Shangri La

"Young people nowadays," two men tsk-tsk, "all they do is kill each other. " "Drugs are the scourge of society," the politician intones. "They must be stamped out once and for all. " This is not the chat at a Chester County Republican picnic, but rather the majority thought of the people of Lijiang, a small Chinese trading center half a world away. But, as you can see by what's on people's minds there, it could be right next door. China: Beyond the Clouds, a superb four-hour National Geographic special, gently bathes its audience with the images and sounds of Lijiang, gorgeously ensconced in a mountain valley 8,000 feet above sea level.

The coming year will not be Shangri-La. But it should not be a complete disaster, either, thanks to a diverse economy, said Steve Wray, executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. It is the benefit of not having all your eggs in one basket. "We're not the financial capital of the U.S. or the aerospace capital of the U.S.," said Rich Stein, the league's research director. Said Wray: "What we have to continue to do is leverage those assets we have.

With excellent cuisine and a spanking-new setting, the Shangri-La may surprise those who wonder whether we are drowning in a surfeit of Chinese restaurants. While several good Chinese places have closed in recent months, the Shangri-La confidently opened in mid-November in the new Holly Ravine shopping center at Springdale and Evesham Roads in Cherry Hill, the former site of the famed Cowtail dairy bar. One reason Shangri-La may buck the trend lies in its association with Bo's Wok, the superb Chinese restaurant on Route 130 in Cinnaminson.

Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) shambles around Las Vegas' old-school casino, the Shangri-La, rubbing his bad luck off on high rollers. With his sad-sack mug and subterranean self-esteem, Bernie's the Shangri-La's official "cooler" - a mascot of misfortune guaranteed to turn a winning hand into a losing one, a run of providential roulette bets into a train wreck. All he has to do is sidle up to a lucky gambler, or lay down a bet at the same table, and glory turns to bankruptcy. Bernie's aura of doom is contagious.

Stanley A. Breckley, 66, of Sellersville, a retired residential supervisor at Girard College, died of complications from surgery Wednesday, Aug. 4, at St. Luke's Quakertown Hospital. In 1976, Mr. Breckley became a house parent at Girard, a boarding school that educates children from families with limited financial resources headed by a single parent or guardian. Mr. Breckley's wife, Carol, said former students remembered him fondly. He was a member of the Girard College Boy Scout Committee and was past president of the Girard College Credit Union.

By Silvio Laccetti   In this time of concern about economic inequality in America, we sometimes forget the valuable contributions that at least some of the "1 percent" can make to the public good through philanthropic works. Among them are those of the Duke family, whose charity extends to their former estates.   One, Duke Farms, in central New Jersey, is a short trip from the Philadelphia area. Another is far away, in Hawaii. Both are now run by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and seeking to address pivotal issues of our time: respectively, environmental sustainability and understanding among the world's peoples.

The late Benjamin J. Reynolds was either a visionary or an eccentric, depending on who is talking. The truth is that he probably was a bit of both. About 28 years ago, Reynolds, an environmentalist and former state representative from Avondale, Chester County, predicted that the world was inexorably headed toward a severe shortage of fuel, food and water. So he set out to build a self-sustaining community called Shangri-La, in a 350-acre valley of forests and fields in New Garden Township.

If you had left our beloved Philadelphia in the last few decades (particularly Center City), then returned, you might think you had come to a different city. No, it's Philadelphia, but it's not the Philadelphia you grew up in. Change is inescapable. Nobody lives forever. Not people, not cities, not states - the land changes. The popular Center City motion-picture palaces have disappeared - the Fox, the Mastbaum, the Earle, the Stanley, the Viking and others, There, we worshiped Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Humphrey Bogart and other superstars - so many now dead.

Since Susanna Foo gave way to a Chipotle, Rittenhouse has lacked a high-style, business/date-appropriate Asian option. Now open is the polished Jane G's (1930 Chestnut St., 215-563-8800). Namesake is Jane Guo, who owned the long-gone Noodle Heaven on Broad Street. Steven Clofine, a real estate broker and former customer, was instrumental in setting up the deal, said Guo's son Jackson Fu, general manager. Jane G's quasi-open kitchen - open behind a row of glass windows - is set up in front of a raw bar. A 10-seat private table in the window, behind carved wooden dragons, has the makings of a power perch.

PARIS - Paris is a city where possibilities are endless, expectations are high, and no one doubts that magic can happen. Anyone who saw Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris , his recent homage to the City of Light (up for four Academy Awards Sunday), knows what I'm talking about. Allen's protagonist, a Hollywood screenwriter who yearns to be a serious scribe, takes to wandering the rainy streets of Paris at night in search of a muse. On one such night, he accompanies a couple in 1920s dress to what he assumes is a costume party.

