-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

So today starts off with a morning walk to the el train, only to discover that I don't have any money for the $2 fare. So I dash out of the station, cross the street to the CVS, and buy some hairspray and a card so I can get $10 back (thank you, debit card) to cover the fare.

Back to the station now. I buy the pass, swipe it, and hurry down the stairs to the el platform. I hardly ever have problems catching a train- they are pretty packed in the winter months but around this time of year, it's never a problem. Except for today!

A train comes barreling in, and it's not only packed to the gills, but all the people waiting on the el platform managed to squeeze their way onto the train...except me! Frustration sets in!!! As the train pulls away, I'm left in the dust to process the smug looks of satisfaction on the other riders who will now get to work on time.

During the morning rush, el trains typically show up every few minutes. Today I had to wait almost 15- which, trust me, is a lot of time (my typical train commute lasts all of 4 minutes). Finally...I get a train and get downtown.

The coffee brewed in my office tastes (and smells) like burnt hair. So I decide to grab a cup of coffee to go from a local vendor. I prefer Starbucks but it is about a block out of the way and I'm in a rush, so I settle on Caffe Cafe, which is really sh*tty version of Starbucks that only stays in business because it's conveniently located in a building with 40 stories worth of businesses. So I order a medium black coffee and as I pay for it, she happily announces, "We're actually brewing more coffee right now so it will be a few minutes." JOY.

After about 5 minutes, I get my coffee and reach my final destination- my office. Relief sets in.

Why is it so hard to be patient some times? Why am I always in such a rush? More importantly...why do I like being in a rush? Heck, I speed walk down the street, juggle dishes AND laundry AND cooking altogether, and talk on my cell phone while checking my email simultaneously.

Today I am going to remind myself to chill, take some deep breaths, and channel the Dalai Lama.

Photo Credit: Flickr, Elton Melo

Réfléchissons à ce qui a véritablement de la valeur dans la vie, à ce qui donne du sens à notre existence, et servons-nous de cela pour définir nos priorités. Le but de notre vie doit être positif. Nous ne sommes pas nés pour poser des problèmes et nuire aux autres.

Pour que notre vie ait de la valeur, nous devons développer les qualités humaines fondamentales: bonté, gentillesse, compassion. Alors notre vie se chargera de sens et deviendra plus paisible, plus heureuse.

Without relying on religion, we look to common sense, common experience and the findings of science and understanding.

The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso

Tidak seperti kedutaan Jepang yang rapih dan sistem antrian menggunakan nomor (kayak di bank-bank itu loh), dikedutaan Cina situasinya mirip antrian sembako atau minyak tanah. Crowded. Banyak banget orang yang mau ke Cina. Biaya untuk Visa ke cina sendiri terbagi tiga :

Biasa : Rp. 300.000 (4 hari kerja)
Kilat : Rp. 500.000 (2 hari kerja)
Superkilat : Rp. 600.000 (Sehari jadi bo!)

Namun semenjak tanggal 12 Mei 2008, yang superkilat sementara ditiadakan. Mungkin angka kunjungan ke Cina lagi gila-gilaan (sehubungan dengan olimpiade Beijing 2008?) sehingga kerjaan jadi numpuk-puk.

Anyway, saya ngantri dengan keki dan pegal, karena lama. Selain beberapa maskot Olimpiade Beijing 2008, maka sebenarnya tidak ada yang cukup menarik untuk DILIHAT. Sementara ngantri dalam keadaan bosan (gak bawa musical tool) saya baca-baca dikit booklet kecil yang diedarkan gratis disini. Kebanyakan tentang tourism di Cina, namun yang menarik adalah tentang Tibet. Propaganda melawan Dalai Lama yang mau kebebasan di Tibet. Menurut bacaan itu dikatakan bahwa:

1. Tidak terjadi peningkatan jumlah penduduk di Tibet dari data tahun 1737 hingga 1951 yaitu sekitar 940.000 jiwa.
2. Dibawah pemerintahan feodal Tibet, tingkat produktifitas sangat rendah dan rakyat (disini dikatakan sebagai para golongan budak) sangat miskin sehingga angka harapan hidup hanya mencapai 35,5 tahun.
3. Masalah kesehatan sangat tidak diperhatikan sehingga angka kematian pada kelahiran mencapai 30 orang per 1000 jiwa.

