Monthly Archives: September 2004
Good Soldier Outlier: Civil Affairs
My first thought when I got my orders to report to HQ Co., 95th Civil Affairs Group at Ft. Gordon, GA, after I finished language school in 1970 was, “Wow. I wonder if I’ll be working with civilians and can … Continue reading
Laos: Minorities
Laos is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in mainland Southeast Asia…. Laos lies between the major states of the region: China on its northern border, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the far south, Thailand to the south … Continue reading
Ethnicity in Cambodia
Cambodia is the country in Southeast Asia with the smallest ethnic minority population, both relatively and in absolute numbers. Among about 10 million inhabitants almost 90 per cent are ethnic Khmer. Khmer dominance is ancient: for the Khmer, the kingdom … Continue reading
Filed under Vietnam
Cambodia’s Cham Minorities
The name Cham indicates a purported origin in the ‘Hinduized’ kingdom of Champa that occupied the coast of present-day Vietnam until the Vietnamese destroyed its capital in 1471, reducing it to its southernmost principalities. At this time the Cham underwent … Continue reading
Buddhism and Sino-Indic Trade, 600-1400
Wow. The following is one of the most glowingly positive academic reviews I’ve ever read. It’s by Colin Mackerras of Australia’s Griffith University reviewing Tansen Sen’s Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600–1400. Asian Interactions and Comparisons. … Continue reading
Filed under China
Japan Baseball Strike Ends
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese baseball players and club representatives reached a deal Thursday to end the first strike in the 70-year history of the sport in Japan, with owners agreeing to let newcomers into the leagues as early as next … Continue reading
Filed under baseball
Pitcairn’s Trial of the Century (or Two)
For the best coverage of celebrity justice in Pitcairn, one cannot beat the Head Heeb: High drama will begin in Pitcairn today as seven islanders go to trial on sex crimes charges that have divided the island since 1999. The … Continue reading
Filed under Pacific
Language Politics in Rwanda?
KIGALI, Sep 20 (IPS) – Since the 1994 genocide, relations between France and Rwanda have been chilly due to France’s links to the Hutu-dominated regime which incited the carnage. Up to now, France seems unwilling to come to terms with … Continue reading
Korean Language Learning at DLI
KoreAm Journal profiles the DLI Korean program at Monterey. (Korean was at the top of my list when I enlisted for language school in 1969.) MONTEREY, CALIF. — The next generation of Korean speakers at the Defense Language Institute Foreign … Continue reading
Sgt Jenkins’s Trial for Desertion
CNN reports: CAMP ZAMA, Japan (AP) — The U.S. Army is preparing for its biggest desertion trial in decades following the surrender of Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins, wanted for allegedly abandoning his patrol nearly 40 years ago and becoming a … Continue reading
