Update - Week of 2/4/07-2/10/07

Wall Street Journal
No travel, no Wall Street Journal. Just your typical CNN.com, drudgereport.com, and Fortune Magazine reading.

Book - Fast Food Nation
Author - Eric Schlosser
Rating - 4 stars
Review - Honestly I thought this book was going to solely focus on the largest US fast food chain - McDonalds. It does to a degree, but this book covers so much more. History, Marketing, Franchising, Farming, Ranching, Slaughterhouses, Global Expansion... It paints a more complete image of the industry. Learning what goes into some of the products is gross and sounds unhealthy. That being said, who really ever thought fast food was good for you? I'll still eat a burger, and that won't change. I didn't realize this book came out in 2000. I have the revised edition with added "afterword" The author discusses how this book and the movie "Super Size Me" brought to light a lot issues to the public's eye. This afterword was added in 2002. He talks about some changes have resulted and how the industry started to plateau. He should actually now write a second "afterword." Many fast food chains exploded in growth in the last few years. Breakfast items being just one source that has only fattened the C level's pockets. Americans for the most part are lazy. That alone will continue to foster the development of fast food. We don't want things now, we wanted them already.

GMAT
I might study this evening, but can make no promises. Instead this weekend I drove down to Houston on Thursday and was able to spend time with my nephews and niece. Who are every bit adorable as ever.

MBA, Scholarships, Research more into what degree/focus and where I would like to attend
No major update to report. However I'm starting toy with idea of focusing on energy companies. I don't know if global warming is man made caused. Yes there are major reports being issued that state it is. By all means I do think this is an area we need to research, but I don't think we can pin point it to man made gasses yet. Animals release a lot of methane. The sun was actually very active in the 20th century, and only stabilized in 1999. Some scientists feel that when the sun becomes lazy again we may have a global cooling. No need to run on a tangent, I still feel the power industry is going to be growing and changing. Global warming gasses aside there is only so much coal and oil physically in this planet. Alternative resources are going to need to be researched and developed.

Songs (just something for you to enjoy..sorry if I repeat any ever)
1. Joseph Arthur "A Smile that Explodes"
2. Josh Joplin Group "I've Changed"
3. Josh Rouse "It's the Nighttime"

Update - Week of 1/28/07-2/3/07

Wall Street Journal
Well I didn't get through them and now that the news is several weeks old I went ahead and threw them out. That being said, don't think that I don't know what's going on in the world. I visit websites such as CNN and the Drudge Report daily. I also now subscribe to Fortune Magazine to read up on the business world.

Book - The Hummer and the Mini
Author - Robyn Waters
Rating - 2.5 stars
Review - This book discusses the dichotomy of the American population. We drive Hummers; we drive Minis. The book focused on paradoxes that exist when looking at trends, and urges the reader to use them to develop new products and services. Cell phones are getting complex, so a Nokia has made a very simple phone for calling only. The threat of global warming has made companies create more products for the environmentally conscious consumer. Companies are turning commodities into luxuries (think Starbucks). Why the low rating, because to me it was common sense. The author was discussing companies, products, and services I was already aware of. The material while easy to read, wasn't thought provoking. However, the author is the former VP of Trend, Design and Product Development of Target, or as the fancy folk call it...tarzhay

Book - The Ruins
Author - Scott Smith
Rating - 3.5 stars
Review - You may know this author as the one that wrote "The Simple Plan." I read that very book early in the fall on my flights to San Antonio. It was then, that someone next to me recommended I checkout his latest (13 years later to be exact). Story, basically tourists in Mexico go looking for a lost friend in an old Mayan area. They would soon be trapped by a vine...a vince that can think, a vine that adapts, and a vine that will eventually mimic their voices. Farfetched I know. Still it was suspenseful and I found the ending to be appropriate which is something I enjoy.

GMAT
Math, Math, and more math..I studied one weekday, and both Saturday and Sunday. It's coming along, but I've learned that there is more I need to learn. I'm not worried as I have months to come, but that being said I still need to improve quite a bit.

MBA, Scholarships, Research more into what degree/focus and where I would like to attend
No major update to report

Songs (just something for you to enjoy..sorry if I repeat any ever)
1. Greg Laswell "High and Low"
2. Old 97's "Buick City Complex"
3. Ian Moore "Satisfied"