Lisa Napoli's Blog, page 56

20 April, 2011 10:37

Story about a photo exhibit in Chicago about Bhutan, put on by women who have a tour business bringing yogis to the Kingdom.

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Gold Toe Socks

The maker of Gold Toe socks just got bought for $350 million. A Canadian hosiery maker is the buyer….not a Bhutanese.

Although reportedly someone from Bhutan long ago wanted to do a deal with the hosiery maker whose wares so many Bhutanese revere. That didn't go through.

Blog Tour

Blog Tour.

K5 on the BBC

Lovely piece on the BBC about the fifth king of Bhutan and his seemingly endless trek around his country to meet his people. The report hints cryptically at the notion of an impending royal marriage, but doesn't give details. (No Prince William/Kate kind of affair in the offing, however.)

(Thanks, Rinchen!)

#Servas

#Servas is the coolest organization you may never have heard of, but if you have any interest in opening up your world, you should look into it. Yesterday here in LA on a beautiful afternoon, thanks to Hani, friend of my dear friend May, I was invited to speak to the local chapter at a pot-luck meal….ironically about a place that's very difficult to visit and access (Bhutan.)

Basically, Servas is an international network of people who sign up to either host travelers, or travel themselves to distant lands.

Imagine: You are going on a trip to, say, Spain or Egypt or Denmark or…Los Angeles, and rather than staying in a hotel, you find a Servas member in the area and stay with them instead. For those not lucky to have an international network of friends, this is the next best thing.

Servas' roots are fascinating. It's all about peace-building, as you can read on their website:

"Servas is an international, non-governmental, multicultural peace association run by volunteers in over 100 countries. Founded in 1949 by Bob Luitweiler as a peace movement, Servas International is a non-profit organization working to build understanding, tolerance and world peace."

The idea was and is that if you see how other people live in other countries, rather than checking in to a hotel (or not going at all,) life-long friendships are fostered, the world feels smaller, and the notion that we are all interconnected becomes real.

WSJ article about traveling to Bhutan

Thanks to Prof. Wahlstrom and Judy for pointing out the latest story about Bhutan to appear in the pages of the WSJ. This one's about travel there, and while some of the facts are wrong in the video (which isn't sourced) and while most of this information isn't new….it's yet another indication that the Kingdom's a "hot" tourist destination. Which of course is good, and comes with some downsides, too.

Domestic violence in Bhutan

Nice radio piece from Stephanie Guyer-Stephens about REWEW, the first women's shelter in Bhutan, and a remarkable trek she took with the Queen who started the shelter and is advocating for women's rights and health.

A different sort of happiness

Www.lisanapoli.com

Conversation Crossroad

I loved being on this show yesterday, not only because one of the hosts, Betty-Lynn had been to Bhutan, or because the other, Garrison, totally "got" that Radio Shangri-La wasn't really just about Bhutan at all. They're just super-smart and excellent conversationalists, that's all. You can see some of Betty-Lynn's photos on this site and listen to the interview, too.

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The glorious Huntington Beach Library…

A sun-lit Neutra building, surrounded by Huntington Beach's Central Park, replete with coffee bar, gift shop, used book sales and 300-seat theater. Enormous fish-tank outside the kid's library, and spiral Guggenheim-esque pathway connecting floors, with a gigantic fountain in the center. This is one of the best libraries I've ever been in.

Yesterday afternoon the building and the grounds with people of all shapes and sizes, a true community area. IThere are even sound-proof rooms you can rent for $2 an hour, the theory being that to be a community center you have to welcome even those who want to practice their trumpet.

And I'm not even waxing poetic about the equestrian center or sports facilities across the way. I was there for the monthly Friends of Huntington Beach Library lunch; they have authors in while patrons enjoy a meal and listen.

A true model of community. The only downside: there's no way to live right next to it. You have to drive through an industrial park to get there.

Otherwise I'd be moving down there today.