Just showing you guys a few pics that we took recently. Bonn is just about 7 months old and is getting big quickly. He can now pretty much sit up on his own and push himself up off the floor. He is making lots of funny expressions and sounds as well. Pretty wild.
A simple txt vote can save a child's life.
Michelle and I are friends with a terrific couple at church (Justin and Stefanie Boyce). They have 2 beautiful children who have been diagnosed with a rare disease called Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS III). It is a genetic disorder that will end their lives in their teen years. You can read more about MPS here. Pepsi is holding a donation project through the end of January called Pepsi Refresh. They give away different amounts of money to organizations based on the number of votes. Currently Sanfilippo has moved into first place for the $250,000 money spot to help with research for a bunch of possible treatments and cures that may be on the horizon (currently there are NONE). All you have to do is txt the number 105582 (the MPS organizations number) to 73774 (Pepsi). You can also log onto Pepsi's website here and vote through entering your email (each different email can vote). Also, again through Facebook apps. You can vote once a day through all these different mediums. PLEASE VOTE EVERYDAY… WE NEED TO KEEP THEM IN FIRST PLACE. Thanks guys!
For a while now Michelle and I have been wanting to get outside with Bonn for some family pictures. We were finally able to grab a couple hours to do just that. A good friend of mine and great photographer, Josh Gore, was kind enough to shoot these for us at the local forest preserve. Thanks Josh! It was a beautiful day and Bonn did really well overall. Enjoy.
Here are a few recent pictures of Bonn that have been taken at various times and events in the last couple weeks.
Bonn doing what I call "The Jesus".
Bonn with great grandpa Piwowar.
"My name is Bonn… just Bonn." This was a little tuxedo that our friend Andrea made for him for a wedding. It was awesome!
Today it's been one year since we lost our son Chance. My, how time flies. Not a day goes by that we do not think of our little Chance. He was our first child and we will never forget him. We will always be sad for the loss of him, but we know God is a good God and His reasons are also good. Knowing that helps to ease the pain of losing him. Today Jay, myself, Bonn, my mom, my dad, my two brothers and Jay's mom all went to the cemetery to put flowers on his grave. It was an emotional time for everyone but there was some happiness in knowing he is in Heaven. Jay's mom read the poem below. There is also a picture of Chance's headstone.
It doesn't mean I'm gone.
But that won't soften your worst blow..
Or gazed into your eyes..
*Thank-you Allison for the poem.
So I finally got around to doing a few quick studio shots with Bonn before he started growing much bigger. We are glad we got these done and plan on getting a few more with the three of us together shortly. Enjoy these for now.
The three of us have been home now for about a week without interruption. Bonn is doing well. His yellowness is starting to fade which is a nice sign to see. He is sleeping fairly well through the night, waking up about every 3-5 hours for a changing and to get fed. He is opening his eyes a little more with every passing day and starting to make some really funny faces (I think mostly when he is getting ready to rip one). It has been a lot of fun so far. Michelle is doing well. She is doing the majority of the waking up and taking care of him because now I am back at work and she can afford to catch up on sleep throughout the day when Bonn sleeps. Riggs (our Siberian husky) is handling the big transition well and in a gentle manner. He is a bit curious as you will see in the pictures and finds himself following us around with Bonn. We have found him sleeping in front of the crib in what seems to be an act of protection which is really neat to see. All in all it hasn't been bad in the least. We feel very blessed to have such a beautiful healthy boy. Some family stopped by to see him and to have him meet his relatives. I got some pics (more on the gallery page) of all this and some of his bath time too. Michelle even snapped the "classic" pic of Bonn and I napping together. Enjoy.
We are home now from the hospital. The doctors gave Bonn the go-ahead to go home however we have to keep him on a blanket light over the next couple days and take him in for a couple checkups to make sure the bilirubin stays at bay. Right now the level is around 16 which should continue to go down over the next couple days. As long as it does not raise back towards 20 there should be no problems. Bonn does not seem to mind or even notice the light continually shining on him 24/7 which is good. He is sleeping very well right now, only waking up about every 4 hours for a quick feeding then back to sleep. After we got him home and settled with his light blanket I snapped this photo of him looking like a glow-worm.
All three of us were able to go home Monday evening from the hospital and it was wonderful. We were preparing to jump right into a routine with our new son, however a small bump in the road has prevented this from happening (at least for one more day). We were called quickly back into the hospital to get Bonn's jaundice under control before it becomes very serious. At birth, Bonn has had a slightly high level of bilirubin, a count of 9, to be exact. We had his first pediatric appointment today and got some more blood work done. The new count came back at 19. This threw up a few red flags because at 25 the chemical levels can do brain damage. So Mic and I rushed him right back to the hospital where they immediately threw on some goofy protective sunglasses and under the UV light. This light helps his body to get rid of the bilirubin at a quick rate. So the poor little guy needs to sit under this light for at least 24 hours. So it is one more night in the hospital beds instead of our own (which is ok I suppose because we realize this is NOT a super serious condition and are grateful that this is the only thing wrong with him). That being said, we would appreciate the prayers that his body rids the bilirubin quickly and that he stays calm during the whole time. It is a little tough not being able to hold our new baby when he cries in his little "light incubator". I have some pics below and on the gallery page. We will keep you all posted on how he does over the next 24 hours.
IT'S A BOY! And his name is Bonn.
Our son, Bonn Vernon Jenison was born yesterday at 6:05pm weighing in at 7lbs. 11oz. and is doing great. He is beautiful and perfect. Michelle is doing extremely well too. We feel so blessed and grateful for a great and loving God and dear friends and family who supported us through everything. Thank you so much. There are pictures on the gallery page that you can view. Can't wait for you all to meet him!
Author adminPosted on June 27, 2010 2 Comments on IT'S A BOY! And his name is Bonn.


Footage posted on Iranian social media accounts on June 30 shows scenes of the protests on the streets of Khorramshahr. In the footage, the shooting of a man, who lies dead in the street, is blamed on the police, and citizens allege that the police attack shops and break their windows and then accuse the citizens of doing the damage.
Man 1: "The hawza [Shiite seminary] in Khorramshahr is being torched. They have also torched the new bridge."
People are seen running in the street, gunfire is heard. One man seems to be wounded and unable to stand. Others help him.
Protestors: "Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!"
Man 2: "This is Khorramshahr, June 30. A policeman killed somebody with a bullet."
Protestors: "Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!"
Man 3: "What's going on?"
Man 4: "The police are attacking a shop. They are breaking the windows, so that they can later say that the people did this."


Last night I had the pleasure of introducing John Hagel at a TEDxBayArea event. He came to talk with us about The Power of Pull, his new book with John Seely Brown and Lang Davison, and the broad-based shifts in our organizational and social environment. Others have written great general reviews about the book (e.g., here & here) , so I don't feel guilty about putting a systems savvy filter on my comments. I see The Power of Pull as emphasizing the need for systems savvy management. That is, the environmental shifts described in the book demand that you use a solid understanding of available technology tools, organizational practices, and human capabilities to weave together effective organizational and personal action. The Power of Pull also gives us examples of what this weaving might look like.
First wave of the Big Shift: New platforms built on the Internet. This wave has already arrived.
Second wave: Focus on flows versus stockpiles of knowledge. Our feet are wet on this one. Facebook, Twitter, corporate and employee blogs, customer-built technical support -- these are at the forefront of this wave.
Third wave: Organizational changes that result from the forces of the first two waves. The emerging business relationships built on communication from throughout organizations are examples of this wave. SAP, for example, opened enough of its technical "secret sauce" to engage a number of partners who could then develop SAP innovations independent of SAP own engineers. Turns out these efforts are beneficial to all.
Master the strength of weak ties. Use technology tools like LinkedIn or Facebook to access people outside of your usual circle. Then find or create opportunities to meet face-to-face in ways that support your passion -- just sharing coffee is not enough, you need to focus on work-related issues to understand each others' relative strengths and who else you might want to bring into the network.
Grow your personal ecosystem. Use technology tools both inside and outside your organization to find activities that can support your tasks (perhaps a community of practice). If you don't find any, build one. Use technology and organizational practice to strengthen the infrastructure in terms of its focus on learning, building a common language, being a repository of good ideas). Have a system in place for finding new members over time.
Choose wisely where you live and spend time to be in the right place at the right time. Use your technology tools to track the right times and places. Start relationships before you get there and use your tools to maintain the relationships over time.
Find environments where people share your passions. For me the critical term is "share." Find the environment and then share. This may be face to face, over the Internet, or a hybrid approach where you meet occasionally. The conference behaviors John describes are great for keeping your (and others') enthusiasm high.
Join a creation space. My favorite. Be it face to face or virtual, engage with people to create along the lines of your passion. For me this is finding the opportunity to engage with others who use systems savvy on the job. By working together we can tackle the bigger problems or use our diversity of background to solve the tricky small ones.
My summary: Use available (or acquirable) technology tools and organizational practices to build your ecosystem and then do something with it. Play fair -- be a producer as well as an acquirer from the social network. Appreciate that small twists and turns made at the right time result in strong, beautiful, work.


