Hermes 2011

What an amazing runway show
from the clothes, to the music to the dressage horses
totally Hermes
(ignore the obligatory commercial at the beginning of the video)

The Sparklefication of Halloween

From Deep Glamour
Remember when Halloween was scary?
I barely do. These days, it's all "sexy" costumes for the ladies and decidedly un-sexy, not-even-funny joke costumes for the guys. And on the decorating front, instead of ghoulish graveyards or even dark and mysterious haunted houses, those of us trying to deck out our houses for the holiday get...glitter.

A clever post by Kit Pollard of the transformation of Halloween from the dark and daunting to the bright and sparkly.
For this phenomenon, I blame Stephenie Meyer and her band of chaste, "vegetarian" vampires who, instead of burning up in the sun, sparkle like a fleet of immortals dressed for a night out at Studio 54.*

The sparkle is just one more way that vampires - who used to be a genuinely scary staple of the Halloween season - have been softened. Last year on Slate, Grady Hendrix wrote a great summary of the evolution of the vampire from bloodthirsty killer to emo virgin.

The sparklefication of Halloween is not a surprise, though - it's mostly a matter of supply and demand. With Twilight moms holding a whole lot of purchasing power, it's only natural that the glitter goods would fly off the shelves. I can't blame product designers and stores for delivering what the people want.

For some reason, I don't really know why, I have never been a fan of Halloween. The dressing up part was fine, it was the overabundance of candy that I didn't care for.
Now, it has evolved from a children's holiday to every woman's excuse for wearing the slutty-est outfit she can get away with
and of course glitter galore.
I shall ignore the whole thing as I do every year.

Striking, Reading, Working and Shopping

Really I wonder, when do the French get to the point of saying enough is enough?

The above photo isn't recent, it is from March 2009 telling us that if there is one thing that the French do with consistency, it is protesting, something, anything, everything...

OK, we've all know that this latest month of protest has been about raising the retirement age, for public workers, (about 1 in every 4 works for the State in some form or another) from 60 to 62. 

So if you are French, after 35 hour work weeks, and 6 weeks off for vacation, retirement should start at 60.

As Guy Sorman wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "The French have a long tradition of taking to the streets as an irrational answer to economic reforms." Sorman goes on to remind us that "Alexis de Tocqueville, then a member of parliament, wrote in his "Memoires" that the French knew a lot about politics and understood nothing about economics".

And it isn't just the public workers who are protesting.  High school and university students have gotten in on the fun too. " For the young, street riots are a sort of generational rite of passage.  They replay the Revolution as their parents did in May 1968"

In disagreement with Sorman I will say this.  There is a huge economic and societal problem with France when the French are unemployed at 30 and expected to work at 62.  Since there is virtually no new job growth in the private sector, the older workers need to retire to make jobs available for the young.

Still, the State needs to be fed if government pension accounts are going to have enough to pay for retirement benefits.

Here in the US, our middle aged managers have suffered for years from rampant age discrimination.  How often do we read about the 50 something year old manager who has gotten downsized and replaced with a younger and cheaper employee. That 50 year old is never going to get that level of job back.  And now with record high unemployment, many are only so happy to still have a job at 60 years old. 

In addition, many workers who have formally retired from decades of work at their career jobs, desire to continue working in related fields or to go into some new field altogether.  And before our recent economic boondogle, people could do this.  Jobs were available. Who knows now.

Recently, I've been reading the books of Elizabeth Gaskell, the female Dickens, who wrote novels dealing with the conditions of factory workers during the Industrial Revolution. A key element in her books, aside from the extraordinarily harsh conditions of life where people lived at the edge and poverty was the norm, was the desire to work.  At that time when workers went on strike or factories cut back production, people starved...to death.

Thankfully today, striking workers are not going to starve in France, the UK or in the US.

I'm very glad that at least today we live with an abundance of goods that can tide us over in bad economic times.

