Where in the world.

st thomas

48 laws.

Law 9: Win through your actions, never through argument.

Belief and seeing are often both wrong.

Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning.



In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.



Never say never.

Mauritius

Illusion

Few good men.

gentlemen's agreement

noun

1.

an agreement that is binding as a matter of personal honor.

thus failure to uphold the agreement, equals conduct unbecoming of a gentleman.

Fortes fortuna adiuvat

'Go where the rich and powerful are,' I'd tell him, 'and learn their ways. They can be flattered and they can be scared. Please them enormously or scare them enormously, and one moonless night they will put their fingers to their lips, warning you to not make a sound. And they will lead you through the dark to the widest, deepest river of wealth ever known to man. You'll be shown your place on the riverbank, and handed a bucket all your own.'

Vonnegut 

argonaut A person who is engaged in a dangerous but rewarding quest; an adventurer.

where women are worshiped, goddesses dwell

Aim high. First page.

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As your case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.

There is always hope.

Ashley Hughes Vancouver UECS. 

PS: If this works, my next quote will be higher.

For Al-Nashir Jiwa and Dev Randhawa. This is a test to see if I am able to assist you. 

Not all those who wander are lost.

Ashley Hughes wandering about the desert in the middle east.

In case you haven't heard Mohammed al-Fayed (you may be familiar with his son Dodi), has sold the Harrods store to Qatar Holdings for a reported 1.5 billion pounds ($2.3 billion). I enjoy grabbing Harrods loose leaf tea whenever at the London airport. I had some this morning and it reminded me of another holding company I try to follow... the exotic al-Thani family's Qatar Holdings. The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), has a 20% stake in the London Stock Exchange and Harrods; as well as substantial holdings in Barclays Bank; slightly over 9% in Hochtief; Credit Suisse, 17% in Volkswagen and 10% in Porsche. Looks like the al-Thani family has a profitable future. 

The CEO of the Board of Directors of the Qatari state fund, Qatar Holdings, is Ahmad Mohamed Al-Sayed. This 35 year old international student has studied law and business acumen in Doha, Boston, New York and Paris. 

Another thing I found interesting was much of the natural gas now used to power the UK, is from Qatar. It is shipped as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), into Milford Haven, Pembrokeshir, Whales, before being piped to Gloucestershire for further distribution.  

 A little bird told me about tile and cement. hint hint wink wink

I love to travel. It is a key information medium for the business elite and ensures development of personal rapport. 


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You don't buy a yacht, you build one.

Citadel.  A place of refuge, safety.

I don't know about you, but the first thing I inquire about before I spend any lengthy time on a vessel is where my citadel is.

Another word you may know it by, panic room.

It is safe to say that if you are going to be on a luxury mega yacht, its best to assume the worlds wealthy are spending millions on specialized trained personnel, some even British SAS (SIS) / MI5 or 6.... and military-style James Bond technology.

A citadel is basically a hidden chamber on a vessel with food and water; telephones and radios; some even have toilets... basically the necessities for survival.

With no welding and minimal need for specialist equipment or training, the room offers ballistic and blast protection, smoke screen technology, and can keep a crew of 2-24 people safe for up to 5 days with ship to shore communication.

Even more extravagant is the "escape pod" - a submarine that is ready at all times to ferry those on board away to safety. The submarines are mostly used as a leisure addition on super yachts, but there are no denying the benefits of these dual purposed luxury items.

The Nautilus VAS Luxury Submersible is perfect for exploring and is a great escape if pirates are after you. The best part is you can listen to music on its stereo and use the minibar to fix yourself a dirty martini - shaken, not stirred. A steal for only $2.7 million, especially next to Paul Allen's 40 foot submersible. 

Ashley Hughes rests briefly after walking all around a megayacht. 

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Eike Batista

X marks the spot.

Stealthy stake building of Bernard Arnault.

Ashley Hughes stands before the gardens of Newton Vineyards in Napa Valley. A lady always brings a scarf to wrap around her shoulders as temperatures can dip in the valley.

I have always had a special place in my heart for luxury goods. Ever since I spent the afternoon at Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton's (LVMH) vineyard Newton in California, I kept a close eye on their business and acquisitions. I was saddened when they engulfed one of my favourite brands Bvlgari, for 3.7 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in March of 2011, but I know Bvlgari is in good hands. After all, 2 members of the Bvlgari family now get seats on the board of LVMH.

I am a cautious investor in luxury stocks overall, but I am keeping an eye out on the Hermes / LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton saga. LVMH's 22% stake in Hermes International could be priceless over the long haul. The brand sets itself apart from the other leather luxury goods, there is a genuine demand for their products and the luxury industry is basically in the infancy of growth in places like China. Hermes and LVMH headlines have garnered a lot of attention as a recruitment story, but Hermes's holding company capital structure can assist the family and future generations and allow them to remain independent, at least over the 15-20 year view. 

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Informed. International. Inspired.

From left to right: Greg Fabbro, Ashley Hughes and Chris Bamford at the Illuminismo Conversation Series in Vancouver for a presentation by Dr. Zbignew Brzezinski, Former US National Security Advisor.

People are always asking me about my travels and conversations with interesting people around the world. I actively seek out mentors and teachers to learn from along my journey. I also like to keep myself  educated with current events.

A perfect example of an informative evening was the time I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation by Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former US National Security Advisor and National Security Advisor to Barack Obama, to address us at a $500 dollar per person event. Dr. Brzezinski was speaking for the Illuminismo Series from the Fraser Institute on the evening of Monday September 29th.

The Illuminismo Series invitation reveals the idea has its roots in the Age of Reason and reflects the radical intellectual upheaval of the 17th and 18th centuries when individuals, amidst newly emerging freedoms, used reason and scientific approach to inquire into the nature of knowledge.

The guests were invited by the Illuminismo Co-Chairs Hassan and Nezhat Khosrowshahi. The series has brought such speakers as Karl Rove, Richard Dawkins and Mark Steyn and brought Afghanistan's Fawzia Koofi to Vancouver in 2011.

en sof aur

http://www.fraserinstitute.org/

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski

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Upper Echelon, strategic and international studies

Meeting your idols. Aim high. (And a word from the wise, they are people too).

A portrait of a Lady: Ashley Hughes and Bono, AKA Paul David Hewson

Choose to emulate the real leaders in this world. They are real life teachers and guides. Seek them out, talk to them, and most importantly learn from them and listen to what they have to say.


A portrait of Bono, an idol of mine, is as follows: (thank you wikipedia)

Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), most commonly known by his stage name Bono (pronounced /ˈbɒnoʊ/ bon-oh), is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2.  Bono writes almost all U2 lyrics, often using political, social, and religious themes. Bono is also widely known for his activism concerning Africa, for which he co-founded DATA, EDUN, the ONE Campaign and Product Red. He has organized and played in several benefit concerts and has met with influential politicians. Bono has been praised and criticized for his activism and involvement with U2. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and was named as a Person of the Year by Time, among other awards and nominations. This post is dedicated to AG, whom we all know is "still a celebrity".