Red Corner: Siberia as We Know It, Disappearing

by Neil Woodburn on

File this story under “Places to go Before Global Warming Destroys Them.”

The LA Times is reporting that global warming is seriously threatening 400,000 miles of Siberian permafrost. While this is great news for scientists searching for woolly mammoth bones previously locked in the permafrost for 10,000 years, this is not such good news for the rest of us. Melting permafrost releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, thereby heating up the planet and increasing the rate of global warming.

Siberia will turn swampy and mushy and become inhospitable (in an entirely different manner than it is now). In addition, the famous Permafrost Institute in Yakutsk will have to close, or perhpas more appropriately, become a museum of the past.

In the meantime, I’d love to pull on some big rubber boots and go tromping through the mud in search of woolly mammoth tusks.

Scourist Rules

by Erik Olsen on

Not sure how many people remember the numerous times we’ve blogged about Mr. Jon Rawlinson, but it’s time we did so again. Jon sent me an email recently that kind of sat there waiting for me to click on it. There was a link there that looked enticing, but for some reason, I just kind of let it languish there in unclicked limbo.

Well, no longer. And boy was I missing out. Jon is the man (well, one of them) behind an amazing, fabulous, wonderful new site called Scourist. What does that mean, exactly? Well, he means that they are “scouring” the earth in search of adventure. But more than that, they are shooting gobs of video, cutting it all into nice bite-sized segments ,and posting the stuff online.

I’ve been sitting here checking these videos out and if I looked in the mirror right now, I’d be looking at a very green face. I am OVERCOME with envy at this moment because of all the things I would like to be doing in this world right now, shooting video in an African game park is definitely near the top of the list. Top of the list would be hanging out ,martini in hand in Hef’s jacuzzi, but that’s another kind of dream.

I urge you to go and spend some time on Scourist now .It is really one of the best travel video sites I’ve seen in a while.

And this time we REALLY mean it .

Lhasa Train is Chugging Away

by Neil Woodburn on

We’ve posted a few times already about the controversial railroad the Chinese government has been building to Lhasa, Tibet. Well, now it’s a reality. The first train pulled into Lhasa on Monday and with it came the first rolling stock of Chinese gentrification that will undoubtedly change the region forever.

The train, hermetically pressurized to keep out the thin air of the Himalayas, presented a few surprises on the maiden voyage. Despite the sealed cabins, the change in air pressure blew-up packaged goods, the ink tubes in ballpoint pens, and even the “tiny airbags” in laptops and MP3 players that are designed to cushion the internal parts. Some passengers faired equally poorly, throwing up as the train chugged away at 16,000 feet.

Hmm… maybe this gentrification thing will take a bit longer than expected.

Understanding Soccer

by Erik Olsen on

Well, we are now moving swiftly towards the finals of the World Cup and, oh my, how exciting it has been. The Brits English got beat, the Brazilians got beat and it looks like it might be WWIII with the Germans and the French going at it. French and Italians going head to head. But who knows? I do know one thing, however. I know that I understand very little about soccer strategy. And it is my guess that the average American knows very little also.

So in the spirit of goodwill towards all, and in an effort to help my own countrymen feel a little more a part of the bigger world, I offer you a very fine little Wiki-lesson on understanding soccer strategy.

Yes, some of the “tips” might seem very obvious (i.e. “Learn how counter attacks can lead to goal scoring opportunities. ” Yeah, OK.), but much of what’s here might just help you better enjoy the next game you watch. 

You are watching the World Cup, right? 

Pursuit of Happiness

by Erik Olsen on

What does happiness mean to you? Well, it appears to mean different things to different people. Although it never seems to mean, “having a hot poker stuck in my eye”. So there is some commonality.

But over at the Philly Inquirer, they ask that simple question and get a lot of different answers. One person says happiness is: “The struggle to live for something outside yourself.”  Another writes: “Being satisfied in the present while envisioning and working towards a better world.”

You are asked to provide your own. So go ahead. Go over and say: Traveling the world, seeing new things, meeting new people, helping out where you can. Oh, and then something about Swedish models.