There are Chinese based search engine companies such as baidu.com and Zhongsou (search for portal sina). I’m certain these companies undergo censorship as well. In addition, I am not sure how well they search the english language internet. Thus, we are back to the conundrum search engine corporations who wish to expand into the Chinese market encounter: provide access to some information from outside perspectives or provide no access. What is it that Google was supposed to do?

Personally, I feel that not providing any access would have been “more evil”. I also prefer their solution of simply not offering blogging tools, instead of agreeing to censor content as well. To me, that game would be even more sticky.

I don’t like the idea that Chinese citizens are unable to access the real history behind events such as Tiananmen Square. However, Western search companies refusing to operate in China would do nothing to change this policy. Again, there are Chinese engines that are quite good. We are not talking about a situation in which Google would have a great deal of influence.

Companies are to serve their customers. What do you do when you cannot easily access what the customer truly wants — for example, when communication is blocked by a paternalistic government?

Maybe I misunderstood?

If material on Scientology is not searchable by Google due to a lawsuit or criminal matter that is, I think, competely different from Google accommodating a dictatorship.

As a Chinese librarian I was sorry to see here Google is upholding its value and has won a lot of applause for its refusal to submit search results to DOJ, while at the other hemisphere they abandon the very same principle and follow the flock of Yahoo and Microsoft. Google is not alone, but I was just sad to see a company I like so much was following the same corporate suit. Shame on Google!

Believe me, it’s much easier done than said. The key idea to East Coast Swing is that by taking a rock-step you build tension between the two partners. The tension releases and both partners can go into a volley of moves: twirls, kicks, jumps, pushes, etc.

Without the rock-step there’s no build up of tension. Without tension, there’s not enough momentum between the two partners to make any significant moves. In effect, there’s no dance. None.

You can choose to see Google as bowing out on one of its principles. But if we choose to see Google dancing East Coast Swing with China, they would be currently engaged in a rock-step. It’s a tense moment that by itself looks like a step in the wrong direction: very much one step back. But in itself it holds promise.

If you want to teach people how to Swing, you teach them the rock-step. If you can’t even get to the rock-step, how in blazes are you going to teach them anything else?

Sure, sometimes you have to take a step in opposite directions, but it is essential for moving forward. Certainly learning a few moves of East Coast Swing is better than not learning any at all.

I suppose that’s a very long winded way of saying, “One step back, and two steps forward.”