LPC BTW 2009/10 2nd Issue

S

E

C

O

N

D

I

S

S

BTW LPCUWC Cover & Layout Design by JY

U

E

ffhhhhghgh

Dear fellow LPC students: The BTW Editors Sonia & Kate

Welcome to the second issue of BTW, now with added 5irst year goodness!

Yet another month has gone by (can you believe it?) and now the mid-­‐year break is on the horizon. For the second years, Predicted Grades are out and now college and university applications are at the top of our priorities as we begin the transition from secondary to further education. Some of us are nervous, uncertain about what we want, where to go, what lies ahead, but we are guided and encouraged every step of the way by staff and friends. Some of us just want to get it over with and 5ind out already, to jump into college and a new place with new lessons and NO IB. But then there is still one term to wait for, full of friends and fun and whatnot that we anticipate and will settle for.

For 5irst years, you got to experience all of the second years trudging around with bags under eyes and coffee in hands, moaning incoherently about that upcoming test/IA/essay/presentation.

Don’t be too concerned, we’re mostly better now and back on our feet. You probably also helped us survive by giving us hugs and warm words of encouragement, and believe us we are grateful. Keep focused on your own experience and work and friends though, we do tend to whine a bit.

As if you need any more reasons, this issue will take you 5irmly outside of the campus and into some of the events of the world around us. China Week, Sex Scandals, and Television are all within these (virtual) pages. Take a look, and do give comments to any of the authors. Response, praise and discussion are always welcome.

BTW will be releasing a mini-­‐issue before school ends for the term, so do contact the BTW editors if you wish to submit anything.

Read and Enjoy,a

ARTICLES Sex Scandal in Politics - Will he survive it?

Adrian Lo ........................................................................................................4 A Worthy Laureate Kumar Ramanathan..................................................................................5 New York University in Abu Dhabi Meike ...............................................................................................................6 Why “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ranks among the greatest TV shows ever created Michael Ratliff & Kumar Ramanathan ............................................8 “Sometimes I regret coming” - Interview with Chen, Lan Qing Morris .............................................................................................................9 October 11, 2009 Sonia................................................................................................................10 Portraits of North Korea: the Hermit Kingdom Carlos Ignacio Hernández ....................................................................13

3

Sex Scandal in Politics - Will he survive it?

Adrian Lo One of the recent headlines in local newspapers is the sex scandal of one of the members of the Legislative Council, Nai-wai Kam, an elected member of the legislative branch of the government, who was alleged to have fired his personal aide after an unsuccessful attempt to start a relationship with her. The story was revealed by the aide’s former employer, a former legislator ousted in the previous election in 2008. As a result of the incident, there were strong opinions from within and outside the Democratic Party, the party which Kam belongs to, calling for his resignation or the termination of his membership to the party, both of which were refuted by Kam himself. Upon the agreement of the majority of legislators, a process of investigation has been invoked, which if passed by a majority in the legislature, will automatically see Kam expelled.

Sex scandals are no stranger to politics, and sometimes it seems like a complement to politics, an inseparable part of it. In Kam’s case, an obvious parallel would be Bill Clinton’s scandal with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, back in the 1990s. Despite the charges made by the Congress and the court, he was only penalised for perjury and after the event he managed to stabilize his political career.

One cannot help wondering why he survived such a sex scandal, and more importantly, why are sex scandals almost becoming an integral part of politics?

Looking at how Bill Clinton managed such a challenge to his political career, one may see how he survived. First of all, despite the subsequent admission to having a relationship with Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton stood by his statement that “he did not have sexual relations with that woman”.

Secondly, he handled the entire case with

charisma and power, which may sound awkward, but along with the strong support he had from his family, the repeated denials all pointed towards his personal abilities of confidence and charisma. Looking abroad, apart from Bill Clinton, the Italian prime minister Silvio Berlosconi has long been under the scrutiny by the media, yet time and time again he survived the never-ending sex scandals surrounding his private life. One of the more recent reports was that he paid for the girls he brought for a private party, leading to speculations about him seeking paying for prostitution. Apart from the fact the he repeatedly denied the allegations, he was simply too big to fail, due to his significant influence in various business feilds. On the contrary, politicians such as former Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer were found to have paid for prostitution and upon hearing the trials, accepted responsibility and resigned.

