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My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post Ninety-Four: Tibet’s Greatest Threat

24 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Archaeology, Business, Culture, environment, Geography, History, Industry, Mining, Tibet, Trains, Transportation, Travel

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afraid, archaeology, Archaologists, assimilate, assimilation, China, Copper, Culture, Environment, evil, lead, Mining, money, Nepal, pay-dirt, People, Railways, Route, Tibet, Tourism, Trains, Transportation, Travel, Treasure, Xinhua, zinc

I have always loved the sound of the trains as they go by. Indeed, how many times have they lulled me to sleep.

However, I fear that the sound of the Chinese Qingzang Railway will be the death knell of the Tibetan people and it’s culture.

This train will successfully bring approximately fifteen million people to the remote ancient capital of Llasa.

It is becoming more and more obvious that the upcoming tourist onslaught will do the Nepalese and their culture irreparable harm.

Having done some research, I have come up with some information that I’d like to share.

At first glance, this super-train might look like a good idea on several different levels, however there are points that need to be considered.

I fear that in less than one hundred years the Nepalese will have totally succumbed to Chinese rule and that there will be no more living culture and continuing history.

We will indeed have lost a pearl of great price.

The Chinese take this new railway very seriously. Why else would they have invested 4 billion dollars to see it to it’s fruition?

They claim that tourism will double.

This obviously is not a good thing for Tibet. The impact of this enormous surge in the tourist industry will no doubt threaten the fragile Tibetan environment. Up until now, Tibet has remained effectively independent in spite of the invasion by the communist Chinese in 1950.

We are about to once again witness the the truth of the saying, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The Tibetan culture does not need money to survive. Rather, it needs global respect and above all, independence from China.

China’s official news agency Xinhua announced that a treasure trove of copper, iron, lead and zinc have been found by Chinese government archeologists along the route of the railway. They have hit pay-dirt which includes twenty million tons of copper, the second largest ever found in China and Tibet, alongside of ten million tons of lead and zinc.

So, there you have it.

If you are one who weighs everything by gain, then no doubt, this train and all that it stands for is right up your alley.

For those who are opposed to the cultural genocide of the Tibetan people and it’s culture we know that the global deck has been stacked against them and that the cards have been dealt.

There is no consolation in knowing that I am not alone in fearing the worst. Yes, governments will lament the passing of Tibet as the Chinese government assimilates all that this culture holds dear.

I am afraid for Tibet.

Very afraid.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 27: Gettysburg, The Battle For Yarn

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Economics, Gettysburg, History, Knitting, Merchandising, Pennsylvania, Yarn

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City Hall, Economics, Gettysburg, Knitting, New Age, Pennsylvania, Shopping, Spinning, Tourism, Travel, Wool, Yarn, Yarn Stores

As we head back from the morning’s adventures, we approach the core of downtown Gettysburg, which is composed of a traffic circle which veers off into all four directions. To me this is proof positive that not only do all roads lead to Rome, but to Gettysburg as well.

As we are about to turn and drive down Baltimore, my husband surprises me by pulling into a vacant parking spot.

This can mean only one thing.

Wool store.

Noticing that the ancient parking meter is on empty, I begin to rummage through my purse for change. All I can find is a nickle and a dime.

Fifteen cents.

This meagre offering to those who wander the corridors of Gettysburg City Hall is inserted into the meter and we are granted eight minutes. Knowing that it is impossible for me to make a formidable yarn purchase in a mere eight minutes, I instantly begin another assault on my poor purse. Let me tell you, there is a weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Seven minutes. Grrr.

At six minutes, I give up and make a run for the street corner. Now, in the past, crossing at these corners have always scared me, as there are no traffic lights. In the past, townspeople would take pity as they see me waiting for the oncoming cars to pass. They would correctly tell me that there is no need to wait because the traffic must yield to me. Still, I waited.

This time, as I approach the corner, I don’t even look to check for oncoming traffic before as I step out onto the street. My actions take me completely by surprise. Something about me has changed, but what could it be? Why am I not afraid?

The answer comes to me in a heartbeat. Since I was last here, I have had the experience of trying to cross the streets of Rome. If I can cross a street of bumper to bumper traffic with overly aggressive Roman drivers who solemnly believe that traffic rules are inconsequential and my life a triviality, I can certainly cross a mere little street in downtown Gettysburg.

I am Spartacus.

Five minutes.

