Norman Borlaug - America's Albert Schweitzer

Taking a break from posts about fashionista-ish subjects
I wanted to recommend to you this WSJ editorial about
the greatest American of the 20th Century


Norman Borlaug arguably the greatest American of the 20th century died late Saturday after 95 richly accomplished years. The very personification of human goodness, Borlaug saved more lives than anyone who has ever lived. He was America's Albert Schweitzer: a brilliant man who forsook privilege and riches in order to help the dispossessed of distant lands. That this great man and benefactor to humanity died little-known in his own country speaks volumes about the superficiality of modern American culture.

In 1999, the Atlantic Monthly estimated that Borlaug's efforts combined with those of the many developing-world agriculture-extension agents he trained and the crop-research facilities he founded in poor nations saved the lives of one billion human beings.

Saving billions of lives, imagine that

Norman Borlaug RIP

Food, Inc. - The Movie

Food, Inc. -What every foodie should see this summer

When you travel to Argentina you see the people who consume that largest amount of meat on a per capita basis. They are so thin that they make even French people look hefty. Why do you think that is? My opinion...they eat a high protein diet but they don't eat meat, poultry and dairy that is full of growth hormones.

What Happens in Vegas - The Report

Las Vegas. Admit it...you want to know all.

Here's the highlights.

Antique and Estate Jewelry Show. Lots of exquisite jewelry but my take was not a lot of business except in large stones and watches.

Couture Show. Some interesting new designs and business was brisk.

Italian Show. Emphasis on diamond slice jewelry, snake bracelets and sunburst pendants. Mostly yellow gold, with some great pieces in titanium. I love the Italian manufacturers. They always have a couple of bottles of wine in their booths at lunchtime. So European.

Gems and Diamonds. More supply than can be imagined...so what's up with the Rap price increase?

Technology. Saw my team at Logicmate. New talent has been hired so maybe now I wont have to harass them daily for attention.

Vegas...well it was the same as ever. Hot, crowded, tacky.

I was glad to see my favorite Bartender John at Sensi at the Bellagio. He was, as always, friendly and fun. Dinner at Daniel Boulud at the Wynn was OK but not as good as the New York restaurant. Trying to get an outside table for cognac and cigars was the usual hassle at the Fontana Bar at the Bellagio.

Bars were teeming with the typical New York diamond dealers (not the Hassidic ones of course)...with their wedding rings conveniently slipped off so they could prey on the young and naive. Ah...the typical trade show shenanigans.

Highlights of my trip.

Taking a much appreciated break by the Bellagio pool.

And...getting chatted up by a young-ish diamond dealer from NY who first had to tell me how intrigued he was by the Ashton Kutchner -Demi Moore relationship. Yeah whatever.

Then he told me about how he made the transition from the IDF to M&A at Lehman Brothers to Diamonds. OK, interesting.

Then he told me that he loved old movies...so I'm thinking great, he's got an appreciation for the genius of Preston Sturgis, Stanley Kramer, Akira Kurosawa, etc. He then goes on to say that his favorite "old" movie was The Usual Subjects. I guess when you are 35 a movie that was released in 1995 qualifies as old.

Being a young and cocky guy he just had to make a $500 bet with me on when the movie Papillion was released insisting that it came out in 1963. I was like dude, Dustin Hoffman wasn't even acting in movies in 1963. His big break came much later in The Graduate. But no...he had to insist.

Of course the next day at his firm's booth, when I tried to collect my $500 he was short by about $500.

So Oren, you still owe me.

Around Town - Crustacean Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago I had dinner with Elizbeth An, the adorable owner of Crustacean Restaurant, in Beverly Hills. No only is she a talented restaurateur she is an incredible interior designer and created an interior that evokes the French Colonial look of pre-war Hanoi. The food is great....and the menu not only includes special dishes prepared from recipes handed down through generations in the An family, each item is listed with a recommended wine.

If you happened to be in the hood and stopped by one day after work, you might find Elizabeth and me at the bar noshing on asian tapas and sashimi and sipping Chardonnay.

Crustacean - 9646 Little Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills.

Le Mathi Paris - Thomson Hotel Beverly Hills

Style expert Susan Tabac, author of the book Chic in Paris and a blog by the same name, posts on some of her favorite restaurants in Paris. We get the usual LeVoltaire and La Stressa, with photos and a pretty picture of what looks like the Plaza Athenee interior garden restaurant.

A new restaurant, at least to me, at the Hotel Mathi, is Le Mathi's with the fabulous Louis Philippe interior design. What better place than Paris to have a seriously sumptuous restaurant.

And I love her description.

While opulent restaurants are not hard to find in Paris, it is the truly exclusive ones that seem to be a rare. For this reason one of my new favorite spots is Le Mathi’s, which has caught my discerning eye due to the unmatched exclusivity offered to its in-the-know and prosperous patrons. Likely one of the only true insider places left in Paris, it is inconspicuously marked by a door at the Hotel Mathi’s, which only opens for an impressively small crowd of international socialites, celebrities, and affluent individuals. With a limited number of tables, the intimacy of this venue is second to none and the company seated next to you consists exclusively of those privileged enough to be personally recognized by the establishment as the crème de la crème of high society.

But in my hood, that kind of sumptuousness is over the top. We go for casual elegance. A perfect example of Beverly Hills Style is the luxury boutique Thompson Hotel, with a rooftop pool and and two hopping bars. While you won't see Anna Wintour and the Paris fashionistas, it is the great place to meet friends for an after work cocktail.

Harry's Bar Venice Offering Discount to "Poor" Americans

This week it was reported in the Washington Post that the famous Harry's Bar in Venice, a long time hang out for ex pat and travelling Americans, is offering a discount to ""poor" Americans suffering from a weak dollar and subprime blues."

"Harry's Bar of Venice, in an effort to make the American victims of subprime loans happier, has decided to give them a special 20 percent discount on all items of the menu during the short term of their recovery."

Can I make a suggestion? Instead of travelling all the way to Venice, the Disneyland of Europe, why not visit Beverly Hills.

There's a hip boutique hotel, The Crescent, which is right in the heart of the Platinum Triangle. The room rates are reasonable, the outdoor lounge with a fireplace is charming, and if you are looking for Italian food that is as good as what is served at Harry' Bar, you've got Il Pastaio a block away. If you don't need to walk, there are countless other excellent Italian restaurants within a short drive.

Oh, I know you don't have all the canals and photo friendly vistas, but you skip the tourist trap nonsense, and the prevailing attitude that you are just a "poor" American.