Literary Achievement

Great video.  Yes, I wore a white shirt.  And yes, I got spaghetti.

People actually purchased this book.  Good job, America.

What Do I Do?

The most frequent question an investment banker receives is 'Can you give me a stock tip?'

In actuality, investment bankers put together deals to be transacted in the capital markets to finance companies.  For analysts (those beleaguered youth), that means creating financial models, pitchbooks, and offering documents to help in the origination, registration, execution, and closing of these transactions.

The reason for this post is that I found a hilarious video of an analyst attempting to explain to his mother what he does, which is possibly the most difficult part of the job.

Hunter S. Thompson “Open Letter To The Youth Of Our Nation” (1955)

Young people of America, awake from your slumber of indolence and hark-en the call of the future! Do you realise you are rapidly becoming a doomed generation? Do you realise that the fate of the world and of generations to come rests on your shoulders?  Do you realise that at any time you may be called on to protect your country and the freedom of the world from the creeping scourge of communism? How can you possibly laugh in the face of the disasters which face us all from all sides? Oh ignorant youth, the world is not a joyous place. The time has come for you to dispense with the frivolous pleasures of childhood and get down to honest toil until you are sixty-five. Then and only then can you relax and collect your social security and live happily until the time of your death. Also your insolent attitude disturbs me greatly. You have the nerve to say that you have never known what it is like to live in a secure and peaceful world; you say that the present generation has balled things up to the extent that we now face a war so terrible that the very thought of it makes hardened veterans shudder; you say it is our fault that World War ll  was fought in vein; you say that it is impossible to lay plans for the future until you are sure you have a future. I say Nonsense! None of these things matter. If you expect a future you must carve it out in the face of these things. You also say that you must wait until after you have served your time with the service to settle down. Ridiculous! It is a man’s duty to pull up stakes and serve his country at any time, then settle down again.

I say there is no excuse for a feeling of insecurity on your part;there is no excuse for juvenile delinquency; there is no excuse for your attitude except that you are rotten and lazy! I was never like that! I worked hard; I saved; I didn’t run around and stay out late at night; I carved out my own future through hard work and virtuous living, and look at me now: a respectful and successful man.

I warn you, if you don’t start now it will be too late, and the blame for the end of the world will be laid at your feet. Heed my warning, oh depraved and profligate youth; I say awake, awake, awake! 

Fearfully and disgustedly yours,       John J. Righteous-Hypocrite.        

When Ego Turns Bad

He is absolutely obnoxious, but Kanye has to be one of the most interesting creative artists out there.  He teamed up with Spike Jonze for a cool video, "We Were Once a Fairytale."

Not really sure what I thought about the song he performed at the VMAs yesterday, but I do like "Power." I look forward to his next album and hope that it doesn't have too much Auto-Tunes dragging it down.

Wow. Great Idea.

Could be the greatest idea I've heard in a long time.

Betting on your own grades?  Cool.

What Type of Entrepreneur Are You?

In my quest to become an entrepreneur and develop "the next big thing," I am constantly processing information in order to become either a better businessman/leader or uncover new ideas/opportunities.

An article featured in Inc. magazine on types of entrepreneurs is a helpful tool in this journey.  Most people would not realize that there are (according to the author) five types of entrepreneur.  This self-assessment is a useful tool in helping you strategize and plan how you should run your organization, grow your idea, and best utilize your strengths.

My Thoughts Exactly...

In response to the statements by the new Russian Nets basketball team owner that he does not have a Twitter account, blog, email account, etc., Bill Simmons made the following comment about the potential wisdom in that viewpoint in his article:


"Do we REALLY need all this information? Like, right now -- you're reading this column and hopefully enjoying it, but ultimately, could you have survived the weekend if you missed it? I say yes. Just about everything online fits that mold -- you have to sift through loads of bad writing and irrelevant information to find the occasional entertaining/funny/interesting thing, and even then, it's not something that's making or breaking your week."