Points for China!!

https://www.ijreview.com/2015/7/360464-google-exec-reveals-one-word-woman-need-stop-saying-ever-wanna-respected/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Partners&utm_term=PRM17&ts_pid=2&ts_pid=2

M.A's commentary:
I kinda thought with the Google block it wouldn't have been visible, but bingo, I am not sorry that this got thru

Indigo's commentary:
Had my mother not emailed me this link to say that it WAS allowed in China, I never would have read this article. But I am so glad I did! The word "just" does seem like I am asking permission or requesting something from someone when I might not want to. It is surprising that in the process of writing this blog, I have gained access or become aware of stories and articles I never would have otherwise.

I'm not totally sure why this isn't blocked. China is very pro equality and having the genders be on level playing fields, so maybe this is meant as a tool for the females in the Chinese workplace. Or maybe it is allowed because as far as I can recall, there doesn't exist a Chinese equivalent for the word "just". So the article is therefore irrelevant. Or maybe they see it as a semi-anit google piece because it points out how a previous female Google exec was subconsciously asking permission for things.

Regardless of the reasons, I am glad that I read this and that it is allowed in China.

Can't have Cannabis

image taken from pixabay.com
The American approval of cannabis 

http://news.yahoo.com/washington-state-gets-65-million-first-taxes-marijuana-210748216--spt.html

M.A's commentary:
Hmmm.legalities and implications, I actually understand the blockage. But I still wish I could read the story.

Indigo's commentary:
While I think my mother is correct that it is blocked because marijuana is illegal in China, I think there is probably another reason as well. I think that based on this article, it is clearly very profitable to go into the pot selling business. So, another reason this is likely blocked is to hide from the Chinese population that they could go into this unlawful business and actually do well from it.

Additionally, this article is probably blocked because it highlights the liberal, open "American morals" that allows, even supports light drug use.

Monopoly, Uno, Trivia, Gambling and Games not going on in China

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4881/personal-preference

M.A's commentary:
This is annoying because today  I plan to play this game with my class and I was looking for the actual rules. To save luggage space I just brought over the cards and game board assuming I could look up the game info online. Now I'll be making up the rules.

Indigo's commentary:
At first glance this might seem like one of the random sites that get blocked by China (remember the cookie recipe that was inaccessible??) but after giving the page a read through, I think I can explain why it is blocked.

The game description mentions betting, double money bets and even has betting as a key search term on its page. China is very anti-gambling. While the game Mah-Jong is loved worldwide, it is actually illegal in China because it is considered to be "gambling"(I still bought a game when I was living there). If the government is willing to ban an ancient, beloved game of their own creation, it isn't surprising that this game instruction site is blocked.

Gambling is allowed in state run lotteries, but betting on sports outcomes, or games, is completely against the law. It isn't that different from America or other countries where gambling outside of government sanctioned places such as casino's or lotteries is illegal. So try not to judge the Chinese government too harshly on their anti-gambling rules. They simply take the adherence to their laws a step further by blocking sites that may promote illicit betting.

Don't worry though, I was able to get my mom the instructions to the game!

Instagram? More like Insta....nope

Instagram, instasnap!!!!

www.instagram.com

M.A's commentary:
I just wanted to see some pictures my friend posted of her children on Instagram. However it is blocked in China.

Indigo's commentary:
I think that Instagram has probably been lumped into the same category as Facebook and other social media sites like Youtube. Using Instagram is a far too easy way to share information, even if it is photo based.

For instance it could be used to send pictures of some factory violation taking place, or maybe some violence or protest. A Instagram user could take pictures of the poverty in some places in China and create bad press. We all recently saw the power of a picture when a boy was depicted doing his schoolwork by the light of a fast food restaurant in the Philippines. Due to the picture and viral internet attention it got, he received funds to complete his schooling and got a college scholarship.

The saying doesn't go "a picture is worth a thousand words" for no reason. My analysis is that the Chinese government is protecting itself from Instagram being used against it in some way or other. But it is an unfortunate situation that people can't even gain access to view pre-existing accounts. But I doubt it is possible to block people from making accounts within China but still be able to view them.

The China stock market drop compared to the Chinese stock market drop

Most of the Western sites discussing the stock market drop in China are blocked. However, my mother was able to read about it on China Daily, which signifies that China is making an effort to be more open about its economy with its citizens. But the Chinese painting of the massive dip in the stock market and the way the rest of the world displays it are very different.

