Government Controls in China

Censorship in the media is clear from the newspaper, which reports mostly innocuous, mundane stories. Someone just asked me if I have noticed any blocked websites, and I said no, but I learned last night that blogs are mostly blocked. So yes, I can post things to the blog, but I can't actually read the blog or see any of my own postings. People use proxy websites to view blocked sites, just like in Myanmar. Where there is a will, there is a way. People will always find a way to access blocked material.

Pollution is terrible in Beijing, despite government efforts to move factories out of the city, plant trees and clean up the air. Over 1,000 new cars hit the roads daily. When I landed a couple of days ago, the sky was so hazy that it was like I was looking through a screen, and it is that way almost everyday. Colors do not appear vibrant through the thick, polluted air. In preparation for the Olympics, when the government wants to allow only about half the cars on the road, they are holding a 4 day practice. Over the weekend, yesterday and today, on alternating days, only even or odd cars are allowed to drive. Those that disobey the rule faces penalties of 50RMB (about $7). When I looked at license plates of the cars on the road, they were indeed almost all odd or even (with the exception of taxis and buses).

Perhaps one of the funniest things I've heard of the government in China doing to prepare for the Olympics is to purchase a super advanced weather system from IBM. In an attempt to prevent it from raining during major outdoor Olympic events like the opening ceremony, they are hoping they can use their new weather system to detech rainclouds early enough to divert the rain using modern technology. I guess we will see whether they succeed at controlling the weather.