On the deeper side, it is often questioned why politicians just love sex so much so that they put their careers in jeopardy. I personally believe that there are two parts to this question: that the media exaggerates the events of a sex scandal of a politician, and the nature of politicians, who are usually people who take higher risks and thus holding higher risk thresholds.

Regarding the former, it is known that, especially in the modern day, news is covered on a very biased and exaggerated manner, and very often news regarding a particular scandal is magnified in the public eye when there is no great evidence or facts, or even reported based on pure speculation. The media turns the inside, the private life, out to the public such that these people, who bear a certain political responsibility, are under scrutiny around the clock.

I believe that instead of being distinct and rare, it is because high-profile sex scandals create an attractive theme for many, thus having a high value for reporters.

Regarding the latter, I believe that another reason why we see more politicians than others involved in sex scandals is due to the 4 risk-taking and adventurous nature of politics, characteristics born by most

politicians. As a result of such, these people have a tendency to take high risks, and at the same time believe in their own ‘superman’ ability. With their risk thresholds higher than those of average people, they are more willing to commit such acts bearing the thought that this is risk worth taking. Other times, the temptations surrounding a politician may also affect their actions. Just as Bill Clinton said after the scandal, “I cracked, I just cracked” showed that his actions were unintentional and merely controlled externally.

Whether Kam will survive this scandal will be a premature question, but characteristics we see as to why politics and sex scandals come together so often can be projected to the observation of future cases.

Without that self-confidence, charisma and strength, one would not be able to survive the pressure exerted by the media, the public and others.

A Worthy Laureate Kumar Ramanathan Nobody saw it coming, but it seems that almost everyone was ready to jump on the bandwagon of backlash and cynicism when Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The general media reaction has been an outcry against what is seen as a preemptive decision. There is also the idea that Obama is undeserving of the prize. While it is true that he is not a pure champion of world peace, it is unfair to accuse him of not contributing to world peace. The decision to award the prize to Obama may not have been the best choice, but it was not a wrong one.

A huge misconception plagues the discussion of this issue that needs to be cleared up - the idea that giving the prize to Obama was a

"premature" decision. In his will, Alfred Nobel explained that the Peace Prize should be awarded to "those who during the preceding year ... shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." The Nobel Peace Prize is not a lifetime achievement award, nor is it a recognition of some great deed done in the distant past. It is about the here and now, about those who have contributed to peace over the past year.

The Prize is not about success either. It is nearly impossible to assess the success of a person's work towards peace over the past year. If that was the case, Martin Luther King Jr would not have gotten the Prize in 1964, and Aung San Suu Kyi would still be waiting for hers.

This brings us to the question of whether or not the President deserves the Prize. After all the hype of his campaign and the hoopla surrounding his inauguration, it is not entirely surprising that there would be a backlash against the near-deification of Obama. The Nobel Committee has been accused of awarding the Prize to him merely because he makes nice speeches. While that in itself is an instantaneous improvement in America's international policy, Obama has done a lot more than making nice speeches and not being Bush that has made him worthy of the Prize.

Take, for example, the situation in Iran. To put it lightly, tensions between the US and Iran have been on the rise since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Obama in his campaign agreed to negotiate with Iran, a country formerly labeled as part of the "Axis of Evil" by the Bush administration. He kept his promise, and opened talks with the Iranian government about their nuclear plan. On 1 October, at a breakthrough six-party talk in Geneva, he managed to bring the subject of Iran's nuclear program to the negotiating table. In that meeting, the US, along with

5

Russia and China, managed to convince Iran to agree on a framework for UN inspections of Tehran's nuclear facilities. Iran also agreed to ship its enriched uranium to Russia and France for peaceful processing, and agreed to further meetings in the future. That alone is a remarkable achievement that highlights the merits of Obama's technique.

The importance of Obama's simple gestures towards the Muslim world cannot be ignored.

His first interview as President with Al Arabiya, his proclamation at Norwuz to the people of Iran that "America is not at war with Islam" and his June speech towards the Muslim world might not seem like substantial achievements individually, but with those and other gestures, Obama has changed the tone of the United States towards the greater tapestry of the world. In the Middle East, he is investing in patient diplomacy. In Russia, he has reversed his predecessor's provocative attitude. The list goes on. Slowly but surely, America is rejoining the multilateral conversation of international politics.

