Ukraine Gold
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Ukraine: Heraldic Ethnic Stein by CafePress $20 This product features the arms of Ukraine, with the country name in English: ‘Ukraine’. Ethnic Stein Heft a cold one in this 22 oz. ceramic stein with gold trim. A great usable alternative to the trophy. Make any day Oktoberfest whether with this impressive stein on the shelf or in-hand. CheersMeasures 6.75 tall, 3.75 diameter base, 3 di |
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Ukraine $218 This book explores the transformation of Soviet Ukraine into an independent state. It finds that state building is an integral part of the transition process, as much as democratization and the establishment of a market economy. |
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Ukraine goal! $10 Ukraine goal! |
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Ukraine – Flag $10 Ukraine – Flag |
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Wirtschaftsstandort Ukraine $109 Wirtschaftsstandort Ukraine |
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Alexander Nevski church, Yalta, Crimea, Ukraine, Europe Photo Mugs Alexander Nevski church, Yalta, Crimea, Ukraine, Europe…. |
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Detail of St. Michaels Monastery, Kiev, Ukraine, Europe Photo Mugs Detail of St. Michaels Monastery, Kiev, Ukraine, Europe…. |
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Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Cave monastery, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kiev, Ukraine, Photo Mugs Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Cave monastery, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kiev, Ukraine, Europe…. |
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Shostakovich: Jazz & Ballet Suites; Film Music $8.66 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
The Lake Wobegon Defect by Mariko Gordon
This past weekend I saw penguins, snakes, cowboys and hula dancers - all in one place, and all without leaving New York City. Big Apple Circus? Nope. It was the New York Times Travel Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.
Think of planet Earth as seen through the lens of a travel pornographer, where the skies are always clear, the water always sparkles, and the sunsets are always breathtaking. If cosmetics are hope in a jar, travel shows are escapist fantasies on vinyl banners.
Each destination was more beautiful and exotic than the next. And each booth lured travelers in a different way.
SeaWorld had the aforementioned flightless birds stranded on a small mountain of shaved ice (where's the ASPCA when you need it?). Travel to Ukraine offered a starchy sampling of traditional fare. And my pals at the Molokai, Lana'i and Maui Visitors Bureau attracted snow-weary New Yorkers with live Hawaiian music, a hula dancer, plumeria flowers and pineapple chapstick.
One thing did become clear as I roamed the aisles in search of interesting photo ops and The World Cup exhibit: Not everyone has the same travel fantasy.
To you, a ride on a houseboat through the New York canals might be romantic; to me it would be claustrophobic and monotonous. How about a week of backpacking through the swamps of French Guyana with birding binoculars? No thanks. I'll take a week at the George V in Paris instead (don't touch the chocolates on my pillow!).
And that's the point. Effective travel marketing requires not just sticking to the fantasy you happen to be selling - it also requires promoting that fantasy to the right people.
Money management firm marketing is no different.
Here as well, investors have fantasies about what they want in a money manager. And, as with a travel show, everyone claims to be better than everyone else. Superior intelligence; a watertight process; a perfect work environment overflowing with diverse, non-ageist, sharply-attired professionals. To read the websites, you'd think Garrison Keillor's "Lake Wobegon Effect," where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average," was in full force.
Which means that once you've narrowed down the field to those with good numbers, who do what they say they do, and whose processes you're comfortable with, making a selection necessarily becomes subjective - it's like choosing your ideal travel destination.
If every sunset is going to be gorgeous, figure out if you want to watch it from a balcony in Paris, a rock in Timbuktu, or a treetop in Costa Rica. Because if you like roughing it and native culture, you're not going to like the marble, gold leaf, bureaucracy and stuffiness of a 200-year-old trust company.
If, on the other hand, you find comfort in mahogany, tradition and politesse, a scrappy, chick-led entrepreneurial firm ain't going to cut it for you (especially if they use "ain't" in their newsletter).
