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Sure, but that's like everything else in baseball, there is always the possibility of the unexpected. Heck we almost had a three way tie yesterday which would of meant one team was going to be playing baseball in four different cities in four days. How likely are the Astros to pull of a Padre like turnaround in 2011 is probably the better question.
There are a lot of similarities to be drawn from the Padres 2009 season and the Astros current season. The aces of both teams were traded at the trading deadline, and who by the way also happen to be good buddies. Both teams made changes at hitting coach position mid-season, in an effort to spark a weak offense. And finally both managers come from American League teams in which they had won a World Series ring with. It is fairly easy to look at the two teams and compare them. It's only natural for the seeds of contention to be planted in the minds of Astros fan.
There are however some differences between the two teams. For one the Padres pitching strength is not the starting rotation. In 2009 the Padres starters finish in the lower half of the league in ERA, FIP and xFIP. To remedy the issue the Padres traded Jake Peavy, who had largely been below average for them, acquiring among others Clayton Richard who has been about average this year. They signed Jon Garland in the offseason. Pitching in Petco Park he has been a slightly above average pitcher for them this year. With the emergence of Mat Latos this has helped push the starting pitching into the top half of the league. The rotation still finished outside the top ten but with how dominate the bullpen has been that's been good enough.
The real strength for the Padres pitching staff has been the bullpen, which finished top five in both FIP and xFIP in 2009. Largely untouched they've gone absolutely nuts this year finishing number one in all three categories. The combination of the rotations improvement and the continued dominance of the bullpen is the reason for the pitching staff going from average to a top three pitching staff, in the league.
The fact that the Padres competed for a postseason spot without an ace caliber pitcher bodes well for the Astros whose starting pitching is already considered top ten, but lacks an ace.
This year Brett Myers has provided similar value to Latos who has been the Padres most productive starting pitcher this year. If Bud Norris and Felipe Paulino develop into near average or above average pitchers the rotation would get that much better. Nelson Figueroa being brought back would provide some insurance for one or the other.. Then there's always the possibility Wade makes another Myers like signing in the offseason, improving further an already solid rotation, but that would be like trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
Then there's Jordan Lyles who I'm hesitant to throw into the conversation but I'm going to, because he deserves mentioning. Pinning the Astros hopes on a 20 year old rookie to make the postseason would be unwise, and risky. What we saw from him in Triple-A at the end of this year indicates he still needs a little more time in the minors to develop. If he is called up mid-season or makes the rotation out of Spring Training with the hope of competing, his health will be at risk. More than likely he's going to be on some sort of innings count that doesn't exceed around 180 innings. Going over that, putting stress on his young arm, while competing for a postseason spot could have a negative effect on his health.
The bullpen for the Astros has been below average this year, however it does have some depth and Ed Wade has made a habit of finding productive relievers off the scrap heap. The bullpens struggles, especially recently, has been well documented. Matt Lindstrom has suddenly lost it, and Jeff Fulchino has had a down year after a very good year last year. Throw in several of the other below average relievers and you can see why the bullpen has struggled.
The bullpen however does look to improve next year, with the emergence of Wilton Lopez and the return of young studs Alberto Arias, and Sammy Gervacio. The closer position looks to be set with Brandon Lyon who while not as dominate as you would like, has proven he can get the job done. Throw in the performances of newcomers Mark Melancon and Fernando Abad who have impressed in their short time with the team, you can see why there is hope for the bullpen. Of course the Astros bullpen is not as dominate as the Padres bullpen, but if the rotation is pitching at a high level and the bullpen shores up some of it's issues, we could see a top five pitching staff.
Offensively the Astros are in the same exact position this year as the Padres were in 2009 in regards to weighted on base average (wOBA), finishing second to last in that category. The Padres aren't better this year offensively either, they are ranked higher than three other teams, but actually have a lower wOBA this year than in 2009. The only above average hitter on the team is Adrian Gonzalez, who has taken a small step backwards. Their biggest offensive acquisition this past offseason was Chris Denorfia who they signed to a Minor League contract. He's been about average offensively, but is a better offensive option than both Tony Gwynn Jr. and Scott Hairston. In an effort to improve the offense the Padres acquired Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick at the trade deadline. It's been a bit of a push as Tejada has been about average offensively, and Ryan Ludwick has failed to produce anything remotely average.
There's a point to be made here. If the Astros are competing next year would you be willing to part with some of the prospects in the Minor League system. To acquire Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick the Padres gave up three young arms in the minors. Think Tanner Buschue, Dallas Kuechel, and Pat Urckfitz maybe even someone like Tom Shirley or Jose Perdomo. That's quite a bit of pitching depth gone from the minor league system for an aging shortstop and a outfielder heading out of his prime years. The price for a true impact player is going to be much more steep. Even then, as the Padres demonstrated there is no guarantee to make the playoffs, let alone compete for a championship.
Unlike the Padres the Astros do not have an elite hitter, and only have two above average hitters in Hunter Pence and Chris Johnson. Entering the prime of his career Pence is expected to improve upon his numbers, but we've been saying that for the last couple of years as he's failed to reproduce the production from his rookie season. Johnson's future as a hitter has been well debated, so his production for next year is largely a question mark. The rest offense is in need of some serious improving especially at three positions: shortstop, left field and first base positions. I know what you're saying:
Left field and first base??? But we have El Caballo and The Walrus!
Something that probably only interests me is that The Walrus in Spanish is La Morsa.
Brett Wallace hasn't proven anything other than he's got some serious frequent flier miles, and Carlos Lee has posted the lowest OPS of his career. Not ideal production for positions that are expected to produce at a high level. Statistically Lee is due for a bounce back next year and Wallace should continue to develop as a hitter, but those aren't a given and will remain question marks until the Astros are well into the season next year. There are viable free agents to replace one or both players on the market, but that means Drayton McLane is going to have to write a really big check, and risks sending the organization backwards a step.
Shortstop on the other hand is not a position that can be upgraded through the free agent market. There is the possibility of trading for a viable shortstop or even picking one up in the Rule 5 draft. But trading is going to cost good prospects, and finding a productive Rule 5 shortstop is rare.
The easiest way to improve the offense would be to open the checkbook and sign a big name, but even then this teams offense is most likely still below average next season. The best way to improve the offense is probably going to be patience. A lot of the hope for competing next year rides on the improvements of the offense, which is a lot to ask of such a young core. There is potential with guys like Jason Castro, and Wallace, and the possibility of a bounce back year from Lee.
That brings us to the biggest reason for the Padres turn around, defense. To accomplish this they first traded Kevin Kouzmanoff, who is a good defensive third baseman, for Scott Hairston and back up outfielder Aaron Cunningham, both of whom are good defensively. This allowed them to move to Chase Headley, who had a negative defensive value in left field, to third base where he's been one of the better defensive third baseman in the league. They also signed Jerry Hairston in the offseason and he's provided above average defense at both second base and shortstop, taking away time from FJM favorite David Ecksten and Everth Cabrera, who were both below average in 2009. Combined these moves allowed the Padres to correct some of the deficiencies in the defense, taking the defense from a below average defense in 2009 to a top five defense this year.
The Astros sit in the same position the Padres did in 2009 in regards to defense, and a case can be made that the Astros are actually worse than the Padres were in 2009. To improve the defense, they would have to make some changes in left field, second base, and third base. Tommy Manzella and Matt Downs would have to play shortstop and second base respectively. Even then Manzella is going to have to improve his defense at short which has been below average this year. Downs has shown positive value defensively at second base, however 329 innings is a small sample size and it's no guarantee he'd be better than Angel Sanchez. Sanchez, in his limited time at second base has been below average. My guess though is that Sanchez at least would be an average defensive second baseman.
There are not a whole lot of options to play in place of Chris Johnson, his defense should improve though as he gains experience. Besides the front office already tried to sign a defensive first veteran to play third base and got burned. I imagine this time around the front office would be hesitant to try it again, not to mention the fact that it would be a very unpopular move amongst fans. In left field Jason Bourgeois or Brian Bogusevic would have to take over, with the possibility of a platoon for offensive reasons. At first base Wallace is going to provide more defensive value, meaning Carlos is the odd man out. As much as I like the setup, the biggest problem is the displacement of both Lee and Jeff Keppinger, making this scenario very unlikely.
The reality is Lee is going to be playing a position next year, whether that's first base or left field is going to largely depend on who the Astros bring in the offseason, and how well Wallace does in Spring Training. Moving Lee to first base does improve the defense, but in it's current state reduces the offensive potential of the the team. At second base Keppinger could possibly improve his defense given regular playing time, finally having a position to call his own. Aside from center field, right field, and catcher there are question marks at every other position defensively.
If the Astros are going to pull off a turn around and compete like the Padres did this year, they're going to have to go about it a different way. The pitching is solid, but needs to improve especially in the bullpen. The weak free agent market and the cost to sign or trade for an impact player doesn't really bode well for improving this teams offense. With the focus on the restocking of the farm system and development of young players, the Astros throwing their hat into a bidding war seems unlikely. Maybe there's another Myers like signing on the free agent market, but I wouldn't bank on it. The defense would be the easiest to improve, but displacing Lee and Keppinger is something management is unlikely to do. Besides improving the defense doesn't mean a team is going to compete, just ask the Seattle Mariners how that worked out.
Is it likely the Astros can compete next year? At this point, no.
There are just to many things that have to go right and some big improvements will need to be made. A bounce back from Lee would be required. It doesn't really matter where they plug Lee in he's going to have to rebound and put up the kind of numbers typical of either position. The young players will either need to continue their development and start taking steps forward to fulfill their potential. Continued production of those that have produced this year will also be required. If anyone of them falters that's just more production this young roster will have to pick up. That's a lot to ask of team who has about a fifth of its roster coming off a rookie season. A lot has to go right, but as the Padres have proven the possibility is there.
Can the Astros compete next year? Yes. Yes they can.


