In July I lost a dear friend, Norbert Eggert.WordWeavers (my Toastmasters club) held a meeting after his funeral where a couple of us reflected upon what Norbert. Below you'll find the text that my speech was based on.
Norbert: This Is Not Goodbye!
How do you say good bye to a friend? As we grow older, we all face this situation more and more often. Last week was the funeral for our dear Norbert, several of us said our goodbyes, tonight we’re honoring Norbert and giving Word Weavers a chance to think about what he has meant to all of us.
Norbert was one of the first Word Weavers I met. When I decided to check out area Toastmaster clubs, Norbert was one of the first people that I met. I remember that we were meeting in Alt Wiesbaden back then and on a pleasant Summer night after a Word Weavers meeting and we were able to enjoy a very pleasant Wiesbaden night, sitting outside. It was this very socializing that I really liked about Word Weavers. Norbert was always enthusiastic about talking to guests and to everyone.
You could tell right away with Norbert that public speaking wasn’t a problem for him. He was “a real people person” (as we say in America). He amazed me with the seemingly effortless way he did Table Topics. No matter what the question, he would often start out with “that is a good question”, no matter what the question actually was. He was good at thinking on his feet and often he would find a surprising way of answering his question.
At Toastmasters we’re often using the term “Authentic”, but this a good word to describe Norbert. He reminds me a lot of my grandfather. What you see is what you get. He has seen a lot and been through a lot but Norbert always seemed cool, calm, and collected. I have the feeling that he wasn't distracted by all the “noise” that surrounds us today.
I didn't know Norbert before his heart attack, but I know that he got a second chance at life and he used it and he savored it! He gave a few speeches about his near-death experience. His views on life changed and he looked at the day of his heart attack as another birthday, a rebirth if you will. He was a living example that we should all enjoy and savor our own lives.
Music In Norbert's Life
There were a few songs played at Norbert’s funeral that struck me, because there were so many people at the funeral, I wasn't able to be inside the chapel where I could properly hear the music played, so I listened to the songs and I heard the versions of the various songs that I was familiar with.
I heard “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, (made famous by Ray Charles in 1962). This song reminded me of the speech Norbert gave about growing up in Frankfurt, how he liked Rock and Roll, how he enjoyed listening to record albums with an early girlfriend and that she left him her records, when she moved away.
When I heard “My Way”, I naturally heard the Frank Sinatra version from 1969 and I thought how great it would be if at the end of our lives we could all say that we did our ways. I believe that Norbert did it his way!
When I heard “Time To Say Goodbye”, I hear the version sung by Andrea Bochelli and Sarah Brightman from 1996.This song was already a bittersweet song for me (I’d be happy to tell you about that, but I’ll save that for another speech), but now this song will forever have an additional link to Norbert and I’ll think of him.
For me, remembering the lives that we’ve lost is important. I would like to do something to help keep the memory of Norbert alive after today. I think it would be great if we could do something as a club to this end. I’m open to ideas, so let’s think about this and see what good things we can do to honor Norbert’s memory.
In closing...
I’m reminded of the death of Spock in Star Trek II, where he said to Captain Kirk,...
„I have been, and always shall be, your friend.”
I found a great quote from Isabel Allende in her book Eva Luna, that fits very well..
“There is no death, daughter. People die only when we forget them,' my mother explained shortly before she left me. 'If you can remember me, I will be with you always”
Norbert might not be physically with us any longer but he made quite an impact on many of us.
February 27, 2015 was a sad day for humanity but it has given us all an opportunity to look back at Leonard Nimoy and reflect upon what he has meant to us. Mr. Nimoy had the opportunity to play a character that is known in all corners of the world (maybe even beyond our own, who knows). Mr. Spock, with his Vulcan ears and his "Live Long and Prosper" is known to people who've never even watched a scene from Star Trek. I decided to take this opportunity to reflect on what Leonard Nimoy has meant to me.
This will make me old, but I was born in the year that Star Trek debuted. I don't remember seeing episodes live, but I do remember discovering reruns and I was hooked. Star Trek gave my a love of science and technology and a belief in a brighter future, where anything was possible. Star Trek had everything, aliens galore, space travel, endless adventure, cool gadgets, everything a young boy could want. I created the presentation below, inspired by things I have learned from Leonard Nimoy.
Leonard Nimoy was a key part of the power trio at the center of the Star Trek universe. He was given the opportunity that many actors would love to have and that is to shape direction of a character. In Mr. Nimoy's case, he made lots of decisions that forever shaped how the Vulcan race would be played. Since the Vulkans were one of the central races (besides humans that is), how Vulkans were portrayed would have a big impact on the direction that the series (and subsquent series and movies) would go. There are lots of actors who have followed in his footsteps that can thank him for shaping the essence of who Vulcans were. Imagine, if he had decided to change how he had portrayed Mr. Spock?
Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Mr. Spock were the heart of the series. The chemistry between these three characters was going to drive how well the series did and play into what what happens in every storyline. Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock had an old maried couple feel to their relationship, they were always bickering about anything and everything but you knew that the friendship between the three characters was solid and could withstand anything.
One of the appealing aspects of Mr. Spock and the Vulkans was that they applied logic to everything. At the time series was produced there was a lot of turmoil (there has certainly been a lot of turmoil since) and the idea of applying some logic in a non-logical world was rather comforting. When you look at our own humanity, we often do a lot of illogical things and act purely on emotions and instinct. Throughout the series we'd often see scenarios where the logical thing was not the right thing to do and where we would need to let more of our humanity shine through. Since Mr. Spock was half Vulkan and half human, he could tap into both sides (although the Vulkan side was dominant).
