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The spirit of Christmas

CORRECTION: NGO and Aid supplement

26 November 2012

“Yangon’s first animal shelter” -

The donor provided $US20,000, which

went towards building the road, shed and fence.

a special reportMerry Christmas

Archbishop Charles Bo talks about the Catholic Christmas tradition and his role as a spiritual leader.

MIDNIGHT Mass at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon is

expected to draw about 2500 faithful. Although it is Myanmar’s largest cathe-dral, it will not be possible to accommodate so many people under its beautiful vaults. According to Archbishop Charles Bo of the Yangon Archdiocese, two thirds will take part in the service outside the 101-year-old cathedral, which is one of Yangon’s most iconic buildings.

The Archbishop told The Myanmar Times in an interview via email that the number of Catholics in Myanmar is steadily grow-ing.

He said, “About 40 years ago, we had practically the same number of Catholics as in Thailand – approxi-mately 350,000. But now there are… about 800,000, while the figure in Thailand remains the same.”

According to the Arch-bishop’s estimate, the CIA World Factbook’s figures are a little low: it states that Christians constitute four percent of Myanmar’s population of about 48 million, while Catholics represent 1pc.

The Archbishop said, “All [of Myanmar’s] churches are overcrowded during Christmas services. People from various ethnic groups, including Myanmar [Bur-man], Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah, Kayin, Tamil, Chi-nese and so forth [attend services]. They include the rich and poor alike.”

The Archbishop said that churche် spend four weeks

preparing for Christmas, “intensifying in prayers, services and reconciliation.”

He said that Christmas stories will be “retold and celebrated” during the Mid-night Mass service, which is one of the most important times of the year for Catho-lics around the world.

A key part of the Roman Catholic tradition is novena, which consists of private or public prayers that are re-peated for nine consecutive days before December 25.

Due to transport and security issues, Archbishop Charles Bo said that some parishes in Myanmar begin

the service slightly earlier, which also provides the chance for people to attend Mass at two or three differ-ent churches.

He said another impor-tant aspect of celebrating Christmas is giving gifts, which are “shared to remind each other of God’s gift to us.”

He added that of all the Christmas decorations in homes and churches, it is the pine tree that particu-larly expresses that “God’s love is everlasting and fresh.”

When asked about the significance of Christmas,

the Archbishop said, “To me, Christmas means that God comes to us in the person of a babe in Beth-lehem, so that you and I could love Him. He is the God who shares his life with all people, especially the downtrodden, homeless and abandoned.”

He explained that young people in particular will “meet with different people and families to share the good news in the form of carol singing.”

However the Archbishop also has some concerns about the values of the young generation. He be-

Of all the Christmas decorations in homes and churches, it is the pine tree that particu-larly expresses that “God’s love is everlast-ing and fresh.”

Editors:Myo Lwin, Jessica Mudditt

Writers:Naw Say Phaw Waa,

Jessica Mudditt, Pinky

Cover photo:Waitresses at Traders Hotel,

by Ko Taik

Photography: Ko Taik

Layout & Design:Tin Zaw Htway, Ko Pxyo,

For enquiries and feedback: myolwin@myanmartimes.

com.mm, jess.mudditt@gmail.com

By Jessica Mudditt

Saint Mary's Cathedral. photo Ko taiK

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Letter to the EditorsI convey this feedback letter on ‘Sanc-tions to Success: A Special Report.’ I found it very interesting and felt optimistic in every respect.

However in this special feature, all the comments are articulated from the West’s point of view. I would be grateful if space had been given to Myanmar analysts. This is because numerous Myanmar people suffered the bitter consequences of sanctions and their comments could provide a more bal-anced approach.

On ‘Burma or Myanmar?’ there are a few things to say. If we look into the political history of the country about 80 years ago, one could find politicians that at the time claimed for the separation of Burma from British-India dominion rule. They asked for their own dominion rule under the British. They achieved this successfully, but never brought up the issue of renaming Burma to Myan-mar. Secondly, while struggling for inde-pendence, Bogyoke U Aung San never mentioned it while drafting the 1947 constitution. Thirdly, in the 1974 con-stitution there is no mention of it either. General Ne Win and his followers only wanted to show that they were patriots. In that second constitution, ex-military top echelons desired to prove that they were the only heroes who saved and represented the peasants and working classes. They successfully changed the

flag of the country, but failed to fulfill their dreams of socialism.

Finally, in the present constitution, the country was renamed Myanmar and a new flag imposed again. I think changing the country’s name or flag is no big deal. This is only a political plea, a theme to show their national political will and… in the political environment here, no one can predict if there will be immature reformists who may look for another flag or to rename the country once more. The only crucial thing is what shall these politicians and admin-istrators do for the country exactly? Who are the right statesmen to run a good

government according to a genuinely democratic system? The journey is still a long way from its destination.

In “Reactions to President Obama’s election victory” I like the Vietnamese Ambassador’s comment best. He could be regarded as a thoughtful diplomat, though a socialist. He highlighted his optimistic point of view about Mr Obama’s visit not only for this country, but also for the ASEAN region.

Mr Obama came here in good faith and with sincerity for the country and its citizens. His follow up actions will be beneficial for the future of this country. But we must wait to see the outcome.

Please allow me to stress some com-parisons between the US and Myanmar. Mr Obama emphasised that the US and Myanmar gained independence from British colonial rule. Similarities developed in the histories of these two countries. So why don’t Myanmar lead-ers thoughtfully study the experiences of the US and identify those which are the most applicable to apply in Myanmar during its journey towards real progress?

Sincerely,Min Aung

We welcome your comments and feedback. Please write to jess.mudditt@gmail.com or myolwin@myanmartimes.com.mm

lieves there are positive and negative aspects to Myan-mar opening up to the out-side world, both in terms of material and spiritual life.

“We were under a strict regime for over 40 years and… as the country opens up abruptly, many of our youngsters do not grasp the true meaning of ‘freedom.’ They need to be educated about [this]. With the devel-opment of [various forms of] communication, such as iPads and iPhones, and wide access to the internet, the values and sacredness of the family, the respect for parents and elders are much threatened. There are dangers for the religious and moral spheres.”

Archbishop Charles Bo was born in a small, poor

village called Monhla in Shwebo district, which is in the central region of Sagaing.

He said, “I am son of a farmer and my father died when I was just two years old. At the age of two I was sent to a boarding house in Mandalay and was taken care of by the Salesian Fa-thers.”

The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) is a Roman Catholic religious organisa-tion which was established in the late 19th century to care for homeless young people. It is currently the world’s third largest mis-sionary organisation.

The Archbishop said, “I was attracted to their way of life and I became a priest in a mission in Lashio. In 1990 I became Bishop of Lashio Diocese and in 1996 I became the Bishop of Pathein.”

He was appointed as Yangon’s Archbishop by Pope John Paul II on May 24, 2003.

The Archbishop ex-plained that Saint Mary’s Church has a nuncio, who serves as an ambassador to

the Vatican and resides in Bangkok.

Across the world, the Vatican communicates through nuncios, although according to Yangon’s Arch-bishop, “each Catholic has the freedom to deal with the Vatican directly if need be. The directives come to all our churches via the nuncio, while on our part, we have free access to… the Vatican.”

The Archbishop ex-plained that the appoint-ment of Bishops is done directly by the Pope. He said that throughout Myanmar’s history, “the civil author-ity has never interfered with the appointment of Bishops.”

The Archbishop said that one of his most poignant experiences in the past 10 years occurred in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

He said, “Everyday I have visitors. [Following] Nargis, many people came for various reasons. It was a hectic time for me. One day, a lady showed up without an appointment and I was informed that she would like to see me. Thinking that she might be asking me for

some help, I asked my sec-retary to tell her go back. I later learnt that the lady wanted to donate some of her savings to Nargis-affected people. I was quite embarrassed and at the same time, greatly inspired by the

goodwill and generosity of that lady.”

The Archbishop said that the most significant aspect of his role as Arch-

bishop is to promote unity — “not only among Catho-lics, but also among differ-ent religions and people – Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Christians.”

Another chief aim is to achieve “‘freedom’ as the people of God. This particu-larly means freedom from coercion, discrimination and marginalisation.”

Archbishop Charles Bo wishes to communicate a message to those who are hungry, lonely or otherwise struggling in life: “Christ-mas is the gift of God to man. We are a gift to one another. We share what we have with the hungry and lonely. All people of goodwill in the country are pooling their energy and re-sources to help each other. Christmas is a feast of hope and love and forgiveness. Above all, who inspires us? God is so great that he can become small. God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenseless child, so that we can love him and love each other.”

Saint Mary’s Cathedral is on the corner of Bo Aung Kyaw and Bogyoke Aung San roads in Kyauktada town-ship.

Archbishop Charles Bo of the Yan-gon Archdiocese. photo courtesy of saint Mary's cathedral

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Beat on the street: Christmas plans

Daw Mar Lar MyintGovernment officer and a Christian

My family will go to church in the morning and after-wards we’ll go shopping and relax at Kandawgyi Lake. Dinner will be just at home… but I have planned surpris-es for my son and husband.

Arnold P. Falconi (above)Dance instructor and a Christian

I haven’t gone back to celebrate Christmas with my family in The Philippines for three years. I’m really ex-cited about Christmas this year because I am going back for two-and-a-half months. I’m going to buy a present to surprise my little daughter. Before I go back I will be dancing in a show at Traders Hotel.

