The Week In Travel: March 5, 2010

How in god’s name is it March already?

On that same note, how is it already 2010? I know I say this every week, but still, it’s true. Time is passing just too quickly – I’m sure if the earth were spinning at a normal rate, I would still be in high school … Though perhaps I should thank my lucky stars that sort of thing is far, far behind me, because it sounds like kids today are having a hell of a time. Behold:

Even princesses get the blues. Apparently Princess Aiko, the granddaughter of Japan’s emperor, is getting bullied in school. Just for the record, if princesses are having a hard time of it, the rest of us are screwed.

And speaking of … well …. Sigh. Just read this fascinating (and somewhat heart-breaking) article in the New York Times about Polish “Mall Girls” – teenagers who exchange sex for gifts and fancy dinners from wealthy older “sponsors” in Warsaw.

In other “the end is nigh” news, earthquakes have rocked Chile and Taiwan in the last week (the Red Cross’s website is here if you are so inclined), and an unexpectedly huge wave crashed against a cruise ship off the coast of Spain, causing two deaths and numerous injuries.

Sigh.

The 2010 Olympic games also came to a close on Sunday, and my uncle managed to infuriate me by saying that the U.S. is the only country that counts overall medal count, and it was only golds that mattered. He went on to say that bronze medals were worthless, which seems a lofty claim for a man who prefers buying clothes in bulk from the Goodwill, and throwing out his old dirty ones, because it’s “cheaper than doing laundry”. Instead, I swallowed my rage and read this delightful “thank you” note to Canada from Brian Williams, who is apparently not only adorable and a solid journalist, but also funny to boot.

And just to add a little more happy to your day, appropos of nothing, here is a kitty giving a fox a tongue bath.