Digging To China

Chinese VP Xi Jinping

2012-02-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

VP Xi is believed to become China's next leader. He will visit the US Feb 13-16, visiting Washington DC, Iowa and LA, before he heads to Ireland and Turkey.

This is a sensitive time in the US, The Republican candidates are staging debates as they vie for the nomination to run for president against Obama. Already China has become a favorite scapegoat for US economic troubles. One US senator was forced to remove racist adverizing and rhetoric from both Republicans and Democrats could not be worse as they demonstrate how they will get tough with China.

On the other hand, China has navigated the world wide economic crisis quite well. China's focus is on trade, and several US states have benifited from trade with China.

Here is a brief view of China's next president from Aljeerza

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-02/14/c_131407983.htm

The Washington Post, in advance of Xi's visit to the US, posed several questions to discover his views...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/views-from-chinas-vice-president/2012/02/08/gIQATMyj9Q_story.html

Unfortunately, the WP wants you to pay to read. However, the last question was on sports: Xi's response...

ON SPORTS

"I like sports, and swimming is my favorite. Doing physical exercises keeps one fit and healthy and helps one work more efficiently. I think we all need to strike a balance between work and relaxation. This can keep us energetic and help us do our job better.

NBA games are exciting to watch and have global appeal. They are very popular in China. I do watch NBA games on television when I have time."

I believe that Xi's visit comes at an auspicious time, with another American stereotype destroyed by Jeremy Lin, the undrafted sensation who has just set an NBA all time record. Folks are asking, where did he come from, but you see, he was hidden in plain sight by our latent racism, because he 'didn't look like a basketball player.'

There is nothing like exposing America's racism right before the Chinese VP's visit!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deanna-fei/jeremy-lin-asian-americans_b_1281916.html#comments

Nearly two weeks in, Linsanity is raging for anyone who takes even a passing interest in the game, or identifies as one of the billions of Asians around the globe, or who simply relishes an unlikely hero. And yes, Jeremy Lin's breakout success is a moment of cultural pride for Asian Americans similar to what we've felt in the past with luminaries from Michelle Kwan to Maxine Hong Kingston.

But it also feels very different.

Because what's most undeniable about Lin -- what screamed to anyone who saw his game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer Tuesday night -- is that the guy has balls.

Which obviously has always been true of other Asian males. But now Lin is demonstrating it in a way that even the most racist douchebag would be hard-pressed to refute.

And the effect is only magnified by his relatively low-key yet evident swagger, his self-aware nerdy cool, his substantial yet unfreakish build, the fact that on TV he pretty much looks and sounds like your brother or your cousin or a kid who rode the same bus in high school. Amid all the hoopla, he's utterly unafraid to be himself -- which, in the end, is the only form of masculinity a mother truly wants for her son.

So, folks, what does a basket ball player look like?

And here is a so called 'Good Read' from the Christian Science Monitor...

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2012/0213/Good-Reads-China-s-next-leader-comes-to-Washington-as-US-enters-a-funk

Americans expect exceptionalism – remember Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation – and they expect their leaders to take up where the Roosevelts, Eisenhowers, and Reagans left off.

But a slew of well-argued pieces this week show that these expectations are maybe misplaced.

In Foreign Policy, Daniel Blumenthal – an expert on China at the American Enterprise Institute – says that it’s naïve to think that either tough talk or sweet talk are going to win over Xi and set China on a different path. The truth is that the China that Xi would eventually govern is much more pluralistic and complex than the China that Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon negotiated with during the cold war, or as politically weak as the Soviet Union that Mr. Gorbachev so helpfully dismantled.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-02/15/c_122701686.htm
Wonderful photos of Xi's never ending smile. How can he be so relaxed after hours of trans Pacific and trans America flight and hours of meetings with officials?

Xi Jinping is married to Peng Liyuan, famous folk singer.

I would like to share my observation that Xi Jinping and Jeremy Lin have a lot in common, they both seemingly came out of nowhere, when denied opportunity as a kid, they double down, and work their tails off, until they realize their dreams, then they dedicate their efforts to the 'team.'

Xi's visit continues with what VOA terms a major policy speech. While China and the rest of the world are reporting on his visit, there appears to be a news fail here in the US, with MSM brushing him off as saying nothing new.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/US-China-Must-Respect-Each-Others-Interests-Chinese-VP-139378933.html

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping says China welcomes the U.S. playing a "positive role" in the Asia-Pacific region. But, he said, the world's two largest economies should respect each other's "core interests and major concerns."

In what has been billed as the major policy speech of his four-day visit, Xi addressed a luncheon in Washington co-hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

A number of China's most prominent corporate leaders are accompanying Xi on his trip.

This folks, is the way to win. Let's not underestimate Xi Jinping.
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Serf Emancipation Day

2011-03-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Today, life in the province of Tibet continues with some changes and with some continued traditions. The history of China is long, and hidden from most of us due to the simple fact that we do not read Chinese, nor do we really care. Since the people of China rose up in rebellion against the feudal dynastic system, starting in 1911, there has been a constabnt struggle for New Democracy against the aristocratic and priveliged elite. This story is about bringing change to Tibet, now called the Tibet Atonomous Region, or TAR.

Here is one man's story...
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2011/03/28/2821s629144.htm

Ngulho Buchung never expected to become a general when he was young.

He was born in the fall of 1959 in a village in Nylam County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. His family had been serfs for generations until March 1959, when one million serfs in the region were freed.

In January 2009, the regional legislative body decided to designate March 28 as the annual Serfs Emancipation Day to commemorate the end of feudal serfdom in Tibet. For the first time, Ngulho Buchung's family was able to own land, livestock and their own house.

"If there were no emancipation, I might have refused to be born," he said jokingly with a laugh.

According to his mother, his family had to serve food to rebel forces that passed by as they fled after the rebellion on March 10 that year, he said.

"They stole food and even harmed villagers. The People's Liberation Army (PLA), on the other hand, never set foot in our houses, my mom told me. The soldiers just slept in cow sheds while chasing the rebels, and even offered their clothes to villagers during cold days," he said.

Attracted by his mother's stories, Ngulho Buchung wanted to become a soldier. His wish came true in 1975 when he became a member of the Tibetan armed police.

His toughness and diligence led him to become a sharp shooter, a keen detective, and a martial arts champion in the region. He learned Mandarin, calligraphy and even poems from comrades in arms. He later entered the college of armed police forces with a high score.

In 2008, when he was a high-ranking officer in charge of Tibet's border control, his team accepted the task of guarding the Olympic torch as it was carried to the top of Mt. Qomolangma.

For a man who received surgery on one of his knees, it was not easy to climb the mountain, reaching an altitude up to 6,500 meters above sea level.

"It was a huge task. I couldn't help repeating it in my dreams every night during that time," he said. Every morning on the mountain, he had to heat his frozen shoes for half an hour before he could put them on, taking the risk of avalanches while marching.

After guarding the torch to the mountaintop, Wu Yingjie, executive vice chairman of Tibet's regional government, called to congratulate him.

"Both of us shed tears over the phone," he said, "maybe because of too much pressure."

In July 2008, Ngulho Buchung was promoted to major general in the armed police.

"I'm a beneficiary of the PLA. Guarding my motherland makes me energetic, anywhere, at any time," he said.
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There seems to be quite a difference between the stories told by the emancipated serfs living in Tibet and the CIA aided and supported Dalai lama and his cohorts living in Dharmasala when he is not jetting about the world being entertained by the heads of various states. One of the biggest concerns for me is the absolute failure of the Dalai Lama to even acknowledge the issue of his serfs and slaves, and why he refused to emancipate them, choosing to hook up with the CIA instead.

To compound this, the Dalai Lama, nearing the end of his life, and his sponsers, want to continue the harrassment of China after he passes. For the past 10 years or so, he has "debated" various plans (plots?) whereby his successor can seperate Tibet from China. Here is an interesting report or update from Market watch...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dalai-lama-retirement-accepted-so-now-what-2011-03-28
March 28, 2011, 10:51 a.m. EDT

Dalai Lama Retirement Accepted, So Now What?

by Jeremy Page

The Dalai Lama's proposal to retire from his political role -- formally ending a 370-year-old tradition -- has finally been accepted by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile after 10 days of emotional debate in the north Indian town of Dharamsala.

The queston now for his followers, and for China's atheist leaders: What happens after he dies?

The exiled parliament passed four unanimous resolutions Friday agreeing to constitutional changes that would allow the Dalai Lama to give up his role as head of the government-in-exile, which he established after fleeing his homeland in 1959. Under the changes, to be formalized in May, his political powers will be formally transferred to a new Prime Minister, known as the Kalon Tripa, who will take power after the final results of an election held last Sunday are announced in April.

The parliament-in-exile initially opposed his retirement, but the 1989 Nobel Peace laureate insisted it was necessary to establish a more democratic, and sustainable, system for leading the 150,000 Tibetans who live in exile and for pushing the non-violent campaign aimed at gaining greater autonomy for Tibet.

"If we have to remain in exile for several more decades, a time will inevitably come when I will no longer be able to provide leadership," the Dalai Lama said in a message to the parliament. "Therefore, it is necessary that we establish a sound system of governance while I remain able and healthy."

China has dismissed the Dalai Lama's retirement as a "trick" designed to impress the international community. On Monday, the Chinese government marked "Serfs' Emancipation Day" -- the date when it dismissed the Dalai Lama as head of the Tibetan government in 1959.
Padma Choling, the Beijing-appointed head of the current Tibetan regional government, made a televised speech on Sunday in which he insisted the Dalai Lama's efforts to revive the "reactionary rule of theocratic feudal serfdom" were doomed to fail.

In reality, both sides have reason to worry about the future of a region that Beijing says has been part of its territory since the 13th Century, but which the Dalai Lama says was de facto independent before Chinese Communist troops took control in 1951.

The Dalai Lama's chief concern, according to people close to him, is that the Chinese government –- which sees him as a dangerous separatist and says it has the right to approve all lamas' reincarnations -- will try to appoint his successor after his death. He says he will continue to act as a spiritual leader, much as previous Dalai Lamas did before 1642, when the Fifth Dalai Lama was enthroned both spritual and political leader following Tibet's unification under the Mongol prince Gushri Khan.