Since Susanna Foo gave way to a Chipotle, Rittenhouse has lacked a high-style, business/date-appropriate Asian option. Now open is the polished Jane G's (1930 Chestnut St., 215-563-8800). Namesake is Jane Guo, who owned the long-gone Noodle Heaven on Broad Street. Steven Clofine, a real estate broker and former customer, was instrumental in setting up the deal, said Guo's son Jackson Fu, general manager. Jane G's quasi-open kitchen - open behind a row of glass windows - is set up in front of a raw bar. A 10-seat private table in the window, behind carved wooden dragons, has the makings of a power perch.

By Silvio Laccetti   In this time of concern about economic inequality in America, we sometimes forget the valuable contributions that at least some of the "1 percent" can make to the public good through philanthropic works. Among them are those of the Duke family, whose charity extends to their former estates.   One, Duke Farms, in central New Jersey, is a short trip from the Philadelphia area. Another is far away, in Hawaii. Both are now run by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and seeking to address pivotal issues of our time: respectively, environmental sustainability and understanding among the world's peoples.

PARIS - Paris is a city where possibilities are endless, expectations are high, and no one doubts that magic can happen. Anyone who saw Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris , his recent homage to the City of Light (up for four Academy Awards Sunday), knows what I'm talking about. Allen's protagonist, a Hollywood screenwriter who yearns to be a serious scribe, takes to wandering the rainy streets of Paris at night in search of a muse. On one such night, he accompanies a couple in 1920s dress to what he assumes is a costume party.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show (3 p.m., NBC10) - Actress Eva Mendes; actress Mindy Kaling; Flo Rida performs. Access Hollywood (7:30 p.m., NBC10) - Actress Tatum O'Neal; The Voice . Undercover Boss (8 p.m., CBS3) - Scott Sibella, president and chief operating officer of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, goes under cover in his own casino as a dealer, and a group of rowdy gamblers quickly calls attention to the fact that he isn't very good at it. Later, while attempting to check in guests, he becomes frustrated with the hotel's slow computer system in "MGM Grand.

Stanley A. Breckley, 66, of Sellersville, a retired residential supervisor at Girard College, died of complications from surgery Wednesday, Aug. 4, at St. Luke's Quakertown Hospital. In 1976, Mr. Breckley became a house parent at Girard, a boarding school that educates children from families with limited financial resources headed by a single parent or guardian. Mr. Breckley's wife, Carol, said former students remembered him fondly. He was a member of the Girard College Boy Scout Committee and was past president of the Girard College Credit Union.

The coming year will not be Shangri-La. But it should not be a complete disaster, either, thanks to a diverse economy, said Steve Wray, executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. It is the benefit of not having all your eggs in one basket. "We're not the financial capital of the U.S. or the aerospace capital of the U.S.," said Rich Stein, the league's research director. Said Wray: "What we have to continue to do is leverage those assets we have.

Just past a bend on a well-traveled Mount Holly road, a small lane that's easy to miss cuts in, then winds its way past several traditional homes. Suddenly, in a clearing, a sprawling contemporary appears. Its striking features include a silo that soars high into the air. For Karen Harkaway, 45, a busy dermatologist who practices in Delran, and her husband, Michael Grace, 55, this place is a sanctuary. It is home, but not in the traditional sense. Home, it turns out, is actually less than 10 miles away, in Moorestown.

Today you can find a Chinese restaurant in practically every American city and town, from Absecon to Anchorage and everywhere in between. About 36,000 dot the landscape - more than the number of McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger Kings combined. "The Chinese restaurant," says Cynthia Little, director of interpretive programming at the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia, "has really become as American as apple pie. " How that happened, what it means, and why it matters is the focus of a flavorful new exhibition at the museum that examines the Chinese restaurant and its multiple roles, only one of which is the preparation and serving of food.

Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) shambles around Las Vegas' old-school casino, the Shangri-La, rubbing his bad luck off on high rollers. With his sad-sack mug and subterranean self-esteem, Bernie's the Shangri-La's official "cooler" - a mascot of misfortune guaranteed to turn a winning hand into a losing one, a run of providential roulette bets into a train wreck. All he has to do is sidle up to a lucky gambler, or lay down a bet at the same table, and glory turns to bankruptcy. Bernie's aura of doom is contagious.

Philadelphia's neighborhoods would be better places to live if the ills that commonly plague them were dealt with on a firm schedule - backed by a service guarantee from City Hall. Towing abandoned cars and removing trash from public property: Done within 48 hours. Sealing an abandoned house or scrubbing graffiti from a city-owned facility: 72 hours. Broken street light: Fixed by the next day. From Kingsessing to Kensington, Mayfair to Manayunk, those standards would be met. Sound good?