More Scandals in the Philippines

The Endangered Rice Terraces of Banaue

Pity the poor Filipinos. Such a gracious and easy going group of people, always ready with a smile or a song. But cursed with one of Asia's most corrupt and inefficient governments, an entrenched oligarchy that seems something out of the slave days of the 18th century, and a rich class that only lives to exploit the poor.

Some of these issues, and recent scandals such as the unopened new Manila International Airport and the terrible decline of the fabled Manila Hotel, are covered by the relatively new blogger in town: Carlos Celdran.

Sigh. I fell off my brain diet yesterday and gave in to the temptation of reading the salacious Philippine media once again. Just yesterday, while walking past a newsstand, my eye happened to catch a headline: Piatco sold to the Manila Hotel - see related story in Forbes - and I just had to stop and read it all. And although I should be elated by news that things are inching towards finally resolving the scandal which has delayed the opening of our mothballed international airport, instead I am only bothered and bewildered.

Because if the Manila Hotel itself is any measure of what to expect, then were in for a pretty horrific ride. This grand edifice, once listed one of the ten best hotels in the world in the 1980s, has now been reduced to being a dormitory for Taiwanese budget tourists and a mere function room for Manila's political class and their wannabes since its takeover by the group. It's gardens have been uprooted, its facade defaced, and it's antique furniture, personally chosen by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin and internationally acclaimed interior designer Dale Keller, thrown away.

The Manila Hotel now suffers from chronic ugliness and amateurishness; a shining testament to the delusion of it's owner, "Don" Emilio Yap (chairman of the strangely resilient, but fading, Philippine Trust Co. and Manila Bulletin Newspaper). And this does not bode well for any of the Manila Hotel Groups new acquisitions. Much less an airport, which relies on professionalism, good service, and beauty to project a safe and favorable impression upon travellers and first-time visitors to the country.

And although Don's employees have only nice things to say about him (willingly or not), and no substantial information exists (yet) to sully his reputation, The Don can only be found guilty of vanity and having bad taste. And sadly, unlike tax evasion, these are not criminal offenses.

Carlos Post with Links

Random Drug Tests in Bali

Bali Cops at Kuta Rave Party

The Indonesian government recently announced that the police in Bali would soon be conducting random drug tests to capture, convict, and then incarcerate any and all Western tourists under the influence of illegal narcotics. Anyone, anywhere can be ordered to pee in a cup, which is then tested for pot, ecstasy, opiates and perhaps even Bintang. The Western tourist is then arrested, hauled down to jail, run through a kangaroo court, and then thrown into the Kerobokan prison for a dozen years or so.

Few Western tourists actually arrive in Bali with drugs, since Kuta and other beach towns are overrun with local Balinese drug dealers who quietly whisper their sales offers near many discos and nightclubs in Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak. So you buy a couple of tablets, walk up to the nightclub for an evening of partying, and find yourself searched and arrested at the front door. An Australian model (Michelle Leslie) was recently arrested with two tabs of E in her purse as she approached a nightclub, and now faces 10 years in prison.

How in the world does the police know to search your bag or purse? The answer is obvious. The police are the drug dealers in Bali. Or at least the drug dealers cooperate with the police to turn in their victims, collect the reward, and most likely enjoy the return of their drugs. This scam has been going on in Thailand for several decades, but now it enjoys official endorsement by the Indonesian government.

Random drug tests for Aussie tourists in Bali
By Mark Forbes, Jakarta
August 28, 2005
The Sun-Herald

Australian tourists visiting Bali's nightspots will face random urine tests under an escalating anti-drugs crackdown on the Indonesian holiday island.

Bali police drug squad chief Bambang Sugiarto told The Sun-Herald he would adopt the hardline tactic, controversially trialled in recent raids on Jakarta clubs, to stamp out the drug trade.

"We tried to use educative and preventive efforts," he said. "So, after doing that, and the people still use drugs, since we have laws to uphold then we have to take action like launching raids, arrests."

His men would now force clubbers to undergo urine tests, Colonel Sugiarto said. "We cannot go to every party but we go in at random and based on priorities." Previously, only patrons apprehended carrying drugs were forced to provide urine samples.

Sydney model Michelle Leslie, 24, faces up to 15 years in jail after being caught with two ecstasy tablets in her bag as she entered a party at Kuta's GWK Park last weekend. After visiting her in prison yesterday, her new lawyer, Basuki Prawirodipuro, was confident but had not studied the case in detail. He is one of a team of five Indonesian lawyers who specialise in drug cases. He was hired by Leslie's family following Friday's sacking or resignation of her former lawyer, Muhammad Rifan.

At the Denpasar police cells, where Leslie is still being questioned, a friend yesterday said she was in good spirits.

Leslie would be fully prosecuted, Colonel Sugiarto said. "It is again a lesson for our tourists . . . she regrets it, but it is too late, it happened already." Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, David Ritchie refused to comment on the urine test plans, but emphasised that no Australian should take drugs in Indonesia.

Although Australians were not being specifically targeted, they risked being arrested and could face the death penalty for the possession of small amounts of recreational drugs, he said.

Sydney Morning Herald Link

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Here are some comments from Bali Forum and News:

what concerns me is... what about people who might take pain medication - like mersyndol, nurofen plus...surely this will show up in drug tests! Will having a packet handy be enough to prove that you haven't taken anything illicit???

Anyway if you do get busted refuse to pee and if you have taken E drink alot orange juice the acid will kill traces in your uirne !!!!!!

that is as big a crock of sh.ite as "if you're getting pulled up at a booze bus drink water so there's nothing in your mouth". Ecstasy is highly detectable up to a week after taking it no matter what you drink. Besides, I reckon anyone grabbed in Bali under suspicion of possession they'd just be catching the pee trickling down their leg.

Here's a better tip; don't be a drug taking loser and you can pee freely and answer any questions the authorities want to ask!!

They have to be joking.How would you like your urine sample to be handled by the police? We are talking about the 3rd most currupt country in the world.As Lance Armstrong said who would let a French lab (who hate the Yanks) test his urine.This will back fire big time. Nobody in their right mind will be letting their kids go to Bali. This is very scary stuf. Wait untill the Australian press get hold of this story.

On the news last night the head of the Bali drug squad, stated that in the past 12 months approx 260 people had been arrested for drugs on the island, but only 13 (if i remeber correctly) where australians.

as for pulling people out of a croud to do a urine test, its not uncommon, they have been using that practice in jakarta for some time now.

The part I dont understand is if they make you pee and it shows that you have drugs in your system how can they charge you with anything if they dont find anything on your body?

What if your drink was spiked - what if you have taken drugs in Australia before you had gone on holiday?

BTW dont think that I am condoning drug use at all as I am totally against it but these questions just came to mind.

Like I said to my mother - if they try it on me in 5 weeks time then all they will get is a straight sample of Bintang!

Well im with Bluey on this one , they have to be joking . As most of us agree that the drugs are a major problem in indo the authorities should target the sellers first . To randomly pick out people and subject them to urine test is about as scary as it comes . Im sure most the users purchase their product in Bali , so why not go after the local pushers / sellers big time . No product - No problem . The logistics with their proposal could be horrendous for many innocent people who might have taken prescription drugs etc, let alone the possible corruption with the samples . I hope this one does not affect tourism but i think it just might be a little off putting for some people . On my trip to Bali in April i was approached at least 10 times to purchase drugs and when i declined i was asked by one of them Quote : "why not , why do u come to bali if you dont to have a good time . " . But anyway im going back in December for 2 weeks.

For years I have been travelling to Bali.

I have had a friend arrested for possesion in th eearly 80's.

Was a set up...did his time then on returning to Aussie, was killed ina truck acCident 2 weeks later.

I have never actually been offered drugs in Bali.

I was always told by th elocals that if I was offered, to totally ignore, as alot of people were paid informants and even if you said no or maybe they would inform on you and BUSTED!!!!!!!!!

Yes Im sure it happens all over the world , but in Bali it's ILLEGAL.

Can't they go without it for 2 weeks........

Bali Forum and News Link

Dubai Hotel Fetish

Dubai Burj Al Arab Hotel



Dubai Hotel with Helipad



Surrealistic View

Please excuse my fetish for this hotel in Dubai, but it just seems about the most amazing piece of architecture in the world, and I'm endlessly fascinated with any post having to do with this hotel, or Dubai for that matter.

Somebody at Gridskipper has gone to an enormous amount of trouble to post about this hotel, and Dubai in general, and includes LINKS, LINKS and more LINKS to all the architectural marvels in Dubai. This one is a keeper.

Dubai: Petrodollar Paradise
Gridskipper
Aug 31, 2005

So yeah, fine, the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi cost the most to build of any hotel to date (estimated £2 billion). And even though it may also represent the world’s largest monolithic bubble of unbroken wireless net access, its gold-plated palm trees strike some as garish excess when the same money would be better spent on high style. Fortunately, this isn’t as much of a problem in neighboring Dubai, the evolving micro-universe-metropolis overseen by its ruler, the United Arab Emirates’ Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. The expats call him “Sheik Mo,” and there’s no disputing that he’s a visionary, adept, and (if need be) ruthless urban capitalist — an Arab Steve Wynn with far more resources, power, and a bit of Lex Luthor in the mix, to put it mildly. No project seems too bizarre or vainglorious for Sheik Mo. Consider Hydropolis, the 220-suite underwater hotel (66 feet down) with walls of clear Plexiglas and an underwater SFX show right outside. On a more traditional but far grander scale, there’s the Madinat Jumeriah resort complex, containing luxury boutique hotels, beaches, spa, shopping, and more. Even that sprawling compound is dwarfed in stature by the distinctive sail-like tower of the Burj Al Arab hotel — probably the only building in the world that could make the nearby Jumeirah Beach Hotel seem a little puny by comparison. And then there’s the ominously named Restless Planet dinosaur theme park, due to open in spring 2008. But the absolute apex of developer hubris has got to be The World, a collection of 300 manmade sand islands crafted to resemble a the continents and landmasses of the actual Earth, in miniature. Each island is for sale, though remember these are at vastly reduced scale (apparently it only takes three minutes to walk across Greenland). Though Dubai gets credited as the next big, glitzy tourist destination (even in the punishingly hot summer off-season), remember that this ain’t Vegas. Like most monarchies in the region, the vast majority of Dubai’s inhabitants are noncitizen foreign workers who have no rights, are viciously exploited and underpaid, and can be deported on a whim. You likely won’t see them, of course, since such an encounter could cast a pall over a lucrative holiday. Utopia can’t be for everyone, after all. Tip well.

The Architectural Wonders of Dubai

An American Disaster

A Drowned World

Mourning My New Orleans
Slate
By Josh Levin
Aug. 31, 2005

What will be left when the residents return?

I have to keep reminding myself that this is the same patch of land where I went to school and played baseball and had dinner with my grandparents every Friday night. Every time some new, awful report bubbles up—of prisoners rioting, of looters menacing Children's Hospital, of water so high there aren't roofs to wave a white flag from, of people lying on the interstate waiting for someone to tell them where to go and what to do—New Orleans seems more like a scene out of 28 Days Later than a place where people ever lived and worked and raised their families.

A little more than 48 hours after Katrina strafed the city, I'm starting to mourn a place that's not quite dead but seems too stricken to go on living. The promises early yesterday that breached levees would be patched with airlifted sandbags came to nothing. The exhausted-looking mayor reported last night that the sandbag-dropping helicopters didn't show up. So much for deus ex machina.

Local television stations, now streaming their broadcasts online, plead with people who aren't watching: You will be arrested if you're found on the street in Plaquemines Parish. Don't drink the water in St. Tammany until you've boiled it for a good long while. On the Times-Picayune's message boards, supplications stack up unanswered: "Looking for Gary," "Looking for Teldrich," "Carole & Monte DAVIS???" I search for the names of friends who stayed behind and don't find them. I'm sure they're riding it out somewhere, on a second floor without electricity or water to drink or in a shelter with thousands of others, but it's impossible to reach them. The cell phones are dead and all the circuits are busy anyway.

Slate Link

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TruthTalkZIraq
Aug 30, 2005

Today the entire posting is devoted to what appears to be the demise of my beloved home town, New Orleans. There are some Middle East relevant postings waiting, and they'll probably come tomorrow.

