Sunday, December 30, 2012

Writer/survivor U Win Tin's portrait from last March

Photos sent by mutual friends -

Some images from Burma - Nicholas Asfouri, Getty Images

http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/2009/10/daily-life-in-myanmar.html

New peaks on this my KyiMayKaung Blog

12-29-2012 total page views in one day - 538 - previous highs in 300-400 range. Hits on New Dehli gang rape victim dies - 101 Previous high (new Rangoon Silk Shop) - 92 Blog hits in USA - 1288 yesterday. What these blog stats have told me is that my primary audience is outside Burma and mostly in N. America and that the number of blog hits from Burma is very low - 36 last week. So much for the much asked Q in writing groups: Who is your primary audience? BTW - being read by women is no mean joke - as any politician knows. Kyi May Kaung

Life and marriage among highest of high class Brahmins - where a woman is "it"

http://www.himalmag.com/component/content/article/5137-bridesourcing.html

My comment ref. Matt Damon and fracking movie - on Kanlaon's blog

What a coincidence - I am still mulling over whether I want to see movie Les Miz - quite obvious even in trailer that AH cannot really sing up to Broadway standards - and what would be the point of a musical if the music fails? Paul Simon talking about something else: "Beyond a certain point it isn't even musical." BTW - there's an excellent interview of Matt Damon and the movie about fracking on NPR by Terry Gross. ref. the point about how natural he is on screen, this interview included a quote from the movie and his accent and intonation were just the same as in the interview, only way you knew it was a movie clip was in the different quality of the overall sound. No fancy theatrics for Matt Damon. Kyi May Kaung

Burma - 2 literary novels by Generation 88 leaders

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/22611

Scarsdale diet doctor's convicted killer dies

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/29/us/connecticut-jean-harris-obit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Saturday, December 29, 2012

The True Subject - poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, translated by Naomi Lazard

http://www.cse.iitk.ac.in/users/amit/books/faiz-1988-true-subject-selected.html

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316219363#reader_0316219363

From 2009, Aaron Brown interview of Maureen Aung-Thwin

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/eyes-of-the-storm/aaron-brown-interview-maureen-aung-thwin/5439/#comments

Chinese poet Fang Xianghai - "aiming his cock"

http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poet/item/15379/Fang-Xianhai I aim myself at the urinal/ holding my breath/ but my prostate suddenly refuses to function/ they stand there behind me sizing things up/ leaning against a dirty white wall puffing away/ and in the buzz of the nicotine/ they're probably getting to grips with all the ins and outs of a teacher's cock/ that done, they signal their common knowledge with furtive laughter/

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Conference in Rangoon -

http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/searc/Myanmarconfwebpage.htm

New Dehli gang rape victim dies - Indian gov. files murder charges

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/29/world/asia/india-rape-victim/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

From poet to painter -

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/arts/design/peter-sackss-new-paintings-at-paul-rodgers-9w.html?ref=design&_r=0

All male ballet company Trocks tackles Russian ballet Laurencia

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/arts/dance/ballets-trockadero-de-monte-carlo-take-on-laurencia.html?ref=arts It makes sense that men would dance ballet well because of their physical strength.

Amazon deletes fake book reviews on site

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/technology/amazon-book-reviews-deleted-in-a-purge-aimed-at-manipulation.html?ref=technology&_r=1&

Sniper who set trap for US firefighters left a note

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/25/us/new-york-firefighter-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_c1 Scary.

Conflicting reports about Burma plane crash

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/22142 RFA is also saying "emergency landing"

Tycoons rush as Burma insurance privatized

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/13492

Two killed in Burma passenger jet crash

http://www.voanews.com/content/passenger-jet-crashes-in-burma/1571675.html Not clear what air safety measures are in place in Burma, if any, or if anything is enforced. Air Bagan is owned by military government crony Tay Za.

(In Burmese) wrap up of major events in Burma 2012, part 1 of 5

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/

Crony-owned Air Bagan crashes in Shan States, Burma

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/

First dog BO helps Michelle Obama read Christmas story

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c3#/video/bestoftv/2012/12/25/vosot-bo-obama-takes-the-spotlight.wh-gov

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - complete text-

http://www.stormfax.com/1dickens.htm I've seen an Alley Theater production about 2002 and was watching the Disney version, when The Child said he'd drive me home - so looked on line, and here it is -- read it in the daytime - it is very atmospheric. The Disney version tried to keep up with Dickens by emphasizing every line in the characters' faces and with the zooming perspectives and for as much as I saw (the first scene) was quite successful. kmk

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Comment from Dr Maung Zarni on Ai Wei Wei - on Facebook -

"Here is a man beyond forms and boundaries. He is about essence, the essence of human freedom and indomitable spirit. He is an inspiring figure who gives, literally through his photographic work, one of the most feared imperial powers, a middle finger."

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Ai Wei Wei's installations are installed by others- as he can't leave China

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/23/world/la-fg-china-ai-20121124

Ai Wei Wei -- Chinese zodiac heads -

http://www.designboom.com/art/ai-weiwei-circle-of-animals-zodiac-heads-world-tour/ I saw them at the Hirshhorn Museum in DC, but these images show the fabulous detail better.
Ai Wei Wei - Rooster - photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

PBS Frontline - Who's Afraid of Ai Wei Wei?

http://video.pbs.org/video/1862488102/

Foreigners forced to take sedan chairs (palanquins) at Kyaikhtiyo Hanging Rock Pagoda in Burma -

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/tag/steve-tickner-the-irrawaddy

First post from the Dog Hair Nation - on Kalaon's book catalog and dog pee tip - -

Thanks for saying my comment motivated you - R.K. Narayan is a fave of mine too - do you know he was India's president and his wife Usha Narayan is originally from Mandalay, Burma and she has translated some major Burmese writers. BTW, your list shows that in spite of our maybe similar tastes and preferences, the books on your shelves and mine have no duplication so far, which is great. I get to hear of many new writers (i.e. new to me) and books here, so I am PRETTY pleased too to see your list. Plus the newspaper tip for dog pee is likely to come in handy soon. Any idea how to get dog hair off of sofas and blankets - not to mention one's own hair -:) without vacuuming (hate it and so does my dog) loads and loads of laundry and frequent showers. Kyi Readers - see Kanlaon's Blog.

Friday, December 21, 2012

On Kanlaon's catalog of her personal library --

Great job! I would do this too, if I weren't away from my bookshelves right now, and didn't need also to catalog how many paintings, poems, radio pieces etc. I have produced. Kyi

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Monument Books and Toys in Burma

http://monument-books.com/myanmar.php

Top of the Phnom - blog - yummy food and scenery

http://topofthephnom.blogspot.com/2012/07/eat-fast-food-at-pelican-pies.html

Newtown has made teachers the new heroes - by Andrew Lam

http://redroom.com/member/andrew-q-lam/blog/after-newtownteachers-are-the-new-heroes

Burma- Human Rights Development Project's U Myint Aye - recently released - says he considers himself "Obama's present"

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ RFA TV - see links on RHS of their web page. "Just like that, whenever there was a big event they were going to stage,such as the referendum or their 2010 election,they would arrest us as hostages -- now when US Presdt. Obama came and he was going to see Presdt. Thein Sein, as well as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, we were released - it was a present for Obama - I consider myself just that -- "Obama's present" - but although on the surface things look like they have changed, in essence they have not - there are still human rights abuses." Informal transcript and translation - kmk - for formal,contact RFA directly.

Photojournalist Thierry Falise's book, Burma Shadows, will soon be available inside Burma

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/21540

Daughter of Kachin Independence Association general saved from Chinese traffickers -

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/21690 Unfortunately this happens frequently, linked to Chinese one child policy and infanticide of girl children (the Chinese preference for boys). The article did not mention what kind of help and counseling the victims are receiving -

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Clearing the book shelf - comment left on Kanlaon blog

You sound like my policy of clearing the floor one square foot at a time - but what is "too much" - I go this way - 1. books I will not part with till the day I die. 2. books to consult now and then - 3. Books I hate and would never touch - don't know why I am keeping them. Start from 3 - ha ha - as we say in Burmese "If it's no good, give it to the monastery" Like chipped plates or mismatched China, like some of the things friends gave me when I came to the USA - But this particular friend, Scallion Shoot, also gave me TWO Coach Bags (new) - a full set of stoneware dishes, and an heirloom piece with bamboo hand-painted on 3 bowls, set in a bamboo container. Kyi

Deadly malaria and fake pills - on Burma-Thai Border etc

http://m.npr.org/news/front/167440130?start=10

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Comment left on Irrawaddy website ref - activist Hla Shwe 75, who spent a total of 24 years in Burmese jails since 1962

More than apologies are required. I agree with Hla Shwe that these so-called reforms are going nowhere. Khin Ohmar recently said that some things are even worse, and she spoke with about 200 individuals on her trip inside Burma, she said on air with VOA. A system based on injustice is doomed to fail, but who will or can compensate the Victims for their lost lives? Kyi May Kaung

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Hot pink & photo of the week - from The Sartorialist

http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-scene-the-art-institute-chicaco/ The Sartorialist is all about freedom of the individual and the right not to conform. kmk

Kachin delegate describes helicopter gunship attacks by junta and says responsibilty lies with Burmese government.

From VOA - about 27 minutes into the broadcast - Kachin were attacked with helicopter gunships and rockets, despite Presdt. Thein Sein having said there should be a ceasefire. If fighting continues a peace agreement is far off. Unofficial summary and translation - kmk

Friday, December 14, 2012

My - "Are you listening Mrs Clinton" post hits weekly high of 95 hits per post

http://kyimaykaung.blogspot.com/2009/03/are-you-listening-mrs-clinton-sanctions.html As you see it is Robert Karniol's article from the Straits Times and it must be because people are starting to question US-Burma policy. Kyi May Kaung

My favorite artist Franz Kline - images

https://www.google.com/search?q=franz+kline+paintings&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Kig&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=pMDLUKWRBsvo2gWXiIDQBw&ved=0CEIQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=605

WSJ interview of artist Min Wae Aung

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704026204575265670651573304.html

Monks all over Burma and DKBA demonstrating to protest firebomb clampdown on copper mine demonstrators on Nov 29

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ For official transcripts and English translations, write to burmese@rfa.org DKBA = Democratic Karen Buddhist Association.

Sandy Hook Connecticut elementary school shootings

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/14/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school/?hpt=hp_t1 In USA please work for better gun control - pl work with your school age child or college age offspring and their schools/colleges/universities for better security and teacher/students emergency training. --

CNN review of The Hobbit - "sluggish"

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/13/showbiz/movies/the-hobbit-review-charity/index.html?hpt=hp_c2 Sharp review - of course The Hobbit is the first story (for the film, back story) in which Tolkien was building up his primary characters and setting the stage - this review makes a lot of sense. kmk

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Kyi May Kaung's five "Next Big Thing" nominations and the Q and A.

