I am thanked in Mary Callahan's paper on "state in Burma"

http://faculty.washington.edu/mpc/Winter%202010/PS31Callahanpublication.pdf Frankly, I don't see why scholars, such as Robert Taylor and Mary Callahan, perceived as leaning towards the Burma junta, are so obsessed about "state-building in Burma." Robert Taylor's first book took the incomprehensible view that the bigger the state the better. At least Callahan is somewhat more nuanced. I don't know why she thanked me, as I had a rather nasty run-in with her in Singapore in 2006, when her close colleague Khin Zaw Win quoted Shakespeare? "but that I loved my country more," and I got so pissed I quoted a popular song, "What's love got to do with it," back at them. "State" is an invented concept as are "nation" and "country"--Genghis Khan may have invented the first state or nation, by uniting the grassland tribes. Before there were just tribes and city states. After the run-in at the conference table, I hurried to lunch and the rest room, and as I hurried past their table, Mary C. who was sitting near Steinberg, called out to me, "Kyi May, Kyi May, do you think I said this because I am white?" What?? I thought she said that because she wants to be on the right side of the junta. Anyway, it has nothing to do with "love" and love is lost anyway. I once spoke to Norma Bixler, who started the "Burma is as big as Texas" cliche, at her home in Columbus OH. I said, "The Burmese don't seem to bear any resentment towards the Japanese," and Norma, even then starting to suffer from maccular degeneration of her eyes, and a few years later to be diagnosed with dementia, said at once, "Of course they do." She may have been right. Burmese just smile and pretend. (During my short visit, Paul told me what Norma was going through when he fetched me from the airport. Norma had a cat named Ko Ko (elder brother) and she called out to him every evening. At dinner, she wore first her white linen shift from Mexico, and the next day her black linen shift, which I thought was just the height of elegance. I was so scared as she mentioned my visit in her Columbus Newsletter. She mentioned my mother in her book. She made a fat slab of steak, which she unwrapped and put straight into the oven, no washing, no marinading. I had never seen anyone "cook" like that before.) Anyway, I have no idea why Mary C thanked me with all the other "greats"--but I do think that was nice of her, though it won't make any difference to what I think. But in the past she did tell me something very useful--she told me while she was on a research trip to the ancient city of Bagan, the army came in some trucks and closed off the area, and a few hours later soldiers came out carrying life-size statues wrapped in gunny bags. So the next ancient Buddha you see overseas-- kmk 6-1-2018 Kyi May Kaung Words Sounds and Images