Leonard Nimoy created a Pinochio type character who was trying to discover who he really was. This self-discovery is something that the fans can relate to very well. It is also a theme that would be played out through various Star Trek series. In each subsequent Trek series there always seems to be at least one character who is trying to find out who they are and this can be traced back to the way that Mr. Nimoy portrayed Mr. Spock. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, it is often said that Data was playing this role. In all of us there is a longing to find out who we are and what we're going to contribute to the world.
Leonard Nimoy not only had a great relationship with William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Deforest Kelly (Dr. McCoy) but with the other series regular characters (Scotty, Uhuria, Sulu, and Chekov). In an article at People magazine, it is mentioned that Mr. Nimoy spoke up when he found out that Nichell Nichols (Uhuria) wasn't getting paid what the actors playing Sulu and Chekov were getting paid. In the same article it mentions that he refused to do the voice of Spock in the animated series unless Nichols and George Takei (Sulu) were hire. Mr. Roddenberry apparently started referring to Mr. Nimoy as the conscience of Star Trek.
When N.B.C canceled Star Trek after three seasons, logic would have dictated that this was the end of Star Trek,.but something funny happened on the way to the forum. There was the emergence of the Star Trek fandom. The fans did a letter campaign during when NBC canceled it in the second season, which resulted in the series coming back for a third season. When NBC again pulled the plug after the third season, they mounted another letter writing campaign, but this time without success. The fans managed to keep the fires burning which resulted in a series of Trek movies, and 4 more television series. There is no doubt that Star Trek fans made history when Star Trek returned from the dead. Star Trek fans have done many innovative things that have been picture up by other fandoms. I wouldn't be surprised if Star Trek fans created the first real fandom. Most of us have known a few "Trekers" (Star Trek fans prefer to be called "Trekers" and not "Trekies"), who've seen downright off the deep end in their devotion to Star Trek. There is a great skit from Saturday night live (you can read the transcript here), showing the extreme devotion and nerdiness of some of the fans. I have one friend who can tell you want episode any quote is from and another who can see a picture and tell you what episode it comes from, my brain isn't wired that way. There isn't a company or organization out there that wouldn't like to be able to engage into the devotion of their consumers/users/(fill in the blank) the way that Star Trek has.
For many actors they always have to consider if playing this or that role will typecast them, that is to say that will they have problems finding other roles because people have associated them with a certain character and can't imagine them in a different role. There have been some actors who have played a role and never been able to come out of the shadows of that role. At one point Mr. Nimoy tried to distance himself from Mr. Spock writing a book called "I Am Not Spock", later he would write another book called "I Am Spock". Mr. Nimoy said, "Spock is definitely one of my best friends. When I put on those ears, it is not just another day. When I become Spock, that day becomes something special." Mr. Nimoy has had quite a life outside of Star Trek, I like to think that it has been enriched by his experience with Star Trek and the people that he has gotten to know via Star Trek.
One thing that isn't lost on me is the inspiration that Mr. Nimoy has had a Mr. Spock and the the Trek universe has had. Wil Whetton (who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation) wrote in his eulogy, "When I was a kid, long before I put on Wesley Crusher's sweaters or piloted the Enterprise, I loved Star Trek. I watched it all the time in syndication on our black and white television, and when the other kids at school wanted to play CHIPs or the A-Team on the playground, I wanted to turn the jungle gym into the Enterprise. On those rare occasions that I convinced my classmates that we were bodly going toward new worlds on luch recess, one of the Cool Kids would claim the role of Captain Kirk, and I would always happily assume the role of Mister Spock... I wanted to be Mister Spock because if I was, I could be myself-quite, bookis, alien to the people around me - and it wouldn't be weird. It would be awesome." You don't have to look to far to see people doing things that they might not have had the courage to do or because they were influenced by Mr. Spock and the other characters in the Star Trek universe. NASA named one of the Space Shuttles "Enterprise", no doubt in honor of the place in their heart for Star Trek. I find this inspiration totally amazing.
I could write so much more but all good things must end. I hope that you'll take the time to think about what Nr. Nimoy has meant to you and I hope that you too will be inspired by these words from Mr. Nimoy the commencement he gave at Boston University in 2012, "You are the curator sof your own lives. You create your own life and work. Give us your best...give us the best of your art. We crave it. We hunger for it. Help us to see ourselves...to know ourselves. Illuminate our lives" May we all "Live long and prosper"(you can read the text here). Thank you Mr. Nimoy!
Photo credits: The picture above is from Flickr the license can be found here.
Nearly 25 years ago a most amazing thing happened, the
Berlin Wall fell! This was one of the most visible signs that the Cold War was
ending and really brought the world to a point that it hasn’t quite adjusted to.
As Germany celebrates its “Tag der deutsche Einheit” (German Unity Day), its 24th
such celebration, I thought that I’d take a look at that event.
First of all, has it really been 25 years? I have two
daughters that were both born in Germany after that historic day and they only
know about what life was like before the Wall Fell, by stories that they hear
or discussions that they have in school. How wonderful it is that there are
generations of people that don’t know what it was like to live in the Cold War!
I personally watched the events unfold from America, so I didn’t experience
what life in a divided Germany was like firsthand and ever since I moved over to the
Frankfurt, Germany area, I’ve had a sense of wonder when I visited Prague,
Dresden, Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow and any other area that I
visit that was under the “Iron Curtain”. I was studying at the university when
all those revolutions happened and I had one political science and one
economics class that focused on these events and it truly was an amazing time,
so full of hope for the future.
I’ve always been fascinated by history and dates and
one thing that hasn’t been lost on me is that World War 1 started in 1914 and
we also will have the 25th Anniversary of the “Fall of the Berlin
Wall” in the same year. Some people would point out that Word War II was
largely a result of the way that Word War I ended. I’ve been listening to a fascinating
account of World War I by Dan Carlin (someone
who really makes history fun) on his Hardcore History
Podcast, in a series that he has been doing called “Blueprint for
Armageddon”. There are currently 4 episodes in this series and I’m eagerly
awaiting the next episode. I would also propose that way that Word War II ended
set the stage for the Cold War and we still haven’t found our way in the Post
Cold War Era. Maybe some of our leaders were looking for another meaningful
long-term conflict to latch on to, but it is pretty obvious that we weren’t
ready for the end of the Cold War and are still trying to find our way.
