Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman): What happened to the old bank? It was beautiful.
Guard: People kept robbing it.
Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman): Small price to pay for beauty.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Why Color Matters
Here is an interesting perspective on color and products. I don't know if it works for colored stones but there are similarities. Again, beauty and color is in the eye of the beholder.
Jim Howard, Heather Kirk and Chris Howard writes:
We’re conditioned to notice color. It’s one of the first things we notice on products or materials. The way we view those colors psychologically triggers how we feel and think. They even influence us to buy.
Your color choice will project a message about your business. When designing a brand, it makes sense to use color to establish a perceived image based on the way that color is perceived. That’s good marketing.
Think about some of the top brands. When you picture IBM, Wal-Mart or HP, do you see blue? When you think of a Target store, do you see the red bulls-eye? With American Express, you automatically see green. When you think of McDonald’s, don’t you see those yellow arches with the red sign?
Those colors were not chosen by accident. IBM represents business. American Express is all about money. McDonald’s wants to get your emotions stimulated and make you hungry. They know their target market.
What emotions are you stirring with your brand? Are they the right emotions to reach your target audience? You don’t want to waste time and money by overlooking the message you are conveying with color.
Here’s a list of frequently used colors and how people generally associate them:
WHITE – White is associated with innocence, purity, peace and contentment. It’s considered clean and sterile. It’s cool and refreshing. White can have a calming, stabilizing influence.
BLACK – Black is the ultimate power color. It suggests strength, potency, authority, boldness, seriousness, stability and elegance. It’s distinguished and classic, great for creating drama. Black has more weight than other colors. Too much can be ominous.
GRAY or SILVER – Gray can be associated with conservative qualities and considered traditional. Business-wise, it symbolizes high tech and suggests authority, practicality, earnestness and creativity.
GOLD – Gold suggests wealth. It’s considered to be very classy.
BLUE – Blue is the favorite color of many businesses. It suggests sanctuary and fiscal responsibility. It inspires confidence. It is the most popular and second most powerful color. Darker shades are authoritative. Dark and bright blues represent trust, security, faithfulness and dignity. Paler shades can imply freshness and cleanliness, although they can imply weakness.
RED – Red stimulates many kinds of appetites. Red commands attention, alerts us and creates a sense of urgency. It’s considered the sexiest of all colors. Red symbolizes heat, fire, blood, love, warmth, power, excitement, energy, strength, passion, vitality, risk, danger and aggressiveness. Financially, it’s associated with debt.
YELLOW – Yellow is the sunshine hue and is a spiritual color. Yellow represents a warning, but it can also bring happiness and warmth. The most preferred yellows are the creamy and warm ones. Bright yellow can be irritable to the eye in large quantities. Yellow speeds metabolism. It’s often used to highlight or draw attention.
GREEN – People associate green with the color of money, as well as nature. Olive greens are associated with health and freshness — a good choice for environmental concerns. Green suggests fertility, freedom, healing and tranquility. Green represents jealousy. Businesses use it to communicate status and wealth. Green is a calming, refreshing color that is very easy on the eyes.
BROWN – Brown is associated with nature and the earth. Dark browns represent wood or leather. Brown and shades of cream are associated with warmth and coziness. Brown suggests richness, politeness, helpfulness and effectiveness. It is solid, credible, mature and reliable. Light brown implies genuineness.
ORANGE – Orange is associated with vibrancy and the tropics, as well as warmth and contentment. It can instill a sense of fun and excitement. It implies health. It suggests pleasure, cheer, endurance, generosity and ambition. It can make an expensive product seem more affordable. It appeals to a wide range of people, both male and female.
PINK – Pink is considered to be a very feminine color. It represents gentleness, romance, well being and innocence.
PURPLE – Purple represents royalty and luxury. In darker shades, it’s considered a wealthy color. It suggests spirituality and sophistication. In paler shades, such as lavender, it’s feminine and romantic.
When determining the color choice for your brand, be sure to ask yourself if the color adds or detracts from your message and use these tips to help rocket you to success.
More info @ http://www.expertbusinesssource.com/article/CA6442504.html?industryid=46177
Jim Howard, Heather Kirk and Chris Howard writes:
We’re conditioned to notice color. It’s one of the first things we notice on products or materials. The way we view those colors psychologically triggers how we feel and think. They even influence us to buy.
Your color choice will project a message about your business. When designing a brand, it makes sense to use color to establish a perceived image based on the way that color is perceived. That’s good marketing.
Think about some of the top brands. When you picture IBM, Wal-Mart or HP, do you see blue? When you think of a Target store, do you see the red bulls-eye? With American Express, you automatically see green. When you think of McDonald’s, don’t you see those yellow arches with the red sign?
Those colors were not chosen by accident. IBM represents business. American Express is all about money. McDonald’s wants to get your emotions stimulated and make you hungry. They know their target market.
What emotions are you stirring with your brand? Are they the right emotions to reach your target audience? You don’t want to waste time and money by overlooking the message you are conveying with color.
Here’s a list of frequently used colors and how people generally associate them:
WHITE – White is associated with innocence, purity, peace and contentment. It’s considered clean and sterile. It’s cool and refreshing. White can have a calming, stabilizing influence.
BLACK – Black is the ultimate power color. It suggests strength, potency, authority, boldness, seriousness, stability and elegance. It’s distinguished and classic, great for creating drama. Black has more weight than other colors. Too much can be ominous.
GRAY or SILVER – Gray can be associated with conservative qualities and considered traditional. Business-wise, it symbolizes high tech and suggests authority, practicality, earnestness and creativity.
GOLD – Gold suggests wealth. It’s considered to be very classy.
BLUE – Blue is the favorite color of many businesses. It suggests sanctuary and fiscal responsibility. It inspires confidence. It is the most popular and second most powerful color. Darker shades are authoritative. Dark and bright blues represent trust, security, faithfulness and dignity. Paler shades can imply freshness and cleanliness, although they can imply weakness.
RED – Red stimulates many kinds of appetites. Red commands attention, alerts us and creates a sense of urgency. It’s considered the sexiest of all colors. Red symbolizes heat, fire, blood, love, warmth, power, excitement, energy, strength, passion, vitality, risk, danger and aggressiveness. Financially, it’s associated with debt.
YELLOW – Yellow is the sunshine hue and is a spiritual color. Yellow represents a warning, but it can also bring happiness and warmth. The most preferred yellows are the creamy and warm ones. Bright yellow can be irritable to the eye in large quantities. Yellow speeds metabolism. It’s often used to highlight or draw attention.
GREEN – People associate green with the color of money, as well as nature. Olive greens are associated with health and freshness — a good choice for environmental concerns. Green suggests fertility, freedom, healing and tranquility. Green represents jealousy. Businesses use it to communicate status and wealth. Green is a calming, refreshing color that is very easy on the eyes.
BROWN – Brown is associated with nature and the earth. Dark browns represent wood or leather. Brown and shades of cream are associated with warmth and coziness. Brown suggests richness, politeness, helpfulness and effectiveness. It is solid, credible, mature and reliable. Light brown implies genuineness.
