OCR Text |
Show lnion The College Times MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2008 China, Olympics and Tibet, all ringed in pretty colors Ben Paz Opinions writer Any time China hits the headlines, I get the distinct feeling that our perception of that country is stalled somewhere around the time of Tiananmen Square. The old saying goes that if it bleeds, it leads. With that filter in hand, you'd be hard-pressed to find media coverage that let the Chinese appear for what they are: a flawed country, for sure, but one that's also richly textured by a lot of the same things we go through in our country. The most recent ripple is still going around and around. As everyone knows by now, Beijing is the host city to the 2008 Summer Olympics. This means that the country's doors will be forced open to the media, who will boost the global perception of China, sink it, or both. The latest hiccup is over the heretofore Chinese province of Tibet - how Tibetans want out of the union and Beijing's handling of this situation. Coverage in The New York Times painted a picture of confusion at first, as if the federal government was unsure of what to do when mobs burned ethnic-Chinese shops in Chone (in Chinese, Zhuoni) county, Kanlho (in Chinese, Gannan) prefecture, part of Gansu Province in the Chinese south. A map of that area-shows a chunk of land that a layperson could call Tibet, and an area around it wherein ethnic-Tibetans mixed with the Han Chinese. This se- ries of incidents happened port and sustain Buddhist in the tatter. Then, the brou- monks and monasteries. To American ears, the cry haha spread to Lhasa, capital of the Tibet region, where for freedom for the Tibetmonk protests turned violent ans is instantly reasonable. when law enforcement cor- The relationship between China as empire or People's doned off monasteries. The spiritual leader of Republic and the Tibetan Tibet, the Dalai Lama, said people is, however, a lot less from exile through a spokes- tidy — with Tibet lying in the man that dialogue is the constant shadow of the Chisolution, and that he does nese emperor for centuries. "After the 1989 Tianannot support the total independence of the region, but men demonstrations, a reinstead a unified administra- port in the western media tion with genera] autonomy. said the government in ChiPerhaps counterintuitively to na wouldn't survive another Western eyes, the consensus 3 years," UVSC Professor among the Chinese was un- Jindong Liang said. "And sympathetic to the Tibetans. they were proven wrong. It's Tibet is not a democracy, been over 19 years, and the it should be noted, but a con- Chinese government is still stitutional monarchy in ex- there, and Chinese society ile. As such, Tibetans don't has developed, and we're a consider themselves citizens very, very good society. but subjects, and they sup"There are shortcomings like in every country, in every society, there's the pollution, the overpopulation, some people not happy ... but they shouldn't demonize China. China is just like any other country." Then the Olympics came to town. After much lobbying, the Chinese delegation was awarded the Olympics and show time is all but here, a short 120 days away. Freedom of the media is a touchy subject. The news media in China is well represented by the successful and highly respected China Daiily. But the small detail of state ownership and communist party editorial control means that the West does not view reported material from this source as entirely credible. And there lies a crucial difference between a journalist in The China Daily and The Chicago Tribune, for example. Both reporters could get a juicy tip about a corrupt official, but one would run with it — perhaps everi make a career out of it —i' while the other would ignore it for fear of retribution by plainclothes police right outside his apartment. The Olympics puts China under a bright light of scrutiny, and it would make sense and reflect favorably to deal with Tibet nonviolently and to offer, perhaps, a free speech amnesty period. China is growing in power and influence, and its humanity needs to grow along with its economy. This year we're voting for vice president sxc.hu Diego Ibanez Opinions writer Mixed media messages Loraine Glueck- Gholdston Opinions writer I am one of those self-proclaimed health nuts who scours the news every day for stories about the benefits of vitamins, exercise, what foods to eat for what effects. It's a confusing hobby. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, they throw another curveball. One day, green tea is a panacea, the next day, the results of all these studies were "compelling, but not conclusive," according to health guru Tom Venuto. I love my coffee, and have heard all kinds of damning things about it. Then, one day, it's good for me! An article in Men's Health titled "Coffee, the New Health Food?" promotes my third favorite recreational beverage as a way to lessen the risk of type two diabetes -- among other life-threatening diseases. Then again, it may also raise the risks of osteoporosis and incontinence. Ouch. Don't forget all that stuff about red wine. A glass or two a day can lower your chances of heart attack in middle age. Then they tell you, "Oh, grape juice does pretty much the same thing." But then, people who drink in moderation are healthier L E T T E R S T O T H E As Editor-in-Chief of Touchstones, UVSC's literary journal, I would like to comment on last week's article concerning the launch of this semester's issue. The article makes assertions espoused neither by myself nor the current Touchstones staff. My hope is to correct any misconceptions this article may have created. First of all, the Touchstones journal is not a publication lim- than people who don't drink at all, and people who drink like fishes end up dead sooner than the rest of us. So they say. . I'm starting to wonder if the markets aren't behind all this. Recreational drinking in movies is done by healthy, sexy people. Most folks know that bananas have lots