So far the 10-day parliament meeting has offered no further clues as to whether the current Dalai Lama's own successor will be selected in the traditional manner, with senior lamas identifying a young boy as his re-incarnation after his death.

The Dalai Lama has previously suggested a range of options, including having a referendum among his followers to decide whether he should be reincarnated at all. He has also suggested appointing his own successor while he is still alive.

One option could be off the table, however.

The favorite to be the next Prime Minister, a senior fellow at Harvard Law School called Lobsang Sangay, had suggested that the Karmapa Lama, the third highest in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, act as a "regent" to lead after the Dalai Lama's death until his reincarnation is old enough to take over.

The constitutional changes agreed upon Friday entail the abolition of the regency, which traditionally handled Tibet's government in the period between the death of one Dalai Lama and the completion of his successor's education.

Bejing, meanwhile, is concerned that the Dalai Lama's retirement undermines both its ability to appoint a credible successor and its criticism of his government-in-exile as an undemocratic relic of Tibet's old theocracy.

Ironically, as Columbia University Tibetologist Robert Barnett has noted, those concerns mean the Chinese government is now pushing openly for the Dalai Lama to stick to the traditional succession model, even as it continues to denounce the system it says he represents.

The contradiction was on full display last week as a press conference with three local experts from the China Tibetology Research Center organized by the state-backed All-China Journalists' Association.

Tsering Yangdzom, the only ethnic Tibetan among the experts, said the next Dalai Lama should be selected according to a religious tradition that she said dated back to the Sixth Dalai Lama, who reigned 1682-1706. The Sixth Dalai Lama is a significant reference in the succession debate as he was appointed by the Qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi, which the Chinese government maintains as a precedent.

The government-in-exile argues Emperor Kangxi only sent representatives to the Sixth Dalai Lama's inauguration and was not involved in his selection.

Zhou Wei, another of the experts, rejected the Dalai Lama's suggestions that he could appoint his own successor. "If he wants to win the hearts of the Tibetan people, he must respect traditions," he said.

The third expert, Du Yongbin, said the Dalai Lama's retirement plan showed that exile government's prime minister had no real power until now and that therefore religious leader and his followers adhered to "the old theocratic way despite claimed efforts to transform their group into a secular and democratic one."

Mr. Du went on to insist on three cardinal rules for the next Dalai Lama's selection: observe historical precedent, respect religious requirements, and comply with the Chinese government's "managing measures for the reincarnation of living Buddhas."
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However, the Living Buddha, Shingtsa Tenzinchodrak, claimes that the self proclaimed "retirement" of the dalai Lama is a Farce!
http://dailymailnews.com/0311/30/ChinaPage/index.php?id=2

LHASA – The Dalai Lama's announcement of his plan to step down as the political head of the "exiled Tibetan government" is "a self-directed and played out farce", said Shingtsa Tenzinchodrak, a living buddha of Tibetan Buddhism, on Monday.

The Dalai Lama's announcement on March 10, in which he said that he would resign his political role, makes it very clear that he is not just a religious leader but also a politician who disrupts the Buddhist orders, said Tenzinchodrak, who is also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region's People's Congress.

Tenzinchodrak made the comment at a seminar that commemorated the 52nd anniversary of the emancipation of about one million Tibetan serfs, or more than 90 percent of the region's population back then. Monday is the third "Serfs Emancipation Day," an occasion celebrated across the plateau region. During the celebrations, Tibetans dressed in traditional costumes and sang, danced and staged dramas based upon the lives of their ancestors.

"The Dalai Lama wanted to use his 'retirement' rhetoric to attract more listeners and to fan the efforts for splitting Tibet from the motherland," said Tenzinchodrak.

"The Shakyamuni Buddha required Buddhists to pursue spiritual improvement, rather than meddling in politics. But the Dalai Lama has long engaged in activities that aim to split China apart," said Tenzinchodrak.

The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India and created the self-declared "Tibetan government-in-exile" after the central government foiled an armed rebellion he and his supporters staged in 1959. "The Dalai Lama's separatist nature is unchanged. Just as the Tibetan saying goes, 'A black charcoal will never become white no matter how many times you wash it," said Tenzinchodrak.

On March 28, 1959, China's central government announced that it would dissolve the aristocratic local government of Tibet and replace it with a preparatory committee for establishing the Tibet Autonomous Region.

That meant the end of serfdom and the abolition of the hierarchal social system that was characterized by theocracy. The Dalai Lama was at the core of that social order. The move came after the central government foiled an armed rebellion staged by the Dalai Lama and his supporters, most of whom were slave owners attempting to maintain the region's serfdom.

"All ethnic groups will commemorate that day forever," said Padma Choling, chairman of the regional government, since the Tibetans were freed from the cruel and dark rule of feudal serfdom, which forever changed the human rights situation in Tibet.

Tenzinchodrak, now 61, became the 14th living buddha of Shingtsa Temple in Tibet's Nagarze County in 1955. He was elected vice chairman of the region's People's Congress Standing Committee in 2008.–Xinhua
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Chinese Netizens Catch American Ambassador Huntsman As He Drops in on Jasmine Revolution Meetup!

2011-02-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

The United States Ambassador to China, Republican Nomination for the 2012 presidential election, Jon Huntsman,Jr was caught in Beijing while instigating and kept close watching on the process of so-called ' Jasmin revolution in China'.

He's face turned gray when caught by Chinese people lol!

Here's the translation

0:30
现场的人: 请问美国大使，你跑这儿来干什么？
Chinese: Hi, Ambassador, what are u doing here?

0:33
洪博培：就是来看看。
Huntsman: Just join in the fun. :D

0:35
现场的人：你是不是希望中国乱？
Chinese: So you want China in chaos, don't u?

0:37
洪博培：（啊？）不会。（转过头去）
Huntsman: (ah?) nah. (turned his face off)

0:43
现场的人：这是美国大使。（介绍给群众）
Chinese: (To everyone) This man is U.S ambassador to China.

现场群众乙：这美国大使啊？
Chinese B: American Ambassador?

现场群众丙：这是美国大使！
Chinese C: American Ambassador!

现场群众丁：这是美国驻华大使啊！
Chinese D: He is American Ambassador to China!

0:45
洪博培：你们都不知道？(对着大家）
Huntsman: You guys don't know me,really?（To the rest of Chinese people)

0:49
现场群众甲：你是装作不知道吧。
Chinese A: You're pretending that you don't know this, right?

现场群众乙：揣着明白装糊涂是吧?
Chinese B: You're feigning ignorance, aren't you?!

洪博培：............(灰溜溜地走了）
Huntsman: ...(leave with his body guards)
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imagine this my friend, the 1989 issue was based on the ignorance of youngsters , they put themselves in the risks(bloody leaders escaped) by believeing the instigation from VOA and today ,since VOA(Mandarin Channel) is gonna be turnoff,at the same time, U.S Secretary of State,Hilary Clinton claimed U.S agency will concentrade much more on cyber world, so this shit happens again. A man can't step into the same river,so that's why we try to lead people away from danger.
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Yes, we chinese know ourselves better than anyone else. Yes, the CCP is not perfect but we are not going to copy a western style. Absolute democracy will send China to hell! Maybe a future hybrid system.
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Chinese do not want Westerners to incite protest in China, and to make China into a big mess like Iraq, Egypt, or Tunisia.

America is anti-China!
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The only country that needs Jasmine Revolution is the US. It needs it so badly, because the govn't does not act in the interest of its citizens who are poor. It wants to pass budget deficit cuts that will ruin the lives of the poor further more. The whole world feels sorry for the US citizens because they haven't had a president for decades. All that they have gotten in the White House are puppets.
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You secretary of the state is in charge of the the internet propaganda war; your ambassador went to the front line to inspect the operations. If the Chinese government does not respond in a commensurate way, it's disrepectful to the U.S., it's faux pas.
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Thanks for exposing the truth....They want to destabilize China, divide it and rule. They are not Americans but globalists....They are using America as a tool to further their agenda.

They don't care about Americans nor about Chinese or any other country....Its all fake revolutions to further their evil agenda...if you love your family, atleast do an hour of research before coming out of your home for a revolution....do not believe what main stream media says...its all propaganda

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I am a British Engineer with my own factory in China. I employ lots of Chinese. I live here with my family and speak Chinese.

I can tell you categorically that all suggestions that there will be any kind of revolution in China are completely ridiculous. The Chinese are extremely happy with the central Beijing Government. Sure they have complaints about rising house prices; food inflation; corrupt local officials etc.

Non-Chinese need to mind their own business and focus on home.
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CNN and some media even put a photo with some Chinese holding Chinese signs. They reported that these are protesters with signs of slogans. These media reporters are the biggest liars. In fact, the photo is from another Chinese job fair with Chinese characters of jobs. Most Americans don't know Chinese language, that's why they can be easily misled and brainwashed
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I am 100% sure that this Jasmine Revolution BULL SHIT was started on the internet by them western n Taiwanese spies!! I am Chinese and I take this attempt by the west as a direct threat to my country n my ppl! They forgot how the CHinese ppl came out in support of the 2008 Beijing Olympics!! They want to test and see if the Chinese ppl is still united! From their point of view is worth every attempt! A collapse of China would do much good for them!

LONG LIVE CHINA!
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有可能“茉莉花”革命就是他策划的。洋人嘴里虽说明祖，心里却不怀好意。若心里不是怀有恶意，干吗急忙走开？Maybe the US diplomat was the one who came up with the "Jasmine" revolution to throw China into chaos. He looked "guilty" at being discovered and hastened a retreat.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12522856
China's official in charge of the state security apparatus has warned of the need to find new ways to defuse unrest.

Zhou Yongkang urged senior officials to improve "social management" and "detect conflicts and problems early on", the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

He was speaking at a weekend seminar which took place as an internet campaign tried to provoke a "jasmine revolution" in China.

On Sunday, police dispersed a meeting of people who had answered the call.

In Shanghai, three men were detained. Leading human rights activists and lawyers were taken into police custody in the hours before the protests were due to begin.

