by Bafoon
Trying to keep an ear to the pearling rails these days is a thankless task. Almost as fruitless as keeping one’s nose to the pearl grindstone.
Chats with some longtime pearl dealers in the States and abroad doesn’t bring tears of joy to one’s eyes because everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is crying the blues. Those that aren’t are blowing smoke up others’ nether regions, that is. Or whistling tunes in the graveyard... both being essentially the same aimless endeavors these days.
What I have come away with is that the old ways of doing business in the pearl world are gone forever. For example: respected U.S. dealers are questioning whether the expenses and troubles of mounting exhibits at shows such as Tucson and Las Vegas are worthwhile anymore.
Show sponsors take note! Overcrowded and expensive events all over– particularly those entailing time-consuming, long distance travel– will surely cause movement away from the traditional mind-set of the past.
Look at what occurred with Dubai’s incredibly poorly executed and horribly quixotic gamble to establish a viable pearling event amongst those distant and once-gilded desert sands. I recently saw a report where only one house has been built on World (those many man-made islands that were going to usher in a new infusion of largesse to the region) and that some 5,000 imported, indentured laborers a day are fleeing back to their home countries.
Maybe the Sands Convention Center people knew what they were doing when they cut the JCK Show loose. I know the taxicab drivers hated the show (Easterners were loathe to tip) and the hotel-casinos wanted the show to leave town because so many exhibitors stayed up in their rooms and played gin rummy or mah-jongg with each other rather than gambling (gamboling, too).
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9 comments:
Is there nothing new to report?
http://www.seek.com.au/users/viewdetails.asp?Action=jobsearch&JobListAction=ViewOneAd&JobSearch=true&AdID=16245459&SearchType=5
Someone is looking for new recruits.
kudos prof and posters
just found this place.
highly illuminating
Sorry, this out of the topic but have you read this: http://www.sciencecodex.com/scientists_are_first_to_unlock_the_mystery_of_creating_cultured_pearls_from_the_queen_conch ?
Re: Someone is looking for new recruits.
Business must be booming...
Isn't It ???
This is off topic too. We should start a sub-blog in the comments section with articles that are at least interesting, like this one...
Oldest-ever stash of marijuana found in China
Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash of marijuana, in a tomb in a remote part of China. The cache of cannabis is about 2,700 years old and was clearly 'cultivated for psychoactive purposes,' rather than as fibre for clothing or as food, says a research paper in the Journal of Experimental Botany.
The 789 grams of dried cannabis was buried alongside a light-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian man, likely a shaman of the Gushi culture, near Turpan in northwestern China. The extremely dry conditions and alkaline soil acted as preservatives, allowing a team of scientists to carefully analyze the stash, which still looked green though it had lost its distinctive odour. "To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent," says the newly published paper, whose lead author was American neurologist Dr. Ethan B. Russo.
Remnants of cannabis have been found in ancient Egypt and other sites, and the substance has been referred to by authors such as the Greek historian Herodotus. But the tomb stash is the oldest so far that could be thoroughly tested for its properties.
The 18 researchers, most of them based in China, subjected the cannabis to a battery of tests, including carbon dating and genetic analysis. Researchers also could not determine whether the cannabis was smoked or ingested, as there were no pipes or other clues in the tomb of the shaman, who was about 45 years old.
The large cache was contained in a leather basket and in a wooden bowl, and was likely meant to be used by the shaman in the afterlife. The tomb also contained bridles, archery equipment and a harp, confirming the man's high social standing. The substance has been found in two of the 500 Gushi tombs excavated so far in northwestern China, indicating that cannabis was either restricted for use by a few individuals or was administered as a medicine to others through shamans, Russo said.
Russo, who had a neurology practice for 20 years, has previously published studies examining the history of cannabis. "I hope we can avoid some of the political liabilities of the issue," he said, referring to his latest paper.
Source: The Canadian Press (28 November 2008)
I have seen the same thing happen in my non pearl area of the gem industry.
The middle did so well for so many years they got fat and gouty as well as rich.
They are now being eaten from shoe level up.
All that will be left are ears and whiskers.
Some folk are prospering in this new direct online sales world.
Not the middle though.
anon, dude, i'm like, that article is totally crazy, dude, like i was blown awaaaay, its true, like, china is the cradle of civilization, by, uh, the way, what was i writing about just now, boy, i could really go for tacos and some lemon jello right now...
Finally they've unearthed the ancestor of the modern jazz musician---Homo Improviso.
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