By giving Obama the Prize, the Nobel Committee is applauding his message of hope, commending his work over the past nine months, and encouraging him to take it to his logical conclusion. Certainly, Barack Obama has not delivered world peace. War and violent conflict still persist in many parts of the world, and threaten to take over many others. There are still many challenges ahead for Obama and his administration, but over the past year, the President of the United States has stood up to the world as a beacon of hope and peace, making him a fine choice for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

New York University in Abu Dhabi Meike At the end of last month, over China Week, I went on to visit New York University’s (NYU) new campus in Abu Dhabi on a trip paid for by the university. I’ve decided to write this article because a) lots of people keep asking me about it and want to know more and; b) I think this new university is one that many people would be interested.

Just so you know, Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, it is the Emirate next to Dubai, they are located are about 1.5 hours apart.

Just to clarify before I go into this article any further, because this is the question that people have asked me most frequently, NO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE GONE TO A CANDIDATE WEEKEND IN ORDER TO APPLY TO NYU ABU DHABI. First of all there are about 4 more of these weekends to come.

Some of the spots will be reserved for people from schools with “nominating power”, like the spots on the weekend I was on. However, the next couple weekends after that are going to be reserved for a) students who have made it through the first round of admissions who, before their final admissions decision is made will be given the privilege of visiting so that they can meet staff and faculty (kind of like an extended challenge day, just less competitive) and; b) students who have already been admitted. NYU wants everybody who is admitted to the university to be able to see the campus, meet the staff and get an introduction to the lifestyle in Abu Dhabi before making the decision to attend.

So, yes, NYU does want everybody who is admitted to the university to go to the university and it is a prerequisite for matriculation. That means you do need to visit the campus before you make the decision to attend the university but that you do not need to go before applying to the

6

university. Just apply (It’s the Common App, plus the NYU Supplement, plus the NYU Abu Dhabi Supplement, called the “NYU Abu Dhabi Admissions Portfolio”). Also, added bonus, the application fee is free.

New York University Abu Dhabi is going to be, with it inaugural class in 2010 another “portal” to New York University’s global network. NYU has 12 campuses all over the world in Rome, Florence, Madrid, London, Berlin, Paris, Shanghai, Accra (Ghana), Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, New York and, now, Abu Dhabi. However, New York and Abu Dhabi are the only fully residential campuses, the others are designed to be study abroad sites for either a semester or a full year. NYU puts a huge emphasis on travel abroad and if you where to go to NYU Abu Dhabi you are allowed to do up to 3 semesters abroad.

So, a bit more on the university would be useful. If you graduate from NYUAD you will get an NYU degree. There will be 18 majors available at NYUAD, providing arts and sciences undergraduate degrees as well as an engineering major. So far, I was told on my weekend there, 40 full time teaching faculty have already been hired for an inaugural class of 100 to 120 students. This means that in the first year there will be an approximate student to faculty ratio of 3:1.

This is anticipated to grow to 8:1 by the inaugural class’ 4th year when the campus moves and grows to approximately 2000 undergraduate students.

The campus now is in downtown Abu Dhabi, relatively small, but only around 400 meters away from the residence tower, Sama Tower. This glass covered tower, the tallest building in Abu Dhabi thus far, will be the home for all the students, faculty and other staff of NYUAD and will feature sports facilities, common areas and a cafeteria which aims to serve meals from around the world. The rooms are designed apartment style and come in two different options. The first option is a 2-bedroom flat that would be shared between 4 roommates. It has a full kitchen and both a half-bath and a full bath.

The second option is a studio flat that would be shared between two roommates, which has

a smaller kitchen and 1 bathroom. All of the rooms have gorgeous floor to ceiling windows with an awesome view around the city.

I know you’ve been waiting for information on this, but yes, NYU Abu Dhabi does provide financial aid for overseas students. Admissions is need blind and their aim is to meet the full financial aid requirements of every student admitted no matter where they are from. The university goes so far as to call their financial aid “financial support grants” because it is designed to let students take full advantage of this new opportunity and to graduate without debt. All aid is transferable to NYU’s study abroad programs both at the NYU campuses and at NYU’s exchange universities.

