It is pretty well know that the French don’t like the US despite their history of working together to kick the British out of the US or their current president’s pro-US stance.
So it is very ironic that while I was sitting in the Paris Hilton I noticed that many of the channels carried bad US television dubbed into french. Don Johnson in Nash Bridges, Party of Five and The Flintstones movie.
Of course, Jerry Lewis is a comic icon in France. So maybe it is not that ironic …..
One of the weirdest things about the UK is the lack of house numbers. Instead, the homes retain their old designations: Perrys Cottage, Cottage on North Hill, Bronhaul (Welsh) .. Sorry, nope, No house number. Marly House and on and on. Last night we went to Chestnut house. The Tom Tom took us to the entry of the road then in the dark we were left looking for signs ….. We found Chestnut house 40 buildings down.
Good luck finding something! Thank goodness they have postal codes (which are ALMOST accurate). Can you imagine the cost to training the post office delivery guys? Where the heck is Perrys Cottage, Climping, UK? And believe you me, that is EXACTLY how they address them.
A few weeks ago we held a management offsite in Chipping Campden in the Cotswold. It was a gorgeous town (which the locals tell me is visited heavily by Americans in the summer) and I found an hour to wander around:
Chipping Campden is a small market town within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its elegant terraced High Street, dating from the 14th – 17th centuries.
A rich wool trading centre in the Middle Ages, Chipping Campden enjoyed the patronage of wealthy wool merchants (see also wool church). Today it is a popular Cotswold tourist destination with old inns, hotels, specialist shops and restaurants. The High Street is lined with honey-coloured limestone buildings, built from the mellow locally quarried Cotswold stone, and boasts a wealth of fine vernacular architecture. At its centre stands the Market Hall with its splendid arches, built in 1627.
Other attractions include the grand early perpendicular wool church of St James – with its medieval altar frontals (c.1500), cope (c.1400) and vast and extravagant 17th century monuments to Sir Baptist Hicks and family – the Almshouses and Woolstaplers Hall.The Court Barn near the church of St James is now a museum celebrating the rich Arts and Crafts tradition of the area.(See below)
A few pictures from the local street. The fascinating thing, many British towns look like this … magnificent. You can read a more detailed history here.
The pub across the street.
A place to catch the bus … Random fact, many of the buildings had windows that had been filled in (with stone) as building taxation was in part influenced by the number of windows in your building. Look at the roof, amazing.
I found myself standing and just looking down the street … even on a cloudy day, a marvelous view.
Imagine living here in medieval times and seeing St. James chapel in the distance. What a magnificent site for the average farmer. I saw the top of the church and made that way with haste.
Again, what an amazing roof.
The road to the church.
This is an Almshouse or a place where the poor (widows, elderly) could live, which were supported by the church. From what I can ascertain, these were built by the Earl of Gainsborough, Sir Baptist Hicks as he bestowed his wealth on the church. Interestingly enough, if you read the above entry you will see that the title is still held by a 57 year old man (Earl .. sorry). Imagine … being able to trace your history back that far and see what your family left behind.
A view of the manor house that was built in the 1600s. The history:
Sir Baptist Hicks’ new manor house was built at a cost of £44.000 in the very latest style and with superb gardens. Towards the end of the Civil War, in 1645, it was burned to the ground by order of the Royalist commander, Prince Rupert, in order to prevent it falling into the hands of the Parliamentary forces. The Gatehouse and two Banqueting Houses or pavilions remain together with some ruins of the house, beside the Church. It is said that Lady Juliana Noel, Sir Baptist’s heir and widow of Edward Noel, second Viscount Campden, lived afterwards in the converted stables, now called the Court House in Calf Lane.
The manor gates.
This car parked in front of the church made for quite the contrast. Sandstone and … pink?
The tithe house is what the gate says (The front of the almshouse).
St Jame’s is one of the finest wool churches in the area:
There was a Norman church on this site before 1180, though it was much smaller than the present one. It consisted of a squat tower, a nave about the same length as today, but without aisles, and a lower, shorter chancel with a pitched roof. About 1260 the Norman church began a slow transformation that was to last nearly 250 years
The chancel was rebuilt, the North aisle constructed with arches to balance the the 13th century south aisle and the south porch was added together with the windows and battlements of both aisles. About 1490 the nave was reconstructed with its magnificent arcading built on the foundations of the old Norman nave. The great window over the chancel arch was added, a rare feature of church architecture, which provides wonderful light for the nave. About 1500, the noble West tower was built, adding grace and proportion to the whole. At 120 ft. in height it ensures that the Church is a landmark from whatever direction Campden is approached.
There is a peal of eight bells, whose dates vary from 1618 to 1737, they were recast and rehung in 1987. The clock mechanism, dated 1695, is now stored under the arch of the tower, having been replaced in 1962.
It is thought that there were stained glass windows dating from the 15th century, but these have disappeared and only fragments remain. The fine East Window by Henry Payne was completed in 1925 in memory of those who fell in the Great War. The window over the chancel arch represents the last judgment.
Preserved behind glass are wonderful survivals from the days before the Reformation: the unique pair of Altar Frontals (c.1500) and the Cope (c.1400). The Altar Frontals were copied by command of Queen Mary for the High Altar of Westminster Abbey for the coronation ceremony in 1912.There are fine 15th century brasses, now secured to the Chancel Floor, the largest of which commemorates William Grevel "…flower of the wool merchants of all England…" The finely carved canopied tomb of Sir Thomas Smythe is on the North wall in the sanctuary and is the most remarkable in the church. He was Lord of the Manor of Campden until his death in 1593. He lived at the court of Henry VIII and was the first Governor of the East India Company.
The Jacobean pulpit and Flemish lectern are gifts from Sir Baptist Hicks, whose ornate tomb is in the Gainsborough Chapel.
I walked into the chapel and just did not feel right about photographing other than the below. Instead, I spent some time in silence. In the corner (cannot be seen) are the tombs of local wool merchants which are magnificent but seem rather odd in a church, rather presumptuous that they were so important that they need to be remembered within the church? There was a nice gentleman sitting at the entrance with his dog watching over the place as people walked in and out. I left just as 3 classes of 6 year old students entered ….
Surrounding the church is the graveyard. Appears the locals have surveyed the site which you can view here. The oldest recorded is 1674 with many dates unknown.
It was a busy hour.
The sunrise this morning … note the distinct lack of snow. Eight degrees and sunny (smile).
