One of Justin Savidis’s dogs looks out from a hole of his box just before the official start of the 2010 Iditarod Race in Willow, Alaska March 7, 2010.

Companyspecializes in sending letters on a date days, months or years ahead

A chalkboard stands propped up on a side alley in the 798 art district bearing a handwritten message: “798 Art & Travel Post – This is a special place requiring a special state of mind to do a special thing – write letters.”

The 798 Art & Travel Post, affectionately known as the Panda Slow Post, is special indeed. Here, visitors sit in cozy nooks writing letters to loved ones and leave it in Panda’s safekeeping until a specified date in the future. When the delivery date is near, Panda staff retrieves the letters from a safe-box at China Merchant Bank and send them off as pleasant surprises to the unsuspecting recipients.

Although the business is mailing letters, the team behind Panda prefers to think of it as “safekeeping sentiments.”

Zhao Yue, the company’s 26-year-old creative director and one of its three founders, explained how it started. A colleague traveled to Lijiang and sent Zhao a postcard. When the colleague returned, the post card still hadn’t arrived, “At first, we joked about the ’slow post’”, Zhao said, but the joke blossomed into a business.

At the time, Zhao was working on lifestyle investment projects in her regular job. Inspired, she started planning Panda Slow Post in October 2008 and it opened for business in February last year.

“Life moves at such a fast pace. We offer people a chance to slow down and reflect,” says store employee, Liu Ying. Liu was so attracted to the idea when she read about Panda in the press late last year she quit her job and came to the store.

“I showed up and talked to the operations director. I thought that if there wasn’t a job available I could just deliver the mail.”

Liu was hired and now stands behind the counter at Panda.

She recounts the stories behind some of her favorite letters. A girl came in to write a letter to heaven, addressed to her deceased father. An elderly Taiwanese man wrote a letter to his future grandson, whom he might not live to see. A boy going abroad to study sent a letter to his parents expressing his love and gratitude, to be mailed after his departure.

At its first anniversary, Panda has amassed more than ten thousand letters in its safe. The letter destined for farthest date in the future is to be mailed in 2069. A young couple asked to receive it on their 60th wedding anniversary.

The biggest worry for Panda’s customers and its management team is the fate of the letters if the company ceases to exist before all the letters are delivered.

Zhao, acknowledged the problem and said, “For a company or an individual, the most important thing is trust. Whether or not Panda Slow Post is still around as a business in the future, we as individuals promise to fulfill our responsibility and deliver the letters.”

Others share Zhao’s commitment. Liu Ying said: “the management team has discussed this issue with us. As long as this group of people is still around, even if the company has fallen apart, we can still personally deliver the letters. If we are no longer around, there will be our children, our grandchildren.”

Panda already has a network of volunteers who can help with delivery if the company stops operating.

This loyal following may well widen as the company expands its micro blog, rolls out new services (such as delivery by hand), and goes through with discussions for a book or short film based on their story.

Despite their enthusiasm, it’s clear that Panda Slow Post is still a start-up. Aside from the question of how to ensure future delivery, the company is also trying to work out its pricing scheme.

In 2009, the store opened with novelty prices, charging 9 yuan for a letter delivered in 2009,11 yuan for a letter dated for 2011, and so on.

This year, prices have been revised to a 10-yuan starting rate (for letters delivered within one year) and 5 yuan extra for each additional year.

When asked if the new prices take account of future inflation in storage and postage prices, the Panda team vaguely replies that this is a “developing business”, adding that current prices were “unlikely to change” again in 2010.

Visitors seem generally unconcerned by the issue. Around two hundred people drop in daily and eighty percent of them end up mailing something, mostly dated for delivery within two years. While Panda’s popularity surged based on a few sentimental stories, the majority of visitors are just looking for light-hearted fun.

Long Huijin, a visiting student from Hunan, is sending a card for her friend’s birthday on March 1. An elderly Japanese lady, Tomiko Kikuchi, who is a tea instructor based in Yokohama, came to see for herself after hearing about Panda from a friend who had come earlier. Hong Qishun, a tourist from Taiwan, selected a “Best Employee Certificate” card for each of his employees back home as a souvenir. Bai Xiaolong perused the store’s many guest books, filled with visitors’ heartfelt messages, while his girlfriend, Sun Nianan, wrote a letter to her sister.At the cash register, Liu rang up a sale, 44 yuan for two postcards, envelopes, and postage to Singapore. It isn’t cheap but then again, what is the price of time stolen out of a busy day to sit down, reflect, and write a letter?

