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February 2008 - Posts

The baby is coming next week, pinhead!

Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2008 6:51 AM by will
Although his wife may disagree, Imagethief believes very deeply that Homo sapiens should have a gestational period of 241 weeks. Forty weeks is simply not long enough for first-time parents to come to grips with the reality of having a child. The funny Read More...
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Scandalous death of a propaganda image

Posted Sunday, February 24, 2008 11:42 PM by will
The Wall Street Journal has an article (subscription - alternate links below) that nicely retells the story of the fake photo scandal currently sweeping the Chinese Internet. Taken (and doctored) by professional photographer Liu Weiqing, the photo may Read More...
11 Comments

Chris O'Brien on re-animating Chinese government-speak

Posted Sunday, February 24, 2008 1:28 AM by will
Imagethief feels deeply that one of the chief impediments to China's public diplomacy is its reliance, even in translation, on highly formalized language and canned slogans. Chinese government-speak may work well in context, as long as that context is Read More...
13 Comments

Have I discovered a business model?

Posted Thursday, February 21, 2008 4:49 AM by will
Look carefully. One of these posts is not like the others: Yes, it's official. Last week's Ed!son Chen post is now the most viewed post ever on this blog, knocking the May, 2005 S@yaa Ir!e post out of the number one spot. 13,500 * 18,500 and still going Read More...
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Athlete blogs: Something else to worry Beijing come August?

Posted Sunday, February 17, 2008 11:27 PM by will
The IOC has bowed to the inevitable and said that athletes can blog --within limits-- from the Games this summer: Athletes have long demanded they be allowed to write their blogs -- online journals of personal opinion or reflection -- during the Games. Read More...
7 Comments

Hamster inflation

Posted Wednesday, February 13, 2008 11:34 PM by will
Only in China: A sudden spike in the demand for pet rodents, inspired by the start of the "Year of the Rat", has forced the price of hamsters up by as many as six times in China, state media reported Wednesday. Prior to the Lunar New Year, hamsters went Read More...
12 Comments

Steven Spielberg pulls out of the Olympics - Updated

Posted Wednesday, February 13, 2008 11:23 PM by will
I am not going to comment on this in detail right now, other than to note that this is getting a lot of press coverage and it's a serious PR boost for Dream for Darfur. However I will point you at two posts that I think offer interesting comment. Dave Read More...
49 Comments

Let me tell ya about Edison Chen's dirty photos

Posted Wednesday, February 13, 2008 3:17 AM by will
With the possible exception of Disney villains, Imagethief cannot think of a group of people that more richly deserve their miserable fates than Hong Kong celebrity Edison Chen and his cavalcade of cupcakes . If I sound unsympathetic here, that is because Read More...
41 Comments

Tom Lantos, Yahoo's antagonist on China issues, dies

Posted Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:17 PM by will
From CNET : Tom Lantos, the Democratic congressman and Holocaust survivor who used his moral authority to pressure Yahoo and other American Internet companies about their behavior in China, has died. Lantos famously --and perhaps a bit unfairly-- referred Read More...
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The Chinese have a lot of hells: Photos from a temple fair

Posted Sunday, February 10, 2008 11:57 PM by will
People of my age who are fond of schlocky movies may remember the John Carpenter/Kurt Russel classic, "Big Trouble in Little China". In that movie the Chinese sidekick tells our hero in a moment of peril, "the Chinese have a lot of hells". I always thought Read More...
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Armageddon in my neighborhood: Photos and video from Chinese New Year in Beijing

Posted Thursday, February 07, 2008 6:14 AM by will
When Imagethief was a lad he was (as his father will gladly tell you) something of a pyro. I always looked forward to the fourth of July, Independence Day, when fireworks are traditionally set off in the United States. They were banned in San Francisco, Read More...
7 Comments

2007 best-of-Imagethief and statistics

Posted Tuesday, February 05, 2008 11:01 PM by will
There is no such thing as a dull year in China. 2008 is well underway and already looks like another whopper. We're only a month in and we've already had the biggest storms in half a century. The Olympics, the mother of all China events, is now a scant seven months off. God only knows what will happen in between. Read More...
4 Comments

Ching Cheong free

Posted Tuesday, February 05, 2008 4:20 AM by will
The wires report that he has been freed , in time for Chinese New Year. Read More...
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China leadership Winter 2008 tour

Posted Sunday, February 03, 2008 2:28 AM by will
China's Standing Committee members are continuing to work the storm-hit masses. One has to admire propaganda chief Li Changchun (B). Here's a man who doesn't just direct from on high, but who takes a real hands-on approach to his portfolio: That's a lot Read More...
7 Comments

The storm

Posted Saturday, February 02, 2008 6:43 AM by will
I feel I owe the people of China an apology. About a month ago I accused this winter of being a "pansy" winter. As many people have since reminded me, I was tempting fate. Fate has obliged by throwing China it's worst winter storm in more than two decades Read More...
11 Comments