Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Top US General has been warning Trump about attacking Iran--
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine has been advising President Trump and top officials that a military campaign against Iran could carry significant risks, in particular the possibility of becoming entangled in a prolonged conflict, according to two sources with knowledge of those internal discussions.
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/23/iran-strike-trump-gen-dan-caine-vance-rubio?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Monday, February 23, 2026
Trump appointed judge permanently blocks Jack Smith Report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday permanently barred the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith on his investigation into President Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents, a prosecution that was once seen as the most perilous of the four criminal cases the Republican faced.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-jack-smith-3a86d9c12f18b4dfe648e539925d72a2?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, granted a request from the president to keep under wraps the report on an investigation alleging that Trump stored sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House following his first term and that he obstructed government efforts to get them back.
Smith and his team produced a two-volume report on the classified documents investigation and a separate probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Both investigations produced indictments that were abandoned by Smith’s team after Trump’s November 2024 election win in light of longstanding Justice Department legal opinions that say sitting presidents cannot face federal prosecution.
FDA website removed warning against ineffective autism "treatments"--Make America Sick Again.
https://undark.org/2026/02/23/fda-autism-treatment-warnings/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
FDA Removes Webpage Warning Against Ineffective Autism Treatments
HHS states it was cleaning up “dated content.” But advocates for people with autism say the warnings are still needed.
Visual: iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Megan O’Matz, ProPublica
Meanwhile--also from Slate--incld VIDEO--FBI dr, Kash Patel partying in Milan on taxpayer money--
Five-ring Circus
MAGOlympics
Kash Patel, Donald Trump, and the gold-winning U.S. men’s hockey team just showed us, again, exactly who they are.
By Alex Kirshner
https://slate.com/culture/2026/02/kash-patel-trump-maga-us-mens-hockey-team.html?pay=1771889976619&support_journalism=please
Sad--Nancy Guthrie home--what is FBI doing?--From Slate--17 days still unsolved.
The details of the case are sensationally macabre and rich with intrigue. I was not surprised to learn that several of my friends are in Guthrie-themed group chats; they’ve pelted me with their postulations all week long. Most crucially, the stalling momentum of the criminal probe has become its own kind of content engine, stimulating a growing belief that crucial puzzle pieces have yet to be properly interrogated, perhaps due to bumbling detective work.
https://slate.com/business/2026/02/nancy-guthrie-update-news-savannah-mom.html?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Copied and pasted from Reuters--Lewandowski entered cockpit during planes ascent--bf firing the pilot over Noem's missing blanket--
Lewandowski, a long-time ally of President Donald Trump, was traveling with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when they discovered her blanket was missing, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal government operations.
The new details about the pilot incident suggest Lewandowski may have violated the safety guidelines set out by the U.S. Coast Guard, which operated the plane.
Lewandowski entered the cockpit before the plane had reached 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and while the seatbelt sign remained on, one of the people said.
>Federal Aviation Administration rules, several of which were tightened after 9/11, strictly limit cockpit access and prohibit interfering with aircraft crew duties. An FAA regulation also prohibits airline pilots and staff from engaging in non-essential activities or conversations in the cockpit while operating under 10,000 feet, and civil aircraft operators that violate that rule could face thousands of dollars in fines while pilots could face fines or termination. The U.S. Coast Guard is not legally bound by the FAA's regulation, known as the "sterile cockpit rule," but has a similar policy, spelled out in a 2021 operations manual: "No person shall engage in any conversation or activity that could distract or interfere with a flight crewmember properly conducting their assigned duties during critical phases of flight." The manual does not provide a specific penalty for violating the rule, but states that rule violations generally will be handled through internal disciplinary processes. In response to a Reuters request for comment, Lewandowski said in a text message: "There was never a conversation in the cockpit when the flight was taking off." Lewandowski said the facts as related by the sources were wrong but he did not respond whether he entered the cockpit while the plane was climbing and still under 10,000 feet. Aviation safety experts consider the initial ascent among the riskiest parts of any flight. Randy Klatt, a flight safety officer with The Foundation for Aviation Safety, said planes are "low and slow" during the initial climb to 10,000 feet, making it important for pilots to focus on flight operations. "This is a vulnerable situation for any aircraft," Klatt said. "You don't have the altitude to spare, or trade for airspeed if needed." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, which falls under DHS, declined to comment on the flight in question. They did not respond to a Reuters request to interview the pilots. The FAA did not respond to a request for comment. Noem, a top official overseeing Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown, has come under intense scrutiny after federal immigration agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month on infighting and tensions at DHS under Noem and Lewandowski, including the firing of the pilot. PILOT FIRED, THEN REINSTATED In response to a request for comment about Lewandowski entering the cockpit and about tensions at DHS, the White House referred to remarks in late January by Trump praising Noem and remarks by press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Trump had the "utmost confidence and trust" in her. Lewandowski, a "special government employee" who by law is allowed to work up to 130 days annually, is a senior Noem adviser and has traveled on high-profile trips with her. The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House Counsel's Office opened an investigation into Lewandowski's use of the quasi-government role last year. The DHS spokesperson said that Lewandowski volunteers his time and that the department was not aware of any such investigation. Lewandowski did not comment when asked by Reuters about his employment status. During the flight last spring, which was on a Gulfstream jet, the pilots in the cockpit asked Lewandowski to return to the cabin until they had reached cruising altitude, one of the people familiar with the incident said. When the pilot walked back into the cabin later in the flight, the two sources said, Lewandowski asked who should be fired because Noem's blanket had been left behind when they switched planes for technical reasons before take-off. The pilot, an accomplished flyer with a long record of service, took responsibility for any possible mistake and Lewandowski fired him on the spot, the sources said, confirming the Wall Street Journal report. However, once Noem and Lewandowski reached their destination, Coast Guard leadership realized the pilot would be needed to fly them back to the Washington region and he was reinstated by the agency, the sources said. DHS and the Coast Guard declined to comment on the pilot's firing and reinstatement. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the reason for the reinstatement. (Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington and Erin Banco in New York; Additional reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Craig Timberg and Edmund Klamann)
Dow drops as Trump raises tariffs again!!!!
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/22/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
Maybe bitcoin has dropped further too.
Man shot and killed trying to enter Mar a Lago--
https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-president-trump-af8b23c318e2d7709d7b4a0105f8f516?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Secret Service among those working without paycheck due togovt shutdown due to ICE budget of billions.
Sunday, February 22, 2026
From Lewandowski wiki--copied and pasted--
In September 2021, Lewandowski was removed from his role as chairman of a super PAC called Make America Great Again Action after reports of sexual harassment accusations from a donor.[108][109]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Lewandowski
That same month, conservative media outlet American Greatness reported that Lewandowski was having an extramarital affair with South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, for whom he had long been a political advisor.[110][111] Noem called the report a "disgusting lie", saying, "these old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help."[112][113][114] In September 2023, the New York Post and the Daily Mail published similar reports about Noem and Lewandowski, which Noem's spokesman denied.[115][116] As of September 2025, according to New York Magazine, they were widely understood by those who work with them to be romantically attached, although both deny it.[8] In February 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported that sources "said they do little to hide their relationship inside the department," that Lewandowski "spends time" at Noem's government housing, and that the "pair" have been traveling in a leased luxury jet "with a private cabin in the back".[106]
Coast Guard sounds alarm on Kristi Noem.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard has become increasingly strained throughout her first year leading the department, according to two U.S. officials, a Coast Guard official and a former Coast Guard official.
Early in her tenure, Noem made decisions that rankled Coast Guard officials, including shifting resources away from a search-and-rescue mission to find a missing service member and putting them toward deporting migrants, the sources told NBC News.
Saturday, February 21, 2026
A friend sent around a video of "HK NewYear 2026" which was clearly an AI simulation--animation--
not a video recording of a real event.
How I caught on: The audience in the foreground was too uniform--not real. For instance, one was "people" all pointing in one direction.
Another had a paper cutout sihouette of "people."
SILHOUETTE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined.
Also it went on too long and was too complex to be real.
It's no different from the still AI images anyone can generate say on Substack--to illustrate an article.
Trump uses AI on portraits of himself and to lampoon his enemies (Obamas)
They are Fiction--not reality. These just move.
Don'tbe fooled.
Grandma's Depression era recipes and tips--
https://www.allrecipes.com/grandma-kitchen-tricks-11905943?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
You can tenderize meat with fresh papaya skins.