One of Europe’s biggest contemporary art fairs, ARCO, posted an increase in sales over last year, officials say, in a sign that the global art market is recovering from the financial crisis.

“Sales forecasts were not only met, they were exceeded,” says Luis Eduardo Cortes, the director of the sprawling IFEMA exhibition center in Madrid which hosted the five-day fair.

Total sales figures are not available because some of the 218 participating galleries from around the world do not want to divulge their numbers, he says.

One of the works which did find a buyer was a controversial sculpture by Spanish artist Eugenio Merino which depicts three men dressed in black – a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew – praying on top of one another.

It sold on opening day for 50,000 euros ($68,000) while another piece by Merino depicting an upright Uzi sub-machine gun supporting a menorah sold for 6,600 euros.

The Israeli embassy in Madrid blasted Merino’s artworks, calling them offensive to “Jews, Israelis and perhaps others”.

ARCO, which closed on Sunday, attracted around 150,000 visitors this year, down from a record 200,000 last year.

Instead of having a specially invited country, this year the fair turned its spotlight on Los Angeles with 17 galleries from the United States city taking part. India was the spotlighted nation in 2009.

During boom times, contemporary art is sought after as a badge of wealth as much as luxury cars and branded jewelry. But art galleries found it harder to sell works after the global credit crunch led to recessions in the West.

At its peak in 2007 the world art market was worth around $65 billion, double the figure from five years earlier, but it may have since come down to $50 billion, according to research firm Arts Economics. Experts estimate that prices for art are down about 40 percent from their peak on average.

The global economic downturn is generating opportunities for buyers, says Marc Spiegler, co-director of Switzerland’s Art Basel, the largest international fair of contemporary art.

LOS ANGELES – Jay Leno is pumping more music into his “Tonight Show” return.

Leno is back as host of NBC’s late-night show at 11:35 p.m. EST Monday, March 1. NBC said Wednesday he’ll be joined the first two weeks by Adam Lambert, Robin Thicke, Ben Harper, Ryan Bingham and Lifehouse.

Leno’s previously announced guests include Jamie Foxx, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Olympic champions Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White and Apolo Anton Ohno. NBC says Brett Favre has been added as a guest for the March 4 show.

Leno is returning to “Tonight” after a short, unsuccessful stint as a prime-time host. He’s reclaiming the show from Conan O’Brien, who left when NBC tried to move him to a midnight slot.

LOS ANGELES – Tim Urban tripped up his second shot at “American Idol” fame.

The shaggy-haired 20-year-old singer, who served as a last-minute replacement for 25-year-old shoe salesman Chris Golightly in the top 24 semifinalists, was derided by the Fox singing contest’s judges for his screechy rendition of OneRepublic’s “Apologize” during Wednesday’s episode featuring performances from the top 12 male semifinalists.

“We absolutely made the right decision the first time around by not putting you through based on that performance,” proclaimed Simon Cowell.

Urban, a college student from Duncanville, Texas, wasn’t alone. The panel didn’t praise the retro style of 20-year-old college student Tyler Grady from Nazareth, Pa., on The Guess Who’s “American Woman.” They also weren’t down with the acoustic take on Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Going Down” from 24-year-old father Andrew Garcia of Moreno Valley, Calif.

“It was too serious, too indulgent and not original enough,” said a particularly ruthless Cowell.

Other chastised crooners included 24-year-old theater actor Todrick Hall from Arlington, Texas, and 21-year-old college student John Park from Evanston, Ill. The judging panel was put off by Park’s performance of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child” and admonished Hall for his transformative take on “Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”

“You never want to take a song and completely obliterate it,” warned Randy Jackson.

The criticism also extended to chirpy 19-year-old high school student Alex Lambert from North Richland Hills, Texas. Cowell deemed Lambert’s rendition of James Morrison’s “Wonderful World” as the “most uncomfortable performance of the night.” The insults weren’t limited to tunes. Ellen DeGeneres playfully teased Lambert for keeping his “mullet” hairdo.

