Thursday, October 17, 2024
"Rangoon,if you can forget the political setting, is a beautiful place," From past--Interview of me by Wendy Steginsky--
http://treeoflifereview.com/profile_kaung.php
It was previously called Wild River Review.
Ajatashatru--book
https://www.amazon.com/Ajatashatru-Amar-Chitra-Katha-Anant/dp/817508166X
I have not read this one--but other Indian novels about Aurangzeb and Shah Jahan were excellent.
Amrapali--married to the entire Republic
Amrapali has been the subject of various books, including Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu, a 1948 Hindi novel by Acharya Chatursen, and Ambapali, a 1962 novel by Vimala Raina. A recent work in English, The Legend of Amrapali: An Enchanting Saga Buried Within the Sands of Time, was completed by author Anurag Anand in 2012.
Amrapali - Wikipedia Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Amrapali
Dante Alighieri--from wiki
Dante did not pay the fine, in part because he believed he was not guilty and in part because all his assets in Florence had been seized by the Black Guelphs. He was condemned to perpetual exile; if he had returned to Florence without paying the fine, he could have been burned at the stake. (In June 2008, nearly seven centuries after his death, the city council of Florence passed a motion rescinding Dante's sentence.)[47] In 1306–07, Dante was a guest of Moroello Malaspina [it] in the region of Lunigiana.[48]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Albrecht Durer's artwork
https://www.wikiart.org/en/albrecht-durer/all-works#!#filterName:all-paintings-chronologically,resultType:masonry
https://www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/albrecht-duerer--master-drawings--watercolors--and-prints-from-t.html#slide_2
https://www.singulart.com/en/blog/2023/11/27/albrecht-durer-famous-artworks/?srsltid=AfmBOooITeSX6A-iTdtgRXj5GGV9_BFqvJ7FZYlDHqFoKhr3Z64Jama2
Moments--Mrs. Aye Hlaing, 108, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Rangoon. U Aye Hlaing (Dr. Aye Hlaing)
was one of my renowned Economics professors.
He founded the Institute of Economics.
He was successively Head of the Department of Economics
Professor of Economics.
Rector of the Institute of Economics
and then Chairman of the Union Bank of Burma.
I last saw him before I left for a Fulbright Fellowship in the early 1980s.
Mrs. Aye Hlaing was a graduate of Judson College and she and my mother were classmates, but I didn't know that until about 10 years ago.
They studied under JR Andrus.
You can see many tribute essays to several Burmese economists in Let it Fly with the Flowers, a collection which I edited.
https://www.amazon.com/Let-Fly-Flowers-Institute-Economics/dp/1514616378
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
My new love--Google Books--here is VC Scott O'Connor's Mandalay and Other Cities--494 pages--
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Mandalay_and_Other_Cities_of_the_Past_in/A5tEAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Send me some Burmese foods or Burmese woven textiles as a thank you gift.
Wow--sighting of VC Scott O'Connor
Vincent Clarence Scott O'Connor, who had a career in the Indian Civil Service, travelled extensively in the Cyclades in 1929: in his book Isles of the Aegean (published by Hutchinson) he described his meetings with families of Venetian descent living on Santorino:
I was looking for Santorino as a surname for a character I am creating.
It's an island.
https://romeartlover.tripod.com/Santorin.html
VC Scott O'Connor wrote--
Greg Constantine's masterpiece--Ek Khaale--Rohingya Visual History--
https://www.ekkhaale.org/chapter7
This is a complete visual history of the Rohingya in Burma from the 18th century onwards.
It's heart-breaking, the planned annihilation of a complete people and civilization--not unlike the genocide against the Native-Americans or the holocaust against the European Jews.
Greg Constantine did a presentation at the Holocaust Museum in DC. but I was not able to go. My health problems were increasing.
This website is
1. visual, documentary evidence that U Nu's government made them full citizens of newly independent Burma.
