I feel guilty

[Englishman]

Neither am I particularly with the exception of the culture that it has on offer, and that's a great deal.

I do agree with culture aspect, the Museums are the best on the planet, the variety of shops from all over the world can't be beaten either.

However, London is crawling with MP's!

[Nick9]

I'm that annoying guy who stands in front of the store shelf tapping each jar/bottle and selecting the glass jar over the plastic jar. I'm the annoying guy who says 'Paper - lets save an oil-well today' because I know that paper bags are now 90% post consumer recycled material and about 95% of the paper uses comes from trees that were raised on a tree farm, and that while a tree was brought down to make that paper, another tree was planted to replace it.

hmm, can you believe we almost don't have glass bottles in the stores anymore? Beer is sold in glass, the Czech don't buy beer in cans (big nono). Alcohol in general. Some fruit syrups. Some yogurts. Canned fruits. Some canned vegetable. Jam. But other than that... Almost everything is in the plastic.

We also don't have paper bags at cashiers - never had. Perhaps because many people go shopping by public transport so it wouldn't be convenient. At the old times everyone brought their own bag to the shop to carry their purchase home. After the revolution in 89 shops started to give the plastic bags away or sell them for several cents. Tesco now sells cotton bags. They looks sturdy but are a bit pricey (well, of course they can't be sold for a few cents...)

And about the recycling - plastic can be recycled too. It won't disappear like paper, but it doesn't need to end up buried in a landfill.

[LONDONER]

I'd feel more guilt to having admitted that this bag got my eye - its sooooo gay! :tongue:

No doubt the electronics I use were made in some 4th world nation where children's small dexterous hands are put to work in what is a very reasonable manner in order to assemble those tiny pieces of technomancy, no doubt these machines I use run off the blood and sweat of innocent children... I accept that these dark magics must use the souls of the innocent to run. All magic comes with a price.

However I am reasonably certain that those products made in China, Tawaiin, Japan and India (and other third world places) stimulated local economies where nearly everyone in that community could live off the dollar per week because everything in that community was far, far cheaper than it is in say my community.

I do attempt to buy more 'Made in America' labeled things in order to help stimulate American Economy. but lets face it, American made products are usually a lot more expensive and often made 'cheaper' as in less material, weaker material, or assembled halfway to where the product snaps, breaks, shatters when used.

I'm going to assume here that the majority of the material that that bag is made out of came out of an oil well, thus is largely plastics or petroleum based plastics. THAT would bother me a lot more than the idea that children's bleeding hands worked to the bone for ten cents a month were used.

The idea that once you tire of this bag and toss it it will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years being pretty much a hand bag and not decomposing and rotting away disturbs me far much more than slave labor. I know that eventually China (or wherever) will dispose of slave labor like America, UK and other 'industrial' nations did well before that handbag becomes one with nature.

I do stick to recyclable, reusable/sustainable materials wherever possible: cotton, wool fibers over polyester and poly cotton blends. I prefer wood over plastic, metal over plastic, glass over plastics.

I have a very nice 95% leather handbag/side carry bag (purse for men?) that is made from cow and sheep skin with metal and a little bits of of poly and poly-cotton blended material (Thread stitching is mostly likely poly-cotton, zipper teeth are metal, undoubtedly the fabric part as oil-based, etc). If I'm going to carry a purse, you can bet your sweet ass its going to be made of leather and or hemp/cotton/wool or other "natural" materials.

I'm that annoying guy who stands in front of the store shelf tapping each jar/bottle and selecting the glass jar over the plastic jar. I'm the annoying guy who says 'Paper - lets save an oil-well today' because I know that paper bags are now 90% post consumer recycled material and about 95% of the paper uses comes from trees that were raised on a tree farm, and that while a tree was brought down to make that paper, another tree was planted to replace it.

I also know that that paper bag will molder, rot and decay in the landfill well before the plastic bag which will be there hundreds of years down the road still pretty much a plastic bag - or worse (like released into the wild to become part of the Pacific Gyre).

Now I'm not saying your guilt is misplaced.... No, actually I am.

OK Bowyn Aerrow, at heart we seem in this respect that we are both concerned about the health and care of the planet, human beings of the same heart. I agree with all that you say. I use as little plastic as is practical, I recycle everything I am able. I won't buy hessian shopping bags since most hessian comes from Madagascar where only 10% of the natural forest is left. The rest has been cleared to make way for the production of hessian. So, I use re-usable bags that are sold by many of the supermarkets here in Spain.