From the Guardian--Don't go to the USA--copied and pasted--
So why did ICE detain her, and keep her locked up for so long? A possible answer began to emerge over the weeks she was incarcerated. As Karen got to know the guards at the Northwest ICE Processing Center where she was held, she kept hearing the same thing from them: that ICE officers are paid a bonus every time they detain someone. “Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain – the guards told me that,” Karen says.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/21/karen-newton-valid-visa-detained-ice?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
It’s no secret that the Trump administration has been pouring money into ICE. Its annual budget – $6bn a decade ago – is now $85bn; ICE is now the highest -funded law enforcement agency in the US. Since last August, new recruits can expect to receive a signing-on bonus of up to $50,000. Karen’s experience has left her convinced that ICE agents are being given even more incentives – to arrest and detain anyone they possibly can, even blameless tourists who have all the paperwork they need to be in the US.
From Axios--Supreme Court decision on Trump Tariffs--what it means--copied and pasted.
State of play: The overturned IEEPA tariffs mean that billions of dollars are now in limbo across America, according to economic research firm Trade Partnership Worldwide, based on trade from February to December 2025.
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-states-refunds?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
That impact was largest for some of the biggest states, with California leading the way with $26 billion paid in IEEPA tariffs. It was followed by Texas ($11.4 billion), Georgia ($7.1 billion), Illinois ($6.7 billion) and New York ($6.7 billion).
How it works: The group uses data from the Census Bureau and the U.S. International Trade Commission to determine the tariffs that should be paid and then estimates excess tariff payments by using state-level census import data to assign them by product, country and month paid.
It says their estimated totals are likely conservative because it assumed any product subject to both IEEPA and another tariff authority, like section 202, fell under the latter. It also doesn't account for any IEEPA tariffs paid so far in 2026.
Friday, February 20, 2026
Art project that failed so far--I don't like plasticine due to oily smell--this air drying clay cracked.
I'm at another crossroads in life--making a new Village--
Supreme Court strikes down T's reciprocal tariffs--I look forward to getting Chinese sausages and bamboo shoots at Biden era prices--
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-strikes-trumps-tariffs-major-blow-president-rcna244827?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
He looked very defeated on AF 1, standing far from the reporters and lying that he was "exonerated" from the Epstein Files.
Another source says he was mentioned 1 m times.
There are still unreleased files.
This report above says businesses who lost money from the tariffs have already sued Treasury for compensation.
2-20-2026
Everything has become subscription only--one way to get independent news is to join
Substack--some articles will be subscription only, some free. You can also go on LinkedIn. X or Bluesky--I suggest Bluesky.
Everyone has to do this out of economic necessity.
So I will post less here.
Or you can just read the headlines.
Thursday, February 19, 2026
King Charles' brother Andrew Mountbatten--
Epstein was initially sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in 2008 after pleading guilty to state charges—one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. He was in custody once more awaiting trial on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors when he died in a New York jail cell in 2019.
https://time.com/7379650/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-arrested-prince-epstein-files-police-statement/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
2-19-2026
Andrew was famously interviewed on BBC’s Newsnight in 2019 and questioned over why he visited Epstein in New York in 2010.
The royal was accused of sexual abuse himself by one of Epstein’s most prominent victims, the late Virginia Giuffre. He strongly denied the allegations.
During his Newsnight interview, Andrew said he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre and seemingly questioned the veracity of a photograph of himself, Giuffre, and Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
1.8 m year old hominin fossils--
The exact date of the three Yunxian skulls, which were found between 1989 and 2022, has long been debated, but they were previously considered to be around 1 million years old based on the age of animal teeth found close by, although one study dated them to around 1.1 million years ago using electron spin resonance and uranium-series dating. So when the opportunity arose to try a new dating technique at the site, Bae and his colleagues thought it was a good chance to revisit the debate.
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/absolute-surprise-homo-
erectus-skulls-found-in-china-are-almost-1-8-million-years-old-the-oldest-evidence-of-the-ancient-human-relatives-in-east-asia?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Their team used a technique called cosmogenic nuclide burial dating to determine the age of the quartz found in the sediment layers where the skulls were found. This dating technique measures the half-life of two chemical variants — Aluminum-26 and Beryllium-10 — to determine how much time has passed since the quartz was exposed to cosmic rays.
This dating method revealed the hominin fossils were approximately 1.77 million years old, which is about 600,000 years older than the oldest age proposed for the site previously, Bae said.