ORANGE – Orange is associated with vibrancy and the tropics, as well as warmth and contentment. It can instill a sense of fun and excitement. It implies health. It suggests pleasure, cheer, endurance, generosity and ambition. It can make an expensive product seem more affordable. It appeals to a wide range of people, both male and female.
PINK – Pink is considered to be a very feminine color. It represents gentleness, romance, well being and innocence.
PURPLE – Purple represents royalty and luxury. In darker shades, it’s considered a wealthy color. It suggests spirituality and sophistication. In paler shades, such as lavender, it’s feminine and romantic.
When determining the color choice for your brand, be sure to ask yourself if the color adds or detracts from your message and use these tips to help rocket you to success.
More info @ http://www.expertbusinesssource.com/article/CA6442504.html?industryid=46177
An Unusual Gem Deposit (Man-Made) at Pallebedda, Sri Lanka
An intriguing tale from Sri Lanka. Gemstones are full of surprises and the ones with accumulated luck and knowledge always find them.
(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.28, No.1, Jan 2002) M D P L Francis and P G R Dharmaratne writes:
Abstract
An unusual gem deposit (man-made) lies in the remote village of Pallebedda in Sri Lanka. This deposit is known as ‘walankatu illama’ which lies within the bund or embankment of an abandoned tank called Kandiyapalle (alias Bisokotuwa). Second rate material from a jewelry industry of ancient times was included probably at the time of its construction. This deposit contains many archaeological artifacts including many varieties of beads, rough gems, gem carvings, glass and coins, but it is mined by villagers mainly for the precious stones because they cab be most easily marketed.
Introduction
Sri Lanka is renowned for its wide variety of fine quality gemstones such as sapphire, ruby, chrysoberyl, alexandrite, spinel and beryl. Most of these gems are found as alluvial deposits in ancient buried or existing stream beds and low-lying areas. There are several primary outcrop deposits but the gems found in them are commonly not of the best quality, other than those found at the moonstone deposit of Meetiyagoda.
Gem deposits in Sri Lanka are classified according to their distance of transportation from the source, by the shapes and sizes of the rock and mineral fragments found. Gem bearing beds where angular minerals and rocks have been deposited in situ are named as residual gem deposits. Gem bearing layers found on the hill slopes with minerals and rock fragments that are semi-rounded or rounded are termed eluvial gem deposits. The third type of gem deposit is alluvial, which is by far the most prevalent in Sri Lanka. These deposits generally lie in old stream beds, far away from their sources and are characterized by the presence of well rounded heavy minerals, indicating longer distances of transportation.
In Sri Lanka there is currently no scientific approach towards gem exploration. Established gem miners who can afford to invest in land, to purchase a license to prospect for gems and other expenses, always follow the trails of illicit gem miners. Some people find gems during their day-to-day activities such as construction of a well or while ploughing their farmlands. However, the type of gem deposit to be discussed in this paper is somewhat different to the three kinds of deposit outlined above.
Along the Ratnapura-Embilipitiya road, 21 km from Embilipitiya, is a village of Pallebedda, a gem trading center, which has existed since ancient times. Six km north east of Pallebedda is the small village of Galpaya, with an abandoned tank named Kandiyapalle alias Bisokotuwa Wewa. The bund (embankment) which encloses the tank contains hidden treasure consisting of a variety of gems, beads, and carvings made of different materials. These artifacts and gems occur in a layer in the bund, 60 to 180 cm thick, which local people call ‘walankatu illama’. In Sinhalese, ‘walankatu’ refers to pieces of earthenware and ‘illama’ refers to gem deposit. The artifacts beat witness to how knowledgeable the ancient civilization of Sri Lanka was and to their standard of living. The gem carvings exhibit the most intricate and delicate workmanship and provide evidence of a sophisticated technology of the time.
Historical records
According to several authors there is evidence that this area was once a flourishing agricultural village. R L Brohier, Surveyor General during colonial times, describes this tank with reference to a Mr Collins and a Mr Mitford who was Assistant Government Agent, Sabaragamuva Province in 1848. According to the quotes this tank was quite beautiful at the time and had watered nearly a thousand acres of paddy fields. There is an ancient stone pillar situated in the village with an inscription dating to the tenth century A.D which indicates that the village was called Girimandula. It is not certain as to who built the tank but according to folklore the builder was King Vijayabahu I (1055-1110).
Materials found
For the villager, ‘walankatu illama’ is merelya gem deposit, unique because artifacts were found among the buried potsherds. This deposit is located along the tank bund that extends for more than 3.2 km (two miles). At a depth of 60 to 120 cm from the top surface lies the layer called the ‘walankatu illama’ with an abundance of potsherds. The thickness of the layer ranges from 60 to 180 cm. The layer is easily identified and the material is washed as usual in large wicker baskets to extract the gem material. A general idea as to the percentage of the earthenware material contained in the illama can be formed from the heaps of debris found in the vicinity of the washing sites. The miners are interested only in the gems, carvings and beads that fetch high prices. The highest prices are obtained for gems such sapphire, geuda, pushparaga (yellow sapphire), chrysoberyl, etc. Even among these gems there are instances of finding stones with drill holes to indicate that they were once discarded as valueless, owing to imperfections detected during the process of drilling. Other than these, various kinds of objects have been found within the area, and these include many kinds of beads, clay utensils, glass bangles, stone cameos, intaglios, coins and bones.
The illama contains many types of large and small beads in a variety of shapes. These include, glass, carnelian, agate, amethyst, terracotta, garnet, feldspar, rock crystal, chrysoberyl and zircon. These stones are called ‘mukkaru gal’ by the villagers, because most have drill holes which identify them as the raw material of a trade practiced for a living by a segment of society known as mukkaru. The most sought after beads (mukkaru gal) were the beads made of gem materials such as conrundum or amethyst.
At this site agate beads and clear glass beads have also been found in large quantities. According to archaeological dating, clear glass was made at a later date than colored glass. As in many other places, carnelian beads of many shapes and sizes found at this site are believed to be from India. Pieces of beads broken during production, unfinished beads and discarded second-rate material suggest that there had been jewelry workshops here during ancient times.
Terracotta beads of various shapes and sizes are very common, the majority being disc-shaped; the larger ones are embedded with a tiny copper wire to strengthen the bead—an example of the ingenuity of the ancient craftsmen.
Almost all the beads show clear evidence of how they were drilled. The abrasion marks indicate that they were drilled from both ends to meet in the middle, and commonly this resulted in a slight disorientation in the center.
The question arises as to how they drilled tiny holes through these very hard substances. Some are of the opinion that emery powder and iron drill bits were used. If this is the case, how were the hard materials like sapphires drilled? Even for other gem species, it could have taken a very long time using this method to drill a single bead. Large numbers of beads found in the area suggest that the drillers were experts. Is it possible that they could have used diamond drill bits exported from India for the purpose of drilling? According to Henry Parker the bow-driven drill was familiar to locals in Sri Lanka from the second century B C onwards. So it is a fair assumption that they used this type of drill along with diamond drill bits to drill with ease large quantities of beads and to cope with the harder gems such as sapphire. A number of stones of hard materials such as sapphire and spinel that contain multiple drill holes of the same gauge or different gauges have been found. This could have happened as a result of testing the gauges of drill bits on these stones.
