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I could just call this post "June in Rain" as we here in the northeast are experiencing what may be the wettest and coolest spring ever. Not that the plant's mind at all, for them, this wet weather without the high, humid temperatures is like living in Seattle. Thank goodness too, as this year - as I prep for my next book on flowers, I am focusing on growing many - oh so many - cool-weather annuals. I, and the plants couldn't be happier.
Personally, as you can tell, I haven't been posting here much - that was due to my job as a horticulturist for a landscape firm in Boston which while I loved, was proving to be just too much given the schedule and the commute. My writing for my book was suffering (getting up at 4:30 am and commuting at least 2 hours in traffic each way was just exhausting). And while I loved the people and especially the clients, I proposed a change to my schedule - and now will be shifting to a part-time position. Sure, I loose insurance and benefits, but I really feel as if I need to focus on my writing and my personal growth with my own intellectual property too - I really wasn't giving it any time to grow ever since I left Hasbro - now two years ago. Last year, if you remember I did 'invest in myself' and went on a botanizing trip to Western China (Yunnan) for a month which was an incredible opportunity. I need to do more things like that rather than design containers around swimming pools. Both are important of course, as is making money but -- I have far too many irons in the fire right now, as well as some very exciting opportunities in the future which I cannot talk about yet, so I amd saying "Matt, just hang in there and see what develops for another year or so.". I tend to get impatient and jump from projects if they don't prove growth worthy immediately. I need to learn patience.
So, here I am again folks. Finally posting, and focusing on my summer in my garden again. Working on my next book and trying to blow the deadline as those dates were slipping away quickly.
Even though I seemed to spend all of my time working since March, I was able to raise plenty of plants for a new garden which we started last June, but one that remained fallow all summer because I was in China much of last May, June, and part of July. This garden sits directly in the back yard, smack in the middle with a view from our new window that we put in this past winter. It's where my parents had a golf green - a putting green of all things, complete with bent grass and metal holes with flags - weird because no one in my family golfs, but it was constructed in 1926 by my dad and his brothers who all spent their summers working as greenskeepers at a golf course just at the end of our road. There they were also able to use the greenskeeper shed as their clubhouse (which historically is significant as they shared it with Robert Goddard. the father of modern rocketry - (as in the Goddard Space Center). He shot off his first rocket from their golf course, and my dad and his brothers were all there laughing at "the crazy scientist". Kind of like the movie 'October Sky'.
|I missed sharing so much this spring. - like this Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty'which not only has colonized a bit with three tall specimens, it has also seeded around a bit. Not a bad weed to have!
That golf green was lovely, but high maintenance as it required a special mower that eventually broke. So after my father died (at 100 in in 2014) we let the lawn grow in, and now, in an effort to remove all of our lawns, I decided to just make the entire back yard a massive garden. planted with perennials and plenty of annuals, which has been my focus this year.
This new garden still needs work as we just started laying out gravel walks and boxwood hedging. I have yet to decide on whether it will be brick paths or peastone. I also have just set temporarily an old rusty urn in the center, but I am looking for the perfect sculptural object (like this amazing sundial on a concrete or limestone pillar that I saw at Trade Secrets but regret not investing in). For now, it's a little cliche, but the urn will need to do as I am on a tight budget. Health insurance and mortgage you know. Some things come first.
|SOme of the rarer annuals I am growing is this Monkey Flowers.
|Schizanthus blooming in the new border.
I am raising plenty of rare and unsual annuals for this next book project. Ones that I have either grown before and failed at, or ones that are so challenging that I have really had to master them before I could feel comfortable writing about them. SOme, like this Schizanthus I havent grown here since I was in high school (really!). I remember my parents taking me to Buchart Gardens in Victoria BC and they had a greenhouse (it was September) full of potted Schixanthus. It was 1976 and even though I only had a home-made greenhouse that my dad had made me, I raised a crop that was pretty successful but I had failed ever since. I think that that greenhouse was cooler than the one I have now, and that mayhave helped.
|This is one cool-weather annual you may find at a good garden center - Mimulus x hybridus 'Monkey Magic' (becasue it's commonly called Monkey Flower). Botanically this may be Diplacus now, but I'm not going to get too geeky here.
|Another view of the new border with pink Vaccaria and scarlet Emilia in the foreground. Two other rarely grown annuals.
|Of course, Salpiglossis or 'Bearded Tongue' is a must for any old fashioned flower border. These are just coming into bloom, and are plants that I will lift in the fall to bring into the greenhouse for some winter color as well.
|Shirley Poppies just coming into bloom late this year. Plenty more of these to come soon.
|A quick, rather thoughtless bouquet that looked old-fashioned enough so I took a photo of it.
|Cerinthe major (and C. minor) are so easy to grow from seed, that I have no idea why more people are not growing these stunning annuals. Now I am planting large areas in the borders with them.
|We are also trying a collection of Lotus in pots and containers. Both giant selections and tiny, if not miniature ones like these tea-cup sized lotus.
|That's it for now. Lots more pics to come of the new garden and even other projects as I get my feet back on the ground! Happy late spring!


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"European society illustrates that music education leads to forms of creativity and autonomy… Europeans combine arts education with the living presence of the performing arts within their communities. Classical music is far more relevant to young people when performing arts organizations are a highly present and esteemed part of their city or region."
"Animosity isn't the only feature of the trans-Atlantic relationship. Europe is rightly envious of America's multicultural society. There can be no doubt that the United States has produced the world's most varied and integrative culture, and it is no accident that it is the only one to have a worldwide appeal."
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The first morning goes as the first morning always does. Up at four, into the taxi at four-twenty. I'm so tightly packed that I don't have loose change for a tip, though the driver deserves one. Drift off as the Eurostar nails the 465km to Paris in two hours and fifteen minutes. Step off the train and suddenly it's on as our couchsurfer meets us at the station. Swap greetings and comments on the weather. Try to buy metro tickets with twenty-euro notes. Stop for croissants at a corner bakery.
I still haven't had a coffee.
We've been to Paris before. Seen the sights, ticked the boxes. This trip is ours. That's a really strange thing to say and a strange thing to think, but there's no getting away from it. It takes more discipline than we - or nearly anyone - has to spend a few days only in a city and not see the things that make it famous.
That's why the second trip is better.
But we don't slow down. We hike around the local area - the Couchsurfing Hello - meet friends for dinner, have too many drinks. I lose a wheel on the hard cobblestones and disqualify myself from the Friday Night Skate. I'm not really sorry; Lyn's positively glad. We crash at 1am, sleeping on the bed while our couchsurfer surfs his own couch.
Saturday. The weather's the kind we used to take for granted. We play scavenger-hunt on Rue Saint-Antoine and hike to the banks of the Seine with the treasures: cheese, strawberries, baguettes, wine. I fall asleep in the sun. Why is unconsciousness so precious? Is it just lack of sleep that makes me think so?
And what does that say about our lifestyles?
Sunday. I smack my wrist-guards on my knee-pads, my elbow-pads just as tight as the skates locked on to my feet. I feel heavily armoured but I'm horrifically vulnerable. Twenty kilometres, three hours - doesn't sound fast, but there's a break in the middle, and we spend a lot of time waiting for the thousands-strong crowd to catch up.
Near the end of the route I run into an old friend by sheer coincidence. I briefly speak to her in French while at speed in the middle of the road. Somewhere in my mind, some boxes get ticked, and "skating" and "french" move back to the end of the queue.
We run into the Free Hugs movement while watching a busker by Notre Dame. I always thought that it would be smelly old men, not shy, beautiful French girls. As always, I can transmit, not receive, so I'll never know what she said to me.
Monday. Back to Montmartre; it hasn't changed. Saint-Germain De Pres is lovely, but I know myself well enough to know when I have to either take my skates off, or get run over. We're wearing down. But somehow we can't stop.
Tuesday. We're inspired by an exhibition of videos of French couples arguing. Fortunately, we're in a hotel for the last night. Ticketing for the Kylie concert is a shambles, as usual, but I only feel angry, not inspired to fix it. While Lyn's dazzled by lights, I'm pushing the edges, following up a disgusting Pizza Hut takeaway with a twenty-euro bottle of wine.
Not all travel stereotypes are true. Not all the time.
The last morning goes as the last morning always does. Down at 1am, up at five, I ride the Paris metro to Gare Du Nord, fail to understand the security guard's French, doze on the Eurostar, tube back to Belsize Park for the grey-blue half-light and the long walk home. I lose my keys. I'm late to work. I snap at a colleague, survive the meeting, leave early, somehow get home alive. Everything already feels like a dream. About eleven I finally crash, dead-tired but too unbalanced to sleep.
It's been a long weekend.


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Blog Archives
Sophie Wells competition proving popular – enter TODAY!
Asmar Equestrian is giving you the chance to WIN a training session with Sophie Wells.
WIN a flatwork lesson with dressage star Sophie Wells, courtesy of Asmar Equestrian
Asmar Equestrian is launching an exciting competition with dressage rider, Sophie Wells, based in Nottinghamshire, UK. Sophie is on the British Dressage Young Rider (able bodied) Prime Squad and as a Grade IV Para rider, is on the World Class Para Dressage Performance Squad.
We are offering you the chance to WIN a flatwork lesson with Sophie at her Newark yard, as well as a gorgeous riding top from the Asmar Equestrian range.
To enter, simply post on our facebook wall at http://www.facebook.com/asmarequestrian with a pic of you and your horse, explaining your training goals. (You must be prepared to travel to Sophie's yard at your expense. Lesson tba at mutually convenient time/date. Closing date for entries – 19th June.)
Please forward this competition to your Facebook Friends!


