Obama & Hu

Not much new here so here are pictures from Obama's recent visit.

Internet Boot Camp Death

Here is the tale of a gentleman who sent his son off to a camp because he felt he was spending to much time on the internet. Unfortunately he was beaten to death within about 10 hours. Seems the Chinese will be cracking down on these camps in the near future.

Other than that there isn't much else going on. Waiting for Obama, and Harper to arrive.

It did snow here and we had to crank out a package on it. Seems that the Chinese are taking the credit for it by launching rockets filled with silver iodide. It made for a very pretty Sunday.

Enjoy the internet story and thank goodness for regulation that prevent this stuff from happening at home.

Back at it

As I sit sipping coffee in the Air Canada Lounge I’m wishing I was/were back in my father-in law’s living room. I had been fully relaxed in the 6 days I spent out East. Not sure what it is about the East Coast of Canada, or Don’s living room but it is akin to fishing for me. There are no horns honking, no “chores” to be done, no well to dig, just pleasant conversation about world events and Canadian politics. For me it’s a time to catch up on reading and looking back at the larger picture of life. A place for reflection I guess. So as I’m wrap up my holidays and head back across the Atlantic, I should bring you all up to date on the last month. I’m not much of a writer, let alone a speller, so for give me for not updating this for over a month.

Qi, Ben and I took a little quick trip to south China. Nanning and Guilin to be exact. The first story is about Smile China. Google it, it’s a great charity. It’s about a team of Doctors from all over the world who help train Chinese doctors in new techniques in cleft palate surgery. They perform countless surgeries for those that can’t afford it and encourage the younger Chinese surgeons to look at volunteering and helping others. Something that the Chinese aren’t known for.

After a full day of full access to the surgeries and patients, (access I’ve never seen in Canada due to privacy laws,) we went out for a tour of the night market and had a great local meal with street food.

Next morning it was a seven-hour drive over the mountains and into the tropic of Cancer to Guilin to meet story number two. A gentleman whom felt his son was becoming “soft” due to his excessive Internet use (6-hours on the weekends) signed his 15 year old up for an Internet boot camp.

The young lad was introduced to the $1000 a week camp with a task of running laps. He collapsed after 70 laps in the 40 some odd degree heat. He was able to get up after being beaten with a chair for a while and ran 15 more laps before collapsing again. He was dragged into the shower and beaten some more.

He was taken to the hospital later that night when he could not be woken up, but he died from internal injuries. The doctors say they might have been able to save him had he been take to the hospital earlier.

We also spoke with a 10 year old whom survived 4 week at the same camp. She was beaten on the hands, as she couldn’t stand at attention in the blistering heat.

Several councilors have been arrested but not much has come of the court process. We usually don’t hear about trials and sentencing until after it has all happened. The Chinese justice system likes to keep the media guessing. I’ll post that video when we get that item finished but not the most pleasant story.

What else, what else. Hmm. Oh yes the Philippines.

About a week before my vacation home we went to see the second round of typhoon Parma that was threatening Manila.

After a minor hiccup of almost missing the flight due to someone (not me) miss reading the tickets and sending us to the wrong terminal we had the Tibetan gods smiling on us and made the packed flight. The Tibetan reference is strictly to see if the Chinese are reading this.

Hold the egg rolls batman, I almost skipped over the 60th anniversary of China.

October 1st China turned 60. What better way to celebrate then have a parade. Would you love to see the military might of the Chinese followed by the Peoples parade? I know I would. Trouble is I wasn’t invited. Actually no one was invited other than a select few special loyal Chinese.

Believe it or not but people where not allowed on the street. Seems the Chinese authorities want this showcase to go off without a hitch. So they banned spectators. Unless you where participating in the parade (which meant that you were most likely wearing a diaper as once lined up, people couldn’t fall out of line until it was over many many hours later). The government, or the party, would not allow anyone on any balconies or allow any rooms to be rent that faced the street or the square where the festivities would take place. Apparently an NHK Hong Kong based news crew was beaten and had there tapes taken while try to shoot one of the rehearsals in the week leading up to the big day.

