Shanghai Tower

Another architectural wonder has just started construction in Shanghai. This one will be China's tallest tower when completed in a few years.

Ground breaks on third of trio of towers in Shanghai’s Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone

A 632 m tower designed by Gensler breaks ground today in Shanghai to complete a trio of new super-tall towers revolutionising China’s architectural record. Shanghai Tower will join and rise above the recently appraised ‘Best Tall Building Overall’ by the CTBUH, Shanghai World Financial Center and the Jin Mao Tower in the Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone as China’s first ever super-tall district.

The tower, commissioned by Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co., Ltd, will be the tallest in China with the highest open air observation deck in the world. Consisting of office space, a luxury hotel, retail and cultural venues the building will also hold connections to the Shanghai Metro and three floors of parking below ground level.

Shanghai Tower is organized as nine cylindrical buildings stacked one atop another. The inner layer of the double-skin façade encloses the stacked buildings, while a triangular exterior layer creates the second skin, or building envelope, which gently rotates as it rises. The spaces between the two façade layers create nine atrium sky gardens.

World Architecture News

Life Images via Google

This is very cool. Google and Life have teamed up to post ALL Life images from all the magazines. I just searched "Burma" and found the above photos in just a few minutes. Another excellent resource.

Life Photo Archive Hosted by Google

Child Marriage in Indonesia

It's disgusting but true that Indonesian Islamic leaders continue to marry/purchase very young girls, despite laws against the practice.

Moralizing Clerics Back Anti-Porn Law but Take Child Bride

November 28, 2008 JAKARTA ~ Muslim clerics who claim to be protecting vulnerable women by backing a new anti-pornography law have come out in defense of a fellow preacher who has married a 12-year-old village girl.

The issue of child brides for religious men in the mainly Muslim country has became a subject of national debate since little-known cleric Pujianto Cahyo Widiyanto, 43, married junior high school student Lutfiana Ulfa in August.

His case went virtually unnoticed until Muslim conservatives started lobbying parliament to pass a new anti-pornography bill that was opposed by a broad spectrum of civil society groups and non-Muslims.

Passed in October with the backing of the very clerics who are now defending Widiyanto, the law criminalizes all movements and works, including poetry and music, deemed obscene and capable of violating public morality.

“These clerics are hypocrites,” lawmaker Said Abdullah, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, told AFP.

“They say the anti-porn law will protect young women, but yet they dehumanize them by marrying underage girls and supporting child marriage.”

Under Indonesian pedophilia laws, Widiyanto could face 15 years’ jail for having sex with a minor. He is under investigation but openly talks about his love of pubescent girls and his plans to marry more.

“There is no coercion. The girls like me and their parents have given their blessings,” Widiyanto was quoted as telling Detikcom news website.

And no one should interfere because child brides are allowed under Islam, according to Muslims such as Hilman Rosyad Syihab, the deputy head of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party which backed the pornography law.

He said Islam allowed marriage regardless of whether a girl had reached sexual maturity.

“But the husband can only have sex with her once she reaches puberty,” he explained, in contravention of the law which sets 16 as the minimum marriage age for women and 18 as the age of consent

The Bali Times

In other ridiculous Islamic news from Indonesia, Ross at Indonesia Matters looks at the sad state of Islamic school teachers in his article subtitled Schools Run by Nutters. Very funny stuff.

Child Marriage in Indonesia

It's disgusting but true that Indonesian Islamic leaders continue to marry/purchase

Bus Robbery in Thailand

Yet another bus robbery in Thailand. It seems the bus was pulled over in the middle of the night, and luggage and valuables were then stolen from the lower storage bins. The bus probably then started up again, drove a few miles, and then the four employees jumped ship. But for the bus owner to refuse to name the four bus employees is outrageous, and it looks like criminal charges will not be mandated since compensation has been offered. This only encourages more bus robberies.

Twenty foreign tourists were robbed in their sleep on a bus and awoke to find they had been left in the middle of nowhere in Bang Pa-in district early yesterday morning. Local police came to help the tourists from Europe and the US after four bus crew stole their belongings and abandoned the bus after parking it on the side of the Asian Highway about 6am.

The victims said they took the bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on Sunday night with four male staff, including the driver. Exhausted by the trip, the tourists fell asleep during the night, unaware of the plot to steal their belongings.

It was believed the driver stopped the bus by the roadside early in the morning and the crew stole valuables, laptop computers, cameras, hand-held game consoles and cash from seven bags, totalling more than 150,000 baht, before fleeing.

