Endless Knots

Ships ahoy

Kids from Lowell Elementary School in Watertown, MA, built and lauched their vessels on the Charles River a few days ago, just around the bend from the falls in Watertown Square.

 

Morning at Mount Auburn with Margaret and the Fullerenes - Sun May 23 8AM

Sunday, May 23, 2010, 8:00 A.M. 

Begin Margaret Fuller's 200th birthday with the Fullerenes, admirers of Margaret Fuller and her grand-nephew Bucky Fuller, for our annual birthday meeting at her memorial in Mount Auburn Cemetery. As per tradition, we'll mark the dawn of Margaret's life with music provided by John Halamka on his Shakuhachi (Japanese flute) and with brief remarks by me, who counts both Fullers as inspirations.

Procession begins at 7:45 from Mount Auburn Cemetery parking lot; ceremony at 8 at Fuller Family plot, Pyrola Lane.

"Is your organization too flat?"

In the midst of our trials, Jeff has kept a keen eye on the situation with BP. I first posted some of our thinking here, which generated quite a few comments both on the blog and on Facebook.

Today our friend and colleague and mad blogger Paul Levy posted about some deeper work that we've done in regard to the role of organization in safety. Take a look (and thanks, Paul, for pointing in our direction).

A turning for J&J

It's been thirteen days since I last posted, an unheard of interlude here. The reason is something we never imagined.

On el Cinquo de Mayo, Jeff Stamps, my husband of 38 years, father of my children, business partner, and my co-author of six books and many articles, went to the doctor. He'd not been feeling well for several months but, being quite physically fit (he was a competitive downhill skier from the age of eleven, has always jogged, done tai chi, and more recently practiced yoga), he attributed his malaise to stress and overwork. The wife was not so sure but finally, nearly two weeks ago on a gorgeous Wednesday, he consented to visit his primary care physician.

Within harried hours came the diagnosis: Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

By that evening, Jeff was admitted to the hospital for a simple procedure to relieve a blocked bile duct, which had caused severe jaundice. Meanwhile our children and grandchildren had arrived home and we found ourselves on a twisted path that was beyond our reckoning. In just this short time, there have been many turns already, most of them lined with gifts of friendship and love that lay hidden in the normal schedule of life.

We don't know how many difficulties face Jeff (and our family) going forward but we know they are considerable and we're clear about the conclusion and the vague time frame, which is mercilessly short.

And I don't know how much I'll be writing about this. My natural inclination is to use writing to stay sane and clear, which is what I've done for my whole life (ok, since I was six and I wrote my first published article about a birthday party in my first-grade class). But this is different, as I'm sure you can appreciate. And I'm finding that I can't keep up with the many beautiful notes we've gotten. So if you're prompted to write, please know that while I may not be able to respond, we are very grateful.

We are learning things we never knew about Jeff -- or perhaps better stated, things we knew but which didn't have the proper venue for expression. Like his huge capacity for grace when staring down his own death, his ability to let go of the things he holds most dear, and his untiring appetite for tackling complex ideas, which he continues to do even as he faces treatment to reduce symptoms. I would wish this kind of acceptance on anyone given the kind of death sentence he has. And I would hope that all families could find the way to do what our children have done, which is to join us, and find ways to continue their important work even as their father is dying.

We now are a three-generation household with our darling grandsons providing the new background music. Watching them laughing their little heads off (they're eight months now) softens the jagged edges of this journey.

More, I'm sure, as this unfolds.

Frontier 6 gets kudos in Times editorial

Today's NY Times lead editorial, "The Way Out," lauds Lieutenant General Bill Caldwell,  here before as Frontier 6, for the job he's doing as head of security force training in Afghanistan:

General Caldwell has brought a new coherence and purpose to the mission by revamping the Afghan Army leadership program and standardizing police instruction, among other innovations. And he has managed to double his number of trainers from 1,300 when he started to roughly 2,700 today. But he — more to the point, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and General McChrystal — is having a very hard time getting the rest of NATO to deliver on commitments.

Editorial also cites the big challenges - not enough NATO trainers and an Afghan military culture that doesn't value training,

More here on what Caldwell did when he headed education and training programs at Fort Leavenworth. Same time that he started blogging as Frontier 6 ("Let Soldiers Blog, Post to YouTube.")

Nohria new dean at Harvard Business School

Harvard University President Drew Faust just announced that Nitin Nohria, an insightful academic who early on recognized the importance of networks to global business strategy, is the new dean of HBS. "He's an outstanding scholar, teacher, and mentor, with a global outlook and an instinct for collaboration across traditional boundaries," Faust said.

