Update Mar 31, 2009 – The DLG Mobile App is now available for download at the BlackBerry app store (called BlackBerry App World). It was approved for publishing and distribution today!

Hello everyone,

I’m pleased to announce that the DLG Mobile App is ready for download!!!

Why get the mobile app?

While you’re on the go, you can:

1. Read all posts on DLG and read the comments for each post,
2. Write  comments from your BlackBerry – now you don’t have to wait until you get back to your computer to share your thoughts and stories with the DLG community.
3. Write posts using your BlackBerry and take pics using your BlackBerry’s camera  – you can submit the posts for review right from your phone, anytime, any place!! Going to a watch show? Going on a driving holiday? Going to a track event? You can keep everyone at DLG up to date with your latest adventures and cool watch/car sightings!!

Continue reading the rest of ‘DLG Mobile App available for download!’ …

Upcoming driver coaching program

I wanted to make everyone aware that the Jeff Andretti Coaching Group is putting together a program on Jun 22nd & 23rd at NJ Motorsports Park. You too can learn to drive like an Andretti! Jeff is a friend and celebrity member of Drivelikeagirl.com so I hope some of you can make it to his event. This will be an amazing opportunity to get driver coaching from a real race car driver and much more personalized than a normal DE track event.

Also, the NJ Motorsports Park is one of my fav tracks, it is amazing!! 

If you are interested, please contact Jeff Andretti via his website or his Linkedin page. Information about fees/costs can be found on Jeff’s website also.

About Jeff

Wikipedia entry on Jeff and the Andretti family.

All about Jeff, from his personal website.

About NJ Motorsports Park

Track overview

Here is a link to pictures of the track maps.

Today I’m at the park relaxing and pondering my existence. It is always important to take some time for yourself and get away from everyday life and immerse yourself in nature or cars… I think either one is equally healing to the soul.

Today I am at the park with my best friend. Here is a pic of him at the park. A pic of the pretty lake I walked by and a pic of where I am sitting now writing this post, on a pier by the water.

I hope you enjoy the pics and don’t forget to take some time to zen out and ponder your navel .

-Izabel

Park+bff

Lake, nice!

Lilly pads are highly underrated

Has anyone attended any track events/ DE’s this Spring?

If so, where, with what car, what run group were you in, and how was it?

Please share your stories or if you have a blog chronicling you track adventures, please share it with DLG!

Here is a link to upcoming events.

My Porsche experience

My Porsche experience isn’t as extensive as I wish it was. Being only 26 I am super privileged to have even sat in a Porsche much less owned 2 of them. Here is a quick history of my 911 ownership:

2001 996 (sold)	2007 997 S (currently drive)

I don’t consider myself a Porsche fan-boy/girl because I do acknowledge there are other great cars out there for daily driving and the track. I am biased of course, because I love Porsche very much but I do understand other cars exist in the same universe, hehe . My track experience is limited due to my lack of funds currently and the track events I did were all in my Mini Cooper S with JCW package. So I can’t wait to take the 911 (black one) on the track. I feel that it is important to take a car you love to the track and go to the next level in your relationship with the car. There is a special bond between car and driver once you have tracked it that you can’t get driving on the regular roads. However, I am intensely in love with the 997S even though I haven’t gone to second base with it, hehe. This is all just from driving it around to the store and on road trips, etc. That’s pretty amazing to feel such a strong bond with a car you have only experiences 1% of, I can’t even imagine what I will feel after I go to 1 event with it, I will be sure to write about it, of course .

I didn’t drive the 996 much, it didn’t have PSM and I was just learning to drive stick shift at the time… and then it was sold in order to save money. But I did ride in it a lot and it was some what of a local celebrity around where I live, because it had straight pipes (no muffler) and sounded like a GT3 cup car. I used to fall asleep riding in it, to the sound of the exhaust. It was so relaxing and nice. The squeal of the track pads when they were cold was also nice too, ahh .

