Harry Newton's In Search of The Perfect Investment
Newton's In Search Of The Perfect Investment. Technology Investor.
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8:30 AM EST, Thursday, April 19: I
wish it were raining in drought-stricken areas of the globe, not New York City.
Future
wars will be fought over water, not oil. Australia
is creating neat new investment ideas. Remember Australia started the idea of
private investment in public infrastructure. From Australia's Sydney Morning
Herald now comes
this story:
Aussie firm
launches global water fund
It's often said
that future wars will be fought over water, not oil.
And given fresh
water's increasing worldwide scarcity, an Australian investment company wants
to make money from investing in the $460 billion global market for the precious
liquid.
MFS Aqua Managers
Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the stock exchange-listed MFS Ltd, on Wednesday
launched the MFS Water Fund, Australia's first globally diversified water
fund.
MFS Aqua Managers
managing director Richard Lourey said the fund aimed to take advantage of
investment prospects in the global market for the "irreplaceable"
resource that was rising in value.
He said the
price of water in Australia had risen at three times the rate of inflation
over the past 12 months.
The fund would
provide "an investment opportunity that captures exactly the same investment
economics that is driving ... water bills higher". "This is not
this week's story, or next week's story or even this year's or decade's story,
this is possibly this century's story," Mr Lourey said of the growing
scarcity of readily available fresh water supplies worldwide.
"When a
resource becomes scarce, there is a rise both in the value of the resource
itself and in the value of the businesses associated with the development
of that resource."
Mr Lourey said
water was more compelling because, unlike oil, there was no substitute....
By way of example,
Mr Lourey said the Chinese government had identified water shortages as the
No.1 issue confronting sustainable growth and had allocated $US125 billion
($A149.71 billion) to resolve the crisis.
He said the
money would go to private sector companies providing solutions, and it was
those type of companies the MFS Water Fund would invest in. ...
The
clock that wasn't.
Remember the free Economist
Screensaver I loved? Download it, use it. But be wary of its clocks.
New York and London are wrong and can't be fixed. I asked my friend at the Economist
what happened?
"Mr Newton
is correct about the times on the clocks for London or New York as they can
not be changed for daylight savings. However the London clock does state GMT
to indicate when there is a difference with daylight savings times. There
is also a local clock which picks up the time from the computer's own clock
so this should always be the correct local time. I hope that helps to clarify
any confusion. The point about being able to manually change the clocks is
highly valid though and I will ensure this included when the program is updated."
My
daughter spilled water on her laptop: My friend Steve Schone tells
us what to:
Shut off the
laptop immediately. Do not power it back on. Take out the keyboard (if you
can) and turn it upside down (with the lid open) to drain out any water. If
you can, use a hair dryer to help evaporate the water. Let it dry at least
24 hours before powering back on. Start praying in about 23 hours.
How
to blow a cool $100 million. Steve Case, AOL's founder, has invested
$100 million of his own money in a new web site called RevolutionHealth.com.
According to Case, the company "aims to revolutionize American
healthcare, offering expert advice, unique tools and vast resources that can
help families live healthier lives." If you're totally bored this morning,
Case is holding a public webcast
at 11:00 EST. Case says other investors in his site include Colin Powell,
Franklin Raines (former Fannie Mae CEO), former HP chief, Carly Fiorina and
Netscape founder Jim Barksdale. I've been reading RevolutionHealth. I'm dubious.
More
warnings on Vista. As I've written, stay away from Vista. Don't upgrade.
And if you buy a new machine, ask if it comes with Windows XP. And it will,
if you ask. From today's Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg:
If you desperately
need a new Windows PC, be prepared to be underwhelmed and to be frustrated
by incompatible software and hardware. And if you're not desperate, you might
wait another six months or so for the software and hardware to catch up --
and for Microsoft to issue some bug fixes.
