New Documentaries

Great storytelling indeed. Thanks Chloe Veltman for sharing the info. The Talbot Players’ Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders + Katherine Bruens’s Corner Store + David Silberberg’s Oh My God! It’s Harrod Blank! were brilliant.

Useful links:
www.chloeveltman.com
www.talbotplayers.com
www.thecornerdocumentary.org
www.d4doc.com

Consumer Wine Awards

Katy Mclaughlin's opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about new approaches in wine tasting was interesting/insightful. Thanks Katy. My view is enjoy the wines the way an ordinary consumer would. Period.

Useful links:
www.lodiwineawards.com
www.consumerwineawards.com
www.santasti.com
http://nextgenwinecomp.info

Random Thoughts

The show is really about you. Your interior world, your childhood memories, your fears, your dreams.

- Bartabas
http://zingaro.fr

Spot on.

Modernism Week

Modern design and architecture. The 5th Annual Modernism Week will take place February 12 - 21, 2010 at Palm Springs, California. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.modernismweek.com
www.psmuseum.org

Education Report India

India's state of education report via ASER was interesting/insightful.

Useful link:
www.asercentre.org

Terry Leahy Viewpoints

Terry Leahy’s insightful management lessons were brilliant. Thanks Megan Coniff for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.tesco.com
http://blog.nrf.com

Michael Reagan

Portraits of the fallen: Distinctive portraits of British, US and Canadian service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan - created by artist Michael Reagan - have gone on display at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington DC. Don't miss.

Useful links:
www.michaelgreaganartist.com
www.arlingtoncemetery.org

The Real Van Gogh

The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters opens at the Royal Academy of Arts on January 23, 2010. Don't miss.

Useful link:
www.royalacademy.org.uk

Pink Panthers Story

Matt McAllester's report in the GlobalPost about Pink Panthers, the jewel thieves from the Balkans was interesting. Amazing story indeed.

Useful links:
www.mcallester.com
www.interpol.int

Clayton Mathile Project

Clayton Mathile's Aileron is a new kind of business school. It's an extraordinary story. He not only understands small business, but also shares his passion to train the small guys to become successful entrepreneurs. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.aileron.org

Twilight: The Graphic Novel

The first volume of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight will be published on March 16, 2010. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.stepheniemeyer.com

Robert Voit

Eye-catching photographs. The new trees were simply funny.

Useful link:
www.robertvoit.com

Ron Arad Viewpoints

Ron Arad's designs are beautiful and functional. Period.

Useful links:
www.ronarad.com
www.benbrownfinearts.com
www.barbican.org.uk

Random Thoughts

Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design, and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.

- Wilson A Bentley
http://snowflakebentley.com
www.hammergallery.com
Weather Basics - Snowflakes

So true!

Exit Through The Gift Shop

It has been reported that Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop will have its world premiere at the Sundance festival on January 24, 2010. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.banksy.co.uk
http://festival.sundance.org/2010

Caravaggio

Caravaggio exhibit will be open at the Scuderie del Quirinale from February 20 through June 13, 2010. Don't miss. http://english.scuderiequirinale.it

CIBJO Update

CIBJO has launched a new commission, CIBJO Association Executive Networking Commission (CAENCOM), for the purpose of developing and facilitating networking strategies within the CIBJO community. All the best.

Useful links:
www.cibjo.org
www.canadianjewellers.com

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

Chaim was spot on. I think natural and synthetic diamonds will eventually become complementary products offered by most diamond dealers, including producers. Signs of the times I guess.

Useful links:
www.diamondintelligence.com
www.mine-diamonds.com
www.royalasscher.com
www.internationaldiamondcouncil.org
www.cen.eu/CENORM/sectors/TechnicalCommitteesWorkshops/workshops/ws47-diams.asp
www.cibjo.org
www.wfdb.com
www.idma.net

Art Market Update

Old Master sales are driven far more by supply than by demand. Artists who lived centuries ago are not going to produce any more work. Museums rarely sell their holdings and almost never let go of top-quality pieces. So the Old Master market is fed largely by private collectors. When markets are riding high, some can be persuaded to sell. But when times are rough, why not sit and wait? After all, Old Masters tend to be long-term holdings, handed down from generation to generation—what difference can it make to wait another year? Prices might go up.

- Economist
www.economist.com

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

So true!

Ushahidi

Ushahidi is a great toolkit to collect & visualize information. Check it out.

Useful link:
http://ushahidi.com