuJ0Zv0FOgkeFwWNl9%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-2.9338646-ya30.499992-ro-0-fo100!7i10240!8i5120

Finally, this is a mostly-residential development to the northeast of the city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9345956,107.0059474,3a,75y,97.5h,90t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sX_GQ9DPwNWo9WLXXoBsOmQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DX_GQ9DPwNWo9WLXXoBsOmQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D97.5%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100

Review Of The Mongols

With our visit today to the land named for the Mongols, here is a link to "Why We Should Understand The Mongols":

www.markmeeksideas.blogspot.com/2016/05/why-we-should-understand-mongols.html?m=0

This Week's News

 SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES 

The northeastern U.S. is shrouded in smoke from fires in Nova Scotia and Quebec. Does this remind you of the beginning of Chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation? There will be smoke everywhere.

Have you ever noticed that down through history, all across the world, wilderness and forest fires are very rarely, if ever, mentioned? But then, for the past 60 or 70 years or so, there are major fires virtually every summer. Incredibly this is because, in the past, humans didn't have the capability to battle such major fires but now they do.

If that doesn't sound like it makes sense it is because putting out wilderness fires is the problem, rather than the solution. A low level fire every few years burns off the dead underbrush that builds up. The fire doesn't do lasting damage to trees and the animals know how to avoid it. The purpose of lightning is to start such fires and this is the way nature has been working for millions of years. 

But then humans come along and think we know better. We keep putting fires out so that the dead underbrush keeps building up. Then, when it might have been 70 or 80 years since the last fire, we get the kind of fires that we see now. For that reason maybe the smoke from wildfires is part of the End Times scenario.

Variations in rainfall, due to climate change, is another factor. If there is a lot of rain one year it will produce a lot of plant growth. But if there is a shortage of rain the following year it will not be able to sustain the plant growth from the previous year and there will be a lot of dead and dry plant matter.

The reason that the sky may appear orange during a major fire is the scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere. Light, or other electromagnetic radiation, is reflected by objects that are about the same size as the wavelength. The microscopic particles of dust in the air scatter blue, the shorter wavelength of light the most. But the fire fills the air with larger particles which scatter longer wavelengths, which are orange. At morning or evening the sunlight passes through a thicker section of atmosphere to get to us, so the blue is scattered away altogether and we see orange and red.

FAREWELL TO PAT ROBERTSON

We know that Pat Robertson did a lot for Christianity in the U.S. I used to watch the 700 Club. But his putting politics together with religion, and running for president, is yet another manifestation of what we saw in "The Great Revolution Of Our Time", January 2017. Billy Graham came before Pat Robertson and didn't try to mix politics and religion. Billy Graham running for president is unimaginable.

The Binding Power Of Stone Monuments And Walls

With our visit to the Great Wall of China today why don't we have a look at this?

THE BINDING POWER OF STONE MONUMENTS

There is something that I have never seen written in history that should be explained. It applies from ancient times until now, and concerns stone monuments and their enduring power to bind nations together.

To begin with, what makes Egypt different from the rest of north Africa? The simple answer is that Egypt has been a nation since ancient times while Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and, Chad are relatively recent arrangements as nations.

My hypothesis is that it is the pyramids, and other monuments such as the Sphinx and Abu Simbel, that literally held Egypt together. If not for these massive monuments, Egypt would be just another name from ancient history and not the nation that it is today.

One thing that is different in history about Egypt is that those who managed to conquer it did not erase it's identity, but rather adapted it themselves. The Hyksos were a Semitic people who conquered Egypt in ancient times. But they, in many ways, became Egyptians rather than the other way around. The same can be said for the Ptolemies.

Likewise, the Seventh Century Arab conquest of Egypt converted it to Islam but in no way diminished it's national identity. Assyria and then Babylon both matched Egypt in power, but neither has existed in two-and-a-half millenniums while Egypt still stands. I see this as all due to the influence of the pyramids.

The other modern nations of north Africa have ancient ruins, Carthage in Tunisia began as a Phoenician colony and was later the great rival of Rome. But there is nothing like the pyramids of Egypt anywhere else in the region.

Ethiopia, once known as Cush or Kush, is another ancient nation that has endured to the present day. It lies to the south of Egypt, in east Africa. Just like Egypt, Ethiopia has pyramids from ancient times that has held it together as a nation. Ethiopia has about twice the number of pyramids that Egypt has, although they are smaller in scale.

Greece, across the Mediterranean from Egypt, is another modern nation that has been around since ancient times. Just as Egypt has staying power as a nation that nearby kingdoms in north Africa did not, the same can be said of Greece with regard to the rest of the Balkans. The difference being that Greece had stone monuments remaining from it's early days, such as the Acropolis, which held it together as a nation. Alexander's empire did not hold together after his death, but the home country did in the same way as Egypt.

What about the modern nation of Iran? It also goes back to ancient times, and is traditionally known as Persia. The name was changed to Iran, meaning "The Land of the Aryans", in 1935. Persia did not have pyramids like Egypt, but did have abundant ruins from it's glory days.

