Photography, Art, Music, Ben Hider, Food, Tibet, India
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I thought it funny watching this video on BBC News, that the Dalai Lama’s image owuld be used directly after Che. I guess he’s seen as one of those iconic faces (alongside Paris Hilton too!). In a strange and very nerdy way, it’s pretty compelling watching these videos.
Getty has sponsored Helen Tapping to travel to McLeod. She seems to be helping at the TCV in Dharamsala for a photography course with Bridges to Understanding. Here’s one of my favorite image from their blog.
You may have a sense of dread and fear over the economy and the pending election. But you know you’re really in trouble when even the Dalai Lama seems to have given up all hope. (For more info go here)
Dharamsala (HP): Hinting that he was planning to retire, the Dalai Lama has said he has “given up” on efforts to convince China to allow greater autonomy for Tibet after having led the Tibetans’ struggle for half a century.
“I have been sincerely pursuing the middle way in dealing with China for a long time now, but there hasn’t been any positive response from the Chinese side,” the Tibetan temporal head said at a function here Saturday ahead of the third round of talks between his envoys and Beijing.
“As far as I’m concerned I have given up,” said the 73-year-old noble laureate, according to excerpts of the speech of the Tibetan monk provided by the office of Karma Cheophel, Speaker of Tibetan Parliament in-exile.
All the news sources claim that it is just a routine check up on a minor stomach ache. Apparently “There is nothing major to feel concerned about,” his personal secretary Tenzin Taklha told AFP. Hopefully that is all the news to report on his health. Normally stomach pain is minor news, however he turned 73 this summer and is certainly getting on in years. The Chinese government has refused talks with him or to return to the spiritual head of Tibet, and many claim that is espacially true with his growing age. The Chinese government are eager to appoint their own lamas (eg. Panchen Lama) whenever possible to maintain a better control of the monastic influence over Tibetans. Hopefully he will return to health and continue his good work.
“The various features and aspects of human life, such as longevity, good health, success, happiness, and so forth, which we consider desirable, are all dependent on kindness and a good heart.”
Above is a picture I took of him in 2003 at the Kalachakra intitation in Bodhgaya, India.
There is a good blog that gives an insider view of what’s going on in China around the Beijing Olympics over at Time. They posted the above picture of some Free Tibet protesters yesterday. Getty also has a large crew of editors and other folks out there getting everything ready for the ensuing chaos and posting some pre-event images that are worth a look here.
I also read that they have placed a ban on any ‘professional cameras’ for any audience members. This seems like a largely undefined category or do they mean SLR? Having noticed at the mermaid parade this summer that most people are now sporting a DSLR rather than a point and shoot, it seems that China will have to get more specific at the games. Here is their official statement… (thank god they clarified the grenade policy!)
And finally Bush says something intelligent in Thailand today, “America stands in firm opposition to China’s detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labor rights — not to antagonize China’s leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential.”
And here is the trailer for a movie about Ed Burtynsky’s “Manufactured Landscapes” where they follow him through mainland China.
A nice surprise this morning to turn on the TV and have His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s chuckle radiate out before the screen had even fired up. I was on PBS, the default channel my Tivo seems to like and which normally provides local government policy reports rather than a Buddhist initiation in central park from 1999. He claims that ”I have nothing to offer, no special thing,” he said with a chuckle. ”Just some blah, blah, blah.”
My good friend Scott has a plan for some fund raising and positive action for Tibetan awareness during the Olympics in China. It’s exactly a month until the games begin. Please see after the break for his full email and details to get hold of him out in Dharamsala.
It will be interesting for me to see what comes of this posting for my spam comments. I recently got inundated by spam but it was all focused on my last Free Tibet posting. I set up a block via my wordpress account which slowed it down. I have read many stories about China deliberately spamming many Tibet sites to either slow them down or block them. I assume that I got caught under that umbrella and some interweb robot of doom has been pestering me ever since.
See next page for his email. Please help as little as it seems
BBCnews posted this article today on the release of some Tibetans. Hopefully they are actual Tibetan prisoners who wer wrongly incarcerated, and this isn’t just a pre-olympic move to rally some support. China has certainly been known to pull sly tricks for some international recognition. the Olympic torch relay happens tomorrow in Lhasa (the capitol of Tibet). Lhasa was an amazing city when I visited in July 2000, it probably doesn’t resemble the new city at all. I hear that there is a greater influx of Han Chinese and the addition of many tall office type buildings has over run the city. It was certainly heading that way before and I am sure that Heinrich Harrer is rolling in his grave. I am sure that the torch relay will be tightly monitered and guarded.