In less than a minute, I have quickly walked the entire block length, eyes keenly fastened to each shop window, for the familiar and decorative skeins of freshly spun yarn that are usually hanging there. As I reach the opposite street corner I am beginning to fear the worst. Turning around, I go back the length of the street, eyes straining, but to no avail.

The yarn store is no longer here.

Sadly, I begin to head back to the car.

In my mind, I can easily make sense of it. In a struggling economy, a business committed to wools, fibers, silks, knitting needles, weaving looms, and spinning wheels is of little use to those who are having a hard time paying rent and putting food on the table.

As I reach the car, I still have one minute on the meter. At least that crisis has now passed.

As we pull away, I am not the least bit bitter or upset. I am content in the knowledge that the sun will continue to rise and set whether or not I get my holiday yarn fix.

What I find confusing however, is that in the three blocks or so back to our hotel, I count four shops advertising psychic readings, fortune telling, dragon potions, charms & crystals, fairy dust, and tarot cards.

Business is obviously steady, as I see customers going in and coming out.

Suddenly, I am confronted with an altogether new and unexpected lesson on life.

Crazy Sells.

Okay…

Now I’m bitter.

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Adventures In Italy… Post 73: Buyer Beware

27 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Italy, Rome, shopping, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Italy, Rome, Sunglasses, Tourism, Travel

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Before my first trip to Italy in September 2008, I purchased a pair of killer sunglasses from a local shop. They were big, brown and blingy, meaning, that they were encrusted with rhinestones. They were the perfect companion for any diva on her premier trip to the eternal city of Rome. I even bought an attachment cord so that I could hang them around my neck when they were not in use, ensuring that I would not misplace them and thereby lose them.

On the fourth day of my trip I looked down and saw just the cord and no sunglasses.

I figured I had lost them somewhere between the Pantheon and Piazza Navonna.

I thought I was doomed.

September is still a very hot month in Italy, and the sun is as bright as in the hottest days in July.

I knew my eyes could not take the glare, but I was adamant not to spend a small fortune to procure another pair.

All the shops I passed wanted at least twenty Euros for a pair of Sunglasses. At the time that was about $35.00 U.S.

While visiting the forum, I happened to come across a vendor who had a blanket a strewn out over the ground next to the Mamertine Prison.

There were about fifteen pairs of sunglasses on display.

As I perused over the lot trying to deduce which pair would be the most cost effective, the vendor pointed a pair out to me.

The price tag said forty euros.

“Troppo caro,” I told him explaining they were too expensive.

He then held,out a pair that I had noticed earlier.

I handed them back.

He asked me how much I was willing to pay for them.

“Five euros,” I told him.

He wasn’t happy.

I didn’t care.

Sensing my resolve he then turned around picked up a brown paper bag and slipped the sunglasses inside and then handed me the bag.

Incredibly surprised and not believing my luck, I quickly handed him five euros.

He was so unimpressed with my bartering skills that he didn’t even look at me as I handed him the money.

Needless to say he never thanked me.

Again, I didn’t care.

Please understand, I am not one to barter. I understand the need for people to make a living. I am usually very compliant when it comes to prices.

However, being inequitably gouged is another matter entirely.

There was a logo on both the top and left hand corners of the sunglasses. I knew that I had seen it before, and should know the brand it stood for, but the answer eluded me.

It was only after I arrived home, that I realized that it was the Chanel logo on the glasses.

Understand, I knew that the glasses I purchased were not a genuine Chanel product. Knock offs are big business. However, I did not purchase it because it had the Chanel logo.

I purchased the sunglasses only because I was desperate for a pair of sunglasses without feeling I had wasted my money.

It was about a month after our trip to Italy that I read of Italian law enforcement officials cracking down on bootlegged merchandise.

Anyone caught with bootlegged merchandise was subject to a five thousand euro penalty.

Whoa!

I could only think of how fortunate I was that I no one noticed my sunglasses and questioned me about them.

At that time, one euro was worth 1.65 Canadian.

Our entire trip to Italy had cost that amount.

Each time I think back on this, I tend to feel a little sick inside.

Needless to say, on our 2012 trip, there were zero designer labels when we packed up to go home.

In fact, if it even remotely looked as a designer knock off it wasn’t coming home with us.

Six years later, I still have the same sunglasses and revel in the memories that they
evoke.

It was without a doubt, the best five euros that I have ever spent.

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Adventures In Rome… Post 72: Sexy Scaffolding?