The 997S is a very different car, it is way more calm, almost cold in compared with the 996. The 997S doesn’t like to get out of sorts and feels very stable for everyday driving, assuming you are used to driving a sports car I guess… I drive it a few times a week to get groceries and go to movies. But since I moved so close to work I don’t drive much at all, sad. I wasn’t able to really bond with the car until I started taking it for short motoring trips (3o mins or so) around town by myself, just me and the car, and nice music too. These motoring trips, as well as my frequent trips to the grocery store might seem like nothing, but they have allowed a very strong a special bond to form between my and my 911 that I never thought possible.

What is behind Porsche?

What do I think of when I drive my car? What words come to mind? What does the car say when I drive it?

The words that come to mind are: magnificent, un-compromised, real, complete, exceptional, sharp, delicate, as well as super strong. It is not pretentious and not showy, and it is not trying to be anything it is not. It is kinda delicate when you drive it on every day roads with bumps and in parking lots, because it is not made for such things. It isn’t trying to be a daily driver all terrain vehicle (mud, gravel, dirt). I respect it intensely because I think it is the only “real” car I have ever driven. It isn’t a toy like a Mini Cooper, or an M3, or even Lamborgini Gallardo. If you fuck with it, it will fuck you back. This comes across loud and clear from the car. It is very obvious that there are for real consequences if you go fast and don’t know how to drive or you drive it like a jackass. It rewards a talented driver, and a delicate driver, and it likes to be treated with respect and care.

Now I am talking about the kind of delicate touch someone like Michael Schumacher has when we drove his Ferrari, he would go fast and bash the car to hell, but he still never failed to give it super smooth loving inputs. The 997S really responds to this too (so did the 996 and I’m sure all Porsches). I love this about the car, perhaps it appeals to my female nature? . I am a no-bullshit kind of person, I don’t like for a car to lie to me and make me feel more secure than I am or make me feel like I drive great if I don’t. This is also part of the 997s’ “realness”. When you are driving at legal speeds around town and you take an on ramp wrong, you unwind at the wrong time or come into it too hot, it screams at you to tell you that you did something wrong and it didn’t like it and perhaps if you continue to do that it might spin or you might crash if you go faster. It is like an early warning system and it doesn’t hide things or lie to you. I can respect this. Life is full of people bullshitting you, or putting on a face, or acting political, or having an underlying motivation for everything… it is so refreshing to have something in life that doesn’t bullshit you! .

I have never spun the 997S and since I haven’t taken it to the track yet there is a lot of uncharted territory there, but I can feel how special it is. All of what I just said is amplified considerably when you go about 4 or 5K rpms. Everything gets very serious very fast when the revs get high. But, if you keep them to 4K, it is totally civil for driving around town, how cool is that?

The 997S isn’t perfect, because the engine is in the wrong place. It is inherently imbalanced and not the best idea of how to make a car, especially a fast car (race cars aren’t rear-engined, they are mid-engined) but taking that into consideration all of the engineering to work around such “limitations” or I guess you can call them “features” of the 911’s chassis is spectacular. This allows the 997S to stop like no other car and it gives the driver a truly one-of-a-kind drive.

When I drive the 997S, it says to me “Fuck mediocrity. I stand for something. I am real. Everything fake can go die, I really don’t care”. Something along those lines .

Stark contrast with the world

The 997S is such a stark contrast with the world, and with humanity. Humans are always finding new and creative ways to kill, hurt, and keep other humans down. They are always finding ways of reducing things to their least common denominator. That is all “culture” really is, a collection of prejudices, rituals, and actions of a group of people from some point in time reduced to the least common denominator. If you don’t agree with me here or don’t get it, think about it for a while and perhaps you will, but I digress .

I almost forget sometimes that the 997S is a machine made by people, but these people are not normal people. Those few special people that work for Porsche and that produce such things as the 911, are not like most humans. They are exceptional. I can’t imagine the magic that goes on everyday in the Porsche facility. The 997S is a by product of people who who do not compromise or cater to any focus group. They understand passion, hope, and the human spirit and somehow magically engineer this into a car, amazing… If only more people could contribute positively in this way, the world would not be the same as it is today. Hopefully, I can be one of those special few people too in my own way .

