BMG CD Service
Remember the good folks at BMG who have been running ads for several decades, offering 12 CDs for the price of one? They hoped you would continue the monthly service, but most college kids in the dorms just skipped out and never bothered to formally cancel the agreement. And that's why you never qualified for a mortgage.
Well, the good, trusting folks at BMG are back with another way to pick up relatively cheap CDs via their new service at YourMusic. All CDs are just $5.99 and shipping is included, but taxes are extra. They send you a monthly selection of your choice, but you can also go ahead and order all the CDs you want at any time. I checked the Joni Mitchell selection, and it was pretty good. Next up, Hendrix!
BMG Your Music CD Service
Monday, January 31, 2005
BMG CD Service at YourMusic
LifeHacker Technology Blog
LifeHacker
I rarely cover technology in this blog, since it's supposed to be about "Southeast Asia, Travel, and Photography" but I do check several tech blogs daily including my two favorites, Gizmodo and Engadget. Today, the amazing Nick Denton launched another great blog about technology that seems oriented toward the average-to-better techie rather than the high-end users at Slashdot. And there's an RSS feed to put in your reader......
LifeHacker Technology Blog
GridSkipper Travel Blog
GridSkipper Travel Blog
A new travel blog has just launched featuring reviews of hotels, restaurants and nightclubs around the world, related in the same snarky tones of Gawker and Fleshbot. So far, Asia is represented by a slick hotel in Hong Kong, a rocking nightclub in Beijing, and something naughty about the return of tourism to Phuket (see previous post). Thanks Nick Denton!
I expect a few readers of this blog to send in their suggestions. Hello Phil in Bangkok, Jakartass in Jakarta, and um, Sassy in Manila? And who will cover the naughty nightlife in Singapore? Both Chris and Steven are gone, so it's up to Xiaxue or Mr. Brown.
Hello and Welcome to Gridskipper, your decadent travel guide to urban destinations around the world. I’m Andrew Krucoff and you may remember me from house guest stints on Gawker and Fleshbot. I didn’t trash the place on either of those sites so they’ve decided to let me out of my room and set me loose on the world. Fueled by my attraction to the trashy (PBR and KFC picture above at NYC’s Village Idiot R.I.P.) and the sophisticated (sure, I read the Economist and own a Comme des Garcons jacket).
I hope to fill a gap in travel coverage by offering interesting and timely city guide info that isn’t afraid to get dirty where others might hide in the shower of a Ramada Inn. A big part of this site will be reader tips, since we all know the best travel advice you’ll ever receive is from a friend.
Please send all tips, links, stories, photos, comments, site glitches, corrections, or anything you can think of to tips@gridskipper.com.. Thanks for reading, please check out the FAQ when you get a chance and feel free to smoke in the lavatory whenever you want.
GridSkipper Travel Blog
Phuket Back in Business
Phuket Back in Business
The following story first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald about two weeks ago, but that link has expired and now costs big bucks to retrieve and post. Fortunately, Planet Bangkok posted the entire story over a week ago, and an outfit called Cyber Diver News Network curiously ran with the story yesterday, and it was picked up today by the new Nick Denton travel blog (Gridskipper) mentioned above. Oh, the weird and circuitious routes of these tales of Thailand.
Business as usual in Thailand for Phuket's prostitutes and drag queens
Sydney Morning Herald
Jan 19, 2005
Back on the street ... Thai bar girls ply for trade in Phuket.
PHUKET, Thailand (30 Jan 2004) -- It is midnight at Patong Beach and the tourists - almost all men - are out in force. They spill out from bars on Bangla Road, a stretch of pubs, girlie bars, strip shows and flirting Thai women.
Just over three weeks after the tsunami, tourism is starting to pick up in Patong, the so-called cash register of Phuket.
But on the beach and in the bars it is a particular type of holidaymaker who have decided not to cancel their trips and instead support the Thai economy, so reliant on tourism. They are not families and rarely couples, but single men.
This is partly to do with sex tourism, which accounts for 5 per cent of Thailand's gross domestic product. As usual, plenty of older male foreigners are to be seen hand-in-hand with Thai women. The strip bars are reporting little downturn in trade since the tsunami. Even the transvestite cabaret and gay bars are business-as-usual.
"Yes, we are just as busy as before the tsunami," said Toto, a drag queen.
Phuket Back in Business by Planet Bangkok
Phuket Back in Business By Cyber Diver News Network
Dan Washburn's Shanghai Diaries
Shanghai Map 1935
Shanghai Today
Shanghai Skyline
My favorites blogger in China, Dan Washburn, has just posted a fine little story about the revival of a Shanghai map that dates back to 1935, a local author working on a book about an American expat in Shanghai between the wars, and Dan's work on his book proposal. Best of luck, Dan, and I hope your advance from Random House covers all those electronic gizmos you hauled around China on your recent two-month journey.
Dan Washburn on Maps and Forgotten Shanghai Characters
Jimbo in Thailand
Jimbo in Thailand
Jim, a longtime friend of mine, and his lovely wife, Kelly, have just started their two-week vacation in Thailand with the first stop in Bangkok, doing all the usual tourist stuff. They then head north to Chiang Mai to hook up with Chris and Ben, and probably hang out with the literary crowd in town, then move on to more distant destinations. Should be fun to follow his travels, so long as he keeps updating his blog for his thousands of fans. His bandwidth fees are gonna soar after this plug.
Also, congrats Chris on the book review yesterday in the New York Times. Gad, your Amazon rating is sky high, and I suggest you mail Tim Cahill a canoe or something.
Jim and Kelly in Thailand
A Great Day in Iraq
Election 01
Election 02
Election 03
Election 04
Election 05
The Children of Iraq via ESWN
The Peking Duck on Elections in Iraq and Vietnam
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Photos of Phuket and Beyond
Photos of Phuket and Beyond
Here's an amazing page with some 5000 images of Phuket and other beach resorts hit by the tsunami, both prior to the devastation and current photos which show the amazingly quick recovery of the region.
5000 Photos of Phuket and Beyond
Bernard Trink and Nite Owl
Nite Owl by Trink
Bernard Trink is the famed columnist who wrote the weekly Nite Owl for the Bangkok Post for almost 20 years until he was let go from the job about a year ago. Rather than just fade away, he started a website to keep posting his weekly commentary about local nightlife and other items of interest. He asked for a financial contribution and I imagine he had a few subscribers, but mostly his presence just fell off the map.
Today, while reading Stickman in Bangkok, I noticed that Bernie has dropped the subsciption fee and both his Nite Owl column and movie reviews are now free and open to everybody. Good move, and welcome back to the fray!
Bernard Trink Right Here
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Cat Blogging
CatBlogging on Saturday
There is nothing more shameful than blogging cats on Saturday. I feel your pain.
Michael Jackson Today
Michael Jackson Appears in Court
It's a sad day when Michael Jackson needs to appear in court to defend his reputation against charges of sucking the dicks of small boys, but I'm more interested in the old photos of Vanna White, which were published about 20 years ago in Penthouse. I saw them many years ago at the store at Jordan/Geary here in San Francisco and was stunned at the incredibly perfect body of Vanna. Anyone got the pics? Send them along!
Nick Bali Blogs about his Wedding
Nick in Bali Just Got Married
Nick in Bali
Bali Blog
Jan 2005
I read a few blogs daily about life in Bali, but never in my wildest dreams could I imagine what has happened to Nick in Bali, a guy who has a daily blog with pictures and commentary about what is certainly one of the most amazing and unique islands/cultures in the world.
Nick is a bit of a fitness and health nut and doesn't enjoy the continual smoking of Gudang Garam on all public transport (Disclaimer: I smoke Gudang Garam, also cigars called Anthony and Cleopatra Grenadiers Dark), and he seems to enjoy working at the local gym in Kuta/Legian/Seminyak, where he met his new wife, who is from Semarang on the northeast coast of Java. I've been there; check out the old Dutch architecture near the former waterfront and the main old Dutch canal near city center heading east. Better yet, do nothing but sit in some public place and see who comes around and wants to talk.
He needs help. The family of his Javanese family wants money -- every month on time. It's not much, but what do you think?
******************************
Making a list of expectations for Ikas parents in Semarang Java
Getting married in a foreign country means dealing with red tape, strange customs and the relatives.
I like new cultures and customs and it can be interesting exploring other peoples ideas of the world. Occassionally their expectations, which are based on their perceptions get wildly out of whack and need some re adjustment.
As I already mentioned I will be giving Ikas parents 500,000rp a month for the forseeable future to help them along with their economic situation and to keep requests for help to a minimum. They see me as rich white person who can be tapped like an ATM, with seemingly limitless funds. This of course is not the case.
The other night I asked Ika how much she thought the average American earned in 1 year. She said about $500,000. I asked where she got that figure from and she said when she saw American game shows they gave $100,000 or $500,000 as prizes and thought that was about a years salary.
I had to convince her that those figures were way off.
After my wedding reception this coming saturday I intend to sit down with Ika and my new in-laws and have a perceptions and expectations talk. Actually it will be more of a monologue with me setting out what I promise to do and what I promise I will not do.
Being a democratic type of chap I would like to throw this open to the public and ask for your suggestions for both columns. Examples of the things I promise to do might be : I promise to take care of Ika, to allow her to visit the parents from time to time etc.
Examples of what I promise I will not do might be : Take requests for money, or allow visits from relatives to last over 1 week.
Come on, imagine you had just married a local and the relatives were licking their lips. Where would your line in the sand be? What would you be prepared to commit to?
I think a lot of westerners get in trouble by being overly sensitive to offending anyone and end up agreeing to everything. A mate of mine bought his in-laws a new passenger van only to have another relative steal it. Seems to me the squeeky wheel gets the grease and its better to squeek a little bit at the start before the truck gets rolling. Do not want to try putting the brakes on when we are going along at 70mph and have to explain my limits.
Some people are experts at playing the shock and horror role too after you state your position, so I am tying my monthly contribution to my list of expectations. I think this is a good direction to go in and hope we all end up on the same page.
By Nick | January 27, 2005
Nick in Bali Marries an Indonesia Girl and Now Faces the Big Question: MONEY
Tragedy in Yunnan
Party Time in Yunnan
Where is the Chinese government? Why does such destruction and devastation seem to flourish in certain regions in China? This is a horrible story, but it must be told.
Irrawaddy Looks at Prostitution and Drugs in Yunnan Province in China
East South West North on Cambodia
East South West North
The author of East South North West (god, I just get tired thinking of that blog title) recently went to Cambodia from his home base somewhere in Southeast Asia (Singapore?) and has just posted his first impressions of the country. ESNW knows Asia very well, but his post really doesn't get to the issues of the places he visited.
The vast archeological expanse of Angkor is certainly one of the great architectural achievements of mankind, but his boredom at the repetitive monuments, temples, etc. belies the horrible, horrible truth about Angkor. It is now being systemically destroyed by the world, as almost all temples (stupas, chedis) have been claimed by nations around the world, who sponsor ambitious restoration projects. What do they do? They completely disassemble all the stones then clean them up with Borax or whatever, they rebuild the entire monument. Hello? Destruction of monuments? Has anyone talked about this issue? The only structure left at Angkor with any original atmosphere in the one site left by the French to be consumed by the jungle.
The rest of Angkor has become a joke.
East South North West also talks about the coastal resort beach town escape of Sihanoukville, which everybody in the country just calls Kampong Som. He didn't go there on this visit to the country, and really doesn't seem to know what has been going on in this sleepy village, a few miles up from the beach, or the beach resort itself. Folks, please do not go to Kampong Som: the beach itself is lousy, small, narrow, not white but light brown, the bungalows are badly overpriced at $20 per room, there is really nothing significant to see in the area, the only former curiosity was the defunkt Holiday Inn at the north end of the beach, abandoned, but I hear now refurbished.
Yeah, Kampong Som was created in the 1960s by the American military who needed a R&R station during our war in Vietnam, and the same architectural layout and housing plans are still there. That is somewhat interesting, but not enough for most people to make the four hour bus ride from Phnom Penh down to the coast.
East South North West on his Impressions of Cambodia
New Map of Thailand
New Map of Thailand
This new map of Thailand created by Wit in Bangkok is just too bizarre for words, but it's a wonderful way to reimagine the country. And who is Wit? I have no idea, but I intend to check out his blog.
A Witty Map of Thailand
Thanks Ron!
Iraq Links from Jeff Jarvis
BuzzMachine by Jeff Jarvis
Iraqi election coverage
Jeff Jarvis
BuzzMachine
Jan 28, 2005
Here's a roundup of blogs covering the Iraq election. I'll be using this list when I appear on MSNBC Sunday as blogboy from 6 a.m. (!) to noon and again in the 5 p.m. hour. If you have more blogs to recommend, please add them. Also, can someone give me a link to current U.S. military blogs?
IRAQI BLOGGERS
Friends of Democracy has citizen correspondents in each province filing reports, mostly in Arabic, which are translated and posted here. Michael J. Totten is acting as anchor-blogger through the election.
Friends of Democracy was founded by Omar and Mohammed of IraqTheModel. They will be covering the election. Their brother, Ali, is covering things from here.
Hammorabi has been critical of security and the current government but is excited about election day (a great post).
Democracy in Iraq is a new one to me by a 26-year-old whose European-educated father taught his children English.
Kurdo is blogging the election from Kurdistan, complete with pictures and an endorsement for List 173.
Here is a Kurdish group blog. Read this post by Sami: One citizen talking about his choice in the election.
A Kurd in London covered absentee voting there, complete with pictures of electioneering by the poll.
A Family in Baghdad is written (in Arabic and English) by the other of Raed (Salam Pax' pal) and his brothers. It is generally against the occupation and recent posts include letters from the mothers of American soldiers killed there.
Riverbend's latest post is about getting water, not the election.
Live from Baghad is by Ayad, who just returned to Iraq from Cleveland.
The Neurotic Iraqi Wife thinks that registration is light.
Rose, a mother in Baghad, isn't sure she'll be able to get online for the election. She writes about daily life in her city.
Fayrouz covers the news via Dallas.
In Sun of Iraq, Alaasmary writes: "There are four days and the democracy will win; it will be a real war against the terrorists."
Iraqi Thoughts is covering the election from Canada and today writes about the numbers in expat voting.
Life in Baghdad.
Baghdad Dweller is covering the election.
Citizen of Mosul is a doctor who writes about a typical day there.
Iraqi Comments is from a 25-year-old in Belgium.
I expect to see Alaa posting here.
Zeyad is in Jordan until after the election.
Iraq Election blog with links to the parties.
Iraqi Letter to America.
Iraqi Enterprise is a company offering news links.
Iraq Blog Count.
IRAQI YOUTH
Aunt Najma gives us the perspective from Mosul.
Nabil, Zeyad's teen brother, talks about the election in his school.
