Category: Blog

Musings on what matters to us.

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LaToya Ruby Frazier: Secrets for Success in Art and Activism

This past summer I took my visiting nephews to the Museum of Modern Art, (MoMA), in New York City. Walking through a gallery, I noticed a crowd around a young dynamic woman talking about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. I have never been to a major museum where the artist, in this case, LaToya Ruby Frazier, was on hand to speak about her work. It was such a privilege. Within seconds of being in her compelling presence, I grabbed my phone and started recording. Her communication and storytelling skills mesmerize.

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Waymo Takes The Lead In the Robo Taxi Arms Race

On a recent trip to San Francisco my friend Tassos treated us to Waymo’s robotaxi. When I first saw the Jaguar SUV silently slither up and down the San Francisco hills, I thought , “No way will I get in one of those”. But when I saw more driver-less taxis throughout the day, and they weren’t bursting into flames and maiming people on sidewalks, I had another think. I had to try it.

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9/11 Personal Evacuation Kit

After the 9/11 attacks, we were given by our employer, Scudder Investments, now Deutsche Bank, a personal evacuation kit.

The months after the attack, many of us working in NYC office buildings thought another attack was imminent. I felt a bit safer with my personal evacuation kit. With my trusty kit under my arm, I would get out of a burning building unscathed.

Twenty three years later, I still keep my kit next to my desk at work. Fortunately, I have never needed it.

Yesterday I finally opened it.

Personal Evacuation Kit
Kit Ingredients

It’s funny what we think will keep us safe.

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Morning Meditation

Before I dashed to work one morning I was astonished at the beauty I almost missed, had I not slowed down and looked and listened to the awe of now.

Ancram, NY taken with iPhone with no retouching
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First-Generation NYC Students Develop Business Skills to Help Harlem Business Owners

In a time when anti-immigration rhetoric is scaling new heights in the US and the EU, there is a bright spot in the U.S. migration story. A New York City pilot program teaches first-generation high school students financial literacy and entrepreneurship. It is a win for all communities involved.

First-Generation Entrepreneurs Trailer
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Spotlight: Chateau Suau Leads Bordeaux’s Organic Reign

Full disclosure: My cousin Tom is married to Monique Bonnet, the founder of Chateau Suau.

Monique is one of the few successful woman leaders working in wine in Bordeaux. She has been running the family vineyard since the 1980’s.

Around 2007, she noticed her workers were developing rashes, runny eyes, and other symptoms. After a few conversations she learned they were impacted by the pesticides that treat the grapes. Most vineyards still use toxic pesticides today. She said, “That’s it. We are going organic.” At a huge cost, they lost almost three years of production to convert their more than 150 acres into an organic vineyard.

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