35togo

Broom. Hsinchu, Taiwan

These strung together brooms are the artful cousins of the cheap ubiquitous cheap plastic brooms that people buy here. While I doubt their utility, these brooms look good and don't add to the mountains of landfill along some of Taiwan's highways.

I thought it was dust or the ever increasing pollutants in the air. I thought perhaps it was just the change in temperature but I didn't imagine that a cold would be causing my incessant sneezing these past couple of days. It's likely a combination of many things but I sure have a virus and it sucks.

With all the increasing politicized and the world is ending coverage of bird flu, photographs like chicken baskets. and cages take on new meaning to me. The other day a small truck stopped beside loaded with chickens and I cringed. Not out of disgust, though it was a cruel and filthy image, but out of fear for my health. None of this fear (perhaps unfounded) is filtering down to the people who matter. The farmers of Taiwan and rural Asia whose main concern is selling product in such a way as they return the greatest profit. As I wrote before the traditional markets here and elsewhere in Asia are charming and convenient. They are also disasters in the making. Sometimes change is for the greater good and we must improve the conditions found in these areas, conditions that have basically gone unchanged in ages. Populations have increased dramatically around them and people are increasingly mobile - it's only time before something happens.

Thats a depressing thought and does this picture of the lovely just in time for halloween broom a disservice. I like the color of this photograph.