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"I have thought a lot about yesterday and can honestly say, it must be one of my all-time ornithological highlights."
— Dr. Mike May, message to Craig Brelsford, 14 May 2017
Those are the words not of a new birder, but of a highly experienced visiting birder with thousands of birds on his life list who resides in bird-rich Extremadura, Spain.
Birding Pudong's Cape Nanhui at the height of the spring migration left Mike May open-mouthed. Should anyone be surprised? The most southeasterly point of Shanghai is a world-class birding site.
Mike's 92-species day, Sat. 13 May 2017, with Beijing-based Swedish birder Jan-Erik Nilsén and me included ultra-rarities such as Orange-headed Thrush as well as Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and Lanceolated Warbler. A pair of sub-adult Black-faced Spoonbill were getting by on the ever-shrinking pools at the beleaguered site.
These records brought the all-time list for Cape Nanhui to 288 species, according to eBird—making Cape Nanhui the second-hottest birding hot spot in China.
Let me say that again: Of the thousands of birding spots in this vast, mega-diverse nation, the cape 60 km southeast of People's Square is second only to Baihualing in Yunnan in species noted.
Sound unbelievable? Let me say something even more unbelievable: Not only is this rich spot completely unprotected, with not even a square meter preserved in any legal way; but it is, to the contrary, being actively destroyed, even as I tap out these words.
The backdrop to the work of Mike, Jan-Erik, and me was fleets of bulldozers and backhoes, busy throughout the weekend. They clattered and clanged, and the pumps transferring water into the newly dug canals whirred and chugged.
The pace of transformation is faster than ever now.
"Nanhui is gone," my partners and I said.
A major ecological area, a place combining ease of access to millions of residents of Earth's largest city and a favorable position on Earth's greatest migratory flyway, is being utterly transformed.
While the Cape Nanhui that I have long known falls, huge tracts of adjacent tidal mudflat are being reclaimed, adding dozens of square kilometers to the land area of Cape Nanhui. Birding there in theory could have a future. A Cape Nanhui Nature Reserve could be set up in the new area.
But even as the Cape Nanhui we know falls, no one, to my knowledge, has hastened to reassure conservationists that areas in the newly reclaimed land will be set aside for birds.
In the city-province of Shanghai, which is the size of the U.S. state of Delaware, a few places have indeed been set aside, among them Chongming Dongtan. But those reserves are small, on remote islands far from mainland Shanghai, and practically unreachable by the millions of middle-class Shanghainese who lack a car.
Cape Nanhui, by contrast, is easily reachable from the city. And it is the one place where masses of bird lovers can conveniently get a taste of the grand spectacle that is spring migration along the east coast of the Eurasian supercontinent.
That opportunity is being taken away, not only from the birders alive today, but also from the birders of the future.
Our agony over the fate of Nanhui was tempered by the joy of birding. Orange-headed Thrush showed up Saturday at the Magic Parking Lot (30.884898, 121.968229). With the two vertical bars on its face, our specimen was either of race melli (breeds Guangdong, etc.) or courtoisi (Anhui).
On Sunday the Magic Parking Lot delivered singing Grey-crowned Warbler Seicercus tephrocephalus, and in Microforest 2 (30.926013, 121.970705) an appearance was made by Alström's Warbler S. soror. Neither breeds in the region; both are very rare vagrants to Shanghai.
Iron Track (31.003613, 121.907883) gave us singing Yellow-breasted Bunting in full breeding finery and singing Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler. I captured the latter's song, rarely heard in Shanghai.
Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler Helopsaltes certhiola, 13 May 2017, Iron Track (31.003613, 121.907883) (00:13; 2.1 MB)
The Marshy Agricultural Land (30.850707, 121.863662) near Eiffel Tower was highly productive, yielding Lanceolated Warbler, Forest Wagtail, and Striated Heron.
Other highlights from Saturday along the 30-km stretch of coastline:
Yellow Bittern 2
Chinese Egret 14
Pacific Golden Plover 1
Pheasant-tailed Jacana 1
Black-tailed Godwit 17
Grey-tailed Tattler 2
White-winged Tern 260
Lesser Coucal 1
Common Cuckoo 12 singing
Tiger Shrike 4
Sand Martin ca. 300
Collared Finchbill 2
Arctic Warbler 5 singing
Thick-billed Warbler 1
Marsh Grassbird 2 singing
Forest Wagtail 1
Complete checklist here.
Sunday saw Jan-Erik and me note 78 species.
Japanese Sparrowhawk 1
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 350
Dunlin 350
Oriental Pratincole 3
Little Tern 5
Hair-crested Drongo 8
Dusky Warbler 1
Taiga Flycatcher 1
Pechora Pipit 17 singing
Complete checklist here.
Shanghai Birding is the WeChat companion to this Web site. Our members include everyone from persons brand-new to birding to some of the most knowledgeable birders in China. We discuss everything from the most common species to the most arcane.
Here is an edited transcript of a recent conversation on Shanghai Birding about the Seicercus warblers at Cape Nanhui:
Paul Holt: Can you post your recording of yesterday's [14 May 2017] Alström's Warbler as well please, Craig?
Craig Brelsford: Will post after I get home. Meanwhile, have you assessed the recording I posted yesterday morning? Do you agree it's Grey-crowned Warbler? Jonathan Martinez, I'd like your view, too!
Craig Brelsford had earlier posted these sound recordings:
Grey-crowned Warbler Seicercus tephrocephalus 1/3, 14 May 2017, Magic Parking Lot (30.884898, 121.968229), Nanhui (00:36; 3 MB)
Grey-crowned Warbler 2/3 (00:49; 3.6 MB)
Grey-crowned Warbler 3/3 (01:08; 4.3 MB)
PH: Yes, Grey-crowned Warbler!
PH: For what it's worth, while there are probably 30+ records of "golden-spectacled warblers" from coastal Hebei, very, very few have been as well documented as Craig's and team's recent Grey-crowned. Many have been photographed but far fewer sound-recorded. Alström's is so far the only one so far known to breed north of the Qinling Shan (it's a scarce and very local breeder at two, possibly three, sites in Beijing). Personally I've never seen soror in coastal Hebei (nor am I aware of any being sound-recorded there), but I have noted (and sound-recorded) 2 Bianchi's S. valentini and 1 Martens's S. omeiensis in coastal Hebei. I understand that the only (?) three coastal Hebei birds that have been captured and had their DNA compared have all been omeiensis. We're very, very far from ascertaining the true statuses of these Seicercus in our area, but you perhaps should/might see more in Shanghai and coastal Zhejiang. As many of you already know, there are some excellent sound recordings of these on Per's site.
CB: Great analysis, Paul, and great that you point out the resources on Per's site. Jan-Erik and I got good sound recordings of the purported soror yesterday, and Charles Wu and I got some good shots, among them images of the outer tail feathers, which definitely had some white in them.
CB: Grey-crowned Warbler appeared in the microforests almost exactly a year ago: https://www.shanghaibirding.com/2016/05/20/great-records/
PH: Excellent, Craig. As you know they've all got white in their outer tails. Alström's (aka Plain-tailed) doesn't have much …
CB: Right, Paul; thanks. The discussion yesterday was one of comparison and degree. How little must the white be in the tail, we were asking ourselves, for a Seicercus to "qualify" as Alström's/Plain-tailed? Was the white in our photos a little or a lot? We ended up thinking a little, and that and the song we recorded led us to a determination of soror. I'll post my photos and recordings as soon as I'm home.
PH: Personally, Craig, I find it very difficult to judge the amount and distribution of white on the tails of these Seicercus in the field and think that a good photo with the tail splayed would really be necessary. Even then, the differences are small and subtle. Tricky group!
Jonathan Martinez: Regarding the ID of these Seicercus, I have found that call is by far the easiest way to ID them. They all have a characteristic call. Some of them, like Alström's or Bianchi's, are usually quite vocal; others not as much. It requires much more experience or use of sonogram to ID them by song, but a few of them (Alström's especially) include their call in their song, and some of them (Grey-crowned, Martens's) include a trill in their song. Others do not (Alström, Bianchi's). ID-ing them on plumage is, of course, a level up.
Here is the voice of the Alström's Warbler that I recorded with my Olympus DM-650 pocket recorder:
Alström's Warbler Seicercus soror 1/4, 14 May 2017, Microforest 2 (30.926013, 121.970705), Nanhui (00:50; 3.6 MB)
Alström's Warbler 2/4 (00:08; 1.9 MB)
Alström's Warbler 3/4 (01:08; 4.3 MB)
Alström's Warbler 4/4 (00:41; 3.2 MB)
Featured image: Visiting British birder Mike May uses Craig Brelsford's spotting scope to scan for birds at Cape Nanhui, Shanghai, 13 May 2017. (Craig Brelsford)


