Does anyone care??

One of so many Burmese monks, bludgeoned to death by the regime

I'm guilty. I'm guilty as charged of caring. As much as I want to start the post by talking about the wonder that is the English rugby team which embarrassed the Australians and kicked them out of the world cup I think there are more important things to get off my chest. Sorry to be a bore but I'm talking Burma.

For a while it seemed that people cared but, alas, it's not so. A weekend of protests just didn't happen. The only place where anyone could be bothered to make an effort was London where several thousand marched through the streets in an attempt to gain support for some kind of action on Burma. The Japanese protest was cancelled because they've decided it's all hunky dory down Rangoon way now, 100 Burmese and foreigners managed a token gesture in Bangkok and the same in Sydney. Pitiful!China, host of the 2008 Olympics. A more appropriate logo.

It seems that no one really cares. Some have called for a boycott of the 2008 Olympics in China (China is the biggest supporter of the regime in Burma and has the power to turn off the tap, as it where) but that won't happen; after all how will people be expected to remember those silly Burmese getting slaughtered a year from now. Personally I think there should be a complete boycott of all Chinese products but then that's me. Thailand is another big supporter of the regime and pours money into the military coffers in return for gas. But the Thais have never been ones to let the slaughter of innocence get in the way of luxury and consumerism so no action from them. Will anyone cancel their holiday in Thailand as a protest? Not a chance. Or maybe think twice about buying wooden products from Thailand, many sourced from Burma where the good old practice of slavery and environmental exploitation still exists. Nope. And the same goes for the French (Total oil) and the Singaporeans (big trading partner with the regime).

At the start of the week there was shock and horror at some of the images coming from Burma. People were disgusted and horrified. But that was the start of the week. Time has moved on and, as the saying goes, yesterday's news is today's chip paper. So just when the Burmese people need help the most no one seems in a real hurry to offer a hand. The UN is talking. ASEAN, currently chaired by Singapore, is saying that any solution must include the military. Anyone who knows anything about SE Asia and the great "Asian values" argument knows that what they mean is the solution should include an amnesty for the military and be profitable for them and the despicable neighbours (China and Thailand) who support them.






Does anyone care??

An entry with no name...

Slow day. Still pain but going now. Half the day on the phone and the other half wondering how I managed to spend half a day on the phone.

It's here! It's arrived! Well it arrived a few days ago but this evening I have started to watch it. Yes, I'm talking about season 6 of 24. Sad I know but I think 24 is one of the best TV series for a long time. Over the next week 24 hours of my life will be wasted.

The daughter got yet another party invitation today which means another weekend given over to taxi duties. Free weekends are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

An entry with no name...

Money's too tight to mention...

Yep, more going out than is coming in. Feeling slightly jaded and disillusioned about life in general at the moment. Several months back in dear old Blighty and still I'm not on the road to riches, or even on the pathway to security. Various projects that I've devoted time and money to have come to nothing or I've been outbid on. There's one I'm looking at at the moment that's showing a glimmer of hope but I'm sure that by the end of today it'll all seem bleak. God I must sound depressed.

I'm suffering from a neck injury which is causing me a great deal of pain. I'd like to say that it was the result of some heroic play on the rugby field but, alas, it's not. It was nothing more heroic than getting out of bed the wrong way on Sunday morning. I moved, there was a crack and that was that, virtually immobile since then. I managed to get the daughter to her party on Sunday afternoon which she enjoyed immensely.

Yesterday was just too painful to mention and this morning I awoke, after eventually getting to sleep, with the biggest bad boy of a headache I've ever had. So at half five this morning I breakfasted on a fistful of the strongest headache pills I could find and mooched about slowly until it was time to start the daily routine of getting the daughter ready for the school run. It's times like these that I have all the sympathy in the world for single mothers and can fully understand why so many of them seem to smoke.

This afternoon I have to take the daughter to get her "winter uniform". Nice as it is I can't help wonder if it really is necessary to have two uniforms throughout the year. Isn't this just a waste of resources and parents' money. I certainly feel like it's a waste of my money.

Here's a link for a petition about the crisis in Burma, please help by signing it and help put pressure on the UN and China to intervene. It seems that the various rebel groups along Burma's fringes might be preparing to join forces and attack the government troops. A spokesman for them pointed out that the people in Rangoon need their help and that this is the only chance of freedom the people of Burma will get for a long time. Though massively out gunned they can, at the very least, tie down much of the Burmese military and hinder their actions. Ten rebels being enough to occupy the attention of a hundred soldiers. I just hope they can get support from outside the country to help arm them, and political support.



Money's too tight to mention...