Sunday, November 26, 2006

Fall 2006 Music Events Attended

Lincoln Center

Avery Fisher Hall

Sep 16, 8:00pm
Lorin Maazel, conductor
STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite
BRUCH Violin Concerto No.1 in g (Itzhak Perlman, violin)
Hans Werner HENZE Sebastian im Traum
RAVEL Rapsodie espagnole

Nov. 25, 2pm
Lorin Maazel, conductor
With NY Philharmonic musicians
Carter Brey, Glenn Dicterow, Lisa E. Kim, Cynthia Phelps. With guest Gerald Robbins.
SHOSTAKOVISH Piano Quintet in g, op. 57
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"

NY City Opera (NY State Theater)
Oct. 12
Carmen

Carnegie Hall
Isaac Stern Auditorium /Ronald O. Perelman Family Stage
Nov. 19, 2pm
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Violin
Lambert Orkis, Piano
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Violin Sonata K. 376, 481, 379, 304, 454

IHOUSE
Music Salon
Every month
Various musicians from across the world

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Innovative, Bold and Generous

Financial Times, Richard McGregor
China must urgently address the nation's looming pension and healthcare crises while government has the financial resources to tackle them, says Zhou Xiaochuan, head of the central bank.

Discussions about China's pension and healthcare crises, as well as its tremendous financial resources, have been on fire for months. Various opinions and ideas are being thrown everywhere by all big names. Although what Mr. Zhou said is not a surprise but a signal I have expected for quite a while, this is the first time such a comment released by a high-level official - at a right position - in public.

Mr. Zhou outlined his policy prescriptions during the G20 finance ministers' meeting in Melbourne at the weekend: "It is critcal to set up an effective incentive system that encourages people to join the pension and medical insurance plan. The process requires us to be innovative, bold and generous."

The curtain is rising and a big change - for related industries, even the whole economy, and daily life of Chinese people - is on the way. Let's see.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Education: US vs China

Here the undergraduates consistently lobby the congress to revise regulations or to legislate new laws. And they succeed. In some schools, at least Columbia, the annual Student Lobby Day has become tradition.

In China, ... What do you think?

p.s. Below is a funny piece by a Columbia undergraduate, published on "the eye" - a campus paper (Columbia on The Street)


http://eye.columbiaspectator.com/index.php?page=post&article_id=2102



Unbreak My Heart

A Daily Diary of Rebound Romance

By Mark Gonzales

Sunday
My girlfriend broke up with me last night. It was the same tired story everybody gets from their long-distance girlfriend when they break up after four years--the relationship wasn't going anywhere. She also said something about it being "disgusting and probably illegal" for me to send those tastefully composed nude pictures of myself to her sister for her 15th birthday. Actually, most of the conversation revolved around the photos. I'm not the type to cry over a woman, so after I stopped crying I decided to move on. It's been a while since I went out with somebody, but I think I'll be able to pull it off by hitting The Heights tonight.

Monday

The Heights has been played out for years. Who needs a crowded bar when you can drink whiskey alone in your room? I stepped on the empty bottle this morning and fucked up my foot. The nurse at St. Luke's was hot, so I tried to use my best lines on her, but all that came out of my mouth was a combination of vomit and cries of pain as she ripped the shards of glass out of my foot. I'll have to think of a way to bump into her again...

Tuesday
While peeing on Alma Mater at about 2 this morning I realized how I could get another chance with that nurse. All I needed to do was break my hand just enough to need her to wrap it without turning me into the shrieking mess that I was on Monday. I spent twenty minutes trying to work myself up to punch the side of the statue, but I ultimately lost my nerve. She wasn't my type anyway.

Wednesday
Ha! I knew I'd find somebody interested in what I'm selling. Putting myself in these contrived situations to meet women is outdated. People meet on the Internet now. I spent all night on MySpace and was able to get a date tonight.

Thursday
MySpace is bullshit. Whoever runs that thing should be shot. What kind of a world are we living in where 40-year-olds can claim to be twenty and transvestites can claim to be women? The worst part is that she ... he ... it didn't tell me until we were back at my place and I was rounding second base.


Friday
I've been aiming too high with medical professionals and middle-aged shemales. That's why I registered for five classes at Barnard next semester. I'll have my pick of all the girls who are too lazy to cross the street. And, hey, if that doesn't work out, I still have little sister's phone number. Fifteen's legal in New Jersey, right? Right?

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Carly Fiorina Speech

Today the well-established businesswoman delivered a speech here.

She described her career in a very interesting way
- became "so unemployable" upon graduation from Stanford with a bachelor degree at medieval history and Philosophy.
- then went to law school to please parents
- four semesters later hated law school so as to quit. Became drop-off and unemployable.
- the only job she got afterwards was to work as secretary. She tried her best on this job, ("Don't think about next job!) and eventually won opportunities to move up ...

Leadership is about seeing and seizing possibilities, as these two men took chance on me showed.

It is about changing. "When opportunities knock, always require you go out of comfort zone.” Generally, a lot of time has been lost when everybody says it is time to go.

Diversity of opinions is quality indicator of decision-making.

Ethics, Values, Judgments and Prospective are the most fundamental law in life and business.

No matter how many values are put on the wall, nobody will believe in the talk if the leaders do not walk the walk.

(What would you do differently at HP if you could?) Insist more strongly.

(Would you go back to HP if you could?) Life is about moving forward.

The most important is to find your passion. Take your time to find it.

You make choices. You have to accept the consequences.

Learn from Jean-Pierre Garnier

Head of GlaxoSmithKline's thoughts

On Leading
I get people aligned with the passion I have and that they can be part of an exciting venture. It's very important to state the goal in terms that are exciting. If you say "Let's get another two points on margin", they won't follow.

On Delegation
My biggest work challenge was when, for the first time, I had more than one layer of management and I could not just go into everyone's office. Suddenly I had to work through others. If you don't [acquire that skill], you are limited in your ability to drive a large organization.

On Inspiration
My heroes are not CEOs. The person I really admire is the blue-collar worker who puts his kids through college then dies on heart attack. I have met lots of famous people - they put on their pants in the same way as everyone else.