Mg Yan Paing SoeStaff member at a petrol station and a Buddhist

Since I’m a Buddhist, I might go to a pagoda, which is what I always do when I have a day off. I’ll be working ev-eryday except for Tuesday December 25. This year, I have a plan to give a Christmas present to someone special. I haven’t decided yet what to give – maybe a cat or a soft toy.

Ma Yu Yu WahStudent and a Buddhist

I never celebrate Christmas. Like every year, I will just stay at home and do nothing in particular.

Cartoon Kaung Kin (above)An artist and a Buddhist

If there is a charity concert being held, I will take my family – if not, we will go on a trip to either Kyaing Tong or Tarchileik in Shan state.

U Win MyintBusinessperson and a Buddhist

I take my family out to dinner every Christmas. My two daughters always want to go to a concert on Christmas Eve, but I never allow them because the concerts are overcrowded and I don’t want my girls to get in trouble. As a parent I worry about them. Instead of a concert, we go to the shopping mall and I buy them presents. We do this every year.

Christophe Buzare French cuisine chef at Kandawgyi Palace Hotel and a Christian

While most other people are on holiday from work and possibly also going back to their hometown to celebrate Christmas with their family, I will be very busy here at the restaurant. On Christmas Eve I will go to church in the morning and will have a small cel-ebration with some friends here. I will be busy prepar-ing meals on December 25 and 26. Whether in France or Myanmar, I don’t usually party at Christmas time. In France it’s a family day - people often go to church, have a dinner and exchange gifts.

U Myo Than Nyunt (above)Retired engineer and a Buddhist

I will take my grandchildren to Saint Mary’s Church, which is something we do every year. They enjoy playing in the peaceful church grounds – it’s a very pleasant place to visit. They will play all day - we’ll go home when they start feeling tired!

Jakarta, INDONESIA : A woman stands next to a large Christmas tree decorating the terrace of a shopping mall in Jakarta on December 13, 2012. Many shopping and business centers in the world's largest Muslim nation are decorated this time of year ahead of Christmas Day. afp photo

coMpiled By pinky

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Shopping listFrozen strawberries,

mascarpone, prosciutto and Masterfoods wholegrain mustard from City Mart,

Market PlaceKahlúa coffee liquor,

available at big supermarkets and some

liquor shops

Please feel free to contact to phyocooking@gmail.com

Festive food ideas: Christmas Brunch

Menu• Flavoured water • Garlic prawns• Colourful pasta salad• Strawberry and mascarpone trifles

Although it’s winter, the temperature in the daytime is still warm. To welcome guests arriving for brunch, here is a recipe for thirst-quenching flavoured water. It contains no sugar – only natural fruit and fresh herbs.

After making the first batch, you can simply refill it with water.

• Cucumber and lime flavour

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber (approx. 15 cm long)• 1 lime• Soda water or drinking water

Preparation

Wash the cucumber and cut the ribbon on both sides with a peeler. Discard the middle part containing seeds.

Slice the lime into circle shapes.Fill up the jug with ice and arrange the cucumber and

lime in layers.Then pour in soda water or drinking water.How easy it is… and it will provide complete refreshment.

• Colourful pasta salad (6 servings)

Ingredients

• 3 cups of spiral pasta (uncooked)• 150-180 grams of cherry tomatoes• 1 medium green pepper• ¼ cup of loosely packed basil• 130 grams of prosciutto• 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise• 1 tablespoon of Masterfood wholegrain mustard• 1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice• 2 ¼ teaspoons of olive oil

Preparation

Cook the pasta as per the package instructions and with-out oil. Then drain and mix with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

Fry the prosciutto in a non-stick fry pan until it becomes crisp. (If the prosciutto has less fat, you can add ¼ teaspoon of olive oil). Then let the oil be absorbed using kitchen paper.

Wash the cherry tomatoes and drain well. Cut into halves.

Wash the green peppers and dice into small pieces. For the dressing, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and

wholegrain mustard by mixing well in a small jar and set it aside.

Then put the cooked pasta, tomatoes, green pepper and basil into a large bowl and pour dressing over the top. Toss the ingredients well and add a dash of pepper and salt for taste.

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the salad just before serving.

• Strawberry and mascarpone trifles (6 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 eggs• 1/3 cup caster sugar • 250 grams mascarpone • 5 small Swiss or jam rolls • 1/3 cup Kahlúa coffee liquor • 300 g frozen or fresh strawberries

Preparation

Separate the egg yolk and white. Put the sugar and egg yolk into a large bowl and whip well until the colour becomes pale and it thickens.

Then add mascarpone into the mixture and gently fold it. Set aside.Place the egg white in a separate bowl and whip it with an electric beater until it

turns thick and hard. Add it to the mascarpone mixture and fold again.Add 1 tablespoon of coffee liquor into the mixture and fold gently.Slice the swiss roll and separate into six portions.Add a tablespoon of egg mixture into each serving glass, then layer with egg and

strawberries. Pour the remaining coffee liquor into the glasses. Top it off with the egg mixture. Place a few strawberries and grated chocolate on the top for decora-tion.

