Earth Tiger: Wood Season: 4b

25 Mar ~~ 29 Mar

The people intrude upon the political arena. Popularity counts! Popular expressions of discontent are strongest here -- riots and strikes. Loss of popular figures is highlighted -- the death of someone famous, perhaps? Political intimidation over these days may be orchestrated for populist reasons or to test the nerve of an opponent or for the lowly goals of rape and pillage.
Weather: the pulse of warmer weather reaches its maturity.
The Fulfilment:
UK: Three IRA bombs today in London and Ulster, but no deaths. They cut the railway lines instead. This is political intimidation of some sort, of course, but it's the IRA, so I don't expect anyone to be able to find any sense in it ....
Belarus: USA will expel a Byelorussian diplomat in retaliation for their expulsion of an American diplomat. Tit for tat -- back to that again are we?
Albania: Government still pleading for order and calm as food shortages become acute but convoys cannot reach rebel towns. Compare this story to tales of famine in N.Korea noted below.
Russia: Some 17 million workers are threatening a one-day general strike tomorrow to protest lack of wages. Yeltsin's ministers announce cuts to their own job perks in hopes of currying favour. "The people intrude upon the political arena. Popularity counts!"
USA: California: Day of the discovery of the mass suicide of 39 cultists in Rancho Santa Fe, but event took place several days ago, judging from the state of the bodies. They worked as Internet Web designers in their spare time. Cult was called "Heaven's Gate". The purpose of their suicide was to enable them to get aboard a UFO they believed to be hiding in the tail of Comet Hale-Bopp. An event involving a "spiritual family", just as the feuds in Albania and the scandal in Korea involves blood families (see below).
Papua New Guinea: PM Sir Julius Chan resigned today, in response to the blockade of Parliament and the intimidation of MPs at gunpoint by mutinous troops and angry mobs of people. "The people intrude upon the political arena." And this is certainly an example of political intimidation.
Taiwan: Dalai Lama meets today with the Premier and tomorrow with the President of Taiwan. China is protesting vigorously. "Political intimidation over these days may be orchestrated for populist reasons or to test the nerve of an opponent".
China: American VP Al Gore arrives for a state visit and a speech at the university where the Tiananmen Square protest was born. A sort of political intimidation, orchestrated for populist reasons.
Nigeria: Thirty Shell Oil workers are rescued today, but another ninety are still held hostage.
Albania: Govt extends amnesty to about 700 petty convicts who escaped their prisons in the chaos. Many family clans using their new weaponry to settle old disputes and their feuds are claiming many lives. "The people intrude upon the political arena ... for the lowly goals of rape and pillage." This is a very interesting expression of this energy as ties of blood eclipse the power of the government.
Russia: About half a million unpaid workers and starving pensioners strike and march today to protest the government's inability to pay them. "The people intrude upon the political arena. Popular expressions of discontent are strongest here -- riots and strikes."
UK: Just what the Tories needed -- a sex scandal. An MP is caught with his arms around a 17-yr-old blonde waitress. That's the end of that. "The people intrude upon the political arena. Popularity counts!"
World: Stock markets today walked off a cliff. The Dow Jones dropped 140pts and the Canadian TSE dropped 190pts. Overseas markets also adversely affected.
Taiwan: Dalai Lama meets the Taiwanese president for lunch, then departs for his home in exile in India. China is enraged by this meeting. "The people intrude upon the political arena. Popularity counts! Political intimidation over these days may be orchestrated for populist reasons or to test the nerve of an opponent".
N.Korea: The government is willing to sit down with South Korea and the West to talk peace on condition of massive and sustained food aid from the West to stave off famine. The people are dying of hunger all over the country. "The people intrude upon the political arena" -- here through their very obvious needs.
Albania: Refugee ship is broadsided and capsized by Italian patrol ship. Many of the refugees are thought to have drowned in the hold of the ship. Only 34 rescued. Interesting: there has been quite a political fall-out from this in Italy: "The people intrude upon the political arena." But dying is not exactly the best way of getting someone's attention.
UN: Security Council votes to dispatch an armed humanitarian mission to Albania immediately with food and medical aid. "The people intrude upon the political arena."
Serbia: Montenegro now making noises about separating from Serbia. At the very least, Montenegrin government has made it clear that Milosevic will be blocked from further political advances. "Political intimidation over these days may be orchestrated for populist reasons or to test the nerve of an opponent". Uh huh.
Belgium: Riot by a few thousand labourers from doomed industrial plants turns ugly when they block a highway and the police intervene. Two dozen hurt. "Popular expressions of discontent are strongest here -- riots and strikes."
Russia: Kremlin: CIS Summit today, chaired by Yeltsin. By all accounts, this was the most fruitful summit the CIS has held. The topic is integration. Political populism figures into this somewhere, but I don't see it yet....
Israel: Govt refuses to relaunch peace talks until Arafat quells the violence. Arafat will not relaunch peace talks until the government stops new settlements. "Political intimidation over these days may be orchestrated for populist reasons".
India: Pakistan and India sit down to talk about peace in Kashmir and their relationship for first time in three years. Their borders have been closed to each other since 1947.
S.Korea: Hanbo Steel scandal spreads through whole families with still more arrests. "The people intrude upon the political arena."

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