Things that are in the news that interest me (and I want you to look at and listen to me talk about)

Issues I have... mainly with international news media. Click on the blue letters for links to the articles I'm talking about.

The way Thailand is portrayed by the international news media - This is a little (ok, a big) pet peve of mine. The international news media tends to highlight things pertaining to their interest groups, rather than educate their readers about issues they might not otherwise know about. I understand why they do this ($$$), but maybe this is why Tea Partiers don't know that we have freedom of the press in the United States (and separation of church and state...). Right, so there was a massive protest in Bangkok that ended with a violent standoff and the burning of several major buildings. But before most people saw horrific pictures of "Bangkok Burning" they had little idea of what was actually happening here. Now, CNN is teasing (chiding? highlighting a pointless note about Thailand?) for its obsession with a recent celebrity sex scandal and it makes CNN's homepage. I think this speaks more to what the US news media thinks (and does) sell in the US, rather than a "way for stressed Thais to safely relieve their tension." Is news of Brittany Spears shaving her head a way for Americans to safely relieve their tension concerning the blatant lies of many politicians? I mean, at least Thai politicians don't have to avoid religious sites for fear of being mislabeled Muslims (and really, why is it such a problem to be Muslim? I know Muslims/Sikhs/Buddhists/Hindus/Christians/Jews who are wonderful people because of their religion. I know Christians/Buddhists/Muslims/Jews/Sikhs/Hindus who are less than wonderful people, despite their religion.)

Why not highlight the recent peaceful protests by those "red shirt rioters" that occurred September 19th? Or the horrible flooding that has covered many parts of the country? Or, for that matter, the human rights issues Thailand has with refugees from Burma? No, things aren't perfect in Thailand and the country certainly has many issues to work through, but what country doesn't.

Speaking of refugees in Burma, why isn't their more international news/uproar about the elections to be held in Burma/Myanmar in November? Why aren't all of those Americans who so desperately want to promote democracy calling out in protest at the scam that is the Burmese "democracy"? The military junta that seized control after the last "democratic" elections in 1990 is the same one in power today - they are shifting military leaders to civilian posts (so they can be 'elected'), banning anyone who's been jailed from running (like all of those political dissidents), and sometimes resorting to outright bribery and/or threats.

And now back to my old (and current standard): health care. In 10th grade, I was forced to read the horrible (some call it a "classic") book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Who knew I would be linking to an article making an artful play on the book I once despised? But here it is - a refreshing outlook on solutions to improve health care - Health care and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. While I am distressed by the state of health care in the United States, sometimes health care in developing countries seems like a lost cause. (Don't worry, I haven't lost my naive sense that I can fix the world. Just sometimes gets me down.) Because "where else can you find a low-tech investment in health care that increases patient coverage by nearly 600 percent?"

Finally, some perspective from the ever-informative people at Foreign Passport: Africa is really, really big. If you didn't know this already, see the map for some additional perspective.

(Next week, I'll be back to my normal ways, posting delightful pictures of Thai beaches and temples in the hopes of tempting you to come here. Cathay Pacific has flights for less than $1200 from JFK to BKK... take advantage now!)