Over the past months it has been reinforced with me that when something is easy, it is seldom right. One could take this and apply the biblical statement of ‘But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it’ or look to the Robert Frost poem for assurance ….
The Road Not Taken
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20
In some things I have taken the easy path, while in others the harder path. A good reminder and something to ponder.
A few weeks ago on our way to a John Lewis to buy a sofa we noticed a tourist sign on the highway notifying people about the miniature village Bekonscot. So on our return we stopped and had a lot of fun exploring the miniature village and the surrounding town. The history of Bekonscot:
The paths may be narrow and the buildings 77 years old, but Bekonscot remains an intriguing, unique and eccentric folly. It was the vision of an archetypal English gentleman wanting to create something unlike anything seen before. Bekonscot is not just remarkable to the millions who have visited and fallen under its whimsical charm, but also the countless thousands who benefit from its fundraising.
Bekonscot began as a hobby for Roland Callingham, a London accountant. He bought a meadow of several acres next to his home in Beaconsfield in the mid-1920s to expand his garden. The high society and gentry of London would come to garden parties and tennis games held in the grounds. In the mid-1920s, he and his head gardener Tom Berry built some model houses as a feature of the alpine garden to the simple scale of one inch to one foot (1:12 scale, now the accepted size for dolls houses worldwide).
Wikipedia writes:
Bekonscot in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, is the oldest model village in the world.
It portrays aspects of England mostly dating from the 1930s. Bekonscot has been run by the Church Army since 1978 and donates large amounts of money to charity. It has raised the equivalent of £4,000,000 so far and has hosted 14,000,000 visitors.
Bekonscot is acknowledged to be the inspiration for many other model villages and miniature parks across the world, including Babbacombe, Madurodam, and Legoland Windsor. As such, it is regarded as the "grandfather" of the model village and miniature park movement.
What is amazing about this village is the ingenuity and complexity. To engineer a village of this magnitude in the early 1900’s and then to automate it must have been quite the feat. Part way through the town you come across the control center which is fascinating. A few computers now run the system but all around the room are the original controls, levers and systems that were used to automate the village. The best way to describe it is to think of how big mainframes were in the 1970s and how small they are now. You can read more the village on the official website.
I found the sign at the entrance quite interesting, more than 14M visitors!
The history of the village and the ChurchArmy is also interesting. Note, not to be confused with the Salvation Army …
The detail is remarkable. Every few minutes, this house would smoke!
A view over the lake. Note the smoking house in the background.
Bekonberry Castle, even miniature villages in the UK have more than one castle!
And how they love their Guinness. These are WW II signs. I would suggest a minor wording change ‘Guinness provides the perception of strength’.
Good fun. Glad we stopped.
I have been playing with a range of devices recently and am amazed at the innovation. My tried and true mobile companion for the last few years has been the PALM TREO 680 running Windows Mobile. It is a great device – great battery life, touch screen (which I like) and a great keyboard (keyboards are all about feel and personal preference).
But there are a few new devices that are really catching my eye:
functioned and another great keyboard. Really like the design and color choices also.
So many choices ….
I blogged about reading Tuesdays with Morrie. In the book, the author talks about Morrie’s interviews with Ted Koppel and how Ted started out uptight and aloof but slowly let his collar down.
You can watch the videos here. Very interesting, brings life to the book.
Sent to me by a Brit …
After having dug to a depth of 10 meters last year, Ontario scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.
Not to be outdone by Ontario, in the weeks that followed, Quebec scientists dug to a depth of 20 meters, and shortly after, headlines in the Que. newspapers read: "Quebec archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than Ontario."
One week later, "The Telegram", a St. John’s, Newfoundland newspaper reported the following: "After digging as deep as 30 meters in Tatey fields near Krinkle Kove, Jarge Krump, a self taught archeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Jarge has therefore concluded that 300 years ago Newfoundlanders were already using wireless."
While at Dover Castle I came across ‘A Last Appeal to Reason’ by Adolf Hitler in the secret war tunnel reception area. What stuck me was the the title – appeal to reason – Adolf Hitler? An oxymoron?
Of course, I had to read it and found part of it here. Which lead me on a bit of an interesting journey – seems this site is one of those ‘there was no holocaust’ sites with all the usual nonsense about how the pictures of concentration camps are fakes. As you can see here, they have many interesting posts on different historical events. The write up on the Battle of Britain is interesting as is the essay on the treatment of POWs by the Allies (Sadly – barbarism during war is never one sided – so this is not that much of a stretch to believe).
The write up ‘Something of an enigma’ is practically interesting as it claims that much of the WWII footage is a fraud:
THE SICKEST FRAUD OF ALL
One of the sad and sickest frauds of the wartime movie makers is the celebrated footage of the D-Day landings. This was doctored for US General Eisenhower. This footage was filmed during ‘training exercises’ at Slapton Sands in Devon when during the landings American troops opened fire on their own compatriots struggling ashore from landing craft. It is estimated that just fewer than one thousand GIs were killed during this exercise. The US infantrymen’s bodies seen by cinemagoers floating in the waves were killed by their own side, not by German troops.
Jerome Kuehl, the leading television producer and author, an associate producer on the Thames Television World at War series, has revealed many wartime film frauds. He admitted that even he has been taken in by film footage and believes that film from the Battle of Stalingrad was stage-managed after the Russian victory.
A quick search of the web found the following explanation:
The Memorial
Although peaceful today, the area around Slapton sands and the Ley (lake) behind were a battle training ground in preparation for the 1944 D-Day landings. Many of the farms and villages in the area were vacated by the inhabitants from 1943 to allow the US army to train.
On the beach at Slapton sands stands a granite memorial to men killed during a training session which went disastrously wrong when it was attacked by German boats. The inscription reads;
Dedicated by the United States of America in honor of the 749 men of the 4th Infantry Division, the 279th Combat Engineers, and the 70th Tank Battalion, United States Army, who, along with crew members of the eight landing ships, U.S. Navy, perished off the coast of Slapton Sands, Torcross, while participating in Operation Tiger, April 26-28 1944. A training exercise in amphibious landings, Operation Tiger was a prelude to the invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. This joint rehearsal by British and American forces resulted in a military tragedy in which the support convoy was attacked during the early morning hours by German schnellboots. The surprise attack resulted in the loss of several fully loaded and manned landing craft.