Baghdad Girl, a 13-year-old who writes about living in fear and puts up pictures of her cats, like any self-respecting blogger.
HNK is eager for the Americans to leave Mosul.
Khalid, Raed's brother, blogs here.
Then Some is an Iraqi college student already cynical about elected politicians.
MORE
Hardblogger's David Shuster is reporting from Baghdad.
Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist, reports from Iraq. [via Lost Remote]
The BBC's reporter blog and citizens' blog.
Command Post, of course.
Mark Cuban's HDnet (high-definition TV) will be covering the election full-time.
Jeff Jarvis with Links to Iraq
Friday, January 28, 2005
The Failure of Tourism in the Philippines
View of Lake Taal from Tagaytay
How the Philippines Fails to Sell Itself Abroad
Rasheed Abou-Alsamh
Arab News
Jan 28, 2005
I read an interesting report this week that said the Philippines was hoping to see a spike in its tourist arrivals after the deadly tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people in Thailand, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka on Dec. 26.
I did think that it was rather morbid that one country was hoping to cash-in on the calamity of another, but that is normal I guess in terms of human nature.
Anyways, the report went on to mention that tourist arrivals in the Philippines in 2005 were projected to reach 2.66 million, up from 2.23 million the year before. The problem here is when you compare these figures with the number of tourists visiting neighboring countries; it puts the Philippines to shame. Tiny Hong Kong, which isn’t even a country, had more than 20 million visitors last year, Thailand had 13 million visitors and Indonesia had more than 5 million visitors. Even once downtrodden Vietnam has overtaken the Philippines, with nearly 3 million visitors last year!
The vast tourism potential of the Philippines has long been touted by many: From the mountains of Baguio, to the beaches of Boracay and the historical sites all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the Philippines should have been a huge tourist magnet a long time ago.
So what happened? A lack of infrastructure and no advertising, is the answer in short.
In the extremely competitive world of tourism, facilities, attractions and advertising are crucial factors to keep the tourists coming. The problem is that I haven’t seen an ad on TV or in print promoting tourism in the Philippines for the past three years. Sure, there was the cute “Wow! Philippines” campaign, but those ads were so short, 30 seconds on CNN, that they went by in a flash, only to be obliterated in viewer’s minds by far more effective ads by other countries.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s nauseating but effective ad on CNN is stuck in everyone’s mind (“Malaysia ... truly Asia!”), while Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera ads have also become ubiquitous.
The other major factor that keeps tourists away from the Philippines is the sad fact that the country’s mangled infrastructure is just too cumbersome for many tourists. When they can be whisked comfortably around Malaysia on beautiful multi-lane highways, why should they bother with horrible one-lane highway from Manila to Baguio that is so badly congested that a journey that should take only a few hours is turned into a six-hour marathon?
I remember being taken on a bone-jangling trip on an unpaved road from Puerta Princesa on Palawan Island to see some caves. The rode was so bumpy and full of potholes that I couldn’t see many tourists opting to take the trip. In any other country, the road would have been paved a long time ago in aid of developing tourism, but that didn’t seem to be a priority of the Department of Tourism.
I know that the Philippines is struggling financially, but the government should earmark more money for tourism development if it wants the economy to rebound. The problem is that the country is overly dependent on the remittances of overseas Filipino workers. Last year, 10 percent of the GNP was from OFW remittances, while tourism contributed only 2 percent to the GNP.
Yes it’s true that Filipinos are friendlier than Malaysians and Singaporeans, but that clearly isn’t enough to match the numbers of tourists that those two destinations get. Until the Philippines improves its infrastructure, especially roads and other transportation, has a coherent and comprehensive tourism plan, and a sustained marketing campaign in Europe, the Middle East and the US, then the country will continue to depend on balikbayans and a few Asian tourists to fill its tourism coffers.
How the Philippines Fails to Sell Itself Abroad
Thanks to Sassy for Finding this Link
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Slashdot on Internet Access in China
Slashdot Has the Answers
Slashdot
Posted by Cliff
Thursday January 27, @04:00PM
from the censor-me-not dept.
Solo Han asks: "I'm considering a move to China next year, and while I have just as many problems as y'all do with the government, I still like the freedoms afforded me, especially when it comes to access of information. Chinese citizens, however, do not have the same freedoms, as we are constantly reminded here on slash-o-dot. Pr0n, mp3z, and games aside, what are the things that those of you in the Celestial Kingdom know you cannot access, and specifically, what are the websites, search engines, news sites, and other sites that are classed as potentially 'dangerous' material? This brings me to my overall question: is the censorship that real, that hard to get around, and how do you do it? What methods and technologies are you aware of or use to circumvent the Great Firewall of China?"
Slashdot on Internet Access in China -- Almost 1000 Responses!
The 2005 Bloggie Awards
The 2005 Bloggies Awards
The nominations have been made and the finalists have been selected in the Fifth Annual Bloggies Awards, so go ahead and cast your vote. Only once kids! No dropping cookies or moving around from computer to computer in your office!
I just glanced at most of the categories but had a good look at the Asian Bloggie division, and the choices are rather peculiar, to say the least.
One blog is from an Indonesian lady who lives in Canada and has very little to say about Asia. The contest clearly states that all entries must be Asia based, so why is she nominated here? Another blog comes from Vietnam and it's almost exclusively about food in Ho Chi Minh City. Great photos, but it seems so specialized that it would probably fit better in the Food category. And, of course, that lovely lady in Singapore is nominated and I expect her legion of friends to drive her blog to yet another triumph. As if she needs more ego boost.......
The 2005 Bloggie Awards
Richard Ehrlich on Thai Tourism Recovery
Ko Phi Phi by Carl Parkes
Richard Ehrlich is a journalist in Thailand who has been keeping me up to date with almost daily emails on the Tsunami situation, including this insightful observation on where tourism recovery will most likely depend. Rich cats and group tours? Nah, it's probably going to be the lowly backpacker.
TSUNAMI LONELY PLANET
copyright 2005 by Richard S. Ehrlich
www.geocities.com/glossograph
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Low-budget, international backpackers will prop up Thailand's crippled travel industry, after tsunamis killed more than 5,300 people, destroyed beach resorts and made wealthier tourists fearful, the author of Lonely Planet's Thailand guide books said.
Backpackers' quests for cheap accommodation also probably saved many of their lives, said Joe Cummings, American author of Lonely Planet's "Thailand" and "Thailand's Islands and Beaches".
"It's pretty clear to me that backpackers are going to be the first market that's going to restore itself here," Mr. Cummings said in an interview after visiting the stricken west coast to update his latest edition.
"I made it down there myself, the 11th day after the tsunami. By then, backpackers were starting to filter back...to the beaches that weren't very affected," he said.
"In fact, probably more backpackers survived than anyone else, because they are too cheap to be on the beach front. I talked with one guy who said, 'I couldn't afford the beach front where everyone died'.
"I think it may have worked in their favor. In many cases, I'm sure. There aren't really many beach front, cheap bungalows left in Thailand. All the expensive hotels have taken up all the immediate beach front, and the backpackers who are on a real budget are generally in funky places that are pretty far back from the beach."
Millions of foreign tourists flock to this Southeast Asian country each year, including countless backpackers. Thailand's slick, highly commercialized tourism industry offers some of the finest hotels in the world and, at the low-end, bleak but adequate rooms for only a few dollars a night.
Many tourists, rich or slumming, clutch Lonely Planet's fact-packed books. Each year, 70,000 to 100,000 copies of the "Thailand" guide are purchased by travelers who depend on Mr. Cummings's hip, pithy reviews of hotels, restaurants and tourist sites.
Backpacking became popular in Asia during the late 1960s and early 1970s when American, European and other young people began travelling for months or years while financed by small amounts of cash, seeking exotic pleasures, intellectual and spiritual enlightenment, and freedom.
Today, backpackers also include yuppies, adults and others who can afford better accommodation, but enjoy the inexpensive facilities already established, and prefer to spend their money on digital technology, airplane tickets and other costly conveniences.
Thailand is popular on many backpackers' itineraries, but tsunami-hit Sri Lanka and India are also favorites and will benefit from their rapid return. Indonesia's Aceh region, however, prohibited tourists before the Dec. 26 earthquake obliterated that western province.
In Thailand, tsunamis killed an unknown number of backpackers including those whose bodies may have been swept out to sea, or be among more than 2,000 recovered, unidentified corpses.
"They are probably at the greatest risk of being on that list of people who are missing and not identified, and they may never be identified," Mr. Cummings said.
Most of the damage and loss of life occurred along Khao Lak beach where plush resorts allowed guests to stroll from their rooms, past luxurious swimming pools and restaurants, and onto the sandy shore.
Tsunamis also caused death and destruction by flattening tiny Phi Phi Island, popular among resort tourists and backpackers because it offered a festive, casual ambience stocked with bars, scuba shops, open-air markets and other holiday attractions. Phuket island's Patong beach, a crammed and tacky tourist-trap, also suffered a direct hit, but most of the large island was spared.
Thai officials invited Mr. Cummings to travel with them on police helicopters to inspect much of the tsunami zone. After landing at Phi Phi, he traveled by boat to each bay and beach. He also visited beaches on the mainland along Krabi and elsewhere. "The higher-end places were more damaged, because the most heavy losses of life were in Patong beach, Khao Lak, and Phi Phi, and all the beachfront property belongs to the high-end.
"All the low-end is well back from the beach. My guess is that backpacker accommodation, in general, is probably the least-affected of all tourist accommodation on the beaches."
Despite the "devastation", he predicted international backpackers "will probably be the backbone of tourism for the remainder of this season at the very least, and maybe into next season. Other people -- more middle-class, and people with families, and high incomes -- may be reluctant to return."
Backpackers who do arrive will get more than they bargain for. "The rooms will be on sale. Flights will be on sale. A lot of places are announcing promotions, and that will attract a lot of backpackers concerned about budget," he said.
Mr. Cummings, from San Francisco, California, first came to Thailand 28 years ago. After living here on and off while writing a slew of Lonely Planet guide books over the years, he settled permanently in Thailand in 1997. The tsunamis hit one week after he finished writing Lonely Planet's newest "Thailand" guide book.
"It has been decided that I will go back and do the whole Andaman coast again in April. We'll give it a little time to restore," he said. "Instead of being published in May, it will now be published in September 2005."
In addition to guide books, Lonely Planet runs an extensive Web site which includes updates about the tsunamis' aftermath, "to try and encourage people to travel, because one of the after-effects of the disaster -- besides all the loss of life and property -- has been the loss of income for people who suffered a stall in tourism," he said.
Lonely Planet, sadly, is now an apt title for much of Thailand's west coast. "It does feel lonely," Mr. Cummings said, noting that even coastal areas untouched by the tsunamis have lost most of their visitors.
Richard Ehrlich Reports from Bangkok
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
The wonders of watching Comedy TV in the afternoon:
People in bunny suits.
Oh Dear God.......now it's some guy in a Rat suit!
Trigger Happy TV
Tiger Temple Thailand
Several readers contacted me last week after I posted a Tiger Temple Thailand photo from a group I admin at Flickr, Thailand Images, asking more about this mysterious temple in Thailand (one hour northwest of Kanchanaburi) that has been taking in tiger orphans for almost a decade. So I Google, and here's some links and photos:
Wikipedia is a New Type of Encyclopedia Written by Everybody, and Here's What You Say About Tiger Temple Thailand
Official Site Tiger Temple, but it's mostly in Thai
Farang Magazine Article about Tiger Temple
Here's who posted most of the tiger pics in Thailand Images:
chishikilauren / Lauren
Flickr
Jan 2005
I've got a name. I've also got an IQ, a minor obsession with photography, purple legwarmers, an intense dislike of anything relating to John Tesh. I bite my nails. I thrive in lime green environments. I prefer early mornings to late nights. I'm allergic to cats and grass. I've met the Dalai Lama, as well as Arnold Schwarzenneggar. You choose which to fawn after...I've got my own opinion, and that's what makes me, me. Had enough yet?
I'm Female, 22 and Single.
Wish you were here
Tanushimaru-machi, Japan
Laren in Japan Visited the Tiger Temple in Thailand
Tiger Temple 01
Tiger Temple 02
Tiger Temple 03
Tiger Temple 04
Tiger Temple 05
Tiger Temple 06
Tiger Temple 07
Back to Babes
Anna, Courtney, Avril
Desperate?
In Love with Gwen
Negar Khan from Norway
Tyra Banks
No particular reason for this post, but I'm out of tsunami photos so it's back to babes.
Monday, January 24, 2005
BBC Documentary: The Power of Nightmares
BBC Documentary
BBC
The Power of Nightmares
Jan 21, 2005
The Power of Nightmares examines how politicians have used our fears to increase their power and control over society. It looks at the American neo-conservative movement and its depiction of the threat first from the Soviet Union and then from radical Islamists.
Part one, Baby It's Cold Outside, traces the origins of the modern neo-conservative and radical Islamist movements in the post-war period, how they both saw modern liberal freedoms as a threat to society and how the Soviet Union was represented as "the evil empire".
The second programme, The Phantom Victory explores how the two groups with seemingly opposing ideologies, the radical Islamists and neo-conservatives, came together to fight and defeat Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
Finally, The Shadows In The Cave, looks at how in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the neo-conservatives reconstructed the radical Islamists in the image of their last evil enemy, the Soviet Union - a sinister web of terror run from the centre by Osama Bin Laden in his lair in Afghanistan. And asks who benefits from this?
There have been over 2,000 comments about the series and a selection of these are shown below, reflecting the balance and range of views we have received.
Your comments:
As a Muslim I just want to say thank you so very very much for teaching the public that we are not some crazed maniacs trying to take over the world. I've lived in England all my life and a work as a social worker, I have never really felt any prejudice. All that changed after 9-11. Yes Muslims are angry at the injustice in Iraq, Palestine etc backed by certain governments, and the only real way to stop the 'idea' the program talked about being the real threat, is to solve the root cause of the problem - Injustice in our foreign policy, and not more bombs. The BBC must have a DVD of this program.
J Bukhari, London
Powerful. Adam Curtis didn't rediscover the force of gravity but with this landmark work he did contribute definitely in redefining the gravity of modern politics. The Neo-cons with all their radical religious beliefs couldn't imagine an enemy other than extremist Islamism because at the end they join each other in the same way as we join the two extremities of a line and turn them in a circle. The Neo-cons have found in the deep lethargy of the Islamic world and its incapacity to modernize its politico-cultural corpus a good reason to exploit it in this hideous manner. Adam Curtis went where few of the front line journalists risked crossing and hopefully his work will lead to a better understanding of the black things going on inside the White House.
Issam Remihi, London
Should I destroy my holiday videos, travel maps, photo's of famous landmarks taken on holiday with my wife in the foreground, or just put my hands up now?! Great series, four more programmes!!
Liam Quinn, Dublin
Ironically the very real and dangerous threat - which we now know does exist - is being ignored while politicians do nothing but window dress the problem -- climate change. The recent Horizon programme on global dimming showed how dangerous this is but tackling it isn't politically expedient.
Jeremy, Bath
Well done Mr Curtis & BBC. You have confirmed what I have always believed and knew to be true, but didn't have the facts to prove it. As a practising Muslim, I subscribe to one world & hold everyone's life as valuable. Your documentary must be shown at an earlier time so that the masses can wake up to reality & we as a community & nations can live in peace.
Sajjad Hoque, London
Let's just get back to normal and concentrate on the real issues within our own country. I feel that there is no evidence of a global threat from Al-Qaeda or any other Islamic group directed at the UK. I feel it's an over-exaggerated threat in order to legislate (in a big brother way) greater controls over the general public by government in an attempt to frighten us into submission to their rule. I hope I live long enough to see true justice against this government and any other governing party who follow suit in this farcical dream of terror. Let's just get back to normal and concentrate on the real issues within our own country.
Dai Stinchcombe, Cwmbran
I am amazed and delighted by the quality of this program. It had to me the effect that only a few pieces of art had managed to achieve. It spoke to my heart and to my mind simultaneously. It made me feel human and political. It made me think and laugh. In general it was so uplifting. It opens your eyes, it is simple, clever and clear. It brings hope that pure reason, awareness and humanity can work together really well.
Vasilis Kalopisis, a Greek in Edinburgh
BBC Documentary: The Power of Nightmares
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Johnny Carson R.I.P.
Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
Famed TV Entertainer Johnny Carson Dead
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)
Comedian Johnny Carson, the king of U.S. late-night television as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" for nearly 30 years, died on Sunday at age 79 after a long battle with emphysema.
"Mr. Carson passed away peaceful early Sunday morning. He was surrounded by his family," Carson's nephew, Jeff Sotzing, said in a statement, adding that their loss will be immeasurable.
Carson hosted "The Tonight Show" from the fall of 1962 to the spring of 1992, dominating the late-night TV scene and helping launch the careers of dozens of entertainers, including Joan Rivers, David Letterman and Carson's successor, Jay Leno.
Aspiring comedians knew that being motioned over to the guest couch by Carson after performing their stand-up routine could instantly transform them from virtual unknowns to stars.
"This is the end of an era," Rivers, a frequent guest host on the show, told Reuters. "With Carson you went on once. You had his blessing, and the world knew you were funny."
Carson's first guest was Groucho Marx, and the show steadily gained stature as a pop-cultural touchstone. One memorable evening in 1969 included the widely watched on-air wedding of Tiny Tim to Miss Vicki.
Carson's final "Tonight Show" broadcast aired on Friday, May 22, 1992, and was seen by 55 million viewers. He was replaced the following Monday by Leno.
'HEEEEEEERE'S JOHNNY!'
Sidekick Ed McMahon introduced Carson nightly with the rallying cry of "Heeeeeeere's Johnny!" and the show's blend of humor, music and conversation was the last thing millions of Americans saw before drifting off to sleep.
"I am one of the lucky people in the world. I have found something I liked to do, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it," a teary-eyed Carson said as he closed the show for the last time. "I bid you a very heartfelt goodnight."
Friday, January 21, 2005
Criminals in Singapore
The CNB (Crime na Bloggers) of Singapore would appreciate your help in tracking down these dangerous criminals, who have corrupted the youth of Singa through their internet abuse:
Criminal with Beer
Another Drinker of Beer
Criminal at Orchard Towers
Criminal in Love
Criminal Wanted Poster
Criminals at Mafia Gathering
Criminals in the Classroom
Criminal on the Loose
Criminal on Boat Quay
Criminal at Boom Boom Room
(Yes, this is Friskodude, a few years ago in South Lake Tahoe, doing his best as Elvis).
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Tsunamis and the Future of Tourism
Resort Destruction on Khao Lak
What chance Thai tourism's post-tsunami grand plan?
Reuters
Ed Cropley
20 Jan 2005
Talk of "new beginnings" is all the rage in Thai tourism circles at the moment, but for all the good intentions, efforts to smarten up resort areas and rid them of sleaze and grime look likely to fail. In a country where regulation is frequently invoked but seldom realised, the mish-mash of tacky souvenir shops, neon-lit go-go bars and beach-front shop-houses will rise inexorably from the tsunami rubble, analysts fear.
The Indian Ocean tsunami swept away more than 5,000 Thais and tourists on Dec. 26 during the peak season of a country that attracted about 12 million holidaymakers last year. But amid the death and destruction, tourism chiefs are seeing a glimmer of hope -- a chance to rebuild in a new, environment and family-friendly mould devoid of the grime, sleaze and excess which blight many once pristine holiday spots.
Santichai Eauchongprasit, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, says the government is hammering out "land use plans" for the devastated coastline of Khao Lak, and enacting laws to limit the number of parasols on Phuket's crowded beaches.
"We are looking forward to making it more beautiful than before," Santichai said. It is a noble and grand vision, but one that analysts fear is doomed to failure. "They can pass as many laws as they like, but until they've sorted out the problem of enforcement, nothing is going to change," said Jeremy Colson of Travel Trade Gazette Asia, an industry journal.
RULES? WHAT RULES?
Five years ago, Khao Lak's unspoilt white sand beaches stretched as far as the eye could see along southern Thailand's Andaman Sea coast. In that short time, much of the pristine wilderness, which was meant to enjoy national park protection, disappeared in a free-for-all scramble of hotel complexes, beach bars and market stalls vying for every last tourist dollar, pound or baht.
Hakan Bjorkman of the United Nations Development Programme in Bangkok says all is not lost, and wants to cajole the region post-tsunami towards high-value, low-impact environmental tourism which he says has been successful in parts of the Caribbean. "My dream would be for this spot to be turned into a sort of Costa Rica," said Bjorkman. "Now is a chance to get it right. There's a lot of pressure building within government to do things properly."
But for all the grand intentions, official influence is limited in the face of powerful land-owning elites who have a much bigger say in what happens on Khao Lak's potentially picture-postcard shoreline. "It's important to realise that when you stay in a Marriott, Sofitel, Hyatt or Hilton here, you are not in a property owned by Marriott, Sofitel, Hyatt or Hilton," Colson said. "These are hotel management companies, not hotel-owning companies."
"The people who really decide whether a new hotel is going to comply with rules and regulations are those who own the land and buildings. They are very wealthy and, in many cases, see it as a duty to buy their way round regulations," he said. On the regulatory side, the name of the game is "zoning" -- one spot for hotels, another for restaurants, another for markets, another for sun-worshippers, and so on, to prevent the chaotic concrete clutter which typifies many Thai resorts.
"It's a wonderful opportunity, but I don't know how feasible it is. There are so many vested interests," said Mark Heather, general manager of La Flora, a 68-room Khao Lak boutique hotel, which has already started to rebuild. "It would be great if they could, but I don't think they will be able to regulate much."
As if to illustrate the point, an edict has come down from Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra not to allow unlicensed vendors to set up stalls again on Phuket's Patong beach. But the island's governor needed protection from bodyguards when he turned up on Wednesday to pass on the message to more than 1,000 disgruntled stall-owners.
Reuters Report on Tourism Rebuilding in Thailand
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Tsunami Children of India
Tragedy in India
Mother and Child
Father and Son
Parents and Child
Farewell on the Beach
Tsunami Survivor
Macam Macam on Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi
The following was posted today by the Swanker:
Macam Macam
The Swanker
January 19, 2005
Myanmar - an outpost of tyranny
American Secretary of State nominate, Condoleeza Rice, yesterday named Myanmar as an "outpost of tyranny" requiring close US attention:
"To be sure, in our world there remain outposts of tyranny and America stands with oppressed people on every continent ... in Cuba, and Burma (Myanmar), and North Korea, and Iran, and Belarus, and Zimbabwe."
A potential graduation into the esteemed Axis of Evil for Cuba, Myanmar, Belarus or Zimbabwe, now that a vacancy has opened up after Saddam's departure?
Continued violent suppression of protestors and persecution of hill tribes marks Myanmar as probably the most detestable regime in South East Asia. Its despotic generals have been put on notice. US military invasion is a longshot, especially given that Myanmar shares a border with China. Though ironically if the Americans were to invade, they would then probably control the two largest heroin producers in the world (not that calling the shots in Afghanistan is doing much to alleviate the drug problem there).
Critics of the United States will label Condi Rice's statements as more proof of the Bush regime's belligerent attitude toward the rest of the world. Yet few will argue that the regimes in question are rightly criticised.
The norms of international relations dictate that national sovereignty and territorial integrity be respected above all else, no matter the cost. What the United States did in 2003 was to brush this aside and invade Iraq at a whim, to depose a dictator. That people died is a tragedy, that insurgents continue to kill is an outrage, and that the United States has subsequently botched the occupation is a travesty. But few sights warmed my heart more in 2004 than the sight of a pathetic Saddam in captivity.
Will real international pressure come to bear on regimes like North Korea and Myanmar, where people still suffer under the boot of their own government? Probably not. The pitiful Association of South-East Nations (ASEAN) found it difficult enough to issue a mealy-mouthed statement about how maybe it'd be nice, sort of, perhaps, if the Myanmar regime stopped killing its own people. Indeed, Myanmar is scheduled to take over the rotating Chair of ASEAN in 2006.
Multilateral intervention under United Nations is always the exception rather than the norm. The Americans dithered on Rwanda, China stonewalled on Darfur.
The sad but true state of affairs in world politics is that the greatest hope for people suffering under despotic regimes remains themselves.....and private citizens in foreign countries willing to stick their neck out and do the right thing when their governments won't.
Macam Macam on ASEAN and Myanmar
Monday, January 17, 2005
Tsunami Children of Sumatra
Sorrow in Sumatra
A Life is Lost
Asleep after the Wave
Young One in Banda Aceh
Sumatran Survivors
Banda Aceh Child
Mother and Child
A Mother in Grief
Tsunami Photos Misc.
Japanese Tsunami over Mt. Fuji
Fake Tsunami Photo 01
China Tidal Surge Not Tsunami
Tsunami Record
Khao Lak Meriden Resort 01
Khao Lak Meridien Resort 02
Khao Lak Meridien Resort 03
Khao Lak Meridien Resort 04
Friday, January 14, 2005
Rolf Potts on Tsunami Bloggers
Rolf Potts Vagabonding
Travelers, and grassroots tsunami aid
Rolf Potts
Jan 14, 2005
I've been encouraged in recent days by the amount of grassroots effort on the part of travelers to help the victims of the south Asian tsunami. I'm sure I've been told of only a fraction of the personal fundraising efforts going on, but examples include vagabonder Andrea Johnson's Phi Phi Rock Climbers' Blog (created with help from Bootsnall), which has collected over $1000 from her family and friends; David Wallis's upcoming fundraising benefit on January 23 in New York, featuring travel writers like Adam Goodheart and Ayun Halliday (see Jen Leo's blog about it here); and Jeff Greenwald's current trip to Sri Lanka in association with EthicalTraveler.com.
Stories about travelers rallying to help tsunami victims have also appeared in The Independent and the Boston Globe.
The Christian Science Monitor ran a good story about the usefulness of traveling in south Asia right now.
Lonely Planet has set up a responsible travel website for tsunami-affected regions here.
Elsewhere, travel writer Brad Newsham is rallying San Francisco-area travelers to a bonfire to get together to talk about grassroots solutions to the crisis. The bonfire will take place at Ocean Beach in San Francisco this Sunday night, Jan 16, from 5-8 pm. Meet Brad and his family in the area in front of the Beach Chalet Restaurant, and bring any food or drink you might want (and bring firewood if you can). Sunset is at 5:15. Email Brad for details at brad@backpacknation.org.
Rolf Potts on Tsunamis and Bloggers
Thursday, January 13, 2005
The Great Tsunami of 2004 -- Only in Sorrow
Quake in Asia
The Quake, Tsunami 26 December
The Homeless of Banda Aceh
Tragedy in Sumatra
The Power of the Wave
A Life Lost
Only in Sorrow
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Tiger Temple, Thailand, near Kanchanaburi
What a story! and it's all true.
I have contacted the photographer who took these photos at the wat/temple/animal sanctuary.....and asked for some more photos, plus some extended commentary.
Once again, this is Flickr. Have you joined today?
*******************
Update: Sometimes people don't realize that they are ready to be great writers. I asked the author of this post and photo about the tigers in Thailand, and this person wrote back....doubting their ability to write anything of interest. How wrong. Just look at this message. It's all here. Questions. Conflict. Doubt. I've written back to this person and asked them for more stories and updates. Here's a great story in the making....
Okay...I posted a few more to the group page, with commentary. Not sure exactly what to say about it though. It was disheartening and fascinating all at the same time. Every person that walks in the door destroys all sense of normalcy, environmentally speaking, for the tigers. But it's necessary to fund their upkeep and upgrade to a better habitat.
****************************
Asia Blog Awards 2004 Results
Cebu Sinulog by Carl Parkes
Torn and Frayed in Manila
Jan 12, 2005
Manila, Philippines
The results are in from the contest run by Simon in Hong Kong, for the best and most popular blogs coming from Asia.......or about Asia. The whole thing was somewhat vague, but many thanks to Simon for running the contest and making it seem quite legitimate. He's now thinking about organizing a blogger blowout in Hong Kong this fall for all the folks who blog about Asia, and I've already purchased my ticket and sold the story rights to Conde Nast Traveler.
A few bloggers are chiming in with their opinions about the contest, but there hasn't really been much original thought (just wait till I get ready), but this one is good from an expat in Manila who sneaks under the radar as Torn and Frayed in Manila:
While on the subject of blogs, and before everyone has forgotten about it, let me make a few comments about the Asia Blog Awards, which finished last week.
I was quite happy with my own showing, a rather poor fourth behind the Sassy Lawyer, Pinoy Blog and Manuel Quezon. My only slight quibble would be whether “Pinoy Blog” is really a blog, being a compendium of comments from other Philippine weblogs, but that’s OK, it’s good that’s the main thing. The Sassy Lawyer in Philippine Suburbia is obviously the best blog here and Manolo Quezon has the authority and historical perspective that some of the rest of us lack, so it was an honour be defeated by them. And of course they are both Filipinos which is as it should be for the winners of the Philippine category.
However, I did have a problem with the omission of some blogs from the Philippines, notably Caffeine Sparks. It would have been nice if the awards could have given some recognition to the many excellent young Filipino bloggers, rather than to worn-out ex pat hacks like me. The same applies to the nominations from India, which left out my favourite “Under the fire star”.
I was amused to see how the ferocity of the competition mirrored certain national characteristics. In Korea, for example, the bitchiness reflected the fierce competitiveness of the Korean personality and the slightly uneasy relations between locals and ex pats (I don’t know whether it is still true, but there have been several recorded instances of Korean girls being attacked merely for going out with a foreigner).
I was amazed to hear that some supporters of certain Hong Kong blogs had taken the competition so seriously that they had left derogatory comments on competing blogs. Then I remembered that I lived on planet earth and that is how some people here like to do things.
In the Philippines, on the other hand, the competition was, to my knowledge, very collegial. The best woman won and I haven’t heard any complaints. Come to think of it, the fact that a blog obviously kept by a foreigner would be selected as “Pinoy blog of the week” says a lot about why it is so pleasant to live here — so far as I can tell, that would be very unlikely to happen in, say, Korea.
Are such competitions a good thing? I don’t find it easy to answer that. On the one hand, anything that gives blogs some publicity is valuable, and I certainly discovered some fantastic blogs I’d never heard of (including “Simon World”, the blog that ran the competition). On the other hand, blogs are so dissimilar that the competition did end up being apples and oranges in many cases. Perhaps it’s just the old hippy in me, but I do have some unease about making such a contemplative activity competitive. Take my friend Gigi’s site, just added to the list on the right. Can her voyages of self-discovery really be compared with, say, Sassy’s sharp political analysis?
Having a "blog of the week" seems as good at promoting blogs as awards, without getting the competitive juices flowing quite as strongly. I think the blog of the week is a splendid thing and I'm going to have a drink to celebrate. Cheers!
Torn and Frayed in Manila Posts about Asia Blog Awards 2004 from Simon World
Thailand Needs Your Tourist Dollar
Welcome Back Tourists!
I've been posting a long series of photos from the tsunami devastation around Asia, but want to make it clear that most of Thailand is still in business and tourists are more than welcome, to bring their fat-ass bodies and fat-ass wallets to the Kingdom. Phuket was barely touched by the waves and most of the hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops and bars are now open. Khao Lak, two hours north of Phuket, was wiped out and Phi Phi Island will need some time. But Thailand is open for business and tourists are strongly encouraged to go there and spend their bucks.
The Thai people need your money. Go to Thailand and enjoy yourself. And do please help out those ladyboys:
Patong's ladyboys struggle to cope in badly damaged tourist industry
Jonathan Watts in Patong beach
Monday January 10, 2005
The Guardian
Even without the high heels and the giant blue plumes of her feathered headdress, Jana is a very tall girl. In fact, she normally towers over most of the customers at the Moulin Rose (sic) cabaret club, where she performs lip-synch renditions of The Power of Love. But tonight, she is slumped in a chair and feeling low. For Jana is one of the hundreds of "lady-boys" on the red-light strip of Patong beach who survived the tsunami but are struggling to cope with its economic aftermath: the devastation of a large chunk of Thailand's tourist industry.
Like the prostitutes, masseurs, go-go dancers and kick-boxers who make a living in this hotbed of exoticism and sleaze, the transsexual population of Patong are struggling to make ends meet because the foreigners they rely on for business are being warned by their governments to stay away from the disaster zone.
They are too much of an embarrassment to the authorities to merit much support from the government, particularly at a time when the world's attention is focused on the search for foreign victims of the disaster. But their plight - and the knock-on effect on their families - is as pitiful as the suffering of the thousands of diving instructors, tour guides and hotel operators who are also suddenly unable to make a living.
Jana is most concerned about her parents. Although her father beat her during childhood to try to make her more masculine, Jana sends home two-thirds of the 9,000 baht (£130) that she earns each month from salary and tips. A personal worry is how she will pay for the 700 baht she says she needs each month to make her breasts bigger.
"These past two days, I had to go to hospital, I was so upset. I've just been crying and crying," says Jana. "How can I keep going? How can I look after my family?" She estimates that Patong is second only to Bangkok as the transsexual capital of the world. But of the 500 ladyboys who used to work in the town, more than a fifth have already fled to other tourist destinations such as Ko Samui in search of work.
The story is similar across the 500-metre-long strip. Two weeks ago, the three giant waves destroyed about a dozen bars, nightclubs and trinket shops closest to the beach, but it is only now that the survivors are starting to realise its economic impact. At the Tiger Bar, skimpily clad young women hang listlessly on the poles where they used to writhe. DJs at the cavernous Crocodile disco pump techno music out across an empty dancefloor. Masseurs chat idly on the street and grab desperately at the hands of the few remaining tourists they see walking by.
"I haven't had a customer all week," says Phoy, a petite 25-year-old with a tiny, tight red miniskirt and pencilled eyebrows who works at the Tweety Bar. "Usually, I get Japanese customers, who pay good money - 2,000 to 5,000 baht to take me back to their rooms - but now, all the Japanese have gone. I worry how I will look after my five-year old daughter."
As their business is on the edge of accepted social norms, this large community of thousands has received little international sympathy. As one foreign visitor noted: "If there really is a god, why did he allow Patong beach to remain standing while the tsunami destroyed so many other places?" But Patong's red-light strip exists because many foreign tourists enjoyed its exotic atmosphere, just as many other holidaymakers liked the golden beaches and azure waters of this area, which is one of the world's most popular tourist resorts.
When he visited Thailand on Friday, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, toured Patong's beach, but understandably did not wander through its red-light district. Impressed by the rebuilding work, he said he would review the UK government's warning to tourists to stay away from the area. That would be a giant step forward for the redevelopment of southern Thailand. Jana and Phoy are unlikely to ever be pin-ups for charity appeals, but they and tens of thousands of other tourist industry workers know that the best way to get this part of the world back on its feet is for foreigners to return here on holiday.
The Ladyboys of Patong Phuket are Open for Business
Earthquake and Tsunami Charities
Tsunami Over Fuji
Below is a listing of non-profit agencies working to provide assistance to people affected by the earthquake and tsunamis. You may donate money to them by mail, phone, or through their web sites, which are linked below.
This list was compiled by USAID, the U.S. government agency responsible for economic and humanitarian assistance around the world. As a U.S. Federal government agency, USAID does not accept donations. However, it works together with many of the organizations below to provide U.S. taxpayer assistance to the victims of the earthquake/tsunami.
From the US Senate Page for Senator Mary Landrieu
Action Against Hunger
247 West 37th Street
New York , NY 10018
212-967-7800
www.actionagainsthunger.org
ADRA International
Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring , MD 20904
800-424-ADRA (2372)
www.adra.org
Air Serv International
6583 Merchant Place, Suite 100
Warrenton , VA 20187
540-428-2323
www.airserv.org
American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia , PA 19102
888-588-2372
www.afsc.org
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.
JDC-South Asia Tsunami Relief
P.O. Box 321
847A Second Avenue
New York, New York 10017
212-885-0832
www.jdc.org
American Jewish World Service
45 W. 36th St. , 10th Fl.
New York , NY 10018
212-736-2597
www.ajws.org
American Red Cross
International Response Fund
2025 E St. NW
Washington , DC 20006
800-HELP-NOW
www.redcross.org
American Refugee Committee
Tsunami Relief
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-872-7060
www.redcross.org
AmeriCares
88 Hamilton Ave
Stamford, CT 06902
800-486-4357
www.americares.org
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT)
Tsunami Fund
6810 Tilden Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
301-984-0217
www.amurt.net
Baptist World Aid
Asia Tidal Waves
405 North Washington Street
Falls Church, VA 22046
703 790 8980
www.bwanet.org/bwaid
B'nai B'rith International
B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund
2020 K Street NW
7th Floor
Washington , DC 20006
212-490-3290
www.bnaibrith.org
Brother's Brother Foundation
1200 Galveston Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
412-321-3160
www.brothersbrother.org
CARE
151 Ellis Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-521-CARE
www.care.org
Catholic Medical Mission Board
10 West 17th Street
New York, New York 10011
800-678-5659
www.cmmb.org
Catholic Relief Services
209 West Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
877-HELP-CRS
www.catholicrelief.org
CHF International
8601 Georgia Ave. Suite 800
Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
301-587-4700
www.chfhq.org
Christian Children's Fund
Child Alert Fund
PO Box 26484
Richmond, Virginia - 23261-6484
800-776-6767
www.ChristianChildrensFund.org
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
South Asia Earthquake
2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI , 49560
800-55-CRWRC
www.crwrc.org
Church World Service
PO Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
800-297-1516
www.churchworldservice.org
Concern Worldwide, US
104 East 40th Street, Suite 903
New York, NY 10016
212-557-8000
www.concernusa.org
Direct Relief International
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
805-964-4767
www.directrelief.org
Episcopal Relief and Development
South Asia Relief Fund
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
800-334-7626, ext. 5129
www.er-d.org
Food for the Hungry, Inc.
Food for the Hungry
Asia Quake Relief
1224 E. Washington St .
Phoenix , AZ 85034
800-2-HUNGERS
www.fh.org
Habitat for Humanity International
Asia Tsunami Response Fund
121 Habitat St
Americus, GA 31709
229-924-6935
www.habitat.org
Heart to Heart International
401 S. Clairborne
Suite 302
Olathe, KS 66062
888-800-4327
www.hearttoheart.org
International Aid
17011 W. Hickory
Spring Lake, MI 49456
800-968-7490
www.internationalaid.org
International Medical Corps
Tsunami Emergency Response
1919 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90404-1950
800-481-4462
www.imcworldwide.org
International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
Asia Disaster Response
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, MD 21263-0225
877-803-4622
www.iocc.org
International Relief and Development, Inc.
1621 N Kent Street, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22209
703-248-0161
www.ird-dc.org
International Relief Teams
Asia Earthquake/Floods
3547 Camino Del Rio South, Suite C
San Diego , CA 92108
619-284-7979
www.IRTeams.org
International Rescue Committee
PO Box 5058
Hagerstown , MD 21741-9874
877-REFUGEE or 733-8433
www.theIRC.org
Latter-Day Saint Charities
Welfare Services Emergency Response
50 East North Temple Street , Room 701
Salt Lake City , Utah , 84150-6800
801-240-3544
www.lds.org/humanitarian
Lutheran World Relief
South Asia Tsunami
700 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-230-2700
www.lwr.org
MAP International
P.O. Box 215000
Brunswick, GA 31521
800-225-8550
www.map.org
Mercy Corps
Southeast Asia Earthquake
Dept. W
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
800-852-2100
www.mercycorps.org
Mercy-USA for Aid and Development
Tsunami Disaster Relief
44450 Pinetree Drive, Suite 201
Plymouth, Michigan 48170-3869
800-556-3729
www.mercyusa.org
Northwest Medical Teams
SE Asia Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 10
Portland, OR 97207
800-959-4325 (HEAL)
www.nwmedicalteams.org
Operation Blessing International
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Relief
977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach , VA 23463
800-730-2537
www.ob.org
Operation USA
8320 Melrose Ave. #200
Los Angeles , CA 90069
800-678-8876
www.opusa.org
Oxfam America
Asian Earthquake Fund
PO Box 1211
Albert Lea, MN 56007-1211
800-77-OXFAM
www.oxfamamerica.org
Plan USA
Asia Disaster
155 Plan Way
Warwick, RI 02886
800-556-7918
www.planusa.org
Project Concern International
5151 Murphy Canyon Road Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92123
858-279-9690
www.projectconcern.org
Project HOPE
Asia Tsunami Response
255 Carter Hall Lane
Millwood, VA 22646
800-544-4673
www.projecthope.org
Relief International
Asia Earthquake Response
1575 Westwood Blvd., Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-478-1200
www.ri.org
Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO)
South Asia Relief Fund
615 Slaters Lane
Alexandria, VA , 22313
800-SAL-ARMY
www.1800salarmy.org
Samaritan's Purse
P.O. Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
Phone (828) 262-1980
Fax (828) 266-1053
www.samaritanspurse.org
Save the Children
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
1-800-728-3843
www.savethechildren.org
Stop Hunger Now
SE Asia Crisis
2501 Clark Ave, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27607
888-501-8440
www.stophungernow.org
United Methodist Committee on Relief
Advance #274305, South Asia Emergency
475 Riverside Drive
Room 330
New York , NY 10115
212-870-3815
www.methodistrelief.org
United Way International
United Way South Asia Response Fund
701 N Fairfax St
Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
703-519-0092
www.unitedway.org/tsunamiresponse
US Fund for UNICEF
General Emergency Fund
333 E. 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
800-4-UNICEF
www.unicefusa.org
World Concern
Asia Earthquake and Tsunami
19303 Fremont Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98133
800-755-5022
www.worldconcern.org
World Emergency Relief
2270-D Camino Vida Roble
Carlsbad , CA 92009
760-930-8001
www.worldemergencyrelief.org
World Hope International
Asia Relief
P.O. Box 96338
Washington DC 20090
888-466-4673
www.worldhope.org
World Relief
SE Asia Earthquake/Tsunamis
7 East Baltimore St
Baltimore MD 21202
800-535-5433
www.worldrelief.org
World Vision
P.O. Box 70288
Tacoma, WA 98481-0288
800-56-CHILD
www.worldvision.org
From the US Senate Page for Senator Mary Landrieu
Escape from America
Ko Phi Phi by Carl Parkes
I just love this website and the wonderful folks at Escape from America are generous enough to send me a free email each month with their latest stories. Yes, I suggest you subscribe:
Escape From America Magazine January 2005
Welcome to Volume Seven Issue Number One - January 2005
Swimming In Brazil
Robin Sparks
Shark Attack
Stefano, who once tooled around Miami in a long yellow Cadillac, played professional tennis in France, frequented the international party circuit between Uruguay, Marabella, and Paris, and now hides out in Buzios from who knows who, is a victim of Argentina's recent economic crisis. But he is also my angelfish. Stefano shows me where the ATM machine is, he drops me off at the Casa de Paz Meditation Center (and tells me I'll find him meditating on a bar stool), he introduces me to his Argentine friends at a private party, and he changes my flat tire three times!
Hey! I know Robin! We keep bumping into each other at the monthly meetings of Wild Writers here in San Francisco at the Monticello Hotel.
Renovating A Home In Mexico
Expats In Mexico
Sandy Caputo
So you think you’d like to own a home in your newly adopted Mexico. You’ve overcome your fear of all those horror stories of years past that the government could somehow reclaim the property. You’ve found a city that meets all your climate, cultural, cost-of-living and required services criteria. Now you’re faced with another major decision: build or renovate?
Your Own Offshore Euro Bank Account
[This is the advertising portion of the newsletter, but still interesting....]
Corporate Euro Bank Account - Plus Offshore Numbered Dollar Account & Anonymous Offshore Debit Card - We provide you with an secure offshore address -
An Accountant In Argentina
An Interview With Joel Graham
Mark McMahon
We have military intelligence, jumbo shrimp, and my pal Joel, an adventurous accountant. You may remember him from my visits to Buenos Aires, (Living Large, Nov. 4, 2003 ). Joel is a C.P.A. from California, who took his job with him 3,000 miles south to Argentina. Having traveled to 87 countries, he has never let his desk job prevent him from indulging in his passion. In this interview Joel talks about how, and why, he made his dream a reality.
