I think this British artist Phil Ashcroft is extremely talented.
Stunning work.
Sexy Paul Smith x Burton snowboard. But how does it ride? I guess
I’ll have to find out.
Wallets, card holders, and general handmade accessories. Made with
love by R&L Goods.
Over the course of the next three Fridays, Rapha will be screening
three exciting films created by Ridley Scott Associates to
highlight the Rapha Club Jersey’s from the Summer 2010 line.
The first movie (Throw of the Dice) focuses on professional bike
racer and three time Paris–Roubaix
winner Johan Museeuw. The second and third focus on
[...]
An ingenius cookie dipping mug designed by Entresuelo.1A. Reminds
me of the now infamous Dunk Mug I posted back in 2004 (wow that was
a long time ago). This design adds an ingenious touch to a mug with
a rim shaped in such a way that you can dunk in the whole cookie,
sideways. Now [...]
Nice sustainable furniture by a small outfit calling themselves
Studio Dunn. Check out more on their website. The studio works with
a network of local designers, artisans, and manufacturers in and
around Rhode Island to develop and refine designs. Focusing on the
use of classic materials including wood, metal, glass, and
ceramics, and through the [...]
It’s been four years since charity: water started with the
crazy idea that everybody on the planet should have clean water to
drink. Since then and thanks to everyone who has donated,
they’ve helped over 1 million people in 17 countries. Pretty
awesome right? This September though they’re going even
bigger, and they need [...]
This should be amusing: Target rented out the entire Standard Hotel
in NYC and are doing a huge light/music show with dancers in the
rooms. Daft Punk’s lighting guys are doing the light show,
Spike Jonze’s brother Sam Spiegel composed a 20 minute
original score and the choreography is supposedly amazing. Tonight
(Wednesday night) at [...]
Dowling Duncan wants to renovate America’s image abroad, by
redesigning our money. Check out the other entries in the Dollar
ReDe$ign Project. These particular bills are designed lengthwise:
Dowling Duncan say they conducted extensive research on how people
deal money and discovered that transactions are almost always
carried out vertically. It’s true: How often [...]
Congrats guys, these are gorgeous! Biomega renews its curatorial
commitment to cherry picking the world’s top
designers to design its bicycles. Ross Lovegrove (Bottom) displays
his organic essentialist sensibility through his fresh vision of an
integrated bicycle. His integrated solutions and groundbreaking
design makes the LDN bicycle a true urban tool. While Danish design
super [...]
I love this project. To what extent can we distort famous logos and
symbols that they remain easily recognizable? A personal
exploration.
Icebreaker, the eco-conscious performance wear company from New
Zealand have really outdone themselves for their FW10 line. Taking
some risks and focusing on their outerwear line, which I feel has
been neglected in the past, they are set to launch three new pieces
each for men and women. Blurring the lines between technical
clothing and [...]
Congrats to my friends at Cool Hunting on the launch of Cool
Hunting Local! If you’re visiting Chicago, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York or San Francisco, check out their recommendations.
My friends from Ontour are at it again. In their own words: This
year is our fifth anniversary and to celebrate this we’ve
chosen the magic number 5 as the underlying theme of our new
Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, named ‘The Magnificent
Five’ Ontour, that’s just been released. Inspired by
the typical English style of [...]
It doesn’t entirely make sense to me why Jeff Koons painted
over the already special unique black paint Aston Martin used on
this particular DBS, but I still like it. It’s sort of like
lollipop land meets James Bond. I’m sure we’ll see this
go at auction for an obscene amount (worth it, surely) in [...]
NPR’s Weekend Edition launched an ambitious series Saturday,
a three-weekend-long look at the most trafficked interstate in the
U.S. It’s not this trafficked, but it’s pretty busy.
And it plays a huge role in American life: All along the Eastern
Seaboard, Interstate 95 has helped shape the daily lives and
vacation dreams of the roughly 100 million people who reside
alongside it. They live in dense cities and rural counties in the
15 states through which I-95 passes on its nearly 2,000-mile,
north-south path. The Department of Transportation says that each
year I-95 gets more VMTs—that’s vehicle miles
traveled—than any other road. The traffic on I-95 peaks in
August as legions of vacationers and college students join
commuters, truckers, migrant farm w...
The occasional travel writer takes a fun shot at parachute
journalism: If you spend 72 hours in a place you’ve never
been, talking to people whose language you don’t speak about
social, political, and economic complexities you don’t
understand, and you come back as the world’s biggest
know-it-all, you’re a reporter. Ouch.
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
With bedbug infestations apparently on the rise across the country,
the Daily Beast has put together a list of the top ten buggiest
cities in America—and burgs in Ohio landed in the first,
second and eighth spots. If you’re headed to Cincinnati,
Columbus, Dayton, or any of the other cities on the list, you may
want to put this retro travel technique to use.
According to a recent Travelodge survey, at least some of you do.
The survey found that 25% of adult men bring stuffed animals with
them when they travel for business. “I travel enough that
it’s a nice reminder of home,” said one respondent.
I’d like to offer some snark here, but I’d be a
hypocrite if I did. My bear doesn’t come on short-haul trips,
but she has been on longer visits to Malaysia, the U.K., Barbados
and New York City. So there.
To mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we've collected
stories from our archives that explore the city's heartbreak,
passion and rebirth
Susan Orlean is on vacation in Cape Cod, where she’s been
keeping busy by snooping around the house she rented from a local,
trying to learn more about her host. Here’s what she’s
put together so far: I always start with the bookshelves, which
makes me worry about my future vacations, when all reading material
will have migrated to an electronic format and the bookshelves are
empty except for Hummel figurines. Then what? Where will I begin my
snooping—in the spice cabinet? Fortunately, the owner of this
house is obviously a dead-tree kind of reader, and I have deduced
that he is a physician. (I do think I’m a genius, but the
stacks of diagnostic manuals would have been a pretty big clue even
to lesser minds.) The Leo Rosten books are a religious
giveaway̵...
For starters, the television company hypes the country’s
“savage wildlife.” A crew has been filming the next
season of the hit TV show in the beach town of San Juan del
Sur—it will debut on CBS next month. Reports the Los Angeles
Times: Government officials apparently think “Survivor”
could be good for foreign business investment and tourism, even
though the CBS commercial for the show proclaims Nicaragua a land
of “impenetrable terrain, smoldering volcanoes and savage
wildlife.” (Savage wildlife? The mosquitoes?) Yes, tourism to
Nicaragua could skyrocket—and so could unfathomably horrific
mosquito bites.
Conor Friedersdorf digs up an old gem from the Atlantic’s
archives: a dispatch from a native New Yorker, returning to the
city after an extended stay in Paris. It’s a must-read for
NYC-philes. Here’s a taste: In a word, this returned New
Yorker finds few familiar landmarks; and the few he does find seem
to have lost most of their original meaning. He is as much dazed
and puzzled by his surroundings as Rip Van Winkle after his twenty
years’ sleep. Nobody resides, does business, dines, or drinks
in the same places as before. Nobody frequents the same pleasure
resorts. Nobody saunters along the same walks. It is not safe for
him to make a business or social call, or to set out for a
restaurant, a chop-house, a theatre, or a club, without consulting
the Directory in ad...
Giving directions is an art form, one we’re losing in the age
of GPS and Google Maps. Renée Loth makes the argument: In
this season of vacation travel, I would like to issue a plea for a
return to analog directions. This isn’t just a matter of
technophobia. Writing good directions is not unlike poetry: an
exercise in awareness, requiring an eye for detail and succinct but
evocative language. It’s a delight to read something like
“Travel over the old stone bridge—built in
1764!—until you see the brick library and Odd Fellows Hall on
your right. Turn right there and go down the hill to the
water.” Isn’t that so much better than “Head NW
on S Main St/MA 1A N .5 miles toward Market Street,” or some
similar digital version? If ...
This passage in a New York Times story about the downsides of
frequent exposure to information and entertainment on mobile
devices caught my eye: At the University of California, San
Francisco, scientists have found that when rats have a new
experience, like exploring an unfamiliar area, their brains show
new patterns of activity. But only when the rats take a break from
their exploration do they process those patterns in a way that
seems to create a persistent memory of the experience. The
researchers suspect that the findings also apply to how humans
learn. Sounds to me like the perfect day of travel away from the
rat race: exploring an unfamiliar place, followed by some good
downtime in the evening. As if you needed another reason to travel,
right?
Eva Holland “At Sea,” Jonathan Raban’s ode to the
simultaneous isolation and civility of the seagoing life.
It’s a 1996 magazine story that I came across in The Best of
Outside—here’s a favorite section: In the society of
the sea, it is the duty of every member to keep his distance from
all the others. To be alone is to be safe. It’s no
coincidence that those two most English of attitudes, being
“standoffish” and keeping aloof,” are nautical
terms that have long since passed into the general currency of the
language. Standing off is what a ship does to avoid the dangers of
the coast; aloof is a-luff, or luffing your sails, head to wind, to
stay clear of another vessel. The jargon of the sea is full of
nouns and verbs to describe ...
