Timeline: Burma

reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1300082.stm

Timeline: Burma

A chronology of key events

1057 - King Anawrahta founds the first unified Burmese state at Pagan and adopts Theravada Buddhism.

Shwedagon Pagoda: Burma's key religious site Said to date back 2,500 years Restored in 1998 Jewellery donated for gold roof

1287 - Mongols under Kublai Khan conquer Pagan.

1531 - Toungoo dynasty, with Portuguese help, reunites Burma.

1755 - Alaungpaya founds the Konbaung dynasty.

1824-26 - First Anglo-Burmese war ends with the Treaty of Yandabo, according to which Burma ceded the Arakan coastal strip, between Chittagong and Cape Negrais, to British India.

1852 - Britain annexes lower Burma, including Rangoon, following the second Anglo-Burmese war.

1885-86 - Britain captures Mandalay after a brief battle; Burma becomes a province of British India.

1937 - Britain separates Burma from India and makes it a crown colony.

Japanese occupation

1942 - Japan invades and occupies Burma with some help from the Japanese-trained Burma Independence Army, which later transforms itself into the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL) and resists Japanese rule.

1945 - Britain liberates Burma from Japanese occupation with help from the AFPFL, led by Aung San.

1947 - Aung San and six members of his interim government assassinated by political opponents led by U Saw, a nationalist rival of Aung San's. U Nu, foreign minister in Ba Maw's government, which ruled Burma during the Japanese occupation, asked to head the AFPFL and the government.

Independence

1948 - Burma becomes independent with U Nu as prime minister.

The Irrawaddy: backbone of Burma's rice trade 2,170 km (1,350 miles) long Commercially navigable for 1,300 km (800 miles)

Mid-1950s - U Nu, together with Indian Prime Minister Nehru, Indonesian President Sukarno, Yugoslav President Tito and Egyptian President Nasser co-found the Movement of Non-Aligned States.

1958-60 - Caretaker government, led by army Chief of Staff General Ne Win, formed following a split in the ruling AFPFL party.

1960 - U Nu's party faction wins decisive victory in elections, but his promotion of Buddhism as the state religion and his tolerance of separatism angers the military.

One-party, military-led state

1962 - U Nu's faction ousted in military coup led by Gen Ne Win, who abolishes the federal system and inaugurates "the Burmese Way to Socialism" - nationalising the economy, forming a single-party state with the Socialist Programme Party as the sole political party, and banning independent newspapers.

Ne Win crushed dissent, propelled Burma into isolation 2002: Obituary - Ne Win BBC's Larry Jagan on Ne Win's death

1974 - New constitution comes into effect, transferring power from the armed forces to a People's Assembly headed by Ne Win and other former military leaders; body of former United Nations secretary-general U Thant returned to Burma for burial.

1975 - Opposition National Democratic Front formed by regionally-based minority groups, who mounted guerrilla insurgencies.

1981 - Ne Win relinquishes the presidency to San Yu, a retired general, but continues as chairman of the ruling Socialist Programme Party.

1982 - Law designating people of non-indigenous background as "associate citizens" in effect bars such people from public office.

Riots and repression

1987 - Currency devaluation wipes out many people's savings and triggers anti-government riots.

Chris Street arrived in Rangoon. Students were on the street - with the tanks - protesting about making notes over £10 illegal tender.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI Resistance figure and daughter of Burma's founding father Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi: A life in pictures BBC Talking Point 2002: Interview with Aung San Suu Kyi

1988 - Thousands of people are killed in anti-government riots. The State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) is formed.

1989 - Slorc declares martial law, arrests thousands of people, including advocates of democracy and human rights, renames Burma Myanmar, with the capital, Rangoon, becoming Yangon. NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Aung San, is put under house arrest.

Thwarted elections

1990 - Opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) wins landslide victory in general election, but the result is ignored by the military.

1991 - Aung San Suu Kyi awarded Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to peaceful change.

1992 - Than Shwe replaces Saw Maung as Slorc chairman, prime minister and defence minister. Several political prisoners freed in bid to improve Burma's international image.

