Podcasts about Burmese

Burmese filmmaker Arkar Soe Oo spoke with me for the #Fantasia2026 premiere of THE LAST FOOTAGE, his POV found footage horror about a group of friends whose relationships are tested when they encounter malevolent forces in Wingar Forest.Produced by Arkar and Li Li Kyaw Haing's https://www.youtube.com/@atwentythree, #TheLastFootage in which director is also actor and cameraman, stars an ensemble cast with Charlie Nyein, Kyaw Kyaw Bo, Lain Maw Thee, Wam Htet Aung, Thiha Tin Aung Soe, and Adira Oo.https://atwentythreefilms.com/Find me on Social Media at: @CarrieCnh12To support my work, funds can be donated through paypal.com/paypalme/carolynhinds0525My Social Media hashtags are: #CarolynTalks #DramasWithCarrie #SaturdayNightSciFi #SHWH #KCrushVisit Authory.com/CarolynHinds to find links to all of my published film festival coverage, writing, YouTube and other podcasts So Here's What Happened!, and Beyond The Romance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thant Myint-U talks about his new book Peacemaker: U Thant, the United Nations and the Untold Story of the 1960s. It tells the story of his grandfather U Thant, the Burmese schoolteacher turned UN Secretary-General who guided the United Nations through some of the most dangerous crises of the 1960s, yet is now woefully forgotten or badly misremembered. Thant explains: U Thant's forgotten role as UN Secretary-General during the great crises of the 1960s His sociability, humour, directness, and moral imagination How Buddhism shaped U Thant's approach to crisis How newly independent post-colonial states tried to remake the world order Burma/Myanmar after empire: colonial destruction, weak institutions, and postcolonial state-building The Non-Aligned Movement: Afro-Asian internationalism beyond the US–Soviet Cold War Congo, Katanga and sovereignty: U Thant's defence of postcolonial borders against neo-imperial fragmentation The Cuban Missile Crisis: U Thant's overlooked role in helping Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro de-escalate Vietnam and the lost peace channel: U Thant's ignored 1964 attempt to open talks with Ho Chi Minh The Six-Day War and the UN-Israel rupture: UNEF, Nasser, Israel, and the myth that the UN abandoned Israel U Thant's late one-world vision, the decline of Bandung idealism, and the lost promise of postcolonial internationalism Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit Thant's website: thantmyintu.com Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. Produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Researching apex predators often means putting yourself in situations that are mind-boggling to the average person. Our guest, Rosie Moore, is no stranger to this. She's found herself lost at sea researching bull sharks, waist deep the Everglades trying to find Burmese pythons, and in shark-infested waters right after an attack. This episode, she talks to host Dr. Samantha Yammine about her research. They discuss Rosie's experience on Shark Week, how to use forensics to analyze a shark attack, and the role of citizen science in understanding sharks. Before that, Sam looks into a new study that alleges cats are more selfish than dogs (and people). And later, there's evidence in a study that reveals how to keep mosquitoes from sticking around once summer ends. If you want to learn more about sharks, be sure to check out Shark Week 2026, only on Discovery. Link to Show Notes HERE Follow Curiosity Weekly on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Dr. Samantha Yammine — for free! Still curious? Get science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. Terms apply. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode #579: “I did not expect to be conversing in Urdu with someone in Yangon.” Bilal Hassan, a Pakistani creator and doctor, traveled to Burma after noticing how much of Karachi's everyday culture carried unexplained Burmese traces: khao suey, family names, old songs about Rangoon, and stories no one could quite complete. His trip began as a search for those missing links, but Yangon gave him something more complicated than recognition. The city felt to him like the place where South Asia and Southeast Asia meet, with Urdu-speaking caretakers at Bahadur Shah Zafar's shrine, Surti and Memon mosques tied to Karachi business families, Tamil and Chulia Muslim institutions, halal food, and Burmese Muslim cuisine shaped by migration. Yet those familiar traces existed inside a post-coup country marked by checkpoints, fuel shortages, surveillance, airport controls, and a visible gap between wealth and hunger. A roadside woman near Bago had only white rice to offer, while a hotel buffet back in Yangon complete with French champagne cost dozens of dollars. The deepest tension came through Muslim life itself. Downtown Yangon looked visibly Muslim in ways Bilal had not expected, but when the subject of Rohingya was broached, it changed the air in the room. Some Muslims distanced themselves; others admitted fear and sadness but refused to keep speaking. Bilal came to see Muslim communities as connected, careful, and guarded, maintaining names, food, language, and religious life while learning how not to stand out. He left resisting both tourist denial and headline simplification. Burma was not only a war zone, not only a beautiful country, and not only a forgotten extension of South Asian memory. It was all of those at once, and the connections he found could not be separated from the silences people used to survive.

Episode #578: Aye Myat Thwe is a Burmese lay Buddhist practitioner raised inside the Mahasi Vipassana world, where devotion, meditation, and study were braided into ordinary family life. Watching her grandmother sit daily, she grew up assuming the classic Burmese hierarchy of authority was stable and complete, the commentaries as canon, Abhidhamma as the tradition's intellectual summit. For years, she accepted that inheritance without friction. Then scholarship cracked it open. Learning that Abhidhamma may not be the Buddha's original teaching shocked her, not because it erased its value, but because it revealed how much Burmese certainty is cultural as well as doctrinal. Once that door opened, she began questioning everything, and felt the social cost of doubt in a society where deference and inherited interpretation can outweigh inquiry. Her widening view extended to lineage identity. Early impressions, shaped by polemics against Pa Auk, taught her suspicion before she had direct experience. Later, encountering Mogok and Pa Auk more honestly, she came to see these traditions as parallel approaches rather than rivals, with conflict often generated by institutional competition and the anxieties of authority rather than by founding masters themselves. She also rethought the role of samathā and “powers,” recognizing both the risks of misuse and the legitimacy of deep concentration when ethically grounded. And she became attentive to how communities code-switch about cosmology, sometimes muting supernatural discourse to appear rational or modern, even while insiders quietly acknowledge it. The Rohingya crisis then forced an ethical reckoning. She saw how fear of protecting the Sāsana could override compassion, and admits she stayed quiet under communal pressure, turning blame inward. After the coup, the fractures deepened. She believes Burmese Buddhism's future depends less on defending institutions than on recovering moral credibility and everyday application, a reform that keeps roots while refusing corruption.

