Stand With Tibet

My mum e-mailed me this link to sign a partition to Chinese President Hu Jintao.
I encourage as many people as possible to sign this.
It may or may not make a difference but it is worth a try! I have attached the link below the quote.

"Petition to Chinese President Hu Jintao:

As citizens around the world, we call on you to show restraint and respect for human rights in your response to the protests in Tibet, and to address the concerns of all Tibetans by opening meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama. Only dialogue and reform will bring lasting stability. China's brightest future, and its most positive relationship with the world, lies in harmonious development, dialogue and respect."

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/

Free Tibet

very important topic has been in the news over the last few days and I think that it is very important that everyone understands the events that are happening Tibet.

This picture is of Chinese riot police in Lhasa

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/15/world/asia/15tibet.html?scp=1&sq=Violence+in+tibet&st=nyt

Over the last week there have been riots in Tibet's capital Lhasa. Peaceful protests started on Monday by Buddhist Monks who were protesting against the religious restrictions set forth by the Chinese. On Friday the 14 of March the protesting turned violent. It is unclear what set of the violence, because there are conflicting reports from Tibetans and Chinese. The New York Times reported that "Monks starting marching the Barkhor Area in protest to the rough treatment of monks, who had marched earlier in the week, according to a Tibetan Rights advocate" (Yardkey, 2008). Chinese police arrived on the scene and started beating the Monks and Tibetan rioters in Barkhor area; this lead to angry mobs setting fire to a police car and a store owned by a Chinese store keeper. This was reported by the Tibetan Advocate in the US who had been in contact with Tibetans.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7297911.stm

It is hard to find what really happened but from what I can gather many cars and stores where burnt.

There are conflicting reports on the death toll as well. The Chinese government has reported that only 10 people have died but Tibetan sources have said over 100 people have died. The BBC has quoted the Tibetan government in exile saying "There have been 30 confirmed deaths until today, and over 100 unconfirmed deaths" (Yardkey, 2008) .It is hard to know exactly how many people have died, but the number is not important. The important fact is that people are being killed.

The riots have coincided with the anniversary of a failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule that forced the Dalai Lama to flee to India. The demonstration in Lhasa is the largest Tibetan protest against the Chinese since 1989. Also the Tibetans might be trying to draw attention to china as the Olympics starting in a few months. The Chinese government does not what to be known for what they are doing to Tibet and they want the Olympics to be peaceful. The Tibetans are well aware of this and because all eyes are on china right now for the Olympics that Chinese government is holding back on the amount of force putting on Tibet.

I am not a huge fan of the Chinese government and what they are doing to Tibet. I think that the Chinese are trying to take away all freedoms from the Tibetans and making them give up their culture and religion. I also don't think that the information that they release is 100% accurate. If anyone one knows anything about Tibetans and Buddhist they know that they are a peace people and violence is not really in their nature. Every time in the last 50 years the Tibetans have tried to fight the Chinese they have lost many of their people.

Figure 1 Hundreds of minks took to the streets, defying Chinese authorities

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7298617.stm

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader living in exile, condemns violence. He has openly come out and said numerous times that he is against violence and believes that violence will not solve anything and wants to have peace communications with the Chinese government.

The Chinese government is blaming the Dalai Lama for the violent protesting. A report was released by Xinhua, the Chinese government's official news agency stating that "The government of Tibet Autonomous Region said Friday there has been enough evidence to prove that the recent sabotage was organized, premeditated and masterminded by the Dalai clique" (Yardkey, 2008). In response the Dalai Lama released a statement "calling on both sides to avoid violence and appealing to China's leads to address the long simmering resentment of the Tibetan people through dialog with the Tibetan people" (Yardkey, 2008).

It is hard to know what exactly is happening in Lhasa but whatever is happening isn't good. I think that it is time for the international community to step up and help the Tibetan people. We have turned a blind eye long enough. Hopefully the Beijing Olympics will draw attention to this matter.

