When One of the Walls Leave

We all stood watching as the car disappeared down little Hobart Street. Lori never once looked back. I took that as a good sign. When I climbed the staircase to the house, Dad was standing on the porch, smoking a cigarette.
“This family is falling apart,” he said.
“It sure is,” I told him. (pg 230)

In this quote we can picture the Walls family watching their sister and daughter leave Welch and not once look back. Lori left the muddled town of Welch, and her family; she did this because she knew that if she did not go now she would most likely never leave. Leaving was the best decision for Lori, it was the perfect chance to escape the troubles of her life. As teenagers the Walls children suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hand of their grandmother, and were plain out excluded by the everyday folk of the town. Why would Lori want to continue to live in this wretched place? Perhaps this is what the Rose Mary and Rex Walls planned for, for their children to become independent and venture off and create a life for themselves. At this point Lori would not acknowledge her father, Rex’s alcoholic behavior had destroyed their relationship long before that. This quote invoked me with the feeling of shock. How would Lori manage to live any better in New York? She left with the little money she had saved, which was not even enough to purchase a bus ticket to New York. Lori planned to babysit a family for the summer in return for a train ticket. In New York she would know no one, but planned on starting a new life there. The short phrase Jeannette mentions after they watch Lori leave, struck me as significant, why did Jeannette take this as a good sign that Lori did not look back? Maybe this allowed her to understand that leaving wasn’t so bad, that if Lori could get out of Welch then she could as well. We also should look at Jeannette and Rex’s relationship, when she was younger she adored her father, and looked up to him. As they have grown older they have a passive relationship; Jeannette seems to have given up on her father, and her disappointment has become increasingly significant. The comment made about their family falling apart was very ironic. This is because it seems that this is the first time this idea has been voiced. In Jeannette’s mind she has known this for a long time, and maybe has always known. This was the first time that Rex admits how dysfunctional their family really is.

You break it you buy it.

"Officially, the company boasted of its forces "join[ing] the hurricane relief effort." But its men on the ground told a different story." (Scahill, 321)

What is happening here is that the Blackwater troops landed on home soil claiming to help out with Hurricane Katrina. The reality is that upon arrival, they did little to help and treated the wasteland of New Orleans like a playground. Their presence actually had a negative effect on New Orleans. Does anyone else see a problem here?

This really articulates a major problem with this type of task force; if something like this does happen and people know about it, how can you cover it up or defend yourself? The amount of trust given to this task force in order for them to have a massive budget, operate independently and have little restriction on what they do is colossal, and the fact that they abuse it is a kick in the face to everyone involved. You've got a bunch of children loose in a candy store, except this time there are ramifications extending past "you break it you buy it".

There are serious moral issues with this as well, which Scahill draws on to justify his thoughts on mercenary armies. He is drawing on peoples knowledge of how awful it is to kick someone when they are down, and on people's patriotism to create negative opinions on this event. Being Canadian I can't identify with this particular example, but worldwide people know that if your city is hurting, the last thing you will stand for is someone (who should be on your side!) furthering the damage. By both demeaning the task force and drawing on people's personal emotions Scahill forcefully imposes his opinion on the reader, which makes me wonder whether or not I should believe all that I am reading...

From Wobbling Plates to Quantum Electrodynamics

“It was effortless…There was no importance to what I was doing, but ultimately there was. The diagrams and the whole business that I got the Nobel Prize for came from that piddling around with the wobbling plate.” (Feynman, 174)

Although he has won many other awards, Richard Feynman’s crowning achievement would arguably have to be his Nobel Prize in Physics, which he won in 1965 for his work with quantum mechanics. Throughout his autobiography, he repeatedly tells stories of how he would play around with technology and use science to create devices that would make everyday life easier. For example, in his youth, he gained quite a reputation for fixing radios and would salvage broken ones from the local market and repair them. In this quote from his autobiography, Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman, Feynman explains how his interest in the mechanics behind simple, everyday phenomena would lead him to make more complex connections. In this example specifically, he talks about how he began by modelling the movement of a wobbling plate, which then, through a series of connections, led to his work in quantum electrodynamics. This work was what won him his Nobel Prize. I find it interesting that his ground-breaking research started with such a simple idea, one that everyone is familiar with. I believe that this shows that, in addition to a solid educational background, a person must have a perpetual curiosity in the mechanics behind basic phenomena in order to succeed. Later once, a solid foundation is made, I think that the more advanced connections will follow.

What Caused the Crash?