A while ago I joined a group of awesome women called the Double
Duty Divas. The name comes from the fact that as women we wear many
different hats and are constantly pulling “double
duty”. Don’t you agree? To help promote this great
group, the DDD’s are hosting a giveaway where one lucky
person will [...]
Wall Pops are easy to use decals for your home. They come in a
variety of styles, colors, and sizes, so you can create a look that
is all your own. Recently I got a roll of their Bali design. I was
happy to see that it came in a nice long roll, because that [...]
Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday.
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look
forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take
[...]
About the Book Are you the innovative type, the cook who marches to
a different drummer—used to expressing your
creativity instead of just following recipes? Are you interested in
the science behind what happens to food while it’s cooking?
Then Cooking for Geeks (O’Reilly Media, $34.99 USD) is for
you. More than just a cookbook, [...]
Many families are looking to expand their brood turn to furry
friends, which often become as much a member of the family as
anyone else. So how do families decide if a pet is right for them,
and if so, what type is best for your family? Heidi Ganal, whose
life, career, and passion revolves around [...]
In our home, dressing up is not limited to Halloween. In fact,
dressing up usually happens on a daily basis around here.
That’s why when we look for costumes, we look for quality
because these garments have to be able to stand up to many wearings
and washings. Last year we had the opportunity to review [...]
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of Vegas trips and spending
most of my layovers blogging in my hotel and ordering room service.
Today I decided to put the laptop away and get outside. Our crew
hotel in only a block away from the strip and even though it was
hot as heck outside it [...]
Cartoon Network, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
(TBS, Inc.), announced today further details of its multi-platform
Bullying Prevention Campaign at the National Bullying Prevention
Summit in Washington , DC . Speaking to an audience
comprised of government officials, business leaders and leading
educators of bullying prevention, Cartoon
Network’s President and Chief Operations
Officer [...]
I’m a veritable sloth lately. Ever since
starting my blog, I’ve been whiling away my precious nap time
hours (the kids’, not mine) working on my blog or just
entering blog contests (hey, I’ve won some great
things!). But I really need to get moving, for just
the sake of moving around and not totally [...]
With money being tight for a lot of people these day, more and more
families are choosing to spend quality time together in a simpler
environment – in their own backyards. Now, I’m not much
of an outdoor gal and I feel bad every time my kids ask if we can
go camping. However, a [...]
Life is beautiful in Greece. We enjoy the sites the people and the
food.La vie est belle ici en Grece. Les sites les gens et la
nourriture sont superbes.
Hallo zusammenSo hier noch ein paar Eindruecke von La Paz. Die
moderne und traditionelle zu gleich. Die Stadt ist riesig und man
spaziert von lokalen Maerkten mit noch traditionell gekleideten
Leuten zu den Hexenmaerkten wo man alles Moegliche erhaelt wie z.
B. getrocknete Lamasembryode und sonstige Mittelchen bis quasi zur
modernen Metropole wo Leute in Anzuege herumrennen Eine puliseren
After a long drive from Venice to Lucerne we went straight to a
traditional Swiss village where we were picked up by horse and
carriage and served home made products at a local farmhouse owned
by Hans. We enjoyed Cheese wine pastries bread schnapps coffee. Who
would have thought that Switzerland would become one of our
favourite places on our holiday. The next day we visited the
monument of
Dnes to bol nas posledny den v Kaze. Nakoniec sme sa rano rozhodli
ze este vyjdeme k ruinam old monastery a do Ki pojdeme az zajtra.
Oproti vcerajsku to bol celkom v pohode vylet aj ked prevysenie
bolo asi rovnake. Len ta vzdialenost bola o kus mensia. Cesta bola
na jednom mieste zasypana a akurat sa ju snazili trosku
dobrodruznym sposobom zase sprejazdnit buldozerom. Nejak sme to ale
preliezli a
Thursday August 12thWe woke up in plenty of time to pack up and
check out of Hotel Don Julio. The hotel had a taxi come to pick us
up and take us to the bus terminal for our trip to Cusco on the
Inka Express. Although the terminal wasn't far it was still amazing
that the taxi took us and our baggage to the terminal at 630am for
3 Soles or 1.25 US When we arrived at the bus terminal we pa
Hallo zusammenAlso gestern 27.08. fuhr ich mit dem Bus von La Paz
nach Arequipa ich fuhr um 08.00 uhr am morgen los und kam um ca.
19.30 Uhr in Arequipa an puhh war eine lange Fahrt Aber von Anfang
an.In La Paz stieg ich in so einem Luxusbus.... wirklich noch cool
mit bequemen Sitzen und es hat auch einen Busbegleiter ha. ha...
wie eine Stewardess mit Hemd Krawatte und einer goldenen Krawatt
Verse of the Day I Corinthians 1613 Stand true to what you believe.
Be courageous be strong and everything you do must be done with
love. Journal Yesterday I was reminded of my purpose here to teach.
Autumn and I spent part of our morning at school looking over the
teaching materials grades and meeting students. It was so exciting
to think about teaching again I love students After see
Well we made it and Delhi is everything I expected and much much
more. We've had quite an entry to India. Mom and E have nicknamed
me 'pit bull' because I've spent much of our first three days
sorting out our hotels tours etc. Our first two hotels left
something to be desired but after many phone calls and some yelling
we are finally in a beautiful hotel in Delhi. Tomorrow we leave for
It's been almost one week since we returned and the most consistent
comment from anyone has been so then what happened Your blog left
us hanging Before I tie this incredible trip up let me recap the
last blissful days of our journey.I left off as we arrived in
Escalante Utah. Easily becoming one of our favorite places this
town is small and surrounded by the most amazing mountains and pe
We've arrived Our first few days are to be spent in a little
village Piskopiano high up on the hill. We breakfasted on yoghurt
and honey ham and cheese while taking in the fabulous views over
the towns below to the Sea of Crete. Our balcony is shrouded in
bourgainvilea and we hear the sounds of cicadas and locals riding
mopeds up the steep hills.Ok so this blog is not going to be bori
all the brave people I sailed with...click on view full entry to
see them all
82610I have made it to Teramo. I have now been to the international
studentrsquos office got a kit for foreigners at the post office
and found an apartment. I felt a wave of panic as Lucia was saying
goodbye and I had to remind myself that I will see her in a few
days and not to panic. This is about the first time I feel like I
am really in Italy. I canrsquot speak the language and I thin
Hey GuysMe is back in da London Town wicked Had such an amazing
journey 4 weeks of seeing some really great places and meeting some
great people but now am so glad to be back in my own place with my
own bed waiting for me upstairs typing this blog entry on my own
laptop and about to have an obscenely stinkingly hot bath very
shortly. BlissThought Irsquod write one final entry to round
After a month or so of lounging around in Thunder Bay punctuated by
several small trips up north to places like Webequie and Kasabonika
I was glad to hear that I'd been given the opportunity for another
weeklong adventure. This one however would be very different
instead of flying into the wilderness to work on a First Nation
reserve I would be traveling to the aptlynamed road sites so
So we left Limay and spent another full day on the river in the
sunshine heading ever closer to Paris. We passed Poissy and the
lovely Conflans St Honorine an old gorgeous town that is home to
more permanent barges than anywhere else in France. There is a real
barge community here even their church is on a barge We had
initially intended to moor here but found it to be full so carried
on th
We moored up on the pontoon at Rueils close to a gorgeous weeping
willow tree. Unfortunately it was raining by now so we took
advantage of the free WiFi and uploaded pics checked emails and
Skyped Mum and Dad jade Matt and Lillie and Jody and Kate. It was
lovely to talk to them all and to see them Lillie is growing so
fast During our conversation with Jody and Kate we heard they were
goin
After a lovely lockfree river trip in the sunshine and the company
of some of the most bizarre barges wersquove seen yet we arrived at
Port van Gogh in Asnieres. It is a huge marina with massive barges
motor cruisers and yachts moored and what looks like several
businesses aboard the barges. We paid for 2 nights at the
Capitaniere then took our bikes off in search of a new laptop
charger.
LSU football begins in one week. That is all.
August 26 2010 YorkYork is an absolutely beautiful place I walked
out of the train station and took one look and was amazed. There is
a wall that was built in the middle ages and it stretches around
most of the city. You can walk along the top of it but there are no
rails for a lot of it so passing people can be kind of dicey. There
is an Anglican Cathedral and one could say that it is the cent
I opened my computer this morning and to my surprise found out that
at least one person has been reading the blog. One out of 36. I
guess that's not too bad. Remember I asked if anyone could explain
the difference between cute and beautiful Well someone did. The
prize for the best answer and the only one goes to my cousin in law
Ms. Erica Hartman Horvitz Here's her answer. I think it's
August 27 2010 YorkToday was an interesting day for sure. My first
ever night in a hostel was not very restful to say the least. There
were 14 bunks in my room all of them full. Half of the people in
the room were with a group from China. One of them was in the bunk
next to mine and was texting well into the night. It wasnrsquot the
texting that bothered me no more than the other people read
August 28 2010Yesterday after The Fig I went home to check my email
and kill some time there was a man about my age sitting typing on
his laptop. When my pound worth of time was up I turned to him and
asked him where he was from. He replied by saying ldquoNapolirdquo
Naples in a thick Italian accent. He was an apprentice studying
plumbing here in the city or York. We chatted for a while and
Onsdag til fredag har vret vores frste dage p Canbancanlan National
High School som er den frste af de tre skoler vi skal undervise p
herovre. Det er en offentlig skole og som forventet er forholdene
da ogs noget anderledes end dem p San Carlos' skoler som tidligere
beskrevet er privatskoler med gode forhold. Lad mig komme med tre
eksempler 1. Hver gang det regner bliver skolen oversv
Witam po powrocie z W322och. W najbli380szym czasie relacja z
podr380y. Jest co opisywa263. Narazie polecam wszystkin nowy numer
Voyage. Na ok322adce Umbria w ktrej akurat by322em. Taki zbieg
okoliczno347ci Do zobaczenia wkrtce...
