Burma, America, The World, Art, Literature, Political Economy through the eyes of a Permanent Exile.
"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the oppressed. Sometimes we must interfere. . . There is so much injustice and suffering crying out for our attention . . . writers and poets, prisoners in so many lands governed by the left and by the right." Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Speech, 1986, Oslo.
This entire site copyright Kyi May Kaung unless indicated otherwise.
But I think I increased too much first 5 rows and then did not increase, anyway, a whole lot of stitches to hold, but not too bad with circular needles.
However, the needles and thread are too small and too laborious for me, but I will keep at it, at least for this one project in ombre yarn.
However, for years in their adulthood, Nickolai and
Amaktoolik lived on the streets of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.
Both lived with chronic alcoholism.
Carl, a 28-year-old who has been homeless for most of his
life, holds a sign on a corner in Anchorage, when the temperature
remained in the single digits. Photograph: Ash Adams for the Guardian
Alaska has some of the highest per capita rates of
homelessness and alcoholism in America. From October to April, when
temperatures can fall below freezing in this city of 300,000, bodies
turn up outside with grim predictability; they are found in cars,
hunched for warmth near transformer boxes, or in makeshift camps in the
city’s many wooded parks.
Bodies also appear in the spring, as the snow recedes, often
surrounded by plastic bottles once filled with alcohol or mouthwash.
The most at-risk are those who have poorly treated physical or mental
illnesses and years of alcoholism. The dead are disproportionately
Alaska Natives, police and homelessness advocates say, who make up 20%
of the general population but constitute half of the clients in
shelters.
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There
are about 3,000 to 4,000 people without permanent housing in Anchorage,
though many of those are living in shelters or couch surfing. At the
last count in August, about 450 people were living in emergency shelters
and in outside camps.
Each winter, the city scrambles to find enough shelter beds
to prevent deaths from exposure. Almost always, the demand is greater
than the supply. At times during November, Brother Francis, the city’s
largest shelter, turned away 50 people a night, said Lisa Caldeira, its
program director.
The city was able to open more than 100 extra beds in early December, but Brother Francis is still turning people away. “It’s not enough,” Caldeira said.
Kim Kovol, deputy director of the city’s largest soup
kitchen, Bean’s Cafe, said her staff walk the streets every morning this
time of year in search of people who need help. “Our staff go out and
wake everybody,” she said. “All you do is pray they are not dead.”
When someone begins drinking in the cold, they may have a
false sense of warmth. Continued drinking slows circulation in the
extremities, doctors say, which can lead to frostbite. It also causes
dehydration, exacerbating the symptoms of hypothermia, including poor
reasoning and drowsiness.
“People pass out,” Kovol said. “They pass out on the street, in the sidewalk, in parking lots.”
Nancy Burke, housing and homeless coordinator for Anchorage,
said the drug of choice in the city is alcohol. The rate of alcohol
abuse among Alaska Natives is consistently the highest among all ethnic
groups, mirroring that of American Indians in the lower 48 states,
according to federal statistics.
That is, I’d argue, the way to think about the coming Trump shock.
You can’t really turn the clock back a quarter-century; but even trying
can produce exactly the kind of rapid, disruptive shifts in production
that fed blue-collar anger going into this election.
What the coming trade war will do, however, is cause a lot of
disruption. Today’s world economy is built around “value chains” that
spread across borders: your car or your smartphone contain components
manufactured in many countries, then assembled or modified in many more.
A trade war would force a drastic shortening of those chains, and quite
a few U.S. manufacturing operations would end up being big losers, just
as happened when global trade surged in the past.
. . .
Recent empirical research seems to tell us that such damages are more persistent than we had thought:
China’s emergence as a great economic power has induced an epochal
shift in patterns of world trade. Simultaneously, it has challenged much
of the received empirical wisdom about how labor markets adjust to
trade shocks. Alongside the heralded consumer benefits of expanded trade
are substantial adjustment costs and distributional consequences. These
impacts are most visible in the local labor markets in which the
industries exposed to foreign competition are concentrated. Adjustment
in local labor markets is remarkably slow, with wages and labor-force
participation rates remaining depressed and unemployment rates remaining
elevated for at least a full decade after the China trade shock
commences. Exposed workers experience greater job churning and reduced
lifetime income. At the national level, employment has fallen in U.S.
industries more exposed to import competition, as expected, but
offsetting employment gains in other industries have yet to materialize.