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ACRL Report Shows Compelling Evidence of Library Contributions to Student Learning and Success; *College & Research Libraries –May 2016 Now Available; *Portico now preserves one billion files; *International Alliance of Research Library Associations Endorse Open Data Accord; *Legislative Leaders and Governor Agree to Restore $1 Million in State Funding For Libraries *Figshare integrates Altmetric Badges to showcase attention surrounding research outputs; *ProQuest launches key regional databases; *Latest version of Preservica provides new levels of control and flexibility for archives, libraries and museums; and more library and publishing news from a variety of sources.
A new report issued by ACRL, "Documented Library Contributions to Student Learning and Success: Building Evidence with Team-Based Assessment in Action Campus Projects," shows compelling evidence for library contributions to student learning and success. The report focuses on dozens of projects conducted as part of the program Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success (AiA) by teams that participated in the second year of the program, from April 2014 to June 2015. Synthesizing more than 60 individual project reports (fully searchable online) and using past findings from projects completed during the first year of the AiA program as context, the report identifies strong evidence of the positive contributions of academic libraries to student learning and success in four key areas…
The May 2016 issue of College & Research Libraries is now freely available online. Visit the C&RL website for complete contents from 1939 to the present and follow C&RL on Facebook and Twitter for updates and discussion.
According to KnowledgeSpeak "ITHAKA, … has announced that its large-scale digital preservation service Portico now preserves one billion files or, in practical terms, more than 20,000 e-journals, 400,000 e-books, and 600 million images that include vast collections of historical newspapers. Portico has also expanded its services and the files it archives by working with libraries with special mandates and obligations to preserve content…"
infoDOCKET reports that "the International Alliance of Research Library Associations (IARLA)—a global coalition of major research and academic library associations in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States…. views the Science International accord on "Open Data in a Big Data World" as an important step towards creating and enabling this common vision of the importance of open data. In setting out principles for open data that are derived from emerging practices within the scientific community, the accord lends the voice of a key stakeholder to the case for open data and provides a practical road map for the implementation of open data at the global level…"
Also according to infoDOCKET in Arkansas "legislative leaders and Gov. Asa Hutchinson have agreed to restore a $1 million cut in state funding for libraries and a $1 million cut in state funding for senior citizen centers…"
KnowledgeSpeak also notes that "o"ver 2.5 million research outputs deposited on Figshare will now display Altmetric Badges, ushering in a new era of data-level metrics. This new integration means that the attention data for datasets, videos, images, code and other alternative research outputs will be presented within the Figshare platform, and users will be able to access a collated record of all of the comments, shares and discussion relating to an item with a single click…"
ProQuest has announced the launch of nine regional databases of locally published scholarly journals across all major disciplines. With over 3,000 academic titles across the nine databases, published by scholarly organizations and societies, educational institutions, and academic presses, each collection represents hundreds of the most authoritative scholarly publishing in that geographic area…"
- Latest version of Preservica provides new levels of control and flexibility for archives, libraries and museums
Library Technology Guides reports that "Preservica, … has announced the latest release (v5.6) of its Digital Preservation and Access software. The new features build on Preservica's active post-ingest file format migration and storage management to give libraries, museums, archives and businesses new levels of control and flexibility over how they manage, arrange, migrate, share and store their valuable digital content overtime – as needs, demands and technologies change…"
More library and publishing news from a variety of sources
- Florida college and university libraries adopt next-generation technology
- Northern Territory Library in Australia selects OCLC WorldShare Management Services;
- After Six Months, Mendeley Data Leaves Beta;
- Frankfurt Book Fair acquires majority stake in IPR License;
- Cardiff Metropolitan University is the 400th institution to go live with Ex Libris Alma;
- Wiley and the European Food Safety Authority announce publishing partnership;
- EBSCO Information Services continues to innovate its discovery service using Openstack and Avi Networks
- University of Cambridge selects Ex Libris' Alma and Primo;
- The New England Journal of Medicine content now discoverable through ReadCube;
- Second Editor's Draft of EPUB 3.1 now available for review;


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I have been surfing around on the internet today, and was looking at one of David Swanner's most recent blog posts, where he talks about Stephanie Mencimer's blog, The Tortelinni. That led me to a post on there about tort reform and nursing homes. That got me thinking . . .
This is an issue we deal with a great deal, and that we fight against every day – the idea that "frivolous lawsuits" are increasing insurance premiums for nursing homes to the point that they might have to close their doors. Never mind the evidence the feds are not providing the oversight needed to prevent abuse and neglect in nursing homes in the first place. Nevermind the amount of money some nursing homes are making. Just look at this example. $959 million in one quarter?!
What no one is talking about is the actual lawsuits being filed against these nursing homes. What no one thinks about is what if it was your mother, your father, your husband or wife who lived in a nursing home where staff wouldn't answer the call bell to take them to the bathroom, forcing them to lie in their own feces or urine for hours – add to that pressure sores without bandages, so that urine and feces soak into open wounds. What no one thinks about is what if your family member was given the wrong medication which led to brain damage or even death? This is not made up stuff, these are the kinds of cases we see all too often. Put yourself in that position, and then lets talk about "frivolous lawsuits."


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November Newsletter!
We're already into the middle month of the first Term!.
House News
As a reminder, every common room must be signed up for separately from the main HOL Forums. You can join every common room, though you will only have full access to your own House's forums. There are still many fun things you can do when visiting others though!
Gryffindor wraps up their Gryfftoberfest and starts Gone Questing up again in November. A new theme will be announced for their magazine, The Pawprint.
Hot off the press: They also celebrate a minor revamp at the start of November, including the return of Rubies (their internal points)! Check out their Rubies!
As of November 1st, Slytherin will have just finished up Slythoween. Soon you can go check how many Scales (internal House points) you earned! They are having the Harry Potter Read-Along with tasks and trivia. They've also got the Puzzle Exchange and Gobstones Club where you can enjoy different things to do and earn Scales at the same time.
As always, Ravenclaw has their debate questions and folks from all Houses are welcome to come give their opinions. (Debate Club). The Trick or Treat in the Nest activity has just finished and, in November, they are having a Magizoologist training camp put on by Alexander Brighton and Hannah R. Thomas. It's an activity for just Eagles. The Alte deadline for December will also be due on November 30.
Our very own Fumbly is hosting an event in November which is close to the hearts of every Badger -- it involves FOOD. Everyone is invited to come to the Sett for GOOD FOOD! It's starting soon ... if she can get Parker away from the kitchen! But yes, there will be Diamonds (internal House points) to be had! Visit the Games Tent -- aka DoHGaS (Huffle Department of Games and Sports) and see what new opportunities to earn Diamonds are there for you!
News From Around HOL
Book Club
The Book Club is reading The Phantom Tollbooth for our November Monthly Book Discussion. There are weekly updates for Flash Fiction participation - where you can write a very short story!
Gatherings and Games has started up after the summer vacation. One gathering was held just a few days ago, on October 28th. Stay tuned here - click - to find out when the next batch of dangerous games happens!
Quidditch - We have two House games scheduled for November.
Quidditch Schedule. One is Ravenclaw vs Slytherin on November 10th and another is Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor on November 17th.
With each new month, we will post 3 new puzzles in our Monthly Challenges and different prompts in the Creative Outlet sections of the HOLLERS Forum!
You are welcome to participate and post in The Scrapbook. We've a place for you to put your HOL Memories! Click to read more.
In addition to that -- watch out. WINTER IS COMING.
November Newsletter
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For advanced diagnostic technology, vehicle servicing & repairs, call Webb's Auto Services on
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Bob Dylan and The March on Washington
WASHINGTON—The day after the 1963 March on Washington, The Wall Street Journal's What's News feature naturally led with a report on the demonstration, which, among its many historic moments, helped introduce a young performer named Bob Dylan to the nation.
But scan down the World-Wide column and another essential Dylan episode emerges in the last news item. Past reports on a potash mine explosion in Utah, Japanese shipping policy and U.N. Security Council debate on alleged war crimes by Syria, comes this item:
"A Maryland tobacco farmer, William Zantzinger, convicted of manslaughter in the fatal caning of a Negro barmaid, was sentenced to six months in jail. Zantzinger, 24, also was fined $625. The caning occurred at a charity ball in Baltimore last February."
Zantzinger, a scion of Southern Maryland's rural gentry, had struck 51-year-old Hattie Carroll with his cane for failing to fetch his drink fast enough. The report of Zantzinger's lenient sentence would inspire Dylan to write "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," which appeared on his 1964 album, "The Times They Are A-Changin'."
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Do you like FlashForward? Good!
Beginning this week, I'll be writing a review of each week's episode, viewable here, on SpoilerTV, and with discussion and special extras at Howey's LOST Tribe!
I've obtained exclusive access to upcoming spoilers, reviews and more, so make sure you sign up to join Howey's LOST Tribe soon!
Spaces are limited!