But the call for mass participation in the demonstrations went largely unheeded.
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My dear friend in China told me that the buzz on the streets in china is "Mao was right about Deng." That was a year ago, during Spring Festival.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/china-wont-take-the-cairo-route-20110214-1atq4.html
For 30 years the Communist Party has forged ideological unity around Deng Xiaoping's "two hands" formula of a market-based economy and uncompromising political control. When the contradictions inherent in this approach flared in 1989, Deng's solution was to defer any resolution and make the tensions worse. He massacred the students, rebuilt the party's security apparatus and then opened the market economy further.

The nepotism and corruption enjoyed by Deng's children may have been exceptional in 1989 but these days they are the norm for those born into the communist aristocracy. Whether you are in private equity, a sprawling state-owned enterprise or a village enterprise, the end game is the same: connect the right party official (or relative) with the market and turn public money into private gold.

Left and right agree that the Deng consensus is crumbling under the weight of inequality and corruption. But they cannot agree on whether to dismantle the ''open market'' or ''political control'' side of his legacy.

President Hu Jintao has squandered eight years in mortal combat with his predecessor. Powerful princelings have dealt themselves out of the debate by their kleptocratic hypocrisy. The country has reached gridlock. The party is entering a period of realignment and it is not clear what the new direction will be.

It is no coincidence that the only two obviously popular members of the Politburo are those who have come closest to challenging the Deng consensus. Much may depend on how the Mao-singing Chongqing party boss, Bo Xilai, and the democracy-talking Premier, Wen Jiabao, reach an accommodation.

U P D A T E

The People Doth Not Protest
http://www.economist.com/blogs/asiaview/2011/02/chinas_pre-emptive_crackdown

Perhaps China knows better, what to expect, when Tenzin Dorjee, executive director for Students for a Free Tibet called for "Tiananmen 2.0" last week. In fact, when I tried to comment on his post on Huffington Post, to site the fact that he had been with NED (privitized arm of the CIA) I was banned from commenting, censored, for three days! The Uighur sepertist group carries the Free Tibet propaganda on their site, so look for an attempt to instigate racial, ethnic and religious tensions, and planted thugs to stage "spontaneous" riots and "uprisings."

Folks, the more things change the more they remain the same. This administration has been blaming China for everything that's wrong with the US!

Based on the video that was secretly recorded, the journalists were not beaten, and Ambassador Huntsman is not being honest, and is behaving like a ringleader!
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/01/china.journalists/?hpt=T2#

Here is more spin from Time...
http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/02/28/in-chinas-jasmine-crackdown/
Wen is the official who serves at the humane face of the government. He visits with miners, farmers, AIDS patients and petitioners seeking justice. He is usually one of the first high-level officials to visit disasters scenes, like the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. He talks up political liberalization in interviews with the foreign press, and praises fallen reformers at home. Wen has done web chats with the Xinhua news service for a few years now, and yesterday's wasn't timed to coincide with the online call for Middle Eastern-style “jasmine rallies” in China. But it seems hardly a coincidence that the many of the topics he discussed—corruption, inflation, the wealth gap—are also issues raised by the anonymous protest organizers.

Here we have photos by a French Journalist...
http://www.jordanpouille.com/2011/02/25/bluefences/

Stay tuned for more updates on this US instigated "uprising!"

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Hu, Not Wen, Comes To Dinner

2011-01-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

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Hu, Not Wen, Comes To Dinner

Chinese president Hu Jintao comes to the White House for a State Dinner.

If Obama and his administration believe this visit is all about "face" they are sadly mistaken.

As you can see from this video, China's issues are completely different from what the
US says are the issues. One problem the US has is trying to have "dialogue" with anothercountry by discussing onlt the US's concerns. China isn't buying that anymore. Here is the Q&A from the WSJ.....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703551604576085514147521334.html

I wish to stress the following four points.

First, we should increase dialogue and contact and enhance strategic mutual trust.

Second, we should abandon the zero-sum Cold War mentality, view each other's development in an objective and sensible way, respect each other's choice of development path, and pursue common development through win-win cooperation.

Third, we should respect each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests and properly address each other's major concerns.

And fourth, we should make constant efforts to expand our converging interests so that China and the United States will be partners for cooperation in broader areas.
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The hidden part of an iceburg is the bigger part, that part being US Policy makers fear that any country whose economy begins to equal ours, could, in fact, develop a military equal to ours. The US actually has a secret policy addressing this idea in real terms.

No one should be surprised, then, to know the US has been encircling China for some time, now, as China's economy grows. Recently, we made a deal with Australia to station our Navy there as an "unofficial base" In addition, our buildup on our militarized Pacific islands is enough to worry any country, never mind the target of our paranoia, China.

Unfortunately, it seems that our propensity for spewing out "fishy" numbers, false data, misleading stats, etc, etc, etc, has come back to bite us. Or should I say, we have come to believe our own propaganda. Our "Hey, Mikey, lets blame China," strategy was fine as long as it was just domestic politics, but when Policy makers swallow this stuff whole, watch out.

You have all heard that the US blames China for it's huge trade deficite with the US.
THAT you understand, but have you actually looked at the numbers? Here is one example...

RE Trade imbalance, who would compare Pennsylvania's exports with the UK,
which is 5 times the size of Pennsylvania?

Well, that is just what the Government propagandists do when the report trade
deficits by country name, instead of size. Here is something you may enjoy...

Rank Trade Deficit by Country's Population

1. Ireland (5). . . . .- $4,585.41 per capita
2. Venezuela (7). . . - $645.27 per capita
3. Canada (6). . . . . - $589.02 per capita
4. Malaysia (10). . . - $456.63 per capita
5. Mexico (2). . . . . - $438.21 per capita
6. Japan (3). . . . . . - $351.76 per capita
7. Germany (4). . . .- $342.29 per capita
8. Italy (9). . . . . . . .- $234.93 per capita
9. China (1). . . . . . .- $169.22 per capita
10. Nigeria (8). . . . . - $97.94 per capita

(the numbers in the ( ) are the rank by country name without reguard to size.)

What the US military really fears is an economically sound China...

http://original.antiwar.com/john-v-walsh/2011/01/17/an-anti-interventionist-looks-at-china/
Let us consider U.S. military doctrine in the ways it might affect relations with China. U.S. doctrine is clear and unchanging from one administration to the next since the end of the
Cold War. No country is to be allowed to come close to the U.S. in military might.

The most explicit statement of this came in the Defense Planning Guide for 1994-1999, a secret document prepared in 1992 and leaked to the New York Times and Washington Post. “Our first objective,” the highly classified document stated, “is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union.”

From the outset Obama has left no doubt that the policy of permanent military superiority continues under him, proclaiming just after his election, on the occasion of appointing his “foreign policy team” of Clinton, Gates, and others that “we all share the belief we have to maintain the strongest military on the planet.”

Just last week Pentagon chief Robert Gates declared in a speech in Tokyo that the 47,000 troops in Japan were there to “keep China’s rising power in check” and so will remain for the indefinite future.

One must also conclude that the wars in Central Asia, the implantation of U.S. bases right on China’s back doorstep, and the courting of India over the past 10 years are also part of the “containment” policy, whatever other purposes those wars and bases may have. This dimension of the U.S. wars is rarely discussed in the mainstream or liberal press.

The implications of this doctrine are pernicious in the extreme.

First, the very threat encourages those who might want to be friends to arm themselves to preserve their independence and sovereignty.

Second, and much more important, military might grows out of economic power, as we have known at least since Thucydides. Thus the U.S. is declaring that China cannot have a total GDP that comes close to that of the U.S.

Let us consider the consequences of that. What would it mean for China if it achieved an aggregate GDP not larger that of the U.S. but simply the same size? Quite simply, since China has four or five times our population, it would mean that China would have a per capita GDP one fourth of ours – or about $10,000 a year. That means unending poverty for the Chinese people. Thus China is forced to choose between poverty or provoking the ire of the U.S.

Such is the iron logic of U.S. military policy.

And from a Chinese perspective we have
DOES CHINA’S RISE THREATEN
THE UNITED STATES?
Jinghao Zhou

http://www.asianperspective.org/articles/v32n3-g.pdf
In order for the Communist Party of China (CCP) to survive into the twenty-first century, it has realized that China must make peace with the international society and develop a harmonious society at home.

The Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixteenth Central Committee of the CPC passed the “Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Major Issues Regarding the Building of a Harmonious Socialist Society” in October 2006, placing “building a harmonious society” atop its work agenda.

China has tried to make peace with neighboring countries and cooperate with
Western governments on a broad range of issues. Theoretically, the global village
is an international family. If every member of the family becomes strong, the
international family becomes stronger.

Every nation has its own national interests, so real conflicts between different nations are inevitable. Even now, there are intensive competitions among the democratic societies. Because China is a non-democratic country, China’s rise unavoidably causes other countries to worry.

Russia - China Oil Pipeline Opens

2011-01-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

The Russia - China Oil Pipeline opened...

This is a good example of how resolving border/territorial disputed peacefully leads to trade and increased prosperity for all sides. A win-win solution.

Here is an excellent review of what a border/territirial dispite comprises. But today, more than ever, trade, and the possibility of finding needed natural resources make the peaceful resolution of border disputes especially urgent.

We should ask ourselves, what is it that enables countries like China and Russia to resolve border disputes peacefully, while other countries cannot resolve border disputes, or actually go to war over disputed territory.

China Army Day August 1, 2010

2010-08-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday news media reported that Mao's grandson, Mao Xinyu, had been promoted to major general. But when did this promotion actually take place?

Mao Zedong founded the Army in 1927, and founded the Peoples Republic of China in 1949.

Perhaps some news media jumped the gun, reporting last September, that Mao had been promoted. However, it would appear that he needed to be in the Army for 10 years before he could be promoted.

Sightings of him wearing the major general uniform may help pin the actual day.
http://forum.globaltimes.cn/forum/showthread.php?p=43571

His promotion was announced formally on China's Army Day, Sunday August 1, 2010.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-09/29/content_8747855.htm
Mao said he has been in the army for more than nine years, and army rules stipulate that anyone in the army for 10 years is entitled to pursue the major general rank.

"If there's no exception, I could be granted the rank as early as next Army Day," he was quoted as saying.

http://china.globaltimes.cn/chinanews/2010-08/558360.html
The promotion was done before Sunday's Army Day but the specific date was not provided.

