Odysseus lashed to the mast
Madness induced by the Siren Calls on the Shores of the Hellespont and Taiwan Straits
Part IV
December 31, 2022
Finished Version
Ming Dynasty
The Grand Eunuch known as Zheng He (鄭和) was admiral of the Treasure Fleet shortly after the Ming Dynasty founder died. It purpose was to spread gifts and goodwill in order to exact tribute from states which wanted trade and protection. However, the first of seven voyages which began in 1405 may have had an ulterior motive.
The Yongle Emperor may have sent Zheng He to look for and capture his former predecessor---the Jianwen Emperor (建文帝)---who was believed to have escaped as a Buddhist monk when the palace was set on fire. There was concern the deposed emperor might foment rebellion. Apparently, the search failed, but Zheng did capture Ch'en Tsu-i as a consolation prize. He was involved in piracy within the Malacca Straits.
It is not surprising that Zhu Di who became the Yongle Emperor was concerned about rebellion because as fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, he had participated in the Jingnan Rebellion or Jingnan Campaign (靖難之役) along with the founder's grandson Zhu Junwen. The rebellion lasted three years. It is notable that succession issues plagued the dynasty at its end, too, and contributed to its demise.
There were a series of succession issues nearly two centuries later which began with the Wanli Emperor "萬曆帝" (died August 18, 1620) who favoured his second son, the mysterious death of his first son Taichang Emperor "泰昌帝" who died on September 26, 1620 or less than a month into office and then the death of the only surviving son of the Tianqi Emperor "天啓帝". He was Crown Prince Zhu Cijiong "朱慈炅" who died on May 30, 1626 during the Wanggongchang Explosion (王恭廠大爆炸) whose cause was mysteriously unknown. The explosion which killed 20,000 equalled that of Hiroshima in terms of its explosive force.
The Selden Map
It may be said that renewed interest in The Selden Map stems from four factors: 1. the rediscovery of the map 2. claims made in the South China Sea 3. undersea resources 4. ancient land and maritime trade routes. The maritime trade routes during the Ming Dynasty have garnered the most attention by scholars. While the poet has only looked at pictures of the map, it appears that at least some routes have have been redrawn. If this is true then one is left with many questions.
One can only assess matters without using x-ray technology by examining the extant sketches. It is possible they are representations of trade routes. However, they appear to be artistic renderings associated with the sea and sailing. They appear to be anti-imperialist in nature from the perspective of someone who is British. How else can one satirically interpret St. George riding a mouse while he slays a dragon? One might say, too, that the sketches show the dangers fraught in the open sea concept which increase the chances of armed conflict with respect to claim.
The reign of the Tianqi Emperor was not noteworthy. He preferred carpentry over his official duties. The poet though tentatively dates The Selden Map to have been drawn during his reign between October 1, 1620 to September 30, 1627. His birthdate was December 23, 1605 which was the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac and Capricorn in the western zodiac.
Even if you don't believe in the zodiac as a predictive tool with respect to fate; nevertheless, the years of the animals are fixed. The emperor's image appears on The Selden Map below the Compass Rose. His capped head appears on the back of a tortoise. The darker tortoise's head which is oriented upward is on the right-hand side. The snake (phallic symbol) is next to it on the lighter peninsula which is oriented downward. A sheep is found below the tortoise. Its white head is inverted.
If one looks at a list of emperors in the late Ming Dynasty one can see that the birthdate of the Tianqi Emperor corresponds with a snake in the Chinese zodiac and Capricorn or a sheep in the western zodiac. The birthdates of the other emperors excludes them with respect to the Chinese zodiac.
Birthdates of Emperors
Wanli Emperor: September 04, 1563 Pig
Taichang Emperor: August 28, 1582 Horse
Tianqi Emperor: December 23, 1605 Snake
Chongzhen Emperor: February 06, 1611 Pig
The presence of both a tortoise and snake may remind the reader of Fuxi or Fu Hsi (伏羲~伏 犧~伏戲). Fuxi and Nüwa were twin brother and sister who were entwined together. They had human faces and bodies of snakes. On the tortoise's back, Fuxi divined the eight trigrams. On the other hand, Nüwa used the legs of a tortoise to mend the Pillars of Heaven.
Part IV
December 31, 2022
Finished Version
Ming Dynasty
The Grand Eunuch known as Zheng He (鄭和) was admiral of the Treasure Fleet shortly after the Ming Dynasty founder died. It purpose was to spread gifts and goodwill in order to exact tribute from states which wanted trade and protection. However, the first of seven voyages which began in 1405 may have had an ulterior motive.
The Yongle Emperor may have sent Zheng He to look for and capture his former predecessor---the Jianwen Emperor (建文帝)---who was believed to have escaped as a Buddhist monk when the palace was set on fire. There was concern the deposed emperor might foment rebellion. Apparently, the search failed, but Zheng did capture Ch'en Tsu-i as a consolation prize. He was involved in piracy within the Malacca Straits.
It is not surprising that Zhu Di who became the Yongle Emperor was concerned about rebellion because as fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, he had participated in the Jingnan Rebellion or Jingnan Campaign (靖難之役) along with the founder's grandson Zhu Junwen. The rebellion lasted three years. It is notable that succession issues plagued the dynasty at its end, too, and contributed to its demise.
There were a series of succession issues nearly two centuries later which began with the Wanli Emperor "萬曆帝" (died August 18, 1620) who favoured his second son, the mysterious death of his first son Taichang Emperor "泰昌帝" who died on September 26, 1620 or less than a month into office and then the death of the only surviving son of the Tianqi Emperor "天啓帝". He was Crown Prince Zhu Cijiong "朱慈炅" who died on May 30, 1626 during the Wanggongchang Explosion (王恭廠大爆炸) whose cause was mysteriously unknown. The explosion which killed 20,000 equalled that of Hiroshima in terms of its explosive force.
The Selden Map
It may be said that renewed interest in The Selden Map stems from four factors: 1. the rediscovery of the map 2. claims made in the South China Sea 3. undersea resources 4. ancient land and maritime trade routes. The maritime trade routes during the Ming Dynasty have garnered the most attention by scholars. While the poet has only looked at pictures of the map, it appears that at least some routes have have been redrawn. If this is true then one is left with many questions.
One can only assess matters without using x-ray technology by examining the extant sketches. It is possible they are representations of trade routes. However, they appear to be artistic renderings associated with the sea and sailing. They appear to be anti-imperialist in nature from the perspective of someone who is British. How else can one satirically interpret St. George riding a mouse while he slays a dragon? One might say, too, that the sketches show the dangers fraught in the open sea concept which increase the chances of armed conflict with respect to claim.
The reign of the Tianqi Emperor was not noteworthy. He preferred carpentry over his official duties. The poet though tentatively dates The Selden Map to have been drawn during his reign between October 1, 1620 to September 30, 1627. His birthdate was December 23, 1605 which was the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac and Capricorn in the western zodiac.
Even if you don't believe in the zodiac as a predictive tool with respect to fate; nevertheless, the years of the animals are fixed. The emperor's image appears on The Selden Map below the Compass Rose. His capped head appears on the back of a tortoise. The darker tortoise's head which is oriented upward is on the right-hand side. The snake (phallic symbol) is next to it on the lighter peninsula which is oriented downward. A sheep is found below the tortoise. Its white head is inverted.
If one looks at a list of emperors in the late Ming Dynasty one can see that the birthdate of the Tianqi Emperor corresponds with a snake in the Chinese zodiac and Capricorn or a sheep in the western zodiac. The birthdates of the other emperors excludes them with respect to the Chinese zodiac.
Birthdates of Emperors
Wanli Emperor: September 04, 1563 Pig
Taichang Emperor: August 28, 1582 Horse
Tianqi Emperor: December 23, 1605 Snake
Chongzhen Emperor: February 06, 1611 Pig
The presence of both a tortoise and snake may remind the reader of Fuxi or Fu Hsi (伏羲~伏 犧~伏戲). Fuxi and Nüwa were twin brother and sister who were entwined together. They had human faces and bodies of snakes. On the tortoise's back, Fuxi divined the eight trigrams. On the other hand, Nüwa used the legs of a tortoise to mend the Pillars of Heaven.
Fuxi and Nüwa
A scroll was found from the time of the Tang Dynasty in the Taoist-Buddhist tombs at Astana. It depicts Fuxi-Nüwa. One can see a circular group of stars similar to the Compass Rose. Fuxi (on the right) carries a carpenter's square with plumb bob while Nüwa (on the left) holds a pair of callipers. The callipers represent a helix or spiral as the character "wa 咼" of Nüwa indicates. The callipers are sometimes interpreted to be a compass which can be turned. These tools of measurement may find their counterparts in the triangles radiating downward from the center of the Compass Rose to the angled ruler beneath.
The Selden Map seems to be rather singular. While it was named as it is because John Selden bequeathed it to the Bodleian Library; nevertheless, however, the map itself has no title, date or name of mapmaker. This lack of identifiers contributes to its mystery. History has not yet explained the mystery. It may in fact be his story. In a sense, it is a private or closed map which was readily accessible and perhaps open to a single person. That person was John Selden.
The jurist began to write his draft of Mare Clausum in 1619. To undertake this assignment, Selden no doubt would refer to a European map(s) which emphasized the trade routes of the coastal seas. He might also wanted to have had access to a map of an area of prime exploration in the East and South China Seas in order to confirm to himself the universality of his proposition. If his treatise had to be modified then he would compare both the specific occidental and general oriental maps.
As a result, Selden might have commissioned a map himself of Southeast Asia. Indeed, he might have gone further as an orientalist to make additions to the map with respect to trade routes, territorial boundary markers and directions. Finally, he might have personalized the map with miniature drawings of himself and family.
