15 Feb 2006

Acronyms used by Asian / Pacific Studies' scholars: a dictionary
RSPAS, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Self-description: "This document [first published in Aug 2004, with 300 entries - ed.] lists acronyms, names and web addresses of over 1,040 leading associations, institutes, networks, NGOs, organisations, periodicals, programs, and research projects of relevance to Asian & Pacific Studies. [...] You are cordially invited to send addenda and corrections to this list [...which is] a part of the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library (coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html) and Pacific Studies WWW Virtual Library (coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-PacificStudies.html)."
Site contents: [File structure:] *Acronym, * Entity [and its URL], * A Part Of, * Country. The recorded entries range from 'AABC' (Australian Association for Byzantine Studies, Australia), to 'IAUNRC' (Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, US), to 'LTWA' (Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, India), to 'PRDLA' (Pacific Rim Digital Library Alliance, Hong Kong), to 'SAALG' (South Asia Archive & Library Group, UK), to 'ZMO' (Zentrum Moderner Orient, Germany).
URL http://coombs.anu.edu.au/ACR/Acronyms.html
Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/coombs.anu.edu.au/ACR/Acronyms.html
Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at--coombs.anu.edu.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Online Guide
* Publisher [academic - business - govt. - library/museum - NGO - other]: Academic
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: rating not available
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 300

14 Feb 2006

Mideast Monitor e-journal
Mideast Monitor, Washington, DC, US
Self-description: "Mideast Monitor is a monthly nonprofit publication [est Feb 2006 - ed.] devoted to specialized analysis of political developments, issues, and personalities shaping the Middle East today. It is designed to fill a critical gap between media coverage of the Middle East and quarterly print journals - more in-depth than the former, less dated (because there is less lag time) than the latter. The Monitor does not offer policy recommendations, but special attention is given to policy relevant misconceptions about Middle East politics that often underlie misguided decisionmaking in government. It welcomes article submissions. The Monitor is funded by a small group of private donors committed to these objectives."
Site contents: * About Mideast Monitor; * Past Issues; * Search; * Mailing List; * Submission Guidelines; * Support; * Contact.
Contents of the inagural issue Vol. 1 No. 1 February 2006: SYRIA: The Lion in Winter: Bashar Assad's Self-Destruction - Gary C. Gambill; Saudi-Syrian Relations after Hariri - Tony Badran; Dossier: Abdul Halim Khaddam - Gary C. Gambill; LEBANON: Hezbollah's Dilemmas - Rodger Shanahan; Memorandum of Joint Understanding between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement, 6 February 2006, translation by Mideast Monitor [the translated document is "a memorandum of understanding signed by Lebanon's most powerful Shiite and Christian political movements on February 6. Some points in the memorandum (e.g. anti-corruption reforms) merely re-state positions that Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement have held for many years, while others were hammered out over weeks of negotiations"]; IRAQ: Iraq's Divided Insurgents - Mahan Abedin.
[The new e-journal is edited by Gary C. Gambill, "a country analyst for Freedom House (http://www.freedomhouse.org/). Formerly editor of Middle East Intelligence Bulletin (http://www.meib.org/) from 1999 to 2004, Gambill publishes widely on Lebanese and Syrian politics, terrorism, and democratization in the Middle East." - ed.]
URL http://www.mideastmonitor.org/
Internet Archive (www.archive.org) [the site was not archived at the time of this abstract]
Link reported by: Mideast Monitor (distribution--at--mideastmonitor.org)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study/Documents
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: NGO
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

