I've been watching the protests in London and Paris.

I wholeheartedly agree with the protesters that the Chinese government should be called to task for its imperialistic, thuggish actions in Tibet. I also agree that the Olympics should celebrate the human spirit; and it's hard to argue that the Chinese authorities are anything other than an aggressive dictatorship bent on accumulating power and wealth--and that's no celebration of that humanity. Still, I detest these violent protests that really target innocent torch runners and the unlucky police who protect them.

These protests are really as barbarous as the Chinese government and I'd feel much better if the activists took a page from Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King. If they had organized a large, peaceful effort to block the torch route repeatedly by simply sitting in the street, I'd be much happier and willing to support their efforts. Also, the Chinese media couldn't then portray these self-righteous demonstrators as savages and we could focus on the lawlessness of the government in Beijing.

CDs listened to today:

• Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10
• Various Artists: Sounds Of The Seventies: 1977
• The Earlies: These Were The Earlies
• Anton Webern: String Quartets
• stellastarr*: (eponymous)
• Franz Schubert: Piano Quintet In A, "The Trout"