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Why are American companies helping Chinese thwart free speech American Web sites and search engines — in a complete rejection of everything America stands for — are helping the Chinese government deny their citizens the right to free speech. Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft assist the Chinese government in censoring such dangerous, foul and seditious language as "democracy," "freedom," "Taiwan independence" and "human rights." According to an August 2004 news release from Reporters Without Borders, an international press freedom organization, Yahoo has tailored its Chinese language search-engine so it censors perilous topics. According to a June 19 USA Today opinion article, "Yahoo China signed a pledge of ‘self-discipline’ in 2002, vowing to refrain from posting ‘pernicious information that may jeopardize state security.’" Microsoft condones censorship in the blogging section of its MSN China website. Users who dare to type the banned words get a pop-up message: “This message contains a banned expression, please delete this expression," according to a June 14 article on the BBC’s website. According to the BBC, Microsoft’s explanation for the cop-out was that they obey the laws of each country their company works in. Google has also committed treason to the First Amendment rights we hold dear. When the Chinese government shut down Google access in Sept. 2003, BRIN recruited alerted Chinese authorities that Google would be willing to compromise, according to a January 2003 article in Wired Magazine. ‘‘We didn’t want to do anything rash,’’ Google co-founder Sergey Brin said in the Wired article. “The situation over there is more complex than I had imagined." Four days after authorities blocked it, Google was up and running again. The Chinese had altered the national firewall. According to Wired Magazine, when Chinese type in "Taiwan independence" or other taboo phrases into the search, they’ll get to view the standard results page. Should they try to access the results, ‘‘either their browsers are redirected to a blank or government-approved page, or their computers are blocked from accessing Google for an hour or two." Whether or not Google helped the Chinese government implement the new strategy is unclear. "We didn’t make changes to our servers," Brin told Wired Magazine. As if acquiescence to censorship is not bad enough, Google also actively participates. It owns 2.6 percent of a filtered Chinese search engine, Baidu. But what’s a little loss of free speech when there’s money involved? Baidu had a very successful initial public offering when it debuted on Nasdaq on Aug. 4. Its shares jumped from $27 to $154 before settling at $91, according to an Aug. 11 article in the online BusinessWeek magazine. These companies, in their quest to make the almighty dollar, have forgotten their purpose. Search engines are supposed to help people access information, to contribute to the spread of information, to help people learn about their world. Aiding the Chinese government fulfills none of these purposes. When companies whose mission is based on freedom of speech kowtow to the demands of dictators and despots, we all lose a little bit of liberty. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!: You have lost my respect. Back to Top
Youth
missionaries Eleven teens and six adults from the Woodland Shores Baptist Church in Bridgman, Mich., teamed with Trumbull County teens for a week’s worth of mission work in Kinsman, Vernon and Vienna. The group painted, gardened, and did yard work at New Life Maternity Home in Vienna; played a softball game with the Boyd’s Kinsman Home residents and performed a drama for them; helped at the Kinsman food bank; and did small jobs for local residents. MISSION 1 From left, Hillary Kovacs, a sophomore from Michigan, Kelli Smith, a junior from Badger High School, Kayla Flowers, another Badger junior, Jessica White, a Badger senior, and Kelly Gampel, a freshman from Michigan, help create a flower bed for the New Life Maternity Home in Vienna. MISSION 2 The Woodland Shores Baptist Church teen group performs a drama, including this scene of Jesus dieing on the cross, for the residents at Boyd’s Kinsman Home. MISSION 3 Jessica Schewe, left, a Woodland Shores sophomore, Rachael Capan, 18, and Ian Gallatin, a Badger sophomore, make ice cream sundaes at Vernon United Methodist Church. MISSION 4 Kayla Flowers pushes Jessica White in the wheelbarrow they used while doing yard work at the home of Vernon resident Gerald Zimmet. MISSION 5 Kathy Nevil, a junior from Michigan, paints the wall above an office in the chapel at New Life Maternity Home. MISSION 6 Kelly Gampel weeds the flower garden at the entrance to New Life Maternity Home. MISSION 7 Dan Carlson, a sophomore from Michigan, mows the front lawn at New Life Maternity Home. Back to Top