The following pictures are from the BBC webpage "In Pictures: Tibet aftermath"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7298022.stm

Figure 2 This picture from the official Xinhua news agency shows shops that were attacked by protesters. The authorities say 10 people - mostly business people - were killed.

Figure 3 This picture - sent to the BBC by a reader - shows troops patrolling Lhasa's streets on Saturday - when some small-scale clashes were reported.

Figure 4 The head of Tibet's government, Champa Phuntsok, urged those involved to give themselves in. He promised leniency if they do, but a harsh response if they do not.

Figure 5 Exiled Tibetans in several countries - including neighbouring Nepal - demonstrated their support for the protesters.

Figure 6 In the Indian capital, Delhi, police had to restrain Tibetan activists who marched on the Chinese embassy.

Figure 7 Meanwhile far from the unrest in Lhasa, the National People's Congress - Beijing's rubber-stamp legislature - was a picture of order and discipline.

For more information go to

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

www.abc.net.au

www.nytime.com

Works Cited

BBC World News. (2008, march 15). Asia-Pacific. Retrieved March 15, 2008, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7297911.stm

Yardkey, J. (2008, March 15). World. Retrieved march 15, 2008, from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/15/world/asia/15tibet.html?scp=1&sq=Violence+in+tibet&st=nyt

Lake Mead

Last week i was fortunate enough to be able to go to Las Vegas with the Planning Studio class. We flew down to Vegas for 5 days. During the five days we met with the planners from Nellis Air Force Base, BLM, SNWA, Clark County Comprehensive Planning, and USFWS. We spent out morning attending meetings and the afternoons driving around. On Thursday afternoon we drove to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. I had heard that the lake level was low but I did not really think it would look as low as it did. Our first stop was the boat ramp that didn't even go close to the edge of the water. The photo below is of the boat ramp and Lake Mead.

One thing that I found super interesting is that features that use to be covered by water are now starting to show. In the photo below you can see rock features that use to be covered. This make me think of what this landscape use to look like before the Hoover Dam and reminds me of Glen Canyon, one of the most beautiful canyons, that I will never be able to experience because it is underwater. If Lake Mead and Lake Powell ever dry up or get really low, the original landscapes will start to appear again but will be tainted by the water. It just would not be the same.

At the Hoover Dam, there is construction going on to build a new bypass so that traffic does not have to drive over the dam. This new bridge is going to be another eyesore in this beautiful landscape. The photos below are of the new bridge.

Hayduke trail map

Edward Abbey Quote

This quote is from the Desert Solitaire chapter "Terra Incognita: Into the Maze"

"Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets' towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you --- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls."Edward Abbey

Week 3

50 people who could save the planet.

First of all, I think that the title of the article is wrong. Even though it is catchy, the title make up believe that the planet needs to be saved from something. Maybe saved from humans. I don’t think that humans have to ability to destroy the plant, but humans can destroy their ability to live on the planet. The title should be 50 people who can save humans ability to live on earth. The earth will always be here, even if human change the environment.
If I had to pick a person from this paper who I thought could make a difference, it would be 12 year Madhav Subrmanian from India. If a 12 year old child is interested in saving a child and has enough initiative to start a foundation called “Kids for Tiger”, imagine what he can do when he is older.
If children start to understand humans affect on the environment at a young age, they will not do what previous generations have done, such as burning fossil fuels, Deforestation etc. The next generation is the key for our survival. They will be more conscience of the activities and will be living a sustainable lifestyle that our generation has not been able to do.

A place. A region. How can you choose one?

I have been talking to people about this assignment. One suggestion was to choose Rome or Paris. These cities are so big and have such a huge history that only dedicating one semester to them would not be enough. So then I thought that I could choose a place with in the city such as the Colosseum and the Palatine. This could be really interesting
My initial thoughts were to choose Kennecott, Ak because this is a place that is near and dear to me. Kennecott is a perfect example of a boom and bust mining economy.
Another thought was to choose Las Vegas because I am working on a project based there, as well as working the planning studio class, which is based on the same project, but I am not really that interested in Vegas.
I have am still pondering my options. Hopefully I will discover the perfect place to study.