"Twenty years before the crash of KAL 801, a Korean Air Boeing 707 wandered into Russian airspace and was shot down by a Soviet military jet over the Barents Sea...Then, two years later, a Korean Air Boeing 747 crashed in Seoul. Two accidents in two years is not a good sign. Three years after that, the airline lost another 747 near Sakhalin Island, in Russia, followed by a Boeing 707 that crashes in 1989 in Tripoli and Seoul, and then another in 1994 in Cheju, South Korea." (179-180)
-Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers

In the chapter, "The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes," Gladwell talks about how plane crashes were more likely to occur depending on the pilots cultural background. In Avianca flight 052, the plane didn't crash due to any problems of the aircraft, airport, or pilots. The plane crashed because it "had run out of gas." (186) When referring to the plane ran out of fuel, it was not because the plane did not have enough fuel to get from Columbia to New York, however the cause of the crash was fuel exhaustion. (186) The crash that killed seventy-three out of the 158 passengers, could have been prevented if there wasn't a lack of communication between the pilot (Laureano Caviedes) and co-pilot (Mauricio Koltz), and between Koltz and Air Traffic Control (ATC). Koltz mentioned to ATC that they were "running out of fuel" (193), but that phrase has no meaning to ATC as all planes start to run low on fuel when approaching their destinations. Caviedes was ordering Koltz, "Tell them [ATC] we are in an emergency!" (193) But Koltz did identify that there was an emergency.

Why would a pilot put so many lives at risk? Gladwell uses the term "mitigate speech" to describe why Koltz acted they way he did during this extreme situation. Mitigate speech "refers to any attempt to downplay or sugarcoat the meaning of what is being said." (194) Koltz felt inferior to ATC, he was trying to be polite, but in a situation that Koltz was in one can not use mitigate speech, instead he should have said "Listen, buddy. I have to land." (202) However, this did not happen because Koltz was Colombian and he saw himself as a subordinate. (207) He did not think he had any authority to tell ATC what to do. When Koltz advised ATC that his plane was running low on fuel he felt that he had offended those in the control tower.

CAVIEDES: What did he say?

KLOTZ: the guy is angry. (208)

Gladwell explains something called the Power Distance Index (PDI) which refers to attitudes of an individual and how much a particular culture values and respects authority. Koltz, being a Colombian, had a high PDI. This meant that although he was the co-pilot of the Avianca, he felt that he was unable to speak up if he saw a problem or saw a bad decision that was made. Koltz felt this way because he had an inferior position on the aircraft. "But he's using his own cultural language, speaking as a subordinate would to a superior." (207)

David Greenberg, from Delta Air Lines, was brought in to help Korean Air with their flight operations. His first step to achieve this airlines success was to evaluate the pilots English skills. His second step was that to have a firm take over the company's training and instruction programs. (218) This firm made sure that every pilot who wanted to keep their job at the company was fluent in the English language. "Their problem was that they were trapped in roles dictated by the heavy weight of their country's cultural legacy." (219) Greenberg was trying to give these pilots a chance to improve their communications skills which allowed them to transform their relationship to their work.

"When we understand how much culture and history and the world outside of the individual matter to professional success - then we don't have to throw up our hands in despair at an airline where pilots crash planes into the sides of mountains. We have a way to make successes out of the unsuccessful." (220) David Greenberg did a wonderful thing for this airline, he changed the style of these pilots. Instead of feeling inferior, they now take initiative, take charge in the role they play, and they do not wait for someone to direct them; they just do it.

Colour Bar

'Fate has purposely made her blind, in order that she may not judge a person from his exterior but from his intrinsic worth. But the Law Society of Natal set out to persuade the Supreme court to act in contravention of this principle and to belie its symbol'

In this quote, Gandhi shows how the prejudice and racism in South Africa made it extremely difficult for him to become a member of the Law Society in Natal. By using the metaphor of the blind woman holding the scales, the symbol of a court of justice, he emphasises how this prejudice is not fair, and how it goes against the fundamental beliefs of the justice system. The juxtaposition between the description of the symbol of a court of justice and the institutionalised racism in the Natal court of justice makes the unfairness of the situation even more apparent to the reader. Racism is a recurring theme throughout Gandhi's time in South Africa, and further on in this chapter he shows the difficulties he had to go to, just to be accepted in the courts of justice in Natal, as he had to go through a much more rigorous application process than a european barrister would have had to.

'Natal owed its growth to European enterprise, and therefore it was necessary that the European element should predominate in the bar' 

This shows why prejudice was so apparent in the courts of justice, as without the Europeans, the people of Natal would not have any enterprise or the economy it did, and so they feel that the Europeans were owed the majority of seats in the bar, and by letting in an Indian man, the people of Natal were worried that it would upset the Europeans and they would leave, taking their trade and enterprise with them. They were also worried that if they let Gandhi be admitted, gradually more and more non Europeans would start joining, and then the Europeans would be outnumbered, and not happy. By using forceful words such as 'owed' and 'necessary' it shows how important it was to the people of Natal that Europeans dominated the bar, and very few, if not none, Indians or other non Europeans were admitted.  

       

Our Spiky World

“And because modern communication makes the world smaller at the same time that globalization makes it spikier, those trapped in the valleys are looking directly up at the peaks, the growing disparities in wealth, opportunity, and lifestyle staring them right in the face.” (pg. 40)

This quotation is referring to how ‘spiky’ our world has become. There are a select number of cities in North America and globally for that matter that are attracting a mass number of talented, innovative and creative individuals. For example,Tokyo, Seoul, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver are cities that stand out in terms of their innovation and economic growth. Whereas the rural areas, in comparison, that surround these cities are unable to compete with this growing trend.