Police contacted a tour agency on Khao San road where the tourists bought their package deals. The agency did not manage the bus in question but had outsourced to a bus company. The outsourced bus owner, Sirada Boonme, 26, said the bus belonged to her father's company.

After hours of negotiations with the tourists, she agreed to pay compensation of half the amount that had been stolen in cash and the rest by bank transfer.

She refused to give any details about the bus staff. Police suspected Ms Sirada's father might be one of the four men.

Bangkok Post

Stranded Passenger Compensation

Cool. If the airport remains closed and you're stranded, compensation at 2000B per day will pay for a cheap Sukumvit dive and all you can drink at Nana or Cowboy.

Tourists stranded in the country are eligible for a Bt2,000 per head per day payment to cover their accommodation and meals during the crisis.

The permanent secretary to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said after an urgent meeting with the private tourism associations, late yesterday, that the direct payments to tourists would be made from the Bt10 million budget approved, last Wednesday.

Tourists can get Bt2,000 per head per day for as long as they are stranded due to the airports closure.

Thai Hotels Association will send letters asking member and non-member hotels in and around Bangkok to provide accommodation to stranded foreigners and offer the accommodation and meals that can be paid for with from the daily subsidy.

To be eligible, tourists submit a copy of their passports and air tickets along with hotel folios to gain a refund at the stated daily rate from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ permanent secretary office.

On the trade side, the Association of Thai Travel Agents is co-ordinating the project collecting bills from travel companies to make claims. Other requests outside of the tourist assistance payment programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Atta’s call centre: 02 237 6064-8 and 02 632 7400-2.

According to the permanent secretary, the Bt10 million budget will be available to make payments within 10 days. It should be enough to assist tourists for up to seven days at an estimated 25,000 tourists a day.

If the blockade of the airports continues for more seven days, a second budget would need to be approved.

The permanent secretary will call for a meeting later today (28 November) with representative from airlines, Ministry of Transport, and Department of Civil Aviation to find solutions to speed up assistance and help tourists to return home.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has set up a help line 1414 to provide information in addition to the normal phone 02 356 0702 and 023560711; Tourists Police 1155; and Tourism Authority of Thailand 1672

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AP Video of Closed Suvarnabhumi Airport

Back from my vacation, so blogging will now resume with an AP video on Bangkok's closed international airport.

Stuck in Customs

Stuck in Customs. Is this the best photographer in the world? OK, I overstated that. He's great, perhaps not the best, but he's my favorite.

Bali Bombers Executed

I am against the death penalty. These three mass murderers should have spent their lives in confinement. To kill them makes them heroes.

Three men convicted in the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people and spurred the Indonesian government to act more forcefully against Islamic militants were executed by firing squad early Sunday morning, the Indonesian attorney general’s office said.

Tied side by side to wooden posts, the bombers — Imam Samudra, Amrozi and Mukhlas, also known as Ali Ghufron — were simultaneously shot in a field on a small prison island off western Java, officials said.

The executions brought an end to years of uncertainty about the fate of the three men, who were convicted in 2003 but whose deaths was put off many times because of government fears about a political or terrorist backlash.

A lawyer for the militants, Achmad Michdan, said in a telephone interview that supporters would demonstrate in the coming week against the executions but that they were now focused on the funerals, which were to take place as soon as the bodies were returned home on Sunday.

Government officials stepped up security at hotels, shopping centers and embassies in the capital as well as near the prison and in the bombers’ hometowns, anticipating possible retaliatory attacks. Security has also been increased in Bali, where thousands of Australian students are now spending their holidays despite travel warnings issued by the Australian government. For weeks, the authorities there have been searching any vehicles coming onto the island.

The American and Australian Embassies received anonymous threats last week warning that they would be attacked if the executions were carried out.

Jack Daniels at Bali Discovery has a message.

The story goes like this, via the blog Siphoning off a Few Thoughts: "[A man] got on a flight in Lagos to find it completely full...plus one. One person was standing in the aisle with no seat. The flight attendants went through and checked that everyone had a boarding pass, which they did. (Apparently someone had a forged pass; welcome to Lagos.) The staff then made an announcement that everyone was going to de-plane and that they were going to check everyone's boarding pass carefully.

"As soon as the first person stepped off the plane, the staff slammed and locked the airplane door, despite the person's cries and banging on the door. Problem solved."

Air Bagan Insurance Cancelled

No kidding. Air Bagan insurance policy has been cancelled.

One of the Biggest Bank in United Kingdom, Lloyd TSB inform in writing for their intention of not continuing the insurance business with Air Bagan when present policy is expired. Air-Bagan will be in the air without covering sufficient amount of insurance before the end of 2008.

