BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 54 ECEMBER 6-12, 2019 BTR
Action
Association
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
The plight of the over seven
million inhabitants of Hong
Kong, who are being deprived
of their freedom by the authoritarian
and increasingly militaristic
government of China,
should receive the same level
of sympathy and support exhibited
worldwide for other
signifi cant human rights concerns,
such as that which was
provided to fi ght apartheid in
South Africa.
That this has not occurred
is not an accident. Unlike Russia,
or its predecessor the Soviet
Union, China has been
able to combine its more sophisticated
understanding of
public relations and utilize its
fi nancial leverage to quell criticism.
It is a remarkable political
accomplishment. Beijing operates
hundreds of concentration
camps in which political
dissidents and religious minorities
are incarcerated, tortured
and killed. It’s military
openly intimidates almost all
of its neighbors, and invades
sovereign territory. The government
engages in massive
espionage, steals intellectual
property, and adheres to massive
unfair trade practices.
It produces the world’s highest
CO2 emissions. It brutally
repressed a pro-democracy
movement at Tiananmen
Square, and may be on the
verge of doing the same in
Hong Kong.
Beijing has made international
censorship a top priority,
and key social media outlets
have been complicit. in a
vitally important investigative
journalism piece, an Intercept
article by Ryan Gallagher recently
reported that “google is
planning to launch a censored
version of its search engine in
China that will blacklist websites
and search terms about
human rights, democracy, religion,
and peaceful protest…
The project – code-named
Dragonfl y – has been underway
since spring of 2017.
China’s leadership is not
content to merely eliminate
free speech and political dissent
within its own borders.
The New York Times reported
in 2018 that “Within
its digital borders, China has
long censored what its people
read and say online. Now, it is
increasingly going beyond its
own online realms to police
what people and companies
are saying about it all over
the world.”
Those who criticize China
quickly discover the power of
its infl uence, and its vast tentacles
in far-fl ung organizations.
The sports blog SBNATION
provides one example:
“ A tweet by Rockets general
manager Daryl Morey supporting
protestors in Hong
Kong is setting off a chain reaction
of fallout between the
NBA and China. NBA commissioner
GJONAJ CONGRATULATES SCOUT
Councilman Mark Gjonaj congratulated newly appointed Eagle
Scout member Brand McCaughan, along with his family and Eagle
Scout troop at their ‘Court of Honor’ ceremony.
Photo courtesy of Councilman Mark Gjonaj’s offi ce
Adam Silver has already
issued two statements
clarifying the league’s position
on Morey’s tweet. Despite
the tweet being almost immediately
deleted, Silver stated
he “regrets” upsetting people
in China but wouldn’t limit
free speech for league employees.
The response has not appeased
business leaders and
the state-run broadcast networks
previously set to air
the games. What originally
started as a backlash focused
on the Rockets now threatens
to derail the NBA’s strong relationship
in China. The Lakers
Nets game went on with no
media availability.”
What about the supposedly
‘woke’ college campuses?
China has instituted “Confucius
Institutes” to defl ect
potential criticism from academia.
Politico reports that
“More than a decade after
they were created, Confucius
Institutes have sprouted up
at more than 500 college campuses
worldwide, with more
than 100 of them in the United
States…Overseen by a branch
of the Chinese Ministry of Education
known colloquially
as Hanban, the institutes are
part of a broader propaganda
initiative that the Chinese
government is pumping an estimated
$10 billion into annually…”
Beijing has not ignored the
cultural scene, either. Hollywood
moguls, never known
for their moral standards, will
now pander even further to
Chinese censors for two main
reasons. First, they do not
wish to offend a potential bigbucks
investor in their industry.
Chinese companies have
invested $4.5 billion in Hollywood
assets. Second, the lure
of selling tickets to China’s
billion-plus citizens inhibits
them from producing fi lms
that Beijing censors will keep
out of the world’s most populous
nation. Business Insider
notes that “Hollywood studio
productions will… increasingly
be made by China—or
rather, by Chinese companies
investing in Hollywood.”
