Global Education Forum

June 13, 2010


Greetings from the MV Explorer, which as I type this is sailing near the Canadian coast. We are scheduled to arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia at 0800 tomorrow (Monday). We boarded the Explorer on Thursday afternoon and since then have been sharing the ship with the Institute for Shipboard Education’s Global Education Forum. This has afforded us the opportunity to hear speakers such as Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Both were fantastic speakers who presented serious subjects with a touch of humor. Bond focused on his time as a Civil Rights Activist, highlighting moments with others such as Dr. Martin Luther King. O’Connor discussed times throughout history when the executive and judicial branches of government were at odds. Each closed with a thirty minute question & answer session and offered photo opportunities at a later time. Bond’s photo op times were, unfortunately, scheduled at the same time as the meeting for parents sailing with children, but Emma and I ate lunch quickly yesterday so we could queue up for a photo opportunity with Sandra Day O’Connor.