Refrigerate for at least two hours. Before serving, add grated chocolate as an optional garnish.

Note: Don’t defrost frozen strawberries as it will result in a mushy texture.

• Orange and mint flavours

Ingredients

• 1 large orange • 4 - 5 mint branches• Soda water or drinking water

Preparation

Wash the mint and slice the orange in circles.Fill up the jug with ice and then arrange the orange

among it. Add mint on top and then pour in the soda water or

drinking water.

• Garlic prawns (6 servings)

Ingredients

• 12 medium prawns• 8 cloves of garlic• 1 tablespoon of olive oil• A splash of white wine (optional)• Lemon wedges to serve

Preparation

Take the head off and peel the prawns. Discard the black line from the backs. Wash and drain. Pat dry and lay the prawns on a plate

Add the olive oil onto a non-stick fry pan and fry the garlic at a high temperature. When the aroma of the garlic begins to come out, add the prawns and fry them for 1-

1 ½ minutes. Then turn the prawns over and fry them for another 1-1 ½ minutes.

If you prefer, splash a little white wine over the prawns and let it evaporate by simmering.

Then place the prawns and some garlic onto a plate and serve with lime or lemon wedges.

To celebrate the Christmas festive season, I’ve created a brunch menu containing quick, easy and delicious recipes. Although there are many reasons to overindulge at this time of year, most of us want to avoid gaining weight. So here are some healthy options that won’t cause any stress in the kitchen either. A Merry Christmas to you all...

By phyo zar thwin

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Caring for orphans

KHUN Aung Kyaw said he waits all year for Christmas to come around.

He is an orphan and lives in a children’s home in Yangon run by the Salvation Army, which does it all can to make Christmas a special time for young people without families.

“For us, Christmas is im-portant because it is the day the Lord Jesus Christ was born. We feel so happy on Christmas Day. And because it’s winter, the weather is cooler and we feel peaceful in our minds. To me, Christ-mas is God’s gift to us,” Khun Aung Kyaw said.

The Salvation Army runs two orphanages in Tamwe township in Yangon: one is for boys and another for girls. Both orphanages care for about 50 children and their ages range from 5 to 19. Although some orphans are technically adults, several choose to stay at the Salvation Army home due to difficult personal circum-stances.

The Salvation Army is a Christian denomination and international move-ment that was established in Myanmar almost 100 years ago, in 1915. It was originally founded in the United King-

dom in 1865 and is present in 126 countries.

It continues to oper-ate under a quasi-military structure, however Major Latthanga, an officer from the Literature and Education Department in the Central Office of the Salvation Army in Myanmar, said, “We use military terms for the names of staff positions and the way we structure the organi-sation, but we are civilians undertaking religious activi-ties.”

“It is called the Salvation Army because our goal is to save the souls of people by bringing them closer to God,” he added.

According to the Salvation Army in Myanmar’s website, its “mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in his name without discrimina-tion.”

“I have been living at this orphanage in Yangon for 13 years and Christmas is always a very special day,” said Khun Kyaw Hein from the boy’s home in Tamwe Platoon.

“We sing carols, exchange gifts each and play games in the church compound,” he added.

Major Latthanga said there are also a number of church programs held on December 25. The Salva-tion Army has more than 50 churches in Myanmar and also provides social services, such as an HIV support and

education program in Upper Myanmar and micro-credit loans.

“In the orphanages, there are also pre-Christmas cel-ebrations, such as rehears-ing carol singing in Tamwe Platoon Church,” Major Latthanga told The Myan-mar Times.

During the Christmas season, children from the Salvation Army’s homes spread the word about Jesus’ birth to the faithful as well as those who are not Christians through hymns, said first-year-student Khun Than Aung from Tamwe Platoon.

“Singing carols outside people’s homes makes us feel really happy. Students

and teachers do it together as a group. We are also mak-ing Christmas decorations and we are planning a party and will invite our friends,” he said.

The orphans living at the Salvation Army homes in Myanmar are provided with tuition and attend Sun-day church services. They are taught to play musical instruments such as the keyboard and perform as a band during school holi-days.

Across the world, the Sal-vation Army is well known for its brass bands, which perform at elderly people’s homes as well as public places.

“We help the poor and the needy. At the moment we are running an orphan-age, while in the past we had a refuge centre and hostel for sex workers. We helped them to find a new liveli-hood by teaching craft skills that would enable them to earn a living. However this was taken over by the State when General Ne Win’s Revolutionary Council took power in 1962.”

