Stars and Stripes Compass touch the Old Continent...

Yep, after more than 1 year long, it's time to be back to the Old Continent. As always it feels weard to listen again your native language everywhere, smell "cappuccino and cornetto" at any bar, watch italian tv..:-) still few hours and another flight to take before to be "home" again...question of the day is: where is "home"?

For sure I'm going to enjoy the next 2 weeks off from work, spending my time with some of the most precious people of my life...no need to answer to that question for at least 2 weeks... looking forward to enjoy my "native home"..:-)

Glad to touch you again Italy...:-)

The "catch of the day"...Virginia Beach Sunrise

Traveling is always a good reason to see unique place, meet interesting people... and catch the "pearl of the day".

Yesterday wake up was one of those moment. This picture was taken at 6.45 am... no better way to start the day.

Here I am to share it with you. What will be the "catch of today"? :-) Stay tuned...

Sailing on the Harbour...

Well...nothing else to add. New York is always New York. Regardless the crazy rhytm and speed of this place, the soul of this City is always there, ready to surprise you. Every single corner, small place, tall building, cute park can be anytime, anywhere reason of inspiration. This picture was taken few days ago, on board of a sailing boat around NY Harbour.

In few words, I could define New York as an inspirational place where thoughts and feelings meet.. Everything is just there...but only if you decide to look at it...

Time to say "Dank" to the person who promoted this unique moment..:-)

On the treadmill of life...

If you are a runner, you will probably understand the full meaning of this post. Every running offers a different story. Depending on your body conditions, external factors, mindset, the experience will change. Usually it takes a while to warming up...around 10 minutes. After that time, your mind start to tell you the feeling of the entire running, what you can achieve, the goal that you can realistically reach.

And here we go, jumping into the core of the race. This is the most intense and enjoyable part. Minutes in which you feel the strenght of your body while your mind is in focus. Others, in which your brain start to lose the focus making calculation on the end of the running activities.

It's a continuos focus between body, mind, breathing. This is what makes unique any single run. It's not only a phisical activity, but a much more complete status on which you learn about yourself. Never give up is my suggestion... and you will easily notice that....running on a treadmill is not such different than living your life...

Everybody's free...the Sunscreen Song

Simply watch this! This is one of the video that do not need any comments. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfq_A8nXMsQ

"Brother and Sister together we'll make it through,

someday a spirit will take you and guide you there,

I know you have been hurting but I've been waiting to be there for you,

and I'll be there just helping you out, whenever I can...

Everybody's free....."

Minnewaska State Park Preserve...Blueberry Hiking

Another Pearl to discover, just 2 hours far from NY.

A best way to recap an enjoyable hiking day with friends and... a lot of blueberries.

I do suggest to visit this place.

The Minnewaska State Park Preserve is a 21,106 acre (8,541 ha) preserve located on the Shawangunk Ridge in New York on US 44/NY 55, five miles (8 km) east of New York State Route 299. The park is managed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. It is primarily used for picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and swimming. There are outstanding views of the nearby Catskill Mountains. There are three sky lakes within the Park Preserve: Lake Minnewaska, Lake Awosting, and Mud Pond. Lake Minnewaska is roughly a mile long by a quarter-mile at its widest point. Lake Awosting is roughly twice as large. More info...

Yep...Despite the fact that lately Eminem's voice is everywhere, this song is not one of the most listened. As always he is able to concentrate thousand of words in few minutes, pure energy and rhythm always enjoyable. I attach the link to this song. Enjoy

"I'm not afraid to take a stand
Everybody come take my hand
We'll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just let you know that, you're not alone
Holla if you feel that you've been down the same road..."

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5-yKhDd64s

Mandela Day 2010...67 minutes for a better world

Yep, it's time to wish Happy Birthday to Nelson Mandela. 92 years of inspiration for our generation. But what is a Mandela Day?

Mandela Day is a call to action for people everywhere to take responsibility for making the world a better place, one small step at a time, just as Nelson Mandela did.

Nelson Mandela spent more than 67 years serving his community, his country, and the world at large. On Mandela Day people are called to devote just 67 minutes of their time to changing the world for the better, in a small gesture of solidarity with humanity, and in a small step towards a continuous, global movement for good.

Thew World is calling...ready for it? One Idea can change the world...

The Worlds End State Park... where Nature talks to Friendship

Worlds End State Park is in a narrow S-shaped valley of the Loyalsock Creek just south of Forksville, Sullivan County. The scenery is spectacular, especially the June mountain laurel and fall foliage. Canyon Vista, reached via Mineral Spring and Cold Run roads, provides outstanding views.

A curiosity regarding the name. Some people called it Worlds End, others Whirl’s Glen, and still others Whirls End. The first name arose from the topography of the place.

Seven mountain ranges converge on the point and one does receive the sensation of being at the ultimate ends of the earth.

The proponents of the second name base their claim upon the whirlpool in the Loyalsock Creek, and the third name was probably a contraction of the other two.

Since the whirlpool had largely disappeared, it was decided that the name Worlds End would be most appropriate. Hence, the name Worlds End State Forest Park.

Had the chance to spend 2 wonderful days in that area... for some reasons, it will remain with me forever. That reason is simply called Friendship.

And it's not just a game...

...no it's not just a game! Is not a case that anythime I cross the colors of South Africa, the sound of this country, the inspiration that a leader such as Nelson Mandela was, is and always will be...well, anytime I feel my soul waking up so badly.

Is not a case that this blog was inspired by his autobiography, read at the end of one of the most important learning experience of my life...and at the beginning of my new life path abroad...

Its not just a case...that this year the World Cup is playing in South Africa... that one of the most inspiring movie I watched lately is "Invictus"... it's not just a game the Dream I have in my mind.

I must live it... because is not just a game!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBmcgxFXu-Q&feature=related

The Wishing Gate...

Inspiration from books..:-)

There are times when even the bravest want to give up: times when appearances indicate that everything is against us, and it is no use to try. At such times you should remember that is always darkest just before the dawn; that a little more faith, a little more patience is all that we need to win. Remember, too, that all those who have reached their goal ahead of you felt tired sometimes, and wanted to give up, but they DID NOT. If they had, you would never heard of them.

Occasionally we are like the little boy who went off to find the “Wishing Gate.” He was so intent on his purpose that he did not notice where he was going. Presently he found that he was lost and very tired, so he sat down on an old stile to rest. The North Wind came along and offered to take him home, and he abandoned his quest because he was tired and accepted the North Wind’s offer.

As they traveled along the North Wind asked him how he came to be lost. “I was looking for the Wishing Gate,” he replied. The Wind laughed all the way to his home. When they reached his doorstep the North Wind said, “The next time you go out to search for anything keep your wits about you. You were sitting on the Wishing Gate when I found you.”

"Elena", "Alfredo" and..."Toto"... a unique story with thousands of thoughts....

Yep... not necessarly these three names tell you something, but for sure will let you think if you have the chance to watch a Tornatore's masterpiece: "Cinema Paradiso".

Due to a pure casuality, yesterday I had the chance to watch this movie. I alredy did it long time ago (considering that was produced on 1988), but yesterday was different...many meanings and thoughts came up at the end...3 uncredible life-stories, a trade-off between an unrealized love story and a director carrier, the knowledgeble crazyness of Alfredo, able to deeply influence the course of the story... a mother that always have the true feeling of what is happening... it's not just a story! It's a continuos conflict between opposite forces that drives your life.

Glad I share them with a close friend of mine... is not an easy movie to "digest"... but wonderful to bring your thoughts in front and behind your feet.

"Is there any Elena in your past life? There will be one in the future? Who is your "Alfredo"? And what "Toto'" is doing right now? ... I leave all these questions open... but suggest to watch the movie first if you want to start answering...or at least, try ..:-)

No need to mention the fantastic soundtrack of Ennio Morricone and the several Awards won by this film... Enjoy the view

Movie Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LarMt8J-6BQ

Thinkers....The outstanding figures of tomorrow are the creative and constructive thinkers of today

Isn't funny that sometimes it takes years before you read a book that you have in your library? Maybe it was a gift, maybe it was not the right time to read it, for some reasons that book is still there, waiting for you...

Today, in my early morning reading, "Key to Yourself" decided that was time to be opened...and as always happens, the daily inspiration was there, untouched...:-) It's just 6.12 in the morning...a lot more to discover...:-) Enjoy your week...

CHAPTER 1: THOUGHT, LAW

"THINKING is the true business of life. Thinkers rule the world. They always have and they always will. All people think, but the tragedy of life is that so few of us think creatively or constructively; so few recognize the fact that thought is a creative force. Every achievement in business, literature, philosophy, or science has found its source and expression through the mental efforts of the world's leaders. The outstanding figures of tomorrow are the creative and constructive thinkers of today...."

Customer Service as a Growth Engine ....from "Thank you for calling" to "How is your day going"?

An interesting article written by DANA MATTIOLI on the Wall Street Journal. A reflection of today business environment...

