HUNDREDS PROTEST THE CHINESE OCCUPATION OF TIBET.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Tibet's fight for independence. The Dalai Lama, like hundreds of thousands of his countymen, has been in exile ever since. Along the way, over a million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese government.

This is not news.

There are plenty of countries in the world right now that are occupied by hostile forces, collapsing under the weight of their own hubris, or just going straight to hell in the proverbial handbasket—all while our own economy is going straight down the toilet. So it's easy to forget about a tragedy that has been happening for half of a century.

But that's the thing; our economy may be hurting and a lot of us may be out of work or living with the threat of that loss, but at least we aren't occupied by a nation that could basically crush us under a nuclear boot if it so desired. That's what came to mind when hundreds of protesters marched up Centre street this morning on the way to the UN, followed by the office of the Chinese Consulate. It's good to see that in spite of the stress that tends to make most of us a bit more self-involved and insular, a lot of people are clearly still concerned about someone else's struggle, old news or not.

Click here for more information on Tibet.