These are posts that didn’t obviously fit into any other category. After 2007 I had a clearer idea of the blog’s voice and most things I wrote fit into one of the other categories. But between 2004 and 2007 I generated a few urchin posts, some of which were nevertheless keepers.
2007
What to make of Edwin Maher? Following an LA Times profile of CCTV 9′s resident Western anchorman, Edwin Maher, a rash of heated comment erupts across the expat blogosphere and Chinese media. I look at the reaction and the “race traitor” phenomenon that seems to dog western performers in China. December, 2007.
How to work with interpreters: Advice on how to get the best results from interpreters in PR events. My thanks to the interpreters who gave me feedback on the original post. This became a working document in my old agency. July, 2007.
2006
That western ghost festival: Preserved only because it includes the only photo I have of myself in drag as Princess Leia, when I was in grad school in about 1993. October, 2006.
The trouble with English teachers: Why am I so defensive when asked if I am an English teacher? And why can’t China’s legions of foreign English teachers shake a faint aura of desperation? Heavily commented post that sparked some debate, although the comments are now lost. August, 2006.
Tank-Man’s place amongst the iconic images of my life: Inspired by a Frontline documentary, I compare the legendary image of a man standing in front of a row of tanks during the breaking of the 1989 Tian’anmen protests to other iconic images from my lifetime. April, 2006.
2005
Why I empathize with the WSJ’s American expats in Chongqing: After a Wall Street Journal article about a mopey American family in Chongqing brought a round of derision from the China blogs, I went to bat for the family. One of my most commented posts in 2005 (although the comments are lost). August, 2005.
Sanitized for my protection: Imagethief’s self-censorship policy explained: How and why do I filter myself as a blogger in China? Written when I was still relatively fresh to China and working in PR consultancy, but still relevant in some ways. June, 2005. (June 4th, no less.)
2004
So you want to study Chinese in Beijing: Ruminations on my language program at the now (scandalously) defunct Worldlink Education. Worldlink is gone, but some of the lessons are still valid. Also, one of my first popular posts. October, 2004.
Imagethief 