by Wang Dan
A Chinese dissident tells what Aung San Suu Kyi’s long fight against tyranny means for him.
Wang Dan was twice inspired by Suu Kyi. Once when he read her essay which said that perseverance is the most important asset for a protest movement. The other is when she was released from house detention. She is more than an individual and the junta is less than the guns of the soldiers. China has given an 11-year imprisonment sentence to Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Real progress in human rights cannot be achieved without active and constant pressure on China. To try to advance democratic reforms within a dictatorship through coordination and encouragement is too easygoing. (100 words)
2011年1月30日日曜日
2010年11月28日日曜日
Let the Games Not Begin
by Jyoti Thottam
Let the Games Not Begin. New Delhi’s residents are protesting, not celebrating, their city’s Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games are to open on October 3. A politician, Suresh Kalmadi says on September 15 that everything for the opening of the game is ready with minor finishing, but actually there are a lot of problems in construction, security, and diseases. Indian politicians also plead the New Delhi’s residents to put on a good show for the coming athletes.
But the residents are against Kalmadi’s wizard-of-Oz way of speaking and the pleading. The residents do not need the shallow words like Kalmadi. Instead, they will surely show their wit, compassion, and courage in the end as in Wizard of Oz. (102 words)
(The words, Wizard of Oz, are well reflected in the last paragraph: ...long and treacherous yellow brick road. ... find reserves of wit, compassion and courage. Who needs the Wixard?)
Let the Games Not Begin. New Delhi’s residents are protesting, not celebrating, their city’s Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games are to open on October 3. A politician, Suresh Kalmadi says on September 15 that everything for the opening of the game is ready with minor finishing, but actually there are a lot of problems in construction, security, and diseases. Indian politicians also plead the New Delhi’s residents to put on a good show for the coming athletes.
But the residents are against Kalmadi’s wizard-of-Oz way of speaking and the pleading. The residents do not need the shallow words like Kalmadi. Instead, they will surely show their wit, compassion, and courage in the end as in Wizard of Oz. (102 words)
(The words, Wizard of Oz, are well reflected in the last paragraph: ...long and treacherous yellow brick road. ... find reserves of wit, compassion and courage. Who needs the Wixard?)
2010年9月12日日曜日
Sacred Spaces
By Nancy Gibbs
We all view them differently. So how can we best turn hallowed ground common ground?
How does a common place become hallowed? It is when people attach meaning to it. Gettysburg became hallowed because of Lincoln’s speech. Lourdes became sacred because of a miracle. So is Vietnam Veterans Memorial. How about Ground Zero? It is undergoing a test. Some oppose the construction of the mosque; others approve it. Either side contradicts its own case. To the opponents, I say the distance would not be the problem if “the center were intentional affront orchestrated by radical Islamic sleepers.” To the proponents, I ask why they build it “in so divisive a location. Politicians, who exploit the debates for their own purposes, deserve special scorn.
We all view them differently. So how can we best turn hallowed ground common ground?
How does a common place become hallowed? It is when people attach meaning to it. Gettysburg became hallowed because of Lincoln’s speech. Lourdes became sacred because of a miracle. So is Vietnam Veterans Memorial. How about Ground Zero? It is undergoing a test. Some oppose the construction of the mosque; others approve it. Either side contradicts its own case. To the opponents, I say the distance would not be the problem if “the center were intentional affront orchestrated by radical Islamic sleepers.” To the proponents, I ask why they build it “in so divisive a location. Politicians, who exploit the debates for their own purposes, deserve special scorn.
2010年8月28日土曜日
Africa’s Future
by Alex Perry
How staging soccer’s World Cup has allowed a continent to believe in itself.
When the writer moved to South Africa in 2006, the security was not guaranteed. There were many crimes, violence, and burglaries, but the situation has changed. The preconception that Africa is a continent of war, famine, genocide, and death has been replaced with the idea that it is a continent of vibrancy, affluence, diversity, and opportunities. Many excellent Africans have appeared: coffee moguls, entrepreneurs, bankers, musicians, and pilots. Africans today began to have confidence in themselves through experiencing the World Cup. They have become more tolerant, confident, and broadminded. Desmond Tutu said regarding the wonderful change Africa has made, “It’s unbelievable! I am in a dream.”(106)
How staging soccer’s World Cup has allowed a continent to believe in itself.
When the writer moved to South Africa in 2006, the security was not guaranteed. There were many crimes, violence, and burglaries, but the situation has changed. The preconception that Africa is a continent of war, famine, genocide, and death has been replaced with the idea that it is a continent of vibrancy, affluence, diversity, and opportunities. Many excellent Africans have appeared: coffee moguls, entrepreneurs, bankers, musicians, and pilots. Africans today began to have confidence in themselves through experiencing the World Cup. They have become more tolerant, confident, and broadminded. Desmond Tutu said regarding the wonderful change Africa has made, “It’s unbelievable! I am in a dream.”(106)
2010年7月17日土曜日
Growing Pains (May 31, 2010)
by Andrew Marshall
Thailand’s agony shows how weak its institutions are—and how hard it is for a young democracy to mature.
Thailand is in chaos. The Red Shirt group armed with rocks, slingshots, and guns is protesting against the government. It is funded by the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The conflict has claimed the lives of 70 people. The King, now 82, can no longer halt the violence as he did in 1992. The institutions such as the parliament, the judiciary, the media, the police and the Buddhist group cannot control the battle because each of them is busy coping with their own problems. The writer is pessimistic. He is afraid that more violence is inevitable. He says, “Thailand is not growing up. It is falling apart.” (107 words)
2010年6月5日土曜日
Raging Contagion (May 17, 2010)
by Michael Schuman
After Greece, will concerns about nations’ debt loads derail the global economic recovery?
As Thailand financial crisis spread to even a distant country like Korea in 1997, Greek financial breakdown will spread not only to the euro zone but beyond that unless efficient measures are taken. The European Union seems to have saved Greece economy by $145 billion bailout, but in reality the way EU has dealt with Greek’s tragedy lacks understanding of the global contagion of the financial black plague. Germany put domestic policies ahead of the stability of the euro zone and entire global economy. The EU needs to do more, otherwise the Greek flue might spread all over the world. (100)
2010年5月16日日曜日
The War Within (March 8, 2010)
by Nancy Gibbs
For too many American women in uniform, the danger also comes from their male comrades.
The Pentagon’s figures show nearly 3,000 women soldiers were sexually assaulted. The actual number is larger because most of the victims do not report the assaults for fear that they will be demoted as troublemakers. The causes for the assaults are: military culture is violent; the military is slow to identify potential risks among raw recruits; and generals worry about whether they can win a war. However, there are some good signs. Victims can seek medical treatment. The leaders began to realize the problem. The failure to guarantee women soldiers is not just a moral issue or a morale issue.(100 words)
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