18th August 2010 Yekaterinburg city tourWe woke up in the Dacha in
the middle of the countryside just outside Yekaterinburg where
little wooden houses are all lined up with little gardens full of
fruit and veg. Constantine was supposed to have cooked us dinner
last night but since it was midnight by the time we got there we
told him there was no need so instead he served us our dinner for b
Hello allI've been pretty quiet on here since I arrived because
I've been getting settled and familiar with everything plus I
havent done any travelling or new sightseeing lately. Tonight I'm
going out on the town with some friends for the first time since
I've been here. I'm nervous but also excited to see what it will be
like. At the moment it's rather cold and rainy so finding a
goingout outf
After clocking up about 2 hours sleep I made the 110 mile trip
today from Dieppe to Falaise. Very undulating without any single
climbs to get too excited about but still very tough. I'm not sure
what suffered more today my legs my backside or the French language
as I tried to order a sandwich and a coke with about 30 miles to
go. I'll be spending the majority of the evening stretching while w
OpaHere we are in Chania Crete and where do we even begin to tell
you about what we've seen and experienced. Lots has changed also.
We decided to cut out Turkey as we're running out of time and we
also just couldn't bring ourselves to leave Crete today so c'est la
vie. To put it simply Crete holds the all of the ingredients to a
happy life.We have decided to break up the extreme highs and lows
I have just finsihed a meeting with Ruth a wonderful lady from the
region of Lake Eyasi. I met her by chance and Im glad I did. I went
there to vitis the Hazabe abd Datoga tribes with my sister Marta
and her friend Monica. I have to confessed I was shocked and amazed
by the Hazabe's nomad life. A few days agor Ruth sent me a proposal
and I was very touched with the fact that she thought about me
He left today. I was kinda hoping that i wouldnt have to watch him
leave but the bugger came and found me on the gangway. Grr shouldnt
be this depressed. I'll get over it.Anyway on a ligher note i did a
bit more photog training during the embarkation process i think i
did pretty well considering it was my first time. I can always do
better but practice make perfect i suppose. I've got the general
Full scale war is on the horizon for the citizens of New
Prentisstown. Will Todd and Viola be able to barter a lasting peace
for those already on the planet and those on the way?This last book
in a fantastic series exceeded even my highest expectations. I was
completely enthralled, and highly emotionally invested in the
outcome – not just for the fates of Todd and
Viola, but also, yes, for Todd’s horse
(#teamboycolt). For those of you who read the first book (and I
certainly hope you have if you are reading this review), you know
that Ness has no qualms about killing off our favorite animals. And
that’s why one of the thoughts that was
foremost on my mind while I was reading this was
“He better not kill Todd’s
horse!†Anyway, back to Todd and Viola.
They’ve both been through ...
“What validates fiction is plausibility, which
it creates for itself, most notably through accurate, honest
observation of the world it creates. This created world is of
course more or less directly related to and dependent on the
actual, factual world outside the book.†Ursula K.
LeGuinFor me to really get lost in a story, I have to believe
in the plausibility of the world the author presents.
That doesn't mean, of course, that everything has to work according
to the rules of our actual, non-fictional world. But if the story
is set in our world, then I need the author to convince me
that the implausible things happening in the story are happening
for a reason.Dystopian works often take a modern issue and magnify
it through the lense of fiction, and this is always most ...
15 year old Green didn’t go into the city that
day with her family, but instead saw from the ridge how the city
was destroyed. As conditions worsen around her, Green covers
herself in black ink and thorns to protect herself from a desperate
populace, and as a way to mourn all that she has lost.In a starred
review back when this was released in 2003,
Publisher’s Weekly described this as a
“post-apocalyptic fairy tale leavened with
hope.†I mention this because this does read far more
like a fairy tale than a typical dystopian, and that has a lot to
do with Hoffman’s use of language.
Here’s how it starts:"I once believed that life
was a gift. I thought whatever I wanted I would someday possess. Is
this greed, or only youth? Is it hope or stupidity? As far as I was
concerned the f...
Jaym , Reya, and D’Shay are all about to turn
17 in the year 2054, and because none of them have any of the right
connections, they are at the mercy of a government that can send
them anywhere for dangerous work service. When they are sent to
Africa to be blenders, at first they think
they’ve lucked out – at
least they aren’t getting sent to the canal
zone and almost certain death. But they are about to find out that
Africa doesn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat
for blenders…Right off the bat, I liked that I
was introduced to three very diverse characters. Jaym is white,
working class. Reya is a refugee from Mexico where sandstorms drove
out the population. D’Shay is Af-Am (the
book’s term, not mine) and has been in and out
of foster homes his whole life. We see how their...
Can you believe Dystopian August is nearly halfway over? Let's take
a quick look at what went down in week 2.6 book
reviewsMonsters of Men by Patrick Ness gets 5 Zombie
ChickensGone by Michael Grant gets 3 Zombie ChickensRestoring
Harmony by Joelle Anthony gets 3 Zombie ChickensGreen Angel by
Alice Hoffman gets 3 Zombie ChickensThe Blending Time by
Michael Kinch gets 3 Zombie ChickensThis World We Live In by
Susan Beth Pfeffer gets 1 Zombie Chicken1 author
interviewJoelle Anthony discusses Restoring Harmony1 preview
post Upcoming debut dystopias from the League of Extraordinary
Writers3 still open giveaways Win the first three books in
Michael Grant's Gone SeriesWin one of 3 copies of Ship BreakerWin a
6 pack of dystopian books from M...
15 year old Kid lives in a dystopian future where corporations run
schools, using kids for market research and taking ownership of all
of their creations. And if you don’t play by
the Game’s rules, it’s GAME
OVER for you and your future. Kid’s never
really thought about the implications of all this corporate power
over her life until one day she witnesses a prank by an
anticorporate group called The Unidentified. As her interest in the
group grows, she attracts the attention of the corporations, who
want to repackage Kid and The Unidentified to fit their own agenda.
This novel just feels really timely, what with our present
addiction to social media. Kid’s friend Ari
does everything she can to “get
branded†since a sponsorship by a corporation means
free stuff and education p...
Only one more week to wait! *squee*I do have to say, though, the
couple of book leaks I have seen make me nervous. Because I
do NOT want spoilers. I don't even want to hear vague
statements like "It ends badly" or "I love the way the
ended!". I may have to go into lockdown mode. No
twitter, no Facebook, no blog reading until I've read
Mockingjay for myself. Unless people keep their spoilers to
themselves. Let's revisit Suzanne Collins' statement shall
we?One of the most important things to me is that everyone in the
world is going to be able to experience the final book of The
Hunger Games all at the same time, and be able to discover what
happens in the book without hearing about it elsewhere first. Word
will certainly travel fast, but I urge you â...
At some point in the (near?) future, MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer
Online Role-Playing Games) run some of the
world’s biggest economies. There are millions
who play for fun, and then there are the millions of
“gold farmers†in poor countries
who play for prestige items for their bosses to sell to the highest
bidder. A diverse group of young people from all over the world get
caught up in a movement that dares to challenge the status quo,
trying to form a workers union across borders while staying at
least one step ahead of the muscle (and police) hired by the big
bosses and the gamerunners.Sounds complicated
doesn’t it? Aside from this being pitched to me
as dystopia (which, honestly, doesn’t actually
describe it very well) and being written by Cory Doctorow whose
last book LITT...
A lot of the dystopian lit coming out these days is in the form of
series books, usually trilogies, but sometimes even longer (6
books? Michael Grant? Really?).And it can be FUN to follow a
series, but it can also be frustrating to have to wait so long
between books.Which ones I am inpatiently waiting for?
Let’s start with the ones I gave 5 zombie
chickens to.I loved Maria V Snyder’s INSIDE OUT
(read my review) so I am ridiculously excited for OUTSIDE IN,
coming March 2011. And it even has a cover already. Looks like more
“fun†in the pipes for Trella and
Riley. I also gave the first book in Jasper
Fforde’s SHADES OF GREY trilogy the ultimate
rating (read my review), so was very saddened to hear that the
second book SHADES OF GREY 2: PAINTING BY NUMBERS,
won’t be out until 2014...
