Viva La Vida

Sometimes it's hard to give in to the masses, but then you hear a few songs off Coldplay's massively successful album on the radio and they somehow find a home inside your head and then you realize that everyone else has been living by the same tune too.
Britney Spears' performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 VMA's failed so miserably because she just lacked the confidence and enthusiasm that gave her such fame in the first place. It was like everyone in the room, including Britney, was thinking "Turn this crap off" and "You poor thing, having to lipsink to 'It's Britney bitch' every show." You have to feel bad in situations like that.
On the other hand, Coldplay gave free concerts in London, Madison Square Garden, and Barcelona, according to Wikipedia. That kind of marketing has such a positive message on how your audience views you. Sure, they can afford to pull off sold out free shows in such prestigious locations, but can you think of establishing yourself as an artist in time. Can people come to your shows and see that you are there to stay and that you deserve what you are paid for? Coldplay's fame also comes from their lack of media coverage. In comparison to the Britney Spears papparazzi, Coldplay receives hardly any mainstream coverage in the US as if it were an asset to their name.
Listen to Lost, Strawberry Swing, Lovers in Japan, Reign of Love - these are some good tracks that you just have to let yourself enjoy. I never like to go mainstream because the mainstream usually reflects on the worst in music. Brian Eno, who is one of the producers of the new Coldplay album, thought that songs, in general, were childish forms of art, even though he gave in to producing the songs that were in his head. In the end, work is what progresses the art. Coldplay put a lot of work into every detail of this album and established a trustworthy name for themselves, but it is the transparency of their act that gives them their credibility. People see that they are a real band because they know how to tell the world that they are a real band. We're all people with the same basic needs and emotions, but let your name speak for the show you put on. I guess that's the only game to play. Let your image be a reflection of your life and your lifestyle, what you stand up for, where you are going, what you want, and how badly you want it, because eventually, people will start to see that in you and invest in you too.

McCain Obama

To put a few brief notes on the table, i want to say that this presidential election is a celebration of what it means to be American. Us Americans have the privilege to choose, to fight, to criticize, and to stand up for freedom during this year's election and on any other day of the year for that matter. On the 2004 election day, only 64% of Americans showed up at the polls. 64%. And how close was that election again? Especially in Ohio. Oh yeah, Ohio had a 52 minute wait to vote and 3% of voters turned around and left that day because honestly, who has the time for that? I don't even want to get into the issue of voting machine allocation where a discriminatory agenda was supposedly set. I'm getting to the point that when American's actually cast their ballot, feelings of patriotic energy fill the air and the months and months of campaign attacks from one party against the other are all put behind them with one good handshake. It's mostly on TV, where a whole culture develops and feeds into towns and cities across the nation. It is unlike any other time that our day-to-day language is constructed by the careful words of candidates. Personally, I think that candidates act as just another celebrity in our whole catalog of people in People magazine. People magazine is like the dirty little Bible. Not all of us are exposed to the issues, sadly, but all of us know that Clay Aitken is gay. Oh joy. This kind of drama is all the American people can handle at one time, yet somehow it infiltrates all of us, even us educated folk. So as we pick celebrity after celebrity and pick apart their lives, we form our own perfect utopia in all of our heads. We tell ourselves, this is who we want to be living in our own little island of a society. They reflect everything that we want them to reflect, however flawed they may be. And this election especially, or is it just me, I feel that these two candidates are telling us complete bullshit, hiding just about everything there is to know about their party's agendas. The rumors are true, life is a continuation of high school and I'm pretty sure Sarah Palin proves that. It doesn't really matter if you are pro choice or anti war or hardcore American fan, godbless. All that matters is that you go to the polls and choose. Choose what celebrity you want running this place for the next 4 years. Dick Cheney says that we should choose the right friends and I can't agree more. Choose friends who challenge what they are given because trust, as I know it, is nonexistant among the people who run this country. I guess that's what I'm basing this election on. Who I can trust more? I trust myself and my friends and I believe that that's all you need. If you want to run for president, do something great and earn your trust. I haven't heard anything from these candidates that establishes a real connection to their job. We just signed a $700 billion check because of mistakes made by lots of wealthy, educated people. Who's going to step up and reestablish the trust? The Nobel Prize for economics will be announced October 13.

Homework

The solution is to get small business owners intrigued into our product and show them the benefits of learning computers. When people see for themselves what kind of advantages a computer can provide, we can rely on their motivation for learning, teach them how to use the technology, and thus, help them with their own lives. In doing so, business owners will feel a great sense of satisfaction and will be more inclined to help us in the future. While some business owners are well established in their daily routines, the opportunity to learn something new may spark some enthusiasm. As soon as you teach someone something that is of value to their daily lives, an instant relationship is being created and you are therefore establishing yourself as a friend and a mentor. I believe the youth holds a valuable entity of evolutionary insight and, while adults have stories that reflect wisdom, the youth projects a whole universe of creativity and new perspective. This spark of interest must be created to allow the exchange of valuable ideas and a true sense of learning in the world.

So, quite simple, the solution is to present oneself in the most practical manner in which to spark interest, earn trust, and establish a connection between the student and the business owner. Entrepreneurship holds credential to all who are involved in business. The science behind the initial interaction between two human beings can result in enormous benefits over an extended period of time. After all, success in Hollywood is fought through connections and dedication. If you have the desire to learn, you might as well have the desire to teach.

Teaching is one of my personal favorite things to do. While I try to reflect on my own style of teaching, I find it easy to continue in its practice. And to draw the audience closer, I will not really unveil any real statements that may in fact be uncertain to the listener, but I will keep them asking questions. I learned that if you listen, you will eventually be asked questions in all the right circumstances.

