Washington Post: Tibetan New Year + Gao Zhisheng's Wife

choi

(1) John Kelly, A Chance to Own a Miniature of Capitol Dome Painting. Washington Post, Feb 23, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lo ... QAD9DAUR_story.html
"The current auction estimate is $250,000 to $300,000. The US government does not have that kind of money to throw around. Neither, it turns out, does the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, a nonprofit group founded in 1962

Note:
(a) apotheosis (n; Greek from apo- + theos god): "elevation to divine status : DEIFICATION"

* apo- (prefix; Greek):
"1: away from : off <aphelion>
* * *
3: formed from : related to <apomorphine>"

(b) The report says, "In 1849, he got mixed up in the revolutions that were sweeping Italy and spent a year in prison."

(i) mix (vi): "to become involved : PARTICIPATE <decided not to mix in politics>"
(ii) mix it up: "to engage in a fight, contest, or dispute"
Both definitions are from the same web page for "mix" as a verb.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mix up

(2) Tibetan New Year Celebrations. Washington Post, Feb 22, 2012 (photo gallery).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wo ... allery.html#photo=1
(Yonghe Temple, also known as the Lama Temple, in Beijing

(3) Dan Zak, A World Away From China, Geng He Seeks Justice for Her Dissident Husband. Washington Post Magazine, Feb 19, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/li ... QA2EGjIR_story.html
(wife of Mr Gao Zhisheng; While Vice President Xi Jinping was in DC, "Geng would cap her two-day sprint around the [Capitol] Hill by leaning into a microphone in front of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China")

Quote:

(a) "That October, Geng related the family’s hopeless situation to a sympathetic fruit vendor near their home. The next day, the vendor passed along a note while giving Geng change. It included detailed instructions for initiating a two-week-long escape for Geng and her children, who would be guided by a succession of anonymous agents. She and her husband agreed that it would be impossible for Gao to go. He was watched too closely.

"In January 2009, she and her children were escorted to a train station, where they received tickets, fake IDs, a cellphone and several SIM cards from an unidentified man. They boarded a train for two days and nights. Upon arriving in a southern province of China, they received a phone call and further instructions, which set in motion a series of rides across the porous, mountainous border.

"Throughout the journey, Geng trusted her helpers to lead her in the right direction. * * * [they] settled in northern California, where they relied on savings, food stamps and loans from friends while Geng began learning English.

(b) "That’s a trump card, according to [Geng's pro bono attorney Jared] Genser. It took two private mentions of Yang Jianli’s case by George W Bush to Chinese President Hu Jintao, he says, to secure freedom for the man who is translating for Geng He.

(c) “'This morning, Vice President Xi Jinping was meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden,' Geng says [in front of Congressional-Executive Commission on China] through the interpreter. 'I requested to meet with them, but I didn’t get any reply. I was very disappointed. . . . I’m so grateful that the United States has provided protection to my family from the Chinese government and also need to ask all of you . . . to continue to call on the government of China to respect human rights for all citizens.'

(d) "On Wednesday, as Geng He flies across the country to her children, her team’s persistence begins to pay off. * * * And on Thursday evening [Feb 16, just 3 days after Xi called on White House], an Obama staffer e-mailed Genser to invite Geng to a meeting with White House advisers on human rights and Asia.

Note: For butterfish, see Stromateidae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromateidae
(family)