13 Feb 2006

Prabhu's Web Page on Indian Coinage
prabhu.50g.com, ?India
Self-description: "[This site is ...] an attempt to explain the evolution of coinage and its role in understanding the history of India. In the process of explaining Indian coinage, political system, social movements and economy have been touched. I hope this web page would arouse a keen interest in Indians to preserve the ancient coins of their possession or encounter to save the important ligaments of Indian history if found to be valuable. I dedicate this material as a source of inspiration for every Indians in saving every Indian coins from the melting pot hoping it will reveal the missing facts of the Indian history. Coins displayed in the web page are from my personal collection, which are believed to be attributed properly. Please let me know if it needs any modifications or corrections if misrepresented. I have classified this web page according to the chronological order of dynastic rule in India."
Site contents: * An Overview; * Earliest Coins (History of India 600 BC-187 BC, Punch-marked Coins, Post Mauryan Coinage, Catalogue, History of Yaudheyas: 2nd cent BC onwards, Yaudheya Coins Catalogue); * Indo-Greeks (History, Coinage, Catalogue); * Sakas & Pahlavas (History, Coinage, and Catalogues of: Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians, Western Kshatrapas); * Kushanas (History, Ideology of coins, Images on the coins, Deities on the coins, Languages on the coins, Catalogue); * The Guptas (History); * Post-Gupta (Catalogues of Huns/Indo Sassanians, Pratiharas, Huns/Indo Sassanians, Rajputs, Palas, Maitrakas of Vallabhi); * Sultanates (History, Coinage, and Catalogues of Delhi Sultanate, The Suris, Shahis of Deccan); * Mughals (Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, Later Mughals, Catalogue); * Vijayanagara (Sangama Dynasty, Saluva Dynasty, Tuluva Dynasty, Aravidu Dynasty, Nayakas of Chitradurga, Coinage of Vijayanagara, Catalogue); * Dynasties of the South (History, Catalogues of: The Malayamans, The Early Cholas, The Cheras, The Pandyas, Kuras, Pallavas of Bhavatri & Kanchi, Satavahanas, Vishnukundins, Chutus, Alupas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Gangas of, Talkad, Pallavas of Badami, Kadambas of Hangal, Kadambas of Goa, Yadavas of Devagiri, Cholas, Silaharas of Karad, Kayasthas of Kurnool, Marathas of Tamilnadu, Post Chola Tamilnadu, Kakatiyas, Kingdom of Kampili); * Mysore Kingdom (History, Coinage, and Catalogue of: Wodeyars, Hyder Ali,Tipu Sultan); * Author; * References; * Time-Line; * Links.
[The author of the web site, Govindraya Prabhu S, is a numismatics hobbyist, and a co-author of a 2006 book, "The Alupas, Coinage and history" by Govindraya Prabhu S & Nithyananda Pai M, 200 pages, 40 colour plates, ISBN 81-7525-560-9 (http://prabhu.50g.com/alupas_book/alupas_book.html) - ed.]
URL http://prabhu.50g.com
Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://prabhu.50g.com
Link reported by: Govind Prabhu (alupas--at--pacific.net.sg)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: Other
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: V.Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 300

12 Feb 2006

Culture of Thailand in the Postlocal World - an E-Book
www.kotikone.fi, Helsinki, Finland
Supplied note: "Helsinki, 12.2.2006. Dear Colleague, I wish to inform, that my anthropological work on village culture of Thailand has been published as an e-book in the Internet, and also as a CD-book.
Matti Sarmela, Laws of Destiny Never Disappear: Culture of Thailand in the Postlocal World. ISBN 952-91-9353-X. Helsinki. 2005
The Web address is: [see the URL below]
The book consist 560 pages including 380 colour pictures, total 45 MB. It is totally free publication and 'may be freely quoted, copied, duplicated and printed.'
I have collected ethnographic material in Lampang province Northern Thailand from the year 1972 until 1999. My research assistants have interviewed villagers with questionnaires, and tape-recorded 365 persons in total. I have taken about 20 000 photographs; my documented collection consist 14 000 colour slides. The entire material is preserved in the archives of the Museum of Cultures, Helsinki.
The book is description of three villages in Lampang Province, and the changes in villagers' lives over three decades. It contains material on the villagers' housing, rice farming and other means of livelihood, community life, festivals, weddings, funerals, sorcerers and healers, as well as Buddhism. The publication has three points of views: interviews of villagers, my anthropological interpretation and photographs.
The book has been printed in the Finnish language in 2004.
Yours respectfully, Matti Sarmela, Ph.D., Professor emeritus of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Helsinki, Address: Katajanokanranta 17 B 16, 00160 Helsinki, Finland, matti.sarmela--at--kolumbus.fi http://www.kotikone.fi/matti.sarmela/indexEngl.html"
Site contents: * Part I. A Village in Northern Thailand (http://www.kotikone.fi/matti.sarmela/thailand1village.pdf) Environment of life; Villages and houses; Work of the rice farmer.
* Part II. Community Culture (http://www.kotikone.fi/matti.sarmela/thailand2community.pdf) Family and community; School of life; Marriage; Death; Inside the village community.
* Part III. Village Religion (http://www.kotikone.fi/matti.sarmela/thailand3religion.pdf) Faith around me, Supernatural environment, Buddhist religion; Finalization; References; Appendix; Bibliography; Tables (1. Framework of structural changes, 2. Recorded interviews 1984-1999, 3. Thailand material 1972-1999, 4. Three villages, 5. Popularity of house types 1982-2000, 6. Means of transport, 7. Domestic appliances, 8. Home electronics, 9. Structural change in rice farming, 10. Perspectives of village communities, 11. Basic wedding format, 12. Strata of world-views).
URL http://www.kotikone.fi/matti.sarmela/thailand%20culture.html
Internet Archive (www.archive.org) [the paper was not archived at the time of this abstract]
Link reported by: Matti Sarmela (matti.sarmela--at--kolumbus.fi)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: Other
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Essential
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

12 Feb 2006

Denmark: Managing Religious Sensitivities
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, India
Supplied note: "The latest paper of the Institute For Topical Studies, A-2/3, Bharathi Dasan Colony, K.K.Nagar, Chennai---600078, India, on the above subject is now available at the web site of the South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG), New Delhi, at [the URL below] - br."
Extract: "Was the outbreak of violence over the Danish cartoons spontaneous or orchestrated? The way it broke out four months after the publication and spread thereafter indicates that it was more the result of careful orchestration than spontaneous. The needle of suspicion points to the HT [Hizbut Tehrir], the IIF [The International Islamic Front] and Al Qaeda in that order. In this connection, reference is invited to my earlier article on the suspected role of the HT in the outbreak of violence in Afghanistan following allegations of the descecration of the Holy Koran in the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba last year. (http://www.saag.org/papers14/paper1377.html) 14. The international community has not paid much attention to monitoring the activities of the HT, whose ideas are as pernicious as those of Al Qaeda, though it claims that it is opposed to terrorism. [...] 15. Denmark and Norway have always been among the targets of Al Qaeda, which has been particularly critical of them because of their role in Iraq and Afghanistan. An Al Qaeda or IIF strike against Danish citizens and interests is an increasing probability in reprisal for the cartoons. - b. raman."
Site contents: * International Terrorism Monitor: Paper No. 24 Denmark: Managing Religious Sensitivities; * Annexure: Hizbut Tehrir (HT)
[The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai - ed.]
URL http://www.saag.org/papers17/paper1699.html
Internet Archive (www.archive.org) [the paper was not archived at the time of this abstract. However, in a few weeks time it will be available at web.archive.org/web/*/www.saag.org]
Link reported by: B. Raman (corde--at--vsnl.com)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: NGO
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

11 Feb 2006

Jihadi Terrorism in Central Asia: An Update
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, India
Supplied note: "The latest paper of the Institute For Topical Studies, A-2/3, Bharathi Dasan Colony, K.K.Nagar, Chennai---600078, India, on the above subject is now available at the web site of the South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG), New Delhi, at [the URL below] - br."
Extract: "The situation in the CARs [The Central Asian Republics] should be a matter of common concern to India, China, the US and Russia. Firstly, because of the cross-border linkages with the Taliban, Al Qaeda, the Pakistani jihadi terrorist organisations and the Uighur extremists on the one side and with the Chechens on the other. Secondly, because of the danger of the Ferghana Valley becoming one day a new hub of international jihadi terrorism. Thirdly, because of the dangers of the penetration of the extremist elements into the scientific community of the region and tapping expertise in their attempts to develop a WMD capability. And fourthly, because of the location of vast energy resources in the region and the dangers of the terrorists one day acquiring control of them. It is important for these four countries to get together, exchange ideas on the situation in the region and work towards a common approach. The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation is not the answer to the threats posed by terrorism in this region. - b. raman."
Site contents: * Involvement of HUM [Harkat-ul-Mujahideen] and HUJI [Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami] of Pakistan; * The Uighurs; * Hizbut Tehrir (HT); * Activities in CARs; * IMU's [Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan] Linkages with Jihadi Extremists in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; * The Present Ground Situation.
[The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai - ed.]
URL http://www.saag.org/papers17/paper1691.html
Internet Archive (www.archive.org) [the paper was not archived at the time of this abstract. However, in a few weeks time it will be available at web.archive.org/web/*/www.saag.org]
Link reported by: B. Raman (corde--at--vsnl.com)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: NGO
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: V.Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

