A woman and her son beg in the mud at the festival outside...

MANDALAY, MYANMAR - 2010/08/25: A woman and her son beg in the mud at the festival outside Mandalay. Burma is rich in natural resources such as teakwood, precious stones, gems, oil and natural gas, but the ruling military junta takes care of most of its income. Burma is preparing to hold elections on 7 November 2010 amid criticisms from pro-democracy activists and Western governments that the polls will not be free, fair or inclusive. Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) which won the last election in 1990, a result that was ignored by the junta, says it will not take part in the country's first polls in two decades. Other politicians feel that the elections could be a chance to try and take the first step towards democracy.. (Photo by Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images)