Because the new date is younger than the stone tools discovered elsewhere in China, there is still a large time gap of around 600,000 years between the earliest fossil evidence and the earliest tool evidence, he added.
. . .
By--
Sophie Berdugo
Staff writer
Sophie is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. She covers a wide range of topics, having previously reported on research spanning from bonobo communication to the first water in the universe. Her work has also appeared in outlets including New Scientist, The Observer and BBC Wildlife, and she was shortlisted for the Association of British Science Writers' 2025 "Newcomer of the Year" award for her freelance work at New Scientist. Before becoming a science journalist, she completed a doctorate in evolutionary anthropology from the University of Oxford, where she spent four years looking at why some chimps are better at using tools than others.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Annette Gordon-Reed--non-fiction--The Hemmings of Monticello--
https://www.amazon.com/Hemingses-Monticello-American-Family/dp/0393337766/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_3/134-9485351-2647940?pd_rd_w=bYlFj&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=M3NM215ZXC02KGE9NHKC&pd_rd_wg=65vdb&pd_rd_r=4870ae17-5cbb-4e8e-bf4c-600ef077d3c6&pd_rd_i=0393337766&psc=1&asin=0393337766&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1
I always wanted to go--but never got there--for lack of someone to drive me there.
She had 6 children--possibly by Jefferson--Sally Hemmings--J's slave mistress--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Hemings
Her earth floored BR next to J's was discovered--about 15 years ago--not mentioned in this wiki.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Monday, February 16, 2026
Sunday, February 15, 2026
The drama clips are hard to sort out--but this looks like a good one--still--as the saying goes
"don't be a Chinese daughter in law"--yes, it's racist, also "don'tbe an Indian'swife."
But I didn't make up these sayings--they were saying things like this forever--but NOT in my family of birth.
As a matter of fact, I don't even feel very "Burmese"--At this point in my life I have spent 50% of it + outside Burma
I was in UK for 3 years as a child and 8 months in Poland as an adult --
All this hyper "nationalist talk" means nothing to me.
Could not find the movie of 2 brothers --one brain damaged.
This is more like Love's Labors Lost--but the primary couple is very attractive and looks like a reak couple--
especially the actor who plays the younger step-brother--very appealing--a face that shows emotion every second-
Could not watch this to the end either--but amybe 4 out of 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z29L1mrwNEw
More complex story and less stereotypes.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Real Simple recipes--I just made myself a baked rotini casserole with red cabbage, bayakyaw fragments,
small can of tomato paste, breadcrumbs, salt,pepper, garlic (powders), some meat loaf seasoning and grated cheese on top.
Boil rotini to al dente (not too soft). Drain.
Make sauce in what else, a saucepan. Add italicized ingredients except breadcrumbs.
Bring sauce to boil,lower heat and simmer, add pre-soaked dried mushrooms, mushroom soaking liquid--be careful--don't add soil from mushrooms to your sauce.
Wash about 1/4 to 1/2 of red cabbage,slice, add all to the pot, simmer till cabbage tender.
To make up--oil bakeproof ceramic dish.
Layer in rotini, whole wheat is best. Add breadcrumbs,bean fritter fragments.
Add about 2 cups of sauce which will be nice deep red color,top with grated cheddar cheese--1/2 to 1 cup.
Bake 350F 15 mins. Remove from oven with heat-proof gloves.
Remember to turn off oven.
Serve hot.
Nice with bread but I don'thave bread.
Rotini will provide starch. Very nice, mild flavor.
Copyright Kaung.
https://www.realsimple.com/our-most-popular-soup-recipe-of-all-time-11904763?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Untangling scam kingpins' ties to Chinese government
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/untangling-scam-kingpins-ties-to-the-chinese-government.html
In truth, these scam centers cannot exist without local, regional and national authorities being paid off.
You truly can't make up this Sh*t--it reminds me of Stephen King saying recently that things are much more horrifying than anything he ever wrote.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-juntas-anti-scam-czar-purged-in-bribery-scandal.html
Partial copy and paste follows:
Lieutenant General Tun Tun Naung, ousted as Minister of Home Affairs in late January, has now been reportedly expelled from the military for allegedly taking protection payments from scam syndicates, according to The Irrawaddy’s sources in Naypyitaw.
Tun Tun Naung had led the junta’s crackdown on the scam industry as chair of the Central Supervisory Committee on Combating Telecom Fraud and Online Gambling, formed in early December 2025.