May these men rest in the knowledge that the lessons of this tragedy added significantly to the ability of the Allies to carry out the successful invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. May these soldiers and sailors be remembered for their supreme sacrifice for the Allied cause in World War II.
Interestingly enough, the village tourism site makes no reference to the tragedy.
The web is one interesting place.
We jumped off the plane from Bora Bora, had a nights sleep and then took our parents (Narda’s mom and dad) on a trip to see Hampton Court Palace. History has it that the Archbishop siphoned off a load of church money to build it for himself until Henry VIII took it over. Amazing how church leadership corruption plays such a pivotal part in history. The details here:
Thomas Wolsey, then Archbishop of York and Chief Minister to the King, took over the lease in 1514 and rebuilt the 14th-century manor house over the next seven years (1515–1521) to form the nucleus of the present palace. Wolsey spent lavishly to build the finest palace in England at Hampton Court, which he was later forced to give to Henry as he began to fall from favour.
Tudor sections of Hampton Court, which were later overhauled and rebuilt by Henry VIII, suggest that Wolsey intended it as an ideal Renaissance cardinal’s palace in the style of Italian architects such as il Filarete and Leonardo da Vinci: rectilinear symmetrical planning, grand apartments on a raised piano nobile, classical detailing. Jonathan Foyle has suggested (see link) that it is likely that Wolsey had been inspired by Paolo Cortese’s De Cardinalatu, a manual for cardinals that included advice on palatial architecture, published in 1510. Planning elements of long-lost structures at Hampton Court appear to have been based on Renaissance geometrical programs, an Italian influence more subtle than the famous terracotta busts of Roman emperors by Giovanni da Maiano that survive in the great courtyard (illustration, right above). Hampton Court remains the only one of 50 palaces built by Henry VIII financed from The Reformation.
The palace was appropriated by Wolsey’s master, Henry VIII, in about 1525, although the Cardinal continued to live there until 1529. Henry added the Great Hall — which was the last medieval Great Hall built for the English monarchy — and the Royal Tennis Court, which was built and is still in use for the game of real tennis, not the present-day version of the game. This court is now the oldest Real Tennis Court in the world that is still in use.
A few pictures of the day. Walking in ….
The entrance as you cross the bridge:
A picture in the great room .. note the tapestry. Sorry, a bit dark, no flash allowed.
The horn room where the pages and serving staff would wait.
Throughout the palace are sculptures and paintings of Greek gods. In many cases, the nobles of the time (King Henry VIII) are depicted in the paintings as the Greek gods (Mercury, etc.). They had quite the high opinions of themselves. What is a bit ironic is the fact that it was a church Archbishop who had the place built yet there is Greek mythology everywhere …
The gardens encompass more than 60 acres and are inhabited by Canadian geese and deer. Below I am looking upon a HUGE man made lake (which is a long rectangle)
In an attempt to affiliate themselves with the conquering Romans and their triumphant history, Caesar and other Roman leaders are represented in the walls (like the below) and in 9 canvases labeled the Triumphs of Caesar (Painted by Andrea Mantegna in the late 1400s and considered some of the most important works of the Italian Renaissance).
The clock court yard.
A carving as you leave the palace.
Our son’s birthday is coming up and the question always arises, what to do with 10 energetic boys that results in our house not being turned upside down? We were pondering taking the boys to a laser tag place when I came across the Laser Challenge Pro in Costco.
I am always skeptical of these types of toys. My ‘inner child’ wants them to work but my adult logic knows that there is a very low probability that they will work as promised. Often, they are very breakable or the quality is poor or they just do not work as advertised and quickly end up on a shelf to await the next garage sale.
So I bought 2 boxes (Each box contains 2 lasers) to test. The logic being that if they work we will take the money that we were going to spend on laser tag, buy more of these and run the game around the park. This also lets us keep the lasers (smile).
It was Saturday afternoon, an overcast day, threat of rain (But no snow!). Out we went, drawing the neighbor boy into our game so the teams would be even. Will they work?
After about 10 minutes, a resounding yes:
I am sure that the neighbors found it funny watching me running around with the kids and a laser, but who cares. That is what life is about and it was a ton of fun (and good exercise).
A very cool toy. A definite step up from what my brother and I used as kids – a stick. Oh, to be a kid again …
I was passing through US customs the other day and started to have a friendly chat with the officer as there was no one else in line and I was stuck on a 3 hour layover.
I walked up and said hello followed by a quick ‘How is your day going?’. He responded ‘A nutty day and I am tired’. I responded ‘Know what you mean, just got off the plane and am exhausted’.
Instantly, his eyes twinkled and there was a rush of testosterone as he sensed a challenge ‘Oh yah? How long have you been up?’ I could sense it, he thought he had me and he was thinking ‘Yah, whatever Mr. just got out of business class after your 4 hour flight and custom served meal’.
HA! (I thought to myself).
‘Well, lets see, in your time? I would have got up at about …. (calculating with my fingers) .. 1AM your time’ (It was 3PM at that point).
Clearly dejected he responded ‘Oh, that is early. I was up at 3AM’. (SUCKER, said my inside voice doing a dance of victory).
I decided to throw the poor guy a bone ‘3AM? That is brutal and one heck of a long shift – after all, I was just sitting on my butt for 11 hours, you were working! I hope you are off soon’
Perking up, getting back some sense of a win ‘Yah, it was crazy and I am not off for another 4 hours, overtime’.
OK, I am a little curious, ‘Why was it crazy, it is a Monday?’
He explains ‘Because the illegals try to get back in after thanksgiving’ . Interesting. When I think illegal alien, I am thinking European or South American, so I ask ‘What is your most exotic location that someone was from today?’
He thinks for a minute and of course asks a clarifying question, ‘Most exotic?’ .. ‘Yep, where is the most exotic location someone came from trying to get in?’
Now at this point I am curious, will he mention Libya or Sri Lanka or Mexico or Brazil, or something. After all, it was a CRAZY day. He continues to think, the suspense builds and finally he hits me with it ….
TORONTO.
I look at him. Laughed. Then say good-bye.
A joke email sent to me, and too good to pass up …..
Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife’s grandfather. While my wife’s brother and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:
A JC Penney catalog from 1977. It’s not often blog fodder just falls in my lap, but this was two solid inches of it, right there for the taking. I thumbed through it quickly and found my next dining room set, which is apparently made by adding upholstery to old barrels … And I am totally getting this for my bathroom:
There’s plenty more home furnishings where those came from, however I’m not going to bore you with that. Instead, I’m going to bore you with something else. The clothes.The clothes are fantastic.
