Productive Procrastination Time: Bike and Train Edition

One day a week, I use what I've coined as "productive procrastination time" to peruse various news outlets (minus Fox). While information isn't quite as accessible, I think it's very important, perhaps even more so since living in Asia, to stay on top of the goings-on unfolding around the world. Although it can feel like society is bursting at the seams and one more natural disaster will guarantee obliteration of half the population, resisting the comforts of ignorance is our duty, whether in the United States, China, or anywhere in between. 

This week I found two interesting articles, both applicable to my life in China. The first is a reflection piece on the implications of omnipresent bike sharing programs on citizens' behavior - largely the connection between the use of these programs and the degeneration of manners. 

The second article discusses China's potential role in helping increase tourism in Laos via the construction of a high-speed train. Laos experiences significantly lower tourism numbers than fellow southeast Asian countries largely due to its lack of sun, sand, and sea. However, this train would facilitate increased travel between China and Laos, bolstering tourism and putting Laos back on the map (figuratively of course). 

Join me in procrastinating productively.