Fancy or real?

It was in the turn of the new millennium when we could see works of arts, fashion accessories, ladies bags, watches, and electronic gadgets at a commercial center found at the border of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. This is a favorite place for foreign travelers and expatriates to shop. It is where they can score some top brand items like Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Omega, and Ralph Lauren to name a few, with a pair of dollars. Some would think if this is fancy or real.

The combined effort of authorities to crackdown on counterfeits is noteworthy. Today, if we go deeper inside Shenzhen City in the classy shopping malls we shall see the same top brands with tag prices which are a hundred or even a thousand times more than those found at the border. But still some would think if this is fancy or real.

China topped the gold count in the just concluded Beijing Olympics. But the news about the spectacular fireworks display on TV at the opening of the games being pre-recorded tried to overshadow the gold haul of the Chinese athletes. Those who may not have heard or read about the fireworks issue may yet wonder if it was fancy or real. The net, the airwaves, the papers were flooded with criticisms. Some would look at it as but theatrical effects which are common for many big events. More than the Beijing fireworks display the world has far greater controversies in the like of the Lunar landing, the JFK assassination, Iraq’s WMD, the fate of Princess Diana and many others. Are these stories fancy or real?