Couldn't resist creating another blurb book ...

smile

During a vacation trip to Cambodia in 1994, we fell in love with the country and its people. But we were especially touched by the impact on children in areas still controlled by the Khmer Rouge, almost twenty years after "Year Zero". Education and health care were rudimentary.

In 1999 we were lucky enough to find a way to help, via a school building and teacher training program started by Save the Children. From the early pilots, this is now a vibrant program covering hundreds of schools and thousands of children.

We have been inspired by ordinary people who, despite the difficulties of their own situation, work so very hard for the welfare and education of the children in their communities. Education is truly the key, and in every country we have visited it is treasured. It is a pity that in our "developed" world we seem to value education so lightly.

Perhaps a different kind of leadership, where ordinary people do extraordinary things for their children?

Personal Libraries of Executives

I just loved this recent blog entry from Jeffrey Keefer's Silence and Voice blog.

"There is a revealing article in today's New York Times (the complete article can be found here) about how some of the most successful people in business today have large personal libraries that contain few of the best-selling business success books that fill the bookstores today. While this makes sense (why would somebody who is already successful read books about how to become successful?), what is most surprising is what they are reading. According to this article, they are reading subjects that include:

• poetry (such as Blake)
• philosophy (such as Aristotle)
• classic literature
• global works on science and weather (climactic change)

Having a personal library has always been important to me as well. I am always buying (and even reading) books. Philosophy, adult education, classical literature, non-fiction, and academic and professional journals line my bookshelves. As they get full, I have to move them to other locations as well as weed-out the ones that just are not needed (which usually means they were never needed in the beginning). With all the increasing emphasis on electronic content delivery and management, I still like having books in my hand, and I think Seth Godin expressed most concisely why this is:

"Holding and owning the book, remembering when and how you got it... that's what you're paying for. Books are great at holding memories."

I think I will do some reading this afternoon. Ahh, the choices!"