2. It is like at least a well-researched MA thesis, more probably a Ph.D. dissertation.
3. Constantine should receive an honorary doctorate. 4.I don't think the Mathieson review is quite fair--look at what he did do, not at what he has not done (covered Muslim women's lives.) 5. If ever an independent state for the Rohingya is created, like Isreal (not likely)--this could be evidence in a court case like Nuremberg. It feels like I felt when I visited Auschwitz and Majdanek in Poland in 1968-69. 6. I don't know who has the original documents--maybe Constantine only took pictures. One of the most moving images is a video of a hand sifting through burned documents. I wish Constantine brought those out of Arakan with him and they are in his safe deposit box. Lastly, I think we should apprecaite what one individual can do, probably on a shoe-string budget. Thank you. Kyi May Kaung
10-15-2024
From Irrawaddy--China preparing to welcome m a h--
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmar-china-watch/china-reportedly-planning-to-welcome-myanmar-junta-boss.html
Most likely the Russian and Chinese goats' balls will have his chain yanked severely.
I don't know about m a h--who seems to have more assets in Moscow--but previous guy Than Shwe is rumored to have a lot of property in Shanghai--his infamous Daughter of the Diamonds and her husband managing those properties.
Stay tuned.
Maybe China's plan is to make it another Tibet.
So very sad for the Burmese people.
My Rohingya Activists' Handbook --+ other publications --
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Kyi-May-Kaung/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AKyi+May+Kaung
Muslims were in Burma since the 11th century so all the junta propaganda that they are "Bengali" and came in from "Bengal" is hogwash.
The borders were drawn through them.
Their language is not the same as Bengali.
Important post--David Scott Mathieson's review of Greg Constantine Project Ek Khaale--
https://www.irrawaddy.com/culture/books/once-upon-a-time-in-myanmar.html
Ek Khaale (Once Upon A Time)
by Greg Constantine
Visual Restoration Project/Multimedia Project, 2024 [www.ekkhaale.org]
Image from Saachi Online Art Gallery.
Might be useful for you or someone you know--keep in your files and Little Red Book. I don't know if they are still operational--check first.
AI Overview Learn more… The U.S. Embassy in Burma offers a variety of cultural and educational programs, including: American Center Yangon: Offers English language courses, a library, and special events Jefferson Center Mandalay: Offers English language courses, civic education programs, and youth clubs Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSIs) for Scholars: A scholarship program with an application deadline of October 18, 2024
EducationUSA: Offers free advising services for students interested in studying in the United States The Cultural Affairs Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Burma can be contacted at 01-7536509/ 01-7505113 Ext: 4377/4597, or by email at RangoonUSECA@state.gov.
Monday, October 14, 2024
Excerpt fromNIH report below--(Nixon visited China--Deng Reforms 1978)
The late 1970s were pivotal years for the history of modern China. The Cultural Revolution had encouraged attacks on Chinese experts and centres of research and learning, with few institutions (primarily military research ones) emerging unscathed. A period of stasis ended with the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, followed by the high-level strife of the Gang of Four, and finally the consolidation of power under Deng Xiaoping. From the West's perspective, one visible sign of change was the new policies directed outwards from China to acquire foreign knowledge to assist in the four modernizations, the drive from 1978 to force progress in the areas of agriculture, industry, national defence, and science and technology. Re-established and new links with Western institutions enabled many thousands of Chinese scientists to travel and learn abroad. In combination with reform of the internal Chinese science system in the mid 1980s, this has led to a present situation in which, as a Royal Society report of 2011 predicted, China's buoyant research sector can compete with that in the USA, at least in terms of numbers of scientific papers published.1
Joan Robinson came to Burma--I was too junior to talk to her--but my professor did.
AI Overview
Learn more…
In the 1970s, the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) was a group of British supporters of China that included the sinologist Joseph Needham and the economist Joan Robinson. The SACU was formed after many on the left in Britain became disillusioned with China after 1964.
The 1970s were a pivotal time in modern China's history, as the Cultural Revolution upended traditional Chinese values. The Cultural Revolution also led to attacks on Chinese experts.
Great--
AI Overview
Learn more…
A cultural attaché is a diplomat who promotes cultural relations and understanding between their home country and the country they are stationed in. Their responsibilities can vary depending on the country they represent. Some of their duties include:
Promoting cultural values
Cultural attachés promote their country's cultural values and achievements in the host country.
Improving appreciation of the host country
Cultural attachés work to improve appreciation of the host country's values in their home country.
