I hope this site becomes a place for dialogue and the exchange of ideas. I want to raise consciousness about issues and stories that don't always make the headlines. I believe that global awareness makes a person smarter and ultimately more human. I'm grossed out by what some "news" outlets masquerade as news. It seems that so many of these outlets cover international stories only when there's catastrophe or war. It's a shame.

There are so many fascinating people doing important things out there. As a journalist I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel all over the world. I want this to be a place for everyone to find out about people and organizations that I've encountered that are doing good work. I'd like to share some of my experiences and invite all of you to share your thoughts and stories you think should be told. Let's expand our horizons together!

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In India, there are millions of children who are being forced to work as slaves.
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Meth: The World's Most Dangerous Drug
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August 04, 2008 10:03 AM  (go back to main view)
Letter from a friend...
I have posted an email from a friend with whom I went to high school a long, long...long time ago. His name is Bryan and he spent years in the U.S. Air Force. He is now living in Harbin, China teaching English. He's not a businessman who's trying to strike it rich there, he's an average American who has been living on the ground in the Chinese countryside for the last two years, observing his surroundings.
This is HIS perspective.
Lisa,
I'm tired of the western world (G-8) thinking they are masters and the rest of us are servants. The western world keeps bringing up Tibet, but until the western world stops f***** with the middle east, the western world needs to shut it's mouth. The western world has no credibility with those outside it's boarders and rightfully so! I've been following both Barack Obama. and Ahmadinejad for a number of years now and these two appear to be the only leaders that have a grip on reality. The kettle needs to stop calling the pot black!
It starts with our own backyard and I'm embarrassed everytime I come accross ignorance on our part. Our pot has been melting since the day we were born. There are no more excuses and we are running out of time. We took over Iraq and built Iraq's new Capitol building in the form of our Iraqi Embassy. So, the U.S. needs to leave Tibet alone, until it gets out of Iraq! Plus, I teach college students now and my heart tells me we are wrong on this issue.
B
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Blog Comments (20):
Posted by  on August 19, 2008 11:29 PM
yes , i say u.s. OUT od iraq,
and china OUT! of tibet
Posted by Lea on August 23, 2008 2:00 PM
I say US out of the US.

My dear long-term boyfriend is fighting the Federal government for the right to stay in this country, where he has lived for 47 years as a legal permanent resident. He's being "removed" for an expunged thirty-year-old misdemeanor. The most recent motion that he filed with the Bureau of Immigration Appeals was denied and here's the ugly part, illegally and against their own regulations. DHS opposing counsel was supposed to respond and didn't which legally means his motion was unopposed. The BIA should have ruled in his favor, but instead acted as prosecutor and denied his motion. He wrote an excellent motion. No reason it should have been denied, but he filed his own motion. No lawyer acting on his behalf.

Does anyone know how many people are locked up in detention centers in this country? Apparently, a lot. KBR (a Halliburton subsidiary) has a $385 million contract to build more of these centers.

This is something that doesn't make the headlines of the mainstream totalitarian news. Try locating your loved one once they're in the detention center system. They get "moved around" to centers in different locations.

How is the Federal government not like the Third Reich?
Posted by sharon on August 10, 2008 8:07 AM
as a Chinese ,i am so glad there are so many friends who can view the Tibet problem rationally.actually Tibet is part of China no matter how seriously someone interrupt that.
We all appreciate Bryan's supportment .his appearance and standing with us make us chinese students believe that there really exist more people even though in foreigh countries who can tell right from wrong .who have real belief.
Bryan is more than a good teacher,he looks like a bright light ,strenghening our belief in mind ,making us having more confidence about ourselves and the problems of china.we appreciate more cos he is not a Chinese but an American.
from the saying of bryan ,i know lisa is such a respectable female.a brave journalist,an intelligent peace lover.l love his stories,but the more i hear the more i want to know.
wish one day i can do more than just sitting here ,touching the keyboard..
wish you achieve what beautiful things you want...
Posted by  on August 09, 2008 6:02 AM
come on !

don't you just stand there, try to tell something before you have really seen it!

i'm Bryan's student in Harbin China, and I totally agree with him. China DIDN'T OCCUPIED Tibet for years, since long before it HAVE BEEN part of China. Yeah I have to say that the pollution does exist. But where else doesn't? don't you people in the United Stated suffer from the pollution?

Actually I have a uncle who goes to Tibet everyyear, searching for a better inner . people there are living their peaceful life. It's Dalailama's ambition which makes the relationship tense..

have you guys watch the Olympic opening ceremony ? I think it's gorgeous! wish one day you will come and see for yourself. maybe you will find Bryan right.
Posted by dwd on August 13, 2008 6:06 PM
Did you take a look of all the China's Rivers and Fresh Water Lake lately?

Take a very very good look.

Will you eat any food that grow by that kind of water ??????????
Posted by  on August 09, 2008 6:03 AM
inner life
Posted by Bro. Bartl... on August 06, 2008 8:17 PM
Suggest you read Rev. Sharon Delgado's book:
Shaking the Gates of Hell: Faith Led Resistance to Corporate Globalization

http://shakingthegatesofhell.com/Shaking%20the%20G ates%20of%20Hell.htm

Br. Bartleby
http://brobartleby.blogspot.com/

Posted by  on August 06, 2008 6:19 PM
"...So, the U.S. needs to leave Tibet alone, until it gets out of Iraq!..."

good point I think your friend has there.

even though if we try to look at the other view point...help is gravely needed and people do deserve the right for a non-prosecuted life...
Posted by  on August 06, 2008 1:24 PM
I suggest your friend go to Tibet and ask the citizens there if they want the G-8 to keep quiet!!
Posted by  on August 06, 2008 1:18 PM
Two wrongs do not make a right!!!

