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David Ingemie - Driving Force in the Snowsports Industry *
Johannes von Trapp, Originator of the Nordic Ski Center *
Canadian Olympian Chandra Crawford - Developer of "Fast & Female" *
Dave Carter to be Inducted in the Maine Ski Hall of Fame *
John Frado on the Mt Rushmore of Cross Country Skiing *
Howard Peterson of Soldier Hollow Announces Retirement *
Meet Kikkan Randall - American Woman XC Ski World Cup Champion
Nordic Walking - No Longer Just for Athletes or Expert Skiers
Thom Perkins Given Lifetime Achievement Award
Nordic Combined Medalists Interview
LL Bean's 100 Year Anniversary
Suzy Chaffee Interview with Ski Diva
David Ingemie - Driving Force in the Snowsports Industry
Retiring Snowsports Industries America (SIA) president David Ingemie was presented with the 30th Annual BEWI Award at a luncheon in his honor on Nov. 13 at the Seaport World Trade Center on Boston Harbor as the Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo got underway.
Bernie Weichsel, president, BEWI Productions, called Ingemie "an iconic figure in the U.S and international snowsports business," noting that he had headed up SIA for over 30 years (actually 39 years). SIA is the association of snow sport product suppliers that runs the annual member-owned Snow Show in Denver. Annually, ski retailers place orders with product suppliers for 80-90% of the wholesale sales for the year at the Snow Show. The organization also collaborates with all components of the snow sports industry with the goal of promoting the growth and development of snow sports and conducted research for many aspects of the business.
In making the presentation before more than 150 ski industry leaders, Weichsel said, "David has been an innovator in snowsports marketing and market research. He has worked steadfastly to expand participation in and sales throughout all aspects of snowsports. Our industry is that much better thanks to the tremendous contributions David has made to it."
The native New Englander, from Fitchburg, Mass., began his career in his hometown, working at a local ski shop and later at Wachusett in Princeton where he was named marketing director in 1969.
In accepting the award, Ingemie credited his success to his work with a wide variety of snowsports industry people and organizations. "I'm very lucky to be standing here and have the attention, but if it wasn't for all of us in the room and all the people I've worked with, none if this would happen. I'm just kinda the lucky guy at the top that gets the credit for it. I'm fortunate enough to have perspective to see 360 degrees."
Ingemie strongly believed in the value of market research to guide product and program development in the ski industry, demonstrating how such research could guide both the trade association and its members in how best to react to market and demographic changes over the decades. He conceived or conducted various programs to increase snow sports participation with titles such as the "Ski It to Believe It!" Campaign, "Let's Go Skiing, America!" Subaru Deduct-a-Ski, "Inside Skiing" school assembly program, and so on.
He was among the first industry leaders to not only embrace snowboarding but to place it on par with alpine skiing in promoting and growing the snowsports market. He was involved with the early development of snowboarding from "Share a Chair" program to garner snowboard acceptance at ski areas, to the development of the USSA Grand Prix program that still provides the highway for snowboarders to get into the Olympics, and the Mountain Dew Snowboard Festival that introduced snowboarding to thousands at ski areas across the country in the middle 1990s.
Ingemie likewise placed great value on the role of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing developing committees to create marketing programs such as Cross Country Close to Home and Winter Trails. He always included these snow sports segments in the world of snowsports marketing and supported efforts to organize the retailers, product suppliers, and area operators to work together.
Ingemie was also awarded the NSAA Carson White Golden Quill Award at the NSAA Convention in May of 2015 and was nominated for a NASJA Lifetime Achievement Award. Following the 2016 SIA Snow Show in January, he'll work on a legacy project for SIA. The industry will indeed miss Ingemie's positive energy and drive to popularize snow sports. Reposted from SnoCountry.com by Martha Wilson and embellished by XCSkiResorts.com editor Roger Lohr, (former SIA employee hired by David Ingemie in 1986).
Johannes von Trapp, Originator of the Nordic Ski Center
If there was an American Cross Country Ski Hall of Fame, Johannes von Trapp would be one of the surefire inductees. The famous story of the von Trapp family is well known - their escape from Austria in the beginning of World War II and the Broadway and Hollywood songs such as Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, and Do Re Mi. In November of 2014, Johannes von Trapp spoke at a luncheon of Nordic ski area operators and one could tell they looked at him as their living history. He grew up with 9 siblings as the last born in the original von Trapp family and he is also known as the proprietor, who opened Trapp Family Lodge, the first commercial Nordic ski area in 1968.
In 1938 just before World War II, the Baron and Baroness von Trapp left all their possessions and estate near Salzburg, Austria. With nine children and one on the way, they fled Austria and were granted asylum in the US. That child on the way was Johannes, who was born in 1939 and now is the president of the modern day Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.
Arriving in the US with only four dollars, the family settled in Philadelphia and through their music turned a family hobby into a profession as the Trapp Family Singers. In 1942, they bought a small farmhouse in Stowe, Vermont because the landscape reminded them of home. They rented out rooms at their farmhouse to skiers and ran the Trapp Family Music Camp.
Johannes commented that they were too poor to pay to use the ski lifts in Stowe, so they skied up and down in the woods around the farm. He attended Dartmouth College and upon returning to Stowe, he later operated the lodge. He started the ski area out of his barn, renting cross country skis, and giving ski lessons to become the first commercial cross country ski resort in the world. He had hired his first staff person, Per Sorlie, an ex-navy man from Norway, who had great enthusiasm for cross country skiing and who had a brother who wholesaled cross country ski equipment from Norway.
They would pack the trail in the early morning, rented and sold Nordic skis, and taught ski lessons. Johannes stated that he grossed $8,000 that first year in the cross country ski business and he doubled the revenue in the following year. The original concept was a way to attract guests to fill the rooms at lodge.
He always thought that the business would involve backcountry skiing as the key element and today he still hopes that backcountry will grow and become a more noticeable part of the Nordic ski scene. He commented about the "violent contrast" in product development that has become "plastic, nylon, and form fitting," citing the Americanization of Nordic skiing…but he does admit that the new equipment and clothing have great virtues and he has come full circle embracing the high tech that has been incorporated into the sport and business.
Johannes answered a question about grooming as he reminisced about the first snow machine he bought for $50 to pack the trails. They built many different weighted boxes with skis on the bottom to drag behind he snowmobile and set tracks on the trails.
In the early 1970s, the lodge included a riding stable but the horses impacted the trails too much so horseback riding was discontinued. Johannes cited a recent survey taken by UVM students at Trapp Family Lodge that revealed the skiers mostly cared about the track quality. But he still believes in the psychic benefits of being outdoors and he loves how the sport has taken off.
The lodge occupancy has increased over the years and acquiring the nearby land (Trapp Family owns 90% of the trail property) was important to maintain the trails. The lodge history included the fire in 1980 and rebuilding in 1983. In 2000, Trapp added 24,000 square feet of meeting space and accommodations to the lodge and four years later the first villas adjacent to the lodge were completed and sold.
Johannes' son Sam became vice president of the operation in 2007 adding mountain bike trails in the summer and snowmaking in the winter. In 2008, Trapp Family Lodge celebrated its 40th anniversary and was covered in the NY Times, on ABC World News and created its first television advertisement. In 2010, Trapp Lager beer was introduced on the property and a new facility will be opened in 2015 in Massachusetts to greatly expand the brewery operation.
Johannes von Trapp is one of the American cross country skiing forefathers, who will be recognized for his vision of cross country skiing and his connection to a world famous family story.
Canadian Olympian Chandra Crawford - Developer of Fast and Female
In a story published in The Globe and Mail, Canadian gold-medal Olympian in cross country skiing, Chandra Crawford has entered the MBA program at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business. Ms. Crawford, who won gold in cross-country skiing at the 2006 Turin Games and seven World Cup medals (two of them gold) in her 14-year skiing career, saw the MBA program as a way to hone her social entrepreneurship expertise as founder of Fast and Female, which is an international program to develop initiatives that will entice more girls to get into and stay in sports.
Chandra set up the non-profit Fast and Female organization in 2005 to encourage girls and women aged 9 to 19 to stick with competitive sports instead of bowing out, as many do, in their teens. The hope, she says, "is that 25 years from now, girls will stay in sports through their teens and we will have a big pool to draw on for Olympic sports."
The Fast and Female organization offers day camps and other opportunities for participants – nearly 9,000 in Canada, the United States and other countries to rub shoulders with Olympic and other elite women athletes.
Prior to the official start of school, Chandra submitted her first assignment – an assessment of their own businesses – that gave her insights into her organization. "If we can create a strong business in terms of Fast and Female, then it will continue to serve girls into the future," Chandra said.
The Fast and Female program cites that girls have 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play high school sports than boys have. Lack of physical education in schools and limited opportunities to play sports in both high school and college mean girls have to look elsewhere for sports –which may not exist or may cost more money. Often there is an additional lack of access to adequate playing facilities near their homes that makes it more difficult for girls to engage in sports.
Despite recent progress, discrimination based on the real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of female athletes persists. Girls in sports may experience bullying, social isolation, negative performance evaluations, or the loss of their starting position. During socially fragile adolescence, the fear of being tagged "gay" is strong enough to push many girls out of the game.
As girls grow up, the quality level of their sports experience may decline. The facilities are not as good as the boys' venues and the playing times may not be optimal. The availability of quality, trained coaches may be lacking in their community or these coaches may be more focused on the boys' programs that have more money for training. Equipment and even uniforms aren't funded for many girls' programs at the same levels as boys so their ability to grow and enjoy the sport is diminished. In short, sports just aren't "fun" any more.
School sports budgets are being slashed every day. Fewer opportunities within schools mean families must pay to play in private programs while also footing the bill for expensive coaches, equipment and out-of-pocket travel requirements.
Today's girls are bombarded with images of external beauty, not those of confident, strong female athletic role models. To some girls, fitting within the mold that they are constantly told to stay in is more important than standing out. Peer pressure can be hard for girls at any age; when that pressure isn't offset with strong encouragement to participate in sports and healthy physical activity, the results may lead girls to drop out altogether.
Fast and Female works to develop initiatives that will entice more girls to get into and stay in sports. Programs developed are centered on experience-based programming and informational and educational programming.
National Fast and Female Summits: The Fast and Female Summits offer girls, parents and coaches an ultimate day of inspiration and education to help boost girls' involvement and participation in all sports. Led by illustrious female Olympians, Summit events involve activities to stimulate the minds, bodies and souls of aspiring champions. The programming also includes sessions for parents and coaches by leading sports, nutrition, physiology and psychology experts.
Regional Fast and Female Champ Chats: Regional Fast and Female Champ Chats are sport-specific, half day events led by female Olympians and focused on female youth between ages 9 to 19 years old. Each Champ Chat includes an active component plus an inspirational presentation by the lead female ambassador.
Customized Fast and Female Training Clinics: Fast and Female also offers customized training clinics and camps for clubs or teams and works with the team coaches to develop the most inspiring and effective camp for girls. A network of experts in the realm of physiology, nutrition and psychology across the country, clubs and teams can create novel experiences for their athletes.
The Fast and Female Resource Centre is where many useful links concerning female athlete specific content is posted. The Resources Centre has the latest information on psychology, nutrition, physiology, coaching, and parenting of the female athlete.
Fast and Female TV has many short clips and interviews featuring a variety of individuals who contribute to telling the powerful and positive stories concerning girls in sports. The Fast and Female newsletter is published monthly to keep girls informed on the latest and greatest things concerning Fast and Female and girls in sports!
