In A Mellow Tone

I love big band jazz. Saturday, my roommate Rochelle, performed a very nice piece at the Big Band Jam at the Sylvan Stage adjacent to the Washington Monument.

The name of the piece is in "A Mellow Tone". The band Afro Blue performed with the Smithsonian Jazz Band.

Along with Rochelle, Tonya Khakazi, from Miss. DC Pageant performed also and was simply dazzling.

Earth Day 2010: Sending out an SOS

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and my friends and I enjoyed celebrating the Day and understanding the important message at the National Mall. The highlight of the day was when Sting performed his classic "Message in a Bottle" with Roots.

Cherry Blossom Festival

I came because the wood thrush called me: They were out in mass and perhaps for another day or two.  The bloom that blushes every spring and rings the Tidal Basin pink. Blindingly beautiful and then before you know, are blown away, like everything we own, not meant to last forever, not even for a lifetime or a season of change. Like the most pure virgin smile will certainly wrinkle or the undying lovethat may one day fade away, the majestic sakura as the baby blossoms fall.

So I hit the road with weary feet, still trembling from last week's 26-miler, the one that wasn't meant to be, and now I tried to wipe away.  But my mind was fresh and my heart anew,  hungry to steal a glimpse of those pastel petals floating loftily with every puff or sprinkle. The ground, my Nikes covered in white like the foot of snow from the errant blizzard flight, imposed on us like a long-forgotten great uncle that blanketed this city just last month, if I remember right.  Other than that night, DC no longer knew pure white from the haze of snow except this fortnight, the cloud of bloom rising high and purple sepals raining nigh on the grass and foot paths something magical, idolic and ripe.

I ran with all the might I could muster but soon found myself frozen still in the light of the Pearly luster searching for the inner meaning and peace that had escaped me and hoping that this model of love and transience of life will stay indelibly etched in my enigma even if I have to chase them down before they all floated away.

Haiti: The Crisis Response Triad

This video depicts the compassionate, collaborative work that was the hallmark of the Haiti Response.

Unlike the government's response to Katrina, the Haiti response launched three faces that are collectively known as the

"Crisis Response Triad".

1) WiFi Network (to relief workers)

2) Social Media (Facebook was the primary and most reliable means for Haitians to communicate with their loved ones overseas)

3) Cloud Computing

Perhaps one of the most innovative facets of Cloud Computing is the incorporation of new applications that are built specifically for the immediate needs of the relief workers of Haiti. 
Hundreds of web developers have created new web-based applications (such as, the We Have, We Need project that has been hailed the “Craig’s List” for the crisis in Haiti) that allow for more specific searching or execution of specific relief for Haitians.

Essentially, it’s been able to link relief workers with the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), local Haitians, Haitians abroad, the Haitian Government and other countries to address specific needs and to get them the requisite resources quickly and efficiently.

The paradox of this situation is that the most underdeveloped nation in the Western Hemisphere is the first test bed for the implementation of cloud computing of a grand scale of international reach and premiere caliber.

This is appropriate since Haiti is one country that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. Since the earthquake is arguably the greatest natural disaster in modern times, the silver lining is that this will be the first time in recent history that a country can be completely rebuilt with the collaboration and supervision of the world’s nations.

Crisis Management: Haiti

Haiti: Hotspots and Laptops

Umstead 100 Ultra

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.

Pacing Tammy

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Reflecting

Yesterday, I paced my first Ultra.  Yes, there's a first time for everything and this weekend was my first of many.

Understanding

When Tammy called me a couple of months ago, I thought one had to be insane to be running such a long distance non-stop, day in and night out.

Running a (half) Ironman was itself a balanced feat, but running an ultra is extreme beating on your feet.

Negotiating

So, I told her "no" at first.  Had other commitments -- the National the week before, and of course my dreaded midterms (George Washington University).  Surely, this was an excuse to cop out.

But after much contemplation, how could I say        
"no" to Tammy -- sweet, unique and sensational.