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Angels-Tigers Preview
In each of the past two years, the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera has beaten out the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout for the AL MVP.
If he can continue his strong start, it might be Trout finally taking home the hardware this year.
The Angels center fielder will try to register another multihit game Friday night and help his club earn a 10th consecutive win over Cabrera's Tigers.
Cabrera did not win a second straight Triple Crown this past season but did enough in voters' minds to once again beat out Trout. Their performances in the past two seasons have played a part in the debate between baseball traditionalists who largely favor Cabrera and sabermetricians who often side with Trout because of his more varied abilities, namely his speed in the outfield and on the basepaths.
Trout has stolen just one base this season after swiping a combined 82 bags the past two years, but he's gotten off to a better start at the plate than Cabrera. Trout has boosted his average to .323 by going 12 for 30 in his last six games while hitting three of his five home runs.
He went 2 for 5 and scored the tying run in the ninth inning Wednesday to help the Angels (7-8) avoid a three-game sweep to Oakland with a 5-4 comeback win in 12 innings.
Chris Iannetta ended the game with a solo shot.
"Team building and chemistry building. The more moments like this, the more you can define yourself. And the better you're going to be," Iannetta told the team's website.
Cabrera is hitting .250 in the first 12 games this season, well below his career .320 mark. He has one home run after hitting 44 in each of his MVP campaigns.
The Tigers (7-5) also avoided a third straight loss Thursday, as Ian Kinsler's career high-tying fourth RBI in the sixth inning Thursday put Detroit ahead for good in a 7-5 victory over Cleveland.
"I would like to win some more games, but right now we're playing OK, and just waiting to erupt a little bit and run off a bunch of wins in a row," said Kinsler, who also hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning.
Cabrera doubled and singled after going 3 for 24 in his previous six games. He'll try to build on that effort while helping keep the Angels' Jered Weaver winless.
The right-hander has given up at least four runs in each of his first three outings and has been given a combined seven runs of support. Weaver (0-2, 5.79 ERA) gave up four runs, three hits and a season-high four walks over 6 2-3 innings Saturday against the New York Mets, and was charged with three of those runs in his final frame.
Weaver avoided the loss when his teammates scored three runs in the ninth in an eventual 7-6 loss in 13 innings.
He gave up one run over seven innings in his only start against Detroit last season June 27 at Comerica Park but did not get a decision in a 3-1 win. He's 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA in his last three matchups.
The Angels will have the major league's longest active win streak versus one opponent if Weaver can help lead them to another victory Friday. They won a series-best 14 in a row May 8, 2002-Aug. 23, 2003.
The Tigers' Drew Smyly (1-0, 0.00) will try to snap that lengthy skid in his first start this season. A pair of rainouts and four off days meant Detroit needed only four starters, and the left-hander has made a pair of relief appearances while biding his time.
Smyly did not get a decision in his only start against Los Angeles on Aug. 25, 2012.

subset: commoncrawl


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You've got to go to where the people are.
I heard an interview with Mavis Staples once in which she described the concerns that people came to her father, Pops Staples, with when The Staples Singers moved into popular music back in the day.
Purists from the gospel ranks asked her father, she said, why, with the inference being that he was somehow leaving the church behind.
To reach the children of the early 70s, Pops said, you had to go to where they were and they weren't in church.
The Staples Singers never changed the message. They took it out of the church and put a little bit more funk into it. Love of self and of others, as Christian a tenet as one is likely to find, remain at the root of "I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself" and any number of their classic songs.
Just because you could dance to it didn't mean the message was diminished.
That same spirit infuses an effort at the Bellview Athletic Park, where a reading teacher tutors youth league football players on reading comprehension.
What do I like about this pilot project? Let me count the ways:
1. It started at the grassroots level. Linda Moultrie is an Escambia School Board member, but the "Packer Brain Power" half-hour for first-graders in the Bellview Youth Association is taking place outside her elected district. So why there? Her grandchildren play in the league.
Moultrie didn't let the boundary of her political district dictate the scope of the outreach effort, an great example of putting the common good above self-interest.
2. It takes education out of the classroom and to reach children in a familiar venue. Learning in a low-key environment they already love can help make schoolwork seem less intimidating.
3. It targets children at what is a critical age to help make up the "skills gap." Third-grade is the age where learning to read morphs into reading to learn. If you are behind here, the gap will only widen faster as you progress through school. First-grade is a great time to focus on extra help to breach that gap before it grows.
The district's new first grade retention policy shows that some kids still are falling behind. The policy was instituted last year as part of an effort to address performance on state standardized tests.
In all, 290 Escambia students -- about 9 percent of the district 3,200 first-graders -- were not reading at grade level and were held back for this school year. After the first grading period of last year, that figure was higher; focused intervention by classroom teachers brought it down to the 9 percent figure by the school year's end.
Which proves that remediation at this age level works -- and is a whole lot cheaper in dollars and sense and societal cost than chalking it up to coming from poverty and leaving it at that.
The "Brain Power" half-hour may be one small step, but that's how all journeys of a 1,000 miles begin.Kudos indeed.


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Sold Out
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Category: Body Jewelry, ear, ear lobe, earing, Earings, earlobe, Earring, Lobe, rose gold, rose gold earring, Stud, Studs, Surgical Steel, Surgical Steel Earrings


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There may be no more appropriate way to begin a new year and take the next step in your spiritual journey than baptism! The imagery and meaning of baptism is all about the end of the old, the beginning of the new -- the death and burial of our old life with Christ in the after, the resurrection of a God-given new life coming out of the water. How great is that?! And if you haven't been baptized as a follower of Jesus, this is a perfect next step in growing your faith!
We've got baptisms scheduled for Sunday, September 1. Sign up today! We'd love for you to take this next step in your journey!