The most interesting materials found in this deposit are not the beads or the clay utensils but the most intricately carved cameos and intaglios. These carvings are mostly in materials such as carnelian, rock crystal and colored glasses, and very rarely in other types of material—one such rare type is chrysoberyl. Some carvings depict a cow in a seated position and three cows carved are similar to an ancient painting of an Egyptian goddess. The human figures carved are of both males and females. The female figures are mainly of dancers and of semi-nude woman meant to be either a dancer or more probably a goddess adorned with masks. Male figures include a hunter with his weapon and a dead animal, a seated Buddha in meditation and a man dragging a child bound with ropes, scratched on rock crystal (wessantara jataka, a parable of Buddhism).
Conclusion
These materials are much older than the date of construction of the dam, and this layer found within the dam was the fill material for the bund excavated from the nearby ancient work sites, where the clay utensils, beads and other carvings were manufactured. According to many experts, the materials can be dated from the first to the twelfth century A D. Therefore the assumption is that at the time the mukkaru people lived and worked in this vicinity in large numbers. The artifacts are of very good craftsmanship although they were made using the most primitive methods and instruments. In terms of the intricacy of the carvings and the quality of the drill holes in the sapphire they are not inferior to today’s standards. They are also remarkable aesthetically.
This is an unusual gem deposit because it contains artifacts that had been once discarded by people who were only interested in gems of value (precious material). Sometimes a villager who has found a carved artifact of a precious stone may try to erase the carving by grinding it on a lap to make a faceted gem. This would find a more ready market than the carvings, which are considered as archaeological artifacts and cannot be sold on the open market.
(via Journal of Gemmology, Vol.28, No.1, Jan 2002) M D P L Francis and P G R Dharmaratne writes:
Abstract
An unusual gem deposit (man-made) lies in the remote village of Pallebedda in Sri Lanka. This deposit is known as ‘walankatu illama’ which lies within the bund or embankment of an abandoned tank called Kandiyapalle (alias Bisokotuwa). Second rate material from a jewelry industry of ancient times was included probably at the time of its construction. This deposit contains many archaeological artifacts including many varieties of beads, rough gems, gem carvings, glass and coins, but it is mined by villagers mainly for the precious stones because they cab be most easily marketed.
Introduction
Sri Lanka is renowned for its wide variety of fine quality gemstones such as sapphire, ruby, chrysoberyl, alexandrite, spinel and beryl. Most of these gems are found as alluvial deposits in ancient buried or existing stream beds and low-lying areas. There are several primary outcrop deposits but the gems found in them are commonly not of the best quality, other than those found at the moonstone deposit of Meetiyagoda.
Gem deposits in Sri Lanka are classified according to their distance of transportation from the source, by the shapes and sizes of the rock and mineral fragments found. Gem bearing beds where angular minerals and rocks have been deposited in situ are named as residual gem deposits. Gem bearing layers found on the hill slopes with minerals and rock fragments that are semi-rounded or rounded are termed eluvial gem deposits. The third type of gem deposit is alluvial, which is by far the most prevalent in Sri Lanka. These deposits generally lie in old stream beds, far away from their sources and are characterized by the presence of well rounded heavy minerals, indicating longer distances of transportation.
In Sri Lanka there is currently no scientific approach towards gem exploration. Established gem miners who can afford to invest in land, to purchase a license to prospect for gems and other expenses, always follow the trails of illicit gem miners. Some people find gems during their day-to-day activities such as construction of a well or while ploughing their farmlands. However, the type of gem deposit to be discussed in this paper is somewhat different to the three kinds of deposit outlined above.
Along the Ratnapura-Embilipitiya road, 21 km from Embilipitiya, is a village of Pallebedda, a gem trading center, which has existed since ancient times. Six km north east of Pallebedda is the small village of Galpaya, with an abandoned tank named Kandiyapalle alias Bisokotuwa Wewa. The bund (embankment) which encloses the tank contains hidden treasure consisting of a variety of gems, beads, and carvings made of different materials. These artifacts and gems occur in a layer in the bund, 60 to 180 cm thick, which local people call ‘walankatu illama’. In Sinhalese, ‘walankatu’ refers to pieces of earthenware and ‘illama’ refers to gem deposit. The artifacts beat witness to how knowledgeable the ancient civilization of Sri Lanka was and to their standard of living. The gem carvings exhibit the most intricate and delicate workmanship and provide evidence of a sophisticated technology of the time.
Historical records
According to several authors there is evidence that this area was once a flourishing agricultural village. R L Brohier, Surveyor General during colonial times, describes this tank with reference to a Mr Collins and a Mr Mitford who was Assistant Government Agent, Sabaragamuva Province in 1848. According to the quotes this tank was quite beautiful at the time and had watered nearly a thousand acres of paddy fields. There is an ancient stone pillar situated in the village with an inscription dating to the tenth century A.D which indicates that the village was called Girimandula. It is not certain as to who built the tank but according to folklore the builder was King Vijayabahu I (1055-1110).
Materials found
For the villager, ‘walankatu illama’ is merelya gem deposit, unique because artifacts were found among the buried potsherds. This deposit is located along the tank bund that extends for more than 3.2 km (two miles). At a depth of 60 to 120 cm from the top surface lies the layer called the ‘walankatu illama’ with an abundance of potsherds. The thickness of the layer ranges from 60 to 180 cm. The layer is easily identified and the material is washed as usual in large wicker baskets to extract the gem material. A general idea as to the percentage of the earthenware material contained in the illama can be formed from the heaps of debris found in the vicinity of the washing sites. The miners are interested only in the gems, carvings and beads that fetch high prices. The highest prices are obtained for gems such sapphire, geuda, pushparaga (yellow sapphire), chrysoberyl, etc. Even among these gems there are instances of finding stones with drill holes to indicate that they were once discarded as valueless, owing to imperfections detected during the process of drilling. Other than these, various kinds of objects have been found within the area, and these include many kinds of beads, clay utensils, glass bangles, stone cameos, intaglios, coins and bones.
The illama contains many types of large and small beads in a variety of shapes. These include, glass, carnelian, agate, amethyst, terracotta, garnet, feldspar, rock crystal, chrysoberyl and zircon. These stones are called ‘mukkaru gal’ by the villagers, because most have drill holes which identify them as the raw material of a trade practiced for a living by a segment of society known as mukkaru. The most sought after beads (mukkaru gal) were the beads made of gem materials such as conrundum or amethyst.
At this site agate beads and clear glass beads have also been found in large quantities. According to archaeological dating, clear glass was made at a later date than colored glass. As in many other places, carnelian beads of many shapes and sizes found at this site are believed to be from India. Pieces of beads broken during production, unfinished beads and discarded second-rate material suggest that there had been jewelry workshops here during ancient times.
