It seems that the world has sat up and taken notice of the ‘Great Firewall of China.’ This state sponsored apparatus of 30,000 people monitors emails of Chinese citizens and blocks any website deemed controversial to the Chinese government, including sites containing the word Tibet. Check out Amnesty’s initiatives that we supportAmnesty International and www.SaveTibet.org that targets the Great Wall. Indeed, it is the only campaign we presently support because we feel it is so vital for the world to understand.

I had met with the Dalai Lama back in May in London and when asked what we in the West could do to help the Tibetan people, he had an amazing answer. He said, paraphrasing here, “If you care about Tibetans, then you care about justice. If you care about justice than help all those that lack freedoms, especially freedom of speech and press. If people had this then so many problems in the world would disappear, including for Tibet.” The wisdom of these words took awhile to penetrate my mind, but when I saw the wisdom of his words, I set out on a course. Since then, I have focused all our energies (outside of making the album) on the Great Firewall. It was my belief that if people really understood what was happening to Chinese citizens that they would be outraged.

Some very interesting things will begin to emerge over the next week. First, there will become widespread knowledge this apparatus exists – most people have not heard about this. Athletes and journalists will now be within the firewall and unable to access many things that they have taken for granted. It’s an amazing experiment, if you think about it. What happens when 20,000 Western journalists experience a taste of what it is like to have freedoms stripped from them? Judging by the initial reactions in every major newspaper around the world, they’re not too happy. I couldn’t have thought of a better breeding ground for discontent. This should not only raise the issue over the next week or two, but hopefully more than a few journalists will begin probing a bit deeper into this issue. Perhaps they may even report on it not for their own sakes alone, but for the sake of the 1.2 billion people living under Chinese control every day, including the people of Tibet.

The Chinese government has used this extreme censorship to control what the Chinese people think about their history, the history Tibet and of the Dalai Lama. The Chinese government has skewed information so much about the Dalai Lama that they refer to him as a “wolf in monks robes.” Now of course nobody living in the free world would ever think of one of the most universally beloved people in the world this way. The Chinese government is making these statements for the benefit of their citizens, who can only surf websites that verify these views. More on this soon, but now onto another interesting aspect of the Great Firewall…

US corporations aid and abet the Chinese government by building and supporting the Great Firewall. Corporations from Cisco (who defends themselves by saying they are politically neutral – they just supply what their customer wants) to Google that does no evil (at least in Western countries where the media focuses). Here’s why: The reason someone in China can’t access certain sites is because of controls that the ISPs have on all Internet traffic in China. Companies like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook, Myspace, etc have all modified their technology to allow the Chinese government to filter information and suppress the Chinese population – and now Olympic athletes and journalists. Their argument is weak: 1) It is better to allow some information to flow rather than none and 2) If they didn’t do it then somebody else would.

The latter argument is like saying if I didn’t supply a murderer a gun, then somebody else would. Our government does not take kindly to this line of argument in the case of a murder, but somehow it has not been high enough on the radar to apply to the 1.2 billion people under Chinese rule. The argument about some information is better than none is completely wrong. The example of the Dalai Lama is perfect. By allowing only certain information about the Dalai Lama to be accessible to Chinese citizens, the government has created a generation of people that detest the Dalai Lama. How can this help with peace at all? Instead, we see the opposite. Limited information is hardening a generation of Chinese people to an amicable solution with Tibet. How can they make peace with a man that is, “a wolf in monk’s robes??” It is not the citizens’ fault. It is the Great Firewall of China and the people that control it and the minds’ of the Chinese people. Much more to come about this…

The album is coming together. The outpouring of support from all corners of the earth and all aspects of the music industry has been incredible. We began the project in May and we will have a 20 track double album finished in nearly 2 months - completely unheard of in the music business. The unbelievable effort by so many artists, managers, studios, record companies etc has been breathtaking. Though the Olympics and Tibet are always at the front of our minds these days, I think I’ll just chat about all the amazing music we have received…

Duncan Sheik’s song is profoundly beautiful. His appreciation of Buddhist thought comes through clearly on this lucid new recording of “Nothing Fades.” Like so many others, his treatment of the song was exactly what we were hoping for – a recording where the strength of the words come shinning through and is supported by beautiful music. He knew exactly the song he wanted to record and its message is perfect.