Vera lives with her family in the Republic of Illinowa
– what’s left of the
Midwestern US in a future where the politics of water determine
whether you have enough water to thrive…or
not. Vera’s family is just getting by. And then
she meets Kai, a boy who seems to have a limitless supply of water.
When Kai is kidnapped, Vera convinces her brother Will that they
need to rescue him, and the two set off on the adventure of their
lives.This one really works because of the atmosphere and world
building. I really believed in this dried out land and in these
dried out people, with their thick tongues, flaky skin and
willingness to do anything just to get a drink. And I am a fan of
anything that frames the complexities of geo-politics in an
exciting way. Stracher is able to weave a convinc...
Earlier, I reviewed THE WATER WARS, a book I really enjoyed reading
(my review). I am excited to welcome Author Cameron Stracher to
Dystopian August today!Reading THE WATER WARS made me constantly
want to drink water. What’s the thirstiest
you’ve ever been in your life?I run a lot, so
I'm often very thirsty. If I'm in the suburbs, I'll look for people
who are watering their lawns, and stop to drink from their
sprinklers. The last couple weeks, however, it's been incredibly
hot in New York, and there are water restrictions, and most people
don't water their lawn at the time I go running. I ran 8 miles the
other day when it was 103 degrees and humid. I don't know if it was
the thirstiest I've ever been, but it was close. I must have drunk
about two gallons of water when I finally got hom...
Cassia lives in a society that decides everything for its citizens
for the greatest good of them all – even who
you marry. When Cassia is matched with her best friend Xander, she
is thrilled. But when viewing her matching card, another face
flashes on the screen – that of mysterious
classmate Ky. This seeming glitch awakens an awareness of forbidden
desires within Cassia, and for the first time she begins to
question a society where the individual has no right to
choose.MATCHED is without a doubt a well constructed novel, hitting
all the expected beats of a YA dystopian novel. And while there may
be few surprises for avid readers of the genre, there are some
genuine discussion-worthy developments. The society is set up to
look to its citizens like a utopia. Strict regulations nearly gu...
Mason lives with his mother in the shadow of the successful
biomedical corporation TroDyn. One day, when Mason visits his
mother at her nursing home job, Mason inadvertently awakens a
comatose girl his age who insists she has to get away from
“The Gardener†and seems frightened
of TroDyn. Mason goes on the run with her and tries to help her
figure out her past, not suspecting her past has something to do
with his own.There, I just tried to write a summary that
doesn’t ruin the whole tension of the first
part of the novel, like the official summary text and even the
tagline on the freaking front of the book does. DO NOT read the
official summary people – you will enjoy this
book much more if you follow this advice.Moving
on…I really enjoyed the
Mason’s characterization. After be...
A question I often ask myself when reading a dystopian or post
apocalyptic novel is: would I survive? I always think it
would certainly help if I had some kick a$$ characters on my
side. Naturally, no single character has the universal skills
it takes to survive the wide range of world ending scenarios
authors have thought up over the years, so it is
essential to pick a good team.So here's who'd I pick:Peeta
from The Hunger Games just because I love himLena from Gone because
she's a healer and you can always use thatElspeth from Obernewtyn
because she can farspeak (telepathy), beastspeak, and has the power
of coercionTool from Shipbreaker as my muscleTopher from Dollhouse
as my computer geniusI asked my dystopian reader panel who'd they
want on their team (up to 5 cha...
Cole has been orphaned by a flu pandemic that has not only killed
his parents but also large numbers of people worldwide, creating
widespread panic and chaos. After he recovers from his own
infection, Cole is taken in by an evangelical couple in Salvation
City who have a starkly different worldview than what he grew up
with.I’ll come right out and say that this was
nearly a DNF for me. At about 100 pages in, I just really
wasn’t feeling it. The apocalyptic setting did
not seem integral to the story, and I felt I had been drawn in on
false pretences. It’s a like a regular novel
dressed up in apocalyptic clothing. At the start of the story, Cole
is already with his new family and we only see snatches of his life
before and what happened during the pandemic in flashbacks that do
way mor...
What an exciting third week of Dystopian August! Here's a
quick recap in case you missed any of it.6 book reviewsThe
Unidentified by Rae Mariz gets 4 Zombie ChickensFor the Win by Cory
Doctorow gets 4 Zombie ChickensThe Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
gets 3 Zombie ChickensMatched by Ally Condie gets 3 Zombie
ChickensThe Gardener by SA Bodeen gets 3 Zombie ChickensSalvation
City by Sigrid Nunez gets 1 Zombie Chicken1 author interviewCameron
Stracher discusses The Water Wars1 preview postUpcoming Dystopian
Sequels6 still open giveawaysWin one copy of Matched (open
internationally)Win one of two copies of The Water Wars (open
internationally)Win one copy of the The UnidentifiedWin the first
three books in Michael Grant's Gone SeriesWin one of 3 copies of
Ship BreakerWin a 6 pack of dysto...
Welcome to District 10! Even though Katniss didn't think much
of our tributes dressed up as cows with flaming belts (she called
them pathetic), we're still 100% behind Katniss, our symbol of
hope.Now if you know livestock farmers at all, you know that we all
really enjoy putting together playlists. We love the Hunger Games
Survival Mix Forever Young Adult put together for Katniss to
prepare for the games. Yep, Another One Bites the Dust by Queen
never fails to get us pumped up. It makes a nice change
to the cacophony of cowbells and rooster crowing.In any
case, I wanted to take it one step further and make individual
playlists for each of the Hunger Games triology main
characters. These are songs that I either thought of
when reading particular scenes featu...
13 year old Matt lives in a world where going over your family
credit limit can have serious consequences, but Matt's family is
not worried. Their father has a great job, and the family
spends and spends. One day, on a shopping spree, Matt's
mother is informed that she has gone over their limit, and soon the
government authorities come pick up Matt to make him work off the
family's debt.This fast-paced middle grade novel has such an
interesting premise, and addresses the problem of runaway spending
that many consumers engage in well. Matt's parents are
portrayed as very, very silly. They buy expensive items they
don't need and never check their account balances even though
they know that going over the limit could mean that their children
are taken away from th...
For my final author interview of Dystopian August, I have the very
lovely Lauren Oliver on deck. Even though DELIRIUM is
not out until next year, I was able to snag an early copy at BEA
and I loved it. Look for my review later today. I am also dying to
read book 2 of this series, and of course that one is not due until
2012. Now, let's welcome Lauren! (applause)What
is about the dystopian genre that drew you in and made you want to
write a whole series? Any favorites or influences
you’d like to share? Well, utopias are no fun,
are they? No, but seriously—I
didn’t exactly set out to write a dystopia, but
I have always liked to imagine alternate societies, and alternate
ways and patterns of living. That’s part of the
fun of being a writer! This concept—...
Lena can’t wait to get the surgery, that at 18,
will cure her of the disease that took her mother
– the highly contagious delirium nervosa (or in
layman’s terms: falling in love).
Lena’s main concern is passing the exam that
will determine her future status in society. But then she meets
Alex and soon becomes
“infectedâ€.Lauren Oliver skillfully
introduces us to a society where people are either afraid of love
or are numb to it. For the past 43 years, the government has
stamped out “messy†emotion in
favor of a more ordered existence. Most accept it, as having the
surgery makes you immune to heartache and pain. But of course,
there are those who resist. As an
“uncuredâ€, 17 year old Lena, needs
to be protected from those resisters, and there are strict measures
in place t...
A few months ago, I was watching a season one episode of the the TV
series DOLLHOUSE (very dystopian by the way - check it out) in
which we jump to a future date in a post-apocalyptic Los
Angeles. The characters happen upon the dollhouse (which was
designed as a self-contained building underground) and discover not
only does everything work, there are even hot showers.
This is too much for one of the characters to resist and she
indulges, with predictably dire consequences.That of course got me
thinking that if I were her, I probably would've done the same
thing. Because long, hot showers are something I'd miss very
much if I lived in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic world (unless, of
course, I lived in one where you still could take hot showers, but
I digress...)I asked ...
Back in February, I reviewed Book 1 of this series, and though it
squarely aimed at teen boys and horror fans (of which I am
neither), I really liked the main character Alex (a bad boy and a
bully, but not deserving of the fate worse than death that is
furnace prison) and his quest to make an impossible prison
break.Book 2 starts up immediately where its predecessor left off -
and if you don't want to be spoiled, better stop reading now.Alex's
plan did get him and his buddy Zee out of the main population, but
the river they found leads down, and they are caught and thrown
into solitary. Much of the book addresses the madness that sets in
when you are stuck in small, claustrophic hole in the dark.
Since this is one of my worst nightmares, I really had to
disassociate myself from the b...
First half of 2011ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth
RevisSeventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo
aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new
planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have
known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too
soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a
spaceship that lives by its own rules.Amy quickly realizes that her
awakening was no mere computer malfunction.
Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of
the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy
doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be
next.Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s
hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects,
there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future
leader of the shi...