Specifically, I will market to my audience in a visual and clear manner. The solution is to be real and not fake. To tell them what you mean, instead of hoping for an outcome. If your message is positive, you will receive positive feedback. I don’t think the right approach would be to give them an assignment and give them material to read. Personal attention is one the most valuable assets in society.

The answer to all of these questions is to provide a human connection. Once established, the opportunities are virtually endless. I will only help solve the problem and benefit both the business owner and my own establishment.

Barclay's To Buy Lehman

So let me get this straight. The fourth largest investment bank goes bankrupt on Monday and there's $2.5 billion in bonuses to be paid out? That's another pat on the back at the Lehman's 2008 Christmas party. Or is it Barclay's party, with eight New York directors of Lehman getting 2-year $10 to $25 million contracts. Here's a picture of Lehman employees carrying out their stuff from their London office, courtesy of the Daily Mail.

Barclay's will also pay out the bonuses to 10,000 former employees in New York, after they finish acquiring all of Lehman's North American division. I would be a pissed off British Lehman Bro to hear that kind of news. I'd dump tea in our ports.

I've had my eye on BNP Paribas the past week, after hearing they had set up a crisis management team, bringing in some financial guys from France, including Cyril Meilland, the previous sell-side analyst for French and Benelux banks at Lehman Brothers in London. BNP Paribas is already owed $250 from Lehman and is tightening their financial management as recommended.

Both BNP Paribas and Barclay's were also eyeing $500 million [which] makes its Indian investment banking and brokerage business "a sort of a jewel".

A sort of jewel that is has the attention of Standard Chartered Plc, Barclay's, and Nomura, according to Bloomberg.com.

Here's a picture of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Crazy week, stay tuned.

Scott Coulter

I don't know the name of this painting, but it was done by Scott Coulter, whom I found this weekend at the Rittenhouse Square Art Festival in Philadelphia. It was my first perfect Saturday afternoon in Phili and I came wearing my David Ortiz t-shirt to let everyone know where I'm from, which is weird because I have t-shirts done by Pixipeople right in my non-existant bureau. This was totally out of the blue though, when I found myself wondering through this art festival surrounding the city park. This picture was definitely my favorite as it was also one of the largest paintings glowing off the street. 'Awesome' was my first reaction. With close to 300 artists at this event, I went straight to Scott and asked for his card.

Check out this one.

CampusLive

BusinessWeek released their top 25 entrepreneurs of 2008 list.

Not an easy claim to fame as most start-up companies rarely see past their second year without falling into bankruptcy.

This company prides itself as "the Ultimate Homepage for College Students," giving students, teachers, and the community a user-friendly resource for what's happening on campus and in the neighborhood.

Recent improvements include a local businesses listing, which I find very useful if you need to, let's say...get the girlfriend some flowers and...where's that flower shop again? Oh yes, it's on my homepage. The idea of synchronizing a web page with the local area that surrounds you has not been fully utilized to the extent that CampusLIVE has reached out to students of Amherst.

So, while the school year was drawing near, and I had no actual business-related experience under my belt, I applied to about 10 internships that would help me start my career. After a couple interviews with some financial services companies, I found myself in the office of CampusLIVE, talking to these young, self motivated entrepreneurs. And thus begins my business career.

So let's think big. Opportunities are a way to jump aboard a team to really see something big and genuine. There does not have to be corporate bureaucratic crap that holds you down and controls you 1984 style. The world is all for ideas, and resources have never become easier to access. It's interesting that schools force hours of reading and studying upon its students when we truly, as individuals, have all of the tools available to us, for free (American citizenship required). Once you learn how to manage your own assets, then you can watch assets grow and make way for some compound interest.

Businessweek is letting the public do the rankings. Vote for CampusLive now.

World Economy

Stepping out of the box and diagnosing the global financial situation. Ah, nothing like fresh coffee in the morning.

John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF spoke of the world economy and the financial crisis. Read more.

It appears that people across the world are being affected by the financial distress of the United States. Emerging economies in Southeast Asis including "the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan PoC, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, and-to a lesser extent, India," have all fallen due to weak demand from global markets, especially in the manufacturing sector. Combined with a huge increase in headline inflation, this comes at an interesting time when so many emerging nations are trying to increase exports and GDP, capture foreign security through global investors, and lower their cost of living.

Freedom and the Internet

This is my Senior year of college and while I start focusing on the horizon ahead, I look myself in the mirror and ask myself, "Where do I want to go?" I am at the fulcrum point in life where I get to choose basically everything that enters my mind. Freedom is a scary thing.

So here goes.

The Internet. A friend told me to buy a personal web domain name while they're cheap. Another friend told me to get GMail. I went into a Dick's Sporting Goods to apply for a job and they told me to go home (and apply on-line).

Like many of you out there, I turned away from the internet and thought that with the dot-com bubble, where 17 dot-com companies paid over 2 million dollars for Super Bowl XXXIV TV spots, the market was jam packed with venture capitalists and hardcore tech nerds who spend half of their day on the computer (with all due respect). Why waste my day learning C++ programming when I can be playing four square all day?

But the dot-com world prevailed and as I type into my laptop, like millions of others, I realize that this shit aint goin away! I guess the nerds are laughing now that computer software engineers are one of the hottest jobs in the world. And while they didn't stress this in grade school, globalization is not just a technological phenomenon but a new way to do business.

As this blog progresses, I will talk my insight on as many random topics as I can think of. Enjoy!