tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51838742682775623752024-03-13T09:33:13.783-07:00Greatness On the RiseHere is a semi-unfiltered look into my thoughts and inner ramblings that go on day to day. This is what inspires me, drives me, and frustrates me. This is my life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-61560681231508929312018-05-09T06:37:00.001-07:002018-05-09T06:37:26.788-07:00Google AI Making Realistic Phone Calls!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-52399607814314690762018-05-01T16:33:00.001-07:002018-05-01T16:34:32.027-07:00She's Cut Paper with Tiny Blades Every Day for Two Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-62851787201140771292017-05-29T13:53:00.001-07:002017-05-29T13:53:51.729-07:00Lake Chad Limnology Center by HKA Architects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlp3910ojTXoys7wY37horeY_hzy44QYZx_5xARz8IIWQsw3hIhPuz6qxa7jFrGOBBY7ncMJyaKjPfi2MmcS3ReTK2cMFaiN-E-sN4aReCoHwnjcu1CoIQyGI3K5syQH59asHQYFpojbYK/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="889" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlp3910ojTXoys7wY37horeY_hzy44QYZx_5xARz8IIWQsw3hIhPuz6qxa7jFrGOBBY7ncMJyaKjPfi2MmcS3ReTK2cMFaiN-E-sN4aReCoHwnjcu1CoIQyGI3K5syQH59asHQYFpojbYK/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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HKA Architects has released plans which feature combining elements of environmental design, sustainable design, and brilliant architecture to produce a solar powered research center that will be tasked with reversing the drying up of Lake Chad. This amazing design doesn't just relate to the environment through employing sustainable methods of energy generation, but also plans to desalinate Atlantic Ocean water and deliver it to the lake in order to begin the process of halting the drying up of the lake in real time. The idea of enacting immediate action on the task at hand while also pioneering research to solve the problem in a more concrete method is truly inspiring and progressive, to say the least. Read more about the planned project <a href="http://inhabitat.com/architect-designs-solar-powered-research-center-to-save-dying-lake-chad/">here</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-37763984283021391272017-05-21T17:16:00.000-07:002017-05-21T17:19:08.530-07:00Being An Artist in Trying Times<div style="text-align: center;">
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(via Brain Pickings)</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-73598195946552504262017-05-11T17:13:00.003-07:002017-05-11T17:13:51.740-07:00100 Resilient Cities: Global Migration Report<div style="text-align: justify;">
100 Resilient Cities is an organization focused on helping critical cities around the world build social, economic, and political resiliency as the 21st century pushes the human race towards increased urban residence. Cities will be ground zero for the technological advances, social movements, and political activism that will be witnessed in the coming decades; as more and more people move closer and closer together to be near their work and other opportunities cities have to offer. However, the impending problems—that will be caused due to the current level of infrastructure, sanitary systems, and social organization being inadequate to support the projected influx of people—could be detrimental to cities and cause civil unrest in the fast approaching future. It is critical that steps are taken now to ensure that this hard trend of movement from the countryside to urban centers is met with proper urban planning and adequate preparedness. </div>
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"Today, over 60 million people worldwide are fleeing their homes; an additional 20 million people are being displaced by extreme weather events, and tens of millions more are migrating to find opportunity. While reasons for moving vary, most migrants settle in urban areas, creating different challenges for their new homes." </div>
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"Mass migration is rapidly changing our world, and our cities need to embrace integration to successfully address these new challenges and seize the opportunities they bring for building urban resilience."</div>
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You can learn more about the work 100 Resilient Cities does or read their <a href="https://medium.com/resilient-cities-at-the-forefront">full recent report on Global Migration here</a>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-81697369123799148512017-05-10T01:01:00.003-07:002017-05-10T01:01:53.541-07:00Self-Healing Concrete<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These scientists have developed a method that makes self-healing concrete by mixing limestone generating bacteria into the initial concrete mixture. This bacteria has a lifespan of nearly 200 years and can fix cracks in as short as 3 weeks. Along with that they've developed a spray version of the solution to utilize on older buildings. Truly amazing!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-62023749727872745892017-05-04T21:02:00.002-07:002017-05-04T21:04:17.598-07:00Maya Angelou on the Freedom of Information<div style="text-align: justify;">
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"Information belongs to everybody all the time. It should be available. It should be accessible to the child, to the woman, to the man, to the old person, to the semiliterate, to the presidents of universities, to everyone. It should be open."</blockquote>
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"Information helps you to see that you’re not alone. That there’s somebody in Mississippi and somebody in Tokyo who all have wept, who’ve all longed and lost, who’ve all been happy. So the library helps you to see, not only that you are not alone, but that you’re not really any different from everyone else. There may be details that are different, but a human being is a human being."</blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-31586043664536936852017-03-13T10:07:00.000-07:002017-03-13T10:08:41.993-07:004D Printing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: right;">Exciting use cases...this will be revolutionary to design in a few years.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-21057349455147424422017-03-07T13:35:00.002-08:002017-03-07T13:35:35.876-08:00Via the 2017 Pritzker Award Jury<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
"In this day and age, there is an important question that people all over the world are asking, and it is not just about architecture; it is about law, politics, and government as well. We live in a globalized world where we must rely on international influences, trade, discussion, transactions, etc. But more and more people fear that, because of this international influence, we will lose our local values, our local art, and our local customs. They are concerned and sometimes frightened. Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta tell us that it may be possible to have both. They help us to see, in a most beautiful and poetic way, that the answer to the question is not ‘either/or’ and that we can, at least in architecture, aspire to have both; our roots firmly in place and our arms outstretched to the rest of the world. And that is such a wonderfully reassuring answer, particularly if it applies in other areas of modern human life as well."</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-52050526028737167512017-02-23T03:53:00.000-08:002017-02-23T03:53:34.543-08:00Francis Kere - Serpentine Pavillion<div style="text-align: center;">