For more information, click http://www.fastandfemale.com/
Dave Carter of Carter's Cross Country to be Inducted to Maine Ski Hall of Fame
According to an article in the Oxford Hills Sun Journal, Dave Carter, who passed away earlier this year, is one of eight skiers being inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame in the fall. Carter was 65 when he passed away in early March after a battle with cancer.
Hall of fame director Dave Irons said Carter, who will be inducted at a banquet at Lost Valley in Auburn on Oct. 24, was a pioneer in the field. His wife, Anne, will accept the award on his behalf, Irons said.
He co-owned Carter's X-C Ski Center with wife, with stores in Oxford and Bethel, for over 35 years. Together, they started the Oxford Hills Nordic Ski Club in 1981 with the community helping them build trails at their farm.
In January, Irons notified the Bethel native that he had been chosen by the selection committee, fearing if he waited, it would be too late. After learning of the award, Carter told the Bethel Citizen a few weeks later that it was his dream to get as many people on skis as possible.
Carter's crowning achievement in the field, Irons said, was passing on his passion to get others, especially children, to take up the sport. To this end, he began an after-school program in School District 17 that ran from 1985 to 2005. Close to 100 children participated in the program each winter.
David Carter of Carter's Cross Country, in Bethel and Oxford, Maine had a positive attitude and was still skiing the week prior to his passing. He is survived by his wife Anne and 3 daughters. The Carter family runs two trailheads, operates a lodge, and a retail shop. They were instrumental in the creation of the new non-profit operation Bethel Outdoor Center to operate the trails of the now defunct Sunday River Inn operation.
Dave Carter had more than 40 years experience XC skiing. He started on the Gould Academy XC ski team and went on to compete on the U. Maine XC ski team. Dave was hired to start the Sunday River Ski Touring Center and he was one of 4 Mainers, who helped start the Jackson Ski Touring Center, in Jackson, NH.
He also worked to promote more back-country skiing. "If you're an alpine skier, you'll like our hills. We have elevation," he said. "But if you're not, we have flat, too." Dave was a farm boy and serious XC skier. He had said that Anne was the first girlfriend, who didn't leave after he took her cross country skiing. They skied and bushwacked almost 10 miles uphill and back. It was her first time on skis. They have 3 daughters who help in the business as well. "They cross country skied the day after they walked," Dave had said. They also have 2 granddaughters, who are the 8th generation of Carters in the area.
Carter had been focused on keeping the business green, since before it was a popular phrase. The lodge is built of wood which was cut on their land by the Carter brothers, and custom milled. All the windows and doors were furnished by their cousin (at Western Maine Supply). The lodge was economically designed by Dave. The rental cabins are "off-grid". Even the new trail groomer has been optimized so that it uses 1/6 the amount of fuel that the old groomer used, to reduce the carbon footprint. The lodge and cabins are also heated with wood that comes from the property. The wax room at the lodge is a passive-solar greenhouse.
The XC ski industry will miss one of its true luminaries.
John Frado on the Mount Rushmore of U.S. Cross Country Skiing
John Frado, who passed away in June of 2012, contributed to the sport of cross country (XC) skiing as one of the forefathers of commercial XC ski resorts and areas as a planner, consultant, and leader within the industry. He was one of the earliest XC ski area operators at Northfield Mountain in Northfield, MA and he helped develop the Nordic ski patrol and professional instructors on a national stage. And Frado consulted for many of the largest and most successful XC ski areas in the U.S.
Frado founded what was to become the Cross Country Ski Areas Association and gave presentations at most of the association's conferences and meetings between the late 1980's until 2011 to educate other ski area operators about significant facility, trail, program, and business design that led to the development and increase in sophistication of the XC ski area business.
The great value that John Frado has brought to the cross country ski world with regard to the quality and maturation of the industry should be recognized by the snow sports world. He was a leader in the XC ski industry and is an excellent example of a "snow sports builder." The XC ski industry is indebted to his contributions.
Along with 15 other ski area operators, John Frado joined Joe Pete Wilson in 1977 founding what is now the Cross Country Ski Areas Association. He served as vice president for many terms and continued to be elected to the Board even after leaving Northfield Mountain, the ski area he designed and operated for 17 years in Massachusetts to pursue work as an independent consultant and trail designer.
John's talent for trail design was officially recognized when Northfield Mountain's trails were placed into the National Recreation Trail database, a designation reserved for exemplary trails and made by the US Secretary of the Interior.
John put his background in emergency services and firefighting to good use while helping to create the Nordic division of the National Ski Patrol. He authored the "Ski & Toboggan Manual" for the Nordic Division and became a Senior Patroller when all testing was done at alpine ski areas (skiing an alpine slope on skinny wooden skis with 3-pin bindings, wearing a loaded backpack and all the while pulling a toboggan loaded with a "patient"). The ski patrol at Northfield Mountain was the first to be registered at a Touring Center (aka XC ski area or Nordic Ski center).
Johannes Von Trapp of Trapp Family Lodge is credited with putting John on cross country skis in the early 70's. The two shared an educational background in forestry and land management. John was a strong advocate of ski instruction supporting professional certification and empowering his staff and volunteer patrollers at Northfield Mountain to give away passes for group lessons. He laughed about being given "a beginner lesson" from Olympic coach, John Caldwell just months after getting on skis, while they tried to standardize a lesson for Eastern Professional Ski Touring Instructors-EPSTI, the forerunner of PSIA-Nordic. John truly believed lessons were an investment in return customers.
Frado joined forces with Jonathan Wiesel and worked under the name Nordic Group International. He's left his mark on Nordic centers across North America. His clients are a who's who of the industry including: Gatineau Park, Hardwood Hills, Lone Mountain Ranch, Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center, Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa, Tahoe Cross Country, the Nordic centers in Breckenridge and Frisco, Latigo Ranch, Telluride Nordic Association, and Dartmouth College, among many others.
John's love of humor and his passion for quality were the perfect combination for being a steward of the recreational experience. He advocated for memorable, fun trail names and spoke on the subject at CCSAA conventions.
John was connected for decades with moose and one could say it was his totem. His Nordic Group International office was filled with moose memorabilia, his farm tractor was named Moose, and he used moose for his email and license plate. John was officially given the nickname Crazymoose at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center after surviving a run-in with a moose, breaking his finger in the process. He designed and supervised construction of the Great Glen trails and lodge and was the assistant director for its initial ski season.
In recognition of John Frado's contributions to the snow sports industry, the association asked ski area members to name or rename a trail Crazy Moose (or some version of Crazymoose Corner, Crazymoose Climb, Crazymoose Crawl, etc.)…trails in his name are a fitting remembrance of John Frado as one of the most significant personalities in the history of the U.S. cross country skiing community. (This article was mostly written by Chris Frado, wife of John Frado and CCSAA president ).
Howard Peterson of Solider Hollow Announces Retirement
In a story in the ParkRecord.com, Howard Peterson announced his retirement from Soldier Hollow in Midway, UT, where he was the executive director of the Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation and an original advocate for Salt Lake City hosting the 2002 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
Peterson pushed for the XC ski and biathlon venue that would become Soldier Hollow to be made a permanent one with a lasting legacy. The venue's operation was transferred to the legacy foundation as a community and recreational fixture in the Heber Valley as a training and competition destination for XC skiers.
A Maine native, Peterson retires after a long history in the snow sports community. He began in 1974 as ski director at Bretton Woods resort in NH and moved west to work for the US Ski Association in 1978. His 13-year tenure as USSA executive director saw the reuniting of the US Ski Team with USAA in Park City, UT. He helped elevate freestyle skiing to Olympic medals status and chaired the FIS Advertising Committee.
Along with a first class XC ski facility, Peterson established a full-service tubing hill at Soldier Hollow (with snowmaking) to build the venue's revenue and customer base serving more than 420,000 tubers in the last decade and a half. More than 91,000 Utah youth have tried skiing through the foundation's programming. Soldier Hollow is also the home of the world's foremost Sheepdog Championships and other significant Heber Valley events.
Soldier Hollow, which was the Utah site of all of the Nordic skiing events at the 2002 Olympics has an 11,000 square foot lodge built with recycled timbers as construction materials for building beams, columns, perlins, siding, interior roof, baseboard, and casing. Approximately 90 percent of the wood used in the lodge was salvaged from a 1902 railroad trestle that once crossed the Great Salt Lake. The bridge was no longer used in the 1950's and a wood reclamation project extracted the materials from under the water.
Tom Kelly, vice president of communications for the US ski & Snowboard Association gives Peterson credit for convincing the US Olympic Committee to choose American Olympic bid cities based in part on their ability to create "legacy" athletic venues. "He has impacted the entire region with a tourist attraction that is remarkable and when you look at the numbers of kids that he had introduced to XC skiing, it's huge."
Meet Kikkan Randall - American Woman Cross Country Skiing World Cup Champ
U.S. Ski Team member Kikkan Randall made history as the first American woman to win the FIS Cross Country Skiing World Cup sprint title. The 29-yearold native of Anchorage, Alaska, clinched the title in mid-March with an 11th place finish in Drammen, Norway. XCSkiResorts.com spoke with Randall to find out more about the woman who reached this pinnacle. See the photos from Aimee Berg and the US Olympic Committee at Kikkan Randall takes Manhattan.
Kikkan is the first American male or female to win a World Cup season title in xc skiing in 30 years. Bill Koch was the last American to reach such heights in the sport in 1982. Randall maintained consistency all season in sprint events, scoring several podium finishes and two victories.
As a 15-time US National Champion and a 3-time Olympian, Randall validated a major milestone in her career, hoisting the hard-earned Joska crystal globe she was awarded as the FIS Cross Country World Cup sprint champion at the season finale in Falun, Sweden.
Newest TV spot 8/24/13 about Kikkan Randall from Utah's KUSA: http://www.9news.com/
Sprint races have time trials where each contestant skis the course in interval starts. The fastest sixteen skiers advance to elimination rounds. The first two skiers in each of the eliminations move on to the semi-final races, which consist of two heats of four athletes each. The medal sprint is one race with the top two skiers from each semi-final heat.
Randall opened the season with two straight wins and clinched the title with one race remaining. She commented, "It's been an incredible season. It has been really fun and challenging. I feel like this is the perfect cap to end it."
Actually her tour in Europe ended after receiving the award. She had a 4th place finish in the Red Bull NordiX competition where she raced a skiercross course with jumps, banked turns, and uphills against other Nordic ski racers vying for the finish line." Kikkan proclaimed the NordiX "really cool" and thought that it could attract young people to xc skiing in the US because of the high intensity level of action in the race.
Chris Grover, US Cross Country Team Head Coach, said, "It's been a long road leading to a crystal globe for Kikkan. She has been part of the U.S. Ski Team since 2000. During this time, she has been systematic and incredibly professional in her approach to training, racing, and living. She is now reaping the benefits of many years of hard work and her success should serve as a model for what can be accomplished with a bit of talent, a ton of hard work, and a positive outlook. We are all so proud of her."
So who is Kikkan Randall? She's the niece of two former Olympians and she was nicknamed "Kikkanimal" by her high school running teammates in Anchorage because she was always pushing them to do more and try harder. For some of the financial support needed to compete, Kikkan secured some Alaskan-based sponsors including Subway, an automobile dealership group, and various health businesses.
As a role model Kikkan visits elementary schools to talk with kids about working to attain their dreams and being active everyday. Proclaimed as a "Get Activist" she inspires kids to lead a healthy lifestyle in the "Healthy Futures" program. She also encourages female athletes in the "Fast and Female" programs. And now when she speaks to groups, she has the World Cup globe for show-and-tell, too.
Randall is dedicated to expand the popularity of cross country skiing in the US. After winning the World Cup title, she spoke with USA Today, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and other major media about her accomplishment and to spread the gospel that cross country skiing can be enjoyed at any level.