“If it’s uncomfortable for you, it’s uncomfortable for people watching,” Cowell advised Lambert.

Perhaps the only contestant Cowell championed Wednesday was low-key 23-year-old paint sales clerk Lee Dewyze from Mount Prospect, Ill. The tough-as-nails judge attested to fighting for Dewyze, who stumbled through Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars.” Cowell called it “the best performance by a mile,” but Jackson decided the performance was “too rangey for me.”

Among those who dodged ridicule were 26-year-old personal trainer Michael Lynche of Astoria, N.Y., and 16-year-old high school student Aaron Kelly of Sonestown, Pa. Jackson applauded Kelly’s “huge voice” on Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye” while Kara DioGuardi admitted it was “a little depressing in here” until Lynche performed his version of Maroon 5’s “This Love.”

The uneven outing from the top 12 male semifinalists followed an evening of equally rocky performances from the top 12 female semifinalists Tuesday. The two female and two male contestants with the lowest viewer votes are slated to be eliminated live Thursday.

Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez, Joe Munoz and Tyler Grady have become the first four contestants to be eliminated from the ninth season of American Idol.

The group were voted off the show during tonight’s live results episode after receiving the lowest number of public votes for their performances.

The Top 12 females had made their live debut on Tuesday night’s show. The Top 12 males took to the stage last night.

Tonight’s episode also saw the return of two former Idol stars, as last season’s winner Kris Allen performed ‘Let It Be’ and shared footage of his recent charity trip to Haiti with the UN Foundation, while fourth-placed Allison Iraheta sang new single ‘Scars’.

American Idol continues next Tuesday on Fox, when the Top 10 female semi-finalists will be performing again. The Top 10 male semi-finalists are to return on Wednesday’s show.

WHISTLER – A photographer caused a delay during a crucial moment of the women’s luge competition on Tuesday when he accidentally knelt on a switch that sent water spurting on to the track.

Germany’s bronze medallist Natalie Geisenberger was just about to push off for her fourth run down the Whistler course when a red warning light flashed at the starting gate — causing a two-minute delay.

“It was a hold put on the track as a result of a hydrant being accidentally activated, spraying water on the track. It was a obviously a matter of safety for the athlete,” race director Ed Moffat said.

Geisenberger, who did not make a fuss over the incident, missed silver by a fraction of a second.

TORONTO – For tech-savvy singles who are unlucky in love, shy or just looking for a new way to meet people, Flitter could be the answer.

Hundreds of singles attended the first Flitter parties across the Canada last week in the latest dating game which is a play on words of the microblogging site Twitter and flirting.

Each guest wore a white sticker with a number and gazed closely at their iPhones and Blackberrys in a dimly lit room in Toronto, their thumbs tapping away at their mobile devices on Twitter.

They were Flittering and trying to catch the attention of other tweeters who were flying solo on the eve of Valentine’s Day.

“#129, you’re so fine, but #152, you’re hot too. Man oh man, what will #72 do?” tweeted one guest as the comment showed up on a giant projector screen set up inside the venue.

Will Lam, a 27-year old banking professional and Twitter fanatic, attended the event because he was interested in seeing how Flitter worked.

“I was just wondering how they would leverage Twitter and facilitate interaction between people,” said Lam, who found the tweeting to be awkward and distracting in his attempts to strike up conversations with women.

“I actually tweeted #19 was really cute, but I can’t even find her anymore,” he said.

But Halley Trusler, a 23-year old event co-ordinator who recently moved to Toronto, found Flittering to be a great way to meet people.

“It allows people who are a little more shy to put themselves out there,” she said.

Trusler received plenty of tweets offering to buy her drinks and revealed she may have someone in mind by the end of the night.

The tweeter can choose to sign off with his, or her, assigned number or send an anonymous message or compliment. The recipient can respond and meet the tweeter if interested, or just read the anonymous compliment and move on.

All senders must end the tweet with the word “Flitterme.”

Justin Parfitt, founder and CEO of Fastlife, the Canadian-based dating service provider, originated Flitter singles events in Australia and introduced them to North America.

