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The SOLD Project

The SOLD Project,

Chiang Rai

I write this from the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai. It’s a remote region famous for the Golden Triangle, a once thriving opium trade, and the beautiful Doi Chang mountains.

This is a rural area that is growing fast. The talk of the town is a super highway being built from China. This means more trade, more visitors, more cars and trucks.

Economic growth can certainly be a good thing. But it has consequences.

Will change mean a larger red light district in Chiang Rai? Will change mean more truckers and businessmen looking for a “good time” at night? …

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Random Thoughts, The SOLD Project,

Singapore

My last post focused on my time in the Klong Toey Slum of Bangkok and the challenges of human trafficking and poverty. How to handle such complex problems?

Well, one way is to do what I did. Fly to Singapore and forget about it.

Envelope myself in luxury. Let the Raffles Hotel staff laugh at my stupid jokes and insist it’s their pleasure to wash my dirty socks. Lose count of the Italian super cars and shopping malls.

I’m writing this from the Writers Bar of the Raffles Hotel, where Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling would sip drinks and write. …

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The SOLD Project,

Bangkok

“Poverty is the trafficker,” said my daughter. With those words all of us on The SOLD Project Activist Vision Trip saw the many threads of human trafficking weave together into an abhorrent evil of economic injustice.

We were in Lok 3 of the Klong Toey Slum of Bangkok when Rachel uttered those words. I won’t forget the moment.

Bangkok is a wealthy global city. But wherever wealth and poverty coexist you will find exploitation. Place the extremely rich in the same region as the extremely poor and the exploitation is mind boggling. Such is Thailand and a host …

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The SOLD Project,

Myanmar

Myanmar is a fascinating country and my short visit was illuminating. There is a mix of 19th and 20th Century forces at work — oxen pulling carts, holdover totalitarian governments from the Cold War era, Buddhist pagodas everywhere, Coca-Cola signs, traditional rice farming, Colonial era architecture and at least one glow in the dark Lamborghini.

It’s a country in transition. I’m glad I visited to see it now because the change appears to be coming so fast the country will be transformed soon. Is that good or bad? Both, I’m sure, though who knows which parts are which.

The key …

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PathLight, The SOLD Project,

Shopping to Make a Difference

So the crazy shopping season is about to begin — or maybe it already has for some of you. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday and all the rest just around the corner, I wanted to share a few ways your shopping can have a more meaningful impact.

First, remember you can shop Amazon.com through this blog and a referral fee is sent back to me. I will then use that to fund PathLight. See the Amazon logo just to the left of this post? Use that and it tracks you for that one shopping visit. All of the …

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Goble Properties, PathLight, The SOLD Project,

Goble Properties Giving Fund

We’re doing something new at Goble Properties this year. It should be fun to see how this works because it could be a dynamic way to engage people this holiday season. Below is the email we sent out. Let me know what you think!
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We’re excited to share with you a new endeavor to help increase the positive exposure of your business while helping you make a positive impact in your local – and global – community. We’re calling it the Goble Properties Giving Fund and we’ll be matching dollar for dollar any contribution you make to it before …

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