Friend Request

I was talking to the incoming class of Sustainability MBA students at Duquesne University yesterday about the approaches Bayer MaterialScience is taking towards Sustainability and after fielding their questions, I mentioned that they could reach out to me via social media for any questions that might arise in the future.
I got a few strange looks - like, "aren't you a bit old to be using social media?"

Well, the truth is that I now use social media more than ever - and statistics indicate that this domain, which used to belong to the young, is now being embraced more and more by their parents (people my age).
As I have begun to understand and use the privacy controls on Facebook for example, I have been expanding my friends and contacts lists (each groups only sees the content I want them to see).
I always get a kick when I see: "you have X new friend requests" and I check-out the profiles of the people who have sent me these requests.

It really brought a smile to my face therefore, when I recently saw this picture:

Why shouldn't the church also adopt humor and modern communication pathways for getting its message out?

By the way, here is a link to my profile on Facebook (feel free to send me a friend request):
Gianni's profile

The Right to Protest

I have returned from a brief visit to Greece and Cyprus.
Being in Athens the past week was not very "fun"...
The truck drivers were on strike when we arrived and as a result, fresh fruit and produce was getting scarce in the markets.
Worse, the gas stations were running out of gas since the tank truck drivers were also on strike and the lines of cars waiting to fill-up their gas tanks at those stations which still had gas were sometimes obscenely long. Tempers were rising along with the summer temperatures. 

"Vacation time" for Greeks arrives with the beginning of August and the truck driver's strike seemed aimed at creating the maximum degree of discomfort to the public who were attempting to leave on their summer vacations - not to mention any foreign tourists who decided to visit Greece.
I heard hotel bookings were being cancelled en-masse and the vacancy rates at many prime destinations were running around 50%. 

I forgot to mention the air traffic controller's strike during the last two weeks, which delayed many flights departing from Greece and Cyprus (the main way people depart Cyprus in through Greece). 
Since flights were being delayed, planes were late arriving and the next flights (which required those same planes) were delayed as well.

I really enjoy using the Athens Metro when I visit - it is a marked improvement over the bus routes I remember using when I was young.
I heard that workers at the Metro will also be continuing a strike however -- once everybody returns from their summer vacations.

Why the public tolerates the strikes by those groups mentioned above, as well as by others is beyond me. Greece depends on a well-run tourism machine to bring in some sorely needed cash during the summer months and the situation seems to be deteriorating compared to my visits in years past. 
Truly a sad sight to behold. 

I am not contesting worker's right to protest, however I cannot support those workers who cause discomfort to their fellow citizens through acts such as the strikes mentioned above.
I guess I can pray for a miracle...

Take the A-Train

As I prepare to make a brief visit to Greece, I came across an article that brought into stark focus the enormity of the economic problems this country is wrestling with.

Hellenic Railways is drowning in debt -- its debt is estimated at $13 billion, or 5% of Greece's gross domestic product.  It is losing 3 million Euros a day!

With that type of debt load you can begin imagining the types of drastic measures that will need to be taken.
These measures will definitely be unpopular.
More popular rage will undoubtedly be forthcoming.
The people who are responsible for this mess will probably evade being held accountable.

Why should I care?
It has to do with family history.
My paternal grandfather was an employee of Hellenic Railways, back when the trains were the main means of transportation within Greece.  He was a railway man, proud of the company he worked for and I still remember his pocket chronograph, a token of his many years of service at the railway.
Grandpa Gianni would surely be distressed at the state of the company he once worked for.

Since I'm feeling sentimental, here's a link to an old-time, train-related, jazz tune with the same title as this post from the legendary Duke Ellington -- Take the A-Train.

Opportunity

The objective was vague.
The resources meager, to non-existent.
The location was challenging.
The visibility would be minimal.
It could have been viewed as a dead-end job.
Something best left untouched.

And yet he cherished a challenge.
He saw potential in all "opportunities."
He could visualize success.
He accepted the assignment.
He forged ahead down that less-traveled road.

Ten years later, the situation is markedly changed.
The improvement impressive.
The future encouraging.
The road, though still challenging, seems to be easier to travel.

I met the man a week ago.
I was impressed.
His name is Athenagoras.

I Love a Good Book

I have fond memories of reading -- way back to my early years, when I remember reading just about anything written by Jules Verne and checking-out every one of The Hardy Boys Mysteries from the library ...
Paperbacks, hardcover books, I remember their varied shapes, their cover art (or lack thereof), their lightness or heft, their flexibility or stiffness, even their smell.

Now I find myself considering an e-reader like the Kindle from Amazon.
I am even considering an I-Pad, though if I get one, it will likely be used for more than just reading books.

The point is that electronic books are becoming more and more common and as I ponder which books I might take with me on a trip, I also wonder if in the not too distant future I might be carrying an e-reader instead.

Along with myself, many others are also likely considering the move to e-books and this can only mean the gradual decline of printing books on paper.  Someday, books made of paper may only be a distant memory and I can imagine a future where "books" are simply electronic files, stored in microscopic drives, or even in "the cloud".

I think back to the golden age of Archaeology and all we have learned through the deciphering of hieroglyphics, etchings on stones and clay tablets, or markings on papyri and parchments. 
Can you imagine archaeologists in the future digging through piles of electronic data instead of manuscripts and various tomes?  It may be progress, but I don't have to like it.

Canoes & Kayaks

As I had previously mentioned in my "Being Green" blog entry, Saturday June 5 was World Environment Day.  Pittsburgh was selected as the North American host city for events surrounding World Environment Day, so there were all sorts of activities going-on around town.

Friday night we had thunderstorms in the area and Saturday they continued unabated.  Lots of rain was falling.  Events related to World Environment Day taking place in the David L Lawrence convention center might have been continuing on schedule, however anyone with outdoor plans would rightly have expected a washout.

I had heard of a special event planned for Saturday morning.  There was a Guinness World Record for the largest raft of Canoes/Kayaks - the record was for 1,104 (joined by people holding their hands onto the various crafts) set in Inlet, NY.  Pittsburghers decided to break the record.  Over 2,300 had registered for the event - but that was before the storms rolled in.  Would the record stand?

Well, it seems over 1,800 people actually showed-up, put their kayaks and canoes in the rivers (a bit earlier than planned due to the storms) and held-on for a minimum of 30 seconds to set a new world record.  Then they quickly got out of the water and tried to stay dry as the skies opened-up!  The local news channels liked this story too.

I love the quote of the day, captured on Twitter: "last time there were this many paddlers on these rivers, we spoke French" (a reference to the early 1700s when this area was first colonized by the French -- it was finally captured by the British after the French and Indian War in 1763).

Remembering

May 31 was Memorial Day - a holiday to honor those who gave their lives for their country.  Traditionally, the people remembered in this holiday were those who died in the great conflicts of the 20th century - World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam.

There are others however, who have died in more recent years.
There have been over 6000 members of the armed forces of the US and other allied countries who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (224 from the UK in Afghanistan and 126 from the UK in Iraq for example).  There have also been many thousands of civilian casualties.  This CNN website contains a lot of information about the casualties in these two conflicts.

The majority of these casualties were young people, just getting started in their lives and one can only wonder at the potential they held within them.  There were those too, who had families and even children.  It is those children, orphaned by the loss of a parent in a faraway land, in a war they don't understand, for whom I feel the most empathy.

The casualties in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most recent and thus their loss impacts us the most.  Their memories have not been dulled by the passing of time.  Their loved ones continue to talk about them as if they are still around.  This is one holiday that ensures we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.