How do expectations in life color your actual experiences? Do you think one has anything to do with the other?
The picture above drove me crazy as a kid – it was in a book we had on optical illusions and while I could see both women in the picture easily, the fact that the picture told you that there were two women in the picture right off the bat gave me the expectation to see two women. This bothered me – I wanted to know what I would see if I hadn't been told ahead of time that there were two people in the drawing. Who would I have seen? The "wife" or the "mother-in-law"? No idea but an expectation had been set and I'm pretty sure it affected my experience of the "trick".
We have expectations for everything in life. Many of them are unconscious ones – we don't purposely try to set up expectations but it is something that happens over time from early experiences or things that are taught to us. To give you an idea of just how pervasive expectations in our life are, think about a random day in your week.
Before you go to bed at night, you have expectations about how your day will go tomorrow. You have expectations for the quality or quantity of your sleep. You have an idea of what your commute will be like or whether your boss will be in a good or bad mood. A meeting being run by a co-worker who drives you crazy is likely to be a meeting that drives you crazy. A lunch date with a friend you are excited to catch up with is likely to be a happy point in your day. By mid-afternoon you've already made an intention as to how your evening will go – maybe you've decided to hit a class at your gym or maybe you've decided what you need is happy hour and a big plate of wings. You may already be dreading a meeting at your son's school or a dentist appointment later in the week. Or you may be excited about a concert you're going to when the weekend finally gets here. Your whole day, week and month is filled with expectations.
Our expectations wholly affect our experience. And while often our experience is where we developed those expectations in the first place, it doesn't mean we have to accept every expectation as permanent and unchangeable, especially if it's inviting a whole bunch of negative feelings and thoughts into our lives. Yuck. Who wants that? Our brains are incredibly powerful machines and if we repeat a story over and over, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our beliefs influence our behavior – we make choices that can make something true that may not have been likely in reality. If you want a happier life, you have a responsibility to question the expectations you have that are repeatedly causing unhappiness or negativity in your life.
If you see other people as being out to "get you", if you think that only bad stuff happens to you or that everything in the world is black and white – that's exactly what you are going to get.
If you think there is a big conspiracy, there is. If you think life is hard, it absolutely is. If you think you don't deserve love or will never find it, you won't.
The same can be said for lifestyle or diet changes – if you think you can't do it, you can't. If you think it's too hard, it is. If you think getting healthy, fit or losing weight is for someone else, it is. If you think cooking is a pain in the arse, it is!
If you think everything that happens to you is set in stone and out of your control, it is.
But the reverse is also true!
If you think most people are generally kind, they are. If you believe that there is a lot of good in your life, there is. If you think you deserve love, you do. If you think working out is worth it, it is. If you think eating healthy can taste and feel good, it will.
If you think you have a choice in creating a life you will love, you do!
We can choose to question the expectation that are causing a negative affect in our life even if most of our previous experiences in that area caused us to have expectation to begin with. We come to accept things as truth, often from just one or two experiences – and that's not always correct. Questioning the stuff we don't really need in our lives gives us the opportunity to change it. When we question a belief or expectation, what we are really doing is deciding whether we want to play the role of victim or champion/hero in our lives.
For example, is it really possible that every person in your life is out to "get you"? It's highly unlikely. What's more likely is that a past experience has taught you to look for the negative in people close to you (making minor flaws major ones) or by causing you to choose to get close to people who are the type who will take advantage of you. If you expect all people want to see how they can benefit from you, those are the type of folks you will attract into your circle. You can change this story by setting some boundaries. Eleanor Roosevelt wasn't joking when she said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." No one can take advantage of you if you don't let them. Set boundaries and start looking for people who want to lift you up. They are out there – I swear.
Another example, do you really think it's absolutely not possible for you to get fit? Why do you think this? Unless you have an extreme medical condition, it's highly unlikely. What's more likely is that you've tried diets in the past and failed on them because they were either too restrictive or because you weren't able to follow the plan as outlined for as long as required. Or you couldn't get fit because you only did exercise that you hated or was too advanced (leading to injury). This type of thinking (that it's not possible for you) often leads to poorer health, as our belief that there's something inherently lacking about us gives us a carte blanche to go to the other extreme. You can change this story by questioning your earlier experiences (ok, did I really try that hard to get fit? Was I honest about how much effort I put in?) and by choosing more reasonable / less restrictive approaches in the future, so that you can have success and stay on the path for long term.
One final example as to how our expectations can influence reality: you think you're going to have trouble falling asleep tonight as you've had trouble falling asleep for weeks. While not sleeping is a concrete experience – it usually has a cause that can be mediated. What's likely happening is you've now developed an anxiety or fear around bedtime because of a few sleepless nights, that now leave you too amped up to actually fall asleep, which causes you to have another crappy night, and expect yet again another crappy night! It's a horrible cycle to get into. There are many reasons why we have trouble sleeping – but there are lots of things that can be done to help us get back to sleep. Maybe because of the anxiety you've developed around bedtime you've found yourself laying in bed playing with your smartphone until the wee hours. The light from the phone can actual signal to your brain that it's not time to sleep – furthering your inability to sleep! You can change this story by questioning all your activities leading up to bedtime (chocolate after dinner? exercise before bed? smartphone?) and by creating a bedtime ritual that allows you to relax (epsom salt bath? breathing exercises? regular book reading?) and by letting go of the fear around it. It takes some practice (like the other examples) but you can be successful changing this situation.
I urge you to take a look at areas of your life that you have repeated negative thoughts or feeling about and think about how you can change it. Do you want to feel like a victim in your own life (I have no control in this situation.) or like a champion (My actions influence the outcome.)?
I don't know about you, but I never want to feel like a victim! I want to have good experiences as much as possible and I think deep down you do too.
Are you aware of negative expectations in your life? What do you think you need to do to change this? Share in the comments.
This entry was posted in Primary Food, Real Life and tagged change your outcome, expectations, experiences, perception vs. reality, victim vs. champion on March 10, 2015 by Andrea Quigley Maynard.


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Q: How to convert a number in the following format 20160715 into Date format like 15/07/2015 In access database i have the query in thre following format
IIf([x]=0,0,(Mid(Trim(Str([x])),5,2) & "/" & Mid(Trim(Str([x])),7,2) & "/" & Left(Trim(Str([x])),4)))

What would be the query in sql server?

A: I would convert it from a string to a date time, and then back to the format you need it to be such as:
convert(varchar,convert(datetime,yourvariable,112),103)

Formats : https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-GB/library/ms187928.aspx

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Ennedi Est (arabisch: إنيدي الشرقية) ist eine Provinz des Tschad, die 2012 aus der Region Ennedi hervorgegangen ist. Sie scheint dasselbe Gebiet zu umfassen wie das frühere Departement Ennedi Est. Die Hauptstadt der Region ist Am-Djarass. Der derzeitige Gouverneur der Region ist General Hassan Djorobo.

Lage
Die Provinz grenzt im Norden an Libyen, im Osten an den Sudan, im Süden an die Region Wadi Fira und im Westen an die Provinz Ennedi Ouest. Geografisch gesehen ist die Region Teil der Wüste Sahara.

Die Nordgrenze der Provinz liegt innerhalb des Aouzou-Streifens, der historisch gesehen ein Streitpunkt zwischen dem Tschad und Libyen ist.

Siedlungen
Am-Djarass ist die Hauptstadt der Provinz; weitere wichtige Siedlungen sind Bahaï, Bao Billiat, Kaoura und Mourdi.

Demographie
Die wichtigsten ethnolinguistischen Gruppen sind die Dazaga Toubou und die Zaghawa.