One might say that the poet's perception of the Northwest Rectangle (NWR) during the heyday of the overland Silk Road reflects the Han Dynasty's concept of the Four Seas. It may also illustrate Selden's version of closed seas. Both the inland fresh-water North Sea (Lake Baikal) and salt-water West Sea (Qinghai Lake) are closed. The East and South China Seas are closed within cannon shot of the coastline and possibly are closed close to the Pescadores; otherwise the seas are open.
Northwest Rectangle
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Eastern Seaboard Rectangle
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However, the southeast corner of the NWR extends to the northern section of the South China Sea known as the Taiwan Strait. It also extends to the northern tip of Taiwan. The implications of this circumstance may be profound with regard to closed seas, but it remains both historically and currently open with respect to interpretation, discussion and application.
The Eastern Seaboard Rectangle (ESR) represents an eastern extension of the NWR as overland trade by the Silk Road decreased as the maritime trade increased at the ports of Quanzhou and Nanjing. The Sun-Moon Line which had begun at the setting Moon in the West ran to the Peng in the NWR. The line then extended to the ESR where it connected to the rising Sun in the East. Both the NWR and the ESR were predicated on the Will of Heaven (天命).
John Selden
The extraordinary images of John Selden on The Selden Map are eclectic and esoteric. Their discovery is like finding the universe in a grain of sand because they are miniature portraits which are in a constant state of flux. They are both apart of and apart from the Peng (鵬-bird) and Kun (鯤-fish) of Daoist philosophy.
Baby Selden is born from the egg of the Peng. The egg is shaped like Xuanzang's head. It so happens that Xuanzang (玄奘) was a Buddhist monk who went West to retrieve Buddhist scriptures from India during the Tang Dynasty. In this sense, the birth resembles that of the Monkey King (孙悟空) who was a trickster god born from a stone who visited the Dragon King of the North Sea. The figurative birth of Selden took place at Telin which marked the eastern boundary of China as outlined in the Four Seas model of the Han Dynasty. Telin was confirmed later on as a boundary through riverine expeditions which established a garrison post.
Polar Quadrilateral or North Circumpolar Rectangle (in yellow)
1. Peng Eta Ursae Minoris Little Dipper
2. Nothingness Pherkad Little Dipper
3. Compass Rose Center 11 Draconis (Thuban) Draconis Constellation
4. Yanran Rectangle Mizar Big Dipper
5. Kun Eta Ursae Majoris (Alkaid) Big Dipper
The Peng carried Baby Selden westward through the air in a strait line to Nothingness, the Compass Rose, to the Yanran Rectangle and then all the way to the furthest point of the Chinese empire at the North Sea (Lake Baikal). The Kun was there and here also is found Áo Shùn (敖順) or Dragon King of the North Sea. In other words, in this mythological story through his passage from the East Sea to the North Sea, Selden sets the artificial boundaries of the Chinese empire in accordance with the Will of Heaven.
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If the poet's Magical Mystery Square (MMS) is applied to the middle Eastern Seaboard Rectangle then both the Peng and Kun are outside of the North Circumpolar Rectangle (NCR) which is at the top of the MMS. This would mean that the stars Pherkad ( 北極一 (Běi Jí yī: the First Star of North Pole), representing 太子 (Tàizǐ), meaning Crown Prince) and Mizar (北斗六 Běi Dǒu liù) are at the east and west ends respectively of the NCR while 11 Draconis is in the middle. Therefore, one might draw the conclusion that 虚无 (Xuwu) or Nothingness on the ESR map is equivalent to Pherkad of the Little Dipper, the center of the Compass Rose is equivalent to the 11 Draconis or (紫微右垣一 (Zǐ Wēi Yòu Yuán yī), First Star of Right Wall of Purple Forbidden Enclosure) while the Yanran Rectangle corresponds with Mizar of the Big Dipper.
Eta Ursae Minoris (in blue) of "Chinese" Six Star Dipper
The Peng may be equivalent to Eta Ursae Minoris (Little Dipper). In Chinese, it is known as Dog Territory 狗國 (4 Sagittarius). It is one of the Six Stars of the Southern Dipper (南斗六星, Nándǒu liù xīng). As eighth mansion of the 28 in total, this Dipper is one of the seven mansions of the Northern Black Tortoise.
If one were to make a wild guess as to what star the Kun might be one might look to redesignation of Alkaid in the Big Dipper. It is now called Eta Ursae Majoris which entails parallelism at least with respect to the name of Eta Ursae Minoris in the Little Dipper. It is at the extreme tip of the handle. It is known as Běidǒuqī (北斗七 - the Seventh Star of the Northern Dipper) or Yáoguāng (瑤光 - the Star of Twinkling Brilliance). More importantly, it represents the head of the Great Bear Constellation.
Incidentally, one may have to reinterpret the symbols of the tortoise and sheep on The Selden Map with respect to Xuanwu or Black Tortoise. The Black Tortoise entangled with snake was a quadrant of the Chinese zodiac representing the North. His element was water. The ninth mansion was Capricorn (sheep) with emphasis on its tail. The tortoise metaphor could apply to the Wanli Emperor---not in regard to his guardianship as a warrior--- but rather his longevity in terms of the length of his reign. However, his line of descendants is in decline.
While Peng had risen through the air with the rising Sun, Kun had descended into the watery depths of the North Sea. In a similar way, his mother of the Baker line had met his father of the Selden line in a sweet embrace of dragons which is reminiscent of the tender joining of Nüwa and Fuxi from which mankind descended. An image of John Selden's mother looks East while an image of Selden's father of the same name looks West and they see their progeny. In the Baker-Selden pairing, the Selden name is on the rise and the distinguished Baker name which could boast a knight is on the decline as the descending Kun. The growth of the young boy is recorded in several images.
Northwest Rectangle with diagonal line linking North Sea and South Sea
Áo Shùn is a kind of shape shifter. To some he may appear as a conch which is a bit odd in a fresh water sea. It might be reasonably explained if one were to draw a diagonal line between him and Taiwan on a map of the Northwest Rectangle. The island is conch-shaped and one might expect conches to be found on its beaches.
On the other hand, Áo Shùn may appear as a bat. He wears a bat crown, too. Of course, the bat is a flying creature that comes out at night while the Peng comes out during the day. They represent in a general sense the concept of freedom. It is not surprising therefore to find smaller bat-like or mouse-like images close to the images of John Selden near the Peng and Kun.
The Straits
Semiconductors
It was said that the beauty of Helen of Troy launched a 1000 ships across the Aegean at the beginning of the Trojan War. She is remembered almost as much as Achilles was for his prowess in warfare. However, the beauty of Helen was only skin deep.
If there is a Taiwan War---which appears as almost an inevitability---it might be said that utility will be favoured over beauty. The utility of the semiconductor chip with its layered substrates takes precedence over love--especially in the East-West clash between civilizations. The semiconductors of the poet's own Acer laptop may have been manufactured in Taiwan and then assembled on a printed-circuit board in China. For further reference you may wish to refer to the poet's recent essay called "Semiconductors are dopier than you think".
The new Helens are those engineers with MA's and Phd's who returned on their own to Taiwan because of their love of independence and opportunities to become millionaires and billionaires. They were trained at American universities and applied their skills in managerial jobs in companies located in the Silicon Valley of Los Angeles. On returning to Hsingchu Taiwan, many of the "talents" started their own businesses thus spawning another silicon valley.
It is not easy to establish the equivalent of a silicon valley. The poet worked in Zhongguancun (中关村), Haidian District of Beijing during its heyday as China's silicon valley. Then, Shenzhen successfully established its own version. Shangahai tried to set-up one up but it has not matched its rivals and is further impeded with Dynamic Zero Covid policy rather than the disease itself.
China wants very badly one way or another to access lithographic technology. Hundreds of nascent, mainland semiconductor companies have failed to achieve scale. In turn, the Americans want to deprive China of high-end computer chips. In effect, the restrictions which have now been extended resemble a type of blockade. The result may very well be a very real Chinese blockade of Taiwan itself which might include a ring of cargo and naval ships.
Densely populated areas in both the East and West are becoming "smart cities". They are controlled by artificial intelligence and monitored by facial recognition programs. The semiconductor chip which powers these technologies is the key to modern civilization.
Printed-Circuit Board (PCB)
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Photo of Los Angeles at 10,000 feet
©Vincent Laforet 2015
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If the reader still has doubts about how semiconductor chips control "smart cities" then consider the following comparison. On the left is a photo of a printed-cirucit board (PCB) which has semiconductors and other electronic components. On the right is an aerial photo of Los Angeles taken at 10,000 feet by Vincent Laforet who has granted permission to reprint for educational purposes. There is an uncanny resemblance of the two at least for an imaginative poet who has had training in digital electronics.
The Trojan War
In Retrospect and Introspect
It is rather surprising to the poet how a new insight may have arisen on a topic more than 3000 years old. The inspiration was provided by Dr. Eric H. Cline. He is a Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology, the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the current Director of the GWU Capitol Archaeological Institute.
Basically, I was anxious to get an answer to a question before I had read two of his books. They are 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed (2014) and The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction (2013). The poet regards these topics as exceedingly important in light of issues today such as climate change, collapse of civilizations and indirectly the South China Sea. By the way, these books may soon be translated into Chinese if they have not already been done so.
Normally, as a teacher, I didn't ask questions to my students that I couldn't answer myself; so, recently, I felt somewhat like a student about half a century ago who was in a discovery mode with hand up signalling to his professor that I was seeking an answer to something. In other words, I was like the lost Odysseus returning home, but my journey had taken much longer. It probably indicates that I am not as wise as Odysseus was. Fortunately, Dr. Cline took the time to clear up my confusion.
He answered in the following way. "My little Trojan War book may provide an answer for your impasse — it has been suggested that the fleet was not there for ten years but rather that there were two parts to the attack, nine years apart. If that hypothesis is correct, the actual Trojan war, and siege, will have only taken place during the final year. Remember that the Iliad only covers the final 51 days or so...."