Here’s how to get your ass kicked in elementary school:
Here’s how to get your ass kicked in high school:
This kid looks like he’s pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.
Here’s how to get your ass kicked on the golf course:
This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can’t see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block.
Here’s how to get your ass kicked pretty much anywhere:
Here’s how to get your ass kicked at the beach:
He looks like he’s reaching for a gun, but you know it’s probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.
How to get your ass kicked in a meeting:
If you wear this suit and don’t sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you’d be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit.
How to get your ass kicked on every day up to and including St. Patrick’s Day
I don’t believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you’re working as a body guard for the Lucky Charms leprechaun.
In this next one, Your Search For VALUE Ends at Penneys, as does your search for chest hair. And this — Seriously. No words.
Oh wait, it turns out that there are words after all. Those words are What. The _____??? I’m guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. The little tie must be the pull tab.
Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, I’m guessing that in 1977 it was considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. These couples look happy, don’t they?
I am especially fond of this one, which I have entitled "Cowboy Chachi Loves You Best."
And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and a blonde girl with a look on her face that says "I love the way your junk fights against that fabric."
Then, after the lovin’, you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:
I could go on, but I’m tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it’s the colors. That said, I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:
Man, that’s sexy.
There will be no word of the day. That is silly.
This article was forwarded to me and I had to blog it for future reference:
The German World War II general Erich von Manstein is said to have categorized his officers into four types.
The first type, he said, is lazy and stupid. His advice was to leave them alone because they don’t do any harm.
The second type is hard-working and clever. He said that they make great officers because they ensure everything runs smoothly.
The third group is composed of hardworking idiots. Von Manstein said that you must immediately get rid of these, as they force everyone around them to perform pointless tasks.
The fourth category are officers who are lazy and clever. These, he says, should be your generals.
The full articleis worth reading and applicable well beyond management. An old boss of mine often referred to it as ‘busy work’. He would ask ‘Are you doing busy work or are you selling?’.
Today, too many people feel a sense of accomplishment from having an empty inbox (I admit, it is nice) or from being ‘busy’. Too many people are ‘too busy’ to attend a training course to make them a better manager or sales rep. Too busy, too busy, too busy.
On a personal note, it is something I have pondering over the last week after I received an interesting piece of feedback – that I was hierarchical. Probing found that the person meant that while I was speaking with someone, I rudely broke off the conversation to engage in another conversation when someone higher up the line came by.
Upon reflection (other than realizing that I was a rude jerk for doing that, because I am not hierarchical in nature – far from it), I realized it was due to speed. Chances are I just flipped the switch and went down another track to deal with something not thinking about the casual conversation I was engaged in. My speed (being too busy) results in me shedding some of the finer points of etiquette to execute faster. Sad.
The best sales reps watch movies … time for me to watch a movie …. And taking that advice, I just watched 2 episodes of Supernatural (I really enjoy this show), Battlestar Galactica Razor (BEST show on TV), Transformers (yawn), Evan Almighty (Heart warming) and Live Free or Die Hard (His jumping off the bridge onto the jet was a little too much, but all in all – a very entertaining movie).
I attended a leadership offsite a few weeks ago at Tylney Hall. Like all of Britain, there are few locations which do not have generations of history and I continue to marvel. The history of Tylney Hall:
Tylney Hall is a Grade II listed mansion with beautiful gardens of significant historic interest. Stroll along the Vista lined with giant redwoods – it offers the longest, uninterrupted view of the Hampshire countryside; inhale the heady fragrance in the Rose Garden; trail your fingers in the exquisite Water Gardens; and enjoy the view of the lake from the boathouse bridge. The current house dates from 1898 and served as a hospital during the First World War, later becoming a private school.
A few pics (via low quality cell phone):
The event was well facilitated and I took away a few great leadership / management tidbits to ponder, leverage, implement:
My E faced left.
My last Bora Bora post.
One thing that I noticed while in Tahiti was the number of men dressing like women. I found it interesting that I came across 3 working among the staff in only a few days. I was surprised at the tolerant nature of such a small society.
Turns out, it is part of their culture. One of our traveling companions found out that the ‘mahu’ or ‘third sex’ hold a very special place in the Polynesian society:
In the South Pacific island paradise of Tahiti – traditionally a conservative place with a missionary background – reporter Trevor Bormann finds a society that’s not only multi-cultural and multi-lingual – it’s also multi-sexual. He meets the Mahu – Polynesia’s ‘third sex’: people of ‘ambiguous gender’ who physically remain men but act like women.
The Mahu have been a part of Polynesian life for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. ‘Its always been the case in some families that the eldest boy would be raised as a girl’ says Bormann. ‘The Mahu take on traditional female roles like cooking and helping to raise the children.’
Mahu are not just tolerated in Tahiti culture, they hold a very special place in it. They are thought to possess the virtues of both men and women. In modern Tahiti effeminate men are maintaining the custom and role with pride.
‘I am proud of being a Mahu because in Polynesia we belong and we are recognized in this society’, says Coco, a Mahu. ‘We belong in everyday life.’
Read more here. Interesting.
You read about Saudi Arabia and what goes on there and you wonder? They allow no religious freedom, no rights to women, no freedom of the press, no democracy and the monarchy rapes and pillages the local wealth. We support them why? (We all know why, oil. But still, why?)
In the latest atrocity, the Saudi courts (which are based on Islamic law) have decided to punish a woman who was raped with 200 lashes and a jail term. The punishment was increased for "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.” And if that is not enough, they also took away her lawyer’s license.
Read about it here. Good thing that Saddam was taken out. After all, he was the dictator, right? Read what Amnesty International has to say on Saudi Arabia here.
Then again, as a Canadian, how can we point a finger after the 4 RCMP bullies used a tazer to apprehend a man who was unarmed, agitated for a proper reason (First time flying ever, held in detention with no interpreter for 10 hours) and made no threatening move to the well armed officers who massively outnumbered him.
As most Canadian’s know, they did not tazer him once – they hit him twice, writhing in pain and then pounced on his neck. He died. You can read about it here or watch this tragedy in action here (A bystander caught it on video). The even sadder thing? It is clear that the RCMP were well on the way to a cover up as they took no action until the video hit the internet.