10 Feb 2006

The Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs (SJEAA)
Stanford University, Stanford, CA, US
Self-description: "The Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs (SJEAA) [est. Spring 2001 - ed.] strives to address compelling issues in the East Asian region in a manner accessible to a general audience. SJEAA showcases student work, both graduate and undergraduate, on East Asia in all academic disciplines. Beyond academic work, the publication also serves as a discussion forum for current issues in East Asia through editorials, interviews and book reviews. SJEAA seeks submissions pertaining to China/Hong Kong/Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Greater East Asia. [...] SJEAA is still accepting submissions for Summer 2006 Send us your work by the new deadline of Tuesday, April 25, 2006."
Site contents: * About SJEAA; * Online Journal; Back Issues (Vol. 1; Vol. 2; Vol. 3; Vol. 4; No. 1; Vol. 4 No. 2; Vol. 5 No. 1, Winter 2005 [About; Contributors; Editorial; Revisiting the Tiananmen Square Incident: A Distorted Image from Both Sides of the Lens - Albert Chang; Taiwan's Geopolitics Chiang Ching - Kuo's Decision to Democratize Taiwan - Ching-fen Hu; China's Paradox Passage into Modernity: A Study on the Portrayal of Sexual Harassment in Chinese Media - Diana Fu; Japanese Facism Revisited - Marcus Willensky; Tokdo or Takeshima? The International Law of Territorial Acquisition in the Japan - Korea Island Dispute - Sean Fern; The Sources of Regime Stability in North Korea: Insights from Democratization Theory - Yun-Jo Cho; Contested Narratives:Reclaiming National Identity through Historical Reappropriation among Korean Minorities in China - Min-Dong Paul Lee; Anglo - US Relations in the Formation of SEATO - Andrew Hall; ASEAN's Role and its Management of the Sino - Japan Rivalry - Tai Wei Lim]); * Submissions, * Contact, * Links.
URL http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjeaa/
Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjeaa/
Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at--coombs.anu.edu.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: Academic
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: V.Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 100

10 Feb 2006

"Studies on Asia" e-journal
The Asian Studies Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, US
Supplied note: "Studies On Asia [ISSN 1554-3749], Editor: Linda Cooke Johnson, Michigan State University, [...] a new electronic journal [est. Fall 2004] sponsored by the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs and published by the Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University. Studies on Asia welcomes manuscripts on any and all aspects of Asia, past and present, and including translations, poetry, prose, and pedagogy. Studies on Asia will be published bianually in May/June and December/ January. Back issues will remain online for three years, after which they will be archived electronically. [...] All manuscripts selected for publication will be peer-reviewed by two reviewers from the fields in question as selected by the MCAA Advisory Board."
Site contents: * Studies On Asia, Series II, Vol. 2, No. 2, Fall 2005 (Joseph Allen - Mapping Taipei; Representation and Ideology, 1626 - 1945; Maghiel Van Crevel - Descrations? The Poetics of Han Dong and Yu Jian; Terrance Russell,Translator - "Blending into the Untamed Land" by Zhang Wei; Ningyi Li - Fei Ming's Short Stories; A Poetry of Folk Elements; Yosay Wangdi, Translator - "Waterfall of Yourth" by Dhonup Gyal); Series II, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 2005(Tzushiu Chiu, Translator - Hiding From the Rain by Gao Xingjian; Parks M. Coble - "Is China Going Capitalist?" The Debate Over Admitting Private Entrepreneurs to Membership in the Chinese Communist Party; Maghiel Van Crevel - Desecrations? The Poetics of Han Dong and Yu Jian (part One); Sidney DeVere Brown - In Memory of Robert K. Sakai); Series II, Vol. 1, No. 1, Fall 2004 (Rhoads Murphey - Harmony, Conflict, and Antithesis in the Chinese Tradition; Li Yu - Learning to Read in Late Imperial China; Robert A. Fish - Call for Outrage? A Victory for Freedom? The Annexation of Korea and Japanese Participation in World War I as Portrayed in the Atarashii Rekishi Kyokasho and Competing Japanese Junior High School History Textbooks; Jennifer Epley - Development Issues and the Role of Religious Organizations in Indonesia; Jon Glade - Collaboration and Resistance; Representations of Colonial Korea; Xiaoye You - English Teaching in China; Contributing to an Alternative Modernity)
URL http://www.isp.msu.edu/studiesonasia/
Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.isp.msu.edu/studiesonasia/
Link reported by: Linda Cooke Johnson (johnso44--at--msu.edu), forwarded by h-asia--at--h-net.msu.edu
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: Academic
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 100

