Transparency In The Colored Gemstone Trade?

I found the article titled, Transparency In The Colored Gemstone Trade? interesting because the trade has been so different and secretive for so long, they abhor the thought of transparency and accountability. The colored stone market has no market control. The routes followed by colored stones to the marketplace are tortuous + far more individuals are involved, each with their own interests.

Useful links:
www.fairjewelry.org
www.madisondialogue.org
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2008/0804.frank.html

The Pixar Touch

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company by David A. Price is a story of technical innovation that revolutionized animation, transforming hand-drawn cel animation to computer-generated 3-D graphics. I think it's an excellent book on a successful entrepreneurial venture. A must-read.

Useful link:
www.pixar.com

Brainstorm Exchange

I found Brainstorm Exchange interesting + I saw it as a unique platform for ideas and solutions. I liked it.

Useful link:
www.brainstormexchange.com

Mobile Marketing Handbook

The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns by Kim Dushinski is an interesting book on the new trend in business.

Useful links:
http://kimdushinski.com
www.mobilemarketingprofits.com

Eurovision

(via Wiki) The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition. Each country participates via one of their national EBU-member television stations, whose task it is to select a singer and a song to represent their country in the international competition. The Contest has been broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1956 and is one of the longest-running television programmes in the world. It is also one of the most-watched non-sporting events in the world, with audience figures having been quoted in recent years as anything between 100 million and 600 million internationally.

Useful links:
www.eurovision.tv
www.ebu.ch
http://www.bbc.co.uk/eurovision
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest

What interests me is the special skills performing artists display to sway audiences + their ability to read the house and tune their message to engage listeners. I am always amazed watching the magic combination.

Art + Architecture

David Adjaye is a British architect, who makes buildings as if they were conceptual artworks. There is a certain quality in his work that I like, it becomes an emotional incubator, morphs into new fusions.

Useful links:
www.adjaye.com
http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/adjaye

Business Leader = Performance Artist

The article titled, What Rock Stars Can Teach Leaders @ http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/may2008/ca20080515_689576.htm was brilliant and insightful.

Useful link:
www.accenture.com

It's all about practising = rehearsing = performing, it's amazing, it works. I think listening deeply, testing for understanding, and inspiring others = ultimate goal.

Gold Toothpick, Etc

Experts have found a tiny gold combined toothpick and earwax spoon, believed to be more than 385 years old, during the search for a shipwrecked Spanish galleon off the Florida Keys.

Useful links:
www.bluewaterventureskw.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_on_sc/florida_artifacts

I think the thrill of discovery is always exciting + it's definitely underwater detetive work. Good story with a happy ending.