“Access to Apple’s online iTunes Store has been blocked in China after it emerged that Olympic athletes have been downloading and possibly listening to a pro-Tibetan music album in a subtle act of protest against China’s rule over the province,” Stephen Hutcheon reports for The Sydney Morning Herald.
“The album, called Songs for Tibet, was produced by an a group called The Art of Peace Foundation, and features 20 tracks from well-known singers and songwriters including Sting, Moby, Suzanne Vega and Alanis Morissette,” Hutcheon reports.
“It was released as a download on the iTunes Store on August 5 – three days before the start of the Olympics – with the physical CD launched on Tuesday this week,” Hutcheon reports. “The Foundation provided free downloads of the album to Olympic athletes, urging them to play the songs on their iPods during the Games as a show of support.”
Hutcheon reports, “Funds raised from the sale of the album are being used by the non-profit Foundation to support “peace-related projects that are dear to the Dalai Lama”, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader whom China regards as subversive.”
“On Monday, expatriate iTunes users living in China began experiencing technical problems with their previously unfettered access,” Hutcheon reports. “That was the same day the US-based Campaign for Tibet organisation claimed on its website that ‘over 40 Olympic athletes in North America, Europe and even Beijing’ had downloaded the album.”
“A blogger calling herself JeninShanghai has reposted what she says is a reply she received from Apple’s customer support after reporting that she had problems with her US iTunes Store account,” Hutcheon reports. “‘iTunes is not being blocked in China from our end, but access to the iTunes Store IS restricted in some areas in China. This would also explain why it’s happening to your friends there as well,’ the response reads.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Songs for Tibet via Apple’s U.S. iTunes Store (US$11.99) is here.
@Predrag – next conspiracy theory you’ll bring up would be that the Olympic judging are all done on Lenovo laptops, and since Lenovo is built in China, and running insecured Windows, perhaps the judging for the Chinese athletes have a Diebol-isk advantage? Who knows, right?
In this case I didn’t know about the album, but now I will get it, so the censorship only served the counter effect.
@Predrag — Omega is a Swiss company. If can trust anyone, it’s Swiss timing engineers. Those guys are so neutral it’s ridiculous.
“possibly” listening to
That’s some good paranoia, China! I sympathize with your citizens.
@BC Kelly
On subsequent evenings stop action photos from inside the pool showed that Phelps did indeed touch the wall first. It was his very quick half stroke at the end while Cavic was gliding that allowed Phelps to touch first. The angled views from above the pool looked different, but the photos from the pool, directly under the swimmers showed a more accurate result. Phelps won by a finger nail.
You should see the volume of conspiracy articles/sites/blogs regarding that Phelps / Čavić dispute! Back in Serbia, they are looking at it with some bewilderment, as everyone is just thrilled they have a medal (silver, no less).
Elsewhere, though, (in US, mainly), stories are spun, pictures are compared (and enhanced, for greater clarity), experts testify looking at the angle of the camera, compared to the angle of the swimmers, the speed of their stroke, etc. I’m sure the games will be long forgotten and this theory will continue to be discussed all over the blogosphere. Throw in one of the biggest makers of timepieces in the world (Omega), and you have the ‘big money’ element nicely woven into it.
For your entertainment, check this guy out: http://100thofasecond.com/
“Frak China!
Those bastards.
Don’t mess with Apple.”
DON’T MESS WITH CHINA!
I bet you Apple dont wanna lose its chinese market. PLUS, how many Apple products are being manufactured there?
PLUS, even US wont mess with China at its current state!
I thought they were blocked from listening to the fabulous musical remake, Hello Dalai Lama!
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You so welly funny!
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Of course the party couldn’t stand for 40 people out of 1.3 billion to download that, all commie parties are like that, or like how a certain US party treats smokers
I was surprised that they didn’t try to block, detain or shoot the athletes.
Agreed. The athletes got off very easy.
It wasn’t that long ago where protesting in China would get you ran under tank treads….
AND to think that China OWNS us!
Can we really blame China for that?
First American companies “outsourced” to China in the sole name of making more money.
Then America’s runaway government started borrowing from China, HEAVILY, in the name of not having the guts to face the inevitable.
China’s billions (trillions??) in trade-deficit funded Treasuries have got to be pulling in some nice interest returns.
