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WWW.GUlLFORDlAN.COM EMPLOYMENT More jobs make for less unemployment: good news for Gudford graduates Continued from Page I much previous working experience. "I don't have previous experience," added Fisher. "It's a really vicious circle where you can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without a job or internships that don't actually pay." This is a common occurrence for many graduates who are looking for a job for the first time. Employers are more likely to hire someone with prior working experience. Internships and summer jobs are one way of building that resume and getting hired after graduating from Guilford. President Obama himself has been working hard to further improve the employment rate for the U.S. and, more specifically, for the younger generations currently searching for jobs. "President Obama urged the private sector to create around 250,000 positions for students and youths by this summer," wrote Joshua R. Weaver in The Root. "Thirty-five companies pledged commitment to the initiative on Jan. 5, when President Obama announced the White House's Summer Jobs+ program, and more companies are following suit — including many in the technology industry," wrote Weaver. This is another ray of light for the many college graduates anxiously contemplating their future and source of income. With this program, graduates are even more likely to find jobs and internships. "America's young people face record unemployment, and we need to do everything we can to make sure they've got the opportunity to earn the skills and a work ethic that comes with a job," said Obama in a press release. WORLD & NATION While aflame, Tibet fights for freedom By Justyn Melrose Staff Writer Only the freedom of Tibet can stop the burning and pull this nation from the fires of the Chinese counterculture. As darkness swallows the Tibetan plateau, a growing number of young Tibetans force light to break through the eclipse. The Chinese government has smothered traditional Tibetan culture, language and identity in hopes of welcoming Tibet into the modem world. Thus, approximately 30 Tibetan people have welcomed fire and their own deaths in protest to Chinese rule. Today, the Tibetan people continue to proudly fight a long-standing battle to save the Tibetan identity, many of whom have chosen to combat Chinese control and influence by lighting themselves on fire, an act known as self-immolation. Though change closes in on Tibet, the Tibetan people's resistance remains strong in the face of violent adversity. "What we see from the Chinese is they end up beating the people who have just lit themselves on fire; they're the ones who are shooting them; they're the ones who are clubbing them with (spiked clubs)," said U.S. Director of Students for a Free Tibet Tenzin Dolkar in an interview with The Guilfordian. "It is Tibetans who, for decades, have’ been looked at as second-class citizens; who have been looked at as backward barbarians and now really are building pride in themselves for being Tibetan and the Tibetan identity," said Dolkar. "That's an amazing thing, because it is powerful for the young Tibetans who have ... only known their Tlbetan-ness as a second-class citizen." The story of the plateau's seizure begins long ago. In the thirteenth century, the Mongol Empire controlled both Tibet and China. At some point during this occupation, China claimed Tibet to be part of the Chinese region and this continued long after the fall of the Mongol Empire. At this time, China had a tributary system in which the small countries around China received military, political and economic support in exchange for gifts of local products or beautiful women to the Chinese emperor. By the 19th century, China had been weakened by war and divided by the imperialism of other nations. Other powers took parts of China, which led to the end of the Chinese tributary system. Tibet, however — nestled in the Himalayas above the war and chaos — was left independent, perhaps because of its hostile climate and a lack of what others would consider important crops. Within the last century, however, China, took back Tibet. About 60 years ago, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan theocracy, fled in exile to Dharamsala, India. Having escaped Chinese prosecution, he survived to observe China's forced assimilation of Tibet and act as a spiritual leader to the small nation that was swallowed up in China's modernity. Some would argue that the protests and self-immolations are unnecessary, and that the Tibetans are ungrateful. Zhihong Chen, assistant professor of history, argues that China was acting to protect and help Tibet. The Chinese government was not attempting to harm this unique nation, but rather was afraid for Tibet, fearful of the foreign abuse it would otherwise be forced to endure. "The fear is that Tibet would become a stepping stone for foreign relations," said Chen. "When I say 'Free Tibet,' am I in a way real ly serving a ^foreign political agenda?" In the same way that China sees small neighboring nations as "little brothers," Tibet, too, was seen as a dependent in need of protection, according to Chen. Chen notes that during the Cold War era, the U.S. and the Soviet Union divided Korea; both powers using the smaller nation as a weapon or a tool. China could have been acting in defense of Tibet and worried that the region would be converted into a foreign tool to attack the Chinese empire. In addition to the protection that China's powerful government offers to Tibet, China also offers the people of Tibet