Some unrated farms from Russia are approaching but they are not reliable. Name of most approach farm is Malakut. MAI(Myanmar Airway International) received the same letter as Air-Bagan.

Not only were the airlines affected but also the factories and production business, mostly of the foreign investments, which have the insurance from Lloyd TSB and associates are receiving the same treatment. The most talk name of the farm among the others is Willis, which act same as what Lloyd is doing; Sending a termination of insurance policy in writing.

Air Burma Insurance Cancelled

Smoking Gun Mug Shots

Way too many people being arrested and thrown in jail. I know the rap.

Jotman Video of Barak Victory Party

Singapore: Casino Won't Fail

As afternoon storm clouds gather, an almost daily occurrence in wet and steamy Singapore, work goes on as usual at the Marina Bay site of Las Vegas Sands' $4 billion resort and casino project. The earthmovers scoop and dump the soft soil, and workers fan out across the city-state's most coveted piece of land, which girdles the central business district and offers a sweeping view over the emerald waters of the Malacca Straits.

But for the Las Vegas-based casino operator, a full-blown financial hurricane may be brewing. In a Nov. 5 filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Las Vegas Sands revealed its cash was drying up. For the first six months of 2008, according to the filing, the company's earnings were "insufficient to cover fixed charges" by $80.1 million. This gaping shortfall, astonishing for a company that was throwing off more than $600 million in free cash flow annually just three years ago, could trigger defaults on its $8.8 billion in long-term loans. That, in turn, could jeopardize Las Vegas Sands' ability to continue "as a going concern," according to the filing. (See 10 Things to Do in Singapore.)

Controlled by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands is yet another high-flying company that has been caught out by the global credit crunch and crashing economy. Adelson, who is credited with helping to revitalize Las Vegas with his lavish Venetian and Palazzo resorts, has become a well known figure in Asia, where in recent years he has spent billions building new casinos and hotels in the Chinese enclave of Macau. When Singapore decided several years ago to boost its economy by becoming a tourist destination, the government of the conservative little city-state took the controversial step of legalizing gambling. Las Vegas Sands was tapped to build an anchor casino and resort complex on Marina Bay.

But with the U.S. economy entering recession, gamblers in Las Vegas are growing more reluctant to part with their money. Las Vegas Sands has also been grappling with an unexpected problem: China's government is increasingly alarmed by the profligacy and gambling debt of its citizens. China recently imposed visa restrictions on mainland tourists to Macau, reducing the anticipated cash flow from Las Vegas Sands' Asia operations. According to Daniel Renshaw, a Sydney-based gaming analyst with Merrill Lynch, these twin challenges will be difficult to surmount. "They are relying on an increase in revenue in Las Vegas and Macau over the long term," says Renshaw. "That seems to me a precarious position to be in." (See 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas.)

Time on Singapore Casino

Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of international gambling.

Obama Now Runs the US Govt

It's obvious that Obama now runs the U.S. government, and George W. Bush should retire and move back to his ranch in Texas.

Change Obama goes along with his press interview today, to reinforce the fact that Obama now calls the shots. George, give it up.

When Reporters Get Their Freak On

Surrealistic, Psychedelic Tokyo

Very trippy video of Tokyo at night, from Harajuku and Shibuya to Ginza and beyond, something of the experience many Westerners have when first wandering around the big sushi afterhours. Reminds me of the nights I took the train from Tokyo out to my place in Soshi Kaya Ogura. Terra, this one is for you.

Obama Suporters Now Rudderless: Night of the Living Dead?

Thousands of these rudderless zombies now walk the streets of San Francisco. Will they die with fire or a stake through their hearts?

The Obama/McCain Conspiracy

South Park wants to know. Was the Obama victory a conspiracy between Barak and John McCain?

Trains and Metros in Asia

Amazing Race Asia.....with bahasa indonesia subtitles

Amazing Race Asia. Not sure why there are Bahasa Indonesia subtitles. Maybe it's Malay.

This YouTube Site provides a better overview of the Amazing Race Asia clips.

Disturbing Miniature Videos

Beached from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.


Bathtub III from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Better put that joint down now. Weird, disturbing short videos about a world in miniature.

Your Halloween Costume for Next Year: Bender

Bender Costume Construction. What about the one-eyed chick?

The Plastic Green Army Man right here in San Francisco is also very cool.

North Korea Leader Photoshopped

The North Korean propagandists need some updating on their Photoshop skills. The London Times cries foul.

In the photo, the shadow cast by Mr Kim’s calves runs in a different direction to the shadow cast by the soldiers on either side of him, the Times pointed out. In addition, a black line running along the stand on which the soldiers are positioned mysteriously vanishes on either side of Mr Kim - suggesting his picture may have been superimposed onto the image.

