Results for “markets in everything”
1895 found

Royal wedding markets in everything

by  Tyler Cowen in

Here is the full story, with numerous other examples: “…”the British Cheese Board has put together a William and Kate themed cheese board”. No, really; it says that. They then go on to enumerate five British cheeses and their agonisingly tenuous connection to the principal players; “Wensleydale with cranberry is a fruity blended cheese hailing from Yorkshire, just like Miss Middleton’s father””

Markets in everything the culture that is Denmark

by  Tyler Cowen in

The Spermbike.

It is intended as an environmentally friendly way to carry sperm to fertility clinics scattered around Copenhagen.

But is it actually environmentally friendly or is it, as is so often the case, an advertising gimmick?  The bike has its own cooler and:

Producing the Sperm Bike was no easy task. It was constructed by the Danish company 10 Tons – who specialise in zoological and botanical models as well as paleontologic reconstructions, including full-size whales and dinosaurs.

With the tail, the bike is 2.9 metres long and fully-loaded with… um… sperm… it weighs 50 kg.

For the pointer I thank James Hohman.

Markets in Everything: Newspaper Rentals

by  Alex Tabarrok in

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (CNN) Garum Tesfaye is one of Addis Ababa’s “newspaper landlords,” a group of entrepreneurs in the Ethiopian capital who rent out papers to people too poor to buy them…..

For 20 to 30 minutes, these readers can get their hands on a newspaper for a fraction of the price of having to buy it. If they keep the paper longer than their allotted rental time, they have to pay extra. A newspaper in Addis Ababa costs about six birr (35 U.S. cents) to buy. In contrast, it costs only 50 Ethiopian cents (less than one U.S. cent) to rent one.

Markets in everything

by  Tyler Cowen

Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, the king of Bahrain and the emir of Kuwait are offering one-off handouts to stop people demonstrating. These are princely, worth $4,000 per person in Kuwait and $2,500 per family in Bahrain.

The full article, about political pork in the Arabic countries, is here.  For the pointer I thank Maximiliano Levin.

Hong Kong markets in everything

by  Tyler Cowen in

…a McWedding starts at $1,280, which includes food and drinks for 50 people. The package includes a budget version of the usual trappings: a “cake” made of stacked apple pies, gifts for the guests and invitation cards, each with a wedding photo of the couple. (Hong Kong wedding photos are taken in advance, with the couple in rented finery.)

McDonald’s employees dressed in black suits mimic the actions of hostesses at upscale hotels. They greet guests at the entrance, usher them to the signature book and deliver food, even if it is just a Big Mac and fries.

The story is here and for the pointer I thank Chris F. Masse.  Don’t forget this part:

McWeddings were first announced on Oct. 10, 2010, because “10-10-10” is another lucky combination.

The lack of alcohol has not seemed to bother anyone, and Ms. Chang said there had been no requests for it so far. Instead, couples toast with something sugary, because of the implications of “sweetness” in Chinese belief. “That’s why we toast with sundaes,” she said. “You can have a lot of fun with soft drinks.”

Markets in everything, northern Korea filtered through northern Virginia edition

by  Tyler Cowen in

Chung Jin Dong, 6499 Little River Turnpike, West Alexandria, 202-360-2746.

The sausage is some of the best in the area, most of all because of the vibrant fresh pepper; it also comes with stomach and liver.  Dip the pieces in the shrimp sauce.  The soup also has the knockout fresh pepper.  The menu is in Korean only and most of the staff do not speak much English.  The food is recognizably Korean, although not like any Korean food I have had.

They assure me it is real North Korean cuisine, although they assent to any question I ask them.  The owner and cook is from North Korea:

A little more than a decade ago, Ma was an undercover agent for North Korea’s Ministry of Public Security, conducting drug investigations. Her job was to bust smugglers—farmers, mostly—who were exporting opium to China.

It is not your go-to place for variety, but the quality is high and the originality is off the charts.  Anyone interested in ethnic food should visit this outlet.

For the pointer I thank Annie Lowrey.

Is this our future the culture that is Japan markets in everything?

by  Tyler Cowen in

Since he was "discovered" in 1996, Tokuda has emerged as a major player in Japan's emerging adult movie genre known as "elder porn." He says he has appeared in more than 350 films such as "Prohibited Nursing" and "Maniac Training of Lolitas." In these scripts, Tokuda always gets the girl.

The films play upon well-documented Japanese male fantasies. In each, Tokuda plays a gray-haired master of sex who teaches his ways to an assortment of young nurses and secretaries. Whips and sex aides often factor in the plotlines.

Tokuda is 76 years old and he makes an average of one film a week.  It is estimated that "elder porn" now accounts for one-fifth of the Japanese adult film sector.

The article is here and for the pointer I thank Daniel Lippman.

Markets in everything Elfoid homunculus cellphone edition the culture that is Japan

by  Tyler Cowen in

For real, hat tip goes to Bamber.

Elfoid-humanoid-mobile-phone-robot--580x383 

It takes on the facial characteristics of whomever you are speaking to (with a camera intermediary) and it is "based on a larger robot created by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro."

When asked how he responds to comments that his Telenoid appears creepy, Ishiguro simply shrugged his shoulders and said that “it is not creepy.”

Former markets in everything

by  Tyler Cowen in

Ice cream made from [human] breast milk has been removed from a central London restaurant on health grounds following complaints by members of the public.

Here is more.  The response?:

Mr O'Connor, said: "We have had an amazing response – many women have come forward and offer to give us milk.

"You can buy alcohol and tobacco but not breast milk in Westminster.

For the pointer I thank John Chilton.

Markets in everything the future of kung fu?

by  Tyler Cowen in

Today, however, temple officials seem more interested in building the Shaolin brand than in restoring its soul. Over the past decade Shi Yongxin, the 45-year-old abbot, has built an international business empire–including touring kung fu troupes, film and TV projects, an online store selling Shaolin-brand tea and soap–and franchised Shaolin temples abroad, including one planned in Australia that will be attached to a golf resort. Furthermore, many of the men manning the temple's numerous cash registers–men with shaved heads and wearing monks' robes–admit they're not monks but employees paid to look the part.

Over tea in his office at the temple, Yongxin calmly makes the case that all of these efforts further Buddhism.

As for some of the traditional styles, perhaps Baumol's cost disease is operating:

"There are no high kicks or acrobatics," he says. Such moves create vulnerable openings. "Shaolin kung fu is designed for combat, not to entertain audiences. It is hard to convince boys to spend many years learning something that won't make them wealthy or famous." He seems drained by the thought. "I worry that is how the traditional styles will be lost."

Here is much more, and for the pointer I thank The Browser.