“In the past, we also helped people who had fallen on hard times such as ex-prisoners, the poor and destitute, people on bail and so on. The boys’ orphanage and the Church of Tamwe Platoon are in the same compound now because the building we were us-ing to shelter orphans was nationalised in 1962. No (10) Basic Education High School in Tamwe used to belong to the Salvation Army but it is now a state-run school,” said Major Latthanga.

TRANSLATED bY THIRI MIN HTUN

By naw say phaw waa

The Salvation Army makes an extra special effort to bring cheer to the needy at this time of year

Three minutes with…

Soe Moe Thu, Director of City Mart Holdings

City Mart Holdings is Myanmar’s largest retail chain and employs more than 4000 people in Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw. It was established in 1996 and currently oper-ates 14 supermarkets, four hypermarkets, 18 pharmacies, 17 bakery and cafes and 15 convenience stores.

What made you decide to work in the supermarket indus-try?It was accidental, or perhaps predestined. I was in IT for about eight years before joining the supermarket industry in 2004. I had plans to return to Myanmar from Singapore and fortunately, I got a job offer from City Mart as an IT Consultant.

In the lead up to Christmas, do sales increase significantly or are there too few people in Yangon celebrating the oc-casion?

Christmas, together with the New Year period, is definitely one of the best periods for modern retailers in Myanmar, second only to the Thadingyut Festival. Yes, we do see sales increase significantly leading up to Christmas and New Year.

What is the busiest time of year for City Mart?Thadingyut around October, definitely.

What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?Seeing new items we have introduced to customers

flying off the shelves and being able to convert previous underutilised spaces into a vibrant retail space.

What’s your favourite restaurant in Yangon?It has to be Nagasaki-tei for me. It’s a Japanese restau-

rant on Thiri Marlar Street, which is off Pyay Road, before reaching the 8 Mile junction.

What is the one gadget you cannot live without and why?It’s not exactly a gadget in the mechanical sense, but

I would say my diary, because it’s where all my appoint-ments, notes and to-do lists are.

What was your very first job?My first job was as a systems engineer working for an or-

ganisation selling engineering and network management software. My job involved pre-sales and post-sales support of hardware and software.

Describe yourself in three words.An unfinished article.

What was the last book you read? What was it about?The Art of Living by S.N Goenka. It was about Vipas-

sana Meditation. A colleague from work gave it to me as a Dhamma present and I found it to be one of the best books I have ever read.

Does your work involve a lot of travel?Yes, locally to cities where we are present and regionally

to countries where we have business relationships.

What’s your favourite destination for a holiday and why?I am a history buff, so historical sites like Bagan and

Mrauk-Oo are my favorites.

What is your advice for young people who seek a success-ful career in your sector?

First of all, you need to have a passion for retail. You also need to enjoy serving customers. An eye for detail is also necessary, because as they say, “Retail is detail.”

The Salvation Army’s regional headquarters on Anawrahta Street in Botahtaung township. photo Ko taiK

Latthanga from the Salvation Army. photo Ko taiK

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Behind the bar at 50th StreetNew Zealander Phil Blackwood talks to The Myanmar Times about his life as general manager of Yangon's best known watering hole

UP until about three years ago, Yangon’s expatri-ate population

was highly seasonal. According to Phil Black-wood, the general manager of 50th Street Cafe, Restau-rant and Bar, about 2000 people used to leave Myanmar to spend Christ-mas with their families back home. While this is still the case for many expats, it doesn’t cripple the hospital-ity industry as much as it used to.

“We said to ourselves back then, ‘We can’t continue like this.’”

50th Street’s management decided to make the venue a place frequented by expats and locals alike. The idea had been floated back in 1997, when “50th Street” (as it’s better known) first opened. During a meeting between its managing director and a high profile general, Phil said the latter asked whether the idea was being considered by the bar’s owners, who also set up the Foreign Corre-spondents’ Club in Phnom Penh.

“As the story goes, the managing director re-sponded cautiously. ‘What do you mean?’ he asked. The general said, ‘All you would need to do is draw a line down the middle of the bar. We wouldn’t want Myanmar people having to mix with foreigners.”

Needless to say, a line was never drawn and although it took time to mix up the demographics, Phil’s desire to make 50th Street appealing to expats and locals isn’t driven by financial reasons alone.

He said, “I’ve never liked places that are only frequent-ed by expats who just sit around complaining about everything and saying how good things are back home. ‘Then just go back!’ is what I think.”

Needless to say, 50th Street is not one of those places.

Like last year, 50th Street will put on a traditional Christmas lunch of Austra-lian wagyu roast beef, as well as a “hangover do” in the evening as a natural follow up to the late night Christmas Eve party with egg nog and Christmas tunes. Cricket matches will be shown on the big screen during Boxing Day and there will a 12-hour-long New Year’s Eve party starting from noon.

Phil knows how to show people a good time – as he said; he’s been working in hospitality “since I was legally allowed to enter bars.”

