24th anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre

This file photo taken 24 years ago shows some of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese gathering around a 10-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty (center), called the Goddess of Democracy, in Tiananmen Square demanding democracy despite martial law in Beijing. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters were killed by China's military on June 3 and 4, 1989, as communist leaders ordered an end to six weeks of unprecedented democracy protests in the heart of the Chinese capital. (CATHERINE HENRIETTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Great photos of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests (but also of the horrible massacre that ended it)!

Censored in China: 'Today,' 'Tonight' and 'Big Yellow Duck' By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW The words’ today,’ ‘tonight’ and ‘big yellow duck’ are all banned on China’s popular Weibo, or microblog, as the state tries to ensure political calm on June 4, the 24th anniversary of the crushing of the 1989 democracy protests. some of my earlier posts on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and democracy protests:  I write to you from a far-off country...: remembering Tiananmen... Jun 04, 2009 June 4, 1989 ...I was 21 and just coming into my own ...just moving out of my parents' home, just taking on my own ideas about politics, religion, war, life, love and everything... since I was young, every time I had uttered even ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ previously unseen photos of Tiananmen Square Massacre Jun 06, 2009 Previously unseen pictures obtained by the Guardian show how the violence centred on Tiananmen Square played out in surrounding areas... Posted by William Andersen at 4:58 AM · Email ThisBlogThis!Share to ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ meeting a former soldier that fired shoots in Tiananmen... Jun 04, 2009 meeting a former soldier that fired shoots in Tiananmen... ...very strange that I met this artist, Chen Guang, in the summer of 2007 at an art exhibit of the most shocking art that I've ever seen... I had a very difficult time with his art ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: China 22 years later... Jun 04, 2011 China's 22nd anniversary of Tiananmen Square | Video | Reuters.com. Twenty-two years after China's infamous Tiananmen Square crackdown, not much progress on political dissidents. http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ remembering "Tank Man"... - I write to you from a far-off country... Jun 06, 2009 Mike Licht said... Tank Man lives. New versions of this iconic image are all over the Web. Here, for example: http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/20th-anniversary-of-tiananmen-square/. June 5, 2009 at 4:57 PM ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: Ai Weiwei and the Artist's Role ... Apr 12, 2011 Ai Weiwei and the Artist's Role in China. Ai Weiwei in Tiananmen Square in 2009 (the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre). Ai Weiwei and the Artist's Role in China - Room for Debate ... 12 Apr 2011 . http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: More Deaths and Anti-Chinese ... Feb 10, 2012 -Tibet Post International. Hong Kong Residents to Hold Vigil Marking Tiananmen...‎ - Bloomberg. Tiananmen Square Anniversary: 22 Years Later - Huffington Post. Tiananmen legacy: Crush any hint of dissent‎ - Vancouver . http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ Any interest in a counter exhibit/lecture series to Milwaukee's May 21, 2011 Ai Weiwei in Tiananmen Square in 2009 on the 20th anniversary of the massacre. Dear friends, Have you seen Mary Louise Schumacher's article: Should the Milwaukee Art Museum protest Ai Weiwei's detention? - Art City ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ Chinese Artist Who Led Protest Has Been Jailed, His Wife Says Jul 09, 2010 In February, those artists joined forces with artists from another Beijing neighborhood to march down Chang'an Jie, a wide ceremonial avenue that runs past the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Chinese leaders are ... http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/ I write to you from a far-off country...: artist against the state... Nov 28, 2009 But after 1989, and the silencing of protesters at Tiananmen Square, he had decided that “the world became different.” And so he returned to China in 1993, reckoning that one day he might face something like his father's fate. http://williamjandersen.blogspot.com/

WHERE IS THE PANCHEN LAMA?

The present (11th) incarnation of the Panchen Lama is a matter of controversy: the People's Republic of China asserts it is Gyancain Norbu, while the 14th Dalai Lama asserted it was Gedhun Choekyi Nyima on May 14, 1995. The latter vanished from public eye shortly after being named, aged six. Chinese authorities stated that Gedhun had been taken into protective custody from those that would spirit him into exile. However, most believe he is now held in captivity against the wishes of the Tibetan people. Tibetans and human rights groups continue to campaign for his release. 

Today:

The Panchen Lamas 24th birthday.

WHERE IS THE PANCHEN LAMA?

What you can do today:

1, share this post
2. use the picture as profile pic

3. CALL THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN YOUR COUNTRY

yes, a bit of an effort, finding phone numbers, but please MAKE that effort..we need to speak up for what we believe in, not just *like* pictures and photos..

