"Singapore is moving to ban caged lorries used to transport migrant workers"

@channelnewsasia From Jan 1, 2027, companies in Singapore will no longer be allowed to transport workers in caged lorries. Caged decks pose extra safety risks, especially if doors are locked from the outside and an accident or fire happens, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling in parliament on Mar 4. #singapore #sgnews ♬ original sound - CNA

SCMP: 

Government officials and business groups have argued that a complete ban on transporting workers on lorries would pose significant economic and logistical challenges

...

a joint statement by 25 business chambers and associations warned that eliminating the practice would involve “real, practical and operational complexities”, including greater traffic congestion and added strain on businesses.

Taiwan soccer stadium turned into a farm

Found this hidden gem near Yuanshan station. A defunct stadium (中山足球場) turned into an urban farm. pic.twitter.com/jtzlshv3Ap

— Daniel Yu-Kuei Sun, Ph.D. (@DrDanielSun) December 3, 2022

Yes, we were there for the German Christmas market, and found the entrance to the farm by accident. Wonder why there wasn't any promotion of such a cool place. pic.twitter.com/6O5Nij95lY

— Daniel Yu-Kuei Sun, Ph.D. (@DrDanielSun) December 3, 2022

I believe it's Zhongshan Soccer Stadium. A Wikipedia entry needing update.

The NY Times has a feature on how Nepal grew its forest cover 22% since 1988 (dangers include tigers and the "timber mafia")

(Just an FYI, if you have a LA Public library card, you get free access to the NYT:

This transformation is visible across Nepal, thanks to a radical policy adopted by the government more than 40 years ago. Large swaths of national forest land were handed to local communities, and millions of volunteers like Mr. Karki were recruited to protect and renew their local forests, an effort that has earned praise from environmentalists around the world. But the success has been accompanied by new challenges — among them addressing the increase in potentially dangerous confrontations between people and wildlife.

...

In Chitwan National Park in southeastern Nepal, which is surrounded by community forests, more than 8,000 armed troops guard a wildlife reserve with tigers, rhinoceros, crocodiles and leopards. They patrol round the clock, on foot, bicycle, boat and elephant.

...

Sergeant Gurung, 36, who is armed with an M-16 rifle, said that on a recent patrol he was chased by a tiger. “I was so scared that I climbed a tree,” he said. “We are allowed to use our gun to protect ourselves, but I am here to protect the animals,” not shoot them.

Singapore will allow single women aged 21 to 35 to freeze their eggs, but

SCMP:

The island nation follows in the footsteps of other Asian countries ... to freeze their eggs in a bid to prolong fertility and boost birth rates. 

...

Singapore will allow only married couples to fertilise the frozen eggs, raising questions over whether women should own the rights to their eggs any less if they do not choose to get married to men. It adds to a list of options that singles and LGBT families do not have the same access to – from public housing to adoption 

...

China, known to have forced sterilisations and abortions on women as part of its decades-long one-child policy, now says it will “intervene” in abortions for unmarried women and teens.

Solarpunk location in Taiwan

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A post shared by Andreas Mass (@andreas_mass)

The streetview on Google maps.

A young woman working as a butcher in a Taiwan market inadvertently became a viral star

Vice:

In 2015, then 25-year-old Charlene Zhang was working at her family’s pork stall selling meat when a customer secretly snapped a photo of her. That image was immediately plastered online, with tabloids crowning her Taiwan’s pork princess

...

she quickly became one of the most popular Taiwanese livestreamers, and sales skyrocketed. But she was forced to stop when stalkers would show up at the market and try to follow her home. 

...

The obsession with Zhang as a beauty icon is not a one-off, but instead part of a larger phenomenon in which photogenic strangers—mostly women—are unknowingly photographed and sexualized online. 

...

Women who work at markets are especially vulnerable. “People can just go to the market and find them and take more photos. They can’t refuse. For those girls in the market, they have to just deal with the harassment. They become a landmark,”

The ongoing war between rival otter clans in Singapore

First, a BBC video showing an otter family navigating Singapore:




And this video shows a fight between two rival groups:



A Redditor explains:

The larger group on the right is the Bishan family, the largest family of otters in Singapore. They are highly aggressive and expansionist towards other otters, and are the most famous and well documented family in Singapore. They have, to our knowledge, won every single fight against other otter families, no doubt due to their sheer numbers which makes them three times the size of a wild otter family.

