A busy day today, so no time for witty exposition. However a few links did catch my eye today:

Thank god I'm a commie boy
From Danwei, David Moser's fascinating essay on China's schizophrenic media, including the startling revelation that John Denver was one of the first pop singers to get permission to play in China. There's no accounting for taste.

Art imitates life
Adding a touch of authenticity to Beijing's New Orleans-style jazz club, The Big Easy, the management of Chaoyang Park has announced that the club will be bulldozed. Apparently a "peace plaza" will be built on the site instead. Imagethief has often been past the Big Easy, although he has never been in it (being something more of a blues man than a jazz man himself). Nevertheless, he feels a "peace plaza" represents a lateral trade at best.

China is evil, etc.
Reporters Sans Frontieres, an organization that Imagethief wants very much to respect but which often pisses him off with its overheated rhetoric, has released an announcement (proxy link) that is essentially an omnibus condemnation of Beijing's media restrictions in light of the upcoming Olympics. RSF's complaint is that Beijing in increasingly tightening controls on both domestic and foreign media in the run up to the games. Personally, Imagethief feels that the question is not how the Chinese government will control the thousands of journalists who will descend to cover the games, but how it will react when it discovers it can't control them.

The sweet smell of destruction
From the Associated Press, shocking news of a perfume factory explosion in Tianjin. As a person who dislikes strong cosmetic fragrances, Imagethief is left with two thoughts:
  1. What a horrible way to go.
  2. On the other hand, it might save some money on embalming.
I realize the above is in poor taste but, hey, so is an exploding perfume factory.

Is the punch spiked?
China Daily reports on a bar in Nanjing that is running a sideline in anger management. Apparently, most of the patrons are "women, especially those working in service and entertainment companies such as KTV or massage parlours." They are invited to heap verbal and, yes, physical abuse on the armored wait-staff at the bar. A man quoted in the article, Mr. Chen Liang, expresses appreciation for the bar, remarking that there is no place for people to vent anger otherwise. Imagethief is not sure he and Mr. Chen Liang are living in the same China.

Dell again
Another interesting post from Sam Flemming on the Dell situation, worth a read, and not just because he flatters your easily flustered correspondent. I've left my thoughts in a comment.