Terracotta beads of various shapes and sizes are very common, the majority being disc-shaped; the larger ones are embedded with a tiny copper wire to strengthen the bead—an example of the ingenuity of the ancient craftsmen.
Almost all the beads show clear evidence of how they were drilled. The abrasion marks indicate that they were drilled from both ends to meet in the middle, and commonly this resulted in a slight disorientation in the center.
The question arises as to how they drilled tiny holes through these very hard substances. Some are of the opinion that emery powder and iron drill bits were used. If this is the case, how were the hard materials like sapphires drilled? Even for other gem species, it could have taken a very long time using this method to drill a single bead. Large numbers of beads found in the area suggest that the drillers were experts. Is it possible that they could have used diamond drill bits exported from India for the purpose of drilling? According to Henry Parker the bow-driven drill was familiar to locals in Sri Lanka from the second century B C onwards. So it is a fair assumption that they used this type of drill along with diamond drill bits to drill with ease large quantities of beads and to cope with the harder gems such as sapphire. A number of stones of hard materials such as sapphire and spinel that contain multiple drill holes of the same gauge or different gauges have been found. This could have happened as a result of testing the gauges of drill bits on these stones.
The most interesting materials found in this deposit are not the beads or the clay utensils but the most intricately carved cameos and intaglios. These carvings are mostly in materials such as carnelian, rock crystal and colored glasses, and very rarely in other types of material—one such rare type is chrysoberyl. Some carvings depict a cow in a seated position and three cows carved are similar to an ancient painting of an Egyptian goddess. The human figures carved are of both males and females. The female figures are mainly of dancers and of semi-nude woman meant to be either a dancer or more probably a goddess adorned with masks. Male figures include a hunter with his weapon and a dead animal, a seated Buddha in meditation and a man dragging a child bound with ropes, scratched on rock crystal (wessantara jataka, a parable of Buddhism).
Conclusion
These materials are much older than the date of construction of the dam, and this layer found within the dam was the fill material for the bund excavated from the nearby ancient work sites, where the clay utensils, beads and other carvings were manufactured. According to many experts, the materials can be dated from the first to the twelfth century A D. Therefore the assumption is that at the time the mukkaru people lived and worked in this vicinity in large numbers. The artifacts are of very good craftsmanship although they were made using the most primitive methods and instruments. In terms of the intricacy of the carvings and the quality of the drill holes in the sapphire they are not inferior to today’s standards. They are also remarkable aesthetically.
This is an unusual gem deposit because it contains artifacts that had been once discarded by people who were only interested in gems of value (precious material). Sometimes a villager who has found a carved artifact of a precious stone may try to erase the carving by grinding it on a lap to make a faceted gem. This would find a more ready market than the carvings, which are considered as archaeological artifacts and cannot be sold on the open market.
The Beauty Of Numbers
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
Monday, May 28, 2007
Man Of The Year
Memorable quote (s) from the movie:
Hemmings (Rick Roberts): Will you be disappointed to be going back to television after this ride?
Eddie Langston (Lewis Black): Oh, no. I have a glorious love-hate relationship with TV.
Hemmings (Rick Roberts): How so?
Eddie Langston (Lewis Black): TV scares me. It makes everything seem credible.
Hemmings (Rick Roberts): Why is that so bad?
Eddie Langston (Lewis Black): If everything seems credible then nothing seems credible. You know, TV puts everybody in those boxes, side-by-side. On one side, there's this certifiable lunatic who says the Holocaust never happened. And next to him is this noted, honored historian who knows all about the Holocaust. And now, there they sit, side-by-side, they look like equals! Everything they say seems to be credible. And so, as it goes on, nothing seems credible anymore! We just stopped listening!
Hemmings (Rick Roberts): Will you be disappointed to be going back to television after this ride?
Eddie Langston (Lewis Black): Oh, no. I have a glorious love-hate relationship with TV.
Hemmings (Rick Roberts): How so?
Eddie Langston (Lewis Black): TV scares me. It makes everything seem credible.
Hemmings (Rick Roberts): Why is that so bad?
Eddie Langston (Lewis Black): If everything seems credible then nothing seems credible. You know, TV puts everybody in those boxes, side-by-side. On one side, there's this certifiable lunatic who says the Holocaust never happened. And next to him is this noted, honored historian who knows all about the Holocaust. And now, there they sit, side-by-side, they look like equals! Everything they say seems to be credible. And so, as it goes on, nothing seems credible anymore! We just stopped listening!
Gemstone Shopping Tips From Lambert
Lambert Gems writes:
I. Narrow your Search
- Shop for a color (fashion wardrobe considerations).
- Shop for a particular species/variety of gemstone.
- Shop by budget.
- Shop by serendipity (Wide open- browse and decide).
II. Budget considerations and Guidelines
1. Don’t be unduly influenced by the tags “precious” and semiprecious.” These are historical terms. Precious gems are diamond, ruby, blue sapphire and emerald. All other gems are termed semiprecious. A high quality 1 ½ carat tsavorite garnet will cost more than a lower quality 1 ½ carat ruby.
2. If your budget is too small to buy the quality you want, of a ruby, sapphire or emerald, consider buying some of the more recently discovered gemstones which are also rare and beautiful. Alternative examples: tsavorite garnet (green), green tourmaline, rubellite tourmaline (red), pink tourmaline, tanzanite (violet blue), spessartite garnet (orange to reddish Orange to orangish Red).
3. If you are planning to have your gemstone(s) set in a piece of jewelry, your budget consideration should take into account the estimated cost of the setting. A very large stone will require a larger, more costly setting than a smaller stone.
III. Value/Price Factors: The “Four C’s”- Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight
The above Four C’s are listed in order of importance. Color, clarity and cut combine to determine the quality of a gemstone.
With each gemstone type, quality (firstly) and size (secondly) effect price. The effect of quality and size is much greater for rare/high demand gemstone types (e.g. ruby, sapphire, emerald) than for the more common, lower value gemstones (e.g. citrine, amethyst, pyrope and almandine red garnets, blue topaz). Because of this, with the more common gemstone types, you can afford to “think bigger.”
1. Color (or the lack of it, in the case of diamond) is the most important determinant of value. With any gemstone type, an intense pure color has more value than a lower color intensity stone with secondary color. An example: an intense (high saturation) red ruby is more valuable than: a lower saturation Red ruby or a high saturation purplish Red ruby. The above color valuation rule has nothing to do with personal taste and fashion considerations. Feel free to prefer pale (pink) amethyst over purple amethyst. Feel free to prefer purplish Red rubellite tourmaline over Red rubellite tourmaline. With almost all gems, grey and brown secondary colors are not desirable. There are exceptions, e.g. smoky quartz (grayish Brown, brownish Grey). Too dark or too light (“tone”) is undesirable. Uniformity of color affects value and appearance. Color patchiness is undesirable. Color banding (zoning) is common in certain species of gems (E.g. sapphire, amethyst, citrine) and does not have much of an effect on value unless it is very obvious to the unaided eye. Light source has an effect on color. Incandescent light makes rubies look better. Fluorescent light makes blue sapphire look better. For many gemstones, natural daylight or artificial light that mimics natural daylight is the best way to view and judge the color grade of a gemstone.