This is what my mom was able to open
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2015-07/09/content_21228580.htm

Here are Western articles that are a bit more honest about the drop

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-stock-market-crash-is-just-beginning-2015-07-08

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/china-business/11725236/The-really-worrying-financial-crisis-is-happening-in-China-not-Greece.html

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6eadedf6-254d-11e5-bd83-71cb60e8f08c.html

The Chinese reaction was more calm

Western articles saw it more seriously

The biggest difference I observe is that in the Chinese version, the 30% drop in the stock market is that it is almost portrayed to be an American problem or only an issue for U.S companies. Instead of focusing on China, it mentions the U.S market a lot. I think this is to take focus off of the national issue The above article even said that Chinese investors should see this as a great opportunity to invest in companies on the mainland. When clearly, any major drop like this is not an opportunity or a good thing.


While the article does mention the 30% drop, it is spelled out in words rather than numbers. It might not seem like much of a difference, but when people read and can visually see numbers and percentages, they pay more attention to what they signify. So it is almost embedded to not cause alarm. The most honest part of the writing was when it quoted that the Chinese bubble could be bursting.


My point in discussing the difference in the Chinese and elsewhere's portrayal of the stock market drop was to highlight that even when China doesn't use censorship, it still puts such a spin on some stories that it almost doesn't seem like the same thing.

Give these article a read and let me know what you think of the difference!

Skimming in China

theSkimm is great worldwide

theSkimm is an online overview of major news headlines that gets emailed directly to you. My mom first introduced me to it. She reads the emails everyday, and is very grateful for that.

These are some links that were blocked
Blocked Texas confederate license plates: http://skimmth.is/1IK7uig

More blocked about Greece crisis: http://skimmth.is/1goWb43

Chinese stock market crash: http://skimmth.is/1goSwmJ

More about the Chinese stock market crash: http://skimmth.is/1G95x8E

M.A's commentary:
I get the Daily Skimm in my email every day. I really like that I can have a recap of the headlines, but do wish I could read the whole story sometimes.

Indigo's commentary:
Personally I love theSkimm. They write an overview of the news headlines in an interesting and simple way so I am able to read through it quickly. So yay Skimm!
I think that a lot of the links go through because theSkimm goes directly to emails rather than being on one centralized website. So it is far harder for the Chinese government to censor.

Vlog Post #2

Some quick discussion about today's blog posts! Please give it a watch! And I promise the vlogs will get better as I learn more about vlogging!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFpRItRAZWg

Blocked Tennis boob slippage

http://www.si.com/swim-daily/2015/07/06/chrissy-teigen-sideboob-centre-court-wimbledon

M.A's commentary:
I went to Wimbledon years ago, so I was interested in what this was about. Nope. Blocked.

Indigo's commentary:
 I think the main reason this story is blocked is because China is fundamentally a fairly morally conservative country. Girls tend to have few or only one boyfriend. Mother's keep their children very sheltered. And in general they aren't a very open sexually free country. Therefore a story about a side boob slip is far too sexually explicit to be allowed.

Open and Ready to Be Read in China: Climate Change, Starbucks and landmines

For a change of pace I elected to do a blog post about some websites that are surprisingly UNBLOCKED in China. These are pages that I sent to my mother thinking they would be blocked, and I was shocked to discover they weren't. This just goes to show while there is mass censorship within China, the population is still able to access a lot of the same things that we are. But unlike us they can't use Google to get to them.

1. http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21656133-climate-change

This is a discussion about climate change and how it might have been the cause of the recent Indian and Pakistan heat wave. I was sure this would be blocked. China is notorious for being difficult to deal with when it comes to climate change. China hasn't wanted to lower its emissions in the past, claiming that because it is still industrializing it should not be held to the same emission standards as advanced countries. However, I am happy to discover that this link was accessible. Perhaps because China is hoping that citizens will read it and attempt to be more eco-friendly. Or maybe the link is open because China is now combatting a major pollution problem and this raises awareness of the major health implications it could have.

2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-33346140#4

This is a picture story about men who are working to remove landmines from a river in Cambodia. I assumed this link would be blocked because it involves a war that China participated in (via semi-indirect routes). And China is generally somewhat hush hush about its military operations or involvements. However, I think this link might be unblocked because a majority of the landmines were laid by the Khmer Rouge and China was an ally fighting against them. In addition, it is less of an article and more a picture story, so it doesn't contain much information about the past Cambodian War or even mention China.

3. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/a42967/most-amazing-starbucks-drinks-around-world/

Coffee IS ALLOWED!!!

