It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...and it had nothing to do with Sgt. Pepper!

Well I know that I have been ruminating in a somewhat light-hearted way the past few posts...although I am never certain that readers can discern the nuances of my strange mind...but today I want to remind everyone of the transformational events of 20 years ago...with the falling of the Berlin Wall and the end of the world...or at least the world that all of us born from the 1930s-1960's had known...

...It truly remains hard to believe how rapid the collapse came...and there are many well-written pieces (here is one that brings together the old and new pretty well: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/world/europe/08germany.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 ) ...but it really was a transformational event in our history...


..For those of us who served in the military through the 1950s-1980's the power of the Soviet Union was the reality that we faced every day...it drafted my father into the US Army during Korea and 25 years later I would volunteer for the US Navy...and the efforts and energies of many countries poised against each other...nuclear weapons at the ready...was something we simply could not shake from our minds....even well into the 1980's our young men and women stood at the ready against "the godless red hordes of the east"...(just ask my buddy Mike Gallagher)...if any of you are interested in the USS Bainbridge CGN-25, my steel and nucelar powered home during those years...check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEFT0wPQo0Y for some old film of the "Gray Ghost of the Orient"...almost two football fields long she was something in her day...


...it is somewhat crazy to believe that the ship I served aboard for four years from 1976-1980 possessed more fire power aboard than all of the weapons fired by all sides in WWII...amazing...and sad...and reminds me of the huge debt we owe to Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, Lech Walesa and many others known and unknown who brought this awful and wasteful stalemate to an end...even Gorbachev deserves some credit...at least he didn't line every one up against the wall like previous Soviet leaders...



...so on the plane home from Europe I watch a movie that gets **** from me...an excellent watch...well acted and in many ways prophetic...of not only the rise of the Wall but also its collapse and a warning for contemporary citizens of this global village...Brendand Gleeson gives a stunning performance of Winston Churchill...oh, WWII is so boring, you say?...well listen carefully kiddies to the dialogue in this film...for it speaks to us well...stirring my heart, my soul and desires for a better tomorrow...rent a copy of Into the Storm http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0992993/ ...and prepare to be impressed with the strength of those who we can hold no candle to.

I for one am quite grateful this date for not only Ronnie and the rest of the leaders of the 1980's but also the one and only Sir Winston Churchill. Hats off to all of them!

Que no mundo é isto?

So I think I am a pretty smart guy...right?...well I mean I have a online degree from the Cleveland Institute of Electronics and Television Repair...a certificate from Dalena's College of Beauty...and I also read National Geographic...well, at least I look at the pictures...but, anyway...as I was saying...I consider myself a real conneeesurrr of fine living, cultural sophistication and international stuff...so these questions should not perplix...purplix...plerpexx...I mean these things shouldn't be beyond my capabilities in figuring out!



...So I be skirting on down the highway in old Paree...heading on out of town with my confidence in and awareness of the Europe...with my Maurice Chevalier 8 track playing...and the little lady begins to inquire about some of the ummm....errrrr....uhhhh....well, you know...."the facilities" in France that we had experienced...especially one at a roadstop somewhere near Caen...and boy howdy, they were really eco-friendly with this particular sanitation portal...which we later discovered was known as a "Turkish Toilet"... and how wonderful this device was since it used no water...or at least in the version we used...so it must have been a very new model...kind of like the Falcon urinals I see around PLNU...water free...but I am thinking that there are some things that really do require the use of water... I also discovered that they also called these "squatters toilets"...must be something for the homeless chaps I guess...

...anyway I was talking about the facilities...which by and large are quite nice in Europe...well, except for the U.K....but that led us to a conversation about that other piece of porcelain that we kept on seeing wherever we went...and since we had never seen such a thing in either my National Geo or Popular Mechanics magazines...it led us to using our powers of deductive reasoning to get to the....ummm....bottom of things....

..So we set out to use the porcelain thingy in various settings to see what conclusions we could make....Was it:

*A Mini-Washer for the weary traveler? (travel light/travel right!)

*A convenient espresso maker? (one must not stray far from the coffee!)


