The Hostess Bars of Wanchai, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Destroyed

Spike at Hongkie Town has posted what I believe to be the best summary of the "hostess bar" situation in Wanchai I've ever seen, and any single guy intending to chase women in Hong Kong should read his strong warnings about the rip-off nature of this beast. Hopefully, he will follow up with another posting about the legitimate bars where guys can meet ladies in a more honest environment.

Gardens of Evil

In the interest of having something to blog about, I'll respond to a recent question from an anonymous commenter.

If you've been in Wanchai, you've likely seen the go go bars that line Lockhart Road. If you haven't been to Wanchai, you've probably heard about them. They line Lockhart Road with bright neon signs advertising "model dancers." Girls and mama-sans sit out on the street, asking you to come in for "just one drink" or that it's happy hour or "just take quick look." The names include San Francisco, Show Biz, Cock Eye (used to be Popeye till they were threatened with a lawsuit), Venus, Firehouse and so on.

Here's the deal, as best I know.

These places date back to the 60s in one form or another. At one point they featured topless dancing but the government put a stop to that by stopping issuing licenses for topless - as places came and went, bought and sold, topless became a thing of the past.

Where they once featured Chinese girls, now the girls are mostly from the Philippines and Thailand. If it's their first time here, they were brought over by a pimp in their country who may or may not have told them what they were getting into. Sometimes they are told the truth, sometimes they are told they will just be dancing or working as a hostess. At any rate, most of them are quite lovely, often better looking than most of the freelancers you'll find in the discos. When you walk by the bar and they call to you, it's not the easiest thing in the world to resist.

Hongkie Town Link

ImageThief on PR Work in China

Will as Hunter S. Thompson

If I had known that working as a flack in China was such a wonderful job, filled with travel to exotic locations and superb meals at every stop, I would have skipped this travel writing gig and headed straight to either Shanghai or Beijing. I wonder if it's too late to change careers?

A week in the life of a China flack

Imagethief has recently had several e-mails from young foreigners in China who are interested in embarking upon a career in PR here. Why these students should choose such a career as opposed to, say, enlisting in the Navy as boiler technician or applying for a research internship to the Congo is a mystery. But there is no arguing with the idealism and energy of youth.

As a service to these eager youngsters, and anyone else with an interest, I thought I would diary a week (six days actually) in the life of a China flack. I hope the following chronology of glamour and high society will lure more talented young people (or burned out journalists) into the industry.

Wednesday
6:00 AM: Up early for the 8:40AM flight to Shanghai to work on new business proposal with a Shanghai colleague. Flight is uneventful. Get to Shanghai office at noon. Picked up by company driver and taken to office. Fishball noodles for lunch.

1:00 PM: Before working on proposal, make RSVP calls to foreign media invited to attend a Shanghai roundtable event with a client's senior global executive the following Monday. A Chinesee media event is also planned. I am due back in Shanghai on Sunday for exec briefing and will stay through Monday for the event.

2:00 PM: Within moments of finishing media calls and confirming foreign media, client's China PR manager informs me that global office is considering canceling foreign media event. Don't wish to do group media event for various reasons.

Also learn that Publication That Shall Not Be Named has called client to complain they weren't invited to event. In fact, they have been invited and one of their journalists is supposed to attend.

ImageThief Link

Saigon vs. Hanoi

Motos by Chuck at PBase

Another hilarious post by 27-year-old Dave who, believe it or not, does his posting over at MySpace.

They are the two main hubs of Vietnam and they are so different. Here is an impression of each from the local perspective.

CAFES
Hanoi: Jam packed, with two couples sharing one table.
Saigon: Chairs in rows like bus seats.

NOODLES
Hanoi: Brought to you with the waitress's thumb as a free extra.
Saigon: A bowl of noodles comes on a plate.

PHO
Hanoi: Seldom without MSG and bread.
Saigon: Must include herbs, bean sprouts and red (or black) chilli.

STICKY RICE
Hanoi: Good and sticky, wrapped in banana leaves.
Saigon: Terribly dry, sold in boxes or nylon bags.

GOING FOR A BEER
Hanoi: Bia hoi (local draught beer) with peanuts, back home by 9pm.
Saigon: Must include herbs, bean sprouts and red (or black) chilli: Bottled beer with lots of rice, a hot pot, home after midnight.

SNACKS
Hanoi: Not much choice, but tasty.
Saigon: Good variety, cheap and acceptable but nothing special.

SET LUNCH
Hanoi: Small pieces of sweet and sour stir-fried pork ribs.
Saigon: Giant lumps of unskillfully grilled pork ribs.

DRESS
Hanoi: Xe om drivers around Hoan Kiem lake wear suits.
Saigon: People go to the best hotels wearing shorts and sandals.

SHOES AND SOCKS
Hanoi: Women can wear socks without shoes.
Saigon: Men can wear shoes without socks.

TRAFFIC
Hanoi: You can cut across a car, but make sure to turn right only on a green light.
Saigon: You can ignore red lights, but don't stray into the car lane.

WHEN THE LIGHT IS RED
Hanoi: You can't turn right.
Saigon: You can even turn left.

PARKING AT SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS
Hanoi: Free.
Saigon: "VND2,000, please".

VEHICLES
Hanoi: Obsolete models rarely seen.
Saigon: Like a museum, where ancient models are still going.

SAVOIR FAIRE
Hanoi: You are shocked if someone says, "Thank you".
Saigon: It's normal for a receptionist to bow when you walk in.

TWO WOMEN CHOOSE THE SAME PRODUCT
Hanoi: "Let's get one each".
Saigon: "If you take it, I'll go for something else".

A MAN ASKS A WOMAN IF SHE LOVES HIM. SHE ANSWERS:
Hanoi: "What if I say no?"
Saigon: "Why not?"

YOU ARE RICH
Hanoi: If you have a lot of money.
Saigon: If you spend a lot of money.

MOBILE PHONE RINGS ON THE STREETS
Hanoi: Stop and chat in the middle of a busy intersection to let the whole world know how important you are.
Saigon: Stop, get onto the pavement, and keep a look-out in all directions in case someone tries to steal your phone.

RAIN
Hanoi: Similar to its females, smouldering and persistent.
Saigon: Like its girls, attractive but soon over.

BOOKSHOPS
Hanoi: The staff are rude and surly.
Saigon: A comfortable place for a free read, especially for kids.

PAGODAS
Hanoi: A quiet and uplifting place where you leave daily concerns behind.
Saigon: Noisy and secular.

LAKES
Hanoi: Immense and romantic.
Saigon: No bigger than a pond.

Dave at MySpace Link

Immigration Scams in Manila

Immigration Department Manila

Some hilarious observations of the corruption highjinks which have long plagued the immigration department in Manila. Take my advice: use the services of your hotel, guesthouse, or travel agency rather than suffer this ordeal in person.

my brush with a Philippine passports scam network

the road to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, cradle of passports issued to Filipino citizens, is long and narrow like heaven; there are pearly gates at the end. the reason: a network of passport scammers older and tougher than your traveling momma. they will con you to the last peso you might be saving for a trip abroad, even as you know you are being conned.

Lost Holes Link

Lechon in the Philippines

Lechon by Sidney Snoeck



Carving the Pig by Sidney Snoeck

I've been meaning to repost this article about lechon by Willie Galang for several months, so guess that means that it has stayed in the back on my mind - quite a compliment to my favorite dish in the Philippines. I also hate to admit this, but I'm a big fan of those pork burgers from Jolibee, and always enjoy a bowl of lugaw in the early morning hours on the sidewalks of Malate.

Some thoughts about the lechon baboy

Sidney Snoeck, a Belgian national based in Manila who maintains a photoblog about Philippine sights, is wrapping up this Sunday his series La Loma’s Lechon, which is about the traditional Filipino favorite but mighty expensive (a-ha!) lechon baboy (roasted pig), or simply lechon to most of us locals. Snoeck mercifully spared us the process of how the pigs are slaughtered (Filipino butchers are not exactly paragons of sanitary practices and humane slaughter of livestock either out of ignorance or sheer apathy) but provided readers of his weblog enough glimpses of how roasted pigs are prepared and cooked to delectable and crisp perfection.

Visitors from industrialized countries may be appalled at the actual roasting environments. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. (For more info about Snoeck, whose blog I just recently discovered myself, read this Manila Bulletin article “A Belgian’s Photoblog of the Philippines” written by Annalyn Jusay, a blogger herself.)

Willie Galang Link

Poverty in the Philippines

Smoking Mountain

And why do so many travelers have a difficult and disturbing time visiting the Philippines? I've been going there for over 20 years, and the increasing levels of poverty and filth and trash are very, very discouraging.

To be honest, though, I can't wait to get back to the States. It's not the heat or the humidity, although, those are significant factors. Honestly, it's the poverty. While I was ready for it this time, it's still rather shocking. I've come to the realization that human poverty within the industrial age is a danger not just to humans, but also to the environment, and to animals within them.

There's so many ferral dogs and cats here, and most look like their starving, and the people often don't look much better. Many urban areas may as well be landfills with as much trash as there is laying around. It's not all bad, though. The countryside is beautiful--breathtaking, even. Some cities are actually rather nice. Many of the cities near Manila, though, are in pretty bad shape.

Super Cheetah Link

What is Bench Fever?

Bench Fever Ad

Why do so many guys enjoy visiting the Philippines? Uh, duh. The only mystery about this upcoming event in Manila is.....what the hell is a "Bench Fever?"

The hottest models around will take off their jeans and show off their underwear in this year's "Bench Fever" so get your tickets from Araneta Center or TicketNet branches.

Metroblogging Manila Link

Ko Phi Phi Update

Ko Phi Phi After Tsunami

Here's a recent report on the situation in Ko Phi Phi, with some dozen photos posted at the bottom, that shows the slums of the island returning in full force. And I thought the government was going to do something about this sad situation, but then I might have thought wrong.

So i’ve been on Koh Phi Phi for 3 days now and I have to say this island is beautiful but at the same time the tsunami devastation is apparent everywhere. It’s a shame because I would have liked to have seen this place in all it’s glory. The entire landscape still appears to be marred with trash and debris as you walk around to where hotels and bungalows once stood.