We don’t need an external influence for evil, mankind does a proper job of manufacturing it on our own. A shameful day for a nation that is proud of a heritage of serving, treating people fairly and for a police force that is respected around the world.
My last entry … We finished out the trip with parasailing …
We were with a few couples including a Japanese couple who I volunteered to take picture of with their kick ass Nikon D80 camera (time for an upgrade?).
The below expresses how excited I was about this. After all .. I am afraid of heights and it was a 300M rope. I was scared witless.
I think this is about the point where my wife started wiggling around because she was uncomfortable and I started yelling ‘If you don’t stop moving I am going to make the emergency hand signal!!!!!!’
A little sailing ….
And then a long ride home …
Flying over the islands …
Britain as we land .. a little cloud cover …
It is amazing to see Britain from the air, note the way the roads meander .. a little different than the squares of Canada.
Home at last. What an adventure. The end …
I recently did a few press profiles and they had ‘fun’ questions in them for me to answer. I thought to pass on a few .. (until the articles get published):
I won’t give away the rest. But it was a fun exercise.
I know, there are a ton of entries – but so much happened. As we were walking to our hut we were called over to see an octopus that was in the little river below the bridge. Below are photos taken in timed sequence. Watch the colors change, it was amazing to watch. Time from first picture to last picture: 3 minutes.
He sees a black fish and lashes out (not sure if he is trying to catch it or defend)
Amazing.
One of the excursions was a 3 hour snorkelling trip with 3 stops:
First stop, swim with the stingrays. We pull up to the reef and within minutes, there are 30 stingrays swimming around the boat and someone asks ‘Are they dangerous?’. The guides say ‘No, not at all’, while my wife remembers that the Crocodile Hunter (a dude way tougher than me) died from a stingray incident. I am the 3rd to jump in!
There are several of the stingrays that the guides actually grab (they have removed their stingers – the bone like outcropping on their tails). The others are wild and float all around you as the guides throw small fish.
At one point I decide to try and feed one and get the scare of my life. It took me about 5 minutes to get a stingrays attention and then he starts coming at me. So I fling the fish at him while under the water. He misses it and comes right at me – not stopping. So, I do what anyone would do. I grab him on either side of this fins and push him back. He keeps coming and bangs into my side.
Ok, now I am a little bit freaked and push him again (Where is that crocodile hunter killing tail I wonder?). He spins and comes at me again (Now I may have yelled out ‘AHHH, he won’t stop coming after me .. I am being attacked!!’)
He comes at me again, I push him away again, the entire time hopping backwards on one foot trying to make my way into the crowd of people (Yes, I know .. courageous, employ a human shield). He comes at me again, and I push him away again .. then he finally loses interest and heads off.
FREAKED ME OUT, but what an awesome experience.
Second stop, swim with the sharks: The guides had a line in place and your directions were as follows:
1. Do not go over the line – hold onto it.
2. Do not hold onto a fish, the shark will bite off your hand.
3. Do not step on the sea urchins that are scattered around the sea floor, they will hurt for many weeks.
The pictures say it all, it was unbelievable. Not my photos, I need that camera case!
Next, we went to a coral garden which is simply a lagoon filled with coral, it was beautiful and I had a truly unique experience. I looked down on this .5M long sea cucumber (At least, that is what it looked like – it was long, tubular) and I saw it eliminate. Out of the end came what looked like a dog’s poop. I was pretty surprised. I did not get close, but it looked like it was all sand. Amazing to see a plant take that type of action.
Last, we enjoyed a BBQ on a private island with the natives. A great way to finish an extraordinary day. The women below taught my wife how to hula (smile).
They served a desert called ‘poe‘ which is pumpkin in coconut milk. It was amazing.
What a day.
Approximately 14,000 KM of travel later, we settled in and began enjoying our experience.
The Bora Bora Nui hotel was beyond our expectations. Each guest has a hut on the water and no detail was spared. There was the usual stuff you would expect at a high end resort but also snorkel kits, blown up floating lounge chairs for the ocean and a deck to die for.
It truly was the most unique of experiences, simply walk out on your deck and dive into the ocean, sit out on your chair and enjoy the sound of the waves breaking on the reef in the distance or drop some bread into the water and watch the fish (you can also watch the fish through the glass squares in the room floor). A few pics of the fish below our hut:
These fish followed me around whenever I snorkelled.
A friend bought an underwater rig for his camera and took these pictures while snorkelling a few minutes down the way (mental note – must buy … taking pictures from above just does not work!)
Last, we awoke each morning to this, the Bora Bora sunrise. It was breathtaking.
Normally when I go on vacation I read a lot. This vacation, after a torrid 6 month pace (the move, new job, tons of travel), I did not. I brought a bunch of books (I did not know what I would feel like reading) but just wanted to relax.
I only read one book, Tuesdays with Morrie, one that has been on my ‘to read’ list for a while and I have to say, I understand why it sold 11 million copies:
Tuesdays with Morrie is a bestselling non-fiction book by American writer Mitch Albom, published in 1997 (ISBN 0-385-48451-8). The story was later adapted by Thomas Rickman into a television movie (directed by Mick Jackson), which aired on 5 December 1999 and starred Hank Azaria as Mitch and Jack Lemmon (in his final role) as Morrie.
It is the true story of Morrie Schwartz and his relationship with student Mitch Albom. Both the film and the book chronicle the lessons about life that Mitch learns from his professor, who is dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig‘s Disease.
After five years in hardcover, it was released as a trade paperback in October 2002. It was re-released as a mass-market paperback by Anchor Books in January 2006. According to this edition, 11 million copies of Tuesdays with Morrie are in print worldwide.
. A few quotes that stuck with me:
Thanks for the lessons Morrie.
The Bora Bora ‘airport’ is as you would expect, this small building with a single landing strip. Once you are through the building, you are greeted with a view that makes your jaw drop. Welcome to Bora Bora, population 7,200:
Bora Bora is in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,390 ft). The original name of the island in the Tahitian language might be better rendered as Pora Pora, meaning "First Born"; an early transcription found in 18th- and 19th century accounts, is Bolabolla (or "Bollabolla"). The products of the island are mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra.
As we traveled to the hotel, this is what we saw:
The island included a little statue of welcome – what is it? No idea. I tried to find out … but no one knew.
Yes, I am very happy to be off the plane. Very happy.
The main island towered over by Mount Otemanu.