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Despite different interests and backgrounds, out on the bike with our people, words flow and things just work. Disparate ideas suddenly fit together, as if puzzle pieces that just needed to be turned and flipped and oriented correctly.
How lucky are we to have found this?
Now, imagine, you're a kid or young teen. With no productive community that you can merely slide into, what are your options? You've been classified as "at risk," but really you're nervous or bullied or controlled by much bigger things that a kid can't imagine fighting against, trapped in your head with nobody around. What if we could nudge these kids into the community of bikes? What if you could teach them about the satisfaction that comes from working on bikes? In fact, recent research has shown a relationship between cycling and improved outcomes for youth diagnosed with ADHD. But how do we immerse them into this thing in which we all so believe?
Meet Zack Bertges, founder of the Santa Barbara based Riviera Youth Bike Team (RYBT). Zack graduated from UCSB and started coaching triathletes, himself an ironman triathlete and cyclist.
Move to May 2014. Zack was happy with his coaching but a mysterious latent void crept into his life. On May 23, his fellow Gaucho & SB community was rocked when a shooter killed six people in Isla Vista, the little town near UCSB where much of the student body lives. Zack felt a sense of hopelessness and dread. After searching for answers, and hearing about the buildup to the events, Zack eventually discovered a potential to connect his skillset to something more important. He began examining mental health resources in effect.
This is how RYBT came to be. Zack wanted to extend what he saw in his athletes to troubled or at-risk kids. Working with local organizations such as Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM), the Center for Alcohol Drug Abuse (CADA), the Franklin Youth Center, and local Boys and Girls clubs, he takes at risk kids from 10 to 13 years old (who often don't know how to ride a bike, at first) and trains & coaches them to ride one California's best cycling event, the Santa Barbara 100. *
Along the way, they learn how to ride in a group, about the fundamentals of training & community cycling, and how to work on their bikes.
* After this interview was conducted, Zack was invited and accepted to the board of the Santa Barbara 100, in recognition for his commitment to youth cycling and collaborations amongst the Santa Barbara community.
Stinner: So, how does this all work?
We're currently offering three types of programs, and in-process of structuring to operate year-round. We have a "SB100 August program" that trains new riders to complete the 34 mile route at the SB100 in October, a "May Gibraltar Team" program that trains graduates of the SB100 team to climb Gibraltar, and we have a "March Fitness Prep" Program, that allows for kids to be automatically accepted into the August program, by attending various workouts in Santa Barbara from March-May.
How do kids find you?
We start with CALM, which is a center for kids that are experiencing difficulties in life, or facing challenging family situations, and/or abused. They're one of our major forwarder for kids, but we also have relationships with the Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA), Franklin Youth Center, Big Brother Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Clubs.
What RYBT is, is the next level of community building from awesome youth/non-profit centers to cycling. We have plenty of organizations that focus on kids & their mental well-being. On the cycling front we have such a strong community, from the local bicycle shops to groups like Echelon Santa Barbara who sponsors the team, and the Santa Barbara bike coalition, which is our fiscal sponsor.
And why the cycling community?
First, our cycling advantages in SB is awesome. We get to ride bikes year-round? From the beach to the mountains in 6 miles?? It's amazing! Second, in the last three to four years, there has been a large amount of research produced on the benefits of cycling for kids, especially troubled or challenged kids. We've really been trying to take this research to the next level, and not just embrace it, but help move the ideas and potentials forward for everyone. The Specialized Foundation is doing the same, which has put a lot of money into researching kids with ADHD, and they're helping to discover and produce the quantifiable advantages of kids riding bikes. Socially, the country is coming on-board, too- the NFL just donated 200 bikes to the local Denver area at the Superbowl, which is great, and we have organizations like Plus 3 Network that are moving dollars from corporations to charities for common fitness activities. The NFL has the capacity to do more, but it's going to take groups like RYBT, Specialized, and local programs and coalitions to keep the momentum going. And getting more corporations involved is part of that process.
Obviously, it's a good cause, but what were some of the moments that led to finally just putting everything into this?
We all experience grief and hardship at different points in our lives, and I think I reached a new level of awareness a couple years ago. Events and frustration kept adding up. For instance, from when I was 4 until 9 years old, we lived in Newtown, Connecticut, near where the Sandy Hook shootings occurred in 2012. When Sandy Hook happened, in addition to the horrifying thoughts of what occurred, it rattled my family, and I because we remember, we've experience Newtown in it's innocence, a place and time where my sister and I used to run-around freely. Then here in Santa Barbara we had the Isla Vista shooting in 2014, another place where I used to run-around, just a couple decades older. And in-between, I started realizing more about the fragility of life, coming to an age where I hear more about or witness friends or colleagues mishandling stress, hurting themselves, hurting others. And, I started wondering about how to address these mental health questions from a perspective that I might be able to help someone, sometime, with what I know. After enough events, enough heartache, my thoughts changed to action, planning, and some trial & error. I had to figure out what starts with kids mentally, at the youngest age that some random 29 year-old athlete, could access them, and try to inspire enough for assist them on their positive journey of life. I wanted to teach them to manage life stresses, how to engage with athletes who may appear to be intimidating, and I wanted them to feel comfortable getting support in cycling or triathlons.
When Isla Vista happened I had a thought and decided to pair the adult triathlon team I started with Boys & Girls Clubs. We hosted monthly activities where our athletes helped the kids do something triathlon, or swim/bike/run related, while meeting some bad-ass & inspirational adults who were training for Ironman triathlons. It was an awesome experience. While I was doing this, I met Christine Bourgeois of the Santa Barbara Bike Coalition. And then, last March Christine got a call from a local family foundation in town that has supported a similar bike program in Arizona for the past nine years, and we got connected.
So, that's where it started.
Yeah, it was amazing timing. I had raced in three different countries for three different Ironman races, but I was my own coach, my own boss, and I wanted to be training for more reasons. I was just thinking, "man, I need to find something for a good cause, something that I can share my life with." Being a young or old athlete can be pretty inspirational for younger audiences.
So, Christine called me one-day to introduce the potential of collaborating & building off of the Arizona program, and invited me to meet and hear more at Bici Centro (the local coalition bike shop) at an education committee meeting. When I heard more about the potential to work with bullied and/or challenged kids, and that this program needed someone to run with it…it struck a chord. I was bullied as a kid, too, got into a lot of fights when I was in that age range, and it was like, "holy shit, I can do this", and I know what the kids are feeling. It was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made.
What's the first day like for the kids?
There's a lot to it, but we tackle the program in a couple ways- a Tuesday gym class, Thursday spin class indoors, and then we do Saturday rides together. The gym and spin classes gets the kids moving, teaches them the pedaling motion. Then on Saturdays, for the first couple weeks, we start in parking lots where we do drills and skills with three additional coaches and myself; we are all certified instructors from the American League of Bicyclists. We use an ALB curriculum to teach the kids to behave on their bikes, to turn, brake and signal. With the community support, sponsorships, and fundraising efforts, we buy all the kids brand new bikes and helmets and the jerseys. They pay $50 to be part of the program, but we have scholarships for all the kids if they can't afford it. We don't let financial backgrounds stop kids from participating. Throughout the program, we fit helmets, bikes, jerseys, and shorts to the kids, and we teach them how to ride on various routes in the community.
The kids get this team feeling via the coaches, community and team sponsors, andan education & camaraderie for the first three months, then they ride with other cyclists on their final day of the program, either at the Santa Barbara 100 in October, or the RYBT Gibraltar Challenge in May. One of the best parts is that they see the whole community, on a large-scale, many for the first time. They also get the post event atmosphere, watch hundreds of bikes ride together… it really is a pretty hard core immersion into cycling culture, and a ton of fun.
The whole program and the final day is half about self-confidence and self-esteem building- they accomplish something they never thought they could do. The other half is about giving them the education and tools to be a responsible rider for their age. After the event they get five more Saturdays to ride and hear from guest speakers, everything from bike mechanics to Santa Barbara Police Department.
So they're exposed to different elements of cycling in these Saturday sessions.
Yeah, for instance, at Hazard's (a local bike shop), they build a bike out of the box with the staff, which come in early just for us. A separate time, the Santa Barbara Police Department bike cops came out and taught the kids what to do if their bike is stolen, and how to lock your bike with locks we bought for them…That was a really cool session, and a big success. I had no clue how that was going to work with the police department, but we gave the kids some real life advice and essential skills that resonated. And then, they went and rode for 2 hours.
Do you see kids come back to riding?
I get pictures from parents riding with their kids now. Even the parents are encouraged to show up on rides with the coaches. I'll get pictures of parents with kids riding months afterwards and it's awesome. We also use the parents to measure success of the program in real-time, and after. We also talk to the social workers of the kids (if they have one) to make sure there's progress.
Are any of the kids taking cycling further?
Yeah, that was a big realization after our last program that we need to have the "next step" of a cycling program ready for the kids. That's where our March program and Echelon Santa Barbara Cycling Club comes-in; I've been working with their board members for the past couple of months to create sort of this seamless route of cycling advancements, without pushing the kids too much into a straight racing culture. We do want them to know about the opportunities that are evolving, and they're evolving fast, but the goal is to allow for resources conducive to a healthy bicycle culture.
And you've given up everything to do this, so to speak?
Hah, I don't consider I've given up anything…it is true that the coaches and I are operating as volunteers until we satisfy the annual organizational needs, and we do put a lot of time and energy into the program. But the reward and the service, and the awesome Santa Barbara support carries us. It's tricky, though, too- it takes a fair amount of money and time to give the kids the experience that they get. But when you're with the kids it's all worth it. At the SB 100, when the kids crossed the finish line, people were crying, and I had cyclists approach me saying it was the highlight of their day. That was amazing to me! "Highlight of their day", it was a selfless appreciation of seeing kids accomplish their goals, on bikes, from someone who just rode all of Santa Barbara…unbelievable. These are kids who are 10 years old who just rode 34 miles, and we were all so proud…we've gained memories for ourselves that mean more than the personal financial gain.
The Ultimate Goal?
We want to create access to this cycling culture, build their self-esteem, their feelings of self-worth, and give them an education that will create a lifetime of cycling memories and empowerment. You know, something else in these kids' lives is so controlling, we want to create access to a culture to go further. We want to help create stories for kids who are happier who lose weight, or have more friends, or have something that makes the outdoors more enjoyable, and gratifying.
But we also have small goals to impact the individual in whatever way we can. For instance, we had a kid from CALM in our last program, who was one of our most unique & challenging riders, as well as highly impatient. At my first meeting with CALM about this program, nine workers and child psychologists suggested that I take him into the program, and that he'd be a good, albeit challenging, fit to the program, and I said, "Game on".
Week-to-week, there would be conflict, and throughout the program coaches and I would work with him to instill some trust, conversational values, and try to be a positive role model…He ended up being a great participant to the team, successfully rode the 34 mile route at the SB100, and we were all very proud of him.
I went back to CALM a couple months later to talk about our next program, and the Director had decided to call the rider to get a testimonial that she would read out-loud, at this meeting. And the short & sweet testimonial she read was,
"I had a lot of fun in the program and I learned how to raise my hand."
That's all he said! But all the counselors were like "WHAT?! He's raising his hand?!" They were so shocked he was showing more signs of patience and social concerns, and it was awesome…I cracked up. And the staff was asking, "Zack, what did you do??" And I said, "Well, we gave him a bike and taught him how to ride".
And that was as much a measure of success as it was of him completing the Santa Barbara 100 34 mile ride. We care about bikes and the ride, but we also care about what bikes and a community can do for emotional health & happiness. Hopefully the bikes can further assist to grades, behavior, and politeness for all of our riders down the road. But we work with kids who are going through so much…if raising your hand is a big step in the eyes of parents or child advocates, then I know we're on the right track as a program for the Santa Barbara community.
Epilogue: That's a lot of words but not nearly enough to describe what Zack is doing. These are issues of autonomy and social norms, of freedom and empowerment. To learn more or donate, head to www.RivieraYouthBikeTeam.com. Cycling can be more powerful than we imagine. If this isn't a piece to fit under the Freedom Project…I don't know what is. Communities are empowering.


