Sunday links

This might become a weekly thing, but I doubt it. Danwei does something similar, and it's much better. Also, I know I always get annoyed reading these type of posts (though I love writing them) because I never know what to click. Oh well.

• From the above link: a young teenage girl models underwear on a Chinese billboard, as reported by Slate. There probably won't be much outrage over this, and probably for the reason a Disney spokesman brings up -- "I don't want to make excuses for them at all because it is not anything that we would ever approve, but in other parts of the world this is not unusual at all. In fact, in Europe, they have similar type of taste, if you will. Here in China that's not unusual at all, but it's not usual for the Disney brand" -- but still, it's an interesting read.
  
  
• The subject of the Chinese press came up in an earlier post, a subject we'll be revisiting, but here're some more points of view, as reported by Jocelyn Ford, Bureau Chief of Marketplace's Beijing Bureau (via Danwei and China Digital Times).
  
  "China will become more open," said Roy, the first interviewee. Another interviewee brings up this point: some feel that complete freedom of press would tarnish China's image, and right now, lots of people care about the country's image. Another guy says China's image is already bad -- as bad now as in 1989. All food for thought. (I need to contact Ms. Ford.)
  
  
• Speaking of the press: this Swedish company lost its exclusivity rights to telecast the Nobel Prize after a Chinese station censored a speech... on freedom of expression (via IHT).
  
  
• The Shanghaiist does not like the movie The Forbidden Kingdom, despite hottie Li Bing Bing's best efforts.
  
  
• Um, did Vivian S. Toy just figure out something we've known all along: that Hapas are attention-grabbing?
  
  
• The French... what is it about the French? (via Absurdity, Allegory and China)
  
  
• And, uh... what is it about the Chinese? Via NY Times, this quote from a girl who pays attention to anti-Carrefour protests, only to buy Carrefour goods: “Look at this,” she said, holding a tub of ice cream. “I don’t know much about the French, but this is a really good price.”
  
  
• The torch went through Hong Kong a couple days ago.
  
  
• Footage of the train wreck that killed at least 70, via Shanghaiist.
  
  
• Do you use Friendster? You must be Asian!
  
  
• And finally, two stories from Time -- a reminder that politics and people are fucked up everywhere: assessing Jeremiah Wright's damage to Obama, and Rummy playing dumb. the second article makes me wonder: "Is it really better that our Secretary of Defense didn't know what was going on under his nose?" Is negligence of duty any better than misjudgment? (The article gets really good on page 3, which is to say it'll make you really mad.)