Alicia Silverstone naked!! Gambari in Burma as more protests begin and a nice gift from the government...

I remember seeing a girl in a few Aerosmith videos way back in the early to mid-nineties. I thought she was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen, apart from Helena Bonham-Carter of course, but never managed to find out who she was. It was some years later when I discovered that the woman in question was Alicia Silverstone. So an email from PETA that arrived yesterday really brought a smile to my face. Not only is Ms Silverstone a fellow vegetarian she's gone and dropped her kit for a PETA advert. I know this is very shallow and even juvenile of me but here it is:


Alicia Silverstone’s Sexy Veggie PSA
Order a FREE vegetarian starter kit at GoVeg.com

UN special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari has arrived in Burma for talks with, well, whoever is allowed to talk to him. America has said he should be allowed to talk to whoever he likes but it remains to be seen if that actually happens. In the meantime protesters have taken to the streets again in defiance of the military junta. Could this be another day of barbaric slaughter or will the military exercise restraint whilst their guest is in town?


I discovered yesterday that the government deems it necessary for all 3 and 4 year olds to be in some kind of education and parents should be given help financially. As a result every 3 and 4 year old in the country is entitled to 15 hours of tuition or care a week courtesy of the government. Sadly we missed out on last term's handout but I'm on the case now.

Having paid this term's school fees in full at the start of the term the money will go against the next term, and with the discount for next term as well the next bill is set to be very low indeed. This is wonderful, like a school fee holiday for a whole term. This is one of the nice things about living here. A big hearty thanks to Gordon Brown and Co., for this early Christmas present, nice to get something back occasionally.

Alicia Silverstone naked!! Gambari in Burma as more protests begin and a nice gift from the government...

Death of an innocent man, China and Thailand, and another weekend...

The moment the Japanese photo-journalist was shot [video below]

General feeling among world leaders appears to be that yesterday's hunting spree by the despicable Burmese military junta resulted in far more deaths than is being let on. I honestly find it so hard to believe that this can continue in the twenty-first century without anyone doing anything to help. The UN have talked, but action has been blocked by China and Russia. The EU and US have condemned the junta's actions but no action taken. Some members of ASEAN, of which Burma is a member, have mumbled that their action is a bit naughty but they haven't taken it further. And Thailand's General Sonthi remarked that criticism "isn't appropriate" yet. So in the meantime the people of Burma remain alone at the mercy of one of the world's most ruthless regimes.

Here is the footage of the Japanese journalist shot by a Burmese soldier. Cold, calculated and a complete waste of life. He shoots from point blank range and just moves on. Moving footage.



For Brits wanting to sign a petition to pressurise the government into some kind of action check here. People power is an incredible force. If enough people make their voices heard something might actually get done. I'm sure most who read the words I write here everyday already know what is going on but if just one person is encouraged to do something or sign a petition then it's worth it.

Here's a little reminder of why China and Thailand won't intervene. Something about birds of a feather I think.

Chinese tanks on the way to crush some protesters.



General Suchinda's brave soldiers whacking the crap out of some unarmed civilians in Bangkok



Another week over and another weekend with a party for the daughter. Sunday will see me playing daughter's taxi for this week's party. I think there's one next week and then we're free for a while. Other than that not too much happening. I've got some tasks that I need to complete by the end of play tomorrow but other than that it's a fairly uneventful weekend.

Looks like the wife will be here for definite in December so my spell of single parenting will be coming to an end. I'm sure the daughter will be over the moon about the return of the mum but I can't help feeling that there's going to be a painful period of re-adjustment when she does make an appearance. Turbulent times ahead.

England are playing Tonga in the rugby world cup. For a while they were in the lead and it was starting to look like we were heading down the pan. However, thanks to the great Wilkinson and his kicking ability we're steaming ahead and a great try by Paul Sackey has just edged us up even further. Something to smile about.

Death of an innocent man, China and Thailand, and another weekend...

The aggression continues and sillyness from the UK...

*** http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Burmacrackdown/ ***

Sadly there is still no end to the chaos that has hit the streets of Burma this week, not that anyone expected it to end so soon. It appears the UN tried to make some moves but dear old China and her mate Russia blocked any moves towards taking action. China feels it's all a matter for the Burmese and we should all just close our eyes and carry on with business as usual. But I suppose for a nation like China to criticise hard-handed military aggression against innocent civilians it would come across as somewhat hypocritical, given their track record. Which is probably one of the many reasons why military controlled Thailand has failed to do any voluble condemning either.

