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(February 2002)
An audit of the General Relations, International Business Development (IBD), Consular and Administration Programs was conducted in Stockholm during the period March 19 to 23, 2001. The previous audit of the Mission took place in February 1996.
Generally, staff are hard working, dedicated and professional employees, working together to meet all Program objectives. The HOM arrived in 1999 and initially had frequent and lengthy absences from the Mission as a result of his concurrent responsibilities with five International Committees with whom he represents Canada's interests. However, the number of concurrent responsibilities have diminished and his absences are becoming less frequent. Based on the audit conducted, it was determined that Mission Programs are well managed.
Management of the Mission - Detailed Report
The General Relations Program is well managed. It carries a heavy workload and pressure is constant especially at the time of the Swedish EU Presidency.
General Relations Program - Detailed Report
The Commercial Section is functioning well and delivering services using the New Approach. Both trade and investment activities are covered by a capable team that works in a very collegial and professional environment. The IBD Program is central to Mission activities and is well managed.
International Business Development (IBD) Program - Detailed Report
The Program is well managed. Effective Consular services are provided to clients on a timely basis.
Consular Program - Detailed Report
The Program is generally well managed. The Program supports the financial operations for the Missions in three Baltic states. The Section is becoming more service oriented and should continue focussing on building better relationships with its clients.
There is a need for the MCO to concentrate on resolving long standing Locally-Engaged Staff (LES) issues. The MCO should develop work plans that better outline to his staff and to the HOM planned activities. The Mission has instituted both bank and post office transfers to minimize the use of cheques.
Administration - Detailed Report
This report contains a total of 35 recommendations, of which 32 relate to the Mission and 3 relate to Headquarters. Given the responses received from the Mission 29 recommendations have been implemented, 2 recommendations are in process and 1 recommendation has not been implemented. The Mission indicated it is not in agreement with recommendation 5.4.16. Headquarters responses indicate that the 3 recommendations related to it have been implemented.
|Hom Office
|General Relations
1 This reflects temporary expansion of LES staff during the 6 month Swedish EU presidency. Actual staff complement is 1.5 LES, although internal changes now planned will increase LES program staff to 2, while lowering IBD LES to 6.
|LES Salaries
|Operational + Capital
|CB Overtime
1.1.1 The HOM arrived at the Mission in 1999 with a very heavy and demanding workload because of his concurrent responsibilities with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference, UN Terrorism Committee, Group of International Advisers to the ICRC, the ICJ Use of Force Case, and the International Criminal Court (ICC). These are Government priorities he had been assigned prior to assuming his role as HOM. These responsibilities initially required frequent and long absences from the Mission. However, over time, some of the responsibilities have diminished and his absences from the Mission are becoming less frequent. Two responsibilities have ended (Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference and UN Terrorism Committee) while the ICRC requires minimal time, two meetings a year for two and a half days each. The ICJ Use of Force Case has been dormant since July 2000 and will remain so until April 2002. The ICC is by far the most time-consuming and is of indefinite duration.
1.1.2 The HOM provided the Audit Team with a compendium of his travel away from the Mission. The number of days he was away from the Mission since September 1999 is as follows:
1.1.3 Because of the HOM's absence, considerable reliance is placed on the IBD Program Manager and General Relations Program Manager who both serve as Chargé d'affaires on a rotational basis. These two Program Heads are designated as Chargé for periods of three months as required. Being away from the Mission for 113 days in 2000 obviously has had an impact on all parties. There is also the immediate time before and after each trip that pre-occupies the HOM's time. To compensate for these absences, the HOM provided each Program Manager with a copy of his Accountability Document and each Program Manager, in consultation with the HOM, prepared a Performance Agreement outlining clear objectives to be achieved in their respective programs.
1.1.4 High level visiting missions have been frequent in recent years and are positively received. Significant resources are required for important periods and this has a considerable affect on program delivery. Annual VIP visits (e.g., the Deputy Minister Country Champion for Investment), the Prime Minister's visit, the Canada-EU Summit and the annual Canadian Swedish Business Association Conference, all occurring during June 2001, will stretch Mission resources beyond previous levels.
1.1.5 The Mission's responsibilities also incorporate the support for Canada-EU agenda for the Swedish EU Presidency from January 1 to June 1, 2001 that will culminate with the late June Summit attended by our Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister and Trade Minister. This will impact significantly on all programs as the Mission prepares for the Summit (i.e., policy, operations/logistics, and media coordination responsibilities).
1.2.1 Program Managers rely on the CMM where the Management Team discusses program activities. Over the past 15 months, there have been 10 CMM meetings. It is important to have CMM meetings more frequently. Program Managers need to discuss objectives and work plans regularly to assess progress and share information.
1.2.2 The CMM should meet more frequently.
1.2.2 As of September 1, 2001 the CMM meets bi-weekly.
1.2.3 The IBD Program Manager and Political Economic Counsellor have developed work plans with each of their staff that outline objectives. These are discussed at regular meetings. The First Secretary Administration Consul meets regularly with his staff. However, clear objectives and work plans have not been outlined for his staff.
1.2.4 The First Secretary Administration Consul should develop clear objectives and work plans for his staff.
1.2.4 Each year the MCO has obtained work plans from each member of his staff. The MCO will ensure that these plans are fully discussed with each employee and that clear objectives are set and reviewed at mid and year-end.
1.2.5 The IBD and General Relations Program Managers are an employee couple and act as Chargé on a rotational basis. Because of the frequent absences of the HOM, the additional pressures of managing the Mission and their programs are felt by both. Finding time to spend annual leave together is a challenge.
1.2.6 Employee couples are better suited for larger missions with more backup resources.
1.2.6 HPF has discussed the situation with the HOM. The proposed replacements for the IBD and General Relations Program Managers in the summer of 2002 are not for an employee couple. That said, it should be underlined that the pressures on the assignment process regarding employee couples all run in the opposite direction. We are under great pressure to facilitate careers by finding postings for both members of employee couples. Further, the number of such employee couples has risen dramatically in recent years, to a point where your recommendation that such assignments should be restricted to "larger missions with more backup resources" would mean that our ability to assign employee couples would fall far short of what would be required. In the vast majority of cases, one of the employees would have to agree to go on Leave Without Pay. In our experience, employee couple assignments have generally worked well, even in smaller missions; the situation in Stockholm was unique and aggravated by the frequent absences of the HOM. We would not expect such difficulties to arise very frequently in other instances of employee couples assigned together.
1.2.7 Responsibilities have been added to and deleted from the Social Secretary position since 1991. This has led to a widely variable role over the years and under utilization with the current configuration. With an additional temporary position for the duration of the EU Presidency (January to June 2001), the daily media scan has been re-designated. The Canada-Based Secretary is responsible for all arrangements regarding the HOM's international travel and the Social Secretary handles the HOM's social schedule and spends approximately 10% of her time on consular back-up duties. While the incumbent has questioned the classification level, the position and its duties should be examined to determine if a contribution could be made to other programs, such as the insufficiently resourced General Relations Section.