2. Clarity: the degree of visible flaws inside (“inclusions”) or on the surface (“blemishes”) of a gemstone. With colored gemstones, this determination is made with the unaided eye (without the use of a loupe). Almost all gemstones have inclusions. “Eye clean” is the most desirable. If the inclusions are not obvious, they have little effect on the gemstone’s value. Some gemstone types, notably emerald and rubellite (red tourmaline) are very rare without inclusions and pricing takes this into consideration.
3. Cut: This affects the amount of light that is internally reflected out of a stone. If too deep, a stone will have dark areas. You’ll also be paying for carat weight that cant be seen in a setting. If too shallow, it will have a washed out “window” appearance. Good cut also means good proportions between crown and pavilion. Beware of too much “bulge” on the sides of a stone. You’ll be paying for carat weight that can’t be seen in a setting. If a crystalline gemstone has low clarity but attractive and more or less uniform color, it is normally cut en cabochon instead of a faceted cutting style.
4. Carat Weight: Gems are normally sold by carat weight. All other things being equal, a larger size gem will have a higher price per carat than a smaller size gem of the same variety. Some gems types have different specific gravities (weight per volume) than other gem types and will therefore have different sizes for the same carat weight. A three carat ruby is a lot smaller than a three carat aquamarine
Appearance
Place the gem face-up between two fingers with light coming from behind you (natural light preferred). Rock your hand slightly from side to side and forward and backward. Do you see a window or large dark areas? Can you see flashes of light coming through the surface of the stone or is it dull and lifeless? Make an assessment of the color based on what you are looking for. Examine the stone from the top and from the sides. Is it relatively well proportioned and symmetrical? Do the sides excessively bulge? Does the stone appear too deep?
IV. Gemstone Treatments
Most types of gemstones are routinely treated by “accepted” treatments and therefore, there is no routine disclosure of such treatment. The trade distinguishes between accepted treatments (no routine disclosure required) and treatments that require disclosure and you should, as well. Accepted treatments do not lower the value of gems. The treatments that require disclosure lower the value of gems and the pricing of gems that have undergone these treatments should be lower.
Trade Accepted Treatments (routine disclosure not required)
- heating ruby and sapphire
- oil, wax and certain resin/polymer impregnation of emeralds. There is still some disagreement on whether all resin/polymer treatment needs routine disclosure
- bleaching pearls white
- heating of amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, tanzanite, tourmaline, zircon , precious topaz
- irradiating blue topaz
- waxing jadeite, lapis and other decorative gemstone types
- dying onyx black
Gemstone types that are not routinely treated are garnet, peridot, spinel, iolite and chrysoberyl alexandrite.
Treatments That Require Routine Disclosure
- beryllium treatment of sapphire and ruby
- glass filling of ruby and sapphire
- bleaching and dyeing of jade, polymer impregnation of jade
- irradiation of diamonds to produce fancy (colored) diamonds
- high pressure and temperature treatment of diamonds to improve their color grade
- drilling and resin or glass filling of diamonds
- dyeing of stones and pearls
- irradiation of chrysoberyl cat’s eye to obtain higher grade color
- resin/polymer impregnation of emeralds. There is still disagreement on whether permanent non-discoloring polymer impregnation requires routine disclosure.
V. Synthetics Gems, Imitation Gems, Man Made Gems
Disclosure is a must as these will have lower value than their counterparts (synthetics) or the gems they imitate (man made and imitation gems)
- Synthetics
These have the same chemical and physical characteristics as their natural counterpart except they have been made in a lab. Disclosure is a must as these have lower value than their natural counterparts. A layman cannot distinguish between synthetic and natural gems.
- Man Made Gems
These are gems that are produced in lab and that have no natural counterpart. Examples: CZ, Moissanite.
- Imitation Gems
In this case, a gem with a similar appearance is represented as a gem that it is not. The imitation can be a natural, synthetic or man made gem. The purpose is usually deception. Examples: red spinel for ruby; almondine garnet for ruby; CZ, moissanite or white sapphire for diamond, citrine for yellow sapphire.
VI. Gems That Require Special Care
- Peridot: It is a little low in hardness so care must be taken in setting it, wearing it and cleaning it.
- Tanzanite: Same special care as for peridot, for same reasons.
- Emerald: A high value fragile gem. Not recommended for everyday wear. Care must be taken in setting it, wearing it and cleaning it.
- Pearls: Will be attacked by perfume (before drying) and prolonged exposure to perspiration. Must be cleaned properly and stored properly.
- Decorative Stones: These are stones that are not single crystals and hence are porous. They should not be washed with soap as this will penetrate and change their appearance. Examples: Lapis, agates, turquoise. - Diamond, Topaz, Kunzite: A sharp blow, in a certain direction, can cause the stone to break (cleave).
More info @ www.lambertgems.com
I. Narrow your Search
- Shop for a color (fashion wardrobe considerations).
- Shop for a particular species/variety of gemstone.
- Shop by budget.
- Shop by serendipity (Wide open- browse and decide).
II. Budget considerations and Guidelines
1. Don’t be unduly influenced by the tags “precious” and semiprecious.” These are historical terms. Precious gems are diamond, ruby, blue sapphire and emerald. All other gems are termed semiprecious. A high quality 1 ½ carat tsavorite garnet will cost more than a lower quality 1 ½ carat ruby.
2. If your budget is too small to buy the quality you want, of a ruby, sapphire or emerald, consider buying some of the more recently discovered gemstones which are also rare and beautiful. Alternative examples: tsavorite garnet (green), green tourmaline, rubellite tourmaline (red), pink tourmaline, tanzanite (violet blue), spessartite garnet (orange to reddish Orange to orangish Red).
3. If you are planning to have your gemstone(s) set in a piece of jewelry, your budget consideration should take into account the estimated cost of the setting. A very large stone will require a larger, more costly setting than a smaller stone.
III. Value/Price Factors: The “Four C’s”- Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight
The above Four C’s are listed in order of importance. Color, clarity and cut combine to determine the quality of a gemstone.
With each gemstone type, quality (firstly) and size (secondly) effect price. The effect of quality and size is much greater for rare/high demand gemstone types (e.g. ruby, sapphire, emerald) than for the more common, lower value gemstones (e.g. citrine, amethyst, pyrope and almandine red garnets, blue topaz). Because of this, with the more common gemstone types, you can afford to “think bigger.”
