March 2008 Entries
China's pandas aren't generally the most amorous animals. If anything, they need all of the help they can get to populate the species.
The Olympic torch relay kicked off its first leg in Beijing today, free from some of the unwelcome protests at the torch-lighting ceremony in Greece last week. Olympic organizers made sure that everything ran smoothly, and bumped up security as a precaution.
If you were playing one of those word association games, and somebody mentioned "Tibet" you would probably say something like "Western China," "Dalai Lama," "Lhasa," or "Tibetan Buddhism."
It's not uncommon to hear complaints about biased media coverage wherever you go, and ironically right now some of the loudest criticisms towards the Western media are coming from a country with state-controlled media: China.
This question remains on the forefront of many minds right now. The Olympics are still months away, but as you can see from yesterday's lighting the Olympic torch, this year's Olympics might not be just a warm and fuzzy demonstration of international brotherhood.
Having spent a whopping $40 billion on Olympic preparations and infrastructure, the Chinese government have tried to accommodate for every possible consideration. While it's impossible to plan for everything, a potential toilet disaster has just been averted.
It seems like every update regarding Tibet resonates with the same type of ominous tone. Casualties keep rising, violence keeps spreading, and the threat of Olympic boycotts grow louder and louder.
Einstein himself said that "politics is more difficult than physics," and after trying to make sense of the weekend's events involving China and Tibet, it doesn't take a genius to understand why.
March 10 is rarely a day that goes unnoticed in Tibet. As the annual anniversary of the Dalai Lama was sent into exile, Tibetan activists and sympathizers will generally stage a protest of some sort, which results in some minor headlines, but generally no permanent damage.
Terror, teargas, and Tibet- it's been an explosive week for China, and the intensity keeps mounting.
Last Sunday, Chinese officials announced they've thwarted not one, but two Olympic terrorist plots originating from Xinjiang Province, in Western China.
I don't think I will ever understand the logic behind many of China's Olympic preparations, but that doesn't mean that I will ever cease to be amazed by the latest and greatest plan to ensure the greatest event in the history of the world.
An estimated 500,000 to 550,000 foreign tourists will visit Beijing during the Olympic Games, and local officials are taking all measures to accommodate their religious preferences.
They're young, idealistic, and ready to change the country. Over a million young people have applied for a select 100,000 spots of the offical Olympic volunteers, and registration doesn't close until March 31st.
After the late 1990s, the Backstreet Boys seemed to fade into the boy band graveyard, with the bubble gum beats occasionally popping up on a VH1 special or adult contemptorary radio station.
Few policies have received as much criticism as China's one child policy, and now this nearly 30-year-old legislation might be getting a face-lift.