Coss Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 ..... Being a virtuous maiden ..... If I recall she was married and has at least one kid... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YimSiam Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 My definition of "virtuous maiden" has undergone a not-so-subtle renovation over twenty years of Thai visits - married to a husband I've never met and just the two kids, doesn't work at Kangaroo Bar? Virtuous Maiden in my book... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YimSiam Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 Strongly disagree. Burma has been under the spotlight since the '88 student uprising. Suu Kyi was the co-founder of the NLD which shot her to international fame. She simply became the spokesperson for the political debate for democratic freedom. And... daughter of national hero/independence symbol Aung San! The 1988 protest events brought a number of elements together in what appeared to be a perfect storm against the generals - only it wasn't, quite. But she returned to Myanmar, entranced the nation with her remarkable image (young, beautiful, strong, outspoken - and representing the same family that is linked to the British departure...), and scared the generals. Made for good theater - but for 20 years+, the generals stayed one step ahead (and are probably about four steps ahead right now - nursing the country on a path to something that looks more like democracy and civilian government, but which has the steely backbone of military rule and Bamar chauvinism still at the shadowy core... Let's hope the eventual progress is somehow inevitably if slowly towards the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted February 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 She was definately a looker as a young woman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acockasian Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 The housing near her house on University Avenue has has probably had the most rapid rise of any real estate anywhere in the world. NGOs are spending incredible amounts of money to house staff near her house as the “cool†factor of living near Aung San Suu Kyii is huge. Really something to consider when asked to donate to help the poor in some developing country – in some cases houses have recently been leased for well over US$10,000 a month. If you want to help the poor in Myanmar that money could go a long way elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted February 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 NGOs are a lifestyle these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baa99 Posted February 18, 2015 Report Share Posted February 18, 2015 locals ripping off farangs. how is that the ngo's fault? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YimSiam Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 NGOs are a lifestyle these days. Like the gay guys used to say: it's not a lifestyle, it's a life... Not sure what that would mean in this context, but there it is. At the very least, the NGO thing is a living. A comfortable, unaccountable adventure of a living, for which you may not be qualified, but for which you will enjoy the adulation of your peers - failing that, of the mothers of your peers... (I have suckled that NGO teat, and more. It's creamy all the way down, so long as you stay one step ahead of forcing yourself to accept how ludicrous the whole edifice is. But even that dire conclusion can be remedied by a simple rationale: "We're not as bad as the UN agencies, and not in the same league as bilateral aid!" YimSiam - ("Aid: Where You Don't Have To Turn A Profit To Make Good Money") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 locals ripping off farangs. how is that the ngo's fault? Ignorance really is bliss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acockasian Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 locals ripping off farangs. how is that the ngo's fault? This is a comment on the choices NGOs make when they “sacrifice so much†to “help†poor people. Locals aren't ripping anyone off. This is just market economics and nothing more. If willing to pay these amounts to house expatriates near a Nobel Prize name then that is clearly more important than helping poor people I guess. Families on that part of University Avenue have people coming to the door and offering to rent for astronomical amounts. I assume that on the cocktail/fund-raising circuit back in New York or Washington it is cool to say “our Yangon expat is a neighbor of Aung San Suu Kyiâ€. Sounds so connected and plugged in. Personally I would hate to live there as much of the street is almost lakefront and I hate snakes. Worst feeling in the world is walking to the toilet in the dark and stepping on a snake. People from NGOs that are in rural areas I have tremendous respect for. No aircon, sometimes no refrigeration, often harsh living conditions with people that really need and benefit from the help some NGOs provide. The people that are in the NGO brochures and the kind of people we need more of. Not the person renting a house from, most likely, a military family, most likely named on the various sanctions list, at a huge monthly rent that could do a huge amount of good if spent elsewhere, to live near the daughter of another military leader who by both good and bad luck became a symbol. Do you see what I mean? The people being ripped off are probably not the NGOs but the people who donate to certain NGOs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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