There was a reason why I bought that shoulder bag. I am due to fly to Prague next week and a friend of mine who is a Tour Manager, has advised me that Prague is notorious for petty theft, pickpockets, bag snatchers, SCAMS etc. The shoulder bag I usually use is a rather nice khaki coloured one made of heavy cotton canvas that I purchased from this company:

http://www.trooplondon.com/epages/es1145...Collection

Before that I had and still have, a beautiful Italian leather one that unfortunately is a little heavy and also the leather has worn away on the back where it rubbed against my clothes and has exposed the piping.

Anyway, I didn't want to take the Troop one to Prague with me so I bought this new one because it is slightly smaller. I will carry the minimum with me, a minimum amount of cash, my camera, glasses etc. The Troop one was expensive and I don't want to risk using it. There is no reason why I would tire of the bag but should that be the case, no, I wouldn't toss it away, I would probably donate it to a charity shop. Don't judge me too harshly.

[LONDONER]

hmm, can you believe we almost don't have glass bottles in the stores anymore? Beer is sold in glass, the Czech don't buy beer in cans (big nono). Alcohol in general. Some fruit syrups. Some yogurts. Canned fruits. Some canned vegetable. Jam. But other than that... Almost everything is in the plastic.

We also don't have paper bags at cashiers - never had. Perhaps because many people go shopping by public transport so it wouldn't be convenient. At the old times everyone brought their own bag to the shop to carry their purchase home. After the revolution in 89 shops started to give the plastic bags away or sell them for several cents. Tesco now sells cotton bags. They looks sturdy but are a bit pricey (well, of course they can't be sold for a few cents...)

And about the recycling - plastic can be recycled too. It won't disappear like paper, but it doesn't need to end up buried in a landfill.

OK Nick, before you shoot me down in flames over what I have written to Bowyn Aerrow, I posted for some advice on a different website (Lonely Planet). Some of the replies I got were a little indignant. However, one of those who replied to me, later on, deleted his original message and sent me this:

http://www.livingprague.com/scams.htm

[LONDONER]

I do agree with culture aspect, the Museums are the best on the planet, the variety of shops from all over the world can't be beaten either.

However, London is crawling with MP's!

Hey, don't forget the theatres and concert halls.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

The reality of my point which I agree was lost, is that there are a lot of things in this big messed up world that we can have guilt over...

Its all frelled anyway, and in 20 years the surviving humans will be far more worried about finding something to eat than caring if we worked people like slaves or if we filled our landfills with paper or plastic.

[Nick9]

oh, you are going to Prague! I am sorry about the way you expect it to be... I didn't read everything from the link you posted but:


I believe it's like in any big city. It hasn't happened to me (thank God), but I am perhaps not the target. I don't carry money or a wallet in my pocket etc.
The taxi - the easiest is to call a radio taxi - for example I use this one:
http://www.aaataxi.cz/index.php?xSET=lang&xLANG=2

They tell you in advance how much it will cost and you need to wait about ten minutes, sometimes less. I would never just wave at a taxi on the street, because I want to know the price before I get in.

ATM. I am afraid it happens in other countries as well, but as far as I heard, the banks have insurance for that and refund the money. I always cover the keypad with my other hand when I type my pin.

the police and the restaurants - hmm, haven't heard about it and I usually don't eat in restaurants, but again, I am not the target.

I am not sure if you know anybody here, but I could give you my phone number if you got in any troubles. I work late though, so I honestly doubt that we could meet. PM me, if you need to arrange anything.

[LONDONER]

Hi Nick: I don't expect Prague to be like that but you have to admit that forwarned is forarmed. Thank you for the information about taxis, I will bear that in mind. However, I am arriving at the airport (not sure which one because Smart Wings doesn't state on thir confirmation) at the unearthly hour of 3am and might well be at the mercy of the available taxis there although I suppose one could ask and if necessary, fix the price before starting the journey.

Thank you for your offer of help but I won't bother you.

[Wade]

Often you have this image of these sweat shop workers slaving for 16 hours a day making cheap breakable products for the West, but it's a gross generalisation to say China is just that and nothing else.

The workers I saw were just ordinary women, packaging boxes of nipple pads with sanitary protection gear.

I read Leslie Chang's book 'Factory Girls' which documents her own travels through industrial China and case studies several young working girls. The main point of the book was that most factory girls quite enjoy the working life (I didn't watch the video so I may be repeating what she said). They don't see it as slave labor, they see it as adventure; leaving their the parents and the farm to grow as human beings and expand their experience on this planet. It's much easier at the moment to climb the corporate ladder in China than it is in the West, so there is actual hope for advancement. The largest human migration in history is happening at this very moment and most are completely unaware: the move from rural China in the West to urban China in the East.

Chang says that by feeling guilty we are being narcissistic by making the issue all about ourselves. Then again, you hear those stories about Apple having to put nets and fences around their factories so folks don't jump off 'em. So, who knows?

[Englishman]

Hey, don't forget the theatres and concert halls.

Of course, how could I forget.