The group on the left is the Marina family, the second largest family in Singapore. They are known for constantly feuding (and losing) with the Bishan family, and being highly adaptable to urban areas, having learnt how to climb ladders and navigate storm drains.

Wikipedia:

The Bishan Otter Family, also known as the Bishan 10 and previously known as the Bishan 5, are a family of smooth-coated otters that reside in Singapore.

...

The otter family starred in the David Attenborough documentary Wild City and their exploits are frequently covered by the Singapore media. In 2016, the otter family was voted by The Straits Times readers to represent Singapore on her 51st birthday, beating Singlish, the thumbdrive (which was invented by a Singapore company), the Singapore passport

...

On 11 June 2017, members of the public intervened to protect the Marina otters from their Bishan rivals by scaring the latter off with loud noises. The incident sparked an internet debate concerning human intervention in fights between the two otter families.

Ten funny tweets

ILM’s ⁦@tvaziri⁩ learned of my COLUMBO obsession and ⁦@MarkRuffalo⁩ dreams while I was working at Lucasfilm and made me this lovely thing that I still treasure. I’ve since heard a reboot may be in far more talented hands than mine, and am hoping it comes to fruition! pic.twitter.com/lPrsmnFoXR

— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) January 11, 2020

Later, the train guard is walking through, checking tickets, and gently wakes the guy.
“Can I see your ticket, please?”
“Oh, I need to buy a ticket”
“Where you going, pal?”
The guy glances at his phone.
“Edinburgh”
“Where did you get on?”

— Ignacio Lopez (@comedylopez) January 11, 2020

what the fuck goin on pic.twitter.com/lM4y03PBPZ

— Gio (@Krazygioo) January 11, 2020

Casper is a very inefficient wealth transfer from venture capitalists to prestige podcast makers and I’m here for it. https://t.co/7dZRXRUcHs

— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) January 10, 2020

my little brother ashton got his first phone pic.twitter.com/wNLP6oWWEP

— brian (@milkshapes) December 20, 2018

all three of the candidates for federal office pictured here won their elections https://t.co/poHhREQ9nK

— Juulia Child (@no_durians) January 11, 2020

Oh my God.

These baby Kangaroos were rescued from the fires in Australia and people are now taking care of them 😭pic.twitter.com/iowCxdvrTr

— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) January 9, 2020

Climate refugees in Australia
😢pic.twitter.com/w0dg8gohaA

— Uki Goñi (@ukigoni) January 11, 2020

Can’t stop laughing at Cujito. pic.twitter.com/07syxT9fnd

— LiA (@LibsInAmerica) January 12, 2020

my dog and I both have anxiety so whenever I'm pacing my apartment she follows me around like we're marching in a mental illness pride parade

— May Wilkerson (@shutupmay) January 10, 2020

*More funny posts.

"The interview is about . . . Mae Sot, Thailand, documenting the Burmese refugees that call the dump home"

Asia Photo Review interview of Gerry Yaum:

In the vicinity of the Mae Sot dump approximately 100 families who have escaped Burma (Myanmar) live and work. The people are mostly from the Mon and Karen ethic groups but there are also other groups in the population. They have escaped Burma for economic and or political reasons. Many families working the garbage in Mae Sot have experienced war and extensive human rights abuses. Life in the garbage is a better choice for them, a better option than where they came from. They can work everyday, make money and build better lives in Thailand at the dump than they could back home in Burma.

At the Mae Sot dump all types recyclable goods are of value, plastics, bottles, cardboard, metals etc. Everything is dug out of the waste and then resold to local buyers based on weight and quality. Everyday the people, sometimes-entire families including children and the elderly come out into the garbage to scavenge. Food is often taken out of the waste, raw meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, foods of all types, everything of value is used.

The families either live in shacks directly on the garbage, or next to it. Many of the photographs in this presentation were made in the homes the people live in, sometimes up to 9 human beings in a single dump shack.

...

