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Don't Those Sweaters Come From Kashmir?

Friday, May 31, 2002

• TITLE: "Don't Those Sweaters Come From Kashmire?"

• "... Cashmere ..." In the interests of giving you something to show off about over the weekend here is the answer. Cashmere is a breed of ... goat. This, from the Australian Cashmere Growers Association:

  Cashmere goats grow an undercoat of fine, downy soft fibres. It is fine, downy and short, growing under the long guard hair or outer coat. Most goats have some down, but selected goats that produce commercial quantities are called cashmeres.

  Angora does not come from goats. Some goats are called angora, but "angora" goats are really where mohair comes from.

  So, where does Angora come from? I'll take Angora for eighty, Alex! Angora angora comes from ... rabbits! From the Angora Rabbit Guidebook by Margaret Momphard:

  It is believed the Angora rabbit originated in Ankara, Turkey. It is also believed the long-haired goats and cats also originated here.

  The French were among the first to raise the Angora rabbit. They were kept as house pets until after the Revolution. At this time they were more noted for their beautiful wool.

  The Angora was imported to England in 1777. Royalty had the peasants raise the animals to spin their wool into yarn. The English royalty regarded the Angora as a "fancy rabbit" or pet. The English formed clubs that specialized in the Angora.

  The Angora was brought to the United States sometime after World War I. Here too, a specialty club was formed in 1932. The United States considered the Angora rabbit to be a multipurpose animal. It was known for its wool production, fancy show animal, and as a pet.

  Note that Kashmir is waaaayyyy up there at the top. Not exactly the center of the universe is it.

• "... Lonely Planet ..." Here's a link to the Lonely Planet history of the region.

• "... BBC ..." Here's a link to the BBC's timeline on the India-Pakistan crisis.

• TRAVELOGUE! Here's the link to the Travelogue about my trip down here - actually it has almost nothing to do with a trip to New Orleans, but it does describe my day in detail

  NETSCAPE Users! If your browser won't load the Travelogue, try here.
  
  
          British WW I Poster

  
  

•     Mullings' Catchy Caption of the Day:
  

  
  The Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg, Russia
  at sunset.

  (MullPhoto/The Lad)

  This photo was taken by The Lad during the trip of President Bush to Russia. Here's a short history:
  When Peter the Great re-conquered the lands along the Neva River in 1703, he decided to build a fort to protect the area from possible attack by the Swedish army and navy. The fortress was founded on a small island in the Neva delta on May 27, 1703 (May 16 according to the old calendar) and that day became the birthday of the city of St Petersburg. ____________________________________________________________________________________