Virginia Postrel's article in the WSJ, Saved By The Closet, we've got so much stuff that it's easing the slump

discusses this phenomenon.
Americans have a lot of stuff—so much, in fact, that getting it under control has become a major cultural fantasy. Witness the Container Store, whose aisles of closet systems and colorful boxes peddle dreams as seductive as any fashion shoot.
Over the past few decades, as businesses have learned to streamline their inventories, American households have done just the opposite, accumulating ever more linens and kitchen gadgets, toys and TV sets, sporting goods and crafts supplies. "Because of all the shopping we've done, many of us now own lots of great stuff we never use anymore.
Because of our rampant consumerism in the past, we don't live on the edge anymore.
In today's sour economy, however, what once seemed like waste is starting to look like wealth: assets to draw on when times get tough (and not just because of all those ads promising top dollar for your gold jewelry). Material abundance, it turns out, produces economic resilience. Even if today's recession approached Great Depression levels of unemployment, the hardship wouldn't be as severe, because today's consumers aren't living as close to the edge.

Reading so much in the blogosphere questioning can we get by with less and can we survive on a wardrobe of 15 items or less for a month or some such challenge, I am very thankful that I don't have to because I have a closet, or three, full of clothes. 
And I'm also thankful that I have a job that I'm passionate about.  I can only hope that at the age of 60 I am still doing what I am doing now.

Jewelry Biz - Oh La La - An Afternoon With Lorenz Baumer

After an online discussion about who is glamorous over at Tish Jett's blog A Femme D'un Certain Age
I thought that I would weigh in on the subject.
I am not a big fan of glamour because I believe that above all it is built on artifice.
Take most film stars and celebrities.  Can they even be described as glamorous if in actuality they rely entirely on stylists to put together their public looks? 
So instead I look for elegance and accomplishment.
Yesterday I was very pleased to spend several hours with Lorenz Baumer, who is the epitiome of both elegance and accomplishment.

Lorenz Baumer is one of the world's premier jewelry designers.  He has designed for Chanel and Louis Vuitton, and not the costume fashion nonsense stuff either.  He designs Haute Joaillerie.  Here's an example of his work.

Now he has a boutique and atelier located at the Place Vendome in Paris where he creates exciting, colorful and clever pieces based on his view of nature, poetry and architecture.
Like this

and this

I just fell in love with his pieces yesterday...
and a little bit in love with him too because he was so elegant in that unique way that french men are.
And accomplished.
Next month he is going to receive the Legion D'Honneur in Paris.
So check out his website and the next time that you are in Paris, be sure to visit his boutique.

La France Profonde in Fall

Pretty pictures of La France Profonde shamelessly stolen from a friend on Facebook.
Pretty aren't they?
Happy Wednesday!

Rodeo Drive - There Goes The Neighborhood

Look who's moving in next door...or actually a couple of doors down.

Solange Azagury Partridge
They've been setting up for the big opening night party for days now...and borrowing our parking spaces.  The parking lot behind the store is fully tented and decorated with a giant disco ball.
I'm trying to action an invitation to this little shindig...somehow I don't think that I'm on the VIP list.

Now, at almost 7:30 pm the party is in full on happening mode with disco music wafting into our office.
Any minute now I sure that I'm going to hear Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby".

La Niña or Something Wicked This Way Comes

Well the sun finally came out yesterday after almost a month of cold, foggy and drizzly weather.
Why is this notable? 
Because after the coldest summer on record I was looking forward to the typically mild months of September and October.
Not, this year it seems.
Except for one super hot week in September, the last two months have been unusually cold and now I know why.

The Super La Nina and the Coming Winter
La Nina is the lesser-known colder sister of El Nino. La Nina chills the waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean, and in turn cools the entire planet for one to two years or more. This chilling has the potential to bring bone-numbing cold to many parts of the world for this and the following winter.
Oh...lucky us, not only do we get La Nina we get a special La Nina!
This La Nina appears to be special, at least so far. It is well on its way to being the strongest of these events since the super La Nina of 1955-1956. During that powerful La Nina that lasted two years, the global average temperature fell nearly one degree Fahrenheit from 1953 to 1956.

