Think Bill Gates; the image that pops up in your mind is of a suave business tycoon, wearing a Giorgio Armani suit, diamond cufflinks and tiepin, a diamond studded top-of-the-line Rolex wrist watch, Gucci shoes, et cetera. The more imaginative amongst us may even smell the Calvin Klein Eternity perfume he must be wearing. Then there are people who may see the profile of a ruthless monopolistic tyrant with little regards for laws of fair play and equality.

A larger chunk of people will have the vision of their role model, inspiration personified, a living proof of what can be achieved in a lifetime and that is literally EVERYTHING. But probably then they belong to that fortunate strata of society that is just cursorily checking out this article from the confines of their plush offices, comfortable homes or from a swanky, up market cyber cafe. But the name Bill Gates have altogether different connotations for little Ankit.

Ankit is your normal kid apart from the fact that he has been diagnosed as an AIDS patient- the only inheritance his mother, a sex worker living and working in the by lanes of Kolkata, could pass on to him were strains of deadly HIV virus. For Ankit, “Bill Gates” is the name emblazoned on the side of the van that comes to distribute medicines and nutrient supplements in the slum he lives in. He is also aware of the fact that this is the name of individual who along with his wife is paying his medical bills and funding the NGO that runs a school where he is currently studying. Yes, we are referring to the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”, the largest transparently operated charitable foundation which is currently the guardian angel for millions like Ankit across the globe providing them the right and means of living in an otherwise hostile world.

Welcome to the brave new world of successful entrepreneurs who are sweeping the world with winds of change through their considerable works of philanthropy providing succor to the underprivileged amongst us. In this august list Bill Gates is more of a rule then an exception. Here, we are talking about those self-made billionaires and millionaires who having seen the hardships of life are ready to give back to the society and make this world a better place to live in. This is the new crop of business persons who routinely make it to the Fortunes’ list of Who’s who but are still not snobbish or uptight about it.

Many of them have succeeded not because of the society but in spite of it. But still they acknowledge the fact that we all are clogs of the same wheel and well being of the individuals is not a zero-sum game. For them philanthropy is not just an extension of their corporate social responsibility, or the pursuit for the bored wife of a high flying CEO. For them it is a means of defining their existence in the larger scheme of things, something that completes them and provide them a purpose apart from mindlessly chasing money. That is why we get to see most of them so passionately involved in various projects and activities and they are not there simply writing down checks but they are more “hands on” making their presence and influence felt as well as leveraging their experience and intellect for the cause.

Let us try and examine what makes a successful entrepreneur a philanthropist. Is it in their DNA or had they learned the art of giving and sharing on their way up. It is worthy of being noted here that several studies point towards the fact that when it comes to charity self-made entrepreneurs are almost twice as generous as  compared to charitable Heirs that is millionaires who got their wealth mostly through inheritance. So it appears quite ironical that people hailing from the cut-throat world of modern day business where success often comes at the price of morality and innocence are so willing to support others.

But it will not appear so ironical if we study the fine print in greater detail. Most of these entrepreneurs have themselves got a helping hand early in their career. Whether it is in form of an angel investor or the friendly neighborhood uncle who let them use their garage, or the professor at the University who believed in them and polished their business proposal for final presentation; they all have got some help in one form or the other. Most of them were also beneficiaries of various scholarship schemes in the early phase of their career. It all makes them realize how significant even a small help can look from the end of the beneficiary. This ingrains the art of giving and reaching out in their hearts and this is a lesson they do not easily forget later in their lives. Most of the entrepreneurs when they start working on their innovative ideas do so in collaboration with some good friend or associate, someone who believes in them as well as in their dreams. So naturally they learn the ropes of sharing and collaborating and how beneficial symbiotic relations can prove to be.

So this is where they pick their living-for-each-other traits. They have the intellect that keeps them bothering with status-quo and as soon as they figure a way out they get on to work towards achieving it. In this world, ideas are a dime a dozen but success comes only to them who can execute these ideas and shape them into reality. This is a quality that makes them a success in business and this is the quality that distinguishes them in the arena of philanthropy as well since the projects they undertake usually achieves the objectives they have set out for. They bring in money and influence; have an eye for recognizing talent and try to nurture it. They want to be a part of the solution and hence their impact is often very positive and encouraging.

For more on entrepreneurship, please go to canadiantradeenclave.ca

Festina, a Swiss watch manufacturer, was established in the year 1902. It is the certified timekeeper of the Tour de France. Being over 100 years old, it comes among the leading names in Europe and also a best seller in its home country. At the moment, the Festina brand carries on its heritage of fashionable European watches with a widespread compilation of stylish, handy and sporty watches for almost every occasion.