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Guys. Of all the parts to the complete Harry Potter Wizard kits I made, this is by far the cutest. And it's mostly because of my kids' pictures. Dang, they're cute. So if you're going to make one, get an awesome wizardy picture of your kid in there.
Excuse the censoring. 🙂
There are legit ones online that look exactly like the one in the movie. But these are for kids, so they're simplified. They're super easy to put together, too. But if you're going to laminate, pay attention to the laminating process!
Use cardstock to print; the regular paper ones I tried warped funny after laminating and folding. I used the same cream cardstock I used for the spell books and the Marauder's maps. After you print yours out on both sides (making sure you center the image on the page so it's lined up correctly front-to-back), fill in all the information and glue in an awesome ID photo. Have fun with it! For instance, my daughter has much blonder hair than my son. Like, super blonde. So, for her hair color, I put "Veela Blonde." You could even put "Pixie Blue" for eye color, or "Weasley Red" for hair color. Whatever your creative mind can come up with.
I blindfolded my kids to get their fingerprints on there, (surprise!) but you might not have to do that. I didn't have a dark ink pad, so I just ran a black marker over their fingerpads and pressed before they dried.
Then, when they're ready to go, fold them in thirds. If you're going to laminate, MAKE SURE THAT THE INNER PANEL IS LARGER THAN THE TWO SIDE PANELS. The laminating process creates a thin plastic edge around the paper, which will need to be accounted for when folding up your ID. If the right panel is too long, it won't lay flat inside the ID.
Press your fold with a credit card/folding bone/ruler/whatever you can find to really sharpen those folds. You want to create a nice rib in the paper.
Unfold them and lay them flat inside your laminating sheet. Insert into the hot laminator. When it slides out the other side, cut it out (not so close to the edges that the laminated seal breaks!). Then, refold the ID along the same folding ribs you made previously. They should fold flawlessly. If you didn't pre-fold, they're going to fold pretty haphazardly.
And there you have it! I made mine for my kids digitally, but a blank Ministry ID printable is available here for you to write in information.
Don't miss the complete kit post over here.


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"Our board isn't happy. It seems we don't burn cash fast enough…" This rather strange quote belongs to a Belgian entrepreneur, working in Silicon Valley. An intriguing observation. Here's another: opposed to any living organism, from microbes to baobab trees, there is no natural, intrinsic size for companies.
At first glance, these two observations don't have much in common. But in fact, they do. Moreover, their connection is highly relevant, especially for start-ups.
If a child is born, the size of this new human being is more or less predetermined. Sure, there will be differences, depending on race, gender, place of birth and not in the least hereditary disposition (seize of parents and ancestors). But the differences between people of normal posture remain relatively limited. Especially when compared to companies.
In my home town, I am a loyal customer of a grocery shop that has been there for 3 generations. I imagine the initial shop wasn't all that different from the grocery shop that opened in 1887 in a small Dutch village called Oostzaan. The shopkeeper in Oostzaan, however, lived by the name of Jan Heijn. That name might ring a bell. The shop in Oostzaan eventually grew to become the Albert Heijn supermarket imperium we know today. The difference between the shop in my home town and that in Oostzaan is infinitely bigger than that between a 1,55m jockey and a basketball player measuring 2,15m.
Every living organism has a build-in predestined size. Companies don't. Companies do not have a 'gene' that defines their posture. Although almost every entrepreneur does have the undefined feeling that his company is bound to certain 'natural' limits, that are almost impossible to surpass.
Well, there aren't.
Since there is no 'gene' that limits their growth, how is it possible that there are so few large companies? Why does a majority of enterprises remain small or at best reach a medium size? Obviously, some companies will never grow because there is no basis to build from. Because of a poor product portfolio or inadequate customer service, for instance. However, we found that an important number of companies that were doing extremely well suffered from an unexpected stand still. In search for the root causes, we discovered that, strangely enough, it was the growth itself that caused the status quo.
Our society has missed out on an astonishing number of large companies, because, at a certain stage in their growth process, they weren't able to overcome their growing pains. Why do so few companies succeed in overcoming these hurdles? The fair answer is that these growing pains are dirty little devils. They disguise themselves and tend to keep on coming back in ever changing forms and shapes. More importantly even, they are protected by something that is printed in the human psyche: the force of habit. In our book 'The Growth Paradox' we have unmasked 10 of the most common growing pains. It can help start-ups keeping their wits about them.
"Growing pains are dirty little devils"
The quote on cash burning we started with, refers to one of these growing pains. Let's be clear. We don't believe that the Silicon Valley model should be implemented in our country. We simply don't have the environment that matches this venture capitalist based model. The strange urge to burn cash as fast as possible in the average 'valley company', however, actually refers to one important growing pain. Companies tend to stay with their organizational structure and modus operandi, even though a larger company needs an entirely new set-up. And that is exactly what the board of the Belgian entrepreneur in Silicon Valley was referring to.
They wanted the company to seek extra people in sales, long before the organization would need them. Simply because it would take too much time hiring and training new sales people when done at the moment they were needed in the field. They would lose valuable time in reaching their most important goal: gaining an important market share as fast as possible. Venture capitalist do not want their money spent inappropriately. But they know that an organization that lags the speed of growth of a company, will slow down that growth. Extremely fast.
This is just one example of growth induced obstacles. There are many. A fast growing entrepreneur will have to pass several development cycles in a very short time span, each one filled with such growing pains. And they will have to do that in a time frame that is much shorter than that of most other entrepreneurs. From 0 employees to 3, from 3 to 8, from 8 to 25, … in two to five years. That's a real challenge. It basically means that one has to build 3 to 4 entirely new business models and organizations.
New company
In essence, a fast-growing entrepreneur heads an entirely new company every two year. He actually is a serial entrepreneur in one company. This implies that the entrepreneur will have to change his role and behaviour accordingly. Changing our behaviour is one of the most challenging things to do. It is hard when in a company in a steady-as-she-goes-situation. It becomes an act of heroic proportions if this change needs to be accomplished in a growth company where everyone and everything is under an ever-increasing performance pressure. On top of that, the 'number one' needs to guide his team through the same change process.
Correctly diagnosing growing pains is an imperative step for every start-up to quickly leave the pioneering stage. But it will also help manage their relationship with their private equity investors. Investors, especially venture capitalists, want you to reach a specific milestone, as this enables them to exit. In other words: sell their stake to another VC who is in the market of buying that specific milestone. The same is true for more long term value investors.
With a strong framework to analyse the symptoms and dig down to the root causes, you will more likely be able to translate that framework to your investors, and employees entering your new and constantly evolving organization. And if you make use of external advice, which is highly recommended to sustain the speed of your growth, you will be able to ask the right questions to your advisors. And select investors that fit your real growth needs, with commitment to help you grow through your consecutive development phases, both as an organization and as an individual as entrepreneur.
In that respect, growing fast is like sex in the 50's: there are a lot of expectations, but no one explains what they really are, let alone teach you how to live up to them. Actually, there is help available. And in the middle of a growing cycle, where everything goes internally wrong, pressure is mounting economically, physically, emotionally … the entrepreneur should find that help. Because unlike in a marriage, one doesn't get 40 years to find out the right answers by trial and error.
Written by Matty Paquay, partner of growth companies
Do you want to hear more about the subject?
On september 25, Ekonomica Leuven organizes a debate about "De Groeiparadox" in Wilsele. It's still possible to register for the event!


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This morning, I finally watched the visual evidence of the Assad regime's chemical attack on hundreds of children. There is a reason, these awful videos prove, behind our fear of these kinds of weapons, even if they follow over 100,000 far bloodier deaths. They kill silently in the dark. Heavier than air, poison gas can sink into the basements and cellars civilians use for protection during wartime. The crippling efficacy of such weapons, once used to propel the mass extermination of European Jews, should draw us all short. It is not that the victims of chemical attacks are any more dead or crippled than the 120,000 or so other victims of the sectarian bloodbath in Syria. It is that the use of such weapons signals that the regime is now prepared to use this final trump card, if it suits its purposes. The Alawites have always had the power to kill their sectarian foes (Hafez al Assad committed a mass murder of 10,000 civilians); but now we know they also have the will to use the most silently lethal chemicals at their disposal. There's a reason so many millions are now fleeing. The prospect of a sectarian Holocaust from the skies is no longer a dystopian illusion. It is an historical fact.
This makes Obama's shift explicable, whatever the debating points scored at various junctures in the Syria debate in the last few years. I don't buy the criticism that he should have intervened much earlier in Syria (there would have been zero public support); and the principle of forbidding chemical weapons use against civilians and rebel fighters is a vital one for the future of civilization. To do or say nothing now would have given Assad a green light to exterminate more people without any cost. So the core question really emerges: what would doing something look like?
Obama has proposed doing something and nothing at the same time. And, sure, a military strike on Syria will exact a cost for Assad for his sectarian extermination program. But it is highly unlikely to bring him down or, unless I am mistaken about the situation on the ground, shift the course of the war. After the dust settles, a US strike may even give Assad more lee-way to use his poison gases against his foes, and enable him to portray himself as a victim of Western intervention. If he got away with it once, and gained ground in the war, why not again and again? And what then?
The McCain faction is obviously right about one thing: the only option that would ensure Assad's ouster would be a full scale war and invasion conducted by some kind of alliance between the US and the rebel groups. And they are obviously wrong, it seems to me, on one thing as well: there is no way on earth that this country or its armed forces should jump into such a brutal, sectarian vortex of violence, with only the goal of deposing a dictator. Have we learned nothing from Iraq? Our core interests are not affected by the result of the Syrian civil war, and we have simply no assurance that the replacement for Assad would be less monstrous than he is. If our concern is the security of chemical weapons stockpiles – and Syria has the third most in the world – then it seems to me that our cold interests actually lie with Assad's victory. At this point, his faltering regime is more stable than the opposition and less allied with Sunni Jihadists.
But here, it seems to me, is where we should stop, and demand more clarity and transparency from the president. The Congressional debate – in my view, a constitutionally indispensable procedure – is a great opportunity for this. We all get the gravity of chemical weapons use – and Kerry can stop embarrassing himself by calling his former dining companion another Hitler. What we don't yet fully know is what the Obama administration has already been doing in Syria and what it hopes specifically to achieve now – by militarily joining one side in Syria's sectarian meltdown.
I want, first up, a better explanation for this quantum leap in the use of chemical weapons by Assad. My impression is that he was winning this brutal war slowly. Why play your trump card then – with all the risks associated with it? More to the point, why do it when UN inspectors are close by? Yes, Assad is evil – but he has long been that and the Ghouta mass murder has scrambled the situation in ways that indicate reckless, even desperate, stake-raising. So, first up, what I'd want first of all is a clear statement that the US has not been engaged in a covert war in Syria that might in any way have prompted this horror. I would like a clear, emphatic and truthful refutation of the reporting in Le Figaro that implies that a new anti-Assad offensive was launched at the start of last month, as part of a covert war, headed up by the US's covert war machine. Is this paranoid? Maybe. But I remember Iraq and, forgive me, I have learned the value of deep skepticism about various US administrations' accounts of reality.
Second, I want a clear explanation of what the goals are of this proposed strike.
If it is merely a symbolic act, then we should understand that we are risking American lives, money and values for moral optics, with no clear goal. If it is an attempt to shift the direction of the civil war, then we should know how the US attempts to win this sectarian struggle in the Middle East, when it could not impose sectarian peace in a country it occupied with over 100,000 troops for a decade (and where the sectarian murderousness endures and thrives). If we "win", are we sure this isn't just another move in an eternal cycle of sectarian vengeance? Look at Libya – the other place Obama decided to intervene. Obama's reward? The attack on the Benghazi CIA facility and a fractured non-state that has allowed al Qaeda to regroup in north Africa. You can more easily see how a rebel victory on Syria could turn into a worse nightmare. If Jihadist nutcases end up in control of the third largest chemical weapons stockpile in the world, the first step toward that result would be this war against Assad.
I'm not denying the moral atrocity. I'm not denying the gravity of this breach of international norms. But military intervention in Syria? For me, the administration hasn't even begin to present a coherent, let alone a persuasive argument. The congressional debate is absolutely the best forum for this debate to take place – just as the House of Commons was in Britain. If the Congress votes no – which, given the current arguments, it obviously should – then the president should accede to the wishes of the American people as voiced by their representatives. If he were to do that, the kind of transformation Obama promised in America's foreign policy would be given a huge boost. This would be a president who brought Congress back into the key decisions of war and peace as the ultimate authority on them, as the Founders intended. It would be seen by history as the first key step away from the imperial presidency and the beginning of democratic accountability for the permanent war machine.
This could, in other words, be the dawn of a new, realist and constitutional age. Or the final death-throes of an empire that won't quit until it bankrupts us both fiscally and morally. That's why next week's debate is so critical. And why Obama can still come out ahead on this, even as the conventional Washington wisdom will surely be all about his humiliation in a zero-sum narrative whose attention span is the next five minutes. If he defers to Congress on a new war in the Middle East, we are definitively in a new era.
It's called 21st Century democracy. And not a minute too soon.
(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)


