Dec. 29, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I am going to put down a few of my thoughts about what is happening today, like the Israeli bombing of Gaza juxtaposed with the financial crisis juxtaposed with the Inaguration of our new President Barack Obama. Boy, this is what is called extremely hazardous.

I first wondered this morning why nobody keeps a public tally of the Hamas bombs into Israel in the last 8 years; why do we go from frits and starts in these cycles of violence in the Middle East. I think if there was a public tally on somebody's website, this situation would be a lot easier to handle, The way it is now, nobody knows what the truth on the ground is, so it is missiles away in both directions.

Then I think the State Department should work up 2 tallies: those countries where it is likely that things can get done and those countries where there is going to be no change at all but will make a lot of demands on world peace. I think the two positions could be played off against each other and maybe there can be some kind of balance struck. Maybe the State Department already has this tally somewhere, but it should go public so Americans can really feel involved in their own workings of war and peace. Right now, I think there is no system of checks and balances going on in global matters, so, believe it or not, each and every country in the world feels vulnerable because of so much lack of information on the part of democratic governments. We all know, that many countries will always try to keep everybody in the dark so they can feel in charge, but I think this is an extremely hazardous way to conduct global affairs.

I have to say again that I am so grateful for people like Barack Obama and all of his Administration for taking on this huge and unfun responsibility facing us. I wish everybody in the Obama Administration the very best of wishes and successes in 2009.

These are my thoughts for today.

Dec. 20, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well here goes,

Things have started to move along pretty good for me. After waiting and watching for a sign to help me in my conversion to Tibetan Buddhism, I finally got a break. I met this retirey Canadian couple just like myself who rent in Bangkok at really good rates. Well, there is a possibility that I can get an apartment from a friend of theirs or in the same building at a really good rate; so now I can look around Bangkok without having to worry about all the baht's that I am spending.

Buddhism Institutes are all over Bangkok and quite unregulated, so it takes a lot of looking around to get some kind of chance at studying Buddhism in Bangkok. So now after these 5 years on the road, maybe now I have found my nice little place where I can park my things. This would mean that the break with Hindiusm is almost over; and, it has not irreparably damaged my relationships with Indians. I think the intent of the Visa Officers in Pondicherry and New Delhi was to try a botch up my trip so I would not know what to do. I have had way too much of this kind of maliciousness in my life; and especially on my path. I hope for the Buddha that things start to become more auspicious and revealing and I can start to move up the ladder again.

This also means that I will be leaving Sihanoukville behind for the time being, which is no big deal for me. I have read loads while I have been here; but its good to let it go for now and go to the "land of smiling faces" or the polar opposite of here. This is the land of skulls and crossbones and all messed up. I will hope and pray for Cambodians that they can face up to the Tribunal and come to the understanding that this is the 21st Century and mass murder is a big deal, a heinous crime that must be dealt with or perish.

It is also the Christmas time and a year ago at this time, I was just arriving in Cambodia for the first time. I remember going to the The Correspondant's Club in Phnom Penh for Christmas Dinner and then moving to Simon II's for 40 days before going to Angkor Wat for the first time. t Somewhere along the line, I decided that the most important thing for this place is the here and now of what is going on in society. That Cambodia is kind of frozen in the gloss of tourism and the tourism mulah; and, thinking they can focus on this and not the necessary. There really is very little Democratic insitution building going on outside of the really good free press and the open discussions.

Because Asia is so very deeply infected with their cultural and historical arrogance, I think that history has a good potentail to repeat itself here many times. In fact, they say that in the silence
of Chinese communism, the Tibetan genocide is going on unabated.

These are my thoughts for today.

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I watched the terrorist attack on Mumbai on CNN and BBC. From their point of view, this was a very successful attack on the Indians. So now the terrorist have 2 Giant strikes under their belt: the 9/11, 2001 attack on New York City and Thanksgiving Day attack on Mumbai , India, 2008. It seems rather obvious that as long as they can pull off these kinds of attacks, global terrorism is never going to go away. We have to get ahead of the game again somehow and risk it that they will attack again as a result because, psychologically, they have to be No. 1. They seem to be behind the curve when it comes to technology and the internet. So, as they wire up everybody and listen in, they get more and more paranoid about how out of it they are so they decide to just kill everybody. You know, I think their motives go no deeper than this; they are suffering a massive inferiority complex of many unspoken words; it is easier to kill and get killed than grow up and have a mature mind because then they would have to give up these violent, meaningless ways. So, I support what everybody has been saying about sticking with it and keeping on with the projects and going to India and supporting peace in a globalized world.

Apparently, Hillary is going to announce that she is Secretary of State tomorrow, Nov. 2, 2008; and she will have the terrorist as security issue no. 1. I put down right about election day that Pakistan is a rogue nation and, boy, now I stick with this more than ever. This makes Iran, North Korea and Pakistan the most dangerous rogue nations. And, guess what? Pakistan is a nuclear power. So here is where power corrupts comes into play big time. Pakistan would love to put India under their heel and squash them. I think Hillary should form a committee on security issues in an extremely hazardous time right away.

These are my thoughts for today.

Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008: Thanksgiving Day in USA; Terrorism war in Mumbai

Well here, goes,

I have been watching all day the reporting out of Mumbai on the terrorist attack there. I knew inside somewhere that the turned tables on the Terrorists' would not last very long. So, they have gone and done it again by striking in 10 places simultaneously in Mumbai just as the USA is about to sit down and thank the spirits for letting us hold the lead for 1 more day. But, they have struck again and reminding the world that they can do so at will, that they will fight to the death; that they don't want to have to deal the President-elect Obama. I don't think Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has registered on their bean brains yet. So, she sure has to co-opt them somehow and come out agead. I still say that I think they have sabotaged the Internet very deeply and somebody is always listening to us talk away so they can take this and blow it up.

India, why India? One of the reasons that was not talked about today is the fact that Indians are some of the best software developers on the planet and the terrorists are wondering if the Indian engineers can sabotage them. If the terrorists can always be a first strike, take them by surprise outfit, they will consider themselves winning. Of course, now I think it might get to the point that they will start considering the WMD's use because that takes them to the next plane of being out there first, of being in charge. It will never be a situation of detente like during the Cold War because the terrorists are not capable of any kind of co-operation. The religious world view is not one of a multi-dimensional one where there are numerous different worlds co-existing. Anthing that gets in their space, they blow it up. Because they don't know just what exactly the Indian engineers are doing or if they are secretly getting into their space, they strike like they did in Mumbai today, Thanksgiving Day in America 2008.

These are my thoughts for today.

Monday, Nov. 24, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes

I am almost done with "Cambodia: Year Zero", which is all about the Cambodian Genocide and the instruments of execution. To me, one of the most disturbing aspects of this historical revelation is the degree of nihilism in Cambodian society itself. Nihilism is the loss of belief in anything in and about your life. Cambodian nihilism played a huge to astronomical role in the execution of orders at S-21. Any person with anykind of a value system would have run away from that dark and damp hell; but not the Cambodians employees at S-21. Their main goal was to please their employer so that they would not end up in the execution line itself. In the recorded statements, there is no feeling for the things that they did to the supoosed traitors. Evereything was fantasy at this place; there was very little grounding in reality or actuality. They made up everything so that they could reationalize their atrocious behavior. It continues to be documented today that the torturors and guards feel no remorse at what they did. It is truly amazing in some of these places how the good is gone and the evil is still here. Evil, apparently will do anything to hold their ground; while the good is used as the excuse to continue
demonic or demon possessed behavior.

I was right about the feeling that some Chinese was the one responsible for training the Cambodians in the first place. The behavior of the Khymer Rouge in not Cambodian in origin, it came here from a Chinese who was in with the "Gang of Four". I, for one, think that India is a much better role model for Asians, even with the SB debacle. Indians have religion and spirituality, the only things that are going to get this part of the planet back on track to humanity. Of course, I think India should be able to reserve the option of only getting themselves out of here and to hell with the rest.

These are my thoughts for today. I only speak in little snipetts because of the inflammatory nature of my studies.

Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

Right now, it seems that Hillary is going to be the next Secretary of State, which is a big Hurray for we Americans who are living abroad because our image has been in the ditch along with the financial crisis. I predict that Hillary will be of great help to restore a more sane image of us and will help to build alliances, create allies and go after the terrorists in a new way. You know, I think the terrorists have so deeply sabotaged the Internet, that they have been able to look like they know just exactly what they are doing; now Hillary can go after them in a new way and take them by surprise. Maybe, if successful, the tables have turned. No more worn-out excuses about this and that and all of the terrible things that the American have done that created the Age of Terrorism in the first place. I saw Kingdom on HBO, which is excellent by the way, that posited the theory that the Arabs are very zenophobic about foreigners and that they can't stand to see them walking about free and easy. So what do they they do? Instead of getting an education like the rest of us, the build bombs and kill people. Its the latest version of insanaity to hit the planet after the gulag communists of the 60's and 70's when they attacked and decimated so many innocent societies that weren't free to kick their asses out of their countries.
So, what is going to be the next insanity?

I am reading Cambodia: Year Zero which is an analysis of the mind-set and the procedures and techniques used at S-21. To me this is all new, I have never known anything like what occurred at S-21 but apparently it is very similar to the "purges" that have been taking place in Communist countries for a long time. It seems to me you have to be pretty stupid to want to be a communist because they have nothing to offer but pain and illness. No freedoms, no education, no liberties, no economic plans that work, no rule of law. This one is the clincher, the no rule of law, because there is something very intoxicating about being beyond the bounds of society and its laws that creates maniacal urges in people to try and control everything for themselves and not by prescriptive laws either, by the unspoken ones instead.

I know that all of my friends are educated and have already read all of these books and, maybe, I am the late comer. I consider myself very lucky to be able to read all of these books now and maybe I have penetrated the tourist veneer of travelling and am now on a better and more realistic level.

These are my thoughts for today.

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I have now finished "Sideshow", all of it including the "Notes" section in the back. I think that Shawcross wanted to show that Kissinger and Nixon, when it came to SE Asia, liked to mislead, to put it one way. I think they liked the secret part of the bombing campaign because they thought they were pulling the wool over the Congress and the Nation's eyes and carrying out a policy that most certainly would have consequences but no one to blame for them. Nixon had Watergate because he never did understand some of the fundamentals of the American liberties and apparently Kissinger showed a lot of contempt for them too. I don't think the welfare of Cambodia was ever a concern for these 2; I do think it was a concern for the Pentagon and the State Dept., but not enough of a one to have some backbone and see what was really going on. It was an employee of the Pentagon that fudged all of the numbers for Menu and then lied to the Congress about it. Of course, this was also the end of the 60's renaissance of the American consciousness and many (educated) people began to want to know what was really going on. Many people began to understand that to have a real quality of life, you had to know what was going on. In a sense, some Americans woke up. The secret bombing of Cambodia was never a part of the anti-war movement; it was only about pulling out of the war because the Vietnamese did not want us there. That they fell prey to the bloodthirsty Communists is a karma of their own making. Today, people like to say that SE Asia is really capitalist; but, I am not sure of it at all. I don't think they are anything yet; they still have not had any education or literacy training about democracy and liberties..

These are my thoughts for today.

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes for a try.

I was reading the "Notes" at the back of the book "Sideshow". It is a rebuttal from the Nixon Administration that Shawcross got it all wrong; that he had too much bias as a Leftie; that he overlooked some important documents in order to make his argument solid. To my way of thinking, nobody discusses what the Khymer Rouge were in their own right; or how did they garner so much power as to be able to do in the Lon Not Govt?. Sideshow argues that the Nixon-Kissinger Doctrine is what brought the Khymer Rouge to power. This last bit is somewhat believable because Kissinger would not stop the secret bombing until he was forced to by the Congress. He never apologizes for breaking the law and lying to Congress or to carrying on a "secret" policy vis-a-vis Cambodia without anybody knowing about it. Apparently, the Pentagon never questioned the procurement of much armaments either. From, my point of view, the period from 1970-1979, I was in N./E. Africa and India, I did not know about Cambodia. In fact, nobody in India was talking about anything other than their own political leanings. When I arrived in India, they were very much in with the Soviet Union; when I left India, they had decided to become a Democracy. Do I think they were watching the sideshow in Southeast Asia? Yes, I do. I think they were greatly influenced by the behavior of the Khymer Rouge. You know, Indians were also lost and in S-21. Asians never really talk very much about politics, or individual liberties, or rights because they have no tradition from which they can garner some experience to talk about these things. However, I feel the general concensus is that when Asians thought about the Khymer Rouge behaviors that were so alarming in their cruelty and that it was done in the name of Angka and Communism, they decided Democracy was a better choice.

Has this fated Cambodians for years to come? This is a very interesting question vis-a-vis China and Vietnam both Communist neighbors, today, to Cambodia.

These are my beginning thoughts for today.

Tuesday, 18. Nov., 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

This is a continuation of the blog done earlier today.

I want to add some more to the discussion about Hillary Clinton being the next Secretary of State. It seems that people are afriad that certain countries will exercise undue influence on Bill Clinton to get something for themselves from Hillary, the Secretary of State. First of all, people can simply sign a disclaimer and oath of allegiance that they will not use "insider" influence to get something from the State Dept., like in some kind of dark deal whereby a so-called Clinton Global Initiative donor gets some "insiders'" benefits in exchange for providing valuable information on WMD's or possible Terrorists. This certainly is a possibility but, so far, the Clinton's have not really attracted that kind of association. Besides, ex-President Clinton seems like a rather patriotic type and would not participate in such an endeavor.

On the other hand, this kind of "insider influence" could be used to garner good results too.

It certainly seems the farthest along we have gotten on getting at some of the "real" information regarding "WMD's"; actually terrorists is another thing.

These are the continuation thoughts for today.

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Ok, here goes the blog again.

I have finished "Sideshow" by Shawcross which is a detailed account of the Nixon-Kissinger discussions about Cambodia. It is recommended reading. I would say that I think Kissinger knew exactly what he was doing but Nixon did not. What probably evolved was a very convulluted relationship where Kissinger actually made the decisions and Nixon just went along because he was so flattered to have Kissinger as a buddy. It seems to have worked because Kissinger did just about whatever he pleased as Secretary of State without real consideration of the real interests of the USA. Who was he to say what our policy was going to be vis-a-vis Cambodia and Vietnam? What he did was take it out of the hands of the Congress and even his own State Department in order to have his own way. It seems a rather problematic attitude as far as I am concerned. To this day, Cambodians, not just the Khymer Rouge, blame Americans for what went on; they have not been educated to know what was really behind the bombing of the sanctuaries that created the Khymer Rouge. It didn't really create the Khymer Rouge, it gave them impetus to sack the country that they apparently never liked in the first place. Not your real patriots. Cambodia seems filled with such an odd assortment of demons, one wonders
if it will ever return to some kind of normalcy. Right now, from my point of view, I think it probably is about a 50-50 wager as to how decent a county will emerge from these ashes.

As for Hillary being the Secretary of State, I am still for her even though I am aware of the conflict of interest concerns. I doubt that the Clinton Global Initiative has that kind of leverage to be able to influence the Secretary of State; big politics is never that concerned about the little issues; however, because these little issues terrain are the breeding grounds for exploitation and terrorism, it is in these little places, the Clinton's power could be extremely beneficial. I think this resource could be put to benefit the world, especially the world of little issues as well as the world of exploitation and terrorism at the same time.

These are my thoughts for today.

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

OK, here I go again after trying 3 times yesterday only to have it disappear down some internet dark hole but not on my files.

Yesterday, I was trying to talk about the UN Study again and focus in on the behaviors or the tell-tale symptoms that might be evident with a trafikker of WMD's. This is a rather difficult area to figure out because the trafikker does not fit any kind of routine profile; it can be any person who has a grudge and who wants to dump some WMD somewhere. I did figure out that the trafikker, like the terrorist, is a small and insignificant person in his or her world; and that person wants to be "famous"; wants to be a big star. The smallness of their lives gets to them and they go looking for the opportunity to do the traffiking. The trafikker is the most dangerous link or element in the circle because this is the link that will actually carry out the deed.

