A quick note about the “Myanmar/Yangon” vs. “Burma/Rangoon” designation – in my previous posts, both here on the blog and at the Yahoo group, I was attempting to be a “compliant global citizen” by using the United Nations "accepted" names for this country and its capital city. That will no longer be the case – as long as the current murderous, oppressive military junta has control over the Burmese population. If you’d like a brief history of the name change, check out Wikipedia or The Washington Times.
Burma crackdown – it’s difficult to believe that the fight for freedom is over. Even with the beatings and murders of monks and other Burmese citizens during this latest wave of protests against the ruling junta government. There should be more international pressure placed upon the countries that still have trade relations with the country – especially Thailand and China. One of the inevitable retaliation problems, however, is that many times aid workers are then restricted, or banned altogether, from assisting those who need it most. With almost 30% of the Burmese population living in abject poverty, there simply cannot be restrictions on this type of activity. It makes a reasonable person wonder (repeatedly) why our own government cites “moral authority” as partial justification for the Iraq invasion, but is consistently weak-willed in confronting such clear and transparent oppression and corruption in so many other countries.
Insurance practices – I don’t think I could have summed this segment up better myself than the screen cap below does. If you’ve ever dealt with an insurance claim that carries a perceived “value” of more than a few hundred dollars, you know this is true. Washington State has made a bold move to curb insurance companies from taking advantage of the average policy holder, and I truly hope that the law doesn’t end up being rejected by the voters next month. If you want to read a supplement on Drew Griffin’s report from last night, click here.
AND - Happy belated birthday to Gary Tuchman!!! He is one hard-working dude :-) ... and how nice was the cake “hand-off” – it’s great to show appreciation to those who make you (and your news program) look so very, very good!!!
One “update” before I even sign-off for the moment – Anderson will be appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on October 15th (thanks to “plaza35079”) – and even though I do try to keep my other admirations to a minimum here – one more “plug” – Stephen Colbert will be appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday, October 10th to promote his new book “I Am America – and So Can You”. I already know I’m going to have to read it either alone, or in the company of those who won’t mind hearing many (many) fits of laughter!
Thanks for visiting – updates posted as needed – have a terrific day!
4 comments:
Free Burma!
International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October
International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“.
www.free-burma.org
AC360 was another great show. Anderson has to cover all of the news, and I know he gets complaints about what he has to cover or report on. I'm sure he feels like he can't win for losing sometimes.
Woman ends up dead at Phoenix airport
Why was a women handcuffed and locked up in a room at the airport? There were witnesses watching what was happening. After seeing on TV that the lady had died, the two witnesses called CNN today because they couldn't understand why the lady was treated the way she was. They said that the lady wasn't bothering anyone when the police approached her. She kept saying she wasn't a terrorist and doesn't know anyone who is, and she showed police she had no weapons. She didn't even have a purse.
The police went ahead and proceeded to arrest her. According to the witnesses, they put on handcuffs behind her back and they pinned her shoulders to the floor. There were 3 policemen on the floor trying to handcuff her and the witnesses couldn't understand why she was being treated so roughly for no apparent reason. The police made the witnesses leave the area. They locked her up in a holding room by herself and left her with in handcuffs! After while the police went to check on her and found her on the floor with a chain laying across her body. Moments later she died and her family is outraged. They said she was a loving, caring, person, and she was a mother to a small child. She only weighs about 110 pounds.
So my question is why was the woman man-handled, locked up and ended up dead for no apparent reason?? I always thought the policemen at the airports where there for our protection??
"Keeping Them Honest" - Insurance Companies
Insurance companies look like they will do everything they can to keep from paying a claim. They think they can make more money by not paying the claim.
After paying as much as a person does to be covered by insurance, you would think if you were in a accident and needed help they would pay, but that's not always the case. So I ask myself - what can be done about this problem with insurance companies. What I came up was, unfortunately, nothing. A person has to have insurance, so the insurance companies are in control. It doesn't matter if it's car insurance, homeowners insurance, or medical insurance. You have to have insurance, but when you need to make a claim, you are more or less out of luck.
The Shot
Grits ... mmmm ... I like grits ... the man that ate 21 pounds in ten minutes was a little to much to say the least. LOL :-) I was wondering where he put it because he didn't look like a big guy - LOL :-)
Anderson never did say whether he likes grits or not. I wonder if he ate grits when he was in New Orleans and Mississippi?
I've been following the events in Burma since early September and have found that BBC World has excellent coverage both on BBC World and their online site. Still haven't figured out how to post so links are clickable here but here is an excellent site with lots of links to learn more about this situation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7010202.stm
Newsblooz: Excellent blog and caps today!
I think you would agree that the Bush Administration has never been "reasonable" by any stretch of the imagination. The United States government, more precisely, the Bush Administration, seems to use the “moral authority” excuse to justify its interference in countries only where they would have something to gain in return. No matter what our leaders say, it is never just a human rights issue. There is always an ulterior motive.
I wish Anderson would blog about the tragedy in Burma. I am sure he has some very personal thoughts on the subject.
If the insurance companies think they are playing fair I suggest they talk to the victims of Katrina who have been waiting over two years for their claims to be settled! Like Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said, if the insurance companies act responsibly they don’t have anything to worry about. I guess they are just not used to conducting business that way!
I thought the birthday moment with Gary was sweet! Gary is such a wonderful reporter and a great asset to CNN and especially to 360; they are lucky to have him!
Thanks for the info on Stephen Colbert; I’ll be watching him! I wish he would go on a book tour!
So what does everyone think about Boy George Bush’s veto of the expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Plan? I say it is nothing more than a selfish, political move. The Republicans had plenty of time to put together a plan for expansion when they controlled Congress, but they didn’t bother, so now he doesn’t want the Democrats to get the credit! I noticed that he pulled this shameless destructive act without media coverage.
Post a Comment