28 March 2008
28 March 2008
FROM THE SANDBOX…
1200 by Jeff Hess
JP: As many of you know, I”m a member of Bad Voodoo Platoon and I”m currently deployed in support of OIF. Over the last year several of us, including fellow blogger and Sandbox contributor Toby Nunn, have been videotaping our experiences. Deborah Scranton (director of The War Tapes) has made a film for PBS FRONTLINE called Bad Voodoo”s War that will be airing…
28 March 2008
WHAT THEY SAID…
0924 by Jeff HessNo, liar, you LIED when you stated you participated in crossover voting at the primary. That was a few days after the primary, when you were spouting off about what a great tactic that was.
Now we know that not only did you NOT cast a crossover vote, you didn’t even vote at all. That makes you a liar.
It has nothing to do with your busy (and imaginary) schedule. Go have a drink. On Craig’s List
28 March 2008
FROM MY DAD…
0800 by Jeff Hess
I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. This week he brings us all a reminder that we complain to much: From My Dad.
28 March 2008
WHAT THEY SAID…
0729 by Jeff HessLet’s start with some straight talk:
I will not play election year politics with the housing crisis. I will evaluate everything in terms of whether it might be harmful or helpful to our effort to deal with the crisis we face now.
I have always been committed to the principle that it is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers. Government assistance to the banking system should be based solely on preventing systemic risk that would endanger the entire financial system and the economy.
In our effort to help deserving homeowners, no assistance should be given to speculators. Any assistance for borrowers should be focused solely on homeowners, not people who bought houses for speculative purposes, to rent or as second homes. Any assistance must be temporary and must not reward people who were irresponsible at the expense of those who weren’t. I will consider any and all proposals based on their cost and benefits. In this crisis, as in all I may face in the future, I will not allow dogma to override common sense.
When we commit taxpayer dollars as assistance, it should be accompanied by reforms that ensure that we never face this problem again. Central to those reforms should be transparency and accountability. Sen. John McCain
28 March 2008
GOOD AFTERNOON MYANMAR…
0430 by Jeff Hess
Earlier this week I wrote about the disturbing attempt by a young man in Myanmar to commit suicide by self-immolation during a prayer service in a Buddhist temple. He survived, but is only given a 40 percent chance of recovering from his burns. Was it frustration, anger or a brain illness? Is it just that not everyone has the will of the Buddha?
From The London Times:
He wore the traditional Burmese man’s skirt, spoke with an out-of-town accent and, right up until the moment of horror, there was no suggestion that the young man was anything out of the ordinary. It was Friday evening and thousands of people were praying at the Shwedagon Pagoda, the golden monument that towers above Rangoon. Before the plain-clothes police could react, the young man whipped out a placard denouncing the junta and placed it round his neck. Then he produced a bottle of petrol, shook it over his clothes and set himself alight.
“He was still standing and he was trying to shout something but I couldn’t hear it,” a young Buddhist monk who witnessed the immolation said. “He was trying to speak but the flames were round his face. And then the police jumped on him.” Continue Reading »
28 March 2008
FROM MY CHAPBOOK…
0400 by Jeff Hess
My name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.
This is a passage I copied from Midrash and Literature edited by Geoffrey H. Hartman and Sanford Budick.
Paradigmatic: 1 : EXAMPLE, PATTERN; especially : an outstandingly clear or typical example or archetype 2 : an example of a conjugation or declension showing a word in all its inflectional forms 3 : a philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations and the experiments performed in support of them are formulated- paradigmatic \9par-0-dig-8ma-tik\ adjective- paradigmatically \-ti-k(0-)lÃŽ\ adverb [164] Parataxis: The placing together of sentences, clauses or phrases without a conjunctive word as “Hurry up, it is getting late!” [14] Paronomasia: The use of a word in a different senses or the use of words similar in sound to achieve a specific effect as humor or a dual meaning; punning. [16] Pars pro toto: “Part [taken] for the whole. [78] Pericope: a selection from a book; specifically : LECTION 1 [50]
28 March 2008
28 March 2008
TIME POWER: TODAY…
0001 by Jeff HessToday, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: I recommend the following questions in prioritizing your unifying principles:
What do I value more than anything else in life?
What does my conscience tell me are the highest priorities, or values, or truths in my life?
Of all the world”s literature, what do I consider to contain the noblest principles?
If I could adhere to only three or four unifying principles, which would they be?