My first trips to the dump in April and November of 2013, I would just hand out bags of food to different dump shacks, 2 or 3 bags each trip. Over time that evolved into much more. At the company where I work security, I showed the pictures to my coworkers and they started to donate hats, toys, clothing and money. So I started to take and distribute those things in the food bags. Later people started to give me money. With the donated money I would buy rubber boots, more rice, and other food goods to hand out to the families. With more money donations we (myself and the donators) started to buy headlamps, some basic medicines and a better quality boots for the families. In 2017-18 we did over $4000 CAD in donations, this coming trip I have $1630 CAD that I will use to buy goods to donate. For me, this is all a dream come true. The photos have led to direct help for the people in the pictures, as it should be.

*Previously: "Toronto built a better green bin and — oops — maybe a smarter raccoon"

Bicycle lanes running through a mall

A few highlights from a visit to Singapore, click through for more, including more vending machines:

ask yourself if you’re really a bike lane advocate if you haven’t pushed for bike lanes that run directly through the interiors of malls pic.twitter.com/3BdNgXZSas

— c (@cszabla) July 7, 2019

where do wealthy singaporeans pick up all the domestic help they use from far poorer southeast asian countries? from the maid store of course pic.twitter.com/RBlzPQIYvd

— c (@cszabla) July 7, 2019

in singapore so much is just so extra, like fresh squeezed fruit juice vending machines pic.twitter.com/h58jHc6Hne

— c (@cszabla) July 6, 2019

*Previously: Lasagna vending machine.

"Seven-Eleven to test shorter hours in labor-short Japan"

NAR:

The company has made 24-hour operation a basic rule for franchise locations not only for customers' convenience, but also because it has built its own production and logistics operations around this business model.

Franchise owners are hard-pressed to staff their stores, however.

Related:

South Korea's fertility rate hit another record low last year, government data showed yesterday, falling below one for the first time despite a raft of measures to try and reverse one of the world's lowest birth rates.

The country's fertility rate - the number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime - fell to 0.98 in 2018, far short of the 2.1 needed to maintain population stability.

A drive down the Besisahar-Chamé road in Nepal

Nepal has one of the world’s most dangerous road pic.twitter.com/5GmwbrAOEA

— Ken Rutkowski (@kenradio) April 24, 2018

"Kazakhstan’s planned transition to the Latin alphabet raises complex questions"

EN:

My late father used to talk about how Kazan Tatars became illiterate twice in one generation, first as the Arabic script was abandoned in favor of the Yangälif, and then again when that “new alphabet” was abandoned in favor of Cyrillic. Individual Cyrillic alphabets were introduced for Soviet Turkic languages in the 1930s; Kazakh adopted the Cyrillic alphabet only in 1940.

There are inescapable social costs to this change, such as the older generation potentially becoming illiterate, or at least disadvantaged. Then there is the cultural cost, such as the younger generation potentially becoming cut off from its past — for the second or third time! Turkey experienced this shock beginning in 1928, and it still has not gotten over it completely. Although Turkey undertook this as a kind of “shock therapy,” Kazakhstan has chosen a gradual path by choosing the final form of the alphabet by the end of 2017, training educators in the new alphabet, and then finally completing the switch to the Latin alphabet by 2025.

"Turkmenistan: Golden Statue of Late President Disappears"

EN:

The cult of personality devoted to Turkmenistan’s late and mercurial President Saparmurat Niyazov began to be chipped away gradually in the years after his death in late 2006

...

References to Niyazov were eventually dropped from the national anthem. The image of his profile stopped appearing on the nation’s TV screens. His portrait no longer graces the newspaper. Most tellingly, his Rukhnama — a two-volume melange of holy text and folk history once made mandatory reading for everybody — has largely been forgotten. The growing number of works by the current president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, which include scientific and literary writings, are steadily assuming the role the Rukhnama once did.

"Uzbekistan Reveals That Ex-Leader’s Daughter Is in Custody"

NYT:

Ms. Karimova disappeared from public view in 2014, and was convicted the next year of extortion and embezzlement charges, but until Friday’s announcement the Uzbek authorities had not commented on her status. The prosecutors said that Ms. Karimova was currently in custody, and that she was facing additional criminal charges. They did not specify the location or conditions of her detention.

