Forget paper straws that don't last the distance. Italian bars are serving their drinks with pasta straws. They're also totally tasteless, and can be left on the compost heap when you're finished with them.
Sideswipe: October 10: Forget evil plastic straws
South Park on China
After an episode of South Park mocked Hollywood for shaping its content to please the Chinese Government, Beijing has responded by deleting all clips, episodes and discussions of the Comedy Central show. According to the Hollywood Reporter South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone probably saw this coming, and to their credit, simply didn't care. The Band in China, episode has been generating loads of media attention for its sharp critique of the way Hollywood tends to shape its content to avoid offending Chinese government censors. Now, those same government censors, in the real world, have lashed back by deleting virtually every clip, episode and online discussion of the show from Chinese streaming services, social media and even fan pages. The storyline involves Randy trying to smuggle weed into the country as a new business venture and ended up working in a Chinese work camp, alongside Winnie the Pooh. The Disney character is sometimes compared to China President Xi Jinping, resulting in the character being censored in the country.