Don’t get me wrong; It seems the main infustructure of the island has almost been entirely rebuilt. Bars everywhere are open, bungalows are easy enough to find and shops everywhere on the main plaza/strip are all busy with customers almost oblivious to what happened. Development here seems to be continuing at an alarming rate to the point where Phi Phi will surely be overdeveloped to its’ previous state.

Macado Link

Shariah in Indonesia

Bashir Goes Free

A pair of thought-provoking articles about the changing nature of the political and religious situation in Indonesia. The first is by the always excellent Jane Perlez with the IHT and NYT, with a good summary of recent changes over the past year of so. Then, another inflammatory article in today's Jakarta Post.

Women caught in a more radical Indonesia

Lindawati insists she is not a prostitute.

Her case has become a symbol of an increasingly impassioned tussle in Indonesia between those who favor the introduction of Shariah, or Islamic law, by local governments, and those who assert that this large Muslim country, recognized for its moderation and diversity, must hold firm to its secular Constitution of 1945.

Nearly 30 local governments have introduced Shariah laws or Shariah- inspired legislation, from Aceh in the far north, where Shariah laws have lain quiescent on the books for several years but are now being enforced by special Shariah courts, to southern Sulawesi and small islands farther west.

In Aceh, the province devastated by the tsunami in December 2004, officers belonging to a special Shariah police unit stop women on the street who do not have their head scarves properly adjusted and often impose fines. In some instances, women have been publicly whipped for being caught in public with men who are not their husbands, said Suraiya Kamaruzzaman, a founder of Flower Aceh, a women's rights group.

In Sulawesi, one of Indonesia's main islands, three southern districts have passed Shariah legislation and are establishing Shariah courts to enforce the laws. Schoolgirls have been sent home for wearing clothes considered insufficiently modest. In some places, women who are government officials must wear a head scarf to work.

IHT Link

Militant warns of more attacks on western targets

DENPASAR (AP): An Islamic radical alleged to be a key aide of a Southeast Asian terror leader warned Tuesday that militants in the region would keep attacking American and Australian targets.

Subur Sugiarto was appearing as a witness in the trial of one of four suspects accused in the 2005 Bali restaurant attacks. He was arrested earlier this year and police say he is a close aid to Noordin Top, a reputed Jemaah Islamiyah leader.

"We will keep on attacking Americans and Australians as long as they are still tyrannizing Muslims," Subur testified during the trial in the Bali blasts, which killed 20 people and threesuicide bombers.

Sugiarto, who police are planning to charge under anti-terror laws later this year, said he had taught hard-line religious classes to two of those on trial, but they never discussed the Bali attacks.

Jemaah Islamiyah is blamed the restaurant attacks and a series of bloody bombings on western targets, including 2002 bombings on Bali that killed 202 people, most of them foreigners, including 88 Australians. (**)

Jakarta Post Link

Saigon Restaurant Review

Chinese Full Noodle by Webbed Feet

New restaurant review by Webbed Feet:

About a decade ago, my Stateside workmates and I were leaving the office to go get some Asian food. One of the group commented, "I just worry they're going to cut up a dog or a cat. You don't know what they're doing in the back of the restaurant." Thoughtless. What are you saying, the menu is a lie and we'll be served whatever strays near the kitchen, be it Spot or Fido?

I bit my tongue. Food and restaurants are pretty strictly regulated in the USA, to the point where inspection notices must be prominently displayed. Dog is not on the menu, and against the law.

Fast forward to 2005. I'm visiting friends in Battambang, at an impromptu farewell dinner outside of town. An animal's being roasted on a spit, and someone hands me a meaty bone. "What is it? I ask.

"Dog. " I think for about two seconds and commence eating. It's not bad, reminiscent of goat in this instance. The dog was from the neighborhood, and had died of old age so it was a little thin and stringy.

My friend grinned, knowing this was new for me. "Cat is good too. There's also rat." He's a former refugee who lived for years at Site Two camp on the Thai border. Eating dog has a lot more to do with poverty and necessity than cuisine.

Generally speaking, in Asia? I wouldn't make a habit of it, but some have acquired a taste. South Korea banned dog meat, a popular soup ingredient, but the law isn't strongly enforced.

Webbed Foot Link

The New Bangkok International Airport

Bangkok International Airport

Farewell, the old Don Muang, and welcome to the new Bangkok International Airport, which Thai authorities in all their wisdom have renamed to honor Thailand (OK), Burma (the world's most murderous military dictatorship), Laos (dictatorship), Cambodia (Vietnamese dictatorship), and Vietnam (dictatorship). The Golden Land: Suvarnanabumi. The "New Bangkok Suvarnabumi International Airport" to honor Thailand's close historical relationship with Burma, Cambodia, and Laos. The prisoners confined in the gulags of Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are not laughing.

Gruff treatment at Immigration

Bureau This Monday I had a very disturbing and stressful experience at the Immigration Bureau. Due to a name change, I have acquired a new passport and needed to have my visa transferred and extended. At the time of the name change, the US Embassy informed me that it does not issue letters certifying the two names are the same person; therefore I had no such document when I went to immigration on the morning of June 19. I had only a signed request from the embassy for a visa transferal.

The immigration officer at Counter 1 was extremely impolite in informing me that there was no guarantee that I am indeed the same person as stated in the former passport. When I explained the situation and asked for a list of qualifying documents, she told me that immigration provides no such list and I should use my own brains to figure it out.

Then she proceeded to destroy my application for a visa extension that I had already filled out and signed.

Why was my application not rejected in writing, with a written reason and the application not returned to me?

When I returned in the afternoon with a document very kindly supplied by the US Embassy (they were completely sympathetic when I told them what happened), the same immigration officer at Counter 1 proceeded to point her finger at me, tell me I was stupid for not getting this document in the first place, and asked me if I knew the meaning of the word "common sense", and asked if I had any.

When I explained my situation again and repeated my request to see a written list of what documents are needed in place of a letter of certification, she raised her voice, stuck both passports in my face and told me that humans know naturally that two passports with different names cannot be the same person.

I noticed that this woman had no form of identification visible, and I asked her name. She very snappishly replied that she would not tell me, and that I had no business asking her. This struck me as strange, for she was insulting me about my lack of proper ID, which she herself did not have.

Thanks to another immigration officer whom I contacted by phone, I was able to transfer my visa. This officer was very helpful, faultlessly polite, and had no trouble telling me his name.

Bangkok Post Letters to the Editor Link

Good News for Expats in Thailand?

Majestic Tower Pattaya

I'm always skeptical about any news from Thailand, about any "upcoming" benefits to expats, as the Thai government always seems to vote for legal measures to keep the farangs down, so I'm cautiously forwarding this piece of news, via my friend Gary in Pattaya.

It looks like another scam intended to fleece farang tourists and residents for more money, and help fill the coffers of the almost completely corrupt Thai police, but if anyone would like to defend or clarify this policy, do speak up.

And has anyone heard the joke about the honest and corruption free "big boss" at the Thai customs office? Three guys walk in to a bar...

Special packages for Thailand visitors just announced by TAT

"Thailand is offering a series of special privilege packages for those visiting Thailand. The packages and the privileges they offer are listed below. There are pamphlets with full descriptions at Immigration.
------------------------

Blue Diamond TLM Privilege Card
Cost : US$1,800 per year per person
Included :
Smart Card
Multi-Entry Visa for 1 year
Mobile Phone
Mobile SIM card valued ฿3,000
Accident and Health Insurance for 1 year
Fast Track at Thailand International Airports
4 – Time Liaison at Thailand International Airports (4 times)
Transportation from International Airport to City Landmark (4 round trips)
24-hour Call Center (1188)
Discount at TLM Partners Services (5-50%)
Special Rate for Voice Over IP
----------------------------------

Diamond TLM Privilege Card
Cost : US$1,100 per year per person per trip
Included :
Smart Card
Single-Entry Visa for 1 year
Mobile Phone
Mobile SIM card valued ฿3,000
Accident and Health Insurance for 1 year
Fast Track at Thailand International Airports
1 - TimeLiaison at Thailand International Airports (1 time)
Transportation from International Airport to City Landmark (1 round trip))
24-hour Call Center (1188)
Discount at TLM Partners Services (5-50%)
Special Rate for Voice Over IP
--------------------------------

Platinum TLM Privilege Card
Cost : US$ 700 per year per person
Included :
Smart Card
Multi-Entry Visa for 1 year
Mobile SIM card valued ฿3,000
Fast Track at Thailand International Airports
1- TimeLiaison at Thailand International Airports (1 time)
24-hour Call Center (1188)
Discount at TLM Partners Services (5-50%)
Special Rate for Voice Over IP
------------------------------------

Gold TLM Privilege Card
Cost : US$ 500per year per person per trip
Included :
Smart Card
Single Entry Visa for 1 year
Mobile SIM card valued ฿3,000
Fast Track at Thailand International Airports
1- Time Liaison at Thailand International Airports (1 time)
24-hour Call Center (1188)
Discount at TLM Partners Services (5-30%)
Special Rate for Voice Over IP
------------------------------------

Silver TLM Privilege Card
Cost : US$ 100 per 90 days per person
Included :
Smart Card
Mobile SIM card valued ฿300
Fast Track at Thailand International Airports
1- Time Liaison at Thailand International Airports (1 time)
24-hour Call Center (1188)
Discount at TLM Partners Services (5-50%)
Special Rate for Voice Over IP

Pattaya City Expats Club Link

Asia Blog Awards: Indonesia Category

Jakarta Schooners by Carl Parkes

Looks like Jakartass has "volunteered" to help the upcoming Asia Blog Awards for the Indonesia Blog category, and more power to him. Just to show his diligent ways, Jakartass has just posted some commentary on his blog, with his leading 10 candidates and some thought provoking questions about Indonesian blogs which seem to lay outside any recognized category. If you'd like to update your Indonesia blogroll, check the link below to all the hot links. Good job, Jakartass, and better you than me......

Asia Blog Awards
Re: - Indonesia

Hi Chris,

I think I understand your* (and my) judging criteria. Basically, it's up to the public to vote and for we judges to be biased. This, of course, is why the majority of the Indonesian candidates have been nominated by me and the one nominated by the public (see below) is not on the list.

Without further ado, I'm going to offer the following 10 for voting on, subject to your agreement as Head Honcho and Co-ordinator. Let me have your thoughts/comments on these and then I'll declare this post 'official' and folk can start voting (but how??).

INDONESIA

Indcoup
Yosef Ardi
Treespotter
Greenstump
Jakarta Guru
Cafe Salemba
Paras Indonesia
A. Fatih Syuhud
Expat in Jakarta
Indonesia Anonymus

PHOTOBLOG

Java Jive ~ a long running blog with good writing to accompany some outstanding photos, many of which I rotate as my desktop background. The only reason I've nominated it for this category and not INDONESIA is that I wanted to include as many blogs as possible. (I hope you understand, Brandon.)

Move to Asia BIZ/ECON section

Sarapan Ekonomi

Can you - anyone? - suggest categories for these?

Jakarta Kid ~ not regularly updated, but a well-written fictionalised account of a life as an expat teaching here a few years back, with a eye on the poor and homeless encountered.
Indonesia Help ~ originally set up as an online help line following the Aceh Tsunami. Currently revived following the Yogya earthquake.
Blog Indonesia ~ an aggregator and much valued access point to over 1,000 blogs
Indonesia Matters ~ a news poster, generally too much for one day!

Jakartass Link

Crime in Kanchanaburi

Sea Monster in Thailand

Crime in Pattaya has been out of control for many years, but according to today's letter in the Bangkok Post, the once sleepy town of Kanchanaburi is also in trouble with random acts of violence, drug use, and widespread corruption by the local police department.

Crime getting worse in Kanchanaburi

A new Thai adventure holiday is available in Kanchanaburi, it's called "Come to Kanchanaburi and experience robbery, rape or murder". This beautiful little city is awash with wannabe mafia, drug pushers and hitmen. I have lived here for eight years and have seen the decline every year.

The police are unable, or just can't be bothered, to get to grips with what's going on here. Justice and protection for the individual is on a sliding scale with how much money is in your account or who you are or who you know.

Last night, two sisters from Australia came to Kanchanaburi on holiday. As they were walking to their guest house, two cowardly wannabe's drove up on their motorbike and emptied a gun into a bar, shooting one of these innocent girls in the head. This is just the latest in a long line of offences against the unimportant cash-cow farang. How many rapes, robberies and murders do you have to have committed before the police arise from their slumber and take preventive action to stop this?

Mr Thaksin was up here recently, extolling the virtues of the province. Is he for real? Can he really be so ignorant of the situation up here? Well, here's the truth, Mr Thaksin: Kanchanaburi is Thailand's Tombstone, a place where drugs, guns and hitmen are readily available. What do the police do all day long, you may ask? Well, in my experience, they prey on the poor and weak, are scared stiff if someone with power or money comes along; bribery and corruption are the norm. If they see a farang driving a vehicle, it is Kanchanaburi law that they must be stopped and made to pay for some fictitious offence.

Well, I have had enough. I am now so sick after yet another farang shooting that this morning, after sending this letter to the Post, I'm off with my family. It is too dangerous here. I ache inside for my beloved Kanchanaburi - so much beauty, so much lawlessness; life means little here, justice means even less.

A HARRIS

Bangkok Post Link

Jakarta Hard Rock Cafe Needs Help with English

Jalan Jaksa Food Stall

Whoa. Italy, those "pasta eating Mussolini Fascist Surrender Monkeys" just scored against my highly vaulted USA soccer team, so it looks like the end is near. Ah, well.

In other news, it seems that the Hard Rock Cafe in Jakarta can't afford to hire an English-speaking native (hello, Jakartass, Greenstump, Indcoup, Treespotting, etc.) to check their lame website, which lists their opening hours at just a few daily. There IS a difference between PM and AM, but it seems nobody told the good folks at HRC. And their New Year's Eve Party is lame in the extreme.

In better news, USA just scored! Head butt! USA 1 Italy 1. This might be good...

Hours:
Restaurant:
Mon - Thur 11:00AM - 2:00PM
Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holidays
11:00AM - 3:00PM
Merchandise:
Mon - Thur 11:00AM - 2:00PM
Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holidays
11:00AM - 3:00PM

Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta

35 Minutes. Still USA 1 Pasta Eating Surrender Dogs 1. So, the Italians are accused of betting on games, but isn't gambling legal everywhere in the world these days? Fixing games and throwing games is against the law, but gambling? Give it up. Good move by Italian after Reyna (USA) accidentally fouled him. Coming up: Brazil vs. Australia. Need I say more? Aussie doesn't stand a chance, but you never know, so I'm gonna say once again Oi Oi Oi. America intercepts, with great shot but just high.....

42 minutes. USA shot, wide right. Bad sideshot by USA (or whatever you call that thing). I almost hate to say this, but USA is obviously dominating this match. Very bad call against Pablo of USA. Red card.

45 minutes Another shot by USA blocked by Italy. Italy is NOT in this game. End of First Half: USA 1 Italy 1. I'm amazed. This is really exciting.

48 minutes Italian player down on the ground doing the Italian Surrender Monkey move, which seems so false and lame and embarrassing. Doctors. Sure, he is badly hurt by the trip. Has anyone watched American Football? That dude would have been laughed out of the stadium. Soccer stars are wimps and very bad actors. That's all I can say. For more information, see American Football.

51 minutes Excellent block by Italian Surrender Monkey Goalkeeper. Announcer: It's 1 to 1 against "one of the great soccer nations on the face of the Earth." I agree. Nuff' said, as an homage to Trink in Bangkok. I have a proposal: every national soccer team must only field players born in their country. Does this have any support? America would be shit, but what about most European nations? Looks like Brazil and Ghana would come out on top. Italy is way, way back on this game........

62 minutes Great shot by USA, but wide.

66 minutes Score by USA, but controversy on off-sides ruling. Goal called back by refs, and it seems to be valid. Very big shame on the American player who committed the foul and negated the goal.

68 minutes Italian player is still faking his pain. Surrender Monkeys. Great shot by Italy, but off.

Quiz: Who liberated Italy from Nazi and Mussolini occupation?

72 minutes Great goal save by Kasey Keller. The Italians are dominate. Del Piero commits a foul, but I don't know the sense about these soccer fouls. When you engage in sports/combat, you contact your opponent, and you trip up and hit the guy. No big deal. American football doesn't really care about this stuff, but European football punishes guys who bumb into other guys? I don't get it. Flagrant personal attacks should be punished, but in my humble opinion, there are far too many infracations being punished.

93 minutes

It's tie with USA 1 and Italy 1. USA dominated this match, and now goes on to face Ghana.

World Cup: America vs. Italy

Mexico Wins Match in World Cup 2006

As an American, I seem to be genetically wired to completely misunderstand the fascination that most of the world spends on this thing called "soccer," but I will admit that twice every four years I pay somewhat attention, during the Olympics and the ongoing event in Germany. And now, the America vs. Italy match has just started, and with 20 minutes into the event it is apparent that my country stands no chance against those pasta eating fools.

Go USA

Enough of this. On TV, we've also got today:

U.S. Open (without Tiger)
Hockey Finals
N.B.A. Finals
U.S.A. College World Series
Backgammon Championships
Poker

Anyone wonder why Americans can't be bothered with some matches in Germany we ain't gonna win? And it's best that America almost completely ignores soccer. And some great, great photos from Macam Macam of soccer legends:

World Cup Match-ups

So who else has been losing sleep watching the FIFA World Cup? Okay, maybe just me. Some great footballing rivalries could be rekindled over the next three weeks, finally supplying answers to the big questions that have perplexed fans the world over:

MATCH-UP 1: BRAZIL v ARGENTINA: Who would you prefer to wake up next to?

Ronaldinho?

Macam Macam Link

Bali Trials and Tribulations

Barong Dance in Bali by Carl Parkes

BaliBlog has posted an email message from a European lady who has settled down in Bali and married a Balinese citizen, and she ain't happy with the situation. Most of the comments defend the lifestyle of the Balinese and blame her for her Western ignorance, but I tend to agree with her critical assessment of the Balinese lifestyle. Not all is well in paradise, and Westerners should have a good look around before moving to the island, and certainly before marrying a Balinese and starting a family. I just know too many bad stories.

The comment below is a bit of a run-on sentence, just so you appreciate On the Road by Jack K.

I have been living in bali since 2000, i got married
with a balines man two years ago, i have a baby one
year old and i was totally in love with bali and
balinese people until now, since two weeks ago my
opinion about balinese people has change totally
i need to say to somebody what i think or how i feel
now.

Now way they are 99% good people, balinese are
jeoulosy, sorry don't know the word in english, they
have a lot envy, they live only by and for the
religion and the banjar, they follow the banjar and
the ceremony templos just by rutine many times, they
have not idea about what is commitment, compromise,
responsability, iniciative, they are dificult people
when there is a problem around, they hidden themself
and they run away, they don't know how to face a
problem, they have not compassion, they have nice and
beautiful smiles outside but many times are not real
at all, they can be very arrogant, very machist, the
balines woman suffered a lot, there is a lot fare
about black magic, many people believe in this and
they are so scare about that, they run away from their
jobs many times without say anything, they are not
that good with children as we all foreigners think all
the time, it is only that they are all the time with
children because the most of them are not working,
that doesn't mean they are better than westernes with
children, man are lazy and they could be all day lying
down, sitting on the banjar and sleeping, a lot
balines has not experience about anything or have not
knowlege at all about anything, they are very
ignorant, focus totally in their life at the banjar

BaliBlog Link

Chiang Mai Introduction

Chiang Mai Flood

Wanna write a guidebook to Chiang Mai? Here's how it looks, HTML and all.

@M:CHIANG MAI
@$:

Chiang Mai, principal city of the north, is the favorite destination for many travelers to Thailand. Situated on the banks of the River Ping and surrounded by green hills and lazing rivers, this thriving city is blessed with a rich history, friendly citizens, and a cool, dry climate--the perfect remedy to the sweltering cities of the south.

<\f\f>Chiang Mai is a world apart. With its unique forms of architecture, dance, music, food, and festivals, Chiang Mai has always been a region both physically and emotionally separated from the remainder of Thailand. The people consider themselves superior to their cousins in Bangkok.