Ms. Karimova, 45, was once one of the most influential public figures in Uzbekistan, second only to her father, Islam Karimov, the authoritarian leader of the Central Asian country from 1989, when it was still a Soviet republic, until his death last year.

Often appearing at odds with her country’s ultraconservative culture, Ms. Karimova actively promoted herself as an international pop star and designer, performing under the stage name Googoosha

"Thai cops probe Laos drug lord’s ‘celebrity links’"

FMT:

“Xaysana’s network includes several groups, particularly hi-so figures, entertainment operators and luxury car dealers,” said Sommai Kongvisaisuk, commander of Thailand’s Narcotic Suppression Bureau.

The term ‘hi-so’, from the English phrase high society, is routinely used by Thais to describe wealthy people, including some celebrities, with powerful links who are often seen as untouchable.

Authorities said Napapa’s husband Akkarakit Worrarojcharoendej, known as “Benz”, fled town early this morning before police arrived at his home and motorcycle repair shop.

"Those deemed the most attractive are invited to join a fast-track flight attendant trainee scheme, which can open the door to a dream job at one of China’s big airlines."

Eco:

EVERY December, more than 1,000 female high school students, some as young as 15, take part in a “bikini competition” held in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao. The event, hosted by Oriental Beauty, a modelling agency, provides a platform for aspiring flight attendants to show off their bikini bodies to eager recruiters from the Chinese airline industry.

...

Many Chinese and other Asian airlines shamelessly exploit female sexuality. At China Southern Airlines, air hostesses must be 25 or younger and must not have “X or O shaped legs”.

“The [amber] mines are extremely dangerous, so foreigners can hardly get there.”

Finding a feathered dinosaur tail trapped in amber:

So, where does the paleontological reconnaissance come in? Burmese amber markets happen to be fed by amber mines in Hukawng Valley, located in the Kachin State of northern Myanmar. This region is currently under the control of the insurgent Kachin Independence Army, which has a long history of conflict with the Burmese government.

“Resellers buy scraps from amber miners and sell them on the markets,” Xing explained. “The mines are extremely dangerous, so foreigners can hardly get there.”

Xing decided to go undercover. “I disguised myself as a Burmese man with a face painted with Thanaka,” he told me. (Thanaka is a popular cosmetic paste in Myanmar, yellowish-white in color, made from finely ground tree bark.)

Stealthily camouflaged and armed with a fake ID, Xing snuck into the region. He met the prospector responsible for excavating the dinosaur tail, who guided Xing through the mines and showed him new geological samples. “We are very lucky,” he said of the escapade.

"From a remote corner of northeastern Myanmar, an insurgent army sells tin ore to suppliers of some of the world's largest consumer companies"

Reuters:

More than 500 companies, including leading brands such as smartphone maker Apple, coffee giant Starbucks and luxury jeweler Tiffany

...

The mine is controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), which the United States placed under sanctions for alleged narcotics trafficking in 2003. The seven companies extracting tin from the mine are all owned or controlled by Wa military and government leaders, Wa officials and people with close ties to UWSA leadership told Reuters.

This potentially puts companies, which also include industrial conglomerate General Electric (GE.N), at risk of violating sanctions that forbid "direct or indirect" dealings with blacklisted groups, according to a former and a serving U.S. official and lawyers with expertise in sanctions enforcement.

Several sanctions experts said the U.S. government was unlikely to fine companies who unwittingly used the Myanmar tin.

"Animosity in [Mandalay, Myanmar] Deepens as Chinese Get Richer"

NY Times:

Now the Chinese dominate the economy, their mansions lining the streets of an enclave called New Town, symbols of the wealth accrued in the underground drug, timber and mineral trades in the northern Shan and Wa States of Myanmar.

...

In 1984, when a fire swept through downtown Mandalay, burning the mostly wooden structures to the ground, the Chinese acted.

“The Burmese people had no money, and the Chinese bought the land which only they could afford,” he said. “Naturally, there are tensions between the newcomers and the Burmese — the Burmese look at the Chinese with hatred because they are very haughty.”

The Chinese know that many Burmese are offended by their flashier lifestyle. They are fearful of reprisals, or of a repetition of anti-Chinese riots here in the 1960s.

...

"We limit the number of cars for a wedding. There used to be 40 or 50. Now they have only 16 cars.”