Censorship, and reading Reading Lolita in Tehran in China

The other day I tried to call the Navy office to check in; I called both the office number and a LT's cell phone number. On both tries I got a message--in English, but obviously of Chinese origin because of the accent--"Sorry, you do not have the right to dial this number." Lovely.

--------------

I get a listserv from CNN about stories having to do with China. Today this popped up in my inbox:

"Report: China's new bid to gag Web
06/07/05 01:14 AM, EDT
China is to close unregistered China-based domestic Web sites and blogs, a media watchdog said, as the government tightens its grip on the Internet."

Unfortunately (ironically?), since I'm in China, I of course can't access the CNN website to read the story. Incidentally, I also can't see my own blog.

---------------

I finished both of the books I brought with me (one on the plane and one mostly on the train to Hangzhou; no, I'm not spending all my time in China reading), so I borrowed a book from Dr. Wilson. He actually has 2 that I considered buying to bring with me. The one that I'm reading now, Reading Lolita in Tehran, is about a female Iranian professor of English literature, and her battles, personal and public, with the Ayatollah’s regime. She writes a lot about the censorship, and the arbitrary exercise of power in Iran. It's an interesting book to read in a Communist country. (Not as good as The Kite Runner, however. I think I made the right decision buying that one instead.)

----------------

That's it for now. Later I might post some parts of interviews I've typed up. We're going to be pretty busy for the next few days, though. I continue to get lots of listening comprehension practice.