Such a suspicion was reinforced when a BBC designer examined a close-up, and discovered apparently mismatched pixels to the right of Mr Kim’s legs.

Obama Wallpaper

Obama Wallpaper. Why not?

Indonesia Photography by Rarindra Prakarsa

Extraordinary photography of Indonesia by
Rarindra Prakarsa.

Technorati Top Travel Blogs and Websites

Technorati Top Travel List includes all the familiar sites and tons of others for the travel obsessed. No, my rant against the travel writing industry at Travel Writers isn't on the list, but then I'm not surprised.

The US$1M Lebua Dinner

That wacky Lebua Hotel in Bangkok is once again sponsoring an expensive dinner to benefit charities and toot their horn, this time with several Hollywood and Bollywood stars to assist the chefs. Will they be bussing tables or chopping cilantro? I've got the inside scoop on the celebs, and the most likely choices are Amy Winehouse, the Clown from Devil's Rejects, and Gary Glitter. Get your tickets now, before this farce is all sold out.

The Bangkok Post has more details.

In a move bound to attract some heavy criticism, a Bangkok hotel which is no stranger to controversy is organising a gala dinner for 10 guests with the staggering price tag of US$1 million (35 million baht) a head.

The hotel claims three leading actors, two from Hollywood and one from India's Bollywood, will work with top international chefs to serve the dinner for the 10 guests, with the proceeds going to charity. However, the hotel has declined to name these three leading actors.

Lebua Hotels & Resorts, operator of the luxurious lebua at State Tower hotel, is organising the dinner in its Mezzaluna restaurant. Deepak Ohri, lebua's chief executive, said six people had accepted invitations to dine with the stars, whom he declined to identify. "It's great and it's worth the experience and the proceeds will be donated to the charity," he said.

The gastronomic experience might strike many as a gross display of extravagance, particularly as the world economy suffers its greatest crisis since the Great Depression. But this hotel is no stranger to controversy. It attracted criticism earlier this year when it hosted 120 guests at a dinner prepared by five European chefs at an event which cost about 10.5 million baht. About 30 of the guests were later flown to an elephant camp in Surin province under a programme the hotel called "emotional tourism," which attracted criticism from other quarters for being inappropriate considering the relative poverty that remains in much of rural Thailand. Others visited a Klong Toey slum.

Last year, lebua charged about 874,500 baht a plate for its luxury dinner featuring six three-star Michelin chefs which it flew in from Europe.

Boston Globe Big Picture on Obama Campaign

The Boston Globe Big Picture has more photos of Obama on the campaign trail and at his victory party in Chicago.

Burma: A Visit to Naypyidaw

Robert Reid went there earlier this year, and now a correspondent for The Irrawaddy goes undercover to experience the awe and wonder of Burma's secret capitol, and the desolate farming village a few clicks away.

There was one thing that everyone agreed had improved—transportation. The city bus service covers every corner of the town.

In the evening, I went to the northern part of Pyinmana to check out the nightlife. The motorcycle taxi driver I waved down where I wanted to go. “The place where the head officials hang out!” I said flatly.

With a chuckle, the driver said he knew exactly where to take me. He said it was where they had the best karaoke, massage and brothels. He warned me not to cause any trouble.

On the second day, I went around some official buildings and markets in the Naypyidaw area. I couldn’t believe I was actually in Burma. There were huge shiny buildings everywhere and eight-lane concrete roads zigzagging around the official buildings.

Construction work was still going on—workers were building the gem hall and the Myanmar Economic Bank that day. Nearby, a highway from Naypyidaw to Rangoon was being laid. According to an engineer I spoke to, it would reduce the travel time to Rangoon to just three or four hours.

I met one person from the UN. When I asked for his impressions, he grumbled: “This is such a different world from the rest of the country. It shows me that the military generals have enough money when it comes to their own security and comfort.”

He added that he believed the government could rebuild the cyclone-ravaged areas by themselves without outside help. According to the latest UN estimates, the total bill to cover the destruction wrought by Cyclone Nargis would come to some US $4 billion—much less than it has taken to build the new capital.
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"It's nothing compared with the cost of building Naypyidaw—though we don't have a detailed budget," said an engineer with Ayeyar Shwewar Construction Company, which is owned by a son of Gen Shwe Mann.

According to local reporters, the government is unwilling to display their buildings, let alone a detailed budget. Until recently, local media were forbidden from taking pictures of certain buildings, including City Hall, without a permit.

