Nestled in the folds of the dramatic Dhauladhar range, the globally renowned and culturally vibrant town of McLeod Ganj will host the first Dharamshala International Film Festival 2012 (DIFF 2012) November 1-4. Conceptualized by internationally acclaimed filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam and presented through their trust, White Crane Arts...

As I sit in my new city, San Francisco, I'm feeling a withdrawal from New York. Sure, I was happy to leave the heat of the city in August, and the fears of hurricane Irene, but I'm finding myself glued to my phone as I get calls and pictures from...

Ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, took irreverence to a whole new low yesterday, making light of the suffering of the people of Tibet.

Years ago, I saw Alex Bugusky and other members of this agency's creative team in a "battle of the ad bands" at New York...

For over twenty years, the Tibet House has operated with the function of preserving Tibetan art and culture. Prior to Tibet's illegal occupation and invasion in the mid-1900's, the country was virtually isolated, shunning outsiders.

After His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced to flee into exile in India in...

Diane Sawyer and ABC World News are headed to China and are asking "What Issues Do You Want to Know More About?"

Whilst Chinese Media is censored and there are restraints on foreign journalists, this is still a chance to bring Tibet's issues to the forefront.

MINING:
...

Last week, China's cabinet issued their report on 'Progress in China's Human Rights, 2009.'

The eight-page report has already been dubbed an economic report which includes statistics on 'increased car ownership.'

As I delved into this report, I also was reviewing an advance copy of the...

Several years ago, I watched "Cry Of The Snow Lion", and was invigorated by a scene three quarters of the way through, the famed Tibet Freedom concerts, spearheaded by the Beastie Boys.

The Milarepa Fund, started by Adam Yauch -- used music and musical venues to educate leaflets cited...

As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in New York this week for UN conferences, he was was met with Tibetan supporters protesting the increased crackdowns in Tibet.

But in downtown New York, there was another protest going on, one that mirrored the current movement inside Tibet -- art as...

Joe Strummer would have been 59 on Saturday, August 21st. The legendary co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash first influenced me 25 years ago, via a mix tape, that I played repeatedly on my Radio...

Dharamsala India is home to many NGOs: some, like the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, address politics, others, like Lha, teach English, photography and computers to local Tibetan refugees, and others, like GuChuSum, work to help ex-political prisoners and their families.

The...

While I was in India for the past four and a half months, two events were happening simultaneously: BP's oil spill, and the trials for Karma Samdrup and his brothers.

New stories abounded for the oil spill, and concerned citizens took action. Some of my friends were cutting jersey to...

On a regular basis, I do something that most people in the free world do -- I ask my friends their opinion on something: politics, religion, sports, a concert...and I take for granted the fact that this is OK.

I don't expect my government to come charging down on me...

For the past two years, I've been actively blogging and documenting my experiences from the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, India.

In this small mountain town, it could be easy to get lost staring at the mountains -- it's serene, but that's not why I came here.

During my first trip...

Over a year and a half ago, I started a column for InkedMag.com, called Inked for A Cause -- it combined two of my passions: socially-minded people and my 20-year love affair with body art.

Like most tattooed people, my tattoos have a deep personal meaning to me....

As some of you may have read on my blog, or on the International Campaign for Tibet's blog, I have been fortunate enough to work with and teach a VERY amazing man. I adore Geshela, and cherish the time I spend with him. Today, we received copies of the movie...

As always, I'm fascinated by people that do things, and I'm even more fascinated when they come from street culture.

So, I'm doubly excited that two of my friends have books out this month -- both on vegan living, and the evils of GMOs.

Both John Joseph (sometimes better...

It's no secret the Tibetan government has been in exile for 51 years and an extraordinary culture has bloomed in exile.

The streets of Dharamsala are filled with juxtaposition -- a culture previously isolated has collided with the modern world at an astoundingly fast pace. The first generation of elders'...

While in India, I'm still amazed how useful Facebook is for news. Similar to my Michael Vick post, I became aware of ridiculous cowtowing via a FaceBook group, clearly named:
Boycott UFC - Dan Hardy's "Tibetan tattoo' wiped out to please China.

After a quick Google search (and by...

International Campaign for Tibet summed up the Dalai Lama's March 10 address:

His Holiness the Dalai Lama today delivered his annual March 10 statement to the Tibetan people from Dharamsala, India, stressing openness, transparency and the free flow of information within China as the means for building greater understanding of...

Today is the 51st anniversary of the protests in Tibet against China's illegal occupation.

The pictures below are from outside the Dalai Lama's temple, immediately following his address.