moonless sky 
only sleet and rain 
on the window 

1.*
Triste reflejo
del abeto sin hojas
sobre mi suelo


2.**

Ice trees 
in the shadows 
longest night 

















_______________
* A haiku comment left by Duna 
** Inspired by "Triste reflejo" 

Haiku 041009

freezing rain
on pine needles
icicles

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Recently, we read the following:

International Press Institute: "Malaysia Arrests Bloggers, Bans Newspapers in Fresh Assaults on Expression"

“The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed concern about recent arrests of bloggers, restrictions on news organisations and other breaches of free expression in Malaysia. In the past month, the authorities arrested six bloggers, denied several news organisations access to the dominant political party’s general assembly, and banned two opposition newspapers, according to IPI sources in Malaysia. These actions came as the ruling National Front, which is dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), faced rising public concern over the economy and as Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi prepared to hand over power to his deputy, Najib Razak….

"Malaysia, a nation of 25 million, keeps a tight rein on the media through the use of national security laws and media licensing regulations. The government has also been intolerant of opposition bloggers and has ordered Internet service providers to block critical blogs. Reporters covering political rallies or other events often face harassment from security forces….”


Publisher’s Note: Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

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And we thought:

….Free expression, including the deliberate needling of subjects, may be a pesky beast. (Recall Sarah Palin's press coverage.) But it is a basic human right. Those in public governance need to just develop thick skin and be ready to be teased or criticized.

Or, to preclude being put in harsh light, they could just be decent and do their jobs as public servants. A responsible free press and public exchanges of public information, after all, keep government honest. Well, perhaps, not all the time, which is why we have to keep working at it.

And, perhaps, the Malaysian government holds itself to a different standard -- which would be another story….

Haiku 032509

in the shade
a stubborn bank of ice
doting father

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Recently, we read the following:

Associated Press: "UN says 1 million in Sudan won't get food aid from May"

“More than one million people in Darfur will not get their food rations starting in May if Sudan and the United Nations can't fill gaps left by the expulsion of more than a dozen foreign aid groups, a joint U.N.-Sudanese assessment team said Tuesday….

"Sudan expelled 13 foreign aid organizations and closed three local ones this month after the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the western region of Darfur. Sudan's government refuses to have any dealings with the court and has accused the aid groups of collaborating with its case. The groups deny it, and they warn of a humanitarian crisis in Darfur without their presence….”

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And we thought:

…. President al-Bashir expelled the foreign aid groups for allegedly reporting on the atrocities he’s perpetrated against the people of Darfur. Such a convenient excuse! Most of the world, in fact, know that Al-Bashir stubbornly wants the people of Darfur dead or gone -- one way or another. And now, he will have someone else to blame....

Haiku 031909

neighbor's dog
the rabbit skips on
ice water

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Recently, we read the following:

Associated Press: "Livid Democrats demand AIG return $165M bailout bonuses"

"Talking tougher by the hour, livid Democrats confronted beleaguered insurance giant AIG with an ultimatum Tuesday: Give back $165 million in post-bailout bonuses or watch Congress tax it away with emergency legislation. Republicans declared the Democrats were hardly blameless, accusing them of standing by while the bonus deal was cemented and suggesting that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner could and should have done more…."

"Fresh details, meanwhile, pushed outrage over AIG ever higher: New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo reported that 73 company employees received bonus checks of $1 million or more last Friday. This at a company that was failing so spectacularly that the government felt the need to prop it up with a $170 billion bailout....

"The financial bailout program remains politically unpopular and has been a drag on Barack Obama's new presidency, even though the plan began under his predecessor, George W. Bush. The White House is well aware of the nation's bailout fatigue — anger that hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars have gone to prop up financial institutions that made poor decisions, while many others who have done no wrong pay the price…."

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And we thought:

.... On the other hand, while they rail against the AIG executives, these same Democrats (like their Republican counterparts) are keeping mum about -- and won’t give up -- their own spending bill earmarks (i.e., pork), running in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Are the mirrors in the Capitol too fogged up they can't see their own faces?....



wa

Haiku 031809

new dawn
melting snow and ice
seeking the pond

***************

Washington Post: "Congress moves to impose hefty tax on AIG execs' $165M bonuses"

"Senior White House officials said last night that President Obama did not learn that bonuses worth $165 million were to be paid to executives of American International Group until Thursday, one day before they were issued and two days after his Treasury secretary was informed that the payments were going forward….

"As Geithner and other Obama aides continued to scramble to pull back the bonuses and calm the public furor they sparked, Congress was preparing its own remedies. In what they acknowledged would be an extraordinary move, leading Democrats proposed using the tax code to punish executives at the firm, in which the federal government controls an 80 percent stake, unless those payouts are surrendered voluntarily.

"Action on the legislation could begin as early as today in the Senate. A proposal from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the panel's ranking Republican, Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), would levy an excise tax on AIG and the executives who received the payments, adding up to more than 90 percent of the total of the bonuses. That tax would also apply to future bonuses awarded, either by AIG or by other firms receiving federal aid…."

***************

.... Isn't the U.S. at war? In Iraq and Afghanistan? Isn't there probable cause to simply charge these executives with economic sabotage and treason? They did help bring the country's financial system to the brink of collapse -- in the midst of a war! That should send a stern message....

Haiku 031509

sequined gown
on old snow mounds
glinting ice

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Recently, we read the following:

New York Times: "Investors See a Glimmer and Shares Soar Worldwide"

"A few clues that the economy’s downward spiral might be slowing galvanized Wall Street on Thursday and sent the stock market soaring for the second time this week.

"Investors searching for relief from a relentless march of bad economic news found wisps of hope in developments that, not many months ago, would have been regarded as alarming. The news, by and large, was bad — just not quite as bad as feared….

"Less bad was good enough. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 239.66 points, or 3.46 percent, to 7,170.06. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index leaped 29.38 points, or 4.07 percent, to 750.74. The Nasdaq composite index rose 54.46 points, or 3.97 percent, to 1,426.10.

"Since Monday, when the market fell to its lowest point in 12 years, indexes have soared roughly 10 percent, their best run since November…. A recovery is not around the corner, economists say, but there is a chance when it comes, the rebound will be fairly robust…."

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And we thought:

.... which certainly makes a lot of baby boomers a bit more hopeful about their retirement funds -- and the future of their kids and grandchildren .... And with stress levels a bit lower, maybe they'll not need their erectile dysfunction meds as much.... =)

Haiku 031109

on black ice
a coat of light snow
old chessboard

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Recently, we read the following:

One bright cold morning, the Jakarta Post reported: "China pillories US over Tibet, extends travel ban" by Audra Ang (AP)

"China pilloried the Dalai Lama on Wednesday and criticized the United States for suggesting Beijing talk to the exiled Tibetan leader, as authorities further tightened security to prevent unrest during a volatile anniversary period...."

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And we thought:

.... China's statements just becloud "the issue of China's occupation of Tibet and the Tibetans' struggle for national liberation". They becloud, too, the rest of this day for human rights advocates and supporters of a free Tibet....