Signs of the (Beijing) Times:
Most bewildering sign: Seen at the entance of a detention centre in the suburbs, a pictorial with a bugle and a slash through it. What, no bugling? Probably means no horn-blowing, but still....
Second most bewildering sign, seen near highway tolls: The picture of a vehicle, surrounded by several squiggley, shaky lines, and the letters ETC: What, no car-shaking here? And what's meant by the etcetera acronymn?
Most alarming armband: The wide red ribbons worn by "security volunteers". What do they do? Said one Beijing resident, "Look for anyone weird. Spy." And they do it for free. Nice.