For those New Orleanians on this list, for detailed news about various neighborhoods, here are the two websites I've found most helpful -- www.wwltv.com and www.nola.com . Each of these has "neighborhood forums" with hundreds of postings about various areas in the region. That's where the real news is, and that's also where the real rumors are flying. Nola.com also has a "breaking news" section which is frequently updated, and from which I've included three postings below.

Here are some situations, and they are due for change, revision, and correction. Slidell, MS Gulf Coast (Ocean Springs, Gulfport, Biloxi) seem to have been completely obliterated. Mandeville, St. John's Parish, St. Charles Parish, West Bank, and Grand Isle seem to have been largely spared. Mobile got hit, but not nearly as badly as Mississippi and Louisiana.

New Orleans is in awful shape, and it frankly resembles Dhaka, Bangladesh after a cyclone (looting, refugees on highway bridges, rescues, flooded housing, lack of social order). Much of the damage happened after the hurricane had long passed. The 17th Street Canal levee opened up a 300 ft long breach, and Lake Pontchartrain water is streaming into Lakeview, Mid-City, and points beyond. That breach appears to have been gradually filling the city up with water all day today. The other breach, in the Lower Ninth Ward, appears to have opened up somewhere in the Industrial Canal near Holy Cross, and has completely flooded the Lower Ninth (east of the Industrial Canal) and Arabi. Chalmette was flooded throughout during the hurricane itself, and there were reports that Bywater, Kenner, NO East, Metairie between I-10 and the Lake all got flooded during the storm itself. However, a lot of this flooding news has since been surpassed after the huge breach on the 17th St. Canal. Just in the last hour another report predicted more breaches to come. These are causing flooding up to rooftops, which may mean the end of entire neighborhoods full of old wooden houses.

Read this Amazing Post

Burning Man Photos by John Curley

Burning Man 2005



View from the Playa



Artwork at Black Rock



Party at Burning Man

One of the more talented photographers from the Bay Area is now up at Burning Man, and posting some of his photos on Flickr. These are the first four, but I expect to see daily updates.

Flickr has been great fun for almost a year, but the photography sharing site has fallen on tough times after it was purchased by Yahoo. To view the photos on the Flickr site of John Curley (or my own photos), you are now required to obtain and then use a Yahoo ID. It's a hassle and has angered plenty of longtime Flickr users, who don't particularly want to join Yahoo or give out their email address. Yahoo spam is also feared, although the original founders of Flickr adamantly deny the possibility.

John Curley Flickr Account

Blame It On the Drugs

Full Moon Party

Whenever you can't solve a problem in Southeast Asia, an easy way to sluff off the challenge is to blame it on drugs. Today, Thailand blames the separatist movement in the south on drug addiction by the youth. Idiots.

Drug rings 'behind unrest'
Chaos incited to stop narcotics suppression
Bangkok Post
WASSANA NANUAM

Pattani _ The Narcotics Control Office and the military have reiterated their belief the violence in the deep South is mainly caused by drug rings which have given some groups of people both money and drugs to incite chaos. In this way they draw attention away from their trafficking activies.

"We have clear information that drug gangs have been using money from the drug trade to support the instigators of the violence, and give them drugs so their followers are fired up enough to cause violence," said Vittawan Sunthornkajit, the narcotics office director in charge of drug suppression in the South.

He admitted that most arrested suspects on April 28 last year tested negative for drug use, but said quite a few tests had come in positive. Some tests might have been done too late, as the drugs would have left no trace in the suspects' systems after a few hours.

He quoted intelligence reports concluded the instigators' followers were given sedatives before going out to incite chaos. Col Songwit Noonpakdi, commander of the 36th special task force overseeing Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district, had the same view, saying violence and bombings would occur wherever drug smuggling was planned, in a bid to block military forces from entering the area and, in some cases, bombs would be set off elsewhere as a distraction.

Mr Vittawan said he viewed the spread of drugs in Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district and Songkhla's Hat Yai district as the most serious problem in the South due to the tourist attractions there.

Ketamine and ecstasy were popular while cough syrup was widely used as a narcotic by Muslim teenagers, he said. The drug office said ecstasy is being brought in from Malaysia's Penang and also from Singapore, and was sold at about 550 baht a pill.

Less popular drugs such as heroin were available in the South and nationwide originated from the Golden Triangle. About 1.3 tonnes of heroin and 600 tonnes of marijuana were produced locally each year, he said.

Drug manufacturers who had focused on methamphetamine production over the past few years have turned to producing heroin since January this year as speed pills and heroin tend to be found together in drug seizures, he added.

A military source from the Thepsatri task force which oversees the southern border with Burma and Malaysia said drug production sources in Burma include Khonthee Island, 34 nautical miles west of its southern province of Mergui, with methamphetamine production capacity of 15,000 pills a day, and Yawi Island, opposite Ranong, which produces 5,000 speed pills a day.

The task force now has 16 drug suppression teams working along the Thai-Burmese border and 21 more patrolling the Thai-Malaysian border.

Bangkok Post Link

Singapore Cops Seize Filmmakers Camera

Sign from early-1970s Singapore

So a local film maker in Singapore puts together a 20-minute documentary about the leading political dissident in the country, and guess what happens? He's invited down to the police station, interrogated for a few hours, and then asked to surrender his video camera.

Another fine example of freedom of speech in Singapore.

Also see the post last week about the four dissidents dispersed for disturbing the peace, even though freedom of assembly is guaranteed in Singapore for groups of five or less participants.

Another fine example of freedom of assembly in Singapore.

Singapore police asks filmmaker to turn in camera
SINGAPORE
Aug 26, 2005

Singapore police have asked a filmmaker to surrender a video camera and tapes he used to make a documentary on opposition figure Chee Soon Juan as part of its investigation for possible breach of film laws. Martyn See, a 36-year-old Singapore filmmaker, told Reuters the demand was made after he had been questioned for three hours at a police station on Thursday in connection with his film "Singapore Rebel".

See said on Friday it was the second time Singapore authorities interviewed him about the 26-minute documentary he withdrew from the city-state's annual film festival in March under pressure from government censors, who told festival organisers the work violated the Films Act.

"The questions were more political than last time and I think they were intended to find out about my political affiliation," he said, adding that while the talk took place in a relaxed atmosphere he would object to the request to hand in his camera.

"I don't mind them inspecting the camera but I need it back to do my work," he said.

See said the police officer had offered no explanation as to why they wanted the video camera.

A police spokesman declined to comment.

Under provisions introduced to the Films Act in 1998, anyone involved in producing or distributing "party political films" -- including those containing commentaries on government policies -- can be fined up to S$100,000 ($59,840) or jailed up to two years.

The film at the heart of the controversy focuses on the life of Chee Soon Juan, who lost in January a three-year legal battle against defamation charges brought by Singapore's founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and his successor.

In 2002, a documentary about veteran opposition politician J.B. Jeyaretnam was pulled from the film festival after its filmmakers were told it breached the act.

Opposition politicians have said the Films Act stifles political debate in the city-state, which has been ruled by the People's Action Party since independence in 1965. Its 84-member Parliament has only two opposition members.

Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, took over as the island republic's third prime minister last year, promising greater openness and saying Singaporeans "should feel free to express diverse views...or simply be different".

International free-press advocates have repeatedly criticised Singapore for its tight media controls, such as a government ban of non-commercial private ownership of satellite dishes. Films and TV shows are routinely censored for sex and violence.

The government says a high degree of control over public debate and the media is needed to maintain law and order.

The U.S. State Department, in its February annual report, sharply criticised Singapore for using libel suits to intimidate the opposition, saying the threat inhibits opposition politics and has led to a culture of self-censorship in the media. ($1 = 1.671 Singapore dollar)

Reuters Link

Budget Birth Control Finally Arrives in the Philippines

Miss McDonald Relaxes

The conservative Catholic country of the Philippines has long suffered from a soaring population, which largely ate up any and all economic gains. But little could be done to slow down population growth due to the overwhelming power of the Catholic Church and the relatively high cost of birth control, often beyond the means of most Filipinas. Fortunately, as pointed out today in a post by Carlos Cendran, budget birth control pills have finally arrived in the country and a months supply should only cost about 75 cents.

STOP OUR RUNAWAY POPULATION GROWTH RATE FOR ONLY Php1.00 A DAY...

Silently, and while the Catholic Church of the Philippines wasn't looking, the Trust Pill hit the nation's drugstore counters and sari-sari store shelves in major way. Also known as Ethinyl Estradiol + Levonorgestrel + Ferrous Fumarate, or "Birth Control Pills", Trust Pills come in a bright pink package complete with bi-lingual instructions and an illustrated cycle chart.

It is similar in almost every way to more upscale counterparts like Marvelon but it's retail cost of Php30.00 + per cycle as opposed to Marvelon's Php190.00, finally brings sensible birth control methods within reach of the Philippine masses. And at such a cheap cost, it should come as no problem for individuals, government units, and non-government agencies to give samples away to women who seek means to plan their families.

Of course, having the pills given away free of charge by the government would be the most ideal situation, but for ultra Catholic Philippine society, this is still a heartening start. It's a small ray of hope in the dark abyss that is the Philippine runaway population growth rate. And that's better than nothing at all.

Link with Photo

Malaysia. What Are You Smoking?

Malaysian Astronaut and Moon Creature

As usual, the Swanker at Macam Macam points out the total absurdity of the latest announcement coming from the Malaysian government, that they intend to land a man on the Moon by the year 2020.

Wacky weed lives in Putrajaya!

Macam Macam
August 30, 2005
Malaysia to send man to moon

This story I saw today made me laugh:

Malaysia has announced that it hopes to put a man on the moon by the year 2020 as part of its $25m space programme.

$25 million? I hope that's just the preliminary budget because it won't go very far (especially after Malaysian politicians take their obligatory 10 percent cut).

But seriously, apart from the fact that I seriously doubt Malaysia is capable or strong-willed enough to carry off such a technological and logistic feat, my question is: "Why?" Aren't there more important things for the Malaysian government to focus on?

What's it going to prove anyway? Just another one of those grand, waste-of-money projects from a government desperate to distract from other more pressing issues. Who cares if you can send a man to the Moon? The French have never sent a man to the Moon. Neither have the British. Not even the Russians. Do they care? No. They have a strong enough sense of national identity and self-assuredness not to bother with such pie-in-the sky ideas.

Then again, if Malaysia's project gets traction, don't be surprised if Singapore announces similar plans - but to get a man to the Moon by 2019 - just to piss off their friends in Putrajaya.

Macam Macam Link


BTW, does anyone know the story on Putrajaya? I was there on a press trip a few months ago, and it looks totally abandoned with nary a living soul in sight and gigantic government buildings looking like ghost towers. Another Brazilia? And why does the Prime Minister need such a monstrous, imposing and gaudy palace as his headquarters -- and so far above the heads and shoulders of the poor Malays scurrying around down below? Arrogance beyond belief.

Laksamana (ParasIndonesia) Returns with News and Views on Indonesia

See Java

When I first started blogging about Southeast Asia just over a year ago, I made an effort to track down blogs which also covered the region or individual countries. One of the best serious blogs about Indonesia was Laksamana, which served largely as a news clipping service for stories about the country. Then the site shut down for several months while it went through a major revision.

It's now back as an interactive blog, with original commentaries rather than news reports collected from various sources. Laksamana -- now called Paras Indonesia -- is an analytical site with excellent writing, and it's good to see some new input into this largely forgotten country.

A few recent story samples:

Pressure On President As Rupiah Hits New Low

The rupiah hit a three-and-a-half-year low against the US dollar on Thursday (25/8/05), a day after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called for a concerted effort to stop the ailing currency’s slide, which has been blamed on soaring world oil prices.

Indonesia is the only member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that is a net importer of oil, the global price of which is now hovering at a record $68 a barrel.

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Will SBY Expose Munir’s Killers?

Does President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have sufficient moral fortitude to ensure the masterminds of last year’s murder of acclaimed human rights campaigner Munir are brought to justice?

The only suspect to be charged in the case, Garuda Indonesia pilot and alleged intelligence operative Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, is now on trial, accused of being the sole instigator of the killing. Local and international... Read more

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Genocide Report Refocuses Spotlight On Papua

An Australian report accusing the Indonesian military of genocide, rape, torture, arson and spreading HIV/AIDS in Papua has sparked strong denials from the government. It has also refocused attention on the plight of the resource-rich but underdeveloped province.