Episode #577: Thomas Shapwon, a Naga elder and former politician, recounts the long struggle of the Naga people for sovereignty and survival between India and Myanmar. He describes the Naga as an ancient, independent nation with distinct language, culture, and traditions. From the formation of the Naga Club in 1918 to the declaration of Naga independence in 1947— one day before India's own— the community has resisted external domination. Mahatma Gandhi supported their independence, but his successor, Prime Minister Nehru, rejected it, eventually dividing the Naga homeland along the India-Myanmar border without consultation. Shapwon explains that the Naga people have traditionally lived under village councils with no kings or centralized rulers, embodying a democratic, republican ethos. He traces their ancestry to Mesopotamia and describes their migration through China before settling in the region. Christianity, brought by American Baptist missionaries, became central to Naga identity, with 95% of the population now Christian— a fact Shapwon sees as a potential bridge for international support. He emphasizes peaceful advocacy over armed resistance, using careful language: the Naga, he says, “request” recognition of independence rather than “demand” it, asserting equality rather than subjugation. Yet he acknowledges the armed movements that arose after Indian and Burmese military aggression in the 1950s, which forced the Nagas to form their own militias. The Burmese army's campaigns of violence and forced Buddhist conversions devastated Naga villages, while internal divisions— fueled by politics and drug infiltration— further weakened their cause. Despite assassination attempts and near-death experiences, including a bear attack he survived through what he interprets as divine intervention, Shapwon remains devoted to peace. Through his NGO, the Eastern Naga Development Organization, he promotes education, healthcare, women's empowerment, and opium eradication. Reflecting on the post-coup era, he calls for cooperation with other ethnic groups and envisions a future decided peacefully by the Naga people themselves.

David Small's life reads like a movie script. He grew up dreaming of coaching ice hockey, worked as director of hockey operations for Team Canada West, and scouted for the Los Angeles Kings, before spending over a decade with the Free Burma Rangers in one of the world's most forgotten wars. He's walked through minefields, been bombed and mortared, and written a bestselling book, Nameless Faceless People: Ten Years with the Free Burma Rangers, about what he found on the other side of fear.   In this conversation, David talks candidly about how six months of volunteering turned into a decade of service, the difference between relief and development work, and why he stepped away from the Free Burma Rangers to found the Jungle Discipleship School, training young Burmese leaders scarred by war. He reflects on courage, grace, the fatherhood of God, and what it really means to show up for people in their darkest moments, whether that's in a jungle war zone or on a neighbour's doorstep.   WEBLINKS

Episode #572: “The government will survive for as long as it can feed the people,” says Christopher Lamb, former Australian Ambassador to Myanmar, distilling what he believes defines the country's political fate more than any ideology. He reflects on a relationship with Burma that began in the early 1970s, when the generals were drafting a Socialist Constitution and creating a surveillance state, and evolved through the 1988 uprising, which began not as an idealistic revolt but as a desperate reaction to hunger and daily indignities. Years later, he reconnected with Myanmar around humanitarian work in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, and then academic engagement in 2013, when he co-founded the Australia–Myanmar Institute as a platform for academic and civil-society exchange Lamb situates Myanmar's politics within a wider regional frame, drawing on Shan history, federalism debates, geography, and Chinese influence to show why the struggle against the junta cannot be reduced to a simple clash between dictatorship and democracy. He also contrasts the current military leadership with earlier eras, noting that Min Aung Hlaing lacks the ideological projects—whether national unity or the “Burmese Way to Socialism”—that once guided previous generals. Instead, Lamb sees today's junta as driven largely by personal ambition, with Min Aung Hlaing positioning himself to transition into a civilian presidency through a tightly controlled electoral process. Without this sort of guiding ideology, Lamb believes the regime's future becomes harder to predict and possibly more brittle. Myanmar remains close to Lamb's heart. It shaped him as a diplomat, it shaped his curiosity and it shaped his friendships. When asked whether any memory stays with him above all others about the country, he references a remark offered by the senior Burmese official decades earlier over tea: “The government will survive for as long as we can feed the people.”

Enormous wildfires have engulfed parts of Northwestern Ontario; a wilderness guide tells us about his escape, and worries about the fate of the lodge where he works.MPP Sol Mamakwa says the devastation is unimaginable – and that First Nations communities in the path of the fire have been hit especially hard. An Edmonton man who survived a deadly gas explosion caused by a car crash tells us why he went back inside his building, knowing he might not come back out.When cats lick each other, it's mass adorbs, but a new study suggests it's not always a sign of love – it's sometimes just another form of cattiness.While visiting for the World Cup, Scottish fans fell in love with Boston and vice versa -- and now, the city of Glasgow is joining the affectionate pile-on by sending an affection pylon. A Florida restaurant is encouraging the hunt for invasive snakes by accepting Burmese pythons as currency – and in return, serving you a pizza topped with snake bits.As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that's always time well serpent.

Episode #570: The AAS Conference in Vancouver brought together thousands of scholars and practitioners from around the world, creating a dense, fast-moving environment of panels, conversations, and informal exchange across the full breadth of Asian studies. Within that wider landscape, Burma surfaced as one of several pressing areas of focus, shaped by the realities of its ongoing crisis. Insight Myanmar Podcast was invited by the organizers to work from within the conference itself, setting up an on-site recording space and speaking with participants as they moved between sessions. The result is a series of short, real-time conversations—captured in the midst of the event rather than in hindsight—now shared with a wider global audience. This is the first of a four-part series. Gita reconstructs the return of Buddhism to modern India not as a simple story of rediscovery, but as a struggle over ownership, identity, and political meaning. Beginning with Anagarika Dharmapala's late nineteenth-century campaign to reclaim the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, she follows the networks that linked India to Sri Lanka, Burma, Japan, and other Buddhist worlds across the Bay of Bengal. The result is a far wider picture than the familiar colonial tale of British archaeologists unearthing lost Buddhist sites. Her argument is that modern Indian Buddhism emerged through mobility as much as excavation through pilgrims, monks, courts, relics, shipping lines, railways, and reform movements. Burma is especially important in that story. Burmese courts recognized and patronized Bodh Gaya long before Buddhism became newly legible to colonial scholarship, and later Burmese monks and pilgrims helped restore visible Buddhist practice at key sites in India. That revival unfolded alongside a competing effort to absorb Buddhism into a Hindu civilizational frame. As Hindutva thinkers tried to define India as fundamentally Hindu, Buddhism became both useful and inconvenient: useful as proof of India's past influence across Asia, inconvenient when Buddhists insisted on separateness or when Ambedkar turned to Buddhism as a rejection of caste Hinduism. And then, “Nehru chooses Buddhism,” Gita says, describing how the Indian state later used Buddhist symbols, relics, and diplomacy to project a different moral and geopolitical language after independence. What remains unresolved in her account is the question of what kind of Buddhism has reemerged in South Asia. It is now highly visible, but that visibility can serve very different ends. Her interest finally is less in Buddhism as state identity than in whether an older ethical and transnational imagination can still be recovered.

