I spent my first day here in Austria wandering around the old Schönbrunn Palace, where the family of the old imperial family lived. The grounds were beautiful. The world’s oldest zoo is also there, and I have to say, things are looking pretty busy over here, dispite what some “recessionists” would say.

In fact, both legs of my flight were full, and the zoo and palace were crowded with tours, and today is Sunday!

Now, on my taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, I passed a power plant, a massive one. OMV is the largest utilities provider in the country, so it wasn’t a surprise to see its name plastered on the side of a building.

Continue Reading »

Today, where ever you are, stop and take a moment to reflect on what happened seven years ago today in Manhattan, at the Pentagon, and in the rural hills of Pennsylvania.

I was living in South Carolina at the time, and woke up to my roommates crowded around the television. The North and South Towers had already been struck, and we watched in shock as the media announced that this was a deliberate attack, and that more planes might have been hijacked.

Then the news reported that the Pentagon was struck, and all hell broke loose.

In quick succession, the South Tower collapsed, Flight 93 crashed into the fields of Pennsylvania, and then the North Tower collapsed.

My friend burst into tears when we learned that it was Flight 93 that had crashed. Her father was supposed to be on that plane. By some stroke of luck, or grace of God, he and his friends (who were in New York to play a softball tournament) did not get on that flight.

I remember crying… and thinking, “What do we do now?”

I remember calling my mom. Phones were patchy, sometimes you could get through, sometimes you couldn’t. Everyone knew someone who was missing. My mom’s friend was contracted for work at the Pentagon, and it wasn’t until two weeks later that we learned he was safe, and had taken a vacation that week.

We were the lucky ones, and today we remember all who lost their lives to those horrific acts of terrorism. We remember the brave rescuers who rushed into danger and saved lives and lost friends. We remember the fathers who frantically called home just to hear the voice of their child one last time.

We remember our innocence… and our anger.

This is not something you forget or get over. It never should be.

Please take a moment today to remember.

I invite you all to leave your thoughts and prayers.

It would seem that a large number of frontier markets are concentrated in the Middle East these days. Iran is a major energy trader with China and Russia; Dubai is opening movie studios in Hollywood; and Iraq is now exporting oil.

And now, Syria is becoming the next hot spot for Middle East opportunities.

President Bashar al-Assad has recently introduced new laws that make it easier for international companies to do business in socialist Syria. Al-Assad is quick to point out that these changes are economic only, and not political in nature, but economics commentator Jihad Yazigi told the BBC that it’s a way for Syria to break its isolation:

“It’s a circle. More investments improve political relations and political relations attract more investment [sic] and more investments.”

More investments like Lafarge (LG:Paris) and Total (TOT:NYSE) teaming up after French President Sarkozy took a trip to Syria in early September. Lafarge will set up two cement factories, making it the largest foreign investor in Syria, and Total would extend its operations at the Deir Ez Zor oil block and sign a gas development deal.

Other European companies are investing in Syria, too. EADS (EAD:Paris) and Alstom (ALO:Paris) both have long-term deals in the country.

Continue Reading »

An area the size of Rhode Island with a population smaller than Pawtucket has caused Russia a whole lot of trouble.

South Ossetia, with only 1,500 square miles of territory and 70,000 “citizens”, claimed independence from Georgia on November 28, 1991. Russia officially recognized the territory’s independence on August 26, 2008, twenty days after Russian troops entered the region to defend South Ossetia’s population from Georgian forces.

Less than a week later, investors in Russia were headed for the hills… And they’re still running.

The EU, currently headed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is trying to make Russia comply with the ceasefire agreement and withdraw troops. According to a BBC news report, “Some European leaders have already warned there can be ‘no business as usual’ with Russia until the peace plan is fully implemented, and the European Union has suspended talks on a new partnership agreement with Moscow.”

That’s going to be a bit difficult when it comes to Russian energy supplies, however. Russian natural gas accounts for 40% of all EU imports.

And if conflict continues into winter, it truly could be a Cold War between Russia and the EU if the Bear turns off the spigot. That’s why the EU is rushing around the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean like mad trying to scare up energy supplies and pipeline partners.

Continue Reading »