Synchrotron Light

Synchrotron light is used in cutting-edge research in physics, chemistry and materials sciences + many new areas of research in fields such as medicine, geological and environmental studies, structural genomics and archaeology. The experts are now in the process of developing the so-called fourth generation light sources.

Useful links:
www.desy.de
www.xfel.eu
www.scitech.ac.uk
www.cockcroft.ac.uk
www.srs.ac.uk
www.isis.rl.ac.uk

Baalbeck International Festival

(via Wiki) The Baalbeck International Festival is the oldest and most known cultural event in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean. Since 1955, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have flocked to the city of Baalbeck in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon to attend the annual festival. Classical music, dance, theater, opera, and jazz as well as modern world music are performed each July and August in the ancient Roman Acropolis, one of the largest and well preserved Roman temples ever built.

Useful link:
www.baalbeck.org.lb

A must visit. I think the festival is a sign of hope.

Vestas

Denmark is a world leader in wind energy, and produces more than 10% of its power from turbines. The story of Vestas, a homegrown wind company, is impressive.

Go to www.vestas.com for further information.

Clear air + Green living.

Pearl Harvesting In UAE

I found the video on pearl harvesting in the UAE + the pearl trade @ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/080731-pearls-video-ap.html interesting.

Colored Stone Market Update

Gem quality emeralds has been found near the town of Lages, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in Brazil. Gem dealers believe it's a new source. The most frequently seen imitations are glass or assembled stones in the gem market. If in doubt, consult a reputed gem testing laboratory.

John Scharffenberger

I found Peter Kaminsky's story on cacao farmers in the rain forest of Guatemala + John Scharffenberger's gift to the cacao farmers + the bountiful ecosystem + the chocolate marketplace @ http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/12749?pageNumber=1&page=0 interesting and insightful.

A must read.

Useful link:
www.scharffenberger.com

Without the rain forest, there would be no cacao; and without cacao, there would be no chocolate; and without chocolate, life would be much less pleasant.
- John Scharffenberger

Random Thoughts

I think as long as there are risks, there will be losses. If the day ever comes when there are no risks, there will also be no profits.

- Robert Rubin

How true!

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

(via Wiki) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist, dramatist and historian. Through his writings, he made the world aware of the Gulag, the Soviet labour camp system, and, for these efforts, Solzhenitsyn was both awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970 and exiled from the Soviet Union in 1974. He returned to Russia in 1994. That year, he was elected as a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in the Department of Language and Literature. He is the father of Ignat Solzhenitsyn, a well-known conductor and pianist. He has passed away at the age of 89 (August 3, 2008).

May his soul rest in peace.

Useful link:
http://nobelprize.org