BY MARY JANE MUSANO
It’s almost here. Our annual
Christmas Tree Lighting
will be on Saturday, December
14. We will gather at Schneider
Sampson Park on Hollywood
and Baisley avenues
at 5:30 p.m. to wait for Santa’s
arrival. Please join us for hot
chocolate, cookies and some
sweet treats.
When Santa arrives on his
special red sleigh, he will have
gifts for all good boys and girls
12 and under. Bring your camera
to snap a photo of the look
of wonder on your child’s face
as they sit on Santa’s knee.
All children are welcome. All
adults are welcome. Join us
and wish your neighbors a
Merry Christmas as you enjoy
a little old fashioned festive
Christmas Tree Lighting.
Reason for the Season
Sometimes we forget
but the reason we celebrate
Christmas is because it is
the day Christ was born. It is
the season of giving because
Jesus gives to us all that we
need. There are fun ways that
we can keep Christ in Christmas.
Many years ago, when I
worked as the director of a Day
Care Center, we were asked to
admit a child that was normal
but had no speech. His mom
was a woman with severe mental
issues. The child’s grandfather
was supposed to be helping
with their care but he was
seldom around to help.
The staff all worked together
to help this 2 1/2 year
old child learn new words. We
brought in the physical items
corresponding to the words
we wanted him to learn. We
talked to him constantly. I remember
that the fi rst word he
spoke on his own was balloon.
That day was a special day for
everyone at the Day Care Center.
We celebrated his success
with hugs and kisses.
His mom would often come
to my offi ce after dropping
him off to his classroom. She
needed to talk so I took the
time to listen. She confi ded her
concerns about how much she
loved her little boy and admitted
that she feared she could
not care for him. She explained
that she was trying hard to get
better. There were good days
and bad days and that was obvious
by her demeanor each
day. They had very little but
you could feel the love between
them. Over many months the
child improved but their situation
remained pretty much
the same.
One day in November, she
came to my offi ce for one of
our chats. She was telling me
about how hard the Christmas
season was for her. While her
neighbors were buying gifts
and putting up Christmas
Trees, she had no money to do
either. When I saw the tears
and her deep sadness, I knew I
had to do something to bring a
smile to their faces.
I never told anyone about
our conversation because I
knew it would embarrass her.
I got to work and the Christmas
spirit that it created was
invigorating. I bought a faux
Christmas tree so that they
would have it for many years.
I included ornaments, lights
and garland with a note to both
saying, ‘Have fun decorating
your tree!’ I bought several
wrapped gifts with tags saying,
‘Do not open until Christmas!’
An angel holding a banner
that said, ‘Have Faith.’ was
the fi nishing touch.
I waited a few weeks so that
our conversation had some
time to fade then I sent the
Christmas gifts that I hoped
would make their Christmas
merry, fi nally. It was important
that she did not know who
sent them. I didn’t speak of it
to anyone but I thought about
it often. I thought about the
possible reactions they would
have when the gifts arrived. I
pictured their smiling faces. I
hoped that this would let them
know that they should have
faith that they were not forgotten.
I prayed that their sad situation
would get better.
I hoped that one day soon
she would come to my offi ce
with a big smile bursting to
tell me of their good fortune
and that is exactly what happened.
I listened to her words
and reveled in her happiness.
I truly think that I was happier
than she was that day.
We hugged each other and we
shed some happy tears. It was
a day I will remember vividly
for the rest of my life.
That wonderful experience
has inspired me to take the
time to bring a smile to someone’s
face each Christmas season.
This tradition is one that
I highly recommend that you
try. It can be as small as raking
up your neighbors leaves
or dropping some scratch off
lottery tickets in their mailbox.
Just think of how much
better our world would be
if we all took the time to do
something kind.
This Christmas let’s all remember
the reason for the season
and celebrate by performing
random acts of kindness.