Or you could
buy a Mac instead. I still believe the best desktop computer on the market
for mainstream, nontechnical consumers is the Apple iMac. It has gorgeous
hardware and superior built-in software. Its operating system, Mac OS X, includes
most of the key new features of Vista. And the iMac can even run Vista, along
with its own operating system, if you need the occasional Windows program.
Three
more talks from TED worth watching:
Sir
Martin Rees: Earth in its final century?
In a taut soliloquy
that takes us from the origins of the universe to the last days of a dying
sun 6 billion years later, renowned cosmologist Sir Martin Rees explains why
the 21st century is a pivotal moment in the history of humanity: the first
time in history when we can materially change ourselves and our planet. Stunning
imagery of cosmological wonders show us the universe as we know it now. Speaking
as "a concerned member of the human race," Rees harkens to the wisdom
of Einstein, calling for scientists to act as moral compasses, confronting
the coming developments and ensuring our role in "the immense future."
Craig Venter: A
voyage of DNA, genes and the sea
Genomics pioneer Craig Venter takes a break from his epic round-the-world
expedition to talk about the millions of genes his team has discovered so
far, in their quest to map the ocean's hidden biodiversity. (Quite a task,
when you consider that there are tens of millions of microbes in a single
drop of sea water.) He updates the TED audience on his discoveries, from the
2,000 photoreceptor genes found in the Sargasso Sea to the thrill of being
under house arrest in French waters. After touching on the potential of environmental
genomics to monitor the safety of air, water and offshore drilling, Venter
ends with his vision for engineered species that can replace the petrochemical
industry by creating clean energy.
Bill Clinton: TED
Prize wish: Let's build a health care system in Rwanda
Accepting the 2007 TED Prize, Bill Clinton says he's trying to build a better
world to hand his daughter. Unequal, unstable, and unsustainable, our world
must correct its course, and private citizens ("like me") can be
powerful forces for change. His Clinton Global Initiative, fresh from success
negotiating down pharmaceutical prices in the developing world, is now running
a pilot health care system in Rwanda, based on the work of Dr. Paul Farmer
in Haiti. In 18 months, its shown potential as a model for the entire developing
world. Clinton's TED wish: Help him build this system in Rwanda, to bring
world-class health care to a people who have overcome deadly hatred to rebuild
their nation. His statistics on health problems in Rwanda are unreal.
This is not a political speech.
Getting
old - Story 1:
A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office.
"Is it true,"
she wanted to know, "that the medication you prescribed has to be taken
for the rest of my life?"
"Yes, I'm
afraid so," the doctor told her.
There was a moment
of silence before the senior lady replied, "I'm wondering, then, just how
serious is my condition because this prescription is marked 'NO REFILLS'."
Getting
old - Story 2:
An older Jewish gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he
insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation.
As he was about
to get the anesthesia he asked to speak to his son.
"Yes, Dad,
what is it?" "Don't be nervous, son; do your best and just remember,
if it doesn't go well, if something happens to me your mother is going to come
and live with you and your wife...."
Getting
old - Story 3:
+ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.
+ You know you
are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
+ Old age is when
former classmates are so gray, blind and wrinkled and bald, they don't recognize
you.
This column is about my personal search
for the perfect investment. I don't give investment advice. For that you have
to be registered with regulatory authorities, which I am not. I am a reporter
and an investor. I make my daily column -- Monday through Friday -- freely available
for three reasons: Writing is good for sorting things out in my brain. Second,
the column is research for a book I'm writing called "In Search of the
Perfect Investment." Third, I encourage my readers to send me their
ideas, concerns and experiences. That way we can all learn together. My email
address is .
You can't click on my email address. You have to re-type it . This protects
me from software scanning the Internet for email addresses to spam. I have no
role in choosing the Google ads. Thus I cannot endorse any, though some look
mighty interesting. If you click on a link, Google may send me money. Please
note I'm not suggesting you do. That money, if there is any, may help pay Claire's
law school tuition. Read more about Google AdSense, click
here and here.
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