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Ken Burns Adds to Baseball History with The Tenth Inning
Sep 27, 2010 6:30 PM EDT
The star of Ken Burns' The Tenth Inning — besides baseball itself — is Barry Bonds. "He had to be," Burns says. While Babe Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer and Hank Aaron on a diet no one ever questioned, Bonds is suspected to have set ba… Read more


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The Sensitive Soul's Guide to Getting through the Holidays/
Each year around this time, I write about how to deal with the holidays when you are sensitive. I'm looking at you my dear empaths, introverts and HSPs.
We pick up on so much more than the average human. We pick up people's energy, the intensity of smells, the vibe of homes we're in ... to name a few.
Thanks to the holidays, you may find yourself with people and in places that don't always jive with the way you move through the world.
Here are few ideas to help you get through it:
- Protect your energy field. I feel nauseous when I forget to do this and happen to be around energy-sucking people. Don't know how to protect it? Click here.
- Say yes and say no to social gatherings. Cherry-pick ones that make you feel good about yourself. Decline the ones that don't. If there are that don't but you feel you have to go, see #3.
- Use one of the principles of ergonomics. Make the holidays adapt to you, rather than you trying to adapt to it. Does going to a 4-hour party gives you hives? Show up for an hour and then say goodbye. Don't want to be in the mall buying gifts because you get a migraine? Shop local and shop small (see below for 2 ideas on shopping small with me).
- Plan alone time. All-day in your PJs while reading books or hosting your own movie marathon is right up your alley, my dear. I'll be doing that for a few days with Wes Anderson.
- Go for a walk in nature at least once a week.
- Connect with your body and breathe deeply. Repeat often.


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Chris + Haley
These two are truly one of the sweetest couples I've ever had the pleasure of photographing - I just can't get over the way Chris looks at Haley when she smiles <3 <3
Their wedding was tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Pharsalia Farms. The grounds overlook long vineyards, green mountains, and colorful gardens.
The plantation house where Chris and Haley got ready was straight out of the history books with old squeaky floors, dusty books, and classical paintings.
Even though the forecast called for showers, the sky opened up just five minutes before their ceremony and Chris and Haley were married surrounded by the misty Appalachian mountains.
As the sun fell and the moon rose, friends, family and two pups danced with bare feet to bluegrass under the stars.
I could not imagine a more beautiful way to celebrate their love.
Congratulations Chris and Haley!!
Check out Chris and Haley's Brooklyn Engagement Session
>> here <<


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Neuroscience is the newest force in counseling and psychotherapy.
Neuroscience is defined as the scientific study of the nervous system.[1]
Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, cognitive science, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics, medicine (including neurology), genetics, and allied disciplines including philosophy, physics, and psychology (includes mental health).
- Neuroplasticity
- Neurogenesis
- Attention
- Understanding Emotions
- Focusing on the Positives
Research finds that any pattern, healthy or unhealthy, is the result of repeated brain activities in response to the same circumstances, Beitman noted. A woman with a social phobia, for example, may have had repeated negative emotional experiences with the same frightening people when she was a child. In reaction, her limbic system's "fight-or-flight" response got activated each time she was in the situation, so that eventually, her brain took that route each time she encountered strangers, even when they were not dangerous.
Right now, whether you are aware of it or not, your body is adjusting to meet the demands of the moment. That might mean shifting positions in your seat to get more comfortable, clicking the mouse on your computer when you are ready, or reaching for your water bottle because you are thirsty. Your body is intelligent enough to react and adjust, refine and habituate, and find some semblance of balance in any scenario. Your body is always doing its thing whether you choose to listen to it or not. In our work together, you will learn about the subtle cues your body is giving you so that you can make conscious decisions about living your life fully.
How and why are neuroscience and cognitive science relevant to counseling practice? First, neuroscience provides comforting research that suggests most of counseling theory and practice is on target. But it also gives us a clearer understanding of why what we do actually works. Moreover, it imparts ideas for improving our work with clients. Instead of just traditional talk therapies, our work together will include also include a more body-centered, holistic approach that is based in neuroscience.


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Montana Antelope Buck Doe Combo Decoys
Product Description
Montana Antelope Decoys are the absolute spitting image of buck and doe antelope. If you've spent hours plucking the cactus out of your knees and elbows stalking these optically gifted creatures this is what you need. We have the most packable and portable decoys on the market that will definitely up the odds for success. Add a Montana Decoy Carrier for $24.95
These new Montana Antelope Decoys are revolutionizing the way hunters look at decoys. With a design that is lightweight, durable, and extremely easy and fast to set up. These decoys are a necessity to take into the field with you.
The Antelope Decoys are constructed of a durable polyester fabric, with a spring steel band inside the body to hold the body erect. To support the Decoy, fiberglass poles with step stakes are used. The decoy body has a high quality picture printed on both sides, giving the 2D decoy that 3D look.
To set them up, simply pop the decoys open, then insert the two leg poles; and you are ready to go. The take down procedure is accomplished by removing the poles and using a simple twist fold technique on the decoy body. When folded they are approximately 2 inches thick and 16 inches in diameter. Added to this great feature, they are flexible enough to stuff and conform into your pack. Add a Montana Decoy Carrier for $24.95


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Academy, Section, and Junior Academy Awards
Click the buttons below to submit nominations or seconding letters of support and to see past winners.
Scroll below the buttons to read award descriptions.
Iowa Academy of Science Awards
Download the Distinguished Award and ESTA brochures, nominate candidates, and learn more about each award.
Iowa Science Teaching Section Awards
Iowa Junior Academy of Science Awards
The mission of the Iowa Academy of Science includes recognizing excellence in science research, science education and the public understanding of science. To that end the Academy has established the Distinguished Awards and the Excellence in Science Teaching Awards (ESTA). The Iowa Science Teaching Section (ISTS) of the Academy annually presents its Friend of Science Awards at the Fall Conference. The Iowa Junior Academy of Science presents the Outstanding Science Student Awards, the Most Promising Young Scientist, and the Inspiration Awards each year. Two high school students (9th - 11th grade) are selected to represent Iowa at the American Junior Academy of Science Annual Meeting - all expenses paid. Learn more about all of these awards by following links on this page.
Distinguished Awards
Nominations are accepted continuously.
The submission deadline each year is the first Friday in February.
The contributions of Iowa's Scientific Community have transformed our world view, protected our natural heritage and fostered succeeding generations of eager science researchers. In recognition of the best contributions of Iowans to science research, science education, and service to science, the Iowa Academy of Science established the Distinguished Science Awards Program in 1980.
Distinguished awardees are individuals with demonstrated and sustained excellence in science research, science education, or service to science. Nominees will be evaluated by their record of extraordinary achievements, length of service, and impact on the state of Iowa.
Nominators and nominees do not need to be members of the Iowa Academy of Science. Download the Distinguished Award Brochure to learn more about the awards and how to make a nomination.
There are four categories of Distinguished Awards:
Distinguished Fellow Award
The highest award given by the Iowa Academy of Science, the Distinguished Fellow Award is intended to recognize exceptional scholarly activity to the scientific community at the national and international levels. Recipients receive a life time membership as a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy.
Distinguished Iowa Scientist Award
This award is intended for individuals deserving recognition within his or her own area of science and who's accomplishments have gained state-wide acclaim.
Distinguished Iowa Science Teaching Award
The Distinguished Iowa Science Teaching Award recognizes exceptional university and college faculty in science fields for their innovative science teaching.
Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award is given to organizations and individuals for exceptional service in the areas of science, technology or the application of science to public service.
Distinguished Iowa Citizen Scientist
The Distinguished Citizen Scientist Award is presented to an individual who has made significant, sustained (for at least a decade) contributions to the understanding and advancement of science in Iowa through research activities conducted outside of the individual's employment or academic position. These contributions will consist, at least in part, of the individual's own data (e.g. quantitative, observational, specimens, imagery) that are compiled and made available to the scientific community, other citizen scientists and/or the interested general public. Collaborations between citizen scientists and professional scientists in a particular academic discipline are common and expected, and recipients of this award will have themselves conducted a substantial part of such collaborative research.
Excellence in Science Teaching Awards (ESTA)
Nominations are accepted continuously.
The submission deadline each year is January 31st.
The ESTA awards are presented at the Iowa Academy of Science Annual Meeting in April. There are seven categories:
Earth/Space Science/Environmental Science
Elementary Science*
General/Multiple Science (integrated science, interdisciplinary courses, multiple preps)
Life Science (biology, anatomy/physiology, life science)
Middle School/Junior High Science
Physical Science (physics, chemistry, and physical science)
Science Supervisory (District, private, AEA, museum, naturalist, etc.)
S.T.E.M. Science**
* Up to 2 awards may be presented annually for Elementary Science. One award may be presented in the other categories.
** Up to 3 awards may be presented, one each at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
The winners of the ESTAs receive a plaque and a check for $200. The awards are presented at the IAS Annual Meeting in April. Learn more about the ESTAs and about making a nomination by downloading a brochure and following the directions below.
ISTS Awards
Iowa Science Teaching Section (ISTS) Friend of Science Awards
The Iowa Science Teaching Section annually presents its Friend of Science Awards. The awards are presented in three categories; Corporate, Individual, and Group.
Learn more about the Friend of Science Awards by clicking here.
IJAS Awards
Iowa Junior Academy of Science Awards
The Iowa Junior Academy of Science presents Outstanding Science Student Awards (OSSA) annually to one student in each participating IJAS member high school. Schools may submit the name of one student or if more than one student is submitted the Academy will select the winner.
The Most Promising Scientist award is presented annually at the IJAS Competition during the IAS Annual Meeting in April. The award includes a certificate. The award is presented to an IJAS student researcher.
The Inspiration Award is presented to two 10th grade students at the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa. This award includes $50, a certificate, and a free 1 year membership in the Iowa Junior Academy of Science.