1.2.8 The job description should be updated to reflect actual duties and new duties added to fully utilize the position.
1.2.8 The job description is currently under review in consultation with the incumbent and, once completed, the Mission Classification Committee will meet to assess whether a revision to the classification level is required. The recommendations of the Classification Committee will be provided to the employee.
2.1.1 The Counsellor (FS-02) is responsible for overall management of the General Relations Program. Her responsibilities incorporate the support for the Canada-EU agenda for the Swedish EU Presidency that concludes with the Summit in late June, attended by the Canadian Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Trade Minister. She is supported by a Public Affairs/Information Officer (LE-08) and a General Relations Officer (LE-09), a term position that expires June 30, 2001. The term position is providing support during the period of the Swedish EU Presidency.
2.1.2 The General Relations Program is well managed. Because of the HOM's concurrent responsibilities, he has placed considerable reliance on the Counsellor as Chargé and as an adjunct in carrying out some HOM responsibilities in the Political and Cultural/Public Affairs Program. The workload is heavy and the pressure is constant, particularly with the Swedish EU Presidency at this time and the coming Summit this June.
3.1.1 The IBD Program in Stockholm is headed by the Commercial Counsellor who arrived at the Mission in 1998 and occupies the sole Canada-Based trade position. The IBD program has four Commercial Officers (CO), two Commercial Assistants (CA) and a Senior Secretary who is shared with the Political Program. Six of the seven LES were hired recently (within the last two years), with the exception of one CO who has been at the Mission for 10 years. The Commercial Counsellor has renamed the positions of the Commercial Officers and Assistants to reflect their broader role of investment as well as trade work. Staff refer to them as Business Development Officers and Assistants (BDO/BDA), although this change is not indicated formally on the Mission organizational chart.
3.1.2 The Commercial Section has responsibility for all of Sweden. However, the IBD work for southern Sweden is shared with Copenhagen. Although the rationale for sharing was not clear originally and there were some initial reservations, there is agreement that the relationship is working satisfactorily. The Nordic and Baltic countries operate independently of the Swedish IBD Program. Each office services similar sectors and all officers work collaboratively.
3.1.3 Canadian and Swedish business activities are increasing. Similarities in business culture, demographic and environmental factors contribute to business exchanges. Swedish foreign direct investment in Canada has been increasing significantly over the past decade and Canadian investment in Sweden has grown at the fastest rate in Europe. Strategic Business Development Plans are in place reflecting the priority sectors and are aimed at raising the profile of SMEs visiting Sweden.
3.2.1 The IBD Program is under solid leadership and management and is functioning well. It is recognized that IBD is the main program driving the Mission. The Commercial Counsellor is acting in an EX-01 position and has an Executive Group Performance Agreement.
3.2.2 Because of the HOM's concurrent responsibilities, he has placed considerable reliance on the Commercial Counsellor as Chargé and as an adjunct when conducting some HOM responsibilities such as the corporate liaison program, investment promotion and strategic alliances. The Counsellor has embraced these opportunities with recognized success and his high performance level is acknowledged in his Performance Agreement. His augmentation of the Canadian Swedish Business Association (CSBA) in both Sweden and Canada is also cited as further evidence of his achievements. In addition, he has an Investment Promotion Strategy Plan with a Corporate Liaison Program targeting at least two visits per month which is being achieved. That said, the shared responsibilities of Chargé do diminish his time to manage the IBD Program. Consequently, he has redistributed some of his operational responsibilities to his staff.
3.2.3 As Program Manager, the Commercial Counsellor has good managerial controls in place. Morale and satisfaction are high among staff of the section. He has adopted a mentor role with certain staff members and, during the annual performance appraisals, mutually agreed objectives are set and then evaluated. All appraisals are up-to-date. Semi-annual reviews are a goal the Manager is striving for.
3.2.4 The regular staff meetings held every two weeks are regarded positively as a communication mechanism. Both the frequency and duration of these meetings are considered appropriate. A one-day annual retreat away from the office is held. The Commercial Counsellor has an open-door policy for his program staff as well as for all staff at the Mission, which is welcomed and used.
3.2.5 Six of the seven Commercial Section staff have been hired under the present Commercial Counsellor and have been selected for their sector expertise, capabilities and initiative. Each officer manages her/his own portfolio which allows the Commercial Counsellor to focus on investment. All four Commercial Officers are at the LE-09 level, while the two Commercial Assistants are at the LE-05 level and, therefore, movement may be limited.
3.2.6 Each officer is responsible for his/her own portfolio with specific priority and secondary sectors. Two officers have recently assumed additional sectors from the Commercial Counsellor to allow him to devote more time to other responsibilities. Each BDA handles the general inquiries for two BDOs. One BDA serves as an information officer, handling and circulating the incoming written general requests; he is also the WIN Champion.
3.2.7 IBD information sources in English are limited and, therefore, Swedish language abilities are advantageous. All of the LES trade staff are Swedish speaking, three of whom are Swedish Nationals. The Mission Social Secretary/Consular Assistant has customarily performed a morning synopsis of the Swedish media for all programs, however, this function has been assumed by the temporary position of the General Relations Officer who will discontinue this service as well as his employment on June 30, 2001 at the completion of his responsibilities for the Swedish-EU Presidency. In light of this, the application of translation software packages should be explored. Although imperfect, these methods are improving and may be sufficient for a daily initial topical scan.
3.2.8 The Mission should, in consultation with TCE, consider the application of translation software packages.
3.2.8 The Mission has consulted with TCE to explore options for acquiring software translation packages. Unfortunately, a Swedish translation software tool is not available through SXCI, and funds are not available in the Mission budget to procure an online translation package, even if it were available and deemed to be a priority.
3.3.1 The hospitality allocation for the Commercial Section has remained stable for several years. In addition to his own hospitality events, the Counsellor contributes to large events at the Mission. For the IBD Program as a whole, he often co-hosts and shares costs with companies. In addition, staff of the Commercial Section are reimbursed for their networking expenditures, although the amounts claimed to date are relatively small. The travel budget has been sufficient, but an increase in out calls by the Commercial Section will necessitate increases in travel and hospitality funds.
3.3.2 As the New Approach becomes more entrenched within the Section, officers will make more out calls (i.e. border-in and border-out) and will require more travel and hospitality funds. Tools to enable officers to work away from the office more often could be utilized to advantage. For example, cellular phones are the business standard in a country leading the world in wireless communication and would facilitate work outside the office, as would remote Internet access. This problem is not specific to Stockholm, but appears to be one common to most missions.
3.3.3 The Commercial Section should track the costs associated with the implementation of the New Approach and periodically report to HQ (functional and geographic bureaux) any shortfalls in its travel and hospitality budget and the effect on further implementation of the New Approach.
3.3.4 The provision of tools such as cellular phones and remote access to Internet should be considered to foster greater mobility of staff.
3.3.3 The Commercial Section has begun to track more closely the associated costs of implementing the New Approach and will report its findings to REN/REB at the end of the current fiscal year. If additional travel and/or hospitality funds are needed, the Mission will submit a request to RAM accordingly.
3.3.4 All Business Development Officers have been offered cellular phones, to be used for work-related purposes. As Stockholm has been selected as a pilot Mission for the implementation of Signet Remote Access, the CMM will contemplate whether any members of the LES should be considered for remote access in the FY 2002-2003, budgets permitting.
3.3.5 The Mission WIN, Outlook and ACCESS are used to maintain local contact lists. Efforts have been made to centralize the contact lists for the entire Mission and to remove inactive names. However, this task has not been completed.
3.3.6 The Mission should integrate its local contact lists for the entire Mission.
3.3.6 Once the pending decision by HQ is made regarding the chosen platform to replace WIN Exports Online and Mission WIN as our business client databases, the Mission will be in a better position to implement a cost effective plan to integrate our local contacts across all programmes into one central database.
3.4.1 The Commercial Officers are committed to the New Approach for service delivery. As noted, the IBD Program staff have assumed their position recently and consequently were not exposed to the world-wide New Approach training. Interest in the next wave of training is explicitly expressed and would be beneficial to reinforce delivery standards.
3.4.2 It is recognized that the number of new clients coming to Sweden has been declining, particularly among SMEs. The Mission is addressing the situation by increasing out calls, participating in major trade shows, NEXOS missions and Nordic journalist tours, for example.
3.4.3 Each year, the officers have increased their use of the Post Support Unit mainly for advice on problematic cases such as suspected global inquiries and guidance replying to some requests. The Unit is seen as a good resource.
3.4.4 Stockholm participated in both Client Surveys and received positive ratings from business and partner-clients both years. All staff are familiar with the results of the latest Client Survey and met with the Program Manager to review the outcome. Commercial Officers have been encouraged to increase the number of calls to local companies throughout the territory and to increase participation in major European trade shows and events. Indications are that additional direction, guidelines and training from TCS could be beneficial in Stockholm, the same situation as occurs at other missions.
3.4.5 WIN Online is used by all the trade staff to track service delivery. WIN Online is operable, albeit slower than would be optimal. Training for the new Mission WIN Champion is desired. Other resources and tools, such as IBOC, Dow Jones Interactive and CITRIX are used by staff. For the latter two applications, access, speed and stability are not ideal and cause frustration contributing to disuse. The observation was made that Dow Jones Interactive and CITRIX are not easy to use and some type of training would be advantageous.
3.4.6 Three staff participated in shadow-training on the CITRIX application and rated this technique positively. Because training on TAMS was completed just prior to the audit visit, and the system was introduced on April 1, 2001, it was not possible to comment on whether the system functions properly and generates pertinent information for decision-making at the Mission.
3.4.7 Additional New Approach training should be provided to Mission staff. Other training requests should be considered.
3.4.7 Supplementary training on the New Approach is being planned for this fall/winter. TCS will undertake reinforcement workshops at selected posts by the end of the fiscal year. This recommendation will be taken into consideration when determining the priority list of posts. Also, two, and possibly three, Stockholm trade staff will take the one-week training session for new LES that will be held in Ottawa this Fall. Soon there will be two additional electronic resources to support professional development objectives at the post: a New Approach introductory course will be available on the CFSI Virtual Campus in the fall 2001 and the reconfigured HORIZONS intranet site will be released in December 2001.
3.4.7 Three LES Commercial staff participated in the training/outreach sessions in Canada, in October and November 2001, and the Mission will submit an application to TCS/TCM for the remaining eligible LES member to participate in the session planned for March 2002.
3.4.8 The Business Mission Agreement has not been used often in handling visit requests from partner-clients. Discussions with the Post Support Unit would be helpful in increasing its application to control the impact of visits on program delivery. The Business Mission Agreement is intended to help control the organization of business visits and would articulate the responsibilities and obligations of both parties. Its application could be particularly useful when requests are made on short notice and it is difficult to adjust other commitments. The Post Support Unit provides clarification of the Business Mission Agreement and TCS offers tangible support if visitors offer resistance.
3.4.9 The Commercial Section should contact PSU for clarification about the use of the Business Mission Agreement.
3.4.9 The Commercial Program Manager has sought clarification from PSU and TCS representatives regarding the appropriate use of the Business Mission Agreement, and will make use of this tool for the next applicable Business Mission to Sweden.


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Family Support
The entire family feels a child's dilemma of dealing with grown-up situations. Sometimes the problems are large and permanent when parents divorce or suddenly die, or cease to be part of the family unit due to incarceration or addiction. Sometimes the child's problems start out small and then turn into larger issues as the child grows because the difficulties are not addressed in the early stages.
Often a child is disabled or has a sibling who commands the constant attention of both the mother and father. Some problems hurt badly like trauma or abuse and require both physical and emotional care. Daily family obstacles frequently create spin off behaviors or very tough living conditions for a child.
Having professional support to work through these difficulties and uncover a solution based on Biblical principles and Christian love is the mission of the Isaiah Foundation and Child's Play Foundation. Our goal is to serve the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of a family with special problems through crisis counseling and coordinated care.
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subset: commoncrawl


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|People come together from across the country to help a special cyclist
|By TERRY MATHEWS | News-Telegram Arts Editor
Dec. 10, 2006 - A diverse group of cycling fans and their friends, including the Sulphur Springs and Winnsboro Pilot Clubs, have joined together to make this the best Christmas ever for one special Northeast Texas bike rider.
Wayland White, 41, of Arthur City has been riding and racing bikes for some 20 years.
�I started when I was 23 or 24,� White said. �Someone gave me a bike and encouraged me.�
The fact that White rides and competes in area cycling events is quite an accomplishment, considering the challenges he faced as a child.
�When he was 2 years old, he got meningitis,� said his mother, Sadie, a retired nurses� aide. �The doctors gave up on him. They said he wouldn�t live. They said if he did live, he would be a vegetable.�
Her son proved the doctors wrong, on both counts.
Mrs. White, 78, said she knew early on that something was the matter with Wayland, but she didn't have a name for it.
�He started school, but by the third grade, he couldn�t read or even write his name,� she said.�
Mrs. White went to the school and begged them to help her.
�A teacher finally called me and said, �Wayland is slow,�� Mrs. White said. �But she also said Wayland could go to special education classes.
�One day, about a month after Wayland was put into the special class, the teacher called me to the school,� Mrs. White said. �When I got there, the teacher told Wayland to sit down and read from a storybook. And, he did. Tears started rolling down my cheek. That teacher was the one that saved him. He made A� and B�s after that.�
White graduated from high school in 1983. He also took a special driver's education class and passed the exam.
�I was scared he wasn�t going to do it,� Mrs. White said. �But he came home and waved his license in front of me and said, �Lookee here.��
Pansy Bell, a Sulphur Springs Pilot Club member, said White rides their __________ race almost every year.
Pilot Club records show White won the race in 2003 and again in 2005. And he won on a hand-me-down bike that has certainly seen better days.
�He looked at my step-daughter�s bike at the race last year,� Bell said. �He called about it, but he didn�t buy it.�
White also rides in the Tour 'd Paris, near his hometown of Arthur City, every year.
�I know him from his riding in just about every single Tour de Paris since its inception in 1984,� said Linda Knox, former executive director of the Paris Chamber of Commerce. �When I started riding a bike about a year ago, he would stop by my office and try to get me to ride in some of the area rides.�
Winnsboro Pilot Club President Imogene Davis says that White has ridden in their Tour 'd Trails for as long as she can remember.
�He always gets here early and he�s always wearing the same clothes,� Davis said.
White placed fifth this year in the 20-mile event of the Tour 'd Trails.
�I made a wrong turn,� White said.
After finishing his race, White cheered for riders who finished the 40-mile race, but he was especially interested in the "hot shoes" worn by the likes of former pro Chris Powers of Dallas and collegiate champion Brian Wyrick of Quitman who competed in the 60-mile event.
�I wish I could ride like that,� White said then. �I want to ride really fast.�
A photo of White standing near the three winners of the 20-mile race is a study in contrasts. The winners are tricked out in great gear, and their bikes are gleaming.
White's bike, however, is enough to discourage most anyone from riding around the block, much less trusting it to complete a grueling road race.
The stem (the piece that connects the frame to the saddle) is rusted. The saddle is covered with stiff, ill-fitting plastic. The tires don't have one ounce of tread left.
To be competitive in a road race, a cyclist needs a wide choice of gears — at least 16, according to Wyrick. White's bike has three working gears.
White's one pair of biking shorts are stretched and snagged. His shoes and helmet are scuffed and worn. He has no gloves.
Not having adequate equipment or clothing didn't seem to matter to White that fall morning in Winnsboro. He mingled with the crowd, talked to other racers and cheered as every rider came across the finish line. He was happy to be there.
�I got up at 4:30 this morning to make sure I got here in time for the race,� White then.�
At the Winnsboro race, a group of people who interacted with White during the day decided that anyone who loved cycling as much as this should at least have competitive gear.
Bob Wilson of Winnsboro, a cyclist for 26 years, said he had enough parts to put a bike together.
�We just need a good, used frame,� Wilson said.�
Ray Wyrick f Quitman, also a long-time cyclist, offered to help Wilson build a bike with spare parts.
Steve Quiett from Fate, who took second place in the 20-mile race, said he would send a couple of new saddles he wasn't using.
Brenda Barnell of Dallas, who rode in the 20-mile event, said she could gather some jerseys and biking shorts. She said she would ask her club, the Greater Dallas Bicyclists, for extra items, too.
Wyrick's son Brian, a Quitman native and member of the Midwestern State University's cycling team in Wichita Falls, said he would donate maintenance items, like new tires and tubes, and a flat repair kit. Brian also said he would help coach and train White for next year's racing season.
The Winnsboro Pilot Club agreed to waive White's entry fee to the Tour 'd Trails next year.
A Winnsboro resident offered to purchase a tank of gas for next year's trip.
Before leaving Winnsboro, the ad-hoc group exchanged e-mail addresses. They then turned to the Internet to get the word out about the "A Bike for Wayland" project, asking for help with equipment, clothes and other gear.
White was oblivious to the scheming and planning going on around him.
White's story was posted on several message boards, including OLN TV, BuffettNews and BicycleGroup Forum.
Alison DeMasters, a BuffettNews regular from Glen Allen, Va., said, "For my husband and me, something about the 'grass roots' nature of this effort struck a nerve."
The DeMasters donated a pair of Italian racing shoes.
�Honestly, we didn't set out to find Italian shoes,� she said. �They were literally the first pair we could get someone to donate.��
Wayne Sickels, another Buffett fan, offered to pay White's entry fee the next time he rides in the Tour d' Paris.
�I love to give a helping hand to someone like Wayland who works so hard to do what he so clearly loves,� said Sickels, who lives in Boise, Idaho.�
Bill Liston from Connecticut said, "I guess it comes down to a passion. Reading the post on BuffettNews, I got the sense that this kid loves to ride and compete. He loves the sport and never says, 'If I had this or that I'd do better.' He was just happy to be part of the event and was proud of his accomplishment that day."
Liston donated a new, candy apple red helmet to the project.
Bill Ansel in Garland, sent a 12-function cycle computer for the handlebars.
�As a broke college student I used to compete in Jet Ski freestyle, and I made it to the world championships one year,� Ansel said. �I couldn't have done that without help from friends who believed in my potential.�
Things went well for the group until about two weeks into the project, when they hit a major roadblock; no one had an extra frame to donate, and new ones were out of their price range.
�I live in the country, so I shop the web for (bike) deals all the time,� Wilson said. �I went out the web to see what was available.�
What Wilson found was a 2007 Mercier Corvus All Road Racing Bike.
By the time Wilson located the bike, enough money had been donated to purchase the brand new, out of the box bicycle.
�Wayland will be riding this bike into retirement,� Wilson said.
Jimmie Davis, the husband of Winnsboro's Pilot Club president, offered to pay the shipping costs for the new bike.
Wilson, Business Development and Special Projects Director for Team Worldwide, said his reason for getting involved was simple.
�Cycling doesn�t just build muscle, it builds character. Our hearts went out to Wayland at last year�s Tour �d Trail,� Wilson said. �We did nothing about his worn out bike and gear last year, so we wanted to act on it this time around.
Wilson said the rewards from working on the project far outweigh the efforts.
�Those of us involved got two wonderful things,� Wilson said. �We got the opportunity to see someone with a real passion for cycling be given the opportunity to do so much more. But the greatest thing we got was to do something unselfishly for someone you don�t know and to expect nothing in return.�
When they heard about the project, the Sulphur Springs Pilot Club joined in.
�We�re happy to waive Wayland�s entry fees in our race for as long as he wants to ride,� said Pilot President Tina Phillips. �We�re going to help him with fuel for his truck, too. It�s the least we can do for Wayland. He�s a special guy.�
As Ron Ester Jr., a former Marine who lives in Colorado and who donated to the cause said, "A cyclist can learn proper technique or purchase proper equipment, but he can't learn or buy heart. Up until now, Wayland has been racing solely on heart. Having a bike and the equipment to measure up to his heart will give him a chance to prove what he can really do!"
�It feels good to do good,� DeMasters said. �Feeding a person's soul is every bit as important as feeding their body sometimes. This special mission has fed everyone's souls.�
A group of about 20 people made the trip to Oak Hill Baptist Church in Arthur City this morning. They represented almost 50 people from across America who pitched in to help the boy who only wants to ride "like the guys who go really fast."
They surprised Wayland White, the kid who wasn't supposed to live and who has never had a new bike, with a 2007 Mercier Corvus All Road Racing Bike, a new candy apple red helmet, Italian racing shoes, three pairs of gloves, new riding clothes, a new tire pump, and enough maintenance equipment to open a cycling shop.
What the group received in return cannot be measured.
"This was a great day," TIna Phillips said. "Maybe now Wayland has what he needs to ride with the guys who really fast."
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Syrian security forces killed at least 24 civilians, including a mother and her daughter, on Friday,during massive protests across Syria, activists said. Nine of the dead were protesters taking part in anti-regime demonstrations in Syria. Six victims were reported in Homs. Two others were killed in the Qadam neighborhood of Damascus while one was killed in Daraya, which is located near he capital, AFP said.