Yang terjadi sekarang (kata booklet ini ya):

1. Semenjak Cina masuk, populasi orang Tibet naik menjadi 2,196 juta orang, meningkat dari angka sebelum okupansi Cina ke Tibet.
2. Selama 40 tahun semenjak 1951 pemerintah Cina mendanakan 760 juta Yuan untuk kesehatan di Tibet.
3. Perekonomian di Tibet naik dengan sangat mencengangkan.
4. Tinggi badan anak di Tibet usia 17 tahun meningkat sebesar 8.1 cm untuk pria dan 8.6 cm untuk wanita.
5. Angka harapan hidup menjadi 65 tahun.

Pemerintah Cina juga berkata bahwa program "Satu Anak Cukup" hanya berlaku bagi bangsa Han, sedangkan bangsa Tibet diperbolehkan untuk mempunyai anak lebih dari satu. Semenjak Cina masuk maka ruas-ruas jalan terbuka hingga total mencapai 21.720 kilometer, sehingga semua wilayah mampu diakses dengan kendaraan bermotor.

Tibet dahulunya adalah sebuah kerajaan merdeka yang mengalami interaksi maupun benturan terutama secara politik dengan dinasti-dinasti yang ada di dataran Cina. Raja Tibet diberi gelar Dalai Lama dimana Dalai Lama yang sekarang, Tenzin Gyatso adalah Dalai Lama ke-14. Dalai Lama adalah pemimpin negara Tibet dan sekaligus pemimpin keagamaan

Tibet menjadi provinsi Cina setelah serbuan tentara merah Cina pada tahun 1950 ke wilayah ini, pada musim gugur 1951 pasukan Cina berhasil menguasai ibu kota Lhasa dan mendongkel Dalai Lama dari kekuasaannya. Dalihnya, Dalai Lama menolak kesepakatan kerjasama bertajuk "Rencana Pembebasan Damai Tibet" yang teorinya nampaknya menguntungkan Tibet, namun prakteknya Cina melakukan penindasan dan pembantaian terhadap kepala suku dan sejumlah pendeta ("Lama") yang dianggap membangkang, alasan lain Cina adalah "menghapus praktek penindasan bergaya feodalisme" di Tibet. Namun menurut beberapa analis internasional, Cina mengincar kandungan mineral yang terkandung didalam bumi Tibet. Pada tanggal 17 Maret 1959, Dalai Lama berhasil meloloskan diri dari pengakapan tentara Cina ke India oleh usaha pelarian yang dipimpin oleh Gampo Tashi, dan mendirikan semacam pemerintahan pelarian di Dharamsala, India utara sampai sekarang. (Wikipedia).

Menurut tulisan yang saya dapat dari blog ini dikatakan bahwa para Dalai lama yang memimpin Tibet pada masa itu merupakan tuan-tuan yang memperbudak sebagian besar rakyat Tibet yang miskin. Sehingga ketika Tentara Pembebasan Rakyat datang, maka kehadiran mereka disambut meriah. Lain halnya dengan Dalai Lama yang ingin kekuasaannya tetap langgeng dan menolak kehadiran tentara Cina tersebut.

Tapi yang bikin saya pingin ketawa adalah kenapa komparasi tentang sebelum dan sesudah kedatangan Cina dibuat. Pastinya apabila dibandingkan dengan negara Asia lainnya pada era tahun 50-an dimana beberapa negara baru mulai merdeka, tentunya kemiskinan, kelaparan, dkk itu merajalela. So it's kind-a normal isn't? Indonesia juga berada pada posisi yang sama bukan pada era itu?

Sebenarnya with or without China saya rasa Tibet juga akan menuju kesana. Seakan booklet ini mencoba mengatakan bahwa "Kalo Cina tidak ada maka Tibet akan terpuruk". Dan sebenarnya kurang baik untuk meng-iya-kan bahwa Dalai Lama akan melanggengkan perbudakan apabila memang Dharmasala akhirnya benar-benar pindah ke Tibet. Rasanya bakalan dihujat abis-abisan tuh si Dalai Lama, dapet Nobel Prize kok kelakuannya kurang bahenol.

Well, anyway.. Tibet merdeka atau tidak, toh gak ada pengaruhnya sama gue.. ha ha ha ha.. kembali ke permasalahan Visa.

Setelah ngantri cukup lama, ada kali 1 jam.. sampailah saya ke loket penyerahan dokumen. Mbak-mbaknya membaca dan meneliti semuanya lalu berkata:

"Ini reservasi hotelnya mana?"

Saya bilang

"eh.. itu kan?"

Dia jawab

"Wah yang ini nggak bisa, ini mah cuman keterangan hotel doang.. balik aja lagi"

Nah, kan gue bilang juga apa, musti punya reservasi hotel. Akhirnya saya balik dengan dongkol telah berdiri pegal selama 1 jam lebih. Cih..