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Being both an African and an aspiring architect people such as David Adjaye, Kunle Adeyemi, and the man featured here Francis Kere have always served as inspirations and also idols that I've looked up to. Seeing Kere being chosen for such an amazing honor which designing a pavilion for the Serpentine Pavillion is, is truly captivating.</div>
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Coming off a year that saw David Adjaye and associates unveil not only the African American museum in D.C. but also begin work on a newly revitalized shipyard in San Francisco, it's an exciting time to be an African architecture student.</div>
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In typical fashion, Kere not only mimics and nods to nature but actually incorporates it in his design as well. His tree inspired design features a rainwater collector waterfall which reminded me of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THJVuinPbc0">cool water collector design</a> by Italian architect Arturo Vittori I saw late last year on Dezeen's YouTube channel. The architecture features an open courtyard and the ceiling lets in natural light through slits in the wooden roofing. All in all, another great work from my idol Kere...I'd expect nothing less.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-5892549238812143772017-02-22T22:09:00.003-08:002017-02-22T22:09:55.333-08:00Virgil Abloah: Columbia Spring 2017 GSAPP Lecture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As usual Virgil Abloh drops some gems as he goes through an imaginative, though somewhat unorganized, lecture for the Columbia GSAPP. Anyone who appreciates fashion, architecture, or engineering and doesn't know who Virgil Abloh is is doing themselves a disservice! Ranging from buildings he's designed, working with Kanye, shoe game, the recent FW17 Off White fashion show, and his ideas on art, culture, and design, Abloh brings us along on a tour de force on art and culture that is both exhilarating and enthralling.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-45238539280187302492017-02-22T22:03:00.000-08:002017-02-22T22:03:05.331-08:00Hayao Miyazaki: The GOAT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Amazing Video by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp_WkH_2al5LW9KkFBGG4EA">JD Thomas</a> on How Miyazaki & Imagination</b></div>
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This January I went on a bit of a Studio Ghibli binge. (If you don't know about Studio Ghibli, first of all I'm sorry...but <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/top-10-studio-ghibli-films/">here's</a> a good place to start. You won't be disappointed!) After watching a ton of his old films, I realized I didn't know much about Miyazaki the guy behind so much of Studio Ghibli's success who is also its founder and primary animator. After researching him and watching <i>The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness </i>on Netflix, which is a short documentary on his filmmaking process, I realized that the man behind the productions was just as interesting as the art he creates as well. The above YouTube video by JD Thomas talks about Miyazaki's unique approach to creating and how he isn't bounded by the rules and laws that govern our actual world. He is able to create beauty by creating worlds not constrained to the same rules ours are and it is wonderful.</div>
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<b>Another Jewel by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5kBJmBUVFLYBDiSiK1VDw">Channel Criswell</a> This Time on Miyazaki's Views of Humanity</b><br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/52raDbtNpa4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/52raDbtNpa4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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One thing I love about Miyazaki is his love of humanity, his commitment to feminism, passion for flight, and how he manages to marry all this together in his movies to create beautiful works of art. Criswell in this video was able to put my feeling into words and any Miyazaki fan or humanist in general will appreciate Criswell's words.</div>
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<b>Miyazaki on AI</b></div>
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This was the last video I watched after my long Miyazaki binge and I think that the bluntness as well as the views Miyazaki expressing in the short two and a half short minute clip shows best how he views the modern world. <i>In The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness </i>he stated that he was a 20th century man and not a man of the 21st century. While that may be true, I truly believe their are things to be learned from those who grew up in times long past, and while progress is inevitable, we should move forward intentionally and not without aim, purpose, or most importantly humanity.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-82759672809221782342017-02-22T21:37:00.001-08:002017-02-22T21:41:54.413-08:00Wooden Skyscrapers in Our Future?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Construction Specifier talking about the process and current planning going into the development of a predominantly wooden skyscraper going up in Seattle. Needless to say this is super interesting. All photos are via the original article and I do not claim ownership, just trying to promote amazing engineering.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDicc-vVlZqbzfhWDyd32k9CTyK-8xqUPtpnXcF9xB6pJ17wAfPgRLAEgGpg4W-T-JWsFV8xJeacIH-uGYDwsIYKGtd7FFY6apI7DAyI6xGB0iJpqSoDMaOPYuEhYS3RS1f2cZSTgDkxrZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-23+at+12.40.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDicc-vVlZqbzfhWDyd32k9CTyK-8xqUPtpnXcF9xB6pJ17wAfPgRLAEgGpg4W-T-JWsFV8xJeacIH-uGYDwsIYKGtd7FFY6apI7DAyI6xGB0iJpqSoDMaOPYuEhYS3RS1f2cZSTgDkxrZ/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-02-23+at+12.40.49+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-63929720103503700842016-12-20T01:51:00.000-08:002016-12-20T01:51:40.355-08:00Google Project Soli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Can radar technology perform better or replace camera technology as far as human UI interaction? This looks very exciting. Kudos to the guys over at Google ATAP.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-62662368106147310792016-12-15T06:05:00.002-08:002016-12-15T06:05:51.659-08:00Shenzen Documentary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Interesting documentary on the city of Shenzen, it's role as the "Silicon Valley" of hardware, and the novel markets that evolved in the city due to the proximity of high-tech skilled individuals and cheap electronics.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-88827118458933480642016-11-25T00:16:00.002-08:002016-11-25T00:17:06.603-08:00Procrastination Via Documentaries...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Watched all these in late October while procrastinating writing papers... Foster harps on simplicity while Zumthor has an interesting take on silence and how his environment influences his design. Alejandro Aravena though is my personal favorite of the bunch focusing his Ted Talk on the very participatory design principle that won him his Pritzker and launched his firm Elemental Architecture to prominence.</div>