Better understanding when and where trade is costly, and how and why it
may be beneficial, are key items on the research agenda for trade and
labor economists.
Shuja was appointed by Shah Jahan as the Subahdar of Bengal and Bihar from 1641 and of Orissa from 25 July 1648 until 1661.[1][3] During his governorship, he built the official residence Bara Katra in the capital Dhaka.[4]
After the illness of Shah Jahan in September 1657, a power crisis
occurred among the brothers. Shah Shuja proclaimed himself as Emperor,
but Aurangzeb ascended the throne of Dheli and sent Mir Jumla to subjugate Shuja.[5] Shuja was defeated in the Battle of Khajwa on 5 January 1659.[1] He retreated first to Tandah and then to Dhaka on 12 April 1660.[1] He left Dhaka on 6 May and boarded ships near present-day Bhulua on 12 May heading Arakan.[1] Mir Jumla reached Dhaka on 9 May 1660 and was then appointed by Aurangzeb as the next Subahdar of Bengal.[5]
Armored elite War elephant from the battalion of Shah Shuja.
The Mughal armies of Aurangzeb and Shah Shuja confront each other.
When Shah Jahan fell ill, a struggle for the throne started between his four sons - Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh. Shuja immediately crowned himself the emperor and took imperial titles, November 1657.
He marched with a large army, backed by a good number of war-boats in the river Ganges. However, he was beaten by Dara's army in a hotly contested Battle of Bahadurpur near Banares (in modern Uttar Pradesh, India). Shuja turned back to Rajmahal
to make further preparations. He signed a treaty with his elder brother
Dara, which left him in control of Bengal, Orissa and a large part of
Bihar, 17 May 1658.
In the meantime, Aurangzeb
defeated Dara twice (at Dharmat and Samugarh), caught him, executed him
on a charge of heresy and ascended the throne. Shuja marched again to
the capital, this time against Aurangzeb. A battle took place on 5
January 1659 at the Battle of Khajwa (Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India) where Shuja was defeated.[6]
After his defeat, Shuja retreated towards Bengal. He was pursued by the imperial army under Mir Jumla.
Shuja put up a good fight against them. However, he was finally
defeated in the last battle in April 1660. After each defeat he had to
face desertions in his own army, but he did not lose heart. He, rather,
reorganised the army with renewed vigor. But when he was going to be
surrounded at Tandah, and when he found that reorganisation of the army
was no longer possible, he decided to leave Bengal for good and take
shelter in Arakan.
died at age 90, reigned 50 years, so you can imagine how the people suffered.
This website is invaluable, as it gives Timur's, Babur's, Humuyan's and Jahangir and Shah Jahan's memoirs too, all translated from the original chronicles
My scouts now brought me information that Mallu Khan with four thousand horsemen in armour, five
thousand infantry, and twenty-seven fierce war elephants, fully accoutred, had come out of the gardens of the city and
had drawn up in battle array. I left Sayyid Khwaja and Mubashar Bahadur with three hundred Turkish horsemen on gray
horses in the Jahan-numa and withdrew toward my camp. Mallu Khan advanced boldly toward Jahan-numa, and Sayyid Khwaja
and Mubashar went forth to meet him. A conflict ensued, in which my men fought valiantly; and as soon as I heard of the
action, I sent Sunjak Bahadur and Amir Allah-dad with two regiments to their support. At the earliest practicable
moment, they assailed the enemy with arrows and then charged them. At
the second and third onslaught the enemy was defeated and fled toward Delhi in disorder, while many
fell under the swords and arrows of my men. When the men fled, an extraordinary incident occurred, in that one of the
great war elephants fell down and died. When I heard of it, I declared it to be a good omen. My victorious troops
pursued the enemy to the vicinity of the city and then returned to present themselves at my tent, where I congratulated
them on their victory and praised their conduct. On the next day, Friday, the* third of the month (Dec. 13), I left the
fort of Loni and marched to a position opposite to Jahan-numa, where I encamped.