1. Color (or the lack of it, in the case of diamond) is the most important determinant of value. With any gemstone type, an intense pure color has more value than a lower color intensity stone with secondary color. An example: an intense (high saturation) red ruby is more valuable than: a lower saturation Red ruby or a high saturation purplish Red ruby. The above color valuation rule has nothing to do with personal taste and fashion considerations. Feel free to prefer pale (pink) amethyst over purple amethyst. Feel free to prefer purplish Red rubellite tourmaline over Red rubellite tourmaline. With almost all gems, grey and brown secondary colors are not desirable. There are exceptions, e.g. smoky quartz (grayish Brown, brownish Grey). Too dark or too light (“tone”) is undesirable. Uniformity of color affects value and appearance. Color patchiness is undesirable. Color banding (zoning) is common in certain species of gems (E.g. sapphire, amethyst, citrine) and does not have much of an effect on value unless it is very obvious to the unaided eye. Light source has an effect on color. Incandescent light makes rubies look better. Fluorescent light makes blue sapphire look better. For many gemstones, natural daylight or artificial light that mimics natural daylight is the best way to view and judge the color grade of a gemstone.
2. Clarity: the degree of visible flaws inside (“inclusions”) or on the surface (“blemishes”) of a gemstone. With colored gemstones, this determination is made with the unaided eye (without the use of a loupe). Almost all gemstones have inclusions. “Eye clean” is the most desirable. If the inclusions are not obvious, they have little effect on the gemstone’s value. Some gemstone types, notably emerald and rubellite (red tourmaline) are very rare without inclusions and pricing takes this into consideration.
3. Cut: This affects the amount of light that is internally reflected out of a stone. If too deep, a stone will have dark areas. You’ll also be paying for carat weight that cant be seen in a setting. If too shallow, it will have a washed out “window” appearance. Good cut also means good proportions between crown and pavilion. Beware of too much “bulge” on the sides of a stone. You’ll be paying for carat weight that can’t be seen in a setting. If a crystalline gemstone has low clarity but attractive and more or less uniform color, it is normally cut en cabochon instead of a faceted cutting style.
4. Carat Weight: Gems are normally sold by carat weight. All other things being equal, a larger size gem will have a higher price per carat than a smaller size gem of the same variety. Some gems types have different specific gravities (weight per volume) than other gem types and will therefore have different sizes for the same carat weight. A three carat ruby is a lot smaller than a three carat aquamarine
Appearance
Place the gem face-up between two fingers with light coming from behind you (natural light preferred). Rock your hand slightly from side to side and forward and backward. Do you see a window or large dark areas? Can you see flashes of light coming through the surface of the stone or is it dull and lifeless? Make an assessment of the color based on what you are looking for. Examine the stone from the top and from the sides. Is it relatively well proportioned and symmetrical? Do the sides excessively bulge? Does the stone appear too deep?
IV. Gemstone Treatments
Most types of gemstones are routinely treated by “accepted” treatments and therefore, there is no routine disclosure of such treatment. The trade distinguishes between accepted treatments (no routine disclosure required) and treatments that require disclosure and you should, as well. Accepted treatments do not lower the value of gems. The treatments that require disclosure lower the value of gems and the pricing of gems that have undergone these treatments should be lower.
Trade Accepted Treatments (routine disclosure not required)
- heating ruby and sapphire
- oil, wax and certain resin/polymer impregnation of emeralds. There is still some disagreement on whether all resin/polymer treatment needs routine disclosure
- bleaching pearls white
- heating of amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, tanzanite, tourmaline, zircon , precious topaz
- irradiating blue topaz
- waxing jadeite, lapis and other decorative gemstone types
- dying onyx black
Gemstone types that are not routinely treated are garnet, peridot, spinel, iolite and chrysoberyl alexandrite.
Treatments That Require Routine Disclosure
- beryllium treatment of sapphire and ruby
- glass filling of ruby and sapphire
- bleaching and dyeing of jade, polymer impregnation of jade
- irradiation of diamonds to produce fancy (colored) diamonds
- high pressure and temperature treatment of diamonds to improve their color grade
- drilling and resin or glass filling of diamonds
- dyeing of stones and pearls
- irradiation of chrysoberyl cat’s eye to obtain higher grade color
- resin/polymer impregnation of emeralds. There is still disagreement on whether permanent non-discoloring polymer impregnation requires routine disclosure.
V. Synthetics Gems, Imitation Gems, Man Made Gems
Disclosure is a must as these will have lower value than their counterparts (synthetics) or the gems they imitate (man made and imitation gems)
- Synthetics
These have the same chemical and physical characteristics as their natural counterpart except they have been made in a lab. Disclosure is a must as these have lower value than their natural counterparts. A layman cannot distinguish between synthetic and natural gems.
- Man Made Gems
These are gems that are produced in lab and that have no natural counterpart. Examples: CZ, Moissanite.
- Imitation Gems
In this case, a gem with a similar appearance is represented as a gem that it is not. The imitation can be a natural, synthetic or man made gem. The purpose is usually deception. Examples: red spinel for ruby; almondine garnet for ruby; CZ, moissanite or white sapphire for diamond, citrine for yellow sapphire.
VI. Gems That Require Special Care
- Peridot: It is a little low in hardness so care must be taken in setting it, wearing it and cleaning it.
- Tanzanite: Same special care as for peridot, for same reasons.
- Emerald: A high value fragile gem. Not recommended for everyday wear. Care must be taken in setting it, wearing it and cleaning it.
- Pearls: Will be attacked by perfume (before drying) and prolonged exposure to perspiration. Must be cleaned properly and stored properly.
- Decorative Stones: These are stones that are not single crystals and hence are porous. They should not be washed with soap as this will penetrate and change their appearance. Examples: Lapis, agates, turquoise. - Diamond, Topaz, Kunzite: A sharp blow, in a certain direction, can cause the stone to break (cleave).
More info @ www.lambertgems.com
A Crackdown In Antwerp Threatens The City's Historic Gem Trade.
Carol Matlack writes:
Deal making is part of the scenery in Antwerp's centuries-old diamond district. Passing one another on the narrow streets, traders nod in greeting while talking into cell phones. A black-hatted Hasidic broker, spotting a prospective customer, pulls a clear plastic bag of tiny, sparkling stones from his overcoat and launches into a rapid-fire sales pitch. At a nearby café, two men take turns peering through a jeweler's loupe at a pile of diamonds between their coffee cups.
But lately the buzz of commerce has been tinged with anxiety. Over the past 18 months police have repeatedly swept in, raiding offices and hauling away papers and gems as evidence in investigations of money laundering and tax evasion. One trader died of a heart attack during a police search of his home last December, prompting a protest by fellow traders, who shut down the district for a day.
Although fewer than 20 of Antwerp's nearly 2,000 trading companies have been raided, police have seized tens of millions of dollars' worth of diamonds. The gems are held as evidence while the probe continues. Adding to the tension, DeBeers Group's trading arm, which supplies 50 percent of the world's diamonds, warned Antwerp traders that they could be cut off if they don't follow industry rules against money laundering.
Traders say the pressure is spooking suppliers and customers alike, sending them to rival centers in Dubai, India, and Israel. Imports of rough diamonds, the uncut stones that are Antwerp's main business, fell 20 percent in April, though year-to-date figures remain above 2006. "People are afraid and upset," trader Shashin Choksi says, sitting in his office next to a refrigerator-size safe full of jewels.
