Avaaz members from 124 countries donated $ 2,000,000 to the Burmese people. Money which reached them who need it, and without any involvement of the military.

Read it all at Avaaz

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, ended his visit to Germany yesterday in Berlin, but without meeting the governing major, Klaus Wowereit.">

It was like a big party at the Brandenburg Gate, more like if a pop-star arrives, but with people from all ages, nations and different social groups. Different Bands were playing, and, of course, also the tibetan singer Ani Choling.">

When he finally arrived on the stage, the applause from 25.000 people cheered him up. At the start of his speech he prayed for the victems of the earthquacke in China and announced his solidarity with them. Then he talked about more tolerance and respect between the religions, and that the last century was a century of wars and blood, many of them caused by disrespect and intolerance, and that this one should be one of diolog and humanity. And that Tibet don’t wants seperation from China, only cultural autonomy. And this, really, is not much.">

But what happened with our government? Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, the development minister, was the only government official who met with the Dalai Lama on Monday. And she did so against the wishes of the Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the leader of the Social Democrats, Kurt Beck. Both had said that no senior party leaders would meet with the Dalai Lama. Are they maybe afraid? Okay, our chancellor Angela Merkel, who met him in September in the chancellery, couldn’t met him this time cause she was in Latin America. 

But the Chinese Embassy even didn’t like that..

"We object to a member of the German government receiving the Dalai Lama, and to Germany allowing him to carry out this visit," Junhui Zhang, a Chinese diplomat. F… yourself Mr.Zhang!

The Videos are from Free4Tibet2008

What is the big difference between China and Burma(Myanmar)?

Well, while the Chinese government at least take care for there people, and is intelligent enough to accept foreign aide workers into the country, the Burmese one is stupid and only takes care about their power(and money, of course).

After the devastating earthquake in the Sichuan province, which caused 19.000 dead’s until now, many of them kids, the Chinese government acted quickly and send 80.000 soldiers to the region to help the people. And also, they accepted immediately the aide workers from other countries. Even from the USA.

And now they even mobilized 30.000 additional soldiers, not just to help victims, but also to shore up weakened dams and other elements of the infrastructure whose failure could compound the disaster. If the dams would break, nobody even would like to think what could happen than.

And Burma? Their the military junta is sitting on their fat asses, and have sealed off the delta from the outside world, expelling foreign aid workers, and placing multiple checkpoints along the roads. The Red Cross reported, that as many as 2.5 million people were affected by the cyclone, and that the death toll could reach 120.000.

Oh, sorry, I forgot, now Burmese authorities say they would accept up to 160 foreign aide workers, but only from India, China, Thailand and Bangladesh.

On Friday the 13^th carneval of the cultures got started, and this night it will end(better lets say thuesday morning). More than one million visitors where estimatet. Now I know, that 1.3 million was there.

And it is great, I really can tell you. On friday afternoon Peter and I went to the Blücherplatz where the big street festival is, with Latainrock, Turkish music, reggae, salsa and all the other things which makes you dance, let your legs go crazy and your hips swing. Wizards, curiosity marketeers and culinary delights invide visitors to stay. And we really had fun there. Peter even meet an old friend there which he hasn’t seen since about 10 years.

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On Sunday the big Street Parade started at 12:30 p.m. with 4500 participants from 80 nations, colorfull like always, but this year with warm and sunny weather. Music from all parts of the world, Sambagroups, devilish looking creatures from Cameron, colourful dancers from Bolivia, and an Indonesian gamelan orchestra touts for the grace of the audience. And it didn’t end at 9 p.m., no, the people where making more party’s at the Blücherplatz and in the bars. With lots of beer, mochitos and caipirinha. Like last year. Like this last video.

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Yesterday the United Nations had to suspended relief flights to Burma because the military regime is refusing to allow foreign aid workers into the country to help with the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis.

The suspension, which followed the impounding of UN World Food Programme aid shipments, came as the organisation expressed “exasperation” at the intransigence of the isolationist junta in the face of a vast humanitarian crisis.

The UN expressed astonishment at the junta’s resistance to foreign help, which it said was “unprecedented” in the history of humanitarian relief. All of the food aid and equipment that the UN already managed to get in to Myanmar has been confiscated by the Military Junta and the aid workers have been send home. And what is the Junta doing with the aid? They don’t give it to the people who need it, they probably use it for them self or sell it! At least nobody has seen it. No wonder, they only have a few helicopters, and they where used for showing journalist’s how the „generous“ General Than Shwe giving 10 DVD-Players and TV’s as relief to hungry people which don’t have energy, not even clean water to drink.

