One hundred million paper birds

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

There’s something really touching about this story.

A few provinces in the south of Thailand have a Muslim majority. There has been sporadic Muslim seperatist violence recently, and protests, during which, a few weeks ago, hundreds protestors were arrested and locked in containers on the back of trucks; airless and in blazing heat, 78 of the protesters suffocated to death. Following this there were reprisal attacks. The situation is becoming a mess.

So in an attempt to calm the situation, the Thai government has encouraged people all over the country to make origami cranes, the sign of peace. 50 Air Force planes are currently dropping one hundred million paper birds over the troubled provinces - one of which gives a scholarship to the finder, signed by the Prime Minister.

I have no idea whether it will work, but it’s fascinating to see non-linear, non-western thinking applied a serious political problem.

2

“As God is my witness, I thought oragami cranes could fly!!!”
Sorry. That should be very pretty.

3

Uh, , didn’t work out too well.
That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be tried in the Middle East though. It probably would work as well as anything else that’s been attempted.

4

“Who’s going to clean up all this damn confetti on my car and windows?”

5

Stupid question: What did they do with that BIG folded crane they show in the picture?

If all the cranes were that big… :smack:

6

Inspiring mortal dread in anyone who’s read Gore Vidal’s Kalki……in which millions of paper lotus-flowers are airdropped as a symbol of peace – said origami creations being impregnated with a bio-engineered supervirus which indeed brings peace – by quickly killing off everyone except the chosen few who have been immunized against it.Illustrative Russian cover here.