Get this while the people needed help the only ones really keeping the help coming were international relief workers and though a bit long it is the best read so far on the topic. The govt. is now going after people with a few cans of food or tying to sell some extra. I read a report where the idea of invading this country was put forth. I thought no! Now I think maybe it is needed. But that is IMHO only. It isn't the topic here.

Now I see the link if someone has a few cans of relief aid they might be charged with hording. Maybe the thought of invading this Military run country is needed. It is a bite of a read but the best report from the area to date.

Myanmar cyclone death toll soars above 43,000 12 minutes ago

Myanmar cyclone death toll soars above 43,000 - Yahoo! News

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's junta warned Thursday that legal action would be taken against people who trade or hoard international aid as the cyclone's death toll soared above 43,000.

It was the first acknowledgment by the military government, albeit indirectly, of problems with relief operations in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis.

The warning came amid reports that foreign aid was being sold openly in markets, and that the military was pilfering and diverting aid for its own use.

Now we'll see some of the China that their government doesn't want us to see.
God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.
Or as my Aunt Lillian used to say, "Chi'l (the "i" sounds like "eye"), God don't like ugly!"

My daughter has heard from most of her friends there- a little miracle is what we call it. But we are so saddened by the countless deaths and grieving loved ones.

__________________
Consumption is indeed important in a free economy: particularly the freedom of consumers to buy their goods in unhampered markets. However, key to long-term economic growth is investment (savings), which is the opposite of consumption. Public policies that promote consumption — such as low interest rates — do so at the expense of savings. Less savings means less investments; an economy that does not save or invest will consume all of its resources and eventually end up bankrupt.-David Saied

Aunt Lillian sounds like she knew a thing or two.

Rain deepens Myanmar misery; death toll spikes By Aung Hla Tun
1 hour, 1 minute ago

Rain deepens Myanmar misery; death toll spikes - Yahoo! News

YANGON (Reuters) - Torrential rain lashed victims of Cyclone Nargis on Friday as Myanmar's junta admitted more than 130,000 people were dead or missing, putting the disaster on a par with a 1991 cyclone that killed 143,000 in neighboring Bangladesh.

In a shock update to a death toll that had consistently lagged behind international aid agency estimates, state television in the army-ruled former Burma said 77,738 people were dead and another 55,917 missing.

The May 2 storm has left another 2.5 million people clinging to survival in the delta, where thousands of destitute victims are lining roadsides, begging for help in the absence of large-scale government or foreign relief operations.

Well it lies we are about out of the picture with this relief effort. This is a shame that a few can rule without thought of their actions for the countries people. But I don't want to open any cans of worms by saying more.

US ships to leave cyclone-hit Myanmar after junta snub 1 hour, 28 minutes ago

US ships to leave cyclone-hit Myanmar after junta snub - Yahoo! News

YANGON (AFP) - US warships laden with supplies for Myanmar's cyclone victims will sail away after the junta refused their help, even as aid workers Wednesday pleaded for more help to reach about a million survivors.

The US Navy said they would withdraw the four ships -- carrying helicopters, amphibious vehicles and water purifying equipment -- from off the coast after repeated attempts to convince the regime to let them in.

"But they have refused us each and every time. It is time for the USS Essex group to move on to its next mission," Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of US Pacific Command, said in a statement.

"I am both saddened and frustrated to know that we have been in a position to help ease the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people and help mitigate further loss of life, but have been unable to do so because of the unrelenting position of the Burma military junta," he added.

Cyclone Nargis left more than 133,000 people dead or missing as it ploughed across the country formally known as Burma about a month ago, laying waste to vital farmlands and wiping villages off the map.