*A footwashing basin? (for all the pilgrimages you could make in Europe!)

...So I must say we didn't come to any firm conclusion on any of our three possible solutions...except the only way I could see it being a footwashing basin is if no-one has size 10.5XXX feet like mine...I got my baby toe on my left foot stuck on the lip and nearly tore it off...So let me know what is your favorite or offer a new solution to this vexing question...

...But I don't want you to think that all of your confidence in me is lost...I mean after all this is now my third trip to France and fifth to Portugal in the last 4 years or so...so on the way back from Normandy I stopped by a little bistro and picked up some genuine French "chocolat" for a little "snackee"...which Ruth was so pleased with my selection that she snapped the photo below...

...boy were they good! Vive Le France!

Somehere on the road in Portugal...reflections on Twain-isms vs. Joe-isms

The venerable Mark Twain

"All generalisms are false, including this one."

"Don't let schooling interfere with your education."

"If you hold a cat by the tail, you learn things you cannot in any other way."

"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense."

The indubitable Joe Arrais

"He who steps off the blanket gets his feet wet." (A caution to Americans.)

"The further you drive, the closer you get." (Helpful advice as to the length of any journey.)

"The rain will be ending soon." (As the rain begins, with gray skies everywhere and no sign of sun.)

"If you step on the wrong rock, you will get a radical feeling." (In other words, "watch where you step.")

"Always stop at the stop sign." (Reflecting upon the importance of traffic safety.)

"Next time you are in Argentina and you see a stop sign, you need to stop." (An observation after a minor auto accident with some Argentinian surfers.)

"It's just a little bit of humidity." (During a rain storm while waiting for the traffic police.)

...So here we are...at the end of Europe...literally...outside of Sagres at the far southwestern corner of Europe where Prince Henry the Navigator (allegedly) trained seamen from throughout the regions...and I am thinking to myself "How would it be to have Mark Twain riding in our rental VW van for a few days"...and then I realized that he was indeed here...just in a Portuguese version...you know, louder, more passionate, articulate, louder...well, you understand...

...So in addition to the wit and wisdom of Joe, he also is quite a driver...and in Portugal that is a big statement...since cab drivers here make NYC drivers look like driver's training school...on a first day lesson...and I have enjoyed Arrais and his driving in the past...getting to Porto from Lisbon faster than a bullet train a few years ago...but you know I am really tired after having driven about 400+ kilometers, so I figure, why not have Joe drive a little bit...right?...and the symbolism is astonishing since in the photo below (with Joe's lovely wife Paula, daughter Debora and our friend Marjorie Ekk)...we are admiring the kilometer zero marker of the famous "cycle across Europe" start that leads one all the way to Russia)....

...I mean, what kind of trouble could we possibly have?...

...so five minutes and one kilometer later here we are in a traffic accident with four young Argentinians who decided it was smart to pull out into traffic...now don't get me wrong...this collision was not Joe's fault...but I just found it somewhat ironic that it would happen to him just after taking the wheel deep in the Algarve...and fortunately everyone was OK...except for the tie rod and left wheel and tire of the young man's car...no injuries...but I just loved to watch the special language that Joe brought to the scene...

...when we got out of the car Joe greeted the young travelers with a hearty greeting...affirming in them that in no way did he think less of them for their driving problems...and after we all embraced one another and shared pleasantries our young South American folks thought it was a good time to change their tire...move the car...and I am sure they were just going to head to the nearest police station to report their error and damage...which at that point was developing...

...but fortunately just at that moment as they were getting in their car and wishing us all 'bon voyage"...the policia appeared and saved them the effort of seeking them out...wow, those Argentinians were so pleased to see them as well!...they said some special things in Spanish that I am certain were a particular form of being especially pleased to see the policia.

...so long story short...the rain was pouring...and pouring...and we worked it all out...and our hapless young friends had to wait for a tow truck (Portuguese law, I understand)...and the important thing is no one was hurt...and I took the keys back from Joe so that he could reflect on his long journey behind the wheel...and share with us those special tender thoughts he had towards our young amigos from down south...

...and it just made me grateful once again for the wonderful surprises that await us around the bend...and how even little accidents can seem funny...and moments to learn from...especially when you are with wonderful friends like Joe and Paula and Debora and Otto and Marjorie...and of course my bride Ruthie!

Eu achei o Miguel! Ele e bem!

So on a national road in the vicinity of Montsaraz in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal...who did I run into? Well, not literally run into because our VW van (courtesy of Avis)...would have received the short end of the deal...since Miguel and his familia are very very big...and very very thick...hmmm...kind of like some of my Portuguese relatives...but anyway....Miguel is obrigado muito bem...

...So we stopped and I gave Miguel a little sugar...and he...or could have Miguel been a she? (o Jesus!)...and I am pleased to report that Miguel...sans his outer layer of bark...is doing very well, thank-you!

...Why is Miguel so red? That is a good question...and is an indication that the cork was just harvested...or at least in the last 6 months...and they paint a number for the year (my Miguel had the number 9 on its huge trunk)...and so for another 9 years Miguel will have the time to regrow a new layer of cork (.75-2" thick)...and be ready for another harvest...very cool stuff...

...On a beautiful day we have entered Southern Portugal...the Alentejo and then further south to the Algarve...where we are now closer to Morocco than to Lisbon...and enjoyed our time at a walled city...where Christians and Muslims slugged it out over several centuries...and then arriving later at the Algarve in Praia do Carvoeiro for the night...

All is well...and I am seeing the manifestations of faith and business and life and entrepreneurs all over the region...and it renews in me the strength of the ordinary people...prevailing against the odds..taking chances and working hard...either in a small business or a fishing boat or a restaurant....whether in New York or a small rural village in Portugal...and it confirms in me once again that our destinies lie in our own hands and not the government...and rulers and politicians...

It is up to us! So have a wonderful day and smile as you pass into it

Ciao!

Save Miguel! Save Miguel?

Well, Portugal has entered the modern era...it is perhaps an inconvenient truth...and yet something that must come to light...in this lovely old nation of merely 10 million citizens...about 1/4 the size of California...or the San Joaquin Valley come harvest time...but anyway, in addition to modern highways (yes, far better than most of the roads in the US), vino verde, nice grocery stores, shopping centers and malls, great cell reception, vino verde...ummm...well yes, all of that, Portugal has found its environmental voice...

Yes...the home of Cabrillo, Enrique the Navigator and Rosa Ramos Ataide has its own passionate environmental cause...and it is a doozy!...while other nations and their environmental activists shoot paint balls at whaling ships...chain themselves to nuclear reactors...and refuse to use deodorant....my ancestral home has found the right balance...and it is about saving Miguel!

Who is Miguel? Well the link below will explain it all...and in all seriousness saving Miguel is a beautiful thing...for it is truly a cultural and historical tradition worth saving...and Miguel provides a habitat...a Portuguese garden of Eden...in its own unique way...

So sit back and enjoy a little trip to Lisbon and then to the South...where I am actually traveling to in a few days....and help save Miguel! Viva Lisboa! Viva Miguel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_gecqWJPx8

c'est la vie

Well, yippee kai yay little doggies! I just had the good fortune of spending five days in France (mostly in Paris but 36 hours in Normandy as well)...and once again had a wonderful time...Paris is all at once wonderful and horrific...the food, landscape and setting is the former and the traffic, signage and expense the latter...but I for one want to go on record and give you my view of our dear French friends...


...I really don't know where the French and the American relationship went astray...because it really has been my experience in a few visits to France that we have more common interests than differences...and that we have many reasons to want to get along...OK now don't go getting your coullotes in a bunch...because I know there are some legitimate points of disagreement...but all in all I actually enjoy the French a great deal...and here are just a few reasons why:


1) They are really really smart. I have had the opportunity to speak to some French and let me just say that they are well educated, articulate, thoughtful and earnest. And I really enjoy being around smart people.


2) They enjoy a high quality of life. From their roads (sans litter!) to their cuisine to their bike share program to their monuments and common areas, they really have got it going on. Now, I know what is paying for all of this, but let me observe that the results are c'est magnifique.)

