WEN JIABAO, WEBCASTS, WHISTLES, & WASHOUTS: JASMINE SUNDAY #2

JASMINE 

SUNDAY 

#2 

CHINESE PREMIER  

WEN JIABAO 

(Photographed at Harvard) 

(A Beijing photograph is here) 

On Sunday, February 27, 2011, Wen Jiabao, "Grandpa Wen," the smiling face of the leadership of the People's Republic of China, went on line in a big way. On the eve of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, Premier Wen took questions in a special webcast, and made news: Beijing would not push the economy quite so hard; he was mindful that rapid price rises hurt the people. 

Out on the street, the story was different. For the second Sunday in a row any whiff of jasmine was smothered; any possible protest was washed out -- literally, this time, by street cleaning machines and a water truck -- and whistled away -- by incessant police whistles. 

And journalists -- apparently especially photojournalists and videojournalists -- were harassed and detained and even physically assaulted. 

So there was no protest to speak of or to see -- China was not Tunisia or Egypt -- and the regime seems either prudent or paranoid -- someone in authority still thinking A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire? 

SUNDAY AGAIN: ANOTHER LOOK AT THE SILVER LEAF GOSPEL SINGERS

THE SILVER LEAF 

GOSPEL SINGERS 

II 

DEACON RANDY GREEN (right) 

Take One, here 

A fine appreciation here 

WANG DAN TURNS FORTY-TWO

WANG DAN

b. February 26, 1969

ONE OF THE STUDENT LEADERS OF

"TIANANMEN"

SPEAKING AT HARVARD

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER

May 18, 2004

Imprisoned for several years by the authorities in Beijing for his role in the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Once had the ambition of being president not of China but of Peking University. Did complete a Harvard Ph.D. in 2008. Now, even though 'the nail that sticks up gets hammered down,' willing to speak out publicly in favor of the Jasmine demonstrations.

WEST LAKE INTERLUDE (HANGZHOU, CHINA)

INTERLUDE

HANGZHOU, CHINA

WEST LAKE, 1981

RESPITE FROM

THE "GARISH DAY"

For a misty early morning photograph of West Lake, 1981, and a note on a brief but interesting encounter, see the posting here.

CHINA THEN & NOW

One of a series

"AFTER MIDEAST, SHOULD RUSSIA AND CHINA WORRY?": THE QUESTION HAS BEEN RAISED. Part II

A LOOK BACK

AT THE PROTESTS

THAT HELPED BRING DOWN

THE OLD REGIME

IN MOSCOW

II

DEMONSTRATING AGAINST

PRIVILEGES FOR THE SOVIET

NOMENKLATURA

IN MANEZH SQUARE

IN FRONT OF THE KREMLIN

MOSCOW, SUMMER 1990

"RUSSIA REDUX"

ALEXY II, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW & ALL RUSSIA, b. February 23, 1929

PATRIARCH

ALEXY II

February 23, 1929-December 5, 2008

ALEXY (ALEXEI) II

THE PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW &

ALL RUSSIA

Patriarch Alexy II, born Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger in Tallinn, Estonia, became the head of the Russian Orthodox Church on June 10, 1990. He was a prominent public figure in Russia, as seen in this photograph with President Boris Yeltsin, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, and other dignitaries at the celebration of Moscow's 850th anniversary in 1997.

BACK TO THE GREAT HALL AGAIN: THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE, BEIJING

BACK TO

THE GREAT HALL

OF THE PEOPLE

AGAIN

DELEGATES TO THE

16TH CONGRESS OF THE

CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

FORM UP TO HAVE THEIR

PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN

IN FRONT OF THE GREAT HALL

OF THE PEOPLE, BEIJING, NOVEMBER 2002

POLICING THE JASMINE: ZHOU YONGKANG WEIGHS IN

POLICING THE 

JASMINE 

ZHOU YONGKANG WEIGHS IN 

Over this past weekend, the ministers and provincial leaders of China were summoned to Beijing for a special "study session"; all nine top leaders (who make up the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party) were in attendance. On Saturday, Hu Jintao, who is General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party as well as president of the People's Republic of China, called for "raising our level of control over virtual society, and perfecting our mechanisms for the channeling of public opinion online.” 

Hu is Number One in the Chinese hierarchy. Sunday, Number Nine made his speech and won his turn in the spotlight. Zhou Yongkang (pictured above) is that Number Nine. Zhou's importance lies in his portfolio: domestic security. He basically called for nipping any potential social unrest problems in the bud. 

As they were preaching, the authorities were already moving to nip in the bud any possible "Jasmine Revolution" inspired by what was going on in the Arab world -- by preventive detentions and preemptive police presence Sunday in the locales specified in Chinese-language tweets. 

Bud nipped: so it would seem. 

Leaving behind an interesting quote or two: This "event," said one (participant observer?), "didn't have much organization, but it's a chance to meet each other. It's like preparing for the future." 

 

MOURNING BECOMES ... SIX YEARS

MOURNING BECOMES

SIX YEARS

February 20, 2005-February 20, 2011

R.I.P.

