Green Investing

Richard Shaffer writes about Vinod Khosla, the world’s foremost investor in environmental startups + other viewpoints @ http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/127/a-devilish-green-angel.

Useful link:
www.khoslaventures.com

Gems + ROI

Andrew Wood writes:

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but they do not always offer sparkling returns for an investor. Although smaller and more portable as a hard asset than gold ingots, they cannot be acquired via tax-efficient portfolio bonds alongside other precious assets. Works of art, property, vintage wines and collectibles, such as books, toys and comics are examples on which investors may wish to speculate. Trading in these markets can be problematic, expensive and pose security problems. Trading in bullion or precious artifacts is risky and cumbersome for the returns achieved.

In a bear market is it possible or prudent to invest in precious metals and stones, or should one stick to bonds and gilt-edged securities? If you recently acquired diamonds, thank your financial adviser for his foresight. A recent Asian mining takeover meant that share allocations nearly doubled for a junior mining organisation in the Madagascar market. Remaining assets in South Africa were hence rolled over into new corporate entities that rewarded investors with bonus share allocations in addition. Junior mining companies offer high potential in global commodity markets largely because of the China syndrome, which cannot be ignored.

Many investors tend to think of South Africa, Australia and possibly Amsterdam when considering gold, diamonds, or coal. But institutional asset traders deal in the commodity facts of the real world. China is actually the world's largest producer of gold and the largest holder of US dollars. It has hundreds of small gold mines that remain unexploited because of lack of expert mining methodologies and bureaucracy and natural resources mismanagement.

China's thirst for water, coal, copper and other resources is unstoppable. Australia has trouble meeting coal production requirements to sustain demand from Asian powers, which need these commodities to feed their vast but inefficient blast-furnace economies. China could exploit for maximum gain its vast gold deposits if it chooses to utilise western expertise. Would this propel China to world power status and also lead to substantial dividends via bond investments? For risk-averse investors wishing to diversify, a prudent allocation can be made in Global Emerging Markets (Gems) through collective fund vehicles specialising in such diversified precious assets. Smart investors worried about risk can easily have the best of both worlds by investing in such markets via a variety of individually structured offshore personal portfolio bonds.

Sparkling gems shining out in the junior mining sectors. Global emerging markets and the resurgent Asian economies of China, India, Indonesia and Thailand continue to be the prime movers for cautious investors with a sense of adventure. Investment in this market optimises one's position as a direct consequence of gaining access to the hundreds of gold mines in China that are underexplored and undeveloped.

Mitigating Gem investment risks. Although bond returns tend to be safe and steady but relatively low, Gem and global commodity market (GCM) asset investments are not guaranteed. Conversely, Gems aren't as risky as, say, corporate junk bonds, venture-capital projects and unlisted dot-com startups. To mitigate risks while optimising portfolio gains, investors should seek international independent advice from qualified specialists who are best positioned to structure the correct portfolio bond offshore according to your individual circumstances. These issues are of particular importance:

- Taxation and inheritance: regardless of performance of any asset, interests should be protected to the fullest extent possible.
- Dedicated local asset management teams: having your portfolio actively managed.
- Expense ratios and market level adjustment concerns: Gems not only sparkle more safely when acquired via tax-exempt trading bonds, but also save each way because trading or bid/offer spread differentials are substantially reduced.
- Gems' Diversity: bond investors can strategically acquire allocations in all these emerging market sectors and trade them profitably on a daily or monthly basis.

Diversity in mining companies, commodities, precious metals, or the exchange-traded funds that invest in Gem markets are the simplest, safest and smartest way of adding precious Gems to one's portfolio without undue concern that they will lose their sparkle. Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but Gems are potentially more profitable in both the long and short-term term.

Useful link:
www.barclayspencer.com

How true!

Kit Kittredge

(via Wiki) Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a 2008 comedy-drama film based on the American Girl character, Kit Kittredge, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio during the Great Depression. It is scheduled to be released on July 2, 2008. The film is the first in the American Girl film series to have a theatrical release; the first three received television releases.

Useful links:
http://www.americangirl.com/movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0846308

The Arab Rich List

I found the The Arab Rich List @ http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20080408034338 intriguing.

- Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al-Saud
- Nasser Al-Kharafi
- MAK
- The Sawiris family
- Mohammed Al-Amoudi
- Abdelaziz Al-Ghurair
- Maan Al-Sanea
- Suleiman Al-Rajhi
- Mohammed Bin Issa Al-Jaber
- Saleh Kamel
- Saad Hariri
- Majid Al-Futtaim
- Suleiman Al-Gosaibi
- Bassem Al-Ghanim

Pure Gold Jewellers

Pure Gold Jewellers was selected from the pool of large business brands as Dubai's best shopping experience by Dubai's Department of Economic Development, based on a number of criteria: the appearance of each store location from lighting to the music selection + cleanliness of the venue + the appearance as well as the warmth and friendliness of each staff employee + the intuitiveness of staff towards customer service. Congratulations!