La compassion ordinaire et l'amour engendrent des sensations très proches, qui se résument pour l'essentiel à de l'attachement. Aussi longtemps que l'autre vous paraît beau ou bon, l'amour persiste, mais dès qu'il ou elle vous semble moins beau ou moins bon, votre amour change complètement. Même si votre ami le plus cher reste la même personne, il vous apparaît davantage comme un ennemi.

Au lieu d'amour, vous ressentez maintenant de l'hostilité. Avec un amour et une compassion authentiques, le comportement ou l'apparence d'une autre personne n'a aucun effet sur votre attitude. a vrai compassion réside dans le fait de voir la souffrance de l'autre. Vous vous sentez responsable et vous voulez faire quelque chose pour lui ou pour elle.

Here's a list of other informative bits from the article:

• Relief effort is only delivering an estimated one-tenth of the supplies needed in the delta area.
• Burma's State Television said the death toll has risen from 32,000 to 34,273 and the number of missing is 27,838. (The UN estimates over 100,000 dead).
  
• Heavy tropical rains are making matters worse.
• World Food Programme said it was able to move less than 20 percent of the 375 tonnes of food into the devastated Delta.
• The military junta says it has allowed 'aid from any nation' to reach inside Burma but does not want foreigners distributing it.
• The UN principle of "responsibility to protect" is underutilized - 'the "responsibility to protect" (R2P) doctrine out­lines the conditions in which the international com­munity is obligated to intervene in another country, militarily if necessary, to prevent genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other atrocities.'
• Burma called an "outpost of tyranny" by Washington - a phrase originally used by Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in 2005 to describe "certain countries where she believes the government is oppressive and shows contempt for human rights and democracy."
• The Dalai Lama, who has traditionally refrained from making comments about the majority Buddhist-populated Burma, broke his silence on the issue. "I am shocked by the destruction, especially by the high number of people who have perished and as a result this catastrophe has compounded the problems of poverty that already exists in Burma," he said.

Read this full article here.

--Divya

Pour nous libérer de l'océan de souffrance, nous devrions commencer à étudier et pratiquer le sentier de la libération. Nous pouvons espérer obtenir un résultat après quelques années mais, à vrai dire, nous devrions plutôt envisager de continuer notre entrainement pendant de nombreuses vies. Dans chacune de ces vies, nous allons avoir besoin d'un support adéquat pour notre pratique, à savoir un corps humain, sans lequel il sera impossible de faire le moindre progrès. La première étape sur cette trajectoire, par conséquent, est d'assurer une bonne renaissance humaine.

Garder la mort présente à l'esprit, c'est se munir d'un marteau pour briser toutes les tendances négatives et les émotions aliénantes.

Fondamentalement, chaque individu est responsable du bien-être de l'humanité et de la Terre, parce que la Terre est notre seule demeure. Nous n'avons aucun autre refuge. Par conséquent, tout le monde doit se soucier non seulement de ses compagnons humains mais aussi des insectes, des plantes, des animaux et de toute la planète. De quelque manière que ce soit, l'initiative doit venir des individus. En revanche, le seul moyen d'obtenir un impact est de mobiliser l'ensemble des forces individuelles dans le monde.

Los gobernantes que antes hacian "actos de reveldía" en sus países recibían en las sedes de gobierno y hablaban frontalmente contra la política roja de China. Hoy eso ya no sucede.

El Dalai Lama de visita en Alemania, no fue recibido por Merkel, sino que solo por el Primer Ministro Renano, correligionario de partido con Merkel, quién ha aclarado que no es un gesto contra China.

Antes del inicio de las olimpiada y las presiones de las multinacionales alemanas instaladas en Alemania, Merkel, quién vivío en la "Alemania" roja o RDA / DDR (en alemán), sabía el sufrimiento de los tibetanos, pero ahora que los intereses económicos priman, por lo cual ha dejado de lado lo poco de principios que le quedaban y no apoya un boicott a estos Juegos Olímpicos.

Merkel recibío al Dalai Lama en la Cancillería de Berlín, hoy ni siquiera una carta. Y así muchos otros jefes de Estado y/o Gobierno.

Ni hablar de Horst Köhler (Presidente Federal o figura de adorno y títere), el tampoco "se mancha" o actos de esta naturaleza.

I 50.000 soccorritori dell'Esercito di Liberazione Nazional Popolare stanno tutt'ora scavando sotto le macerie per recuperare il maggior numero possibile di corpi nascosti sotto le case distrutte e devastate dal violento sisma,che con i 7.8 gradi della Scala Richter,è uno dei più violenti della storia della Cina.

