From the monthly archives:
Full text of today’s column, “Diamonds and the 80th Oscars”
I was busy writing last Tuesday’s column when the 80th Oscars went on the air. I heard snatches of the ceremony but completely missed the Red Carpet prelude. I went to the Oscar Web site yesterday and took a glimpse. Below are some descriptions:
“Nominee [...]
Continue reading 'Diamonds and the 80th Oscars' →
Sam was supposed to leave at midnight tonight to go to Mindoro on a four-day optional school trip for third and fourth year students. There was an orientation for parents two weeks ago, I went, we were apprised of the risks, real and imagined, including dengue, malaria and the NPA. I signed the consent form [...]
Continue reading 'When the line between good and bad gets blurry' →
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YouTube video of Marilyn Monroe singing Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.
Diamond jewelry at the Red Carpet, 80th Oscar Awards.
Relate to claims made by Epstein (previous entry) that diamonds were romanticized via a marketing campaign using movie celebrities and socialites.
Continue reading 'Diamond showcase' →
1994: De Beers and General Electric indicted for conspiracy to raise list prices of industrial diamonds.
2004: De Beers pleads guilty and offers a $10 million settlement. Similar article at Washington Post.
January, 2008: Settlement rose to $235 million. The settlement comes with NO admission of guilt on the part of De Beers.
Diamond Class Action website.
Continue reading 'De Beers, lawsuit on price-fixing' →
Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond? by Edward Jay Epstein in The Atlantic.
Epstein’s bio on Wikipedia.
Epstein’s e-book on De Beers and Diamonds, a full-blown version of what appeared in The Atlantic.
Continue reading 'Epstein’s articles on De Beers and diamonds' →
Wikipedia articles on De Beers and diamond.
De Beers website. A diamond is forever. Conflict diamonds. Blood diamonds.
History of De Beers cartel. De Beers in Sierra Leone and Rhodesia.
Glitter and Greed: The Secret World of the Diamond Empire by Janine Roberts on Google Books.
Continue reading 'About De Beers' →
Remember that time when we thought we lost Pepper because she was gone for two nights? That was a little over three months ago. Pepper never went away like that again and we were happy. Just a week ago, Alex commented on how Pepper has gained a lot of weight after the noticeable weight loss [...]
Continue reading 'The pet situation is fast turning into a nightmare' →
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As the schoolyear comes to a close, there are projects to submit and requirements to complete. For the past few weeks, my daughters have been staying up late at night to meet deadlines. The school’s science expo opens tomorrow today (it is after midnight of Tuesday, so it’s today). Alex and her groupmates finished their [...]
Continue reading 'Burning the midnight oil' →
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If you frequent my food blog, you might have noticed the change in culinary focus. We’ve been on an Asian diet for a couple of weeks now. For starters, I’ve started to feel like the Leftovers Queen, whipping up dishes with what’s available. It’s practical, I know, but I also get this urge to learn [...]
Continue reading 'Change of diet and a new electric grill' →
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Two seemingly unrelated events took place recently and now there’s renewed interest in the life and loves of assassinated United States President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. First, photographer Bert Sterns recreated, after 46 years, a Marilyn Monroe 1962 nude photo session later known as “The Last Sitting” with actress Lindsay Lohan as his model. The Lohan [...]
Continue reading 'Bastards and kings' →
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