Chapter two opens with a quote:

"Physics is to mathematics what sex is to masturbation"

- Richard Feyman

At least according to Technorati, in its April State of the Live Web report, the language with the most frequent blog posts in Japanese, with 37%, followed by English with 36% and then Chinese at 8%.

If I had to guess I would have thought that English was indeed the language in which most blog posts were composed.  I would have been wrong.

Home Internet access is still highest in the English speaking world, but native Japanese speakers edge out English speakers when it comes to the sheer number of posts.  I think this is very encouraging since blogging is increasing in places like China and Iran.

Even though only 1% of blog posts are in Farsi, I am willing to bet that many Iranian bloggers who want to reach an audience outside of their country are blogging in English.   People in countries with repressive regimes and state controlled news outlets can use blogging as a way to try to get information out past government censors.

If any readers know any blogs of the sort I described, please let me know via a comment.  I’ll like to give them a place to live in a sidebar so more people can see them.

Richard Gere urges Olympics boycott Actor Richard Gere chases a fugitive Bosnian war criminal in his latest movie role, but in real life the devout Buddhist is pursuing China on human rights abuses and says a boycott of the Beijing Olympics could help. Gere, chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet, told Reuters the 2008 Beijing Olympics were a good opportunity to encourage China to end human rights abuses in Tibet and allow the Himalayan region to decide its future.

I am getting really sick and tired of people with extremely high incomes suggesting boycotts.

If there was indeed a massive boycott of the Beijing Olympics it is not the government that would suffer.  An event like the Olympics brings income to everyone in the area.  There is more work for cab drives, for hotel maids, for restaurateurs and pretty much everyone else.  Anything that keeps people in poverty will just extend the power the government has over the population.  It’s only when people start rising out of poverty that they start having the time and resources to actually fight for their rights.

When a population has fewer economic opportunities, they have a lot more to lose by rocking the boat.  Only after someone gains a little financial independence can they step back and decide how much they will tolerate in terms of government violations of his rights. 

Americans, even lower middle class Americans, can afford to take a stand and let their feelings be known.  Just look at the number of people attending some of our domestic protest marches and you can see that.  When people are living hand to mouth they do not have that luxury. 

Their coverage of the Baker/Hamilton Commision report was a good example of what news coverage should be. Yesterday’s coverage, instead, focused on the things the report says the univerist staff and police could have done better. Now, I am not saying I’m surprised that there were failings in their reactions that morning. The report goes on to say that even if they had reacted differently, it is unlikely that the whole incident could have been avoided in its entirely. I also think that it would be a horrible, horrible thing to believe that the release report yesterday was the first time the VA Tech administration, the campus police, and the governor’s office heard about those shortcomings.

What struck me as dangerous and poorly thought out was the constant reporting about the parents’ cries for firings of university officials. One victim’s mother urged the governor to “show some leadership” and fire Charles W. Steger, the university president. On NPR there was a father who seemed to have only read the negative parts of the report and came away with the impression that the university could have somehow avoided the whole violent episode.

I feel bad for the families who lost children and spouses that day. I feel bad for the whole campus. They have to find a way to get past the trauma they all experienced and live their lives knowing they could have been one of the victims. BUT, is firing a university president who has also survived this and gained valuable, irreplaceable hands on experience dealing with a crisis a logical move? No workshop or drill can compare with the educational elements that came with living through that day while in a position of responsibility. Steger has gained that experience and knowledge in the hardest way possible. University President Steger, hopefully, will never have to live through a day like that again. But if he does, he has insight and real world knowledge that his replacement cannot have. I commend Virginia Governor Tim Kaine for recognizing that firing staff now would not make the campus a better or safer place for students. Using Steger and other staff members as a scapegoat would not help things.

Resources:

• Full Report on Virginia State Website
• New York Times Topic page for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• NPR Day to Day coverage of VA Tech Report (Audio)