Dubstepforum.com

Mr Hyde wrote:Londoners are on surveilance cameras more than any other people in the world ...about 300 times a day aparrently

it says in that article that there's 500,000 cameras in london; the chinese want 2 million in Shenzhen (the special economic zone where china first implemented controlled capitalism) in 3 years time, which says it all about where they're heading

Mr Hyde wrote:what happens when governments get all of this power and decide to change laws?

again in that articles there's a quote from an ex-US military intelligence office who is now working out in who says that china's advances "scare the hell out him" because

"I can guarantee you that there are people in the Bush administration who are studying the use of surveillance technologies being developed here and have at least skeletal plans to implement them at home," he says. "We can already see it in New York with CCTV cameras. Once you have the cameras in place, you have the infrastructure for a powerful tracking system. I'm worried about what this will mean if the U.S. government goes totalitarian and starts employing these technologies more than they are already. I'm worried about the threat this poses to American democracy."

it really is worrying to think that when we're looking at china we aren't just looking at a totalitarian police state a la 1984 but we could quite easily be looking at our own future

badger wrote:
it really is worrying to think that when we're looking at china we aren't just looking at a totalitarian police state a la 1984 but we could quite easily be looking at our own future

Unless there is a mass uprising that will definately be happening. Its such a massive benefit to the powers that be that it cant not happen.

Mr Hyde wrote:And yeah that, 'if you're not doing anything wrong you've got nothing to worry about' is one of the stupidest sayings ever- what happens when governments get all of this power and decide to change laws?

exactly - we need only reference the economic 'shock therapy' carried out in argentina, chile, bolivia, poland, russia and south africa (to name a few) to know that it means absolutely nothing that you may happen to be a law-abiding citizen. your life could change in an instant if the govt decides it will be so.

trust naomi klein to sum things up brilliantly.

naomi klein wrote:So far, the Olympics have been an open invitation to China-bash, a bottomless excuse for Western journalists to go after the Commies on everything from internet censorship to Darfur. Through all the nasty news stories, however, the Chinese government has seemed amazingly unperturbed. That's because it is betting on this: when the opening ceremonies begin friday, you will instantly forget all that unpleasantness as your brain is zapped by the cultural/athletic/political extravaganza that is the Beijing Olympics.

Like it or not, you are about to be awed by China's sheer awesomeness.

read her whole article, entitled 'the olympics: unveiling police state 2.0' at

http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2008 ... -state-2-0

I'm not even watching the olympics tbh. Never have been that interested in it and apart from the political issues that is still the case. Its just an excuse for the state to get its dick out and give it a right good flapping.

Haven't watched it yet, just watching the hockey online now. GBR losing 2-0 to Argentina

Interesting discussion. Even more so from a hotel room in Beijing at 1:15 am. I just went for a walk around the streets taking photos and talking to randome people who were out and about. Clearly my relationship with China is different from others on here, I can say that my time in China has changed my life in a multiude of positive ways, for which I feel blessed. I can see how one may see China negatively, but am happy to have had lived through both extremely positive and negative experiences here, which have allowed me to feel comfortable with my perspective. There is always room for growth and change, though.

Anyone catch the Dressage any sport with a top hat as uniform is sick in my books.

PHELPS - GO ON BOY!!

I can't stop watching it, it's awesome.
Phelps is basically a fish. A fish with gold.
The Chinese gymnasts are ridiculous.
Makes me want to do some sit ups or something (but I haven't. I just ate a kit kat).

the chinese are banging it, theyve got like a 1000 strong team

WOOPS

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ol ... 0588.story