... 1963 (45 years ago today), a Buddhist monk burned himself to death in Vietnam, to protest the government of President Ngo Dinh Diem. Witnesses said the
monk, Thich Quang Duc, got out of a car at a busy intersection in the capital city of Saigon, sat in the lotus position as 2 other monks poured gasoline on him, and then ignited the fire, which consumed him in minutes.... 2005, in London, finance minister from the Group of 8 wealthiest countries agreed to write off $55 billion of the debt owed by 19 of the world's poorest countries. Much of the debt was owed to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Bank.