09 Feb 2006

The Tibetan Museum Society
The Tibetan Museum Society, Alexandria, VA, US
Supplied note: "The Tibetan Museum Society is a recently formed, civic league of concerned international citizens who wish to advocate museum exhibition of Asian art from ancient Mongolia and the Greater Himalayan Region. Through a broad range of programs and projects, the Society's two primary focuses are: 1) to provide financial support to selected museums that enrich the arts with display of historically significant representations of Buddhist culture and 2) to protect sacred, religious shrines, from which Buddhist art is gathered for public sale or display against removal without consent, artifacts of any kind. Though not allied with any political group or religious sect, the Tibetan Museum Society supports the fundamental humanitarian right to freedom of religious expression and is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes; including for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. - dd."
Site contents: *About Us; * Latest News; * Arts & Culture (Art and Exhibitions, Books & Publications, Cultural Studies, Travel); * Art Resource Guide [A comprehensive guide to fine art dealers with galleries offering Buddhist artifacts from the greater Himalayan Region and Mongolia]; * Bulletin Board Exhibition; * Media Pressroom; * Membership; * Himalayan Shop; * Search.
URL http://www.tibetan-museum-society.org/
Internet Archive (web.archive.org) [the site was not archived at the time of this abstract]
Link reported by: Delgermaa Dagva (ddagva--at--tibetan-museum-society.org)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Corporate Info.
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: NGO
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 300

08 Feb 2006

Society for the Study of Japanese Religions (SSJR)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, US
Self-description: "SSJR is an international association of approximately 200 scholars committed to the academic study of the religions of Japan and is affiliated with the Association of Asian Studies (AAS) (www.aasianst.org). Membership is open to students and scholars of Japanese religions or related fields. The Society sponsors an annual forum at the annual meeting of the Association of Asian Studies (usually in March) and publishes an annual Supplement based on presentations at this meeting. In addition, the Society publishes two newsletters in the fall and spring of each year notifying members of upcoming meeting schedules, recent member news and publications of interest, and so forth."
Site contents: * Officers; * Membership/Current Dues; * Announcements (Conferences, Employment, Research Posts, Fellowships) * SSJR Bulletins & Supplements (SSJR Bulletins: Mar 2005; Oct 2004, Feb 2004, Oct 2003, Oct 2002, Feb 2002, Oct 2001, Oct 2000, Feb 2000, Oct 1999, Jan 1999; SSJR Annual Meeting Supplements: 2005 - Cosmic Disk: Mediating the Kumano Jikkai Mandala on DVD; 2004 - Power, Veneration, and Identity: New Research on Ritual in Japan ; 2003 - Rethinking Japanese Religion through Images and Structures; 2002 - Ritual, Gender, and Politics in Modern Shinto; 2001 - A Discussion of Jacqueline Stone's Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism; 2000 - What Should We Be Studying Now? - A Roundtable Discussion; 1999 - Reviewing Karen Smyers' The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Japanese Inari Worship; 1998 - A Discussion of Edmund Gilday's The Gods Come Dancing) * Membership News/Publications (New Appointments, Recent and Forthcoming Publications, Research, Conferences, and Events, New Members); * Teaching Resources: (Syllabi, Films, Photos, Online Resources); * AAR-Japanese Religions Group; * Links Related to Japanese Religions (General Web Research Sources, Religion-specific Sites, Journals and Publishing, Japanese Society, Miscellaneous Disciplines, Study Abroad Programs).
URL http://www.ssjr.unc.edu/
Internet Archive (web.archive.org) [the site was not archived at the time of this abstract]
Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at--coombs.anu.edu.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Corporate Info.
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: Academic
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: V.Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