Me and my 911

Often times when I am very stressed out, and things are bothering me, and life is really getting to and it seems the weight of the world is on my shoulders the 997S is one of the things that gets me through hard times. I go and drive it and it feels like a shiny beacon of hope and light in the world. It reminds me that all people don’t suck and that the work of just a few (Porsche employees) can offset the crap of so many people who cause hurt and pain. It makes me want to let go off all the bad things that have happened in my life and all of the things/people I am angry at and just bask in the pureness and bliss that is Porsche . It is like my therapy session, and I always come back feeling renewed and with new found hope. It reminds me that I can’t give in or give up and I must be myself and continue to seek the truth in all aspects of life and myself. It makes me want to be all I can be and discover all that I am meant to do with my time on this Earth. I want to be just like the 911 when I grow up, hehe .

What do you think? Is there a substitute?

My next baby

The Audi TTS, “Lays waste to ambivalence”.  Aw, I was smitten the moment I saw it!

I am sure most of you have heard about the TTS , but here some some of the most important specs in my opinion:

• 265 HP
• 258 Torques
• Top Speed 155pmh
• 0-60 is 4.9 seconds
• Fuel economy is between 21 and 29pmg, much better than my 911:) .
• Stronic dual cluth system with launch control – very cool, now I will feel like an F1 driver..sorta .
• Quattro, of course!
• Adjustable Audi Magnetic Ride, allows for a more or less sporty suspension feel at the push of a button, wow!!
• There are 3 trim packages, Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige. I am going to get the Prestige because it has more fancy bits on the inside, as well as a nav systems, parking assist, and the upgraded sound system. If the upgraded sound system was an option alone, I would just get that, because that’s really all I want .

Here are the rest of the details for the new TTS from Audi’s website.

However, in the end, specs aside, a test drive is really all that matters. I have driven the regular TT but not the S, so I am going to try and schedule one this weekend…please check back next week for an update.

Continue reading the rest of ‘It is official, Audi TTS is my next car!!’ …

Rag top or Hard top? Which do you prefer and why?

Do you like the newer hard top convertibles like the ones on the Mercedes SL and SLK models, as well as the new 2009 Z4?

These are a bit heavier than the rag tops, and may reduce your truck space a bit. But, I think they look way nicer and keep the smooth lines of a car going, where as I think the rag top tends to really break the car up and disturb the whole flow of the design elements, just my 2 cents

Or, do you prefer the old skool “rag top” convertible like on the 1 series as well as many cars today.

I think that rag top covers are OK as long as they are hidden completely when down, as most are today on modern cars. I am not such a big fan of the Tonneau style where you can see the cloth in the back behind the seat .

Community Feedback so far:

Rhonda:

That is a very loaded question that I am positive will stir a very emotional response. With that said…..I may be the strange one in that for me I prefer top down unless it is raining so I don’t see the top ~ 8 months of the year. When the top is up the lines of the car should be visually appealing.

I love the lines of the Mercedes SLR and the Porsche 911 both look great top up & top down.

-RhondaI like the ragtop appearance, though it works better on some vehicles than others (the 911 Cabs of the 80’s and 90’s look awkward in comparison to the newer ones and certainly compared to the svelte Boxster).

Glen:

I had a 1990 Mustang GT convertible (California) and had to replace the hydraulics at least once and of course was patching holes in the top within 5 years after buying the car. Didn’t matter so much in California since the top was down 70% of the time, but the thing was a pain when I moved back to the East Coast in the late 90’s. I drove sedans over the following decade.

The new ragtops are vastly superior to the old ones (though I don’t like the BMW 6-series top), but retractable hardtops are a much more useful and durable all-weather solution for the 80% of Americans who live in places where it rains and/or snows regularly.