I didn't think China was the biggest fan of Starbucks because it was a Western company. But after learning this link was actually allowed, I did a bit of research. Starbucks has partnered with a local Chinese company to serve ready made drinks, and China actually has one of the highest concentrations of Starbucks worldwide (Puget Sound Biztalk). I'm guessing this Cosmo article isn't blocked because it compliments one of China's unique Starbucks drinks, and because apparently the coffee conglomerate is well liked within China.Read the article I link to below to find out more.

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2015/03/all-the-tea-in-china-starbucks-biggest-market-isnt.html

Update on the Greek Crisis!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-ugly-american-s-guide-to-the-greek-crisis-114318026.html#

M.A's commentary:
That was supposed to link to Yahoo's "Guide to Greek Crisis" but I can't open it.

The above link is the correct one to the Yahoo article. The below link is the one my mother received when clicking on the article.

http://hsrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AiPyXiAlXE_xVSw_2tM7ryGbvZx4;_ylc=X3oDMTdsZjR2M2hyBF9TAzIwMjM1MzgwNzUEYQNCS1QgMTUwNzA2IGZpbmFuY2UgYW1lcmljYW4gZ3VpZGUgZ3JlZWsgY3Jpc2lzIHYEYWlkA2lkLTM1NjQyMjgEY2NvZGUDZ2EEY3BvcwM2BGcDNmQxYzE0OTAtOTdkYS0zMjM4LWI5OGYtYTBhNTY5M2FmMjA0BGludGwDdXMEaXRjAzAEbHR4dANVLlMuZ3VpZGV0b0dyZWVrY3Jpc2lzBHBrZ3YDOQRwb3MDMARzZWMDdGQtZmVhBHNsawN0aHVtYmxpbmsEdGFyA2ZpbmFuY2UueWFob28uY29tBHRlc3QDOTAx/RV=1/RE=1437472379/RH=aHNyZC55YWhvby5jb20-/RO=2/RU=aHR0cDovL2ZpbmFuY2UueWFob28uY29tL25ld3MvdGhlLXVnbHktYW1lcmljYW4tcy1ndWlkZS10by10aGUtZ3JlZWstY3Jpc2lzLTExNDMxODAyNi5odG1sIw--/RS=%5EADALIv9Nbl7nhws6iZzbWKUWFz.e.k

Indigo's commentary:
I have racked my brain to try and understand this censorship. Early today I blogged about how China has offered to support Greece however it can, to facilitate Greece staying within the Eurozone. This isn't surprising because Greece leaving the EU will cause economic turmoil in some way, and China is a major trading partner of the EU. Therefore what effects the EU effects China.

So why then, is China blocking sites that explain what the Greek Crisis is and what it means? The main reason I can come up with is that China is attempting to protect it's citizens from undue worry and stress. If the EU has economic problems that might ripple back to China, the average Chinese citizen might worry about the economy. And once large groups of people become worried about their economic position, it can often spell trouble for the government. So China is could be protecting its population from unnecessary concern and itself from dealing with unhappy people.

Another cause might be that China often blocks Yahoo news stories, and this might have just fallen under the general Yahoo article blocking.

YOUTUBE VLOG POST, watch and enjoy!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePVRHz-jq_U

The Hidden Truth on American Territories

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/246820-puerto-rican-debt-crisis-hits-congress

M.A's commentary:
I tried to explain recently that Puerto Rico was a part of USA and my students were appalled when I explained the concept of territory. I could see it brought back ideas of the past occupations of China by foreigners.

Indigo's commentary:
I think that my mother hit the nail on the head. The Chinese past in the 19th and early 20th century is riddled with China being possessed by the United Kingdom and Japan and being used as territories of those powers. The Japanese occupation/claim of China is an especially horrific part of its history, as Japan murdered and raped thousands of Chinese citizens (The Nanking Massacre comes to mind). Because of this dark past and the effects occupation had on China, it is natural that China wouldn't want to acknowledge that other countries are still doing the same thing.

I would hardly equate the American possession of the territory of Puerto Rico as the same as the Japanese or British possession of China in the past. But it is likely that China simply does't approve of America having control over it. Additionally, the Chinese government isn't the biggest fan of America in general. So acknowledging that America is powerful enough to control additional territories is probably not something the government is eager to do. Especially because this is something China would like to do (but has yet to accomplish) with Taiwan.