Dear Writers - we look forward to joining your august company very soon - Photo copyright Kyi May Kaung. First, thank you Kanlaon for nominating me - as you said when we first met in Berlin in 2005 as "writers who dare to confront" -- we writers need a boost like this sometimes./ My five nominees are -- (I wanted to nominate "Kanlaon" but maybe one should not go in circles)./ 1. Vietnamese-born poet & political commentator Linh Dinh/ 2. Ko Ko Thett - poet and literary translator/ 3. Maru - a k a Kyaw Aung Lwin - poet and broadcaster/ 4. U Win Tin, renowned NLD strategist who spent 19 years in prison in notorious Insein Prison in Rangoon - for his memoir What's That? A Human Hell./ 5. Mahn Nyein Maung - Karen freedom fighter - for his memoir Against the Storm, Across the Waves./ Note - I am not being "nationalistic" or ethnic- or region-centered - I do not know so many people and I don't know many writers - and these 5 (plus Kanlaon) stand out so vividly./ Here are the Q and A -s/ A. Where did the idea come from for the book?/ If we are talking about my novel Wolf,previously named "August" and "Burmese Rebel"/ between 2002 and 2005 and earlier from 1997-2001, I met many survivors/activists of the 1988 revolution in Burma./ I decided to composite some of these with myself (as a man) and make a composite character./ B. What genre does your book fall under?/ It's a romance, a coming of age story and a coming to terms story and a political thriller. I am not really a genre writer but I love complex political thrillers- and my training is as a political economist and activist./ C. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?/ I have not thought about this at length, but I asked My Personal Artist (his professional name) to make a cover with someone looking like Keanu Reeves, and I like him in The Matrix - which this story is sort of similar to without the sci fi./ The woman should be played by Angelina Jolie -/ She was great as both Alexander the Great's mother and in Boewulf as the monster Grendel's mother - and I am a great fan of John Gardner and love Grendel getting ready to eat some humans by tying a napkin under his chin./ I am not sure if Gardner said it's a red and white checked napkin, but it should be. The lead female character in my novel is all about sex and motherhood./ D. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?/ It's a novel of love and betrayal, as it traces the hero Awegoke's struggle to be free and his love-hate relationships with the women in his life./ E. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?/ I started the first half in 2005, in the winter, through 2 novel writing workshops at The Bethesda Writers Center and 2 writing groups (maybe 3) that I helped form. The second half I pushed through in a "boot camp" class at BWC - where you just sit and write in class, you hardly get to meet your classmates and no one critiques each others' work, though the instructor Kathyrn Jensen, spent quality time with each writer during each session./ I liked boot camp a lot since there was not the "bragging" and "back-stabbing" that happen in some groups or classes when the instructor is not firm enough or fast enough with putting his/her foot down that such behavior will not be tolerated. Since 1994 I have taken about 9 courses in Philadelphia and the DC area - mainly to have "company" while I am writing./ Jensen taught us not to care where we are or who we are with - writing is writing - she urged us to write in coffee shops and airports. Since then I just slam it down, though for some reason I only do translations in cafes./ So overall it might have been 2006 to 2009 or so, but I work on 5-6 projects all at the same time + painting professionally, so it's hard to say how long I worked on Wolf./ In fact I am still trying to get my anger up to write one fight scene where another woman, not one I want played by Jolie, leaves the hero to be ordained as a Buddhist monk, not nun) in Sri Lanka. Maybe this part should be played by the actress who played Eowyn in Lord of the Rings- a perfectly straightforward, brave and well meaning woman./ It must be hard for a man to be left for religious reasons./ G. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?/ I am trying both options for now, but if by a certain deadline, which I cannot reveal,I do not find a good agent, I will self publish./ ***

The Next Big Thing Link - two writers back -

http://seniseneviratne.com/archives/1289#more-1289

Burmese TV update - 12-12-12 - Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest dramatized in Bucharest by prisoners

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips Man with almost full body tattoo in real life killed his girl friend in a swimming pool. He said during the time he is acting in the play and rehearsing, he gets to escape prison life.

Aung San Suu Kyi goes to her Kawhmu constituency and looks at bridges and roads, tells constutuents how to separate their trash

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ Daw Suu in light mauve jacket with black buttons.

12/12/12 superstitions

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/11/living/12-12-12/index.html?hpt=hp_c1 Nothing can beat what happened in Burma on 8-8-1988. Kyi May Kaung

Kyi May Kaung has been nominated The Next Big Thing in Writing - on Kanlaon's blog

http://anthropologist.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/meme-the-next-big-thing-courtesy-of-luisa-igloria-part-i/#respond Sidewalk bookseller in Rangoon, Burma - frame grab.

Why labor unions losing power in the USA

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/11/us/union-power-analysis/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Monday, December 10, 2012

In Kyaukpadaung, Upper Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi says she is encouraged by young people's interest in politics

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ 12-10-2012 news cast TV. She also stressed that naing gnan yay or politics, literally "the nation's business" concerns everyone and everything. Kyaukpadaung is region where the recent copper mine workers' demonstrations were brutally quelled with fire bombs by the junta.

New York Times obit (1941) of James Joyce

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0202.html excerpt - Judge Woolsey's Decision/ "'Ulysses' is not an easy book to read or understand," Judge Woolsey wrote. "But there has been much written about it, and in order properly to approach the consideration of it it is advisable to read a number of other books which have now become its satellites. The study of "Ulysses" is therefore a heavy task./ "The reputation of 'Ulysses' in the literary world, however, warranted my taking such time as was necessary to enable me to satisfy myself as to the intent with which the book was written, for, of course, in any case where a book is claimed to be obscene it must first be determined whether the intent with which it was written was what is called, according to the usual phrase, pornographic, that is, written for the purpose of exploiting obscenity./ "If the conclusion is that the book is pornographic that is the end of the inquiry... But in 'Ulysses," in spite of its unusual frankness, I do not detect anywhere the leer of the sensualist. I hold, therefore, that it is not pornographic."/

A brief encounter with former Burma spy chief Khin Nyunt - by Aung Zaw, founder, editor of The Irrawaddy

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/20830 Reminds me of time in 70s when I met Sein Lwin and the then railways minister at 2 different soon kyways. SL impossibly seemed afraid of me! And the other man seemed on the verge of saying something, his lips moved as if he was nervous or preparing to say something - but his wife put her hand on his arm and stopped him. I could not imagine how these powerful people would fear an ordinary university lecturer like me. kmk

Chinese investers acquire 80% of AIG aircraft leasing firm

http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/09/news/china-aig-planes/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 They also recently bought a Canadian energy company a few days ago.

Saturday, December 08, 2012

From Al Jazeera - The Stream - The Plight of the Rohingya

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/08/201288114724103607.html From a little while back, but still very cogent - AJ Stream interview of Rohingya advocate Dr Wakar ud Din and John Swifton of Human Rights Watch. They both agree that US sanctions were relaxed too soon and that the 1982 Burma Citizenship law is not right, and that the Rohingya deserve full citizenship.

12-8-2012 VOA - US Broadcasting Board of Governors reps. in Naypyitaw in Burma

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips As VOA's David Ensor signs with Burmese Skye Net TV for cultural programming broadcasts within Burma, RFA's Libby Lui's feet are profiled by the rival service.

French chateau demolished by mistake

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/12/07/french-chateau-demolished-by-mistake-during-renovation/?hpt=hp_t3

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Read these comments from "police chief says he's sorry" for raids on monks demonstrating against the Chinese copper mine in Letpadaung Taung, Burma.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/20298

From Dr Maung Zarni - (Gen) Thein Sein "hell of a sincere liar"

This afternoon I saw President Thein Sein 2 feet away from me today./ A hell of a liar, I would say./ Remember how he lied with a perfectly straight face on BBC Hard Talk recorded in his hotel suite in New York in September about the Tatmadaw troops NOT committing any rape against ethnic minority women?/ I shared my conclusion, that Thein Sein is Naypyidaw's best-ever liar, with a close colleague who does negotiations with the generals. Here is what my friend wrote back:/ "I met a few generals, ex and current, quite up-close and personal. Listening to them make me sick in my stomach. But, I don't understand how others see them believable. Not only are they wicked, they are also so stupid (and this is understatement to describe their stupidity). They do not even pretend to change in front of us. I don't know where people see changes. They do what they have to do, all for themselves."/ Daw Aung San Suu Kyi judging Thein Sein to be the general she can do business with is a misjudgement of historic proportions./ That is not dissimilar to George W. looking into this KGB field agent Putin's eyes and proclaimed to have found a KGB's soul./ For the Lady's mis-judgement and miscalculation the people and the country will soon be paying a very heavy price. For the regime has incorporated her into their strategic game plan and calculations./ Here is Naypyidaw's division of labour:/ one group went to negotiate: ex-Major General Aung Min and crony Hla Maung Shwe/ another group was tasked to 'take care of the monks': Home Affairs/ yet another group was ordered to offer monks public apology - a performance/ then enter the Lady: she is being assigned to investigate the industrial dispute between the Chinese mining company and the local population./ President Thein Sein's job: to externalize any responsibility to anything that is bad - genocide, war against the Kachin, deliberately localized "police incompetence" "brutality" etc. and to normalize the regime's genocidal rule of Burma/ Posted with permission.
"Their Oil Smiles, Burmese People's Cries" Photo courtesy of Dr Maung Zarni -

Voice of America signs with Burmese Skye Net TV, but only cultural programming and English language will be allowed into Burma-

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips Plus the doings of Hollywood celebs.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Quote of the Day - from H. Masud Taj in International Gallerie

Song of the Besieged by H. Masud Taj What can the door exclude When it stands without walls? Hinged on a displaced Axis of rotation, How shall the door turn?
Thanksgiving cranberries waiting to be jammed. Photo copyright Kyi May Kaung.

Photo - a Rohingya genocide victim fleeing on a boat from Western Burma begs for mercy -

The Wretched of this Earth - photo from Internet. In his speech at the Convocation Hall of Rangoon University on Nov 20, 2012, President Obama of the USA said, "The Rohingya also have their beliefs and aspirations, just like you and I do." This may not be a totally accurate quote. Most media outlets except VOA/Burmese ignored this remark.

Mawgun Magazine interview of Dr Maung Zarni - in Burmese

https://www.facebook.com/notes/yangon-press-international/%E1%80%BB%E1%80%99%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%99%E1%80%AC%E1%80%B7%E1%80%A1%E1%80%B1%E1%80%9B%E1%80%B8%E1%80%B1%E1%81%80%E1%80%96%E1%80%94%E1%80%B9%E1%80%9E%E1%80%B6%E1%80%AF%E1%80%B8%E1%80%9E%E1%80%95%E1%80%B9%E1%80%9E%E1%80%B0-%E1%80%B1%E1%80%92%E1%80%AB%E1%80%80%E1%80%B9%E1%80%90%E1%80%AC%E1%80%87%E1%80%AC%E1%80%94%E1%80%8A%E1%80%B9%E1%82%8F%E1%80%BD%E1%80%84%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B7-%E1%80%A1%E1%80%84%E1%80%B9%E1%80%90%E1%80%AC%E1%80%97%E1%80%BA%E1%80%B4%E1%80%B8-%E1%80%A1%E1%80%95%E1%80%AD%E1%80%AF%E1%80%84%E1%80%B9%E1%80%B8-%E1%81%81/453349081378386

VOA interview in Burmese of former Ashin Gambira's - now in lay clothes for health reasons - brother --

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips His brother told VOA's Thein Htike Oo that they don't know exactly where he is right now, he suffered many mental health problems due to 5 years of torture in prison, he is not guilty of any of the charges of breaking and entering to reside in the sealed Maggin Monastery -- / the brother says it was very difficult to find doctors to treat his brother, and now the specialist says he needs 6 months more at least of treatment - in spite of that he was arrested, the family thinks it is because in the wake of the military regime's brutal crackdown on the Letpadaung Taung copper mine demonstrators, since so many monks were injured,the military government probably fears another monks uprising of the proportions of the 2007 Saffron Revolution, and have thus arrested his brother (who was one of the leaders in 2007) -/ Informal translation and summary,/ kmk

News - Burma - Kachin civilians fired on, Letpadan Taung protestors arrested and U Gambira aka Ko Nyi Nyi Lwin - preemptively arrested -

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips In Burmese.

