Diamonds Are Forever?

The country of Botswana in Africa is the biggest producer of diamond in the world by value. The second and third top producers are Russia and Canada, respectively. It is interesting to note that Canada is the third largest producer of diamonds.The Top Diamond Producing Countries: An estimated 65% of the world’s diamonds come from African countries according to the Diamond Facts site. Some of the Top Diamond Mining Companies are: De BeersRio TintoAlrosaHarry Winston DiamondBHP BillitonPetra DiamondsGem DiamondsSource: The ‘Blood Diamond’ Resurfaces, The Wall Street Journal----------------------Diamond Price GuideIf you're on a very tight...

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Most / Least Expensive Cities n Most / Least Livable Cities

FinanceAsia: In a Cost of Living survey involving 214 cities, Tokyo, Osaka and Hong Kong are among the top 10 most expensive cities in the world for corporations to fund their expatriates. Singapore is not far behind in 11th place.By Mei Tuicolo | 30 June 2010One only needs to do a Sunday drive around Hong Kong's Peak to see that big firms are paying top dollar to keep their expatriate employees happy and productive. Ranked as the eighth most expensive city out of a pool of 214 cities, Hong Kong maintains its affluent reputation in Mercer's most recent Cost of Living index, alongside Tokyo, Osaka and Singapore.The index was created by consulting...

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Original World Cup Funnies and Otherwise

First, lets scan for the current crop of World Cup jokes:Carlos Tevez walks into a night club in Johannesburg after his team's victory over Mexico and sees a stunning leggy blonde beauty on the dance floor. He approaches her and says, "Get your coat, you are coming back to my hotel with me tonight." She looks at him and replies, "Goodness, You're a little forward!"Capello phones Gus Hiddink to find out how to improve his training methods."Dustbins" says Gus, "Position dustbins around the training pitch and get your players to pass the ball between them, dribble round them, chip the ball over them, it'll improve all round ball control".The...

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Opinion - Sports Betting

I have been quiet on the Ascot betting license fiasco. Trying to get more info and facts first. While Vincent Tan may have erred in announcing the news a tad earlier, he did have a letter. However, he should have been more careful, knowing this is a time bomb and won't be easy to railroad the thing over. Should B Group be penalised by Bursa/SC on this. Well, yes and no, though I would sway towards "yes". Listed companies should be more careful when making announcements, in particular when it comes to market moving announcements. It has to be a yes owing to the amount of shares traded and the share price volatility after the announcement and...

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En Bloc Sale, Almost A Love Story

I was browsing through my older postings and I thought this was pretty good. Good enough to repost here after a year and a half. Something completely different... Readers, do indulge me a bit as I write a short story. I don't even read much fiction, and I don't aspire to be a fiction writer. Its fiction, I tell you, completely fictitious.....The year was 2006, it was the end of October in Singapore. Sitting idly in her barely rocking, rocking chair - the chair must have seen better times, the ones you know may have existed when Kennedy was president, the rattan barely clinging on to the wooden frame. In many ways, the frail 82 year old lady was...

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Ball Talk Cock or Talk Cock Ball or Talk Ball Cock

Who has time to talk about business and stocks currently? Of course its the World Cup talk and how you are running out of excuses to get medical cert or sick leave.The vuvuzelas will be big in EPL next season, because the England team plays like the vuvuzelas, makes a lot of noise but is pathetically and increasingly boring and annoying the more they play in the tournament.This Brazil is not like the Brazil of old. This Brazil seems to have drunk a lot of Weizenbock, Klosch and Bock as their defence is BMW-solid.Argentina is playing like the eventual winners, in spite of having Maradona as the coach - goes to show you how insignificant a role...

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Which Meat You Can Take Off Your List

I was salivating over the posting by Camemberu over the 7 celebrity chefs operating at Marina Bay Sands. They include: Daniel Boulud, Guy Savoy, Santi Santamaria, Tetsuya Wakuda, Justin Quek, Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck. http://www.camemberu.com/Since it will be sometime before I get to go down to Singapore to try their dishes, something came up which I would like to share with all my readers. This is actually a great conversation topic. If you have to give up one meat, which is the first and which is the last. Let's just focus on lamb, beef, pork, fish, poultry and duck.If you are Chinese the majority would put lamb as their first meat to...