And, finally, a note about the culture shock: yes, Abu Dhabi is in the Middle East and yes I definitely noticed a difference when I went there. Women do dress more conservatively and it is HOT. However, you will soon notice that about 80% of the population of the Emirates is not actually Emirati, they are mostly immigrants from various different countries, mostly from South Asia and other Arab countries, which gives the place a very cosmopolitan and multicultural feel. Ladies, the only time that I was required to cover up was when we visited the Grand Mosque where I wore an abbaya, sort of a black dress/coat with a headscarf. The government of the Emirates is pushing for greater empowerment of women, especially as many of the young overseas educated Emiratis who are returning to work for their country are women. One of my concerns before I went on the Candidate Weekend was that perhaps internship opportunities would be limited for potential female students applying to the university, but having been there I can really not claim to be worried about this anymore.

With students from all over the world, most of them with all the financial support that they need, sounds like a very appealing concept doesn’t it? It also sounds a bit familiar doesn’t it?

Also, just as a note, I did apply to 7 NYUAD Early Decision. I will find out on

December 15th if I’m in or not. You will definitely know if I got in so if you don’t hear anything just please don’t ask me, okay? The last thing I want is people asking me all day if I got in when I didn’t. Thanks.

Why “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ranks among the greatest TV shows ever created Michael Ratliff & Kumar Ramanathan It is with good reason that some of you categorically avoid the tarnished genre of vampires and science fiction. Too many poorly written movies and low quality television shows lay claim to the same category that has piqued the imagination of generations. But great television cannot be bound by its genre. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is something beyond its classification, deserving of consideration at the very least.

For those of you who haven't heard of the show, it is about exactly what it sounds like it's about. Our protagonist, Buffy Summers, is a Slayer of vampires and other such demons.

But this serves merely as a framework for creator Joss Whedon to question the philosophical paradigm of society and the norms of our culture. Any good fantasy or science fiction story is really about us and our present, past and future, and Buffy is no different. There are vampires and werewolves, but they are symbolic of different segments of our society. The added bonus of exploring such themes in a fantasy setting is that you get to have fun with your characters and your plot while still having a deep and meaningful story.

What puts many people off from Buffy is the campy humor and poor focus of the first season. Of the thirteen episodes in that season, only about four or five of them are

any good. Only in the second season does the show find its niche and finally settle on a tone that is appropriate to its story. The glimpses of witty dialogue that we see in the first season become a full-fledged regular feature.

Buffy starts to be about something more than high school life and pulp action scenes; it finds layers of depth that one would not expect in a teen-oriented television show about vampires. It begins to tackle philosophical issues relating to everything from coming-of-age to the nature of human relationships.

The way that this philosophical discussion is achieved is one of the most brilliant aspects of the show. When watching individual episodes, it doesn't feel like the writers are preaching to the audience. While Buffy's themes aren't masked deep within its subtext, they're not exactly obvious either. They are expressed as part of the story being told, fitting in with that story's flow and logical progression.

This may make the show sound heavy, but it's really not. The tone remains relatively lighthearted throughout the show through the wit and humour of the dialogue, and the sarcasm of the characters, who seem to realise the ridiculousness of the situations they are being put in. You could have an episode played entirely for laughs one week, and follow it up the next week with an episode discussing the essence of a soul, and it would still make sense within the continuity of the story arc.

Much of these feats can be attributed to damn good writing. Joss Whedon and his writing staff have the ability to produce snappy dialogue and an infinite amount of quotable lines. But their brilliance is not reserved merely to dialogue. Buffy began its run in the late 1990s, which is when continuous story arcs in television were becoming popular.

Whedon exploited this excellently by writing episodes that could be enjoyed individually, but only truly understood if watched in the context of that season's storyline. The 8 character relationships are some of the most three-dimensional that television has ever

seen, and once again this is ingrained deeper into the show than in dialogue alone. For the episode Hush, where there is no dialogue except for the first and last ten minutes, Whedon earned an Emmy nomination for Best Writing.

