Keeping electronic helpers well nourished

June 26, 2008. Kandy, Sri Lanka
When I traveled to Sri Lanka last March, I blogged about the more than 30 pieces of electronic paraphernalia that accompanied me. That list turned out to be of more than anecdotal utility. Not long after I returned, a friend, with little international travel experience, accepted a position that would require extensive international travel on behalf of his new employer, Blackboard Inc. I was able to share my list, and show him my box of various plugs, transformers and connectors. After returning from his first trip to Europe, he told me the briefing had been quite helpful.

What I neglected to mention was the importance of keeping electronic helpmates well nourished. For me they include, laptop, iPod, Blackberry and mobile phone. In some countries, the Blackberry doubles as a mobile, however in Sri Lanka, I maintain a separate account and a separate number. These tools have now become an integral part of a traveler’s life, but when one is tired at the end of a long day or especially at the end of a long trip it is easy to forget that they must be ‘fed’ with sustaining electrical nourishment. This requires a variety of transformers and adapter plugs. If neglected, the devices can begin bleeping warnings or simply die at the most inopportune moments, with no outlet available.

After a few sharp reminders, one remembers, for a time, and creates a routine of plug-ins. But sustaining a routine can be difficult when adjusting to the schedule imperatives of travel conveyances, when settling in different beds, in different rooms, in different dwellings, in different cities, in different countries, in different time zones. Yesterday morning, I left my resting place in Colombo at 6AM for the early morning train trip to Kandy. An unforeseen drenching rain was falling. I worried about staying relatively dry while I tried to flag a trishaw that would take me to the ‘Fort Station.’ That worked out, however last evening, I discovered I had left my toiletries kit in Colombo. I would have to walk to a local market in the morning, hoping to find adequate replacements. Pondering that glitch in my routine, after returning from a late dinner, I forgot to plug in my Blackberry and my mobile phone.

First impressions of communal preferences in Malaysia: pros and cons

Saturday June 21, 2008
With kind assistance from a professional colleague of my son, I was able to secure a car and driver for two days of on-and-off-the-beaten path explorations in Malaysia. Thursday, we drove to Malaka, a seaside destination about three hours from KL. Friday, we began, at my request, with a sociological tour of KL, visiting areas occupied by a variety of social strata and in each of Malaysia’s three major communal groups - Malay, Chinese and Indian (predominantly Tamil). Later we stopped briefly at some more traditional tourist destinations. We lunched at a very modest noodle shop, owned by the same Chinese family for forty years and now being managed by the third generation. My Thursday’s driver was an Indian man in his late thirties. Friday’s driver was a Chinese man in his sixties. The other individuals with whom I socialized have been either Chinese and expatriate and, of course, I have been living in the heart of KL’s Chinatown.

I mention the communal identities of my several informants because my first, necessarily superficial impressions of Malaysia’s communal (Bumiputra) preference system are obviously reflect the minority vantage point of those with whom I have spoken. Also, they reflect the my recent readings of Malaysian historyl about half the first volume of Lee Kuan Yew’s massive and engagingly written autobiography. More about Lee Kuan Yew in another blog. Unfortunately, I have yet to gain any deep exposure to the culture and vantage point of Malaysia’s dominant community.

In academic reading I had done previously, Malaysia’s system of preferential treatment for ‘sons of the soil,’ implemented after the 1969 communal riots, was presented as a source of social stability. In my American University course, “Conflict and Development’ I contrasted this with Sri Lankan government policies that have contributed to more than twenty years of intense communal strife. But pro-Malay policies have been a driving force in Malaysia’s political culture since before the time of independence. In particular, according to Lee Kuan Yew, it was fear of Chinese domination, in a democratic polity, that lead Malaysian independence leader, Tunku Abdul Rahman, to press for Singapore’s detachment from the Malaysian Federation.