Randall's record of American firsts in xc skiing includes first World Cup women's podium, first World Cup women's victory, first World Championship women's medal, first Olympic women's top ten and first World Cup Overall women's discipline leader. In the 2010 Winter Olympics she placed eighth in the women's sprint, the best ever American women's finish and she participated in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Congratulations!
Kikkan Randall Sponsored by Kashi
It was announced that US Olympic hopeful XC sprint cross country skier Kikkan Randall will be officially sponsored by Kashi for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Kikkan Randall is the world cup cross country ski champion. Kashi products (cereal, crackers, bars, etc.) are natural, minimally processed and free of highly refined sugar, artificial additives and preservatives. The Kashi brand is a subsidiary of the Kellogg Company. The Kashi intention is to spread the word that living a healthy, positive lifestyle begins with eating right, and the Kashi marketing director commented. "We're passionate about the power of positive eating and we really found a perfect partner in Kikkan."
Randall endorsed Kashi products, "They provide me with the right nutrients to give me energy for my workouts. I believe in living a healthy and active lifestyle and one of my goals is to inspire others to do the same, which involves eating positively so they can pursue the things they love." XCSkiResorts.com recognizes this sponsorship as a great thing for cross country skiing. Kikkan Randall is the first American cross country skier to garner such a bigtime sponsorship and she is a great hope to popularize cross country skiing to a higher level.
Nordic Walking - No Longer Just for Athletes and Expert Skiers
More than 10 million Europeans of all ages and fitness levels are Nordic Walking (also known as Ski Walking) with special Nordic Walking Poles. This new fitness activity turbo charges the normal walking regimen burning as much as 40% more calories compared to regular walking.
Nordic Walking poles help individuals with balance issues, knee issues or new knees, hip issues or new hips, back issues (including those with rods in their back), weight issues, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's Disease, neuropathy, arthritis, bursitis, scoliosis, lumbar stenosis, fibromyalgia, post polio, osteoporosis, stroke recovery, cancer recovery, and other limitations to walking. Nordic Walking is helping thousands of people get off the couch, get outside, start walking safely, and effectively launching much needed walking campaigns.
While hosting Nordic Walking clinics in Traverse City, MI, Pete Edwards, who sells Nordic walking equipment was introduced to Michelle Honer, who had signed up for a Ski Walking class. When she walked up the handicap access ramp prior to the class with her cane it was apparent to Pete Edwards that she had some balance issues. She informed her classmates that she had MS. The first Ski Walk was only a few blocks out and back but within several weeks, Michelle was covering about two miles in an hour.
For seven years Michelle had ridden an electric scooter in the Traverse City MS Walk but since taking the Nordic Walking class, she has used the Nordic Walking Poles for the 5 km (3.1 miles). Local newspapers and TV stations have covered her remarkable story. "My special Nordic Walking poles have allowed me to walk taller, faster, further, and with much more stability than with my cane. Their one-piece design is so much better than my old adjustable poles, which broke unexpectedly at an extremely inconvenient time," commented Michelle.
Michelle Honer is now an official Ski Walking Ambassador for the ski walking website, who assists in many of the Nordic Walking clinics. Her success with the poles encouraged Edwards to host Nordic Walking clinics at MS Support Group meetings and he has worked with the Jimmie Huega Center in Colorado, which is dedicated to helping those with MS to lead healthier and more active lives.
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Thom Perkins Given Lifetime Achievement Award
The North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Thom Perkins of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation (JSTF) in a ceremony held at The Wentworth in Jackson, NH. The ceremony was held at the Eastern Ski Writers Association Annual Meeting in April 2011.
"I would like to thank the writers for their kind and generous recognition," said Perkins. "There are so many amazing people in this industry that have been or could be recognized. I am truly humbled and honored to have been selected for this award."
From a small village in New Hampshire that has been transformed into the Mecca of North American cross country skiing, Perkins has been and continues to be a leader in Nordic ski marketing. With the inception of the Internet, Perkins was an early adoptor who embraced email marketing as a communications tool and developed a website to spread the Nordic ski gospel.
Perkins was a founding member of the Cross Country Ski Areas Association and served as president from 1981 to 1983. He is presently Board Member Emeritus for the organization and he is a long time advisory board member of the Friends of New Hampshire Skiing. He remains one of the few xc ski area operators members of Eastern Ski Writers Association and over the years, he has hosted the eastern writers three times in Jackson, NH. He realized how effective it would be to invite ESWA journalists to his town to cover Nordic skiing and Jackson's amenities.
"There are many people who enjoy both Alpine and cross country skiing in addition to the purists," said Perkins. "Recognition of that fact in the media is good for not only the sport but the writers themselves. It's a message I've been working on for years. Cross country skiing is such a vital sport - good in so many ways. I don't see it as Alpine vs. cross country skiing. I see it as us against the other options that the public has for their time."
After seeing a video commercial about the Jackson Ski Touring Center, XCSkiResorts.com spoke with Perkins about some of the things he is doing to market JSTF. He had the commercial professionally produced in a 2-minute ad with video and voice over that is airing on the Jackson website, in ski columns, and on Facebook and YouTube. He wrote copy, developed a shot list, and made it work. JSTF is also regularly on Resort Network TV for live interviews and ski conditions.
There was a billboard on Route 16 in NH, which was claimed to be the first ever billboard dedicated to xc skiing. It was underwritten by Swix Sprots and Fischer Skis but touted JSTF. Jackson did not contribute funding for the billboard but it helped get it done.
Perkins raves about the JSTF activity on Facebook, which gets thousands of views. The JSTF staff really has Facebook cooking for the area and Perkins recommends using the fan-based rather than the social pages on Facebook. He uses MailChimp for an outreach email distribution service, which he says can be segmented many different ways to contact up to 5,000 people on his lists. It provides detailed info about who is opening the mail and it also automatically feeds Facebook and Twitter.
That stuff is great and many more xc ski areas will be moving toward these marketing methods. But a favorite Thom Perkins idea last year was the offer to Alpine skiers to come to Jackson on Sundays, the "get away day." Many Alpine skiers, who visit the high country for the weekend like to leave early on Sunday to return home and they feel that they can't get their money's worth at the Alpine ski area for only a couple of hours of skiing on Sunday. JSTF offers anyone who shows a Saturday Alpine lift pass, a 33% discount on a Jackson trail pass, lesson, rental, or package. It has been advertised in the newspaper, on the website, and on Facebook and it is bringing incremental income to Jackson.
Perkins touts that the most important factor to xc skiing many NOT be snow...it's land! As the director of the JSTF, he has helped to secure the 150 kilometers of trails in the village that connect the village with lodges, nature, and area destinations by working with 82 private landowners for the privilege of crossing their properties. The development of the nonprofit JSTF as an organization of landowners, businesses, and a local ski club has been duplicated in many other states across the nation.
While accepting the award, Perkins quipped that even though it was a lifetime achievement award, he was not quite finished at Jackson Ski touring just yet. XCSkiResorts.com and the Nordic ski industry were glad to hear that!
US Nordic Combined Team Winners Talk with XCSkiResorts.com
The Winter Olympics were first held in 1924 and 86 years passed before the US had a gold medalist cross country skier standing on a podium at the famous quadrennial competition. Bill Demong of Vermontville, NY was the man to attain the gold amongst a team destined to gather hardware in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In past games, American cross country skiers have had as much promise, but they have not delivered as expected, until the 2010 US Nordic Combined Team stepped up to the podium with individual gold and silver medals and a team silver medal. Johnny Spillane, Bill Demong, and Todd Lodwick had previously won world championships (Demong in 2009) and were internationally ranked 8th, 10th, and 13th respectively in the Nordic Combined World Cup standings last February.
Johnny Spillane broke the ice with a silver medal in the first competition for the team at the new facility built for the games outside of Whistler, British Columbia. He appeared to have the gold in hand but he was caught from behind by a Frenchman with only 4 tenths of one second remaining to the finish line. The French guy was born in the USA and lives in Missoula, MT. It was also tough luck for American Todd Lodwick, who led that race for 95 percent of the time and then ended up in 4th. His comment, "Fourth place sucks." American Bill Demong, who started in 24th position after his jump, made it back to finish in sixth place. Add it all up and the Americans had three finishers in the top six and things bode well for the team competition in Nordic Combined later in the week. Spillane commented, "I spent too much energy catching the racer ahead, who it turned out was already dead on his skis." Spillane said that he was so spent that he didn't even remember entering the stadium or being passed. "Obviously, you want to win the gold, but what counted was that I was satisfied with my performance." He also spoke about "added pressure in the team competition compared to the individual races because it is more for country and your teammates."
Spillane and his wife had a baby girl last July and he also had a knee operation in the summer. The baby and the rehabilitation will slow his getting back into the competitive fray until late January. He realizes that with a baby that "it will be tougher to be on the road so much and hard to keep motivated this year."
Bill Demong is a goal and plan oriented fellow and after the Olympics he took a couple of weeks reflecting and decided to "enjoy and continue success with the team and individually and try to defend my championships."
Demong's story is made for TV. After winning the gold in Vancouver in the Nordic Combined big jump, he proposed marriage to his girlfriend and then was selected by the US Olympic Team athletes to carry the flag in the closing ceremonies. "It was a whirlwind of a few days but a perfect ending to a perfect Olympics," commented Demong about the "pretty hectic and exciting" time immediately following his triumphs. But why no Wheaties box cover? Demong said "those things are predetermined before the games even start."
A few years back his career was hanging in the balance after a serious accident in a swimming pool. "Fracturing my skull was the turning point in my career as it gave me a year off to recuperate and redefine why I wanted to ski and what I wanted to get out of it. I like to get my angry out and chase people." And then in the 2009 World Championships in the team competition, Demong made headlines for misplacing his racing bib amidst his racing outfit. The US team was disqualified in that competition but his teammates were quick to forgive him. After the incident, he not only went out and won the big jump world championship, but later in the month he took gold at the King's Cup in Vikersund, Norway, which is considered one of the highest honors in Nordic Combined competition.
Do Olympic Athletes Turn those Medals into Cash?
The Nordic Combined Olympic medal winners have been very busy since the Vancouver games. Both Spillane and Demong spoke of their trip to army bases in Iraq and they've done plenty of fund raisers to help various causes and ski programs. Spillane said, "It was so busy for 3-4 months and now it is calming down. For sure you make money, but it is not six figures." He commented that "it is a small window and there are not as many opportunities as I thought. The ski team helps with training but does not line much up financially" for these athletes and it sounds like there was very little lined up in advance.
Demong also said there were more opportunities after winning Olympic gold but he pointed to the nonfinancial opportunities that are very meaningful such as supporting a renovation of Dewey Mountain where he grew up skiing, and developing a new company. He wants to take advantage of "new venues that were opened up so he can build something long term and make a difference." Both skiers spoke of their development work with younger skiers as "giving back to the sport."
There was some sniping at the Olympics about the weather advantage for some of the jumpers in Nordic Combined events and upon being asked about it Demong commented, "It seems that at every event the weather causes whining, but it evens out. The best skiers usually win." And it also seems that Bill Demong taking an individual gold medal and a team silver medal was indeed the best Nordic Combined skier at the Vancouver games. Congratulations!
LL Bean's 100 Year Anniversary
Click for the story of Leon Leonwood Bean also known as LL Bean the famous outdoor store in Maine celebrating the 100-year anniversary on SnowshoeMag.com.
Suzy Chaffee Interview on The SkiDiva
Click for the story of Suzy Chaffee, the female ski icon from the 1960's, who speaks about her battle to give opportunities to women, native Americans, and the environment at SkiDiva Conversation.