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<b><u>Alejandro Aravena</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Norman Foster</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Peter Zumthor</u></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-89788774455113425492016-11-25T00:11:00.000-08:002016-11-25T00:11:07.476-08:00La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre</h4>
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Credit where its due, this photo came from my Fotopedia app and it was taken by the photographer Andres Garcia. I really like how La Basilique du Sacré Cœur (The Basilica of the Sacred Heart) rises above the buildings surrounding it, really emphasizing its significance.</div>
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<a href="http://www.destination360.com/europe/france/images/s/basilique-du-sacre-coeur-de-montmartre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://wallpapershdpicture.com/wallpaper/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20/5796/La_Basilique_de_Sacre_Coeur_de_Montmartre_1920x1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://wallpapershdpicture.com/wallpaper/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20/5796/La_Basilique_de_Sacre_Coeur_de_Montmartre_1920x1200.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a><img border="0" src="http://www.destination360.com/europe/france/images/s/basilique-du-sacre-coeur-de-montmartre.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></div>
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The Basilica is definitely an architectural masterpiece, and one of my favorite buildings in Paris. I look forward to seeing this in person when I finally visit France.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">(Original post c. 2014...Unfortunately didn't get to visit during my trip to Paris summer 2015.)</span></div>
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C.K. Ukaga</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-37184328836169341702016-11-25T00:02:00.000-08:002016-11-25T00:22:05.585-08:00National Geographic: MARS!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Best thing on TV right now! The blending of reality and fiction is so freaking exciting. We are literally so close to this being an actuality I can't wait. On another note I spent Tuesday looking up future <a href="http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/space_hotels_civil_engineerings_new_frontier.shtml">civil engineering space jobs</a>.</div>
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<b><u>Before Mars: Prequel</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Episode 1: Recap</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Episode 2: Recap</u></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-76372119734156033182016-11-24T23:53:00.004-08:002016-11-24T23:55:17.083-08:00Gifted<br />
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Long sat on book idea...</h4>
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A sophomore in high school shocks his opponent during the state high school basketball final game. This leads to a series of events opening him up to a new amazing world he is a part of. However just as he begins to feel accepted he realizes that there is more to this world than meets the eye. As tensions rise, and problems present themselves, Kevin finds himself, still a fledgling, at the center of it all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-29056034417145908122016-11-24T23:43:00.001-08:002016-11-24T23:47:30.167-08:00Goal #1 for 2017...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYe8Pwk4i02acoRqeTCVlN0NHmwMDEXMjCicXylQKXEmYMUwybmp_4wbdVIQa-X5K1PusWML50Qdfw_Dq9p7Ee05kFqnEWwr44qNTrC61nv0DWA9OT2ZTg-UKTrCZMSrZwyCeD3smH0pHl/s1600/IMG_6288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYe8Pwk4i02acoRqeTCVlN0NHmwMDEXMjCicXylQKXEmYMUwybmp_4wbdVIQa-X5K1PusWML50Qdfw_Dq9p7Ee05kFqnEWwr44qNTrC61nv0DWA9OT2ZTg-UKTrCZMSrZwyCeD3smH0pHl/s320/IMG_6288.JPG" width="240" /></a>Craft a new sound combining Tropical House, Afro House, Hip Hop, Afrobeat, Afropop, and Igbo Highlife.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-51546944888289715782016-11-24T23:35:00.001-08:002016-11-25T00:04:26.126-08:00"Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Zulu Empire" (5/23/2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I knew this would be an amazing documentary after the 1:30 intro gave me goosebumps! A great documentary presented by Dr. Gus Casely Hayford which was very informative, insightful, and inspiring. I will definitely finish the rest of the "Lost Kingdoms of Africa" series and pick out some of the key positive details to put towards my "African Apotheosis" work.<br />
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Highlights from the movie for me had to be the the description of the "horn of the bull" military tactic the Zulu's used to win many of their battles, and the account on the life of Shaka—the man behind the formation of the great Zulu empire.<br />
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Again great documentary, and a compelling watch if you have the time.<br />
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C.K. Ukaga<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-54684662952610709102016-04-12T02:59:00.001-07:002016-04-12T02:59:31.121-07:00Why I Knew I Would Be A Founder Someday<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0.2pt 0.0001pt 0cm; text-align: justify;">
I
owe my desire and will to be my own boss to my parents. Some of my earliest
memories are of sitting on my living room floor in Duluth, Minnesota for hours
on end, surrounded by piles of Legos at my feet. I would have an idea about
something to build: a car, or a boat, or a house, and I would construct a model,
then refine it, then refine it even further, until I built something I was truly
proud of, at which point I would start again from scratch. The idea that I
could create whatever I dreamed of with just the right amount of trying
enthralled me and I remember passing days simply lost in my own world of
creative discovery, tinkering away with my Legos.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was in this environment that
I distinctly remember a conversation I had with my dad. I couldn’t have been
more than four years old, and again like the previous few days, I had spent
hours alone, not talking, tinkering away with my Legos. My father had come in
from the kitchen, smiled and me and remarked, “Who knows, maybe someday you can
build real houses as a civil engineer!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The idea had never even crossed
my mind of being able to build houses for a living! But who could have blamed
me…I wasn’t even in Kindergarten yet. Nonetheless, the seed he planted in my
young mind that day stayed with me all throughout elementary school and up
until middle school when I decided I didn’t just want to build the houses but
design them as well. From 6<sup>th</sup> grade on anyone who asked me was sure
to get the answer that when I grew up, I wanted to be a Civil Engineering and
an Architect.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But that, however, was not where
the true entrepreneurial spirit was kindled in me. Instead, when I was in 3<sup>rd</sup>
grade, knowing at this point that I had aspirations to be a “civil engineer and
build houses”, my father had told me, “When you finish college and start
building houses, I’ll help you set up your own company so you can be your own boss.”