The ‘success’ of the policy can be seen by contrasting Malaysia’s vibrant modern capital city with Colombo, now partially paralyzed once again by the reality and threat of militant terrorist bombings. But the resentment of the Malaysia’s minority communities, as communicated by my Chinese and Indian informants is real. Preferential university admissions, they report, mean that qualified Chinese and Indian students are denied admission and qualified Chinese and Indian faculty members are denied appointments. The same is true in the government services. The security forces - army, navy and police - are almost entirely Malay. Minority community members do not join because they know that even if they are accepted as recruits, they will be denied promotions.

The contrast between Malaysia’s system of communal preferences and Singapore’s meritocratic system is widely cited. One informant told me the story of a talented young Chinese woman who was denied admission to a Malaysian university and then accepted a scholarship to Singapore’s national university. He told me that such scholarships are available, on the basis of competitive examinations to all Malaysian secondary school graduates. There are three requirements. First, candidates must past a rigorous competitive entrance examination. Second, candidates are subjected to weekly performance tests. If their work falls below a required standard, they are sent home. Third, after receiving their degree, graduates must work in Singapore for at least two years. The hope, my informant told me, was that the ‘best and the brightest’ would remain in Singapore, and many do.

Contrasts between Singapore and Malaysia were frequently cited by my informants, though one told me he had chosen to remain here because of its slower pace and less intensely competitive culture. One was the public transport system. KL has three systems of public transport, an elevated light rail, a monorail, and a train to the airport. But, I was told, the systems are run by independent companies, have different fare systems and do not connect with one another. Also, I was told that there are many public transit stations in areas occupied by Malay community members and far fewer in those occupied by the minorities. When visiting KL’s magnificent Chinese temple complex, I was told that the construction and maintenance of Mosques is supported by government funds. The Chinese and Indian communities must construct and support their own places of worship. I was told that government sponsored family planing services are pressed on minority community family members but that Malay families are encouraged to have as many children as possible. I was told that at the time of separation, the Malaysian Ringit was worth more than twice as much as the Singapore dollar. Now the reverse is true. I was also told, however, that the preference system has worked in at least one respect. Malays now hold influential positions in most of Malaysia’s large business enterprises and are reaping the wealth that such positions provide. This makes it much less likely that Malay community leaders will collude in orchestrating attacks against the Chinese community than was true in 1969.

From studying Sri Lanka for more than 20 years I have learned that first impressions can be misleading. Gaining a deep understanding of a culture requires one to live ‘on the ground’ and years of intensive study. Even then, there always seem to be new ‘layers of the onion’ to be peeled.

All that can be said at this point is there may may exist potential problems that could threaten Malaysia’s political-economic well being and the long term sustainability of its communal preference systems.

Hotel room discourse in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur - learning the realities

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Hotel-room discourse in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur - learning the realities
Singapore is expensive. One can feel good about this - as one does in Bermuda - assuming that high prices at least contributes to the absence of visible poverty. But I also learned that one must be cautious about attempting to economize when booking hotel rooms on the internet. For my first attempt at this, I chose a hotel booking service that popped up on my screen when I Googled “Singapore Hotels.” The “Fragrance Hotel,” identified as ‘two star,’ seemed to offer what I needed - a location convenient to an MRT station, available wireless connectivity and moderate prices. The room selection offered was ‘standard,’ ‘superior’ and ‘executive deluxe,’ Seeking a degree of comfort after a long trip and not wanting to be too frugal, I chose the middle option.

I have already reported that my request for ‘early arrival was not accepted and that I spent a productive day tramping about Singapore, breakfasting at Clark Quay and lunching at Chinatown. It was 3:30 before I was back at the Fragrance, ready to settle into my ‘Superior’ room, do rudimentary unpacking, take a hot shower and slip between crisp sheets for a before-dinner nap. It was not to be - at least not quite. What greeted me when opened the door of #705, was the smallest cubicle with the most modest level of amenities I had ever seen. The room was almost entirely filled by a double bed, designed for an individual of maximum height, 5’ 10”. There was no closet, only three hooks with one lone hanger. The bathroom was of a design I had not experienced since checking in at Teheran’s Hotel Palma, more than three decades ago. The shower was over the toilet and emptied into a drain in the middle of the floor. There was no possible way of showering without soaking everything. This was room eminently suited for a Buddhist cleric on retreat, but posed serious obstacles for me, freighted down as usual with a bag full of electronic accouterments, a collection of books and clothing for a three week stay in Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

What to do? After brainstormng a variety of options, all of which included included using the miniscule patch of floor space for storage and sharing my bed with my bags, I returned to the front desk. Yes, an “Executive Deluxe” room was fortunately available, the desk receptionist told me. I gladly put down the additional $90 for my three day stay and was escorted to #706. The room was about the size of two ‘Superior’ rooms. The shower arrangement were the same but there were two bathrooms. One could be used as a shower, the other for remaining functions. By the time I was resettled, with only rudimentary unpacking it was nearly 5:30.

When walking out to dinner, about two hours later, I decided to further broaden my education. “What was the difference between a ‘Superior’ and a “Standard’ room?” I inquired. “The ‘Standard’ room has no window.’ was the response.

I couldn’t remember the class of room I had reserved in Kuala Lumpur, but I was prepared for the worst. When I gave the taxi driver my destination, he looked puzzled. “That’s in Chinatown,” he said, “Its a no star hotel - very small.” I think I must have quailed visibly because he added reassuringly, if unconvincingly, “I’m sure the rooms will be very nice.” My apprehension rose further when the entrance to The Swiss Inn appeared to be a construction site.

However all was well. The Front Desk was small but elegant and the bellman ushered me to a beautiful room with tasteful furnishings and ample storage space. The bathroom had a real shower encased in a real shower curtain. The view from my window included a sign advertising “The Aroma Hotel.” Happily, I had no need to check it out. I unpacked and settled gratefully between crisp white sheets, to catch a short nap before a dinner engagement. My sojourn in Kuala Lumpur had begun on a positive note.

There's a lot more to Singapore than shopping

Obviously most Singaporians don’t spent most of their time shopping, though it might seem so from walking the length of Orchard Road in the early evening In fact, I would assume that most cannot afford the high fashion items on sale, nor take a $50 plus meal in one of the upscale restaurants on a shopping mall’s upper floor or along the canal in the fashionable Clark Quay neighborhood. As in every city, they are servers in the restaurants, clerks in the shopping malls, small proprietors in little India storefront boutiques or Chinatown hawkers stands, taxi drivers, students and street sweepers. I have taken particular note of the street sweepers. As in most countries, including the US, they are shorter that the average population and have darker skins. In Singapore, they wear iridescent vests to alert drivers to their presence. When I see them, the “epsilons” described by Aldous Huxley in Brave New World come to mind, though their lowly status is dictated by circumstance, not genetic conditioning.

One thing Singapore’s epsilons apparently do not do is live in slums, though perhaps some of the low end high rise complexes may have slum like qualities. Only after crossing the border into Malaysia did slum shanties appear, nestled along the rail track as in Sri Lanka and India. In KL, I was told, there were high-rise slum communities.

On a first visit to Singapore - to any area where one travels as a tourist - one mostly sees the Alphas and Betas. One may come in contact with the Deltas and Epsilons, but even then they are almost invisible amidst the bustle and glitter. On my next visit, seeking them out will be a priority.

POSTSCRIPT.
In reading this over later I felt a qualification was needed. Singapore's Little India, where I stayed was a much more diverse community, not unlike one that would be found in Colombo, Delhi or Mumbai. And at the Sunday morning (Anglican) Church services, the congregation was diverse, large, not overtly wealthy, and very hospitable.