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Trimble Inc.
935 Stewart Drive
Post Office Box 3642
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
1.408.481.8000 phone
1.408.481.7781 fax
Trimble Awarded Contract from Japanese GSI
Trimble GPS Monitors Movements in Earth's Crust, Helps Predict Earthquakes
COLOGNE, Germany, Sept. 19, 2001 - Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today that the Japanese GSI (Geographical Survey Institute) has awarded a contract for the purchase of 360 additional 5700 Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) receivers to expand its GPS-based network. The network is used to monitor the movement of the earth's crust and ultimately aid in the prediction of earthquake activity in Japan. The purchase is part of an ongoing program to upgrade the GSI nationwide network. This follows an earlier purchase this year of more than 100 5700 CORS receivers for use in the same program.
The announcement was made today at Intergeo 2001, the world's largest international event for geodesy and geoinformatics.
Trimble, in cooperation with Hitachi Zosen Information Systems (HZS), Japan, has supplied more than 830 GPS reference stations since 1992. GPS data from the 5700 CORS reference stations will support the existing monitoring system, which uses the Bernese processing software, and also provides the real-time information necessary to produce the network corrected Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) data created by the Virtual Reference Station (VRSTM) system.
Not only does the network of reference stations collect GPS information to monitor the movements of the earth's crust to millimeter accuracy, it also provides accurate survey control points to Japanese surveyors, who will be able to access surveying data through an online bulletin board service.
5700 CORS GPS Reference Station System
The standard 5700 CORS system provides reference station data, in both real-time as well as logged internal memory for post-processing. Applications include deformation monitoring, engineering and construction projects, surveying, geodetic and atmospheric research, mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) data collection. In addition, the reference station can be used to establish RTK infrastructure including the Trimble VRS.
At the heart of the system is an all-new, low-power GPS receiver built around Trimble's latest generation Maxwell 4 ASIC technology which also incorporates WAAS/EGNOS capability. The new chip provides higher speed, longer battery life, better satellite tracking and higher precision in extreme environments and is housed in an extremely rugged, fully-sealed, waterproof, magnesium alloy housing. The receiver is ideal for permanent or temporary installation in all types of conditions.
Trimble's GPS CORS system also breaks new ground with the Zephyr Geodetic antenna which utilizes the patented Trimble 4-point antenna feed technology, providing excellent phase center stability as well as enhanced multipath rejection and low elevation satellite tracking. The Zephyr Geodetic antenna also features the patented Trimble StealthTM Ground Plane technology. This revolutionary design mitigates multipath signals using technology similar to that used by Stealth aircraft to hide from radar.
About Trimble's Engineering and Construction Division
The combination of Trimble and Spectra Precision, the world leaders in GPS, construction lasers, robotic total stations and machine control solutions, is creating a broad range of innovative solutions that will change the way construction work is done. The Engineering and Construction Division of Trimble is focusing on the development of technology and solutions in the core areas of machine control, surveying, and construction instruments. From concept to completion, Trimble's integrated systems streamline jobs and improve productivity.
About Trimble
Trimble is a leading innovator of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. In addition to providing advanced GPS components, Trimble augments GPS with other positioning technologies as well as wireless communications and software to create complete customer solutions. Trimble's worldwide presence and unique capabilities position the Company for growth in emerging applications including surveying, automobile navigation, machine guidance, asset tracking, wireless platforms, and telecommunications infrastructure. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Trimble has more than 2,000 employees in more than 20 countries worldwide.
Investor Contact: Investor Relations of Trimble: 408-481-6914
Media Contact: LeaAnn McNabb of Trimble: 408-481-7808
Contact: Mary Carmody of Chisano Marketing: 937-866-4914


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10cm Merit Iris Tissue Forceps, 1x2 Teeth, Straight
Merit™ Iris Tissue Forceps are most commonly used for grasping and handling tissue in ophthalmic procedures. The narrow tips, however, allow this instrument to be beneficial for use in other microsurgical procedures as well. Merit™ instruments are Sklar's office-grade line of products and most commonly utilized for routine and in-office minor procedures. These cost effective, high quality instruments are crafted from Pakistan steel and come with a 10 year guarantee. Merit™ instruments deliver an economical solution for physicians and practices that require quality, durable instruments. This product is straight with 1x2 teeth and a length of 10cm.
CLICK HERE to see PDF


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Students are not told anything about this aspect of our history. Instead they are taught that Puritanism was a theocratic, and therefore wholly repressive and undemocratic, mode of society. Thus, in the left-wing liberal construction, to form the United States, Americans had to reject Judeo-Christianity and the Puritanism on which New England was founded.
What progressive historians such as Charles A. Beard and Vernon L. Parrington have taught since the early 1900s is that the true spirit of American history is rooted in the 1789 French Revolution, which suppressed Christianity and turned France toward the atheistic materialism of socialism. Students are taught, by implication if not directly, that the French Revolution�s stirring motto, "Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood," expresses the true nature of American democracy.
Students are taught that the Declaration of Independence was a hypocritical document, because Thomas Jefferson wrote that all men are created equal (this is a deliberate misrepresentation, as Jefferson was speaking not of slavery but of the estate of mankind under God). Students are taught that the French Revolution�s Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen expresses the true aspiration of American democracy, which in liberals� view ought to be the French-style socialistic welfare-state.
Such falsifications are the ideological basis upon which the mythology of our present-day left-wing liberalism rests.
The truth is starkly different.
Bancroft Prize-winning historian Clinton Rossiter, who described himself as a centrist, somewhere between labor union radicals and the late Senator Barry Goldwater, wrote in "The First American Revolution":
"Finally, it must never be forgotten, especially in an age of upheaval and disillusionment, that American democracy rests squarely on the assumption of a pious, honest, self-disciplined, moral people. ... Whatever doubts may exist about the sources of this democracy, there can be none about the chief source of the morality that gives it life and substance. From Puritanism, from the way of life that exalted individual responsibility, came those homely rules of everyday conduct - or, if we must, those rationalizations of worldly success - that have molded the American mind into its unique shape. ... The men of 1776 believed that the good state would rise on the rock of private and public morality, that morality was in the case of most men and all states the product of religion, and that the earthly mission of religion was to set men free."
Nowhere was this better exemplified than in the Connecticut River Valley in 1639.
Puritanism was indeed exclusionary in the sense that the settlers of the Plymouth and Boston colonies had come to these shores to establish Christian communities that conformed as nearly as possible to the pious and moral life prescribed by the Bible. Excluding individuals who rejected Bible-based Christianity was the settlers� right, because they had purchased the king�s colonial charters with their own money and had endured great suffering and death to establish their new homes.
For many decades this had no practical effect of excluding individuals from church membership and civil government, because with very few exceptions everyone was of like mind.
Nonetheless, groups who differed about specific Christian doctrinal matters continually arose within older congregations and left to form new church communities. In this manner, led by their minister Thomas Hooker, dissidents in the Newtown, Massachusetts, congregation went to the Connecticut River valley in 1636 and over the next few years settled the Puritan communities of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield.
Because their existence was threatened both by hostile Indians, and by Dutch settlers from the Hudson valley to the west, they sought mutual protection. A General Court was established at Hartford. It opened with a sermon by minister Thomas Hooker who asserted among other things that:
".... the foundation of authority is laid in the free consent of the people.... that the choice of public magistrates belongs unto the people by God�s own allowance.... [and that] they have power to appoint officers, and magistrates have the right also to set bounds and limitations of the power and place unto which they call them."
These ideas of representative democracy were incorporated in the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut adopted in 1639, the first written constitution in history to establish a continuing civil government.
As historian John Fiske expressed it in "The Beginnings of New England":
"The government of the United States today is in lineal descent more nearly related to that of [Puritan] Connecticut than to that of any of the other thirteen colonies. The most noteworthy feature of the Connecticut republic was that it was a federation of independent towns, and that all attributions of sovereignty not expressly granted to the General Court remained, as of original right, in the towns. Moreover, while the governor and council were chosen by a majority vote of the whole people, and by a suffrage that was almost universal, there was for each township an equality of representation in the assembly."
That constitution continued as the basis for the government of State of Connecticut until 1818. Because of our socialistic educational doctrines, very very few people today know that its adoption is the reason Connecticut is known as the Constitution State. Nor do they know that Puritanism was the source of our earliest institutions of representative democracy.
Thomas E. Brewton is a staff writer for the New Media Alliance, Inc. The New Media Alliance is a non-profit (501c3) national coalition of writers, journalists and grass-roots media outlets.
© Copyright 2002-2013 by Magic City Morning Star
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El Misti Part 2
We've returned safe & sound from tackling El Misti - it was quite an experience! The views from all over the mountain are incredible- it very much felt like we where in a plane looking down at all the ant-scale scenery. The nearby town of Arequipa is at 2,330m, so from the top of Misti (5,822m) it's a 3.5km difference. The photos here don't really do the views justice :)
Here's the starting gate, at 3,415m - doesn't look that hard from here!
We made base camp at 4,700m - about 5 hours from the start. It was an early night, as the sun goes down around 5:30, and there's not a lot to do once night falls. It's also pretty hard to sleep this high up, the altitude makes anyone a very light sleeper.
Sunset and the city lights of Arequipa:
We started heading uphill again at 3:00am, to reach the summit in the early morning - the views are much better then (less pollution). Kat unfortunately wasn't feeling too good due to the altitude, and stayed at base camp rather than ascending further.
Sunrise at around 5,000m - gives a good idea of the slope of the mountain as well:
The shadow cast by Misti as the sun rose was pretty impressive - it stretched for miles!
We made it to the top in about 5 hours, just after 8am. Fortunately I was acclimatised enough to not be too bothered by the height, though breathing did get pretty hard after 5,500 or so. The very last section is fairly steep, this definitely took me a while to get through!
The finishing line, at 5,822m:
On top of the world:
The nearby volcano Chachani, which is about 200m higher than Misti - it's also a very popular climb:
The best part was coming down - we scree-ran the entire way back to base camp, dropping 1.1k in altitude in about 20min. Here's Jose (our guide) and I coming off that:
All in all a great climb, though the legs were a bit sore afterwards :)