That afternoon, at Naypyidaw Myoma Market, I discovered there is a shortage of small bank notes in the town. Denominations such as the 50 kyat, 20 kyat, 10 kyat and 5 kyat are in huge demand. If someone gets on a bus, for example, and the ticket costs 50 kyat, that person had better have the correct fare. If he or she only has a 100 or a 200 kyat note and the bus conductor has no change, they have to leave the change.

Some shop owners in Rangoon give a candy instead of a 20 kyat bill.

Magazines in Thailand

You can find more magazine covers here.

Sarah Palin Didn't Know Africa was a Continent

Unbelievable. Sarah Palin didn't know that Africa was a continent, and couldn't name the three members of NAFTA (U.S., Canada, and Mexico). After Stevens is expelled, she will probably run for the Senate, so we haven't seen the last of this nutcase.



Newsweek has more tidbits on her New York shopping spree.

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy.

One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill.

Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost.

An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

Job Seekers in China

China Smack looks at the annual job fair in Shenzhen where some 150,000 recent graduates seek out perhaps 20,000 jobs. And you thought the job market was competitive in the U.S.

Cambodia: The Lake Clinic Project

Once again, credit goes to Andy Brouwer for posting the information about The Lake Clinic. As I've said before, if you're interested in doing humanitarian work in SE Asia, then Cambodia is the best place to go and work. You'll find my previous posts under the Cambodia tag to the right.

The Lake Clinic is a project dedicated to bringing basic healthcare, as well as disease surveillance and proper medical referrals to a severely isolated and underserved region of Cambodia -- the Tonle Sap.

Our aim is to create a shipboard healthcare facility (click here to view plans of the ship) to serve the people of Cambodia living on or near the Tonle Sap Lake. The ship will be designed to cruise even in the shallow waters found during the dry season. The Lake Clinic (TLC), as it will be known, will be staffed by Cambodian health care providers, as well as foreign volunteers when available, and a local crew.

Initially, the primary focus of TLC will be to provide dental care, and public health education to the villagers. Additionally, referrals when possible, for other pressing health problems, can be carried out. This can be accomplished as a first step (Phase I) with the purchase of a fast, shallow draft boat--either a Boston Whaler or its clone. This will enable the staff of TLC to provide day-trips and short overnight stays when and where possible to provide health care.

Once underway, a vast array of other health related issues (social, economic, environmental) will be addressed. With the enormity of health related problems one encounters in this part of the world, we cannot hope to meet all needs for everyone, particularly at the early stages of this project. Though the ultimate goal of this project is to build a clinic ship that is capable of providing a variety of health care interventions, much can still be accomplished with this modest approach.

If you would like to help us to make this vision a reality, you may do so by mailing a check to:

Human Translation, Inc
1241 Adams Street, Ste 1096
Saint Helena, California 94574

Please make your check payable to:
"TLC at Human Translation"

The Lake Clinic Cambodia

Cambodia Tourism Symbols

Andy Brouwer works in tourism in Phnom Penh, so he's first to announce the new tourism symbols to be used in the next few years. In a clever move, rather than just a single image, a series of symbols have been created to show the various sides of the country. This is the symbol for Food and Drink; can you guess the rest?

The Search for the First Dog

The search is now on for the First Dog, and I've got a few suggestions.

Obama Grabs Headlines

Hundreds of newspaper front Pages featuring Obama. Each paper is clickable for larger image.

Kao Mai Lanna Resort Chiang Mai

Kao Mai Lanna Resort Chiang Mai looks like a wonderful place, created inside 12 historic tobacco barns some 30 minutes south of Chiang Mai. I haven't been here, but it looks like a unique experience at about $80 per night, plus seminars and activities such as yoga.

Obama Victory Night in Chicago

Obama in Indonesia

Indonesia Matters provides a summary of the Obama days in Indonesia.

Barrak Hussein Obama II was born to a white American Ann Dunhma and Kenyan Barrak Hussein Obama Snr, in Nyang’oma Kogelo now in Kenya.

Here the Indonesian link starts.

Ann Dunham married in 1967 Lolo Soetoro, a Javanese, whose own father, in 1946 was killed along with his eldest brother were killed, after which the Dutch army burned down the family’s home. Soetoro fled with his mother into the countryside to survive. Incidentally yet more proof of Dutch War Crimes - delibrate destruction of civilian property outside the scope of battle.

Pak Lolo Soetoro was an army geologist then later a government relations consultant or Mobil Oil. Obama describes Soetoro as well-mannered, even-tempered, and easy with people

From age 6 to 10, Obama lived in Jakarta. Age six, Obama attended the Catholic Primary St Francis di Assisi. Much was made of the lie he was educated in a Madrassa - or more accurately a pesantren - this of course was totally untrue. Obama Jnr later attended Model Primary School, Menteng and was registered as a Muslim - as his father was Muslim.