1995 - Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest after six years.

1996 - Aung San Suu Kyi attends first NLD congress since her release; Slorc arrests more than 200 delegates on their way to party congress.

1997 - Burma admitted to Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean); Slorc renamed State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

Release of pro-democracy supporters

1998 - 300 NLD members released from prison; ruling council refuses to comply with NLD deadline for convening of parliament; student demonstrations broken up.

Mandalay, Burma's second city, saw action in World War II BBC History: The Burma Campaign

1999 - Aung San Suu Kyi rejects ruling council conditions to visit her British husband, Michael Aris, who dies of cancer in UK.

2000 September - Ruling council lifts restrictions on movements of Aung San Suu Kyi and senior NLD members.

2000 October - Aung San Suu Kyi begins secret talks with ruling council.

2001 Ruling council releases some 200 pro-democracy activists. Government says releases reflect progress in talks with opposition NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi who remains under house arrest.

2001 February - Burmese army, Shan rebels clash on Thai border.

Improving border relations

2001 June - Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra visits, says relations are back on track.

2001 September - Intelligence chief Khin Nyunt visits Thailand. Burma pledges to eliminate drugs trade in the Golden Triangle by 2005.

2001 November - Chinese President Jiang Zemin visits, issues statement supporting government, reportedly urges economic reform.

Conflicting signals

2002 May - Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi released after nearly 20 months of house arrest.

Former PM Khin Nyunt was ousted in late 2004 2004: Khin Nyunt's fall from grace

2003 May - Aung San Suu Kyi taken into "protective custody" after clashes between her supporters and those of government.

2003 August - Khin Nyunt becomes prime minister. He proposes to hold convention in 2004 on drafting new constitution as part of "road map" to democracy.

2003 November - Five senior NLD leaders released from house arrest after visit of UN human rights envoy.

2004 January - Government and Karen National Union - most significant ethnic group fighting government - agree to end hostilities.

2004 May - Constitutional convention begins, despite boycott by National League for Democracy (NLD) whose leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. The convention adjourns in July.

Prime minister ousted

2004 October - Khin Nyunt is replaced as prime minister amid reports of a power struggle. He is placed under house arrest.

2004 November - Leading dissidents are freed as part of a release of thousands of prisoners, including Min Ko Naing, who led the 1988 pro-democracy student demonstrations.

2004 December - Giant waves, generated by an undersea earthquake off the Indonesian coast, hit the coast. The prime minister says 59 people were killed and more than 3,000 left homeless.

Nay Pyi Taw: New capital is in a remote region In pictures: Inside Burma's new capital 2007: Burma's new capital city unveiled

2005 February - Constitutional convention resumes, but without the participation of the main opposition and ethnic groups. Talks end in January 2006 with no reports of any clear outcomes.

2005 7 May - Three near-simultaneous explosions go off in shopping districts in the capital; the government puts the death toll at 23.

2005 July - Asean announces that Burma has turned down the 2006 chairmanship of the regional grouping.

2005 November - Burma says its seat of government is moving to a new site near the central town of Pyinmana.

2006 March - The new capital - Nay Pyi Taw - hosts its first official event, an Armed Forces Day parade.

2007 January - China and Russia veto a draft US resolution at the UN Security Council urging Burma to stop persecuting minority and opposition groups.

2007 April - Burma and North Korea restore diplomatic ties, 24 years after Rangoon broke them off, accusing North Korean agents of staging a deadly bomb attack against the visiting South Korean president.

2007 May - Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest extended for another year.

2007 June - In a rare departure from its normally neutral stance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) accuses the government of abusing the Burmese people's rights.

2007 August - Wave of public dissent sparked by fuel price hikes. Dozens of activists are arrested.

2007 September - Military government declares 14 years of constitutional talks complete and closes the National Convention.

Burma monks stage fresh protests

reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6999357.stm

Burma monks stage fresh protests

Monks are highly revered in Burma

Hundreds of Buddhist monks in central Burma have held a demonstration against the military government.