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Tag Archives: pork chop
Balsamic Maple Glazed Pork Chops
Homemade birthday dinner for the fiance tonight. Request: pork chops, asparagus and corn. Now I usually marinate the pork with garlic, red onions, salt, pepper, olive oil and lime juice for about 30 minutes and then bake in the oven. … Continue reading
Posted in Pork Tagged ancho chilli powder, asparagus, Balsamic vinegar, corn, maple syrup, Olive oil, playground dtsa, pork chop 4 Comments
Playground – Artist's Village DTSA
Downtown Santa Ana Artist's Village is a hidden Gem in the OC! If you don't know, you best start! Playground Downtown Santa Ana is not the first restaurant I've been to in DTSA but it will be the first I review for my … Continue reading


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Gifts for Adventures
Your search for the absolute best gifts for adventure lovers is over! Riverlife's adventure gifts will have every outdoor enthusiast, adrenaline seeker, traveler, and even the newbie adventures bursting with excitement when they unwrap your gift.
Purchase the gift today and let them decide when to book in for the adventure!


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There is a plethora of wonderful blogs and sites on homeschooling. I tip my hat to those hard-working homeschoolers who put in the time and effort to create many pieces of adaptable curriculum and then turn around and generously share (either for free or for a well-earned fee) their materials to other homeschoolers. Having designed and created specific portions of curricula for previous students and for my own children, I know how much blood, sweat, and tears go into it. The late nights planning, cutting, and laminating will never be forgotten. Snaps to all who do this!
What is different about Dear Homeschooler?
What is my passion? I am a teacher. I love big-picture curricula development (scope and sequence kind of stuff), problem-solving specific learning challenges, designing individualized learning plans, time-management strategies and effectiveness, and, yes, progress monitoring and assessment. I endeavor to provide a place where resources, consultation, and community can be found. I offer my experience and knowledge to help home educators tailor their student's schooling experience and increase their teaching effectiveness so they can help their students surpass all expectations.
Teaching Strategies
This blog is dedicated to sharing teaching strategies and methodologies that will hopefully grow your arsenal of instructional tools and increase your student's engagement, skill and knowledge acquisition, and hopefully just add a little fun to your day. For example, this may include the following: ways to incorporate kinetic learning (movement) into your lessons for those hands-on learners, what to do on field trips, incorporating a sensory element (or whole sensory schedule) into your day; ways to help students learn how to monitor their own workflow, setting up schedules, and much more!
This blog covers all things concerning the various studies that make up the educational plan for the year. As homeschoolers, we have the freedom to be able pick and choose which curriculum to follow, which subjects include or exclude, and which levels to teach at. Here, I write my thoughts on interest-driven curricula, lesson plans and objectives, and looking at scope and sequence. I may touch on topics such as the controversial 'Common Core'. You will also find suggestions on how to design an educational plan that will both reinforce your student's skills and aptitude but will also strengthen areas of weakness.
This blog attempts to quell any fears you may have concerning progress monitoring and assessment. Many parents and homeschoolers associate this with public school debates of state assessments and 'teaching to the test', but I assure you with proper facilitation, data collection is a useful tool and should shed some light on your teaching effectiveness, skill/knowledge acquisition, strengths to be reinforced, and weaknesses to focus on. The good news is, as homeschoolers, we can choose how we evaluate our students (excluding, of course, your state requirements). Here I will endeavor to help you gather the information you need to help guide your instructional decisions.
This blog may help guide your decisions on curricula selection as I provide my opinion on the various educational products and materials available, supplying the needed information such as quality, price, pros/cons, alternative solutions, features, ratings, etc. to help you make the right choice for your student.
Planning and Organizing
This blog may help you organize and plan your year. It may have tips on how to organize your schoolroom, materials, and supplies; how to prepare for the upcoming academic year; or how to schedule your day. I love to create checklists, planners, worksheets, etc. to help optimize my time (and sanity!). I will be sharing those documents and ideas here.
This blog is everything else. Topics may include general information on homeschooling or child development, my opinions, my family, links and thoughts on articles I've read or sites I've stumbled across, etc. You may find ideas on how to engage your kids during the summer or what do on vacation. Basically, anything that doesn't fall into the more formal and focused categories above will fall here. Stay tuned because this is going to be fun!!!


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Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathways Model™
The Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathways Model™ is a strategic planning process developed by Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburg, PA to assist school systems, individual schools, departments and individual teachers improve their STEM education practices through a positive, collaborative approach. The Missouri Mathematics and Science Coalition is the state lead for model delivery with the KC STEM Alliance and St. Louis Science Center providing regional support in the major metros.
Missouri was the second in the nation to take the model statewide, engaging over 150 school districts and independent and charter schools and enabling them to address STEM integration gaps.
- A rubric tool and process for assessing current STEM programming and creating a practical improvement plan
- Recognition for schools progressing in effective STEM education
- A guide to specific steps a school/district can take to improve STEM education
- Support for teacher professional development and district-to-district mentoring
- Teacher qualifications
- Curriculum
- Instructional practices
- Assessment and demonstration of skills
- Family engagement
- Real-world connections
After assessing themselves on each area, schools/districts select up to three areas to prioritize and formulate a timeline and action plan to address those goals. After that, the cycle continues with new self-assessments and plans.
- 14 regional workshops conducted
- Over 150 schools/districts involved
- Over 1,800 education professionals participated or were directly impacted
- Reached nearly 441,000 students across grade levels K-12
- Five schools in Northwest Missouri adopted Project Lead the Way K-5 Launch programs
- Kansas City area schools developed more integrated curriculum and project based learning
- Louis schools participated in 8 in-depth follow-up STEM Leadership Series Workshops
- Expanded support with St. Louis Science Center providing direct cohort support to St. Louis Schools
- Stronger relationships across the state's STEM network, allowing greater best practice sharing
- Conduct 6 regional workshops in the 2017-2018 school year
- Scale out the STEM Leadership Series in 3-4 target regions of the state
- Build regional networks for best practice sharing
- Provide enhanced technical support to existing pathway schools/districts
For more information about the Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathways Model™, contact Brian Crouse, Vice President of the Missouri Chamber Foundation, at 573-634-3511 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Living through lockdown - Living through lockdown I cannot shout at the supermoon because I cough. I cannot fly a banner in the air but I can collect the hope and spread an arc of ...
This is Hyde Daily Photo Volume 1 (2006-2011) which is now in archive mode. For recent photographs please visit Hyde Daily Photo Volume 2. Additional material and links to blogger friends can be found at Hyde DP Xtra.
Friday, September 10, 2010
A Glimpse of the Theatre Royal
It is a little difficult to get a full frontal shot of Hyde's Theatre Royal.
Here is just a glimpse of this Grade II listed building through the trees at the edge of Asda's car park.
Friday (10th) and Saturday (11th September 2010) are Heritage Open Days. Last year the doors were closed but I've been informed that the theatre will be open this year on Friday & Saturday between 10am and 3pm. Whilst it will only be possible to have access to the ground floor of the auditorium this year due to Health & Safety reasons, it will give you a rare chance to glimpse inside the wonderful Theatre and see why the Theatre Royal Onward Trust are so passionate about saving it!
My photographs of the inside from the 2006-2008 open days can be seen at http://www.geraldengland.co.uk/gx/royal.htm.
For the full history of the theatre and the fight to save it, visit the Theatre Royal Onward Trust website.
Photographs taken this Friday morning can be found on Hyde DP Xtra.
posted by Gerald (SK14) at 12:00 am
Labels: Charities, Clubs and Societies, Theatre
2 comments:
Try again when all the leaves have fallen, Gerald - we might be able to see a bit more of it then!
- Thursday, September 09, 2010 2:35:00 pm
- Cezar and Léia said...
That happens very often, the most impressive buildings are difficult to fit in one picture!
God bless you!
- Thursday, September 09, 2010 8:16:00 pm
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Unless otherwise stated, all photographs on this site are copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Gerald England.
In most cases, clicking on the photograph will reveal a larger-sized image.
In most cases, clicking on the photograph will reveal a larger-sized image.