Ryan and Dana talk with National Correspondent Rory O'Neill about Florida's 2026 python hunt getting underway. They discuss the effort to control the invasive Burmese python population and the challenges hunters face in the Everglades.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida has been invaded by Burmese pythons. The state is looking for snake hunters to catch these reptiles

On this episode of The Voice Podcast, host Fred Kowal talks with Congressman Tim Kennedy about his work in Washington, D.C. and what it's like to be in the minority of a Republican-led Congress. Kennedy, a longtime friend to UUP, and Kowal discuss several bills Kennedy has sponsored, including the  DHS Release Transparency Act—a strong response to the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam. Alam, a blind, disabled Burmese refugee, was left by Customs and Border Patrol agents at a closed Buffalo coffee without shoes on a frigid February night after being detained. He died of hypothermia and dehydration days later.In May, Kennedy joined Congressmember Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Buffalo to call for passage of three bills that would provide more funding for cancer research, screening, education and prevention. Kennedy was outspoken in calling for the removal of ousted Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for the cruel, violent and often unconstitutional immigration sweeps that took place across the country under her watch. Kennedy was one of Noem's most vocal critics on the House Committee on Homeland Security.He also took aim at ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi, leading a coalition of Democrats to stop Bondi and DOGE from weakening the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and loosen crucial federal gun regulations. In Labor Lookback, Mike Lisi chronicle the history of Chicago's WCFL-AM radio station, the first and longest-running union-owned and union-operated station in the country. The station, owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor, debuted in 1926 and was sold in 1978. In Kowal's Coda, Fred spotlights three books he's reading. They are:"Razorblade Tears" by S.A. Cosby; "Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution" by Mike Duncan; and "Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy" by Congressman Jamie Raskin.  

rWotD Episode 3351: Toungoo Yazawin Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Tuesday, 7 July 2026, is Toungoo Yazawin.Ketumadi Toungoo Yazawin (Burmese: ကေတုမတီ တောင်ငူ ရာဇဝင်, lit. 'Chronicle of Toungoo') is a Burmese chronicle that covers the history of Toungoo from 1279 to 1613. An 1837 palm-leaf manuscript copy of an earlier copy has survived. The chronicle only provides a brief summary of early rulers. A more detailed account of later rulers begins with the reign of Min Sithu of Toungoo (r. 1481–1485), suggesting that the chronicle was first compiled in the late 15th century.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:52 UTC on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Toungoo Yazawin on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Brian.

Episode #566: Daniel M. Stuart, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of South Carolina and a visiting scholar in Hamburg, examines the elusive historical figure Maung Po Thet—also known as Saya Thet Gyi—whose place in the lineage associated with S. N. Goenka reveals how modern Vipassana narratives often simplify a far more complicated past. Stuart explains that there is very little firm historical evidence about him, the available sources limited mainly to a colloquial Burmese meditation manual and a later biography written in the 1970s. While these texts preserve important memories, they also reflect the conventions of religious writing, elevating the teacher and blurring the line between devotion and documentation. As a result, Saya Thet Gyi remains historically important yet difficult to reconstruct with certainty. From those sources, Stuart presents a portrait that differs from the polished lineage figure often found in contemporary meditation accounts. He explains that Saya Thet Gyi was a lay farmer who turned to meditation after suffering painful, personal losses, connecting this to other important lineage figures for whom healing was an important part of their Vipassana story. He was also a practitioner whose authority came from disciplined practice and communal recognition rather than scholastic rank or monastic recognition. Saya Thet Gyi's importance also lies in his role as a lay person in the dissemination of the teachings, as the influential monk Ledi Sayadaw recognized his progress and encouraged him to teach. This moment opened the possibility that lay practitioners could become meditation teachers themselves, helping Burmese meditation spread through lay communities and eventually beyond Burma. Stuart also emphasizes that Saya Thet Gyi's training complicates simplified portrayals of Vipassana. Before becoming known for insight meditation, he intensively practiced samathā, or concentration meditation, a practice that many modern mindfulness iterations downplay vis-à-vis vipassana. Within traditional Buddhist cosmology, such concentration could involve experiences interpreted as encounters with spiritual beings, elements that the rational and scientific presentations of contemporary teachers often minimize. By restoring these dimensions, Stuart argues that Vipassana's history becomes more understandable as a tradition shaped by interpretation and change.

#493 The Nerdlings Podcasts : All the music we played while reviewing Cover Me. (see details)  Cover Me - guitar and isolated vocal stems Drop on Down and Cover Me - demo 1983 sessions  Protection - by Donna Summer, written by Springsteen, 1982, Springsteen on                      guitar & backing vocals, Roy Bittan keyboard/ synth, Clarence                      Clemons sax, Top 20 Japan & Belgium markets Cover Me - album version  Protection - Springsteen's demo Feb 23, 1982 studio outtake given to                      Donna Summer Protection - Bruce Springsteen & Donna Summer Duet edited together  Protection - 1983, Euro Pop singer Margarita Hranove from Bulgaria Cover Me - Undercover Mix 6:09, track 1 from 12" vinyl Protection - home demos 1979 versions 1 thur 6  Cover Me - Dub Mix 1 track 2 from 12" vinyl 4:02 Cover Me - cover version by Soe Thu, 1990, sung in Burmese, Myanmar  Cover Me - Radio Mix Track 3 from 12" vinyl 3:36 Cover Me - Dub Mix 2 4th track from 12" vinyl 4;15 Cover me - Dj Mach 1, Select mix remix, Select mix 80's essentials Vol. 21,                     radio station Chicago  Cover Me - Euro Trance version instrumental, by York featuring Ayla  Jersey Girl - b side of Cover Me live Meadow Lands July 9 1981 Jersey Girl - pronounced Da' Och Nu, 1985, by Sten & Stanley and                       Stan Nilsson sung in Swedish, Sweden Jersey Girl - the original version written sung by Tom Waits 1981  Barbie Girl - spoof parody of Jersey Girl, from WPLK 95.5 Chicago                      Scott and Todd  Jersey Girl - online charity 2020, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa   The Nerdlings podcast  CLASS IS IN SESSION. Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use

Five years after Myanmar's military coup, Hazel and Su Dali from Dunedin's Burmese community share how the ongoing conflict continues to affect their families, culture, and hopes for democracy. They also discuss the global Proof of Life campaign for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and why raising awareness still matters. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Why do Burmese regimes with tanks and armies panic over a single flower or a social media comment? In this episode of Naing Ayar from Myanmar, we dissect the hidden fears of dictators. Using the famous "Hopper speech" from Pixar's A Bug's Life as a metaphor, we break down the political science and psychology behind why absolute rulers are deeply terrified of collective truth and how fragile their control truly is.#NaingAyarFromMyanmar #PoliticalPsychology #Authoritarianism #PreferenceFalsification #ABugsLife #PodcastMyanmar

Does a “triangular head” mean danger? Did the wartime Japanese release experimental snakes on Yangmingshan? Do you really collapse after a hundred steps if a hundred-pacer bites you? Herpetologist Gerrut Norval joins John Ross to talk snakes. They focus on Taiwan's six important venomous species: the green bamboo viper, Chinese cobra, many-banded krait, Russell's viper, Taiwan habu, and the famous hundred-pacer. The biggest surprise for John was learning about the wild population of Burmese pythons on Kinmen. Be sure to visit the Formosa Files website for pictures and names of the snakes mentioned.