I have a feeling automakers are going to be consolidating specialty models in the future to reduce production costs, and let the cars be tailored through options lists instead. The BMW Z4 has done a masterful job of combining the coupe and roadster appearance with the retractable hardtop, and I would not be surprised if the Porsche “988″ (next generation of the 987) uses a Cayman-shape retractable roof, thus combining the Boxster and Cayman series.

-Glen

Walt:

I have had seven Porsches over the past 35 years ranging from 914-6s thru a current 996 Cabriolet. Several of the 911’s have been Targa’s. The hard top is nice but requires a fair bit of time/effort to remove and install when you want to motor with the roof off. I never like to leave the car open so when I reach my destination the top goes on. The “new” cab is great, press the button and the top retracts and you are off. I installed a SmartTop when I bought the car which allows you to operate the roof upto 35mph. It’s wonderful, no waiting, just press the button and start driving. If the weather turns unfavorable you can raise it without stopping. I also bought the hardtop so I can use the car on “nice” winter days. Actually the new triple tops are so quiet and warm you really don’t need the hardtop. Only problem with the cabs are they aren’t suitable for track events but thats okay, just means you get to have two Porsches;-)) The coupes are great, better rigidity and stiffness but you just don’t get to enjoy the weather or exhaust noise as much.

-Walt

Please leave your comments below and explain which you like best and why .

Racerchicks.com

Racerchicks.com is an enthusiast site for women racers that includes racing information, an online store, as well as a super funny list of things called “You might be a racer chick if…”.

Here is a short except below of my favs from the list, I have made some comments beside a few of them, shown in pink. For the complete list, please visit: http://www.racerchicks.com/motor/you_might_be_a_racer.html

You might be a racer chick if:

-You bought a race car before buying furniture for the new house.

- You’re looking for a tow vehicle and still haven’t bought furniture! (This is so true, i still don’t own a couch!!)

- You take your helmet along when you go to buy new eyeglasses or check out cars (seats).

- You feel compelled on a road trip to beat your previous best time.

- You refer to the corner down the street from your house as “Turn One.”

- You are happiest when your street car’s tires are worn to racing = depth (wear bars showing).

- You look at the fire hydrant at that corner and see an apex marker.

- You enjoy driving in the rain on the way to work or school.

- You always late apex the intersection and try to pass a few cars coming out.
- When you hear ‘overcooked it’, instead of food you think ‘off the track’.

- You can’t stand understeer. (Hence, the 911).

- You thoroughly enjoy showing the tailgater behind how to drive around a highway off-ramp.

- Your racing budget is one of the big three — mortgage, car payments/maintenance, dating. (Wow, they really know me!)

- Your email address refers to your race car rather than to you.

- You walk proper lines through the grocery store. (HAHAH! I especially like Whole Foods shopping carts because they corner better.)

- You’ve paid $4.00 a gallon for gas without complaining. (Yes here too!)

- You bought a race car before buying a house. (This one is so me!!)

- You think that traction control and ABS are for those who can’t drive. (AHAHAHAH funny on so many levels.)

- You save broken car parts as “mementos”. (I actually have a table in my house filled with nothing but broken 911 parts).

- The local police and state Highway Patrol have a picture of your car taped to their dashboard.

- You would choose a roll bar over air conditioning if it were an option. (This reminds me of the Mini Cooper I bought without cruise control because I didn’t want the sun roof option for the track).

- You’ve started looking for sponsors for your daily commute.

Can ayone think of any others? Do you relate to these?

I wrote a post on the new F1 season and the rule changes at the start of the 2009 F1 season. This is a followup post on how these changes are affecting the racing.

Tires

Turns out the cars have more grip thanks to slicks instead of tires with treads. They go faster on the slow stuff and slower on the fast stuff (thanks to less aero). But this ends up making lap times shorter! However, the hard compound tires are very difficult to get up to temperature and there ends up being a huge performance difference between runners on the hard compound tires and soft compound tires, which has let to some crashes in a few races.