So, I guess the best way to deal with the uncertainty is to list all of the "likely" persons, groups and religious and ideological fanatics around and attempt to profile them. This certainly would give a good base to work from. The person or persons is/are fairly uneducated and do not have an integrated personnality; in other words, do not have the capacity to appreciate just how dangerous a WMD is. They live in a world where murder is not wrong if you can come up with somekind of ideological reason to do away with the "other side".

So far, in the world that we live in, the Islamic terrorists and the ideological communist fanatics are the most well known probable groupings.

Oh, yes, I think Hillary would make a real good Secretary of State; and besides Bill has built up quite a sizeable base of resource people all over the world.

These are my thoughts for today

Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Monday. Nov.10, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I have changed my plans about going to Thailand because the situation is so unstable there; and I do not want to be anywhere around if there is a coup and the Military takes over again. So, I have decided that I will stay right here where I am and maybe go to Vietnam after this. I guess the Thai situation is the big surprise part about SE Asia; all of the rest of the Gov't's appear to be quite stable actually. I know the last time, a couple of years ago, when the Military took over the country in a day, there was hardly a ripple in the international tourist trade; but, now a year later, the consequences are starting to come to light and tourism is down. Thailand even has a flourishing retirement tourism that could be quite out in the rain if the military takes over again. They can say all they want about how safe it is, which it possibly will be; but at the same time, a person is not very free to be active in international affairs. Here, in Cambodia, I have had no problems at all and feel quite free to carry on with my activities.

About China's large financial input into the global financial crisis; this is a big "hurray and its about time"; it could also be a signal that maybe they are more willing to be a team player now that the world can see that it is the people and not the Gov't that is engaged in some dangerous closet behavior. So, China still is the "dominating" power in the 2nd Ten Year Phase; but the Gov't has demonstrated awareness of the tremendous dangers of WMD's to one and all.

One more rogue state has to be Congo. I saw some soldier point a gun right at the CNN newsman like he would like to shoot him. It seems that Congo is not interested in Barack Obama and what his legacy can mean for the world; they are another example of people totally consumed in self and not at all interested in being a team player. Do I think some of those militias would like to terrorize the world with some renegade nuclear materials, yes I do. I do not think they are being at all sincere in their militia wars for the people of Congo. Maybe President-elect Barack Obama is the lucky one because he will not be taken in by them.

And then there is Indonesia, the home of the step-father of the President-elect. Barack Obama has pretty much ignored them completely; and signaled that his father is African and that the
step-father is out of the circle. Will this have an impact on Indonesians? Well, if they ever contemplate just how much they have lost out on opportunity, maybe then they will change some of their terrorist ways.

These are my thoughts for today.

Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I think I will talk a little bit more about the security study. I think an update on the "rogue"nations is due, some speculation on Osama Bin Laden, some speculation on why China does not want to co-operate, the financial crisis and the election of Barack Obama.

It seems that if you don't want Barack Obama to be successful and for his Presidency to be constructive and good for the American people and the world, you have to be of the frame of mind that he will not be able to be a good President and so you can just continue to be whatever you want without the constraints of what he called "summoning up a spirit of service and sacrifice". Not too popular with people who don't beieve in these spirits. I do and I hope they take over the world, to be quite honest. As far as Obama being able to handle the financial crisis, it became quite apparent to all that the best minds in American are willing and have volunteered to work with him to get this economy out of the ditch and going again. Of course, there are forces in the open market, especially on Wall Street, that want to manipulate and exploit us down into a depression, but hopefully, with some co-operation this can be avoided.

China's behavior during the run-up to the Olympics was not appropriate for a first class nation; for a "pretender to the throne"it is another thing. For example, why do they persist in lying and covering up the Tibetan genocide? I feel that a first class nation that continues to lie about its own role in its own genocides begs the question and invites public demands. Everybody knows that China thinks itself the "new Buddha", especially after they have gotten rid of all the real class A Buddhas around. For example, why Tibet, why not Bhutan or Sikkim? What kind of sincerity can there be if you reconstruct a Shambala only in your own image? What will China
do to perpetuate the image they want for themselves, but not the one that the world has for China. This is what I call "the dominating power". Something that is only interested in self and not interested in team co-operation.

About Osama bin Laden. I agree with President-elect Barack Obama that bin Laden is probably living in a cave on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. He probably pays all of the tribes in the area handsomely and even helps them harvest the opium. He probably will pay the tribe that will keep the Western powers out of the area something like a million dollars. However, the bigger question is where does bin Laden hide his money? If you can come up with some of the answers to this, you will also find many of the dark forces on Wall Street, but probably not in other places.

And now for the update on the "rogue states"- now there has to be Afghanistan and Pakistan because of the assassination Benazir Bhutto. Of course, what about Cuba?

These are my thoughts for today.

Friday, Nov. 7, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I am going to elaborate a little on this UN study. While the UN in New York was trying to assess what would be certain security needs and how to meet them, a UNA/USA Chapter in Lee/Çollier Counties in Florida came up with an outline of their own. It identified a certain number of so-called "rogue"states and what that state is likely to do vis-a-vis the use or traficking of WMD's. WMD's would be nuclear, chemical, biological or some combination of these elements weapons. We stated that China would be the dominating world power for the 1st Ten Year Cycle from 1994-2004. The 2nd Ten Year Cycle is from 2004-2014. We are now 4 years into the second cycle and China still remains the dominating world power. As far as I know, they have never specifically pledged to co-operate and be a team player on WMD Security matters; this is another of way of saying that the Gov't in Beijing cannot and is not responsible for things that may go on in other parts of China. All of these poisoning scares are an example of this. Other world powers, on the other hand, have pledged that they can have security guidelines that will ensure adequate protections against these rogue elements being able to function in their societies. The countries that agreed to co-operate were USA, Canada, All of Europe, Japan and now possibilly India. Most of the so-called Third World was seen as the breeding ground for exploitation and traffiking in these WMD materials. The "rogue"nations, then, were Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, I think we put down Peru, but Venezuella has filled in instead and, now Zimbabwe. This is really just a very broad outline of a kind of security matrix. China's was defined as a "non"co-operating" nation and no reasons other than what has been discussed as been put forward that I know of. Thus, now we are in the 2nd Ten Year Cycle, the extremely hazardous period. We decided to call the second Ten Year Cycle this way because of lack of sufficient co-operation in a number of places. of course, it goes without saying that Russia's current behavior might put it in a "problematic nation" position. While we considered that Russia was extremely responsible during the Cold War, that does not carry over into the current time.

Just some beginnings for now; these are my thoughts for today

ELECTION DAY 2008 (part 2)

Well, here goes for the continuation.

About the UN Study. It was a security study that we did with the UNA/USA and actually Lee and Collier Counties in Florida played a big role in the whole thing. We predicted that the 2nd ten year cycle would be extremely hazardous with a probability of surviving some kind of nuclear or WMD accident to be on a scale of diminishing returns. The election of Obama, I feel, changes this equation. Now the probability of dealing with the security breaches successfully is substantially improved. I can only speak for the areas that I know in detail, like Cambodia and India. How ever, I think Asians will be fairly easy to catch; whereas Africans would not. Now Africans will cooperate; and Asians will still be easy to catch. Boy, Barack sure came along at just the right time.

These are my thoughts for today.

ELECTION DAY 2008

Well, here goes,

Needle3ss to say, this has been a very surprising day indeed because with the election of Barack Obama as President of the USA, people will have to look at us differently now. Actually, it may become quite apparent that the Obama America is quite a bit different than the Bush America. I certainly feel that we will get the economy out of the ditch and back and functioning again; as well as the global economy too. But, there will be some role reversals also because for the green economy, Obama has said he will keep the skill and jobs in the USA and we will not sell off all of our technological know how and skills. So, when the greening starts to actually take some shape, we should be in a much better position than we are now. This guy, he came along at just the right time for us.