In the IT world, when we’re following best practices,
after we make a big change (i.e. to our infrastructure or to software) we
should take some time to review what happened, did the change go the way that it
should have, are there any steps that need to be taken to correct effects from
the change? When changes are planned, there should be a “change freeze” to make
sure that the change being implemented can be rolled back and that a root cause
analysis can be done on any resulting problems after the change. I would argue
that we need to do this as a society and think about where we really want to go
before we get sucked into the next Great War. After the Cold War ended, we
should have done such an assessment before we got sucked into a “War on Terror”.
Many of the international conflicts that we have today are at least in part due
to the way that the maps were drawn after World War I and World War II and
governments that were supported because they were deemed strategically
necessary because of the Cold War. President Eisenhower warned us of the “Military
Industrial Complex” in his farewell address…
“Until
the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry.
American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as
well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national
defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of
vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are
directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military
security more than the net income of all United States corporations.
This
conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is
new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political,
even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the
Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet
we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and
livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In
the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of
unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial
complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and
will persist.
We
must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or
democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and
knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial
and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that
security and liberty may prosper together.” (Text of President Eisenhower’s speech from Coursera)
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that a lot of
other things could have been done with the money spent on the Arms Race and the
money spent on arming this or that party. Add to this that we’re now developing
a “Security Industrial Complex”, can there ever be enough security when the
enemy is the bogeyman? How do you ever win a “War on Terror”, when is the “Mission
Accomplished”, truly? Where is the
treaty signed that ends the War on Terror”? Now, imagine that the money and
energy pumped into endless wars were directed at problems that need solving
instead. Can you imagine what amazing things we could do with the technology
and the problems we could solve?
The human element is often overlooked when talking
about the conflicts and fighting that we’ve had. Imagine the families and
friends torn apart in the divided Berlin and Germany. Not knowing when they’d
see each other again (or even if there would even be a “when”). Imagine the
hopelessness of it all. What kind of future did the kids have to look forward
to? And yet, the human spirit somehow
prevailed, family, friends, and countrymen were reunited and what was
unimaginable not that long ago came to be, a reunited Germany! The people have
been able to celebrate all these things for nearly 25 years!
Before we go building more walls, it’s time to tear
some more down, to reach out and build some more bridges and connect more
people. My grandfather, in his eternal wisdom used to say how people everywhere
were good and could get along, it was just our politicians that couldn’t get
along. To Germany and the world, I wish you a happy “Tag der deutsche Einheit“
and I hope that we can unite more people that are torn apart and learn some
lessons from the Cold War. Darryl Heron You might be interested in the 20th Anniversary of the Berlin Wall and German Reunification Note: The picture above "Thefalloftheberlinwall1989" comes from Wikipedia.
The 13th Anniversary of September 11th is fast upon us, as I write this, it is a matter of hours away. As has become my personal tradition, this is a big day for me (and for much of the world as well). A lot of time has passed since that awful September 11th when the world changed. One thing that hasn't changed for me is that there were real people that died that day and families were torn apart. It is those families that I think of when I do things related to Project 2996.
I discovered Project 2996 when I was doing research of an article that I was writing about September 11th, and it has become a part of my life ever since. Doing research on some of the victims brings them into your life and though you have you probably never met them the memories of their lives become part of you and as long as you live, these memories will live on. It might not make any sense to someone who hasn't participated yet, but surely you have read something in your life or seen something (via television or possibly online) that has touched you. If you haven't experienced this, you need to, because it is at moments like this that our humanity shines through.
For the 11th Anniversary, Project 2996 started a project of pinning pictures of all of the victims of September 11th into a Project 2996 group pinboard on Pinterest. The goal is to get a pin done for every single victim, with a tribute written up for them as well. This year Project 2996 has added another campaign focusing on the Legacy of the victims. This too is being done via a group pinboard on Pinterest. This new group pinboard is called "Project 2996 Legacy"
I July I ran across a book called "Just a Few Sleeps Away", by Mike Nichols, who tells the the story of a family of one of the victims and how they dealt with their loss. This got me thinking about the legacy that all of the victims have left. I noticed that there were streets and buildings named after victims as well as scholarships and charities that have been created. There has been a lot done to create a legacy for the victims. This was the inspiration for the new group pinboard.
Dale and I have learned some lessons by being involved in Project 2996 and this has also influenced the decision to run this (and the other campaigns) for the entire year, not just a few days around the annual commemorations. The original group pinboard has more have 500 pins and the new pinboard already is off to a good start with over 30 pins.
I don't know if you've done the #ALS #IceBucketChallenge (I have), I found it refreshing that some many people did it. I don't think that you get too much debate about it being one of the better known campaigns of all time. Organizations around the world are looking at that campaign to see what they did right and how they can use this for their purposes. I personally have enjoyed seeing who I knew would end up doing the challenge as well as what celebrities. You can join us in any of the Project 2996 campaigns, it won't tax your pocketbook, you won't get doused in icy cold water, you'll learn something about the victims and you'll have a whole different outlook on September 11th.
On this September day, I think about the people that I have written tributes in the past (Keith Roma, Christopher Santora,Joseph P. Henry, Karl Henri Joseph, and Dana Hannon). I especially think of David W Laychak, who was the first person that I've written about in Project 2996. I think about how honored I was to get a comment from Mrs. Laychak, to one of the tributes that I wrote.