Presso la televisione di stato,la CCTV,alcuni esperti hanno fatto una triste previsione del bilancio delle vittime,che supererebbe le 25.000 unità,ad esempio nel Mianzhu si parla di almeno 20.000 corpi nascosti sotto le macerie,su un totale di 3.500 morti nella sola città che è ormai divenuta un paese fantasma.

Le notizie sul numero dei morti rimbalzano nei telegiornali con una certa frequenza e sono stime sicuramente inesatte,ma si dice che nella sola città di Mianyang sono 19.000 i morti sotto le macerie.La situazione in effetti è molto più grave di quanto stimato ieri,forse a causa dei successivi crolli che hanno causato nuove vittime soprattutto negli ospedali e nella popolazione degli anziani e dei bambini.

Il terremoto del Wenchuan,è sicuramente il più forte degli ultimi 30 anni in Cina,a distanza dal sisma del 1976 che sconvolse il Tangshan,con 250 mila morti e 177 mila gravemente feriti e menomati,ma come intensità i due violenti movimenti della crosta terrestre,sono allo stesso livello:7.8 Gradi della scala Richter.

Grazie a numerose leggi sulle costruzioni degli ultimi anni impartite dal governo cinese,si è avuto un numero inferiore di morti,considerando anche che la zona del Wenchuan e prettamente rurale.

Le scosse,avvertite in tutta la Cina,dal Guangdong a Pechino fino a Shangai,hanno mobilitato un numero altissimo di soccorsi in tutto lo Stato,che in un certo senso hanno salvato molte vittime ed evitato l'apocalisse.

Secondo la guardia popolare cinese nella zona sono crollate l'80% delle case e il 70% delle strade sono impraticabili e un portavoce dello Stato Maggiore ha rifornito la zona di un carico di cibo e di acqua,mentre George Bush ha stanziato 500.000 dollari in aiuti che sono già partiti alla volte della località tristemente nota per la calamità naturale.

Si parla inoltre nella città di Beichuan di un totale di 1000 morti tra maestri e studenti nel crollo di una scuola su un totale di 98.000 abitanti,ogni famiglia ha praticamente perso un suo componente.

Tra i paesi che hanno aiutato la Cina anche l'Italia,mentre i capo religioso esiliato,il Dalai Lama ha inviato a Pechino gli attestati di solidarietà per l'evento accaduto.

The Dalai Lama

May 13, 2008

http://www.dalailama.com/news.248.htm

Aber ich wohne ja nicht in China, sondern zu Hause und das ist gut so.

Bis zum Anpfiff der Olympischen Spiele sind es keine drei Monate mehr. Die Bundes-Angie ist schon vor längerer Zeit aus dem Reich der Mitte angepfiffen worden, weil sie mit dem Dalai Lama Leuten spricht, die wo die Chinesen nicht leiden können, und das nennt man Einmischung. Auch andere Staatsoberhäupter haben mit dem Mann im orangefarbenen Badelaken gesprochen, und das ist eine Einmischung in chinesische Belange (Ihr doofen Chinesen, der wohnt gar nicht bei Euch!) und wo kämen wir denn da hin?

Also wurden ganz viele Leute ganz sauer auf China und wie stehen die denn jetzt da? Die haben Mühe, ihren ein wenig voll genommenen Mund hinsichtlich des Olympischen Gedönses nicht zur Peinlichkeit verkommen zu lassen, werden noch von überall her kritisiert, kriegen den Fackellauf gestört und werden wegen Abguckens im höchsten Maße allgemein und Umweltsauerei im besonderen angezickt.

Nur weil sie Arbeitsschutzbestimmungen nicht kennen und auf das Leben von Bergarbeitern genauso pfeifen wie auf das von Fabrikarbeitern und Menschenleben überhaupt, regen sich überall die Leute auf, also sowas.

Dann passiert auch noch die Sturmkatastrophe von Myanmar (the nation formerly known as Birma), wo die ganze Welt Hilfe anbietet, die der Chef von Myanmar aber gar nicht haben will, und alle Leute reden nicht mehr über China sondern über die Massen der Sturmopfer woanders, pff.

Aber zum Glück zu allem Übel hat nun die Heide die Erde gewackelt. 7 komma 8 sagte der Spiegel, die üblichen Verdächtigen sagten 8 komma 0, aber egal, gewummst hat es. Und China schaltet die Telefonleitungen ab, die nicht ohnehin zu Bruch gingen, und meldete taktisch klug vier Tote Grundschüler. Das glaubte ja sowieso keiner, also wird Salamitaktik gespielt nachgelegt. Es dauert ja auch, bis man vor die Tür gehen und gucken kann, was los ist.

