But the repressive military junta that has ruled since 1962 is limiting who it accepts aid from to "friendly" countries. President Bush offered help from the U.S. Navy but so far Myanmar isn't accepting.
]]> This is a human tragedy and politics should be set aside. Myanmar may not want help from the U.S. government, but as Americans we can help.To see a list of organizations sending aid to Myanmar go to http://www.interaction.org/burma
]]>We just came across Lee Bey's The Urban Observer, and don't know how we've missed it for so long.
Bey is the executive director of the Chicago Central Area Committee and a former high-ranking official in Mayor Daley's administration.
And he's got a passion for Chicago architecture.
In his blog, he offers up original insights on well known Chicago landmarks.
]]> But what he does best is seek out the neighborhood gems that most people didn't even know existed.Combine that with Bey's striking photography, and you've got a blog easily worth losing some time in.
In the interest of full disclosure, Bey worked as a reporter and architecture critic for the Chicago Sun-Times many moons ago. The blog reminds us what he did best for the newspaper.
]]>The Sun-Times editorial board thinks it's a good idea, in theory, but a deeply flawed one in practice. A recall would create far more problems than it solves. The process would probably be too cumbersome to recall the worst offenders in a timely fashion and would render them even more ineffective while they're in the cross hairs. A recall election would also drain the state of money it doesn't have to spend.
Despite that, we urge the state Senate to take a vote on the recall proposal. A senate vote is being blocked by backers of Blagojevich -- who is the main recall target. In the name of good government, let our senators speak.
The House already passed a version earlier this month. With a May 4 deadline looming, the Senate must act now and then send a revamped version of the recall proposal back to the House. We may be shooting ourselves in the foot -- there's a good chance the senate will pass the recall bill. But we elected our senators to legislate, not to kowtow to party leaders.
At one point it was taking 90 minutes or more to get from downtown to O"Hare. If you were commuting from the suburbs, after 9 a.m., when the sun was out and the snow plowed, it still took more than 80 minutes to travel from near Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg to the heart of Chicago.
All it seems to take is a couple bad accidents, anywhere on any Interstate, and it brings things to a crawl throughout the whole system. (And feel free to share your commuter nightmares with us.)
Sure the RTA has its operational funding in place, but the horrible traffic shouts out that regional transportation woes are far from over.
]]> As the region spreads, we need road improvements and more roads. We need more buses and trains.Politicians took long enough to come up with a way to pay regional public transportation's bills, so it's more than likely they will have a metaphorical traffic jam of their own when it comes to figuring out how to pay for infrastructure and equipment.
In the meantime we waste gas and time, not because we want to but because many us have no choice but to drive to work. If you live in Plainfield and work near Rosemont you can't public transportation.
Sure it's tougher for a woman. All men do is put on a variation on that same dull suit they all have - with a flag pin, of course. They are the guys in the WaMu commercials (with Obama being the cool, laid back guy they bankers in the ad just don't get but are sort of in awe of maybe.)
But for a campaign like Clinton's that seems so programmed, one can only imagine the sessions deciding what she will wear for the day.
Actually the first few weeks of the show are the hardest to stomach, a theater of cruelty featuring the bizarre and the off-key prancing and singing for that insufferable panel of judges: Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.
A good amount of the godawful singing seems staged and if it isn't it's just picking on the mentally or psychologically challenged.
It wouldn't be so bad but for that Jackson has claimed to this "dawg" that the dreadful talent they show represents a true cross section of the talent they encounter.
That may be true, but the only reason they put it on is to make fun of the frail.
]]>According to USA Today, the money is supposed to go to the states which turn it over to local governments for rebuilding.
Part of the trouble is that some of the money is in the form of matching grants - and the towns can't come up with the funding, explained "Scout Prime," a blogger at First Draft who has made numerous trips to the Gulf since Katrina to lend a hand and to document what the heck is - and isn't - happening.
]]> "There's progress being made but it's slow, and there is so much to do," said Scout. "A lot of people are working hard, but there is an awful lot to be dealt with, not just in New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana, but in Mississippi, too," she said.Remember that as Mardi Gras season approaches.
]]>I'm all for new technology, and I even welcomed the technology that already allows a high-end Lexus model to park itself. But a car that drives itself may be going too far.
Maybe it'll work when there are dedicated lanes on U.S. highways to accommodate such high-tech vehicles. Until then, I rather take my chances on the road with cars driven by attentive humans.
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