19

T U E S D A Y

If there is any consolation to be found in China’s assault on Tibetan Buddhism and brutal occupation of Tibet, it is this: China may have crippled Tibet’s soul, but it will never conquer Tibet’s land. Five kilometers high, windy, arid, and savagely cold, the Tibetan plateau punishes all visitors equally, without regard for race, religion, or national origin. M.I.T. professor Marcia McNutt lectures on the region’s geologic history—which is nearly as dramatic as its political history—in “The Building of Tibet” at 6:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Institute of Washington, 1530 P St. NW. FREE. (202) 328-6988. (David Plotz)