Update: Since we posted this, the "truth" was unblocked on Sina Weibo.
On the Internet in China, the "truth" has vanished.
The Chinese word for "truth" (真相) has been blocked from Sina Weibo, China's leading social media site.
It might seem like a bad Orwellian joke, or a satirical headline from "The Onion," but it's true.
Seven months pregnant with her second child, Feng Jianmei and her husband could not pay the fine for violating China's one-child policy. So local officials forced to her to have an abortion.
The poor woman's story gained attention on Sina Weibo. And eventually, authorities apologized. Some were suspended.
Deng Jiyuan spoke to CNN less than two weeks ago about his wife's traumatic ordeal. Now his family says he is missing.
Hong Kong (CNN) – In CNN's Hong Kong newsroom, right next to my desk, there's a "douche jar."
Inspired by the TV series "New Girl," the "douche jar" was placed in our cubicle cluster to prevent general douchebaggery or acts of egregious self-promotion. It works like this - if you say or do something like a douchebag, you put a fistful of local currency into the jar.
In case you're not familiar with the term, the Urban Dictionary offers up this definition. The douchebag "has an inflated sense of self-worth, compounded by a lack of social grace and self-awareness. He behaves inappropriately in public, yet is completely ignorant to how pathetic he appears to others."
In the newsroom, the jar is usually low on cash. Most of its contributions are made in jest by a colleague out to channel a self-absorbed jerk.
But on Twitter, the "douche jar" is always full.
Now that Facebook is friends with Wall Street, this journalist is giving her timeline a rethink.
I rejoiced when it launched Facebook Pages, as this was a chance to build a professional presence on the network separate from my personal feed.
I was also riveted by the work of Wael Ghonim, the Egyptian Internet activist and Google executive who devised the "We are all Khalid Said" Facebook page after a businessman who died in police custody last year. The page helped spark the revolution that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
And I was thrilled when Facebook hired a dedicated journalist-program manager to build ways for reporters to be more socially savvy.
But now Facebook will answer to its shareholders as a publicly traded company. To keep Wall Street happy, it will have to make more money - quarter after quarter.
Journalists have to face up to the fact that we - along with some 800 million Facebook users worldwide - are the product being sold.
Nicol Nicolson's Instagram page
I made an exhibition of myself on CNN last night.
My dear friend and colleague Ramy Inocencio was proficiently analyzing Toyota’s latest earnings when, 35 seconds into his hit, a pair of arms rose up over his left shoulder. They belonged to me. And they proceeded to run the gamut of soccer-style celebrations: the fist pump, the airplane, the Saturday Night Fever 45° point… The spectacle lasted 15 seconds but, watching it back, it’s an agonizingly long 15 seconds. And the thing is, as shamelessly scene-stealing as this episode appeared to be, it wasn’t my fault. It was Instagram’s.
While the wider world obsesses over the imminent opportunity to purchase shares in Facebook, I am instead obsessing over Facebook’s latest purchase. Don’t get me wrong. I was "gramin" long before Mark Zuckerberg got his prosperous paws on the photo-sharing site. But as with any addiction, Instagram crept up on me, posing as a harmless hobby before eventually enveloping me in its allure.
When it comes to Good Samaritans in China, “to be or not to be” is a constant struggle.
If you are among the many residents who worry about becoming a victim of fraud after helping people in need, we’ve got some good news for you.
China is preparing its very first Good Samaritan law to protect bystanders who choose to rescue a stranger in distress. According to Guangzhou Daily, officials in the southern city of Shenzhen are soliciting public opinions on a draft of a local Good Samaritan regulation designed to encourage altruism.
The draft follows the tragic death of Yue Yue, a two-year-old girl who was ignored by passers-by as she lay dying in a busy street in October. Graphic footage of the toddler’s death triggered widespread discussion of the “prevalent apathy” in Chinese societies. Many called for a new law to tackle the culture of avoidance and eliminate scams to accuse well-intentioned citizens.
Shenzhen became the first to react. FULL POST
Sources include Chinese social media sites such as Sina Weibo ranking page (风云榜), Baidu Beats, and Weibo Top News (新浪新闻). Please keep us posted with what's buzzing on your radar and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Chinese netizens criticize school bus donation to Macedonia – China’s donation of school buses to Macedonia has triggered criticism online, where netizens called this decision "ill-considered" given their country’s poor safety record and a recent crash that killed 19 preschoolers. More details here and you can read the Global Time editorial defending this donation here.
According to the report on Ministry of Tofu, one viral Weibo comment was reposted by thousands of netizens: it reads, “Even if we are poor, we won’t deprive Macedonian children of education. Even if we have to suffer, we won’t let Macedonian children suffer” (再苦不能苦了马其顿孩子，再穷不能穷了马其顿教育!). This is a wordplay on the Chinese government's political slogan: “Even if we are poor, we won’t deprive our children of education. Even if we have to suffer, we won’t let our children suffer.” (再穷不能穷教育，再苦不能苦孩子).
Hepatitis C outbreaks in Anhui – A Hepatitis C epidemic has broken out in Woyang county in Bozhou, Anhui Province, and may have been caused by unsafe injections (dirty needles). Officials from the Anhui Provincial Health Bureau said on Monday 56 potential carriers of the virus were examined and 13 were tested positive. Many of the Hepatitis C carriers are children. More details here and more images here.
Xiao Yueyue mini movie – A short movie has been made in commemoration of Xiao Yueyue, the young girl who was repeatedly run over by a car in the presence of indifferent pedestrians. The clip, entitled "Xiao Yueyue mini movie" (小悦悦微电影), encourages viewers to show more compassion towards one another. More details in Chinese here.
