Treasures Of The Earth

Treasures of the Earth by Saleem H. Ali links human wants and needs by providing a natural history of consumption and materialism with scientific detail and humanistic nuance. A must read.

Useful link:

www.uvm.edu/~shali

Maira Kalman Viewpoint

Maira's work was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep up the good work.

Useful links:
http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com
www.mairakalman.com

Jeff Koons Viewpoint

Peter Aspden's interview with Jeff Koons was interesting. A truly idea person.

Once you are born, you are already participating in time. You have to become aware of your own mortality. It’s a great time to be alive.
- Jeff Koons
www.jeffkoons.com

The Road: The Movie

The book and the movie tell a powerfully simple story about a man and boy walking through the ashy remains of a desolate world, just trying to stay alive. Don't miss.

Useful link:
www.theroad-movie.com

Watermelon Juice For Ethanol

A new study published in Biotechnology for Biofuels reports that waste watermelons could provide the raw material to be fermented into ethanol. Who would have thought watermelons would be a ready source of feedstock to make ethanol? We are living in interesting times.

Useful link:
www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com

Recycle Lacma

Recycle Lacma is Robert Fontenot's take on the practice of deaccessioning. I thought it was interesting.

Useful links:
http://recyclelacma.blogspot.com
www.lacma.org
www.aam-us.org
www.elizabethdeegallery.com
www.artleak.org

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

I thought Chaim's views on ABN AMRO Bank/International Diamond and Jewelry Group (ID&JG) restructuring was educational and insightful. How do they affect the diamond industry? Only time will tell.

Useful links:
http://idjg.abnamro.com
www.diamondintelligence.com

Art Conservation

Brilliant work. It's really amazing to see X-ray probes, ultraviolet scans, infrared reflectograms and molecular spectroscopy in use to preserve world's masterworks.

This specialization is a real rarity. It is in a curious spot between science, artisan skills and artistry, requiring very complicated judgment and knowledge from lots of different fields. That's why there are so few experts.
- George Bisacca, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Useful links:
www.getty.edu/conservation
www.caltech.edu