Having spent his late high school and early college years in Nigeria doing
contracting work, my father had already worked in the design & build
industry and was willing to help me get started. But what may have been an
honest remark on his behalf to a young me to look forward to help after I
graduated, instead instilled an idea in my head that would impact the
trajectory of my entire life from that point on. I decided then and there, at a
very young age, that no matter what it took or whatever I did, when I finished
college, I would be my own boss. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Growing up I began to flex my entrepreneurial
muscles early on, however I could. In elementary school it was packing extra
bags of animal crackers for snack which I would sell for $3 apiece to friends
who forget their own snacks during snack time. After my mom caught wind of my
side project and stopped that venture, I quickly started a new business:
trading cards. In the heyday of Yugioh! and Pokémon, I devised a new trading
card game with my siblings and friends at school. Naturally, I managed the
creation and integrity of the game…meaning the best cards could only be made
(and sold) by myself. Despite the tenacity with which I advanced this new project,
this scheme also saw a premature death as my teacher stopped the unregulated,
unruly, black market my friends and I started that began distracting all the
boys in our class. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Later on in my elementary career
I helped out in more “established” methods by working and helping manage the
school store, but as soon as I reached middle school, I was back to my anti-administration
vending ways.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Throughout high school, the
focus shifted to sports and academics as my plan for the future was set. Go to
school for architecture and engineering. The day I’m licensed, start my own
firm and never work for anyone else again. However, I did not see the luxury of
that reality as I worked at a pizza shop and prepared myself to go to college only
to acquire tremendous amounts of student loan debt. To me, the idea of being my
own boss was slipping away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Luckily two amazing things
happened to me in 2013 that would rekindle and make my childhood dream a
reality. First of all, I decided to attend the University of Pittsburgh on a
full-tuition scholarship, meaning I would only have to worry about housing and
food costs, severely cutting the amount of student loan debt I would procure.
Second came during winter break 2013. As my high school track friends and I sat
in the basement of my parents’ home in Woodbury, Minnesota. That night we had
begun talking about how we all planned to end up paying off our college loan
debt in the future. This conversation quickly turned to how we could make money…and
make it fast…and make it now. However, after thinking for a little longer and a
little more logically, we came to the conclusion that we wanted to develop
something that would help people. Those we knew and those we might never meet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This was the conversation that
birthed GLIMPSE and sitting here, two and a half years later, it is funny to
see how the seeds my father planted all those years ago have slowly come to
fruition in this venture with my team. 2014 saw us struggle, and fall, and
succeed, then fall again, all the while learning entrepreneurship through trial
and error. 2015 was a little better. We finally developed a basic application,
but also witnessed the struggles of delivering on time to partners we work with
and the expectations that come from taking investments from others outside the
founding team. We were able to film for The Startup Hour, attend the Forbes
Under 30 Summit, as well as participate in the Blast Furnace Accelerator at
Pitt and the Lorentz Hatchery Program in Des Moines. We raised amounts of
capital we didn’t dream about a year prior…but we were still not where we
wanted to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now in 2016, as we look to
loftier goals, though they may seem daunting and intimidating at times, I only
need to look at the past to have reassurance that I have the right team and
work ethic to continue to succeed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0.2pt 0.0001pt 0cm; text-align: justify;">
The idea that I could create
whatever I dreamed of with just the right amount of trying enthralled me as I
passed endless days toying with Legos as a toddler. Now, I know with the same
creativity and determination, GLIMPSE will be a reality by the end of 2016.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-88358886477940911652014-12-06T04:55:00.002-08:002014-12-06T05:00:03.065-08:00December 23rd, 2013<div style="background-color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 1em; position: relative;">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Dear Gentlemen,</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">I hope that you are all doing well today, and this letter finds you all in good health. I believe that this break has </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">really allowed us to get a good rest after the tremendous amount of effort we put towards our first semester of </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">college, but I also believe that by the end of this break my life will have changed forever. I still remember the </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">quote from Turner's driver on November 21st "Don't act like successful person, be a successful </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">person." That stuck with me for 2 reasons. The first was it helped me reevaluate what I was doing in life. Yeah </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">we sent out drivers and hustled in school, but we were all talking big but doing not much. I understood that if I </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">wanted to be successful I had to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. Second it drove me. I decided on that </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">day that I would...no I decided on that day that I MUST become something, not later, not when I graduated, </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">but NOW. That is why this break has truly been a blessing for me. I have not had a single night with 8 hours of </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">sleep since the day Jonathan, Chris, Ethan, and I talked at Ethan's house. I am not saying that to brag, I am </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">saying that because you guys need to know that you have lit a spark or started something in me that is not </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">stoppable. I no longer can quench the thirst I have for knowledge, satisfy my hunger to succeed, I will not stop </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">till I make it. I have set up my undergraduate course of study and attached if tor you guys to see. I have </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">reedited my goals for the next year and attached that as well. I revised the prologue and a couple sections of </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">my book (I attached the prologue and half of a chapter), and I will continue to strive for success. You see, we </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">can say a lot of great words and motivate each other till Kingdom Come, but I decided that I have had enough </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">of planning and waiting. 