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White sand beaches, periwinkle water and 70 degree weather is fantastic, but it didn't really inspire the holiday spirit in us. Being thousands of miles away from our family didn't help either. We were both rather unenthusiastic about the impending holidays. There was discussion of leaving Playa Tecelote, heading back to the city of La Paz, springing for a hotel room and eating at a fancy restaurant, but the thought of spending half of a week's budget on one evening put an end to that idea. Luckily a few days before Christmas we met our first overlanding couple.
Jeff and Julie are from Montreal and are in the process of driving from Canada to Mexico and then back home. I think I could safely say that they are our Canadian doppelgangers in that they are as introverted as we are. It's certainly a Christmas miracle that any of us ever spoke to one another in the first place, but it happened and we're thankful it did.
A meal was planned and runs were made to the grocery store to stock up on food and wine. I spent a seemingly ridiculous amount of time making a very Charlie Brown Christmas tree from desert shrubbery, shells, shiny blue and gold wine bottle foil, and wrapped in battery powered Christmas lights that Pete's mom gave us. On Christmas Eve we made the short walk to Jeff and Julie's house, an adorable brown pop up VW bus with white lights adorning the clothes line. The wind was unseasonably calm, the sky cloudless, the meal excellent and the conversation and company even better. I'm not sure where on our trip we'll be next Christmas, but this one will be hard to beat.


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Them 4 days, what an experience it was. The relationship built throughout these 4 days will certainly be very valuable to me. We all would continue to strive for what we believe in even in our separate ways, that is to protect and preserve mother nature as well helping those in need.
So much of takeaways that I truly believe would be very useful for my future endeavours, and hopefully I could spread what I have gained to as much of people out there.
Thanks to Power Shift Malaysia for this awesome camp, and hopefully there are more opportunities opened up from you guys for the youth out there. Super awesome!
Testimonial by Nanda Kumar


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Published on
In this Skype interview, Stephanie Possehl of Chicago tells her personal story of living with chronic back pain. She talks about how the excruciating pain affected all aspects of her life and how she had to rely on the people around her to function. Stephanie discusses how Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) and Dr. Tyler Koski changed her life after a successful microdiscectomy. Hear Stephanie's journey with chronic back pain, progress she has made and her experience with NMH.
View more programs featuring Stephanie Possehl
Become a member to access our latest content and be the first to know about new programs and information.
Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, its medical staff or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That's how you'll get care that's most appropriate for you.
Andrew Schorr:
Hello. I'm Andrew Schorr from Patient Power. This program is sponsored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Let's talk about chronic pain, specifically chronic, debilitating back pain. That can be so terrible. It really can ruin your life if you have trouble getting dressed, walking, and certainly doing your daily activities, working. Imagine if you were a woman, 31 years old, you had your whole life in front of you, and you're a first-grade teacher and you know how active those children can be. Stephanie Possehl of Arlington Heights, Illinois, began having that kind of terrible back pain in 2003. Stephanie is with us now. Stephanie, tell us how it all began.
It was just summer, and I was pretty active. We were doing some boating and on like WaveRunners on the water, and all of a sudden my back just, every day, it hurt. And I was staying in bed a lot and not doing really anything, and finally my parents said you need to see a doctor, and I thought it was nothing. And so I went and saw a doctor and I had a herniated disk right at the bottom of my back. And at first we tried noninvasive shots of cortisone, and none of that worked. So by December I went in and had a microdiskectomy.
Andrew Schorr:
Stephanie, of course you had high hopes for that surgery. How did it work out?
The recovery was really hard. It was the week before Christmas, and I remember Christmas Eve I went for a little bit, and then I had to go home. And by like January, February I still felt like low back pain when I sat or when I stood, and by May I was back, and I had another MRI and it still showed that the disk had moved a little. And I just still wasn't feeling a hundred percent then at all.
Andrew Schorr:
All this started in 2003. Here comes 2004, '05, '06, you were living in pain for a number of years.
Yes. I just kept going back to the doctor, and they just kept sending me to pain management groups, and then they would just send me for injections and just pain medicines, basically.
Andrew Schorr:
This certainly wasn't a great way for a young woman to live.
No, it was not. It was hard.
Andrew Schorr:
How did all this pain affect your social relationships?
I was turning down a lot of activities to go out and do things, or by the time I got home from work I was just so sore all I wanted to do was just lay in bed. And I just felt bad for my friends because I was just like—I didn't want to be that girl that's always complaining. Even with my boyfriend, he would want to go to a baseball game or something, and I would just be thinking about sitting in those chairs all day. And you want to do this kind of stuff, but at the same time you would rather just lay on the couch all day, and that was very frustrating, to be 30 years old and not wanting to do anything.
Andrew Schorr:
Stephanie, let's jump ahead to 2011. You're back teaching the first grade, you're in front of the kids, you bend down for a book that you're going to read to the children. What happened?
Yeah, I just bent over to grab a book, and I felt pain, I mean, it was even worse than 2003. It literally felt like I had been stabbed in the back, and the shooting pain went down all the way to my feet, and then it was like a cold feeling that went through, and then I couldn't feel my legs but my back was—it was just throbbing. And I knew that I had an assistant coming in the room in about 10 minutes, so I was like if I can just make it 10 minutes.
And I just sat there, and luckily it was a big book, so it kind of covered my face. And, I mean, I literally just cried behind the book because I didn't know what else to do and I didn't want to scare the kids.
Andrew Schorr:
So here you are in front of the children, and you're crying in pain?
Yeah, I just kind of hid my face with the book, because I didn't want them to see me or be scared. But, I mean, when my aide eventually walked in she had to help me to the door because I couldn't really feel my legs. So then they saw me and I felt bad, but I was able to go back to work and talk to them about what happened. But, yeah, they did see me hobble to the door and leave.
Andrew Schorr:
Oh, my. So you had had previous surgery, years of pain continuing, pain medicines, pain therapy, and now you're stricken with terrible pain again. What did you do next?
I called my parents and I had a coworker, she drove me half way and met my parents, and then we just went straight to the hospital. And they admitted me after two rounds of narcotics and Valium. I burned through it within minutes, and then I was back to crying and screaming. So they admitted me, did an MRI, and it was the same disk came back out again, but it was sitting on the nerve.
So they kept me for five days just on a drip, and then they did a nerve root block injection to just try to block the pain, and the doctor there told me that the only surgery that I would ever have from there on out was a fusion.
Andrew Schorr:
We should tell our audience that this story does have a happy ending. Stephanie is smiling.
It does have a happy ending.
Andrew Schorr:
We call this program Patient Power, and, Stephanie, you became a powerful patient. You sought a second opinion, went to see a renowned spinal surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Tyler Koski. What did Dr. Koski tell you?
I came in and I had already sent him the MRIs and everything, and his nurse had already called me, so I already felt when I went in that it was pretty organized. And he looked at it and he looked at me, and he's like, you have two options. I would do a second microdiskectomy, or you could have a fusion, but he's the choice is up to you. And I was so surprised because Northwest Community told me that no one would ever do anything but a fusion on me. So I left there feeling great because a fusion is pretty invasive, so I was excited that I could have a surgery that was less invasive.
Andrew Schorr:
So you went to have surgery again, the minimally invasive kind, because the pain was so bad.
It was so bad. And he said that I could have another nerve root block injection around March because I wanted to have it at the end of the school year, and then the pain got so bad that we ended up bumping up my surgery a month because I couldn't wait until June.
Andrew Schorr:
So you had the surgery in mid May 2011, and I understand you had a very quick, positive result.
Yeah, the next couple hours after surgery I took myself off the drip that they had me on and went to just pain pills. And I was supposed to stay through the weekend, and I went home on Friday. And within a week—I remember I came home, I walked right up the stairs, like nothing, like my first surgery where I had to crawl up the stairs. And within weeks I felt great. I was walking around the block, I was walking up to a mile right away. I had taken off the rest of the school year, and I was able to meet my kids at a field trip they were on because I felt that great. So it was a completely different experience than the first one.
Andrew Schorr:
We should remind people that any kind of back surgery is significant surgery, and it's certainly not a walk in the park.
No, no. It wasn't like a walk in the park, but compared to the first one, it was a lot easier.
Andrew Schorr:
Stephanie, how would you describe the experience at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, first in offering you the best options and then making it happen?
Right. Oh, yeah. Kristen Smith, she would e-mail me all the time, and she answered my questions within minutes. Like a Sunday night at nine o'clock, she would respond back to me. I didn't even know doctors e-mailed. When I went down to go for the surgery I went in early and they told me to go in through the emergency room, and his resident kept calling my cell phone, checking on my progress because it was kind of a busy night that night to make sure that I was getting there, and the second that I was admitted he was right down there helping me, making sure I was comfortable because I stayed there for three or four days before the surgery. They were phenomenal.
Andrew Schorr:
What's your view of Dr. Tyler Koski and his skill as a spinal surgeon?
Oh, amazing. He went over the scar that I had before, so it healed so quickly and so nicely too. He just made me feel at ease. My whole family was there the day of the surgery, and he came in and talked to everybody, and he just kept saying how great I did. And then all my follow-up visits were so fast, they were great. And, I mean, even now if I have a question I can still e-mail and they'll write me right back.
Andrew Schorr:
What difference did it make to have support from your family?
Oh, there is no way that I could have done this without my parents. It got to the point where I needed help putting my shoes on, and it got to the point where, just to get up and down the stairs my mom would help me, sometimes in the shower. I mean, it was horrible to be 30 years old and not be able to lift your leg to get into the shower. Towards the end she had to help me get in and out of bed. If I didn't have my parents I really don't know how I would have done this.
Andrew Schorr:
Tell us about your life now.
Oh, I feel great. I actually went to a carnival last weekend, and I went on two rides, which was a huge deal for me because for years and years I was afraid to go on rides because they all say, Oh, if you have back pain don't do it. I mean, last summer we went boating. Walking—I can go three miles, and I feel pretty good. Standing for long periods of time now is a lot easier than before, and sitting through movies was hard, and now it's great.
Before, even getting a pedicure would hurt because of the nerve damage going down my leg, I didn't even want to do that. And now there's no nerve pain. I feel both my feet. It's a huge difference.
Andrew Schorr:
Stephanie, there are probably people watching this program who are suffering with severe back pain. What would you say to them so that they make good choices and get the best care?
I would say don't be scared to investigate and go find another doctor. I remember for all the years I kept going back to the first group, I almost felt bullied sometimes like they didn't believe me that I was in this amount of pain, and you kind of feel stupid. And I wanted to see my records and see what they were even saying about me. And then the second time around, I was done. I was, okay, I need to find someone who will listen to me. And it was just finding this next group, the second I walked in the office I felt completely different. I felt like I wasn't just a patient with a number. I was like they knew me as Stephanie, and it just was such a different experience.
And after that I don't know why I waited so long and went through so many years of pain for, when I could have probably found this group way before and maybe even have prevented this, I don't know. But that's definitely what I would say. Don't be afraid to leave your doctor and go find a different group that you feel good with.
Andrew Schorr:
Looking ahead, what's your plan? Get married, have a family of your own, be active?
Exactly, no, you know, I can do that hopefully soon, sooner than later. And, yeah, I definitely want to have a kid, and I want to continue teaching and just continue being active. And I don't know, maybe go to Great America and go on a couple roller coasters like I used to a long time ago. That would be fun. Not be so afraid to do stuff without getting hurt.
Andrew Schorr:
And today you feel good, pretty much pain free?
Most days I am. On days where if I'm in heels standing for a long time or bending with the kids a lot, but it's not where I had my surgery. It's my upper back, and that's just because I know that I hunch my shoulders a lot because of so many years of back pain, I'm still afraid something is going happen, so it's more just like muscle annoyance than anything.
Andrew Schorr:
So feeling as good as you do, this is really terrific, isn't it?
Oh, yeah. The first couple days after surgery and I was feeling really good, I mean, I actually cried because I was like this feels amazing, I don't feel like I need to take medication, and I just feel like myself again.
Andrew Schorr:
Stephanie, thank you so much for sharing your story. It's inspiring to many people. We're so glad you found pain relief, and we wish you all the best for a long and active, healthy life.
You thank you so much. This was fun.
Andrew Schorr:
I'm Andrew Schorr. Thank you for joining us. It's a delight when we can connect you with someone who has become a powerful patient and it's made a real difference. Remember, knowledge can be the best medicine of all.
Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, its medical staff or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That's how you'll get care that's most appropriate for you.