Three months ago during BEA, I attended a panel about dystopian YA
literature. Four authors were on the panel, but only two of their
books are being marketed as YA: Lesley Hauge’s
NOMANSLAND (my review) and Ally Condie’s
MATCHED (my review). The other two have written very adult books
with young main characters: Sigrid’s
Nunez’s SALVATION CITY (my review) and
Adam Dunn’s RIVERS OF GOLD (not yet reviewed).I
took a few notes, which I will finally share with you now.When
asked why she writes dystopian lit for teens, Lesley Hauge answered
that YA should cover the whole range of the human experience,
including suffering. Her book should create a sense of unease and
get teens thinking.Ally Condie says she likes writing from the
point of view of teens because they are more vul...
When Peter’s father takes him and his mother to
Greenland on a scientific trip, Peter is excited to finally be a
part of the adventure he’s heard about all his
life. But this is not just Peter’s story
– it is also Thea’s, a girl
who lives in a dystopian society under the ice. And
it’s also the story of how they meet.This
novel, a middle grade that Newberry Honor winner Rebecca Stead
published in 2007, gets off to a slow start but really picks up
once Peter stumbles upon a hidden path to
Thea’s underground home. Of the threads,
Thea’s is more interesting, and the novel might
have benefited by sticking to one thread but fleshing it out. There
are so many elements of her society that were mentioned but never
explored in any depth – the matriarchy and the
fact that fatherhood...
What if your hotel room came with a little camcorder to record your
vacation? Liaison Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., not only has
rooms available over Labor Day weekend but a package deal that
includes that tech toy, all starting at $229 per night, plus tax.
The deal: This hotel, operated by Affinia Hotels, has [...]
Is it the rebounding economy or that bouncing black and white ball?
The experts are stilling sorting out the reasons, but several
travel companies say that since South Africa’s much-praised
staging of the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament June 11 to July 11,
they’re selling more South African vacations. Here’s a
report from the field: > At [...]
For most of us, remote areas of Yosemite National Park are places
to escape and unwind. But those same places can provide the perfect
cover for illegal pot farms. Park rangers and other law enforcement
officials raided an illegal marijuana farm (in photo above) inside
the California park and nearby forest land Tuesday and seized
thousands [...]
Bruckner Chase spent a jellyfish-free day Wednesday recovering from
a remarkable, nearly 14-hour swim from Santa Cruz to Monterey along
the California coast, where he said stinging jellyfish were as
thick as leaves on a tree. Chase is believed to be the second
person to have successfully completed the swim. (Click here to see
coverage [...]
Here’s a last-minute idea for a Labor Day
family getaway that requires air travel from Southern California
but zero organizing: Get a mountain cabin in Colorado, where meals,
lodging and activities — archery, canoeing,
hiking and more — are all part of the package.
The deal: YMCA of the Rockies runs an annual Family Camp at [...]
Paul Gauguin Cruises, which specializes in small-ship tours around
the islands of French Polynesia and other South Pacific
destinations, is cutting brochure rates in half for
seven-night cruises of Tahiti and the Society islands. With the
discount, the trips start at about $4,000 per person, including
airfare. The deal: The cruise starts in Papeete, Tahiti, and [...]
Would you attend a music fest that seems to be organized by Travis,
Dino, Martha, Azzy, Sally and a whole bunch of other folks who
apparently have no last names? If so, you’re in
luck. Early bird passes are on sale now for the fifth annual Joshua
Tree Roots Music Festival, which calls itself a [...]
Troubled Mexicana Airlines will suspend all flights as of Saturday
until it can restructure, according to media reports and the Mexico
airline’s website. Options for Mexicana
customers who hold tickets remained uncertain Friday. The precise
time that flights would halt was not entirely clear; Mexicana said
noon Saturday, which could mean noon in Mexico City, [...]
Question: My family and I bought a ticket for my sister, a nun from
the Philippines, on United from LAX to
Washington’s Dulles airport. The only problem
is that we booked the ticket under her religious name, Sarah. Her
given name — and the name on her passport
— is Teresita. She has all kinds [...]
DreamSacks’ full-length silk jacquard travel
robe ($110) feels soft and cool and light against your skin. The
robe, which can be hand- or machine-washed, has roomy patch pockets
and is available in a range of subtle patterns and colors. Meant to
be worn by women or men, it comes in unisex S/M or L/XL sizes and
[...]
The year 2010 represents a golden opportunity for South Africa as a
nation to win not just on the football field as host nation of the
2010 FIFA WORLD CUP, but on the global tourism stage. read more
TANZANIA (eTN) - Clad in their traditional attire, the Maasai women
are found selling beads and locally-made jewelry and bracelets to
the tourists camping and visiting in their location within the Lol
read more
Just over a year ago, I penned an article entitled
“Sri Lanka Tourism - Quo Vardisâ€
where I raised the issues and challenges Sri Lanka was facing in
developing its tourism Industry. read more
United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAUA) and Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL)
today announced they have been notified by the Antitrust Division
of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) of the terminatio
read more
VICTORIA, Mahe - The Seychelles delegation at the 28th COMESA
Council of Ministers Meeting, in Swaziland this week, has
highlighted the need for regional economic communities such as
COMESA to strengt read more
Mexico's transportation secretary says debt-ridden carrier Mexicana
de Aviacion is halting all operations. read more
DUBAI - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin
Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Mohammad Bin Rashid
Al Maktoum Foundation, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce
Mar read more
The Zimbabwe tourism sector has raked in over US$350 million in the
first half of the year and is projected to surpass the target of
three million tourist arrivals before year-end. read more
Frustrated by a lack of religiously sensitive travel services,
Fazal Bahardeen set up a company to rate hotels on their
friendliness to Muslim visitors read more
Starting November of this year, passengers traveling to Chennai,
India, will have the possibility of doing so in one non-stop
flight, with Air Seychelles. read more
CHICAGO and HOUSTON - In an agreement intended to address the
United States Department of Justice's concerns related to
Continental's proposed merger with United, both airlines have
agreed to lease 18 read more
EVERETT, WA - The Boeing Company made an announcement today saying
that it now expects delivery of the first 787 in the middle of the
first quarter 2011. read more
It all started with a passion and a curiosity for Italy. read more
According to owner Georgie Woods, the decision to ban boys
– from one floor at least –
of the Best Western Portal Hotel in Australia was based on demand
within the market. read more
The families of two pilots who died in a helicopter crash that
killed 17 people off Newfoundland and Labrador last year want
improved safety equipment - including mandatory helmet use - for
helicopte read more
Malaysian Graffiti artists THEY and Bibichun came to Shanghai to
paint streets and... apparently pavilions. The whole story is at
Shanghai Expo Insights, but here are two things I want to note: 1.
I had no idea the Malaysian Pavilion had been spray painted! That's
pretty rad! 2. If this video got you hankering for more Graffiti,
then you'll be delighted to know that The Shelter is hosting a
whole graffiti bonanza this weekend! Called “Wall
Lords,” it's billed to be Asia's biggest graffiti contest and
will not only have artists battling it out spray can-style, but
also some pretty sweet live music: FRIDAY: Start off at the Shelter
on Friday night for the Graffiti Warm Up Party. We don't know if
anyone will actually be painting anything, but you do...
Photo by le niners More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page.
To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your
photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to
photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our
site (and here).
And not just because of the extensive and all-encompassing
corruption trials last year! Foreign Policy takes a look at the
Sichuan city's meteoric rise from just 2 million in the 1960s to a
whopping 32 million today, a pace so fast that "its maps are
already out of date by the time they are printed," following the
story of Yan Qi, a snails snacks seller who has turned her "river
delicacy" into a million dollar enterprise. Along the way:
Chongqing's history as an army stronghold, it's not quite yet
"nouveau" rich and - of course - Bo Xilai, China's political star.
We knew that drunk driving was becoming an ever more serious
offense here in Shanghai (perhaps to curb the national statistic
that 2x of us drive drunk compared to the rest of China), but did
you know that being caught could get you deported if you're a
foreigner? Long the punishment for overenthusiastic activism
(especially around sensitive time periods), it seems that now you
could be kicked out of China for imbibing way too much before your
commute home. A European named Peter, who had been working for
three years at an upscale hotel, was caught after he crashed his
motorcycle into a sidewalk. He is the first foreigner ever in China
to get deported for drunk driving. From Shanghai Daily: Traffic
police said he could hardly talk when he was questioned at the
scene. A blood alcohol t...
Congratulations Matt! Our good friend at Exploremetro has managed
to get a million people to download his iPhone app - and he's
decided to celebrate by giving it out for free! Just for the next
two days though. In case you own an iPhone and were on the fence
about picking this up, now's the time to give it a twirl. You would
have to empty your pockets of 99 cents otherwise!
Photo of breast feeding policewoman during the Sichuan Earthquake
from The Moderate Voice Here's heartening news for breast milk
advocates: In the wake of the recent milk powder scandals (most
recently, the possibility that one type of milk was causing babies
to grow breasts), mothers in Shanghai at least are turning to the
nip. A survey by the Shanghai Morning Post found that 85% of 452
Shanghai residents believed breast milk to be superior to other
dairy substitutes. Though the whole thing may just be a quality
issue rather than Shanghai mothers really thinking "breast is
better." After all: About 33 percent of the respondents said they
will no longer buy domestically manufactured milk powder because
they doubt the quality, while 41 percent said they usually buy
imported milk powde...