2013 was a good year, but 2014 will be great. By the end of 2014 I want to have </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">accomplished greatness, no excuses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Inspiration: </b>Today I was reading about the growing phenomenon of the bitcoin. I recalled Chris talking to me </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">about this earlier during break, and after reading an article on it I did extensive research into this new crypto-</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">currency. I still have not fully grasped the entire concept of this enterprise, however what I have learned is </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">simply astonishing. Basically, Satoshi Nakamoto, a name used to veil the true identity of the person(s), </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">developed software for an online currency. This currency started out nearly valueless, but has grown to nearly </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">worth $1,500 per bitcoin. This currency is no longer controlled by Nakamoto who open-sourced the entire </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">project to the public. Essentially this means that bitcoin is a currency owned by the people for the people. </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Currency is generated by solving complex math problems which increase in difficulty as the volume of bitcoins </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">in circulation increases. Confusing...I know, but what is inspiring is that one anonymous individual or group of </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">individuals developed a self sustaining self regulating online currency that could one day replace the </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">governmental currency we use today. Nakamoto simply had a vision that was executed and could have world </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">wide implications. Though I do not fully grasp the entire concept behind this new technology I have no doubt </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">that I will continue to do further research it. I believe that bitcoin is not just a fad, and that those who invest or </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">look into it now will see prosperity in the future. Gentlemen, look at this as inspiration for positive change in the </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">world. We may never know the true identity of Nakamoto, but no one can deny that he/she/they may have </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">greatly changed the course of history forever. Let us strive to make positive earth shaking advancements in our </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">respective fields, not for our own personally glory, but for the advancement of society as a whole and for the </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">prosperity of future humans.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Also, I want to add that I have been really inspired by two events since my last driver. The first would be the </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Woodbury High School League Chapter. Throughout our disagreement on how to handle them, Ethan and I </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">fought over two ideas. The first point was that we did not have precedence when setting up our league chapter, </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">and because of that fact, we were not obligated to ensure the success of the current high school chapter...if </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">they were not driven they were not League level. The second conflicting point was that even though we did not </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">have precedence in setting up a league chapter, we did have mentors and upperclassmen who mentored us as </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">we grew. So even if we did not mentor our league chapter as "League Overseers" we still had a duty as friends </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">to look out for them. However, the "Little League" has shown in the past month that they have a desire and </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">independent streak of their own. They managed to band together, despite our passive leadership, and collect </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">200 lbs. of clothes to donate as part of their clothing drive. I just want you guys to remember that is what we are </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">working for. Those guys look up to us, they want to be like us. They admire us. So when school is hitting you </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">left and right and you don't think you can take it anymore, stop crying for yourself and study for those who are </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">relying on you. Work hard for those who are not given your opportunities in life. Strive because you cannot bear </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">to fail and let your fans down. At this point in our lives we have to realize that it is more than about us now. </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Forget making your family proud, if you are League level you owe personal ambition to the world...you swore </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">on that. You owe your best to the world...you swore on that. You must make sure you give everything you've </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">got and then some because if there is even a doubt in your mind that you have somehow cheated those who </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">admire you by taking a break you have failed them. We always say we want to change the world and do big </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">things right? Well it starts by setting a positive example for our fans...do not let them down. </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">The second thing that has inspired me this break has been the drive I have seen in each of you guys I have </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">spent extensive time with. I can tell by the sound of your guy's drivers that each of you is doing work towards </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">enacting change, but I have spent a lot of time with Ethan, Chris, and John these past few days and this </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">experience has been life changing. They say being surrounded by people who are successful helps motivate </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">you for success and I believe that is true, however I have never been around these guys like this before. Each </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">of them has reached a new level of ambition I have never seen in them before. Primarily, I remember in high </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">school (Chris John and Ethan will tell you themselves) they saw no point to working extremely hard </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">academically. However now John is taking GRADUATE level Spanish classes while Ethan and Chris are </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">talking about graduating summa cum laude (with the highest possible honors). Chris is steady learning French </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">and he somehow learned to play the piano...very well!! Ethan is spitting off Italian in such a way you wouldn't </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">believe he'd been studying it for no more than a year. John and Ethan are actually consistently working out!!! I </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">can't tell you how crazy this is to me. Chris and Ethan are talking about writing books, John's talking about </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Interning Abroad. Ethan's set on going to Italy this Summer, Chris to Britain next Winter!! Just being around this </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">has pushed me to working at max capacity. That is why I have been neglecting sleep, that is why I have been </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">studying ahead for classes this spring. I know that we are unique but unique means nothing if we have nothing </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">to show for it. We must continue to work hard to achieve our goals and aspirations because if we can complete </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">our undergraduate careers how we currently intend to...nothing in this world can stop the League of </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Gentlemen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Encouragement: </b>One of my favorite quote of all time comes from the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. He s</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">aid: </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">“Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation.”</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">What does this mean? Well, the world is always changing, people are always growing, and as time progresses </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">the needs of the world will adapt accordingly. There is a desperate need for people with proficiency in coding in </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">the modern world. Contritely, I don't believe that Ancient Egypt was concerned with HTML, CSS, or Phyton </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">coders. This just goes to show that at any period in time there are certain needs in the world that need to be </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">met. Socrates understood that, but he even took it a step further by explicitly calling on peoples talents. At this </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">moment I want you guys to reflect for about a minute or two...actually do this...and think about what your talents </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">are (think of your five major ones). When you believe you have them written down make sure they are talents </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">and not sentences about yourself, this is not asking for a biography it is asking about what particularly skills you </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">are good at or what areas you excel in...Do you have those now? Okay good, now I would like you to list the 10 </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">biggest problems you see in the modern world now, and in the next 30-40 years (e.g. the Environment, or </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">depletion of fossil fuels). Make sure you put serious thought into these... Now, I did the same task and I </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">uploaded my document. Open it now it is called "My Task". You will probably see serious differences in our </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">talent section, however a few of our problems should overlap. I asked you guys to do this for a reason. Not so </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">you could brag about yourselves and then look sadly over the problems you anticipate in the future. I would like </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">you to now think about how you or your fellow gentlemen could help combat these problems you see </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">fast approaching. Refer to my skills, your own, and those you know that other League members posses. We </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">must remember that we have been given unique talents, and put in the special position we are in today. As I </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">told Chris yesterday, we are not better than anybody, we are not special, we simply are thinking ahead of many </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">of our peers. Because of this, someday we may be looked at as leaders in society, or tasked to remedy the </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">concerns of the future. This is why I brought up the quote. As Socrates said, “Where your talents and the needs </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">of the world cross; there lies your vocation.” So gentlemen, though the future may in fact be years away, begin </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">to think now in the present what solutions may be enacted to solve the problems that may present themselves. </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Because, if you truly want to serve the world in the future as a leader, you must be ready for the tasks you will </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">be expected to oversee.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Testimonial: </b>I do not have much to say that has not already been said in this driver. I am ready for 2014 to </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">arrive, I have nearly completed my Winter Break checklist to prepare myself for the coming year, I have taken </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">the necessary steps to ensure I will begin the next term successfully, and I plan to do nothing but grind at my </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">max level this coming year. I do anticipate there will be hardships, but I will get through them. With that said, I </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">will complete my goals for 2014, without a doubt. At this point I would like for you guys to read my revised goals </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">for 2014...they are probably a better testimonial to how I feel right now. Also, if you have time, I would </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">appreciate if you guys would read the prologue and first piece of my book and send me comments (or </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">criticisms) on it. Lastly, I have included a copy of my undergraduate course of study plan for you guys to see </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">(especially Chris since he requested I send it to him). It is basically a detailed account of all the courses I plan </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">to take, and everything I plan to do in the next 5 years at the University of Pittsburgh. In conclusion...I am ready </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">to get this new year started.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Furthermore: </b>I would like to thank each of you guys for the drive you have instilled in me and the change you </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">have helped bring about in my life. I owe each of you guys a tremendous amount of credit for where I am today, </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">and for whatever I do in fact accomplish in 2014. Without these drivers...2013 would have had an entirely </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">different end to the year, but I am grateful that I have a solid team to support me as I grow. Likewise, I am here </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">for all of you guys whenever you need me, and I am hoping and praying that each of you guys will also </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">succeed and do amazing things in 2014. No more planning and waiting, we must seize the times and achieve </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">all that we have been talking about. Now is the time to act, now is the time to make moves, now is the time for </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">the League of Gentlemen to emerge on a global scale...whose with me? </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Remember, greatness is not an accident, it is the habit formed from repeated success.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Chukwuemeka K. Ukaga</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-32786885282224625032014-07-24T19:21:00.006-07:002014-07-24T19:21:49.686-07:00December 13th, 2013<h2 style="background-color: #333333; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; position: relative;">
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I hope this letter finds you all in a positive position working towards the completion of your semesters. Regardless of how you feel your finals will turn out each of you have earned a well deserved break. Many of the previous drivers were focused more on motivation towards the preparing and performance for our finals, but we are nearing the end of that phase in our semesters. Hence, this driver will deviate from the motivational tone most of our drivers have had for a while, and will help begin the transition into our breaks.</div>
