27 October 2007

GOOD MORNING MYANMAR…

2030 by Jeff Hess

I’m doing my best to stay on top of events in Myanmar/Burma and it’s not surprising that the best sources are not inside the United States. I’m reading The Independent, The Guardian, The BBC, Irrawaddy, New Mandala and the Asia Times. I’ll daily post a digest of headlines from stories I just couldn’t get to.

Today’s batch includes:

The Next Steps For Burma
Filipino activists pin hopes on ‘panty power’ vs Burma junta
Burma regime ‘frees 70 detainees’
Burma junta’s exports lose sparkle
The politics of hypocrisy
Police deployed to prevent Burma protest repeat
Burma’s only road out
UN envoy on Myanmar in Japan
Myanmar expels more Bangladeshi monks
PM Lee congratulates new PM of Myanmar
Myanmar frees 80 people detained after crackdown
Myanmar: HRW asks for intervention of international community
Astral Asia to lead US$200m Myanmar project
Myanmar, the latest petro bully
Myanmar’s Monks, 1988 Activists Linked
Attacking monks a terrible mistake: UN

Video Dateline: Myanmar

And from the blogosphere:

A Keyhole into Burma – Betel nut chewing, it’s as gross as it looks
Junta Minister meets People’s Queen – Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
Human Rights Watch; Burma: Army Attacks Displace Hundreds of Thousands
Three trends that will keep Burma on the world’s radar
Burma Orange: A Stain on the Earth’s Conscience
Myanmar’s Monks, 1988 Activists Linked
Myanmar media calls on ‘Aunty Suu’ to make concessions
Detained Protesters Freed In Myanmar
Myanmar marks crackdown

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27 October 2007

DIVING WITH SHAMASH…

1856 by Jeff Hess


Bali Chai

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27 October 2007

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 In Remembrance.

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27 October 2007

FROM THE SANDBOX…

1200 by Jeff Hess

Kevin: My unit is responsible for manning several guard towers and entry control points around Camp Taji. We haven”t had any incidents yet, except for the other day when some gunfire (I think celebratory) hit near one of our towers. Camp Taji has been really quiet so far. The outgoing force protection officer said that the area around this base used to be really…

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27 October 2007

WHAT THEY SAID…

1009 by Jeff Hess

In my America we are not scared to get in line at the airport. In my America, we will not be silenced.

More times than I can count, courageous and confident men who are telling me about speaking up, but who are risking what they see as the possible loss of job, home or the ability to pay for grown kids” schooling, start to choke up. Yesterday a woman in one gathering started to cry simply while talking about the degradation of her beloved country.

And always the questions: what do we do? Naomi Wolf

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27 October 2007

JIMMY CARTER: MAN OF PLAINS…

0901 by Jeff Hess

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27 October 2007

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. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.

11 Things You Should Know, But Probably Don’t:

Money isn’t made out of paper, it’s made out of cotton.

The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.

The dot over the letter I is called a “tittle.”

A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

40 percent of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

315 entries in Webster’s 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.

The ‘spot’ on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was albino.

On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.

Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.

Chocolate affects a dog’s heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.

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27 October 2007

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 A Room Of One’s Own by Virginia Wolf.

“Praise and blame alike mean nothing. No, delightful as the pastime of measuring may be, it is the most futile of occupations, and to submit to the decrees of the measurers the most servile of attitudes. So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.

But to sacrifice a hair of the head of your vision, a shade of its colour, in deference to some Headmaster with a silver pot in his hand or to some professor with a measuring-rod up his sleeve, is the most abject treachery, and the sacrifice of wealth and chastity which used to be said to be the greatest of human disasters, a mere flea-bite in comparison.” p. 106

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27 October 2007

TIME POWER: TODAY…

0001 by Jeff Hess

Today, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: Wishing is fishing without a hook. p. 49

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26 October 2007

JETHRO TULL, PASSION PLAY, PART 3, 1973…

2359 by Jeff Hess

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26 October 2007

GOOD MORNING MYANMAR…

2030 by Jeff Hess

I’m doing my best to stay on top of events in Myanmar/Burma and it’s not surprising that the best sources are not inside the United States. I’m reading The Independent, The Guardian, The BBC, Irrawaddy, New Mandala and the Asia Times. I’ll daily post a digest of headlines from stories I just couldn’t get to.

Today’s batch includes:

Bogus monks’ who led anti-government protests will be charged
Myanmar democracy activists pin hopes on ‘Panty Power’
UN rights expert wants free access to gather information
India tells UN envoy it wants a stable Myanmar
US praises Australia for sanctions on Myanmar
Myanmar author on Asian book prize shortlist
KL ready to host Myanmar-China match
Myanmar media calls on ‘Aunty Suu’ to make concessions
Myanmar’s detained Suu Kyi taken to state guesthouse
China rejects call for action against Burma as Suu Kyi meets junta
Burma army continues ‘serious abuses’ in villages
Minister Ahern meeting Burma’s prime-minister-in-exile
Carter offers himself as Burma envoy
Envoy upbeat after China talks on Burma
Unity Lacking On Diplomatic Approach to Burma’s Junta
PM adds weight to PEN’s Burma campaign
Ahern allays fears over Irish in Burma
PTT urged to pull out of Burma

