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A blog on writing, writers and why we read. Posted most mornings by Marion Blackburn. www.marionblackburn.net |
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Tibet 2, torch 0  Yesterday's Olympic torch relay through San Fransisco became what one runner called a stealth campaign to keep the torch out of sight.
The torch at one point was hidden inside a warehouse, then carried in a vehicle across town to avoid protests.
In Greenville Wednesday night, I attended an insightful Tibet Teach-In, hosted by the ECU Religious Studies program, and featuring Dr. Derek Maher.
His overview examined relations between China and Tibet for the past 1,500 years, concluding that Tibetan leaders often served as spiritual advisers to Chinese monarchs, but that the country was never part of China.
After his remarks, much to my surprise, the question-and-answer session became a shouting match ... several Chinese audience members claimed that their country had liberated Tibet, eliminated slavery and invested millions in its infrastructure.
Dr. Maher responded that those investments were mostly roads and other structures used to extract minerals and log the forests, and noted that Tibet had a feudal system.
Even an angry American joined the fray, saying that China had a right to claim Tibet in the same way that Israel claimed Palestine. Dr. Maher wisely sidestepped that discussion.
In all, for me, an unsettling evening. I feel today's world is a different one than I grew up in, with anger and entitlement everywhere.
Meanwhile, Great Britain's Gordon Brown has announced he will not attend the Olympics Opening Ceremony. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will also sit out the ceremony.
Several photos and links have been added to the Kerouac and the Mythical Scroll pages.
I'd like to comment about the photo showing the Kerouac family in a bar. It was a difficult decision to post this photo, as Jack Kerouac struggled so desperately with alcohol and, in the end, was lost in drink for several years before his death in 1969.
I used this photo because it clearly shows Jack and his sister, Nin, as well as his parents. The foreshadowing is chilling.
Snapshot of the Kerouac family in a bar, 1944. From left to right: Jack Kerouac, Caroline (“Nin”) Kerouac, Gabrielle Kerouac, and Leo Kerouac. New York Public Library, Berg Collection, Jack Kerouac Archive. Image courtesy of John G. Sampas. Click here for larger view.
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