text:
I know that yesterday I was complaining about the heat but I came up with a temporary solution yesterday afternoon. I was in desperate need of something cold to drink and I really wanted a smoothie. We had frozen strawberries and frozen peaches in the freezer from back when I went through a smoothie stage about six months ago but nothing else. Then I found a bottle of V8 Splash Strawberry Kiwi juice from back when all I wanted to do was drink 8 gallons of juice a day early in my pregnancy. I figured I would just try and make a smoothie with these three ingredients and see what happened. I didn't use ice because the fruit was frozen and holy moly was it good.It tasted just as good, if not better, than any smoothie I have ever had at Smoothie King or Planet Smoothie back at home. I have had three since my discovery yesterday and now I am out of all my ingredients!! I know that there is probably not much nutritional value to my new discovery but I don't care because they taste so good! Now I know what I will be stocking up on at the commissary next week!
I head to the doctor in the morning and I am really looking forward to it. Should be fun to see baby Evans again. He has been moving up a storm and is pretty happy to keep me hobbling to the bathroom 7-8 times a night. Hard to believe he could be here in 8 weeks! Or earlier! But hopefully not later!!!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
How to beat the heat
I know that yesterday I was complaining about the heat but I came up with a temporary solution yesterday afternoon. I was in desperate need of something cold to drink and I really wanted a smoothie. We had frozen strawberries and frozen peaches in the freezer from back when I went through a smoothie stage about six months ago but nothing else. Then I found a bottle of V8 Splash Strawberry Kiwi juice from back when all I wanted to do was drink 8 gallons of juice a day early in my pregnancy. I figured I would just try and make a smoothie with these three ingredients and see what happened. I didn't use ice because the fruit was frozen and holy moly was it good.It tasted just as good, if not better, than any smoothie I have ever had at Smoothie King or Planet Smoothie back at home. I have had three since my discovery yesterday and now I am out of all my ingredients!! I know that there is probably not much nutritional value to my new discovery but I don't care because they taste so good! Now I know what I will be stocking up on at the commissary next week!
Posted by Gleatie at 12:20 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Holy Heatwave
Remember all winter when I whined and moaned and groaned about how cold and wet and dreary it was here in Germany? Someone please smack me now! It is HOT in Germany right now. The car temperature gauge said 107 when I got in it after lunch (yes, I know that this was in no way accurate but still.....). My best guess is that it is around 88-90 degrees here and it has been like this for a week or so now. Now before all you Atlantan family members start reminding me that there is currently a heat index of over 100 in Atlanta right now let me take a minute to remind y'all of a few things.
1. Our house is not air conditioned. Yes, we have lovely marble floors that like to remain cool all winter but that is just not working in our house right now.
2. Our house is 4 full floors. I could say 5 floors if I wanted to count the split levels but for the sake of arguement, I'll say 4. Our bedroom is on the 3rd floor. Heat rises.
3. I am currently 1 day shy of being 8 months pregnant. I haven't complained much about being pregnant because everything for the most part has been great so far. But now I am officially HUGE and therefore, I am hot. Enough said.
So, while I am enjoying seeing the sun and all, I just wanted to point out that even though it is not as hot here as it is at home, it is still uncomfortably warm. My solutions for the day have been simple. I stayed in our bedroom (which has the most glorious portable AC unit known to man) until it was time for me to meet Deaner for lunch. From lunch I went to the airfield to mail a package (post office = not air conditioned, thus almost passed out). Then to the PX to get Deaner some new sunglasses. While I love him dearly, I can't stand that the glasses he is currently wearing are being held together with actual silver duct tape.I'm not exactly sure how they broke but there is a reason that I am allowed to wear expensive Ray-Bans while he wears $17.99 Foster Grants from the PX! :) From there I went to the air conditioned commissary where I managed to spend $50 on mainly liquids. We now have enough water, gatorade, snapple and diet cherry coke to last us thru this heat wave. And maybe a couple boxes of Mac & Cheese that I have been loving so much. Finally, after working up a sweat carrying all those drinks up to our drink fridge, I am back in our bedroom with the AC blasting right on me. About two hours til Deaner returns home from the gym and then I will be forced to sit downstairs for a bit and eat dinner. I'm hoping that this heat lets up soon!! Happy Tuesday!
Posted by Gleatie at 9:27 AM 2 comments
Sunday, June 27, 2010
It's Been Awhile
I didn't really have any intention of not blogging the latter part of last week but it just happened that way! We had a lot going on it felt like and I just didn't get around to it. So now I have lots to update y'all on. Thursday I drove over to a much larger base than where we live and met a fellow blogger, Casey, from Ever Changing Life of a Military Wife for lunch. We had never met before even though we have become friends via gchat (I know it sounds weird) and we decided it was time to meet before she moves to Turkey next week. Lunch was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed meeting her and her friend Sarah. They were neither lame nor weird! :)
Unfortunately when I got in the car to head back home I had a message letting me know that Deaner's sweet grandfather, Pa-pa, had passed away. He had been sick and we knew it was coming but it never matters once it happens because it is still sad. Pa-pa was a great man and he will be greatly missed by his wife, three daughters, six grandchildren, two great grandchilden and the two great grandchildren that are still on the way.Deaner and I were really sad that we weren't able to be home with the family this weekend for his funeral but it just wasn't feasible. Everyone say a little prayer for Deaner's family this week if you have a chance.
Friday was a pretty fun day as well. I met Deaner for lunch and picked up some packages that were delivered to me. The diaper pail that gave me so much anxiety arrived and now I don't have to think about it anymore! Deaner was at the BMW dealership later that afternoon and came home with this AWESOME toy for Evans.He said he couldn't resist and I think that it is just about as cute as it gets. Plus it is perfectly appropriate for us living here in Germany! There is no denying that our child will be stylish!
Friday night we had dinner with a friend of ours whose family is at home right now in the States without him. It was an early night because we had to get up early on Saturday morning for our wine buying trip to France! Steph and Jon came over around 9am and we ventured out for our adventure. We made it to Cora, which is basically like a Wal-Mart, right over the French border in a couple of hours. Once there we started loading up on French wines. It was a lot of fun and we all left with some great loot. Since it was our first trip we will see how we like our selections and alter it for next time we head there. We came home with 58 bottles of wine to add to our collection! I had every intention of snapping a shot of our "wine cellar" but I'm just too tired now to go back downstairs. Sorry! Sunday was relaxing and we didn't do much. It is starting to get hot in Germany which means that I am starting to move slower and slower with this belly. God help me over the next two months!
Today has been a productive Monday. I got up and went over to Steph's house and got my roots touched up. Thank goodness. Then we went and ate at our favorite place, Vapiano. YUM! Now I am home and on the couch! Of course I am doing laundry too but I am dreading have to get up to fold it when the dryer beeps! I hope that everyone had a great weekend and here's to a quick week!! I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday and then we are heading to the mountains for the long weekend!!!
Posted by Gleatie at 3:32 PM 3 comments
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
31 Week Baby Bump
31 weeks today and here is what I look like! Since I actually got up early this morning, showered, dressed and was out the door by 9:30am I figured it was a good time to take another picture. Especially because I was wearing black and don't look AS huge! I have to admit though, when I took this I hadn't eaten anything yet. I took another picture after lunch that I will post in a second. I met Deaner over at the hospital we are planning to deliver at, at 10am this morning. The patient liasion from the base met us there to give us a tour. It was extremely helpful and I am super glad that we did it. The biggest difference from the States seems to be the size. I am used to Atlanta, where Northside Hospital delivers 14,000 babies a year, more than any hospital in the country. Whenever I have visited people there it is a maze to find them and the size is totally overwhelming. This hospital's maternity ward was contained to one hall!! I couldn't believe it. But it was really nice and I think I will be happy there. The big bonus? AC in the delivery room. This is a must in my book! I'll probably die when they move me to my real room and maybe I will have to beg to stay in the delivery room! :)
I was also able to pre-register at the hospital today. Thank goodness they let me do it while I was there because the next appointment available was July 26th! I would have been a nervous wreck waiting until then. Plus, I wouldn't have had the translator with me and it would have been much harder. I felt a million times better when we left the hospital and I think that Deaner did too. Now we know what to do and where to go when the time comes. After our tour we had a quick lunch by Deaner's office so he could get back to work. He has to leave work at 3:30pm so he can get home in time for the US vs. Algeria game today! When I got home I realized how much bigger my belly was so I snapped another shot!Wouldn't y'all say that the belly grew over the course of a few hours! Oh well, I guess it is getting to be about that time! As of last week I had gained 14 pounds and I am starting to wonder just how much more I am going to pack on before Evans arrives.
Yesterday I realized that I did not have a laundry basket for Evans room yet. I quickly got online and was excited to find this liner on Pottery Barn Kids, on sale, for $5.99!I had Evans' name monogrammed on it in royal blue and bought a plain white hamper at the PX to go with it. The monogram actually cost more than the liner did but I think it is cute and worth it. Can't wait for it to arrive! My mom also sent me this picture of the cutest outfit ever that my sweet Aunt Kay sent for Evans. I think it will be perfect for the 4th of July next summer! What do y'all think?ADORABLE! My mom will bring it when she comes in August. Thanks Aunt Kay and Uncle Frank!
Anyways, I am off for a quick rest before the soccer frenzy starts again. The US plays at 4pm and Germany at 8:30pm. Our neighborhood is probably going to get ROWDY! Let's just hope that Germany wins this time! And this is the last chance for the US. Happy Humpday!!
Posted by Gleatie at 7:18 AM 7 comments
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
A Lot of Nothing
Not having a project or a chore to do during the day really makes the day go by slowly! Whew! I really have to make more of an effort on days like this just to get out of the house. However, I was semi productive today with a few things. I spoke with my doctor and she agreed to TRY to deliver Evans if she could. I have to understand that there is a chance she won't be able to make it because of her own children at home and I think I can live with that. I'll just hope for the best. Secondly, I found out that I could schedule a tour of the hospital thru the base with a patient liasion even though we don't have the same insurance as military families. Deaner and I are going to see the hospital tomorrow morning at 10:00am and I am hoping that the patient liasion can help me set up an appointment to pre-register with the hospital. Who knew that there was so much stuff that went into having a baby? I seriously was under the impression that you went into labor and just showed up at the hospital. Not so much. Thirdly, I called the pediatrician that I want to use and asked what all I needed to do prior to Evans arriving. Thankfully I don't have to do anything!! I just have to call when he is born and set up an appointment! That is a relief!
Besides that, I haven't done much today. Just waiting for Deaner to come home from work. I'm sure there are some soccer games on TV tonight! Gag! Deaner and I have planned a wine buying trip to France for this Saturday. Steph and Jon are going to join us and I am really looking forward to it. Don't ask me why, since I can't even drink it but I guess I am looking forward to stock piling it for when I can drink again! Plus, we can eat at Chili's on the way back to Wiesbaden!! Buying wine in France and eat at Chili's don't really go hand and hand but see if I care!!
Anyways, I'm off. Hope everyone has a good Tuesday!
Posted by Gleatie at 9:45 AM 1 comments
Monday, June 21, 2010
Baby Deaner's Glamour Shots
Here is what Baby Evans is looking like these days! I know that it can be confusing to look at ultrasound pictures if you aren't used to them (I still have to get the doctor to point out everything to me each time because I am really bad at it) but this is a semi profile shot of Evans. In the second picture you can see his little hands as well. The giant slope is his nose. I'm a little concerned about how big it appears to be but I have been reassured that it is completely normal for it to look like that. I just can't believe that he is getting so big and will be here so soon. If I make it until my due date he will be here in 9 weeks! Yikes! A friend of mine who was 7 weeks ahead of me had her baby this weekend and that really freaks me out. At least I am super obsessive and got everything done so early. My nursery is complete except for the glider and there is nothing I can do about that now. I have diapers and wipes and pretty much everything else I could think of ready to go! Just waiting on the baby now! I head back to the doctor next Thursday and then if all goes according to plan, Deaner and I leave for Garmish on Friday for a long weekend of relaxing in the Bavarian Alps. I'm really looking forward to it!
I hope that everyone had a good weekend! Friday afternoon Deaner came home from work early and we had some friends over to watch the US World Cup match down by the river. Things were not looking good for the US but surprisingly they still pulled out a tie somehow. Afterwards we all went out to dinner and then back to our house to watch the England match. Have I mentioned I am a bit sick of soccer? Saturday morning we got up and Deaner wanted to go eat lunch at this Strawberry Festival that was taking place in the next town over this past weekend. He dropped me off while he went to park the car and I thought that things seemed a bit quite for a festival to be going on. I rounded the corner and found this.Some festival huh? Totally deserted! I guess things didn't kick up until much later in the afternoon! I know that Deaner was disappointed because he was looking forward to it but he felt much better since we went and ate at the Brauhaus that he likes so much. Nothing like two lunch beers to bring your spirit up! I wouldn't know it has been so long!