Globalization is a powerful movement where places that have previously not had a chance to participate in the world economy are now an active part of it. The “clustering force” is one outcome of globalization. This force involves creative and innovative people and companies coming together, generally forming around large urban cities. This dense population of skilled workers promote the flow of ideas and increase the talent and productivity of each individual.

However, many will argue that globalization is becoming an increasingly negative part of our global economy. One way of putting it is the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The disparity and extremes between these urban centers or the world’s ‘spikes’, and the rural areas with a much lower level of economic activity is increasing at a startling rate. Lacking the skill, education, or mobility, these people are falling further behind in our fast paced society. According to Richard Florida, these peaks are “staring them right in the face” creating a feeling of inequality. One possible reaction includes a political backlash opposing this movement. Feelings of fear, insecurity and anger can also be found within these regions. Overall, globalization is an innovative breakthrough that has affected a smaller minority for the better, but poses as a serious threat to the rest of the world.

The Hard Work Will Pay Off

"They learned the same lesson that Alex Williams would learn nearly a century later - a lesson crucial to those who wanted to tackle the upper reaches of a profession like law or medicine: if you work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires." (151)
-Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers

"The Three Lessons of Joe Flom," is a chapter the explains the relationship between the success and hard work of an individual. Gladwell tells a story about a Jewish immigrant, Louis Borgenicht, who moved to New York with his wife (Regina Borgenicht) and their child, with enough money that would only last them a few weeks. (139) Once Louis and his family got settled in an apartment, he started walking the streets during the day to look for a job that would pay for his rent. Louis tried selling fish, towels, tablecloths, notebooks, bananas, socks and stockings. None of which would be able to feed his family of three plus a newborn on the way. Louis continued to walk the streets until he found something that was unique and no one had been selling already. It soon came to him, "It was clothes." (140) Louis was good at making clothes, which made him determined to find a piece of clothing that people were wearing but that wasn't being sold. "One of the girls [playing hopscotch] was wearing a tiny embroidered apron over her dress...he had never seen one of those aprons for sale." (141) Louis then went home and started making and selling aprons with Regina, until he started hiring immigrants to work for him, and then he became his own boss. (149) If the hard work being done has a relation between effort and reward, it is independent and creative, and it has a level of difficulty, the hard work is meaningful. (149-150)

Although one may have a lot of work to do at one point in time, if that individual works hard and pushes themselves for that time being, their hard work will pay off in the end. As grade twelve students, I think everyone of us can relate to this as our workload does get overwhelming at times but it is just going to prepare us in our future.

Unwarranted Celebration?

"The weeks after the Fallujah killings, Blackwater announced plans to build a massive new facility-a twenty-eight-thousand-square-foot-administrative building-on its Moyock property for its operations" (Scahill, 151)

Because of their "success" at Fallujah, Blackwater begins to expand. This raises the question of how this organization measures triumph. Furthermore, do the people paying for this force think that this is successful? The theme of secrecy and appearance vs. reality is really evident here, as all of this is going on without the majority of world forces having any knowledge of it. Furthermore, they seem to be operating on a basis of profit>morals and no one is questioning it until now.

The fact that this organization is able to take their increasing success through immoral means and turn it into a healthy profit without anyone knowing or questioning it is appalling. Anyone who has any hope at stopping it has their morals circumvented by a large paycheck, and I think that is one of the true messages Scahill is trying to put across.

A Powerful Paradox.

"The home where young Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater USA, gruew up sits along the sleepy banks of Lake Macatawa, an inlet of Lake michigan in the American Midwest. Trees shimmer along the edges of the driveway on a summer day; the sun glints peacefully off the lake." (Scahill, 1)

Upon re-examining the text, I found it interesting to note that Scahill chose to begin his book with such a serene image. The journey through Blackwater is one during which I was tormented by a concern of "if this went on without notice, what else could be happening". Because of this, Scahill's choice to begin his novel with a seemingly ironic statement, starting with this seemingly perfect world and then diving into the harsh reality is one worth examining. My belief is that although at first investigation it seems ironic, Scahill could be trying to portray the blissful ignorance in which we all live, emphasizing the fact that people try to block out the truths they don't want to hear. Upon re-examining the book you notice a very subtle yet always present idea that we are ignorant by our own will, and Scahill seems to scorn us for this mentality. I did not notice this until scanning through the text a second time, and I was being thorough on my first read-through so either I missed what was intended to be obvious, or he left it deliberately subtle for a reason I cannot understand.