The monks in the town of Kyaukpadaung, north of Rangoon, marched through the streets chanting prayers.

It is the latest in a wave of protests across Burma that began last month, when authorities doubled fuel prices.

Monastic leaders have threatened to hold more demonstrations, starting on Tuesday, unless the military apologises for beating monks at an earlier rally.

The monks at that protest, in the town of Pakokku, held about 20 security officials captive for several hours to complain about their treatment.

The group planning protests on Tuesday - The Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks - has urged its followers to boycott the military government.

The monks have been asked to refuse alms and offerings from anyone connected to the military.

Analysts say the boycott will be taken very seriously in Burma, because the nation's 400,000 monks are held in high esteem.

A similar protest by monks in 1988 led to a big uprising against military rule.

Fuel increase

The monks' demonstrations are the latest in a series of anti-government protests, originally sparked by the military junta's decision to double the price of petrol and diesel on 15 August.

The price of compressed natural gas - used for buses - increased fivefold.

The move was not announced ahead of time and the reasons behind it remain unclear, but it has hit people hard.

The demonstrations have continued despite the arrests of many of Burma's most prominent activists.

Wheel life

reposted from: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/phillip_darnton/2007/09/wheel_life.html

Cycling England's report is only the beginning. Britain now has a fantastic opportunity to invest in a cheaper, healthier future.

Phillip Darnton

September 17, 2007 4:30 PM

There are few everyday activities that have the potential to genuinely improve society and change the lives of individuals. Cycling is one of them. Whether it is through easing congestion, tackling traffic emissions or improving health, the bicycle can play a significant role in tackling some of society's biggest problems.

Transport today needs to deliver efficient, cost-effective mobility for ever-greater volumes of people and goods, while reducing the impact of transport on the environment. It's a challenge especially with forecasts suggesting that traffic will grow by 20% between 2003 and 2015.

Cycling, however, could make a significant contribution to meeting this challenge. But to do so it must be recognised as a central component within the transport mix. For the first time, there is compelling evidence to demonstrate that sustained investment in cycling can make a substantial impact. Cycling England's economic modelling has sought to quantify the benefits of cycling and revealed that a 20% increase in cycling in 2012 will release a cumulative saving of £500m by 2015. Furthermore, an increase of 50% would create total savings of more than £1.3bn.

This evidence has directly informed our proposal to government to inject more funding into cycling initiatives. Cycling England currently runs a small-scale programme of integrated projects funded by the Department for Transport, which is already making a difference. Bikeability for example, which replaced Rospa's cycling proficiency tests is already making huge strides in equipping children with the skills and knowledge they need to cycle on today's busy roads. And our cycling demonstration towns' project is also yielding results - in just 12 months, Aylesbury has seen a 42% increase in cycling, Exeter 26% and Darlington 57%.

But we can do more. To make a significant impact and deliver substantial economic benefit, Cycling England has recommended that this programme is now scaled up through increased and sustained investment - specifically to the tune of £70m.

Is £70m realistic? True, it would amount to the largest-ever single investment by a UK government in cycling but the timing is right and the figure small in relation to the overall DfT budget. And the benefits are far-reaching - the number of cars on the school run would be cut by 5%, between 27 million and 54 million car journeys a year would be saved, in addition to 35,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.

For the first time, the organisations, programmes and evidence exist to create a landmark opportunity to support the strategic, long-term role cycling can play in helping to tackle today's transport challenges. The question is one of will, ambition and vision.

Spiritual Fraud -- Superstition and the Gullible -- a confession

"No amount of evidence to the contrary, including confession by the fraud who performed the tricks, is good enough to sway the True Believer."

clipped from www.holysmoke.org No matter how often the confidence scammers are exposed, those who believe will happily continue to pay cold hard cash to be deceived. "The true-believer syndrome merits study by science. What is it that compels a person, past all reason, to believe the unbelievable? How can an otherwise sane individual become so enamored of a fantasy, an imposture, that even after it's exposed in the bright light of day he still clings to it--- indeed, clings to it all the harder? "The true-believer syndrome is the greatest thing phony mediums have going for them. No amount of logic can shatter a faith consciously based on a lie." No amount of evidence to the contrary, including confession by the fraud who performed the tricks, is good enough to sway the True Believer. If you are among these poor souls, well, you have my sympathy, but you must admit you "had it comming to you." After all, you believe the impossible--- shouldn't you pay for such stupidity?

