h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just hope that I can in fact manage to be outside at the right time...

good luck

Thanks.

(And I'll call you after 7 May...)

The ambassador has pulled out of the relay... he's going to hide in the Chinese Embassy

Gluck, Ivan. I'll look for you on the telly, being invisibly visible

>>>>>(And I'll call you after 7 May...)<<<<<

mmmmmmmm I am off to perth again on the 16th May........and won't be back till the 25th

looks like that Saturday in the phoenix will have to be put off till June

Never mind, Helly - there will be Saturdays in June, so we can pick one later.

Fb, I'll be the one facing the other way.

Tomorrow will be a complete pain. Never mind the barricades and the protesters and the foreign thugs, the buses will be in chaos too. People have been advised to travel to the city early because they won't be able to get in there after a certain hour - and there will be no chance of getting out again before midday.

I'll be on the look-out for your backside then, Ivan

Buses have left here today full of protesters. I have a horrible feeling it's going to be a stramash. All this publicity is not exactly going to pour oil on the waters. I am very happy to be a long way away.

Good luck, Ivan.

Fb

Apparently the Hume Highway is clogged with busloads of Chinese coming down from Sydney. The radio is now broadcasting live from the starting-point of the whole catastrophe, where the Chinese are present in their thousands turning the place into a demonstration of vulgar crass patriotic fervour. Surely *that* isn't what the bloody thing's about either? But they'll still hurl abuse at the silent dignified local Tibetans...

I want to find out whose idea it was to inflict this shite on Canberra so I can go and point and jeer.

Build barricades! Wave flags! Throw buckets of water!

...and don't forget the marbles....

That should stop "patriots"... I have a severe disliking of "patriots", "fundamentalists" and similar loonies.

I agree. Patriotism is a vile thing.

The Chinese crowd has now heard the radio presenter interviewing a Tibetan girl and they've moved in to do lots of shouting. Thugs, the lot of them - 8000 years of civilisation and this is how they behave - throw 'em all in the lake, that's what I say.

Well, guess they've never learned how to think themselves and make up their own mind... Totalitarian societies don't encourage such.

My daughter is presently working in China, and had to sign a contract not to criticise the Chinese government and society

These idiots here are doing nothing more than follow the Party line. It's eerie. I can't help thinking of the Nazi Parteitag-type events, rallies at Nuremberg...

One Chinese woman shouted that we've all been brainwashed by biased Western media who never even go to Tibet. The journalist pointed out that Western media aren't allowed into Tibet. The shouting bitch then changed from a Party puppet to a shyly giggling thing who had 'lost face'. I'm appalled that this is happening in my town.

I'm not sure I can bear to switch on the radio this morning.

Stay cool Ivan

Fb

BBC News is reporting 8 arrests and some "scuffles" during the "parade" through Canberra.

I was planning to write a piece of reportage, but I can't do that right now. I'm too angry.

The place was crawling with Chinese thugs, courtesy of Rent-a-mob (Beijing) Pty Ltd. At least eighty busloads of stooges were brought down from Sydney by the Embassy. They were thugs, pure and simple. They had the look of zombiefied totalitarianism fans from a Leni Riefenstal film. I have never - never - seen such an appalling display of chauvinistic arrogant patriotism from any group; it was made all the more offensive by being in someone else's country. My country. My multiracial melting-pot of an anti-authoritarian country.

Not that such subtleties matter to a gang of scum-sucking freaks who are occupying Tibet and Turkestan and stifling any free expression on the part of the inhabitants.

I spent four years of my life learning the language of these people and studying their civilisation. What I could see of it today was vile.

I did turn my back. I was subsequently assailed by a bunch of flag-waving s. There was no physical contact but I did have one of them shouting abuse at me while only an inch from my face. I did my best impassive palace-sentry thing and didn't flinch - but I was shocked. Not by the behaviour of these troglodytes, but by a strange feeling within me. I didn't like that feeling. For the first time in my life I wanted to cause physical pain to another being. I hope I never feel like that again.

Notionally, I should be a friend to China after so long immersed in their history and schools of thought. The Chinese nation lost me today. Of course, I still have Chinese friends, but there will be a sadness there now, at least for a while.

And Jacques Rogge can shove his torch and his Games right up there.

I've watched the BBC footage. I can't believe these people live in another country and are still so brain-washed.

for standing firm against the thugs. I don't know if you've seen but gangs of them had huge protests against the BBC around the UK, with one of the largest being outside BBC Manchester - my city! One of the most tolerant cities in the UK and these scum were attacking the BBC for daring to tell the truth.

Plus there's all the clones attacking on the Tibet h2g2 pages - though that seems to have gotten quieter recently.

You could join me in my Olympics boycott - I'm boycotting any and all companies that are supporting the Beijing Olympics - and I've sent them letters explaining what I'm doing and why.

Iago, that's exactly what I'll be doing. In some cases it will be a wrench - products I use regularly - but it'll be worth it.

A lot of 'sponsors' have been toning down their advertising lately... They might have realised they've been sold a pup by the IOC.

B'el, we have a large education 'industry' here - a lot of Chinese nationals spend time studying in Australia. The theory is that Chinese students would have been obliged, to some extent, to join the gang to avoid reprisals and protect their future careers. That being said - yes, a lot of resident Chinese have been thoroughly brainwashed. It's been nearly 60 years since there was more than one viewpoint expressed in mainland China (and Taiwan's not much better...).

The real reason I had to take a stand is my family history. My mother's family comes from a small country that has long been pressured by a larger neighbour and spent half a century subservient to it in its Communist guise... See the resemblance? What can I do, except see a parallel with Tibet and wish the Tibetans better luck soon?

I don't come from a suppressed country, and yet I despise what the Chinese are doing in Tibet, and wish the big nations would stand up against that like they did in IraQ - but then Tibet doesn't have oil, so it just won't happen.

If Tibet had oil, things would surely be different - I couldn't agree more. I rather wish it did have oil... The same goes for Zimbabwe.