Not Intent on Arriving

In April 1986, 32 people lost their lives in the worst nuclear disaster in history. In the coming months, Ukrainian officials will reopen the area for general tourism.

A limited number of visitors already travel to the site annually, but the government’s recommendations will make it easier for anyone to get access. Though radiation levels remain well above normal, Ukrainian officials claim that visitors will receive levels of radiation equivalent to a “trans-Atlantic flight.”

Scientists continue to monitor the area for elevated radiation levels, and will limit access to areas with low readings.

Oh, this:

Are the ladies of "Desperate Housewives" the key to peace

So claims a WikiLeaks cable, released last week. The message, first reported in the UK’s Guardian, cited increased broadcasts of popular American sitcoms as one of the main reasons for cooling of tensions among young people in the Middle East.

“It’s still all about the war of ideas here, and the American programming on MBC and Rotana [a channel part-owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation] is winning over ordinary Saudis in a way that al-Hurra and other US propaganda never could,” two Saudi media executives told a US official in a meeting at a Jeddah branch of Starbucks. “Saudis are now very interested in the outside world and everybody wants to study in the US if they can. They are fascinated by US culture in a way they never were before.”

These broadcasts have been more effective than US-funded propaganda campaigns in the area, according to the cable. What do you think?

Yeah, I know I’ve been writing a lot about China of late. But, these stories are really interesting.

Today, I read on CNN about a new type of profession that is emerging along the Yellow River in China. A group of fisherman has taken to fishing out and removing bodies found in the river. According to one of the men, more than 100 bodies have been located this year alone. The story claims these bodies are murder victims or people who committed suicide in the nearby city of Lanzhou.

He charges $450 to turn the body over for identification and advertises his services by spray painting his cell phone number along the river. For what it’s worth, the locals approve of this service.

“They are working a job like anyone else,” said Ms. Wei of nearby Shangping village. “And somebody has to do it, right? Otherwise our river might get too full with bodies.”

That figure comes from a recent report by the State Food and Drug Administration.  The investigation found that many people will look for oil discarded by restaurants and kitchens, harvest it (often times from sewers), and then resell it for additional use. Obviously, the practice has provoked health concerns.

State TV recently aired a report showing a factory in Shanghai where “waste” oil is stored. Apparently, there are no laws against storing oil like this. You can check out the report here.