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No Easy Solutions
No Easy Solutions
If you were king how would you end poverty? Not an easy question to answer, even if you were king with a magic wand its not an easy problem to solve. Neverthless it was a question that one of our intrepid students put to a Stanford professor one day. This became a common question that we asked almost everyone we met with, and it was a question that generated a lot of good group conversation. I would like to summarize a few of the answers we heard and add my own half-baked idea at the end.
Two weeks ago we visited Dr. David Grusky at the Stanford Center for Poverty and inequality. I took away a couple of key points from this meeting. One of their key tasks is to get better and more frequent data about poverty in the United States. Larry told us that the data we have today is collected too infrequently and by the time the data is published it is nine months out of date! Wow, thats crazy. The software development manager in me says, “you can’t fix what you can’t measure” If we are not measuring poverty how can we hope to make progress toward fixing it. Hint: We can’t.
In terms of a big solution Dr. Grusky expressed his idea quite eloquently. “We have to make everyone live together.” At first I rejected the idea as overly simple and impractical. But the more I thought about it the more I liked it. Making people of all income levels live next to each other would surely build community, where we would not see each other as “other” but rather as friends and neighbors. Who doesn’t want to help their neighbors? Who is my neighbor is a question that has been nagging us since the disciples first asked the question of Jesus a couple thousand years ago. The more we live in community the more we see each other as people.
To return to the theme of Decorah in the previous post, I think this really is one of the strengths of a small town. Rich people, middle income people, and poor people all live together. Maybe not next door, but definitely on the same block. Our kids go to the same schools and participate on the same teams and choirs and bands together. We meet parents over the common ground of our kids and their achievements. Over the years one of the most amazing aspects of the Decorah schools to me is that there is such a high level of mutual respect among students no matter what they do. The “jocks” are also in the choir, and if not they scertainly support the choir, and vice versa. Its this kind of integration that leads to great things. If you don’t believe me I’ll tell you that Decorah has won the Iowa Challenge cup so many times in the last ten years that people at the state just call it the “Decorah prize.”
Why is this so important? The more integrated we become, and the more we see each other as friends and peers the more we will help each other solve our problems. The more integrated we live the more our kids go to the same schools.
In broad terms the next set of solutions revolve around economic mobility, that is how do we get people to move up the economic ladder?
One answer to this question that came up several times was around education. Even our own president Carlson took a shot at this question at an alumni event we attended. Education leads to opportunity and or the ability to move up the economic ladder. Here’s a great story that illustrates Of course not everyone gets to go to Stanford and tap into the amazing group of VC’s and successful entrepreneurs that are part of the Stanford alumni network. But education opens many doors to higher paying jobs no matter where it comes from. The theme of education was also evident at the Creative Commons where we discussed open source licensing models and how organizations like Open MIT and others are making high quality courseware available on the web. This of course is not unlike what we are doing at Runestone.
Another really interesting discussion about economic mobility comes from Kiva . While Kiva has been making loans abroad for a few years, Kiva has started to make micro loans (up to $10,000) right here in the United States. The Kiva story goes something like this. A micro loan is not going to vault you up the economic ladder, it may not even get you onto the first rung. But it will give you a foothold on the ladder where you might just be able to reach the first rung with a little time and experience. Without the microlending infrastructure in place, we wondered how Kiva decides who to loan to. The answer is simple, “If you can show us that you have convinced 25 people to loan you 25 dollars then we will put you on the site.” Between Kiva and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University we have enough examples of these small scale loans in action to make it very believable that it is a path up the economic ladder.
Rome Arrival
Rome Arrival
We began our outing to Rome with a walkabout starting at our hotel. The hotel, Smeraldo, was very conveniently located just two blocks from Piazza Fiori, and from there a quick walk to Piazza Navona and then the Pantheon. The group shot above was taken in front of the Pantheon. We continued our walk past the under construction Trevi fountain, and the Spanish steps where we enjoyed a night view of the newly refurbished fountain.
After a nice walk we had a group meal at Hosteria Romana, where we (Katie) left our mark. I hope that in future years other Luther groups will return to this restaurant, and that the logo will still be there. If you do visit make sure you check in the back room and let me know.
Day 178
Day 178
We have been away from the USA for 178 days. With the rulings of the supreme court back home this week, it is easy to feel like we are returning to a country that is better off today than it was six months ago. We still have plenty of problems, but I am very excited to return home. I can’t wait to see friends and family, I may not sleep very well tonight!
Today we spent the majority of our day biking from the center of Prague to Karlštejn Castle 35km away. We have done a bike outing in almost every country we have visited, and today was no different. It is such a great way to see the country side and the people.
We have had an exceptional few days in Prague, mostly because of meeting so many good friends who were experiencing Luther’s Bach and Bonhoeffer tour. We toured with the group dined with friends, and hosted a happy hour for the group on our amazing terrace. It was almost like being home with so many great people around.
Nevertheless tomorrow morning we board a plane in Prague that will take us to Frankfurt and then we have a direct flight from Frankfurt to Minneapolis. Local time to local time I’ll be on the ground 24 hours from now, but its really 24+7 to account for the time difference.
Summary of Azamara Cruise
Summary of Azamara Cruise
For future reference I like to record the itinerary and favorite stops from a cruise. So here goes.
Azamara Journey June 12 - 23, 2015
- Venice, Italy
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- At sea
- Crete, Greece
- Santorini -- hike Fira to Oia
- Mykonos -- morning trip to Delos
- Patmos
- Kusadasi (Ephesus) Turkey
- Lemnos (replaced Lesvos due to unrest)
- Istanbul, Turkey
Its hard to say what my favorite stop was on this trip. I enjoyed seeing the old city of Dubrovnik and hiking around the walls. I enjoyed our hike from Fira to Oia on Santorini (despite the fact that it was hot and I complained about the heat) I enjoyed our scooter rental explorations on Patmos. I enjoyed our tour, rug bargaining, and the evening concert in Ephesus, I enjoyed our cooking class in Istanbul.
Minus the screwup on our suite, the Azamara experience was really nice and relaxing. We enjoyed the fact that drinks were included, and so we didn’t have pocketsful of paper for signing for anything and everything. We enjoyed our freedom to dine in the specialty restaurants (Prime-C and Aqualina) whenever we wanted, and we had a great time at the best-of-the-best night with the other suite guests. The formal table service was a show unto itself, with all of our butlers serving us in synchrony like the servants at Downton Abbey.
Cooking in Istanbul
Cooking in Istanbul
Since we had done all the usual tourist things during our previous visit to Istanbul we decided to try another popular thing to do this time around. A cooking class. Other than the kebabs we enjoyed during our previous visit we really didn’t get to learn that much about Turkish cuisine so we decided to sign up for a cooking class with Cookistan
We took an (overpriced) cab from the docks up to the Radisson Plaza where we met our instructor for the day along with a bunch of (much younger) cooking enthusiasts. Our instructor, AyŠın, was phenomenal. She had a great sense of humor, and great timing in everything we did that day. We started out with a walking tour of her neighborhood to get a sense for the kinds of small shops that people use today in modern Istanbul. When we arrived at the cooking school this was all set up for us.
The menu for the day can be seen on the chalk board:
- Suliman Soup -- Yes, I now officially like lentil soup.
- Borecik -- a delicous meat mixture baked in pastry
- Stuffed dried Aubergine -- even though aubergine sounds a lot better than eggplant, I’m still not a huge fan. Although they were not too bad. We also used the same mixture to stuff grape leaves and I really liked that.
- Bulgur Salad -- Again, a new salad, and I’m fan.
- Circassian Style Chicken. Kind of a cold chicken salad that you can eat with a spoon or put on bread for a sandwich.
- Pumpkin Dessert -- Maybe the only thing all day I really didn’t appreciate. -- It was too much like eating sweet squash for my palete
In a very small world moment you can see the young man in this picture with me, who works on the same team at Epic with one of my former students!
Evening Concert in Ephesus
Evening Concert in Ephesus
The cat, of all things, stole the show. Earlier in the day we had learned about the cats of Ephesus. Apparently the archeological team working on the excavation of the ancient city published a book, but it was about the cats rather than about substantial archeological issues.
So, it was no surprise that when 500 of us had settled into the Odeon for a 13 piece string orchestra plus harp, that the cats decided to see what was going on. One of them decided it must have had front row seats, as it seated itself right on top of the stone wall front and center behind the orchestra. Then as the first piece started the cat started to meow. Loud enough that it could be heard alongside the harp. The orchestra got the giggles. The ship’s staff was mortified. Too afraid to grab the cat and drag it out of their they tried to call it (quietly) and the head of guest services tried to shush it! Really, you do not shush a cat. Now, I know this will come as a shock to some, but I am not a cat lover. I barely tolerate their presence. But this was stereotypical cat and stereotypical human behavior at its funniest. I only wish that I had been smart enough to video the whole thing because this is America’s Funniest Home Videos GOLD.
I guess the cat was mostly a fan of the harp, because it moved on after the harpist left the stage. From then on we could really enjoy the music and the small orchestra. The concert was definitely a greatest hits type of concert: Bach: Air, Boccherini: Minuet, Mozart: Eine Kliene Nacht Musik, and Brahms: Hungarian Dance No: 5. The Güçan brothers stole the show in the final number with a Violin versus Viola duel that everyone laughing and cheering.
In between all of this great music was the realization that we were sitting in the Odeon theater of Ephesus. Built in the 2nd century AD we sat on the same stones that Marc Antony and Cleopatra may have sat upon when they were here. The Odeon was the center of city government, and cultural events in early Ephesus. With the sun setting behind us it was an evening we will not forget.