I now held a court, issuing a summons to the princes, amirs, and minor officers, all of whom came
to my tent. Each of my soldiers was a brave veteran, and had used his sword manfully under my own eyes, but there were
none that had seen so many conflicts and battles as I had beheld, and no one of the amirs or heroes of the army that
could compare with me in the amount of fighting I had gone through and the experience I had gained. I therefore gave
them instructions as to the mode of carrying on war; on making and meeting attacks; on arraying their men; on giving
support to each other; and on all the precautions to be observed in warring with an enemy. I ordered the amirs of the
right wing, the left wing, the van, and the centre to take their proper positions, and cautioned them not to be too
forward or too backward, but to act with the utmost prudence and caution in
their operations. When I had finished, the amirs and others testified their approbation, and,
carefully treasuring up my counsel, they departed, expressing their blessings and thanks.
At this court Amir Jahan Shah, Amir Sulaiman Shah, and other amirs of experience informed me that,
from the time of entering Hindustan up to the present we had taken more than one hundred thousand infidels and Hindus
prisoners, and that they were all in my camp. On the previous day, when the enemy’s forces attacked us, the
prisoners made signs of rejoicing, uttered imprecations against us, and were ready, as soon as they heard of the
enemy’s success, to form themselves into a body, break their bonds, plunder our tents, and then to join the enemy,
and so increase his numbers and strength. I asked the amirs for advice about the prisoners, and they said that on the
day of battle these one hundred thousand prisoners could not be left with the baggage, and that it would be entirely
opposed to the rules of war to set these idolaters and foes of Islam at liberty, so that no course remained but to make
them all food for the sword.
When I heard these words, I found them to be in accordance with the rules of war, and I immediately
directed the commanders to proclaim throughout the camp that every man who had infidel prisoners was to put them to
death, and that whoever neglected to do so, should himself be executed and his property given to the informer. When this
order became known to the champions of Islam, they drew their swords and put their prisoners to death. One hundred
thousand infidels, impious idolaters, were slain on that day. Maulana Nasir-ad-din Omar, a counsellor and man of
learning, who had never killed a sparrow in all his life, now, in execution of my order, killed fifteen idolatrous
Hindus, who were his captives.
After all the vile idolaters had been despatched, I gave orders that one man out of every ten
should be told off to guard the property, cattle, and horses which had been captured in the invasion, while all the
other soldiers were to march with me. At the time of midday prayer the signal was given for the march, and I proceeded
to the spot selected for crossing the Jumna, and there encamped. The astrologers who accompanied the army consulted
their books and almanacs as to the time propitious for battle, and they represented that the aspects of the stars made a
short delay advisable. In all matters, small and great, I placed my reliance on the favour and kindness of God, and I
knew that victory and conquest, defeat and flight,
Q3:Do you see parallels between the situations in the DPRK (N Korea) and Myanmar? (Burma)
OQ:Myanmar has been ruled by a military
regime for 40 years. During my mandate, starting in 2008 and ending in 2014,
throughout those years I could establish that there was at that time a pattern
of gross and systematic human rights abuses that entailed crimes against
humanity in Myanmar. Therefore, we can draw a parallel between Myanmar and the DPRK
since the latest reports, especially those coming from the Commission of
Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK (COI), also showed patterns of human rights
abuses in DPRK which were considered by the COI as crimes against humanity.
Let me speak
about another parallel: the fact that Myanmar was for many years also an
isolated country, isolated from the international community where human rights
rapporteurs were unable to visit the country. For a combination of factors,
this changed. I had a chance then to visit Myanmar many times; I visited at
least nine times. I traveled all over the country. I visited political
prisoners, and at the same time, I had the opportunity to meet with the
authorities, which is always very relevant when addressing a human rights
situation.
In fact, the
ideal of cooperation is central for Special Rapporteurs. Now this seems to be a
very critical difference between Myanmar and DPRK, since the authorities of
North Korea throughout the years haven’t shown a willingness to cooperate with
UN rapporteurs. This, of course, will be a challenge. You may know that when
the Human Rights Council of the United Nations appoints Special Rapporteurs, they
ask them not only to report to it, but to do this through the principle of cooperation,
which is a very important principle in the UN Charter. This has been a critical
difficulty in respect to the DPRK. This is a clear difference between Myanmar
and DPRK, since Myanmar nowadays has opened to the international community and
has even changed from a military regime to a civilian government.
Q4:How are you planning to approach the particular challenges of the DPRK
mandate?
OQ:The very first element that a Special
Rapporteur has to show to the concerned parties, in this case the authorities
of the DPRK, is independence and impartiality. Of course, my predecessors and
members of the COI have been holding this important attitude. But I’m a new Rapporteur,
so the first step is to show independence and impartiality in respect to the
situation.