Saturday night Steph and Jon came over for more soccer watching and a mexican fiesta! We all ate way too much and it was a fun evening. Sunday was a really lazy day for us. I'm sure you can guess by now that we watched MORE soccer, I wrote some thank you notes and basically we chilled out all day which was nice. Today I met Deaner for lunch and then ran to the commissary. I've changed the sheets on our bed, done laundry and started dinner. Very productive in my mind! Strawberries were on sale at the commissary today for $.78 for a huge carton and I got two. Yum! They are sliced up now and chilling in the fridge waiting for me to eat them! I hope this is a fast week so I can get back to the doctor and then off on vacation! Happy Monday to everyone!
Posted by Gleatie at 10:40 AM 6 comments
Thursday, June 17, 2010
10 Weeks and Counting
Really 9 weeks and 6 days if you want to get down to the nitty gritty. Or 69 days, but who is counting that closely?!? ME! My doctor's appointment this morning went pretty well. Apparently my cervix is getting a little shorter so I have to sort of take things easy for awhile. No more moving furniture for me. I also had to be hooked up to the fetal heart monitor for a little while to make sure I wasn't having contractions and that everything was okay with the baby. Everything checked out and I go back in 2 weeks. Evans was moving all around on the ultrasound and he already weighs about 4 pounds! Again, I am a little annoyed at my doctor's office because they are closing for THREE WEEKS right at the time I would start going every week. What bad luck is that? I don't want to have to go to another doctor right at the end of my pregnancy. Ugh. Just another thing to worry about.
After my appointment I wasn't able to have lunch with Deaner. Since I had to unexpectedly be hooked up to the fetal heart monitor for 30 minutes, he had to head back to the office. I headed to the toy store on the base afterwards to buy a baby monitor. Deaner's sweet aunt, Susan, sent Evans a very generous baby gift and I am planning on buying the rest of the big things that we need. Of course the diaper pail that I had my eye on is out of stock (AGAIN) so I will have to wait, but I did get the monitor. My list shrinks by the day. Thanks Susan! I know you are reading!
Anyone else excited that tomorrow is Friday? I know I am. I just wish I wasn't marking days by tomorrow being Germany vs. Serbia , US vs. Slovenia, and England vs. Algeria. Saturday is otherwise known as "the rest of the games". How many more weeks of this? Happy Thursday!
Posted by Gleatie at 12:32 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Happy Humpday
I have got to get some more exciting things to post about! Our trip to Brussels was pretty good, nothing out of the ordinary. We got in around 5 or so on Monday and after whichever World Cup game was on we went and ordered a big ole giant pizza at Pizza Hut for dinner. YUM!!!!! It was just what I wanted! And I may or may not regret it when I get on the scale at the doctor's office tomorrow morning! Tuesday morning I went with Deaner to his meeting so that we could leave Brussels directly from the meeting and head home. We don't normally do things like this so it was a bit different. After his meeting we had to have lunch with the people he had been meeting with, which was fine, but it pushed us back several more hours. We didn't get home until after 5 last night. Neither of us felt like cooking so we went to the pizza place down the street (yes, pizza again!). And that was pretty much our day! Boring I know!
Today I got up, showered, picked up Subway for Deaner for lunch, dropped it off to him, went to the commissary, spent an outrageous amount of money on things we needed but will hold us for awhile, and then headed home! I have taken a walk and now I am watching Days of Our Lives, which I'm just sort of over. I think that the exhaustion that I felt in the first trimester of pregnancy has returned. I am SO tired during the day for about the past week or so. The only problem is that once 8pm or so hits, I'm wide awake. So it doesn't help me sleep any better at night. And I'm trying so hard not to nap during the day because that pretty much guarentees that I won't be able to sleep at night. Having to get up 6 times a night to use the bathroom doesn't help. Ugh.
As of today, 10 more weeks til Evans makes his debut. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning and feel like I have a million and one questions for my doctor. I found out while I was in Greece that my doctor has decided she no longer is going to be delivering her patient's baby's anymore. WHAT? Nice time to let us know huh? 10 weeks before they baby is due. She said we would discuss it at my next appointment so I am really interested to see how that plays out. Keep your fingers crossed for us, I'm getting pretty anxious about the whole thing.
Maybe tomorrow I will have more exciting news! Perhaps a cuter picture of the baby if he cooperates! Happy Humpday to everyone!
Posted by Gleatie at 9:43 AM 3 comments
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Weekend Recap a day early
I know I am not typically a Sunday poster but we are leaving to go to Brussels in the morning and I am not positive that I will have time to post tomorrow. Just a quick overnight trip for us but I never know what sort of sightseeing and playing around we will do once we get there. I hope that everyone had a great weekend! We sure did! Friday night our friends had a small baby shower/get together for us at their house and we had a great time. I didn't even realize that it was midnight before we left! My friend Barbara made us the CUTEST diaper cake I have ever seen. I don't think that I ever want to take it apart. The first pictures I took at Barbara's house but once I got home I was able to take some close ups so you can see the detail on the diaper cake.I mean, how cute is that! Deaner and I both agreed that we can't take it apart for now because it is so great. So now it's new home is on the windowsill of Evans' room. And yes, those are the vineyards in the background that are already looking so pretty. I swear, the baby has the nicest room in the house!Now that I have shown y'all 23894 pictures of the diaper cake....
The rest of the weekend was fun as well. We watched A LOT of soccer and I sort of think that this might be a long 5 weeks of World Cup. Saturday and Sunday have pretty much run together for me. Next weekend I might demand that the games be TIVO'd and that we take a wine buying trip to France! I might as well stock up for August when I can enjoy a drink again! Hope everyone has a great FAST week!
Posted by Gleatie at 2:44 PM 3 comments
Thursday, June 10, 2010
All Hail....
The greatest most awesome and wonderful invention on earth. Helping pregnant people across Europe (who are smart enough to buy one) sleep one night at a time. The machine that allows me not to dread bedtime quite as much as I used to in previous weeks. I bring to you........My portable air conditioning unit! God's gift to pregnant people who live in houses in Germany without AC. Seriously, it is not that hot here (nothing like living in Atlanta with no AC) but being seven months pregnant does not do a girl any favors when sleeping in a stagnant room. Before, Deaner and I got away with lots and lots of fans but we realized early on that it wasn't going to cut it this summer. We bought this portable unit from someone selling it on base and yesterday I demanded that it be set up (after a particularly warm night). Pure and utter bliss. When I woke up the 5th time to pee during the night I didn't even mind because I got to return to cool crisp sheets! I'm actually looking forward to bed tonight! :)
Today was about the most boring day of my life. When I woke up I knew I had nothing to do and when I took a shower I knew I had nowhere to go and when I cleaned my whole house I knew that it wasn't like it was for anyone coming over. It made for a very very long day! When Deaner came home from work he decided he didn't want to eat dinner here so we went out to a little pizza place in the neighboring town. It was a pleasant evening. On the way home we stopped off down by the wine stand at the river because we were curious about a set up that has been being built for a few days now. Turns out it is a giant TV screen for all the world cup games! And several wine stands, beer stands and tons of beergarten tables as well! Looks like they will be showing ALL the world cup games there. Deaner just stated that if I was ever looking for him I should automatically know where he is! Here are a few pictures (bad quality from iphone).
I have a feeling it is going to be a long 5 weeks! Thank god tomorrow is Friday! I am ready for the weekend! Monday we are heading to Brussels so hopefully it will make next week go by quickly. Deaner booked us three nights in the Bavarian Alps over the 4th of July at the Edelweiss Lodge in Garmish so now I have one last trip to look forward to!!
Posted by Gleatie at 2:24 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Getting Closer Everyday!
Today I am 29 weeks and counting! Exactly 11 weeks until Evans' due date on August 25th. Sometimes it seems like it is quickly approaching and other times it seems like it will never get here. Regardless, I am almost finished with Evans' room and I am happy with the results. The only thing we are waiting on now is the glider, which was one giant pain in the butt. Typically no stores/companies will ship something as large as a glider to our APO box and I was starting to get really nervous about it. We found ONE glider in all of Mann Mobilia and it was ugly and expensive. On a whim I checked out AAFES.com and was irritated to find out that they DID have gliders but wouldn't ship to APO's. Seriously? A military website that doesn't ship to APO's? Very irritating. As my last hope I went to the AAFES store on the base and asked if they could order the glider for me. SUCCESS!! Not only is the glider ordered, it was inexpensive and I don't have to pay shipping! It could take 12 weeks for it to get here but I really don't care at this point, it is finished!
On Monday, Steph and I hit up Ikea and I bought a bookcase for the nursery. I needed a place to put picture frames, book and other assorted knick knacks. I was nervous that it wouldn't look right but I was super happy with how it turned out. And I even put it together all by myself! I have the bruises under my arms to prove I hauled it upstairs all by myself! Here is how it looks.And I have plenty of room to put more things in there as I get them. When we got home from Greece on Friday I was super excited to find that the rest of the boxes from my shower in Atlanta had arrived as well as the Pottery Barn Kids boxes of the cutest rocking horse EVER and the changing table boxes. Here are pictures of both all set up!My Aunt Kay bought us this super cute lamb chair from Pottery Barn Kids and it arrived as well in the box of shower gifts. He (the lamb chair) is currently sitting where the glider is going to go but he likes his home for the time being.And a close up shot of the crib only because you can see some of the great blankets and animals that we got at our shower. As soon as the glider gets here I will be able to move some of the blanket to it but for now they are all stacked up on the crib. I am well aware that a baby would hardly fit in the crib at this point!Finally, last but certainly not least is my favorite picture that I have taken of Deaner in awhile.He wanted to watch me open up all the shower stuff but waking up at 3:45am to make our flight in Santorini took it's toll on him immediately afterwards. I can assure you that he is not faking and that he slept like that for several hours! Too funny.
Anyways, now that they room is pretty much done I hope I can relax a little bit. I spent today cleaning the house up because I feel like I need to get ahead. I am very aware that it will probably have to be done again before 11 weeks is up but I'm going to try hard to keep it clean. My laundry room has never been cleaner! Tomorrow I need to tackle the kitchen, dining room and den. Yikes! Happy Humpday to everyone!
Posted by Gleatie at 2:23 PM 6 comments
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Picture Wrap Up
I don't want to bore everyone to death with the details of our whole trip so I am going to try and hit the highlights today and move on with my life! It is raining in Germany and it seems like we were in Greece MONTHS ago! Tuesday was another relaxing day for me by the pool. Deaner went on a hike and then joined me again. I decided at sunset that I would let him take a couple pictures of my baby belly.I am pretty sure that it grew on this trip thanks to the delicious food! Wednesday was our (my) adventure day. We rented this super cute Smart Car.....Which was delivered to our hotel bright and early on Wednesday morning. We set out for breakfast in Fira, a trip to Ancient Thira and a visit to Oia. First we had breakfast/lunch across the street from this really high class OB/GYN's office.Nice huh? I am quite glad that I didn't require this guy's services while I was on vacation! :) Afterward our snack we headed to Ancient Thira. I was not as thrilled about this little excursion because it required some hiking and it was pretty hot. Here are a few shots of the view from the way up.You can see the black sand beaches from atop the ruins site. The views were incredible.I have to admit that I didn't do as much exploring as Deaner did once we got up to the top. I pretty much parked myself on a bench and gazed at the water but Deaner was a much better tourist. These ancient ruins just didn't do much for me after seeing the Acropolis in Athens!!Now, on to more interesting pictures! After Ancient Thira I may or may not have been a little bit cranky from the hiking and heat. We stopped off at the black sand beach of Kamari just to have a look before heading to Oia. The beach was not exactly what I would want in a beach but it was neat and different. Look how large the pebbles are on the beach! Nothing like the white sand of Florida!My spirits were lifted somewhat when we arrived in Oia. Oia sits on the far edge of Santorini and has spectacular views and supposedly the best sunsets on the island. We had a light lunch here and walked the length of the town. It was really hot in the middle of the day but the pictures made it worth it.And finally, I am just going to post a few random pictures from the rest of the vacation that will show you just how lovely Santorini was. I do believe that it was hard to take a bad picture here. Unless of course your skirt blew up from the wind! Our hotel...Another belly bump picture. Getting progressively bigger!Cute picture of us if I wasn't so puffy looking.View of Fira.And finally the sunset on the last night. It was a bit windy!And that concludes my 8 million pictures. I hope I didn't bore everyone to tears. It was a nice break from nursery pictures I know! And tomorrow I am sure I will have more to post of those since I have just about finished everything up! I managed to order a glider today and while it is going to take ages to get here, at least I know it is on the way and I don't have to worry about it anymore! Happy Tuesday everyone!
Posted by Gleatie at 11:35 AM 3 comments