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How can charity leaders develop the capabilities they'll need in the 2020s? Charity leaders deal with complexity. Charity leaders in the 2020s will find themselves working at the edge of what they know. Many, perhaps, already are. There are no silver leadership bullets, not even donated ones. Which is why charity leaders must be good … Continued
Don't mention the 'P' word: talking about developing leaders
The backstory Rebecca Nestor, founder of Learning for Good, and I are collaborating with NCVO on a new leadership programme targeted at the next generation of non-profit leaders. The programme has gone live on the NCVO website, and we are meeting the participants for the first time at 5pm on Sunday, 6 November 2016. So, … Continued
"Did we go about together?" My Aunt and Alzheimer's
90 and where she would rather not be My 90-year-old aunt Elspeth lives in a nursing home where she would rather not be. Ellie, as she likes to be called, would prefer to be at home in her own flat with a view of her beloved Pentland Hills. Ellie looks like a Celtic Queen. She is … Continued
Why Summer Reading Lists Give Me Sturm und Drang
Now is the time of year when newspapers publish their summer reading lists. The Financial Times, The Economist, and The Guardian will all have pages of elegant and succinct reviews of books published in the last six months. These recommendations first inspire and then depress me. Richer and wiser Initially, the FT summer books list … Continued
Why Maslow doesn't satisfy real change-makers
Why Maslow doesn't satisfy real change-makers Years ago, well, towards the end of last century, I ran a training programme for a bunch of environmentalists. They were nearly all young leaders and visionaries who wanted to change the world. And change the world they did, every day, with exceedingly good humour. Beer, biscuits and extra large … Continued
Why I'm happy to be in good company
Keeping good company At this time of the year e-mail updates are about as welcome as mince pies. Puffed up and full of additives. Mince pies, just to explain, are an essential part of Christmas in the UK, just as 'end of the year' e-mails tend to make their first appearance about now. Nevertheless I … Continued
Four ingredients of a successful training programme
Many trainers use acting skills to get their message across Growing up in Scotland, I was fascinated by the eponymous heroine of Muriel Spark's novel 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' which is set in an Edinburgh girls' school. Miss Brodie gets her pupils' attention by telling stories to bring history to life and – this … Continued


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June 20, Monday, Feria
A poor hungry guy fell while pruning a tree and lost consciousness. He did not have family in Gensan and the owner of the tree was equally poor, who could only give him food in exchange for the work. They begged the mission for help. He was rushed to the emergency room of the city hospital. Fortunately for him, the xray showed no fracture. He woke up exhibiting no sign/symptom of brain damage. Nevertheless he stayed in the hospital for observation. He was discharged without any bill.
June 21, Tuesday, St. Aloysius Gonzaga
A weak patient suffering from difficulty of breathing due to lung infection asked for medicines. He used to be a driver with a satisfactory income but when he got sick, he became too weak to work so he has to beg for medicines which he cannot afford to buy.
A patient with extrapulmonary tuberculosis from Camiguin begged for help in paying for laboratory tests and medicines.
A patient with fluid in the lungs was assisted for CT scan.
The patient with vascular mass behind her knee finally had her turn at the operating table. She was thankful for the successful surgery.
June 22, Wednesday, St. Paulinius
In Gensan: a mission staff processed the hospital discharge of a patient who had CT scan (admitted because of breathing difficulty secondary to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs). Dr. Dickes suspected that the cause of the fluid accumulation is a malignant growth outside the lungs. The doctor who managed her wanted to rule out pulmonary tuberculosis; Meanwhile, at the mission clinic, a staff dispensed medicines for a man who suffered cardiogenic shock and pneumonia while constructing a hospital in South Cotabato. The hospital owner did not charge him for the hospitalization cost but he could not afford the medicines that he needed to continue taking at home so his wife begged at the mission for the medicines. Two other patients were given medicines as prescribed for diabetes mellitus and heart disease.
Other mission staff were in the mission village in Sarangani Province to prepare the area for the patients who will be receiving the Sacraments during the feast of St. John the Baptist.
In Tacloban, a widow with three little children asked for help in surgical removal of a uterine myoma hoping that after surgery she could already work and earn money to support her children.
June 23, Thursday, Vigil of St. John the Baptist
A 57-year old male patient with cataract was operated and was given medicines.
Medicines were supplied for a patient in Diagan Hospital who had undergone removal of vascular mass behind her knee and for the patient who had just been discharged from the hospital after removal of lung fluid and CT scan.
Final preparations for the mission feast in Kawas, Sarangani Province.
Medicines were supplied for a patient in Diagan Hospital who had undergone removal of vascular mass behind her knee and for the patient who had just been discharged from the hospital after removal of lung fluid and CT scan.
Final preparations for the mission feast in Kawas, Sarangani Province.
June 24, Friday, Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Angie Village, Kawas, Sarangani Province:
Angie Village, Kawas, Sarangani Province:
Baptism of 19 children and adult - most of whom are beneficiaries of the medical mission - followed by Holy Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction by Fr. John Timothy Pfeiffer, Prayers were offered for perseverance and conversion, and for the intentions of the mission benefactors .
June 25, Saturday, St. William
Village feast in honor of St. John the Baptist
Village feast in honor of St. John the Baptist
June 26, 6th Sunday after Pentecost
Seven patients lined up for medicines after the Holy Mass. Two families from Sarangani Province were given food assistance.
In the afternoon, the staff worked on translating catechism materials to Waray for use in the medical mission in Samar.
June 27, Monday, Feria
Samar mission preparations: editing of tracts for distribution. Transfer of medicines and supplies.
In Gensan, a woman with swollen armpits and breasts came to beg for help. She was evaluated by a doctor and scheduled for mammography the following day. Another woman with chronic abdominal pain was assisted for ultrasound. A man who had finished three months of antituberculosis medication was assisted for xray. The result showed that he still had minimal PTB and was referred to the municipal health center of Alabel for continued treatment. A man with enlarged prostate was given medicines to help him excrete urine. A surgical patient assisted by the mission for the removal of adenocystoma
A girl from Sarangani was brought to the mission after being bitten by a dog. Her mother begged for anti-tetanus and anti-rabies shots.
Three other patients were assisted dental extraction, medical consultation and surgical evaluation.
A religious Sister in Marbel sent a message asking for help to be discharged from the hospital where she was confined due to pneumonia. She was advised to call her relatives first and ask if they can help her before the mission can step in and send aid. Fortunately for her, she was able to manage on her own and asked the mission only for medicines.
June 28, Tuesday, Vigil of Sts. Peter and Paul
Five Minutes Too Late ! Mission staff Mark John Hugo brought boxes of medicines from the mission stock in Gensan to support the medical mission in Samar. He wanted to take the 6:00 PM bus because it was cheaper. He was not happy about missing it.
Along the way, he realized how lucky he was to have missed the bus when he saw that it had slipped sideways and crashed One passenger died on the spot while thirty two others were rushed to the hospital with injuries. They had to pick up the stranded passengers who were shaken up but unharmed.
In Gensan, a patient from Sarangani came to beg for medicines. She had liver cirrhosis secondary to schistosomiasis. She worked in a banana plantation in Sarangani and had to wade through muddy plains in the nature of her work. She had 10 children and although 3 were already working, they were all helping to buy the food and send their siblings to school so they could not afford the medicines for their mother.
In Gensan, a patient from Sarangani came to beg for medicines. She had liver cirrhosis secondary to schistosomiasis. She worked in a banana plantation in Sarangani and had to wade through muddy plains in the nature of her work. She had 10 children and although 3 were already working, they were all helping to buy the food and send their siblings to school so they could not afford the medicines for their mother.
June 29, Wednesday, Sts. Peter and Paul
Samar Mission Day 1
The medical mission served 108 patients (92 medical and 16 dental).
Fr. Tim Pfeiffer gave a spiritual conference to 39 soldiers in the morning and to 22 soldiers in the afternoon.
A patient in Tacloban (cancer) begged for food because her equally sick husband (PTB) was having trouble looking for work. In Gensan, counseling was provided for the son of a patient debilitated by disease to guide him in adapting to his new role as the decision maker and provider for his mother and siblings. Three other patients were assisted.
June 30, Thursday, Commemoration of St. Paul
Samar Mission, Day 2
Fr. Tim Pfeiffer offered Holy Mass at 7 AM. He had another conference with the soldiers.
Father heard Confessions too. Towards the end, the soldiers received Miraculous Medals and the Brown Scapular and became soldiers of Mary.
In Gensan: A psychiatric patient asked for anti psychotic medicines because her income as a house helper could not buy her medicines. A patient with mental disability slipped and sustained injury. Her parents brought her to the mission. She was sent to the public hospital, confined and treated for the hematoma. In Tacloban: A surgical patient asked for assistance in paying the laboratory tests needed prior to surgery.