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=190264
Mao, a researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences (AMS), was among other military officers who were promoted to higher ranks shortly before the 83rd anniversary of the founding of the army, Global Times reported

Bao Guojun, a spokesman at the AMS, confirmed Sunday that Mao was promoted from the rank of senior colonel to major general.

The promotion was done before Sunday's Army Day but the specific date was not provided.

President Barack Obama Meets With Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House

2010-02-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

NEWS: President Barack Obama meets with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House. Feb 18, 2010 (Official White House Photo by Peter Sousa)(fair use claim)

“The President met this morning at the White House with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. The President stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China. The President commended the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government. The President stressed that he has consistently encouraged both sides to engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences and was pleased to hear about the recent resumption of talks. The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of a positive and cooperative relationship between the United States and China.”

Kalpen Modi
Associate Director
White House Office of Public Engagement
......................................

President George Bush, who had previously been with the CIA, was the first president to meet with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama wrote a letter to President Clinton expressing his desire for independence for Tibet. Although he promised "Change we can believe in," Presiden Obama continuse the policy of the Bush-Clinton-Bush era. China, and Chinese have expressed their strongest disapproval of this meeting, and the US's continued interferrence in their domestic affairs. China also stated that this meeting has hurt the Chinese, and they would respond acordingly. Within hours of the meeting China summoned the US Ambassador and lodged their complaint.

This meeting comes on the heels of the announcement that the US would sell over $ 6 billion worth of arms to Taiwan. What is the official policy of the US to China, and is there secret policy?
.....................................

Chinese React to Dalai Lama - Obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rswOSodMIQ&feature=PlayList&p=036FC13A2D23BB2B&index=24
......................................

This is the meeting that enthralled the world during the Olympic Winter Games, and which could not be more controversial. One reason is that the president claimed that he was meeting with the Dalai Lama not because he was a political figure, but "the" spiritual" leader of "the Tibetans." However, that statement belies the official relationship between the Government of the USA and the Dalai Lama. This relationship was put into writing in a formal letted sent by the American Ambassador to India to the Dalai Lama in 1951. (Yes, that is correct, 1951. )

"Your Holiness will understand, of course, that the readiness of the United States to render you the assistance and support outlined above is conditioned upon your departure from Tibet, upon your public disavoual of agreements concluded under duress between the representatives of Tibet and those of the Chinese Communists, and upon your continued willingness to cooperate in opposing communist agression.

An essential part of our cooperation would be a public announcement by the United States that it supports the position of Your Holiness as the head of an autonomous Tibet. The United States would also support your return to Tibet at the earliest practical moment as head of an autonomous [ , ] and non communist country. The position of the United States in this regard is fundamental and will not be affected by developments in Korea or by Chinese Communist...."
(signed by the US Ambassador to India in September 1951)

As you can see, the exerpt above shows that the US has supported the Dalai Lama's activities re China's Tibet since 1951. The offer was put into writing at the insistance of the Dalai Lama's elder brother, who was already a paid CIA asset. The agreement mentiond in the letter is the 17 point agreement, which certainly was not the result of duress, but must have alarmed the US, who had refused to recognise the PRC after Chaing Kai Shek lost the Chinese Civil War and fled to Taiwan. At that time McCarthyism was rampent in the US, and Eisenhower woried about the so called "Falling Dominoes" theory that "the communists wanted to take over the world," and countries would "fall" to communism, one after another, like falling dominoes.

However, the Dalai Lama did not take up the US on it's "offer" until 1959. Why? The Chinese arrived in Lahsa, peacefully, under the provisions of the 17 Point Agreement, yet today some still falsly accust the Chinese of "invading" Tibet! Why? What was really going on, what was really the relationship between the Dalai Lama and the US?

The Dalai Lama finally left Tibet in March 1959, two weeks lated China emancipated the over 6000 serfs and 106 house slaves of the Dalai Lama along with all the serfs and slaves in Tibet. Why didn't the Dalai Lama not emancipate his serfs and slaves himself? Why did he not keep faith with the 17 Point Agreement?

Happy Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day

2010-02-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

In Beijing, Tibetan students celebrate the Year of the iron Tiger.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-02/13/c_13174737.htm

This year, starting on Feb 14th, Spring Festival coincides with Valentine's Day.

Even the animals get into the mood. This is the season to make preperations for the coming new year, visit family, and enjoy special food and traditions.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english2010/special/springfestival2010/

Although most folks refer to the Chinese following the "lunar" calandar, in fact, they follow the solar-lunar calandar. This is a 60 year cycle. Originally used by farmers to plan planting, the wonderful calandar, with famous ox pictures, is not unlike the Old Farmer's Almanac.

In two weeks the New year festival will conclude with the Lantern Festival, and young folks, who pine to be with their lovers, instead of family, will be together then.

Happy Birthday China! 60th Anniversary Celebrations

2009-10-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Above is the TV special, from Beijing, look for more additions here, to be posted soon.

BaoBao, precious treasure, Children are considered, in China to be like flowers, they are to be treasured, as they are the China's future.

And above is the begining of the end of the propaganda proping up "Cash My Check," the US supported Green gang thug, who is responsible for dividing Taiwan from China, and who refused to fight the Japanese, leading, instead, the US funded Chinese Civil War, against his very own people.

Above, General Joe Stillwell in China, rare footage of the dixie Mission with Mao. Unfortunately, the US ignored Stillwell and the Foreign Ministry and others making the greatest US foreign policy mistake of the 20th century.

US Government Funds Slaughter of Innocent Han Chinese in Xinjiang

2009-08-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

.
Rebiya Kadeer is the President of both WUC (World Uighur Congress) and UAA (Uyghur American Association

This video documents the elaborate advanced planing that was used to plan and instigate the deadly race riots in Xinjiang Province, China. On July 5th, Some Uighurs, incited by Ribiya Kadeer, president of the World Uighur Congress, and the Uighur American Association, staged "peaceful demonstrations," to attract police, then "killing squads" raged through side streets in Han Chinese neighborhoods, slaughtering dozens of people that "looked Asian." Uighurs are a caucasian ethnic Turkish speaking people. not all Uighurs living in Xinjiang, China support Ribyia's seperatism. Uighurs are not the only minority nor only Muslims living in Xinjiang.

The US Government funds Ribiya Kadeer primarily through the NED. US Congressmen support her racial hatred groups. The US Congress, and the Uighur seperatist and terror groups, together, spread disinformation about Xinjiang, Uighurs and China.

For example, they like to say that China invaded Xinjiang, the Uihgur homeland. You see, they are counting on your ignorance, indifference, and latent racist attitudes toward "Asian looking people." In fact, Uighurs migrated into Xinjiang, China, some 1000 years AFTER the Han Chinese.

Another lie the Uighur seperatists like to spread is that China is destroying Uighur culture. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth! China is the only country in the world that has preserved the writen arabic script of the Uighur language. In all other countries, including Turkey, Uighurs write their language either in Latin or Russian based scripts.

I have often wondered why the US continues to engage in such violent covert activities. I assume our government knows this is bad, evil, and unlawful, which is why they lie to Americans about what is actually going on. Is it lawful for the US gov to propagandise the American people? What about the People's Right to Know?

Gun Violence in US Kills More Than War

2009-07-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

In the US, 1 in every 31 adults is in prison, jail or on supervised release. geath by guns every yrer is more that US deaths in Wars overseas. Yet, the right to own guns continues, while those how incite using guns to kill do not have free speech protection, and can and are prosecuted.

Watch in this video, as a Coffee Klatch, neighbors question prospective DA about their fears about Philly being the wild west, and more dangerous that either detroit or Baltimore. The man speaking, a caucasion, refers to white people as "people like us," and to Affrican Americans as "animals."

Phildelphia is the City where the police actually droped a bomb on the hose of MOVe members, and allowed it to burn, destroying a whole city block, in 1985.

Tension between the "oppressive" police and the "oppressed African American" community continues.

many Affrican Americans contend that "Whites" are making money on black on black violence, by selling durgs and guns into economically depressed inner city neighborhoods.

Recently, a group of Affrican American kids were refused the right to swim at a privat pool, even though they had paid priveliges to do so. White folks left the pool, claiming that they felt afraid of the "black" children that looked different from them.

Look for updated to this story.

Freedom of the Press Missing When covering Western Nations Crackdowns: How Do Western Nations Deal With Riots and Rioters?

2009-07-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

Since Nixon paved the way for recognition of China, more and more attention has been focused on how China deals with dissent. Western media make a huge issue out of what is called china's reppression od dissent, and the use of crackdowns, while at the same time covering up their own practices od opressing dissent in their own countries. From time to time, I hope to att to this topic.

France crushes riots, sends rioters to jail with long harsh sentances.

Carlson's Raiders Were Presented With a Silk Banner at The 70th Anniversary Celebration of the ICCIC" Held in Beijing

2009-07-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

"With the memory of their sacrifice in mind, let us here dedicate ourselves to the task of bringing into reality the ideals for which they died, that their sacrifice will not have been in vain..."

That is so beautiful, and so inspireing.

What a great leader, and hero he was.

In Beijing, on June 29th, in the meeting hall of the former residence of Soong Ching Ling, The "70th Anniversary Celebration of the ICCIC" was held.

The "Gung Ho" marine, Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson of the U.S. Marine Corps was honoured, when all the guests joined a chorus in singing the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China, and guests from the United States sang the "The Marine Corps Hymn."

Background: The History of the ICCIC

The Gung Ho movement was started in 1937 in Shanghai by Rewi Alley of New Zealand and some other foreigners together with a group of Chinese patriots. To win support from abroad, collect funds for development and ensure the proper use of foreign aid, the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (ICCIC) was founded in Hong Kong in January 1939. It is an international nongovernmental organization that aims to promote Chinese industrial cooperatives. Soong Ching Ling was elected as honorary chairperson. The work of the committee soon won support among the overseas Chinese and people worldwide.

It suspended its work in 1952 and revived it in 1987. Since that year, the ICCIC has supported a large number of cooperatives in different provinces in China for cooperative principle training, environment improvement and poverty alleviation.

The success of ICCIC's projects has strengthened its ties with other cooperative organizations at home and abroad.

http://sclf.cri.cn/1/2009/07/03/2s1125.htm

"Those who do not learn from the past, are condemned to repeat it. The purpose of this film is, thus, educational. We have no hatred for the Japanese people."