The science and com-merce graduate from Wel-lington, New Zealand, was the manager of his univer-sity campus bar and used to roster the shifts to work around his lectures. Although he worked as an engineer for five years, including high profile projects such as reno-vating Wellington’s Supreme Court, Phil said he couldn’t see himself staying in the profession long-term.

“Engineering was an awe-

some challenge – I loved the problem solving aspect of it. But I saw guys that had been doing pretty much the same job for 20 years, some with missing fingers...”

Phil decided it was time for a sea change when the recession hit and someone from a rival firm told him that they were operating at cost price “just to keep the factory lights on.”

The antipodean moved to

Yangon two-and-a-half years ago after getting the job at 50th Street from an Australian jobs website called seek.com.au.

As an engineer, Phil is par-

ticularly appreciative of the aesthetics of his workplace.

“Architecture is one of its assets. The building is over 100-years-old – no one really knows what it was originally built for. I’ve been trying to find out, but it seems to

be part of Myanmar’s his-tory which is shrouded in mystery.”

What is known, however, is that in 1988, the building was used to print kyat notes in denominations divisible by nine, after General Ne Win’s astrologer advised that the number was a lucky one.

Phil told The Myanmar Times that the cosy booths on the right-hand side of the ground floor bar used to be an alleyway.

“Look closely and you’ll see the brickwork is dif-ferent,” Phil said, before pointing out the filled-in circular windows above the air conditioners.

“As an engineer, I love that the scars are exposed,” he added.

Phil estimates that some of the vintage signs would now be worth about US$300 a piece.

Phil has also added a few of his own modern flourishes to what is arguably Yangon’s best known watering hole – notably the music.

His iTunes collection con-tains 81,000 songs and he has created playlists for different times of the day and night. His boss was so impressed that Phil was asked to create a music list for a bar in New Zealand.

When I ask about the “I Love NPT” t-shirt for sale in a glass cabinet, he says with a laugh, “People often scratch their heads at it. It’s a sarcas-tic t-shirt.”

Unlike the violence that breaks out fairly frequently at Yangon’s nightclubs, Phil said that such incidents are very

rare at 50th Street. In the two-and-a-half years he’s been the general manager, there have been three incidents.

“In New Zealand, it would be three a weekend. And it’s been nothing super serious and nothing really to do with the bar. Two Scottish guys had an argument while I was away...” he recalled.

As an experienced profes-sional (who works seven days a week from about 11am until midnight), he never overindulges while he’s behind the bar.

“I never get drunk here unless it’s my birthday and people know that I am for-mally off the books,” he said.

Phil is jovial and friendly, but nevertheless cuts an imposing figure – the 30-year-old is six foot three and has “gangster” written in Myanmar on his arm. He estimates that he’s spent 70 hours under the tattoo artist’s needle.

“You know you are a tattoo person when you stop count-ing tattoos start counting the hours,” he said with a laugh.

Phil is unabashedly determined to offer the best level of service possible and laments a number of short-comings in human resources in Myanmar.

“I employ my staff, first of all, for their personality. I can teach my style of bar to any motivated person and I prefer people with no experi-ence because I don’t have to untrain bad habits. My phi-losophy is pretty simple – I would rather be short staffed than poorly staffed.”

50th Street has 37 staff –

By herB silverMan

THE much-ballyhooed “War on Christmas” has become a pre-dictable holiday tradition, with Fox News as both director and producer of this manufactured war, presumably for better rat-ings. Comedians also love the war material they have to play with, so both Fox and comedians have become war profiteers.

Atheists, who are usually mar-ginalized or ignored by media, use this seasonal opportunity to join the war by supporting diversity. Christmas for some atheists is a time to promote freedom of ex-pression on billboards and buses. Atheists put up signs that say “Be

good for goodness’ sake” or “This season, celebrate reason,” and Christians protest.

Christians have been engaged in several Christmas wars: Christ-mas has its origins in the winter solstice festivals that most ancient civilizations observed, and Mith-ras, who was a Persian saviour-god with a sizeable Roman following, was born on December 25. By appropriating this day for the birth of Jesus, Christians felt they could more easily convert those wayward pagans. Centuries later, some early American Puri-tans even prohibited Christmas celebrations because of its pagan origins. So a good case can be made that Christians initiated the

I never get drunk here unless it’s my birthday and people know that I am for-mally off the books”

By Jessica Mudditt

The ‘War on Christmas’: A holiday tradition for all

Lille, Nord, FRANCE : A legionnaire stands next to a “Nativity crib” created by the Foreign Legion, on December 14, 2012, at the Foreign Legion regiment in Lille, northern France. afp photo

Phil Blackwood, general manager of 50th Street Cafe, Restaurant and Bar.photo Ko taiK

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some of whom have been working there since it first opened.