In Obama’s own words:

In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell my mother that I made faces during Koranic studies. My mother wasn’t overly concerned. ‘Be respectful,’ she’d say. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I would close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words.

One of “Berry’s” childhood friends was Adi who often visited “Berry’s” 16 Jalan Haji Ramli house. Speaking volumes of Dutch “development” at the time the road was of this established middle-class neighbourhood was a dirt lane where Obama used to wile away the hours kicking a soccer ball.

Adi recalled Obama and his friends wore plastic bags over their shoes to walk through the muddy street during the rainy seasons.

Neighborhood Muslims worshiped in a nearby house, which has since been replaced by a larger mosque. Sometimes, when the muezzin sounded the call to prayer, Lolo and Barry would walk to the makeshift mosque together, Adi said.

His mother often went to the church, but Barry was Muslim. He went to the mosque,” Adi said. “I remember him wearing a sarong.”

Obama spent most his spare time hanging out with Adi and other friends at the home of Yunaldi Askiar, a classmate. They used to play a kind of fencing game using sticks, kick a ball up and down the narrow dirt lanes or go swimming in the river behind the school, said Askiar, 42, a car mechanic.

Obama was taller and better dressed than most kids in classes where shoes and socks were still luxuries, so he stood out from the start. As an African American, and the only foreigner, he suffered racial taunts and teasing but never turned to violence.

“At first, everybody felt it was weird to have him here,” Israella Dharmawan, his first grade teacher said. “But also they were curious about him, so wherever he went, the kids were following him.”

His friends enjoyed playing tricks on Berry: Harmon ASki recalled,

“Sometimes we’d say, ‘Barry, do you want a chocolate?’ And we’d give him a chocolate. The next day we’d give him a chocolate again. The third time we’d give him terasi (fermented shrimp paste) wrapped up like chocolate. Obama didn’t get mad. He would laugh it off.”

Ann Soetoro moved to Yogyakarta, while Obama Jnr studied in Jakarta. She was inspired by Jogja village industries, which became the basis of her 1992 doctoral dissertation.

“She loved living in Java,” said Dr. Dewey, who recalled accompanying Ms. Soetoro to a metalworking village. “People said: ‘Hi! How are you?’ She said: ‘How’s your wife? Did your daughter have the baby?’ They were friends. Then she’d whip out her notebook and she’d say: ‘How many of you have electricity? Are you having trouble getting iron?’ ”

Dunham-Soetoro became a consultant for the United States Agency for International Development on setting up a village credit program, then a Ford Foundation program officer in Jakarta specializing in women’s work. Later, she was a consultant in Pakistan, then joined Indonesia’s oldest bank to work on what is described as the world’s largest sustainable microfinance program, creating services like credit and savings for the poor.

Obama in Hawaii with mother and maternal grand-father, shortly after leaving Indonesia.

In his tellingly-titled Memoir, Dreams from My Father, Obama describes his Indonesian interlude as “one long adventure, the bounty of a young boy’s life”. But he also recalls being troubled by the poverty around him: “the empty look on the faces of farmers the year the rains never came,” and the desperation of the disabled beggars who came to the family’s door.

“The world was violent, I was learning, unpredictable and often cruel,” he writes. Obama and his mother thus we were very well acquainted with the harsh realities of indigenous Indonesians.

Fermina Katarina Sinaga, recalled yojhng Obama in her class: in the common task of class to write an essay titled “My dream: What I want to be in the future.” Obama “wrote ‘I want to be a president,’ ” she said. During a later writing assignment on family, he wrote, “My father is my idol.

The Indonesian connection for Obama and all that shaped him proving once again all things Javanese and indigenous Indonesian the bedrock for the towering monuments built on the foundations of a great civilisation.

Here's a short video showing kids celebrating Obama's victory in the same elementary school that Barak once attended. Also, local bar and pub owner Bartele contemplates the economic possibilities of renting Obama's former home and turning it into "Sweet Home Obama."

Barak Obama Victory Speech in Chicago

Barak Obama's acceptance speech Nov 4 2008 in Chicago. Seventeen minutes of pure joy and inspiration. The. Nightmare. Is. Over.

He Did It

NBC has just projected an Obama win, as he goes over 270 delegates. What a long and wonderful trip this has been. The George W. Bush nightmare is over.

Now if we could only do something about The Crazy Frog Dance.

