May 2008: I’m a big fat whore and proud to support Starship Children’s Health

INTRODUCTION
On Sunday 22/June/2008 I’ll be running the Shoe Clinic Harbour Capital Half-Marathon (www.harbourcapital.org.nz) in Wellington. I don’t like to talk about the charity work that I do for the charities … but this year all proceeds will benefit the little kiddies at Starship Children’s Health (www.starship.org.nz), a charity which is based in Auckland and provides a wide range of complex medical, surgical and mental health services for children and young people throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific (not just Aucklanders). In the 2005/06 financial year, Starship treated approximately 86,360 patients.

BACKGROUND
Reading an article in The Listener magazine (www.listener.co.nz/issue/3522/features/9939/room_two.html) concerning young Kiwis with cancer – seeing the pictures broke even my old stoney-cold heart. About 150 young New Zealanders are diagnosed with cancer each year, and it is still the most common cause of death in childhood after accidents. The average patient is admitted to hospital 10 to 20 times during their treatment, which can last for more than a year.

I WANT YOUR MONEY
I need sponsorship – I’m not running 21KM for shits and giggles – I want your money!! If you’re willing to part with your hard-earned for this very worthy cause then please contact me via the email, phone or Tonto-style and let me know: (a) a total amount you’d like to sponsor me and (b) if you’d like a tax receipt then your full name and postal address.

I WANT YOUR COMPANY’S MONEY
I’m offering your name – probably the name of your company or organisation but any name you care to mention – on my chest. I’ll get a t-shirt printed up with ‘ACME proud to support Starship Children’s Health’ and I’ll wear the t-shirt during training and on the day of the race and I’ll love you for ever and ever (or until my next run, at least). Whoever will donate over NZD$200 to Starship Children’s Health gets to luxuriate in my ample cleavage. Of course, you could have anything written on the t-shirt, even ‘I’m a big fat whore and proud to support Starship Children’s Health’.

Play safe.
Take care, Tomo

April 2008: Pro-Tibet & Pro-China

Mixed Messages
Wow, the message about Tibet really seems to have been confused.

The message was initially Pro-Tibet demonstrations in Tibet (marking the 10/March Tibetan Uprising which happened 49 years ago along with the Dalai Lama’s entry into exile) which met with violent and lethal rebuttal from the Chinese government – 150 people died, many more were imprisoned or disappeared. Demonstrations spread around the world were of concern for the Tibetan people and culture under Chinese rule, with specific concerns surrounding human rights, practising their religion, maintaining Tibetan culture and the ability to express their opinion.

This message seems to have been polluted with messages about “let’s boycott the Olympics” and general anti-Chinese sentiments. I disagree with these messages and I don’t think that they’re in any way representative of any pro-Tibet organisation. Pro-Tibet doesn’t mean anti-China, that’s not the way we roll. Let’s just stick to the main points: human rights in Tibet, practising their religion, maintaining Tibetan culture and the ability to express their opinion.

More recently Pro-Chinese demonstrations have been happening all over the world, trying to illustrate how Western media has misconstrued what’s happening in Tibet. In many ways I’m all for those pro-Chinese demonstrations. I support people taking to the street to support and promote their cause – good for them.

The irony is that the pro-Chinese demonstrations happening around the world are able to express their opinion around the world and they aren’t being persecuted for it. Whereas in their homeland, just the opposite is happening – people trying to express their opinion are being gunned-down, witch-hunted, rounded-up and locked-up.

Questioning
So I’m pro-Tibet, I’m also pro-China and I don’t see any contradiction there. I’m not bagging the people of China in any way, shape or form – I just disagree with the Chinese government on their Tibet policy and I’m expressing that disagreement. I’m questioning the Chinese government’s policies, just as the Chinese communities around the world are questioning Western media. The Chinese government’s policies seem to be achieved through censorship, propaganda, force and violence.