<\f\f>Chiang Mai, however, is also a city in transition. While the so-called Rose of the North still provides a refreshing change from the ordeals of Bangkok, travelers expecting a charming little village of wooden houses and rural lanes are in for a rude surprise. In many ways, the city represents the classic struggle between the national drive for industrialization and the desire to preserve the quality of traditional life.

<\f\f>Sadly, it appears that real estate developers and commercial speculators are winning. Massive projects are routinely approved without regard for land use or zoning considerations. Billboards near the airport and along the superhighway plug the imminent appearance of golf courses, housing estates, mega-hotels, air-conditioned shopping centers, factories, and other monuments to modern commerce. Chiang Mai also suffers from air pollution, unending noise, and traffic jams in even the smallest of sois. In less than a decade, walking in Chiang Mai has gone from a pleasant escape to an ordeal not unlike a stroll in Bangkok.

<\f\f>Is Chiang Mai doomed? An economic report stated that the Board of Investment recently approved a record number of projects in Chiang Mai and northern Thailand: 56 major construction sites worth over US$250 million, 320 factories, 15 new hotels with an additional 5,000 rooms, and construction space up 80% from the previous year. To satisfy local developers, government officials have authorized the construction of a 10,000-seat convention stadium, dozens of new condominium projects, and a twin city in San Kamphang District, 15 km east of the city. Local students and environmental groups have sounded the alarm on uncontrolled development, but the future of Chiang Mai looks grim unless the economic relationship between developers and politicians can be changed.

<\f\f>And yet visitors continue to arrive in record-breaking numbers, and the vast majority leave satisfied with the wonders of Chiang Mai and northern Thailand. The unique ambience and warm welcome extended by the residents still give Chiang Mai an irresistible appeal

Burmese Long-Neck Karens as Thai Tourist Attraction

Tourist Attraction?

This is absolutely disgraceful to Thailand and the Thai people, that ethnic people from a location south of Inle Lake are being exploited for the tourist trade. And yet it seems to continue with the full cooperation of Thai government officials in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Mae Hong Son.

Long-neck Karens to be relocated as a tourist attraction

Chiangmai Mail Reporters

Long-neck Karens have been peaceably living in three villages in Muang district of Mae Hong Son, but they are being herded together to become a Long-neck Karen village, and be a tourist attraction for Mae Hong Son.

Direk Konkleeb, Mae Hong Son Governor, as the director of the Thai and Neighboring Countries Border Ordering Center on the Myanmar side in Mae Hong Son, said that 48 families (233 people) were in Baan Nai Soi in Tambon Pang Moo, 26 families (177 people) in Baan Huay Sua Thao in Tambon Pha Bong and 50 families (199 people) in Baan Huay Pu Kaeng in Tambon Pha Bong.

The province plans to move the Long-neck Karen families in Baan Nai Soi and Baan Huay Sua Thao, to Baan Huay Pu Kaeng in Tambon Pha Bong, Muang district, Mae Hong Son on the shore of the Pai River. Tourists will then be able to visit the Long-neck Karen Village both by cars and boats on the Pai River. This location will be a good tourist attraction.

Wisoot Buachoom, director of Mae Hong Son Tourism Coordination Center said that the Long-neck Karen relocation plan will be beneficial to tourism. The province also plans to adjust the scenery surrounding the village to blend in with the Pai River shore, which will attract both Thai and foreign tourists.

On one side of the border it seems as though these Karen people are being oppressed, while on the other they are being used for commercial gain, itself another form of oppression.

Chiang Mai Mail Link

Report from Ramadi

The Legacy of George W. Bush

Someday, George W. Bush will be thrown into the trash heap of history, but in the meantime, do read this shocking report from Ramadi. And the House just voted to support this war?

Ramadi, Iraq

Terrorist-infested Ramadi in the wild west of Iraq is for U.S. troops the meanest place in the country, "the graveyard of the Americans" as graffiti around town boast. There is no better place to observe American troops and the fledgling Iraqi army in combat. That's why I came. When military public affairs asked where I wanted to be embedded, I told them, "the redder, the better" (red means hostile). So they packed me off to Camp Corregidor in eastern Ramadi with the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The 506th's official motto is "Currahee," Cherokee for "stands alone." But they're better known as the "Band of Brothers" – so dubbed by author Stephen Ambrose and HBO (although the term originally applied to just one company in the regiment).

During the Battle of Fallujah in November 2004, many of the enemy who had vowed to fight to the death, including foreign terrorists, slipped the U.S. cordon. Ramadi, a city of 400,000, was a logical destination. The southwest point of the Sunni Triangle, it lies about 30 miles west of Fallujah and that much closer to Syria – a reliable source of both supplies and foreign jihadists. It's also the capital of Al Anbar province and a favorite stomping ground of al Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi until two 500 lb. bombs blew apart his hideout last Wednesday.

To most of the media, Baghdad is where Iraq begins and ends. So naturally, they think Baghdad is the most dangerous part of the country. Wrong. "The sheer scale of violence in Ramadi is astounding," wrote AP's Todd Pitman after spending time with several units there. Pitman arrived in Corregidor the same night I did, after spending a few previous weeks with the Marines in Ramadi. "One recent coalition tally of 'significant acts' – roadside bombs, attacks, exchanges of fire – indicated that out of 43 reported in Iraq on a single day, 27 occurred in Ramadi and its environs," he wrote in a dispatch. Track the weekly butcher's bill for all of Iraq and you'll often find that a third to a half of U.S. combat deaths are in this one city about a third the size of Baghdad.

Fumento Link

Bangkok Go-Go Bar Tips

Girls by Dick Headley

Here's another subject matter generally done to death, but you might listen to an expert who calls himself Bangkok Bad Boy, for his tips for the first-timer and even the more experienced gents who need a gentle reminder.

Bangkok Gogo Bars - The Dos and Don'ts

No photography - they really mean it. Yes, some people have got away with snapping illicit pics with their cameraphone, but that does't mean you will. The girls take their privacy seriously - some may have families and boyfriends who don't have any idea what their tilac does for a living. They don't want them to find out, either. If you get caught you can expect to at least have your camera/cellphone taken away, and can possibly expect a beating for good measure.

Don't wai - the wai is the palms-together head-nod gesture used by Thais to show respect. Thai culture is based on a heirarchy of social status. Don't make yourself look like an idiot by bowing in deference to a prostitute. Shake hands, or even better just nod and smile.

Buy the mamasan a drink - you'll notice one or more middle-aged women working in any bar. One or more of these is the mamasan. She's basically the girls' manager, and often acts as a surrogate mother to the younger ones. She resolves disputes between the girls, keeps things running smoothly, and is a powerful ally. Buy her a drink, and tell her what you're looking for - either a certain girl, or a certain "service". She'll be happy to help you out, and will remember your kindness next time you visit.

Don't go for the stunner - easy in some bars, where there aren't any girls who'd qualify. Trickier to manage in Angelwitch, Baccara or Pretty Lady though. You know the situation, you're sat watching them shuffle on stage, and spot one girl who's absolutely gorgeous. You also know that she won't come over unless she really wants a drink, or unless she's invited (ie. ordered to join you). Yes she's beautiful, and yes if you pay the barfine and give her a couple of thousand baht you can take her back to your bachelor pad for a good rutting. But these are the girls who get barfined every single night. How enthusiastic do you think she's going to be, unless you're Brad Pitt?

Do go for the enthusiastic ones - you know, the one who runs over and leaps into your lap as soon as you arrive. She's not on your lap because she has to be, she's on your lap because she wants to be. You can figure out for yourself how much extra fun this will bring you later in the evening? Tip, if they earnt it - not only will your change come on a tip-tray, it'll have been given in tip-friendly denominations. If they owe you 50 baht in change, you won't get a 50 baht note - you'll get a 30 baht note and three 10 baht coins - easier for you to leave some behind. Tip if they've earnt it, but if the service was appalling (as sadly it often is in Thailand), take your change, remember that the markup on the beer is phenomenal, and perhaps they'll try harder next time.

Don't be a mug - if you buy a lady-drink for every girl who requests one, you'll soon be the toast of the bar - why not ring the bell as well? You'll also end up spending all your money before you've even taken a girl out of the door, so why not limit your drinks just to the girls you're actually interested in, er, developing a relationship with?

Don't be a cheapskate - at the same time, if you refuse to get anyone a drink and sit on your own looking miserable, you're not going to get much luck at all! If you only buy drinks for the girls who sit and talk to you first, you demonstrate that you're not a cheapskate, but not an ATM either.…

Smile! - no, seriously. It makes a huge difference, these girls just want to have fun. They're far more likely to have that with a happy grinning party animal (whether you are one or not doesn't matter - as long as you look like one!) than with a scared-looking chap with a glum look on his face

Bangkok Bad Boy Link

Kurosawa's Suntory Ads

Samurai Rebellion by Kurosawa

Famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa had a very difficult time raising money for his last few films, and it was only the financial help of Coppola and his participation in Suntory Whisky ads that got him through his last few masterpieces, though Kagemusha will never compare with Ikiru.

Apparently, Sophia Coppola was at least partially inspired by Kurosawa's Suntory ads to direct her movie "Lost in Translation." After all, her famous Dad also appeared in the Suntory ads along with Akira.

During the filming of Kagemusha, Akira Kurosawa directed a number of ads for Suntory. Francis Ford Coppola, executive producer of the film, appears in a couple of them.

You Tube Link

During the filming of KAGEMUSHA, Akira Kurosawa filmed some ads for Suntory Reserve whiskey and now, thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can watch them. See Kurosawa toast Francis Ford Coppola with a frosty glass of Suntory Reserve. And, in my favorite ads (the last two), see Kurosawa hit the bar with a bunch of empty samurai helmets.

Kaiju Shakedown Link

King Meets World's Royalty

King and World's Royalty

The Pattaya Mail has just published a great set of photos showing the Thai King gretting many of the world's royalty, to celebrate his 60 years on the throne.

A look at the world’s longest-serving living monarchs, in descending order.

- Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 78, has reigned since 1946
- Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, 80, ascended to the throne in 1952
- Samoa’s King Malietoa Tanumafili II, 93, has ruled since 1963
- Tonga’s King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, 87, has reigned since 1965
- Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, 59, has reigned since 1967
- Oman’s Sultan Qaboos ibn Sa’id, 65, has ruled since 1970
- Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, 66, has reigned since 1972
- Bhutan’s King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, 50, has reigned since 1972
- Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, 60, has reigned since 1973
- Spain’s King Juan Carlos, 68, ascended to the throne in 1975
- Netherlands’ Queen Beatrix, 68, ascended to the throne in 1980
- Swaziland’s King Mswati III, 38, ascended to the throne in 1986
- Japan’s Emperor Akihito, 72, ascended to the throne in 1989
- Liechtenstein’s Prince Hans-Adam II, 61, ascended to the throne in 1989
- Norway’s King Harald V, 69, ascended to the throne in 1991
- Belgium’s King Albert II, 72, has reigned since 1993

Pattaya Mail Link

Asian Women Who Date Caucasians

Maxim Singapore

And yet another rehash of an old question, about why Asian women sometimes prefer to date Caucasian men rather than Asians, this time from a female blocker in Chicago. As usual, the comments included below in both links both add and distract.

Not that all such match-ups are the result of deluded Asian women and Caucasian men with Asian fetishes, of course. Most are genuine couplings, where race is not the dominant or binding factor in their relationships, and are in fact marred by those other kinds of couples, because they're now forced to continually defend their choice in significant other. (I know this and you know this so I'll skip the requisite disclaimers covering all of my happily interracial-attached friends who also know this.) I'm talking about Asian women who deliberately shun Asian men and flock to a less jaundiced romantic diet.

My peers in the US are provided with a lopsided proportion of white meat, chocolate, dark chocolate, how far I can stretch this analogy? And lots of other random, exotic flavors. Statistically speaking, the other white meat (read: yellow) is scarce here. But for my peers elsewhere, how is it that they just happen to end up with foreign white men? Seems questionable.

Personally, I don't get the hype nor the practical application of the White Fetish (because, let's face it, that's what it is). Here at least, the odds of finding a white guy far outnumber the odds of finding an Asian, meaning the latter is more difficult to snare, more valuable. Also, the white boys these fetishists end up dating are fugly. I'm sorry, there's no other way to put it. They're fugly. So you end up with catty Asian girls with white fetishes and fugly white boys with Asian fetishes and you'd think everyone would be happy when we're all really wondering what these people are trying to prove.

And more importantly, since the why-do-Asian-girls-like-Caucasians-so-much question has been beaten and blogged to death a thousand times over, why do Asian women NOT like Asian men? Is it the height issue? The emasculation of Asian males in the media? The smaller penis? So many articles have been written on the growing resentment within the Asian-American male community on the loss of their women that it makes me wonder.

Wit and Spit Link

Tomorrow.sg Link

Singapore Milk Ad

Agreed!

Aman over at Metroblogging Singapore posts this image of the Singapore Girl.

Singapore Metblogs Link

North Korea Photos

Pyongyang "Big Monument"

A Russian web designer recently visited North Korea, and then posted a remarkable series of photos of Pyongyang and the countryside, with English translation provided. Apparently, several of the commentators have added their own photos, but they failed to load here at my house (with my slow dial-up connection), but those with broadband might do better. And thanks to IZ Reloaded for the tip!

And what is this "Big Monument?" Anyone know?

The author is Artemii Lebedev, one of the leading web-designers in Russia. He recently went on a trip to DPRK. I'll translate his comments briefly.

Military Photos Link

Timor Australia Oil Grab

Australia vs Timor Oil Dispute

Poor Timor. You've probably heard the news, but East Timor (Timor Lest) was separated from Indonesia several years ago to become the newest and most impoverished nation in Asia, partially supported by the U.N. and other organizations dedicated to the political and economic survival of the young country. It's not working out, as violence has erupted over the last month, after the government fired some 600 military troops due to low income on a government level. The troops rioted and the anarchy spread to the capitol of Dili, which now suffers through bad times, random looting, gang violence, and some relief from troops sent from Australia and New Zealand.

The main economic hope for Timor is the vast, unchartered, and still unexplored oil fields which lie under the ocean between Timor and Australia, and as noted above in the map via Indcoup, the Aussies seem to think they are entitled to the vast majority of oil claims in the Timor Sea.

Give it up, Australia. You just won a great World Cup match, and it's time to let the poor Timorese have a share of the pie.

IndCoup Link

Da Vinci Code Banned in China

Da Vinci Secret Unmasked

Problems with the Vatican? The communist government in Beijing has never had a problem with dissing the Catholic church, so why would they suddenly ban an anti-Catholic movie? No reason, and no real reason has been given to date about why the masters in Beijing recently decided to ban Da Vinci Code, but some good stories are coming up at various blogs centered around all things China.

It's a Communist Plot.

ImageThief Link

AP Link

Peking Duck Link

Tom Cruise Mission Impossible 3 Chinese Phone Plug

Tom Cruise Phone Plug

When you film a $150M adventure/action flick in China starring Scientologist Tom Cruise, you had better black out the phone number graffiti in the background, or expect some exposure from the likes of Rolando (in honor of the World Cup, Roland).

This author first noted this photo from a Tianya's photography forum titled "(News) Is Mission Impossible 3 damaging the image of greater Shanghai (China)?" from netizen "血染TOKYO" (2006-5-15 17:22:24).

A movie that cost US$150 million to produce had unintentionally provided free advertisement for a small-time advertiser. This has been described as 'history's most awesome small advertisement' by netizens, which makes it pretty funny. If the director of Mission Impossible 3, comrade J.J. Abrams, ever found out about this, will he be demanding an advertising fee from the owner of the telephone number? We may never know that.

Since this author lives in Shanghai and he is a fan who likes the entertaining spirit of Mission Impossible 3, he decides to call the advertiser (who is obviously offering ID documents).

ESWN Link

Mall of Asia Catholic Church

Mall of Asia Catholic Church

As we all know, Filipinos are crazy about their Catholic religion and so put up loads of new churches on a near monthly basis, but who would have imagined the relatively new church located near the Mall of Asia in suburban Manila? Metroblog Manila reports.

Do you recognize this church? Do you know where it is? Can you tell, maybe by the green fields behind it, that it is new?

This is the church built across the street from Mall of Asia, built in the 90's before the Mall of Asia even broke ground (or so my sources say).

This church, for me, personifies the amazing power of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. It was up and running, "saving" souls long before there were souls to save.

Wow. For a atheist from Washington DC, a very liberal city in America, that's shocking.

Metblogs Manila Link

Why Westerners Should Not Dress Up Like Asians

Virtual Doug in Hue

Have you ever been to a performance in San Francisco by a group called Gamelan Sekar Jaya, and been appalled by the fat white women who do the Balinese Legong dance intended for young Balinese girls? It's just horrific. Westerners in love with Asia are very much appreciated here (I'm one), but let's give up the illusion that somehow we big people look good in the garbs of Vietnam or Bali, and leave it to local people to wear their traditional dresses. I'm sure Doug means no harm, but we need to set limits.

Virtual Doug Link

San Francisco Food and Sex

Canned Heat at Golden Gate Park Oct 2005

Those readers interested in the intimate relationship between fine food and fine sex in the city of San Francisco should check the recent column from food writer/columnist Michael Bauer, posted at the blog sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle.

I agree that the past has a lot to do with how we view the future and the history of the two cities is very different, and still help define the dining gestalt.

About a decade ago, I was the originating editor of the San Francisco Access dining guide and had to do lots of research about the history of the area; while writing that guide, I developed a theory of why our love of food evolved the way it did.

New York's dining scene grew up in the more bourgeois style, and going to restaurants became a distinction of wealth and class.

In San Francisco, dining took an egalitarian turn. During the Gold Rush, many men came to the area and needed places to eat, so restaurants opened to accommodate. The thousands who came to seek their fortunes were not only free-spirited but also lacked the companionship of the opposite sex. That necessity was met by prostitution, and in the 1850s you'd find a bordello on just about every street corner.

Competition was stiff, so to speak, and the "free lunch" was instituted so amorous gentlemen could dine and then retire upstairs for some extracurricular activities.

The places that got the best business also had the best food, and the link between food and carnal pleasures was formed.

For 150 years, while the East Coast has been trying to free themselves of the puritan ethic, the West Coast has been enjoying the sensual pleasures of life. In what other areas would a madam named Sally Stanford open a restaurant in Sausalito called Valhalla and later become mayor and a true bon vivant?

Food and carnal pleasures is our heritage. There's no puritan ethic here; we love our food and we aren't afraid to show it.

SF Gate Link

Kuala Lumpur Story at Escape from America Website

Borneo Dayaks

International Living, and it's website subsidiary Escape from America, are geared toward those Americans and other Westerners who wish to leave their home countries and settle down in foreign climes, and their newsletters are informative if only that most of the articles are written by somebody named "Steenie Harvey." But I sure wish that International Living would quit doing the travel writing seminars that are overpriced, and the last thing in the world that anyone needs is another weekend blurb about "so you wanna be a travel writer and get freebies."

Travel writing is ugly, dirty work.

Today, a story about Kuala Lumpur with some good tips and plenty of typos. A 15-pound durian? Batu Caves is a short taxi ride from downtown KL? Thaipurisam Festival? Nope.

One trader is selling slices of durian, a prickly brown fruit that can weigh up to 15 pounds. Because of its reputedly foul smell (by all accounts, a cross between rutting billy goat, unwashed socks, overripe cheese, and a baby’s diaper), most hotels ban guests from bringing this fabled fruit inside their portals. I stop to sniff. Maybe there’s something wrong with my nose, because it smells appetizing enough to me. And it tastes delicious—like baked custard with a hint of almonds and cheese.

Escape Artist Link

The Enemies of a Free Burma

Friends of the Junta

The "Enemies of Burma" CD is now circulating in Rangoon, as noted today by irrawaddy.org, listing those politicians and ordinary folks who have helped support the murderous regime over the last decade, ranging from the obvious (the current prime minister of Thailand) to the surprising (Aung San Suu Kyi's brother). It remains extremely disturbing that most political leaders in Asia continue to kowtow to one of the world's most horrific military dictatorships.