Useful links:
www.pugold.com
www.dubaided.gov.ae

Knowledge Economic City

(via Wiki) Knowledge Economic City of Medina was launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin AbdulAziz in June 2006 and is the third of six economic cities announced by Amr al Dabbagh, Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. The 25 billion Riyal (USD7 billion) project is located at Al-Madinah, the home of Muhammad and where Qur'an was compiled. The project has special significance for Muslims throughout the world because of its location. Knowledge Economic City is designed as a project to position Saudi Arabia and young Saudi Arabian entrepreneurs as internationally respected leaders in knowledge based industries and aims to attract and develop talent from around the world. It is intended to create opportunities on a global scale while providing investors and entrepreneurs with infrastructure, opportunity, a unique pool of talent and the potential for a healthy return on investment. Go to www.madinahkec.com for further information.

Art + The New Money

According to The Art Newspaper, the huge wealth from oil and mining in the Middle East and Russia is flowing into fine art, with a rush of new buyers entering a market that was already booming. Roman Abramovich, the Russian metals and minerals tycoon, was the buyer of two of the three most expensive paintings sold at Sotheby's big May sale in New York, paying $86m (£43m, €55m) for Francis Bacon's 'Triptych, 1976' and $34m for Lucian Freud's 'Benefits Supervisor Sleeping'. Sheikh Saud al-Thani, from the Qatari royal family, is building an art museum and the sheikh has emerged as one of the biggest collectors in the world. According to Art Market Report's Contemporary Art 100 index, the rise in the contemporary market has been especially strong, with prices up by 300 per cent in the past three years. I think the Russians will turn out to be the Japanese of the early 21st century. In the 1980s, Japanese property developers were famously among the biggest buyers, mopping up Impressionist works only to offload them at much lower prices just a few years later when the Japanese asset bubble burst. The art market has changed, thanks to globalization + the new money; amazingly there is still demand for the best works. Again, thanks to emerging economies of China, India, Russia, Mexico and Brazil.

Useful links:
www.theartnewspaper.com
www.arttactic.com
www.sothebys.com
www.christies.com
www.phillipsdepury.com
www.mutualart.com

The Art Of The Incredibles

The Art of The Incredibles by Mark Cotta Vaz is a beautiful companion to the film. The inspirational artwork is brilliant.

Random Thoughts

It’s important to hire people with diverse experiences and viewpoints, which you don’t necessarily get if you just hire straight -A Harvard MBA’s. Getting good grades and having courage are not the same thing. Being really smart and having good judgment are not the same thing. People – men or women – shouldn’t be winnowed out so early in life.

- Susan Byrne
Westwood Holdings

How true!

The Band Wagon Movie

The Band Wagon (1953) is a musical comedy film. It stars Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, Nanette Fabray and Jack Buchanan. The film was written by Comden and Green and Alan Jay Lerner, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and produced by Arthur Freed. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, Color, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay. In 1995, The Band Wagon was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.

One of the best MGM musicals. What a show! Definitely a must-see + a film to cherish forever.

Useful links:
www.imdb.com/title/tt0045537
www.loc.gov/film

Art Market Update

Souren Melikian has written an excellent article on the state of the art market @ http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/28/arts/melik28.php

Art lovers with millions to spare, do not despair in these lean times. Even when there is not much left to sift through, great works of art can still be found, if only because so few buyers have the eye needed to recognize them.

How true!

Good Guys And Bad Guys

Good Guys and Bad Guys: Behind the Scenes with the Saints and Scoundrels of American Business by Joe Nocera is great book, a collection of his best business writing over the last quarter-century. A must-read. I think he has a unique talent to paint the human drama behind the economic trends. He offers a fresh perspective on these characters.

Boryeong Mud Festival

(via Wiki) The Boryeong Mud Festival is an annual festival which takes place during the summer in Boryeong, South Korea. The first Mud Festival was staged in 1998 and, by 2006, the festival attracted 1.5 million visitors to Boryeong. The mud is dug up near Boryeong, trucked to the Daecheon beach area, and dumped at a 'Mud Experience Land'. The mud is considered rich in minerals and used to manufacture cosmetics. Most of the participants are foreign tourists, attracted by clever marketing by the town who discovered that it is more lucrative as a tourist attraction than using the muddy fields for agriculture. The economy generated from the festival supports the many hotels and restaurants along the waterway and several blocks inland.

Useful link:
www.mudfestival.or.kr

A must-visit.

Green Festivals

(via Guardian) Leo Hickman writes: A survey of 1,407 festival goers earlier this year by AGreenerFestival.com and Buckinghamshire New University found that 80% considered noise at festivals had an environmental impact, 82% thought waste had a negative impact, 56% thought festivals had a negative carbon footprint, 60% were worried about water, 53% were concerned with land damage and a whopping 84% thought travel and transport had a negative environmental impact.

Useful links:
www.agreenerfestival.com
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/2008/06/heading_for_the_green_fields.html

Leo Hickman was spot on.