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We built this.
There's an old saying: if you want a job done...
Over the last 30 years we've had the help of one or two great companies in designing and refining our presence online. But since we are all former engineers and scientists, it seemed natural that in 2017 we should build this ourselves this time.
This site was designed by ecm – with a little help from our friends – with final design and code by Dan, one of our senior consultants.
If you've any feedback on the website, you are welcome to let us know by email.
— ecm

subset: commoncrawl


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Samsung releases Galaxy Note ICS kernel code to developers
Samsung's 5.3" hybrid Galaxy Note has been out for a while and sales have never been better, with the 5 million unit threshold being crossed last March.
Now just two weeks after the Note was officially updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and ahead of the impending 10.1" Note release, Samsung is making their kernel code available to the public. Starting immediately, the device's source code will be available online and should help out developers churn more and more custom ROMs.
Unlike most companies, Samsung has been very forward with their software updates and bootloaders, and the latest source code release is no different. Interested parties should head over to Samsung's Open Source Release Center, and get started on de-TouchWiz-ing their devices.


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Benchmark International Advises on the Sale of Melpass Limited to Vil Holdings Limited
Benchmark International is pleased to have advised on an agreed deal for the sale of Melpass Limited to Vil Holdings Limited.
As a well-respected UK manufacturer Melpass Limited supply chemical products to customers around the world. With such a wide range of products and applications many customers require special guidance and technical assistance. To facilitate this, their trained sales professionals, technical advisors and chemists are available at all times. Modern chemistry requires imagination, perception and creativity. Melpass strive wherever possible to develop and promote environmentally beneficial alternative solutions to everyday problems.
Vil Holdings Limited was founded in 1994, with its registered office based in Bolton, Lancashire. As a group they are engaged in the provision of management services to, and the holding of shares in a trading subsidiary company.
On behalf of everyone at Benchmark International, we would like to wish both parties every success for the future.
Benchmark International's global offices provide business owners in the middle market and lower middle market with creative, value-maximizing solutions for growing and exiting their businesses. To date, Benchmark International has handled engagements in excess of $5B across 30 industries worldwide. With decades of global M&A experience, Benchmark International's deal teams, working from 13 offices across the world, have assisted hundreds of owners achieve their personal objectives and ensure the continued growth of their businesses.


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keykit-mode is an Emacs major mode for editing KeyKit code. If you don't know what is a major mode, or what is Emacs, then I guess this page is not for you :)
(autoload 'keykit-mode "keykit-mode" "KeyKit major mode." t) (setq auto-mode-alist (append '(("\\.\\(k[pc]?\\|tyk\\|toy\\)$" . keykit-mode)) auto-mode-alist))To have fontification by default, add this line:
(add-hook 'keykit-mode-hook 'keykit-fontify)The help system needs to be informed of the Keypath. So start Emacs, do a
M-x keykit-mode and select the "Customization" item in the KeyKit menu that should appear in the menu bar.
Kk Default Directory: your KeyKit directory
Kk Keypath: the list of directories making your Keypath (type
print(Keypath) at the KeyKit console to have this list)
Kk Geomaestro Items off to do so.
kk-lowkey-executable fits your installation (on Linux it should work just as it is, on Windows you may have to give
kk-lowkey-executable a full name if the KeyKit binaries are not in the PATH)
#name #usage #desc #see #topicsThe above lines are inserted by the "Insert documentation fields" menu item. Here is an example of documented function:
#name NulAndNil #usage NulAndNil(any arguments you want) #desc Does nothing: quite useless. But there's a message for you in the code. #see AnotherGreatFunction #topics philosophy, eating, kangaroo function NulAndNil() { # hello, my friend. }All functions documented this way respond to the "man" item in the KK-doc menu. When you select "man", the minibuffer prompts for a function name; if your cursor is located on the name you want, just press
RETURN. A dedicated window will open and display the documentation.
kk-HTML-doc-Keypath and writes HTML pages in the
kk-HTML-directory. The first one is called index.html
launch_daemon_tcpip() function starts a task reading and writing to a local TCP/IP port (the task is called a "daemon" because it can restart automatically whenever it is killed or exited; this can be configured, though).
LaunchTCPIPDaemon is set to 1 (this is NOT the default).
M-x kk-tcpip or simply by selecting the "TCP/IP console" item in the KeyKit menu. This displays a buffer acting like a (quite powerful) KeyKit console.
kk-tcpip-console-is-special to
nil if you don't want the console buffer to appear in a specific frame.
:", the rest is supposed to be wrapped in a
print(), so that for example "
:2+2" is equivalent to "
&", the rest is supposed to be wrapped in a
realtime(), so that it is immediately played. example: "
print() and
printf() output both in the current KeyKit console tool and in the Emacs console buffer.As a side effect, you may at times get in the Emacs buffer messages that were not intented to appear in the console (like the ones used in pop-up query windows)
printf() and
print() is automatically sent to Emacs. The messages issued from low-level C code can't be accessed from the high-level KeyKit langage in which GeoMaestro is entirely written and are thus invisible to Emacs.
ph = 'a' # "this" may cause troubles # while "this" should be fine # ... but this: " is certainly not good # (1) this is ok # 2) this is notAlso, better not comment a code line featuring "#":
# ok for comment here a = "#" # please no comment here # here it's fine... in most cases it is ok but this is not 100% sure...


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Former Parramatta Eels star Jarryd Hayne says he is enjoying his time at the San Francisco 49ers, but admitted he had a long way to go before making his NFL debut.
Brad Fittler: South Sydney Rabbitohs star Luke Keary committed to NSW
New Zealand Warriors star Manu Vatuvei commits future to the NRL club
Newcastle Knights back-rower Beau Scott released to Parramatta Eels on 'compassionate grounds'
The former Australian Test representative is hoping to make the cut on the 49ers 53-man roster when it gets announced on the eve of the 2015/16 season.
Hayne said the physical component of the NFL was not an issue, but admits knowing the team's playbook inside out is the biggest challenge of all.
"Physically it's not a concern," Hayne is quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It's just the playbook and knowing where to be at the right time, whether to pass protect and running in gaps, or what not. Obviously the routes are a key factor as well. They are my main concerns.
"Physically, I feel fine. We got to train as a squad for two weeks leading up to being on the field with the coaches. I felt fine and comfortable. But when we're out there and plays are getting called and studying, that's going to be the biggest hurdle for me."
Hayne refused to make a prediction on his chances of landing a spot on the 49ers final roster.
"We're only three weeks in," he said.
"I'm just taking it day by day and taking baby steps at the moment. It's such a new thing so I'm just taking my time and making sure I'm getting what the coaches are teaching me right and worrying about that."
Hayne made his NRL debut with the Eels in 2006 and went on to make 176 first-grade appearances.