On Security, I, for one, sure do feel a lot better because Africa has been taken out of the equation and people will have to give some of intentions of keeping the world in fear ala Bush. I'm sure the UN is pretty happy about this proposition too. As far as the Asians go, I only know that India was for Obama and Cambodia was for McCain. I do not know about Nepal or Thailand; so I will have to go back and find out. I am in Sihanoukville, Cambodia and all of the Cambodians that I talked to said they did not want Obama to win; I never asked them if they understood that principles of Democracy were in play; I don't think it mattered to them at all. They are not champions of Democracy like Obama is. Also, I could not help but think that we are 4 years into the 2nd Ten Year Cycle of the UN study

Monday, Nov. 3, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I feel I just have to write this down as one of my election eve, thoughts.

Obama says his is a campaign of hope and, you know, I think he might be right because if he is elected, then we will get all kinds of cooperation out of Africa and it will not be possible to traffic all kinds of things anymore. Most importantly, it will not be possible to hide or traffic in WMD's, the big worry of the Bush Administration, because an Obama Presidency will get all the intelligence it needs. You see, it will be a lesson in the value of co-operation.

Of course, some Asian countries might not be too happy about this proposition, the WMD one because they like to push the rest of us around on occasion. And, of course, China's role in the world will change because the African will be back in charge of their destinies, instead of some Chinese telling them when to jump and when to sit down.

Just a little thought for today.

Friday, Oct. 31st, Ochhauteal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well here goes - this is a continuation of the last blog where it got cut off at "of course I support our".........Democracy, especially the Democrat kind.

I have been in Cambodia for the last 4 months and will be here for election day in America and will be watching CNN for the results. There is the factor that I do not feel confident that, if posted, the one that I put in the mail in the first place would be the very same one that arrives at the Lee County Voters office.

I hope this blog clears up some misconceptions about my vote.

October 31st, Ochheuteal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes,

It is probably a good idea for me to explain my vote. I registered with Democrats Abroad but never got get up with the Internet Vote on Line. This was discouraging, but I kept at it anyway.
Then I found a place on the Internet where I could vote online that would be accepted, but could not find a place to print it. But, this is actually the clincher. I decided that it did not matter, my vote, because the Lee County Board of Election Commissioners would not count my vote because I have not been at either of the 2 places listed as my address in the last 2 years. Unless your address is verified within the last 2 years, my vote would not be counted. I am in constant contact with my Bank which is in Lee County and am in occasional contact with my addressee in Venice, Fl. , but I just do not think they would count my vote. In my lifetime, there are very few times that my vote actually did get counted, so I have given up at this point. I support and would vote for Obama if I could vote and he knows it. That's about all for this for me for now.
I know that some of my fellow Democrats are disappointed in this but what to do? These kind of things just keep happening to me. Of course, I support our

Saturday, O'çhateal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

I want to comment a little bit more on the Cambodia of the Tourist because this statement implies that most of what one sees and experiences is staged pretty much for the tourist's enjoyment, which is true. However, you then do not get any kind of realistic picture of what Cambodia is. The tourist Cambodia, more likely than not, is a lot of fantasy about the past; and very little about today. This fabricating of reality for the tourist goes on in many countries; but for those of us who travel for years at a time, this kind of presentation will not do. I don't want to live in somekind of fantasy about the past in some foreign land; it is more important and a better growth experience, if you are allowed to look at things with your own eyes. So, I must say that I consider myself to be so lucky to be able to visit Cambodia this way. In Asia where it is rather difficult to know what is really going on culturally, experiences like the one that I am having now is really helpful and fulfilling.

I also know that in Thailand, there is not much reading going on; and a whole lot of "full moon parties and laying around on the beach getting a tan but nothing else. I am going to try and find some good books when I am there; I'll just have to wait and see.

This is enough for today.

Friday, O'chateal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes.

I am not going to talk about where I am staying because things have calmed down considerably for me and I am not being slammed about by noisy, obnoxious neighbors.

I have to comment on what Larry King said today on his Larry King Live show. He said to the Republican guests on the show that he thinks McCain "is going to do it". Well, thanks again there Larry for being such a nice Judas. I'm sure Democrats are going to be shocked if they ever find out. I could not believe my ears.

So, I am going to stay here until after the election; in fact, I am going to enjoy election night right here on this beach. After this, I am going back to Thailand; and not do any traveling in Cambodia right now. I have been reading quite a bit about the genocide: "The Pol Pot Regime"and "Sideshow" and "Voices from S-21". I was a Therapist in my Professional life and was very surprised to read that the goal of the torture techniques was to alter the state of the subliminal mind of the Cambodian victim; in other words, send them right to hell. I"m sure their
ill fated fantasies, like all of the other ones, will not work and all of the deceased are in Buddhaland. There is one thing for sure and certain, there are no Khymer Rouge there.

About the books, it really looks at the years from 1975-1979 in detail and analyses the regine's failings. To start with, it was lost in some kind of time warp because those kinds of revolutions do not go on in 21st century. Because of this, their campaign of hatred and terror was doomed to fail but they did not know it because Cambodia was their universe; there was no world outside of
Cambodian borders, so they began to live such depraved lives that even the Communists were moved to do something.

Now, today, in the Cambodia of the tourist, it probably is pretty much just what you see because the people that are here today are mostly post generationKhymer Rouge survivors or the children of survivors. Nonetheless, it is a must to read some of the literature that is available or else you miss the inner story.

This is enough for today.

Monday, Oct. 13, 2008: New Beach O'chateal

Well, here goes.

Just a little about the trials and tribulations of the road. I have been staying on Serendipity Beach at Serenity, a very nice Guest House,; however, the guests staying there are some of the rudest most egotistical people I have met on the road. Last evening, at 10:00 pm, the neighbor's upstairs were out on the verandah over my room literally pounding the floor with a hammer for about 1 hour. In a normal world, the police would come and haul the troublemaker off, but not for those of us on the road. I have to take back all of the good intentions I had behind the statement that world travellers tend to be decent folks. Ever since I made that statement, I have been attacked on a number of occasions by Europeans for whatever unfed hostility that they had against Americans. At this point, I think that the travelling folks in Cambodia are not decent at all; they are so caught up in there wild blue yonder fantasies that they have forgotten what reality is for Cambodians. So, I moved this mornin
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Oct. 3, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes again.

I listened to the VP debate this morning and I could swear I heard somebody say that Obama voted against the bailout package, which is a lie; he voted for the bailout. Now, I like him again and will probably vote for him. I am also wondering how much of a victim have I been of cheats, lyers and falsehoods. Probably most of my life since the accident.

So, I am hoping now that the bailout package passes and is put into law and we can get some anxiety removed from our daily lives. If it does not pass, the world is in for hell and brimstone and a lot of disappointment. So, I just have to wait and see.

I have decided that I am going back to Thailand on December 1st and will go to Koh Samui. I am hoping and praying that Tum will help me out with a good rate and TV and then I will stay there for as long as I can. I like it more now in Cambodia; but it is not the safest place in the world. It is probably even less safe than Nepal and the Ambassador thought it would not be OK for me to continue at my flat outside of Thamel.

Oh, the trials and tribulations of the road. It has not been easy.

Got to go.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here it goes again.

Today, it is raining on and off all day long; actually, the monsoon is pretty big this year. I have been here since August 1st. and it has been raining quite a bit. The storms at night can sometimes have a high wind and pretty heavy downpour. I no longer sit in my place afraid to go out in the rain; I pick up my umbrella and stick pretty much to my daily routine.

So far, this visit has broken down to staying in 2 places: Victory Hill and Serendipity Beach. I have more friends over at Victory Hill; but the beach here at Serendipity is pretty nice, but I am pretty much on my own. I have a large room that is quite tastefully done so I like it. I liked staying at the Blue Frog until I was attacked by this crazy Rasta guy from Sweden who wanted to party all night long and thought I was a fuddy, duddy old lady that he wanted to run off of the property. Well, he did and I am glad of it. I liked Olof and Dyanne, my Cambodian helper; but could not take it from the Rasta guy.

So, this trip to Cambodia continues to be pretty much still on the same track of running into this hostility that comes out of no where and

I have to stop now.

Saturday, Set. 27th, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

OK, here goes and I am going to try for a little more.