All writers must be their own publicists -

http://www.arcamax.com/entertainment/bookreviews/s-1241578

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Summary of translation on weapon used by security forces: Interview with an ex-major of Burmese Army

Burma: Fear of unconventional weapon used in latest raid/ Interview by Ko Nyo and Burma-Newselite (M)/ Security forces may have used incendiary in raiding protest's camps on 29th November, at 3 am local time in Monywa, said Sai Thein Win, a former major./ The crackdown was the largest since the civilian government of President Thein Sein came to power almost two years ago. Over one thousand combined of monks and villagers stayed on strike near the copper mine for 9 days, in order to give pressure the coppermine project to halt, a joint venture run by Chinese company and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited, Military itself./ The raid came just hours before Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the NLD (National League for Democracy), an opposition in Parliament, was scheduled to visit the city of Monywa./ Over 100 monks and people were injured from burning. Government announced on state TV that it broke into the campsite of protesters using water cannon and tear gas, but injuries are caused by fire and chemical, witness said. Strangely enough, the official announcement by the government is taken out after a few hours, although alternative announcement was not made./ So far neither authorities nor civil group release official report on any finding on what causes the burning./ This is an interview with former major in the Burmese army, Sai Thein Win, now lives in Norway. He was the deputy commander of a military factory at Myaing which was built to support a regiment near Thabeikkyin. Maj Sai Thein Win is a mechanical engineer who worked on machining parts. (Interviewer: Ko Nyo, member of Burma-Newselite media group)/ ********************** Q: Government media announced it tried to disperse the protester with water cannon and teargas, but according to the witnesses there, people believe the security forces used fire grenade. As someone who used to work for military factory, and based on your experiences, how will you evaluate?/ A: Tear gas is kind of smoke bomb. It releases smoke and causes tear when contact with eyes. Tear gas doesn't produce fire./ Since there was fire coming out from bomb, this can't be smoke bomb. News we heard mention of white liquid splits out of the bomb causes fire on skin and got worse when it come into contact with water./ That does sound like fire bomb. We differentiate bomb as it works, so we call fire bomb when it produces fire. Smoke bomb if it produces smoke. In this case we have to call fire bomb exactly because fire comes out of the bomb./ Q: When does the military use this kind of bomb? Was there any incident that the military gives order to use it in protest?/ A: A kind of bomb with chemical content was used in Vietnam war by the US troop. It causes fire and burns until the liquid is burned out. Primarily to burn and clear the forest. But since the effect of the bomb found out to have horrible consequences, bombs like Flame Thrower that can shoot fire as far as 20 feet , are banned to be used on the ground, with the exception for the tunnel battle. Weapon prohibited in the battle is used to disperse the protester? This is absolutely crime. We can see the injuries caused by fire bomb, and these injuries can't be hidden./ Q: In what kind of situation does Burmese army use fire grenade?/ A: In our military factory we produced 200 lbs fire bomb. We also produced tear gas to use in case of riot. But we did so only when ordered. I remember one incident. When [the government] creaked down on student demonstration in 1996, our factory got order to produce tear gas just for that riot, but with special modification./ Like putting clear liquid into bullet, adding lead top under the rubber bullet, and when hit by that bullet, flesh cut off badly. It didn't kill though. That order came directly from General Maung Aye (formerly the deputy senior-general under Than Shwe’s military junta and No. 2 in the hierarchy of the ruling State Peace and Development Council)./ He said "Let them die. Produce with higher power." Modified version was tested, one who worked there told me. Some soldier got injured while shooting to test, I heard. I wasn't there yet when it happened./ Q: Is it possible that smoke grenade [tear gas] were modified with higher power than the usual one?/ A: Military factory produces smoke grenade regularly. But it is possible a high ranking officer orders to produces with higher power of smoke grenade. Or it is also possible the tear gas produced by the factory didn't meet the standard. Remember, during 2007 in Saffron revolution, I notice a video clip. Fire sprang out of a smoke grenade; it was near the entrance of Shwedagon Pagoda./ Q: There were accusations of using chemical weapons by the military in Wankha clash in Karen state before and now in Kachin state. Victims don't die but their skin got burned, blood came out of their ears, got dizzy, bodies become paralyze, and so on. Did military use chemical weapon with ethnic armies?/ A: Sometime. It was before my time there [at the military factory]. In our military engineering course, we had a subject on chemical weapon./ When many soldiers died in Wankha battle, the army produced Incendiary devices for a test. They also test Pressure Bomb to clear landmine. Both are not allowed by Geneva Convention. So if the military uses it, they made it secret./ For example, defense factory officers have to go the field to shoot if they use chemical weapons, and regular army officer are not informed, and no soldier allow being nearby./ Q: According to our experience, police forces give warning first to the protesters. Second, they block the protesters not to across the barrier line. Thirdly, they would use water cannon. Only if these don't work, tear gas will be used. Last option is beating and arresting of course./ These measures are used only when protesters become violent. If protesters are peaceful, police even have to guard for their safety and for their health. We have seen these steps in democratic countries./ But now the police forces were throwing grenade towards Buddhist monks who were just sitting in the camps peacefully and praying. How do you see this action as an ex-military officer?/ A: This is absolutely not in line with international standard. Even in the real battle, use of weapons that cause burning is limited internationally. What has done in Burma now is just too much./ Posted with permission.

Poem for the day - Song of the Besieged from H. Masud Taj- International Gallerie

http://www.gallerie.net/issue3.html

Notable personality -- Bina Sarkar Ellias

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bina_Sarkar_Ellias

Burmese authors and new literary "freedom"

http://www.dvb.no/uncategorized/burmese-author-explores-new-literary-freedom/25013

Burmese monks demonstrate against violent clampdown on copper mine protestors -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4eWtlrrJJA&list=UUv-YbGueeYCp8_CdjgXQD3A&index=2&feature=plcp Say they will escalate this to Saffron Revolution proportions. *

Friday, November 30, 2012

Breaking news from Mizzima - monks congregate in Rangoon and Mandalay to protest copper mine crackdown

http://www.mizzima.com/

CNN - white phosphorus as a weapon (used by Israel in Gaza) - warning graphic content

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mihCXBuia9Y

White (or yellow) phosphorus

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/833585-overview Yellow phosphorus bursts into flames when exposed to air.

White phosphorus burns to the bone and can disintegrate someone's jaw bone

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-368800/White-phosphorus-burns-bone.html

White phosphorus - Wikipedia entry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus

In Burma - copper mine solidarity protests spread to Rangoon and Mandalay

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/20261

VOA coverage - Burma copper mine crackdown - condemned -

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips

Burma- coverage of crackdown on copper mine workers and monks in Central Burma -

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ Thein Sein's office website put out a statement and then retracted/removed it. Injured monks lying in one bed - see images.

Burma - copper mine crackdown - old habits die hard

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/20141

Brutal crackdown on monks and workers/miners protesting Chinese-owned copper mines in central Burma

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/20111 (Foreign) commentators on the Irrawaddy site don't seem to understand there are thousands of monks in Burma, and these are different from the neo-Nazi skin heads who spout racist sentiments in Arakan against the Rohingya.

Comment on "white phosphorus used by Burmese junta" - from a physician -

Dr Nora Rowley has lived and worked in Arakan with Doctors without Borders. She says -- As an experienced emergency room physician trained in forensic evaluation I question the knee jerk assertion that the chemical substance was white or any phosphorous. I have looked at about 15-20 photographs of victims burns from this attack. All the burns are superficial, even the many larger burnt patches of skin. Phosphorous is a chemical that keeps penetrating to deeper layers of tissue causing deep burns. Look at images of white phosphorous burns, these are deep burns. Hopefully the victims or those close to them will save their clothing for forensic evaluation outside the country. Nora E. Rowley MD MPH Comment posted with permission.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Uproar - outrage - Burmese junta fire bombs Letpadaung Taung Chinese copper mine demonstrators

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips in Burmese. Correspondent VOA Thein Htike Oo. Government denies use of fire bombs, Survivor monks say they were sleeping at 3 AM when the main gates of Wanpau Co. were opened, and monks struck with water cannon, and beaten - and the fire bombs fell on them - These are rumored to be white phosphorus - stay posted, I will post the White Phosphorus wiki in a few minutes. Please consider donating to Wikipedia. If you are near the scene, take video and post on line.

Burmese junta stages 1962 etc old style pre-dawn raid on Chinese copper mine protestors

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/20145 Aung San Suu Kyi declines to condemn. One commentator says she is now in zone of half-truths and once she says what the junta says, they will have bagged her. A leading critic's wife was denied an M. visa - *

Friday, November 23, 2012

Quote of the Day - in memory of my Aunty A -

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of knowledge. – Constantine P. Cavafy My Aunty A. said, when I stopped one or two nights in Bangkok to buy warm clothing for the USA - "And Kyi Kyi, when you get there,go around everywhere."
Capital Rotundra, Washington DC and tour groups. Photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

The Dawn of Freedom by renowned Pakistani poet - Faiz Ahmed Faiz -

THE DAWN OF FREEDOM:/ From ‘A Song for this Day’/ By Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Translated by Shoaib Hashmi/ This leprous brightness, this dawn which reeks of night/ This is not the one –– the long awaited morn/ This is not the shining light which beckoned/ Beckoned men ever onwards,/ To go on Seeking/ The final starry destination in the heavens/ The final edge where ends the endless night/ The final rest for the anguished heart/ When first we set out, urged on by young blood/ What temptations were there by the wayside/ From the restless abode of love and beauty/ The beckoning gestures of hands, the call of young bodies/ And above all else, the call of beauteous dawn./ From International Gallerie -/ just been invited to write an article for them./ "Met" FAF - as quoted in a novel by Salman Rushdie - I forget which one - either Shame - probably Shame - or Satanic Verses./ Faiz was so renowned he read poetry to thousands in football stadiums./ Kyi May Kaung/

Source material on ancient city of Bagan (Pagan) in Burma

http://acl.arts.usyd.edu.au/~hudson/pagan_bibliog.htm at Sydney University

The gift of the golden kiwi fruit - New Zealand PM John Key goes to see Aung San Suu Kyi

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7987295/Key-meets-Myanmars-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi named UN ambassador for AIDS non-discrimination

http://www.looktothestars.org/news/9315-aung-san-suu-kyi-named-as-unaids-global-advocate

Second edition of Aung San Suu Kyi's book on Burma and India published

http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bookworm/second-edition-of-suu-kyi-s-book-published_2612.htm

US Presdt Obama and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi - remarks to press - 19th Nov 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gaZH6Gzt2g From White House site.

Genocide - in Arakan, Burma - BBC 4 uncovers mass graves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdJzTf2J-rM

Institute of International Education to work with nine US Universities in Burma

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/19434 As a beneficiary of a Fulbright Fellowship which enabled me to pursue a Ph.D. in Political Economy at the University of Pennsylvania, I am very happy with this. The Institute of International Education did a great job at the time, of placing us in our respective universities and administering the Awards. I have many stories of that time, mostly about the blocking activities of the then BSPP (Burma Socialist Program Party) government in Burma. And we were only SIX students for the whole of Burma. Imagine that! I am saving the details for a future memoir. It is incredible,for instance, how the then military attache! - at the Burmese embassy at 2300 California Street in Washington DC was so paranoid about "the US government finding out things from your dissertations" that he took part after 1988 in harassing us by refusing to renew our Burmese "special passports" annually. This at a time, really, when for instance the state of the airstrip surface in Myitkyina was available to all from satellite imagery at Fort Brag, North Carolina. This same attache, memorialized in one of my poems, also infamously said: "Why is it taking you so long to write your dissertation? Why don't you write it from Cliff Notes" These are the yellow notes that are sold in super marts for students (up to about 10th grade) to memorize while prepping for exams. I was so horrified my mouth opened in shock. These are the people who rule Burma today - think about it. The only difference is now they have learned to talk the talk. I doubt though that they will ever walk the walk. Kyi May Kaung.
Light fixture at US Capital Porch - photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

Monday, November 19, 2012

Presdt Obama and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

More photos http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/photos-obama-visits-cambodia-myanmar-and-thailand#1

Airport poem by the inimitable W. S. Merwin - thanks Kanlaon -

Neither Here Nor There/ An airport is nowhere/ which is not something/ generally noticed/ yet some unnamed person in the past/ deliberately planned it/ to be there/ and you have spent time there/ again/ and are spending time there again/

VOA 11-20-2012 coverage - Presdt Obama and Mrs Clinton in Burma - complete coverage

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips Extremely well done. kmk

CNN's Wolf Blitzer's crew runs for cover in Israel

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-883711?hpt=hp_t1

Obama lauds Aung San Suu Kyi - Jessica Yellin, CNN from Rangoon

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/19/politics/obama-asia-trip/index.html That's the inside of Rangoon University's Convocation Hall where Yellin is standing.

Live blog from Mizzima - US Presdt Obama in Rangoon -

http://www.mizzima.com/special/obama-visit-burma/8420-mizzima-live-coverage-on-pres-obama-visit-burma.html

CNN on Obama's Burma visit

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/19/politics/obama-asia-trip/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

What's Sanchaung Ma Thida talking about? Presdt Obama's speech at Rangoon University's Convocation Hall is Excellent -

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips Dear U Than Lwin Htun and Daw Hla Hla Than (at VOA - Voice of America, Burmese) Thank you for posting President Obama's entire speech. It is Excellent and touches on all of Burma's problems - while giving a mini-lecture on why the same kind of diversity works in the USA. Please could you have it translated in its entirety and have someone like Thar Nyunt Oo do the voice over. I am very pleased with all your voice overs, which carefully match the voices, the ages etc. :) kmk Note: Sanchaung Ma Thida, a writer and medical doctor, who was a close associate of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and was imprisoned, told an Irrawaddy correspondent that Presdt. Obama's speech "was not as good as some of his" that she has heard. Maybe she did not understand him fully.