The Chinese government might not be sharing the geography of American territories like Puerto Rico because it doesn't want it to be compared to the Chinese relationship/control of Hong Kong. America is fully in control of Puerto Rico, with little disent. Hong Kong is not nearly as cooperative. China is likely to not want this comparision to be made.

I'm unsure why this link is explicitly blocked. It actually shows that America made a mistake with legislation in reference to Puerto Rico and bankruptcy courts. Pointing out American mistakes is something the Chinese government is usually quick to do.

China offering support during the Greek crisis

http://africa.chinadaily.com.cn/2015-06/30/content_21145083.htm

M.A's commentary:
This statement of Chinese support for Greece didn't seem to appear to receive coverage worldwide.

Indigo's commentary:

This isn't actually a blocked article. I'm blogging about this because after reading it, I was quite surprised that I hadn't seen it on the BBC or another large news source. China offering to help Greece stay within the Euro zone is a major step for the Asian giant. China is generally a more withdrawn player when it comes to Western countries, so China offering to support Greece is big! It demonstrates that China really is moving into a position of global power and it is willing to cooperate in area's outside its regional sphere of influence.

Often in Western media, only the bad qualities of China and other communist countries are portrayed. However, China is increasingly becoming a more fair helpful state, and I think that deserves press. In reference to the above article, I think that China's assistance might be one of the only avenues left to Greece after the referendum vote.

Read the article, and let me know what you think!

Silent Blogs.....cannot be seen or heard

http://okisitwrong.com/

http://wishitwasntblocked.blogspot.co.uk/

M.A's commentary:
It's blocked...it actually is my "favorite kinda block" it flashes on screen for a second and whoosh it is gone. I know it is not an error on the site because I can open in my proxy. It is a friend of mine's blog and I just wondered what he was up to.

Indigo's commentary:
A lot of blogs are blocked within China. I think it is because blog content can be very unpredictable. On my personal blog "Musings of a Wandering Blonde" one day I will write about food, and the next day I might write about a news event. This kind of thing could easily be seen as a danger by the Chinese government. A blog that seems safe might randomly one day post about something anti-Chinese, and the government might not realise it before it is read across China.

For this "ok is it wrong" blog, I'm guessing it might be blocked because on the opening page it says "Welcome to 'Merica". Even though as far as I can tell from blog content it doesn't say anything that would specifically be blocked in China for a certain reason.

So, I think that the blocking of blogs is a safety precaution more than an ideological issue for the Chinese government. And not all blogs are blocked. Below I have attached a link to blogs that I believe are allowed within China and are about the country itself.

Unfortunately, because this blog is run off of Blogger which is with Google, this blog is completely blocked. Which means that my mother who contributes her comments and is my funnel of information for what sites are blocked in China, can't actually read this. But she does occasionally manage to get through a proxy server to see it.

Blogs allowed in China: http://www.chinabloglist.org/

Censorship and Parental Controls

Something my mother mentioned yesterday in her commentary about the censorship of Netflix sparked a thought in my mind. She said

“I think it is strange that on a country level there could be so much censorship from outside but that the allowed video sites have so much Chinese smut that you can't allow kids to watch a Scooby doo and not worry that it won't automatically start porn when it is finished. I talked to my Chinese friends with children and they say there is no filtering system to make net safe for kids.”

Why is it that China blocks Google, Netflix, sites on E-bikes and recipes, but doesn’t offer sites with parental controls to make the internet a safe place for children? The Communist justification for censorship and blocking is to protect the country’s general public and to protect the Party. But it is being neglectful of protecting children.

It is a surprise that parental controls aren’t hugely common in China. Parents in China are over protective of children to the extreme due to the One Child Policy, so I would think that child censorship would be a top priority.  I assume that most computers have the parental control settings that mine possesses. But computer/laptop controls only limit the amount of time on the internet or what games can be played. It has no effect on internet.

Google Chrome apparently has parental settings according to the Youtube video I have mentioned at the bottom of this post. Youtube and Netflix also have methods of limiting what can be accessed by certain users, but this is useless within China. Mozilla Firefox has the ability to block and unblock certain sites for with parental controls but this doesn’t enable parents to block certain content on sites (like the streaming sites my mom mentioned). Internet Explorer also enables users to restrict content that might contain violence, bad language or nudity. But again, these are more limited to sites that are directly meant to have these things (like porn sites). But a site that has a mix and isn’t url’d or titled to have nudity or violence probably won’t be restricted.

