Donovan's Blog

  World We Dare to Imagine   Initial Reaction I think Novogratz’s words are very optimistic and paint a good picture of what the world can and should be like. The concept of geography of community has changed significantly over the past few decades with globalization as communities become bigger and more connected. While this can result in the loss of culture and language, we have the ability to use this new connection as a means of helping one another. I like how she talks about how we all have the ability to help one another in some way. I would take it so far as to say that we have a social responsibility to do so. It’s often a responsibility forgotten or ignored, but extremely important nonetheless. She also touches on global structures and products that people haven’t created yet that we’re going to need in order to bring social equity to the world. I completely agree with that point and I think we’re going to need to devote many more resources than we currently do toward...

  For this random blog post, I’m going to write about my experience with a game I love, Lacrosse. I remember when I was starting to write my college essay in high school, my first idea was to write about lacrosse, but my counselor advised against it because high school sports is a pretty overused college essay topic. However unoriginal it may be, I’m going to lay out my history with lacrosse and explain why it’s been such a big part of my life. Firstly, if you’re not very familiar, lacrosse is like hockey, but on a field, and the ball is thrown around using sticks with mesh pockets. To a spectator that has never seen the sport played, it can seem confusing, but it’s a super fast-paced game with a lot of contact and action.  My relationship with lacrosse started in 6th grade when my mom took me to my first practice with the Hollywood Bears. Initially, I didn’t want to play because it didn’t seem that fun. But my brother had picked up the sport two years earlier and my mom thoug...

The book I am reading is The Wayfinders by Wade Davis . I am currently about ⅔ of the way through the book. So far, I have learned a lot from reading it and have enjoyed it so far. Although I haven’t finished it, I intend to finish the book by the end of next week. Recently, most of the books I’ve picked up have gotten a little boring, and I usually end up only getting about halfway through. I’m determined to finish this book for two reasons; I am reading it for class and was assigned to read it, and I think it has some valuable lessons consistently provided cover-to-cover.  I’m currently reading about the ancient cultures that lived and still live in and along the Andes Mountains in Peru and Colombia. Similar to the other cultures in the book, these Colombian groups have unique cultures and traditions with very unique and complex views of the world. Reading about their customs and their relationship with their natural surroundings, I think of how different our modern American cult...

  TO: Clark Hansen FROM: Donovan Econn, Research & Development DATE: October 21, 2022 SUBJECT: Investment Opportunity: Lululemon Athletica (LULU) For my weekly investment proposal, I propose that we don’t invest in the global apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica (“the company” or “Lululemon”). I will examine the following: Definitions of Terms Business Overview ESG Impact and Goals Criticism Final Recommendation Definitions I will use the following terms and their definitions throughout the memo to define the type of company in which AMDP looks to invest. Triple Bottom Line (TBL) The triple bottom line theory represents a shift from the traditional corporate focus of only profits to a commitment to equally prioritizing profits, people, and the planet. A company can adhere to the TBL theory by devoting resources to address its social and environmental impact on immediate and global communities. (Miller) Corporate Social Responsibility Like the TBL, corporate social responsibilit...

  The book I chose to read is The Wayfinders by Wade Davis. I chose this book because I knew little about the indigenous cultures the book focuses on, and I want to learn from them. So far, it’s been very enjoyable. I’ve read about the Polynesian cultures from New Zealand to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). It was cool to read about how much these isolated cultures on islands across the pacific shared in terms of culture and traditions. While they weren’t technologically advanced, their navigation skills are beyond belief, and their individual societies functioned better than many today.  I’m currently finishing his section on the cultures of the Amazon and the Anaconda people. One particularly interesting thing I learned was about Ayahuasca’s role in ceremonial traditions. One thing I could deal with a little less of in the book is the naming of random places that the author has visited. It feels like he just throws in names that don’t serve any purpose and just make him seem more ...

Why I like Milk I needed some creative inspiration to come up with an idea for this random blog post, so I made a trip to a local coffee shop next to the Caruso Center called Ministry of Coffee. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese and a coffee. I almost always get some modification of the same drink. It’s usually a latte with skim milk, but today I was feeling a little adventurous, so I went with whole milk over skim. I was sitting at this table thinking about the milk that I put in my overpriced coffee, and I figured I would write about it. While milk might seem like a mundane topic, there is plenty to discuss. I’m going to write a little about milk, its different applications, and why I like certain types more than others.    My History with Milk The idea to write about milk admittedly came to me seconds before starting this blog post, but that doesn’t mean I’m not very prepared to give you my two cents on the topic. Like many people, I was a big milk proponent in my younger...