text:
Posts Tagged 'general programming techniques'
Test-Driven Development (TDD)
This IEEE paper finds out during their research that test -first method of programming gives more productivity then any other method. They wrote that formalizing a piece of functionality as a test and code it in such a way that the test passes.
"We found that test-first students on average wrote more tests and, in turn, students who wrote more tests tended to be more productive. We also observed that the minimum quality increased linearly with the number of programmer tests, independent of the development strategy employed."
Paper explains why TDD offers more productivity:
We believe that the observed productivity advantage of Test-First subjects is due to a number of synergistic effects:
- Better task understanding. Writing a test before implementing the underlying functionality requires
the programmer to express the functionality unambiguously.
- Better task focus. Test-First advances one test case at a time. A single test case has a limited scope. Thus, the programmer is engaged in a decomposition process in which larger pieces of functionality are broken down to smaller, more manageable chunks. While developing the functionality for a single test, the cognitive load of the programmer is lower.
- Faster learning. Less productive and coarser decomposition strategies are quickly abandoned in favor of more productive, finer ones.
- Lower rework effort. Since the scope of a single test is limited, when the test fails, rework is easier. When rework immediately follows a short burst of testing and implementation activity, the problem context is still fresh in the programmer's mind. With a high number of focused tests, when a test fails, the root cause is more easily pinpointed. In addition, more frequent regression testing shortens the feedback cycle. When new functionality interferes with old functionality, this situation is revealed faster. Small problems are detected before they become serious and costly.
Test-First also tends to increase the variation in productivity. This effect is attributed to the relative difficulty of the technique, which is supported by the subjects' responses to the post-questionnaire and by the observation that higher skill subjects were able to achieve more significant productivity benefits.
To learn more read the full paper available in downloadable pdf.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Apparently, the desire still burns in Landon Donovan.
Days after wondering publicly how much longer he will have the hunger to play at an elite level, Donovan scored his first international hat trick in five years, leading the Americans over Scotland 5-1 in an exhibition game Saturday night.
As the Americans began a stretch of five games in 18 days, Donovan returned to the U.S. national team following an eight-month absence.
"I don't want to be mistaken for not caring," Donovan said. "I care, and I like being a part of this team. I'm a professional, and I know how to do my job. I've been doing this a long time."
Donovan beat goalkeeper Allan McGregor on the rebound of his own initial shot in the third minute, then added goals in the 60th from a Jermaine Jones layback and in the 65th off a Michael Bradley pass. Donovan raised his career total to 49 goals with his third international hat trick and made an American record 125th international start, one more than the previous mark set by defender Jeff Agoos from 1988-03.
"Tonight was one of those nights when most things went right," Donovan said. "While most goals fell to me, a lot of people did a lot of things right to make that happen."
Donovan scored four goals against Cuba in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July 2003 and had three against El Salvador in a March 2007 exhibition.
The U.S. had won three consecutive games by a score of 1-0, including a victory at Italy, but entered talking of generating offensive firepower as the Americans prepare for World Cup qualifying.
"Now, we have Landon back and he gave us the goals," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "We can't complain tonight."
On the sixth anniversary of his national team debut, Bradley scored on a spectacular 30-yard, right-footed half-volley in the 11th minute. Jones got his second international goal in the 70th off an assist from Donovan, who had skipped eight national team matches in a row because of injuries and commitments to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
"Obviously, we were very pleased," Klinsmann said. "I think we set the tone and kept the rhythm through the entire game. Obviously, as a coach it was fun to watch."
Scotland scored in the 15th minute when American defender Geoff Cameron chested Kenny Miller's header past Tim Howard for an own goal.
The U.S. has won five straight following an 1-4-1 start under Klinsmann, who replaced Bob Bradley after the 4-2 loss to Mexico in last year's Gold Cup final.
Forward Terrence Boyd got his first start for the U.S., which used an attacking 4-3-3 formation. Midfielder Joe Corona entered in the second half for his national team debut. Fabian Johnson was at left back, a position he played for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, paired with Steve Cherundolo on the right.
"Tonight, you saw many elements of what we're always talking about, what we're trying step-by-step to develop," Klinsmann said. "It's a fast-paced game. All those elements I think we saw a lot today. It's obviously a lot more difficult to play that way against Brazil or Italy, but the players they understand more and more what we're trying to achieve. Today, it was really fun to watch."
Clint Dempsey - who has not played together with Donovan under Klinsmann - missed the match while recovering from a groin strain. Jozy Altidore also missed the game because AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands refused to let him report until Monday.
Before a crowd of 44,438 - the largest to see the national team in Florida - the Americans wore new home jerseys with red-and-white horizontal stripes and silver numbers that were hard to read from a distance. Names were restored to players' jerseys for the first time since Klinsmann took over.
"It was really a fun night to be a part of," Donovan said.
Preparing for the start of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, the U.S. plays Brazil on Wednesday at Landover, Md., and Canada next Saturday at Toronto. The Americans open qualifying on June 8 against Antigua and Barbuda at Tampa, Fla., then play at Guatemala on June 12.
The U.S. won by four goals for the first time since beating Grenada 4-0 in the 2009 Gold Cup and the Americans scored five for the first time since routing Cuba 6-1 in a World Cup qualifier in 2008. The U.S. had not scored five goals against a European opponent since beating Norway 5-0 in 2006.
"It went well," Klinsmann said. "What we want to do is take the approach of pushing ourselves from game to game and not think about what we just did. We just want to think about what's next and what's next is Brazil. That's another challenge and another learning curve for us."
Scotland lost by four goals for the first time since a 4-0 defeat at Norway in a World Cup qualifier on Aug. 12, 2009.
The Scots, who failed to qualify for the European Championship, are now off until an Aug. 15 exhibition against Australia in Edinburgh. They then open qualifying at home against Serbia on Sept. 8.
"We'll take it on the chin and be much better next time out," Scotland coach Craig Levein said. "They're extremely disappointed, as you can imagine. It's not something we haven't experienced before, but losing with five goals is disappointing."