Again I ask, why doesn’t China offer more methods of parental control on the approved sites? It seems like the things that they aren’t blocking are worse than many of the things they are. Porn on children’s cartoon sites is far worse than the cookie recipe they have blocked. Is the government assuming that parents will censor their own children? Or does the government believe that if it is something it deems safe for adults then it is safe for children? I admit to being very confused by what I would call the uneven censorship within China. If you are protecting the citizens from the things without, shouldn’t it protect them from things within as well?

People in the Western world are generally strong believers in having freedom of speech and media, including on the internet. Censorship online would make any average citizen in America or the UK furious. But could it not be argued that parents are invoking censorship on children when they block certain games or movies from them? We all think this is an acceptable form of censorship, because it is protecting children from seeing things beyond their understanding or age. But to give a different perspective, is that not what the Chinese government is also doing? Protecting its population from what it deems dangerous. I just think that the protection should extend to Chinese children, and should include censorship on their own sites.

Links

Youtube video explaining how to use parental controls on Google

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfeC47ixmCs

Mozilla Firefox parental controls: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/block-and-unblock-websites-parental-controls-firef

Internet Explorer Web Restrictions: http://www.wikihow.com/Restrict-Web-Browsing-Using-Internet-Explorer

This is an interesting article about parental controls

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Researcher-Says-Parental-Control-Is-Bad-Let-Kids-Run-Wild-432752.shtml

No for Netflix

www.netflix.com

M.A's commentary:
I prefer to have Netflix because it can be set in accounts for specific family members. I think it is strange that on a country level there could be so much censorship from outside but that the allowed video sites have so much Chinese smut that you can't allow kids to watch a Scooby doo and not worry that it won't automatically start porn when it is finished. I talked to my Chinese friends with children and they say there is no filtering system to make net safe for kids.

Indigo's commentary:
It does come as a surprise to discover that Netflix is banned. I know from personal experience that within Chinese sites I can access any movie or show that I could eve
r want. But often those accessed are in Chinese, which make them far less entertaining for me. So why it is blocked is somewhat confusing.

Due to my confusion, I decided to do some research. I admit that I am an avid Netflix addict. So it wasn't hard for me to start digging through all of the media on there. One category of films stand out as something the Chinese government wouldn't want seen. Documentaries. The first is on adoption. Often these documentaries portray the Chinese government as neglectful (this will be a subject for another blog post). The other is a documentary called "Death by China", this discusses the flood of the American market with Chinese goods and how China could be negatively affecting the American economy.

It is understandable that the government wouldn't want these films seen. I don't blame them. I also think that shows such as Scandal or House of Cards are probably not their favorite thing.  These shows and other movies demonstrate the workings of the American government and how the American public has more of a say in the functioning of the country.

This is an interesting article about the subject of Netflix in China
http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/16/media/netflix-china/

House Hampered

http://www.sciotocountyohio.com/stonehouse.html



M.A's commentary:
Wanted to read about an historic house on 4th of July. Nope. 

Indigo's commentary: 
Another block that leaves me slightly perplexed. Perhaps it is blocked because the government doesn't want the Chinese public to learn about American history? Or rather learn a version of history that could contradict the one they tell.

You Don't Get Youtube

image taken from en.wikipedia.com

www.youtube.com

M.A's commentary:
Specifically I want to watch movie trailers. And I thought it was worth mentioning, I can't watch the Hunger Games official trailer because it is on youtube.

Indigo's commentary:
So much is available to us on Youtube. We can watch beauty how-to's, vlog casts about news, old news programmes, funny cat videos and so so much more. Due to the mass amounts of videos accesible via Youtube it comes as no surprise to me that it is blocked. While the Chinese government no doubt has the power to block individual users or individual video's, with the constant stream of uploads, that would require so much time and resources! I don't exactly blame them for electing to block the site completely.

The main thing I think they are probably trying to block is the access to certain news stories that get uploaded, whether old or new ones. Just typing in China, and News into the search box brings back multiple videos that I am positive the Chinese government wouldn't want people to see. As unfortunate as it is, Youtube is blocked and I can't imagine that it will become unblocked any time soon.

Here are some Youtube video's that my mom can't access but  YOU can watch:
A video I doubt the Chinese government wants this to be seen 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gA2sGqC6yk

Funny Cat Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tntOCGkgt98

Hunger Games Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzviWGsEIh0

No Foliage For You

http://danielboonenationalforest.org/

M.A's commentary:
Ugh...don't know why this is blocked. Living in the concrete jungle, I just wanted some green-space eye candy.

