Three weeks after returning to the United States from my latest tour of duty in Afghanistan, I arrived in Cambridge, Mass., to begin the midcareer master in public administration program at the Harvard Kennedy School . As the program began, I was introduced to my extraordinary classmates, representing more than 50 nations, who in many cases have traveled the globe tackling significant issues as diverse as environmental sustainment, health care, and international development. MORE FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL: National Journal’s Oral History Of Iraq & Afghanistan In Treating Trauma, Military Branches Out Army Struggles Toward Goal Of Wi-Fi Infantry For all of their fantastic experiences, however, very few have interacted with soldiers. Some classmates are from countries where the armed forces lack credibility, and some have perhaps been influenced by negative press reporting. As a veteran, I feel a sense of responsibility not only to make the most of the tremendous educational opportunity that I’ve been given but also to be an international ambassador for those serving in uniform. The question I get most often is, “What is it like?” Yet I’m never quite sure exactly what I’m being asked or how to respond. In conversations at school, there is often an uncomfortable silence when I reveal that I’ve just returned from “the war.” Many Kennedy School classmates and Cambridge residents have never even met a soldier, much less one involved in the fighting. The truth is, however, we are just like you. I, along with more than 80 other former or current veterans at the Kennedy School, share pasts similar to yours. We attended college. We played soccer and explored the outdoors. We have mothers who insist on making our favorite food, and fathers who enjoy giving us their advice. We love our wives and play Frisbee with our children. We have dreams and aspirations. As veterans, we represent the full diversity of not only the American people but also the international community. We are Democrats and Republicans, Muslims and Christians, Hispanics and African-Americans. We went to Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries to serve our nation when she called. We are you. Soldiers are not politicians. We did not choose this war; it was given to us. We weren’t asked our opinions, but we left our families–many of us multiple times–to fly halfway around the world to try to make a difference and support fledgling democracies. Many of us have buried friends or lost young men and women who were under our command. Most of us came home seemingly whole, but we all were forever changed. Some of the scars of old wounds are visible but others go deeper. Sitting at an outdoor café recently with a woman I’d just met, my back was to the road (mistake No. 1). I was relaxed and enjoying a mouth-watering steak when suddenly I heard an explosion directly behind me. My body, having survived five previous IED [improvised explosive device] attacks, involuntarily jerked toward the ground. Within a fraction of a second, I realized that I was in Cambridge and not Kabul. The explosion? It was only a car that had hit a noisy metal plate in the road. As I sheepishly looked at the concerned face of my new friend, she graciously offered to switch seats with me, so “you can see the cars as they approach.” She understood. Harvard purposefully creates an environment that allows us to open our minds and dissolve existing barriers. The faculty has accomplished the extraordinary task of eliminating discrimination, including gender, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation, which continue to divide other parts of our society. Slowly, the invisible divide between those who have served in the armed forces and those who have not is also disappearing. It is up to us, the student body, to bridge this final gap. When you meet veterans, or as Harvard President Drew Faust fondly calls us, “soldier-scholars,” on campus, put your preconceptions aside. Look for similarities instead of differences. Connect with us. Ask about our backgrounds. Listen. Leverage our experience and probe deeply to understand. Embrace us as part of your community. Unless you take the time to get to know us, you’ll miss what a national treasure we are. We are just like you. This essay first appeared in the Harvard Gazette .
A state of emergency was declared and the armed forces were summoned after a heavy storm left motorists stranded in their cars on a major Ontario highway for a second day.
Our behind-the-scenes look at the making of Aston Martin’s upcoming short films Like many brands, where car manufacturers once relied on lifelong customers, changing market factors (globalization as a whole, the Internet, etc.) has empowered buyers to venture beyond local car lots to find an automobile that truly speaks to their needs and desires. While Aston Martin ‘s reputation for luxurious motoring may be enough, at nearly a century old, the manufacturer hopes to engage a new generation of drivers with its series of interactive films centered around their new Rapide . (See the full story on the four-door sports car on CH here .) To check out how Aston Martin’s Marketing Director Markus Kramer and his staff are creating something beyond a clich
Wednesday is the six-month anniversary of the BP blowout that continues to devastate Gulf communities and remind us of our need to find new clean energy sources for our cars, homes and businesses.
Mexican police have identified 22 people who were kidnapped by gunmen in the Pacific resort town of Acapulco, and have found four cars they were riding in, state media reported.
Our video on the world’s only manufacturer of hand-built cars by Michael Tyburski For this video we traveled to Kensington, London to check out the sole dealership of Bristol , the only manufacturer in the world that still hand-builds cars. There we met with chairman and owner Tony Silverton, as well as spokesperson Ben Samuelson, who took us on a drive to learn about how they keep their classic aesthetic modern.
Bugatti’s lighter, more agile take on their carbon-fiber Veyron by Ariel Adams Debuting last weekend at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance , the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport sees luxury French automaker Bugatti improve upon their original version, the Veyron Super Sport . With enhanced aerodynamics and aesthetics, the 16.4 is an extravagant ride that will deceive you with its power and grace. I got to ride in one and can say that the Veyron 16.4 arguably offers the most extravagant riding experience available—deceiving you with grace and beauty inside the world’s fastest, and most powerful street legal car. The 16.4 Super Sport’s performance advancements include 1.4 lateral Gs (the gravitational force of a free fall) and its 1,200 horsepower will have you accelerating from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Additionally, driver Pierre Henri Raphanel utilized the 16-cylinder engine in breaking the Guinness World Record for fastest speed by a production car with a mind-blowing 267.8mph. Lighter than ever, the entire body and frame are made from high-tech carbon fiber, lifting roughly 110 pounds off the original model. Additionally, Bugatti has stiffened the super car’s suspension, giving the 16.4 an even sportier ride. Exterior color choices include blue with gray accents or a black with orange, (a color scheme found on Bugatti’s collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani), while interior details include milled metal parts, carbon fiber, layers of leather, and more. With a sleek sportiness that arguably only a European design can offer, the only major drawback to the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is its steep price tag ($2,000,000) and high maintenance cost (tires alone will set you back $25,000). So far, Bugatti has sold all five of the World Record Editions and plan on producing more models Fall 2010 with an electronically limited speed of 257.9 mph for tire protection.
Italian sports car design meets luxury horology in this new collaborative watch by Meehna Goldsmith With echoes of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4′s sexy curves, the Parmigiani Bugatti Super Sport watch is the latest high performance collaboration from the opulent French watchmaker and Italian sports car manufacturer. Working together since 2001, Parmigiani and Bugatti have created several successful timepieces, including the 2004 Bugatti Type 370 —a revolutionary watch that rests on a diagonal axis so drivers can read the time without having to turn their wrist. Designed for Bugatti’s 100-year anniversary, the sleek Super Sport borrows the 370′s well-fitted design while adding even greater aerodynamic styling by mocking the Bugatti Veyron’s streamlined wing. Like all of their watches, the Super Sport draws on Fibonacci’s Golden Ratio, using the mathematical formula’s spiral lines to create a perfectly-proportioned watch. Another design feat, flipping the mechanical components of the watch onto a vertical axis allows drivers to keep focus on the dial. Though the concept seems simple, the difficulty of configuring the dial’s direction against the watch’s movement makes it a triumph of engineering. By developing a 90-degree time setting system and integrating a system of double pinions with bevel gearing, Parmigiani again dramatically transformed the possibilities for watch design. While the watch has subtle Bugatti branding, the details speak more to the renowned design of the company, beginning with the shade of orange used on the watch hands, indexes and power reserve. Other signals include train wheels cut to resemble car wheels—visible through the piece’s six sapphire crystals—as well as balance and escape wheel bridges formed to mirror the Bugatti oval. All 337 individual parts of the watch are produced in-house at Parmigiani, with the exception of the Hermes crystals and band. Produced in a limited edition of 30 pieces in 18kt white gold, the Parmigiani Bugatti Super Sport retails for $259,000 at selected authorized dealers around the world.
New technology takes the turbulence out of driving with the top down When Mercedes-Benz unveiled their brand-new Aircap technology in their 2011 E-Class Cabriolet at last February’s NYC Fashion Week , I knew I wanted to check it out for myself. As someone who always saw the appeal of convertibles as spoiled by hair whipping in my face, I was curious to see if it actually worked. I had the perfect opportunity when Mercedes lent me the E-Cab for a day trip to the Barnes Foundation (a spot I highly recommend visiting) outside of Philadelphia, PA. Activated with just a push of a button in the center console, the Aircap technology makes the smooth and luxurious ride that you’d expect from the luxury car all the more so for all of its passengers. While the experience isn’t completely wind-free, the small windshield spoiler and rear screen creates a pleasantly breezy and more quiet interior for chatting, listening to music, talking on the phone over the built-in Bluetooth, or just communing with the open road. The feeling of joy and freedom that comes with driving is what the device is really all about—cruising down the highway, with the wind licking at your hair (not blowing it in your face) and sunlight pouring in the car. For lead-foots like me, Aircap automatically adjusts according to speed, significantly decreasing the wind flowing through the cabin, even at speeds over 60 mph. With the new technology, you might be inclined to keep the top down all year long. Fortunately, Mercedes thought of that too. In cooler weather, Aircap also works to keep cold air out of the cabin, and combined with Airscarf, a heating system at the often-ignored neck level, you can still keep warm while getting all the benefits of owning a convertible. Available only from Mercedes-Benz , Aircap can be found in the new E-Class Cabriolet, with a sticker price of a little over $56,000 (give or take a few thousand for various customizations). Airscarf is also available in the E-Class as well as other models.
Our video with Ford’s voice recognition engineer reveals sweeping improvements to their MyFord interface The latest news from Nuance , whose voice technology powers the SYNC-powered MyTouch system. The system’s benefit remains the same—it easily controls the car’s climate, entertainment, navigation and phone systems without having to take your hands off of the steering wheel or eyes off of the road. This evolution achieves two important goals that improve how voice recognition works. Though the system’s voice still sounds like a computer, it makes a huge leap towards more natural speech and tone. Secondly, the system’s vocabulary has grown exponentially from 100 to 10,000 first level commands, which makes talking to the interface more natural too. Changing the temperature, for example, can now be achieved by any number of phrases, such as “increase temperature,” “temp warmer” or “make hotter.” Learn more in our video above with Brigitte as she demonstrates some of the features in a production model of the 2011 Ford Edge.
