Myanmar

Every time I check the wires, the death count in Myanmar has skyrocketed past another set of zeros. Frankly, I do not see how the junta can be considered legitimate after this tragedy. Rangoon has become another Mogadishu circa 1993.

For those too young to remember, a warlord named M. F. Aidid forced a genocide on his own people. In addition to being the capital, Mogadishu was also Somalia's primary port. Aidid seized UN and foreign food shipments.

500 THOUSAND dead and counting. There is only so much a people can take. The fuse is burning short in the last bastions of illegitimate rule. What it will take for the Burmese to revolt, time will tell us.

A change in power

With Putin now out of the presidency with its broad powers, will Russia change to a less heavy handed course? Dmitry Medvedev's inaugural address mentioned civil rights quite prominantly. Will that actually mean something with Putin right by his side, or shall Russian journalists still have an underground bunker and fake papers handy? Time will tell. The extent of Medvedev's reliance on Putin will determine that I believe. Are the Oprachniki away for good.....

Wit

You know what is missing in American politics, wit. We've gone from " I did not attend his funeral, but I sent a letter saying I approved of it" to "where's the beef" to "I voted for the 87 billion before I voted against it" The first quote was from Mark Twain. May his heir soon appear, for this election season will drag on for us all by the time it is done. The final quote was from John Kerry's unsuccessful 2004 campaign.

The English have always had decent political wit. Take the following example. Prime Minister Disraeli was questioned after giving a speech in parliament why he substituted misfortune for calamity in the speech. His rationale was in the form of an example."The difference between a misfortune and a calamity is this: If Gladstone fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, that would be a calamity. "

There is the 18th century classic as well. John Wilkes speaking to John Montagu, earl of sandwich had the following exchange. Montagu said, "Sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox." Wilkes replied "That, sir, depends on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."

History thread of the Day
http://history-forums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=31632#post31632

The race goes on

Based on the current results, it appears that Obama will take North Carolina by 14 percent. However Indiana is much closer, going to Clinton by four points. So in other words, nothing changes. Obama is still 150 delegates ahead but has insufficent delegates left in the field to take the nomination by party vote. It's going to be a long spring and summer for Howard Dean et al. Short of McCain dropping dead, he's got an excellent chance of winning the White House. In what should have been a landslide democrat year, the DNC seems determined to deep six it's shot at the highest office in the land.

Not all is going the republicans way. Denny Hastert's seat was lost to a democrat and a Louisiana seat held by the GOP for 70+ years. Stay tuned for further fun...

In historical matters, The Hindenburg went up in flames 71 years ago.

In other news, Chernobyl is getting a new shield, hope it works better than the last one.
http://history-forums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=31559#post31559

random musings

It's amazing how small the human life span is in comparison to other objects. Take some scandanavian tree's for instance. Scientists have found that they are 8000 years old. At that time the average human lived for about 30-40 years.

Take a look http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1190625120080411?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews

waxing philosophical yet pragmatic

The Internet is like life in many ways, a few gems, a lot of garbage. History-forums.com is one of those rare gems. I've been on history message boards of various stripes and sizes since 2003, none match what H-F is and what it can become. Topics range from Ovid to Obama and everything in between. One of the friendliest places on the net.


It's hard to believe it has been 90 years since the peace offensives of 1918. Their generation is all but entirely dead and those born during the war are dropping fast too. My family's line nearly ended in those trenches. My great grandfather was on leave when his Cavalry regiment was slaughtered, presumably at Caporetto or Mt Grappa. My grandmother was not born until 1919.... A time where those italian peasants shoved their figli into ovens, since incubators were not around yet. Amazing what human ingenuity will do to ensure survival.

http://history-forums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=31809#post31809