Indigo's commentary:
This will be a shorter post because I honestly can't hazard a guess as to why this site is blocked.....The government not wanting their national parks compared to American national parks? Perhaps they have a moral objection to Daniel Boone in general because he is an important face of American history? These are just guesses, unfortunately I am at a loss to provide much of a political analysis of site's blockage.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions as to why it is blocked, please leave a comment!

Surprisingly Not Blocked In China

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-china-blog-33308420

M.A's commentary:
I found it interesting that this wasn't blocked.

Indigo's commentary:
This unblocked blog post that reports on a protest against the building of a chemical plant in Jinshan was actually viewable within China. It proves that no matter what, I will always be unable to predict what is and is not blocked in China. I'm struggling to guess why it wasn't censored, after all it is describing a protest that was allowed for several days in a Chinese city, and it is widely known that the government tries to hush up protests. Perhaps this is allowed in an attempt for China to demonstrate its improved handling of protest and activist situations. The measures the police took don't seem too extreme to me, in fact they are more tame than some of the American police forces actions in recent protests. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that the general public has access to it.

http://africa.chinadaily.com.cn/2015-06/30/content_21145083.htm

M.A's commentary:
This statement of Chinese support for Greece didn't seem to appear to receive coverage worldwide.

Indigo's commentary:
This isn't actually a blocked article. I'm blogging about this because after reading it, I was quite surprised that I hadn't seen it on the BBC or another large news source. China offering to help Greece stay within the Euro zone is a major step for the Asian giant. China is generally a more withdrawn player when it comes to Western countries, so China offering to support Greece is big! It demonstrates that China really is moving into a position of global power and it is willing to cooperate in area's outside its regional sphere of influence. Often in Western media, only the bad qualities of China and other communist countries are portrayed. However, China is increasingly becoming a more fair helpful state, and I think that deserves press. So, read the article, and let me know what you think!

Tightening the Internet Strings Even More?

image taken from pixabay.com

The Chinese government has passed a new round legislation to increase its protection of national security. This new law enables the government to monitor or control anything the government deems could threaten security, and this most definitely includes the internet and cyber monitoring. A Beijing lawyer claimed that the law was more of an ideological statement rather than a law that will be regularly used and enforced. However, if I were to hazard a guess, I think that this law will in the future be used as a justification for more strict media and news censorship.

But again, I will restate that I believe this is the Chinese government's right to control what goes on in their own country. In addition, I don't think it is fair of me as an American to fully critique China when America has also passed sweeping "security legislation" in the past than enable the government to monitor calls, internet usage, etc, if they thought it was a potential risk to the country after 9/11.

I saw this article on my BBC alert page, so I sent the link to my mother in China thinking it would be blocked. Surprisingly, it wasn't. She was able to open the story and read it. She said that "I was surprised that this news story wasn't more buried". A sentiment I agree with. One thing that I don't think anyone can rationally argue is that the Chinese government is anything but transparent about their censorship and blocking.  I applaud the government for being open about their censorship, despite the fact that it frequently brings the country under the disapproval of the international community. Regardless of this, the Chinese government still acts how it sees fit. An admirable trait.


Here is a BBC link to the news story and also my source for the information in this article:
BBC. China. July 1, 2015. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-33340322

E-Bike for the Smart Traveller....Outside Knowledge Not Allowed

image taken from en.wikipedia.com

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/ford-e-bike-gives-city-commuters-reason-cheer-200032428.html

M.A's commentary:
Ok I just wanted to see what E-bikes were like in the USA now a days, they have been established on the road over here for a while and I just wanted to compare features, etc. Nope. Blocked.

Indigo's commentary:
I can't be positive, but I am guessing the E-bikes discussed in this article are a lot more fancy than the ones ridden around in China. Again, I am betting that the Chinese government doesn't want the average citizen to have the ability to compare their quality of life or objects to those in other countries. Hence why the government probably doesn't want this technologically advanced, futuristic E-bike being compared to the ones being ridden around China, because if I recall correctly they are a lot more rustic in nature.

An additional thing to consider is that China is known to be the land of knock-offs. Chinese companies commonly mimic the makings of other brands and simply minutely alter the name like Poma instead Puma, Frada instead of Prade, you get the general gist. This has even extended to vehicles where Chinese companies will copy the make and design of Jeep Wranglers or SUV's. So perhaps the government doesn't want this article seen in China so it can avoid being accused of copyright infringement, perhaps the government is attempting to protect itself from accusations.