Of course, if there were two parts of the attack spread apart in time then the participants may not have been the same. Let's assume though two things. First, Odysseus was involved in both parts of the attack. Second, the Odyssey as a spoken poem was composed after the Iliad.
It is has always been difficult for me to suspend disbelief regarding the length of Odysseus' return home after the fall of Troy. If the two part attack hypothesis is valid then it means the whole period is the length of a generation. What wife would wait that long?
It is probable that if Homer designed both the Iliad and Odyssey, he relied on earlier spoken versions of epic poetry. A two part attack hypothesis with the Trojan War and siege involving the latter part seems reasonable. One supposes that it might be corroborated with archeological evidence at Troy.
One can't help wondering though if Odysseus' journey as expressed by earlier epic poetry was actually after the first attack and before the final siege and fall of Troy. This would compress the events into roughly a ten year period. From a time perspective, this seems more believable to me. However, it would weaken the plot.
Odysseus' return is more like a personal discovery of himself. If the return were after the first Achaean attack against Troy then he might have come to the conclusion after repelling the suitors that he should never have left home in the first place because his his family was undefended. This might mean if he had a choice then he wouldn't have participated in the siege and Trojan War which was probably on a much bigger scale than the first attack.
To me, the genius of Homer rests in placing the fall of Troy between the events of the Iliad and Odyssey. Troy does not fall in the Iliad; although, it is foreshadowed with the death of Hector. His slayer who was Achilles does not die in the Iliad, but his death is no surprise with the demise of his cousin Patroclus and the indication he himself might have a short life with fame. As a result, Achilles is able to achieve a kind of immortality through glory and fame. In one sense, the period and events between the Iliad and Odyssey is like an unspoken poem which resounds throughout the ages.
Through the Ages
The Trojan War has left an indelible legacy on mankind for the last 3000 years. It was romanticized in the spoken word through epic poetry over the generations until it reached its penultimate manifestation in the Iliad and Odyssey which have been attributed to Homer. The Iliad recounts the struggles of the Achaeans and Trojans in the final days of the Trojan War and the Odyssey tells of the return of one man (Odysseus) and his crew. At times, the gods intervene to support their favourites and at least one hero named Achilles achieves semi-divine status.
In Retrospect and Introspect
It is rather surprising to the poet how a new insight may have arisen on a topic more than 3000 years old. The inspiration was provided by Dr. Eric H. Cline. He is a Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Anthropology, the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the current Director of the GWU Capitol Archaeological Institute.
Basically, I was anxious to get an answer to a question before I had read two of his books. They are 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed (2014) and The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction (2013). The poet regards these topics as exceedingly important in light of issues today such as climate change, collapse of civilizations and indirectly the South China Sea. By the way, these books may soon be translated into Chinese if they have not already been done so.
Normally, as a teacher, I didn't ask questions to my students that I couldn't answer myself; so, recently, I felt somewhat like a student about half a century ago who was in a discovery mode with hand up signalling to his professor that I was seeking an answer to something. In other words, I was like the lost Odysseus returning home, but my journey had taken much longer. It probably indicates that I am not as wise as Odysseus was. Fortunately, Dr. Cline took the time to clear up my confusion.
He answered in the following way. "My little Trojan War book may provide an answer for your impasse — it has been suggested that the fleet was not there for ten years but rather that there were two parts to the attack, nine years apart. If that hypothesis is correct, the actual Trojan war, and siege, will have only taken place during the final year. Remember that the Iliad only covers the final 51 days or so...."
Of course, if there were two parts of the attack spread apart in time then the participants may not have been the same. Let's assume though two things. First, Odysseus was involved in both parts of the attack. Second, the Odyssey as a spoken poem was composed after the Iliad.
It is has always been difficult for me to suspend disbelief regarding the length of Odysseus' return home after the fall of Troy. If the two part attack hypothesis is valid then it means the whole period is the length of a generation. What wife would wait that long?
It is probable that if Homer designed both the Iliad and Odyssey, he relied on earlier spoken versions of epic poetry. A two part attack hypothesis with the Trojan War and siege involving the latter part seems reasonable. One supposes that it might be corroborated with archeological evidence at Troy.
One can't help wondering though if Odysseus' journey as expressed by earlier epic poetry was actually after the first attack and before the final siege and fall of Troy. This would compress the events into roughly a ten year period. From a time perspective, this seems more believable to me. However, it would weaken the plot.
Odysseus' return is more like a personal discovery of himself. If the return were after the first Achaean attack against Troy then he might have come to the conclusion after repelling the suitors that he should never have left home in the first place because his his family was undefended. This might mean if he had a choice then he wouldn't have participated in the siege and Trojan War which was probably on a much bigger scale than the first attack.
To me, the genius of Homer rests in placing the fall of Troy between the events of the Iliad and Odyssey. Troy does not fall in the Iliad; although, it is foreshadowed with the death of Hector. His slayer who was Achilles does not die in the Iliad, but his death is no surprise with the demise of his cousin Patroclus and the indication he himself might have a short life with fame. As a result, Achilles is able to achieve a kind of immortality through glory and fame. In one sense, the period and events between the Iliad and Odyssey is like an unspoken poem which resounds throughout the ages.
Through the Ages
The Trojan War has left an indelible legacy on mankind for the last 3000 years. It was romanticized in the spoken word through epic poetry over the generations until it reached its penultimate manifestation in the Iliad and Odyssey which have been attributed to Homer. The Iliad recounts the struggles of the Achaeans and Trojans in the final days of the Trojan War and the Odyssey tells of the return of one man (Odysseus) and his crew. At times, the gods intervene to support their favourites and at least one hero named Achilles achieves semi-divine status.
Leuce is circled in yellow within Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) on Mercator Map of 1613-1616 CE
The classic tradition of poetry and philosophy has been continued by the poet. It is illustrated in a poem called "Lost Fragment Found". The words seem foreign, but echo a familiarity.
River-ocean Akheloios of Poseidon
made Leuke Nesos from alluvial deposits
of rivers Borysthenes and Istros silts;
as well as, sands of cold Thermodon.
It would be natural for Alexander the Great to be thinking of Achilles on his Indian campaign. He kept a copy of the Iliad annotated by Aristotle at his bedside. Achilleus (Achilles) has been immortalized as a star in his poem called "Golden Sol".
These pearly eyes number more
than grains of sand on ocean's shore.
Yet orb shines as autumnal star
like lustrous Achilleus from afar.
In an epic poem called "The Thread", the poet relates a "dream weaved thread". It begins with Paris slaying Achilles with an arrow from a distance. They are contrasted in the following lines.
Those whose wishes are for futurity
are not those who act with spontaneity.
Former match tortoise's longevity
while latter catch moment's eternity.
Thetis or Achilles' mother annoints her son's dead body with ambrosia. It is then taken to the island of Leuke (Leuce) at the mouths of the Ister and Borysthenes in the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea).
Meridian of Alexandria depicted
While Alexander founded Alexandria in Egypt, it was Constantine the Great who established Constantinople. The basis of Constantine's power was the sword and the word. The poet asks if Constantine moved the body of Alexander the Great along the Meridian of Alexandria from the second most populous city of the Roman Empire at Alexandria, through the Hellespont Strait to Nova Roma (Constantinople) and then on to Achilles' deserted isle of Leuce covered with poplars.
Was his body transported
by secret mission to Nova Roma
to bring good fortune to city
and then to isle of Leuce?
If one thinks the days of heroes are over in the machine age of warfare then one only has to look at острів Змії́ний (Ostriv Zmiinyi or Snake Island) off of the Danube Delta. It was formerly Leuce. The island is of strategic importance with respect to the Black Sea. The thirteen Ukrainian defenders of the island refused to surrender to the Russian cruiser Moskva. They were all killed. They have been posthumously awarded the nation's highest honor, the Hero of Ukraine. The Black Sea flagship has since been destroyed.
The End
Armageddon
One is not talking here about the end of this analysis. You are probably hoping though it will end sooner than later. One is talking about the end of civilization and everything with which we are familiar and unfamiliar. It is the beginning of a dark age. "I will show you fear in a handful of dust." (Eliot, The Wasteland)
The beginning of the end is marked by the Battle of Megiddo which may have taken place on April 16, 1457 BCE. To put the date into perspective, it was in the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. The battle pitted the Egyptian forces of King Thutmose III against the Canaanite vassal states. It was a decisive victory of major proportions for the Egyptians over the rebels.
It is suggested that one refer to the battle through J. F. C. Fuller's account in The Decisive Battles of the Western World and Their Influence Upon History, Volume 1. The poet learned of the book because he literally found it. He was attending a ballgame at Rogers Centre between the Jays and Yankees. The game may be called the equivalent of a civilized battle with rules. The Yankees won a victory over the Jays and a local fan lost the book as he departed the stadium. His loss was my gain.
The poet though refers here to James B. Pritchard's translation of the Megiddo Inscription which is readily accessible online. Thutmose inspires his army with an exhortation.
"Ye shall hold fast to the stride of your victorious lord on that road
which becomes so narrow. Behold, his majesty has taken an oath,
saying: 'I will not let my victorious army go forth ahead of my majesty
in this place!"
Basically, Thutmose is saying that while he is taking the most dangerous route, he will personally lead his army to victory. His promise was fulfilled at the Battle of Megiddo and the siege of the city which together became synonymous with the term Armageddon. The city was girdled with wall called "Men-kheper-Ra-is-the Corraller-of-the-Asiatics". The darkness had fallen over the Canaanites.
At the end of the Late Bronze Age, the Achaeans of the Mycenaean civilization undertook the Trojan War. The name of the war implies the Trojans started it, but the Achaeans were looking for any pretext to end the Trojan control of the Hellespont Strait which linked the trade route from the Black to the Mediterranean Seas.