Almanac Advantage

"It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success. It's the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It's the best students who get the best teaching and most attention. And it's the biggest nine- and ten-year-olds who get the most coaching and practice." (30)
-Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers

In the novel Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell explains that the success of a person is derieved from their culture,community, family, and generation. in the first chapter "The Matthew Effect," Gladwell studies the months in which professional athletes and students are born and how their birth dates relate to their superior skills and intelligence. At a young age there is a significant difference, with respect to maturity and size (29), for when a child is born at the beginning of the year versus being born at the end of the year. In sports and academics young children are divided up into groups depending on their skill and aptitude. the children born in the first few months of the year are favoured by being chosen for a rep squad (24) or bring put into an advanced learning class (28). This is because "in preadolescence, a twelve-month gap in age represents an enormous difference in physical maturity," (24) and "it locks children into patterns of achievement and underachievement, encouragement and discouragement, that stretch on and on for years."(28)

It is quite astonishing how much of an impact our culture has on deciding which individuals have a better possibility of succeeding. It is amazing how such a great percent of our population has a disadvantage in activities because of what month they were born in. This pattern also continues through postsecondary education as 11.6% of the youngest groups of students are under-represented in their classes. (29) Gladwell states that "students who attempt suicide are also more likely to be born in the second half of the school year." (29) This is because during exam time there is usually a build up of work which sometimes leads to poor school performance which can also lead to depression and suicide. (29)

The first chapter of this novel illustrates that there is a lot more to becoming successful other than being a hard worker and having determination. Although Canada is known for being a country where everyone is equal to one another, the way our society selects an individual to allow them to become successful is ultimately biased.

The Best Tool

"Above all, your mind-set makes the difference. You can take care of yourself and pay attention to your surroundings. You can persevere with willpower." pg. 287

This excerpt from the final chapter of the book (The Survivors Club), really encompasses everything that this book has been getting at. Through reading each of the different survival stories of different people and the science behind each situation encountered, this specific quote is the backbone to all. As described by survivors, scientists and doctors, the concept of being in the proper state of mind is of the utmost importance when it comes to showing adversity and tackling life's challenging hurdles. This "advice" does not only have to be applied to situation survivals but can relate to students and adults alike. No matter what tough times we are going through now and in the future a simple switch in the mind can change how everything turns out. As many throughout this book have said, it is the most useful tool at our disposal.‏ The second part of the quote, taking care and paying attention to surroundings is something that is hard to ignore after reading such a book. The message however is not to keep you so cautious that you are paranoid of your surroundings but to always be in a mental state of alertness depending on where you are, simply because of the fact you never know when your life can all of a sudden be at risk. Its something many of us should take into account in our daily lives, when we are alone traveling, etc. Again, to do this your mind must be set in the right direction in order to stay clear and organized. Alot can be accomplished when absorbing this entire message.

Broken Windows

"The impetus to engage in a certain kind of behavior is not coming from a certain kind of person but from a feature of the environment." (page 142)

This quote is taken from the power of context chapter of Malcolm Gladwell's, "The Tipping Point". In this quote, Gladwell is saying that people don't normally act based on the kind of person they are. The actions of certain people are based on a feature of the environment around them, or as Gladwell likes to put it, their actions are based on something called the "Broken Windows theory". The "Broken Windows theory", is based on the idea that crime is contagious. In other words, it's an epidemic theory of crime, just as ideas or products can "tip", so can crime rates. A simple explanation of the reasoning of this theory is as follows, "If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes." (pg 141). As you can see from this example, the root of the tipping point does not stem from an individual but from a feature of their environment. A more elaborate example that Gladwell provides is the New York Transit system. When a passenger of one of the subway cars would see that there was graffiti painted on the walls of the car, they would feel that it was alright, they were being invited, to graffiti the walls themselves. What the New York Transit system did to ensure they maintained clean cars was replace any cars with graffiti on them as soon as they could. They would take a car with graffiti off the track, replace it with a clean one and then repeat this process ensuring that they dealt with any problems as soon as they could. This strategy was very successful as it ensured that any "broken windows" were fixed before the problem got increasingly difficult to deal with. The Broken Windows theory allows for insight into why crime epidemics occur. If discipline is enforced for smaller crimes, the environment in which much more serious crimes take place will be taken away, ultimately lowering crime rates and keeping the streets safe.

Summer Vacation

"The wealthiest kids come back in September and their reading score have jumped more than 15 points. The poorest kids come back from the holidays and their reading score have dropped almost 4 points. Poor kids may out-learn rich kids during the school year. But during the summer, they fall far behind." (pg. 258) -Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers

I was at first surprised to find out that poorer kids forget more than richer kids. I was also surprised that poorer kids learn more over the school year. This means that it is not truly the education that richer kids tend to receive, but the attitude of the environment that they live in. The richer families can afford to send the kids to summer camps and continue activities throughout the summer, which can maintain and increase their education. The families also tend to encourage reading more at home and doing educational activities. The poorer schools have not encouraged their students to love reading and learning enough for them to continue over the summer.

Gladwell pointed out that a shorter summer break would be incredibly beneficial to our education system. Though I feel like our summer breaks fly by, when I heard about how short some other nation's breaks were I felt that ours was very leisurely. The United States has a school year approximately 180 days long, while South Korea has 220 days and Japan has 243 days long. A shorter vacation time (or smaller vacations dispersed throughout the year) may be the "solution" to our education system's problems.