Those of us who are affected by seasonal affective disorder, take note.
Things might get real cold.
Last Sunday was so drizzly and dreary that I opted for the next best thing to a winter holiday on a sunny beach for cheering me up, yes you guessed it, cooking a yummy dinner.
(Admittedly, I was highly inspired by the fabulous meals prepared by Faux Fuchsia and Tabitha)
So I went to my usual source for all things wonderful in the kitchen.

(Yes peeps, I was cooking recipes from these books long before that silly girl from that movie blogged about them. My books date to 1983)
Well anyway, I thought that I would make a Coq au Vin, but all the wine and brandy and bacon seemed too heavy so I decided on Poulet Poché Au Vin Blanc or Coq au Vin lite, if you will.
Super easy, super fast, super healthy
Here's the recipe (actually out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 2)

Grab your big (blue) Le Creuset cocotte and sauté your basic mirepoix ( 2 carrots, 3 stalks of celery, 1 onion, chopped or julienned) in 3 tablespoons of butter....or for a lighter version use chicken stock instead of butter...but what's the point of that.
Add an already cut frying chicken 2 1/2 lbs (I used the organic, no growth hormone kind from Trader Joe's) and cook for 10 minutes turning once.
Pour in 1 1/2 cups of white wine or dry white vermouth (I used vermouth and saved the wine for drinking.  Note: vermouth is also great to cook with and less expensive than wine...and available for your martinis)
Add enough chicken stock to barely cover the chicken.
Add a bouquet garni of parsley, thyme and bay leaf.
Cover and cook either in a 350 degree oven or on top of the stove for 25-30 minutes.
(I served it with asparagus and hot french bread, but you might want to serve it over rice)

For a super easy dessert
Apple and Berry Compote (my recipe)
Take left over granny smith apples from the fridge and peel, core and cut them into chunks.
Lightly poach in a small amount of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Add dried cranberries and pomegranate seeds or dried berries of your choice.
Cook for about 10 minutes or until apples begin to soften but aren't mushy.
Serve warm with low carb vanilla ice cream.

Unfortunately, after all this effort I didn't have the energy to plate it artfully and photograph it for BHB.
You'll just have to take my word that it looked yummy and tasted delicious, because it did.
So brace yourself for a cold winter
This La Nina is coming on very fast and very strong. Already it is colder than the six coldest La Ninas of the last 60 years when they were at a similar stage of development.

Jewelry Biz - Big Bucks For The Bulgari Blue

OK, so I admit it...I was a little disappointed that the powers that be at Beladora didn't buy the Bulgari Blue last week at auction. It would have matched my outfit perfectly, don't you think?

Diamond Auction Sets New World Record

The Bulgari Blue Diamond, the largest triangular Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever offered at auction, sold for $15.7 million on Wednesday at Christie's New York, setting a new world record for the price paid per carat for such a stone in open bidding
The 10.95 carat blue diamond is set opposite a matching 9.87 carat colorless diamond in a ring purchased in 1972 for $1 million. The record price amounts to $1.5 million per carat.
Bidding started at $8 million and quickly became a contest between a client in the room and two on the phone, before the gavel fell to a private Asian collector. 
And what are the chances that the buyer was from China... 

The original owner, who bought the ring at the Bulgari flagship store in Rome as a gift for his wife on the birth of their first son, kept it in the family for four decades until yesterday's sale.