The 60-page research paper, ‘Genocide in Papua?' , was released on August 18 by the... Read more

Laksamana Link

Also, their direct link:

ParasIndonesia Link

San Francisco Chronicle Culture Blog

Skate or Die Art Opening

Several months ago, the San Francisco Chronicle quietly started a "culture blog," where their columnists and writers (and pretty much anybody else employed at the Chron) are invited to blog their obsessions. Plenty of Chron writing is cut to save room, and the journalists want to be heard, so this has become a great place to check for insider views that don't make the morning publication. Plus, they seem to be an interesting group of misfits who do all the lovely oddball activities so typical of the City.

Check the homepage and check back daily. Good stuff.

SF Chron Culture Blog

The Turning Torso in Sweden

Turning Torso



Somewhere in Sweden



But Not in Stockholm



And Where is Malmo?



The Solitary Torso

Turning Torso Link

The Irrawaddy News

Aung San Suu Kyi

All the latest news and tidbits about Burma from an online and print publication in Chiang Mai.

Aung San’s Winning Ways
By Jim Andrews
August 2005

How Burma’s national hero charmed the British general. As the war in Burma swung the way of the Allies, the British commander, field-marshal William Slim, was faced with the problem of how to handle the Burma National Army led by Aung San. In the final months of the war the BNA forces changed sides, deserting Japan and opting to fight alongside the Allies.

“I had all along believed they could be a nuisance to the enemy but, unless their activities were closely tied in with ours, they promised to be almost as big a nuisance to us,” recalled Slim, in his memoirs, Defeat Into Victory. “It seemed to me that the only way satisfactorily to control them was to get hold of their Commander-in-Chief, Aung San, and to make him accept my orders. This, from what I knew of him and of the extreme Burmese nationalists, I thought might be difficult, but worth trying.”

Aung San was offered safe passage to a meeting with Slim at the field-marshal’s Meiktila headquarters.

Aung San Link


“Skeleton Road”
By Jim Andrews
Mae Hong Son
August 2005

The long homeward walk for Japan’s defeated soldiers.

Defeated and demoralized, Japanese forces in eastern Burma turned their backs on war in early August, 1945, and trudged wearily towards safety and home. Their march took them into northern Thailand on a torturous route they called “Skeleton Road.” Thousands died on the Burmese side of the border and were buried beside jungle trails. But an estimated 100,000 made it to border villages in northern Thailand, where they found rest, shelter and medical care.

The Skeleton Road


Matsumoto of Merrill’s Marauders
By Mick Elmore
August 2005

From US internment to Burma battlefield glory. His name was Matsumoto, but he wore an American uniform in Burma and served with soldiers fighting the empire of his ancestors.

Roy H. Matsumoto was born in the United States into a family that had settled there two generations before. He graduated from Long Beach High School in 1933, worked for seven years in a grocery store and was in Los Angeles when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the US entered World War II.

In the wave of anti-Japanese feeling that swept the US, Matsumoto was rounded up along with more than 120,000 other Americans of Japanese descent, labeled a 4C (“enemy agent”) and detained in an internment camp.

After three months detention, and despite the 4C label, he was recruited to serve in the Japanese-American 442nd Regiment of the US Army. The regiment earned more decorations than any other of its size during World War II.

The 442nd saw most action in Europe, but Matsumoto was assigned to military intelligence as an interpreter with Brig-Gen Frank Merrill’s celebrated Marauder Rangers in Burma.

When Matsumoto joined the force, Merrill’s Marauders had achieved almost legendary fame. Reporting on their courageous attack on Myitkyina in May 1944, New York Times correspondent Tillman Durbin wrote: “No other American force anywhere has marched as far, fought as continuously or has had to display such endurance as General Merrill’s swift-moving, hard-hitting foot soldiers.”

Matsumoto was one of 14 Japanese-Americans assigned to Merrill’s Marauders. “Even though we were military intelligence and not infantry, we took basic training with infantry then took combat jungle training in India,” he recalls

Merrill's Marauders Link


Kingdom of Conflict
By Bertil Lintner
August 2005

This examination of southern Thailand’s chequered past couldn’t be more timely.

History of the alay Kingdom of Patani by Ibrahim Syukri.
Silkworm Books
Chiang Mai; 2005.
P115.

Hardly a day goes by without yet another bomb attack or assassination in Thailand’s Muslim-dominated deep South. And the violence, which has claimed at least 860 lives in the past year and a half, shows no sign of subsiding despite government initiatives ranging from brutal military crackdowns to attempts at dialogue with the dissidents and appeals for national reconciliation. The crisis has affected Thailand’s reputation as a safe and stable recipient of foreign investment and tourism. It has also caused a rift between Thailand and Malaysia, its neighbor and partner in Asean.

Anti-Malaysian protests were staged in Bangkok and elsewhere in Thailand after former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad suggested creating an autonomous region in the southern provinces as a solution. Anti-Thai demonstrations have been held in front of the Thai embassies not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in Jakarta and Dhaka to protest against the treatment of Thailand’s southern Muslims. There is even fear that Thailand may be drawn into a broader Islamic struggle, as activists elsewhere have posted graphic images of arrested and dead Thai Muslims on the website www.islamonline.net, an Islamic electronic news bulletin read by Muslims worldwide.

The conflict may have escalated in recent years and become more internationalized than before, but unrest in Thailand’s south is nothing new. The three provinces of Patani, Yala and Narathiwat once formed Patani, an independent Muslim sultanate populated by ethnic Malays. Even after its Thai annexation in 1832, however, Patani had its own monarchs until 1902, when Abdul Qadir Qamaruddin, the last ruler, was deposed and imprisoned. Patani was then carved up into three provinces, and administered from Bangkok.

Kingdom of Conflict Book Review

RTW with Joshua Berman

Joshua Berman Route Map

Joshua Berman and his new wife departed the U.S. a few months ago for a round-the-world journey, financed apparently chiefly from their wedding haul. First stop was a week in Paris, which they found overly familiar, followed by an overnight stay in Dubai. Why in the world they didn't go a cocktail in the top floor lounge at the Burj Dubai is beyond me.

Then it was over to Pakistan where they headed north to discover some family history, then across to India where they have volunteered to work on a survey of living conditions of tea plantation workers. After two months of this, they continue east to Thailand, then south to Singapore and Bali before setting off for Australia. Estimated time on the road is about one year -- the exact same amount of time I spent in Asia on my first extended world journey.

Good luck, guys.

Blog Link

Saturday Cats

Blue Eyes



And those Green Eyes



Batman Eyes



Mean Eyes



Masked Eyes

Cats in Sinks

Food Stuff

Rachael Ray Cooks at FHM and Food Channel

Jimbo over at World Hum really hits this one out of the ballpark as he defends the controversial host at Food Network. I agree with him and think any perky, gorgeous host that can cook and wear fetish outfits is absolutely A-OK with me.

Rachael (and I know you are reading this), could you possibly increase the fetish quotient and add some more strings and stuff? I don't expect any full-on outfits, but some hints would be appreciated.

Emeril and Battaglia may be better chefs, but they don't hold a flame to the bad girl of public cooking. Rachael, I need some help with my burgers!

WorldHum Understands

China Future and Shanghai Planning

China Tomorrow



Carl and Hai at Carnaval SF



Hip Hop Party -- Photos by Dan Washburn in Shanghai



Shanghai Plan at the Museum


Looks like Shanghai didn't bother to import any of the city planners from Bangkok and Manila. Thank god.

Shanghai Photos from 2Bangkok.com

Seth Might Move to Amsterdam

Lovely Amsterdam

Salon may have abandoned their travel section many years ago (Goodbye Don George! Goodbye Rolf!), but Slate continues the tradition in a more modest fashion with almost weekly travel dispatches from their talented collection of writers, along with freelance contributions from guys like Richard Bangs.

Slate over the last week has posted a series of daily dispatches from Seth Stevenson, who seems to be contemplating a move to Amsterdam. Why? I suspect it's the coffee shops and elegance of the Dutch people, and not the museums. In any event, it's been a fun read.

I'll post Day One of the five-day series, and you can continue from there. Warning and recommendation: Seth is no photographer, but there's a sense of realism in the slide show that makes it compelling. Plus you can visit his favorite coffee shop.

Lately, for lots of reasons, I've been thinking I might leave the country.

I daydream about moving to Canada. Or maybe New Zealand. In my most crazed and misanthropic moments, I envision myself on some sort of self-contained barge, drifting aimlessly through international waters.

In the end, though, most of my fantasies settle on Amsterdam. It's a modern, First World metropolis, and as such it's a realistic destination for me. It's not too close, but it's not on the far side of the world. It's not too cold but also not tropically hot.

In my limited visits to Amsterdam, I've always felt at home. The progressive social policy, the slicing-edge architecture, the relaxed yet refined mood ... it all speaks to me. It says: Move here.

So, to give the place a more thorough assessment, I holed up in a hotel, and I tried to imagine that Amsterdam is my home. I asked myself things like: Do I really want to move here? How would my life change? Are psychedelic mushrooms legal?

Should I Move to Amsterdam? Part One

This Guy Runs Thailand?

Bad Question! Bad Question!

Has this guy lost his mind?

Thaksin toys with media, reporters not impressed
Bangkok Post
Aug 26, 2005

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra holds up a toy with an "X" mark, indicating that a reporter's question is "not constructive", during the first "PM Meets the Press" conference at Government House yesterday.

The first ''PM Meets the Press'' conference saw Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra play with a Japanese toy to rate questions fired at him by reporters, who complained they learned little.

More than 100 curious Thai and foreign reporters were at Government House yesterday to fire questions at Mr Thaksin during the first encounter between the press corps and prime minister in a formal setting.

However, Mr Thaksin rejected many of the questions he did not like, holding up a toy with an ''X'' mark to indicate his disapproval. This was accompanied by a ''beep'' similar to that used on game shows.

Mr Thaksin briefly introduced his toy, saying his son Panthongthae brought it back from Japan. ''Oak [Panthongthae] bought it to play with his sisters. I just borrowed it from him to play with you to relieve stress because the questions you ask are ... oh so heavy,'' said Mr Thaksin.

He raised the ''X'' toy to questions he considered unconstructive and deserving no answer. Many reporters thought otherwise _ that the rejected questions were interesting indeed. ''We learned nothing as many old questions were repeated,'' a reporter from a Thai-language daily complained. Another reporter shared the same view. ''Most of those who asked questions were from other beats. They kept asking old questions. Nothing new.

''Government House reporters knew about the issues as the prime minister had previously responded. We didn't want to ask anything, so we let other reporters, ask, particularly those from foreign news agencies,'' said the reporter.

A senior reporter predicted that future PM Meets the Press sessions would draw fewer reporters. ''Fewer reporters, particularly from foreign news agencies, will show up next time as they realise they will learn nothing new. It's not worth coming,'' said the senior reporter.

Past governments had also had PM Meets the Press sessions, but they had been dropped as most issues raised had already been covered, the reporter said. Veerasak Pong-aksorn, head of the political desk at Krungthep Thurakij, whose question on the deep South was rejected, said he was not despondent after being flashed the cross.

Mr Thaksin found Mr Veerasak's question _ whether international terrorism was involved in the ongoing unrest in the deep South _ was ''not constructive'' and waved the sign. Mr Veerasak said he initially planned to ask questions about economic issues but shifted to southern unrest, which dominated the session.

Many reporters wanted to know more about the executive decree on emergency situations, particularly the ''emergency power'' given to the prime minister, Mr Veerasak said. They wanted to know exactly which situations required the use of the executive decree, he said. There should be a check-and balance system in applying the decree. The decree should be bound by the law and not by an individual's judgment, he said.

At one point, a foreign journalist asked the prime minister whether the executive decree was ''a licence to kill''. He immediately got the sign. Mr Thaksin set Thursday for his formal weekly press conference, and gave reporters 45 minutes to ask him questions.

Bangkok Post Link

Shanghai or Beijing?

Beijing Bridge Collapse

One of the three guys who makes up the Talk Talk China team (it's a blog), recently made a trip from his home in Shanghai up to Beijing, and returns to post his impressions. Come on Dan, tell us how you really feel.

