Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Some things I've been meaning to link to

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  • Russell Brown,

    There seemed to be little restriction on most of them. And yes I searched Tiananmen Square and got a raft of sites as per normal.

    I had the same experience in Vietnam last year. I'd read that the internet was heavily filtered, but I sat in my hotel room searching for "Vietnam dissidents" etc and couldn't get myself blocked once.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Neil Morrison,

    This thread, from a year back on PBS, if you can wade your way through it, makes for an interesting discourse.

    it sure does -

    As for the Dalai Lama himself, he seems to spend more time moving around the planet with the skilled opportunism of a political chameleon, preaching mysticism to Western New Agers rather than participating in traditional Tibetan religious rituals.

    Finally, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the Tibetans in exile and their supporters have consistently exaggerated the human rights abuses that have taken place in Tibet, as Barry Sautman and others have convincingly demonstrated. Such exaggerations from the Tibetan community in exile come as no surprise though. As Michael Parenti says:...

    And there's the usual CIA conspiracy theories - the Dalai Lama's a CIA agent etc.

    This seems to be taking the don't-be-too-hard-on-China line just a little too far into apologist-for-tyranny territory.

    It's an odd phenomenon - Tibetan human rights is a pretty straight forward issue and yet there's a few on the Left who make this sort of argument.

    Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh,

    Rich, your observationz from beautiful downtown Wellington aren't telling you terribly much about life on the ground here in China. Simon Grigg has managed to write a surprisingly good account of his time in China considering the short term of his stay- I suspect that's largely because he has the balls to admit his lack of experience and background knowledge.

    Simon Grigg, in your own blog you admitted your possible naivete, and reality for most in China is much harsher than what you saw, but you give a refreshingly honest and realistic account of your experience.

    Neil Morrison: I doubt the Dalai Lama himself was a CIA agent, but there was a CIA programme dropping Tibetan exiles trained in guerilla warfare into Tibet that lasted up until the 70s. Fairly well documented, too. And:

    "This seems to be taking the don't-be-too-hard-on-China line just a little too far into apologist-for-tyranny territory."

    Or perhaps it's just a little more realistic?

    "Tibetan human rights is a pretty straight forward issue"

    No, it's not. Tibetans get held up as some species of angel, and yet many in the west are quite happy to ignore, or even deny, the human rights of Han, Hui or other Chinese. The reality of Tibet's history and human rights situation is far more complex than Dharamsala would have you believe.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • nic.wise,

    Well, last week portishead, live at the hammersmith apollo, was BLOODY FANTASTIC.

    review

    The new stuff fitted well into the old stuff, so I dont expect it to be too bad at all :).

    The scalpers were out in force around Brixton last night, for the Portishead gig there last night. Should have been a good show.

    Mine is on pre-order from itunes UK :)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    This seems to be taking the don't-be-too-hard-on-China line just a little too far into apologist-for-tyranny territory.

    Really Neil? As I read through the threads I found that both sides were presenting their arguments fairly well and I learned things I didn't know. I think that quoting a few selected out of context lines from a fairly robust forum discussion (by some, on this topic, seemingly better informed folks than most I encounter) that looks like this is a less than honest summary.

    And what it has to do with the left or right, I'm not sure.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Thanks Chris. I was wasn't making any attempt to be definitive in any way which is why I simply cast my thoughts as observations. It was not what I expected and I truly want to know more. I left Hong Kong with a bunch of reading in my carry-on bag.

    Fortunately Air Asia is ridiculously reasonable from Jakarta to Guangzhou and, I think, Shanghai.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Bob Munro,

    Regarding Chinese attempts at censorship.

    Right now is climbing season in the Himalayas. The North (Tibet) side of Mount Everest is completely closed by the Chinese to allow an uninterrupted Olympic flame to the summit. The Chinese have also applied pressure, probably economic in the form of promises of aid to Nepal, so that climbers on the South (Nepal) side are restricted as well. Nepalese army personnel are in Everest base camp today to enforce this. Climbers cannot move beyond a certain point on the mountain until after the flame has cleared the Tibet side on May 10th. Communication devices with the outside world have been confiscated until that time as well.

    This link is to the New Zealand based Adventure Consultants team and this one to the general Explorers Web site.

    The Chinese leadership is obviously very worried that when the flame reaches the summit from the North it would be met by a save Tibet flag carried up from the South, but the shutting down of communications even at base camp on the South side (in another country) is pretty extreme censorship by Western standards.

    Christchurch • Since Aug 2007 • 418 posts Report Reply

  • mark taslov,

    Pretty much on the same page as Chris, Simon and Russel. Things are helped along by the fact that white folks are treated particularly well here. The drinking water is good! But for those coming for the Olympics, be sure, it's not just the athletes who may be required to undergo drug tests, and was the Dalai Lama democratically elected?

    Shep, word on Scripture Battles
    A++

    Te Ika-a-Māui • Since Mar 2008 • 2281 posts Report Reply

  • tim kong,

    Re: right to smack.

    http://www.righttosmack.co.nz/smackathon.html

    You'd think they at least do some spell checking...

    Simon Burnette?

    Christine Rantin?

    The current record of 455 children was set in 1987 at Disneyland, California during a church group visit, when the park was closed early due to a sewerage leak.

    Can we arrange for some sewage to be leaked at parliament when this lot arrive?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 153 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    www.righttosmack.co.nz/smackathon.html

    The current record of 455 children was set in 1987 at Disneyland, California during a church group visit, when the park was closed early due to a sewerage leak.

    Can we arrange for some sewage to be leaked at parliament when this lot arrive?

    Some of these might help. :) NSFW.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    Um did I get taken in hook line & sinker?

    righttosmack are a joke, right?

    They're not serious right going for 1minute kid bashing.

    The thing is I knew a few kids who had 'Spank Banks' & hospital visits once the brusing went down, to reset the bone.

    It must be a joke - that's Russel waving his finger - isn't it?

    http://www.righttosmack.co.nz/father.html

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    It must be a joke - that's Russel waving his finger - isn't it?

    http://www.righttosmack.co.nz/father.html</quote>

    No, it's not me. But the site is indeed a very dry joke.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    The thing is I knew a few kids who had 'Spank Banks' ...

    Ewww... When did the Mayor of Auckland become a rather disturbing action figure?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    Excellent joke, well played.

    Annoyed I missed it but well appreciated now.

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Joanna,

    The thing is I knew a few kids who had 'Spank Banks' & hospital visits once the brusing went down, to reset the bone.

    Aren't Spank Banks the parts of your memory where you store pictures of things to use for ...inspiration... when you're by yourself later?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 746 posts Report Reply

  • linger,

    When did the Mayor of Auckland become a rather disturbing action figure?

    When he first entered public office?

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • samuel walker,

    David Ritchie:

    thanks for the greasemonkey script,

    to me you are the spark that ignites the flame that lights the philly that is media7.

    Since Nov 2006 • 203 posts Report Reply

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