To start off our Holiday Superlatives extravaganza, let's take a good look here at home first. Wonder what Shanghaiist readers were flipping through this year? Here are the top five most looked at stories from January to June of 2009. more ›

• Girl dumps boy, boy posts naked pictures [Shanghai Daily] "About 30 pictures of a naked woman together with her personal information including her name, age and family address had been posted on a popular online forum by a person claiming to be her ex-boyfriend. The person, identified as "Garros," said that he had been recently dumped by the woman surnamed Yin after his business failed."
• Dongguan lifts ban on nightclub pole dancing [szdaily] "DONGGUAN lifted a ban on pole dancing performances at city nightclubs in a revised rule formulated to regulate local recreational businesses last week. The ban, which has been a controversial issue since it was listed in a draft rule, was groundless because of lack of legal support, the city’s cultural bureau told the Guangzhou Daily."
• Ted Turner: China a Good Example of Population Control, Despite Forced Abortions [Lifenews] "Billionaire broadcast magnate Ted Turner is causing guffaws from observers with his latest comment on family planning in China. He lauded the Asian nation for its population control program and said it was a good example even though it is rife with forced abortions and sterilizations. During an interview with the Diane Rehm Show gave China as a model for how to handle growing populations. “We do have the example of China, and they've done it without, uh, draconian, as far as I can see, draconian steps," he said. Observers of the quote are surprised that Rehm let it go unchallenged and without any mention of the human rights abuses that accompany the Chinese family planning program."