The ruling shah that was overthrown in 1979 had celebrated the 2500th anniversary of the Peacock Throne in 1971. Possibly the grandest party ever given in human history was held in the ruins of Persepolis in the autumn of 1971. Only a king that doesn't need approval from congresses and parliaments to spend money could put on a party like this.

Further east, we find a great modern nation in China that has been around for about as long as Egypt. China is a vast country that would seem likely to fragment into smaller states. The Chinese language is written in one way but spoken in several ways besides the standard Mandarin, such as Cantonese and Fujianese.

But, once again, we find the binding power of stone monuments at work. The legendary "Great Wall of China" was a network of walls that were built to keep out barbarians from the north. My theory is that it, and other national projects such as the Grand Canal, accomplished something that was much more important, it was what bound this diverse country together into one so that it has lasted from ancient times until now, although much of the Great Wall was built in relatively recent times.

To the south, the Khmer people of what is now called Cambodia have been there as a nation for a very long time. There was once a great Khmer Empire. As we might expect, we find an ancient stone monument from the early days of the Khmer Empire in the Temple of Angkor Wat.

It seems to me that without the binding power of such stone monuments, nations simply do not last for thousands of years. Neither language nor religion can hold a nation together over the long span of history like a massive stone monument. The working together to build the monument would likely be a powerful force in the binding of the nation to begin with.

THE POWER OF WALLS

A related concept is how the development of nations is affected by walls. Examples of how physical walls, constructed along borders, affect developments far into the future are much more rare than examples of how nations are bound, over the long term, by stone monuments that they have constructed. But there are three examples, that I can see, where physical walls have had a great long-term effect. A wall along a border can have a powerful effect on future developments long after it ceases to be an actual political or military barrier.

Let's start with Scotland. Scotland was a separate nation from England until 1707, and has always had it's own identity even though it speaks English and both nations landed on the same side of the Protestant Reformation. Scotland is more Celtic in nature than England, but it seems to me that there had to be more to the separate sense of identity then this.

But what about Hadrian's Wall? it was built by the Roman emperor of that name to keep out the tribes to the north. This means that the wall has been there for two thousand years, making it one of the oldest structures in Britain. The wall is not exactly on the boundary between England and Scotland any more, but what kind of psychological effect must it have had through all of that time?

The question is not why Scotland has a separate identity, but how it could not have a separate identity? If you take people that are exactly the same, and have a wall across their territory for two thousand years even if that wall is not an actual impermeable barrier, and you can be sure that there will be some kind of separate identity on opposite sides of the wall.

About six hundred years after the construction of Hadrian's Wall, but before England was a united country, there was a kingdom known as Mercia in the region that is now known as the Midlands, as well as areas to the south and west. I am actually a Mercian because this includes the area where I was born. The Midlands is still occasionally referred to as Mercia.

There was a great Mercian king, known as Offa. Mercia was a very powerful state at the time of Offa's reign and this period, when Mercia was the dominant state of those that now make up England, is known as the Mercian Supremacy. Offa is recorded as having begun construction of a military barrier against the Kingdom of Powys, the area that is now known as Wales, to the west. 

This barrier, known as Offa's Dyke, was a simple ditch and berm of earth along the border, designed to give a military advantage to the Mercian side. I had been to castles in the area, such as Chepstow and Goodrich, but cannot remember ever seeing Offa's Dyke and never considering it as really any more than a name on a map.

But now I realize how important Offa's Dyke has been, not for England but for Wales. It has formed essentially the boundary between England and Wales ever since and, more importantly, has been a basis for a separate sense of Welsh identity in the same way as Hadrian's Wall for Scotland.

Wales and Scotland are Celtic domains that have always had some sense of a separate identity from England. But my conclusion is that these two walls, Hadrian's Wall and Offa's Dyke, have been essential to that separate identity. There are two other such Celtic domains in the area, other than Ireland, which do not have as strong of a separate identity. These are Cornwall, the southwestern county of England, and Brittany in France.

Brittany occupies the long peninsula off western France, giving it a sound geographic definition. Cornwall is on a parallel peninsula and once had it's own language. But neither has the separate sense of identity of Wales or Scotland. This can be explained by the fact that neither is defined by a wall, like Hadrian's Wall or Offa's Dyke.

Now, let's apply this concept of the power of walls to the other side of the world. The most significant wall in the world is by far the Great Wall of China. Wikipedia describes it as having been begun by the first Chinese emperor. The Great Wall is actually a complex structure of many different walls that were built over centuries. Construction of these walls certainly helped to bind China as a nation.

I read an article that one thing about the world that seems incongruous is that Siberia should really belong to China, rather than Russia. There are quite a few articles online about this issue. Siberia seems psychologically very distant from Moscow, and it has vast stores of resources that China's voracious economy needs. The native people of Siberia look much more Oriental then European.