From 1931 onward, the US responded to increasing japanese agression in China with verbal "condemnations," while continuing to provide material support to Japan.

In 1932, photos of the bombing of Shanghai, shown bombs with "Made in the USA" on them.

As Japan continued to build their Navy, and move deeper into China, and word of horrendous atrocities reached Washington, the US continued to provide material support to Japan, in the face of this agression, even after the all out war against China, the second Sino Japanese war, support for Japan contin ued. Roosevelt confined himself to moral requests to business not to sell war materials to Japan.

October 7th, 1939, a Colliers editorial asked ...
"We're idealist american enough to base this motion for a war materials embargo against Japan chiefly on moral grounds, It is not decent, it is not right, at least by moral standards, for the US to be selling the japanese materials for the slow and merciless enslavement of a peacible nation. This is dirty money."

By 1937 American magazines sensational reports that 55.4% of material support for Japanese agression against China came from America. That included materials that were unavailable from any other source, including hi grade steel, machery and lubricating oils.

Dec 9th Japanese take Nanjing

http://www.usspanay.org/attacked.shtml

November of 1937 found the Japanese Army racing towards Nanking, its troops operating on the southern bank of the Yangtze and in the river delta. As Iris Chang recounts in The Rape of Nanking, the Japanese army left a swath of destruction in its path, murdering helpless civilians, committing countless rapes, and conducting wanton atrocities. The fall of the city would prove to be one of the bloodiest episodes in WWII, with more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers killed in a mere six weeks.

The death toll, Chang notes, “exceed(ed) that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined”.

(but only Chinese were killed, as Europeans, Americans and Nazi's looked on with much hand wringing)

On Dec 12, 1937, the Japanese bombed and sank the US Gunboat panay, in the Yangze river near Nanjing.

The Nanjing Massacre began on Dec 13th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoW2WYdOsvg

Still the US continued to provide war materials to the Japanese for their war against China.

October 7th, 1939, a Colliers editorial asked ...

"We're idealist american enough to base this motion for a war materials embargo against Japan chiefly on moral grounds, It is not decent, it is not right, at least by moral standards, for the US to be selling the japanese materials for the slow and merciless enslavement of a peacible nation. This is dirty money."

In July 1940, the Japanese demanded britan close the Burma Road, and the US moved it's Naval Fleet from the west coast to pearl harbour. In september japan forced the Vichey government to asccept japanese Army bases to cut the supply routs to China. 11days later Japan signed the AXIS agreements.

Only then did Washington embargo more metals, aviation fuel and aviation techknowledgies.

Japan then signed a non agression treaty with the soviets, so they could focus on the conquest of China and So east Asia.

In 1941, ignoring US warnings not to do so, Japan moved troops into XSo Indochina.

Finally, Roosevelt froze Japanese assets, and the sales of all strageic war materials, including oil, leaving Japan with reserves for a two year war.

August 1941, Roosevelt and Churchil met at sea off Newfoundland, the Atlantic Charter.

Dec 7th, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbour.

At the same time they started south, and the western colonial possesions fell like dominoes. Within 6 months Japan had subjigated the great crescent of so east asia.

WWII became a global war for survival from AXIS agression.

http://books.google.com/books?id=ow5Wlmu9MPQC&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=USA+material+support+japan+war+against+china&source=bl&ots=TGoY-EVjgT&sig=kJGHP2ZYDzKfVrYmTL9v-gBElnA&hl=en&ei=iiRdSsemJ5LSMtvjta4C&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10

Lt Col. Evans Carlson had warned Rosevelt not to trust Japan, and that he feared Japan would attack the US, but Rousevelt brushed aside this warning and Colson had to leave the Marines.

Carlson was returned to service immediately after hes "intelligence" was demonstrated to be spot on. He gave birth to Carlsons Raiders.

The Tiananmen Affair

2009-06-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Chai Ling's confession of foreign involvement in an interview has been removed from Youtube!

Chai Ling suew maker of this video, Gate Of Heavenly Peace, and it has been removed!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6221258.ece
The lawsuit against Long Bow makes no mention of this interview.

Since its release in 1995 the film has drawn the anger of both the Chinese authorities and several student leaders and has become a significant source of material on the movement.

However, the makers now fear that the aim of Ms Chai is to put Long Bow, a non-profit organisation, out of business by bankrupting them through legal costs.

Their appeal says: “We believe that in commemorating the events of 1989 20 years on, it is important to reflect also on the value of independent thought, unfettered historical research, the collection and protection of archival materials and the freedom of speech in our own environment.”
.........................
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gate_of_Heavenly_Peace_(documentary)

Folks, this video of a confession by Chai Ling, one of those "students" who falsly claimed there was a massacre in Tiananmen, and which was translated into English, has been removed from Youtube! In fact, this tiny piece, whas Chai Ling in her very own voice, explaining why she left before the massacre, because as she said her handlers in Hong Kong had encouraged Her, and the students to stay in the Sq after the students had voted to end the protests and return to there respective colleges, and suffer bloodshed at the hands of the Chinese, was the only way to get thge world's attention.

Folks, you really gotta T H I N K about this.

No one was shot, killed, or run over by a tank in Tiananmen in June 1989. That is a proven fact, and Spanish TV as well as the Chinese Government have video to prove it.

From Wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_Ling
The Gate of Heavenly Peace documentary contains footage, dated May 28, 1989, in which Chai says to American journalist Philip Cunningham:

"The students kept asking, 'What should we do next? What can we accomplish?' I feel so sad, because how can I tell them that what we are actually hoping for is bloodshed, for the moment when the government has no choice but to brazenly butcher us. Only when the Square is awash with blood will the people of China open their eyes. Only then will they really be united. But how can I explain this to my fellow students? And what is truly sad is that some students, and famous well-connected people, are working hard to help the government, to prevent it from taking such measures. For the sake of their selfish interests and their private dealings they are trying to cause our movement to collapse and get us out of the Square before the government becomes so desperate that it takes action." This gave rise to the public perception that the student leaders were making use of the students' lives and well-being to further their personal careers and financial interests.[1]

Chai claims that she was misquoted in that documentary.[20] In a letter in her defense submitted to the creators of The Gate of Heavenly Peace, a group of students also involved in the 1989 protests in Beijing say that filmmakers and other critics used "selective quotes and interpretive and erroneous translation" in their portrayal of Ling, and that she and the other student leaders remained united right up until the end of the protest when they fled the Square in the last hour.[21]

Chai and her firm have launched multiple lawsuits against the non-profit organization that created this film. An initial suit, in which Chai alleged defamation, has been dismissed. An additional ongoing suit claims that the organization infringed upon Jenzabar's copyright by mentioning the firm's name on its website. The filmmakers believe that the firm's intention is to bankrupt them through legal costs, irrespective of the merits of the cases.[22] Columnists for the Boston Globe and the New Yorker have argued that this represents a surprisingly undemocratic action by a leader of China's 1989 protests.[23][24] Chai claimed to have offered to drop the suit in June 2010.[25] However, the Boston Globe, in reporting the decision granting summary judgment dismissing the trademark suit, deemed the claim not credible. [26]
..........................

http://articles.boston.com/2010-12-19/news/29320655_1_jenzabar-filmmakers-trademark-dispute

Last week, Ling Chai — a key leader in China’s 1989 prodemocracy movement — was in Oslo to see this year’s Nobel Peace Prize awarded to imprisoned Chinese dissident and free-speech advocate Liu Xiaobo. While she was in Norway, a Superior Court judge put a stop to Chai’s protracted assault on free speech here in Massachusetts.

With her husband, Chai now runs a Boston software company called Jenzabar Inc. And for three years, she has been trying to use the courts to go after two local filmmakers because she doesn’t like some material cited on their website.

The dispute between Chai and the filmmakers goes back to 1995, when Chai objected to the way she was characterized in their documentary about the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989. The film, “The Gate of Heavenly Peace,’’ contains an interview with a very young, exhausted Chai near the end of the standoff, in which, according to the translation, she says student leaders “are actually hoping for bloodshed. . . .Only when the square is awash in blood will the people of China open their eyes.’’

Chai said the interview was mistranslated and taken out of context. The filmmakers, Carma Hinton and Richard Gordon, stand by their work.

Since the film’s release, the filmmakers have maintained a website that includes updates on Chai and Jenzabar and links to articles, including several from the Globe, that are unflattering.

Chai and her company sued the filmmakers and their company, the Long Bow Group, for defamation and trademark infringement. The trademark claim seeks to bar the filmmakers from using “Jenzabar’’ as a keyword on their website, which would prevent the nonglowing stories from coming up when somebody Googles the software company. The defamation charge was quickly thrown out. The trademark dispute dragged on until a judge dismissed it last week.

The suit is a transparent attempt to shut down negative publicity. Jenzabar hasn’t disputed the facts in the stories. It’s merely trying to make it more difficult to find them.

It’s no fun to have people write negative things about you, and to have those things live forever online. That’s a downside of the First Amendment. But free expression is vital to democracy, and it shouldn’t be vulnerable to endless legal maneuverings.

Going after websites using trademark law is the kind of tactic that deep-pocketed companies have been deploying more and more frequently to shut down negative commentary about them, said Paul Alan Levy, the filmmakers’ attorney and founder of the Internet Free Speech project at Public Citizen, a citizen advocacy nonprofit. Even if the plaintiffs in these cases don’t prevail in court, they can stifle their opponents by bleeding them of cash. Hinton and Gordon dropped $250,000 on private lawyers. If Public Citizen hadn’t stepped in to represent them pro bono, they would have been ruined by Jenzabar.

“The trademark case is an excuse to punish the filmmakers for having the audacity to portray Chai and others in a not completely favorable light,’’ said Levy.

Jenzabar’s general counsel sent along a statement yesterday making the ludicrous claim that it’s the financially-strapped filmmakers who prolonged the dispute — by not caving in, judging from the legal documents.

Levy is certain Jenzabar will appeal both the trademark and defamation losses, and the Jenzabar statement seems to promise just that, calling the dismissal “just one more step in a lengthy legal process.’’

Chai, who was unwell and couldn’t speak to me Friday, does good work through her Jenzabar Foundation, and she still pushes for democracy in China. But her fight should begin here at home.