The Achaeans undertook a massive invasion of Troy with 1000 ships. However, both sides suffered extreme losses. The leading warriors whose names were Achilles and Hector died. The Achaeans left Trojan shores with only 100 ships of which many never arrived. The walls of Troy were breached through a ruse. The destruction of Troy and its inhabitants was much worse than that of Megiddo which had been under siege for seven months. The returning Achaeans and the fleeing Trojans who had survived were men who had lost themselves.
One might say that the downfall of Troy at the time of the Trojan War was illustrative of what could happen with regard to civilization. Without going into details there was nothing civilized in the sack of Troy. If the fall of a city is not the exception to the rule then it is not surprising that civilization itself could be in jeopardy. In Troy's case, both the civilizations of the besieged and the besieger were destroyed within 100 years.
Indeed, the war may have been a symptom of the imminent collapse of several civilizations. Those civilizations to collapse in a short period of time were the Mycenaean, Hittite and Kassite Babylonian. At this time, the New Kingdom Egypt also began its decline.
It is unclear what caused the collapse among several possibilities. A Systems Collapse hypothesis emphasizes a perfect storm scenario involving migration and invasion of Sea Peoples, climate change over an extended period of time with high temperatures and low precipitation, earthquakes destroying palaces as well as dwellings and application of iron age technology in warfare. (Alice Bennett, What caused collapse?)
If the two attack hypothesis of Troy is sustainable then the poet has difficulty accepting that matters between the Achaeans and Trojans were not strained in the period between the attacks. He can imagine a scenario where the Achaeans blockaded the southern entrance to the Hellespont Strait in order to supplant the ability of the Trojans to collect taxes on ships. In order to accomplish this endeavour, the Achaeans would have had to have formed a piractical alliance with the Sea Peoples. The open question might be "Did the erstwhile allies fight among themselves for supremacy of the sea after the fall of Troy?"
A sea conflict between the Achaeans and the Sea Peoples might explain several things. First, it could support why very few Achaean ships arrived in Greece after the fall of Troy. Second, it may account for the length of Odysseys' wanderings after the fall. Third, if the Sea Peoples captured Odysseus it might supply an alternative version to his captivity by the nymph Calypso on the island of Ogygia and the witch-goddess Circe on the island of Aeaea. Simply put, Calypso and Circe may represent pirates of the Sea Peoples. Finally, it could bolster the view that the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization and others was due mainly to Sea Peoples who had adapted to Iron Age warfare technology.
If the concept of a female pirate seems far fetched then one might refer to the story of Ching Shih who was the wife of a Chinese pirate during the Qing Dynasty. Upon his death, she succeeded him. She commanded 1,800 ships and perhaps 80,000 men.
To proceed in the task of relating Armaggedon with the Apocalypse is not easy. Armaggedon is connected to the downfall of a specifc city---Megiddo. The epicenter of the Apocalypse in the biblical sense is also Megiddo, but its devastation is world-wide. It is almost as if the downfall of a city is a lesson to be learned to avoid total devastation; so, there is hope and choice.
Both Armageddon and the Apocalypse are unique from the perspective of the present. Armageddon was unique. The Apocalyspe will be unique. That is not to say there are not similar instances, but as the poet has repeated in other areas of his poetry---similar is not the same. There were wars at Megiddo before and after Armageddon. They were not the same. As a matter of fact, Cline (2002) counts a least 34 wars at Megiddo from ~2350 BC to AD 2000.
The poem called "Armageddon" clearly speaks of a quake that shakes earth. That could, for example, refer to a previous seismic event at Megiddo. On the other hand, it may also point to an event in the future at the time of the Apocalypse. The key may be found below.
animal marks Andaman
from the poem "Armaggedon" by D. Carlton Rossi 2008
The English word "Armaggedon" suggests to the poet "Arms" as one uses in war. However, one must remember that the Megiddo area is extremely prone to earthquakes. The cause is most probably the Carmel Fault Zone. Therefore, it is likely that much destruction was due to earthquakes.
In a report called (Megiddo Earthquakes, 2006) it is said that "two earthquake events at Megiddo are beyond doubt. One was at the end of the fourth millenium BCE and the other in the ninth century BCE. Another event, which brought about the end of Stratum VIA, is probable but not conclusive." Whether the city was destroyed by earthquakes or wars, it was rebuilt on the same mound a total of 27 times.
The poet advances rather gingerly because he attempts to relate downfall to devastation in the context of some of his poetry with the least interpretation of his poems which should speak for themselves. For this his purpose, he will briefly describe the Meridian of Alexandria designed by Eratosthenes. It was prominent in the poet's little manuscript of seventy-five pages called The Search for Alexander. This was an unpublished historical account written in preparation for the poem called The Thread. The Meridian is referred to here because it takes us rather quickly through historical times from the fall of Troy to the foundation of Constantinople.
Of course, the Meridian runs North-South separating West-East. It is therefore also a convenient tool to use in the analysis of the West-East clash of civilizations. To the poet, the prominent northern location on the Meridian was the Isle of Leuce where there was a temple to Achilles. Leuce was at the mouth of the Ister (Danube). The island may be where Alexander the Great is buried based on the poet's conjectures. In the past, the mouth had seven tributaries. Its counterpart in the South was the island of Pharos off of Alexandria founded by Alexander on the western edge of the Nile Delta which in past times also had seven tributaries.
From the isle of Leuce, using ancient map co-ordinates, the Meridian passes through Byzantium (Constantinople) ie. Parallel of Byzantium. It continues through the Hellespont Strait whose southern end is in close proximity to ancient Troy. Incidentally, Eratosthenes dates the fall of Troy to 1183 BCE which coincides roughly with modern day estimates. Further South, it passes through the sacred Parallel of Rhodes which was famous for its Colossus of Rhodes or a depiction of the sun god Helios. Rhodes, too, is on the Main Parallel running East to West (Latitude: 36°26′26″ N Longitude: 28°13′21″ E ). The Meridian then passes through Pharos Island where the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built. It continues to Alexandria where Alexander's body was on display for 500 years in the Soma located at the crossroads of the city.
Finally, Eratosthenes assumes the Meridian runs through Syene. Actually, Syene is a little to the East. He had observed that at noon on the first day of the summer solstice there were no shadows in Syene. From this observation he was able to calculate distances between Alexandria and Syene. One of the commonalities along the Meridian is "light" as listed here. 1. Leuce (means light) 2. Helios (sun god) 3. Lighthouse of Pharos 4. Syene (no shadows at summer solstice)
The next poem called "uninterpretedanduninterrupted" was revealed in a dream. The poem employs stream of consciousness technique. The date of events is 3 B.C. The place was the "the subterranean underground" below the palace. It is evident that a battle took place. The interpretation is left up to the reader.
I stood on dusty road on an arid plain. There lay land of sand with low lying desert plants typical of M. E. The day was bright. I was we of the four horsemen. We were the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, but we were horseless. We were the horseless men.
from uninterpretedanduninterrupted d. carlton rossi
A prophecy comes in the form of an epiphany called "Revelation". It began in a rather nondescript way in my habitual ritual of a coffee in a restaurant. It was a typical drip, drip, drip day. I left and headed North to Elmira. As I passed the restaurant, I saw three fiery ice columns in the sky. One doesn't normally see ice burning; so, the impression was searing. I thought about how everyone inside the restaurant would be missing what was outside. One ice column would have meant something, but three ice columns meant everything to me. It was a series which was serious. Finally, the visual orientation was stunning. It went from a setting Sun on the horizon to a vertical thrust of burning ice to the heavens.
Behold, there are 3hree, freeze, pilllared supports as
forehead of rainbow, face of Sun and feet of fire.
from Revelation D. Carlton Rossi
Poem's title
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Since this analysis is ultimately about the West-East clash of civilizations, several Chinese poems are included. In keeping with my resolution not to interpret my own poetry, I'll simply say a couple of general things. You'll notice this poem is image based. Many of my more recent poems fall in this category; although, they may not exclusively be Chinese. As image poems they are revolutionary. It is the future of poetry and hence they are prophetic.
The yin-yang image found second from the right is prominent in the Daoist philosophy and religion. The image on the far right does not exist except in this poem. That image is prophetic as it may represent a potential state of flux.
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The creation of these poems are unique. Yes, the title of the poem is a poem itself and an image. The main I'mage was derived from an another image on the left composed entirely of strait lines which were perceived in heavenly star and warrior shield patterns. The poet used a computer modelling program to transform the image on the left composed of straight lines into an I'mage on the right consisting of curved lines.
The inspiration for the poem is two-fold. First, it is derived from the "Seven Sermons to the Dead" (Jung, 1916). The sermons, as the poet read them, are found in the closing pages of the Red Book of Carl Gustave Jung. The psychoanalyst attributed the sermons to Basilides of Alexandria---where East and West meet.
Second, the poem is part of the Banpo series of the poet. Generally speaking, he was inspired by Banpo culture (c. 4500-3750 BCE) in the Yellow River valley. For example, the position of the huts in the village were based on star patterns which included the Big Dipper.
It was Banpo pottery which made a bigger impression on the poet. He created a whole series of poems called Banpo Poetry. He especially was influenced by fish-face patterns as well as fish-frog patterns which comprise a small percentage of designs.
In short, the poem's name is derived from Jung's concept of Abraxas who is a symbol of universal life and death. However, the figure has been transformed by the poet into its Chinese counterpart of the twin winds of fish-frog and frog-fish. A copy of the poet's Red Book by Jung was actually donated to the library at the Dawu Group, Langwuzhuang Village.
The first passage quoted is from Carl Jung, The Black Books, Volume 5, pg. 275.
The more you free yourself from him [Abraxas], the more you approach death, since he is the life of the universe. But he is also universal death. Therefore, you fall victim to him again, not in life but in dying. So remember him, do not worship him, but also do not imagine that you can flee him since he is all around you.
