The following blogs are written by Burmese, and have up-to-date information, pictures, and video footage from inside the country and news organizations around the world:
The website of the Democratic Voice of Burma has reports, pictures, and video footage. The video below shows yesterday’s protests in Rangoon. Just from watching videos of the protests over the last days, I get the sense that the protests have changed very much. Earlier footage shows very calm demonstrations by large groups of monks as well as women and men of all age groups, while yesterdays protesters were mainly young men. Besides shooting demonstrators, the military has also raided Buddhist monasteries. Monks were reportedly beaten and arrested. One of the Burmese blogs reports rumors of a split in the military government… I hope it’s true.
Sep 28, 2007 (DVB)–Soldiers have used slingshots to disperse demonstrations in Rangoon today, which have been less organised than on previous days.
Chants from the protestors have taken on a different tone from earlier messages of goodwill, with protestors calling for lightning to strike and kill those who had attacked monks.
“Before they were chanting metta, but now they are cursing the soldiers,” said a local resident.
Troops were deployed at the corner of Sule pagoda road and Anawrahta road where shootings took place yesterday, about six blocks away from the Pansodan junction with Anawrahta road where more than 10,000 people were protesting.
Another group of 5,000-10,000 protestors assembled at around 3.30pm in the Chinatown area at the junction of Strand road and Keile road, also cursing government security forces. No government troops, guards or supporters were seen at this location.
“It’s like they’re trying not to upset the Chinese. We’ve seen an army truck passing by Chinatown, but no troops have been deployed,” said a Rangoon resident.
The group moved on towards Sule pagoda road but was broken up at around 4pm by government troops from battalion 66 firing slingshots at them.
Four army trucks were seen, one with a loudspeaker urging residents not to provide refuge to protestors and ordering them to refrain from firing slingshots at security forces from their homes. The announcements threatened action against anyone sheltering protestors.
There have also been reports that warning shots were fired at demonstrations at Theingyizay market, but these were not said to have been aimed directly into the crowds.
Reporting by Than Win Htut and Aye Nai (www.dvb.no)
1. I have so loved your posts on German and Hong Kong culture and history. What do you love most and what do you dislike most about each place and how did you end up in Hong Kong?
I went to Hong Kong pretty much on a whim after I had finished my university degree in London. I didn’t have a job offer, and was not sure if I would stay for long. I will never forget the first day in Hong Kong. I was badly jet lagged, but the city had such vibrancy that I couldn’t stop walking through the streets and taking it all in. During the first few months I sent out hundreds of job applications, but didn’t have much luck. Most foreigners who work here were transferred within their organizations, and a German applying for a job directly in Hong Kong was out of the ordinary. But just as my tourist visa was about to expire, one of the companies I had applied to and interviewed with offered me a position, and I have been here ever since.
What do I love about Hong Kong? The vibrancy of the street life, just taking a stroll through any of the old neighborhoods at any time of the day is an experience. There are always people on the street, and there is always something interesting to see. The food! Eating out is an integral part of Hong Kong’s culture. From small hole-in-the-wall take-aways to multi-storey restaurants, from the local Cantonese cuisine to delicacies from all around the world, everything is available. I also love the enterprising spirit of Hongkongers. There are so many small shops, restaurants, and companies in Hong Kong, started by people with can-do attitude, and it gives the city an incredible level of energy.
What I don’t like is the slavish adherence to progress, or what is perceived as such. For me progress is a rise in quality of life, and that can’t be achieved by simply building new skyscrapers or shopping malls. However, people’s attitudes are beginning to change more and more. They worry about preservation of their cultural heritage and the environment. I just wish the government here would pay more attention to their concerns.
Berlin is my home city, so I am terribly biased, but I love that the city has its own way. If you travel around Germany and as your last stop go to Berlin, you notice it immediately. It’s not tidy, it’s not terribly pretty – although it has some wonderful areas - , and Berliners can sometimes be extremely straight-forward … ok, rude. But the city ticks to its own beat, and that’s wonderful.