Japanese Drinking Culture
A Night On the Town With Japanese Businessmen
Anna Miller
A few weeks ago, I experienced something I had studied about in university and heard much about during my stay in Japan - the company after-work party. Of all the things that make Japan different from western countries, the after-work party always seemed to me to be the one experience that would not be open to me. Japan has a very strict corporate environment. Following World War II, Japan`s push to rebuild its economy left no room for non-comformity. Business men (and recently, businesswomen) habitually worked longer than the western standard of 8 hours, sometimes staying over at the office when they missed the last train home.
Retire In The Caribbean On $800 A Month?
Isla Margarita
Karl Ike
[Note: this is also advertising, but worth reading in my opinion]
Do you know the average life span in the United States is 76.9 years? That’s 28,068 days and I have already lived 21,900 of them, which means that I have only 6168 days left and I really want to make the most of them. That is unless I get T-boned at an intersection going to a job that I don’t like and get to work with a bunch of people that I do not socialize with away from work, but I get to do the same thing every weekend except for two weeks a year on my paid vacation. Then I get to clean out the garage and sleep late. I really don’t think I will ever see 76.9 cause if I don’t get T-boned going to work, a cancer will probably rot a part of my body away.
Best Buy On The Entire Pacific Coast
Your Own Beach House
Purchase an 882 square foot Beach House in Nicaragua for only $80,000
[Note: more advertising, but who could resist this lure?]
Built of Brazilian Hardwood - Live there, surf there, jet ski there, fish there, retire there, have a garden there and live a life without the endless restrictions placed on you that are now placed on you in the USA and/or in Europe. In Europe you need a permit to windsurf, jet ski, or dive, no joke; in the USA you don't need a permit (yet) but you can't find a beach that isn't totally overcrowded; you can't park your car, you can't find a place to set up your gear, it's a madhouse on the beach, and when you finally do get out in the water it's a major aquatic traffic jam.
Now you can own your own beach house - you don't have to put up with crowds, permits, parking problems, or any other prohibitions when you own your own beach house. You can now afford your own beach house and you can own it for the rest of your life. Your own Pacific beachfront home ...providing a safe retreat whenever you want ...and a rental income whenever you're not using it...for just $80,000. Click here to read more
Brazil Or Bust
Making A Change
Andy Neill
[OK, back to the regular features.........]
The story really starts back in 1999, when I moved to San Diego, California to marry a lady I had met who lived there. We both thought it would be forever. It wasn’t. Having already moved 2000 miles, at least, from family and friends, when the separation occurred it was not too much of a stretch to think “outside the box”.
Tango-ing Down Under
Tango In New Zealand
Candy Green
On the #28 bus from Christchurch to my home in Lyttelton I sat next to an attractive “older woman.” Her long white hair was piled up on her head. Her complexion was clear, her eyes bright. Her figure was trim. She carried a back pack. She might have been in her 60s, but she looked great. For some providential reason, I’m sure, we ended up sitting next to each other.
I Want A Property In Spain
Real Estate In Spain
[Note: more advertising, but interesting advertising.......]
If you have decided to buy a property in Spain, there has never been a better time to set the wheels in motion. Interest rates are low at the moment and there is an absolutely fabulous selection of properties to choose from.
A Few More Reflections From Colima
Notes From Mexico
Jurgen Klemann
In the course of time the list of my favourite restaurants in Colima has been gradually expanding. Because I tend to be a little “fresa y chocante” (Spanish slang for arrogant and difficult), to enjoy the privilege of joining that list these restaurants must have something that makes them stand out of the crowd. The first restaurant in Colima that fit the bill was "Los Naranjos Campestre”. The second restaurant that made it onto my list was “Los Olivos”. The dining rooms in both restaurants are surrounded by tropical plants and trees. Both restaurants manage to create a relaxed ambience by having classical music – where it belongs – in the background.
How To Live And Work In Paris
One American Shares The Secrets Of Navigating la vie Française
Adrian Leeds
Thousands of Americans of all ages come here every year in the hopes of a job, career, new friends -- in short, a new life. Paris is very séduisant (seductive), so if you come here on vacation once or twice, it's easy to get hooked. Beauty, culture, cuisine, language, style, art, literature, history, romance, architecture...it's all here for the asking, as long as you're willing to pay the price.
An Amazon Christmas Story
In The Colombian Amazon
El Vagabundo
I stare out of the front of the boat at an unbroken plain of green. This vast prairie of water lilies is home to a myriad of birds with exotic names (tuci-tuci, garza, urututu, tijerilla), spiders and dragonflies of varying colors and the occasional caiman. Over the river and through the woods.
Escape from America
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
The Lost People of Andaman
Brahma in Three Views
Search still on for ancient Nicobar tribe
Source: Deccan Herald (Indian newspaper)
Rescue authorities under the Integrated Relief Command (IRC) are not giving up search operations in the battered parts of the Andaman & Nicobar islands for an ancient tribe. But they have expressed concern over failure to contact so far one of the aboriginal and Mongoloid tribes classified as Shompens living in the southern most tip of Great Nicobar island.
"We are sending men wherever smoke is found rising from the forest but with no success so far," Lt General B S Thakur told Deccan Herald here on Monday. "However, we strongly believe that they are safe and we have asked the locals for relaying us any information that they may have on the Shompens," he said.
Except the Shompens, information about other aboriginal tribes like Jarawas, Sentinelese, Great Andamanese and Onges has already reached the IRC. The Shompens lead a semi-nomadic and primitive life. They camp in difficult and remote terrain on the thickly forested stretches of Great Nicobar, 540 kms by sea from Port Blair, making it extremely difficult to establish contact.
On unconfirmed reports in Great Andaman that unlike the Onges and the Great Andamanese, the Shompens who have so far shunned the civilised world, were keen to receive medical help now, he said IRC personnel were trying to verify them.
"We cannot act on the basis of heresy, we need to pursue some definite leads about them" he said. On whether the IRC had the requisite apparatus for thermo-imaging to help locate survivors in dense jungles, Lt Gen Thakur said Great Nicobar is just 90 miles from Sumatra, the epicentre of the 9-plus quake of December 26.
The Shompens traditionally put out to sea early in the morning in their canoes and return before the sun gets hot. The timing of the tsunami could have made them vulnerable as the giant waves could have smashed their boats to smithereens.
But these primitive tribes have been gifted with a rare power of sensing disaster which might have prevented them from setting out on that fateful morning.
The Shompens roughly number between 150 and 200 but there has been no headcount in view of the inhospitable terrain they live in, and difficulties in making contact.
The Andaman & Nicobar tribals came into first direct contact with the rest of world when the British occupied the islands in the late 19th century. The Negrito tribe living in the Andamans are perhaps the most ancient race on the planet. Some of their traits resemble those practised in the Stone Age.
According to an overseas researcher who has done a study of DNA fingerprints of the Andaman tribes, the antiquity of the aboriginals is anywhere between 30,000 and 70,000 years.This has not been confirmed even though other studies later somewhat concur.
What Happened to the Lost People of Nicobar and Andaman?
Better half
And his messages about a village near Chiang Rai, where he wants to retire someday, but can't right now, perhaps since he's not old enough to collect a pension or retirement? This is the beauty of Flickr, connections between people and photographers around the world. And wondering about their stories.
Catblogging
This Cat Surfed the Tsunami in Sri Lanka!
I've been consumed with tsunami blogging over the last two weeks, and have neglected my longstanding tradition of Saturday Cat blogs on....well, sometimes on Saturday. Or Sunday. Or later. So I've given up that promise I made to my many, many thousands of fans, and have changed the Saturday Cat into Catblogging! Isn't that exciting? No more limitations about only blogging cats on Saturdays, but cats can rain any day of the week. My daily stats are gonna rocket, but at least I've now got that second job to cover the extra bandwidth. I work, and I cat blog. That's my life.
Bring Lawyers, Guns and Money
If you're a photographer, then you should join Flickr. It's free for your first 100 images. Try it, and join my groups (see my Profile for the complete list)...and post some of your great photos for everyone to enjoy.
New Buddhist Temple south of Chiang Rai
Here's one, some 15 km south of Chiang Rai. Posted at Flickr in Thailand Images group, which I admin. There's another great new Buddhist temple on the lake in Payao (Phayao), with superb modern artwork. Anyone know of any others?
Philippines Images at Flickr
Monday, January 10, 2005
The Horror of Scandanavia
Newspaper The Star Ledger
Newspaper Swedish 02
Newspaper Swedish
Newspaper The Guardian
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Farang Life from Planet Bangkok
A Story from Thailand
Pretty slow afternoon here in San Francisco, but I did find time between the rain storms to blaze over to the nearby grocery store and pick up a 20 pound bag of jasmine rice. Of course, the clerks looked at me like I was an idiot - a white guy who buys Thai rice in such quantities? Also looked for some of my favorite cigars (Anthony and Cleopatra, Grenadier Dark) but the cigar store wasn't open and the other place on Polk Street has dropped my brand. Damn them. Guess I'll just wait for the shipment from Florida.
Two great football games last night, but the Denver/Indianapolis game in progress is a bore with 13 seconds left and the score at 24-49 in favor of the Colts, not Broncos. Another game starts now, so instead of some heavy duty thinking and posting, here's a fine, fine story I just stole from Planet Bangkok:
Planet Bangkok
January 09, 2005
Expat Issues
Living in Thailand...a savage journey towards madness?
I'm sure many of us have seen those insane farangs stumbling down the sois of Thailand, bickering over restaurant bills, cursing at Tuk-Tuk drivers, or sprawled out flat on their backs choking on Sang Som induced vomit. These are all too familiar scenes. What factors influence the transformation from resident expat to savage beast? More importantly, what fate awaits the farang gone mad in Thailand?
Many people come to Thailand to escape their sorrows and troubles that were plaguing them in their home country. Most often or not, these sorrows will follow you wherever you go and will eventually fester and grow deeper over time. Living in a foreign country is difficult under any circumstances, but can become much more strenuous when coupled with nagging problems from home. Many farangs live an isolated existence here. Depending on your location in the kingdom, fellow expats may be hard to find. Many of us have not mastered the Thai language and we struggle through each day speaking Thai no more fluent than a two year old child. Meaningful conversations become impossible. Alcohol becomes the expat's only companion.
For example, I was at this local expat hole-in-the-wall, and this ancient European farang sat at my table to share his information. He said, "Your as good as dead if you begin to crave this swill" as he waved a bottle of Beer Chang in my face. He showed us a few pictures of his lovely Thai wife and child, but commented that they were "long gone now" and that "these bloody Thai women, they're all thieves...that's why I carry this." The steak knife he pulled from his belt was impressive, but quite rusty and dull. I whispered to my friend that we "should get the hell away from this poor bastard before he starts pointing that knife at the waitress." The large bartender looming in the background was watching our table's every move, and perhaps he and a few of his friends were formulating a plan to take all three of us out back and beat us repeatedly with large sticks. It was definitely time to make a retreat. As H.S.T. once said, never turn your back on a drug, especially if it's waving a razor-sharp hunting knife in your face. In this case, the drug was Beer Chang, and the steak knife may not have been razor-sharp, but it could have poked an eye out or something. We stepped slowly away from the table backwards, keeping an eye on the drunk while signaling to the bartender now standing behind him that he was crazy.
I also recall a story in the Phuket Gazette telling of a grey-haired farang wreaking havoc on the roads of Phuket. It seems he was driving around on his motorbike, randomly kicking Thai drivers off of their bikes. A few weeks later I read that the crazy bastard was found dead on a beach. Thai people are a very warm and friendly bunch, but if you piss them off god help you. Thais have mastered the art of revenge and when a person is capable of finding a hitman in this kingdom for couple of thousand baht, you best be courteous and polite at all times.
These are only a few examples of the savage depths the insane farang can reach. There is a lesson to be learned here: madness will affect most expats living here at one time or another. What separates us from the animals is our ability to observe those moments of irrational thought, those early signs of declining mental health. But, what makes us truly human is our decision to ignore them. If you're a loner, or a hermit-like expat, surely insanity will get the best of you as the warning signs become less apparent when you're in the middle of a month long Beer Chang binge. It's probably best to surround yourself with friends who would recognize the early signs of madness and perhaps steer you towards a professional psychiatrist of some sort. But, if you're an offensive asshole incapable of maintaining friendships, you may end up dead on a beach, or even worse, randomly wielding rusty steak-knives at innocent, unsuspecting Thai people...and who knows what horrible fate that could bring upon you.
Posted by Terrance Mann at January 9, 2005 11:06 PM
Terrance Mann at Planet Bangkok
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Asia Blog Awards 2004 Results
Best HK Blog Best Newcomer 2004 Funniest Blog
Simon World
The ballots have been counted and the results are in for the Asia Blog Awards 2004 hosted by Simon of Simon World in Hong Kong. After all the controversy, back biting, rumor control, lost bloggers in Wanchai bars, disgruntled fashionistas in Hong Kong, jealously fits throughout the region. accusations of cheating and "cookie dropping" (not to mention ISP refreshing), and questions about the morality of blog popularity contests...........here are the winners and losers. Click a category for all the horrors and thrills:
Best Mainland China Blog
Best Korea Blog
Best Taiwan Blog
Best Singapore Blog
Best Malaysia Blog
Best Thai Blog
Best Indonesia Blog
Best Japan Blog
Best Philippines Blog
Best India Blog
Best Bangladesh Blog
Best Pakistan Blog
Best Vietnam Blog
Best Central Asian Blog
Best Designed Blog
Best Non-Asian (Foreign) Blog
Best Political Blog
Best Essayist
Best Journal/Diary
Best Photoblog
*******************************
The Contest by the Numbers
Note: This numerical survey was taken today, and voting actually ended a few days ago, so the numbers below are not exactly correct....though pretty close.