The second passage is the poet's. He has put the concepts of the Seven Sermons into a Chinese context in his poems with respect to Neolithic Banpo pottery and culture. The poet tries to free himself from the dreaded twin winds. The poem is called Huánghé (Yellow River) which is also the name of the first section of five.
Huánghé
There will be much time to wait
for the return of the old Huánghé
which flows from the Bayan Har.
As newborn, I was buried in clay pot
molded by umbilical of coiled cord
and fired hot by heat of firewood.
Let my broken bones and clay shards
be restored by the silted waters of Hé
to vessel from clay painted as rén miàn yú.
To be thorough, though, through analysis of history, the poet decides it is necessary to at least cursorily look at the Mongol conquests of Genghis Khan and his descendants. They were initially directed at the Chinese empire and persisted over several dynasties. In a short matter of time, they extended territory to Eastern Europe. The Mongol empire actually reached the the lower Danube.
The Mongols under Qadan perhaps clashed in Thrace with King Baldwin II's army of the Byzantine empire. In 1242 CE, it may be that Baldwin was captured, ransomed and required to pay tribute. Coupled with the invasion of eastern Anatolia in the following year, it meant the Mongols were in the region to stay. A formal siege of Constantinople was avoided at great cost in wealth and human lives.
Strictly speaking, at this time, the Mongols were not concerned with the Hellespont or the Taiwan Strait. They were not a seafaring or maritime trading empire. They went as far as their horses could carry them. Effectively, their conquests expanded the overland Silk trade routes which were the basis of their economy in times of peace.
Therefore, while the Mongol expansion eastward was of apocalyptic proportions, it does not meet the formal requirements of this analysis with respect to the West-East clash of civilizations centered on West-East straits; namely, the Hellespont and Taiwan Straits. Potential clashes in the South China Sea---of which the Taiwan Strait is part of---may involve semiconductors, maritime interests, sea trade, virtual boundaries as well as undersea resources. Power may be projected militarily through the employment of ships, submarines, drones, missiles, mines, air power and possibly nuclear devices. To underscore the seriousness of the situation, one must keep in mind that both a US carrier in international waters and the island of Guam are regarded by the United States as sovereign territory of the United States while the island of Taiwan and its archipelago is regarded as sovereign territory of the People's Republic of China.
The term "Thucydides Trap" has not been used up to this point in this analysis. Professor Allison referred to the term in an article called "Thucydides's Trap Has Been Sprung in the Pacific." (Financial Times, August 21, 2012). Basically, Allison says that the Pax Pacifica [as part of the Pax Americana] is being challenged in the South China and East China Seas by China's aggressive posture. As a result, the United States may fear a rising China as Sparta feared a rising Athens thus leading to war. One can argue that Allison was trying to set a tone of moderation in the new Chinese administration and understanding in the US administration as to how it should react.
The timing of the article is very important. It is just before Xi Jinpiing was to be elected on November 15, 2012 to the posts of general secretary of the CCP and chairman of the Central Military Commission (中共中央軍事委員會). One might conjecture that Professor Allison had become aware of the likelihood of Xi's ascension.
He may have wanted to draw a parallel between exiles in the allusion to Thucydides in order to establish a commonality with regard to treatment. Xi was exiled to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution where he remained for seven years. Thucydides was exiled as a commander of the fleet for a period of twenty years for failing to prevent the capture of Amphipolis (424 BCE). In other words, the communist regime exiled Xi and the democratic city-state exiled Thucydides. Both Xi and Thucydides were subject to arbitrary exile by governments which were prone to extremes.
There is a fundamental problem with Allison's comparison of the Athens-Sparta and China-United States rivalries. The Peloponnesian War was between the Delian League led by Athens and the Pelopponesian League by Sparta. It was a fight between city-states. It is true near the end that Persia aided Sparta, but that did not fundamentally make it a West-East clash of civilizations. Furthermore, Athens was not decisively defeated as it recovered a decade later. Lastly, the poet has read Thucydides' History on three occasions---one of which was in China around the time of Xi's ascension---and he doesn't see the similarity with respect to rivalries nor reactions.
A better comparison of the rivalry between China and the United States would be the Trojan War between the Achaeans and the Trojans which took place much earlier. It was fought over control of the Hellespont Strait. The Achaeans relied on their wooden ships and the Trojans based their security on their stone walls. Troy was decisively defeated. Its citizens were slaughtered or sold into slavery. The war represented a classic clash of West v East.
It is likely the invasion of Troy took place in three phases. The initial battle of the war failed to breach the walls. This may have been followed by an interim period of a naval blockade of the Hellespont. Its intention would be to weaken Troy economically by interrupting its collection of taxes from ships transiting the strait. The Achaean blockade would need the support of pirates known as the Sea Peoples.
Before Thucydides speaks of the rising power of Athens and the fear it instilled in Lacedaemon, he mentions piracy. "For in early times the Hellenes and the barbarians of the coast and islands, as communication by sea became more common, were tempted to turn pirates, under the conduct of their most powerful men". It is conceivable that the Achaeans became pirates in alliance with the Sea Peoples. This factor might explain---at least in part---Achilles' reluctance to fight for Agamemnon whom he designates as a "sack of wine" in the Iliad, the looting of the temple of Apollo and the abuse of female captives.
It may be that after years of blockade, the Trojan economy was brought to a standstill. A second assault took place against the city in the tenth year. The fall of Hector foreshadowed the fall of Troy itself. Through a ruse, the Achaeans entered the city to loot and destroy. Troy fell as a vassal state of the Hittite Empire. For this reason, the Trojan War may be regarded as a West-East clash of civilizations.
It is natural and unstrained to make a comparison between the Hellespont and Taiwan Strait. The latter is part of the South China Sea whose territory is in much dispute. In addition, the People's Republic of China has vowed reunification with the Republic of China.
Across strait, The Taiwan Relations Act (1979) states that the United States will "consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States".
It may be useful at this point to provide a definition through exemplification for what an embargo is not. The Americans banned exports to China of cutting-edge chips, as well as chip design software, chip manufacturing equipment, and US-built components of manufacturing equipment. They did this on October 07, 2022 through export controls. In addition, the US CHIPS and Science Act prohibits Taiwanese companies, among others, from receiving subsidies unless they agree not to build advanced chipmaking facilities in China for 10 years. In other words, the Americans banned, controlled and prohibited, but they did not embargo. Therefore, to define embargo negatively, it is not a ban, control or prohibition undertaken by the United States.
It is unlikely, though not certain, that President Xi will use forceful means to blockade or invade Taiwan at this particular time. There have been four, recent miscalculations up to this point: Dynamic ZER0 Covid policy and strategy, Covid protests in seventeen cities, China's support of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine and finally the extent of American export controls; as well as, the likelihood they will be extended to include AI, IofT, 6G, quantum, hypersonic and fushion.
There are many possible ways China might retaliate for the export controls. It may be that China will introduce export controls of its own on rare earth elements (REE). One can expect a partial REE ban as was undertaken in 2010 over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The end of the year is just the time when the country considers REE quotas. If the Americans were to extend their import controls further then one might anticipate a total ban of Chinese REE exports.
There are many possible ways China might retaliate for the export controls. It may be that China will introduce export controls of its own on rare earth elements (REE). One can expect a partial REE ban as was undertaken in 2010 over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The end of the year is just the time when the country considers REE quotas. If the Americans were to extend their import controls further then one might anticipate a total ban of Chinese REE exports.
It may seem that The Selden Map or Selden's Map (as the poet designates it) is a quaint curiousity from the seventeenth century. Historically, it was regarded as an item in time of antiquarian importance bequeathed to the Bodleian Library. It was discredited by Edmund Halley who regarded its geographical features as inaccurate. This could mean that trade routes are also inaccurate as they link geographical features. The map remained hidden in plain sight throughout the UNCLOS negotiations with China, the ratification of the international treaty by China, and the handover of Hong Kong to China. If the United States expects China to honour the agreement then it, too, must ratify UNCLOS.
The map reappeared rather surprisingly in the twenty-first century when the Strait of Malacca connecting the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea became a major thoroughfare of world trade. China also began to assert its claims in the South China Sea with its navy, fishing trawlers and creation of artificial islands. Furthermore, China intensified its intention to reunify with Taiwan.
Historians who were specialists in the Ming Dynasty then began to pay attention to the trade routes drawn on the map as they pertained to the South China Sea. Historical claims to territory under UNCLOS emphasize both trade and settlement. It seems, at some time, the routes of maritime trade had been redrawn because there were traces of former routes in a deeper layer of waterpaint.
Generally speaking, historians have pinpointed the time of the map to the last decade of the reign of Emperor Wanli's (万历帝) or roughly from 1610 to 1620 CE during the Ming Dynasty. That is a very interesting period because the emperor was basically on strike over a thorny, succession issue and officials would actually speak to an empty throne. At the same time, James I of England, Scotland and Ireland, commissioned John Selden to write Mare Clausum or Closed Sea. However, both he and his Admiral whose name was George Villiers (1st Duke of Buckingham) failed to give final approval for publication.
The poet idly, idyllically imagined, as poet's are wont to do, that Selden might have referred to the map as he drafted a version of Mare Clausum in 1618. To put that into perspective, it was another 17 years before it was finally published in 1635 and about 36 years before it was bequeathed to the Bodleian library. The poet wondered if Selden had examined a map of new exploration in the South China Sea where the East India Company was involved and compared it with a map showing seas around the British Isles. Grotius who wrote Mare Liberum or Open Sea had argued that Spanish claims to a trading monopoly in Southeast Asia were invalid. (Hugo Grotius (1583—1645) Both Mare Clausum and Mare Liberum have formed the basis for our current, international laws of the sea.
Slowly, the poet began to perceive unusual patterns were beginning to emerge as one examined the trade routes. At first, he regarded them as merely mnemonic aides for navigators. However, the patterns were related and expressed a common theme.