Einzelnachweise

EnnediEst

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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This is Not a Four Star Review
@mattsinger
In his review of Jafar Panahi's "This is Not a Film," Roger Ebert calls it "an extraordinary act of courage." He says that it includes "a final scene of overwhelming power" and adds that he would like to show Panahi's (not a) film "to those in the United States who are in favor of a close union of church and state." He does not say what weaknesses, if any, he found in it. Nevertheless, he gives "This is Not a Film" three and a half stars out of a possible four. It's very good, in other words, but it's not great.
On Twitter, Movies.com writer David Ehrlich responded to Ebert's star rating with confusion and frustration. "He knows stars are arbitrary," Ehrlich tweeted, adding that this film "needs an audience & vice-versa." A four star review from a critic of Ebert's stature and influence, Ehrlich noted, can greatly improve a small movie's prospects; a three and a half star review somewhat less so. If the movie is as good as Ebert says and if it has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to culture and maybe even human rights around the world (the Iranian Panahi is in the midst of a long, ongoing battle with the government of Iran over his right to free expression), should he have granted it the extra half star?
Ehrlich's tweets prompted a long, thoughtful response from Corey Atad at his Just Atad blog. In attempting to delineate the difference between a three and a half star and a four star movie, he cites Ebert's explanation in an old Movie Answer Man column: "Three and a half," he wrote, "is a very good rating, meaning all a movie lacked was an ineffable tingle at the base of my spine." "So it sounds," Atad says, "like though he thought very highly of 'This Is Not a Film,' it didn't quite give him that 'ineffable tingle' that, say, 'A Separation' did earlier this year."
I don't know any critic that enjoys giving out star ratings. If it's not the worst part of the job, it's certainly the most difficult (okay the second most difficult, just behind sitting through Katherine Heigl movies). I write regularly for two different outlets — ScreenCrush and Time Out Chicago — that use totally different ratings systems. ScreenCrush has a 1-10 number system; 10 is "Citizen Kane," 1 is "What Was Katherine Heigl's Last Movie Called?" No half points allowed. Time Out Chicago has a five star rating system, no half stars allowed. That can often make things complicated, or at least incredibly vague. In a five star system with no half stars, you might award three stars to anything from "flawed but admirably ambitious" to "solid but not exceptional." Sometimes a movie might seem better than three stars but not worthy of four, and you have to figure out whether to round up or down (something I struggled with recently when I reviewed the Norwegian teen comedy "Turn Me On, Dammit!" for Time Out New York).
Ebert uses half stars, but his maximum rating is four, not five. So then there becomes a whole conversion factor. If "This is Not a Film" is three and a half out of four stars, what's that out of five stars? Or ten? Who knows.
This is all a very long-winded way of saying that stars have their place, but they don't have much meaning. If you really want to know what a critic's thinking, don't just glance at the stars; read the review. In his piece, Atad weighs a critic's various responsibilities when doling out stars: to the film, to the public, to himself, and ultimately decides that the responsibility really belongs to the reader:
"It's all a personal decision. Ebert decided to prioritize his personal experience over the potential importance of the film. Other critics might decide otherwise. There are no rules, and I really think it's up to the critic's taste."
I agree. The only thing I try to do with star ratings — the only thing a critic can do with them — is apply them consistently. The critic must treat his stars the way a baseball umpire treats his strike zone: it should be the same, letters to knees, for every player (or movie). Albert Pujols shouldn't get more favorable calls just because he's such an incredible hitter and Jafar Panahi doesn't automatically deserve an extra half star simply because he's an incredible director. Like star ratings, balls and strikes can appear pretty black and white from an outside perspective, but one must always consider the human element involved. The umpire calls it as he sees it, just like the critic. You may not agree, but that's part of the fun: the room for different interpretations and the opportunity for conversations about different viewpoints.
For Ebert, the difference between three and a half and four stars is a spine tingle. In this case, he didn't feel one. Ebert does indeed have a powerful and influential platform at his disposal, but if he started handing out higher or lower ratings because of who made what movie, he wouldn't keep it for very long. And besides, as he puts it, three and a half stars is a "very good rating." I imagine "An Extraordinary Act of Courage!" would look just as good as a poster as a couple of stars.
Read more of Roger Ebert's review of "This is Not a Film."
Read more of Corey Atad's "Do Film Critics Have a Responsibility to Bolster 'Important' Movies?"
This Article is related to: News and tagged David Ehrlich, Roger Ebert Fellowship

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Miss Crabb Atomic Dress – in Tangelo.
A truly great rental ! Girls adore this flattering high cut neckline and low back. Miss Crabb creates such wonderful pieces this bias-cut mini dress in silk crepe de chine is stunning. One size fits most. Wear with wrap tie or leave loose.We have three Atomics black and chilli ( orange/red tone ) and a lighter tone called Tangelo. Last pic shows the chilli and tangelo side by side. Slight difference with Tangelo (on the right being lighter). We recommend a smaller/average bust for this style. Size on Tag: OSFA Recommended size: 6-12.
Miss Crabb Atomic Dress – in Chilli.
Miss Crabb Dreams Rock Dress in Shiny Black.
Another stunning full length dress by Miss Crabb. Flattering bias-cut, low cut V-neck at the back and high cut neck line at the front. Stunning black shiny fabric with matching sash that can be tied different ways. A very beautiful classic Miss Crabb piece. Size on Tag: OSFA Recommended size: 8-14.
Sisters the Label – Embellished Multiway Gown.
You cannot beat this dress for a statement. The ' Nearly Naked ' Embellished Multiway Gown from Sisters the Label is beautiful. It is crafted from 100% pure flowing floor length silk & hand embellished french tulle overlay with more than 5000+ delicate gold sequins. Accompanied with an extra large long silk sash to wrap around your waistline for a more streamline look. The "Multiway Gown" can be styled more than 6 ways to flatter and suit every body type. This gorgeous full flowing skirt features an elegant thigh high split at the side front & an elasticised waistband to accentuate your waist. The"Multiway Gown" will add that perfect touch of elegance to your wardrobe! One size fits most.
A truly great rental ! Girls adore this flattering high cut neckline and low back. Miss Crabb creates such wonderful pieces this bias-cut mini dress in silk crepe de chine is stunning. One size fits most. Wear with wrap tie or leave loose.We have three Atomics black and chilli ( orange/red tone ) and a lighter tone called Tangelo. Last pic shows the chilli and tangelo side by side. Slight difference with Tangelo (on the right being lighter). We recommend a smaller/average bust for this style. Black is cheaper as there is a small thinning to fabric in one area at front. Size on Tag: OSFA Recommended size: 6-12.
Miss Crabb Rise Dress in Red – One size.
The classic go-to Miss Crabb style. The Rise dress is full and floaty with short loose sleeves. Can be worn loose as well as belted and comes with matching silk sash. We have in red.


Rotary Letters, Black Letter on coloured Backgrounds 33mm x 7mm. 20 labels per sheet.
Colour coding provides bands of colour, quickly identifying misplaced files and speeding up retrieval time by up to 40%.
Rotary Letters, Black Letter on White Background. 33mm x 7mm. 20 labels per sheet.
Identifies misplaced files and speeds up retrieval time by up to 40%.
33mm x 7mm. 20 labels per sheet.
Rotary Colour Flash labels. 33mm x 7mm. 20 labels per sheet.
Colour coding provides bands of colour, quickly identifying misplaced files and speeding up retrieval time by up to 40%. The colour flash is designed to identify different types of files quickly.
Filecorp offers filing systems, consultancy services, cabinetry and software solutions that help clients manage and store their records in the most efficient manner possible.
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Based in Auckland - Wellington - Christchurch, Filecorp service New Zealand and export to Australia and the Cook Islands.
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If you need help with starting a file system, designing a coding format, optimising what you have or even deciding what to archive and what to keep we can help.


George Kormas, a senior manager in the Piraeus Bank Group and the CEO of Piraeus Real Estate, announced on Friday that Greek tourism, and the hotel sector in particular, have improved significantly in terms of quality and supply. The welcome news comes just before the much-anticipated tourist season of 2019 begins.
Addressing an event organized by the Spanish embassy in Athens, Kormas noted that the Greek capital is expecting an increase of 5,000 beds, while the capacity of five-star hotels in the city has increased an impressive 30 percent since 2011.
Referring to the investment outlook of the tourism sector, Kormas underlined that Greece has improved its position as one of the world's top tourism destinations. At the same time, he noted that there were challenges facing the sector as its course depends on foreign demand.
This market is always subject to under economic pressure from international competition and an upgrade of the tourist product.
The event was attended by Spanish enterprises interested in the domestic real estate market. Kormas presented Piraeus Bank's strategy in the real estate market, and said that Piraeus Real Estate was a top choice and strategic partner for any investor interested in the Greek real estate market.


In the current economic environment where businesses are implementing efficiencies at every level, maximising business performance demands a change in thinking to engaging your employees.
Every CEO has a vision; the challenge is to enable and inspire employees to carry out this vision. To achieve the transformation that will deliver a truly engaged workforce requires employees to become more intrinsic to the business strategy.
A key consideration is how to influence the underlying drivers for employee engagement? Of course, employee engagement is nothing new but the type of engagement that can be truly transformational is all too uncommon. Here are five tips to help you improve employee engagement and drive success.
The greater responsibility lies with the CEO and management to engage with their people; and the ownership of any engagement program should be shared by the architects of the business strategy. Two-way communication between management and employees is key to a successful journey of employee engagement. Not only does it build trust between management and employees but it forms the basis for personable engagement, emotional attachment, involvement and commitment by all parties.
Research demonstrates that individuals whose personal values are aligned with their employer's culture are more engaged and are more likely to stay longer in the role and become organisational advocates or ambassadors.
The goal is for employees to understand the vision and values and how their role links to the business' goals. Successful organisations instil belief and behaviour in a targeted, personalised and purposeful way where all programs, policies and operations are aligned. Central to delivering exceptional customer experiences, key behaviours have to be identified and each area of the organisation has to understand its role in realising the vision to achieve success.
A common failing with many organisations is not understanding the culture as their employees see it. Companies who actively engage employees can measure their competitive edge in the form of increased profitability, productivity and customer loyalty as well as decreased employee turnover, safety incidents, and absenteeism.
While program metrics of success can be focused on top level executive requirements, acknowledging the successes and improvements as well as engaging all employees in a manner that's relevant to their jobs will encourage active participation in the journey. When working together towards a common goal, the collective force of engaged employees can bring companies to new levels of innovation, growth, and bottom-line results.