Shop till you drop - Singapore's Orchard street

I am not a shopper, but Singapore's Orchard Street has to be seen to be believed. The number of gleaming megamalls are almost uncountable. I thought Sunday night might be quiet, but I was wrong. The streets and malls were thronged. Singapore's Tourist Information Center too was open until 9:30. I was looking for a bookstore to by Lee Kwan Yew's 2 volume autobiography and a characteristically helpful young woman directed me to one, only two blocks away.

Singapore has apparently ended poverty, but Orchard Street raises an interesting question. After ending poverty, what? More on this later, my internet connectivity time is running out.

There's a lot to like about Singapore - first impressions after more than 20 yrs

If I remembered enough about my last visit to Singapore to have vivid mental images, there would probably have been another Rip Van Winkle experience, but I did not. As It was, I could simply be newly impressed by the gleaming efficiency of the airport, the way those in charge seemed to have made a special effort to help newly arrived visitors, and the helpful civility of everyone from whom I sought assistance. Some of the contrasts between Singapore and the world’s greatest superpower were striking.

Customs formalities were civil and brisk - no long lines and finger printing for foreign visitors. There was a competantly staffed information desk, and an immaculate shutlle bus that whisked me from the airport to my hotel for $9.00 Singapore - about $6.00 US. Signs in the airport did provide reminders that this is a disciplined society and their is to be no nonsense about following the rules. Drug offenses, an announcement told us on arrival are treated with great severity. Chewing gum and DVD’s were among the forbidden items that are not permitted entry into Singapore.

My ‘two star hotel,’ selected from the internet for its moderate price and proximity to a rapid transit (MRT) stop was unable to provide an ‘early arrival’ room at told me to come back at 2:00. Though I was a bit tired and grimy from a 22 hour flight. I decided my Karma was providing a reality check after the cocoon of opulence that Singapore Airline’s business class had provided - and I had gotten a pretty good sleep. The ‘Fragrance Hotel’ is somewhat less grand than its website might lead one to believe, but ideally located in Singapore’s ‘Little India’ district, one of the few areas that has been relatively untouched by the consumerism and commercialist that pervades many other districts. Thus, while I was in the process of getting lost, while attempting to match street maps with verbal directions to the MRT stop, I felt right at home surrounded by the odors of South Asian spices, streets that could have been found in Sri Lanka’s Pettah district and a 90% perponderance of South Asian faces on the streets - but no beggars. There was even a Hindu temple, complete with drums and a loudspeaker projecting prayers to out to the street - though at much lower decibels than would be permitted in Sri Lanka.

Three more ‘lot to likes’ and then I will conclude for now. Learning a new metro system is always complicated; the ticketing and ground rules are invariable different from place to place. What impressed me was the patience and helpfulness of three different ‘passenger service’ attendants who helped me learn the rules. Two actually left their booths, walked me to the ticketing machines and, pointed out the features in needed to understand and demonstrated. Perhaps the fact that it was relatively early on a saturday morning helped. Then there were the immaculate public toilets in the station. When the New York subway system was first build it, too, included public toilets, but eventunally they were abandoned and, I believed, bricked up. When Washington DC’s new system was built - it is far less high tech, efficient and immaculate than Singapore’s they didn’t even try to include public facilities It was simply taken for granted - by everyone - that this was an impossibility in ‘the capital of the free world.’


The final ‘lot to like’ is something I just discovered when turned on my “Airport” wireless access. Singapore has program to provide high speed wireless access throughout the city, “for the national good.’ Since the Clarke Street Mall is not only open air, but roofed over I will be able to post my blogs and answer emails, rain or shine, while sipping a lemon tea or, later in the day, a wine, while enjoying a dim sung, Satay or perhaps even a roast duck.

As I said, there is a lot to like about Singapore.

PS: Alas internet connectivity didn't work. But the problem lay with my internet service provider, not Singapore's provider.