 

 

 

 

Around Town - The Beverly Hills Women's Club 85th Anniversary Gala

It probably wouldn't surprise you that I'm a big believer in community based organizations, like The Beverly Hills Women's Club.
Yes, I know the very idea of a 'women's club' is indeed old fashioned, bringing to mind afternoon tea and bridge.  Well yes the BHWC is a bit old fashioned and proud of it's nearly 100 year old heritage.
And yes there really are teas and bridge and book clubs and mahjong and cotillion. But there are also, lectures and concerts and private tours and cooking classes.
Most importantly, the club also supports children in need by providing such things as school supplies to kids in a local homeless shelter and sponsoring events for Aviva Family and Children's Services which works with abused and neglected children.
This year was the 85th anniversary of the actual club house, built in 1925 by noted architects Gable and Lyons. Over the last five years, under the leadership of club president Claudia Deutsch, the building has been carefully restored, with respect to the architectural heritage.  Hopefully the club will continue to be a thriving part of the community with ongoing philanthropic service for another 85 years.
And I dressed up complete with partial up-do and other fripperies....but alas, no diamond brooch in my hair.
So here's the look...dark navy blue taffeta dress, navy blue satin shoes, sapphire and diamond estate jewelry, a mink coat (vintage) and a happy disposition.

Yes, I know...not the most attractive of photos, but that was the best that I could do with my iphone.
But I was especially happy with the Fred Leighton diamond bow brooch.

Yes, I'm posing in front of my bicycle which is parked in front a painting. 
I know, awesome decorating skillz.
Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

Why Blogger...Why?

It must be the beginning of the end. 
You know that feeling when you make a big effort on your part to say something clever or charming and you are met with total nonchalance on the other side.
And you ask yourself what did I do wrong? 
I was there faithfully everyday, giving it my all.  But as the years and the posts passed, little issues started cropping up between us that just couldn't be corrected.
How many times, like yesterday, can I allow myself to spend an hour scanning photos, uploading images, writing commentary and inserting links only to have you be completely unresponsive to my needs.
Oh I admit it, I blamed it first on my computer.  But now that I have my new super computer I have to face the fact that the problem is with you.
OK, I get it.  The relationship was always one sided anyway.
Somehow it all makes sense, especially knowing that you come from a family where long standing relationships weren't truly valued. After all, your parents moved to Bermuda to avoid paying taxes...and you know they say about the apple not falling far from the tree...or at least I think that's what they say.

Blogger, I hope that you treat your other bloggers better than you have treated me!

Everything Old Is New Again

Anne Hathaway photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue

I'm rather loving this photo of Anne Hathaway a la Holly Golightly in Vogue, and not so much for the jewelry.  I'm rather enamored of the updo.  It's a such a clean classic look and particularly flattering if you want to emphasize your clothes, your jewelry or your swan like neck....on second thought maybe this look needs to be reserved for those under 30.
Still, I would love to get all dressed up this weekend with big blingy brooch in my hair.

like this Mid-Century Chaumet Diamond Brooch in Platinum
You don't think that the diamond hair ornament would be over the top for a Saturday night soiree, do you?

Jewelry Biz - It Takes A Thief...Or Two

Amazing is correct.
In the news
Ring worth nearly $700,000 taken by savvy thieves

Two well-dressed men walk away with Cartier store's most expensive one

ROME — Police are trying to track down two men who stole a Cartier store's most expensive ring, but one thing is clear: the bilingual, elegantly attired thieves were savvy. 

Without pulling a weapon, the two men walked off with a 500,000 euro ($693,000) diamond-encrusted ring Tuesday evening from Cartier's store on Via Condotti, a toney shopping street near Rome's Spanish Steps, police said.

Talk about messing up the 'Know Your Client' rule!

But I truly do feel sorry for the poor saleswoman who got totally bamboozled by these elegantly attired gentlemen I mean cheeky thieves, speaking Arabic and French.  

She probably thought that they were Saudi royals and that she was on to making the big sale of her year.

Around Town - The Santa Monica Vintage Expo

After years of following Mary Kincaid's Zuburbia blog, I was pleased to finally get a chance to meet Mary last weekend at the Vintage Clothing Expo show in Santa Monica. 
Mary is a specialist in vintage clothing with the eye of a museum curator.  She can spot a Lilly Ann, a Suzy Perette, a Galanos, a Ceil Chapman or just about any other classic American fashion designer at a distance.  Her blog is highly informative with posts about vintage designers, where to shop for vintage items, vintage picks of the week and a weekly eBay round up. 

So, not only does does this busy woman blog, she has an online boutique where each item in her vintage collection is hand picked for its special design aesthetic. 

I'm really excited for Mary because she will soon have her vintage clothes featured on 1stDibs...and if that isn't a recipe for success, then I don't know what is.

(perhaps Beladora will be invited to join the 1stDibs crew one of these days...........)

Kim Kardashian In W - What Does It Mean?

I just saw this publicity shot from a recent Sharon Stones film 5 Bucks a Day , and yes she does look damn good at 52, even in her tacky tiger stripe bikini get up. But Stone has always just had the goods naturally.  No seven hour work outs a day for her, like Madonna.  In fact I wonder if Sharon Stone has ever worked out at all.  Somehow I suspect not. 
And on the topic of working out, here's a photo of my trainer.

How adorable is this girl? 
And she's not just a hot body, she's bright too, not to mention energetic.
She works all day at a private equity firm...then trains private clients at night....then does her own serious training for competition.  That's a lot of energy, you know the type you have when you are 30.
Still, I admit, she's kind of inspirational.
In addition to urging me to stop blogging and start working out, she has been talking to me about nutrition and hydration.  This woman drinks a huge quantity of water, every single day, and has stressed the importance of proper hydration, especially after a workout.
Naturally, my preferred method of hydration at night is this.

And that probably isn't going to help to get me anywhere near having a Sharon Stone bikini body.
Speaking of bikini bodies, I assume by now everyone has seen the new W magazine.

Now I know that Miss Kardashian has bared it all, all over the place, including an 'accidental' release of a sex video on the internet...and they're always accidental, aren't they.

But can someone please tell my why W magazine featured her in this way.

Is that fashion?

Around Town - Dinner and the Scene at BOA Steakhouse

So where do you go for a family dinner on a drizzling Saturday night to soak up the LA scene?

The answer of course is the sleek and sexy BOA Steakhouse on Sunset Boulevard

The menu was basic and straightforward, american cuts of steak and potato type of side dishes, except of course for the de rigueur Kobe and Waygu beef, which all respectable restaurants seem to have to serve now.  The wine list was extensive.  The service was helpful and friendly.

But let's face it, you don't go there for the food.  You go there for the scene

and sitting at the front table, there was quite a scene to be seen especially in the loungy bar.

Would I go back there, probably not except maybe for the chocolate hazelnut cake, which was delicious.As

Also, it might be nice in the summer months, when you can sit outside on the terrace.

But I could happily skip the bar scene which seemed to consist mostly of hipsters and hookers.
The LA demimonde, if you will.

(I wish that I had taken a photo of that not so young curvy brunette in the turquoise sequin halter style top, uncovered midriff and white jeans with sparkle playboy bunny logos on the back pockets, I kid you not.  Who wears that on a rainy October night?)

As usual I wore my typical conservative outfit of which nothing was new and most was really old.

A Ralph Lauren black label long cashmere long sweater and matching shell in chocolate brown over a Michael Kors wool pencil skirt in heather brown, all purchased 3 years ago (on sale) at Neiman Marcus.

A pair of Patrick Cox pumps purchased in Paris 12 years ago but seldom worn due to the high 4 inch heels.

An alligator belt that had belonged to my husband, and that I had shortened, which had to be close to 20 years old and a vintage alligator clutch by Kleinberg Sherrill that was 25 years old.
Oh, and the scarf, which I believe I bought last winter sometime....in fact it is very likely that I picked it up at Walgreens for maybe $7.99.

Naturally, I wore some old jewelry too.

I'm glad that I went to BOA, just to see what all the hype was about. 

But now it's been there, done that.

