When I am asked I sometimes make the idle observation that many of the Burmese I know are, in general terms, very bookish, curious, intellectual types. Burma, to take the generalisation further, is a society where knowledge is valued, and the average citizen demonstrates a passion for learning. Of course, any stereotype of this sort inevitably breaks down around the margins. Clearly, not everyone in Burma is a closet intellectual. And it is, perhaps, easy to see such hunger in a society where information is so tightly controlled, and where high-quality education remains elusive for many people. But there still is, I’d suggest, something potent to the observation. Check out this video that Dave Gilbert suggested would be of interest to New Mandala readers. It shows a mass English class in Yangon. It has to be seen to be believed.