1. Im back =)

2. FWD : Slow Down

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
~ Buddha

1. Im back =)

2. FWD : Slow Down

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

The Great Catfish War
New York Times
July 22, 2003

For Tran Vu Long, who lives atop his floating catfish trap on the Mekong River near the border with Cambodia, the recent biannual harvest day was not the joyous payday it usually is. Mr. Long, a 35-year-old Vietnamese catfish farmer, sold his flapping fish — 40 tons' worth, all painstakingly weighed and carried in bamboo buckets onto the trading company's launch — at a loss of some $2,000, a small fortune here.
Mr. Long, who stood sullenly to the side as his hired hands scooped out seemingly endless gaggles of fish from underneath the space that doubles as his living room, has Washington politicians to blame. "The United States preaches free trade, but as soon as we start benefiting from it, they change their tune," he said.

His misfortunes are just another part of the tale of how wealthy countries that preach the gospel of free trade when it comes to finding markets for their manufactured goods can become wildly protectionist when their farmers face competition. The fate of Vietnam's catfish offers a warning to poorer nations short on leverage in the world trading system: beware of what may happen if you actually succeed at playing by the big boys' rules.

After embracing decidedly un-Marxist reforms, Vietnam became one of globalization's brightest stories in the 1990's. The nation, a onetime rice importer, transformed itself into the world's second largest rice exporter and a player in the global coffee trade. The rural poverty rate was slashed to 30 percent from 70 percent.

The normalization of ties between Hanoi and Washington brought American trade missions bent on expanding Vietnamese free enterprise. One of these delegations saw in the Mekong Delta's catfish a golden export opportunity, with the region's natural conditions and cheap labor affording Vietnam a competitive advantage. Sure enough, within a few years, an estimated half-million Vietnamese were living off a catfish trade nurtured by private entrepreneurs. Vietnam captured 20 percent of the frozen catfish-fillet market in the United States, driving down prices. To the dismay of the Mississippi Farm Bureau, even some restaurants in that state — the center of the American catfish industry — were serving the Vietnamese species.

Soon Mr. Long and the other Vietnamese farmers were caught in a nasty two-front war being waged by the Catfish Farmers of America, the trade group representing Mississippi Delta catfish farmers. The Mississippi catfish farmers are generally not huge agribusinesses, and many of them struggle to make ends meet. But that still does not explain how the United States, the international champion of free market competition, could decide to rig the catfish game to cut out the very Vietnamese farmers whose enterprise it had originally encouraged.

Last year, with the aid of Trent Lott, then the Senate majority leader, the American catfish farmers managed to persuade Congress to overturn science. An amendment, improbably attached to an appropriations bill, declared that out of 2,000 catfish types, only the American-born family — named Ictaluridae — could be called "catfish." So the Vietnamese could market their fish in America only by using the Vietnamese terms "basa" and "tra."

That was only the first step in a bipartisan assault. Congressman Marion Berry, an Arkansas Democrat, joined in a stupendously tactless disinformation campaign against the Vietnamese, suggesting that their fish were not good enough for American diners because they came from a place contaminated by so much Agent Orange — sprayed over the countryside by American forces during the Vietnam War. Catfish Farmers of America, for its part, ran advertisements warning of a "slippery catfish wannabe," saying such fish were "probably not even sporting real whiskers" and "float around in Third World rivers nibbling on who knows what."

Not satisfied with its labeling triumph — an old trade-war trick perfected by the Europeans — the American group initiated an antidumping case against Vietnamese catfish. And for the purposes of this proceeding, Congressional taxonomy notwithstanding, the fish in question were once again regarded as catfish, not basa or tra. (Don't try explaining to Mr. Long how two branches of the American government, conveniently enough, can simultaneously maintain that his fish are two different creatures.)

Antidumping cases involve allegations that imports are being sold more cheaply than they are back home or below cost, practices rightly banned by trade laws. But too often, domestic industries allege dumping in an attempt to shield themselves from legitimate competition.

