Obama or Clinton in 2008

Excerpts from The New York Times editorial endorsing Hilary Clinton, January 25, 2008:
". . . Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton would both help restore America’s global image, to which President Bush has done so much grievous harm. They are committed to changing America’s role in the world, not just its image. . . . On the major issues, there is no real gulf separating the two. They promise an end to the war in Iraq, more equitable taxation, more effective government spending, more concern for social issues, a restoration of civil liberties and an end to the politics of division of George W. Bush and Karl Rove."

"Mr. Obama has built an exciting campaign around the notion of change, but holds no monopoly on ideas that would repair the governing of America. Hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America’s big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience. The potential upside of a great Obama presidency is enticing, but this country faces huge problems, and will no doubt be facing more that we can’t foresee. The next president needs to start immediately on challenges that will require concrete solutions, resolve, and the ability to make government work. Mrs. Clinton is more qualified, right now, to be president."

More here about the Times Editorial Board Endorsements of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic race and Senator John McCain in the Republican field.

Caroline Kennedy:
"Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

"Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process."

Senator Ted Kennedy:
“With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion, Senator Kennedy declared. "With Barack Obama, there is a new national leader who has given America a different kind of campaign — a campaign not just about himself, but about all of us,” he said.

The New York Times:
"The Kennedys and Obama hit the same contrasts again and again in their speeches: the high road versus the low road; inspiration versus calculation; future versus the past; and most of all, service versus selfishness. . . . Talk to Democrats in D.C., and it’s amazing how many who know the Clintons well — many of whom worked in the Clinton administration — are eager that they not return to the White House."

Commentor and journalist David Brooks:
"After his callow youth, Kennedy came to realize that life would not give him the chance to be president. But life did ask him to be a senator, and he has embraced that role [and came "to live a life of service"] and served that institution with more distinction than anyone else now living — as any of his colleagues, Republican or Democrat, will tell you. And he could do it because culture really does have rhythms. The respect for institutions that was prevalent during the early ’60s is prevalent with the young again today. The earnest industriousness that was common then is back today. The awareness that we are not self-made individualists, free to be you and me, but emerge as parts of networks, webs and communities; that awareness is back again today."

Luang Prabang - Laptops for Kids

While in Luang Prabang, Jim visited The Language Project, which is part self-learning center, part computer lab and part library, and talked to an American woman working there. Jim wrote, "They had just received two of the cheap laptops developed by folks at MIT to distribute to developing nations where computer access is too expensive or too high tech. The computers use Linux operating system but the staff has no experience with Linux. Yet. Also, the computers came without manuals. Two volunteers were busy trying to figure out how to use them."

The project developing this idea is One Laptop per Child. "The computers are quite small, made of plastic, and look like toys. The original ones were designed with a windup crank attached to the side of the notebooks to generate electric power and cost about $100. Apparently that didn't work out so well and now they come equipped to plug into conventional electrical outlets and cost $178." [They have a 500MHz processor and 1GB of memory.]









Jim left Luang Prabang after a week or so and hitched back down to Vang Vieng. One day, he took off on a long walk looking for a cave near the Nam Song river in Vang Vieng. It was a longer walk than anticipated and on the return to his guesthouse, he was getting realy tired. Two Lao boys on bikes stopped and offered to help him out. One of the bikes had a seat on the back, so Jim steered that one and of the boys got a ree ride all the back into town.

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. -- Freya Stark

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. -- Lao Tzu

Poverty in America

I just finished reading The Working Poor - Invisible in America by David Shipler, Pulitzer Prize-Winning author of Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land which I would like to find soon. Maybe it will help me better understand what is going on over there.

Here is a brief excerpt describing the population of people who are fully employed and working hard and yet live below the poverty level in the United States. “They help you find merchandise in Walmart; they wait on you in stores, harvest your food, clean your offices, sew your clothes. They package lights for your kids’ bikes and they assemble books of wallpaper samples to help you redecorate. . ."

"One little girl in the intensive care unit, [she] remembered, had an extreme allergy to cats. The family had a cat. We said, ‘Oh, you really need to get rid of the cat. The child’s really allergic to the cat, and we think that’s part of the reason she has these really bad asthma attacks.’ And the parents looked at me dead on and said, “But the cat kills the rats.’ Clearly the house was the problem, but the solution was part of another problem.”