The patterns were clealy anti-imperialist. Furthermore, they exhibited an antipathy toward an absent king potentially asserting divine right in a foreign land through a navy commanded at least nominally by George Villiers. A notable image actually portrayed St. George slaying the Dragon in the South China Sea. Finally, the images were demonstrating the dangers inherent in an open seas concept involving multiple nations which had various territorial claims which may be conflicting.
Through a poetic spiritual quest, the poet also noticed geometric patterns related to overland trade routes involving the Silk Roads and later how they interrelated with maritime trade routes which eventually superceded them. The basic pattern was rectangular as expressed in the Northwest Rectangle (NWR) which was based on the Four Seas concept proclaimed by Liu Bang 劉邦 (256–195 BCE) who was the founder of the Han Dynasty. The rectangle was extended eastward to reflect the growing importance of maritime trade during the Song, Tang and Ming Dynasties.
The fundamental basis of the extension though was on the Will of Heaven. The center of the Compass Rose symbolized the North Star at the time of the mytho-historical Yellow Emperor Huangdi (黃帝) who reigned from 2697–2597 or 2698–2598 BCE. Alpha Draconis itself is 紫微右垣一 or the First Star of Right Wall of Purple Forbidden Enclosure.
Draconis 11 was at the top of the North Circumpolar Rectangle also known as the Polar Quadrilateral. This rectangle or quadrilateral then became the centre of an extended rectangle called the Eastern Seaboard Rectangle by the poet. If one goes South from the center of the Compass Rose one passes the Great Wall on the map to the center of the Forbidden City in Beijing which was the new capital in the Ming Dynasty. The poet has identified an image of the emperor blowing the four winds on the back of a turtle entwined with a snake. This justifies his linking the center of the Compass Rose with the center of Beijing where the emperor resides through the design of what he calls the Magical Mystery Square. In other words, the emperor serves the Will of Heaven. If the emperor fails in his duty then the people can point out the emperor's error.
From these observations, it was not difficult for the poet to conceive the idea that Selden designed and perhaps modified the map around the time he was writing Mare Clausum. Selden's own personal story seems to be reflected in the birth of a baby from the Peng's egg in the East at Telin to their journey westward to the Kun at the center of Lake Baikal. The rising bird becomes the descending Kun. These express Daoist, Buddhist and Confucianist concepts. The poet perceives portraits of Selden in different stages of his development. For all these reasons, he calls the map "Selden's Map". It was a tool of the living more than a bequeath of the dead.
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The above sculptures were found at the Aphaia temple of Aegina. They represent two fallen soldiers of both armies of the Trojan War. On the left is a Greek soldier found on the West pediment. On the right is a Trojan soldier found on the East pediment---perhaps Laomedon. It is estimated the sculptures were carved between 505-500 BCE. They are now housed at the Glyptothek Museum, Munich. Both sides lost many men. Their respective civilizations fell themselves within a short period of time.
In this analysis, the poet tests the hypothesis that the West-East clash of civilizations is the dominant theme of history. It was presented to him some fifty years ago by his high school teacher whose name is George Huber. Mr. Huber holds three MA degrees. The poet though concentrates on the events of the Trojan War to illustrate this clash between the Mycenaean and Hittite civilizations.
The poet concedes that much is not known. The events of the Trojan War were carried down in oral fashion until the time of Homer who composed two poems called the Iliad and Odyssey. With respect to the unknown in the present time, contemporary events have not yet been considered from an historical perspective. Furthermore, what might transpire in the future is not as yet known.
Nevertheless, one might conjecture that in the recent past both the Korean and Vietnam War of the last century influenced both the historian and the poet. They were hot wars of the Cold War era. The poet classifies them as "proxy wars" of the major West-East powers; namely, United States, Soviet Union and People's Republic of China. Both proxy wars began as civil wars.
It may be said, too, that current disagreements involving Taiwan and the People's Republic of China began as a civil war in 1927 between the Nationalists and Communists. The United States brokered negotiations with both sides in the 1945-49 period; although, the Americans were biased in their support towards the Nationalists. One might also say that the Americans knew as little about the Chinese as they later did about the Vietnamese and Koreans, but that didn't stop them from interfering and intervening in civil wars.
While civil wars in the twentieth century had a tendency to turn into proxy wars between the major powers, this causal relationship was not evident at the time of the Trojan War. For example, there was no concept of being Greek among the Mycenaeans. The war between the Achaeans and the Trojans represented a clash of civilizations about wealth and power. Specifically, it centered on control of the Hellespont Strait. If one is a romanticist then one may include the apparent abduction of Helen.
Centuries later, the Persian Wars were conducted between city-states and the Persian Empire. The concept of "Greekness" emerged with the success of the west against the east. The First Pelopponesian War (460-445 BCE) involved Athens and Sparta leading their respective leagues. This war accentuated the differences between the Athenians and Spartans with regard to government (democracy or kingship), character (sea or land) and class structure (free or helot).
The Second Pelopponesian War (431-404 BCE), was an extension of the first with the exception that the Persians aided and abetted to a greater extent the Spartans and the Peloponnesian League. It did not become a proxy war of the Persian Empire against the Delian League. It was more a "civil war" between city-states and within city-states which became very uncivil.
The aim of war changed from subjugation to annihilation of the enemy. It did involve class struggle, but that struggle was not between west and the east which is the dominant theme of this analysis. The struggle focused on different political, economic and social aspects of culture rather than major differences between civilizations.
The Mycenaean and Hittite civilizations were extremely different. The city of Troy paid tribute to the Hittite Empire out of its taxes exacted on ships passing through the Hellespont Strait. The Achaeans wanted to expand eastward by military means. In 1194 BCE (traditional dating), their fleet crossed the Aegean Sea to land on Trojan shores. The West-East clash had begun. However, the walls surrounding the city presented a major obstacle to the Achaeans. They could not be breached at this stage of the war.
It is hypothesized that the Achaeans then turned to a long term strategy involving a blockade of the Hellespont. In order to undertake a successful blockade, it would be necessary for them to ally themselves with the Sea Peoples. This would mean that Troy would be deprived of tax revenues while revenues would flow into the coffers of the piratical alliance. This strategy would weaken Troy and strengthen the alliance until the Achaeans were ready to renew their attack on Troy. The Trojans opened their gate to a sacrificial gift in the form of a wooden horse from their enemy which rendered their defences useless. The city fell.
One postulates there are three narrows between the West and East with respect to civilizations. On a macro scale there are the straits. The Hellespont was a narrows between the continent of Europe and the Asia. At its narrowest, it was 1400 meters wide. This narrows played a major role in the West-East clash at the time of the Trojan War.
The second narrows is the Taiwan Strait as part of the South China Sea. At its most narrow point it is 130 km wide. The Nationalists fought a civil war with the Communists between 1945-1949. The Americans tried to broker peace between opposing sides in what the poet calls a "proxy peace". In other words, the Americans were ostensibly neutral, but nevertheless they supplied funds to the Nationalists. Despite the financial support, the Nationalists retreated across the strait to Taiwan.
The Mutual Defense Treaty signed by the United States and the Republic of China in 1955 was the result of the "First Taiwan Strait Crisis" of 1954. This treaty was intended to defend the island of Taiwan in the event of an invasion by the People's Republic of China. The first challenge which the allies faced was the Second Taiwan Strait crisis of 1958. There have been three crises altogether including one in 1996. The latter had evolved into a missile crisis. At that time, the US and Taiwan were under the umbrella of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
To understand how the Mutual Defense Treaty turned into the Taiwan Relations Act which incorporated some of its features, one must examine the surprise visit of President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger to China on February 21, 1972. The result of negotiations was the Shanghai Communiqué 中华人民共和国和美利坚合众国联合公报 (1972年). The One China Policy was central to the agreement. Of course, both sides had different interpretations of the policy which China called the One-China Principle. This created a kind of "constructive ambiguity" in the words of Kissinger.
One might say that the actions of Nixon were disingenuous and duplicitous. Basically, he traded Taiwan for Vietnam in which the United States was mired in war. He wanted a withdrawal of troops at any cost. He paid with the One-China Policy. To be fair, though, there were grander geo-political issues involved particularly involving the Soviet Union.
The Shanghai Communiqué satisfied a "core interest" of the PRC. It wanted unification with Taiwan in peacetime, in civil war or through three crises. It wanted it in the past and it wants it now. Nothing has changed.
It can be argued that Taiwan was a core interest of the United States from 1955 to 1972. It agreed to defend Taiwan as an ally in perpetuity if China attacked the island. Perpetuity though had a limit. The United States resolve to defend the island was weakened de facto when it acknowledged “that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China.” At this point, one might say that Taiwan ceased to be a core interest of the United States.
The resolve to defend the island was lessened further on January 1, 1979 with the recognition of the PRC by the United States. Senator Biden of the state of Delaware voted for the recognition. Basically, the definition of defense was changed from an active involvement in the event of war under the Mutual Defence Treaty to a more passive commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act involving support through arms sales.
Recently, President Biden has stated on numerous occasions that the United States would come to the defence of Taiwan if the island were attacked or interfered with by the PRC. For example, he reaffirmed that American military soldiers would defend Taiwan in the event that the Chinese military attempted to annex the island. The White House walked back these comments by saying that national policy had not changed. One presumes this is a classic example of "strategic ambiguity".
It would be better if something like a core interest of the United States were expressed clearly and concisely as the Chinese do concerning Taiwan to avoid any misunderstanding or underestimation. This has been achieved through the "Chips and Science Act" signed into law by President Biden on August 09, 2022. The act is part of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021. It provides new funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors. Subsidies encourage TSMC whose headquarters are in Taiwan to build a plant in the United States. Semiconductors and lithography are not classified as core interests by the United States, but rather as "fundamental technologies".