Above are two examples of the many ways in which Buffy makes excellent use of the television medium. Whedon excels at creating realistic characters and complex storylines, for which television is a perfect channel. Whedon makes full use of everything from the teaser before the opening credits to the fixed three-act structure of the traditional television episode. Like any other medium, the 40-minute television show comes with its own perks and downsides. It allows the writers to revisit characters and examine their layers, exploring new themes in tandem with the systematic maturation of the story. However, it is easy for a television show that runs for an extended period of time to become repetitive and stale. Despite running for seven seasons, Buffy never fell prey to this curse of television. It is that same maturation of the story and the characters that allows the writers to explore even the same themes again in new ways.

Many of you probably watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer during its original run, when you would have been eight to ten years old, or somewhere thereabouts. Others have dismissed it for whatever reason, or have just never encountered the show. If you are receptive enough, it is easy to see the wonderful depth and intelligence of the series. We urge all of you to give this show a second chance; hopefully you will appreciate and enjoy it as much as we do.

[If you are interested in getting into the show, come to see one of us at Block 2 and we'll get you set up.]

“Sometimes I regret coming” Interview with Chen, Lan Qing

Morris We sat down at the table right under the windowed roof. Eve translated as I eagerly jotted down the all-important points for my interview. During the interview I laughed, understanding small bits of what she said, in that fast nine-toned language (or dialect as some may call it) that is so common here in Hong Kong. I was asked to interview her, in the hopes of discovering the more personal side of a character who slides our bread, washes our dishes, cleans our messy tables and asks that all important question “你 想 吃 什 麼?”

CHING! The ‘awesomest’ canteen lady Sodexho has ever hired began working at LPC United World College eleven years ago, immediately after being hired by Sodexho.

She says she is happy here in Hong Kong but her heart still lies in the People’s Republic of China. A native of Shenzhen, Lan Qing arrived in Hong Kong in 1974, following her elder sister who left the family in 1971.

Currently, four of her six siblings live in Hong Kong. When I asked why she left, she answered that back then there was a lot of hardship in China. She continued detailing her family’s inadequate food quotes and substandard housing conditions. She softened her voice as she told Eve and I about her wishes of still being in PRC, as it is a country which is now booming, and a place where she was happier. The problem was the hardship which she faced back then and Hong Kong was developing quite rapidly so naturally a person migrates to improve their standard of life, leaving behind the things which they love the most.

9

Now she lives near the school, in a large government subsidised apartment with her hardworking husband of 22 years. An interesting fact which I found was that her husband, who is a construction worker, actually helped in the building of LPC United World College back in 1992! I expressed my amazement by shouting the common 香港 phrase “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa’ to which she laughed and imitated me. Ching has three children (well they aren’t children anymore) —two sons and a daughter. Her her eldest daughter, who is twenty-eight years old, works at a local supermarket, while one of sons works at ATV and the other is in University.

What I love about Ching is her out of this world personality which turns my frown into a smile. Her animated voice only allows me to understand a word or two out of the twenty she says per second but even though I laugh and enjoy being made of fun by Ching. She usually tells me how I am going to marry Kam, one of the other canteen ladies, and laughs at my pronunciation when I ask for ham. She describes herself as a simple person, “When I am sad you can tell I am sad but when I am happy you can definitely see I am happy”. Ching’s hobbies included the very popular Mahjong and shopping for clothes and shoes. Additionally she enjoys Chinese food and tea.

My final question to Ching was “What advice would you give the students of LPC?” To this she answered, “Some people aren’t qualified to give advice.” But I insisted, so she said that when students misbehave and leave the tables messy is bothers her and it does look good for the future of this world if students like us to do these things. She later added, “Everyone has their own road and I would love to see all of you accomplish all of your goals and dreams and I love when students come back and visit.” Finally she said: “BE HAPPY and SMILE!” Through stories like the one of Ching we can hear a diverse and unexpected truth in persons who we only get to know for two

years. After I interviewed Ching, I ran up the canteen stairs to catch the bus to my Volleyball after that, I began to process all that I had heard and wonder how I would retell the translated story of Ching the ‘awesomest’ canteen lady. Now that I know a little more about Ching, I always try to get her smiling as she so cheerfully tries to make me.