In this case, the Commerce Department had no evidence that the imported fish were being sold in America more cheaply than in Vietnam, or below their cost of production. But rather than abandoning the Mississippi catfish farmers to the forces of open competition, the department simply declared Vietnam a "non-market" economy. The designation allowed it simply to stipulate that there must be something suspect going on somewhere — that Vietnamese farmers must not be covering all the costs they would in a functioning market economy. Tariffs ranging from 37 percent to 64 percent have been slapped by the department on Vietnamese catfish.

Hence Mr. Long's hardship. Prices along the Mekong crashed, as the exporters who buy his fish moved to protect their margins. Many farmers are refusing to sell at a loss. Faced with the prospect of losing their investment, they might be shocked to learn that our Commerce Department says they do not operate in a free market. The other shoe is expected to drop as early as tomorrow, when the United States International Trade Commission, an administrative agency in Washington, decides whether the American catfish industry was indeed hurt by unfair competition. Such a finding would make the tariffs permanent.

There is usually a decided home-field advantage in these proceedings, but Vietnam's cause has been taken up by a half-dozen senators from both parties, led by John McCain, Hanoi's former prisoner. He considers this case not only naked protectionism but also a betrayal of the nation's strategic commitment to use trade to encourage change in a Communist society. Senator McCain is right. The catfish war is an obscure story here, but it is front-page news in Vietnam. Washington's solicitousness on behalf of a few thousand domestic catfish farmers has stirred a great deal of anti-American resentment in Vietnam, a country of 80 million, resurrecting images of an imperial bully. One lawyer on the case compares the Vietnamese public's strong interest in the catfish saga with Americans' obsession with the Lewinsky scandal.

This all saddens Nguyen Huu Dung, the general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters, who said in a recent interview, "Our nation has a heavy history, and we try to forget it, try something new based on a spirit of cooperation and free trade, but now we are made to wonder whether you wish us ill, as much in the present as you did in the past." We urge the International Trade Commission to listen to Senator McCain and his colleagues and decide this case on its merits. If not, Vietnam will become yet another case study in the way the United States, Europe and Japan are rigging global trade rules so they remain the only winners.

hi guys! im preparing for the musical performance of our children summer camp which will be on monday. 120 kids will be involved.Gotta be fun.
I NEED the music sheet or melodies for these songs, please please send or let know where i can find them.

1. My country Tis of Thee
2. Lean on Me
3. If i had a hammar by Peter,Paul and Mary
4.You are my sunshine.
5.Hakuna Matata
6.What a wonderful world.
Thanks in advance.

Hey, can someone help me?
I need someone to help managing the website.
IT wont be much work, just design and upload the photo gallery. My wonderful nepali tig friend who used to helped me with this website stuff are busy and so am i. Need help desparately!!!
If someone could help, email me or just drop a comment for this update, will get back to you extremely quick!
Thanks

e-Awareness Seminar Series for Asian Parliamentarians

A Global Knowledge Partnership Project

Organized by Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme, United
Nations Development Programme

Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation


Ha-Noi - 14 July 2003. The first ever e-Awareness Seminar Series for
Asian Parliamentarians (e-ASSAP) is held today and tomorrow in Hanoi to
raise awareness of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) as
powerful tools of development, among Asian Parliamentarians and senior
decision-makers managing Parliamentary Affairs.

This seminar is organized by the Asia-Pacific Development Information
Programme (APDIP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in
collaboration with Viet Nam's National Assembly, the Global Knowledge
Partnership (GKP), with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation.

The Hanoi seminar includes Parliamentarians from Cambodia, East Timor,
Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South
Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Among the topics that are being discussed are ICT and society which
focuses on technology evolution and its impact on society; issues and
challenges in ICT induction such as change management, technology,
process re-engineering; knowledge gap issues; social, employment and
income generation issues; ICT policy framework development, which
includes infrastructure, content, security, legal issues; citizen
service and business issues; and the role of Parliamentarians in ICT for
development, highlighting vision and leadership for policy evolution,
the role of leaders as agents of change, and the use of ICT for local
area development. Case studies representing "best practice" from various
countries in the region are also being presented.

In today's world, where information and communication technologies
(ICTs) are making considerable impact on political, economic and social
structures, it is increasingly important that elected representatives
take on an imperative role in the management of change within their
communities, specifically where ICT is used for development.