Singapore Airlines - there are lessons about customer service to be learned

My international research agenda, over the last twenty two years, has mostly  focused on writing, then publicizing Paradise Poisoned, Learning about Conflict, Terrorism and  Development from Sri Lanka’s Civil Wars, My international travel has mostly been limited to a annual or semi-annual trp to Sri Lanka.  Though I will still sustain ties to Sri Lanka, that phase of my life is complete.  This summer I decided to break the pattern  by revisiting Singapore, which will probably be a case study in my new book project. For the outbound leg of the journey, my miracle-working travel consultant, Linda de Silva was able to book me a business class ticket on Singapore Airlines at discounted rate.  As I write this posting, my Boeing 747 is high in the air, about midway between Delhi and Kanpur, exactly 4,157 km from our final destination.

Frequent travelers to Asia have all heard about Singapore Airlines, which consistently  ranks #1 or #2 in surveys of customer service.  But I had not flown the carrier since 1988, when I traveled with my wife from Singapore to New Zealand.  Yesterday, got a preview of what was in store when, after arriving at JFK from Washington, I sought directions from a Delta Airlines staff member to my connection.  “Singapore Airlines,” he volunteered in response to my question, with a smile, “That’s a great airline.”

I wouldn’t say that Singapore’s ground service is exceptional, though it was efficient and hassle free. (In Frankfurt, it was outsourced to Lufthansa, which has its own distinctive ambience of hard-edged Germanic efficiency). In-flight service, however, was an entirely different manner.

Regular readers know I take pride in the customer service provided by my own organization, American University’s Center for Teaching Excellence.  The level of attentive service provided by the young women - and a few men - who worked my two flights considerably exceeded my exacting standards.  What impressed me most was their professionalism, attention to detail, and proactive commitment to serving their customers reasonable needs, whatever they might be.  To use one of my favorite customer service mantras, these gracious, disciplined, efficient women and men were in the business of “producing results” not just “doing a job.”  

Here is just one example, from among a multitude.  On the flight from New York to Frankfurt, I awoke after about a four hour sleep (in a seat that miraculously transformed itself into a comfortable bed at touch of a button.) I flicked on my reading light to check the time. It seemed as if only a nanosecond had elapsed before a young woman was at my elbow with a glass of fresh orange juice and an offer of breakfast.  The rest of the cabin was almost entirely dark.  Someone must have tasked to watch for stirring passengers. Another example.  Every single staff member new my name, “Dr. Richardson” and used it frequently when we interacted.

I could write about much more, the elegant cuisine, meticulously and graciously served, the immaculate ambience of cabin and restrooms. I am picky about attention to detail. On two flights spanning more than twenty-two hours,  I could not spot a signle detail  that was out of place or out of order.

Clearly this does not happen by accident.  Contrast what I have described with the sullen, slovenly, dispirited, “going through the motions” level of service, that I experienced on two leading US carriers  in the past year - to be fair not in business class.  

Today’s flights have so impressed me  that I have tried to engage  staff members in conversation, to find out what motivates them and how they are trained.  On Sri Lankan Airlines, business class cabin staff are often quite willing to engage in quite lengthy dialogues, but not on Singapore Airlines.  In the most deft, cilvil and gracious way imaginable, staff members kept conversations brief. The message was clear, though communicated indirectly.  Their mission was service, of every customer, for every sixty seconds of every sixty minutes of every hour that the flight was in progress.

i will not give up this quest, however.  I and my staff at AU’s  Center for Teaching Excellence have much to learn from Singapore  Airlines.  I will make it a priority for us to learn it. 

We specialize in things thought impossible

There are three reasons for the long hiatus in postings. The weeks in May at AU are supposed to be a time for teaching one’s breath and taking stock. This year, it has been quite the opposite. We scheduled CTE’s end of year retreat for Friday. Monday CTE’s Annual Report was due. Tuesday and yesterday, there were a frenzy of preparations for a month long trip to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and, of course, Sri Lanka. Anyhow, the retreat was a success, the report got completed and, though I delayed packing until the last minute - as usual - I got to the airport with time to spare; plenty of time, as it has transpired because because my flight from Reagan to Kennedy airport has been delayed.... hopefully not canceled. ...it wasn’t, however I’m glad I didn’t have a close connection: The 4:25 arrival time became 6: and included nearly and hour wait on the Tarmak at JFK airport. this is customary, the pilot explained. Anyhow, I wanted, in this posting to share the executive summary of CTE’s annual report. It will give you an organization which is, we believe, you need in American higher education and perhaps in the world. Here’s why:

From these materials [in our more voluminous report]six themes emerge that highlight a significant year of accomplishments for CTE and contributions to the American University.

First is the growth in core services to CTE’s principal clients, AU’s students and faculty. We call this the ‘good stewardship’ mission and it trumps all other goals and priorities. In academic year 2007-2008 CTE’s total contacts with faculty members, providing services in various venues, grew by 40%, from 6,695 to 9,357. This included a remarkable 51% growth in the services provided by CTE’s Faculty Corner, an institution that we believe is unique in American Higher Education. There was a 17% increase in total student contact hours, from 63,061 to 73,519, with high levels of satisfaction reported in our end-of-semester surveys. This included a 75% increase in the utilization of CTE’s multimedia facilities, the New Media Center and the newly created NMC 2.0.

Second is community building. The creation of vibrant user communities is viewed as central to CTE’s mission. Among the communities that interacted regularly and grew strong were the Ann Ferren Teaching Conference Planning Group, the Faculty Quantitative Teaching Technologies Network, the Greenberg Seminar Faculty, the Model Classroom Faculty, the Distance Education Faculty and, in an earlier stage of evolution, the Multimedia Faculty User’s Group.

Third is sustaining CTE’s distinctive culture of service, empowerment and professionalism. Perhaps this was most visibly captured in a series of short videos produced for a CTE staff competition and posted on YouTube. The theme was “CTE: There’s a Better Way.” Other initiatives supported the professional development of CTE Fellows and helped create a supportive, nurturing environment for CTE’s diverse cadre of international students.

Fourth is catalyzing and sustaining new initiatives. In 2007-2008, CTE unveiled AU’s new Model Classroom, featuring cutting edge instructional technologies supported by a new concept of collaborative staff support from the New Media Center. It provided leadership for AU’s iTunes University presence, to be unveiled in August. It opened NMC 2.0, a high-end multimedia center that piloted a space optimizing collaborative use model. NMC 2.0 recorded 477 contact hours and 77% capacity utilization in April of its first year.

Fifth is modeling collegiality and collaboration. For the second time in four years, CTE worked with OIT and Blackboard Inc. to orchestrate a near flawless system upgrade of the Blackboard learning system. It collaborated with the Office of the Provost to further strengthen distance education. It worked in partnership with SIS and the Kogod school on the design of lab and AV systems for new buildings. It is collaborating with Librarian Bill Mayer and his staff to stage our next Ann Ferren Teaching Conference in the University Library.
Sixth is serving AU’s broader mission and the AU Community. In addition to contributions noted above, CTE provided AV support to more than 300 special events each month, ranging from club meetings to commencement, the President’s inauguration and speeches by outside dignitaries. It upgraded AU technologies in 55 classrooms and collaborated with the Finance Division to create a capital budgeting model that will facilitate a sustainable process for future upgrades. It contributed “Teaching and Learning Day” to the Presidential Inauguration Week, displaying models of good teaching in parts of the campus where they had never been viewed previously. It has become the provider of videoconferencing and video production services to the AU community. It produced DVDs of major events for wide distribution in less than 24 hours. … and much more.

It seems appropriate to conclude this year’s Annual Report, once again documenting significant accomplishments, as we concluded last year’s report: “We have fun, enjoy each other’s company and working together. We are trusted and sustain that trust by producing consistent, high quality results on a daily basis. We make things work. CTE’s Annual Report is not only about what we accomplish, but how we accomplish it. We take inspiration from The Song of the Panama Canal Builders: “Got any rivers you think are uncrossable, got any mountains they say, ‘Can’t tunnel through,’ We specialize in things thought impossible, doing the things they say, ‘You can’t do.’ ”

Sustaining AU's Infrastructure: unexciting, but essential

Most of AU’s students have departed for summer activities. These range from the exotic - assisting earthquake victims in rural China - to the prosaic - checking out groceries at a local supermarket near home.  Our campus is no longer invigorated with the vitality that nearly 5,000 young men and women provide.

But the campus is not quiet.  There was a brief period of tranquility between university commencement and the Washington College of Law commencement.  It was a time to savor the beauty of trees, plantings and vistas crafted by our landscape architect. Along with ‘Clawed,’ AU’s eagle mascot, campus beautification is a  legacy of AU’s deposed former President, Benjamin Ladner.

As I have noted, the tranquility was brief. On the day after the tents housing the Law College commencement were removed  security fences began appearing, creating safe perimeters around numerous construction sites: a refurbished Centennial Residence Hall and Student Union (Mary Gradon Center), an addition to the Kogod School of Business and, most visibly, a magnificent, environmentally-friendly structure that will provide a new home for AU’s School of International Service.

Some this activity, the SIS building for example, is visible and glamorous, but much is invisible and unglamorous.  For example, the Center for Teaching Excellence recently completed a capital budgeting model intended to keep the audio visual equipment we manage up to date.  The annual cost - about $250,000.  AU now has a program to replace all of its computers every three years, remedying a serious deferred maintenance shortfall.  A similar program is in place to upgrade less visible components of AU’s information technology infrastructure - servers, routers, network switching devices and the like.  Dormitory renovation, too is simply intended to keep existing structures on line, basically providing the same level of service.

My reflections on this topic were evoked by a new month-long National Public Radio series on “America’s Decaying Infrastructure.’  This mornings segment, initiating the series, noted how many political leaders are neglecting needed infrastructure spending - on bridges, highways and water supply systems, for example - because it is  less visible and glamorous than spending on schools, and public safety.

AU is fortunate to have leaders, especially its Vice President for Finance and Assistant Vice President for Facilities, who have fought vigorously and successfully for programs to maintain AU’s infrastructure sustainably.  Most students will never be aware of these vital community members, either by name or even by title.  But their work is integral to a high quality educational experience.  They deserve a public vote of thanks.

Hear our prayer, take us there

Today was youth day at Leeds Church, about which I have written previously.  Each year, our very active youth group is given responsibility for the sermon and the ‘Prayers of the People,’ a liturgical staple in the Anglican service.  As the human community begins to grapple seriously with the prospects of global warming, today’s Bible lesson, from the book of Genesis,  provided food for thought:

... Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and the earth was filled with violence.  And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth.  And God said to Noah.  ‘I have determined to make and end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth...”

The prayers of the people, written by our youth-group members, provided a more hopeful supplication, written in youthful vernacular:

Let us pray for those down with Jesus Christ, who walk the walk, talk the talk and know what it’s like for all those who are down with God’s crews.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer, take us there.

Let us pray for the mission of the church, bringing the Hope the Faith, the Love of Jesus to all peeps, in every hood, for all time, every day.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer, take us there.

Let us pray for this country and our leaders, that we may all live in freedom and peace.  You down with us, and we down with yo, cause you got the back of every and each.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer, take us there.

Let us pray for the world.  For good will between nations and blessings and all peeps.  Let us holla the message cause together we can’t be beat.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer, take us there.

Let us pray for those in the House, for all those in the Hood, for all who live in the streets, its still all good.  For all who are in prison, for their families and their victims.  For all those who work and hold it down in the justices system.  For the military, victims of violence, and those who are in need.   We are down for you, we got ya back, trust us, best believe.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer, take us there.

Let us pray for those who have died.  For all the founders of Hip Hop gone on to heaven.  For the children of your streets no longer here.  For the Prophets and Saints before us give us your blessings

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer, take us there.