Have you ever opened an instruction manual for a product that was not made in the U.S.?  Have you come across a phrase or word that just didn't make sense?  Perhaps you thought there might not be anyone working at the manufacturing plant that had, say, even a tiny grasp on the English language.  That maybe the factory workers have 'limited contact' with the outside world.  Well, if you thought this, you would be right.

As you might know, the relationship between China and the province of Tibet is a bit 'strained'.  The Chinese are not very happy when an area of their country that wants independence.  They are not, shall we say, open to new ideas.  With the Olympics coming, the Chinese are even more 'edgy' than normal.  For some reason, they really don't want a bunch of protesters around when the eyes of the world are on China.  Perhaps it is because they sometimes kill peaceful protesters, but I am just guessing. They impose a few 'limits' on what the outside world sees, and even more limits on what the people of China see and hear.

There is a factory in the Guangdong province of China that makes flags.  They make all kinds of flags.  They get an order, and they make the flag.  That's it. They evidently don't have any idea what or for whom the flags are. How would I know this?  On April 20, the police raided the factory and confiscated thousands of flags like the one above.  As it turns out, the flag signifies Tibetan Independence, which as I mentioned before is a 'sore spot' for China.  It is against the law just to possess or transport this flag.  The Chinese Government has such a stranglehold on the media and the internet (thanks, Google) that the workers or factory owners had NO IDEA what they were making.  Most of them had never seen a symbol of something that the government will barely acknowledge.  The factory owners were understandably concerned, because historically there may have been perhaps one or maybe two protesters that have disappeared while in Chinese custody.

So, factory workers of the world, if you are polishing a part that says "insert plutonium here" or making a switch that says "detonator", perhaps you might want to check with you immediate supervisor right away.  Of course, he is probably just as much in the dark as you are, but at least you tried.