It comes from a mix of different attitudes, I suppose. Firstly, Berliners have a big dose of stoicism (“Uns kann jarnischt”- Nothing can really touch us), which comes from the city’s turbulent history, and that it has survived through it all. Secondly, Berliners are a pretty tolerant bunch. It’s a good place to start something new and out of the ordinary, because chances are that Berliners will not only let you, but also protect it. Thirdly, having money doesn’t necessarily earn you respect in Berlin. So a Gucci handbag won’t buy you any cloud. People will know immediately that you are a) probably from Munich and b) have serious self-esteem issues. Which btw is the direct opposite to Hong Kong, where the right brand name handbag makes the girl.
What I don’t like about Berlin is the passive attitude of some of its people. Berliners are good at complaining about how hard their life is, and blaming others for it. Sometimes I just want to scream to their faces that they live in unbelievable luxury and comfort compared to most other people on this planet, and that it’s no use blaming others for something they have to change themselves.
2. What place in the world have you not yet been to that you are dying to see and experience and why that place?
There are many places I haven’t yet seen and would love to visit. But there is one very special place that I hope to see soon and that is Burma. All I have read about the country, about its culture, the diversity of its landscape, about its history and people, have been incredibly interesting and have wet my appetite. However, I have made the pledge to myself that I only want to see it as a free and democratic country.
If you are of the reading type, I urge you to read some of Aung San Suu Kyi’s books. Her book “Letters from Burma”, a relatively slim anthology of articles she wrote for a Japanese newspaper, is a good starting point to learn about ordinary life in Burma, and how it is affected by the present military regime. She is a very good writer, and Burma almost leaps from the book’s pages. Her official website has a lot of historic and current information as well, and I find the reports on the site from recent visitors to the country especially interesting. Also reading Amitav Gosh’s “Glass Palace” is a good start to learn about Burma’s history in a very entertaining way.
I don’t know if you all have seen the recent news. There are mass demonstrations on Rangoon’s streets, because the people have had enough of the repressive rule of the military junta. The demonstrations were started by Buddhist monks, but ordinary people have quickly joined the protests. The police has tried to stop the protest by firing live ammunition. But people have regrouped, and so far every day has seen new protests.
I know it sounds very bleak, but I don’t think the Burmese people can expect much help from the outside world. Burma’s big neighbors, China and India, are more interested in the country’s rich oil and gas reserves than in the well-being of its people, and the US and Europe will probably just up the rhetoric a bit. I am hoping that the Burmese will be strong enough to bring change by themselves, and I am hoping that a few people in the military junta will go against their own and stop the current bloodshed.
In 1989, Aung San Suu Kyi was democratically elected as her country’s political leader. In the same year the Berlin Wall fell. Change can come very quickly and unsuspected. I hope that now is such a time in Burma, because I would like to visit sooner rather than later.
3. You’ve just joined the sensational new girl band ‘mamaya.’ what kind of music do we play? What is your place in the band? And what should we wear?
The new musical sensation “Mamaya” would play an eclectic mix of rock, jazz, and anything else that strikes our fancy and current mood. People would never know what to expect when going to our concerts. My place in the band wouldn’t matter too much, because I would need to be dubbed anyway. The only musical instrument I play is my stereo, and singing isn’t my forte either. Maybe with a little electronic magic, I could be a background singer?
So why did they choose me for the hottest band in town? Because my hair is wild and I can shake my ass to the beat. Also I am not afraid to get half-nekkid on stage. We all wear the sensational Lime dress in different shades and pair it off with some fancy Birkenstock thong sandals. When the crowd goes wild, we throw our Birkis into the audience, and dance barefoot.
4. What is your favorite book from your childhood and which character in it would you be?
When I was a child, I devoured every Astrid Lindgren book I could get my hands on, and my most favorite character was Pippi Longstocking or Langstrumpf, as she is called in German. I also loved the Swedish movie adaptations of the series. I wanted to be just like her, free-spirited, strong, and witty. Best of all, she didn’t have to take shit from grown-ups… one cool girl!