Fake Fabergé Easter Egg

Maev Kennedy writes about a Fabergé fans nightmare: The shatteringly bad news was that it was not the gem of a lifetime's collecting - a genuine Fabergé Easter egg, one of the jewelled toys of the Russian Imperial court and worth up to £10m - but a copy, worth at most £100,000, roughly twice its original price at auction.

Go to http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2288006,00.html for further information.

Diamond Rough Imitations

Jewelry Insurance Issues writes about new trends in prized uncut diamonds in jewelry + 4C's issues + the scams + other viewpoints @ http://jcrs.com/newsletters/2008/2008_05.htm

Useful link:
www.jcrs.com

Random Thoughts

Berkshire has a policy started in 1965, when I became involved, to acquire terrific companies run by terrific people. And then I don't have to do anything. But it's worked. We don't ever sell companies. A lot of private equity firms, they talk about buying something with an exit strategy. Well, we have an entrance strategy, but we have no exit strategy. The idea is to build and build and build, whether it's GEICO, whether it's Dairy Queen, whether it's, you name the company. We have 76 of them now. We trust our managers. They've earned that trust. They've delivered over the years, and we let them run their businesses. I take no credit for any of their successes, and I take no blame for any of their failures.

- Warren Buffett

Montreal Jazz Festival

The 29th annual festival, from June 26 - July 6, 2008, features 11 days of non-stop entertainment, from noon to midnight, right in the heart of downtown Montreal. It’s the summer celebration par excellence for people of all ages and origins, a cultural breath of fresh air, and a place for incredible musical discoveries with influence such as Jass, Blues, Latin-Jazz, Brazilian, Cuban, African, Reggae, Contemporary, Electronica ... It's the best in the world. You don't want to miss it!

Useful link:

www.montrealjazzfest.com

Spore Creature Creator

Electronic Arts has released the so-called Spore Creature Creator, which allows players to generate infinitely varied 3D critters and interact with them. It's fun.

Useful links:

www.ea.com

www.spore.com

Enhancing The Industry’s Capital Base

Chaim Even Zohar writes about the world's first listed polished diamond fund (approximately 60 percent of white diamonds + 40 percent of rare colored diamonds) + the impact + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

Useful links:
www.diapasoncm.com
www.ubs.com

If the business is successful, expect to see more copycats.

WALL-E

WALL-E is a 2008 computer animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. WALL-E is an acronym for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth Class. The film, which follows the romance between two robots in the future, is directed by Andrew Stanton, whose previous film, Finding Nemo, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Useful links:

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e

www.pixar.com

The creators at Pixar are indeed masters of their craft. Not only are they masters of the technology, they are masters of telling a story. Get up from your chair and go see the movie.

Living Flowers

Living Flowers: Ikebana and Contemporary Art exhibition (June 15, 2008–September 7, 2008) at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles, features arrangements from three Los Angeles ikebana schools with international cutting-edge works of art. A must-visit. The flower arrangements are beautiful.

Useful link:

www.janm.org

Gino Severini

Gino Severini was an Italian painter and a leading member of the Futurist movement. Throughout his career, Severini published important theoretical essays and books on art.

A sensational auction record was set when the stylized rendition of a dancer painted by the Italian Gino Severini in 1915 climbed to £15.04 million, making it the most expensive Futurist work ever auctioned. Sotheby's performance definitely illustrates the soaring vitality of the art market despite an ever darkening economic context.

Souren Melikian writes about Gino Severini's works @ http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/27/arts/melik27.php

Everything is in movement, everything rushes forward, everything is in constant swift change.
- Gino Severini

Useful link:
www.sothebys.com

India: The Emerging Giant

India: The Emerging Giant by Arvind Panagariya is an interesting book on India's economy and sheds light on one of the most successful experiments in economic development in modern history. Great read. India is not only the world's largest and fiercely independent democracy, but also an emerging economic giant. I think it is a definitive book on India.

India: The Emerging Giant provides a comprehensive and panoramic exposition of the twist and turns in India's economic policy over the last several decades. As Arvind Panagariya has so convincingly argued, open policies and rapid economic growth is the best antidote for poverty reduction. This scholarly yet readable book is the best riposte to those who have any doubts of the validity of Indian reforms. Nandan Nilekani, Co-Chairman, Infosys Technologies Limited

Useful link: http://www.columbia.edu/~ap2231

Bio House

Shusaku Arakawa + Madeline Gins's visionary, boundary-defying art and architecture incorporates a wide-range of disciplines including experimental biology, neuroscience, quantum physics, experimental phenomenology, and medicine. Architectural projects have included residences (Reversible Destiny Houses, Bioscleave House, Shidami Resource Recycling Model House), parks (Site of Reversible Destiny-Yoro) and plans for housing complexes and neighborhoods (Isle of Reversible Destiny-Venice and Isle of Reversible Destiny-Fukuoka, Sensorium City, Tokyo). A definite must-visit. The designs are brilliant.