"Executives are paying more attention to customer service in an effort to increase sales and gain market share in the economic recovery.

Drug-store chain Walgreen Co. is training pharmacists to spend more time helping patients with chronic illnesses. Comcast Corp. is putting call-center agents through new training and instructing supervisors to coach their agents more. American Express Co. is expanding a program aimed at getting agents to build better relationships with customers.

American Express is encouraging its call-center agents to focus more on the quality of customer service than the quantity of calls handled.
.Just over a quarter of the 1,405 companies surveyed by Accenture late last year said customer service would be the first area they'd increase funding for as the economy recovers. Some companies have begun that practice this year.

Businesses are changing their approach, too, dedicating more of their efforts to the customer segments considered most lucrative. It's an outgrowth of the recession, when companies scrutinized customer-service spending to see which business practices delivered the biggest returns.

Some executives also see a chance to woo frustrated customers from rivals through word of mouth and by creating pleasant experiences. In another Accenture survey of 5,000 consumers, 69% said they had switched at least one provider because of poor customer service in 2009. That's two percentage points higher than in 2008 and 10 points higher than 2007.

Walgreen is trying to gain the loyalty of patients with chronic illnesses, starting with diabetes. Since January, it has trained 500 pharmacists to work closely with diabetes patients. The pharmacists set up regular 20-to-45-minute meetings with patients to help them manage their disease. Pharmacists normally meet with patients for about three to five minutes. Walgreen is betting that loyal customers with lifelong illnesses will spend more money at the pharmacy and consolidate prescriptions there.

"We think we'll see a stronger degree of patient loyalty, and we want to get a bigger share of the patient wallet," says Colin Watts, chief innovation officer at Walgreen.

With 4,000 new diabetes cases being diagnosed each day, according to Walgreen research, Mr. Watts expects the program to attract new customers. In an effort to improve customer service, executives conducted home visits with patients. Diabetic patients said they were confused about managing the disease and the advice they received.

The company plans to roll the program out nationally by the end of 2010—it's in eight regions now—and extend similar services to customers with asthma and hypertension.

Cable provider Comcast is bolstering customer service operations in an effort to retain customers and sell higher-priced services. The company has been trying to improve customer service for the past couple of years, but it's still a sore spot: earlier this year The Consumerist, a consumer issues website, granted Comcast its "Worst Company in America" award.

In January, Comcast started putting its 24,000 call-center agents through additional training and has told call-center supervisors to spend 70% of their time coaching their agents, more than double the amount of time they spent before. So far, Comcast says it's seen a decrease in repeat customer calls—queries about the same problem—and in customer requests to speak to a supervisor.

"Our primary focus has been on ensuring that we're delivering superior customer service and that clears the way for us to be able to up-sell," says Tina Waters, senior vice president of customer operations at Comcast.

American Express is also relying on customer service changes to drive growth. It's expanding a training program started last year aimed at getting call-center agents to focus less on resolving calls quickly, and more on building customer loyalty. The reasoning: more loyal customers will spend more money. Already agents in 16 countries have gone through the training; later this year the program rolls out to about five more countries.

Rather than answering a call by saying "Thank you for calling," agents now say: "How is your day going?" They're also told to look for opportunities to pitch related services rather than rush off a call.

Customer service is "a growth engine for a company in a world where marketing dollars and credit is constrained," says Jim Bush, head of world-wide customer service "

Blog versus Facebook: who will win?

Here we go, few days ago I was thinking to this question and I realized that so far, Facebook is the winner of the online networking competition.

When blog started to pop up all over the web, it was a kind of cool to have your own space where you could write your thoughts or share your pictures and so on. There was the need to have something easier of a website. This was the time on which everybody started to write on the web-blog (I can think around 2002/2003).

Then, the first evolution. People started to create websites where several blog could be linked and where you can see the latest updated post. I can call this as a rough version of Facebook. I still remember a conversation amongst few guys while I was in Germany for an AIESEC Conference. They were talking about this concept and the value that could be developed over the years. It ends up in one of the most pleasant network we have on the web now.

Than, the dinamic version of the blog: Facebook, for which I don't think I could add more than what you already know.

Finally, I could think to Facebook as the natural evolution of the blog.

Does it mean that blog are destined to end? Not at all. Blog is still keeping the beauty on its original status. It's like to compare emails with our old mail system. I do write 99% of the time using emails, but I do know that regular mail can reach point that emails cannot.

So, maybe we simply need to use the right tool for the right moment or purpose.

Let's use both, making sure we don't forget our lovely and traditional blog.. He is always there, waiting for your updates :-)