5. I see you have postsecret linked in your sidebar. What secrets on the site are you most drawn to?
There aren’t any special kinds of secrets that I am drawn to, I find them all very interesting. Everyone of us has secrets, and I find the idea of creating a place for them to be seen wonderful. I am hoping that the people writing to post secret get some solace and empowerment out of it.
I also find it fascinating to see the different human emotions shining through these messages, good and bad ones. I think most of these emotions are honest, and honesty is always interesting.
Thank you so much, Lime, for sending me these questions. I had so much fun answering them. If some of you would like to be interviewed by me, please tell me in a comment.
On Tuesday evening, little man and I went to a beach party to celebrate the Chinese mid-autumn or lantern festival. While the grown-ups were slowly getting drunk on cheap wine, the kids played with glow-sticks. They are sold in packages of fifty, together with joints that let you make armbands, long chains, balls, and other kinds of fun stuff. Most kids on the beach looked like electric cowboys…lol. We also had traditional paper lanterns, but it was rather windy and one of them caught fire. Little man has been talking about it ever since. Luckily nothing happened, the fire was quickly put out.
The mid-autumn festival is one of my favorite holidays here. It is a harvest festival, celebrated on the autumn equinox when the moon is at its fullest. The tradional food of the holiday is mooncake, made out of the yolk of a duck egg and other ingredients. I have to admit that it’s not my thing taste-wise, but it looks very pretty when cut, with the yellow yolk in the middle symbolizing the full moon.
The mid-autumn festival also reminds me of one of my favorite German holidays, Martinstag, which is celebrated on November 11th. In the evening, children and grown-ups gather outside for lantern processions. It looks so pretty when these light snakes wind themselves through parks and dark streets.
I would have loved to tinker with a candle light lantern, but these glow-sticks are fun as well, don’t you think? Happy HNT!
HOLD! Don’t go away yet, because:
!!! Boobie-thon is just around the corner, and my blog-friend Eveningeyes has a special blog up to ask you all to join by donating pictures and/or money. Please join us! And don’t forget to do your regular breast exam !!!
I am too late for Musical Monday, so I thought I join in on TMI Tuesday, although it’s already Wednesday here. Aah well, here we go…
1. Who did you think you would marry in elementary school?
Prince charming, who else?
2. Which muppet is your favorite? Why?
(click on the image to hear him sing)
Cause he is my kind of prince charming :)… mahna mahna!
3. Which politician would you most like to screw? [For pleasure or revenge]
Heck, let’s not be complicated. I would like to screw them all… onto their seats in parliament or wherever they are sitting until they get a few problems solved.
4. How did you first find the g-spot?
When someone was right on target.
5. What is the best costume you’ve ever worn?
My smurfette costume was pretty cool.
Bonus (as in optional): Does pornography liberate or deteriorate society?
Neither. At best it’s “special” entertainment, at worst it’s painfully repetitive and boring.
First I tip-toed out of the bedroom where little man was sleeping, then I swung my hips along the hallway, and finally tap-danced in the kitchen while my noodles where cooking (with lobster flavor out of a sachet… don’t say anything). I wish it would have looked remotely similar to this…
I wanted to write a long post about this, but it’s much easier to copy and paste an opinion I whole-heartedly agree with. This is from a New York Times article, and boy, is he right:
…Dara O’Rourke, an associate professor of labor and environmental policy at the University of California, Berkeley…
…said that Mattel has been more focused on public relations rather than fixing its problems. He said that Mattel used China as a scapegoat for its own problems and that the toymaker is now paying the price for that.
“There’s no question that Mattel is still completely committed to operating in China and needs those factories,” he said. “There was a lot of scapegoating China, but I would argue that this was caused by a system that is designed to push down costs and speed up delivery. There are root causes and Mattel is behind those.”
It is possible to get well-made products at very attractive prices in China, but for some western companies that’s not enough. There is fierce competition in the manufacturing sector here. Big western companies are in a position of power, and can shop around. They push down prices and do not care enough about the consequences. You would think that a company as big as Mattel - and selling children’s toys of all things- should have an effective quality control system in place. It’s a cost decision, and they decided to go the cheap way.
There are many responsible parties in this, and it’s best to start sweeping in front of one’s own door.
