When the Dalai Lama visited this country last June, Nicolas Sarkozy’s decision not to meet him was much criticized by the population. I admit I know very little about the history of Tibet; some claim that the people there are better off under Chinese administration, some claim the opposite. What is certain is that I do not at all care for theocracies, and clearly, the Tibetan government in exile is one of those. However, the Chinese successfully blackmailed Sarkozy into not meeting the Dalai Lama, just as they are trying to economically blackmail nations into prohibiting peaceful Tibetan demonstrations. I guess that settles it for me. Today, the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 60th birthday; as a present, I offer this photo of a Tibetan arts and crafts store in Cannes.