I hope that you take some time out of your day to remember the victims of September 11th, their families, their friends, and the world as this day left all of us a little sadder and world a little less richer because of all these wonderful people we lost and the impact of society that they would have had and the lives that they did and would have touched. You can follow the new Project 2996 Legacy and the original Project 2996 boards on Pinterest and even join us if you'd like to do some pinning. You can also write tributes of your own. If you don't have a website or blog to post them on, I'd be happy to post them for you. Feel free to leave a comment. If you knew any of the victims, I'd love to hear your memories and stories about them.
Darryl
Here are my posts for the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Anniversaries You can read more about the pinning campaign here. The Project 2996 website is here, the Facebook group is here, and the original Project 2996 group pinboard is here.
October 31, 2013 is the end of an era for me... On this day I'm saying goodbye to E.D.S./ H.P after over 16 years working for these two companies. Over the years I've seen many colleagues leave, sending off an email to everyone letting us know that they were moving on outside of the E.D.S. /H.P. world, so I've had a lot of time to think about this moment and therefore I wanted to do something a little bit different. I thought that I'd take this chance to write up a farewell for colleagues, clients, and anyone else that might be interested in the end of this era for me.
I remember being interviewed for the position that I was hired for at Electronic Data Systems and when asked about my aspirations within EDS, I said that I'd like to be C.E.O. Ok, I was young but I think that I obviously made a good enough impression that I was hired. When I hired into E.D.S., they had what was called a dual career path and for a long time I thought that I would work my way into General Motors. Quite a few colleagues that I know from my earlier days did this, but when I had a chance to interview for a position at General Motors, staying with E.D.S. at that time seemed like the best decision.
I worked my way in E.D.S. starting out at a call center, going into a specialty group that handled arbitrations for a client, working at the dealer business center, and finally I worked my way in project management from being part of a project management office to being the project manager for lots of projects. At E.D.S. the sky seemed to be the limit.
I Owe E.D.S. a lot!
It is through E.D.S. that I met my wife. She was working for E.D.S. in Germany and I was working for E.D.S. in the U.S. Around the time that we got married she was fortunate enough to get what was called an Expat assignment to the U.S. and when it was time for her to come back to Germany, well, naturally I came along.
Why Am I Saying Goodbye?
Well, the shorter version of this is that H.P. Germany made the decision to close the Rüsselsheim location that I'm tied to as part of many workforce reductions that H.P. has done over the years.
Great People
Over the years I worked with and met lots of great people at E.D.S./ H.P. I've seen a lot of talented and people dedicated to delivering superior service to their clients and colleagues. I hope that I'll have the chance to work with many of them in the coming years and I wish the all the best and that they find success and happiness in their lives both professionally and personally.
Whats next?
That is quite the question. I'm not really sure what the next phase of my life will lead me too. I think that there are lots of directions that I might take, but at this point I'm not sure. I know that I love working on big projects with new technology and where people can work on something greater than themselves and feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards. Whatever I do, I want to be able to leave my mark.
Lets Connect And Stay Connected
I would love to be able to stay connected and know what my former colleagues are up to. You also never know when there might be a project that we can work on together, so keep an open mind and your eyes and ears open. You can find links to several of my blogs as well as my various social profiles here. You can also email me from there as well.
As part of our Summer vacation 2013 the family and I visited Europa Park in July. We've been to Europa Park several times but it had been a few years now and with the girls being older (especially taller) they're now able to do more of the rides than the last time that we went.
Since the last time we were at Europa Park, we'd seen that park had a new restaurant called the "FoodLoop" and we were excited about checking it out. In the resturaunt there a few tables centered around different platforms where food and drinks are brought to your table in special containers over a mini roller coaster. You use a touchscreen to order your meals and your food and drinks are sent from the kitchen over the mini roller coaster to the platform where your table is. I can't guarante it but I can imagine that some kids who might need to be "encouraged" to eat their meals will be entertained by the food delivery and therefore more like to eat what is ordered. I can also imagine that the whole order and delivery process encourages people to order more food and drink.
Because Anna likes roller coasters, she went with me through the park, while Sarah and Christine did the tamer rides. Anna and I started off with the Blue Fire. The Blue Fire is a looping coaster with passengers going through 4 different inversions. It only reaches 124 ft (38 meters) with top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h), but the looping is what makes it exciting (Wikipedia). Anna had a good start and we were off. There is something special about wooden roller coasters, sure they don't tend to go as high or fast as many of the steel ones, but they're a lot of fun and some coster enthusiasts swear by them. Next up was the Woodan, a wooden coaster that reaches a height of 131 ft (40 meters) with a top speed of 62.1 mph (99.9 km/h) and a G-force of 3.5 (Wikipedia).While the Siver Star might not lead any coaster catagories any longer the first hill reaches heights of 239 ft (73 meters) with a drop of 219 ft (67 meters) at speeds up to 78.9 mph (127 km/h) and gravitational forces of 4g, so it is a pretty exciting ride and Annd didn't see the slightest bit scared! It is nice that someone else in the family likes to ride the roller coasters besides myself, so that I don't have to ride them alone.
It was a very hot day when we went, so we all tried a few water rides. The thing about water rides is that most of the time you don't sit in the right seat, either you want to get really wet and most of the water misses you or you don't really want to get wet and the water is attracked to you like a magnet. Christine decided to stand outside of one of the water rides, thinking that she might get wet. She got a little wet when the first water ride went by and decided to stay for the next one, well she got absolutely soaked, so the trick seems to be that you find a splashy area around the water rides if you really want to get soaked.
We always have fun at Europa Park and we really enjoyed our visit this year. I can imagine that we'll try to plan a trip there next year. Since Europa Park gets decorated for Halloween and Christimas, we could even plan a trip to catch either of these.
Photo credit. The Silver Star picture is courtesy of Wikipedia. The other pictures we took at the park.
