Halloween is here and Beijing's short autumn is nearly gone, leaving the rather grim prospect of Beijing's cold, dry winter. But how can you complain when Kevin Spacey is coming to town to play Richard III? Other big things are happening too, like a free condom App, Disney on Ice, house music, cookies and pizza delivery. Read on the find out more about all the happenings and events in Beijing.

Notable News

1) Free condom app
Although there has been a continuing debate over the place of sexual education in the Chinese school system, that hasn't stopped the Beijing government from publishing its very own app to help people get free condoms. After registering online, you can order three packs of 10 condoms for free every two months (however, you do have to pay the 1-2 RMB delivery fee... deal breaker!). The service seems to be fairly popular, with hundreds of condoms being delivered daily, but there is one snag...some people are complaining that the condoms aren’t name brand.

2) Model’s life saved thanks to Weibo
On Saturday October 22nd, Beijing police saved model Su Wei from an attempted suicide by drug overdose after they saw a Weibo post of her taking pills and saying her goodbyes. Police reportedly rushed to her house in Chaoyang District and were able to get her to the hospital before it was too late. While this proves that Weibo can be used for good, it also raises a number of questions, the biggest being: were the police tipped off by a Weibo user, or were they avidly perusing a model's Weibo postings while on duty?

Events

1) Disney on Ice
Throw on your Mickey Mouse sweaters, gather up the kids and head out to Beijing Workers' Gymnasium, because Disney on Ice is skating into town. From November 4-6th Disney on Ice will perform a show that combines a unique blend of Disney characters, a Hawaiian Luau and even Halloween! Fun for the whole family! Individual tickets are 50-500 RMB while ticket packages are 560-760 RMB. Performances will be as follows: Nov. 4th at 19:30; Nov. 5th at 10:30, 15:30 and 19:30; Nov. 6 at 10:30, 15:30 and 19:30. Tickets are available online (Chinese) and by phone: 818 3333.

2) Job fair for foreigners
Let's face it, the current economic conditions don't exactly make finding a good job easy. So if you are one of those Beijingers that spends their days staring at empty Tsingtao bottles and thinking of ways to pirate your neighbour’s satellite TV feed, then it's time to get off your butt and head over to the 2011 Job Fair for Foreigners. The job fair will be held at the Swissotel on Chaoyangmen Lu in Dongcheng District on November 12th from 9:00-16:00. For more information, contact Christina Yang at 106 846 8025.  

3) Kevin Spacey as Richard III
You may think that Richard III is just a boring Shakespearean play you had to read in high school, but that was before Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes were involved. The last time these two collaborated in 1999, the result was the multi award-winning film American Beauty. The reworked play has already won rave reviews in the US and now it is now coming to the National Centre of Performing Arts in Beijing from November 11-13th. All performances start at 19:30 and tickets range from 200-680 RMB. Tickets are going fast, so if you are interested, you’d better act now.

4) Groove out to DJ Steve Bug
If the plotting of a Machiavellian monarch isn't really your thing, don't worry because famous German DJ Steve Bug is also coming to Beijing's popular Lantern Club on November 12th. The party will get underway at 22:00 and you can dance to DJ Bug's wicked house music until the wee hours of the morning.

Openings

1) Gung Ho Pizza coming to the Lido area
Yes, we know there are already a plethora of pizza joints in Beijing but Gung Ho!, with their money back guarantee and gourmet pizza delivery is something to get excited about. And now they are moving beyond the Sanlitun area to Jiangtai Lu near the Lido Hotel.

2) Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!
If you’re a fan of freshly baked cookies (who isn’t?), then it is time to rejoice, as Chef Brandon Trowbridge has opened a cookie bakery in the Houhai hutongs called Cookie's Cookies. Not only can you enjoy a hot cookie in the hutongs but you can also get them delivered through their website: http://cookiescookieshop.com. Mmm...cookies and pizza delivered right to your doorstep.

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Keywords: Beijing watchdog Weibo suicides Kevin Spacey in Beijing job fair for foreigners free condom app Beijing cookie delivery