The Third Man theme music on zither and opening -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4JpDUMXBqo Edit and closing - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6XcMqeA20k A masterpiece if ever there was one. kmk

Burma photos

http://www.pbase.com/annapagnacco/i_dreamt_of_burma

Ivor Novello - We'll gather lilacs in the spring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvC8gz-cq88&feature=related In memory of my father - kmk

$150m The Scream by Edvard Munch

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/arts/design/munch-picasso-cezanne-and-rothko-go-on-the-block.html#

life is crazy, so send in the clowns

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/arts/design/art-by-anthony-aziz-and-sammy-cucher.html?_r=1&ref=arts#

clothes to kill or to die for -

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/27/living/aging-fashion-style/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Tibet Burning - by Tsering -

http://himalmag.com/component/content/article/5044-tibet-burning.html

Anonymous comment on my book review - Mirrors and Shadows -

review of Amir's Zahra's Paradise Dear Kyi May, What you wrote is heartfelt. It is about a special book that strives in image and word to convey what is unspeakable and unthinkable – but what is real. It is difficult, almost impossible to “accept” the reality of such subhuman depravity. Yet fortunately there is something in the human spirit that endures and survives, for it cannot be completely broken or destroyed, no matter what happens. Through the expressive power of Zahra’s Paradise we can feel compassion, anger, a desire for peace and justice, and a range of emotions about other human beings who are trying to deal with, in some fashion, what is truly unendurable and unacceptable. Thank you. XYZ

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Jody Williams on Burma at Nobel Laureates conference, Chicago April 25th

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Nobel-Laureates-Praise-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-at-Chicago-Summit-149044805.html

Mirrors and Shadows of Burma and Iran - a book review of Amir and Khalil's Zahra's Paradise, by Kyi May Kaung

http://asiancorrespondent.com/81230/mirrors-and-shadows-of-burma-and-iran-amir-and-khalil-zahras-paradise-a-book-review-by-kyi-may-kaung/

Famous graphic artist M.C.Escher

http://www.mcescher.com/Gallery/gallery.htm

Burma - Crackdown on Oct 10, 2007 on what became known as the Saffron Revolution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UqQaizM15Q&feature=related Is this the same regime now in civilian clothes. Are they changing as they claim or can they change?

BBC interview of Amir, author of the graphic novel Zahra's Paradise

detailing how it was published in real time over the web, written and published initially without an agent. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17020328

So true it will make you bleed -

Wise words from my wise counsel in California - Michael Surowiec. Like me, he supports lost causes!! Wednesday, April 25, 2012 9:59 AM From: "Maung Zarni" 'You have to hand it to the generals for the way they are stage managing their way to legitimacy. They quit the army and become legislators where they are free to either be entrepreneurs by obtaining property and business interests or selling influence. They get the reserved blessing of the "liberal" west governments who put aside their concerns for human rights because they let one woman be the face of the opposition-- one against the remainder of their legislative body. They dangle Aung San Suu Kyi in front of the US who are only too welcome to have a reason to cozy up to Burma so they can thwart the advance of China in that area. They may be mean, cruel, self-interested bastards but they're smart mean, cruel, self-interested bastards.' Posted with permission from Maung Zarni. kmk

