Poor
Jann Wenner. Here the magazine magnate went to all the trouble to print and develop a Chinese version of his
uber-corporo-hip magazine Rolling Stone for the gazillions of Chinese youth, and the government goes
and shuts it down. Curses! You mean Chinese kids will be deprived of yet another Green Day cover (gasp!…and, of
course, we used the Britney cover here be cause we knew it would be harder for you to click away…clever devils we
are). Anyway, The LA
Times has the story. Tragic or who cares? You decide.
Experiencing Nature up Close
Looking to commune with nature this year? Hoping for some quality time with the lions and tigers and
bears? Well, here’s your chance to play Grizzly
Man but without, hopefully, the same tragic demise.
Our friends over at The Independent have just published a Ten Best list for Close Encounters with Natural
Wonders. They provide us with details on how to hang with pandas in China, fraternize with bats in Romania,
keep a safe distance from polar bears in the Svalbard archipelago (Norway), stalk snow leopards in India, and howl at
the moon with grey wolves in Yellowstone.
The article also lists a few less exciting natural wonder opportunities such as bird watching in the Outer
Hebrides and counting badger poop and deer dung in Oxfordshire’s Wytham Woods—not exactly up my alley, but
at least I won’t get eaten by a bear.
The Himalayas' First High-End Resort
Anyone who has ever been to the Himalayas knows that its beauty is in its simplicity.
Far from modern civilization, the Himalayas are a simpler world of Tibetan monks, monasteries, farming
villages, prayer flags, rope bridges and hardly a speck of concrete anywhere. Visitors have to work hard to get
there and live hard once they’ve arrived, as very few comforts and amenities exist at such high altitudes.
This is beginning to change, however. The wealthy, who have monopolized certain parts of our planet but have
traditionally been excluded from the Himalayas due to the hardships one might encounter there, can now claim their
little piece of the holiest mountains on this planet.
In 2001, the Chinese government opened up a Himalayan-endowed section of the Yunnan Province for tourism
development and renamed it, somewhat cheesily, Shangri-La. Singapore based Banyan Tree Resorts thought it a wise
investment opportunity and proceeded to build a
luxury hotel located 11,000 feet up in the Himalayas that includes oxygen canisters in the minibar.
Their aim is to capitalize on the “soft adventure” market—people who desire to gaze upon an
exotic landscape that used claim the lives of many who dared venture there, while at the same time, enjoying facials,
fireplaces, wooden hot tubs and internet access. Banyan Tree
Ringha has all of this and more. At $400 a night ($395 more than I paid for accommodations in the Himalayas)
guests are pampered, coddled, and protected from the wilds outside their mahogany carved hotel doors.
While it certainly disappointments me to hear of such luxurious inroads to such remote and exotic places, I have to
admit a little jealousy as well. Life was tough traveling through the Himalayas. When I gaze upon the photos
of Banyan Tree Ringha, I soften and relax; it sure is beautiful. They’ve done a phenomenal job with the
place. Damn the rich!
Chopping Trees for China's Chopsticks
Ever wonder how many disposable chopsticks are manufactured every year for China’s
1.3 billion strong population? The answer is an incredible 45 billion. While this number is certainly
impressive, it quickly becomes depressing when you realize that each pair is made from the wood of poplar and birch
trees. This raises a secondary, more horrifying question: just how many trees are cut down to supply this massive
demand? 25 million full-grown trees are hewn and butchered every year by Chinese chopstick manufacturers.
It looks like someone in the Chinese government has finally done the terrifying math because this week
a 5%
tax will go into effect on all disposable chopsticks. It’s not much, but the hope is that it may cut
down on the number of trees cut down. This is a slightly better solution than the one originally proposed by the
government; remove the chopsticks altogether and let the people eat with their hands.
I’ve got one word that might help save 25 million trees: FORKS! I hate to mess with tradition, but with
so many environmental problems and deforestation occurring around the planet, I think we can use those 25 million
trees.
That being said, bring your own dining instruments if you travel through China. Although many restaurants
will provide you with chopsticks, they will be wooden and reusable. The slivers and crannies of such
unhygienic tools are perfect for harboring the germs of all those who used them before you. Bon appetite!
Friday Funny (Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Chinese New Year)
Today’s Friday Funny takes us down to Chinatown in New York City, where Triumph lets loose on many poor Chinese food sellers, luxury goods knock-off merchants and, um, sexual enhancement shops.
It’s so funny, it’s almost tragic. Of course, he visits the Chinese New Year parade…to much bawdy amusement (yes, he humps a dragon). And what story about Chinese New Year would be complete without a reference to eating dogs…yes, it’s here.
A very good way to end this fine (and damn cold) Friday.