Inspired by others

I just read an amazing interview with the guy that invented the Grameen bank. It is a micro-lending institution that has one goal. Help poor people get ahead by lending them small amounts of money for omey making endeavors. It was started by an economics professor in Bangladesh and today they currently lend to more than 7 million people, 97% of whom are women.
This is a truly inspirational story about how as individuals we can really make the world a better place.
You can read the whole interview here.

"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."
Sir Winston Churchill

Ugly Mickey

This is a Jeremy blog entry that just points to the great contributions on the www. Its nice to see that people can use their talents for something positive. Like on this funny website I found that lets people contribute their ugly renditions of Mickey Mouse. http://mickeyfeio.wordpress.com/

So angry

I just watched the new Micahel Moore movie, "sicko," and it evoked such a strong reaction in me. I guess he's good at what he does. I knew as i was watching it that he was spinning things to make his point, but in this case he was preaching to the choir. For those that don't know, this film is about the state of the health care system in the US and he makes his best case for a nationalized health care system by comparing the US to the UK, France, Canada and even 3rd world Cuba.
It just made me so angry to know that so many suffer such hardships mostly around lacking access to care just because of money. Its one thing if poor people in a poor country that lacks supplies and medicine all together are suffering, that is something tragic in its own right, but to see working class families that have an income but can't get the very care that is in their neighborhood because of insurance problems seems inhumane. Every doctor makes an oath to help all patients yet in the US they are prevented from fulfilling that oath because of questions of money. It really seems like the worst kind of perversion of a profession that is supposed to be so noble.

I live in a country with nationalized health care. It has its ups and downs, but it works and everyone has it. I am currently saving over $3600 per year in health care costs. Even more important than the money, my conscience feels good knowing that everyone can get care when they need it and that some insurance company can't kick someone off their policy because they couldn't make payments or they didn't list a pre-existing condition.

I wrote to my congressmen, and the presidential candidates telling them that I want this issue addressed. i consider it to be a moral issue, not a political one.

New student

Yesterday Amy (the girl) and I went surfing. She has been wanting to learn how to surf so I started to teach her. It is amazing to teach people things. I love to learn new things, especially things that are very different from something I've ever done before. I really enjoyed being part of that process with someone else. Learning to surf is not easy and can be very frustrating. It is physically exhausting and a beginner often feels so weak and inefficient before something so massive and unforgiving. Still, Amy did great. Yes, she go tossed around like a small mouse under the paw of large cat, but she came up out of the water, hair in her face, mouth and nose full of salt water, and still managed a smile (most of the time). We were sharing my board and when she got tired I would paddle out and ride a few waves in and then give the board back over. She would want to know how I made it look so easy and I just promised her that by sticking with it what seems so foreign and uncomfortable now, will gradually become part of her catalog of abilities like typing, yoga, or playing the flute.

quote of the day

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.


Oscar Wilde

When the heavens open up

I saw traces of what was probably an amazing sunset today. I only say probably because I didn't actually see the sun. I left my office to go get a snack and it looked like the sky had opened up a window to the heavens. I felt like it was the kind of place i wished i could go closer to or maybe even live in. I thought of my friend maddy in italy and wondered if she saw the same sunset. Then i had the thought that this magical gateway could be viewed as a reflection of this world and that all of the beauty and magic i was thinking was in another world was actually in this world and the sunset was just here to remind of of that.

Back to work

After two and a half grueling days of being sick, i made it back to work. Yipee! It was actually really nice to join the ranks of the living:-) I'm slowly getting an appetite back and the color is coming back to my face too. Thanks to everyone that wished me healthy thoughts.