For the first time in more than 50 years President barack obama announces that
secretary of state hillary clinton will travel to myanmar, on the sidelines of
the asean summit in nusa dua, bali, november 18, 2011. (Photo:Jason reed /
reuters) This year, the leaders of burma, once one of the most hermetic
countries on earth, have unleashed a charm campaign on the world.The efforts,
ranging from diplomatic globe-Trotting to a raft of economic and political
reforms designed to impress foreign governments, are now bearing fruit.On
nov.President barack obama announced that hillary clinton would visit the
impoverished nation on december 1.Secretary of state to burma in more than five
decades.Not even north korea has been so diplomatically isolated. Ever since a
clutch of generals grabbed power in 1962, burma, also known as myanmar, has
languished as other parts of asia have raced ahead.Burma's economy has been
hobbled both by the rapaciousness and incompetence of its military leaders(Along
with their attendant cronies)And, to a much lesser degree, the bite of
western-Led sanctions.But the past 12 months have brought remarkable change to a
nation once preserved in a horrible amber.Last november, burma held its first
elections in two decades.Although the polls were hardly free and fair, a
nominally civilian government took office in march.Skeptics assumed the new
leadership, some of whom were generals who had expressly retired to take on
their civilian roles, would serve as a fig-Leaf for the military, which kept
many plum posts for itself.Instead, aspects of the economy have been
liberalized, opposition politicians have been allowed a platform and press
freedoms have widened. "We want to seize what could be an historic opportunity
for progress,"Said obama during his trip to indonesia where he announced
clinton's upcoming visit,"And make it clear that if burma continues to travel
down the road of democratic reform, it can forge a new relationship with the
united states of america. " In finalizing his decision to send such a high-Level
representative to one of the world's few remaining pariah states, obama spoke on
nov.17 with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.Burma's longtime
democracy advocate was released from house arrest Tomsawyers online mens wine jackets down
vest last year, after spending most of the previous two decades locked
up by the junta.Suu kyi's continuing support of international sanctions are one
key reason that western governments have not rolled them back, even as
burgeoning trade with neighbors like china have made the financial restrictions
less relevant. Clinton's upcoming trip is just one sign that foreign countries
are cheering on burma's tentative reforms.The same day as obama's announcement,
members of the association of southeast asian nations(Asean)Agreed that burma
would be allowed to chair the regional bloc in 2014.The last time the country
came up for such consideration back in 2006, members of the regional
grouping-Hardly the most vocal champions of human rights-Blanched.Burma skipped
its turn. Also on friday, suu kyi's national league for democracy(Nld)Announced
that it would re-Register as a political party, so it could be part of the
official political process and contest coming by-Elections.Back in 1990, the nld
won burma's last polls, which the ruling junta then ignored.Nld elders decided
to sit out last year's balloting, which resulted in the party's automatic
dissolution according to government rules.Why remove itself?Members of the nld
argued that their beloved leader suu kyi was still under house arrest and unable
to contest the polls.All indications pointed toward a sham election and
fraudulent result.The nld was right in that parties associated with the junta
won the Tomsawyers Jackets UK polls
with suspiciously big margins.At first, parliament looked like it was straining
even to reach the level a rubber-Stamp body. But since this spring, real debate
And news has occasionally erupted in the sterile halls of the grAnd parliament
building constructed in naypyidaw, burma's surreal new capital. (In one
instance, the country's new prime minister thein sein, after weeks of
back-And-Forth in the national assembly, announced this fall that he was
suspending construction of a chinese-Backed dam that would send most of its
electricity over the border to china. ) "No one expected it, but there is
actually politics to cover in burma,"Says one burmese journalist.The media,
although still very censored and under constant threat that its reporters might
be thrown into jail, can now print things-Pictures of suu kyi, snippets of
political debate, discussion of the ethnic insurgencies flaring up
north-Unimaginable even a year ago.Following the 1990 polls could conceivably
run for in future by-Elections-Although electoral shenanigans could still stifle
any potential victory.In recent months, the veteran democracy activist, who had
an http://tomsawyers.co.uk/ icy
relationship with former junta leader than shwe, has been able to meet
repeatedly with high-Ranking burmese leaders.She has freely criticized the
government without repercussion.Posters of the woman known affectionately in
burma simply as"The lady"Are openly on sale in markets.Small protests have
occurred in major cities without being met by gunfire, as was the tragic
conclusion in 2007 when the military fired on buddhist monks and other unarmed
demonstrators. There is always the possibility that the current era of openness
will be cut short by infighting between hardline and reformist leadership
factions, just as happened during another brief political dawn at the turn of
this century.Some exile groups, in particular, warn foreigners not to be taken
in by the generals'(Or retired generals')Promises of further change.Now