08 Feb 2006

Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS)
NIAS, Copenhagen, Denmark
Self-description: "NIAS was founded as an independent Asian studies institute in 1968. In partnership with the Nordic Council of Ministers we have maintained a commitment throughout to contribute to the development of Asian studies in the Nordic region. The Nordic Council of Ministers remains our main financier. From 1 January 2005, NIAS assumed a new status. [...] * NIAS has new owners. [...] * The 'new' NIAS will be a hub for Asian studies in the Nordic region with a range of services and activities that will support the development of Asian studies and enhance the visibility and applications of Asian studies. * The 'new' NIAS will coordinate an initiative to establish a Nordic, networked research school, The Asian Century Research School. NIAS will also expand the NIAS SUPRA Programme for Nordic Master and PhD students. * The 'new' NIAS will strive to make Asian studies more visible in the business community that deals with Asia. * Through NIAS LINC the 'new' NIAS will tailor-make research-based information services to the needs of its users. * NIAS has a breadth and depth of research and other services, activities and outputs, the combination of which is unique in the Nordic countries. [...] The new partnership A consortium comprising of Copenhagen Business School and University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and Lund University in Sweden have agreed to take over from the Nordic Council of Ministers the collaborative responsibility - as founding partners - for continuing NIAS as an academically independent research and service institute with a Nordic responsibility. [...] "

Site contents: ** About NIAS; ** Publications (NIASnytt, NIAS Press, NIAS' researchers' publications [separate listings for 2005, and 2004; for publications from 1995-2003 please see the online database "Bibliography of publications by NIAS Researchers 1995-2003" - ed.]; NIAS' annual reports);
** NIAS' networks & support to networks [in 2005 these networks included: Borneo Research Council, EADI - European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes, EASL - European Association of Sinological Librarians, ECARDC - European Conference on Agricultural and Rural Development in China, EINIRAS - The European Information Network on International Relations and Area Studies, EPCReN, Eurasia Political Culture Research Network, European Alliance for Asian Studies, Gendering Asia, NACS - Nordic Association of China Studies, NASA - Nordic Association of South Asian Studies, NIAS SUPRA - Support Programme for Asian Studies, NNC Nordic NIAS Council, Nordic Centre Fudan, NorDoc, SASNET - Swedish South Asian Studies Network, SEALG - South East Asia Library Group, SNAB - Swedish Network of Asian Librarians, The Conflict Transformation Group, The Indonesian Conflict Studies Network, The Yangzhou Club - ed.];
** Research and consulting [NIAS' consultancy assignments in 2005: * Aceh Peace Process, * Aceh Reconstruction Project, * Aceh Support Project, * Advising the Danish Foreign Ministry on the Further Development of the Private Sector (PS) Programme, * AMM Briefings, * ARF Expert and Eminent Persons Group Meeting, * Asian Security, * Asian Security, the Rise of China and EU Security Policy Options, * Development in an Insecure World, * Establishing a Forum for Confidence Building between the Nordic Countries and North Korea, * Evaluation of the East Asian Language Education at Swedish Universities, * External Evaluation of the Nordic Pavilion at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, * Indonesian Conflict Studies Network Project on Conflict Resolution Training, * Papua Peace Mission, * Perspectives from Southeast Asia, * Report on Areas for Eventual Norwegian Support in North Korea«s Economic Reform Process, * Review of ASEM«s First Decade, * Strengthening the Development Research and Policy Analysis Capacity of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) - Phase 2, * Terrorism and Islam-West Relations - ed.]
** NIAS services ("Our services and related activities comprise: consulting, guest researchers, support for graduate education (NIAS SUPRA) and post graduate education (Asian Century Research School), library and information services (NIAS Linc), conferences, seminars, publications (NIAS Press), NIASnytt-Asia Insights, and networks. Also, we collaborate with the media to provide expert analysis, comments and articles. NIAS works with ministries and companies as consultants on commissioned projects and as speakers at meetings.");
** Sponsors; ** NIAS News; ** NIAS Library; ** NIASnytt - Asia Insights ["thrice-yearly magazine from NIAS for anyone with an interest in modern Asia and the global implications of the developments in Asian societies", in PDF format]; ** NIAS LINC - A Nordic Resource Centre for Research and Information on Asia; ** Search NIAS web site.
URL http://nias.ku.dk/
Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://nias.ku.dk/
Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at--coombs.anu.edu.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Corporate Info.
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: Academic
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Essential
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 1,000

