Weekend Recap: What was good (and not so good)

The good and the not-so-good from the previous several days

The good:

• Wikipedia unblocked: Half-assed fact-checking (and hyperlinking) made possible once again.
• Live in Shanghai website: A surprisingly good source for Shanghai neophytes. And, um, the navigationally impaired.
• Time Passage: Drinking a few beers and rolling some dice at Time Passage is a fine way to spend a Saturday evening. Two gripes: Get at least one decent beer—Tiger makes us hurt the next day. How about some Sam Adams? Or even Xinjiang Black Beer? And bar patrons should be barred from getting behind the microphone. (Unless it's Tim from the band Mint)
• Fuyou Lu: If you're ever in the mood to browse countless stalls selling “stuff,” head to Fuyou Lu, near Yu Garden. It’s not the typical touristy stuff found closer to the garden—it’s just “stuff.”
• Sherpa’s Guides: Some great new additions, like Aegean, one of our favorites, and a lot more selection, including pet products (but kind of large surcharges on those). Sherpa’s delivery guys always have change, too.
• Vidoo: Foreign TV channels! On your computer! For free! No Slingbox required! Drawbacks: Not Mac-friendly, not crappy-Shanghai-internet-connection friendly (see below), almost certainly illegal.
• The Departed: Not playing in theaters—which means it’s a shoo-in on every street corner. Just remember—still not better than Infernal Affairs.
• Fish soup with sour pickled veggies: Warming (and fattening) us up just in time for winter. Near Fuzhou Lu and Yunnan Lu. Just ask for the suan (sour pickled) cai (veggie) yu (fish).

The not so good:

• DVD store crackdown: It’s still unsubstantiated rumor (Ka De was still there last we checked, though all their Western inventory was mysteriously absent), and those dudes peddling their carts on the street probably won’t be going anywhere for too long, but we’re going to assume the worst, and envision massive The Wire withdrawals anyways.
• Shanghai Shenhua leaves Hongkou: First, Robbie, then Jay-Z … and now Shenhua?
• Plaza 66 hookers: Ok, so it was just outside the west entrance of Plaza 66, and we only have one eyewitness account brave enough to step forward (so far). But this is Plaza 66—not Maoming Lu. We expect better…
• Shanghai ADSL connection: We’re becoming so good at this whole “restart modem, router, repeat” routine, it’s scary. Anyone else having issues?
• Live Bar catches fire: Literally. So not cool.
• Local entertainers victimized: First, it was JZ Club’s Coco, and now, stand-up comic Cai Galiang. Whoever these anonymous assailants are need to chill the hell out.
• Oscars controversy: Yeah, we know The Banquet is a Hong Kong/China co-production, so it’s perfectly within China’s rights to select another film (read: one with a much better shot of winning), but why pawn off a second-rate film to Hong Kong’s first-rate film industry? (Two words: Johnnie To.)
• Shanghai graft scandal: Corruption is hardly a buzzword these days, but when Party chiefs, F1 general managers, and any number of high-level executives are involved, well, you didn't think it'd make our "good" list, right?

Compiled by Shanghaiist Staff