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Hi, and welcome! I'm Sarah, an Entrepreneur and Designer. With design experience ranging from interactive to print to brand and everything in between, I'm a versatile designer that can tackle most any design project.
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Opinion Columns & Blogs
Views on food: A sorry state of dominance for boneless, skinless chicken breasts
New Year's diet resolutions never begin on Jan. 1. This year, we could procrastinate with a rolling determination. We got an extra weekend until today – Diet Sunday – the day that begins the flight of something called the boneless, skinless chicken breast out the doors of thousands of grocery stores all over America.
The news here is it's the first time they would fly. The other news is you don't need boneless, skinless chicken breasts to diet. But you'd never know it by the numbers.
More than 55 percent of all chicken sold in the United States is breast meat. Add in white-meated wings and the approximately 35 percent chicken left in the case is for me – lovely dark meat, thighs and drumsticks, complete legs, moist, flavorful, juicy. We disregard dark meat enough that in 2012 more than 4 billion pounds of frozen leg quarters were sent to Russia, Mexico, Angola, Cuba, China, Iraq and Taiwan. Now, those folks know how to eat.
In our family, a whole roasted chicken appears at the table intact until all the dark meat is torn off the carcass. What's left on the serving platter is a browned hump, the whole breast, good for nothing but chopping up for chicken salad with lots of mayonnaise to mask the dryness.
Why would anyone eat boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they could have had a leg?
A couple of nonsensical and outdated reasons brought us to this sorry state of chicken-part dominance. In response to 1980s alarmist news about cholesterol and fat, the chicken industry obliged us with the invention of a chicken breast with nothing in it or on it. UC Davis nutrition professor Liz Applegate was part of that message. And she's sorry.
"I'll take some of the bad credit for promoting that," Applegate admits. She says that in the 1980s we didn't know any better. "Fat was the devil, and we thought you could eat as many bagels as you wanted."
Another reason for the popularity of boneless, skinless chicken breast is that Americans prefer a sanitized notion of where their food comes from. Remove the bone and skin, and what's left doesn't even look like it came from a bird. It just looks like a piece of meat.
But by splitting hairs (or feathers), breast meat climbed to perceived nutritional dominance. Breast meat is lower in fat and calories. Ready? Applegate knows the numbers by heart: 2 grams of fat in a 4-ounce breast, 5 to 6 grams in a thigh. "It's negligible," she says.
Dark meat has more minerals, zinc and iron, which are more easily absorbed because myoglobin, a protein that binds oxygen and iron, is in dark meat muscle. Its fat is monounsaturated, the same desirable fat in olive oil.
As to calories, a boneless, skinless breast has 114 calories; a boneless, skinless thigh has 119. Are 5 calories worth a lifetime gagging on food with the texture of blown insulation?
The minute the bone is removed in processing, the breast begins to dry out. Rip off the skin, even an average home cook would have difficulty ending up with anything but dry, cottony mouthfuls, particularly if you engage in a violent cooking technique like grilling to finish off this defenseless chicken part. A good chef can circumvent the dryness. Braising helps, but it's got to be quick or the naked breast will overcook.
For most Americans – for we are the only country that favors dry white meat over dark – "that's what they think chicken tastes like," says University of the Pacific food historian Ken Albala. "We invented white meat," Albala says, noting that man prevented chickens from a natural predilection to fly, which gave them a workout, made them muscular and kept breast meat dark. Once domesticated, they stayed on the ground and hung out in pens eating, and breast meat became whiter and drier.
Albala says white meat was the domain of the wealthy who didn't get much exercise, either. Five hundred years ago, the whitest poultry was the breast of a capon. Laborers were tossed the lowly dark meat, secretly grateful that their scraps at least tasted better than that of their lords. At $4 to $7 a pound, the boneless, skinless chicken breast could still be considered the domain of the wealthy.
Call me a laborer, but I'm starting to get more than irritated that I can't find dark meat in restaurants. I eat a lot of ethnic food. Over the past five years, I've seen breast meat-only in dishes where it would never show up in the host country. Cubes of breast meat in Indian curry. White meat enchiladas. White meat chicken potstickers. White meat in Vietnamese pho. And what is that piece of particle board with black grill marks on top of a Caesar salad?
There's a Chinese saying that goes, "If you like dark meat, then you know good eating."
My Chinese cousin-in-law jokes that Asian restaurateurs keep the dark meat for themselves. Once when I was in a Vietnamese restaurant that featured soups and other entrees, the menu offered a Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup. A picture next to the item showed white meat mingled with the noodles.
"Is that white meat in the chicken noodle soup?" I asked.
"Yes, white meat," the server replied.
"Do you have dark meat?"
"Yes, we have some dark meat," she said, reluctantly. " You want dark meat?"
It was in the back, just as my relative suspected.
Don't be fooled that there's virtue in denying yourself pleasure by enduring the presumed nothingness of a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
"They're a nightmare when it comes to sodium," says nutritionist Amy Myrdall Miller of the Culinary Institute of America. She warns that bulk packages of boneless, skinless chicken breasts at big box stores are injected with 8 percent sodium by weight by the manufacturer.
Word from the National Chicken Council is that dark meat may be making a comeback for many reasons: interest in food with flavor; popularity of ethnic food (if they'd bring back the authentic dark meat and put it where it belongs); lower cost, and better suited to grilling.
I'm waiting for my dream bird – a flat-chested chicken with four legs.


