One Laptop Per Child: Give One, Get One
October 31st, 2007
If you saw my earlier post on One Laptop Per Child, or have seen any of the hundreds of recent media reports, you know a little about what they do. If not, you can check out this glowing review by David Pogue of the New York Times for a full report:
What began as the “$100 Laptop” has edged up almost 2x in cost, but the idea is basically the same: design an ultra-cheap laptop that uses minimal power with maximum wifi range and put it in the hands of kids around the world.
In connection with the company’s “Give One, Get One” promotion which begins on November 12th, I was privileged several weeks ago to be able to meet with Walter Bender, OLPC’s Chief Operating Officer, to take my own test drive of the tiny laptop with the Apple-esque design.
Here is my take:
More Morocco Photos
October 31st, 2007
Since Miss Butterfly Garden very sweetly asked for more photos, here they are!
Detail from one of the amazing palaces in Marrakesh.
The spice markets in the souks are amazingly beautiful.
My favorite part — the dunes of the Sahara.
More photos after the jump!
Back From Morocco!
October 31st, 2007
Hello, everyone! After almost three weeks of traveling through Morocco, we’re finally home, and I’m trying hard to unbury myself from the mountain of to-dos that have collected in our absence.
Morocco was a fantastic experience. Mountain Travel Sobek, and specifically our trip leader, Kristy Larsen, did an outstanding job of showing us the beauty and the complexity of the country and its people. We could not have done it better if we’d planned it ourselves.
The people of Morocco are divided into two main ethnic groups — Arabs and the native Berbers. While the Arabs tend to be clustered in country’s northern cities, like Fes, the Berber people live in the remote mountains and deserts in much the same fashion as their ancestors for generations before. The Berbers themselves are divided into three distinct ethnic groups and speak a variety of dialects, none of which is a written language.
On one of our hiking days through these remote mountain villages, we were privileged to visit in the home of a Berber family. The woman of the house generously invited us in for sweet mint tea and Berber bread, freshly baked in the village communal oven.
Though many of the village children never complete primary school, this particular family proudly showed off one of their sons who was attending school in a nearby town. He was one of the few to make it that far.
We also visited a local village school where, on that particular day, the children were attempting to study French. The teacher explained to us, however, that beyond the school building itself the government didn’t supply any of the schoolbooks or papers or pencils required for learning. The twelve students were sharing three French books among them. Any school supplies had to come from their own homes, and it was quite obvious that the children’s families didn’t have money to spare. And yet they continued to attend class, even if only for a few years of education.
It’s difficult to describe all that we saw without falling into a cliche of some kind — either a Sally Struthers-like plea for money or some patronizing discourse on the dignity of the poor. Perhaps it suffices to say that every time I leave the abundance and luxury of the United States to spend time in a place where people manage to survive on less — a lot less — I am humbled. As one of my fellow travelers so aptly put it, sometimes the most generous people you meet are the people with the least to give.
We’re glad to be home! Happy Halloween!
Off to Morocco!
October 9th, 2007
Okay, everyone, we’re off yet again! This time it’s a two-week trip through Morocco, starting in Marrakesh and ending in Fes.
We’re traveling with a group from Mountain Travel Sobek, going on their Morocco Camel Trek!
From their website,
The kingdom of Morocco is one of the most exotic of travel destinations, made even more romantic by the sensuous mud-and-clay architecture of kasbahs, the ambiance of palace-filled medieval cities like Marrakesh and Fès, and the spell cast by the mystical landscapes of the Sahara. With trip leader Kristy Larson you’ll experience it all, from meeting Berbers in remote villages and four-wheeling remote back roads to taking an adventurous four-day camel trek across the sands of the Sahara.
This is a true camel trek with all the magic of the Sahara, but with options to ride in vehicles or proceed on foot. Cobalt-blue skies, squash-colored sand dunes, lush fertile oases, and serrated mountain summits fill the vistas, and with the grand solitude and silence of the Sahara, and nights spent under a luminous starry sky, you’ll feel the mysterious power that the desert has always had over the human soul.
It sounds good on paper, at least! Wish us safe travels, and I’ll be back online soon!
speesees: Fall & Winter Collection
October 5th, 2007
You may have seen me post on speesees before, but if not, here’s the short version: super cute baby clothes, super socially conscious. The best of both worlds!
The new fall line, like all other speesees products, is made using all organic cotton manufactured under Fair Trade Practices and Principles and comes in beautiful fall colors like pumpkin, peacock, pollen, earth and eggplant.
I especially love this new bear jacket made out of 100% organic sherpa cotton — the perfect solution to a chilly Halloween night! It’s $46 and comes in sizes 0-3.
And if you order before October 31st, enter the code “together” and receive 15% off your fall order! speesees just wants to remind us that “we’re in this together.”