Don’t help Burma, help China.
How does the “Saffron Revolution” affect the China and the US?
First it’s a fact which few will argue that the present military dictatorship of the reclusive General Than Shwe is right up there when it comes to world-class tyrannies. It’s also a fact that Myanmar enjoys one of the world’s lowest general living standards. Partly as a result of the ill-conceived 100% to 500% price hikes in gasoline and other fuels in August, inflation, the nominal trigger for the mass protests led by saffron-robed Buddhist monks, is unofficially estimated to have risen by 35%. Ironically the demand to establish “market” energy prices came from the IMF and World Bank.
The UN estimates that the population of some 50 million inhabitants spend up to 70% of their monthly income on food alone. The recent fuel price hike makes matters unbearable for tens of millions.
Myanmar is also deeply involved in the world narcotics trade, ranking only behind Hamid Karzai’s Afghanistan as a source for heroin. As well, it is said to be Southeast Asia’s largest producer of methamphetamines.
This is all understandable powder to unleash a social explosion of protest against the regime.
It is also a fact that the Myanmar military junta is on the hit list of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Bush administration for its repressive ways. Has the Bush leopard suddenly changed his spots? Or is there a more opaque agenda behind Washington’s calls to impose severe economic and political sanctions on the regime?
Read on…
Labels: Burma, China, USA
The US military says 19 suspected insurgents and 15 civilians, including nine children, have been killed in an operation north of Baghdad.
…
“These terrorists chose to deliberately place innocent Iraqi women and children in danger by their actions and presence.”
Sounds like someones been employing the same PR advisers as Israel:
“The Palestinians make cynical use of children” – according to the IDF, the children killed in Gaza this past week arrived at the scene for one of two reasons: Either they were part of a particularly young terror cell, or they were sent there by terror groups as human shields.
Fucking Arabs, all the same, it’s in their make-up, don’tcha know?
There’s better examples of the victim being blamed, but I’m drunk and can only just find the keyboard, never mind anything else.
Labels: Iraq, Israel
Craig Murray, sticks a middle finger up to Usmanov, and his lackey lawyers Schillings, by making his first post a repost of the article Usmanov took such exception too.
Labels: The t’internet
Schillings have been having another go.
Not content with their first effort at closing the Web, they’ve issued another warning to UK Indymedia about this article.
More here, here, here, and most definitely here for a bit of irony..
Labels: Freedom of Speech, The t’internet
Doctors are calling on “safe” forms of Nicotine, patches, chewing gum etc. to be more freely available to help people stop smoking.
What would be better than all these expensive patches and pills is to make available Allen Carrs’ book Easy Way To Stop Smoking available on the NHS.
Cost less than a tenner, and from Play.com at the moment it is on 50 pence more expensive than a prescription.
Unlike the patches and pills, the book is a one off purchase so no repeat prescription and the NHS isn’t giving the patient something for £6.50 that costs it a lot more.
If you want to pack in smoking, give the book ago. You’ll be surprised how easy it really is.
Labels: Drugs