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Wojtek was on dedicated Lothian Buses last year.
This year his story is being told at the Fringe.
Very interesting , only goes to show it's how your brought up that moulds you.
Yours Aye
Tam .
War does not decide who is right , only who is left.
Tam Drummond
Former Musician in the 1st Bn The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment )
Awwwwwww, that was wonderful Al. Wojtek a hero in my opinion.


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Everton made 3 changes from the team that drew with West Ham with Billy coming in for Osman on the left side and Jack Rodwell playing off Saha in a 4-4-1-1 system with Anichebe and Beckford benched. Chelsea played their usual 4-3-3 system with one change from their rout at the Reebok seeing our nemesis Frank Lampard replacing Mikel with Essien playing as anchor. Everton's strategy was to press Chelsea high up the pitch, regain possession and get the ball into the box as often as possible. Everton played with Fellaini, Arteta and Rodwell in the centre of midfield to go like for like with Chelsea's midfield 3 of Essien, Lampard & Ramires. Rodwell had a really good game and played the more advanced of the 3 when Chelsea were in possession although Fellaini was also pushed forward to lurk on the edge of the Chelsea box when we were in possession to meet diagonal aerial balls pitched in for him.
First half stalemate.
The first half was something of a stalemate with only one real clear cut chance for each side. Everton's steady run of form (just 1 defeat in 10 games) has coincided wih Marouanne Fellaini hitting top form and the big Belgian was again instrumental today. His energy was superb and it was his persistent pressing up field that led to our best chance of the first half when his harrying of Frank Lampard (screenshot A) and then John Terry (screenshot B) forced Chelsea back 40 yards before he finally wins possession allowing Saha to tee up Jack Rodwell who shot straight at Cech.
Screenshot A
Screenshot B
Chelsea were always a threat on the break and almost opened the scoring soon after when Heitinga was caught square by Malouda's through ball enabling Anelka a clear run at the Blues goal but luckily Howard was equal to his shot and the game was goalless as the half time whistle went.
Blues take control
Whilst the first half was fairly even the Blues started the second sharper than their opponents and deservedly took the lead when a trademark Baines corner was met by Saha whose clever movement inside the 18 yard box enabled him to lose Terry and tuck into Cech's net. Saha deserved the goal for a textbook display, his work rate has been rightly questioned this season but today his effort particularly outside the box was a real boost to the Blues. It was also the 8th assist of Baines productive season. The Blues could have had a second when good work again from Saha led to Baines putting in a great cross which was first met by the excellent Coleman's head and then after Cech had spilled it Coleman went in to smash it home with his right foot only for a truly superb tackle from Essien to deny him. As well as playing well when with the ball we also showed great focus when Chelsea had the ball, keeping our shape well with few gaps between our defence and midfield (circled in red) making it hard for Chelsea to play through us.
Mikel Arteta was another who was playing with more confidence today, with good ball retention and also taking on two long range efforts which went close. His free kick delivery was also improved, whipping in one quality free kick for Fellaini whose header was repelled by Cech. The midfielder was guilty of ball watching on the equalising goal though. As Anelka broke down the left the Spaniard got sucked into the centre allowing Kalou to make a curved run behind him before dragging a shot past Howard who was slightly unsighted by Distin in front of him.
There was still time for both teams to almost win it late on, firstly when Ramires struck a post with a long range drive and then when substitute Jermaine Beckford fizzed a half volley which was well saved by Cech, who had a great game in goal for the West Londoners.
There were plenty of positives to take from this cup tie with our midfielders in particular on top form which enabled us to win the key battle in the centre of the park. It was a display of great courage and endeavour mixed with good quality from the Blues and we were unlucky not to progress. A replay at a ground we haven't won at since 1995, the year we last won the trophy will be a tough ask but with the form we have shown against the top sides and with Cahill back there is no reason why we can't go there an give them a game. The only worry for me was the way we let Chelsea back into the game, the 9th time we have lost a lead this campaign.


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Victoria's Secret model Marisa Miller recently caused quite a stir on a California beach while shooting a new commercial for Buick. Surfers and bikers collided at the sight of the sexy supermodel.
Check out a behind-the-scenes preview!
Video! Supermodel Marisa Miller in Bikini for Buick
John Legend Said He Would Be Open To Going Against Alicia Keys In "Verzuz" Battle The New Gerber Baby Is The First Adopted Spokesbaby In The Company's History Lizzo Speaks About The Current State Of The American Justice System! Tekashi 69 Reaches Record 2 Million Views On Instagram Live In First Live Appearance Since Being Released From Prison Rihanna, Big Sean, Jack Dorsey & More Team Up To Donate $3.2 Million To COVID-19 Relief Efforts In Detroit & Flint


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Join our email list to receive exclusive email offers from Carson Valley INN
CV Steak offers a Nevada-style steakhouse experience in a setting that combines comfort with a touch of formality that's sure to create an unforgettable evening. The menu features a selection of appetizers and a generous range of entrees. For meat lovers, our steakhouse specialties include Rib Eye, New York and Top Sirloin steaks plus Filet Mignon, and much more. We also have plenty of pasta dishes, seafood choices and chicken entrees.
Recessed areas above each booth showcase black and white photos that recount the history of Minden and Gardnerville and were hand-selected by architect and designer Larry Henry for their historic significance. The photos are a perfect complement to the Arts and Crafts motif that ties all elements of Carson Valley Inn together, and ambient lighting creates a feeling of intimacy.
CV Bar opens at noon Monday thru Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
CV Steak Restaurant Hours: Open Nightly starting at 4:30 p.m.
Dinner starts at 4:30 PM with an Early Sunset Menu available from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. (not offered on holidays and nights of special events or concerts).
Reservations are suggested. Please call 775-783-6650.
Dinner Menu
Sunset Menu (4:30 - 5:30 p.m.)
CV Steak Proudly Features Ferrari-Carano Wines
The CV Steak Private Dining Room is ideal for private dinner gatherings of 10-16 whether for business purposes or a social occasion. This room is also perfect for private and productive daytime meetings, planning sessions, retreats, depositions and focus-groups.