I can move on.

AHa life - Laughing All The Way To The Bank

I don't even know where to go with this "Finger Ring" created by jewelry 'designer' Jules Kim
and sold on the AHAlife flash sale website.
From the description
“I like to make designs that are statements,” says designer Jules Kim, who is offering her eye-catching creation to AHAlife readers in silver or gold (not shown). Molded from her own finger—first cast in wax, then in metal—this three-part hinged beauty is definitely a statement-making piece (learn more about its creation in our exclusive video). No wonder it was featured on every page of the latest issue of the fashion-forward magazine, Numero (yes, you read that right: every. single. page.). every single page...that's some serious product placement..but who is Numero, apparently I'm not fashion forward enough to recognize that magazine
And no wonder Bijules' left-of-center pieces are worn by the likes of Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Fergie, Kelly Rowland, Katy Perry, Santogold, Eve, Rye Rye and Karen O, onstage and off.
Wow...all the cool girls where this stuff!

"I wanted it to be a little part of me and it had to be weird," adds Kim of her "scary-cool" finger ring.
"There are conversations to be had about everything I wear or design."
The conversation begins here. If that is a conversation that you want to have...

Isn't AHA life the correct title for a website that would sell such a thing for 

$2400

and this creepy ring is not even in platinum like the Loree Rodkin goth jewelry, it is in silver

and it is a final sale and not returnable

The AHA  in the website's name is supposed to be for discovery

but the only discovery that I have made here is that AHA life is getting the last laugh here at the expense of  whoever would be silly enough to buy such a thing for $2400.

And this brings me to the subject of flash sales. 

I assume that like me your email in boxes, (note plural because we all have more than one email address now) are overflowing with daily notices for flash sales from Haute Look, Gilt Group, Bluefly, Avelle, etc.
Let's say that there is a particular brand item that you have been yearning for, maybe a specific pair of Prada boots or a Mulberry handbag, or a BCBG dress, but you have put off buying it due to the price. 
If this specific item comes up on a 24 hour flash sale, it makes sense to buy it because you already wanted it and the price is now low enough to justify the purchase.

But an even bigger part of flash sales is impulse buying.  You see something that you didn't even know that you wanted and you buy it because it will only be on sale for 24 hours, or until is sold out.

Maybe because I am old, or just old fashioned, there is something that really bothers me about impulse shopping.  It just further represents to me the trend towards instant gratification in all things.   I believe that if you are going to spend $500 or $2500 or whatever, you should not do that on impulse. 
Also, who would spend this kind of money on an item that wasn't returnable?  What if you buy it and it doesn't fit?  What if you buy it and the next day hell freezes over or you get laid off or outsourced or whatever...wouldn't you want the option to get your money back?

Full disclosure here, my daughter loves Haute Look and Gilt Group, and she has bought from both. 
I have never made a purchase from a flash sale website, but I might consider it in the future if there is a specific item that I have been wanting to buy but wouldn't pay full retail for.

Do you buy from flash sales and have you been happy with shopping this way?

Farsi Fashion or Guess Which One Is Ahmadinejad's Wife

This photograph is floating around the internet today after Shirin Sadeghi's article "Women and Style in Iran" on  the Huffington Post.
Yes, you guessed it... that is Mrs. Ahmadinejad sporting the chic black head to toe attire in between Wafaa Suleiman, the Christian and unveiled wife of the President of Lebanon and Randa Berri the elegantly veiled wife of the Speaker of Parliament of Lebanon.
Just for historical contrast I thought that these images were interesting

Iranian women from an earlier era including the beauty on the far right who would later become

Farah Diba Pahlavi
and from an even earlier era we have

Soraya, the first wife of the Shah Reza Pahlavi
Working in Beverly Hills, where we have the largest Iranian population outside of Tehran, the Persian women that I see everyday are hands down the most stylish women in the city.
Happily, they look something like this

(photo of Canadian Iranian women randomly snagged off the internet)
instead of this

Don't get me wrong, I am in not making a comment about Mrs. Ahmedinejad's physical attributes, I am commenting only about the chador at a state dinner.

