The News Review:

- Elephant Polo Pits Bankers Against Ballerinas at Luxury Resort
- Tokyo Disney Resort faces declining visitor base
- lympic Hopes Are Rooted in Tale of Escape
- Espresso – Epicure – Entertainment – theage.com.au

Elephant Polo Pits Bankers Against Ballerinas at Luxury Resort
Bloomberg – Apr 15, 2008
n a new turf field in the center of all this players aretrying to propel a small white ball between two posts with thehelp of a 7-foot (2-meter) stick and a 5-ton tusker. This is the world of elephant polo. Devotees of the game gather in Thailand Nepal or Sri Lankaeach year to battle for victory in one of the world's mostexclusive and eccentric sports. International Business MachinesCorp. PricewaterhouseCoopers Whiskey-maker Chivas BrothersLtd. and Swiss watch company… '' Indeed the activities off the pitch are a major part of theattraction. After each day's polo and liberal helpings ofcocktails Pimms and Thai beer in the hospitality chalet playersand spectators headed back to their rooms to prepare for theevening's festivities. 62-Dish Dinner From cocktails on the terrace of the Hall of pium (a museumin the hotel grounds dedicated to the Golden Triangle's nefariouspast) to a formal black-tie banquet with 62 dishes in atraditional Lanna hall in town no night passed without at leastsome part of the assembly eating dancing and drinking deep intothe small hours. Like most unlikely projects the idea of elephant polo beganover a drink in this case between Scottish landowner.

Tokyo Disney Resort faces declining visitor base
International Herald Tribune – Apr 15, 2008
“The problem is the language” said Chanida Towithelertkul a Thai tourist who said her tour group of Chinese English and Thai speakers had been frustrated by the language barrier at the resort. As it observed its 25th anniversary Tuesday and looked toward the next quarter century attracting new markets like foreign tourists seniors and men appeared crucial for the Disney resort in Japan. By 2055 40 percent of the Japanese population will be older than 65. Japan has the world's fastest-aging population. “There is no way that the decrease of the population parameter is going to be a positive factor” said Naoshi Nema an analyst in Tokyo with Morgan Stanley… The number of foreign tourists to Universal Studios' theme park rose to about 10 percent of the total of 8. 6 million visitors in the 2006-2007 financial year up from about 3 percent in 2004 after the company set up marketing offices in Hong Kong South Korea Taiwan and Thailand. Aside from the lure of traditional Japanese attractions among foreign tourists perhaps the foremost hurdle for Tokyo Disney is the cost: A family of four can expect to spend around $1400 on a two-day visit including hotel food and souvenirs while a single person is likely to spend about $160 for a day trip. Hoping to attract older Japanese Tokyo Disney introduced a less-expensive annual pass for seniors in March and has begun to offer horticulture exhibitions and a circus theater. Men are another potential market. Female visitors make up 73 percent resort entries possibly because of the popularity of Disney characters among Japanese women. Finding the right mix to attract new customers like men without making radical changes that might alienate its traditional female customer base will be a challenge for Tokyo Disney but one that may pay off as Japan ages.

lympic Hopes Are Rooted in Tale of Escape
New York Times – Apr 15, 2008
Lucky for her daughter Ivana who at 15 wasn’t quite doing the story justice her mother came along when she did Monday on Day 1 of the United States lympic team news media summit. Ivana Hong is a gymnast hoping to make it to the Beijing Summer Games a Chinese-American who figured to be asked to trace her roots by reporters who are here to familiarize themselves with likely United States competitors. That she did explaining that her parents were actually born in Vietnam leaving separately before they met in America her mother on a boat that encountered a storm and some resistance before arriving in Thailand. The detailed version provided by Michelle Hong was much more harrowing and complex. She was 15 Ivana’s age when her family fled in 1976. “ne year one month and one day after the fall of Saigon” she said. Ninety-four people were crammed onto two small rickety boats setting out for Hong Kong she recalled… Given airfare and hotel prices how will the Hongs afford to pay for everyone in Beijing? The parents and siblings have to go and so too Michelle’s mother. She also survived the sea. This is the question gnawing at Michelle Hong not how she might make a difference in pushing China on human rights. She laughed nervously when asked about speaking out on Tibet or Darfur. She said she did not want to jeopardize her daughter’s chances for the team.

Espresso – Epicure – Entertainment – theage.com.au
The Age – Apr 15, 2008
Ubavo goes downSeems Geelong just wasn’t quite ready for wasabi agnolottistuffed with lobster meat served with choy sum and soy beurreblanc. Ubavo the restaurant set up in the former George and Dragonpub in South Geelong has closed after less than six months. Set up by local chef Darren Venables Ubavo was to embrace hisFrench-ish cooking foundations some Macedonian ideas a touch ofThailand (his birthplace) and a bit of Japan where he also hadlived. Lucas Europe boundFormer Botanical owner Chris Lucas (Espresso March 25) hasn’tadvanced his plans for a CBD property too far but it hasn’t stoppedhim pursuing personnel. Lucas jets out next week for second-round interviews with chefsin London and Paris: good enough reason to take in a little more ofthe Continent while he’s there. He’s sticking to the notion that aninjection of new talent is what’s needed for his nextrestaurant. “You’ve got to keep broadening your perspective” he said… Negotiations on the site of his next business were at “a verydelicate stage” was all he would tell us. Vin chef’s treechangeIn a resounding double play entrepreneur Damien Hobday (theArgo and Vin Cellars) has solved a problem created one andimmediately sorted that out too with important ramifications forVictorian diners. With his new country gastro pub the Clunes Hotel (with partnerDwayne Bourke pictured left) due to open by the end of May(Espresso November 20) Vin’s head chef Damien Jones has acceptedthe role as head chef of the new country business opting for thetreechange. It’s a sensible shuffle for the new parent with familyin Ballarat. But what to do with Vin? Enter stage left John Lepp the veteranMelbourne chef who took Middle Brighton Baths to a chef’s hat inthe current Age Good Food Guide who starts at Vin withinthe month. Lepp was never likely to be sitting on his hands for toolong since finishing in Brighton in January. Bourke will shufflebetween the two kitchens.

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