Beijing: A shitty little countryside village
August 24th, 2005
by Dan

Beijing? International city my ass! I used to think that a “Beijing vs. Shanghai” discussion was relevant but now I know that there is nothing to discuss. Shanghai beats out Beijing in every single category (except maybe in the annoyingly-loud-and-obnoxious-people category or the food-is-so-disgusting-that-it-looks-like-I-just-sneezed-soy-sauce category). In fact, I won't even continue with a comparison. I would be willing to entertain (but not subscribe to) the notion that Shanghai can compete with great cities around the world: New York, London, Hong Kong, but mentioning Beijing in the same breath with those cities is absolutely ridiculous and your time is better spent clipping a ball-point pen to your lower lip while attempting to catch the other end in one nostril.

If I had to describe Beijing to someone I would say this: Have you ever been to a small town in China? Any small town will do. You have? Great. Well, take that small town and increase the geographical area and the population proportionately until the population hovers around 15 million. Good. Don't get rid of the crappy mini-buses or the countryside attitudes. Keep all the tiny little clothes shops. If you see any horse carts on the road then just leave them where they are. Pave the streets a bit and throw up the odd streetlight every now and then. Still with me? Good. Now take any random person that you can find and throw them behind the wheel of a dilapidated car and let them charge money to take you places but the kicker is that they'll either take you nowhere, get lost, or complain about it the entire way. No matter where you go, you'll always think that you're just outside of the city until suddenly, 2 hours later, you've reached the other side and it looks exactly the same as every other place you've just driven through. Don't bother even attempting to explain basic traffic principles to these subhuman pig men. Just let people drive wherever they please and block traffic. Above all, make it virtually impossible to get anywhere on foot: lightly sprinkle the city with just a few necessary stores forcing people to drive everywhere in hellish traffic. Make sure that no air conditioning is ever used on public transportantion. Finally, cover everything in fine earthy dust so that people are always dirty.

I have had the opportunity to criss-cross this great nation. At each stop along the way, I have beeen deeply touched by the courage and conviction of the people. But Beijingese are craven, gutless cowards. I haven't the slightest clue what base and hideous interests drive them and I assure you that I don't want to know.

No matter where I go, my reaction is always the same in this city: get me the hell out of here and get me back to Shanghai.

Do you have any suggestions to help improve this description of Beijing?

Read the 50 Comments!

Mekong Catfish Story

Mekong Catfish

Some more details about that giant catfish caught last May in the Mekong River by fishermen from the Thai village of Chiang Khong, and details about the search for the world's largest freshwater fish.

Before he headed out on May 1, one of the fishermen, Thirayuth Panthayom, made sure luck would be on his side. He said he prayed at the shrine to the God of Catfish and begged his boat to help him: "Please, Miss Boat, let me catch something today and I'll sacrifice a chicken for you."

He had only been out for 15 minutes when, he said, he saw the fish smack the water four times with its tail - "Pung! Pung! Pung! Pung!" It took his crew an hour to pull it in.

His father, as owner of the boat, earned nearly 80,000 baht, or about $2,000, for the fish from the village fishing association, a fortune in rural Thailand. Thirayuth, like each of the other four members of the crew, got 7,000 baht of this, which he said he gave right back to his father.

As part of its permit to fish for these endangered catfish, the village association then sold the fish to the Department of Fisheries, which harvests their eggs and sperm as part of a captive breeding program.

After that, the fish are to be returned to the river. But, as usually happens, this fish, a female, did not survive the harvesting procedure, in which its belly is vigorously massaged and manipulated.

In the end, the men of the village cut it into giant steaks and sold it. When he tried a bit, Thirayuth said, it tasted soft and sweet and mild.

"It's hard to describe," he said. "You have to try it yourself."

New York Times Article

Flooded Chiang Mai

Flooded Night Market



Bicycling Home



Downtown Chiang Mai



Sailing Past McDonalds



Smiling Through the Flood

It's been two weeks since flash floods came crashing down from the north, and swelled up the Ping River, which overflowed its banks in Chiang Mai and put downtown under several feet of water for a few days. The locals are familiar with the routine and largely just go along with their lives until the waters recede and the mud is shoveled out from the ground floor of most houses and businesses.

These photos by a variety of photographers were posted in last weeks' Chiangmai Mail (sister to Pattaya Mail) and will go into the archives sometime tomorrow, so before the images vanish from memory, I've decided to post a few of my favorites.

Malaysia's Freedom of Religion

Sky Kingdom Teapot

While there is strong resistance in the Islamic world to allow Muslims to change their religion, Malaysia's constitution guarantees freedom of religious choice and, in theory, all Muslims should have the right to renounce their religion and make another choice. This constitutional right will apparently be tested by two members of the Sky Kingdom after the destruction of their religious compound by local police in Trengganu state, and the arrest of many of the cult's followers.

Malaysia sect detainees test law
By Jonathan Kent
BBC News, Kuala Lumpur

Police raided the Sky Kingdom compound in July.

Two Malaysians charged with belonging to a deviant religious sect are applying to test the nation's guarantees of religious freedom. They were among a number of people arrested at the home of an inter-faith group known as the Sky Kingdom. The group's leader says he was sent by God, and preaches religious tolerance.

The pair argue that they had renounced Islam, and therefore did not break an edict banning Muslims from associating with the group.

Religious choice

Known as much for building a giant teapot structure as for its teachings, the Sky Kingdom has often been criticised for luring adherents away from Islam. Police moved in to the group's compound in the state of Terengganu in early July, and arrested 21 people.

All were charged in an Islamic court with breaking a fatwa, an edict issued by the state's Islamic authorities. Two of them are now set to challenge that charge by arguing that they had renounced their faith.

They have applied for a hearing before Malaysia's federal court - a secular body to test Article 11 of the country's constitution which allows citizens to profess and practise the religion of their choice.

However, in the past, secular judges have dodged the issue of whether Muslims are allowed to change religion, by referring cases back to Islamic courts. They in turn have ruled that defendants are only trying to leave their religion to evade Islamic justice.

Read the Rest

Pakse, Laos by Stuart Towns

Lao Songtao by Stuart Towns

English teacher Stuart Towns recently left his place in Bangkok and made the long journey to Ubon in Issan, then across the border to Pakse in Laos. His reports on both destinations are honest and without the fluff of most travel narratives.

I've been spending the last couple of days in Pakse, Laos. I feel like I should say something about it, but I really don't know what to say. Pakse itself is fairly boring with nothing really to do. It's a very new city -- created by the French around the turn of last century.

Pakse is actually 45 KM from the Thai border. To reach it, I had to take a big songtaew, along with about 30 Lao people. Some of them, I have to admit, were less than clean. The woman sitting next to me, in particular, must have stepped in some buffalo pies as she walked through the rice fields that morning. The bus was crowded, it was hot, the lady next to me carried quite the stench, and I have to admit that my mai pen rai was severely tested throughout the hour-plus ride.

When I finally arrived in Pakse, things did not improve. I was armed with my Lonely Planet Laos book, but I quickly realized that the map of Pakse was useless. We crossed a bridge over the Mekong into Pakse, but (as I finally figured out later), that bridge was not on the map. Neither was the huge market where we were dropped off.

So, I ended wandering around in the blazing hot sun with my backpack trying to figure out where I was; trying to get some sense of direction. I walked down the first street until it became a dead-end. I walked down the next street until it became a dead-end as well. I didn't see anything that looked like a hotel or what would even pass as a "city".

So finally, I looked at the hotel list in my Lonely Planet, flagged down a tuk-tuk and said bai rongraem pakse (Go to Pakse Hotel). Luckily that phrase works in both Thai and Lao language.

Next thing I know, I am taking a hot shower in the surprisingly nice Pakse Hotel. It is run by a French man and his Lao wife (I think) and I highly recommend it. At $10 a night, it was close to heaven. Later that night I washed the rest of my travel troubles away with an amazingly good pepper steak and a Lao Beer an Italian restaurant. Another very pleasant surprise.

Read the Rest and See His Photos

Getting Rich in Thailand

Farmer Ladies in Sukhothai by Carl Parkes

Rick Salazar at Planet Bangkok has some sensible advice for anyone who wishes to come to Thailand and enjoy life to the fullest.

Random Blather
Rick Salasar's Handy and Indisputable Guide: Part 2

Apologies to the millions, ok thousands, I mean hundreds, well perhaps closer to dozens, of people around the world eagerly awaiting my much-belated follow-up to the first installment of Rick Salasar's Handy and Indisputable Guide to Making it in Thailand.

Ok, maybe it's a stretch to round the number 2 up to dozens (except at large accounting firms, apparently) but it makes me feel good so it's cool, ok?

Aaaanyway, here's the first and likely most intelligent option for those interested in living in Thailand. More options to follow in the next installements. I promise they won't be so few and far between as the rounds one and two of my handy and highly-disuptable guide.
Bear in mind these are a response to requests for information on how to make a go of it. Other things might, and have sometimes, worked but this is the list of choices for a "plan that stands", ok?

1. Make a bundle, "retire" to Thailand.

Make enough money somewhere else to set you up for life here. This has to be by far the most sensible, realistic, likely and pain-free approach. Hands down. Therefore, it's not the approach I took, of course.

Oh, how I could regale you with tales of "if only", "I used to be somebody" and "how much money I lost that I could have brought here and lived like a king (or chosen Nigeria instead and lived AS a king, but that's a different 419-related matter altogether.)"

Trust me. If you can find a way to beg, borrow, steal or, heaven forbid, actually EARN your money, do it somewhere else.

Sure there are SOME people who came to Thailand with little or nothing and made a successful go of it and GUARANTEED you can and will meet an almost unlimited string of asshats here who will tell you all about how good their business is here, how much money they're making, how much they still have on the go back at home, what a business wunderkind they are, etc., but also GUARANTEED is that 99.9 per cent of them are so full of crap, they probably COULD be hugely successful in agriculture if they found a way to package all that BS.

Read the Rest for a Good Laugh

More Environmental Problems on Bali

Bali Ricefields by Carl Parkes

Bali's Mountain Lake District Under Threat

Sedimentation, Illegal Forestry and Overpopulation Blamed for Deterioting Condition of Tabanan's Lake District.

(8/21/2005) Three mountain lakes in the Tabanan Regency of Bali are continuing to recede, estimated to have become 3 meters shallower over recent years. The lakes - Danau Beratan, Danau Buyan and Danau Tamblingan are all located in the areas bordering the two regencies of Tabanan and Bulelang in Bali's northwest highlands. Each of the lakes has declined from their officially recorded surface elevations in 1993 of 1,231 meters for Danau Beratan; 1,214 meters for Danau Buyan; and 1,214 meters for Danau Tamblingan.

The shallowness of the lakes is most evident when seen from the receding shorelines and the occasional appearance of the lakes' bottoms emerging above the water's surface in several parts of the lakes.

Sedmintation caused by over farming and illegal forestry surrounding the lakes, together with changing weather patterns are all blamed for the change in the lakes' natural characteristics.

Quoted in the Indonesian-language daily Kompas, Dr. Dedy Darnedi, a local expert fron the Center for Biological Research (LIPI) in Bogor, West Java, has called for the establishment of a protected biosphere in the areas surrounding the lakes to save the lakes and urgent further study into any possible further ill-effects plans to establish a geothermal energy project in the hills of Bedugal might have on the worsening conditions of the the three lakes.

Bali Discovery News Link

Buddhism in Thailand

Wat Po by Carl Parkes

Why has Buddhism and religion been largely lost in Thailand?

Inappropriate Decor for Restaurant?

The other day I went to a restaurant on Soi Ruam Rudee. The room we were in was surrounded with pictures of monks and the Buddha, including a sitting statue about one metre high. In fact, there were so many I felt like I was eating in a temple!

I found this sort of decor rather inappropriate for a place where alcohol is served. The waiter even put the wine right at the base of the Buddha statue. I have never seen Buddha images and statues used in such an extent in any restaurant, not even overseas.

I don't think they are disobeying any law, but to me this is just not right. Should our Culture Minister look into something like this?

Tourism Authority of Thailand Leader

Santichai, I Hardly Knew You

Santi, remember the press trip to Issan?

This man is now the leader for tourism to Thailand. Does anybody know how he got the job?

Another Exciting Presidential Election in Singapore

Singapore Votes!

The only problem is that only one candidate qualified to run in the presidential elections this week: the candidate supported by the ruling party. You've got to wonder, why does the Singapore government even continue this charade? Who do they think they are fooling? Sheesh.