Useful links:

www.reversibledestiny.org
http://video.wired.com/?fr_story=FRdamp280097&rf=bm

Online Art Auctions In India

According to Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder and director of Saffronart, online auctions have grown more than 10 times in the last five years due to larger access, better transparency, cost effectiveness and easy participation. Online auctions have also transformed the landscape of modern and contemporary Indian art opening a wide spectrum of art lovers. Go to www.saffronart.com for further information.

Good Monsoon + Good Harvest = Good Jewelry Business

Jewelers in West-central and North India are praying hard for a good monsoon and a good harvest to boost their businesses. If the monsoon is good, then the jewelry trade can expect a rise of 30 -35 % in gold sales in the November-December period. The jewelers believe that good rains increase farmers’ disposable income, which they traditionally invest in gold jewelry. The harvests coincide with marriage season and festivals such as Navratri, Dussera, and Diwali. India’s inflation has risen to 11.5% in June affecting almost all the markets in the country.

Building In Motion

Italian architect David Fisher has unveiled the so-called Dynamic Tower, the world's first building in motion, in Dubai, with a second version planned for Moscow, with other locations planned worldwide.

Useful links:
www.dynamicarchitecture.net
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7472559.stm

It's amazing. I liked the design. It's an innovative architecture by David Fisher, but would the self-powered rotating skyscraper work? I hope it's a win-win case.

Chocolate Genome Project

Mars has announced that it is to decode the genetic structure of the cocoa tree via the Chocolate Genome Project, a joint research project with the US Department of Agriculture and IT firm IBM. They believe understanding the tree's DNA could make crop production more resistant to pests, diseases, and water shortages that may come from a warming climate. The experts believe it would take approximately five years to sequence, assemble, annotate and analyze the cocoa genome; the information would be available before then, as it is gathered, through the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA). DNA sequence information would be publicly available for no charge and no information will be patented.

Useful links:
www.m-ms.com
www.usda.gov
www.pipra.org
www.watson.ibm.com
www.nri.org
www.jic.ac.uk

Atul Gawande

I found Atul Gawande's article on Itch @ http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/06/30/080630fa_fact_gawande/?currentPage=all educational and insightful. Itching is definitely a peculiar and diabolical sensation. What's amazing to me is despite centuries spent mapping the body’s nervous circuitry, we are still learning about the curious link between our brains and bodies.

The Colossus

According to José Luis Díez, the curator of 19th century art at Madrid's Prado Museum, the Colossus could have been painted by the little-known Asensio Juli, an assistant in Goya's workshop. Díez, who carried out a detailed analysis of the picture, claims the initials in the bottom left-hand corner read 'AJ'. Goya experts are split over the surprise claim. Go to www.museodelprado.es for further information.

Venezuelan Diamonds

The head of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) is calling on its 29 member bourses to avoid trading, directly or indirectly, in diamonds from Venezuela, after the South American country's declaration that it will suspend itself from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). Go to www.worldfed.com for further information.

One Perfect Day

One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding by Rebecca Mead is a fascinating book on the wedding industry. According to Mead, America's wedding industry exceeds $161 billion annually -- an enormous sum that suggests how much weddings have become not only big business, but big fantasy. In my view, it has become a global phenomenon.

Useful link:
www.rebeccamead.com

Hirschsprung Museum

The Hirschsprung Collection is beautifully situated in the green parklands of the Østre Anlæg on the old ramparts of Copenhagen. The museum houses Heinrich and Pauline Hirschsprung's collection of Danish art and first opened its doors to the public in the summer of 1911. The 20 Major Works provides information about many of the museum's premier works, including paintings from the Danish Golden Age and works by the Skagen painters and Danish Symbolists. A must-visit.

Useful link:
http://hirschsprung.dynamicweb.dk

Coulée de Serrant

Nicolas Joly is one of France's most polemical vignerons and one of its best: his Coulée de Serrant, from a plot first tended by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, ranks among the world's top whites. Despite high prices, this estate has no trouble selling its wines - demand far outstrips supply. A must-visit.

Useful link:

www.coulee-de-serrant.com

The Shack

The Shack by William P. Young is an interesting book. He has written a remarkable tale in a fictional form that will continue to inspire people for years to come, really.

Useful link:

www.theshackbook.com

Word-of-mouth phenomenon = Blockbuster

Inspiring Note

I found Jack Novia's Global Ethics 101 + his insights @ http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2008/tc20080624_622859.htm inspiring. At the end of the day it's a company's behavior that determines its value. How true!

Charmed Forever

The 3-dimensional charms made by A Charming Life is spectacular. They can be worn on a bracelet, a pendant or brooch, and it's a perfect gift for any occasion. I liked it.

Useful link:

www.a-charminglife.com

Reality Mining

According to Gregory Skibiski + Tony Jebara, co-founders of Sense Networks, Macrosense (the analytical tool) applies complex statistical algorithms to sift through the growing heaps of data about location and to make predictions or recommendations on various questions — where a company should put its next store, for example, or predict tourism (they can tell you how confident consumers are + tell retailers about their competitors, who’s coming in from particular neighborhoods). Other companies in reality mining include Inrix, a Microsoft spin-off + Path Intelligence (Britain).

