China Censors Obama Speech

Inaugural address praised as masterful use of language

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's inaugural address showed a literary mastery of language, assorted authors tell the Los Angeles Times. The president's plain speaking and restraint is commended, along with his use of "we" instead of "I." Author Ted Wilmer hails the president's use of "tight language, short sentences and strong images," and his evocative references to past presidents and other historical figures. More»

Rooftop snipers, the vice president sprinting, Denzel in action, and more

(NEWSER) - Yesterday’s all-star concert on the National Mall put the super in supergroup, but the HBO broadcast didn’t catch everything. Here’s some of what went down off-camera, as seen by Jada Yuan of New York:

• Black-clad Secret Service snipers trolled the Lincoln Memorial’s rooftop, packing binocs and “really big machine guns.”
• Audience members gasping at actor Denzel Washington’s presence, with one man exclaiming, “Damn, all the famous black people are here.” Denzel also “did a little dance” and “raised the roof” for singer Mary J. Blige.
• President-elect Barack Obama obeying Jamie Foxx’s command that “Chi-Town, stand up!”

Government, banks, citizens must do their part to fix US

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s inaugural speech will highlight the need for responsibility—among government, financial institutions, and the citizenry, the Washington Post reports as the incoming press secretary described what we can expect in tomorrow. “We need more responsibility and accountability, certainly, in the way our government acts,” Robert Gibbs said. And “obviously, the American people are going to have to give some.” More»

Dissidents fear losing free-speech tool

(NEWSER) - Twitter's controversial decision to allow censorship of tweets on a country-by-country basis has won praise from two of the countries with the busiest censors. In Thailand—ranked 153rd in the world for press freedom because of its strict laws against offending the monarchy—the country's information minister called the move a "welcome development," adding that the government has already received "good co-operation" from Google and Facebook. Thais can be jailed just for clicking "like" on a page deemed offensive to the monarchy, the Guardian notes. More»

Even as some say they support the protesters

(NEWSER) - Chinese Internet users were just a wee bit amused by American protests over the Stop Online Privacy Act . "Don't understand the hoopla over Wikipedia blackout in the US today," one microblogger wrote, according to the LA Times . "We blacked it out here years ago. Where are OUR hugs?" Another blogger observed that "Only an American company could protest the way Wikipedia or Google has [to deal with] the government. A Chinese company would never get away with that." More»