12 October 2007
12 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 and The BBC along with Irrawaddy and the Asia Times. Once a day I’ll post a digest of headlines from stories I just couldn’t get to.
Today’s batch includes:
Opium Cultivation Blossoms in Burma
Where Are Burma’s Monks?
Europe to increase sanctions on Burma
…Government Announces Death of Hardline Prime Minister
Burma opposition figure ‘dies in custody’
Burma: Your questions answered
UN to call on Thailand and its neighbours to help with Burma
Burma prime minister Soe Win dies
United Nations Security Council Reprimands Burma
Burma burning
Burma centre of opium production in Asia
And from the blogosphere:
Emma Larkin, author of Finding George Orwell in Burma
Environment, Tomorrow’s Europe, Burma
What next for tourism in Burma?
A Breakthrough for Burma?
Laura Bush: Burma has ‘days’ to act
What is this world regarding Burma?
“The Imprisoned Soul Of Burma (Myanmar)”
English PEN Burma event
Inside Myanmar: The Crackdown – 10 Oct 07 – Part 1
Going Down Burma Road
12 October 2007
12 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 No Bar Code.
12 October 2007
CHINA JOINS MYANMAR CENSURE VOTE…
1039 by Jeff Hess
Others simply died. Of how many places in the World can this be said? Are there too many to comprehend? Do our minds seize and go blank because no human can grasp the immensity of the horror? Rabbi Tarfon (in Pirke Avot 2:16) teaches: It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work; yet, you are not free to desist from it. Don”t turn away.
This could be good news for the citizens of Myanmar/Burma and the world.
From The Guardian:
China turned against the Burmese government last night and supported a UN security council statement rebuking the military regime for its suppression of peaceful protests, and demanding the release of all political prisoners.
The security council statement, which also called for “genuine dialogue” with the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, marked the first time that Beijing had agreed to UN criticism of the junta.
The statement did not threaten sanctions, but the significance of its unanimous support by all 15 members of the security council would not have been lost on Burma’s generals, who had hitherto been able to count on China, a neighbour and key trading partner, to block UN censure.
“That represents a very significant shift in global politics from just a few weeks ago,” said the foreign secretary, David Miliband. “It is proof that the recent brutal crackdown and ongoing persecution of peaceful protesters has isolated the Burmese regime. They must now respond to these growing global calls for them to work with others in building a better future for the people of Burma.”
Britain co-sponsored the statement with the US and France, which also signalled they would maintain the pressure on the junta to respond to UN demands for the release of prisoners, including Ms Suu Kyi.
What this may signal is a win for the idea of engagement over isolation. A China not tied to the World economy and counting down to hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics may have been more entrenched.
Regardless, this is the first positive sign we’ve seen so far.
12 October 2007
TONIGHT, INSTEAD OF NUMB3RS… LISTEN TO…
0941 by Jeff Hess12 October 2007
WHAT THEY SAID…
0935 by Jeff HessDr. Daniel F. Gunther, a respected physician at Children’s Hospital & Regional Medical Center whose support for a hysterectomy performed on a 6-year-old disabled girl in order to keep her small became a national controversy, committed suicide last week.
But Gunther’s colleagues and family members said Wednesday they don’t believe his suicide was fueled in any way by the case, in which he was both sharply criticized and graciously praised.
The King County Medical Examiner said Gunther, 49, died by inhaling automobile exhaust at his Seattle home on Sept. 30.
Gunther had experienced periods of depression in the past, said his brother-in-law, Michael Gunther Maher of Fair Oaks, Calif. “The family believes his history of depression is the reason” for his suicide, he said.
Gunther, a pediatric endocrinologist, was the primary advocate at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center for the family of a severely physically and mentally disabled 6-year-old known publicly only as Ashley. The family said they wanted to keep their “Pillow Angel” small in order to continue caring for her at home and so that she would be more comfortable. Seattle Times
12 October 2007
MY COMMENTS…
0849 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.
12 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.
12 October 2007
BLACK KETTLE…! BLACK KETTLE…!
