Good news: I got accepted to Stanford GSB!
Hard part: I now have to decide between Stanford, Chicago Booth and Duke's Fuqua School of Business. I am leaning pretty heavily towards Stanford though - primarily due to its location in Silicon Valley being a great place to be for someone wanting to eventually become an entrepreneur. The weather is nicer than Chicago's too - plus the smaller class size and heavy emphasis on collaborative learning suites my learning style.
It's a tough decision - and I will feel bad declining offers to great programs, but ultimately it is a great position to be in. I thank everyone who helped me on the journey to date and I will let everyone know as soon as I have come to a deicison.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Til the Last Shot's Fired by Trace Adkins w/ West Point Cadet Glee Club
Trace Adkin's new song "Til the Last Shot's Fired" is performed with the West Point Cadet Glee Club singing backup on the final chorus ... and is every bit as moving as their performance of "Mansion's of the Lord" for the movie We Were Soldiers (which many of you know I was a proud member of). Please say a prayer for peace in the world, for every fallen son and daughter (be they Americans, Israleis, Palistinians, Iraqis, Afghanis, Indians, ect ... ) Maybe someday we can learn to coexist ... until then, Soldiers won;t be able to come home till that last shot's fired ...
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I was there in the winter of '64
When we camped in the ice at Nashville's doors
Three hundred miles our trail had lead
We barely had time to bury our dead
When the Yankees charged and the colors fell
Overton hill was a living hell
When we called retreat it was almost dark I died with a grapeshot in my heart
Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set my spirit free
Let me lay down my gun
Sweet mother Mary I'm so tired
But I can't come home 'til the last shot's fired
In June of 1944 I waited in the blood of Omaha's shores
Twenty-one and scared to death
My heart poundin' in my chest
I almost made the first seawall
When my friends turned and saw me fall
I still smell the smoke, I can taste the mud
As I lay there dying from a loss of blood
Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set my spirit free
Let me lay down my gun
Sweet mother Mary I'm so tired
But I can't come home 'til the last shot's fired
I'm in the fields of Vietnam,
The mountains of Afghanistan
And I'm still hopin', waitin' prayin' I did not die in vain
Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set our spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we're so tired
But we can't come home 'til the last shot's fired
'Til the last shot's fired
[Choir:]
Say a prayer for peace (for peace)
For our daughters and our sons
Set our spirits free (set us free)
Let us lay down our guns
[Trace:]
Sweet mother Mary, we're so tired But we can't come home (No we can't come home)
[Choir:]
'Til the last shot's fired
------------------------------------
I was there in the winter of '64
When we camped in the ice at Nashville's doors
Three hundred miles our trail had lead
We barely had time to bury our dead
When the Yankees charged and the colors fell
Overton hill was a living hell
When we called retreat it was almost dark I died with a grapeshot in my heart
Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set my spirit free
Let me lay down my gun
Sweet mother Mary I'm so tired
But I can't come home 'til the last shot's fired
In June of 1944 I waited in the blood of Omaha's shores
Twenty-one and scared to death
My heart poundin' in my chest
I almost made the first seawall
When my friends turned and saw me fall
I still smell the smoke, I can taste the mud
As I lay there dying from a loss of blood
Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set my spirit free
Let me lay down my gun
Sweet mother Mary I'm so tired
But I can't come home 'til the last shot's fired
I'm in the fields of Vietnam,
The mountains of Afghanistan
And I'm still hopin', waitin' prayin' I did not die in vain
Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set our spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we're so tired
But we can't come home 'til the last shot's fired
'Til the last shot's fired
[Choir:]
Say a prayer for peace (for peace)
For our daughters and our sons
Set our spirits free (set us free)
Let us lay down our guns
[Trace:]
Sweet mother Mary, we're so tired But we can't come home (No we can't come home)
[Choir:]
'Til the last shot's fired
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Innovation
A good quote for those looking to become entrepreneurs ...
"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to lead in introducing a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents-who have the laws on their side-and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them." ~ Machiavelli
"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to lead in introducing a new order of things, because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents-who have the laws on their side-and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them." ~ Machiavelli
What Kind of America?
I agree whole heartedly with Thomas Friedman on many issues and this is one of them. I am no tree hugger, but I think America really needs to focus on creating new energy resources - for a host of reasons. I believe in it so much so, that I plan to enter the energy industry after earning my MBA. I want to change the world; I will change the world. See below for an excerpt from Friedman's newest book ... ask yourself, "What kind of America would I like to see?"
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"Green is not simply a new form of generating electric power. It is a new form of generating national power - period." ~ David Rothkopf, Carnegie Endowment and energy expert.
What kind of America would you like to see? An America that is addicted to oil and thereby fueling the worst autocracies in the world, or a green America that is building scalable alternatives to crude oil and thereby freeing ourselves from the grip of countries who have drawn a bull's-eye on our back and whose values we oppose?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America that is steadily outsourcing more-and-more blue collar, labor intensive manufacturing jobs to China, or a green America that is building more and more knowledge-intensive green-technology jobs - for making green buildings, vehicles, and power sources - which are more difficult to outsource and will have to be the industry of the future, as fossil-fuel energy supplies dwindle and world population grows?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America with more and more urban sprawl devouring more and more open lands, or a green America where cities start to grow upward rather than outward, where mass transit becomes the norm rather than mass traffic jams, and where the only new buildings are green buildings?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America where the government relaxes energy and efficiency standards on cars, buildings, and appliances, prompting our industries to get innovation-lazy, or a green America where the U.S.government imposes steadily higher efficiency standards, forcing a constant flow of new thinking around materials, power systems, and energy software, making us the most energy-productive country in the world?
What kinf of America would you like to see? An America where there is no national big goal, or a green America, where inventing a source of abundant, clean, reliable, cheap electrons, which could enable the whole planet to grow in a way that doesn't destroy its remaining natural habitats, becomes the goal of this generation - inspiring young people to go into math, science, biology, physics, and nanotechnology?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America that is spotlighted as the last holdout at an international environmental conference, or a green America that is seen as the country most committed - by example - to preserving our environment and the species that inhabit it, earning the world's respect?
There is a Chinese proverb that says, "When the wind changes direction, there are those who build walls and those who build windmills." What will we do?
~ Thomas Friedman, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America.
----------------------------------------
"Green is not simply a new form of generating electric power. It is a new form of generating national power - period." ~ David Rothkopf, Carnegie Endowment and energy expert.
What kind of America would you like to see? An America that is addicted to oil and thereby fueling the worst autocracies in the world, or a green America that is building scalable alternatives to crude oil and thereby freeing ourselves from the grip of countries who have drawn a bull's-eye on our back and whose values we oppose?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America that is steadily outsourcing more-and-more blue collar, labor intensive manufacturing jobs to China, or a green America that is building more and more knowledge-intensive green-technology jobs - for making green buildings, vehicles, and power sources - which are more difficult to outsource and will have to be the industry of the future, as fossil-fuel energy supplies dwindle and world population grows?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America with more and more urban sprawl devouring more and more open lands, or a green America where cities start to grow upward rather than outward, where mass transit becomes the norm rather than mass traffic jams, and where the only new buildings are green buildings?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America where the government relaxes energy and efficiency standards on cars, buildings, and appliances, prompting our industries to get innovation-lazy, or a green America where the U.S.government imposes steadily higher efficiency standards, forcing a constant flow of new thinking around materials, power systems, and energy software, making us the most energy-productive country in the world?
What kinf of America would you like to see? An America where there is no national big goal, or a green America, where inventing a source of abundant, clean, reliable, cheap electrons, which could enable the whole planet to grow in a way that doesn't destroy its remaining natural habitats, becomes the goal of this generation - inspiring young people to go into math, science, biology, physics, and nanotechnology?
What kind of America would you like to see? An America that is spotlighted as the last holdout at an international environmental conference, or a green America that is seen as the country most committed - by example - to preserving our environment and the species that inhabit it, earning the world's respect?
There is a Chinese proverb that says, "When the wind changes direction, there are those who build walls and those who build windmills." What will we do?
~ Thomas Friedman, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Grad School Search Update
As many of you know, I am working applications for admission to business school next fall. To date, I have been admitted to Chicago University's Booth School of Business and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. I have also interviewed with Stanford Graduate School of Business and will find out my status on 22 January.
I have a tough decision ahead!
I have a tough decision ahead!
2009 Resolutions/Goals
1. Run a marathon (Seoul Marathon not an option due to work conflict, :()
2. Get back into good shape all around
3. Make good use of time off between Army and school (pre-MBA internship or service trip)
4. Volunteer more
5. Secure funding for grad school, while keeping house as rental
6. Good plan for future military obligation
7. Donate more $$ to Central Asia Institute
2. Get back into good shape all around
3. Make good use of time off between Army and school (pre-MBA internship or service trip)
4. Volunteer more
5. Secure funding for grad school, while keeping house as rental
6. Good plan for future military obligation
7. Donate more $$ to Central Asia Institute
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Extremism, Education, Opportunity
"I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have reason to choose life over death." ~ Greg Mortenson
The fight against terrorism and Islamic extremism will not be a kinetic fight, rather it is an economic fight. A fight to offer future generations a reason to choose life over death. A future that offers an appreciation of life and affords the opportunity for all to earn a respectable living. This means we need to expand efforts to provide quality education and access to energy/technology to younger generations across the globe. Men such as Greg Mortenson are doing just this, and it is more important to a lasting solution than the kinetic operations of the military.
The fight against terrorism and Islamic extremism will not be a kinetic fight, rather it is an economic fight. A fight to offer future generations a reason to choose life over death. A future that offers an appreciation of life and affords the opportunity for all to earn a respectable living. This means we need to expand efforts to provide quality education and access to energy/technology to younger generations across the globe. Men such as Greg Mortenson are doing just this, and it is more important to a lasting solution than the kinetic operations of the military.
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