The Week July 29, 2011

Man's new best friend?

The big news this week is that man's best friend apparently is no longer his dog. A new study from Computeractive magazine says more people rely on their personal computer than their dog as the faithful family companion. Computeractive editor Paul Allen says,"These days you can even take your PC for a walk, provided you have a laptop or a tablet." Do people really consider their PC their new best friend? The Week investigates.

Great Wall of surprises

The Great Wall of China is one of the wonders of the world, built more than 2,000 years ago. It is splendid to behold. Like other famous world sites, there also can be a little silliness involved. Here's the Great Wall as a water slide. Here's the Great Wall as a backdrop for a Cisco ad. Here's a bicycle stunt at the Great Wall. Here's Jackie Chan teaching the Karate Kid a few new moves. This week, it's blue cartoon characters at the Great Wall. To promote their upcoming movie, here are the Smurfs at the Great Wall.

Staying synchronized on the job

This week, China's synchronized swimming team was in the news. That's after they won six silver medals at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai last weekend. Next, they're heading for the Olympics. It's not a sport that will make them rich like professional golf or pro basketball. That makes me think: When they're not swimming, how do they stay synchronized at their day jobs?

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About the broadcaster:

Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant.