Speaking of 1936 all over again...

Beijing locals heated as Olympic torch enters city
.....ORDINARY Chinese with painted faces and flags who were eager to see the arrival of the Olympic torch in Beijing yesterday shouted and swore at police as they were forced out of Tiananmen Square before the relay arrived.

.....The crowds of families who had woken their children before 5am for the historic event were pushed out and replaced by bused-in groups of Communist Party members, loyal workers and model students dressed in the uniforms of the torch relay's sponsors, Coca-Cola, Lenovo and Bank of China.......
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China does not allow democracy
Taipei - A senior Taiwanese official said that Beijing's move to delay any direct election for Hong Kong's leader until 2017 underlined why Taiwan could not accept reunification with China.

Tung Chen-yuan, a deputy chief of Taiwan's China policy-making body, known as the Mainland Affairs Council, said the decision sent a clear signal ''that the Chinese Communist Party does not allow genuine democracy''
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Beijing Taxis Are Rigged for Eavesdropping
Beijing - Tens of thousands of taxi drivers in Beijing have a tool that could become part of China's all-out security campaign for the Olympic Games. Their vehicles have microphones -- installed ostensibly for driver safety -- that can be used to listen to passengers remotely.

The tiny listening devices, which are connected to a global positioning system able to track a cab's location by satellite, have been installed in almost all of the city's 70,000 taxis...
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Outspoken '06 Medalist Cheek Has Visa Revoked
The Chinese government on Tuesday revoked the visa of 2006 Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek, effectively barring the speedskating champion and social activist from attending the 2008 Beijing Games. Cheek is co-founder of Team Darfur, an organization composed of athletes attempting to draw attention to human-rights violations in Darfur.
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[NBC and its multiple affiliates plan to give this totalitarian regime over six thousand hours of global propaganda. How proud. Do you plan to watch?]

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