Maria> Saul: No sweat over Burma/Thailand...

Saaaaaul, noo problem! Those kind of mispreceptions happends - it only make you more human! I thought first that I might have "picked" the wrong country since I did the map in a hurry. :) Actually in feb. when we were in Thailand for my friends wedding we went to relax couple of days close to the boarder towards Burma. You sense the years of opression at the Thai side...
:(

It would be really intressting to follow how the "evil countries/regimes" develop during diffent epochs. Countries like Algeria are now "acceptable" in the west while countries like Russia always are seen with scepticism (from the "western world" atleast...)

If I had to pick three "evil regims" they would be as follows;

1) Equartorial Guinea > from desperate poor to mean selfserving billion dollar dicator
"the president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards."

(world police)

2) Western Sahara > the forgotten Palestine!
"Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal."

(world police)

more...
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0759052.html

3) Bruma - What we know is enough to act! but then oil usually has the last word in democracy fights...
"Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power."

(world police)

Reg. Western Sahara there is every year a film festival in the desert to bring the world and some hope to this tormented people. It some awesome spanish that organize it. I would love to go next time... To be apart of that somehow...

: m

Maria > Saul: No suprises cause Thailand is not Burma! (part II)

Hi Saul,

I just very fast have to reply to the "Burma vacation". No, I have not been to Burma (Myanmar). And I would never go either especially under this horrible regim. I am also very sceptical on the "democracy effect" tourism has. Saul, you have misstaken Thailand for Burma on the flickr map! (see the map here > http://www.uwm.edu Map Thailand.jpg)

I would never claim that there are "really evil countries" in the world - how is that possible at all? And by doing that does that mean that the other "non evil" countries never have done anything as evil? Or can be evil at all? And is it the country (the mountains, streets, people, arts, food aso) that is evil or the persons/ideology that run it the system?

I am not a fan on biography but If I ever get around hers would be one of the "musts". She is the greatest!

Lala Tov.

: m