From the period of its establishment, Festina watches have carved out a niche brand by way of an inimitable persona. Shaped in the midst of the altering generations, these watches are elegant, vibrant as well as highly efficient. Theses are genuinely meant for people who breathe their lives strongly and love to cherish every single moment through the thick and thin of life.

These watches are composed of Japanese quartz movements and other matchless, inherent features. The Mecaquartz movement, a no-battery mechanical quartz movement, is another distinguishing feature of the brand. In addition to all theses exceptional attributes, a major chunk of Festina’s watches take account of sports chronographs comprising the globally advertised Road Warrior string of chronographs.

Festina also hogged media limelight in the year 1998 through a dubious reason. The team sponsored by the Festina in the Tour de France, was trapped in a doping scandal.

Festina offers a broad product range – digital, analog, chronograph, leather, stainless steel and titanium. It truly doesn’t matter, whichever model you pick, it will have a long, lasting effect on your personality. Some particular models have pitched Festina on the top of the market and almost turned it into a monopolistic brand in the watch market. Some models are extremely adored by sports enthusiasts and from time to time, the company has come up with innovative features to give them further boost.

The Tour De France alarm watches, when rolled in the market, fuelled the competition and forced other watch producer to match its level. The brand got some rave acclaim from the competitors as well. Its status received a further boost when it launched the modified version of the brand by presenting it as Festina Tour de France Alarm Chronograph watch.

For the past 15-20 years, Festina watches have created a sort of segment for itself by touching the pulse of the watch lovers. Now, it mainly focuses on the sports range due to the growing popularity of the sporting events. It has a strong team in the form of technical support which is primarily focused on the process of innovation. Sponsoring of some professional cycling events has given it a world wide reach as well as recognition.

In the terms of marketing strategy, Festina has surpassed even some leading watch makers and still holds a reputable place. For every country, it has adopted a different set of strategies. Its association with cycling events has created a vast market for it even outside Europe. US being a large market, the company adopted an entirely different strategy for the U.S. It allowed some U.S. distributors to make merry by selling the watches through the bike shops. It provided some discount as well to boost the process and is now reaping the rewards in the form of growing demand of Festina in the US.

Zai Zhu is a watch collector and a watch dealer. Visit http://www.discountwatchstore.com to learn more about wristwatches. You can also shop over 2400 styles of fine watches including many Pulsar watches, Casio watches, Festina watches, Mondaine watches, Seiko watches, Sector watches, Movado watches, Bulova watches, Accutron watches, Wittnauer watches, Citizen watches, Invicta watches, Luminox watches as well as other brand name watches such as Adee Kaye, Corvette, Croton, Lucien Piccard, Orient, Perigaum, TW Steel, Vanceur, and Wenger.

As Fall 2008 through Winter 2009 ushers you into the party season, do you have a party ready wardrobe? Or do you intend to wear last years party dresses? Do those still fit?

Actually, your existing party wardrobe will do fine with a few key additions. First, go through your party wardrobe to see what is wearable, what is not. What is dated and what is timeless. While you are at it, throw out the clothes that no longer fit, or give them away.

Of the clothes that fit and which are in great condition and lingerie too obviously last year. The little black dress and simple skirts and jeans, leather jackets, trench coats and leather pants are keepers. Unless you need to have a different outfit for every party you go to, you should be able to keep your simplest dresses and accessorize them so they look different.

To your existing wardrobe, add these key items that define the current trends:

1. An ankle length minimalist Abecita with no embelishment other than razor pleats. That was the look of evening dresses at Calvin Klein which had a WOW factor. At very least, get a new evening gown for formal dinner parties where image is everything and everyone remembers what everyone else wore last year.

2. A knee length pastel coat. Make that in a shade as light as possible. That lets you enter the building in style when it gets really chilly.

3. A black lace dress. That is the look defined by Prada’s Fall through winter 2009 collection. Black lace looks totally gothic this season and at Prada, virtually everything is covered in black lace fit for that deadly black widow

4. Chunky jewelry. That is your secret weapon this year. Chunky jewelry on the simplest of last year’s dresses gives the entire outfit a brand new look. Wear a different pair of shoes and carry a different bag from what you had last year and you look like you’ve got a brand new outfit altogether. Let your new jewelry define your look and create your signature style.

More Party Fashion Essentials at http://www.buyclothing.net/christmas2008.html