In a long-term perspective, which of these unifying principles will give the highest payoff to me, to my family, to my friends and to the company for which I work?
In what ways will I suffer or will others suffer if I don”t apply each unifying principle?
If I failed to adhere to any unifying principle, which would prove the greatest threat to my spiritual survival?
p. 38
27 March 2008
GOOD MORNING MYANMAR…
2030 by Jeff HessWe don’t have military parades in the United States with the exception of Memorial and Veteran’s Day services that usually involve a handful of American Legion and VFW groups and perhaps a local contingent from the National Guard. No, military parades are for leaders fearful of their enemies, and their citizens.
I mention this because Myanmar’s top military dog, Senior-General Than Shwe, used the occasion of a military parade of more than 13,000 troops in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw to make an extraordinary announcement: he and the other military dictators of Myanmar are stepping down.
In 2010.
From China’s People’s Daily:
Commender-in-Chief of the Myanmar Defense Services Senior-General Than Shwe said Thursday that the military would be able to hand over power to a civilian government after general election in 2010 in accordance with a new state constitution if emerged in a national referendum slated for May this year.
Than Shwe, who is also Chairman of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, made the remarks while addressing an over-13,000-strong military parade in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw in the morning to mark the country’s 63rd anniversary Armed Forces Day.
Than Shwe said the country is marching on a seven-step roadmap to democracy correctly and timely, and good infrastructure of the state has been built as much as possible.
He urged the people to cooperate hand-in-hand with the government and the armed forces to undertake the historic task successfully, while also calling for crushing internal and external destructive elements attempting to disintegrate the union.
He pointed out that today’s state stability is the best and people are generally leading a peaceful life.
He elaborated some major achievements gained throughout the tenure of the military government since the take-over of power in 1988.
Remember that in 1988, the generals were also going to hand over control following an election. Except they lost and called a do-over, 22 years later.
Do you think the general believes his own words?
27 March 2008
MUCKING OUT THE BLOGPILE…
1400 by Jeff Hess
I’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling. Today’s item is Change Yourself From a Dedicated Couch-Potato.
27 March 2008
27 March 2008
FROM THE SANDBOX…
1200 by Jeff HessCAPT Doug Traversa: Once more into the archives for one of my discussions with Hamid. This one was precipitated by my hut mate, Mike, who was venting during lunch about the corruption of the Afghan officials he had to deal with. After he finished eating and left, Hamid and I continued the discussion. It would be very easy to start bashing the Afghan leaders for…
27 March 2008
FROM MY DAD…
0800 by Jeff HessI could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. This week he brings us all a reminder that we complain way to much: From My Dad.
27 March 2008
GOOD AFTERNOON MYANMAR…
0430 by Jeff HessIn the Soviet Union worn and well-read sheafs of mimeograph paper, called samizdat, were passed secretly from reader to reader. In the 21st century mimeograph, the people’s printing press, has been replaced by the compact disc and it’s being used to spread the speeches of those in the country’s pro-democracy movement.
From AFP:
Myanmar’s pro-democracy leaders have been arrested or forced into hiding, while their speeches and leaflets have been outlawed, and they have no access to the media.
But activists say they are defying the pressure and have launched an underground campaign against a constitution drafted by the nation’s military rulers, who plan to put it to a referendum in May.
The 88 Generation Student Group, which kicked off the mass protests that shook the regime last year, says it is getting its message out through secretly distributed fliers and T-shirts, and emails passed clandestinely at Internet cafes.
Since speeches have been outlawed, the group is making video recordings on CDs that are copied and passed anonymously through Myanmar’s main city of Yangon.
“In this way, we make our campaign in secret,” said Tun Myint Aung, who is leading the group with a handful of other activists while living in hiding from the authorities.
“We are asking our people to go to the polling station and vote ‘No.’ The authorities have no right to arrest anyone for voting ‘No.’ Let’s show the enormous power of the people,” he told AFP in Bangkok, speaking by telephone from a secret location inside Myanmar.
“In this way, we reject the military constitution and we reject everything that was made by the military government,” he said.
Tun Myint Aung’s group is made up of former student leaders who spearheaded a pro-democracy uprising in August 1988.
The military crushed the protests by massacring students, with demonstrations and violent reprisals gripping the nation for five days. At least 3,000 people were killed, and more than 10,000 students fled into exile.
Tun Myint Aung, like most of the others who were arrested then, served a decade in prison but returned to activism upon his release three years ago.
