4.1 MET: Egyptian Antiquities Museum

The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in Cairo seems at first lacking its uniqueness among other major museums in the world, many of which house an abundance of Egyptian sculptures, sarcophagi, mummies, and large murals. When I first stepped into the Egyptian Arts Department in the MET in New York years ago, I was met with two colossal seated pharaoh statues flanked by equally tall limestone walls, which temporarily made me feel spatially displaced as if I'd been all of sudden dropped in Egypt. The Louvre and the British Museum are also well stocked with Egyptians artifacts. So the first impression of the Cairo museum is somewhat of a déjà vu.



However, as I walked around the spacious galleries, the shear number of artifacts was simply overwhelming. Besides quantity, there were still many unique objets d’art that weren’t on permanent loans to Western museums.



Colossal statues of Amenhotep III and his Royal Great Wife, Tiye, parents to the famous religion reformer Akhenaten, grantparents to yet more famous Tutankhamun. Statuettes of their three daughters stand by their feet, a tradition in ancient pharaohic monuments.



A pyramidion or pyramid capstone from Dahshur. Some believe that a capstone contains the information to allow the pyramid it caps to make contact with other universal systems in the chain of cosmology it arises from and reflects into the Infinite.



Egyptian hieroglyphs on the capstone.



The ancient Egyptians mummified almost everything. Some of the animals, like this mummified Crocodile, used to flourish in both Lower and Upper Egypt, but today they move south to the warmer heartland of Africa.



Cats are sacred animals in ancient Egypt. The most famous cat goddesses are Bastet and the lion headed Sekhmet. On display are some mummified cats whose vertebrates and limbs were broken to fit the shrouds.



A mummified baby baboon.



Of course, the highlight for most visitors is Tut’s treasures, of which the most famed artifact is the Boy King’s gold mask.



Tutankhamun’s funerary bed in the form of ancient god, Mehet-Weret.



Akhenaten, or originally Amenhotep IV, changed his name to pursue a monotheistic worship of Aten. He and his world-famous chief wife Nefertiti even moved the capital away from Thebes (Luxor). The stunt was only reversed by his successor Tutankhaten or Tutankhamun, as he renamed himself later to resume his loyalty to Amun.



The great Ramesses II, no longer 20 meters tall by Lake Nasser, lies quietly, humbly, and humanly in this air conditioned, humidity controlled, and shock absorbed glass case.

The Mist

Even with the best intention and the best laid plan, we often get unfavorable results. That’s okay. We can not foresee the future, nor can we control every detail in our lives. We should be judged by our intention and effort but never the outcome.



“We gave it a good shot. Nobody can say we didn’t.”

4.1 MET: Inside the Pyramids

The pyramids have been looted many times over in history, and there is nothing to see inside. However, just physically being inside these mysterious structures is a lifetime experience.

Among others, you can go inside the Red Pyramid in Dahshur or the Great Pyramid of Cheops or the Khufu Pyramid, in Giza. I chose the less touristy and quieter Red Pyramid. It’s about 343 feet tall, and the entrance is 94 feet above the ground level. Stone and wooden steps were installed for easy access.



The tunnel into the interior is narrow, low, and long, and slopes 27 degrees downward. I practically crawled down the path with my backpack rubbing the rocks above. I arrived at Dahshur very early that day, so I was the first and the only one in the tunnel. I would imagine in the middle of a hot summer day, crawling down this passageway with dozens of other visitors would not be most comfortable.



The 206 foot length seems to extend for ever. Looking back at the opening, I seemed to understand why the pyramids were designed for the renaissance of the souls which could go though the long dark tunnel heading for the bright light at the end.



Finally I got to the bottom where the tunnel leads to a rectangular chamber with a pointed roof. The corbeled high ceiling tapers faster than the pyramid itself, leaving me wonder what lies between the large limestone walls of the chamber and the outer surface rocks. There aren’t any ornaments or objects in this bare chamber. On the other side, there is another opening.





The passageway on the other side connects to another chamber which resembles the first one. This chamber seems to be the only one lying directly beneath the apex of the pyramid. Yet another passage opens up on the other side leading to the final chamber believed to be the actual burial place. It also has a high stepped ceiling. The floor of the burial chamber has been excavated but no other passageway has been found so far.