Page One gearing up for
a new year WARREN The Page One journalism workshops offers local high school students more than an opportunity to hone their writing and photography skills. Those that excel the most are also given opportunities to network with students and media professionals from around the country. Every year, two Page One students are awarded scholarships to attend Journalism Education Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association national conventions. Sprint, the Trumbull Career and Technical Center and the Tribune Chronicle award the scholarships. Page One students are also eligible to apply for a Newspaper Association of America Foundation fellowship. The foundation picks 10 students to attend the Youth Editorial Alliance national conference. Despite the demanding competition, six Page One students have been selected in the program’s 10 years. The Page One journalism workshops will begin a new session at 6 p.m. Thursday. High school students interested in journalism, photography or simply improving their writing skills should attend the first meeting to be held at the newspaper’s office at 240 Franklin St. S.E. The Page One program offers a series of workshops held approximately two Thursday evenings per month. The workshops’ goal is to give teens the opportunity to be published in Page One. As the students progress, they may receive an invitation to join the Page One staff. Some teens use their training to improve their school’s student newspaper. Parents are invited to the first meeting, which will last about one hour. The cost of joining is $20, though the newspaper waives the fee for anyone in financial need. A schedule, more details about the program and a question-and-answer period will be held before students and parents make a decision about joining. Students who make the Page One staff compete in regional journalism contests at Youngstown State and Kent State universities, and the national YEA awards. They are also eligible to attend the Journalism Association of Ohio Schools annual workshops in Columbus. Page One has been nationally recognized as one of the premier teen sections in the United States. Page One and the workshops together form the No. 1 teen journalism program in the United States, according to the NAA Foundation. Many past Page One staffers have obtained admissions into prestigious universities, college scholarships and internships. This year’s seven graduates received $200,000 in college scholarships. For more information, e-mail pageone@tribune-chronicle.com or call 330-841-1738. Back to Top
Writing contest set at library Trumbull County teens in grades 7-12 are invited to celebrate Teen Read Week (Oct. 16-22) by being part of a writing contest at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library. The Teen Read Week theme is “Get Real @ Your Library.” Participants may submit up to three original entries (not published previously) in either the short story (1,500 words) or poetry (up to 30 lines) categories. Entries must contain the words “get real” in any order, singly or together. Download the official entry form at www.wtcpl.lib.oh.us/TeenCentral/teen.htm All entries must be typed, double-spaced, and accompanied by an entry form. Turn in your submissions at any Warren-Trumbull County Public Library location (Brookfield Branch, Cortland Branch, Howland Branch, Liberty Branch, Lordstown Branch, Main Library in downtown Warren, or on the Bookmobile.) Winners will be notified by phone. Three cash prizes will be awarded. Entries must be received by Oct. 3. Winners must be available to receive their award and read from their work at the Awards Ceremony at the Main Library at 6 p.m. Oct. 20. Winning entries will be posted to the Teen Central Web site. Call Teen Librarian Karen at 330-399-8807, Ext. 400, with questions. To learn more about the teen programs and services of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, visit www.wtcpl.lib.oh.us and click on “Teen Services.” Back to Top
Library to hold contest for teens Trumbull County teens ages 13-17 are invited to participate in a contest during the month of September at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, 444 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren. Teen Librarian Karen Murphy is inviting teens to name the teams and cities associated with various football logos on display in the Teen Central area at the Main Library. One winner will be drawn at random from among all correct entries. The prize is an assortment of snacks, useful when watching the big game on Sunday afternoon. Check out the display of sports books in Teen Central as you ponder the contest. To learn more about the teen programs and services at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, visit www.wtcpl.lib.oh.us and click on the link to Teen Central under “Teen Services.”
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