Moving Money
No question, the $70 billion-a-year global diamond business has some ugly facets. Easy to transport and hard to trace, the precious stones are a favored vehicle for financing illicit activity, from drug trafficking to terrorism. "The diamond industry is very secretive. Large amounts of money can be moved around, and it's relatively easy to misstate the value," says Alex Vines, a former U.N. diamond-trade investigator who now heads the Africa program at Chatham House, part of London's Royal Institute of International Affairs.
Belgian authorities won't discuss their investigation. But the Diamond High Council, a quasi-governmental agency that oversees the Antwerp trade, says recent raids stemmed from a probe of a diamond shipping company, Monstrey Worldwide Services. Agents searched the company in October, 2005, and arrested its owner in a money-laundering investigation. Monstrey has shut its doors and no one from the company could be reached for comment, but police have seized the inventories of at least 16 traders who were its customers.
Antwerp traders fear the crackdown could end the city's reign as the world's No. 1 diamond center. Antwerp's first exchange opened in the 15th century, and although most cutting and polishing has relocated to cheaper locales such as China, 80% of the world's uncut diamonds still pass through the city. "If rough diamonds disappear from Antwerp, it is finished," says Koen Smets, a Belgian who buys diamonds from local traders and sends them to a factory in China for finishing.
The threat to their livelihood has united Antwerp's multicultural diamond community as never before. Over the past decade a growing population of Indians has gradually displaced Orthodox Jews as the dominant group of traders. But now, says third-generation Jewish trader Ziv Knoll, "we're all in the same boat." Knoll says he knows several traders who are relocating to Dubai and Tel Aviv. If the raids continue, he says, he may do the same. "We can't continue to work with constant harassment."
Matlack is BusinessWeek's Paris bureau chief.
More info @ http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,484949,00.html
Deal making is part of the scenery in Antwerp's centuries-old diamond district. Passing one another on the narrow streets, traders nod in greeting while talking into cell phones. A black-hatted Hasidic broker, spotting a prospective customer, pulls a clear plastic bag of tiny, sparkling stones from his overcoat and launches into a rapid-fire sales pitch. At a nearby café, two men take turns peering through a jeweler's loupe at a pile of diamonds between their coffee cups.
But lately the buzz of commerce has been tinged with anxiety. Over the past 18 months police have repeatedly swept in, raiding offices and hauling away papers and gems as evidence in investigations of money laundering and tax evasion. One trader died of a heart attack during a police search of his home last December, prompting a protest by fellow traders, who shut down the district for a day.
Although fewer than 20 of Antwerp's nearly 2,000 trading companies have been raided, police have seized tens of millions of dollars' worth of diamonds. The gems are held as evidence while the probe continues. Adding to the tension, DeBeers Group's trading arm, which supplies 50 percent of the world's diamonds, warned Antwerp traders that they could be cut off if they don't follow industry rules against money laundering.
Traders say the pressure is spooking suppliers and customers alike, sending them to rival centers in Dubai, India, and Israel. Imports of rough diamonds, the uncut stones that are Antwerp's main business, fell 20 percent in April, though year-to-date figures remain above 2006. "People are afraid and upset," trader Shashin Choksi says, sitting in his office next to a refrigerator-size safe full of jewels.
Moving Money
No question, the $70 billion-a-year global diamond business has some ugly facets. Easy to transport and hard to trace, the precious stones are a favored vehicle for financing illicit activity, from drug trafficking to terrorism. "The diamond industry is very secretive. Large amounts of money can be moved around, and it's relatively easy to misstate the value," says Alex Vines, a former U.N. diamond-trade investigator who now heads the Africa program at Chatham House, part of London's Royal Institute of International Affairs.
Belgian authorities won't discuss their investigation. But the Diamond High Council, a quasi-governmental agency that oversees the Antwerp trade, says recent raids stemmed from a probe of a diamond shipping company, Monstrey Worldwide Services. Agents searched the company in October, 2005, and arrested its owner in a money-laundering investigation. Monstrey has shut its doors and no one from the company could be reached for comment, but police have seized the inventories of at least 16 traders who were its customers.
Antwerp traders fear the crackdown could end the city's reign as the world's No. 1 diamond center. Antwerp's first exchange opened in the 15th century, and although most cutting and polishing has relocated to cheaper locales such as China, 80% of the world's uncut diamonds still pass through the city. "If rough diamonds disappear from Antwerp, it is finished," says Koen Smets, a Belgian who buys diamonds from local traders and sends them to a factory in China for finishing.
The threat to their livelihood has united Antwerp's multicultural diamond community as never before. Over the past decade a growing population of Indians has gradually displaced Orthodox Jews as the dominant group of traders. But now, says third-generation Jewish trader Ziv Knoll, "we're all in the same boat." Knoll says he knows several traders who are relocating to Dubai and Tel Aviv. If the raids continue, he says, he may do the same. "We can't continue to work with constant harassment."
Matlack is BusinessWeek's Paris bureau chief.
More info @ http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,484949,00.html
Azim Premji’s Wisdom
Azim Premji, the software czar and the chairman of Wipro Ltd decided to share his successes, setbacks and the lessons he learnt during his corporate journey. He does it in an e-mail sent on April 09 to the Wiproites. We bring you some excerpts from his words of wisdom as it would be beneficial to every forward-looking person.
(via manoramaonline / Executive Knowledge Lines) Azim Premji writes:
My own successes and setbacks along the way have taught me some lessons. I wish to share them with you and hope you will find them useful.
Lesson #1
Be careful to ask what you want. You may get it. What this means is that do not ask too little either of yourself or the others around you. What you ask is what you get. When I look back at the time when I joined Wipro, I was 21. If you ask me whether I thought that Wipro would grow so by someday, the honest answer is that I did not. But neither did I think it would not. We constantly stretched ourselves to higher and higher targets. Sometimes, it seemed possible, sometimes fanciful and sometimes plain insane. But we never stopped raising limits. And we got a lot more than what we bargained for.
Lesson # 2
Respond, don't react Always be aware of your emotions and learn to manage them. There is a huge difference between people who react impulsively and those who can disengage themselves and then respond at will. By choosing to respond differently, we can prevent another person from controlling our behaviour. I remember a small story that illustrates this well. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pickup the money, smile politely and say, Thank you, Sir. One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow? The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate mine?''
Lesson # 3
Intuitions are important for making decisions. It is important to realise that our intuition is a very important part ofdecision making. Many things are recorded by our subconscious. Use both sides of the brain. Even that is not enough. Some decisions need the use of the heart as well. When you use your mind and heart together, you may get a completely new and creative answer.
Lesson # 4
Learn to work in teams. The challenges ahead are so complex that no individual will be able to face them alone. While most of our education is focused in individual strength, teaming with others is equally important. You cannot fire a missile from a canoe. Unless you build a strong network of people with complimentary skills, you will be restricted by your own limitations. Globalisation has brought people of different origins, different upbringing and different cultures together. Ability to become an integral part of a cross-cultural team will be a must for your success.