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet is now in the public domain -

http://www.holybooks.com/the-prophet-by-khalil-gibran/

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi arrives back in Rangoon from India, in time to meet US Presdt Obama on first trip to Burma

http://www.mizzima.com/news/56-live-update/8387-mizzima-live-coverage-on-aung-san-suu-kyi-visit-to-india.html

ASEAN signs first human rights treaty -

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips In Burmese, from VOA. Correspondent Thein Htike Oo --"But there is still reason to doubt whether the AESAN members will follow the terms set out in the treaty."

Obama says his Burma trip is not an endorsemment

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/18/politics/obama-asia-trip/index.html

Does Burma still have nuclear dreams - from Foreign Policy Magazine

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/11/15/does_burma_still_have_nuclear_dreams

U Aung Naing Oo of VAHU is on Burmese government Arakan Inquiry Commission -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHJ-75ZlSJE&list=UUv-YbGueeYCp8_CdjgXQD3A&index=3&feature=plcp Interview of U Aung Naing Oo, author of book "Dialogue" in Burmese. Interview in Burmese. He says he has been to Arakan twice, their final report will be out soon and they don't use the word "Rohingya" as they wish to be neutral. Informal translation and summary kmk

In praise of their divorce, by Tony Hoagland

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/21768

Death be not proud, by John Donne

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15836 This is an excellent site from Academy of American Poets, which gave me a prize for my first five poems. The William Carlos Williams Prize. The judge that year was Danny Abse. Kyi May Kaung

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/152

Why we love short stories -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/nov/16/booksforchildrenandteenagers-childrens-books-8-12-years Michael Morpango is the author of War Horse, which is excellent.

Comment left on Kanlaon blog ref. "Argo being shown on so few screens at local movie theater"

Most Americans do not like movies which show American foreign policy errors. That must be it. It's a pity as Argo is an excellent movie. Thanks for your analysis of screenings. K

Saturday, November 17, 2012

From "Off the Cushion" - socially engaged Buddhism on Aung San Suu Kyi, Buddhism and you -

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dannyfisher/2012/11/an-opportunity-for-aung-san-suu-kyi-president-obamaand-you/ By Rev. Danny Fisher

Excerpt from Kyi May Kaung's She-Monkey goes West - The Golden Time -

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/xconnect/volume1/issue2/word/kmkgol.html This was a book length poem, still unpublished, which I should publish. Based on the Chinese folk novel Monkey. kmk

Human Rights Watch - new satellite images show attacks on Rohingya

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/17/burma-satellite-images-show-widespread-attacks-rohingya

VOA interview of blogger Nay Hpone Latt + music video

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips Nov 3rd week program

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Reith Lectures, BBC 4, from 2011

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00htkm3 These are very good, but quite sad. It can be argued she has changed.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and National Endowment for Democracy Awardees, Sept 20, 2012, photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

Reply to reader ref. Spam -

I did not post your question as it contains a link. I get a lot of spam, but my spam blocker works well. Once I label something spam - then it automatically goes to my spam file where it can be automatically deleted or not, depending on how you set it up. I do not like prolonged "discussions" about Burmese or other politics or anything else with unknown people. Sometimes there are flaky people who will argue all sorts of hair-brained things. So my blog is set up so I cannot reply directly to a comment even if I wish to. Regards, kmk

In India, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi spoke with head of Infosys in Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley - etc

http://www.mizzima.com/news/56-live-update/8387-mizzima-live-coverage-on-aung-san-suu-kyi-visit-to-india.html Panel at Lady Shri Ram College included writer Sashi Tharoor - --

Obama must see the dark side of Burma's "reforms"

Tattooed face of a Chin woman - frame grab - Dr Maung Zarni: http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/19088

Excellent interview of Nobel Laureate in Literature, Orhan Pamuk

http://rasanaatreya.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/talk-by-orhan-pamuk/ Interviewer is unappealing, and don't think he read all the books. I like My Name is Red and Snow. But Pamuk ranges over a wide range of issues - only others who might talk like this are Hemingway, maybe Dickens, and Salman Rushdie - kmk

Petraeus testifies before Congress about Benghazi attack - Democrats defend Susan Rice

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2012/11/17/tsr-bash-petreaus-hill-testimony.cnn

Israel steps up air strikes, mobilizes troops

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/17/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 from CNN ground war feared.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Even as US Presdt Obama is on the plane to Asia, the Burmese junta is busy taking farm land -

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/19074 They must think the US and other western governments are the greatest fools in the world. And Hello, there were no political prisoners among those released.

O'Burma images -

https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+burma&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=y1f&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=siKmUM3wNcmn0AHmlYDoBg&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=605 There are a gazillion links here - what you should do is use the images as thumbnails and then click on what you want - they are organized by how long ago they were posted.

Quote of the Day - found on The Guardian (comments) site - on Burma so-called reforms etc

it won't matter, everyone knows the eu and usa are just desperate to grab a slice of a pie china's been hogging all to itself, someone persuaded the lady to nod and that's it, as far as everyone else is concerned. The burmese will have to sacrifice themselves again and again in another saffron revolution before they succeed, they must expect no outside help as long as their dictatorship obeys both east and west, and an invasion and puppet regime installment if it doesn't http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/15/burma-frees-prisoners-barack-obama

Special from Mizzima - Aung San Suu Kyi in India

http://www.mizzima.com/news/56-live-update/8387-mizzima-live-coverage-on-aung-san-suu-kyi-visit-to-india.html

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visits India -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20353052

Ten most affordable US cities

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/real_estate/2012/11/15/affordable-housing-markets/10.html Bottom line of course is jobs jobs jobs.

Deadly mix of one prescription drug pill and one drink -

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/15/health/deadly-dose-jackson-rummler/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Thursday, November 15, 2012

From Tuesday - second quake near Burmese capital of Naypyitaw

http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/burma-quake-death-toll-hits-26-tremor-capital-5214959

Kyi May Kaung's painting - Burma & Laura Bush - 2009

Painting and photograph copyright Kyi May Kaung

Reactions to Presdt. Obama's visit in Burma

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/world/Barack+Obama+source+unity+amity+deeply+divided+Myanmar/7554218/story.html

Genocide cartoon from Internet

Full text of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture -

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Full-text-of-Suu-Kyi-s-Jawaharlal-Nehru-Memorial-Lecture/Article1-959856.aspx

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi says Burma unrest an international tragedy

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hiV7b_wpXqlL-FOkKaOUNT-M_lGQ?docId=CNG.1d7c89bbd05f5e16daedd3e0120379b3.ae1

Paula Broadwell - Petraeus biographer, mistress and reservist - loses security clearance -

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/14/the-relevance-of-paula-broadwells-classified-clearance/?hpt=hp_t2 I don't know how she could be an army reservist and also be writing about him.

Rockets rain down on Gaza, 2 BP rig supervisors charged with manslaughter

http://www.cnn.com/#

"All the way in, my novel about Petraeus" by Saideh Pakravan -

http://thecounterargument.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/all-the-way-in-my-novel-about-petraeus/ Biting satire, enjoy and think about it. Also about the book industry.

Yale Cambodian Genocide Project

http://www.yale.edu/cgp/

Human Rights, Rohingya etc Activists/advocates - here is FBI genocide tip line

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/genocide-and-war-crimes-program Please only send specific cases with evidence such as photos, personal testimony etc. Pl don't clutter the line with rants and hate mail or abuse it in other ways. For that use Facebook, whatever. I only just found this site, and have nothing to do with it. It's a resource I am posting here for Activists. kmk

Will Obama help the Burmese Rohingya - mounting evidence that it's an organized pogrom -

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/obama-is-set-to-visit-burma--but-will-he-help-the-tormented-rohingya-people-8312931.html

Anti-Muslim, state-sponsored violence in Burma - images - SEE who you will believe -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49786092/#.UKUgEYaD-So

Re-posting - Pragmatism new in-word in US-Burma Policy

http://kyimaykaung.blogspot.com/2009/11/pragmatism-new-in-word-for-us-burma.html re-posting from 2009 - from my friend James O'Brien. Thank you blog readers for finding it and reading it. --

Google search results for "Obama should not visit Burma"

https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+should+not+visit+Burma&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

BP to pay record fine for Gulf oil spill - "gross negligence" not yet criminal negligence -

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/15/news/bp-oil-spill-settlement/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

World lights up for Diwali - The Festival of Lights -

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/12/world/gallery/diwali/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Rabbit confit and seeing the movie Lincoln -

http://leitesculinaria.com/73052/recipes-rabbit-confit.html I had it at Jaleo and it was delicious. If you are nervous about the shape of the rabbit, buy cut portions or use chicken or duck - I doubt it will taste much different. At Jaleo the 3 small pieces for $10 were served on a bed of mashed squash or pumpkin. In my opinion, it was worth every bite. I had my dinner after seeing Lincoln, the movie, and after dinner I had a flan - (custard pudding)./ The only part maybe too expensive was the "small" popcorn bag and the soft drink, esp. as I spilled half the popcorn on the floor - was the fault of the shop, as the bag was piled too full./ It was $8 = the cost of the movie ticket at the senior rate. That's a little steep./ Still beats seeing a movie in Burma with piles of sunflower seed-shells on the floor, rats running over your feet, and thieves who hook your slippers away if you have your bare feet up, to protect from above rats./ Plus the heat, the broken air con, and the iron railing with roof over the ticket line, where you could get the life literally squished out of you in a stampede./ kmk

NPR will record all of August Wilson's plays

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/new-york-public-radio-to-record-august-wilsons-plays/?ref=arts

Herculaneum as good model of conservation practices vs Pompeii

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/arts/design/herculaneums-ruins-are-revived-by-philanthropy.html?ref=arts&_r=0 Lesson for Burma - just get rid of that corrupt government.

Mizzima live coverage of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in India - TV, photos etc

http://www.mizzima.com/news/56-live-update/8387-mizzima-live-coverage-on-aung-san-suu-kyi-visit-to-india.html

Different take - Aung San Suu Kyi allegedly said she was saddened by India's ties to Burmese junta

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Suu-Kyi-saddened-by-Indias-ties-to-junta/articleshow/17222871.cms

James M. Cain's Double Indemnity

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679723226/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=#reader_B004G606NA You can read the hook opening in the Amazon sample

James M. Cain and The Postman Always Rings Twice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman_Always_Rings_Twice

James M. Cain's lost novel about a conniving cocktail waitress -

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/books/review/the-cocktail-waitress-by-james-m-cain.html?pagewanted=all

UN urges Bangladesh to keep borders open as "sailing season" starts -

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18839 The monsoon is now ending. Last "sailing season" saw a large outflux of people seeking employment overseas and political asylum and safe harbor. --

Burma's Rohingya refuse to register as "Bengali"

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18721

Burma timber export ban needs forestry management reform

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18107

Novelist Amitav Ghosh (The Glass Palace) will be in Burma -

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18820

In India, Aung San Suu Kyi says she was saddened when India pulled way (from Burma) two decades ago

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/was-saddened-when-india-pulled-away-aung-san-suu-kyi-292548

In India, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speaks of inspiration from Nehru -

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/in-india-daw-aung-san-suu-kyi-speaks-of-inspiration-from-nehru/

Myanmar reforms: Challenges and Prospects by Dr Maung Zarni -

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/11/20121114102511809369.html

Mideast situation escalates with rocket attacks from Isreal and death of head of Hamas' military wing -

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/14/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Friday, November 09, 2012

Quote of the day - Corndogs and Bombers - from poet Linh Dinh -

from - http://wwwwsonneteighteencom.blogspot.com/ quote: According to the corporate shill that’s the US President, America is well on its way towards energy independence, though gas is up, up and up, and we’re wringing oil from rocks and brewing it from maize, neither one a cheap or energy efficient proposition, but don’t worry, just keep driving those SUVs and pack the NASCAR grandstands as the sea rises to your neck./ As we enter de yo mama of all depressions, partly caused by the job outsourcing started by the Democratic Clinton, the corporate shill du epoque is also promising more jobs, but where will these be found in this deliberately de-industrialized nation? We make nothing anymore except guns, corndogs, bombers and pornography, so well endowed guys and gals with strip mall implants can still go down, strut or pole dance for a few years, before they get on food stamps like a record number of their fellow citizens. That or joining the “services.” Alas, the funnies are not so funny.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Quote of the Day - poetry -

In the transition,/ Someone’s corpse has been/ Replaced by another’s./ Khin Maung Aye - as translated into English by Ko Ko Thett
Inside the Hirschorn Museum - photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

Diamonds still a girl's best friend - at least among military big brass families and cronies, it seems -

http://www.mmtimes.com/2010/business/540/biz010.html 2010 from Myanmar Times -

Presdt Obama will go to Burma, interviews of Medicins Sans Frontieres staff and a mobile clinic in California

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips In Burmese.