To Good to be True

"Its not easy to be in the spotlight like he was at a young age. Theres a lot of focus. Theres a lot of scrutiny theres a lot of demands... This erases a lot of questions." (pg 255)

Coach Dan Bylsma is referring to Sydney Crosby, being at a young age of 23. He was Number one drafted in 2005 to the Pittsburg Penguins. With the talent that he has, there has to be a lot of pressure and expectancies that people have for him, he is under a lot of pressure and what the coach is explaining is what Sydney does and has to do is keep his head up focus and perform to his best possible.

For My Country

"I wanted to share the Stanley cup with the people of Russia" (pg 41)

At the beginning of the book it talks about the top hall of famers, and on that list is Igor Larionov, he played for the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2002. Igor was called the "Wayne Gretzky of Soviet Hockey" (pg 42). What the average person does not seem to know is that Larionov fought the Soviet system on behalf of Russian hockey players to be able to play in the NHL. Claims were that they were being treated more like servants then human beings Igor demanded freedom. He was one of the highlights in Soviet hockey making the breaking point and made it possible for Russians to play in the NHL. He therefore he says this quote because he wants to prove to Fetisov (the Russian Coach who wouldn't let them play in the NHL) what he is all about and also to show that Russia can make an impact on a relatively North American Sport.

Everyone is Important

"When you look at team that win championships, it’s the guys you don't hear much about that make the real difference" (pg 150)

This quote is taking from the book “Then Wayne Said to Mario”, it talks about four of the greatest hockey players of all time and Bobby Orr said this at a Boston Bruins reunion 20 years after he helped win the Stanley cup. When he says this he is saying, that every team has its big shot players that you expect good playing from, but it is the guys on the team that you do not expect much from that make a difference in a game. "That’s why it’s the guys you don't always read about that become the key guys." (pg 150). Continuing to say that to play a good game of hockey, you have to keep a keen eye on everyone, because it is whole teams that win, not just a few players.

Be careful when you fist pump

"Alaskan hunters know the easiest way to preserve meat in the bush is to slice it into think strips and then air-dry it on a makeshift rack. But McCandless, in his naiveté, relied on the advice of hunters he'd consulted in South Dakota who advised him to smoke his meat, not an easy task under the circumstances."

This passage was taken from John Krakauers Into the Wild. Upon reading about how Chris lost the majority of the meat due to the fact that he did not know how to cook it properly, it reminded me of a man Krakauer compared chris too. It was Carl McCunn, an amateur photographer, who got  man to fly him out into the woods where he would live for the summer. The problem was McCunn did not arrange for a flight back. Running out of food at the end of the summer and growing hungrier with every day, McCunn was in serious need of some help. He heard a plane come over head and waved a bright orange sleeping bag. The plane spotted McCunn but when he raised on arm in the air in celebration, the pilot assumed he was alright and left. McCunn later looked on the back of his gun license where it said two arms up if you are in distress and one if you are alright. Both men had the chance at salvation. McCunn a trip out of the wilderness and McCandless more than enough meat to last him for many meals. Even though McCandless died from the mould in the way he stored his berries, this would have strengthened him enough so that he could have made it out of the wild alive. The men were so wrapped up in the idealistic view of the wild that they missed it's harsh reality. 

A Little Change Goes a Long Way

“But we need to remember that small changes in context can be just as important in tipping epidemics, even though that fact appears to violate some of our most deeply assumptions about human nature.” (Pg. 166)

This is a quote from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, and explains the third reason as to why social epidemics and certain trends spread. He calls his third theory, “The Power of Context,” which suggests that a specific trend or action can “tip” by changing the smallest detail in the environment. Gladwell feels that social epidemics are responsive to the conditions of the time and place in which they occur. He explains this theory through looking at New York City crime. In this case study, he sets out to justify why crimes dramatically “tipped” in the early 1990’s in New York City. In the 1980’s, New York City was in the midst of one of the worst crime outbreaks but suddenly crime went into a steep decline; murders dropped by two-thirds and felonies dropped by fifty percent. Gladwell believes the crime epidemic “tipped” because of “The Power of Context” and he seems to be correct. A criminologist, George Kelling, was hired by the New York Transit Authority to test his theory called, Broken Windows. This theory was based on the idea that crime was contagious. Crime in New York City was so high due to so much disorder throughout the city. Kelling, along with the help of David Gunn, started to crack down on the subway system. If a train came to the end of the line and had been vandalized, they’d clean it off instantly. Next, with the participation of transit police, they cracked down on fare-beating. These changes to the subway system had a huge impact on the decline of crime. Felonies on the system dropped seventy-five percent from what they were from the beginning of the 1980’s. City officials began focusing on those small goals throughout the whole city in order to reverse the trend of crime. This relates directly to “The Power of Context” because minor and insignificant changes were made to the environment (context) and as a result, the crime epidemic “tipped.”

After reading about all three of Gladwell's theories, I feel I have a better understanding of the world of trends. I come across social epidemics and fads every day of my life and I think Gladwell’s book really helped me to truly see the reasoning behind them.

The wild bit back

"Same story: idealistic, energetic young guys who overestimated themselves, underestimated the country, and ended up in trouble."(P.71)

This is a quote taken from John Krakauer's Into the Wild. Chris McCandless, a drifter that travelled into the Alaskan wilderness, was not a terrible unique case. Krakauer gives many examples of young and old men that are under-prepared and have an idealistic view of Alaska. Edward Hogland wrote that Americans have a tradition of "taking their wounds to the wilderness for a cure" and "if your wounds aren't too bad, it works. But this isn't Michigan. This is Alaska." This quote fits perfectly with the Chris's story. Chris wouldn't even acknowledge that he had parents to a lot of people because of his childhood. Chris turned to the call of the wild as a way to heal his wounds but the wild ended up biting back and taking his life.

The Pursuit of Happiness

“Since it normally requires both time and effort to achieve either higher income or a stable social relationship with someone, the weight attached to each individual’s investment decision thus depends upon the type of possession -money or friendship- that he or she believes will yield a larger impact on happiness than the other”

The book I am reading entitled, Who’s You’re City? written by Richard Florida is about ‘how the creative economy is making where to live the most important decision of your life’. In the chapter titled ‘The Mobile and the Rooted’, Richard Florida quotes the University of York economist, Nattavudh Powdthavee, who gives voice to the struggle that occurs while trying to maintain a balanced work and social life.

At first I was skeptical of this broad statement: it is difficult if not impossible to put a price-tag on personal relationships. However, this statement does contain some truth. Where you invest your time and effort is where you will be most likely to succeed, which in turn will affect your overall happiness. Many people choose to stay rooted or closer to friends and family, despite the economical advantages they would have if they chose to move elsewhere. It seems as though these people are aware of the true value of close relationships and of the ‘investment’ they are making.

This quotation has also given me a new perspective. I realize I must look at my priorities and determine what is most important to me. If my goal in life is to be happy doing something I love, how am I going to go about achieving this as I build upon relationships. How will these aspects interplay and support each other? For some people, hard work, dedication, and having a passion for their work is what is most important. For others it is the personal relationships they form and the love and support that these relationships provide that determine their overall happiness. Throughout my life I hope to find the right balance between these two worlds as I discover where my priorities lie and where I would like to ‘invest’ my time.

Suck the juices out of life Mr. Franz

"It is simply waiting out there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it."p.58

This quote was taken from John Krakauer's Into the Wild. This quote was taken from a letter by Chris McCandless to Robert Franz. McCandless was a drifter, out to see the raw appeal of nature, and thought that Robert Franz was living a stale and dull existence. Robert Franz was an older man that saw Chris hitchhiking on the side of the road and decided to give him a lift. McCandless and Frans immediately had a connection and became friends. Chris McCandless had a goal, that goal was to go on a great Alaskan adventure, and to live in the wild for several months. When he made it to Alaska he sent his final letter to Robert Franz. It told Franz he needed rethink the way he lived. He had the same old routine, day after day, and McCandless thought he could break free of this lifestyle. He thought Franz should "loose his inclination for momentous security"p.57 and he would truly suck the juices out of life and live to the fullest.

Art of Luck

"Most people define luck as an unpredictable phenomenon that leads to good or bad outcomes in life. In this view luck is something that happens by pure chance. If you look more closely, there may be more to the story than dumb luck."pg.190

This passage taken from the chapter on the science of luck, investigates a topic that many people of different ages all tend to cross. Specifically in this quote, the author Ben Sherwood goes a little bit more in depth with the art of luck and its misconception. He brings up the point of surviving an airplane crash in one seat while the person beside you dies. Many would think this is pure luck however although this survival might have been by chance, what really could have been a true factor of the person's survival was their attitude and actions that may have increased their odds of surviving. As skeptic as it may sound in this situation there is proof provided to back up the statement. For example, this person may have paid attention to the safety briefing, plan an escape route, and evacuated without waiting or mourning. This I find is a unique way of looking at the idea of luck. Many of us assume that certain things occur just by dumb luck but sometimes, not all the time, we don't pay careful attention to what the underlying cause was in order to make that person lucky. Sometimes we assume certain things happen because of luck. However, this is just a hypothesis of one of the ways that luck can be overlooked or analyzed. There are also many cases where luck just occurs, in these cases sometimes there is no explanation. But one piece of advise that the researcher of luck leaves off with, is that (he believes) 90% of luck is truly defined by your state of mind and the way you think as opposed to 10% being pure randomness. In many cases, it is believed that your attitude and behaviour towards life are what create luck for you. Does more control over our lives really mean a better chance of creating luck for ourselves?

Frankie Says Don't Relax

"But when you relax with too much cash in your account and no need to hustle for a buck every day, you risk extinguishing the fire in your belly that drove you to become an entrepreneur in the first place." (pg. 186)

This quote is taken from the book 'Driven' by Robert Herjavec who is referring to an important lesson he has learnt while running his most current company, 'The Herjavec Group'. He explains that one of the most common problems for entrepreneurs is insufficient capital to carry foreword and promote their ideas, however what most people don't realize is that excess capitalization can also lead to problems. Robert explains that when he first launched 'The Herjavec Group' he was already very successful and so was able to back the company with millions of dollars. This luxury of excess capital meant that Robert and his team were able to relax more than most entrepreneurs in their position and as a result were not over concerned with short-term losses. However these losses continued to rise until Robert Herjavec had lost $650,000 in total, enough to bankrupt most start-up companies. However after reassessing the company Robert concluded that the excess capitalization he was providing had created a relaxed atmosphere in his company which now lacked the drive and commitment of a company fighting to brake even and as a result they were not growing. This conclusion relates directly to one of Robert's main theories on business which is that "your business either grows or it dies. Expansion isn't a goal or a business strategy. It is an undeniable fact of life." (pg.142) In this case the Herjavec Group was not growing and was therefore slowly dying, in fact the excess capital that Robert had provided originally was used to save his company rather that expand it. However after reassessing his companies values and goals Robert managed to redirect his company by being more aggressive in business pitches and focusing more on customer value. Robert successful managed to re-ignite the drive in himself and his employees that has lead to his success in the past.

Words can never amount to experience

"A hundred hearings cannot surpass one seeing
But after you see the teacher, that one glance cannot surpass a hundred hearings.
His nose was very high
But he was blind after all"

This quatrain from "Writings from Zen Masters", follows a story in which a scholar who writes a large book on Zen sayings, is baffled when a peasant asks a single simple question about his form of Zen. This scholar spent years writing his book, never venturing out into the world. Before the question he ran his own temple and had his own disciples, but afterwards he realizes that he still has much to learn and submits to the nearest temple master. This just shows that people may be able to write large books, and speak eloquently and elaborately on certain subjects, but still be naive due to their lack of experience. This goes to show that there is no substitute to real experience, and even the greatest of books cannot teach us as a single incident can. This is typical with the human experience; we can be told a thousand times not to touch the flame, but until we are burnt we will never truly understand the power of fire.

I am a child.

"I am from Sierra Leone, and the problem that is affecting us children is the war that forces us to run away from our homes, lose our families, and aimlessly roam the forests. As a result, we get involved in the conflict as soldiers, carriers of loads, and in many other difficult tasks. All this is because of starvation, the loss of our families, and the need to feel safe and be a part of something when all else has broken down. I joined the army really because of the loss of my family and starvation. I wanted to avenge the deaths of my family. I also had to get some food to survive, and the only way to do that was to be part of the army. It was not easy being a soldier, but we just had to do it. I have been rehabilitated now, so don't be afraid of me. I am not a soldier anymore; I am a child. We are all brothers and sisters. What I have learned from my experiences is that revenge is not good. I joined the army to avenge the deaths of my family and to survive, but I've come to learn that if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge and revenge and revenge will never come to an end."

Once war touched Ishmael Beah's life for the first time, he seemed to meet endless challenges. After being rescued by UNICEF from his life as a child soldier, Ishmael had to undergo a rehabilitation process that was also very challenging for him. When Ishmael’s mind and body had recovered from the cocaine and heroin withdrawal, and when he was mentally sound enough to be considered rehabilitated, he was chosen to represent Sierra Leone at the UN conference in New York City. The speech quoted above is the one Ishmael gave, on behalf of the children of his country, to the Economic and Social Council while attending the conference.

This point in the book is very relieving for the reader, because it shows that Ishmael recognizes what caused him to become a child soldier, and that he knows the unfortunate situations he was put in, were not his fault. I think the line, “I am not a soldier anymore; I am a child”, is a particularly moving one because Ishmael is admitting that he thinks that while in the army, he was not a child but a soldier. Ishmael does not see any connection between the two, but rather sees them as separate; you are a child or you are a soldier, but not both at the same time. It is almost as if Ishmael was a child before the war, was forced to grow up when he lost his family and became a soldier, and that upon rehabilitation he has remarkably gained back some sense of childhood. I consider Ishmael to be a very lucky and strong boy. He is lucky because UNICEF, perseverance, and hope, gave him a second chance at being a child. There are many other boy soldiers who never got that chance, and who will never be able to get their childhood back.

Ishmael learned many things from his experiences, including a major lesson about revenge. One way that we can learn without having to experience things ourselves is through trusting the experiences of others and the lessons they have learned. We should listen to the words of Ishmael's speech, because he truly understands the domino effect that it has on people and the devastation that revenge can cause. Though taking revenge can be tempting, it does nothing but lead to more revenge, and next to nothing good stems from it. I think that particular lesson is something valuable for everyone to learn and remember.

The Impact of Water: Metamorphosis

Helen Keller: Sketch for a Portrait

"Within a month the vixen, the furious little termagant, had been transformed into a gentle child, contentedly stringing her beads and serenely crocheting, revealing already what Anne called the beautiful intelligence that she was to spend years developing with the unheard-of devotion."

