The final results are in according to my "official" scoring system:
1. China: 346
2. USA: 330
3. Russia: 206
4. Great Britain: 149
5. Australia: 132
Congratulations to the Chinese; we'll see you in London for a rematch in 2012!
2008-08-27
2008-08-23
The Circle of Life
Sorry for the cheesy title to this post but I'm not in a very creative mood. I arrived home this evening to learn that the daughter of one of my good friends had died. She had been in and out of the hospital all her life so perhaps this wasn't a surprise, but it still hurts. Figuring that my friends probably needed some grieving time to themselves, I forewent a phone call and spent a long time crafting an email to express my heartfelt condolences.
Of course it is terrible whenever a loved one dies, but there is something so . . . unnatural . . . about parents outliving their children; it adds another dimension of grief to the mourning. Although I have never experienced it myself, I saw the anguish it caused my grandparents when my father died; years later they still cried and cried about it. These friends of mine were no more deserving of such a tragedy than were my grandparents, but I suppose these things happen; death is as natural a part of life as birth.
Then, no sooner had I hit the send button than a new email arrived in my inbox. It was from another friend of mine who was in the same circle of friends as those who had just lost their daughter. However this email was to announce the birth of his son, who entered this world just as the other was leaving.
I feel both sorrow and joy; I feel conflicted. I suppose this is akin to (albeit much, MUCH milder) the mixture of grief and joy felt by a new father when the mother dies in childbirth. Every end is a new beginning, every time a door closes another is opened, etc. This pointed coincidence of timing illustrates something so simple about the natural cycle of birth and death, yet so profound that I can't possibly articulate it in this entry.
Of course it is terrible whenever a loved one dies, but there is something so . . . unnatural . . . about parents outliving their children; it adds another dimension of grief to the mourning. Although I have never experienced it myself, I saw the anguish it caused my grandparents when my father died; years later they still cried and cried about it. These friends of mine were no more deserving of such a tragedy than were my grandparents, but I suppose these things happen; death is as natural a part of life as birth.
Then, no sooner had I hit the send button than a new email arrived in my inbox. It was from another friend of mine who was in the same circle of friends as those who had just lost their daughter. However this email was to announce the birth of his son, who entered this world just as the other was leaving.
I feel both sorrow and joy; I feel conflicted. I suppose this is akin to (albeit much, MUCH milder) the mixture of grief and joy felt by a new father when the mother dies in childbirth. Every end is a new beginning, every time a door closes another is opened, etc. This pointed coincidence of timing illustrates something so simple about the natural cycle of birth and death, yet so profound that I can't possibly articulate it in this entry.
Olympics Scoring
After heated debate with my classmates from around the world, I have decided to revise my Olympics medal scoring system. While we all agree that points should be given for silver and bronze medals (After all, shouldn't winning gold and silver be worth more than just winning gold alone?), the topic of dispute was how many points each medal should be awarded.
Under my original scheme, golds were worth 3 points, silvers 2, and bronzes 1. This means that earning silver and and bronze together would be equivalent to earning gold. Our consensus was that a single gold was worth more than silver and bronze together; after all, gold is the best in the world. Accordingly, my new "official" system assigns 5 points to gold, 3 points to silver, and 1 point to bronze.
As of now, China retains the lead with 330 points (49 gold, 19 silver, 28 bronze). The US follows closely with 317 points (34 gold, 37 silver, 35 bronze). Russia, Great Britain, and Australia bring up the rest of the top five, each with scores in the 100s. With only two days of competition left, GAME ON!
Also, I have posted pics of my dinner up in the Swiss mountains in my facebook album.
Under my original scheme, golds were worth 3 points, silvers 2, and bronzes 1. This means that earning silver and and bronze together would be equivalent to earning gold. Our consensus was that a single gold was worth more than silver and bronze together; after all, gold is the best in the world. Accordingly, my new "official" system assigns 5 points to gold, 3 points to silver, and 1 point to bronze.
As of now, China retains the lead with 330 points (49 gold, 19 silver, 28 bronze). The US follows closely with 317 points (34 gold, 37 silver, 35 bronze). Russia, Great Britain, and Australia bring up the rest of the top five, each with scores in the 100s. With only two days of competition left, GAME ON!
Also, I have posted pics of my dinner up in the Swiss mountains in my facebook album.
2008-08-22
Kings of the Beach
Much controversy has surrounded the measurement of "success" in the Olympics. Should success be measured by the total number of medals won as advocated by the US? Or by just the number of golds won, which is used by the rest of the world? While I agree with the US that silver and bronze medals should be considered--otherwise why award them at all--I don't think they should count as much as golds. Accordingly I have been tracking the official medal count throughout the Olympics: a weighted score for which golds count 3, silvers 2, and bronzes 1. With all of China's golds it has led this scoring system throughout the games.
At last, however, the US is catching up. With 29 golds, 34 silvers, and 32 bronzes, it has 187 points. China, with 46 golds, 15 silvers, and 22 bronzes, still leads with 190 points. We'll see what the next three days hold in store for the final tally!