[pics from http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/]

Word on the net is that there has been at least one more fatality. Bloggers from within Burma continue to get the news out one way or other and still the junta of Than Shwe threatens the people with harsh action if they don't just go home and behave. And stories of monks trashing a mosque are just that apparently. Seems the junta has been getting soldiers in robes to do some mischief-making to blacken the name of the monks protesting.

For the first time in a long while I currently feel respect and admiration for a religious group; the Buddhist monks of Burma. I'm no fan of any religion and have no time for such man made hypocritical mumbo-jumbo (no offence to any die-hard religious fanatics) but I think what the monks in Rangoon are doing takes real belief, conviction and plain guts.

Added: And now nine more have been killed including a Japanese video journalist and some reports have suggested a German national was shot by the soldiers.



On a somewhat more trivial and light-hearted note here's some news from the UK. McDonalds have been charging a fine in some branches for people who take more than forty-five minutes to eat their food. They've brought in a car park firm to check and process fines for cars that remain in their car park in excess of this limit. One family received their bill two weeks after visiting McDonalds. They have four kids and dropped in for some dinner. First there was a queue so they took some time to get served and then there was a wait for the burgers. We're talking young kids here so there was some dillying and dallying before the burgers had been eaten, by which time everyone wanted some ice creams and apple-pie. Result: it was more than forty-five minutes. Anyway, two weeks later they get a bill for £125GBP (approx US$250). It seems they are not alone, loads of people have been caught in this McTrap. The family have of course raised two fingers in McDonald's direction and told them to whistle for their cash. The case continues.

And the Conservatives have named their candidate for the race to elect a new mayor of London. And yes, they opted for the candidate with most comedic qualities, yes you guessed it, Boris Johnson. So that's it, surely another victory to the madman Ken Livingstone. Eton and Cambridge educated "Boris the Blond" has been editor of The Spectator, MP for Henley-on-Thames and a shadow Conservative minister but is probably most famous for his unique brand of upper-crust buffoonary on the popular quiz panel show, Have I Got New For You. So, keep watching for more hilarious antics as Bozzer makes his quest to become the new mayor of London. I just love this guy!!! [But I wouldn't trust him with anything serious]

Bozzer in action [he's the floppy haired one with the plum in his throat

http://www.freeburmarangers.org/

http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/

http://weblog.xanga.com/dawn_1o9/618271640/the-dark-hours.html


The aggression continues and sillyness from the UK...

A dark day for Burma....

From the BBC:

Witnesses described monks with blood on their shaved heads as police charged at the Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon.

[photo courtesy of Reuters]

Reports have indicated that five monks and a woman have allegedly been killed during the bloody crackdown by the military junta in Burma. Brave action from armed soldiers against peaceful protesters in robes.

I must admit this whole thing has really got under my skin. I really fell for Burma the few times I visited and my limited experience of the Burmese was 100% positive: genuinely warm and welcoming people despite the terrible conditions most there live under. Whilst the Burmese are kept impoverished and as virtual slaves within their own country China and Thailand exploit the situation by making off with it's resources on the cheap, trade that helps prop up the evil regime and prolong the hell. In the case of Thailand this unfortunate situation also means they have a regular supply of extremely cheap labour that can be abused without complaint.

With the Olympics approaching in Beijing the general feeling has been that the Chinese might be able to put pressure on their allies, the Burmese military. However, the Chinese are now saying that it's purely an internal matter and for the BUrmese to sort out. Basically the Chinese think that stability, no matter what the cost, is preferable to any kind of instability.

Whilst Britain remains the biggest aid donor to Burma it came out today that not a penny of government money has gone to any pro-democracy cause. However, £120,ooo GBP of British taxpayers' money has gone to help save the Burmese bat. I'm all for looking after nature but surely there are more pressing issues in Burma at the moment.

http://irrawaddy.org
http://burmacampaign.org.uk/

A dark day for Burma....

Plot thickens in Burma and something I never thought I'd ever say....

As more and more people and monks join the protests in Rangoon so does the intensity of media coverage outside Asia. With a curfew now imposed and threats of harsh action by the ruling military junta the big worry is where this will all end.

The footage of monks clad in nothing but robes marching in defiance against the heavily armed troops of Than Shwe is quite something. This is what I've always thought Buddhism was all about. Quite refreshing after my many years witnessing the uglier side of Buddhism next door to Burma.

Apparently the military have ordered several thousand robes and ordered the same number of soldiers to shave their heads. The thinking is that they might be preparing to send these guys in undercover to stir up trouble and start violence, thereby giving the military an excuse to let loose with the big guns.

The group I mentioned on facebook.com in yesterday's post [Myanmar (Burma) Uprising: Worldwide Support] is gaining support and some of the people involved have already organised quiet protests in Canada.