I didn’t know what was first found inside the pyramid, nor could I imagine the excitement of the treasure hunters who first made it into the chambers. Mais, du centre de ces pyramides, quarante siècles m'encerclent. From the center of the chamber right under the apex, I took a deep breath, taking in, along the musty air, the forty centuries of solemnity and spirituality of a long lost civilization.

4.1 MET: Who Built The Pyramids?

Did aliens build the pyramids? After a few hours touring those majestic constructions, the answer becomes quite obvious.

The oldest standing pyramid was the Step Pyramid, built around 2,600 BCE (III Dynasty of the Archaic Period). It was the first attempt to break away from an earthbound tradition and create a “straight up” structure, or per-em-us in ancient Egyptian.



Version 2.0 was designed to smoothen the steps. The Bent Pyramid, built in the IV Dynasty of the Old Kingdom Period, managed to get rid of the steps. However, the project started with an ambitiously steep 54.3 degree slope and tapered abruptly at a gentler angle (43.5 degrees) towards the top. The change of slope stabilized the structure, and nicely commemorates a stunning learning curve in an engineering feat.



The first true pyramid was the Red Pyramid, built for the same pharaoh Snofru after the Bent Pyramid. It had the same lower angle of 43.5 degrees.



The master pieces were completed by the later pharaohs of the IV Dynasty. The so-called Great Pyramids of Giza have wondered their admirers for millennia. However, looking at the history of pyramids, one could easily recognize that the sole standing wonder of the ancient world was not conceived, created, nor perfected over night.



If all the pyramids had been built by aliens, who must have journeyed millions of light years by either bending the space-time or traveling faster than light, or by other means too sophisticated for the feeble human brains, why would they have had so much trouble with steps and angles in putting a few rocks together?

Since it’s not likely for intergalactic visitors to have to learn and experiment with simple earthly geometry, it’s not likely they were the pyramid builders. QED.

4.1 MET: 上海美女在埃及

居然在金字塔上肆情放纵, 春光外泄, 真是大逆有道, 十恶可赦.













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A Tibetan Riot Or A Chinese Crackdown? A Simple Analysis

On March 15, 2008, there was a violent clash between Tibetan protesters and the police force in Lhasa. Some argue that it was a peaceful demonstration brutally suppressed by the authority. Others insist that it was a violent disturbance from the get-go and the government responded with proper policing measures. Which one is closer to the truth?

Chinese authority released videos a few days after the conflict. However, since no western journalists were allowed in Tibet during the incident, there hasn’t been any first-hand independent coverage. Therefore, the CCTV footage is impermissible.

Without direct evidence, circumstantial evidences and mitigating factors play a stronger role in this case.

Let us assume it was a peaceful protest. The facts are:

1) the demonstration was peaceful
2) no western journalists were in Tibet to report this parade to the outside world
3) the Chinese government, well-known for its censorship, could've easily chosen not to report this incident to anyone

If all of above are true, there seemed to be no motivation for the Chinese government to do anything. The incident can be simply ignored or buried.

In addition, the timing of the conflict is crucial in analysis:

4) on March 24, the Olympic flame was to be lit in Greece
5) Olympic Games were to be held in Beijing 5 months later

For the Chinese government, nothing is more important in 2008 than hosting successful Olympic Games in August. Anything else can wait. It would do anything to avoid any negative publicity at least from now until after the Games. If any negative news leads to actual damage to the Games in August, losing face right at home is unbearable in Asian cultures. Therefore, a priori, cracking down a peaceful and insignificant parade would be the last thing on the to-do list.

On the other hand, 2008 is the best and probably the last time for the Tibetans to stage a successful bid for independence. Besides the Olympics:

6) after the aging Dalai Lama, independence seeking Tibetans will not have a spiritual leader commanding a wide support from the West.

With the Olympics and still outspoken His Holiness, 2008 offers the best opportunity. A violent conflict in Tibet to attract world attention seems to work in great favor of the Tibetans.

When a crime is committed, the first suspect usually is whoever benefits from it the most, and that person usually is the evil doer.

So if you are the jury of this case, how would you decide?