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It was a case of another month, another record for the BBC's hugely popular iPlayer, with the video on demand service topping 120 million requests in January.
The iPlayer has been a massive hit for the BBC, helping bring the concept of content over IP to the masses.
And it appears that the success is showing now sign of stopping, with the first month of 2010 bringing an ever bigger audience- quite possibly boosted by people seeking out those Christmas specials that they slept through first time round and dodging the cold weather.
The first week of the new decade was the most popular, with 23.8 million requests and more than two thirds of all requests in the month for television, with the remainder seeking radio.
Top Gear, Dr Who and Gavin & Stacey
As you probably guessed, Top Gear picked up top spot with Dr Who and Gavin and Stacey beaten into second and third respectively.
The figures bring a timely boost for Project Canvas, which the BBC Trust has provisionally green-lighted – showing that the desire for video on demand is growing.
Canvas' goal is to bring video on demand through the internet to the television, and despite opposition from major manufacturers and the likes of Sky, it seems likely that the first Canvas set top boxes will appear within the next 12 months.


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My all time favorite cliche, and one to live by is "What goes around comes around". Dogeared makes a really great line of jewelry that is centered around this cliche and the idea of good Karma. Symbolized with a circle and using that as a "reminder to keep the circle positive", I wear this style everyday. It certainly doesn't hurt to be reminded to " do unto others as you would want them to do to you". Who doesn't want to live their life being surrounded by good Karma?
I also love their new gold wrapped single bead wire wrapped necklace...
or their bracelet
Or the BIG circle might be my new favorite


text: In recent years, more and more publications and material for studying and teaching, e. g. for Web-based teaching (WBT), appear "online" and digital libraries are built to manage such publications and online materials. Therefore, the most important concerns are related to the problem of durable, sustained storage and the management of content together with its metadata existing in heterogeneous styles and formats. In this paper, we present specific techniques and their use to support metadata-based catalog services. Such semistructured metadata (represented as XML fragments), which belong to online learning resources, need efficient XML-based query support, scalable result set processing, and comprehensive facilities for personalization purposes. We discuss the associated problems, subsequently derive the concepts of a suitable architecture, and finally outline the realization by means of our prototype system that is based on the J2EE component model.


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`i come to talk story...
a plan` do_in translating what the earth speaks..
`earth supporting life:. thank you farmers..
only in this topic
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What is La Via Campesina?
Posted by
our combined` effect
The international peasant's voice
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 14:08
Unity among peasants, landless, women farmers and rural youth
La Via Campesina is the international movement which brings together millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world. It defends small-scale sustainable agriculture as a way to promote social justice and dignity. It strongly opposes corporate driven agriculture and transnational companies that are destroying people and nature.
La Via Campesina comprises about 150 local and national organizations in 70 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Altogether, it represents about 200 million farmers. It is an autonomous, pluralist and multicultural movement, independent from any political, economic or other type of affiliation.
A movement born in 1993
A group of farmers' representatives – women and men- from the four continents founded La Via Campesina in 1993 in Mons, Belgium. At that time, agricultural policies and the agribusiness were becoming globalized and small farmers needed to develop and struggle for a common vision. Small-scale farmers' organizations also wanted to have their voice heard and to participate directly in the decisions that were affecting their lives.
La Via Campesina is now recognised as a main actor in the food and agricultural debates. It is heard by institutions such as the FAO and the UN Human Rights Council, and is broadly recognized among other social movements from local to global level.
Golbalizing hope, globalizing the struggle!
La Via Campesina is built on a strong sense of unity and solidarity between small and medium-scale agricultural producers from the North and South. The main goal of the movement is to realize food sovereignty and stop the destructive neoliberal process. It is based on the conviction that small farmers, including peasant fisher-folk, pastoralists and indigenous people, who make up almost half the world's people, are capable of producing food for their communities and feeding the world in a sustainable and healthy way.
Women play a crucial role in the Via Campesina work. According to the FAO, women produce 70% of the food on earth but they are marginalized and oppressed by neoliberalism and patriarchy. The movement defends women rights and gender equality at all levels. It struggles against all forms of violence against women.
Defending Food Sovereignty
Via Campesina launched the idea of "Food Sovereignty" at the World Food Summit in 1996. This idea has now grown into a global people's movement carried by a large diversity of social sectors such as the urban poor, environmental and consumer groups, women associations, fisher-folks, pastoralists and many others. It is also recognized by several institutions and governments.
Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through sustainable methods and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It develops a model of small scale sustainable production benefiting communities and their environment. It puts the aspirations, needs and livelihoods of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations.
Food sovereignty prioritizes local food production and consumption. It gives a country the right to protect its local producers from cheap imports and to control production. It ensures that the rights to use and manage lands, territories, water, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those who produce food and not of the corporate sector. Therefore the implementation of genuine agrarian reform is one of the top priorities of the farmer's movement.
Food sovereignty now appears as one of the most powerful response to the current food, poverty and climate crises.
A decentralized structure
Via Campesina is a grassroots mass movement whose vitality and legitimacy comes from farmers' organizations at local and national level. The movement is based on the decentralization of power between 9 regions. The coordination among the regions is taken up by the International Coordinating Committee which is composed of one woman and one man for every region, elected by the member organizations in the respective regions. The international secretariat rotates according to the collective decision made every four years by the International Conference. It was first in Belgium (1993-1996), then in Honduras (1997-2004) and it is currently based in Indonesia until 2013.
The movement is funded by the contributions of its members, by private donations and by the financial support of some NGOs, foundations and local and national authorities.
Join the action!
8 March: International Women Day
La Via Campesina joins women movements and social movements from around the world to demand equal rights for women.
17 April: International Day of Peasant's struggle
Hundreds of direct actions, cultural activities, conferences, film screenings, community debates and rallies are organized by a wide variety of groups, communities or organizations.
10 September: International Struggle Day against the WTO
Commemoration of the sacrifice of Mr. Lee Kun Hae, a Korean farmer who stabbed himself to death during a mass protest against the WTO in Cancun, Mexico in 2003. He was holding a banner saying "WTO Kills Farmers"
Visit our website, subscribe to our news updates, watch our videos and make a donation on www.viacampesina.org
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A cookbook addict, it's a habit I began nurturing in my early 20's (I'm a lot older than that now), and still the addiction continues. Many cookbooks later, I still find myself going back to some of the original ones I acquired over 30 years ago.
This favored recipe is from one of those; a plain paperbound book, with no photos, just a few pen and ink illustrations. It is the recipes within that make this one a long time favorite.
"The Book of Whole Grains" by a former "San Jose Mercury" newspaper food columnist, educator, and cook book author; Marlene Anne Baumgarner. It's been reprinted and updated since I bought mine back in 1976, but I have never found a whole wheat bread I like better than this one.
Bread baking by hand was my relaxing weekend ritual, making it every Sunday morning, through the years while our son was growing up. It's the bread he was raised on.
I enjoyed every step of making our daily bread, the smell of the butter, honey and molasses melting, the therapy of hand kneading it, waiting for the rise, shaping it into loaves, and the homey, comforting aroma of the vaguely sweet brown bread baking. It was a very satisfying experience.
I was dedicated to feeding my young family well, with wholesome foods. Being on a budget, I made as many things I could from scratch; this was one of our staples; honest, sturdy bread made from good, nutritious ingredients. Over 30 years later, this is still my favorite 100% whole wheat bread.
Though I no longer make this particular bread every week, whenever I do the sensory perceptions take me right back to those Sundays of my weekly breadbaking days.
It is wonderful for sandwiches, and makes the most outstanding toast. If you wrap it well in plastic ( a tightly sealed plastic bag works fine), and keep it in the refrigerator it will keep from one baking Sunday to the next.
I'm happy to share it with you ~
My notes: The only changes I made to the original recipe is to cut the amounts of honey & molasses as I don't care for a sweet bread on a daily basis.
At times I have add sprouted rye, wheat, etc. (about 1/2 cup of either). Also you can subsitute 2 to 3 cups of the flour with rolled oats, or a combination of rolled oats, wheat germ, bran, millet, sunflower seeds or other grains or seeds to equal the amount of whole wheat flour you subtract, to suit your taste.
If you make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has through all of these years. After 30-plus years, I still declare ---It's a keeper!
100% Whole Wheat Bread
Makes 2 standard size loaves
Please see Marlene's notes at the end of the recipe.
3 cups milk or water (water brings out the flavor of the wheat best, but milk makes a more nutritious loaf.)
3 tablespoons oil or margarine (I use butter, or olive oil)
1 tablespoon salt (this seems like a lot, but the bread needs it)
1/2 cup honey (I use a scant 1/4 cup honey)
1/4 cup molasses (I use a scant 1/4 cup molasses)
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
6-1/2 to 7 cups whole wheat flour (I use stone ground whole wheat)
Combine milk, oil, salt honey and molasses in a saucepan. Heat and stir until blended; remove from heat and cool until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water (if you use the cup you used to meaure the honey and molasses, the yeast will bubble faster.)
Pour liquids from saucepan into a large bowl and add yeast. You can use your sturdy stand mixer with the dough hook for mixing from this point on.
Stir in 3 cups of flour, beating well to develop gluten. Stir in remaining flour (and any other grains if you are using them) and turn out onto a well-floured board.
Knead thoroughly, until dough is smooth and elastic.
Turn into an oiled bowl, turning dough once to coat. Cover with damp cloth and allow to rise 1 hour. Punch down, form into two loaves and place into two well greased bread tins; allow to rise, covered for 45 minutes. Bake at 375-degrees (F) for 45 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when thumped.
Marlene's notes: If, at the end of the week the loaf becomes crumbly, lightly toast the slices before serving. If bread is to be used for sandwiches, be sure not to let it over-rise, or it will have holes in it and will not contain jelly, honey (or spreads.)
And my favorite bit of Marlene's advice about this bread:
"If you start baking bread for your family, be forewarned: they may never accept store-bought, bubble-gum bread again."
I certainly found that to be true with my family. Try it toasted, with Better Butter (recipe in separate post) and you're in for a delicious and fairly healthful treat.


