Question Mark
Posted on August 12th, 2007 in World for the Week |
If you hail from Canada, you would have heard by now the big news making the headlines: Free-Tibet Protesters Return Home After Chinese Detainment, or some variations of that. These six protesters apparently unfurled a huge banner on top of the Great Wall, with the writing “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008″. This acts as both a mocking of the Olympic 2008 celebrations and a mission statement of the “free Tibet” organizations that want to give the Chinese province of Tibet independence.
All the Western World’s heard about Tibet are the so-called human rights abuses and the whole Dalai Lama fiasco. To address the latter, the Dalai has agreed to the one-China policy and is welcomed to return anytime his fancies. So what the heck are the protesters trying to do? Both my grandparents and my dad have worked in Tibet on business trips. They don’t talk about the alleged human rights violations and disssent movements happening left, right, and center. No, the only complaint they have about the place is how much the goat shish kabos made them puke afterwards (the blood wine didn’t agree with my dad’s stomach). I guess I’m caught between my Oriental upbringing and my Western influences. One thing I really hate to see is this Olympics game which I’ve so looked forward to turn into a heated political arena. The New York time may be the most accurate…
For about as long as the modern Games have existed, they have served as a stage for politics as much as sport. Berlin 1936 was Hitler and Jesse Owens. Helsinki 1952 was the beginning of the cold war. Mexico City 1968 was the Black Power salute. The blood of 11 slain Israeli athletes stained Munich 1972. Moscow 1980 meant boycotts, as did Los Angeles four years later.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what this One World One Dream turns out to be. In the mean time…
*Goes to wave little FREE QUEBEC flags*
In other news, the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota is no more. Makes you wonder where all the capitalist tax dollars went eh? Eight people are confirmed dead, among whom is a 23 year-old nursing student who moved to the States from Somalia in 2000. Such a young life, such a bright future, extinguished.
Over in Utah, still no sign of the six trapped miner. Yikes. I’m glad they’re still drilling because I’m still hopeful. My heart goes out to the friends and families.
Half way around the world, the Taliban is still holding 21 young Koreans hostage. Two have been killed already, and two sick women are said to be released in the next few days (rumour, unconfirmed). These are students were on a Christian good-will journey! How cruel can one get?! The families must be miserable knowing they could see their sons and daughters as soon as the U.S. gives the word. But of course, hostages in exchange for Taliban prisoners is a no-deal as the U.S. believes the trade could initiate more future violence. I don’t blame them but I wonder how the stand-off is going to end… probably when the Taliban kills everyone off in a bout of anger. The injustice of it all.
Time for a piece of less-gloomy news, “Greenpeace activists cut a 61-metre-long question mark inside a crop circle in an Abbotsford, B.C., cornfield Wednesday morning, in protest of the absence of genetically engineered food labelling in Canada.”. Or the way I heard it, “un point interrogation” (was watching the 11:00 pm French news on Le Telejournal Colombie-Britannique). It’s quite a nice piece of artwork. Greenpeace said they’ll pay the damage to the farmer whose field they used, lol.
Lastly, what’s this new rumour going around the Angie and Brad are breaking up? Well they can’t! Hollywood can’t lose their poster adoption couple! How can they realize their dream of populating their own country if they break up?! Tsk tsk.
P.S. - Changed themes. Permalink headaches continue. Anyone know how to remove the index.php from the links? I take it out and all the links are broken (yes I tried changing it on the Options page as well). So now… as a precaution, all the links are the FULL path … huge headache. I also added a page on the Juvenile Justice System and a Colour Palette.
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I'm Crystal, a Canadian who thinks she can take on the world simply by getting up each morning. They call me the caffeinated IBer wandering on the Internet. 
11 Responses
Complaining people make the most noise. The news takes a dramatic approach since that’s more interesting; exaggerations are much more interesting than the true hard facts.
I felt sorry for Jennifer Aniston when Brad Pitt dumped her for Angelina Jolie. So, I don’t really consider them a role model, even if they adopt.
To be honest, I’m not really well-versed in WHY Tibet wants freedom from the rest of China. If there was a good reason, maybe I’d support them, but at this point I can only draw parallels to the United States. The only thing that I can think is that if California wanted freedom from the rest of the US we would get our asses bombed.
Why don’t we righteous Americans/Canadians set a good example for the Chinese by reliniquishing our established statehood towards Native American Independence? First Nation Independence?
Of cours not, we are hypocrits. We want to keep our stolen land and demand Tibet Independence.
Proverb says “people living in glass house should not throw stones.”
Not sure if esteemed Ub is aware of the fact Students for a free Tibet is conntected with the Canadian government thru PM Harper’s advisor Tenzin Khangsar:
http://google.com/search?q=Tenzin+Khangsar+Students+For+Free+Tibet
I live in a turtle shell; I never take the time to watch the news and what not, so these posts of yours are very beneficial for me. :biggrin: I heard about the Minnesota bridge, however, and I also heard that a large percentage of USA’s bridges are deficient. I’ll definitely avoid driving over bridges whenever possible now.
That’s horrible about the Taliban capturing the 21 Koreans! I hope that as many of them come out of it safely as possible.
Also, that question mark is a nice piece of artwork indeed.
Kiddo, you have a lot of growing up to do.
Those Korean missionaries are toast. Think about it. They followed not Jesus, but depeleted uranium dirty bombs, into Afghanistan.
Do you really think those Afghans who didn’t die by the bombs will now die (spiritually) by blanks and Bibles?
Charles, I do question what the missionary kids were trying to achieve in war-torn Afghanistan. However, I don’t think we should condemn their capture or give up trying to get them released just because they went there as part of a Christian group. It could be anyone who was taken hostage, soldiers, first-aid workers, a friend, a sister… I think at times like these the international community should show its unity and solve the problem at hand through diplomacy and negotiations.
Wow, your blog goes way over my head, sorry.
The only part I’m familiar with is the trapped miners.
I live in Minnesota, soooo.. Here’s what I know about the bridge:
They were working on the bridge when it collapsed. But, they didn’t have enough money to work on the SUPPORTS of the bridge, they were just repaving it, I believe. Even though the bridge was deemed “structionally deficient.”
Apparently, President Bush, had decreased the budget for infrastructure by a billion dollars or so, for the war in Iraq of course, and there was I think only 2 billion dollars for all the states.
Good times, eh?
I was very sad about the Minnesota bridge. We live in a cruel world sometimes. Everything happens for a reason. I hope the trapped miners will be okay. I’m not a big fan of Brad and Angelina, but they do have a beautiful baby Shiloh.
The mining situation is so scary. Things like that are so sad. Just like the bridge collapsing =(
I just saw on the news last night that the rescuers that went into the coal mine are now hurt and one had to be medivaced out.