He thought there must be some way of getting people to interact using work devices, such as their Blackberrys or iPhones, to make people feel social as oppose to anti-social.

The Flitter parties, which were also held in Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal, were advertised on the Internet.

The artists form a defensive wall with their bodies in front of a studio slated for demolition.

They wrap themselves in quilts to seal out the bitter winter winds as they stand in formation, ready to protect their turf.

The scene is part of the performance Resolution in 008 Art Zone. The area is the second stop of the Warm Winter project, a touring art exchange among 20 of Beijing’s art zones. It’s intended to unite artists in the battle against unjust forced demolitions and encourage them to stand up for their lawful rights.

More than 10 art zones in Chaoyang district have received eviction notices from property developers since last August. These include Dongying, Zhengyang Creative, 008, Xiedaoxi, Beigao and Suojiacun. The demolitions impact more than 1,000 artists in the capital.

Without presenting official documentation or providing compensation, developers have harassed and threatened artists. They have cut off water and electricity to the art zones, and forcefully demolished the studios.

Zhengyang and 008 were mostly leveled within a week after the eviction notices’ issuances.

Liu Yi, an early settler in 008 Art Zone, is one of the few “nail residents” refusing to budge.

His studio, which stands out among the rubble by virtue of still standing at all, has become the zone’s main showroom for Warm Winter.

While the building’s first floor is full of placards and artworks, the second level is nearly vacant. His packed-up books are heaped on the floor.

“I haven’t yet made any plans for the future,” the modern ink painter and furniture designer says.

The 46-year-old, who signed a 30-year contract with 008 Art Zone’s developer, smiles bitterly. “I thought I could spend my rest of life here,” he says.

Since the Yuanmingyuan Artist Village was cleared in the early 1990s, it has become common for artists to often be forced to relocate.

Engraving and installation artist Li Qiang, who came to Beijing in 2008, has moved from 008 to Xiedaoxi and then to Huantie Art Zone in less than two years.

“I’ve practically become a professional studio decorator,” the 44-year-old jokes.

Li started paying attention to China’s urbanization in 1999. He monitored not only the development of rural villages but also of those within metropolises.

PORT-AU-PRINCE – Angelina Jolie visited earthquake victims in Haiti on Tuesday in her latest trip to help survivors of conflict and natural disaster as a goodwill envoy for a United Nations agency.

Jolie, 34, who has been a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR since early 2001, traveled to quake-shattered Port-au-Prince after visiting injured Haitian children in a hospital on Monday in neighboring Dominican Republic.

The actress, who has been on numerous U.N. humanitarian missions to help refugees from more than 20 countries, was due to visit a hospital and other relief sites treating hundreds of thousands of hurt and homeless Haitian quake survivors.

The dark-haired Hollywood star, wearing a black jacket and aviator sunglasses, waved to reporters when she visited a U.N. base near Port-au-Prince airport, before she was driven away in a white U.N. vehicle.

UNHCR officials in Port-au-Prince told reporters her visit was “private.”

In Geneva, UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic declined to give specifics about Jolie’s itinerary in Haiti, citing security reasons for its long-standing policy of not disclosing details of trips by its goodwill ambassadors.

On Monday in the Dominican Republic, the actress visited a hospital in Santo Domingo where dozens of injured Haitians, mainly children, have been treated since the devastating January 12 quake in Haiti that killed more than 200,000 people.

“She talked to several children and to a Haitian woman who recognized her and asked her for help,” said Dario Manon, a doctor who accompanied Jolie on her tour of the Dario Contreras trauma hospital.

Jolie met Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez on Monday evening to discuss Haiti’s immediate aid needs, a government spokesman said. The president congratulated Jolie for her humanitarian work as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency, the spokesman said.

Jolie, her actor partner Brad Pitt, and a host of other Hollywood and pop music stars have donated money to the relief efforts in Haiti, and in some cases also led charity collections for quake victims.

Pitt and Jolie were among the first to reach out to Haiti by donating $1 million from their foundation to Doctors Without Borders, which also received $1 million from actress Sandra Bullock. Sean Penn visited Haiti soon after the quake, and Madonna donated $250,000 through Partners in Health.

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