Liu, serving an 11-year sentence for subversion, could not be in Oslo to accept his Nobel Prize. In his place, actress Liv Ullman read his last public statement.

It reads, in part: “To strangle freedom of speech is to trample on human rights, stifle humanity, and suppress truth.’’

Was Chai listening?

Yvonne Abraham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at abraham@globe.com

Tibet Human Rights Website Launched!

2009-03-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Grand Summons Ceremony

heralds in the Tibet New Year, March 4th, 2009

Dreprung, Monastery, China

China has launched a new website in honour of the 50th Anniversary of the Emancipation of Tibetan serfs and slaves, called Tibet328.cn.

http://en.tibet328.cn/

China hopes to educate those who, for whatever reason, do not have the history or educational background to allow them to understand what they hear about Tibet. The Dalai Lama, who left China in the pay of the CIA in 1959, continues to make false and misleading statements about China and Tibet. Under the concept of 3 hands removed, the Dalai Lama often claimes he is not responsible for the trouble and violence that evolves from his disembling.

In a story from Xinhua, another renouned scholar, this one from Spain, deplores the way the western press, ie the Main Stream Media ignors many neutral educated witnesses and allows themselves to be used as a mouthpiece for the Free Tibet movement, which gets funding from the US government and NGOs.

http://en.328tibet.cn/01/02/200903/t276216.htm

{{MADRID, March 7 (Xinhua) -- "What I have seen and heard in Tibet completely differed from the distorted propaganda by the Dalai Lama," a renowned Spanish Tibetologist has said.

The March 14 riot in Lhasa in 2008, involving violent crimes against people and property, was premeditated and masterminded by followers of the Dalai Lama, Inaki Preciado Idoeta told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"But the Dalai Lama neither made an apology for the riot nor condemned those who perpetrated the violence," said Precidao Idoeta, one of the first Spanish diplomats to China and also a famous sinologist in Spain.}}

When I started this blog, I hoped to let folks know the facts, but have come to realize that the facts, and the welfare of ethnic Tibetans living in China is not what they are really concerned about. It would appear there are sme hard core China Bashers out there, and they will not be happy until China, and 1.3 billion people are again thrown into chaos.

This is not the change that we voted for!

What is Accurate and Objective News Reporting?

2009-03-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Check this out. This will take careful reading.

But, be forwarned, some of these stories are not only false, but carefully crafted to poison your mind. Can you tell which stories are accurate and objective?

Voice of America
Trusted Source of News & Information since 1942

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-01-voa22.cfm

Report: New Protest by Tibetans Where Monk Set Himself on Fire

By VOA News 01 March 2009

A Washington-based advocacy group says several hundred Tibetan monks demonstrated Monday in the same town where a monk set himself on fire in an act of protest on Friday.The International Campaign for Tibet said the Buddhist monks marched after Chinese authorities barred them from observing a traditional prayer festival in the town of Ngaba (Chinese: Aba), in China's Sichuan province.Monks from Sey monastery reportedly demanded that authorities allow them to hold prayer ceremonies, and also release prisoners detained on Friday from a nearby monastery.China's official Xinhua news agency has confirmed that a monk from Kirti monastery lit himself on fire Friday.Activist groups say paramilitary police shot the monk several times.

Witnesses said the monk marched toward the town center after officials prevented monks at his monastery from observing the Great Prayer (Monlam Chenmo) festival. They said he carried a banned Tibetan flag and a picture of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual and political leader. Xinhua quoted a local Communist party officials as saying the monk, in his late 20s, suffered burns to his neck and head.Kirti monastery was at the center of pro-independence demonstrations last year which began in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, before spreading across the plateau. Tibetan exile sources said police shot killed at least 23 Tibetans - including Buddhist monks and a 16-year-old school girl - when they fired on demonstrators. Chinese authorities said security personnel fired in self-defense, but did not confirm any fatalities.Chinese authorities have heightened security in Tibetan communities and closed them to foreign tourists in the run up to a sensitive anniversary.

March 10 will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule and the flight of the Dalai Lama and his government to India.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iAMqM2_Dwudz52KLQeY2ZKFQq9-gD96LSPBG1

Report: Tibetan monks protest New Year prayer ban

by Audra Ang (Mar 2 2009)

BEIJING (AP) — Scores of Tibetan monks in southwestern China marched in protest over the banning of a prayer service, rights advocates said — the latest incident in an apparent increase in acts of defiance against Chinese rule ahead of sensitive anniversaries.

The demonstration began Sunday when monks at the Sey monastery in the ethnically Tibetan county of Aba in Sichuan province gathered to observe a prayer ceremony called Monlam for the Tibetan New Year, which began last week, said International Campaign for Tibet.

China banned Monlam during the Cultural Revolution, when most religious practices were outlawed. The weeklong ceremony, also known as the Great Prayer Festival, was prohibited again in 1990, the year after Beijing launched a crackdown on anti-government protests in Tibet, likely an attempt to prevent mass gatherings.

Tensions have been high in the area since last week, when a Tibetan Buddhist monk from the nearby Kirti monastery was reportedly shot after setting himself on fire to protest the prayer ban and restrictions on religion.

It was not immediately clear who shot him. Chinese authorities on Monday denied that police had been involved in the shooting, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

But the presence of paramilitary police has noticeably increased in Tibetan communities in recent weeks ahead of the upcoming anniversary of last year's deadly Tibetan riots and the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising that sent the Dalai Lama into exile.

When Chinese officials stopped Sunday's ceremony, the monks left the prayer hall and marched toward the main town, shouting that they should be allowed to observe Monlam, the Washington D.C.-based International Campaign for Tibet said in an e-mail statement citing unidentified sources.

"They walked for around five to 10 minutes ... before they were apprehended by officials who urged the monks not to proceed further for fear of a violent response from troops stationed in the area," the campaign said.

Armed security officials soon arrived and the monks returned to their monastery, the group said. "They are now surrounded by armed police personnel and are likely to be under lock-down after the protest," it said.

ICT's sources said about 600 monks were involved, while Students for a Free Tibet, another rights group, said 50 monks took part.

Information on politically sensitive topics like Tibet is difficult to obtain from authorities and ordinary citizens, who often fear official retaliation if they talk. The region is sealed off to journalists and foreigners.

China claims Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the Himalayan region was virtually independent for centuries and that Beijing's tight control is draining them of their culture and identity.

An official surnamed Nong at the Communist Party's propaganda office in Aba county said Monday "no such thing happened." Another official at the party's propaganda office in Aba prefecture, which oversees the area, said he had not heard about the incident.

Several Aba residents and hotel clerks who answered calls said they had not seen anything.

Tibet's self-proclaimed government-in-exile in Dharmsala, India, confirmed that the protest occurred but said no details were available.

"These actions show the religious intolerance shown by the Chinese authorities," said government spokesman Thupten Samphel.

The move comes as China prepares for the possibility of more unrest in Tibet this year with the approach of the one-year anniversary of the deadly March 14 riots in the capital Lhasa. The unrest — the biggest and most sustained among Tibetans in decades — spread into neighboring Tibetan communities and Chinese troops flooded the region.

The Chinese government says 22 people died in the March 14 Lhasa protests, but Tibetan rights advocates say many more were killed, while monks, nuns and villagers were beaten, fined or jailed.

Many Tibetans reportedly are heeding calls to boycott festivities marking the new year to protest the crackdown

The Dalai Lama has said celebrations would be "inappropriate" under the circumstances.
March also marks the 50th anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule that led to the spiritual leader's flight into exile.

Associated Press writer Ashwini Bhatia in Dharmsala, India, contributed to the story.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6197569/Tibetan-monastery-surrounded

Tibetan monastery surrounded

Published: Monday 02 March 2009 12:53 UTC Last updated: Monday 02 March 2009 16:01 UTC

Chinese security forces have surrounded a Tibetan monastery in the southwestern province of Sichuan. On Sunday, several dozen monks there held a demonstration against Chinese repression. Last week, a Tibetan monk set himself alight in protest against China's occupation of the region. Next week marks the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against the Chinese presence in Tibet, which prompted the country's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to go into exile. Last year, many Tibetans marked the anniversary by taking part in demonstrations for greater autonomy.The Chinese authorities have taken extensive security measures to prevent similar protests at this year's anniversary of the uprising. Chinese state-controlled media say the unrest in Tibet is being orchestrated by the West.

..................................................................

Now, here is the same story from China.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/03/content_10937010.htm

Local official: no lama protest in southwest China monastery

March 3, 2009

CHENGDU, March 3 (Xinhua) -- An official in southwest China's Sichuan Province said Tuesday that a ritual held Sunday by dozens of lamas in the Se Monastery was a case of normal religious activity, and not a "Tibetan monks protest" as reported by some foreign media.

Shi Jun, secretary of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefectural Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said lamas in the Tibetan-inhabited areas in Sichuan enjoy full freedom in practicing religious beliefs.

"Having elected a lama to the post of a monastery administrator, known as "tiebang lama", which is literally translated as 'iron-rod lama', Sunday, lamas with the Se Monastery were overjoyed and congratulated the electee on his success," the official recounted.

In accordance with Tibetan Buddhism, "tiebang lama" is in charge of the monastery roster and overseeing discipline enforcement within the monastery.

"This was a normal religious activity but had been distorted as 'Tibetan lamas protest' by some foreign media with ulterior motives, we are indignant toward the distorted news reports based on hearsays and are disappointed at those western media which have long touted they are observing 'objectivity and fairness' in news reporting", said Shi.

Some local residents also said they did not hear or see any lama protest on Sunday.

According to foreign media reports, some Buddhist monks in Aba started protest on Sunday morning when local officials stopped them at the Se (foreign media use Sey) monastery in Sichuan Province as they gathered to pray. The reports cited the International Campaign for Tibet based in Washington D.C. which did not identify any sources.

The reports said that security forces have surrounded the monastery. As many as 2,000 police officers are on guard in this region while telephone communications have been cut, according to rights groups.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/03/content_10935785.htm

Offcial denies lama riots in southwest China

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese official on Tuesday denied lama riots in southwest China.

