U.S. supports creation of U.N. commission of inquiry into war crimes in Burma

U.S. supports creation of U.N. commission of inquiry into war crimes in Burma
By John PomfretWednesday, August 18, 2010; A08
The Obama administration decided Tuesday to support the creation of a United Nations commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma, a sign of a tougher U.S. policy against a regime long accused of murdering and raping its political foes.
( read complete article here ) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/17/AR2010081706026.html

Countdown to Zero - BOOM !!!

OK, nuclear energy is all that - a kilogram of uranium can produce three million times more energy than a kilogram of coal ( in terms of joules ). The Kingdom of Jordan is finally starting construction of its first nuclear facilty with the help of South Korea. Jordan and South Korea have signed a $70 million loan agreement to finance the kingdom's first nuclear research reactor. The state-run Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute and Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. are expected to start building a 5-megawatt reactor Nov. 1 at the Jordan University for Science and Technology near the northern city of Irbid. Fine, King Abdullah wants Jordan to be independent of foreign resources ( and even told Israel to mind its own business on the matter ), but where we gonna put all the radioactive waste ? Voila - the Monju reactor in Japan. Monju is a "breeder" reactor. This prototype reactor - whose name is Japanese for wisdom - uses plutonium fuel instead of conventional uranium and is configured to produced fissile matter that can be reused as fuel, hence the term 'breeder'. So no worries on the waste... oh, but wait - plutonium - that can be weaponized. Some folks say no to all things nuclear and here's the movie to make that point - Countdown to Zero - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQG4oA66uzI

"There are many reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so [the Israelis must] go mind their own business”-King Abdullah

Yieeeeehaw ! Unilateral Sanctions !!!

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) applauded the Finance Committee’s vote to renew import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 for one more year. He along with 22 other senators applauded the act and all agreed it was easier to do nothing about Burma than to do something - thus, renew the act and get on with other business like selling more beef and poultry to the world.
The only dissenting vote was by Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming who just doesn't believe in unilateral sanctions. Good for him. But not good for the ordinary people of Burma who are suffering under economic sanctions... yeah, yeah, blame the regime... but what of it ? It don't make the rain rain... cos rain makes the corn grow, corn makes whisky, whisky makes my girl a little bit frisky~~~
here's the original - old school - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjaf2-32t18

Harold Varmus new director of NCI...

Cancer sucks. Now cancer research at the National Cancer Institute has a new director - Dr. Harold Varmus.Varmus was director of NIH from 1993 until the end of 1999. Varmus was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1989 for studies of the genetic basis of cancer. He most recently served as president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. At his swearing in, Dr. Varmus said, "Suddenly we have an incredible specificity about markers and damaged genes in cancer cells. We have better information technology. We understand the biochemistry of the cell more profoundly. We have a portrait emerging of what is happening, one cancer at a time." Guess he's looking for that multidisciplinary funding that Congressman Dan Lipinski of the the Research and Science Education Subcommittee is talking about - that "New Biology"... exit stage left - http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2865

Nobel Laureate melts in 116 F heat in Myanmar...

Dr. Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry; and director of the Malaria Research Institute, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s state-of-the-art malaria research facility; and member of the National Academy of Sciences; and member the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and and and... he recently headed a "science diplomacy" mission by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and US Collection, Humanitarian and Research Corps to Myanmar.
The delegation met with the Myanmar ministries of Forestry; Science & Technology; Health; Foreign Affairs, and with Yangon University. They exchanged ideas and discussed future collaborations between Myanmar and the U.S. Cooperation between the United States and Myanmar in science, education, and health care will serve to help break through political barriers and negative perceptions.

read more at the AAAS page: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2010/0511myanmar.shtml?sa_campaign=Internal_Ads/AAAS/AAAS_News/2010-05-11/jump_page

Nobel Laureate melts in 116 F heat in Myanmar

Dr. Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry; and director of the Malaria Research Institute, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s state-of-the-art malaria research facility; and member of the National Academy of Sciences; and member the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and and and... he recently headed a "science diplomacy" mission by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and US Collection, Humanitarian and Research Corps to Myanmar.

