Tiananmen Square Massacre editorial cartoon taken down

21 years ago, pro-democracy activists were mowed down by Chinese military tanks and AKs.  A whole generation has passed and it has been almost completely forgotten, even by the Western media.

Well, it's still remembered by some of the population in China, and by the censors.  If you text "6" and "4" together (for June 4, the anniversary date), sirens go off and the authorities are alerted.

But it didn't stop Guanzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily.  It recently published this cartoon by Xiang Ma, who not so subtly drew "tank man" and the torch held by the Goddess of Liberty.  The cartoon itself, and reader comments that accompanied it, were promptly taken down.

Carspotting (41): BMW E9 3.0CS

I saw this E9 parked near the BART station.  It looks like a daily driver that brings a lot of joy to the owner.  Assuming this is a US version, less than 3,000 of these 3.0CSs were imported here between 1971 and 1974.

Jaguar XJ12 shooting brake

Woh.

Via Wagons and Hatches.

Mongolian neo-Nazis

WTF?

Time article here.

Photos of freeze in Mongolia

An extraordinary cold snap is taking place in Mongolia.  Here are some photos by Paula Bronstein.

Lexus LFA ad

Why did Japanese prime minister Hatoyama quit?

It's the shirt.  Shows very poor judgment.

Buy it for $500 here.

Transformers trading cards: Constructicons-Devastator

Constructicons, clockwise, from top left: Mixmaster, 

Scavenger, Long Haul, Scrapper, Hook, Bonecrusher.

I just pulled out my Transformers trading cards.  I think these are from around 1986ish.  Here are some excerpts from the back of the cards:

Mixmaster: Function: Materials fabrication.  Will use anything to make new materials.  Performs job with evil, cackling glee.  Has 8,000 degree C infrared cannon.  Certain chemicals render drum inoperative.

Scavenger: Function: Mining and salvage.  Megatron "tolerates" him only because of his ability to use his shovel's magnetic, ionic, electrical, gas sensors for detection purposes.

Long Haul: Function: Transport.  Secretly desires to be a warrior.  As a vehicle, can carry 90 tons for 1,200 miles.

Scrapper: Function: Construction engineer.  Shows his true malevolent genius by incorporating defeated Autobots into his buildings' structures.  Can fly 60 mph by addition of levitation wings.

Hook: Function: Surgical engineer.  Snobbish, supercilious, unpopular perfectionist.  Crane lifts 20 tons, error tolerance less than .00001%.

Bonecrusher: Function: Demolitions.  Rubble-strewn wasteland is his idea of beautiful landscape...rare is the edifice better off left standing.

Did some failed English Ph.D. candidate write these bios?

What the heck is Karakul Lake anyway?

Mother on left, her calf in the little gully in the middle, lake in the background.

You may have wondered why the url of this blog says "karakullake".  Well, when I started this thing years ago, I decided to name it after my favorite spot on Earth.  It's a pristine lake on the western tip of China near Kashgar.  It's a stone's throw away from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.  The above picture was taken during my 2004 trip with a state-of-the-art 3 megapixel camera.  Fortunately, someone else with better picture taking skills (and a better camera) posted this.  Enjoy.

Shameless Dawn soap Gulf oil spill ad commercial

I don't know about you, but after watching this ad, I'm inclined to NOT buy Dawn soap.  Unbelievable.  Shameless self-promotion during an ecological catastrophe.