Situated on hilly drumlins, this park borders and provides access to the busy Trent River south of Campbellford. Scenic bluffs carved out of limestone bedrock provide a view of picturesque Ranney Falls. Overgrown stone fences and cleared meadows are relics of farms once worked here.
Ferris Provincial Park has 2 campground areas.
There are 163 campsites at this Park.
There is 1 review of Ferris Provincial Park.


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Tourism Ireland reaches 3 million Facebook fans
Social media marketing is vital element of Tourism Ireland's global promotional programme
Tourism Ireland now fourth biggest tourism board in the world on Facebook
Tourism Ireland has reached three million fans on Facebook around the world, making it the fourth most popular tourism board on the popular social networking site – after Australia, the United States and Britain.
Social media marketing is a hugely important element of Tourism Ireland's global promotional programme to highlight the island of Ireland. And the organisation's 'social footprint' is considerable, with more than 50 social media presences in total – including Facebook pages in 15 markets, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest and YouTube, as well as Sina Weibo and WeChat in China. Tourism Ireland has more than 300,000 followers on Twitter at the last count, making it the number two tourism agency in the world, after Britain; it is also second among tourist boards (after Australia) on YouTube, with more than 21 million views.
Reaching three million fans on Facebook is significant for a number of reasons. Each fan has an average of 200 friends – so Tourism Ireland is just one click away from having its messages and photos shared each week with a potential 600 million friend connections worldwide. Tourism Ireland estimates that the value of the conversations about holidays in Ireland generated by its three million Facebook fans – will be worth about €15/£10.5 million this year (i.e. what those conversations, if paid for as advertising, would cost).
Commenting on the three million milestone, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: "Social media, including Facebook, provides a really valuable platform for promoting the island of Ireland, giving us access to a global audience of millions of potential holidaymakers. However, it's not just about the numbers – it is also the quality of the conversation we can have with our fans and how we engage with them about Ireland. We know that activity on our Facebook pages is driving traffic to our website – Ireland.com – and, most importantly, to our industry partner websites, where they can make those bookings and 'close the sale'."
Tourism Ireland has grown its Facebook fanbase from a couple of thousand at the beginning of 2010 to the grand total of over three million fans today, across 15 markets – including Great Britain, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the Gulf Countries (English and Arabic versions). The organisation also has Facebook pages for specific topics, including Ireland's Family History and Titanic Stories. Fan numbers continue to grow across all markets.
As part of its overall strategy, Tourism Ireland uses social media to inspire people everywhere to come and visit the island of Ireland. The growth to three million fans comes on the back of a major push by Tourism Ireland across its main markets, to engage digitally with prospective visitors. Brian Harte, Tourism Ireland's head of Customer Engagement and eMarketing, said: "Tourism Ireland is very much committed to social media marketing and we are working hard to really maximise its impact, to grow the online tourism conversation about the island of Ireland around the globe, inspiring prospective holidaymakers to come and visit. Our aim is not just to simply grow our fanbase on Facebook – but to deepen the level of engagement with those fans through our messaging."
* Tourism Ireland's system of SEAV, or Social Equivalent Advertising Value, quantifies the value of its engagement with fans.
Brian Harte, Tourism Ireland's head of customer engagement and eMarketing; Sarah Fitzpatrick, Tourism Ireland's editor of Ireland.com; Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland; and Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland's central marketing director.
In 2014, we welcomed an estimated 8.4 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland, delivering revenue of about €4.1 billion.
3+ million Chinese to read about holidays on the island of Ireland