We had the temerity to fire a client once. They were very nice people, smart, sophisticated and committed to their mission of shepherding their Fortune 100 pension fund. We were one of their managers in a fund of funds. We were an even smaller shop back then, with a teeny office and a staff you could count on one hand.
At their request, we had frequent meetings. When we outperformed, they weren't comfortable. When we underperformed, they weren't comfortable. Eventually, I realized that they would never be comfortable. They wanted the George V and we were a bed and breakfast. No matter how delicious our breakfast, it was bereft of the kind of croissants you can only get in Paris. I asked to part ways, so that they could be happy and I could have fewer meetings.
The research, in fact, backs me up. It's not so much WHAT your investment style is that makes success likely, as it is sticking to it. As a money manager from Lake Wobegon, your perfect numbers generated by your perfect people in your perfect office are likely to last as long as you do not try to be the destination that you aren't. As in the travel biz, as a money manager you need to do what you do best and market what you do best to those who appreciate it.
Conversely, if you're in the market for the perfect money manager, you're going to end up with plenty that meet all your minimum criteria. So ask yourself what kind of a world traveler are you, and select your money manager as you would your travel destination.
About the Author
Mariko O. Gordon, CFA is Founder, CEO and CIO of Daruma Asset Management. Daruma currently manages over $1 billion for public and corporate pension plans, endowments, foundations and individuals. Mariko started Daruma in 1995 with zero assets under management.
www.darumanyc.com
Distributed by Content Crooner
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1941 In The Soviet Union $19.99 Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Babi Yar, Battle of Moscow, German-soviet Border and Commercial Agreement, Siege of Sevastopol, Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran, Soviet-japanese Neutrality Pact, Fântâna Albă Massacre, Battle of Uman, Battle of Rostov, 1941 Odessa Massacre, Ninth Fort Massacres of November 1941, Battle of Smolensk, Purge of the Red Army in 1941, Sikorski-mayski Agreement, Kurapaty, List of Victims of the Babi Yar Massacre, Battle at Borodino Field, 1941 Soviet Top League, Anglo-Soviet Agreement, Constitution of Moldova, Soviet Films of 1941, Moscow Conference. Excerpt: Coordinates : 46°27 58 N 30°43 59 E / 46.466°N 30.733°E / 46.466; 30.733 Map of the Holocaust in Ukraine. Odessa ghetto marked with gold-red star. Transnistria massacres marked with red skulls. The Odessa massacre was the extermination of Jews in Odessa and surrounding towns in Transnistria during the autumn of 1941 and the winter of 1942 in a series of massacres and killings during the Holocaust by Romanian forces, under German control, encouragement and instruction. Depending on the definition, it can either refer to the events of October 22 - October 24, 1941 in which between 25,000 and 34,000 Jews were shot or burned alive, or to the murder of well over 100,000 Ukrainian Jews in the town and the areas between Dniestr and Bug rivers, over the course of the Romanian and German occupation. Before the massacre Odessa had a large Jewish population of approximately 180,000, or 30 % of the total, before the war. By the time that the Romanians had taken the city, between 80,000 and 90,000 Jews remained, the rest having fled or been evacuated by the Soviets. As the massacres occurred, Jews from surrounding villages would be concentrated in Odessa and Romanian concentration camps set up in |
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Barbarian $6.99 Nick Paris is a world-class photographer who is just returning to work after the tragic murder of his lover and partner, Cannon Ashford.Nick has accepted a job photographing an archaeological dig in the Ukraine led by Professor Evan Dyer, a man Nick quickly finds is nearly impossible to resist. Refusing to get involved with another man on the job, he allows himself to be seduced by Rissa Johns, a woman with a dark secret and lethal ties to the Russian mafia.As Evan fights for Nick, and Nick fights himself, both men are embroiled in a dangerous, international plot to steal Evan's finds: the ancient gold of the Black Sea Barbarians.With breathtaking excitement, red-hot passion, and a thrilling conclusion, Barbarian will leave you aching for more! |