Burma/Myanmar

I first remember hearing, literally hearing about Burma in 1995. I had no idea where it was on the world map http://www.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=Burma. It was caught up in the fervor over East Timor as another example of a failed post-colonial state. In almost 12 years it seems that it is frozen in time. Burma/Myanmar is a country lost in the international community's complicity in the continued acquiesced existence of deplorable military junta's like the one that has this beautiful country in a strangle hold. For some info to get your blood boiling if you're familiar with Burma's troubles check this- http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IA17Ae01.html .

The CBC had a mini-doc run last week in the back-half of the National that profiled Burmese migrants that were returning to the country illegally, and at great peril of course, to provide people with heartfelt yet meager medication and food near the border. One of the truly saddest images I have seen on TV probably ever, and these days that's saying a lot, was of this elderly lady probably in her 70s laying stones by hand to make a road to help the military get deeper easier into the remote parts of the country to crack down on migrants. She hadn't been fed in days and of course was not getting paid, terrified to be talking to the illegal migrants with a hidden camera. Fucking terrible. If your interested in getting frustrated by yet another country to add to your wish list of places to help if you were the PM or a Billionaire read this quick backgrounder on the country.

http://www.freeburmacoalition.org/fbcbackgrounder.htm

Out of this has come one of the truly hidden and inspiring life stories of the last 100 years. Aung San Suu Kyi has been leading the pro-democracy movement in Burma for close to 20 years. In 1989 after a long time military leader stepped down a massive democratization movement ignited that was quickly and violently crushed. Soon after Aung San Suu Kyi founded the National League for Democracy which was based on her belief in a Gandhi inspired non-violence approach. She was subsequently put under house arrest for 7 YEARS. Under pressure the military Junta called general elections that Aung San Suu Kyi's party easily won. The results were thrown out and the military started a long and ugly campaign of terror that has yet to cease. In that same year she won the Nobel Peace prize. In September 2000 she was again placed under house arrest as she has been a continued 'annoyance' and has not been released since. Check this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi for more about Suu Kyi and some of the people trying to help this country. The worst evil runs from the light of inspection and I promise it will not be another 12 years before I decide to get angry and join the call to tell people about this tragic and incredible story.

We can help by pressuring our Foreign Affairs to keep the pressure on the UN to lay into Myanmar and stand up to Russia and China that are protecting this disgusting reality. Canada will be accepting refugees from the country this year.

P.S. if your a U2 fan you'll know that "Walk On" is about Suu Kyi. Good song.

We Broke the Planet

We are in trouble man, deep trouble. Some of you may be 'fatigued' by all the global warming doomsdaying that has been popular as of late but consider this: We have not experienced a signifigant snow fall in Toronto ALL FUCKING YEAR.

We have not experienced a significant snowfall not just this winter, which would be news enough, but all last winter starting from January. We had minor accumulations in November and December of last year but after mid December, nothing. As I said, we have heard a lot this year in the mainstream media about global warming as it is now 'cool' to be 'concerned'. Global warming is a cause worn by celebrities like Prada and will soon become soooo 2006 and be replaced in the zeitgeist by whatever Brangelina get photographed caring about. God bless the likes of Clooney, Gore et al but talking about it and making a movie appearing on Oprah and Vanity Fair may have purchased credibility for this complex reality and pushed it a little higher on the agenda of some but I fear that we are woefully underestimating the severity and speed in which we are breaking the planet.

Our lack of a white Christmas is one thing but take a look at this to start getting the willies. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061229-arctic-ice.html
What the fuck. There are now only 5 major ice shelves in the Canadian Arctic. That's cool, the one that broke off was only there for 4000 thousand years! Woops-our bad. How the hell are we getting away with this? What has to start to happen? The Earth is about to get biblical on us and we are fretting about hanging tin pot dictators, waging useless wars, losing ourselves in technology and entertainment and well, we are just shitting the bed-plain and simple. My New Years resolution-download Save this House by Spirit of the West to my phone, stop driving as much, stop talking about this stuff and start doing something. I respectfully ask you do the same.

P.S. The U.S. said this week that they are probably going to put Polar Bears on the threatened species list this week. mmm, wonder why?