The whole day, I had a sense of foreboding. Something just had to happen, but in the end nothing did. The morning was nice. I slept in, and it felt luxurious, but then the day kind of fizzled out. I worked the whole day, but didn’t finish what I set out to do, there was just too much of it. Frustrating.
In the evening, the walls started to close in, and I went for a walk after little man fell asleep. A long walk, more than two hours long through dark streets. It didn’t help. I had the urge to pinch myself, just to feel something. I can live with happiness, I can live with sadness, it’s the middle that kills me.
I feel restless.
…and I should really go to sleep… one o’clock… now it’s much too late for anything… anyway.
LACHE, WENN ES NICHT ZUM WEINEN REICHT Laugh, When It’s Not Enough to Cry Over
by Herbert Grönemeyer
translation by Julia Flood and Hyde Flippo
stolen from http://german.about.com/library/blmus_groeneMN05.htm
Thousand hairs in your soup
And your spoon has a hole
There is no shooting star
Your candle has no wick
You’re tortured by a never-
ending hiccup
Your soccer field is always
full of snow
Your gearshift is stuck
in neutral
Even your slow lane is
icy
In the bus of time you can
only find standing room
Standing room, standing room
in a skidding dream1
You’ll do any favor for anyone
You are modest and engaged
You are being used
by everyone
Don’t get a thank you,
just a kick
The Valley of Tears is
closed, too
The Wailing Wall, the Wailing
Wall is occupied
And if one day is so much
like another
And if life is
unbearably shallow
And if inside you emigrated
a long time ago
Laugh, when it’s not
enough to cry over
Your ship already
without rats
The captain already
overboard
Abandoned by everyone
in this world
Sprung a leak on the
high seas
There’s no spirit left
in the bottle
Not enough imagination
for paradise
The wrong wishes
coming true
No love, no poetry
No danger, no adventure
Sameness,
sameness,
melancholy
And if one day is so much
like another
And if life is
unbearably shallow
And if inside you emigrated
a long time ago
Laugh, when it’s not
enough to cry over
And if they also call
you a mimosa2
And if you drag your feet
behind the times
Every heart has
its rose
Laugh, when it’s not
enough to cry over
And if one day is so much
like another
And if life is
unbearably shallow
And if inside you emigrated
a long time ago
Laugh, when it’s not
enough to cry over
And finally reach for
the stars
No planet too far for you
Fortunately you can’t
forget how to yearn
There’s still so much time
left for crying
Fortunately you can’t
forget how to
yearn, right?
There’s still so much time
left for crying
1“Schleudertraum” (skidding dream) is a pun on “Schleudertrauma” (whiplash) 2“eine Mimose” (mimosa plant) is an oversensitive person
I have unpacked a few boxes at my new site, so to speak. Notice the new theme? It is based on Red Train by Vlad Simovic, but I had to make quite a few changes. The good thing is that I learned a lot in the process: editing background graphics, changing a style sheet, and learning all the behind-the-scenes functions of Wordpress. I would like to change a few more things, especially adding a few more widgets to the sidebar.
But enough of that for today. I am taking a break, to see what the rest of you have been up to.
I intend to make it as nice, if not nicer, than the old blog, but it will take a while. I still need to find my bearings around Wordpress, which is totally new to me, and also work on a new template. But all the essentials are already here, including the entire archive of my previous blog.
My next post will be the 300th. I hope that I will have unpacked a few more boxes until then.
There were some very strange blue lights on the sky above Hong Kong last night. It could have been one of these…
… but it would have been way off schedule.
Personally, I think those blue lights were the blinking toenails of wee little faeries trying to catch the air currents to get out of here. I can’t blame them. The air is heavy, humid, and full of toxins. It’s hard to breathe. I have decided to take off my wings today and stay indoors until the gray smog in front of my window clears. I don’t want to end up dead like my unfortunate sister.
Which is just as well, because I have so much work to do. Since it’s Musical Monday and I feel a bit floaty and spacey, I am going to listen to this…
All I Need by AIR from their 1998 album Moon Safari.
Glad that you found the new Cosima Underwater :).
