I gifted a bead like one of these to Valerie H. -a well known seed bead artist from Chicago. She carried it to Beijing to show to the dealers so that they would have an example of what she was looking for.

On her first night, just after unpacking, she went for a walk and returned to her hotel room. A number of pieces, including my gift, were pilfered from her luggage. Hotel room theft has happened in Beijing to me and to Joe L. -of Santa Fe and San Francisco. I question whether there may be increasing endangerment of international travelers to China today.

International businesses are getting rich from the slave labor of countless numbers of poor Chinese who illegally immigrate into the big cities for work….The food chain is the story of life. The poorest of the workers are desperate to survive in Beijing, which is becoming increasingly expensive. And, unfortunately, sometimes hotel workers feel forced to steal from hotel guests.

Just Fred