October 11, 2009

Sonia Today is an important day. Today, October 11th, is National Coming Out Day. Today is a day that is given to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community in the USA and the world to celebrate who we are and call out for equal human rights and protection for the governments that are supposed to represent us. Today, in my hometown, Washington D.C., there is a march taking place by people who are dissatisfied with the level of action that President Obama and his government have taken to promote equality and equal rights. This is because although in the U.S.A. we have our Constitution that we wave in each other’s faces and are so honored to uphold, and in it we claim to separate Religion from Government, people in the LGBT community are still discriminated on a large basis by a number of government policies. The most prominent of those are Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, a policy stating that you cannot be openly gay and serving in the US military, and the Defense of Marriage Act, where the federal government does not recognize gay marriage and says that individual states have no need to recognize same-sex marriages that were legally performed in other states. Today’s March for Equality is to tell the politicians that we will not stand for these legislations to continue, and that Congress must act if they wish to 10 continue to support equal human rights.

There was another event last night, hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the current organizers and promoters of National Coming Out Day. President Obama was invited and gave a speech in front of a gathering of black tie-wearing, wine-sipping donors and “advocates”. If you take the text of Obama’s speech, he promises to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, he says that he is “committed”, he says that “someday” people will see the love between two people of the same sex as valid and worthy and as deserving of rights as the partnerships of people of different sexes. Unfortunately, we have heard these words before; Obama’s speech last night was that of Candidate Obama, not President Obama who has had the power to fight for these issues for the past 9 months. Even more infuriating to me and the gay rights activists was the mass email that the leader of the Human Rights Campaign sent out to his subscribers. In this email he essentially denounced the marchers by saying that only in 2017, after Obama’s presumed second term in office could we look back and then perhaps reprimand or commend him on his work for the LGBT community. It was infuriating because the HRC is the leading and most well funded equal rights groups in the United States, and they were proposing that we the dissatisfied should sit down and shut up about our rights and let the government take care of it in their own good time.

The problem here is one that people at LPC are well exposed to: Procrastination.

Everyone is well aware that Barack Hussein Obama is now a Nobel Laureate, and from what I’ve seen on the canteen board many people are upset about it, saying he did nothing to deserve it. Perhaps not, but his campaign revolved around promoting America’s image in the world, which he has begun to do, and his Peace Prize was in recognition of that. As he said himself, the prize is a call to action, recognizing his power and placing pressure on him to turn his words into actions and results. The prize means that the Nobel Committee has faith in this man, urging him to set aside caution and fear and make the change that he campaigned on.

However, this fear that Obama has been able to overcome in dealing with international relations is still keeping him and Congress from acting in their own country about equal civil rights.

National Coming Out Day was chosen for this march because the day is all about overcoming fear. As the name insinuates, this is a day given to LGBT people so that they can tell the world that they will not hide their identities, that gay people are a minority, but a significant one that needs to be recognized as equal and free as everyone else. A year ago today I told my closest friends the truth about my sexuality, something I had been hiding from them for the past two years. What it meant was that I was free from a prison I had created for myself. Now that the truth was out I could fight for gay rights, my rights, and those around me would respect my decisions and my reasoning for doing so. Coming out was important because it gave me a voice, a voice for those who do not have the luxury of a safe haven in which to be themselves. In many countries in the Middle East and SubSaharan Africa homosexuality is punishable by death, and some of the tortures that the gay people in these countries have to suffer are horrific and nauseating. My fear that causes me to stay silent is nothing in comparison to the fear of the men and women in these countries; I have the protection of my body and mind and therefore have the duty to speak for those who are forced for fear of their lives to be silent.

You can’t depend on other people to take care of things, especially over controversial subjects such as gay rights. The Human Rights Campaign is being cowardly in not placing pressure on the American government, and therefore Obama does not feel an urgent need to keep his own promises to his constituents who put him in office. The people organizing the National Equality March are tired of waiting for other people to do something about what should be given to them, and are therefore coming out in pride and protest to be that pressure on the government and on the people to see them as equal human beings who deserve the rights 11 given to them.

We are your family, friends, and acquaintances, we will not hide in the shadows if it is still possible that we can make a difference, we will not hide if it means that because of our inaction others around the globe have to suffer, we will fight for ourselves and those who do not have the means, because we can and because we are free and equal and subject to the same laws and government.

That is what it means to come out.

12

China Week - Tao Tribe Hannah Wheatly

13

14

BTW LPCUWC SECOND ISSUE 15