More Details at Singabloodypore

Loveland on Jeju Island Korea

Jeju Loveland Korea



Sculpture on the Island of Love



Looking for Inspiration



Thirsty?

Jeju (called Cheju-do when I last visited) is an island off the southern tip of Korea, long popular with newlyweds on their honeymoon. It's warm, has a fabulous volcano dominating the landscape, and some of the best beaches in the country.

An English teacher working on the island recently took a day off to explore the more erotic elements of the Love Island, including a visit to a theme park dedicated to all things erotic. Well, not everything here is actually erotic, but it's curious to note the blatant display of erotica in such a sexually conservative country.

Loveland Jeju

Report from Southern Thailand

Monk and Army Escorts

One of the volunteer writers at Metroblogging Bangkok was recently invited to visit southern Thailand as a guest of the Thai Army, and he reports back on the disturbing situation. Independent first-person accounts of the conflict are rather rare, so I thought it was worthwhile to pass along this account.

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to accompany the Royal Thai Police’s entourage into the Deep South; namely the Yala & Pattani province. Traveling through the high risk & embattled zone and viewing the whole situation through my own eyes, I can’t begin to describe the feeling. My emotions swayed back and forth from the verge of being enraged, & ready take a gun in my own hands to the deepest sympathy a human being could possibly feel for another. Through my experience, my views of a passive agressive stance through reasoning on the South have also changed.

Every morning, each and every monk is escorted by no less than 4 soldiers carrying high powered assault rifles on a pick up truck for their collection of alms. (Such a contrast of viewpoints if one ever existed.)

Teachers and students are ushered into busses equipped with 12 police officers, where they are dropped off to their respected schools, which are detailed and painted with various Jeeps attached with machine guns and Army soldiers patrolling the premises.

By 7 P.M., the streets are literally empty, all shops are closed, and everything ceases to function. The locals are in complete & utter fear of being caught in the line of fire.

Read the Rest and the Comments

The Failure of Bush

Peace with Honor

Someone Tell the President the War Is Over
New York Times
By FRANK RICH
August 14, 2005

Nothing that happens on the ground in Iraq can turn around the fate of this war in America: not a shotgun constitution rushed to meet an arbitrary deadline, not another Iraqi election, not higher terrorist body counts, not another battle for Falluja (where insurgents may again regroup, The Los Angeles Times reported last week). A citizenry that was asked to accept tax cuts, not sacrifice, at the war's inception is hardly in the mood to start sacrificing now. There will be neither the volunteers nor the money required to field the wholesale additional American troops that might bolster the security situation in Iraq.

WHAT lies ahead now in Iraq instead is not victory, which Mr. Bush has never clearly defined anyway, but an exit (or triage) strategy that may echo Johnson's March 1968 plan for retreat from Vietnam: some kind of negotiations (in this case, with Sunni elements of the insurgency), followed by more inflated claims about the readiness of the local troops-in-training, whom we'll then throw to the wolves. Such an outcome may lead to even greater disaster, but this administration long ago squandered the credibility needed to make the difficult case that more human and financial resources might prevent Iraq from continuing its descent into civil war and its devolution into jihad central.

Thus the president's claim on Thursday that "no decision has been made yet" about withdrawing troops from Iraq can be taken exactly as seriously as the vice president's preceding fantasy that the insurgency is in its "last throes." The country has already made the decision for Mr. Bush. We're outta there. Now comes the hard task of identifying the leaders who can pick up the pieces of the fiasco that has made us more vulnerable, not less, to the terrorists who struck us four years ago next month.

Link

The Bear and the Bird Feeder

Hmm, Looks like Food in Box



Slid Past Bird Feeder, but Will Crawl Back



Yep, Something Good to Eat



Ummm, Bird Feed

Bear and Bird Feeder

Transvestite Beauty Contest in Jakarta

Miss Waria Contestant Jakarta

MISS WARIA INDONESIA- 2005
Agam's Gecko
Indonesia

A few days ago I was watching MetroTV's early evening news program called Suara Anda (Your Voice), which I try to do most evenings from 7-8pm. The program starts out with a preview of 8 news stories which viewers will be able to choose from, and call the studio to make their request and discuss the story with the two hosts. Then they will spend the first 20 minutes or so with whatever main story has been chosen by the editors (with interviews in studio, by satlink or phone with those involved or sources), and the viewers will have their menu of choices offered again at station breaks, to think about which one they might wish to request later.

So the other night, #7 was a story on "Miss Waria Indonesia 2005". And I thought to myself, "Wow, those are some brave girls... er, guys." For you see, waria in Indonesia is the same as kathoey in Thailand -- although for obvious reasons, not as generally well accepted as part of the local fauna. The word waria -- in line with the Indonesian propensity for making new words out of cryptic abbreviations for any and everything -- is a combination of wanita (woman) and pria (man).

In Thailand, the transvestite cabaret shows are very popular with locals and tourists alike. Huge venues like Calypso and Alcazar are world famous for their shows, and are packed every night. For many foreign visitors, attending a "ladyboy" cabaret is a must-do when in the Kingdom. They are really quite amazing.

But in predominately Muslim Indonesia? Transvestites (and gays) have a much more difficult time, and special events like this are pretty much underground. I certainly wasn't expecting a public Miss Waria competition, although I've since learned that the first one was actually held last year. Well I was interested to see how it came off, and hoped someone would phone in for number 7.

And sure enough, before the end of the program, one male viewer called to request the story. They ran the piece, which included the antics of the FPI (Front Pembela Islam - Islamic Defenders' Front) toward the end of the event, and their attempt to stop the show. The FPI are famous for their gangs of thugs who go around busting up pool halls and cafes every Ramadan. I've written about them a few times on this blog. Apparently on this occasion they were unsuccessful in their efforts, and the show went on. The photo above, of Pak Haji Soleh Mahmud of FPI, was too good to resist -- with his graceful flourish, it looks like he wants to enter the contest.

After the video piece, the hosts engaged with the caller on the issue of transvestites in Indonesia. "It's a sickness," he said. "They are mentally sick, but with the help of religion, playing lots of sports and things like that, they could be cured." He didn't like it at all, and thought they should not be allowed to do such things. When the host asked him if he supported the actions of FPI to put a stop to all that immoral behaviour, he said he certainly did.

The last time I was in Aceh, I went with a few friends in Tapaktuan to a public swimming pool one day. The place was crowded and exhuberant, lots of people of all ages. I noticed a group of 3 or 4 waria come in, dressed nicely (not bathing suits) and obviously not at all shy about it. Joking around with people and each other, certainly not trying to be unnoticed. I asked my friend, and he just shrugged and said, "That's waria. Watch out, they'll flirt with you!" Nobody seemed to give them particular attention, they were just part of the scene. And this is Aceh! This seems to be a fairly common attitude in Southeast Asia, certainly that's the usual attitude you find in Laos or Thailand.

I remember in the early 90's when I was in Cambodia travelling by motorcycle in a remote area outside Siem Reap (it wasn't exactly safe, the KR were still around), and I stopped at a little fruit vendor's shop in the middle of nowhere. The young lady selling fruits and snacks was quite pretty, nicely dressed and 100% feminine in speech and manner. But she was a guy. The older lady working with her was a real one, and the whole scene was just absolutely normal, like nothing out of the ordinary. I thought how lucky she was to have a life where she was able to be herself and be accepted. Of course I only saw that one small part of her life that day.

The next night on Suara Anda, the main in-studio opening story was ... Miss Waria. It had been kind of disappointing how the program had ended the previous night with a supporter of the FPI thugs. So kudos to MetroTV for going with it as top story the next evening. And the guest in studio was Olivia from Surabaya -- Miss Waria Indonesia 2005. She was extremely articulate and well spoken, and I can see why she was chosen from the 30 contestants. She talked about what she hoped to accomplish during her coming year, including helping to educate people about dangerous drug use and HIV-AIDS. She wants to show that waria can be good, kind and responsible citizens and hoped she could improve their image.

Olivia won a grand prize of $250 dollars for being chosen Miss Waria, and she will fly to Thailand (not sure when) for the international pageant for Miss ... I don't know what they call it. Miss World Ladyboy? -- I don't think so. The CBC has a story on the pageant with a very nice picture of Olivia (and another one of Pak Haji Soleh, who came in last, heh heh). BBC also has a story with photo.

By the way, see that guy in the black leather jacket over a red shirt, standing next to Pak Haji? He's a lawyer (name slips my mind at the moment) and part time soap opera celebrity in Indonesia. He was always prominent on defence teams for those people like Emilio Gutierrez, the militia people who did so much brutal damage in East Timor for years before and during the referendum, as well as military figures accused of doing bad things to people in Aceh, Timor and elsewhere. Now he's hawking his own energy drinks in the worst advertisements on Indonesian TV. And here he is again, in like a dirty shirt -- you can see on the CBC page, it looks like he's straining just to get into the camera shot. But the gentle warias won the day, hooray!

CBC Story on the Contest

BBC Link

Agam's Gecko

Vogue China

Happy Vogue People



Up Close and Personal



Vogue Man of the Year

Vogue China. Somebody call Beijing!

The Deserted Museums of Rangoon

Rangoon Defense Service Museum



Rangoon Drug Elimination Museum

Rangoon’s Deserted Museums
The Irrawaddy
By Toby Hudson/Rangoon
July 2005

Where guards shadow visitors and tout for tips

Washing hangs out to dry on the tailplanes of aircraft on display at the Defense Services Museum in Rangoon—an eye-opening new use for mothballed veterans of Burma’s air force. The laundry belongs to museum staff who live on the premises and appear to supplement their meager incomes by appealing for handouts from the few foreign visitors who call by. One female attendant trailing a reporter of The Irrawaddy said to the visitor: “I’m a government worker and I get paid 1,700 kyat (about US $1.90) a month. Why don’t you give me some money to buy medicine?”

The Defense Services Museum on Shwedagon Pyay road is one of several in Rangoon displaying exhibits that range from the bizarre to the outrageous. The gloomy Soviet-style structure stands out from the old colonial buildings surrounding it not least because of the armed guards at the front.

Welcoming visitors from the high wall of the entrance hall are portraits of Burma’s generals, organized in a tree graph with Snr-Gen Than Shwe suitably at the top. Beyond the grand but musty entrance hall is a series of cavernous rooms housing exhibits ranging from armored cars and heavy artillery to photos of bridges and Burmese gas and oil plants.

The museum is usually devoid of people and the dim lighting can turn a visit into a creepy experience. The shadowy presence of guards doesn’t help. Nor does the menacing nature of some of the exhibits and the junta slogans that accompany them. “Without communications we cannot rule and command!” declares one of them, providing an insight into the military’s power politics.

Many must leave the museum wondering if the 3 FEC (about US $3) they paid for the experience was worth the hassle. Some probably flee the pestering attention of the questioning, suspicious staff.

At least at Rangoon’s National Museum, on Pyay road, there’s no risk of being harassed by officious staff, who pay no attention to visitors at all. Again, staff outnumber visitors by far, and fill their time by sleeping and eating. Yet there are at least a few exhibits of interest: the Lion throne of King Thibaw and some fairly well-preserved royal robes worn by Burma’s last kings.

But the lighting is dim, the labeling inadequate and often absent altogether, and the 5 FEC entrance fee is not well spent. If only for its curiosity value, however, Rangoon’s Drug Elimination Museum probably will be worth the expense when it reopens after extensive renovation. Much of the work on the museum in Kamayut township involves the removal of all traces of disgraced premier Khin Nyunt, whose presence dominated the entire building when he was still in power. Large portraits of Khin Nyunt hung on the walls, and a life-size dummy resembling the former leader featured in a second-floor diorama portraying the destruction of a poppy crop.

Read the Rest

Japanese Kamikaze Memorial in the Philippines

Miss McDonald in Manila

Kamikaze Statue Sums Up Asia's Feelings
New York Times
August 13, 2005

MABALACAT, Philippines (AP) -- Even now, 60 years later, it's an arresting sight: a life-size statue of a Japanese kamikaze pilot next to a former U.S. Air Force base. Yet as the Philippines and the rest of east Asia remember the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, the statue commemorating the first suicide pilots seems to sum up their ambivalence toward Japan's imperial era of aggression and brutal occupation.

