Perhaps you ought to just simply search for yourself instead of relying on other people to spoon-feed you information.

Marian - since you're obviously writing this note on the internet, you ceretainly must have heard of Google or any of the many other search engines. Just give it a try and you'll have more information than you ever wanted. The Deseret News is giving us the benefit of the doubt and trying not to insult our intelligence by giving us information we all should have in this age of information technology.

It used to be known as Burma.

Just go to Google Maps and type "Myanmar." It borders China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, and India.

Marian:

You obviously don't follow the news much do you. This is a problem with many of us in today's world. If it doesn't effect us directly we're not interested. It's sad that we are not more ready to take advantage of opportunities to learn and improve ourselves.

The country is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, and India on the northwest, with the Bay of Bengal to the southwest. One-third of Burma's total perimeter, 1,930 kilometres (1,199 mi), forms an uninterrupted coastline.

How is it "obvious" that she wrote this "note" on the Internet? And even if she did, why shouldn't they D-News include a map? If they were smart they would because then people wouldn't have to LEAVE their website to find the information they want.

Obviously, both camps are right. The News probably should have included a map of the region. And readers should already know where it is, especially given as much as it's been in the news for the past six months.

With the letter writer here. It'd be nice if the Deseret news posted a basic map of where this was taking place. Even this morning an earthquake in China was reported, no map, would've been nice to have one.

The CIA's World Factbook still shows it as Burma on their maps. Hmmm...

The issue here is personal initiative. The person complaining could have put forth the effort to do some research by visiting her local public library. The Salt Lake County Library System has internet access available to any one with a library card, not to mention the atlases, books and magazines that cover a multitude of subjects, including geography. The library has handicapped access and accommodates all classes of people. If the lady can't drive, certainly she has a friend or neighbor willing to assist her. Yes, it would be nice to have a map, but it would be nicer still if we each exercised our independence and put forth some effort to educate ourselves.

Personally, I really appreciate it when News articles are accompanied by maps of the area. It quickly refreshes my memory when I'm pressed for time, or am simply too unconcerned, or even lazy, to look it up myself.

I think the writer makes a good point, especially in a case where the country involved has more than one name.

I still call the place "Burma." I don't feel need to kowtow to the comic-book military dictators who want me to call it "Myanmar."

And it's still Bombay for me, not "Mumbai," Copenhagen, not Kobnhavn, Florence, not Firenze, "Pear-iss", not "Pagghhreeee" (or however I'd be sure to mispronounce it), and Warsaw, not "Vartzzzaffa" (ditto re: mispronunciation).

I reluctantly gave in on "Peking," but that's only because the Chinese threatened to cut off my kids' toys.