Establishing ties
Cultural attachés build and maintain ties with people who are involved in intellectual activity in the host country.
Facilitating cultural exchange
Cultural attachés may facilitate cultural exchange by connecting people from their home country with the local community.
Historically, cultural attachés were often writers and artists who were able to develop their own creative work while promoting their country's culture.
Cultural attaché - Wikipedia
Acultural attaché is a diplomat with varying responsibilities, depending on the sending state of the attaché. Historically, such ... Wikipedia
Cultural Attaché Program | Grinnell College The Cultural Attaché Program helps connect international Grinnellians with the local Grinnell community through its local schools ... Grinnell College Cultural Attache: Scholar, Propagandist, or Bureaucrat? Cultural Attache: Scholar, Propagandist, or Bureaucrat? 353. kind of people who are serving as their country's cultural repre sent... Duke University Press
Show all Generative AI is experimental.
best beloved=最亲爱的 Zuì qīn'ài de
Hero of my current novel is not Chinese --but stationed in China--British Cultural attache--
Chinese terms of endearment--
AI Overview
Learn more…
The Chinese word for "beloved" is 心爱的 (xīn'ài de) as an adjective, and 心爱的人 (xīn'ài de rén) as a noun.
Here are some other terms of endearment in Chinese:
心肝 (xīngān): Literally means "heart and liver", but is similar to "my heart and soul" in English. It's used to express that you can't live without someone.
心尖 (Xīnjiān): Means "heart's peak" or "dearest".
宝贝儿 (Bǎobèi er): Means "baby" or "darling".
甜心宝贝 (Tiánxīn bǎobèi): Means "sweetheart baby" or "sweetheart treasure".
Chinese name Fang--meaning--
fragrance
The name Fang, derived from Chinese origins, has a rich history spanning centuries. In Chinese culture, Fang carries two distinct meanings, namely fragrance and a canine tooth. These diverse interpretations reflect the multifaceted nature of the name and offer insight into its historical significance.
Fang : Meaning and Origin of First Name - Ancestry
Chris Patten--Last British Governor of Hong Kong--
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, KG, CH, PC (Chinese: 彭定康; born 12 May 1944), is a British politician who was the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997 and Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992.
Chris Patten - Wikipedia
famous translators from Russian
AI Overview
Learn more…
Some famous translators of Russian novels include:
Constance Garnett
A pioneer in Russian translation, Garnett's work introduced many readers to the characters of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekhov. Her translations are still reprinted today, though some critics have called them outdated.
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
This couple are known for their collaborative translations of Russian literature, including Anna Karenina by Tolstoy and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. They have won multiple awards for their work, including the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize.
Frederick Whishaw
The first translator of Dostoevsky into English, Whishaw completed his translation of Crime and Punishment in 1911.
Other translators of Russian novels include: Moura Budberg, Vera Traill, Evelyn Manning, and Margaret Wettlin.
Writing prompt for my next chapter--The morning of 7th July was bright and cheerful, in Rangoon, 1962.
Nway and her sister Yway did nothing much until it came time to go to their French class at Alliance Francaise next door to the Indian Embassy on Prome Road, which itself was next door to Aunty Anouk and Uncle Shawn's house.
On Adam's part, he was caught up in the excitement generated by Ba Swe Lay's anger and outrage against the junta authoities who were making things hard for the university hostel students.
Ba Swe Lay was head of the Rangoon University Students' Union.
How are we going to eat? He asked of the curfew. The vendors are not allowed to come in--
Hunger was making them angrier.
Copyright K.M.Kaung
10-14-2024
Haruki Murakami's books--I couldn't possibly read them all--but I like some of his short stories--and the non-fiction
about the subway poison gas attack--based on dozens of interviews he did.
In a speculative fiction group I attended for awhile, another woman compared my writing to Murakami.
I think you need to be strange, to write well.
Better go take a shower.
KMKaung
10-14-2024
I prefer this one--Kitchen--by Banana Yoshimoto--
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Kitchen--Banana+Yoshimoto
It has a sparkling, bright quality.
And I've never met anyone named "Banana" before.
Generally I like reading about Asians, rather than "white people."
