As a fellow Parsons instructor I feel it necessary to help spread this: From Boing Boing: GRL’s James Powderly detained in Beijing for planning pro-Tibet “L.A.S.E.R. Stencil” art protest.
Whether it was a “smart” idea to provoke the Chinese, given the incredibly conciliatory and turn-the-other-cheek coverage of the Olympics, it seems reasonable that someone should push the boundaries. Kristof in the Times took a different tack, suggesting that the fact that Chinese officials are even paying lip service to the idea of protests is a step in the right direction, even if the persecution of dissenters of any stripe remains both tenacious and completely hidden from outside scrutiny. Let’s hope that James finds his way home unharmed.