View from our room

We have an amazing view from our room which is on the 14th Floor. We have an entire wall of windows which wraps around the corner -- essentially giving us a 180-degree view. View the full post to see pictures:



The final picture is the Boston skyline shot from the front of our building.

Global Citizens Don't Litter!

...is what I overheard one 5-year-old say to another. I was astonished and yet instantly reminded that my then fiancée, now wife, is a genius. After a mere 10 days, these summer campers had grasped wisdom that I had rarely encountered in my years training to become a Master of International Affairs: that genuine global-mindedness comes not from learning facts or trends about the world, but by removing restrictions in the way we perceive ourselves in relation to the Earth. Let me explain...

Rather than spend her entire summer celebrating her hard-earned graduation from Howard (magna cum laude mind you), or holding her breath in anticipation of the biggest day of her life, she chose to serve by planning and running an NGC sponsored, NIHERST administered, multi-age group summer camp. The initial thought was to teach children, adolescents and teens "about globalization", but Legena knew the implicit need was to turn emerging citizens into global citizens. To do so, they would learn to appreciate the very apparent diversity in the world, but recognize the underlying commonality among all individuals. This opens the doorway to reveal that the effects of our actions and decisions go beyond ourselves and can have global impact; perhaps even a positive one if one is aware of prevailing systems and current context. Really? you ask. Well... why else would global citizens not litter?

What amazes me is not the words that were said... I mean any kid who watches Sesame Street will tell you "don't waste water" or to "cover your nose when you sneeze" without much help from his prefrontal cortex... the amazing thing was that I knew this kid was not repeating something that he heard someone else say; he was independently applying learned principles, and on top of that

• voluntarily taking ownership of/becoming what he had heard
• taking the step from proclamation to purposeful action
  
• consciously identifying the principles that motivated him
  (i.e. not taking blind action or being brain-washed)
  
• committing himself to the principle of community reinforcement of shared values
  

On more than one occasion that summer, Legena sat down with me to pick my brain about "how the world worked." I spoke at length, but went away skeptical that anything I said could be made relevant far less converted into something enduring. However, I am glad that I 'accidentally' heard that simple sentence; because of it, I am a more global person today.

Go Muna!

Muna truly represents an opportunity for 'the other' West Indian-America to be widely displayed on the stage of North-American pop culture. The West Indian who excels in the professional/business realm by adherence to respect, self-confidence, and hard work may now challenge the image of the proverbial weed-smoking 'islander' whose opportunities for influence are limited to sprinting, singing or occasionally, novel writing.

My wife got me watching this season's the Apprentice, and I've since been cheering on Muna - a Jamaican, US-educated, living in the US, and a McGill attorney. Of course, I wouldn't condone identity politics influencing a contest, but the show is so ridiculous that I have no problem supporting her wholeheartedly.

I have a calling to serve the Americas -- and I think particularly the Caribbean (which I like to call Archipelagic America), a region falling behind both North America and Latin America in its quest to find its place of relevance in the world. Of course, she represents (as do I) part of the incredible so-called "brain drain" from the West Indies, but I actually think there's much to gain from Inter-American free movement and the resulting fact that a substantial portion of our nation now lives in metropolitan North America.


Introductions aside - she is doing quite well. James is the most annoying and unproductive candidate on the show and it is a pity that Surya was unsuccessful at knocking him off. The look on Tim and James' faces at the end suggested that they were in agreement that:
1. Surya would have been a excellent 'tool' on the Arrow team, but
2. he really didn't have the persona to lead/manage/inspire a team of goofs (even if they are bright and talented).
Tim suprised me with his honesty in the board room bringing to light James' habit of bait-and-switch dissension (which Bill Rancic independently picked up on), and that Surya tried several times to solicit more creative ideas but was ridiculed by almost the entire team. We'll see if those admissions cause a rift between Tim & James. I'm also very interested to see what Arrow will be like now that the clowns - James, Frank, Nicole - will control the team vibe.

Muna has shown herself to be a quiet but powerful force both in the field and in the board room. This week was her first hint of a challenge. As the candidate pool narrows down, she will have to transition toward more upfront, visible leadership. GO MUNA!