Interview (in Burmese) with director Sho Nyo Tun Thein, who is making an ambitious movie about the 1988 uprising -

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/

TV interview with Burmese writer, Daw Than Myint Aung - in Burmese

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/

Lincoln - the movie - interview of Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BERKF9rnBcQ
Lincoln ads. and quotes in DC metro - photos copyright Kyi May Kaung

Page views on this, my Kyi May Kaung blog - have hit new highs

A new peak of 591 yesterday and total over 112,800. THANK YOU READERS.
A view of the hills, Chiangmai, Thailand. Photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

Burma - a new theory of a Pyu homeland in the Samon Valley - by Bob Hudson

http://acl.arts.usyd.edu.au/~hudson/BH2005Jan.pdf

Educate yourself on line - A History of Burma - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Burma

Quote of the day - from Bill Gates -

"These are great times to be curious."

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's biography

http://myanmarlife.com/2012/06/aung-san-suu-kyi-biography/

Quote of the day - "Listen up, Cuz:" from Kanlaon blog

Listen up, Cuz: Writers love truth more than money. That’s what makes them such a subversive force.

Major land-grabbing in Burma - bad examples from other countries in transition

http://www.dvb.no/interview/scott-leckie-%E2%80%98burma-could-very-easily-become-the-displacement-capital-of-asia%E2%80%99/24607

Mrs O blog - clothes and style

http://mrs-o.com/

Meet the Obamas- from CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/politics/photos-meet-the-obamas/index.html What a difference from racist Burmese in Burma -

President Obama's Victory Speech

http://www.cnn.com/#

America the Beautiful - from sea to shining sea- election day pics

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/06/politics/gallery/election-best/index.html?hpt=hp_t2_6

Obama won second term, Romney concedes defeat

http://www.cnn.com/

Major human rights abuses along Burmese-Chinese Shwe Gas pipeline

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18259

Twisted Internet behavior - extremist nationalism and hate speech by Burmese -

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18176

Burma's so-called reformer pressed on Rohingya citizenship at ASEM in Laos

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18151

Burma - Generation 1988 activist U Mya Aye (a Muslim, he says) has good first impresssions of Thailand, but says reforms not yet substantial in Burma-

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18144

We need to scream louder - Myanmar Govt starts to check 5 villages in Arakan

for compliance with notorious 1982 Citizenship Law - all must prove they were in Burma before 1824 and first Anglo-British War. http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ In Burmese - see news summary in Burmese text on LHS - item with photo of soldiers coming out of truck.

Praise from my personal Artist - for Kyi May Kaung's idea for cover of her novella - Black Rice

Pretty cool cover! Artsy-fartsy noir. Very unique idea. Simple, but big statement. People will ask what is this black rice with the gun danger element. Made my day - thanks Artist!

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

from Wiki - in Rwanda, the genocide was well organized by the government -

The killing was well organized by the government. When it started, the Rwandan militia numbered around 30,000, or one militia member for every ten families. It was organized nationwide, with representatives in every neighborhood. Some militia members were able to acquire AK-47 assault rifles by completing requisition forms. Other weapons, such as grenades, required no paperwork and were widely distributed by the government. Many members of the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi were armed only with machetes. Even after the 1993 peace agreement signed in Arusha, businessmen close to General Habyarimana imported 581,000 machetes from China for Hutu use in killing Tutsi, because machetes were cheaper than guns. In a 2000 news story, The Guardian reported, "The former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, played a leading role in supplying weapons to the Hutu regime which carried out a campaign of genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. As Minister of Foreign Affairs in Egypt, Boutros-Ghali facilitated an arms deal in 1990, which was to result in $26 million (£18m) of mortar bombs, rocket launchers, grenades and ammunition being flown from Cairo to Rwanda. The arms were used by Hutus in attacks which led to up to a million deaths." Rwandan Prime Minister Jean Kambanda revealed in his testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal that the genocide was openly discussed in cabinet meetings and that "...one cabinet minister said she was personally in favor of getting rid of all Tutsi; without the Tutsi, she told ministers, all of Rwanda's problems would be over."

More quotes from Wiki on Rwandan Genocide

The assassination of Habyarimana in April 1994 set off a violent reaction, during which Hutu groups conducted mass killings of Tutsis (and also pro-peace Hutus, who were portrayed as "traitors" and "collaborators"). This genocide had been planned by members of the Hutu power group known as the Akazu, many of whom occupied positions at top levels of the national government; the genocide was supported and coordinated by the national government as well as by local military and civil officials and mass media. Alongside the military, primary responsibility for the killings themselves rests with two Hutu militias that had been organized for this purpose by political parties: the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi, although once the genocide was underway a great number of Hutu civilians took part in the murders. Wikipedia cited below, accessed 11-6-2012

Population density as a factor in Rwandan, Burmese genocides --

At 408 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,060 /sq mi), Rwanda's population density is amongst the highest in Africa. Rwanda's population had increased from 1.6 million people in 1934 to 7.1 million in 1989, leading to competition for land. Historians such as Gérard Prunier believe that the 1994 genocide can be partly attributed to the population density.- - from Wiki cited. -- the Arakan Coastal Strip in Burma is also extremely narrow. We don't know the population density as we don't know the population, but it can I suppose be estimated from houses/huts and an average per household number, usually stated as 5, from satellite photos. kmk

A nightmare that could happen anywhere, including Burma - The Rwandan Genocide -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the East African state of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days (from the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira on April 6 through mid-July) over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate. Estimates of the death toll have ranged from 500,000–1,000,000, or as much as 20% of the country's total population. It was the culmination of longstanding ethnic competition and tensions between the minority Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries, and the majority Hutu peoples, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959–62. . . . Belgian colonialism played a role in maintaining the divide between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples. From Wikipedia article above.

Quote of the day - "Darfur will end when --

Dirk Moses: "Darfur will end when it suits the great powers that have a stake in the region". From Wikipedia below.

What is genocide? From Wikipedia -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide

The place where we are right -- a poem

The Place Where We Are Right/ by Yehuda Amichai/ From the place where we are right/ Flowers will never grow/ In the spring./ The place where we are right/ Is hard and trampled/ Like a yard./ But doubts and loves/ Dig up the world/ Like a mole, a plow./ And a whisper will be heard in the place/ Where the ruined/ House once stood./ Again, thank you, you who sent this.

Rohingya home burning - from Internet

Thanks to person who sent this.

Now in the time of genocide - re-posting - Kyi May Kaung's poem War on Roaches

http://www.fpif.org/articles/war_on_roaches from Foreign Policy in Focus

Monday, November 05, 2012

Did the (Myanmar) government incite the racial violence targeting the Rohingya - by Dr. Maung Zarni

http://www.dvb.no/analysis/did-the-govt-incite-the-racial-violence-targeting-the-rohingya/24116

History of Buddhism in India -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Buddhism_in_India

The ancient Buddhist university Nalanda in present-day Bihar, India -

Sacked by the Muslim Turks in 13th century.

What would you save if your house were on fire? A manton de Manila -

http://www.stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2012/03/mesmerised-by-a-mant%C3%B3n-.html?cid=6a00e5508e95a988330163031c7322970d It makes me think what the poor Rohingya families were able to save last week.

31 stunning sci fi illustrations -

http://www.designzzz.com/stunning-futurisitc-scifi-illustrations/

Making Thai khon masks

http://avaxnews.com/appealing/Manufacture_Of_Traditional_Thai_Khon_Masks.html

Self-editing for fiction writers -

http://www.byrogers.com/3/

Burma walks the lambast walk again - derided at ASEM summit in Laos

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18069

Verdi's Opera Aida

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida

Sunday, November 04, 2012

Burma - Presdt Thein Sein's assistant was one who first posted the photos of alleged rape victim in June -

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/17968 There's reason to believe this is all an elaborate set up by regime. A few days ago - one of Arakanese monks when speaking to reporters, pulled out a whole stack of color photos of the alleged rape victim of June, and other photos. How did he get them and why is a monk keeping them? --***

Satellite images of burned areas in Kyaukhpyu, Arakan in Burma & eyewitness account

http://observers.france24.com/content/20121029-muslim-burmese-refugee-killed-wife-burned-down-house-kyaukphyu-rakhine-rohingya-sittwe-arakan-camp

Siamese crocodiles - wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_crocodile

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayuthia, a city much battered and burned by the Burmese in ancient times -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WatChaiwatthanaram_2295b.JPG

Along the klongs or canals of Bangkok

http://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/travel-feature/319030/a-route-less-travelled

Photos from Rangoon University, including the famed Thit Poke Pin tree

http://juniorwin-english.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html

USA-Post-Hurricane Sandy warning - looters etc posing as meter checkers, relief workers etc -

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/11/03/todd-sandy-looters.cnn

Russ Wellen - What explains Aung San Suu Kyi's silence --

http://www.fpif.org/blog/what_explains_aung_san_suu_kyis_silence_about_the_persecution_of_burmas_minorities

Important - Burmese Border Minister Thein Htay says -will stick to 1982 law

"to resolve Arakan Conflict" http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ in Burmese - in text, news summaries on left. 1982 law says you must prove your ancestors were in Burma before the first Anglo-Burmese War of 1924. Since few records exist in Burma, this is going to lead to threats by authorities, graft and more corruption. Increasingly, it looks like this "fire in the eves" in the Arakan region, will spread to the main house, and derail the so-far phony "reforms". kmk

Quote of the day - ref. genocide in W. Burma -

Danger abounds and I hold up the ethnic card as the litmus test in Burma to see how real these so-far phony reforms will turn out to be... Anonymous

Israel acknowledges killing Arafat's deputy in 1988

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/israel-acknowledges-killing-arafats-deputy-in-1988/article4058982.ece Search for the motive, as they say.

Quote of the Day: Ashin Gambira, Saffron Revolution leader, from 2007

What will it take for the world to realize that Burma’s generals are a menace and that because of their misrule, drugs, diseases and refugees from Burma spill across borders and wash through other societies, ruining lives?” U Gambira to Washington Post, 2007.

Verdi's Aida - complete opera - 1989 Metropolitan Opera NY production - Placido Domingo et al --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99c7zlVgqfI 1 hour 36 minutes. Educational use only.

Friday, November 02, 2012

Triumphal March from Verdi's Aida

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNEu09pVD8E Notice the beautiful perfumed music when the princess, beautiful but cruel comes in. *

Dance of the Princesses from Verdi's opera Aida - Nile scenes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnjY6nl7_zg Vivien Leigh from Cleopatra, Shakespeare's play. *

New silk shop in Rangoon -

http://www.shwedarling.com/blog/page/7/

Jason Hagbayon - a poet found through Kanlaon's blog

http://hagbayon.wordpress.com/

Flash fiction - The Shit-Eating Witch, by Kyi May Kaung

"Selling Bacolod." I am so touched, as this is really my way of "going home." I used to go to Thailand every year, about two times a year, but now it has stopped. My beloved aunt has died. I don't think relatives, or unimaginative people, understand writers, or the peripatetic need for taking trains, planes, hiring drivers etc. Because they can't read our facile and brilliant minds, and they certainly don't read our blogs. So, forget them, till your next trip. Fair enough. As for ghosts, I don't believe in the Halloween type - but do believe in ghosts when I am in Bali, and no one can beat our Burmese village ghosts. Case in point - the chee sarr sone or shit- eating witch, literally. At night she leaves her husband snoring by her side, and roams the outhouses eating shit. One night her husband awakes and finds his wife headless, as the wife's head is out eating - appearing to the unschooled eye as great rolling balls of fire in the distance. So next time she does that he smears the sap of the shampoo vine, which is slimy, on the headless neck, and low and behold, when she gets home she can't re-attach her head - and is shut down for good. Bwa ha haa - I knew you'd love that. In fact I had trouble re-attaching my own head when I came home to Burma after 8 months studying for a diploma in economic planning in Warsaw, Poland. Kyi. left on my friend Kanlaon's blog.
David Hammons - Untitled - Hirschorn Museum, DC. Photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

From Wall Street Journal - Glory days of Rangoon Univ & F for Myanmar Schools.

