It has been a busy eight days. I celebrated my birthday in Los Angeles the day before my younger daughter ran her first marathon. She was excited and a little nervous as we drove to Dodger stadium to pick up her race number and then preview the race course in the car. We stopped part way through the course to have lunch with a college friend of mine and his family. I noticed gas near the Italian restaurant where we ate in Beverly Hills was selling for $4.58 per gallon - much higher than other parts of the city. It seems the spector of $5.00 gas I hear about so often on CNN, is almost a reality in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, people in Europe and Asia are already paying substantially more - but I digress.....
We were up early on marathon morning - wanting to make sure our well trained runner didn't miss her 4 am departure for the starting line. Seemed a little early to me but none of the marathons I ran ever had 25,000 runners.
Big city marathons generally provide an interesting view of the city - LA is no different. We saw gritty areas of the city near downtown - where the race was a disruption to the normal ebb and flow of the lives of the homeless. Watching a steady stream of runners passing the 3 mile mark it was easy to get a sense of the diversity of the city. I heard spanish, japanese, korean, chinese while America rock music blared from nearby speakers.
In Beverly Hills, we noticed well dressed spectators sipping lattes and cheering politely. We expected the finish in Santa Monica to be laid back and low key; however the arrival of wind and sideways rain seemed to have driven the civility out of the locals. The finish area was total chaos more reminiscent of a disaster scene than a well financed event designed to enhance the image of the city.
For several days before the marathon my wife plotted our driving course on race day. It might seem simple to just "follow" the race route however in a race with 25,000 runners and countless closed roads to keep the runners out of harms way; logistics aren't straight forward. The planning paid off as we were able to see our daughter 7 times as she crossed the city. She finished faster than her goal time despite very difficult running weather. She was happy to have finished and raised money for her charity. We were proud of her effort and enjoyed getting a unique perspective of the city of angels.
I went from unusally windy and wet LA to an unseasonably warm Charlotte where I spent 3 days enjoying the temperatures in the mid 80s, spending time in the office and playing golf before heading to the single digit temperatures and snow in western NY. My elder daughter closed out her career as a college thespian playing Antigone in an adapatation of a play of the same name. It was great to see her perform twice and I also got a chance to ski with her before heading back to NC.
I used to tease my kids that their birthdays often became birthday weeks. It was nice to have a birthday week of my own.
Lake
Near Yellow Mountain
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Lessons from Japan
I started the week in Florida to attend an industry show that is usually well attended by Japanese. On Monday I hoped to hear the latest news on events in the lithium battery industry from a Japanese expert who presents every year. This year he couldn't make it for obvious reasons. Some of my Japanese customers and others I know in the industry from Japan were in Florida. They had either left for the US before the earthquake and tsunami or are based in western Japan where the airports were not impacted. The small group of Japanese who I spoke with this week had a common attitude - the situation is terrible but "we" will work through it.
It is hard to find anything positive in the aftermath of a tragic event like this earthquake and the subsequent tsunami but if I can see one positive thing -- it is the focus by the media on how the people of Japan have come together, as they always do in times like this. People were not worried about looting or riots, they banded together to help each other and will continue to do so until things are back to normal. The stores had limited supplies but people were not hoarding. The vast majority take enough for their immediate need and allow others to have what they need.
Having lived in Japan and still a frequent visitor, it is nice to see the example the Japanese can provide regarding civil behavior broadcast to the world. I was supposed to be in Tokyo next week. A couple days ago I got a note of apology from our partner asking if I could delay my upcoming visit because of the current "inconvenience". Only the Japanese would apologize in a situation like this.
Other than reporting on the people aspects of the aftermath; in my opinion, the media did not do so well. The reports from CNN were a bit over the top with comparisons of the problems at the Fukushima reactor to Chernobyl (not comparable for many reasons) or discussions about potential radiation migration to the US west coast (if it happens the levels would probably compare to a dental x-ray). Despite all the "noise", like many people, I listened each day to the latest. I live a couple miles of a nuclear power plant in the US. I am thankful for the low cost power it provides and hate to see the knee jerk reaction of governments and media that call into question whether more "nukes" should be built. The focus should be on continuing to improve and develop the technology. More people have died in oil field and coal mining accidents than incidents related nuclear power. Life is a risk. Thousands die on the roads each year but nobody calls for a ban on cars.