There was no such riots as some foreign media have reported, said Wu Zegang, head of the Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba, southwest China's Sichuan Province, who is here to attend the forthcoming annual session of the National People's Congress.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/03/content_10932128.htm

China refutes shooting Tibetan man who attempts to set himself alight

CHENGDU, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities refuted Monday that police had shot a young Tibetan who attempted to set himself on fire Friday in the southwestern Sichuan Province, as was claimed by some "Tibet independence" groups.

The 24-year-old man, identified as Tashi, also known as Tapey, was a Buddhist student at the Kirti Monastery in the Aba County of the Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Aba.

He attempted to set himself alight using inflammables while holding a portrait of the Dalai Lama and a "snow lion flag" in token of "Tibet independence" on a street in the Aba county seat at about 1:38 p.m. Friday.

When local police saw that, they immediately put out the fire and sent the young man to hospital.

Some "Tibet independence" groups said Tashi was shot by police, but that was totally fabricated, the authorities said.

Tashi is in stable condition now and local authorities are investigating the incident.

Local monks and residents are averse to Tashi's action. They believe he was deluded by the Dalai clique and such an action went against doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism.

..........................................................................

VOA was a department within the US Information Agency until Oct 1, 1999. Now we have what is called the Broadcasting Board of Govenors, BBG. an Independent Agency of the US Government.

The US President, now Barack Obama, appoints 8 members to the BBG board, four from each party, and the 9th member is the Sec of State, now H Clinton.

The BBG Mission Statement: To promote and sustain freedom and democracy by broadcasting accurate and objective news and information about the US and the world to audiences overseas.

Now, I ask you, do you think the VOA story above meets the accurate and objective criteria?

Therefore, I ask you, is there a difference between a free press and the people's right to know?

Is China A Target of Global Sponsered Terrorism?

2009-02-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

The recent news about what to do with the Uighurs held at Guantanamo for the past 7 years has been less than honest. The Uighurs are portrayed as not being "combatants" and not being terrorists. However, what is not said is that it has been determined that they did not target the US, but were training in camps near Tora Bora for the purpose of "fighting" China.

{{{But Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert in Singapore, believes that Uighur separatists pose more of a threat than U.S. authorities realize."It is true that they came to Afghanistan primarily to fight China, but they have been radicalized by their exposure to international terror groups," Gunaratna said. "The global jihadists very much have China in their sights."They feel that they've defeated the Soviet Union, they are defeating the United States, and next they will go after the dragon: China."}}}
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-uighurs-gitmo18-2009feb18,0,7460936.story

Another problem with the news about this issue is these 17 detainees are referred to as Uighurs and not as members of the ETIM. Since the attacks on the World Trade center on 9/11, both China and the US have listed ETIM as a terrorist organization. They have taken credit for violent acts in China, including the burning of the bus in Shanghai, as well as numerous bombings. The US put this group on the list because some of its "members" did target American interests in other countries in Central Asia.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9179/

One wonders why anyone would claim that there are no Uighurs with Al Qeada.
{{{During the reign of the Taliban in Afghanistan prior to the US invasion in 2001, the 055 Brigade served as "the shock troops of the Taliban and functioned as an integral part of the latter's military apparatus," al Qaeda expert Rohan Gunaratna wrote in Inside al Qaeda. At its peak in 2001, the 055 Brigade had an estimated 2,000 soldiers and officers in the ranks. The brigade was comprised of Arabs, Central Asians, and South Asians, as well as Chechens, Bosnians, and Uighurs from Western China.

The 055 Brigade has "completely reformed and is surpassing pre-2001 standards," an official said. The other brigades are also considered well trained.}}}
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/02/al_qaedas_paramilita.php

Another question is why the US refuses to return these 17 to China.
Some advocates claim that China would torture them. Huh? Unlike the US? But, the fact is, China has developed a political solution to the Al qeada exported violence that poses a threat in China.

{{{After an initial period of repression, China has used political means to keep the insurgency in Xinjiang to a remarkably low level. Beyond simply killing or capturing suspected insurgents, China has created a path for young Uighurs - one achieved through participation in the system rather than fighting it. China's proactive approach, reshaping society from the bottom up, has been so successful that much of the current debate centers on whether China really confronts a serious threat of terrorism in Xinjiang. }}}
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IB27Ad01.html

Perhaps the US should take a lesson from China and apply it to their actiona in Afghanistan and Pakistan?

Mainstream Media Biased Propaganda Machine

2009-02-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like China does not have a monopoly on complaints of Mainstream Media, MSM, biased reports spreading propaganda. This past week there is a host of stories about that problem. Today John Hanna writing for AP followed up on their video with a news report "AP CEO urges better press access to military ops" stating...

{The Bush administration turned the U.S. military into a global propaganda machine while imposing tough restrictions on journalists seeking to give the public truthful reports about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Associated Press chief executive Tom Curley said Friday.

Curley, speaking to journalists at the University of Kansas, said the news industry must immediately negotiate a new set of rules for covering war because "we are the only force out there to keep the government in check and to hold it accountable."

Much like in Vietnam, "civilian policymakers and soldiers alike have cracked down on independent reporting from the battlefield" when the news has been unflattering, Curley said. "Top commanders have told me that if I stood and the AP stood by its journalistic principles, the AP and I would be ruined."}

Those are strong words. But it is not just AP and China that is raising concerns. Ordinary citizens are now taking issue with the US version of MSM, and in this letter Natalie Parke points out what the real problem is when we do not know what is writen is "propaganda."

From today's Wall Street Journal Asia.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123369519812844679.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Xinhua Is Influenced by Politics, But So Are Other News Outlets

{Nicholas Bequelin's warning of the pending international expansion of China's state-run news agency, ("China's New Propaganda Machine," op-ed, Jan. 30) might've had a more startling impact if he hadn't made the overstated contrast between Chinese state-run media and other, "free, unbiased media that informs rather than misleads." This naïvely mischaracterizes other media as being uninfluenced by political -- and, more significantly, commercial -- factors.

Interestingly, I find that agencies like Xinhua have some of the most reliable, timely information about poorly covered regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, even while I concur that their presented image of China is skewed. In his critique of state-owned media's depiction of China, Mr. Bequelin fails to acknowledge their contribution as an alternative source of international news.

As we saw recently with the BBC's controversial stance on coverage of Gaza, even media content that isn't state-controlled is subject to the views of its readers and patrons. Perhaps the greatest difference between Chinese state-owned media and other media is that the former openly acknowledge their bias while the latter claim to be "fair and balanced."}

Natalie Parke

And the Center For Media and Democracy , PR Watch.org posted this on Monday,

Debating the Ban on Domestic Propaganda

{In the United States, public diplomacy's legislative history also involves propaganda. The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, which provided a legal framework for public diplomacy activities, forbids the government from disseminating within the United States information intended for foreign audiences. Other legislation, such as appropriation bills, theoretically reinforces the ban on using taxpayer money for "publicity or propaganda purposes." (The ban on domestic propaganda can't be considered more than theoretical, unfortunately, because there's no mechanism to enforce it, as Sheldon Rampton and I noted previously.)}

For most people, though, what they read in the newspapers, or hear on "CNN" they believe. This becomes a problem when those who have been properly informed, and have done their homework, are subjected to name calling. In fact, that is why I started this blog, because I am sick and tired of being called a "pinky commie fink," or being accused of being braineashed by "The Chinese Government." So, bullying, threats, as noted in the AP article, and censure, all become part of the "cover-up." But why do we need a cover-up? If no one was killed in Tiananmen, what harm is their to US security to say so? If Israel is violating UN orders, what harm is there in reporting that> If Georgia struck first, and not Russia, don't I, as a US Citizen, have a right to know that? After all, who runs this country, anyway?

So, it's not just the Bush bashers who complain, here is a view from the right....

Mainstream Media Becomes Pure Propaganda, Is Bias, Dishonest

http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/02/02/herb_denenberg/doc4986ed2b953b4687757554.txt

{The news is no longer news. It’s propaganda. It’s cheerleading for the new administration. It’s bull-roar. It’s false, fraudulent and biased. I’m talking about the major purveyors of news, the so-called mainstream media. I’m talking about The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, ABC, CBS, MSNC, NBC, CNN, NPR, PBS, Time, Newsweek and all the rest.

The mainstream media has descended to the level of Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister and Pravda, best known as the propaganda organ of the Communist Party. But this development in the mainstream media has critically important implications not only for the mainstream media, but also for the nation and its citizens.

The mainstream media has not only defrauded and cheated its customers by its biased, dishonest and unprincipled advocacy journalism designed to elect Barack Obama and promote his administration but also have severely undermined our Constitution and our country. That’s one of the key conclusions of Bernard Goldberg’s new book A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media.}

Then we have this from the U of Wisconsin-Oshkosh...

Israeli propaganda, media lobbies and the problem of fair reporting

http://www.advancetitan.com/?se=Opinion&s=7412

{Seven public relations strategies have been described by the documentary, “Peace Propaganda and the Promised Land” on how the media is influenced by Israeli lobbyists and public relations firms. The seven strategies briefly stated are: hidden occupation; invisible colonization; violence as a vacuum; defining who is newsworthy; myth of U.S. neutrality; myth of the generous offer; marginalized voices.

The strategies in the documentary describe how the U.S. media gets influenced to omit, skew, and overlook reporting on the Palestinian side of the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflicts. As a journalist, I wondered how much this sort of lobbying might affect me as an editor, especially as the three-week war unfolded over our winter break.)

What we are seeing here is a pattern. It is not just the lies the media made up about Tiananmen, and the violent riots in Lahsa, it is not just the skewed info about the nature of the Israli/Palestinian conflict, it is not just the US Pentagon turning our "free press" into a lurid propaganda machine, it is our willingness to turn a blind eye, and a deaf ear to the true facts. We just seem to swallow it whole, without chewing it over. No consideration, no questioning, just lapping it up as though it were not mind poison.

Now, I have said it before, and I will say it again, I am all for a "free press," but what about the "People's Right to Know?"

Rumours of my isolation have been greatly exagerated

2009-02-03T11:35:00.001-08:00

One China! We love China! We love Wen Jiabao!

While most folk's attention is rivited on the three tax cheats Obama "nominated" for positions in his new government of Change, wispers and rumours against have risin up again. Perhaps this was inevitable, or perhaps Geitner's silly comments about the Yuan fuled anti Chinese sentiment, after Obama's unfortunate remarks about communism and "transparancy" in his inaugaration speech.

