Highway planned on Mt. Everest

[YankeyMCC]

At the top of the page:

(snip)
BEIJING -- China will build a $20 million blacktop highway on Mount Everest as part of the route for the Olympic torch relay, state media reported today. Xinhua News Agency said the construction would turn a rough, 67-mile road stretching from the foot of the mountain to a base camp at 17,060 feet into a paved "highway fenced by undulating guardrails."
(snip)

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/06/19/highway_planned_on_mt_everest/

It's "only" to the base camp but I find this a disgusting example of the distorted idea of 'development' prevalent in today's global society/economy.

[rfranklin]

1. It's hard to believe that this is not an Onion story...nt

nt

[Jim Warren]

5. My first thought too

Well, they opened the rail line to Tibet, took fifty years and the Chinese Army to do it, and with about the same negative repercussions I'd guess.

The Chinese are amazing and a more than a little enviro scary given their new found prosperity combined with their numbers.

[wildhorses]

2. this story makes me sad --

x(

[Infomaniac]

3. Can the sovenir shops be far behind?

That is really sad.

[yy4me]

4. Now there will be even more traffic headed to Everest.

The area is now littered with junk from years of expeditions. This will make it easier to destroy a fairly untouched area. Why must the Chinese conduct this "torch on Everest" show. We do not need to have these horribly expensive side shows at every Olymipc games.

[benld74]

6. I got dibs on the Micky Dee's at the summit!!!!!

[Richard D]

7. I'll do the espresso bar.

[Crowman1979]

8. I predict this will wind up being a total disaster.

With some government official embezzling the funds and hundreds of dead frozen workers.