I would recommend this book to anyone. It will open your eyes and give you a new perspective on being poor in America, not unlike Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich.

Eating Thai Style

This is my favorite noodle cart setting up for the night, usually around 5pm, at the top of my lane. This guy makes the best noodle soup I have tasted in Thailand. I eat there a few nights a week.

Thailand may boast the finest street food on earth; it has long attracted migrants from across Asia, so its street cuisine, both at vendor carts and in tiny restaurants, blends many styles of cooking. Here's a slide show that was in The New York Times recently that describes dining out Thai style.

The Thai lifestyle and eating habits lend themselves to street meals. Since Thais normally eat many small meals rather than three squares and traditionally prefer to meet outside the house, street food suits them. Most Thai dishes can be cooked relatively quickly, and Thais are fastidious about cleanliness, important to customers worried about eating alongside a road. It never ceases to amaze me that foreigners travel half-way around the world to get here - and then eat in western style restaurants with western-style prices rather than enjoying fresh and inexpensive delicious Thai food cooked to your specifications right in front of you!

Every Sunday these monstrous buses are parked on a street near my guesthouse unloading Thai tourists for Chiang Mai's now famous Sunday Walking Street that I wrote about in the last post to this blog.

How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you — you leave bits of yourself fluttering on the fences — little rags and shreds of your very life. — Katherine Mansfield

Sunday Walking Steet

A few years before I starting coming here, the idea was launched to shut down the main street outside the gates of the moat every Sunday and to promote the crafts of local artisans. My second year the weekly festival moved inside the old city and has grown every year to be this massive event that takes over the main streets inside the moat. The Thais call it Sunday Walking Street as it and all side strees are closed to traffic after setting up in the afternoon.

Vendors carefully arrange their mostly handmade wares - colorful embroidery of hand-woven hill tribe fabrics, homemade paper lanterns, the intricate work of Chiang Mai’s silversmiths, woodcarvers and more - along with some junky imported trinkets. There are also street musicians - traditional and pop - Thai dancers, living statues, and puppet shows.

The 70-degree evening air is filled with the smell of food cooking along with scented oils and candles as you walk along as many of the several kilometers as you can manage, through a showcase of quality handicrafts and delicacies from all corners of the Northern provinces. Click here if you want to see my photo album of shots I took at last Sunday's market. [Remember, you do not have to sign in. And there is an option for selecting smaller photos if your connection is slow.]

This is just a small sample of the handwoven cotton shawls that are available in every imaginable color combination.






These silk scarves also in available in a variety of shades and hues.





You can eat just about anything imaginable from Phat Thai, roasted chicken, fried grasshoppers, Khao Soi, som-tam (spicy papaya salad), sticky rice, hot spicy sausage, curry, fresh and fried spring rolls, crispy pork rind and hundreds of local tasty treats still to me, even after five winters here.

Chiang Mai Entrepreneurs

There's an ongoing 24/7 sidewalk display, of several caskets varying in quality, size, etc. in front of an open walk-in "coffin shop" on the street that bounds the north side of the moat in the old city.




The woman in the first photo is selling local drinks; you can see the young coconuts sitting on the blue shelf, filled with "green" coconut milk and soft pulp. The second pic is woman making banana pancakes, a favorite of Thais and foreigners.

This of one of countless sidewalk entrepeneurs in the old city. You can get your sandals fixed, your clothes patched, your backpack mended or whatever - while you wait or return the next day. You can get fresh-squeezed orange or carrot juice, home-made ice-cream, lottery tickets, cappucino, and buddha amulets. And there are hundreds of motorcycle repair shops that operate out of their own garage that extends out to the sidewalk while they live their homes attached to the shop.

I am always amazed at the ingenuity of the Thai (necessity being the MOI) and their ability to repair what would be tossed aside in the US. A neighbor in Chiang Mai just dropped his television remote off at a nearby sidewalk fixit guy and had it repaired for under a dollar. The same remote control would have just been thrown away at home.

This is a photo that Trudi took of a child sleeping on a bench. If you click on the image, you will be able to view it better. I love this photo.





This was one of my favorite coffee shops last year and I still like it but there's a new owner and the personality of the place has changed. [Plus they no longer sell bagels, but they do have free wireless so that's a plus.) If you are hungry, you can order almost any thai food and the order is taken across the street to a small shop. I often have stir-fried veggies and chicken for about 75 cents.