However, he was investigated by the Office of the Chief of Military Security Affairs (OCMSA) after Beijing informed Naypyitaw that he was profiting from scam centers in northern Shan State.
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He has now been formally censured and dismissed from the military, according to sources.
“He was dismissed from the army after a probe by the Military Security Affairs unit, sparked by a tip-off from China, found that he had taken bribes. He won’t even receive a pension,” a Naypyitaw-based source told The Irrawaddy.
Ross Dunkley--last I "heard"from reading Sean Turnell's prison memoir, An Unlikely Prisoner--Dunkley was still in prison while Turnell was there--
I don't know if he was released. Apparently the Australian gov. did not work for his release. It makes you wonder why.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/commentary/the-juntas-colorful-apologist.html
Friday, February 13, 2026
Based on the search results, there is no evidence of an "Afghan exile allergic to horses restaurant owner" who died. It is possible the query mixes details, or refers to a lesser-known, specific incident not covered in the search results.
Qayum Karzai, a prominent Afghan exile and brother to former President Hamid Karzai, was a restaurant owner (The Helmand in Baltimore/Cambridge) who died on May 29, 2024, but no horse allergy was mentioned [16].
Mohammed Zaman was a restaurant owner jailed for a peanut allergy death, not horse allergy.
Horses is the name of a restaurant in Los Angeles involved in a legal dispute, but unrelated to an Afghan owner.
No specific individual matching the exact description was found in the search results.
Looking for Afghan exile allergic to horses--
AI Overview
Based on the search results, there is no widely documented figure who fits all those specific details (Afghan exile, restaurant owner, died on a horse during the 2001 or 2021 invasion). The results discuss
Kamal Hamade, a Lebanese restaurant owner killed in a 2014 Kabul attack, and Johnny Micheal Spann, a CIA officer killed in 2001, but none match the description of an exile dying on a horse.
The query might be confusing several different, distinct stories:
The "Horse Soldiers": U.S. Special Forces (ODA 595) who rode horses into battle in 2001, as depicted in the book Horse Soldiers.
Kamal Hamade: A restaurant owner (Lebanese, not Afghan) who ran a secure restaurant in Kabul and was killed in a 2014 attack.
Danish Siddiqui: A Reuters journalist killed in 2021.
No specific individual fits the exact combination of being an Afghan exile, a restaurant owner, and dying on a horse.
List--Afghan exiles--
About 748 search results
Search Results
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Abdul_Rashid_DostumAbdul Rashid Dostum - Wikipedia
Abdul Rashid Dostum[a] (born 25 March 1954) is an Afghan exiled politician, former military officer and warlord. He is the founder and leader of the Junbish-e Milli political party, and was a senior army officer in the military of the former Afghan communist government during the Soviet–Afghan War, initially part of the Afghan Commando Forces.
www.american.edu › magazine › articleLearning as an Act of Resistance - American University
Jun 1, 2024 · An estimated 70 percent of Afghan law and political science professors are living in exile today—including Mobasher, who taught at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) until the fall of Kabul in 2021.
artatatimelikethis.com › before-silenceBefore Silence — Art At A Time Like This
Before Silence presents a powerful selection of works representative of the up and coming generation of Afghan artists who have continued to create and inspire amidst insecurity and humanitarian suffering.
www.opensocietyfoundations.org › voices › cry-scream“Cry, Scream, But Be Strong”: Stories of Afghans in Exile
These stories of women who were forced to leave their homes represent the reality of our shared experience and touch on themes of loss, guilt, and overcoming adversity. They left their lives behind and found it incredibly difficult to relate to their new communities abroad.
www.cbc.ca › documentaries › the-passionate-eyeThese women had to flee Afghanistan. They're trying to keep ...
Oct 16, 2024 · From their countries of exile, these women — former parliamentarians, a past minister and a journalist — have watched as two decades of progress have been dismantled. The Taliban has stripped...
dayan.org › content › back-exile-afghan-stories-nearBack in Exile: Afghan Stories of a Near Distant Past
Nov 1, 2021 · The Afghan diaspora is not just a virtual place where identity transforms, but a fervent promise that, one day, the homeland will return to its past splendor. This promise is echoed in songs, images, and posts by Afghan artists and activists scattered around the world.
www.youtube.com › watchThe Afghan journalists working in exile from the Taliban ...