The invasion and occupation of Iraq is downright criminal and immoral, and so is China's continued occupation of Tibet.

China's occupation of Tibet for 57+ years is wrong and it is not just the US who thinks so. Many who opposed the Iraq war also oppose China's continued occupation of Tibet. Prior to China's invasion in 1950, Tibet was acknowledged by the world as a sovreign independent nation.

I think Lisa's friend needs to learn more about the history of Tibet, and stop using the wrongs of the US to justify this travesty.

For those who do not know much about the invasion and occupation, I suggest you read this really good summary:

http://www.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/History/China/02/b ishop/bishop.htm
Posted by Sofia on August 15, 2008 2:16 PM
I totally agree. The United States made an incredibly bad decision regarding the invasion of Iraq. Most western countries were opposed to this invasion. But just because The US decided to invade Iraq (or Russia now invading Georgia) doesn't make China's invasion of Tibet right. I have spoken to Tibetans here in the United States who have had their family members kidnapped, tortured, and killed by the Chinese simply for speaking their own language and practice their own religion and traditions (and of course China says those are lies...how convenient...in a country that ban free press!)

If you want to know the history of Tibet, go to Wikipedia or another credible source. Or, of course you can always choose to get the "Chinese history version", like some people on this blog seem to favor. But, on the other hand... if you really want truth... why would you rely on information from a nation that does not allow free speech (with their own "version" of Google that censores such words as Human Rights, etc) and kidnaps, imprisions, tortures, and kills people that seem like a threat to the Chinese power?
Posted by guest on August 13, 2008 4:25 PM
In fact, China governs Tibet for at least 400 years. 57 years is only for the communists. Even Taiwan government doesn't want an independent Tibet.
Posted by guest on August 15, 2008 2:35 PM
This is simply not true. Actually, prior to 1951, Tibet was acknowledged internationally as an independent nation. A unified Tibetan nation came into being in the seventh century. From the 1600s -1959 the Dalai Lamas were heads of the Tibetan administration and with political authority from the capital Lhasa.
In centuries past, however, there were no clear borders between the countries. The Tibetan and Chinese governments had both strong, independent centers of power that radiated out and weakened with distance from the capitals.
Posted by Valerie Co... on August 06, 2008 5:06 AM
The western world needs to include China in all our decisions . We have a global economy now so every country needs to be involved. As for Tibet, it's not necessarily the government pushing, but protesting citizens.
Posted by guest on August 05, 2008 12:25 PM
First of all, I totally agree with your friend. He is so right.

And to the request about China's environmental issues I want to say that a great majorities of the polluting factories are local Chinese ones and lots of them are opened by Taiwanese. Factories opened by international corporations are generally cleaner because they either have the money or care about their company's image. On the contrary, the local factories are often opened by farmers who have no idea about environmental protection and stingy on budget because of fierce competition among themselves. I've see red and blue rivers in China's countryside next to local chemical factories. And there are man so called cancer villages where local villagers have extremely high cancer rates.
Posted by  on August 06, 2008 9:17 AM
Yes, there are Taiwanese fund factories, but ,if you pay attention, those massive products shipped into America for Wal-mart and other stores are from American fund manufactures.

I am not here to play the blaming game, I am here simply to request kindly, if we can find a data that how many American fund factories are in China, and how many of them actually have Waste Treatment Facilities?

We are consumming a lot of goods from China here in America, we have to take owenership for it.
Posted by  on August 13, 2008 5:49 PM
Just a question? who are profiting from Made in China?

Big American Corps. Not average Chinese people work as cheap labors.

Big American Corps only have contract with those factories??? so they can just avoid the responsibilites to sell the items produced by Exploiting China's land people???
Posted by  on August 13, 2008 5:22 PM
I'm not sure it's accurate to say American 'fund' manufactures. Walmart may not own those factories, it only contract with those factories. Those factories are still local Chinese factories. I'm not saying we should not put more pressures on the US companies. The root of the problem has to be solved by the Chinese themselves.
Posted by pat on August 05, 2008 11:01 AM
This is interesting. It's important to hear on-the-ground perspectives. We don't hear enough from those in China often enough.
Posted by  on August 04, 2008 11:04 AM
Dear Lisa:

Please make China's Water and Air Pollution as an serious, urgent World Envinmental Issue.

I am writing this message as a heart broken Chinese. I was born in Taiwan but my ancestors are from Fujian, China.

I have read the reports about the air quality and water pollution in China and I am in so much shocked.

"Can you do a report about what kinds of factories that American Corps have established in China, at what locations? And how are they managing their air and water waste?"

As a national geographic reporter, I believe that you are aware of the serious rivers and lakes pollutions in China.

There are hundreds millions Chinese people are dying from the pollutions. The Chinese government does not tackle this serious issue efficiently at all.

Is there a way that you can ask Oprah to alert American people about this issue? To ask American people only buy the products from the American fund factories in China that have efficient waste treatment management?

The two Chinese major rivers are seriously polluted so as the major fresh lakes and ground water.

Is it possible that you can use media’s power to let most of the American understand that Chinese environmental issues are American’s problems too?

Please help.

Very sincerely yours,

Ming Liang



http://en.epochtimes.com/news/5-12-27/36264.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26chi na.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/business/85/8544bus1.html

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/05/china/ye llow-river/larmer-text

http://www.wwdmag.com/Groundwater-Crisis-and-Susta inable-Agriculture-in-Northern-China-article3037

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518 ,387392,00.html

http://www.china-pix.com/multimedia/guiyu/

http://www.ban.org/
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