Some have protested about the fiberglass statue since it went up 10 months ago, while others see in it an act of forgiveness. But it's also a recognition of the power of the yen: Japanese tourists flock to the airfield to see the World War II museum and honor the pilots who took off from here on their one-way missions against the advancing U.S. Navy.

Japan, the world's second biggest economy, has a gigantic economic footprint in the region. Trade with other east Asian countries totaled $1 trillion for the year ending in March. Last year China replaced the United States as its biggest trading partner.

Japan is the biggest buyer of Philippine exports, and the two states are negotiating a free-trade agreement.

Link

Fordham Spire Chicago

Fordham Spire



Fordham Spire Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) - The architect's concept is breathtaking: a spiraling, 115-story tower that would pierce the sky along Chicago's lakefront and grab the title of the nation's tallest building. Off the drawing board, though, history shows that such plans often fail to live up to their record-breaking aspirations.

Over the past 20 years, dozens of high-rise proposals such as the new Fordham Spire in Chicago have been billed as the world's or nation's next tallest building. But most of the projects have ended up either scaled down or scrapped before the shovels even hit the dirt.

"Since 1950, there's only been a handful of world's tallest buildings and those that have been built have ruled for a long time," said Lee Bey, a former architecture critic who is writing a book about unbuilt skyscrapers. "These things are obviously very complicated to build and complicated to finance."

Link

Legal Public Demonstrations in Singapore

Illegal Public Demonstration

Aside from getting a government permit in advance, is there any way to have a legal public demonstration in Singapore? Yesterday's dispersal of a four-person demonstration may or may not be legal, but Mr. Wang has looked at the laws and offers a few possibilities.

From all the above, we begin to identify the principles by which it may be possible to legally stage a public demonstration in Singapore. Firstly, there must be a maximum of four participants. Secondly, you should avoid being a nuisance - for example, do not go nude; do not spit; do not have any ferocious dog with you. Thirdly, stay strictly on the pavement and do not step onto the road. Fourthly, do not speak to the public. Instead carry a placard or wear a T-shirt printed with the message you want to convey.

If my legal analysis is correct, then it may even be possible to have mass demonstrations in Singapore. They will just have to be mass demonstrations of a somewhat different kind. For example, if 100 people wish to demonstrate, what they can do is break up into 25 groups of 4 people each. They simultaneously demonstrate in 25 different locations in Singapore.

Alternatively, demonstrators can demonstrate in small groups of four, and take shifts. For example, the 1st group of four can demonstrate from 9 am to 11 am outside the CPF Building. They then walk away from the building. When they are clearly some distance away, the next group of 4 demonstrators can walk in and take their place.

Commentary Singapore by Mr. Wang

Has Somebody Alerted the Communists?

Mice Seize Star Ferry



Rodents Invade Central



Giant Rat Learns Tai Chi

Somebody Call Beijing!

Michelle Malkin Loses Her Mind

Michelle, Michelle, Bahala Na

Michelle Malkin's Bad Hair Week
The Peking Duck
Aug 12, 2005

It's sweet to see Ms. Maglalang getting her comeuppance for her Macbeth-like plotting, conniving and prevaricating. All over the blogosphere, you'll see references to her outrageous efforts to demolish the character of Cindy Sheehan in the same style the GOP noise machine tried to destroy Joe Wilson and John Kerry.

First, Media Matters takes us on a step-by-step chronological journey of how the slime machine works, starting with Drudge (of course), who then passes the baton to Maglalang, who then works in concert with falafel man Bill O'Reilly. Never mind that they so butchered Sheehan's quotes that it amounts to bold-faced lying, and never mind that they wildly (and knowingly) take things out of context -- that's the formula, that's how it works. And, voila! A totally false but contagious meme is born.

Then, to underscore Maglalang's issues with being a compulsive liar and human-body-hating freak, Atrios links to this oldie but goodie, describing how Maglalang is prudishly and neurotically obsessed with Christina Aguilera's body (draw your own conclusions about that) and how she literally makes stuff up with no compunction. It's as though she's just pulling her "facts" out of her ...whatever.

Tbogg then throws her own "In Defense of Internment" argument back at her, making the case for Maglalang to be thrown behind the barbed wire she'd love to see encircling America's Moslems. Lock her up, I say.

Ms. Sheehan responded to Maglalang's venom with dignity -- angry dignity, that was far more civil and humane than any of Michelle's cackling.

Read the Rest

How to Unblock Websites in China

Mao Fashion

Talk Talk China
Aug 12, 2005

Many of us in China experience the frustrations of trying to view various blogs but end up getting the dreaded “This page does not exist” message. I try to visit the sites of each and every commenter on TalkTalkChina but, sadly, many sites are blocked from being served in the mainland. There are a lot of good sites out there and it is a real shame that we can’t see them. There’s really nothing we can do…or is there?

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

Bad: http://leakingstatesecrets.blogspot.com
Good: http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://leakingstatesecrets.blogspot.com

How did you do that?

A friend of mine introduced this neat little trick to view these blocked sites. I haven’t tested it extensively on every little oddity of the web but it works well for the blogs that I now read from which I was previously blocked.

Step 1: Get the address of the web site that you’re trying to view. For example, “http://leakingstatesecrets.blogspot.com”

Step 2: Combine that with the following “http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/< insert URL here >”

(At this point, you should have a long URL ready that looks like “http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://leakingstatesecrets.blogspot.com”)

Step 3: Simply paste that into your web browser and voila! It takes a bit longer to serve the pages but it’s sure beats the error page that you might normally get.

Happy surfing!

See Comments for More Solutions

Paknam Web Network

Paknam Street Scene

Paknam Web Network is the leading Internet Portal for English language web sites in Thailand. The web sites showcased on this page receive over 50,000 unique visitors every day making them some of the most popular web sites about Thailand.

Paknam Web is based in Paknam, Samut Prakan Province in Thailand. We started as an internet project at the internationally acclaimed Sriwittayapaknam School. By mid-2004, we had grown so large that we moved to our own premises. However, we still keep close ties with the school with past & present students and teachers working for us.

"More unbiased information on Thailand travel than any site we've seen." - Lonely Planet

Paknam Web Links

Philippines: The Failed State

Cigarrillos

The Gamblers of Manila
Der Spiegel
By Andreas Lorenz

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was forced to send her corrupt husband out of the country, but now she's sinking into the depths of a fraud scandal herself. How much longer will the church and the military continue to support her?

The water tower at the end of Del Valle Street in Candelaria is a place where small fortunes are made. Three times a day, Boy Jun fills a San Miguel beer bottle with 37 numbered balls. Under the watchful eyes of the audience, he shakes the "bolillo" and drops two of the balls onto a wooden table.

Then his helpers search through a thick stack of paper tickets on which number combinations are written. Whoever has bet their money on the winning numbers stands to walk away with up to 900 times their initial bet.

The Filipinos call this numbers lottery "Jueteng." Although it's against the law, the lottery is as much a part of daily life here as the church and cock fights. In Candelaria, two hours from the capital, Manila, there are 115 Jueteng sites just like the one beneath the water tower. Up to 8,000 players participate in each of Boy Jun's drawings.

Jueteng is an important factor in local economies. In Candelaria alone, the lottery provides a small income to more than a thousand people, who go from door to door collecting bets. The take for each game at the water tower amounts to about 300,000 Pesos (approximately €4,300). The "cabos," or money collectors, are entitled to three percent of each bet, as well as ten percent of the proceeds for each winning number they sell.

But the true beneficiaries of the game are police officials and politicians who tolerate the outlawed gambling operations. "We spend a quarter of our proceeds on protection payoffs," says one lottery manager. "Most of the money stays in town, but the rest of it reaches Manila through middlemen." The local town hall has even hired an agent who discreetly checks to make sure everyone gets his share.

Even President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's husband has allegedly padded his pockets with Jueteng payoffs, as has one of her sons and her brother-in-law. The lottery has grown into a raging scandal that threatens to bring down the government. A special parliamentary committee is now investigating the practice -- an illegal business, but one in which everyone seems to be involved.

The lottery for the poor already forced one president out of office in 2001 when Joseph Estrada, a popular ex-actor, was charged with corruption. He now lives under house arrest in a luxury villa.

At the time, Arroyo, 58, drove the former thespian out of office in a popular movement supported by the military, the church and the business community. But now Arroyo is having problems of her own. She has exiled her husband, José Miguel, to the United States so that he "cannot throw a shadow over my presidency," as she announced publicly, fighting back tears -- or, say the smirking gamblers of Candelaria, "so that he can count his money in peace."

Read the Rest

Free Speech in Singapore?

Protesters in Singapore

Riot police break up demonstration of four people in Singapore
Yahoo News
Aug 11, 2005

SINGAPORE, (AFP) - Riot police broke up a rare demonstration by four people demanding greater transparency and accountability in Singapore's state-managed pension fund and other government-linked agencies.

A dozen anti-riot police wearing helmets and knee-high protective gear and carrying shields and batons formed a phalanx outside the offices of the Central Provident Fund (CPF) as a commanding officer approached the demonstrators.
"You are committing an offence of public nuisance. If you don't disperse you will be arrested," the officer told the protesters as business people and employees watched in the central business district.

The four protesters, among them an office administrator and the sister of an opposition leader, Chee Soon Juan, voluntarily dispersed. They denied being part of any political group.

Police later asked them to hand over their protest materials -- T-shirts and placards -- as part of an investigation to determine whether they had violated any laws.

The two men and two women assembled at lunchtime outside the CPF building in the business district. They said they did not need a permit and staged their protest for about an hour.

Under the law, any public protest of at least five people without a police permit is deemed illegal. The protest took place as Singapore was in the midst of official celebrations of its 40th anniversary of independence.

The protesters hoisted placards calling for greater openness in how the government handles public funds used for retirement pensions, overseas investments and the building of subsidized high-rise apartments.

A police officer said they had received a telephone call from a "member of the public" about the protest, prompting them to send in the riot police.

Monica Kumar, 45, one of the protesters, said they had been inspired by public outrage that followed revelations last month that the chief executive of Singapore's biggest charity, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), was being paid 350,000 US dollars annually.

The scandal sparked an online petition signed by more than 40,000 people and forced the NKF chief executive, T.T. Durai, and the entire board to resign.

"In reality, the NKF is reflective of the entire system in Singapore where public matters are run in a non-transparent and non-accountable manner," the protesters said in a statement.

The statement called on the Housing Development Board and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) to open their books for public scrutiny.

GIC manages more than 100 billion US dollars in funds and invests globally.

"We call on the government to make Singapore more transparent and accountable, starting with the state organizations mentioned above," the protesters said.

Yahoo News Link

Singapore Democratic Party Link with Photos

Eyewitness Account in Singlish

Flickr Photos

Vespas in Bali

Drool, Drool

During my travels in Indonesia, I've seen plenty of old motorcycles from Lombok to Sumatra. Most were Harley Davidsons owned and operated by fans of the American manufacturer, but I've also come across an entire town in northern Sumatra completely inundated by Triumphs from the 1950s. Motorcycle aficionados will find plenty of interest in the islands.

Most riders in Bali will probably rent a Japanese bike for a few dollars a day, but longterm residents might consider springing for a Vespa from the small shop pictured above on Poppies Gang 1 in Kuta. I'm not sure if they have Vespa rentals, but the post below by Nick at Bali Blog mentions a Vespa for sale for about $1200, which is a deal by anybody's standards. Vespas here in San Francisco go for $2000-4000 depending on the condition.

The Vespa Shop:
A scooter lover's dream in Kuta Bali
Nick
Bali Blog
Aug 9, 2005

One of the eye-catching shops in the Kuta area is a little place called the Vespa Shop which is located close to Pasar Agung on Poppies I. The Vespa Shop sells restored Vespas dating back to 1965 as well as some funky versions of that bike. Vespas come from Italy and an Italian motorbike enthusiast once told me there were 4 million Vespas in Indonesia. They are affordable, simple to fix and cheap to run, "The best bike for going around the world." he said. I don't know about that but for a small person who wants to zip around town a Vespa will work.

I saw a nice green 1966 Vespa Super 150 for 10m rp. The Vespa Shop does modifications and restorations. It deals in Vespa Harley, Vespa Chopper and Vespa Classic models. Really takes me back to England in the early 80's with a resurgence of the Mod & Rockers scene.