Last year, Shanghai
resident Katya Knyazeva stumbled upon Ever-spring Hall, a piece of
historic Shanghai that had fallen by the wayside. Located just 100
meters east of the Temple of the City God on Wutong Lu, it was
turned into a gymnasium at some point in time and then left to rot.
A shame for architecture for which the saying was penned, "First,
there is Ever-Spring Hall; second, there is Yu Garden." Last month,
she was able to head back there again. From her Flickr: For months
the lane off Wutong Lu was barred with a construction door; the
workers were seen lodging in the side building. However, one fine
July sunday, we walked in through the gate and nobody seemed to
care. Workers thought we were important, apparently. ...
Those that care about beauty competitions and hot girls in
ridiculous costumes have been poring over the Miss Universe 2010
National Costumes Competition. But while I've seen endless
commentary on Miss Kazakhstan's giant headdress, Miss America's
actually kinda cool Golden Eagle and Miss Zambia's gourd breasts,
nothing has been said about China. Well, here's why. How boring!
She looks like she wore a reconstructed cushion, complete with
tassels, to some random B-list celebrity press event. How is that
even going to BEGIN to compete with Miss Venezuela, who looks like
she could cut you to pieces? Considering this dress has to be
thirty billion times lighter, couldn't Tang Wen look a little
happier to be there? And did she even wash her hair? In comparison,
this is what China did fo...
A look at Shanghai in HD and with an atmospheric soundtrack,
brought to us by the same people who gave us a similarly amazing
video last time - the Rhone Alps Pavilion.
As the women of the world prepare to go head to head in Miss
Universe - lip-gloss, eye liner and bronzer at the ready, some of
Americas finest beefcakes have already slipped in to a bit of
spandex for an adoring audience at the Expo. They did however;
ditch the catwalk, opting instead for something a little more
familiar to them - a wrestling ring! Yes, Sunday afternoon played
host to a Chinese first when a smörgåsbord
of spandex-clad, Muscle Marys from World Wrestling Entertainment
Inc. (the WWE) performed at the Expo. Thousands upon thousands of
WWE buffs travelled from all over mainland China, Hong Kong and
Macau to catch a glimpse of some of the biggest names in the
wrestling world and watch them battle it out, right here, in
Shanghai. The WWE was founded in 1952 but WWE matches...
Did finding out the sanitation situation not scare you off
crayfish? Then how about muscle degeneration? Dozens of people in
Nanjing were struck down with a strange form of food poisoning from
our little lobster friends: rhabdomyolysis. The Nanjingren were
hospitalized after suffering unbearable muscle pains shortly after
eating crayfish. Symptoms have included sore joints, a sore back,
pale complexion, and the rather peculiar ‘soy sauce
urine’. Although doctors were sure that crayfish was the root
cause of the patients illness, the strange manifestation when
compared to ‘typical’ food poisoning baffled them. One
doctor, a would-be Sherlock Holmes, took to the street markets of
Nanjing to try and find the cause. After making a few inquiries he
concluded that ...
Noam Chomsky was in China recently, delivering a speech at Peking
University and then conducting an interview with Southern
Metropolis Daily. The folks at Global Voices Online have translated
the questions (and re-translated the answers) - while he talks
about the U.S. trying to force its views on China (yet anther
example of American imperialism for him) and China's need to stop
being the factory of the world, the author of Media Control is
surprisingly silent on propaganda, only criticizing the West's use
of advertising to influence elections. Or maybe he wasn't and it
just wasn't published. Who knows!
All the picks for live music from now until Sunday! WEDNESDAY
Belgium's good for more than just waffles! Yuyintang is hosting a
Belgian music showcase tonight that ranges from jazz to folk to
experimental. Know your Belgian musicians? You can expect Heleen
Van Haegenborgh, Esther Venrooy and Lander Gyselinck. No cover!
9pm, Yuyintang, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu (entrance on Kaixuan Lu),
延安西路1731å·
THURSDAY This is the last night to check out Dada's World of Sound
music showcase. THey've brought us Caribbean, Japanese and Indian
tunes previously - and this time around, they'll be going
Brazilian. No cover. 9:30pm, Dada, 115 Xingfu Lu near Fahuazhen Lu,
幸ç¦è·¯115
FRIDAY Yuyintang turns Friday night into Metal night with a host of
Chinese metal bands. L...
Betty Friedan would be ashamed! Shanghai women may be rumored to be
independent and strong willed, but it looks like the thing they're
still most afraid of is not getting married by the time they're 30.
These women, allegedly past prime child birthing years, are called
"3s ladies" or "sheng nu" (leftover women). It seems that rather
than looking up to these 70s-born career women, more than 70% of
female graduates in 17 Chinese universities think they're to be
pitied. Well, if even top grads feel that way, then no wonder
there's such a huge university student "mistress" problem.
Our good friends at Fly Films have been working on their most
recent reality show, Amazing Race: China Rush, the sequel of sorts
to their last project: Shanghai Rush. The show is already on their
second episode (it's first elimination episode) and can be viewed
every Sunday night at 8pm on ICS or 11:15pm every Saturday night on
CCTV News. That is, if you have a TV that's hooked up to Chinese
cable. I personally don't. But Fly Films wasn't about to let that
stop me from watching it - apparently all the episodes are online
at SMG Entertainment's website, where you can also watch the latest
episodes of Hell's Kitchen (listed under Real Fun) and Funniest
Home Videos. So thanks, friends at Fly Films, my productivity just
dipped even lower.
Photo by Bert Van Dijk More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute
page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag
your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos
to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our
site (and here).
Photo from Spirit Halloween Here's one way to feel closer to the
Little Mermaid without taking a swim with her at Expo: wear
clothing made out of seaweed! Professors at a Science and
Technology forum held in Shanghai this week revealed that
“kelp fiber” spinning technology has been developed and
“kelp clothing” could enter the market next year.
Professor Xia of Qingdao University explained that laboratory tests
have found that kelp, a brown algae, is rich in seaweed fibers.
Those fibers have considerable strength and may be even sturdier
than cotton. It also beats out cotton in some other unexpected
areas as well: not only can it incorporate different metal ions -
causing it to have antibacterial and “anti-electromagnetic
radiation” properties, bu...
We read on Gizmodo earlier today that Google had just integrated
it's Skype-like Google Voice function into Gmail. The article also
said something that made us perk up - that calls from a US IP to
another US or Canadian number would be absolutely free. Since our
VPN changes us to a US IP anyhow, we decided to give it a try. And
it worked! To call someone, click on the little “Call
phone”-plus-phone icon right under your name in the Gchat
section. Gmail will then proceed to download and install the
calling app. Then you just input the US or Canadian number you want
to call and it get's a-calling. That is, if you have a VPN with a
U.S.-based IP (which I know for a fact that both Freedur and
Witopia provide). My test call to a cellphone in Mich...
I've been a little wary about reporting on the whole Red Army meme,
mostly because it's super old - at least since last year, the
musical version of this Red Army Long March opera has been cut and
recut to match everything from Jay Chou to Michael Jackson. But you
know what? Everyone in the world seems to be watching it, loving it
and debating what it means for China's youth to treat this kind of
opera in this way. Frankly, I think it means about as much as the
Hitler Downfall Meme where a pivotal scene from the German movie
Downfall, depicting Hitler’s final meltdown, was subbed to
lampoon everything from terrible music to getting kicked off Xbox
Live. Are people downplaying the Holocaust and the evilness of
Hitler? Possibly. But are they actively saying that World War II
shouldn'...
Someone has heard our prayers! Not only has the China release of
Christopher Nolan's Inception been pushed up from September 21 to
NEXT WEEK (Sept. 2), but it'll be shown completely uncut lest
nobody understand the already "confusing" plot. So come next
Thursday, who's free for a Shanghaiist movie date?
It's rare that you see such a willingness to display the worst side
of a company: On Tuesday night, 42 people were killed and 54 more
were injured when Henan Airlines' jet crashed and burst into flames
while trying to land in Heilongjiang, China. Sometime between then
and today, Henan Airlines changed its website to put the crash
front and center. According to Xinhua, the jet “broke into
two pieces while it was approaching the runway. Some passengers
were thrown out of the cabin before the broken jet crashed to the
ground... Witnesses said a huge blaze enveloped the wreckage and
the flames reddened the surrounding forests. The blaze had been put
out before dawn Wednesday.” By earlier today, Henan Airlines'
president was removed and the entire company ceased operation.
But...
Last year in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, a 25-year-old woman was found
dead. Her mother suspected that she was mass raped by a gang that
had connections with the local police, but officials said she had
died from "ectopic pregnancy." Three bloggers spread information
online that they felt proved that there had been a criminal act.