0737 by Jeff HessOthers simply died. Of how many places in the World can this be said? Are there too many to comprehend? Do our minds sieze and go blank because no human can grasp the immensity of the horror? Rabbi Tarfon (in Pirke Avot 2:16) teaches: It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work; yet, you are not free to desist from it. Don”t turn away.
Does the Bush Whitehouse have no shame?
From The Australian:
“[Win Shwe, 42, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy] died as a result of torture during interrogation. However, his body was not sent to his family and the interrogators indicated that they had cremated it instead,” the Thailand-based [Assistance Association for Political Prisoners] said.
Former student leader Hla Myo Naung was arrested on Wednesday at a Rangoon clinic while seeking treatment for a ruptured cornea, Amnesty International said.
“He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Unless operated on soon, Hla Myo Naung may go blind in this eye,” Amnesty said in a statement.
[Snip]
“The United States strongly condemns the atrocities committed by the junta and calls for a full investigation into the death of Win Shwe during his detention in Burma,” said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
The United States strongly condemns the attrocities? What about the torture? Is that a word the administration of President George Bush dare not utter?
This is what happens when we allow fear to pull us down from the moral high ground.
Our next president will have a difficult time restoring what President Bush has so cavalierly destroyed.
12 October 2007
RUSH, BILL AND ANN ARE EATING THEIR WALLPAPER…
0703 by Jeff Hess
Vice President Al Gore shares this years Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Gore is only the fourth elected high-governmental official from the United States — following presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter — to be honored by the World’s highest award.
From the BBC:
Mr Gore, 59, said he was “deeply honoured” while IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri said he was “overwhelmed”.
Mr Gore was behind a blockbuster film on climate change while the IPCC is the top authority on global warming.
Announcing the award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the recipients’ efforts to “lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract [climate] change.”
[Snip]
Mr Gore was praised as “probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted”, through his lectures, films and books.
Run Al, Run.
12 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 The Seventh Telling: The Qabalah of Moshe Katan – A Novel by Mitchell Chefitz.
“So God has a big investment in the universe. He”s not looking for a dollar profit. Adam complains. God finds a solution. He doesn”t let him back home. Eve rebels. God kicks them out. God says to the man and woman, “Do some work. Go out there and continue my work of creation.”
12 October 2007
TIME POWER: TODAY…
0001 by Jeff HessToday, as I go about my tasks, I’ll think about: What are my most vital priorities? What should I value more than anything else in life? This is not only the first question to ask in time management, it is the most significant question you will ever ask in life. p. 21.
11 October 2007
WHAT THEY SAID…
1925 by Jeff HessSuch is not the case with Sherman Alexie. I”ve seen him numerous times at Auntie”s, the last independent bookstore in town. I used to make it a point to attend every session he held there because I was mesmerized by his outsider poetry, but as time went on and he became more well-known, I found them uncomfortable enough to avoid. I strongly suspect that was his intent all along.
In my opinion if Alexie looks forward to readings, I suspect it is more with the anticipation of climbing into the boxing ring than pleasure at the idea of house guests. In this white liberal setting, his disdain is clear. Don”t try to claim me, his body language screams. I”m not your pet Indian. Cry me no crocodile tears; you know nothing of my pain. You are the cause of it. I laugh at the idea of you buying my books, feeling so virtuous and race-blind. You pat each other on the back but can”t even see yourselves in them. Terry Kanago
11 October 2007
FROM MY FAVORITE BUJEW…
1916 by Jeff HessOthers simply died. Of how many places can this be said? Are there too many to comprehend? Do our minds sieze and go blank because no human can grasp the immensity of the horror? Rabbi Tarfon (in Pirke Avot 2:16) teaches: It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work; yet, you are not free to desist from it. Don”t turn away.
I recieved this today from Steve Goldberg:
Jeff, you have to understand how deep the nonviolence ideal is and that the idea that forcing somebody to do something is repugnant to Buddhists. We believe that the only true solution is one that comes from the oppressors heart. Karma is the form of justice, postitive and negative, and is has to be their choice if it is to have any lasting value.
Your past criticism of HH the Dalai Lama as a leader was clearly from a western perspective and ignores the incredible leadership achievement of maintaining a temporal and spiritual culture in a people that is basically in the same situation of the Jewish diaspora of 70 AD.
This difference is the holding to nonviolence and that His Holiness was shoved into the role even before he was 20 years old. Buddhists take an extraordinary long view, one that spans multiple lifetimes and it jars to our fast paced immediate gratification mentality.
The statements and advise for prayer by HH is done with this perspective and deep belief that that is an active and effective solution to the situation. It is also one that the Burmese monks and nuns also hold to in their protests and subsequent subjugation.
They want the junta to merely change its mind.
Thank you, Steve.
11 October 2007
WHAT THEY SAID…
1902 by Jeff HessIt has been estimated, by the Council on Foreign Relations, that Iraq may have a further 220 billion barrels of undiscovered oil; another study puts the figure at 300 billion. If these estimates are anywhere close to the mark, US forces are now sitting on one quarter of the world”s oil resources. The value of Iraqi oil, largely light crude with low production costs, would be of the order of $30 trillion at today”s prices. For purposes of comparison, the projected total cost of the US invasion/occupation is around $1 trillion.
Who will get Iraq”s oil? One of the Bush administration”s ‘benchmarks” for the Iraqi government is the passage of a law to distribute oil revenues. The draft law that the US has written for the Iraqi congress would cede nearly all the oil to Western companies. Jim Holt
11 October 2007
MYANMAR: OTHERS SIMPLY DIED…
1852 by Jeff HessOf how many places in the World can this be said? Are there too many to comprehend? Do our minds sieze and go blank because no human can grasp the immensity of the horror? Rabbi Tarfon (in Pirke Avot 2:16) teaches: It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work; yet, you are not free to desist from it. Don’t turn away.
From The Irrawaddy:
“The conditions were terrible. We each had no more than a small patch of cell to sit on,” lamented Burmese monk U Sandar Vaya, looking pale and weak and somewhat older than his 33 years.
U Sandar Vaya was arrested along with hundreds of other Buddhist monks at midnight on September 26. The Burmese military authorities had started arresting demonstrators that day, detained them in five locations around Rangoon-the Government Technology Institute in Insein, the police quarters in Kyaikkasan, and police detention centers in Hmawbi, Thanlyin and Aung Thapyay, according to those people who were later released. One police official estimates that there would have been at least 1,000 monks and laypeople per detention center.
U Sandar Waya said he was incarcerated with 500 other monks and 200 civilians in one room of the GTI. The authorities gave them each only one bowl of drinking water in the first two days, later increasing the ration to three bowls. The guards didn’t allow the detainees to wash and there was no toilet, only plastic bags for sanitation.
Irrawaddy looks to be an excellent source. I’ll be spending a great deal of my time this evening reading it.
Please take some time yourself to do likewise.
11 October 2007
MUCKING OUT THE BLOGPILE…
1400 by Jeff HessI’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 Someecards: When you care enough to hit send.
11 October 2007
WHAT THEY SAID…
1127 by Jeff HessThe United States tortures prisoners in violation of international law, former President Carter said Wednesday.
“I don’t think it. I know it,” Carter told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
“Our country for the first time in my life time has abandoned the basic principle of human rights,” Carter said. “We’ve said that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to those people in Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, and we’ve said we can torture prisoners and deprive them of an accusation of a crime to which they are accused.”
Carter also said President Bush creates his own definition of human rights. CNN
11 October 2007
IT COULD HAVE BEEN A NEIL YOUNG REPRISE…
1118 by Jeff Hess
One dead, four wounded, one injured. It could just as easily have been four dead in Ohio. As always Brewed Fresh Daily is the go-to blog to read what people are saying, what their feeling. For my part I’ll only add that this is not a security problem. This is not a school problem. This is not an educational problem.
Primary responsibility for Asa Coon’s death and the injuries he caused lies with his family and his community.
And one year from today; nothing substantive will have changed.