Lesson #5
Never lose your zest and curiosity. All the available knowledge in the world is accelerating at a phenomenal rate. The whole world's codified knowledge base (all documented information in library books and electronic files) doubled every 30 years in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, the world's knowledge base doubled every seven years. Information researchers predict that by the year 2010, the world's codified knowledge will double every 11 hours. Remaining on top of what you need to know will become one of the greatest challenges for you.The natural zest and curiosity for learning is one of the greatest drivers for keeping updated on knowledge. A child's curiosity is insatiable because every new object is a thing of wonder and mystery. The same zest is needed to keep learning new things. I personally spend at least 10 hours every week on reading. If I do not do that, I will find myself quickly outdated.
Lesson # 6
Put yourself first. This does not mean being selfish. Nor does it mean that you must become so full of yourself that that you become vain or arrogant.It means developing your self-confidence. It means, developing an inner faith in yourself that is not shaken by external events. It requires perseverance. It shows up in the ability to rebound from a setback with double enthusiasm and energy. I came across a recent Harvard Business Review which describes this very effectively: No one can truly define success and failure for us. Only we can define that for ourselves. No one can take away our dignity unless we surrender it. No one can takeaway our hope and pride unless we relinquish them. No one can steal our creativity, imagination and skills unless we stop thinking. No one can stop us from rebounding unless we give up. And there is no way we can take care of others, unless we take care of ourselves.
Lesson # 7
Have a broader social vision. While there is every reason to be excited about the future, we must not forget that we will face many challenges as well. By 2015, we will have 829 million strong workforce. That will make India home to 18% of global working-age population. The key challenge is to transform that into a globally competitive work-force. This will not be an easy task. Despite all the rapid economic expansion seen in recent years, job growth in India still trails the rise in working-age population. It is important that gains are spread across this spectrum, so that the divide between the employed and the under-employed, is minimised. Education is a crucial enabler that can make this growth as equitable as possible.
Lesson # 8
Play to win. Playing to win is not the same as playing dirty. It is not about winning all the time or winning at any cost. Playing to win is having the intensity to stretch to the maximum and bringing our best foot forward. Winning means focusing on the game. The score board tells you where you are going, but don't concentrate too much on it. If you can focus on the ball, the scores will move by themselves. I recently came across this story that I thought I would share with you. A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen. He returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal-some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite and asked them to help themselves to coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to wantonly the best for yourselves, you were more concerned about comparing your cups but what you really wanted was coffee. Yet you spent all your time eyeing each other's cups. Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to contain life, but cannot really change the quality of life. Sometimes, by over concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee."
(via manoramaonline / Executive Knowledge Lines) Azim Premji writes:
My own successes and setbacks along the way have taught me some lessons. I wish to share them with you and hope you will find them useful.
Lesson #1
Be careful to ask what you want. You may get it. What this means is that do not ask too little either of yourself or the others around you. What you ask is what you get. When I look back at the time when I joined Wipro, I was 21. If you ask me whether I thought that Wipro would grow so by someday, the honest answer is that I did not. But neither did I think it would not. We constantly stretched ourselves to higher and higher targets. Sometimes, it seemed possible, sometimes fanciful and sometimes plain insane. But we never stopped raising limits. And we got a lot more than what we bargained for.
Lesson # 2
Respond, don't react Always be aware of your emotions and learn to manage them. There is a huge difference between people who react impulsively and those who can disengage themselves and then respond at will. By choosing to respond differently, we can prevent another person from controlling our behaviour. I remember a small story that illustrates this well. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pickup the money, smile politely and say, Thank you, Sir. One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow? The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate mine?''
Lesson # 3
Intuitions are important for making decisions. It is important to realise that our intuition is a very important part ofdecision making. Many things are recorded by our subconscious. Use both sides of the brain. Even that is not enough. Some decisions need the use of the heart as well. When you use your mind and heart together, you may get a completely new and creative answer.
Lesson # 4
Learn to work in teams. The challenges ahead are so complex that no individual will be able to face them alone. While most of our education is focused in individual strength, teaming with others is equally important. You cannot fire a missile from a canoe. Unless you build a strong network of people with complimentary skills, you will be restricted by your own limitations. Globalisation has brought people of different origins, different upbringing and different cultures together. Ability to become an integral part of a cross-cultural team will be a must for your success.
Lesson #5
Never lose your zest and curiosity. All the available knowledge in the world is accelerating at a phenomenal rate. The whole world's codified knowledge base (all documented information in library books and electronic files) doubled every 30 years in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, the world's knowledge base doubled every seven years. Information researchers predict that by the year 2010, the world's codified knowledge will double every 11 hours. Remaining on top of what you need to know will become one of the greatest challenges for you.The natural zest and curiosity for learning is one of the greatest drivers for keeping updated on knowledge. A child's curiosity is insatiable because every new object is a thing of wonder and mystery. The same zest is needed to keep learning new things. I personally spend at least 10 hours every week on reading. If I do not do that, I will find myself quickly outdated.
Lesson # 6
Put yourself first. This does not mean being selfish. Nor does it mean that you must become so full of yourself that that you become vain or arrogant.It means developing your self-confidence. It means, developing an inner faith in yourself that is not shaken by external events. It requires perseverance. It shows up in the ability to rebound from a setback with double enthusiasm and energy. I came across a recent Harvard Business Review which describes this very effectively: No one can truly define success and failure for us. Only we can define that for ourselves. No one can take away our dignity unless we surrender it. No one can takeaway our hope and pride unless we relinquish them. No one can steal our creativity, imagination and skills unless we stop thinking. No one can stop us from rebounding unless we give up. And there is no way we can take care of others, unless we take care of ourselves.
Lesson # 7
Have a broader social vision. While there is every reason to be excited about the future, we must not forget that we will face many challenges as well. By 2015, we will have 829 million strong workforce. That will make India home to 18% of global working-age population. The key challenge is to transform that into a globally competitive work-force. This will not be an easy task. Despite all the rapid economic expansion seen in recent years, job growth in India still trails the rise in working-age population. It is important that gains are spread across this spectrum, so that the divide between the employed and the under-employed, is minimised. Education is a crucial enabler that can make this growth as equitable as possible.
Lesson # 8
Play to win. Playing to win is not the same as playing dirty. It is not about winning all the time or winning at any cost. Playing to win is having the intensity to stretch to the maximum and bringing our best foot forward. Winning means focusing on the game. The score board tells you where you are going, but don't concentrate too much on it. If you can focus on the ball, the scores will move by themselves. I recently came across this story that I thought I would share with you. A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen. He returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal-some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite and asked them to help themselves to coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to wantonly the best for yourselves, you were more concerned about comparing your cups but what you really wanted was coffee. Yet you spent all your time eyeing each other's cups. Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to contain life, but cannot really change the quality of life. Sometimes, by over concentrating on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee."
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