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A 61-year-old woman with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and polycystic liver disease requiring inferior vena cava (IVC) stent placement for intrahepatic caval compression from hepatic cysts developed pleuritic chest pain, shortness of breath, and syncope. Physical examination revealed cardiac tamponade physiology (blood pressure of 96/65 mm Hg, elevated jugular venous pressure with blunted Y-descent, Kussmaul sign, and distant heart sounds), and echocardiography confirmed a large circumferential pericardial effusion, diastolic right ventricular collapse, exaggerated respiratory variation (>25%) in the mitral inflow velocity, and normal IVC size. Pericardiocentesis returned bloody fluid. Gated cardiac computed tomography angiography showed her IVC stent fractured in multiple places with its tines protruding through the IVC into the pericardial space, causing hemopericardium. Her tamponade resolved with the pericardiocentesis, and she was treated conservatively with observation. Click the article link for more case details and additional videos.
JN Learning™ is the home for CME and MOC from the JAMA Network. Search by specialty or US state and earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ from articles, audio, Clinical Challenges and more. Learn more about CME/MOC
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Vyooha - Cars, Tech and Life!
Tip for buying a 3G phone
When buying a 3G handset make sure that it supports HSDPA. And HSUPA is not necessary, often even the networks don't support them.
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Drake University has named John R. "Jack" Ellis, PH'57, retired director of Abbott Laboratories, as the 2011 recipient of the Lawrence C. and Delores M. Weaver Medal of Honor.
Ellis, of Lake Barrington, Ill., will receive the award and deliver the annual Weaver Lecture on Wednesday, April 27. The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium, Old Main, 2507 University Ave. A reception will follow from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room, 2725 University Ave. The events are free and open to the public.
The award is the highest honor presented by Drake's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and recognizes Ellis's dedication to the pharmacy profession as an advocate for advancing research practices to benefit human health, as well as his philanthropic support of the University's pharmacy program.
Presented annually, the Weaver Medal of Honor was established by Lawrence Weaver, a 1949 pharmacy graduate and dean emeritus of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, and his wife, Delores.
"This medal is a lasting gift and one of great significance to the future success of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences," Ellis said. "It provides a venue for alumni to examine how we have used the assets we acquired here at Drake to mold ourselves into productive professionals."
In his lecture, titled "How to Plant a Tree," Ellis will discuss the value of a pharmacy degree, a strong work ethic and a commitment to philanthropy.
He will also acknowledge the impact of mentorship, citing retired Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and fellow Weaver Medal recipient C. Boyd Granberg as "the epitome" of integrity and professionalism. Granberg served on Drake's faculty from 1950 to 1984.
Ellis was instrumental in efforts to honor Granberg through the establishment of the Granberg Professional Leadership Award. The award is presented annually to a faculty member who demonstrates sustained and significant leadership in professional organizations and inspires students toward professional involvement.
Ellis family gives back to Drake to ensure the advancement of professional pharmacy
In 2006, Jack Ellis and his wife, Audrey, pledged $1.5 million to Drake to fund an endowed faculty chair in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The inaugural John R. Ellis Distinguished Chair of Pharmacy Practice was awarded in 2007, and the title is currently held by John Rovers.
"I received a tremendous education at Drake and the faculty helped me form my professional work ethic," Ellis said at the time. "We wanted to make a gift to enhance the education of pharmacy students, so that they can make a difference in the profession. An endowed chair is a stable, lasting gift that will keep on giving."
In October 2010, the Ellis family committed $500,000 to renovate a pharmacy laboratory and to create a new, state-of-the-art space for the growing field of study in pharmacogenomics, also known as personalized medicine.
Ellis and his wife also have established a charitable remainder trust for Drake and make annual donations to the University at the President's Circle level. Two of their children, John, JO'82, and Barbara, BN'77, are Drake graduates.
Following his graduation from Drake in 1957, Ellis began his career at global healthcare company Abbott Laboratory, conducting research and development. In 1969, he became a diplomate of Lake Forest School of Management.
Ellis was named manager of Abbott's pharmaceutical operations in 1979 and, in 1985, he was promoted to director of Abbott Park Operations Pharmaceutical Division. After 35 years with Abbott, he retired in 1992.
— Stella Hart


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- Dataplor collects data from businesses without a digital footprint to then make this available to interested players, like on-demand startups.
- Specialized in emerging markets, the company so far operates in Mexico and Brazil
First launched in Mexico, Dataplor is a young company seeking to bring small local businesses closer to the digital era. A platform that gathers, verifies, and then provides data from these small companies to players wanting to do business in the region, the startup has recently raised a third round of seed funding, so far reaching, $2 million in capital.
According to the company, they specialize in emergent markets – specifically Latin America – at least for now. Unlike other more developed markets, where local, small companies are more likely to have a digital presence, in emerging markets this is a real gap. Whereas on-demand apps such as iFood and Rappi are thriving in the region, there are still plenty of local companies that can't be found, due to a lack of – or weak – presence on Google index.
This is the case of Mexico, where "80% of Mexican businesses don't have any digital footprint, and less than 5% of businesses have a website," said Geoffrey Michener, founder and CEO of Dataplor, to TechCrunch. The 13-person company was set up to address these related issues by literally going outside, knocking on these local businesses doors', and collecting data (address, hours of operation shift, menu changes, etc). The step following is licensing this information to companies that might have interest on that. Meaning: Google, Apple, Uber, and so on.
Despite the small staff and young age, the company has already expanded to Brazil – Latin America's first and foremost competitive economy and plans to move forward to Chile, Peru, and Colombia, still in 2019.


