Today is the 25th anniversary of the Tian An Men Square events :
Students gathered to protest the lack of liberty, some carrying on hunger strikes, were ousted by an attack by the Armed forces, the toll of which will likely never be known due to the information control of the regime of the time!
Years later, it is reported that the modern generation is more interested in economics than politics :
It may be a credit to Chinese President Xi Jinping that this shows the same concern found in democracies : the government won’t do good for us, let it just fix what pays our salaries and never mind the bollocks program?
There is still government control of the media though as found in this Beebs report :
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-27700982
Amongst the forbidden words : 坦克 / Tank as in Tank Man? And Tank Man as in the gentlemen coming back from the grocery store that stoically stopped a 4 tank column ( moving from side to side to block its path ) on the Square after the massacre.
Tank ( the ) Man.
There only one error in historical reports : those bags did not contain groceries; they were necessary to carry his balls! Of course, he was never heard from again …
King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicated ( in favor of his son Felipe ) and Hafez Al-Assad got re-elected! Is it just me or should this have gone the other way around? http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ahmad-al-jarba-bashar-al-assads-blood-election/2014/06/02/4ad6b4e4-ea6b-11e3-93d2-edd4be1f5d9e_story.html
Heck, Hafez did not even manage a traditional African potentate score ( with a lowly 73 to 87 % depending on the source whereas Egypt’s Al-Sisi general in coup got 97? ) and that’s only from the areas of Syria where a poll could be held since most of the country is at war! Oh well, it’s still enough for recognized leadership over the part of his land and population that will survive, I guess?
And yet, the case is not as clear in Spain. Juan Carlos was the link between sordid past and modernity having partially embraced ugly dictator Franco but thus being allowed to revive the country after the man left. Juan Carlos was then as much a politician as a royal and Felipe is merely cute. Then again, that maybe the sole prerogative of the modern European Monarch ( especially if the British crown bypasses Charles for William ).
At least Chinese news agencies managed to snap UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon meeting with Juan-Carlos’ wife Sofia although officially a day too late? So much more interesting than the foul play’s anniversary, right?
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2014-06/04/c_133381610.htm
At the same time, there is a pas de trois going on in Paris. Due to the G7 meeting French President will have to meet Queen Elizabeth, US Prez Barack Obama and Russian One Vladimir Putin in 3 State dinners in less than 8 hours! The Queen is her usual gracious self but Barack and Vlad don’t want to meet to avoid conflict which explains François Hollande’s triple dipping menus. The fun part here is that while the intent is to avoid talks in anger, François will still address the BNP bank’s humonguous fine from US courts with Obama and Ukraine with Putin! Do you see the irony? France now has a simpler agenda with a neighbour it fought for over a millenium ( UK ) than either foe or ally!
From which we find a connection to Al-Qaeda that today released this video of their view of the recent exchange between US soldier Bowe Bergdahl and 5 of their guys freed from Guantanamo.
The ( not so ) funny part here is that today, Al-Qaeda revived negotiations to free its last French hostage, SergeLazarevic :
http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20140604-last-french-hostage-appears-al-qaeda-video
In a strange twist of fate, America, split over the exchange because if it’s policy is to get every soldier back in any case, there is a doubt that Bergdahl might have given itself up voluntarily,
is now also favoring the terrorists’ dealing with France, hitherto more or less know for a propensity to strike such deals? In both capitals, this is then an occurrence of something coming back to bite you in the … behind!
And meanwhile in Ukraine, the two sides that refused to face each other in a valid elctoral process, holding two incomplete ones instead are now accusing each other of not fighting fair :
http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/04/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/
What a news day, huh?
Tay.
Definitive Lapse of Reason 