Episode #560: “We have to get rid of this military dictatorship. Otherwise the whole country and the coming generations will be in a really troubled situation.” Mun Awng, born in 1960 in Myitkyina, Kachin State, is one of Myanmar's most iconic protest singers and a lifelong advocate for democracy. Raised by a teacher father and nurse mother amid conflict between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army, he learned early about danger and resilience. Music became his refuge — “We only had shortwave radio that I could listen to, so that was my main source of knowledge about music,” he recalls. The Beatles and Western pop inspired him, even as such influences were banned under General Ne Win's regime. By the 1980s, Mun Awng led the band The Rhythm, known for original songs that defied the trend of copying Western tunes. His 1984 debut album 8/82 Inya became a sensation among students and marked a new era in Burmese music. But as censorship tightened, he grew disillusioned and joined the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, where he witnessed deadly crackdowns before fleeing into exile. At the Thai-Myanmar border, Mun Awng joined the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) and began composing revolutionary songs. “We believe that armed struggle is the only way we can remove the military dictatorship,” he says. His revolutionary anthems — Battle for Peace, Tempest of Blood, and Moment of Truth — were smuggled into Burma, hidden under luggage and buried underground, eventually becoming rallying cries for generations. Granted asylum in Norway in 1996, he has continued performing for the diaspora, reminding audiences that “music can do that” — bridge generations and renew hope. Today, Mun Awng remains devoted to his cause: “We have to unite… we have to give our life for the country… until we achieve the ultimate victory.”

Today's guest is Elizabeth Hoffman, Executive Director, North America at ONE, a global, nonpartisan organization advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. In this episode, Alon and Elizabeth discuss the background to the current civil war in Sudan, Elizabeth's on-the-ground observations from her journey to the country earlier this year, the atrocities being committed against the people of Sudan, and what the international community, particularly the US, can do to help end this conflict. Full bio Elizabeth Hoffman is Executive Director, North America at ONE, a global, nonpartisan organization advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. She has extensive experience in government relations and international policy. Before joining ONE, she held positions at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and as a senior staff member in the House of Representatives focused on foreign policy, national security, and human rights. She also worked at the George W. Bush Institute, where she developed and executed a leadership program for Burmese political leaders. Elizabeth is a nonresident senior associate at CSIS and a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. She has published articles and analysis for a variety of organizations and outlets and is a frequent media commentator on foreign policy and defense. She holds an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

Episode #557: Born in Yangon, Aung Tun grew up listening to foreign news broadcasts, which provided an uncensored view of a world beyond Myanmar's military control. Inspired by the 1988 uprising in which his brother was detained, he felt compelled to ensure the truth was documented.So Aung Tun joined the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), an independent media organization. His work was clandestine and risky—using hidden cameras to document the regime's brutality and the resilience of the Burmese people. In 2007, Aung Tun played a vital role in filming large parts of the Saffron Revolution, an uprising led by monks. His footage became part of the documentary "Burma VJ," which garnered international acclaim for bringing Myanmar's struggle to global attention.Despite a temporary setback after being arrested during the revolution, Aung Tun returned to the streets to continue documenting the protests. He believes in the power of citizen journalism to transcend borders and inspire action.In 2021, Myanmar once again faced a military coup, and while technology had evolved, the danger of speaking out remained the same. Aung Tun stresses the importance of learning from the past, being transparent, and fostering growth through self-critique. Now living in exile, he continues to train young Burmese journalists, ensuring that Myanmar's fight for democracy is not forgotten. His dedication stands as a testament to the unyielding spirit of Myanmar's people."In Saffron, all I could do is to just to keep recording," he says. “So as long as you survive, you keep recording! Somebody will use your footage. Even though I am in exile, and I cannot film, I still keep telling the story, like I'm telling right now. So don't think too much! Sometimes you think too much, you'll be overwhelmed by what you have to do. Just look at the present moment."

သောတရှင်များကို ၂၀၂၆ ခုနှစ် ဇွန်လ ၁၅ ရက် တနင်္လာနေ့ အတွက် SBS Newsflash သတင်းထူးများကို တင်ဆက်ပေမှာဖြစ်ပါတယ်။

In today's edition of Hollywood's Headlines, the guys react to Shohei Ohtani exiting yesterday's game with what appears to be a minor knee injury, and debate whether he is already the greatest baseball player of all time given his unprecedented ability to dominate as both an elite hitter and pitcher. The conversation then shifts to Bill Belichick's off-field drama, as Jordon Hudson reportedly makes a public records request in an attempt to uncover Pablo Torre's source behind a critical story, with Joe placing blame on Belichick for the ongoing media chaos surrounding his time at UNC. The segment continues with lighter but wide-ranging headlines, including Ben Stiller filming an HBO documentary on the Knicks' Finals run entirely on his iPhone, Phil Mickelson being banned from a San Diego golf club over alleged misconduct, and a massive Everglades cleanup effort that removed 177 invasive Burmese pythons totaling nearly 8,000 pounds.

This hour opens with a Dolphins discussion centered around the team's new regime, which Joe says has brought a breath of fresh air and officially moved the organization past the bad vibes of recent years. The conversation quickly turns back to Tua Tagovailoa, with Joe insisting he's moved on while Hollywood isn't fully convinced, leading to debate about Tua's potential future in Atlanta, whether he could realistically win a starting job, and revisiting some of his well-known press conference miscues. The guys also weigh Mike McDaniel's outlook compared to Tua's and which one is more likely to find success moving forward. The discussion then shifts to the NBA and the Knicks, where the Heat-Knicks rivalry, fan behavior, and perceptions of today's Knicks roster are explored, including whether players like Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart make this version of New York more likable despite the intensity of their fan base. The hour wraps with Hollywood's Headlines, featuring Shohei Ohtani's minor knee injury and GOAT debate, ongoing drama surrounding Bill Belichick and UNC involving Jordon Hudson and a public records request, Ben Stiller filming the Knicks' Finals run, Phil Mickelson's reported ban from a golf club, and an Everglades cleanup effort that removed hundreds of invasive Burmese pythons.