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I'm Not a Missionary or a "Do-Gooder…So Why Visit Haiti?
There were very few people who were actually flying to Haiti for a vacation and it was obvious who they were based on the conversations they were having with each other before and even while on the flight. Overwhelmingly, we, the few men and women seeking a sort of vacation and awakening of the soul choose Haiti because honestly we were told not to go. We were told that only missionaries and "do-gooders" go to Haiti. Not people who wanted to have fun or to enjoy the comforts that come with vacationing.
As I exited the airport that Thursday night, I was greeted—-no, bombarded by local taxi drivers offering their services. Each one pronounced his name, his trustworthiness and ability to do a great service in transporting me to my hotel. But I didn't need their service because a friend was picking me up and in my mind this made the men dislike me. As I waited, fear of being kidnapped passed through as a fleeting but real thought. It was the last thing someone told me before I boarded my flight to Haiti.
My friend Clavens arrived, and we made the drive from the airport to the Royal Oasis hotel and even though it was night time, I could see a multitude of faces looking, people riding motorbikes and taxis called "Tap-Tap's," and driving cars and trucks in no organized or orderly fashion and with no stop lights or signs. I noticed the men and women still selling their goods on the street, not really calling out, but present and vigilant, with some bartering goods with other sellers, which made me feel like maybe everything I was told was right. These people were bartering as a necessity, it was another form of currency. This was officially what I expected of a Third World country I said to myself. "I should have signed up for a missionary program or volunteer a few days at a non profit," I thought because at least I would be helping to fight against the poverty I had just seen.
Then I walked through the doors of the first hotel I stayed at, The Royal Oasis, and I was almost too surprised for my liking. The décor, the service with a smile I was accustomed to, the being greeted with a beverage, and the bellhop who eagerly took my bags to my room started leading me to believe there was another side to the story about Haiti. That night my friend Clavens and some of his friends took me to a local spot called Smokey's, and in the tradition of welcoming someone to the island, he made sure I tried the local Haitian rum called Barbancourt. Again, service was eager and swift and the waiter noticing that I was eyeing his bracelet gave it as an offering. The fact that the kitchen was technically closed, but they allowed me to order food should have said something to me, but I was too busy listening to music that sounded like a strange blend of genres, which I learned was Haitian-Hip Hop and was called "Raboday."
The next morning it was a Friday, and I spent the day sightseeing and doing my cultural investigations. The drive to The MUPANAH Museum yielded even more insight into the people of Port-au-Prince. Everyone seemed to be doing, selling, lifting, and pouring something. The Museum of MUPANAH (Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien) provided a guided tour which was comprehensive. The museum had the remains of Toussaint Louverture at its core: a symbolic reminder of the Haitian Revolution and ancestral spirit of Haiti. The tour continued with artwork by Haitian artist, both alive and deceased, and provided information about the history of the country. I learned about when Haiti had been two separate countries and when the whole island of Hispaniola was under one rule with the Haitians in charge. After touring the museum, I had lunch at the MUPANAH restaurant, located directly behind the museum.
The restaurant boasted Haitian cuisine and did not disappoint. Then it happened– after paying in American dollars and receiving change, I tipped the waiter $10.00 USD. The young man looked at me in disbelief, and I thought maybe I made a mistake. I immediately asked my friend if everything was okay, and he explained, currently $1.00 USD equaled 65.00 HTG and so you just gave him 650 in Haitian money. My friend went on to share that even with a job in the service industry many people make only the equivalent of $10.00 USD a day. So, the young waiter's excitement made sense to me.
That night a group of us made up of Haitians and Americans went to an exclusive party at the rooftop of The Karibe Hotel. The cars parked out front reminded me of South Beach in Miami, Florida because the cars were foreign and expensive. We were dressed as friends in America suggested, casual and comfortable, not bringing attention to ourselves. But as the men and women walked up to the club and passed us in their designer clothes, there was an air of exclusivity that perfumed the air, and I felt underdressed. One of us had missed the mark and was denied entrance because of not looking the part. We even tried flashing a few American dollars to the security guard, but he wasn't interested and upheld the standards of the venue. Our egos were slightly bruised, I mean, we were the Americans showing up to the Haitian club and learned a valuable lesson for it. "The Haiti we were told to prepare for really didn't exist and like any place there is still such a thing as class."
Eventually, we did get to party at a club called "Shakerz," but it was a less exclusive venue. The eager men outside immediately started offering to help us find a parking spot and keep an eye on our car, yet another service that we didn't necessarily need. Though it wasn't our first choice for the night, it still had great music, tapas and drinks. You see, by now I understood something: Some Haitians have to create jobs for themselves and a simple service can become one of profit, especially in the overcrowded capital of Port-au-Prince.
The next day was Saturday and Clavens, my two American friends also visiting, the driver who was hired for the week who also worked as a police officer (having the right to carry his gun) began the two-hour drive to Jacmel, Haiti– a beach town in the northern part of the country. The drive to Jacmel made me understand exactly why Haiti means "Land of High Mountains," and I was extremely grateful to see the beauty of the landscape. The urban Haitian is unlike the rural Haitian, and of course this is similar to any other country, but the idea that not everyone is flocking to the capital of Port-au-Prince for opportunities means that some Haitians are surviving with what the land provides and are grateful for it. The cornhusk seen on the drive, the mangos being sold in baskets at street stalls, the charcoal being made alongside the mountainside were a stark contrast to the pervasive clutter seen in the streets of Port-au-Prince.
The view from my balcony at the Cap Lamandou Hotel created an image that made me forget that you were in an overcrowded city hours before. Our dinner was cooked to perfection, and the server went to and from with such delight and eagerness that it was finally apparent, to me atleast that Haitians are truly misunderstood for their eagerness to survive on the island. The entire dinner for five of us came up to $159.00 USD. On Sunday morning we lounged around the pool and discussed our observations. That evening we went into the town center of Jacmel, and I met a local painter named Francis and bought a piece of his artwork for $50.00 USD. We ate and drank at Chantal a bar/restaurant in Jacmel in the town center called Lakou New York for less than $10.00 USD per person. What makes Haiti a great place to vacation is that your money goes a very long way and Jacmel being a less crowded and more of rural beach town allows you to experience a different group of Haitians.
That Monday morning, we returned to Port-au-Prince and stayed at the Best Western Hotel, not because the Royal Oasis was bad, but because someone suggested it, and we choose to stay in hotels for the comfort, and we wanted to see which was better. When booking always ask for special rates as they honor government rates to tourist. It is safe to say, staying at a hotel is perhaps the safer option if you are still worried because all the hotels I stayed at had 24 hour armed security and some even had police and United Nations soldiers' presence. By this time, though, it really didn't matter whether security was there or not because by the second day walking the streets, I felt no reason to fear for my safety. We honestly probably were in the way more than anything with our need to take pictures among the locals in the background.
I left Haiti that Tuesday morning. While at the airport someone was still eagerly trying to offer a service I didn't need again, this time offering to carry our bags to the gate, but it wasn't as off-putting as when I arrived that Thursday night because I understood something important: These people are the people I was told to fear, but they were some of the most resilient and creative people I ever came across, and the art and crafts sold along the streets and in stores all had a quality that was immediately recognizable.
So, I'm not a missionary or "do-gooder" for that matter, but I wanted to visit Haiti and see what the country had to offer its regular vacationing visitors, and in the end I was not disappointed. I was moved beyond words and I was extremely aware of my privilege as an American and that was humbling. I was treated with a lot of respect, and the people somehow instinctively knew they had to work to change my mind about what I was told about Haiti.