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IT Rapid Support Inc. is a Canadian privately-owned company founded in 2008. Our point of difference is that we specialize in Apple systems, partnered with an array of ICT services to support education, enterprise and business. Our team of ICT consultants are professionally trained and certified to deliver excellence in networking, security, device management, training, point of sale, cloud systems, integration and procurement. Our range of services are broad, yet specifically formulated to deliver only the most effective solutions. We frequently evaluate our workflows and product offerings to promote continual service improvement throughout the technology lifecycle of your organisation's systems.
The most integral and defining factor attributed to our growth is our intuitive, nimble and empowered team. We are blessed with incredible and diverse ICT specialists that have amazing personalities, skillsets and communication skills. At IT Rapid Support Inc., we embrace a fun and exciting work environment that offers consistent professional & personal development, challenges, freedom, travel and support that has morphed in to an ethos of team collaboration, laughs and friendship.
Environmental sustainability is factored into every strategy and business decision. We take responsible environmental management very seriously, so we do everything we can to minimise our environmental footprint. Our end-of-life machines are stripped of reusable material and recycled so they do not end up as landfill. Our packaging materials are manufactured in recyclable cardboard and polystyrene. Our cars adhere to some of the lowest emission and petrol consumption standards on the market.
Health preservation and modern research articles are taken very seriously in light of the seemingly unknown effects of radio waves around us. When devising the placement of wireless access points, we ensure that best effort is made to minimise radio waves passing through the body en route to end devices.
Our clients are our business and we do everything in our power to foster that relationship and maximize their satisfaction of our services. We communicate every step and take ownership of challenges to create solutions. Above all else, we care about our clients and we know that our efforts turn in to results. The results that keep us striving to be better than we were yesterday.
We have established and fostered exceptional relationships with many of the world's leading IT companies including Apple, Cisco, Google and Microsoft just to name a few. Our business vision is to continue the growth of our team, leverage the scope of our support and increase the volume and diversity of our client base.
community involvement
IT Rapid Support is pleased to announce that SickKids Foundation was selected as the "Charity of Choice" in support of children's health.
We're proud to select SickKids Foundation as our corporate charity. As a family-run business with strong family values, it makes perfect sense to support a charitable organization that does so much for so many families across our province, Canada and around the world." The partnership falls under the company's corporate social responsibility program. Many of our customers as well as our IT Rapid Support employees have been patients at SickKids, or know of family or friends in the community that has been helped by SickKids.
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Two years ago, when I was fed up with the everlasting Canadian winter, I came across an article about the Canada 150 Rideau Trail Challenge, which was about hiking 150 kilometres on the trail before the end of the year. I did not know much about the Rideau Trail at that time, but the challenge immediately interested me. What a great way to have something to do during my weekends and to explore my region!
So I hiked 150 kilometres on the trail, then the following year I decided to continue and to hike 150 more. A little over a week ago, I finally arrived in Kingston and at the end of the trail.
I still have a hard time believing that a challenge that started on a whim two years ago brought me to hike over 300 kilometres across Eastern Ontario. Although there were some difficult times, although I have doubted at times of my motivation to get to the end of the trail, I do not regret the experience.
Beyond this realization, I also grew and learned a lot during this experience. I'm sharing here some of my learnings after this end-to-end hike on the Rideau Trail.
The Rideau Trail is much more than the Rideau Canal.
The Rideau Trail takes its name from the Rideau Canal, which links Ottawa to Kingston in Eastern Ontario. I started my hike at the Rideau Canal locks near the Ottawa River in Ottawa and I finished it in Kingston, not far from where the canal flows into Lake Ontario.
But the Rideau Trail does not just follow the canal. It also follows some of its tributaries and goes through points of interest and significant conservation areas. Thanks to the Rideau Trail, I was able to explore two provincial parks, marshes, forests, lakes, villages and even an old mining area!
The Rideau Trail is perfect for history buffs.
The Rideau Canal has been of significant importance to the region. Built primarily for military reasons (Canada wanted to be ready in case of an American invasion), the canal was mainly used for the economic development of the region. Several towns and villages were built on its banks (including Ottawa) and it allowed the development of the forestry and mining industry in the region (in fact, the hike on the Rideau Trail allowed me to learn that Eastern Ontario was one of the first mining regions in the country!).
The Rideau Trail also connects two significant cities in Canadian history. Kingston (which was Canada's first capital) and Ottawa (the current capital). The trail passes near the Parliament and the Supreme Court in Ottawa, and by the grave of Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, in Kingston. It cannot get more Canadian than that!
Eastern Ontario is much less flat than I thought.
I'm originally from Eastern Ontario and I often feel that I know the area like the back of my hand. For me Eastern Ontario rhymes with fields, farms, woodlands and marshes. And that's pretty much the landscape I got on the trail to Perth.
After Perth, the trail became more rugged. There were some ascents, at first rather negligible, then a little steeper. The Rideau Trail goes over the Big Rideau Lake Plateau, through the Foley Mountain Conservation Area, and on the rocky ridges of Frontenac Provincial Park.
The highest point of the Rideau Trail is located at 203 metres above sea level. It's not much when you think about it, but the Rideau Trail was a good workout in a few places. In fact, a little more than I expected.
The trail is an excellent introduction to the fauna and flora of the area.
There's the history, there's also the topography. But now I have to say something about nature I've come across during my hike. As I wrote above, I used to see Eastern Ontario as a place where agricultural fields were dominant. I have never seen my region as having a vast natural wealth. The Rideau Trail showed me that I was wrong.
In fact, what's great about the trail is that it goes through different ecosystems. Pine groves, swamps, forests, beaver ponds, maple groves, clearings, lakes, rocky plateaus … I was amazed by the diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna. I have seen several owls, herons, hawks, woodpeckers, wild turkeys and even a turkey vulture (I had no idea we had those in Canada). I saw a multitude of turtles, frogs and salamanders. I also saw thirty deer, 17 snakes (yes, I counted them all), two porcupines, a fox and … a black bear.
(I still think the snakes were scarier than the bear, but I took the habit of bringing bear bells afterwards).
The trail is pleasant in any season.
Spring is ideal for wildlife viewing and cooler temperatures, summer for warmth and dense vegetation, fall for colours and winter for the luminosity and snow. Personally, I preferred fall because the scenery is beautiful and there are no more mosquitoes.
Following the Rideau Trail is addictive
I was hooked from the first kilometres. It must be said that the trail is rather easy to follow. It is well marked, with orange triangles indicating the path to follow (the full orange triangles indicate the direction to Kingston, those with a yellow point indicate the way to Ottawa). You don't really need maps or compasses, you just need to locate the triangles (but I would still advise to become familiar with the trail maps online before going on the trail).
For me, who was taking my first steps on a long-distance trail, the Rideau Trail gave me a great first experience and made me want to continue again and again.
Following the Rideau Trail is a logistical challenge.
The trail may not be a big challenge physically, but it does require some logistical organization. Accommodation and campgrounds along the trail are quite limited so if you plan to walk the entire trail in one push, you will need to plan well ahead to find out where to stay overnight.
For my part, I only did day hikes, starting on the Rideau Trail at the point where I left it last time. But that too required some organization. In Ottawa and Kingston, I was able to use public transit to and from the trail. But outside these two urban areas, it got a bit complicated.
Most of the time, I found a place to park my car and tried to cover as many kilometres as possible in one day by calculating the fact that I would eventually have to walk back to my car. On some occasions, I also asked my partner to drive me or pick me up at the trail.
I also always made sure to have enough water and food on me for the day, as refueling points are rather rare on the trail.
My waterproof boots are my best friends.
When I started my hike on the Rideau Trail, I was poorly equipped. I had walking shoes that were appropriate for the Ottawa portion, but once out of town I realized that my shoes did not stand up to the flooded sections of the trail. And there were many of these sections. I remember once, north of Richmond, where I found myself in the water up to my knees. My shoes were constantly slipping in the mud and I almost completely abandoned my plan to hike the Rideau Trail at that point. By the end of the summer, my shoes were completely ruined.
The following year I equipped myself with waterproof hiking boots. There are no words to express how much my hiking experience was improved from then on.
Some sections deserve to be explored further.
The main trail is 327 kilometres. But the Rideau Trail also includes several kilometres of secondary trails. I hiked some of these trails, but I mostly focused on getting to Kingston and the end of the trail. Which means that I still have kilometres of trail to explore. How fun!
Among the sections I want to go back to (and which have probably been my favourites) are Stony Swamp in Ottawa, Foley Mountain in Westport, Frontenac Provincial Park and the Gould Lake Conservation Area near Sydenham.
I would add Murphys Point Provincial Park to this list, for a day where I will have enough courage to face its large population of snakes.
I am stronger than I thought.
I was a rather inexperienced hiker when I started to hike the Rideau Trail. Over all these kilometres, I learned a little more about my capacities and my limits. I especially learned that I am stronger than I thought.
Before undertaking this challenge, the idea that I could hike more than 20 kilometres a day seemed to me insane. After all, I did not consider myself the most active girl. Over time, I realized that not only did I have the capacity to hike more than 20 kilometres, but also that I actually really enjoy it! Hiking the Rideau Trail has given me enough confidence to go hike on other long-distance trails, and last year I was able to hike the 52-kilometre Causeway Coast Way in Northern Ireland.
I also realized that I am rather stubborn, and that when I embark on a project there is nothing, not even flooded sections or snakes, that will prevent me from going to the end!
Do you have questions about the Rideau Trail? Ask them in the comments below!
My journey on the Rideau Trail:
- Km 1 to Km 5 – Year goal: 150 kilometers on the Rideau Trail
- Km 5 to Km 25 – Along the Ottawa River
- Km 25 to Km 35 – In the wilderness of Stony Swamp
- Km 35 to Km 50 – On the country roads
- Km 50 to Km 80 – Marlborough Forest and its horseflies
- Km 80 to Km 100 – Hello Rideau Canal
- Km 100 to Km 125 – A fall hike in Smiths Falls
- Km 125 to Km 150 – 150 kilometres later
- Km 150 to Km 155 – I'm back, and with a new goal
- Km 155 to Km 175 – Entering the Mica Mines area
- Km 175 to Km 180 – That time it was raining caterpillars at Murphys Point Provincial Park
- Km 180 to Km 195 – Hello Big Rideau Lake
- Km 195 to Km 215 – A mountain, a bear and a drought in Westport
- Km 215 to Km 250 – A fall walk along the Cataraqui Trail
- Km 250 to Km 270 – Hiking through Frontenac Provincial Park
- Km 270 to Km 290 – Falling in love with November at Gould Lake
- Km 290 to Km 327 – Kingston and the end of the trail