And from the blogosphere:

Suu Kyi holds talks with Myanmar’s liaison minister
China, India, Russia urge Myanmar to meet opposition
UN envoy on Myanmar upbeat after talks with Chinese
Associated Press: China, India, Russia urge Myanmar to meet
Myanmar Meeting
Burma on 25.10. 2007
Pinheiro Says He’ll End Visit If Junta Doesn’t Cooperate
A Keyhole into Burma – This ain’t Kansas
Congressional Statement on Burma

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26 October 2007

FRIDAY FLASH FUN…

1700 by Jeff Hess

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26 October 2007

THANK GAWD IT’S FRIDAY…

1430 by Jeff Hess

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26 October 2007

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 One in four adults read no books last year.

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26 October 2007

FROM THE SANDBOX…

1200 by Jeff Hess

Old Blue: We got an unexpected break from The Valley today. We have been in one of the valleys that have been in the news lately, hunting the Taliban and their accoutrements with some small degree of success. We have been there for a month today, and we got a sudden break to go to Bagram for a day of rest and refit. My humvee is in the shop as I type this, get…

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26 October 2007

MY COMMENTS…

0858 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.

0855 The Difference Between Among Jews

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26 October 2007

WHAT THEY SAID…

0808 by Jeff Hess

Despite a negative backlash from almond producers, retailers and consumers, the USDA has implemented its ruling to require that all raw almonds sold in stores must be pasteurized. The rule went into effect on September 1st, and since then, all retail outlets have been forced to remove true raw almonds from store shelves.

Consumers will be misled by this action as there will still be almonds on store shelves labeled as ‘raw’, but they will actually be pasteurized. One of the FDA-recommended pasteurization methods requires the use of propylene oxide, which is classified as a ‘possible human carcinogen’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is banned in Canada, Mexico, and the European Union.

Since the decision about the rule was made, Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, has stepped down. He is temporarily replaced by Chuck Conner. This may provide a new opportunity for reversal. Please contact Conner today to ask that the rule be suspended for 6 months while the public comment period is re-opened.” Organic Consumers Association

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26 October 2007

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. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.

Operator: “Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?”

Caller: “Yes, well, I’m having trouble with WordPerfect.”

Operator: “What sort of trouble?”

Caller: “Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.”

Operator: “Went away?”

Caller: “They disappeared.”

Operator: “Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?”

Caller: “Nothing.”

Operator: “Nothing?”

Caller: “It’s blank; it won’t accept anything when I type.”

Operator: “Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?”

Caller: “How do I tell?”

Operator: “Can you see the ‘C: prompt’ on the screen?”

Caller: “What’s a sea-prompt?”

Operator: “Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?”

Caller: “There isn’t any cursor; I told you, it won’t accept anything I type.”

Operator: “Does your monitor have a power indicator?”

Caller: “What’s a monitor?”

Operator: “It’s the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it’s on??”

Caller: “I don’t know.”

Operator: “Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that??”

Caller: “Yes, I think so.”

Operator: “Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it’s plugged into the wall.

Caller: “Yes, it is.”

Operator: “When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not
just one?”

Caller: “No.”

Operator: “Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.”

Caller: “Okay, here it is.”

Operator: “Follow it for me, and tell me if it’s plugged securely into the back of your computer.”

Caller: “I can’t reach.”

Operator: “OK. Well, can you see if it is?”

Caller: “No.”

Operator: “Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?”

Caller: “Well, it’s not because I don’t have the right angle — it’s because it’s dark.”

Operator: “Dark?”

Caller: “Yes – the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.”

Operator: “Well, turn on the office light then.”

Caller: “I can’t.”

Operator: “No? Why not?”

Caller: “Because there’s a power failure.”

Operator: “A power failure? Aha. Okay, we’ve got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff that your computer came in?”

Caller: “Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.”

Operator: “Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.”

Caller: “Really? Is it that bad?”

Operator: “Yes, I’m afraid it is.”

Caller: “Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?”

Operator: “Tell them you’re too stupid to own a computer!”

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26 October 2007

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 A Room Of One’s Own by Virginia Wolf.

“The normal and comfortable state of being is that when the two live in harmony together, spiritually co-operating. If one is a man, still the woman part of the brain must have effect; and woman also must have intercourse with the man in her. Coleridge perhaps meant this when he said that a great mind is androgynous. It is when this fusion takes place that the mind is fully fertilized and uses all its faculties.”

“When a book lacks suggestive power, however hard it hits the surface of the mind it cannot penetrate within.” p. 102

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26 October 2007

TIME POWER: TODAY…

0001 by Jeff Hess

Today, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: Seven steps for goal planning:

Prepare goals within the framework of your unifying principles.

Plan your goals within reach of your abilities, of what you realistically think you can accomplish.

Write down each goal.

Make your goals as specific as it is appropriate to make them and write them so that specific results can be measured.

See that every goal is your very own.

Seek appropriate help.

Ask: Am I willing to pay the price? p. 44-8

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