http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/11/02/glory-days-at-myanmar-school-clouded/ http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052970203937004578076751448524708-lMyQjAxMTAyMDAwMjEwNDIyWj.html?mod=wsj_valetleft_email Ne Win did not get to univ. only 5th grade in school or so. Aung San Suu Kyi recently said "Our people are barely educated" stressed need for primary education, while stress now is on post-grad education and even said "If my (deputies) were better educated, they could write some of my speeches for me." --

Who and what gains from Myanmar strife - Maung Zarni

http://www.maungzarni.com/2012/10/the-virtues-of-myanmars-genocide-of.html

Burmese military may be behind anti-Rohingya violence -

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/as-violence-continues-rohingya-find-few-defenders-in-myanmar/

Scores of Rohingya refugees feared dead at sea -

http://www.dw.de/scores-of-rohingya-refugees-feared-dead-at-sea/a-16349011 3,000 reportedly missing

Burma clashes leave 100 dead -

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57541090/burma-clashes-leave-100-dead-as-muslim-rohingya-minority-clashes-with-buddhists-testing-govt-reforms/

Telegraph - Burma considers citizenship for Rohingyas

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/9648329/Burma-considers-citizenship-for-Rohingya-Muslims.html

Clashes or ethnic cleansing - by Tun Khin - Burmese Rohingya Organisation - UK

http://www.dvb.no/analysis/clashes-or-ethnic-cleansing/24559 Anonymous comment: This same journalist (sic) wrote recently about this issue in the Independent as well, below. It is indeed true: there are many who would benefit from riding a cheap wave of nationalism into power. 2015 is so close and it would be difficult to win support through concrete reforms that bring tangible results. Far easier to stoke ethnic conflict, draw upon stupid nationalism, and invoke a scary bogeyman (the Muslims). This is exactly the script dictators used in other failed transitions: Milosevic did this, as did Putin. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-persecution-of-the-rohingya-how-a-benighted-minority-in-burma-suffer-at-the-hands-of-despots-8259990.html

British, US and Australian Ambassadors visit strife torn Arakan region - in Burmese

http://www.youtube.com/user/voaclips

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Answer to comment - how to download

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/30/aung-san-suu-kyi-meets-her-peers.html Here is link to the article. I don't know that you can download from e publications - but you can save the link by cutting and pasting in your file, with date you accessed it for future reference or citation - and you can open it to read. You can go to Print and print out on paper, or you can go to Print and copy and paste for your own reference. It makes sense downloads are not enabled as they are copyrighted items. I no longer print on paper but "keep" by posting link in relevant file or folder - hard to find the paper in stacked up piles on the floor anyway. Consider taking a course in library cataloging or filing -- there is something called cross-referencing - where this article for instance would be under "Daily Beast" "Aung San Suu Kyi" or "Peers" or the author's name - which by the way is not the name you mentioned. My blog is designed so I can't respond to comments - as I don't like prolonged "debates" with people I don't know. I am not a techie and this is all I know from my personal experience. Thanks for reading my blog - do visit again. kmk

We could have told you so - economy dips drastically in W Burma due to anti-Rohingya violence

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/17851

latest video - must see - graphic warning - Violence against Rohingya in W Burma

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/oct/31/burma-muslims-buddhists-clashes-video Literally caught between the devil and the dark sea - while the junta says violence was wrought by "terrorists" "extremists" and Presdt Thein Sein's office says it has confiscated arms (may have been planted, for all we know). See VOA TV 10-31-2012

In Burma, SNLD (Shan National League for Democracy) resists junta's plans to change names of states to "neutral names"

as it destroys their sense of identity. In Burmese http://www.rfa.org/burmese/ video clip on RHS

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The Definition of Diaspora

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora

Diasporas, Identities, Nationalities - "Going Home to a Landscape"

http://anthropologist.wordpress.com/my-books/review-going-home-to-a-landscape/

Horse who paints beautiful abstracts -

http://us.mc1249.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.gx=1&.tm=1351693901&.rand=2riraeu7ecl8g

While filing "asst labor minister" I found this again - Kim IL Sung walked at 3 weeks.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1112/19/acd.01.html Poem found by Kyi May Kaung on Anderson Copper 360 Interview of Laura Ling and Lisa Ling on death of Kim Jung Il of N. Korea by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Accessed 12-21-2011 The late dear departed. . . . The grieving, as you'd imagine, is intense for a leader they had been told first walked at three weeks of age, talked at two months and authored -- not read, but authored 1500 books while in college. . . . They, like most North Koreans, not likely aware their fallen ruler scarfed lobster and swilled fine cognac while an estimated million ordinary North Koreans starved to death during the famine his economic policies created. . . . When Kim Il-Sung died, North Koreans were told -- and they apparently believe this -- that a thousand white cranes tried to carry him off to heaven but were prevented from doing so by the pull of his devoted followers. Added by KMK: What do these 3 little dots mean? They mean that there’s something in between. End found poem.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Partially in Burmese -- Is Assistant Burmese Labor Minister mad to say Burma's unemployment rate is (only) 4%

Maybe trying to figure out how the Burmese economy works - The Hirschorn Museum - photo copyright Kyi May Kaung. Mail ဒု အလုပ္သမား၀န္ၾကီး ဦးျမင့္သိန္း ရူးမ်ားေနလား? သတင္းစာေတြမွားျပီး ပံုႏွိပ္တာလား ၊ အလုပ္သမား၀န္ႀကီးဌာနဒုတိယ၀န္ႀကီး ဦးျမင့္သိန္း ရူးေနတာလား၊ ေအာက္တိုဘာလ ၂၄ ရက္ေန ့က ျပည္သူ ့လြတ္ေတာ္မွာ အစည္းအေ၀းမွာ အလုပ္သမား၀န္ႀကီးဌာနဒုတိယ၀န္ႀကီး ဦးျမင့္သိန္း က ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံရဲ့ ၂၀၁၁ ခုႏွစ္ ခန္ ့မွန္းအလုပ္ လက္မဲ့ ႏႈန္းက ၄% ပဲရိွတယ္လို ့ေျပာသြားတယ္ လို ့ သတင္းစာေတြက ေရးသားၾကပါတယ္၊ ၁၉၉၀ ခုႏွစ္က ေကာက္ထားခဲ့တဲ့ အလုပ္သမားအင္အားစစ္တမ္းကို အေျခခံျပီး တိုးႏႈန္းနဲ ့တြက္ခ်က္ ျပီး “ အလုပ္လက္ရိွ၊ အလုပ္လက္မဲ ့၊အလုပ္လက္ရိွႏႈန္း၊ အလုပ္လက္မဲ့ႏႈန္း၊ လုပ္သားအင္ အားပါ၀င္မႈႏႈန္းေတြကို ခန္ ့မွန္းတြက္ခ်က္ရျခင္းျဖစ္ပါတယ္” လို ့ဦးျမင့္သိန္း ကဆိုပါတယ္၊ ၄င္းခန္ ့မွန္းတြက္ခ်က္မႈ မ်ားအရ ၂၀၁၁ ခုႏွစ္ အလုပ္လက္မဲ့ ႏႈန္းမွာ ၄ ရာခိုင္ႏႈန္း ျဖစ္ပါေၾကာင္း လို ့သူကေျပာပါတယ္၊ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံက ၀န္ၾကီးေတြ ဒီေလာက္အထိ ျပည္သူေတြနဲ ့ထိေတြ ့မႈကင္းျပီး ေအာက္ေျခလြတ္ေန ၾကတာကို အမ်ားကစြပ္စြဲေျပာရင္ ယံုမွာမဟုတ္ေသာ္လည္း အခုက ဒု၀န္ၾကီးကိုယ္တိုင္ ကေျပာေတာ့ ေတာ္ေတာ္ကို စိတ္ကုန္ျပီးေဒါသထြက္မိပါတယ္။ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံက စက္မႈထြန္းကားတဲ့ႏိုင္ငံေတြထက္ အလုပ္လက္မဲ့ႏႈန္း ထက္၀က္ေလာက္နည္းေနတာ ကို အရွက္မရိွ ၾကြားလိုက္ပါေသးတယ္၊ တရုတ္ျပည္ေတာင္ ၆.၅%ရိွတယ္၊ ကူ၀ိတ္မွာ ကူ၀ိတ္လူမ်ဳိး က ၃.၆၁%၇ိွတယ္၊ ဘရူႏိုင္းကသူတို ့ရတဲ့စာရင္းထက္ပိုမယ္လို ့သူတို ့၀န္ၾကီးကိုယ္တိုင္ ၀န္ခံပါတယ္၊ ဒါေၾကာင့္ ၂၀၁၀တံုးက ၂.၂% ဆိုတာမွားေနတဲ့ ဂဏန္းသာျဖစ္ပါတယ္၊ တစ္ႏိုင္ငံနဲ ့တစ္ႏိုင္ငံ ႏိွင္းယွဥ္ရင္ ၂၀၁၁ ခု ခ်င္းႏိုင္းယွဥ္ေဖၚျပသင့္ပါတယ္၊ ဒီလိုမွ မဟုတ္ရင္ လိေမၼာ္သီးနဲ ့ပန္းသီး ယွဥ္ျပသလိုပါပဲ၊ လမ္းေဘးမွာ ေဆးလိပ္ေရာင္းတဲ့ ေကာင္ေလးေတြ လက္ဖက္ရည္ဆိုင္မွာ စာပြဲထိုး လုပ္တဲ့ ေကာင္ေလးေတြ၊ အႏိွပ္ခန္းကအႏိွပ္သည္ ေကာင္မေလးေတြ၊ ျပည့္တန္ဆာခန္းက ကိုယ္ေရာင္းတဲ့ မိန္းခေလးေတြ၊ ကာရာအိုေက ဘားက မိန္းခေလးေတြ၊ အိမ္မွာ ထမင္းခ်က္အ ၀တ္ေလွ်ာ္တဲ့ မိခင္ေတြ၊ အိမ္မွာ အိမ္အလုပ္၀ိုင္းလုပ္တဲ့ ခေလးေတြ၊ လက္ဖက္ရည္ဆိုင္မွာ လက္ေၾကာ တင္း ေအာင္အလုပ္မ လုပ္ခ်င္ပဲ ပြဲစားလိုလို ဖခင္ေတြ၊ လမ္းေဘးပလက္ေဖါင္းေပၚ ၀မ္းစာအတြက္ ေနပူမိုးရြာမေရွာင္ ရရာကိုေရာင္းေနတဲ့ ဆင္းရဲသားေတြ၊ ညဖက္ဆိုက္ကားကို ခိုးေၾကာင္ခိုး၀ွက္ နင္းေနတဲ့ ဆိုက္ကား ဆရာေတြကို အလုပ္လက္ရိွတဲ့ စာရင္းမွာထည့္ ထားလို ့လား၊ (Maybe he included as "employed" the little boys selling cigarettes by the roadside, the boys waiting tables, the girls in the massage parlors, the young women in the karaoke bars, the wife and mother who cooks and washes clothes at home, the broker-fathers in the cafes, the poor who sell whatever they can find, rain or shine on city pavements, the pedicab drivers who pedal their cyclos furiously and secretly at night.) ၁၉၉၀ ခုႏွစ္က ျဖစ္သလို ေကာက္ယူထားတဲ့ ေပါက္ကရ စစ္တမ္းကို အတည္ေပါက္ယူျပီး ၀န္ၾကီးနား က သံုးမရတဲ့ ပညာရွင္အေခ်ာင္သမားေတြ တြက္ေပးတဲ့ ကိန္းဂဏန္းကို ကိုယ္ပိုင္ ဆင္ျခင္မႈ ကင္းတဲ့ ဦးေႏွာက္နဲ ့အဟုတ္မွတ္ျပီး တိုင္းျပည္ရဲ့ လြတ္ေတာ္မွာ ေျပာရဲတာကေတာ့ ေတာ္ေတာ္ေလး အံ့ၾသမိပါတယ္။ လြတ္ေတာ္က ကိုယ္စားလွယ္ေတာ္ေတြကလည္း သူေျပာတာ ကို လက္ခံခဲ့ရင္ေတာ့ ေကာက္ခ်က္တစ္ခုပဲခ် စရာ ရိွပါတယ္၊ ျပည္သူေတြေရြးတင္လိုက္တာ အားလံုးအ ရူးေတြျဖစ္ေနတာအခုမွသိေတာ့တယ္။ ဦးျမင့္သိန္း တို ့ဘယ္လိုတြက္ခ်က္တယ္ဆိုတာ ကို အေမရိကန္သမၼတေတြ ေတာ္ေတာ္သိခ်င္မွာပါ၊ ျမန္မာျပည္မွာ အဲဒီလို အဓိပါယ္မရိွတဲ့ ကိန္းဂဏန္းေတြကို လူၾကီးၾကိဳက္ ထုတ္ျပန္ေနတဲ့ ေခတ္ကုန္ သြားျပီဆိုတာ ဒု၀န္ၾကီးမသိေလေရာ့လား၊ ဦးျမင့္သိန္း… ခင္ဗ်ားေတာ္ေတာ္ကို ျပည္သူလူထုနဲ ့ကင္းကြာေနတယ္၊ ခင္ဗ်ား တစ္ေယာက္ေၾကာင့္ ခင္ဗ်ားရဲ့ပါတီ နဲ ့ႏိုင္ငံရဲ့ လြတ္ေတာ္တစ္ခုလံုး ပုတ္ေစာ္နံကုန္တာမို ့ခင္ဗ်ား ႏႈတ္ထြက္သင့္ပါျပီ၊ တကယ္ပါ၊ ခင္ဗ်ားထြက္သင့္ပါတယ္၊ မထြက္ခင္ ခင္ဗ်ားကို ဒီလို မ်က္ႏွာပ်က္ေအာင္လုပ္တဲ ့ ခင္ဗ်ား နားက ပညာရွင္ေတြကို လည္း အလုပ္ထုတ္ ပါ၊ အဲဒီအတြက္ ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံရဲ့ ၂၀၁၂ ခု အလုပ္လက္မဲ့ ႏႈန္းက သိပ္ျပီးေျပာင္းလဲသြားဖို ့အေၾကာင္းမရိွပါဘူး၊ "Really, you should resign. Before you resign, please also fire the tech consultants and academics near you who cause you to lose face like this. That won't affect the unemployment rate of Burma for the year 2012 that much." zato ichi ( antidictator@gmail.com ) Partial informal poetic translation, kmk.

