Dimensionally Barrett

Ming Min Naung, hero . See more about him at the end of this post. Bad news begins with today’s report of 91 [and counting, my edit] Burmese protesters murdered by the military.  As a reminder, it is the military that is the insurgent here, the generals and their followers who are the terrorists. My friend Myo Win Aung has been posting regular updates (mostly on Twitter, but some on Facebook). See screen shots following: I will link to actions at the end of this post, but I also want to address that these tragic circumstances have come about from unchecked power and dismissal of the rule of law by the Burmese military (Tatmadaw) who have received and are still receiving support from a variety of players across the region and yes, from U.S. corporations, as well. There has been some movement on sanctions on the Tatmadaw in Myanmar, but the situation remains grim. There’s more to be said, but the following links will provide a brief update of where the situation stands internationall...

A work from Ko Z that says it all While events darken in Myanmar, I remain hopeful that the people will win, order will be restored and justice served. What strikes me as different about what’s happening in Burma right now is that the world is watching with more eyes than ever, and that there is more of a concerted to increase pressure on corporations to cease  doing business with the military, various governments importing sanctions, and calls for the military to stand down. That said, military juntas are characterized by bull-headed stubbornness and rarely back down until they can vividly see the handwriting on the wall. There’s a larger discussion to be had about how coups by armed forces should be addressed; but right now, the people of Burma are doing it themselves and paying a huge price.  Another aspect of the responses I’ve seen to the coup is that it gives me hope that we might see similar attention paid elsewhere with the same degree of emphasis and hopefully, result...

  MYANMAR: What you can do Here’s a resource cribbed from a variety of places (many of whom are resources themselves) of measures you can take and action items you can choose for yourself. There are a number of organizations that have been applying pressure for years to get corporations to cease relationships with the Tatmadaw/Burma’s military; these groups are listed below and can use funding and additional support. I will continue to add to this entry as time goes on. I’ll post updates on Facebook and you can sign up to receive updates from me directly via email. While much, if not most or what follows is specific to U.S., it’s important to remember that there is great parity with groups across the world in coordination. What helps one helps all. Organizations, updates, how to get involved: Justice for Myanmar ( https://www.justiceformyanmar.org/ ) Burma Campaign UK ( https://burmacampaign.org.uk/ ) Amnesty International – Myanmar: Military, Ltd ( https://www.amne...

  What happened? Briefly, the army (and one may assume with the blessing if not the rest of the military/Tatmadaw) in Myanmar has carried out a coup, overturning November 2020’s elections on the basis that they deem the election results fraudulent. The Tatmadaw answers to the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), the head of which is Myanmar’s President, currently Win Mynt. The ramifications of the coup in Myanmar are more troubling than the casual eye might observe. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the Burmese army, was supposed to retire last summer and has now placed himself at the head of government. Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Mynt have both been detained with up to 45 other people. It was obvious a week ago that the military was not going to accept the election results, but the largely resounding question is why? Since the enactment of democratic reforms over the past five years, Myanmar seemed to have put the military rule behind them and in th...

  Houston is a funny city. It has its issues; in fact, like any major city, it has significant problems. However, one thing it has that I have always appreciated is that it has remained a remarkably green city, in terms of green space . There are the bayous, Memorial Park, Hermann Park, and myriad smaller parks throughout the vast area that is the United States’ fourth largest city. When I was little kid and well into my twenties, there was more greenery than we have now (I’m pretty sure, though despite part of this being my subjective perception, I’ve seen large amounts of acreage paved over, excavated and built on). A mainstay has been the aforementioned Memorial Park and the Arboretum found within. I’ve taken quite a few photos over the years and typically pop one or two up on Facebook, but I think maybe now would be a good time to post some here. I’m not in the mood for politics or history or anything terribly weighty right now. In the aftermath of January 6 and President B...