3 interesting points from articles in the Financial Times

As I mentioned, last weekend's Saturday edition of the Financial Times has a bunch of great articles

1. In the interview with the Aga Khan, "Coffee with the FT: His Highness the Aga Khan," he states:

“There is no point going into economies that are wealthy and have their own resources, so we go into the really poor ones. If you try to put social development ahead of economic support, it doesn’t work. You have to do both together.

“A community whose economics don’t change is not one that can support community structures, education, healthcare, it doesn’t have the wherewithal,” he says.

2. An article about London's Giaconda Dining Room makes the point that by opening in a revitalizing but well-located place, you can pay less rent, as little as 60% of the going rate in "better" locations, and that can be a significant contribution to profitability and success. See "A taste of money."

3. In "Eat, shop, gossip," an article about La Boqueria, the finest public market in Barcelona, mentions in passing how 40 vendors in Borough Market in London are working stalls at La Boqueria and in return those vendors will take a stint in the Borough Market, to promote:

the idea of creating accessible, comfortable, designed areas in public spaces to house markets, providing diverse, affordable and fresh produce for locals and giving producers a leg-up. The Boqueria, with its third and fourth generation stallholders, strong local and international customer base, and incredible produce has proved that this idea can work.

-----Other good articles include one comparing John McCain and Barack Obama based on where they live and what it means, and a couple articles on revitalizing neighborhoods in the House and Home section.