Free Hugs in China and Mercury's Poll Fiasco (again)

If you read my Taurus Full Moon posting, you'll have come across the suggestion:

HUG! Friends, family, strangers, anyone who'll let you! In return you'll be hugged.


It brought a smile to my face to then hear this news story:

In China, a crusade aimed at cheering up strangers received a less than friendly response when it hit the streets of Beijing, Changsha and Xian this weekend.

The Free Hugs campaign is aimed at cheering up strangers by hugging them on the street.

But, according to Beijing News, when people in the Chinese cities tried to embrace passers-by, some huggers were even hauled away by police for questioning.

How sad that in a culture where 'touching' is frowned upon, people are punished for tapping into their nurturing instincts. Good on ya, that's what I say. Congrats to the souls who tapped into the Taurus Full Moon, and reached out, and the ones who allowed themselves to experience a moment of Human Contact. Great stuff.

And in Mercury Retrograde news, surprise surprise there were technology problems. The last election fell under Retrograde (which got Bush in) and now there's computer "glitches" and even "intimidation by phone". I wonder if the elections coincide with the retrograde periods on purpose because it's so much easier to rig things. Do people truly believe they are still 'free to vote'. When you look at the Bush election you really do have to finally question if democracy was just an ideal that has had its day.

More stories as they come in!

Love,
Neil