There has been enough tears and blood shed. Through questioning, through open dialogue there could be resolution to these problems. Through discussions the Chinese government could change their policies, equality and freedom in China could abound, it could be beautiful baby.

Tibet Rally: Sat. 5th April, mid-day @ Frank Kitts Park on Jervois Quay, Wellington. All welcome …

It is only a few days until Helen Clark signs the Free Trade Deal with the Chinese Govt. Aotearoa / NZ has a unique opportunity to do something positive for Tibetans.

We want to give Helen Clark a clear mandate that she should speak up strongly in China and call on the Chinese Government to:

• Free Tibetans that have been imprisoned for protesting;
• Allow a UN delegation and foreign media into Tibet unchaperoned;
• Engage in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama to find lasting solutions to the situation in Tibet.

Peaceful, friendly event.
Wear something orange (colour for remembering Tibet).
Bring your friends, family, and a picnic.
There will be speakers, music and activities. Hear about what is really going on there and what we can do from Wellington.

Sign the petition for Helen Clark to stand-up for Tibet here

Events organised by the Tibet Solidarity Network, Friends of Tibet Wellington, and concerned Wellingtonians. Contact 027 314 2884 or tibetan@email.com for more information. Check out this website for more info on Tibet or any other world news sites.

Tibet Rally: Sat. 5th April, mid-day @ Frank Kitts Park on Jervois Quay, Wellington. All welcome …

April 2008: Chinese People’s Liberation Army dressed in monks’ clothes

I guess all of this is coming to a head, in some ways brought about by the Olympics being hosted in Beijing is only serving to put China under a very unforgiving spotlight.

In some respects it makes me acutely aware and deeply grateful for all of the choices that I have by merely being born into this world in a Westernised country. There are so many other people out there who don’t get any education because they can’t afford it, don’t get to vote because they’re a woman, get shot for just expressing their own political views, get their organs harvested for expressing their own religious views, and on and on.

Whereas before I was quite content to ignore the problems of the world, now I feel a change in me – where I am more interested in what’s going-on in the world, but not in a doom-and-gloom sort of a way, but in a Sean Penn do-gooder stylee. I’ve become aware of a few of the problems of the world, but there are things that can be done.

One initial reaction is to say that nothing can be done. Or to say that if I did write to my MP / Senator / Government Representative then it would be ignored and nothing would be done. Indeed it might be ignored, but that’s the point at which you actively engage your existing MP / Senator / Government Representative and make them aware of the fact that you don’t mind voting for somebody else, that your confidence is waning, that they are failing to serve their communities and perform the role to which they have been appointed and that they should either help or go fuck themselves with an iron pole.

All of this sounds very involved, very demanding in-terms of time that might otherwise be well-spent happily twitching in the corner on Gummi Berry Juice with Hard Dance music blaring out. One of my coming-of-30 realisations is that life is quickly passing me by and I can either continue to be a good-time fun-loving type or I can do something positive – like trying to improve the lives of others. While I’ve known this before, now Old Man Time is knocking more loudly on the door, I’m beginning to think about what is important and what is worth doing …

Latest News

• Sign the petition for Helen Clark to stand-up for Tibet before she departs for China on Saturday 5/April/2008
• I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to world leaders and the international community for their concern over the recent sad turn of events in Tibet …
• Sources at British Spy Agency Confirm Tibetan Claims of Staged Violence
• Dalai Lama suggests China could be behind Tibet unrest
• China Scholars Condemn CCP’s Brutality in Tibet
• Eleven years ago Tash risked his life to flee Tibet. Now he has risked it again by returning with a hidden camera to film the stories of torture, murder and forced sterilisation that China does not want the world to hear …
  

The People’s Liberation Army would never incite violence by dressing-up as monks and running amok. They would never think of doing anything like that. Not a chance …

