The sticky floor

this is more of a bookmark. Attending a reception/seminar by Rebecca Shambaugh. Glass ceiling or sticky floor? The real reason women don't make it. Brilliant, eye-openning and a great kick in the butt. I love that its not theory but research based. I saw it as a call to action and have alrady started changing the 2 out of 7 behaviours that I exhibit the most.

I'll write more when her book is released later this year and I've read it cover to cover.

Learn more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040100188.html

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/03/06/smallb3.html?page=2

What's making me happy right now...

One weekend, two days, two barbeques. Three completed receptions in one game. Lazy Monday evenings with no plans. Book club meetings. Going to see the Nets playoffs and actually caring about the outcome. Feeling like I'm good at my job for the first time in my life. Reconnecting with visitors. The constant ringing of "Ooo bob-erator, Oooooo bob-erator" in my head. Sunday evenings with Ella. Nirish in town most of the time. Planning for India.

Imagine that

Wednesday night at a benefit for Cry, I had the opportunity to hear from someone I respect and admire, Fareed Zakaria.

He spent most of his keynote address discussing economic and social development in India and China and the differing roles of the government and society in social structure, education and health care.

I could have listened to him speak for hours, I was completely entranced. I would have loved for the speech to have turned into a more intimate Q&A, but think that would have been strange at a black tie event.

In closing, using the example of his first meeting with Bill Gates as an example, Fareed spoke of the decision of the Gates Foundation to invest the bulk of their funds to Asia and Africa as a simple decision. Basically, if you believe that each life in the world is of equal value, it makes sense to focus funds on balancing the inequities of those regions that don't have as much access to basic services and education. Bill Gates knows that he was lucky to be born in the US and that there are potentially many other Gates' out there that never get the chance to try, to learn and in many cases just to live.

He ended with this (paraphrased); Imagine a world where everyone is born lucky, where it is not chance or circumstance that determines a child's future but instead everyone starts even. And then let them fight it out, let the real best and brightest shine.

Yes. Imagine that.