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Movie Review: Dream Home

When I was in HK a couple of weeks back, I had a free afternoon and wandered in to watch a just released HK movie Dream Home. Had no bloody idea what the movie was going to be all about. OMG, it was a slasher movie in the vein of Takeshi Ishii (Freeze Me) and Takashi Miike (Audition & Ichi The Killer), he would have been proud of this one.Directed by Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung (‘Exodus,’ ‘Isabella’, 'You Shoot I Shoot'), this movie probably would have a hard time to find backers if it wasn't executive produced by Josie Ho (the lead) and also the daughter of Stanley Ho. Owing to her clout, the cast include...

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Steve Jobs Chatting With Bill Gates

This is so lame and silly that its somehow still fun to read ... btw, Steve Jobs is worth $5.5bn while Bill Gates is worth $53...

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Objectifying Men & World Cup Pics

Just in case you were wondering, no... you have not accidentally clicked into Blue Boy Mansion's website. As women have always been objectified by the media, it is only fair game that we do the same on guys. Its topical, and Vanity Fair sure knows how to sell their magazines. They got the renowned Annie Lebowitz to take the sumptuous photos. Under wears may be for sale, 'packaging' may differ when you try them on at home. SULLEY MUNTARI, GhanaAGE: 25. CLUB: Inter Milan. POSITION: Midfielder.LANDON DONOVAN, U.S.A.AGE: 28. CLUB: Los Angeles...

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Euro To Reach Parity To USD?

When should we plan to go to Europe? Now or later this year? I would say, wait for parity. There are two sides arguing about the direction of the Euro.On news that China is to increase the flexibility in the yuan's fixed exchange rate, by mid-afternoon trading in New York the EUR had fallen 0.6% against the U.S. dollar to USD/EUR 1.2311 on June 21, 2010. The fall also followed news from ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet that governments in breach of European fiscal rules could face tougher punishment, such as the withdrawal of voter rights.Despite a recent barrage of bad news regarding the European sovereign-debt crisis, the euro only fell 0.3%...

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Ethnic Issues, Nazir Razak, Amy Chua

Found a great blog in Eddy Daud's Just My Thoughts. His posting captured below encapsulates the various angles on ethnic issues, economic and political elite issues and how that mirror things in our country very well. ---------------------------Free speech is a wonderful thing isn't it;Multimillionaire and CIMB head honcho Nazir Razak has this to say..excerpt from MINEP punishes talented Malays too, says Nazir RazakJune 20, 2010KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — CIMB chief Datuk Seri Nazir Razak today repeated his call for a review of the New Economic Policy (NEP), adding that the policy has been unfair to the majority of Malays.Nazir,...

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The Last Polka - Best Malaysian Ice Cream

You can have your Haagen Dazs ... but once you crave for the local flavours such as yam, corn and red bean ... things start to get to less than premium taste. Now fret no more. There is a dedicated home made ice cream that aims to make a great tasting product with a penchant to satisfy the local taste buds.I like to support passionate people who dedicate themselves to doing something niche and distinctive. They will deliver to you at certain meeting points provided you are OK to pick up in Klang, Damansara or Subang area. Horlicks flavour is unbelievable, and if you are a true blue Malaysia, just hearing about Horlicks flavoured or White Coffee...

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The Yuan & The Ringgit, Missing Cousins

Before the weekend, the ringgit was at 3.25 to the USD, this morning it went to 3.19. The Chinese renminbi has been effectively pegged to the U.S. dollar since late 2008, as one of the supportive policies put in place during the global recession. This peg, and the fact that it impeded other countries adjustments, has contributed to international pressure, especially from the U.S., to allow more flexibility of the exchange rate as Chinese exports rebounded.Ahead of the G-20 meeting, on June 19, 2010, the People's Bank of China announced the intention to move towards a more flexible exchange rate regime by allowing the currency to move within a...

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This Is Forced Charity, Not Kosher

Charity ... for it to be meaningful and fair, do it from your own pockets.KUALA LUMPUR: Tradewinds Plantation Bhd’s (TPB) AGM today could be an interesting affair as the Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) has sent to the company a set of questions ranging from crude oil pricing to a donation of RM10 million made to the Albukhary International University, sources said.Of particular interest to minority shareholders will be the RM10 million donation, which is deemed as excessive, representing about 20% of the company’s net profit. MSWG’s list of questions also include seeking clarity on its plans to build palm oil mills.TPB’s 69.76% parent...

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