How to Watch the Elections

Huffington Post provides an invaluable guide on how to watch the election results tonight. The secret is to calculate the winners and losers on an hourly basis, as each state closes its voting booths.

For those obsessed with the results on Tuesday night, here is a November 4 guide to watching television and searching exit poll data on the web.

There are three basic questions (with hundreds more to follow in the weeks ahead): 1) When can you feel confident about the outcome of the presidential contest?; 2) How well are Democrats progressing toward their goal of 60 seats in the Senate?; and 3) Will 2008 be another Democratic blowout, signaling the possibility that the party could establish a majority coalition in future elections?

The basic rule of thumb is to follow the poll closing times in each state. Once voting is stopped, the networks can start using detailed exit polling (HuffPost will post those polls here). If the networks are unwilling to call a given state, an examination of the exit poll data can often give you a clear signal of the ultimate results. The state-by-state exit polls released after poll closings will have large samples and should not suffer the defects that plagued the early findings in 2004 which pointed to a solid Kerry victory nationwide. (CNN and MSNBC have exit polls that are relatively easy to negotiate.)

For additional help, HuffPost has election night widgets from Google, CNN, and MSNBC that will allow you to watch the electoral vote count and the congressional balance of power with the national U.S. map or choose a state and see how individual counties are voting.

At 7:00 P.M. ET The polls will close in Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia and Indiana.

Virginia is a crucial battleground state, and an Obama win there (without Georgia or Indiana) would suggest he is likely to take the oath of office on January 20. Turnout in the state is already reported to be off the charts. One person helping out the campaign there says that nearly half the expected electorate showed up by noon. The state also has a hot congressional battle being waged as well. Arch-conservative Rep. Virgil Goode, in a district that includes Charlottesville (UVA's home town) is in a tight fight with Democrat Tom Periello.

If Obama carries either Georgia or Indiana, look for a big Democratic night all around. If he carries both (along with Virginia), Republicans should consider turning on the gas and closing the windows. Conversely, if McCain carries Virginia, Indiana and Georgia, plan to stay up a little later.

There are Senate battles in these states as well.

The Kentucky Senate race, pitting Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell against Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford, a businessman and U.S. Army veteran, is a crucial contest in the fight for filibuster-proof control of the Upper Chamber. McConnell has a 5.7 percent advantage according to RealClearPolitics and a Democratic victory would be a major upset.

Another upset could be in the making in Georgia, where Democrat Jim Martin has been closing the gap in his challenge to incumbent Saxby Chambliss, although Martin remains 2.7 points behind. If Georgia goes for Martin, it will indicate that black voters are turning out in droves, mobilized by the prospect of electing the first African American president.

At 7:30 P.M. ET Polls will close in the Big Enchilada of 2008: Ohio -- as well as another important state, North Carolina, although officials there have the option of staying open until 8:30 if there are problems in completing the voting process.

Ohio has become the national battleground state and this year is no exception. Carried twice by George W. Bush, this year Obama is favored, with a 7 point edge, but neither side is taking it easy. The closing Ohio trend line has been in favor of McCain, who in recent days has cut in half what had been a double digit deficit.

The presidential race in North Carolina is a dead heat, and has been so for a month. The RCP average has Obama ahead by a statistically meaningless 0.3 percent. An Obama victory there would be another strong sign of a good night for the Democratic nominee and his party -- especially if combined with an Obama win in Virginia.

North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole (R) is fighting for her life against Kay Hagan (D) in the Tar Heel state. Hagan holds a 5.5 point advantage and appears likely to pull off an upset win, but the big question is whether Dole's last minute airing of highly controversial commercials linking Hagan to a "Godless" supporter gains traction.

At 8:00 P.M. ET There will be a flood of voting results and poll data begins from key states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and New Hampshire. In addition, there are two crucial Senate races: Sen. John Sununu (R) v. Jeanne Shaheen (D) in New Hampshire, and Senator Roger Wicker (R) v. Ronnie Musgrove (D) in Mississippi.

Of the presidential states with 8 pm poll closings, Florida is by far the most important. RCP's 4-poll average in Florida gives Obama a 4.2 point edge over McCain. If that holds up, Obama would be well on his way to victory.

If, conversely, McCain wins Pennsylvania while holding Florida and other states carried by George W. Bush in 2004, it's a whole new ball game, and a late night: you will have to wait for returns from Colorado, New Mexico (both 9 PM ET closings) and Nevada (10 PM), to have any real confidence in the outcome.

In Connecticut, meanwhile, Rep. Chris Shay's - a perennial endangered GOPer - is hoping to be the lone House Republic left in New England. He could be hurt by Obama's appeal in the New York City suburbs - where he is a bit more popular than the average Democrat - but mainly by minority turnout in Bridgeport.