Two years on, editor-in-chief Zaki Daryabi continues to fight for the Etilaat Roz's future and coordinates his team across the US, Europe and Afghanistan. In this unique video diary, journalist...
Video Duration: 26 min
Views: 21.9K
Author: The Guardian
small pox Burma overview--
AI Overview
In 1904,
Burma (now Myanmar) was under British colonial rule and experienced, as it did throughout the early 20th century, endemic, and often epidemic, cases of smallpox (variola major) alongside other diseases like the plague.
Based on historical context from the period around 1904:
Context of Infection: Smallpox was a recurring, highly contagious, and deadly virus. In early 20th-century Asia,, it frequently caused high mortality, particularly among children.
Colonial Response: Vaccination campaigns were in place but often "underinvested and piecemeal" before the First World War. While the British colonial government tried to implement Western biomedical practices (vaccinations) to control outbreaks, these measures were sometimes seen by the local population as an "unwelcome colonial intervention".
Control Measures: In addition to vaccinations, colonial health authorities relied on isolation and surveillance.
Disease Prevalence: During this period (around 1904-1906), not only was smallpox active, but in 1906 alone, there were over 8,600 reported plague deaths in Burma, highlighting a volatile public health environment.
The fight against smallpox in Burma was part of a broader, slow-moving effort to curb the disease in South Asia before its eventual eradication.
AI overview--
AI Overview
No, people generally cannot get smallpox (caused by the
variola virus) more than once, as survivors develop lifelong immunity to the disease. Historically, once a person survived a smallpox infection, they were immune to further attacks, and in rare instances of re-exposure, the illness was not contracted again.
Key details regarding immunity and infections:
Lifelong Immunity: Survivors of smallpox have natural, long-lasting immunity.
Vaccination: Vaccination with the vaccinia virus provides protection, typically lasting 3 to 5 years, and can protect against future exposures.
Erroneous Beliefs: The idea that smallpox could be caught multiple times is inaccurate based on clinical history.
Current Status: Smallpox was officially eradicated in 1980; therefore, naturally acquired, repeat infections are impossible today.
While the virus itself does not cause repeat, chronic, or relapsing infections in an individual, the severity of the initial infection can leave permanent scars or, in some cases, cause death (roughly 30% fatality rate).
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Eat Drink Man Woman--that I saw in a movie theater years ago--still a bit hard to understand--
but I remember all the dishes from Burma--including the winter melon soup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MQODtUW8k0
Eulogy for Dr. Sein Win. P.M. of the Burmese Exile Government, d. Feb 6, 2026.
I first met Dr. Sein Win in about 1999, when I went to see him about a job, as I was undergoing severe job harrassment at RFA Burmese Section, while my broadcast programs became more and more popular inside Burma.
Previously, I had heard about him in the Burma Newsletter.
The NCGUB, the National Coalition Government of Burma (The Democratic Government in Exile of the Union of Burma) similar to the Polish Exile Government based in the UK during WW II,had just been formed.
Dr. Sein Win was not able to offer me a job right then,but he said that his wife, Daw Si Si Thwe who was pregnant when he had to flee Burma, was now in Norway and they would be reunited soon. I was very happy for him.
Shortly after in Feb of 2001, I was pushed out of RFA without notice by the then Burmese language chief, whom we all thought was junta-inclined.
After 8 months on unemployment insurance I received a position as Sr. Research Analyst at The Burma Fund, a think tank without walls affiliated with the NCGUB.
I found Dr. Sein Win to be an easy to work for, mild-mannered gentleman who dealt kindly and equitably with all his staff.
I never once saw him or heard him say anything harsh about anyone, he never played any cat and mouse games with anyone like the turd at the radio station, he treated everyone kindly, like the lesbian woman who sometimes drove him places, and eventually ended up living with his family after a severe illness, including going blind in one eye.
Have you ever heard of a junta general doing that?
Si Si eventually arrived and I first met her at a Free Burma Coalition Conference at GWU (George Washington University).
Their children La Pye and La Yaung grew up beautifully. I have never seen such a harmonious family.
I was already a member of the TAN--Technicaly Advisory Network.
With TBF I traveled many places, mostly to SE Asia--Sydney, Australia; Helsinki, Finland; Chiangmai and Bangkok; Singapore; DeKalb, IL to the Burma Studies Center etc.