Estate Jewelry Look Of The Day - The Victorian Locket

I know that you think that it is all champagne, caviar and chicness chez Beladora.  But some Friday afternoons it is so cold in the office that I just end up with my scarf wrapped turban style around my head.
Don't ask why, it's just how I roll.
OK, enough about me...here is what I wanted to show you.

Antique Victorian Locket Pendant with Amethyst in Silver and Gold from Beladora.com $395

What is really cool about this locket,
aside from the unbelievable price (and don't forget your BHB discount code)
is the fact that it has two Victorian photos on the interior
and the woman in the photo appears to be wearing this very locket.  Click on my link to see the details.
A little bit of living history, non?
OK peeps, have a great weekend.

Business As Usual In France

For a while now I've been thinking that I wanted to sneak in a little vacation this month, after all, I've only taken one week off during the last 12 months.  For some reason, this particular Autumn, I've been thinking of travelling to Paris for a little antique shopping and museum going.

But, Paris as the rest of France, is on strike.
This isn't a little greve where the metro shuts down for 6 hours, this is a major strike.

Don't the French do this about once every decade or so?
I understand that a big part what this is about is the raising of the retirement age from 60 to 62.
Yes, that is certainly devastating, for the French.
And as we all know France, the idea if not the actual country, is all about quality of life.
Who wouldn't want to retire to a life of pastis and tarot at their country house at the age of 60?

Last night I had dinner with a group of  friends who travel often.  One was just back from Paris, another from London, and another had just returned from two months in Australia. She raved about how wonderful the quality of life is there. 
So now I'm starting to think to myself, maybe that 20 hour plane ride over the Pacific wouldn't be so bad, if Australia was on the other side of it....
And on that topic, thank you to Faux Fuchsia my favorite Australian blogger for mentioning BHB on her blog. If you are not already reading her blog, you need to start reading it today. As she would say, run don't walk.

When Blogger Goes Bad

Why have I been having problems uploading my images...and where did the rest of my posts disappear to?

Germinal No Longer - It Takes A World Of Technology

Last night at the gym while trudging away on the treadmill, I watched on television the best news that I've seen in ages, the rescue of the trapped miners in Chile. I am so happy that they all survived such a long and terrible ordeal.
I'm also happy that we live in a world where the innovation and the advanced technology was available to make a rescue of this magnitude possible.
From, the WSJ

If those miners had been trapped a half-mile down like this 25 years ago anywhere on earth, they would be dead. What happened over the past 25 years that meant the difference between life and death for those men?

Short answer: the Center Rock drill bit.

This is the miracle bit that drilled down to the trapped miners. Center Rock Inc. is a private company in Berlin, Pa. It has 74 employees. The drill's rig came from Schramm Inc. in West Chester, Pa. Seeing the disaster, Center Rock's president, Brandon Fisher, called the Chileans to offer his drill. Chile accepted. The miners are alive.

Add to that additional technology from around the world

The high-strength cable winding around the big wheel atop that simple rig is from Germany. Japan supplied the super-flexible, fiber-optic communications cable that linked the miners to the world above. 

Samsung of South Korea supplied a cellphone that has its own projector. Jeffrey Gabbay, the founder of Cupron Inc. in Richmond, Va., supplied socks made with copper fiber that consumed foot bacteria, and minimized odor and infection.

Copper fiber in socks, who knew? Well now we all do.

The miners' rescue is a thrilling moment for Chile, an imprimatur on its rising status. But I'm thinking of that 74-person outfit in Berlin, Pa., whose high-tech drill bit opened the earth to free them. You know there are tens of thousands of stories like this in the U.S., as big as Google and small as Center Rock. I'm glad one of them helped save the Chileans. What's needed now is a new American economic model that lets our innovators rescue the rest of us.