The Vespa Shop
Pasar Agung
Poppies I
Kuta

(0361) 762785
the_vespa_shop@yahoo.com

Bali Blog Link

Bloggers in my Neighborhood

I'm Number One

I just stumbled across a very cool application for bloggers, that puts a small map of your neighborhood with all nearby bloggers, right in the sidebar of your blog. I've got some 175 bloggers nearby, but then I do live in San Francisco so that would be expected. And curiously, I found this little script machine via IndCoup, a blogger in Jakarta, and was surprised that IndCoup has 17 bloggers in his neighborhood.

blogs around this location

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

Carl Parkes -- FriskoDude
friskodude Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
Southeast Asia, Travel and Photography
San Francisco, CA, United States
37.7890153756198, -122.425376192819

The Elaborate Hour
Colleen Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
One-Stop Shop for Pop-Tart Philosophy.
San Francisco, CA, United States
37.7908253757498, -122.420718003805

Johnnie Manzari
johnnie Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
San Francisco, CA, United States
37.7908253757498, -122.420718003805

plaxoed!
markjen Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
[Mark Jens life @ Plaxo]
San Francisco, CA, United States
37.7908253757498, -122.420718003805

The Entreprexplorers Journal
The Entreprexplorer Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
A journal of one (currently young) mans journey into entrepreneurism. Including entrepreneurial thoughts, ideas, tribulations, experiences, etc. See where it goes...
San Francisco, CA, United States
37.7857027338723, -122.436031287924

King of Zembla
Simbaud Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
No, no, Hodge shall not be shot
San Francisco, California, United States
37.7791764881204, -122.419953022618

Happie Spacie
Happie Spacie Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
Welcome to my space
San Francisco, California, United States
37.7791764881204, -122.419953022618

Special
Special Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
San Francisco, California, United States
37.7791764881204, -122.419953022618

Bay Area Radio Digest
BayRadioDJ Blog | Feed | Bloggers Nearby
San Francisco, California, United States
37.7791764881204, -122.419953022618

Try Feedmap!

Baidu and MP3 Search

Would Mao Download MP3s?

Of course, you can always use Google or Yahoo to find your MP3s, but why not challenge yourself and use the Chinese search engine Baidu and avoid all those nasty copyright issues? As you know, the Chinese don't give a hoot about copyright, so anything goes with the search engine that went public last week, and quickly zoomed to over 10 times release price.

The only problem with Chinese search engines is....that they are in Chinese. But SinoSplice has come to the rescue with graphics that show you the way.

I think any modern student of Chinese should be using Baidu’s MP3 search. With it, it’s possible to find a huge variety of MP3s on the internet, and it’s totally free! (Yes, the world’s loss regarding intellectual property rights in China can be your gain!) I can imagine, though, that for a beginning student of Chinese, an all-Chinese interface can be daunting. It is my aim to make it more accessible to the beginner.

Link with Baidu Graphics

Shanghai Hip Hop Party

Hiphop Party Shanghai by Dan Washburn

And what of the music? Hard to say. I couldn’t understand any of the lyrics, save for the odd “baby girl,” “check it,” “murder” or “word up.” Actually, most people in China wouldn’t have been able to understand the lyrics. They were in Shanghainese, which is cool, because the dialect is at risk — fewer and fewer young Shanghainese are learning it. The beats, however, were universal — and, often, very tired and familiar. The only thing original about the music was the language. But give these guys some time. It’s early yet. And hey, Shanghainese rap is already less annoying than Vanilla Ice.

Dan Washburn's Shanghai Hip Hop Report

Murder in Mongkok

Street Scene with Box Cutter

English language newspaper in Hong Kong are reasonably discreet when it comes to murder photographs and rarely publish anything that might upset your breakfast, but Chinese language rags have no compunctions about printing extremely graphic photos of horrendous murders, suicides, and other mischief. EastSouthWestNorth today has a post with a collection of murder and suicide photos guaranteed to make your day.

More Mayhem In Hong Kong

Here is a city story (see Oriental Daily):

On busy Nathan Road in Mongkok, Hong Kong, a man got down on his knees to beg his ex-girl friend for reconciliation. She refused as she now has a new boyfriend. He got up and slashed her neck with a box-cutter. She collapsed. He ran away. Later, it was found that he went on a roof, slashed his own neck, slit his wrists and then jumped off the building to his death.

That is about one paragraph. If you insist, you can call a psychiatrist and ask for some professional comments about such situations to fill out another paragraph. That should be it.

Except this is Hong Kong. It is a small place. Whenever something happens, the paparazzi photographers will be on the scene within minutes. For that which they do not have photographs for, the newspapers have good graphic illustrators. So instead, this story appeared as the top news item.

So here we go again with another pictorial orgy of mayhem and bloodshed. It goes without say that you can't find any such in the South China Morning Post or The Standard.

Are there ever pleasant news in Hong Kong? Hmm .. what can I tell you about today? I can tell you about the baby party. It is customary for the new Chinese parents to hold a banquet for the baby at about a month old. So there was one such party yesterday in Tsimshatsui, and the police were out there in full. Why? The new father was a former boss of a Chinese triad gang, and all his fellow gangsters were bound to show up.

There were forty full tables of guests. Therefore, the Anti-Triad Squad of the West Kowloon District was at the restaurant with cameras, notebooks and, just in case someone has any ideas, attack dogs. Nothing untowards occurred and a good time was had by all. The police went home when the party broke up around midnight. So that was nice and pleasant, wasn't it?

ESWN on More Mayhem in Hong Kong

More Thai Stories from Steve

The Hand of Buddha (Sukhothai) by Carl Parkes

Steve in Suphanburi via Thai-Blogs always manages to come up with funny and revealing stories from his years in the Kingdom. Last week, I quoted his unusual visit to Kanchanaburi where he managed to avoid encounters with all the standard tourist cliches, while bumping into the jetsom and floatsam of both Thai and farang culture. This week he uncovers Thai kick boxing scams in Pattaya and other oddities only found in the Land of Smiles (LOS).

Talking about the police. I can remember a couple of years ago when the police complained to the media about a certain Ladyboy who was under their custody. What was the problem? you may ask. Well, after the Ladyboy’s capture and failure to pay a lowly fine for gambling or something like that the police could do nothing but lock the Ladyboy up for a few days in lieu of being unable to pay the fine. Probably for the fun of it, the comedian guards stuck him/her in the men’s cell.

Well, after a few days the police said to the Ladyboy ‘You can go home now’ only for the Ladyboy to reply ‘I don’t want to leave, I want to stay here, it’s great being locked up with a few friends!’ So, the police just let the Ladyboy stay put and after a few more days the police had to virtually handcuff the Ladyboy and throw him/her out into the streets after they had realized that this certain Ladyboy had been having lotsa ‘fun’ with the other randy inmates every night.

Thai Stories from Steve in Suphanburi

Monkhood for Dummies

Phitsanulok Monks by Carl Parkes

You've probably read several accounts of monk initiation in Thailand, but you've never read anything quite like the monk ordination in Phuket as described and photographed by an American English teacher living in Kamala Bay. Hilarious.

So you want to be a monk in Thailand? I understand. It’s not even a lifelong thing here for laypeople. Three months and you’re out.

You probably have a few things that need to be forgiven if you don’t want to be reincarnated into a frog. Say maybe you had Russian girls tape you fucking them or maybe you’d just like to thank Buddha for sparing your sister in law and your nephew the day they got mowed down by a drive-by shooter wielding an M-16.
Now, becoming a monk is a bit complex. Luckily, there’s an old man who knows the protocol and will be right behind you all day, whispering directions in your ear. Let him give you the run-down:

Monkhood for Dummies

Bugils in Taman Ria, Senayan, Jakarta

Bugils Hawaii Nights

BuGils Bar Staff Are Going International

In support of the BuGils staff, who are planning to go to Singapore for their half yearly outing, the BuGils management is giving them freedom to organise events of which the revenues will go directly to them. The first event they planned is a Hawaiin Night on coming Thursday. No entrance fee.

Note: The event is this THURSDAY AUGUST 11 and not Monday as mentioned on the poster.

Subscribe to the Bugils Weekly Newsletter!

Fluffer Blogheads? In Singapore?

Blogheads in Singapore

Singapore, that land of continuing controversy, is also home to dozens of blogs that mostly talk.....about........fluff. Some of the fluff is pretty interesting stuff, but the self-absorption rate of the republic blogosphere is almost beyond belief. And nobody really seems to care. The leading blogger, some young lady named Wendy (Xiaxue), is among the most egotistical and self-centered bloggers I have ever witnessed. Singapore has a few serious bloggers, but they are in the minority and draw relatively small numbers.

The bloggers in Singapore almost make The Straits Times a seriously introspective and politically aware source of insightful information.

Blogheads or What?
By Skye Tan
Asia1.com
August 01, 2005

ME. My body, my thoughts, my dog... et cetera.

If you are new to the local blogging phenomenon, you could be forgiven for thinking that our bloggers are, as one fellow blogger, Singabloodypore, once observed, infantile. Sure, blogs are by nature biased, containing opinions and reflections from their owners.

But a cursory browse of some of the more popular local blog sites seem to reveal them as vain, navel-gazing and, well, rather self-absorbed. Not exactly similar to the blog power we have seen in the US.

There are exceptions, sure. But they are rare, and not getting much attention. Instead, the ones which make the most impact and score the most number of hits appear to be those that yak on and on about well, me, my body, my thoughts and my dog.

Not that anyone is apologetic about it. As one of the latest additions to the ranks of local 'blogebrities', or celebrity bloggers, Ms Sandra Ng, 20, revealed: 'I blog to share with people my thoughts and feelings.' True to form, the pretty freelance camp instructor, known to her fans as Sandralicious, writes about, well, her life.

That, and perhaps the sensual photographs she posted on her blogs, gets her about 3,000 unique hits on her site every day. A unique hit is one recorded by a hit counter based on the user's computer. It would not be recorded if the same user visited the website again. Not bad for someone who's only started blogging in 2003.

Our original blogebrity, Ms Wendy Cheng, 21, better known as XiaXue, gets even more hits on her blogsite - up to 10,000 daily unique hits. Well-known for her caustic wit and biting comments, Ms Cheng has blogged tirades against cab-snatchers and her chagrin and detailed opinions on why certain female celebrities who her male friends think are hot are not.

Flippant? Perhaps. Sorry? No, she doesn't 'apologise for it', she says in her usual frank manner.

Popular blogger Mr. Brown - who gets 5,000 to 7,000 unique hits on his site daily - was self-deprecating enough to rename his site Mr Brown: L'infantile terrible of Singapore.

MANY CHILDISH BLOGS

Sarong Party Girl, (or 'Izzy'), the 19-year-old fine arts undergraduate who found herself the subject of much discussion after she posted nude photographs of herself, admitted: 'There are many childish (Singaporean) blogs out there that do not talk about anything worthwhile.

'Mostly because I think people want others to read their blogs, and they would rather talk about things other people like their friends or family can accept.' Besides tales of her sexual exploits, SPG frequently expounds on religion and prejudice. Izzy, who boasts 12,000 unique daily hits on her blogsite, is another 'I-blog-what-I-am'.

''My life is full of salacious details... and I like modelling and post those photographs up because at the end of the day, the blog is about me,' she said.

But navel-gazing does not always equal fluff, insist some local bloggers. Wannabe Lawyer or 'Shianux', 25, belongs to the small breed of 'serious' bloggers. The law student, who's doing his degree in Melbourne, regularly expounds on his opinions on media, economics, law and political policies, and his 'two pet topics - issues about race and rights for people with alternative sexual preferences'.

'I write the way I do because it's a personal blog and I write about things I care for. I'm aware that my blog is a publishing platform and I can reach people with it but I write for myself primarily,' said the articulate young man, who called Mr Brown's writing about his family and autistic daughter a 'very powerful way of sharing about family social issues'.

BREAD AND BUTTER POLITICS

Mr. Miyagi - or businessman Benjamin Lee, 36, - insists he too is political. 'For me, politics is defined as whatever issues that concern ourselves and our lives. So you could say we are always political. Bus fares up? Complain. Political what,' he wrote in an e-mail reply. A recent blog entry dwelled on his grocery shopping.