Asia Blog Awards 2004
Best Hong Kong Blog
Blog Votes Percent
1. Gweilo Diaries 219 14%
2. Glutter 329 21%
3. Discombobulated Mia 117 8%
4. Hemlock 142 9%
5. Eshin 58 4%
6. Shaky Kaiser 87 6%
7. Yoga Yuga 108 7%
8. Ordinary Gweilo 73 5%
9. EastSouthWestNorth 315 21%
10. Sweet Chariots 86 6%
Total Votes: 1534
Best Mainland China Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Supernaut 288 18%
2. Shenzhen People 104 7%
3. Metanoiac 194 12%
4. Dan Washburn's Shanghai Diaries 284 18%
5. Angry Chinese Blogger 150 10%
6. Wanbro 180 11%
7. Premium Blend 39 2%
8. Yellow Frog 141 9%
9. Fabian's Hammer 38 2%
10. Sinosplice 156 10%
Total Votes: 1574
Best Korea Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Lost Seouls 235 18%
2. Seouliva 21 2%
3. Asia Pages 95 7%
4. Big Hominid 63 5%
5. Rory Runs Amok 97 7%
6. Korea Life Blog 308 23%
7. Oranckay 30 2%
8. Duophony 30 2%
9. Marmot 266 20%
10. About Joel 170 13%
Total Votes: 1315
Best Taiwan Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. The Taipei Kid 144 20%
2. 35togo 62 8%
3. Poagao's Journal 69 9%
4. Robot Action Boy 51 7%
5. A Better Tomorrow 198 27%
6. Scott Sommers 208 28%
Total Votes: 732
Best Singapore Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Mr Brown 561 31%
2. Sarong Party Frens 75 4%
3. Mr Miyagi's 93 5%
4. Balderdash! 43 2%
5. Myrick 181 10%
6. Daryl Sng 66 4%
7. Life at Ngee Ann 49 3%
8. Popagandhi 132 7%
9. Iz Reloaded 446 25%
10. Idle Days 150 8%
Total Votes: 1796
Best Malaysia Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Macvaysia 81 4%
2. Jogalong 45 2%
3. Rajan 180 10%
4. Jeff Ooi 177 10%
5. Pok Ku 503 27%
6. The Hustler Diaries 378 21%
7. Nik Nazmi 53 3%
8. Suanie 57 3%
9. TV Smith 217 12%
10. ...not a weBlog 151 8%
Total Votes: 1842
Best Thai Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Brain Farts 175 22%
2. 2Bangkok 389 49%
3. Agam's Gecko 236 30%
Total Votes: 800
Best Indonesia Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Jakartass 196 25%
2. Bali Blog 93 12%
3. The Fool has Landed 121 16%
4. Indo Ian 53 7%
5. Batik Baby 43 6%
6. Expiration Date 75 10%
7. Deliciously Disgusting 23 3%
8. Macam-Macam 168 22%
Total Votes: 772
Best Japan Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Sushi Cam 586 38%
2. Adamu's Jappanica 35 2%
3. Nichi Nichi 35 2%
4. Confessions of a Grade School Role Model 110 7%
5. Japan Window 45 3%
6. Based on a true story 43 3%
7. Masamania 378 24%
8. Tokyo Times 227 15%
9. The Tanuki Ramble 88 6%
Total Votes: 1547
Best Philippine Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Manuel L. Quezon III 216 17%
2. Sassy Lawyer in Philippine Suburbia 455 37%
3. The Geejay Journal 22 2%
4. Pinoy Blog 295 24%
5. Cranial Cavity 68 6%
6. Torn and Frayed in Manila 80 6%
7. The Pigpen 28 2%
8. iJames 43 3%
9. Brodcst Msktir 29 2%
Total Votes: 1236
Best India Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Dot Net from India 236 20%
2. Sepia Mutiny 90 8%
3. HERstory 300 26%
4. Amardeep Singh 49 4%
5. The Acorn 106 9%
6. Nerve Endings Firing Away 165 14%
7. Dancing with Dogs 38 3%
8. Notes from France is now from India 24 2%
9. Robi Sen 48 4%
10. Niraj 114 10%
Total Votes: 1170
Best Bangladesh/Sri Lankan Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Extra Extra 220 30%
2. Third World View 83 11%
3. Insert Clever Title Here 50 7%
4. The Color of Rain 101 14%
5. Mood Logic 151 20%
6. Notes From Dystopia 63 8%
7. Busy Minds in a Lazy Shell 74 10%
Total Votes: 742
Best Pakistan Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Roommate Madness 72 8%
2. Venial Sin 285 31%
3. Dareecha 64 7%
4. Chapati Mysetery 266 29%
5. Kvetch Log 30 3%
6. Rambling Monologues 157 17%
7. Ulta Seedha 54 6%
Total Votes: 928
Best Vietnam Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Toi La Nguoi 82 15%
2. No Star Where 171 31%
3. Noodle Pie 78 14%
4. Our Man in Hanoi 143 26%
5. Royby 76 14%
Total Votes: 550
Best Central Asian Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. The Argus 239 43%
2. Sgt. Hook 120 22%
3. Ryan Giordano 105 19%
4. Cresat Sententia - Amanda in Kazakhstan 92 17%
Total Votes: 556
Best Asian Newcomer 2004
Answers Votes Percent
1. Parallel Universes 740 38%
2. Spirit Fingers 500 26%
3. What Not to do in Asia 173 9%
4. Glory glory Tottenham Hotsblog 84 4%
5. My Burmese Life 104 5%
6. Expat at Large 94 5%
7. Imtiaz's weBlog 45 2%
8. Full Throttle 59 3%
9. Why is the platypus 139 7%
Total Votes: 1938
Best Designed Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Life is great 123 10%
2. Unfoldeed Orrigami 90 8%
3. Cranial Cavity 243 21%
4. Full Throttle 32 3%
5. Simon World 370 31%
6. Felisha 30 3%
7. Angel 29 2%
8. Shanghai Diaries 262 22%
Total Votes: 1179
Funniest Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Chase me ladies, I'm in the Cavalry 453 23%
2. What Not to do in Asia 95 5%
3. Lost Seouls 184 9%
4. Big Hominid 128 7%
5. Mr Brown 392 20%
6. Spirit Fingers 405 21%
7. Sinobling 49 2%
8. Shaky Kaiser 51 3%
9. Masamania 204 10%
Total Votes: 1961
Best Non-Asian (Foreign) Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Beautiful Attrocities 203 18%
2. Jalan Jalan 153 13%
3. Aneki 39 3%
4. Kurdo's World 69 6%
5. Hunjangui Karuchim 64 6%
6. Everyday Stranger 66 6%
7. Peking Duck 290 25%
8. Friskodude 256 22%
Total Votes: 1140
Best Essayist
Answers Votes Percent
1. Andres Gentry 196 20%
2. Shanghai Diaries 333 34%
3. HERstory 275 28%
4. Stickman in Bangkok 173 18%
Total Votes: 977
Best Political Blog
Answers Votes Percent
1. Jalan-Jalan 298 34%
2. Inside the Mind of Madness 136 16%
3. China Digital News 152 18%
4. Asian Labour News 279 32%
Total Votes: 865
Best Journal/Diary
Answers Votes Percent
1. Sarong Party Girl 565 51%
2. Xiaxue 396 36%
3. Toi La Nguoi 152 14%
Total Votes: 1113
Best Photoblog
Answers Votes Percent
1. This Way Please 232 13%
2. Preetam 489 27%
3. Japan Window 90 5%
4. Ziboy 94 5%
5. Goh Figure 62 3%
6. Medya Daily 23 1%
7. IZ Reloaded Photoblog 431 24%
8. The Java Jive 196 11%
9. Bad Architecture 180 10%
Total Votes: 1797
Friday, January 07, 2005
A Murder in Jakarta
Nightlife in Jakarta
For God's sake, if you go out in Jakarta, avoid the nightclubs haunted by the sons of the rich and powerful of Indonesia, who carry guns and kill waiters at will. Here are two stories from today's Jakarta Post:
Wealthy, arrogant, armed and above the law
Jakarta Post
Jan 7, 2005
Meydiatama Suryodiningrat
A waiter returns a rejected credit card to a feisty damsel at a table. She responds by complaining to her boyfriend. Coolly he pulls out a revolver then "pops" the waiter in the head -- what a scene. Neither Coppola nor Scorsese could not have directed it better. A plot out of The Godfather or Goodfellas. But we aren't talking about "made men" here, and the setting is nowhere near Sicily. It's no movie. This is real life -- involving real people on New Year's Day at the Hilton hotel in Jakarta.
An innocent waiter putting himself through college shot dead in arrogance by a man born into one of the New Order's influential families.
One can only wonder at what motivated the suspect to shoot a man so coolly in cold blood, or, for that matter, tote a gun at a party at the Hilton. It was not a mob hit, nor was the suspect -- a drunken Adiguna Sutowo, son of former Pertamina chief and Soeharto chum Ibnu Sutowo -- facing any potential danger. What sort of drink makes a man lose his senses so completely that he commits murder? Just how captivating was his lady companion that it moved him to take another life?
The shooting in the wee hours of 2005 typifies the behavior many privileged offspring. Young men who like their sports cars as slick as their guns, their money as easy as their women. Self-proclaimed businessmen whose only business is to exploit their fathers' connections. Vestiges of an era Indonesians have rejected. A dying breed who, apparently, aren't dying fast enough.
The first generation came from familiar stock -- the children of privileged officers and officials from the first decade of the New Order. A nepotistic national corporation which produced businesspeople who were more like freeloaders than entrepreneurs. The potentate of the pack -- Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra -- is in prison. Serving time for ordering the murder of a Supreme Court judge. But the likes of him are still roaming wild and their arrogance emulated by a new generation of spoilt brats.
This time its new stock though. Related to reform era politicians, high priced lawyers or successful tycoons. But they carry with them the same vanity as their predecessors. Son of businessman-cum-politician Oesman Sapta attempted last year to shoot a security guard who tried to intervene in an altercation at the parking lot of a South Jakarta cafe.
In a separate incident a 29-year-old, allegedly connected to an influential Jakarta "businessman" fired half a dozen rounds at a Kijang van after a fender bender with his Porsche. Many cases remain pending, eventually forgotten. "Eighty-six" a common term at police headquarters for sensitive cases conveniently shelved.
Money and influence buys not only fast cars, but also fast justice -- by all accounts the former case remains in limbo while the suspect in the latter one was not even detained. For Adiguna, there is little doubt that he will stand trial. The exposure generated makes the case too big to sweep under the carpet. With proper permits, guns are legal in this country. About 9,702 civilians are registered gun owners in this country, with some 800 in Jakarta.
But permits and regulations do little if gun owners, most of whom hail from upper-class families, continue to act like aristocrats above the law. The objective of reformasi was not simply a revision of political institutions, but a change in consciousness from a class society marked by privilege and rank to one of equity and justice. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government has pledged that corruptors will be prosecuted. Nevertheless, ensuring due process in "ordinary" cases involving the wealthy and influential is just as important in inspiring trust in the police and the beleaguered justice system.
This case is a test as to whether lady justice is truly blind or just shortsighted. An end to impunity, or injustice for all. Otherwise the only value of this latest incident is to remind people: Be careful who you talk to in this town, or you just might end up dead!
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Carrying guns into bars 'commonplace'
Jakarta Post
Jan 7, 2005
Abdul Khalik
Armed people can walk into hotels and bars in Jakarta almost without restriction, with most gun-toters ignoring the requirement to turn in their weapons at the door. Hotel Hilton public relations manager Emeraldo said on Thursday that security guards often turned a blind eye to prominent figures, including military and police officers as well as hotel owners, carrying guns onto the property.
"It is standard procedure to check all people entering our hotel. If they carry a gun they must show their license to the guards and surrender the gun at entrance door. However, in reality several exceptions are made," Emeraldo told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. Many people have expressed concern over the existence of guns inside hotels and bars following the Jan. 1 murder of Yohannes Berchmans Haerudy Natong, alias Rudy, a trainee waiter at the Fluid Club inside the Hilton Hotel.
Police have declared businessman Adiguna Sutowo, a younger brother of Ponco Sutowo, one of the owners of the Hilton Hotel, the sole suspect in the killing. At least three out of 19 witnesses questioned so far have told police that they saw Adiguna pull the trigger. Emeraldo said following the shooting, the owners of the hotel were planning to implement stricter procedures to stop guests carrying guns into the hotel.
"The hotel management is currently discussing stricter application of procedures with the police. I think the hotel's owners have their own considerations after the incident," he said. Secretary-general of the Federation of Hotel and Bar Workers Odie Hudiyanto said carrying guns into hotels and bars was common in the capital because most gun owners were adverse to leaving their guns with guards. He said that hotel and bar employees told him that many guests freely carried guns into hotels and bars in Jakarta.
"Most hotels and bars require guests to leave their guns at the front door. However, most of them don't obey the rule. Several (gun owners) would argue that it is for their own protection that they carry a gun inside," Odie told the Post. He said that in reality they just wanted to show off their guns. "It is an arrogant lifestyle. I frequently overhear somebody say 'I can buy your head' while showing a gun. It is very dangerous, especially in bars offering alcoholic drinks all around," said Odie, an employee at a five-star hotel in the capital.
He said his federation had demanded that the police introduce a clear regulation that prohibits the carrying of guns into hotels, bars and other public places. Indonesia already has laws regulating civilian ownership of guns, including Emergency Law No. 12/1951 on weaponry, Law No. 8/1984 on gun registration and Law No. 28/1997 on the police, but there is no regulation that specifies places where people are prohibited from carrying guns.
Khao Lak Tsunami Aerial Photos
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Khao Lak Tsunami Photos 1
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Why FriskoDude Loves San Francisco
San Francisco Mascots
Dog Dazed in Frisco
Soon, San Francisco's pampered pooches will be able to breathe easier: The city's supervisors are poised to pass an ordinance outlining exactly how "pet guardians" are to treat their canine charges. Under the proposed regulations, food must be palatable and nutritious, shelter must be provided when the "ambient temperature falls below that ... to which the dog is acclimated," and water (provided in a non-tipping bowl, of course) must be changed at least once per day.
One dissenting official pooh-poohed the pooch proposal. "I was reading this, and I thought: Now we're treating dogs better than we treat the homeless," said one of two supes who voted against the doggie mandate. The "only in Frisco" topper: An amendment exempts homeless people with hounds from the ordinance's decrees.
-- Lewis Wallace
Wired News.....not Weird News
Slate on Tsunami Charities
Quake Graphic
The Givers
Using the Web to promote tsunami relief.
David Wallace-Wells
Jan. 6, 2005
Last week's devastating South Asian tsunami struck parts of the world poorly equipped to predict or prepare for the coming of such a disaster—but it struck at a time when the rest of the world was uniquely poised to help. Three years after the sometimes lackluster, sometimes bungled Internet fund-raising campaign that followed Sept. 11 (Internet donations were only about 5 percent of the total raised), the reflexive response to the tsunami, in the last days of December, will likely be remembered as a remarkable finale to a year of historic growth for Internet fund raising.
Fewer than 12 hours after the initial earthquake first shook Sumatra, the South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami blog (nicknamed SEA-EAT) had begun collecting and posting news and resources for those wishing to donate or volunteer. (It has since been visited over a million times.) The day of the disaster, ReliefWeb started compiling press releases from the relevant aid agencies. Within days, the Economist was emphasizing the international humanitarian opportunity alongside the tragedy that created it. BusinessWeek Online argued that private donations would likely surpass public contributions. At the end of an American election year, during which both campaigns and independent interest groups used Web sites and mass e-mails to raise unprecedented contributions and channel them not just to the candidates, but to hundreds of specialized activist organizations, the inevitable path for giving was through the Internet.