of potassium — because a huge marketing campaign was launched to "educate" people on it. I guess apricots and cantaloupe were outselling bananas? They have lots of potassium, too. And everyone knows you can get lots of calcium from milk and dairy products, thanks to all those cartoons in every elementary school classroom. Spinach ends up in the vegetable category, and beans end up in the protein segment, but both are also good sources of calcium, Some worry that consuming mass amounts of milk in an attempt to promote bone health might increase chances of coronary heart disease. Clearing the air around all these claims isn't easy — especially when every unhealthy thing is depicted as sexy and indulgent. It's a no-brainer that the skinny models in chocolate ads are forbidden from touching that much chocolate if they want to keep their figures — and their jobs. I was much more disturbed when I saw an article on MSN Health last Sunday about Ritalin being increasingly used as a recreational drug. We all know that's a bad thing with harmful longterm effects, but by looking at the picture by the headline, you wouldn't know that's what they were trying to say. The picture was of a pretty pink pill between the perfect white teeth of an airbrushed model's mouth, her lips highly glossed, her skin flawless and beautiful. Looking at the picture, you'd think the message was "pillpopping is sexy." It would be a lot easier to decipher what is real and what is hype if companies could figure out what it is they're selling, and stay consistent for a bit. The only consistent thing about all this information, it seems, is how much it contradicts itself. I'll still avoid corn syrup and hydrogenated oil; I'll still eat my vegetables and opt for soymilk. But I've always been wary of anyone trying to sell me anything, and I always will be ... well, except for'the folks at the local farmer's markets. Bring on the summer and the advertisement-free shopping. So you're in your family room playing Wii with your highly political friends, and one of them, the one with the goatee, of course, asks whom you're going to vote for. You freeze and put your Wii remote down and scratch your head. Sure, your friend's out-of-theblue question threw you off guard, but still, you hadn't pondered this. What now? Don't worry. Since you've read The College Times, you will be able to fight your way to an intellectual response. For example, whenever I don't know the answer to something, I always answer with, "It depends." The next time you're asked which candidate is gratefully receiving your magnanimous vote, answer with "It depends on the vice president." Genius, I know, but here's why. Let's face it. America, as prideful as she may be, is no feminist. She will have to wait many years until a woman takes the driver's seat. For those of you who are following the political race as closely as I'm following golf (Tiger Woods, as far as I know), the presidential race will feature the charismatic Barack Obama and the experienced Arizona senator John McCain. Oh, and don't forget Ralph Nader, who can't wait to ruin it for the Democrats again. Keeping in mind Barack Obama's illustrious, college-aged following, I need to exercise tact without sacrificing candor: I fear Barack Obama would E D I T O R ited to English majors as the article implies. We welcome the poetry, prose and art from students all over campus, regardless of major or emphasis. Second, I have nothing but the highest regard and deepest respect for past editors, advisors and staff of Touchstones. I also have great respect for past authors and artists published in prior issues. Further, regardless of any thematic elements or be assassinated. I know, sounds terrible and crazy to think that someone so' young and refreshing could be harmed, but must I remind you of the JFKs, John Lennons, Gandhis, MLKs, and Benazir Bhuttos of our time. As far as I know, there are still many racists in this country, just as there are those who still believe the earth is flat. We've all seen this movie before, haven't we? It would not be the first time that a prominent black American was tragically targeted because of his success. We don't need to know who could stoop to such depravity in order to know that there are people in this country who would. So should McCain win your vote by default? Not necessarily. In fact, if McCain even gets close to Obama's popularity, and somehow staggers to the white house — making it even more white — he will no doubt die of a heart attack. The stress would kill anyone. So do you see how important the vice president will be? Next time, instead of freezing up and wasting all that precious Wii time, quickly check who the vice presidential candidates are, and let that guide your response, and get some new friends. To read the full article, visit the Opinion Section online at http:lhv\v\\\ uvcollegetiines.com Letters to the editor requirements tones, we deliberated, read and re-read each submission, choosing above all those with the highest degree of literary merit. This selection had nothing to do with subject matter, but of excellence in writing. The same standards applied for art pieces. Any issue theme was not forced, but was coincidental and noted after all selections had been made. We invite students, faculty, staff, and members of the com- munity to please stop by the English Department, located in LA 114, to purchase the Spring 2008 issue of Touchstones and experience for yourselves the creative excellence exhibited by UVSC students. opinions ® uvsc.edu • Letters must be turned in on Wednesday by noon in order to be primed in the next edition. • We make no guarantee thai letters will be printed. • Letters 300 words or less hnve a greater chance of being published • anything longer will be edited for content. • Please provide an electronic copy regardless of whether or not you wish to submit a hard copy. Amber Watson Editor-in-Chief, Touchstones Spring 2008 • All letters become the property of The College Times as soon as they are submitted. |