Yes, she's really quite an inspiration and the Umstead 100 would open many doors, I know, even if it slams back on me.

Inspiring

So the race started promptly at 6:00 AM.  And 11 hours later, I had the pleasure to accompany Tammy on her 6th lap, just over the midway hump.  What should have been an opportunity for me to support and encourage became an interval of inspiration and encouragement I gained on each and every excruciating step.

Jill and Annette during their 6th lap

Navigating

So finally 3:30 AM crept up on us.  We had been up for nearly 24 hours -- Tammy had been running for over 21 hours and I had stayed up at the Aid Station, meeting other runners, pacers and seeing where I could be of help.

It was this time that I met Jill Perry and heard her amazing story of how she set a course record for the race.

For one, I was extremely impressed with the staff and support crew.  Everyone was amazingly helpful.  They treated the runners like royalty and even the pacers received first-class treatment, too.

Secondly, the food, both hot and cold was out of this world.  Besides your typical bananas and bagels, there was pizza, chicken breast, burgers and dogs.  I felt I was visiting In-N-Out rather than Running In and Out.

Mixing delicious Umstead Spaghetti sauce the dinner before

When we started in the pre-dawn darkness -- it seemed so thrilling that Tammy was starting on her 8th and final lap. Excitement filled the air but the air would soon grow cold and unforgiving.

Despite the full moon, in many spots, the trees towered over the dusty trails and darkness easily enveloped us.

But in no time, we were making good headway, only to face the rolling hills -- hills that got deeper and steeper, trails that got longer and stronger.

One of these days, I'll do a ultra, I thought.  Not Umstead, but just a simple ultra -- something slow and less rolling.

Finally, with just a minute to spare, Tammy, her husband Tristan, and I all crossed the finish line at just under 25 hours (24 hours, 58 mins and 30 secs) -- hand in hand, face-to-face, smile across brow.  I was so proud of Tammy that now I truly began to appreciate the sacrifice one has to make -- a sacrifice that I myself may be willing to take this October with the JFK 50.

But who knows, where I'll be then.  The summer is long and lots of events between now and then.  An ultra is a great goal but pacing is just as swell.

A Church Rebuilds in Haiti

Haiti: The Streets, The People

A Church Grows in Haiti

I have never seen anything close to this.  Not where I grew up onboard a 40-foot yacht sailing to remote parts of the  Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia.  Not two years ago, on the hot, dusty streets of  Kabul. Not last summer on my marathon train ride from Turkey, Romania, Hungary and Poland.

"Nice to meet you Pastor Luke.  It's a tremendous honor."  Pastor Luc St Felix is a gentle, kind-hearted minister whose total lost not only affected his intermediate family but his entire church family.

National Marathon and Half

Running with "the Runs"

Reflecting

This was supposed to be my hometown run.  After doing the Goofy, the Miami and the New Orleans Rock-N-Roll, I was looking forward to staying home and running my hometown streets.

Understanding

In the beginning of the year, I set a personal goal: To run 12 major marathons, half marathons or triathlon events this year (whether formal or unofficial).  Running the National full would be my 4th race and on track to make my goal by year's end.

Last year's National had a surprising twist.  Since I had a good track record with the race (this is my 4th year running it), I expected it to be more of the same.  Boy was I WRONG.

Negotiation

And I was facing some obstacles.  In Haiti the ground was too damaged and the skies too dirty to run.  I was very strict with only drinking bottled water, but I had to eat the food.  Whenever you go to a third world country, you come home, but the bug stays with you. So, I had come back with a mild fever and well the "Runs".

Inspiration

When I started to feel weak, I realized that villagers all over Port-au-Prince are facing immense difficulty everyday. Coming back from the trip gave me all the inspiration I needed.

I was also very glad that my friend, Chris, who just the day before I suggested he join me in his first marathon was making a good time and feeling invigorated.