KERS

In the Bahrain GP, it was clear to see how KERS affects performance. It’s quite impressive to see some drivers in KERS enabled cars blocking others in much faster cars. Also, it’s cool to see the fight between KERS and non-KERS cars on straights and coming out of corners. It makes for a very entertaining drive, and it’s a new tool in the drivers arsenal to judiciously use to get more performance. Given that power boosts only come in short bursts, and they are depleted after every lap, strategy becomes a pretty important factor in determining when to use this and where, to get the advantage.

Super diffuser

Some cars have “super diffusers”. The rule change this season was supposed to reduce the dependence on aerodynamic downforce, which is why the rear wings got super small, to enable cars to pass. With large wings of yore, the air behind the cars was dirty, and it was dangerous for a car that’s trying to pass, to get too close to the car in front of it, as it’s front grip would disappear. Anyway, these rule changes have been totally ineffective, since cars that use these super diffusers dirty up the air behind them anyway, and cause other cars to keep their distance. So this is useless rule change that hasn’t really accomplished what it set out to do.

Driver controlled front wing

So when the rear wings got small this season, drivers got the ability to control the front wing angle just a few degrees. The idea is that drivers can increase downforce on the front wings as they go to pass someone. Super diffusers negate this completely. But it’s really cool to see this much control being given to drivers, and it gives me even more respect for them as drivers, as they are able to drive so quickly, which adjusting brake bias for specific corners, and now front wing downforce. Very cool! As a side effect of all these aero changes, next season front tires are getting narrower, since the fronts have too much grip now (with reduce downforce in the rear and slicks, and larger wings up front).

Let me know if I’ve missed anything, or if you would like to add your own thoughts, comments.

DLG Mobile App for BlackBerry feedback needed

Heading to the track? What about a mobile App for the race track… what do you think of my ideas below?

I am thinking of building the next version of the DLG Mobile App mobile app for track days. It will have cool and much-needed tools for the avid track junkie or racer. A mobile app is perfect for track days because you can’t easily lug your laptop around at the track.

You will still be able to read DLG posts & comments, and leave comments using your BlackBerry, and this will be free.

Here are some ideas I think would be cool for an app, these would be for pay (not free):

	View track schedule on mobile phone, and it will be integrated with the BlackBerry calendar, so it can remind you when the event is, when to leave for it, or report for your run group, etc.
	Keep your track data from each event you have been to, and enter it in while at the track using your BlackBerry. Things like: Tire wear/usage Brake wear/usage Tire pressure settings Lap times
	Who and what is around me. See if any of your buddies are at the track, whats the closest gas station, restaurant, or garage, etc.
	How much would you pay for this? What do you think of these ideas??

Keep in mind that reading DLG posts & comments, and leaving comments using your phone will always be free. If you don’t know what the DLG mobile app is, here’s the press release: http://drivelikeagirl.com/?p=2309 .

I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments, please leave them below .

Izzy’s Blog-o-matic Machine

I am getting a new laptop in a few days, so I can really rev up the amount of posts on DLG (and Cafe Izabel, too). I need your help to decide which one to get.

My top choices are:

1. MacBook 13″ aluminum 2.0 GHz, with aftermarket SSD upgrade at some point
2. Thinkpad 12″ model with SSD
3. Thinkpad 13″ model with SSD

MacBook 13″ aluminum 2.0 GHz

Thinkpad 13″, X301

Thinkpad 12″ X200

Vote

Click the paperclip below to”continue” reading and see which laptop I chose… drumroll please…

Continue reading the rest of ‘Izzy’s Blog-o-matic Machine’ …

Go Speed Racer Go

I have recently changed the ring tone for my BlackBerry Javelin to the “Go Speed Racer Go” theme song from the new movie. I bought it on Amazon.com for 99cents.

Does anyone have a racing or car-related ring tone for their phone?

Or, have you set your phone’s new e-mail sound to a car exhaust note?