They were thrown in jail for slander. This week, the last of the
three Fujian netizens was released. Filmmaker He Yang released an
hour-long documentary, Herzog Days that tracks the trial and
everything else. Global Voices pointed us to the video, which can
be viewed with English subtitles.
Yesterday's thunder and lightning flash flood rain storm was so
close you felt like you could reach out and touch it. Luckily, no
one seems to actually have (unlike this unlucky worker on Tuesday),
but some of you did brave the storm to snap some amazing shots,
like this one above by Shanghaiist Flickr pool contributor
FrasSmith. Apparently, about 91.5mm of rain fell at once on
Shanghai (according to measurements at the Expo), turning some
streets into temporary rivers. The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau
said we can expect similar weather throughout the weekend and into
next week.
Oh gosh, here's some really sad news. Remember Ever-spring Hall,
which we featured a photo set of just a couple of days ago? The
last couple of rainstorms were not kind to it - according to
Shanghai Daily, its roof has completely caved in. The silver lining
to this dark cloud is that its destruction may actually make way
for its revival - it's unintended demolition-by-weather has
reminded Shanghai officials of its existence: The hall, although
listed as a protected architecture by Huangpu District government,
has been left unattended for dozens of years, stuck at the end of a
narrow lane on Wutong Road, near its more famous contemporary,
Yuyuan Garden. A property-management worker blamed the government
for inaction in protecting the architecture and said he was worried
that the typhoon...
While there are a couple notable events this weekend - including a
launch of perennial Shanghai DJ Ben Huang's new party brand and
Dada's first birthday bash - it's dominated by Wall Lords: a three
day event of music, mayhem and, of course, graffiti. Check it and
everything else that's worth doing in Shanghai this Fri/Sat/Sun!
Want to indulge in some live music? Then take a look at our Midweek
Music Preview. FRIDAY Oh teachers, we salute you. We know most of
the international schools have started up now, so Cosmo Bar &
Restaurant is dedicating a Friday night just for your end-of-summer
sads. 98RMB entrance with your work ID for free flow on just about
everything, plus a free appetizer. 5pm onwards, Cosmo Bar &
Restaurant, 1st floor, Hongchun Building, 3213 Hongmei Road Start
off t...
Remember the Chinese version of High School Musical that would
actually follow several College freshmen around Shanghai as they
sang and danced to their hearts' content. Well, quite
unceremoniously, it's out now. That's right,
æŒèˆžé’春
(Musical Youth) was actually released into theaters two weeks ago!
So why have we heard nothing about it and why is it playing in only
one theater in Shanghai? We demand answers, people. In the
meantime, above is the promo song for the movie. You can see quite
clearly who's supposed to be the "Troy," the "Gabriella," the
"Sharpay" and the "Ryan." There's also some cute graffiti spraying
bad ass who'll no doubt add some 'tude to the whole bubbly teen
affair.
China's claim on the South China Sea It's summertime, and the
world's navies have been cruising each other in the warm waters of
the world's oceans as if it were some kind of brawny maritime love
parade. Indeed, there has been a flurry of naval action in the
Asian theatre recently - some of it routine and annual, some
related to the Cheonan incident, but also chest thumping and
jostling for position in territorial claims all over the place. If
there's any nation that's been "showing some sack" recently, it's
China. With rumors swirling about its grandiose naval ambitions -
to draw a "string of pearls" across the Indian Ocean, dominate the
western Pacific, expand influence across Oceania, just to name a
few - China's neighbors have evidently become a bit bothered.
However, most conten...
Photo of breast feeding policewoman during the Sichuan Earthquake
from The Moderate Voice After the powdered milk scare not too long
back, we looked at why mothers in Shanghai are turning to the teat.
Looks like ‘breast is best’ after all! We were sooo let
down by China’s national costume in Miss Universe; especially
when we looked at last year’s costume and one of this
year’s competitors. We got experimental with homemade
shampoos! Perhaps ‘Miss China’ could take a gander at
this one! If you have any leftover beer; then take a look… We
took a look at the newest wave in fashion - seaweed cloth.
It’s all a bit fishy if you ask us!The intimate life of
college girls has been in the spotlight lately. We looked at a
banned ‘extracu...
This trip which I am about to undertake is more than a break from
work and the pressures of life. It is a journey of healing, a
journey to conquer my fears, hopefully restore my confidence as
well as to let go of some of the baggages that we all seem to...
Next December I need to go to Bhutan for just a week. I have had
dreadful jet lag after previous time zone changes of over 6 hours.
I live on the east coast of the US, and I wonder if it is possible
to lessen the problem of jet lag by going RTW to the...
Hi all, thanks for your continued help!...
I've read many of the posts on costs etc, most seem to be better
financed than me - just wondering what people have to say about my
plans and if I'm stuck in the past - thinking of costs when I used
to travel more, before kids etc....
I'm going to Barcelona in October for a 4-day holiday. Are there
any great must sees/dos that don't appear in the typical 'Top 10
Things To Do' lists?
Does anyone know of any bancks that offer this service. Nationwide
are going to start to charge in November!!!
Help, I'm scheduled to travel to HK with my family this September.
My concern is that we are Filipinos. I have heard news about some
HKers who hate Filipinos because of the hostage that killed several
HK nationals in Manila. Is there anyone living in HK...
Can anyone tell the current cost for imodium tablets. Because here
in the US they cost a fortune.
I'm listening to the Bollywood song " Aja main hawaon pay bitha kay
lai chaloon Tu hi to meri dost hai, Aja main khlaoan main utha kay
lay chaloon tu hi to meri dost hai. And you????
Frank & Meg jump out of a perfectly good airplane on the North
Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.
Hemos viajado al corazón de Mauritania. Hemos
recorrido la ruta de las caravanas. Este es un paÃs sin
duda duro y extremo pero con una gente muy cercana y sencilla.
Enjoy
In this film, In Deep Films takes a trip to Mongolia to get away
from it all, and have their groins injured on bad horse saddles.
Lonely Planet authors and staff took on the challenge of cycling
through Africa from Cairo to Capetown. Rana Freedman and Martin
Heng rode leg four of Tour d'Afrique from Nairobi, Kenya to Iringa,
Tanzania.
Lonely Planet founder, authors and staff took on the challenge of
cycling through Africa from Cairo to Capetown. Fiona Siseman and
Tony Wheeler along with Rana Freedman and Martin Heng rode leg five
of Tour d'Afrique from Iringa, Tanzania to Lilongwe, Malawi.
InDeepFilms takes a look at the risks and the rewards of traveling
in one of the world's hotspots. (And make sure to check out Part
2!)
In Deep Films takes a look at one of the most controversial regions
in the world: Kashmir. Photos in film courtesy Carin Fischer.
A good friend of mine, Massimo, invited me up to Buttonville
Airport, just north of Toronto for a chance at a fly-over in a tiny
Cessna. You see, Massimo is learning how to fly.
It’s funny because the thought of Massimo
flying didn’t scare me. What really made me
nervous was the Pilot. Blake. Young guy. Too young. I have to
admit, I started sweating a bit. Should I kiss the tarmac before I
put my belt on? Should I call my mom and tell her I love her?
Naaaw, it’ll be fine. My stomach on the other
hand….not so much. Take a look!
I continue my safari through Uganda by exploring queen elizabeth
national park and see lions, hyenas, and elephants. I stay at Simba
Safari Camp
I continue my safari through Uganda and explore queen elizabeth
national park and see lions, hyenas, and elephants. I stay at Simba
Safari Camp.
Lonely Planet author Greg Bloom and a mate head off on a bike ride
from Coron to the Calauit Game Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary on
the northern tip of Busuanga Island in the Philippines. Hours
later, after being defeated soundly at basketball by the local kids
and losing his friend to a shoulder injury, Greg makes it to
Calauit island to watch the animals roam on this transplanted piece
of Africa.
3 days. 5 people. 3500km. 50,000 photos Want to come to Central
Australia? Travel from Alice Springs to Coolum via Mt Isa in 24min.
Sunrises, vistas, towns, forests, highways, night driving and the
weather. Shot 20-22 December 2009 with a Canon 5Dmk2. Original
soundtrack composed for film. The full 1080HD 3pt version is on
Youtube A full length 640x360 version is on Vimeo Sorry for the
small vid here, limited by the max file size.
3 days. 5 people. 3500km. 50,000 photos Want to come to Central
Australia? Travel from Alice Springs to Coolum via Mt Isa in 24min.
Sunrises, vistas, towns, forests, highways, night driving and the
weather. Shot 20-22 December 2009 with a Canon 5Dmk2. Original
soundtrack composed for film. The full 1080HD 3pt version is on
Youtube A full length 640x360 version is on Vimeo Sorry for the
small vid here, limited by the max file size.
After spending 3 days over Xmas 2008 in Siem Reap, and recording
over 2 hours of footage of our exploration of these amazing
structures, I couldn’t help but make a short
film to celebrate them. However, Understanding Angkor is not easy,
so I enlisted the help from the MP3 library of philosopher Alan
Watts.