Earlier in the day we did a private tour of Ephesus and it was amazing. About halfway through the tour I turned to Jane and said, “I’m feeling a little bad we did not bring the students down here when we were in Istanbul.” Of all of the ancient ruins of ancient cities we have visited this would definitely be in my top three. The terraced houses, and the library (with its tunnel to the Brothel across the street) are just spectacular.
Our last stop of the day was at the temple of Artemis. There is just one column remaining but from there you can get a great view of this ancient pagan temple along with a Muslim mosque and the Basilica of St. John. Quite a combination.
Biking in Patmos
Biking in Patmos
We may have missed 2 or 3 km of paved road, but other than that we pretty much covered the island of Patmos today. And what a great way to cover it we discovered. Scooters! Not our usual biking fare, but the island is very hilly and we wanted to cover more ground.
So, we got off the ship and made the short walk to Moto-Leo. A distinctly family run scooter rental operation. Father and daughter, with no deposit or arduous paperwork to rent for the day. Which the daily rental was only 15 euro. So it was also a very cheap way to see the island.
The whole island reminded us of small town living. Although Patmos is a Christian Pilgrimage destination, and they obviously get cruise ships stopping in, the island has not succumbed to that overly touristic feeling. We loved it.
The highlight of the island is the Cave of the Apocalypse, where St. John wrote the book of Revelations. Its pretty small, and they don’t let you take pictures inside, so other than saying it looked like a small cave-like chapel there is not much more to say.
Above the cave sits a monastery and this was our second stop for the day. After parking the scooters and starting the walk up the hill I noticed something that was definitely out of place on the top of Patmos. A “Hawkeye Rd” sign. Really?! An Iowa Hawkeye sign on this tiny small island in Greece. “Iowa Hawkeyes!” I exclaimed. Then I met Jimmy. “Are you from Iowa?” he asked? “yes, from Decorah” I said. “Oh, thats just north of Independence isn’t it?” Clearly this dude knew his Iowa geography! “Yes” I said. “Well, people from Iowa get free coffee, come in, come in!”
We learned from Jimmy that he had lived in Iowa some 13 years until he inherited this building, which brought him back to the island. He has a fantastic view, and is obviously doing quite well with the restaurant and the gift shop.
After doing the only two touristic things on the island we took off on our scooters to explore the nooks and crannies of the island. We saw lots of beautiful little secluded beaches and coves that would be perfect for swimming or snorkeling.
Death March from Fira to Oia
Death March from Fira to Oia
There were six ships in the harbor at Santorini Celebrity, MSC, Azamara, Holland America, and Saga. Azamara was definitely the smallest with just under 700 passengers, but the Celebrity Equinox more than made up for our size. So it was probably over 6000 people descending on the city for the day. In response, the port officials had to stage all of the tender operations so as to not completely overwhelm their ability to welcome people to their city. Meaning, the gondola ride to the top and the poor donkeys carrying people not willing to wait in line for the gondola.
One of the many nice things about the Azamara line is that we stay in port longer than anyone else. Whereas most cruise lines will arrive at a port around 8AM and leave by 5PM Azamara will stay until 10 or 11PM. This has many great benefits in that you can stay ashore much longer, and even have dinner on shore if you like. Or if you have dinner on the ship you are doing it while the ship is anchored! It also goes a long way to reducing the stress around getting out and back from a shore excursion.
Nevertheless, when we arrived on shore the line to take the cable car up the hill stretched across the port. It looked like it was going to take two hours just to get into town but in the end the lined moved fairly quickly and it was only 30 minutes.
The island of Santorini is really just the rim of an ancient volcanic caldera that sticks up above the water. Its easy to see the outline of the circle in this picture:
Our goal for the day was to escape the crowds in the city by hiking from Fira to Oia a five mile walk along the rim of the caldera. Through all of the white villages with their shops and hotels. It sounded pretty easy and it didn’t even look like a very long walk when we were starting out. But it felt a lot longer as there was no breeze and the temperature got up to 32 C or about 90 F. The title of this post is a bit dramatic, as it was not that bad of a walk, and although in a few places we walked through volcanic gravel that insisted on getting in our shoes we had 3 hours of amazing views.
When we arrived in Oia we badly needed a shower, or a dip in one of the many pools we passed on the way. Instead we found a nice little shady restaurant and revived ourselves with some carbonara and a glass of wine. We had escaped the crowds of Fira, seen a lot of beautiful scenery, and worked off a few calories hiking in the heat. It was a great day. Yes, it felt like a forced march a few times along the path to Oia in the heat, but as part of life’s journeys this was worth the effort.
Meanwhile, back on the ship is was Azamara’s white night night. Everyone was out on deck dressed in white and the crew was serving a great dinner. They had the webber kettle going and there were some great greek kabobs and other good food. To top off the evening we watched another great sunset over the rim of the volcano.
