Thursday, June 29, 2006

Drought

A drought or an extreme dry periodic climate is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. Drought is not a purely physical phenomenon, but rather an interplay between natural water availability and human demands for water supply.

The precise definition of drought is made complex owing to political considerations, but there are generally three types of conditions that are referred to as drought.
Meteorological drought is brought about when there is a prolonged period with less than average precipitation.
Agricultural drought is brought about when there is insufficient moisture for average crop or range production. This condition can arise, even in times of average precipitation, owing to soil conditions or agricultural techniques.
Hydrological drought is brought about when the water reserves available in sources such as aquifers, lakes, and reservoirs falls below the statistical average. This condition can arise, even in times of average (or above average) precipitation, when increased usage of water diminishes the reserves.
When the word "drought" is used commonly, the most often intended definition is meteorological drought. However, when the word is used by urban planners, it is more frequently in the sense of hydrologic drought.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Mansur Barbari

Its an age old adage, boys will be boys, surrounded by their toys. In this case I refer to toys as cars. At the ripe age of one, I can recall my brother and his fascination with matchbox cars and money. He would pass his time racing them, smashing one into another, constructing intricate mazes for them to wind, turn upside down, and be washed all the while gleefully giggling away, not cognizant of hours passed.

As a rite of passage, on the day he turned sixteen, he raced along side my father to the to learn the right way to do business . He dutifully listened, took all the necessary lessons, and a year later he was managing some of his dad stores. With this came the magazines, the talk and the Forbes, Fortune and many other business magazines… with one thought in mind, how could he best soupe up this tank?

To a woman, to most I assume, to try and reason this it would be similar to and just as necessary as kitting oneself with the right shoes, the right purse, and the right jewelry. In a recent interview with car enthusiast Mr. Mansur “Manny” Barbari, I discovered how one man realized his childhood dreams as he explains to me the comparison between my brassieres and his car bras.

Mr. Mansur Barbari, it would seem to me that you’d be the envy of all the kids on the playground, and rather of your social circle, having access to the latest cars known to man?

Mr. Barbari explains that he’s built his company based on hard work, determination and vision. “I had a dream, I too spent years of my childhood racing cars, and building intricate labyrinths for my friends and I to race. I loved all the accessories for cars, though not like the kids have today- I’m amazing what technology affords the kids of today’s generation- its so close to the real thing- equipment that I yearned for as a child and now sell is available to the children- perhaps I should also venture into toys”, he says jovially.

Manny’s holding company, The Barbari Group of which Global Accessories is party to, in nearly three years has seen profits of over 500%. He has a sound business ethic, strong business acumen, is assertive and uncompromising. As a persuasive salesman, he knows how important it is to uphold his family name, and is unwilling to compromise when it comes to quality and service.

“I feel privileged to have gained access in such a highly competitive sector. I knew I had to come into this with an open mind, so as to gain the market share I needed for growth and to meet my forecasted profit margins. E-commerce gave me that edge as well as carefully strategized partnerships that embodied style, confidence and technology to suit my customers’ needs. Le Bra, Wolf, and Sadleman manufacture products similar to what you consider top end, high quality goods, and are highly sought after by car enthusiasts alike. What I like to call the Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vitton of car accessories- I think that’s the best way to explain the males fascination with car accessories- liken it to your fixation on Parisian prĂȘt a porter. We don’t understand it, though we appreciate its value to women, and respect the fact that you must have it.”

Couldn’t have put it better myself Mr. Barbari. It only took thirty-one years for this woman with Parisian taste to have a newfound respect for my brother’s childhood pastime. Thank you Mr. Barbari, not only are you conquering the autoworld, you may have the makings of a world class book, look out Martian men, here is a man who has excellent taste in auto accessories and understands the Parisian pull that Venetian women are subject to. I think you’ve made a new fan.