The revelation of Helen Keller's life is not one to be hidden. This quote discloses something very interesting; Helen Keller was not always a devoted and well-behaved child. In fact, she was quite the opposite. As a young child Helen became very sick and was left with a permanent scar. She was to remain blind and deaf for eternity. Due to such a harsh destiny her parents offered her the world and let her do as she pleased. Her actions unfortunately were not always well presented. Through tamper-tantrums Helen would achieve her way,that is until Anne Sullivan entered her life.

Anne Sullivan was Helen's personal teacher, who herself had defected eye vision. Anne struggled dreadfully with Helen in order to teach her respect and discipline. Moreover, Helen did not understand that words existed and could be used to comprehend situations and life. It was clear though that Helen was very bright because she seemed to repeat letters very quickly. Anne had tried to spell words into Helen's hand and connect them with objects, but sadly there were no resuts. Nothing seemed to work until one day when Anne had stuck Helen's hand under a water pump and vigorously spelled W-A-T-E-R into it.

At that very moment, Helen paused. Suddenly she had realized that words were tools used in forms of communication. Helen had spent the rest of her day memorizing and absorbing whatever she possibly could. From this very instant Helen's life was about to dramatically change for the better. For five years Helen had been isolated and left in the shawdows of her own life. This astounding experience had opened the gates for Helen, unleashed the barriers that lead her to escape the silence.

Stop Dreaming And Just Go For It

“Passion is more important than brains or talent. I have seen some really talented, brainy people fail because lack of passion. They are what I call “idea people.” You have probably seen them, too. They always seem to have a great new ideas they are thinking about doing someday-but they never do anything about them.” (pg.46)

In this quote taken from the book ‘Think Big & Kick Ass’, written by Donald Trump he is suggesting to the readers how you should follow your dreams by taking action and not just thinking or dreaming about stuff that you hope to accomplish in the future. In this book there are many advises that Donald Trump shares with us and all of them start with passion as it is passion that will take you to the next step and without passion you will not love what you do and if you don’t love what you do then you will not do as much or as a good. Another advice that is given by Donald is that you have to act and not follow. What this means is although everyone in the world doesn’t want to do something, because it is too risky you have to do what you think is right and not just follow everyone else. He says this because Donald believes that the doors that are open for you today they might not be open tomorrow. The example Donald gave us was when he had bought a office tower on Wall St. for one million dollars which was a lot back then, and he bought this during very bad economic times and all the businesses were going bankrupt Donald saw a good opportunity which was not going to be open for ever. Donald had bought this building while everybody called him crazy for doing it and today it is worth over $530 million. This is a great example of taking advantages of good opportunities when you see them and not listening to others. Donald also mentions that if you think that your dreams can’t come true or you doubt your ability to do something you will fail and never succeed. He believes if you are dreaming then dream big, because there are no limits of what can be accomplished in life.

What it Takes to Make it Big

“I have known many celebrities, billionaire business people, and super star sports figures. It is not easy to explain in couple of words, but I have noticed that all these successful people have traits that set them apart from the pack: their attitudes, actions, and persistence, plus a whole slew of other qualities that separate the winners from the losers.” Pg.15

In this quote above taken from the book “Think Big and Kick Ass” written by Donald Trump he explains what it takes for a great businessman to succeed. There three traits that Donald believes that can take you to the next step. The traits are your attitude, your actions, and persistence. Donald Trump believes that these are the traits that separate you from being great and from being the best. Actions is the first of the three traits that Donald Trump talks about, your actions include what deals or moves you make and how they are made. Donald strongly believes that all decisions that are made are made by you and not under the influence of others. What he means by that is sure you should listen for facts and opinions given by others which may include your employees, your friends or even some of your family members, but the final decision should be made by you. The great example that was given by Donald Trump was when he was a contractor with his father at a young age and as a contractor he would buy properties and build houses or apartments which were later on were either sold or leased for rent. Most of the properties that he owns today were located in cities in New York where there was a high crime rate and where a lot of gangs were involved but Donald Trump didn’t let this stop him. Although he was being criticized by all his friends and even sometimes by his father for buying properties in such bad neighbourhoods Donald did what he thought was right. But those very properties that he has built on are worth billions of dollars today. Although his friends had told him not to invest in these bad neighbour hoods he had gone against their advice and did what he thought what was right. The second trait is probably the most important of the three traits as it decides how far you want to go. Attitude is what decides how you look at opportunities and what actions you decide to take to take advantage of those opportunities. Donald explains that the right attitude towards others and towards your work can take you places where you thought were impossible. He also explains with the right you will right expression toward customers and business partners. Persistence is the third and last trait that can help you succeed, because it your perseverance that decides who you are. The ability to do something and stick with it till it’s done is a very hard thing to do for many people worldwide and this is why it separates winners from the losers.

In my opinion Donald’s advice is very simple and easy to understand, but it is up to the individual himself if they want to follow it and make the most of their decisions. Out of the three traits I think that persistence is the most important. In this book Donald Trump will reveal secrets that will help you climb the business ladder and help you make it big.