Extra! Extra! Top real estate mogul acknowledges bubble, China and Africa are BFF and journalism is a ladies' game

• Not only is free media (generally) not allowed or recommended in China, it isn't tolerated! Hubei's provincial governor obviously wasn't having a good day last week when he literally threatened a reporter for asking him what appeared to be a harmless question. [Global Voices Online]
• It's been revealed that China make actually be substantially helping impoverished African nations reduce their poverty - as a means of helping itself. Seem underhanded? Maybe. But consider that our nation has decreased it's poverty rate from over 50 to under ten percent in just twenty years. Where there's a will, and all that jazz. [The China Beat]
• The Chinese government is so shady that it doesn't even directly reform its new recruits of their recruitment. Among other cases, a Peking University professor recently learned he'd been tapped to sit on one of the nation's "top political advisory body" learned of this while watching a television news report. [Global Times]
• Shanghai may have provided refuges to Jews fleeing Europe during World War II, but that doesn't mean China's got Israel's back. As Israeli develops unveil plans to build more than 100 Jewish apartments in East Jerusalem and 1000 homes in the West Bank, our government's stance couldn't be clearer: "China urges the Israeli side to immediately stop building the Jewish settlements and make real efforts to revive the talks." [People's Daily Online]
• What's the best way to sidestep being corralled into the reporter's area at your next press event? Well, having a vagina seems to be a good start. In addition to the benefits provided by being female and at least somewhat attractive, it's apparently also adviseable that you grope the man you'd like to interview as he walks by. [Global Times]

Photo: [Eddie Awad's Photostream]