Play safe,
Tomo

March 2008: Tibetan Uprising

I’m concerned about what’s happening in Tibet and think that something quite clearly needs to be done. But no country (except for the US) is willing to speak out about what is happening. I find myself in a position I’d never find myself – I am actually in awe of G.W.Bush. If you’d like something to happen and the Tibet issue to be resolved then I’m afraid that you have to get informed, then you must act on Monday 31/March/2008 …

Latest News

• Latest news on Tibet
• Archbishop Tutu Asks UN Envoy to Visit Tibet
• The Dalai Lama asks to be investigated concerning allegations that he is orchestrating protests in Tibet
• First foreign observers into Tibetan capital find city scarred by violence
• NZ MP Dunne boycotts China trade trip in Tibet protest

Actions

• Participate in Monday 31/March/2008 demonstrations – check your local Tibet group for more information on what they’re doing and how you can participate or use your skills to help out
• Petition the Chinese government to enter into meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama
• Petition China to allow journalists access to Tibet
• Sign this urgent petition to Mr Rudd to use his influence – and his Chinese language skills – to stand up for the human rights of Tibetans when he visits China in just a few weeks (Australian residents only)
• Urge dirty old Brown to meet the Dalai Lama
• Write to your MP (UK residents only)
• Tell your Congressional Representative to Support Tibet (US residents only)
• Urge President Bush to speak out publicly and ask China to show restraint, as well as address the fundamental causes that have led to events of the past week. Or call the President at 001-202-456-1111 (US residents only)
• Write to your MP (NZ residents only)
• Example letter to MP / Senator
• Write to the International Olympics Committee and suggest shooting into crowds of ‘your own people’ is an unexpected characteristic of an Olympic host country
• Write a letter to a commercial sponsor of the Beijing Olympics

Pressure government leaders to meet the Dalai Lama
A lot of leaders have chosen to specifically not meet the Dalai Lama in any political sense. It’s only been George Bush Jnr. who has actually met him!! BUSH!! And it was Mrs Bush who was supportive of the monks in Burma. I never thought I’d have any respect for Bush, but there we go – in my face!!

• Petition the Chinese government to enter into meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama to move away from brutality and towards harmonious development and lasting stability, before more people get minced. 10/March/2009 will be 50 years since the Dalai Lama went into exile and the ‘Tibetan Uprising’ where after 9 years of occupation the opposition to the Chinese presence lead to a revolt. Combat lasted only about two days, with Tibetan forces being badly outnumbered and poorly armed. An estimated 86,000 Tibetans died.
• Urge dirty old Brown to meet the Dalai Lama when he visits the UK in 2008. Get petitioning only if you’re British, I’m afraid.
• Helen Clark (New Zealand PM) met with the Dalai Lama in passing at Brisbane airport in June/2007 – she said it was an informal chit-chat and nothing more. But who can blame her for trying to promote trade between New Zealand and China? Relations with China are significant to the economy of any country – what with most manufacturing having been moved to Asian. And that is the crux of the dilemma – cheap pants or high morals?

Beijing Olympics
For me at least, the fact that China is hosting it makes a farce of the Olympics and the IOC. Just so much had to be overlooked such as:

• Invasion of Tibet and it’s subsequent ‘cultural genocide’ as described by the Dalai Lama
• Repeated torture and human rights violations
• Environment and health issues – air pollution is at least 2 to 3 times higher than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization!! The Chinese government is trying to mask the problem by seeding clouds to induce rain several days before the games by shooting thousands of silver iodate pellets into the air using ground-based rockets. Fun!!
• 70 local laws and decrees would be made before the 2008 Summer Olympics which would banish local people who don’t have a permit, as well as vagrants, beggars, and people with mental illness. A “special holiday” (forcible shutout) will make Beijing citizens stay at home during the Olympics. Any protests during the games have been forbidden.

… ‘Olympic spirit’ my arse … Write to the International Olympics Committee and suggest shooting into crowds of ‘your own people’ is an unexpected characteristic of an Olympic host country.

See the Dalai Lama in the UK in May/2008 and in Australia in June/2008
If you’re interested in seeing the Dalai Lama, here are his gig dates …

• Public Talk in London, UK on May 22
• Public Talk in Nottingham, UK on May 24 & 25
• Teaching in Nottingham, UK from May 26 to 28
• Colloquium on Christian and Buddhist Traditions and Prayers in Oxford, UK on May 29
• Public Talk in Oxford, UK on May 30
• Teaching in Sydney, Australia from June 11 to 15

Support & Information
This is an old issue that’s been around for 50 years now. Because it’s not in the lime-light then it doesn’t attract a lot of support for Tibetan people living in Tibet who are being dumbed down and treated like second-rate citizens in their own country. Here are some reputable groups who are trying to help those people and offer some standard of education and health care to a people who have had the shitty end of the stick for 50 years.

• Chris Rattue: Give Todd a gold medal for criticising China
• ‘In the middle of it’ – Kiwi’s view of Tibet riots

Sorry it’s not a fun posting this month.

Play safe.
Take care, Tomo.x

February 2008: Over the hill & p!ssing around

Hiya,

So cue the sports car (red ones goes faster), cue the teenage girlfriend (again, red-heads … sorry, that’s a crap joke) and cue the sagging and wilting of the body – my gout was playing-up, now I have an ear infection and a bout of athlete’s foot. That’s right, I turned 30 this February!!

Top 5 signs that you’re turning 30

• When it takes 5 days to recover from a basketball game.
• When nose-hair plucking doesn’t seem weird anymore.
• When you have absolutely no idea of who’s in the top 10 singles chart and don’t give a sh!t.
• When you get excited about tea – particularly variety packs or being given exotic luxury packs of tea.
• When you own pants (underwear) of an indeterminable age.

Over the hill
Not being one to miss an opportunity to spread-out my birthday I did something nice on my birthday (think of me falling out of the hotel sauna, full of Gummi Berry Juice, drenched in sweat and wandering around the hotel in my shorts, frightening the other guests with my random banter and you get the general idea) and I’ll also be having another little party sometime soon (date and location to be confirmed).

I don’t know what I wanted to have achieved by the time that I turned 30. I’m unsure about what I now want to do with the rest of my life – I could get married and dedicate the rest to a relationship, or I could become a monk and dedicate the rest to a religion, or perhaps something not so extreme, perhaps.

We don’t p!ss around, darling
It’s only been 3 years since I’ve gotten into Buddhism, not very much out of 30, yet already so much has changed. It makes it difficult to plan for the next 3 years.
I do feel that I will soon need to make some decisions – if I keep all my options open then I’ll make no progress. I need to choose a focus, afterall it’s our focus that determines our reality. So I feel that I need to focus on the things that are important to me – I feel that this year some decisions will need to be made. For example, even though the excellent trance DJ Graham Gold (who I listen to every week at work and love dearly) is coming to Auckland this June, I’ll be whiling my way to Sydney to attend the Dalai Lama’s teachings.
More than whether or not to get mother-f^cked or meditate, more decisions will be afoot this year – there’s fire in my belly and I’m feeling restless again – I’m unsure whether New Zealand has enough to offer. There doesn’t seem to be the experiences here that I’m ready for – I don’t really care much for developing my career, but I do need to be closer to Buddhist communities and events and the money helps (the Kiwi dollar sucks!!).
At the moment I’m at a strange ‘hmm’ phase, where I’m unsure of what to do with myself. I’m p!ssing around, whereas I usually have strong views about there being no p!ssing around whatsoever. I’m doing what I said I wouldn’t – there is no plan and I don’t know what the f^ck I’ll end-up doing!! Deep breath. Either way I’ll probably be here in New Zealand until the end of 2008 and even if I do leave, I’ll be sure to return …

Play safe.
Take care, Tomo.x

If you’d really rather not receive this weak old effort then please reply with the subject “Keep your random adventure to yourself”