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House of Hospitality: Chapter Seven
Summary: Fighting melancholy and overwork she wavers between justifying and blaming herself. Includes a mock dialogue with a "Critical Inquirer," examples of their arguments and conflicts, and sustaining quotes from spiritual writers. Sets a rule of life for herself and affirms that "those circumstances which surround us are the very ones God wills for us." (DDLW #442).
MELANCHOLY fall days. Teresa went back to school Wednesday and I brought her to the beach Friday night for the week-end, coming into town myself Saturday to see Loretta and the new baby who was born on Wednesday. Went to tea at the de Aragons' and then to Don Bosco's Church for confession, then to the beach feeling very grateful to God for His blessings. I had been harsh and impatient interiorly with those dependent on me. I must be more kind and patient.
Then down in the country, Peter brought Carney–the mysterious, silent, nervous case–bent over with cramps and very ill indeed.
The atmosphere was anything but cheerful. Joe Bennett also very ill indeed, with his heart, flat on his back after three months on Welfare Island.
John Renaldo got me cornered to discuss his rights to have doubts, be an agnostic occasionally, how he didn't see much proof of the existence of God, etc.
All in all, a sad day, aside from the relief of Mass, and I was much oppressed both by the talk and lack of talk.
Then coming in on the train, I was suddenly overwhelmedby the thought of our blessings. Are there not always direct indications of God's will as to the work we should do? Caring for the sick He sends us–that is a most necessary work. A sick person is a blessing to a house, it is said. We are greatly blessed then by these opportunities.
So today was a good day. Charlie could have written a perfect Jeremiad for it. He will not be content until he sees us "bowed in tears, with broken hearts, walking with bleeding feet." I believe in being joyful in the Lord and often argue with Charlie but I was rebuked in reading Caussade where he says: "Souls who walk in light sing canticles of joy; those who walk amid shadows sing anthems of woe. Let one and the other sing to the end, the portion and anthem God assigns them.
And Tina and I have been criticizing Charlie for his Jeremiads, perhaps not so much for them as for his desire to see others wail under the blows of this life.
I must not be critical of others.
Here is a conversation with one of our critics:
Critical Inquirer–Are younot participating in the class war when you go out on picket lines and on the street corners? Are you not siding with the workers, one class against another class, thus taking part in class war?
Catholic Worker–No,we are trying to bring the Gospel to the man in the street, and if we find ourselves caught between two opposing forces, God help us, the police won't.
C.I.–Are you not inefficient and lax in that you are not an organization with rules and regulations?
C.W.–We are trying to work out the doctrine of gentle personalism, to live a life in which people do not do things by compulsion, but of their own free will. Karl Marx said:
"From each according to his ability and to each according to his need." And St. Paul said "Let your abundance supply their want." Abundance we take to mean an abundance of physical, mental and spiritual energies. We try not to make rules, but look for individual initiative.
C.I.–While supping at the Catholic Worker office, I heard an argument as to who should do dishes, who had done dishes, who would do dishes and who ought to do dishes. Some of this was in fun but there also seemed to be animosity.
C.W.–Undoubtedly with the teasing there is also a feeling of criticism. In trying to put over this idea of the workers becoming scholars and the scholars workers, there is bound to be conflict in the transition stages. The worker will complacently watch the scholar empty the garbage cans, wash the dishes, scrub the floor, and will prefer to take the nice clean work of filing or typing cards and envelopes. Some scholars will work, and others lacking in physical co-ordination and ashamed to show their lack of ability along those lines do not co-operate in the manual labor. And the worker, showing no recognition of the work of some of the scholars, will jeer at the idle scholars. And some of the scholars will be complaining of the noise and heckling of the workers.
The same difficulties take place in regard to the lack of rules save those set forth in the Gospel, (See the rule of St. Francis). Because there is no compulsion, some will refuse co-operation. Those who co-operate scorn those who do not, as well as those responsible for not making rules to force the non-cooperators to cooperate. It is a good-natured scorn, perhaps, but it is a critical attitude just the same.
C.I.–But would it not be better then to have rules in order to facilitate the work? Wouldn't it be better to kick out those who do not help?
C.W.–Things might run a little more smoothly on the surface–the office might be cleaner, for instance, and the kitchen floor washed more often, but the criticism and the lack of co-operation would go on. Let your abundance supply their want. There are always those who can do more work or who can do one thing better than they can do other things. And after all we are working with the lame, the halt, and the blind.
In the Catholic Worker Community, things do get done. People are housed and fed. More people are housed and fed because there is no red tape or so-called efficiency.
C. I.–But don't people take advantage?
C.W.–Of course. And don't we take advantage of God? Cannot we put up with others? Does not God put up with us?
C.I.–But wouldn't even more get done if each one were allotted his separate task and expected to do it?
C.W.–Some more efficiency! Some more compulsion! And after all don't we get a good deal done? Considering that we are on a voluntary basis–that no one is paid salaries–it seems that a great deal is done. Of course we do not stop to count the pieces of clothes that are distributed, the number of people fed, the quarts of milk consumed by the children. Though we may try to make a rough estimate, since people love figures and we might encourage ourselves by so doing. And after all, we do get out a newspaper, 100,000 copies, mailed to all parts of the world, which is no mean job. Most papers employ a mailing house to do the work. Volunteers do it in the office and from amongst those volunteers who come to do something simple like addressing envelopes we have gained many a friend. And after all we do have a division of labor, tasks divided up and voluntarily accepted.
C.I.–But to go back to the criticism at the supper table as to who does what, I thought you Christians all loved one another.
C.W.–As we indeed do. All Christians do in time of persecution. When things are going along smoothly there is bound to be friction of one personality against another. The apostles wrangled a bit in regard to who was going to sit on the right side of the Lord, and St. Paul was not accepted at first by the disciples (and who would blame them), and there was argument about bringing the light to the Gentiles, etc. And isn't there friction in religious communities? And in families? After all, there is always a war between nature and grace. I am afraid we are not always as edifying as we should be. But we don't believe that rules and regulations would help much.
After the critical inquirer had left, I began to feel guilty for justifying myself and others. After all I am a bad leader–we are all at fault–everything could be done much better. If things go wrong it is the fault of the leader.
Distributing papers at the power house over in Brooklyn between four and five on a hot afternoon. The Hudson Avenue plant supplies all Queens, Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. It takes 700 men to work it and 600 are organized. At the offices of the Edison Company there are 5,000 working. There are in addition, seven district offices. For the actual generating of electricity there are two hundred in the plant. The men work in three shifts and some of them work eight hours straight and have no time off for eating. They eat while working. The mechanics work from eight to five and have an hour off for lunch.
Before the men started the Brotherhood of Edison Employees, the pay was $23 to $36. Now it is $27 to $46. The men are supposed to get a pension at 65 but usually long before this the pay is lowered to $25 and the pension amounts to about $7 a week. Or perhaps they get fired for mistakes.
While we distributed there was a steady roar of the machines in our ears which filled the air unbearably. The men work in the midst of this roar all the time. We could look out over the river while we waited for the men to dribble out of the plant, over a field of weeds, burdock, dandelion and grass growing cheerfully in the shade. There is a bend in the river there and we watched the tugboats and the barges going by. The overhanging bridge was like a poem. To one side there is a gantry.
This, one of the workers said proudly, is the largest generating plant in the world.
Went with Margaret to the Welfare Department. The waiting room was small, and so crowded by nine-thirty in the morning that fifteen people already were standing up. The investigators came out into this crowded room to interview their "clients". It is hard to watch people trying to achieve some privacy, speaking behind cupped hands, their faces working. The investigators tell them to speak up. There were many children in the room, underweight, pale and sad. It is hard to see grown people crying and young children with set sad faces terrified at the sight of adult despair.
There is a Negroe there with crucifixes in her ears. A young girl whose trembling baby has an old white face. There is a strange contrast between the impassive faces of the investigators and the twisted, anguished faces of those investigated.
Stanley is down for a few days to help with the wood chopping and gathering driftwood on the garden commune. Even so we have just had to buy two more tons of coal which make five for this year already. It will be good when we are on the farming commune and have our own wood. One of the best things people can do, the very people who are with you–is to criticize the management and lack of economy though God knows what else you can do.
The difficulty to look forward to on the farm is everybody living under the same roof and getting along together, so strange a conglomeration of people as we all are.
Miss B., a former school teacher and now on PWA, is a nervous wreck, spending all her time complaining about her debts and insurance. She tries to while away the time reading voraciously and knitting, and tries to be helpful as much as possible. But recently she washed up the kitchen floor which was covered with clay which everybody has been modeling, dumping the water down the sink and stopping it up so it has not been used for the past two weeks. To get away from the contemplation of the sink, she has taken refuge with some friends in Jersey.
Francis took offense last night at sleeping in a room away from Stanley and walked out this morning without breakfast. So there are general grievances in the air. And generally grievances against me. For having such people around, for instance, and, "What's the sense of talking about a farming commune when you haven't any farmers? It'll never come to anything. There was all that talk of a summer school and nothing was done." Past failures are not forgotten or excused.
If you are discouraged, others will relapse into a state of discouragement and hopeless anger at circumstances and each other. And if you are not discouraged, everyone tries to make you so and is angry because you are not. It is hard to know what tack to take. The only thing is to be oblivious, as Peter is, and go right on.
We have meetings every Thursday night in the two big offices, but Friday night there was an impromptu meeting which lasted until twelve. Everyone seemed to drop in at once, visitors from half a dozen other cities, members of other groups, and our own crowd. We started at the dinner table, continued through the dish-washing, adjourned to the office and everyone had his say. We discussed the relationship between the corporative, the co-operative, the distributist and the communitarian movements. Some talked of the need of a positive program, others said that anyone who claimed to have a solution to world problems was a liar. Some talked of the educational approach and others the spiritual. Peter talked of the need of injecting the spiritual into the material.
The discussion was heated, as it usually is, everybody speaking with vehemence and bobbing up and down from the floor. One of the visitors, not acquainted with Peter, said he thought we were giving too much attention to the material. He criticized the disorder of our surroundings, our lack of efficiency, and advocated the liturgical life, which to him meant recitation of Prime and Vespers and Compline and a dialogue Mass every morning (the attendance of all at these hours being obligatory).
When he said that Peter paid too much attention to the economic side of things, I jumped to my feet and protested that "you can't preach the gospel to men with empty stomachs" (Abbe Lugan) and that if they had been down to the Municipal Lodging House and seen 12,000 men being fed at South Ferry, they would decide that it was necessary to put some emphasis on the material. Which convinced our critics that I was an externalist, I am sure.
Most of the time when people talk of efficiency and organization, they are thinking of order, outward order. What they are really criticizing is our poverty, the fact that we spend money for food instead of for paint and linoleum. We are crowded as the poor are, with people sleeping in every available corner. We have no separate room for the clothes that come in; they are packed in boxes around the dining-room and hung in one hall closet and in another closet off the dining-room. We are often dirty because so many thousands cross our thresholds. We are dirty ourselves sometimes because we have no hot water or bath, because we have not sufficient clothes for changes,–even because we are so busy with the poor and the sick that it is hard to take time to journey to the public baths to wash.
But what am I talking about? Why am I justifying myself and my family? I am ashamed of myself for getting indignant at such criticism. It just goes to show how much pride and self-love I have. But it has been hard lately. Not only outside criticism but criticism from within, the grumbling, the complaints, the insidious discontent spread around by a few–these trials are hard to bear.
However, the thing is to bear it patiently, to take it lightly, not to let it interfere with the work. The very fact that it is hard shows how weak I am. I should be happy, however, to think that God believes me strong enough to bear these trials, otherwise I would not be having them. Father Lallemant says that we must beware when things are going too smoothly. That is the time when no progress is made.
Oh dear, I am reminded of St. Teresa who said, "The devil sends me so offensive a bad spirit of temper that at times I think I could eat people up."
I'm glad that she felt that way, too. St. Thomas said there is no sin in having a righteous wrath provided there is no undue desire for revenge.
I'm afraid I am very stiff necked. I shall read the Office and go to sleep. But first to concoct a rule for the coming year. (I read in Tanqueray that a rule of life was necessary for all, laymen as well as cleric.)
The Catholic Worker to be in the hands of St. Joseph, and Teresa and I to continue under our novice mistress, the little St. Therese, who alone can teach us how to do the little things and cultivate a spirit of humility. St. Joseph is also taking care of me this year.
"Can you not watch one hour with me."
I shall remember this whenever I am tired and want to omit prayer, the extra prayers I shall set myself. Because after all I am going to try to pray the simplest, humblest way, with no spiritual ambition.
Morning prayers, in my room before going to Mass. I always omit them, rushing out of the house just in time as I do. If I were less slothful it would be better. Remember what Leon Bloy said about health. Not try too hard to catch up on sleep but to be sensible about sleep nevertheless.
Around the middle of the day to take, even though it be to snatch, fifteen minutes of absolute quiet, thinking about God and talking to God.
Read the Office as much as I can, if only Prime and Compline, but more whenever possible.
One visit during the day, always without fail.
rosary daily.
I do plenty of spiritual reading to refresh myself and to encourage myself so I do not have to remind myself of that.
The thing to remember is not to read so much or talk so much about God, but to talk to God.
To practice the presence of God.
To be gentle and charitable in thought, word and deed. (Most important of all.)
These last fall months have been hard ones, but hardest of all for Mr. and Mrs. J. who have had charge of the garden commune all summer and will be there all winter.
When the summer months were passed with their hosts of children, scores of young workers and students and all the visitors, over-running the place for weekends, and the quiet fall days came, even heavier responsibilities came. The summer was hard but the past few months have been harder. In the summer we were dealing with healthy, normal young people. In the fall there was not only one but half a dozen sick, mentally and physically, suddenly on hand to be cared for.
Father Coady, one of the heads of the Antigonish movement, said one time that we could all do ten times as much as we think we can do. It was certainly true in this case. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. J. felt that they had all they could possibly handle during the summer. If anyone had asked them to take charge of a group of sick ones such as suddenly congregated with us, they would have felt utterly incapable of doing the work. As it was, it just drifted up on them. Adelson decided he would move in. Then another, then Carney. Peter brought Carney down, the others came by themselves. And sin e our policy is never to turn anyone away, there they were. They had to be accepted. But surely it was too much for one couple to bear. A household of sad afflicted creatures.
And then Joe Bennett came down to die. He had worked for the last year or so in the South, and when he became critically ill, the priest with whom he was working brought him north and put him on Welfare Island. Joe got in touch with us and begged to be allowed to go down to the country.
He was fatally ill, and felt that he was not going to recover, but he fought bitterly against death. He did not want to die and he knew that only a miracle could save him. He prayed frantically, almost rebelliously, for a miracle.
"How can God be good," he moaned every time he saw me, "to let me suffer like this. He must heal me. I don't want to die."
It was heartbreaking. Mrs. J. nursed him tenderly, brought him delicacies to tempt his appetite. He read, he had a little radio by his bedside. Outside the trees were turning red and gold. There was the sound of the waves crashing on the beach in the fall storms. It was too unbearably beautiful, he cried, and he did not want to die.
We took turns going down to see him to keep him company and to try to ease the strain in the house. But it was one day when no one was there but Mrs. J. that Joe took a turn for the worse, became delirious and began beating his head up against a radiator in bitter rebellion. Mrs. J. tried to hold him. Adelson ran to a neighbor's to phone for Father McKenna, the nearest priest. He was so unmanageable that the priest advised he be taken to a little private hospital down the bay about a mile and there he died a few days later. I had been to see him the morning before as he lay there semi-conscious, no longer suffering, no longer rebellious. He had received the last rites and once when he opened his eyes clearly for a moment, he said goodbye. I kissed him as I left. The next morning he died. And for months now I have felt guilty, because I was not there with him, because he was alone in the hospital, and not with his friends those last terrible moments when the soul is leaving the body. We must be alone when we die, that I know, but I do know too that I would like to have friends beside me to hold my hand, to make me feel the strength of their prayers, their strong, happy prayers that would see where I could not see, the peace and light of the world to come. But I was not there–Joe died alone, and he was the first one to help me that May Day we started The Catholic Worker. There will never a day pass but that I remember him in my prayers, and I pray he remembers us now. And I ask you who read this to pray that he has found refreshment, joy and peace.
"The good of the soul does not exist in its thinking much but in loving much. And if you were to ask how is this love to be had, my answer is, by a good resolution to do and suffer for God, and by carrying out that resolution into act whenever opportunity occurs."–St. Teresa's Foundations, Chapter V. 2.
Let people "not lay the blame on the times, for all times are times in which God will give His graces to those who serve Him in earnest."–St. Teresa.
"It is so easy to pray … Prayer is the heart's desire, and the heart always knows how to desire….
"Prayer is the great channel of grace. The two movements of prayer, to feel my misery and to feel the goodness****of Jesus, are the two movements of aspiration and respiration. Set forms are sometimes needful to maintain the respiration and keep distractions away.
"O! my Jesus, give me all the graces that I should ask of you, if I knew their importance–give them to me just as if I prayed for them, for my intention is to ask You for them with love and reverence."–A young Trappist who died not long ago.
I must recall the words again of St. Teresa–that the only way we can show our love for God is by our love for our fellows. And not an abstract love either. If I cannot remember and contemplate my own worse sins, hidden, and more subtle, then God help me! And if I cannot be patient under trials which the Lord compliments me by sending me, then all my other work is vain. It is not by editing a paper or by writing and speaking that I am going to do penance and achieve sanctity. But by being truly loving and gentle and peaceful in the midst of trouble. Lallemant says that when we are comfortable, beware. It is only when things are hard that we are making progress. God is good to send trials. They are a special mark of love.
Caussade says that those circumstances which surround us are the very ones God wills for us.
Dear Lord, keep us from pride and self will! Help us to love one another. It is easy to love saints. What do we know about each other's inward struggles.
"Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams."–Fr. Zossima in The Brothers Karamazov.


