I for one wonder how many remote places in China are gradually becoming somewhat lawless.

The officials over there think they can do anything to the local people?

Tar sands (a.k.a. oil sands) can also be called "bitumen".

In the job market, there's an imbalance which job seekers often don't pay attention to, I think.

For the most part, when a person applies for a job position, he actually needs a job, otherwise he wouldn't bother to apply for it. On the other hand, when an employer posts a job position, it may not have real intention to get it filled, for whatever reasons.

Shall we call it an "imbalance of good faith"?

Do I sound like I'm grumbling? Anyway, I'm not looking for a job right now. Just some observation of mine from others' examples, some of whom are job seekers and the others of whom are (potential) employers.

Apple's decision makers seem to be so resolute in the keeping of their walled garden so far.

For instance, Apple hasn't ported their iTunes software to Linux. That's to their own detriment, IMHO.