A waiter called Lil Lan can make it from the top of the staircase to the landing in one go.

“He comes out of the kitchen, pauses to see if anyone is coming down and then does a massive leap,” Phil said with a grin.

During the interview, the man who creates the food we know and love so well arrives.

Head chef Monis Siddiqui

from Karachi in Pakistan told The Myanmar Times that he came to Yangon on holiday and never had any intention of staying.

However Phil and Monis quickly became “passing ac-quaintances” and Phil asked him to take charge for a trial period.

Phil said, “I am not a chef – I pour drinks and make cock-tails. Monis was in control of the menu from that point on. We weren’t really making any profit at that time so I told

Monis that I couldn’t afford a chef, but that if he could help me make money out of the food budget, I would give him a job.”

Monis, who is fluent in Myanmar, said, “I was given the space to experiment and to make mistakes. It was amazing, the best experience I’ve ever had.”

Phil describes the pair as a “dream team” who are also close friends.

Although the service charge is built in, Phil said

that patrons are sometimes critical of the cost of a meal, which can include delica-cies such as smoked salmon and rocket lettuce. He emphasised that the tax on imported food is 65 percent and concessions from import companies remain unheard of at this stage.

Perhaps surprisingly, complaints about smoking being permitted inside are extremely rare.

This could be because this is how things are in the

overwhelming majority of Yangon’s venues, however Phil believes another reason is because 50th Street has high ceilings and air condition-ers, so the air is constantly flowing.

“The people who have been concerned about [smoking] have been the cus-tomers with infants,” he said.

Phil’s experience of living in Yangon has completely changed in the relatively short space of time he’s lived here: he said it’s a far more

comfortable place than it was in the past. However Phil – who has double booked himself on the day of the interview – said that one of the main challenges of his work is to fit into the “rhythm of the country.”

“You just can’t push things faster – if you want to achieve more, have more things on the go. You won’t grow a plant any faster by yelling at it. It needs water and sunlight to grow. If you want more to happen, plant more seeds.”

The ‘War on Christmas’: A holiday tradition for allfirst war on Christmas.

Nowadays, verbal wars oc-casionally erupt over nativity scenes on government property. Nobody complains about nativ-ity scenes on private property, but the government should not be promoting one religion over another or religion over non-religion. That’s why atheists and others who care about church-state separation oppose these displays on government property. Government neutrality toward re-ligion is not the same as hostility toward religion. What divides us on this point is not so much our theological differences, but the degree of commitment we have to equal freedom of conscience for

everyone.Now add the Christian war

on “Happy Holidays” (instead of “Merry Christmas”), which even includes boycotting stores that use the more inclusive term. This is a war against religious diver-sity, a war that ignores Hanuk-kah, Kwanzaa, winter solstice, and other religious and secular celebrations that coincide with the Christmas season. Could it be that many Christians lament the possibility that their dominance and privilege in America might be nearing an end?

All this warring probably makes many Christians miserable rather than joyful at this time of year. Some who proudly don the

mantle of a persecuted minority even make up stories to convince themselves. That’s like saying there is a war on white, hetero-sexual males because previously marginalised groups have fought for and finally gained rights they’ve long deserved.

Finally there is the war by Christians and others against the consumerism that permeates the Christmas season, which seems to begin earlier every year. This is a war that even atheists, myself included, sometimes support. Un-fortunately, this war seems to be over—with commercial interests the victors.

My favorite Christmas memo-ries were during the Vietnam War.

I had hoped that Christmas truces would feel so good that the kill-ing would not resume. Sadly, we gave peace a chance only briefly, and Silent Night soon returned to bombing nights.

No, atheists didn’t manufac-ture the “War on Christmas,” so I would like to wish all of you a Happy Holiday, whichever and however you celebrate. There are many reasons for the season, but here’s my favorite reason for all seasons, for both theists and atheists—a reminder that the best wish of all is “Peace on earth and goodwill toward men and women.”

THE WASHINGTON POST

photo Ko taiK

Atheists put up signs that say “Be good for goodness’ sake”

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CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

Washington, District of Columbia, UNITED STATES : US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama with daughters Malia (R) and Sasha (2nd L) pose with children dressed as elves before the taping of the "Christmas in Washington" television special on December 9, 2012 at the Building Museum in Washington. afp photo

London, UNITED KINGDOM : A lion holds a "Christmas gift" during a photocall marking Christmas at the London Zoo in central London on December 12, 2012. afp photo

Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA : A diver clad in a Santa Claus outfit from the KLCC Aquaria feeds a ray inside a tank in Kuala Lumpur on December 14, 2012. Santa Claus has become a main attraction for visitors to the underwater park where he feeds fish at different hours of a day in conjunction with Christmas festivities. afp photo