free healthcare, excuses Tibet from the one- child policy and has built railroads from Tibet to China to stimulate more business opportunities. Some would ask, why are the Tibetans still wishing for independence? "The culture," said George Guo, associate professor of political science and East Asian studies. ''A large number of Tibetans, a huge number, still want to hold on to their culture; their identity." "Better lives, ... better healthcare and welfare cannot replace the cultural identity," added Guo. Dolkar agreed. "There are about 2.25 million Tibetans who ... lead (a form) of nomadic life, and what China is trying to do is systematically remove them from their lifestyle on the Tibetan grasslands, on the plateau, and move them into these ghetto-style housing blocks and systematically trying to destroy this culture, this way of life which is really essentially the core of Tibetan identity, the core of Tibetan culture and religion and tradition and language," Dolkar explained. In March alone, approximately 30 individuals voiced their dissent through self-immolation. Sonam Dhargyal, Losang Tsultrim, Jamyang Palden, Gepey, Dorjee, Rinchen and Tsering Kyi were just seven of many who sought to offer up their lives in flames for the cause of the Tibetan people. "These acts that are sacrificial... are non violent in that they could not hurt someone else," said Dolkar. "(The Tibetan people) intentionally could not hurt another person." These fires are not a symbol of insanity or stupidity, but stand as symbol of the Tibetan struggle and of the darkness under which they must live. When their rulers would not hold their traditions in the light, these individuals created a light for themselves. "Every individual who has lit themselves on fire (wants) freedom for Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama, and what they're saying is that they cannot endure one more day under Chinese rule," said Dolkar. Only the freedom of Tibet can stop the burning. Alongside the people of this endangered culture. Free Tibet and Students for a Free Tibet are just two of the many organizations fighting to protect Tibetan tradition. Darkness may swallow the Tibetan plateau, but the Tibetan culture will not go down without a fight. Osama bia Laden's plans before death: tbe assassination of Pres. Obama By Haejin Song Staff Writer "Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden," President Barack Obama announced on May 2, 2011. People from all across the nation chanted "U.S.A" as they remembered the men and women who perished on Sept. 11, and, finally, many had received a sense of closure. The world had heard the last of bin Laden — or so it seemed. In the mission to capture bin Laden, code-named "Operation Neptune Spear," U.S. Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams raided his compound. After killing bin Laden, they collected invaluable computer hard drives, CDs and paper files — including one that detailed a plan to assassinate Obama. "Please ask brother Ilyas (senior member of al-Qaeda) to send me the steps he has taken into that work," bin Laden wrote in a 48-page note to his top lieutenant, according to BBC News. During his final days, the notorious leader of al-Qaeda wanted his organization to focus on attacking the aircraft of President Obama and General David Petraeus, the current director of the CIA. "The reason for concentrating on them is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make Biden take over the presidency," explained bin Laden in the confiscated documents, reported the Washington Post. "Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis. As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour ... and killing him would alter the war's path." Furthermore, the documents portray an increasingly worried bin Laden who was concerned about al-Qaeda's image, according to the Post. Bin Laden explained that because the Obama administration "largely stopped using the phrase 'the war on terror' in the context of not wanting to provoke Muslims,' Obama had targeted a war specifically against al-Qaeda. Thus, the "al-Qaeda brand" had become a complication. Bin Laden also pointed out "mistakes" and "miscalculations" by affiliates that had killed fellow Muslims, emphasizing that the spilling of "Muslim blood' had resulted in "the alienation of most of the nation." According to the Washington Post, he even proposed several name alternatives, such as ones "that would not easily be shortened to a word that does not represent us." Although a glimpse into bin Laden's reflections and audacious plan of assassinating President Obama were surprising to some, many were not even slightly alarmed. "All of the terrorist groups had plans to assassinate the U.S. president," said Robert Duncan, visiting assistant professor of political science and former intelligence officer. "If you were to give a point system for potential targets such as locking out the president of the U.S.A — you score big. Everyone thinks about it and tries to come up with a plan to accomplish that." With the death of bin Laden and al-Qaeda's top secrets in enemies' hands, the terrorist organization has seen losses in efficiency and authority. However, the notorious mastermind of al-Qaeda and the group continues to serve as a daunting reminder of bin Laden's aspirations. "The organization lacks the ability to plan, organize, and execute complex, catastrophic attacks, but the threat persists," said a senior administration analyst to the Washington Post.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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