Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. It was actually sort of a joke. Back in 2008, the Xanga staff took the liberty of seeding hundreds, perhaps tens of thousands of abandoned Xanga blogs with a post reading "I'm bringing Xanga back - drop a comment if you're with me!" (Google the phrase if you wish).
The intent was to jolt the departed community back to life. Administering this forced update to these forgotten blogs would they hoped suddenly get the buzz going again and reanimate the vibrant Xanga of old, as it existed before Myspace.
It didn't happen though, most of Xanga’s millions of former users failed to reappear. Some of the blogs which were given this forced update got comments in response from their old peers but the system didn't come back to life in the way that had been hoped.
I’ve sort of run out of blogging steam myself but will probably continue to post things on here periodically.
I have translated Kublai Khan's letter of 1266 to Japan
"Cherished from Mandate of Heaven, the Great Mongol emperor sends this letter to the King of Japan. The sovereigns of small countries, sharing borders with each other, have for a long time been concerned to communicate with each other and become friendly. Especially since my ancestor governed at heaven's command, innumerable countries from afar disputed our power and slighted our virtue. Goryeo rendered thanks for my ceasefire and for restoring their land and people when I ascended the throne. Our relation is feudatory like a father and son. We think you already know this. Goryeo is my eastern tributary. Japan was allied with Goryeo and sometimes with China since the founding of your country; however, Japan has never dispatched ambassadors since my ascending the throne. It is horrifying to think that the Kingdom is yet to know this. Hence we dispatched a mission with our letter particularly expressing our wishes. Enter into friendly relations with each other from now on. We think all countries belong to one family. How are we in the right, unless we comprehend this? Nobody would wish to resort to arms."
God in Heaven himself has compelled me as emperor of the Mongols to send you this letter, oh rulers of Japan. Large empires like mine which are across narrow bodies of water from small countries like yours ought to have a clearly established relationship defining precisely who’s the boss. In the past, many other ignorantly led countries far and wide have questioned my government’s authority; specifically due to the fact that God himself has given us special authority to rule the world. For example, after we obliterated the Korean nation in a war of conquest, their surviving population was very grateful to have been spared and allowed to resume some semblance of normalcy in their lives. Our relationship with them now is one in which we dominate and command them about like servants. But we think you already know what happens to countries like Korea who resist us. Korea is now simply another region in the east of my empire which is forced to pay me tribute or face the consequences. Your country has been allied with Korea as well as China for a very long time and yet you haven’t tried to contact or be friends with us. How rude, what’s up with that? If people knew how isolationist and unwelcoming of change your government is, you would have some major public relations problems on your hands. That’s why we’ve courteously taken the initiative and sent our ambassadors with this ultimatum to you. You should willingly surrender your sovereignty and become a feudal vassal state within our empire. We think that all of the countries of the world should belong to the Mongol Empire, including yours. It’s pretty damned obvious that we know what we’re talking about. Comply now or we will invade your island and subjugate your people following a bloody war.
True
