Random Thoughts

If you don’t fully understand an instrument, don’t buy it. If you would not buy a specific product for yourself, don’t try to sell it. If you do not know your customers very well, don’t lend them any money. If you do these 3 things you will be a better banker, my son.

- Sñr Emilio Botín
Chairman, Banco Santander
www.santander.com

How true!

The Official Filthy Rich Handbook

The Official Filthy Rich Handbook by Christopher Tennant is a great book about the über rich + it's informative and witty. I liked it.

Useful link:

www.filthyrichhandbook.com

Random Thoughts

The four most expensive words in the English language are, 'This time it's different.'

- Sir John Tempelton

How true!

Lang Lang

Chinese pianist Lang Lang, at age 26, is one of the most visible, in-demand classical musicians in the world today + his story, published in the new autobiography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, is an interesting book.

Go to www.langlang.com for further information.

The Gore Energy Speech

Andrew Revkin writes about former Vice President Al Gore's energy speech in Washington + other viewpoints @ http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/the-annotated-gore-climate-speech

Useful link:
www.algore.com

Great idea. I think a combination of wind, solar, and geothermal + right policies and attitudes among industry experts may provide changes to our energy infrastructure, but we'll need more time. A 10-year transformation is hard to come by, really.

Up-And-Coming Travel Destinations

I found the list of up-and-comers with the fastest growing travel and tourism earnings via World Travel & Tourism Council interesting. They are:

- Macau
- Angola
- Montenegro
- Seychelles
- Libya
- China
- Azerbaijan
- Romania
- United Arab Emirates
- Chile

The Green Bible

The Green Bible by Harper Bibles is interesting. Here is the description from Harper:
The Green Bible will equip and encourage people to see God's vision for creation and help them engage in the work of healing and sustaining it. With over 1,000 references to the earth in the Bible, compared to 490 references to heaven and 530 references to love, the Bible carries a powerful message for the earth. This Green-Letter edition of the Bible will highlight scriptures in green ink that teach about God's care for creation and how God interacts with creation, in an effort to bring greater awareness to how this message is woven throughout the Old and New Testaments. Essays from leading conservationists and theologians on how to read the Bible through a "green lens" as well as a green topical index and Green Bible trail guide for personal study will be paired with teachings throughout the ages to show people how caring for God's creation is not only a calling, but a lifestyle.

Go to The Good Book Business for a different perspective.

The World's Best-Loved Statesman

The Mandela Story @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7500615.stm as he turns 90, was brilliant.

Useful link:

www.nelsonmandela.org