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Episode 161: Madeline Manning Mims' Olympics
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It's part 2 of interview with Madeline Manning Mims, the multi-medal winning Olympian and trailblazer who became an Olympic chaplain. We talk with her about her experiences at 3 Olympics and her part in the 1980 American-led boycott, all of which paved the way for her calling in her gamesmaking role.
You can learn more about Madeline's organization, the United States Council for Sports Chaplaincy at https://uscsc03.com.
Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!
Photo courtesy of Madeline Manning Mims.
Note: This is an uncorrected machine-generated transcript. It contains errors. Please do not quote from the transcript; use the audio file as the record of note. If you would like to see transcripts that are more accurate, please support the show.
[00:00:00] I
Madeline Manning Mims: was not born to just sit back and not do anything. I was born to run. So I'm gonna run mid the greatest festival of our contemporary society. The Olympic games is about to begin. This is gonna be they're all completely gas. It's giving it everything on the global pocket. Oh yeah. Oh, brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant.
But that is an Olympic
Jill: ready? Hello and welcome to another episode of keep the flame alive. The podcast for fans of the Olympics in Paralympics. I am your host. Jill. Jaracz joined as always by my lovely co-host Alison Brown, Alison. Hello. How are you today? a
Madeline Manning Mims: It's been a rough week in America.
Jill: it's been a rough week in America.
so our job,
Alison: this, I know our job this week is to not mention that. E word and make people
Jill: feel better. Exactly. Exactly. Oh, Hey, I got something that might make, make you feel better. Speaking of that. Oh yeah. So I ended up just getting a copy of David Millers, the official history of the Olympic games and the IOC Athens to Beijing 1894 to 2008.
This is part of my birthday present. And it, this is the official history from the IOC rings on like every page. Okay. And I, I kind of flipped through it a little bit. I'm gonna have to start digging soon and it's like, every games has a chapter and then they also talk about some IOC stuff. So every IOC president has a chapter, right.
So I was just curious about, you know, your buddy Avery and the chapter on Avery is called wayward fanatics. And it starts off with a excerpt from an address he gave. But let me redo the first paragraph of this chapter. Avery brandage was despotic, a moralistic bulldozer, fanatical defender of Dick Cooper.
Town's legacy loyal to close friends who were few and occasionally undeserving prominent engineer slash building contractor. And self-made billionaire champion, a public virtue and husband, his presidency, which was to last for 20 years, varied in style between that of God parent and bully. So it was unsurprising that his nickname was slavery bondage.
I have never heard that. Well, we're gonna learn. Oh wow. He was a, the best and occasionally the worst friend that the Olympic movement could have for his obsessive commitment to the past traditional sporting ideals at the 19th century and what he perceived as de Cooper town's philosophy, blinded him to the changes of an evolving society, almost all of which operated at a financial level out of sight and far below his acquired standard of living.
Nobody could have had better intentions yet such were his dogmatic and eventually isolated beliefs that by the end of his presidency, when he was in his ninth decade, his attitudes jeopardized the very institution that was the most cherished aspect of his life above and beyond family and friends. Now who wrote this, uh, David Miller, David Miller is now my new best.
Right? He's a journalist in, uh, in England. It seems like,
Alison: well, he is also now my new best friend. I know that was fan fantastic because he captured everything. I hated about Avery Brundage while acknowledging the success he had as president.
Jill: Right. So I have high hopes for this book. Yes. If the IOC is willing to talk quite frankly, about some of these things.
Can't wait
Alison: to dig in Dave and I will be having some tea when we're allowed to travel again. , I'll be showing up at his doorstep. I might terrify him, but then he'll understand
Jill: but I thought you wouldn't enjoy that.
Alison: I do slavery bondage. that? Would've been his B name.
Jill: I'm just now picturing like a 90 year old Avery brandage on one hand, like doing a, doing a Bboy move.
Alison: Well, he could spin on his belly.
that would be the brandage. Oh, geez. I feel
Jill: better already.
I. All right.
Well, we're gonna have a little bit of a different show to, for you today because, uh, I was an election poll worker. So my day on election day started at four 30 in the morning and we didn't leave the polls until about nine o'clock at night.
Then I was, uh, super giddy and up for until about one o'clock in the morning. So I'm exhausted and, uh, have to catch up on my other work too. So we're gonna do basically, uh, our second part of our interview with Madeline Manning Mims. But before we get to that, we wanted to remind you that we're still trying to get funding, to be [00:05:00] able to offer transcripts of our shows, help us with those efforts at patreon.com/flame live pod.
Or if you're interested in advertising on the show, email us at flame live pod, Gmail dot. So this week, we've got part two of our conversation with two time medalist, Madeline Manning Mims, Madeline became America's first and currently only female gold medalist in the 800 meter run, which she earned at her first Olympics in 1968 at Mexico city at Munich, 1972.
She didn't get out of the 800 meter semifinal, but did earn a silver medal in the four by 400 meter relay. She also had a tough race at Montreal, 1976, and then kept training and was named to the 1980 team that didn't go to the games because of the us boycott. Last week we learned about Madeline's work as an Olympic chaplain and this week we look at her Olympic career and how that played in her call to chaplaincy take a listen.
Okay. So I have a question about when you look back at how you got this calling, uh, I was reading a book about 1968 and your race mm-hmm and your, your competitor, uh, Vera Nili from Yugoslavia and she
Madeline Manning Mims: dropped out
Jill: of her race part way through in her semi-finals yeah. And then you went to, she was having some issues and, and you went to go find her before your finals.
Tell us a little bit
Madeline Manning Mims: about that story. That is powerful. Probably the, the one time where God really showed me who I was in, not only in the body of Christ, but in the whole spectrum of athletics, as far as it concerned me, I began to realize who I was through that scenario, Vera and I ran against each other the year before in the USA versus Europe games in Canada.
And. Were, I mean, it was, she was the best in the Eastern hemisphere, in the women's 800. And I was the best in the Western hemisphere in the women's 800. And we came together and it was huge news. It went over everything, you know, some of the best half mile women are going to face each other today, specifically, uh, Vera LIC and Madeline Manning.
Okay. So both of us were scared spitless you can imagine because the tension, the energy that was coming from both of us in preparation to race against each other was very, very high, long story made short. I beat her by a lie after she knocked me off the track into the infield and I got up and was mad enough to kill somebody and ran, caught her and out, leaned her at the, at the end of the race.
I was so sick after that race because some guy, I don't know who he was, but a big fat guy jumped out on the track. Right. As I was coming through, driving through and leaning with everything I had and caught me. And I don't know if he thought, because I was leaning so hard that I was gonna fall again, as I had did previously in the race, but he was gonna be there to be my savior.
And he just whipped me up and caught me around my midsection and it knocked me out. So they ended up having to take me into the French Canadian, uh, training room to help me. And while I was in there, somebody ran in and said, somebody is running. They said it in French and ran out and everybody ran out and I'm laying there on the table.
Half half aware of what is going on. I don't know what's going on. I was afraid of the guy cause nobody spoke English and I'm looking in these, all these white people's face and they talk in a different language and everything it's frightened me. And all of a sudden they disappear and I fall off the table and the fall gives me a real jolt.
And all of a sudden I have to go to the bathroom, both front end and back end. And I'm, I'm in this stall, sick as a dog and just hurting all over and totally confused and I'm crying. And at, at the time that I'm crying, I began to cry out to the. And I was mad. I was like, why did she hit me? You know, that was unfair.
She should be disqualified. You know, I'm talking to Laura about my situation and I'm, as I'm sitting on the potty feeling, you know, very sick from both ends and quietly. I mean, Lord, let me get over my tempera tantrum [00:10:00] and quietly Lord spoke to my heart and just said, Madeline, you don't ever have to hate anybody to be number one for in due time, I will raise you up.
And then my heart was so convicted because at one period of time, when she hit me and I fell to that ground and I thought your face is going in the mud, I was so angry with her that. I guess in my heart, I just want to kill her. I don't know how, but I was so mad and the Lord checked me on it right. In, in the potty, as I'm there in the stall, he checked me.
And like, you do not have to hate to be a champion in due time. I'll lift you up. And, and I start, I said, father, I, I I'm so sorry. I'm so you're right. I have no, I did not bring that woman into this earth and I have no right to even want to take her out. So I repented. And as soon as I did, the sickness went away.
I didn't feel sick anymore. I got up, I walked out. And so finally, when they were calling for us to come to the, the, uh, award stand, we got up there and we had to wait on her to get there. She gets there and she doesn't wanna be there first of all, because she's second. So. They announced our, everything that she would not allow them to put the metal around her neck.
She just took it in her hand. And while we were standing there, what put icing on the cake was they announced that I was the most outstanding female athlete of the meat . And during that, she took her medal and threw it into the crowd. And the girl from Germany was third. And she started hollering at her.
Good for you. If they had disqualified you in the first place, like they supposed to, I would be standing in your place. so that was inside of me. I was like, yes, yes. But I was like, I am not opening my mouth because I do not want that party experience again. I know, I know our place. So, this is how Vera and I started off, you know, almost just hating each other.
Okay. So we get to the Olympic games in Mexico the next year. And we end up in the semi-finals, uh, they're taking the first four. We both knew that that was no problem for us to make the finals. So I started running and at the end of the race, I came through first, I was very relaxing. And I thought now, where is Vera?
Because I know she should be either close to me or in the first floor somewhere. And I kept looking and looking and I didn't see her. And finally the next heat came out and, uh, one of our us girls was in that heat and I asked her Doris Brown and I asked her, I said, Doris, where is Vera? And she said, I don't know.
And I said, I mean, did she walk past you as you were coming out? She said, no, I said, well, she started with me, but I don't, I can't. Where is she? And she, she said, I, I don't know. And then I realized I needed to leave her alone because she was getting ready to compete and try to make the finals. So I, I went on that to our hotel and while I was in there, they said, did, did you hear what happened to thera?
And I was like, what? They said, well, she ran 300 meters, stopped, walked across the track, out the tunnel and came up on the ledge where it was, uh, some looking thing that, that it was in the shape of a sore, the stadium. And she tried to jump off and commit suicide. And I was like, what, what, what do you mean?
