Artists Taking The Lead

Artists Taking the Lead is the first major project in the four-year Cultural Olympiad, which aims to showcase British art and culture. I thought it was a unique way to engage with the public. I liked it.

Useful link:
www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk

Hypermusic Prologue

Lisa Randall's experimental opera, Hypermusic Prologue: A Projective Opera in Seven Planes was brilliant.

Useful link:
www.physics.harvard.edu/people/facpages/randall.html

New York Jewelry Show

Tony Siederman's viewpoints were interesting. Gem dealers and jewelers are looking at new ways to cut costs, testing cause-related marketing tools to do the right thing—giving loyal customers new reasons to be in the store.

Power Plant

Go to the Royal Botanic Gardens for an immersive experience.

Useful links:
www.powerplant.org.uk
www.rbge.org.uk

Casa Sacerdotal Diocesana de Plasencia

What a brilliant makeover! I think the Catholic Church in India should take a look at Plasencia, and do something to inspire the communities they serve, really. Hats off to Andres Jaque Arquitectos!

Useful link:
http://andresjaque.net

Kiri Te Kanawa

The Maori soprano, Kiri Te Kanawa is to retire from the opera, after a career spanning four decades. She is one of the most famous figures of the opera world. She will always be a much-loved figure in the arts world.

Useful link:

www.kiritekanawa.org

Lessons From Israel

Gideon Tolkowsky's opinion piece on Israeli high-tech startups was brilliant. Corporate culture is like the scent that is in the carpet. You can vacuum the carpet day in and day out; you can send it to the cleaners again and again; the scent remains. Therefore, it had better be the right scent -- the right corporate culture -- from the beginning. Companies that cultivate a global culture, from the day their founders write the first page of their business plan and from the day they recruit their first employee, have the best chance of growing in today's global economy. So true!

Useful link:
www.bmecapital.com

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

Spot on. I think most diamond traders don’t care about the Kimberly Process, really. In my opinion the KP mechanism is visibly included. The twig is bent so shall the tree grow.

Useful links:
www.kimberleyprocess.com
www.diamondintelligence.com