Three seminars are to be held in different cities across Asia, with the
first in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 14-15 July 2003, followed by the second in
Colombo, Sri Lanka on 21-22 July 2003. The third seminar is scheduled to
be held in New Delhi, India.

In conjunction with e-ASSAP, the Asian Parliamentarians Forum is also
being launched to provide a web-based platform for information exchange
both during and after the seminars. The objectives of this Forum are to
broaden the discussion beyond the Parliamentarians assembled in Hanoi
and to allow for an on-going dialogue among Asian Parliamentarians as a
whole to share their views and experiences, thus making available a
single point of reference for assessing ICT decisions in the region. The
Forum, which can be accessed at www.eAPF.net, seeks to build a network
of Asian Parliamentarians, thereby augmenting south-south cooperation
and information sharing.

The Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP) is a regional
programme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Established in 1997 and based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, APDIP promotes
the strategic and effective use of ICT for poverty alleviation and
sustainable human development. It operates at national level through a
network of 25 UNDP Country Offices covering 42 countries in the Asia
Pacific region, while at regional level, it builds synergies between
national programmes and activities, and offers a regional platform to
facilitate multi-country cooperative approaches to ICT for development
(ICT4D).

The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is the first global
multi-stakeholder partnership in ICT4D. Built of public, private and
not-for-profit organizations from both developing and developed
countries, the GKP offers a platform for networking, knowledge-sharing,
advocacy and collaboration. Among its aims are to influence global ICT4D
policies to ensure they address the needs and views of the disadvantaged
and to make more contextual and relevant knowledge available to ICT4D
workers.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is a specialized
centre that coordinates the orientation and activities of Switzerland's
international cooperation and thus, represents Switzerland in global
development, transformation processes, and in humanitarian work during
conflicts and catastrophes. The SDC seeks to achieve sustainable
development to meet the needs of future generations through
international cooperation, working with other Swiss federal offices,
external institutions, organizations and the private sector.

For further information, please contact Phet Sayo, Programme Specialist,
Building Capacities and Partnerships, APDIP-UNDP at phet@apdip.net or
visit http://eassap.apdip.net.

by John Davidson. 1857–1909

'A LETTER from my love to-day!
Oh, unexpected, dear appeal!'
She struck a happy tear away,
And broke the crimson seal.

'My love, there is no help on earth, 5
No help in heaven; the dead-man's bell
Must toll our wedding; our first hearth
Must be the well-paved floor of hell.'

The colour died from out her face,
Her eyes like ghostly candles shone; 10
She cast dread looks about the place,
Then clenched her teeth and read right on.

'I may not pass the prison door;
Here must I rot from day to day,
Unless I wed whom I abhor, 15
My cousin, Blanche of Valencay.

'At midnight with my dagger keen,
I'll take my life; it must be so.
Meet me in hell to-night, my queen,
For weal and woe.' 20

She laughed although her face was wan,
She girded on her golden belt,
She took her jewelled ivory fan,
And at her glowing missal knelt.

Then rose, 'And am I mad?' she said: 25
She broke her fan, her belt untied;
With leather girt herself instead,
And stuck a dagger at her side.

She waited, shuddering in her room,
Till sleep had fallen on all the house. 30
She never flinched; she faced her doom:
They two must sin to keep their vows.

Then out into the night she went,
And, stooping, crept by hedge and tree;
Her rose-bush flung a snare of scent, 35
And caught a happy memory.

She fell, and lay a minute's space;
She tore the sward in her distress;
The dewy grass refreshed her face;
She rose and ran with lifted dress. 40

She started like a morn-caught ghost
Once when the moon came out and stood
To watch; the naked road she crossed,
And dived into the murmuring wood.

The branches snatched her streaming cloak; 45
A live thing shrieked; she made no stay!
She hurried to the trysting-oak—
Right well she knew the way.

Without a pause she bared her breast,
And drove her dagger home and fell, 50
And lay like one that takes her rest,
And died and wakened up in hell.

She bathed her spirit in the flame,
And near the centre took her post;
From all sides to her ears there came 55
The dreary anguish of the lost.