This morning the US demonstrated its beach dominance with a gold in men's beach volleyball to accompany yesterday's gold for the women. In indoor the women have already advanced to the finals while the men are ahead of Russia 1-0 right now in the semifinals. Hopefully we'll have some more volleyball medals soon!
Meanwhile this afternoon I will be focused on the women's long jump finals, where Rice alum Funmi Jimoh will be competing. She had a good jump in the qualifiers; hopefully she can dig in for an even better one today. Go USA and go Rice!
At last, however, the US is catching up. With 29 golds, 34 silvers, and 32 bronzes, it has 187 points. China, with 46 golds, 15 silvers, and 22 bronzes, still leads with 190 points. We'll see what the next three days hold in store for the final tally!
This morning the US demonstrated its beach dominance with a gold in men's beach volleyball to accompany yesterday's gold for the women. In indoor the women have already advanced to the finals while the men are ahead of Russia 1-0 right now in the semifinals. Hopefully we'll have some more volleyball medals soon!
Meanwhile this afternoon I will be focused on the women's long jump finals, where Rice alum Funmi Jimoh will be competing. She had a good jump in the qualifiers; hopefully she can dig in for an even better one today. Go USA and go Rice!
2008-08-21
Swiss Dairy
Last night was fantastic. The entrepreneurs behind my spring startup project, deskNet, took my group out for a celebration dinner. This was something we intended to do back in May when the project finished, but final exams, Kenya, and vacation interfered. It was nice to take a break, though, as this way they could update us on their progress. It seems that we really added some value as they are now running an operation much more focused on a specific strategy.
They picked us up at IMD and drove us about an hour up into the mountains. When it became clear that the only signs of life for miles around were evergreen trees and cattle, we came upon a dairy farm that doubled as an out-of-the-way restaurant, La Bréguette. Apparently others were in on the secret as the rows of tables inside the farm house were packed. We settled down to a delicious meal of escargots, cold meats, fondue, and incredible desserts. Cream, cheese, and chocolate were made there at the dairy so were prominently featured throughout the menu. Add a little (OK, a lot) Swiss white wine and great conversation and we found ourselves back at IMD after midnight. The crisp night air and bright stars up in the mountains were really refreshing; Switzerland is not a bad place to live. I wish the deskNET team all the best and I look forward to following their success.
Today has been a great day for USA volleyball. Misty May and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive Olympic gold in beach volleyball (their 108th consecutive match win) while the indoor women's team advanced to the gold medal match. Tomorrow it's time for the men to show that they can keep up!
They picked us up at IMD and drove us about an hour up into the mountains. When it became clear that the only signs of life for miles around were evergreen trees and cattle, we came upon a dairy farm that doubled as an out-of-the-way restaurant, La Bréguette. Apparently others were in on the secret as the rows of tables inside the farm house were packed. We settled down to a delicious meal of escargots, cold meats, fondue, and incredible desserts. Cream, cheese, and chocolate were made there at the dairy so were prominently featured throughout the menu. Add a little (OK, a lot) Swiss white wine and great conversation and we found ourselves back at IMD after midnight. The crisp night air and bright stars up in the mountains were really refreshing; Switzerland is not a bad place to live. I wish the deskNET team all the best and I look forward to following their success.
Today has been a great day for USA volleyball. Misty May and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive Olympic gold in beach volleyball (their 108th consecutive match win) while the indoor women's team advanced to the gold medal match. Tomorrow it's time for the men to show that they can keep up!
2008-08-17
Michael Phelps
As I was heading to bed last night, I couldn't decide whether or not to get up at 4:58 AM to watch Phelps go for his 8th gold of the Olympics. Having played a few hours of beach volleyball yesterday, I was pretty tired and actually fell asleep while trying to decide whether or not to get up and reset my alarm clock for 4:57 AM. I guess my decision was made for me. Oh well, I would see the results of his race on the Internet as soon as I woke up anyway.
Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up inexplicably. I glanced over at the alarm clock; it read 4:57 AM. This was clearly fate intervening so, blurry eyed, I turned on Zattoo, found a channel that was showing aquatics, and tuned in just as the 4x100MR was about to start.
I'm glad I did--what a race! Things didn't start out too well for the US and the BBC commentator remarked several times that he didn't think we were performing well enough to fend off the strong Australians in the anchor leg. In fact we had slipped to third place when Phelps dove in for the third leg. 100m later we were in first and Jason Lezak wasn't about to give it up.
8 gold medals and 7 world records in 9 days. Michael Phelps, what a machine. Sure he's genetically predisposed to swimming but it takes much more than that to accomplish what he has. Years of focused, intense practice; discipline to maintain perfect form even when exhausted; mental toughness to push harder even when there is nothing left; heart to persevere even when unthinkable success has already been achieved.