Well the big day arrived and I didn’t get a phone call at midnight inviting me down to the square like my friends at other media outlets, so I watched on TV like most from the office.

As a bunch of us where winding the day down with some dinner and beers several of us where informed of the Manila trip. So ended my October 1st celebrations as I was on a plane the next day for the Philippines.

Now where was I? Right Manila. Upon arrival we where greeted by Edgar. Edgar seems to have done it all. National Police, VIP security driver, and now he and his brother run a little company that can be best be described as “Anything for a buck”.

Edgar was armed with a pistol most of the time, and a machine gun stashed in the truck. I never felt threatened anywhere we went, but I’m told that there can be some violence in Manila.

Now Ben and I where able to file Friday, Saturday and Sunday thanks to the Internet. Long days, from 7 am to 3 am but that’s the way it goes. Most of the storm passed North of us but we where able to find lots of destruction and meet people as they where trying to put there lives back together. A gentleman we met on Sunday as he left church with his family summed it up best; “I use to like the rain, now I’m not so sure. Perhaps I will again but it will take time.”

Well I’m awaiting the courts to decide who owns what and whether or not I have a job at the end of it, I will sign off and see if I can come up with something else to write about. Cheers!

Here is the Smile China story. It's a large file so you might have to wait for it to load.

Is it interesting? Some days.

I guess I do have an interesting job. I've taken it for granted over the years. Travelled a lot to some interesting places, see some interesting people up close (briefly). So every once in a while I surprise myself and look back as my brain says "that was weird you should remember that." Take this week for example.

Sunday flew to Taiwan to chases the Dalai Lama around Southern Taiwan. Never been to Taiwan before. Beautiful place, hot and humid but beautiful. Drove out to a village that was wiped off the map and watched as a man for peaceful change prayed for the the survivors and the dead of typhoons and landslides. Met and talked to a survivor who seemed to just take it as it comes. He was just hoping to find the bodies of his family so he could bury them properly. Tuesday went on a 3 hour drive over the mountains to a place where a hotel collapsed into a river. Nothing left but an empty space between two other buildings (barely standing themselves). The owner was very willing to talk about what happened. How he and his wife have no insurance but hope to rebuild. The hotel had been in his wife's family for over 20 years. It was there life's work and employed about 20 people.

Flew home Wednesday.

Friday evening had a chance to shoot a sit down 10 minute interview with everyone's favourite former Prime Minister the man who gave us the GST, Brian Mulroney. By the way he is still the same smooth talker and plays to the crowd. RBC banking has him on a speaking/meeting tour through out Asia. I hadn't seen him since the Karl Shreiber stuff, and hadn't had shot an interview with him since march of 2003, when we profiled him for a current affairs show and had a sit down interview with him in Izzy Asper's summer home in West Palm Beach FLA. That was also a weird week Mulroney one day and Conrad Black the next (got in Conrad's house, giggled a little when he jail. Not much but a little.)


So that was my week in TV.

Here is the hotel story if you missed it.

OK so here is my take on Tibet. It has nothing to do with the Dalai Lama and religion. Sure the Chinese want him out of the picture or at least to zip it. My opinion, (personal opinion,) it's about water and natural resources. India and Tibet have four glaciers that feed four major river system. The Chinese, who are currently take all they can out of Africa at an alarming rate, won't let anything happen to the few natural resources they possess.

Personally I like the Dalai Lama. Covered him in Ottawa and thought he was hilarious. Always cracking jokes and smiling. I bit like Nelson Mandela. How can you not like the guy? Besides he's a bit like a panda, cute but you might not want to hug him.

So on to the circus. The DL is a bit like covering Bono. Lots of security, tons of adoring fans all in all a traveling road show worth of any Hollywood star or musician. The Taiwanese fresh from hold the World Games, mustered up 8 tour buses and media handlers. With a very fluid Dalai schedule, we headed out from Kaoshing to a town, actual WAS a town as the place was wiped off the map but the typhoon and accompanying mudslide, Shiaolin village. Since the roads where heavily damaged we walk the last kilometre or so.