Die Jugend der Welt guckt schnell im Atlas nach, ob ihr Stadion auch kaputtgegangen sein könnte und was denn jetzt mit der Medaille wird, die Touris bangen um das seit langem gebuchte Hotelbett - man sorgt sich.

Ich staune indessen. Zwar wusste ich, dass die Chinesen ein Volk mit großer Vermehrungsfreude sind, aber dass sich Tote auch vermehren können, und in welchem Tempo ... also sie sind schon drauf, diese Chinesen, ja ja.

Weltweit stehen die Hilfstrupps in Hab-Acht-Stellung, mal gucken, wer als erster darf. In den Banken wurde gestern sicherlich eine Feiertagsschicht eingelegt, zum vorsichtshalberen Anlegen von Spendenkonten.

Bei wem haben die Chinesen eigentlich die Erdbeben-Maschine abgeguckt? Jetzt kriegen sie geholfen, die Chinesen, wetten?. Und so kommt die Kohle zusammen, die sie für die Fertigstellung ihres Olympischen Gedönses noch brauchen. Angesichts einer solch schlimmen Katastrophe darf man ja nicht kleinlich sein. Da muss die Welt dann einfach mal vergessen, dass sie uns den Käse vom Weltmarkt runterfuttern, so dass die Milch teurer wurde. Und dass sie uns unsere PET-Flaschen billig abkaufen und in Form noch billigerer Fleece-Pullover in kopierten Designs wieder zurück verkaufen.

Angie, steck das Portemonnaie nicht ins Dekolletée, da fällt es heraus!

Soeben habe ich beschlossen, lieber etwas anderes zu denken.

Cancelarían inversiones de Nueva York en China por abusos de derechos humanos

Por Zach Krasinski - La Gran Época

04.05.2008 15:55

Funcionarios de la gran manzana presentaron el plan en un acto del Relevo Mundial de la Antorcha de los Derechos Humanos

El primer ministro británico, Gordon Brown, recibirá el 23 de mayo en Londres al líder espiritual del Tibet, el Dalai Lama, confirmó hoy el portavoz oficial del jefe de Gobierno.

La reunión entre ambos no se celebrará en la residencia oficial del primer ministro, en el número 10 de Downing Street, sino en el palacete de Lambeth, domicilio del arzobispo de Canterbury en la capital británica.

Durante la visita, 'habrá oportunidad de analizar los sucesos recientes y la situación en Tibet', señaló la fuente, que subrayó que Brown recibe al Dalai Lama sólo como 'líder espiritual', y no político.

Seguir leyendo aquí.

Pekín quiere tomarse su tiempo para comprobar si el líder espiritual es capaz de "demostrar sinceridad a través de sus acciones"

Pekín.(EFE).- El Gobierno chino anunció una nueva ronda de conversaciones con el Dalai Lama, líder espiritual tibetano en el exilio, dentro de un mes, según señaló una fuente cercana a las conversaciones a la agencia oficiosa China News Agency.

Representantes de ambas partes se reunieron el pasado 4 de mayo en la ciudad meridional china de Shenzhen en una cita que duró pocas horas y por primera vez desde las revueltas tibetanas de mediados de marzo.

El funcionario anónimo señaló a la agencia que el diálogo con los emisarios del Dalai Lama era "solemne y serio", en respuesta a las críticas que señalan que dichos encuentros son de cara a la galería para a acallar los ataques que recibe Pekín por la violenta represión militar de las protestas.

Seguir leyendo aquí.

Nome completo: ó O Zé Lá na frente do grid F1 Team Racing

Nome curto: OZL Gurgel

Sede: Atualmente, Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei)

Chefe de Equipe: Dalai Lama

Pilotos: Carro 1: Clayton Reis; Carro 2: Pablo

Motor: Carro 1: Gurgel-Click21; Carro 2: Gurgel-Netcompartilhada

Pneus: Badyear

Patrocínios Principais: Uruguaiana Shopping RJ, Papel Higiênico Neve, Crash - No Limite, Quero Ser Grande

Pontos na carreira: 31

Vitórias: 0

Títulos de Construtores: 0

Treinadores de pilotos: Jean Deletraz, J.J. Lehto e Roberto Pupo Moreno

STAFF:
3 borracheiros (com 4 pôsters de revistinhas de rodoviária)
1 molequinho que faz malabarismo com bola de tênis no sinal (setor financeiro)
1 menino de rua que limpa o vidro e o visor do piloto quando ele faz pit-stop (necessário gorjeta)
2 mecânicos sujos de graxa, pagando cofrão

É a única equipe do campeonato que tem cds presos no aro do pneu, pra dar um efeito especial maneiro

A Menor e mais pobre equipe da F1 FAOT, briga contra os DNQs, DNPQs e Withdraws.

