Showing posts with label Aung San Suu Kyi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aung San Suu Kyi. Show all posts

Sunday, July 20, 2008

On July 20...


1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the Moon. The Apollo 11 launched onto space in Florida at 9:32am on July 16, 1969. On board were Commander Neil Armstrong, Colonel Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Collins. On July 20, Apollo 11 began to orbit the Moon. Armstrong overrode computer controls and guided the Eagle, the landing module, to a more suitable spot with less than a minute's fuel remaining. The mission was accomplished.

1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Ceylon, the world's first elected female head of government. She entered politics when her husband, Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike, was assassinated in 1959. A socialist, she focused all her efforts in nationalizing key sectors in the economy.


1989, after political protests in Burma (Myanmar), military rulers placed the opposition leader and human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.

1973, Bruce Lee, the greatest martial arts professional died. "Be like water. When needed you can freeze, but when necessary you may spill out of the glass and join the river," (paraphrase) was his advice, touching upon the wisdom of flexibility and ability to function in all situations. In his opinion, you must be able to transform from a tiger to a monkey, from a dragon to a cat, when needed and when you wish to regain control of your existence. He also advised, "The key to immortality is to live a life worth remembering."


"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." (Benjamin Franklin)

Click here for all-time favorite Valeriy Leontiev

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma


Aung San Suu Kyi was born in Rangoon, Burma on June 19, 1945. She got her B.A. at Oxford University, went to New York and London for graduate studies, began research and publishing very early in her career. Her political career began in 1988 upon resignation of General Ne Win, who was the military dictator in Burma since 1962. There were mass uprisings and voter suppression by the military, killing thousands. The State Law & Order Restoration Council was established at this time to crack down on political gatherings for democracy.

Su Kyi got involved by making public speeches and writing letters to the government. The same year the National League for Democracy was formed with her as general-secretary. It was focused on non-violent resistance and struggle for democracy in Burma. In 1989 she was placed under house arrest. Despite her detention, NLD won the election with 82% of parliamentary seats. The SLORC refused to recognize the results and continued her detention until 1995, July. She could not even travel to accept the Nobel Peace Prize that she was awarded in 1991. She received other human rights prizes for her unbroken will for the fight for democracy and human rights in Burma.