The old brick Chedi Luang used to be 90 meters high before it was partly destroyed in an earthquake in 1545; it was the tallest structure in Chiang Mai for over 500 years. It's now about 60 meters high. The other gold-leaf chedi is brand new, just built to replace the old brick one that collapsed after heavy rains two years ago. There is a niche on each side of the chedi, housing a 3 foot high Buddha. The wat now has a very elaborate tiled courtyard with cornerstone ornaments. And there are dozens of tables used often by thais and falangs tutoring one another. This is right acreoss from the AUA library.

I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. - Hilaire Belloc

Nora Ephron NYT editorial on Google

The Chicken Soup Chronicles, January 13, 2008

The other day I felt a cold coming on. So I decided to have chicken soup to ward off the cold. Nonetheless I got the cold. This happens all the time: you think you’re getting a cold; you have chicken soup; you get the cold anyway. So: is it possible that chicken soup gives you a cold?

I will confess a bias: I’ve never understood the religious fervor that surrounds breast-feeding. There are fanatics out there who believe you should breast-feed your child until he or she is old enough to unbutton your blouse. Their success in conning a huge number of women into believing this is one of the truly grim things about modern life. Anyway, one of the main reasons given for breast-feeding is that breast-fed children are less prone to allergies. But children today are far more allergic than they were when I was growing up, when far fewer women breast-fed their children. I mean, what is it with all these children dropping dead from sniffing a peanut? This is new, friends, it’s brand-new new, and don’t believe anyone who says otherwise. So: is it possible that breast-feeding causes allergies?

It’s much easier to write a screenplay on a computer than on a typewriter. Years ago, when you wrote a screenplay on a typewriter, you had to retype the entire page just to make the smallest change; now, on the computer, you can make large and small changes effortlessly, you can fiddle with dialogue, you can change names and places with a keystroke. And yet movies are nowhere near as good as they used to be. In 1939, when screenwriters were practically still using quill pens, the following movies were among those nominated for best picture: “Gone With the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Wuthering Heights” and “Stagecoach,” and that’s not even the whole list. So: is it possible that computers are responsible for the decline of movies?

There is way too much hand-washing going on. Someone told me the other day that the act of washing your hands is supposed to last as long as it takes to sing the song “Happy Birthday.” I’m not big on hand-washing to begin with; I don’t even like to wash fruit, if you must know. But my own prejudices aside, all this washing-of-hands and use of Purell before picking up infants cannot be good. (By the way, I’m not talking about hand-washing in hospitals, I’m talking about everyday, run-of-the-mill hand-washing.) It can’t possibly make sense to keep babies so removed from germs that they never develop an immunity to them. Of course, this isn’t my original theory — I read it somewhere a few weeks ago, although I can’t remember where. The New York Times? The Wall Street Journal? Who knows? Not me, that’s for sure. So: is it possible that reading about hand-washing leads to memory loss?

I love Google. I love everything about it. I love the verb Google and I love the noun and sometimes I can even use the word as an adjective. For a long time, I liked to think there would some day be a person called the Google, a mixture of a researcher, an assistant and a butler, who would stand by ready to ride to the rescue at all Google moments. No more desperately trying to come up with the name of that movie Jeremy Irons was in, which lurks like a hologram while everyone makes stabs at figuring out what on earth it was called. We can never remember the name of that movie, the one about Claus von Bulow, but never mind — the Google is here. The Google will find the answer. But as it turns out, no Google is necessary. Somebody has a BlackBerry. The answer is seconds away! It’s here! The movie was called “Reversal of Fortune!” What a fantastic relief! On the other hand, I have to say, there was something romantic about the desperate search for an answer. On the road to trying to remember the name of Ethel Rosenberg’s brother, for instance, you might find yourself having a brief but diverting chat about Alger Hiss’s wife, which might in turn get you to a story about Whittaker Chambers’s teeth, which might in turn get you to Time magazine, which might in turn get you to Friday nights at Time magazine back in the old days, which might in turn get you to sex. This meandering had its charms. It was, in fact, what used to be known as conversation. But no more. Instead, we have the answer. Ethel Rosenberg’s brother was named David Greenglass. And that’s that. So: is it possible that Google will mean the end of conversation as we know it?