We also received a recording that Rush just did a few weeks back for us at a concert. Alex Lifeson did a rendition of ‘Hope’ that really breathes and let’s you appreciate the subtleties of the composition. It differs from the studio version in tempo and tone. This was a fantastic contribution on so many levels (our only acoustic instrumental). Personally, I have been a huge Rush fan since my younger years when Alex ‘taught’ me how to play guitar by trying to imitate his playing for years by listening repeatedly to Rush albums. We received the song coincidentally when Rush was coming to town. I went to the show and got there right when they hit the stage. What a show – over 3 hours of amazing performances, one great song after another.

Suzanne Vega’s track is a contemplative and evocative song called “Song of Sand.” The music and words invite you to swim in a world with space that only Suzanne’s phrasing can create. Almost by what it doesn’t say, in almost a Haiku-like wisdom way, it begs the question, “What good can ever come from violence?” Suzanne is another voice I have had in my life/heart for many years and feel blessed to have on the album.

Teitur delivered an intriguing and nuanced song called ‘All My Mistakes.’ Besides having a wonderful message of finding positive perspectives, there are some treats that one doesn’t hear often. He is from the Faroe Islands, which is the most northern part of the UK, approaching Iceland, and he used a Faroese choir to accompany him. They have a very unique way of singing that is very hard to describe, but a delight to hear.

I have many of John Mayer’s albums and love them all. I was eagerly awaiting the track he was delivering and it is amazing. It is an acoustic version of ‘Belief’ that is energetic, bold and inspiring. Not much more needs to be said – it is perfect. It is getting late and still so many deadlines need to be achieved before the launch.

A few more tracks are coming in – it will be close to hit our deadline. Fingers crossed please…

Momentum for the project is really building. After Sting posted our press release this Wednesday, several major publications and news outlets called. We’ll be talking to them soon…very exciting. We have received amazing emails from all over the world. Many Tibetans and Tibetan groups have sent their support.

And the musicians keep coming!! If everyone delivers a track that wants to, it will be a double album…We’ll keep you posted. The next 2 weeks should very exciting regarding who will deliver what.

Regina Spektor has delivered a delicious acoustic piano version of ‘Better.’ Her beautiful lyrics and wonderful piano abilities accentuate her creative way of singing – with some nice surprises.

I spent the day catching up on news from Tibet. There have been many unpleasant things involving Tibet, China and the Olympics. This story, described by a monk who escaped, tells how Tibetan monks were killed randomly at their monasteries in retaliation for the protests that occurred a few months back in Tibet.
Story Here

The Chinese have jailed 1,000 Tibetan monks until after the Olympics for no reason except to ensure that there will be no ‘unrest.’ The Chinese government expects peace to result from treating a revered potion of the Tibetan population this way. It is a very shortsighted strategy that will backfire in the long-term. Story Here

A major source of unrest between China and Tibet stems from the Chinese government trying to convince its citizens that the Dalai Lama is a “Jackal in monk’s robes.” Of course nobody outside of China believes this, but since there is no freedom of speech and press within China, the government can tell its citizens that the Dalai Lama is evil and the Chinese government is well intentioned and benevolent. Some Chinese actually view the Tibetans as ungrateful for their ‘liberation’ and don’t understand their dissatisfaction. A whole generation of Chinese are being brought up on this view. It is a very tragic situation that will only breed unrest between China and Tibet. Story Here

This past week, Barack Obama said he will not attend the opening of the Olympics. This is the opposite opinion of President Bush, who will attend. President Bush believes that it would be an insult to the Chinese people not to attend. The Dalai Lama agrees with President Bush’s position. The Dalai Lama believes that the Olympics will be a great source of pride for the Chinese people, who have also suffered much under Chinese rule and live without many freedoms. He always distinguishes between his ‘Chinese brothers and sisters’ – the citizens of China – and the Chinese government’s policies, which he opposes. I would not like other people to think that my government’s policies are a direct reflection of my own beliefs. We should afford the Chinese citizens this same courtesy. Boycotting or denying the Chinese citizen their accomplishment of hosting the Olympics will cause the opposite reaction that boycotters hope to achieve. Due to their lack of freedom of press and speech, Chinese citizens have no idea why other countries would shame them by not attending the opening. The average Chinese citizen has very little access to anything true about Tibet. The resulting reaction from a boycott, as was the case with the attacks on the torch, would allow the Chinese government to raise nationalistic fervor and radicalize the Chinese citizens even more against the Dalai Lama and Tibet. We must work to find a Middle Way’ and raise awareness of the lack of freedoms by all those under Chinese rule. But how does one support the Olympics, the athletes, the Chinese citizens while still opposing Chinese policy in Tibet? Let’s have a think….Story Here