Chances are that you probably know what day it is (or you'll soon be reminded if your day is just starting) but today is the twelth anniversary of Attacks of September 11th. A dozen years have passed and we're more than a decade after this terrible event. On this day every year, I think of the victims, their families, their friends and I like to honor the memories that we all have of them.
I discovered Project 2996 when I was doing research of an article that I was writing about September 11th, and it has become a part of my life ever since. Doing research on some of the victims brings them into your life and though you have you probably never met them the memories of their lives become part of you and as long as you live, these memories will live on. It might not make any sense to someone who hasn't participated yet, but surely you have read something in your life or seen something (via television or possibly online) that has touched you. If you haven't experienced this, you need to because it is at moments like this that our humanity shines through.
Last year I talked Dale (the man responsible for Project 2996) into trying something a little bit different. We were going to pin pictures of the victims of September 11th into a Project 2996 group pinboard on Pinterest. The goal is to get a pin done for every single victim, with a tribute written up for them as well. We haven't accomplished this yet but I'm really proud of the people who have joined us in the project. I've done a couple of speeches about September 11th at Toastmasters and I convinced a friend of mine to join in on this little project, she did several pins last year and a few days ago she asked me if we were doing anything for the 12th Anniversary. She said that she didn't have much time but she still managed to do a good dozen or so pins, so my she has a heart felt thank you from me. I'm confident that we will get a pin out for every victim!
On this September day, I think about the people that I have written tributes in the past (Keith Roma, Christopher Santora,Joseph P. Henry, Karl Henri Joseph, and Dana Hannon. I especially think of David W Laychak, who was the first person that I've written about in Project 2996.
I hope that you take some time out of your day to remember the victims of September 11th, their families, their friends, and the world as this day left all of us a little sadder and world a little less richer because of all these wonderful people we lost and the impact of society that they would have had and the lives that they did and would have touched. You can follow the board on Pinterest and even join us if you'd like to do some pinning. You can also write tributes of your own. If you don't have a website or blog to post them on, I'd be happy to post them for you. Feel free to leave a comment. If you knew any of the victims, I'd love to hear your memories and stories about them.
Darryl
Here are my posts for the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Annivesaries. You can read more about the pinning campaign here. The Project 2996 website is here and the Facebook group is here.
Millions of people will watch Bayern Munich (Munich) play Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final tonight, will you be one of them? After 124 games with 365 goals scored, we're down to this game (figures from Wikipedia). This is a unique match up and the first time that it has been an all German Champions League final. Bayern and Dortmund are two of the top teams in the German Bundesliga, hard core and casual fans alike will be ready for these two rivals to play in this huge game.
Bayern has one of the biggest and best known soccer clubs in the world. They're the biggest and best known sports club in Germany, and 4th biggest soccer club in the world generating 368.4 million Euros in 2012 (Wikipedia). To me they're like the New York Yankees of soccer, having won 23 national tittles, winning the Champions League in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 2001; while being the runner up in 1982, 1987, 1999, 2010, 2012. They might not always win but you can't afford to overlook them.
Dortmund has developed into quite a rival for Bayern. They won the Champions League in 1997. Dortmund has had their ups and down and even almost went bankrupt. Jürgen Klopp has lifted Dortmund out one of their low periods winning the Bundesliga in the 2010-11 and 2011-2012 seasons.
Living in the Rhein-Main Area, I started following Jürgen Kloppwhen he was the coach at Mainz 05 and was impressed that he was able to led that club from the second Bundesliga to the first. I also liked watching him when he was part of the soccer coverage on German television. It was lot of fun seeing him lead Dortmund to their two recent Bundesliga tittles.
I've seen that Jürgen Klopp has given some interesting interviews lately and I decided that I wanted to find out what was said. Since the game tonight is being held in Wembley Stadium in London, there are interviews that are done in English and non-native English speakers this provides the opportunity for lots of lost in translation moments or translations problems. In fact there was a Jame Bond quote that really piqued my interest. Jurgen Klopp said in an interview at the Guardian in response to the possiblity of Robert Lewandowski will likely be leaving Dortmund (with a good possiblity of ending up at Bayern), "What can I say? If that's what Bayern wants … It's like James Bond – except they are the other guy [the villain]."
Jürgen Klopp told the Guardian about the deep pockets of Bayern and their ability to spend large amounts of money on players that "Bayern want a decade of success like Barça. That's OK if you have the
money because it increases the possibility of success. But it's not
guaranteed. We are not a supermarket but they want our players because
they know we cannot pay them the same money. It could not be our way to
do things like Real and Bayern and not think about taxes – and let the
next generation pick up our problems. We need to work seriously and
sensibly. We have this amount of money so we can pay that amount. But we
lose players. Last year it was Shinji Kagawa." While he probably didn't mean that teams that don't have an endless supply of money to spend on players might not be woried about taxes but that most teams don't have the financail resources to complete with Bayern, Mancherster United, Real Madrid, and so on. This is certainly a challenges for many teams in many diferent sports.
I can't really say that I was surprised, but I learned that Jürgen Klopp was recruited by both Bayern and Hamburg while he was at Mainz 05, before he ended up going to Dortmund. He said of the experience of being consided for the job at Bayern that "It wasn't too disappointing --for a second division manager to be called by Bayern is not the worst thing in the world" I'm sure that Dortmund fans are glad that he ended up where he did.
Over the years I've liked it when cross town rivals met in various championship games, this makes the event special and stand out more. In baseball I remember when the New York Mets played the New York Yankees and when the Oakland A's played the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, so it is exciting to see two German teams playing in the Champions League final.
Jürgen Klopp said "We are a club, not a company..but it depends on which kind of story the neutral fan wants to hear. If he respects the story of Bayern, and how much they have won since the 1970s, he can support them. But if he wants the new story, the special story, it must be Dortmund. I think, in this moment in the football world, you have to be on our side." I'll be pulling for Dortmund, how about you?
Here is a infographic that you might find interesting....