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<b>Inspiration: </b>A handshake. That is all that it was and yet it has sent shock-waves through the diplomatic and news world. At the memorial for the late Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama shook hands with current Cuban leader Raul Castro exchanged a few words, and then moved on. However, this is the first time in nearly 13 years that physical interaction has occurred between leaders of the U.S. and Cuba. This has begun talks on relaxed tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, newspapers have printed countless articles about this 10 second interaction, and it all comes from a simple handshake. I explain this situation to you guys today because it is amazing that despite all the chaos unfolding on the different corners of the world, despite the countless number of children fighting as child soldiers in the continent of my ancestors, and despite the fact that our government barely passed another bill to ward off financial instability today while ensuring financial ruin down the road, the press is concerned with a simple handshake. As you guys can tell, I like to over-analyze situations. From this particular one I have taken two major points. The first is that the world is a cruel but honest place. The reason this is such a big matter is because of the heightened status of these two individuals from rival countries. Quite simply, if you "matter" people will care, but if you "don't matter" they will just as quickly turn a blind eye to you in your time of need. It is a sad truth, but a vital fact that one who wants to change the world must keep in mind. <b>Until you are somebody no one will care what you are doing, or what your plans are. Once you have become accomplished, and until your downfall or demise, people listen intensively to your every word.</b> The moral is don't get comfortable on the top and be careful that you truly know who your true friends are. The second observation I made was that while these figures who attract tremendous attention have a lot of influence not all of them use it for the right purpose. It is easy to get comfortable at the top and neglect those you should care for or even represent. For instance, I earlier mentioned how Congress managed to pass another bill that takes the pressure off of our financial constraints. I am trying to simplify this for the sake of time, but the essence of the matter is Congress refuses to get its finances under control, and uses the fate of our country's financial stability time and time again to try and sway the public in support of a certain party's political agenda. Neither wishes to compromise, and eventually their bickering will lead to a disastrous fate for our country. Meanwhile we spiral deeper in debt, and watch as our politicians come from a smaller and smaller pool of entitled, well-off, privately funded individuals. I am not here to complain about the state of our nation, but I simply want to shed light for you guys on what I see as a big problem in our society. If we truly want to see drastic change in the way our country is run, we need to drastically change the demographic of our countries leaders. We can watch, learn, and prepare ourselves to one day accept similar roles, but in the meantime we must actively prepare ourselves in such a way that positive change, and innovative opportunities can come from our leadership. We <b>must </b>be a beacon of positive change in the world around us. So someday when major press and news networks are talking about one of our brief handshakes, let the developed gentleman we have become be as morally concerned as he is publicly appreciated.</div>
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<b>Encouragement:</b> I would like to to talk about the momentous accomplishment of our fellow League member Ethan! He has secured the first copyright of any member in the League, and I personally wish him the best in the future of his movie. I have been able to read a considerable part of the script and I can already say that this is something I would love to see in reality, keep up the good work bro I'm right behind you 100%. On that note I would like to encourage all of you to follow through with Ethan's suggestion of writing out your goals. I personally believe that having goals on paper, in a place you can go back and read is very powerful. It helps bring you back to the mind-state you were in when you set those goals and can help you accomplish them even when faced with strong adversity. Also I know that in the past week I have felt very overwhelmed, but one of my favorite quotes by Og Mandino helped me get through it. The quote reads:</div>
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"I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.... I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking."</div>
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So if the grind gets hard for you gentlemen (or if it has been hard) and you feel like you just want to quit, remember...just another step. One step is not too hard. One more problem won't hurt. One more set can't kill you. Though I assure you that the sum of you extra effort will someday make all the difference.</div>
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<b>Testimonial:</b> I completed my Engineering Analysis final on Monday, and my Physics final earlier on Thursday My Chemistry and Calculus finals are tomorrow and I plan to go in confidently and prepared to succeed. I have submitted my list of goals for next year, and I plan to stick to it and accomplish everything I have set out for myself. This break I will plan out the rest of my academic career, and will begin to apply for study abroad scholarships. I pray that I don't run into any problems that I can't handle, and I know that God is leading me in the right direction. I promise you guys I will aid you to the best of my abilities to accomplish your goals for the next year, and I look forward to a future I can positively impact.</div>
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<b>Furthermore:</b> I challenge each of you guys to stay humble, to remember that we are nothing yet, and that we have to cash in our potential for long lasting accomplishments. Remember to focus on what will matter 5, 10, or 20 years from now, and not always on immediate results. Next Monday we look forward to hearing from Kris, and I look forward to seeing many of you over this Christmas Break.</div>
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Be Great,</div>
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<span style="background-color: #333333; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Chukwuemeka K. Ukaga</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14544138019989508386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183874268277562375.post-21597932767100161832014-07-24T19:21:00.003-07:002014-07-24T19:21:13.280-07:00December 5th, 2013<h2 style="background-color: #333333; color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; position: relative;">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Morning Gentlemen,</span></h2>
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I hope the day finds you healthy, enthusiastic, and ready for action. If you do not feel like all three of those things, I will try my utmost to rekindle that fire in you. It is my desire to prepare you all to succeed today. It is my desire to prepare you all for greatness today. It is my DUTY to ensure I put my best effort into bringing forth your talent and abilities to conquer the challenges that dare to face you today. So let's get started. (<b>Note:</b> this will be a longer driver, read it early in the day, but wait till you have about 20 minutes to read it in its entirety.)</div>
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<b>Inspiration:</b> Detroit yesterday was given the legal right to cut the pensions of thousands of retired individuals to deal with their current debt crisis. Due to the mismanagement of money on the executive level, and the eventual bankruptcy of a major city, many people will spend the rest of their lives cheated out of what they worked for...In other news the Yankees just signed Jacoby Ellsbury just last night. I am not much of a baseball guy, but this man is obviously a commodity because he was able to garner up a 7 year deal world $153 million. Why juxtapose these two issues, or talk about baseball in a daily driver? For two major reasons actually. </div>
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The most obvious one is that one man last night got assurance that for the next 7 years (and many years after that) he will be living well off. He will be rich for many years to come, his kids, his spouse, his family and friends, basically anyone connected to him will benefit from the work he has put towards "beating at his craft". On the other side of the coin is the thousands of old, retired individuals who figured out yesterday that they will have to cut back. They will not live their last days in comfort or peace, they now have to change their budgets, possibly how they shop, what they do, etc. all because of some executive mismanagement. I'm not here to talk about social justice or the morality of this I am here giving you guys a choice. </div>
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We are newborns basically in the professional world. Like a fetus that looks gender-less we have no profession yet, no job, no serious responsibilities. Our possibilities are endless, we have not faced true rejection or failure yet. The next 10 years of our lives will set us up for success or failure. Our decisions NOW will determine if we work for someone else, and leave our pensions and futures in the hands of others, or if we ultimately run our own lives. Whether we work for someone else's dream, or if we profit pursuing our own. The pensioners worked for someone else for years and left their future and retirement out of their control...they paid for it, and Ellsbury pursued his passion in baseball and is now making hundreds of millions of dollars doing what he loves. Like I said, the choice is yours. </div>