Our first sighting of the hotel.
In the distance, the waves breaking on the coral reef.
We arrive at our Bora Bora Nui, who would have thought … collecting Starwood points in Bora Bora.
The view from reception.
Reception is out on the water and they have baskets to feed the fish, which are everywhere. A few pictures of the fish that are floating below reception (you can see them through the glass floor or over a railing in the center of the building).
Finally. We had arrived.
So how do you share pictures and videos with friends? You can do it with MSN Messenger folders (easy for sharing with an individual) or with FolderShare, a new LIVE service.
Very cool service:
Keep important files at your fingertips – anywhere. All file changes are automatically synchronized between linked computers, so you are always accessing the latest documents, photos, and files.
After an insanely painful trip to Tahiti we finally arrived in Papeete, the main island (population: 26,181). We spend the night there before heading to Bora Bora and did have time to explore the downtown. A few things came to mind:
The next morning, we boarded the plane and headed to Bora Bora. I took the following pictures from the plane. Awesome.
The last one is now my laptop background (smile).
I hung out the ‘I am not around’ tile on the blog, my email and voicemail this week as my wife and I had the good fortune to attend a corporate event in Bora Bora. I had the good fortune to win a leadership award thanks to the great work of the Canadian team that I was part of last year (Thanks so much to them, they are all amazing people who have had a huge impact on me).
The only word that fits the trip is insane. Why? Because it was the trip of extremes:
Insane travel: Take a look on the map, Bora Bora (Near Tahiti) is pretty much on the exact other side of the world from the UK. As my wife pointed out ‘Why did you win this just as we moved 8 hours away from the spot?’
To get there: Roughly 2 days
First leg: 11 hours to Los Angeles. Our plane was delayed in London, so we missed out connector delaying us an additional 6 hours after a 3 hour delay.
Second leg: 8 hours 30 minutes to Tahiti. Sleep over night.
Third leg: 45 minute inter-island flight to Bora Bora.
Fourth leg: 30 minute boat ride to the resort.
To get back: Roughly 2 days and 2 red-eyes and 1 delay of 3 hours.
This truly is one of the most remote locations in the world.
Insanely beautiful. Insanely breathtaking. Insanely awe inspiring. Insanely interesting: The pictures below say it all – it may be the most painful place to get to in the world, but I left forever marked by a beauty that no picture can ever do justice to. It truly is the most beautiful place I have ever been.
The main island towers above all.
Fish of every color ..
A Bora Bora sunset …. it happens so fast and takes your breathe away.
The hotel’s private island.
More to come on this topic (smile)
Will not be blogging for a week as I am shutting down for a week to recharge for a vacation.
If you go to London there are a host of ‘must do’ things. One of them is the London Eye:
The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is a Ferris Wheel (or observation wheel) in London, England. At the time of building, it was the biggest in the world, although there are now larger wheels, such as The Star of Nanchang, which was opened in May 2006. The Singapore Flyer, at 15 metres taller than the London Eye, is due to open in early 2008.[1]
The London Eye has become the most popular paid visitor attraction in the UK, visited by over 3.5 million people a year.[1]
The London Eye stands 135 metres (443 ft) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, England, between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges.
Personally, I am scared of heights and this thing goes WAY up there. However, we could not have picked a better day as the sun was shining bright. You could see for miles. The only problem was that we bought our tickets (you buy a ticket for a certain time) and the wheel skipped a cycle so we were stuck in an unusually long line. In retrospect, we should have paid the extra price (£50) and saved 1.5 hours by buying express tickets.
That being said, we were with friends and it was fun to catch up while the kids ran around in the huge park. Unfortunately, I did not bring a proper camera and so the below are from the boy’s point and shoot. Many are ‘cloudy’ because the sun was so incredibly bright! Sorry, where is the rain?
A long way down.
As we walked from the exhibit. YET ANOTHER sunny day in Britain. The weather has been amazing since the family arrived in July.
Over the last week we have done a ton of exploring. Two weekends ago we went into London and explored the Star Wars Exhibit. Was it for me or the kids? We can say that it was enjoyed by all, with the highlight being my son being called out of the crowd during the Jedi show to fight Darth Vader (smile).
It is amazing to see the detail that the special effects artists put into the models and costumes. Oh .. if I could only get hold of one of these costumes for Halloween … Very cool.
The event is being held at the old County Hall in London where the London mayor and council used to hold their meetings. The history of the hall and the London mayor is very interesting (We were with friends who related the story to me):
For sixty four years County Hall served as the headquarters of local government for London. During the 1980s the then powerful GLC (led by Ken Livingstone) was locked in conflict with the British Government. Since the Parliament buildings were just across the river from County Hall, the facade of County Hall frequently served as a billboard for anti-government slogans. When the government of Margaret Thatcher abolished the GLC in 1986, County Hall lost its role as the seat of London’s government. The building remained in use by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) until its abolition in 1990 when the building was transferred to the London Residuary Body and eventually sold to private investors.
Of interest, Ken Livingstone is the current Mayor of London and seen as one of its’ greatest mayors. I think this is what fascinates me so much about England, everything here has an interesting history.
What Star Wars picture would be complete without the big guy himself?
I have a few friends who are Apple bigots and I know that this news must be particularly painful for them, which is why I post it (smile):
Apple’s Leopard rejects the latest version of Java.
Dreaded Blue Screen of Death mars some Leopard Installs.
Microsoft Reports 27% Revenue Growth; Fastest First Quarter Since 1999 (And selling BOAT LOADS of Vista).
Enjoy your Leopard install while I play one of the 5,000,000 copies of Halo 3 ($300M) that Microsoft sold in the first week.
‘I shoot …’
I have been reflecting on meetings lately and realized they are a lot like email. To write a good email it takes thought. Anyone can write a 2 page email that goes on and on with the point buried 600 words into the text. A truly great business communicator makes the point clearly and in as few words as possible. From Harvard Business Essential – Business Communication:
‘Keep your message short. Try to pull all pertinent information on the first screen page’
‘Cover only one topic per email’
To do this requires thought, effort and planning – which most people do not put into their emails. They write long winding text that goes on and on and on, just like meetings.
A great meeting requires planning, thought and as little time as possible. What I find is that most meetings are poorly thought out and people err on the way of time over preparation (Which means that we will just make the meeting longer so that we can get to a point with little direction and little planning).