I, and I, I had nicknamed her, the tiger lady. I said, you, you talk about the tiger lady. Why would she wanna do something like that? They were like, mm, we don't know. So later on, I did find out that her delegation had come to her and told her that, you know, because they hadn't won anything during the whole Olympia that she was not to come back with anything less than the gold medal and the pressure that, that mentally put on her when there's already pressure that you put on yourself and representing your country yourself and, [00:15:00] and your loved ones and, and being, you know, before the world that was too much.
And she had a mental breakdown and that's why she was trying to commit suicide. Well, I hadn't seen her or talked to her or anything until the day of my finals and on the day of my finals, I was go getting ready to go out the village and catch the bus and go over to the stadium. When one of my teammates said, Hey, Madeline, there's Vera back there.
And I turned around and I looked and about 200 yards away. There was standing in front of one of the gates there. And there were two guys standing beside her and inside of me, I just, I had this fight, this, this thing that was happening inside of my mind and my heart, one part of me was saying, go back to her.
She needs you. Now, the other part was saying, you need to go on, your coach is waiting on you. This is your finals. This is everything that you work. Go on and you know, just, she's got somebody there with her, don't worry about it. And yet that pull to turn around and do something, whatever that was. So finally, I looked at one of my teammates.
I said, would you tell my coach I'll be there in, you know, on the next month bus don't, don't worry. I'll be there in time. I've got plenty of time. And I turned and I walked back and I remember, and excuse me, if I get really emotional about this, because I still feel as I still see it, as I walk toward her, my heart began to Tramble because all of a sudden I realized, wait a minute, she doesn't speak English and I show don't speak.
No, the, no whatever she speaks. Yugos lobbying. How am I going to communicate with her? And what do I say? I had no idea, but as I got closer and closer to her, I just, I, I just looked at, I looked at her and it, and it frightened me because it was the first time I ever looked in anybody's eyes that did not want to live.
And it was really dark. And I said, Vera, Vera, Vera. And I finally reached out and I grabbed her by her shoulders and I shook her and I said, dear up. And she looked up at me and my heart fell even deeper because there was nothing, there was only darkness in her eyes. And I said, listen, you know, you're one of the best athletes in the world.
You cannot give up. Now you've got to keep going, no response. And I was like, listen, there you're young. You can go home and put this behind you and start over again. No response. And I kept trying to talk to her, kept trying to say something. That would take that blank stare out of her eyes and out of her face.
And finally, I said, D I don't know if you understand what I'm saying at all, but understand this. I hope you can get this. God created you. One of the greatest athletes on the face of this earth and you're young, and you're still able to do what he purpose for you to do said go back home, find God, find who out, who Jesus is and allow him to love on you and bring up healing to your heart.
And I don't know what else I said. I just, you know, it was just flowing, coming out. And while I was talking to her, tears began to just roll out of her eyes. Still blank. Look, still empty. But tears begins real. And I, I just took her in my arms and embraced her and we both cried. And then I turned around and I left and I went to catch the bus to take me over to the stadium.
And of course, you know, history was made. I was able to win and set a new world and an Olympic and American record and become the first woman in the United States to ever win a gold medal and opened the door for women of color of all peoples of color that the myth was that people of color could not run long distance because they only had fast switch muscles, which was a lie.
It was not the truth. And the fact that I won by some 60 meters over my competition, broke that myth to pieces. And I mean, some great things happened. Well, I went on home and it was kind to both. [00:20:00] Outstanding amateur athlete of the year, some great things happen. And I returned to Germany the next year. And, uh, a, a guy walked up to me as I was warming up and he said, excuse me, Madeline.
And I said, yes. And he said, I'm VEing a colli coach. Now I stopped. And I said, oh, said, how is she? And he started crying and I waited. And finally he said, I, I need to tell you this thera after we left Mexico was taken into, well, they called it back then an insane or asylum. She was taken where mental cases had to be dealt, dealt with.
He said, and she never spoke during the whole year. She'd never said, he said I would go there every other day and just spend time with her and just talk about any and everything. She never spoke until last month. And last month I was sitting there talking as I usually do, and she stopped me and she said, coach Madeline came back and she was on her way to her finals.
And from that day on, she started talking and he started working with her and he said, she's here today. I was like, oh no, . And he said, but she's not in shape yet. You know? Uh, she's not running the 800, she's running a 1500 just for endurance sake. And she's working her way back. Well, about that time, I hear somebody hollering Marilyn man, and I turn around and look across the field and it's Vera and she is running toward me and I start running toward her in the middle of the field.
We connect and we are hugging each other, you know, how girls do and jumping around and hollering and crying and everything. And she stops me and she catches me by my shoulders and shakes me. And she, I, to God, I, to God and I looked at her and I said, I can tell there's light in your eyes. And I, I just, we just hugged.
And, um, she just that, you know, things like, thank you. Thank you. She had learned a few words of English. I hadn't learned Yugoslavia yet. So so that's about all we could say. but from that point on, I realized it wasn't about winning the gold medal. It wasn't about being the first woman to, uh, bring back a gold medal for the United States.
It wasn't about opening the door for women of color all across the world. It wasn't about me. It was about being at the right place at the right time, with the words of life, to give to someone who was dying. And then I saw, I said, Lord, now I see how my athletic ability works in the kingdom of God here on the earth.
Jill: Wow. Oh, allison's starting to cry. So , don't worry. So, okay, so
Alison: that's starting to cry. Yeah.
Jill: Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. Uh, go on without me now we're 1969. How do you, then that plan unfolds? How, how does it keep going as you go on to other Olympic.
Madeline Manning Mims: Yeah. One being constantly called upon as a, a captain of a team and giving my opportunity to serve my teammates that keeps opening that door for me to give and to love and to be there as a person who would listen, who cared because, you know, uh, being an Olympian, being an athlete at that level, you can be very self-centered and I mean, it's not irreverent to be that way, because if you don't pay attention to yourself, well, you just won't do well.
But at the same time, you have the opportunity to reach out to your teammates and to people that you even compete against. And I can remember there were times that there were girls that I would run against that I would reach out and say to them, what do you have to run? I don't know if I would ask that because I wanted somebody to run with me or or what, but I really cared.
And they, sometimes some of 'em was like, well, you know, I gotta just do well. Or some of 'em would say, well, my coach coach wants me to run this time and I would tell 'em. I said, well, my coach wants me to run this time. And, um, if you're anywhere close to me know that that's what I'm gonna be going after running this time.
You know, cuz I, I, uh, [00:25:00] uh, was doing, you know, according to each two hundred, a hundred fifty, two hundred meters, 300 meters that I was pacing myself. I knew how to pace myself. And I said, if you're close to me, then this is what you're doing. Or if you're be, uh, in front of me, uh, this is what you'll be doing.
And just really try to help them. And even in a race, there have been times in a race I've just said, come on, we gotta go now, you know, just, and it wasn't, I wasn't trying to be a goody two shoe. I really cared. I wanted us to do well. And a lot of times, you know, we'd be talking about beating the Europeans or beating the Russians, you know, or whatever.
Then we need to run this, you know, and we need to get a, I'll never forget the time I, I told a group of, uh, young women that were part of the 800 meters as we were at our Olympic trials that I said, let's, let's try to break the two minute. I became the first woman in the United States to break the two minute, but I wanted somebody to go along with me and I told 'em.
I said, listen, we're all running really well. I mean, we're in the best shape of our lives. We can help each other. Let's let's go after trying to break that two minute. They were like, oh no, no, no, no, no. Now if you wanna do that fine, you know, they can come scrape you off the ground, but they're not doing that to me.
You know, I was like, listen, the Europeans are doing it. So it's not impossible. All right. We're just, it's in good, a shape as they are. So let's at least go out and try to do it. Let's, you know, figure this thing out and see how we're gonna do it. How, you know, I'll pace it for you if you want me to, or however you want.
And they, they just would not the fear of trying to break a barrier like that was too much. And so I just prayed about it and I said, father, I'm gonna go out there and give it all I've got. And I just ask that you don't let me get embarrassed. don't let them have to scrape me off the track and carry me out on a stretch or something like that.
Please. I don't wanna be embarrassed like that, but I'll give you everything. I've got. And I did. And the thing that I found out is that deception is a monkey because the deception that all of us, that we were gonna die. If we tried to do that, it was so I told the girls later on, I said, you know what? That was the easiest race that I have ever run.
I said, once I put my fear aside and went, just went for it. One, it felt better. Two, it was over quicker. And three, once I came through the line and saw the time I got so much energy, almost ran another lap. I'm like, this is how it feels. It feels so good to be able to put out and go for it like that.
Especially if you have, uh, worked hard. And you have trained and, uh, brought your Bo body under strict training and you know what you can do, but you're just scared to do it. If you break that barrier, you'll find that there's a lot of life and excitement and it doesn't hurt as bad, you know, I thought it was gonna kill me.
You know, it did not. It did just the opposite because once I looked up and saw the time, a 1 58 something, probably the first time I broke it, I ran a 1 59, 7, but the next time 1 58 and each time I could, I could tell my body was like, Thank you. One, this got over with quicker. We didn't have to labor so long, you know, and secondly, look at the time, this is so exciting.
So that started open up, you know, the other side for other competitors in the United States to start looking like, wait, wait a minute. If she can do that, I can do that. And they started going for it. And now today, a lot of our girls, uh, stay under two minutes. They just stay under two minutes is so wonderful to look at this, but, uh, it, it comes from a heart of caring of wanting to reach out, wanna see the best for others, not just for yourself.
Jill: So I have a question about doing an 800 under two minutes when you were competing. It had not been that long prior. That women were allowed to run the 800 meters again, because of course, back in 1928, you know, women were too delicate and body parts would fall out if they ran that
Madeline Manning Mims: out on the ground. did, did, have you ever seen that picture [00:30:00] of them?
I, I saw that film of them. They were all falling out of ground on the ground. Like they had one run a marathon, but I think it was from it's it's from them being told that they, they couldn't, it, it, it was gonna halfway kill you. And the fears of it's gonna mess up your reproductive system and no, nobody really knowing how to train them to run, uh, 800.
And it was looked at as a distance. Even in, in 68, it was still looked at a distance run because it was the longest distance at that time. The next four years, they put in the 1500 and then the next, you know, three years until they got to the marathon. But now it's looked, looked at as a middle distance sprint.
And that's how it should be looked at because I mean, it's not that you sprint the whole thing, like a hundred meters. There is a pacing in it that takes place, but it's not eloping either. It's not a cross country run or a distance run where you're loing. So it's looked at different, completely different and
Jill: no body parts fall out.
That's amazing. That's the amazing
Madeline Manning Mims: part, right? I know. And you can still have babies
Oh, my,
Jill: I do wanna ask a little bit about 1980 and your experiences with the boycott. So talk to us a little bit about when you were first aware that this could be a possibility that the us would not go to the games and, and how that evolved from
Madeline Manning Mims: there. Right? So I was, I thought I was finished, right? I thought, okay, it is finished.
It's done. I'm not doing anymore and everything. And then I get a, a real call on from the Lord on my life to come out and run again. And I said, for what , and this answer is because I need you. And I thought, Hmm, I wrestle with that. We had a big argument and he won. So there I am training again. My coach comes from Indiana and moves here to Tulsa, Oklahoma sets up a track.
At O are U and we get started. We start training nothing at that time that was in 79, nothing at that time was being said about a boycott or anything. So I'm, I'm giving it all of that. We're trying new stuff, new training mechanisms, this whole thing. And then kind of a whisper comes around that Russia is hosting the games for 1980 and they're still in Afghanistan in war.
And that is against the principles of Olympism that a host country hosting the world gains would be still in war back in the day they stopped. If they were in wars for something, the host country, they would for the games. Now, after the games. They sometimes continue on or either they work it out another way, but all this was against the very principles of having fair play and competition against, you know, between the different nations and people groups.
So I kind of got that. And all of a sudden I was asked to go speak at a coach's convention. I think it was in Colorado somewhere. And there was a TV group that came in from Russia that wanted to interview me. And after I got off the stage, they cornered me aside and said, we'd like to speak to you about the boycott.
And I said, oh, are we boycotting? And they said, well, your, your president is calling for a boycott because of the Afghanistan. What do you think about this? Don't you think that that's unfair that and all of a sudden they start saying things to tell me what to say. They didn't, they didn't gimme a chance at the time to answer the question of how I felt about that.
And they're, they're trying to tell me what to say. And I got insulted about that. I didn't like the fact don't come over to my country and tell me what to say against my pre president and against the United States. That doesn't sit well with me. And so once they stopped talking and had tried to tell me what to say, I said to them, well, first of all, Russia, shouldn't be in Afghanistan during the Olympic games, because that goes against the whole principles of Olympic and, and the reason why the Olympic games [00:35:00] exist.
I said, and secondly, I know this for a fact, That there is not one of your athletes that would be able to stand up on anybody's television and talk about or against its government or against your prime minister. I said, we probably wouldn't see them again. So I don't appreciate you coming and, and telling me that I need to feel this way or that way about something and wanting me to say this on international television.
And they said, uh, which means, thank you. But then I began to think, are we getting ready to boycott I'm out here working my butt off and we are getting ready to not go, what's the deal with this? So I do what I normally do. I went and I got alone and I began to pray. And like, what's up father? Why have you called me?
To this whole situation. If there's not going to be a situation, if there's not gonna be in Olympic games, you said you needed me. So what am I, so what, how do you need me? Of course, Lord didn't answer me right then. But as we went along, I really fought. There were days because when you're training, you're training hard and it hurts.
I mean, there is no training without suffering. Okay. No pain, no gain is very real. So I'm out there and trying to figure out why am I doing this? Why should I keep going? If there's nothing to go. So, I don't know. I, I just realized that I need, I need to keep going and see what the end's gonna be. I don't understand.
Maybe, maybe this is gonna turn around at the last moment and all of a sudden we're going, maybe Russia will get out of Afghanistan and say, okay, for so many days, for 30 days, we're out, I don't know what's gonna happen. So finally I kept training and the Olympic trials was one of the best races that I had.
I again, broke my Olympic trials record and also won very concisely over my competition and became the most outstanding female athlete of the meet. Everything was going really well. And the thing is, I thought about it and I was like, I'm in the best shape of my life. . And, and now I, by that time I knew of the boycott and I was like, well, , you know, I was not born to just sit back and not do anything.
I was born to run, so I'm gonna run, I'll run, you know, however, it happens. We get to the white house, we meet president Carter and his wife. And I, I remember talking to his wife and I said, just know that I'm praying for you because I know this was a hard decision to make. I don't know what all goes through this whole process, but I would not like to be in your shoes.
And she, she calls and, and calls her husband and like, cuz he was talking to another Olympian and she's like, honey, honey, you've got to hear this. You've got to hear this. And so he comes over and he, he meets me and um, she says, tell him what you told me. And I said, well, basically I just told her that I'm praying for you.
I'm praying for whatever. It's causing this whole situation of us boycotting and just know that you have someone praying for you. Okay. And he, tears came to his eyes and he, he just said, thank you so much. We need prayer. And, um, so alright. When we finish there, someone comes to the captains of the teams, the different sports and says, uh, we need someone or two people that will given a response to the presidential address to the American people on the steps of the capital.
I did not recognize that anybody even knew about me at all. , you know, but all of a sudden they said, well, we have two Olympics here. This will be their fourth Olympic games. Uh, we have, um, a modern pin athlete and we have a young lady who was in track and field. And I thought, are they talking about me? And they said, you know, with Madeline Manning, please then come.
And I forgot the guy's name, but anyway, we were chosen, I talked to him afterward and I said, okay, well we gotta get together. You know, we, we only have a certain amount of time to say whatever we need to say. And, uh, I said, I don't know what to say, because this is from a to Z. We've got people on here feel that they should, we should kill the P president and the other people that [00:40:00] are waving flags and still, and everybody in between.
So I cannot imagine how we are going to represent the whole Olympic team to the American people in response to the address of the, the president. And he said, don't look at me. You're the one, that's the speaker. And I, he said, just write whatever's down that I'm supposed to say. And I'll say it. I, so you got to be kidding.
You are not gonna leave me just hanging out here by. He's like, I don't know what to say either Madeline, you know? So I'm up, I'm up till like two o'clock in the morning, trying to figure out what to say. And I'm throwing paper away after a while. I just, like I gave up, I was like, that enough is enough. I, I don't know what to say, but I'm just have to tell them we I'm sorry.
We couldn't figure out what to say. but soon as I said, Lord, I cannot do this. I don't know what to say. It's like the Lord said, finally, like, good move outta my way. And let me talk about you. And so in 10 minutes I wrote the whole speech. I mean, it just start flooding it just start coming. And one of the things that I acknowledge, I think the theme basically of is that we are a.
This is not just a us team that goes out somewhere and represents you and come back and we have nothing to, you have nothing to do with you. You don't have anything to do with us that I, no, we are a family. And I said something to the effect that the father of our nation has made a decision on the behalf of the family.
And like any family, some will agree. Some will not, some will be in the middle. It doesn't matter. We're still a family. And yes, we as athletes do what we were called to do, we compete. And it has, it has really been detrimental to us mentally and physically to think that all the work we've put in will go to knock, but we are still part of the.
Then there are those who we have looked at and realized that they're saying you're coming anyway. And our father has stood up and said, no, we're not. And, and made it plain that we will not come to a country who is hosting war, who is hosting against in, in, in war. So I said, it's been a very difficult decision, but I'm, I'm say this as time goes forward, we need the help and backing of our business, people of people who can help us financially to give the very best that we can.
We need a better system. And I don't know, whatever else I wish I had. I know somewhere that that speech is, but where it is, I have no clue, but four years later, you off set up the most outstanding economic. Games for in the United States ever. And everything that I said in that speech came to life. And to, to say it this way, how do you know that a prophet is a prophet, is the, if their word comes true.
So the Lord had spoken a word to the nation, through me to encourage it, to, to unite together as a family and embrace their athletes that represent them as one. And so that's my experience from 1980. Was I upset? Yes, I was in that. I was in the best shape I had ever been in. And didn't get an opportunity at the Olympic games to, to show that or to win another goal.
But it wasn't about the gold medal. It was about uniting our country. and, um, God used me in that way to be a vessel that would speak on his behalf.
Jill: Did those experiences then help plant that seed of the chaplaincy program?
Madeline Manning Mims: Probably, probably. So it probably deepen it because I was not that type of thing was happening to me.
Although I was very aware that I was there, um, ministering and being awaken at sometimes ridiculous times of the night and all through day by athletes who were going through some different things that just needed a listening ear or, uh, shoulder to cry on that type of thing. But I didn't realize that I was being molded and shape.
[00:45:00] Into, uh, a chaplain, the type of chaplain that could really benefit, uh, not a religious chaplain, but a chaplain filled with God's love that was ready to build the kingdom of God in the, in the sports, through his love. Yeah, I didn't, I don't think I became aware of this until my mom passed away in 2003 for, she was with us for eight years and she had Alzheimer's, which get got worse and worse.
And the last two years was the worst part of it because she lost her personality. She lost, she was the grand queen. Her name was queen, but she was the grand queen, uh, maternal queen of our. Very classy woman, little education, but deep wisdom and knowledge and a woman of great faith who really loved her generations.
And, um, after she left, it was almost like she handed me her mantle, like go on, you know, go forth in doing the, the works that God has placed on your heart. So I, I was very unaware that there was any such thing, because back in, in the days when I was run, I remember in 1976, my third Olympic games, there was a priest, a Catholic priest that was a part of the staff, but he really didn't do much of anything.
He, he, he, as far as I know, he didn't have any religious services for us. One of the athletes came to me. because she had been to him and it was in distress and asked Holly, can you, he said something about, well, good luck. You know, I just, you know, hope the best for you. And that was all he had to say because he had not been trained at all to and prepared at all.
And he wasn't an athlete and he didn't know what to say or how to function. He went down to the pub with the guys, you know, and drank beer and sometimes got a little tipsy and, you know, and I'm thinking well, and so the athletes, a lot of times would come back to me and say, you know, we don't need nobody like that on staff.
And I was like, yeah, you better believe it. Uh, you know, cause what is he doing here? You know that. So I'm glad that I got the experience from both sides as an athlete who went through the pain and suffering and the price. It paid to be number one. And also I went through the pain and suffering of losing at the highest level and being challenged about, okay, in fact, this, this is one, one quick story.
In, uh, 1976, I ran in the semis trying to go on to get into the finals of the 800 and ran a very lethargic race. If you keep running long enough, you'll have those type of races, but you just hope they don't show up at the games. You know? Well, my, this time it showed up at the games and I ended up running dead last, coming off of the, the, um, track.
I was confused. I was hurt. I was angry. I didn't know what was going on and why that had happened. But I remember being asked and, and I don't think had I won that. They would ask me this question, but, uh, the news media immediately. You know, just bombarded me and, and one guy stopped me and he said, listen, I know this is confusing and everything, but we have something we need to ask you.
You've been saying that you're running for Jesus and that, you know, you run to give him the glory. What we want to know is, are you still gonna run for Jesus or are you gonna try to, are you gonna try something else? And I looked at him, I was like, what? And all of a sudden I realized in the face of the whole world that was watching and listening, I was being asked, is Jesus a figment of your imagination?
Or is he a real God? And so I told him, I said, you know what? Yes, I'm hurting very badly. I don't understand. I'm confused. I don't know what happened out there. Why I ran such a lethargic race after two weeks ago, running a world record in a 3000. I felt like I was ready to at least be on the winner's podium.
I said, I don't know, but I wanna tell you this, whether I'm running in circles around the track or whether I'm running somewhere else in the world, doing whatever I do, I will always run for Jesus because he's not a figment of my [00:50:00] imagination, nor is he a crutch. He is a real God who came to the earth for my salvation and for my redemption, who I am thankful for, who loves me.
And so I will always run for Jesus. And he said, thank you very much. and walked off. A bunch of them walked off and another guy, uh, stood there. And he said, you said something that you died out there on the track. What, what do you mean by that? I said the self center, the wanting to be the best, the desire.
That I had in my heart to, to get gain another gold medal, to set another world record all of that guide. But I have found my life that there is nothing that has the power or the ability to separate me from my relationship with my Lord. And that's what I mean in my death. I have found life and I I'm thankful for it.
I feel closer to God than I ever have. He was like, wow, I've never heard it put like that. It's like, Hmm. yeah, that
Jill: just kind of stunned does that, I mean, seeing both sides of the, or experiencing both sides of the spectrum, you got the gold medal. Right. But then you've also had really bad performances at the Olympics.
Does that give you more credibility to the athletes you serve?
Madeline Manning Mims: Oh yeah. Yeah, because they understand a friend of mine who actually is the chairman of my, uh, board. Um, who's been a chaplain since 84. He's not an Olympian. He's a theologian of just powerful, very brilliant theologian in the world, but he's so humble, very humble.
And, um, he often says, I find that when I go to the Olympics, a lot of times, uh, young people that I will be there for, there is out of 10 competitions, there's wedding and nine funerals. Anyway, other words, there are more people who lose than who win. And so you've got to prepare yourself for those who lose because there's, it's many, many more.
That go away with dreams broken or disappointments or disparity and feeling, you know, down on themselves where you want them to understand that you, whatever you perform, doesn't change how God loves you. You're still valuable in his sight and how to raise them back up to feel good about themselves. Not so much about your performance and being performance driven, but that you're loved and, and you're appreciated for even putting out what it took to get you there.
So, um, that's the reality of seeing, uh, and experiencing, losing and experiencing, you know, like in 72, I stopped at the wrong line in the 800 meters. I was trying to qualify for the 800 meters finals end up stopping at the wrong line. And in doing so I was walking off the side and it happened to see out of my peripheral vision.
Uh, the girl from England, just charging forward and instinctively, I, I leaned forward, you know, and then I figured what am gonna do? You know, I'm off the track. And, um, she came over to me and said, you know, what, why did you stop? And I said, because I was finished, right. I was finished. I was at the finish line.
Right. She said, no, the finish line is up there. I was like, what? And, and I mean, I was like, unbelievable. That's unbelievable. I asked the official standing there cuz I was in lane one. I asked him, where's the finish line for me, cuz they're all kind of lines for, for, you know, hurdles and relays and starts of this and endings of that all on the thing.
And I asked him and he said right where you start. Well, it wasn't, and it took 15 minutes for them to figure out that I lost by two centimeters. I was not in the finals by two centimeters. Now, when you tell, you know, uh, an athlete who has gone out there finally, maybe, maybe made it to the finals, maybe not, but they've given it everything they had.
The question I have is did you give it everything you had? Did you do your best? Okay. Well, if you did, then that's all you can do. That's all anybody can ask of [00:55:00] you is that you give it your best. And today this was your best now weeks from now, months from now, next year, you might do something that betters your performance, but it's still your best on that day.
And so helping them to understand. What's going on in this competitive world that they call the Olympics or the world championships, or, you know, this type of thing. That's part of competition. And it's also part of life. Life will not always not be fair. You know, there are times this is very unfair.
Sometimes there's favor and you don't even know why it came your way, you know, just favor that it happened to happen that way. But then there's the O opposite side. There's the opposite side of, and helping them to get through the rigors of life and, uh, all that it has for them. Wow. Ah,
Jill: Allison, do you have anything.
Alison: No, because my mind has exploded. yeah. Oh gosh. I'm still recovering from the of stories. So don't mind me. I'm just here trying not to stop controllably.
Madeline Manning Mims: Listen, I have been on stage and telling that and can barely get through the story because of the impact that it had on my life and helped me to see my identity in this world, the purpose for which I was born.
It's a powerful thought. Did you stay in touch with her after that? Were you able to, since where she was, I wasn't able to, because Yugoslavia know they went into war there, things that were going on there there's changeups and I haven't one time, I think, I don't know if I, I got, I received a letter. I don't know, but.
I had been over in Europe doing, uh, I seen contemporary gospel, gospel music, and as a concert artist and I was over in Berlin and we, we went to some other places and, um, I received a letter from her and, um, I don't even know where it is now. That's terrible. I wish I had kept it because I would've loved to say you have no idea how many times I've shared your story, but I have no, I haven't, um, kept in touch with her or no, anything about, I wish I could find some of, you know, like there were, there there's a Russian girl that constantly, she was my nemesis, you know?
And, uh, she ran a 1500 and 800 and I often wonder, I wonder where she is. How she's doing. Wow. Just, just,
Jill: yeah. What a fascinating life and just there, there's a sense of contentment in knowing that you're doing what
Madeline Manning Mims: your purpose is. Mm-hmm , mm-hmm, very much so very much so now it hasn't made me rich or anything, but rich in yeah.
Rich in my faith and rich in my, uh, love toward people. It has fulfilled that grace sense and continues to do so.
Jill: Thank you so much. Mandoline you can learn more about her organization, the United States council for sports chaplaincy. Us C S C zero three.com and we'll have a link to that in the show notes.
So, uh, that story of Vera was pretty emotional. I will say both of us a little. Did we cry? I think you were, you were very close. I had some tears in my eyes, but like you were pretty much reaching for clinic was rough.
Alison: I don't know why that was so rough for me maybe. And I, I pick that back. I think I do know because growing up, watching gymnastics and all those Eastern European gymnasts and, you know, and we've been reading so much about how the Eastern European coaches were so abusive mm-hmm and I kept thinking about what that woman must have gone through and how she was.
Madeline Manning Mims: Trying to be an athlete. And we, we know, I, I get crazy whenever anybody gets in the way of the athlete and it's like this whole system was bringing her down and all she wanted to do was run
Jill: and right. The, the enormous pressure on, we must bring back a gold medal. And now it's up to you and the fear that she must have had of knowing or imagining what might [01:00:00] have happened to her or the team or the coaches, or all of them is she didn't deliver.
And I can totally see how that would break you. Right.
Alison: But Madeline was there. It's
Jill: just interesting how things happen like that for a reason. I know it,
Alison: it definitely makes you believe in fate or kismet or, or, you know, the hand of God or whatever you believe that these just aren't random acts.
Jill: Right, right.
Right. Well, because it's been a long week already and it's only Wednesday. I thought it was still Tuesday there for a second.
Alison: And you know, it's locked down. So we can't even go to
Jill: Fulton. Right, right, right. So we will visit them next week and get more updates on Tokyo as well now, because it's been a long week, that's gonna wrap it up for this episode.
If you can help us hunt down Madeline's European competitors, let us know, email us@flamealivepodatgmail.com
Alison: or call our voicemail hotline at two zero eight. Flame. It. We're flame alive pod on Twitter and Insta and keep the flame alive podcast
Jill: group on Facebook next week, we're talking about Olympian, biological clocks.
So be sure to tune in for that episode and as we go up to music by Archdale. Thank you so much for listening.
And until next time, keep the flame alive.
Madeline Manning Mims: What's
sometimes you think love just a journey.
Categories: Athletics,
Gamesmakers
#Athletics
#Madeline Manning Mims
#Mexico City 1968
#Montreal 1976
#Moscow 1980
#Munich 1972
Episode 160: Madeline Manning Mims, Olympic Chaplain →
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This specialization gives an introduction to deep learning, reinforcement learning, natural language understanding, computer vision and Bayesian methods. Top Kaggle machine learning practitioners and CERN scientists will share their experience of solving real-world problems and help you to fill the gaps between theory and practice. Upon completion of 7 courses you will be able to apply modern machine learning methods in enterprise and understand the caveats of real-world data and settings.

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