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Alan Lichtman says Harris will win--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_4NzsWT3LA
I met this guy at a Village talk about 3? elections ago--he's aged a lot, as has Katie Couric.
But don't be complacent about these things.
I've already sent in my absentee ballot.
Trump must not win.
Whichever country you are a citizen of, vote if you can, if not DO SOMETHING and/or support those who do.
The worst thing you can do is sink into your religion, whatever your religion is.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
AI generated answers--Women's health--
AI Overview
Learn more…
While technically possible, it is extremely unlikely for a 55-year-old woman to become pregnant and have a healthy baby naturally after taking HRT, as menopause usually occurs around this age, meaning ovulation and fertility are significantly diminished; if pregnancy does occur, it would likely require assisted reproductive technology (ART) like IVF using donor eggs, and would come with high risks due to advanced maternal age.
Key points to remember:HRT does not act as contraception: Even while on HRT, a woman can still potentially become pregnant, so contraception is still advised if pregnancy is not desired. Fertility decline with age: At 55, a woman's natural fertility is very low due to declining egg quality and quantity. Donor eggs for IVF: If a woman wants to conceive after menopause, she would typically need to use donor eggs through IVF. Increased risks with advanced maternal age: Pregnancy at an advanced age comes with increased risks of complications like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and chromosomal abnormalities. Important next steps: Consult a healthcare professional: If you are considering pregnancy at 55, have a thorough discussion with your doctor to assess your individual health and risks involved. Discuss fertility options: If you want to pursue pregnancy, a fertility specialist can advise on the most appropriate options like IVF with donor eggs. Can a person get pregnant while taking HRT? Nov 7, 2023 — Summary. It is possible to become pregnant while taking HRT because it does not affect fertility and does not work as a... MedicalNewsToday Advanced maternal age: ethical and medical considerations for ... Aug 16, 2017 — Non-donor oocyte studies ... To minimize maternal health risks, thorough evaluation of maternal health should be evalu... National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov) Can You Get Pregnant After Menopause? - Healthline If it's been an entire year since your last period, you've reached menopause. For most women, this occurs somewhere between the ag... Healthline Show all This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional. Generative AI is experimental.
Wonderful news--S. Korean novelist Han Kang wins Nobel Prize in Literature
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Vegetarian/zmEpBQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
and she's a woman writing
in a man's voice. I've actually read the first part of this novel before, but this Google Books review is longer--
It's very gripping and well-written, though it's a literary novel--not a genre romance, thriller or mystery.
A woman who suddenly becomes a vegetarian.
It's quite unforgettable--like the beginning of Mo Yan's Red Sorghum.
Ihave to read the whole as soon as I get myself a reasonably-priced used copy. kmk 10-12-2024
Friday, October 11, 2024
If you keep bombing them and spoiling the environment, floods happen, farm animals die, farmers and workers die and flee--where will your rice come from. Try and eat a tank or bullets.
James Cameron wiki--a wonderful life, starting as truck driver and writer--well--continuing writing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cameron
5 wives, 4 children
philanthropist--writes (mostly) directs and produces his own movies
vegan
athiest
New Zealand citizen.
explorer-including Nat Geo Explorer in Residence--
I previously just met photographer Reza, who like Orpheus and his harp,permanently holds his camera in his hand.
Don't confuse James Cameron with Cameron McKintosh.
10-11-2024
From Titanic movie wiki--copied and pasted.
The story could not have been written better had it been fiction ...The juxtaposition of rich and poor, the gender roles played out unto death (women first), the stoicism and nobility of a bygone age, the magnificence of the great ship matched in scale only by the folly of the men who drove her hell-bent through the darkness. And above all the lesson: that life is uncertain, the future unknowable ... the unthinkable possible.