A Blacklist Goes on Sale
By Yeni
June 14, 2006

A clandestine report, Enemies of the Burmese Revolution, is quietly on sale in Rangoon, according to residents. It lists the military regime’s hierarchy and members of their families.

The report, which is believed to have been compiled by dissidents in exile, is available on computer floppy discs for 450-500 kyat (US 35 cents) in the city’s downtown area, said one resident who recently bought a disc.

The Irrawaddy has also acquired a copy. It lists some 500 “enemies” of Burma’s pro-democracy movement, including military leaders, high-ranking government officials, celebrities, domestic and international scholars, journalists and some of the world’s political leaders.

Apart from the junta’s top leaders, the list includes their family members such as supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s wife Kyaing Kyaing. She is dubbed “the corrupt first lady.”

Among businessmen listed is tycoon Tay Za, known to be particularly close to Than Shwe. The report says he is the “junta’s main arms buyer.”

World leaders on the list include Chinese President Hu Jintao and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, because they are both deemed to be friends of the regime. There is also Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam, who recently visited Burma and discussed businesses and military affairs with junta leaders.

Among diplomats listed is Japanese ambassador to the UN Kanzo Oshima, who recently sided with China and Russia in trying to block a US resolution criticizing Burma from reaching the agenda of the UN Security Council.

Some Burmese and foreign scholars on the list are named as “apologists” and “lobbyists” for the regime. They include professor at Singapore’s Institute for Southeast Asian Studies Robert Taylor and Danish policy analyst from the International Crisis Group Morten Pedersen.

A former founder of the Free Burma Coalition, Zarni, who is known to have negotiated with Burmese military intelligence officers, and Ma Theingi, a former aide to detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, are on the list. They are against the US sanctions clamped on Burma, which most opposition groups back.

Contacted by The Irrawaddy by phone in Rangoon, Ma Theingi said: “I don’t care. They [dissidents] have charged me many times, like they are doing now. Personally I just don’t believe that [US] economic sanctions can bring benefits to ordinary Burmese people.”

The report even named Suu Kyi’s elder brother, Aung San Oo, who lives in the US. He once filed a lawsuit against his sister for half ownership of the house where she is now detained.

Several journalists, based both in Burma and overseas, are also on the list. One of them is Soe Thin, director of US-based Radio Free Asia’s Burmese service. He is singled out both as a former member of Burma’s foreign ministry and for joking “disrespectfully” about Suu Kyi.

Some Burmese celebrities are also on the list because of their closeness to government officials.

The report ends the list with a quote from a speech by Burma’s founding father Aung San: “Find the closet enemy and fight.” The group of dissidents who compiled the list, calling itself “Burma Compatriots,” is believed to plan to keep updating the list.

Irrawaddy.org Link

The King of Siam: Jazz and Art

Art by the King



The King and Queen of Siam



The King Plays Sax at Lausanne in 1940s



King Portraits of his Queen 1963

The King of Thailand is now being honored with visiting dignitaries and elaborate boat processions down the Chao Praya, but I prefer to remember him as a lover of both jazz and art, as show in the above images.

Tsunami Thailand Memorial

Tsunami Memorial



Tsunami Memorial in Red

There's been an international competition over the last year for a memorial to the tsunami casualties and the winner has just been announced, an Italian design that remembers the tragedy with echoes of traditional Buddhist religious architecture, to be established on the southwestern coast of Thailand just north of Phuket near the area hit hardest by the relentless waves.

The design looks somewhat flakey in these preliminary illustrations, but given the amazing talents of Thai designers to reinvent the wheel, this will probably turn out to be a masterpiece and a lasting memorial to the horrific events of 26 December 2004.

An international competition for Thailand's Tsunami Memorial, dedicated to the victims of the devastating December 2004 earthquake and tidal wave, has been won by an unusual-looking project called "Mountains of Remembrance. The plan’s five conical towers are inspired by the natural landscape of Thailand's Phang Nga Bay, as well as traditional Asian stupa and pagoda forms. They will be located within the Khao-lak National Park on the southeastern coast, in a forested area overlooking the ocean beaches that were the hardest hit in Thailand by the tsunami. The scheme was presented by the young Spanish architects Ana Somoza and Juana Canet of Disc-o Architecture, Madrid, and their collaborators.
The competition was sponsored by the Thai government and managed by the Council of Architects, the nation's professional association. It attracted 680 entries. A jury selected the winning scheme from among five finalists, with second prize going to a Finnish team, Anu Puustinen and Ville Hara of Avanto Architects.

Somoza and Canet explained that their design seeks to "create an artificial piece of nature integrated in the park." Organized around a "Lagoon Square,” the towers will be built of steel tubing and cable with ceramic skins whose characteristics will change according to their exposure to light. The Memorial Tower, covered in natural vegetation, will be the tallest, at 125 feet, with an open interior space for meditation. The other towers will contain a museum, a Warning Center or climate station, an amphitheater, and a restaurant and shop. Participating on the winning team were Tectum Engineers and Thai Architecture design firm, Naga Concepts

Architectural Record Link

Jake the Terrorist

Mean Kitty



Cat Terrifies Bear



Jake the Bear Terrorist

Cat vs. Bear. Great story.

The Cellar Link

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Aussie Triumph

OK, so I'm a Yank and don't know much about soccer, but I've got my little RCA colour TV tuned to the matches, which seem to come through daily on ESPN2 starting at 6am and going on till early afternoon, and the Croatia/Brazil match has hotted up as Brazil just scored a goal with a brilliant kick just over and to the left of the Croatian goalkeeper. And so I'm doing my best to get into this game, which I enjoy twice every four years: Olympics and World Cup.

That Aussie match was a humdinger and made all the American cliches about the boredom of soccer seem old hat, so way to go Gary Flynn in Sydney and all the other great Aussies I've met over the years wandering around Asia. Americans may suck at soccer, but it's always great to see friends Down Under doing well.

And go Brazil!

Singapore Smiles for the Robber Barons

A Smiling Singaporean!

Singapore is soon to host an upcoming conference of the International Monetary Group and World Bank Group in September, and so the government has once again launched one of their bizarre experiments in social engineering, this time to encourage more citizens to smile at the bankers.

Smiling at bankers? When was the last time you did that with any degree of honesty? They control the lines of credit, and so determine your qualifications for your mortgage, but otherwise they rank down there with lawyers and politicians. And the Singapore government now wants you to smile at them?

SINGAPORE : More than 1,000 people have posed for the camera since the Four Million Smiles campaign kicked off on Sunday.

Launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the campaign aims to collect four million smiles from Singaporeans, permanent residents and foreign workers, in a bid to welcome delegates who will be in Singapore for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group meetings in September.

Armed with a digital camera each, 16 Smile Ambassadors made use of the lunch hour at the central business district to capture the smiles of Singaporeans on Monday.

Not everyone knew what the campaign was about, and it took a while for the ambassadors to explain.

Some said they were camera shy, while others graciously smiled their best.

Most of the people Channel NewsAsia spoke to liked the campaign, saying it is a good way to welcome the delegates.

Said Priscillia Wong, a Smile Ambassador, "Response is pretty good. Overall, I would say 70 percent would say yes and 30 percent, no. But basically I think it's the first day and people are usually nervous. I think as the day goes by, people will get warmed up to this programme. After all, it's proud to be Singaporean to welcome other delegates from overseas, so I suppose they'll say yes."

Channel News Asia Link

Oh, Singabloodypore has another take on the issue, with the requisite Jack Nicholson as Joker to show some real smiling.

Ah, Minilee wants to welcome the world with a smile - or more precisely, he wants the entire nation to greet the IMF/World Bank conference with 4 million smiles.

It's as though Singapore is a gigantic Potemkin village, yes? That the entire population of Singapore will magically transform into obliging, smiling flight stewardesses to welcome the robber barons of global capitalism? And why on earth would Singaporeans be so docile and obedient to smile for the Prime Minister and his WTO, just because he's asking nicely?

Then again, this isn't unusual from the man who claimed that there is no angst in Singapore.

Okay Minilee and Mr Wong Kan Seng, here's my submission for Smile 2006.

Singabloodypore Smile 2006 Campaign Link

FEER and the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo

FEER Editor on Assignment

The Far Eastern Economic Review once was the premier political and economic magazine in Asia until it closed down a few years ago, and today only survives as a web-based publication that still costs too damn much money to bother with. And what a financial model they had: we'll sell no advertising but charge overseas subscribers $180 to read our thin issues.

I've still got tons of their old clips in my files, and still admire their stance against the censorship of the government of Singapore, and still miss the old Traveller's Tales, which continue to survive on their website, and so I present one of the better, recent comments about the shame of the Japanese government in regards to the Buddhist temple in Tokyo that honors the Japanese war dead/heroes of WWII. No wonder the Chinese and Koreans are still pissed off at the Japanese.

Yasukuni's Filth

TT visited the infamous Yasukuni shrine today, where Japan honors not only the footsoldiers who fought valiantly and died for their country, but also the war criminals who led the country into war and were responsible for appalling atrocities against civilians and prisoners of war. The highlight of any visit to the shrine is the Yushukan Museum which seeks to justify all of Japan's aggression around Asia as self-defense. Like many propaganda efforts, the museum is most remarkable for what it omits from the historical record. But it also includes some rather disgusting revisionism. Here are a few highlights which show why so many Chinese, Koreans and Southeast Asians are justifiably upset when Japanese prime ministers visit the shrine:

Nanking Incident

After the Japanese surrounded Nanking in December 1937, Gen. Matsui Iwane distributed maps to his men with foreign settlements and the Safety Zone marked in red ink. Matsui told them that they were to observe military rules to the letter and that anyone committing unlawful acts would be severely punished. He also warned Chinese troops to surrender, but Commander in Chief Tang Shengzhi ignored the warning. Instead he ordered his men to defend Nanking to the death, and then abandoned them. The Chinese were soundly defeated, suffering heavy casualties. Inside the city, residents were once again able to live their lives in peace.

Roosevelt's Strategy and U.S. Entry Into World War II

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt first took office, the U.S. was in the throes of the Great Depression; the economy had still not recovered when his third term began. Early on, Roosevelt had anticipated a major conflict. In 1939, he had resolved to join Great Britain in the war against Germany, but was hampered by American public opinion, which was strongly antiwar. The only option open to Roosevelt, who had been moving forward with his "Plan Victory," was to use embargoes to force resource-poor Japan into war. The U.S. economy made a complete recovery once the Americans entered the war.