Episode #552: Mon Mon Myat, a journalist, filmmaker, and peace scholar, frames Myanmar's political struggle as a long contest over power, moral discipline, and the possibility of change without domination. Her account begins with U Hpo Hlaing, the nineteenth-century thinker she calls “a kind of very early political theorist in Myanmar,” and moves toward Aung San Suu Kyi, whose politics she sees as part of the same search for accountable authority. For Mon Mon Myat, U Hpo Hlaing matters because he complicates the idea that democracy arrived in Myanmar only through Western influence. He studied Western parliamentary systems, but tried to translate them into Burmese moral and Buddhist terms, creating what she calls “Burma-native democracy.” His work was not a full modern system, but it offered a principle: rulers must be bound by ethical restraint, not merely by power. Aung San Suu Kyi, in Mon Mon Myat's view, widened that principle. She did not speak only to rulers, but to citizens. Through speeches, radio broadcasts, and years of nonviolent resistance, she helped Mon Mon Myat understand politics as personal responsibility. “Politics had nothing to do with me,” she says of her younger self, before Aung San Suu Kyi's example changed her sense of what citizenship required. That is why nonviolence remains central to Mon Mon Myat's reading. She knows it is slow and costly, but argues that armed struggle leaves wounds across society, while nonviolence risks the masses less than others. The post-coup conflict has only deepened her fear of trauma that may last for generations. Her defense of Aung San Suu Kyi during the Rohingya crisis rests on a difficult distinction. Mon Mon Myat does not present her as flawless. She insists that Aung San Suu Kyi was a politician trying to hold together a fragile country, preserve civilian rule, and avoid further conflict under military pressure. Critics saw silence. Mon Mon Myat sees constraint, calculation, and a refusal to inflame communal violence. The hope she still holds is narrow but persistent: that Myanmar's future depends not only on removing military rule, but on whether power can be morally restrained before it consumes everything around it.

Episode #551: Fred Stockwell arrived in Mae Sot by accident more than twenty years ago while traveling through Thailand to photograph temples, a wrong bus dropping him off in what was, at the time, a bustling border town filled with NGOs and young volunteers. Someone told him to visit the garbage dump, and a man drove him there by a route that felt deliberately hard to retrace. “It was like it was a secret where it was,” he recalls. At the dump, Burmese migrant families survived by salvaging and selling recyclables, building shelters from whatever they could pull from waste. “They were living on top of the garbage!” he says. “Everything they built was what they found in the garbage.” Before Mae Sot, his life had already been shaped by self-taught risk and logistics—having introduced paragliding in the U.S. through early testing and instruction, and later becoming the first person to fly in and photograph the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, doing so from the air, when ground access had largely collapsed. And now back in the United States after that first Mae Sot visit, the contrast stayed with him: a comfortable life at home, and a border world where small failures—transport, housing, medical access—could turn fatal. His mind now made up,he returned to Mae Sot, and the first step he points to is concrete: “You've got to start somewhere. I started with one kid,” he says, describing a girl “as close to death as you're ever going to get” and taking her to the hospital, then building outward through routines that held children in school, kept housing standing, and kept people connected to services they otherwise could not reach. The critique that follows stays procedural. People arrived wanting to help and then stalled, not from cruelty but because they lacked a method for what came next, and the same problem appeared in organizations that could arrive with structure and still fail to change the conditions at the dump, or elsewhere in the town. “I saw a lot of people here, no disrespect to them, that came in to help but didn't have a clue what to do.” He ties effectiveness to the pairing of resources and competence, and reduces the mismatch to a single blunt line. “There's a very large gap between the people that want to help and the people that need help. That gap is huge.”

When a wealthy businessman is sent overseas to investigate troubling reports tied to his family's latest industrial venture, he expects labor disputes, political unrest, and perhaps a little corruption. What he finds instead is something far worse—an impossible horror lurking beneath layers of greed, secrecy, and human ambition.Featuring a chilling tale from acclaimed author T.W. Grim, this episode delivers a haunting mix of historical suspense, corporate malfeasance, and relentless undead terror.Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chillingtalesfordarknights/

Deep within the Burmese tradition, sila as a contemplative practice. RMERC.  https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing.

Episode #548: Sunda Khin shares a remarkable family journey through contemporary Burmese history. She starts with her father, U Chan Htoon, who suggested that a young Indian businessman named S.N. Goenka learn meditation from Sayagyi U Ba Khin to cure his migraines. Growing up as the daughter of the country's first Supreme Court Justice, she recalls spending time in General Ne Win's home during the "Caretaker Government" years. Ne Win's coup in 1962 marked a shift, leading to economic turmoil and loss of civil liberties, including the arrest of her father. As a means for explaining the many challenges that have befallen her country since 1958, she explains the Burmese Buddhist concept of "tha gyarr thar tha nar," which is a Burmese prophecy that signifies the end of the Buddha's protective period after 2,500 years.Sunda Khin shares several international situations that her father was involved with. The most complex of these was when South Vietnamese members of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) demanded the organization stand up against Ngo Dinh Diem's discrimination of the country's Buddhist minority. The US was concerned that this move could weaken their ally against rising Communist influence in the region, and indeed, that the influential WFB might be falling under Communist control. U Chan Htoon was making some headway is mediating this crisis, but unfortunately, before it could be resolved, Ne Win had him arrested, perhaps out of a political fear of his popularity and influence.Sunda Khin also describes her father's rather unexpected acquisition of a lakefront property, which was later inherited by Aung San Suu Kyi, and where she endured decades of house arrest.And she discusses her childhood friendship with Louisa Bensen, who transformed from a beauty queen to a Karen insurgent leader, and their involvement together in the democracy movement many years later.“A lot of things have happened, but I have a lot of hope for things to change,” she says regarding the current resistance movement. “I might not see it right now, or before I die, but I'mhoping that it will change and that the people will be able to have their own government and their freedom. That is my hope.”

A.J. Sanjar–a field biologist who's conducted research with significant implications for reducing the Florida population of the Burmese python, often-massive snakes with few natural predators, an apex invasive species in areas like the Florida Everglades. He recalls growing up in Austin, loving to be outside amidst nature and animals. Recognizing that, over the years, Sanjar […] The post A.J. Sanjar, field biologist studying Burmese pythons and opossums first appeared on Talking Animals.

On this episode of The South Florida Roundup, we speak with filmmaker Xander Robin about his new documentary “The Python Hunt.” The film examines the rise of Burmese pythons as “exotic pets” that often end up in the Everglades, and the state sponsored 10-day competition to hunt and remove them (0:13). Alex Harris, lead climate change reporter for the Miami Herald, also joins to talk about the impact of Climate Change in South Florida (20:28), featured in the film "Facing the Future: South Florida vs. Climate Change." In an interview with Marshall L. Davis, Sr. and documentary director Brian Bayerl (“An Instrumental Start: A Model for the Nation”), we learn about the development of Marshall L. Davis, Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center., which provides access to educational and artistic resources for kids in Liberty City (33:56).

Onan overcast April day in the middle of Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, Paul Lwin looks like he's playing a vintage video game. He huddles over a laptop on the deck of the spartan vessel he's taking out on the water today. Tiny boat icons float across the screen; he draws a box around them, selects a few parameters, and clicks “Start Play.” Seconds later, a set of driverless boats in the bay a mile away begin gliding in parallel with the icons, which leave bright blue tracks on the screen in their wake. Lwin flashes an enormous grin. Each of those autonomous crafts is a “Rampage,” the 14-foot flagship boat of Lwin's Providence-based company, Havoc, which outfits its vessels with technology that theoretically lets a single human control thousands at once. Lwin, 40, and his cofounder Joe Turner, 42, both Navy vets, aim to become the U.S. military's go-to maker of specialized software for not just uncrewed boats, but all domains, after recently acquiring a couple of small aerial and land drone startups as well. “The goal here is to make sure you don't need to know anything about robotics or autonomy,” Lwin explains, showing the steps again on the laptop. “If it's not this simple, it's a science experiment. Operators—especially warfighters who don't have PhDs in robotics, who don't have PhDs in search algorithms—will never use it if it's more difficult than this.” By Monica Hunter-Hart, Reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode #538: The fifth episode in our five-part series features conversations recorded at the 16th International Burma Studies Conference at Northern Illinois University, where scholars, students, researchers, and practitioners gathered under the theme Dealing with Legacies in Burma. Held in the midst of political upheaval and humanitarian crisis, the conference offered a rare space for open exchange, collective reflection, and connection. Insight Myanmar was welcomed into this setting to record dialogues with a diverse range of attendees, produced in collaboration with NIU's Center for Southeast Asian Studies. With these episodes, we hope to bring listeners into the atmosphere of the gathering and into conversation with the people who continue to shape the field today. Khaing Wai Wai Zaw taught English in Myanmar for eight years, and went to Northern Illinois University for a higher degree in her field. But she also became a research assistant there cataloging artifacts, in particular 228 rare, scared sasi jo ribbons. While having no qualifications in this area, she relied on her Buddhist literacy and background to interpret inscriptions, andensure they have a safe home at the NIU library, at least until her country regains its stability. She also reflects on the political crisis in Myanmar and wrestles with the role monks should play, balancing her own reluctance to criticize with her belief in social responsibility. “I'm a totally different person when I get on stage.” With this feeling, Karen dancer and community leader Hsa Win reflects on how dance preserves his identity. He grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand after his family fled Burma, and later moved to the U.S. Wanting to educate others about his Karen heritage, he began performing traditional dances at community events. Hedescribes competitions, bamboo dances, and the spiritual dances of the thirty-seven nat spirits. Onstage, he feels confident and transformed, adopting the personalities of the spirits he portrays, and American audiences are enthusiastic. He now lives in Ohio, where he teaches dance to Karen youth to help them “embrace their identity” and keep their culture alive. Researcher and artist Ni Ni Win describes how Burmese marionettes have become a powerful link to her identity now that she lives in America. She explains that puppetry developed to portray particularly sacred Jataka Tales that humans were not permitted to depict. Under royal patronage, puppet shows became very popular; the marionettes conveyed religious teachings, history, and even political concerns, since civilians sometimes asked puppeteers to voice criticisms through the puppets. This art form declined when the monarchy was dismantled by the British, and then as other forms of entertainment became increasingly popular. Amy also draws inspiration from pagoda engravings, known as gnot patterns, which are used on traditional Burmese textiles as well. Living abroad has increased her appreciation for these traditions, which help her stay connected to her homeland.

Episode #536: “I never feel that war is this close to me,” Bencharat Chua, a Thai human rights professor and activist, reflects as she explains how decades of engagement with Myanmar have reshaped her understanding of conflict, democracy, and regional responsibility. Her central argument is that without democracy and a lived culture of human rights in Myanmar, Thailand will continue to experience instability, displacement, and violence spilling across the border. Human rights language, she insists, only matters if it becomes political practice and public will. Her involvement with Myanmar began in 1999, when she worked with the NGO Friends Without Borders and spent two years visiting refugee camps along the Thai–Myanmar border. There, she learned directly from displaced Burmese communities about repression and conflict, while also witnessing widespread hostility toward them within Thai society. She later joined the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University, where she worked with Burmese students and long-time activists, including members of the 1988 generation living in exile. During Myanmar's political transition in the late 2010s, she became deeply involved with universities inside the country. Around 2018–2019, she helped train law lecturers after international human rights law became mandatory in Myanmar's law faculties. Although many lecturers initially struggled, she later saw lasting gains in confidence and political awareness that endured even after the 2021 coup dismantled the formal education system. Bencharat also traces political change through shifting attitudes toward the Rohingya. She recalls earlier denial among democracy supporters, followed by a significant shift, noting that “now everyone acknowledges what happened.” For her, this signaled that Burmese human rights advocates were beginning to extend rights principles beyond nationalist exclusion. She situates these changes within a broader regional context. While Thai state policy toward Myanmar remains cautious, tied to business interests and the “ASEAN way,” she identifies the Thai youth movement as a countercurrent, arguing that prolonged military rule has politicized a generation despite severe repression. After the 2021 Myanmar coup, her work shifted towards supporting parallel education for students resisting the junta, where she continues to confront the gap between human rights ideals and lived violence. These experiences have made war feel immediate and reinforced her belief that change depends on people willing to insist on dignity and rights, even at great cost. “We are ready to fight for democracy, we are ready to fight for human rights!”

Hour 1: Savannah Guthrie's Mother's Day post. Taylor Frankie Paul was mad on Mother's Day. Britney Spears will also be associated with the albino Burmese python snake. Is listening to Alice 97.3 the easiest way to get concert tickets these days? The Giants won 2 out of 3 games against Pittsburgh, and they're headed to LA! The Hantavirus ship passengers are returning home - including to the Bay Area. Your word of the day: Humanol. Oh boy… Hour 2: The Kevin Hart roast was RAUNCHY. Tom Brady stole the show with his revenge. The Rock's jokes are totally NSFW. Kevin Bacon was attacked by bees. ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft' was disappointing at the box office. ‘The Devil Wears Prada' is #1. Let's talk about the 1990s. Sarah and Vinnie can only remember grunge music, but the internet remembers these fads. Hour 3: Sarah and Vinnie as tussling. The good news: Matt Damon was great on SNL. The bad news: He's being sued. We have a new OnlyFans star! Did Shannon Elizabeth inspire Jaime Pressly? Can you remember when Martha Stewart went to jail? What about Paris Hilton? Let's play a game! Sugar is a nickname not everyone can pull off. You should get what you want for Mother's Day - even if it's to be left alone. Science! All of life on Earth can be traced back to ONE ancestor, and it's even older than you think. Well, swallowing is better than prison. Hour 4: Demi Lovato is at the Chase Center tonight! Who is the oldest rocker on tour this summer? Does Bob even know these guys? Eric Clapton storms off stage after being struck in the chest by a vinyl record sleeve thrown from the audience. Billie Eilish doubles down on her controversial meat-eating take. Cara Delevingne is doing music. Debbie Harry and Pamela Anderson are playing mother and daughter in an upcoming comedy. Vinnie's got an update on gas prices - it's about to get even worse. These women in China don't need men. Plus, the most popular baby names, and How Old Is That Guy?

Savannah Guthrie's Mother's Day post. Taylor Frankie Paul was mad on Mother's Day. Britney Spears will also be associated with the albino Burmese python snake. Is listening to Alice 97.3 the easiest way to get concert tickets these days? The Giants won 2 out of 3 games against Pittsburgh, and they're headed to LA! The Hantavirus ship passengers are returning home - including to the Bay Area. Your word of the day: Humanol. Oh boy…

Despite sanctions and repeated condemnation against the Burmese military, the ruling junta continues to unleash brutal attacks against its own people, including religious minorities such as Muslim-majority Rohingya and Christian-majority Chin, Kachin, and Karen communities. Several global efforts to hold the Burmese military accountable through a variety of international legal mechanisms are now underway.On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight podcast, Commissioner Stephen Schneck speaks with Tom Andrews, former Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, as well as Arsalan Suleman, a partner at Foley Hoag's International Litigation and Arbitration Practice. They focus their discussion on the ongoing case in the International Court of Justice which prosecutes the Burmese government's role in the Rohingya genocide.

The Burmese military maintains its grip over Burma through arson, arbitrary detentions, airstrikes, killings, and other forms of intimidation and violence to instill fear in its people, including ethnoreligious minorities such as Rohingya and Chin. The lack of justice for the junta's atrocities has deepened its resolve, yet Burmese people are seeking accountability through the legal principle of universal jurisdiction. On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight podcast, Commissioner Stephen Schneck speaks with Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, and Salai Za Uk Ling, the Executive Director of the Chin Human Rights Organization. Their discussion centers on the principle of universal jurisdiction and how civil society organizations are seeking to prosecute responsible individuals through courts overseas for their part in ordering and carrying out genocide and crimes against humanity.

Episode #528: Ola Elvestuen has devoted his political career—and much of his life beyond politics—to tackling the most urgent environmental and societal challenges facing the global community. A member of Norway's Liberal Party since 2013, he has served as Minister of Climate and the Environment and held several high-ranking positions in both local and national government. As a young man in the late 1980s, Elvestuen witnessed a world in upheaval: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the ousting of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, and Myanmar's 8888 Uprising. The latter left a particular mark on him and many in Norway, embedding the Burmese struggle deep within Norwegian politics and foreign policy. During the democratic opening of the 2010s, Norway emerged as an important player, pairing diplomatic support with investments in critical industries such as hydropower, oil and gas exploration, and telecommunications. Yet Elvestuen points to a defining controversy in 2022, when Telenor—Norway's majority state-owned telecom giant—sold its Burmese operations to entities with close ties to the junta, effectively handing over sensitive user data. The decision drew sharp criticism from activists and rights groups who warned of the dangers for dissidents, journalists, and civil society. When the military launched a coup in 2021, Elvestuen watched with dismay, arguing the international community should have reacted immediately and forcefully. “The demonstrations that were held were incredible,” he says, “but they did not get the support that they should have gotten in the early days!” For Elvestuen, the path forward is clear: only a federal democracy can secure Myanmar's future, and Norway must play a meaningful role in supporting it. He argues that sustainable environmental initiatives should progress alongside the political struggle, pointing to Myanmar's extraordinary biodiversity and the severe climate threats it faces. In closing, Elvestuen reminds listeners that the urgency of Myanmar's situation extends far beyond its borders. “That is what we [Norway and the West] had to do with Ukraine,” he says, “and that is also the position that we should have with the revolution in Myanmar.”

Episode 132 - Pack your bags, and make sure you pack lightly because you might have to walk 200 miles across Burma. This week we are watching and discussing The Burmese Harp (1956), a story of a Japanese soldier in WW2 Burma. After the war ends, the solder, Mizushima, goes through a spiritual transformation and adopts the lifestyle of a buddhist monk. A classic Marco choice, join us as we go through our own spiritual quest and break this one down.And tune in next week as we wrap up Critical Japanese History month with Kuroneko (1968)email us at mracfilmclub@gmail.com

Episode #522: “We became interested in understanding how distrust toward official institutions influences the way humanitarian aid actually moves on the ground, and how donors decide where to place their trust in such a complicated environment,” begins Than Htike Zaw, who, along with Pablo Gassilloud, studies humanitarian aid in Myanmar. Drawing on surveys of roughly 78 donors—primarily Burmese nationals—and interviews with civil society organizations, their work examines how political conditions shape aid delivery in constrained environments. Institutional distrust, already longstanding, intensified after the coup and the 2025 earthquake. Military interference, surveillance, checkpoints, and financial restrictions complicate humanitarian response, delaying supplies and limiting the transfer of funds. As Than Htike Zaw explains, “Trust in state institutions has been very low and the humanitarian environment has become extremely complicated.” The authors emphasize that their analysis focuses on how donors perceive these risks rather than proving direct manipulation of aid flows. In this context, donors face a tradeoff. Large organizations offer formal accountability but are often slower and more vulnerable to obstruction due to reporting and coordination requirements. Gassilloud notes that this does not mean they are untrustworthy, but that they are perceived as less effective for rapid response. Smaller, community-based organizations act more quickly and reach affected populations, though with less formal oversight. As a result, donors prioritize speed, proximity, and confidence in delivery. Than Htike Zaw explains that trust is shaped by social connection and shared understanding of the crisis. Smaller organizations rely on informal verification—updates, direct communication, and gradual release of resources—while maintaining a minimal baseline of transparency. Trust develops incrementally through repeated interaction and cross-checking among actors. These decentralized networks, however, are difficult to scale and coordinate across large areas. This network of smaller, more flexible organizations is rooted in Myanmar's social world, and a result of decades of having to navigate the country's authoritarian rule and oppression of marginalized communities. As Gassilloud emphasizes in closing, “There's nothing more precious than the ability of humans to be able to pull each other up,” capturing both the necessity and the resilience that define humanitarian action in this context.

