Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/02/22

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Subject: [Leica] Vienna
From: Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie)
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:35:16 +0000
References: <AEFF993B-4AE0-4DBC-B70A-DB66C986E58B@gmail.com> <92AC3B95-4D48-43BF-B3EA-FB08AE3C55EE@sfr.fr> <CE640B6A-99D1-44A7-9D14-7038135D825E@gmail.com> <B027A8CB-A878-46BC-9D41-501D4324E8C3@sfr.fr> <3cad89991002211834w404f42bfk8e3a87b23f043304@mail.gmail.com> <4B8265FC.1090400@gmx.de> <3cad89991002220332y58486972p2eb0a0086770b6ee@mail.gmail.com> <f681deda1002220722y6057d20eu2e9ef3c9e57a8793@mail.gmail.com> <E56F2FC9-C8D9-4E81-A653-10DF81F340A9@btinternet.com> <F8E677F9-6A90-4F1C-8C3D-4ED147DD6771@frozenlight.eu>

Giving to charity was accurately (IMHO) summarised by one wag as poor people 
in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries.
Frank

On 22 Feb, 2010, at 19:31, Nathan Wajsman wrote:

> When I lived in Brussels, I noticed an inverse correlation between a 
> country's wealth and degree of democracy and the splendour of its embassy. 
> The Dutch consulate was in a nondescript office building near my office in 
> Auderghem; the Swiss one was housed on some floors of a large office 
> building in the centre. On the other hand, all those shitty African 
> dictatorships that kill and starve their people had beautiful residences 
> in the Avenue Louise area.
> 
> It is the kind of thing that makes one really sceptical of foreign aid.
> 
> Nathan
> 
> Nathan Wajsman
> Alicante, Spain
> http://www.frozenlight.eu
> http://www.greatpix.eu
> http://www.nathanfoto.com
> 
> Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0
> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
> Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Feb 22, 2010, at 8:00 PM, Frank Dernie wrote:
> 
>> The most OTT palaces around nowadays are those of Robert Mugabe, built 
>> despite his converting the breadbasket of Africa int a grindingly poor 
>> nation.
>> Desperate.
>> Frank
>> 
>> On 22 Feb, 2010, at 15:22, Wendy Thurman wrote:
>> 
>>> The palaces Saddam Hussein built in Iraq are unbelievable and they cost 
>>> the
>>> Iraqi economy dearly at the time of their construction due to the 
>>> sanctions
>>> imposed on the regime.  At the very large Victory compound adjacent to
>>> Baghdad's airport, there are three palaces I know of and possibly 
>>> another- I
>>> lost track.  The man built his grandchildren an entire Flintstones 
>>> village.
>>> I've been in what's left of Uday Hussein's home on the Tigris in Baghdad 
>>> and
>>> even in destruction it was awfully impressive (completely demolished due 
>>> to
>>> construction of the US Embassy, which is an architectural monster 
>>> conceived
>>> in paranoia).
>>> 
>>> I stop before I get political :)
>>> 
>>> Wendy
>>> 
>>> On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 4:32 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at 
>>> gmail.com>wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Ruling elites bankrupting the state in the pursuit of even more 
>>>> grandiose
>>>> frippery is not new - one of the primary reasons that the Roman Empire
>>>> collapsed is the import of luxury goods (silk, spices,etc) from the East
>>>> reached such a crescendo that it literally bankrupted the empire, and 
>>>> the
>>>> inevitable debasement of the currency was the final nail in the coffin!
>>>> Cheers
>>>> Jayanand
>>>> 
>>>> On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 4:39 PM, Douglas Sharp <douglas.sharp at gmx.de>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> The castles on the Rhine are mostly the real thing - knights in armour
>>>> and
>>>>> all that - none of your renaissance "My architect can put more twiddly
>>>> bits
>>>>> on it than yours" kind of stuff with white & gold-leaf furniture,
>>>> ridiculous
>>>>> ormolu clocks and badly silvered mirrors.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Ludwig of Bavaria nearly bankrupted the state with his love of 
>>>>> fairytale
>>>>> castles - it is rumoured that this was the real reason for him 
>>>>> drowning,
>>>> not
>>>>> suicide.
>>>>> 
>>>>> It all boils down to the difference between defending yourself with 
>>>>> walls
>>>>> and weapons or with a barrage of wealth - I prefer the former style of
>>>>> castle,
>>>>> like this one:
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/UK/Dales/Swaledale/Richmond_Sunset.jpg.html
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/UK/Dales/Swaledale/Richmond_Castle_Keep.jpg.html
>>>>> 
>>>>> Never besieged, never a bow drawn nor a cannon fired in anger, but it
>>>>> certainly let people know who the boss was.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Cheers
>>>>> Douglas
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



In reply to: Message from leowesson at gmail.com (Leo Wesson) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from philippe.amard at sfr.fr (philippe.amard) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from leowesson at gmail.com (Leo Wesson) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from philippe.amard at sfr.fr (philippe.amard) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from thurmanphoto at gmail.com (Wendy Thurman) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie) ([Leica] Vienna)
Message from photo at frozenlight.eu (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] Vienna)