On a micro scale, the semiconductor is the third narrows. In semiconductor manufacturing, the current die shrink of MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor) technology node is the 3 nm process. For historical comparison, the die shrink node in 1971 was 10 μm in RCA's and Intel's manufacturing process. The die shrink doesn't characterize physical features, but measures density, speed and power consumption. "For example, TSMC has stated that its 3 nm FinFET chips will reduce power consumption by 25-30% at the same speed, increase speed by 10-15% at the same amount of power and increase transistor density by about 33% compared to its previous 5 nm FinFET chips."
Prior to the Chip Act, TSMC had committed to building a semiconductor fab in Arizona. It will produce 5 nm chips. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (who had been director of the CIA) said the TSMC fab in the US will bolster “U.S. national security at a time when China is trying to dominate cutting-edge tech and control critical industries.”
DNA Double Helix
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William Shockley and the junction transistor.
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The first point-contact transistor was made by Bardeen and Brattain at Bell Labs in 1947. Two months later, Shockley improved the design by allowing current to flow through three semiconductor layers stacked together. For their achievement, they won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956. The 75th Anniversary of the Invention of the Transistor is on December 16, 2022.
Traditionally, the generation born after WWII is known as the Baby Boom Generation. The poet is of that generation. There are many people in that generation. However, he was not born at the time of the vacuum tube. He was born at the time of the discovery of DNA and the transistor. He was a "transistor baby" of peacetime. Will a DNA double-helix structure be incorporated into semiconductor design in the future?
Napoleon is reported to have said: 'There sleeps China! God pity us if she wakes. Let her sleep!" One might have said a similar thing about the United States for the last several decades with respect to its approach towards China. It was sleeping as it ignored the threat which China posed.
Recently, PMJT asked Canadians to pose questions to him. You asked for it. With regard to China as a threat to the national security of Canada, does the Government of Canada resemble a cross between a donkey and monkey in a brain-dead state on life support?
The United States is no longer sleeping. The battle began on August 09, 2022 with the Chip and Science Act. On October 07, 2022, the United States announced broad export controls which required licenses for companies exporting chips to China. This week the United States has added 36 more Chinese companies to its "entity list". China has made a formal complaint to the WTO on the grounds of unfair trading practices as it calls the United States a "technology terrorist". The United States responded by saying the WTO was not a proper forum for issues concerning national security.
All of this means the world is dividing into two camps (ie. the US and China) on the battleground of semiconductors which are used in everything from phones to weapons. For example, the UK chip designer ARM will not be selling its latest designs to Chinese firms because of US and UK controls. It represents another West-East clash of civilizations over control of a strait similar to that which took place 3000 years ago at the time of the Trojan War.
It is true that The Trojan War was about control of the Hellespont Strait rather than technology. Both sides had similar technology with respect to bronze weapons during the Late Bronze Age. This meant that fatalities and injuries were heavy on both sides. Iron age technology---with regard to weapon fabrication on a large scale---did not develop until after the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations.
In the present circumstances, the Taiwan Strait does figure into the West-East clash. It is part of the South China Sea which is contested for its territory and resources. Also, if China were to blockade Taiwan it would effectively isolate the island and close the Taiwan Strait.
However, semiconductors may be the proximate cause of a war. Taiwan is a leading fabricator of semiconductors. US export controls are peaceful means to encourage domestic manufacturing and restrict technology leakage to China. Taiwan has agreed to build a 3nm plant in Arizona. It will now have access to US subsidies. If China were to blockade Taiwan then it would be an act of war designed to forcefully seize Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing industry. Since the US has now identified semiconductors as critical, fundamental technology it would fight tooth and nail to defend its equivalent of a core interest.
A Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be an awesome affair. The Chinese navy is numerically superior to the US navy. It could also be bolstered by Russian ships; although, one might anticipate that Russian submarines would be more likely employed as they would be less visible and more acceptable to the Chinese.
In WWII, the Soviets implored the West to open a second front. If Russian vessels of any type were used in a blockade today it might unwittingly create a second front against Russia. It risks not only facing Nato in Europe, but the United States of America. Russia would also have a million Chinese on their southern border potentially ready to carve out territory. Let's see. In WWIII, Russia may have three fronts.
The main difficulty of a partial blockade in the Taiwan Strait is time. The longer a blockade lasts the less likely it is to succeed. The ships would be like sitting ducks for US targeting systems. In addition, a longterm blockade would bring in the US allies.
If a limited blockade were employed by the Chinese then the US could counter with an open channel operation on the east coast of Taiwan to allow commerce, delivery of essential supplies and military hardware for Taiwan's defense. One presumes both Taiwan and the United States are in the process of making preparations for just such a scenario. In short, a stationary blockade of the Taiwan Strait is fraught with extreme difficulties and dangers for the blockader.
It is conceivable that China could extend the blockade all around the island of Taiwan. This might mean though that too many of its ships are exposed in a relatively small area around Taiwan as opposed to the larger area of the South China Sea and Pacific. In addition, those ships in a blockade on the Pacific side would be highly vulnerable to attack from predators in the open seas of the Pacific.
To counter drawbacks of a partial or full stationary blockade of Taiwan, the Chinese may utilize a dual dynamic blockade (Rossi, 2022). Imagine ships moving in opposite directions in elliptical patterns. The ships of the inner ellipse closest to Taiwan are traveling quite fast while those of the outer ellipse are travelling slower in zigzag patterns. The ships are not following each other directly, but rather there is a slight offset in the event that a ship is disabled or sunk. Each run must vary in speed, time and length on a random basis. The poet has analysed the pros and cons of such a strategy.
The purpose of a blockade would be threefold. First, impress on Taiwan the futility of resistance to unification. Second, it would demonstrate China's complete control of the Taiwan Strait for at least a brief period of time. Third, it would lay the stage for an American response which could be interpreted as a causus belli by the Chinese. Of course, the Americans may say that a blockade is cause enough.
"2015 Cross-Strait Thought Seminar" held in Taiwujituan
October 17, "2015 Cross-Strait Thought Seminar" was held in Hebei Taiwujituan.
The seminar was organized by China Taiwan Network, Sun Yat-sen Institute, Taiwan and China Culture Promotion Association, China Association of Outstanding Young Economic Development organized Dawujituan and Chinese Culture Park Sun contractors. Coordinators of the seminar invited more than 40 experts in universities and research institutions of Zhongshan University, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Donghua University, Shandong University, Hebei University, National Taiwan Chinese Culture University, National Chung Cheng University, I-Shou University, Hong Kong, Zhuhai College, University of Macau Scholars to participate in and expand the discussion. The People's Daily, Xinhua, China Network, People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, China News Agency, Radio International, China Central Television, Southeast TV, Channel TV, Xiamen TV, Voice of the Straits, Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po, "Taiwan Voice" magazine International online, China Daily, CCTV, China Youth Network, China Economic Net, China National Radio, China Tibet Network, Guangming Wang, China News overseas, Sina, Sohu, Netease, Phoenix, Tencent, the World Wide Web , Baidu, 360 and other media were also included to observe the seminar.
10月17日,“2015海峡两岸孙中山思想研讨会”在河北大午集团召开。本次研讨会由中国台湾网、中山大学孙中山研究所、台湾中华文化推广协会、中华杰出青年经贸发展促进会主办，大午集团和中华孙氏文化园承办。研讨会邀请了中山大学、中国社科院、东华大学、山东大学、河北大学、台湾中国文化大学、中正大学、义守大学、香港珠海书院、澳门大学等高校与研究机构的40多位专家学者参会并展开研讨。人民日报海外版、新华社、中新社、国际广播电台、中央电视台、东南卫视、海峡卫视、厦门卫视、海峡之声、大公报、文汇报、《台声》杂志；人民网、新华网、中国网、国际在线、中国日报网、央视网、中国青年网、中国经济网、中国广播网、中国西藏网、光明网、中国新闻网、海外网、新浪、搜狐、网易、凤凰网、腾讯、环球网、百度、360等媒体观摩了研讨会。
The Dawu Group admired the virtue of Sun Yatsen. Dr. Sun Yat-sen 孫中山 was the first provisional president of the Republic of China and a unifying figure in post-Imperial China. His granddaughter, Lily Sui-fong Sun 孫穗芳, was the Guest of Honor at Sun Park in October 2014 to unveil a statue to her parents. All the Sun clans were united. A year later, a Cross-Strait Thought Seminar" was held at Taiwujituan to discuss ways to foster peace. Balance and harmony ensued.
In October 2015, at the time of the Cross-Strait Thought Seminar, the poet resided in Canada. If he had attended a similar seminar today he might have been asked to express his thoughts on the issue. He might begin by showing a depiction of a Chinese Well-Sweep Pivot.
Chinese Well-Sweep Pivot
It was a simple mechanism to draw water from a well in ancient times. It is still used today in remote locations. It balanced two weights on either end of a horizontal sweep which was balanced on a "Y" shaped pivot. On one end of the sweep was a heavy weight and on the other end a dipper. An empty dipper would be pulled down by the operator and lowered to the water. The weight would then pull up the dipper. In a perfectly balanced system, the dipper was half-full and half-empty.
The well-sweep pivot was used here in China. It solved a problem here. One might then say that the pattern of the pivot was projected onto the stars of the Big and Little Dippers. Is it conceivable though that the pattern originated there in the stars and was recognized here to be applied to a practical problem?
天上桔槔枢轴 Celestial Well-Sweep Pivot
The heavenly version is illustrated in an I'mage drawn by the poet for his Elegant Celestial Giza Series. The I'mage poem is entitled 天上桔槔枢轴 or Celestial Well-Sweep Pivot. The virtual pivot of the Celestial Well-Sweep is a point of perfect balance between the Dippers of the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. That point is known as Alpha Draconis. It represents 右樞 (Yòushū) or The Celestial Pivot in Chinese astronomy and astrology.