Stephen Hawking Writing a SciFi Trilogy

I will buy this set for sure - I love hard scifi

clipped from afp.google.com Science should be 'as exciting as science fiction' says Hawking CAMBRIDGE, England (AFP) — British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking revealed his desire on Monday to make "real science as exciting as science fiction" as he publicised a new book for children about the cosmos. "George's Secret Key to the Universe", the first book in a planned trilogy, explains the workings of the solar system, asteroids, black holes -- one of Hawking's favourite topics -- and other celestial bodies with the help of a set of young heroes. It will be released in French on Thursday, and in English a week later, and is set to be sold in 29 countries. The second book in the trilogy will be published next year. "Our aim is to make real science as exciting as science fiction," Hawking said. Asked about the choice facing the heroes in his book -- saving the world from global warming or finding another planet that is habitable for humans -- he said that, like George, he would opt to focus on both.

Wessex

reposted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wessex#The_present_South_West_England_region

Current regions of England: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_England

Wessex was one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that preceded the Kingdom of England. It was named after the West Saxons and was situated in the south and southwest of England. It existed as a kingdom from the 6th century until the emergence of the English state in the 9th century, and as an earldom between 1016 and 1066. "Wessex" has not had any official existence since that time, but it has remained a familiar term since Thomas Hardy revived it for his West Country novels and poetry. The earldom was revived in 1999 for His Royal Highness The Prince Edward. Today some wish to see Wessex restored as a region of England.

Alternative Regions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_and_alternative_regions_of_England

Taming the Baywatch effect

reposted from: http://www.sciam.com

Taming the Baywatch effect
A new study finds that

breasts move up and down as much as eight inches during exercise—far more than ordinary bras are equipped to handle.

Snicker if you must, but for researcher Joanna Scurr of the University of Portsmouth in England, it's serious business. She recruited 70 women with bra sizes ranging from A to JJ (no, that's not a typo) and measured their breast motions in three dimensions as they walked, jogged or ran. Contrary to popular opinion, bras that cradled each breast separately stilled movement better than single-piece or compression bras—for all breast sizes, not just larger ones. Scurr said in a statement that she wants to bring much needed science, not to mention a woman's touch, to bra design. "Sports science has always been dominated by men, and for them," she said. "Studying breasts is seen as slightly laughable." Women, however, "can see the benefits." (press release; British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences)

reposted from Press Release
Breasts move far more than ordinary bras are designed to cope with, according to a study by University of Portsmouth scientist Dr Joanna Scurr.

And

they also bounce more during exercise – up to 21cm rather than the maximum 16cm bounce measured in past studies.

Bras are designed to stop breasts bouncing but Dr Scurr’s study shows that

breasts also move side to side and in and out.

It is estimated that more than 50 percent of women experience breast pain when exercising.

Significantly, Dr Scurr’s latest study also found that

breasts move as much during slow jogging as they do at maximum sprint speed.

She said: “This makes wearing a sports bra as important if you jog slowly as if you sprint.”

Dr Scurr is working with major bra manufacturers in Britain and globally who are vying to design a bra which can lessen movement in all three dimensions and reduce much of the pain many women suffer when exercising.

She said: “There really are women who want to do exercise but who don’t have the bras to cope.

“I know of a 16 year old who was selected to play basketball for the county but she was told to give it up because she couldn’t find a bra that made playing possible.

“Breast size and pain caused by exercise can be a real barrier to women doing exercise.”

But pain is not linked to the size of a woman’s breasts. An A-cup woman could be prevented from doing sport just as much as a woman with double FF-cup size.