—James Cameron[53][54]
James Cameron has long had a fascination with shipwrecks, and for him Titanic was "the Mount Everest of shipwrecks".[55][56][57] He was almost past the point in his life when he felt he could consider an undersea expedition, but said he still had "a mental restlessness" to live the life he had turned away from when he switched from the sciences to the arts in college. When an IMAX film, Titanica, was made from footage shot of the Titanic wreck, Cameron decided to seek Hollywood funding for his own expedition. It was "not because I particularly wanted to make the movie," Cameron said. "I wanted to dive to the shipwreck."[55]
Cameron wrote a scriptment for a Titanic film,[58] met with 20th Century Fox executives including Peter Chernin, and pitched it as "Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic".[56][57] Cameron said the executives were unconvinced of the commercial potential, and had instead hoped for action scenes similar to his previous films.[13] They approved the project as they hoped for a long-term relationship with Cameron.[13][14][24]
Cameron convinced 20th Century Fox to promote the film based on the publicity afforded by shooting the Titanic wreck,[58] and organized several dives over a period of two years.[53] He also convinced 20th Century Fox that shooting the real wreck for the film scenes, instead of simulating it with special effects, would provide value: "We can either do [the shots] with elaborate models and motion control shots and CG and all that, which will cost X amount of money – or we can spend X plus 30 per cent and actually go shoot it at the real wreck."[56]
The crew shot at the wreck in the Atlantic Ocean 12 times in 1995. The work was risky, as the water pressure could kill the crew if there were a tiny flaw in the submersible structure.[14]
In my opinion it is already a proxy war of words, and a proxy war with Russian and Chinese weapons.
I was just reading Eric Larsen's Dead Wake: Last Crossing of the Lusitania.
Less well-known than the Titanic, the luxury liner Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat--in 2015 and drew the USA into World War I.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lusitania
https://www.rmslusitania.info/people/lusitania-survivors/
https://www.rmslusitania.info/people/lusitania-victims/
Toothless, fangless ASEAN.
In June 2023, following a visit to the country and meeting with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, former Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai also hosted an informal ministerial meeting with some regional countries in an attempt “to fully re-engage” with the Myanmar junta’s generals.
But the meeting was shunned by then-ASEAN chair Indonesia as well as members Singapore and Malaysia.
On Thursday, Southeast Asian leaders dismissed the Myanmar junta’s plan to end the country’s civil war as “substantially inadequate”, according to a draft summit statement quoted by AFP. The junta agreed on the five-point plan with ASEAN weeks after seizing power in February 2021 but then pushed ahead with a bloody crackdown on dissent. ASEAN has led so far fruitless diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. from-- https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/thailand-to-host-informal-asean-talks-on-myanmar-in-december.html
MNDAA bans members from international talks.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/mndaa-bans-members-from-international-talks.html
As Jack Healey, who pioneered concerts at Amnesty International once said, "Dissidents (or resistance) often end up aping the behavior of the entity they are fighting."
At an event in c. 2000 he said of the junta "like the IRA does, they should have their knee caps broken."
k 10-11-2024
Qin Empire TV drama--Qin Shi Huangdi asks for suggestions--ep 16.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Zb0D2xAd4
This is the "good governance" my former colleagues in the Burmese democracy movement overseas were eternally yapping about ad infinitum--the "closest colleague" jumped the fence from being an advisor to PM in Exile, Dr. Sein Win (NCGUB) to "advising" "baldy Thein Sein" of the so-called transition period.
May I remind you, this is historical fiction.
Nevertheless, like all good fiction, it stirs up issues.
Deng Xioping's reforms post-1978 succeeded so spectacularly because he gave farmers usufructs to use land for 99 years--a usufruct is the right to use, but if it's 99 years it's as good as ownership.
The so-called transition period in Burma about 2010 to the 2021 coup was notorious for land grabs.
I remember chatting about this with Moethee Zun, renowned 1988 student leader, now in America.
My maternal grandparents' rice lands were all confiscated and redistributed by the democratically-elected government of then PM U Nu.
My mother said she had these certificates for quite a while, but then destroyed them.
They never got compensation.
Please don't get confused by "one shot" "cures" and theories such as "resource curse" etc.
So we should blame "natural resources" not the people who exploit them?
Give me a break.
I hate this non-profit doublespeak.
kmk
10-11-2024
Qin Empire--TV drama--episodes 13, 14, 15 Qin state is poor and needs to recruit scholars--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Zb0D2xAd4
This is about China's first emperor Qin Xi Huangdi--who built the Great Wall.
Look up on wiki by yourself please.
kmk
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