Please
take action today.

Even one call.....

an ironic "Guardian Christmas screensaver" by Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei's ironic homage to Chinese "door god prints" to be used as a screensaver.  Like the "door god prints," that are traditionally hung on doors in China to ward off evil, this "Guardian Christmas screensaver," put on your computer, is supposed to "ward off the evil river crabs" ( "river crabs" is internet slang created by Chinese netizens in reference to Internet censorship or the other censorship of China. In Chinese Mandarin, the word "River crab" (河蟹), which originally means Chinese mitten crab, sounds similar to "Harmonious/Harmonize/Harmonization" (Chinese: 和谐) in the word "Harmonious society" (和谐社会), Chinese leader Hu Jintao's signature ideology).

Also pictured are the "Grass Mud Horses" or Cǎonímǎ (草泥马), is a Chinese Internet meme widely used as a form of symbolic defiance of the widespread Internet censorship in China. It is a play on the Mandarin language words Cǎonímǎ (肏你妈) (I actually can't tell you what that means in English or it sets off the censorship blockers here in Kuwait! but if you click on the links it is easy to see), and is one of the so-called 10 mythical creatures created in a hoax article on Baidu Baike in early 2009 whose names form obscene puns. It has become an Internet chat forum cult phenomenon in China and has garnered world-wide press attention, with videos, cartoons and merchandise of the animal (which is said to resemble the alpaca), having appeared.

How to get more media coverage 101

Gaza citizen, "QUICK - someone have sex with David Petraeus and get the media ON THIS!"

Uncovering the hidden bodies of Saudi art

A major exhibition of ancient objects recently excavated in Saudi Arabia opened November 17, 2012 at the Smithsonian's Arthur M Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC

Long censored figurative artwork from Saudi Arabia is now on view for the first time in an exhibition in the USA.  Pre-Islamic figurative artwork from Saudi Arabia has been ignored or censored but is now getting new attention and the research is supported by the Saudi royal family.  I've heard similar stories about pre-Islamic artwork in Kuwait and there are rumors of the remains of an ancient temple to Shiva!

Read more and see the video by clicking here.

Chen Guangcheng's First Public Words in US

Watch Chen Guangcheng's 1st public speech (w/ an English interpreter) upon arriving in NYC today.  

Chen Guangcheng's First Public Words in US

www.youtube.com

Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng landed at Newark Airport today (Saturday, May 19). He spoke to media and supporters outside New York University ...

Kuwaiti MPs Propose Bill Banning Female Judges

Kuwaiti women:  you now have the right to vote, so what do you think of this proposal?

Kuwaiti MPs Propose Bill Banning Female Judges

insidethemiddleeast.blogs.cnn.com

From the Kuwait Times newspaper: Five lawmakers proposed amendments to the current law that governs judiciary work in Kuwait, which if implemented, will disqualify female citizens from being appointed as judges or prosecutors.

niqāb sellers at the Friday Market, Kuwait

Nicholas Kristof and Ai Weiwei on Chen Guangcheng

Below is what another real life hero, Nicholas Kristof, says about Chen Guangcheng:

Nicholas Kristof

This man, Chen Guangcheng, is extraordinary -- a blind human rights activist in China who has been brutally mistreated and beaten while under house arrest. Now he has escaped and is said to be hiding in the US Embassy in Beijing. The problem is he's stuck there: the Chinese police can't enter to arrest him, but he can't leave the Embassy grounds for fear of renewed arrest and torture. I hope no one in the US government would ever think of ordering Chen to leave. Don't even think it!

Click on the New York Times article below for more on this story and what Ai Weiwei and others have to say about Chen Guangcheng:

Chen Guangcheng, a Blind Activist, Escapes House Arrest in China

www.nytimes.com

If Chen Guangcheng, a human rights lawyer who fled house arrest on Friday, is in the American Embassy in Beijing, the White House is likely to be cautious in handling his case.

Blind Chinese legal activist escapes!

A HERO!

Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese legal activist who has escaped from home imprisonment, is believed to have gone into hiding in Beijing, amid unconfirmed reports he has taken refuge in the US embassy. Chen had been restricted to his village home in Linyi in the eastern Shandong province since September 2010 when he was released from jail. A self-schooled legal advocate, Chen had campaigned against forced abortions.

Chinese activist 'in hiding' in Beijing

aje.me

Supporters of blind legal advocate Chen Guangcheng believe he is in the US embassy after escape from home imprisonment.