I have finished The Open Road by Pico Ayer. The beginning and the end were kind of slow and downplayed the future for Tibetans too much for my book. The middle, or the parts about Dharamsal were pretty good at capturing the essences and mood of the place. I have to agree with Pico that this is a special place for Tibetans as well as world travellers from the rest of the world.

Got to go.

Friday, Sept. 26, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, I am going to try again.

About Pico Ayer's book on the Dalai Lama, I think it is pretty good the way he talks about Dharamsala, the home of the exile Tibetans. But, this special little place in Himalchal Pradesh, India is also quite powerful in its dealings with me. I had a number of strange things happen there, like having $1000.00 taken out of my State Bank of India account by somebody using my ATM card that was supposedly hidden in my room at the Ketan Lodge. This means that somebody must have been going into my apartment on a regular basis and planned the theft. The police put up a good show but did nothing about getting the money back for me. This is something that I do not like about India at all, the corruption that is made to look like fatalism. At the bank all they could say was if it was done by my ATM card, there was nothing they could do to recoup any of the money.

Then, I get down to Delhi to leave to go to Kathmandu to get the Visa for India only to discover that I had been mislead by the Visa Officer in Pondicherry and had not really completed the foreigner registration on my 1-Y T Visa. The Visa Officer at the Delhi Airport said I was a cheat and a lyer and had not done anything at all the complete the required foreigner registration. I think they had been watching my activities in Dharamsala, especially some of the work that I was doing with traumatized monks and decided to stop it.

Stop for now.

Monday, Sept. 22, 2998: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, here goes for another try.
Now I am movedto the Serendipity Beach in Sihanoukville and it is quite a bit different from Victory Hill. For starters, I have an almost flat right on the beach so I can hear the sound of the surf and try to bring it into my meditation. I have been reading The Open Road, Pico Ayer's latest book on the Dalai Lama and guess what?, I have discovered that I most probably am a Tibetan Buddhist. I, myself, would have no difficulty keeping to the rules of the Dalai Lama; and, as a Teacher, I still think he is very good. For example, I am kind of an anxiety prone personnality, so this great and huge debale on Wall Street would have made me into a basket case, especially if I had stayed in Whiskey Creek. But, no, with the help of a spiritual mentor, I have been able to be quite composed and anxiety free. I do experience a certain kind of "centeredness"and this does seem to give some kind of stability and confidence to these traumatic days. Because, this is the very first time in my 66 year life that I have been free of financial trauma and turmoil, I am hoping that my financial security will continue. My own pension is not too small and not too big at the same time, but alot less than most of my friends are getting. Because of this, I feel more secure knowing that I only enough to have this life that I am having today and no more.

About the election, I am certainly for Obama/Biden. He, Obama, has never said a thing about what I asked in my letter to him about Hillary. He could not bring himself to let her be his VP, so he must have some bigger and better job in mind in his Administration. If I knew this for sure, I would vote for him.

Monday, Sept. 15, 2008: Sianoukville, Cambodia

Well, I am going to give it another try. I have been in Cambodia since the 5th of August, with most of the time spent here in Sianoukville. This is the beach area but it is also a bar area. I don't know what to think, really, which could explain why I am taking so much time here. My first trip to Cambodia was a real thriller, full of lots of travel and visiting Angkor Wat and Phnom Penth and having a pretty good time. This trip is like the other side of the moon compared to the first one. It is full of negativity, rejection, change in plans and surprises every day. At first, when one comes here, one thinks that the recent and trajic history must be a colossal mistake and the civil war was not really a civil war. This I believe, it was not really a civil war, it was an aberration and a monstrocity that the succeeding days and months are trying to cover up and destroy. So, I don't know what to think. I would never say that all things are deserved because, in my own life, much of what I had to endure was not deserved; it was the result of ignorance and prejudice.

About the election in America, I have watched both of them from here in Cambodia. Two completely different Conventions. Of course, I was kind of taken off guard by Sarah
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Well, here goes again for another try.

The last blog stopped with talking about Harry's place that has turned into manager and her boyfriend's pick and choose kind of place. I figured out why they have to do this too, so they can continue their lifestyle, so to speak. After some time, I am going to either talk to Harry or write him an email and tell him how rudely I was treated. I would not call it any type of friendship place at all. It's a pick and choose place.

Then, after leaving Boeung Kak lake area, I was taten to a nice little hotel down by the River very close to the Old Market and this place turned out to be a little bit strange. Lots of foreigners but lots of "just a few hours" type place too. I never stay in a place like that although I know that the invasion of nice budget hotels has or is taking place, so beware. It is probably best to still go by the recommended places. Besides, I got yelled at because people wanted more money. For some strange reason, the Penhoise think they can still cheat history, like try and push off the Genocide Trials because it is too challenging to the self image that Asians are the best while the rest of us are worser off.

I do not like this attitude at all. Genocide is a horrible thing and it needs to be dealt. What took place in S-21 needs to be dealt with, just like Darfur and Tibet. Actually, Cambodia is getting the very best deal so far which is to be heartily congratulated; and the crappy attitudes that are floating around Phnom Penh right now needs to be ignored. After all, the Maoists in Nepal would probably love to try some of the same things if they thought they could get away with it.

So, I did not have a nice time in Phnom Penh this time and so came back here to Sihanoukville yesterday, Aug. 18h. It rained like Hell last night, but it is much nicer now. I think it must be the beach effect because it is much more peaceful here. Maybe it is because the City Gov't of

Sunday - Bangkok, August 3, 2008

Well, here goes.

I have been gone from Kathmandu now for about 2 weeks but it seems like another universe here in Thailand. The energy, for starters, is so much better than in Thamel it is almost hard to believe. Maybe it is the obvious comfort securities that Thailand has to offer that makes you think everything is OK. In Thamel, it is gray and rainy; people are angry and depressed; there is very little building going on; people have been brainwashed into thinking that some stupid ideology like Maoism is God's gift to the poverty suffering world. Unbelievable to me because I know it to be another form of rip off of the political kind. The Nepalese will all be broke and bent and old and still be believing that some stupid ideology is their ticket to the 21st Century. They will never go through some rigorous kind of consciousness changing so they can see reality correctly because the Dalai Lama owns this idea and they do not like him. Too bad.

Anyway, since being here in Thailand I went to Koh Samui for about 10 days and had a really nice time sitting right on the beach. It was such a surprise and such a find. Bang Po/Bantai Beach is the name of the beach and it is on the other side of the island from all the parties. The place was pretty busy with mostly family tourism, but I liked it because I was right on the beach. I am going back there in about 3 months time after some renovations have been done to the Resort and I think I am going to stay there for awhile. I met somebody in Bhoudinath who had ended up staying on Bang Po for 7 years and when he first told me I could not believe it, but after visitng the place, I could believe it. Good place to unload all of the anxiety about the future and do some positive meditation.

Now, I am back in Bangkok and on my way to Phomh Penh for awhile to visit with Harry and find out what is happening.

These are my thoughts for today.

July 1, 2008: Kathmandu

I have moved out of my flat and am staying at the Magnificient View Hotel until I go to Bangkok. Tenzin, one of my English students, left to see his parents this morning and so I will probably not see him for a couple of years because he lives in McLeodGanj and I will be in Cambodia and Thailand. He has got a pretty good grasp of his emotions and how he is supposed to deal with them so I feel a little better about his situation. I met Tenzin in McLeodGanj along with Henry Chang Chup, Tenzin's Nagpah friend and sponsor; this was more than a year ago. Now, things have pretty much changed for Tenzin and he needs to see if he can come up with some longer term goals. His life is so fragile and tenuous; he needs to see if he can find something that will give him some stability. For the moment he has gone to see his parents at Namche Bazaar and talk to the Monasteries there for some advice. He also needs to become more assertive and give up his value of being passive and expecting answers to come his way. I think this value could be a thing of the past; this is turning into a very aggressive world and passivity gets nothing.

Me, I have decided to forego the reunion in Kuching because it is too expensive. I am just going to go to Thailand and then Cambodia. The reunion is pretty much for volunteers from Britain anyway and not for Peace Corps Volunteers. I was going to go until yesterday and then I decided that it is too expensive and not particularly in sync with my values.