Binary stars orbiting each other in a slightly elliptical pattern
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Algol AB revolving around each other as shown in infrared
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It so happens that 11 Draconis (右樞) and 10 Draconis are a pair of eclipsing binary stars. They orbit around each other or more exactly around a common barycenter. The orbital period of 11 Draconis is 51.417350 days. Therefore, the poet considers the pivotal point to be the barycenter between the binary pair.
It really is an example of balance in a two-body problem in classical mechanics. If the mass of two stars does not vary excessively then they can orbit each other in the event that outside influences are minimal. The orbital pattern is elliptical. However, there is a gradual loss of energy through gravitational radiation.
Both 11 Draconis and 10 Draconis were Pole Stars around the time of the mytho-poetic Yellow Emperor Huangdi who united the tribes. He united them at Fushan which is a mountain not too far away from Langwuzhuang Village, Hebei which was the location of Dawu Group.
However, what Huangdi united is today divided because the balance between the small heavenly village of Langwuzhuang and the legacy, political city of Xiongan New Area 雄安新区 was upset thus disturbing the relationship between Heaven and Earth.
The disturbance was caused by the outside influence of a state farm controlled by the local government. For all intents and purposes, the Dawu Group ceased to exist as it was in Langwuzhuang Village. The two major shareholders did not sell their shares at auction while they were in prison. In effect, its executives ceased to exist as they are confined in their prisons. There is no longer a yin-yang kind of balance or harmony between the age-old agricultural village of Langwuzhuang and its futuristic counterpart of Xiaongan New Area.
The signs of heaven's displeasure are manifest. COVID-19 started in Wuhan. Its Omicron mutations now ravage the population. A meteorite strikes Hanzhou. There are blood red skies in Shanghai and Shenzhen. The Yangtze River dries up and the Yellow River floods. Mongolian sheep walk in circles for days. What's next?
Today, ritual is not conducted as it used to be. There is a rift between Heaven and Earth 天地. The rift grows between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Taiwan. The sound of the Kung is not heard in the temples, but is drowned out by the roar of King Kong. Chaos reigns. Collapse follows.
China's position is anything but ambiguous. If peaceful overtures fail then it will unify or reunify with Taiwan. It has the wherewithall to establish an initial beachhead of 25,000 troops on Taiwanese shores. The whole war may be over in a week's time based on computer simulations by RAND and the Pentagon. It is also assumed that China does not want to become mired in a protracted conflict as has Russia in the Ukraine. Analysts are left therefore to guess exactly when a lightning strike is most likely to take place. It seems much more productive though to examine why China hasn't already undertaken an invasion.
China has had a long time to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan. In order to do so, it has wanted to secure its borders where it has historically had trouble. In the West, Tibet was targeted (2008) because its population were Buddhists. They could pose a threat at a time of war to a regime that wanted religion to become more Marxist. In the North, Muslims were labelled as potential terrorists. More aggressive, intensive and repressive methods were applied to check them so that they could be controlled in the event of war. (2016) Finally, millions of Cantonese speaking people of Hong Kong needed to be controlled because they were exercising freedom of speech. (2019) They protested in the streets as "rule of law" turned into "rule by law". Their constitution was superceded by Xi Jinping Thought. Their leaders are in prison.
As these three border regions are controlled, they effectively became walls. As walls they serve a dual purpose. They keep potential enemies out. More importantly, they keep within the majority of Han Chinese. China becomes like one large prison.
The East border is still open--sort of. There are stringent rules in place restricting Chinese from going to Taiwan. The point is though that the mainlanders escaped to the island of Taiwan in 1949. They remained there. They established a democracy and a thriving economy. Their good example--like Hong Kong--sets a bad example for the CCP which believes that socialism with CCP characteristics is the answer to everything. Therefore, to the CCP, Taiwan represents the East wall that must be closed to its own people.
Since 2020, China has controlled both the border regions and the general population with fear through Zero COVID measures. At any time or place, martial law or its equivalent might be declared. China tightened and even doubled down on its Zero COVID measures. The goal was to create a docile and languid population.
The control reached a breaking point when protests about Zero COVID simultaneously erupted throughout 19 cities on the mainland. The protests did not reach the numbers estimated at Tiananmen (1989) or Hong Kong (2019), but were extensive enough to worry the CPC. The carefully choreographed twentieth party congress had gone splendidly, but did the congress express the real views of the people if they were spontaneously protesting on the streets in its aftermath?
As a result, the CPC decided to drop Zero COVID like it was a hot potato. That does not mean it went from plan to no plan. Their plan is to lessen control, but double down on the fear factor. People no longer fear multiple COVID tests or arbitrarily enforced isolation which could be construed as protective.
Their fear is now more palpable and heightened. They self-isolate because of their fear of death. Thousands are dying everyday, body bags are piling up, medicines are in short supply and hospitals are brimming with patients. Look at the empty streets. It is as if an air raid siren was blaring, but the reality is deathly silence.
If you think that China will not blockade or invade Taiwan at this time because of a sudden rise in COVID cases then you may have to rethink. The government has to demonstrate it is in control---especially since it backed down on Zero COVID. The Chinese people are shell shocked with the government's reversal of its COVID policy. They are not thinking about opposition, but rather their position is one of survival in the face of a rapidly mutating Omicron variant. Basically, it means there will be little resistance from its peoples either on the borders or in the interior of China if its goverment should decide to blockade or invade Taiwan for political reasons.
It may be time for the United States to consider a new policy of "strategic certainty" in the New Year with respect to the defense of Taiwan. This policy would remove any potential doubt in the minds of an adversary as to the resolve of the United States to defend Taiwan. It would also mean that either a Chinese blockade or invasion of the Pescadores or of Taiwan itself would be considered an act of war bringing the United States to the defense of Taiwan. This strategic certainty would also convince the allies to align more quickly in the event of hostilities.
Abraxas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraxas
Advanced Computing and Semiconductor Manufacturing Controls
https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/about-bis/newsroom/press-releases/3158-2022-10-07-bis-press-release-advanced-computing-and-semiconductor-manufacturing-controls-final/file
Banerji, Urvija, The Chinese Female Pirate Who Commanded 80,000 Outlaws, June 15, 2022
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ching-shih-chinese-female-pirate
Bernstein, Richard, The Scary War Game Over Taiwan That the U.S. Loses to China Again and Again, National Interest, August 17, 2020
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/scary-war-game-over-taiwan-us-loses-china-again-and-again-167085
Cline, Eric H. 2002 “The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age”, Ann Arbor MI, University of Michigan.
Dipper (Chinese constellation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipper_(Chinese_constellation)
Four Symbols
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Symbols
Fuller, J. F. C., The Decisive Battles of the Western World and Their Influence Upon History, Volume 1: From the Earliest Times to the Battle of Lepanto, January 1, 1993
Finnegan, Conor, US cleans up Biden's 'commitment' to defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion, His comments angered Beijing and contradicted decades of U.S. policy, October 22, 2021.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-cleans-bidens-commitment-defend-taiwan-chinese-invasion/story
"Genbu" (Black Tortoise) of the North (Winter) ie. Moon Stations in Japanese
https://archive.ph/20121209191209/http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/winter.htm
Girard, Bonnie, Nixon’s China Sell-Out, Nixon’s China opening had little regards for American and allied troops in Vietnam July 10, 2018
https://thediplomat.com/2018/07/nixons-china-sell-out/
Hawke, George, Many battles at Megiddo
https://georgesjournal.net/2020/10/14/many-battles-at-megiddo/
Hugo Grotius (1583—1645)
https://iep.utm.edu/grotius/
Jung, Carl Gustave, The Seven Sermons to the Dead
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sermons_to_the_Dead
Jung, Carl, The Black Books, Volume 5, pg. 275.
https://carljungdepthpsychologysite.blog/2021/01/03/carl-jung-on-abraxas-quotations-anthology/
Mark, Joshua, Thutmose III's Battle of Megiddo Inscription, July 25, 2017
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1102/thutmose-iiis-battle-of-megiddo-inscription/
Fu Xi and Nuwa
https://josephsmithfoundation.org/fu-xi-and-nuwa/
Rossi, D. Carlton, Huánghé
https://www.sundawu.net/chinese-poems-20013222693579927468.html
Nüwa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCwa
Shmuel Marco, Amotz Agnon, Israel Finkelstein and David Ussishkin, Megiddo Earthquakes, Megiddo IV Chapter 31, January 2006.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265663286
Semiconductor Bans Chip Away at Cross-Strait Stability
https://asiatimes.com/2022/10/semiconductor-bans-chip-away-at-cross-strait-stability%EF%BF%BC/
Shanghai Communique
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Communiqu%C3%A9
Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-American_Mutual_Defense_Treaty
Taiwan Relations Act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Relations_Act
Tewari, Suranjana, US-China chip war: How the technology dispute is playing out, BBC News, December 16, 2022.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63995570
Thucydides, History of the Pelopponesian War
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7142/7142-h/7142-h.htm#link2HCH0001
Walkup, Newlyn, Eratosthenes and the Mystery of the Stades, MAA Publication
https://www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/eratosthenes-and-the-mystery-of-the-stades-the-basic-problem
Jianwen Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jianwen_Emperor
Taichang Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taichang_Emperor
Tianqu Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianqi_Emperor
Wanli Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanli_Emperor
When Nixon went to China, On the 50th anniversary of President Nixon’s trip, China experts William Alford and Mark Wu discuss that history-making journey, February 17, 2022
https://hls.harvard.edu/today/when-nixon-went-to-china/
2021, REPORT TO CONGRESS of the U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION, ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
NOVEMBER 2021
https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/2021_Annual_Report_to_Congress.pdf
2022, REPORT TO CONGRESS of the U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION, ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION, NOVEMBER 2022
https://www.uscc.gov/annual-report/2022-annual-report-congress
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