I don't agree with the French on many things but I think they have it right on their leadership nuclear energy.
It is hard to find anything positive in the aftermath of a tragic event like this earthquake and the subsequent tsunami but if I can see one positive thing -- it is the focus by the media on how the people of Japan have come together, as they always do in times like this. People were not worried about looting or riots, they banded together to help each other and will continue to do so until things are back to normal. The stores had limited supplies but people were not hoarding. The vast majority take enough for their immediate need and allow others to have what they need.
Having lived in Japan and still a frequent visitor, it is nice to see the example the Japanese can provide regarding civil behavior broadcast to the world. I was supposed to be in Tokyo next week. A couple days ago I got a note of apology from our partner asking if I could delay my upcoming visit because of the current "inconvenience". Only the Japanese would apologize in a situation like this.
Other than reporting on the people aspects of the aftermath; in my opinion, the media did not do so well. The reports from CNN were a bit over the top with comparisons of the problems at the Fukushima reactor to Chernobyl (not comparable for many reasons) or discussions about potential radiation migration to the US west coast (if it happens the levels would probably compare to a dental x-ray). Despite all the "noise", like many people, I listened each day to the latest. I live a couple miles of a nuclear power plant in the US. I am thankful for the low cost power it provides and hate to see the knee jerk reaction of governments and media that call into question whether more "nukes" should be built. The focus should be on continuing to improve and develop the technology. More people have died in oil field and coal mining accidents than incidents related nuclear power. Life is a risk. Thousands die on the roads each year but nobody calls for a ban on cars.
I don't agree with the French on many things but I think they have it right on their leadership nuclear energy.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The inescapable reality of nature
The blog stats tell me that a few people who read this are from Japan . Tonight my thoughts and prayers are with them. I started getting emails from friends in Tokyo within 15 minutes of the quake striking NE Japan. Most people who will read this have probably never experienced the power of a large quake. Japanese live with earthquakes the same way people in Buffalo live with snow or people in Oklahoma live with tornadoes. They are part of the ebb and flow of daily life.
It was interesting how my friend's distinct personalities came through even in the short emails they sent about a tragic event. One was in an understandable panic and worried about his family since he could not reach on the phone (he now knows they are fine). Another likened the experience to a carnival ride and joked about not being able to "get a cab". He grabbed some snacks and decided to sleep in his office with some of his colleagues - an earthquake pajama party of sorts. Another sent me "business like" updates during his several hour walk home. Each person seemed to have two goals - confirm that their families were ok and start the process of getting back to normal.
Yesterday's quake was massive and tragic. Although CNN headlines it as the "biggest earthquake in Japan's history" this seems more of an attempt at drama than the reality of the situation. Japan has a long history and the ability to measure earthquakes is a relatively new development. No one knows if this was the biggest quake in Japan's history. Countless major quakes have occurred over the centuries. Does everything need to be ranked? Ok - the largest quake in the history of recorded quakes......
While the full impact of yesterday's seismic event can't accurately be measured yet; "greatest quake" or not - the human toll will be much less than the great Tokyo quake of 1929 or the great Hanshin earthquake that hit our former hometown of Kobe in 1995. The fact is the Japanese are a remarkable and resilient people that deal with life on their shaky ground in an incredibly effective manner. Japan's building technology developed over generations certainly saved thousands of lives today.
During my family's time in Asia we experienced many quakes. Our first year in Kobe we were rocked by a 6.8 quake that had our earthquake proof apartment building moving back and forth on the rockers built into the foundation.. The windows were open and from our 19th floor apartment I could hear screams of terror from Kobe residents on the street below. Two minutes of rocking seems like an eternity. Many of these terrified people were related to or friends of one of the several thousand Kobe residents that died in the 1995 quake.
