In 2016, more than 100 pro-Donald Trump websites were being run from one town in Macedonia.
VELES, Macedonia: His business card states, “The man who helped Donald Trump win US elections”, and Mr Mirko Ceselkoski is eager to read it out, saying: “It’s so funny that I became famous because of this.”
In Asia, December 19, 2018
Season’s Greetings. 2018 has been an eventful year, in Asia and in the stories shared here in the InAsia blog, where I had the pleasure in May to take over the reins from longtime editor Alma Freeman. We’re all grateful, at year’s end, for the continued engagement of our readers, and for the thoughtful contributions of our bloggers, who brought us their unique perspectives and insights on developments in Asia. Here are a few of the year’s most fascinating essays, some of them favorites of our readers and some favorites of yours truly. Enjoy! And be sure to join us in 2019, when our January 2 edition will feature predictions for the year ahead from our country representatives across Asia.
Giêsu ơi,
Dạo phố nhá.
Giêsu muốn đi đâu?
…
Nhìn này, chỗ này đẹp quá.
Chỗ kia cũng đẹp nữa…
Những con phố quen. Continue reading Lời cầu nguyện 581 – Prayer 581
Two surveys over an eight-month period found more than 10,000 ivory items on sale. Image courtesy of TRAFFIC.
Jesus,
Nearly 20 years of volunteerism,
I feel our volunteerism almost hasn’t grown.
Our volunteerism is social action of an individual
or tiny, small and medium groups,
lacking coordination into large systems.
So our culture of giving
is the tiny, small and sometimes medium culture,
not the large culture. Continue reading Prayer 580
New York Times Dec. 21, 2018
Decades after the war with America ended, Vietnamese families continue to search for the remains of their kin who are still missing in action.
By Joseph Babcock (Mr. Babcock, a teacher of writing, is working on a book about contemporary Vietnam)
On July 27, the day a collection of remains believed to be those of American soldiers lost in the Korean War were flown out of North Korea, I was driving from Hanoi to Vietnam’s rural northern province of Yen Bai. My host that morning was Ngo Thuy Hang, the 42-year-old vice director of Marin, a local nonprofit devoted to helping Vietnamese families locate the remains of their loved ones.
January 2, 2019 By The Asia Foundation
Happy New Year, and welcome to the first edition of InAsia for 2019. In our last issue we looked at some of our top stories from the year just ended, stories that chronicled the successes and failures, the triumphs, and the tribulations of 2018 through the eyes of our experts in Asia. This week, we invite you to look ahead with us to a still-young 2019, as The Asia Foundation’s country representatives offer their predictions of the stories that will dominate the news from Asia in the coming year. Here, to kick off 2019, are perspectives from our 18 offices in Asia. —John Rieger, editor, InAsia
Jesus,
Please touch the souls of Vietnam war victims,
both Cambodian and Laotian,
both Vietnamese and American,
both Vietnamese and South Korean,
both Vietnamese and Thai,
both South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese,
both civilians an soldiers… Continue reading Prayer 579
Experts are concerned that the Mekong dolphin is unlikely to survive Cambodia’s modernisation as a new dam is planned.
![An Irrawaddy dolphin, also known as the Mekong dolphin, swims in the river at Kampi village in Kratie province, 230 km (143 miles) northeast of Cambodia [File: Chor Sokunthea/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2018/12/16/d116db5b135b49afa8c923d918e76896_18.jpg "The last 92 Irrawaddy dolphins in Mekong River may not survive")
An Irrawaddy dolphin, also known as the Mekong dolphin, swims in the river at Kampi village in Kratie province, 230 km (143 miles) northeast of Cambodia [File: Chor Sokunthea/Reuters]
Kratie, Cambodia – At the dolphin ticket office there is a tattered page stuck to the wall calling on readers to save dolphins as part of “Cambodia’s splendid natural heritage”.
This post is reprinted from Michael Green’s foreword to the newly released report from CSIS, China’s Maritime Silk Road: Strategic and Economic Implications for the Indo-Pacific Region.
Challenging the Pacific Powers: China’s Strategic Inroads in Context
The Pacific Islands are emerging as yet another arena of competition between China, the United States, and other powers. Beijing’s influence in the region has surged over the last decade alongside its rapidly growing aid and infrastructure investments. On the sidelines of the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Papua New Guinea, President Xi Jinping held a high-level meeting with Pacific Island leaders, announcing new partnerships and signing many of them up as official participants in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Jesus,
Forgiving?
I think I have never forgiven anyone.
Why?
Because I see nothing to forgive.
Let’s open the Book of John
and meditate your words, Jesus.
Amen.
PTH
Jesus,
You were born
in a quiet night
at a lowly place.
So, quiet and lowly place
is your home.
So, when I am quiet and lowly,
I meet you.
You lead me to the quiet and lowly places.
Amazing grace.
Amen.
PTH
Jesus,
“The vagaries of life
Though painful,
Teach us
Not to cling
To this floating world.”*
I love the literary work.
Giêsu ơi,
Ngả đầu em trên vai Giêsu.
Bình an.
Em kể Giêsu nghe chuyện em.
Giêsu biết hết mọi điều em trải qua
nhưng Giêsu vẫn yêu em để kể cho Giêsu nghe.
Chuyện là… Continue reading Lời cầu nguyện 575 – Prayer 575
Jesus,
Let’s go out?
Should we ride the motorbike or walking?
What outfit should I wear?
Baggy pants or midi skirt?
Sport shoes or ankle boots?
Hat?
Where should we go?
Should I turn left or right?
Đọt Chuối Non 