I have moved to start making meetings 30 minutes (instead of the default 1 hour) and am very focused on ensuring that there is thought into the meeting – or why have it?
I will caveat this entry with the following: Even though Jack Welch is a business icon, I personally think he is a bit of an ass as I have blogged before. That out of the way, from a PowerPoint sent to me – Jack on stretch goals, there are some good sales culture nuggets in there:
Most organizations don’t have a clue about how to manage stretch goals. It’s popular today for companies to ask their people to double sales or increase speed to market three-fold. But then they don’t provide their people with the knowledge, tools and means to meet such ambitious goals … To meet stretch targets, people use the only resource that’s not constrained, which is their personal time. I think that’s immoral. People are under tremendous stress … People are working evenings, working Saturdays, working Sundays to achieve those stretch targets … We have a moral obligation to try to give people the tools to meet tough goals. I think it’s totally wrong if you don’t give employees the tools to succeed, then punish them when they fail.
If done right, a stretch target, which is basically an extremely ambitious goal, gets your people to perform in ways they never imagined possible. Stretch targets force you to think “out of the box.” Steve Kerr – GE Chief Learning Officer
I really like Steve Kerr’s rules of stretch goals:
1. Do not punish failure
2. The rest …
GE is a great company and these last points are pillars to that greatness.
A colleague had a ‘man cold’. I asked – what is a ‘man cold’? He sent me to this link. The definition of a man cold from the urban dictionary:
The name ‘man cold’ disguises the true terrible, debilitating disease that is the man cold. Nearly all men will die from man colds unless they are administered immediately with large amounts of mindless TV such as daytime TV, or children’s cartoons. It is essential that they not move from bed or a comfy sofa to allow for rehabilitation, and must have tissues and man cold medicine (such as chocolate biscuits, McDonalds, or a nice cup of tea) brought to them constantly by a nearby female.
‘Either i have meningitis, end stage brain cancer, or a man cold’
I have had a man cold. It is not fun.
We had a few Canadian friends visit us over the week. Our first group of friends were in Europe looking at places to live (they are considering a lifestyle change) while our second friend was returning from a 6 day walk across the Sahara desert where it was either REALLY hot or REALLY cold (in the evening).
The finished the 6th day by walking over a hill to see an actual oasis. Wow – and I thought we were adventurous…
The oasis. Want a Coke?
Tourists about to go ATVing at the oasis. Count me in.
Note the way the camels front legs are tied. That is how they are kept close in the evening (As there is nothing to tie them to).
For some reason, a buddy thought of me when he read this story. Not sure what that means, but it is a good story.
In 1986, Mikele Mebembe was on holiday in Kenya after
graduating from Northwestern University.
On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull
elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The
elephant seemed distressed, so Mikele approached it very carefully.
He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot
and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As
carefully and as gently as he could, Mikele worked the wood out with
his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its
foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather
curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense
moments. Mikele stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but
being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly,
turned, and walked away. Mikele never forgot that elephant
or the events of that day.
Twenty years later, Mikele was walking through the Chicago
Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant
enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to
near where Mikele and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull
elephant stared at Mikele, lifted its front foot off the
ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several
times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.
Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mikele couldn't help
wondering if this was the same elephant. Mikele summoned up
his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the
enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared
back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk
around one of Mikele's legs and slammed him against the
railing, killing him instantly.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
1. People on motorcycles are mad in the UK. They have ABSOLUTELY no regard for their lives. On a busy road where you are flying down at 100 KM/H, they will straddle the white line and navigate between you and oncoming traffic. And the police? They do not care (at least I have never seen anyone pulled over). It is mad and I would wager that if someone were to look at motorcycle fatalities they would realize the impact.
2. The schools work the kids really hard but give them a break every couple months. Our boys are on a mid-term break for 10 days right now. They are very happy.
3. People don’t really celebrate Halloween in the UK, but retailers are trying hard to bring it to the UK. I spent a load at Costco stocking up (and have eaten a bag of chocolate bars already).
4. The UK does celebrate Guy Fawkes Day (Bonfire night) on November 5th. They burn effigies of Guy, light bonfires and set off fireworks to celebrate:
The tradition of Guy Fawkes-related bonfires actually began the very same year as the failed coup. The Plot was foiled in the night between the 4th and 5th of November 1605. Already on the 5th, agitated Londoners who knew little more than that their King had been saved, joyfully lit bonfires in thanksgiving. As years progressed, however, the ritual became more elaborate.
Soon, people began placing effigies onto bonfires, and fireworks were added to the celebrations. Effigies of Guy Fawkes, and sometimes those of the Pope, graced the pyres. Still today, some communities throw dummies of both Guy Fawkes and the Pope on the bonfire (and even those of a contemporary politician or two), although the gesture is seen by most as a quirky tradition, rather than an expression of hostility towards the Pope.
Preparations for Bonfire Night celebrations include making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, which is called "the Guy". Some children even keep up an old tradition of walking in the streets, carrying "the Guy" they have just made, and beg passersby for "a penny for the Guy." The kids use the money to buy fireworks for the evening festivities.
On the night itself, Guy is placed on top of the bonfire, which is then set alight; and fireworks displays fill the sky.
The extent of the celebrations and the size of the bonfire varies from one community to the next. Lewes, in the South East of England, is famous for its Bonfire Night festivities and consistently attracts thousands of people each year to participate.
Bonfire Night is not only celebrated in Britain. The tradition crossed the oceans and established itself in the British colonies during the centuries. It was actively celebrated in New England as "Pope Day" as late as the 18th century. Today, November 5th bonfires still light up in far out places like New Zealand and Newfoundland in Canada.
5. Pharmacies are weird. They call them the ‘chemist’. When you go into them, most drugs are behind this plastic or glass barrier and require supervised assistance. For example, I wanted Ibuprofen – which is a pretty common drug. It was behind the glass case and required assistance. Where did the assistance come from? A pharmacist or registered nurse? Nope. A 16 year old high school student. Now that makes sense. When I started quizzing her on what training she had to give me that drug, she just looked at me with a blank look (LOL).
The adventure continues.
This weekend we had our first interaction with the National Health Service in the UK. On Friday my son had a run in with an iron fence (The fence did not budge, his cheek did).
As a Canadian, national health care is nothing new. However, the UK approach was interesting from a few perspectives:
1. We went to a minor injury clinic. The full emergency room features of this hospital had been removed a while ago due to cut backs. There was a big sign that said ‘No doctor here’. We were treated by a nurse who was competent and very friendly (she did a great job). But, to see no doctor there was very interesting.