Quakes became an accepted (if not enjoyed) part of our life in Japan. After five years of experience even a large quake became something that was noted with respect rather than fear. One day playing golf in Tokyo, I had a final hole putt shaken by a quake and asked if a local rule allowed a "do over". No mulligan putts in Japan.
We were fortunate to miss the 2004 Tsunami by just a few hours as a ski invitation had us move our departure from Malaysia up by one day. We were in transit in Singapore when the reports came in that the island we were on the day before was in the path of the tsunami. A friend of ours was washed out to sea that day and his body was not identified for several months. There was a lot of discussion at the time about the SE Asia countries not having a Tsunami warning like Japan does. Perhaps the Aceh tragedy could have been minimized.
In 2008, my Shanghai office was rocked by the Sichuan quake that killed tens of thousands. Our office staff in Shanghai had never experienced an earthquake and wanted to rush out of the shaking building - the exact wrong instinct. It was an incredible experience to shake as much as we did when the epicenter was over 1,000 miles away.
The images streaming in today via satellite tell a story but only those who have seen the tsunami wave coming at them or felt the sickening sound of pitching or collapsing buildings can fully appreciate this manifestation of the power of nature.
It was interesting how my friend's distinct personalities came through even in the short emails they sent about a tragic event. One was in an understandable panic and worried about his family since he could not reach on the phone (he now knows they are fine). Another likened the experience to a carnival ride and joked about not being able to "get a cab". He grabbed some snacks and decided to sleep in his office with some of his colleagues - an earthquake pajama party of sorts. Another sent me "business like" updates during his several hour walk home. Each person seemed to have two goals - confirm that their families were ok and start the process of getting back to normal.
Yesterday's quake was massive and tragic. Although CNN headlines it as the "biggest earthquake in Japan's history" this seems more of an attempt at drama than the reality of the situation. Japan has a long history and the ability to measure earthquakes is a relatively new development. No one knows if this was the biggest quake in Japan's history. Countless major quakes have occurred over the centuries. Does everything need to be ranked? Ok - the largest quake in the history of recorded quakes......
While the full impact of yesterday's seismic event can't accurately be measured yet; "greatest quake" or not - the human toll will be much less than the great Tokyo quake of 1929 or the great Hanshin earthquake that hit our former hometown of Kobe in 1995. The fact is the Japanese are a remarkable and resilient people that deal with life on their shaky ground in an incredibly effective manner. Japan's building technology developed over generations certainly saved thousands of lives today.
During my family's time in Asia we experienced many quakes. Our first year in Kobe we were rocked by a 6.8 quake that had our earthquake proof apartment building moving back and forth on the rockers built into the foundation.. The windows were open and from our 19th floor apartment I could hear screams of terror from Kobe residents on the street below. Two minutes of rocking seems like an eternity. Many of these terrified people were related to or friends of one of the several thousand Kobe residents that died in the 1995 quake.
Quakes became an accepted (if not enjoyed) part of our life in Japan. After five years of experience even a large quake became something that was noted with respect rather than fear. One day playing golf in Tokyo, I had a final hole putt shaken by a quake and asked if a local rule allowed a "do over". No mulligan putts in Japan.
We were fortunate to miss the 2004 Tsunami by just a few hours as a ski invitation had us move our departure from Malaysia up by one day. We were in transit in Singapore when the reports came in that the island we were on the day before was in the path of the tsunami. A friend of ours was washed out to sea that day and his body was not identified for several months. There was a lot of discussion at the time about the SE Asia countries not having a Tsunami warning like Japan does. Perhaps the Aceh tragedy could have been minimized.
In 2008, my Shanghai office was rocked by the Sichuan quake that killed tens of thousands. Our office staff in Shanghai had never experienced an earthquake and wanted to rush out of the shaking building - the exact wrong instinct. It was an incredible experience to shake as much as we did when the epicenter was over 1,000 miles away.
The images streaming in today via satellite tell a story but only those who have seen the tsunami wave coming at them or felt the sickening sound of pitching or collapsing buildings can fully appreciate this manifestation of the power of nature.
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