Dalai shows up and holds a prayer service for the dead and survivors. Given the heat and humidity my hats off to the 70 sum year old guy.

Next it was back up hill and back to the other side of Kaoshing. Two hours later we the media where just late enough to have him drive by and wave.

If you want to see the story here you go. Other wise enjoy the pictures!

Taiwan

I couldn't agree more with a line Willie Nelson made famous; "I just can't wait to be on the road again". After a very long dry spell which I personally believe hinged on economics and not on news judgment, Ben and I are in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Taiwan was hit by Typhoon Morakot, August 10th while we where both on holidays. Not that I expected the desk to send us. I could have easily met Ben in Hong Kong within 18-24 hours. Enough of what we didn't do. Seems one Dalai Lama is visiting what I'm told is one of the largest Buddhist community outside of Tibet. Will have to do a little google search to fact check that statement. One would think India which is where the DL hangs his robes since fleeing over the Himalayas in 1959 would hold that title.

The visit is at the request of the current Taiwanese opposition party to bring comfort to local population. Seems the visit to Taiwan, which is part of China but autonomous, (I had to clear customs, picture having to clear customs to go to PEI,) has angered China. What doesn't these days? But the current President Ma, is in a bit of a tight spot due to being a little slow out of the gate with the response, and with turning down World aid in the first few days after the storm he is looking to save a little face. So he's agreed to let the DL in but won't be meeting him during the visit. He needs to answer a few questions with Beijing on this one.

Not really sure why Canadians care about all this. But a road trip is a road trip so I'll take it. Personally I think 30,000 refuges crossing the boarder from Myanmar in to China is a more interesting story but I'm not the desk I'm just the picture guy.

Here are a few picts of the night market, and from the DL's tour. Lots of sea food (still alive) and other fair. Very tasty indeed. Oh and it hotter than an August wedding back home. 30's plus 80% humidity. Was a busy day knocking back over 3 litres of water just to say hydrated.

Next up I hope to file a few pictures of the Dalai Lama's road show and circus.

Back

High all. I'm back from a wonderful but short vacation, 2 weeks is not that long. Was able to get reacquainted with my wife and my dog. Saw lots of family and friends, ate home made donuts from my Aunt, (I won't put her age up because even though so doesn't have a computer someone out there will tell her that I put her age up). Had dinner with my cousin Ron and his wife Nancy. Call people I didn't have a chance to see and had beers with former colleagues, all in all a wonderful time.

What did I miss the most besides the obvious, wife, dog, and family? Well I can honestly say fishing. I didn't realize until I got out on the water with Colin and others how much. It isn't so much the fishing as getting out and enjoying what we have in Canada. There are is the usually contrasts I could make: the air, the blue sky, uncrowded cities etc. But you've heard it all before from people who travel.

Perhaps it is the noise, or lack of it. Maybe the simple act of sitting on your front deck with a warm coffee reading a paper. The dog at your feet. Your spouse beside you, (or filling your coffee). Watching a deer emerge from the woods, or a humming bird checking out every hosta flower. Or perhaps the anticipation of what lays ahead as you unhitch a boat and head out on the water with old friends.

Life is all about the simple things. Friends, family, a house and enough money to heat it. Not much has changed, but from a far it is more clear to me what is important.

So here is the fruits of the fishing labour.

Colin caught this 51 inch Musky on the Ottawa river near Wendover.

Mine, (Colin can't figure out how to work a blackberry camera that's why he is holding my fish,) is a meager 38 inches.

Well as I return to a smoggy humid 40 degree over crowded city called Beijing I must now deal with my new Chinese friends at Chinese Customs. Once again they have denied entry to my equipment. Even with the right international paper work. Life is an adventure over here. Just wish they would pick set of rules to play by instead of changing them on the fly.

Will update you all with the story when it is complete. For now enjoy the fish.