(This didn't go out as scheduled.  Weird.  Here it is!)Crime on a SaturdayFirst,  a look at this day in History.Then, The Lives of Harry Lime starring Orson Welles, originally broadcast April 18, 1952, 74 years ago, The Painted Smile.  Harry attends a performance of a Sicilian circus as the guest of one of the clowns. The clown has a very beautiful wife!Followed by The Adventures of Red Ryder starring Reed Hadley,  originally broadcast April 18, 1942, 84 years ago, Scarbone Clauson.  The bank in Devil's Hole has been robbed once again. Scarbone Clauson is the worst outlaw since Billy The Kid!  Then, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring John Stanley, originally broadcast April 18, 1949, 77 years ago, The Case Of The Burmese Goddess.  Followed by Counterspy starring Don Maclaughlin and Mandel Kramer, originally broadcast April 18, 1950, 76 years ago, The Case Of The Fabulous Formula.  A scientist in his secret laboratory has discovered the secret of artificial mica and is killed for his trouble. Finally, Fibber McGee and Molly, originally broadcast April 18, 1955, 71 years ago, Molly insists the Window Be Washed.  The start of the 21st year of, "Fibber McGee and Molly." The windows need washing. Thanks to Bill B for supporting our podcast by using the Buy Me a Coffee function at http://classicradio.streamCheck out Professor Bees Digestive Aid at profbees.com and use my promo code WYATT to save 10% when you order! 

From 1765 to 1769, Qing China invaded Burma four times...Support the show

Episode #519: Friedgard Lottermoser, a German student of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, describes the unique character of meditation at the International Meditation Center (IMC) in Rangoon between 1959 and 1971. Unlike the large,standardized courses later developed by S. N. Goenka, U Ba Khin taught only one ten-day course a month to small groups. Each student received individualized instruction based on temperament and background. “He went by feeling,” Friedgard recalls, noting that he could sense a student's meditative progress even from afar. She contrasts U Ba Khin's flexibility and adaptability with Goenka's standardized system of recorded discourses and fixed schedules centered on a single technique. When political restrictions prevented U Ba Khin from traveling abroad after Ne Win's 1962 coup, he could not realize his own dream of teaching dhamma outside Burma. So he trained several non-Burmese teachers to undertake this mission, as well as Goenka, who as an Indian businessman was able to obtain a passport. In particular, Goenka's organizational talent and charisma transformed meditation into a vast global network. Yet Friedgard stresses that U Ba Khin never intended his teaching to be wholly standardized; he expected these teaching disciples to adapt the practice to their own cultures. In explaining the technique, Friedgard cites a pamphlet, The Essentials of Buddha Dharma in Meditative Practice, written by U Ba Khin where he outlines ten stages of vipassanā insight. These range from theoretical understanding (samasana) to deep dissolution (bhaṅga) and ultimately to detachment and realization. Unlike Goenka, he placed less emphasis on equanimity and more on “continuity of awareness—anicca with feeling.” Friedgard also goes into great detail about her friendship with Ruth Denison, an U Ba Khin disciple who adapted vipassanā for Western students through movement and mindful walking. Though Denison and her teaching approach was controversial in the conservative, Burmese Buddhist community at IMC, Friedgard believes U Ba Khin would have understood such adaptations. His genius, she says, lay not only in teaching meditation but in trusting that each culture must find its own expression of the Dhamma.

Between global crises and personal problems, modern life is overflowing with things to worry about, including many issues that feel too big to even address. Yet, our ability to influence these problems and how much we worry about them are not equal to each other – and in fact, getting lost in thoughts of anxiety can reduce our ability to act. Given the direct line between individual inner states and civilizational dysfunction, what global change might be possible if we train ourselves to observe thought, rather than be unconsciously consumed and paralyzed by it? In this episode, Nate is joined by philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris to explore how cultivating inner awareness could help us – both as individuals and a society – navigate civilizational crises. Sam argues that virtually all human suffering flows from one source: the mind's incessant, largely unnoticed identification with thought. Sam makes the case that, at scale, these distracted minds cumulate into people who are helplessly identified with their own inner worlds, their tribes, and their identity rather than able to hold a broader view. He offers a deep dive on the foundations of meditation, mindfulness, and awareness techniques as a way to help navigate our thoughts and remain grounded in the present. Ultimately, he suggests that in order to steer toward better futures, we might need to invest in cultivating both saner individuals and wiser systems in parallel. Whether the threat is a cancer diagnosis or civilizational overshoot, the question is the same: how much suffering do you have to carry between now and the future? What if the inner work of moving through grief toward equanimity is actually a precondition for effective action? And if the most consequential decisions in human history are being made by people who have never once examined the nature of their own minds, how will their own mental states reflect onto the reality of our shared outcomes? (Conversation recorded on February 18th, 2026)   About Sam Harris: Sam Harris is the author of five New York Times best sellers. His books include The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, Waking Up, and Islam and the Future of Tolerance (with Maajid Nawaz). The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. His writing and public lectures cover a wide range of topics – neuroscience, moral philosophy, religion, meditation practice, human violence, rationality – but generally focus on how a growing understanding of ourselves and the world is changing our sense of how we should live. He also hosts the Making Sense Podcast, which was selected by Apple as one of the "iTunes Best" and has won a Webby Award for best podcast in the Science & Education category. Sam received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He has also practiced meditation for more than 30 years and has studied with many Tibetan, Indian, Burmese, and Western meditation teachers, both in the United States and abroad. Sam has created the Waking Up app for anyone who wants to learn to meditate in a modern, scientific context.   Show Notes and More   Watch this video episode on YouTube   Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.   ---   Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future   Join our Substack newsletter   Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners  

On the show today, we are joined by Astrologer and first wife of Tom, Cassandra Joan Butler to do your astrological readings, Trooper James O'Callaghan to discuss the crackdown on speeding and illegal street racing along the 33 by Buffalo police, and Erie County District Attorney John Flynn to discuss the ruling by the Erie County Medical Examiner's office that the death of Burmese refugee Nurul Amin Shah Alam in Buffalo in February, was a homicide.

The Erie County Medical Examiner's office ruled the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Burmese refugee who died after being released from the custody of US Customs and Border Protection in February, a homicide. Former Erie County District Attorney John Flynn joins the show to provide more insight on this ruling.

My guest has been a vendor at St. Roch Market since its 2015 reopening — and when the historic food hall was on the brink of closing in 2023, he refused to let it die. Today he runs the whole operation, a 150-year-old New Orleans landmark home to twelve independent vendors serving everything from Gulf oysters to Egyptian falafel to Burmese noodles under one roof on St. Claude Avenue. Join me and Kevin Pedeaux as we discuss the St. Roch Market.

Border patrol in Buffalo dumped a blind Burmese refugee on a street corner a week ago. He went missing for five days. He was found dead two days ago. Shame on border patrol. Shame on ICE. This must not be what America is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.