Luxury Life in Japan

This article from The Economist is about how residents of Tokyo Japan live a life of luxury, but these residents are not just people, they're pets! As you walk on the streets of Tokyo you will see dogs dressed in the latest fashions, including shoes. You will see sports clubs for dogs, like WanWan (woof-woof). WanWan offers their clients swimming lessons, balance ball sessions, and aromatherapy massages. Also, the article suggests that because Japan's human population is aging they are particularly sensitive to the needs of a geriatric pet, so acupuncture and funeral services are offered to pets. In all, the industry is worth billions, not including the cat sector, which contributes billions as well. Unfortunately, there are now many strays that are gassed to death to control the population, and because the majority of desired dogs are hand-bag sized.

https://www.economist.com/asia/2018/11/03/japan-pampers-its-pets-like-nowhere-else



   

Fusion Wear

There is an exiting, beautiful new fashion trend sweeping through India: Fusion Wear. Fusion wear is a combination of "Asian and Western clothing", according to BBC. The Indian fashion market is embracing this new style of design that is expected to be worth $3.4 billion dollars by 2020. Cat Moh, a travel correspondent for BBC, explores Delhi to highlight this trend that started on the streets of India and in now displayed on couture runways. It all started with women buying textiles, finding, or creating their own designs, and bringing them to tailors who make their visions a reality. Now, the fusion wear has expanded to include men's clothing too. The colors and designs are vibrant and innovative. The Western fashion industry should take notes about this new fashion trend because it would be a shame if this beauty isn't widely embraced by the rest of the world. For more info check out the video in the link.

Link:https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-46125995/fusion-wear-fashion-revolution-takes-india-by-storm    

China Concedes to Preassure

After international outcry and pressure applied by environmentalists, China's State Council temporarily reinstated "a ban on the use of rhinoceros horn and tiger bones in medicine." Initially, wildlife advocates inferred the main reason for repealing the ban was to help the traditional-medicine industry. Although, most traditional doctors use herbal remedies, rather than animal parts. If the ban were to remain in place, then the efforts to save the fewer than 30,000 wild rhinos and 3,900 tigers would have been greatly hindered. China's reversal is important to protect rhinos and tigers, but as I was reading the article I noticed that there was no mention of the animals being used as "antiques", or cultural objects. China, and other countries involved in illegal animal trafficking, have to be held accountable for there part in environmental degradation. Animals are an important part of the worlds ecosystem and must be protected in balance with respecting different cultures.
  Image taken by Fred Dufour.

Link:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/world/asia/china-rhino-tiger-ban.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fasia&action=click&contentCollection=asia&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

The Maharajas' Express

What is described as a "regal" travel experience, the Maharajas' Express offers its riders to spend eight days living in luxury, while seeing the beauty that India has to offer. The Maharajas' Express is a train that has been "billed as... the opulent hotel-on-wheels" that goes from Jaipur to Jodhpur, which is in the northern Rajasthan region. The train travels on seven routes, but the 'Heritage of India' seems to be the most notable because it takes travelers to key destinations, such as Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ranthambore National Park, and the Taj Mahal, "running from Mumbai to Rajasthan to Delhi."

As you travel along the route of your choice, you will be catered to by an attentive staff, including an executive chef. The interior of the train is replete with lavish "Indian aesthetics." For example, peacock motifs and rich fabrics are featured, as well as décor that are tinted with golden hues. Also, the cabins start at "112-square-feet in size- each with modern amenities such as LCD TVs, king size beds, and bathrooms." If you choose to stay in the Presidential Suite, then you will have a whole train carriage to yourself, along with "two bedrooms, a private living area, bathtub," and even more regal décor. In addition, the train has two dining cars, two bars, and a lounge within the 23 carriages for up to 88 guests. Lastly, depending on the route that you choose, you will have an opportunity to have a rich experience filled with Indian culture.

Although the Maharajas' Express offers a wonderful travel experience, I think it does play into the Western idea of what India is, rather than giving it's riders a more holistic sense of the entirety of India.

Images and a video are on the article website.
     
Link:https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/maharajas-express-rajasthan-india/index.html

China Losens Ban on Rhino and Tiger Parts

Both Rhinos and Tigers are on the endangered species list, and yet China is allowing these animals to be farmed and used for scientific and cultural purposes. This means that rhino horn and tiger bone could be used medicinally, even though benefits have not been proven, and would be classified as "antiques" allowing for the legal exchange of animal parts.

Since 1993, China has prohibited rhino and tiger trade and this legal move would be a major setback to conservation efforts that have been made in the past 25 years. The World Wildlife Fund commented in the article that "even if restricted to antiques and the use in hospitals, this trade would increase confusion by consumers and law enforcers as to which products are and are not legal, and would likely expand the markets for other tiger and rhino products." Although the law is limited to animals that are farmed, once they are processed, legal products would be indistinguishable from illegal products. As a result, illegal poaching may rise and wild rhinos and tigers will me one step closer to complete extinction.

As a side note, the World Wildlife Fund reported in their The Living Planet Report that "losses in vertebrate species- mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles-averaged 60% between 1970 and 2014."



Link to the main article:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46027702

Link to the article mentioned in the side note:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46028862

Smog in Delhi

Every year, Delhi is blanketed by thick smog that seeps into people's lungs forcing the declaration of a state of medical emergency. Hospitals overflow with men, women, and children who struggle to breathe because of the pollution, which the World Health Organization determined to be several times the recommended limit. According to the article, "the city has become what many call a gas chamber." (Biswas, BBC) A study attributed over 40,000 premature deaths in 2011 to this pollution.

This cycle of air pollution began in the 1960's and 70's with the green revolution, "an evolution of farming operations, government policy, and changing labor markets" writes Soutik Biswas. The green revolution was necessary to stop widespread famines that plagued the country, successfully increasing rice and wheat production. The northern states of Punjab and Haryana turned into "breadbaskets" for the country where they sow and harvest "wheat in the winter and rice to coincide with the monsoon season in July and August." Unfortunately, in order to clear the stubble that is left behind after the crops are harvested, "over two million farmers burn the 23 million tons of crop residue on the same 80,000 sq. km of farmland in northern India" at the same time. This burning releases particular matter, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and Sulphur dioxide creating a potentially deadly cloud of smog over Delhi.

The only solution that has been proposed by the government is the use of happy seeders and super straw management systems, both are devices that help remove stubble, but they are too expensive for many farmers to use.

  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-45890916    

Indian Flavor in the Bay Area

Nik Sharma,38, grew up in Mumbai and came to America in 2002. He was born to a Hindu father from the state Uttar Pradesh and a Roman Catholic mother from Goa. Sharma did not tell anybody that he was gay for 22 years. Although he could not express a significant part of himself, he could express himself through food. As a child, he describes his love of spices and experimenting with flavors. When he first arrived in Cincinnati to study biochemistry, he continued to find solace through cooking and found himself blending Italian-American recipes and ingredients, like marinara sauce and pasta, with nigella seeds and keema (minced meat). Eventually, his love of food took him to the Bay Area, first to Santa Clara then to Oakland, which is where he currently resides. He is now a photographer, food writer/blogger, and cook. He has been a food columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle since 2016 and has recently published a cookbook titled "Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food" that combine his grandmother's Goan dishes, such as bebinca, with his own inventive flare.
Pasta with Keema, Picture from the SFC

Link to the Article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/02/dining/nik-sharma-season-cookbook.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ffood&action=click&contentCollection=dining&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=14&pgtype=sectionfront

Link to his San Francisco Chronicle Column:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/cookyourweek/