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subset: commoncrawl


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What a busy half term I've just had….
Spent the first week in Malta at the Phoenecia Hotel in Valetta, superbly sited to explore the island's incredible history. Annoyingly I had injured my right eye, so spent the week walking around with one eye closed.
Most people associate Malta with the Knights Hospitaler of the Order of St John, but few may know that the oldest man made standing structures are also on the island. The megalithic temples of Ggantia, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra and Tarxien, and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum are just stunning. Although at €25 each the Hypogeum was an expensive visit!
Malta also has this wonderful fully interactive public transport museum…
And lots of interesting cars to spot…
Che, Che, Che
The Sunday Times were giving away copies of the Motorcycle Diaries. Great film – but I do have this problem with Che Guevera. I have to be really careful here not to upset my Cuban friends because even though Castro's gilding has definitely worn thin, Che is still held in great affection.
I have always seen young Ernesto as an idealistic, glory seeking, self publicist. I haven't yet seen Che with Benito Del Toro, but will be interested to see what slant the movie gives him.
Hot Pies
A fellow member of the AMOC forum posted an amusing story about Natal and curry which brought back a memory from my student days at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg.
Late at night when we took a break from "studying" someone would usually suggest a visit to the Pie Cart. A mobile kitchen dispensing gristle and gravy in a pastry casing – with chilli sauce to disguise the flavour of decaying warthog. The Pie Cart van would park itself in market square – and while munching our pies in the safety of someone's car, we would watch the world come and go.
One night a bunch of "skellems" roared into the square in something they had obviously stolen from the local scrap heap, slammed on the brakes and the headlamps both fell out – if that wasn't funny enough, the car shot forward and ran over both lamps!!
I have not laughed so hard or for so long since….
Master Cylinder
Hmmm, sounds like one of te older Jedi knights… But I digress.
Despite still having a dodgy right eye, I spent a few days on the farm after getting back from Malta. I stripped down and overhauled the brake master cylinder and fitted the vacuum pipes around the top of the engine bay, I've just ordered a range of small parts ncluding new brake hoses to fit over the winter months.


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I had assumed - as we headed into the lockout - that Miami's roster would remain more or less the same once this season rolled around.
In fact, the only changes that may make a difference are Reggie Bush and Thomas in the backfield, Mike Pouncey on the line, Jason Taylor at OLB, and the subtraction of Channing Crowder.
Otherwise the players you will see on the field in most situations will be the same ones that underperformed and went 7-9 (1-7 at home).
I've gotta say that I am not inspired or particularly enthused in spite of Sparano telling us they are "outstanding"...sure they can continue to grow together, but how much? and how soon?
Home » Unlabelled » Roster makeup
Sunday, September 04, 2011
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Article posted on Oct 29
Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today I am pleased to announce the release of Finnix 106, which contains an important kernel update as well as minor fixes and improvements.
Finnix 106 includes Linux kernel 3.5, and notably fixes a major bug observed in Finnix 105 where booting would freeze if the system's disk included an extended partition.
With Finnix 105, Project NEALE [http://www.finnix.org/Project_NEALE] was announced -- an effort to build Finnix releases in a completely automated and normalized way. Finnix 105 was the first release to be produced with NEALE, but the build infrastructure was not available to the public at the time. For Finnix 106, the build infrastructure has been finished and released to the public.
I was surprised to see a perfect boot into a nice console! It took several trips through df and blank looks from hopeful X.Org session manager names to determine that no other (HFS+) volumes were booted by default, there was not to be a desktop, but a nice GNU. So, while disappointed that it does not look like MacPup, I have to admit I saw it found my (deprecated due to bad magnetics in eth0: and crufty WiFi in eth1:, but not the 802.11n USB dongle) network bits fine and booted in about the time OS X takes.
Am I closer to making a zippy Yahoo! Web Mail client? Maybe just new PHY magnetics in there and see who accidentally upgraded w3m; maybe not.
I would have HFS+ with i18n filenames available for available console charsets (Chinese filenames...), if I found and mounted them, right?
robotfindskitten does not appear to be installed by default in Finnix 106. This is a great disappointment.


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Our Popcorners family proudly presents our wholesome, delicious new shape of popcorn to your family.
Here at Popcorners we have spent a great deal of time tasting, testing and perfecting what we genuinely believe will be a new generation of popcorn.
Now, take your time and enjoy all our classic and delicious flavors. We are going to be around to honorably carry on the traditional goodness of snacking on popcorn.
Unlimited snacks and personal movie screens put JetBlue on the map. But providing a popcorn option to accompany in-flight entertainment had its risks – messy kernels, choking hazards, and oily film on the seats.
Luckily, the PopCorners People solved all of these problems by providing the perfect chip-shaped popcorn snack for their passengers. Everything the Blue Crew loved about popcorn, without all the hassles.
Don't forget to ask for seconds!
When leading theater chain AMC launched their Smart Movie Snacks package for health conscious patrons, they needed a product that would deliver an authentic "popcorn at the movies experience — without delivering the grease, salt and calories.
Not surprisingly, they found we were just the ticket!
AMC Smart Movie Snacks


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- Address: 13 Avenue des Papalins
- Hours: Sunrise until sunset every day.
Fontvieille Park and Princess Grace Memorial Rose Garden
Fontvieille Park offers a charming green space in the district, with many small lakes and ponds bordered by verdant palms and olive trees, ducks and swans swimming in the crystal water.
Walk along the Sculpture Path over four hectares to discover 100 contemporary and local monumental art works, by artists like Arman, Blake, Botero, Calder, César and more. Look out for "The Washerwoman," (Renoir - Guino 1917) in one of the the beautiful pools of the Fontvielle Gardens, just by the circus tent and the unfurling angel wings of "The Messenger" by Blake.
The nearby Princess Grace Rose Garden is an oasis of calm and serenity where the scent of some 4,000 roses perfumes the air. Visit a pantheon of exotic birds and animals in the Zoological Gardens, ride the merry go round or experience the dazzling panorama of the Cote d'Azur on a helicopter ride.


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Go Crocodile Rocking In Alligator Slippers
Posted July 17th, 2012 by Kitty Devine
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Fun Gifts For Animal Lovers


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Home | Front list
Book categories
Hair & Beauty
Starting with the fabulous Hairstyle Directory/Braids, Buns, and Twists, these books offer a wealth of style and inspiration.
Fashion and Crafts
Aimed at innovative crafters, home sewers, and creative textile enthusiasts, these books focus on quilting, sewing, embroidery, knitting, and fabric design.
General Art & Design
Includes books on everything from drawing, graphic design and type, to artisan crafts such as letterpress, ceramics, and printmaking.
From DSLR to toy cameras, we reach a range of readers; with inspiration for professionals, advice for amateurs, and a creative boost to recreational photographers.


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World Cup Soccer 2010: England versus USA
For years now, America has been the undisputed champion in most sports. Be it baseball, football or basketball, or even one of the lesser sports, America holds the dominant hand.
There is one 'sport', however, that enjoys prime status worldwide and we have not yet dominated. It is called soccer (incorrectly called football in the lesser nations).
It is sort of a sissy sport of sorts, where people are forced to use only legs and run around for hours — sort of like a marathon with a ball that occasionally shows up. The droll nature of this sport is the exact reason why America has opted to not yet dominate, but other lands such as Kenya, the Mexicans and even England train all their youth to love this sport and to play it for hours on end.
Really, if you even live in a bigger city, just go out to your local park and observe: you'll see at least 20 pack illegals just out there running their marathon and a ball somewhere in the madness.
So normally, I would not give two hoots about soccer and do a sport's report on it, but today my friends, is an event going on called the World Cup. It apparently happens every year and is some big deal everywhere, like a holiday over in the Europes, Mexico and further south and into the Africas and Australia. All of them! The Asians too and even terrorists have a team.
But today, in the sports stream I saw that England will be playing the USA. America.
There is never a good reason to not watch America versus England. The first time we showed off head to head, America defeated England and told them to get out of our country! The Revolutionary War left the score total America: 1 England 0.
Then, during the War of 1812, England again was humbled. They even received a red card for hiring illegal Canadians and Indians to help them sneak into our country and burn down our White House! Due to violating the rules of war in the wake of their defeat, American 2: England 0.
It stayed like this for years, we've schooled England in many different sports (war, gamings, economy) and even saved them from defeat at the hands of the NAZIs and Japos, who coincidentally, both have soccer teams as well.
At any rate, I will keep an eye on this match today and be prepared to tick up yet another victory for America! America is the greatest at soccer, even though we really don't care about it! Bless our nation and our team today, Lord, as we show England again why we are the best.
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Shocked
- Sad
- Angry


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This Day In Music History
March 25th
1968 – The last episode of The Monkees television show airs. The idea of following the hi-jinks of a rock band's life was taken from the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night film.
1972 – America started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with their debut hit 'Horse With No Name', it made No.3 in the UK. The group scored eight other US top 40 hits during the 70's.
1985 – Prince takes home the Best Original Score prize for the film Purple Rain at this year's Oscars ceremony. Best Original Song goes to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from the film The Woman in Red.
2003 – The TRL audience think, "Who's that old man?" when Ringo Starr makes an appearance in the studio. When Carson Daly asks the Beatle drummer how he writes songs, he replies, "Slowly. In English."


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Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System's Gibbs Cancer Center, Bon Secours St. Francis Join Forces to Fight Cancer
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System's Gibbs Cancer Center, a partner with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and an affiliate of M.D. Anderson Physicians Network, has joined forces with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System to expand world-class oncology services and clinical research in the Upstate.
Gibbs, a known leader in community-centered cancer care, is home to a growing clinical research division.The alignment of cancer core resources and treatment between the two systems initiates a relationship that will advance clinical integration, bolster quality and extend new opportunities for both patients and providers for advanced treatment and research unparalleled in the area, CEOs for both institutions said.
The partnership, which was made official this week, is rooted in shared goals for the further development of research and cancer services, with an eye towards increased efficiency and reduced costs and seamless transitions of care.
"This is a collaboration to fight cancer," Bruce Holstien, President and CEO of Spartanburg Regional, said. "Opening new doors in the fight against this dreadful disease means many things: Improved access, personalized cancer care and the best new treatments. Joining forces with St. Francis is about the best of the best working hard to get even better at combating cancer."
Gibbs' reputation and clinical affiliations, including NCI's Community Cancer Centers Program, elevates the level of care and expertise needed to find a cure, Mark Nantz, President and CEO of Bon Secours St. Francis, said.
"This is about providing our patients evidence-based medicine and enhanced clinical trials," Nantz said. "Gibbs and Spartanburg Regional are the clear leaders in community cancer care and clinical research. "We are pleased to be their partner and look forward to pursuing new advancements in treatment, and the increased connectivity to established leaders like NCI and M.D. Anderson."
When viewed against the changing dynamics in the healthcare industry, the exploration of collaborative clinical integration opportunities is a positive step, Holstien and Nantz said.
Specifically, the relationship between Gibbs and St. Francis is organized around shared goals of new clinical services and programs, supportive care services, operational support, quality support, research, education and community outreach. A combination of administrators and physicians will help the organizations in the continuing investigation of potential treatments that can be offered through the partnership.
Research and community outreach are a point of difference that will not only benefit patients locally in the Upstate, but across the country, as well. In 1983, the National Cancer Institute named Spartanburg Regional one of its original 50 sites for its Community Clinical Oncology Program, which conducts research. Today, the program at Gibbs is called the Upstate Carolina CCOP and it remains one of the original programs continuing participation in the program
"St. Francis is a natural partner for us as we look for ways to collaborate with multidisciplinary care and clinical research and further strengthen cancer care in the Upstate," Dr. James D. Bearden III, Vice President for Clinical Research, and Managing Physician at Gibbs. "We're very excited and thrilled for the community."
"It is a tremendous milestone when two of the strongest centers of excellence for cancer care in our region come together focused on a single goal: 'What is the absolute best we can achieve for each patient?' " offers Dr. Gary Spitzer, Medical Director of Oncology at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. "The strength of this exceptional partnership means that both organizations will be able to offer patients an even broader range of the most advanced treatment plans—giving them options for their care that is equivalent to any of the leading cancer centers in this country and close to home."
"It's these two partners which make this effort so powerful," adds Camilla Hertwig, Chair of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System Board of Directors. "It's a fusion of the recognized accomplishments of the Gibbs program joining with our St. Francis' commitment to excellence and our passion to deliver quality patient care through a healing ministry."
The agreement to work together is a first and important step in the process towards greater collaboration on a number of clinical frontsto better serve each institution's respective communities, said Rob Gregory, Chairman of Spartanburg Regional's Board of Directors.
"This is groundbreaking territory," Gregory said. "It puts the patient first, and allows those seeking care to know that the treatments they are receiving, and those administering those treatments, are leaders in their field. We continue to distinguish our care, and this partnership pushes us forward to new pathways. Research is the lifeblood of our continuing development, and we are confident in our shared commitment to success."
"There is much more to come," Dr. Julian C. Josey, Chairman of Radiation Oncology at Gibbs, said. "These goals represent doors that are opening, and we're excited about the advancements that we can engineer by working together. This really means more for the future than it does now. Gibbs and St. Francis are dedicated to the advancement of a cure and saving lives."


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At the Doughty Centre we provide support to students and executives wishing to develop an understanding of how to integrate sustainability and responsibility into management practice. We offer a wide range of resources to sustain this development and offer students and executive's full access to this support. A recommended reading list is available as well as a wide range of suggested reading and video material on the growing subject of Corporate Responsibility.
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We also have a library of over 100 books, reports and some videos for students to access in our Information Zone in our CMRI offices.
To view our publications, please visit the Library of work section of this website.
Take a look at the recommended reading list for Corporate Responsibility as well as other material that will support your research and development.
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Yeah, I was going to do a listicle - maybe throw up some hot pics of cold beers in a slideshow to get you peeps hooked - then watch the ad revenue meter go "cha-ching" with every single click. But then I thought: DAMN do I hate those things!
And no, I'm not really doing some Top Ten designed to intentionally alienate or piss off certain people, ensuring multipe tweets shouting, "Hey read how stupid this guy is!" Those are great for granting the "stupid" posters a lot of money... or at least attention, which is what they really crave. In fact, I'll be surprised if I come up with ten things here. I won't be counting, but I will be attempting to identify those little factors that make me (and my fellow geek friends) smile and nod when we see them in a bar.
We can all see that the craft beer scene is growing steadily, but the watering holes in this town are lagging well behind. New Orleans is gaining more and more bars that serve craft beer, but there are very few craft beer bars. So let's take a look at what that even means... in no particular order.
- Beer Selection
I don't simply mean different number of beers they sell. One of my favorites in Baltimore (and recently voted Best Beer Bar in their Best Of... contest) has something like 20 taps. I could have said "only 20 taps" because the runner up in that category has over 140. So do the math... 20 > 140, right? Well not really, but Mahaffey's Pub (the winner) is constantly rotating their selection (meaning a week from now you will see 20 completely different brews), regularly features new and exciting products, and always includes a variety of styles: IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, saisons, porters, pilsners, pales, imports, and whatever seasonals are hanging around. And maybe throw in a few high-end or rare bottles behind the bar for the saucy geek with a few extra bucks. That works for me.
- Proper Glassware
Pints are fine for some brews, but others are wanting a little more tailored approach. Not that a good beer is terrible in a plain ole pint, but maybe it's just a wee bit better in a goblet or a snifter. This is no deal breaker, but when my bartender serves me that Belgian golden ale in a tulip glass, I know the establishment is paying attention to the details, and that usually means a better shot at having a great boozy experience. And the deal breaker? That is definitely the frosted glass. To me, this lets me know that the bar/manager hasn't researched anything about how to serve good beer since, oh... the 90's?
- Server Knowledge
Wouldn't you hate asking a bartender how that new Smoked Porter is, only to have him shrug and say, "it's kind of a dark beer," as he turns to "help" the next customer? (True story.) Sadly, this type of interaction is all too common in New Orleans when it comes to craft beer. Look, it's great that you added those new fancy tap handles to your bar, but please know what the hell you're selling! Especially when attempting to reach customers new to the scene. An educated bartender will be able to describe the taste of each beer on tap, at least in a general sense, and be able to assist the patron in his or her search for a good brew. A great server will know exactly what hops are in the glass, tell you a little something about the brewery, and point you toward the latest and greatest beer they've released. Always refreshing to have that conversation.
- Cleanliness
This is a pretty big deal in the drinking world. First, keep your draft lines (those tubes that run from the kegs to the taps) clean, people! So much nastiness can be avoided by that simple step, and a dirty draft line is a dead giveaway that they are cutting corners. And this applies to your glassware as well. A dirty or soapy glass can really throw off a beer's flavor. You might not notice these things at first - maybe the beer you ordered just isn't very tasty - but when you're drinking a favorite and it just doesn't taste right... Yeah, pay attention and you might find that happens regularly at the same spots. Not good for business... the bar's or the brewer's! And also, just keeping the premises clean in general (wiping down the tables is a good start) is a great idea... for every bar.
- Attitude and Atmosphere
So this one might be a bit subjective - some people love a crowded sports bar setting, while others prefer a quieter pub feel - but there is a common thread to be found here: Comfort. Is the staff friendly and helpful, or brusque and pretentious? Are the other customers courteous, or rude and obnoxious? Is the music too loud, or the smoke too thick? All of these things contribute to your enjoyment of any establishment, and no amount (well, no small amount) of liquid gold can turn an uncomfortable experience into a positive. So whether it's a festive, rollicking evening you seek, or a quiet night of conversation, a quality bar will know how to control its environment to meet its clientele's needs.
- Events
Here's a secret: BEER GEEKS LOVE SPECIAL EVENTS! (OK, so maybe it's not such a secret, but it's out there now, so...) Throw a new brew release party with the local brewer! Cook up a beer-and-food pairing dinner! Have a pint night that gives money to charity! Host a Marktoberfest(tm) party (this October 18th*) with your favorite local Examiner blogger and invite all his friends (and both his fans)! People eat that crap up! Seriously though, special occasions are a great way to get people in the door who might otherwise have never visited, and it is a fantastic way to create returning customers, if done right.
- Connection
This may just be a personal pet peeve of mine, but when you own a beer bar in the 21st Century, it should be possible to view a list of your brews online, or at least in a printed sheet somewhere in the place. It can be difficult, especially for someone of my (ahem) "vintage" stature, to see every tap in the house from the corner of the bar. Oh, and engage with your customers in the digital arena - social media, Facebook, even just an old email newsletter. These things show that you care about your customers and want them to be aware of what's happening in your world. That can go a long way toward forging relationships that are the heart of the service industry.
Alright, so I didn't quite get to ten, but I told you that would happen! So get off my case already, geez...
But otherwise, what do you think? Are there other things you look for that I'm missing? Or do you think some of this is nonsense - pretentious hipster beer crap, if you will - and you just need good brew in your mouth? For me, these aren't necessary in order to enjoy myself, but they definitely contribute to my opinion of the establishment, or at least its craft beer cred.
And what do you think of the craft beer scene here in New Orleans? Are there enough bars to satisfy your quest for variety? How do you rate the beer bars we have in town, like The Avenue Pub or The Bulldog? Is there something missing? Let me know what you look for in a beer bar and maybe I can help you find it.
Until then, you'll just have to find some other clickbait to complain about. Think I'm done pontificating for the week.
Drink well, my friends - wherever you may drink.
Mark Burlet
Drunken Intellectual
Twitter: @DrunkIntellect
*No fooling! Any beer bar seriously willing to host a German-themed Marktoberfest(tm) celebration on October 18th, contact me and we'll get this party started!


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Lily Lebeau arrives at a massage parlor for an afternoon of relaxation. What she doesn't know is that Ramon has paid off the regular masseuse for 20 minutes alone with her. In the next 20 minutes, Ramon goes deeper than any masseuse before and gives her a fucking that will last 20 years!
Available formats
Niche & Categories


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Is there really any online movement with the hastag #StoptheNSA? Believe it or not, #StopTheNSA is trending on Twitter and all over the Internet.
Did you know? On February 11th, 2014, The Day We Fight Back, an organized online protest aiming to put a stop to mass surveillance, and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura is at the helm, in full support of this movement.
"Benjamin Franklin once said those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety," stated Jesse Ventura. "I hope to raise awareness of how dangerous the NSA has become, and I will be joined online with people around the world who feel the same way."
Jesse Ventura is the host of the new online show "Off The Grid" on Ora.tv. Tomorrow, he will be dedicating his daily episode to this movement. "In a democracy, the people are the bosses. Well, it's time the bosses start acting like we're in charge," said Ventura in his weekly blog.
Did you know? In January 2012, the SOPA and PIPA censorship legislation was defeated with the largest internet protest in history. Major websites like Google, Reddit, and Wikipedia went dark for a day to draw widespread attention.
It's true, over 53 percent of Americans disapprove of the NSA. Tomorrow, more than 4,500 websites including Reddit and Tumblr will be posting embeddable banners to urge visitors to call or email their members of congress.
"We the People have fought many non-violent revolutions in this country," said Jesse Ventura. "Women's suffrage, civil rights, child-labor laws, fair wages—we fought for these rights in grassroots movements and won against all odds."
Jesse Ventura feels there is power in numbers. He hopes Americans will put new meaning to the expression "the phones will be ringing off the hook."
For more information about The Day We Fight Back, click here. To watch Jesse Ventura's endorsement of "The Day We Fight Back" on "Off The Grid," view anytime tomorrow after 3 pm Eastern here on Ora.tv or here on YouTube.
Looks like the revolution will be televised after all, enjoy!


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ORONO, Maine -- The University of Maine Black Bear Board will sponsor the First Soupah Bowl Challenge on Homecoming Weekend, Saturday, Oct. 20th at the 100th Maine - New Hampshire football game from 11:00 a.m. until halftime.
Area restaurants will compete for the best chowdah or chili recipe as determined by those attending UMaine's Homecoming events. All proceeds benefit the Black Bear Scholarship Fund supporting student-athlete scholarships.
For a $5 donation, you will be given a bracelet which allows you to sample each restaurants' fare and determine who will become the First Soupah Bowl Champions! Two awards will be given; one for the best chowdah and one for the best chili.
Participating in the "Challenge" are Bagel Central, The Black Bear Inn, Governor's Restaurant, Hollywood Casino, Pizzeria UNO, The Sea Dog Restaurant, Schooners Restaurant, The Lucerne Inn, Thistle's Restaurant, and Woodman's Grill.
Competition site is between Alfond Arena and Alfond Stadium. Come sample and vote for your favorite chowdah & chili!


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I have Windows 7 64bit as my OS + SQL Server 2008 R2 installed. I can connect to SQL Databases (2008), but cannot connect to a SQL 2005 database.
I can, however, connect to the 2005 SQL Database on a PC that has Windows XP as the OS and also has SQL Server 2008 R2 installed. So it seems that it works fine on XP but not on Windows 7 (32 or 64bit).
is this an Operating System issue?
Error message:
Cannot connect to OMRSQLV016\PRODSQL002.
A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified) (.Net SqlClient Data Provider)
For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&EvtID=-1&LinkId=20476
Error Number: -1 Severity: 20 State: 0


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Visit our other Wisconsin Historical Society websites!
Refine or narrow your results by clicking any term in the gray boxes below.
Expand your results by removing any breadcrumb in a gray outlined box above. Click on the blue "X" to remove the term.
Narrow your results by entering a keyword into the search box above. Then click the "Search Within" checkbox, then click on the orange "Search" button.
If you did not find what you are looking for or you did not get any results, try changing your search term(s). See our Search Help page for more tips.
Date: 1982-06
Description: "At the John Schiefer House, Dr. & Mrs. Arnold Boegel page through old photographs. John Boddens great grandfather built the house in 1848. Shirley Widmer'...
Date: date unknown
Description: "Members of St. Peter's Lutheran Congregation for 50 years or more. Seated: William Beck, Fred Beck, Otto Krueger. Standing: Lillie Kallsen, Norma Beck,...
Date: 1993-11
Description: "Steeplejack, Tim McNitt, was asked to take some photos from the top of the steeple. This is the result obtained when he held a motorized camera with a 20m...
Date: 1956
Description: "A time exposure recorded car head and tail lights."
Date: 1980-01
Description: "When this airplane developed engine trouble, it was forced to land on the Myron Weninger farm, south of Theresa. Hillary Weninger explains what happened."
Date: 1997
Description: "Looking southeast of the water tower are Carl Benter rental units."
Description: "This band is made specifically for Harley Davidson 'Hog' riders."
Date: 1950-07-29
Description: Walsh-Guelig wedding. Edgar and Margie enjoy some cake.
Date: 1948-09-28
Description: "John O. Widmer shows visitors from Nebraska what Brick Cheese looks like."
Date: 1983-08
Description: "Gerald and Grace Batzler are holding shocks of grain at their farm on Midland Road."
Date: 2000-09
Description: Wagon Train organized by Everett Schultz family living on Pole Road.
Date: 1983-01
Description: "This photo shows the John Steger home on the West Bend Road, foreground, the Willard Bogenschneider farm in the middle distance, and Theresa Station and t...
Date: 1976
Description: John J. Widmer gives "Alice in Dairyland", Janice (Findlay) Aiken, a tour of the Widmer Cheese Factory.
Date: 1978-02-03
Description: "Postmaster Paul 'Skip' Trauba. Skip has been a postal employee since 1950 and served as postmaster since 1966. The Third Class office presently has 220 lo...
Date: 1951-09
Description: "Elmer & Adela Giese Family. Front: Bonnie, Adela, Elmer, & Shirley. Back: Verona, Oscar, Ruth, Marvin, Margaret, Dorothy, Ralph, & Janet."
Date: 1984-09
Description: "The spires of Holy Hill appear in the distance at sundown as some Camelot in the sky. The long, 500 mm lens emphasizes the size of the church and the low-...
Date: 1949-10-22
Description: Eunice Lamers and Don Dehn are united in marriage at St. Theresa's Catholic Church.
Date: 1995-08
Description: "As a part of the 98th Annual Firemen's Tournament, girls from 10 Dodge County communities vied for the title of Queen. Nicole Bodden (top right) was first...
Date: 1992-10
Description: Ralph Widmer, Fred Bandlow, and Les Beck around kitchen table talking over old times.
Date: 1949-06
Description: "Workers collect bales of hay on the Herb Bintzler farm, which is located on Hwy 41 (Hwy 175 today), south of Theresa."
If you didn't find the material you searched for, our Library Reference Staff can help.
Call our reference desk at 608-264-6535 or email us at:
© 1996-2016 Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706


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The US Justice Department is now investigating why it took GM's so long to recall 1.6 million vehicles with faulty ignition switches tied to 23 crashes resulting in 13 fatalities. In addition, House and Senate committees, as well as the NHTSA are conducting their own probes into whether the auto giant violated criminal and/or civil laws by failing to inform regulators about the problem in a "timely" manner.
The NHTSA has given General Motors until April 3rd to answer 27 pages of questions regarding the recall and how it intends to rectify the problems. In the meantime, Congress is looking into why the NHTSA, itself. did not act on this problem years ago.
Although the initial problem was known as far back as 2004, General Motors waited until February 13, 2013 to recall more than 778,500 ChevyCobalts and Pontiac G5's. The recall was expanded to include an additional 800,000 vehicles at the end of the month. These included 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, and 2006-2007 Saturn Skys, 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuits (sold inCanada), 2006-2007 Chevy HHRs, 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstices, and 2007 Opel GTs (sold in Europe).


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Grilled Tuna Sandwich with Lemon-Chili Mayo for Two
Sturdy "country-style" bread works best for this healthy tuna sandwich recipe with watercress and chili-mayo. Eat the tuna sandwich warm, straight off the grill, or wrap it up and pack it in a cooler for a picnic dinner. Serve with grilled bell peppers tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.Yield: 2 servings
Active Time: 35
Total Time: 35
- 4 slices whole-wheat or sourdough bread
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 8-ounce tuna fillet, about 1 inch thick
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups watercress or baby arugula, tough stems removed
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- Lightly brush both sides of bread slices with oil. Brush tuna with the remaining oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon chili powder and salt.
- Grill the tuna, turning once, until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Grill the bread, turning once, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute per side.
- Combine mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder in a small bowl. Thinly slice the tuna with the grain.
- To assemble the sandwiches, divide the lemon-chili mayonnaise between 2 slices of bread (about 2 tablespoons each). Top with about 3/4 cup watercress (or arugula), the tuna and the remaining slices of bread.
Tips & Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: Wrap and refrigerate the sandwiches for up to 4 hours.
Nutrition Per Serving
|19 g (2 g sat, 9 g mono)
|52 mg
|32 g
|36 g
|5 g
|759 mg
|781 mg
Nutrition Bonus Vitamin A (33% daily value), Magnesium (24% dv), Potassium (23% dv), Vitamin C (22% dv), Iron (16% dv).
Carbohydrate Serving 2
Exchanges 2 starch, 4 lean meat, 2 fat
From EatingWell July/August 2012


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Items Included In This Sale
- Size:
- Sash/Belt
- Jewelry:
- Veil:
- Hairpiece:
This is a beautiful and romantic beaded sash that I bought for my wedding in October, but I ended up not wearing it. The sash has a mixture of rhinestones, pearls and silver beads that go all the way around. It has never been worn, is in great, new condition and would make the perfect accessory to any gown! The sash is ivory and size 6 with hook and eye closure as well as clear snaps. Please contact me if you'd like to see more pictures!
- Terms of Sale: All Sales Final
- Location: , MD
- Will Ship to: Anywhere at Buyer Expense
- Payment Methods Accepted: Escrow.com
Please read our BUYER'S GUIDE before purchasing a dress online.


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Articles and Publications
Here you will find links to journal articles and other notable publications that have been published about Project BudBurst or have used Project BudBurst data. For general media articles or information, please see our Media Resources pages. If you would like to request a copy of a paper below that does not have a link, please email us at email@example.com
Johnson, J (2016) Real Life Science with Dandelions and Project BudBurst J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. 17(1): 115-116 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v17i1.1064
Havens, K and Henderson, S (2013) Citizen Science Takes Root American Scientist 100(5): 378-385
Dickinson JL, Shirk J, Bonter D, Bonney R, Crain RL, Martin J, Phillips T, Purcell K (2012) The current state of citizen science as a tool for ecological research and public engagement Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6(10) 291-297
Henderson, S. Citizen Science Comes of Age Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6(10):283
Henderson, S., Ward D., Meymaris K., Alaback P., & Havens K. (2012) Project BudBurst: Citizen Science for All Seasons (Ed.). Citizen Science: Public Collaboration in Environmental Research. 50-57
Newman G, Wiggins A, Crall A, Graham E, Newman S, Crowston K (2012) The future of citizen science: emerging technologies and shifting paradigms Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6(10) 298-304
Schwartz MD, Betancourt JL, Weltzin JF From Caprio's lilacs to the USA National Phenology Network Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6(10) 324-327
Switzer A, Schwille K, Russell E, Edelson D National Geographic FieldScope: a platform for community geography Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6(10) 334-335
Yanenko, O and Schlieder, C (2012) Enhancing the Quality of Volunteered Geographic Information: A Constraint-based Approach In: Bridging the Geographic Information Sciences, Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, 2012, Part 8, 429-446
Chung U, Mack L, Yun JI, Kim S-H (2011) Predicting the Timing of Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC and Mid-Atlantic States in Response to Climate Change PLoS ONE 6(11): e27439. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027439
Wolkovich EM, and Cleland EE, (2011) The phenology of plant invasions: a community ecology perspective Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9(5): 287-294


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Recently I read a frightening article by Bill McKibben on the state of play in the climate change debate. The article outlined how we are on track for catastrophic climate change (a 4 to 6 degree increase) if China's planned one thousand plus coal fired power plants come online in the next few years. He also outlined, since 1990 greenhouse gas emissions have risen by more than 58%. It strikes me as very strange that we have known about climate change and the risks associated with it for many decades, yet individuals, politicians and business leaders are doing so little.
With such overwhelming evidence why do we find it so difficult to change? Change is perceived as hard. It is something that might hurt or push us to a new level. This new level, the unknown, frightens us. It is like opening a door to another dimension, we don't know what will happen. We may be worse off than before, so why bother opening that door? But what if we changed our paradigm and by making change we opened ourselves to a new realm of possibilities and potential?
It appears we are in a period of transition, be it human induced or otherwise. The ecological disturbances that persist present opportunities for change and growth. It is a malaise that human systems are seen as separate to the ecological systems that support all life upon earth. Our economic social and political systems are merely subsets of the broader ecological system that enables us to extract, harvest and utilise resources to develop societies rich in goods and services for human use.
Our inability to act and make change lies in the fact that humans crave a state of permanence. We want things to stay the same, we want certainty. We want good things to last forever and painful things to end quickly. We have created institutions that help us to deal with this fear (economic, social, political and religious), to help us maintain our security and safety. Our fear of loss seeps through and we are scared that everything we have accumulated, jobs, homes, possessions, our lifestyles and our accomplishments may all be lost.
Another reason people find it difficult to change is because humans are responsive and tend to react to short term stimuli. We are bad at planning for the longer term and seek short term gratification. We become fixated on the past and how things are and have been. We assume things will be the same and remain unchanged and fail to see gradual changes in our environment and surroundings that will eventually impact us. Our fear of change and the consequences it may bring lures us into a false sense of reality and we find pleasure and comfort by separating ourselves from the possible cause of conflict. We compartmentalise and separate things so it is easier to manage and handle problems, this is a form of denial as it allows us to minimise and avoid any change. A classic example of this can be seen in our use of language, the term "the environment" as opposed to 'our environment". If we take ownership of something the chances are we will make the effort to make change, if we fail to recognise that something is connected to and a part of our world we struggle to be involved with the necessary shift needed to move forward positively.
So how do we instigate change and get others motivated when it comes to sustainability?
Bob Doppelt outlines in his book The Power of Sustainable Thinking how the trans- theoretical model (TTM), a model developed by 24 major approaches to cognitive and behavioural change condensed into a single framework and developed by James Prochaska, can be used to understand the process of change that occurs within individuals. The 5D model outlines five stages of change. The first being Disinterest.
Stage 1 - Disinterest
At this early phase of the process there is little interest and awareness in a specific topic or cause (climate change) and often denial that their behaviour has any effect on the issue at hand.
Stage 2 – Deliberation
At this stage of the process the individual enters the "might change" phase where they begin to acknowledge that there might be a problem and start to consider changing their thoughts and behaviour. People begin to collect information relevant to the topic or cause that they can potentially use in the future. Information and facts are weighed up as the individual tries to make sense of the information. Although people at this stage of the process are more open and willing to make change they still overestimate the disadvantages of change and remain ambivalent about making a shift.
Stage 3 – Design
This stage of the process is classified as the "I will change". At this point individuals have decided that the benefits of making change overshadow the costs of not making change.
Stage 4 – Doing
This is the "I am changing" stage of thinking whereby individuals, groups and teams act upon the already established plans. Tangible actions are taken at this stage such as downsizing, non- consumption, reducing reliance on fossil fuels etc.
Stage 5 – Defending
"I have changed" is the last stage of this transformational process. At this stage people defend their approach and continue to grow and solidify their commitment to making a difference.
Doppelt goes onto to explain that once we have identified the various stages of change we must use the appropriate forms of action to help people transition to the next stage.
The first key to successful change is to understand what stage of the process individuals, teams or organisations are at. Trying to influence or persuade people in the disinterest stage may inhibit movement to the next stage of change. The second key to successful change is through building tension and fostering self–confidence. Doppelt writes, "Sufficient tension must be established between some deeply held values and aspirations and current conditions. Tension can relate to a potential risk that an individual or group want to avoid. Action to reduce the risk thus achieves the goals of safety or comfort. Tension can also result from the awareness of important internal or externally established goals or standards that are not being met. Resolving this tension allows people to feel good about themselves, to feel successful, and in other ways to feel high self-esteem. Tension, however is not enough. Sufficient confidence must also exist that the change required to close the gap and reduce the tension can be achieved."
The third key to change is by emphasising the benefits of change early on and dealing with the downsides later. One important pattern TTM researchers found while investigating how people move from the initial stage of 'disinterest' to the advanced stage of 'doing' is that it is imperative that the individual sees two benefits for each downside of change. Benefits can include things such as: personal safety, cost savings, personal wellbeing, increased self-esteem and support and affection from community members. The key to facilitating change is helping people increase their perception of the benefits of new patterns.
There are many mechanisms for change that can influence and determine individual and group decision making. As a change agent it is important to keep in mind that change is not linear. People can progress to the next level of change then return to the previous stage, then make dramatic shifts to a higher level of the change process. In essence, people oscillate between the various stages of thought and action. Underlying the change process for climate and ecological systems is increased mindfulness of the connectivity of the natural world and how our current 'Western' paradigm of 'take-make-waste' economic systems need to be reworked to encompass an holistic approach that understands natural systems are complex and are not merely a resource for humans to plunder and exploit for economic gain.
For those interested the book The Power of Sustainable Thinking by Bob Doppelt is a great read if you are wishing to learn more about the psychology of change when it comes to climate and other environmental causes. It is also worth checking out some of Doppelt's presentations on You Tube as he is an excellent presenter who makes for interesting viewing for those interested in facilitating change.
Andrew Martin is author of 'One ~ A Survival Guide for the Future' and publisher of a sustainability blog that covers topical stories from around the world in relation to trends and sustainability. For more information visit: www.onenesspublishing.com


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BALTIMORE - Students at the Baltimore School for the Arts boycotted their classes May 13 to protest the layoff of teachers and other cutbacks forced by budget cuts in the city, state and nation.
Dozens of students, African American, Latino and white, rallied on the sidewalk across from their downtown school holding hand-lettered signs that proclaimed "Speak Out Against Budget Cuts" "Knowledge is Power" and "Our Education, Our Future." There was a steady chorus of passing motorists honking in support of the protest as the students cheered and waved their signs in greeting.
Toddrick Bowens, a senior music student who helped organize the protest, told the those assembled, "We came out here to take a stand. Hold your heads high. There are a lot more students inside who sympathize with us, who support what we are doing but are too scared to join us. See, they are all waving out the windows."
And in fact nearly every window in the eight-story former Alcazar Hotel was crowded with students smiling and waving to the demonstrators below. One tall youth walked across the street. "I'm sorry I have to go inside; good luck with your rally. I support what you're doing," he said.
The students reported on the intimidation experienced by those who planned on attending. Students were pulled aside individually and told by administrators that they were "greedy" and "spoiled" and claimed that speaking out against the cuts would only lead to more teachers being laid off. The administrators watched from school property with a beefed up police presence, taking notes on which students were participating, and, it's now believed, the students who were protesting were suspended for their actions. Despite that, the students said they aren't scared of retaliation from administrators and warned, "They'll be cutting your job next!"
Mike Gary's mother rolled down the window of her car and called her son over, handing him a pack of poster paper to paint signs on. "My mom supports me all the way," Gary said. "She's a parent liaison at another school where they were forced to fire several teachers because of the budget cuts. They just didn't have the money. It's bogus that they don't have money. This is a question of priorities. We are smart kids but if they keep cutting money for our public schools America is going to lose."
Matt Bolton, a senior in the visual arts, held a sign reading, "Money for Education not Occupation." He told this reporter, "I think the reason for all these cutbacks is misappropriation of funds. Afghanistan, Iraq; we're everywhere trying to fix other countries' problems when we have enough problems right here at home."
He said the protest is aimed at the cutbacks at the school. "But we don't want to make this only about our school. We are protesting what's happening to all the schools in the Baltimore school system. We have lost three teachers but many have lost 12 or 14 teachers." [Most, if not all, of those furloughed will be reassigned to other schools, not permanently laid off.]
The Baltimore Board of Education is struggling with deep budget cuts, even though the Democratic-majority Maryland General Assembly and Gov. Martin O'Malley restored tens of millions of dollars cut from education funding to offset a $1.6 billion state budget deficit.
The School for the Arts is considered a crown jewel of the Baltimore school system, with many graduates winning stardom on Broadway and in Hollywood. Tupac Shakur, once a member of the Young Communist League, attended the school. The Young Communist League branch in Baltimore is named the Tupac Shakur Club in his memory.
Ethan Maszczewski, a sophomore theater arts major, assailed the warped priorities. "The city is spending millions paving streets and building a giant ferris wheel to get ready for the Grand Prix," he said. "That money could cover the salaries of dozens of teachers, pay for text books, and other costs of keeping our schools going." The Baltimore Grand Prix is a racecar sporting event.
Alexandra Cruz-Wright, also a sophomore theater arts student, said was speaking out for the rights of teachers. "We have built a relationship with our teachers. Students not just here but across the country need to care about the bonds we have formed with our teachers and take a stand for preserving those bonds."
Bowens echoed that feeling. He expressed his regrets that among the teachers receiving a pink slip at school was the health-physical education teacher Donald N. Wheeler. "He's been so inspirational for many students here at the School for the Arts. He's taught me so many things about character, being a good person in general. His class is very necessary. I didn't think so at the beginning of the year but being in his class, he has taught me to be a better person."
While the city claims that these cuts are needed to balance the city's education budget, Andres Alonzo CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools is now planning on hiring 16 new administrators all to be paid six figure salaries. Also, the city is proposing enhancing Baltimore's inner harbor with things like a giant ferris wheel mimicking London's and a $2 million "Eiffel tower," which will take tourists to a 130-foot view of the city.
Presumably, these tourists will be able to see a panoramic view of the city, including the schools that are suffering from the cutbacks. Tourists that will most likely not leave the surrounding inner harbor area or contribute to any economy but that of the high-end retail stores and restaurants surrounding the area and stadiums.
TJordan Farrar is the chair of the Tupac Shakur Club in Baltimore and a former student of the Baltimore School for the Arts. Photo: Jordan Farrar/PW