Please share your car related ringtone stories below.

Ciao all my wonderful DLG fans! I want to let you know I have created the Official Drivelikeagirl.com Group on LinkedIn.

To join it, go here: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1895734

Most of you might already be in the group, because that’s just how you roll, but for those of you who aren’t please join and post some discussions and links. Also, tell all your friends. I will be making announcements for new DLG posts on the LinkedIn group and will turn interesting discussion topics into DLG posts, and “cross-pollinating” in that way, just to keep people informed and to grow the readership of this community.

I think the more people we get on here, the better it will be. I love to hear what you all are thinking, so please keep up the great comments. Thanks for all your continued support.

Keep the shiny side up!

-Izabel

Hi everyone,

I would like to announce that all foodie-related discussion on DLG will be moved to my new foodie online community called CafeIzabel.com – An online community for the non-pretentious foodie.

DLG will remain exactly the same, minus any foodie related stuff, and I will be splitting my time equally between the two sites. So, don’t worry . I invite all you who are interested in food, cooking, and learning about new cuisines and cultures to please stop by. Please also join the Official LinkedIn Group for CafeIzabel.com : http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1913452

Your friend in speed and yummy food,
Izabel

My favorite car growing up was always the Bond Cars, Austin Martins, just had a style and an ayre about them that wreaked of class…..of course it helped to a young boy that it had machine guns, a cement bullet proof wall and oil slick capabilities. I had not watched a Bond film since I think that Jaws guy was in one of them….but last week I picked up Quantum of Solace….and OMG it just blew me away….this a Bond Man’s Bond file..James is back. And of course the opening scene was an Austin Martin…nothing more needs to be said. Just my thoughts on this. 13th of Apr…thanks for reading.

Written exclusively from my Blackberry BOLD using DLG mobile app.

My Kind of Car

- bbunderground

Attending a GP this year?

The countdown has begun for the race in Shanghai next weekend. Is anyone attending the Chinese GP?

What do you think of this track setup?

Chinese GP track map

Spa

My favorite circuit is Spa-Francorchamps… I love to watch races there, it is so exciting. I would love to drive on this track, not in an F1 car of course

What is your favorite F1 circuit?

Spa-Francorchamps track map

Some off the race track fun – Modelinia.com

My fav model – Izabel Goulart

You must check out my new favorite website called Modelinia.com.

It is all about fashion, models, beauty, and the glamorous lifestyle. It has lots of interesting articles and very high quality videos about modeling, models’ personal lives, fashion designers, runway, beauty tips, etc.

I think they need a BlackBerry mobile app, what do you think?

So, for those of you interested in such things this is the best website I have ever found, I would recommend it over all celeb blogs/communities out there. It is what I am reading while not at the track.

Please let me know what you think . If you have any favorite models or fashion topics you want me to cover please leave a comment below.

It is a beautiful day here finally. Great for motoring!!

Is anyone planning any Spring motoring holidays or misc car-related adventures??

Here are some pics I took from my office window of Audi N.A. Headquarters, located across the street from my workplace. After Porsche took over Audi, they changed the name of the road this building is on to Ferdinand Porsche Drive .

(Posted via Javelin)

Audi HQ

Ferdinand Porsche Drive

1957 Ferrari 250 Testarosa matchup

The car:

(please note the speedometer by Jaeger in the 3rd pic.)

Continue reading the rest of ‘Vintage Ferrari matchup’ …

I love Charlie’s Angels

You can watch the first 3 seasons on Hulu, (US only). You can get the DVDs here.

This is a tribute to the Cobra II from Charlie’s Angels! The Angels were bad-ass and so is this car! Nice! I wish they would show these episodes on TV and do a re-make of the show . I can’t get enough of it! However, the cheesy porn-esque music from the show could stand to be updated a bit .

How awesome is this car from Charlie’s Angels? I love it!! It is one of the few Ford products I have ever liked!!

Farrah Fawcett aka Jill Munroe

Does anyone else like the show? or the car?