Breasts have very limited natural support and can hurt for three main reasons: tenderness during the menstrual cycle; permanent breast pain, and exercise-related pain due to stretching of the breast tissue.

Dr Scurr said: “If women wore the correct form of support, if we can get that right, the use of pain medication is reduced and women can be active and lead healthy lives.

“Studies have shown that medication to reduce breast pain was only successful for 54 percent of women, but they had to put up with side effects of the medication, whereas sports bras were shown to be successful at reducing breast pain for 80 percent of women, with no side effects at all."

Dr Scurr’s study disproves the previously held belief that compression bras are better for reducing movement in small breasted women and encapsulation bras better for larger breasted women. She found instead that encapsulation bars are better at reducing breast movement in women of all cup sizes.

She said the big question is why we know so little about the movement of breasts.

“Sports science has always been dominated by men and for them, studying breasts is seen as slightly laughable. For women, though, it’s completely credible – they can see the benefits.

“At conferences when I am asked what I study I say ‘bouncing breasts’ rather than breast biomechanics. It makes people laugh nervously but they always want to know more. So little has been known about this subject until recently.”

Her findings have enormous repercussions for the bra manufacturing industry and for women who want to lead active lives.

Her studies have lead to invitations to work with the military, the NHS and with lingerie manufacturers.

She is hoping to use cutting edge technology in 'intelligent materials' to help develop smart fabrics which can change to provide custom-made support for each woman which varies depending on the wearer’s level of activity.

She said: “It is only recently that bra design has turned to science. There was no research. It’s like designing a car or kitchen equipment without first thinking ‘what is the purpose of this?’

“We need to think why do we need bras? What do we need them to do?”

Seventy women were recruited for the two-year study through the university’s student and staff population, gyms and doctors’ surgeries.

Those chosen represent the widest range of breast sizes ever studied including women with cup sizes DD, E, F, FF, G, H, HH, J and JJ. The glamour model Jordan has a cup size of F, six sizes smaller than Dr Scurr’s biggest breasted subject.

Each woman had to undergo a programme of tests during which a wide range of biomechanical measurements were taken.

Dr Scurr said: “We are building up a database on breast biomechanics which we believe is the largest in the world.

“This information could be used to inform bra design, for clinical support, fundamental breast health research and to broaden understanding in this important area.”

Aren’t older women great?

Poor man! Got nothing in the end.

clipped from jo-kes.blogspot.com When I was married 25 years, I took a look at my wife one day and said, ‘honey, 25 years ago we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10-inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 25-year-old blonde.’ Now we have a $500,000.00 Home, a $45,000.00 Car, nice big bed and plasma screen TV, but I’m sleeping with a 50-year-old woman. It seems to me that you are not holding up your side of things.’ My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out & find a hot 25-year-old blonde, and she would make sure that I would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, sleeping on a sofa bed and watching a 10-inch black and white TV. Aren’t older women great? They really know how to solve your mid-life crisis!

Spectacular formation remains a puzzle

clipped from www.darkroastedblend.com The Richat Structure, Oudane, Mauritania, is not really a structure but a huge circular formation (50 km in diameter - 30 miles), that resembles an eye when looked upon from space. Originally thought to be a crater, this volcanic dome is most likely a product of erosion, an ancient geological artifact in the middle of featureless Maur Adrar desert, in Africa's Western Sahara. The earliest space missions used it as a landmark, the adventurous 4x4 enthusiasts consider it to be their playground, and scientists are still debating its origin. clipped from maps.google.com clipped from maps.google.com clipped from www.darkroastedblend.com The meteorite impact theory could not explain the flatness of the "crater"'s floor, so the most accepted explanation is the erosion of the initial volcanic dome, which gradually peeled away the layers of rock, creating the present onion-like form. Johnnie Shannon image-enhanced the satellite image, clearly showing an eroded circular anticline (structural dome) of layered sedimentary rocks: there is also a hotel smack in the middle of the Richat Structure