Myanmar’s Biggest City Still Paralyzed After 5 Days
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/world/asia/09yangon.html?ref=world
5/8/08


I. About 5 days ago, Yangon, Myanmar was attacked by natural disaster; a cyclone. 5 days later, Myanmar is still “paralyzed” and not under control. The reason is because of the governments’s inability to aid the towns people and rebuild fallen structures. The government has failed to speed recovery wit tools and helicopters and other useful resources that Myanmar is in dire need of. It is impossible to cure a disease without a medicine.

II.
A. Impact of technology, economics, and demography on people and the environment is AP world history topic because this is what this country lacks. Technology and economy. They were also impacted massively by the cyclone in terms of demography because hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in the cyclone, vital statistics. The government is poor and the country is obviously which results in barely any technology which makes it impossible to recover from such a devastating blow. No wonder why they are still “paralyzed”.

B. It is typical that a country like this would be hit with such a deadly, decimating natural disaster. South Asia, specifically by the Indian ocean is an extremely vulnerable spot due to the geographical location. Monsoons and Tsunamis are all common to these spots. Over the years, Asia has been affected to an unimaginable degree and will probably not stop because of the way nature works.

C. The author of this article isn’t stated, but from my interpretation, it is an American writer with an outsider point of view.

D. It sounds to me like the writer isn’t on one side as opposed to the other because there are no sides really. There are straight facts. The only indication of bias I can find is that it sounds like the government is the bad guy. The country is in poverty and the government has no supplies to help.”But the inability of the government to clear debris and restore basic utilities like water and power in what is the country’s wealthiest city are a measure of how difficult Myanmar’s overall disaster recovery could be.” It is almost like they knew it could come but did not prepare. It is like a parent not saving money for a child to go to college. Careless mistakes. Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to take care of your country if it means asking for help from other countries.

E. The point of view missing is one from a survivor of the cyclone. There are barely if any quotes from these victims who have lost their families and there is no emotion to express the drama that this cyclone has on these people. Is the government doing all it can do? Or are they hiding the supplies. Who knows? If you could hear from a citizen, it would be easier to understand whether the government is taking charge or are they being the bad guy.

F. I feel terrible for those victims who were killed in this disaster which could not be stopped. It is always a possibility of major disasters but these people don’t deserve it. Not only were these lands destroyed but they cannot be revived. It is a shame that this government is so poor and so not resourceful . Hopefully other countries such as ourselves can help donate to the cause.