After our lunch break, our day got more difficult. It was a really hard last 4+ miles because they were mostly on cement sidewalks or streets, which was very hard on all of our knees and feet, especially with 17+ miles on the legs already. The boys were champs though, and we were feet up in our hotel by 3:15. We met some interesting and wonderful people. Iris, from Taiwan, who is 30, and quit her corporate job to walk the Camino and "meet God." She said it happened on the first day.
The people were fabulous and the scenery, beautiful!!!
It was a day full of meaning and I will never forget it. I am so thankful for my family, and feel blessed to be doing this! Up next: a 16-mile day tomorrow that will mostly be flat to rolling. Rain is definitely in the forecast so it may be more mental than today and not as photo-worthy… Glad we have some hours to rest!
Here are several photos captured along today's trek, along with two videos.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll check back for a blog about tomorrow's trek, which will be one of our most ambitious days.
Our first day on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. This was during first light.
Family photo by Cruz de Ferro, a very meaningful part of our journey.
The heart rock I found on a training hike in Wyoming, that I left behind (along with a "burden") at the Cruz de Ferro, on the Camino de Santiago.
Hiking in the mist, among wildflowers.
A memorial. I love the epitaph on the grave. We said a prayer for the man, who died too young.
The scallop shell is the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Pilgrims wear a shell on their backpack, and all the Camino signs have a yellow scallop shell on them. When we committed to the epic adventure, we bought shells then drew names and designed/painted the shell for the person whose name we drew. Fin drew my name and designed my shell. I love it so much!
A cross someone made alongside the trail.
It was a beautiful trek today that often took us through lush greenery like this.
It was love at first sight. That's the only way I can describe my first impression of Spain. And I don't want to speak for my family members, but I'm pretty sure they are in love, too.
Hola! This sangria was Epic.
Our cab delivered us to a corner near our hotel. I immediately fell in love with Madrid! The narrow, cobblestone streets were filled with people. The tall buildings are beautiful and old, with shutters and planters full of flowers hanging from every balcony. As we worked to maneuver ourselves and our abundant luggage through the crowded streets, people were friendly and welcoming.
As mentioned in the last blog post, one of the things about these big international trips that we find particularly exciting is discovering our accommodations at each new destination. Our flat in Paris was awesome, but there was no air conditioning. I don't mean to complain, but it was a little on the warm side. Right away, upon entering our Madrid hotel room, we noticed the cool air. Our room was small but classy. Beautiful linens, and an awesome location – right in the heart of central Madrid, surrounded by Tapas bars, and one minute from Plaza Mayor, and several wonderful shops and bakeries.
After dumping our bags, we took to the streets. We had one thing on our minds: Food. And not just any food. We were on the hunt for Tapas. A tapa is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine and translates to a small portion of any kind of Spanish cuisine. Tapas are a traditional way of eating in Spain. We are trying to immerse ourselves in the culture of each city and/country we're visiting.
We didn't have to work very hard to find tapas. Lucky for us, there were about a hundred within easy walking distance from our hotel. We opted for a platter that included olives, sausage, ham, tortilla, calamari, garlic toast, cheese, and more. The boys all ordered Fantas, Jerry had a cerveza and I had a sangria (duh!).
Our first tapas in Spain. Epic yum!
Epic yum is all I can say. The food was out of this world delicious, and so was the sangria. We were serenaded by an accordion player as we finished licking our plates.
Thumbs up all around for tapas!
Next, we found Plaza Mayor, which is Madrid's main square. The square was originally planned by Felipe II and his architect Juan de Herrera, but was inaugurated in 1620 during Felipe III's reign. In the middle of the square is a spectacular statue of Felipe III.
Juan Gómez de Mora gave it its rectangular form, and after it had suffered three fires Juan de Villanova completed the work in 1853 by joining the four sides. There are several tapas bars and restaurants in the Plaza, and we watched a great variety of street performers.
Family selfie in Plaza Mayor.
We were energized and wanting to see more so we headed for Palacio Real de Madrid (or, the Royal Palace of Madrid). The Palacio Real is Madrid's largest building, and the largest royal palace in Western Europe. The palace was built on the site of the old Alcázar, the Moorish castle destroyed by fire in 1734. The palace was initially designed by Filippo Juvarra to accommodate the court of Felipe V, a total of more than 3,000 courtiers. Juan Bautista Sacchetti initiated the building project in 1737, and Francisco Sabatini and Ventura Rodríguez terminated the works. It is surrounded by the beautiful Sabatini Park, and neo-classical Sabatini Gardens, and Campo del Moro parks.
Here, there were many street performers. We love street performers. It was one of our favorite aspects of our visit to Rome a couple of years ago. At the Palace Real, there was a spectacular harp player, and also a guitar player. We lingered and enjoyed the performances while taking in the sights of the palace and the many statues, and the fountain.
The opening parade of the bull fight at Plaza de Toros de Ventas.
One of the events the boys were anticipating was the bull fight. Madrid is home to Plaza de Toros de Ventas, one of the most prestigious bull rings in the world. Situated in the Guindalera quarter of the district of Salamanca, it was inaugurated on June 17, 1931. It has a seating capacity of almost 25,000. The bull ring has five gates from which the bulls enter the arena.
According to Wikipedia: From 1913 to 1920, the national passion (bullfighting) gained such an important status that Madrid's former main bullring in Carretera de Aragón was not big enough. It was José Gómez Ortega "Joselito" who declared that a new "monumental" bullring had to be built, to open this part of Spain's heritage and culture to the whole city of Madrid. His friend the architect José Espeliú began to work on the project.
A family called Jardón donated the land to the Madrid Provincial Council, provided that they could run the arena for fifty years. The deputation accepted the proposal on November 12, 1920. On March 19, 1922, in the exact center of the prospective arena, the first stone was placed. The construction of the bullring would cost 12 million pesetas (4.5 million over budget), and it would replace the old bullring, dating from 1874. "Las Ventas" was finished in 1929 and two years later, June 17, 1931, a charity bullfight was held with a full-capacity crowd to inaugurate it. Bullfighting stopped during the Spanish Civil War and did not resume until May 1939.
The boys, giddy at all of the Spanish candy and savory snack choices at the concession stand outside of the bull fighting arena.
Family selfie in front of the beautiful Plaza de Toros de Ventas, in Madrid.
We rode the Metro seven stops to get to the bullring. What a spectacular venue! The exterior is beautiful, and we were, as usual, plenty early. So we stopped at the many vendors outside, including a concession stand where the boys had a blast filling a big bag with assorted local candies and chips to feast on during the bull fight.
Once inside, it was exciting. There were kegs of beer lining the walls, and bars everywhere. We found our seats. When we bought the tickets 24 hours earlier, the bullring ticket site indicated there were fewer than 100 tickets remaining. I didn't believe it at the time, instead thinking it was a ploy to create a frenzy and pressure people into buying tickets. But it appeared to have been the truth. It was a packed stadium. Close to 25,000 people packed the stunning arena.
Sunflower seeds and local nuts are one of the most popular treats at the bull fight, and we could understand. Jerry and I love sunflower seeds, and have our favorite brand that we indulge on road trips. We loved the local seeds. An interesting note about the sunflower seeds, Jerry and I remarked at the slight sound of "clicking" we could hear. It sounded a little like crickets or some other insects, but upon closer listening, we realized it was thousands of people chewing on sunflower seeds. Call me a dork, but that was the first time I ever heard such a thing. We also bought some locally-grown freshly roasted and salted almonds. They were the best almonds I've ever had, and I hope we'll come across them again during the rest of our time in Spain.
The best almonds I've ever had.
The bull fight was exhilarating! There is no other way to put it. Yes, it was also bloody. I had no knowledge about what all happens at a bull fight. All I knew is there would be bull fighters taunting bulls and "fighting" them, but I had no idea how it worked.
I wish I had the time to explain in more detail the bull fight, but I'm short on time. I have to get prepared for our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, and the bullfight experience deserves more than a rush job. So, I'm including some photos here in this post, but I hope you'll check back in a month or so, at which time I hope to have a more in-depth blog post about the bull fight experience, including videos, etc.