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Advertising, Construction, Europe, Italy, Rome, Travel

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Advertising, Art, Construction, History, Italy, Rome, Scaffolding, Tourism, Travel

image

When most of us think of scaffolding we think of the unsightly structures that are used to support people and materials in constructions areas.

In my lifetime I have seen more than enough ugly scaffolding and would be quite happy never to see it again.

However, reality dictates otherwise.

There is perpetual need for scaffolding as buildings, bridges, and monuments age and need repair.

There is no place that you will see more scaffolding than in an ancient city where frantic construction is taking place to save crumbling buildings and structures that are thousands of years old.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I learned that scaffolding didn’t have to be ugly anymore.

image

In fact, in Rome it is all to easy to walk by a building and not even notice that it is under construction.

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Imaginative engineers have even come up with what can be considered as nothing less than ‘sexy’ scaffolding.

Believe it or not but this high tech scaffolding has even become a medium for business advertising.

image

My Father always told me that those who can ‘build a better mousetrap’ are those who will become rich beyond the dreams of avarice.

Well, by the looks of these incredible new forms of scaffolding, someone has become very rich indeed…

…and rightfully so.

 

 

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Adventures In Italy… Post 40: A Pompeii Luncheon

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

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Appian Bus Line, Artisans, Cameos, Food, Foodie, Italy, Luncheon, Pompeii, Pranza, Tourism, Tours, Travel

image

When you take a day trip, usually the fare includes a lunch.

And it’s not a bad lunch.

Having been on the Appian Bus Line tour to Naples and Pompeii four years earlier, we had learned what to expect when it comes to lunch, or in the Italian language… “pranza”.

Located almost next to the Pompeii ruins, there is a very large hall that caters to all the Pompeii bus tours.

At any given time, I’m sure that there are at least two hundred people being served, with a major capacity for about five hundred.

Needless to say, it was a very busy place.

When it comes to shuffling patrons in and out of the dining areas, the people who run this hall have it all down to a fine science.

However, before your group is invited inside for their sit down meal, your tour guide obliges you to take a tour of a local merchants warehouse and shop.

On our first tour, it was all about the cameos.

The tour guide presented to you the artisans as they were plying their trade. Then you were encouraged to purchase similar items in their shop.

Frank and I quickly learned where the back door was, and that was the end of that.

On our second tour, the featured items were coral jewelry.

You would be hard pressed to find anything less than one hundred euros.

Again… We quickly located the back door.

Looking back, we found the offered lunch mediocre to what were use to from the restaurants we frequented in Rome. However, this is one of the free perks when you pay 160 euros per person for a 16 hour day trip.

Beverages however, you have to pay for with the exception of water.

And I never did get the Agua frizzante I had ordered. (fizzy water)

To me, this place had more the feel of a cafeteria rather than a fine dining experience.

Our meal began with cannelloni, which arrived at the table still reasonably warm.
And I am happy to report that my first experience with authentic Italian cannelloni was somewhat pleasant.

More so than the pasta that followed, which struck me as your run of the mill pasta in tomatoe sauce.

Then, we had a choice of seafood or roast beef.

I was the only one at the table who was brave enough to order the seafood.

What was I thinking?

The plate that was set before me displayed five pieces of calamari, and three prawns with little black beady eyes staring up at me from my dinner plate.

And very dead ones too I might add.

I was quite tempted to close my own eyes as I was eating.

One of my most favourite movie lines ever, comes from one of the HIGHLANDER movies. It’s the scene, where the character played by Sean Connery is being offered an inflight dinner tray by a stewardess.

His response is:

“I never eat anything that I cannot identify.”

I try to aspire to that same rule as well. However, I’ve added one more rule:

All of my life, I’ve tried to never eat anything from the neck up.

As far as the roast beef was concerned, I could not help but cast my eyes over to Frank and Jen’s plates as they were plated out before them.

And suddenly, I didn’t feel all that bad.

Their roast beef seemed to be sliced so thin that you could almost read a newspaper through it.

At least, when we got to dessert, at last I found myself smiling.

We were served a delicate portion of a very lovely sort of cream cake.

Most sins were forgiven… but not all.

Further, this time I opted not to indulge myself in a glass of wine like I did the first time around.

The wine I had then was very good, Lachryma Christi, made from the grapes grown on Mount Vesuvius. Expensive at 7 euros a glass, but worth every penny.

Further, it seemed a shame to indulge in such a nice wine when eating only mediocre food.

And so, as far as that day’s luncheon was concerned….

…the bottled water did just fine.

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