The films I like:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Collapse
Good Books: (via Emergic) Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed follows Guns, Germs and Steel + discusses how societies morphed through the centuries + why some became lucky and prosperous. History is a life-long school of learning...... It's a good book for everyone.
Here is an excerpt from an article by the author in The New York Times:
What lessons can we draw from history? The most straightforward: take environmental problems seriously. They destroyed societies in the past, and they are even more likely to do so now. If 6,000 Polynesians with stone tools were able to destroy Mangareva Island, consider what six billion people with metal tools and bulldozers are doing today. Moreover, while the Maya collapse affected just a few neighboring societies in Central America, globalization now means that any society's problems have the potential to affect anyone else. Just think how crises in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq have shaped the United States today.
Other lessons involve failures of group decision-making. There are many reasons why past societies made bad decisions, and thereby failed to solve or even to perceive the problems that would eventually destroy them. One reason involves conflicts of interest, whereby one group within a society (for instance, the pig farmers who caused the worst erosion in medieval Greenland and Iceland) can profit by engaging in practices that damage the rest of society. Another is the pursuit of short-term gains at the expense of long-term survival, as when fishermen overfish the stocks on which their livelihoods ultimately depend.
History also teaches us two deeper lessons about what separates successful societies from those heading toward failure. A society contains a built-in blueprint for failure if the elite insulates itself from the consequences of its actions. That's why Maya kings, Norse Greenlanders and Easter Island chiefs made choices that eventually undermined their societies. They themselves did not begin to feel deprived until they had irreversibly destroyed their landscape.
The other deep lesson involves a willingness to re-examine long-held core values, when conditions change and those values no longer make sense. The medieval Greenland Norse lacked such a willingness: they continued to view themselves as transplanted Norwegian pastoralists, and to despise the Inuit as pagan hunters, even after Norway stopped sending trading ships and the climate had grown too cold for a pastoral existence. They died off as a result, leaving Greenland to the Inuit. On the other hand, the British in the 1950's faced up to the need for a painful reappraisal of their former status as rulers of a world empire set apart from Europe. They are now finding a different avenue to wealth and power, as part of a united Europe.
Here is an excerpt from an article by the author in The New York Times:
What lessons can we draw from history? The most straightforward: take environmental problems seriously. They destroyed societies in the past, and they are even more likely to do so now. If 6,000 Polynesians with stone tools were able to destroy Mangareva Island, consider what six billion people with metal tools and bulldozers are doing today. Moreover, while the Maya collapse affected just a few neighboring societies in Central America, globalization now means that any society's problems have the potential to affect anyone else. Just think how crises in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq have shaped the United States today.
Other lessons involve failures of group decision-making. There are many reasons why past societies made bad decisions, and thereby failed to solve or even to perceive the problems that would eventually destroy them. One reason involves conflicts of interest, whereby one group within a society (for instance, the pig farmers who caused the worst erosion in medieval Greenland and Iceland) can profit by engaging in practices that damage the rest of society. Another is the pursuit of short-term gains at the expense of long-term survival, as when fishermen overfish the stocks on which their livelihoods ultimately depend.
History also teaches us two deeper lessons about what separates successful societies from those heading toward failure. A society contains a built-in blueprint for failure if the elite insulates itself from the consequences of its actions. That's why Maya kings, Norse Greenlanders and Easter Island chiefs made choices that eventually undermined their societies. They themselves did not begin to feel deprived until they had irreversibly destroyed their landscape.
The other deep lesson involves a willingness to re-examine long-held core values, when conditions change and those values no longer make sense. The medieval Greenland Norse lacked such a willingness: they continued to view themselves as transplanted Norwegian pastoralists, and to despise the Inuit as pagan hunters, even after Norway stopped sending trading ships and the climate had grown too cold for a pastoral existence. They died off as a result, leaving Greenland to the Inuit. On the other hand, the British in the 1950's faced up to the need for a painful reappraisal of their former status as rulers of a world empire set apart from Europe. They are now finding a different avenue to wealth and power, as part of a united Europe.
Wine And Gems In Dijon
‘Color Sparkles: Legendary Wines and Gemstones,’ a unique exhibition of fine gems and fine wines, is being held in the Sciences Garden at the Parc de I’Arquebuse, Dijon, France, through Dec 9, 2007 + the French National Museum of Natural History with wines from the great vintners of Burgundy and beyond + wine tasting and hands-on experiments in light and color @ www.dijon.fr/fiche/eclats-de-couleruspierres-et-vins-de-legende.evt.5604.php
Performance
Peter Schjeldahl writes about Chris Burden + his conceptual art + his interpretation of art as a free spot in society, where you can do anything—anything + other viewpoints @ http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/artworld/2007/05/14/070514craw_artworld_schjeldahl
BHP Billiton To Market The Satellite Pipe Mine Production
Chaim Even-Zohar writes about Satellite Pipe Mine + European Diamonds Plc + the government of Lesotho + complex marketing system (s) + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp?TextSearch=&KeyMatch=0&id=25199
Can You Identify This Stone?
