So a writer from The Gazette, a popular Montreal newspaper, was in China recently. And he was awed by the same things that most writers who haven't been to China recently are awed by: the shiny skyscrapers, the intoxicating energy, the pirated DVDs. But the writer's trip to China also coincided with the "most exciting Quebec election in decades," and he desperately wanted to follow the news from back home. And thanks to this thing called "the internet" he was able to ... in Beijing. In Shanghai, he claims, it was a different story. Here is a snippet from the story, entitled "Don't try reading The Gazette online in fashionable, ultra-modern Shanghai": more ›

For the ever-pragmatic Chinese, adopting English names has always represented a way for them to bridge the linguistic and cultural gap. Now, as China widens its reach abroad and as the number of expatriates living in China swells, picking an English name has become a rite of passage for most young, urban Chinese. So ... this is news?

There's a whole wide world out there, and here's the proof: more ›

Shhhhhh! Be quiet. Yes, you. Now listen. Closely. Hear that whirring sound? It's probably nothing to worry about -- or it could be the surveillance camera that has been installed to watch you. According to a story in the Toronto-based newspaper The Globe and Mail, Shanghai has an estimated 200,000 spy cameras installed and another 200,000 are on the way within the next five years: more ›