Several times recently friends and I have come to this stumbling block in dealing with some issue. The problem is, that people here aren't inclined to solve problems. The piece of exercise equipment that Alice uses at the gym she has a one year membership for broke two months ago. The costly reptile park had no monitor lizard, a most interesting and common reptile in SE Asia. Oh - it died two years ago. Why not replace it. Smile. Trash all over left by festival. Landlords say won't help to complain. Forests being destroyed, water table sinking. That's development. Nothing can be done. Never did anything about their genocides and death squads. One of the death squad leaders wore a tee shirt with Apathy written on it in a film about that (The Art of Killing). There are local people here trying to get things done but they're up against a wall of complacency - and they can disappear. May the new year bring dynamic action. Good, friendly, kind people everywhere and great ceremonies anyway.