By Thursday, 10 days after the disaster, American relief agencies had raised more than $245 million, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The American Red Cross alone has raised more than $106 million, $57 million through its Web site ($15 million of which was contributed by 180,000 Amazon customers). UNICEF has received $20 million from 150,000 online donations. Oxfam America received 80 percent of its $15 million online. The American branch of Doctors Without Borders has raised $16 million through Internet donations. The Chronicle features a list of 55 major corporations that have donated a total of $110 million in cash, medicine, and relief material. (Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer alone contributed $25 million worth of medicine.) The total figure donated by private sources is fast approaching the $350 million in public money President Bush pledged last week.
Across Europe, too, the Internet is helping civilians make donations that exceed those of their governments. According to Voice of America, English citizens have contributed $115 million, $20 million more than the United Kingdom has pledged so far. The British Red Cross raised more than half of its $8 million through Internet giving, and the British arm of Oxfam has also received the majority of its 73,000 donations online.
In the wake of the disaster, the Internet has also proven itself a diligent, if many-headed, watchdog, with numerous sites advising the amateur philanthropist on the most reliable charities and warning him about illegitimate and inexperienced groups he should avoid. (According to BusinessWeek Online, "examples abound of fly-by-night" organizations that pocket donations and flee; the FBI and others have already issued warnings about scurrilous operators.) The Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins issued a good but short list of the best participating aid organizations. The American Institute of Philanthropy, which regularly ranks charitable organizations in terms of effectiveness, compiled an all-star team of humanitarian organizations involved in tsunami relief. The AIP awards each group a letter grade, and its rankings are clear and informative. But the list may overemphasize efficient fund raising. For example, an organization with a small cash reserve that historically hasn't spent very much to raise funds might outrank an organization with a large bank of cash and an established presence in the region.
Internet watchdogs also track institutional transparency, the relative ease with which a prospective donor can trace how her money will be spent—X percent to overhead, Y percent to fund raising, Z percent to relief activities—and discover exactly what kinds of field activity a typical pledge would support. Full, if sometimes outdated, financial details from the IRS can be found at GuideStar.org. And InterAction has detailed and tremendously useful summaries of what more than 160 American groups have planned in the affected areas and what's already under way.
The incredible fund-raising success of the past week, coupled with the premium on transparency, has compelled many groups to be remarkably truthful. Having met (and then doubled) their stated goal, Doctors Without Borders announced that much of what was subsequently donated for their South Asian relief effort will ultimately be redirected to its general-purpose fund. And Oxfam International, basically satisfied with the support received for tsunami relief, has turned its attention toward evergreen causes: debt relief, fair trade, and the campaign to "make poverty history."
In a press release, Oxfam points out another entrenched problem that might be fixed by the new, philanthropic infrastructure of the Internet: deadbeat donors. The United Nations received barely half of the $32.6 million pledged toward its last major aid campaign, following the Iranian earthquake in December 2003. Most of the online contributions to tsunami relief were not pledges, but donations by credit card—not much chance of delinquency there. Hopefully the donor nations will follow suit.
Tsunami Update from Chrenkoff
Japanese Tsunami
Chrenkoff
Jan 7, 2004
Chrenkoff Tsunami Report
For regular news and views about the tsunami's aftermath and the relief effort make sure to visit the Tsunami Help blog. And an Aust-Asian blog Geoffrey MG's Beyond Wallacia is also keeping track on developments in the region. Update: Indian-based journalist Amit Varma has been for the past week travelling around the tsunami-affected areas of Tamil Nadu state - and he's blogging about it at India Uncut.
Who's giving what: As at the Jakarta aid summit, the grand total of government pledges stands at $3.7 billion, with another $630 million flowing into the region from private sources. Some of the highlights (and there are far too many cases to list individually):
Australia becomes the largest single donor with A$1 billion aid package composed of A$500 million in direct assistance and A$500 million in concessional loans.
The European Union: "The European Commission pledged an additional 350 million euros ($462 million) over three years... The European Union also proposed a 1 billion euro concessional loan through the European Investment Bank to help finance reconstruction efforts."
And this, from a seemingly unlikeliest place:
"Afghans donated blood on Wednesday for the victims of last week’s devastating tsunami, and the government asked the US military to help it send war-hardened doctors to the disaster zone. About a dozen medics and a planeload of medicine and equipment would leave for India and Sri Lanka as soon as possible, the Defence Ministry said. 'We have our own problems, but we are part of the family of nations,' said ministry spokesman Gen Zaher Mohammed Azimi. 'The people of Afghanistan are saddened by this disaster'."Just goes to show that you're never too poor or troubled not to show some charity and human spirit.
Steven Spielberg and his family have donated $1.5 million.
Soccer's international governing body FIFA has set up a $3 million aid fund.
In Hong Kong: "More than 760 prisoners in the high-security Stanley Prison, where some of the city's most hardened criminals are locked up, have donated HK$141,788 (US$18,178) after learning of the Dec. 26 catastrophe."
And in Denmark, "homeless alcoholics" are collecting for the victims. "Living in Blue Cross shelters across Denmark, a Nordic welfare state, [they] have collected almost 19,000 crowns ($4424) in a drive launched in protest against the government's initially 'stingy' donation of 10 million crowns."
Barcepundit is disappointed with the official Spanish response.
Meanwhile, Chuck Simmins keeps a tally of donations by "stingy Americans" (link in PDF).
And for all the (mostly) left-wing critics castigating governments and businesses for the inadequate response:
"The United Nations and international donors on Thursday faced an unusual problem as they sought to rally help for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami: not a shortage of money, but a surfeit - or at least far more promised cash than they can use in the coming months.On the ground: "U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has flown over the worst scenes of devastation from Asia's tsunami and said it was more horrifying than wars he had witnessed during decades as a soldier." Others, however, still find the United States to be more horrifying that the tsunami.
"An outpouring of public donations and government pledges from around the world has created an embarrassment of riches. The $5bn (€3.8bn, £2.65bn) promised amounts to about $1,000 for each of the estimated 5m people affected, much more than the typical annual income of a Sri Lankan fisherman or an Indian villager, let alone an African peasant. [emphasis added]
"UN officials do not want to stop the money flowing, but they admit that it poses some unexpected challenges, not least because the pledges are already five times greater than the $977m appeal launched on Thursday by Kofi Annan, UN secretary general, for emergency tsunami relief efforts over the next six months."
Meanwhile, there is one place in the region where the extent of the catastrophe is unknown to the outside world: Myanmar, formerly known as Burma:
"Superstition, distrust and a secretive military regime are making it difficult to assess the death toll and damage from the Dec. 26 tsunami in Myanmar, a country ruled by dictators since 1962. 'There's an age-old superstition that if there's a big natural disaster, there's going to be a new king or a regime change,' says [human rights activist] Stephen Dun of Seattle. 'That's one of the reasons they're keeping a big blanket on this whole situation'."Change of government in Myanmar? Let's hope so. It clearly would be a case of something good coming out of a tragedy.
The aid diplomacy: In Indonesia, the American aid is being received with gratitude:
"American tsunami relief aid is being welcomed in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country and a nation that has been critical of the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan.But it doesn't stop those who aren't actually affected from being the armchair critics:
"As Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Sumatra island Wednesday, survivors, aid workers and others expressed gratitude for American aid. Some said it fostered a feeling of brotherhood, and, that like any helping hand, could bring the two nations closer. Others felt it could help America's tattered image in the Muslim world.
" 'America is the police of the world. But at the same time, they are helping us. And we are grateful,' said Mohamed Bachid Madjid, peering from a bridge into the rubble-cluttered Aceh River. 'It's not true that Muslims hate America'."
"Even when America is doing something for Muslims, it comes in for criticism in the Middle East, where resentment and suspicion color thinking about the United States. On the streets of Tehran, the Iranian capital, technician Dariush Darabian accused Americans of 'talking more than they actually do.' Jordanian columnist Aida al-Najjar wrote in the independent daily Ad-Dustour that the United States was exploiting "the suffering of people" to try to improve its image. In the pages of pro-government Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, columnist Salah Montasser scoffed that America's initial allocation of $15 million 'is less than what America spends every minute in its war in Iraq'."Another story from Indonesia:
"The U.S. servicemen have been logging 24-hour shifts in sweltering humidity, but their voices bubble with enthusiasm as they describe the welcome they've received in the most conservative Islamic province of this Muslim country. 'We get lots of smiles, lots of thumbs-up,' says Chief Petty Officer Matthew Schwantz, 29, of Beaufort, S.C. He's part of a squadron that has been flying off the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to bring aid to victims of the tsunami that struck Dec. 26. 'The people are very appreciative'."Other members of the new Coalition of the Willing is also forging closer ties with the region:
"You were the first to phone. You were the first to have aircraft on the ground... That is a gesture I will never forget."That's Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono speaking to Australian prime minister John Howard.
Japan, too, is quite active: $500 million pledged in grants, freezing the debts of tsunami-affected countries (worth some $65 billion), and dispatching its navy (still quaintly known as "the maritime self-defence force") to assist with the humanitarian relief. As "Japan Today" writes:
"By making what many view as a quick and generous gesture, Japanese government officials admit Tokyo hoped not only to assist fellow Asian countries affected by the Dec 26 disaster but also to boost its campaign to seek a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council."Hey, how about a seat for Australia, too?
No wonder the United Nations was getting jealous. Kofi Annan must be pretty happy that the coalition is getting disbanded and subsumed by the United Nations "effort". Time for business as usual?
"The UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, insisted yesterday that 'everyone accepted' the UN's leadership in the global drive to bring relief to Asia, as he sought to answer mounting questions over who was heading the aid effort. 'There was clear leadership at the beginning and everyone accepted the UN's leadership,' Mr Annan said in an interview with CNN."The report also contains an interesting perspective on why the Americans themselves seem to be keen to hand the ball over to the UN:
"Other diplomats said there was concern that if the huge relief effort breaks down, the US would prefer not to be in the lead role."Conspiracy theories live on: ...among the Islamic web sites. The latest one: "the annihilation of the Diego Garcia base": "The whole world is wondering about the silence of the American government on the fate of this base, situated at the core of the catastrophe and from where B-52 bombers took off to bomb our Muslim brothers in Afghanistan and Iraq," writes one poster on a message board. "It seems that the base was wiped off the map. But given their difficulties in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Americans do not want to announce it so as not to sap the morale of their soldiers," writes another. And this sinister view of America's offer to help set up an Indian Ocean early warning system for earthquakes and tsunamis:
"Certainly we cannot blame the United States for the quake which caused the tsunamis, but we have the right to be amazed by the eagerness of America to install all means of spying and early warning whenever it has the slightest suspicion about the presence of what it calls terrorists,"says Kuwaiti Islamist Hamed Abdullah al-Ali. In other "grass knoll"-ing:
"One conspiracy theorist believes there's more to this than meets the eye. Why would the U.S. send a warship? Why would a senior commander who was previously posted in Iraq be on his way to South East Asia? The lack of previous seismic activity being recorded is also seen as proof of a major cover-up going on.Chrenkoff Tsunami Report
"The Indian and U.S. military are seen by many as the main cause of the disaster by testing eco-weapons which use electromagnetic waves thus triggering off earthquakes. Other figures of blame range from the Australian to the Thai governments for deliberately failing to respond to warning of the impending earthquake which caused the tsunamis."
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Phuket Tsunami Photos 4
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Sri Lanka Hikkaduwa Beach
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
India Tsunami Photos 3
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Tuesday, January 04, 2005
India Tsunami Photos 2
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Monday, January 03, 2005
Ko Phi Phi Tsunami Photos 2
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Ko Phi Phi by Carl Parkes
Winning Hearts and Minds
Welcome to Vietnam on the Tigris
I wonder if George W. has read this article in the current edition of The Economist? An exerpt, with additional commentary by James Wolcott:
The Economist
January 1st-7th 2005
"There is only one traffic law in Ramadi these days: when Americans approach, Iraqis scatter. Horns blaring, brakes screaming, the midday traffic skids to the side of the road as a line of Humvee jeeps ferrying American marines rolls the wrong way up the main street. Every vehicle, that is, except one beat-up old taxi. Its elderly driver, flapping his outstretched hands, seems, amazingly, to be trying to turn the convoy back. Gun turrets swivel and lock on to him, as a hefty marine sargeant leaps into the road, levels an assault rifle at his turbanned head, and screams: 'Back this bitch up, motherfucker!'
"The old man should have read the bilingual notices that American soldiers tack to their rear bumpers in Iraq: 'Keep 50m or deadly force will be applied.' In Ramadi, the capital of central Anbar province, where 17 suicide-bombs struck American forces during the month-long Muslim fast of Ramadan in the autumn, the marines are jumpy. Sometimes, they say, they fire on vehicles encroaching with 30 metres, sometimes they fire at 20 metres: 'If anyone gets too close to us we fucking waste them,' says a bullish lieutenant. 'It's kind of a shame, because it means we've killed a lot of innocent people.'"
Kind of a shame, killing the people you're trying to democratize, but after awhile, says the same lieutenant, "It gets to the point where you can't wait to see guys with guns, so you start shooting everybody..."
With characteristic dry English understatement, The Economist's embedded reporter (Economist pieces are unbylined) notes, "[W]hen America's well-drilled and well-fed fighters attempt subtler tasks than killing people, problems arise." Their contempt for Iraqis is undisguised and dramatically expressed: a soldier, confronted by "jeering schoolchildren," fires canisters of buckshot from his grenade-launcher at them, and marines busting down doors in Ramadi scream at trembling middle-aged women: "Bitch, where's the guns?" Small wonder, ventures the correspondent, that "many Iraqis are probably more scared of American troops than of insurgents."
The last grafs of the report recount a big whoopy-do operation in the smugglers' haven of Baij involving a convoy of 1000 troops supported by Apache attack helicopters targeting three houses that had been linked to Zarquawi's terrorist band, according to a local informant.
There was no one in the houses except women and children. Rather than return to base empty, they pay homage to the last reel of Casablanca and round up the usual suspects.
"...they detained 70 men from districts indentified by their informant as 'bad.' In near-freezing conditions, they sat hooded and bound in their pyjamas. They shivered uncontrollably. One wetted himself in fear. Most had been detained at random; several had been held because they had a Kalashnikov rifle, which is legal. The evidence against one man was some anti-American literature, a meat cleaver, and a tin whistle. American intelligence officers moved through the ranks of detainees, raising their hoods to take mugshots: 'One, two, three, jihaaad!' A middle-tier officer commented on the mission: 'When we do this,' he said. 'We lose.'"
