TomatoPie wrote:FB is banned all the time in mainland China. But China residents and Chinese immigrants in America use "WeeChat" which is a pretty robust social network, focused on groups. Mrs TP is in a group with her med school classmates. They are immature at social media -- they post all the stupid shat and false rumors that we circulated by email 20 years ago. No one questions the veracity - they just repost. And these are med school grads. They also do a bit of airing of personal dramas.

Mrs TP keeps me apprised of hot topics there -- I will check and see what they are saying about Hong Kong.

RichmondPhilsFan wrote:

pacino wrote:virginia politics are pretty disgusting

So many things I wish I could say about this story, but I just can't.

RICHMOND — Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s chief of staff left a voicemail for a Democrat who was on the verge of quitting the state Senate in June, saying that the lawmaker’s daughter might get a top state job if he stayed to support the governor’s uphill bid to expand Medicaid, according to descriptions from three people who heard the recording.

The senator, Democrat Phillip P. Puckett, wound up resigning the Senate, flipping control of the chamber to Republicans and thwarting McAuliffe’s signature goal of expanding health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Puckett’s abrupt exit came amid accusations that Republicans had enticed him to leave with job offers for himself and his daughter, triggering an ongoing federal investigation and inflaming partisan passions in Richmond.

Now a voicemail message suggests that Puckett fielded a similar overture from Paul Reagan, McAuliffe’s chief of staff.

The governor’s spokesman initially denied Thursday that Reagan had made any potential job offers, but he later acknowledged that the call had been made after he was read a transcript of Reagan’s voicemail given to The Washington Post.

jerseyhoya wrote:TMac!

RICHMOND — Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s chief of staff left a voicemail for a Democrat who was on the verge of quitting the state Senate in June, saying that the lawmaker’s daughter might get a top state job if he stayed to support the governor’s uphill bid to expand Medicaid, according to descriptions from three people who heard the recording.

drsmooth wrote:Probably just me but I'm doubtful Dorn's signing up to roll tanks through the streets of Hong Kong

I wonder what the mode of censorship is in those cases. I mean if you'e one of the 150 in 10,000 whose posts are censored, is your post merely deleted? Do they post some kind of lame official "correction"? Do they contact you for mandatory 're-education'? Do they throttle your internet connection? Are you, along with your posts, disappeared?

At risk of stereotyping, shaming is big there, as I understand it. Maybe that factors in to the punishment.

Warszawa wrote:

drsmooth wrote:Probably just me but I'm doubtful Dorn's signing up to roll tanks through the streets of Hong Kong

I wonder what the mode of censorship is in those cases. I mean if you'e one of the 150 in 10,000 whose posts are censored, is your post merely deleted? Do they post some kind of lame official "correction"? Do they contact you for mandatory 're-education'? Do they throttle your internet connection? Are you, along with your posts, disappeared?

At risk of stereotyping, shaming is big there, as I understand it. Maybe that factors in to the punishment.

I just find it incredible that with today's access to information in general that such a large educated population will simply put up with not having a true say in their own short lives on this planet.

TenuredVulture wrote:Encouraging indifference is easier and more effective than censorship

pacino wrote:what an opinion