07 Feb 2006

Society for the Study of Chinese Religions (SSCR)
SSCR, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, US
Site contents:
* About the SSCR; * Related organizations; * SSCR Publications and Conference Sessions (Hard-copy publications: Journal of Chinese Religions, Taoist Resources, Newsletter, etc; The Journal of Chinese Religions in electronic format; SSCR-sponsored sessions at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003); * Links to relevant sites in Chinese Religions.
[Until the last update in Sep 2003 the SSCR site was maintained by John R. McRae at Indiana University. In early 2006 the site was dormant - ed.]
URL http://www.indiana.edu/~sscr/
Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.indiana.edu/~sscr/
Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at--coombs.anu.edu.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Corporate Info.
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: NGO
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 300

05 Feb 2006

Myanmar-Petrochina Agreement: A Setback To India's Quest For Energy Security
South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India
[Extract: "Paper no. 1681; 19. 01. 2006 [...] Expecting an exponential growth in its energy demands due to expanding economy India has been trying hard in recent times to secure energy supplies. The volatility in international oil prices gave a sense of urgency to this need. But unfortunately, India's oil diplomacy has not been sufficiently geared to meet this challenge. As a result its oil companies have been outsmarted or rather outbidded by the Chinese firms in several recent deals. Most embarrassingly, India has now also lost a deal in Myanmar where no such bidding was held. [...] China has linked energy to its foreign policy far longer than India and has been more successful in diversifying its energy resources, developing a varied network of oil suppliers from Africa to South America. India will also have to integrate its Oil diplomacy with its foreign policy. India has also made another mistake of waiting for too long for Bangladesh to join the project. Given the kind of prevailing geopolitics in south Asia Bangladesh is unlikely to join the project any time soon. India can still go ahead with the project bypassing Bangladesh if it is viable and sufficient amount of gas is available for transportation." - Anand Kumar]
Site contents: Volume of Gas; Politics Affecting Tri-nation Gas Pipeline Project; Reasons Prompting Myanmar to Opt for China; Aiyer Proposes Sino-India Cooperation in Energy; China Not Totally Averse to Cooperate with India.
URL http://www.saag.org/papers17/paper1681.html
Internet Archive (www.archive.org) [the paper was not archived at the time of this abstract. However, in a few weeks time it will be available at web.archive.org/web/*/www.saag.org]
Link reported by: T. Matthew Ciolek (tmciolek--at--coombs.anu.edu.au)
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: NGO
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

03 Feb 2006

Following the tiger's trail [a smuggling route from India to eastern Tibet]
TibetInfoNet - www.tibetinfonet.net, Germany
Self-description: "[...] Tibetinfonet follows the trail of the tiger skins from national parks in India to rural festivals in eastern Tibet, and shows that the major players within the trade are Tibetans on the fringes of the exile communities in Nepal and India, and organisations protected by the Chinese authorities because of past or current political services provided to the regime. We identify some of these groups and show that unless the PRC authorities review their governance and policies towards Tibetans, it is doubtful whether the Indian tiger has any chance of survival. [...] "Official estimates put the population of tigers in the wild in India at 3,500, but many commentators believe that this is an optimistic figure. Whereas figures remain contested, there is a clear consensus among environmentalists that the tiger' s situation is precarious and that the greatest threat they face is being poached to feed the demand for tiger skins and body parts in the PRC. Following the press conference in Delhi, international reports unanimously stated that 'huge seizures of tiger, leopard and otter skins in India and Nepal indicate the existence of highly organised criminal networks behind the skin trade'. However, these reports fall short of providing actual details about these networks. Information received by TibetInfoNet provides a comprehensive overview of the trade, its structure and the groups of people involved in it."