And then
there is a question of strategy to try to engage those stakeholders who can somehow
influence the DPRK authorities to reconsider their policy towards UN human
rights mechanisms including the Rapporteurs, to influence them to start
cooperating as it might be to their benefit because cooperation means a
willingness to offer assistance, to offer help, in addressing human rights
problems. This is something that is difficult. Don’t forget that rapporteurs
have mandates from the Human Rights Council for six years, so it is a necessity
to think in not only the short term but also the long term for strategy. Bearing
in mind the importance of cooperation, it’s my main task to provide a voice to
those who suffer human rights abuses on the ground.
Apr 2, 2014 - ... on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana[*] ... From 14 to 19 February 2014, the Special Rapporteur conducted his ninth ..... in Kachin State, the Special Rapporteur witnessed the physical destruction the .... continue to be harassed and threatened by those groups, with some ...
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Tomás Ojea Quintana. ... 7 April 2014 – An independent United Nations expert today sounded the ... the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Anand Grover.
Posts Tagged 'Tomas Ojea Quintana' (81 found) ... 28 July 2014 Eskinder Debebe UN Photo ... serious questions about commitment to human rights reforms in the country and threaten ongoing efforts to negotiate a nationwide ceasefire […].
Aug 1, 2016 - Meet Tomás Ojea Quintana, the UN's New Special Rapporteur on North ... From 2008 to 2014, I was the Special Rapporteur on the situation of ...
General 1 April 2014 Original: English A/HRC/25/64 Human Rights Council Twenty-fifth ... of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana* Summary In the present ..... the Special Rapporteur witnessed the physical destruction the fighting had .... threatened by those groups, with some forced to terminate their operations.
Nov 11, 2014 - Several women human rights defenders received threatening online messages and phone ... would finalize the drafting of these laws by October 2014. ... [6] In fact, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human ... said “Women are portrayed as mentally and physically inferior to the men…
This “international” provision does not imply that conflicts must threaten to spill over .... imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, rape, ... rights situation in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana, concluded in 2014 “that the ...
Apr 16, 2015 - The Framework was published in October 2014 to serve as “a working ... This protracted culture of abuse threatens Myanmar's political ..... then-UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Tomás Ojea Quintana reported on ..... and affect the economic and physical security of neighboring countries.
Feb 20, 2014 - During his last mission to Myanmar, Mr. Ojea Quintana visited the capital ... By Tomás Ojea Quintana, 19 February 2014, Yangon International Airport, Myanmar .... that had compromised the physical integrity or property of the villagers. ... being increasingly threatened and prevented from doing their work.
Meanwhile, UN's human rights envoy for Myanmar Tomas Ojea Quintana was visiting Rakhine state, where violence killed one .... Sectarian tension in Myanmar threatens aid workers .... sometimes physical attacks, including rape and torture.
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I am a great fan of this garden, which I have seen replicated many times--especially at Marjorie Meriweather Post's Hillwood, but none have the mountains of Afghanistan for a backdrop.
The Jehangir who died, son of Timur, is evidently a predecessor.
(Dara Shiko)--who was heir to Shan Jahan, but was killed by his brother, Aurangzeb.
Of course, this was where I was getting to, but I have spent about 3-4 years reading about Genghiz and his sons and grandsons
and now started reading about Timur, who led the Mongols (later called Moghuls) into India.
BTW--30 years ago, a friend from Bombay (Mumbai), a Parsi, first told me that "Mongols are the same as Moghuls"--only a little more evolved.
I find it all fascinating, and I believe it is a good thing to study and write about other things or places that Burma--which gets so disgusting, Burma Burma Burma
same as what we read about in news daily.
All from Internet--reconstruction based on exhumed skull of Timur.
Timurid Empire at time of his death.
Timur defeats Ottoman Sultan
Timur feasting in the Green City of Samarkand.
The world is just as savage now as in the 12th to 17th century--
only with different (I won't say "better") certainly more dangerous technology, as the cyber wars are showing.
Bara Katra
An etching of Bara Katra by Sir Charles D'Oyly in 1823
Hillwood--photo by K M Kaung.
All from Internet--reconstruction based on exhumed skull of Timur.
Timurid Empire at time of his death.
Timur defeats Ottoman Sultan
Timur feasting in the Green City of Samarkand.
Note: If you know nothing about economics, pl do not depend on hearsay. Pl take ecos. 101 or read or educate yourself. There are lots of ...