From the announcement* on the B-school's site:

A scholar of leadership and organizational change, Nohria has previously been the School's senior associate dean for faculty development and chair of its organizational behavior unit. Current co-chair of the HBS Leadership Initiative and a member of the HBS faculty since 1988, he will take up his new role on July 1.

Congrats, Nitin. Very happy for you, the institution, and for networks.

Last post on water emergency, I hope

Latest from Mayor Setti Warren on our water problems in Eastern Mass:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR POST-BOIL ORDER

Residents are advised to flush their water following the lifting of the boil order in order to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. 

Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets; showers; water and ice dispensers; water treatment units, etc. 

Please follow these guidelines:

Cold Water Faucets: Run tap water until the water feels cold, 1 minute or more, before drinking, tooth brushing, or using for food preparation. 

Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot water pipes and water heater of untreated water, turn on all hot water faucets and flush for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot water tank and 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger. 

Never use water from the hot faucet for drinking, cooking, or other internal-consumption purposes. 

After this flushing, hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for handwashing of dishes, pots and pans, etc. 

Refrigerators: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one quart of water. 

Dishwashers: After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run dishwasher empty one time. 

Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water. 

Food and baby formula: Be sure you have discarded any baby formula or other foods
prepared with water on the days of the boil order. (If unsure of the dates contact your water Department.) 

Ice cubes: Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil order. Then, discard ice made over an additional 24 hour period to assure complete purging of the water supply line. 

Due to the flushing of the lines by residents and the flushing of the hydrants, some customers may experience a lack of water pressure and/or discolored water. However, this is an expected result and does not pose a health risk. 

Contact Newton Customer Service at 617-796-1000 if you have any questions. 

When there's no potable water in a hospital

Given the water main burst west of Boston, I was glad to read that Boston's Longwood medical area, which has four giant hospitals, was instantly supplied with potable water diverted from elsewhere.

Not long ago, well...just read this.

Latest on MWRA water main break #aquapocalypse

This just in from Newton Mayor Setti Warren in Newton:

MWRA has been able to stop the leak at the pipe in Weston. Excavation of the leak is complete, repairs have been initiated. Water pressure continues to be stable. MWRA system water is currently coming from the Carroll Treatment Plant and now being supplemented by the Chestnut Hill Emergency Reservoir.

The switch to secondary reservoirs was made at 6:40 p.m. on Saturday May 1st. THIS WATER WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING, but can be used for bathing, flushing and fire protection. Click here for some FAQ's on when you do and do not need to boil water.

For individuals who are home bound and in need of clean drinking water, please contact Newton Police dispatch at 617- 796-2100.

MEMA will be providing bottled water to residents at the Municipal Parking lot on Austin St across the Newtonville Shaws tomorrow May 3rd from 2pm - 9pm.

Schools will be open as usual on Monday. Water fountains in schools will be de-activated. Parents are advised to send their children to school with at least two beverages.

City customer service lines are open Sunday until 9pm to answer questions and will reopen at 8:30am Monday morning. At any time, emergency calls should be directed to the Newton Police Department at 617-796-2100.

A complete list of MWRA water communities and the latest updates will be posted on Mass.gov and MWRA´s website at www.mwra.com.

Boil water east of Weston, MA order

This just arrived via email from Setti Warren, Mayor of Newton.

MWRA WATER MAIN BREAK REQUIRES BOIL WATER ORDER

May 1, 2010 - Chelsea, MA – Water service to all MWRA customer communities east of Weston has been interrupted by a major water pipe break in Weston.  Due to this break, A BOIL WATER ORDER IS BEING ISSUED FOR DRINKING WATER FOR ALL MWRA COMMUNITIES EAST OF WESTON UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  In addition, emergency water conservation measures are being implemented for all impacted communities.  A complete list of MWRA water communities is attached.
 
MWRA is activating its emergency water supplies such as the Sudbury Aqueduct, Chestnut Hill Reservoir and Spot Pond Reservoir. THIS WATER WILL NOT BE SUITABLE FOR DRINKING, but can be used for bathing, flushing and fire protection.
 
The leak is located at the location where the MetroWest Water Supply Tunnel meets the City Tunnel on Recreation Road. This 120-inch diameter pipe transports water to our communities east of Weston – as far north as Wilmington and south to Stoughton.  Water is leaking into the Charles River at rate of over 8 million gallons an hour. MWRA crews are on site; engineers are assessing the situation to determine next steps.
                      
Updates will be posted on Mass.gov and MWRA’s website at www.mwra.com throughout the event.