The delegation met with the Myanmar ministries of Forestry; Science & Technology; Health; Foreign Affairs, and with Yangon University. They exchanged ideas and discussed future collaborations between Myanmar and the U.S. Cooperation between the United States and Myanmar in science, education, and health care will serve to help break through political barriers and negative perceptions.

read more here at the AAAS weblink: http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2010/0511myanmar.shtml?sa_campaign=Internal_Ads/AAAS/AAAS_News/2010-05-11/jump_page

Hearts & Minds... and Mullahs and makeovers...

A little follow-up to the last story about "winning the hearts and minds" of the Iraq's and Afghani's - the capture of Mullah Baradar, the Taliban number 2 leader.

US intelligence says that it is expected a leadership reshuffle will ensue within the Taliban in Afghanistan. Rumor has it that the successor take Baradar's place: Mullah Abdul Qayam Zakir, a former Guantánamo detainee released back to Afghanistan by the Bush administration.

What? yes - a former Guantánamo detainee. Did the Bushy's release him so that Obamites would have to deal with him ? And where they gonna put him now with Obamites opposed to Gitmo and all the shadow-prisons closed down in Europe ? Gonna bring the Mullah to the U.S where he'll land at the airport and say, "talk to my lawyer." Anyhoo, looks like he's in Pakistani custody which is totally shadey. The JO bets that Hamid Karzai is trying to bring the Taliban ( decloaked ) into the Afghan government proper... you know those Pashtuns stick together.

( Heidi Montag has nothing to do with this story... )

NYU... spells elitism...

New York University - NYU - is one of the top universities in the world. Back in the 1800's, in New York City, Columbia was the best ( and only university ) around but it was for the elites, the wealthy, and men only. As a counter to this and to provide good education to the merchants, bankers, traders, artists, women and jews, NYU was founded in 1831. As the economy of NYC went, so did NYU. At first and for many many years, NYU was the school for the people, regardless of class, birth, status, you were admitted on merit. Still today these values stand and you may be admitted on these same qualities but you can't enroll unless you got the cash. A semester at NYU can be around $40K now. Yeah, yeah, it's in the city so we're paying for real estate.. yeah yeah... NYU produces so many lawyers and bankers so they should have a wealthy alumni... but how come alumni giving and the endowment is so low ( $2B ?... compared to Princeton like 40B over in NJ )... and what about NYU-ABD ? ABD as in Abu Dhabi. Yes, NYU President John Sexton is buds with the ABD Crown Prince so they decided to build a new campus out on a dessert island. Talk about elitism. What about - for the people ? Even in this weak economy, tuitions are still raising. So, who's gonna get a good education ? those that can afford it. Go CUNY !

Winning the Hearts & Minds - real meaning

JO attended two briefings in DC, by General David Petraeus, the 10th and current Commander, US Central Command. General Petraeus previously served as Commanding General, Multi National Force - Iraq (MNF-I). Very interesting guy. He seemed very sure that adding more troops and having more time in Iraq and Afghanistan would bring victory. He seemed more optimistic about Afghanistan saying that the Afghani people do have a sense of national identity eventhough there are many different ethnic groups. Afghans as a people can still harken back to the good ole days of the "golden age" in the 1960's. The general steered away from questions related to the war on terror as a war on Islam. Even if we call the Taliban a radicalized form of Islam... it's still Islam. The JO believes that all wars are holy wars. People just fighting over different beliefs in the end. The general commented on Gen. Stanley McChrystal's idea of "winning the hearts & minds" ( of the Iraqi's and Afghani's ) - the real meanining is - to win the hearts & minds of the people to make them see that the (Taliban ) radicals are destructive and oppressive and that the good people of Iraq and Afghan should take up arms and be willing to fight to protect their futures... so eventually American soldiers won't have to.
Like King Arthur in Monty Python says on his Crusades - Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who.