Note to Macromancer: The Chinese also collectively have the tightest pussies. A nice welcome relief. You would not believe how many people get confused when they find out that the Grand Canyon actually refers to a geographical location.
This is truly a major breakthrough and shows just how much the Chinese have moved forward only to have them kicked by the evil AENUS alliance of terror.
-Did the Chinese shoot a bunch of people in Tianamen square over this? Nope.
-Did they cut off the ears of the people who listened to it? Nope.
-Did they expel the athletes involved in the protest? Nope.
These “Art of Piece of S**t” morons obviously have no clue to even bother reading and listening to what the Dali Lama said (about endorsing the games, going there, showing support and enjoying the competition…oh and playing sports). Instead these buffons seek to distract and disrupt from the spirit of the Olympic Games and the Dali Lama’s wishes by running this protest.
The Olympic athletes that participated in this protest are about as worthy as the ones who take performance enhancing drugs, and from the article the backlash towards Apple is not surprising (they should have delayed it).
Typical AENUS behaviour if you ask me. Maybe some Chinese should do some Tai Chi during the last inning of the World Series baseball game as a political protest but I don’t think they would stoop that low.
Nuke em from orbit I say. To be sure.
Phelps was awesome this year.
fantasy football is fun, maybe the chinese can play that.
check out PaytheFan.com see Terry Bradshaw
Spark and Predrag
Thanks for the input/info/link
Like said, don’t watch Oly’s and only heard about the 1/100th sec finish
Do understand concept of photo angle distortion, which can be amplified underwater, especially when viewed from above water going INTO the water (bent straw sort of thing)
AND – is 2 dimensional
So, be very careful watching Football, or any sport, if replays are seen only from one angle – is not the ‘true’ picture, and will have to extrapolate to get it. Unless have one of those computer 3-D type TV pics and rotate. But believe all of those are ‘stills’ (still?)
Does appear this ‘controversy’ may not go away, good, keep the bastards honest.
However, the one that seems to really have a lot of folks in a snit:
The gymnastic ‘tie’ that was decided by some method apparently invented after the tie happened
Sounds like what my Big Brothers always did to me when we were kids
Made up the rules as we went along
Oh well – as Refs often say in Futball:
Play On
BC
“That’s a heartening story.
AND to think that China OWNS us!”
Don’t worry. It won’t be long before Buy’N’Large owns the whole kit and kaboodle anyway!!
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Close your eyes and be free with your patriotic act (oh sorry: patryotik akt)…
@MacSmiley
Have China to ask back repay of their US Treasury Bonds… and it will be all over!
@Webbyswim
Do you speek and write ANY other language than US english?
At least, in China, people try to evolve…
Just the direction the US is heading in.
In a couple of years you won’t be able to listen to any music you want because it will be deemed terrorist supporting because it doesn’t bash iran.
How can you people tollerate that the government demands people to register several days ahead on the internet that they are coming to the US or they won’t be let in? The land of the free? Not so much. The government owns your ass!
@Emil
You have to register on the Internet before you can enter the United States now? Are you serious? Sheesh, I heard things had gotten bad there but not that bad. Oh well, still not too surprising.
The phelps race was broadcast live and the results were released instantaneously. There was no delay. If you saw the pictures from underwater in HD you would see phelps’ fingers bent back as he touched the wall while the other guys were straight with a small gap about the size of a pencil eraser. The only controversy is from people who didn’t see it, don’t understand timing, or gain from a perceived controversy(ie the media).
Go China!!
Those people really know how a government should be run!
Barak Hussen Obamyma will teach you americans soon enough the same lessons
“The government owns your ass!”
Soon to own your ass as well sucker.
We don’t have the largest kick-ass military for nothing
@Emil
You don’t mention what “free” country you live in. Dare to name your country so we can compare freedoms?
waiting…
no, I didn’t think so
Flavour of the month… Chinese. What’s for next month? Iraq? Point is, are you really that much better than your neighbour?
Answer: No, just different and misunderstood. The root of all fear.
@land of the free
Point is not to compare the way our governements are conditionned by the masters of war and $… but to admit that our so called “freedom” is just a product our governements are conditioning us for.
But to understand that, we have to get some auto-criticism teached in the schools from the very begening…
And please, don’t give me of that stupid: “you damn communist”, just because i’m trying to think different!