Behind the facade

The free flow of information is the purpose of the internet.

When your government does not like you to see something it is blocking this free flow.

Make the test:

世界人权宣言 / Universal Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.amnesty.org/

Chinese language page

Amnesty International Report 2008 http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Asia-Pacific/China

To remind all participants I have changed my twitter logo/avatar.

Cool - BBC's Olympic Map shows tweets and blogs

This picture to the left is only a screenshot of course and NOT interactive.

Go to original site news.bbc.co.uk/..., roll over the mobile phone icon and latest twitter tweets occur. Same with the other icon – showing latest blog posts of BBC bloggers.

China's hunt for medals and the price of childhood

Just saw a documentary film about the cruel "Chinese way" of training children. The Red Race. It was disgusting and makes one sad and angry. I think that China has a long way of civilisation-as-humanism ahead.

Image source: SILVERDOCS | Festival http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/2008/red-race/


It’s clear what Chao Gan, director of The Red Race, want us to feel about China’s gymnastics training schools for children. The documentary is mostly a series of scenes in which adorable kids are brought to tears by screaming coaches who push them past their breaking points physically and emotionally.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=35722


more: Children taking the strain in China's hunt for medals
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1904325/Children-taking-the-strain-in-Chinas-hunt-for-medals.html

Olympic twitters list – Beijing Games 2008

Olympic twitters list – Beijing Games 2008 – professional twitters – twitterers you should submit

- to be continued -

http://twitter.com/beijingolympic

• Name beijingolympic
• Location Beijing
• Web http://2008gamesbeijing.com
• Bio Blogging the Beijing Olympics

http://twitter.com/gvoolympics

• Name GVO Olympics Special
• Location Beijing Olympic Village
• Web http://globalvoicesonline.org/-/special/olympics
• Bio I am the Global Voices Online Olympics blogger

http://twitter.com/virtualreview

• Name virtualreview
• Location Beijing
• [ background news concerning china, e.g. pollitical protests, acts of terror etc. ]

http://twitter.com/NBCOlympics

• Name NBCOlympics
• Location Beijing
• Web http://www.nbcolympics.com
• Bio NBCOlympics.com 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes News Videos Results Schedules Medals
• [ it is NBC / MSNBC – sport news, USA centric coverage ]
  

http://twitter.com/NPOlympics

• Name NPOlympics
• Location Vancouver, Canada
• Web http://www.nowpublic.com/tag/Beijing+2008
• Bio NowPublic Olympics Channel
  
• [ user generated news – speecial interest in political issues and backgrounds ]
  

Total Solar Eclipse 1st August 2008 from China

Total eclipse dazzles viewers in China
01 August 2008 - New Scientist - Space Image source: newscientist.com






YouTube - total solar eclipse China 01/08/2008

Best Beijing guides

Some Links (I will update from time to time)

• WSJ – Cool Google map with annotated places of the games: http://graphicsweb.wsj.com/documents/beijing_guide/beijing_guide08.html
• Beijing Travel Guide - Hotels, Restaurants, Sightseeing in Beijing - New York Times Travel http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/china/beijing/overview.html
• Beijing Travel Guide and Travel Information - Lonely Planet http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/china/beijing/
• Beijing City Weekend Guide http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/events/olympics/
  
• Qype Beijing (user reviews about bars, restaurants, there are not so much up to now, it is user generated - so it is YOU, who can change this; find the best places, friendliest hosts, coolest bars!) http://www.qype.com/cnr-beijing
  

Olympics Theme Song: friends forever (have a try)

• "Forever friends" - Yes, composers Moroder and Kunze really know how to create that special feeling

• "Forever friends?" - Ups, Youtube page says: "Adding comments has been disabled for this video." Maybe for some people there is just too much tension between words and deeds of the chinese government (the t-word). By the way, I like free speech and take it just to be a necessity for complex and dynamic societies.