Tiananmen Tea Party

Last week’s tea parties wound down quietly, then the protesters went home.  No one stopped them.  No one showed up to threaten them.

In China twenty years ago a spontaneous protest against frightening government controls led to the deadly conflict in Tiananmen Square. The incident culminated with hundreds, perhaps thousands, dead in what is called the June 4th Massacre by government opponents. The political establishment watered down the massacre by declaring it The Political Turmoil Between the Spring and Summer of 1989. That’s not very catchy. So much for Chinese public relations.

Protesters originally gathered to mourn the loss of Hu Yaobang, a popular, pro-democracy leader who died that spring.  A wave of anti-communist sentiment had been sweeping across the hemisphere.  The Soviet Union was on the brink of collapse, and Yaobang spoke positively of democratic reforms in Asia’s dominant nation.

Many of the protesters came from universities, students and teachers impacted by Yaobang’s encouragement of free press and speech.  They gathered by the thousands in Beijing and began calling for immediate reform and economic change.  The West watched as the movement grew.  For weeks, the protesters pushed their agenda, even using hunger strikes to sacrificially offer themselves for the good of their countrymen.

Great Scott! It’s George McFly’s Birthday

Today is Crispin Glover’s birthday.  Glover gave life to one of the greatest underdogs in Hollywood lore.  George Douglas McFly is the loveable loser from Back To The Future, one of the greatest trilogies ever created.

Some people mistakenly believe that Glover played the diminishing role of Marty’s father in the Back To The Future sequels, but the role was recast and played by Jeffrey Weissman.  With the help of some special effects and brilliant mimicry, the actor switch is usually undetectable even by watchful fans.

Glover ended up suing over the use of his character, and the Screen Actor’s Guild tweaked the rules for future cases.  Nevertheless, Glover made the role what it is, a man who overcomes relatable fears by standing up to the prototypical bully, Biff Tannen.  Here is a sampling.

Here’s another one that’s great fun.  Someone combined BTTF with Barrack Obama.  Very creative.