More Tibetans Set Themselves on Fire

A woman throws a white scarf over Tibetan Buddhist nun Palden Choetso as she burns on the street in Daofu, or Tawu in Tibetan, in this still image taken from video / Reuters

China: Tibetans Set Themselves on Fire

By EDWARD WONG (NYT)

Two Tibetan men on Thursday set themselves on fire in the town of Barma in the mountainous area called Ngaba by Tibetans and Aba in Chinese, according to Tibet advocacy groups.

China Said to Detain Returning Tibetan Pilgrims

Bodh Gaya during the Kalachakra Teachings 2012

China Said to Detain Returning Tibetan Pilgrims

By EDWARD WONG (NYT)

The detainees are being interrogated and ordered to denounce the Dalai Lama, according to groups who have conducted interviews with family members.

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Anonymous hacks Chinese government websites

Anonymous hacks Chinese government websites. A number of websites are replaced with messages on how to circumvent government restrictions on the internet.

US to ease sanctions against Burma after historic elections

Civilians join Buddhist monks during a march in protest against the military government in Burma (Photo: AP)

BBC News - US to ease sanctions against Burma

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17619519

The US is to further ease sanctions against Burma after historic by-elections saw a landslide win for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's ...

Ai Weiwei Ordered to Stop Self-Surveillance

Chinese authorities censor Ai Weiwei's surveillance of himself in his home...but their surveillance continues...

Ai Weiwei Ordered to Stop Self-Surveillance

blogs.wsj.com

Chinese authorities put the finishing touch on artist provocateur Ai Weiwei’s latest performance art piece, ordering him to turn off four live webcams he had installed inside his own home in a wry effort to turn state surveillance on its head.

another look at Cai Guo-Qiang's Doha exhibit and the historical context for the relationship between the Arab world and China

Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) via Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art

Listen to Dr. Jackie Armijo explain the historical context behind the Cai Guo-Qiang: Saraab exhibition at Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art.

Another Look with Dr. Jackie Armijo

www.youtube.com

Qatar University professor Dr. Jackie Armijo talks about the historical context for the relationship between the Arab world and China, particularly with Cai's hometown of Quanzhou through a look at the installation "Homecoming" at Mathaf.

West Allis Votes: Corporations are not PEOPLE!!!!

Whoa! I did not know my homies were so rad!!!! Finally proud to be from 'stallis!

Voters in West Allis, Wisconsin Move to Amend | Move to Amend

movetoamend.org

WEST ALLIS – Last night West Allis, Wisconsin, a conservative Milwaukee suburb, voted overwhelmingly to reject the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. FEC ruling. Republican Party primary voters approved a resolution calling for an amendment to the US Constitution to establish that corporations ...

Tibet self immolation protests going largely unnoticed in the wider world...

This image from video, released Friday, March 23, 2012 by London-based activist group Free Tibet, reportedly shows the cremation of Sonam Thargyal, a 44-year-old farmer who doused himself with kerosene before setting himself on fire earlier this month.

Tibet Self Immolation Wave Among History's Biggest

www.huffingtonpost.com

BEIJING -- Dozens of Tibetans have set themselves on fire over the past year to protest Chinese rule, sometimes drinking kerosene to make the flames explode from within, in one of the biggest waves of political self-immolations in recent history.  But the stunning protests are going largely unnoticed in the wider world...

Censorship of Kuwaiti art exhibit?

Artist Shurooq Amin explains her artwork.  From Art Kuwait.

Exhibition of Shurooq Amin “It’s a Man’s World” was shut down 3 hours after the Opening

www.artkuwait.org

The Exhibition “It’s A Man’s World” by Kuwaiti artist Dr. Shurooq Amin was opened yesterday (March 5) at AL M. Gallery (with absolute record of attendance) and was shut down at 10pm – 3 hours after the Opening. At the...

Tibetan woman, student set selves on fire

This photo taken in 2011 shows the entrance to the Kirti monastary in the town of Aba in China's Sichuan province. A mother of four died after setting herself on fire in a Tibetan-inhabited region of southwest China on Sunday, a rights group said, in the latest self-immolation to hit the country.  http://news.yahoo.com/photos/world-events-slideshow/kirti-monastary-town-aba-photo-200041781.html

Report: Tibetan woman, student set selves on fire

Another Tibetan monk dies in China protest

Tibetan monks at a Buddhist ceremony. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty

China: Another Monk Dies by Fire

By SHARON LaFRANIERE (NYT)

In the latest deadly Tibetan protest against Chinese rule, an 18-year-old Buddhist monk set himself on fire outside his monastery in Sichuan Province, a Tibetan support group said.