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Super Typhoon Nepartak - flight updates for Taiwan
Passengers are reminded that the situation can change rapidly and are advised to check the latest flight information on the airline's website, www.cathaypacific.com or www.dragonair.com , before departing for the airport.
The following flights to and from Taiwan on 7 July and 8 July have been cancelled:
7 July: Hong Kong - Kaohsiung
7 July: Kaohsiung - Hong Kong
7 July: Hong Kong -Taipei
7 July: Taipei - Hong Kong
7 July: Hong Kong -Taichung
8 July: Hong Kong - Kaohsiung
8 July: Kaohsiung - Hong Kong
8 July: Hong Kong -Taipei
8 July: Taipei- Hong Kong
8 July: Taichung - Hong Kong
In addition, the following Cathay Pacific flights will omit stopover Taipei on 7 July:
Passengers who are booked on Taiwan flights are encouraged to postpone non-essential travel. The airline will waive re-booking and re-routing fees for all tickets issued worldwide (irrespective of fare type) on or before 6 July for travel on Cathay Pacific and Dragonair involving Taiwan between 7 July and 8 July. Passengers without confirmed bookings are advised not to go to the airport. We will assist with alternative arrangements for affected passengers.
To ensure customers receive the latest flight status updates via SMS or email, they are advised to update their contact details in Manage Booking at www.cathaypacific.com or www.dragonair.com.
The airline will continue to monitor the situation closely and will issue further updates should there be any changes to the flight schedule.


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June 2006
Nadine (Dena) S. Pence Named Director of Wabash Center
President Andrew T. Ford of Wabash College is pleased to announce the appointment of Nadine (Dena) Pence as third director of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, beginning January 1, 2007.
Dr. Pence is currently professor of theology at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., where she has taught since 1991; has served as acting dean, and has been director of the master of arts in theology program since 1995. She is also executive director of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion (CSSR), the umbrella organization for professional societies among those who teach in the field of religion in college, universities, and seminaries throughout the United States and Canada.
"Throughout her distinguished career, Dena has shown a broad engagement with contemporary religion and theology, a deep commitment to exploring issues of teaching and learning, and a leadership style that is collaborative and empowering," said Patrick White, who will become president of Wabash College on July 1 and was part of the search committee. "Her gifts of mind and spirit will enable her to build on the excellent work of her distinguished predecessor and guide the Wabash Center to new heights."
Before becoming executive director of CSSR, Dr. Pence served as editorial chair of the Religious Studies Review editorial board; she continues to be that journal's area editor for the Arts, Literature, Culture and Religion section. CSSR publishes three periodicals, Religious Studies Review, The CSSR Bulletin, and the annual Directory of Departments and Programs of Religious Studies in North America.
Dr. Pence is a lifelong member of the Church of the Brethren. She received her bachelor's degree from Manchester College, her master of divinity degree from Bethany Seminary, and her Ph.D. in theology from the University of Chicago. She has written and spoken widely on the relation of theology and media, and is co-editor of "Hope Deferred": Theological Reflections on Reproductive Loss, published by Pilgrim Press in 2005.
The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion recently received an $8 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support the next three years of its work encouraging the improvement of teaching and learning in seminaries, university divinity schools, and college and university religion departments throughout North America.
Although founded only 10 years ago, under the outstanding leadership of its first two directors, Raymond. B. Williams and Lucinda Huffaker, the Wabash Center has already established an important national reputation. More than 700 faculty members, representing schools from Harvard and Yale in New England to Fuller and Claremont in southern California, have participated in its workshops and conferences. The Center publishes Teaching Theology and Religion, an internationally recognized journal, and hosts a widely used website for source material in theology, religion, and teaching. It provides grants for seminaries, colleges, and universities interested in improving the quality of their teaching.
"Dr. Pence is a superb choice as director of the Wabash Center," said Craig Dykstra, senior vice president for religion at Lilly Endowment. "Her skills as an educator and her enthusiasm for teaching, combined with her leadership among scholars of religion and commitment to theological education, make us confident that the Center influence will continue to flourish under her leadership." The Wabash Center plays a central role in the Theological Teaching Initiative of the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment.