Photo credits: I combined the logos from the clubs based on logos at Wikipedia (Bayern and Dortmund). The infographic comes from here.
I was deeply saddened to read that Roger Ebert passed away. For me Rogert Ebert will always be half of the movie critic duo of Siskel and Ebert (they are pictured together at the top of this post). I used to watch their weekly movie review show to see what they thought of the new movies and often used their reviews in deciding if I wanted to go see a movie or not (like lots of other people I might add). Their show was a big part of my life.
I think what originally drew me in was my love for movies. I've often thought that it would be great to be able to make a living by being a film critic, so it is only natural that I would enjoy watching these two do their show. For me Roger seemed more down to earth that Gene. Gene often appeared very snobbish for my taste, but the two of them together did what I thought movie critcs should do. They told us what they thought of the movies they reviewed and between the two of them you could get a good idea of if a movie was worth seeing.
Time when by and Gene Siskel died and he was replaced by another film critic. I had stopped watching the show at this point and not long afterwards I moved to Germany so I wasn't aware of all that Roger Ebert with through in the past decade, so I was really surprised when I read the accounts of Roger Ebert after he died! He had quite a battle with cancer and as a result part of his jaw was removed and long story short he lost the ability to eat, drink, and speak and even needed a feed tube at one point. He turned to a series of computer voices in order to speak, this eventually included a copy of his own voice derived from his own DVD commentaries! The picture above is a caricature of Roger Ebert drawn sometime after the problems with his throat.
I was surprised to learn that Roger Ebert was largely responsible for convincing Oprah Winfrey to sysndicate her show, would Oprah have been nearly as popular if she hadn't listened to his suggesion to go into syndication? Good Morning American had a nice interview with Chaz Ebert, Roger's wife, there is a video in the article but I'm not able to view it from Germany. It sounds like they had quite a life together.
Even though his show didn't hold the same priority and place in my heart as it did when I was younger, I really miss the show that he and Siskel used to do. I admire his attempts to continue and carry on after his health initially became an issue. I wonder what it must have been like to fight the battle he fought with his voice. Losing his partner to cancer earlier, I'm sure that he often had doubts if he would be able to keep fighting. I wonder how many movie critic were influenced by Siskel and Ebert? Whenever I think of thumbs up, I'll always think of you and Gene Siskel. I hope that you get to meet all the stars that passed away before you. Imagine the movies they could be making now.
Photo credits: "Siskel & Ebert" picture from Roger Ebert's timeline on Facebook. Roger Ebert giving Thumbs up picture courtesy of the IMDb. The caricature of Roger Ebert is from kaganmcleod.com. All of the pictures above have been re-pinned to my Gone But Not Forgotten board on Pinterest.
Goodbye Cardinal Bergoglio, Hello Pope Francis! The world welcomes you open arms as the new pope. You are taking leadership of the Catholic world at a time of great turmoil and challenge. You have a honeymoon phase with your new position where the world is waiting to learn about you and people are willing to listen to what you have to say and hear you out. There is a new hope with a new pope and we all are crossing our fingers that you'll be able to live up to our expectations and help to lead us forward.
I truly hope that you're able to bring the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and all the religions of the world together, and that you'll be able to find some common ground by which you can build an effective coalition of the world's religious peoples. There is so much division in the religious worlds at the moment and we desperately need to find a common ground, to find new ways to work together, and to lift each other up. As the Pope, you have some influence here, I hope that you'll use it to these means..
I hope that you're able to get the atheists and agnostics of the world to join you on a different common ground. That you can use the realization that we're all people and that our humanity should bind us together, to lift up our weaker brothers, sisters, and children that need our help.
I hope that you're able to bring together the states and nations of the world. There are lots of politicians that have become corrupt over the years and are no longer looking after the needs of the people, they're only looking after the needs of special interests and those that are able to pay for their time and attention, or the various political systems have been broken and world leaders aree unable to manage in the mess we have today. I hope that you're able to get warring parties to come to the table and negotiate, so that we can end all the useless bloodshed and conflict.
I hope that you're able to inspire and motivate the wealthy people and corporations of the world to realize that they have obligations to society and that life is not only about making money. I hope that you're able to inspire them to feed the poor, to create lots of jobs that pay a living wage so that employees can support their families and have a decent life. I hope that you're able to convince the wealthy and the corporations that the world has limited resources that need to be shared equitably and that polluting and destroying our world for short-term profit is not in the best interest of the human and animal populations on our planet.
I hope that you're able to bring the Catholic church up to date while preserving the best of Catholic traditions and customs. Please do a review of all major policies, and where the church needs to come out of the dark ages, shine your light and help them to move forward. There are lots of Catholics who really want to be a part of the church again but many of the church's dogma, teachings, and policies are out dated, and they exclude many who would like to be a part of the church.
I hope that you're able to lift the poor out of poverty, that you're able to help them break the cycle of poverty that only seems to pull in more and more people. I hope that you're able to inspire the uninspired to do wonderful things with their lives.
I hope that we're able to look back in 5 or 10 years and see your time as Pope as a real breakthrough, one that the world has been waiting for. I wish you all the best.
Today is the 11th Anniversary of September 11th. I hope that you'll take a few moments to think about the 2996 victims, their families, friends, colleagues, and others that their lives have effected. It is through my desire to honor the victims that I found (and lots of other people too) discovered Project 2996. I've been honored to kick off and participate in a special project with Project 2996 in honor of the 11th Anniversary.
Every year I try to do something a little different to honor the memory of September 11th. This year I started a campaign to have all of the victims remembered via a photo and description appearing as a 'pin' in a group board at Pinterest. I've been doing a lot of things with Pinterest in the past few months and I thought that having a group board on Pinterest where others could 'pin' the victims would be a great way visual way for all of us to remember that all 2996 of the victims were people and not just some clincial statistic rattled off in the course of some vaguely related toppic. Below is a screenshot that I captured yesterday and posted in an article at the Project 2996 website that gives you a little taste of what the board looks like, but as the case with pictures, you just can't capture the totality of it. It is definately something that you have to see for yourself. You also need to take the time to scroll through all of the pins.
Project 2996 is largely responsible for over 1700 online tributes to the victims of September 11th. Many of the people that have participated, have blogs and write about a wide variety of topics and have a wide variety of interests and persnalities (much like the victims that we honor). In many cases, if it weren't for Project 2996 we would not hang out in the same circles. I really like being part of something bigger than myself and knowing that all of us together can do so much more together than we could all by ourselves. There is certainly room for more people to join us as there are currently around 1300 victims still needing a 'real' tribute by a 'real' person.
David W Laychak is the first person that I wrote a tribute about, he was my first real dive into Project 2996. I had the pleasure of having and email exchange with his sister and his wife wrote a nice comment after one of the tributes that I wrote for him. Like so many other things in life, the first time we do it is something special. Although I never met David or his family, somehow he is part of my life and not someone I will ever forget. I'm really proud of the tribute that I wrote for David for the 7th Anniversary of September 11th.
Keith Roma was the 2nd person that I found via Project 2996. I decided that I wanted to expand my tributes and thought that I'd like to write about some of the firefighters. Of the 5 people that I wrote about for the 8th Anniversary of September 11th, I spent the most time researching him. I was immediately drawn to him when I saw a picture of him with his daughter. I discovered that there had been some controversy about including him in the list of the FDNY September 11th victims because although he was part of the the New York Fire Patrol, he was not "officially" part of the FDNY.
Christopher Santora was also part of the 5 firefighters that I wrote about for the 8th Anniversary of September 11th. I was drawn to him initially because of his age, at 23 he was one of the youngest firefighters to die. He was a substitute teacher before following in his father's footsteps and becoming a firefighter. “P.S. Q222 - Fire Fighter Christopher A. Santora School” is named after him and was even attended by his nephew.
Joseph P. Henry was also part of the 5 firefighters that I wrote about for the 8th Anniversary of September 11th. I was drawn to him after reading that a woman he had saved had promised to name her first born son after Joseph. He had only been with Ladder 21 eleven months before September 11th. “Firefighter Joseph Patrick Henry Lane” in Brooklyn is named after him. While doing research for Joseph, I discovered a nice tribute that had been done by Jen.
Karl Henri Joseph was also part of the 5 firefighters that I wrote about for the 8th Anniversary of September 11th. He was an EMT. Like so many other Americans, Karl and his family came to America from somewhere else, they came from Hati and although he loved Hati, America was his home. In doing my research fro Karl, I found a nice tribute from Tuxedo Cat Grandma.
Dana Hannon was also part of the 5 firefighters that I wrote about for the 8th Anniversary of September 11th. Dana started out as a volunteer firefighter, making his way to Captain before joining the FDNY. He proposed to his then girlfriend on top of the Sidney Harbor Bridge. While researching Dana, I found that Danielle at Stupid Trivia wrote A TRIBUTE TO DANA HANNON,
I feel that my life had been enriched by getting to know my 6 victims. While there family and friends will never forget them, they have touched my and I can't help but feel that I'm a better person because of it. If you're family, friend of any of these wonderful people, I'd love to hear your memories, please leave a comment below. I hope that you'll take some time to think about the victims of September 11th and that you'll check out the Project 2996 board at Pinterest. Maybe you can join in and help us create a pin for all of the victims. Maybe you write a tribute for one of the nearly 1700 people that we need tributes for. Darryl
Hello Everyone! In case you didn't realize the 11th Anniversary of September 11th is now a little more than a week away. I wanted to take the time to tell you about a few things that are going on and hope that many of you will join me.
I've been involved with Project 2996 for a few years now and I've been pretty busy working on something for the 11th Anniversary of September 11th. Below is a presenation that I've put goether that tells you a little bit about Project 2996.
For the 11th Anniversary we've created a Project 2996 group board at Pinterest. The idea is pretty simple, we want to have a pin with a picture for all of the September 11th victims. The pin should also tie into the various Project 2996 online tributes that have been published over the years. Below is a screenshot that I captured of the board yesterday...
Project 2996 has also started a campaign called "Calling All Teachers" with the idea of getting teachers to involve there students in learning about the victims of September 11th. If you're a teacher or you know a teacher why not have a look into this campaign?
What is needed?
After the last review of Project 2996 tributes, there were still around 1,300 victims without tritbutes. Have a look at "the list" to see if there is somethere that you'd like to write a tribute about.
Signup at Pinterest (if you're not already a member there).
We really need people that will create 'pins'. You can have a look at the pins that are already posted to see how they should look (see here for more information on pins).
I've already created pins for most of the Pentagon victims and I've created several pins for the various passengers and crew of the different flights. We'll really need pins for all of the victims at the World Trade Center. If you'e already created a tribute, it would be great if would create a pin that links to your tribute(s). If there is already a pin existing, why not add a comment with a link to your tribute?
You can also create your own boards for September 11th and 'Repin' what is in the Project 2996 group board. This would really help a lot because it helps generate Traffic and Traffic is the name of the game in the internet today. Don't be shy in sharing what you're doing in your social circles.
Thank you to everyone in advance and I hope that we make this a very memorable 11th Anniversary.
Ten years ago today the world as we know it changed. Sadly, we'll never be able to return to the workd as we knew it before that Tuesday morning. We won't be able to bring back the family and friend that dies that day. Sometimes it seems that it was only yesterday and at other times it seems that it was worlds away, in fact it was a different world that we lived then.
I decided that I wanted to do something different as part of my tribute for the Tenth Anniversary of September 11th, I decided to create and upload a presentation at Slideshare. While I've done many Powerpoint presentations over the years, this is the first time that I've done something like this, so I hope that it will be memorable and worth the effort that I put into it.