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"Experts say that fully 80% of all strokes are preventable. No kidding — 80%! "
HERE'S A NAME YOU DON'T HEAR EVERY DAY: Johann Jakob Wepfer. He was a Swiss pharmacologist and pathologist who lived from 1620 to 1695 — a remarkable life span for a person of that era. To put that in historical perspective, Dr. Wepfer died 75 years before Beethoven was even born.
He contributed many important things to the field of medicine. He was the first to warn us that arsenic and mercury and some other things that I can't pronounce really aren't good for us. But his most important contribution was his study of the vascular anatomy of the brain which led to our understanding of what causes stroke.
Some time around 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the father of western medicine and the man who gives his name to the Hippocratic Oath, first recognized stroke, which at that time was called apoplexy. Because doctors didn't connect the condition with the brain, the cause of apoplexy remained a medical mystery for centuries.
It was not until the mid-1600s that Dr. Wepfer found that patients who died with apoplexy had bleeding in the brain. He also discovered that a blockage in one of the brain's blood vessels could cause apoplexy, which eventually became known as stroke.
Today stroke is the Number 4 cause of death, and the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. According to the National Stroke Association, each year in this country people suffer 795,000 strokes, 610,000 of which are first strokes. Stroke can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of race, sex or age.
The American Stroke Association says the chance of having a stroke approximately doubles for each decade of life after age 55. While stroke is common among the elderly, a lot of people under 65 also have strokes. My occasional coffee buddy John, who, back in the 90's worked for a company across the street from my office in Palo Alto, had a crippling stroke at age 31, an event I'm sure he never anticipated.
Each year 55,000 more women than men suffer a stroke but experts say that is because women on average live about seven years longer than men, years during which they are more susceptible to stroke.
Strokes, sometimes called "brain attacks," occur because of a sudden failure of the brain to receive the oxygen and nutrients it needs to thrive. This can happen for either of two reasons: a vessel leading to the brain is blocked or a vessel in the brain ruptures.
AT THIS POINT I'M TEMPTED to show how smart I am by defining the different kinds of strokes and proving that I can spell such exotic medical terms as ischemic and hemorrhagic. But a more productive approach would be to forget the lecture and instead say what we all can do to prevent stroke.
Here's the really good news. Experts say that fully 80% of all strokes are preventable. No kidding — 80%! Think about that. If you buy a lottery ticket, your odds of winning the big one are as tiny as 1 in 127 million against you. But if you control your risk factors, the odds of avoiding a stroke are 8 to 10 in your favor. So why would you not do that?
Here are some risk factors you can control:
Blood Pressure. If your blood pressure is regularly about 120/80, it's in great shape. If it's regularly above 140/90, you've got a problem and should see your doctor to find out what to do about it. Diet, exercise and medication can help,
High Cholesterol. Every body needs cholesterol, but too much cholesterol in the bloodstream can clog arteries and lead to a stroke or heart attack. In addition to having an overall cholesterol reading of less that 200, you should have an HDL (good cholesterol) reading above 40, and an LDL (bad cholesterol) reading of less than 100. The best defense is a diet high in grains, fruits and vegetables, and low in saturated fat. In addition, your doctor can prescribe medications that can help lower your cholesterol.
Diabetes. If you're a Type 2 diabetic keeping your blood glucose level in the low 100's is essential. Weight loss alone can accomplish this in many people. Doctors can also prescribe medication.
Controllable lifestyle factors. Maintain an anti-stroke lifestyle: a heart-healthy diet, regular exercise, no smoking, little or no alcohol and using any medication your doctor prescribes.
While there are some risk factors you can't control — age, gender, race, prior heart attack, and family history of stroke — there is much you can do to switch the odds in your favor.
Two million brain cells die every minute during stroke, increasing the risk of permanent brain damage, disability or death. If you can recognize the symptoms of stroke and act immediately, you may help to limit the disabilities the person will incur and you may even save that person's life.
If you are in the presence of someone who is exhibiting symptoms of stroke, use the FAST method to do a layperson's diagnosis.
Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
Arm. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, such as, "Most grass is green." Does the speech sound slurred or strange?
Time. If you observe any of these signs, it's time to call 9-1-1 — immediately!
A FINAL FEW WORDS ABOUT JOHANN JAKOB WEPFER. Every year since 1990 stroke specialists have gathered for what is known as the European Stroke Conference. This year it was held in Venice and in previous years in London, Nice and elsewhere. In 2005 the conference began honoring one scientist annually with an award for, in the conference's words, "outstanding scientific work in the field of cerebrovascular diseases and significant contributions to our knowledge about treatment of acute stroke."
They named it the "Johann Jakob Wepfer Award" in recognition of the pioneering work Dr. Wepfer did more than 350 years ago. Dr. Wepfer's name is not a household word, but among cerebrovascular scientists, he is revered as a giant.


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Infertility Lifestyle today is making the very idea of becoming pregnant,a distant dream. Couples that resort to take up fertility treatments are growing in large numbers. Unlike popular belief, infertility is not associated with women alone: a large number of men, too, are infertile. Infertility is over-whelming. So are the treatments. In a hope to conceive, a couple usually undergoes many tests and waits for weeks together for improvement. Among all this, there is an ongoing debate- if fertility treatments pose the risk of birth defects or not. A study on the same grounds, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that 8.3% of children born using assisted conception as part of fertility treatments had some type of birth defect when compared with 5.8% of the naturally conceived babies. However, this is yet to be proven true in all cases. Clomid A major advice that comes across to women is regarding the usage of a drug called clomiphene citrate (Clomid). This drug is inexpensive and is the first and foremost measure that infertile women opt for at home, to stimulate egg production. Under zero medical supervision, usage of Clomidheavily increases the risk of birth defects. Defects Major birth defects like heart and gastrointestinal defects, and cerebral palsy are found to occur in babies born with assisted conception and assisted reproductive techniques.Researchers have found that embryos created through IVF that are frozen wereless likely to produce babies with defects when compared to embryos that areimplanted without freezing. All these findings are important and pave way forgreater research concerning fertility treatments and birth defects. Keeping thepossibilities in mind, doctors don't create false hopes by guaranteeing aperfect baby.
Shycart is an online sexual wellness and hygiene expert since 2012.
Modified on 03 Jan, 2017
No one knows what you buy. Get complete information on all sexual and personal hygiene.
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Dear parents…
Do you want to have a say in healthcare services that are provided for you by the borough? We are collating your stories to get your voices heard. 'Parent Voices' will be a new report that is given directly to those who fund your healthcare services.
If you would like to tell us your story about raising a child with a disability within City and Hackney please get in contact with email@example.com
The story starts from diagnosis…all the way through to the current day. What was/is your experience? If you have had a good service we want to know, if a terrible experience we want to hear that too! All stories will remain anonymous.
Caring for a disabled child or young person can be challenging. Even the most experienced parents and carers will sometimes need someone to hear about the difficulties that they are facing on a day to day basis. By working together with families, children and young people in this way, issues can be prevented from escalating as services are adapted to the needs of the families,
Families dictate the level of contact that suits them. It's all about what works for the individual family. Our reports and recommendations to the Clinical Commissioning Board can then offer long-term opportunities for parents to feed back. Parent Participation and Parent Carer Forums leads to better outcomes for disabled young people and their families.


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It's still a long shot for sure, but the Dallas Green Alliance's path to eight votes against the Trinity toll road on the Dallas City Council is coming into focus. The DGA, a pro-environment PAC expressly formed to get toll road opponents elected, announced its endorsements Friday, along with plans to distribute at least $15,000 to their campaigns.
There are four decided votes against the Trinity toll road on the council right now. Scott Griggs (District 1), Adam Medrano (District 2), Sandy Greyson (District 12) and Philip Kingston (District 14). The Dallas Green Alliance has endorsed candidates in what are expected to be the seven most contested council races and the mayoral race. Four of those races are shaping up to be the ground that this election is fought over.
District 3 District 3 is Vonciel Jones Hill's seat. She's an ardent supporter of the toll road, but she's term-limited. Casey Thomas is her handpicked successor. Griggs and Kingston got involved in this race early, endorsing high school teacher Joe Tave, a consistent opponent of the toll road. As the race has developed, attorney Wini Cannon has emerged as another strong voice against the road. Cannon got the DGA endorsement. Tave has Griggs, Kingston and the Stonewall Democrats in his corner. In a five-person field with no incumbent, a runoff is almost guaranteed. That runoff, it it's between Thomas and Tave or Cannon, will be a mini-referendum on the toll road.
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District 4 District 4 is weird but reasonably simple. Dwaine Caraway, who represents the district and is term-limited, has endorsed Carolyn Arnold. Arnold is against the toll road. In her answers to the DGA's candidate questionnaire, she appeared to hedge on the issue, but after she interviewed with the PAC's endorsement committee it gave her its endorsement. Like District 3, District 4 has a crowded field, but with Caraway's weight behind her Arnold might be able to avoid a runoff.
District 5 The only race with an incumbent running that DGA is getting into is District 5. The Pleasant Grove district is represented by Rick Callahan, who is staunchly pro-toll road. In 2013, Callahan only got 545 votes in the general election, so he's seen by many as vulnerable. Sherry Cordova has the support of the DGA and the Stonewall Democrats.
District 9 Sheffie Kadane's District 9 features a race that is setting up much like District 3's. Darren Boruff, a former park board member, has taken Mike Rawlings' "we don't know what the road looks like" position. Mark Clayton, an insurance business owner and community activist, has been endorsed by Griggs, Kingston and now, the DGA. Sam Merten, the mayor's former communications chief is, like Clayton, against the toll road, which means the anti-toll road vote could be split, making a runoff a distinct possibility.
In the other races in which the DGA made an endorsement -- 7, 8, 10 and the mayoral contest -- the path to victory is less clear for the anti-toll road candidates. That's not to say an upset couldn't happen, but it's an even bigger task. The DGA endorsed Hasani Burton in District 7, Eric Williams in District 8, James White in District 10 and Marcos Ronquillo for mayor.


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Card Entry
In order to provide improved security, effective 1/20/15 the Noreen Reale Falcone Library will institute card entry hours. During these hours the front doors will be locked. Students, faculty and staff will be able to gain entrance to the library by using their Le Moyne College ID in the card swipe installed at the entrance.
Reason for new policy
The Noreen Reale Falcone Library's new card entry hours were not put in place in response to any specific single incident. It is simply a step to increase the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff. Requiring card reader entry during the evening hours is becoming standard practice for private universities across the country. A quick swipe of your ID is the most efficient way to help ensure that the library is a secure environment for members of the Le Moyne community.
How to gain entrance
A card swipe panel has been installed at the entrance to the library. When facing the library, the swipe panel is located close to the front entrance on the far right side. One simply needs to swipe their valid Le Moyne College ID and the door closest to the panel will be momentarily unlocked.
Community members
Current special patron card holders are welcome to use the library during these card entry hours and can enter the building by calling the Library Services Desk (315-445-4330) from the front door and providing their card number as proof of current membership.
Typical Card Entry Hours
Monday – Thursday: 9:00 pm to 2:00 am
Friday: 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Saturday: 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Sunday: 8:00 pm to 2:00 am
* These hours will vary during breaks, holidays, etc. and are subject to change without warning due to weather and unexpected closing
For a full listing of card entry hours, please visit the library hours page.