How big is too big?

Here is an interesting, and perhaps random find. The Octopus is the world’s 8th largest superyacht, and it is owned by Paul Allen, wow it must be good to be him . Here is the Wikipedia entry about the Octopus.

The Octopus is currently the world’s eighth largest superyacht, owned by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, to whom it was delivered in 2003. Octopus is the third largest superyacht that is not owned by a head of state, measuring 414 feet (126 m).

Octopus sports two helicopters on the top deck (one in front and one on the back), and a 63-foot (19 m) tender docked in the transom (one of seven aboard). The yacht also has a pool on board, located aft on one of her upper decks, and two submarines: one operated by remote control for studying the bottom of the ocean. Side hatches at the water line form a dock for jet skis.

The exterior was designed by Espen Øino Naval Architects and built by the German shipbuilders Lürssen in Bremen and HDW in Kiel. Her hull is made of steel. The interior was designed by American designer Jonathan Quinn Barnett of Seattle.

Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_(yacht)

Continue reading the rest of ‘The Octopus’ …

Hi all! I am writing my first post using my NEW BlackBerry Javelin via the DLG mobile app! It is so light and fast. It is smaller, lighter, faster, easier to use one-handed, and way more stylish than my old Curve, 8800, and Pearl. The screen is gorgeous and bright, it is nothing like the older BlackBerries. RIM has really set the bar high with this one.

I am going to post pics of the actual Javelin once I finish the photoshoot for it. It will include match ups too.

Here is a pic I snapped today of 997. It was so cold today in the low 40s with wind! Brr.

997S

Diamonds and greed

This is a very serious subject I feel strongly about…Diamonds. I decided a couple years ago I am not going to buy anymore earth-grown diamonds due to the atrocities committed in order for me to get these diamonds. It is not worth it and I have standards. Yes, I did watch Blood Diamond, and the movie only confirmed my feelings on the subject . No amount of pretty things is worth another person’s life. I also have a huge beef with the fashion industry for the use of sweatshops but that is another subject. I think that is WRONG to contribute to the economy (supply/demand) of the diamond industry in Africa in order to have some bling bling to show off to your friends… keeping up with the Joneses, this is sad fact of the human condition – greed.

Cultured diamonds – a girl’s new best friend

There are SO many options available for people who like diamonds and sparkles but have ethical standards. One such option is Gemesis, located in Florida. They make cultured diamonds, which are real diamonds, but instead of being grown in the ground they are grown in a lab.

Cultured diamonds are physically, optically and chemically the same as earth-grown diamonds. They have the same brilliance, luster, fire, hardness, refractive index and specific gravity with the only difference being their origin. One is grown above the ground while the other is extracted from the ground. Both are in fact diamond.

- From Gemesis website

Here is a little about the company, and about how the diamonds are made.

Designer cultured diamond jewelry

Why don’t all designers use cultured diamonds over earth-grown diamonds? I don’t know the answer to that. It would be easier to get the stones to factories; shipping from Florida (where Gemesis is located) would be much easier and cheaper than Africa. No ethical issues over the production of these diamonds.  But, like most good and ethical “better ways of doing things” there are a lot of politics involved, a lot of people who have invested in the “blood diamond industry” and don’t want to go out of business and will fight tooth and nail to keep the industry going. Such is the Tao of humans…

Taryn Rose

Designer Taryn Rose has come out with a collection of pieces using exclusively Gemesis stones, though I totally disagree with the prices they charge . I think one of the main goals with Gemesis diamonds is to avoid the ridiculous and artificial “price” that diamonds go for. So, I have an issue with the pieces costing up to $20,000. Perhaps it is just the exclusivity you are paying for here, not the materials. However, I would encourage those who are looking for some new jewelry and prefer a designer label to look for these Taryn Rose pieces and only buy cultured diamonds.