What I love most about his feat is that some of his golds came from team events. His fate rested not just in his hands but also in the hands of others who wouldn't share the media attention, glory, or financial reward. Yet they all rallied around him and dug down deep--Jason Lezak, especially--to make it happen.
I'm glad I woke up to watch; I was inspired by the drive, dedication, and teamwork of those representing the USA.
Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up inexplicably. I glanced over at the alarm clock; it read 4:57 AM. This was clearly fate intervening so, blurry eyed, I turned on Zattoo, found a channel that was showing aquatics, and tuned in just as the 4x100MR was about to start.
I'm glad I did--what a race! Things didn't start out too well for the US and the BBC commentator remarked several times that he didn't think we were performing well enough to fend off the strong Australians in the anchor leg. In fact we had slipped to third place when Phelps dove in for the third leg. 100m later we were in first and Jason Lezak wasn't about to give it up.
8 gold medals and 7 world records in 9 days. Michael Phelps, what a machine. Sure he's genetically predisposed to swimming but it takes much more than that to accomplish what he has. Years of focused, intense practice; discipline to maintain perfect form even when exhausted; mental toughness to push harder even when there is nothing left; heart to persevere even when unthinkable success has already been achieved.
What I love most about his feat is that some of his golds came from team events. His fate rested not just in his hands but also in the hands of others who wouldn't share the media attention, glory, or financial reward. Yet they all rallied around him and dug down deep--Jason Lezak, especially--to make it happen.
I'm glad I woke up to watch; I was inspired by the drive, dedication, and teamwork of those representing the USA.
2008-08-16
CSR
We wrapped up this week with another case on Corporate Social Responsibility. Once again there was a great deal of debate. Was the company genuine about providing environmental benefit? Or was it just looking to improve its image and, hence, its returns? If the latter, did it matter so long as the environmental benefit was realized? What is the purpose of a business? Should it try to satisfy all the stakeholders? Or should it focus on profits (a focus for which it is very efficient) and rely on its government to regulate it? Or should its consumers, suppliers, and employees "market regulate" it by not buying from, selling to, or working for it unless it acts in "good" interest?
These are tough questions and I don't have an "optimal" answer worked out in my head yet. I continue to wrestle with the question of what is the best model. I love the double- and triple-bottom-line ideas but even they are problematic: how do you measure social and environmental benefit when weighing against easily measurable financial benefit? My inclination is to regard with skepticism unsustainable businesses that just kick off some money to CSR. Businesses that grow out of inherently sustainable ideas, however, are something else. When sustainability goes along with profitability instead of detracting from it, then we've got something that really works. But can every business be independently sustainable? If not, how can we ensure that those that aren't sustainable are balanced by "surpluses" from those that are?
These questions have some impact on my job search as well. I sent in my first two applications yesterday to GE Energy. Their renewables segment is growing by leaps and bounds and I'm interested to learn more about it. Furthermore, such a large, global corporation could be an excellent platform on which to work toward my goal of helping to change the world. Or it could be bureaucratic, inefficient, and stymying at every turn. We'll see!
While working on industry/company research and cover letters I have been making my way through my music collection in alphabetical order by artist. AC/DC, Air Supply, Alice in Chains, and Anne Murray were last week. I just finished B.B. King yesterday and am now listening to all of the Beatles' albums in chronological order. Such good music! And the weather is gorgeous today so I'll have to take a break from career strategy for some beach volley later on.
Oh and one more thing: Michael Phelps is a hoss. I'm waking up at 4 AM tomorrow to watch him [hopefully] go 8/8 in Olympic golds. What an inspiration.
These are tough questions and I don't have an "optimal" answer worked out in my head yet. I continue to wrestle with the question of what is the best model. I love the double- and triple-bottom-line ideas but even they are problematic: how do you measure social and environmental benefit when weighing against easily measurable financial benefit? My inclination is to regard with skepticism unsustainable businesses that just kick off some money to CSR. Businesses that grow out of inherently sustainable ideas, however, are something else. When sustainability goes along with profitability instead of detracting from it, then we've got something that really works. But can every business be independently sustainable? If not, how can we ensure that those that aren't sustainable are balanced by "surpluses" from those that are?
These questions have some impact on my job search as well. I sent in my first two applications yesterday to GE Energy. Their renewables segment is growing by leaps and bounds and I'm interested to learn more about it. Furthermore, such a large, global corporation could be an excellent platform on which to work toward my goal of helping to change the world. Or it could be bureaucratic, inefficient, and stymying at every turn. We'll see!
While working on industry/company research and cover letters I have been making my way through my music collection in alphabetical order by artist. AC/DC, Air Supply, Alice in Chains, and Anne Murray were last week. I just finished B.B. King yesterday and am now listening to all of the Beatles' albums in chronological order. Such good music! And the weather is gorgeous today so I'll have to take a break from career strategy for some beach volley later on.
Oh and one more thing: Michael Phelps is a hoss. I'm waking up at 4 AM tomorrow to watch him [hopefully] go 8/8 in Olympic golds. What an inspiration.
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