The devil started at her side,
Comely, and tall, and black as jet.
'I am young Malespina's bride;
Has he come hither yet?' 60

'My poppet, welcome to your bed.'
'Is Malespina here?'
'Not he! To-morrow he must wed
His cousin Blanche, my dear!'

'You lie, he died with me to-night.' 65
'Not he! it was a plot' ... 'You lie.'
'My dear, I never lie outright.'
'We died at midnight, he and I.'

The devil went. Without a groan
She, gathered up in one fierce prayer, 70
Took root in hell's midst all alone,
And waited for him there.

She dared to make herself at home
Amidst the wail, the uneasy stir.
The blood-stained flame that filled the dome, 75
Scentless and silent, shrouded her.

How long she stayed I cannot tell;
But when she felt his perfidy,
She marched across the floor of hell;
And all the damned stood up to see. 80

The devil stopped her at the brink:
She shook him off; she cried, 'Away!'
'My dear, you have gone mad, I think.'
'I was betrayed: I will not stay.'

Across the weltering deep she ran; 85
A stranger thing was never seen:
The damned stood silent to a man;
They saw the great gulf set between.

To her it seemed a meadow fair;
And flowers sprang up about her feet 90
She entered heaven; she climbed the stair
And knelt down at the mercy-seat.

Seraphs and saints with one great voice
Welcomed that soul that knew not fear.
Amazed to find it could rejoice, 95
Hell raised a hoarse, half-human cheer.

the last few days i made my mom feel so pissed off, and my friends so pissed off, because they make me feel so pissed off. Actually they did not.Just my shocked brain and heart made me feel the supreme need of tranquility and isolation.
But its time to end this pissed off blast.Otherwise my inhale,exhale in the bathroom would empty the whole water tank, consequently torturing my mommy in burning summer.

I was kinda lazy for the last few days. Reading emails was a pain.Talking to ppl was torture. Sleepiness is an angel. But its time to end this summer dead fiesta and get my feet moving before im melting in boredom.

so i got a job and turned it down cuz it would be a torture to do something im dont have even a nail of interest.Funnily enough, i got another volunteer mission. That means i will remain broke for the summer, but life's still good i gotta have free lunch hehe. Im gonna be a councellor at a children's summer camp with college students from North America.So just finished writing a welcome speech for a VIP to read tomorrow. Pick them up at the airport,which means i miss Phuong funeral
:(.But maybe thaz better .Icebreaking,settling the jetlag victims.

Then i have to finish this long report on my project with the disadvantaged youth reporters.And match up with the evaluation report and a bunch of they in action pictures.The disasterous part of all if accounting!At this state of mind,numbers just make my eyes poping and my head dizzy. aww.. but i have 2 youth adult and one senior adult to help with it.

Some emails waiting to be replied.Havent felt my email nerve stop being frozen yet, but just have to sting n warm it up.

had a Northern consultation conference of my young journalist group on Tuesday.It was really good. the important people we invited showed up, gave long speeches,said good words about our org (which was awesome cuz the media were spotting up all the scene) and discussed many things quite openly. 6 of us among 120 participants representing were invited to join a live interview on the major news programme on the radio just right after that. I missed luncheon because of that interview but it worthed. We got to see the new degitalized equipments at the most brand new and most modern radio station, and got to chat with the head managers and hosting crew of the politics and social news programmes.There were loz of journalists from other major press showed up too, interviewed us and our meeting was on national TV in the evening news programme. We just opened 2 new local offices, and recruited new members. So now 600 members whee!

My friends who went abroad's gonna flood the airport in the coming weeks. But we wont have a summer fiesta this year. :(

But well I just need to get myself busy and busy and busy. And after a looog busy summer, look up the sky, the cloud has gone and life goes on. :)

I gotta have one more piercing.

And a training on sunday morning.

Hugh is the only Tig guy who always answer all my calls for help.That is so cool thanks!!

happy to get away from cyber world for a while, and wont be anymore summer pissed off.:P

Im Updated

good morning

Sound on :
Drums of thunder- Meditation
Mystere - CDS
Saint anger - metallica
Mano a mano outlandish
next : bring me to life - EE(thanks Ronette n Mike 4 pointing it out)