*Viral Video* Angry girlfriend in subway – A candid video of a girl yelling at her boyfriend in the subway has been widely circulating on Chinese social media portals. In the clip, the girl insulted her boyfriend for “having no money” and said “guys without money are trash (男人没钱是垃圾)”. The boyfriend remained silent the entire time.
The video sparked heated online discussion on whether it is socially acceptable for men not to have a large bank account. You can follow the discussions in Chinese on Sina Weibo's dedicated topic page here.
How do you usually report counterfeit currency?
You probably called the bank hotline or emailed the customer complaints department.
Sounds simple, right?
Well, not if you are complaining to one Bank of China branch in Fujian province, which asks people to send complaints to what must be one of the world's longest email addresses.
How long?
Try 76 characters long: 0xLJB3F6C4C9D3EBCFD6BDF0B9DCC0EDzFJPJKFBCNYXJGL@mail.notes.bank-of-china.com.
One shocked netizen, @木遥, posted a picture of the bank sign on China's popular microblog Sina Weibo last Saturday, triggering more than two thousands comments and tens of thousands of reposts.
While some netizens laughed about the sheer absurdity of the email address, many expressed frustration towards the bank, accusing the management for “deterring customer complaints intentionally”. FULL POST
Two-year-old Yue Yue is still fighting for her life in hospital.
Grueling footage that has sparked outrage online shows her as the victim of two successive hit-and-run incidents outside a hardware market in Foshan, Guangdong Province. It shows more than a dozen passersby ignored the injured Yue Yue as she was left barely moving in a pool of her own blood, only to be rescued 10 minutes later by a garbage scavenger Chen Xianmei.
In an emotional video posted online, you can see Yue Yue's parents kneeling with their foreheads to the ground in a gesture of extreme deference. Chen looks evidently uncomfortable at the attention and tries to get the couple to stand up.
According to local reports, Chen has been criticised in China; many have accused her of being a fame-seeker. However, Yue Yue's mother says she believes Chen was showing the goodness in human nature. FULL POST
Sources include Chinese social media sites such as Sina Weibo ranking page (风云榜), Baidu Beats, and Weibo Top News (新浪新闻). Please keep us posted with what's buzzing on your radar and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Typhoon (暴风雨) – Netizens discussing Typhoon Nesat which is approaching the southern part of China. Many posting “let the Typhoon come more fiercely!” (让暴风雨来得凶猛一点吧)
Amazon (亚马逊) – Netizens discussing Amazon’s newly launched tablet Kindle Fire. Many comparing it to Apple’s iPad – mixed reviews.
Shanghai Metro Department's second apology post: [Apology again] Today is the darkest day in the operation of Shanghai subway. No matter what the final reason or responsibility, [we] feel extremely ashamed and regretful for the harm and loss caused for the residents. We are trying our best to rescue the injured and resume operation; we also collaborate with related departments for further investigation; we are determined to put an end to more accidents, even though our apologies pale in comparison with the practical damage. We still want to issue our sincere apology.
【再次致歉】今天是上海地铁有史以来最黯淡的一天，无论最终原因和责任怎样，给市民乘客造成的伤害和损失尤感愧疚。全力抢救伤员，尽快恢复运营；接受和配合有关部门对事故的调查和追责；坚决整改举一反三，再多致歉比起实际损害也显苍白，但还要深深道歉。
Shanghai Metro Line 10 (十号线) – As netizens continue to focus on the collision, many are also posting people's reactions today after the metro line resumed operation. One user, @XuYiZhou_Jo (@徐一舟Jo), snapped a picture of a super protected passenger at the station which went viral on Weibo.
This cautious passenger, @WuHeng (@吴忄亘), later posted another image of his "SWAT attire" on metro line 10, attracting thousands of reposts.
Tiangong-1 (天宫一号) – This is China’s experimental space platform scheduled to launch between 9:16aET and 9:31aET today to test docking systems for an eventual manned space station. More details here.
Netizens discussing the launch – many giving the project their blessings but many expressing indifference. Since the launch is ahead of China's National Day celebrations this Saturday, some also criticize the timing for being yet another Party propaganda.
@786XiaoRan: Today will undoubtedly become a milestone in China’s history of space technology. Closely monitoring the launch tonight…
786潇然: 今天注定要载入我国航天发展史…密切关注今晚的发射…
@03ZERO: Hope China’s space technology strengthens! Personally I think if our space science catches up, foreign nations will think twice about bullying…regardless, looking forward to good news~
03ZERO: 希望咱国家的航天事业越来越强，个人认为如果航天强，那么国外不敢随便折腾 ……不管怎样，期待好消息~
@KeLaoDist: I don’t care at all. Just like all the gold metals during Olympics, this has nothing to do with taxpayers other than spending their money.
克劳嗲ist: 真不关心。就像奥运会上的金牌一样，不关纳税人的事，还花了纳税人的钱。
@PangCiBlog: China’s corruption could affect high-speed railway, it is only a matter of time until it affects space technology!
肥兹博客: 中国腐败可以烂到高铁地铁，烂到航天也是早晚的事！
@NovemberXiaoPang: Gift for China’s National Day? Let’s hope this won’t turn into another railway project…
十一月的小胖: 献礼国庆？别弄得像高铁一样。。。
iPhone5 – Netizens discussing Apple’s intention to unveil iPhone 5 on Oct 4. Many guessing what the green phone icon with one missed call represents.
An online poll on “will you purchase an iPhone 5 no matter the price?” indicates that as of 2amET: 15% (3,140 votes) chose “yes” while 43% (9,032 votes) chose “depends”
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