inaccessible because of western sanctions on specific burmese leaders and
cronies.Once burma's leaders get what they want from the global community, these
analysts say, the political situation will chill anew. Certainly, burma, even
after this year's changes, is still a terribly repressed place.Despite
much-Vaunted prisoner amnesties, thousands of political prisoners still languish
in some of the world's most horrendous jails.Skirmishes between ethnic armies
and the burmese army have turned parts of the country's north into
battlefields.Ethnic groups accuse burmese soldiers of mass rape and forced
recruitment.The government continues to spend many times more on its military
than health and education combined.An influx of asian investment, most notably
from neighbors china and thailand, hasn't done much to change the lives of
burma's citizens, one-Third of whom subsist below the poverty line. But even
acknowledging all this, there is also a feeling that things are truly changing,
that this is about more than just some generals' wish to jaunt off to a western
travel spot currently closed off to them.Burma's economy has been mismanaged for
so long-One previous military ruler denominated the currency by nine because it
was his favorite number-That, clearly, something had to be done.And even though
investment is pouring in from china, burma's military members, many of whom
fought chinese-Backed communist insurgents for decades, are growing wary of
their northern neighbor's looming shadow.Besides, burma's leaders can get a lot
more for the country's plentiful natural resources if there are some western
bidders involved.Clearly that's a key factor spurring the burmese government's
recent international engagement. Finally, here's something else for the outside
world to consider:Burma's last, ever so slight moment of glasnost may have been
foiled in part because its architects were unable to get international support
for their reforms.This time around, it's clear that obama and clinton don't want
the same thing to happen again.President on friday hailed"Flickers of
progress"In burma, even as he cautioned that much more must be done.Embers of
reform must be encouraged before they light up a country that has been darkened
for so long. Related topics:Aung san suu kyi, burma, burma elections, burma
reforms, hillary clinton, myanmar, national league for democracy, than shwe,
thein sein, asia
2013年10月23日星期三
2013年10月14日星期一
Tomsawyers Outlet UK Different kinds of printers
Different kinds of printers and their uses When it comes to choosing printers,
weighing up all the factors to decide which will be right for the purpose can be
daunting.The first thing to decide is whether it should Tomsawyers Sale be laser or inkjet and
then if printing is all that's needed or would a multi-Functional model be more
appropriate. The final decision will be made easier if the end result required
is taken into consideration at the outset.It's important to know if the main use
will be for reproducing images, text or a combination.A need to produce a lot of
print-Outs, quickly and cost-Effectively, requires a different train of thought
than if the top priority is quality of image and the ability to use a range of
stock. If image quality is top priority, inkjet printers are considered the best
option, as they offer a photographic quality print that isn't achievable with
laser.Another benefit to inkjet is that it's possible to print onto a larger
range of stock than with laser. Laser printers are better for larger volume
printing.They're faster and cheaper to Tomsawyers online mens black jackets
windbreaker run than inkjet and good for printing professional looking
documents.Lasers are generally more bulky than inkjets as they have more
capacity built in for volume printing. Where space is an issue, multi-Functional
inkjet printers are a good buy.They may be a bit bigger than average inkjet
printers but this is compensated by the fact that they have built-In scan and
copying capabilities and some are able to send faxes too.Laser versions are too
big for most home uses and more costly too. It's common to find printers at very
low prices but this can be quite deceiving.The're sold cheaply because the
makers are not looking to make money from the printers themselves but the
consumables that are necessary to run them.It's often the case that the cheaper
the printer the more expensive the inks, toners and stock are to buy.When
checking out the life-Expectancy of cartridges, the amount of prints per
cartridge stated on the pack is usually unhelpful. As with other types of
products, just because a manufacturer is well known Tomsawyers Outlet UK doesn't
automatically mean they will be offering the best deal when it comes to certain
products.Lasers vary from model to model just as inkjets do.The differences may
not look very important but they could greatly affect overall performance. One
inkjet printer may allow printing onto a variety of stock from the largest
format to postcard-Size prints.This may be suitable for someone wanting to use
their printer for work where quality of image is all important and it doesn't
matter if the printing speed is slow.Someone looking to buy a laser printer will
probably be looking for more speed and capacity and will need to focus in on how
one machine differs from the other when it comes to handling paper. Considering
the computer that the printer will be connected to is important in order to
ensure that everything runs smoothly at output stage.Some printers aren't
compatible with macs and some older pc operating systems.A check should be done
to find out if appropriate drivers can be downloaded from the manufacturer's
site should they be required.
订阅:
博文 (Atom)