As a side note: The networks will not go anywhere near calling the presidential race until the polls close on the West Coast at 11 PM. Barring the Pennsylvania-McCain scenario, the odds are that the winner will be known to anyone following the results once the states with 8 PM closings are in.

At 9:00 P.M. ET Polls will close in a host of important states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana and Arizona. Obama is looking strong in the first four. And in a surreal Democratic landslide, he could take McCain's home state - though that is incredibly unlikely.

Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado all have big Senate races. Al Franken's hopes of knocking of Norm Coleman seems destined for a too-close-to-call finish, with third party candidate Dean Barkley likely to take somewhere between 13-18 percent of the vote. The Udall brothers are expected to win in New Mexico and Colorado, both open seats. One of the few hopes for the GOP is for John Kennedy to win in Louisiana where polls have tightened. Though Mary Landrieux, the current Senator, seems likely to squeak out a win.

Minnesota also is hosting two interesting House races. Michelle Bachmann's rant about investigating un-American activity in the U.S. Congress catapulted her opponent into a nipping-at-her-heels position. Meanwhile, Ashwin Madia, a Marine vet and son of East Indian immigrants (who was subjected to political attack-ads that distorted his skin color) is poised to knock of Erik Paulson.

At 10 P.M. ET The polls from Montana and Nevada will close. Montana will show the strength of Obama's mountain west appeal. His showing in Nevada will underscore how well his candidacy has done with Latino voters.

At 11:00 P.M. ET The polls in California, Oregon and Washington will close. The gubernatorial race in the latter is the tightest in the country. In 2004, Republican Dino Rossi lost to incumbent Christine Gregoire by just 129 votes after a third recount. The two are at it again and it will likely, once more, be too close to call

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Final Sarah Palin Video? We Can Only Hope

A compilation of short clips about Sarah Palin from Talking Points Memo. Hopefully, this is the last of the screechy nonsequiters we will ever suffer from the moose hunter of Juneau. Goodbye, Sarah, and don't slam the door on your way out.

PAD Interview by Stephan Cleary

Stephen Cleary in Suphanburi interviews an active PAD leader and gets an earful of opinion, which in some cases should be taken with a large grain of salt. See the Thai-Blogs Forum link for some perspective. Still, a very useful look into the mindset of a PAD devotee.

Part One

Part Two

Thai-Blogs Forum Feedback on the Interview with PAD

Yma Sumac

Yma Sumac, the Peruvian singer with the legendary four octive range, has died.

Three More Campaign Videos

Here's few more campaign videos you may have missed.

Yes, We Can



The Obama/McCain/Palin Dance Off



The Obama Girls sings "I got a crush on Obama"

Best Walnuts Portrait Ever

Shanghaiist is putting on a party this week to celebrate the end of the American political cycle, and their poster shows Walnuts at his finest. The party also sounds like a good deal, as they describe:

It's almost over! By Wednesday evening — assuming there are no hanging chads — we should know who the next leader of the free world will be. And, either way, there will be reason to drink. Some will want to celebrate ... others will want to drown their sorrows ... and many will just be relieved the damn U.S. election is finally done and dusted. And all of them — be they Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Socialists, Communists, Whigs, Tories or just thirsty — are welcome to attend Election Hangover on the 3rd floor at Sasha's (11 Dongping Lu, near Hengshan Lu, 东平路11号, 近衡山路), an extended happy hour presented by Shanghaiist.com and American Craft Beer Partners on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 7 to 11 pm. Drinks, including ACB's fine American microbrews, are half price ... political discourse is free.

RMB 50 entry includes one American craft beer.

Shanghaiist Post-Election Party

John McCain on SNL (Part 2)

Walnuts seems to have retained his sense of humor in the final days, but is this a dignified way to end his campaign?

Note: This NBC video takes an ungodly amount of time to load, but it's here, I promise.

Canadian Comedy Duo Pull Crank Call on Sarah Palin

Oh my God. If you ever had an doubt that Palin is a complete idiot and should never be allowed within 100 miles of the White House, listen to this crank call to her made by a pair of Canadian comedians. She sounds like a squealing 10 year old girl, with an IQ to match. Or perhaps she sounds like a 13 year old "Valley Girl."

SNL: John McCain and Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

Why would John McCain agree to such an embarassing appearance on tonight's Saturday Night Live? Looks like even the "Comeback Kid" has given up on the election, and Sarah too. And all that pandering to QVC Home Shopping Channel was both tastless and stupid. What a terrible way to end a campaign.