Thursday 11 July 2024
Stay at home, admin day.
Friday 12 July 2024
Off on the train early today to Geneva. This was a pleasant trip
along the edge of the Lake. We wandered slowly in the old town, looking at all
the tourist sights and sites, including the many world fashion and watch brand shops, the
water fountain and the cathedral. The latter, being Prody, is nowhere near as
blingy as the Micks. Just sayin’.
Looking for a lunch stop, we heard the voice of an Australian in
loud conversation with another Aussie sitting at Brasserie-Restaurant de l’Hotel
de Ville, as we passed. Pretty swish as it turned out.
Baldy and the Young Bloke were still there 15 minutes later when
we returned from a walk along the Reformation Wall and we decided to go in. The
waiter seated us next to them. They were clearly engrossed in each other’s
company and did not notice our common accent or indeed, our presence.
Baldy, the elder, seemed to be a world traveler – “just got in
from DC, mate.” And was a sort of fixer for investment funds. Lots of stories
about his satellite deals for the Arabs and Asians. Now, you didn’t have to
cock an ear sideways. The volume was pretty high, despite them not drinking. We
were though. A Rose with the gigantic salad for one of us and a Chasselas and Tartare
du Salmon for Flashy.
As it turned out, Baldy was from Hamilton in Victoria and Young Bloke was from Adelaide.
However, the best story we heard was about of one of Baldy’s
colleagues in the US, who announced one Wednesday, that he, Martin, was now she,
Martine. “And we’d just signed a billion dollar deal with the Saudis!” The
story continued, and he told it well. About her saving her daughter from disease
by forming a pharmaceutical company and finding a cure. The movie ‘Lorenzo’s
Oil’, come to real life – apparently!
Suffice to say, that Flashy checked it out on the internet when
he got home, because you couldn’t make this stuff up, surely?
And the story, true it seems, at least is recorded on the NYC
Public Radio site with pictures. Here it is: (New York Public Radio via the web
WNYC)
Dr. Martine
Rothblatt hit headlines when a recent article identified her
as America's highest-paid female CEO. The title is
fitting because Rothblatt is something of a visionary.
She founded
GeoStar, an early GPS-based navigation system, an idea that Wall Street,
satellite manufacturers and the FCC all initially said no to. Rothblatt also
founded Sirius Satellite Radio—a business venture that was initially
rejected by even the company's current CEO.
And
Rothblatt is also the brains behind the pharmaceutical company
United Therapeutics, a business she is currently leading as CEO. Founded
in 1996 after her youngest child was diagnosed with primary pulmonary
hypertension, Rothblatt made $38 million as the company's leader in 2013.
She's pushed
through to achieve her goals, and the word no actually became the fuel for
her success—an attitude she applied to not just her business endeavours,
but her very sense of self.
In her life,
Dr. Rothblatt has transcended gender and technological boundaries. Rothblatt
was born a man, and today is a transgender woman—just another no she turned
into a yes.
This made our excellent lunch more than just a culinary feast.
And, get this, it was on top of another ear-cocking, conversation,
eaves-dropping on the train to Geneva.
That conversation, by another, older Baldy and the Young One in
the row behind us, was also loud enough to hear easily. Held in English (public
school boy Young One) and German accented English (the older Baldy), it was about
molecular/nuclear cell research and while we only understood a little, it was better
than watching TV.
What a day. Home about five minutes before the thunderstorm hit.
Monk was pleased to see us.
Very big salad
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