3) They know their history. I didn't say it was all worth knowing, but there is really an appreciation for the past in France, and how it has meaning (good and bad) for the present and the future. We could really use more of this attitude in the states.


4) They appreciate respect, civility and courtesy. There are times in France that I am really struck with how it reminds me of my grandparents treated conversations and discussions (albeit from Portugal and not France). But there was a level of honest inquiry, the process having value and not only the answers, a willingness to listen and to argue points fairly, and do this with a sense of dignity that I don't often see in America.


Now before you go getting all worried about me packing it in and moving to "gay Paree" there really are too many obstacles in life (way too many) to get me to ever consider such an action...but my trip there has once again left me with a deep personal impression that there is much we need to learn in the States...and yes, we do a great many things well but some things certainly need improvement...and it has been a good reminder to me of some quality of life issues I need to think deeply upon...it has been a good trip so far...and I look forward to a return in the next year or so...and a desire to travel to the country more beyond Paris...


...So what was I doing in Paris?...well, I was asked by some dear friends who have lived there for many years if I would come and speak on entrepreneurship...and they have formed a wonderful new association called Coherence...see http://coherenceparis.com/... so let me impress you now with the title of my remarks:


L’entrepreneur aujourd’hui :évolution, défis et opportunités




So I will be posting my lectures for you on this site...if you want to read more...but for now I will simply say au revoir!

We Won! We Won! He Won! He Won!

So there I sat watching CNBC talking about how the price of gold took a big ol' jump...tickling $1050 bucks an ounce...and I am thinking about those gold crowns the little lady is wearing...and...ummm....well not really...and so what pops up on the internet?...that the Prez wins the Nobel Peace Prize! Wow!...so once I realize that I haven't gotten up too early and that this isn't really Mad TV and Stuart in his jockey shorts in trouble again...and I realize it has really happened...I cannot tell you the full sense of my joy in this award to a sitting American President!

And with full respect to our President the Nobel folks say that he had no knowledge of the nomination and that actually didn't call him from Sweden (or was it Turkmenistan?)...and wake him up...because we know he needs and deserves a full night of shut-eye...and they soon announce that he is humbled by the award...and will donate the proceeds to charity...what a giver this guy is!

...I don't know about you but the Nobel Prizes and the Olympic Gold Prizes are just about the top of everything...holding kind of a mystique like JFK and World War II...but they really outdid theirselves this time! Wow!

...So I am thinking that they must have made a bit of a mistake...cause President Clinton and Hillary have been traipsing around the world for nearly 20 years campaigning for a "legacy"...and I would have thought all of those trips and summits would have counted for something...so maybe they were really awarding it to the Clintons...kind of viewing him all of them collectively...you know like the old Three Dog Night song "Black and White"...what? you don't remember it? Here you go...


The ink is black


The page is white


Together we learn to read and write


The child is black The child is white


The whole world looks upon the sight


The beautiful sight


And now a child can understand


That this is the law of all the land


All the land

Or full the full version you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOr4O66WZW0

...but let me warn you that this version is the spiffed up one...because when they really did this song in the 1970's it was under the influence of pretty much everything they could find....and consume...

...but I guess that kind of makes my point that everything gets kind of spiffed up when it comes to Mr. Prez...because no one really wants to talk too much about Chicago politics...from whence he came...

...but anyway...once I realized that the Nobel Prize has kind of fallen a bit in status in the last day or two...because under the terms of the nomination they officially closed 12 days after Mr. Prez took office...and we all know that in those 12 days he had accomplished a lot...like...ummm...he boldly...talked...and spoke...and had some photos...and....well...ummmm...

...So now I think the mystique...the prestige...the brand power... of the Nobel is in my mind right there with...say...

...I want you to know that I hold that little fellow in the highest of regard!...and the picture of the medal above? You don't recognize it?...well it actually is the Nobel Peace Prize...but it is the backside of the prize...seriously...and so I close with that thought...the three people hugging each other...embracing the world...and all us getting the backside...

....I am so proud to be an American!