Useful links:
www.sensenetworks.com
www.inrix.com
www.pathintelligence.com

I think the technological innovations are great but what worries me is the privacy issues.

Test Your Green-energy IQ

How much do you know about solar power? Test your green-energy IQ and learn some surprising truths @ http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/quiz/2008/jun/24/energy.usa

Le Bassin Aux Nympheas

A Claude Monet painting, Le Bassin Aux Nympheas, has been sold by Christies, London, for a record £40.9m. Painted in 1919 in Giverny in France it has been seen in public just once in the past 80 years. http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5100003

Useful link:

www.christies.com

Lives Per Gallon

Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction by Terry Tamminen is an interesting book on true price of petroleum and a prescription for change. Great read.

Terry Tamminen was former chief policy advisor for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger + he is the operating advisor to Pegasus Capital Investors + the Cullman Senior Fellow with the New America Foundation. He spends his time advising world leaders on how to design and implement climate-change solutions.

Useful links:
www.livespergallon.org
www.terrytamminen.com

Where To See Famous Diamonds

- Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History
www.mnh.si.edu

- Jewel House, Tower of London
www.hrp.org.uk

- Galerie d'Apollon, Louvre
www.louvre.fr

- Armoury Chamber, Kremlin
www.kremlin.museum.ru

- Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul
www.ee.bilkent.edu.tr

- Green Vault, Dresden Royal Palace, Dresden
www.skd-dresden.de

- Condé Museum, Château de Chantilly, Chantilly
www.chateaudechantilly.com

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer who is best known for elaborately staged, surreal scenes of American homes and neighborhoods. Kenneth R. Fletcher writes about the Crewdson's unique techniques or in-between moments @ http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/gregory-crewdson.html

It's just about trying to find something elusive and beautiful and mysterious in the world.
- Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson's pictures definitely look like paintings. Brilliant! I liked it.

Gallery Of Graphic Design

I found the gallery of graphic designs @ graphic-design.tjs-labs.com intriguing.

Doorways To Dreams Fund

I found Peter Tufano's financial innovation @ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5908.html educational and insightful.

Useful link:
www.d2dfund.org

The Krug Balloon

For a unique airborne + onboard 360-degree adventure-cum-experience, take the Krug balloon, the world's most expensive hot-air-balloon ride @ €50,000 = An unforgettable experience!

Useful links:
www.krug.com
www.lvmh.com

Expired

Expired is a 2008 comedy-drama film by Cecilia Miniucchi. A must-see film.

When you are trying to direct, they will tell you there are a lot of rules. Of course these rules are important, but in reality the way to tell a story is the way you would tell it to your friends in a cafe. And if you have a talent as a narrator, you will tell this story well. Otherwise all the technique in the world will never help you.
- Fellini

Useful links:
www.expiredthemovie.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expired
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488535

Random Thoughts

Wisdom is the art of knowing what to overlook.

- William James

Useful links:
http://wjsociety.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James

Distracted

Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age by Maggie Jackson is a thought-provoking book on the ability to focus in a distracted world. Great read.

Useful link:
http://maggie-jackson.com

I think the greatest casualty of our fluxed-up, high-tech age is attention.

The Diffusion Of Art Market

Economist writes about the diffusion of new riches around the globe and the current art market + the challenges @ http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/artview/displayStory.cfm?story_id=11605844

Five years ago, its millionaire buyers came from 36 countries. In 2007 that number rose to 58.
- Sothebys

Useful links:
www.sothebys.com
www.christies.com

How true!

IndiaMike

I found IndiaMike travel site informative and useful.

Useful link:
www.indiamike.com

In Odd We Trust

Dean Koontz’s first graphic novel, featuring a fry cook who can communicate with the dead, is out.

Useful link:
www.deankoontz.com

Laura Day

What exactly is Laura Day's expertise? Intuition. Anybody who can afford her will get 100 times their money's worth. Amazingly people believe in the value of psychic insights. It's a new frontier, really.

Useful link:
www.practicalintuition.com

Indian Jewelry Retailer

The article on Gitanjali and the Indian jewelry retail sector @ http://www.forbes.com/magazines/global/2008/0630/070.html was interesting. I think Mehul Choksi, who serves as chairman, really want to be the number one jewelry retailer in the world. Good luck!

Useful links:
www.gitanjaligroup.com
www.gili.com

Obsessive Branding Disorder

OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder: The Illusion of Business and the Business of Illusion by Lucas Conley explains how defenseless we are against advertisements. A different perspective.

Useful link:
Lucas Conley's Blog

Designs For Old Folks

One group that really needs community are the old folks, who don't get much attention from the wired world. I think young folks with expertise in building digital communities should help old folks connect to their families and friends. Since we have the technology and skills, what's required is simplicity and ease of use. Pay it forward.

Radioparadise

Radioparadise, which broadcasts an eclectic mix of modern, classic, and alternative rock, is commercial-free, supported entirely by donations from its listeners. A must-visit site.

Useful link:
www.radioparadise.com

Green Cemetry

Green cemetry offers families the opportunity to visit loved ones in a natural setting, to have them become part of the forest's nutrient base and to help ensure the forest remains free from development. It also offers people a place to visit. I think the green environment helps people to relieve the stressful situation. It's hard to imagine a nicer place to return your remains. I hope the concept becomes a popular choice across the world.

Useful link:
www.ecoeternity.com

Agustin Otegui

Agustin Otegui's futuristic concept called Nano Vent-Skin (NVS) and the design -- to wrap buildings in an organic lattice skin made up of micro wind turbines -- is brilliant. It's cutting-edge science + design + organic.

Useful links:
www.agustin-otegui.com
http://nanoventskin.blogspot.com

Random Thoughts

The most successful people in the business world, what they do best is manage people, or understand people, or know how to relate and deal with people. And that's what poker is all about—people.

- Tom McEvoy

Syngenta: The Innovative Company

Mac Margolis's interview with Mike Mack (CEO, Syngenta) @ http://www.newsweek.com/id/136231 was educational and insightful. I think Green Revolution 2.0 is overdue.

Useful link:
www.syngenta.com

Expressionale Berlin 2008

Berlin is the contemporary-art hub (world-class institutes + museums + 500 galleries+) of Europe. Amazingly it's the bohemian charm that draws artists to Berlin. The expressionist movement that characterizes the city's cosmopolitan feel is very much alive and engaging. Many of the works—by current as well as early 20th-century masters—are for sale, and at prices the average art lover can afford. A must-visit.

Useful link:
www.expressionale.de

Pay It Forward

Small-business owners are tapping the expertise of people they might not otherwise meet, especially those who live hundreds or thousands of miles away via online mentoring saving time by allowing people to quickly get to the point. For many mentors, who were previously mentored by others feel they need to pay it forward. Brilliant!

Useful links:
www.micromentor.org
www.mercycorps.org
www.score.org
www.imantri.com
www.aspeninstitute.org

Copenhagen Consensus Conference

I found the dispatch from the 2008 Copenhagen Consensus Conference interesting and insightful. I think the experts views should be discussed and challenged. Since we live in a world of scarce resources, how can we do the most good?

Useful link:
www.copenhagenconsensus.com

Royal Game Of Ur

(via Wiki) The Royal Game of Ur refers to two game boards found in Royal Tombs of Ur by Sir Leonard Woolley in the 1920s. The two boards date from the First Dynasty of Ur, before 2600 BC, thus making the Royal Game of Ur probably the oldest set of board gaming equipment ever found. One of the two boards is exhibited in the collections of the British Museum in London. A board game known with some certainty to be older than The Royal Game of Ur is the ancient Egyptian game Senet, the existence of which possibly dates as early as the 33rd century BC. Also, recent excavations of a sixty piece set in the "Burnt City" located in Iran has shown that a very similar board game existed five thousand years ago, slightly edging out the age of the Ur set. The Royal Game of Ur was played with two sets (one black and one white) of seven markers and three pyramidal dice. The rules of the game as it was played in Mesopotamia are not known but there is a reliable reconstruction of gameplay based on a cuneiform tablet of Babylonian origin dating from 177–176 BC. It is universally agreed that the Royal Game of Ur, like Senet, is a race game. Both games may be predecessors to the present-day backgammon. A grafitto version of the game was recently discovered scratched by Assyrian guards onto one of the human-headed winged bull gate sentinels from the palace of Sargon II (721 - 705 BC) in the city of Khorsabad, now in the British Museum in London. Similar games have since been discovered on other sculptures in other museums.

Useful links:
Irving Finkel: http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/about_us/staff/middle_east/irving_finkel.aspx
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815665,00.html

Iving Finkel is the world's foremost expert on the game.

Team Of Rivals

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a multiple biography of the entire team of personal and political competitors that Abraham Lincoln put together to lead America through its greatest crisis. A great read.

Useful link:
www.doriskearnsgoodwin.com

Vietnam Diamond Market

I found the article on the state of the diamond industry in Vietnam @ http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2008/06/789254 interesting.

Making and trading diamond jewellery proves to be profitable business. However, the fat profit made by companies is not mentioned, because this is always considered a ‘sensitive’ issue. The diamonds on sale in Vietnam come from different sources, and a big proportion of the diamonds come through unofficial channels.
How true!

Diamond Empowerment For Africa's Future

I think the new public service announcement by Russell Simmons' Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF), titled 'Diamond Empowerment for Africa's Future', is an excellent medium to educate consumers understand that diamonds do help Africans.

Useful links:
www.diamondempowerment.org
www.simmonsjewelryco.com
www.russellsimmons.com

First Stop In The New World

First Stop in the New World by David Lida is an in-depth study of Mexico city, from the high arts to the sex industry; from the dense jungle of urban politics to the interactions of everyday commerce; from one end of this five-hundred-square-mile city to the other.

Useful link:
http://davidlida.com

I think Mexico city is truly one of the world's greatest and misunderstood city on earth.

Graphic Novel Update

Rebecca Winters Keegan writes about Hollywood's insatiable appetite for comics-fueled materials + other viewpoints @ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1816487,00.html

Museum Of The Orient

The Museu do Oriente (Museum of the Orient) was opened in May by Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva and Prime Minister José Sócrates. In planning for nearly two decades, the $46.6 million facility was set up by the Fundação Oriente (Orient Foundation) — a Portuguese cultural organization established in the former colony of Macau in 1988 — and showcases a vast array of Asian artifacts on five floors in a magnificent Art Deco building along the Lisbon waterfront at Alcãntara. Among the Museu do Oriente's collections are many prominent pieces that have never been publicly exhibited, including rare crucifixes, snuff bottles, screens, ornaments, paintings and antiques from as far afield as East Timor, Japan, Goa, Korea and Macau (the latter meriting a section of its own). There is also a special exhibition devoted to Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto religious objects. But art experts and historians are most excited about the reappearance of a well-known collection that has not been shown publicly for many years...... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1815982,00.html

Useful link:
www.foriente.pt

Definitely a must-visit.

Club4Climate

Club4Climate has teamed up with the world leaders in environmentally sustainable dance clubs, Rotterdam’s Enviu/Doll and Sustainable Dance Club. Working on the basis that a club should be self sufficient and not a drain on the environment, the organisation has come up with the varied and interesting ways to be eco-friendly.

Useful links:
www.club4climate.com
www.sustainabledanceclub.com

Must be an interesting place to visit.

The Public Gallery

The Public, one of Britain’s largest and most ambitious cultural building projects, will open its doors on 28th + 29th June, 2008. A must-visit.

Useful links:
www.alsoparchitects.com
www.thepublic.com

Random Thoughts

Swarovski produces glass, but sells it as if it were diamonds. We produce diamonds, but sell it as if it were glass.

- Sergei Vybornov
President, Alrosa

The Three Industry Wild Cards

Chaim Even Zohar writes about Nicky Oppenheimer, Sergei Vybornov and Ian Khama + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

Useful links:
www.debeersgroup.com
http://eng.alrosa.ru
www.debswana.com
www.monitor.com
www.bedia.co.bw

How true!

Random Thoughts

I always feel pressure. If you don't feel nervous, that means you don't care about how you play. I care about how I perform. I've always said the day I'm not nervous playing is the day I quit.

- Tiger Woods
www.tigerwoods.com

He was spot on.

Rembrandt's Laughing Portrait

According to William Noortman (Noortman Master Paintings), who specializes in Dutch and Flemish masters, 'Rembrandt Laughing' — bought for a bargain price of $4.5 million at an English auction house in October — a self-portrait by the Dutch master himself, depicted with his head tilted back in easygoing laughter, could be worth $30 million to $40 million.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080619/ap_en_ot/art_rembrandt_laughing

Useful links:
www.noortman.com
www.rembrandthuis.nl

If it's real, then it's a rare opportunity.

Gemlab Update

I found the latest research newsletter from GemLab @ http://www.gemlab.net/website/gemlab/fileadmin/user_upload/Research/Gemlab-Newsletter-06-2008.pdf educational and interesting.

Useful link:
www.gemlab.net

Managing Price Increases

John Quelch offers tips on how marketers can cope with inflation and consumer sticker shock @ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5957.html

Useful link:
Marketing Know: How

Brilliant!

Coral Reefs + Economic Value

The World Resources Institute, in collaboration with government and NGO partners in St. Lucia, Tobago and Belize, has developed an economic valuation methodology to quantify the value of coral reefs in the Caribbean more accurately. The methodology supports the evaluation of trade-offs, thereby highlighting the management and development paths which protect coral reefs, and maximize the economic contribution of coral reefs to the economy.

Useful link:
www.wri.org

Knowledge + sustainable planning = Long-term economic potential

Jewelry Camp

The Antique Jewelry and Art Conference will be held on July 11 - 13, 2008, at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. Speakers include Diana Singer, Christie Romero, Michael Goldstein, Gus Davis, Ben Macklowe, Tom Burstein of Harry Winston, Joyce Jonas to name a few. Don't miss it.

Useful links:
www.jewelrycamp.org
www.appraisers.org

Recession Proof Shoppers

I found the article on research-proof shoppers @ http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/apparelretail/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003813502 intriguing. What drives women to buy expensive goods? I guess it must be quality, designs, service, prestige, success and confidence.

Useful links:
www.elle.com
www.brandweek.com
www.surveysampling.com

Cyd Charisse

Cyd Charisse, a former co-star of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, has died in Los Angeles aged 87. She sang and danced with legends Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, and Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings.

Useful links:
www.humorinthenews.com/cyd
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001998

Fred Astaire described Cyd Charisse as beautiful dynamite. I think he was spot on. She will be dearly missed.

Design Thinking

Tim Brown is a British-born designer who is now CEO of the design group called Ideo, based in Silicon Valley California. He has a fascinating article, in the June Harvard Business Review, urging organisations to embrace what he calls Design Thinking.

Useful links:
www.ideo.com
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/357
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking

Skoll World Forum

(via BBC) Every year the Said Business School at Oxford University hosts the Skoll Forum for Social Entrepreneurs, a wonderful meeting place of famous and not so famous practitioners and beneficiaries. It happens in Oxford, England, because this ancient university is where the Foundation’s founder Jeff Skoll established a department that actually teaches social entrepreneurship to business school students. He made a fortune out of in at the founding of the Internet Auction site eBay. Now he is trying to encourage more social entrepreneurship, and to get more innovation out of it. The Skoll Forum is an exhilarating place, noisy with ideas.

Useful links:
www.skollworldforum.com
www.skollfoundation.org
www.sbs.ox.ac.uk
www.ashoka.org
www.camfed.org
www.mobileactive.org
www.gatesfoundation.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Skoll

Amanda Ripley

Amanda Ripley's book, The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes — and Why explains how the brain works in disasters — and how we can learn to do better.

Useful link:
www.amandaripley.com

A must-read.

Spencer Tunick

Spencer Tunick is an American photographer. He is best known for his installations that feature large numbers of nude people posed in artistic formations. His installations are often situated in urban locations throughout the world.

Recently more than 1,000 people took part in a Spencer Tunick installation, which took place at Blarney Castle in Cork in southern Ireland. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7460005.stm

Useful link:
www.spencertunick.com

It must be an extraordinary experience.

New Graphic Designs From China

3030: New Graphic Design in China, edited by Hong Kong designer Javin Mo, is an interesting work (theoretical + experimental) that brings together the work of 30 designers from mainland China + their viewpoints.

Useful links:
www.3030press.com
www.milkxhake.org

Fancy Colored Diamonds Education

I found the website www.fancydiamonds.net on fancy colored diamonds educational and informative. A must-visit.

Bottlemania

Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte is an informative book on an entire industry. A must-read.

I think the answer lies in marketing. Though environmentally destructive, old habits die hard.

The House of Viktor & Rolf

A new exhibition showcasing the work of Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf opens on 18 June till 21 September 2008 @ the Barbican Art Gallery. A must-visit.

Useful links:
www.viktor-rolf.com
www.barbican.org.uk

New Yorker Interview

Ken Auletta's interview with Eric Schmidt, the chairman and C.E.O. of Google, in San Francisco on June 11, 2008 @ http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/2008/06/16/080616_auletta/ was educational and insightful.

Green Market Geography

I found the paper written by Matthew Kahn + Ryan Vaughn on Green Market Geography (pdf) very interesting. What's amazing to me is that most people I know who are aware of green economics do not make sound changes at home. Why? I still don't know.

Useful link:
www.zimancenter.com

A Roman Glass

A glass d20 from Roman times was sold by Christies in 2003. What's intriguing is the unique markings on it, and the experts haven't established the game for which these dice were used.

Useful link:
www.christies.com

Green Beads As Amulets.....For Luck

I found the study by researchers at the National Academy of Sciences on lucky beads worn by early agriculturalists @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7457755.stm intriguing.

Useful link:
www.pnas.org

We propose that the green colour mimics the green of young leaf blades, which signify germination and embody the wish for successful crops and for success in fertility.
- PNAS

How true!

The Chinese Affluent + Brand Preference

According to surveys conducted by MasterCard Worldwide, the affluent mainland Chinese consumers preferred jewelry brands were (1) Chow Tai Fook (2) Cartier (3) Chow Sang Sang + Hong Kong remained the most preferred shopping location.

Useful links:
www.chowtaifook.com
www.cartier.com
www.chowsangsang.com
www.mastercard.com

I think disposable income, product knowledge, education, and travel may have helped the affluent mainland Chinese to understand the difference between quality and brand.

India's Next Wave

William Nobrega has an interesting overview on India's media and entertainment, private education, infrastructure, renewable energy companies and the rapidly growing middle class @ http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jun2008/gb20080612_463518.htm?chan=search

Useful link:
www.conradgroupinc.com

Innovative solutions = Increased demand = Growth

Art + Design Scenes

The definitive, easy-to-use guide to the art and design scenes in Tokyo (Tokyo Art Beat) + New York (NY Art Beat). A must-visit.

Useful links:
www.tokyoartbeat.com
www.nyartbeat.com

Random Thoughts

Real leaders touch people. They get in their skin, filling their hearts with inspiration, courage, and hope. In the future, the best leaders will combine touch with the ability to quickly sort, assess, and seize the power of all the ideas the Internet brings and the voices it unleashes. And that will change business for everyone.

- Jack + Suzy Welch
www.welchway.com