Tun Khin - Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK - "People are dying. They need help now."

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-persecution-of-the-rohingya-how-a-benighted-minority-in-burma-suffer-at-the-hands-of-despots-8259990.html

The world must act to protect Burma's Rohingya

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-world-must-act-to-protect-burmas-rohingya-from-starvation-and-slaughter-8262073.html

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's updated Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi

Kyi May Kaung - updated Arts cv - apologies for format run on - have not figured it out

KYI MAY KAUNG (Ph.D.) Curriculum Vitae blog -- http://kyimaykaung.blogspot.com Objective: Seeking writing/editing/research, advocacy or teaching position. Available for international conferences, seminars and private consultancy. Book doctoring, fiction and non-fiction. • Passionately interested in Burma and democracy/social justice, human rights, women’s and children’s issues. • Fifteen years of non-profit experience in the Washington, DC area. • Able to strategize and set up new organizations. • Able to speak and write persuasively so people listen. • Excellent oral and written presentations. Convincing, engaging and experienced public speaker. Fluent English and Burmese. Reading knowledge of French. Willing to learn Mandarin. • Extensive contacts in academia, politics and the arts. • Strengths: Very fast and efficient researcher – Lexus-Nexus etc. on line. • Fast and accurate boil down of important issues to easily understandable points. • Political Economy of Asia: Asean countries, India and China, Burma specialist. • Able to travel internationally up to 25% of the year. • Able to formulate strategy and analyze organizational structure and goals. • Able to formulate and carry out P.R. initiatives. EDUCATION Ph.D. City and Regional Planning and Political Science, University of Pennsylvania, May 1994. M.A. City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania, 1987. M.A. Economics, University of Rangoon, 1967. B.A. Honors, Economics, University of Rangoon, 1964. DISSERTATION "Modernization, Breakdown and Structural Configurations: Retrogression in Burma (1962-1992)." Chairman: Henry Teune, Political Science, University of Pennsylvania. Members: Josef Silverstein, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University. Donald E. Smith, Political Science, University of Pennsylvania. Seymour Mandelbaum, City Planning, University of Pennsylvania HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED BY: Patrick Barta of Wall Street Journal – Oct 2012, about Rangoon University before the 1962 coup. Michelle Chen of Asia Pacific Forum interviewed me about change in Burma, is it real. Dec 13th, 2011 http://www.asiapacificforum.org/show-detail.php?show_id=250 October 2011 Kyaw Aung Lwin of VOA interviewed me about poetry reading in front of Burmese embassy DC – 10,000 poets for change. Kyaw Aung Lwin, VOA on my participation in Poetry Walk of Shame. White Dove Women’s Journal, Chiangmai, Thailand, 2009 on 2010 election in Burma. September 2009, interviewed for video of my art show Mostly Burmese Monks, by VOA Burmese section. RFA Feb. 14, 2009 Kyaw Min Htun – Beacon Art Show in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi, panelist. Jan 1, 2008 RFA, “Burma’s Economic Prospects in 2008.” September 2007 Burmese Monks’ Crisis 1. BBC (World) HardTalk -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/7026645.stm 2. KALW San Francisco Radio – Your Call with Rose Aguiler http://yourcallradio.blogspot.com/ 3. CBC – with Suhana Meharchand in Toronto – Sept. 24th, 2007 – in which I correctly predicted that the clampdown would happen in the next 24 hours. October 4, 2007 – post-clampdown analysis – 4. Ask Hugh (Williamson) – radio out of Berkeley, CA. 5. CapeTown Voice – Jihad Omar – On Burmese Monks’ Saffron Revolution. 2001- 2007: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; National Public Radio; Voice of America Burmese Service and Talk to America; Pacifica Radio; Radio Free Asia; Asian Fortune (Ying Ju Lai); Dr. Michael Hurd Show; Montgomery County TV, Art Scene Channel 16 Lila Snow, Artist; Gazette Newspaper (Audrey Dutton); Silver Spring MD Impact Awards; Boulder Alternative Radio; Kalamazoo Gazette; Boulder Current; Wild River Review; Anil Mundra; Eliot Pfanstiehl. CITED IN: “We are on the rebound with Obama” by Mulindwa Edwards, Foreign Policy in Focus. Web accessed 4-109 http://www.mail-archive.com/ugandanet@kym.net/msg26224.html LATEST PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS Member, Round Table on Ethnic Conflict in Burma and “Change” Low Library, Columbia Univ. NY – A. K. Sen was the keynote speaker. I suggested and helped invite four round table participants. Himal Southasia – 2012, short story Black Belt. Dec 2011, special Burma issue, Himal Southasia, Potemkin Politics: Are Burmese reforms for real. http://himalmag.com/component/authors/articles/Kyi-May-Kaung.html Oct 24, 2011. Poetry reading in front of Burmese embassy DC on PeacexPeace. Oct 14, 2011 – on Asian Correspondent – http://asiancorrespondent.com/67276/zarganar-or-pincers-great-burmese-comic-among-few-released/ Mentioned in Sarah Browning’s article on Poetry Walk of Shame in Foreign Policy in Focus. http://www.fpif.org/articles/poets_stand_up Oct 12, 2011. Poem War Against Roaches in Foreign Policy in Focus. http://www.fpif.org/articles/war_on_roaches Sept 24, 2011. Featured poet – reading in front of Burmese embassy DC etc. Poetry Walk of Shame, sponsored by Institute of Policy Studies and Spilt This Rock. Interviewed by VOA etc. VOA interview broadcast to Burma. Sept. 9. 2011 Poem - War on Roaches, in Counterpunch http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/09/jared-carter-and-kyi-may-kaung/ Oct 28, 2010. How the Burmese junta tried to fool the world with sham elections. Payap University, Chiangmai, Thailand, co-presenter with Win Min. Oct 16, 2010, 7-10 PM, on SULU DC Asian American poets – the Dome at the Artisphere, Rosslyn, VA. September 2010, Open Salon, book reviews of JoAnne Growney, Red has no Reason, poetry collection, Mischa Berlinski’s novel Fieldwork, and William Dalrymple’s The last Mughul, history. Book reviews. Napalm Health Spa, Summer 2010. My poem Loss. https://www.poetspath.com/napalm/nhs10/index.html Praised by Native American poet Susan Deer Cloud. Book review of Win Tin, What’s That? A Human Hell, in Foreign Policy in Focus and Truthout, Eurasian Review etc. http://www.truth-out.org/a-review-u-win-tin-whats-that-a-human-hell-in-burmese58707 http://www.ips-dc.org/articles/review_whats_that_a_human_hell Summer 2009, short story No Crib for a Bed, in anthology of DC women writers, Gravity Dancers, edited by Richard Peabody – http://www.amazon.com/Gravity-Dancers-Fiction-Washington-Women/dp/0931181305 The Northern Virginia Review. March 26, 2009. Reception launch of Issue 23, which includes my short story, “53 Red Roses.” David Baldacci, guest speaker. National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma. A Plan for Demoracy and Development - “A Democratic Vision for Burma: How to turn Burma Around.” Dec. 08-March 30, 2009. Comments in Irrawaddy on line on “Burmese democracy movement has no vision” http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/opinion_story.php?art_id=15229 Art display – “Burmese Mugs” Portraits and “Memory Rolls.” American University Library/US Campaign for Burma, Washington DC, March 2009. Short Story – 53 Red Roses, in The Northern Virginia Review, #23, March 2009. http://www.nvcc.edu/depts/nvreview/nvr-latest.htm International Art Awareness Drive for Aung San Suu Kyi. Mirca/Beacon Art, panelist, Feb. 14, 2009. Interviewed by RFA. http://www.mizzima.com/news/world/1689-international-artists-launch-awareness-drive-for-aung-san-suu-kyi.html Institute of Policy Studies, Panelist – War, Memory and Representation in Art, Georgetown, Washington DC. Dec. 2008. http://www.ips-dc.org/events/1008 Foreign Policy in Focus – “War and Peace” article on Vietnamese artist Huong. FPIF, Book review of Joseph Stigltiz and Linda Bilmes’ The Three Trillion Dollar War. Counterpunch – poem “Burma at a Critical Juncture.” Dec. 12, 2008. http://www.counterpunch.org/poems12262008.html Panel discussions: Burma and India, 60 years after Independence. April 2, 2008 Prospects for Peace and Democracy in Burma, April 3, 2008 – NEIU, Chicago, 13th Annual Asian American Festival. “All about Cambodia” A literature survey type discussion on books about Cambodia. Dr. Kaung’s Bookshelf, March 28, 2008, Silver Spring, MD. Burma: Post Clampdown, What should be done? Presentation at Payap University, Chiangmai, Thailand, Feb. 25, 2008. Burma: Monks and Democracy, Jan. 24, 2008. Woman’s National Democratic Club, Washington DC. (Oral presentation) War and Peace, an epic mural – The art of Vietnamese arits Huong. http://www.art2all.net/tranh/huong/huong_peacemural.html Special three-part program on Economic Prospects for Burma, China and India in 2008. Jan 2008. Interviewed by Khin May Zaw of RFA. (This program was praised by economists inside Burma) Burma: Post Clampdown – What Should be Done? The American Prospect, on line. October 2007. Burma: Prospects for Social Activism, Oct. 17, 2007. American University, SIS Lounge. With Steven Hansch and Mike Haack. United States Senate Hearing of Oct. 2, 2007. New Mandala, a publication of Australian National University. Also on my blog – http://kyimaykaung.blogspot.com (Oral presentation – International Development Program Student Association, American University – Oct 19, 2007) In house policy briefs for VAHU Development Institute. How to Find out the Truth about Burma, paper on primary sources with respect to current crisis. New Mandala ( A Publication of Australian National University), Nov. 2007. October http://kyimaykaung.blogspot.com Foreign Policy in Focus, Monks vs The Military, Sept. 26, 2007, http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4582 Foreign Policy in Focus, Burma, Growing Darker Daily, 9-11-2007 – on current crisis in Burma. FPIF, “Out of Burma” (on Burmese literature) July 13, 2007. http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4374 NEIU – Chicago, In Honor of Aung San Suu Kyi, panelist, April 2007. http://www.afsc.org/ht/display/EventDetails/i/54289/pid/16705 Foreign Policy in Focus, Out of Burma- on dissident literature in Burma. Asian Fortune, Obit of U Kyaw Htun, Washington Times Editor. Asian Fortune, on Vineeta Gupta, Indian AIDS activist. Asian Fortune Newspaper. May 2007. Articles on Bob James’ Jazz and Angels of Shanghai, On Hla Ohn Mae, Burmese dissident. www.asianfortune.com Foreign Policy in Focus. Debate on Sanctions in Burma. Jan. 2007 Wild River Review Blog, Reflections on a Begging Bowl: Monks Demonstrate in Burma. Sept 26, 2007. Wild River Review – Burmese Migrant Workers and Shrimp Shelling and Tuna Canning in Mahachai, Thailand – March14, 2007. Also in Burma Economic Watch, on line. OpenDemocracy articles. 