Both Mr Miyagi and Wannabe Lawyer's site are one-year-old. The former gets 3,000 unique hits daily while the latter, 400. But do they go beyond merely complaining? Unlike some top US bloggers who indulge in their own brand of investigative journalism, Singapore bloggers are generally armchair critics.

Which begs the question: Do Singapore surfers want - or deserve - more? Judging by the popularity of the bloggers, no. A peek into someone's personal life seems enough of a thrill. Said Wannabe Lawyer: 'It's like human interest stories in newspapers. Each blog is a walking, self-centred human interest story.'

In any case, politics isn't a big part of Singaporeans' lives, said Mr Randolph Kluver, director of the Singapore Internet Research Centre. But Mr Brown - or Mr Lee Kin Mun, 36, an Internet consultant - also pointed out there are local blogs on topics 'which have nothing to do with what they took for breakfast or how they feel about love'. He cited a few blogs dedicated to technology, culture and travel and language.

And he reckons that 'given time', the local blog scene will 'see more citizen journalists come out'.

US bloggers: The Fifth Estate?

DURING the Iraq War, the question on many lips was: Where is Raed? That was the title of Salam Pax's site, a blogger posting under a pseudonym right from the heart of Bagdhad. Every development of the ongoing war was chronicled - he got the news before the news hounds - and the rest of the world read, riveted. His writings were duplicated in books and he was offered a regular column in The Guardian.

Someone even offered to fund him to shoot a movie titled Baghdad Bomber. Forbes.com nominated him for their Best Blogs, in the category of Best War Blogs. His site also won a Bloggie (the blogosphere equivalent of the Grammys) in 2004 in the category of Best African or Middle Eastern Weblog. Talk about blog power.

GAINING RECOGNITION

Political blogs are fast gaining recognition too. In the US, John Kerry's men issued press accreditation to political bloggers to cover the Democratic National Convention in June.

In March, the New York Times reported that US political blogger Garrett Graff, 23, whose blog www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc analyses the Washington news media, was given a daily White House pass.

NYT reported that Mr Graff 'may be the first blogger in the short history of the medium to be granted a daily White House pass for the specific purpose of writing a blog'. This was echoed by a White House spokesman.

Also in recent events, this time in Europe, a teacher's blog expressing why he disagreed with the proposed EU Constitution garnered up to 25,000 daily hits in the days leading up to the vote in July.

Link

Burma Photos by Carl Parkes

Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon

Irrawaddy Sunset in Pagan

Shans at Maymyo Market

Old Bus at Entrance to Mandalay Hill

Young Monks at Monastery School in Maymyo

Monks at Swedagon in Rangoon

Irrawaddy Sunet in Pagan

Islam in Indonesia

Oriental Circus in Surabaya

Jakartass in, well, Jakarta does his usual trick with today's blog. First he starts out with his health problems which have made him miserable for several days, but then segues into more serious issues, such as the fluctuating nature of Islam in the world's most populous Islamic nation. Good summary here.

Do also see the blog of Indcoup, another British citizen living in Jakarta also blogging about Islamic issues both back home and in the country of his present residence. His blog address is over on the right side, under Blogs Indonesia.

Jakartass
Indonesian Bugs
August 3, 2005

This, of course, is good for Indonesian Muslims intent on following the one true path as defined by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

Indonesia's reputation as a bastion of moderate, tolerant Islam has been cast in doubt after the nation's ulemas council (MUI) issued 11 fatwas (edicts) banning liberal Islamic thought, religious pluralism, inter-faith marriage, inter-faith prayers led by non-Muslims and women leading prayers attended by men.

This, in itself, doesn't bother me. Being in favour of a woman's right to choose and the use of contraception I also ignore Catholic dogmatic claptrap.

What both religions have in common though is an assertion of their right to interfere in civil society by determining secular laws and here in Indonesia this is seemingly welcomed. There is a Ministry of Religious Affairs, currently under investigation for massive embezzlement of haj funds.

Yet, the MUI is not a state institution. It can issue fatwa and orders to Muslims, but they are not binding and it does no have the authority to enforce them. Legal authorities in the government have no obligation to enforce the edicts while Muslims are not obliged to comply with them.

Because the MUI has no authority to enforce the controversial fatwa, it is the hard-line groups, like the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) who appear at the frontline to pressure the authorities to enforce them. If they believe the authorities have failed, they (the hard-line groups) could directly come to the field to enforce them.

Read the Rest

Malaysia's Internal Security Act

See Malaya

The Internal Security Act (ISA) was originally set up in Malaya in 1960 to combat the communist insurgency within peninsular Malaya, which had been raging for almost a decade and bringing death and mayhem to the cities and towns of the British colonial subjects. After the communists were finally defeated in the 1970s, and after Britain declared the independence of Malaya, both the Malaysian government and later the newly independent nation of Singapore decided that the ISA was a wonderful tool for national security.

Both countries still use the ISA to throw political dissidents into prison, where they can languish for years and years without any legal rights considered essential under democratic traditions. It's now been 45 years of ISA terror, and there's no end in sight.

Malaysia's security blanket
Asia Times Online
By Baradan Kuppusamy
August 6, 2005

KUALA LUMPUR - Behind the gleaming skyscrapers and the wide, manicured highways with luxury cars gliding by - the symbols of Malaysia's vaunted economic success - lurks what one rights activist calls the "White Terror".

The preferred weapon of this terror is the Internal Security Act (ISA), a law passed in 1960, which provides for indefinite detention without trial. Ostensibly enacted to fight communist insurgents it has since been used against all and sundry.

The common denominator is dissent against the established status quo and any challenge to the official pecking order of society. The ISA is frequently used against forgers, counterfeiters, Islamists, political opponents and even people who campaign to abolish the ISA itself.

It has claimed a steady stream of victims since 1960. Many survivors gathered this week to recount the horror they suffered and, united with NGOs and opposition parties, renewed their determination to force the repeal of this draconian law.

They recounted stories of horror - arrests in the dead of the night, interrogation for days on end, beatings and torture, and severe psychological pressure to recant, confess and join political parties in the government.

This week marks the 45th anniversary of the ISA, a convenient reference point for victims and campaigners to press for the repeal of the law that has jailed more than 3,500 since 1960.

Many of the ISA's victims were trade unionists fighting for a fairer wage and the right to form unions in free trade zones. Others were student leaders, researchers, academics, journalists, political activists, religious groups and NGO activists.

"I was stripped naked for most of the time I was interrogated," one victim recounted. "I was interrogated endlessly and police officers turned up the air conditioner making the cell freezing cold. They booed me on my genitals, sneered at me and threatened that I would become impotent after they had finished with me."

Police also threatened to rape his girlfriend if he did not confess, he said. "They frequently punched, kicked and beat with a broomstick."

Read the Rest

Nancy Kissel Admits Killing Banker Husband

Nancy Kissel

Hong Kong's trial of the decade appears close to a resolution, as Nancy Kissel finally admits her deed after several days revealing the extent of the abuse she suffered under her husband. Will her strategy of "abused wife only defending herself against a drug addicted husband" actually work? Visit the Link below for the conclusion.

Complete coverage of the Kissel murder trial
The Standard

Kissel admits killing banker
Accused murderer Nancy Kissel admitted Thursday she used a heavy metal ornament to kill her husband, banker Robert Kissel.

Accused's revelations stun packed courtroom
Nancy Kissel's testimony stunned the packed courtroom with a whole sequence of revelations Thursday.

Kissel tells murder trial of bloody fight
An enraged Robert Kissel threatened to kill his wife Nancy with a baseball bat before she hit him with a metal ornament and then lost her memory of what happened next, Nancy Kissel testified in the High Court.

'Counseling enraged him, and brought on sex abuse'
The drugs found in the stomach of the decomposing body of former Merrill Lynch banker Robert Kissel were prescribed for his wife, Nancy, who was struggling to sleep for fear of his violent sexual whims, the High Court heard Wednesday.

Kissel admits affair, attempted suicide
Trapped in a marriage in which she was sexually abused by her drug-fueled, obsessive banker husband - and feeling there was no way out, accused murderer Nancy Kissel testified in the High Court she tried to commit suicide.

Kissel portrays life of hell
In the most dramatic day in the Kissel murder trial, accused murderer Nancy Kissel took the stand to call her dead husband power-crazed, drug-dependent, sexually abusive and violent.

Insight into troubled marriage 'crosses the line'
In the words of Justice Michael Lunn Monday, the Nancy Kissel murder trial ''crossed the line'' to provide an insight into the couple's marriage, the deceased's success and the years leading to his eventual death.

Drugs cocktail and baseball bat thicken Kissel plot
Last week, the High Court heard about the unusual cocktail of drugs found in the stomach of murdered banker Robert Kissel; how the effects on a neighbor who had been served a milkshake at the Kissel residence was ''in line'' with the effects of those drugs, and was shown a new defense exhibit - a baseball bat

Nancy Kissel Coverage from The Standard

Military Reunion in Bangkok this October

Concorde Final Flight

Did you serve in the military during the days of the Vietnam War, and would like to get together at the Ambassador Hotel for memories and perhaps running into some old friends? Check the link below for more information about this reunion, which is open to all nationalities and all military personnel who served in Vietnam.

INTERNATIONAL RETURN TO SOUTHEAST ASIA REUNION 2005
"A CELEBRATION OF REMEMBRANCE"
19-25 OCTOBER 2005

AMBASSADOR HOTEL
171 SOI 11, SUKHUMVIT RD
BANGKOK 10110, THAILAND

This reunion is OPEN TO ALL former US and ALLIED MILITARY and CIVILIAN AGENCY participants of the war in Southeast Asia, commonly called the Vietnam War!

This is a very special invitation to all former members of the military forces of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and South Vietnam to join this reunion. This is not only for the US Forces.

Everyone is welcome! - USMC / USAF / USN / USA / USCG / RED RIVER RATS / RED HORSE / CAT / AIR AMERICA /CIA / CASI / SKY/ STATE DEPARTMENT /USAID / OB / IVS / USIS / ASV / RAVENS (NOT THE USAF SECURITY POLICE OF PRESENT DAY - THE REAL RAVENS OF LAOS!) / Air Commando Association / ALLIED MILITARY - Royal Thai Army (RTA) / Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) / Royal Thai Navy (RTN) / Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) - ALL ARE WELCOMED. If I omitted any organization I apologize in advance and will add if you alert me to the omission.

Military Reunion Link

Last of the Giant Turtles

Giant Hog in Alabama

Peninsular Malaysia has a great deal of beautiful scenery to offer the visitor, from the amazing Taman Negara national park in the center of the jungle-clad country, to superb beaches over on the east coast. During the 1950s and 1960s, the east coast was also known for an impressive migration of three types of giant turtles, who would lumber ashore late and night and lay their eggs.

During some years, over 10,000 turtles were estimated to lay their eggs on the beaches of Kuala Trengganu state. And so it became it tourist attraction, with huts built directly on the beach, campsites popular with young Malay visitors, and bright lights from more expensive resorts which did little but scare away the very shy animals.

I stayed at Dungun many years ago on my first visit to Malaysia, and found the whole scene very sad. People would shine their flashlights directly into the eyes of the frightened animals. Some would even mount and ride the poor creatures, while others scooped up the eggs at the very moment they were being deposited into sand pits dug by the animals. Others captured and killed the turtles for meat or primitive rituals.

This year, Malaysia has recorded just one visit by a turtle. Wildlife slaughter is fairly common in Asia, but this really goes beyond the pale.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Endangered turtles have disappeared from Malaysia's famous nesting beaches this year, with just one landing recorded compared to the thousands that used to lay eggs there, experts say.

The alarming development has raised fears that the turtles may be lost forever from the beaches, a big draw for tourists who come to watch the egg-laying as well as the emergence of scores of hatchlings.

So far only one leatherback turtle -- the most endangered of Malaysia's turtles -- has been sighted and that was early Wednesday, said Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre director Kamarruddin Ibrahim.

And for the first time in history, neither of the other important species -- Olive Ridley and hawksbill turtles -- have landed at the traditional nesting sites in the northeast state of Terengganu, he told AFP this week. Kamarruddin said there was also a drop in the number of green turtle landings, with only 1,500 nestings this year compared to 3,086 last year.

"There is definitely a declining pattern of nesting for the leatherbacks, from as many as 800 nests in 1984 and only five last year," he said

Read the Rest at Yahoo Asia News