October 25, 2011
Hello all!
I had the privilege of listening to Dr. Condoleezza Rice in Uptown Charlotte last night.
China:
Favorite books: King's Cross (About the Gospel of Luke). Likes John Grisham.
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Summary:
Notable quotes from the evening:
"If you focus too much on the present, you will not achieve the future"
"A young girl was told by her parents that even though she could not eat a burger at Woolworth's in segregated Alabama, that she could be anything she wanted to be, including President of the U.S. That girl heard that and became Secretary of State"
"Today's headlines and history's judgment are rarely the same"
"What today seems so improbable is inevitable in retrospect"
"If I could wave a magic wand, empower women. You kill a lot of ills."
In reference to the EU crisis..."Let's be honest, the Greeks were cooking the books"
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Her talk covered the "Three Great Shocks" to our modern day world:
-The tragedy of 9-11
-The current global financial crisis
-The current Arab Spring
When things look bad in the present, she likes to turn and look at history.
She kept pictures of former Secretarys of State to keep focus.
One of her favorites:
United States Secretary of State William H. Seward and the "Alaska Folly" purchasing Alaska from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. Some felt he payed too much at the time but it was critical and strategic to our current success.
Not a fan of the BRIC concept and says it is really a BIC
Russia Considerations:
80% -- oil, gas and minerals make up 80% of the entire Russian economy
12/89 Romanian authoritarianism is not stable. Old woman yelling liar, the crowd joins in, then all that is left between a dictator and his people is what? Anger.
Look at countries around the world: A society that treats women badly is a dangerous place
Brazil and India: stable, multi ethnic democracies. It can be done!
China:
180,000 riots in China last year alone
When product quality and safety was not on par, consider what they did - they executed the head of quality
When product quality and safety was not on par, consider what they did - they executed the head of quality
They censor the news and internet - if accessing the internet from China, you cannot find anything under "Jasmine revolution"
Ask yourself: Can a centrally governed China lead the global, knowledge-based economy?
Innovative creative risk taking are the private sector..not government
USA and the Log cabin: You can be born from humble circumstances and you can do great things.
We need to affirm quickly that we are a Nation of immigrants
We need to affirm quickly that we are a Nation of immigrants
K12 may be our national crisis
- We will have a generation of people that are not employable which creates chaos
- 30% military recruits can pass basic skills
- Parents are our head start in life
- Every child needs someone to invest in them. Some don't have great parents
- The US has the shortest school day
- Music and the arts should not be considered "extra-curricular"
- Arts are a way to build confidence
The biggest danger to the U.S.A.
It is not China or Russia
It is not another country
It is ourselves
We must deal with our internal issues
When Martin Luther King wanted change, he didn't ask the US to tear itself apart, he just wanted the US to be what it says it is in the Constitution
Her family's path:
Her Grandfather was a sharecropper in AL. He sold cotton one year and decided he needed "book learning" and asked others how to get it. He found a college and attended one year. The cotton money ran out. He asked the college what he could do to stay another year. He then heard about scholarships and the head of the college said they offered scholarships to men that wanted to be Presbyterian ministers and her Granddaddy said, "That was exactly what I had in mind!" This started a generation of learning & Presbyterians.
Q&A Session:
Talked about how she and George Schultze said Sec of State is the best job in government
Dream job? Used to say I wanted to be commissioner of the NFL.
Dream job? Used to say I wanted to be commissioner of the NFL.
Favorite books: King's Cross (About the Gospel of Luke). Likes John Grisham.
Leadership:
Tough times: the first challenge is how to get yourself out of bed, then inspire others.
Tough times: the first challenge is how to get yourself out of bed, then inspire others.
Get others to think about things differently.
Refer to how the institution faced prior challenges
Example: During the cold war.. You wouldn't think about the Berlin wall coming down.
Example: During the cold war.. You wouldn't think about the Berlin wall coming down.
If you are in charge, do not have your "hair on fire". It's not good for your team.
Exercise. Get sleep.
Spend time with family and friends.
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