Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
As the world gets smaller, the consumption of luxury goods from places other than your own become more valuable. Ivory is still something sought after by wealthy Chinese folks. You might ask why and when’s the last time you heard of anyone wanting ivory? In a national park in Cameroon, organized poachers have killed hundreds of elephants and decimated it’s population by half. What can you do from your desktop? This is a fairly new and rising problem. Yes, elephants will disappear from Cameroon. (NY Times – Elephants in Cameroon)
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Jeremy Lin is going to work with Volvo. A press conference is supposedly happening at 5pm eastern time. Strange, a press conference to announce a corporate sponsorship? Why can’t a signature be put on a contract and then we find out about it with a start of a campaign? This isn’t a draft pick press conference or anything like that, it’s a back room deal that’ll end up as a marketing plan. (WSJ – Jeremy Lin Volvo)
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Panda Poo fertilizes tea that will become the most expensive in the world. $200 a cup. It’s not as if you’re drinking panda poo, but supposedly a lot of nutrients get passed through a panda since all they do is eat and sleep. Yes, it reminds you of the coffee, kopi luwak, but this isn’t tea passed though an animals body, it’s merely in the dirt. Imagine… what fertilizer is being used for the tea or coffee that you drink now? (Reuters – Panda Poo)
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Later this month the cherry blossom trees in Washington DC will hit full bloom and these trees aren’t your typical Japanese cherry blossom trees, there are some that are over 100 years old. Normally they get to 50. There are only a few of the original 3000 planted 100 years ago in a cultural exchange. There are many thousands now and they’re scheduled to bloom later this month. It’s a stunning concept when you think about it. The influence of a tree is taking so huge that there’s a national level festival around it. (Seattle Times – Cherry Blossoms)
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Tsunami aftermath stories. Takashi Saito visited the affected area where he grew up and realized he was helpless. His best bet was to throw and throw well. There’s not much anyone can do in light of a disaster, but at 42, he’s still in the major leagues and bouncing from team to team. He’s that unlikely hero who keeps his head low, but keeps sticking around. This story is a touching read. (NY Times – Saito)
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