Celine Salloum

   The first half of 2011 has been a tough ride for investors. Disaster in Japan and the ongoing euro zone debt crisis have sent markets reeling, but perhaps the most telling long-term impact will come from the so-called Arab spring .    Funds investing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have had some difficult calls to make and the hardest task of all has been to protect client capital that has been developed during the preceding years. Since the beginning of the year, the region has seen unprecedented political unrest which spread from Tunisia to Egypt , Oman , Bahrain , Libya and Syria . However, despite the upheaval, the long-term prospects for the region remain good. Equity markets in the region, such as in Qatar and Saudi Arabia , have rebounded strongly from lows at the height of the political crisis and have now wiped out almost all of the losses for the year. The Middle East equity capital market recorded an 81% increase to $8.3 billion in t...

   At times the stock market can be volatile, and may fray the nerves of even the calmest investor. While market crises may be unavoidable and unsettling, they aren’t the end of the world. In fact, investors looking to stretch their money know that market lows may represent advantageous buying opportunities.    A few years ago, when people discussed investing, they held a certain reverence for the word. It was a necessity. People liked to talk about their financial statements and brag about how well their investments are doing. After the drop, the word “investment” is now used almost as a curse word.    Despite the economic downturn and a lot of less-than pleasing financial statements, investing still matters. People are emotional creatures. While we like to believe that we make rational investment decisions, actually emotions like greed and fear influence these decisions. As investor “Warren Buffett”, Graham's favorite student, puts it: “Be fearful when...

   A multitude of perceptions are imparted by this simple word beauty; a word tossed around these days in a vast array of application, a word wrangled by poets and philosophers for eons. A descriptive noun, initially alluding to the finer attributes of appearance; it has become a course of study, a specialty in healthcare with taproots into psychology. Whole careers, their prerequisites, their success or failure, can be determined by it. The quest for beauty is a driving force in consumerism and it’s used to sell a plethora of products ranging from cosmetics to cars. An indeterminable number of books, magazines, and publications address this phenomenon. Is beauty determined only in the eye of the beholder? Or, is it really outside of us altogether? Can beauty even be fully defined? Should defining it even be necessary? As it seems to have become such a driving force, an affection, in our culture, I’d say yes, the attempt should be made so I’ll give it a go.     ...

   This is a question which must have crossed every person’s mind quite a number of times. Friendship is something which connects people through mutual knowledge, esteem and affection. It revolves around loyalty, empathy, genuine affection for each and the ability to understand others.    We often think whether our friend really cares and feels for us in the same way that we do. If they indeed do, then you are one of the fortunate people in the world. Today’s world, has become very fast and artificial. What looks apparent from outside may not be the same from inside. People try to take advantage of one another, all in the name of friendship. Friendship somewhere down the line has lost its significance. Friendship at one time meant lots of sacrifice and doing anything for one another. In Today’s world, it also means hanging around coffee shops, movies, discos and having a good time together. People these days have taken friendships to be a kind of recreation and a ...

   Each one of us views life from within his physical body. It is as if we were viewing the world through the windshield of an exploratory vehicle designed specifically to survive in this environment.   For instance, we typically think of ourselves as the center of reality. Everyone else is “out there”, separate and distinct from ourselves. We see nature as a sometimes hostile, always unpredictable force which must be at least held separate from our home. Of course, this is not true. As the motto so aptly explains it, “We are many yet we are one”. We may seem separate, but we are one in God and in the operation of this local reality. An excellent subject for contemplation is to consider what you think of your world. Follow the threads of your attention by thinking about what you know. I have a place in my mind to hold the latest understanding of the structure of the physical universe and the complexity of our planet. I worry about the possibility of war and if my articl...

      A Japanese proverb says, “The nail that sticks out will be hammered down.” Society tries to place many rules on us as individuals as to what is acceptable and what is not. We must decide for ourselves whether to conform to such a social decorum. We are taught as soon as we are old enough to grasp the idea that it is bad to be unique and to avoid being different. At some point, however, we must decide within ourselves whether to spend every day trying to be like everyone else because society says we should or living each day true to ourselves. Our strength as a person is proven through what we decide. E. E. Cummings once said, "To be nobody but yourself-in a world which is doing it's best night and day to make you like everyone else-means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." The benefits of being true to ourselves greatly outweigh any negative aspects of choosing that path. One of the most obvious advantages of bein...

   What drives history? Before we answer this question, we must go deeper and answer a more important question: What is history? History is, simply, all of the events, ideas, people, and occurrences that have existed in the past. These things have been driven by one common factor: individuals. Although individuals driving history may seem like a rather simple answer, it is the only one that provides no flaws. One such individual who has driven history is Martin Luther.     Luther, a German monk, was an inspirational figure who struggled to encourage people to think more for themselves. Martin Luther had an unconventional way of viewing the Church at the time. Luther believed that it was wrong for the Church to sell indulgences or  "Forgiveness” from god." Martin Luther thought that salvation could only be achieved  through performing good deeds. During Luther's protesting, he created the "95  Theses," which were a list of arguments and problems ...