É a única equipe que o carro é movido a caldo de cana
O chef da equipe é um coreano/chinês/japonês que vende pastel + guaravita a R$1,50
Pista de testes: não temos. Na verdade, treinamos num autorama velho daquela série do Ayrton Senna que foi lançada nos meados de 93.

Abaixo temos uma foto do novo presidente da equipe apontando onde o Zé tá no Grid.

So today, I plan on doing a two-part review of the issue, specifically related to the influential people. I will be picking out things I found interesting (at random, ofcourse), observations I made and thoughts that were in my mind as I went through. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed reading and coming up with the idea of blogging about it. At this point, it is appropriate to bring in an image I saw on Sameer Vasta's Blog:

The TIME100 is divided into the following sections: Leaders & Revolutionaries, Heroes & Pioneers, Scientists & Thinkers, Artists & Entertainers and finally, Builders & Titans. Many individuals in the list were obvious choices, people such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and even Zuckerberg, founder of the (in)famous, Facebook. Others were individuals that came as a surprise, people such as Muqtada Al-Sadr, Baitullah Mehsud, Andre Agassi and Robert Downey Jr.

There's a lot more people I wish to list that came as a surprise for me, however, what came as more of a surprise were the authors of the roughly 300-word articles. The authors included people such as Bill Clinton, Ben Stiller, Stevie Wonder and Laura Bush (Note: Laura Bush and her Husband Georgy Porgy are perhaps the only couple in the TIME100 at the same time. Correct me if I'm wrong). Yet more surprising is who these authors wrote about. George Clooney writes about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and then is featured as one of the people in the list later on. Similarly, Michelle Obama (Barack's lady) write's about Oprah Winfrey while Barack is featured in the earlier part of the feature. Everything seems to be revolving around the same people, or stakeholders of similar capacities who stand to gain. Which makes me think: Is there a hidden agenda or is T100 less an informative, and more of a publicity/advertorial publication?

Dalai Lama

We are all aware of the Dalai Lama's story and the story of the Tibetans. Dalai Lama was first on the list of the T100. The interesting thing was that his photograph was taken by war photographer, James Nachtwey on what seems to be a terrace high up in the mountains. Interesting irony between Nachtwey's style and what the Dalai Lama promotes.

Barry McCain

Okay, there's no such person. That's title up there is a mixture of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. These three individuals occupied a page split into three columns. Clinton, however, was in the center column and the text was in bold setting. That drew my attention straight to her column first. I wonder if the T100 has a hidden agenda to promote Clinton. Interestingly enough, however, the May 5th Issue of TIME magazine's cover had Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's portraits, whereas the May 19 issue feature's a portrait of Obama on the cover.

Georgy Porgy

None other than George W. Bush. The interesting thing is, the article was written by Silvio Berlusconi, the Prim Minister of Italy. The article did not really mention how Bush is/(was) influential, rather, written in a way to protect his image. The article reads,

"My thoughts return again to that G-8 summit, where Italy had brought to the top of the agenda the fate of the world's poorest nations. And Bush was an early and enthusiastic supporter..."

An early Enthusiast and nothing more, I guess. I have no more words.

Baitullah Mehsud

Allegedly a Pakistani terrorist who was involved in Benazir Bhutto's assassination, Mehsud is the first Pakistani to make it on the T100 for this edition. What disappointed me was how the article was a little more than tilted towards linking Islam (which comes from the root word, Salam, which means peace) with terrorism. The article reads,"

And so we can add another name to the list of Islamist terrorists with global reach."

Very quickly then, Mr. Peter Bergen, is "Islamist" even a word? And who said anything about Mehsud being a religious fanatic?

Sheik Mohammed al-Maktoum

Perhaps one of the most honest inclusion of an individual in the T100. Interestingly, he is known as Sheik Mo by some of his subjects. I doubt this happens, but it's a cute name to giver to a sheik.

Yoani Sanchez

This is for everyone that blogs. Very briefly, she blogs about the real life in Cuba. The article reads that her dissertation "was perceived as a veiled criticism of the Castro regime." Conveniently, the United States government dislikes Castro and so the T100 publishes an article which reminds the North American's about this stance. Hidden agenda?

Still, what is interesting is how Yoani practices freedom of speech which most journalists in Cuba cannot. Without giving away the article, This is Yoani Sanchez's blog. I wonder if her blog works in pro-Cuban countries.

Robert Downey Jr.

This is the last one for now. Ben Stiller writes about Robert Downey Jr. The article is very interesting, yet It doesn't explain how Downey might be influential. Perhaps he is though: Stiller was influenced to use the word "genius" for Downey 4 times in one paragraph of roughly 4 sentences. Perhaps Wikipedia should update its entry on Genius which includes the likes of Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci. Google should also redirect it's "I'm Feeling Lucky" click for "genius" to Robert Downey Jr.'s fan page. Just maybe.

So this took a while, but If I'm up for it, I'll add a second part soon. Hope you all enjoyed reading this.

Foto de Marcos Ubirajara. Local: Sítio da Dôra em 22/09/2007.

Pegue este Sêlo

Veja em Cristal Perfeito

Libertando-se das Amarras

http://www.feer.com/essays/2008/may/the-gulf-between-tibet-and-its-exiles

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/weai/tibetan-issues.html

Trying to understand what is going on is like putting together pieces of the puzzle. The reason I like these two articles is that they "fit" into pieces of the puzzles that I already know about. I don't know that much about Tibetan exile politics, however I do have first hand knowledge of Han Chinese exile politics, and what it's like on in the inside of a Buddhist temple. I've also met people from the National Endowment for Democracy (and been highly unimpressed). A few comments:

• happy people do not become Buddhist monks or nuns. People who are content with their life and satisfied with their material standard of living, just don't become Buddhist monks. People who do become Buddhist monks and nuns tend to do so because of some huge trauma. I'm guessing that as a result Tibetan monasteries are filled with angry young youths.
• I've also seen how devoted people can be to their Lamas. I'm pretty sure that any efforts by the Tibetan regional government to try to reduce the connections between monasteries and the high Lamas are going have a rather bad counterreaction.
• Finally, one of the interesting parallels is between religion and language. I'm pretty sure that in a generation or two, most of the Tibetan exiles in India would have melted into the general population, but religion is one area were you can keep a culture alive. The reason this matters to me is that one reason I'm trying to make sure that my kids are Buddhist is so that they maintain knowledge of Chinese growing up in the United States, so naturally I'm sympathetic to a Tibetan parent who is trying to keep their kids interested in Buddhism so that they keep the culture in either China or India. One group of people that I've studied where this has been successful are the Amish, who have managed to keep alive Pennsylvania Dutch since this the language they use to separate themselves from the outside world, which they call "English."
• I'm also fascinated with "priesthoods" and the point that you just don't become a high lama by reading books makes sense to me. The reason why is that physicists form a "priesthood" and you have the same sort of dynamics among scientists and mathematicians that you have among high lamas. When you get a Ph.D., you don't merely learn a skill, you become in a very real sense part of a "priesthood."

One piece of the puzzle that I'm missing is interviews with people from within the Tibetan regional government. Particularly ethnic Tibetan officials. There are two assumptions that people seem to be making with regard to Tibet. One is that the ethnic Tibetan officials in Tibet are "puppets" of the central government, and second that the anti-Dalai Lama impulse is coming from Beijing. Based on similar situations, I suspect that the actual reality might be much more complex. One thing that was the case with Soviet officials is that it turned out that the regional officials actually did have quite a bit of power, and second that non-Russian officials in the Soviet Union tended to try to be "redder than red" and "more Russian than Russians."  This also seems to be the case with African-American Republicans, and looking at Tibet, I wouldn't be surprised to see a "Clarence Thomas effect" among ethnic Tibetan officials in the Communist Party. Again, this is all guesswork, but part of the purpose of making up these hypothesis is so that you can see where your preconceptions are wrong if you do manage to get some new hard evidence.

One other thing to point out that people have missed. There is this idea that Chinese have been brainwashed by the Communist Party and those outpouring of nationalism is an example of people mindlessly repeating government propaganda. The trouble with this explanation is that I haven't really seen any Han Chinese who hate the Dalai Lama and think that he really is this evil demon that the People's Daily makes him out to be. The hatred and anger has been directed at the Western media (particularly CNN), the anti-Olympic demonstrations, but not so much at the Dalai Lama. The worst thing that I've heard anyone say about the Dalai Lama is that he is a puppet of American intelligence agencies, but even there, the anger is directed at the CIA.

Also, you have to approach politics with a sense of humor and irony if you aren't going to go insane. One thing that amused me when I read the article on Tibetan exiles was the degree to which the monasteries in India have been funded by overseas Chinese. This is funny to me, since I've given not a small amount of money to Buddhist charities, and I'm amused by the thought that I may have given more help and money to the Tibetan independence struggle than the CIA has.

La Junta Militar birmana administra como prisiones los campos de refugiados

La televisión birmana tan sólo añadió que 1.403 personas resultaron heridas a causa del ciclón. Por su parte, la OCHA explicó que sus cálculos proceden de una evaluación de la situación en 55 localidades del delta del río Irrawaddy y otras zonas afectadas y señaló que hay entre 1,2 y 1,9 millones de damnificados.

"Basándose en estas evaluaciones, la ONU estima que entre 1.215.885 y 1.919.485 millones de personas han resultado afectadas por el ciclón, que el número de fallecimientos está entre 63.290 y 101.682 y que se cree que 220.000 personas están desaparecidas", precisa el informe de la OCHA. Asimismo, esta agencia de la ONU destacó que el 'Nargis' "probablemente" ha provocado "graves" efectos medioambientales que "podrían suponer un riesgo inmediato para la vida humana y la salud".

También consideró que Birmania se enfrenta ahora a problemas adicionales, como las migraciones y la violencia. "Dada la gravedad de la situación, que incluye la falta de alimentos y agua, algunos compañeros" han informado de que se teme que haya problemas relacionados con "la seguridad y los comportamientos violentos en las zonas más afectadas", alertó la OCHA, que añadió que la población "está migrando de las áreas más afectadas a las menos afectadas para cubrir sus necesidades básicas".

Por último, la agencia de Naciones Unidas encargada de los temas humanitarios reiteró que las autoridades birmanas sólo han entregado visados a unos pocos cooperantes internacionales. La hermética Junta militar ha aceptado el material de asistencia sin tener en cuenta su procedencia pero se ha mostrado reacia a permitir el acceso de los expertos en asistencia humanitaria occidentales, muchos de los cuales permanecen a la espera en Bangkok y en otras ciudades.

La tragedia de muertos y supervivientes se agrava

Los desesperados supervivientes del ciclón Nargis se alejaban este domingo del delta de Irrawaddy en busca de comida, agua y medicinas, pero las organizaciones humanitarias dijeron que muchos morirán si los suministros de emergencia no llegan a la zona pronto.

Templos budistas y colegios en las afueras de las zonas más destrozadas por la tormenta del 2 de mayo se están convirtiendo en centros de refugiados.

En el pueblo de Labutta, ubicado en el delta y donde un 80 por ciento de las casas fueron destruidas, las autoridades estaban entregando sólo una taza de arroz por familia al día, dijo a Reuters un funcionario de ayuda de la Comisión Europea.

Para mayores dificultades a la hora de entregar asistencia humanitaria, una embarcación que transportaba el primer envío de ayuda de la Cruz Roja a los sobrevivientes del ciclón Nargis se hundió el domingo, dijo el organismo internacional.

El bote, que transportaba provisiones de auxilio para más de 1.000 personas, habría chocado con un tronco sumergido en el delta Irrawaddy, dijo Andy McElroy, funcionario de la Federación de la Cruz Roja Internacional (IFRC, por su sigla en inglés), en Bangkok.

El accidente dejó en evidencia las enormes dificultades logísticas de entregar ayuda a un estimado de 1,5 millones de sobrevivientes del ciclón, con las carreteras desaparecidas y la mayoría del delta convertido en un lodazal.

Fuente: El Confidencial

Terremoto en China

Un terremoto de 7,5 de magnitud sacude China y se llega a sentir hasta en Bangkok

Dalai Lama

China anuncia una nueva ronda de conversaciones con el Dalai Lama para dentro de un mes

Más de 20.000 chinos se hallan sepultados bajo los escombros

“As he said in Parliament, the Prime Minister intends to see the Dalai Lama. What is important is that they are meeting and will have a substantive conversation. It is also significant that the Chinese are engaging directly with representatives of the Dalai Lama.”

Their meeting, scheduled for 23rd May, will take in the delights of the Archbishop of Canterbury's residence instead of the more formal surroundings of Downing Street.  The move is seen as a direct nod to Beijing that discussions of a political nature will take second stage to a frank and open 'spiritual' interrogatory in conjunction with Dr Williams and other spiritual leaders.

“He is a spiritual representative and it makes sense for the Prime Minister to meet with him.”

What a cowardly fellow our PM is.  Where's the man's backbone?