Reasons and Responses on Canada's Suspension of Sanctions on Burma

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 10:55 AM From: "CFOB" To: cfob@cfob.org Excerpts from Postmedia News article: "We put in sanctions to try and change, try to encourage the government to change course. They've made substantial progress." – John Baird, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister "[t]he timing is wrong for Canada to ease sanctions at this point in time, and should have waited a bit to see a clear picture of what would unfold in the coming weeks and months." – Tin Maung Htoo, Canadian Friends of Burma “[a] number of Canadian firms, particularly in the energy sector, have expressed an interest in joining the rush of international companies that are now in the capital Yangon, looking for potential contracts and opportunities. They see that there are a lot of oil and gas pipeline opportunities over there. Some gold mining companies are also looking for the opportunities." – Kyaw Tin, Burmese Ambassador to Canada Canada suspends sanctions against Burma By Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News April 24, 2012 OTTAWA — Canada has become the latest country to suspend sanctions against Myanmar in recognition of recent democratic reforms introduced by that country's military government. "We put in sanctions to try and change, try to encourage the government to change course," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told reporters on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. "They've made substantial progress." Myanmar, which is also called Burma, held historic byelections earlier this month that saw Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy take the majority of seats that were up for grabs. This was a dramatic development as the southeast Asian nation's military junta had ruled with an iron fist for decades, including holding political opponent Suu Kyi under house arrest and conducting several violent crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrators. The United States, European Union and Australia all had moved to ease their own sanctions against Myanmar on Monday. But some questioned Tuesday whether Canada had acted too soon. Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of the Canadian Friends of Burma, an Ottawa-based organization that has sought to raise awareness of the problems in Myanmar, said a political battle over that country's controversial constitution is brewing. Suu Kyi and other opposition members have refused to take their seats in the country's national legislature as they have refused to swear an oath to protect the constitution, which sets aside a quarter of all seats for the military. "Therefore, the timing is wrong for Canada to ease sanctions at this point in time, and should have waited a bit to see a clear picture of what would unfold in the coming weeks and months," Htoo said. The sanctions can be re-imposed "if progress is reversed," Baird said. A prohibition on weapons sales will remain in place. The minister acknowledged there are still "no guarantees" the ruling regime won't backtrack on the reforms being undertaken, and that there are some in power who are resisting change, "but we want to be optimistic." "Some people are pro-reform, notably the president. And others are against the reforms. And there's some that are sitting on the fence. And we want to say to those people who are sitting on the fence to join the camp for reform." Myanmar's ambassador to Canada, Kyaw Tin, welcomed the announcement and insisted his country's move toward democracy is genuine. "Our government is making significant democratic changes which is surprising everyone. "So the reform process needs to be encouraged." Baird described the suspension of sanctions as largely symbolic because trade between Canada and Myanmar has been essentially non-existent for decades. But Tin said a number of Canadian firms, particularly in the energy sector, have expressed an interest in joining the rush of international companies that are now in the capital Yangon, looking for potential contracts and opportunities. "They see that there are a lot of oil and gas pipeline opportunities over there," Tin said of the energy firms. "Some gold mining companies are also looking for the opportunities." Baird said the fact Myanmar has started becoming more democratic in recent months is "probably one of the best examples in the modern era of where sanctions have proven very effective." Asked what role international sanctions played in his government's decision to move toward democracy, Tin offered a mixed assessment. "The leadership wanted to do this because they feel like our government has been lagging behind in economic development compared to other countries," he said. "We want to improve the life of the people. That is why they are acting to remove the sanctions. "I don't know whether you can count this as the role of the sanctions." Read: http://www.canada.com/news/Canada+suspends+sanctions+against+Myanmar/6511020/story.html#ixzz1t3pQlwA0

Letter of Appreciation from Angelina Pedroso Center in Chicago for Dr. Kyi May Kaung

Dear Dr. Kyi May Kaung, On behalf of the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs and the Asian American Heritage Committee, thank you very much for your support and involvement in our 17th Annual Asian American Heritage Conference, 2012. We deeply appreciate the memorable session, "So-called Reforms in Burma - 2011 to April 2012, in which you were the presenter. Your observations,based upon your cultural awareness as a Burma Expert, Independent Scholar and Asian Correspondent Columnist were most informative. By sharing your knowledge, perspective, experience, you fostered a greater awareness of Asian and Asian American cultural heritages, and offered students the opportunity to expand their multicultural awareness. Thank you for your interest and involvement. Very truly yours, (signed) Murrell J. H. Duster Assoc. Vice President and Dean Angelina Pedroso Center. NEIU & Yasmin A. Ranney Director, Asian/Global Resource Center Angelina Pedroso Center. NEIU

Image on screen at Millenium Park, Chicago. Photo copyright Kyi May Kaung

Cartoon - "Burmese snail of democracy" from The Irrawaddy

http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/1495

Latest reviews of Saideh Pakravan's novel Azadi

The latest review: "I normally shun fiction books and try to stick to history or contemporary issues. However, Azadi is one of those exceptions. I read it in 24 hours only taking a break to sleep. The storyline is well developed and provides a host of characters living through the uprising in Iran in 2009. Not only are their well developed character each with their own separate story but each one represents a segment of Iranian society which I found to be a deeper way of story telling. Pakravan spares no details either in describing the consequences in the after math of the protests. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Iranian politics, the green movement, or contemporary Iranian society. " Stephen List on Amazon.com I am attaching the cover. Thanks -- Saïdeh Pakravan http://www.saidehpakravan.com blurb for my novel Azadi "Saideh Pakravan has written a gripping, beautiful novel centered on the mass protests that followed Iran's contested 2009 presidential election. We experience these tumultuous events through the eyes of three young people and their families, all caught up in the post-election maelstrom. Through individual lives, Pakravan skillfully conveys the hopes and aspirations for change of Iran's younger generation and the shattering of their dreams by a brutal repression. Azadi is chilling; it is a book you cannot put aside." Haleh Esfandiari is the author of : My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of Captivity in Iran.

Loung Ung - Cambodian survivor, writer and activist, will be at Politics and Prose on Tuesday 24 April at 7 PM

http://loungung.com/

Dr. Kyi May Kaung's new award from Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago

They gave me an award also for my Burma work in 2008.