Other designers using Gemesis diamonds

Below are a few designers I found from Gemesis’ website that use cultured diamonds that I recommend everyone to check out. I have also highlighted some of my favorite pieces. I am looking to get a new wedding set made with cultured diamonds, so these are some I am considering.

Don’t worry, they do not only make yellow diamonds, they come in many colors including colorless.

Pintura Diamonds

Solaura Jewelry

Renaissance Diamonds

Everything we do affects someone else, so it is important to consider the impacts of the choices you make. Many of the established “ways of doing things” aren’t moral or good for more than a handful of greedy people. We are all connected in this world, like the U2 song One, “We’re one, but we’re not the same”.

For me, I love jewelry because it makes me happy. It is simple, I like sparkles and like to look pretty… but I have standards.  I do not support the diamond industry and I feel it is important for me to share my thoughts with everyone about this issue.

Hopefully you will re-consider purchasing a naturally grown diamond and take a look at the links I have provided. There are many more designers I haven’t listed so please do some research and think hard before making your next purchase.

Hey everyone, it’s been a while since I posted here on DLG, so trying to start myself up again.
You may or may not remember, I posted a question about a car/watch match-up some time ago. I was looking for something with a bit of a classic feel, to wear while driving my classic BMW.

Recently I acquired this new watch by Profuomo (it has a Citizen quartz movement in it) which has a bit of a classic look to it. What do you guys think? Is this a good match-up?

What to do when you can’t drivelikeagirl?

I am sure you all have noticed a lot of non-driving and non-car related posts on DLG, such as my fashion posts, cooking posts, watch posts, travel posts, Barack Obama posts, etc. These things are the other half of Drivelikeagirl.com. The “all things awesome” part. Some of the awesome things I love and am passionate about (when I am not on the track, motoring on a windy mountain road, or able to watch a race on TV) include:

• Cooking and learning to cook
• Eating!!
• Collecting watches and looking at new watches to buy
• Accessorizing my current watches
• Technology and gadgets
• Educating myself on new and better ways of living
• Trying to learn new languages
• Planning vacations and travel (though I can’t afford most trips at this point)
• Shopping, fashion, shoes
• I am a connoisseur of all things beautiful
• Reading celeb news and obsessing over supermodels
• Politics and the Obamas
• Rock climbing, hiking, and the beach
• Watch TV programs on BBC, Speed, Food Network, and Discovery

There are many sides to me other than my love for cars, though I would consider cars to be a central theme of life. Please feel free to share stories about what you are passionate about on and off the track.

Who are the G20?

The G20 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, the US and the EU.

Here is a great link to the BBC’s overview of the G20 Summit.

The deal

On behalf of the G20, Mr Brown announced the following steps:

• Bankers’ pay and bonuses will be subject to stricter controls
• A new Financial Stability Board will be set up to work with the IMF to ensure co-operation across borders and provide an early warning mechanism for the financial system
• There will be greater regulation of hedge funds and credit ratings agencies
• A common approach to cleaning up banks’ toxic assets has been agreed
• The world’s poorest countries will receive $100bn extra aid
• G20 countries are already implementing the biggest economic stimulus “the world has ever seen” – an injection of $5tn by the end of next year

IMF Boost

The IMF has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the G20 summit.

The resources it has to help troubled economies will be increased to $500bn.

An overdraft facility will also be increased to $250bn (in the IMF’s currency, so-called Special Drawing Rights) that all members can call upon.

Mr Brown said that there would be a crackdown on tax havens to prevent the loss of sorely needed tax revenue. Shortly after the summit finished the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development published a blacklist of countries deemed uncooperative.

It said Costa Rica, Malaysia, Philippines and Uruguay had not made any commitment to respecting international standards.

“We have agreed tough standards and sanctions for use against those who don’t come into line in the future,” Mr Brown said.

President Obama was said to have played a key role in brokering the agreement on tax havens, resolving differences between France and China.

Hopes met?

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the conclusions of the G20 summit were “more than we could have hoped for”.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7979483.stm

For more information on the financial crisis check out the Baseline Scenario.