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Entry #11 The Peace Pole: Que la Paz Prevalezca en La Tierra

12/13/2010

Entry #11– December 13, 2010

The Image and Message: The Peace Pole -- Que La Paz Prevalezca en la Tierra – May Peace Prevail on Earth

My wish for everyone is for peace as we celebrate Christmas and many other holidays around the world this month. This is one of many Peace Poles I have seen in Northern Michigan. I do not remember the rainbow being there when I took this photo, so its appearance is a fun surprise. According to the website for the Peace Pole Project, there are over 200,000 Peace Poles in about 195 countries. See http://www.worldpeace.org/index.html for the history of the Peace Pole, and stories and photos from around the world. I would like to plant one in my own yard in 2011.*

copyright© 2010 by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.

P.S. I did add one to my yard after writing this blog entry. In answer to the comment by Leland Ross: Mine is in English, Spanish, French, and Hebrew. Sixteen languages? Fantastic!

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Entry #10: De Un Corazón Roto Sale Nueva Vida

12/7/2010

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Entry #10– December 6, 2010

The Image: De Un Corazón Roto Sale Nueva Vida – From a Broken Heart Comes New Life

A personal theme for my October 2010 trip to Chiapas, Mexico was “Ojos Abiertos, Corazones Abiertos” (Open eyes, open hearts).

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Entry #9: Advertising Brings a Smile

12/1/2010

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Entry #9 – December 1, 2010

The Image: A storefront in New York City.

It's time for a less serious blog! On Tuesday, November 23, 2010, at the end of three days in New York City, I went for a walk before my departure to the airport. As I returned from Times Square along 42d Street, I had to stop, laugh, and cross the street to take pictures. A security guard confirmed my observation: the signs and open doors had not been there the previous day. Just in time for Christmas and other holidays, Charmin offered a place every tourist and shopper seeks: a place to use the restroom. It seems fitting that folks in NYC would make the bathroom into a Broadway production.

copyright© 2010 by Paulette L. Stenzel for the photo and text.

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Entry #8: Hospitality and an Open Door

11/27/2010

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Entry #8

Hospitality and an Open Door

I have noticed that various themes follow me, and a current one is the need for open doors. Open doors represent hospitality, which is crucial in the classroom. When a teacher offers hospitality to students, he or she invites them into a learning community.

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Entry #7: Learning Community

11/20/2010

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Entry #7 – November 20, 2010

The Concept: Learning Community

The learning community is central to my teaching. I do my best to encourage students to work together, prepare thoroughly for class, and recognize that each of us has something to contribute and much to learn from each person in the community. For me, it is about gathering around a subject, concepts, and issues to explore them together in ways that go beyond what an individual can accomplish. My students and I have been particularly successful in creating a learning community our Environmental Law and Sustainability for Business class.

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Enrty #6: ¿Hay Comunidades en Los Estados Unidos?

11/8/2010

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November 8, 2010

Entry #6

The Question: ¿Hay Comunidades en Los Estados Unidos?

Reflection: Luís Ortega, the young Mexican taxi driver, asked me this question as we descended from the mountains of Chiapas after visiting the community of Acteal, the Maya Vinic coffee cooperative, and driving through many comunidades that day. Literally, he asked: “Are there communities in the United States?

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Entry #5: If you build it, they will come

10/26/2010

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October 26, 2010 - Entry #5

"If you build it, they will come."

Last month, a friend and I spoke of how our community needed a place where friends can meet for a cup of coffee or tea and socialize among kindred spirits. The place should promote sustainability by serving Fair Trade, organic, and local foods, in addition to selling or lending books.

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Entry #4: Love, Fear, and Courage

10/9/2010

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October 8, 2010 Entry #4

A friend recently said to me, “You are a courageous woman to go to Mexico as you do.”

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Entry #3: Chakra and chacra

10/5/2010

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October 5, 2010 Entry #3

Chakra and chacra

I was recently reminded of another chacra: a garden. The fact that chakras and chacras sound identical is intriguing. Both are about a healthy lifestyle through balance and integration. The photo shows my friend Oscar Santillán in his family’s chacra at Pakarinka Sisari in Agato, Ecuador.

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Entry #2: Mariposa

10/2/2010

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Mariposa

Mariposa means “butterfly” in Spanish and is occasionally used as a girl’s name. It comes from “María Pósate,” meaning “Mary alight!”. I imagine Mary (whether Mary Mother of Jesus or the Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico) who alights on a flower.

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Entry #1: Spider Web

10/1/2010

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October 1, 2010 Entry #1

“A tiny spider rains sunlight upon me through its web.”

I saw this spider web at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York this summer (August 2010). The spider is so tiny that it does not show up in the picture. The web is a metaphor for my teaching, my research, my life, and the pursuit of sustainability. I like the idea that spider webs are associated with writers. During the first week of my classes, my students and I discuss the spider web and how it serves as a metaphor for the subject matter of our class and learning in general.

Copyright©2010, by Paulette L. Stenzel for text and photo.

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Paulette L. Stenzel

I am Professor Emeritus of International Business Law and Sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU). I continue to teach part time at MSU and coordinate the Broad College Ethical Leadership program Additionally, I advise Spartan Global Development Fund - a student-driven microfinance organization.

I am also a mom, learner, writer, violinist, environmentalist -in -process, traveler, and avid reader.

Through research, service, and public speaking, I share information and perspectives on teaching, ethical leadership, and the pursuit of more sustainable ways of living and doing business.

Photo above: Francisco Vinega, Jade Artist, Guatemala, with Paulette Stenzel.
Contact me at stenzel@msu.edu.

Paulette L. Stenzel

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