Let's take a look at these recurring "rumors."

First, the rumour that China persecutes Christians and that the Chinese cannot buy a Bibla in China. Please see what this blogger has to say about that...

http://thechinabeat.blogspot.com/2009/01/bible-for-beijing.html

A Bible For Beijing

By Pierre Fuller

A few weeks ago my mother learned at her Greenwich, Conn., church that, beyond church grounds, Bibles cannot be purchased in the People’s Republic. Her informant was a man from the Bible Society of Singapore who gave an evening talk on the state of Christianity in China at my parents’ mainstream Protestant parish. My mother soon asked her son in Beijing, me, about this fact over the phone and I couldn’t say either way: a Chinese-language Bible was not something I’d been actively looking for yet I could have sworn I’d spotted one in a shop a while back when living in China’s Northwest. Then again, that was a long decade ago. I am clearly no expert on the subject.

Then on a recent morning in a basement bookstore in the National Library in Beijing a volume with a black binding and gold lettering caught my eye. I pulled it off the shelf. In no shape to identify the Chinese word for “Genesis” or for “Psalms”, I checked the volume’s opening passage: “Shen shuo: ‘Yao you guang’, jiu you le guang,” it read. God said: “Let there be light,” and there was light.

I was holding a Bible.

...................................................................................

We’d just been in the surrounding countryside filming quaint rural scenes but also the homes of residents, some very poor. That meant there were videotapes all over the house. But the authorities didn’t even ask about that possibility. Some six hours at the precinct followed, many cigarettes passed around. The end decision was that we were to return with the offending tape (yes, we were allowed to take it home with us) the following business day. We did so, and sitting in a room with a plainclothes officer we ran through the content on a TV: the church service wasn’t deemed objectionable; the humble interior of a “peasant” abode? That had to go.

...................................................................................

As for my new Chinese Bible, it’d be a challenge for me to get through it, so maybe I’ll pass it on to a curious friend. Which brings me back to the Bible Society and its talk-China tour: It’s easy to get sloppy when you’re preaching to the choir. But if tracking Bibles is your business, at least get the facts straight.

......................................................................................

I was a college student back in 1990s. By some chance I got interested in Christianism and Bible. And also by some chance which I cannot remember now, I got the telephone number of a Christian organization in Beijing called "Hai Dian Tang". I called them and told them that I was interested in knowing Bible and asked if I could buy a bible from them. They immediately responded that they could offer TWO Bibles to me,and,, for FREE! That's a strange but good experience. A few days latter I got them nice and perfect by mail. I still don't know if I could buy Bible easily in bookstores since I never tried. But I am sure if you 'want' to have one, it's defenitely not as difficult as portrayed by someone whom I also encountered here in Europe.

.....................................................................................

I've bought a bible in China and seen them often. In both Xinhua Bookstores and private stores.
.....................................................................................

Then there is the rumour that the (evil pinky commie Chinese Government) censors the news, because they do not want the Chinese people to rise up and kill off the CCP. Gosh, darn. China censors the news? Like the jewish dominated White Stream Media (MSM) in the US doies not? Please. But, just to make a point, there have been, since March 10, 2008, repeted claims of Chinese censoring the news that have been disproven!

Now, today, the headlines scream that Chine has sensored the news about the shoe. But, wait, is it really true? In fact, China, like many other governments, like to assess a situation first, and then have a "press release." Here we have an AP story, reluctantly reporting, and with unusual candor, (pun certainly intended) that yes, China is reporting the news to the Chinese people.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iC0lWaABkp1FcBZSBb-sJNsWvMOQD9648AQO2

With unusual candor, China reports shoe throwing

Still, incidents that could be seen as unflattering or insulting to the Chinese leadership have long been treated with the greatest sensitivity. The first Chinese reports on the protest during Wen's visit to Britain's Cambridge University left out key details, including that a shoe had been thrown.

But the China Central Television broadcast had it all. The evening news showed the footage among the first stories of its half-hour broadcast, leading into it with a report on Wen's speech itself and his return to Beijing.

Then the shoe-throwing footage was shown, with no commentary from the anchors, just a simple news setup.

The camera was fixed on Wen, but later cut to the whistle-blowing protester being removed from the hall, while the audience shouted "Get out."

"How can this university prostitute itself with this dictator here? How can you listen ... to him unchallenged?" the man — who has yet to be identified — could be heard shouting.

The sound of the shoe hitting the stage, away from Wen, could be heard as well.

Wen paused for about one minute and then continued his speech.

"Teachers and students, this kind of dirty trick cannot stop the friendship between the Chinese and the British people," Wen said, followed by applause.

.................................................................................

In an apparent move to show national dignity had been maintained, reports by CCTV and the official Xinhua News Agency included prominent references to Britain apologizing.

The BBC reported the 27-year-old protester would appear before magistrates on Feb. 10 in Cambridge on charges of committing a public order offense.

China's online activity — with 298 million Web users — makes it increasingly tough for censors to keep sensitive news, like the shoe throwing, offline. Media watchers say that may be prompting official media to report on other news it would have suppressed before, such as riots and protests.

But the expanded coverage may also reflect a recognition by propaganda authorities that showing such events can work to the government's advantage.

Two incidents last year were given wide state media coverage: Attacks on the Olympic torch overseas before its journey to Beijing, and the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province.

The torch attacks sparked an outpouring of angry nationalism among Chinese at home and abroad. The second brought a wave of compassion and assistance for the quake victims.

................................................................................

I would like to note, that unlike the beating the Iraqi show thrower recieved, in public in front of president Bush, no such public beating took place in front of Premier Wen Jiabao.

Soon, China should engage a super PR firm to deal with these rumour mongers, and the western MSM spin masters.

Happy Chinese New Year of the OX

2009-01-25T14:51:00.001-08:00

Will China be Obama's Scapegoat?

2009-01-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

Timothy Geithner, President Barack Obama's nominee for Treasury Secretary, that Obama believe's China is manipulating its currency" is causing a stirr in political circles, not just economic ones. The issue is one of the value of the yuan, and trade protectionsm, and trade wars. Li YanPing reported on this on Bloomberg today.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a8LmQm3ouhJs&refer=asia#

China's commerce ministry called Geithner's allegations "Untrue ans misleading." These comments are a change from the Bush administration, therefore a cause of concern for good relations between China and the US. Obama many times when campaigning, mentioned that China is our banker. Chine overtook Japan as the biggest overseas owner of US debt last year.

That should mean that China has a serious interest in seeing the US economy recover. However, damaging the Chinese economy will not help the US, as right now, China, India and Brazil are reported to be the groth engines of the world's economy. I am not sure if this is "just" more of the same old China Bashing, or if the Obama administration is setting up China as his economic policy's scape goat. We will have to watch how this develops.

Serfs Emancipation Day

2009-01-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

50 years ago, on March 28, 1959, some 1 million serfs and slaves were emancipated in Tibet. The Dalai Lama, who himself owned more than 100 slaves, and thousands of serfs, left Lasha after a "rebellion" to postpone emancipation failed. The CIA paid the Dalai Lama $180,000, yearly, to leave Tibet voluntarily, and lie about China. The dalai Lama did not "flee," but was guided out of Tibet by radio. Both of the Dalai Lama's elder brothers were also paid CIA opperatives. The CIA worked with the dalai Lama to train his Tibetan followers at Camp Hale Colorado, and droped them back into China, to terrorise the country side. Later terror camps were set up across the border from China in Mustang. (Now northern Nepal.)

Legqog, director of the of the Standing Committee of the Tibetan Autonomous Regional People's Congress said that 382 legislators had voted unanimously to set March 28th as the annual Serfs Emancipation Day.
This was reported in Xinhuanet.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/19/content_10681877.htm

Many serfs cheered this commemoration, and said many children did not understand their own history. Several who had been serfs under the Dalai Lama described their ordeals, poverty, and humiliation at the hands of Lords, and high Lamas. Gaisang, 62, recalled that in 1954, due to flooding crops were spoiled, but "Thousands of kilograms of grain rotted in the warehouses of the aristocrats, while serfs died from starvation."

Professor Gaisang Yeshes compared the day to Sept. 22, 1862, when slaves were freed in the United States by the milestone "Emancipation Proclamation" signed by then U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

"But the difference is, Tibetan people soon gained the right to vote, while black people still struggled for voting rights 100 years later," he said.

Gaisang from Xigaze said he was proud to have become a lawmaker when he started life as the son of a serf. "Now I can vote, with a say in the decision-making of the government," he said. "This was unimaginable half a century ago. People were then praying all day not to be beaten."

"I didn't dare to dream about this when I was young, in patched clothes and shivering at the sight of the leather whip," he said. March 28, 1959 was "the day that changed my life." 　

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T12:36:00.001-07:00

Wu Zi

2008-05-10T15:19:00.001-07:00

In Chinese baobao means precious treasure, and babies are called baobao to reflect how dearly beloved children are. In the photo above is a Nan Haidz, a boy, with his dad, participating in a tradition from his ethnic culture. His robes are bright red, with colourful embroidery, a serious ecpression on his face as he concentrates. He has cymbols, and clashes them to make a wonderful if exotic to my ears sound.

A popular song's lyrics say "teach your children well," and we see in this photo a parent teaching a todler about the different cultural expression they have chanced upon. I was so lucky to catch this intimate moment! These photos were taken in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. USA

Wu Zi, or year 4705 on the Chinese Calendar is also known as the year of the Rat. 2008 is the 7th year in the current 60 year cycle. The Chinese calendar is based on both solar and lunar cycles, and is interesting to study. Some folks call this Spring Festival.

This lovely beauty sports a classical hairdo, which we saw displayed in Xian, when we visited in 1989. We also enjoyed black rice and wine. Women's lives have changes over the centuries in China, and the first law passed after Mao established the People's Republic of China and declared "The Chinese People have stood up," was the Marraige Act. Thanks to Soong Ching Ling's vision, women have equal rights in China today, and children go to school.

I love this photo, showing both modern and traditional Chinese, the men with the drums are born in America American, and the folks in modern dress are born in China Chinese! How ironic! That shows that connection to one's cultural identity need not be lost because one moves to another land. I hope you all will add to this, leave your comments, we would all like to learn more about Chinese New Year's celebrations.