Paris, FRANCE: Ice skaters perform dances during the inauguration of the 'Christmas village', on December 13, 2012, in Paris, as part of the "Trocadero On Ice" event. An ice-skating rink opened to public in front of the Eiffel tower, and will run until January 6, 2013. afp photo

Mellensee, Brandenburg, GERMANY : A Santa Claus rides with Christmas presents on December 12, 2012 in Mellensee, eastern Germany. afp photo

Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL: View of a sand sculpture depicting Santa Claus at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeirro, Brazil on December 12, 2012. High temperatures -35 to 38 degrees celcius- during the end of the spring, have taken citizens and tour-ists to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. afp photo

Sydney, AUSTRALIA: Lance, an Aldabra tortoise eats water-melon at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on December 14, 2012. In the lead up to Christmas a selection of the zoo animals were challenged with Christmas-themed environmental enrich-ment activities. afp photo

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How green is that Christmas tree?I

T’S that time of year when even environmen-talists committed to saving trees proudly

display a massive tree carcass in the living room, bejeweled and topped with a star.

Christmas trees play into a wider debate among environmentalists: Are tree farms better or worse at carbon sequestration than un-touched forests?

The pro-tree-farm argument goes like this: When you plant a tree, it goes from seedling to full-grown plant by rapidly extracting carbon from the atmosphere, including carbon that humans have emitted by burning fossil fuels and raising cattle. (When a climatologist looks at a tree, he sees a leafy pillar of solidified greenhouse gases.) Once the tree reaches maturity, though, it slows its consumption of carbon. By way of comparison, think of the appetites of a growing teenager and a senior citizen. When you’re done growing, you stop con-suming as many calories. The best move, according to some tree-farm advocates, is to replace the mature tree with a new sapling and start the growth process over again.

Tree farmers have been mak-ing this claim for more than two decades, but many climate experts think it’s bunk. The most obvious

objection to the theory is: What becomes of the trees once they’re cut? According to research out of Oregon in the 1990s, 58 percent of felled trees are used for paper, mulch, firewood or other short-term purposes. In those cases, the tree’s sequestered carbon quickly reenters the atmosphere after decomposing or burning. The re-maining 42 percent is used in ways that keep the wood intact more than five years, such as homebuild-ing and furniture production. Even in those cases, though, the carbon doesn’t stay sequestered forever.

New forests also seem to emit significant levels of carbon dioxide, rather than only absorbing and storing it. When we plant or replant a tree farm, we turn over the soil and kill off roots and ground-level plants. That vegetation was also storing carbon, and it begins to de-compose. In some cases, the dying plant matter emits more carbon di-oxide than the newly planted trees extract from the atmosphere.

There has also been research suggesting that old-growth forests are more active than they ap-pear. According to a scientific letter published in the journal Nature in 2008, forests continue to add woody matter — both new branches on existing trees and new, smaller plants — for centu-

ries, sequestering carbon from the atmosphere in the process. The net carbon budget — the amount of carbon sequestered minus the carbon emitted through decom-position of downed plant matter — is more favorable in a forest’s 300th year than in its fifth year. Overall, the data seem to suggest that old-growth forests keep more carbon out of the atmosphere than high-turnover tree farms, but there is probably significant variation depending on locale and how foresters manage the stock.

This doesn’t mean you should forsake a Christmas tree or turn to an artificial alternative. (Fake Christmas trees often include chemicals that are especially harmful to the environment when discarded and are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than natural trees.)

A few special considerations set Christmas tree farms apart from producers of trees grown for paper. Christmas tree farmers typically plant more trees than they harvest, giving the new crop a better chance at out-sequestering the ones they replaced.

Evergreens aren’t the best ar-boreal carbon sequestration tools — that title goes to hardwood trees — so the difference in greenhouse gas emissions between a long-lived

evergreen forest and a Christmas tree farm aren’t likely to be signifi-cant. (Razing a hardwood forest to grow Christmas trees would be a bigger problem, but this is a rela-tively rare event.)

If you’re concerned about the impacts of your tannenbaum on global climate, consider renting a living tree that spends two to three weeks in your home over the holidays, then summers at business parks or other locales. If you’re looking for a long-term relationship with a single tree, some companies will bring back the same tree year after year. You should start with something small, through. The trees grow between two and three inches per year, and your living-room ceiling probably doesn’t.

In other cases, rented trees are permanently retired to a nice farm or city planter after a single Christmas with a family. Before you decide to rent, be aware that you might not get a classic Christmas variety such as the Douglas fir or Scotch pine. Many companies offer less traditional species including the small-leaf tristania. You should also seek out a local farm, minimis-ing the gas burned on the way from the farm to your home.

THE WASHINGTON POST

A man transports a Christmas tree on December 12, 2012 in Osnabrueck, eastern Germany. photo: afp

58 percent of felled trees are used for paper, mulch, firewood or other short-term purposes”