2. The line was the same (About 45 minutes), although there were significantly fewer people in the waiting room than I was expecting.
3. They did not ask for ID. This was the most shocking. In Canada, you go through a grilling before you are served and if you don’t have an ID card – good luck, they will turn you away. In Britain they asked for the name and address and then went on about serving our son. When I offered my corporate private health information they did not require it. Through the process I signed nothing and presented no ID.
Now, I know I look trustworthy and the kind of guy that most people just want to reach out to and help in whatever way they can (wink), but no ID was very odd. Over the weekend, I had a friend explain it in this way: The cost of implementing a national ID scheme would be billions and the associated support costs would be through the roof. Canadian’s are familiar with this. National Gun Registry and the proposed cost of $119M ballooning to over $1B ring a bell?
So, they implemented a policy of letting the immigration department do it’s job of controlling illegal residents and assume that whoever comes through the door deserves treatment.
WOW. Refreshing approach – how many millions/billions could be put back into the system by implementing this approach in Canada?
I had the good fortune to sit through a meeting on leadership yesterday and found this practice very interesting: The next time that someone comes up to you and starts talking about something that a peer or manager did – respond with the following:
‘What did they say when you told them that?’
Too often, we have great feedback about a situation that we could be sharing with our peer or manager – but we don’t. We share it with someone else, which is called gossip and does not help anyone. In fact, it creates an environment of distrust.
A great approach.
I was in Barcelona last week for meetings and stayed at the Vincci Condal Mar which I can only describe as a W wanna be that has not been updated since the early 70’s. See posts below.
One of the interesting things about many European hotels is the lack of irons. Below is a note from a colleague on the iron situation:
Apparently some guest borrowed one once and burned their bed linen and now they don’t offer them anymore. Just like they don’t offer adapters for U.S. power – I guess someone didn’t return one once. I guess if one guest ordered room service once and punched the delivery person they would stop room service too. Or if someone broke the phone they would rip out phones from all the rooms too. I guess the hotel business is not a service industry here. I guess it’s all about THEM not about the GUESTS!
My iron issue went like this:
8AM: Realize there is no iron, call reception where I am told ‘No irons. Housekeeping will iron your shirt for you, but they cannot do it until 10AM or later and need several hours as they are busy right now – cleaning rooms’
805AM: After a heated discussion around how he will find someone to iron my shirt ASAP or send me an iron as I cannot go to a "£$%£! meeting with a wrinkled shirt he tells me that he will call me back.
815AM: Calls me back. OK, he has spoken to housekeeping and they can make this EXTRA SPECIAL, ONE TIME ONLY, NEVER TO BE REPEATED exception to iron my shirt.
830AM: Housekeeper shows up with someone from reception to iron my shirt.
850AM: Shirt shows up ironed. I am late for my meeting and I think they charged me 9 Euros.
Europeans DEFINITELY have a different view of customer service.
A benefit of working in Europe is that you get dragged to meetings in other countries like Spain and cities like Barcelona. The problem with these events? Every hotel looks the same. I look forward to a visionary meeting planner actually scheduling an hour or two for us to emerge from the meeting room to walk around and enjoy the area.
A few quick observations about Barcelona:
1. The tourist areas are beautiful and the architecture magnificent. I have seen none of it (but will be back with the family)
2. The siesta is alive and well. They take an afternoon nap and restaurants don’t open until 8:30, getting busy at 10:00. The bars don’t get busy until 2AM. How do these people work?
3. While taking a taxi from the airport with a few ‘mates’, we had a funny experience with the driver. It started with it being made clear that he did not speak English. Fine, we communicated our location and set off in the taxi where he promptly turned up the radio. To which I laughed ‘Well, I guess because he does not speak English he thought that the best approach is to drown us out with bad 80’s music’ (It was a Spanish version of Dire Straits) … which resulted in his turning the volume down. We laughed again.
4. There is also a big disparity between the tourist areas and where other people live (the slums). A friend of mine in the Canadian air force described Barcelona this way:
Barcelona is nice so long as you don’t look behind the huge barriers erected along all of the freeways. They put them in place just prior to the 92 Olympics to prevent the world from seeing the vast amount of slums and shanty towns prevalent there. Stick to the beaches and the standard tourist attractions and you won’t be disappointed.
From the top of the hotel …
While walking to the hotel …
From the hotel roof …
5. A guy on the team was mugged while walking around downtown at 1AM. The thieves are VERY good. In his case they slipped his wallet out and back without his noticing (And they left him 5 euros for a cab)
6. There were scooters everywhere. I would bet they outnumber cars.
I thought of the trip as a recon trip for the family. We will go back, sticking to the cool spots.
A few pictures in the evening on a plane traveling to Spain. The clouds went as far as you could see.
I stumbled across two very interesting articles on search records and how they could be used here and here. This statement was particularly troubling with regard to a recent AOL data leak:
So what? you might ask. Think back to the supposedly anonymous search logs released by AOL last year, which were quickly linked to individual users. Paul Boutin’s piece in Slate included this arresting detail: "The searches of AOL user No. 672368 morphed over several weeks from ‘you’re pregnant he doesn’t want the baby’ to ‘foods to eat when pregnant’ to ‘abortion clinics charlotte nc’ to ‘can christians be forgiven for abortion.’ " The chance our search records will get exposed is remote, but not impossibly remote. Google has responded by anonymizing search logs after 18 to 24 months, and by promising that our data are secure.
Most people don’t understand their risks on the internet and threats to their privacy, so they are oblivious to the ways that they are being watched. Heck, many people don’t secure their wireless network – how would they be able to understand this? Interesting.
TechCrunch wrote this great article on the emergence of fake bloggers. I rooted around the sites, some pretty funny stuff. The EU has just made fake blogs illegal, we will see if anyone goes after these bloggers.
Larry Ellison’s fake blog is LOL funny ..
I had an interesting statement shared with me around family dynamics, the law laid down by a mother: ‘You all show up or no one shows up’.
A family philosophy which is the ultimate equalizer. It eliminates sibling rivalry and makes everyone clearly understand that no one sibling is more important that the other.
A great saying and one I will remember for my children, as I have seen what happens when it is not central to the family’s values. In the end, someone is always left on the outside.
Michael Weening: a few pictures 