(via The Canadian Gemmologist, Vol.III, No.4, Spring, 1982) . Usually I am green or greenish blue, sometimes yellow, and all too often white or grayish. They call me Bonamite sometimes when I am greenish blue. Not many gemstones have zinc in them, but I do. My R.I is 1.62 – 1.85, and I am heavier than garnet. What am I?
Answer: Smithsonite
Answer: Smithsonite
Ruby / Sapphire Fakes
When you are visiting gem mines or markets in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, South America and North America, you might encounter the following stones. Gem dealers, jewelers and gemologist (s) may or may not be able to recognize the 'intruders' or 'tell-tale' signs of the fakes due to 'momentary autism', lack of knowledge or even over confidence.
I.
- Heat treated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, tumbled, oiled or waxed Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, blue dye impregnated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby with fillings + with/without colored wax.
- Heat treated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic filled with fused particles of blue sapphire.
- Heat treated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby that has modified opening (s) filled with fused particles of blue sapphire.
- Natural pink sapphires rough coated with dark red nail polish.
***** May Look Like Natural Ruby Rough
II.
- Heat treated, fashioned, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated, fashioned, tumbled, partly blue painted Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, fashioned, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- A composite crystal containing fragments of Verneuil synthetic ruby.
***** May Look Like Ruby Crystals
III.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’ Verneuil synthetic ruby.
***** May Look Like Faceted Ruby
IV.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’ Verneuil synthetic sapphire.
***** May Look Like Faceted Sapphire
I.
- Heat treated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, tumbled, oiled or waxed Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, blue dye impregnated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby with fillings + with/without colored wax.
- Heat treated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic filled with fused particles of blue sapphire.
- Heat treated, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby that has modified opening (s) filled with fused particles of blue sapphire.
- Natural pink sapphires rough coated with dark red nail polish.
***** May Look Like Natural Ruby Rough
II.
- Heat treated, fashioned, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated, fashioned, tumbled, partly blue painted Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’, fashioned, tumbled Verneuil synthetic ruby.
- A composite crystal containing fragments of Verneuil synthetic ruby.
***** May Look Like Ruby Crystals
III.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’ Verneuil synthetic ruby.
***** May Look Like Faceted Ruby
IV.
- Heat treated and/or ‘quench-crackled’ Verneuil synthetic sapphire.
***** May Look Like Faceted Sapphire
Sugilite
Chemistry: Sodium potassium ferric silicate
Crystal system: Hexagonal; massive.
Color: Opaque; light to dark violet to reddish purple (Mg); color-change (blue purple: daylight; reddish purple: incandescent light).
Hardness: 6 – 6.5
Cleavage: Fracture: granular
Specific gravity: 2.74 mean; varies.
Refractive index: 1.607 – 1.610 (1.61 mean); Uniaxial negative.
Luster: Vitreous to waxy.
Dispersion:-
Dichroism: -
Occurrence: Vein infillings intergrown with other minerals; South Africa, Nambia.
Notes
Discovered in 1976; trade names include Royal Lavulite, Royal Azel; ornamental bead, cabochon, carvings; mineralogical name: manganaoan sugilite; constants may vary due to the presence of other manganese minerals; spectrum: broad absorption at 620 and 480nm, 4 sharp bands in blue and violet.
Crystal system: Hexagonal; massive.
Color: Opaque; light to dark violet to reddish purple (Mg); color-change (blue purple: daylight; reddish purple: incandescent light).
Hardness: 6 – 6.5
Cleavage: Fracture: granular
Specific gravity: 2.74 mean; varies.
Refractive index: 1.607 – 1.610 (1.61 mean); Uniaxial negative.
Luster: Vitreous to waxy.
Dispersion:-
Dichroism: -
Occurrence: Vein infillings intergrown with other minerals; South Africa, Nambia.
Notes
Discovered in 1976; trade names include Royal Lavulite, Royal Azel; ornamental bead, cabochon, carvings; mineralogical name: manganaoan sugilite; constants may vary due to the presence of other manganese minerals; spectrum: broad absorption at 620 and 480nm, 4 sharp bands in blue and violet.
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