DENG XIAOPING DIES, February 19, 1997

DENG XIAOPING 

August 22, 1904-February 19, 1997 

PAINTING OF THE LEADERSHIP OF 

THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 

BEING ACCLAIMED BY THE MASSES 

AS THE LEADERS ASCEND THE STEPS 

OF THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE 

IN BEIJING 

Mao Zedong is on the left

in a long tunic

Deng Xiaoping is on the right

the short figure in a short tunic

DENG WAS PARAMOUNT LEADER OF CHINA 

LATE 1978 UNTIL HIS DEATH 

Ultimately responsible for both 

Reforms and Opening Up 

and for "Tiananmen" (June 3-4, 1989) 

BBC material on Deng's death can be found here; 

the lengthy New York Times obituary, here 

"HERE BE GIANTS" 

CHINA THEN & NOW: SHOPPING FOR LINGERIE, 1981

CHINA

THEN & NOW

One in a Series

SHOPPING FOR LINGERIE

CHINA, 1981

"HERE BE GIANTS"

ALOHA! THE TOURISTS RETURN TO HAWAII

THE TOURISTS 

RETURN TO 

HAWAII 

ALOHA! 

(BEYOND THE WEATHER) 

A "FILE PHOTO" OF THE 

HAWAIIAN SCENE 

It is official! The New York Times says so: "rotten weather in the rest of the country" is "good news" for Hawaii, and besides, people are tired of feeling guilty (Hawaii as a guilty pleasure?), and besides, and besides, and besides (the yen is up; Obama comes: you can read the rest of it yourself). 

But there is also something in the air, and something of the spirit of: Aloha! 

For some other scenes from the fiftieth state, see here and here and here. 

"NEWT INC.": NEWT GINGRICH IN THE MONEY. IN THE RACE?

"NEWT INC."

NEWT GINGRICH

IN THE MONEY?

Check.

IN THE RACE?

Says he will announce a decision on

a Republican presidential run

this month.

WHY DOES ANYBODY CARE?

Because he is winning the money primary.

So far.

According to the Washington Post, Gingrich "has outraised Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and every other potential GOP candidate with a political committee...." (More Newt)

PROMISES, PROMISES: OBAMA & THE WOUNDED WARRIORS' CAREGIVERS

PROMISES & 

PRETTY SPEECHES. 

OH, YES. 

RESULTS? 

OH, NO.  

OBAMA & THE 

WOUNDED WARRIORS' 

CAREGIVERS 

ROWS OF GRAVESITES 

IN 

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY 

WITH THE PENTAGON 

IN THE BACKGROUND 

Read more about it -- here -- and here -- 

Speaking as an Army brat, and a caregiver (not of one of the current Wounded Warriors; no direct personal "special interest"), I find this most unfortunate, even reprehensible, but as one who has seen Pentagon promises (and presidential promises) broken before, unfortunately not surprising. 

Speaking as a political scientist and student of leadership in organizations, I can even "understand" it. There will always be another war, hot or cold, and its needs will be -- or seem -- more pressing than combat/missions five or ten or twenty or thirty or more years in the past. And then there is always the need for more military hardware just to keep up with (and surpass! even more) the Joneses or the Wangs.... 

But shame! 

CHINA OVERTAKES JAPAN AS THE NUMBER TWO ECONOMY. OFFICIALLY.

CHINA 

OVERTAKES JAPAN 

AS 

NUMBER TWO 

ECONOMY. 

OFFICIALLY. 

THE FRONT GATE 

("NEW CHINA GATE") 

TO ZHONGNANHAI 

SEAT OF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES 

BEIJING, CHINA 

Behind these traditional trappings, in what is essentially a continuation of the "Forbidden City," lies the command center for the thirty-plus years of "reform" and "opening up" which have led to the People's Republic of China overtaking its World War II enemy (which started in China as the Sino-Japanese War). The photograph was taken about halfway through this period; a view close up and head-on of the Zhongnanhai "New China Gate" can be seen here. 

"AFTER MIDEAST, SHOULD RUSSIA AND CHINA WORRY?": THE QUESTION HAS BEEN RAISED. Part I

A LOOK BACK

AT THE PROTESTS

THAT HELPED BRING DOWN

THE OLD REGIME

IN MOSCOW

I

PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING AGAINST

THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF

THE SOVIET UNION (CPSU)

IN MANEZH SQUARE

IN FRONT OF THE KREMLIN

MOSCOW, SUMMER 1990

"RUSSIA REDUX"

EGYPT, OBAMA, & THE TEAM OF RIVALS REVISITED

EGYPT

OBAMA

&

THE TEAM OF RIVALS

REVISITED

BARACK OBAMA & HILLARY CLINTON

TRY TO CHART A COURSE TOGETHER

(TOGETHER, EXCEPT THAT

HE IS NOW THE BOSS, OF COURSE)

What do you get when you (Barack Obama) put on your team both the adviser (Samantha Power) who called your presidential rival (Hillary Clinton) a "monster," and the "monster"? You get a juicy article in the New York Times detailing the divisions in the foreign policy/national security team that has to help you come up with a policy for dealing with greased lightning: the revolution in Egypt.

And what does that say about you?

JULIA CHILD'S "THE FRENCH CHEF" IS LAUNCHED ON TV, February 11, 1963; A STAR IS BORN

"THE FRENCH CHEF"

PREMIERES

ON WGBH-TV

February 11, 1963

JULIA CHILD

SAMPLES HER COOKING

-- SEEMS TO APPROVE --

ON THE SET OF

"THE FRENCH CHEF"

WGBH-TV, BOSTON, 197x

Much more on Julia Child, here