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Possibility of a Third Front has been ignited by Nitish Kumar,CM,Bihar who after seeing Modi getting an upper edge in the NDA has discussed with CMs of Bengal and Orissa too. Akhilesh , CM , Utter Pradesh has also indicated a possibility of Third Front.Even in the recent past,after SP won Uttar Pradesh Elections,talks of a Third Front were floated by Mulayam Singh, the SP Supremo.
In the past none of the Third Front Governments could complete 5 years term as too many cook spoil the dish 😀 . All the aspiring CMs for the PM post may join hands but a group with all the bosses in the Team splits faster than thought about.
Please share your views about what you feel about the Third Front ?
0 thoughts on "Possible Third Front"
These Political Leaders and their Parties looks to me as if they are competing for the Oscar Award of Best Dramebaaz Political Party….
God knows when their inner soul will wake and they will start working for the development of India as one instead of their self development…
Mulayam was talking about it last year but then he kept mum…Thaali ka baigan….Third front is next to impossible as here everyone wants the kursi no one wants to serve the country…:P
Third front? Sounds like another grouup of frauds joining hands toogether! You right!TOo many bosses spoil unity and it turns out to be a big fiasco….let's what happens in this case… AWESOME doodle. 🙂
Ooops sorry about the numerous typos…i am using my smart phone to stay connected with my fav blogs, hence the typos 😛
awesome brother
Power corrupts! 🙂
Awesome doodle Mysay, glad to have you back online.
The third front..another bunch of morons..what we need right now is the third eye to destroy all the muck.
I think it's better that i just visit your comics rather than reading news…at least, here are the news are presented in amusing way instead of depressing way 😀
Ha ha ha. May happen if wishes are horses.
Third front…I guess it's going to be more like the chaos behind a fighting scene in the 90's movie…unnecessary…inconvinient…but the presence is indeed necessary to add to the beauty of the scene 😛 😛
And as for 'too many cooks spoil the dish'…I'm afraid they'll set the entire kitchen on fire 😛
Well, everyone aspires to hold the seat of power but nobody talks about their mandate and how they intend to adhere to the same. Indian democracy is the perfect example of distortion of an once-upon-a-time-ideal-method of governance.
Cos only the CONgress and BJPeee have a divine right to rule the country. When any other party raises the stake, its called politicking. Its the typical entitlement mentality that prevails in India.
the third front is always gonna suffer…along with bihar orissa n west bengal jharkhand and chattisgarh also face the same problem…development or tribal heritage protection…kya hoga is desh ka…:/
The problem is nobody thinks beyond their personal ambition.. those who try .. people doesn't like to support them in india 🙁
No new post since two days! Can't believe it! 🙁 🙁 🙁


