Swimming Naked Awards

The Economist opinion piece of the 2008 'naked shorts' awards @ http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12796770 was brilliant. You were spot on, really.

You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.
- Warren Buffett

Color Diamonds Guide

The Jewelers Vigilance Committee + Natural Color Diamond Association have released a consumer-friendly, easy-to-use/understand guide entitled, 'The Essential Guide to the U.S. Trade in Color Diamonds,' for the industry.

Useful links:
www.ncdia.com
www.jvclegal.org

Global Business @ BBC

Peter Day's World of Business interview with Andy Xie on China @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/global_business.shtml was interesting. This time it's different. Thanks Peter.

Ponzi's Scheme

Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend by Mitchell Zuckoff is a fascinating book about the colorful character, using money of new investors to pay old investors ........... a tragedy of Shakesperean proportions. Definitely a must read in these troubled times, really.

Useful link:

www.zuckoff.com

Craig Venter

Synthetic organisms = A new industrial revolution. Meet Craig Venter @ www.jcvi.org for an immersive experience.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas (commonly known as A Christmas Carol) is what Charles Dickens described as his 'little Christmas Book' and was first published on December 19, 1843 with illustrations by John Leech. The first of the author's five 'Christmas books', the story was instantly successful, selling over six thousand copies in one week. Although originally written under financial duress to help Dickens to pay off a debt, the tale has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time. Contemporaries noted that the story's popularity played a critical role in redefining the importance of Christmas and the major sentiments associated with the holiday. A Christmas Carol was written during a time of decline in the old Christmas traditions. 'If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs, its social and charitable observances, were in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease', said English poet Thomas Hood.

A Christmas Carol is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of one night, which if it doesn't change his ways he will end up like his friend Jacob Marley, walking the Earth forever, being nothing but invisible and lonely. Mr. Scrooge is a financier/money-changer who has devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth. He holds anything other than money in contempt, including friendship, love and the Christmas season.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

Ironically, I just watched the video @ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8817517652455175582 couple of days ago. A Christmas Carol was published in 1843, and yet it is still relevant today, as Wall Street/Main Street events proves, really.

The Art Of Participation

The S.F. Museum of Modern Art exhibit The Art of Participation: 1950 to Now run through February 08, 2009.

Go to www.sfmoma.org/exhibitions/306 for an immersive experience.

Useful link:
www.sfmoma.org

Britglyph

Net politics is all rock and role: Bill Thompson's opinion piece in BBC News @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7783918.stm was interesting. Thanks Bill. A fascinating concept. I really liked it.

Useful link:
http://map.britglyph.com