The freed student leaders, now mostly in their 40s, rebuilt their network of activists and began new protests in August last year, harnessing public anger at a surprise hike in fuel prices.
The junta tried to stamp out the movement by arresting the group’s most prominent leaders, Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi.
But Buddhist monks took up the cause, eventually bringing more than 100,000 people into the streets of Yangon in September, until the military launched a deadly crackdown.
At least 31 people were killed while hundreds remain behind bars, according to the United Nations. A UN report earlier this month said that since the crackdown, the regime has actually stepped up unlawful arrests over the protests.
Tun Myint Aung has managed to evade authorities by living in hiding since August.
“I’m not afraid of jail, but I’m afraid of not doing my work,” he said. “I always struggle, I always take action to dismiss the military dictatorship. If I am in jail, I can’t,” he said.
He said the protests last year showed that the public wanted an end to military rule.
“There is no need to hold a referendum in May. The September movement was a real referendum. People don’t want military rule. People showed that,” Tun Myint Aung said.
Voters in Myanmar have not been to the ballot box since 1990, when they handed Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party a landslide victory in parliamentary polls.
During that election, the Nobel Peace Prize winner was under house arrest, as she is now.
The NLD’s leadership has not been allowed to meet with her since the junta last month announced its plans for the referendum and multiparty elections for 2010.
Without her guidance, the party has not taken a clear position on the referendum, saying only that the constitution “cannot be accepted by the people” — but without calling for a “No” vote or a boycott.
But Tun Myint Aung said youth members of NLD were working with his group to campaign for voters to turn out in force to reject the charter.
“If they cheat in force to win the referendum, we will keep fighting for our freedom,” he said.
“The military government, they don’t want to abandon their throne, not even to share power with the civilians.”
What information would you be willing to risk your life for to disseminate?
27 March 2008
FROM MY CHAPBOOK…
0400 by Jeff HessMy name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.
This is a passage I copied from Midrash and Literature edited by Geoffrey H. Hartman and Sanford Budick.
Modus vivendi: 1 : a feasible arrangement or practical compromise; especially : one that bypasses difficulties 2 : a manner of living : a way of life [143] Nihilism: Total rejection of established laws and institutions. [xi] Obviate: To prevent or eliminate by effective measures; render unnecessary. [28] Ode: A poem intended to be sung. [4] Oneiric: : of or relating to dreams : DREAMY- oneirically \-ri-k(0-)lÃŽ\ adverb
27 March 2008
27 March 2008
TIME POWER: TODAY…
0001 by Jeff HessToday, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: I suggest that you adopt Carl Roger”s notion that we are always in the process of becoming. p. 34
26 March 2008
GOOD MORNING MYANMAR…
2030 by Jeff HessThe world has held a carrot out to China and now the there is a growing public outcry to take back that carrot. In 1980 the United States boycotted the Moscow Summer Olympics following that country’s invasion of Afghanistan. President Jimmy Carter has said that there should not be a boycott because the Beijing in 2008 is not Moscow in 1980.
For now, the positives of the Olympics and their potential of fostering human rights, outweigh the rights abuses by the Chinese government.
From The Washington Post:
“We believe the Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations, and we hope that all people attending the games recognize the importance of this.” Thus spoke Samsung Electronics, one of 12 major corporate sponsors of the Olympics, when asked last week whether recent events in Tibet were causing it any concern. Coca-Cola, another Olympics sponsor, has stated that while it would be inappropriate “to comment on the political situation of individual nations,” the company firmly believes “that the Olympics are a force for good.” The chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, was also quick to declare that “a boycott doesn’t solve anything” — just as he was quick to dismiss the demonstrators who waved a black banner showing interlocked handcuffs, in mockery of the Olympic symbol, at yesterday’s lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece. “It is always sad to see such a ceremony disrupted,” he declared, rather pompously.
And no one was surprised: Companies that have invested millions in sponsorship deals and Olympic bureaucrats who have spent years trying to justify their controversial decision to award the 2008 Games to Beijing are naturally inclined to use those sorts of arguments. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to believe them. Continue Reading »
26 March 2008
MY COMMENTS…
1556 by Jeff Hess
Part of being a good citizen of the blogosphere is visiting, reading and, most importantly, taking the time to leave a comment on other’s blogs. It’s all about the conversation. In the interest of setting an example I’ve decided to link to those blog posts that have compelled me to leave a comment.
1530 Clinton supporters may vote for McCain over Obama
1539 NE Ohio commemoration of 4000th US military death in Iraq