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My second point is a more abstract one. As the League we want to someday control the precipices of society. With that role will come responsibility. We will someday have the power to give away millions of dollars, as the owner of the Yankees does, to people to simply play and entertain us, and we will also be in charge of the welfare of thousands of people, as the Detroit government was. <b>NOW </b>is the time to begin building your moral character, so you can be a just and honorable leader. Gentlemen we want to lead society, but we must lead it in the right direction.</div>
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<b>Encouragement:</b> You woke up (blessing 1). You are alive and well (blessing 2). Your family is still supporting you, and you have the opportunity <b>today </b>to make your future dreams a reality (blessing 3). You have surrounded yourself with like-minded forward thinking individuals who will push you to your limits, and who will accept nothing but the best from you (blessing 4). You could learn something today that could change the rest of your life forever, or you could sleep for 12 hours and do nothing...you have the freedom of choice (blessing 5). You see the day has barely begun and you are already being bathed in blessings left and right. We live in the land of opportunity, in the Golden Age of our race, with unlimited resources and a multitude of knowledge available to us at anytime. We have the ability to leave a legacy that people will talk about for years to come, or we could destroy our planet and leave future generations denouncing us for ages. You see, just as we learn about the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans someday people will learn of the United States of America, The Peoples Republic of China, and Great Britain. Generations will talk about the birth of the internet as if it were as important as the invention of fire (which it very well might live up to be). We live in a time where change, growth, and accomplishments are highly possible, and will forever be remembered. There has been no better time to be a human being on Earth. So, if you just plan to make it through the day, or survive...you not only waste the chances you've been given, you waste opportunities that other humans would have killed to have. This is <b>our </b>time, our world, our age...let's ensure it is admired in the history books.</div>
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<b>Testimonial:</b> One of my mentors here on campus was talking to me during my advising meeting a couple weeks back, and he reminded me of this today. You see, we all know we are succeeding, people are noticing and telling us "Wow you're smart", "You're going places", "You're a leader", and letting you realize "Hey I do stand out from the crowd, I am a special breed!" However, my counselor has chosen a different way of talking to me. </div>
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You see he knows I work hard, he see my grades, the clubs I participate in, how I carry myself etc., and he knows that I am already receiving a lot of praise from other people. However the most important thing is he sees the potential I have in myself, something I feel we all possess. What he told me was simple. "Don't start feeling yourself now." What does that mean "Don't start feeling yourself..."? It means we are in college, if we dropped out today we would be nothing. It means we've almost completed a semester, cool we have 7+ to go. It means yeah we are leaders among our peers, amazing, but if we died today what greatness would our obituary talk about. You see we are just bundles of potential, and I'm sorry to let you guys know that potential is often wasted. We must remain positive, we must strive for success, we must stay committed to the cause, but we can't start slipping now, you know why? Because we aren't competing with our peers who are content with graduating with a 2.0, we are competing with the guy who is trying to start a company while acing all his tests over at Oregon State. We aren't competing with the kids who will drop out from Cal Tech this term, we are competing with the ones who have started creating the next Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. We are not competing with the kids who decided "Oh well, college is not for me back to working at Wal-Mart." Hell no! We are striving to catch up with the guy who just landed an internship at Google. You see the fact of the matter is even if we are in the top 5% of the students in college, we are still only 6/140,000. That is less than a 1000th of a percent. That's not noticeable or even mentionable, and that is considering we are better than sophomores, juniors, and senior, ignoring recent graduates all together.</div>
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What's the point in all this. Well humans work for rewards. A's on tests, money, and praise are some of the top rewards we as humans get. So everytime we get a positive comment from someone, we unconsciously congratulate ourselves. Each positive comment makes us feel like we have reached a minor goal or accomplishment, and what does that do, it breeds laziness. It breeds inefficiency, it breeds lack of effort. "Why the extra lap? I'm already fast. Why study more? I'm naturally smart. Why put in the work, I'm smarter than the average kid, I'll catch up when I have time. This is the reason that so much potential remains untapped and eventually wasted. People feel they have reached they have accomplished a lot prematurely, and settle before they actually reach their goals. How do you keep yourself from falling into this trap? How do we ensure that we get to use all the potential we have at this point in life? <b>Don't tell yourself you've made it.</b> Don't tell yourself it is getting easier, pray it gets harder so as my dad always says "The system can weed out more competition, while I remain." Don't get complacent, start cutting corners, or doing stuff the easy way. We can't afford that. So the next time you get a compliment about your work ethic, or academic success, thank the person, smile, and then remind yourself you are successful on <b>their </b>scale, but according to you: well you've yet to graduate, you don't own a company, no one in the League is a millionaire so...your still where you started. Your still working towards a greater goal, and an A isn't good enough. Leading a club isn't good enough. College grad isn't good enough! <b>You have succeeded in their eyes not yours and you will not stop till you have accomplished every single objective you have in life.</b> If you properly follow this, you will never be satisfied. You will always want to work towards something else, and you will be able to work towards it with a focus and drive like no other. I have begun to try and practice this method and way of thinking. I won't lie it's hard, some times I fail, and it is easy to compare yourself with others not working as hard, but I am getting better. I <b>will </b>reach the point where my drive is infinite, where I cannot be stopped, where compliments won't please me because the only thing that matters is reaching <b>my </b>goals and not the "protocol" or minor success in between. Potential is not success, though they are easily confused. I hope you guys can take away from this mindset I am trying to form, and practice it as well. </div>
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<b>Furthermore:</b> Gentlemen I am not just saying these things just to say them. If you look around you can see untapped talent wasted all around us, from star high school athletes turned restaurant employee, to intelligent college kids now living in their parents basement. Also in the workforce, imagine the number of Bill Gates and Elon Musks who said to themselves "I'm pretty smart, I won't work hard and I'll make 6 figures as an engineer." Do not accept compliments and risk settling, stay hungry and unsatisfied. I wish you all the best of luck as you strive to complete you first term in college, and I hope you have gained something to use through your day from my words. Tomorrow we will here from Kris.</div>
<br />Don't accept average...not today,<br /><br />Chukwuemeka K. Ukaga</div>
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