For 3000 years people have worshiped on the shores of the Ganges at
Varanasi. So what kind of place is it and how does it make one feel
to be in one of the most “holyâ€
cities in the world? This short film considers just that by showing
the city as it wakes and as it goes to sleep.
www.outsidecontext.com
Lonely Planet author Scott Kennedy and a mate enter the 'Routeburn
Classic' adventure race near Queenstown, New Zealand. The 32km path
normally take three days to hike but the classic is run in a day.
As if 32km isn't far enough, Upon finishing they plan to turn
around and do it all again!
take a lancia and sail to Isla Cebaco
take a lancia and sail to Isla Gobernadora and Isla Cebaco and
easily meet some dolphins and even wales on the way
sailing toward Isla Cebaco in Panama
The last two days of my San Blas trip was spent at Nargana and
Corazon de Jesus, Kuna villages seperated by a bridge.
Our fourth anchorage of the trip was a beautiful place called "The
Swimming Pool". More spearfishing, snorkleing and swimming. The
veggie boat made a stop.
Our second and third anchorage on my sailing adventure with Sonny
and Kay Sides of S/V Valentina. Lots of swimming and spearfishing.
I began my week long sailing adventure in the San Blas Islands by
flying from Panama City to El Porvenir, a small island in Kuna Yala
(Kuna Indian Reservation). Sonny and Kay Sides were my hosts -
www.sailingvalentina.com Our first stop was the island of Gerti
where we visited with some of the Kuna indians.
Our Mission Trek team headed out from Panama City to the Caribbean
side of Panama and Bocas Del Toro. While there we worked on several
construction projects and made several presentations of local
indigenous schools. The last day of our trip we joined with the
Cabezon family for a day of sight-seeing. We traveled to Colon and
then up the coast through Portebelo and on to Isle Grande, a small
island 1/2 mile off the shore - a beautiful and relaxing way to
finish our two week adventure.
NPR has a sequence of remarkable photos from the ongoing jam, which
stretches for more than 60 miles. Hat tip to Boing Boing’s
Maggie Koerth-Baker, who speculates about how the AP photographers
managed to make it to and from the scene: “I’m
imagining a dirt bike was involved.”
Craig Robinson’s all coast map of the U.S. eliminates the
borders with Mexico and Canada. The country looks a bit like a
turkey leg. Clever and disorienting.
NPR’s Weekend Edition launched an ambitious series Saturday,
a three-weekend-long look at the most trafficked interstate in the
U.S. It’s not this trafficked, but it’s pretty busy.
And it plays a huge role in American life: All along the Eastern
Seaboard, Interstate 95 has helped shape the daily lives and
vacation dreams of the roughly 100 million people who reside
alongside it. They live in dense cities and rural counties in the
15 states through which I-95 passes on its nearly 2,000-mile,
north-south path. The Department of Transportation says that each
year I-95 gets more VMTs—that’s vehicle miles
traveled—than any other road. The traffic on I-95 peaks in
August as legions of vacationers and college students join
commuters, truckers, migrant farm w...
The occasional travel writer takes a fun shot at parachute
journalism: If you spend 72 hours in a place you’ve never
been, talking to people whose language you don’t speak about
social, political, and economic complexities you don’t
understand, and you come back as the world’s biggest
know-it-all, you’re a reporter. Ouch.
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
With bedbug infestations apparently on the rise across the country,
the Daily Beast has put together a list of the top ten buggiest
cities in America—and burgs in Ohio landed in the first,
second and eighth spots. If you’re headed to Cincinnati,
Columbus, Dayton, or any of the other cities on the list, you may
want to put this retro travel technique to use.
According to a recent Travelodge survey, at least some of you do.
The survey found that 25% of adult men bring stuffed animals with
them when they travel for business. “I travel enough that
it’s a nice reminder of home,” said one respondent.
I’d like to offer some snark here, but I’d be a
hypocrite if I did. My bear doesn’t come on short-haul trips,
but she has been on longer visits to Malaysia, the U.K., Barbados
and New York City. So there.
To mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we've collected
stories from our archives that explore the city's heartbreak,
passion and rebirth
Susan Orlean is on vacation in Cape Cod, where she’s been
keeping busy by snooping around the house she rented from a local,
trying to learn more about her host. Here’s what she’s
put together so far: I always start with the bookshelves, which
makes me worry about my future vacations, when all reading material
will have migrated to an electronic format and the bookshelves are
empty except for Hummel figurines. Then what? Where will I begin my
snooping—in the spice cabinet? Fortunately, the owner of this
house is obviously a dead-tree kind of reader, and I have deduced
that he is a physician. (I do think I’m a genius, but the
stacks of diagnostic manuals would have been a pretty big clue even
to lesser minds.) The Leo Rosten books are a religious
giveaway̵...
For starters, the television company hypes the country’s
“savage wildlife.” A crew has been filming the next
season of the hit TV show in the beach town of San Juan del
Sur—it will debut on CBS next month. Reports the Los Angeles
Times: Government officials apparently think “Survivor”
could be good for foreign business investment and tourism, even
though the CBS commercial for the show proclaims Nicaragua a land
of “impenetrable terrain, smoldering volcanoes and savage
wildlife.” (Savage wildlife? The mosquitoes?) Yes, tourism to
Nicaragua could skyrocket—and so could unfathomably horrific
mosquito bites.
Conor Friedersdorf digs up an old gem from the Atlantic’s
archives: a dispatch from a native New Yorker, returning to the
city after an extended stay in Paris. It’s a must-read for
NYC-philes. Here’s a taste: In a word, this returned New
Yorker finds few familiar landmarks; and the few he does find seem
to have lost most of their original meaning. He is as much dazed
and puzzled by his surroundings as Rip Van Winkle after his twenty
years’ sleep. Nobody resides, does business, dines, or drinks
in the same places as before. Nobody frequents the same pleasure
resorts. Nobody saunters along the same walks. It is not safe for
him to make a business or social call, or to set out for a
restaurant, a chop-house, a theatre, or a club, without consulting
the Directory in ad...
Sam advises staying at a home-stay to fully experience the Balinese
culture.
Find out the history behind Detroit's delicious staple -- the Coney
Island Dog.
Anthony Bourdain talks about his favorite things to do in Paris.
Anthony Bourdain recaps some of his best moments from the past 100
episodes.
Anthony Bourdain talks about ratitude and traveling back to Paris.
Anthony Bourdain answers a common question about traveling to
Paris.
LA's food trucks went gourmet, but only one set of wheels is doing
it in heels.
Adam Richman visits the Fun Town Amusement Pier for some fun by the
shore.
Adam Richman discusses his Ludicrous Wings Challenge in New Jersey.
Anthony Bourdain and the crew dish on their beloved Diane Schutz.
Adam Richman gets a lesson in Syracuse history at The Salt Museum.
You may know all about the “usual places to
go†in Oregon—Multnomah Falls,
Portland and Mount Hood. RV campers willing to take a closer look,
however, can find pockets of adventure hidden in the ...
This week, my adventures across Oregon takes me to a place that
used to be a true hot zone of volcanic eruptions, magma flows and a
birthplace of mountains – evidence
that’s obvious not only ...
If you lease your car, or have some other reason to avoid putting a
lot of miles on your own vehicle, you may want to consider using a
rental car for long road trips. A rental car with unlimited miles
can pay for itself if you drive it for a couple of thousand miles
instead of using your own vehicle.
If you are what you eat, then most Cape Codders would be a clam . .
. or maybe a lobster roll. It should go without saying that a land
named for a type of fish would abound with opportunities to sample
tasty seafood, and Cape Cod does not disappoint.
If you’re traveling with a laptop or other electronics that
must be X-rayed separately, make sure you can easily remove such
items from your bag without having to pull everything else out,
too. Packing neatly—and not overstuffing—also decreases
the time it takes to inspect your carry-on’s X-ray image. And
finally, having your bags searched at a security checkpoint will be
quicker and much more tolerable if your bag is tidy.
Fall is just around the corner, and it's time to hit the books!
Here's our selection of hot new titles that should be on every
traveler's back-to-school list.
An oyster fanatic ups his shell game.
The San Sebastian district of Sitges is my idea of the perfect
European beach resort.
A photography exposition, ancient ruins and 12th-century churches
are just some of the reasons to visit this colorful Provencal town.
A planned trip to Romania turned out to be right before a
revolution.
After the F.A.A. downgraded Mexico’s safety
rating, attention turned to the inconsistencies in global
guidelines.
With most flights full, anxieties and tensions associated with
stowing carry-on bags are soaring.
Shareholders asked a judge to delay a vote on the
company’s sale to Hertz, contending that the
board failed to consider Avis Budget’s higher
offer.
Zacatecas, a colonial city north of Mexico City, has an arts scene
that suggests a population of more than its 120,000 residents.
A review of Las Margaritas, a typical, well-chosen, under-$15 hotel
room.
A group of 100 non-professional volunteers will be taking part in a
grand experiment at the Tate Modern, courtesy of the Scottish
contemporary dance choreographer Michael Clark.
"My wife and I and some friends are going to Buenos Aires in late
December and are looking for memorable ways to celebrate New Year's
Eve, possibly involving the tango."