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There is no doubt that planning an event overseas like a destination wedding takes some time and involve lots of thinking and moving pieces. It is to...
About the Author
Jean Charles Vaneck
Jean Charles is not only a passionate degree-qualified event manager and luxury wedding planner, but also an intuitive artist & a smile maker.
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The temps are still high and the nights are still long—summer is here to say for at least a little while longer! We love supporting our fellow mission-driven brands, so here are some of Loom's favorite pieces for keeping fun, stylish, and environmentally and socially conscious this season.
1. Romper by Threads 4 Thought
Made from recycled polyester-organic cotton, this romper is the perfect instant-outfit for summer! What began as an eco-friendly t-shirt company has grown into a full-on fashion brand. Threads 4 Thought is committed to socially responsible manufacturing practices and sustainable materials, all with the hope of changing the damaging "fast fashion" industry.
Based in Uganda, Sseko began as a way to help young women earn an income to attend university and achieve their dreams. Now they also work with artisans in East Africa at all different points in their lives to help them reach beyond poverty. In addition to handcrafted shoes like these fun flats, they also make charm bracelets and leather bags.
JOYN products are made by artisans in Rajpur, India. JOYN provides their employees not just with vocational training but also with medial resources and meal plans. Their bags are completely handmade, from spinning the raw cotton, to block printing the colorful designs (this clutch was worked on by twelve different artisans!).
Summer is also the perfect time to have some fun with color! Try a bright statement necklace (this one also comes in lavender and navy). Mata Traders is a fellow Chicago-based brand. With bright and colorful clothing and accessories made fairly by artisans in India and Nepal, they aim to put and end to poverty and improve the fashion industry.
No summer outfit is complete without sunglasses! WEWOOD makes theirs with natural cotton fiber to reduce plastic waste and help preserve the environment. Plus, for every pair sold they'll plant a tree to support reforestation!


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Good Rotations e-Bike Hire
Explore Wanaka, your way! Our e-bikes are the perfect way to get and explore the Wanaka lakeside and river tracks at your own pace. If you like riding a bike, you'll love riding an e-bike.
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Our European electric bikes are smooth to ride and easy to use. Simply switch on the Bosch motor and pedal away with a permanent tail-wind! Choose from easy riding Cruiser e-bikes or get adventurous on an e-Mountain Bike (e-MTB).
Wanaka's world-renowned scenery provides the perfect backdrop for some of the most outstanding biking in New Zealand. From superb lakeside and riverside cruising to exciting and more challenging tracks. The riding is unforgettable, whatever your chosen pace.
We also offer boat and bike packages: hop on the Wanaka Water Taxi and start or finish your ride by water.
Delivery to your accommodation also available.
Physical address
Good Rotations e-Bike Hire, 34 Anderson Road, Wanaka town, Wanaka, New Zealand.
Opening times
- Business hours:
- 10am - 5.30pm
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Facilities and Features
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- 2km from town centre


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Western Wildcats' hopes of securing European hockey ended in disappointment with defeats for both the gents' and ladies' sides.
Both were knocked out of the European play-offs by their respective league champions.
The men were superb in their game against Kelburne in their showdown at the National Hockey Centre at Glasgow Green.
In the first half they went a goal down to a clever penalty corner, Josh Cairns cleverly switching the ball to Ben Peterson who found the net with a low shot.
But Wildcats dug their claws in and Joe McConnell's strike following great work on the baseline by Rob Harwood drew them level early on.
Western then took the lead through an Adam MacKenzie penalty corner strike which flew into the net off a defender.
But Kelburne levelled when Cairns flicked the ball into the roof from a penalty stroke.
At this stage the teams were trading blows in a very even game and each had chances to take the lead before half time.
The second half saw Western cede possession for long periods, only looking dangerous intermittently on the break.
Wildcats could have taken advantage of Kelburne's failire to press home their dominance, but Rob Harwood narrowly failed to make contact with a dangerous cross.
At the other end Kelburne had further set piece chances but Chris Nelson's effort was blocked by the lively Gavin Sommerville in the Western goal while another Cairns shot went wide of the target.
The game finished 2-2, meaning penalties with Kelburne drawing on their experience to win very comfortably, 3-1.
Adam MacKenzie was Western's only scorer while the Paisley side slotted all of theirs, through Chris Nelson along with Craig and Lee Morton.
Overall Wildcats had no complaints about Kelburne going through to the following day's final, but every man in a Western shirt could take pride in his performance.
The girls went into their game against Edinburgh University at Peffermill with high hopes of causing an upset.
Sadly, pretty much everything that could have gone wrong did and they were 4-0 down and toiling at half-time.
They rallied a little in the second half and created chances but the students added to their tally to run out 6-0 winners.
While it was a desperately disappointing end, it has been a fabulous season for Wildcats. They had their top four spot stitched up very early on and have proven themselves worthy of their place in the play-offs.


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BC Superweek starts tomorrow and runs through next week. As always this will be a very exciting week of racing and with the Delta Road Race now a UCI sanctioned event, it's going to be even better!
Glotman Simpson Cycling will be well represented with strong teams all week. Mark your calendars and come cheer on the yellow, black and white!
Friday July 5 MK Delta Crit
Women - 6:30pm
Men - 7:30pm
Saturday July 6 Brenco Delta Crit
Women - 6:15pm
Men - 7:30pm
Sunday July 7 White Spot Delta Road Race (UCI sanctioned event)
Women - 9:00am
Men - 12:00am - 3:30pm
Tuesday July 9 UBC Grand Prix Crit
Cat 3/4 - 1:00pm
Women - 6:00pm
Men - 7:30pm
Wednesday July 10 Gastown Grand Prix
Women - 6:00pm
Men - 7:30pm
Thursday July 11 Giro de Burnaby
Women - 5:45pm
Men - 7:15pm
Friday July 12 White Rock Homelife Realty Hill Climb
Women - 7:00pm
Men - 7:30pm
Saturday July 13 White Rock Choices Markets Criterium
Men 3/4 - 4:00pm
Women - 5:00pm
Men - 6:00pm
Sunday July 14 White Rock Peace Arch News Road Race
Men - 9:00am
Women - 9:05am


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I got a great question from Bill Cooke about my Technology Governance in a Simple Model post. He brought up questions about how a CIO supports innovation and opportunistic activities.
Here is my response to Bill:
Thanks for taking time to read my post and to provide your feedback. You make a good point about support for innovation and opportunistic activities. I think I can provide some insight into how we thought about it in the context of this model.
For example, IT researched application virtualization technologies to address disaster recovery issues, to provide expensive software to students, to manage costs especially the manual effort to reimage labs when new software was introduced and to shrink the network traffic during lab imaging times (the computer lab images are much smaller if the apps are virtualized). We piloted Citrix XenApp internally before presenting them to our community as a solution. All this work was done in the Innovation space.
Once we proved the technology worked, application virtualization moved from the innovative space with IT as a business unit/department to the enterprise space (including being added to our Core Service Catalogue) where IT is the enterprise service provider. This migration of "services" is something fairly common and the governance model accommodates for this. Many departments innovate with technology but at some point it becomes too complex for them to manage. That is when we have a discussion about the costs and service levels required to move this service into the shared or enterprise space. We acknowledge when a service becomes enterprise by adding it to our Core Service Catalogue.
IT can be both the enterprise service provider and a business unit/department in its own right. In this case, IT as a business unit/department can dedicate portions of its resources to innovation and opportunistic activities.
Also the model can be applied to any business unit in an organization. If we take the view that the model maps Facilities services, then Facilities would manage the Enterprise space, participate in the Shared space with external utility providers and governments, support IT in the departmental space by providing power and cooling, pilot energy efficient equipment and lighting in the innovative space, and leverage SmartGrid technology in the Opportunistic space. I have not tried to apply it to an academic unit but believe the model is generic enough to work there too – just more focused on education and curriculum development.
This is one thing I really like about this model. It is not IT centric and has broad applicability. What do you think?
I completely agree that the CIO needs to foster innovation and bring ideas and service that the University Executive see as valuable. This model allows for all five governance categories. The hard part is deciding what portion of budget, support and control go to each category. This has to be done organization by organization.
Thank you again for reading my blog. Wishing you all the best, Leo
I am looking forward to hearing other comments. I will do more writing on this topic to provide a clarity on the applicability of this model in organizations.