2006-2007 “Bank Crisis Reeks of a Ponzi Scheme, Feb. 2003, Irrawaddy on line. http://www.irrawaddy.org/opinion_story.php?art_id=342 The Irrawaddy (Burmese dissident magazine – read by members of Congress) Sept 2001 “Ms Ma Thanegi’s Rules of Good Political Etiquette” http://216.104.44.206/opinion_story.php?art_id=251&page=1 Launched Nov. 2, 2007 – Dr. Kaung’s Book Shelf – a series of book discussions – at Space 710, Silver Spring, MD. Currently on leave. Wild River Review- fiction – short story The Lovers http://www.wildriverreview.com/2/2-shortstories_lovers.html Co-founded – VAHU Development Institute, a think tank without walls, for Burma, 2005. Over the recent Burma crisis, VAHU analysts were interviewed a total of 120 times. We have trained 60 monks and 90 civilian non-profit workers in batches. Musica Viva poetry performance – writeup. Oct 23, 2005. http://www.dcmusicaviva.org/documents/alenier_102305.pdf Jan. 6th 2003, Chiangmai, Thailand, International Association for the Study of Forced Migration. Forced migration on the Burma-Thai border: Why they are here and the search for humane solutions. Sept. 2002. Gothenburg, Sweden. Burma Studies. Diplomacy: the Nature of Dialogue and Reconciliation. Coordinator with David Steinberg. Panelists, Dr Zarni, Zaw Oo, Dr. Chao Tzang Yawngwe, Aung Zaw of Irrawaddy (Steinberg did not allow him on panel), U Thet Tun (statistician and former diplomat, from inside Burma), Morton Pedersen. Theories, Paradigms or Models in Burma Studies, Asian Survey, 1995. Excerpt from my allegory, She-Monkey goes West, The Golden Time, in CrossConnect, 1995 http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/xconnect/volume1/issue2/word/fiction.html AWARDS AND HONORS April 2012, Northeastern Illinois University, Award for my contributions to Asian-American Festival, Chicago. Since 2009, contributing member, Free Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma website. Northeastern Illinois University, Distinguished Service Award, for Outstanding Dedication and Work promoting Peace and Democracy in Burma, April 3, 2008. IMPACTSilverSpring Award, won by Space 7-10 where my Dr. Kaung’s Salon is located. 2007 Short List – Earth Rights International PR position 2005 based in Chiangmai, Thailand. Best short story “Black Rice” and best art entry – Painting Mars Ranger – March 2007, The Northern Virginia Review. William Carlos Williams Award, Academy of American Poets, 1995. Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Award, for concept for play FLASHBACK (now titled Shaman.) Pew Finalist, 1996 and 1994, for play SHAMAN and allegory She-Monkey respectively. Fulbright Scholar, 1982-89. University of Pennsylvania. Polish-Burma Exchange Scholar, 1969-70. Central School of Economics and Statistics, Warsaw, Poland. First place winner. M.A. with distinction, first in class, Rangoon, 1967. B.A. first division, first place winner, 1964. VOLUNTEER POSITIONS Supporter – U.S. Campaign for Burma. Co-founder, founding board member – VAHU. A think tank without walls for Burma. Founder/facilitator/presenter: Dr. Kaung’s Salon and Dr. Kaung’s Bookshelf, 963 Bonifant St. Silver Spring, MD. Dr. Kaung’s Salon from Oct 2005-present – some selected topics: Pakistan and the Benazir Bhutto. Monologue as a hysterectomy victim. Book discussion -- Beasts of No Nation, by Uzodinma Iweala. Robin Hood Ballads by Dr. Stephen Winick, Discussion of Nobel prize winning writer Orhan Pamuk, James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces, book launches by artist Lila Snow, journalist Melissa Robinson, architect Werner Krebs on stage design, Eniko Basa on The 1956 Hungarian Revolution, dancers Martha Wittman and Elizabeth Johnson choreographing immigrant stories, Elizabeth Null folk sing, Christmas Carol Sing, Bijan C. Bayne and Tomiko Anders on “Who am I?” My wearable art show, dancer Gretchen Dunn performing placeDISplace, , Meena Nayak Endless Rain, book launch. Member, FBB – Friday Brunch Group – networking for writers with Nita Congress, August 2007- Co-founder, Member, Writing Group, WRITE ON, DC. August 2005 – Sept. 2006 Co-founder, Writing Group, The East-West Group, MD, April 2005 - Oct. 2005 Member, Washington Independent Writers, Travel Writers’ Group, 2006- Board member, Burma Refugee Project, (medical aid to refugees), Jan 2005- present Board Member, Burma Economic Watch, An Electronic Magazine, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. 2004 to present. Member, Technical Advisory Network, Burmese Government in Exile, 2000-present. Art Exhibitions: Flux - Foundry Gallery, Dupont Circle, DC, 2001 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/23599/henry-callahan-kyi-may-kaung Mostly Burmese Blotches, Space 7-10, Silver Spring, MD 2005 Yo Franz, Yo Jackson, abstract expressionist paintings, Suvarnabhuni Gallerr, Chiangmai, Thailand, 2006. http://www.goldentriangleart.com/2007/06/art-exhibitions.html Mostly Burmese Mugs, Space 7-10, Silver Spring, MD 2007. http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/032107/bethnew231523_32328.shtml Mostly Burmese Monks, Ubud, Bali, March 2008. Human Rights portraits, American University, 2008. Human Rights Portraits, Hotel Arthur, Helsinki, Finland, 2008. Abstracts, Payap University, Chiangmai, Thailand, 2008. Mostly Burmese Monks, Space 7-10, MD 2009 http://pinklineproject.com/event/167 Cut and Paste, Collages, Friendship Heights Village Center, 2009. Cut and Paste, Collages, Suiriya Gallery, Chiangmai, Thailand, 2008. WORK International Diplomat, Program Officer, December 2008- May 2009. Private Consultant – 2004- 2006- VAHU co-founder and Sr. Analyst. 2005- Consultant and Free Lance Writer. Professional artist. Senior Research Associate. The Burma Fund, Washington DC, Sept 2001-Dec 31, 2004 Senior Research Analyst. Radio Free Asia, Washington DC, May 1998-Sept 2001. International Radio Broadcaster, RFA Burmese Service, Washington DC, March 1997-April 1998. 1982-1994. Ph.D. candidate, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. 1978-1988. Assoc. Professor, Economics Department, University of Rangoon, Burma. RESEARCH INTERESTS/WORK IN PROGRESS The Rohingya Issue and Race in Burma. Burma, the sham elections of 2010. Burma – Transition to Democracy, A Strategic Action Plan, commissioned paper for The Burmese Democratic Government in Exile, Dec.1 2008 - June30, 2009. China, India, Thailand and Burma and ASEAN, USA. United States Political Economy Effects of Global Warming. Greater Mekong Region, environmental problems. Yangtze Dams. Dissertation to Book --- completed August 2004. Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Press, Copenhagen. Economic Transitions in Burma: Strategies and Scenarios. Book length project, co-authored with Zaw Oo, The Burma Fund, 2002. • About possible scenarios should there be democratic change and the World Bank and IMF enter Burma. I intensively studied Joseph Stiglitz’ points of criticism. Migration on Thai-Burma Border, Thai policies and SPDC Roadmap. SPDC Roadmap and Problems. 2004 – Second Wholesale Sell Off of Natural Resources in Burma. 2004 –2007 Sanctions vs. No Sanctions: United States’ Burma Policy. • Human rights, especially women's and children's rights. • Closed vs. open systems. • Command economies vs. open markets. • IMF and World Bank packages and shortcomings. • US policy and Burma, the Burmese democracy movement, • System change and democratic, market reforms in China and Russia etc. • Causes and effects of out-migration and search for humane solutions. • Burma and Asean, community of democracies. • Alternative models and their application to Burma. • Problems of transition in Burma, Vietnam, Russia, Poland. • Chinese Economic Reforms 1978-present, N and S Korea. • Exploring humane solutions to Thai-Burma refugee problem. Economic History. J.S. Furnivall and Economic Planning, the Plural Society in Burma during the U Nu (democratic) period in Burma 1948-62. Novel in Progress, about a Burmese dissident. Collection of Short Stories. Play development -- Shaman Painting – abstracts and iconic figures – 3 one woman shows in greater DC area since 2001, shows in Chiangmai, Thailand, July 2007 and Feb. 2008. SEMINARS/CONFERENCES, STRATEGIZING SESSIONS 2001 – Jan. 24, 2008. Strategizing meeting for Burma activism. Woman’s National Demcratic Club, D.C. Oct 19, 2007. Panelist. Burma- Post Clampdown, What is to be Done? American University, School of International Studies. April 27, 2007. Panelist on Education and Generational Change. Burma Youth Project, American University, Washington, DC. April 22, 2007 my arts and craft show at Mayorga Coffee Factory, sponsored by American University, International Rescue Committee. April 5, 2007, Northeastern Illinois University, Focus on Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi – On the keynote panel. Dec. 2006, Chiangmai University, Community Development Project. Read course attendees project paper proposals and chose winning team. November 2006, Refugee Conference – American University – one of invited speakers. October- Dec., 2006. Refugee art exhibit, one of invited painters. Helped plan the exhibition, Gateway Heliport Gallery, Silver Spring, MD. July 2006, E-W Center DC sponsored a closed door conference on Conflict Resolution in Burma in Bangkok. I was one of a dozen invited commentators/rapporteurs. July 2006, Burma Studies Group – Singapore. 2005- Co-founder, founding board member (with Zaw Oo) of VAHU which trains non-profit workers from Burma. October 2005, The Politics of Voices, House of World Culture, Berlin. Invited with 5 other S.E. Asian writers “who dare to confront.” October 2004. Panel on Burma, “The Latest Purge in Burma,” Burma Studies Center, DeKalb IL. Keynote Panelist. September 2004, Bank Information Center, Open Society Institute. Washington DC • Helped plan seminar on World Bank and IMF, Lessons from Bosnia, suggested Joseph Stiglitz be invited, worked on my mentor Ronald Findlay of Columbia University Economics department being there to introduce Stiglitz, liaised with and introduced three economists from Burma. OSI funding. March 2004. Closed door strategizing session on Burma, SAIS Johns Hopkins, Washington DC. March 2004, The Burma Fund, Young Scholars Forum at American University, Washington DC. Paper proposals of Burma scholars in USA and discussions on research methodology August-September 2003, Research on G.H. Luce and Furnivall Archives. July 2003, helped formulate interview questions for Migrant Workers Survey on Thai-Burma Border (collaborative project with Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Jan 2003 International Association for Study of Forced Migration, paper on Burmese refugees, Thailand and SPDC “roadmap.” March 2002 Technical Advisory Network, NCGUB, Bangkok, Thailand. Role of Advisors of Burmese Government in Exile. Nov. 2002. SAIS, Johns Hopkins, Washington DC. Participant. Strategizing for Burmese democracy movement in exile. Sept, 2002. Burma Studies Conference, Gottenberg, Sweden, co-chaired panel on Diplomacy and Dialog in Burma. Jan 2003, Conference on Forced Migration and Burma, Chiengmai, Thailand. July 2003, Canberra, Australia, Australian National University, Peer Reviewed book on Economic Transitions in Burma. Peers from Burmese Democratic Government in Exile, July 2003, Sydney, Australia, Australia Burmese Students Conference. March 2003, Globalization and Human Trafficking, Denver CO. Aug. 2002, International IDEA Stockholm, Democratic Capacity Building for Burma. August 2002, Asean People's Assembly, “Globalisation and ASEAN,” Bali, Indonesia. April 2001 Conference on World Affairs, Boulder CO. “World without Borders.” References:

Specialpost--Ellen Bernstein--expose of World Bank Rohingya project--

https://www.irrawaddy.com/culture/books/hellfire-and-damnation-in-myanmar-ex-world-bank-country-head-recounts-rohingya-catastrophe-response....