It’s a disaster there, and more and more people are dieing. You can’t even count the corpses in the water, you see rats gnawing at them, and the chances of upcoming epidemics are high. Malaria, Cholera, and, perhaps, even the plague.

If the Burmese government’s still refuses to give the necessary permissions to foreign aid workers(and really let ‘em in), than the US and France should go in by FORCE! In my eyes it is the only chance for the Burmese people to survive.

Update: Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, told, that the french government has decided to deliver the food aid directly to the people who need it, and that there will be no way that the Military junta get’s it. And that they will do it by force if it is necessary.

Does they have nothing better to do than this bullshit? Now they wanna ban Playboy and other magazines in the PX.

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, a Marine veteran, told Newsweek recently that the magazines(Playboy, Hustler, Penthouse etc.) sold in military exchanges are partly responsible for a rise in sexual assaults in the military and other problems. Broun says on his Web site :

"Allowing the sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by: escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes; feeding a base addiction; eroding the family as the primary building block of society; and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad"

Well, I guess he is a fucking liar who likes to twist the truth. And, by the way, calling Playboy, Penthouse or Hustler pornographic is the greatest bullshit I’ve ever heard. Even my Mom, and she is 78 years old, couldn’t believe that when I told her. She was shacking her head and asked me, if that idiot has ever seen real pornographic stuff.

If their soldiers are old enough to fight and die for freedom, they are old enough to view porn(and I mean real porn, and not only so called porn), smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol if they choose so.

But this bigotry and sanctimony only could come from that religious politicians in the USA. They show how religious they are, but spending 3000$ or more for a call girl. I hope he got caught once too. Than we will have something to laugh at.

What did Robin Wiliams once said:

"Politicians are like dirty diapers… they need to be changed often and for the same reason"

Source: Military .com

An urgent mail from Avaaz:

In the wake of a massive cyclone, at least 22,000 Burmese are dead. More than 40,000 are missing. A million are homeless. But that is only what the government tells us. Some think it will be about 100,000 dead people.

But what’s happening in Burma is not just a natural disaster–it’s also a catastrophe of bad leadership.

Burma’s brutal and corrupt military junta failed to warn the people, failed to evacuate any areas, and suppressed freedom of communication so that Burmese people didn’t know the storm was coming when the rest of the world did. Now the government is failing to respond to the disaster and obstructing international aid organizations.

Humanitarian relief is urgently needed, but Burma’s government could easily delay, divert or misuse any aid. Today the International Burmese Monks Organization, including many leaders of the democracy protests last fall, launched a new effort to provide relief through Burma’s powerful grass roots network of monasteries–the most trusted institutions in the country and currently the only source of housing and support in many devastated communities. Click below to help the Burmese people with a donation and see a video appeal to Avaaz from a leader of the monks:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/burma_cyclone/5.php?cl=86260253

Giving to the monks is a smart, fast way to get aid directly to Burma’s people. Governments and international aid organizations are important, but face challenges–they may not be allowed into Burma, or they may be forced to provide aid according to the junta’s rules. And most will have to spend large amounts of money just setting up operations in the country. The monks are already on the front lines of the aid effort–housing, feeding, and supporting the victims of the cyclone since the day it struck. The International Burmese Monks Organization will send money directly to each monastery through their own networks, bypassing regime controls.

Last year, more than 800,000 of us around the world stood with the Burmese people as they rose up against the military dictatorship. The government lost no time then in dispatching its armies to ruthlessly crush the nonviolent democracy movement–but now, as tens of thousands die, the junta’s response is slow and threatens to divert precious aid into the corrupt regime’s pockets.

The monks are unlikely to receive aid from governments or large humanitarian organizations, but they have a stronger presence and trust among the Burmese people than both. If we all chip in a little bit, we can help them to make a big difference.

Click here to donate:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/burma_cyclone/5.php?cl=86260253

With hope,

Ricken, Ben, Graziela, Paul, Iain, Veronique, Pascal, Galit and the whole Avaaz team

PS: Here are some links to more information:

For more information about Avaaz’s work to support the Burmese people, click here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_report_back/

For more information about the cyclone, the humanitarian crisis, and the political dimension, see these articles:

New York Times: "A Challenge Getting Relief to Myanmar’s Remote Areas." 7 May 2008.

BBC: "Will Burma’s leaders let aid in?" 6 May 2008.

India’s Economic Times: Indian meteorological department advised junta 48 hours in advance, 6 May 2008.

BBC: "Disaster tests Burma’s junta." 5 May 2008

Times Online: "Aid workers fear Burma cyclone deaths will top 50,000." 6 May 2008.