From a talk given by Palden Gyatso, the second-longest serving political prisoner in Tibet:
Despite the torture while in prison, Gyatso said he does not hold any grudges against the Chinese, even those who tortured him. “According to Buddhist philosophy, it behooves me to control my anger. Being angry will not return my 33 years; they are spent. To educate in a nonviolent, constructive manner, that might bring a peaceful end,” he said.
Gyatso said advocates for a free Tibet hope for constructive negotiations with Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao in June when they will ask for Tibet to become an “autonomous region rather than an independent nation.”
Since his 1992 release, Gyatso has toured the world, testifying to the human rights violations in Tibet and promoting nonviolent negotiations to end Chinese occupation. He appealed to the crowd to work constructively on his behalf.
“The future is in your hands. Some of you,” Gyatso said, “may become representatives or even president of the United States. How you use your knowledge is important. You have great freedom and facilities here to accomplish great aims. Use them.”
A tiny bubble of air hangs suspended inside a droplet of water. The droplet rests in the cup of a delicate green leaf, yet the stalk doesn’t bend at all.
Courtesy of NASA
Missing: A Vase, a Book, a Bird and 10,000 Years of History
From the NY Times, on the destruction of Iraq’s cultural legacy:
Above all, scholars reacted as mourners struggling with an overwhelming loss. In Boston, Dr. Russell fought back tears as he described a sculpture from the museum he had seen in the 1980’s: a small carving of a bird, one of the earliest stone sculptures in existence, from around 8,000 B.C. “The archaeologists had found it literally in the hand of its ancient owner, who had been crushed to death when the roof of his burning house fell on him, evidently as he tried to save this piece,” he said. “In light of what’s happened in the past week, that’s very hard to think about right now.”
I just lost an argument with my two year-old son. He insists that Tweety Bird is a duck. I asserted that he’s a canary.
“He’s a duck.”
“A canary.”
“A duck”
“Why,” says I, “do you say that he’s a duck.”
“Because,” says Finn, “he swims and he has duck feet and feathers.”
I had never thought of Tweety’s feet as duck feet, but he sure doesn’t seem to have toes. And if Finn is right, and he has in fact been seen swimming, then the little old lady has a duck on her hands, and not a canary.
(Anyway, Tweety has hands, hair and eyelashes, so he must be a duck from Three Mile Island or something…)
First from the travel section of the Nashville City Paper:
“As we move toward summer, the hot spots of travel are Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where currency values have plunged to a rate (in both countries) of more than 3 pesos (Argentina) or 3 reals (Brazil) to the U.S. dollar, versus one to the dollar a short while back.Steak dinners at parillas in Buenos Aires (and what tender steaks!) can now be had for $5, whole meals with wine in Rio for $7, taxis for $1, public transportation for 50 cents! And rates for getting there are just as cheap. From May to August (off-season in both countries and cities), Solar Tours (800/388-7652, www.solartours.com) has round-trip airfares of $360 to Buenos Aires from Miami, $440 from New York and $530 from Los Angeles (the price might get cheaper deeper into the summer), and round-trip rates to Rio of $380 from Miami, $450 from New York and $520 from Los Angeles.
Although several low-cost, less-than-a-week packages to these two sophisticated capitals are described below, you might want to consider simply buying a round-trip ticket to either city and fending for yourself (and spending a longer, more magical time) once there. The weather is mild; the setting terrorist-free; and the sights, activities, tango bars and samba clubs are legendary.”
And this from the Seattle Times:
“Dozens of workers took over the Brukman clothes factory early last year, complaining they hadn’t received their full paychecks as Argentina’s economic slump deepened. Today they are fighting the owners in court, determined to keep control of the plant and their jobs.
The red-brick building is one of about 100 factories, restaurants and other businesses that have been seized by workers desperate to save jobs.
After five years of a shrinking economy, one of every two Argentines lives in poverty and nearly one in five doesn’t have a job. The slump drove four presidents from office in quick succession beginning in late 2001, and it will be the overwhelming issue facing the winner of the April 27 presidential election.
Workers at the Brukman plant say they can’t afford to give up their jobs and will do anything to keep them. Of the original 157 workers, 57 remain. Some have learned bookkeeping, others meet with suppliers, and committees organize the workload.
“We’ve been on our own for one year and four months now. We feel better now,” said Jaques Holc, 66.
The workers have been evicted twice, only to be allowed back in with the help of sympathetic lawyers. The courts will ultimately decide who will win control in a process that could take months, or years.
Fearful they could be forced out again, several workers stand guard on the factory floor every night. They cook pasta in pans and sleep on mats beside their machines.
“These are our jobs at stake. We have to protect our livelihood,” said Alba Sotelo, 47.
Economist Eduardo Fracchia said Argentina’s 36 million people face daunting problems in reversing the slump that began after a wave of privatizations in the 1990s. He said many workers who have jobs earn less than $200 a month � barely enough to provide for their families.”