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Wednesday, August 17, 2011
900 Followers Contest!
I can't believe I've got 900 followers! Thank you times 900 being so awesome and supportive!!!!
I asked the Twitterverse what I should have as prizes for this contest.
Most answers involved the number 900.
900 dollars was too much.
900 pennies was too little.
And 900 bottles of beer was too...intoxicating.
So instead, I'm going the way of my last giveaway.
Please tell me what you'd LOVE to read next, and I'll pick three lucky winners to make their TBR book shelf a little heavier (or their e-reader a little more stocked.)
Also, please don't pick a $300 textbook, or an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible. Because if you do, I'm certain that Random.org will randomly NOT pick your book.
Throw your name into the hat a few more times by:
+1 Tweeting
+1 FB or Google+ it
+1 Putting on your sidebar
+2 Blogging about it
Add up your points, put in your email address, and away we go!
Contest is open until August 30th and three winners will be announced August 31st!
Also, please stop by Sarah Fine's blog where she'll answer this month's Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog question: Do you have Genre-crush? If you missed it, check out previous posts by Laura and myself! Deb is up next week. :)
Posted by Lydia Kang at 6:30 AM
81 comments:
- Sarah said...
I'd love to read Divergent, and unlike most other people, haven't picked it up yet. Congrats on 900 followers, Lydia!! Well-deserved and hard-earned, I say.
- August 17, 2011 at 6:36 AM
- Old Kitty said...
900 and growing followers!! Awwww I think the beer idea is great!! LOL!!
Take care
- August 17, 2011 at 6:49 AM
- RHYTHM AND RHYME said...
Congrats on your 900th follower. here's to the 1000th.
- August 17, 2011 at 6:55 AM
- Yvonne Osborne said...
Congratulations on 900 followers. That's amazing, so your blog must be too! Since you asked, I would love to read "Cutting for Stone". I have it on good authority that it's the best read of 2011. For a contest like this you should offer the best of the best! "On Becoming a Novelist" by John Gardner would also be a great choice for a giveaway.
- August 17, 2011 at 7:31 AM
- Giles Hash said...
Woo! 900! That's three times as many followers as the king of Sparta had to hold his nation against the Persians. You have an army behind you!
I think the best book you could give away is one of the novels in The Dresden Files. People who haven't read that one need to!
- August 17, 2011 at 7:35 AM
- B.E. Sanderson said...
Wow, 900? You rock.
I can't even think of an individual book I want to read more than any other right now. I know Seanan McGuire's next installment of her October Daye series - One Salt Sea - is coming out September 6th, so if I win, I want that. (And if I don't win, I'm buying it anyway. I love her.)
- August 17, 2011 at 7:48 AM
- mooderino said...
Congratulations. I think it won't be long before you hit the thousand mark. Great site, Lydia.
- August 17, 2011 at 8:06 AM
- Jessica Bell said...
Congrats on all the followers!!! Well deserved I might add! :o) Um ... put me in the draw for Jolene Perry's, The Next Door Boys! :o) I'll tweet and FB tomorrow! You have my email ...
- August 17, 2011 at 8:14 AM
- Luanne G. Smith said...
Congratulations on 900 followers! Wow.
I've been wanting to read A Visit From the Good Squad, among others.
- August 17, 2011 at 8:21 AM
- Luanne G. Smith said...
"Goon Squad" D'oh. Finishing my coffee now. :)
- August 17, 2011 at 8:22 AM
Yay!!! How exciting!!!
I so want to read CLAIMED by Rebecca Zanetti. IT comes out in October, so I have to wait, but I'm super excited! FATED was really good. I'm excited to see what happens next. :)
Okay, tally up I did
So, that's three, right?
- August 17, 2011 at 8:44 AM
- E. Arroyo said...
Awesome. Tweeting now
I'd love to read Possession. It's on my TBR list
- August 17, 2011 at 8:44 AM
- Ciara said...
Wow,900! Woot! That is awesome, Lydia. I'll tweet and FB this. What an amazing accomplishment.
- August 17, 2011 at 8:47 AM
- Unknown said...
900 and growing! I agree that 900 bottles of beer would be awesome, but quite a hefty price to purchase and ship! Congrats!
- August 17, 2011 at 8:50 AM
- Karen Jones Gowen said...
900 followers is amazing! Congrats to you and your interesting and informative blog. What do I want to read? How about Stephen King!! His book On Writing is an inspiration, so I'd like a copy of that! Will tweet this.
- August 17, 2011 at 9:09 AM
1,000 is right around the corner. I'm finishing up the HArry Potter series and will watch the movies next. Do movies count?
- August 17, 2011 at 9:13 AM
- Deb Salisbury, Magic Seeker and Mantua-Maker said...
Hurray, Lydia! Nine hundred congratulations!
I'd love to read Soulless, by Gail Carriger.
- August 17, 2011 at 9:18 AM
- Sylvia Ney said...
Congratulations on all the followers! I'm hosting a "giveaway blogfest" where 15 others are also offering prizes. Please consider leaving your name in the link to help drive more traffic to your blog. Best of luck. I look forward to reading more from you! http://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/
- August 17, 2011 at 9:22 AM
- Bossy Betty said...
Aren't you kind? Congrats on 900! I'd love the new Ann Patchett novel!
- August 17, 2011 at 9:38 AM
- Suze said...
It takes time, effort and intelligence to sustain this kind of following and you've done it. Congratulations, Lydia!
- August 17, 2011 at 9:52 AM
- Carol Kilgore said...
Congratulations on 900 Followers! Amazing. And a fun contest, too :)
- August 17, 2011 at 10:03 AM
- Laura Josephsen said...
Congratulations on 900 followers!!
- August 17, 2011 at 10:24 AM
- Heather said...
I'd love to read Divergent!
+3 for me, tweeting, and blogging!
- August 17, 2011 at 10:26 AM
- Maria Zannini said...
Wow! Go, woman!
If I had my choice of books, I'd like to read any of Karen Marie Moning's Fever books.
- August 17, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Congrats on your reaching the 900 club! That simply amazes me.
I don't do FB, but will try to rack up some points via the other routes.
I've had my eye on Deaver's Carte Blanche for a couple of months now.
(If you've totally changed your mind about the $900.00) Kidding. :)
- August 17, 2011 at 10:58 AM
- Precy Larkins said...
Oh wow! 900+ followers = AMAZING! But it doesn't come as a big surprise since you have an awesome and very informative blog here.
I'm definitely tweeting this.
As for books, let's see...I haven't read Divergent (and people have been hammering on my head for this one). Also, Possession by Elana Johnson. So either one of those.
Thanks and CONGRATS!!
- August 17, 2011 at 10:59 AM
- julie fedderson said...
Lydia--is this a nod to the Royal Wedding? I read she had 900 flowers on her cake--some secret special meaning. Are you actually royalty? Well, technically, yes, you are the Queen of the Blogosphere as far as I'm concerned. Congratulations on your 900 flowers! Ooops, I mean followers.
- August 17, 2011 at 11:06 AM
- Krispy said...
As I've told you before, YAY CONGRATS!!! I'm a little sad you didn't go with the beer idea. ;)
I'd like to read a bunch of stuff that isn't out yet like Shatter Me and Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Haha. Thanks for this giveaway and congrats again!
Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/kangaru/status/103860435429752832
And it will be side-barred on the blog. :)
+3 total
- August 17, 2011 at 11:08 AM
- Unknown said...
Congratulations on your 900 followers. I am highlighting your blog and contest on my Thursday Three series.
I would love to read True(sort of) by Kathrine Hannigan.
+1 Tweeting
+2 Blogging about it
- August 17, 2011 at 11:20 AM
- Carol Riggs said...
Woo! Major congrats to 900 followers!!! That's so great.
I'd love to read HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire! Amazing cover and premise. :)
Following/entering: +1
Facebooking: +1
Tweeting: +1 for a total of 3!
- August 17, 2011 at 11:35 AM
- Isis Rushdan said...
Congratulations!! I'm still dreaming about hitting 100. You'll be at 1,000 in no time.
- August 17, 2011 at 11:47 AM
- Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...
No need to put my name in the contest (although I am tweeting you and spreading the word). I just wanted to congratulate you for reading 900 followers. That's awesome, Lydia!
- August 17, 2011 at 12:37 PM
- Laila Knight said...
That is amazing! For all your dedication you certainly deserve it. I'm not sure what I'd like to read...but I could suggest a compromise. 300 dollars, 300 pennies, and 300 bottles of beer. :)
- August 17, 2011 at 12:49 PM
- Roland D. Yeomans said...
Reading your delightful posts is reward enough for me, Lydia. Thank you for each and every one of them, Roland
- August 17, 2011 at 1:06 PM
- Stephanie said...
Congrats! 900 followers well deserved! And thanks for the giveaway--I'm dying to read A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.
bookwormoakes AT yahoo DOT com
- August 17, 2011 at 1:10 PM
- Cynthia Chapman Willis said...
Congratulations on your 900 plus followers! That is most impressive. I'm envious. ; ) And you are most generous with your giveaway. I keep meaning to get my hands on a copy of Divergent.
- August 17, 2011 at 1:19 PM
- Alex J. Cavanaugh said...
Congratulations! Crap, what don't I have downloaded on my iPad right now to read...? Maybe one of Susan Gourley's books? EBook is only $7.99 - is that all right?
I'll tweet!
- August 17, 2011 at 1:20 PM
- Golden Eagle said...
Congratulations on 900+ Followers! :D
- August 17, 2011 at 3:04 PM
- Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...
Congratulations on your milestone Lydia. 900 followers is awesomesauce. I would like to read any book by Sherrilyn Kenyon as I have heard so much about her series but haven't read a single word.
- August 17, 2011 at 5:42 PM
- Carrie Butler said...
Congratulations, Lydia! I'm so excited for you! :) Hm, I'd love to read CREEP by Jennifer Hillier. :D
- August 17, 2011 at 6:38 PM
- Kathryn Packer Roberts said...
Congrats! I'm not sure what to pick... IF I win, I'll tell you =).
+1 follower
+1 Tweeted (@brykateemma)
- August 17, 2011 at 11:01 PM
- Kathryn Packer Roberts said...
Oh, sorry, my email address is:
kprwrite at hotmail dot com
- August 17, 2011 at 11:02 PM
- Carrie Butler said...
Yes, it took several hours for me to identify that nagging thing in the back of my mind. I forgot to include my e-mail address! Oops! :)
Oh, and I (+1) tweeted too. I didn't think about it, at the time. Gosh! Where is my head today?
- August 17, 2011 at 11:30 PM
- Yvonne Osborne said...
I think I misunderstood when I originally commented. I already have the Gardner book. I also want to read The Lantern, just out in the U.S. and Dandelion Wine, Bradbury. I'm getting ready to post about your contest. I'll probably get it up tomorrow.
- August 18, 2011 at 7:09 AM
- Emily Rose said...
Congratulations! You're almost to 1000!
- August 18, 2011 at 7:12 AM
- Lisa Potts said...
Good for you! Congrats on the awesome. I tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/LisaMPotts/status/104187790924857345
and put in my sidebar (http://virginsheets.blogspot.com) so +2 for me. Long time follower too.
The book I most want to read next is Lola And The Boy Next Door by Steph Perkins. Thanks for the chance to win!
- August 18, 2011 at 8:51 AM
- Unknown said...
Awesome, Lydia! And CONGRATS!
I'd really like to read Paranormalcy by Kiersten White next. :) Just tweeted!
- August 18, 2011 at 9:01 AM
- catherinemjohnson.com said...
Congrats Lydia, that's wonderful.
- August 18, 2011 at 9:38 AM
- Linda Gray said...
Oooh, I'm a day late--is it too late to enter? I'd love a copy of one of my favorite mystery author's last book: The God of the Hive by Laurie R. King. I can hardly believe it's been out as long as it has and I still don't have it!
p.s. CONGRATS on 900 + followers!!! Your blog is a delight and I love it!
- August 18, 2011 at 9:46 AM
- Lenny Lee said...
hi miss lydia! for sure 900s a way important number. chinas got 900 million cell phone users! tony hawk landed the famous 900 on a skateboard!star wars:the old republics got 900 voices! matt latarski bowled 900!(3 perfect games in a row)but…most important of all in the whole world: miss lydias got 900 followers!!!!!
wow! how cool is that!
…hugs from lenny
- August 18, 2011 at 9:50 AM
- Melody said...
900 followers!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) ... okay, I was going to give you 900 smiles, but I think my fingers would fall off. :) Congratulations!! Hmmmm...the book I'm {recently} dying to read is the new/extra Ranger's Apprentice book by John Flanagan - THE LOST STORIES. I thought the series was over forever :'( but was told differently by my ultra-smart Amazon home page...so now I'm stoked. :)
- August 18, 2011 at 10:46 AM
- Rachna Chhabria said...
Congrats on the 900 awesome followers. Its a great achievement.
- August 18, 2011 at 11:31 AM
Holy crap, that's awesome!!! Gonna tweet and FB this!
I totally wanna read POSSESS by Gretchen McNeill.
- August 18, 2011 at 1:17 PM
- Scarlet Wilson said...
Congrats on 900 followers, that is awesome!
Want to read the latest by Jodi Picoult - guaranteed to make me cry!
- August 18, 2011 at 4:35 PM
- Matthew MacNish said...
I don't have time to read the books I already own, so I won't be entering, but I've loved your blog for over a year now, and just wanted to say: CONGRATS, Lydia!
- August 18, 2011 at 11:55 PM
- Shelley Munro said...
Wow, 900 is great. Congrats!
- August 19, 2011 at 3:49 AM
- Unknown said...
Sherrilyn Kenyon's Retribution is what I've been lusting after. Heh. this is a fantastic contest. Maybe I should start doing contests on my blog. :)
- August 19, 2011 at 3:49 AM
- Sarah Tokeley said...
Alex J. Cavanaugh sent me over, and I'm a new follower. He has good taste :)
I'd love to read Divergent!
- August 19, 2011 at 10:43 AM
- Karen Lange said...
Congratulations Lydia! What a great milestone! :)
What would I like to read next? Probably Sarah Sundin's Blue Skies Tomorrow.
Thanks a bunch,
- August 19, 2011 at 12:36 PM
- Yahong Chi said...
I would love to read Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
yahongchi @ gmail . com
- August 19, 2011 at 1:25 PM
- Aik said...
I'd love to have any book from my wish list.
+1 Tweeting
+1 Putting on your sidebar
aikychien at yahoo dot com
- August 20, 2011 at 9:40 PM
- Whiitly said...
Congrats on 900 followers! :))
I'd love to read The Number of Six since I've I Am Number Four
+1 tweet:
+1 Google+:
- August 20, 2011 at 11:03 PM
- Susan Gourley/Kelley said...
Congrats on 900. I want to read James Rollins' newest book or Terry Goodkind's new one.
- August 21, 2011 at 4:16 PM
- laughingwolf said...
way to go, lydia!
since we're pals on fb, thought i followed you here, as well... now i do ;) lol
- August 21, 2011 at 9:54 PM
- Chris Phillips said...
900? And here I thought I was special. I want to read Spellbound by Jacqueline West. +3 for tweeting and blogging.
- August 22, 2011 at 9:41 AM
- Ghenet Myrthil said...
Wow, 900 followers is amazing! Congratulations!!
- August 22, 2011 at 1:20 PM
- Beth said...
How can I pick just one? Maybe Anna and the French Kiss which everyone except me has read!
- August 22, 2011 at 3:31 PM
- Peggy Eddleman said...
Congratulations!! I'm going to go with Divergent, because I can't stand the fact that I haven't read it yet, and the waiting list at the library is HUGE.
- August 22, 2011 at 4:16 PM
- Alex Villasante said...
WHOA. 900 followers is EPIC! Congrats!
I'm just happy I found your blog (and can't believe it's taken me so long!) What an interesting perspective on writing. I can't wait to tune in regularly.
As for books, I'm saving my pennies for Lev Grossman's Magician King. I'm also on a very long library waiting list for Graceling, so either one (or anything!) works
- August 23, 2011 at 8:07 AM
- Alex Villasante said...
whoops! forgot to mention:
i'm a new follower, I tweeted & fb'd about your achievement.
- August 23, 2011 at 8:09 AM
Congrats about all the followers (your blog is so unique), and thanks for the generous giveaway! I really want to read Daughter of Smoke & Bone and The Girl of Fire and Thorns. But since they're not out yet and today is Gretchen McNeil's book birthday, POSSESS would be amazing. Sarah xx
- August 23, 2011 at 8:31 AM
- Gail said...
Wow, 900+ followers! And you deserve every one of them! I'm going to twee the contest when I finish this comment @teachrgail and I am a follower so that's 2 pts.
If I win, I'd like for you to pick a favorite book and donate it to a library or a school, or a homeless shelter for me.
- August 23, 2011 at 3:52 PM
- Clara said...
Mamma mia, 900 followers!!! That is incredible Lydia, but then again, so is your blog! You deserve every single one of these 900 and much, much more!!
- August 24, 2011 at 2:46 PM
- Sophia Chang said...
Dang Lydia, how did you get to 900+ followers? Crazy!
I'd love to add the hardcover of Graceling to my scant collection of books I love.
Or looking forward to the False Princess.
I Google+d it, tweeted (and followed you)
+3 sophiathewriter at gmail
- August 26, 2011 at 3:55 PM
- Abby Fowers said...
WOW! I just added myself to your amazing list of followers! Congratulations on hitting 900! That's HUGE!
For my book ... how about you just surprise me with an awesome book of your choice! :)
I am going to go tweet this right now!
- August 28, 2011 at 2:39 PM
- The Writing Well said...
OMG!!! You are the only blogger I know with 900 followers. Awesome!
I am now a follower please surprise me with one of your favorites, should I win;)
Already tweeted -will post on my blog today. Come on over for a short visit.
- August 28, 2011 at 4:21 PM
- Liza said...
I'd love to read The Help...
- August 29, 2011 at 7:52 AM
- J.C. Martin said...
You're well on your way towards 1,000 followers now! Intrigued by GAME OF THRONES. Would be next on my to-get list.
- August 29, 2011 at 10:39 AM
- ashley said...
GFC- ashley
I would love Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) Hardcover please to match my set!
- August 30, 2011 at 10:40 PM
- Amber Elise said...
900 followers and following! Congrats and thanks for celebrating with us! :)
I am dying to read the Demon keeper's Daughter. Everyone is RAVING about it!
amber.hrkns at gmail dot com
- September 10, 2011 at 7:09 PM
- aisyahputrisetiawan said...
Banned complain !! Complaining only causes life and mind become more severe. Enjoy the rhythm of the problems faced. No matter ga life, not a problem not learn, so enjoy it :)
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- March 23, 2016 at 2:29 AM