The main reason why I am leaving Kathmandu is because of the Maoists who are fairly unfriendly with Americans. Its not that I don't feel that safe; its the fact that I have never lived around so many Maoists. The Khymer Rouge are supposed to be all over Phomh Penh but you don't know who they are and they are not aggressive towards me like they are here in Nepal. I guess I think that living in SE Asia provides the opportunity to travel around pretty freely and on a budget; and, to maybe volunteer some too.

Of course, there is a lot to do in Myanmar, but I still have not heard anything back on my
application to be a Trauma Counsellor. I don't know what it is about my profession and my not being able to volunteer and help out. It seems that the Junta in Myanmar is very anti-kindness and treats the people of the country like vassals to build the roads and plant the rice, but are not treated like persons of dignity and respect. Of course, most of the NGO's in Thailand do whatever the Thai Gov't wants them to do because it is the only free Asian country they have the work in on a comprehensive basis. However, the NGO's are not able to really "help" the Burmese. So, it seems that few people will really know how the rebuilding is going; most of the us will only know what we read in the papers. I would like to try and help out but I get the feeling that the Thai Gov't does not want me to volunteer, at least not now. Where Burma is concerned, it has been a Police State for far too long. The Tibetan and Burmese situations seem fairly absurd to me. All of these Buddhas everywhere, but not a drop of freedom of expression anywhere.

These are my thoughts for today.

Sunday, June 1, 2008: Kathmandu, Nepal

Well here goes for the 2nd try.

It seems to me the Democratic meeting demonstrated one glaring issue, they do not want a woman, they want a man to be the nominee. And, so they have wiggled and waggled until they got what they wanted. It seems like the meeting yesterday to allocate the delegates from Michigan and Florida was all about who and how many to seat and they were not going to face the fact that they had denied Hillary the phychological edge in the campaing by booting out the Florida and Michigan delegates. It was a pretty round about way to let Hillary know that they got a lot of gender bias in the democratic party that they do not want to deal with. If Hillary knew or recognized it, she has not said a thing so far in the campaign. Mr. Obama is unwilling to recognize his own bias too. So for Hillary, this is a gruelling campaign; and she has to keep from most of her female supporters some of the real inside stuff. It is quite apparent now that this gender bias was out and played a big influence in the decisions yesterday.

Now, I think the Democrats have all but lost the election come November because of the way they treated some of the people yesterday at the meeting.

I said this in the last blog, that I am almost through with this Kathmandu visit and am off to SE Asia, Cambodia in particular. I am going to check out things in Thailand too to see how things are going with the Myanmar Relief. The Military Junta treats the Burmese terribly; somebody should stop this. This Gov't. actually believes that their function is to keep the populace at bay so they can do what ever they please. They are not really a legitimate government at all, they are a self-appointed junta that represents only themselves and not the country of Myanmar at all. How can this be?

These are my thoughts for today.

Kathmandu: Sunday, May 8, 2008

Well, my visit to Kathmandu is coming to a close. As soon as my package arrives, I hope to go to Bangkok. This trip here has been full of surprises, not the least of which is the political inclinations of the Nepalese. The body politic had a Referendum on their Constitution and voted many Maoists into Office. Being that I have just come back from Cambodia, where the Khymer Rouge proceeded to exterminate 3 million of their fellow countrymen, I was very surprised at the outcome of the Nepalese election. The difficulty lies in the fact that I view responsibilities of modern life very differently from some Asians. They seem to view their time here as a God given Right to do whateveer they choose; often dramatically conflicting with a Western approach to getting things done. Most Nepalese could care less what happened in Cambodia and the "Killing Fields"; in fact, the real story will never be told.


About the election in the USA, I am still with Hillary and view her as being the most capable candidate. Obama and McCain, when it comes to the real, knitty, gritty situations, will probably deal with the situation pretty much the same. Hillary, I think, will deal with things differently and this is why the world of men do not want to see her as the winner. They are much more comfortable with Obama. For example, the Burmese situation would be handled differently by Hillary; while Obama and McCain would do it pretty much the same. In fact, I think there is some chance that McCain would move a little faster than Obama. Hillary would just go for it. Furthermore, I think Bush should have made a decision about food and medical aid before he went to his daughter's wedding, but he didn't. Now he thinks the Generals are happy. He should keep in mind that it is the rice grower who is getting sick and dying.

After Kathmandu, I am going to Thailand and Malaysia first; and then Cambodia. I want to look around and see what the options are for a retiree like myself. I would like to be able to live in a nice place, preferably near a beach; and be able to volunteer in Children's services. No big deal as far as I can see.

These are my thoughts for today.

Kathmandu: Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I am hoping that today is a turning point and that the political situation in USA will now get better. Of course, I am really happy Hillary won in Pennsylvania and I hope she wins the White House too. In a certain sense, the situation seems totally lost on Obama and his minions; they are so intent on winning for themselves, they have forgotten about the world out there. He is spending so much money; and not a paisa is going for something poor out there. I suppose it is against campaign laws to donate to Charity, but he donated a lot to Charity when he got the money back from his friend who is on trail. He sure has come out with a parade of people that if the rest of us had befriended, we would be in the dump. But not him. I guess he really is out there promoting a better democratic world for tomorrow.

I looked back on my Cambodian pictures, which are the best that I have ever taken. In some of the pictures, I can't believe the quality of the light. I am toying with the idea of going back to Angkor Wat to do a photo study and maybe it will be book quality. I should be back in Cambodia around June, 2008.

In July, 2008 I am registered to go to a Conference in Kuching, Sarawak about some of the volunteer successes. This is the first time I have been back to Sarawak since I left in 1966. I thought about going back off and on since the elapsed time, but never quite did it because I did not know what to think about my boyfriends that I left there. Now, after this last trip to Thailand and Cambodia, I feel alright about going back to Sarawak. Somebody told me that Malaysia is like the California of SE Asia.

So, these are my thoughts for today.

Saturday in Kathmandu: April, 2008

Well, I am feeling a little bit more secure now that news keeps coming out about the Tibetan story. Most probably, initially, the intention was the "shut up" all the outside voices, so they could carry on with their dark and twisted ways. China seems to demand absolute allegiance to the state, absolutely no deviations allowed. Methinks that they have gone a bit crazy demanding this kind of allegiance, especially in today's world where there is very little allegiance to a state at all. I am also feeling more secure that the issue is now out in the open even if the Chinese authorities do not realize it. Sometime, they are going to try and pull off another close down of Lhasa so they can carry out their "punishments" for going public. I think the Tibetan monks and nuns have realized that the only way to deal with their situation is to go public and get everything out there in the public eye; otherwise, nobody hears the cries locked away in the various parts of China. Maybe there are all kinds of things hidden away in that land and maybe some more of it will come out during this prelude to the Olympics.

Here in Kathmandu, life seems out of step with the greater world out there. The Nepalese are completely absorbed in their political story and not a part of the greater one. It usually is not this way in Kathmandu, which has been a kind of center for discussion and change during my life from the 1970's, but that has changed as I think the "center" is now in Delhi, of all places. It is probably a good thing too, because Delhi is sitting out there all vulnerable to the world of terrorism.

Me, I am thinking about going back to Cambodia and working on some children's issues for awhile and it seems to be falling into place pretty good. I think I will go back either in late May or June after taking care of things here in Kathmandu. I don't like the "loadshedding" with the utility especially when I am paying a reasonable amount to live here. To what degree the "loadshedding" is symbolic of political malfunctions is none of my business; but I don't like being without the light.

These are my thoughts for today.

Good Saturday, March 2008 Kathmandu.

So, yesterday was like the longest day. All day wondering and waiting to see what the tube has to say about the situation in Tibet. One just knows that the "human rights" is going to be absymal based on the past actions of the PLA of China. I'm sure every nun condemned to Lhasa and other parts of Tibet is just thrilled to be living in such an environment. For me, I first was introduced to the issue of political/religious rights in Cambodia, of all places. Cambodia is the the country where the Khymer Rouge actually wanted to "exterminate" the middle classes and those Cambodians who had had contact with a Westerner who could read. Before the world stepped in to stop the insanity, 3 million Cambodians had been "exterminated" and thrown into the pits outside of Phnom Penh now called the Killing Fields. So many were thrown into these pits, one has to wonder what might have happened to the earth during the decay. There were no standards.

What are the Chinese going to do to the Tibetans, the monks and nuns especially because they follow the religious life and the Chinese are avowedly against anything religious? Most activities are banned and anybody caught meditating on a Tibetan Tankha is thrown in jail and tortured. So what is going to happen now? Will the oversears start being like the Khymer Rouge were in S-21 and lie to the world about it for as long as it will hold out? Why are all outside, independant voices of verification continue to be banned and the only version is the "Chinese version"?

I know some people feel that the world is better prepared to deal with these genocides but I am not so convinced because we have failed to stop anything from going forward. Right now there is Darfur and Tibet. Two very different cultures in very different parts of the world. but both the victim of the same backer.

I remember saying at Simon's on Boengkok Lane that it was quite a trick to pull off 2 genocides; 1 in Cambodia and 1 in Tibet without ever having to admit anything. This is what is going on today; China seems engaged in a policy of altering the perceptions of the viewer in order to persuade one to believe their version of the story. Why can't all sides be equally informed? Why only bias?

These are my thoughts for today.

Kathmandu: Thursday, March 13, 2008

The day I arrived back from SE Asia was quite a surprise. I left Bangkok, the warm, sunny organized Bangkok to Kathmandu and in the cold rain, dark and no electricity. Most of us international travelers had to be processed in the dark. It was the fastest I have ever gotten through Customs. I asked for a 60 Day T Visa and got it in about 15 minutes; everybody knew what they wanted and got through pretty quickly. Then one of the representatives from the Hotel Blue Horizon helped me get a taxi and, boy, was I glad because they were asking too much in the rain. Then I got back to my flat in the dark so I went to the Blue Horizon. Binod was still there and I was glad to see him. We talked a bit about such big changes in Nepal from December to now and then I had some dinner and went home in the dark and cold. It is a good thing too because my flat had a nice layer of sooty dirt after being vacant for the 3 months that I could not see. It was pretty cold too; or, at least, for me.

Coming in from being away for the 3 months really gave me an insight into how difficult things are now in Nepal. Is this a pre-phase of somekind? I have had lots of good discussions with friends about this. The "loadshedding" with the utility is really a killer for business; nobody wants to spend a lot of money here in Thamel any more because the lights are turned off 48 hours in a 6 day span and you get the feeling that the Tourism is on the brink. The bulk of the loadshedding hours are during the work day. Something has really knocked the Nepalese off Center big time.

I have read back through the Thailand/Cambodian thoughts and am quite pleased with what I said.

I also stick with Hillary for President. The campaign is getting pretty acrimonious and I like the way Hillary tries to manouever herself through the political minefields. Chop chop here; chop chop there; chop chop everywhere.

These are my thoughts for today.

Sunday, March 2, 2008: Bangkok, Thailand

Tomorrow, I am going back to Kathmandu for 5 months. Or, at least, that is the plan for the moment. I need to find a place to store the things from my flat. I have decided that I want to go back to Cambodia to volunteer in Children's Services and spend some time at the beach. I might do a little traveling around SE Asia, but I cannot say for certain.

Impressions of the trip are still pretty strong and, compared to all of the time spent in India, this trip went really well. I especially like Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville; but I had a pretty interesting stay on Koh Mak and Trat too. Koh Mak is very close to the Cambodian border and was affected by the recent history in Cambodia. Trat is a traditional Thai town that is pretty laid back and peaceful. I stayed at Pop Guest House, a nice friendly place. Trat is starting to attract people who want a little more of a spiritual experience when they come to Thailand than the beaches. I also met some people who stay there for long periods of time and like it a lot.

As for spiritual experiences - this trip, the whole thing, has been really good and I am convinced that I need to become a Buddhist learner. I suffered such a set-back in India with the 70's Bangalore scene, but that is all in the past; it does not seem to have done any damage to my spiritual self, so I won't worry about that. In this sense, all the work with the monks is really a good thing for them and me, I know this is not a good attitude to have but what to do.

About the election in America, I am still praying for Hillary to win because, to me, both Obama and McCain are not really good choices. They may seem very politically savvy, but not necessarily politically correct. It does not matter whether something is politically correct or not, but I thought I would mention it just the same. In addition, it seems to me that Obama is a little bit like the Pied Piper who led the masses over the cliff. He seems to think he has some kind of messianic message for his followers and they sure are getting out to vote for him. Boy, what kind of an America will that make.

So, these are my brief thoughts for today.

Thursday, Feb 14th, 2008:Sihanoukville, Cambodia

I went to Victory Beach today; a really nice little beach close by where I am staying. So, now I have this place and Goa as beach places. This little beach is certainly as nice as the Benaulim beach that I go to in Goa; and, Cambodia has a lot to offer by way of History. Goa does to, but not of the same kind. So, now, unless I find something that I like more in Sarawak, I will probably be coming back here. Besides, Cambodia appears to have some pretty good children's services for the kids that are dropping out of school to make money.

I was talking with a French person at the beach and we agreed that the Chinese probably engineered the Tuol Seng genocide as a way to get even with the French. I am not sure about what but I think I agree. Of course, in these murky matters, the truth rarely comes out. It certainly would be worth somebody's while to try and dig up some more of the hidden history of TS. Not to forget that Haing S. Ngor, the famous doctor who playedDith Pran in the Killing Fields, was, himself, found dead in San Francisco in the mid-90's. Nothing more than a brief statement was made in the American press.

These are my thoughts for today.

Wednesday, Feb. 13th, 2008: Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, Blog, here goes.

I cannot understand what is going on with the Democrats. First, they want Hillary but now they are all gung hoe for Barack. He has no experience which means he is going to fool his followers into thinking they are going to get a job because "change is coming to America". For some reason, I am not enamoured of Mr. Barack and I am not at all convinced he could create any kind of Presidency at all. What kind of change is his Presidency going to bring to America; does he think he is going to create a new Pentagon? What is going to do to do this? Does he think he is going to create a new education system? What kind of system is it going to be? He does not give out any details. Why? What about global warming and climate change? I don't think he is cultivating anykind of relationship of respect with people from the community that is going to combat global warming/climate change.

I think his campaign is doing a real good job at mimicking the Clinton's; but I do not think he is coming up with any originals for himself. Of course, if he gets the nomination, he can come up with the originals then. A bit late for the rest of us.

I'm going to stick with Hillary; and there is always some time in the future because she has lots of years to go too.

I am off to Thailand on Sunday, the 17th. I still have not decided what I am going to do - if I am going to go and see Carlos or if I am going to go Ching Mai and Mae Sot Refugee Camp to see about a volunteer job.

These are my thoughts for today.

Sunday, Feb. 10th 2008: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Well, now I am reading "The Gate" by Francois Bizot, the only Western survivor of the killing fields. He postulates that the only reason he survived is because his ïnterrogator" allowed this but he, Francois, does not know the reason. "The Gate" is an analysis or a list of surmisings of why he, Francois, thinks "Douch"let this happen. "Douch" is the Cambodian Khymer Rouge. All of this material that I have read is excellent in helping the rest of us understand what makes up a "genocide". Uganda and the Balkans have not shared so much of their experience with the rest of the world as have the Cambodians and for this they, the Cambodians, are to be admired and respected.

I'm not at all sure that I am supposed to put this down on my Blog, but I am going to do it anyway. I have over-heard conversations where it was said that the Khymer Rouge have a "bad gene". Does this mean that during the cold war there was actual experimentation going on in some countries? This is a subject that nobody will cough up.

Tomorrow, I am off to Sihanoukville and the beach for a few days before I head back to Thailand and then Kathmandu. Now, my perspective on the situation there has really changed. I think the Nepalese Gov't is not going to do anything about the human rights situation which means it will only continue as it is. In the countryside, it is a deplorable situation where the farmers, teachers, parents and school children are at the mercy of the Maoist big shot who lives somewhere around there too. Why the Gov't doesn't do anything is a mystery to me because I think the USA has made it fairly clear that they would be willing to help a Democratic Nepal deal with the situation; so has the EU. The UN is moderating the situation right now and it is a protracted scenario, but what isn't known is if it is on a dead-end street. Not even the American
Ambassador seems to know.

The new Thai Prime Minister says that the Garuda should stay as it is and not be changed.

These are my thoughts for today.

Thursday, Jan. 31st 2008: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Well, I am going to start again. The last little bit got erased, so here goes.

This trip has been a mind altering one to say the least. I have read the"Killing Fields"about Dith Pran and Sydney Schanberg from the New York Times; and "The Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields"edited by Dith Pran, a Cambodian survivor of the Killing Fields. It is hard for me to understand the absurd devotion they had for their enterprise which was an attempt to restructure the Cambodian society along some fancied imaginary lines of the make-believe society. I have said it before and I will say it again, I think it was an orgy in the true sense of the word. Once they started, they did not want to stop. It was the Vietamese who made them stop in 1979. I imagine that genocides all over the world are fairly similar in their brutality. This Cambodian genocide was different in its intensity and belief that the world would just leave them alone to do their thing, so to speak. They did not count on geo-politics being able to deal with the situation at all.

So, when I return to Kathmandu, I will look at the situation there in a different way. They have a Maoist situation also that, so far, has remained in the rural areas and has not invaded Kathmandu. There are numerous UN people all over and they do have a certain authority over the situation, which is what it takes. Will the Nepalese Maoist challenge the UN order like the Cambodian Khymer Rouge did? At the moment, I do not think they will; but the American Ambassador is not so convinced. She has been witness to a number of intimidations of Americans living in the Kathmandu area and so have informed us to take this under consideration. I have spent a good deal of time thinking about it myself while being here in Cambodia. I think after I pack my place up and put it in storage, I am going to Sarawak, where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer.

So now, my duality is Kathmandu-Kuching.

And, of course, I am for Hillary Clinton winning the USA Presidential race because I think she has the best chance to deal with the economy, in particular. Of course, Barak Obama thinks only he can deal with the situation which seems to me to be a stretch given that he missed most of the votes when he was in the Senate. But, nobody is listening; people are only fantasizing what they want it to be. Most Americans think the credit crisis only pertains to the people who could not keep up their mortgage payments and we know who that is; they do not think it is symptomatic of some larger credit crisis in the global economy. This is the legacy of G. H. W. Bush.

These are my thoughts for today.

Monday, Jan. 21, 2008: Siem Reap, Cambodia

I left Phnom Penh about a week ago now and have come to Siem Reap to see the Angkor Wat Temple ground. So far I have been to Bayon and the surrounding smaller temples. Bayon is the temple with the faces and is very impressive. Some say the face is that of the Buddha; others say the face is that of the Cambodian people. Also, there are numerous freizes depicting life in the Bayon under Jayavarnum II or the VII, I am not sure. The rock freizes are probably some of the best is the world. I took a number of pictures and was surprised to see that the temple carvings are a surprising "non"colour so everything looks like more an absence rather than a presence of colour. This goes for all of the temples that I looked at in the Bayon area. Some of the smaller temples were Baphuon,Ta Promm. Also the area is large and there is a lot of walking so I was pretty much done in by the end of the day.

Another ïmpression"of Siem Reap is all of the building that is going on; the same in Phnom Penh so you get the impression that the Gov't is really working to get past the past and move into the 21st C. Like Thailand, Cambodia looks to be fairly prosperous and global tourism is a big factor in this. The "modern"buildings are not at all like the traditional ones; the modern ones are of cement block with some artistry; the traditional ones are of wood and elevated. The modern one is heavy but nice; the traditional one is light and nice too, but of wood. Wood is out because of global warming and deforestation, so the teak and mahoghany are used just a little.

Hillary has won in Nevada!!!!!! So, she is looking pretty good right now. It is going to take a whole lot of something to get us through the next phase. I, of course, am opting for experience over words because time is the critical factor and experience can deal with time better - got to move this thing along as quickly as possilbe.

These are my thoughts for today.

Saturday, Jan 12, 2008 - Phnom Penh

Well, I am certainly glad for the New Hampshire primary result for Senator H. Clinton. I, personally, think we need a nice motherly, feminine touch in American politics, which is getting fairly acrimonious. I think a feminine touch would bring a good balance to this situation and then we could get on with trying to stabilize the economy and bring up the value of the dollar. I have said before and I will say again that there is a cash shortage in the global market for both dollars and euros and this is what is controlling the price of everything. There is so much more out than there is coming in and this is leaving banks short and in the dark. I think 2008 is going to be an unpredictable year with both potential and hazards. So, we are in a marathon to the finish line of the election.

Here in Phnom Penh, I have been to S-21 and the Killing Fields, the Russian and Central Markets, the Riverside View, the National Museum and have also been reading some. S-21 is the Khmer Rouge Interrogation Camp and is a must see. So many Cambodian men, women, children, young people, seniors as well as foreigners were tortured to death in this place, it became as dark as the concentration camps of the Nazis. This evil force that some give themselves over to so willingly are odious to the human race. Obviously, the question is "are there more of them than there are of us"? Us being those who are against political cruelties that are attemting to define the human race in the wrong way. If they won't change, we are divided for the foreseeable future. A two humanity.

These are my thoughts for today.

Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008

Dear Blog,
2008 is looking to be a year of fantasies of what the world isn't. For example, I, personally, do not think Barack Obama has worked through seeing how his actions are affecting othr people around him. He is playing his game on his terms and not the terms that the Democrats are used to playing on. Without the Democrats, this Mr. Obama would be nowhere. Of course, he does not care about any of this. This, I think, Senator Clinton is having a hard time understanding. She does not understand how our Mr. Obama friend could be where he is at because she operates from an entirely different set of political ethics. Our Mr. Obama friend is blinded by his own over whelming desire to be President, but not for all of America, just for the people that support him. This is not a good political situation.

Other than this, I am in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; this is the famous place of the "killing fields"where 2 million Cambodian men, women and children were systematically brutalized and starved to death because they did not want to be a communist. Serious business, this is.

These are my thoughts for today.

New Year's Day 2008 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Now I am in Phnom Penh and planning on visiting S-21, the National Museum, the Landmine Museum, the Killing Fields and the Museum with S-21. All of this has to do with understanding the Khmer Rouge orgy of killing. Everybody comes here to Cambodia to see this and to see how the people are today. I need to try and understand that in Asia or some parts of Asia there is no consequence to many acts so if you put a political label on an act you can do anything. There were no consequences until the UN came along with the War Crimes' Tribunal and the Crimes Against Humanity of which Genocide plays a big part. The Cambodians are just now getting somewhere on taking cases before these Courts in order to get a real opinion on their acts. It does no good to just rely on local opinion or your own opinion because everything is legal if it has a political agenda. The Khmer Rouge wanted to create a utopian, agrarian society with them at the head and everybody else falling in line behind. It was not popular or widely accepted, so the Khmer Rouge's embarked on a campaign of forced re-education and slave labor. One thing is for certain, this utopian, agrarian society depended heavily on slaves to get the work done. Other than this, Cambodia appears to be a friendly society that welcomes global tourism and international development. Very much different than the perfect society of the KRs/

I left Thailand last week-end on the 23rd December at Hat Luek/Kroh Kong. After staying in Kroh Kong for a couple of days, I have come overland to Phnom Penh. Right now I am staying on Boenkok Lane at Simon II's Guest House. I like the Guest House but not the noise at night. I really do not understand this noise karma that seems to follow me around on this trip. In India I always had lots of noise around me except for 2rnd class sleeper in the train. The 2nd class is quite quiet and peaceful.

After Cambodia I am going to either Laos or Vietman but not both because there is not enough time. I like to study a little bit when I first get to a country so I can get out of the Tourist rut and into something of my own. This usually takes a little bit of time and I am going back to Kathmandu end of February. It is so cold there now, I think my Nepalese friends will never forget it - this is their first winter of Global Warming/Climate Change. I sure hope they take some of these ideas about cheap heating a little more seriously now.

This is all for the moment