Author Topic: Sometimes you just get lucky  (Read 419 times)

Offline Charon

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« on: September 29, 2004, 01:08:44 PM »
I spent the last three days covering a small meeting held at the University of Virginia. It was sponsored by an oil industry marketer association and an associate dean at the university’s McIntire School of Commerce, and had only 9 participants. From a work standpoint, the material was presented by high-powered academics, the select audience was made up of solid industry players, and I personally learned a lot while covering the event. Though, some of the financial CFO orientated stuff on business valuation might as well have been presented in a foreign language. The board joke about the pilot undergoing Airbus training: “I know how my dog feels when watching television” sprang to mind.

But, on to the fun stuff. The first night featured a private networking dinner, where the professor that was hosting the event invited a guest speaker from the university faculty to dine with us and take part in an informal discussion. The speaker was Philip Zelikow, the university’s director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs. He was also the Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission. Yes, THAT 9/11 Commission.

The conversation was “off the record” where I was concerned as a reporter, so I’m uncomfortable providing a great deal of detail particularly where he was asked to speculate about various areas beyond the scope of the report. The last thing I would want to see is some distortion being e-mailed to Newsmax, Drudge or Moveon.org with me as a source. Most of it is really covered in the report anyway, and there was nothing really earth shattering, but he was very talkative. In generally he talked about failures of imagination and bureaucratic communications, the fact that hindsight is not 20/20 -- it’s blinding -- and it can be hard to filter out the small but critical details that can get lost in the shadows. The importance of putting the events in the context of the time to increase fairness and accuracy.

He talked about the 9/11 commission process, the liklihood and timetable of another major attack, Clinton and Bush as individuals (he interviewed bush and took the notes during Clinton) with positives and criticisms of both, opinions on what could have been done and when, provided his views on what would be the perfect president (his center catalogs available presidential documentation) and a variety of similar issues.

I personally asked him about the current level of indigenous risk (from an established terrorist network) vs. hit and run operatives crossing the border. Much more external risk apparently. I brought up Iran (as we discussed recently). He clarified that the reformers were in a down cycle now, with some additional background. I also asked him about Richard Clarke’s book, which I just finished. He voiced opinions on the style and presentation, but not the accuracy of the content. I didn’t ask about specifics though.

But, it didn’t stop there. The hosting professor is a Jefferson fan, and was involved with the people that run Monticello through The Thomas Jefferson Foundation. He arranged for an after hours tour that included the upstairs and the Dome Room. This is usually off limits because of fire code regulations, but… :)

Really an exceptional few days.

Charon
« Last Edit: September 29, 2004, 01:35:22 PM by Charon »

Offline octospider0

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« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2004, 01:44:09 PM »
do you live here in C'ville?

very intresting meeting btw.

nm, I see you address of Chicago now
« Last Edit: September 29, 2004, 01:46:35 PM by octospider0 »

Offline Ripsnort

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« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2004, 01:54:24 PM »
Sounds interesting Charon. Are you a college reporter for your college paper ?

Offline Charon

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« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2004, 02:00:02 PM »
It seemed like a neat, historic university town when we were out an about, with plenty of neat coeds :). The rain the last two days put a damper on things a bit.

The first dinner meeting was actually held at Ciboulette, which is a French food shop downtown. But the owner likes to cook and our host (who is a good frined of his) arranged for a special french dinner after hours. The second night we ate at the C and O Restaurant, which served excellent food. I had an fantastic Cuban steak. We stayed at the Boar's Head Inn which also provided some historic atmosphere and, again, excellent food.

Charon

Offline Charon

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« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2004, 02:11:33 PM »
Quote
Sounds interesting Charon. Are you a college reporter for your college paper ?


No. I'm the senior editor for National Petroleum News, a 95-year-old publication covering the downstream petroleum industry. I write about oil policy, marketing and technology.

Charon

Offline Ripsnort

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« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2004, 02:15:46 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Charon
No. I'm the senior editor for National Petroleum News, a 95-year-old publication covering the downstream petroleum industry. I write about oil policy, marketing and technology.