text:
Genes Could Affect Mental Sharpness As We Age
Aging isn't always responsible for declines in mental function. In fact, some researchers believe simple genetics could play an even bigger role.
In a new study published in Nature, genetic material from about 2,000 people were gathered to find out how intelligence changes from childhood to adulthood. All of the participants took tests that measured their general intelligence at age 11 and then again when they were 65, 70, or 79.
After analyzing the results, researchers determined participants' genes accounted for about 24 percent of mental changes across the life cycle. They also believe environment is an important role in shaping and maintaining intelligence and mental ability as we get older.
Ian J. Deary, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K., said, "The study will encourage those researchers looking for the genetic and environmental contributions to why some people's cognitive functions age better than others."
But while Clark McKown, PhD, director of the Rush NeuroBehavioral Center in Skokie, Ill., said the new study is "scientifically exciting and important," he adds there are a lot of variables: "If we can figure out what the genetic [indicators] are of [mental] decline, and if we can develop a screening test, and if we can develop therapies, we may be able to screen people early in life and intervene to lower their risk."
He also says eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and maintaining an active social life can aid in mental acuity, regardless of our gene makeup.
And another Rush University neuropsychologist, S. Duke Han, PhD, agrees, adding, "It is not all in the genes. There is room for manipulation."


text:
Up to $2.5 million is going towards 'countering disinformation,' specifically from Russia
Canada targets Russian 'disinformation' as part of $24M support package to bolster Ukraine democracy
OTTAWA — Canada is committing up to $24 million to support "elections and democracy" in Ukraine, including money to counter Russian disinformation, as tensions between Russia and the West continue to rise.
Up to $2.5 million is going towards "countering disinformation," specifically from Russia. A background document provided by Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland's office expresses Canada's position bluntly: "Russia's objective is to disrupt the stability of the Ukrainian state and throw into question the very legitimacy of democracy in the eyes of Ukrainian citizens."
Freeland made the funding announcement in Milan, Italy on Thursday at a conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It comes as a naval standoff between Russia and Ukraine continues in the waters off Crimea, the territory Russia annexed in 2014 — and as democracies continue to grapple with foreign attempts to influence voters via social media.
This week the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, unveiled plans to combat disinformation before EU elections next May. And U.S. officials confirmed that Russians had tried to interfere in the American mid-term elections in November. Canadian parliamentarians have meanwhile been working with counterparts in the United Kingdom to get to the bottom of how tech giants such as Facebook facilitate nefarious activities.
The OSCE is the world's biggest organizer of election observation missions, which see countries sending groups of citizens to watch over other nations' electoral proceedings. Canada plans to send 500 observers to Ukraine for its presidential election next March, an official said, pending the organization's requirements. It's expected to cost about $11 million.
In addition, $6.2 million in development assistance is being directed to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to help "civil society, lawmakers, media, government, and academic institutions" to undertake "structural reforms" promoting inclusivity and gender equality. And $4.8 million is going to the National Democratic Institute to help empower female candidates running for office.
For $78,000 Canada is also funding a United Nations Development Programme study "identifying the constraints and limitations to the integrity of the democratic process and electoral system in Ukraine."
The National Post reported in May that Freeland was taking a personal interest in renewing Canada's election observation programs after several years of decline.
It is no surprise that Canada would send such a large number of election observers to Ukraine, since Canada has a long history of support for that country and a large Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora community.
Still, the proposed group of 500 sharply contrasts Canada's last election observation effort, which saw just two people watching the Russian presidential elections early this year — something experts said most embassies would do anyway. The $11-million price tag to observe one election alone also eclipses what Canada has spent in any of the last four years. Funding had gone down to $700,000 in the 2016-17 financial year.
In the spring, Freeland's press secretary Adam Austen said his boss was "personally seized" with reversing the downward trend, so Canada could "restore its meaningful role in election observation around the world."
On Thursday morning Austen confirmed more announcements are coming. "This is for Ukraine only, but we are actively working on a broader package of elections observation support in other countries."
• Email: firstname.lastname@example.com | Twitter: mariedanielles


text:
STATUS: In stock
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