While I think about it, here are some good links to news and such on Tibet.
Phayul.com – A news network specific to the Tibetan community in exile
DalaiLama.com – All the Dalai Lama content you could wish for
tibet.com – Official government in exile homepage
Yesterday we discussed whether just thinking about the issue of Tibet was enough. The people at the Centre for Non-Violence (Scott – do you know the website address?) were convinced that thought is a positive step towards the freedom of Tibet. I argued that much thinking had already been done, and that after nearly 60 years since the Chinese invasion, and nearly 50 years since H.H the Dalai Lama fled, thought is just not enough anymore. I would have to argue though, that the international coverage, and the international attention and ‘thought’ about the issue has been a big step since March 10 this year. Now we all have to turn thought into action. Here is the recent BBC News article on Tibet.
Of course, everyone reads the news paper differently. My friend Hunty would always read the Times of India backwards, starting at sports. I tend to skip through most of the national politics to the international section. Now that I am in a hotel with air conditioning and a TV, I have been jumping between CNN and BBC. Three stories caught my attention today and are influenced by the jobs I have had and where I am from.
My Wireimage and Tibetan interest led me to Sharon Stone’s comments this week at Amfar in Cannes. It seems that she thinks that due to the Chinese human rights violation in Tibet, she thinks that the eathquake in Chengdu is due to bad karma. I especially liked how she called H.H. the Dalai Lama a “very good friend.” The full story can be read here. To simplify how people feel about the situation in Tibet she is quoted as saying “I’m not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else.” If only a little kindness could solve all the worlds problems!
To show some interests a little closer to home and also with a more serious Getty slant, I have been following the Gujjar protests that now have seeped into New Delhi. I have missed any travel through the affected region, and hopefully will continue to do so. Interestingly, the Gujjars actually want to have their caste lowered so that they can have access to more government jobs. It seems that the Indian government offers certain amounts of these jobs to lower castes, and the Gujjars current status excludes them from those possibilities. The Times of India article adds some more details here.
Finally, as I have met a few Koreans this trip, and also know a few back in New York, I followed the US beef story in Korea. South Korea had banned US beef 5 years ago due to the export of some beef infected with ‘mad cow.’ The South Korean government has lifted the ban even though continued protests have been held. The BBC tells more here. What I enjoyed the most about this story, is that although the government has confirmed a lift of the ban sue to the safety of the meat, the Koreans continue protesting due to the safety of street food. The report on CCN said that in fact the peoples main concern was with the parts of the animal that Americans don’t eat that carry more of the disease. If Koreans would just stop eating the intestines, then a large part of the risk would disappear. As a solution to this, many road side vendors have turned to pig intestines instead. Having seen how many pigs in Asia sit at the base of toilets to eat human excrement, I can’t imagine that their intestines are much cleaner than a cows (especially as they never proven there to be any link between BSE and CJD).
… on a bus for 13 hours and then sit in a train station in 108 degrees heat to buy a ‘tourist quota’ ticket to sit on a train to Varanasi the following evening, I thought you should see where the Holiest Tibetan of them all sits. (Photograph taken at the Norbulingka temple inside His living quarters)
The final day of the Olympics was today and it was held at the stadium in upper TCV. The weather held out all day, and even caused a little sunburn, but all said and done, we had some winners today. First place received 1 Lakh rupees, second place won 50,000 rupees and third place won 25,000 rupees, in both mens and womens. It was a pretty close fight for ranking in the top 3, although there were certain athletes who seemed to be competing just for the fun of it. I was surprised with such a large cash prize, that there were not more participants. Here are the Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists.
My old friend Lobsang Wangyal has funded the entire event himself. He has received some donations, but is in desperate need for more. Please visit here for any small or large contribution you can make.
Men’s Champions: Dorji Tsering, First place, Dawa Dakpa, Second place, Tenzin Choephel, Third place
Women’s Champions: Tsering Lhamo, First place, Dhartso Kyi, Second place, and Dolkar Tso, Third place
More pictures of athletes competing in each event on page 2
And some atmosphere stuff from Olympics on Page 3 (Miss Tibet too!)
Not a sport that Tibetan people are naturally good at, and in fact some of them had only learned to swim a few days before the event began. A few competitors in both mens and women sat the event out. It was a fun place and has actually allowed me to claim to have gone to “Funky Town,” Sidhpur. Here I am being a ‘funky’ white boy outside its main sign.
This is the opening group shot of all of the competitors lined up at the judging end of the pool. I especially like the balloons tied to ropes to create the lanes!
More Pictures posted after break
Try doing this in your studio, or even on the side of a building!
Or build one of these things