Charon


Very neat!  :aok

Offline Curval

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« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2004, 02:26:43 PM »
You always struck me as a pretty smart cookie Charon.:aok
Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain

Offline Charon

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« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2004, 02:52:33 PM »
LOL, Thanks Curval. I’m just a curious guy with a lot of cynicism. Certainly not as smart as a guy like Zelikow :) You really learn how little you know as far as depth and detail is concerned in that type of company. Now, that doesn't mean all these Ivy League degreed guys have a great deal of common sense or real world experience. Some do, and some have only been involved in the theoretical since their first day as an undergrad. The professor who hosted the event works with industry companies on real world valuation and performance benchmarking, and provides a full package. I’ve came across others that overlook some fundamental realities that get in the way of textbook theory (they can also earn big $ supporting various positions for Major oil as credentialed third party experts in anti-trust hearings, etc.).  And I’ve met people without a college education who are as smart (and usually more effective at what they do) than any of them.

Actually, I have to advance my paper trail soon if I want to move to the next level.

Charon

Offline Nash

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« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2004, 03:01:57 PM »
Was this the thing that was presented by the Woodrow Wilson Institute?

Offline Charon

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« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2004, 04:05:41 PM »
Zelikow is the director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs and White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia. As I understand it, his Center collects and organizes the primary presidential records and documentation for past administrations for other academics to then use in their research.

The Zelikow party was just a casual dinner type of thing by the host professor, who asked a friend to come and enjoy a meal and a few bottles of wine and talk for a bit. I had no idea it was scheduled until I arrived at the hotel and picked up my packet. It was very informal. Apparently, he is usually a quite guy, but he was very involved with our group. The wine probably helped, but I imagine he doesn't get to talk to non-Washington or non-academic types that much which might have sparked his interest. He also asked us what issues are resonating in the public sector.

The professor that was hosting the event was an associate dean at the McIntire School of Commerce. It was a very effective meeting compared to most industry events, extraordinary in its own right, but it was focused on nuts and bolts financial and operational stuff. He brought in a couple of other staff members from the University including a University of Chicago degreed ex. Wall street trader who talked about investing and real estate, and a former RJR Reynolds executive, who was in charge of international development and who is now retired and lectures at the university, to talk about negotiation strategies.  

Another professor at McIntire to talked about leadership and decision making structures and used both 9/11 and Iraq as examples in a compare and contrast manner. The discussion was fairly apolitical with good and bad points addressed from the established current historical record, and much to my relief (and his as we discussed afterwards) it was civil, focused and an O’Club failed to break out :) Although I should have been more of an observer, it was hard not to contribute as my O’Club history might suggest. However, the group was small enough and informal enough that it was not out of place. I later turned the professor on to Hackworth’s Steel My Soldiers Hearts as an example of leadership where the good Lt. Col. turned a problem battalion of standard draftees into some of the top counter guerilla fighters in Vietnam.

Charon
« Last Edit: September 29, 2004, 04:07:55 PM by Charon »

Offline Nash

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« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2004, 04:43:49 PM »
"No. I'm the senior editor for National Petroleum News, a 95-year-old publication covering the downstream petroleum industry. I write about oil policy, marketing and technology."

Reason I asked is that I just helped put together a presentation for the Woodrow Wilson Forum on Energy Infrastructure. It happened in Washington this past Monday, and included the Deputy Secretary of Energy, the prez and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute and a ton of other folks like that.

Woulda been cool to hear that you ended up covering it.

Offline Charon

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« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2004, 05:43:25 PM »
You need to send us the release next time :) We primarily cover downstream petroleum, generally from the terminal to the retail site.

I work with API with some regualrity. In fact, my magazine helped in the promotion and founding of API around the time Woodrow Wilson was in the White House as a response to supply needs during WW1.  Most recently, we took a look at a study API had released by Andrew N. Kleit on zone pricing and non-price vertical restraints. The study took a major oil upstream perspective (as you would expect with most API materials), and I worked to fill in some of the downstream marketer/dealer perspectives that were dismissed or overlooked.

Charon

Offline Curval

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« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2004, 06:33:15 PM »
OMG.  Energy nerds!  

 :eek:

;)
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Offline Nash

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« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2004, 06:38:20 PM »
Lol...

No, I aint an energy nerd. In fact I didn't understand prolly 99% of it. But the budget was astronomical, and they got the best presentation they will probably ever give for the rest of their entire lives. :)

Offline Charon

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« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2004, 08:36:31 PM »
LOL.

It's fun on the board from time to time but if one more person asks me at a party: "So what's with those gas prices..." I'm going to shoot myself. I'd much rather discuss other nerdy subjects like Star Wars/Lucas reworkings, Tolkien/Peter Jackson reworkings or computer games :) Good thing I'm already married. And to think I used to be cool once.

Charon
« Last Edit: September 29, 2004, 08:39:14 PM by Charon »