There's a Peter Cook-Dudley Moore routine, one of their woolgathering dialogues, where Dud asks Pete, "So would you say you've learned from your mistakes?" and Pete replies: "Oh yes, I'm certain I could repeat them exactly."
That seems to have been the Bush administration's approach to Iraq. Take the mistakes of Vietnam and repeat them exactly.
And at that you can't say they haven't succeeded.
The Economist -- This is a "Premium" Article and Costs about Three Bucks to Read. Or Steal Buy the Magazine. Or Look Around the Net. I Dunno
James Wolcott on The Economist
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Tsunami Update 2
Every search for information and background about the earthquake and tsunami should probably start at the Wikipedia Indian Ocean Earthquake Site.
AD in Hong Kong has more links and video clips. A few unusual links to bloggers in India and Sri Lanka.
The BBC lists both local and international charities to help the victims. Jeff Jarvis at Buzz Machine also comes up with some new links, including eyewitness bloggers. More tsunami charities from Om Malik here.
CNN offers two unusual stories of interest, including this story about the survival of a model during the tsunami (much criticized, but I'm glad she survived), and another story of survival about a pair of scuba divers who were under the water at the moment of tsunami impact.
The Independent posts a comment from Tony Wheeler of Lonely Planet fame on why travelers should head to the disaster zones and help the locals with their tourist dollars. This only seems sensible to me......
A somewhat dated graphic here compares the loss of life between the tsunami nations and the events of 9/11. A large screen monitor is useful here.
The fine folks at Digital Global has posted satellite photos of areas destroyed by the tsunamis. Yes, that's where I found those images of Khao Lak and Banda Aceh.
Planet Bangkok of Phuket has posted a list of Phuket tsunami photos, though the images are very large and must be downloaded in singular fashion. Someone with Quadsucker should download the lot and then resize them to something more manageable.
An extremely large posting of Thailand Earthquake photos here but well worth the wait for the high-quality graphics. From Philly Burbs, a quite cool name for a newspaper website.
Phuket and Phi Phi Tsunami information with local phone numbers and diplomatic contacts in Thailand, but short on the hot links.
Rick Von Feldt survived the tsunami in Phuket, then wrote about it, posted his photos, and started a Blogspot with more personal stories of survival. Links and new stories are added daily.........
Superb list of links, stories, and help from Thailand from, what else, OneThailand.com. Useful, active hotlinks for quick access.
The Irrawaddy website written by Burmese exiles in Chiang Mai wonders about the dearth of information coming out of their country. Anyone interested in Burma should bookmark this site for updates and critical analysis about Southeast Asia's most disturbed country.
Very rare photos of the destruction in the Maldives here. Flickr is an excellent place to find more photos of the destruction throughout SE Asia and beyond.
Another weird story about the tsunami, from Yahoo News Asia, about some guy who surfed the wave in Sri Lanka. I've been to Hikkaduwa and have a few photos of the destruction which I'll post later. It's the "surfers paradise" of Sri Lanka a few hours south of Columbo.
And finally, prolific Kevin Sites has pulled up stakes from Iraq and headed to Phuket where he posts his latest story, and has been making regular reports on TV for MSNBC. And hey! He looks good with long hair!
The Disgrace of The Nation
The Nation Newspaper in Thailand
The Nation newspaper in Bangkok recently ran an editorial about the initial response of the American government to the tsuanmi crisis in Thailand, and in the process proved themselves an ill-informed and vindictive source of editorial opinion. Below are some snippets from the disgraceful opinion of The Nation, and today's responses in the Letters section.
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The Nation
EDITORIAL: A generous global relief effort
Published on Dec 31, 2004
But the United States stands out for its hesitation and meagre first response.
The devastating tsunami caused by Sunday’s undersea quake in the Indian Ocean, which killed tens of thousands in this part of the world, was followed by a swift and generous response by the international community, which has so far raised more than US$220 million (Bt8.58 billion) in cash and emergency supplies, in addition to a wide array of logistical support. More than 50 countries around the world have already contributed or pledged to provide cash, in-kind assistance and expertise to help Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and the Maldives, which bore the brunt of the violent seismic wave.
The UN is leading efforts to address problems arising from the immediate aftermath of the deadly waves, including the recovery of dead bodies from affected areas and providing survivors with shelter, food and basic necessities as well as ensuring sanitation and preventing the outbreak of disease.
Despite this, the United States has announced that it is taking a leading role in the recovery effort organised by itself, Australia, Japan and India to begin with, and in which other countries and regional groupings will be invited to participate later. Let’s hope that the US-led grouping will coordinate its work with the UN’s – and not against it.
President George W Bush’s announcement followed criticism by UN aid officials, who said the US was not providing enough aid to countries suffering from the tsunami. The US Agency for International Development added $20 million to an earlier pledge of $15 million to provide relief after Bush realised the magnitude of the disaster.
The charge of “stinginess” that has been levelled at the US will probably not be easy to shake off despite the fact that the US remains one of the single biggest aid donors in absolute terms. Though comparatively speaking, the US does come off a bit stingy and short-sighted when it comes to humanitarian aid.
US leaders, especially President George W Bush, apparently have no ability to think beyond their own national interests. Since it started the war in Iraq, the US has spent more than $1 billion on military operations. But when this region was hit by the epic disaster on Sunday, the US was not only slow to respond but also offered a negligible amount of assistance, leading to the derisive remarks by UN aid officials.
US State Secretary Colin Powell went out of his way to defend the Bush administration’s paltry response, reminding the world that the US is still among the world’s most generous aid givers. This is not the first time the US has said that.
But Powell was actually missing the point. Money is not the only thing that the affected countries are looking for. They are looking for sympathy, understanding and long-term commitment. If the US wants to lead the world, it has to lead the world in humanitarian operations as well – not just in aggressive militaristic or hegemonic economic terms.
It may be true that most of the foreign deaths in the tsunami-hit countries were Europeans who came to the sunny part of Asia for their vacation and Christmas holidays. The American reaction to the tragedy was apparently a reflection of that fact. It might have been different if the victims had been mainly American tourists.
But this exposes the rationale of the US in its altruism towards others. Washington is willing to pour money into any undertaking if it benefits US interests directly. If not, then it is a slow boat coming.
The situation also brought back to mind the US attitude towards other problems of the recent past.
When the Asian economies were brought to their knees in 1997, the US was once again reluctant to help. This kind of consistency will continue to hamper the US in the conduct of its foreign policy.
The Nation
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Letter to The Nation
The US and Thailand share a long history of friendship and aid
It was very difficult to read the editorial in which you took so many cheap shots at the US ["A generous global relief effort", December 31]. First, what the heck does the tsunami have to do with the situation in Iraq? The fact that you worked that into your attack shows where you're coming from. You seemed to be itching to criticise America, but I don't know why. America has been providing Thailand with economic and military assistance for 50 years. There are more than 125 Peace Corps volunteers in your country. America takes in US$15 billion [Bt585 billion] worth of your goods. Current American investments in Thailand total about $21 billion. How many counties can you say that about?
The Thai ambassador to the US appeared on TV and explained that he had been contacted by US officials on Sunday to discuss the tsunami. You should inform yourself before writing editorials. USAid and the Pentagon began coordinating their efforts on Sunday morning. Do you think those military ships and plans operate for free? That part of the operation alone will cost tens of millions of dollars.
Nevertheless it took a day before the extent of the damage was known. You say you are looking for a long-term commitment. Well, I think American's 50-year commitment speaks for itself. America doesn't need your ignorant lectures.
Like many around the world, you love American taxpayer dollars. That's how you judge your friends. But if you don't get those dollars in bucketfuls and fast, then Uncle Sam is a bad guy.
I'd like to add one more of your many inaccuracies: the UN official never said the US was "stingy". He referred to "rich countries". Since he made that remark he has twice clarified that he was not singling out any particular country. Get the facts.
Finally, it seems to bother you that America acts in its own interest. In whose interest is America supposed to act? Tell me, when Thai government officials make a decision do they act in the interest of Thailand? America pays most of the bills at the UN and spends additional billions in economic assistance around the world every year. Act like a real newspaper and get the facts. You are misinforming your readers, which is the opposite of what a newspaper is supposed to do.
Caesar Darias
NEW JERSEY
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Letter to The Nation
It's much easier to point out negatives than positives
There are so many complaints about the US, mostly from misinformed and certainly ungrateful people and publications. How much help has been given, offered or even thought about when there has been a disaster in the US? It's easy to talk bad about someone or something. But then, most people have a hard time understanding what they see in the mirror.
Mike Spain
CHIANG MAI
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Letter to The Nation
Your editorial was far too quick to judge
I read with dismay your editorial of December 31 ["A generous global relief effort"] wherein you criticise the US for being slow to respond with sympathy and aid because it was not in our interests to do so. The US government does of course care and is responding as best it can, and in fact it began assessing the situation immediately. The constantly changing casualty figures attest to the fact that everyone needed time to understand the full extent of the damage and how best to assist. The US government, corporations and private citizens together will surely end up being the largest aid donors by a long shot, so let's withhold judgement for now, shall we?
You might be advised to remember two bits of sage advice before lashing out again with unwarranted criticism: "haste makes waste" and "don't bite the hand that feeds you".
Why not direct your criticism towards the Meteorological Department, which, given a small window of time to sound the alarm, put its own interest in self-preservation above its duty to inform the public about the possibility of impending disaster?
Kurt Heck
BANGKOK
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Letter to The Nation
Commentary reflects poorly on Thailand
The Nation's December 31 editorial ["A generous global relief effort"] reflects an immaturity and peevishness that unfortunately is endemic to Thailand. The inability of Thais to appreciate the overwhelmingly generous treatment of Thailand by America since the Second World War (propping up of the currency, rebuilding of the Thai military, endless aid etc) is a sad political and cultural condition that Thailand will have to overcome before it earns the respect of other peoples.
Also the childish excuse-making by Prime Minister Thaksin following the recent brutal murder of defenceless people in the South (systemic killing previously witnessed at the Democracy Monument and other incidents) is a disgrace to the country.
The Thai nation and its press need to grow up.
A concerned world citizen of Australian nationality
BANGKOK
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Letter to The Nation
Your website is being read by Americans
Re: "A generous global relief effort", Editorial, December 31.
Please check the straight facts. The US has provided more international aid than any country in the world for many years. President Bush has said this is just "the beginning" as he looks for a long-term solution. We can't just complain about anyone who offers help just because we think what they offer is too little. Instead we should appreciate anybody who thinks about helping. I'm disgusted by the anti-US sentiment that the Thai media have created. Look, there are many Americans checking The Nation website daily now because of the tsunami. They are reading everything you guys write. As a Thai, I feel embarrassed by this column. If we don't want any help from the US, we should just tell them we don't need help because we hate America! If we do need help from them, then do me a favour, just shut up!
Sireenat Tengmnuay
BANGKOK
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Note from FriskoDude to the Editors at The Nation: Kindly go Fuck Yourself.
Tsunami Quake Charities 3
The New York Times has once again updated their list of charities accepting donations for victims of the earthquake and tsunami of 2004, with the most significant change being the addition of a "Donate Online" link to most charities. This makes online charitable donations both quick and easy.
ACTION AGAINST HUNGER
247 West 37th Street, Suite 1201
New York, N.Y. 10018
212-967-7800 x108
www.actionagainsthunger.org | Donate Online
AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE
45 West 36th Street, 10th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10018
800-889-7146
www.ajws.org | Donate Online
AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE
South Asia Tsunami Relief
Box 321
847A Second Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10017
212-687-6200 ext. 851
www.jdc.org | Donate Online
AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
AFSC Crisis Fund
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19102
888-588-2372
www.afsc.org | Donate Online
AMERICAN RED CROSS
International Response Fund
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, D.C. 20013
800-HELP NOW
www.redcross.org | Donate Online
AMERICARES
88 Hamilton Avenue
Stamford, CT 06902
(800) 486-4357
www.americares.org
CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-521-CARE
www.care.org | Donate Online
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Tsunami Emergency
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, Md. 21203-7090
800-736-3467
www.catholicrelief.org | Donate Online
DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa Barbara, Calif. 93117
805-964-4767
www.directrelief.org | Donate Online
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
P.O. Box 1856
Merrifield, Va. 22116-8056
888-392-0392
www.doctorswithoutborders.org | Donate Online
EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT
Emergency Fund
P. O. Box 12043
Newark, NJ 07101
800-334-7626
www.er-d.org | Donate Online
INTERACTION
American Council for Voluntary International Action
1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 701
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 667-8227
www.interaction.org
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT
www.ifrc.org | Donate Online
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS
Earthquake/Tsunami Relief
1919 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 300
Santa Monica, Calif. 90404
800-481-4462
www.imcworldwide.org | Donate Online
INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES
Asia Disaster Response
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, MD 21263-0225
877-803-4622
www.iocc.org | Donate Online
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
P.O. Box 5058
Hagerstown, MD 21741-9874
877-REFUGEE or 733-8433
www.theIRC.org | Donate Online
ISLAMIC RELIEF USA
Southeast Asia Earthquake Emergency
P.O. Box 6098
Burbank, Calif. 91510
888-479-4968
www.irw.org/asiaquake | Donate Online
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
700 Light Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
800-LWR-LWR-2
www.lwr.org | Donate Online
MERCY CORPS
Southeast Asia Earthquake Response
Dept. W
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, Ore. 97208
800-852-2100
www.mercycorps.org | Donate Online
NETWORK FOR GOOD
www.networkforgood.org | Donate Online
OPERATION USA
8320 Melrose Avenue, Suite 200
Los Angles, Calif. 90069
800-678-7255
www.opusa.org | Donate Online
OXFAM AMERICA
Donor Services Department
26 West Street
Boston, MA 12111-1206
800-77-OXFAM
www.oxfamamerica.org | Donate Online
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Asia Earthquake/Tidal Wave Relief Fund
54 Wilton Road
Westport, Conn. 06880
800-728-3843
www.savethechildren.org | Donate Online
UNICEF
General Emergency Fund
333 E. 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
800-4-UNICEF
www.unicef.org | Donate Online
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME
US Friends of the WFP
PO Box 11856
Washington, D.C. 20008
www.wfp.org/donate | Donate Online
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
http://www.who.int | Donate Online
Saturday, January 01, 2005
India Tsunami Photos 1
India 01
India 02
India 03
India 04
India 05
India 06
India 07
India 08
India 09
India 10
Banda Aceh Tsunami Photos 2
Banda Aceh 11
Banda Aceh 13
Banda Aceh 14
Banda Aceh 15
Banda Aceh Aerial 02
Banda Aceh Before and After
Phuket Tsunami Photos 1
Phuket 01
Phuket 02
Phuket 03
Phuket 04
Phuket 05
Phuket 06
Phuket 07
Phuket 08
Phuket 09
Phuket 10