Historically China has traded abroad along the fabled "Silk Road", which included both land and sea trading routes, and has sent ventures like the fleet of Admiral Zheng He abroad. To the west, China incorporated the vast central Asian territory of Xinjiang. But China has never had the same kind of economic interactions with lands to the north, what is now known as Siberia.

My conclusion is that the reason for this is that the Great Wall acted as a psychological barrier over the centuries, and prevented incorporation of Siberia into China.

This does not mean that China would necessarily be better off today with Siberia. For one thing, it was the shared construction of the Great Wall that helped to bind it as a nation as described in "The Binding Power Of Stone Monuments". For another, there is the phenomenon known as the "resource curse" or the "paradox of plenty", where the people of a nation that is rich in natural resources end up being worse off as a result.

In the posting "Understanding The World In Terms Of The South And West And The North And East ", April 2016, we saw how the nations of the North And East tend to have existed since ancient times while the nations of the South And West tend to come into existence with new ideas. We saw that there are some exceptions to this rule, such as Egypt, Iran and, Greece in the South And West. What we see here is that it is the Binding Power Of Stone Monuments that brings about the exceptions.

Innoculation Against Communism

Here is something that I have suspected for years.

The Cold War was a global ideological confrontation between Communism and free enterprise, or Capitalism. Free Enterprise is allowing people to run their own businesses, although vital sectors are operated by the government. Pure Communism is basically having everything run by the government, including stores, farms, factories and, medical services.

The western countries were based on free enterprise but, at the height of the Cold War about a third of the world war under Communist governments and there were significant Communist movements in the western countries. The west increased social spending on it's citizens, including more on unemployment insurance, welfare, minimum wage and work safety laws, retirement benefits and, medical coverage.

In America, during the 1960s, these social reforms were known as "The Great Society". The wealth gap in America, meaning the difference between rich and poor, was at it's least in 1973, at the height of the Cold War. This helped to refute some of the accusations of Communists against free enterprise, that it was really the rich oppressing the poor and the solution was for all the people to own the means of production, through the government, as is done in Communism.

It is true that, in America for example, the end of the Cold War might sound like a victory but since then, without the ideological competition from the Communists, the wealth gap has widened very significantly with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

What I suspect is that there was another plan that the western countries put into place to deter people from falling for Communism. This plan was undocumented and probably mostly unspoken. I am not claiming that any person or people thought of this plan. But yet, at some level, there was a plan, and the plan was for the "Innoculation Against Communism".

Remember the times that you have dealt with government offices. This includes such things as applying for unemployment benefits, dealing with the Department of Motor Vehicles, applying for social services, trying to get a permit for something, challenging a traffic ticket, and so on.

Most people agree that government offices are hardly a model of efficiency. There is almost always a lot of waiting, often in a long line of people. Waiting for some kind of decision usually seems to require excessive time. Challenging a traffic ticket almost always takes most of the day.

When was the last time someone smiled at you in a government office, and seemed glad to see you and eager to help you? Even if the people working there do their jobs well the process makes people feel like they are just a number, in fact the person might have to actually take a number and be called by the number instead of their name.

Government offices, at least in some places, might be technologically backward. There might be a computer interface that looks like Windows 3.0 or 3.1. There might even be a dot matrix printer like something out of an ancient history museum. If you make any comment about it the usual attitude is "So what do you want me to do? I just work here".

What a contrast with dealing with a private company. When you call a bright and cheerful voice asks "How can I help you today"? When you order something from a company like Amazon you can be sure that, if they tell you that you will get your package by a certain day then you will get it by that day. Have you ever noticed that, if your call goes to a voicemail or you get instructions by phone, a private company almost always has a pleasant and upbeat voice while the government office has an unenthusiastic monotone drone?

While dealing with private companies is not quite perfect most people would agree that, as far as pleasantry goes, it is much preferable to government offices. The question is whether this is being done, at least at some level, on purpose, although this doesn't mean that it was specifically planned or organized.

The purpose of this contrast between dealing with government offices and dealing with private companies is as an inoculation against Communism. In pure Communism there is no private enterprise, as everything is run by the government. After seeing the difference in dealing with government offices and dealing with private companies, who would want to be Communist?

Royal Occasions

Remember that the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman, will someday pass from the scene. His son, popularly known as MBS, is already the practical leader of the country. When he does officially become king there will be a royal coronation ceremony. The crowning of MBS will be especially important because he will be the first of the next generation to reign. For decades every transfer of power has been from one brother to another, following the death of the first Saudi king, Ibn Saud. The crowning of MBS will be the first father-to-son transfer since then.

Today is the wedding of the Crown Prince of Jordan. This is the grandson of the popular King Hussein, who died in 1999. The "crown prince", or "heir apparent" means the next in line to the throne. Many royals from across the world will be at the wedding. If you would like to revisit "Jordan And The Hashemites", here is a link to it:

www.markmeeksideas.blogspot.com/2020/07/jordan-and-hashemites-12-17.html?m=0