Far Eastern Economic Review Traveller's Tales Link

More commentary over at
The Peking Duck

Mahathir vs. Badawi vs. "Elegant Silence"

Lat Cartoonist on Kampung Boy

The politics of Malaysia is always worth a gander, as shown by the latest feud between former prime minister Mahathir and the current prime minister Badawi. Mohammed Mahathir has largely been ignored by the Malaysian press since he stepped down a few years ago, but he ratched up the media after he recently criticized the administration of Badawi, who has refused to get involved with the controversy, choosing instead to follow the path of "elegant silence."

Jeff Ooi, Malaysia's best blogger, is all over the issue and has just posted some pithy quotes about "silence," both it's virtues and it's shortcomings.

Here are some Quotes on "Silence"

Adrienne Rich:
Lying is done with words and also with silence.

Alice Walker:
No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.

Bob Dylan:
I accept chaos. I am not sure whether it accepts me. I know some people are terrified of the bomb. But then some people are terrified to be seen carrying a modern screen magazine. Experience teaches us that silence terrifies people the most.

Confucius:
Silence is the true friend that never betrays.

Francis Bacon:
Silence is the virtue of fools.

Mark Twain:
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Martin Luther King, Jr.:
We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Martin Luther King, Jr.:
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends

Martin Niemoller:
In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Martin Niemoller:
First they came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists. I was silent. I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me.

Rachel Naomi Remen:
The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attentionÂ…. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.

Robert Greeleaf:
Many attempts to communicate are nullified by saying too much.

Sally Berger:
You never saw a fish on the wall with its mouth shut.

Sam Levenson:
It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it.

Sam Rayburn:
No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut.

Anon:
Sometimes silence is not golden--just yellow.

Paramahansa Yogananda:
In shallow men, the fish of little thoughts make such commotion. In oceanic minds, the whales of inspiration make hardly a ruffle.

Thana Ramayah:
When Laws are silent interpreting becomes noisy.

Jeff Ooi Screenshots Link

In Brunei, Be Very Afraid

Sultan's Airplane

I'm not sure how Brunei officals figured this one out, but if you are a Brunei citizen, be very careful what you send over your cell phone.

3 Bruneians Imprisoned for Sedition against Royal Family

Three men in Brunei have been sentenced to a year in prison for sending cell phone video clips that were considered seditious and insulting to the royal family, police said. The case is one of the first involving the misuse of phone technology in Brunei, one of the world's last absolute monarchies, where citizens are loath to criticize ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his family.

Hassanal is also Brunei's prime minister, heads the ministries of defense and finance, is supreme commander of the armed forces and leader of the Islamic faith in the country of 375,000 people that sits between Indonesia and Malaysia on Borneo island. One of the world's wealthiest men, Hassanal also controls Brunei's vast but dwindling offshore oil and gas reserves have made it one of the richest countries per capita. (AP

Irrawaddy Link

Asia Blog Awards

Chris as Beer Judge

Chris Myrick of China and Singapore blogging fame has foolishly agreed to take on the onerous responsibilities to run the next Asia Blog popularity contest, and God may his flag wave. Heaps of people need to support Chris in whatever way possible, as even an icon such as Simon in Hong Kong was almost destroyed in the process, so do visit his site and make some nominations, and later return to vote for your favorites.

AsiaPundit is pleased to announce the commencement of the new round of Asia Blog Awards. The awards are based on the Japanese financial year, which ends on March 31, and nominations are now open for the April 1-June 30 period, full-year awards are to be based on the quarterly contests.

Details are below, nominations for the below categories can be made on the individual pages linked below until the end of June 16 (Samoan time).

Awards are at present limited to English-language or dual-language sites.

Region/Country Specific Blogs:

AsiaPundit Asia Blog Link

Kafe mit Viagra?

Bai Ling

Last time I was hanging out in Kota Kinabalu, I noticed a certain zip to my morning cuppa coffee, which kept me up pretty much the whole night with an aching need to wander the streets late at night. Finally, the answer.

Kota Kinabalu: The Health Ministry has uncovered a coffee company's ploy of mixing its coffee powder products with Viagra just to make the coffee extra special.

Deputy Health Minister, Datuk Dr Haji Abd. Latiff Ahmad, said they found this after doing clinical tests on a sample of the 'special' coffee powder known as "Kopi Kuat" (strong coffee) sold in the market at RM14 per packet.

"We suspected something amiss upon finding out the price of this coffee powder. We then took a sample and sent it to our laboratory for testing and we found it contains ViagraÆhat's why it was called Kopi Kuat (strong coffee)'," he said.

"This particular case arose after the product was registered under the Food Regulations Act. Probably due to strong competition, the company involved put in other additional elements into its coffee powder as to make its coffee more tastier or special. This is what we call a post registration issue," he said.

Similarly in the case of medicine products including herbal medicines, he said the Ministry is always conducting random checks to test samples of the products available in the market to make sure what consumers consume are exactly what is stated when the product went through the registration process.

Sabah Daily Express Link

The King of Siam

Royal Procession



King Plays Sax at Age 25

The King of Thailand has just celebrated 60 years on the throne, the world's long reigning monarch, but I've always dug the guy since he's crazy about jazz and plays a mean saxophone. Long live the King.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is a world renowned musician, composer, arranger, and performer. He also excels in other art forms as is evident in his photography, painting and sculpture.

The King took his first music lesson at the age of 13 when he was in Switzerland. Mr. Weybreaht, a native of Alsace was his teacher. He taught His Majesty to play the saxophone together with musical theory in the traditions of classical music. However, it was jazz and contemporary music that caught His Majesty's fancy. So he began playing the alto and soprano saxophone along to the recordings of jazz musicians such as Johny Hodges and Sydney Bechet. When he became proficient enough, he bean jamming with these musicians in their records. Among the jazz that he played, Dixieland jazz became his favorite.

Apart form the alto and soprano saxophones, His Majesty also plays the tenor and baritone saxophones. He often plays the clarinet and the trumpet as well. In later years, His majesty added the piano and the guitar to his repertoire of musical instruments to assist him in composing and in his own musical band.

His Majesty the King began composing when he was 18. His first work was “Saeng Tien” in the style of the blues and hence the name “Candlelight Blues”. To date he has written 48 songs. The melodies and lyrics to his compositions with their “singable” tunes and meaningful words weave into the hearts of the Thai people.

His Majesty's songs became a part of every Thai's repertoire of songs. They are played and sung everywhere, at grand concerts, in dance halls, and in the homes. It is indeed “From Heart to Heart the King and His People”.

60th Celebration Music Link

Mexico Stomps Iran

Take That, Iran

Mexico just won a thrilling match over Iran, though the residents of Mogadishu were prevented from watching the game as the city is now controlled by Islamic fundamentalists who condemn sports as against the laws of Shariah.

Two die as hardline Islamists ban World Cup

Hardline Islamic courts shut cinema halls and barred residents from watching the World Cup, prompting scores of civilians to protest the ban in which two people were killed, court officials and residents have said.

The gunmen loyal to the Joint Islamic Courts (JIC), cut electricity, cleared cinema halls and warned residents against watching the football tournament in areas they control, forcing a violent protest late on Saturday in which two people were killed, residents said Sunday.

The JIC deputy chairman AbdulKadir Ali Omar said the Islamic tribunals would crackdown on halls that defy the order to show western films and video, including the World Cup. "This is war against all people who show films that promote pornography, drug dealing and all forms of evil," Omar told AFP.

"We shall not even allow the showing of the World Cup because they corrupt the morals of our children whom we endeavour to teach the Islamic way of life," he added.

Islamic courts officials said they were against some elements of World Cup, notably the advertisements for alcohol. On Sunday, residents said Islamic gunmen were roaming in Sukahola and Huriwa neighbourhoods in northern Mogadishu to ensure that the ban was enforced.

A strict interpretation of Islamic taechings often bans Western films and television as immoral.

"The Islamic courts have ordered the closure of three cinema halls," said Sukahola resident Abdulaziz Hanad told AFP. "They want to make sure that nobody in Mogadishu watches the World Cup."

"Since the Islamic courts took control of Mogadishu, we knew they would not allow us to watch football," said a dejected Dahir Abubakar Hassan, a resident of northern Mogadishu.

Last year, the courts started to forcefully close cinema halls, arguing that they were showing steamy Bollywood and Hollywood films, which have been translated into the Somali language, to children, which is an apparent violation of the Islamic teachings.

Briet Bart Link

Tony Wheeler Visits Afghanistan

Nat Geo Afghan Girl



Afghan Girl 17 Years Later

In 1979, I left San Francisco on a round-the-world trip with intentions to cross Afghanistan and Iran enroute to North Africa from Southeast Asia, but was halted by the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the Islamic revolution of Iran which plugged up that part of the world for American travelers. I'm still interested in both countries, and will hopefully make it to that part of the world, but in the meantime you can read several short posts by Tony Wheeler on his recent two-week visit to Afghanistan.

I’ve been back on the hippy trail, revisiting those places Maureen and I travelled through on the very first Lonely Planet trip. Except no way did I plan to go to Kandahar in the south of Afghanistan, I stuck strictly to the safer regions. But this time I did get to Bamiyan, even if the bloody Taliban demolished the Buddhas.

Tony Wheeler Blog Link

Ann Coulter. Former Drag Queen?

The Adam's Apple of Ann Coulter

Somebody has finally exposed Ann Coulter for what she really is: a former drag queen from Miami Beach who had a falling out with her Lebanese boyfriend, and so developed her hatred of anything Muslim.

Strap-On Veterans for Truth -- An organization dedicating to exposing the truth about the former drag queen now known as Ann Coulter

We are a coalition of former friends and co-workers of Ann Coulter who are upset by her vicious anti-gay, anti-muslim, anti-feminist rhetoric and feel the truth should be told. Our organization, Strap-On Veterans For Truth, is dedicated to exposing the true past of America’s number one hatemonger.

