Daily Archives: 11/24/2009

(Community Matters)

A UN report suggests that striking progress is being made in the fight against AIDS

Economist – AIDS may not yet be in full retreat, but progress is being made. ALL epidemics run their course. AIDS will be no exception. Seventeen percent – this is the estimated drop in the annual number of new infections compared with 2001, the year that the United Nations Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS was signed.

interestingly, just yesterday at lunch with JoLynn Free was discussing how many friends I sat with as they died or were dieing during AIDS worst days in the early 90s

(Community Matters) The Economist on the value of an MBA

In 2010 the decline of the MBA will cut off the supply of bullshit at source. Pretentious ideas about business will be in retreat.

An overstatement, of course.  Nevertheless, my experience teaching MBAs – about 25% were stellar, intellectually curious, gained a great deal from the program and enhanced their ability to contribute to society.  Half were just fine, studied hard but mostly wanted to check a box. The last quarter, wish I could have just locked ’em up immediately and saved us all expense and agony

my undergraduate business students – the vast majority were the smartest, most capable and hardest working kids I’d ever met

(Community Matters) President Obama’s approval among Democrats and Independents has been and is much more stable than pundits and headlines would led us to believe.  I find it helpful to gain context from those arguing otherwise whether or not they supported the President in the election – usually (almost always) it’s those who argued vehemently against his candidacy who are doing so now.

yes, this does show about a 13pt decline in Independent support since the election (from 62% to 49%), but this is a lot less than the rhetoric suggests, and Independents’ support for Pres Obama has been fairly stable since August.

(Community Matters) We are SO supporting Mayor Bill White for Governor if he’ll run in that race.  

Already supporting him for Senator