A view by Shwe Dagon that I took in 2005

On another topic here's something I never thought I'd ever say: That Gordan Brown bloke, he's not too bad. Anyone who either knows me or has ever read this blog will know that there's more chance of Margaret Thatcher voting Labour than me but after Brown's inaugural speech yesterday I can't help thinking he's not such a bad bloke. Unlike Blair and his cronies, Brown doesn't seem to be afraid of liking Britain. Where Blair made people feel ashamed of being British Brown is gunning for more patriotism and a sense of national worth. And rather than coming out with clever soundbites penned by Alastair Campbell he does seem quite passionate about his policies, including education, crime and immigration. Hopefully he's true to his word and manages to follow through on his promises. And, of course, being a Scot and PM of England it will be interesting to see who he supports when England next play football or rugby against Scotland.


Plot thickens in Burma and something I never thought I'd ever say....

Monks' revolution in Burma, and some photos....

Things are really starting to move in Rangoon and throughout the rest of Burma. They're calling it the monks' revolution and it certainly seems to be gaining momentum. I've visited Burma about three times and have a real fondness for Rangoon, and found the Burmese to be a genuinely friendly and welcoming people.

Opinion in the media seems mixed about where this could all be leading with some predicting bloodshed and others wondering at what point will it be too late for the ruling junta to intervene. There is also a theory that the Chinese, one of the junta's biggest partners along with Thailand, are pressurising Shwe and the boys into exercising restraint. Either way, this is the closest they've been to true uprising for many years.

This is one of an increasing number of clips appearing on youtube.com from people inside Burma.

Here are some other images appearing on the net. These two courtesy of AP.


Here are two shots I took in Rangoon, personal favourites.


And on a lighter note here's a bill board I saw in Rangoon. Yes, that's right, beer that is both anti-aging and keeps you forever young. Marvelous!


Links:

http://www.irrawaddy.org/
www.bbc.co.uk/news

Or you could express your support by joining this group on facebook.com - Myanmar (Burma) Uprising: Worldwide Support

Monks' revolution in Burma, and some photos....

So what's happening with our animals??? What is Red Gurnard and summer flooding...

Once again the country is at risk from another serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Currently confined to small pockets of the country, that are increasing at a worrying speed, the general line is that it's all in hand and being taken care of. PM Brown is on the case and he's gunning for the cattle and the farmers on this one, or so he wants people to believe anyway.

But now we have something new. Now the animals are being hit with bluetongue disease, being spread by midges. Bluetongue isn't a new disease for southern Europe and Africa but this is the first time it's emerged in the UK. General feeling is that this is the result of global warming.

Ever heard of Red Gurnard? No, me neither. Well this little known fish has been happily plodding along secure in the knowledge that its only use to mankind has been to be thrown back when caught by accident, or used as bait. However, thanks to the likes of Rick Stein, it's the new sought after fish by all the trendiest restaurants. It's good news for fishermen on the south coast as the price has rocketed from £0.25p GBP per kilo to £4.00!! And to top that, there's no annoying quotas like there are for other fish. Great news for fish fans, even better news for fishermen, but a real bugger if you happen to be a Red Gurnard.

During an afternoon of feeding ducks and swans and generally just sightseeing with the daughter I took her into Worcester cathedral. It's been a favourite of mine since childhood, for architectural reasons rather than theological ones, and I've been promising to show her a cathedral in England since we visited Hagia Sofia in Istanbul earlier in the year. It had to be today because she was insisting that it wasn't a cathedral but, in fact, Cinderella's castle. It took a tour of the crypt and twenty minutes watching the voluntary choir before she was convinced.

Here is a picture I took earlier in the summer when most of the country was freakishly underwater. When we should have been greasing up with sun lotion most were donning waders and bidding for dingies on ebay. This is a Tesco lorry determined to get supplies across the Severn, picture taken about three miles from the Severn so you can imagine what it was like closer.


So what's happening with our animals??? What is Red Gurnard and summer flooding...

It's been a long time..

Too long. Feels like an age since I last posted. Being back here I just don't get the time to update the blog anymore, though I intend to try and change that now.

All the pressures of being back in the UK have been piling up. I'm still a single parent and a working one at that, which is proving to be a real bitch of a job. The daughter is in her second term and loving it and I somehow manage to take full care of her whilst trying to make a crust and fight off bankruptcy.

I can't lie, there have been the odd occasions when I've wondered if coming back was right and recently I've found myself drifting off into beach-based Thai-flavoured day dreams. Still, I'm here and I ain't moving nowhere just yet.

Is Christmas really that close??

Here's a few pics of some paragliding up on Hay Bluff in the Brecon Beacons the other week.





It's been a long time..