The Sein Win family lived very humbly. I learned from the accountant that their pay was very low.
In 2008-9 I prepared A Plan for Democracy and Development for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD in Burma. Dr. Sean Turnell, Dr.Nancy Hudson-Rodd, Hon.Janelle Saffin coontributed related papers.
I like to think that this executve summary resulted in almost 10 years of democracy of a sort in Burma until the Feb 1, 2021 coup.
I last spoke with Dr.Sein Win when I called him after my colon cancer surgery in the winter of 2021-22, and he was saying how sad he was that my long-time mentor, Dr. Ronald E.Findlay, Ragnar Nurkse Professor or Economics, Columbia University, had already passed away. He was so kind as to say, "Of all the people who came to work with us, you were the best."
Now everyone is gone. My other mentor, Prof. Josef Silverstein and Mrs. Silverstein, almost all my U.Penn mentors.
I get scared to read the news.
Rest in Protest, Dr.Sein Win.
As his nephew Ko Khine Win told me in Thailand, "He's every laid back, but he does have guts."
That cannot to said of most people I have encountered in the Movement.
Kyi May Kaung (Ph.D.)
2-12-2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
RFK Jr thinks product to deworm horses can kill cancer cells.
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/ivermectin-cancer-treatment-nih-study-dewormer-offlabel-drug/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
The MAHA Institute hosted the discussion, framed by the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The National Cancer Institute is the largest of the NIH’s 27 branches.
During the covid pandemic, ivermectin’s popularity surged as fringe medical groups promoted it as an effective treatment. Clinical trials have found it isn’t effective against covid.
Ivermectin has become a symbol of resistance against the medical establishment among MAHA adherents and conservatives. Like-minded commentators and wellness and other online influencers have hyped — without evidence — ivermectin as a miracle cure for a host of diseases, including cancer. Trump officials have pointed to research on ivermectin as an example of the administration’s receptiveness to ideas the scientific establishment has rejected.
“If lots of people believe it and it’s moving public health, we as NIH have an obligation, again, to treat it seriously,” Bhattacharya said at the event. According to The Chronicle at Duke University, Bhattacharya recently said he wants the NIH to be “the research arm of MAHA.”
The decision by the world’s premier cancer research institute to study ivermectin as a cancer treatment has alarmed career scientists at the agency.
“I am shocked and appalled,” one NCI scientist said. “We are moving funds away from so much promising research in order to do a preclinical study based on nonscientific ideas. It’s absurd.”
Nice visuals of Burmese--Siamese elephant warfare--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yxtJeIhmiM
some of the clips from Thai blockbusters.
Unfortunately, the narrator's pronuncation in both English and Burmese is not so precise, and closed captioning is not accurate.
The creator should have added his own captions.
Monday, February 09, 2026
Warning-disturbing--Marshall Project:
Analysis
‘Why Is This Happening to Us?’ Daily Number of Kids in ICE Detention Jumps 6x Under Trump
As the Trump administration detains large numbers of kids, advocates worry ‘it’s only a matter of time before we see a child die.’
BC T's ICE arrests them and parents--
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/ice-kids-in-detention-numbers?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Sunday, February 08, 2026
Economic Institute Library --set up by Paul Bixler, building by Ford Foundation, had an
original copy of Symes'Embassy to the Court of Ava.
I remember looking at it, especially the illusration of the Hairy Woman.
Saturday, February 07, 2026
King Narai, one of the great reformers and heroes of Thai history--
I've been to his palace compound including remains of pavilion where he died in Lopburi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narai
I see, Ligor was the former name of Nakhon Si Thamarat--
Nakhon Si Thammarat - Wikipedia
Nakhon Si Thammarat is a city in southern Thailand with a rich history dating back to the Srivijaya kingdom. It was formerly known as Ligor, a major port and center of trade and culture in the region.
People also search for
And also there's a novel based on the life of Redoute who was Marie Antoinette's painter of flowers--
he survived the French Revolution and died, it is said, "Contemplating a flower."
FTD's list of flower-inspired novels--I can include Red Sorghum (not a flower, a plant) by Mo Yan
and Red Poppy by Alai, a Tibetan writing in Mandarin.
https://www.ftd.com/blog/flower-inspired-novels
The Day of the Triffids--movie--based on brilliant sci fi novel byJohn Wyndham--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Elc86DMkA
Highly recommended.
I have the book.
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