Nora Ephron, the author, most recently, of I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, is a contributing columnist for The Times.

Baan Chaang Nak - Elephant Carving Village

On New Year's day I visited Baan Chaang Nak in Samkampaeng with Dtuum and her brother. He is a friend of the master carver and sculptor of this village compound of unique and imaginative elephant art. This combination working studio, museum and showroom is well-known for the creative work of the artisans there who carve chunks of wood and scult heaps of concrete-like material into unbelievable renditions of elephants of every size and stance. Most of the sculpted elephants are lifesize and very realistic. The variety of talent and and creative results is amazing. To see photos and descriptions, view elephant album here.

The carver's daughter, a former student of Dtuum's brother who is an art teacher, showed us around the village answering many of my questions. The family was just completing an authentic lanaa style bamboo house on stilts. Every joint in this house was tied with bamboo or grasses - there were no pegs or nails. To see photos and descriptions view lanaa album here.

We joined the workers in traditional laap NY dinner (raw minced beef and spices) with local whiskey steeped in herbs. It was poured from a large jug filled with sticks and stems - instead of snakes, like Jim's whiskey in Laos.



Ganesha is the elephant-headed deity, Hindu god of success, known as the Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom.



We then visited a nearby Sa Paper and Umbrella making center which demonstrates the process including handpainting. Artists were painting delicate designs on what I would call parasols as well as painting colorful designs on your clothing. For photos and descriptions view painting here. (Soon)

Luang Prabang & Vang Viang

Jim writes: I arrived in Luang Prabang a couple of days ago. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and quite pleasant. I came here 10 years ago when it was much more charming, less touristy. [The fate of any interesting or beautiful destination today.] Even though the town is in a very remote location, it has turned into a hot spot for tourists from other countries. There are hundreds of guest houses, plenty of Western restaurants, art galleries, and various shops. I almost left the day after arriving, but changed my mind.

"It took two days to get here. The road is a series of switchbacks through a rugged mountain range. It compares with the Copper Canyon in Mexico and various regions of South America. The northern half of Laos is mostly mountains. Years ago, people got around by boat utilizing the MaeKhong and other rivers. Boat travel is still popular; much shipping is done between China and Thailand in this way.

"LP has surrounded on three sides by water. A smaller river draining into the Mae Khong accounts for this. The town is filled with wats, some of them quite ancient. It's a good place to walk around, which is what I've been doing since my arrival. Nights are quite cool, like in low 50's. Must wear extra clothes in the evening and morning. On the way to LP, I had to spend a night in a Hmong village high in the mountains. It was very cold there. I didn't have the right clothing and was pretty miserable. [Gig adds: It was so cold on the river when Tina and I were leaving LP three years ago on our two-day boat ride down the Maekhong, back to Thailand, we wore every article of clothing we could find in our packs.]

"LP is twice as expensive as any other place in Laos and this is peak season. Most of the guest houses were full between Christmas and New Years. The rates jumped up because of this. I see much evidence of greed. In checking various guest houses, I often was given a figure of $30. Then when I hestitated and laughed, they dropped to $10. These same places were charging $5, or less, last winter. Now you see more trucks and motorcycles. Everyone has a mobile phone. Many of the locals are giddy from all the money pouring in. It's a boom time, just as if gold had been discovered.

Here's a link to Photo Album that Jim took last week mostly while in Vang Viang, a popular village mid-way between Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The photos give a really accurate picture of rural life we experience here in SEA. [NOTE: For those of you with dialup, there is an option for photos to be smaller for an easier download.]

"The Laos people think whiskey laced with snakes in a jar is great stuff. They tried to get me to try some. I made it clear there was no way: 'This conversation isn't going anywhere.'"

"NYE parties started the day before. I attended several including two on the 31st that started in the middle of the day. They perform a dance, slowly going around in a circle. I joined them in the dancing. These people really like to party. I lasted a few hours late in the afternoon and then had to excuse myself."

PostScript: Luang Prabang is known for its palaces, temples, and religious statuary. The city has 65 Buddhist wats, recognized for their characteristically steep, overlapping roofs; sculpted wooden doors and shutters; colonnades, mosaics, paintings, and many other architectural details. The Pha Bang, a golden image of the Buddha that is said to have been cast in Ceylon in the 1st century AD, is housed on the Palace grounds. [These monasteries continue to house and educate young men.]