Chinese authorities have canceled rapper Jay-Z's Shanghai concert, scheduled for October 23, saying the rapper is too vulgar. More vulgar, apparently, than the sometimes raunchy Rolling Stones and Black Eyed Peas, both of which held concerts in China this year. Still, I wonder how the promoters thought that a rapper whose hits include "Big Pimpin'" and  "Money, Cash, Hoes" would have made it past the censors in the first place. I just have one thing to say about Jay: He's got 99 problems, and a Shanghai show ain't one.

The Pentagon just renewed its contract with the Lincoln Group, the public relations firm that notoriously paid for and planted articles favorable to the coalition in the Iraqi media. The AP reports that for the next two years the company will monitor English- and Arabic-language news outlets and produce talking points for the coalition:

The idea, according to contract documents, is to use the information to 'build support' in Iraqi, Arab, international and American audiences for what the military describes as its goals in Iraq."

Because they've done such a good job already. 

GOOD magazine has a nice little item on what political candidates would look like if they had to wear their political donations like endorsements, much like a NASCAR driver might do. Here's Hillary Clinton and Rick Santorum, who have raised the most money in their respective parties for the upcoming midterms. 

You know those grave allegations made by U.S. authorities that Iran and Syria have been providing Hezbollah rockets, even in the midst of the recent conflict? Well, part of the evidence for these claims came from some good, old-fashioned..."crateology": 

In the closed world of spy satellite photo analysis, it's called "crate-ology": the science of identifying a weapon or some other key component by the size and shape of its box.

The technique came into play last month when a U.S. spy satellite, looking down on an Iranian air base, captured images of military crews loading what U.S. intelligence analysts concluded were eight C-802 Noor anti-ship cruise missiles on board a transport plane, according to intelligence officials.

Hat tip: Arms Control Wonk 

If you trust the media reports, all's well between China and India. The two massive nations claim to be putting aside their long-standing border dispute (which led to a war in 1962) in an effort to cement their supposedly newfound friendship. But here's one for the conspiracy theorists: Could China be secretly planning a border invasion in case talks fall through? 

One intrepid Google Earth explorer has found in northern China what appears to be a 1:500 scale terrain model of the disputed Indo-Chinese border. The 630,000 square meter plot of land is an extraordinarily intricate replica of the border region - complete with snow-capped peaks, lakes, and mountain passes.  And it seems to be situated next to a Chinese military compound; Google Earth images reveal mysterious buildings, military trucks, lookout towers, and a communications facility nearby. 

Did you know that we have cartoon characters working for the military? We mean that literally (although it's perhaps figuratively true too). Neither did we, until we stumbled across this photo from the Department of Defense's website. Yes, that's Otto the Bus Driver from The Simpsons. Here are some choice excerpts from his official bio:

Though frequently involved in random collisions, Otto remains true the Bus Driver's Pledge: "never crash the bus on purpose," and stands proudly by his record of fifteen crashes without a single fatality. 

As world leaders head off on holiday, pundits and columnists eagerly analyze their choice of destination. What does it tell us about President Bush that he revels in the heat of Crawford (even if only for ten days this year)? And how does all that brush he clears grow back so quickly? Tony Blair’s penchant for borrowing villas from the rich and famous, most recently Cliff Richard’s pad in Barbados, provides British journalists with irresistible copy about the PM's supposed celebrity fetish. But what are we to make of the fact that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, as The Spectator reports, owns a Winnebago camper van? Is the Kingdom finally on the move? Is its ruler restless? Or is he just harking back to his Bedouin roots?

The space shuttle landed safely Tuesday morning, finishing what NASA is calling the most successful flight in years.

I have a two and a half year-old niece who is obsessed with Dora the Explorer. Actually, obsessed isn't nearly strong enough of a word. I'm convinced nothing short of a rigorous regimen of methadone treatments could wean her off of the Dora narcotic. But apparently Dora the Explorer is old news for some toddlers, like three-year-old Henry Schally, of St. Paul, Minnesota, who prefers to watch The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Yes. The Newshour with Jim Lehrer.

At Henry's most recent birthday party, the cake was decorated with a photo of the newshour cast, the partygoers wore Jim Lehrer party hats, and the prize gift was an autographed photo of "Jimmy Jimmy BoBo" (that’s “Jim Lehrer” in three-year-old speak). Don't miss the video on WCCO's website. Here's my question. What kind of gift do you bring to a Newshour-themed birthday bash? The 9/11 Commission Report? An American flag bow tie? I'm thinking a 2-year subscription to FP would go over quite well. 

The idea that politics and sport don't mix is one of the oldest clichés in the book. But it's a little bit like saying you shouldn't drink wine and beer in the same evening: Mixing is inevitable, if undesirable, and sometimes has disastrous consequences.

But this World Cup could determine Iran’s attitude to diplomacy, how long Tony Blair can stay PM in Britain, and whether Germany liberalizes its economy. (And no, I’m not just saying this to justify taking a long lunch to watch the 2nd half of today's opener.)

Just imagine the consequences if Iran gets knocked out thanks to a couple of dodgy decisions from the predominantly Western referees? An England victory could buy Blair some much needed breathing room. If Germany wins, Angela Merkel's rating will roar into the stratosphere. She'd then have the political capital to implement the kind of reforms that her razor-thin mandate knocked off the agenda. Politics and the pitch just go together.

Here at FP, we like to think that we're occasionally ahead of the curve on important issues. Sometimes, we're WAY ahead of the curve - 30 years or so. That's why we're delighted to unearth this editorial cartoon from our Winter 1975-76 issue:

The great Herbert Block, the political cartoonist who lampooned every U.S. president from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush and coined the term "McCarthyism," is to blame.

Oh, Bono. Only you can write "nipple of aid" in an op-ed in the Guardian and get away with it. Kudos. So since this is a big week for celebrity activists and Africa, what with you traveling the continent, and Angelina about to give birth - after single-handedly putting Namibia on the map for a generation of entertainment reporters and gossip hounds - I give you again Rob Long's excellent FP memo on how celebs can use their star power to further good causes. You, Bono, are doing quite well considering. You're even something of a role model for Brangelina. But Rob's advice is golden: Pick a focused cause of choice, and "avoid being photographed with anyone who might later need to appear as a defendant in a war-crimes trial." Good stuff.

Herra Jumala!  The Finnish heavy metal band Lordi has won the Eurovision competition. Conan O'Brien must be so proud.  If you haven't already (and I'm sure you have), check out the website: eurovision.tv. It must be seen to be believed.

Yes, the land of the midnight sun, naked saunas, salty licorice, and Santa Claus (not to mention home of the Air Guitar World Championships and the Wife-Carrying World Championships) has pulled a major upset and beaten out the rest of the continent. If you've spent any time in Finland, you'll know what a glorious victory it is for ALL non-Indo-European-language-speaking Finns, not just the ones who wear leathery satanic masks; sport long, stringy wigs; glare with bloodshot demon eyes; clad themselves in reindeer fur and capes; and spend a lot of time around smoke machines. Just imagine the national pride....ahhhh, sigh!  (Just for the record, having spent a year as an exchange student in Finland as a teenager, I tease, because I love.) Onneksi olkoon!  Hyvää Suomi!