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What is Lawyer Checker?
Lawyer Checker is a leading provider of risk management software and provides comprehensive fraud protection to conveyancers and their clients. It helps you decide if it's appropriate to send purchase monies to the Seller's Conveyancer.
You supply the Seller's Conveyancer's information to Lawyer Checker who then check to see that there's a track record of previous use associated with that account. If there isn't, or if the account is not well known, Lawyer Checker checks more than ten databases and provides further information to help you decide if it's appropriate to send money to that account.
Lawyer Checker is fully integrated with Intelliworks. Users can save time by ordering their Lawyer Checker search through Intelliworks and having the result dropped back into the case.
The benefits
- Enhanced due diligence and safeguarding
- Real-time search power
- Evidence data for matter file
- Demonstration of outcome focused processes
- Protection of reputation and brand
- Mitigates potential stress for your client. Peace of mind and reassurance
- Potential avoidance of increased insurance premiums
When a potential risk is identified, comprehensive further research is carried out within four working hours, including:
- Confirmation as to whether or not the individual is regulated to conduct conveyancing
- The distance of the vendor's firm from the bank address
- The number of transactions for the previous year
- Any accreditations such CQS and Lexel
- Registrations on expected databases such as FCA and ICO
Be a well-informed and diligent conveyancer: Lawyer Checker provides the tools and information to obtain the assurances you need to act in the best interests of your client.
Reasons for buying Lawyer Checker through Intelliworks:
- Direct machine-to-machine ordering; no rekeying of data, reducing the risk of incorrect data entry and saving your team time.
- Search results applied directly to your case; no need to drag & drop emails and documents.
- Same price, £10 + VAT, as going direct.
Sarah Cowley, Partner and Department Manager (Residential Property) at Coodes Solicitors, explains the advantages: "For every purchase and transaction, we use the Lawyer Checker service to protect our clients. Fraud is unfortunately a growing trade in property transactions, and by using this service, it safeguards us from sending money inadvertently to a fraudulent party.
By accessing Lawyer Checker via our Ochresoft Intelliworks case management systems, everything is handled and documented in one central place. We don't have to spend time logging in to a system elsewhere; this removes many extra steps for our team's day to day workload, and leaves an audit trail on our Intelliworks file, showing that we are fully compliant.
It ultimately protects our clients with safeguards, ensures we are compliant and that we have a full audit trail without any concern. Accessing Lawyer Checker via Intelliworks is the same price too, so it's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned."
Lawyer Checker is available to all Intelliworks users as an extra service, and is billed on a pay-per-case basis. Users can choose to use it within a case or as a stand-alone feature. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements.


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Businesses of all types make their home in Elk Grove Village. QuoteColo does everything to make finding and choosing the best colocation company as simple as possible.
We Make It Easy – Instead of trying to collect and sort through the options on your own, we will gather the companies that are best for you into one place. You can then check out the options and see which ones make the most sense for your business.
A Price You Can Afford – Best of all, our service will not cost you anything. You can learn about all of the features and options the companies in Elk Grove Village for colocation offer, and you can get quotes on the price as well. You can get this info without any obligation too!
Here are addresses for some of the best colocation centers located near Elk Grove Village:
- 1905 Lunt Ave.
- 2425 Busse Road
- 711 N. Edgewood Ave.
- 341 Haynes Drive
- 7903 Barry
The municipality of Elk Grove Village is in the northeastern portion of Illinois. Most of the village is in CookCounty, but some of it does spill over into DuPageCounty as well. At the 2010 census, the population of the village was at 33,127. The village got its name thanks to a herd of elk located in the Busse Woods Forest Preserve. Elk do not live in this area naturally. The herd came to the area all the way back in the 1920s.
Many businesses make their home in the area of Elk Grove Village, as it happens to be home to the largest industrial park in the United States. In fact, there are more than 3,600 businesses in the town. Some of the area's top employers include Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Citigroup, Steiner Electric, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. They also happen to have a number of tech companies in the area, with more coming to prominence all the time. Some of the biggest employers include Automatic Data Processing and Material Sciences Corporation.
We will help you find the companies that have the services you need, and we can do it quickly. All you need to do to get started is to fill out the contact form on the site, or call us at 888-400-5732.


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"The Password is dead, Long live the Password"
It seems as though each year an IT giant declares the death of the password. Microsoft, IBM, Google and others claimed that the age of the password had come to an end because passwords no longer kept users safe. In 2014, Gartner said, "Passwords were dead a few years ago. Now they are more than dead."[1]
Fast forward to 2017. Not only has the password not died, but its presence steadily grows as facets of our lives transition to the online realm. Twenty years ago, a typical consumer used a single password and PIN. Today, two thirds of consumers access 6 or more applications each day; we access systems at work, manage multiple social media profiles, shop online, bank online, etc. By 2020, every one of us will have 200 online accounts, each requiring a unique password. With our ever-increasing online presence, the password authentication method has inevitably faced security challenges. Users have had to meet specific password security requirements, birthed from evolving technology and increasing cyber threats.
It is no longer sufficient to simply compose a password with an upper and lower case letter along with a single numeric digit. Due to today's various complexity requirements, it's difficult for users to create a password, let alone recall their numerous passwords. To manage what is often a forgetful or inconvenient process, users often adopt "unsafe" password habits such as writing them on pieces of paper, reusing passwords across multiple sites/accounts, storing saved passwords in unencrypted documents, etc.
Password related security breaches are so commonplace that last year the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued a new set of password requirements for the Federal systems, putting the password minimal length at 8 characters. With the increased requirements, users struggle to create secure passwords.
RoboForm can alleviate many of the burdens users are faced with when creating and using passwords thanks to its built-in password generator. The password generator feature allows for the creation of unique, complex, long, and strong passwords with the click of a button.
RoboForm's password generator provides tremendous value to businesses both in terms of security and productivity. Owners and employees no longer need to burden themselves with time consuming password updates or worrisome security gaps, instead focusing on revenue generating projects and tasks. Neither you nor your employees will relegate the company's security to passwords such as your pet's name. Security and convenience – the ultimate solution for any business.
All sources:
- http://www.jbonneau.com/doc/BHOS15-CACM-imperfect_authentication.pdf
- "Russian credential theft shows why the password is dead". Computer World. 2014-08-14.
- https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2016/08/18/nists-new-password-rules-what-you-need-to-know/
- https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/Risk/gx-gra-cyberrisk.pdf


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Trivia Night Activities: selling cheats
Trivia Fundraising Ideas
Today I want to talk about selling cheats. Cheating can be a very profitable and fun activity for trivia nights if presented in the right way.
Cheating involves being able to 'buy' correct answers or certain advantages in activities throughout the evening.
The ability to 'cheat' needs to be declared (and promoted!) upfront. Everyone needs to fully understand the rules and how they can participate. There are ways to go about it that don't involve sabotaging the integrity of the contest.
Ideas include:
Selling cheats as stickers that can be used instead of a correct answer.
Alternatively, after each round of answers (as long as the answer sheet needs to be delivered to the judging table), the cheat money can be delivered at that time.
A good price is $10 per correct answer, but feel free to charge more if you have a particularly joyous crowd!
The price can go up as the evening progresses and everything becomes more competitive.
You may choose to limit the number of 'cheats' available to each team. One per round, for example, or a sheet of 10 stickers per team.
An alternative to the selling cheats is to sell 'double point' stickers – along the same lines as the 'cheats' but they can choose to double an answer they feel to be right.
Teams could also nominate at the beginning of the night to have double point rounds for their specialty subjects. Or even, double or nothing rounds – if tables answer 50% of the questions in a certain round correctly, they get double points.
Keep your tables updated through the night on who is scoring the most points – this can fuel the competitive spirit and boost the cheating budget!
For certain filler activities, it may be possible to sell 'cheat' advantages. For example, for the Spaghetti Tower challenge you can sell an extra centimetre of height for $10, or for the coin slide, you can do the same.
The main challenge of making this work well is to keep everything fun and light. For very serious trivia buffs, going too hard on the cheats might otherwise be frustrating.
Often, the crowd may not see the value in cheats until towards the end of the night. For this reason, selling a sheet of stickers rather than 'one per round' can be most profitable as they can all be used in a final round (for example).
As always, happy to hear your tips, ideas, and experiences.
Happy fundraising!
Mandy Weidmann
You might also be interested in:
- What 'extras' have been successful at trivia style events?
- A Trivia night could be the answer to school fundraising
- Last Man Standing Raffle
- Centrepieces to Raffle or Auction


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The global corrugated boxes industry is facing a number of challenges as it deals with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. How has the macroeconomic environment changed and what does it mean for the global corrugated boxes industry going forward?
COVID-19 Economic Impact Report: Global Corrugated Boxes looks at how the expected impact of the pandemic on the current macroeconomic environment compares to other major events since 2000, including the bursting of technology bubble, the SARS outbreak, the 2009 global downturn, and the European financial crisis. It also provides a historical view of global industry sales since 2000, a look at how the industry is being currently impacted, and estimates for global industry sales through 2023.
This slide presentation analyzed the global market for corrugated boxes and the main raw material used to make boxes, containerboard.
Covered products considered:
- corrugated boxes, defined as six-sided containers made with corrugated board that can close and are used to ship or store products, including regular slotted containers and other corrugated containers such as die cut and five-panel folder boxes
- containerboard used to make boxes, defined as a type of paperboard specifically manufactured to make corrugated board that include both linerboard and a corrugating medium
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Macroeconomic Overview
- Number of Covid 19 cases
- Global Corrugated Boxes: Historical Perspective
- Covid-19 Pandemic vs Recent Recessions
- Global Corrugated Boxes: Covid-19 Impact
- Additional Information


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Brian C. Poore, left, and Julie Ganley are facing charges after a heroin-related arrest on Monday. (Submitted photos/Dover Police Department) DOVER — The recently reactivated Dover Police …
DOVER — The recently reactivated Dover Police Department Street Crimes Unit allegedly discovered more than $11,000 worth of heroin during a Monday afternoon traffic stop and made two arrests, authorities said.
Dover residents Brian C. Poore, 35, of the 7000 block of Bayside Drive, and Julie Ganley, 22, of the 3000 block of Leipsic Road, were taken into custody at approximately 1:17 p.m. in the area of North DuPont Highway and Lakeview Drive, police.
While police would not disclose why the traffic stop was made, they did say that 1,153 bags of heroin, a smoking device containing burnt marijuana, hypodermic needles, a digital scale and $3,394 allegedly were located during an investigation.
"There was plenty of probable cause to make the stop," Dover Police spokesman Lt. Jason Pires said.
Authorities said 17.295 grams of heroin were located.
"That's definitely a substantial amount," according to Lt. Pires.
The Street Crimes Unit was working with Delaware Probation and Parole during the incident.
Police said Mr. Poore was driving the vehicle and Ms. Ganley was a passenger.
While speaking with Mr. Poore, police said, an officer detected an alleged odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, which prompted the vehicle search.
Both Mr. Poore and Ms. Ganley were charged with possession of heroin in a Tier 5 quantity, possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree conspiracy. Mr. Poore also was charged with driving while suspended.
Police said Mr. Poore was committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna in default of $91,500 cash bond.
Ms. Ganley was released on $72,500 unsecured bond.
The investigation continues, and police said anyone with information can call Dover Police at 736-7111. Callers can remain anonymous, authorities said.
Tips also can be submitted to law enforcement through tip lines maintained by Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or at www.tipsubmit.com.
Lt. Pires said vehicle stop-related drug arrests are not unusual.
"The weakest part of a drug organization is transportation," he said. "That's when they are most susceptible to being caught, along with the delivery."
The Street Crimes Unit has made a bevy of arrests since taking a proactive stance to policing in late May, when Dover Police Chief Paul Bernat made it operational during an ongoing string of shootings and/or homicides within the city limits.
While Lt. Pires said no big evaluation can be made about the unit in its early stages, "their presence has been immediately felt wherever they show up in the city."
The Street Crimes Unit has worked in concert with other Dover Police units during its offensive push against criminal elements within the city, police said.
In addition to drug arrests, Lt. Pires said the unit has made other criminal arrests, issued tickets and warnings for alcohol and loud music violation and improper bikes on the sidewalk, among others.
Working with probation and parole, several fugitives have been located and regular curfew checks made.
"The unit has put together some great cases and made substantial arrests," said Lt. Pires, noting that the unit also likely has thwarted some criminal activity before it starts due to its known presence.
Handgun in holster
A handgun in a holster was located and two arrests made during a Tuesday night Street Crimes Unit vehicle stop in the 200 block of Frear Drive, police said in a news release.
According to Dover Police, officers and Probation Parole members made a stop at 10:28 p.m. and found that driver Melissa Thompkins, 25, of the 200 block of Frear Drive in Dover, was found to have a capias from the Kent County Court of Common Pleas.
Charges against Ms. Thompkins included carrying a concealed deadly weapon and driving while suspended/revoked, along with the capias.
Passenger Frederick Tolson, 34, of the unit block of Ann Avenue in Dover, was found to have an active capias out of Kent County Family Court and an active warrant from the Dover Police on a third-degree assault charge, police said.
Charges against Mr. Tolson included possession of a firearm by person prohibited and carrying a concealed deadly weapon, along with the capias.
A 9mm handgun concealed underneath the steering wheel was found after the duo was taken into custody, police said.
Ms. Thompkins was arrested and released on $2,600 unsecured bond, police said. Mr. Tolson was arrested and committed to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna in default of a $3,100 secured bond.


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Last week, DPSI webinars were held for both our PMC and iMaint customers to engage with User Advisory Board (UAB) members. During the well attended sessions, board members shared their own experiences implementing and using DPSI's CMMS software to its full potential, and provided an open avenue for our customers to network with one another. These opportunities for fellow users to learn from each other and continually improve their maintenance operations are invaluable.
The iMaint UAB session featured customers from industries spanning food/beverage, agriculture, energy and higher education. Users discussed important features in the iMaint Purchasing module as well as the use of General Ledgers to build monthly budgets. iMaint's ability to track project work and experience in integrating iMaint and SAP were also topics of discussion. One user explained the impact of utilizing historical information to become more proactive in job performance.
The PMC UAB session included presenters from the power and food/beverage industries. Users discussed how the PMC Purchasing module has played a critical role in overall company success. The PMC Inventory and Scheduling modules were also considered some of the most vital processes utilized by these organizations.
These DPSI webinars initiated important conversations and questions on behalf of DPSI's user base and, consequently, generated excellent customer participation and feedback. Our future User Advisory Board web session roundtables will feature a variety of other topics in addition to networking opportunities for fellow software users.
If you are a current customer and have recommendations for future enhancements to our software, please post these on Customer Corner and also consider becoming an iMaint or PMC User Advisory Board member. Your DPSI Customer Account Manager can provide you with additional information regarding these opportunities to make your voice heard.