The other two victims, a mother and daughter, were killed when the army shelled a chicken hatchery in the town of Al-Bara in the northwestern province of Idleb, another human rights activist said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 1,342 civilians have been killed since the protests started in mid-March.
[1] http://www.albawaba.com


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Chocolate – from the humble confectionery bar to single-origin gourmet dark chocolate – is enjoyed by most Australians as a readily available treat. However, chocolate manufacturers are worried that cocoa production may not be able to meet the rapidly increasing demand for chocolate in the developing economies of China, India and Brazil. A major international […] … learn more→
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Bitter-sweet Easter: how our demand is melting sustainable cocoa farming
Sustainable food and farming courses online
The UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture was established in 1918 to provide practical science-based education – and the tradition continues today … learn more→
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Sloan PhD student walks the walk in sustainability
Growing up in the late 1980s, doctoral candidate Kate Parrot SM '07, favored the big-hair look that was popular at the time. "It was fashionable to have 4-inch bangs," she says, laughing at the memory. But, probably unlike most of her peers, Parrot was worried about the growing hole in the Ozone layer — she […] … learn more→
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Another new CAPTAIN AMERICA clip has arrived!
Here's another clip from Captain America: The First Avenger. Earlier we posted the first clip that shows the shield in action, and now we get to see Cap's transformation. Check it out below and share your thoughts!
No author bio. End of line.
Featured Posts on GeekTyrant


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By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
Walking out of prison in January 26 years after the gates had closed behind him, Bruce Glover knew he was mostly on his own.
"My mother passed while I was gone," says Glover, 56, who returned to his hometown of Detroit after being released from a state prison. He'd been serving time for running a call-girl ring. "I lost it all."
Glover got help with temporary housing and transportation from a statewide program that pools community resources to help those coming back from prison. "It's very important," he says of such efforts, "because I was like the guy lost in another dimension; a stranger in town, not knowing which way to go."
Throughout the USA, inmates released from prison have traditionally been given little more than a few dollars and a ride to the bus station. Often, they don't even have valid state identification cards, further hindering them when they try to find work.
At least 95% of all state prison inmates will eventually be freed, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, prompting communities to reconsider how they deal with hundreds of thousands of inmates released every year from correctional facilities.
"They don't parachute into prison from outer space," says Barry Krisberg, president of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, a criminal justice research group. "They come from real communities and go back to real communities. Most of what they need to succeed is really not a function of state policies so much as what's available. … Is there a place for you to live? Is there someone willing to give you a job? Is there a faith-based group willing to talk to you when you get stressed?"
Those who commit new crimes or violate parole and are sent back to prison or jail add to the escalating costs that have made corrections among the most expensive services states provide.
A widespread impact
The failure of many ex-inmates to make it on the outside has a far more visceral impact than simply straining budgets, because most return to specific cities and neighborhoods, often overburdening social services, disrupting families and jeopardizing public safety, politicians and crime experts say.
A demonstration project launching next month in New Jersey will provide intensive assistance to a group of ex-inmates and parolees returning to Camden, Trenton and Newark, cities that receive roughly 20% of the state's returning adult ex-inmates, says Ken Zimmerman, chief counsel to Gov. Jon Corzine.
EX-CONS GET HELP: Crime rates, prison costs spur programs
At least 1,500 adult former inmates return to Newark each year, Mayor Cory Booker says. To help them, the city has given temporary jobs to about 65 ex-inmates and offers tax breaks to developers who agree to hire them. Newark also created a legal services program to help those who risk being sent back to prison for minor parole violations such as failing to pay an old parking ticket.
"I think everybody understands there's an absurdity spending more and more money arresting and re-arresting the same people, and if this money was better used, in halfway houses or ex-inmate programs, that you reduce recidivism at a cheaper cost," Booker says.
In addition to lacking valid identification cards, newly freed inmates often "don't have transportation, a résumé," says Russ Marlan, spokesman for the Michigan State Department of Corrections. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out what they're going to do. So we just realized that we can set up a system that can give them a better chance to succeed."
Michigan has increased funding for its Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative to $33 million, enabling it to expand from 15 major metropolitan areas to the entire state by September. In the program's two years, 14% of the 8,000 released inmates who have received help have gone back to prison, a far lower rate than the 48% of former inmates who return to state prison within four years, Marlan says.
Non-profit groups that work with former inmates are glad to see new programs.
"The more the merrier, so long as they're well trained," says Cindy Sneed, chief clinical officer for The Next Door, a Nashville-based organization that has helped more than 380 women, most of whom have been incarcerated, find counseling, housing and job training. "People who are coming out of incarceration need a lot of support or they're going to reoffend."
Mary Lou Leary, executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime says victims advocates have only recently been invited to participate in planning for re-entry programs. "Victims play only a secondary role in the criminal justice system, and I think it's unfortunate," she says.
Marlan says officials worried that some residents would believe the state was coddling prisoners by focusing on their re-integration into society. "It's just a simple philosophy," he says. "They're coming home, coming back to where we all live. Helping them is helping us."
Job skills essential
One thing is clear to former inmate Albert Sanchez. Without the program that taught him carpentry, he'd probably be back in prison.
When he was released from a California prison in May after serving a two-year sentence for possession of methamphetamine, Sanchez, 38, left with a tool belt and his union dues paid for a year thanks to a carpentry program that teaches skills to inmates and helps them land apprenticeships once they are released. "Pursuing carpentry, I think, was one of the best things to happen to me," Sanchez says. "It keeps you away from everything that you were doing before."
In Detroit, Glover runs two shoeshine booths. "He's been punctual, he's been consistent," says Sammy Mitchell, the booths' owner. "I gave him an opportunity, and he made the most of it."
An opportunity, Glover says, is all he needed. "I stay to myself," he says, "and go to work."
Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.


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The prospect of moving in with her boyfriend brings all Seattle massage therapist Abby's (DeWitt) anxiety issues surging to the surface. Soon her discomfort in her own skin is so great, she can't even bear to touch her clients.
"A massage therapist loses her ability to touch people" isn't much of a story hook admittedly, but it does serve as a useful metaphor for the absence of insight and emotion in this misfire from writer-director Lynn Shelton, which even the most ardent fans of her mumblecore milestones, Humpday and Your Sister's Sister, will find taxing. At its most indulgent, this feels rather like a sketch-show parody of an indie movie, and despite a talented cast rounded out with the likes of Allison Janney, Scoot McNairy and Ron Livingston, it sadly all adds up to far less than the sum of its parts.
Intermittently funny but erratically structured, it's a rare disappointment from Shelton.


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Woodbury man, 28, dies after crash on 494
A Woodbury man died after his SUV lost control and overturned on Interstate 494 in Dakota County.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the 2000 Ford Explorer Colin K. Geraghty, 28, lost control at 6:57 a.m. Saturday, April 13, on the icy road-top while driving westbound on 494, slipped off the right side of the road and rolled.
Geraghty was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he later died, according to a spokeswoman. The Regions spokeswoman did not say when Geraghty died.
State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said Geraghty was the lone occupant of the vehicle.
According to the State Patrol, Geraghty was not wearing a seat belt. There was no sign of alcohol, according to the State Patrol report.


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Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Follow Me to www.7marathons7continents.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Boston Marathon 2011!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Julie Lost 130 Pounds
Cami: So when did you reach your goal exactly? Julie: I had my surgery in July of 2008. So by the next July I believe I was very close to goal. Cami: And you lost a total of about 130 pounds. Julie: Right. Cami: And so, Julie, you mentioned the surgery. What would you want people to know about the surgery you had? What did it take for you to come to the decision to do that? Julie: I used to think that I would never resort to surgery---that I should be strong enough, have enough will power to diet it all away, but after 49 years of struggling with my weight… and it literally was 49 years… I'd been heavy all of my life. I finally decided that surgery was a valid option. And then I had to worry about if I would ever be normal after I had the surgery. So would I only be able to eat little tiny portions, and would people look at me and wonder why I was eating that way? It was a struggle to figure it out, but I finally decided it was worth it---trying to find a balance between weight loss and health. Cami: What kind of surgery did you have? Julie: I had a proximal gastric bypass. So they made my stomach smaller and bypassed part of my intestines, so that the food enters lower than it normally does. "Proximal" means that they bypassed a fairly short section, whereas they can also do "medial" which bypasses more or "distal" which bypasses a whole lot more. And the more you bypass, the less you absorb of the food you eat. I do have some malabsorption that can be a factor in my diet from now on. I got the shortest distance bypassed. Cami: And how do you make up for that malabsorption? Julie: My doctor has me take protein supplements three times a day. That's what he believes I need. And I take heavy duty vitamins and minerals, which I stick to fairly religiously. Cami: And you told me once what the statistics were of people who have success with the surgery verses those who don't make adequate life-style changes. Do you remember what they are? Julie: I worked with a nutritionist, which my doctor didn't insist on, but she said that fewer than 20 percent of people reach their goal weight even after the surgery. So it was exceptional for me to go down as low as I did. Cami: So, you know, I've watched you through this process, and I know that you didn't just have a surgery. I know you worked extremely hard. What did you change in terms of your lifestyle? Julie: When I decided to have the surgery, I knew I was going to have to change my life dramatically. A box of crackers could not make dinner anymore. It wouldn't do it. Slimfast and candy wouldn't do it anymore. So I knew I would have to change a lot. At first, I had to devote myself to my instructions---making myself drink the protein even when I didn't feel like it. Then when I worked with the nutritionist to find foods I liked that could make smaller but nutritious meals, I began eating regularly. Now I have given up most of the calorie rich foods I used to love, but I don't miss them terribly. Cami: What do you think your caloric intake was when you first started losing weight? Julie: When I first started, my caloric intake was probably 900 to 1200 calories a day. I was doing three protein drinks a day plus small meals. And I've always exercised religiously. Cami: "Always" meaning your whole life, or "always" meaning once you made the commitment to lose the weight? Julie: Actually, my whole life I've walked and been fairly active, but once I started this, I was really committed to becoming fit. I started doing a walk video that I could do in my home right in front of my TV, and so I was expending those calories, which meant I had to keep up with the nutritional intake for that expenditure, too. Cami: When did you start running? Julie: I started running… well I've had multiple attempts at running in my life. I always wanted to run. I would run and then I would get hip pain or sinus pain or back pain and have to stop, and I'd be back to walking. So it was probably… Bellingham Fit began their running program in April or May of 2009, and that's when I started running in earnest. Cami: And you were training for… what was your goal? Julie: The Bellingham Bay Marathon of 2009. Cami: And that race was in October of that year. Julie: Yes. So I knew I had wanted to do that. In the year 2000 my family all got together at a cabin at my sister-in-law's place and we all talked about our goals for the next 10 years, from 2000 to 2010. And I told everyone I wanted to run the marathon. I was between 190 to 230---I don't know what I was at the time. I know they all thought I was totally crazy. Cami: Did they laugh at you? Julie: No. They didn't laugh. My family is very supportive, but I'm sure they were kind of going, "Sure. Right." So it was very cool to have done that in my time frame. By 2010 I had done my first marathon. Steph: That's so great. Cami: Congratulations. I know your family was very proud of you. I got to see that. Julie: My family is always supportive, but when I ran my 20-mile training run, my mother told my younger brother I was running 20 miles that day, and he said, "Oh mom, you must be mistaken. You didn't hear her right. She's running two miles." And so he was blown away when he saw me running the marathon, and he was actually in tears watching me – which is pretty amazing, 'cuz he's a lovely guy but you wouldn't think of your brother crying because you're running. Cami: Nowadays how often are you working out? Julie: I work out at least five or six days a week, mostly six. At least 45 minutes of cardio each time, and weight lifting two days a week. Cami: You told me the other day while we were running that you had an epiphany. What was your epiphany? Julie: My epiphany was that now I am at the weight I should be at. I don't really know how much I weigh because I have all this extra skin. So the scale shows 130, which I'm OK with. One-twenty-five has always been my ultimate goal weight, and I actually think if you took off all this skin I'd be below that. But it finally clicked that I wasn't trying to lose weight anymore! I don't have to have a calorie deficit. For so long, I've been trying to exercise off whatever I ate, and I realized I don't have to do that now. I just have to work out for my health and I'll maintain. Cami: What does that epiphany mean for you now as you go forward? Julie: It helps me ease up on myself. I tend to be quite hard on myself in the way I treat myself. And it's like, you know, it's OK to take days off and it's OK to eat something extra. I don't have to pay for it with extra exercise like I did before when I was still losing. I don't have to be perfect. Cami: You said that you were always heavy, always overweight, but your family isn't---at least not your siblings and your parents. What do you think contributed to your weight gain in the first place? Julie: Well, food is an issue in my family. Everyone works on it. My mom is very controlled, and my sisters think a lot about it. So it is an issue. I had a health thing when I was a baby where I was told I couldn't keep food down. I was quite underweight for a seven-month-old until I had surgery that fixed the problem. They finally figured it out. I personally think that period of starvation, or less intake, affected me. From then on I ate. And it was a lot of sneak eating because somehow I always knew I wasn't supposed to be eating as much as I was wanting to because the family valued being thin. But I still always wanted to eat. So I would sneak eat a lot when I was little, which caused my weight gain, but I think the early surgery had something to do with it. I was basically malnourished for the first few months of my life. Cami: Do you think that perfectionism you mentioned contributed to your weight at all? Julie: Totally! All or nothing thinking is a major, major roadblock, like in thinking, "Okay, I blew the diet totally, so I can go ahead and eat what I want." Or if I'm not being good than it doesn't count, but now I've been able to moderate that so I don't have to do all or nothing. I'm still struggling with, "Okay I ate a little extra or I'm going to go out to dinner, so maybe I should do a little extra workout." But I'm working on it. Cami: Talk about your struggle with changing your body image even though you've lost 130 pounds. Julie: It's hard because when I get a glimpse of myself, I know that it's me, but I still see myself as bigger. I'm not as big as I used to be in my brain, but when I look down I see extra skin, and I think it's a roll of fat. Intellectually I know I can slide into places I didn't used to be able to be, and I can move more easily, but if I don't think about it, I still get surprised when I see myself. My last driver's license picture, I'm thinking, "That doesn't even look like me." I reminded myself of my teenage nephew---angular. I'm still trying to figure out who I am. Cami: I remember when we were flying together to go to the marathon in Las Vegas. You were saying, "Look at me! I fit in this seat." Julie: There are things that you take for granted as a thin person that you can't do as a heavy person. And I always did my best to go and do, but you're limited. You can't touch your toes because your belly hits your thighs. You run into yourself. Or you travel and you fill up the seat. Now I don't have to think, "Will the chair hold me?" I still marvel every time I can do something. Steph: Have you noticed a difference in the way other people look at or perceive you? Julie: Yeah. That was one of the really difficult things, because intellectually I know that people should value me the way I am, and I'm the same person fat or thin. But, especially with men I think, "If you don't like me fat, why would you like me thin?" But people do treat me differently. There is in some ways more respect especially with people who knew me heavy. It's interesting because being heavy gives you power in some ways; it gives you anonymity but also power of being present because people can't run you over. When you're littler, though, it's harder because you can do more, but people kind of respect you more. Steph: That's kind of sad. Julie: It really is. There are heavy people who are wonderful people. Steph: Like you, for years, right? Julie: That's exactly right. I'm still me. I've done more things now, and I feel more powerful, but there is a power in being heavy, too. I was afraid of being smaller. Cami: Like would you be allowed to take up space in the world? Is that what it was about? Julie: It was actually more about security for me. You know, no one could grab me and carry me off when I weighed 260 pounds. At my weight now, someone could pick me up if they wanted to. I had to say, "OK, I can handle things. I'm a grown up and it's okay to have that vulnerability." Steph: Do you feel a difference in respect from people who knew you and from those who didn't know you? Julie: There is a huge segment of the population that thinks heavy people are just slobs who don't deserve respect. I was always a strong person who wouldn't let people run over me, but yes the respect thing is weird. Cami: I know you've told me that you're sometimes hesitant to tell people you had the surgery, as if you get fewer points for having lost this weight helped by a surgery instead of doing it all the conventional way. What would you say to people who are trying to make a decision about how they're going to go about changing their life in terms of weight loss? Julie: Some people think the surgery is a bit of a cop out, and I used to think that, too. But you still have to totally change. And thank God the surgery did something for me the first six months to a year; I really didn't care about food for the first time in forty-nine years. I didn't wake up thinking about the food I wanted to eat that day or about the food I couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't eat. So it helped for me, but I still needed to make the good choices about eating the right things, taking my protein, exercising, drinking my fluids. It was hard work either way. Cami: What would you say to others who have struggled with their weight their whole lives and haven't ever been able to achieve their goals? What kind of encouragement would you offer them? Julie: Number one is you have to do it for the right reasons. You have to do it to be healthy and to be able to move and to do. I was tired of my body holding me back. In deciding how you're going to lose the weight you have to weigh out the benefits of a method with the consequences. I learned that… there's a saying that "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." Most heavy people have heard that. And I'd heard it but never believed it. When you have a hundred pounds to lose by denying yourself, it takes forever. You have to get to the point where you believe that it is true. I feel so wonderful being able to move and to do. It was not worth eating a whole box of crackers. I can eat normally. Cami: Thanks Julie. Steph: Thanks for letting me a part of this. Julie: Thank you.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
She Lost More than 100 Pounds!
Julie already lived in our neighborhood of townhomes when Bill and I bought our unit. She was a friendly woman who walked her little Cairn terrier past our window twice a day. Bill and I liked her right away because she was high energy and interested in others. She greeted every neighbor with the same bright smile and series of sincere questions about our well-being. A labor and delivery nurse by profession, Julie had the aura of one who cared.
Julie was also a large woman. In fact, it seemed to us, as we watched from our window (just so you know, the only window in the lower half of all our units looks directly onto the street at street level---we weren't spying) that she was heavy against all odds. Julie walked at least an hour every day in addition to the hours she spent on her feet at the hospital.
As I mentioned in the book, I come from a family of people who struggle with obesity, but in my family people are pretty sedentary. Julie was anything but sedentary and yet she was still fighting more than a hundred extra pounds.
One day, my two little dogs went ballistic as Julie and Miss Ricki passed our window. Bill and I glanced up from what we were doing and noticed that Julie looked like she was losing weight. We commented to each other that she looked good and then went on our way. This happened from time to time over the next several months until one day when our dogs barked, Bill said to me, "Who is that woman walking Miss Ricki this morning?"
I said, "It's Julie, I think."
"She's lost a lot of weight," he said. I looked more closely at her from inside my cozy home and thought, Sure enough! I wonder how she's done it?
Now all this time, we never talked to Julie. It isn't because we are antisocial; it's because Julie worked nights at the hospital, so when she walked passed our window, we were either in our rushed morning routine of getting ready for work or, during her evening walks, having dinner. But then one day, I happened to arrive home just as Julie was heading home from one of her later walks and we started to chat. She had, indeed, lost well over 100 pounds and, it turned out, she was training to run a marathon! So how did she do it? And why now?
Julie has told me that she was "heavy in a family of skinny people" her whole life. She's told me (and I'm authorized to tell you) that she felt loved and accepted by her family and that she loved and accepted herself, but that she knew her weight was taking its toll on her joints and on her ability to move about the world. She'd given herself a target weight decades ago, but had never been able to get there.
Let me assure you that she's at her target now, and she's maintained it for several years at this point. I do a lot more than watch Julie from my window these days. I run with her a few times a week. I also talk to her almost every day as she heads off to the gym or to the pool. She is an inspiration to me, often showing more commitment to her health and goals than I can muster myself.
And that's the end of what I'll say about Julie. Next week I'll be interviewing her and transcribing the interview so you can hear from her yourself. If you have questions you'd like me ask her, send 'em on to me.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
DLF on the Sunset Loop
Bill and I woke up to torrential rain that day. The wind was blowing and the downpour was coming in sideways, as it does sometimes around here. The plan was to suit up and drive to Anacortes for the Sunset Loop Relay run. Most participants would be in teams of four, each taking one 2.5-mile loop before passing the baton to the next runner. Bill wanted to get about 17 miles in last weekend as part of his training for the Boston Marathon, so he planned to do the full 10 miles on his own. And since I've been feeling ready to ramp up beyond six miles in a single run (my foot isn't totally healed, but it's much improved), I decided to come along for the ride/run.
When we saw the weather, Bill balked. Nobody loves to run in the pouring rain, but we do it often enough that I was surprised how adamant he was about not setting foot on the trail if it didn't let up that morning. Anacortes is an hour from our house, so we decided to take a chance that the weather would shift before we got there and, guess what? It did.
Once we had arrived in Anacortes, there was not another rain drop!
Here's the thing about doing a race in which most of the other runners are taking turns: They run only a fraction of what you run. That seems obvious, of course, but when Bill predicted I would finish LAST, I realized he was right. Always at the back of the pack, there's only one other time I ever remember coming in last. It was a 30K at Birch Bay. In that run there were two people behind me the whole race but somewhere before the finish, they bailed out, so although I finished last, I wasn't last on the course. This race stood the chance of being my first DLF (Dead Last Finish) fair and square.
I wasn't vying for the honor of DLF, mind you, but I was prepared for the possibility. And sure enough, as soon as I did the first loop, I was pretty sure the course was going to take me longer than everyone else. Don't ask me how you can run in a circle and still be going UP hill the whole way, but we did. Actually, the course was gorgeous. There were views of the water at several points and the whole paved drive was accessorized with the beautiful red bark of Madrona trees. But the route consisted of long, winding ups with sharp, short downs, which made me feel as if I could barely catch my breath before climbing again.
I'm happy to report that my foot felt good and my legs were working well for me, so I ran the whole course until the last lap when I walked part of the biggest hill. Bill joined me for that final loop and I'll admit to accepting the Prague Push for one of biggies, too. I came over the finish line at 2:08:58 - not bad I felt, but still DLF!
You don't get a prize for for being DLF, but you do get to know that you kept going longer than everyone else. Let's take pride in whatever we can. Life is short, why not?
Friday, March 11, 2011
Japan Earthquake
Today, we're watching horrifying pictures coming out of Japan, a country we have a lot of connection to and affection for. Bill spent his day fielding emails to and about his students as they attempted to make contact with their families and friends. I touched bases with most of my friends, too, and confirmed that they are OK. So far the news is that everyone we know is safe. The main issue for our friends in Tokyo has been that people could not get home from work yesterday. Everyone I've heard from has said that the trains in the city were not working and they therefore had to sleep at their offices. Most have made their way back home by now.
Once again, I'm grateful for those in my life who are safe and incredibly thankful for the kind and generous spirit that tragedy calls out of people. The Red Cross has some information about how they are helping with the disaster in Japan, as does World Vision, in case you are interested in donating to the rescue and recovery efforts.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
'Bout this time of year, I'm dreaming about travel. It's almost time for Spring Break and Summer is around the corner. My friend, Carol, just left today for an eight day trip to India. It's her first international trip, and when I heard that she had this opportunity, I was 95% happy for her and 5% jealous, as any good friend should be.
While she was preparing for her trip, she asked me if I had any packing advice. As it turns out, I do. Below is a re-post (with a couple of revisions) of my advice from The Spirited Woman site where I post weekly with travel ideas, advice and insight:
Packing 101:
I NEVER check a bag when I travel by air - no matter where I'm going or how long I'll be there.
There are several reasons for this. First of all, nowadays checking a bag costs extra on most airlines. And while I've heard of airlines charging even for carry-on luggage, most will still let you bring one small piece into the cabin. Second, I need to be free of encumbrances, and there's nothing that weighs me down more than a big ol' suitcase full of stuff I may or may not use. Third, and most personal, compact packing has become a little game my husband and I play.
On our last trip, to Anchorage, Alaska for the Humpy's Marathon, Bill and I were debarking the shuttle bus we rode to the airport and, as the driver was handing me my little suitcase, he said, "Wow, you must have nothing in here. How do you travel so light!" That's right, I won the lightest luggage contest on that trip - even with all my running gear in my bag. In fact, I usually win because Bill can't sleep without (and therefore has to pack) his favorite pillow. Yay for me.
So how does a woman pack everything she needs into a 22" X 14" X 9" case, especially if she cares about how she looks? Rick Steves, travel guru, has a terrific list of essentials that helped to get me started, but I have some additional tips to help you get everything you need on the plane with you:
**Pack only what you need for the climate you're going to. Take the chance that you'll have to purchase something on your trip. I've rarely had to do it.
**Plan to wash your clothes. You really need no more than two or three of anything (shirts, underwear, socks, etc.) if you bring the right items, even if you need to dress up on your trip.
**If you don't need them for work, forget all electronics except your e-book reader and your phone. Almost every hotel, hostel or motel will have a computer you can use to access email.
**Find a hair style that doesn't require heat. If you don't need your hairdryer and your other hair appliances, you reduce your need for space significantly.
**In terms of cosmetics, bring only one of each of the following: eye shadow, liner/pencil, foundation, lipstick, blush and mascara. Bring your favorites.
**Wear your heaviest clothing on the plane. Your running shoes and fleece jacket take up a lot of room in your bag, so put them on your body.
**If you travel often, invest in compact or mini-versions of everything you use on a daily bases. Items such as deodorant, alarm clock, purse, and journal, as well as many other things we use on a regular bases, can be purchased in smaller versions than we have in our homes.
A traveler wants to be able to focus on enjoying her experiences when she's gallivanting around the world. She doesn't need to spend her precious time worrying about how to lug heavy suitcases from place to place. Next time you take a trip, try packing LESS than you think you need and see what happens.


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Continuation War
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Continuation War was a war between Finland and the Soviet Union. It was fought between June 25, 1941 and September 19, 1944. The ceasefire started on September 4 at 7.00 am in the Finnish side. The Soviet Union's ceasefire started on September 5. The first peace treaty was signed on September 19 and the final one on February 10, 1947 in Paris.


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Subject: [htdig] template solution sought
From: Malcolm Austen (firstname.lastname@example.com)
Date: Fri Jul 21 2000 - 02:23:42 PDT
Well, I have a solution but can't help feeling that it's not the right
solution. I have a requirement for something less terse than Long/Short
and And/Or/Boolean in the $(FORMAT) and $(METHOD) boxes.
I can deal with $(METHOD) with:
method_names: and "Search for all of the above words" \
or "Search for any of the above words" \
Boolean "Treat the search words as a Boolean expression"
because method_names takes a quoted_string.
However, template_map just takes a string so I've ended up with:
template_map: \
Just the Title of the pages found \
builtin-short builtin-short \
Title and Summary of the pages found \
builtin-long builtin-long
which works (but is it guaranteed to work?) but just looks like it's the
wrong solution.
Maybe I need to spend another hour reading the documentation but a pointer
to confirm the solution really is there would be appreciated.
| Malcolm Austen, Tel: +44(0) 1865 273216
| Oxford University Computing Services, Fax: +44(0) 1865 273275
| 13 Banbury Road, Email - firstname.lastname@example.com
| Oxford, OX2 6NN, England WWW - http://users.ox.ac.uk/~malcolm/
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Thu Jul 20 2000 - 16:24:17 PDT


text:
VAIL-L ArchivesArchiver > VAIL > 2003-07 > 1058735685
Subject: [VAIL] Re: Ephraim Vail
Date: 20 Jul 2003 15:14:45 -0600
This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
Message Board Post:
I would like to exchange information. I am mainly working on Ephraim Vail Furby (1820-1863) son of Margaret Vail Furby (married in Ohio). Ephraim Vail Furby's son Ephraim Vail Furby (1863-1942) was born in Iowa also. There should be a connection.
Could you please either post a reply or contact me at
Thanks, John Furby
This thread: