Pangea Perspectives

Saturday we celebrated Pangea Day along with thousands of others around the world. It was 4 hours of film broadcasted via satellite, internet and mobile phones - with the intention of seeing the world from another person's viewpoint. It all came together thanks to a filmmaker with a little wish and a little grant from TED. Watch some excerpts if you get a chance. It's like when "We are the World" came out but way better. I joke (mainly because of the dramatic drum circle at the end), but in all seriousness there are some very moving and inspirational perspectives as well as some lighthearted laughs. In particular, for the DC crowd riding the metro everyday, check out this little number. I hope it takes off and becomes an annual event. Enjoy the perspective.

A strange little land

Back in the fall, elections were held in Switzerland and news was made with an ad campaign involving a little black sheep. Look closely below and you will see the little guy is getting kicked out of the land of cheese and chocolates. It doesn't take a translation to get the gist, but it says "to create security."



In recent weeks, a new version has appeared - perhaps a little more subtle, but still quite offensive. It's as if those hands are reaching into a candy jar of Swiss ID cards and are about to be slapped by the candy monitor. I have spotted at least 5 of these billboards in the area -- just blocks from the UN and what is suppose to be the heart of peace, neutrality and tolerance...Interesting.

All the places I have been

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Here's a fun little app. I still think real maps are much more fun - my grandaddy had a map of all his travels when I was growing up. Guess it's in my blood! And I suppose this is further proof to all of you who tease me about all of my travels - yes, I am STILL actually in grad school. But of course open to suggestions for my final days in Europe :)

Greece

The trip to Greece was amazing - huge thanks to mom for a beautifully done trip to celebrate (yet again) her 60th and their 40th wedding anniversary and my pre-graduation. I'm kind of enjoying this deal and hoping we can celebrate again this summer when I graduate with my MBA - and then again in December when I graduate with my MPP. That's how it works, right Mom?

We started in Athens and did the obligatory Acropolis, Parthenon and all that jazz. (See the nice pic of dad and I at the Acropolis). Then we headed to Meteora where there are beautiful monasteries built on the mountain tops - one of the highlights from the trip. Legend has it that the stains on the rock formations are the tears shed by all the monks for mankind - regardless, it is just stunning. If you are lucky enough to time it right (as we did) you can miss the tour buses and experience the peace and quiet on top of the mountains looking out to the valley.

Then we went to Delfi, considered the naval of the earth and home to the Oracle. Unfortunately, mom has all of the pics from that part of the trip including documentation that Greece does in deed have 4 BILLION olive trees.

Then we headed to Olympia where my dad and I raced on the Olympic stadium field - perhaps the highlight of the trip for me as I got inspired for the marathon! We met "George" and another "George's" sister - both of which have carried the Olympic torch. I was kind of doubting their story only because everyone seemed to be named George, but the stories seem to check out. It's just that everyone is named George. Anyway, I bet George and George are glad to not be carrying the torch this year. Oh, and Mom played "Where is Waldo" while exploring the ruins. Can you spy her???

We ended the road trip in Nafplion, the old capital city close to Mycenae. And then had the grand finale in Santorini where we stayed in Oia, hiked and enjoyed great sunset views of the volcano and the white buildings built into the mountain sides. Enjoy the pics! The last one is my favorite, and no it has not been photo shopped ;)

Paris!

It's official - I'm a three time marathon finisher - Austin, Chicago and now Paris. It was a beautiful race that went through the heart of Paris starting on the Champs-Elysées and winding through beautiful gardens with views of the Eiffel Tower.

While I did not make my time goal, I did finish faster than before and was on target to make my goal or close to it until the last bit. But most importantly – I enjoyed it even despite a couple of little hiccups, including hail and almost fainting! I finished in 4 hours 49 minutes.

I hit the "wall" at the 30K, a bit earlier than I expected. But the Geneva crew was there to cheer me on! I pulled through with lots of orange slices and the notes from Mom and Dad filled with laughs from Greece and inspiration. Thankfully, I was in good spirits when the hail hit shortly after! I ran the last 8 miles smiling and even encouraging a first time NY marathon runner with Team in Training. Actually, I think she beat me in the end – good for her!

Here is a pic from the start with Rocco, Gio and Ivy. Congratulations!

3 Weeks to Paris

It's official, I did my last big long run today. I'm finally tapering! I did 30K/18M solo, which was a true test of my body, mind and spirit after having just recently recovered from the flu. I pulled every trick in the book to get the job done, but enjoyed the challenge. Special thanks to Coach Kel and Amy, my old running buddy, both there in spirit whether they realized it or not. I ran Austin with Kel and Chicago with Amy so they have a special place in my running heart. They are two of the most energetic, inspiring runners I know. I would not be the runner I am today if I hadn't met them. So a big thank you! I'm taking you to Paris with me as well ;) I'm off to Greece for a 10 day vacation with the PlowParents this weekend, so we'll see what that does for my running...

Chocolate and Women

I attended a great event at a multinational corporation (let's call it "Chocolate" for the purposes of this). It was all about creating "shared value" in the communities it works in. As a former PR pro, I was skeptical. I know good spin when I see it. But I've also had opportunities to work with amazing leaders who believe in good business, so I can spot those pretty quick as well and Chocolate had some good eggs.

The company has been heavily criticized over the years for promoting infant formula in developing countries in the 70s - and rightfully so (and by now if you're bright you've broken the code of Chocolate). But today, it seems to have a good formula. There approach is beyond compliance, philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and all other buzz words. Their values are incorporated into their business model, something that many claim, but fail to deliver. Case and point: another giant that rhymes with "lap." They're great at CSR by many standards, but their business model fundamentally limits their ability to control issues like child labor because of price pressures and supply chain setups. (Of course, I'm over simplifying for the purposes of not boring you with a rant and more code words, but you get the point.)

So I clearly drank the Chocolate water and and am a beliver that big companies are not all bad. Granted, they are certainly not perfect...and many are far from it. But maybe they would be closer to perfect if there was just more chocolate. Profound, I know.

Now for the women part...At the event, it also came to light that the women's movement somehow missed Switzerland. (which has nothing necessarily to do with Chocolate.) I think I've mentioned before, there are actually cantons in Switzerland that just gave women the right to vote in the 90s! Unbelievable. In job interviews here (as in other countries) it is perfectly normal to ask a woman what her plans are for having children. Now while there is something to be said for being transparent, something tells me they don't actually ask men that question... Certainly if I decided to start a revolution and become the next Gloria Steinem, I would not necessarily kick it off in Switzerland, but there does seem to be some work here.