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A Birthday Weekend to Remember!
I've had an amazing birthday weekend! WOW!
Last Friday we enjoyed dinner with good friend's Marty and Jeanne Nystrom and Jeff and Sarah Jones.
A strange wind storm knocked the power out but we managed with lanterns until the power came back on.
My Bestie Jeanne always knows how to make a girl feel special.
Saturday I enjoyed the sunshine and worked in my yard.
The flowers Steve planted for Mother's day are growing and I've added more with my birthday money from my father-in-law.
My yard is looking better every day.
While we watched a movie downstairs, Steve decorated our family room. He's been teasing me because it took me a couple trips upstairs to notice that huge balloon!
Sunday, my "official" birthday was my favorite day. Church with Pastor Jude preaching. Zane and Kelsey over for lunch. Looking at their photos from England and Ireland was great fun.
We laughed over the goofy photos we took with my new iPad!
Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.
It was the birthday that kept on going with dinner at the Halvorson's.
Barbara and Elling Halvorson were home so I enjoyed hanging with them. Yummy BBQ with Barbara's potatoe salad.
Elling led a beautiful round of Happy Birthday as they presented me with yet another yummy cake.
More laughs with the photo booth on my iPad with Rod, Randy, John and Kent.
Monday we had a Memorial Day BBQ with Jeff and Sarah Jones.
Ray and Laura Clavero joined us. All the Nystrom's were there too.
It was a battle for King of the Grill between Jeff's filet mignon and Ray's rib-eye steak.
It was hard to go back to work on Tuesday after all the celebrating.
I am truly blessed.
May the God of HOPE fill YOUR birthday with JOY and PEACE and LOVE as you TRUST in HIM.
God Bless Your Heart,


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Over 230 years ago today, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania signed the Constitution of the United States.
Celebrate the birthday of our foundering document and check out our latest film in The Constitution Project series, The 19th Amendment: A Woman's Right to Choose.
Full Text of the Original Document.


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Personal Bio
Bonnie Wright has served on the Hemet City Council since 2012. Bonnie was re-elected to Council in 2016 when serving as Mayor and again since 2018. Originally from Michigan she moved to San Diego County in 1973 later moving to Hemet in 1983 with her husband David and two sons. She owned and operated a successful full service optical business in Hemet for 20 years. She later worked for a member of Congress and currently is employed as a Grant & Loan Manager for a public utility. She held key positions on several non-profit boards that included Chairman of the Hemet San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce, President of the Hemet Kiwanis, Valley Economic Development Corp and several other local service organizations. Her past recognitions include, Hemet San Jacinto Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year and Kiwanis International Distinguished Presidents Award.
She is dedicated to keeping Public Safety levels of service high as a priority for both police and fire and keeping our citizens safe.
Partial List of Committee Assignments and Liaison Assignments (Past /Present)
Partial List of Community Involvement (Past/Present)
Email Bonnie Wright


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The Measure of a Leader
|Speak to Wrathion
DescriptionWe've progressed to a new part of the Pandaren campaign. The Alliance has landed on the shores with the full might of its navy. Your King aims to check Horde aggression in this new land.
Garrosh Hellscream is propelling the Horde headfirst into battle, but King Varian Wrynn is a little more of a mystery to me. Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk to you about this leader of yours.
I am curious to see how King Wrynn rises to the occasion.
I am even more curious to see what YOU are capable of. Let's find out...
I am even more curious to see what YOU are capable of. Let's find out...
RewardsYou will receive:
GainsUpon completion of this quest you will gain:
- 75 reputation with The Black Prince
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The Wowhead Client is a little application we use to keep our database up to date, and to provide you with some nifty extra functionality on the website!
It serves 2 main purposes:
- It maintains a WoW addon called the Wowhead Looter, which collects data as you play the game!
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You can also use it to keep track of your completed quests, recipes, mounts, companion pets, and titles!
So, what are you waiting for? Download the client and get started.


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The Carolinas Freedom Foundation 2020 Salute to Veterans Parade officially ushers in Veterans Day.
The event showcases local middle and high school bands, the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program units, active military units, antique cars and veteran organizations. In 2019, more than 4,000 participants gathered to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. If you are an organization that would like to participate in the parade, please complete the entry form below or download and print out this PDF form Carolinas Freedom Foundation 2020 Parade RSVP.
Businesses, corporations, entities and patriotic individuals can join us in participating through special event sponsorships. Please view our event sponsorships here for the Annual Freedom Breakfast and Salute to Veterans Parade. You can also inquire for more information on event sponsorships with Susan Yarber at 980-422-3733 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Self-indulgence on Joe Lieberman's birthday
So did I.
A strange convergence of beginnings and beings, and one unworthy of comment, except that we are both Democrats (he, barely; me, with serious reservations) and we are both very much alive.
I wouldn't normally remark on my birthday except that this one obviously places me at a mid-point between being 50 and 80—God-willing I make it to that age and in tolerable good health.
When you are 65, you are undeniably considered old. No more of this "late middle age" stuff. I've been receiving AARP mailings for 10 years or longer and have always shrugged them off.
No longer.
When I mount buses now, I have the status of an "honored citizen," though I have no idea to what or to whom I owe the honor, save mere survival. I get to sit in those side-wise seats, all the easier to plop into, but I have to wrench my neck to see where I am headed. I'm not sure it's an even trade, but I am sure it's not worth worrying over.
I'm in much better shape than I ever imagined I would be at 65. Except for being near deaf without $4000 worth of gadgetry stuffed in my ears, I'm surprisingly fit. I run three miles three days a week and lift weights.
I undertook this mildly obsessive workout 18 months ago when I decided I wanted to stick around a few years longer. I really do have too much to do…and, yes, to write and teach…and learn.
I'm curious to learn whether I can make much of a difference. I still believe that's why we are here—as delusional as we can be about it, what with suicide bombers, cigarette manufacturers and CEOs whose greed is beyond obscene.
They aren't alone in delusion. A lot of us are living way beyond the planet's means. Collectively we have made an utter mess of things for everyone. It is too easy to become fatalistic about life here.
I don't know how much longer I have, a couple decades, tops, according to the actuarial charts.
Whatever it turns out to be, I'm ever more aware that I'm creeping up on the time when it will be enough.
Wonder what Joe thinks on our birthday....
Insert here a Garrison Keillor-like voice:
Here's a poem by Stephen Crane:
The sage lectured brilliantly.
Before him, two images:
"Now this one is a devil,
And this one is me."
He turned away.
Then a cunning pupil
Changed the positions.
Turned the sage again:
"Now this one is the devil,
And this one is me."
The pupils sat, all grinning,
And rejoiced at the game.
But the sage was a sage.
That's this writer's almanac for February 24, 2007.
"Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."


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Cookie: I'm tired. I can't walk any further.
Me: Cookie, we need to run a few more errands today.
Cookie: But my feet hurt.
[Hands over phone.]
Cookie: Hurry, Daddy! Do you think there will be a pikachu at the next place? Let's go!
Cookie: I'm tired. I can't walk any further.
Me: Cookie, we need to run a few more errands today.
Cookie: But my feet hurt.
[Hands over phone.]
Cookie: Hurry, Daddy! Do you think there will be a pikachu at the next place? Let's go!
Cookie: What's an election?
Me: That's when everybody picks their leaders. Everyone gets one vote, and the person with the most votes wins.
Cookie: Why do people do that?
Me: It's a democracy, Cookie. This way everyone gets a say in how they want their government to work by voting for the person they like.
Cookie: Ok. So who do you like, Daddy?
Me: Well… nobody. I'm probably going to vote for whomever I dislike the least.
Cookie: So democracy is people voting for people they don't hate?
Me: …
Cookie: Happy Father's Day!
Me: Thank-you.
Mommy: Cookie made you a card in art class, but we can't find it.
Cookie: It's a scavenger hunt! Here's a hint, Daddy. We already searched the living room.
Cookie: I have to go to the bathroom.
Me: After we're done ordering.
Cookie: Can you take me please?
Me: But .. ok.
Cookie: Carry my backpack please.
Cookie: I don't want to use my scooter anymore. Can you carry it?
Cookie: I'm tired. Can you carry me?
Me: But…
Cookie: Please?
Me: Ok.
Cookie: I want Daddy to give me a bath tonight.
Cookie: Daaaaaaady! I finished pooping. Come and wipe my butt please.
Me: It's Father' Day. Shouldn't I get a rest? Can't Mommy do it?
Cookie: But it's Father's Day! I want Daddy to do it.
Me: [word deleted]… Ok.
And a happy Father's Day it was. I can't move today (why do you never get tired or asked to be carried when you walk with just Mommy?), but I wouldn't change a thing.
Some subway trains smell more than others in New York. However, the subway is often the most convenient way to get across the city, especially when the streets are clogged. Unfortunately, that fact doesn't usually help the mood of the people jammed into the train like sardines.
Cookie: The chemical smell in this train is making me really edgy.
Me too, Cookie. Me too.
Mommy and I are both sick from something you gave us last week: coughing, sneezing, mucousy, gross. Mommy is incapacitated on the couch.
Mommy: Cookie, can you hand me a tissue, please?
You look around and don't see a tissue box. Instead, you snag an used tissue from the pile Mommy placed on the coffee table.
Mommy: Cookie, can you get me a new tissue?
Cookie: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.