After riding the Metro back, there was a fantastic singer and guitar player in the station we listened to for about 15 minutes before finding a new route back to our hotel. People and energy and music filled the air, as we navigated the narrow streets. Performers were everywhere, and by the time we returned to our hotel we had enjoyed a great variety of music provided by didgeridoo, accordian, harp, guitar, and violin.
I can't believe what happened next. We slept in until 11:28! I don't think I've ever slept that late, even when I tried. And Jerry is the earliest riser in our family who never sleeps late, and he, too, slept until almost 11:30. None of us could believe it when we saw the time. That really hit the spot! I'm sure it had to do with several things, including a perfectly temperature-adjusted room, wonderful linens, comfortable beds, super full stomachs, and days of travel and jet lag residual. But, also, I think it's indicative of how comfortable we felt in Madrid.
Since we slept through breakfast, the boys wanted to know, What are we doing for lunch? We had heard rave reviews about a place called Mercada de San Miguel, which as our great luck would have it, was just a stone's throw from our hotel.
Oh my God. The rave reviews are legit! The gazillion choices of foods all looked delicious enough to die for, and it was difficult for each of us to narrow our choices. All told, between us all, we had Squid tentacles in a cup, Calzone, a fancy calamari sandwich, a chicken kabob, olives, nuts, crab cakes, Iberian ham croquettes, sausage and patatas. It was all so delicious, and so reasonably priced.
Campanillos fountain, Buen Retiro Park.
We strolled back to our digs, and got cleaned up before going out for a delicious dinner of seafood paello, Iberian ham, croquettes and a cheese board.
We closed in early because the next day would start early. Plus, we had lots of final organizing to do. In the morning, we would ride a bus for 4 hours to Astorga, then get transported by cab to Rabanal de Camino, at which point we'd have only our backpacks and we'd part way with the bulk of our luggage.
The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage has been approaching for some time, and now it is finally right upon us. Our introduction to Spain has been nothing short of fantastic, and we have fallen in love with Madrid.
Right as our heads were hitting our pillows, we heard some soft classic guitar music. It was beautiful, and our musician son, Wolf, jumped out of bed to go see the musician, who was playing right below our balcony. About 15 minutes later, Wolf returned to request some money to offer the performer. I couldn't resist, and joined Wolf to listen for another song or two.
I want to make sure to write this sensitively. The musician didn't have a right hand. He had a hook for a hand. He is an amazing musician and artist, and watching him pick and play such beautiful music with just five fingers was astonishing and inspiring to no end. I hope you'll watch the video clip below.
Thank you, Madrid, for an unforgettable introduction to Spain, and your great city!
Next up, Rabanal de Camino, and the Camino de Santiago trek!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll check back again soon.
It takes a while to get from the Frontier of Wyoming to Paris, France. After our 5.5-hour drive from Lander, WY to Denver, we flew for 3.5 hours to NYC/JFK, before catching a 7-hour flight to Paris. But as is always the case, the long haul was worth it.
Our reserved transportation was waiting for us at the baggage claim, and our adventure started. It was 7am, and our driver was zooming us in and out of traffic lanes. Just our ride in the traffic of Paris was exhilarating, and served to wake us all up out of slumberous states.
One of the exciting parts of these big international trips is when we arrive at a new destination and we get to see what our accommodations are like. Jerry picked this apartment/flat out months ago, and he did a great job! We are enjoying a spacious apartment on Rue Cadet that is right in the heart of Paris. Our windows are open and we hear the life of Paris almost constantly.
After taking long naps, we set out on foot to see what all the fuss of Paris is about. We walked about a mile and a half to reach the Seine River, and get our first spy of the Eiffel Tower. Of course, along the way, we also indulged in baguettes, chocolate croissants, and the much-anticipated Nutella-filled crepes.
We ended our first day in Paris early due to sleep deprivation and jet lag, but not before enjoying an epically delicious French dinner at a sidewalk cafe near our flat.
The next day was a big one. We had a day full of tours planned, including the Louvre, Notre Dame, and a cruise on the Seine.
Jerry and the boys at the Louvre.
We saw so many famous works of art, including Aphrodite of Milos, better known as the Venus de Milo. Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Initially it was attributed to the sculptor Praxiteles, however from an inscription that was on its plinth, the statue is thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch. Created sometime between 130 and 100 BC, the statue is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty (Venus to the Romans).
It is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life size, stands 6′ 8″ high. Part of an arm and the original plinth were lost following its discovery. She used to have real gold jewelry. It is currently on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The statue is named after the Greek island of Milos, where it was discovered.
Another highlight of our tour of The Louvre was seeing the Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a marble Hellenistic sculpture of Nike (the Greek goddess of victory), that was created about the 2nd century BC. Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world. H.W. Janson described it as "the greatest masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture", and it is one of a small number of major Hellenistic statues surviving in the original form.
We also saw the Mona Lisa! Considered the world's most famous painting, Mona Lisa is an oil painting on a poplar wood panel by the Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci. It was painted sometime between 1503 and 1519, when Leonardo was living in Florence, and it now hangs in the Louvre, in Paris, where it remains an object of pilgrimage in the 21st century.
This portrait was started in Florence around 1503. It is thought to be of Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine cloth merchant named Francesco del Giocondo – hence the alternative title, La Gioconda. However, Leonardo seems to have taken the completed portrait to France rather than giving it to the person who commissioned it. After his death, the painting entered François I's collection. Mona Lisa was stolen and the media reported on it so much that the painting is even more famous. (Someone is in the room for 24 hours a day.
After our morning tour of The Louvre, we enjoyed a quick snack and break on one of the 37 bridges that span the Seine in Paris.
Jerry and the boys, taking a snack break in between tours.
Next up was a tour of Notre-Dame de Paris. We were looking particularly forward to this tour, not only because we have wanted to see Notre Dame, but also because our tour guide would be Georgia Darell, who led us on an exceptional tour of the Catacombs during our trip to Rome two years ago. We've stayed in touch with Georgia, and she's become a friend of ours, so it was extra special to see her again. And, no surprise, she provided us with an unforgettable tour of Notre Dame.
Notre-Dame de Paris (meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral in Paris that is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Notre Dame is among the largest and best-known church buildings in the Catholic Church in France, and in the world.
Family photo in front of Notre Dame.
This spectacular stained glass in Notre Dame dates back to the 1300s.
We found our good friend, Georgia Darell, in Paris! She led our Catacombs tour in Rome 2 years ago. It was fantastic to meet up again, and she provided us with an exceptional tour.
After the Notre Dame tour, we went out to coffee with Georgia. It was so funny–our youngest son, Fin, 11, kept falling asleep while sitting upright in his chair at the cafe. We are all a little sleep-deprived and jet-lagged still, not to mention my FitBit reports 10 miles today.
While walking to meet up for our cruise on the Seine, we admired the spectacular Hôtel de Ville de Paris, and various street performers. We walked all the way around the hotel to admire it. The Hôtel has been the seat of the Paris City Council since 1357. The current building, with a neo-renaissance style, was built by architects Théodore Ballu and Edouard Deperthes on the site of the former Hôtel de Ville which burnt down during the Paris Commune in 1871.
We ended our day of sightseeing in Paris with a cruise on the Seine River. The Seine is a 483-mile-long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It flows through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre (and Honfleur on the left bank). It is navigable by ocean-going vessels as far as Rouen, 75 miles from the sea.
Within Paris, there are 37 bridges that cross the Seine, including the Pont Alexandre III and Pont Neuf, the latter of which dates back to 1607. From the Seine, we enjoyed great views of all of the City's major attractions.
Everything I needed after the full day.
We are writing daily in our family journal, and by all indications from today, and each of our family member's journal entries, it is fair to say we love Paris. What a magical day in the City of Lights.
By the way, for two nights in a row, I have been awakened at around 3:45am. What woke me up? Silence. It's only brief here, and at least from what we can gather from our flat, Paris sleeps for about 30 minutes and it's from 3:45am-4:15am. 🙂 It is fun to be in such a lively, energized city.
Our final day was supposed to include a tour of the Catacombs of Paris, which we were so looking forward to. However, the workers are on Strike so that tour was a No Go. (We feel lucky that we toured the Catacombs in Rome a couple of years ago, so we at least have an idea for the kind of experience we missed.) And even though we're bummed, after talking to locals, we understand the workers' concerns.
We made the best of it by sleeping in late, walking all over and exploring areas of Paris we hadn't yet explored, found a "street piano" for Wolf to play, toured a mall, found epic gelato at Amorino, and swung another strike when, in the interest of our son, Hayden, we found the location of the world's oldest basketball court. And – you guessed it–it was not to be. It is currently closed for renovations.
We consoled ourselves by treating ourselves to a dozen Ladurée macarons – the best in Paris!
Wolf Googled "street piano," and we found this one in a mall.
We are chillin' in our flat and will treat ourselves to a final French dinner before closing in at a reasonable hour. Tomorrow we depart, super early, for Madrid, as we start to orient toward the main event of this Epic trip – our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, which will begin in a few more days.
Epic yum x 12. Macarons Ladurée.
All is well when you find epic gelato!
Our Epic family trip is fast approaching, and we are so excited! We'll spend a few days in Paris, then we'll fly to Spain, where we'll start out in Madrid for a couple of days, before embarking on the main part of our Adventure – our 160-mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. We'll mark the end of our pilgrimage in Santiago de Compostela, before flying to Barcelona to celebrate the last four days of our Epic trip.
Four years ago, my husband, Jerry, and I resolved that we – our family – were going to start taking almost-month-long vacations. We have three sons, Wolf, 18, Hayden, 16, and Fin, 11. We have always enjoyed many family trips and adventures, but, until three years ago, we had never gone on a trip that lasted more than 7-10 days. What a gift it would be if we could take an entire month to experience new places, sights, cultures and activities as a family.
As a parent, I doubt myself often. I don't boast a lot about my parenting abilities, but this idea is one I'm so proud of, and as parents, it's definitely one of the best ideas Jerry and I have had.
Family selfie. That's our dog, Buddy.
Some people may wonder how we can take a month off to make a trip every year. That's a good question. It's not easy, and it hasn't always been possible. Our ability to do so is hard-earned and intentional. Having the time available is a gift. For us, time is worth more than money. Jerry's a teacher, so he and the boys all get out of school at the end of May each year. Jerry didn't always have his summers free, though. When we had our first company, Yellowstone Journal and YellowstonePark.com, for 15 years (from 1994-2008), Jerry's summers were spent working tirelessly delivering magazines and helping me with the company. He worked so hard for so many years, logging endless hours and miles on the road. Fortunately, since selling that company in 2008, Jerry's summers have been his. As for me, I work for myself, and since starting Epic Life Inc. in 2011, I have kept my summers mostly free.
That said, it would be easy to not embark on these trips. They are big undertakings, especially when they're a month long and involve international travel, and a family of five that includes three growing boys with insatiable appetites for food. It would be easy to chicken out and say No. But we want to say Yes, so we book them far in advance, when we're initially inspired, so we can't draw back.
In 2016, we made our first international trip and explored several countries in Europe. It was an unforgettable experience that included time in London, Munich, Switzerland, Italy (Moneglia and Rome, etc.), and Portugal. We visited numerous historic and cultural sites, hiked many miles in Switzerland and Italy, drank beer and wine, indulged in the many delicious and unique foods of the countries, and met so many kind and interesting people. Plus, we successfully made about 100 train connections, which is no small feat for these country bumpkins from Wyoming! We kept a family journal, and each of us wrote something at the end of each of our 30 days in Europe. Each of us walked, on average, 13 miles per day, which is indicative of how much we saw and experienced. Every time we arrived to a new destination, by train, we'd hike 1-3 miles to discover what our accommodations would be like. It was all new and exciting and unforgettable, and to do it all as a family, was/has been such a blessing.
Then, last year, in 2017, we started in Vancouver, B.C., where we rented a van and enjoyed a month-long Epic Road Trip that took us all the way south to Los Angeles. From Vancouver to the San Juan Islands to Seattle, to Portland, to the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, we immersed ourselves in the cultures of the cities, the wonderful environs of several national parks and beaches, and had another unforgettable adventure.
We still revisit, often, various aspects of both of our Epic trips, which, of course, is what Jerry and I were hoping for when we had this idea of the longer family trips. We wanted for us to create lasting memories and experiences that our family would be able to share forever.
Before continuing, I 'd like to be completely transparent about something. I would be lying if I said these big trips, and the destinations we choose, have been family decisions. For the most part, they haven't included a very democratic process. Rather, for the most part, Jerry and I have determined where we'd like to take the family, and then we share our dreams of the particular travel plans, and, at least so far, the boys have been excited and quickly jumped on board.
By the way, whenever it has come to something Jerry and I feel strongly will benefit our family, we have used this tactic. For example, when we first started our family, Jerry and I resolved that we wanted to be an outdoors family. I wrote an article, called "How to get your kids to hike" that explains how we went about raising an outdoors-oriented family. But for purposes of the point I'm trying to make here, I'll cut to the chase. Whenever we wanted to take the kids hiking, we did not ask them, "Do you want to go hiking today?" Instead, we'd enthusiastically announce to them, "Today, we're going hiking!" This simple strategy worked, and today our boys are great hikers, and we've spent the last 18 years adventuring with them.
When it comes to goals and values you'd like to instill in your family, I highly recommend this strategy. We are the "captains" of our families/kids for only so long, and Jerry and I are trusting that the decisions around travel and outdoors that we have made for our boys, and our family, will offer them lasting benefits.
Our boys are big hikers and quite experienced when it comes to the outdoors. Most of our trips and adventures include hiking and/or camping. In Switzerland, we had two different day hikes that were about 20 miles each, and the boys, as long as we fed them often and generously, were champs! Over the years, we've taken them on backpacking trips, but those have been no longer than 3-4 days each.
This trip's pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago will include 11 days of nothing but trekking. Day after day of nothing but walking. Some of our days are big, including our first and third, which will be 20-plus miles each. The other days range from 12-16 miles. So we've been training for the occasion, and these training hikes have added to the experience as we've had some memorable times in our "backyard," the foothills of Wyoming's Wind River Range.
Jerry and the boys, and our Buddy, on a training hike.
Why make trekking the Camino de Santiago a part of our big trip this year?
For starters, we can credit Martin Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez. About six years ago, Jerry and I rented the movie, The Way. The movie, written and directed by Estevez, and starring Martin Sheen, is about a father who travels overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while trekking the El Camino de Santiago, and decides to take the pilgrimage himself. The movie is fantastic, and after seeing it, Jerry and I were both inspired to someday make the pilgrimage ourselves. Then, in recent years, and months, I've read books, and blog posts, and social media posts by people on pilgrimage. Friends, and friends of friends have shared photos and videos and personal accounts that have all re-inspired me about the Camino de Santiago. Various friends I know from my small town of Lander, WY, and the surrounding area, made the pilgrimage as recently as last year and have inspired us. Laureen Lund has a fantastic blog that includes her daily accounts of the experience. The best documentary, in my humble opinion, is Walking the Camino. We also read the book, and watched the documentary called I'll Push You, which I highly recommend, whether you have interest in the Camino or not. Other great books I've read are The Pilgrimage, by Paulo Coelho, Pilgrim Strong: Rewriting my story on the way of St. James, Sunrises to Santiago: Searching for purpose on the Camino de Santiago, as well as others. All of these have stoked the fire in me that was started when I originally learned about the Camino.
A pilgrim is a person who journeys to a sacred place. The Camino de Santiago is certainly a sacred place. Often referred to as The Way of Saint James, the Camino de Santiago was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages. Legend has it that the remains of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. Once to Santiago, pilgrims often celebrate mass at the spectacular Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which marks the traditional end of the pilgrimage route.
Certainly, to walk where millions of others have walked before us in the interest of searching for meaning and to deepen their faith or spirituality will be such a unique experience, and an honor. I'm excited to be a pilgrim, and for my family to be pilgrims, even if it's for only 11 days.
A pilgrimage is a journey. (In my work – whether in my coaching, or my epic adventure guiding – I'm often trying to lead my clients on an inner pilgrimage. A journey to discover more about themselves, and to, in the process be open to exploring and taking chances.) I know firsthand, and also from my observations of those I work with, how powerful such a personal journey can be. I'm excited beyond words to be embarking on a pilgrimage as a family. The pilgrimage has the opportunity to transform our family in some way, while affecting each of us individually in unique ways.
For days, our only objective will be to put one foot in front of the other. While it will certainly at times be physically challenging, the other aspects of the pilgrimage are what really intrigue Jerry and I.
Many follow a route of the Camino de Santiago as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth, or any number of very personal meanings.
The Way can take one of dozens of pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Traditionally, as with most pilgrimages, the Way of Saint James began at one's home and ended at the pilgrimage site. However, a few of the routes are considered main ones.
We will be following the Camino Francés – or, The French Way.
During the Middle Ages, the route was highly travelled. (In the 14th Century, a million pilgrims from throughout Europe wold make the pilgrimage every year.) However, the Black Death, the Protestant Reformation, and political unrest in 16th century Europe led to its decline. By the 1980s, only a few hundred pilgrims per year registered in the pilgrim's office in Santiago. In October 1987, the route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Since the 1980s, the route has attracted a growing number of modern-day international pilgrims.
Today, about 300,000 pilgrims from throughout the world make the pilgrimage each year.
From here on out, I'll take the lazy route and include some particulars about our journey in the form of bullet points. Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions about anything that might be of interest that I have overlooked.
• Then we'll fly to Madrid, a city we will explore for two days.
• On June 5, we'll send most of our luggage off, to be transported to the end of our journey, and we'll head to Astorga. Our pilgrimage will begin on June 6.
• The entire Way is 790km/490 miles. Many people take 30-50 days to walk its entire length. Others will do a portion of it, and return in future years to complete the entire path. As for us, and this trip, we'll be dedicating 11-12 days to our pilgrimage, and we'll walk about 160 miles.
• It's a good thing we're from high country in Wyoming, and that we're hikers because we will have some big days, including days 1 and 3, when we'll walk about 22 miles. Other days will be 12-16 miles each.
• Staying in the albergues/hostels are a big part of the Camino de Santiago experience. I understand that. But we have instead opted to stay in Inns along the way. We have reserved private accommodations for our nights along the Camino. This may seem less adventurous, but after reading accounts of "100 snorers," our decision was made. I already have 4 personal snorers with me, but also, in addition, due to some of our big mileage days, having some personal space each night feels important to us.
• We're looking so forward to all of the people we meet along the way, and to hearing their stories, and to sharing such a meaningful experiences with "strangers" who are from all over the world. We are each/all likely to make some new friendships.
• I used to know Spanish pretty well. I took Spanish in high school and for two years in college. Unfortunately, I don't remember much of it, so I have been using the Duolingo app to learn some words and phrases. Wolf and Hayden are pretty good at Spanish, and they are looking forward to trying their best to use the language. We will rely on them to help us communicate our needs along the path, and in Madrid and Barcelona. That will be fun.
• Each of our family members has a "Credencial de Peregrino." This document dates back to the middle ages, when it was given to pilgrims as a safeguard. This Credencial is only for pilgrims on foot, bicycle or horseback, who wish to make the pilgrimage with a Christian sentiment, even if it is only with an "attitude of search." The Credencial has the purpose of identifying the pilgrim, provides access to hostels offered by the Christian hospitality of the Way, and to serve as certification in applying for the "Compostela" at the Cathedral of Santiago, which certifies you have made the pilgrimage. Each of us will collect two stamps on our Credencial at every village, etc., we pass through.
• We will end in Santiago de Compostela, so we're starting about 160 miles out from there, near Astorga. We are looking forward to celebrating our pilgrimage's end in Santiago, where we'll stand in line to get our stamped Credencials validated and receive certificates for our pilgrimage.
• At Santiago, a highlight for us will be to attend mass at the extraordinary Santiago De Compostela Cathedral. I can imagine it will be one of the most meaningful and unforgettable masses we've ever attended. One of the most interesting elements about the cathedral is the famous Botafumeiro, a large censer which disperses incense amid the congregation. Weighing 117 pounds and measuring 5 feet, it is one of the largest in the world, and is suspended 65 feet high above the crowd via a system of ropes and pulleys. On special occasions, and after some masses, the Botafuemeiro is released by team of eight tiraboleiros who swing it across the cathedral at great speeds of up to 42 miles/hr).
• It is thought that this tradition of spreading so much incense over the mass was started in order to cover up the smell of the thousands of pilgrims arriving at the cathedral after their exertions. We'll soon be among those sweaty pilgrims, and I am pretty certain the incense will be a most welcome scent!
Finally, the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage will surely present us with challenges and blessings. What the journey will mean for each of individually and as a family is a mystery. And I love that it is.
We will see new landscapes on this adventure, but we are also sure to return with new eyes.
Thank you so much for reading this blog post, and following along, as I blog from The Way. I really appreciate your stopping by and taking an interest. Truly.


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The Fight for Botanicals
The latest news on the legalization of controversial botanicals.
Tag: Legal News
Spanbauer: Modernize The War On Drugs
Canada just became the second country in the world to legalize marijuana on Oct. 17, making it "the largest national marijuana marketplace."
In order to facilitate the demand on the new industry, Canadian recreational marijuana businesses are trying to lure inexperienced marijuana workers and their weed wisdom from states where marijuana is legal, such as Colorado. These offers come with the possibility of salaries reaching as high as $250,000 and the promise of a larger and undeveloped market to conquer.
The federal legalization of marijuana now seems eminently upon us as more states will vote on the matter in the upcoming November elections. Also, more than half the United States population is in support of federal legalization. However, looking at how far cannabis culture has come, it is clear that federal measures must be taken for reasons of equality.
America should take a page from Canada's book and legalize recreational marijuana. This should be done for hundreds of reasons, the least of which being because over half of our population is in favor of it, and because it would introduce billions of dollars into our economy and open up new jobs. This needs to be done because marijuana is a harmless drug that should not be federally regulated in the ways that physically addictive and life-destroying drugs such as opioids are.
The focus needs to move from pot to the more serious drugs affecting our streets and taking the lives of young people across the nation. Once we can begin to reform drug legislation to fit these needs, our country will finally begin to heal.
Read the full article at Iowa State Daily
Giving Drugs to Animals Shows Similarity to Humans
When headlines appeared recently announcing that scientists had given the party drug ecstasy to octopuses, it wasn't clear whether the more noteworthy behavior was on the part of the marine invertebrates or the humans. But there was a scientific reason for this small pilot study, which suggested that the drug has a similar effect on both species: making us friendlier.
While the brains of octopuses look very different from ours, and we have been diverging for more than 700 million years, we and these intelligent invertebrates share some of the same genes and molecular mechanisms for transporting signals around the brain and nervous system. We share, for example, a nearly identical version of a gene called SLC6A4, which codes for a protein that transports serotonin around the brain. This system, in us, is critical for regulating mood and social behavior and is the target to which the drug ecstasy binds. In humans, ecstasy, or MDMA, decreases inhibition and increases social behavior.
As a way to probe the similarity between species, researchers soaked octopuses in a bath containing the drug and observed their behavior in a three-chambered enclosure. Two spaces contained toys and the other, a male octopus.
When not on the drug, the animals avoided the male and went for the toys. The species studied, the California two-spot octopus, is not particularly social in the wild, and both sexes are particularly averse to hanging around with males. When on the drug, however, they preferred a male octopus to the toys.
Continue Reading at Bloomberg
Study Suggests More Older Women May Benefit From Bone Drugs
A bone-strengthening drug given by IV every 18 months greatly lowered the risk of fracture in certain older women, a large study found. The results suggest these medicines might help more people than those who get them now and can be used less often, too.
Broken bones are a scourge of aging. A hip fracture can start a long decline that lands someone in a nursing home. The risk is most common in women after menopause.
Estrogen keeps bones strong; they weaken after menopause when levels of that hormone drop. It often gets worse after 65, and women of that age are advised to have a bone mineral density scan — a low-dose X-ray to estimate bone strength.
If osteoporosis is found, treatment usually is Fosamax, Boniva or generic versions of these drugs, which help prevent bone from being lost faster than the body is able to renew it. Some people don't stick with the pills or endure digestive side effects, so the medicines also can be given by IV, usually once a year.
More of this News at The Star
Mind-altering Breast Milk? New Pot Study Poses That Question
CHICAGO (AP) — Marijuana's main mind-altering ingredient was detected in nursing mothers' breast milk in a small study that comes amid evidence that more U.S. women are using pot during pregnancy and afterward.
The new study involved 50 nursing mothers who were using pot and provided breast milk samples to researchers at the University of California, San Diego. Lab testing found small amounts of THC, the psychoactive chemical that causes marijuana's "high," in 34 of 54 samples up to six days after they were provided. Another form of THC and cannabidiol, a pot chemical touted by some as a health aid, were detected in five samples.
The study authors said "it is reasonable to speculate" that exposing infants to THC or cannabidiol "could influence normal brain development," depending on dose and timing.
The results echo findings in case reports from years ago, when pot was less potent than what's available today, said study co-author Christina Chambers, a pediatrics professor. It's not known if the amounts detected pose any risk, but she said her research team is studying children whose moms' were involved to try to answer that question.
Research has been hampered by federal government restrictions based on its view that marijuana is an illegal drug.
That has contributed to a stigma and shaded doctors' views, said Keira Sumimoto, an Irvine, California, mother who used marijuana briefly for medical reasons while pregnant and breastfeeding. She said smoking a joint daily helped her gain weight when she was sick before learning she was pregnant, and eased childbirth-related pain, but that she quit because of backlash from marijuana opponents.
Read the full story at The Cannifornian
Can You Get Addicted to Pot?
Public-health experts worry about the increasingly potent options available, and the striking number of constant users. "Cannabis is potentially a real public-health problem," said Mark A. R. Kleiman, a professor of public policy at New York University. "It wasn't obvious to me 25 years ago, when 9 percent of self-reported cannabis users over the last month reported daily or near-daily use. I always was prepared to say, 'No, it's not a very abusable drug. Nine percent of anybody will do something stupid.' But that number is now [something like] 40 percent."
But cannabis is not benign, even if it is relatively benign, compared with alcohol, opiates, and cigarettes, among other substances. Thousands of Americans are finding their own use problematic in a climate where pot products are getting more potent, more socially acceptable to use, and yet easier to come by, not that it was particularly hard before.
For Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, the most compelling evidence of the deleterious effects comes from users themselves. "In large national surveys, about one in 10 people who smoke it say they have a lot of problems.
The country is in the midst of a volte-face on marijuana. The federal government still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug, with no accepted medical use. (Meth and PCP, among other drugs, are Schedule II.) Politicians still argue it is a gateway to the use of things like heroin and cocaine. The country still spends billions of dollars fighting it in a bloody and futile drug war, and still arrests more people for offenses related to cannabis than it does for all violent crimes combined.
Read more at The Atlantic
Some Good News From The Fight Against Opioids
SOME 382,000 Americans have overdosed on opioids—a group of drugs that includes prescription painkillers, heroin and synthetics—since the year 2000. That is greater than the number of American combat deaths in the second world war and the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. Despite this epic toll, there are early signs that at least one battle may be ending.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide the best data for tracking the opioid epidemic. Its latest data, which cover the 12 months to the end of October 2017, show that opioids were responsible for some 46,041 deaths (see chart) in that period. While provisional and subject to revision, that number was at least not dissimilar to the previous month's figure of 46,202.
The precise workings of the epidemic in recent months are not well understood, but a few elements stand out. The first is that deaths from prescription medication are likely to have been pushed down by lower availability of those drugs. Official data from the CDC show that prescription rates were nearly 20% lower in 2016 than at their 2012 peak. IQVIA, a health consultancy, reckons that prescriptions fell by another 10% in 2017. Donald Burke, dean of the University of Pittsburgh's graduate school of public health, thinks there is "almost certainly cause and effect" between prescription rates and deaths.
Experts agree that the most effective way to fight addiction is with medication-based treatment, such as methadone. But just one-third of Americans live in counties with treatment centers providing these kinds of drugs. For real progress it is necessary to look north. Vancouver has pioneered the use of safe-injection sites. Seattle and other progressive enclaves of America would like to follow their lead but they face stern opposition. America's attorney-general, Jeff Sessions, has threatened to prosecute such sites under the "crack house statute". Such sites, claims the Department of Justice, will only "encourage and normalize heroin use".
Some Businesses Stop Drug Testing For Marijuana
A low unemployment rate and the spreading legalization of marijuana have led many businesses to rethink their drug testing policies for the first time in decades. A small but increasing number are simply no longer testing for pot.
"There is a lot of conflict there, and many employers, they just don't know what to do," said Kathryn Russo, a lawyer at Melville, New York-based firm Jackson Lewis. Recreational marijuana use is legal in nine states plus Washington, D.C., and medical marijuana is legal in 29 states.
Here are some questions small businesses need to consider when deciding on what drug testing policies to follow:
– IS IT A FEDERALLY REGULATED POSITION, OR SAFETY-SENSITIVE?
If your business is regulated by the federal Department of Transportation or is a defense contractor, you are likely legally required to drug test for all drugs illegal at the federal level, including marijuana.
– DON'T DISCRIMINATE
In states where medical marijuana is legal, small businesses increasingly risk running into legal trouble if they deny a job to someone who has obtained a medical marijuana prescription.
Read more at Eyewitness News
Bill To Refine West Virginia's Medical Marijuana Rules Fails
A bill that would have made several changes to West Virginia's medical marijuana law failed when the state's legislative session ended last weekend.
West Virginia's medical marijuana program was set to launch in 2019, but the bill's failure Saturday night and an opinion from the state treasurer have put the rollout on shaky ground, WVNews.com reported.
Democrat Mike Pushkin, a sponsor of HB 4345, believes issues with the bill can be resolved quickly.
Here's what you need to know:
• The bill didn't return to the House floor after the Senate made significant amendments to the first version that passed Feb. 28. The Senate voted to approve it Saturday night.
• Before being altered by the Senate, the original bill would have allowed dispensaries to deliver medical marijuana to patients. It would have also made a push to allow the sale of smokable marijuana, which isn't allowed under the current law. And the Bureau of Public Health would have been required to issue 100 dispensary licenses throughout the state.
• By the time the Senate passed the amended version, much of those stipulations had been stripped away and the dispensary number was cut in half.
• State Treasurer John Perdue wrote a letter to the governor and other state leaders on March 1 expressing concerns about the state's MMJ program in context of the federal illegality of cannabis, particularly marijuana businesses' difficulty finding banking services.
Marijuana Business Daily
Marijuana Legalization Becomes Issue In Democratic Race
Attorney General candidate Patrick Miles, an Obama-appointed official who served six and a half years as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, has taken a position on legalization of marijuana in Michigan. He said last week, upon further reflection, he's for it.
Conversely, fellow Democratic candidate Dana Nessel, has been very pro-marijuana from the get-go. Attorney Nessel is a hero of the LGBT rights movement for her work to legalize same-sex marriage, although she's also feuded with elements of her own movement. Last week, she won the endorsement of the group pushing to legalize marijuana in the state.
Until now, the attorney general race has largely been a battle of resumes. But, it appears the issue of marijuana is now on the map as the landscape has changed. Support for legalization is growing.
The pro-legalization movement is organized and well-funded. Petition signatures have been turned in to put the question of marijuana legalization on the November ballot.
In Democratic politics, marijuana is a bit of a proxy for progressive bona fides in a state won two years ago by Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.
Read the complete article at Michigan Radio
Inside The Mexican Towns That Produce America's Heroin
MEXICO CITY — Journalists in Mexico, foreign and domestic, tend to keep drug cartels at arm's length. Narco bosses like to stay out of the news. Several Mexican reporters have been killed by drug gangs for trying to expose organized crime. Firsthand reporting from inside the Mexican underworld is rare.
Myles Estey, a Canadian documentary producer, is establishing himself as an exception. Estey has helped produce two documentaries that take viewers deeper into Mexico's gun-littered badlands: the 2015 film "Cartel Land," which was nominated for an Academy Award, and "The Trade," a Showtime series about heroin that premiered this month. Both of these projects were directed by Matthew Heineman.
Estey said the goal of those making "The Trade" was to "show the human side of this crisis, beyond the stats and numbers." He talked to The Washington Post about his experience.
"What was involved in getting this close to the drug business in "The Trade"? How were you able to document heroin producers like this?"
It took months and months and months, probably about six months, before we started getting footage that was useful and started to have the trust and respect of the people where we were working.
Read more at The Washington Post
Can Government-approved Pot Beat Street Weed?
A key goal of legalizing recreational cannabis is squeezing out illegal suppliers. But how competitive will legal cannabis retail be against established black markets?
That's a key question for federal and provincial politicians. Governments don't like pot consumers funding organized crime.
That question may also interest investors. They've pushed up cannabis stock prices and created demand for four cannabis exchange-traded funds. Alcohol and tobacco companies have bought stakes in cannabis growers. Suppliers of hydroponic equipment and online retailing software could benefit too.
Price is the competitive element politicians mention most. In Colorado, cheap legal cannabis means black markets control only 20 percent of state sales. But in Washington state, where prices are higher, black markets capture 50 percent.
In Canada, governments agree cannabis prices must be competitive. They've suggested $10 per gram, including excise and sales taxes.
But Statistics Canada estimates market prices fell below $7.50 last year, and farther since then. Vancouver street prices reportedly are near $5. And street vendors don't charge tax.
Read the full article at the National Post
Tillerson Says U.S. Must See Decline in Colombia's Coca Output
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. expects Colombia to start reversing sharp increases in production of coca this year, pointedly declining to guarantee continued aid if those efforts fail.
Cocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant.
"Our expectation is that Colombia is going to make significant progress this year in reversing these trends and we want to support that reversal," Tillerson said at a briefing in Bogota alongside President Juan Manuel Santos. "In the end, we need to see results."
"One of the things that's important about this relationship is because we are so close in terms of the bilateral partnership, is that we can speak very openly and very frankly about the things that are of concern to both of us," Tillerson said.
"I don't think that President Trump is referring to Colombia because Colombia is not laughing at the U.S.," Santos said at the briefing. "On the contrary, we think we are working together on a problem and a challenge that needs cooperation from both countries."
"There is no supply without demand and no demand without supply," Santos said.
Posted on January 26, 2018 February 8, 2018
Drug Overdose Deaths Rise in Netherlands Linked To Opiates
Between 2014 and 2016 the number of recorded deaths caused by a drug overdose nearly doubled, according to the National Drug Monitor by the Trimbos Institute and research and documentation center WODC, NOS reports.
In 2014 a total of 123 people died of a drug overdose in the Netherlands. In 2016 there were 235 registered overdose deaths. The researchers add that the increase may be partly attributable to improved registration. Just over half of 2016's overdose deaths were accidental. The rest involved suicide, or an overdose as the result of psychiatric or behavioral problems, according to the researchers.
The researchers found that the use of ecstasy, amphetamine, and cocaine increased slightly between 2014 and 2016. Cannabis is still the most commonly used drug, though cannabis use did not increase in this period. Over 1 percent of Dutch adults smoke cannabis daily, and 6.6 percent have used the drug at least once.
NL Times NL
Cannabis will be a major food trend in 2018. Here's why.
Spoiler alert for those attending the Winter Fancy Food Show today through Tuesday in San Francisco: There are no cannabis edibles on the trade-show floor. Cannabis cuisine is not the subject of any plenary panel.
In November, the Fancy Food Show's parent, the Specialty Food Association (SPA), ranked cannabis number eight of the top-10 food trends to watch in 2018.
"As more states legalize recreational marijuana, the varieties of pot-enhanced food and beverage will increase," the SPA's Trendspotter Panel wrote last November. "Look out for continued interest and acceptance in a host of snacks, treats and beverages with a little something extra."
Nielsen is vice president of trends and marketing at CCD Innovation, an Emeryville food, and beverage development agency. She's attending the Fancy Food Show today through Tuesday at Moscone Center. As a member of the Specialty Food Association's Trendspotters — an expert panel comprised of marketers, journalists, and other tastemakers — she'll roam the Fancy Food Show trade-show floor looking for new and innovative products. There are no cannabis edibles at this year's Fancy Food Show, but the SPA's Trendspotters won't have to go far to find them.
There are five retail cannabis stores reachable via short walk, taxi or rideshare. And many of the edibles on sale in these stores look like they might have sneaked over from the show.
Read more at GreenState
Magic Mushrooms: Treating Depression Without Dulling Emotions
Treating depression can be challenging not only because some depression types are treatment-resistant, but also because existing therapies have a range of unwanted side effects.
A new study — which was carried out by researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) in the United Kingdom — suggests that magic mushrooms could treat depression while avoiding these side effects.
Participants felt 'emotionally reconnected'
In the first study, published in the journal Neuropharmacology, 20 people diagnosed with moderate to severe depression that conventional treatment had not alleviated participated in two dosing sessions with the magic mushroom compound.
"Based on the present results, we propose that psilocybin with psychological support is a treatment approach that potentially revives emotional responsiveness in depression, enabling patients to reconnect with their emotions."
'Mystical experience' improves efficacy
The second paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, examined whether or not the quality of the psychedelic experience was linked with the success of the treatment.
The study revealed that the more strongly the participants felt this experience, the better was their mental health in the long-term.
Depressive symptoms subsided, and the mental benefits lasted for weeks after the treatment of participants who reported a strong mystical experience.
Read more at Medical News Today
Kush Bottles: Meet One of the Hottest Marijuana Stocks
Kush Bottles derives its revenue primarily from the sale of marijuana packaging and ancillary products like vaporizers, rather than the sale of marijuana. The company's main customers are marijuana dispensaries and distributors, who purchase its products in bulk for retail sale. The company currently sells products in four major categories: bags, tubes, containers, and vaporizers.
According to commentary from a July 2017 presentation, Kush Bottles was selling more than one million pre-rolled tubes each month. The company has a patent on the child-resistant mechanism on its tubes, a potential point of differentiation in the marketplace, though there are currently several different types of child-resistant tubes competing for market share.
To expand its offerings and footprint, the company has completed three major acquisitions over its history.
1. Dank Bottles — Acquired on April 10, 2015, Dank Bottles was the exclusive distributor of Kush Bottles' products in Colorado. Kush Bottles paid for the acquisition with $373,725 in cash and 3.5 million shares of stock.
2. CMP Wellness — Kush Bottles acquired CMP Wellness on May 1, 2017. CMP Wellness' primary products are portable vaporizers, cartridges, and accessories. Kush Bottles paid for the acquisition with $2.3 million of cash and promissory notes, plus 7.8 million shares of restricted stock. The deal also included earn-outs of $1.9 million in cash and up to 4.74 million more shares of Kush Bottles to be paid out based on the company's performance.
3. Roll-Uh-Bowl — On May 3, 2017, Kush Bottles acquired Roll-Uh-Bowl, which sells portable, silicone water pipes. Kush paid for the acquisition with $150,000 of cash and 200,000 shares of stock.
Continue Reading at The Motley Fool
The Plant Used To Make Cocaine Could Become The Next Superfood
Henry Ruiz rubs the small green leaves between the fingers of his right hand – and then looks out across the valley where one of the world's most reviled crops is ruffled by a warm breeze.
"We have been caught up in the mistaken belief that we are part of the cocaine manufacture process when we are not," he says. "We have our own natural plant, but the man has found another use for it and we have lost out as a result."
The Colombian government's determination to obliterate coca is not in doubt, particularly in the wake of US pressure to address the recent boom in cocaine production. Despite efforts to tackle the problem, there was an increase of 52 percent in coca growth from 2015 to 2016.
"Coca is very rich in nutrients," says Ruiz. "It's important to see how we can use it for other uses than cocaine. We can prepare organic liquid fertilizers, insecticides, and we can use it to make flour. We know the magical and beneficial properties of coca, and it's about applying this to your family and communities. We are guardians of the coca leaf."
Research by Harvard University scientists into the coca leaf's beneficial properties, suggests that compared to 50 other Latin American vegetables, coca leaves are higher in protein, fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and riboflavin. In the summer of 2016, the Colombian government issued, for the first time ever, a permit in Cauca that allows the purchase, transport, and stocking of coca leaves, with the objective of industrializing the product.
Read more at The Essential Daily Briefing
Marijuana Sales Begin In San Francisco
Marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco have begun selling recreational pot for the first time, joining many other cities in California.
Six dispensaries confirmed Saturday that they're selling recreational marijuana. They all received their state licenses to sell on Friday.
One of them, Apothecarium, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local politicians and even offered a 20% discount for people who brought their mothers.
Sales began nearly a week ago in other parts of the state including West Hollywood, Santa Ana, San Diego and Berkeley.
Cannabis Is Now Legal in California
California has now joined a number of states changing their approach to marijuana, which marks exciting times for national drug reform. If you're over the age of 21, it is now legal to grow up to six plants and possess up to an ounce (!) on your person.
While the state's residents have already been celebrating the news, tracking down a spot to purchase your recreational weed may prove a little difficult in these early days.
However, this may not indicate the end of drug dealers pedaling marijuana, as taxes are expected to raise the retail cost of the pot up to 70 percent higher than the street price. Nonetheless, It's a very, very happy new year for Californians.
Mike Tyson Is Building a 40-Acre California Weed Resort
Mike Tyson has been a boxer, an actor, a monologuist, and an animated detective, but now it looks like the former heavyweight champion wants to take a bite out of California's new legal weed game.
According to the Blast, Tyson and two business partners—Robert Hickman and Jay Strommen—have plans to build a massive "cannabis resort" on 40 acres of desert land in California City. The trio broke ground on the property back in December and are getting things rolling now that California has officially legalized marijuana.
It seems like the rest of the Mojave Desert land, though, will earn Tyson Ranch its "resort" title. The Beast reports that there will be "premium 'glamping' campgrounds and cabins" for people to stay in, an amphitheater for live music, and a factory for marijuana edibles.
The resort's land isn't far from Edwards Air Force Base, and the Blast reports that the ranch will be staffed mostly by veterans and will be committed to helping those in the armed forces, as CBD, a marijuana compound that won't get you high, has been used to treat PTSD.
Read more at Vice
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Daily activity affordable, Department of Education says
By Kate Long
West Virginia is among the top five on just about every national chronic disease list. The state leads the nation in diabetes and obesity, according to the Gallup Healthways poll.
Surveys show that many West Virginians do not realize obesity is a leading cause of many chronic diseases. Many also feel those diseases are hereditary, and there is nothing a person can do to prevent them.
The state's children raise major red flags for the future. West Virginia University screens thousands of schoolchildren every year. In 2010-11, they found that 24 percent of fifth-graders have high blood pressure, 26 percent have high cholesterol, and 29 percent are obese. Eighteen percent of kindergartners and 23 percent of second-graders are obese.
There has been little public discussion of this problem. "The Shape We're In" project aims to stir up that discussion. Written and photographed by Annenberg fellow Kate Long, it will be divided into three parts in The Charleston Gazette, the state's largest newspaper:
• Children at risk
• Programs that work
• Communities making a difference
Some segments will be accompanied by West Virginia Public Radio pieces.
Part 1: "This is a public health emergency"
Part 2: A growing problem
Part 3: Putting the pieces together
Part 4: Health officials say W.Va. can reverse its chronic disease numbers
Part 5: W.Va. man: diabetes programs work
Part 6: "Get kids moving"
Part 7: Daily activity affordable, Department of Education says
Part 8: Wood researchers: Active kids do better academically
Part 9: Rocking the gym at 7:30 a.m.
Part 10: Nebraska school district lowers obesity rate
Part 11: What happened?
Part 12: 'Everyday heroes' saving own lives
Part 13: W.Va. ranks first in heart attack, diabetes, eight other categories
Part 14: Success from scratch
Part 15: Great Kanawha food fight
Part 16: Better focus
Part 17: W. Va. slammed with sugar
Part 18: Glenda and Jill vs. diabetes
Part 19: This is how bad diabetes can be
Part 20: Recognize diabetes before it's too late
Part 21: Logan hardest hit by diabetes
Part 22: Even if your relatives had diabetes, you don't have to
Part 23: Body and spirit
Part 24: American Diabetes Association is MIA in W.Va.
Part 25: Young people contending with diabetes
The Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In 2007, legislators asked the state Department of Education how much it would cost for every student to have physical education five days a week.
"It seemed like the obvious step to take," said Sen. Erik Wells, D-Kanawha. One in four fifth-graders has high blood pressure and cholesterol. One in four eleven-year-olds is obese, a clear red flag for the future.
They sent the department a resolution that began with "Whereas, seven of 10 West Virginians will die of heart disease, cancer or stroke; and whereas, 28 percent of West Virginia fifth-graders ... have one or more cardiovascular risk factors ..."
"We knew that, if we could get our kids active, we could prevent a lot of type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease," said Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha.
But to their dismay, state Department of Education officials told them daily P.E would cost between $13 million and $1.5 billion.
"The legislators got upset at us for that," said Melanie Purkey, director of the state Office of Healthy Schools, "but they asked for the cost of physical education, not the cost of physical activity."
Wells is still upset. "The department knowingly and effectively killed any effort to have physical education five days a week," he said. "At interims, when Melanie said $1.5 billion, you could just see legislators shifting to 'Well, we can forget that.'
"I have learned that when the department doesn't want something, they put a high estimate on it," he said.
"We had to give them a range, so we had to include the worst case scenario," Purkey said. The $1.5 billion included a gym for every school that didn't have one, she said. The low end, $13 million, added classroom space only.
"We don't need all those new gyms and classrooms, just to get kids moving five days a week," Wells said.
Purkey agrees. There are other ways kids can be active every day for a fraction of that cost, she told the Gazette-Mail in January. In the past five years, given the obesity epidemic, there has been a national movement to get kids moving through physical activity, she said.
"If the Legislature had asked us for the cost of daily physical activity, instead of physical education, the numbers would have been much lower," she said.
"As soon as you use the words 'physical education,' you run into code and policy requirements:" teacher certification, facility specifications, scheduling and teacher/pupil ratio," she said. "We had to take all that into account."
"Physical activity" has no such requirements under West Virginia law. It means get kids moving: running, jumping rope, zumba, walking, whatever. Anyone approved by a school can supervise physical activity. It can happen anywhere, anytime it fits.
Physical education involves classroom time, learning about the body and its functions. Physical activity is simply moving the body. "Physical activity costs very little and is very do-able," Purkey said. "You can require all kids to participate."
"Well, why didn't they say that five years ago?" Wells asked. "Why didn't they say then that daily physical education may not be doable, but there's something else we can do?
"We tried to tell them," Purkey said.
She added, "We don't want more bad P.E.," of the type that causes kids to hate exercising or is a classroom, non-movement situation. "We're concentrating on improving the quality of what we have."
What's the difference between education and activity?
State Schools Superintendent Jorea Marple is a strong advocate of daily exercise, any way it can happen. "We've got to look at what's possible," she said.
Cash-strapped West Virginia could get kids moving every day through a combination of physical education and physical activity, she said earlier this month.
In the past five years, many school systems nationwide have adopted the P.E./physical activity combination, Purkey said. At least 12 states require daily physical activity outside of the required amount of physical education, according the National Association of State Boards of Education.
The cost? "I can hire somebody to run good physical activity sessions for half of what I pay a good P.E. teacher," said Don Chapman, assistant director of the Office of Healthy Schools.
"Parent volunteers run those sessions in some school systems," Purkey said.
Teachers' groups don't like that idea. "They're trying to piecemeal it instead of realizing it'll take money to fix the problem," said Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association. "We lead the nation in obesity. We need to get kids more active, and qualified physical education teachers should be the ones to do it."
"We're not trying to replace P.E. teachers," Chapman said. On days when the children don't have P.E., he said, a trained person can still lead children in physical activity like zumba and races.
Elementary children must have a half hour of P.E. three times a week, by state law. "A child could have physical education three days a week, then do physical activity two days," Purkey said.
And then there's recess
Crowded school schedules can be a roadblock, Purkey said, so, nationwide, many school systems are organizing games and structured activities at recess and after lunch. They have recess coaches. "We'd like to do that, too," she said. The Department of Education has been looking at an elementary-level program called PlayWorks.
A problem: West Virginia law does not require recess, and many schools are skipping it, to give themselves more time to prep kids for standardized tests, she said.
State school board policy strongly recommends recess before lunch for elementary schools, but schools are free to ignore recommendations.
"The crunch of No Child Left Behind has made teachers nervous about instructional time and time to reteach kids who aren't getting it, so we're seeing recess get taken away," Purkey said.
"And even when a school has recess, some schools use it for discipline and take it away if a child didn't do well academically," she said. "That's backwards from what the research tells us is good for kids.
"The Department of Education has never required recess because we never thought anyone would want to drop it," she said, "but it looks like we need to require it, and we probably need to help schools understand why children need it."
"We obviously need to pick up this conversation and continue it," said Brent Boggs, the House of Delegates majority leader from Braxton County. "Daily exercise seems like the most basic way we could help with childhood obesity and lower type 2 diabetes. We can pay for it now or pay much more later in medical costs and lack of workplace productivity."
The state School Building Authority gives counties money to build new gyms and other school facilities, but it usually wants counties to come up with part of the money first, "and people aren't in the mood to vote for that," Chapman said. That's another reason for looking at physical activity, he said. Levies that included gymnasiums failed recently in Jackson and Marion counties, he noted.
Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of Alliance for a Healthier Generation, sponsored by the American Heart Association, oversees a network of 14,000 schools. "When it's done well, it's not an either/or," she said. "Both physical education and less formal physical activity are part of the overall equation for childhood obesity prevention."
Senator Wells is leery that physical activity might have no structure. "If they just let kids out for recess and call it physical activity, you could end up with half the kids standing around texting," he said.
Trained people should led the sessions, and they should involve all students, Purkey said.
"It may not be something we can fix all at once," Boggs said. "But we could at least start to fix the problem and maybe look at some pilot projects."
Wells is submitting a new resolution, this time requesting that the Joint Committee on Government and Finance conduct "a study of multiple topics, all related to health, nutrition and wellness programs in public schools; including fitness requirements, nutrition in school meals and the inclusion of West Virginia food products in school meals."
"We need to look at the whole problem and make sure we do something effective," he said.
"We'd be glad to have that conversation," Purkey said.


Why yes, the headline refers to Van Morrison's hit, which you can listen to here. It's been an alarming three months since I sat down to ponder my education, but I had my reasons. I spent 205(!) hours working the some seriously amazing middle school students. My college coursework broke me for about a week in the middle of the semester and I had to hike my way back to the summit, sick and tired. All while planning a wedding and working 20 or so hours at my part time job. I had to learn a few hard lessons this semester. The great thing is what I did learn can be connected to my future students and classroom. The best part? I'll still be learning next semester. The greatest illustration I have managed to come up with about what life is like (especially for college students) is that you are like the local highway system – always under construction and never really finished. You're always going to need help from others to patch up your hurts, your stress and your pain. And you'll never be perfect or know everything.
I learned plenty from my students. I learned that strength looks different in each kid. I learned that even in a place where it looks like everyone is the same, the diversity of ideas, hopes, dreams and beliefs will warm your heart for the future of your community and your country. I learned that kids struggle just as much as adults with life, love and the rest – and at times they're just as scared as we are. But I also learned of the great courage and strength that rests within this small souls – that they look at the world in ways we've forgotten. That they care for so many things – great and small. And that sometimes all it takes to settle the storm in their world is Twenty One Pilots playing in a classroom. I learned that they do want to learn – and that sometimes it takes us stepping into their world for a brief moment to make a hail Mary pass that, when it works, connects like a 4th and down play of desperation. And the students go wild, metaphorically.
I learned that I have much more to learn about learning. I discovered that some students respond to me while others don't – and that's OK. I just have to find out how to reach the non responsive one in a different way again and again until the spark hits rock and we get a fire that threatens to consume the student's passion. That each of us has something we love. Be it writing, drawing, dancing, playing a instrument, riding a horse, or reading everything in the world – each of our students has a thing. We need to find that thing. We're like Indiana Jones seeking the treasure of engaging with our students. Eventually we find it. It might take three (four if you count 'Crystal Skull') movies and a lotta hi-jinks, but it's possible.
In a few weeks I'll be stepping into a high school classroom. I'll be the rookie, again. Getting to know names. Figuring out the lay of the land. Understanding how the school works. Discovering a new group of students. Missing my old ones. And learning. Lots of learning. My challenge to you is this – how can you be a life long learner? Take a step back and think about your life and/or your career. How are you open to learning new things? Experiencing new perspectives? Willing to give up you precious block or piece of cheese and let someone show you how to use it better?
We all need to realize how big the world is, how small we are within it and how we can make the biggest difference in the lives of those we work with, go to school with, spend time with and live with – discovering what we can learn from each other. Here's to doing a better job of all of that in 2017!


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Bears Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich a Possible Colorado Coaching Candidate: Report
Helfrich is in his first season with the Bears after coaching four seasons at Oregon
Published Nov 18, 2018 at 1:21 PM
Head coach Mark Helfrich of the Oregon Ducks looks on during their game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 19, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In the midst of a six-game losing streak, the University of Colorado has announced that head coach Mike MacIntyre will not be returning to the Buffaloes next season, and there is one potential name to replace him that may interest fans of the Chicago Bears.
According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Colorado A.D. Rick George is hoping to land a recognizable name to replace MacIntyre, and one of the names under consideration right now is that of Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich.
Helfrich, who was hired by Bears head coach Matt Nagy as the team's coordinator this season, does have previous experience at the collegiate level, serving as the head coach of Oregon from 2013 to 2016. He was also the offensive coordinator at the school under former head coach Chip Kelly, where the duo pioneered one of the most creative and impactful offenses in the NCAA.
Rittenberg's report also mentioned Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin, West Virigina head coach Dana Holgorsen, and Syracuse head coach Dino Babers as potential options for Colorado to explore.


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Sydewynder is an open-source SMS receiver and sender application written in Python for the Nokia S60 phones. It can automate the responses of messages and can be used as a mobile application server in areas where setting up a traditional server may be difficult or illegal. It also is very useful for prototyping mobile applications, such as games, without the burden of expensive hosting. As such, it works very well in educational settings. It even includes an emulator for developing scripts off of the phones.
Sydewynder requires the latest version of Python for the S60 (>= 1.4.0). If you are using earlier version of PyS60, please update your phone with the latest software.
To install Sydewynder, copy the contents inside the "sydewynder-x.x" directory into the E:\Python\ directory on your S60 phone (this should be the memory card). Sydewynder comes with "Pig Latin", "Ask Tom Cruise", and "We Feel Fine" as example scripts, as well as arcade.py, which will run all of them from a single server instance. Feel free to look at how the files are constructed and modify them for your own purposes. Pay special attention to the comments, as they will make developing new apps for Sydewynder much easier.
Scripts developed off-phone can be run like any other Python script if the syde_emu.py module is in the same directory. When you run your script from the command line, a crude emulator will appear and guide you through a typical interaction between cell phone users and the Sydewynder app you have created.
This project was featured on the front page of the CDT department website.
It was also part of Paul Notzold's Ask Tom piece, which was on display at the Chelsea Art Museum for the Parsons 10 Years Running show. Participants were asked to text a question to a number and received back a random (or is it?!) quote from a famous celebrity whose name rhymes with Bomb Booze. The phone "server" running Sydewynder stayed up for about two weeks straight without much of a problem.
If you're using Sydewynder, be sure to drop a comment on the Sourceforge forum and let us know what you've done with it. And be sure to post there if you need help or run into any bugs.
Sydewynder is copyright 2007 Mike Edwards and is licensed to you under the GPL version 2.0. "Ask Tom" was developed with Paul Notzold. "We Feel Fine" uses the amazing wefeelfine.org API to work its magic.
A new cell phone? Ho-hum. A new cell phone running on free software? It's been done, but you've got my attention. A new cell phone running on free software, using completely open hardware? And they'll give you the tools to bust it open and make it easy to solder stuff onto its I2C port? RAWK!
Kinda makes you wonder... what would YOU hook up to a cell phone, if you could? Gets me wondering about some of the tech I saw in Malawi, particularly in the health sector.
Stunt Phone! Just a quick gallery I put together to show some of the possibilities for what a fearless phone can do. Since the mobile-hone cameras are so small, tough, and wireless, they can take stills and movies from interesting and dangerous places. Kind of like Jackass for cell-phone dorks.