Navigation

I felt inspired, but still felt ill, both gastrointestinal and a slight fever that precipitously got worse by the minute.  I remembered that I had to pace my friend Tammy for the Umstead 100 Endurance Run near Raleigh the following weekend.  I wanted to be healthy for that run and also run this week to prepare for it.  So while last year I started out with the half and finished the full, this year was just the polar opposite.

Laptops and Hotspots

Patrice Richard from Paris knocked timidly on the front door of Ms. Ederne Edouard, a 31-year old woman, unemployed and illiterate and hoping for a brighter day.

The French man who went by Patrice was surprisingly nervous and shockingly lost for words.  In his hands he carried a picture of his adopted daughter, 15 years old, Sophia.  From his lips, he mouthed the words from Sophia to his birth mother, "I love you Mama. I hope to see you one day, very soon."

What particularly chocked me about this story was the fact that Ederne had never seen a picture of her daughter -- never held her hand since she was abandoned at age two.

Now, Sophia was living in Paris -- smart, athletic and witty.  She loved to study and had many friends. Like most girls, her age, she had a cell phone and a facebook page.

And like most people in Haiit (over 30% are illiterate), Ederne did not have access to a phone or the internet, didn't even know how to boot up a computer, how to type together complete sentences or even write them down for that matter.

To me Ederne's story is sad, uplifting and wholly emotional.  It is a testimony of love and a testament to the fact that Haitian's need laptops, internet, and a portal to the rest of the world.

My dream is to provide laptops and high speed internet access to everyone in Port-au-Prince.  Yes, this dream seems extreme in a land where the biggest need is a tent to cover their heads and flip flops to protect their feet.  But how are we going to get them these materials quickly, proficiently and completely if we don't know how to request them, ship them, deliver them so that passion and compassion can be displayed with the best of humanity.

Here's what I'm thinking: tap off the existing backbone by building dozens of antennas strategically located throughout the city and connected via line-of-sight. Lend the laptops to women as part of a microfinance program and provide WiFi access via individual passwords.

Once built, the system is permanent and self sustaining.  Besides providing security, we would have to provide technical assistance to use and maintain the laptops.  We will hire local Haitians and provide them an opportunity to be trained, intern and return their knowledge and skillsets to the local population.

Providing laptops with high speed internet access is not just for the Haitians. First and foremost, this capability should be provided to relief workers and non profit organizations who are providing their time and capital to save lives and make life better in this country.

Often times, these organizations are comprised of very large groups where nearly 100 people per organization may need simultaneous access to high-speed internet.  These relief workers depend on the power of internet communication to ensure that their equiptment and resources (tents, flip flops, medicine, clothing, Bibles, etc) as well as people get moved smartly, quickly, touching as many Haitians as we possibly can.

Once the backbone is built, there is no reason why the appendages cannot be extended to the Haitian people so that every individual can enjoy the power and speed of the internet.

Critics may say, that people are not familiar with the use.  My response is that we can teach them, create skilled labor through internships and thus create more jobs.

Some may add that this country has a 30% illiteracy rate.  If people can't read a book, how can they read what's on their computer screen  -- my answer: Perhaps the computer more than the book with actually be the vehicle that introduces them to the power of language.

I have additional ideas how we can provide a large amount of laptops to the Haitians that can not only be a Win-Win, but a WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN for the folks at home involved in this large-scale endeavor.

I also have an idea how an application can be created in Creole that will be more icon intensive with fewer words and less complexity that I hope the Haitians will happily embrace.

I also don't want to bore you with these logistical and technical details.  If you would like to discuss with me the specificity of my plan, please drop me a line.

I hope that this vision will soon come to fruition and we can provide free high-speed internet access to every Haitian in Port-au-Prince.  Meanwhile, at home, I am hard pressed to find a WiFi signal even in the most busier parts of DC.  Yes, I know that this vision can be a hard endeavor, but if you don't try, we will never know life's true possibilities.