Ann Coulter is actually a former drag queen from Key West named Pudenda Shenanigans. Ms. Shenanigans was famous for her renditions of “Dude Looks Like a Lady” “I will Survive” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” as well as an extensive Barbra Streisand repertoire. We who used to work with her are concerned for her as well as upset by the vile hatred she has spewed towards her former friends in the gay community. We feel that by bringing the truth to light perhaps Ann will come to grips with her past and change her wicked ways.

As Pudenda Shenanigans, she was well known on the drag circuit in Key West. Whether she actually had a full sex change or not is a matter of debate, although her adam’s apple is still visible in photos, under the appropriate light. We who laughed, cried, worked and danced with her feel her story should be told. We are not out to punish her, but feel it’s time she owned up to what she really is.

Hoolinet Link

Balingiga Church Eastern Samar

Balingiga Church Eastern Samar

It's a little know fact to most Westerners that the American seizure of the Philippines in the early 20th century was a disgraceful bloody massacre that pitted the American military against the poorly equipped Filipino patriots who desired not only independence from their Spanish colonial masters but also from the colonialist desires of the government of Teddy Roosevelt. Tens of thousands of Filipino resistance fighters died in the struggle, most notably in the remote regions of Eastern Samar where Jake Smith created his "howling wilderness."

Cebu Living is a weekly or bi-monthly email newsletter intended to promote the charms of Cebu and Cebu region, but it also covers some local history and is well worth a free subscription for those interested in the region.

At first look, the structure looks like the other thousands of churches that dot this predominantly Catholic country. With one big difference: it is missing its original three bells.

The loss of the church’s three bells is just a chapter in a story that started in 1901 with what is now known in Philippine history as the Balangiga massacre–an incident that triggered a response so overwhelming it turned this place in Eastern Samar into a “howling wilderness”.

It was a Sunday morning when we visited Balangiga and the church was closed so we were not able to come inside. A marker on the wall of the church explained its role in the massacre. The structure is a replacement to the old church that was burned down by American soldiers in retaliation for the death of their comrades. (Click on photos to view larger images)

In the town plaza, a monument immortalizes the Balangiga massacre of 1901 that started when native Filipinos, reportedly forced to do labor for American soldiers staying at a garrison in Balangiga, plotted against US troops belonging to Company C of Ninth US Infantry who sailed into the Eastern Samar town on August 11, 1901. The natives were among guerilla leader General Vicente LukbanÂ’s best bolomen.

While the Philippine-American war, which started on February 4, 1899, was officially proclaimed to have ended on July 4, 1902, fighting went on in some parts of the country like Batangas, Pampanga, Tarlac, Ilocos, and the Visayas.

The attack on the soldiers in Balangiga by bolo-wielding natives–who hid in the church near the American garrison in the Balangiga plaza the night before the attack–happened on the early morning of September 28, 1901. The night before, women carried small coffins to church and hid inside them the cane cutting bolo knives that were used in the attack.

The ringing of one of the Balangiga bells was the signal for the natives to attack the unprepared and clueless American soldiers who were having breakfast in the plaza where they set up their garrison. At the end of the day, 48 US troops were killed, 22 were wounded, and only four unharmed.

Retribution from the Americans came soon and swift. US General “Jake” Smith ordered the transformation of Balangiga into a “howling wilderness,” directing his men to kill anyone old enough to carry arms and to him they are old enough if they are over 10 years old.

The Americans took with them as war booty the three Balangiga church bells, including the smaller one that was used to signal the attack, when they left the Philippines.

Currently, there is an ongoing campaign led by Balangiga Mayor Catalina Camenforte for the return of the 104-year-old bells to the Balangiga church. She believes the return of the bells would complete the healing and end the conflict that has strained US-Philippine relations.

Two of the bells are kept at the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming while the third one, the smaller bell, can be found in an American Army camp in South Korea.

Cebu Living Link

Sullivan at Bangkok Post Horizons

Phitsanulok Buddha by Carl Parkes

Just back from a week in Philadelphia and Pittsburg on a press trip sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers, but I'd rather like to recommend the latest dispatch from an American on two wheels in Thailand.

The Si Isan Hotel just down the street from where I was staying serves up a pretty good bowl of khao tom gai, but you can't see the Moon River from the dining room - a disappointment. In fact, the Si Isan hardly acknowledges the Moon River, much less takes advantage of the fact that they sit practically on top of it.

One day this may change. The owners of the Si Isan, or somebody else, will wake up to the fact the Moon River, which flows west to east through Ubon Ratchathani, is about as beautiful and unspoiled an urban waterway as one is likely to find in this world - a country river flowing through a city - and they will exploit their good fortune through the medium of architecture starting a riverine renaissance which will make Ubon the envy of the nation. Exactly when this might happen is difficult to say.

For the present, though, Ubon Ratchathanians seem to regard the Moon not so much as a blessing but as a barrier, something that stands between them and where they want to go. They haven't neglected it, haven't abused it, nothing of the kind - and they cannot be too highly praised for the fact - but other than bridging it in two places, they've left the river largely to itself.

Stop to think about it, maybe that isn't such a bad thing.

Bangkok Post Link

Blog Hiatus

Long Haired College Freak

I'm off on another "vacation" to Philly and Pittsburg for about a week, so don't expect any new blogs until around June 10.

Property Turmoil in Thailand

Bangkok Flood

Westerners living in Thailand have long been forbidden to own land, though there have been loopholes to get around this restriction, by taking on a Thai partner who is awarded 51% of the property. It's an arrangement hopefully made with a Thai legal firm, rather than the bargirl you met last night at the go-go club in Pattaya. That all looks to be changing, as the Thai government recently announced crackdowns on this convenient loophole, as discussed recently at NanaPlaza.

New property law stuns foreigners

Bangkok (dpa) - Thailand's booming property sector has been thrown into confusion by a new regulation issued this month that requires all partly foreign-owned companies to prove the source of their funding before purchasing land, industry sources said Tuesday.

The new Interior Ministry regulation that went into effect on May 25 has already started to slow sales of housing estates in Thailand's popular seaside resorts, such as Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin and Samui Island, which have been specifically targeting well-to-do foreigners as vacation getaways or retirement homes.

"The property boom ended on May 25," said Ronachai Krisadaolarn, managing director of Bangkok International Associates, a Bangkok-based legal consultancy firm that caters to foreign clients.

Thailand has strict laws prohibiting foreigners from directly purchasing property themselves although loopholes in the law allow them to own land and their houses through long leases or a "nominee company," providing the company is majority Thai-owned.

It is common practice for such "shell companies" to include Thai nationals who have been paid to act as nominees to facilitate the deal and who have invested nothing in the purchase.

The new regulation, signed by Suraart Thoingniramol, deputy permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, is designed to halt the use of such companies for property purchases in the future.

"If it appears that an alien holds shares or is a director or it is reasonable to believe that a Thai holds shares as a representative of an alien, the officers shall investigate the income of Thais holding shares, delving into the number of years [they have spent] in the current profession and monthly salary," reads a translation of the law. "The provision of necessary evidence is required."

The new regulation is actually an enforcement of Thailand's existing laws, legal experts said.

"It's not a radical change. It's a radical implementation," Ronachai said.

The regulation has already started to stall home sales to foreigners, sources said.

"There's a lot of confusion," said Simon Landy, managing director of the Primo Co, a property-development firm. "Some land offices don't know what to do with it, and many have simply stopped transferring land."

NanaPlaza Link

Java's Queen of the Sea

Merapi Explodes May 2006

Many Westerners often think the residents of Java are strictly devout Muslims, but that isn't really the case as pointed out in today's BBC News article about their animist beliefs and the feared "Queen of the Sea."

The word tsunami has a special power in Indonesia these days. A year and half ago it was Aceh, why not the island of Java today? The same huge offshore fault line runs all the way down the edge of the archipelago.

In devoutly Muslim Aceh, some call the tsunami of 2004 God's punishment but in this region there is much more mysticism, people here have been talking earnestly this week about the Queen of the South Sea.

She is a beautiful creature dressed in green who controls the nearby sea and sea bed and she is a very real presence for many people here. Agas and his wife certainly believe she has the power to unleash a giant wave. But why would she?

Well, the queen is married mystically to the Sultan of Yogyakarta, the nearby city. He is an ordinary mortal who is also the local governor.

The theory goes that the sultan is not treating his wife with enough respect these days and she is angry.

Someone else is angry too - the giant who controls the nearby volcano, Mount Merapi.

He is married to the sea queen's daughter. This is another mystical family tie which is supposed to help keep the earth's crust quiet but that is not working either right now.

Merapi has been spitting lava and ash for weeks.

The most famous local fortune teller, Madam Lauren, is predicting a massive eruption in a fortnight's time.

BBC Link

Architectural Preservation in Hong Kong

Central Hong Kong 1947

Saving what's left of the architectural legacy in Hong Kong has always been an interest of mine, and so I was pleased to see today's IHT article with some current background, though the story is ultimately discouraging about the possibility of saving the remaining British monuments.

Oddly enough, roughly the same can be said today of this most capitalist of societies. Not quite a decade after the end of British colonial rule and the resumption of Chinese sovereignty, Hong Kong cannot decide what of the past it wants to preserve and what it wants to drop from the picture.

The debate pits preservationists against profit-minded property developers.

At issue now is a complex of government buildings that included Hong Kong's oldest jail and dates from the territory's earliest days as a colony.

Although the last prisoners were released a couple of months ago, no one - not the government, not the property men, not the architects, not the preservationists - knows quite what to do with the place.

It is an awkward moment for a city long dedicated to the newest, tallest, most efficient and most profitable. There is widening concern here over the overall health of a society that has little in the way of collective memory.

IHT Link

Pink Tuk Tuk Madness

Pink



More Pretty in Pink

A pair of completely mad British ladies recently started a 10,000 mile journey in the above pink tuk tuk, starting from Bangkok and heading north through Laos before crossing China and Russia to return home. Sheer madness.

Several years ago I was suckered into taking a mass tuk tuk rally from Bangkok down to Pattaya (about 50 vehicles) and it was a big mistake. Within an hour, I had lost all my hearing from the notoriously loud engines, and was completely covered with dirt and dust since tuk tuks don't provide any protection from the elements. Never again.

Tuk Tuk on the Road Blog