November 12 2009 — some serious history awareness
1246 years ago today, Tibet attacks the then-capital of China, and hold it for two weeks:
The Tang Empire fought with the Tibetan Empire for control of areas in Inner and Central Asia, which was at times settled with marriage alliances such as the marrying of Princess Wencheng (d. 680) to Songtsän Gampo (d. 649). There was a long string of conflicts with Tibet over territories in the Tarim Basin between 670-692 and in 763 the Tibetans even captured the capital of China, Chang'an, for fifteen days during the An Shi Rebellion. [...] Hostilities between the Tang and Tibet continued until they signed a formal peace treaty in 821. The terms of this treaty, including the fixed borders between the two countries, are recorded in a bilingual inscription on a stone pillar outside the Jokhang temple in Lhasa.
Here's a nice picture of the stone pillar. My plan: learn Tibetan, go there, and read the inscription.
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I set out to make a pastebin today. Then I got involved in a really interesting discussion with mst++ about the "Perl 6 is not Perl" issue, the assumptions of the Perl and Perl 6 communities, and various other things vital for the future of those communities.
I'm a bit... dazed... after that discussion, and I've used up all my November blogging/activity time for the day. But it was time well spent, and good things will come out of this. Stay tuned.