Greetings, Pashmino-philes, and happy Lha-Bab Duchen!
Here's what's inside:
- Pret-a-Porter price advantage
- Realia shots
- Aren't you glad you like plaid?
- A new Bridges-PRTD expedition: a matter of life and breath
- Mini-coupon
Pret-a-Porter:
New stock, old prices
Pret-a-Porter items are new, top-quality pieces that we are stockpiling here in Ithaca, NY, primarily in order to accommodate last-minute shoppers. An added bonus is that Priority Mail shipping to US addresses is free. And, as special thank-you to our faithful Pashima Spamina readers, we are offering a token coupon... buried somewhere in this mass of verbiage.
Realia
Thanks to Pepper and Jody and Emily and Lane for sharing their wedding photos. We've posted a few of the pash shots (check out our Wedding and Home pages), and we'll be juggling layouts to squeeze in some more soon.
Do you have pash-clad shots of yourself that you wouldn't mind sharing with our friends? They don't have to be glamorous -- we think pashmina goes well nearly any activity (vacuuming, sky-diving, carving pumpkins, reading a book by the fire, online shopping, or sitting in a frigid airplane waiting for take-off while they check a suspicious vial of "mouthwash" some guy pulled out of his shirt pocket). Just email them to us at sunrisepashmina@gmail.com.
Why Ithaca?
People ask us sometimes, with a pitying look, why in the world we would hang our virtual shingle in Ithaca (pop. 53,000) -- so many miles from someplace interesting, like Pittsburg or Newark.
We're guessing that they have a better idea after the Dala'i Lama's recent flurry of appearances around Ithaca -- despite bitter objections (again) from the Chinese. His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso kicked off the "Bridging Worlds" tour with a visit to Ithaca a couple of weeks ago to raise money for the new facilities of Namgyal Monastery, the official capital of Tibetan Buddhism for North and South America. (See www.namgyal.org) It was very cool to see Tibetan prayer flags fluttering here and there downtown, in a community that, back in the 70s when some of us were Cornell undergrads, prided itself on being a bastion of red-neckery. Ommmm!!!
Not to mention the Tompkins County SPCA (first so-called "no kill" shelter), EcoVillage, and Greenstar Food Coop.
Ithaca may not quite be an enclave of chic, but there are a few people who do recognize a real pashmina when they see one. And, speaking of upscale icons, Ithaca has one of the highest per capita densities of Irish Wolfhounds (thanks largely to our Maya and Fafner, and their buddy Pax).
(Once again) Aren't you glad you like plaid?
Don't we wish everyone did!
Suffice it to say, we have a small but obtrusive collection of these chic cross-hatched mufflers cluttering up our office, and their time has come.
We're putting them up for adoption at $12 apiece -- but only in conjunction with an order of other Pret-a-Porter or Truck Sale items. And, if you're expecting to be smothered with an embarrassment of riches from your male friends next month, keep in mind that turnabout is the only fair play. These are our toniest unisex pieces. Small enough to tuck into a briefcase or a motorcycle jacket pocket, they go equally well with a Burberry trench coat or a jean jacket.
Breathless in the Himalayas
Speaking of Bridging Worlds, we have a new Bridges-PRTD project!!! Our older friends may recall that Sunrise Pashmina was founded as a project of Bridges: Projects in Rational Tourism Development, and that a year ago we euthanized Bridges, as we have transferred most of its projects to Mountain Legacy, a new non-profit that we helped establish in Nepal.
However, Seth was diagnosed this past August as having a (relatively mild) case of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), otherwise known as emphysema plus chronic bronchitis. In the course of researching his new status, Seth learned that COPD is a huge problem in the very area of Nepal that we have been studying. So... we are putting together a new Bridges-PRTD expedition by, for, and about COPD victims. See the draft proposal at www.mountainlegacy.com/copd/.
Briefly, the project entails three months of trekking and research in Nepal. Our immediate goal will be to do a preliminary feasibility study for two sporting events that would help raise money and interest in COPD. One is a three-sport competition in Rolwaling, and includes mountaineering, running, and kayaking segments. The other is a 150-mile rally from the trailhead at Jiri to Everest Base Camp.
Secondarily, we will tailor this expedition to the needs and capabilities of people who have been diagnosed with COPD -- that is, those who have well-controlled or mild symptoms. Exercise is the most important part of long-term COPD stabilization strategies, and this expedition will provide the impetus to get in shape over a period of months, as well as the opportunity to set and meet a physical challenge that many will have thought was no longer possible for them.
At the same time, our participants will consult with mountain villagers and others, comparing experiences, advising, and learning.
Finally, we will generate ideas as to what can be done to mitigate the risks of respiratory disease in the mountain communities.
Unlike our other academic/volunteer expeditions, this one will have higher overhead; we will need to invite a pulmonologist, and we will need certain basic equipment. The more money we can raise up front from donor organizations, the lower will be able to keep our program fees.
If you might be interested in participating in this expedition, or have any information or suggestions, please let us know.
Happy Lha-Bab Duchen!
(Literally, "God-Fall Big-Time")
From the Namgyal Monastery Web site:
Lha-Bab Duchen is celebrated on the 22nd day in the ninth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar [November 1st, this year], and marks the anniversary of the Buddha’s descent from the heavenly realm to the earth. It is on this day that Buddha Shakyamuni descended from The Heaven of Thirty-Three (Trayastrimsa) in order to give teachings to benefit the gods in the desire realms, and to repay the kindness of his mother by liberating her from Samsara. This is considered to be one of the great deeds of the Buddha among eight great deeds. It is part of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to engage in virtuous activities and prayer on this day.
(See image in right margin -- also borrowed from Namgyal.org)
Mini-coupon
If you've read this far, you deserve a coupon! $5 off your order -- no piggy-backing, though. Just note Nov5 in the ordering instructions box. Expires November 15, 2007.
Tashi delek!
Empar, Seth, Tsering, and the Crew
