When in school I had played badminton at the national-level. The game still interests me but as I near my 60 mark I shy away from risking my limbs and bones. So when I read a story about the danger posed to shuttlecocks…my further Google search led me to an interesting Chinese newspaper site.
Before I could begin to read the fascinating story about the shortage of goose feathers that go into the making of shuttlecocks (and consequently leading to their rising prices) my eyes could not resist the temptation of feasting on the voluptuous ladies on that page first.
No…no…no. They were not Chinese. But celebrities for sure, some of them wearing just a belt and displaying their delightful assets. So before I talk of shuttlecocks…the ladies first.
I must congratulate the Editor of the China Daily who must be a man (woman) of some taste and quite daring (in the Chinese context). On view are Brazilian Raica Oliveira, girlfriend of soccer star Ronaldo; as also Elin Nordegren, whose relationship with golfing superstar Tiger Woods was made public in 2002. The sexy Swede’s hushed marriage to Woods made headlines in October 2004.
Then there is Cora Schumacher who is now a full time race driver (Ralf Schumacher’s wife). And Kristen Pazik, who married AC Milan’s Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko in July of 2004 with a private ceremony on a golf-field in Washington.
When I felt guilty at ogling for rather long at other people’s wives (no matter that they are celebrities), I quickly turned my attention to the shuttlecocks, a subject which brought me to this website in the first place!!!
Says the China Daily: “The H5N1 epidemic has added to long-term concerns about the supply chain of feathers because it has led to the culling or deaths of some 200 million birds since late 2003.
” ‘It (bird flu) has put more pressure on the whole situation that was straining already,’ a spokesman for Yonex, the world’s largest badminton equipment supplier, told Reuters.
“Shuttlecocks are traditionally made from 16 goose feathers which are taken from under the same bird’s wing and then cleaned, cut and attached to a base of Portuguese cork.
“The price of a cut feather in the last six months has increased quite dramatically, somewhere in excess of 50 per cent,” says a leading British badminton goods retailer.
“Feather shuttlecocks rather than the plastic variety are used by professional badminton players because of their lighter weight, accuracy and the way they move through the air with a ‘peak and drop’ effect that the plastics cannot match.
“The retail price of a championship grade feather shuttlecock is currently nearly one pound (US$1.73), but the rising cost of the feathers is set to push up prices.
“Chinese people nowadays are tending to move away from eating goose to eating duck, and that has affected the farming of goose feathers.
Natural problems such as droughts and floods in various parts of China over the last few years have also led to a shortage of birds.Increased labour costs and a growing internal market for shuttlecocks in China have added strain to prices.
” ‘China has also started consuming shuttles now… so this has put a new pressure on the supply of feathers,’ said a Yonex spokesman. ‘A whole new market has opened up, as the Chinese start to consume their own products as opposed to just exporting.’
The International Badminton Federation said they were encouraging research into developing more advanced plastic copies resembling the feather shuttlecocks, which could be used in the event of a serious shortage.
“We’re trying to move towards plastic shuttlecocks,” a spokeswoman for the federation in Kuala Lumpur said. “We’re hoping to find an alternative as soon as possible.”
Yes…Yes…Meanwhile the China Daily editor can also think of a Chinese alternative to the voluptuous Western women on display on its website!!!
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.