Site contents: * Introduction; * The geography of the trade; * Operators of the trade - 1. Couriers and traders; * Operators of the trade - 2. The syndicates; * 'Prosperity' and the reinvention of traditions; * PR and environmental protection - Is the tiger the winner?; * Footnotes.

[TibetInfoNet Special Report "Following the tiger's trail" (6000 words, and 7 photographs) was released on 31 Jan 2006. Other reports published at www.tibetinfonet.net include: *Mining policies shift in the TAR (Oct 2005, 940 words); *Illiteracy and education levels worsen in the TAR despite development drive (Sep 2005, 1200 words); *Detentions before 40th anniversary of TAR (Sep 2005, 490 words). - ed.]

URL http://www.tibetinfonet.net/updates/2006/3101.htm
Internet Archive (web.archive.org) [the site was not archived at the time of this abstract]
Link reported by: tin--at--tibetinfonet.net
* Resource type [news - documents - study - corporate info. - online guide]: Study
* Publisher [academic - business - government - library - NGO - other]: NGO
* Scholarly usefulness [essential - v.useful - useful - interesting - marginal]: V.Useful
* External links to the resource [over 3,000 - under 3,000 - under 1,000 - under 300 - under 100 - under 30]: under 30

01 Feb 2006

Mohammed Image Archive: Depictions of Mohammed Throughout History
www.zombietime.com, San Francisco/Berkeley, CA, US
Self-description: "Mohammed Image Archive - Depictions of Mohammed Throughout History.
Controversy over the publication of images depicting Mohammed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten [www.jp.dk/english_news/ - ed.] has erupted into an international furor. While Muslim nations are calling for a boycott of Denmark, Europeans are divided as to whether they should stand up for Western principles of freedom of speech, or cave in to to self-censorship in the name of multiculturalism and fear.
While the debate rages, an important point has been overlooked: despite the Islamic prohibition against depicting Mohammed under any circumstances, hundreds of paintings, drawings and other images of Mohammed have been created over the centuries, with nary a word of complaint from the Muslim world. The recent cartoons in Jyllands-Posten are nothing new; it's just that no other images of Mohammed have ever been so widely publicized.

This page is an archive of numerous depictions of Mohammed, to serve as a reminder that such imagery has been part of Western and Islamic culture since the Middle Ages -- and to serve as a resource for those interested in freedom of expression. The images in the archive below - also mirrored at the nordish.net (Norway) and parazite.h1.ru (Russia) - have been divided into the following categories: * Islamic Paintings and Miniatures Showing Mohammed in Full, * Islamic Depictions of Mohammed with Face Hidden, * European Medieval and Renaissance Images, * Book Illustrations, * Dante's Inferno, * French Book Covers, * Various Eras, * Contemporary Christian Drawings, * Animated TV Parodies, * Satirical Modern Cartoons, * The Jyllands-Posten Cartoons, * Recent Responses to the Controversy, * Links."

[For more information about the 12 Jyllands-Posten drawings (http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/facesgallery.jpg) see

• "Thou Shalt Not Draw", 21 Dec 2005 (www.frontpagemag.com);
• "Fabricated cartoons worsened Danish controversy", 2 Feb 2006 (counterterror.typepad.com) and "Danish Imams Busted!", 6 Feb 2006 (www.neandernews.com)
• Wikipedia article "Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy"; and the Wikipedia's alphabetical and chronological "List of newspapers that reprinted Jylland-Posten's Muhammad cartoons" (detailed entries by anonymous editors, constantly updated);
• http://www.google.com/search?hl=da&q=Jyllands+cartoons+islam (over 242,000 web pages on 9 Feb [249,000 pages on 8 Feb; 35,000 pages on 01 Feb] dealing with "Jyllands cartoons islam")