I hope that you'll have a look at some of the tributes posted at Project 2996. Project 2996 has the goal of seeing that an tribute is posted for each and every person lost that day, so it would be great if you decided to write about someone that doesn't have a tribute post about them yet. If you don't have a web site or blog to post it, then I'd be more than happy to post it for you on this blog here. Let me know in the comments below. I've really found the experience of being involved in Project 2996 has be truly worthwile and I can't recommend it enough.
As I mentioned in the preparation post that I wrote, I discovered Prepare New York a few months ago. They've done so many great things in the last few months. I was reading about Ribbons for Hope which is running from September 9-12 in Battery Park. If you're in the area I believe that should be worth checking out and participating in. Why not check out Prepare New York and see what you can learn and share with others?
Yahoo! News has been running a special series on the Tenth Anniversary of September 11th. While there will be tons of specials commemorating the Tenth Anniversay, this has been a nice portal to see all the stories about the families of victims or the way that peoples's lives were touched. It is worth checking out and finding all the gems that are there.
As we go about today, my thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends. I hope that we can use the Tenth Anniversary of September as a healing moment that brings us closer together. I'm also thinking of my mother how lost her battle to cancer at the same time that the World Trade Center was being attacked. I hope that all of you are able to celebrate this event in a way that is meaningful to you and that more brighter days are ahead.
Now that August is upon us, we're a little more than a month away from the Tenth Anniversary of September Eleventh. I'd like to ask your help in honoring this event. For the Tenth Anniversary, I had hoped to do something really memorable and while the clock is ticking, there is still time to make this memorable and I need your help.
What were you doing on September 11th, what were you doing and where were you when you heard about the traggic events of this now infamous day? I was working when I got a frantic telephone call from my wife asking me to come home. I heard various things from NPR coverage of September 11th being broadcast over AFN (Armed Forces Network) as I was driving home that day. When I opened the door to my home, I was aware of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the plane crash in Pennsylvania, but my wife told me that my dad called and that my mother lost her battle to cancer sometime between the two planes hitting the World Trade Center. I was watching the coverage and dealing with the loss of my mother. The two events are forever connected within my mind. So September 11th is very personal for me.
Project 2996
On the 6th Anniversary, I wrote an article for one of my blogs and in researching the article I discovered Project 2996. The idea is pretty simple, they wanted to see that there were tributes posted online for all of the victims. For the 7th Anniversary I wrote about David Lychak, who was working at the pentagon. For the 8th Anniversay I expanded my tribute to include several firefighters who lost their lives.
There is little doubt that there have been a lot of bad things that have happened after September 11th, but what isn't in doubt is that all of the victims that died that day were people. Some where parents and had spouses, girlfriends, or boyfriends. Most of them will be missed by family, friends, coworkers, and a host of other people who never had the opportunity to know them or the gifts and talents that they brought into this world. Ther e were the police men and women, firefighters, EMTs, and other professionals who put their lives on the line all the time. There were a lot of people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but there were 2996 people that died that day and countless others that lost loved ones and friends. Personally, I always feel bad when a child loses a parent at a young age, because I know that losing a parent at any age is never really an easy thing.
Over the past few years I've written tributes to the people listed below. If anyone has new information about any of them that I could share with my readers I'd love to post updates. I'd love to be able to share about some of the good things that have happened to the families and friends of the people that have left a mark on my life. Afterall, ten years have gone by and a lot can happen in ten years. I was fortunate enough to exchange emails with David Laychak's sister for the initial tribute that I wrote about him and I was thrilled to see a comment from his wife to the post that I did in 2009.
Keith Roma (27)- of the Fire Patrol
Christopher Santora (23)- of Engine Company 54
Joseph P. Henry (25)- of Ladder 21
Karl Henri Joseph (25)- an EMT
Dana Hannon (29)- a NYC Firefighter
David W Laychak (40)- a civial working at the Pentagon
In addition to helping me put together a memorable tribute in honor of the Tenth Anniversary, maybe you can help Project 2996 reach its goal of having an online tribute for all of the victims. Please feel free to host a tribute at your own blog or website or I'd be happy to post one in your honor if you don't have your own blog or website. You can leave a comment to this post or contact me via Twitter.
Prepare New York
A few months ago I found a Social Network that caught my eye. Prepare New York is differnt than any othe Social Network that I'd seen before. In a weekly newsletter that I received after joining, they described themselves as "Prepare New York is a coalition of New York based interfaith organizations including-Auburn Seminary and its Center for Multifaith Education, Interfaith Center of New York, Intersections International, Odyssey Networks, Quest, and Tanenbaum and its Religion and Diversity Education Program, who are committed to preparing New York City (and the nation) for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 by promoting civil dialogue, education about religious pluralism, support for the Muslim community, and coordinating events on the day of the anniversary. September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and 9/11 Communities for Common Ground serve as advisers to the coalition."
What I really like about this social network is that it is an interfaith effort between Muslims, Jewish, Christians nd other to prepare for the 10th Anniversary of September 11th. They wish to clear up a lot of the missunderstanding and if possible some of the hatred that has fostered in the past decade (and actually goes back quite a bit father). I'm filled with hope when I think of what more interfaith projects such as this one can accomplish. Maybe they can encourage more acceptance of diversity and an embrassing or differences instead of driving us apart.
In Conclusion
As the 10th Annivesary of September 11th approaches I'd like to use this occassion as a healing moment that brings us all closer together. I'd love to see each and every one of you write a tribute for Project 2996. While you're at it why not check out PrepareNY and see some of the great things they're doing, maybe you can even make some new friends. Let us all remember that we lost nearly 3000 people on that sad September day, let us honor their lives.
Here are some other links that you might be interested in...
